SOFIA, Bulgaria - Several hundred anti-government protesters gathered on Wednesday in front of the German embassy in Sofia, calling on Berlin and Brussels to open their eyes to widespread corruption in Bulgaria.

During the peaceful protest, dubbed Eyes Wide Shut, organizers complained that the European Union has wilfully ignored the state of affairs in its poorest member state.

Demands for the resignations of Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov and the countrys chief prosecutor, Ivan Geshev, have been at the core of month-long street protests in the capital and other big cities in the Balkan country.

The mostly young protesters accuse those in power of links to the mafia, refusing to fight corruption and suppressing freedom of speech.

Dozens of tent camps have been set up to block key roads across the country as part of anti-government protests.

Borissov, who has held office since 2009 and whose third term is scheduled to end in March, offered to step down if that would keep his troubled coalition government in place. But eventually, he revised his plan saying that there was still plenty to be done concerning the COVID-19 crisis and the economic downturn.
Here are some of the stocks in news today. (Image: Moneycontrol)

Results today | Aurobindo Pharma, Bharat Forge, Ashok Leyland, Tata Power, Thermax, Aarti Industries, Advanced Enzyme, Aster DM Healthcare, Balaji Amines, Brigade Enterprises, Century Plyboards, Cummins India, eClerx Services, Graphite India, GSFC, Gulf Oil Lubricants, Indostar Capital Finance, Kalpataru Power Transmission, Natco Pharma, NCC, Sundram Fasteners, Transport Corporation of India.

Adani Ports Q1 | Profit at Rs 757.8 crore versus Rs 1,028.7 crore, revenue at Rs 2,292.7 crore versus Rs 2,794.5 crore YoY. (Image: adaniports.com)

Metropolis Healthcare Q1 | Profit at Rs 2.87 crore versus Rs 26.9 crore, revenue at Rs 143.1 crore versus Rs 203.3 crore YoY. Board approved the acquisition of balance 35 percent equity stake in Metropolis Histoxpert Digital Services and balance 49% stake in Raj Metropolis Healthcare. (Image: metropolisindia.com)

Gujarat Alkalies and Chemicals Q1 | Profit at Rs 31.8 crore versus Rs 158.8 crore, revenue at Rs 469.6 crore versus Rs 748.6 crore YoY. (Image: gacl.com)

Godawari Power & Ispat Q1 | Profit at Rs 46.49 crore versus Rs 54.4 crore, revenue at Rs 711.3 crore versus Rs 834.2 crore YoY. (Image: godawaripowerispat.com)

Star Cement Q1 | Profit at Rs 43.3 crore versus Rs 83.9 crore, revenue at Rs 292 crore versus Rs 460.9 crore YoY. (Image: PTI)

Somany Ceramics Q1 | Loss at Rs 26.4 crore versus profit of Rs 7.1 crore, revenue at Rs 169.4 crore versus Rs 395.5 crore YoY. (Image: Somany Ceramics)

Power Grid Corporation | Company appointed M Taj Mukarrum as CFO. (Image: powergridindia.com)

Hexaware Technologies | Company signed pact with Freshworks to offer digital solutions. (Image: hexaware.com)

Satin Creditcare Network | The Rs 120-crore rights issue will open on August 12. (Image: satincreditcare.com)

Inox Leisure | Inox Benefit Trust sold 43.50 lakh shares in company at Rs 233 per share. However, Skale Master Fund acquired 8,55,092 shares in company, Abu Dhabi Investment Authority 11.25 lakh shares and HDFC MF 23.7 lakh shares at same price. (Image: PTI)

Consolidated Construction | Eastspring Investments India Infrastructure Equity Open sold 31,87,919 shares in company at Rs 0.32 per share. (Image: Moneycontrol)

GSS Infotech | Elara India Opportunities Fund offloaded 1 lakh shares in company at Rs 23.86 per share. (Image: gssinfotech.com)

La Opala RG | Westbridge Crossover Fund LLC sold 22,99,696 shares in company at Rs 185 per share. (Image: Wikimedia)

Spencer's Retail RE | BNK Capital Markets sold 2 lakh shares in company at Rs 21.66 per share. (Image: Moneycontrol)

JMC Projects Q1 | Loss at Rs 52.21 crore versus profit Rs 20.61 crore, revenue at Rs 498.4 crore versus Rs 946.9 crore YoY; Company secured new orders of Rs 1,363 crore. (Image: Moneycontrol)

Motherson Sumi Systems | Company issued commercial paper of Rs 75 crore. (Image: motherson.com)

Minda Industries | Company sets rights issue price at Rs 250 per share, with rights entitlement ratio of 1 |27. The issue will open on August 25 and close on September 8. (Image: Minda Industries)

HDFC | Company raised Rs 10,000 crore via QIP and Rs 3,693 crore via NCDs. (Image: PTI)

KRBL | Company received in-principle approval of board for evaluating potential restructuring of energy business. Profit at Rs 125.74 crore versus Rs 136.12 crore, revenue at Rs 764 crore versus Rs 1,217.7 crore YoY. (Image: Moneycontrol)

Galaxy Surfactants Q1 | Profit at Rs 56.49 crore versus Rs 52.55 crore, revenue at Rs 607.16 crore versus Rs 665 crore YoY. (Image: galaxysurfactants.com)

Prataap Snacks Q1 | Loss at Rs 5.95 crore versus profit at Rs 9.65 crore, revenue at Rs 195.74 crore versus Rs 331 crore YoY. (Image: Moneycontrol)

PTC India Q1 | Profit at Rs 100 crore versus Rs 93.3 crore, revenue at Rs 4,630.8 crore versus Rs 5,411.4 crore YoY. (Image: Reuters)

Rashtriya Chemicals & Fertilizers Q1 | Profit at Rs 19.20 crore versus Rs 7.98 crore, revenue at Rs 1,621 crore versus Rs 2,409.5 crore YoY. Board approved fund raising of Rs 1,000 crore via NCDs. (Image: rcfltd.com)

MPS | Board approved buyback of up to 5,66,666 equity shares at Rs 600 per share, aggregating amount up to Rs 34 crore. (Image: Moneycontrol)

GE Power India Q1 | Loss at Rs 18 crore versus loss Rs 8.76 crore, revenue at Rs 432 crore versus Rs 428.6 crore YoY. (Image: ge.com)

Emami | Promoter Raviraj Viniyog released 10.5 lakh shares. (Image: emamiltd.com)

KPI Global Infrastructure | Company received sanction letters for providing financial assistance for 15MW (existing) and 20MW (proposed) solar power project from PFC. (Image: kpiglobal.kpgroup.co)

Embassy Office Parks REIT | Board on August 14 to consider and approve availing debt at REIT Trust level by way of issuance of NCDs/ debt securities.

Vadilal Industries | CARE revised credit rating to BBB- with negative outlook on long term bank facilities, from BBB with credit watch with negative implications. (Image: vadilalgroup.com)

Eicher Motors | Company approved sub-division of each existing equity share of face value of Rs 10 each into 10 equity shares of face value of Re 1 each. (Image: Eicher Motors)

Coal India | Five trade unions of company who had served notice of one-day strike in CIL and its subsidiaries on August 18 had withdrawn their strike. (Image: coalindia.in)

Shriram City Union Finance Q1 | Profit at Rs 198.43 crore versus Rs 260 crore, revenue at Rs 1,482.8 crore versus Rs 1,561.1 crore YoY. (Image: Wikimedia)

MT Educare | Promoter Mahesh Shetty to sell up to 17,82,585 shares (representing 2.47 percent of total paid-up equity share capital) via offer for sale on August 12 and August 13. (Image: mteducare.com)

Chalet Hotels Q1 | Loss at Rs 39.4 crore versus profit Rs 13.92 crore, revenue at Rs 52.62 crore versus Rs 240.3 crore YoY. (Image: chalethotels.com)
EDWARDSVILLE  Members of Scott Credit Union will have a fifth Missouri location later this year when they need to visit a branch.

The local credit union is finalizing plans to open a location at 9100 Gravois Road in Affton, Missouri. The newest location, a former bank building, is 8,300 square feet and features a traditional teller line in the lobby and two drive-up teller windows. The location also will have a drive-up ATM.
Sylhet City Corporation Mayor Ariful Huq Chowdhury speaks at the opening ceremony of the Surma Spice Restaurant and Party Centre on Tuesday.
BRENTWOOD, Tenn., Aug. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Ncontracts, the leading provider of integrated risk management solutions for financial institutions, announced that it has been recognized again this year by Inc. Magazine as a member of the Inc. 5000, the magazine's annual listing of America's fastest-growing private companies. With 184 percent revenue growth over the past three years, Ncontracts ranks in the top half of the list this year, coming in at #2278.

The annual list represents a unique look at the most successful companies within the American economy's most dynamic segmentits independent small businesses, and over the years has included organizations such as Microsoft, Timberland, Vizio, Intuit, Chobani, Oracle, and Zappos.com.

Not only have the companies on the 2020 Inc. 5000 been very competitive within their markets, but the list as a whole shows staggering growth compared with prior lists as well. The Inc. 5000's aggregate revenue was $209 billion in 2019, accounting for over 1 million jobs over the past three years.

"The companies on this year's Inc. 5000 come from nearly every realm of business," says Inc. editor-in-chief Scott Omelianuk. "From health and software to media and hospitality, the 2020 list proves that no matter the sector, incredible growth is based on the foundations of tenacity and opportunism."

Michael Berman, Ncontracts founder and CEO said, "We are honored to be included again in this prestigious list of fast-growing companies, and owe a huge thanks to our 175 employees and our nearly 1400 customers around the country; we would be nowhere without their trust and belief in us and our solutions."

Ncontracts continues to be a force in the Nashville business community. Its headquarters in Brentwood has grown to support nearly 150 employees, and even in the face of the COVID-19 challenges, its employees continue to support local community organizations like the Harvest Food Bank, Special Olympics of TN, Nashville Rescue Mission, and the Charles Davis Foundation.

Ncontract's integrated risk management solution enables banks, credit unions, mortgage lenders, and fintech companies in all 50 US states to automate their risk management and compliance activities. Clients save time in assessing and managing risks related to the financial products they market to consumers and ensure that their compliance activities are accurate and complete. The need for this "RegTech" software has become more critical as federal and state regulations have become more complex, and as the impact of COVID-19, PPP loans, and lending diversity and equity initiatives continue to evolve.

Ncontracts is part of the Gryphon Investors' portfolio of companies. Based in San Francisco, Gryphon Investors (www.gryphoninvestors.com) is a leading private equity firm focused on profitably growing and competitively enhancing middle-market companies in partnership with experienced management and manages over $4.9 billion of equity investments and capital.

Ncontracts continues to expand and is actively recruiting software developers, product designers, and sales and marketing professionals to join its growing team. To explore career opportunities at Ncontracts, please visit https://www.ncontracts.com/careers.

About Ncontracts:

Ncontracts provides integrated risk management and compliance software to a rapidly expanding customer base of nearly 1,400 financial institutions located in all 50 states and US territories. The company's powerful combination of software and services enables financial institutions to achieve their risk management and compliance goals with an integrated, user-friendly cloud-based solution suite that encompasses vendor risk, organizational risk, audit risk, and compliance risk management.

Methodology

The 2020 Inc. 5000 is ranked according to percentage revenue growth when comparing 2016 and 2019. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2016. They had to be U.S.-based, privately held, for profit, and independentnot subsidiaries or divisions of other companiesas of December 31, 2019. (Since then, a number of companies on the list have gone public or been acquired.) The minimum revenue required for 2016 is $100,000; the minimum for 2019 is $2 million. As always, Inc. reserves the right to decline applicants for subjective reasons. Companies on the Inc. 500 are featured in Inc.'s September issue. They represent the top tier of the Inc. 5000, which can be found at http://www.inc.com/inc5000.

SOURCE Ncontracts

Related Links

https://www.ncontracts.com


BP plans the most massive downsizing of office locations and properties in its history amid remote work and office job cuts, the Guardian reported on Wednesday, citing senior officials and a spokesman.

BP is currently reviewing the need of office locations in the UK and abroad in view of the growing work from home trend amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Over time, BP could nearly halve the office space it uses, which would be the most dramatic downsizing of office locations in the companys more than 100 years of history, the Guardian has learned.

BP has yet to refine the plans for office space and layouts and is expected to finalize those plans in the coming months.

In June, BP said it would cut 10,000 jobs, or around 15 percent of its workforce, as it looks to cut costs amid the oil price crash resulting from the coronavirus pandemic. As BP aims to reinvent itself as an energy company and a net-zero company by 2050 and sooner, the UK-based supermajor is resorting to job cutsmost of which in office-based positions, in order to reduce its costs as the downturn has severely affected its finances.

As an example, our new Tier 2 structure has more than halved the number of most senior level jobs  and we are looking to reduce the number of group leaders overall by around one third, chief executive Bernard Looney said.

Theres no question that work patterns are changing and BP will be no exception to that. We expect to move to a more hybrid work style which will be a mixture of home and office, Looney told the Guardian last week.

One of the largest oilfield service providers, Halliburton, which also resorted to job cuts after the price crash, is also downsizing its real estate portfolio.

Real estate auctions firm Williams & Williams said earlier this week that it would auction surplus real estate assets  industrial buildings and land  for Halliburton in October. The properties are located in Texas, New Mexico, Louisiana, Mississippi, and North Dakota, as well as in Alberta, Canada.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
New Delhi:

The banks and other financial institutions are expected to see heavy rush on Tuesday as they reopen after three days' break. Banks were closed between Dec 10-12 on account of second Saturday and Sunday followed by Eid Milad-un-Nabi.



On Monday, people faced a myriad of problems as the ATMs ran dry due to a long weekend.



Many people expressed unhappiness that even a month after Prime Minister Narendra Modis announcement about demonetisation on November 8, the situation has not improved much. They say the government must take corrective steps quickly.



It is now clear that the idea of demonetisation has failed due to lack of planning and execution. Many ATMs are still unable to dispense cash, a city-based businessman said.

Also read | 0.75% discount on use of debit/credit cards, mobile wallets at PSU petrol pumps from December 13



Another businessman from south Mumbai said it took him almost one hour to find a functional ATM in the area.



Thereafter, I had to spend another one hour in the ATM queue to get a single note of Rs 2,000. I think it is high time government should announce corrective measures to tackle the crisis, otherwise it is going escalate further.



Modiji is appealing to people to go cashless. I dont know about the countrymen, but it seems that banks and ATMs are certainly following the PMs words, said Shyama Kukreja, who runs private tuitions in suburban Dahisar.However, there are still many, who feel that people should give more time to the government to see the positive effects of demonetisation.



Naresh Upadhyay, a medical representative, said, Just see what is happening in Venezuela. This country has followed Indias footsteps in its efforts to eradicate the black money. It is matter of pride that other countries are now following our suit.



Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has signed an emergency decree ordering the countrys largest banknote, the 100 bolivar bill, taken out of circulation to thwart mafias he accused of hoarding cash in Colombia.



Kavita Dhawan, an entrepreneur from Vashi in Navi Mumbai said, The way huge stocks of currency in new notes are being seized, looks like that these are tip of the iceberg. And this is the reason why people are dying in the queue. If Modiji has to make his demonetisation plan successful, then he needs to keep a check on the bank officers and employees, because without their help, such huge amount of cash cannot go outside the banks.

(With Inputs from PTI)

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
A new online system, developed by the University of Sheffield, which enables healthcare professionals to remotely monitor and support patients who have motor neurone disease (MND) during the Covid-19 pandemic, has been fast-tracked for use by Sheffield Teaching Hospitals.

The Telehealth in Motor Neurone Disease (TiM) system ) has been rolled out to patients with MND in Sheffield and Edinburgh months ahead of schedule; thanks to a partnership between the University of Sheffield's Institute for Translational Research (SITraN), Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and technology firm Advanced Digital Innovation (UK) Limited (ADI) a leader in the field of technology-enabled health and care services, which has been working with Sheffield Teaching Hospitals for the past four years, across its musculoskeletal services.

West Yorkshire-based ADI pioneered this technology in conjunction with the team in Sheffield, ensuring that its design has been driven by patient and carer feedback.

It allows patients to seamlessly and securely connect with their healthcare provider through a web browser, or mobile app, without the need for a physical visit.

Motor neurone disease is an extremely debilitating condition which progressively damages parts of the nervous system, causing muscles to waste and weaken.

Motor neurone disease causes significant life-limiting problems and we had already recognised that it was not ideal to ask patients to travel long distances for routine check-ups.However, Covid-19 made it critical that we took extra steps to protect these very vulnerable patients away from a hospital setting whilst continuing to manage their highly specialised care, and we have worked hard over the last few weeks to ensure the programme was ready to launch months earlier than planned." Esther Hobson, Honorary Senior Lecturer and Consultant Neurologist, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

"Feedback so far has been extremely positive, with our patients telling us how grateful they were that we have rolled out the digital technology to care for them while keeping them safe."

Through the app patients answer a series of questionnaires on a weekly basis about their health. This gives their clinician real time data on how their patients are progressing.

Through the app, patients can also get advice and help on how to manage their condition, attend virtual appointments with their consultant and even access troubleshooting advice for the medical equipment they have to help manage their symptoms at home.

Chris McDermott, Consultant Neurologist at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals and Professor of Translational Neurology at the University of Sheffield, said: "This allows us to provide the right level of specialist care remotely, especially for the most vulnerable patients for who travelling the sometimes lengthy distances for their appointments at specialist centres, could negatively affect their health.

"While Covid-19 has accelerated this change, it is providing clear and complementary benefits to patients who live far from a specialist centre, and who want the new approach to be provided for the long term, beyond the pandemic."

John Eaglesham, ADI (UK) Ltd Chief Executive said: "COVID-19 has driven the need for pioneers in the NHS to trial new ways of communicating and caring for patients, particularly amongst at risk groups."

"Whilst this shift has been accelerated by the current pandemic, it could herald a long term change in how the NHS interacts with patients, catching up to the online communications used in other sectors.

"These changes will not only keep at-risk patients safe, but could also help to better manage the next major challenge on the NHS. We're delighted that our technology is offering a game-changing solution and we are looking forward to continued success."

Craig Stockton, Chief Executive of charity MND Scotland, the lead funder of the project said: "I want to thank all of the MND Scotland supporters who have raised the vital funds needed to support this research, which will make a real difference to those living with MND and ensuring people with MND continue to receive the highest quality of care."
Mayor Sylvester Turner said taking care of Houstons children should be a priority, so the city announced on Wednesday, Aug. 12, that it is joining the UNICEF USA Child Friendly Cities Initiative (CFCI) to help improve their lives.

These are our children, and, you know, we often say that children are our leaders for tomorrow. But quite frankly, we need to ensure that we protect them. We give them what they need today so that they can realize their full potential, Turner said.

Special needs: Tips for heading into virtual learning with special needs children

He said Houstons children are from all over the world because the city is the nations most diverse and that it needs to support them and encourage their success.

More than 3,000 municipalities in 40 countries have adopted the CFCI, improving the lives of approximately 30 million children and young people since the program started in 1996. UNICEF USA is bringing the program to the U.S. with Houston as one of four first communities that will begin a two-year process to be recognized nationally and globally as child-friendly cities. The process will start with hearing from young people about what they believe their needs are. The other communities are Minneapolis, San Francisco and Prince Georges County, Maryland.

Nelson Bowman, UNICEF USA regional managing director for the southwest region, said other programs dont necessarily seek out the input or thoughts of actual children before developing their plans, which makes the CFCI unique.

With the CFCI, it considers children capable actors and provides opportunities for them to share their needs and opinions and influence decisions, Bowman said.

Free show: A.D. Players virtual After Dinner Affair set for Aug. 15

Turner noted homelessness as a major problem facing Houstons youth and also mentioned poverty and human trafficking as issues.

Turner said a lack of education resources is particularly telling during the COVID-19 pandemic as children need to learn virtually, but many dont have Wi-Fi or internet connections. He said some parents must work on the front lines and dont have the time or sometimes the education to assist their children in learning. He understands that issue well because neither of his parents graduated high school, but he pointed to his success. Lack of access to childcare and Pre-K is another problem, Turner said.

Food insecurity, health care and homelessness are other issues which he said have been brought to light by the pandemic.

You look at the children impacted: their parents are impacted. There are more people, more families of color that are impacted. And when you lose a parent, for example, the kids are affected, Turner said. So its undeniable that racism, any societal inequalities that exist are in many ways the root of what our kids are having to face and the challenges they have to face.

Great teacher: Tompkins H.S. economics teacher recognized at state level

Bowman said over the next year or so, UNICEF USA hopes to partner with another 30 cities across the United States. He said in Houston, the COVID-19 pandemic laid another layer of inconvenience on existing problems and that the CFCI will address some of those issues. Asked about specific plans for what will happen in Houston, Bowman said that is all to be determined as UNICEF USA and the city hear feedback and analyze where priorities should be.

Even with its issues, Houston still has some great things going for it, Turner said, pointing out its diversity, its growing inclusiveness and its willingness to build upon improvements. He said the city is focused on advancing education and addressing human trafficking. He believes Houston can learn from what other CFCI communities experiences and address important issues well because of its strengths, including the worlds largest medical center and its place as the energy capital of the world.

We just have to operate in a very integrated, robust way and be laser focused in tackling it, Turner said. And you cant do it without having a strategic plan, and a part of that strategic plan is learning what other cities, municipalities are doing because what were facing here in the city of Houston is not unique  it is everywhere, all over the globe.

tracy.maness@hcnonline.com
BEIJING - Antagonisms between China and the United States didnt stop Beijings burger lovers from standing in line for hours for a bite of Shake Shacks snacks.

The New York burger brand opened its first restaurant in the Chinese capital on Wednesday in Beijings TaiKoo Li, a shopping area popular among young people.

Shake Shack opened its first restaurant in mainland China in Shanghai last year.

Nearly 200 customers wound around the Beijing restaurant ahead of its 10:30 a.m. opening.

Yang Fan, 18, said she got there at around 6 a.m. and was first in line keen to enjoy an experience she first had while visiting the U.S. a few years ago.

So when I heard about Shake Shack to open a restaurant in Beijing I was very excited. I came very early to queue up, she said.

Shake Shack broke ground in the capital city at a time when relations between China and the U.S. are at their worst in decades, amid disagreements over trade, Hong Kong, human rights and Beijings claims to territory in the South China Sea.

For Yang and others, all that took a backseat to American-style cheeseburgers, hot dogs, fries and ice-cold beverages.

Although we are Chinese, we should not discriminate against U.S. brands, because it (government-level tensions) have nothing to do with its people, she said.

He Xiaolin, a financial worker waiting for his first try of a Shake Shack burger, agreed.

What we eat should not be politicized, as long as they are delicious, He said.

Read more about:
A burglary on Skyline Road near Ennismore has led to the arrest of a suspect.

Peterborough County OPP say someone broke into the home through a sliding door at about 5 p.m. July 31. Jewelry, clothing and a safe containing about $10,000 in cash were taken.

An OPP investigation led to the arrest of a suspect Aug. 1.

Constance Mahar, 29, of Selwyn Township was charged with breaking and entering, theft over $5,000 and failing to comply with a probation order.

She is to appear in court Oct. 7.
Jimmie Dotson is the first Black candidate for the township board in The Woodlands.

The long-time police official  with stops in Houston, Chattanooga, Tennessee and the Houston Independent School School District  has filed candidacy papers for the Position 2 seat on the board.

Dotson, who has lived in The Woodlands in two stints over the past 30 years, relocated to the community in 2009 after working as the police chief in Chattanooga.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: HISD names new Chief of Police

He is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran of three years who did a tour of duty in Vietnam from 1968-69 before he returned stateside and worked as a military police officer. After his honorable discharge, he joined the Houston Police Department as one of the first Black officers in the late 1960s.

Now a private law enforcement consultant based in The Woodlands, Dotson is challenging three others for the Position 2 seat on the township board. He previously worked on the law enforcement advisory committee for the former The Woodlands Community Association, the predecessor entity to todays township model.

Originally from Alma, Arkansas, Dotson said he wants to become an elected leader in the community because he loves the township he and his wife, Elsa, have called home for 30 years as well as to help provide a stabilizing presence on the board in relation to law enforcement issues as incorporation into a city looms in the coming years.

The couple lives in the Village of Creekside Park and is active in their local church, Crossroads Baptist Church.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Black Houstonians suffering worst consequences of virus, but lack of data obscures full picture across Harris County

A commitment to service has guided my life. It compelled me to join the Marine Corps and serve in Vietnam, and led me to a 24-year career in law enforcement with the Houston Police Department, as the chief of police for the city of Chattanooga, Tenn., and as chief of police of the Houston ISD Police Department, Dotson stated in a press release announcing his candidacy. In each of these roles, I learned the importance of demonstrating steady leadership to address challenges, as well as listening and responding to the concerns of neighbors who depend on their leaders to fix problems and make their communities more secure.

Dotson said he was unaware that he is the first Black candidate for the board in township history, but he said having diversity on the board brings fresh and unique perspectives and is needed.

I think it is important not just from a race or a cultural perspective, but I think it is important because it lends a different way of thinking in the way of problem solving. Ive been a transformational leader, that means looking at the past, how did you learn from the past and how does it affect the current time. One of my strong assets is I am a listener, he said. To me, that has been a tremendous asset, being able to listen to people. Being a person of a different race, a different culture, I believe it can be a benefit to our community. I did a lot of soul-searching, and afterward, I came to the conclusion, yes, I want to (be on the board).

Law enforcement issue

The entry into the township board race of a highly-regarded and veteran police official comes at the same time the future of law enforcement in The Woodlands has been scrutinized and debated. Over the past two years, township leaders have studied possible incorporation of the township  a vote on which is now on hold  and policing has been a key tenet of those studies and discussions.

Public safety is our No. 1 issue other than economic stability. In order to continue to have a viable community, one that is a strong, safe space, you have to have a safe community, Dotson said. In order to provide a safe space (for residents), I can lend that public safety voice to the board to help think about these things in future.

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The township is patrolled under contract by deputies from the Montgomery County Sheriffs Office, however that deal has been hotly debated and on Aug. 11, Montgomery County commissioners rescinded an amendment to a law enforcement transition agreement with the township after officials in The Woodlands accused the county of intentionally leaving part of the original agreement out of the amendment.

Dotson said he believes his decades of policing leadership will serve the community well as incorporation looms on the horizon the next few years.

After deciding to not pose the question to residents this fall, township leaders said the next possible vote on the issue could likely be in 2022. If the township becomes a city, by law it will be required to have at minimum a police chief, however ideas for future policing models include an independent city police department, continued use of the sheriffs deputies or a hybrid model mixing the two.

In these uncertain times, I would be honored to use my skills and experience on the township Board of Directors to ensure The Woodlands maintains the highest standards of safety, fiscal discipline, transparency and inclusivity, Dotson added. I love this community, and I am committed to representing my Woodlands neighbors with honor, integrity, and dedication.

Varied background

Dotson began policing as a USMC military police officer once he returned from Vietnam in 1969. He then landed at the Houston Police Department and worked his way up the ranks over a 24-year career, ending his time at the HPD as executive assistant police chief. He then took a job at the Chattanooga Police Department as police chief, a role he held for more than six years.

I received a call to go in the military and joined the Marine Corps. When I came back from Vietnam, I finished my tour of duty and moved to Houston to complete my college and start my career, Dotson explained. Houston Police Department was recruiting, and they had not recruited or hired many Black officers. I took that as my calling and joined the department.

MORE FROM JEFF FORWARD: Hannon to challenge Rieser for Woodlands Township board seat

After relocating back to The Woodlands, moving into the only part of the township in Harris County, Creekside Park, he was hired as the police chief for the Houston ISD, a role he held for more than six years.

After he retired from HISD in 2014, he formed a private law enforcement consulting group with three other veteran police leaders  MBRex & Associates. He has a Masters Degree in Liberal Arts from Houston Baptist University as well as a bachelors degree in criminal justice from the University of Houston. He has been active in many community groups, notably the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebrations in the township. He attended the John F. Kennedy School of Governmental Programs for senior executives in state and local government.

Now, Dotson wants to bring those skills to The Woodlands where he feels he can make a difference, a place he calls his spiritual home base.

I have spent 46 years of my life as in public service, in law enforcement and public safety. I have also worked in our community on nonprofit boards throughout my time here in The Woodlands. Ive always been a public servant all of my life. I want to be a member of the board so I can bring some of my experiences and passions to the board, especially in the area of public safety, Dotson said. (My decision to run) was because this pandemic that we are in, we are not in just one pandemic, we are in several. The issues dealing with COVID-19, the issues dealing with social unrest and a pandemic with financial crisis.

He said the three biggest issues facing the township are maintaining an excellent quality of life, helping develop young leaders to replace the current generation of elected officials and maintain a high level of public safety and economic stability.

Dotson is, as of Wednesday, one of four candidates for the Position 2 seat on the seven-person board, formerly held by Brian Boniface who retired on April 9.

The seat is held now by appointee Jason J. Nelson, who is also seeking the seat in November along with candidates Luis Louis: Granados and Thomas Chumbley. The election is Nov. 3, with early voting beginning in late October.

jeff.forward@chron.com
Revenue of $550.5 million down 33% vs. $825.6 million in prior year

Segment operating loss (1) of $110.3 million ( $2.1 million before specific items (2) ) vs. segment operating income before specific items of $113.3 million in prior year

EPS of negative $0.42 (negative $0.11 before specific items (3) ) vs. $0.24 before specific items in prior year

Free cash flow (4) of negative $92.7 million up from negative $102.1 million in prior year

Order intake (5) of $417.1 million for 0.76x book-to-sales (5) and $8.6 billion backlog (5)

Announced approximately $100 million restructuring program to yield $50 million annual savings

MONTREAL, Aug. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ - (NYSE: CAE) (TSX: CAE) - CAE today reported revenue of $550.5 million for the first quarter of fiscal 2021, compared with $825.6 million in the first quarter last year. First quarter net loss attributable to equity holders was $110.6 million (negative $0.42 per share) compared to a net income of $61.5 million ($0.23 per share) last year. Net loss before specific items(6) in the first quarter of fiscal 2021 was $30.3 million (negative $0.11 per share) compared to a net income of $63.2 million ($0.24 per share) last year.

First quarter segment operating loss was $110.3 million compared with a segment operating income of $110.9 million (13.4% of revenue) in the first quarter of last year. Segment operating loss before specific items in the first quarter of fiscal 2021 was $2.1 million compared with a segment operating income of $113.3 million (13.7% of revenue) last year. Backlog remains solid at $8.6 billion. All financial information is in Canadian dollars unless otherwise indicated.

Summary of consolidated results











(amounts in millions, except operating margins and per share amounts)

Q1-2021

Q1-2020

Variance % Revenue $ 550.5

$ 825.6



(33%) Segment operating (loss) income (SOI) $ (110.3)

$ 110.9



(199%) Operating margins % 

% 13.4





SOI before specific items $ (2.1)

$ 113.3



(102%) Operating margins before specific items % 

% 13.7





Net (loss) income $ (110.0)

$ 63.0



(275%) Net (loss) income attributable to equity holders of the Company $ (110.6)

$ 61.5



(280%) Basic and diluted (loss) earnings per share (EPS) $ (0.42)

$ 0.23



(283%) Net (loss) income before specific items $ (30.3)

$ 63.2



(148%) EPS before specific items $ (0.11)

$ 0.24



(146%) Order intake $ 417.1

$ 940.8



(56%) Total backlog $ 8,550.9

$ 9,362.2



(9%)



In fiscal 2021, specific items include costs incurred in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic, mainly from impairment charges on non-financial assets and amounts owed from customers of $108.2 million. In fiscal 2020 specific items include the impact of the integration of Bombardier's Business Aviation Training Business (BBAT), Defence and Security's reorganizational costs and the goodwill impairment charge recognized in Healthcare.

"The full brunt of the COVID-19 pandemic hit us during our first quarter, with sharply lower demand and major disruptions to our global operations," said Marc Parent, CAE's President and Chief Executive Officer. "At the onset of the pandemic, we acted quickly to ensure the health and safety of our employees and customers by taking extensive measures to protect the Company's financial position and preserve liquidity. CAE has shown considerable agility and resiliency, having significantly mitigated our loss position and maintained a solid financial base in the first quarter, amid the most challenging conditions our company has ever faced. In Civil, mandatory temporary facility closures and travel restrictions presented our customers and us with considerable challenges. We were also required to temporarily suspend substantially all manufacturing at our main facility. Nevertheless, we still delivered two simulators during the quarter and averaged 33 percent utilization of our training network. With more than half of our global training network either closed or at reduced operations, utilization reached a low point during the quarter in the 20 percent range. Since then, we have seen training centre utilization increase to upwards of 40 percent, as our facilities reopened, and flight crews resumed their critical training activities. In Defence and Healthcare, the pandemic also caused significant disruptions, which have hampered customer demand and our ability to deliver."

Marc Parent on CAE's outlook, "The worst of the pandemic's impacts on CAE may now indeed be behind us; however, the pace of recovery is unlikely to be linear or quick, and it will most certainly be dictated by the rate at which travel restrictions and quarantines can safely be lifted and economic activity improves. We continue to view the current fiscal year as a tale of two halves, with the first half of the year marked by lower demand and disruptions, and the second half, to potentially begin to inflect more positively. With that, we continue to expect free cash flow to turn positive in our second half of the fiscal year."

On CAE's strategic realignment for a post COVID-19 world, Parent added, "We have a deeply rooted culture of innovation and a proven ability to adapt quickly to dynamic market conditions. In Healthcare, for example, we rapidly applied the full gamut of our technical capabilities in response to the crisis and are now fielding new opportunities globally in the design, manufacture and sale of life saving ventilators. Tough times require new thinking and across our markets, we have adapted our offerings by introducing new ways to leverage virtual reality and distance learning technologies to serve our customers' critical needs. We are currently taking actions company-wide to further strengthen CAE while our end markets recover. CAE has always been a nimble, technology-intensive companyand now more than ever, we are leaning forward and discovering more ways to accelerate the long-term transformation of the way we operate. We are applying digitally immersive technologies to further differentiate our solutions and address an even wider range of our customers' most critical needs. We are also leveraging technology to drive enhanced customer experiences, and to find greater operational efficiencies. As such, in order to adjust to the current and expected level of demand for our products and services, and to enable approximately $50 million of expected annual recurring savings starting next fiscal year, we have announced a restructuring program of approximately $100 million to be carried out over the next 12 months. Our restructuring program includes the introduction and acceleration of new digitally enhanced processes and the optimization of CAE's global asset base and footprint. We are effectively managing the things we can control within this unprecedented environment and we are decidedly focused on the future  and I expect we will ultimately be stronger for it."

Restructuring program announced subsequent to the quarter to drive $50 million annual savings

Subsequent to the end of the first quarter, CAE announced that it would be taking additional measures to best serve the market by optimizing its global asset base and footprint, adapting its global workforce and adjusting its business to correspond with the expected lower level of demand for certain of its products and services. These measures also include the introduction and acceleration of new digitally enhanced processes.

As a result of these measures, CAE expects to record restructuring expenses of approximately $100 million over the next 12 months, consisting mainly of real estate costs, asset relocations and other direct costs related to the optimization of our footprint and employee termination benefits.

Taken together, these measures are expected to enable CAE to emerge from the current period from a position of strength and the Company expects to fully realize cost reductions of approximately $50 million annually starting in fiscal year 2022.

Civil Aviation Training Solutions (Civil)

The COVID-19 pandemic continued to negatively impact Civil training revenues during the quarter, with significantly lower than usual training utilization resulting from lower customer demand and government restrictions including travel bans, border restrictions, lockdown protocols and self-isolation measures that forced temporary closures and disruptions to Civil operations worldwide. At the worst point during the first quarter of fiscal 2021, more than half of our Civil training locations worldwide had totally suspended operations or operated at significantly reduced capacity. Because of these extreme conditions, training centre utilization touched down in the low 20 percent range and averaged 33 percent for the quarter. By the end of June 2020, all previously closed training locations had re-opened, however several locations remained operating at reduced capacities. In addition to the disruptions to Civil's training centre network, Civil was also required to suspend the manufacture of simulator products at its main facility.

First quarter Civil revenue was $248.0 million, down 48% compared to the same quarter last year. Segment operating loss was $97.9 million compared to a segment operating income of $98.6 million (20.6% of revenue) in the first quarter last year. First quarter segment operating loss before specific items was $16.2 million, down 116% compared to the first quarter last year. During the quarter, Civil delivered 2 full-flight simulators (FFSs)(7) to customers and first quarter Civil training centre utilization(8) was 33%. Utilization averaged 41% in June and has since continued to be approximately 40%.

During the quarter, Civil signed training solutions contracts valued at $193.5 million, including a contract for an Airbus A320 FFS for China Express, a four-year training agreement with Alitalia, a 5-year training agreement with Boeing to support Boeing's ab initio Pilot Development Program, a five-year training agreement with WAMOS Air, a five-year training agreement with long term business aviation partner, SC Aviation and a two-year business aviation training agreement with Air Hamburg. We also introduced new virtual service offerings to support our customers as a response to border restrictions arising from the COVID 19 pandemic, including offering remote support for the installation, acceptance and qualification of FFSs, obtaining FAA and other Civil Aviation Authority approvals for virtual training in certain of our flight training organizations, and developing remote instructor operating station solutions for live instructor interactions during training sessions. Also, as a product of our digital innovation, we launched instructor-led online courses for aviation maintenance training and CAE Airside, a new digital platform that provides training and career resources to pilots grounded due to COVID-19. The platform features articles and tools that were created on the subjects that matter the most to thousands of pilots surveyed around the world during this pandemic (https://www.airside.aero/).

The Civil book-to-sales ratio was 0.78x for the quarter and 1.02x for the last 12 months. The Civil backlog at the end of the quarter was $4.5 billion.

Summary of Civil Aviation Training Solutions results (amounts in millions, except operating margins, SEU, FFSs deployed and FFS deliveries)

Q1-2021

Q1-2020

Variance % Revenue $ 248.0

$ 477.6



(48%) Segment operating (loss) income $ (97.9)

$ 98.6



(199%) Operating margins % 

% 20.6





SOI before specific items $ (16.2)

$ 101.0



(116%) Operating margins before specific items % 

% 21.1





Order intake $ 193.5

$ 693.8



(72%) Total backlog $ 4,541.1

$ 5,090.3



(11%) Simulator equivalent unit (SEU)(9)

246



242



2% FFSs deployed in CAE's network(7)

304



294



3% FFS deliveries

2



5



(60%)

Defence and Security (Defence)

The COVID-19 pandemic contributed to delays in the execution of programs from backlog and in order intake. A range of global defence programs involving government and OEM customers experienced delays due to travel bans, border restrictions, client access restrictions and supply chain disruptions. While some of the required progress and acceptance testing continued with virtual meetings and remote work procedures, delays impacted the attainment of key program milestones. In addition, there have been delays in the award of new contracts, as government acquisition authorities follow directives in their respective countries to shelter-in-place and eliminate travel. These delays continued to impact Defence order intake during the first quarter.

First quarter Defence revenue was $280.2 million, down 13% compared to the same quarter last year and segment operating loss was $9.2 million compared to a segment operating income of $15.1 million (4.7% of revenue) in the first quarter last year. First quarter segment operating income before specific items was $17.3 million (6.2% of revenue), up 15% compared to the first quarter last year.

During the quarter, Defence booked orders for $201.3 million, including contracts to provide the U.S. Air Force with upgrades and enhancements to both the KC-135 and C-130H aircrew training system programs and to continue providing a range of in-service support solutions for the Royal Canadian Air Force's CF-18 aircraft. Other notable contracts include providing Airbus Defence and Space with support for the development of new and upgraded training capabilities for Germany's Eurofighter program. Defence also received orders to continue providing maintenance and support services for the Royal Navy Merlin helicopter training systems.

The Defence book-to-sales ratio was 0.72x for the quarter and 0.94x for the last 12 months (excluding contract options). The Defence backlog, including options and CAE's interest in joint ventures, at the end of the quarter was $4.0 billion. The Defence pipeline remains strong with some $5 billion of bids and proposals pending customer decisions.

Summary of Defence and Security results (amounts in millions, except operating margins)

Q1-2021

Q1-2020

Variance % Revenue $ 280.2

$ 320.5



(13%) Segment operating (loss) income $ (9.2)

$ 15.1



(161%) Operating margins % 

% 4.7





SOI before specific items $ 17.3

$ 15.1



15% Operating margins before specific items % 6.2

% 4.7





Order intake $ 201.3

$ 219.5



(8%) Total backlog $ 4,009.8

$ 4,271.9



(6%)

Healthcare

In Healthcare, a large portion of the market for simulation products are academic institutions and nursing schools, that were under lockdown protocols, and this negatively affected Healthcare's ability to conclude contracts and deliver on existing orders. In the hospital market, customers were focused on managing the acute operational demands of the healthcare crisis rather than addressing their usual training needs.

First quarter Healthcare revenue was $22.3 million, down 19% compared to $27.5 million in the same quarter last year, and first quarter segment operating loss was $3.2 million, compared to a loss of $2.8 million in the first quarter last year.

CAE Healthcare provided complimentary training seminars on how to prepare healthcare workers in the fight against COVID-19. It launched simulation-based training solutions, both web- and hardware-based, to train personnel in the safe practice of ventilation and intubation, which is key to saving lives, and released a COVID-19 ultrasound training suite to provide hands-on foundational training for physicians. Additionally, as institutions begin to reopen and offer remote education, CAE Healthcare provided new tools and training on how to implement distance learning with our solutions such as the Distance Learning Suite for Nursing. As a testament to CAE's agility, innovation, engineering integration capabilities and subject matter expertise, the Company was selected by the Government of Canada, and is currently under contract, to design, manufacture and supply 10,000 ventilators to help save lives of COVID-19 patients. The majority of CAE Air1 ventilator deliveries are expected in the second half of fiscal 2021.

Summary of Healthcare results (amounts in millions, except operating margins)

Q1-2021

Q1-2020

Variance % Revenue $ 22.3

$ 27.5



(19%) Segment operating loss $ (3.2)

$ (2.8)



(14%) Operating margins % 

% 







Additional financial highlights

We recorded non-operational costs of $108.2 million during the first quarter of fiscal 2021 relating mainly to impairment charges on property, plant and equipment, intangible assets, and certain financial assets as a result of the continued negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Cash provided by operating activities before changes in non-cash working capital was positive $36.9 million for the quarter, compared to $137.8 million in the first quarter last year. Free cash flow was negative $92.7 million for the quarter compared to negative $102.1 million in the first quarter last year. The increase in free cash flow was mainly due to a lower investment in non-cash working capital, lower dividends paid and lower maintenance capital expenditures. CAE expects to generate negative free cash flow in the first half of the fiscal year, resulting from the acute pandemic impacts on demand and operations, and a seasonally higher level of investment in non-cash working capital accounts. The Company expects positive free cash flow in the second half of the fiscal year.

Income tax recovery this quarter was $35.4 million, representing an effective tax rate of 24%, compared to 17% for the first quarter last year. The tax rate was higher due to the impact of impairment charges on non-financial assets incurred in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic, partially offset by the change in the mix of income from various jurisdictions. Excluding the effect of the impairments, the income tax rate would have been 20% this quarter.

Growth and maintenance capital expenditures(10) totaled $18.0 million this quarter.

Net debt(11) at the end of the quarter was $2,407.5 million for a net debt-to-capital ratio(12) of 50.7%. This compares to net debt of $2,365.7 million and a net debt-to-capital ratio of 47.8% at the end of the preceding quarter.

Return on capital employed (ROCE)(13) was 8.0% this quarter compared to 11.9% in the first quarter last year, before specific items.

Management outlook for fiscal year 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic has created unprecedented uncertainty in the global economy, with the majority of CAE's customers facing significant challenges resulting from sharply lower demand, operational disruptions and restrictions on travel. CAE continues to take measures to protect the health and safety of its employees, work with its customers to minimize potential disruptions and support its community in addressing the challenges posed by this global pandemic. This outbreak has had an important and immediate impact on all of CAE's business segments.

Consolidated outlook

CAE is a high technology solutions company at the leading edge in digital immersion. The extended-term outlook for the Company remains compelling, with potential for compound growth and superior returns over the long term. Imbued with a culture of innovation, empowerment, excellence and integrity, CAE expects to emerge from the pandemic even better positioned as a result of its restructuring program, which is expected to yield approximately $50 million of annual recurring cost savings starting in fiscal year 2022, from initiatives including the introduction and acceleration of new digitally enhanced processes and the optimization of CAE's global asset base and footprint. At the same time, CAE is maintaining its investment and focus on technological innovation to reimagine the customer experience and broaden its aperture to revolutionize training and operational support solutions. As our core end markets recover, the "new normal" that emerges could present novel challenges for our customers. We believe certain trends will arise in greater force post-COVID-19, such as e-learning, remote work, the imperative on safety, and the digital transformation and virtualization of the physical world. CAE's core capabilities align very well with these future needs and we will make use of the current period to further strengthen our technological expertise. We are leaning forward to capture more organic growth by leveraging our leading edge understanding of man-to-complex-machine interfaces, and we continue to assert our leadership in three attractive markets with long-term secular tailwinds, namely civil aviation, defence and security, and healthcare. We are seeing excellent customer receptivity to our recent new technology developments in the areas of machine learning-enabled data analytics, remote delivery and virtual reality/augmented reality and we will be driving forward to excel on these fronts, now more than ever.

In the short-term; however, the Company expects the COVID-19 pandemic to have a significant negative impact on its performance. The current view for fiscal year 2021 is for a material decrease in operational and financial performance in the first half, and for the second half of the year to potentially begin to inflect more positively. CAE has implemented several measures to preserve liquidity and reduce operating costs as it weathers the COVID-19 pandemic. Among these measures, the Company significantly reduced capital expenditures, which it currently expects to total approximately $50 million for the first six months of fiscal year 2021. CAE's training operations are inherently highly cash generative and can continue to be cash flow positive, even at low levels of utilization. However, the combination of sharply lower demand and the COVID-19-related disruptions to CAE's operations are expected to result in negative free cash flow for the Company in the first half of the fiscal year. Looking beyond, CAE expects to generate positive free cash flow in the second half of the year.

Civil outlook

In Civil, as air travel eventually resumes, the Company expects to continue building on its previously positive momentum in training, increasing market share and securing new customer partnerships with its innovative training and operational solutions. The Company believes more airline training partnership and outsourcing opportunities should materialize as the industry looks for ways to gain greater agility and resiliency in the post-COVID-19 era, including partnering with CAE. In business aviation training, which represents a substantial portion of CAE's Civil business, demand is driven largely from servicing the training needs of the already active global business aircraft fleet and the delivery of large-cabin business jets. Demand for Civil full-flight simulators is closely linked to new aircraft deliveries, and while the total market is expected to be substantially smaller this fiscal year, Civil expects to maintain its leading share of the available FFS sales. CAE benefits from a large backlog of customer-funded FFS orders, and while several deliveries will indeed be delayed, the Company expects to substantially deliver this backlog over the next couple of years.

Defence outlook

In Defence, the Company also benefits from a large backlog of contracts with government customers to provide training solutions and operational support services that are considered essential to national security. The Company recently announced that Dan Gelston will become CAE's Group President, Defence and Security, transitioning from Heidi Wood, CAE's Executive Vice President, Business Development & Growth Initiatives, the business unit's current interim leader. Dan brings a wealth of experience as a proven leader with more than 20 years of experience in the U.S. military, intelligence community and the global defence industry. He will be assuming his new role with CAE based in Washington, D.C., effective August 24, 2020. In the current fiscal year, COVID-19-related issues are slowing Defence's progress toward program milestones on work in backlog, including for some of its more complex contracts. The pandemic has also led to delays in contract awards globally, and the structural effects of low oil prices has further impacted the rate of expected contract awards in the Middle East. More recently, the surge of new COVID-19 cases in the U.S. has impacted our ability to deliver training services from certain of our facilities. Although Defence continues to be hampered in fiscal year 2021 in the current environment, the long-term outlook for Defence continues to be for growth, supported by a large addressable market for its innovative solutions and the realization of the benefits of its new leadership and strengthened organization.

Healthcare outlook

CAE believes Healthcare is well positioned to experience a change in the appreciation of the importance, relevancy and benefits of healthcare simulation and training to help save lives at a steady state and in a healthcare crisis. With its innovative products and demonstrated agility, CAE continues to believe Healthcare will become a more material part of the Company over the long term.

Management's expectations are based on the prevailing market conditions, the timing and degree of easing of global COVID-19-related mobility restrictions, and customer receptivity to CAE's training and operational support solutions as well as material assumptions contained in this press release, quarterly MD&A and in CAE's fiscal year 2020 MD&A.

Corporate Social Responsibility

CAE's noble purpose, focused on safety, has never been more relevant than during the current pandemic. It captures how CAE makes a difference in the world and drives its decisions and actions. CAE's purpose makes its employees proud and delights its customers. Making civil aviation safer, helping defence forces return home safely and making healthcare safer are all rooted in the principles of corporate social responsibility (CSR).

CAE issued its FY20 Annual Activity and Corporate Social Responsibility Report on June 26, 2020. In addition to full coverage of CAE's societal impact as part of the COVID-19 pandemic, the report highlights CAE's environmental leadership. With the rise in importance of climate change as a systemic global issue, CAE has taken action and announced in FY20 that it would become carbon neutral by the end of Summer 2020. This goal will be achieved by purchasing Renewable Energy Certificates and Carbon Offset Certificates for the fuel used for all the live training flights of CAE's academies, for energy consumption in each location worldwide and for business air travel of all employees. CAE's long-term strategy to achieve carbon neutrality is to reduce the carbon emissions at the source and projects have been identified and are currently in an exploration phase. CAE has also created a Climate Change Committee to evaluate and integrate risks and opportunities into its business strategy. In order to enhance its disclosure transparency, CAE has reported on Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) recommendations for the first time.

To learn more about CAE's corporate sustainability roadmap and achievements, refer to CAE's FY20 Annual Activity and Corporate Social Responsibility Report .

Detailed information

Readers are strongly advised to view a more detailed discussion of our results by segment in the Management's Discussion and Analysis (MD&A) and CAE's consolidated financial statements which are posted on our website at www.cae.com/investors .

CAE's consolidated financial statements and MD&A for the quarter ended June 30, 2020 have been filed with the Canadian Securities Administrators on SEDAR ( www.sedar.com ) and are available on our website ( www.cae.com ). They have also been filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and are available on their website ( www.sec.gov ). Holders of CAE's securities may also request a printed copy of the Company's consolidated financial statements and MD&A free of charge by contacting Investor Relations ( [email protected] ).

Conference call Q1 FY2021

Marc Parent, CAE President and CEO; Sonya Branco, Vice President, Finance, and CFO; and Andrew Arnovitz, Vice President, Strategy and Investor Relations will conduct an earnings conference call today at 1:30 p.m. ET. The call is intended for analysts, institutional investors and the media. Participants can listen to the conference by dialling + 1 877 586 3392 or +1 416 981 9024. The conference call will also be audio webcast live for the public at www.cae.com .

CAE is a high technology company, at the leading edge of digital immersion, providing solutions to make the world a safer place. Backed by a record of more than 70 years of industry firsts, we continue to reimagine the customer experience and revolutionize training and operational support solutions in civil aviation, defence and security, and healthcare. We are the partner of choice to customers worldwide who operate in complex, high-stakes and largely regulated environments, where successful outcomes are critical. Testament to our customers' ongoing needs for our solutions, over 60 percent of CAE's revenue is recurring in nature. We have the broadest global presence in our industry, with approximately 10,000 employees, 160 sites and training locations in over 35 countries.

Caution concerning limitations of summary earnings press release

This summary earnings press release contains limited information meant to assist the reader in assessing CAE's performance but it is not a suitable source of information for readers who are unfamiliar with CAE and is not in any way a substitute for the Company's financial statements, notes to the financial statements, and MD&A reports.

Caution concerning forward-looking statements

This press release includes forward-looking statements, which may include, without limitation, statements relating to the potential impacts on our business, financial condition, liquidity and financial results of the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and the effectiveness of plans and measures we have implemented in response thereto; general economic outlook; prospects and trends of an industry; available liquidities; CAE's business outlook, objectives, plans and strategic priorities; and other statements that are not historical facts.

Forward-looking statements can generally be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "believe", "expect", "anticipate", "plan", "intend", "continue", "estimate", "may", "will", "should", "strategy", "future" and similar expressions. All such forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the 'safe harbour' provisions of applicable Canadian securities laws and of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.

By their nature, forward-looking statements require us to make assumptions and are subject to inherent risks and uncertainties associated with our business which may cause actual results in future periods to differ materially from results indicated in forward-looking statements. These statements are not guarantees of future performance or events, and we caution you against relying on any of these forward-looking statements. While management considers these assumptions to be reasonable and appropriate based on information currently available, there is risk that they may not be accurate. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release describe our expectations as of August 12, 2020 and, accordingly, are subject to change after such date. Except as required by law, we disclaim any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. The forward-looking information and statements contained in this press release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. Except as otherwise indicated by CAE, forward-looking statements do not reflect the potential impact of any special items or of any dispositions, monetizations, mergers, acquisitions, other business combinations or other transactions that may occur after August 12, 2020. The financial impact of these transactions and special items can be complex and depends on the facts particular to each of them. We therefore cannot describe the expected impact in a meaningful way or in the same way we present known risks affecting our business. Forward-looking statements are presented in this press release for the purpose of assisting investors and others in understanding certain key elements of our expected fiscal 2021 financial results and in obtaining a better understanding of our anticipated operating environment. Readers are cautioned that such information may not be appropriate for other purposes.

Material assumptions

The forward-looking statements set out in this press release are based on certain assumptions including, without limitation: our liquidity from our cash and cash equivalents, undrawn amounts on our revolving credit facilities, the balance available under our receivable purchase program, our cash flows from operations and continued access to debt funding will be sufficient to meet financial requirements in the foreseeable future; and no material financial, operational or competitive consequences of changes in regulations affecting our business. For additional information, including with respect to other assumptions underlying the forward-looking statements made in the press release, refer to the applicable reportable segment in CAE's MD&A for the year ended March 31, 2020. Given the impact of the changing circumstances surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic and the related response from CAE, governments, regulatory authorities, businesses and customers, there is inherently more uncertainty associated with CAE's assumptions. Accordingly, the assumptions outlined in this press release and, consequently, the forward-looking statements based on such assumptions, may turn out to be inaccurate.

Material risks

Important risk factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those expressed in or implied by our forward-looking statements are set out in CAE's MD&A for the year ended March 31, 2020 filed by CAE with the Canadian Securities Administrators (available at www.sedar.com ) and with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (available at www.sec.gov ). The fiscal year 2020 MD&A is also available at www.cae.com . Any one or more of the factors set out in CAE's MD&A may be exacerbated by the growing COVID-19 outbreak and may have a significantly more severe impact on CAE's business, results of operations and financial condition than in the absence of such outbreak. Accordingly, readers are cautioned that any of the disclosed risks could have a material adverse effect on our forward-looking statements. We caution that the disclosed list of risk factors is not exhaustive and other factors could also adversely affect our results.

Non-GAAP and other financial measures

This press release includes non-GAAP and other financial measures. Non-GAAP measures are useful supplemental information but may not have a standardized meaning according to GAAP. These measures should not be confused with, or used as an alternative for, performance measures calculated according to GAAP. They should also not be used to compare with similar measures from other companies. Management believes that providing certain non-GAAP measures provides users with a better understanding of our results and trends and provides additional information on our financial and operating performance.

(1) Segment operating income or loss (SOI) is a non-GAAP measure and is the sum of our key indicators of each segment's financial performance. Segment operating income or loss gives us an indication of the profitability of each segment because it does not include the impact of any items not specifically related to the segment's performance. We calculate total segment operating income by taking the operating profit and excluding restructuring costs of major programs that do not arise from significant strategic transactions.

(2) Segment operating income or loss before specific items further excludes restructuring costs, integration costs, acquisition costs and impairments and other gains and losses arising from significant strategic transactions or material events. We track it because we believe it provides a better indication of our operating performance and makes it easier to compare across reporting periods.

(3) Earnings or loss per share (EPS) before specific items is a non-GAAP measure calculated by excluding restructuring costs, integration costs, acquisition costs and impairments and other gains and losses arising from significant strategic transactions or material events as well as significant one-time tax items from the diluted earnings per share from continuing operations attributable to equity holders of the Company. The effect per share is obtained by dividing these restructuring costs, integration costs, acquisition costs and other gains, net of tax, as well as one-time tax items by the average number of diluted shares. We track it because we believe it provides a better indication of our operating performance on a per share basis and makes it easier to compare across reporting periods.

(4) Free cash flow is a non-GAAP measure that shows us how much cash we have available to invest in growth opportunities, repay debt and meet ongoing financial obligations. We use it as an indicator of our financial strength and liquidity. We calculate it by taking the net cash generated by our continuing operating activities, subtracting maintenance capital expenditures, investment in other assets not related to growth and dividends paid and adding proceeds from the disposal of property, plant and equipment, dividends received from equity accounted investees and proceeds, net of payments, from equity accounted investees.

(5) Order Intake and Backlog

Order intake is a non-GAAP measure that represents the expected value of orders we have received:

|For the Civil Aviation Training Solutions segment, we consider an item part of our order intake when we have a legally binding commercial agreement with a client that includes enough detail about each party's obligations to form the basis for a contract. Additionally, expected future revenues from customers under short-term and long-term training contracts are included when these customers commit to pay us training fees, or when we reasonably expect the revenue to be generated;

|For the Defence and Security segment, we consider an item part of our order intake when we have a legally binding commercial agreement with a client that includes enough detail about each party's obligations to form the basis for a contract. Defence and Security contracts are usually executed over a long-term period but some of them must be renewed each year. For this segment, we only include a contract item in order intake when the customer has authorized the contract item and has received funding for it;

For the Healthcare segment, order intake is typically converted into revenue within one year, therefore we assume that order intake is equal to revenue.

The book-to-sales ratio is the total orders divided by total revenue in a given period.

Total backlog is a non-GAAP measure that represents expected future revenues and includes obligated backlog, joint venture backlog and unfunded backlog and options:

Obligated backlog represents the value of our order intake not yet executed and is calculated by adding the order intake of the current period to the balance of the obligated backlog at the end of the previous fiscal year, subtracting the revenue recognized in the current period and adding or subtracting backlog adjustments. If the amount of an order already recognized in a previous fiscal year is modified, the backlog is revised through adjustments;

Joint venture backlog is obligated backlog that represents the expected value of our share of orders that our joint ventures have received but have not yet executed. Joint venture backlog is determined on the same basis as obligated backlog described above;

Unfunded backlog represents firm Defence and Security orders we have received but have not yet executed and for which funding authorization has not yet been obtained. Options are included in backlog when there is a high probability of being exercised, but indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (ID/IQ) contracts are excluded. When an option is exercised, it is considered order intake in that period and it is removed from unfunded backlog and options.

(6) Net income or loss before specific items is a non-GAAP measure we use as an alternate view of our operating results. We calculate it by taking our net income attributable to equity holders of the Company from continuing operations and excluding restructuring costs, integration costs, acquisition costs and impairments and other gains and losses arising from significant strategic transactions or material events as well as significant one-time tax items. We track it because we believe it provides a better indication of our operating performance and makes it easier to compare across reporting periods.

(7) A full-flight simulator (FFS) is a full-size replica of a specific make, model and series of an aircraft cockpit, including a motion system. In our count of FFSs deployed in the network, we generally only include FFSs that are of the highest fidelity and do not include any fixed based training devices, or other lower-level devices, as these are typically used in addition to FFSs in the same approved training programs.

(8) Utilization rate is one of the operating measures we use to assess the performance of our Civil simulator training network. While utilization rate does not perfectly correlate to revenue recognized, we track it, together with other measures, because we believe it is an indicator of our operating performance. We calculate it by taking the number of training hours sold on our simulators during the period divided by the practical training capacity available for the same period.

(9) Simulator equivalent unit (SEU) is an operating measure we use to show the total average number of FFSs available to generate earnings during the period.

(10) Maintenance capital expenditure is a non-GAAP measure we use to calculate the investment needed to sustain the current level of economic activity. Growth capital expenditure is a non-GAAP measure we use to calculate the investment needed to increase the current level of economic activity.

(11) Net debt is a non-GAAP measure we use to monitor how much debt we have after taking into account cash and cash equivalents. We use it as an indicator of our overall financial position, and calculate it by taking our total long-term debt, including the current portion of long-term debt, and subtracting cash and cash equivalents.

(12) Net debt-to-capital is calculated as net debt divided by the sum of total equity plus net debt.

(13) Return on capital employed (ROCE) is a non-GAAP measure we use to evaluate the profitability of our invested capital. We calculate this ratio over a rolling four-quarter period by taking net income attributable to equity holders of the Company excluding net finance expense, after tax, divided by the average capital employed.

For non-GAAP and other financial measures monitored by CAE, please refer to CAE's MD&A filed with the Canadian Securities Administrators available on our website ( www.cae.com ) and on SEDAR ( www.sedar.com ).

Consolidated (Loss) Income Statement









(Unaudited)

Three months ended June 30

(amounts in millions of Canadian dollars, except per share amounts)

2020

2019 Revenue $ 550.5 $ 825.6 Cost of sales

442.5

581.9 Gross profit $ 108.0 $ 243.7 Research and development expenses

20.1

31.9 Selling, general and administrative expenses

93.9

113.3 Impairment and other (gains) and losses

96.6

(0.3) Share of after-tax loss (profit) of equity accounted investees

7.7

(12.1) Operating (loss) profit $ (110.3) $ 110.9 Finance expense  net

35.1

34.9 (Loss) earnings before income taxes $ (145.4) $ 76.0 Income tax (recovery) expense

(35.4)

13.0 Net (loss) income $ (110.0) $ 63.0 Attributable to:







Equity holders of the Company $ (110.6) $ 61.5 Non-controlling interests

0.6

1.5 (Loss) earnings per share attributable to equity holders of the Company







Basic and diluted $ (0.42) $ 0.23





Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive (Loss) Income









(Unaudited)

Three months ended June 30

(amounts in millions of Canadian dollars)

2020

2019 Net (loss) income $ (110.0) $ 63.0 Items that may be reclassified to net (loss) income







Foreign currency exchange differences on translation of foreign operations $ (105.9) $ (69.3) Reclassification to income of foreign currency exchange differences

(5.8)

(1.9) Net gain on cash flow hedges

30.3

12.5 Reclassification to income of losses on cash flow hedges

(5.0)

(0.7) Net gain on hedges of net investment in foreign operations

47.1

22.5 Income taxes

(7.4)

(0.8)

$ (46.7) $ (37.7) Items that will never be reclassified to net (loss) income







Remeasurement of defined benefit pension plan obligations $ (123.0) $ (43.6) Net loss on financial assets carried at fair value through OCI

(0.1)

(0.1) Income taxes

32.3

11.5

$ (90.8) $ (32.2) Other comprehensive loss $ (137.5) $ (69.9) Total comprehensive loss $ (247.5) $ (6.9) Attributable to:







Equity holders of the Company $ (245.7) $ (7.1) Non-controlling interests

(1.8)

0.2















Consolidated Statement of Financial Position













(Unaudited)

June 30

March 31 (amounts in millions of Canadian dollars)

2020

2020 Assets







Cash and cash equivalents $ 363.3 $ 946.5 Accounts receivable

517.5

566.1 Contract assets

536.3

569.3 Inventories

670.7

616.2 Prepayments

59.2

55.1 Income taxes recoverable

32.1

30.4 Derivative financial assets

25.0

25.0 Total current assets $ 2,204.1 $ 2,808.6 Property, plant and equipment

2,007.8

2,154.0 Right-of-use assets

370.3

395.9 Intangible assets

1,974.9

2,056.5 Investment in equity accounted investees

428.0

460.6 Deferred tax assets

105.6

84.5 Derivative financial assets

11.6

13.1 Other non-current assets

507.2

510.4 Total assets $ 7,609.5 $ 8,483.6 Liabilities and equity







Accounts payable and accrued liabilities $ 825.5 $ 934.4 Provisions

27.8

29.2 Income taxes payable

25.1

26.4 Contract liabilities

740.5

746.2 Current portion of long-term debt

219.0

206.2 Derivative financial liabilities

52.3

119.9 Total current liabilities $ 1,890.2 $ 2,062.3 Provisions

28.1

28.6 Long-term debt

2,551.8

3,106.0 Royalty obligations

134.9

141.1 Employee benefits obligations

340.1

212.8 Deferred tax liabilities

104.9

150.6 Derivative financial liabilities

7.9

12.8 Other non-current liabilities

212.3

191.1 Total liabilities $ 5,270.2 $ 5,905.3 Equity







Share capital $ 682.0 $ 679.5 Contributed surplus

32.9

26.9 Accumulated other comprehensive income

148.8

193.2 Retained earnings

1,388.8

1,590.1 Equity attributable to equity holders of the Company $ 2,252.5 $ 2,489.7 Non-controlling interests

86.8

88.6 Total equity $ 2,339.3 $ 2,578.3 Total liabilities and equity $ 7,609.5 $ 8,483.6

Consolidated Statement of Changes in Equity

(Unaudited) Attributable to equity holders of the Company



Three months ended June 30, 2020

(amounts in millions of Canadian dollars,

except number of shares)

Number of

shares Common shares

Stated

value Contributed

surplus Accumulated other

comprehensive

income Retained

earnings Total Non-controlling

interests Total

equity Balances as at March 31, 2020 265,619,627 $ 679.5 $ 26.9 $ 193.2 $ 1,590.1 $ 2,489.7 $ 88.6 $ 2,578.3 Net (loss) income  $  $  $  $ (110.6) $ (110.6) $ 0.6 $ (110.0) Other comprehensive loss 





(44.4)

(90.7)

(135.1)

(2.4)

(137.5) Total comprehensive loss  $  $  $ (44.4) $ (201.3) $ (245.7) $ (1.8) $ (247.5) Exercise of stock options 149,850

2.5

(0.3)





2.2



2.2 Share-based payments expense 



6.3





6.3



6.3 Balances as at June 30, 2020 265,769,477 $ 682.0 $ 32.9 $ 148.8 $ 1,388.8 $ 2,252.5 $ 86.8 $ 2,339.3



Attributable to equity holders of the Company







Three months ended June 30, 2019 (amounts in millions of Canadian dollars, Number of shares Common shares

Stated value Contributed surplus Accumulated other

comprehensive income Retained earnings Total Non-controlling interests Total equity except number of shares) Balances as at April 1, 2019 265,447,603 $ 649.6 $ 24.8 $ 199.0 $ 1,430.4 $ 2,303.8 $ 78.7 $ 2,382.5 Net income  $  $  $  $ 61.5 $ 61.5 $ 1.5 $ 63.0 Other comprehensive loss 





(36.5)

(32.1)

(68.6)

(1.3)

(69.9) Total comprehensive (loss) income  $  $  $ (36.5) $ 29.4 $ (7.1) $ 0.2 $ (6.9) Exercise of stock options 833,180

16.2

(1.9)





14.3



14.3 Optional cash purchase of common shares 408











 

Repurchase and cancellation of common shares (58,131)

(0.1)





(1.9)

(2.0)



(2.0) Share-based payments expense 



3.7





3.7



3.7 Stock dividends 30,420

1.1





(1.1)



 

Cash dividends 







(25.5)

(25.5)



(25.5) Balances as at June 30, 2019 266,253,480 $ 666.8 $ 26.6 $ 162.5 $ 1,431.3 $ 2,287.2 $ 78.9 $ 2,366.1

.



Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows







(Unaudited)

Three months ended June 30

(amounts in millions of Canadian dollars)

2020

2019 Operating activities







Net (loss) income $ (110.0) $ 63.0 Adjustments for:







Depreciation and amortization

85.6

73.8 Impairment of non-financial assets

98.0

 Share of after-tax loss (profit) of equity accounted investees

7.7

(12.1) Deferred income taxes

(37.1)

13.0 Investment tax credits

(5.2)

(9.4) Share-based payments expense

4.6

1.9 Defined benefit pension plans

4.9

4.3 Other non-current liabilities

1.0

(4.2) Derivative financial assets and liabilities  net

(34.6)

(7.0) Other

22.0

14.5 Changes in non-cash working capital

(125.3)

(197.8) Net cash used by operating activities $ (88.4) $ (60.0) Investing activities







Business combinations, net of cash acquired $  $ (7.5) Additions to property, plant and equipment

(18.0)

(89.0) Proceeds from disposal of property, plant and equipment



0.4 Additions to intangible assets

(17.8)

(22.7) Net payments to equity accounted investees

0.5

0.7 Dividends received from equity accounted investees

6.1

 Other

(0.1)

 Net cash used in investing activities $ (29.3) $ (118.1) Financing activities







Net (repayment) proceeds from borrowing under revolving credit facilities $ (439.0) $ 192.0 Proceeds from long-term debt

6.3

9.0 Repayment of long-term debt

(5.7)

(100.8) Repayment of lease liabilities

(19.2)

(25.4) Dividends paid



(25.5) Issuance of common shares

2.2

14.3 Repurchase and cancellation of common shares



(2.0) Other

(0.7)

(0.3) Net cash (used in) provided by financing activities $ (456.1) $ 61.3 Effect of foreign currency exchange differences on cash and cash equivalents $ (9.4) $ (7.3) Net decrease in cash and cash equivalents $ (583.2) $ (124.1) Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period

946.5

446.1 Cash and cash equivalents, end of period $ 363.3 $ 322.0

SOURCE CAE INC.

Related Links

http://www.cae.com/


Austin, TX, Aug. 12, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Lightspeed Systems (Lightspeed or the Company), creator of the leading K-12 online safety and analytics solutions, today announced a groundbreaking, statewide partnership with the Kentucky Department of Education to implement their cloud-based Filter statewide across K-12 public schools. Through the partnership, the Lightspeed Filter will be available to almost a million students, teachers, and administrators across the state of Kentucky.

"With the transition to remote learning, we have a responsibility to provide schools with the most advanced tools available to keep students safe while using devices at home," said Chuck Austin, product manager for the Kentucky Department of Education. "Since the onset of the pandemic, Lightspeed has been a valuable partner in making sure that wherever a student or teacher is working from, there is a protective measure in place that allows safe and secure computing."

The Lightspeed Filter, which pairs more than 20 years of experience mapping and understanding the behavior of students online with a comprehensive solution for web filtering, protects and reports on student activity through a cloud-based platform that supports every device, any OS, on and off campus.

Data available through the platform includes student engagement and activity by day of week, including how much of that activity is educational in nature; real-time Safety Check alerts on students exhibiting concerning behavior such as bullying, self-harm, and suicide; and even Parent Reports.

The Lightspeed platform provides the greatest protection and Childrens Internet Protection Act (CIPA) compliance with its granular controls, powerful YouTube filtering for safe use of video in education, comprehensive AI database, and patented Smart Agent technology that provides hassle-free SSL decryption.

The Kentucky Department of Education is ensuring ongoing safety, compliance, and reporting through distance, blended, and on-campus learning by shifting from the on-premise filtering appliances to the Lightspeed Systems cloud-based filtering platform. The new solution will ensure seamless protection for the students of Kentucky wherever learning takes place. The shift comes as the COVID pandemic requires the State to ensure safe computing environments for all students, teachers, and staff reglardless of where they are working, teaching, or learning from.

"Weve been a proud partner of the Kentucky Department of Education for more than five years and support their efforts to ensure that through these difficult times, every K-12 student has safe access to the internet with our latest solutions," said Brian Thomas, President of Lightspeed Systems. "It is crucial that schools ensure their 1:1 device programs are safe and effective for students, and we look forward to working with the schools across Kentucky as they maintain educational continuity over the next months."

About Lightspeed Systems

Lightspeed Systems partners with schools to make learning safe, mobile and easily managed. Partnered with 6,500 districts in the United States and 28,000 schools around the world, Lightspeed Systems provides an integrated platform for filtering, management, monitoring, and reporting on student safety and device activity. Headquartered in Austin, TX (with offices in Portland and the U.K.), Lightspeed serves over 15 million students in 35 countries. To learn more, visit https://www.lightspeedsystems.com.
High-mobility howitzers, anti-tank missiles make plateau debut

Global Times

By Liu Xuanzun Source: Global Times Published: 2020/8/11 20:43:28

The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) recently held live-fire drills in a high-elevation region in the Himalayas, where some of the PLA's latest weapons, including a new 122-millimeter caliber wheeled howitzer and the vehicle-mounted version of the HJ-10 anti-tank missile system, made their first public appearances.

Compared with their heavier counterparts, these two new weapons are characterized by high mobility, which will come in handy - particularly in plateau regions, analysts said on Tuesday.

A combined arms brigade attached to the PLA Tibet Military Command recently conducted a series of live-fire artillery exercises in the middle section of the Himalayas, which has an elevation of about 4,600 meters, China Central Television reported on Tuesday.

The drills featured anti-aircraft shooting and precision artillery strikes on hostile headquarters, missile installations and communication hubs using long-range rocket launcher systems. This was followed by live-fire coverage of hostile positions, bunkers and camps with howitzers, according to the report.

In addition to the new camouflage the soldiers wore, military observers also noticed the public debut of two new weapons: a 122-millimeter caliber wheeled howitzer and the vehicle-mounted version of the HJ-10 anti-tank missile system.

The new howitzer, the designation of which is not revealed in the report, looks very similar to and uses similar technologies as the PCL-181 155-millimeter caliber wheeled howitzer, which made its public debut at China's National Day military parade in 2019. However, this version has a shorter barrel and four wheels instead of the PCL-181's six wheels, Shanghai-based news website eastday.com reported on Tuesday.

This means the new 122-millimeter caliber wheeled howitzer can shoot in all directions and can be deployed rapidly, a significant advantage over its 122- millimeter caliber predecessor, the PCL-09, the report said.

Beijing-based military expert Wei Dongxu told the Global Times on Tuesday that compared with the 155-millimeter caliber PCL-181, the new 122-millimeter caliber howitzer is more mobile and better-suited for air transport via tactical cargo planes like the Y-9.

At the cost of range and firepower, the new howitzer's smaller and lighter ammunition is easier to transport and reload, Wei said.

Another newly revealed weapon is the vehicle-mounted version of the HJ-10 anti-tank missile system. Compared with the original version that uses tracks and is loaded with four missiles, this new version uses four wheels and is loaded with two missiles, eastday.com reported.

Wei said this configuration can greatly reduce its weight, making the system more mobile and easier to maintain.

The HJ-10 can not only destroy armored ground targets within 10 kilometers, but it can also attack small water surface targets and low-speed aircraft like helicopters, reports said.

In plateau warfare, wheeled vehicles can often enjoy an advantage over vehicles that use tracks, which are heavy and are affected by lower levels of oxygen, analysts said.

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Express News Service

BENGALURU: Among the 17 districts falling under Bengaluru and Mysuru revenue divisions, a major disparity can be seen in the number of samples tested per day, as per official data from the Covid-19 war room. Statistics from 34 Covid labs in Bengaluru, Kolar, Shivamogga, Davanagere, Tumakuru, Kolar and Mandya showed that 13 labs are testing less than 50 per cent their capacity, 24 labs less than 100 per cent and 10 labs more than 100 per cent.

At Sri Devaraj Urs Medical College, Kolar, the testing capacity is 200 per day, but only 24 tests are being conducted, which is just 12 per cent. But at NIMHANS, Bengaluru, which can test 500 samples a day, 900 samples are being sent, which is 180 per cent above its target. At the IISc lab, the daily capacity is 300, but zero samples have been tested in the last three days.

Of the 11 labs under Mysuru division, three are testing less than 50 per cent of their capacity, five below 100 per cent, and six above 100 per cent.

Dr C N Manjunath, nodal officer for testing in the state, said, Some labs are being closed for fumigation after staffers test positive, and they need to be shut for 24-48 hours. In some cases, there is a disparity because labs have a much higher testing capacity than others, like at NIV, NIMHANS and BMCRI.

The state government is now targeting 20,000 RT-PCR tests and 20,000-25,000 Rapid Antigen tests per day, which amounts to 40,000-50,000 tests.

The shortage of lab technicians and data entry operators at government labs has been addressed by filling up vacancies, he said.

Dr Shalini Rajneesh, the IAS officer in charge of testing, said, Normally, we reach full capacity, but when staffers test positive, theres nothing we can do.
TikTok, the Chinese-owned popular short-video app, has come under the scrutiny of authorities in various parts of the world. While India banned TikTok in the aftermath of the deadly clash on the China border in June, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order last week, barring American residents from doing any transactions with the Chinese owners of the app. In both the cases, TikTok was accused of posing 'threats' to the sovereignty and national security of the respective countries. But is that so? Does TikTok really share its user data with the Chinese government? Or is there something more than meets the eye?







What triggered the scrutiny of TikTok?

TikTok uses US-based Akmai CDN (Content Delivery Network) but doesn't specifically mention where it stores the user data. French security expert Baptiste Robert (aka Elliott Alderson) says his analysis showed that TikTok has been routing user information to servers with URL links pointing to China, America, America HTTP, SIG AWS (Amazon Web Services Singapore), SIG ALIYUN (Alicloud Singapore), Musically, Musically HTTP.

Also read  Microsoft's TikTok bid spotlights its history with China

TikTok's owner, ByteDance, is also accused of not informing the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States when it acquired the lip-syncing app, Musical.ly. The committee claims to have jurisdiction over deals between foreign businesses that have operations in the US.

It has also been pointed out that TikTok has a treasure trove of information on what several millions of US citizens, particularly the youth, are watching and what they want to search on the platform.

Is TikTok being singled out?

Possibly. There aren't glaring concerns that TikTok is breaching the user privacy protocol compared to other social media platforms. Robert says TikTok regularly logs information such as device ID, device brand, OS version, user's current location and the TikTok app version. Snapchat, Facebook and Instagram do the same. There is little evidence that ByteDance is sharing the user data with the Chinese government.

TikTok's Chinese ownership aside, the American administration seems to be wary of the app's ability to give a platform to political activists. During the Black Lives Matter rallies and the ongoing US presidential election campaign, TikTok has become a popular platform for political activism. Some experts fear that China may control or censor some content on TikTok, possibly swaying voter sentiments towards a particular candidate.

Also read  Twitter, TikTok held preliminary talks about potential combination: Report

But what truly makes TikTok stand out is its use of Artificial Intelligence algorithm that helps it quickly learn what a user and their friends are watching. In short, it offers hyper-personalised content.

What's TikTok's future?

Some analysts say Trump signed the executive order to pressure ByteDance into selling TikTok to an American company. Before the executive order, Trump had declared that he doesn't favour ByteDance selling a part of stakes to an American company but that he wants an outright sale.

Later, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella met Trump and announced the company is in talks with ByteDance to acquire TikTok's operations in the US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand regions. It remains to be seen if the deal can be finalised before the September 15 deadline set by Trump.

If the deal goes through, Microsoft, which has a strong appeal among adults and the corporate population, will be able to attract youths, potentially acquiring a 'cool' brand image.

But Microsoft wouldn't be the only tech giant to benefit from l'affaire TikTok. Facebook-owned Instagram has rolled out a new feature called Reels in India and dozens of other countries, which allows users to create short videos that can be enhanced with visual effects. TikTok called it copying.

Will India revoke the TikTok ban?

Despite the anti-China sentiments in India, ByteDance is hopeful of the government revoking the ban. In a recent letter to Union Minister of Electronics and Information Technology Ravi Shankar Prasad, TikTok CEO Kevin Mayer expressed the desire to meet him and specify ByteDance's commitment to setting up a local data centre. He also assured to share its user privacy and data-sharing practices. Furthermore, the company is willing to cooperate with the Indian government to clear all security issues.

That TikTok is hopeful of a favourable resolution is evident from the fact that it hasn't cut any jobs in India so far.
SURFSIDE BEACH, S.C.  Crystal Smith was ready to open her brand-new pet-grooming shop until she discovered her building was spray-painted with vulgar language in July.

Smith, owner of Angel Pets, rented an empty unit, the former Fishmonger Seafood Restaurant, in Surfside Beach to open a dog-washing station.

She discovered expletive language sprayed on the side of the building, at 1511 S. U.S. Highway 17, last month and a few days later, found a gang signature reading "239 Misery ATK.

Smith reported the vandalism to the Surfside Police Department on July 31. A Surfside Beach Police report states that there is no follow-up investigation into the incident at this time.

Investigators speculate the 239 is likely a reference to an area code in southwest Florida and ATK refers to the street gang All Time Kings. She said she was devastated by the profane defacement of the property.

"It hurt my heart," she said.

Smith said she will not let vandalism stop her from achieving her goal and plans to open her business soon.

Morris Massree, the landlord of the property, also notified the police as the vandalism continued. He said he is not sure if the incident was gang-related, and does not understand why the business was vandalized.

"It's pretty vulgar," Massree said. "People drive by and look at that stuff ... and that's not fair to (Crystal). That's not at all fair to her."

This is the first time the building has been vandalized in 40 years, Massree said. He plans to fly from Florida to South Carolina to cover up the graffiti tags, which will take between 5 and 10 gallons of paint.

Massree repainted the building five years ago, a project costing almost $10,000 and expects to pay more to cover up all the graffiti this year, he said.

According to the police report, the property damage is estimated at $1,000. Massree said he hopes the vandal faces charges.

"I want these people who did it to pay for what they did," he said. "This is vile, this is beyond vile."
Syracuse, N.Y.  Onondaga County reported eight new coronavirus cases today, including one related to travel to Puerto Rico.

Two of the new cases are household contacts of previously confirmed cases. Authorities were unable to pinpoint the source of the five other cases.

There have been no new coronavirus deaths since Thursday.

Sixteen Onondaga County residents with the virus are hospitalized, four of them in critical condition.

The county has had 3,462 positive cases and 201 deaths since the pandemic began in March. It is monitoring 107 active cases, down six since Monday.

James T. Mulder covers health news. Have a news tip? Contact him at (315) 470-2245 or jmulder@syracuse.com
Image: CNNNews18

Opposition Congress and JD(S) in Karnataka on Wednesday extended complete support to the state government in establishing peace in violence-hit parts of the city and demanded immediate action against the culprits.

Leaders of both the parties have said that there are reports raising apprehensions that this could have been a 'pre planned conspiracy'.



I condemn both violent incident that erupted in Kaval Byrsandra & also the social media post that instigated the mob. I humbly request both Hindus & Muslims of the area to stay calm, maintain peace & live in harmony. 1/3

 Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) August 12, 2020

"I condemn both violent incidents that erupted in Kaval Byrsandra & also the social media post that instigated the mob. I humbly request both Hindus & Muslims of the area to stay calm, maintain peace & live in harmony," Leader of opposition Siddaramaiah tweeted.

Noting that he spoke to the Bengaluru Police Commissioner on the matter, the Congress leader assured full support to the Karnataka government in establishing peace.

"Our experience tells us that only innocents suffer in the communal riots. I urge leaders from both the religions to discuss and resolve the issue amicably & restore peace in the area," he added.



Our experience tells us that only innocents suffer in the communal riots. I urge leaders from both the religion to discuss and resolve the issue amicably & restore peace in the area. 3/3  Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) August 12, 2020

Condemning the violence, state Congress chief D K Shivakumar said, no one should take law into their hands and we extend complete cooperation to the government in taking action as per law.

"Causing destruction to public property cannot be accepted... I have also heard from the media about the provocative tweet. Whoever has done it, it is wrong, the entire incident is wrong," he said.

A meeting of Congress legislators from Bengaluru has been called, later in the day, Shivakumar said adding we will discuss and decide about our stand.

"Our legislators had gone to the spot last night to control the situation, but things did not come under control. I have learnt through the media that it looks like a planned conspiracy..." he alleged.

At least three people were killed and scores of others wounded in connection with arson and violence in certain parts of the city last night over a social media post allegedly by a relative of Pulakeshinagar Congress MLA Akhanda Srinivasa Murthy.

Nearly 110 people allegedly involved in the violence and the accused who had posted the communal post have been arrested. JD(S) patriarch H D Deve Gowda in a tweet condemning the violence, has requested the government to take 'merciless' action against those involved.

Gowda's son and former Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy too demanded action against those indulging in "goondaism" and taking law into their hands in the name of religion.

"No religion or community is above law and any one who does not respect the law of the land should be punished. Government by taking strict action should ensure that such incidents don't repeat," he tweeted.

He also said that the incident looks like a 'pre planned conspiracy.'
Kanye West confirmed he met with Jared Kushner in Colorado last weekend but said the two talked books amid accusations the rapper is running for president to siphon off votes from Joe Biden.

West took to Twitter to reveal the meeting after The New York Times learned of it and contacted him for comment.

'Im willing to do a live interview with the New York Time about my meeting with Jared where we discussed Dr Claude Andersons book Powernomics,' he wrote.

Kanye West confirmed he met with Jared Kushner in Colorado last weekend - West and his wife Kim Kardashian West were campaigning in Colorado while Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump were in the state for meetings with Republicans

Kanye West met with President Trump in the Oval Office in October 2018 - a meeting where Jared Kushner was present

Jared Kushner serves as a senior adviser in the White House but is also involved with President Trump's re-election campaign

Kanye West launched a last-minute presidential bid six weeks ago and has made the ballot in several states with the help of Republican officials, sparking speculation he is running to hurt Joe Biden

In his interview with The Times, West did not offer more details on his meeting with Kushner but, instead, expressed anger about abortion rates among black women and said he didnt support Democrats.

West launched a last minute presidential bid six weeks ago with the help of some Republican operatives, sparking speculation the rapper, who is an admirer of President Donald Trump, is running to take votes away from Biden.

West has qualified to be on the presidential ballot in several states but has missed the filing deadline in others.

When Forbes magazine pointed out to West in an interview last week he is not qualified in enough states to win the necessary 270 electoral votes to be president and thus would only be a spoiler in the race, West replied: 'Im not going to argue with you. Jesus is King.'

West and Kushner have been in regular contact since the rapper announced his presidential bid, Forbes reported.

Kushner and his wife Ivanka Trump were in Colorado last weekend with other members of the Trump family for a series of fundraisers and events at House Republican Leader Kevin McCarty's annual retreat.

West was camping in Colorado with his family, The Times reported, and flew to Telluride to meet with Kushner and Trump but was not accompanied by his wife, Kim Kardashian West.

Kushner serves as a senior adviser in President Trump's White House but the presidential son-in-law also has a hand in the 2020 re-election campaign.

A spokesman for Kushner did not respond to DailyMail.com's request for comment.

West has qualified for the presidential ballot in states like Arkansas, Vermont, Oklahoma and Colorado, but his attempt in Ohio and Wisconsin is being challenged.

Kim Kardashian West asked the public to show compassion and empathy toward her husband in a tweet last month, saying he is bipolar.

Last week, President Trump denied any involvement in the effort by West to get on the ballot in presidential battleground states.

'I'm not involved,' Trump said at the White House when DailyMail.com asked him the issue.

'I like him. Hes always been very nice to me,' Trump said, praising the rapper-producer who appeared with him at the White House in 2018 and sported his trademark red Make America Great Again hat.

'I'm not involved,' President Donald Trump said last week when DailyMail.com asked him about officials with longtime Republican ties helping Kanye West get on the presidential ballot in key states

But Trump denied a role in West's latest actions.

'No, not at all. No, not at all. Other than I get along with him very well. I like him. I like his wife. His wife recommended certain people as you know for, including Alice Johnson whos a fantastic woman,' Trump continued, praising Kim Kardashian and pointing to her successful push for Trump to grant clemency for her life sentence on a drug conviction.

The president briefly veered into a discussion about prison reform.

'But his wife recommended certain people to get out of prison. They were in prison for a long time. A long, long time. And should have never happened. And I took what she said very strong  Kim Kardashian,' Trump continued. 'And she's got a good heart. A very good heart. And I like Kanye very much.'

Then he added: 'No, I have nothing to do with him getting on the ballot.'

The president briefly mulled how having West's name on the ballot might impact his race against Democrat Joe Biden, then stopped short.

Kanye West's presidential campaign dropped off signature papers Tuesday at the state Elections Commission building in Madison.Saying "no comment" to WISN 12 News, Lane Ruhland entered the building just after 5 p.m. Tuesday in Madison to drop off the signatures

Kanye West had, until recently, been a public supporter of Trump, insisting he and the incumbent president shared a dragon energy

West first announced his intentions to run for president in a tweet on July 4. Since then, the rapper-producer has filed paperwork in seven states to become the next White House occupant, including Oklahoma, Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas, Vermont, West Virginia and now Wisconsin

Wests nominating petitions were dropped off with state regulators in Madison by Lane Ruhland before Tuesdays 5pm deadline. Ruhland, a top Republican lawyer and former general counsel for the state GOP, was filmed dropping off the signatures

Wests ties to four individuals has raised questions about the intentions of his White House bid and whether it is a GOP-designed effort to siphon votes from Joe Biden

'Well have to see what happens. We'll see if he gets on the ballot. But i'm not involved,' he concluded.

Trump's 2016 victory came in a year when Green Party candidate Jill Stein, Libertarian Gary Johnson were on the ballot, with a late push by Evan McMullen to try to throw a wrench into the outcome.

The president's comments came as a series of GOP officials have been tied to West's effort.

West turned in ballot petitions Tuesday in Wisconsin, a critical swing state that Trump carried narrowly in 2016 where Biden is leading in public polls.

Gregg Keller, the former executive director of the American Conservative Union, has been listed as a contact for Wests campaign in Arkansas

The rapper announced his campaign July 4th on Twitter, then filed papers in Oklahoma, Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas, Vermont, and West Virginia.

Top GOP lawyer Lane Ruhland was filmed and identified dropping off West's Wisconsin petitions at the state capital in Madison. She is a former general counsel for the state Republican Party.

It appears that Kanye West made a smart decision by hiring an experienced election attorney, said state GOP spokeswoman Alesha Guenther told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Another official, Gregg Keller, the former executive director of the American Conservative Union, was listed as a contact for West's effort to get on the ballot in Arkansas. Trump reportedly consider Keller to be chair of his 2016 campaign before settling on Corey Lewandowski.

Chuck Wilton is listed as a convention delegate for Trump in Vermont and an elector for West. His wife, Wendy is a Trump Agriculture Department appointee. New York Magazine identified officials assisting West with GOP ties.

The group Let The Voters Decide is also assisting West.
Bella Hadid showed off her taut midriff as she stepped out for a shopping excursion in New York City this Wednesday.

The 23-year-old supermodel wore a skintight white crop top and a pair of sagging pearl grey sweats while heading out on the town.

Wearing a striped brown and bronze tee open over her crop top, she accessorized with a handbag and a pair of sunglasses.

Looking fab: Bella Hadid showed off her taut midriff as she stepped out for a shopping excursion in New York City this Wednesday

The younger sister of Gigi Hadid swept her dark hair into an updo, adding a touch of dazzle with a tangle of necklaces and a single hoop earrings.

She upped the glitz factor with several bracelets and rounded off her ensemble with a simple pair of white sneakers.

The sizzling sensation made sure to take the precaution of wearing a mask as she stepped out amid the coronavirus pandemic.

She and a female friend could be spotted emerging from the home decor boutique Mackenzie-Childs in SoHo with some shopping.

Out and about: The 23-year-old supermodel wore a skintight white crop top and a pair of sagging pearl grey sweats while heading out on the town

Off she goes: Wearing a striped brown and bronze tee open over her crop top, she accessorized with a handbag and a pair of sunglasses

Hoofing it: The younger sister of Gigi Hadid swept her dark hair into an updo, adding a touch of dazzle with a tangle of necklaces and a single hoop earrings

Legs for days: She upped the glitz factor with several bracelets and rounded off her ensemble with a simple pair of white sneakers

The dynamic duo caught sight of a sweet-looking dog on a stoop and gave the pooch a little bit of attention before moving on.

Bella was self-isolating at her family's country house on a farm in Pennsylvania, but has recently frequently been seen in New York.

A couple of months ago the New York Post alleged that she shelled out $6.1 million for a two-bedroom penthouse in SoHo last year.

Careful: The sizzling sensation made sure to take the precaution of wearing a mask as she stepped out amid the coronavirus pandemic

Stepping out: She and a female friend could be spotted emerging from the home decor boutique Mackenzie-Childs in SoHo with some shopping

So sweet: The dynamic duo caught sight of a sweet-looking dog on a stoop and gave the pooch a little bit of attention before moving on

The Pennsylvania house is also playing host to her older sister as well as their mother, former Real Housewife Of Beverly Hills Yolanda Hadid.

Gigi is pregnant with her firstborn child by her on-again boyfriend Zayn Malik of One Direction fame who is in lockdown with her.

Bella, who is politically vocal online, recently posted an midriff-flashing Instagram snap of herself flipping off NYPD officers for not wearing masks.

City gal: Bella was self-isolating at her family's country house on a farm in Pennsylvania, but has recently frequently been seen in New York

Location, location, location: A couple of months ago the New York Post alleged that she shelled out $6.1 million for a two-bedroom penthouse in SoHo last year

While hunkering down in Pennsylvania the supermodel chatted to Elle about what she was yearning for in New York.

'I miss smiling at people. I miss hugging, a lot. I miss walking around and listening to music,' shared the internationally famous model.

'Its different when youre in the city. You can walk forever - going nowhere and somehow still feeling like youve got somewhere to be.'
Pompeo offers US help to Lebanon after 'horrible tragedy' Secretary of State Michael Pompeo has spoken in the past of his personal interest in Lebanon

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Tuesday offered US assistance to Lebanon after Beirut was rocked by massive blasts.

"We are monitoring and stand ready to assist the people of Lebanon as they recover from this horrible tragedy," Pompeo wrote on Twitter.

Pompeo in an accompanying statement said that the United States will wait for the findings of Lebanese authorities on the cause of the explosions, which killed at least 50 people and flattened the Mediterranean city's harborside.

"Our team in Beirut has reported to me the extensive damage to a city and a people that I hold dear, an additional challenge in a time of already deep crisis," said Pompeo, who has spoken in the past of his personal interest in Lebanon.

The US embassy in Beirut encouraged Americans in the city to take shelter.

"There are reports of toxic gases released in the explosion so all in the area should stay indoors and wear masks if available," it said in a security alert.

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An election worker opens envelopes containing vote-by-mail ballots for the Washington state primary, at King County Elections in Renton, Wash., on Aug. 3, 2020. (JASON REDMOND/AFP via Getty Images)

Election Security Debate Heats Up Over Mail-In Ballots

How to conduct the approaching Nov. 3 and subsequent elections has itself become a political issue after a spate of recent high-profile incidents of significantly delayed ballots and other electoral mishaps have drawn attention to problems associated with voting-by-mail.

President Donald Trump has spoken out against voting-by-mail, saying it lacks many of the safeguards of voting in person and can lead to big delays in arriving at an elections final result.

If you do universal mail-ins with millions and millions of ballots, you are never going to know what the real result of an election is, Trump said last month. Its going to be a very, very sad day for our country.

Not all Republican officeholders are on board with Trumps attacks on mail-in balloting.

Rohn Bishop, chairman of the GOP in Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin, told CNN last month that Republicans were begging our voters to vote absentee when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Then the president began tweeting against voting-by-mail and we dropped the issue like a hot potato.

Our voters are running away from it. That kind of terrifies me.

On the other hand, Democrats are pushing hard for universal voting-by-mail, saying its too dangerous for voters to appear at polling stations during the current pandemic.

People should not have to choose between their health and their vote, and thats very important, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said recently.

The Supreme Court has been pulled into the battle over voting-by-mail.

In early July, the high court temporarily blocked, on a 54 vote, a lower courts order that would have made it easier for residents of three Alabama counties to vote by absentee ballot in July 14 primary runoff elections.

Post Office

Some observers are concerned about whether a government agency, the U.S. Postal Service, long-criticized for its lack of efficiency, can handle an unprecedented onslaught of mail-in-ballots.

Even if there are error rates by the United States Postal Service of a couple of percent, we are talking about millions of ballots, John R. Lott Jr., president of the Crime Prevention Research Center, a think tank headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, told The Epoch Times.

An audit of the 2018 election by the USPS found that the share of election and political mail that was delivered on time averaged 84.2 percent in the seven lowest-performing distribution centers, including suburban Maryland, Eau Claire, Wisconsin, and Royal Palm, Florida, he said.

With the surge in election-related mail that is going to occur this year, that percent would be a disaster, involving tens of millions of votes.

The USPS report, issued by the agencys inspector general, found that high-performing locations such as Seattle; Norfolk, Virginia; and Southern Maine, averaged 99.6 percent on-time delivery of electoral and political mail.

Democrats are claiming that President Trump is trying to sabotage the postal system, but this audit was done long before mail-in ballots became an issue this year, Lott said.

Mail-In Doubled

On the other hand, Donny Ferguson, who has worked as a campaign consultant for Republican candidates, is bullish on voting-by-mail. He said Republicans are unduly fearful of voting-by-mail, a method of casting ballots that can be a net plus if approached correctly. Ferguson is a former congressional aide, and president of Americans for a Better Economy, an Alexandria, Virginia-based nonprofit organization.

There may be some glitches and slowdowns with increased mail-in ballots, but even before all this, early voting was approaching almost half of all votes cast, and most it is mail-in voting, which is increasing, he told The Epoch Times.

A report by the U.S. Election Assistance Commission after the 2016 elections found that the total number of voters who voted early, absentee, or by mail more than doubled from 24.9 million in 2004 to 57.2 million in 2016, representing an increase from one in five of all ballots cast to two in five of all ballots cast.

In-person voting is on a downward trend, according to the commission.

The percentage of voters who cast their ballots on a voting machine at a polling place on Election Day has declined steadily over the past decade, while the number of states offering early voting, no-excuse absentee voting, and vote by mail has increased, the report stated.

Ferguson said, Washington, Oregon, Hawaii, Colorado, and Utah were already running a 100 percent mail-in election, and havent had problems. During this years primaries, many states switched to all-mail voting, and didnt have widespread problems.

Where there have been problems, its the same places that screw up in-person voting, mostly Democrat-run states where Democrats run elections. Where were seeing mass numbers of ballots thrown out, its because they failed to meet the additional layers of security standards. You dont see that with in-person voting.

A mail-in election lets Republicans track whos cast ballots in real time, which lets the GOP instantly check for fraudulent votes and see which of their own supporters need to get their ballots turned in.

Mishaps

There has been a steady stream of concerning news about voting-by-mail in recent weeks and months.

A nonprofit called the Center for Voter Information acknowledged that it sent out more than a half-million inaccurate applications for absentee ballots in Virginia last week, Just The News reports. Recipients included dead people and a pet.

More than 200,000 ballots in Nevadas largest county were mailed to outdated addresses during the 2020 primary election, the Washington Free Beacon reports, citing the research of the Public Interest Legal Foundation (PILF). The undeliverable ballots made up 17 percent of all ballots sent to registered voters in the county.

These numbers show how vote by mail fails, J. Christian Adams, PILFs president and general counsel told the media outlet. New proponents of mail balloting dont often understand how it actually works. States like Oregon and Washington spent many years building their mail voting systems and are notably aggressive with voter list maintenance efforts. Pride in their own systems does not somehow transfer across state lines. Nevada, New York, and others are not and will not be ready for November.

Mail-in ballots from upwards of 84,000 New York City Democrats who tried to vote in the June 23 presidential primary were disqualified, election officials told the New York Post. The 84,108 ballots that were invalidated comprise 21 percent of the total of the 403,103 mail-in ballots received.

California election officials tossed more than 100,000 mail-in ballots during the March presidential primary, The Associated Press discovered.

The California secretary of states election data obtained by the AP showed 102,428 mail-in ballots were disqualified in the states 58 counties, about 1.5 percent of the nearly 7 million mail-in ballots returned. That percentage is the highest in a primary since 2014, and the overall number is the highest in a statewide election since 2010.

New Jerseys first all-mail vote on May 12 didnt go according to plan. Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat, ordered the election be carried entirely by mail. Ballots were sent to every registered voter, according to Real Clear Politics.

But in the states third-largest city, Paterson, one in five ballots were rejected.

These kinds of acts make people not want to vote anymore, Paterson NAACP leader Rev. Kenneth Clayton reportedly said. The states attorney general subsequently charged four individuals, including a councilman and councilman-elect, with election fraud.

Experts say voting-by-mail is fraught with problems. That method of voting gives wrongdoers greater opportunities for fraud compared to in-person balloting, they say.

The bipartisan Commission on Federal Election Reform, chaired by former President Jimmy Carter and former Secretary of State James A. Baker III, found in 2005 that absentee ballots remain the largest source of potential voter fraud and that vote-buying schemes are far more difficult to detect when citizens vote by mail.

In fact, it was concern about vote-buying, a practice that had been pervasive, that helped drive the move to the secret ballot, which U.S. states adopted between 1888 and 1950, Lott previously wrote in The Wall Street Journal.

Secret ballots made it harder for vote buyers to monitor which candidates sellers actually voted for.
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Staff at a Northern Ireland council have been forced to relocate after two bat colonies were discovered in an office building.

The bats - which can't be disturbed - were uncovered at Sheskburn House, the Causeway Coast and Glens Council offices in Ballycastle.

A council spokesperson said yesterday: "The roosts have been discovered in the main building, and appropriate action is now being undertaken. A small number of staff have been relocated in the interim."

The spokesperson added: "Bats are a highly protected species and the appropriate surveys, mitigation plan and licenses are being progressed."

Ballycastle councillor Padraig McShane claimed the council has known about the bat problem for a number of years, urging environmental health officers to address the issue for workers. "Staff in the building are terrified to mention the issue as they believe their place of work and their jobs will be targeted," he said. "The codes of practice will form part of an investigation as will the refusal to remedy the bat colony in Sheskburn House. Toilet facilities have been reduced and the kitchen has had evidence of bat infestation."
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.
United States Presidential nominee Joe Biden has picked Senator Kamala Harris as his running mate in a bid to defeat President Donald Trump in the US presidential election in November. If elected she would be the first-ever woman to be the vice president of the US and the first-ever Indian-American and African vice president of the country.

While both, the Indian-American and African-American communities view her as one of their own, Harris identifies herself as a Black woman. However, she has also embraced her Indian roots.

Harris became the first black woman to be elected as California's Attorney General in 2010.

Also read: Kamala Harris's Vice President nod: How people are reacting

The 55-year-old Senator describes herself simply as "an American". "Harris grew up embracing her Indian culture, but living a proudly African-American life," the Washington Post wrote last year.

Harris' mother, Shyamala Gopalan, born in Chennai, was a noted breast cancer researcher who immigrated to the United States from India in the 1960s. Harris' father, Donald Harris, is an economist. Also an immigrant, he moved to the United States from Jamaica.

Also read: Kamala Harris: Who is she

Raised in Oakland and Berkeley California, Harris attended Howard University in Washington, D.C., and pursued a career in criminal justice before becoming only the second Black woman ever elected to the Senate.

In a 2009 interview, Harris had said that besides her mother, her grandfather, TV Gopalan, was one of the most influential people in her life.

"My grandfather was one of the original Independence fighters in India. Some of my fondest memories from childhood were walking along the beach with him after he retired and lived in Besant Nagar, in what was then called Madras," she said.

Also read: Kamala Harris was the Biden campaigns worst kept secret

The California senator further said that India has a great deal of influence on her politics. "India is the oldest democracy in the world. So that is part of my background, and without question, it has had a great deal of influence on what I do today and who I am," Harris told the reporter.

While her parents separated when Harris was five, she said her mother made sure that the children were aware of their background.

"My mother understood very well she was raising two black daughters. She knew that her adopted homeland would see Maya (her sister) and me as black girls, and she was determined to make sure we would grow into confident black women," Harris wrote her 2018 autobiography, The Truths We Hold.
The only crossing between Gaza and Egypt opened on Tuesday for 72 hours, allowing people to leave the Palestinian enclave for the first time since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus.

The Rafah crossing in southern Gaza was closed in March, as Hamas  the group that administers the Gaza Strip  sought to guard against a major virus outbreak in the densely populated territory with weak health infrastructure.

Rafah was opened in April for three days, but only to allow Gazans stranded abroad to return home.

Gazas interior ministry spokesman Iyad al-Bazam said people who hold foreign passports, foreign residency permits or emergency medical needs will be allowed to leave.

Hundreds of Gazans had assembled before dawn in a waiting area, preparing to exit.

Gaza resident Hatem al-Mansi told AFP that while he needed medical care, he was worried about the possibility of coronavirus infection in Egypt, which has registered 95,000 cases, compared with just 81 in Gaza.

There is a fear of being infected with COVID-19 in cars or buses in Egypt, he told AFP. In Gaza, we dont have that problem.

Anyone returning from Egypt will be placed in a dedicated quarantine facility for three weeks, said the head of infection control at Gazas health ministry, Rami Al-Abadala.
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TEHRAN: Iran's President Hassan Rouhani expressed "great hopes" Wednesday that a US bid to extend an arms embargo on his country will fail, warning of consequences if the UN Security Council backs it.

Rouhani's remarks came after Iran's ambassador to the United Nations said the US would have to redraft its proposed resolution on the issue after being "rebuffed" by Security Council members.

The ban on selling weapons to Iran is set to be progressively eased from October under the terms of Resolution 2231, which blessed the Iran nuclear deal that world powers agreed in July 2015.

But a UN embargo on materials and technology that Iran could use for its ballistic missile programme is to remain in place until 2023.

The European Union has said it will continue to enforce its own embargo against Iran after the lifting of the first UN embargo.

Under the accord officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, Iran committed to limiting its nuclear programme in exchange for sanctions relief.

The JCPOA has been on life-support since the US withdrew from it and reimposed unilateral sanctions in 2018.

Iran has since taken small but escalatory steps away from compliance with the agreement as it presses for the sanctions relief it was promised.

"We have great hopes that America will fail," Rouhani told a televised meeting of his cabinet on Wednesday.

"We have great hopes that America will realise its failure and see its isolation," the Iranian president said.

"But our stance in any case is clear. If such a resolution comes to pass... it means a blatant violation of the JCPOA," he added, warning the "consequences will rest with the perpetrators of this act".

Iran's envoy to the UN, Majid Takht Ravanchi, said on Wednesday that the US "was forced to retreat" from its draft resolution after being "rebuffed by UNSC members" and had to propose a fresh version.

"The new draft is similar -- in its NATURE and GOAL -- to the previous. Confident that the Council will -- again -- reject this move," he tweeted.

Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif also accused the US of "using a Security Council mechanism to destroy" the UN.

Zarif said the new draft was a "five-page resolution reduced to five sentences", and added that by presenting it as new, the US was disrespecting Security Council members.

The UN and US have yet to confirm this, however.

The original US text, seen by AFP, effectively called for an indefinite extension of the embargo on Iran and used hawkish rhetoric.

European allies of the United States -- Britain, Germany and France, who along with Russia and China, are parties to the JCPOA -- have voiced support for extending the conventional arms embargo but their priority is to preserve the nuclear deal.

Washington has threatened to use a contested argument that it remains a "participant" in the JCPOA -- despite its withdrawal -- and if UN sanctions are not extended, it can force their return if it sees Iran as being in violation of the accord's terms.
A rule-based system of investment and trade backed by all major global players is considered the soul of the modern economic order. U.S. President Donald Trump, however, has destroyed this order by trying to smear the popular video-sharing app TikTok.



President Trump has carried out a sustained campaign for weeks against the app, trying to paint it as a national security threat to America. After creating a hostile environment, Trump set Sept. 15 as the deadline for the purchase of TikTok by any local company, otherwise, he stated that he will use his powers to shut down the platform in the U.S.

In a new and controversial move, Trump has signed two executive orders, setting a 45-day deadline for all companies in the U.S. to stop doing business with both TikTok and WeChat.

Previously, all of the biggest social media platforms were owned by U.S. companies until their monopoly was challenged by TikTok, which is becoming increasingly popular in the United States. The app has currently been downloaded over 175 million times in the U.S. and over 1 billion times globally. According to the U.S. executive order, such a "huge number" of followers has become a "problem." The U.S. administration alleges that the app automatically captures "vast swaths of information" from its users, thereby posing a risk to national security.

Making allegations without providing any evidence is unjustifiable. It is difficult to fathom why the U.S. administration has even invoked the special executive powers to stifle rival businesses, which will trample upon the rights of others to carry out lawful business and activities.

The rules of the international economic order have been set up to ensure a fair playing field for all involved. There is no doubt that the moves by the U.S. administration against TikTok go against the spirit of a free market. Such unfair competition will not only widen the gulf of mistrust with other nations, but also erode the reputation of the United States.

Trump's actions may generate short-term gains, but in the long run, such moves will have a detrimental impact on business confidence. They will deal irreparable harm to economic globalization, as it is likely other nations will start erecting barriers in the wake of such circumstances in order to safeguard their own commercial and strategic interests. On the other hand, using state power to gain commercial advantages may also stifle innovation and undermine competition in the United States, which will ultimately damage the country's interests in the long run.

Sajjad Malik is a columnist with China.org.cn. For more information please visit:

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Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors, not necessarily those of China.org.cn.

If you would like to contribute, please contact us at opinion@china.org.cn.
ALEXANDRIA, Va., Aug. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Dark3, Inc. ("Dark Cubed"), an innovative Cybersecurity Software as a Service Company, today announced that the United States Patent and Trademark Office has issued U.S. Patent 10,735,455 entitled "System for anonymously detecting and blocking threats within a telecommunications network." The patent covers the design and implementation of a revolutionary capability to facilitate real-time cybersecurity protection across a large number of networks while enabling all participants to remain fully anonymous.

This functionality is currently in use today within the United States Department of Defense to provide fully functional two-way cybersecurity threat intelligence sharing, threat detection and analytics, and threat hunting for the Defense Industrial Base ("DIB"). The ability to provide these capabilities has been an elusive and expensive challenge for the DoD prior to Dark Cubed's innovative approach. The need for the expansion of these capabilities was highlighted in the March 2020 Cyberspace Solarium Commission (CSC) Report, where it is stated: "Congress should require Defense Industrial Base (DIB) participation in threat intelligence sharing programs (6.2.1) and threat hunting on DIB networks (6.2.2)."

Dark Cubed was founded to bring simplicity, automation, and ease of use to cybersecurity for businesses of all sizes. Vince Crisler, former CISO of the White House, created Dark Cubed to reduce the cost and complexity associated with providing real-time cybersecurity protection to small businesses and large, complex enterprises alike to a novel approach to automation and machine-to-machine communications. "With our unique approach, we can provide the value of an enterprise-grade security operations center at a fraction of the price, and make it work for organizations of all sizes, without requiring impossible investments in talent or overly complex software tools."

Vince Crisler, CEO of Dark Cubed celebrated the accomplishment saying "this is such an exciting time for our team." He explained that his dream was always to create a cybersecurity software that any business could benefit from because "99% of businesses are priced out of the cybersecurity market." He went further to state "I am also incredibly excited about our ability to help the DoD solve one of the most strategic cybersecurity challenges of our time, enabling real-time cybersecurity protection for the DIB without running afoul of privacy and legal concerns, a functionality that we can uniquely provide through our patented anonymization capabilities."

About Dark Cubed

Dark Cubed is an Alexandria, Virginia-based company innovating in the cybersecurity market through a focus on effective, scalable cyber solutions for small and midsized companies. The company offers a low-friction, low-cost, highly-scalable software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform to deliver enterprise-grade security capabilities to customers at a fraction of the cost of other solutions on the market.

Contact: Eric Clay & Dark Cubed

Phone: 703-220-4915

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Dark Cubed

Related Links

http://darkcubed.com


PORT HOPE  The Pointe aux Barques Lighthouse Society is making improvements to the lighthouses assistant-keepers house, originally built in 1908, in preparation for a new Keeper Program, where interested participants could apply to spend the summer helping with the lighthouse.

Pointe aux Barques, which is French for "Point of the Little Ships," is home to one of the 10 oldest lighthouses in Michigan. The original 69-foot tower was constructed in 1848 using stone taken from the Lake Huron shoreline. After the first lighthouse keeper, Peter Shook, drowned when his boat capsized in 1849, his wife Catherine Shook was appointed keeper. Catherine was the first female lighthouse keeper in Michigan.

According to the Pointe aux Barques Lighthouse website, a new 89-foot brick lighthouse and dwelling was built in 1857 due to shoreline weather damage and a reported fire shortly after Keeper Catherines appointment many years earlier. In 1875 a Class A Lifesaving Station was constructed 300 feet south of the lighthouse. This was the first of its kind on the Great Lakes and is credited for 200 saves in its 62-year history.

More recently, the Pointe aux Barques Lighthouse Society was formed in 2002 by a small group of people who wanted to see the grounds maintained. The society later created a museum to share the Pointe aux Barques proud history and continues to maintain the lighthouse through donations.

The lighthouse societys newest project has been restoring the assistant lighthouse keepers house, keeping it period appropriate. According to Larry Becker, the Pointe aux Barques Lighthouse Society president, the main lighthouse keeper chose not to stay in this dwelling due to its placement, which they believed was too far away from the lighthouse.

Weve been doing a lot of painting and updating the internal structure, said Becker. All while keeping it period appropriate.

The lighthouse is an important piece of Michigan and local history, our goal is to preserve it the way it was originally intended, he added.

Habitat for Humanity has also been involved with the lighthouse upgrades through the donation of new doors for the assistant keepers dwelling. According to Carolyn Nestor, executive director of Habitat for Humanity of Lapeer, Tuscola, and Huron counties, their involvement was based purely off the coincidence of her visit to the Pointe aux Barques Lighthouse.

I was simply visiting the lighthouse and Mr. Becker, a lighthouse society member, came out to share information about the lighthouse and its history, said Nestor. In hearing about their desire to improve the grounds, I explained Habitats goals in helping non-profits in the area.

They expressed their need for doors, and it was the least we could do for such an historic Michigan landmark and wonderful non-profit, she added.

Habitat for Humanity was able to assist with the renovations through its Critical Home Repair Program in Huron County. Through this program, Habitat is able to provide Huron County residents in need with things like new roofs, windows, and wells. Working closely with Bay Port State Bank, Habitat for Humanity utilizes grants to improve homes across the Thumb.

Its a really great program that helps many low income and elderly community members who cannot afford major repairs like roofs or wells, said Nestor. We have received a lot of requests for help with homes, and were happy that we can help in these ways.

Its a win-win for everyone involved, she added. All the work is done through hired local businesses, not volunteers like many would assume, so it gives to the community in many ways.

Currently, the Pointe aux Barques Lighthouse and museum are closed to the public due to the coronavirus pandemic. Society members hope to have improvements finished and things relatively back to normal by next summer, to introduce their new Keeper Program.

Through this program, interested participants would be able to apply to help with the lighthouse during the summer season. The accepted applicant would stay on the grounds in the updated assistant keepers house for the whole summer, assisting the Coast Guard, which continues to operate the lighthouse remotely.

The Pointe aux Barques Lighthouse Society will be accepting the donated doors on Thursday, Aug. 13 as well as recognizing the generous donations made by community members to assist in the restoration of the historic dwelling.
Chennai, Aug 12 : The first batch of bullet-resistant jackets made by the Ordnance Clothing Factory, Avadi, here was handed over to the Tamil Nadu Police, a defence release said on Wednesday.

According to a statement, the first consignment of bullet-resistant jackets was handed over to the Tamil Nadu Police against their order by the OCF Avadi on August 11.

The bullet-resistant jackets were completely designed and fabricated by Ordnance Clothing Factory here. The unit has the capacity to design and produce different variants of bullet resistant jackets.

The jackets supplied to Tamil Nadu Police has special features like high density water repellence, flame retardance and provide protection from bullets fired from hand guns, pistols, AK-47 rifles and others.
Viral footage of a coronavirus worker in China lifting her trousers to reveal what appears to be sweat gushing out of her hazmat suit has emerged.

The trending video shows buckets of sweat splashing out from the inside of a female medics protective gear, creating puddles on the floor.

Millions of Chinese web users have been touched by the clip, hailing the health staff as heroes for tirelessly fighting against the COVID-19 outbreak during the scorching summer.

The trending video, believed to be filmed in Xinjiang, allegedly shows sweat splashing out from the inside of a female medics protective gears, creating puddles on the floor

The social media footage was reportedly filmed on Saturday when the health worker was taking a break during her shift in Urumqi, the regional capital of Xinjiang in north-western China, according to Chinese media.

It comes after Xinjiang has been battling a local coronavirus crisis that has infected over 500 people since mid-July.

Local authorities have imposed draconian measures and carried out mass-testing in a bid to stamp the infection cluster.

In the viral video, the Chinese woman is seen sitting on a chair while removing blue plastic coverings on her shoes.

She then pulled up the trousers of her hazmat suit as streams of what appeared to be sweat poured out from the clothing.

The social media footage was reportedly filmed on Saturday when the health worker was taking a break during her shift in Urumqi, the regional capital of Xinjiang, said Chinese media

The average temperature in Urumqi on August 8 was said to be around 29 degrees Celsius (84.2 degrees Fahrenheit).

The video has been quickly shared across Chinese social media platforms as it shows the medical staffs hard work and devotion while fighting on the front lines against the disease, says state media Peoples Daily.

It has touched millions of Chinese web users, who hailed the coronavirus workers battling the countrys health crisis as heroes and angels.

One commenter wrote: This has brought me to tears. Thank you all for working so hard, our angels!

Another one said: Oh my god, this is shocking! All the medical staff are our true heroes!

A third account replied: 'The summer is so hot and they are wearing so many layers. It's unimaginable how hard it must be. Thank you!'
SPRINGFIELD  A 31-year-old city man was seriously injured Tuesday night when he crashed an unregistered off-road motorcycle into a car at Oakland and Dickinson streets, police said.

Police spokesman Ryan Walsh said the man, Anthony Jolly of Northampton Avenue, suffered serious injuries when he was thrown about 15 feet after impact. Jolly was not wearing a helmet.

He was taken to Baystate Medical Center for treatment, where he was being held overnight, Walsh said. Once he is released, he faces several charges.

Just before the 8 p.m. crash, Jolly is said to have sped past a police cruiser that was traveling on Dickinson Street, Walsh said. He attempted to run a red light at Oakland and Dickinson when he hit the car, Walsh said.

Police found a loaded gun at the scene that they say was in Jollys possession but fell to the ground after impact. They also found some ammunition and an undisclosed number of counterfeit bills in his possession, Walsh said.

They also found that he was named in multiple warrants for firearm and traffic violations.

Jolly will be charged with driving to endanger, driving an unregistered, uninsured motor vehicle, and driving with a suspended license, subsequent offense. He is also charged with carrying a firearm without a license, possession of ammunition without a firearm identification card, possession of a firearm with three prior convictions for violent or drug offenses, and two counts of carrying a firearm while named in an active warrant.

The city has had problems over the last two summers with people on off-road vehicles riding on city streets and performing stunts without regard for traffic laws or the safety of other motorists and pedestrians.

Related Content:
Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., made history when it was confirmed that she would be former Vice President Joe Biden's running mate in his 2020 presidential bid. The announcement Tuesday makes her the first Black woman and the first Asian-American person on a major party's presidential ticket.

Here's a look back at her career, and her historic nomination:

Harris' early life

Harris was born in Oakland, California, to Shyamala Gopalan, a breast-cancer scientist who immigrated from India, and Donald Harris, a professor of economics who immigrated from Jamaica.

Harris attended Howard University as an undergraduate. Her nomination makes her the first graduate of a Historically Black College or University (HBCU) to run on a major party's presidential ticket.

Harris' time as a 'progressive prosecutor'

Harris is a lawyer, earning her law degree from the University of California-Hastings College of Law. She went on to serve as a prosecutor nearby in Alameda County, where her career in criminal justice reform began.

After her time in Alameda, Harris became the first female district attorney in San Francisco's history, and was reelected four years later.

In 2010, Harris became California's first female attorney general and was reelected by a wide margin in 2014.

Though Harris often characterizes her tenure as attorney general as "progressive prosecutor," her tough-on-crime approach was a subject of scrutiny during her presidential run.

Harris' critics point to her anti-truancy program, which was launched in 2008, as a strike on her record. It brought down truancy rates and got more kids in classrooms, but did so by threatening jail time for their parents.

As district attorney, Harris strongly indicted truancy, stating that a child going without an education is tantamount to a crime in an SFGATE op-ed in 2009.

Harris also received heat for fighting to release fewer prisoners, even after the Supreme Court ordered California to reduce its prison population by 33,000 in 2011, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Story continues

Harris also instituted a number of progressive reforms as district attorney. They included Back on Track, a program intended to reduce recidivism by allowing first-time drug offenders to graduate high school and get jobs instead of facing prison time.

Harris also required that under Californias controversial three strikes law that the San Francisco district attorneys office could only charge for a third strike if the felony was serious or violent.

As attorney general, Harris also introduced training on racial bias and procedural justice and made Californias Department of Justice the first statewide agency to require body cameras and launched a program tracking police killings for the public to use.

Harris in the Senate

Harris has served as the senator from California since 2017, becoming the second Black woman and the first South Asian-American senator in history.

In the Senate, she serves on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, the Select Committee on Intelligence, the Committee on the Budget, and the Committee on the Judiciary.

Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) calls for a delay in the hearing for Supreme Court Associate Justice nominee Brett Kavanaugh on Sept. 4, 2018 in Washington.

Harris' popularity began to rise 2018 during Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearings for the Supreme Court, often going viral for her questioning of Kavanaugh, who was accused of sexual misconduct by California professor Christine Blasey Ford. Kavanaugh denied the allegations.

Kavanaugh testified before Congress about the alleged incident that Ford said happened when they were in high school. Harris gained national attention for grilling Kavanaugh after new details of a separate sexual misconduct allegation  that he had previously denied  came out.

More: Trump attacks Kamala Harris over Kavanaugh hearings in first remarks since she was named Biden's running mate

Many of the 2020 Democratic candidates called for Kavanaugh to be impeached, including Harris.

"I sat through those hearings. Brett Kavanaugh lied to the U.S. Senate and most importantly to the American people," she wrote in a Tweet in 2018. "He was put on the Court through a sham process and his place on the Court is an insult to the pursuit of truth and justice."

Harris and Biden: Competitors to running mates

The announcement that Harris would be Biden's running mate comes a year after Harris and Biden shared some of the most contentious debates of the primary season.

During the first Democratic primary debate in June 2019, Harris had a viral exchange with Biden, where she called him out for opposing federally mandated busing to integrate schools while he was in Congress.

More: 'Do not hold grudges': Biden's notes reveal several talking points about Kamala Harris

She also criticized controversial comments Biden made at a fundraiser earlier that month where he reminisced about his ability to form working relationships with segregationist lawmakers James O. Eastland and Herman Talmadge.

Its personal, she said. It was hurtful to hear you talk about the reputations of two United States senators who built their reputations and career on the segregation of race in this country.

In polling after that exchange, the California senator experienced a spike among voters and was vaulted into the top tier of candidates. However, her numbers began to dip after a couple of weeks. She dropped out of the Democratic presidential race in December.

Harris eventually endorsed Biden in March, saying that "he has served our country with dignity and we need him now more than ever. I will do everything in my power to help elect him the next President of the United States."

Contributing reporting: Rebecca Morin, Max Cohen

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: A look at Senator Kamala Harris, Joe Biden's pick for VP
Vietnamese citizens returning from other countries and territories are put under medical supervision and quarantine upon arrival (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi - Vietnam reported three more COVID-19 cases on August 12 morning, taking the national total to 866, according to the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control.

The new patients are imported cases who returned from Japan on flight VN331 which landed at Van Don international airport in the northern province of Quang Ninh on August 10. They have been put under quarantine in the northern city of Hai Phong upon arrival.

Vietnam has to date recorded 866 COVID-19 patients since the first case was detected in January. Of those, 321 returned to Vietnam from other countries and territories.

Of the total number of people who have contracted the virus, 399 or 46.1 percent have made full recovery, and there have been 16 deaths so far.

Among those being treated, 10 have tested negative once and 51 others at least twice.

As many as 134,248 who had close contact with COVID-19 patients or entered from pandemic-hit regions are under quarantine nationwide, including 5,365 at hospitals, 24,180 at other concentrated quarantine facilities and 104,703 at their accommodations.
I would kill for chicken curry right now. Sooooo sick of cooking everyday. I am not a good cook, man.

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It's easy enough to make! there's loads of recipes out there

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Same. Im running out of ideas. I cant wait until at least the drive-thrus and delivery places open up again

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Meal kits saved my life.

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Same here. Three meals I don't have to worry about.

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same, cooking for myself every day is getting to me. i gave up all ambition. just another reason why i'm jealous of couples and people who live with roommates they like

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God, I'd kill for some chicken curry right now. "Neil"'s family, please, invite me for dinner!

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You told DOCTORS what was good for "small tummies" UGHHHHHHHHHHH

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my eyes rolled so hard when i read that and comprehended it.

fucking parents now, i just cant.

anyone else remember the 80's? when we wolfed down marshmellow fluff and peanut butter sandwiches during a sleep over and that was FINE? how about going to your friend's house and hanging out in the same kitchen as her chain smoking mother, coming home needing to wash everything several times? and that was also FINE?



i know. i know. know and do better. but admonishing 2 doctors about what your kid ate and enjoyed....which did him no harm....just STFU.

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RIGHT?! Not only did my best friend's mom chainsmoke, but she ate like....SPOONFULS of fucking sugar on everything. Potatoes. Steak. She put it IN HER WATER. One time we found a bunch of weeds in the yard and put them in water to 'make soup' and then ate it. Talk about sensitive tummies, if I ate that now, at 39, it's be cramp-city but back then I was like "COOL, LET'S RUN A MILE!"

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Imagine being so racist and uppity that you think you need to ~gently remind a pair of doctors that a young child may not be able to handle spices even though your young child already has

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I have been loving spicy foods lately but my body like "ooh baby girl what is you doin??" I would kill for Beyainatu right now :(

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This will never not be hilarious to me 

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I thought it was just a gif for the longest time and the first time I heard the audio I laughed for like 10 minutes straight. Had to explain to to my bf, who just gave me the vacant look of a meme impaired old guy

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i get some people really can't take any spice at all but ... omg some people are such BABIES about it, we went to an indian resturaunt for a work dinner, and there were STILL ppl bitching that their white-dish fav 'butterchicken - mild' was too spicy. IT HAD LITERALLY NO SPICE IN IT



i swear, if some people see that a dish is red or orange their brain tricks them that it's spicy.

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I always assume people like that grew up in households where the only seasoning was salt.

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yes! and don't understand that 'spices' doesn't mean 'spicy'

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I hate when a friend posts a picture of their spice rack and there's like 6 spices on it. Like....

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lol my mom doesn't even salt stuff because SODIUM ISN'T GOOD FOR YOU!

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LMAO they thought butter chicken was spicy oh my god

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People are so weird about Indian food in general. At my old job wed go out for birthdays so for mine I picked an Indian buffet. One of my co-workers asked me if there were any vegetarian options. I was like, Um, have you ever had Indian food?

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MTE. Story of my life. A lot of my friends are like this... 

Even milk is too spicy for some of them. I cant even deal.



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last christmas at my old work place potluck some white lady brought butter chicken that she made and all the other whites were going on about how they were glad she made it because it would be to their taste and level of spice (read: most likely bland) while i was standing next to all of them and they saw me and were talking loud enough for me to hear. i am indian. i wanted to throat punch them all. you can't handle my people's food? don't eat it and stick to your unseasoned potatoes. fuck off with this shit about your white taste buds (you as in the racist white people, not you personally lol)

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I had a co-worker at a work lunch say that the BUTTER NAAN was too spicy for her... It also turned out she was racist as hell so everything made sense later.

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Butter chicken isn't white.

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My mom (who loved spicy food until the radiation ruined her stomach, she cooked with actual spices) loved to recount the time my aunt cried because there was black pepper in something



Southern white ppl

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I like spicy food, but it does NOT like me. Its fine while Im eating, but the heartburn I get is immense. Now, if were having Indian takeaway it has to be for lunch so my body has time to deal.

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i hate that im allergic to capsaicin. i have to test any hot/spicy food on my wrist before it deemed safe to eat (or ill stop breathing and it will be a gross and dangerous scene trying to get an epi pen and medical attention asap). i LOVE spicy food! i just wish that most of it wasnt trying to kill me!

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I like flavor/spice but not heat or bitterness, so I will try stuff and my spice comfort zone is where I have mild sniffles but I can still feel my whole tongue.



But you only know something works if you're willing to try.



This post is just making me want to go to pick something up from the Indian place a few minutes away.





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my parents' food is so bland. I don't even get excited about holiday food because it's so unflavored.



I'm not a good cook but I season things at least lmao.



I'm having Indian food tonight and I can't waaait.

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I cook for my mom, who has kidney failure and is on dialysis, so nothing has salt. I will put pepper on her eggs though.



I've just learned when I cook something to either salt my own plate, or serve her and salt the meal afterwards. I also make peppers and onions in a separate skillet if I want to add them to a dish after I remove her portion. And GOD FORBID there is garlic in something.



I make her a separate little ramekin of tuna casserole so she can have peas in it (EW) and I can have onion in mine.

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Racist asshat. I'd be thrilled if my kid tried and enjoyed a healthy dish like that (and served by two doctors!)

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Ifkr. Im trying to introduce spicy food to my kid because my SO and i spicy food. If we can get him to like curry and stuff we can eat it more often lol.



He tasted kung po chicken last night (he had something different but we let him taste ours) and told him it was a special grown up dinner but we'd let him try it off his dads plate. He pretended to like it so he could seem grown up and when he did had finished I offered him a bite of mine and he was like "um, no. Daddys dinner was tasty but i dont think yours would be nice." I tried to explain to him that it was the same thing but he was like nah lol. He tried, bless.

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you FED my CHILD...FOOD???

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Oh man, I laughed so loudly. Did not expect that gif. But it's perfect.

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hahah is he turning into a werewolf? lol

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He's turning into Jack Nicholson.

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It's been 3 minutes and I'm still laughcrying

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I can't believe this people are upset at common courtesy. Whenever I brought someone home, my parents would make sure they ate like it was their last day on earth. Is this attitude part of white people culture? Now that I think about it, I've never actually gone to a white person's house lol

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This reminds me of a user here talking about how they'd go to their friend's house and the family would eat meals and not offer them any. My parents always cooked for my friends, whether it was dinner or big breakfasts the morning after a sleepover.

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A few years ago a friend of mine invited me over to watch a movie and while I was over his husband started making dinner. It's smelled good and I was so excited. Come to find that he made two portions and they both ate dinner in front of the TV and offered me not a thing. I was so upset because I became hungry after smelling the food. When the movie was over I bounced so fast. Honestly, I couldn't believe it.

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Oof. Food is one of the things I like to share most. I couldn't do something like that tbh

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That's so weird to me (not offering any food to guests) I mean. My mom would cook enough food for the Duggar family even if I had one friend over, lol. It would be the same way if I went over to a friends house. Even if the parents didn't cook, they would offer to order pizza or get food out or go out somewhere.

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I remember one time I was at a friends house and we were asked to set the table for dinner. After setting the table I was asked to go home because they want to have dinner.

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Somewhat related but when I was a kid, like 8 years old, I was friends with this rich girl. Her parents took me to the mall with them and we all ended up eating dinner at Olive Garden. When they dropped me off at my house, they asked my parents for money to cover my portion of the dinner out.

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As a white person from the south, if any child entered any of my family members homes they were getting fed some kind of casserole, pie, crockpot meal, and endless amounts of sweet tea.



Omg and biscuits.

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No all my white friends parents fed me till I was stuffed and vice versa. Some people are just pieces of shit.

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my thai mum was like the most beloved member of our (mostly white) school community because everyone loved her food - people's kids would come over and have the time of their lives hahahaha

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nah man not one white person in my life would pull shit like that, its unfathomable.

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no, my friend's parents always gave me generous servings of hamburger helper.

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my grandmother is Italian and will not let anyone go hungry in her house. even if it means combining elbows and a can of beans and telling my stepdad it was pasta fagioli.

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my parents and my white friends' parents fed us lmao

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Comments like this that other white ppl make my mf day lmao 



Edit: this sentence doesn't make immediate sense - basically I appreciate this comment lmao



Edited at 2020-08-12 03:16 am (UTC)

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i think it's a specific subset of white people, like the full on wasp types. i can't imagine an italian, spanish and/or white latinx family not offering food to a guest, be they adults or children.



like, is not feeding a guest a passive aggressive anglo way to try get them out of your house??

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Lol theyre not mad that they fed the kid, it is common courtesy. Theyre mad that the food offered wasnt bland white food.

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i've even had an easy mac dinner (which i thought was really watery but was still amazing at the time lmao) with my white friend when i went over to her house - there is no white excuse not to feed your friend you have over near dinner time!!

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I guess my own mom is only half-white but like shit, the food that my full-on white relatives would offer you might be a sad cold cuts and mayo on white bread sandwich but they WILL make sure that you get your fill and then some of whatever they're eating lol

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Nah, thats not anyones culture to not feed people. Its assholes with issues. One time they invited a bunch of us to a family members home and that shit was specifically to go eat as they do in Mexican culture. Long story short, they offered some snacks but no meals and it was 8 fucking oclock and us younger members were BEGGING to leave. I asked my Mom what the hell the point was to take us to meet her family if they werent going to feed us. She was super offended as well.

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LMAO! In college I visited this white girl's house over spring break and literally at lunch on the very first day, she pointed at the stove and told me to make something myself. So I did, and then she was super condescending about it and said "Look I'm so proud of you!" and tried to spin it as ~empowerment and pushing me to be ~independent or something.



I was honestly so shocked because if she had come to my house NO ONE would have let her even touch the stove and also sooo offended that she tried to push it as making me independent or something. That's just not how you treat guests in my culture and we didn't stay friends after that lol.

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It's a white people thing. I stayed over at a friend's once and for breakfast it was so uncomfortable because they were like we have nothing....I didn't ask and was fine with a cup of tea. But I thought if you came to my house I'd make a buffet. Idk why white people are so inhospitable.



I usually never say I'll eat at my friends when I go to their houses. So if they serve food I'll just eat. If not I'm fine. Only reason is because in the past they've been passive aggressive for the little things they do for others like it's something huge....while my ethnic ass is feeding people like I'm a mum .

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The one time I went to a white friend's house for a sleepover, they didn't feed us dinner, snacks or breakfast. Hell we didn't even get offered any water.



As an adult, recently my bf and I were invited to his Catalan friend's house and the fuckhead made us do housework for his food that he made his father buy and then made us pay for. And he made such a big deal about us eating too much that every night we went to bed hungry because we were so uncomfortable about eating and wouldn't eat. One night he made a "curry" (sorry but potatoes and carrots cooked in coconut milk does not a curry make) and kept making these comments about how I must be a curry queen since I'm brown and judging him. We left 2 days early and he is no longer a friend. Also this fucker lives in a massive house with a wine cellar full of cava from his uncle's winery that his parents paid for.

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I grew up in TX, but all my white friends' parents would make sure we got fed when I stayed over. It wasn't always a huge feast, but they'd at least make sure to order the kids some pizzas.



One thing I noticed about my white friends' homes was that the parents were always super casual. They'd let us take the food anywhere to eat and give us whatever choices of sodas, chips, and junk food. Didn't even have to greet the parents or eat with them.

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I'm half white, and the white side is pretty WASPy, but honestly my dad has pretty much adopted my mom's (Mexican) style of hospitality. You hungry, you can eat anything in the house that wasn't set aside for a specific purpose or nailed down. But I've definitely gone to white people's houses and they give you pizza or tuna helper or some other thing.



And after reading this thread, I suspect a lot of people were not getting offered food not because the host was anti feeding people, but actually actively racist.



I think white people who don't feed guests fall into two camps:



1) Assholes that don't feed any guests.

2) Racists that won't feed non-white guests.



Mind you, these camps do overlap too.



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My grandmother would haunt my ass for the rest of my life if I didn't feed or offer food to my guests. Even if it was just some baked goods with coffee/tea.

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Ive been to India 3 times and its made me realize how BLAND American food is.

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I gently told this family, who have been presumably eating this type of food with their own child, that might be too spicy for kids~~ Wouldn't it just be easier to ask what your kid thought about food? He's 9????

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I KNEW this was white people LMAO





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I had curry for dinner it's one of my favorite foods. The spicier the better. This dude is racist and doesn't know good food.



Edited at 2020-08-12 12:42 am (UTC)

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If I was Neil's parents, I'd try my hardest to avoid all contact with Chris's parents unless it involved the kids. They sound awful.



My mom is the best Indian cook, and I always thought I could never live up to her cooking, but I've tried and my parents like it when I cook. It makes me proud

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Do you happen to have a good recipe for baingan bharta?

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My mom uses Madhur Jaffreys recipe. She has a soft spot for her because when my parents first got married, my mom got her cookbooks and learned all her cooking from those. Heres a link https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/food/1992/01/08/reclaiming-indian-roots/df1b42d6-424b-45ef-916d-0db0ede1bcea/

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Getting students safely back into the classrooms during a pandemic means taking the kind of measures -- like shrinking class sizes, adding bus routes and providing computers to families who don't have them -- that call for extra staff and money.

But it looks like America's schools will have to manage with less of both. Even before covid-19 struck, staff levels hadn't recovered from the last recession. Now, hundreds of thousands more jobs have disappeared -- and there's probably more to come.

Administrators are having to draw up plans without knowing what resources they'll have available, while bracing for budget cuts that could arrive anytime, as the virus leaves states facing an estimated $555 billion shortfall through 2022.

Kenneth Hamilton is superintendent of the Mount Vernon City School District in New York, where Gov. Andrew Cuomo last week gave schools a green light to reopen for in-person classes. Hamilton is aiming for a hybrid start to the school year in September, with a blend of classroom and virtual teaching - but he says it would cost about $1 million just to buy protective equipment for staff and students. And he's been told to anticipate as much as a 20% reduction -- roughly $15 million -- in state aid for the coming year.

"If you need to cut a couple hundred thousand dollars, you can cut back on pencils and crayons," he says. "When you get into the millions of dollars, you're talking about programs, people and services." Hamilton has already cut about 20 jobs, and sent potential layoff notices to the district's 1,700 employees.

Like the coronavirus itself, and the economic slump that it triggered, America's schooling crisis is likely to hit low-income people hardest. That's partly because of how the system is financed.

School districts rely on a mix of local, state and federal dollars. At the local level, money is largely gathered through property taxes, which are a relatively stable and recession-proof source of revenue -- and one that's more robust in richer communities. Lower-income school districts tend to be more reliant on state money.

In the Oak Park School District near Detroit, where 97% of students are Black, state funds account for an unusually large chunk of the budget - about three-quarters. Like most of the country's largest school districts, Oak Park is planning to start the school year offering online classes only. That's meant investing to get Chromebooks and Internet connections into student homes, but it allows some of the tougher financial decisions to be delayed.

Still, Superintendent Jamii Hitchcock says she's had to budget for the year without knowing how much, or when, her funding will be cut. "It's like trying to buy a house without knowing what your salary is," she says. "It's close to impossible."In the likely event that there's less money, "we would have to look at reducing staff," Hitchcock says. All the options are bad. Fewer teachers would mean bigger classes, but "we already had 31 first-graders in one classroom." Cutting social workers or counselors would erode support networks in a community that's been hit hard by covid-19: "Most of our students have experienced some type of loss."

The government's main virus relief bill in March provided about $13 billion for K-12 schools. Federal aid on a much bigger scale is needed -- but with the school year already under way in some places, and just weeks away elsewhere, there's still little clarity about how much will arrive, or who'll get it.

Republican and Democratic lawmakers remain deadlocked over stimulus plans. President Donald Trump has asked for $70 billion for K-12 education, but he wants about half the money to be earmarked for schools that reopen. With teachers protesting against the health risks, local officials have been backing away from that option.

Kelley Williams is superintendent of the Pontiac School District in Michigan, where the federal government contributes about 30% of the budget.Williams is also aiming for a hybrid start. Even if a full reopening would bring more federal cash, she doesn't want to take the health risks."We shut schools down back in March with just a few cases, and now we're up to thousands in some states," she says. "And we're talking about returning back to school at full capacity? That just makes no sense. That's setting us up for disaster."
STAMFORD, Conn., Aug. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Plasma Air, the leading innovator in Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) solutions, announces today that its ionization systems have been selected by Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) to be deployed campus-wide as a preventative measure against the spread of coronavirus. This private research university has a student population of 16,000 students spread over its 1,300-acre campus. When it welcomes students back this fall, it will have one of the most effective air purification solutions installed throughout its residence halls, classrooms, and common areas.

As America struggles to reopen colleges and universities in the fall, experts are recommending implementing IAQ solutions to prevent infection and safeguard students and faculty. RIT's president, Dr. David C. Munson Jr., states the school is "making visible improvements" to create a safe environment for students. However, one improvement that may not be visible is their investment in indoor air quality. This initiative, led by RIT's Infrastructure and Health Technologies task force, tapped their in-house experts to research possible IAQ solutions.

In an RIT biology lab, Professor Andre Hudson spent hours this summer testing products to see whether they were effective at killing and filtering microorganisms such as viruses, bacteria, and fungi. He was one of several in-house experts that RIT's task force sought advice from when deciding what precautions to implement. "This was to confirm the published claims made by manufacturers," said Hudson. "Companies, of course, are going to report that their products are very effective at killing the coronavirus and other microbes, so before the university spent a lot of money purchasing them, we wanted to make sure they were independently confirmed."

Hudson's tests and analysis helped determine that Plasma Air's HVAC ionization systems would be effective solutions to neutralize viruses, bacteria, allergens, mold, and other airborne contaminants. Another expert that was consulted was Jennifer Schneider, the Eugene H. Fram Chair of Applied Critical Thinking and a professor in the Department of Civil Engineering Technology, Environmental Management and Safety. She is a certified industrial hygienist whose background is in disaster science and HAZMAT and has been advising the task force on putting the right mix of controls in placeengineered systems, behavioral expectations, and personal protective equipment. "RIT is investing resources in a way that will provide the best protection we can," Schneider states.

Plasma Air's HVAC needlepoint and tube-style bipolar ionization solutions safely reduce harmful airborne viruses, bacteria, mold, VOCs and odors. "We know that virus aerosols can be transmitted on air currents," says Larry Sunshine, President of Plasma Air. "RIT's test results prove that Plasma Air ionization solutions are ideal for mitigating the risk of airborne transmission and contamination by reducing the bioburden in the air."

While the immediate concern is this fall, the task force has also been thinking long term. John Moore, associate vice president of facilities management and a co-chair of the task force, said many of the changes RIT is implementing would benefit the university even after the coronavirus pandemic has passed.

"We're strategic about what we put in place, and many of these changes will continue to benefit the university for years to come," said Moore. "For example, the air ionization systems will continue to provide fresh, clean air for years."

Plasma Air is the leading innovator in indoor air quality by manufacturing HVAC and portable air purification products that result in healthier, more productive indoor environments in institutional, commercial, residential, and industrial applications. The Plasma Air HVAC purification systems use highly efficient bipolar ionization technology to neutralize indoor air pollutants and maintain pristine indoor air quality. Plasma Air systems have been proven in thousands of applications to provide the highest level of air quality improvement for airports, schools, hotels, casinos, arenas, offices, senior living facilities, and homes.

Contact: Cindy Caserta, [email protected]

SOURCE Plasma Air

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-12 12:11:03|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- Chinese health authority said Wednesday that it received reports of 25 new confirmed COVID-19 cases on the Chinese mainland Tuesday, including 16 imported cases and nine locally-transmitted ones.

Six new imported cases were reported in Guangdong, four in Shanghai, and one each in Inner Mongolia, Zhejiang, Fujian, Shandong, Sichuan, and Shaanxi, the National Health Commission said in its daily report.

All of the nine new locally-transmitted cases were reported in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

One new suspected COVID-19 case, which was imported from outside the mainland, was reported in Shanghai.

No deaths related to the disease were reported Tuesday.

Fifty-eight COVID-19 patients were newly discharged from hospitals after recovery, the commission said.

By the end of Tuesday, a total of 2,216 imported cases had been reported on the mainland. Of them, 2,058 had been discharged from hospitals after recovery, and 158 remained hospitalized, with one in serious conditions. No deaths from the imported cases had been reported.

As of Tuesday, the overall confirmed COVID-19 cases on the mainland had reached 84,737, including 761 patients who were still being treated, with 40 in severe conditions.

Altogether 79,342 people had been discharged after recovery, and 4,634 had died of the disease on the mainland, the commission said.

There were still three suspected COVID-19 cases, it added.

According to the commission, 1,385 close contacts were newly discharged from medical observation and there were 23,039 close contacts still under medical observation.

Also on Tuesday, 20 new asymptomatic cases, including 12 from outside the mainland, were reported, and two asymptomatic cases were re-categorized as confirmed ones.

The commission said 288 asymptomatic cases, including 141 from outside the mainland, were still under medical observation.

By Tuesday, 4,181 confirmed cases, including 58 deaths, had been reported in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR), 46 confirmed cases in the Macao SAR, and 480, including seven deaths, in Taiwan.

A total of 3,052 COVID-19 patients in the Hong Kong SAR, 46 in the Macao SAR, and 443 in Taiwan had been discharged from hospitals after recovery. Enditem
A prominent Swiss-American climate change expert has died after falling into a crevasse 'when a snow bridge collapsed beneath him' in Greenland.

Geologist Konrad Steffen, director of the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL), was reported missing on Saturday.

Mr Steffen, known as Koni, is believed to have fallen into a crevasse while examining a glacier near Ilulissat in southwest Greenland, his research institute said today.

Christoph Hegg, Deputy Director of WSL, said: 'His loss is very profound.

'He was very much involved in the IPCC chapters on ice and oceans. There he was one of the leading scientists in his field.'

Geologist Konrad Steffen, director of the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL) has died after reportedly falling through a crevasse in the ice in Greenland

The Swiss-American climate change expert was reported missing 100 metres from his camp in Ilulissat on the southwest of the country

After going missing on Saturday, police initiated a search operation and on Sunday found evidence that the 68-year-old researcher had suffered a fatal accident.

Police spokesman Brian Thomsen told local newspaper Sermitsiaq: 'We have found signs that the person fell through a crack in the glacier.

'An accident has probably occurred and it is highly probable that the person in question has passed away.'

The search near Ilulissat in southwest Greenland was then abandoned, without the body being found.

During his annual expeditions, Mr Steffen and his teams would examine the Arctic snowpack in particular

Mr Steffen was 'one of the leading scientists in his field' according to Christoph Hegg, Deputy Director of the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL)

The accident occurred a mere 100 metres from the camp - dubbed the 'Swiss Camp' - where Steffen was staying, according to a Twitter post by fellow scientist Kathy Riklin, who said it seemed a snow bridge had collapsed under him.

In Greenland, Steffen, assisted by NASA and the US National Science Foundation, had been building a network of automatic weather stations since 1990.

At the time of the accident he was doing maintenance on these stations, according to Hegg.

During his annual expeditions, he and his teams would examine the Arctic snowpack in particular.

The search for Mr Steffen near Ilulissat in southwest Greenland (pictured) was abandoned on Sunday without the body being found

The Domain of the Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology (ETH) board president Michael Hengartner paid tribute to the scientist.

He said: 'With Koni Steffen's death, we have lost a uniquely kind and committed colleague. Everyone in the ETH Domain is greatly saddened by this loss.

'Our thoughts are with his family and friends, to whom we send our heartfelt condolences.'

Born in 1952, Konrad Steffen was a dual Swiss and American citizen. He had headed the WSL since 2012. Having studied natural sciences, he gained a doctorate from ETH Zurich in 1984.

In 1990 he was appointed as Professor of Climatology at the University of Colorado in Boulder, USA, where he subsequently headed the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES).

Current CIRES Director Waleed Abdalati, who earned his Ph.D. under Konrad Steffen's mentorship, said Steffen's death is a huge loss for the polar science community, as it is for his family.

Abdalati said: 'I take some small comfort knowing he was where he wanted to be, doing what he wanted to be doing.'
Belarus's main opposition leader says she feared for her children's safety and fled the country, saying it was a difficult decision to leave. The move comes after accusations that the election results that led to 80 percent of the votes going to the previous president were rigged.

For her children

In a video posted on YouTube, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya announced she left Belarus for her children's sake. Her departure was left unnoticed amid the protests that continued for a second night and resulted in one casualty.

According to BBC, another video was released and showed the presidential candidate during the time she was detained on Monday. The country's foreign minister said Tikhanovskaya was safe in Lithuania.

The election results showed a landslide win where President Alexander Lukashenko garnered more than 80 percent of the overall votes. This announcement, however, has drawn flak and accusations that the poll results were fraudulent.

Since the election was held, several violent encounters between protesters and police officers have rocked the nation for two nights. Amid the chaos, numerous reports of police brutality continue to strike fear in the citizens.

On Tuesday evening, reporters who were part of a filming crew stationed in Minsk said police officers who wore black uniforms with no insignia assaulted them. They alleged that two of the suspects continued to beat their cameraman and attempted to destroy their equipment. Despite the brutality, the reporters were not detained.

Since 1994, 65-year-old Lukashenko has ruled the former Soviet country and described his opponent's supporters as being mind-controlled sheep from abroad.

Also Read: President Trump Escorted from COVID-19 Briefing As Shooting Happens Outside the White House

Fraudulent election results

Candidate Tikhanovskaya, on the other hand, has surprised the opposition with her great challenge to the autocratic leader who has kept power for nearly two decades. After her husband was arrested and banned from making a vote, the 37-year-old decided to enter the presidential race.

After attempting to file a formal complaint about the election results, she was immediately detained for seven hours.

Speaking emotionally in a video, Tikhanovskaya said she resolved herself to taking the fight into the political scene but noted she might have bitten off more than she could chew, as reported by CNN.

The opposition leader said she made a tough decision which she made on her own. Saying she knows people will criticize and judge her for what she did, she stated she was forced to do it after facing the difficulties during the race.

Several hours after Tikhanovskaya posted the video of her announcement, a pro-government channel on Telegram, a messaging app, shared a recording of the opposition leader reading from a script and calling out to the citizens of Belarus, urging them to accept the election results and cease all protests.

On Tuesday, Olga Kovalkova, Tikhanoskaya's representative, told a news outlet that the opposition leader was left with no other choice. The official also revealed that several people from their team were still "held hostage."

Tikhanovskaya's campaign revealed that nine people from their side were arrested. Her husband had been detained since May, and she had decided to send her children internationally to protect them from the threats that they would be going into an orphanage.

Related Article: Joe Biden Picks Kamala Harris as Running Mate for 2020 Election, Becomes First Black Woman VP Nominee

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Top investors say the testimony of senior Rio Tinto executives over the destruction of two 46,000-year-old Aboriginal rock shelters in Western Australia's Pilbara exposes grave operational failures that demand accountability.

Following the miner's decision to legally destroy the ancient Juukan Gorge site to expand an iron ore mine in May, Rio Tinto executives have acknowledged to a federal parliamentary inquiry that the company had neglected to review plans after new evidence about the rock shelters' archaeological and cultural value came to light in 2014.

Australian Council of Superannuation Investors chief Louise Davidson says the parliamentary inquiry has "exposed unacceptable cultural and operational failures by Rio Tinto". Credit:Josh Robenstone

Under questioning, Rio Tinto chief executive Jean-Sebastien Jacques said the traditional owners of the land  the Puutu Kunti Kurrama and Pinikura (PKKP) people  were never told there were other less profitable mine development options available to the company that could have avoided the site.

A group representing top super funds, the Australian Council of Superannuation Investors (ACSI), on Wednesday said its members were concerned about Rio Tinto's failures to reassess the mine plans and "shocked and saddened by the irreversible loss of cultural heritage".
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.




Five spy teams dismantled by Iran's intelligence ministry

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Tehran, Aug 11, IRNA -- Iran's Intelligence Ministry dismantled five spying teams working for foreign intelligence services, deputy intelligence minister for counter-espionage said.

"With the help of God Almighty and round-the-clock efforts of the intelligence forces a number of spies linked to foreign intelligence services of arrogant powers were identified and arrested as the strikes on foreign intelligence services is continuing," the intelligence ministry's counter-intelligence deputy announced.

He noted that the foreign intelligence officers were planning to conduct espionage activities on Iran's nuclear, political, economic, military and infrastructural projects by using various complicated spying methods.

The official pointed out that the spying teams were operating under the auspicious of Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and Mossad, as well as those of some European countries related to the recent espionage dossiers, sabotage of infrastructure, projects and intensifying brutal sanctions as well as blocking Iran's access to knowledge and modern technologies and creating problems in the Islamic Republic of Iran's relations with friendly countries, and said that their efforts were in vain due to vigilance of Iran's intelligence forces.

He warned all the deceived people, traitors and blatant enemies of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and emphasized that in line with national security the enemies will not be secure anywhere from the dominance of the intelligence forces and "we assure the dear Islamic nation we will rigidly confront the enemies' plots".

2050**2050

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Its been nearly 75 years since The Chronicle ran the giant headline PEACE! marking the end of World War II and V-J Day celebrations in San Francisco marking victory over Japan. While we had already scanned some photo negatives of San Francisco celebrating the end of the war, it wasnt clear whether wed found them all, given magnitude of the celebration and the fact that after the first day, the celebrations turned deadly in parts of the city.

So I wasnt surprised to find dozens more negatives of V-J Day during a recent search in The Chronicles archive. Chronicle photojournalists  Virginia de Carvalho, Duke Downey, Corwin Hansen and Aaron Rubino  went out into the streets to capture the historic event. Most of the photos cover the first, more joyful day of celebrations.

The air raid sirens sounded first, then automobile horns, factory whistles, ship whistles and church bells, Chronicle writer Charles Rodebaugh wrote in the Aug. 15, 1945, Chronicle, describing the citys jubilation the day before. Anything that could make a noise was blown or pounded.

People surged from their homes into the streets and headed downtown. Downtown businesses closed and their employees and customers flooded into the streets joining the growing party, Rodebaugh wrote. Within 15 minutes, Market Street was impassable to traffic.

The celebration started out joyful, but the next day became more violent: By the morning of Aug. 16, five people were dead  mostly from hit-and-runs  and more than 500 were injured. The Police Department received more than 1,200 calls, and windows were smashed and fenders demolished on scores of the citys streetcars.

A story in the Aug. 16 Chronicle speculated that the city would return to normal the next day, but it was not to be.

The crowd tonight is an ugly crowd, columnist Stanton Delaplane described the second night. The ringleaders, the ones who are breaking windows, are mainly sailors and hoodlums who are taking advantage to smash, break and loot.

A sailor kicked in a window, and as the Shore Patrol tried to take him into custody, the mob surged around them yelling, Let him go, Let him go. He was freed. The authorities may not admit it, but the crowd tonight is out of hand. You couldnt stop it if you tried, not short of tear gas and fire hoses.

The next days Chronicle front page headline declared Peace Rioting  11 dead. More than 1,000 people were treated in emergency rooms around the Bay Area. The police invoked the State Riot Act, and the Navy revoked shore leave for all sailors within 100 miles of San Francisco.

District Attorney Edmund G. Brown opened grand jury proceedings, but the eventual report attributed the violence only to a large number of young men who didnt want to be in the service and who realized that with the surrender announcement they might not have to be in the service long.

Officials largely pushed the peace riots under the rug, Gary Kamiya detailed in a Portals of the Past column, and The Chronicles editorial board was frustrated by the grand jury report and the overall lack of accountability.

We are impressed by the apparent effort of all concerned to pass the buck, it said.

The Chronicle 1945

More from the Archive The Vault Home of the San Francisco Chronicle's archive and more than 150 years of journalism covering the Bay Area and beyond.

More from Chronicle Vault

 Our SF: How survivors of WWII and the Great Depression built San Francisco.

 Archive mix-up: Its time to rediscover Virginia de Carvalho, 1940s photojournalism pioneer.

 Bay Area Rosies: Unearthed World War II-era photos a salute to the women who volunteered.

 Main Street: 100-year-old photos of Market Streets public past  and plans for its future.

From the Archive is a weekly column by Bill Van Niekerken, the library director of The Chronicle, exploring the depths of the newspapers archive. Its part of Chronicle Vault, a twice-weekly newsletter highlighting more than 150 years of San Francisco stories. It is edited by Taylor Kate Brown, The Chronicles newsletter editor. Sign up for the newsletter here and follow Chronicle Vault on Instagram. Contact Bill at bvanniekerken@sfchronicle.com and Taylor at taylor.brown@sfchronicle.com.
China sanctions 11 U.S. officials with egregious records on Hong Kong affairs

People's Daily Online

(Xinhua) 08:12, August 11, 2020

China on Monday announced sanctions against 11 U.S. officials with egregious records on Hong Kong affairs, according to Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian at a press briefing.

Zhao made the announcement in response to a request for comment on the so-called sanctions by the U.S. government against 11 officials of the Chinese central government and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government.

According to Zhao, China's decision stems from the wrongdoings of the U.S. side. The sanctions, effective from Monday, are applied to U.S. officials, including Senators Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz, Josh Hawley, Tom Cotton and Pat Toomey, Representative Chris Smith, and Carl Gershman, President of the National Endowment for Democracy, Derek Mitchell, President of the National Democratic Institute, Daniel Twining, President of the International Republican Institute, Kenneth Roth, Executive Director of Human Rights Watch, and Michael J. Abramowitz, President of Freedom House.

Stating that China firmly rejects and condemns the U.S. government's so-called sanctions against Chinese officials, Zhao stressed that the U.S. behavior openly meddles with Hong Kong affairs, blatantly interferes in China's internal affairs, and gravely violates international law and basic norms governing international relations.

Since Hong Kong's return to the motherland, the practice of "one country, two systems" has proven to be an enormous success, Zhao said, and Hong Kong residents enjoy unprecedented democracy and rights and freedoms in accordance with law.

"This is an objective fact no unbiased people will deny," Zhao said.

In the meantime, there are new risks and challenges in the implementation of "one country, two systems," the most prominent of which is heightened national security risk, Zhao added.

When national security in Hong Kong is undermined and confronted with real threats and the HKSAR government had difficulty in completing national security legislation on its own, the Central Government took decisive measures to establish and improve at the state level a legal system and enforcement mechanisms to safeguard the national security in Hong Kong, he said.

"The law on safeguarding national security in Hong Kong targets a small number of criminals who gravely jeopardize national security and protects the law-abiding Hong Kong residents, who represent the vast majority," Zhao said.

He said Hong Kong is part of China and its affairs are entirely China's internal affairs which allow no foreign interfere. "We urge the U.S. side to grasp the situation, correct its mistake, and immediately stop meddling in Hong Kong affairs and China's internal affairs."

In response to a joint statement on Hong Kong by the foreign ministers of the Five Eyes, namely the United States, Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, on Sunday, in which they urged Hong Kong to hold legislative elections as soon as possible, Zhao said China strongly deplores and rejects it.

"It is another evidence of their interference in China's internal affairs and Hong Kong Legislative Council election. China has made stern representations with the relevant countries," Zhao said.

Zhao stressed that the HKSAR government's decision to postpone the elections in the face of the raging pandemic is a justified and necessary step to ensure people's safety and health, as well as a safe, fair and just election.

According to Zhao, more than 60 countries and regions have postponed national or local elections due to COVID-19. For example, Britain announced in March that local elections in places like England originally scheduled in May would be postponed to May 2021.

"It is the epitome of double standards that the Five Eyes chose to interpret the HKSAR government's decision in a twisted political way," Zhao said.

He noted that at a recent UNHRC session, 70 countries supported China's formulation of the law and condemned interference in China's internal affairs by using Hong Kong as a cover.

"This reflects the common voice and just position of the international community," Zhao said, adding that the Five Eyes can by no means represent the international community.

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BETHLEHEM  As the town prepares to select its next police chief, it will have to grapple with the disciplinary history of one of the three candidates.

Detective Sgt. Gina Cocchiara, who would become the first woman to lead the town police force, has a personnel file that includes two suspensions without pay and several other letters of reprimands throughout her 22-year career with the department.

After former police chief Louis Corsi announced he would retire at the end of July, the Times Union requested the disciplinary files for the three candidates in line to replace him. Those files previously would have been off-limits, but in June Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed legislation that repealed a section of state law that protected police disciplinary files.

The department, in fulfilling the Times Union's Freedom of Information request for the records, said the other two chief candidates - Commander Adam Hornick and Sgt. Jim Rexford - did not have any letters or records of disciplinary action in their files.

Officer Michael Berben, president of the Bethlehem police officers union, said he hadnt seen any of the candidates personnel files but said he believed all three were highly qualified for the job.

In an interview, Cocchiara admitted some mistakes but said other reprimands were the result of a departmental culture that did not accept women and made it difficult for her to advance.

If selected to serve in such an important time in the history of law enforcement, I would take this new step in my career as a unique and important opportunity to change the culture of the department, she said.

Cocchiara got her start as a deputy with the Rensselaer County Sheriffs Office. She joined the Bethlehem police department in 1998, made sergeant in 2008 and was named the department's head of detectives in 2015. During that time she also received the top score among Bethlehem officers on several civil services tests, including exams for police chief and lieutenant. She interviewed for both deputy chief and commander positions but Thomas Heffernan, then a lieutenant, was named deputy chief, and Adam Hornick, then a sergeant who previously led the detective's unit, was named commander.

When she took over the detectives, she was the first female to hold the position and was the only female officer for roughly the first 17 years she worked there.

The appointment to detective sergeant came around the same time the only other female officer resigned from the department, citing on-going sexual harassment.

Several of Cocchiaras reprimands in her file are for seemingly minor issues. In one instance, she was reprimanded for not returning to service as quickly as a sergeant would have liked. In another, she received a reprimand because she left work at the end of her shift before allowing a sergeant to take her photo.

But others were for more serious issues. She was suspended for 15 days in 2001 for allegedly cursing and walking out of roll call after receiving a notice putting her on light duty due to an injury.

She was reprimanded twice in 2001 and again in 2002 for taking sick time either right before or right after she had regularly scheduled days off.

Cocchiara said since then her attendance record has been exemplary.

Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years.

The second suspension came in 2014 when Cocchiara felt ill on a shift and spent several hours at home, rather than use sick time. In a letter to former Chief Louis Corsi, she admits she made an error in judgment but added she was in communication with her staff during the shift.

My intentions were pure but in hindsight, not the best choices were made, she wrote.

Cocchiara said Tuesday that she spent years in the department trying to gain other officers' respect.

I stand by my personnel file because I stand by my service to the town, she said. And it was not easy to get through those years.

Cocchiara is also active in town politics. Up until last year, she was on the Bethlehem Democratic Committee. Democrats hold four of the five seats on the town board.

Town Supervisor David VanLuven said he and the town board would be looking at more than personnel files when selecting the new chief. The town is looking at making cultural changes within the department that emphasize deescalation, accountability and increased communication.

"The beauty of the situation that we have right now is the community is looking for a police chief to take a different approach, a different tone to ensure that Black lives matter," he said. "And that everyone, residents and visitors, are treated fairly and equitably."

He declined to discuss candidates' specific personnel records but said he believed all three candidates would be good in the role.

VanLuven said he hopes the board can vote on the selection at its Sept. 9 meeting.
Iran Sentences Two For Spying, Arrests Several Others

Radio Farda August 11, 2020

Iran's Judiciary Spokesman on Tuesday said two individuals have been convicted and sentenced for spying and several other spies have been arrested in recent days.

In his weekly virtual press briefing, Gholam-Hossein Esmaili said Masoud Mosaheb, the Iranian-Austrian co-chairman of the Iran-Austrian Friendship Society, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison. Esmaili said Mosahab had been connected with German and Israeli secret services and provided "foreigners with information on military, nuclear, nano-technology and healthcare projects".

The 74-year-old businessman was arrested in February 2018 while visiting Iran as part of an Austrian research team.

He also announced that an individual named Shahram Shirkhani has also been sentenced to 10 years in prison for spying for Britain. Esmaili alleged that Shirkhani has sold sensitive information in various areas to Britain, had tried to "recruit some managers and agents for secret services and also provided them with Central Bank of Iran (CBI), Melli Bank and Defense Ministry contracts.

According to Esmaili the Intelligence Ministry has in recent months arrested several other individuals for spying including people from the Foreign Ministry, government organizations responsible for procuring "spare-parts in the field of energy [production], Defense Ministry and the Atomic Energy Agency.

Iran executed a former Defense Ministry employee, Reza Asgari, in July for allegedly spying for the CIA. as well as Mahmoud Mousavi Majd, purportedly a member of the Revolutionary Guard, for providing information to the United States and Israel on whereabouts of Qods Force Commander Qassem Soleimani before he was killed in a U.S. drone attack on January 3 in Baghdad.

Another former Defense Ministry employee, Jalal Hajizavar, was also hanged in June for spying for the CIA.

In February the Supreme Court confirmed a death sentence for Amir Rahimpour who was convicted of spying for the CIA. The state media alleged that he had shared details of Iran's nuclear program with the CIA.

Esmaili also said arresting Jamshid Sharmahd, the leader of a U.S. based monarchist group called Tondar on August 1 was "very good". He charged that "countries that pretend [defending] human rrights have become safe havens for terrorists".

According to Iranian sources including IRNA, Tondar had claimed responsibility for a January 2010 explosion at a mausoleum in Shiraz which killed 14 and left over 200 others wounded.

Source: https://en.radiofarda.com/a/30778311.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.

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After being born with his internal organs outside his body, a four-year-old boy who was once believed to have only a five percent chance of surviving has left the hospital.

Max Staines, was considered a 'miracle baby' after he was born 'inside out' with gastroschisis, a condition where his liver, stomach, and bowels outside are his body. Recently, Max left the hospital after beating the odds and surviving despite his condition.

According to Mirror, Max's mother, Lauren was informed of her baby's condition while only on the 12th week of pregnancy. During her 12-week scan, medics that attended to her advised her of the very low odd of her son surviving. It was also added that the mother was also given the option to abort the child.

However, Lauren, who was formerly a cabin crew member, refused to abort her child. Her decision turned out to be right as Max defied the predictions of the doctors. After four years of appointments that followed the surgery that saved his life at births, Max has finally left St. George's hospital in London this June.

Read also: Landslide in India Kills 43 People Including 3 Children

Conceiving a 'Miracle Baby'

Lauren also narrated that back in January of 2016, when she was 20 weeks pregnant with Max, the doctors confirmed that Max's bowels and liver were situated outside his body. However, they were not yet able to determine the severity of the damage to the organs caused by the fluid from the amniotic sac until the day he was born.

In a report by Opera News, it was stated that despite the possibility of her child not surviving, Lauren was able to enjoy a successful pregnancy. She did not experience cramps, tiredness, or sickness. Nevertheless, despite the easiness of the pregnancy every week that passed added concern that the baby's organs were being damaged further.

A full birth plan was laid out by St. George's expert surgeons for Max's birth. However, in April of 2016, Lauren became worried after noticing that her baby had not moved or kicked inside her stomach all day. Thus she decided to visit a local hospital to make sure he is safe.

During that time, doctors found out that Max's heart rate had dropped, prompting them to perform an emergency c-section. After which, the baby was immediately transferred to St. George for surgery in order to place his internal organs back inside his body.

Lauren also noted that she was not able to meet her son for nine hours after he was born since he was transferred to St. George's in a rush and she was still indisposed from giving birth. But her hopes sparked when the surgeon came out of the operating room and informed her that they were able to successfully place the child's organs inside his body.

Since his operation, Max has been closely monitored by medical professionals from St. George during their regular appointments.

Meanwhile, after her terrifying yet successful experience as a mother of a 'miracle child,' Lauren has chosen to raise awareness and offer hope to parents who are going through similar situations.



Related article: Blood Test Could Detect Alzheimer's 20 Years Before Cognitive Problems Show

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Sameer Gehlaut has resigned as the Executive Chairman of Indiabull Housing Finance with immediate effect, the company said in an exchange filing on Wednesday. He has now been designated as Non-Executive, Non-independent Director of the company.

"Gehlaut informed the board that he has taken up the position of Chief Executive Officer of another listed company promoted by him - Indiabulls Ventures Ltd and going forward he would like to focus full time on the Chief Executive's role for growing its consumer business in finance and healthcare on App Dhani," Indiabulls Housing Finance told the exchanges after its board meeting today.

ALSO READ: Embassy Group proposed to merge 62 sq ft realty projects with Indiabulls Real Estate

After stepping down, Gehlaut suggested the name of Subhash Sheoratan Mundra for the post of Non-executive Chairman of the company, which was unanimously approved by the board of directors. Mundra is a former Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank of India and sits on Indiabulls Housing board as an Indepedent Director. The board noted that the appointment of Mundra as Non-Executive Chairman will ensure high standards of professionalism and governance of the Company, the housing finance company said in its statement.

Mundra has a four-decade-long career in the banking industry, during which he has held high level positions, including Chairman and Managing Director of Bank of Baroda, Executive Director of Union Bank of India, CEO of Bank of Baroda (European Operations), amongst others. He has also been a Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank of India, from where he finally demitted his office in July 2017.

Mundra has expertise in banking, supervision, management and administrative matters. During his career, he has handled diverse portfolios, like core central banking, commercial banking - both wholesale and retail, banking regulation and supervision, financial markets, treasury management, planning, economic research, investment banking, risk management, international banking, etc, Indiabulls Housing stated.

ALSO READ: Indiabulls Housing Finance gets Rs 2,000 crore from 7 PSBs; Bank of Baroda, SBI top lenders

He has also served as RBI's nominee on the Financial Stability Board (G20 Forum) and its various committees. He was also the Vice-Chairman of OECD's International Network on Financial Education (INFE). He has also been closely associated with various institutes and organisations like the Governing Council of National Institute of Bank Management (NIBM), Governing Council Centre for Advanced Financial Research and Learning (CAFRAL), and Governing Council Indian Institute of Banking and Finance (IIBF).

Before joining the RBI, Mundra also served on the Boards of several multi-dimensional companies like the Clearing Corporation of India Ltd (CCIL), Central Depository Services (India) Ltd (CDSL), BOB Asset Management Company, India Infrastructure Finance Corporation (UK) Ltd (IIFCL), IndiaFirst Life Insurance Company Ltd, Star Union Dai-Ichi Life Insurance company Ltd, National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), etc.

As of now, Mundra also sits on the Board of Bombay Stock Exchange Limited, DSP Investment Managers, Havells India, PTC India, Airtel Payments Bank, Acuite Ratings and Research, and Ayana Renewal Power.
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
Jadon Sancho may have to take matters into his own hands by submitting a transfer request to Borussia Dortmund to push through a move to Manchester United, according to reports.

The 20-year-old winger was reportedly optimistic of a deal being completed last week but has since been left in a frustrating limbo with Dortmund insisting he is staying put.

And with the deal now having reached a major stumbling block, The Sun claim that Sancho is feeling helpless and is now facing the dilemma of whether to acrimoniously force his way out by handing in a transfer request or demanding to leave.

Jadon Sancho may have to submit a transfer request to push through a move to Man United

The Borussia Dortmund winger has been left in limbo after the club insisted he will not leave

As stated by Sportsmail on Monday, Sancho is not the only frustrated party in negotiations, with United increasingly irritated with the England international's representatives as well as the Bundesliga side's refusal to deal with them directly.

The German outfit have appointed an agent as an intermediary to negotiate with United and have rejected their offer of 70million potentially rising to 110m depending on honours and appearances.

The report also adds Sancho's representatives have also snubbed United's contract bid, with the Dortmund winger wanting a figure closer to 250,000 as opposed to the 220,000 currently being offered to him at Old Trafford.

However, as stated by Sportsmail, United will not give up in their pursuit of Sancho and will look to continue negotiations with the hope of finding a way of resurrecting the deal.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Man United are also frustrated with Dortmund and Sancho's agents

That is despite Sancho being part of the Dortmund squad which flew out to Switzerland on Monday after the deadline on the deal the German's attempted to impose passed without a deal being struck.

Dortmund chief Michael Zorc was dismissive when asked about Sancho's future after the club arrived in Switzerland, saying any deal with United was off after their deadline passed, with the players travelling to Switzerland for a pre-season training camp.

'We plan with Jadon Sancho,' he said. 'He'll play for us next season. The decision is final. I think that answers all of the questions.'

Dortmund chief Michael Zorc insisted on Monday that Sancho will not be leaving Dortmund

Sancho's current team-mate Axel Witsel was also delighted with the fact the 108m-rated star was back in training.

Recent reports have also suggested United may look to sign Barcelona winger Ousmane Dembele if they continue to be frustrated with Dortmund's negotiating style.

Sancho continued the electric start to his career by smashing in 20 goals for the German outfit last season, also providing 18 assists to maintain his status as one of the top creative midfield players in the world.
Deena Theresa By

Express News Service

KOCHI: Traditionally, Onam celebrations in the state are set in motion by the Athachamayam procession held at Tripunithura on the day of Atham as per the Malayalam calendar month of Chingam. The 10-day event which awakens the temple town comprises the Atham flag received by the representative of the erstwhile royal family on the Hill Palace premises followed by a ceremonial procession that is significant and involves the participation of folk artists, floats, musical ensembles and the general public.

Unlike all these years, Covid-19 pandemic is playing the major spoilsport in Onam celebrations this year. Regardless of the circumstances, the flag has always been received and hoisted by the royal family. However, owing to Covid-19 this year, the flag will not be hoisted -- thereby breaking a tradition which has lasted ever since the states formation. As per sources, a similar situation had taken place only decades ago.

In a meeting held on Monday, Tripunithura Municipality decided to forfeit all related ceremonies, including the legendary procession involving traders come from afar to sell their wares and foreigners.

Municipality chairperson Chandrika Devi said that even the Athachamayam committee wasnt formed this year due to the circumstances. The programme runs on funds collected from the people. The government had lent a share only once. M Swaraj, MLA, had given us `5 lakh for the activities. Traditionally, the procession is flagged off at Atham Nagar, at the Government Boys High School Ground, Tripunithura. We had a small sum that was leftover from last year which we had decided to use this year. Unfortunately, the circumstances have changed, she said.

Recurring disasters have dampened Athachamayam for the past two years. While Onam celebrations were inaugurated in 2018, the procession, famous for its amalgamation of various communities didnt take place owing to the flood. And while both ceremonies took place in 2019, heavy rain saw very less fanfare at the stalls and events.

Unlike previous years, organising the procession and festival is hazardous to human lives, owing to the nature of the pandemic. Several temple festivities have been cancelled this year in the wake of the pandemic. Similarly, Athachamayam shouldnt be held either. The occasion is an important platform for several traditional artists in the district. Regardless, there arent any complaints as people would prefer abiding by the Covid-19 protocols and staying home. Currently, Tripunithura has several containment zones, so a free and fair Athachamayam cannot be held, said V P Prasad, chairperson, Tripunithura Rajanagari Union of Residents Association (TRURA).

FESTIVE SPIRIT DAMPENED

 Tripunithura Municipality decided to forfeit all related ceremonies,

including the legendary procession involving traders who come from afar to sell their wares and foreigners.

 Recurring disasters have dampened Athachamayam for the past two years.

 While both ceremonies took place in 2019, heavy rain saw very less fanfare at the stalls and events.


The callous murder of a Biochemistry consultant by two notorious fetish priests is unfolding in court.

The victim, Edward Quartey Papafio of Kasoa in the Central Region, was allegedly lured by the fetish priest, Christian Awoe Gamelie, aka Power-One, under the pretext of doubling money for him and ended up shooting him to death.

Court documents read by the prosecution led by Detective Inspector Lawrence Anani indicated that Power-One and another suspect, Famous Adukonu, aka Scorpion, admitted shooting Papafio with a pump-action gun on January 15, 2020 and buried the corpse at the shrine.

Remanded

Power-One, 40, and Scorpion, 37, as well as Yaw Azamate, 27, were yesterday remanded by a Kaneshie District Court presided over by Magistrate Rosemond Agyiri.

The three are facing charges of conspiracy and murder.

Their plea were, however, not taken as the case was still at the committal stages to determine if there is enough evidence for a proper trial at the High Court.

The prosecution had prayed the court to remand the accused persons in prison custody for 'convenience sake' and the court obliged.

Meanwhile, a bench warrant has been issued for the arrest of Michael Ahiavinye and one Buzanga who are believed to be connected with the crime.

Facts

The brief facts of the case presented in court indicated that the wife of the deceased, Reverend Mrs. Comfort Ruth Quartey Papafio, on January 17, 2020 reported that her husband had gone missing since January 15.

It said on receipt of the complaint, the police gathered intelligence that Papafio was last spotted at Power-One's shrine located on the outskirts of Adu Kwadwo, near Adeiso in the Eastern Region, which led to the arrest of Power-One and Scorpion on April 21, this year.

According to prosecution, a search conducted at the shrine revealed two pump-action guns, one single-barrel gun, 11 packets of cartridges and seven other pieces of the cartridges from his room and two shovels were found hidden at the back of his house.

The prosecution said during interrogation, Power-One and Scorpion admitted shooting Papafio with the pump-action gun on January 15 and buried the corpse at their shrine.

He said on April 29, the two led the police to Power-One Herbal/Spiritual Centre where the police identified the deceased's grave in a makeshift cemetery behind Power-One's house, adding that the scene was secured and an exhumation order was obtained from the court for that purpose.

Prosecution said on April 30, a pathologist in the company of senior officers from the CID headquarters, personnel from the Crime Scene Management Team, Forensic Science Laboratory, Drone Operation and CID/ Headquarters Operational Team, together with the two accused persons, went to exhume the deceased's body.

He said when the grave was dug, the decomposed body of Papafio was removed and it was discovered that his grave was among other graves in the cemetery, which was well fenced.

Prosecution said investigations disclosed that on December 29, Power-One, Scorpion and Azamete conspired to kill Papafio, hence lured him with the assistance of one Buzanga, also a traditional priest at Kasoa.

Prosecution said before the murder, the accused intentionally made false statements to the deceased and succeeded in collecting GH10,650 from him through mobile money under the pretext of conjuring GH400,000 for him to establish his company.

He said Papafio was invited to the shrine on January 15 for purification and in the process Scorpion shot him with Power-One's gun.

The prosecution said the accused then drained Papafio's blood into a plastic gallon and hid it at the shrine while Power-One took possession of the deceased mobile phones and later buried the deceased with the assistance of Azamate and Michael who is also on the run.

The case was adjourned to August 24, 2020.

---Daily Guide
Two Fijian cement companies issued stop order

12 August 2020

Two cement factories were closed in Fiji last week after being issued a stop order by the Department of Environment, according to the Fiji Sun.

The stop order was reportedly the result of public pressure from residents and businesses of Lami over poor clinker containment measures. Pacific Cement and Tengy Cement, both based in Lami, must therefore rectify these containment measures as part of conditions to reopen.

General Machinery, which transports clinker for the two companies, was also issued a stop order, as was Swire Shipping.



"While clinker gets transported from the port to Lami, theres a lot of spillage or emissions, so people are breathing in this bad air," said Joshua Wycliffe, permanent secretary for Environment.

Published under
President Donald Trump (R) and Vice President Mike Pence wait on the rooftop of the Operational Building at NASA before the launch of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in Cape Canaveral, Fla., on May 30, 2020. (Saul Martinez/Getty Images)

Trump Signals Commitment to Pence After Biden Picks Harris

President Donald Trump on Tuesday signaled hes keeping Vice President Mike Pence as his running mate after presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden announced his selection of Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.).

I like Vice President Mike Pence much better. He is solid as a rock. Hes been a fantastic vice president. Hes done everything you can do. Hes respected by every religious group. Whether its evangelical, whether its any other group, they respect Mike Pence, Trump, a Republican, told reporters at the White House.

Hes been a great vice president, and I will take him over Kamala.

After Biden revealed hed chosen Harris, some commentators wondered whether Trump would swap Pence with another top Republican. Nikki Haley, the former South Carolina governor and ambassador to the United Nations, was frequently mentioned.

Trump in late 2018 said Pence would be his running mate again in 2020.

Mike, will you be my running mate? Will you? Trump asked during a press conference at the White House after he was asked whether he wanted to lock down his ticket.

Pence smiled and nodded.

Vice President Mike Pence speaks to President Donald Trump during a roundtable meeting on seniors in the Cabinet Room at the White House in Washington on June 15, 2020. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)

Former Vice President Joe Biden (L) and Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) take the stage at the Democratic Presidential Debate at the Fox Theatre in Detroit, Mich., on July 31, 2019. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

That was unexpected, but I feel very fine, the president added.

Pence was asked about rumors Trump might want to replace him last year, with Fox News host Jeanine Pirro naming Haley as a possibility.

You know, I couldnt be more proud to be vice president alongside President Donald Trump, Pence said. And Im honored that hes asked me to run with him again.

Pirro asked if the vice president had spoken to Trump about it.

Oh, many times. And hes spoken about it publicly, the vice president, who previously served as Indianas governor and a U.S. representative, replied. He said privately what he said publicly, and Im humbled by that.

Trump on Tuesday also told reporters that Harris was his number one pick, adding: She did very, very poorly in the primaries, as you know. She was expected to do well, and she wasshe ended up at right around 2 percent, and spent a lot of money. She had a lot of things happening. And so I was a little surprised that he picked her. Ive been watching her for a long time, and I was a little surprised.
HCMC authorities promise to offer competitive land rentals and other incentives at industrial parks (IPs) and export processing zones (EPZs) besides improving the business environment and simplifying administrative procedures to attract investment.

An industrial park in HCM City.

The city has earmarked lands on which infrastructure can be built to serve investors in industrial parks, according to its Peoples Committee.

Seventeen of the citys planned 19 EPZs and IZs are operational with almost 1,800ha available to investors.

The city is speeding up investment in some new IPs like the 200ha Vinh Loc 3 IP in Binh Chanh District, and plans to expand the Hiep Phuoc Industrial Park by 392.89ha.

The city is expected to have 23 EPZs and IZs with a total of 5,797.62ha by the end of this year.

It has established a group chaired by Nguyen Thanh Phong, chairman of the Peoples Committee, to reduce the investment licensing process by at least 50 per cent.

It is also committed to addressing all problems faced by businesses, who can communicate directly with the Department of Planning and Investment.

Dao Xuan Duc, deputy head of the HCM City Export Processing and Industrial Zones Authority (HEPZA), said the infrastructure at many of the citys IPs and EPZs fell short of investors needs.

EPZs and IZs must invest in infrastructure to meet the investment needs of businesses, he said.

It is also necessary to set up zones for supporting industries to regulate land lease prices and attract investors into sectors targeted by the city and the Government.

Experts said the city should switch to newer models of IPs and EPZs to continue to attract investment, while ensuring it has appropriate incentives and policies during the transition process.

According to the General Statistics Office, the city attracted $1.6 billion worth of FDI in the first five months to rank third in the country behind only Bac Lieu ($4 billion) and Ba Ria-Vung Tau ($1.9 billion) provinces.

Vietnam remains appealing to foreign investors who continue to invest, especially in the southern economic hub comprising HCM City, despite the pandemic.

The city expects to welcome a wave of investments post-pandemic when US, European and Japanese investors move their production lines to Vietnam, experts have said.

Priority should be given to high-tech projects that could produce high-quality products, they said.

In 2019 the city had attracted $8.3 billion worth of foreign investment.



Before the outbreak the city had set itself a target of 8.5 per cent economic growth this year.



The city aims to have 44,000 new businesses that create 135,000 jobs this year. VNS

East Ho Chi Minh City entices new investors The recent green light for HCM City Peoples Committee to set up an innovative hub in the east would make the so-called Vietnam Silicon Valley come to life and attract further investment into the citys real estate market.
Germany's Foreign Minister Heiko Maas and his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, have emphasized their nations' shared interests despite lingering frictions.

During a visit to Moscow on August 11 to discuss wide-ranging issues, Maas reaffirmed Berlin's interest in the construction of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline intended to carry Russian natural gas to Germany under the Baltic Sea.

The pipeline, under construction in the Baltic Sea, would double Russia's direct natural gas exports to Germany while bypassing Ukraine, which stands to lose billions of dollars in gas transit fees.

The United States has long opposed Nord Stream 2, which has increasingly become a source of friction between Berlin and Washington. The United States argues the project will endanger European security by making Germany overly dependent on Russian gas.

The United States already has imposed sanctions aimed at companies working on the project, saying the pipeline will increase the European Union's dependence on Russia for natural gas.

German officials have condemned the U.S. sanctions, and some critics argue that behind U.S. opposition to the pipeline project is its own desire to sell its liquefied natural gas to Europe.

Maas noted the importance of Germany's strong ties with Washington, but criticized the U.S. approach as inappropriate.

This [transatlantic relationship] goes deeper than just day-to-day developments, yet we must make it very clear that sanctions between partners are definitely the wrong way, and ultimately it remains our sovereign decision where we get our energy from, he said.

"No state has the right to dictate Europes energy policy with threats, and this also will not work.

Last week, Maas voice discontent over the threat of further U.S. sanctions against the project in a phone call with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

Lavrov said that the pipeline stands to be completed this year despite U.S. efforts to derail the project.

Maas emphasized Russia's global role but also the irritants that have strained relations between the two countries.

Maas described Russia as an essential partner in resolving the many conflicts and crises in the world.

But Maas said the two countries must also be able to discuss issues that directly involve them both, such as charges brought in Germany against a Russian accused of killing a Georgian man in Berlin a year ago and the accusations leveled at another Russian over his alleged role in the hacking of the German parliament.

"It is important that we communicate well bilaterally, Maas said after the talks.

Wherever needed, its important that we talk openly. Thats how we did it in the past as well, he said.

German prosecutors have filed murder charges against the Russian man accused of killing Zelimkhan Khangoshvili, a Georgian citizen of Chechen ethnicity who fought against Russian troops in Chechnya. The prosecutors said the suspect had acted on orders from the Russian authorities.

Khangoshvili was shot dead in Berlin in August last year.

The case prompted Germany to expel two Russian diplomats in December, citing a lack of cooperation with the investigation. Moscow denied involvement and insisted it has remained ready to cooperate.

In the 2015 parliament hacking incident, German prosecutors have issued a warrant for Dmitry Badin, who is allegedly an officer with Russias GRU military intelligence agency.

Badin was already being sought by U.S. authorities and is believed to be part of the hacker group known as APT28, or Fancy Bear.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has cited hard evidence that correspondence from her parliamentary office was among the documents targeted in the attack.

We dont have any interest that the German-Russian relations hit rocky waters -- thats not where we want to have it, Maas said on August 11, but added, Germany will protect the security of the people online and offline without compromises.

Russia has rejected Germanys allegations over Moscow's involvement in the attack as "absurd and unfounded.

With reporting by AP and dpa
Who should be the CM face of AAP in Punjab? Arvind Kejriwal asks people

Punjab Polls 2022: AAP's chief ministerial face to be announced tomorrow at 12 pm, says Kejriwal

Goa Election 2022: Kejriwal hits back on Chidambaram, says Stop crying, Cong is hope for BJP, not Goans'

710 COVID patients received plasma from banks, 921 donated, says Kejriwal

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

Delhi, Aug 12: Over 700 COVID-19 patients in Delhi have received plasma from designated banks enabling their recovery from coronavirus infection, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Tuesday.

He asserted that the system of plasma bank has been a "crucial element" in the ''Delhi Model'' of COVID response and is being adopted by other states too.

"Until now, around 710 units of convalescent plasma have been provided, enabling recovery of patients across hospitals in Delhi," he was quoted as saying in a statement released by the Delhi government.

Delhi govt is providing plasma for free, people don't need to buy it: Kejriwal

The youngest patient to receive plasma is 18, and the oldest patient is 94 years old. Around 522 males and 188 female patients have been administered plasma therapy, the statement said.

A total of 921 patients who have recovered from COVID-19 have donated plasma at the Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences (ILBS) plasma bank, Kejriwal added.

These include, 86 healthcare workers, 209 entrepreneurs, eight media personnel, 28 police officials, 50 students, 32 government officials, and 508 recovered people including servicemen, self-employed professionals, non-residents of Delhi, the statement said.

Around 14 recovered patients have donated plasma more than once, Kejriwal said.

The first plasma bank in the country was started at the ILBS by the Delhi government on July 2 with the objective to provide free of cost convalescent plasma to patients.

Subsequently, another plasma bank was launched at the LNJP Hospital in Delhi. Both are run by the city government.

The chief minister asserted that the initiative of plasma bank in Delhi is proving to be a boon for COVID patients.

"Along with various steps taken by the Delhi government to combat coronavirus, plasma therapy has streamlined the recovery of critically-ill COVID-19 patients across Delhi-NCR," he said.

Coronavirus: Arvind Kejriwal launches second plasma bank for COVID-19 patients in Delhi

Kejriwal said plasma banks established by the city government at ILBS and LNJP hospitals are providing free of cost convalescent plasma to all hospitals, including those run by the central government and state government as well as private and civic-run hospitals in Delhi.

People were facing issues in obtaining plasma, and plasma banks were established for hassle-free access to it, the statement said.

At the launch of the plasma bank, Kejriwal had appealed to patients who had recovered from COVID-19 to donate the fluid, consisting of antibodies, in huge numbers and be effective contributors in Delhi''s fight against the pandemic.

He had said until a vaccine comes for COVID-19, the convalescent plasma therapy should be looked as an effective treatment for it

Kejriwal said convalescent plasma has been provided to patients of all blood groups, including the rare blood group type AB for which 90 units of AB plasma have been issued.

"Apart from this, 171 units of A blood group plasma, 180 units of O blood group plasma, and 269 units of B blood group plasma have also been issued for the recovery of COVID patients in the city," he said.

Industry stalwarts hail Arvind Kejriwals ambitious Electric Vehicle Policy

Till date, 388 units of convalescent plasma have been issued to patients below 60 years of age, and 322 units to patients above 60 years of age, who are gradually at a high risk of getting critically ill due to COVID-19, the statement said.

After a "successful model" of administering plasma therapies to COVID-19 patients in Delhi, plasma banks are also being established in many states across the country, it said.

"Many countries across the world are also establishing plasma banks to aid the recovery of COVID patients," the statement said.

Various categories of donors have come forward to donate plasma to aid the recovery of COVID-19 patients, officials said.

Recovered patients belonging to different professions, like police officials, doctors, nurses, army officials, and patients who have recovered through home isolation, have donated plasma at the ILBS, they said.
Miami, Florida--(Newsfile Corp. - August 12, 2020) - Grand Havana, Inc. (OTC PINK: GHAV) the makers of Grand Havana Coffee and Gruppo Cimbali, one of Italy's leading espresso machine manufacturers, announces a distribution agreement enabling both companies to work together to achieve national expansion for Grand Havana. The partnership creates a perfect blend of the best coffee equipment brands available through Gruppo Cimbali and Grand Havana as one of its US distributors.



The partnership will enable Grand Havana to increase its presence in the market by utilizing Gruppo Cimbali's capabilities to streamline our food service business and expand our national business operations and brand footprint. In return, Gruppo Cimbali will further expand its footprint in the U.S. market through an increased presence in Miami, one of the world's coffee epicenters.



"This agreement is greatly beneficial to Grand Havana in more than just the obvious route. With the ability to offer Cimbali's equipment, Grand Havana can now properly amplify growth efforts simply by having the equipment it needs when it needs it" stated Robert Rico C.E.O of Grand Havana, Inc.



About Grand Havana, Inc.



Grand Havana is a specialty coffee company headquartered in Miami, Florida offering a broad array of coffee products and service.

Grand Havana's Optimum Blend is available nationwide and proudly served in locations including, supermarkets, cafes, convenience stores, hotels, and online marketplaces. We also offer a b2b solution that provides our coffee product paired with high quality coffee machines, reliable delivery, and timely technical service.



Safe Harbor Statement:

The information posted in this release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. You can identify these statements by use of the words "may," "will," "should," "plans," "explores," "expects," "anticipates," "continue," "estimate," "project," "intend," and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected or anticipated. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, general economic and business conditions, effects of continued geopolitical unrest and regional conflicts, competition, changes in technology and methods of marketing, and various other factors beyond the Company's control.



For more information, visit www.grandhavanacoffee.com, call 1.800.608.5441 or email: orders@grandhavanacoffee.com.



Find out more about the company at www.facebook.com/grandhavanacoffee, twitter.com/grandhavcoffee1, or www.instagram.com/grandhavanacoffee/

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/61529
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Reprinted with permission from TheNewAmerican.com.



Before that, CNN had disinterred letters he wrote to Eastland to stop forced busing.

As is his wont, Biden had gaffed when he went off script and tried to explain how senators of disparate views got along amicably in the days when Biden first landed in Washington. He discussed civility, and said he and such Southern stalwarts as Mississippis James Eastland and Georgias Herman Talmadge got things done.

Race Card Harris flung down the race card during the second Democrat presidential debate last June.

Now Harris can spend the next 12 weeks explaining why she would run with a man who tried to stop busing, was quite friendly with Southern segregationists, and cant keep his hands off the ladies.

But he did pick a woman who did everything but call him a racist and said she believes the women who say Biden molested them.

Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden might not have picked a full-throated supporter of communist mass-murderer Fidel Castro (meaning Representative Karen Bass) to join him in his last run for the White House.

Harris didnt miss her chance.

Of course, she allowed that she didnt think Biden was a racist, but she did everything but call him a racist by implying he would have kept her out of an integrated school because he opposed busing.

Growing up, my sister and I had to deal with the neighbor who told us her parents [said she] couldnt play with us because she  because we were black, she claimed:

And Im going to now direct this at Vice President Biden, I do not believe you are a racist....

But I also believe, and its personal  and I was actually very  it was hurtful to hear you talk about the reputations of two United States senators who built their reputations and career on the segregation of race in this country. And it was not only that, but you also worked with them to oppose busing.

And, you know, there was a little girl in California who was part of the second class to integrate her public schools, and she was bused to school every day. And that little girl was me.

Biden mumbled a non-answer.

It was preposterous, but Harris briefly jumped in the polls ahead of her rivals. The boost didnt last, and she dropped out of the race in December.

I Believe Them

But Harris was still in the race when she declared that she believed the women who accused Biden of inappropriate touching and fetishistic sniffing.

Indeed, the sudden eruption of accusations suggested Biden might be finished, particularly with detailed accounts such as this one from Nevada Democrat Lucy Flores:

I felt him get closer to me from behind. He leaned further in and inhaled my hair. I was mortified. I thought to myself, I didnt wash my hair today and the vice-president of the United States is smelling it.... Why is the vice-president of the United States smelling my hair? He proceeded to plant a big slow kiss on the back of my head. My brain couldnt process what was happening. I was embarrassed. I was shocked. I was confused.... I couldnt move and I couldnt say anything. I wanted nothing more than to get Biden away from me. My name was called and I was never happier to get on stage in front of an audience.

Multiple videos of Bidens hands-on approach to politics, including some creepy shots of him touching little girls, appeared on YouTube.

Said Harris, I believe them, and I respect them being able to tell their story and having the courage to do it.

Maybe she did, but after Harris surfaced as a possible vice-presidential pick, she suddenly lost faith in the #MeToo Democrat women.

When former Biden staffer Tara Reade surfaced in March and leveled a detailed charge of sexual assault, which multiple friends and acqauintances corroborated, Harris  like other top Democrat women  fell silent.

Reade has a right to tell her story, Harris said, but the Biden she knew has been a lifelong fighter, in terms of stopping violence against women.

Reade regardless, Harris would be honored to serve as Bidens second-in-command, she said.

During an interview, Reade told TV talker Megyn Kelly that Harris office ignored a plea for help.

Kamala Harris is my representative, so I tried to reach out to her in particular for help, like I wanted to get a safe place to tell what happened, Reade said. And I didnt get a response. So I kept, again, trying to get it out there.

Harris office claims to have no record of any such request.
Speaking at a meeting with Vietnamese Ambassador to Japan Vu Hong Nam in Tokyo, Minister Kato emphasized that according to Japans law on labour, Vietnamese trainees are equal to Japanese workers.

They also pay insurance and enjoy unemployment insurance like Japanese workers. In case Vietnamese trainees cannot work, the Government of Japan will have policies to support them.

Overview the meeting (Photo: VNA)

According to the Minister, in recent years, apart from language barriers, Vietnamese trainees have also faced many difficulties in life such as administrative and medical procedures.



In addition, due to the impact of the acute respiratory infection COVID-19, many trainees are out of work. The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare has taken many measures to support them, such as establishing the Organization for Technical Intern Training (OTIT) to manage and support interns and setting up a hotline in Vietnamese language.

To enhance the coordination between the two countries' authorities in managing and supporting Vietnamese interns, Mr. Kato proposed setting up a hotline between the Ministry and the Vietnamese Embassy in Japan.

According to Mr. Kato, this shows the desire of the government of Japan to protect and help Vietnamese trainees.

For his part, Ambassador Vu Hong Nam agreed with Minister Kato's proposal to establish a hotline to strengthen coordination between the two sides in managing and supporting Vietnamese interns. At the same time, he expressed his wish to cooperate with the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare to promptly resolve arising problems related to the interns.

On this occasion, the Ambassador also expressed his thanks for the supportive measures of the Government of Japan in general, and the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare in particular, to the Vietnamese community in Japan after the COVID-19 outbreak, such as: providing direct subsidies in cash for Vietnamese workers in this country like Japanese citizens; supporting treatment for Vietnamese trainees who unfortunately are infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus; allowing interns to continue working until there is a flight bringing them back home.

On the Vietnamese side, Ambassador Vu Hong Nam shared that at present, the Embassy is maintaining four hotlines, operating 24 hours, to receive ideas and support for Vietnamese citizens affected by the pandemic.

According to statistics released by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, in October 2019, Vietnam had 401,326 employees in Japan, accounting for nearly 24.2% of the total number of foreign workers in this country and ranked 2nd position among countries having workers in Japan. Of them, trainees account for about 50%./.
The districts current $33 million contract with the Chicago Police Department expires this month, and the Board of Education is expected to consider a new agreement at its Aug. 26 meeting. In defending the use of police in schools, CPS and city officials have emphasized the power given to LSCs, who were asked to vote on the practice by this Friday. But others have argued that its a false choice when schools arent presented with alternatives for spending the money that pays for officers.
Senior Investment Specialist, Manila

Organization: Asian Development Bank (ADB)

Country: Philippines

City: Manila, Philippines

Office: ADB Manila

Closing date: Tuesday, 18 August 2020

Reference Number: 200325

Position Level: IS 5

Department: Private Sector Operations Department

Division: Private Sector Investment Funds & Special Initiatives Div

Location: Asian Development Bank Headquarters

Date Posted: Tuesday, August 4, 2020

Closing Date: Tuesday, August 18, 2020 11:59 p.m. (2359 Manila Time, 0800 GMT)

IMPORTANT INFORMATION:

Close relatives1 of ADB staff, except spouses of international staff, are not eligible for recruitment and appointment to staff positions. Applicants are expected to disclose if they have any relative/s by consanguinity/blood, by adoption and/or by affinity/marriage presently employed in ADB.

1Close relatives refer to spouse, children, mother, father, brother and sister, niece, nephew, aunt and uncle

Staff on probation are not eligible to apply. Applicants for promotion must have served at their position for at least one year and must have normally served at their personal level for at least two years immediately preceding the date of the vacancy closing date. Applicants for lateral transfer must have served at their position and personal level for at least one year immediately preceding the date of the vacancy closing date (reference A.O.

03, paragraphs

8 and

9).

In the event that the staff appointed to a new category (i.e. from AS to NS, or from NS to IS) is rated at 2 or lower in the first two performance reviews after appointment at the new level, they will return to the level occupied immediately prior to their appointment in the new category.

Overview

Asian Development Bank (ADB) is an international development finance institution headquartered in Manila, Philippines and is composed of 68 members, 49 of which are from the Asia and Pacific region. ADB is committed to achieving a prosperous, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable Asia and the Pacific, while sustaining its efforts to eradicate extreme poverty. ADB combines finance, knowledge, and partnerships to fulfill its expanded vision under its Strategy 2030.

ADB only hires nationals of its 68 members.

To view ADB Organizational Chart, please click here.

The position is assigned in the Investment Funds and Special Initiatives Division (PSIS) within the Private Sector Operations Department (PSOD). PSIS is responsible for 1) for investments in and management of private equity funds, 2) execution support/product expertise for direct equity investments/ divestments undertaken throughout PSOD, 3) management of concessional financing relationships and funds, and 4) other special investment initiatives in all ADB developing member countries. PSOD provides investment capital to private sector entrepreneurs, corporates and project sponsors, as well as financial intermediaries, such as banks and private equity funds, throughout developing Asia. It catalyzes, structures, and funds investments in privately held and state-sponsored companies across a wide range of industry sectors. Its emphasis is on commercially viable transactions that generate financial returns while also delivering on ADBs organization-wide mission to promote environmentally sustainable and inclusive economic growth. To learn more about PSOD, watch the video on  Working with ADB on Private Sector Financing.

Job Purpose

The Senior Investment Specialist will lead the origination, development, due diligence, approval, implementation and management of private sector transactions utilizing third party funds (via equity, debt and/or mezzanine financing instruments). The incumbent will report to Director, PSIS and will supervise national and administrative staff.

Responsibilities

A. Project Processing and Management

Lead and conduct industry and market research to learn of fund management teams in Asia that align with ADBs PE investment strategy and mandate for the private sector

Lead and undertake due diligence, risk analysis and mitigation in the structuring of private equity fund investments.

Lead, cultivate and maintain relationships with those fund managers in order to position ADB for co-investment opportunities

Lead and analyze potential fund investment opportunities, including evaluating the fund managers track record, investment strategy, value-add, and investment team

Draft and present internal proposals for approval by ADBs Investment Committee and Board

Lead ADBs internal approvals process including interfacing with credit, safeguards, integrity, legal and other teams as well as management and the ADB Board.

Negotiate, structure and complete fund documentation

Actively manage fund investments post-closing, including monitoring fund financial performance and activities (relating to capital deployment, exits, conflicts of interests, valuation, key person triggers, etc.), supporting fund monitoring (AMRs, QMRs, WACs), ensuring compliance with investment strategy, covenants, environmental and social safeguard requirements, and recommending corrective actions as necessary.

Represent ADB as the designated representative on the advisory committee of selected funds

Prepares technical assistance (TA) papers and applications for TA funding (either as stand-alone TAs or components of investment).

Lead fund raising activities for the fund

Serve on Advisory Boards of portfolio entities, as required

Attend annual investor meetings for underlying funds

Lead, identify and execute co-investment transactions that support ADBs mission, strategies and policies

Work closely with the office of risk management (including the remedial group) in addressing fund management performance issues, liquidations and wind-downs

b. Economic, Sector and Thematic Work

Lead, draft, review and provide comments on project, policy and other papers related to private sector development and operations issues in various themes and sectors

c. Knowledge Sharing

Lead, participate in and contribute to relevant internal and external sessions, training and conferences and other activities for advocacy, dissemination and knowledge building

Maintain and share knowledge of international best market practices and global and regional trends in the targeted sectors

d. Strategy and Planning

Work with division team to help achieve ADBs PE fund business goals and objectives

Participate in country teams and missions for planning and programming purposes with particular focus on private sector development and operations and for the identification of investment opportunities in assigned Developing Member Countries of ADB

e. Staff supervision

Take the role of team leader and supervise the work of team members in executing deals

Supervise the performance of reporting staff, providing clear direction and regular monitoring and feedback on performance

Ensure the on-going learning and development of reporting staff

Qualifications

Relevant Experience & Requirements

Masters degree, or equivalent, in finance, engineering, business or related fields; or University degree combined with a specialized experience in similar organization/s, may be considered in lieu of a Masters degree.

At least 10 years of relevant professional experience developing private sector infrastructure, financial services, agribusiness, healthcare care or educations equity and/or debt transactions.

Hands-on experience utilizing blended finance involving the structuring, negotiating and monitoring of co-Investment transactions financed by third-party donor funds.

Demonstrated understanding of clean energy and energy efficient technologies, different financial products in non-sovereign operations, and the nature of enabling environments in ADBs Developing Member Countries.

Preferably with experience working with private sector arms of multilateral development banks on bilateral blended finance facilities, climate investment fund or green climate fund programs, carbon funds or other publicly funded climate finance initiatives.

Has working knowledge of international climate finance architecture and concessional climate change funds.

International experience working in development in several countries.

Specific and relevant experience in emerging market financing, preferably in Asia and the Pacific.

Excellent oral and written communication skills in English, including a demonstrated ability to communicate ideas clearly and confidently with good presentation skills in one-on-one settings or to larger groups (inside and outside of ADB)

Highly motivated and has strong work ethic

Proactive, self-starter, with proven ability to initiate and bring deals lo completion

Sound business judgment, problem solving and commercial instinct

Excellent organizational, multi-tasking and time management skills with demonstrated ability to work efficiently and meet tight deadlines

Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work effectively with large, culturally diverse teams at all levels

Please refer to the link for ADB Competency Framework for International Staff Level

General Considerations

The selected candidate, if new to ADB, is appointed for an initial term of 3 years.

ADB offers competitive remuneration and a comprehensive benefits package. Actual appointment salary will be based on ADBs standards and computation, taking into account the selected individuals qualifications and experience.

ADB seeks to ensure that everyone is treated with respect and given equal opportunities to work in an inclusive environment. ADB encourages all qualified candidates to apply regardless of their racial, ethnic, religious and cultural background, gender, sexual orientation or disabilities. Women are highly encouraged to apply.

Please note that the actual level and salary will be based on qualifications of the selected candidate.
Exposure to a past virus may have selected for variations in their immune genes, maybe aided in their survival

At the start of her 2008 field season at El Parque El Pinalito in the Misiones province in northeastern Argentina, Ilaria Agostini knew something was terribly wrong. Agostini has studied Misiones' two howler monkey species since 2005--brown (Alouatta guariba clamitans) and black and gold (A. caraya) howlers. Both lived at relatively low densities in the park, but still existed in one of the most continuous, well-preserved remnants of habitat known as the Atlantic Forest. She knows them better than anyone in the world.

But the treetops were silent, void of the booming chorus for which the howler monkeys are named.

"At the beginning, I found one dead monkey. Then in two hours, another one. In all my team and I found 14 dead howlers," said Agostini, a biologist at the Instituto de Biologia Subtropical of Argentina. "That first day, we started to suspect it was yellow fever."

From 2007 to 2009, a devastating yellow fever virus outbreak nearly decimated El Pinalito's howler monkey populations. The brown and black and gold howlers are extremely susceptible to the disease that enslavers introduced to the Americas. In the last few years, logging activity has progressively affected the howlers' habitat and brought humans closer to wildlife, increasing the risk of virus transmission from the loggers to the howlers. When laboratory analyses confirmed that the monkey's died from yellow fever, health authorities vaccinated human populations to prevent further transmission. By then, the damage was done.

"Our howler groups just disappeared from the park. We found almost no signs of a presence until 2014--six years after the outbreak," Agostini said.

A recent United Nations report predicts that more diseases that spread from animals to humans, such as COVID-19, will emerge due to habitat destruction. The flip-side--human disease spreading to animals--is also true. How will increased virus transmission affect wild animal populations? The yellow virus outbreak in El Parque El Pinalito provided a natural laboratory to investigate.

In a study led by the University of Utah, an international research team tested whether howler monkeys who survived the yellow virus outbreak had any genetic variations that may have kept them alive. The article was published online on June 25, 2020 in the American Journal of Physical Anthropology.

In 2017, Nicole Torosi, postdoctoral researcher at Rutgers University and then a doctoral student at the University of Utah, joined Agostini in El Pinalito to search for any living brown or black and gold howlers. They eventually counted nine brown howlers and two black and gold howlers. Torosin sequenced the genomes of liver samples that Agostini's team had collected from monkeys who died before the outbreak, right after the outbreak, and she extracted DNA from the poop of those who had survived.

"We saw many more dead black and gold howler monkeys than brown howlers after the outbreak," said Torosin, postdoctoral researcher at Rutgers University. "We wondered if there were genetic differences that may have helped the brown howlers survive somehow."

The scientists focused on two immune genes that detect the type of single-stranded RNA viruses to which yellow fever virus belongs. The genes, toll-like receptor (TLR) 7 and TLR 8, recognize and destroy the invading viruses in both humans and non-human primates.

The team found no genetic variants present at higher rates in the surviving monkeys than in the deceased ones. However, in comparing the two species, they found three mutations in the DNA sequence of the brown howler individuals. Two of these mutations result in amino acid changes in the part of the protein that detects the disease. In a companion study published in Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, Torosin found that the changes were positively selected in the brown howler population.

"If the amino acid sequence is different, then the protein is different, and that could affect the entire downstream response to dealing with the virus," said Torosin. "Maybe that's why more brown howlers survived."

The researchers hypothesize that the brown howlers were exposed to a different virus in the past that selected for the mutations and may have helped them deal with yellow fever virus. Torosin's next steps are to do an immune test for the two species by exposing cells to the virus to see what the responses are in a controlled environment

"With COVID-19, we've seen how a virus that originated in China can spread across the world. Here, humans brought a virus to primates that have evolved without exposure to it for tens of millions of years and it nearly wiped them out," said co-author Timothy Webster, anthropologist at the U. "We're interacting with species in new ways that are creating new immune challenges, both for humans and for other species."

Rebuilding the chorus

There are still howler monkeys in the park, but they need time to recover and reorganize into groups--if they're not wiped by another outbreak, which is a real possibility, Agostini said. In order to document their progress, Agostini and her team of Proyecto Caraya Rojo, together with the NGO Asociacion Civil Centro de Investigaciones del Bosque Atlantico (CeIBA), came up with a new way of tracking--by recording their calls using wildlife acoustic recorders.

"Just looking for them in the forest isn't efficient. They're so elusive, and live at such low densities, you can go days without finding them," she said. "Recording their vocalizations could be very useful for howlers. They give these very loud calls."

###

The community of primatologists in Argentina came together in 2019 propose how to help populations recover. The Asociacion Primotologica Argentina (APRIMA) is working with Argentina's Environmental Ministry to designate new areas of protection within the region and create a network of habitat corridors.

Other contributors of the study include senior author Leslie Knapp of the University of Utah; Hernan Argibay of the Instituto de Ecologia, Genetica y Evolucion de Buenos Aires (IEGEBA-CONICET) and Universitaria Buenos Aires; Candela Sanchez Fernandez of Universidad Nacional de Misiones; Hebe Ferreyra of the Global Health Program, Wildlife Conservation; and Marcela Uhart of University of California, Davis. The work was funded by the University of Utah Global Change and Sustainability Center and the Wildlife Conservation Society Argentina.
(TNS)  People living southwest of Ashland and in Fayette and Glasgow will gain access to higher speed Internet service through grants from the Missouri Emergency Investment Program announced on Tuesday.Socket Telecom, based in Columbia, will receive $442,395 to construct a fiber optic network that will serve 176 households southwest of Ashland, the Department of Economic Development said. Socket also received a $129,086 grant to expand fiber-based services to 240 households in the south-central part of Fayette in Howard County.AirLink Rural Broadband is the recipient of $578,783 to construct a fiber network that will serve 400 households in Glasgow.In each instance, the new service will offer broadband at minimal speeds of 1 Gigabit per second for downloads and 100 Megabit per second for uploads.The grants are funded with federal money made available under the CARES Act passed in March. Grants announced Tuesday commit $1.8 million of the $20 million allocated for the emergency program.
The recent tension between the Arab clans in Deir ez-Zor and the Syrian Democratic Forces has been blamed on the Assad regimes efforts to sow confusion writes ANHA Agency.

In an attempt by the Assad government to take advantage of the assassination of the spokesman for the al-Akidat clan, Mutashar Hammoud al-Hafl, the government mobilized all its media outlets to incite discord and fighting, so that Deir-ez-Zor, specifically the towns of al-Hawayj, Dhiban, and al-Shuhail in the eastern countryside, witnessed movements that soon turned into subversive and military operations.

As a result, the sheikhs and notables of Arab tribes called on the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to intervene and control the situation by intensifying their military barriers and pursuing armed groups. During the operations, the SDF arrested a number of Assad government cells, who were planning to assassinate tribal and military figures with the aim of accusing SDF.

Furat News Agency had met with Abd al-Razzaq Nawwaf al-Qoti, who was arrested by the SDF while distributing leaflets in al-Shaddadi area on Jul. 29, 2020.

Qoti admitted that the Syrian Intelligence had assigned him the task of assassinating the sheikhs of the tribes and members of the local councils of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria.

Concerning this, Sheikh Muhammad Aref, the spokesperson for al-Sharbein clan in Iraq and Syria, spoke to ANHA, saying, What is happening in Deir-ez-Zor is a clear exploitation of the Arab tribes, and spreading a kind of sedition between the SDF and the Arab tribes.

He added, The Arab tribes in Deir-ez-Zor must preserve security and stability in the region, and not be drawn into the rumors broadcast by some parties.

He asserted, A force that liberated Deir-ez-Zor from terrorism has no interest in assassinating its sheikhs. On the contrary, the SDF and its leaders value the status of sheikhs and clans notables and extinguish the fire among the tribesmen, so the beneficiaries of these assassinations and attacks are terrorist groups who wanted to target security, safety and civil peace.

With every attack by the SDF against Islamic State mercenary cells, some try to cause confusion.

This article was edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
A commuter reads a copy of the Apple Daily newspaper on a train in Hong Kong after the company's founder Jimmy Lai was arrested under the new national security law on 10 August 2020. (PHOTO: ISAAC LAWRENCE/AFP via Getty Images)

By Alfred Liu

(Bloomberg) -- Theyve mapped out exit routes, opened offshore bank accounts and secured overseas passports.

But for now at least, Hong Kongs high-net-worth investors are mostly staying put, easing fears that the citys new national security law would unleash a flood of capital outflows.

Withdrawals have been minimal since the law came into effect on June 30, in part because rich investors are still assessing how the Chinese governments tighter grip on Hong Kong will impact asset prices and the long-term business environment, according to executives at four of Asias biggest wealth managers who asked not to be identified discussing private information.

While critics of the legislation have argued it will undermine Hong Kongs role as a financial centre, some wealthy investors are open to an alternate narrative -- espoused by Hong Kongs government and the citys richest tycoons -- that the law will help stabilise an economy battered by months of pro-democracy protests. That view has been reinforced by signs of tacit support from Beijing, including record purchases of Hong Kong stocks by Chinese funds and a spate of high-profile listings by the nations technology giants.

Whether the sanguine outlook will last is anyones guess, especially with Hong Kong caught in the crossfire of an intensifying clash between China and the U.S. But the upshot since June has been a strong Hong Kong currency, a resilient property market and steady stock prices. Capital inflows have been so big in recent weeks that authorities intervened to prevent the local currency from breaching the strong end of its trading band, a far cry from the doomsday scenario predicted by Hong Kong bears like Kyle Bass.

While people are probably opening overseas accounts and considering leaving, their preparation wont lead to a major exodus of capital yet, said Kenny Wen, a Hong Kong-based wealth management strategist at Everbright Sun Hung Kai Co. Money is moving into Hong Kong at the same time because investors are bullish on Hong Kongs stock market, especially the new listings.

Story continues

Many rich investors whove kept their money in the city have cited expectations that Chinas government will act to prop up Hong Kong markets, the wealth managers said.

Inflows into the citys stocks through mainland exchange links more than doubled from a year earlier to US$16.6 billion since early June, fuelling speculation that state-owned Chinese funds are buying. Meanwhile, regulators in June kicked off a long-anticipated programme called Wealth Management Connect, which is set to further boost inflows by allowing residents in southern China to invest in Hong Kong and vice-versa.

We can foresee even more business opportunities and greater growth headroom for Hong Kongs financial industry, Eddie Yue, chief executive of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, said last month. As we all know, a safe and stable social environment is what every investor looks for and finds comfort in.

Of course, the optimistic tone in markets could change quickly if Chinas implementation of the security law proves harsher than expected.

Most of the citys rich investors are ready to withdraw assets at moments notice, even though the pandemic has made emigrating more difficult.

Tech giants including Facebook Inc. and Alphabet Inc.s Google are assessing the impact of the law, while some nimble startups are already moving data and people out. About half of U.S. businesses said the law made them feel less safe, according to a recent survey by the American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong.

Wealthy investors would start leaving Hong Kong with their money if someone is charged under the national security law for doing nothing related to subversion, said Jacinto Tong, chief executive officer of Hong Kong-based real estate investment firm Gale Well Group. Other oft-cited red lines include capital controls and restricted access to the internet.

In the meantime, wealthy individuals who want exposure to Chinas budding economic recovery see little reason to ditch Hong Kong. The city is still an unrivaled hub for buying everything from Chinese shares and dollar bonds to financial derivatives. And with China now ahead of many nations in getting back on its feet from the pandemic, many are loath to leave money on the table.

If youre bullish on China, its hard to justify why you would want to pull your money out, said Benjamin Quinlan, chief executive officer of Quinlan & Associates, a consultancy in Hong Kong.

 2020 Bloomberg L.P.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 12)  The COVID-19 inter-agency task force has assigned cabinet members to areas under strict community quarantine to monitor their healthcare system and compliance to treatment standards.

The task force, citing Resolution No. 62, series of 2020, said on Wednesday that with the recent developments in the countrys COVID-19 situation, further amendments to its strategic program is needed to further streamline the governments response to the pandemic.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III and Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles are assigned to monitor Quezon City.

Education Secretary Leonor Briones and Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat will monitor Pasig City.

Metro Manila Development Authority chairman Danilo Lim is tasked to oversee the Municipality of Pateros.

Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III and Commission on Higher Education chair J. Prospero De Vera III will monitor both Marikina City and Malabon City.

Interior Secretary Eduardo Ano and testing czar Vince Dizon are both assigned to Taguig City.

Department of Information and Communications Technology Secretary Gregorio Honasan II and Anti-Red Tape Authority director general Jeremiah Belgica are both assigned to the City of Manila.

Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez is for Mandaluyong City; National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon, Jr. for Makati City; acting Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Karl Kendrick Chua for San Juan City; Transport Secretary Arthur Tugade for Muntinlupa City; COVID-19 task force chief implementer Carlito Galvez, Jr. for Paranaque City; and Public Works Secretary Mark Villar for Las Pinas City.

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque and Agriculture Secretary William Dar are assigned to Pasay City, and Caloocan City, respectively, while Budget Secretary Wendel Avisado and Science Secretary Fortunato Dela Pena are for Navotas City and Valenzuela City, respectively.

Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra is assigned for Bulacan.

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, Communications Secretary Martin Andanar, and Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi will monitor the provinces of Cavite, Laguna, and Rizal, respectively.

All those areas were placed under MECQ on Aug. 4 due to the soaring cases of COVID-19.

The task force also approved the resumption of the Qualifying Assessment for Foreign Medical Professionals scheduled on Sept. 19, provided that this will only proceed in areas under general community quarantine or modified general community quarantine. Furthermore, health safety protocols must be followed, it said.

It also endorsed the recommendation of the Department of Agriculture to issue a joint memorandum with the Department of Interior and Local Government to guide local government units in establishing their local rice task force to properly implement the rice program.

The nationwide tally of COVID-19 cases is at 143,749, with 2,618 of Wednesday's new cases coming from Metro Manila; 233 from Laguna; 227 from Cavite; 174 from Rizal; and 129 from Bulacan.
The parents of murdered teenager Stephen Lawrence have said they will never give up seeking justice for their son after police formally closed their investigation.

The 18-year-old was stabbed to death during an unprovoked racist attack in 1993, and only two of at least five men suspected of involvement have been jailed for murder.

Allegations of corruption, incompetence and discrimination in the original investigation sparked a damning report finding institutional racism in the Metropolitan Police.

On Thursday, it announced that all identified lines of enquiry have been completed and no prosecutions can currently be brought against remaining suspects.

Baroness Lawrence, Stephens mother, said: I am truly disappointed that those others who were equally responsible for my son's racist killing may not be brought to justice.

"I am very sad that a line has now been drawn into the investigation and that it is now in an 'inactive' phase.

"Despite this, I would still urge anyone who has any information that could help me get all of Stephen's killers convicted, to come forward.

"It is never too late to give a mother justice for the murder of her son. Whilst the Metropolitan Police have given up, I never will."

Stephens father, Neville Lawrence, said he was disappointed but not surprised that the investigation had apparently reached its end.

He added: "Over the last few years I have had to come to terms with the reality that some of the killers of Stephen may never be brought to justice for what they did.

Baroness Lawrence and Stephen's father, Neville, have fought for justice since the murder (Getty)

With the announcement today that the investigation has become inactive, I am conscious that the case can never be closed for me.

"I will always live with the hope that someone might come forward with evidence which will allow us to achieve full justice for Stephen - by bringing about the prosecution of the others responsible for his murder."

Two of the killers, Gary Dobson and David Norris, were jailed for murder in 2012.

Two of the three remaining suspects, brothers Neil and Jamie Acourt, have since served jail time for drug dealing, while Luke Knight has remained free.

Dame Cressida Dick said she was sad at the outcome of the investigation and praised the tireless campaigning for justice by Stephens parents.

Profound changes have happened in policing, the law and wider society. I pay tribute to them for their courage and achievements, the Metropolitan Police commissioner added.

We were able to secure two convictions following a determined investigation in 2012 but it is well known that other suspects were also involved in the events which unfolded that night and it is deeply frustrating that we have been unable to bring them to justice.

Dame Cressida said that any new information that comes to light will be considered and the investigation will be periodically reviewed for new investigative opportunities.

The life and legacy of Stephen Lawrence Show all 7 1 /7 The life and legacy of Stephen Lawrence The life and legacy of Stephen Lawrence SU-50-Lawrence-1-REUT.jpg Neville Lawrence addressing the media last week Reuters The life and legacy of Stephen Lawrence SU-50-Lawrence-2-PA.jpg The now iconic family handout photo of Stephen PA The life and legacy of Stephen Lawrence SU-50-Lawrence-3-BBC.jpg Doreen Lawrence on Panorama last week BBC The life and legacy of Stephen Lawrence SU-50-Lawrence-4-GETTY.jpg Doreen Lawrence speaking to the press outside the Old Bailey last week Getty Images The life and legacy of Stephen Lawrence SU-50-Lawrence-5-ALDEN.jpg Tributes lay at the site of the murder in Eltham, south east London Jason Alden The life and legacy of Stephen Lawrence SU-50-Lawrence-6-ANDREW.jpg Neville and Doreen Lawrence, pictured here in 1997, never gave up the fight to bring the killers of their son Buurman Andrew The life and legacy of Stephen Lawrence SU-50-Lawrence-7-BBC.jpg Stephen Lawrence was buried in rural Jamaica, near his great-grandmother, because his mother Doreen worried that a grave in Britain could be desecrated BBC

On 22 April 1993 Stephen had been waiting for a bus with his friend, Duwayne Brooks, on Well Hall Road in Eltham, southeast London.

Mr Brooks saw a group of white youths moving towards them and said he heard one call Stephen a n***** before they started a brutal attack.

He was forced to the ground and stabbed, managing to run more than 100 metres before collapsing and dying of his injuries.

The initial Metropolitan Police investigation identified five suspects who were arrested - Dobson, the Acourt brothers, Knight and Norris.

Acourt and Knight were charged with murder but the prosecution was discontinued in court, then a 1994 private prosecution brought by Stephens family against all five suspects failed.

They attended a 1997 inquest into his death but did not answer questions, and in the same year an investigation by the then Police Complaints Authority revealed there were weaknesses and lost opportunities in the original investigation, including inexplicable delays in arresting suspects.

Jack straw ordered a public inquiry by a former High Court judge, Sir William Macpherson, which found the Metropolitan Police to be institutionally racist in 1999 and made 70 recommendations.

The report and legacy of Stephens death has come into renewed focus following international Black Lives Matter protests sparked by the police killing of a black man in the US.

Parliaments Home Affairs Committee is currently conducting an inquiry examining what has changed in the 21 years since the Macpherson report was released.

Additional reporting by PA
Duncan Au has been the CEO of CWC Energy Services Corp. (CVE:CWC) since 2010, and this article will examine the executive's compensation with respect to the overall performance of the company. This analysis will also look to assess whether the CEO is appropriately paid, considering recent earnings growth and investor returns for CWC Energy Services.

Check out our latest analysis for CWC Energy Services

How Does Total Compensation For Duncan Au Compare With Other Companies In The Industry?

Our data indicates that CWC Energy Services Corp. has a market capitalization of CA$68m, and total annual CEO compensation was reported as CA$542k for the year to December 2019. That's a slight decrease of 3.4% on the prior year. We note that the salary portion, which stands at CA$360.0k constitutes the majority of total compensation received by the CEO.

In comparison with other companies in the industry with market capitalizations under CA$266m, the reported median total CEO compensation was CA$772k. So it looks like CWC Energy Services compensates Duncan Au in line with the median for the industry. Moreover, Duncan Au also holds CA$739k worth of CWC Energy Services stock directly under their own name.

Component 2019 2018 Proportion (2019) Salary CA$360k CA$350k 66% Other CA$182k CA$211k 34% Total Compensation CA$542k CA$561k 100%

On an industry level, around 37% of total compensation represents salary and 63% is other remuneration. According to our research, CWC Energy Services has allocated a higher percentage of pay to salary in comparison to the wider industry. If salary dominates total compensation, it suggests that CEO compensation is leaning less towards the variable component, which is usually linked with performance.

CWC Energy Services Corp.'s Growth

CWC Energy Services Corp. has reduced its earnings per share by 72% a year over the last three years. Its revenue is down 22% over the previous year.

Overall this is not a very positive result for shareholders. And the impression is worse when you consider revenue is down year-on-year. It's hard to argue the company is firing on all cylinders, so shareholders might be averse to high CEO remuneration. Moving away from current form for a second, it could be important to check this free visual depiction of what analysts expect for the future.

Story continues

Has CWC Energy Services Corp. Been A Good Investment?

Since shareholders would have lost about 25% over three years, some CWC Energy Services Corp. investors would surely be feeling negative emotions. Therefore, it might be upsetting for shareholders if the CEO were paid generously.

To Conclude...

As we touched on above, CWC Energy Services Corp. is currently paying a compensation that's close to the median pay for CEOs of companies belonging to the same industry and with similar market capitalizations. On the other hand, earnings growth and total shareholder return have been negative for the last three years. It's tough to call out the compensation as inappropriate, but shareholders might not favor a raise before company performance improves.

CEO compensation is a crucial aspect to keep your eyes on but investors also need to keep their eyes open for other issues related to business performance. That's why we did some digging and identified 2 warning signs for CWC Energy Services that investors should think about before committing capital to this stock.

Arguably, business quality is much more important than CEO compensation levels. So check out this free list of interesting companies that have HIGH return on equity and low debt.

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.
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The Director of Operations of the Ghana Police Service, DCOP Dr. Sayibu Pabi Gariba, has cautioned, yet again, against the threat of vigilantism to the security and cohesion of the State. He says it can and must be countered with all the might of the State.



He said while the Ghana Police Service and other security agencies will work in accordance with the laws and enforce same - such as the National Constitution, the Police Service Act, the Criminal Code and Other Offences Act 1960 - which all have provisions that deal with elections infractions, it behooved all stakeholders to play active and effective roles to achieve the desired results.



He said it is not enough to blame the police and the other security agencies for shortcomings when other institutions also have key roles to play in the law enforcement circle.



DCOP Gariba served the caution while contributing to a roundtable discussion on Preventing Election Violence before, during and after the 2020 General Elections, said while vigilantism is outlawed and adequately dealt with under the Vigilantism and Related Offences Act, 2019, (Act 999), implementation must come with the full might of the state..



The forum was organized by the Ghana Center for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana) on the theme, Lets crack the whip, and was supported by the Coalition of Domestic Election Observers (CODEO), The National Peace Council and the USAID.



Ghana outlawed vigilantism last year, 2019, however the threat of occasional explosions remain rather formidable, with a number of vigilante activities and clashes recorded as recent as during the voters registration exercise. Many voices have pointed to the danger it forebodes if it is not uprooted entirely from the society.



DCOP Gariba said the National Elections Task Force is continuing with its planning for the 2020 elections and conducting various training programmes for the command, operational and tactical levels to build the confidence of personnel to be able to counter any threat that will undermine the 2020 elections.



He said the taskforce will maintain a robust posture for the 2020 elections and warned members of the public, particularly vigilantes, not to dare assume any security role during elections 2020.



That role, he said, is assigned to the National Elections Security Task Force and that any other individual or group that assumes that role does so illegally and will be crushed.



He explained that while the politics of violence in the country is usually associated with vigilantism, it also manifests in clashes between the political parties.



We must understand here that the maintenance of law and order, safety and security of Ghanaians and their property is the sole responsibility of the state. There is no argument about that, no any other organization, individual or group is authorized by the laws of this country to do that.



DCOP Gariba said that the provision of safety and security which constitute public goods, rest on the power and authority of the state and therefore vigilantism or political vigilantism causes a threat to national security and integration and we all need to be thinking about that.



He enumerated a number of election-related offences and disagreements that reared their heads during the recent voters registration exercise, all of which he said the police had preempted and prepared to deal with, resulting in the arrest and prosecution of a number of offenders, while many more were under investigation.



He described police operations during the registration as generally successful, and that the exercise provided useful lessons that will inform security planning into the elections and beyond.



The way forward

The way forward is not about the security agencies, we are here to work. The violence is not perpetrated by us, we are rapid response teams that are always countering the violence that is created by the people, and you know who are doing that The answer has actually been provided. Currently the main law, the Vigilantism and Related Offences law, and I can tell you that this law provides solutions to the problems that we are facing. It has punitive measures for vigilante groups, their supporters and financiers, the vigilante groups and individuals themselves and what we want to say as a Service and National Election Security Taskforce is that we shall, like all other laws, enforce.



But in the enforcement of the law, it will be wrong for you to point fingers at the security agencies and the National Elections Security Taskforce. Its a whole spectrum of agencies that work together, we can arrest, we can investigate, we can process and forward, some of the functions are done by somebody else.



The 2020 elections if you are not part of the security agencies that are deploying that are mandated to to deploy to provide security, dont dare, if you dare, the security agencies will crush you on that, but its not about the security agencies and the National Elections Security Task Force alone, its about a holistic stakeholder approach to peaceful 2020 elections. So all Ghanaians, the political parties, the perpetuators of the violence that you have presented here all stakeholders in the country as far as the peace and security of this country is concerned, the must contribute effectively for a peaceful 2020 election and should not leave all the burden and be complaining about it is the police, its the National Elections Security Task Force, its for all of us. We must work together to ensure that we get a successful, peaceful 2020 election.

Source: graphiconline.com









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Former President of Nigeria, Olusegun Obasanjo has fired back at those criticizing him over his controversial condolence message on the death of Buruji Kashamu, a former senator and factional leader of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ogun State.

In his controversial condolence message, Obasanjo said the late Kashamu who was wanted in the United States of America for alleged drug offences, was able to escape justice but could not evade death.

Obasanjos comment attracted criticism from some notable Nigerians including former Governors of Ekiti and Lagos states, Peter Ayodele Fayose and Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.

However in an interview with Premium Times, the former President said it is okay for people to mourn every death but that the living including himself, must draw the right lessons from the lives of those who have died.

He said;

When I was growing up, in our community, when anyone known with bad character died, we usually only mourn him and bury him. No eulogy. No praise-singing. There is an English saying that urges us never to talk ill of the dead. But in this case, we are not talking ill of the dead. We are only drawing lessons from the life and history of the dead. I am not gloating over his death. It is sad for anyone to die and we must mourn him. But we must learn from such a passage. There will be bad lessons. There will be good lessons. But we should not just be praise-singing or eulogising the dead, especially when there is no need to do so. We should not cover up bad histories and conducts so that the right lessons can be learnt.

Obasanjo added that he does not care about what people would say about him when he dies because he had said the right thing about Kashamu.

The former President added;
The mixed political attendance at the funeral of John Hume in Derry was a marvellous tribute to his aim of creating a partnership between the two great traditions of unionism and nationalism that define our politics.

The attendance of Arlene Foster as First Minister and leader of the DUP was especially important as it was a living example of the spirit of reconciliation that John Hume so deeply desired. Her attendance was reflective of her new, more conciliatory approach as First Minister.

However, the Assembly has ended badly for her, with an 11th-hour mutiny by 11 DUP Members, who abstained on the vote for the Executive Committee (Functions) Bill.

This was a serious, though not fatal, blow to her leadership. It raises the intriguing question as to why there was this surprising rebellion and what will be the consequences for the future of her leadership.

Given that an extra two Members did not turn up to vote means that 13 in total out of a group of 27 MLAs did not share their leader's view that this Bill was an acceptable technical measure to assist the work of the Executive, with no greater political significance beyond that.

This means that nearly half of the DUP MLAs dissented from the leadership's assessment of the Bill.

The official line from the First Minister's office was that this Bill was needed to remedy the administrative paralysis arising out of a decision in the Buick case, heard during suspension by the Court of Appeal in 2018.

In that case the court decided a decision by a senior civil servant to grant planning permission to build a waste disposal incinerator at Mallusk was not valid.

The court held that only the full Executive could authorise the granting of permission for the waste management facilities, because they were so significant, controversial and cut across areas of ministerial responsibility.

This Bill was an attempt to legislatively surmount that hurdle by allowing the relevant minister (in this instance Infrastructure Minister Nichola Mallon of the SDLP) to make such a decision by herself, as the person responsible for planning.

At the St Andrews negotiations, which restored the Assembly in 2007, it was agreed that cross-cutting decisions that were controversial or significant should be referred to the whole Executive for collective decision-making.

This was to prevent so-called "solo runs" by individual ministers. The DUP regarded this political change as an important and hard-won victory over Sinn Fein.

All of this was revisited by former special adviser Richard Bullick, who publicly warned that the proposed Bill would undo what had been carefully won at St Andrews.

Bullick, an astute lawyer and a negotiator at St Andrews, is a highly respected figure within the DUP and his opinion is taken seriously.

The redoubtable Jim Wells, now a DUP dissident, having been cast out by his old party, highlighted these concerns and contended that this was rushed and bad legislation.

The Ulster Unionists were of a similar opinion and strongly attacked the Bill, curiously representing it as a carve-up between the DUP and Sinn Fein.

This was despite the fact that the Alliance Party and the SDLP also supported it.

In the words of Pat Sheehan of Sinn Fein, Wells was trying to "spook the horses" with his fears and doubts over this technical legislation.

Wells and the Ulster Unionists were, however, successful in reflecting the DUP backbench suspicion that St Andrews was being rolled back on the issue of solo runs and collective responsibility.

There seems to have been a collective panic attack within the rank-and-file of the DUP in the Assembly. Their usual disciplined, conformist approach imploded.

The net result was an embarrassing rejection of the leader's judgment that there was nothing to fear. Clearly, they did not trust Foster's judgment, preferring instead the off-stage warnings from a highly trusted former adviser.

Of course, even DUP MLAs can get fed up with not being properly consulted and being regarded as mere lobby fodder.

This is not good news for Foster and is an uncomfortable reminder of her errors of judgment during the RHI affair.

However, those who indulge themselves in schadenfreude over her misfortune should remember the constant danger of destabilising the newly restored Executive.

Since the return of the Assembly she has successfully reinvented herself as First Minister, showing herself to be compassionate and conciliatory in dealing with the dangerous menace of coronavirus.

But now there is an unhelpful question mark over her leadership that could be damaging for our politics.

That Edwin Poots - a potential leader himself - has been absolute in his support for Foster and the Bill is some reassurance that all is not yet over for her leadership.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy on Wednesday said school districts could open fully remotely, a reversal of an earlier policy. Read more

In a reversal, Gov. Phil Murphy on Wednesday said the states public school districts can open with remote learning only, but must meet certain criteria and have a plan to eventually get their students back into classrooms.

Murphy has been under increasing pressure to order virtual instruction for the states nearly 600 school districts, but stopped short of that Wednesday. He left that decision to local school boards.

Murphy, who previously said he wanted schools to reopen for the school year with some in-person instruction, said he wanted to give districts more flexibility. Some have predicted shortages of teachers or protective equipment or inadequate ventilation to reopen.

There is no one-size-fits-all plan to this very difficult situation, Murphy said at a news conference in Trenton. There are no two school districts alike.

His announcement came as New Jersey reported 484 newly confirmed coronavirus cases and nine deaths on Wednesday. Murphy said the transmission rate is below 1, meaning every infected person is, on average, infecting fewer than one other person.

State police said authorities have continued to see unlawful and risky large gatherings in recent days, including a pool party in Gloucester Township that drew nearly 300 people and a North Jersey strip club packed with 300 to 400 people, many unmasked.

Pennsylvania reported 849 new cases and 33 deaths on Wednesday. The states moving seven-day average for new daily cases was 774, a slight uptick over recent days. Philadelphia reported 141 new cases of the virus.

Across the region, school districts have been struggling to develop plans to reopen schools shuttered by the pandemic. Some, including Philadelphia, have opted for online learning only for the start of the school year, while many are planning hybrid models that include in-person and virtual classes.

In New Jersey, state Education Department officials had said in June that schools must offer some form of in-person instruction this fall, with families able to opt for all-virtual instruction if they chose.

But the change in guidelines was welcomed by some parents and in districts like Willingboro that had already planned to reopen with all-virtual learning. It was unclear how many districts that had previously selected hybrid models would reconsider those plans.

Camden School Superintendent Katrina McCombs said she was relieved by Murphys decision, which enabled her to reverse course from a hybrid. About one-third of the districts teachers said they were not returning to the classroom and half of parents said they would not send their children back, she said.

We will be starting the year 100% remote, McCombs said. At the end of the day, health and safety are paramount.

But James Lavender, the superintendent of Kingsway Regional and South Harrison Township districts in Gloucester County, said Murphys announcement was like the equivalent of an ill-timed bomb thrown just before the start of the school year.

 READ MORE: A lose-lose situation: Schools try to plan their reopening amid conflicting coronavirus guidelines

Its going to create almost civil war between teachers and parents, school leaders and communities, Lavender said. This is no good for school districts.

Kingsway and South Harrisons plan calls for most students to attend school two days a week and elementary grades to attend four days a week. But the governors edict will likely rile community members to now push for all-remote learning, he said.

Under the guidelines, in order to choose all-remote learning, districts must show that they are unable to open and meet health and safety standards. They must provide a date when in-person instruction would begin.

To address the digital divide among poor school districts, Murphy said school systems must show that every student has the necessary internet access and a device such as a Chromebook. New Jersey has estimated that more than 230,000 students lack them.

With cases rising, the looming school year caused angst among educators and parents, with districts changing plans as Trenton clarified requirements. Last week, Murphy announced that face masks would be required for students and teachers at all times during school.

The uncertainty is really hard, said Patricia Kipnis, of Cherry Hill, the mother of a seventh and ninth grader. It feels like a depressing start of the school year if theyre going to start in their bedrooms.

Cherry Hill modified its reopening plan, with students being taught three days from home and two half-days at school. . Murphy has said all districts must offer a remote-only option for parents who want it for health concerns.

 READ MORE: Georgia district struggles to teach online; quarantines grow

Willingboro School Superintendent Neely Hackett said her Burlington County district needs more time to meet health standards, stockpile protective equipment, and upgrade ventilation systems. The district hopes to open schools on Nov. 19, she said.

At least 15 districts had already planned digital-only starts to the school year, according to the New Jersey Education Association. Other South Jersey districts with remote-only plans include Florence and Westampton.

My child will be 100% virtual, regardless of what the governor does or doesnt do, said Hilari Luck, of West Deptford, whose son, Trent, 16, is a rising junior at the Gloucester County Institute of Technology. I will not leave that decision in the hands of someone else.

On Tuesday night, the state teachers and principals unions issued a statement calling for Murphy to mandate a remote start, saying that despite a summer of working toward some kind of in-person opening, conditions make that impossible.

There is no question in my mind that all districts should start remotely, said NJEA president Marie Blistan. Peoples lives are at risk.

Staff writers Justine McDaniel, Erin McCarthy, and Rob Tornoe contributed to this article.
SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Merico, a fully-remote engineering analytics startup has closed its seed round of $4.1M enabling it to bring its automated developer analytics to companies around the world.

Founder and CEO Jinglei Ren has spent over a decade developing and researching advanced software analysis techniques and built Merico to bring actionable visibility to software leaders.

Merico's seed round is led by GGV Capital with participation from Legend Star and earlier investor Polychain Capital. Merico was initially funded by open source innovator OSS Capital. Founded by experts from Microsoft Research, Berkeley, and Stanford Universities, Merico delivers deep-analytics providing developers and manager with insights into productivity, performance, and code-quality. With this financing, Merico plans to expand its global team to further support its enterprise and open source partners and customers, while enhancing the capability of its core technology to draw insights from popular tech-stacks.

"The mission of Merico is to empower every developer to build better and realize more value. We are excited that GGV Capital and our other investors see the importance of bringing more useful data to the software development process," said Jinglei Ren, Founder and CEO of Merico. "In today's world, enabling remote contribution is more important than ever, and we at Merico are excited to continue our pursuit of bringing the most insightful and practical metrics to support both enterprise and open source software teams."

As companies shift to global and distributed operations, it is increasingly critical to establish objective and transparent benchmarks to effectively operate. Companies of all sizes are quickly recognizing the need for an effective approach to defining and measuring productivity, performance, and code quality. As a team founded and built by engineers for engineers, distributed and remote from day-one, Merico is uniquely positioned to provide a clear blueprint and metrics solution for teams to operate remotely and in-house with total clarity.

Historically, engineering teams have been measured with potentially misleading measures of productivity; frustrating top performers while exasperating struggling team members. Merico removes blind-spots and ambiguity for engineering organizations, to help developers collaborate more effectively while articulating and defending the value of their contributions. For managers, these new insights empower them to work with their teams in a more proactive manner, something especially challenging for remote and distributed teams.

"Merico's technology delivers the most advanced code analytics that we've seen on the market," says GGV's Managing Partner Jenny Lee. "With the Merico team, we saw an opportunity to empower the organizations of tomorrow with insight, in this era of remote transformation, there's never been a more critical time to bring this visibility to the enterprise and to open source, we can't wait to see how this technology drives innovation in both technology and management."

Merico is led in North America by cofounders Hezheng Yin, Roland Vogl, and Head of Business, Maxim Wheatley.

SOURCE Merico

Related Links

https://www.meri.co


An Ikeja Chief Magistrates Court on Wednesday ordered that a 21-year-old man, Happiness Sunday, who allegedly defiled his neighbours children, be remanded in a correctional centre, pending legal advice.

Mr Sunday, who resides in Magodo, Lagos, is charged with defilement.

P.E. Nwaka, a chief magistrate, who did not take the plea of the defendant, ordered that he should be remanded in the Kirikiri Correctional Facility, Apapa, Lagos.

The magistrate ordered the police to duplicate the case file to the Lagos State Director of Public Prosecutions.

The magistrate adjourned the case until Sept. 23.

Earlier, the Police Prosecutor, Christopher John, alleged that the suspect sexually assaulted his neighbours children, aged eight, a girl and 10 a boy in his room.

Mr John, an inspector, told the court that the defendant committed the offence sometime in May in his residence.

He alleged that the defendant lured the siblings into his room and defiled the girl and sodomised the boy.

The offence, he said, contravened the provisions of Section 137 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State 2015 which stipulates life imprisonment on conviction.

(NAN)
A proposed design for a new train station has been mocked by residents online who have compared the structure to a trestle table from Bunnings.

The design of the upcoming Bayswater train station, in northern Perth, was first unveiled in June as one of five new stations to be built as part of the city's $1 billion transport project.

Locals were quick to slam the shelter placed on top of the station, that consists of a flat roof with a series of straight poles to hold it up.

An artist's impression of the proposed Bayswater train station in Perth has been mocked for overall design and particularly the shelter which locals have compared to a Bunnings trestle table

Community group Future Bayswater said the new station, which will stretch over a main street in the heart of the town, resembled a misplaced 'freeway overpass'.

Group chairman Paul Shanahan told WA Today the artist's impression had become a joke online and was completely different to original designs the community had previously been shown.

Mr Shanahan said the design, drawn up by Coleman Rail, was not only unappealing to look at but lacked basic functionality such as escalators.

'This is a project of state significance and deserves the development of a station that is comfortable and attractive for commuters and will encourage people to use public transport,' he said.

Locals mockingly compared the flat roof and pillar design of the station's shelter to that of the popular trestle tables offered at Bunnings

Mr Shanahan said the group of 140 residents would now send a petition for Parliament to rethink what they said is an unpopular and flawed design.

Shadow transport minister Libby Mettam said the design also failed to include any kind of wind or rain protection for commuters.

'Despite months of community consultation over the design and aesthetics, the final plan has been compared to four trestle tables slapped on top of a freeway overpass,' she said.

Locals were quick to point out the comparison to the iconic piece of Bunnings furniture, popular for setting up backyard parties and picnics.

'They should rename it Bunno Station and hold a sausage sizzle every Saturday,' one man joked.

'I just hope it doesn't blow over and fold up in a gust of wind. That could be awkward,' said one user.

'Looks like it's designed in the 80s. Couldn't be any uglier and it looks like they've run out of budget on this project,' another said.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on August 11 reportedly backed his Finance Minister Bill Morneau and quashed the speculation of a growing rift between the two. A PMO spokesperson, in a reported statement, said that Trudeau has full confidence in Morneau and any reports to the contrary are false. The recent statement by Trudeaus office comes in a bid to refute allegations that the two men and their staff have clashed on issued of policy and communication.

According to a Canadian media outlet, the PM and Finance Minister clashed over economic measure taken to counter the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. However, the PMO spokesperson reportedly said that Trudeau, Morneau and the entire team of Cabinet ministers will keep doing the work that Canadians rely on to get them through this unprecedented pandemic.

READ: Justin Trudeau: Contact Tracing Smartphone App Available

Meanwhile, the speculations of the rift between the two also come after the Canadian PM turned to the former governor of Bank of Canada and Bank of England to help craft a plan to pull the nation out of a deep recession sparked by the pandemic. Mark Carneys involvement in the economic aspect fueled discussion that Morneau shunted outside the PMs inner circle and could even leave the government. It was believed that Carney was a potential replacement to the Canadian Finance Minister.

READ: Trudeau Says He Didn't Offer Charity Preferential Treatment

Morneau worked relentlessly with Trudeau

In recent weeks, questions over Morneaus future also escalated as Trudeau and the latter have been embroiled in the scandal over a nearly billion-dollar contract given to a charity with close links to them. According to international media reports, in the Finance Ministers case, the charity employs one of his daughters and had paid travel expenses for his family trips of Kenya and Ecuador. The PM and the Finance Minister are facing investigations by Canadas Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner in the aforementioned context, while also being probed by Parliamentary panels.

However, the statement by the PMO praised Morneau and even said that the has worked relentlessly and closely with Trudeau to build a strong and resilient Canadian economy. As per reports, the statement further also said that the Morneau is continuing the important work of listing measures amid the crisis.

READ: Justin Trudeau, 7 Other World Leaders Call For Equal Access To COVID-19 Vaccine

READ: 'Sincerely Sorry': Canadian PM Trudeau Apologises Over Controversial Charity Contract
China's anger over Azar's Taiwan visit reflects 'weakness': Pompeo

ROC Central News Agency

08/11/2020 04:06 PM

Washington, Aug. 10 (CNA) United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday said the mere fact China can get so worked up over an American official's visit to Taiwan only goes to reflect its "weakness."

"I think that tells you a lot about the weakness of the Chinese Communist Party and the fact that it could feel threatened from such a visit," Pompeo said in an interview on the conservative Newsmax TV.

The comment came as part of answer to a question on what message Washington was sending to Beijing with the visit of U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar to Taiwan this week.

Even though the visit has had a clear political component, Pompeo said the sole purpose of Azar's visit was to learn how Taiwan has dealt with the COVID-19 pandemic and better understand the "Wuhan virus."

"I'm always surprised that when the United States sends its health minister to another country why anyone would find that so threatening. He went there for the noble humanitarian purpose of reducing risk to citizens all across the world, including Chinese citizens," Pompeo said.

"It seems pretty weak when the mere presence of a health minister in a particular place working to defeat this global pandemic you find threatening or you find angering or you find somehow challenging to your very nation's national security," Pompeo added.

Asked what would be the red line for the U.S. that would lead the U.S. to go in and defend Taiwan, Pompeo called it "a very sensitive issue."

"We thoroughly intend to uphold our obligations and commitments with respect to the historical understandings between the United States and China on Taiwan," he said, stressing that Azar's visit is "wholly consistent with those commitments."

"We've told both the Chinese and the Taiwanese that we are going to continue to abide by that set of understandings. It's enshrined in U.S. law as well, so it's an obligation that we do so. I am confident that we'll continue to keep up those promises," he said.

(By Stacy Hsu and Ko Lin)

Enditem/ls

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In the light of border tensions, two Light Combat Helicopters developed by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) have been deployed for operations at high altitude in Leh to support Indian Air Force missions. The operational requirement was met in a short notice.

R. Madhavan, CMD, HAL, on Wednesday, said: "It is the lightest attack helicopter in the world, designed and developed by HAL to meet the specific and unique requirements of the Indian Armed Forces, reflecting the crucial role of HAL in Atma Nirbhar Bharat."

Recently, the Vice Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Harjit Singh Arora, took part in one such operation along with HAL test pilot, Wg Cdr (Retd) Subash P. John, by taking-off from high altitude location to a forward area for a simulated attack on a high altitude target.

This was followed by a landing at one of the most treacherous helipads in the region. The Light Combat Helicopters successfully demonstrated its quick deployment prowess to forward locations in extreme temperatures.

In the IAF, the LCH is a potent weapon platform because of its state-of-the-art systems and highly accurate weapons that are capable of hitting any type of target by day or night.

The IAF and the Indian Army together need around 160 Light Combat Helicopters. The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) had approved the proposal for an initial batch of 15 Light Combat Helicopters. Consequently, the IAF issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) for 15 Limited Series Production (LSP) helicopters (10 for IAF and 5 for Army).

Technical evaluation and the price negotiations have been concluded and HAL expects to deliver shortly. As a proactive measure, HAL had already launched production of Limited Series Production in anticipation of the orders at its Bengaluru facility.

In May, the IAF had operationalised a second fighting squadron of the Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) at Sulur. Though there seems to be a lot to cheer about the development, defence experts and the veterans believe that the 'IAF is not in a fit state'amid the escalating tension at the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

As of now, the fighting squadrons of the IAF is down to 30 against the requirement of 42 squadrons.

Former AOC-in-C training command, IAF and defence expert, Air Marshal (retd) BK Pandey, said, "With no project underway and the older fleet getting obsolete the IAF is in distress. The second fighter squadron of the LCA will be a breather. The major concern is China. Though there may not be a full scale war, a possibility of skirmishes will be there and Pakistan may take advantage of it. We are not prepared to meet the Chinese threat". Pandey also opined that the IAF will constantly need upgraded number of fighter aircraft.
Niagara residents have to pull together on masks

Re: Ontario premier calls on visitors to Niagara tourist areas to wear masks, distance, Aug. 4

Am I the only one to believe starting Friday, July 31, face masks were mandatory throughout the Niagara peninsula?

Obviously, some people didnt get the message or correctly realized there wouldnt be any consequences for not obeying the mandate. Not being able to question ones medical pardon, anyone can flaunt the no face mask rule.

Non-wearers should produce a medical note and store employees should have the authority to question the validity of those being non-compliant.

Since the so-called mandate was issued, I have witnessed in several common areas many open faces, some putting them on only when approaching the check-outs and others simply ignoring the health factor altogether. Some local politicians arent helping the situation. One says, most people are wearing face masks and another declares were offering masks if they want to wear one.

Is it mandatory or not? The majority of the people in Niagara have strictly adhered to the health and safety precautions, but remember, Were all in this together so lets pull together.

It cant be one or the other. If its mandatory make it mandatory and fine non-users without medical clearance or ban them from the common areas.

Barry TuttlePort Colborne

Ford banks on kids not returning to school

Re: Provinces back-to-school plan underfunded, say Niagaras New Democrat MPPs, July 30

Premier Doug Ford is banking on most parents keeping their kids home ... thats why hes not limiting class size in the elementary panel or providing adequate funding for hiring more teachers and creating alternate spaces to use as classrooms.

Anyone whos been in a school lately, knows schools have fewer, smaller windows than ever, not all of which open for fresh air circulation.

If the full cohort of students does show up in September, theres no way there can be adequate physical distancing in elementary classrooms.

J. M. TaylorPort Colborne

Use of physical distancing term preferred over derogatory alternative

Would you use a racist term? How about a sexist or a homophobic term? How about using a derogatory name for someone with a weight problem or a derogatory name for those with health issues?

If you wouldnt use these sorts of terms or names why do you think its okay to use the term social distancing?

I have experienced social distancing most of my life. Trust me, it is not the same as physical distancing, a phrase which doesnt bother me in the least. Social distancing for me and others like me, in fact anyone who has been a victim of discrimination, is a very hurtful and derogatory term.

I cant emphasize this enough. When I see the term in print or hear it is like being stabbed.

Id like to see you, your colleagues, friends and family spend one year, let alone a lifetime, being socially distanced. I doubt youd last.

While things arent as bad today as they once were, theyre still not the greatest and I still bear the scars.

So I respectfully ask, no I demand, that you and your colleagues treat those of us who have experienced social distancing to show us respect and abolish using the term social distancing and replace it with the more respectful and appropriate term physical distancing.

Peter D. A. WarwickSt. Catharines

Letters Welcome

We welcome letters from our readers. Send them to letters@niagaradailies.com or mail to 55 King St., Suite 600, St. Catharines, Ont., L2H 3HR. Letters may be edited for length and clarity. Please include your name, address and phone number for verification purposes.

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The senior civil servant in the Department of Enterprise said the Government's initial bailout for businesses hit by Covid-19 did not provide enough grants or debt write-offs and would put some of them at risk of permanent closure.

Dr Orlaigh Quinn, the secretary general in the Department now led by Tanaiste Leo Varadkar, expressed concerns in an email to senior colleagues in the civil service in late April just hours before the outgoing Fine Gael-led government approved an initial set of measures to support businesses hit by the pandemic.

She said the package's focus on providing credit and not grants or write-offs would be viewed as putting too much pressure on businesses to carry their losses and borrow and she said proposals for a restart grant of as little as 2,500 could be viewed as "derisory".

Dr Quinn's views are recorded in an email to a number of secretaries general on April 30, including Martin Fraser (Taoiseach), Derek Moran (Finance), Robert Watt (Public Expenditure) and John McCarthy (Housing), where she was responding to details of a memo being prepared for the then Cabinet. Social Protection Minister Heather Humphreys was Business Minister at the time.

"We need to consider how this overall package will be received by the business sector. In the main, what is being proposed amounts to a strong blend of loans, forbearance and warehousing, with only a very small grant of 2,500," Dr Quinn wrote.

"While all elements are valuable, they will be viewed as putting too much pressure on the business to carry losses and to borrow. It is not strong enough on grants/write-offs and we run the risk that businesses will simply close. As you know, all our research tells us that Irish business are very reluctant to borrow, even pre-Covid."

Dr Quinn's email also detailed concerns about ensuring that loan schemes be extended to medium-sized businesses and that the debt terms be up to five years, and not three years.

She wrote that commercial rates should be written off rather than warehoused for specific sectors and also argued that the proposed restart grant was too small. "We suggest 5,000," she wrote.

"And we should link it to employment and health and safety (PPE) for employers. Bear in mind that average fixed costs for many business at 3,000 per week so we suggested this might be viewed as derisory."

Dr Quinn said it was important that Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe signal at that time that he was providing support for all businesses and "not just the big players who can afford to borrow". The email was sent the day before the Cabinet approved an initial 6.5bn package of support measures for businesses, including restart grants for businesses of between 2,000 and 10,000 depending on their commercial rates bill for 2019.

Amid criticism from businesses, the new Government last month announced that grants of 4,000-25,000 would be available and eligibility was widened.
Press Release

August 12, 2020 Transcript of the Senate Media's Zoom Interview with Senate Minority Leader Franklin M. Drilon SFMD: The first two hearings basically concentrated, or the questions focused on the IRM and on the overpricing of the IT programs. My take is that indeed, there is at least prima facie case of corruption and that corruption is embedded in PhilHealth bureaucracy. The officials involved should take a leave of absence. At this point, all those officials named should take a leave in order to prevent them from having access to the documents. Many of what was revealed would involve documents and these are the evidence that can be used. The best thing that can happen is that people named should go on leave while all these investigations are ongoing. The large part of the inquiry referred to the IRM and the overpricing on the IT. my thinking is that, as I said, the personnel involved without passing their guilt or innocence, should take their leave to enable the investigators to have full access to the documents and to prevent them from tampering with the evidence. We already heard yesterday that one of them removed the signature page in one of the documents because it could be incriminating and this is in the approval on the purchase of IT equipment, which is allegedly overpriced. I must state and warn that at this stage that the officials involved in the IRM could be liable for violation of the anti-graft law. Those who are found to have participated in the formulation and implementation of the IRM could be liable under Section 3 (g) of the anti-graft law, that is (g) Entering, on behalf of the Government, into any contract or transaction manifestly and grossly disadvantageous to the same, whether or not the public officer profited or will profit thereby." The IRM as asserted by no less than the COA chairman said that you have to liquidate within a reasonable period of time and the COA said it has been four months and up to now there is no liquidation. The way the IRM is implemented, favoritism is very clear, giving advantage to some regions while denying the same privilege to other regions. Q: How about on the IT project? SFMD: The same liability and provision of the anti-graft law can be cited. Q: According to Dr. Susan Mercado, although ang sinasabi ng PhilHealth executive, hindi sila na-consult on IRM. SFMD: Those who can be shown to have participated in the scheme, the IRM, whether in the formulation or implementation, may have to answer before the Ombudsman. Year in and year out, investigations take place. You will never know how this might be a bottomless pit. However, we can assert that corruption is endemic and systemic, so I doubt whether a change of president or board members would be sufficient. Systems must be in place. That is why I am in favor of the computerization of the PhilHealth records given its shortcomings. But again, charges of overpricing of IT equipment is being raised. So to me, we should just source out the computerization. If we have a reliable and competent IT company, we just contract it out so that all the PhilHealth will be doing is to get the desired results rather than buying the equipment themselves. This is not rocket science and it is being done. That is my strong suggestion. Q: Last week you asked SVP Santiago who said that the PhilHealth may collapse but in this morning's interview, President Morales said remains aggressive insofar as its finances are concerned SFMD: The statement of Santiago is not entirely baseless. Why? Number one, it is a natural consequence of the pandemic that there are more claims and less collection because of many people getting unemployed and business closing. The premium payment will naturally go down. The source of the PhilHealth subsidy is basically the excise tax on tobacco, which we crafted in 2012. As expected during the pandemic, the taxes on sin products will go down because of lack of consumption. Again it will put pressure on the national budget to augment available resources to PhilHealth. Today, the subsidy is P71B; in 2021 it is also P71B. Will there be sufficient funds? My own take is that the fund of PhilHealth will be very tight and will support larger assistance but they should clean up their mess. The fact is, they will incur losses in their operations this year and maybe next year. I would rather err by taking the position that indeed the funds are not sufficient and proceed from that basis rather than take the position of Morales that nothing is wrong with us and it is business as usual and we have enough funds. We should consider the finances of PhilHealth needing a closer look. Q: Given all these things, what can you say about the leadership of Morales? Can he keep on his promise to clean up the agency? SFMD: Let me make it clear. There is no evidence that Morales is directly involved in any of these shenanigans that are being unearthed. It is also clear to me that the people around him are doing something else. In the street language, napapaikutan si Mr. Morales. He should take stock of this. He should take strong and aggressive measures. My suspicion, he is siding with one group...it is quite obvious that the bureaucracy is split in PhilHealth. There are two groups fighting. This has become obvious to me why I complained about lack of support to Region 6, which is number 5 in the country in terms of infection. Yet, there is not a single one, except for one, requests were granted while in the other regions, kahit isa lang ang COVID-19 case, they got millions. To me, this indicates that Mr. Morales has somehow, wittingly or unwittingly, favored one of the factions. Therefore, that is not a very good indication of his leadership in PhiHealth. Q: Meron po bang liability in terms of negligence si Mr. Morales? SFMD: That is a matter of evidence. Indeed, negligence is punishable under the anti-graft law. The anti-graft law says "neglecting or refusing, after due demand or request, without sufficient justification, to act within a reasonable time on any matter pending before him for the purpose of obtaining, directly or indirectly, from any person interested in the matter some pecuniary or material benefit or advantage, or for the purpose of favoring his own interest or giving undue advantage in favor of or discriminating against any other interested party." Q: On these factions or groups, what does it make of the institution? SFMD: Number one, everybody is put on guard because the desk next to you can squeal on you so you try to do your job in the best way you can. On the other hand, such a faction would affect the efficiency of the organization. That is very evident. I go back to my example of my region where 33 requests were made and only one was acted upon after four months. The faction would result in inefficiency; on the other hand, it can also be a source of people making public as what they see as malpractices in the institution. This is a challenge to Mr. Morales. Q: He also mentioned that the resources to reform PhilHealth is not within PhilHealth. What do you make of that? SFMD: The key is to contract out the IT services. To my mind, that will solve a lot of problems of corruption. Having said that, I am willing to support in the budget whatever its cost in order to source out these services. PhilHealth is too valuable. The sourcing out, to me, is a critical issue and whatever it takes to fund it, I will support. I don't think it will be that significant. Q: It was mentioned that maybe the AMLAC can be involved. How do we go about that? SFMD: There must be an application with the Court of Appeals. There is procedure. That is feasible. I just don't know the details but you will recall in many pyramiding scams, the AMLA would go to CA and ask for the freezing of the accounts. Q: There have been announcements of vaccine to be rolled out. How should the government approach this in such a way that we can benefit most from these developments? SFMD: This is the first time in our history that we are confronted with this kind of a problem. We must act on the basis or our national interest. I cannot say more than that. We are being asked to participate in the testing. I would rely on the judgment of our health authorities to hand this request. What is important is we must have access to this vaccine once it is tested and accepted in the market. It is essential for the health of our people. Q: At this point in the investigation, would it be fair to say that B.Braun is a conduit of this alleged corruption? SFMD: There is prima facie case that B.Braun is the conduit. One of the issues that they must explain is there a bank account where these funds went? That is very unusual. On the surface, it would appear that there should be better explanation on what happened and why B.Braun appears to be the beneficiary. Having said that, one of the strong issues I had against the IRM is the favoritism. The dialysis centers are beneficiaries of the IRM that is supposed to benefit the pandemic. There is now way they are involved to activities related to COVID-19. Yet, there are hospitals in COVID-19 areas not given the same assistance. These facts clearly established that there is something wrong with the implementation of the program. Also, the liquidation is long overdue. These are indications of the questionable nature of this IRM as a mechanism for emergency. To me, this is a very frustrating exercise we are going through when all excuses are given to us. Q: Do you see the need to invite Sec. Duque considering that this was not the first is embroiled under his leadership in corruption issues? SFMD: Yes, he should attend, because, for example, the IRM is supposed to have been covered by a board resolution. Although there were questions raised as to when the approval came. Certainly, Sec. Duque would have to explain to the Senate how he conducted himself and whether or not due diligence was exercised as chairman of PhilHealth. In this regard, I will be asking questions from the GCG (Governance Commission on GOCCs) as to how they have implemented the very detailed provisions of the law insofar as overseeing the performance of PhilHealth is concerned. The law provides for the process of the appointment of people in the board. Was this followed? Sec. Duque must appear because many of these projects were approved by the Board and he is the chairman of the Board. Q: Having conducted two hearings, have you seen any evidence that would link Sec. Duque to these irregularities? SFMD: In fairness, none at this point. Certainly, this is a valid question to ask. Was he present in the meeting when the IRM is approved? Q: Doon sa mga narinig, are there testimonies which you found appalling? SFMD: To be candid, the assertion fraud is unavoidable something I found appalling and not acceptable to me. That statement is simply not acceptable. If you listened to the President who said "not even a whiff of corruption", but here you are the President and CEO of PhilHealth, which manages billions of pesos, is saying that fraud and corruption is an accepted circumstance in a fund like this. I find it appalling. Q: Yung pag-resign ni Col. Laborte, do you think that is very of the situation inside? SFMD: Yes, that is very telling of the situation inside. He was the one who recruited Keith, the lawyer. He is the head executive assistant. When Sen. Cayetano or Hontiveros confronted Morales, Morales said he trusted Laborte until he said all these things. Hindi naman siguro tama iyon. Q: On the IRM SFMD: There must be standards that must be set in order favoritism and with it, suspicions of corruption will not take place. Number two, there must be strict rules on liquidation. If PhilHealth is efficient in processing claims and paying them on time, you have no reason to launch an IRM or an advanced payment system. Q: Were you surprised that a hospital in Davao City got the lion's share of the funds? SFMD: Yes. At this point I have not seen the justification. Maybe it can be justified. I have not seen though, at this point, how did that happen. Certainly the fact that all these payments were made in a very relatively short period of time and the lack of liquidation at this point not only in the Davao hospitals but in all other hospitals is something of concern. This should have been liquidated given the fact that the funds were extended in the first week of April. There must be a liquidation of this as pointed out by the COA.
By Express News Service

CHENNAI: Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami, Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam and leaders of various political parties from the State welcomed the Supreme Courts ruling that women have equal coparcenary rights to inherit family properties. In a landmark judgement, the SC on Tuesday ruled that a woman member of the family is entitled to equal property rights so like a male member.

The CM tweeted, I am pleased with the Supreme Court ruling that women have equal right to property same as their male counterparts. The verdict, which has come to protect social justice, is a welcome move. O Panneerselvam, in his tweet, said, I cordially welcome the SCs ruling to uphold the social justice that woman have equal rights in hereditary property like men.

This will further strengthen the betterment of women. DMK President MK Stalin welcomed the judgement and said it was the victory for former Chief Minister Karunanidhi and DMK, since the late party patron enacted an Act in the State with the same objective, about 30 years ago, back in 1989, when he served as the Chief Minister.

MDMK general secretary Vaiko, PMK founder Dr S Ramadoss, CPM State secretary K Balakrishnan and others also welcomed the verdict. DMK cadres started celebrating the occasion by citing that Tamil Nadu was a pioneer of this ruling and India is following in DMKs footsteps. They cheered in jubilation for the Act which was brought by Karunanidhi that gave equal property rights to women even after marriage.
We chose Ada with Salesforce because Ada learns on its own, has easy-to-use reporting to quickly see where we arent meeting customers needs, and was purpose-built to provide the great automated customer experience that our customers deserve and want says Bernie Leas, VP, Operations, Balsam Brand

Ada, the market leader in Automated Customer Experience (ACX), today announced deeper integrations with Salesforce to help organizations benefit from an automation-first digital strategy that makes it easy to create personalized customer experiences at scale.

Adas automation capabilities now synchronize with Salesforce Live Agent, Service Cloud, and Sales Cloud. Adas conversational AI, alongside Salesforce, provides personalized, automated interactions that drive self-service behaviors and instant resolution. When human support is needed, Ada seamlessly hands off to sales or support representatives in Salesforce via Live Agent, creating a case or creating a lead.

With Adas AI-powered, personalized chatbot platform, businesses can automate more than 80% of customer inquiries and boost live agent productivity, improving the overall customer support experience while saving millions in support costs.

We chose Ada with Salesforce because Ada learns on its own, has easy-to-use reporting to quickly see where we arent meeting customers needs, and was purpose-built to provide the great automated customer experience that our customers deserve and want says Bernie Leas, vice-president of operations with Balsam Brands, an online seller of artificial Christmas trees based in California. He said since Balsam started using Ada in 2018, the number of live customer chats has dropped by 50 to 60 per cent, and the company has identified ways to make its website more user friendly.

Customer service is arguably the most important competitive advantage. In todays digital world, companies should be talking to their customers more, not less. But we have found, increasingly, and because of COVID-19, this is prohibitively expensive for companies to achieve as they grow. A human-first approach is not scalable. By contrast, with Ada, businesses can deliver exponentially more meaningful customer interactions at scale, without incurring the skyrocketing costs of growing headcount and software licenses, said Ada co-founder and CEO Mike Murchison. Innovative, market-leading companies like Zoom, Aeropost, and Air Asia use Ada alongside Salesforce to deliver a meaningful, scalable automation-first customer experience.

Adas Salesforce Integration Benefits:

No Code Deployment: Ada's automated chatbot can be built without a dependence on IT. Ada puts the power of building in the hands of non-technical CX teams who know customers best. Within 30 days of launching automation-first support with Ada, businesses experience at least a 30% reduction in customer inquiry volume, shorter wait times for support, and improved CSAT.

Best-in-Class NLU: Adas conversational AI is built on an in-house, proprietary Natural Language Understanding (NLU) model, which allows the chatbots to instantly understand customer intent with just 7-10 training questions. Unlike other chatbot solutions, Adas AI does not require IT resources to deploy and maintain. Non-technical members of the customer service team can create new answer flows in seconds with Adas intuitive Drag-and-Drop interface. Adas recent benchmarking analysis found that Adas AI outperforms competitors on the measures of predictability and accuracy by 14% on average. Even before hitting send, Adas Predictive Suggestions anticipate the customers question and proactively offer related topics to reduce customer effort.

Knowledge Lookup: Adas conversational AI recognizes when it does not have an answer to a customers question. In that case, Ada can search the existing knowledge base and provide relevant articles within the chat interface to promote self-service.

Fluent in 100+ Languages: Ada's AI-powered platform enables companies to communicate with customers around the world. With Ada, you can build a chatbot in one language, and service customers with the click of a button in over 100 languages. Ada can also auto-detect a customers chosen language from a typed question and instantly switch to their preferred language.

Multi-Channel Support: In service of powering more customer interactions than ever before, Adas conversational AI facilitates fully automated as well as hybrid chatbot-human support interactions on the web, in-app with Adas SDKs, and across social channels like Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp.

Adas expanded integration strategy with Salesforce brings the power of accessible AI to the broader market and organizations seeking a best-in-class, automation-first approach to CX. To learn more about transforming your customer service organization with Adas automation platform, visit Ada.support.

About Ada

Ada is the market leader in Automated Customer Service (ACX). As the only chatbot platform purpose-built to support an automation-first customer service strategy, Ada's AI-powered platform is designed to deliver the scale and impact that transforms customer support from a cost center to profit center. Headquartered in Toronto, Ada enables hundreds of brands around the world to meet the needs of today's customers with thoughtful personalized interactions proven to enhance long-term value and boost the bottom line. Learn more at ada.support.
The ex-wife of Prince Louis of Luxembourg has travellled to London following the lift of lockdown, sharing glimpses of her glamorous return.

Former Princess Tessy of Luxembourg, 34, wed Louis in 2006, and has two children Prince Gabriel of Nassau, 14, and Prince Noah of Nassau, 12, with the Prince, who is the third son of the country's reigning monarch Grand Duke Henri.

Tessy, who lost her title after divorcing Louis last April and now splits her time between Luxembourg and London, took to Instagram to share her joy at being back on the capital's social scene.

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Former Princess Tessy of Luxembourg has travellled to London following the lift of lockdown, sharing glimpses of her glamorous return

Tessy kicked off her glamorous return with a visit to Knightsbridge's Russian restaurant Mari Vanna,sharing a snap as she posed in a floral dress alongside a gal pal, writing: 'Gosh it feels great to be back home'

Tessy kicked off her glamorous return with a visit to Knightsbridge's Russian restaurant Mari Vanna,sharing a snap as she posed in a floral dress alongside a gal pal, writing: 'Gosh it feels great to be back home'.

The former royal joked that she had endured a long and 'very hot day' at work, remarking how much hotter 33 degrees felt in London than anywhere in Europe.

She then moved onto Mayfair's famed Asian-Italian Novikov restaurant, where she shared a stream of stories as she enjoyed truffle and a range of luxury deserts with friends.

And continuing her sweep of luxury eateries today, Tessy enjoyed breakfast with a pal at artisan cafe Queens of Mayfair.

And continuing her sweep of luxury eateries today, Tessy enjoyed breakfast with a pal at artisan cafe Queens of Mayfair

She then moved onto Mayfair's famed Asian-Italian Novikov restaurant, where she shared a stream of stories as she enjoyed truffle and a range of luxury deserts with friends

Prince Louis and Tessy's fairytale marriage broke down in 2016, and they were granted a decree nisi in February last year, after a 12 years together.

They were only 20 when they wed, getting married six months after the birth of their eldest son Prince Gabriel of Nassau, now 13.

Tessy, who in 2017 was named Woman of the Decade by the Women Economic Forum for her work in women's empowerment, now lives in London with Gabriel and her youngest son Prince Noah of Nassau, 11.

Prince Louis, who will now pay 8,000 a year child support, renounced his succession rights to the throne in 2006, a month after marrying Tessy - who was not born of royal blood - but to a modest family in the small town of Niederkorn.

She then moved onto Mayfair's famed Asian-Italian Novikov restaurant, where she shared a stream of stories as she enjoyed truffle and a range of luxury deserts with friends

The former royal joked that she had endured a long and 'very hot day' at work, remarking how much hotter 33 degrees felt in London than anywhere in Europe

At a hearing in December, Louis was ordered to pay just 75-a-week to each of his two sons after a judge found his family's vast wealth could not be factored into a bitter divorce battle with his ex-wife.

Louis now lives in Paris, while Tessy juggles a busy work life with raising the couple's two children across the Channel.

The philanthropist is the co-founder of social enterprise Professors Without Borders which aims to improve access to higher education across the globe.

She also works as a consultant, public speaker and is a UN Association patron.

Former Princess Tessy of Luxembourg, 34, wed Louis in 2006, and has two children Prince Gabriel of Nassau, 13, and Prince Noah of Nassau, 11, with the Prince, who is the third son of the country's reigning monarch Grand Duke Henri (seen in 2014)
Actor Sanjay Dutt has reportedly been diagnosed with stage four lung cancer. On August 8, the actor was admitted in Mumbai's Lilavati hospital after he complained of breathlessness and chest discomfort. He later tweeted that his test for COVID-19 was negative. Dutt was discharged from the hospital on August 10.

A Hindustan Times report quoted a source as saying, "When he (Sanjay) was taken to the hospital, he was low on oxygen saturation. But when his COVID-19 report came negative, he ran cancer analysis and it came positive."

As soon as the news of Dutt's cancer diagnosis broke, fans and celebrities took to social media to pray for his speedy recovery.

Get Well Soon Baba, Says Ritesh Deshmukh Ritiesh Deshmukh wrote, "Get well soon Baba. We love you. Our prayers are with you for your speedy recovery." Urmila Matondkar Says Sanjay Dutt Has Been A Fighter All His Life Sanjay Dutt's Daud co-star Urmila Matondkar shared an old picture of them from the film and captioned it as, "Such an upsetting n horrible news that @duttsanjay has been diagnosed of lung cancer..but then again he has been such a fighter all his life.. here is wishing him a speedy recovery #prayersforspeedyrecovery #getwellsoon." Adhyayan Suman On Dutt's Cancer Diagnosis Adhyayan Suman tweeted, "Sanju sir diagnosed with lung cancer :( #sanjaydutt get well soon sir this year why u doing this?" Earlier, Sanjay Dutt Had Announced His Sabbatical From Work With A Statement The actor issued an official statement which read, "Hi friends, I am taking a short break from work for some medical treatment. My family and friends are with me and I urge my well-wishers not to worry or unnecessarily speculate. With your love and good wishes, I will be back soon!"

According to reports, the Kaante actor will be flying to the US for medical treatment. A close friend of the actor told Bollywood Hungama, "Baba is devastated. He has little children. Fortunately, they are in Dubai right now with their mother. But breaking this awful news to them would be an ordeal."

ALSO READ: Sanjay Dutt Diagnosed With Stage 3 Lung Cancer: To Fly To The US For Treatment

ALSO READ: Sadak 2 Trailer: Sanjay Dutt, Alia Bhatt And Aditya Roy Kapur Promise A Thrilling Journey
The need to come together has never been greater, said Lisa Murray, Event Director.

Steve Dickson, Administrator, FAA; Brian Harrell, Assistant Director, DHS Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA); and Michael Kratsios, Chief Technology Officer of the United States, The White House, will deliver keynote presentations at Commercial UAV Expo Americas 2020 Virtual Event taking place September 15-17. Additional keynote panels are Drone Delivery in the Era of a Pandemic; UPS Panel on Building a Drone Delivery Airline While Balancing the Gender Equation; and Expanded Operations, Regulatory Update and Lessons Learned from IPP.

For the first time, Keynotes will be free to attend for anyone with Virtual Exhibit Hall pass. In addition to accessing the keynotes, attendees will be able to chat with one another during the sessions and network with one another through a sophisticated AI-powered networking tool. Registration is available here: https://virtual.expouav.com/page/1554247/register?promo=209221

The need to come together has never been greater, said Lisa Murray, Event Director. Were thrilled that these top UAS leaders have chosen Commercial UAV Expo as the platform for sharing critical updates and information during these extraordinary times.

Keynote Presentations

Steve Dickson, FAA

UAS Today and Onward

Over the past year, the industry and the FAA have made substantial progress related to UAS. Operators have received part 135 air carrier certification, the long-awaited remote identification rule was proposed and will soon be finalized, aircraft type certification efforts are underway, and emergency relief and public safety operations have expanded. But where is the FAA really on the path to full integration? This journey began and is progressing deliberately, with an absolute commitment to safety every step of the way. As technology has advanced; experience has been gained through real-world operations, such as those conducted under the UAS Integration Pilot Program. Regulatory efforts have progressed bringing the destination closer every day. In this keynote address, FAA Administrator Steve Dickson will discuss the state of UAS, today and in the future.

Brian Harrell, CISA

Security Threats & Opportunities; DHS CISA Resources for Commercial Enterprises

Private industry does not own the airspace above generation facilities, above a transmission substation, above a water plant  so the overhead threat for attack is absolutely real today.Brian Harrell. In his Keynote address, Brian will provide an update on joint efforts of DHS, DOJ, HHS and other agencies to anticipate and mitigate threats, the risks posed byand opportunities for use of  unmanned systems, the importance of investing in an insider-threat and other crisis mitigation programs, and resources available for industry including free workshops, training and webinars through the DHS CISA. The goal is protecting key infrastructure and other assets including the electric grid and water resources and preparing for worst-case scenarios.

Michael Kratsios, The White House

Update from the White House

As President Trumps top technology advisor, Michael has led the development and execution of the Administrations national technology policy agenda since inauguration. Under his leadership, the White House launched National initiatives for artificial intelligence, quantum computing, 5G and broadband communications, autonomous vehicles, commercial drones, STEM education, and advanced manufacturing. Chief Michael will provide an update on the latest developments from the White House.

Keynote Panels

In addition to the Keynote Presentations, the program includes three Keynote panels:

Drone Delivery in the Era of a Pandemic

The successes of drones deliveries for sending medicine and organs to hospitals quickly, or delivering aid in disaster areas, has not only been a step forward for proof of concept, but the PR engendered has been an important boost for the drone industry. How have deliveries been progressing, particularly throughout the pandemic, and what are next steps toward expanding these programs for other types of package delivery via drone?

Panelists include Lisa Ellman, Commercial Drone Alliance & Partner, Hogan Lovells, (Moderator); Bala Ganesh, UPS; Ed De Reyes, Sabrewing Aircraft Company, Inc with additional speaker announcements to come.

Building a Drone Delivery Airline While Balancing the Gender Equation

UPS Flight Forward Inc. has celebrated many things over the last year. In this inspiring Keynote the women on the team will talk about their roles in the successful drone airline and how theyre advocating for women to hold leadership positions in this new industry. Speaker announcements coming soon.

Expanded Operations, Regulatory Update and Lessons Learned from IPP

Jay Merkle will kick off the session with a regulatory update and will then engage panelists in candid discussion about their IPP experiences. Hell focus on how these learnings and insights will inform the expansion of drone programs.

Panelists include Jay Merkle, FAA (Moderator); Katelyn McCauley, San Diego IPP; Cathy Cahill, University of Alaska IPP; Mark Blanks, Virginia IPP; James Grimsley, Advanced Technology Initiatives, Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma.

About Commercial UAV Expo Americas

Commercial UAV Expo Americas, presented by Commercial UAV News, is the leading international trade show and conference for the commercial drone market. Its sixth edition, September 15-17, 2020 will take place virtually. For more information, visit http://www.expouav.com/.

Commercial UAV Expo Americas and its sister event Commercial UAV Expo Europe are produced by Diversified Communications technology portfolio which also includes Commercial UAV News, GeoBusiness Show, International Lidar Technology Forum, SPAR 3D Expo & Conference, SPAR 3D.com, AECNext Technology Expo & Conference and AEC Next News. For information on opportunities for vendors at Commercial UAV Expo Americas, contact Katherine Dow, Sales Manager, at kdow@divcom.com or +1.207-842-5497. For attending information, visit http://www.expouav.com or email info@expouav.com.
Authorities in Da Nang, Vietnams novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak epicenter at present, have required residents to go to local markets less often in a bid to curb the epidemic.

A new approach started to be implemented on Wednesday to limit the number of times citizens go to the market for groceries.

Accordingly, each household is allocated so-called market access tickets, which must be presented whenever a resident enters a market in the tourist city.

Market-goers are required to fill out basic information on the tickets, including the name of the households representative, address, and telephone number.

A stack of five tickets is handed to each family once every 15 days.

Each household is only allowed to use a market access ticket once every three days.

A market access ticket consists of information such as the households representative, address, and telephone number. Photo: Huu Kha / Tuoi Tre

The tickets are color-coded, with pink granting the holder access on even days and blue for odd days.

Market management boards and local officers are tasked with collecting the tickets at the entrances of all markets in Da Nang during this period.

They must also store the collected tickets to facilitate epidemiological investigation when necessary.

Merchants are in charge of reminding their customers to keep a two-meter distance from each other and wear a face mask while shopping.

Market access tickets are handed to a resident in Da Nang City, Vietnam, August 11, 2020. Photo: D.C. / Tuoi Tre

Nguyen Ha Bac, director of the Da Nang Department of Industry and Trade, told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper that local markets have been attracting a large number of people despite social distancing regulations in the city.

In many cases, people visited the market more often than they needed, while some even went to the market more than once a day, Bac elaborated.

As the situation could cause serious COVID-19 outbreaks, stricter measures must be taken to prevent such scenarios, the official stated.

Residents carry groceries as they exit a market in Da Nang City, Vietnam, August 12, 2020. Photo: Huu Kha / Tuoi Tre

The Southeast Asian country has logged 866 cases in total, including 321 imported patients who were quarantined upon arrival, since the pandemic first hit in January.

Four-hundred and five local infections have been registered since July 25, when Da Nang recorded Vietnam's first community-based COVID-19 case after the country had gone 99 days without any local transmission.

Among Vietnams patients, 399 have been cleared of the virus, while 17 deaths related to the virus have been recorded.

Social distancing regulations were previously implemented in Da Nang City from July 28 until August 11 to control the epidemic.

The period was extended on Wednesday due to continued community transmission.

Tickets are collected at the entrance of a market in Da Nang City, Vietnam, August 12, 2020. Photo: Huu Kha / Tuoi Tre

Tickets are collected at the entrance of a market in Da Nang City, Vietnam, August 12, 2020. Photo: Huu Kha / Tuoi Tre

People buy supplies at a market in Da Nang City, Vietnam, August 12, 2020. Photo: Huu Kha / Tuoi Tre

A woman has her body temperature measured before entering a market in Da Nang City, Vietnam, August 12, 2020. Photo: Huu Kha / Tuoi Tre

A merchant and buyer wear face masks and plastic shields at a market in Da Nang City, Vietnam, August 12, 2020. Photo: Huu Kha / Tuoi Tre

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For 28 years, the Dixon University Center along Front Street in Harrisburg has served as the headquarters for Pennsylvanias State System of Higher Education where its chancellor had an office and residence and its governing board usually met.

But soon the 37-year-old system may be looking for a new place to call its home.

The systems governing board on Thursday will hold a special meeting to consider, among other actions, disposing of  in whole or in part  the property, named after the systems founding chairman, F. Eugene Dixon, Jr., and moving its headquarters to a smaller facility.

The boards agenda indicates the reason has to do with the systems ongoing effort to make itself and its 14 universities financially sustainable going forward.

The agenda states: the size of the location now exceeds the needs of the Office of the Chancellor and is largely underutilized. Disposition of the siteand relocation to a smaller facilitywould reduce overhead costs for the Office of the Chancellor, thus allowing the savings to be invested in the ongoing System Redesign efforts on behalf of the entire system.

System Chancellor Dan Greenstein said in a statement, Every dollar the State System is able to save is a dollar we can invest in our universities and our students. Even before the pandemic, weve been challenging the status quo by taking a hard look at how the State System can better align costs with revenues and orient itself to meet the future. The times call for creativity, flexibility, and agility, and the potential sale of the Dixon University Center is in keeping with those goals.

The State System of Higher Education's governing board on Thursday will consider action to dispose of the Dixon University Center's nearly 6.5 acre property that straddles Second Street in Harrisburg. Photo provided by the State System of Higher Education

The property, which is owned by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is situated on nearly 6.5 acres that straddles Second Street. It consists of six buildings and an underground parking garage. Several of the renovated buildings have been used over the years by system universities as well as some private colleges and universities to offer evening and weekend classes to adult students. Additionally, some of its rooms have served as community gathering places.

The property includes a residence, named the McCormick House after the systems founding Chancellor James McCormick, where the systems last four chancellors have lived. Greenstein has opted to live elsewhere in the capital city instead of the large house situated along Front Street with a riverfront view.

The systems board can only lease the property. To sell it would require notification to and favorable resolution from the General Assembly.

It could be some time before we identify a buyer and execute a sale, and in the meantime, we will maintain the Dixon University Center and support the universities that utilize it for classes while we seek prospective buyers, Greenstein said.

Harrisburg Mayor Eric Papenfuse called the property a beautiful and historic campus in the heart of Harrisburgs Riverside neighborhood. It has been under-utilized for some time. A sale that preserves and invigorates its institutional use would be an exciting development for the city.

The property formerly was home to the Harrisburg Academy, a private school that now is located across the Susquehanna River in East Pennsboro Township. The academy, which built five structures on the grounds, maintained the property until 1941 when the War Department took it over, according to a history on the systems website. Starting in 1956, the property functioned in various configurations as an educational consortium until 1987 when it invited the State System to use the site.

The State System began operating there under a lease/purchase agreement in 1988. It purchased the site in 1991.

This proposed move comes on the heels of the system boards action last month to begin exploring the efficiencies that could be achieved by combining of six of its universities into three pairs, namely Slippery Rock and Edinboro, Lock Haven and Mansfield, and California and Clarion universities.

The system of 14 state-owned universities has been struggling to deal with financial challenges from years of a declining percentage of its operating budget covered by state funding, declines in its enrollment, and most recently, the impact on both its finances and enrollment from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Its leaders succeeded in convincing the Legislature to grant it special authority for the next three years to make changes to address the challenges it faces by opening up newfound possibilities of mergers, consolidations and shared services without requiring legislative approval as previously was required.

Other universities in the system include Bloomsburg, Cheyney, East Stroudsburg, Kutztown, Lock Haven, Shippensburg, Millersville, and West Chester universities.

*This post was updated to include system Chancellor Dan Greenstein and Harrisburg Mayor Eric Papenfuses comments.

Staff writer Christine Vendel contributed to this story.

Jan Murphy may be reached at jmurphy@pennlive.com. Follow her on Twitter at @JanMurphy.

Thanks for visiting PennLive. Quality local journalism has never been more important. We need your support. Not a subscriber yet? Please consider supporting our work.
A push by two Virgin Australia bondholders to disrupt the bankrupt airlines sale to Bain Capital has gained the support of investment giants including Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank and UBS.

Documents filed on behalf of Broad Peak Investment Advisors and Tor Investments in the NSW Federal Court on Tuesday claim that bondholders, owed a combined $800 million, now back their alternative proposal for the airline.

Bain says the alternative proposal put forward by bondholders is "not credible". Credit:Getty

Virgin owes $2 billion to unsecured bondholders among a total debt pile of $6.8 billion. Broad Peak and Tor, which are Singapore and Hong Kong based investors owed around $300 million, want ownership of Virgin handed to creditors rather than the airline be sold to Bain.

Corrs Chambers Westgarth lawyer Cameron Cheetham, acting for the two investors, told the court that in the past week his firm had received statements of support for the rival proposal from around 60 bondholders including UBS, Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank, Morgans, Mason Stevens, Escala Partners, Mutual Limited, Aberdeen Standard Investments and Yarra Capital Management.
Canola prices could continue to rise even after the futures contract soared to its highest level in nearly two years amid continued trade tensions with China and back-door access to the Asian importer, experts say.

As usual, (the upward movement) is a fairly complex situation, said Bruce Burnett, director of markets and weather at MarketsFarm, that provides analysis on commodity markets.

In March 2019, the Chinese government blocked canola seed imports from Richardson International Ltd.  one of Canadas largest grain producers  and Regina-based Viterra Inc. by suspending their licences. The decision followed the arrest of Chinese tech giant Huawei chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou in Vancouver a few months earlier.

More than a year later the situation hasnt really changed, said Brian Innes, vice-president of public affairs with the Canola Council of Canada, noting those two companies are still unable to export canola seeds to China.

Thats led to reduced canola seed exports to China from Canada, he said, at roughly 30 per cent of normal levels.

In 2019, canola seed exports to China fell by about 70 per cent, the council says, resulting in about $1 billion in lost revenue from the commodity. Before the trade tensions, the Chinese market made up 40 per cent of Canadas canola seed, oil and meal exports, with canola seed exports totalling $2.7 billion in 2018, the council said.

Chinas moves against Canadian canola seed put the commoditys price in the basement, Innes said.

But, recently, the price has been trending up.

At the end of July, the canola futures contract on the Intercontinental Exchange hit $491.50  a mark not seen since October 2018. By Monday, it had tapered off to $484.10  still on the high end of the roughly $430 to $490 range its been in since that 2018 high.

The sudden rise comes down to increasing demand from several sources, said Burnett.

Canada increased exports to Europe to make up some of the shortfall in Chinese purchases. European production dropped significantly over the past couple years, he said, increasing their need to import canola.

Additionally, Canada is exporting more to the United Arab Emirates where it has been reported they crush canola seed and send the oil to China via a so-called back-door route, Innes and Townsend said.

Some third-party countries have also been crushing our canola and sending the oil to China, said Burnett.

Direct exports to China are also up, said Neil Townsend, chief market analyst at FarmLink Marketing Solutions.

Weve done pretty good going through the front door in China lately, he said, referring to exports as a whole.

Canada has averaged about 250 tonnes of canola exports over the past four months, he said, compared with roughly 125 tonnes in the same four months last year.

Thats quite good.

Additionally, theres growing demand from Canadian companies that purchase canola, crush it and sell the oil and meal to different markets, including domestically, he said.

The COVID-19 pandemic, which closed many restaurant dining rooms around the world, helped boost demand for canola oil by consumers who are cooking at home more, he said. In certain markets, such as Canada and China, consumers prefer to cook with canola oil at home, said Townsend.

Despite the increased demand and corresponding price bump, the commoditys price is still off of previous highs.

These are good prices in Western Canada, said Townsend, though, theyre not extraordinary prices.

Without restricted access to the Chinese market and barring any significant loss from selling canola oil instead of seed to China, he said, the commodity price could crack $500 and move toward $515 or $520.

But, were not quite there yet.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 11, 2020.
Dave Powers became the CEO of Deckers Outdoor Corporation (NYSE:DECK) in 2016, and we think it's a good time to look at the executive's compensation against the backdrop of overall company performance. This analysis will also evaluate the appropriateness of CEO compensation when taking into account the earnings and shareholder returns of the company.

Check out our latest analysis for Deckers Outdoor

How Does Total Compensation For Dave Powers Compare With Other Companies In The Industry?

According to our data, Deckers Outdoor Corporation has a market capitalization of US$6.3b, and paid its CEO total annual compensation worth US$6.7m over the year to March 2020. That's a modest increase of 4.4% on the prior year. While we always look at total compensation first, our analysis shows that the salary component is less, at US$1.1m.

For comparison, other companies in the same industry with market capitalizations ranging between US$4.0b and US$12b had a median total CEO compensation of US$6.7m. From this we gather that Dave Powers is paid around the median for CEOs in the industry. Moreover, Dave Powers also holds US$36m worth of Deckers Outdoor stock directly under their own name, which reveals to us that they have a significant personal stake in the company.

Component 2020 2019 Proportion (2020) Salary US$1.1m US$988k 16% Other US$5.7m US$5.5m 84% Total Compensation US$6.7m US$6.5m 100%

On an industry level, around 31% of total compensation represents salary and 69% is other remuneration. In Deckers Outdoor's case, non-salary compensation represents a greater slice of total remuneration, in comparison to the broader industry. If total compensation is slanted towards non-salary benefits, it indicates that CEO pay is linked to company performance.

Deckers Outdoor Corporation's Growth

Over the past three years, Deckers Outdoor Corporation has seen its earnings per share (EPS) grow by 144% per year. Its revenue is up 4.5% over the last year.

Story continues

Overall this is a positive result for shareholders, showing that the company has improved in recent years. It's good to see a bit of revenue growth, as this suggests the business is able to grow sustainably. Moving away from current form for a second, it could be important to check this free visual depiction of what analysts expect for the future.

Has Deckers Outdoor Corporation Been A Good Investment?

Most shareholders would probably be pleased with Deckers Outdoor Corporation for providing a total return of 245% over three years. As a result, some may believe the CEO should be paid more than is normal for companies of similar size.

In Summary...

As we touched on above, Deckers Outdoor Corporation is currently paying a compensation that's close to the median pay for CEOs of companies belonging to the same industry and with similar market capitalizations. Investors would surely be happy to see that returns have been great, and that earnings per share are up. Indeed, many might consider that Dave is compensated rather modestly, given the solid company performance! Also, such solid returns might lead to shareholders warming to the idea of a bump in pay.

While it is important to pay attention to CEO remuneration, investors should also consider other elements of the business. We did our research and spotted 2 warning signs for Deckers Outdoor that investors should look into moving forward.

Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking at a different set of stocks. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies.

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.
USOSM President and CEO says company looks forward to partnering with Oral Surgery Associates & Dental Implant Centers, one of the largest and most respected OMS practices in the region. We were ready to take things to the next level, and thats why we chose to partner with USOSM.

U.S. Oral Surgery Management (USOSM)  a specialty management services company headquartered in Irving, Texas, that exclusively serves premier oral and maxillofacial surgeons  is pleased to announce a new partnership with Oral Surgery Associates & Dental Implant Centers, an OMS practice with 10 locations in the Atlanta, Georgia, area.

Last year, we announced our first partnership in the southeast and our intention to continue cultivating relationships in this important part of the country. Since then, we have formed several partnerships in the Atlanta area, and we plan to continue that momentum in Atlanta and throughout the southeast, said Richard Hall, USOSM president and CEO. Like our other partners, Oral Surgery Associates & Dental Implant Centers is exceptional. They are one of the largest and most respected OMS practices in the southeast. The doctors and their staff have built a reputation for excellence and quality patient care, and were honored to partner with them.

Oral Surgery Associates & Dental Implant Centers is a nine surgeon practice with 10 locations, serving Atlanta and the surrounding areas. Offices include Athens, Atlanta/Buckhead, Conyers, Covington, Decatur, Dunwoody, Monroe, Northlake/Tucker, Roswell and Snellville.

The surgical team is dedicated to helping patients fully understand treatment and be completely comfortable during all parts of a procedure. The doctors provide patients with a unique, personal approach and exemplary attention to detail.

Weve always focused on providing high quality patient care and making sure everyone leaves our office with a smile. These things are a big part of who we are and have helped shape us into a great practice, but we were ready to take things to the next level, and thats why we chose to partner with USOSM, said Dr. Gordon Brady, DMD, a partner of and oral surgeon with Oral Surgery Associates & Dental Implant Centers. We were impressed with the high quality of oral surgeons who were already in the group and when we talked to them about the experience, their responses were uniform  they all said USOSM does what it says its going to do, and that its a solid group that listens, responds and pays attention to detail. Were compatible, committed and all-in.

Headquartered in Irving, Texas, USOSM has partner practices spanning six states: Texas, Colorado, Georgia, Tennessee, Minnesota and Alabama. A shared services organization, USOSM collaborates with premier oral and maxillofacial surgeons to offer a partnership solution for continued and accelerated practice success. USOSM provides operational, marketing and administrative support services, reinvests resources, and applies best practices to improve clinical and financial performance and produce steadier, more profitable growth for all.
Microsoft Surface Duo foldable Android smartphone is confirmed to launch officially on September 10 in the US

Microsoft Surface Duo foldable Android smartphone is confirmed to launch officially on September 10 in the US. The pre-orders for Surface Duo are already underway and anyone in the US can pre-book the companys first foldable phone at a price of $1,399. Microsoft had previously revealed the design along with some key specifications of the Surface Duo and today, in its Surface IT Pro Blog, it announced the availability of the phone along with a sneak peek at the final product.

The Surface Duo comes with two 5.6-inch displays separated by a hinge design that enables it to be used in different modes. Theres currently no word whether Microsoft is planning to bring the Surface Duo to India anytime soon. Nevertheless, by direct conversion, the price of Microsofts foldable phone is around Rs 1,05,000 which puts it in the ballpark of other foldable phones like Samsung Galaxy Z Flip and Motorola Razr.

Microsoft Surface Duo specifications

Microsoft Surface Duo features two 5.6-inch AMOLED screen with a resolution of 1800 x 1350 pixels and 4:3 aspect ratio. The display is capable of reproducing 100% sRGB and DCI-P3 colour gamut and is topped with a layer of Gorilla Glass for added protection. When opened, you get an 8.1-inch QHD+ (2700 x 1800 pixels) resolution display in a 3:2 aspect ratio. The Surface Duo measures 4.8mm in thickness when opened and weighs 250 grams.

It is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 chipset from last year and is paired with 6GB RAM and 128GB/256GB UFS 3.0 storage options to choose from. The Surface Duo runs on Android 10 and comes pre-loaded with Microsoft 365 suite of Android apps. It also supports Surface Pen but it doesnt come bundled.

The Surface Duo comes with an 11MP camera with an f/2.0 aperture with PDAF and EIS support and doubles up as both the rear and front camera system. It can record in 4K UHD at upto 60FPS along with features like 7x super zoom, HDR support and more.

It's got a fingerprint reader and a single speaker unit with dual microphones and support for Qualcomm aptX Adaptive codecs. The Surface Duo is fitted with a 3,577mAh battery with support for 18W fast charging out-of-the-box. Microsoft claims that the phone can provide upto 27 hours worth of talk time and upto 10 days of standby time.

Microsoft has currently only revealed the availability of the Surface Duo for the US but we should have some more clarity for other regions on September 10 when the phone officially goes on sale.
Usually, I described the connections between Mahatma Gandhis notion of satyagraha, the struggle for truth, and the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.s version of nonviolent resistance. The one interview where no one asked me that question was for an assistant professor position in African-American studies. I took that job.

Black Americans do not need to be told about the long relationship between the Black struggle for freedom and decolonization in Asia and Africa. As the Rev. James Lawson, the leading civil rights strategist of nonviolence, now 91, said at the funeral of Representative John Lewis, whom he mentored in Nashville, the civil rights movement was really the nonviolent movement of America.

Mr. Lawson and his fellow activists set out to demonstrate, as he put it, the efficacy of satyagraha, of soul force, of love truth, that we would have to do it in Nashville. And so I planned, as the strategist and organizer, a four-point Gandhian strategic program to create the campaign.

Opinion Debate Will the Democrats face a midterm wipeout? Mark Penn and Andrew Stein write that "only a broader course correction to the center will give Democrats a fighting chance in 2022" and beyond.

write that "only a broader course correction to the center will give Democrats a fighting chance in 2022" and beyond. Matthew Continetti writes that time and again, the biggest obstacle to a red wave hasnt been the Democratic Party. Its been the Republican Party.

writes that time and again, the biggest obstacle to a red wave hasnt been the Democratic Party. Its been the Republican Party. Ezra Klein speaks to David Shor, who discusses his fear that Democrats face electoral catastrophe unless they shift their messaging.

speaks to David Shor, who discusses his fear that Democrats face electoral catastrophe unless they shift their messaging. Michelle Cottle examines two primary contests that will shake the parties well beyond the states in play.

Nonviolent protest, personified by Gandhi and Dr. King, has deep roots in the abolition movement, specifically the pacifist ideas of William Lloyd Garrison and Henry David Thoreaus On Civil Disobedience. They influenced Leo Tolstoy, who in turn influenced Gandhi. What goes around comes around.

When Barack Obama became president, I also stopped explaining my name to strangers. When asked which historical figure living or dead he would like to have dinner with, Mr. Obama said, You know, I think it might be Gandhi, who is a real hero of mine.
The arrest of pro-democracy media mogul Jimmy Lai and the high-profile police raid on the Apple Daily newspaper this week has stoked widespread fears of the end of Hong Kong as a flourishing city where information and opinions were freely aired.

Lai, 71, was one of ten people arrested Monday for violating the national security law imposed by China on July 1. Among them, two were his sons, four were senior executives at Lais Next Digital company, and three were activists, including 23-year-old Agnes Chow. Lai and Chow were released on bail late Tuesday.

Lai was held on charges including subversion and collusion with a foreign country, which are new offenses under the new national security law carrying a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. The legislation allows for people accused of breaching the law to be transferred to mainland courts for trial, where 99% of cases result in conviction.

Reporters said the high-profile raid, in which police officers rummaged through documents on their desks, left them feeling shocked, angry and humiliated.

We thought they might arrest our boss someday, but no one expected 200 police officers rushing into our office and going through stuff on our desks, said a journalist at the Apple Daily, who declined to be named.

Another journalist at the paper who returned to the office during the raid said she was heartbroken by the sight of a boss handcuffed and led away by the police and felt humiliated that police escorted her at every step. I felt very upset and helpless but angry too, she said.

Veteran media professionals say Apple Daily stands as a lone, critical voice among Hong Kongs mainstream media outlets and say the authorities may close it down under the national security law. The attack on the newspaper is an indication that press freedom is no longer tolerated in Hong Kong, they say.

"Apple Daily is almost the only one among mainstream media outlets that is not afraid of antagonizing the Hong Kong or Chinese governments. Now it has become a lonely voice," said Daisy Li, veteran journalist and chief editor at online media CitizenNews.

Since Hong Kongs return to Chinese rule in 1997, press freedom has been gradually eroding, as media outlets become co-opted by the Chinese authorities through ownership or major stakes of mainland companies or businesses with strong ties to China.

Two television companies, NOW and Cable TV, well known for their independent reporting, recently had their head of news replaced, while respected public broadcaster RTHK has been put under government review after the removal of a 31-year-old satirical political comedy show.

Apple Daily is an outspoken media whose reporting have often embarrassed the Beijing and Hong Kong authorities. Its the bellwether of press freedom in Hong Kong, said Bruce Lui, senior journalism lecturer at the Hong Kong Baptist University. All kinds of opinions should co-exist when there is press freedom, and when there is no longer Apple Daily, it means the authorities no longer tolerate these voices and can silence them.

Since the mainland state media characterize Apple Daily as a paper that engages in collusion with foreign powers, according to the national security laws Clause 55 and 56, Lai risks being sent to China for trial, and could be given the maximum life imprisonment, Lui said.

The Chinese governments opinions on Lai and his freewheeling paper could be gleaned from a statement from its Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office. It called for the severe punishment of those who collude with foreign forces and act as their agents to harm national security by secession, subversion and infiltration.

The office accused Lai and his paper of being a mastermind behind protests in Hong Kong, using his media platforms to fabricate and spread rumors and to incite and support violence, and of providing financial support for anti-China and pro-independence forces.

Kenneth Chan, a political scientist at the Hong Kong Baptist University, said press freedom has long been Hong Kongs asset and an indispensable element of the citys comparative advantage over other countries in Asia.

The raid on Apple Daily  can but tell the world that the government sees in press freedom in the context of a communist-style power struggle, he said.

Despite the hardship, Hong Kong journalists insist they would not be cowed into silence. And members of the public have also shown overwhelming support for the Apple Daily. After the raid, the papers parent company Next Digitals share price more than doubled on Monday and rocketed five times again the next day to reach a six-year high. Regardless of the arrests, the paper printed five times as many copies and newspapers sold out across Hong Kong on Tuesday.

Lai returned to his office on Wednesday, receiving a heros welcome from his applauding staff.

An Apple Daily journalist said he would not be surprised if the authorities closed the paper soon, but most of our colleagues want to stay for as long as we can.

The future is difficult, but the spirit of defiance is alive and strong among Hong Kongers, including journalists. There will still be people willing to safeguard Hong Kongs press freedom, said Mak Yin Ting, former chairwoman of the Hong Kong Journalists Association.
The desperate search for German backpackers who were thought to be missing in the outback was sparked by a worried mum who couldn't contact them.

Benjamin Kress, 29, and Nathalie Kress, 26, have been travelling together since October and are currently in Western Australia's north-west.

The couple were last heard from by family friends at 80 Mile Beach between Broome and Port Hedland on July 21, prompting police to put out an alert on August 5.

They told friends and family they planned to travel the Gibb River Road in the Kimberley region, and chose to take their time and enjoy the outback.

Benjamin Kress, 29, and Nathalie Kress, 26, (pictured) have been travelling together since October and are currently in Western Australia's north-west

The couple (pictured) were last heard from by family friends at 80 Mile Beach between Broome and Port Hedland on July 21, prompting police to put out an alert on August 5

As they made their slow trip towards the Northern Territory's border they ventured through an area with little-to-no reception, and missed one phone call from Mr Kress' mother.

'Benjamin's mum is normally in contact with us once a week, and we just told her and other family members that we were driving on the Gibb River Rd,' Ms Kress told NCA Newswire.

The couple did not clarify how long they planned to take on their trip, and after a week with no contact, Mr Kress' mother began to think the worst.

This is when Mr and Ms Kress were reported missing, sparking fear across Western Australia and prompting police to issue a release asking for help locating them.

When they reached the end of the road and finally reconnected to reception, Ms Kress said she received a flurry of messages from people desperately trying to contact her.

When they reached the end of the road and finally reconnected to reception, Ms Kress (pictured) said she received hundreds of messages from people attempting to contact her

The newlyweds were last heard from at 80 Mile Beach between Broome and Port Hedland on July 21 after telling their family they were heading to travel on the Gibb River Road

'We drove the next day to the only point at the Gibb, about 80km from Wyndham, where you have Telstra reception and received hundreds of messages on all channels (social media, texts, etc.). We were shocked it was such a big wave,' she said.

Ms Kress said they contacted police immediately to report themselves as not missing, and to talk to multiple officers at three police stations to confirm they were not dead.

'It was totally crazy,' Ms Kress said.

The 'Gibb' is a 660km stretch of road that travels from Derby on the west coast to Kununurra on the Northern Territory border and is considered one of the most spectacular overland trips in Australia.

Police told the couple (pictured) they had been looking for them to make sure they were ok after receiving a missing persons' report from Mr Kress' mum

The route traverses through amazing waterfalls, rock pools, Indigenous sites, national parks, broad open ranges and dramatic gorges.

Rare flora and fauna can be seen along the scenic roadway along with geological formations with major attractions including the Windjana Gorge National Park, Manning Gorge and King Leopold Ranges.

The roadway is incredibly remote, with accommodation available in various cattle stations along the route.

Only highly experienced four wheel drivers and campers recommended to tackle the challenging terrain.


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The Atush Eshtachi Grand Mosque in an undated photo taken prior to its demolition.

Authorities in Atush (in Chinese, Atushi) city, in northwest Chinas Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR), have razed two of three mosques in the village of Suntagh, according to a local security officer, amid a campaign that has seen thousands of Muslim holy sites destroyed in recent years.

The razing of the Azna and Bastaggam mosques in Suntagh is the latest to be confirmed since authorities began demolishing mosques in the XUAR en masse in late 2016, as part of a campaign known as Mosque Rectification.

The Mosque Rectification drive, part of a series of hardline policies under top leader Xi Jinping, predates the mass incarceration of as many as 1.8 million Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in a vast network of internment camps in the XUAR that began in April 2017.

Through early investigations into the mosque campaign, RFAs Uyghur Service found that authorities had destroyed some 70 percent of the mosques across the region. At the time, authorities gave social safety as the reason for the campaign, which appears to have continued into the years following 2016 and the intensification of the authorities' comprehensive repression of Uyghurs.

RFA recently conducted a telephone interview with a Uyghur public security officer from Suntagh village in Atush, a county-level city of about 270,000 people under the administration of Kashgar prefecture in the cotton- and grape-growing region of southwestern XUAR.

A comparison shows satellite imagery of the Atush Eshtachi Grand Mosque in Xinjiang's Atush city taken on Oct. 8, 2016 and Sept. 8, 2018. Uyghurism.com

The officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal, confirmed that two of three remaining mosques in the village were torn down in or around the autumn of 2019, and that the mosque authorities left standing was the smallest and in the poorest condition of all three.

Azna mosque  was demolished last year, the officer said, adding that he had observed the razing. I think it was maybe in the fall  They brought machinery in for the demolition.

Suntaghs Azna and Bastaggam mosques were destroyed  [Bastaggam] was demolished at the same time [as Azna], he said, without providing a reason for the teardowns.

According to the officer, the local government decided to leave the third mosqueTeres mosquestanding, despite the fact that the others were in better condition, and far larger, and Bastaggam was conveniently situated next to the Suntagh bazaar.

Additionally, Azna and Bastaggam had been constructed by brick, he said, while Teres has earthen walls that are covered with older wood.

[The destroyed] mosques were more solid because the roofs were poured  with cement, while the wooden roof on Teres can barely keep out the rain, the officer said.

A comparison shows satellite imagery of the Atush Bastaggam Mosque in Xinjiang's Atush city taken on Nov. 14, 2016 and in 2019. Uyghurism.com

Thousands razed

Tang dynasty China first encountered Islam in the seventh century, more than 1,000 years before the Qing dynasty settled what is now Xinjiang. China is now home to more than 22 million Muslims, including some 11 million Uyghurs. Mosques and other religious sites in Xinjiang were badly damaged during the political upheaval of Chinas 1966-76 Cultural Revolution.

Since 2016, the Chinese authorities have been systematically destroying mosques, cemeteries, and other religious structures and sites across the XUAR.

An investigation by Agence France-Presse revealed that at least 45 cemeteries in the XUAR had been destroyed from 2014 until last October, with 30 razed since 2017. The sites were turned into parks or parking lots, or remained empty lots.

Last year, the Washington-based Uyghur Human Rights Project (UHRP) published a report detailing this campaign, titled Demolishing Faith: The Destruction and Desecration of Uyghurs Mosques and Shrines, which uses geolocation and other techniques to show that anywhere between 10,000 and 15,000 mosques, shrines, and other religious sites in the region were destroyed between 2016 and 2019.

In some cases, only the domes and towers were removed from certain structures, while in others, characteristically Islamic elements such as stars and crescents, domes, and scripture plaques were erased. In some cases, entire mosques have also been felled.

A comparison shows satellite imagery of the Atush Suntagh Mosque in Xinjiang's Atush city taken on Nov. 14, 2016 and May 10, 2019. Uyghurism.com

China has offered no official response to the report or to claims about the large-scale and widespread destruction it has undertaken. However, Chinese authorities have continued to bring international visitors to mosques such as Id Kah in Kashgar, as well as to other religious sites around the region, and to publish articles depicting the mosque in state-run media, all in support of the official line that Uyghurs enjoy religious freedom in the region.

In spite of satellite imagery that proves a number of mosques have been destroyed, Chinese authorities continue to deny the large-scale demolitions in an attempt to hide the scale of destruction from the international community.

Recently, a spokesperson for Chinas Ministry of Foreign Affairs pointed out in an official statement that there are more mosques in the XUAR than in all of the United States. Additionally, the Chinese Embassy in Ankara, Turkey, issued a statement claiming that there is one mosque for every 500 people in the Uyghur Region.

However, it remains clear from a variety of other sources that the authorities have destroyed mosques across the region, leaving single mosques standing in many communities where there used to be dozens.

Analysts have speculated that authorities have selectively left some mosques standing in the XUAR for show, rather than to allow local residents the freedom to practice religion.

Reported by Shohret Hoshur for RFAs Uyghur Service. Translated by Elise Anderson. Written in English by Joshua Lipes.
The late night violence in the Karnataka capital, which claimed three lives and injured 60 police personnel, has shocked the main opposition Congress. Majority of the state Congress leaders have embraced silence, while an official meeting was announced by Shivakumar only after 12 hours.

The reason behind their keeping mum is the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), the political outfit of the Islamic fundamentalist organisation PFI  said to behind the riots  is in direct fight with the Congress over minority votes. The SDPI which has some presence in Karnataka has contested in the elections against the Congress in the past and has even damaged it's prospects in some seats.

Through its networks, SDPI has managed to gain some popularity, threatening Congress's hold over the Muslim votes.

In Bengaluru, the SDPI-backed goons went on a rampage attacking a police station and setting the house of local Congress MLA Akhanda Srinivasamurthy on fire. When the police opened fire to control the situation, three people died.

Srinivasamurthy represents a constituency with a sizable minority population. The SDPI has been trying to make inroads into these constituencies.

The alleged insult to Prophet by an MLA's relative led to widespread riots and arson. The Congress seems to be in a dilemma over its response.

If it condemns the violence with full force, it fears the party might end up in helping the SDPI which anyway is eyeing minority votes and ownership of the community. If it does not condemn, the majority community might move further away from the Congress.

That's why most of the state Congress leaders, including leader of the opposition Siddaramaiah and dozens of other leaders, have not reacted to the incident since last night.

Only a handful of leaders like DK Shivakumar, Dinesh Gundurao and Priyank Kharge have so far tweeted condemning it.

The Muslim leaders of the Congress who see SDPI as a threat to their political existence are also making just feeble noises over the incident, not willing to speak up on SDPI's communal politics.

The growth of SDPI is a worrying development for the grand old party in Kerala and Karnataka.

The ruling BJP, which has nothing to lose politically, is closely watching the SDPI versus Congress fight.
ORLANDO, Fla. - House Democrats on Wednesday threatened to subpoena top officials at the U.S. Census Bureau after they refused to give interviews to an oversight committee over why the 2020 head count of every U.S. resident was cut short by a month and will stop at the end of September.

U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney, chair of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, said in a letter to Census Bureau director Steven Dillingham that she would use compulsory measures to get the eight officials to appear if they didnt agree to show up for interviews voluntarily.

Maloney, a Democrat from New York, had requested that interviews take place in August with top bureau officials, including two recent hires for newly created positions whose appointments critics say were part of the Trump administrations efforts to politicize the agency. Democrats on the oversight committee have asked Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross to withdraw the appointments of of Nathaniel Cogley and Adam Korzeniewski.

The committee also wanted to ask Census Bureau officials about President Donald Trumps order seeking to exclude people in the U.S. illegally from the process of redrawing congressional districts. Civil rights group have filed multiple lawsuits challenging the memorandum as unconstitutional and an attempt to limit the power of Latinos and immigrants of colour.

Because of pandemic-related delays with the 2020 census, the Census Bureau had requested deadline extensions from Congress and had planned to end the head count at the end of October. But with the request stalled in Congress, the Census Bureau announced earlier this month that it would end the 2020 census at the end of September.

The Committee is seeking interviews with Census Bureau staff to understand these current  and ongoing  efforts to change timelines and methodologies midstream, and what impact these changes will have on the accuracy, objectivity, and completeness of the Census, Maloney said.

Dillingham said in a letter last week that interviews with senior staff during a critical time for the census would be disruptive. Widespread door-knocking at the homes of residents who havent yet responded to the census started this week. The revised plan will fulfil the bureaus mission, he said.

The plan is thoughtfully designed to deliver a complete and accurate census, including reaching hard-to-count communities, Dillingham said.

___

Follow Mike Schneider on Twitter at https://twitter.com/MikeSchneiderAP
Pleasure Platters owner Kindle Burrows (left) brings out drinks to go along with a food order to customer Lakeisha Roberts in West Oak Lane. Read more

This week, were spotlighting local entrepreneurs who are rising during the pandemic to serve all kinds of communities with nurturing meals and creative foodstuff. And we also have word of a new line of work for one of the Jersey Shores most honored restaurateurs.

Read to the bottom for restaurant news, including first word on a BYOB opening Aug. 12, an update on roof decks, and word on new outdoor restaurants.

If you need food news, click here and follow me on Twitter and Instagram. Email tips, suggestions, and questions here. If someone forwarded you this newsletter and you like what youre reading, sign up here to get it free every week.

 Michael Klein

Hot tamales from the Deep South to South Philly

Tamales, a staple of Latin America, are the perfect quarantine food, and Phillys scene is thriving. The variation known as hot tamales, meanwhile, are a Black food tradition in Mississippi. Which brings us to chef Nia Minard, a transplant from Yazoo City. Homesick for comfort food, she got rolling. Reporter Juliana Feliciano Reyes drops by Minards food truck in South Philadelphia, where she also sells fried okra and hoppin John empanadas.

Takeout that feeds the city

Vendors, many of them women and people of color, have cultivated food businesses without a brick-and-mortar restaurant. Reporters Cassie Owens and Jesenia De Moya Correa visit three: a woman making Instagrammable sushi, two enterprising food truckers, and a couple specializing in seafood platters to go.

Go on an adventure to an auto tag shop to find XO sauce

If youre on the hunt for a jar of XO sauce  the savory-salty-spicy condiment that originated in Hong Kong in the 1980s  you might visit Chinatown, Washington Avenue, or maybe the H Mart stores in Elkins Park and Upper Darby. But for a local version, reporter Jenn Ladd sends you to an auto-tag store in Southwest Philly, where Jacob Trinh, a Johnson & Wales-trained chef and former Vernick Fish line cook, is selling his own.

Its adding up for the Philly math teacher who bakes a mean loaf of bread

A year ago, math teacher Zach Posnan was rueing the death of his sourdough starter. Then he applied a different formula  patience  and everything started to rise. Now hes gained a local following.

Shore restaurateur Cookie Till expands to a new field

James Beard Award semifinalist Cookie Till, the Cookie behind Margates landmark Steve & Cookies restaurant and Ventnors No. 7811 bakery, has a pet project: Reeds Organic Farm and Animal Sanctuary in Egg Harbor Township, which critic Craig LaBan explains has become a vibrant hive of rebirth as a community center built around the power of food and agriculture.

Restaurant chat: Your first word on Mari BYO and Huda

The northeast corner of Third and Catharine Streets in Queen Village has new life, nine months after the pioneering Dmitris packed it in after three decades. Kevin Addis, chef-owner of Entree BYOB on South Street near 16th, opens Mari BYO on Aug. 12. Sicilian-inspired, lots of seafood, entrees in the $20s (with a $40 three-course option), open from 5 p.m. Wednesday to Sunday. Addis maintained the open kitchen and similarly cozy environs  which youll see when indoor dining is permitted. For now, he has a few two-tops and four-tops outside, reservable on OpenTable. After seven years with Entree, the Ardmore native said he was ready to add a second restaurant. Everybodys been telling me, Why dont you open a bigger place?  Addis said. But I want to go smaller. Thirty seats is perfect.

Heres a look ahead: Chef Yehuda Sichel worked for Mike Solomonov and Steve Cook on and off for a decade, first at Zahav and then as opening chef at Abe Fisher. On the eve of the pandemic, he decided to strike out on his own. Hes now about a month from opening Huda, a sandwich shop, nearby.

I found a couple more restaurant roof decks to supplement last weeks roundup. Theres the reservation-only roof scene at the Great American Pub in Conshohocken, and effective this week, a reopening of Stratus Lounge atop the Hotel Monaco on Independence Hall.

Outdoor dining

The Streets Department will close some city streets this weekend to allow dining tables to be set up. Part of the 1900 block of East Passyunk Avenue (Broad to Juniper Streets) will be closed for Pistolas Del Sur from noon to 10 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. In Midtown Village, expect shutdowns of 13th Street between Walnut and Sansom Streets (home of Charlie was a sinner), and Juniper Street between Chestnut and Sansom Streets (home of Bru and Tradesmans). I hear that 18th Street in Rittenhouse is being considered for closure next weekend.
Radio broadcaster Ben Fordham has slammed Daniel Andrews for lying about Australian Defence Force support being offered to guard hotel quarantine travellers.

The Victorian premier claimed suggestions the army could have helped with Victoria's hotel quarantine program was 'fundamentally incorrect'.

But federal Defence Minister Linda Reynolds insisted ADF support was offered to Victoria 'on multiple occasions'.

She claimed help was offered on multiple occasions and the Victorian Government either refused it or withdrew their requests.

'It's completely false. Why would you tell a lie like that at a time like this?,' Fordham told his 2GB listeners on Wednesday morning.

Radio 2GB broadcaster Ben Fordham (pictured) has accused Daniel Andrews for lying about Australian Defence Force support being offered to guard hotel quarantine

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews claimed suggestions the army could have helped with Victoria's hotel quarantine program was 'fundamentally incorrect'

'He's attempting to lie his way out of trouble. When you're in a hole, the worst thing you can do is keep digging.'

'He's been caught in a lie. He claimed he was never offered any left from the army when it came to his dud attempt at hotel quarantine.

'He ended up hiring bouncers through private security firms, and they were caught shagging [travellers] and sleeping on the job.

Fordham claimed Mr Andrews 'attempted to rewrite history' when he was grilled over his government's handling of the pandemic at the Public Accounts and Estimates Committee's COVID-19 Inquiry on Tuesday.

'It is fundamentally incorrect to assert that there was hundreds of ADF staff on offer and somehow someone said no,' he said.

'That's not, in my judgement, accurate. It's been provided in limited circumstances in NSW, not to provide security as such but to provide transportation from the airport to hotels.'

The disastrous scheme, where contracted security guards were hired to guard returned travellers, is believed to have caused the state's second coronavirus wave.

The outbreak has taken Victoria's death toll to 267 and led to the nation's toughest lockdown.

Fordham said Mr Andrews 'didn't want to admit he was in trouble'.

'On June 24, Victoria requested 850 ADF personnel to help with hotel quarantine, but the very next day they changed their mind and said 'no, we're okay',' he said.

'If he could do a Back To The Future, he'd hop in the DeLorean and go back to March 28 and when he was offered help from the army, he would say 'yes'.

'Now he's attempting to lie his way out of trouble.'

But Victoria's Emergency Management Commissioner has backed Mr Andrews' version of events, claiming ADF support was never on offer

This image taken outside one of Melbourne's quarantine hotels appears to support the accounts of dozens of workers and returned travellers who say private security guards (pictured) failed to take the quarantine operation seriously before the virus escaped

Victorian Opposition Leader Michael O'Brien also accused the premier of lying to parliament and the state, labelling his comments a 'dishonest attempt to cover up' the scandal.

But Victoria's Emergency Management Commissioner has backed Mr Andrews' version of events, claiming ADF support was never on offer.

'I can confirm that the Australian Defence Force were involved in the initial planning of the hotel quarantine program,' the statement read.

'Representatives of the ADF participated in the Operation Soteria planning and coordination meetings on June 27 and March 28, 2020.

'During these discussions I did not seek nor did representatives of the ADF offer assistance as part of the hotel quarantine program.

The Commissioner said subsequent talks with the ADF on April 12 and 15 'didn't relate to ADF assistance as part of the program'.
The crash on the M2

A woman has been taken to hospital after a crash between a van and a car on the M2 motorway on Wednesday afternoon.

The crash happened on the M2 Foreshore before the turn off for Fortwilliam.

Police, the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS) and the ambulance service all attended the scene.

A NIFRS spokesperson said two appliances attended the incident.

"Firefighters used cutting equipment to rescue one female casualty from the car," the spokesperson said.

"She was transferred to the care of the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service and taken to hospital. The incident was dealt with by 2.23pm."

Two outside lanes country-bound were closed following the incident, but have now reopened.
Russian Health Minister Mikhail Murashko has said that the first batch of the country's coronavirus vaccine is expected to be released in two weeks.

The vaccination against COVID-19 will be voluntary for everyone, including healthcare workers, he said during a press conference.

Russia's Health Ministry registered world's first coronavirus vaccine on Tuesday. The vaccine, has been named 'Sputnik V' in tribute to the world's first satellite launched by the Soviet Union. The vaccine has been jointly developed by the Russian Defence Ministry and Moscow's Gamaleya Research Institute.

Also Read: Russia says 20 countries have pre-ordered a billion doses of its COVID-19 vaccine

"Within two weeks, the first batch of the vaccine will be released," Murashko said at a press conference, adding that "vaccination will be voluntary anyways."

He further articulated that "some of those doctors who already have immunity against the coronavirus, there are around 20 per cent... Think they do not need vaccination, it will be up to them to decide."

The minister also informed that although Russians' needs takes precedence for the country, the vaccine could also be exported abroad.

"The vaccine certainly has some export potential, and we will certainly offer it [to foreign countries], but the domestic market needs are our priority," Murashko noted.

Also Read: Russian roulette? Why Putin's COVID-19 vaccine claim feels dangerous

While, Russian President Vladimir Putin and other officials have said that the coronavirus vaccine is completely safe, the country's decision to grant approval to it even before the final trial has raised concerns.

Putin said that the COVID-19 vaccine has been administered to one of his daughters who felt good after taking it, adding that the inoculation forms strong immunity and has passed all required checks.
New Delhi/Islamabad: Chinese President Xi Jinping is all set to visit Pakistan  Beijings all-weather ally - soon. Xi Jinpings visit will be part of the Pakistan-China yearly high-level strategic council meeting.

The details of the visit are still being finalised and dates are also being decided. The Chinese President's visit was scheduled for earlier this year, in the month of June, but could not happen due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

This will be the 2nd visit of the Chinese President outside the country amidst COVID-19 scare in 2020, the first being to Myanmar in January of this year.

Chinese President Xi Jinping had last visited Pakistan in 2015 and around 51 projects were signed under the China Pakistan Economic corridor.

That was also the first state visit of the Chinese leadership to Pakistan. Both Islamabad and Beijing have close ties and have termed it as "all-weather friendship".

The visit by the Chinese President comes amidst the growing influence of Beijing in south Asia and deteriorating ties with New Delhi.

The Chinese forces were involved in a violent face-off with the Indian forces at the Line of Actual Control or LAC in eastern Ladakh in June this year. 20 Indian soldiers died in the face-off, while the Chinese side also suffered big casualties but it never disclosed the numbers.
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
MUMBAI: Shiv Sena in its editorial mouth piece Saamana, trained his guns at the Nitish Kumar-led Bihar government accusing them of politicising the Sushant Singh Rajput death case to gain political mileage.

The editorial opined that since the development agenda has failed in the state, the Bihar government is going to contest the upcoming elections with the agenda of Sushant's death in Mumbai. The state goes to polls in October 2020.

The article also pointed out that even though the country was facing a grim situation as it tries to stem the spread of the coronavirus COVID-19, BJP has been busy in trying to topple the non-BJP governments in several states.

Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut has stated several times that Sushant's death is is a conspiracy against the the Maharashtra government.

Earlier, Raut had said, "The kind of politics being done in Bihar and Delhi over Sushant Singh Rajput's death, I believe a conspiracy is being hatched against the Maharashtra government. Mumbai Police is a capable force and is trying its best to bring out the truth."

Raut went on to claim that Sushant did not share good relations with his father and was unhappy with his father's second marriage.

"Political conspiracy is being done in the guise of Sushant's death so that truth doesn't come out. Why the haste to take away the case from Mumbai Police," he had alleged.

The Shiv Sena spokesperson has been opposing CBI probe into the case since the very first day, triggering a war of words with Sushant's family members.

Neeraj Bablu, the brother of late Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput, asserted that Raut's claim about Sushant's father second marriage is totally fake and if the Shiv Sena leader will not apologise publicly then Sushant's family will take legal action against him.

Meanwhile, actress Rhea Chakraborty is being questioned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money laundering case related to the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput. Rhea, her father Indrajit Chakraborty and her brother Showik were quizzed by the ED on Monday for over nine hours. She has apparently failed to answer questions asked by the team on her finances, ED sources told Zee News.

Rhea's statement was recorded for the second time while her father was questioned for the first time. Showik was called to record his statement for the third time on Monday.
T he younger brother of Stephen Lawrence today issued a heartfelt plea for witnesses to be brave and speak up after Scotland Yard shelved its 27-year investigation into the racist murder of his sibling.

Stuart Lawrence said he and his family still need to know exactly what happened on the night the 18-year-old student was stabbed to death in Eltham, south-east London, on April 22, 1993.

He urged any remaining witnesses to come forward, saying: This is our family. This is our life.

In 2012, Gary Dobson, now 45, and David Norris, now 43, were found guilty of Stephens murder after a DNA breakthrough. No others were ever charged and the rest of a gang of at least five white youths may never be prosecuted.

18-year-old Stephen Lawrence was fatally stabbed by a gang of racists in Eltham, south-east London, on April 22 1993 / PA

Stuart told ITVs Good Morning Britain: Theres people that know what happened. If you do have any information, if you do have any knowledge of what happened that evening  come forward.

"This is the time now to speak up because thats the only way we are going to have true justice if someone is brave enough to come forward and talk about what happened that fateful night and give us some closure.

Stephens father Dr Neville Lawrence broke down live on air today, saying: I will never stop fighting for him.

After 27 years of fighting for justice and only had some justice, I thought they would pull out all the stops to make sure that they got the other people who were involved in Stephens murder.

Dr Lawrence said he had been trying to work with the Met from the night his son was killed, adding: They still havent got the understanding... of suffering of families who lose their loved ones. Stephens mother, Baroness Lawrence, said she was truly disappointed that the other men responsible for the murder might not brought to justice.

She added: Whilst the Metropolitan police have given up, I never will.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said the decision to shelve the investigation was upsetting.

The former director of public prosecutions tweeted: We worked together on her sons case and I know she will never rest in her fight for justice for Stephen, and she will also never rest in her fight for equality across society  and we will fight with her every step of the way. Met chief Dame Cressida Dick last night said the investigation had run out of leads.

This was an appalling racist murder and I am sad that we have been unable to secure further convictions for Stephen, his family and friends, she said. The investigation has now moved to an inactive phase, but I have given Stephens family the assurance that we will continue to deal with any new information that comes to light.
Mayor John Tory calls a series of proposed reforms that the Toronto Police Services Board will consider next week ambitious and sweeping.

A more appropriate label would be fairly modest and long overdue.

The reforms include such measures as expanding the Toronto Police Services mobile mental health teams to cover crisis calls 24/7. Publishing a line-by-line breakdown of the $1.2-billion police budget. And giving the force more power to crack down on officers involved in repeated violent incidents.

It should not have taken a massive, continent-wide uprising against racism and police violence to prompt the police services board to get going on changes like this. All of them address problems that were obvious to many people long before the recent protests.

Still, positive change is welcome, even if it comes late. And by historical standards, the reforms outlined in a report by board chair Jim Hart could indeed be considered ambitious. Previous attempts at change have been half-hearted and met with major push-back.

The key will be getting them done, building on the momentum of the past several months when the pressure for reform became irresistible. Tory outlined the direction he would like the police force to go in late June, and this would be a significant step in the right direction.

The board should approve this plan when it meets next week, and city council should support it as well. It isnt perfect, but it would be an important starting point.

Take, for example, the proposal to expand the Toronto polices Mobile Crisis Intervention Team program, which pairs police officers with mental health nurses in an attempt to better respond to people in crisis.

At the moment, it has enough resources to respond to only 20 per cent of the 30,000 crisis calls that come in every year. In most cases, police officers are left on their own to deal with people in crisis and we have seen all too often how that can go tragically, sometimes fatally, wrong.

Expanding the teams to deal with many more calls is a good step right now, but it isnt ideal. As many have argued, armed police shouldnt be the ones responding to most calls from people in distress. They dont have the right training and their very presence can increase the possibility of violence.

A better solution would be to create a new way to respond to such situations that operates independently of the police. But it will take time and research to get that right, and in the meantime police cant simply refuse to deal with such calls. The proposed change should be seen as a transitional measure to what Harts report calls an even bolder approach  handing mental health issues to a more specialized team.

At the same time, Tory is right to make clear that funding must be found in the existing police budget. He and the police services board have resisted calls for arbitrary cuts, but at this point there is a clear public expectation that spending on police should be going down, not up.

In that regard, its high time to shine a bright light on police spending, and ensure that over time the budget is reduced as other agencies take over some police functions. The proposals for an audit of the police budget and a line-by-line breakdown of spending deserve strong support. Its absurd that the public and its elected representatives dont have a good idea of how more than a billion dollars of taxpayer money is being spent.

Likewise, proposals to give the police service more power to discipline officers with a pattern of misconduct or involvement in violent incidents should be welcomed. At this point the public rightly expects much stronger accountability from police, from the top command to the officer on the street.

Theres no time to waste in getting on with these changes. There has a been a sea-change in public attitudes in recent months and a flood of evidence, including new research this week from the Ontario Human Rights Commission, about the harms done by flawed police and justice systems, to Black and Indigenous people in particular. This needs to be fixed, and quickly.

Read more about:
Sure, it might be warm Wednesday, but what about the rest of the week?
Wednesday, August 12th, 2020 (1:28 pm) - Score 2,440

Over the past few weeks criminal gangs have conducted a series of thefts (Metal Thefts) of copper telecoms cable in East London, which has disrupted broadband ISP and phone connectivity on Openreachs (BT) UK network for those living closest to the incidents. As usual a reward of 1,000 is being offered to help catch the thieves.

Sadly such crimes remain all too common and weve seen a variety of similar incidents over the past year (here, here and here). The perpetrators never seem to have any regard for the often-significant impact they can have on local residents and businesses, particularly during the current health crisis, where maintaining internet connectivity is more vital than usual.

Metal thefts like this usually occur through organised gangs and often target critical infrastructure in areas where they know the police response is likely to be slower. Elsewhere weve also seen cases where criminals have stolen hundreds of valuable batteries from Openreachs street cabinets (here), but at least in that case theres less disruption to the service and weve recently seen some convictions.

The latest spate on thefts have taken place in East London, often around Thamesmead (SE28). For example, a large section of live cable was pulled from Openreachs underground communications network at the junction of Crossways and Glendale Way on 15th July 2020 at around 1-3am. A similar incident in the same area then took place after 11pm on 2nd August.

Sadly, the same part of London was also hit by a string of similar thefts at around the same time last year, which suggests that the same gang might be involved (you have to be a fairly brazen type of scum to keep attacking the same area).

Bernie Auguste, Director of Security Services for Openreach, said: These incidents have severely impacted the day-to-day lives of people across south east London. We are working closely with the police to catch those who are responsible and have deployed additional security enhancements across the area, but we also need your help. Please be vigilant and if you saw anything suspicious on or around the time of the incidents, report it. If you prefer not to speak directly to police, then please contact the charity Crimestoppers anonymously.

Openreach has a partnership with Crimestoppers, which means theyre offering a reward of up to 1,000 for information on these thefts (i.e. when it leads to the arrest and conviction of those responsible). If you have any information on this incident, please contact them on 0800 555 111 or use the online form  everyone stays 100% anonymous (information passed directly to the police will not qualify for a reward).

We should point out that newer full fibre (FTTP) broadband networks arent worth anything to such thieves, while copper can carry a good price among dodgy scrap metal dealers. But this doesnt completely stop such activity because we have seen cases where criminals have ripped up optical fibre on the assumption that it might be copper, only to leave looking like even bigger morons than usual.
WASHINGTON The United States on Thursday imposed sanctions on three individuals and a Malta-based company, accusing them of acting as a network of smugglers and contributing to instability in Libya.

The U.S. Treasury Department in a statement said it blacklisted Faysal al-Wadi, accusing the Libyan national of having smuggled drugs and Libyan fuel into Malta.

Also blacklisted were two associates, Musbah Mohamad M Wadi and Nourddin Milood M Musbah, Malta-based company Alwefaq Ltd, and the vessel Maraya, which the Treasury said Wadi used in his alleged smuggling operations.

The Treasury said that competition for control of smuggling routes, oil facilities, and transport nodes is a key driver of conflict in Libya and deprives the Libyan people of economic resources."

Thursdays action freezes any U.S. assets of those blacklisted and generally bars Americans from dealing with them.

Faysal al-Wadi and his associates have smuggled fuel from Libya and used Libya as a transit zone to smuggle illicit drugs," said Deputy Treasury Secretary Justin Muzinich.

The United States is committed to exposing illicit networks exploiting Libyaas resources for their own profit while hurting the Libyan people," he added.

Libya descended into chaos after the NATO-backed overthrow of leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. Since 2014, it has been split, with an internationally recognized government controlling the capital, Tripoli, and the northwest, while military leader Khalifa Haftar in Benghazi rules the east.

Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor
If you're worried about getting your children back in class because of the coronavirus outbreak, a new report by the American Academy of Pediatrics confirms your concerns.

From July 9 to August 6, there were 179,900 new child cases of COVID-19 in the U.S.--an increase of 90% over four weeks, according to AAP report.

In areas with rapid community spread, its likely that more children will also be infected, and these data show that, said AAP President Sally Goza said. As a pediatrician, I urge people to wear cloth face coverings and be diligent in social distancing and hand-washing. It is up to us to make the difference, community by community.

In just the last two weeks of July, more than 97,000 children tested positive for the novel coronavirus, according to the AAP.

"While children represented only 9.1% of all cases in states reporting cases by age, 380,000 children have tested positive for COVID-19 since the onset of the pandemic," states AAP's summary of findings.

Most of the novel coronavirus cases among children are less severe, and do not require hospitalization, noted AAP.

"What we do know from these data is that, in children, deaths continue to remain much lower than in older age groups," AAP Committee on Infectious Diseases' Sean O' Leary said. "But as case counts rise across the board that is likely to impact more children with severe illness as well."

According to the AAP, seven states have reported 15,000 or more cumulative child COVID-19 cases. The highest numbers of child COVID-19 were found in California, Florida, Illinois, Tennessee, Arizona, Alabama, and Georgia.

The AAP study included 49 states, New York City, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and Guam. Texas reported age distribution for only 8% of all cases, so it's excluded from some of the data.

alison.medley@chron.com
Manoj Sinhas appointment as the new Lieutenant Governor (L-G) of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) is a refreshing change. Sinha  a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader  has proven political and administrative skills, having been a part of the Union government in the railway and telecom ministries, where, by all accounts, he did a competent job. As a leader rooted in the complex politics of eastern Uttar Pradesh, he also brings to the table political skills in managing social groups, and an understanding of the intersection between politics, administration and law and order.

These skills will be essential in J&K  which has been stuck in a political stalemate ever since the effective nullification of Article 370. His appointment is a signal that the Centre now wants to break this impasse and move the political process forward.

But to understand how the stalemate deepened, one has to go back to developments in the aftermath of August 5. The constitutional changes were welcomed by citizens in the rest of India, and it was received with elation in Jammu and Ladakh. But the regional parties of Kashmir Valley and stakeholders in the Shia-dominated Kargil area were opposed to the changes. Anticipating a civil disobedience movement, particularly in the Valley, the Centre decided to impose the writ of the State through a set of hard measures.

This had three significant implications.

The first was that democratic forces and anti-democratic forces were treated in a similar manner. And this led to a convergence in their opposition to the Centres moves, not physically on the ground, but in principle. Second, it led to a series of media reports, both within India and internationally, pointing to the debilitating impact of these restrictions on normal civilian life and democracy. And three, there was an international reaction. Pakistan predictably kicked up a storm  though its campaign to discredit India hasnt worked. United States President Donald Trump offered to mediate, but Washington has gone back to its position of treating the issue as a bilateral one. And China became active in the Kashmir theatre  both by shepherding Pakistans efforts at the United Nations, and objecting to the changes in the administrative status of Ladakh. Many observers believe that Chinas recent aggression across the Line of Actual Control could be traced back to the changes in J&K.

It is in this broad political-security context that Sinha has taken over.

The new L-G should not  even if this sounds counter-intuitive  get too bogged down in the minutiae of security operations in Kashmir. This is not to suggest that there arent security challenges. There is the ever-present threat from Pakistan, and more so now, since it could intensify its activity at the border in sync with China. There is also the emergence of a cadre of technologically-savvy young, radicalised men of South Kashmir who are targeting all those associated with democratic institutions. And then, there are the terrorists sent in by the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad, Lashkar-e-Toiba and Al Badr who are limited in numbers, but high on resolve in inflicting terror.

But, over the years, the J&K Police has developed an effective response to threats emanating from terrorist groups. The army is capable of dealing with both the external fronts. And together, all the security system stakeholders  the army, state police, CAPFs, and the wider intelligence community  have the experience of working in sync. Sinha needs to, of course, be familiar with the overall security situation and provide direction when needed  but he need not make this the focus of his term.

What Sinha, instead, must focus on is creating a politically inclusive set-up for all sections of Kashmiris. He needs to be aware of a key grievance of the pro-India element of the polity. These segments rightly feel they have been treated at par with the pro-Pakistan and the pro-independence elements of the polity. For all their weaknesses, it must be recognised that these democratic forces have the support of a large section of citizens, and their assessment that status quo will only breed further alienation must be taken into account.

To tackle this, the L-G must personally meet all the leaders of both national and regional political parties of the Union Territory in general, but the Valley in particular  both in delegations as well as individually to establish a personal rapport with them. If Kashmiris feel they have a patient, attentive and sensitive listener, that itself will go a long way in bridging the trust deficit. He must also push for the release of all mainstream democratic leaders and drop charges against them  even as secessionist leaders remain under detention.

The L-G should also take into account recent policy actions  such as domicile certificates to non-residents and housing schemes for security personnel  which have not gone down well with the people of all regions. Sinha must also lead the effort to convince the Centre and the security apparatus to restore 4G connectivity. He must closely assess the detrimental impact of both government measures as well as the pandemic on normal everyday life  and seek to resolve it. Better connectivity, for instance, can enable more effective online classes across educational institutions. He must ensure that at the district level, Covid-19 is accorded the highest priority in terms of public health.

Once Sinha understands the political contours, establishes communication and trust with the Valleys political leaders, and takes steps which improve everyday civilian life, he must come up with a political report on how to revive the electoral process in J&K.

It is time for all stakeholders to give Sinha time, and for Sinha to live up to the trust reposed in him by PM Narendra Modi.

Arun Chaudhary, a retired Indian Police Service officer, tracked Kashmir for the Intelligence Bureau, and served as director-general, SSB

The views expressed are personal
23:47

The Congress on Wednesday hit out at the BJP government in Karnataka over the violence in Bengaluru in which three people were killed after police opened fire to quell a mob that went on a rampage irked over a social media post, and said it was a "complete failure of law and order machinery".

Scores, including around 50 policemen, were injured in the violence that erupted on Tuesday night and continued till the wee hours of Wednesday, apparently triggered by the online post.





Bengaluru violence, riots and arson are "reprehensible, condemnable and unacceptable", Congress' chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said.





"It is complete failure of law and order machinery and rule of law. Was (B S) Yediyurappa government sleeping or waiting for violence to happen?" Surjewala said in a tweet.





"Why did police not act in time? Who is responsible for 3 deaths?" he asked.





Congress general secretary in-charge organisation, K C Venugopal, said the violence in Bengaluru is "unfortunate and condemnable".





"Strict action should be taken against those behind the derogatory post and those who indulged in rioting," he said on Twitter.





"Taking law into their hands and destroying public property shouldn't be tolerated. Let peace prevail and let law take its course," Venugopal said.





Three people were killed after police opened fire to quell a mob that went on a rampage in a Bengaluru locality irked over a social media post allegedly put out by a Congress legislator's relative.





-- PTI
HALIFAX - The mother of a man who died in a Halifax police jail cell in June 2016 asked a judge Wednesday to impose the "strictest penalty possible" on two special police constables found guilty of criminal negligence in his death.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 12/8/2020 (524 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The mother of a man who died in a Halifax police jail cell in June 2016 has asked a judge to impose the "strictest penalty possible" on two special police constables found guilty of criminal negligence in his death. Corey Rogers lies on the floor under police custody at the Halifax police station, wearing a spit hood at about 11 p.m. on June 15, 2016 in this still image taken from surveillance video provided by Nova Scotia Courts. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO, Province of Nova Scotia Courts *MANDATORY CREDIT*

HALIFAX - The mother of a man who died in a Halifax police jail cell in June 2016 asked a judge Wednesday to impose the "strictest penalty possible" on two special police constables found guilty of criminal negligence in his death.

In her victim impact statement during a sentencing hearing in Nova Scotia Supreme Court, Jeannette Rogers said she is seeking a strict penalty because living every day without her son is like a "life sentence without the possibility of parole."

A medical examiner determined Corey Rogers, who was intoxicated, died of suffocation on June 16, 2016, while lying in a narrow individual cell with a spit hood covering his mouth as he appeared to be vomiting.

"Two hours  that's how long my son lay on the floor of the cell alone, deceased with a covering over his head," Rogers told the court. "How can that happen when the policy of the Halifax police department is to do 15-minute rousability checks on every prisoner?"

Daniel Fraser and Cheryl Gardner were found guilty by a jury in November of criminal negligence causing death. Rogers addressed both of them directly Wednesday in the courtroom.

"Maybe the name of your prisoner-care facility should be changed to 'we don't care facility' because there certainly was no care given to Corey that night," she said. "Because you both decided not to do your jobs that night my son is dead."

Rogers said her son would have been better off in the drunk tank where at least one of the other detainees could have taken the hood off when they noticed he had vomited into it. "If you could take just one day, hour, or minute of my grief I would gladly exchange it for whatever your sentence will be."

Crown attorney Chris Vanderhooft asked the judge for two-year prison sentences for Fraser and Gardner. He said both failed in their duty of care by not seeking medical attention for Rogers and the sentence should reflect the principles of "denunciation and deterrence."

Vanderhooft said Rogers, who was an alcoholic, was vulnerable the night he died and was treated "in the worse way by the state."

Special constables are appointed as peace officers by the police department for specialized duties such as booking prisoners, but they are not considered police officers. Vanderhooft said that distinction shouldn't be made in this case.

"The clear authority given to special constables in the acceptance of prisoners into their care ... places them, once they take a prisoner, in the highest position of trust," he said. "They now have the life and safety of that prisoner on their watch."

During the trial, the jury was shown video of Rogers, 41, heaving in a cell while wearing the spit hood. The mask prevents prisoners from spitting on guards, but also comes with instructions warning against leaving it on a highly intoxicated person who may vomit.

In their submissions to the court, Fraser and Gardner's defence lawyers called for a suspended sentence, arguing their clients were not properly trained by the police department in the use of spit hoods and also lacked the "tools" to properly assess the medical needs of prisoners.

Gardner's defence lawyer, Ron Pizzo, said it was "manifestly unfair to hold someone to a higher standard when they haven't been given what they need to discharge that standard."

Both defendants addressed the court briefly Wednesday, expressing remorse for what happened.

"I'm deeply sorry for how this has affected the family," said Gardner. "If I'd known then what I know now things would have been different."

Fraser said through his job he had gotten to know Rogers for quite a while and "had nothing against him."

"Knowing what I knew that night with my training, with my experience, I can't think of anything I would have done differently," Fraser said. "In hindsight of course, I look back and see things that could have been done differently."

Justice Kevin Coady reserved his decision on sentencing until Monday.

Hours before his death, Rogers was arrested outside a Halifax hospital where his wife had given birth to their child the day before.

Evidence was presented during the trial indicating he was extremely impaired after rapidly drinking half a bottle of whisky and that police saw him consume the liquor.

The arresting officers testified they placed the hood on Rogers' face after he was spitting in the police car on the way to the station.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 12, 2020.
The clash in the southern governorate took place over a plot of farmland

At least six people were killed and 35 injured in a fight over a plot of farmland in the Egyptian governorate of Fayoum, south of Cairo, in the early hours of Wednesday, Al-Ahram Arabic news website and other local news outlets reported.

Initial investigations revealed the brawl in the Agmeen village took place between a group of 19 cousins over a piece of land. The squabble soon escalated into a clash with firearms that lasted for several hours.

Fayoum security directorate dispatched anti-riot forces to stop the fight and police cordoned off the crime site.

The victims were transferred to a hospital and prosecutors are currently investigating the incident.

At least four people have been arrested as authorities continue to search for some of the suspects at large.

Weapons used in feuds are often unlicensed and smuggled into the country illegally. The government proposed several initiatives in the past years to encourage people to hand over their illegal weapons since 2011 without legal accountability.

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One of Northern Ireland's longest-running missing person's cases has finally closed after a man who vanished almost 30 years ago was laid to rest this week.

James Patterson (54) was last seen on October 6, 1991 after visiting the Mid Ulster Hospital.

Despite widespread searches in the immediate aftermath of his disappearance his whereabouts remained a mystery - until a dramatic breakthrough last month.

Read More

A blue/green Ford Orion matching the vehicle Mr Patterson was last seen in was pulled from the River Bann at popular tourist and angling spot New Ferry, near Bellaghy.

Human remains found in the car were identified as Mr Patterson, who had visited a friend in the hospital in Magherafelt on the Sunday evening before he vanished.

Following the conclusion of forensic examinations the remains were released back to his family and a funeral service was held in Magherafelt on Monday before burial in First Magherafelt Presbyterian churchyard.

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Sean McCarry of the Community Search and Rescue team that discovered the vehicle said while there was sympathy for the Patterson family, there was also relief that almost 30 years of questions had finally been answered. He added that it should give hope to others.

"We would always be on the lookout for historical cases of missing persons when on training exercises and targeted searches," he said

"On this occasion we're pleased to have been able to help a family put an end to almost three decades of not knowing what had happened to James.

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"We knew from early on that there were likely to be human remains in the vehicle that was pulled from the River Bann, and subsequent forensic tests have concluded this case.

"Once we identified the car and worked with police it was clear that it was all connected to the disappearance of James in 1991.

"We have been in close contact with the Patterson family throughout and they have been very thankful for the help and support they have had over these past few weeks.

"I know they are grateful to have a resolution to the disappearance of James and we were pleased to have representation at the funeral on Monday."

Mr McCarry said solving a case after nearly 30 years shows that no family should despair of ever finding a missing loved one.

"On this occasion the Patterson family have found what they needed to find," he added.

"Obviously we are pleased to have been of service to them, but we are always on the lookout.

"We will continue to work and urge all others who are in a similar situation not to give up hope."

The PSNI is not treating Mr Patterson's death as suspicious.

"Police can confirm human remains were found following the recovery of a car from the River Bann at the New Ferry Road in Bellaghy last month," it said.

"The vehicle was recovered from the river in July and following examination it has been confirmed the human remains are those of James Patterson, who went missing on October 6, 1991."
(Natural News) Bottlenose dolphins might not be an endangered species, but these charming marine mammals do face certain threats, such as commercial fishing and habitat destruction. Nonetheless, scientists find that neither of these is as serious nor as pressing as another emerging threat: chemical poisoning.

In a major breakthrough, scientists from the University of Liege (ULiege) in Belgium and the Cotentin Cetacean Study Group (GECC) in France found high levels of mercury and toxic chemicals in the blubber of bottlenose dolphins in the English Channels Normanno-Breton Gulf.

Krishna Das, a zoologist at ULeige and the corresponding author of the research, explained that these pollutants can be traced back to industrial processes and harmful pesticides. These chemicals also pose a serious health threat to both marine life and humans, added the researchers.

Toxic pollutants found in dolphin blubber

Scientists and marine biologists often use bottlenose dolphins to assess pollutants in the ocean, said Das. This is because organic compounds in the ocean tend to accumulate in their blubber or the fat tissue found under the skin of cetaceans.

Based on skin biopsies of 82 dolphins inhabiting the Normanno-Breton Gulf in the English Channel, Das and her colleagues found alarming amounts of total mercury (T-Hg) and persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in the dolphins blubber. The researchers identified these POPs as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs).

The reported concentrations of T-Hg are among the highest reported for cetaceans or marine mammals, said Das. PCBs also made up more than 91 percent of the chemicals found in the dolphins blubber.

PCBs had been banned in the 1970s and 1980s because of their potential to harm both animals and humans. The chemicals, often used as refrigerants, still remain in oceans and landfills four decades after being banned because of their extreme resistance to degradation.

Das and her colleagues suspect that high T-Hg and PCBs in bottlenose dolphins might be behind their declining population trend in the English Channel. There are just about 420 coastal bottlenose dolphins in total inhabiting the Normanno-Breton Gulf.

Das noted that according to past risk assessments, exposure to PCBs could be influencing the survival of bottlenose dolphin calves in the area.

The high concentrations of T-Hg in dolphin blubber could also indicate potential health problems that might affect population size and calf survival rates later on. In humans, exposure to this toxic metal has been linked to severe lung damage, neurological conditions, skin rashes and other abnormalities.

Furthermore, the researchers noted that past studies on stranded and biopsied cetaceans in Europe found that some PCB hotspots include the Strait of Gibraltar, the Gulf of Cadiz and the Mediterranean Sea. These areas are all considered natural habitats of bottlenose dolphins and other cetaceans.

Based on these findings, Das and her colleagues recommended that the Normanno-Breton Gulf be designated as an area of conservation.

The Habitats Directive of the European Union (EU) has been protecting bottlenose dolphin populations in Europe since its inception in 1992. But Das and her colleagues argue that despite this directive, human activities continue to increase in the Normanno-Breton Gulf.

This underscores the need for stricter protection of bottlenose dolphins in the area, said Das. Their findings appeared online in the journal Scientific Reports.

Britains marine mammals are ingesting microplastics

Das and her colleagues arent the first to discover alarming levels of pollutants in dolphins. In 2019, another group of researchers from the University of Exeter and Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML) in England studied 50 marine mammals, including dolphins, that had been stranded around the coast of Britain.

The group found that all 50 animals had ingested microplastics. These are small plastic fragments that occur in oceans and other habitats as a consequence of plastic pollution. Sarah Nelms, the lead author of the research, said that their findings are shocking but not surprising.

Their findings, also published in the journal Scientific Reports, indicated that nylon made up more than 60 percent of the microplastics. Nelms and her colleagues suspected fishing ropes and nets as possible sources of these microplastics.

Nelms cautions that scientists still do not understand the possible effects and impact of these microplastics in the health of marine mammals. But according to Penelope Lindeque, the head of the marine plastics research group at PLM, the ubiquitous presence of plastic is disconcerting.

Lindeque has found microplastics in all sorts of marine animals, from zooplankton to turtles, as part of her studies. The ocean is a soup of microplastics, said Lindeque, and chemicals from these plastics, such as PCBs, can affect animals.

Therefore, humans need to reduce their plastic consumption to protect marine life, said Lindeque. (Related: Researchers find plastic-eating microbe that can solve our oceans plastic problem.)

Read more articles about ocean pollutants at OceanHealthNews.com.

Sources include:

DailyMail.co.uk

Nature.com

WHO.int

TheGuardian.com
NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / August 12, 2020 / Successful businesswoman Tracilea Young has had multiple business ventures flourish over the years. This is attributed to her natural characteristic of being mindful and determined to achieve success no matter what she does. As a mother of eight children, Tracilea was still able to succeed on the business front as well as raising her own children. She homeschooled her children for seventeen years, all while working on her network marketing business part-time. During this time, she also went to school to be a midwife, and eventually earned herself a spot on the million-dollar earner club.

She has achieved so much through her hard work and dedication and has become a true model of American success, equipped with all the business knowledge and experience that is necessary to succeed, as well as the burning passion and the drive to expand and scale her businesses into million-dollar establishments.

One of her fascinating business ventures has been a large plastic surgery and medical spa chain, one which she quickly made into a multi-million-dollar revenue earning company. After that venture, she moved on to help even more people by opening a chain of compassionate care medical clinics. Her clinics have helped over 39,000 people get all the compassionate care they need, providing so much value for all the people around her.

She also managed to keep working on her network marketing business part-time, amassing a solid network of people that do business with her. Most recently, she has delved into the CBD industry and is now the presidential founder and master director at Green Compass, Ltd.

Green Compass is where CBD consumers go to get the highest-quality CBD products on the market, some of which are USDA Certified Organic as well as a safety guarantee. Not only do they provide the best quality CBD products, they also provide the safety information, which most CBD suppliers do not. They put the safety of their customers first, taking extra steps to secure a Certificate of Analysis from an ISO17025 certified laboratory to give their customers some added confidence on Green Compass' products.

Tracilea first thought of delving into the CBD industry when she thought of her family. She had always wanted to connect the power of nature and wellness to her loved ones. This is why Green Compass does not compromise when it comes to providing the best quality products in the CBD market. With their organically grown hemp that they've put under strict cultivation and sustainability practices, their most loyal customers should be put at ease with how Green Compass takes care of their plants.

The farming team at Green Compass oversees their North Carolina farms with the utmost supervision. They consistently adhere to the purity and ethical standards that they have put up. They also make sure that other Green Compass affiliate farms follow the same standards, so they do not tarnish the brand that they've so carefully built.

Organically growing hemp is no easy matter. Luckily, Green Compass enjoys the challenge and is willing to give their customers the best quality products that they could ever dream of. Any harmful chemicals, herbicides, and pesticides are excluded from the Green Compass process, making their products extremely safe and reliable.

With the keen and meticulous eye of Tracilea Young at the helm of Green Compass, the CBD market is going to see a lot of improvements and success over the years. Though one thing's for sure, nobody else is doing it better than Tracilea Young and Green Compass.

Visit Tracilea Young's official website to keep posted on her latest business ventures.

Company: Tracilea Young

Email: mylifesparkles.com@gmail.com

Phone number: 831-247-3911

Website: www.mylifesparkles.com

SOURCE: Tracilea Young

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/601301/Model-Entrepreneur-Tracilea-Young-Puts-Her-Heart-and-Soul-Into-Every-Business-Venture
The High Court has formally approved a survival scheme allowing regional airline CityJet to exit examinership.

The scheme will see the Dublin-based airline continuing as a going concern, with more than 140 jobs at the company being saved.

It had previously employed more than 400 at its Dublin base.

Satisfied

Mr Justice Michael Quinn said yesterday he was satisfied to approve a scheme of arrangement put together by the airline's examiner, Kieran Wallace of KPMG, which allowed the airline to formally exit examinership yesterday afternoon.

Late last month, the judge, following a formal hearing, said he was minded to app-rove the scheme after certain steps, including the finalising of arrangements made with certain creditors and when changes had been made to the airline's constitution.

The court was told yesterday that those arrangements and changes have been made and no modifications to the survival scheme were required.

As a result, the judge formally approved the scheme.

Supported by a majority of the airline's creditors and shareholders, it also sees tens of millions of euro of its debt being written off.

Last April, the airline sought the protection of the courts, claiming it was insolvent due to financial difficulties that were exacerbated after its aircraft were grounded by the Covid-19 outbreak.

The impact of the pandemic also interrupted a planned merger with another airline and a proposed private restructure of the company, it claimed.

CityJet said it had debts of 500m, and at the time of entering the examinership process had a net deficit of liabilities over assets on a going concern basis of 186m.

Mr Justice Quinn, in app- roving the scheme, accepted that creditors would do better under the examiner's prop- osals than if the airline was liquidated, which the court was told was the only alternative to the scheme.
Impyrian HQ in Maple Lawn, MD Impyrian is honored to be recognized as one of the fastest-growing private companies. This is a testament to our team and employees consistent pursuit of providing the highest level of customer services in the Engineering, IT and Construction Services industries. Matt McCathorine, Principal

Inc. Magazine Unveils Its Annual List of

Americas Fastest-Growing Private Companiesthe Inc. 5000

Impyrian Ranks No. 276 on the 2020 Inc. 5000

With Three-Year Revenue Growth of 1622.79% Percent

[https://www.inc.com/profile/impyrian

Inc. magazine today revealed that IMPYRIAN is No. 276 on its annual Inc. 5000 list, the most prestigious ranking of the nations fastest-growing private companies. The list represents a unique look at the most successful companies within the American economys most dynamic segmentits independent small businesses. Intuit, Zappos, Under Armour, Microsoft, Patagonia, and many other well-known names gained their first national exposure as honorees on the Inc. 5000.

Impyrian is honored to be recognized as one of the fastest-growing private companies. This is a testament to our teams' and employees consistent pursuit of providing the highest level of customer service in the Engineering, IT and Construction Services industries. 2020 is shaping up to be even greater as we accept new challenges, serve our customers and continue to build on our success.



Matt McCathorine, Co-Founder and Principal

Not only have the companies on the 2020 Inc. 5000 been very competitive within their markets, but the list as a whole shows staggering growth compared with prior lists as well. The 2020 Inc. 5000 achieved an incredible three-year average growth of over 500 percent, and a median rate of 165 percent. The Inc. 5000s aggregate revenue was $209 billion in 2019, accounting for over 1 million jobs over the past three years.

Complete results of the Inc. 5000, including company profiles and an interactive database that can be sorted by industry, region, and other criteria, can be found at http://www.inc.com/inc5000. The top 500 companies are also being featured in the September issue of Inc., available on newsstands August 12.

The companies on this years Inc. 5000 come from nearly every realm of business, says Inc. editor-in-chief Scott Omelianuk. From health and software to media and hospitality, the 2020 list proves that no matter the sector, incredible growth is based on the foundations of tenacity and opportunism.

The annual Inc. 5000 event honoring the companies on the list will be held virtually from October 23 to 27, 2020. As always, speakers will include some of the greatest innovators and business leaders of our generation.

About Impyrian

Impyrian LLC (Impyrian) is a multifaceted engineering and technology firm delivering high performance solutions to federal, state and commercial clients. Our services are divided into three distinct business units and P/L centers focusing and specializing in IT Services, AV/VTC and Engineering/Construction respectively. Impyrians IT Services division specializes in the areas of custom Agile Software Development, digital services, Cloud Computing, Legacy Migration, Business Process Management (BPM), IoT and Cyber Security. Our Audio Visual/ Video Teleconferencing (AV/VTC) team provides enterprise AV/VTC services, networking, digital headend and AV/VTC room design and installation. Our Engineering and Construction group provides services to our federal, state, municipal and commercial customers in the areas of Design/Build Construction Services, Building Automation Systems, Enterprise Energy Management IT systems, Engineering and Project Management, Central Utility Plant Operations and Maintenance and Energy Efficiency. Impyrian is headquartered in Fulton, Maryland with customers and operations located in the DC, Maryland, Virginia region.

Contact:

Matt McCathorine, Co-Founder and Principal

Email: mmccathorine@impyrian.com

(P): 410-963-9430

More about Inc. and the Inc. 5000

Methodology

The 2020 Inc. 5000 is ranked according to percentage revenue growth when comparing 2016 and 2019. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2016. They had to be U.S.-based, privately held, for profit, and independentnot subsidiaries or divisions of other companiesas of December 31, 2019. (Since then, a number of companies on the list have gone public or been acquired.) The minimum revenue required for 2016 is $100,000; the minimum for 2019 is $2 million. As always, Inc. reserves the right to decline applicants for subjective reasons. Companies on the Inc. 500 are featured in Inc.s September issue. They represent the top tier of the Inc. 5000, which can be found at http://www.inc.com/inc5000.

About Inc. Media

The worlds most trusted business-media brand, Inc. offers entrepreneurs the knowledge, tools, connections, and community to build great companies. Its award-winning multiplatform content reaches more than 50 million people each month across a variety of channels including websites, newsletters, social media, podcasts, and print. Its prestigious Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to recognize the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. The global recognition that comes with inclusion in the 5000 gives the founders of the best businesses an opportunity to engage with an exclusive community of their peers, and the credibility that helps them drive sales and recruit talent. The associated Inc. 5000 Conference is part of a highly acclaimed portfolio of bespoke events produced by Inc. For more information, visit http://www.inc.com.

For more information on the Inc. 5000 Conference, visit http://conference.inc.com/.
Six others are taken to hospital but their injuries are not thought to be serious.

At least three people have been killed when a passenger train derailed in northeast Scotland, according to police.

The accident took place on Wednesday near the town of Stonehaven in the region of Aberdeenshire.

Very sadly despite the best efforts of paramedics, we can confirm that three people have been pronounced dead at the scene, British Transport Police said in a statement, adding that the driver of the train was believed to have been among them.

Six others were taken to hospital but their injuries were not thought to be serious.

Earlier, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon described the trains derailment as an extremely serious incident.

Images from the site of showed smoke billowing from the scene and a rescue helicopter circling overhead.

The Scottish Ambulance Service told the UKs Press Association that its response included six ground ambulances, an air ambulance, a special operations team and other patient transport vehicles.

I am saddened to learn of the very serious incident in Aberdeenshire and my thoughts are with all of those affected. My thanks to the emergency services at the scene.  Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) August 12, 2020

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson expressed sadness at the accident on Twitter.

I am saddened to learn of the very serious incident in Aberdeenshire and my thoughts are with all of those affected, he said. My thanks to the emergency services at the scene.

Stonehaven is on the line for passenger trains linking Aberdeen with the cities of Edinburgh and Glasgow. The hilly area was hit by storms and flash flooding overnight.

We obviously dont know why the derailment took place, but obviously we have suffered terrible weather here, local MP Andrew Bowie said.

Serious train accidents are rare in the UK. The countrys last fatal derailment was in 2007.
Support for Scottish independence has risen (Picture: AP)

Support for Scottish independence is at a record high due to how the country has responded to COVID-19, according to a new YouGov poll.

In total, 53% of Scottish people said Yes when they were asked if they would vote to leave the union.

This compares with 47% who voted No  the largest lead ever on a poll from YouGov on the issue.

First minister Nicola Sturgeon has been praised for her handling of the coronavirus pandemic in Scotland.

She has responsibility for health policy, and has been more cautious than Boris Johnson in easing lockdown.

Nicola Sturgeon has been praised for the way she's handled the pandemic. (Getty)

Scotland, which holds about 10% of the UK's population, has had no deaths from COVID-19 since mid-July.

The UK as a whole, which uses a broader methodology to count deaths that is being reviewed, has recorded 1,362 deaths in that time.

Scots previously rejected independence in a 2014 referendum by 55%-45%.

The results of the new poll were driven by people who voted No in the 2014 referendum then Remain in the 2016 Brexit referendum, 30% of whom changed their vote to Yes.

Support for Scottish independence has increased by 4% since January.

The poll also revealed Sturgeon still has huge support, with 72% of Scots thinking she was doing a good job.

Even a majority of people who voted against independence in the last referendum thought she was doing well.

Nicola Sturgeon talks to nurses. (Getty)

It is the latest poll to suggest rising support for Scottish independence and could strengthen calls for another vote on the matter.

The Scottish National Party (SNP), which runs the devolved administration in the nation, insists it has the right to call another vote.

Johnson has said the 2014 referendum was decisive and should be respected.

The poll also suggested the SNP were on course for an unprecedented majority in the Scottish Parliament in elections next year, setting up a possible constitutional clash with Westminster.

YouGov polled 1,142 adults between 6 and 10 August.

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Linkedin Prapti Widinugraheni (The Jakarta Post) Perth, Western Australia  Wed, August 12, 2020 08:53 525 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066d4ad36 3 Opinion online-learning,study-from-home,Education,Australia,pandemic Free

Distance learning has proven to be a steep learning curve for both students and educators at conventional face-to-face schools in Australia but is generally accepted as a reality of schooling in the time of COVID-19  even if only temporarily.

In late January this year, in the middle of a summer marked by extreme temperatures and intense bushfires, Australia reported its first case of the novel coronavirus in Melbourne. Soon after, more cases were reported  notable among them were passengers from cruise ships docking at the tourist hotspots of Sydney and Fremantle, Western Australia (WA).

By early March, international traffic had been drastically reduced and, around the same time, state governments  rather than the federal government  became the guiding force regulating the dos and donts within each state.

Toward the end of the school term in April, WA schools saw student numbers dwindling, as many parents kept their children at home in response to the uncertainty surrounding the situation with COVID-19. Following state government guidelines, schools adapted as best they could; teachers started preparing for a new reality of online teaching, and their digital-native students were gearing up for online learning.

During this period, teachers in some schools had already started delivering their lessons both online  for students who stayed at home  and in-class, for students who still attended school. With the bulk of WAs workforce starting to work from home, students still at school were mainly the children of people deemed essential workers.

At the time, teachers were also gearing up for a new term ahead of pure distance learning. This meant designing curriculum delivery, ensuring student engagement and planning student assessments in ways that many of them had never done before. It was a time of great uncertainty but also a time for reflection.

Distance learning is not a system many of Australias conventional, metropolitan-area teachers are familiar with but has been a long-standing reality for many children living in far-flung parts of the country. Aimed at accommodating eligible school-aged children who, through geographical or other circumstances, are isolated or cannot access schools within their region, distance schools have played an important role in providing the education and social connection needed by some Australian children.

John Ryan, an independent scholar and educator who has spent decades working in distance education in New South Wales and now based in Perths WA School of Isolated and Distance Education (SIDE), notes that distance education is one of the avenues keeping these students going with their schooling. For instance, students who are, or whose family members are immune-compromised may be enrolled at the Perth Hospital school and, if they are not themselves ill, from there they are likely to be moved on to distance education.

The availability and use of various forms of communications technology is a vital part of distance education. This system, SIDEs website states, offers the same education opportunities and support as most primary and secondary schools, including to students with disabilities, students with learning difficulties and gifted and talented students. Distance education relies on individual, or small groups of students having access to a high-tech digital set-up, so they can have synchronous, real-time communication with SIDE through web-conferencing platforms, as well as asynchronous, 24/7 access through web-based learning and collaboration systems.

As the situation surrounding COVID-19 evolved, a shift took place in Australian schools and distance education quickly became a thing  schools had to know how to do it, and teachers and school communities had to be involved. In WA, Ryan says, the state government invested in COVID-19 projects that were based on distance education and provided schools across the state some guidelines to be used in online education. At the same time, teachers in face-to-face school had to make sudden, time consuming professional leaps in their understanding and use of online platforms and technologies.

Across the country, teachers came to embrace online schooling, albeit to varying degrees. Unlike the well-established distance education system delivered by institutions like SIDE, regular schools could not expect their students to have equal access to digital technology. For this reason, and in keeping with the principles of fairness and equitability, it was necessary for teachers to also create paper or physical packages of schoolwork for students to complete at home.

By the time the two-week term-holidays started in mid-April, many schools across WA had sent their students home with these work packages as well as instructions for online meetings and lessons. Everyone, at the time, was expecting these to be used in full force when the new term started.

Those two weeks of holidays  from mid- to end of April  was a time of anxious waiting and watching as the state government announced daily updates and changes. WA, it turned out, was looking good. In fact things just kept getting better, for even as the coronavirus wreaked havoc throughout the rest of the world, it appeared WA was shielded from COVID-19 chaos thanks to its geographical isolation, wide open spaces, tight border and quarantine restrictions, peoples tendency to follow rules and, perhaps, the summer-like weather that endured even as winter was approaching.

A few days before the end of the holidays, the state government announced its decision to open schools in the new term. Schools would operate under much-adjusted physical-distancing and gathering restrictions and apply special cleaning protocols, but parents could ultimately choose whether to send their children to school or have them follow online lessons from home.

On day-1 of the new term, many WA schools had well above 50 percent attendance, and in most cases, teachers noted absences as due to a reasonable cause  namely COVID-19 risks. Following the governments edict, teachers applied, to various degrees, some form of dual-teaching format, to ensure students at home were not missing out on face-to-face lessons.

Ryan notes that a well-executed lesson in distance education should have a coherent focus and involve a variety of learning experiences. An introduction with camera by the teacher, then sharing screens for lesson content  so not all teacher-talk. Students should have opportunities via audio, text chat and annotation tools to engage with the lesson in ways that suit the activity and the students, he says.

In the first few weeks of term, most teachers in WAs regular schools would have applied, or aspired to achieve these aspects of distance education as they juggled between delivering lessons online and in class. But as new COVID-19 cases in the state remained near-zero week after week, student attendance rose steadily; by the end of May, most schools had returned to full capacity and online teaching was no longer necessary.

From the uncertainty of COVID-19, the anxiety of learning how to teach remotely, to the return to almost-normal schooling, it has been a roller-coaster of a ride for school communities across the country. For now, things seem to be looking up in all states except Victoria. But whatever the situation, it is safe to say teachers are much more prepared for variations in teaching than ever.

***

The writer is a former journalist at The Jakarta Post, currently works in education in Australia.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post.
A worker wearing a face mask works on a production line manufacturing bicycle steel rims at a factory as the country is hit by the novel coronavirus outbreak in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, China, on March 2, 2020. (China Daily via Reuters/File Photo)

Chinese Premier Tells Government at All Levels to Tighten Their Belts as Economy Declines

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang once again asked governments at all levels to tighten their belts when he spoke at a State Council meeting in Beijing on July 23. The State Council is akin to a government cabinet.

He mentioned that the economic downturn and exhorted officials at all levels to routinely exercise diligence and frugality.

In May, Li had mentioned tightening their belts and that the central government would cut over 50 percent of non-obligatory expenditures. Local governments would also run on tight budgets.

In a July 6 press release from the State Council, Li said there are many idle factories upon visiting a factory in Tongren city, in southwest Chinas Guizhou Province.

This year, the Chinese Communist Partys (CCP) fiscal revenue at all levels has fallen sharply. According to official CCP data, in the first half of the year, revenue at the central level fell 14 percent year on year, and local revenue fell 7.9 percent year on year. National tax and non-tax revenue fell 11.3 percent and 8 percent year on year, respectively.

As of July 26, 26 out of 31 provinces had deficits in the first half of the year.

Effects of the Pandemic and Declining Global Trade

The southern province of Guangdong, adjacent to Hong Kong, received the most attention lately. Ranking number one in economic development and financial volume among all provinces, its revenue in the first half of 2020 dropped by 5.8 percent. Because Guangdong is the number one province in foreign trade industries, the severity of the pandemic in foreign countries has heavily impacted its economy.

Closures of medium- and small-sized industries are said to be uncountable in Dongguan city. Known as the factory of the world, the area is home to many manufacturing plants for global firms. According to a report by Chinese news portal Sina on July 26, a Dongguan foreign trade company, in business for more than a decade, had to shut down certain factories and sell part of its production lines due to the lack of orders.

In another case, Panduit Toys, a major manufacturer of 28 years in Dongguan, had to close due to mass cancellations of foreign orders.

In a recent statement to its employees, the Goodwill Watch Case factory in Dongguan, announced that American watch brand Fossil has canceled its current and future orders, and thus all employees are on leave. The factory encouraged them to resign and noted that the company could close anytime.

Among other provinces, the fiscal revenue of Hubei Province, where the pandemic first broke out, dropped by 38.44 percent year-on-year. In Hainan, a province with a large tourist industry, and Heilongjiang, a major agricultural producer, fiscal revenue in the first half of the year fell by more than 20 percent year on year for both provinces.

The fiscal deficit of Henan Province in the first half of the year was 375.37 billion yuan ($53.6 billion); whereas Yunnan, Hubei, Hebei, Anhui, and Guangxi all had more than 200 billion yuan ($28.57 billion) of deficit.

No Problems for Stability Maintenance

Despite the tight budgets, funding for stability maintenance seems to be unaffected. The term is a euphemism for squashing dissent.

The Epoch Times recently obtained internal documents issued by Baoding City, in Hebei Province near Beijing, to various districts on May 20 this year. It stated that public security organs public funds are fully guaranteed and that authorities would prioritize the implementation of public funds in police stations.
A 57-year-old man has been arrested on charges of assaulting and strangling a woman who was found dead in a Corvallis hotel room Tuesday, but police said theyre unsure of what occurred between the two before the womans death.

Corvallis police officers found Gina Vargas, 41, unresponsive in a Corvallis hotel room about 5:30 a.m. They tried to administer medical aid but couldnt revive her.

Police have not charged anyone with homicide but have arrested George Spencer on second- and fourth-degree assault and strangulation charges. They said charges may be changed as the investigation continues.

Police learned Spencer and Vargas had met the previous day. Authorities have not clarified how the two met or whether they had ever encountered each before Monday. They did not immediately specify where either person was from.

In an interview after his arrest, Spencer told police he had used methamphetamine and became paranoid over Vargas distant behavior, police said. He told officers he was being set up and attacked Vargas, choking her until she was unconscious, police said.

About 4 a.m., Spencer ran downtown to a restaurant and reported to a staff member that he had been assaulted, police said. When he came back to his room, he encountered another man, and Spencer became worried that person had stolen some of his property, so he called police again, police said. Police did not specify what the other man was doing in Spencers hotel room, but said they contacted him and released him without charges.

Officers responded to the room at 5:23 a.m., where they found Vargas unresponsive on the bed.

Police said Spencer did not provide details to support the claim he was assaulted, and he provided a fake number for the hotel. When police saw Spencer, the only evident injury he had was a small scratch on his cheek, they said.

This story will be updated.

Jayati Ramakrishnan; 503-221-4320; jramakrishnan@oregonian.com; @JRamakrishnanOR

Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories.
A ship that ran aground off the coast of Mauritius last month has now split in two, spilling tonnes more oil into the Indian Ocean.

The Japanese-owned MV Wakashio struck a coral reef on 25 July, 12 days before the 4,000 tonnes of oil on board started to spill out into the crystal-clear water.

It was estimated the tanker had leaked about 1,300 tonnes of oil into the ocean, but that a split would worsen the ecological disaster.

The MV Wakashio has split apart after it ran aground and caused oil leakage in south-east Mauritius. (AFP/Getty)

Prime minister Pravind Jugnauth previously warned: The boat can still break in two.

The cracks have developed. The situation is even more serious.

"Arrangements have been made so that the part which is already underwater is towed in case of breakage.

The part still out of the water must be stabilised because it is this which contains the bulk of the heavy oil load of the ship.

Oil leaks from the MV Wakashio. (AP)

Oceanographer Vassen Kauppaymuthoo previously warned of the damage if the vessel was to break apart.

He told RFI: The damage we are seeing now is nothing compared to what may happen when the Wakashio will break.

The whole east coast, from Blue Bay to Grand Gaube, will be affected.

At the weekend, locals donned hazmat suits in an effort to clean-up the area.

Oil can be seen leaking from the MV Wakashio as Mauritius declared a 'state of environmental emergency'. (AP)

It was estimated the tanker has already leaked about 1,300 tonnes of oil into the ocean. (AP)

Local fisherman Baretta Matombe said: The stench is unbearable and it is making us sick.

Sebastien Sauvage, spokesperson of local environmental group Eco-Sud, said it would take years to clean up the mess.

The ship was believed to be travelling to Brazil from China when it hit a coral reef on the Pointe d'Esny reef, situated at the south-east part of the island.

Volunteers carry the handmade oil barrier to block leaked oil from the MV Wakashio bulk carrier. (AFP/Getty)

People scoop leaked oil from the MV Wakashio bulk carrier. (AFP/Getty)

Environmental expert Sunil Dowarkasin, who took part in the response to the disaster, warned the island would never be able to recover from this damage.

Some 340 species of fish live in the waters where the ship has run aground, while prime minister Jugnauth said the spill was a threat to the livelihoods of the 1.3 million people living in the area.

A state of emergency was declared in Mauritius on Friday.
Lake Tahoe resident Josh Lease is pissed.

After seeing streams of tourists "trash" the region, while locals try to contain the coronavirus spread and struggle with school closures, the Meyers, Calif., resident took to Facebook and delivered a screed earlier this week that quickly turned into a rallying call.

"TAHOE FOLKS .... So seeing as how the numbers of out of town folks seem to keep rising every weekend and our Lovely City wont do any thing about it I feel its time to take matters into our own hands," Lease wrote on August 9.

The post drew a lot of attention from residents feeling the same anger, and has led to planned "roundabout protests" this weekend.

Facebook user Ryan Adams replied, "I went up to Tahoe on Friday for some photography purposes and no matter where I went you couldnt even park anywhere it was so packed, didnt even end up getting out of my car."

"The locals shouldn't have to be punished while tourists get to come run rampant and trash our town," Lease wrote in a follow up post as the movement quickly grew.

While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that "Travel increases your chance of getting and spreading COVID-19. Staying home is the best way to protect yourself and others from COVID-19" and California's requirement to wear masks outside is still in place, Tahoe has become a destination for many in-state visitors, as other destinations such as Hawaii and Mexico are off limits.

Furthermore, the reported exodus from San Francisco  as moneyed tech workers see a future of remote work away from the city  has led to a record breaking spike in real estate interest around the lake.

These factors have led to an eruption in a conflict between locals, tourists and the city governance in recent weeks.

"People are going to show up and it is important to get them to realize that this is the place we call home," Chris Fiore, communications manager for South Lake Tahoe told the Tahoe Daily Tribune. "People should leave no trace. It is dangerous for wildlife and dangerous to the environment when trash is left behind. It is unacceptable."

After seeing tourists coming in their droves and local beaches littered with garbage, Lease wanted to do something about it, and the response was fast.

Per Facebook posts, signs reading "NO SCHOOL = NO TOURISM" and "DONT TRASH OUR HOME" have been made, and a location set for the first rally  the roundabout on U.S Highway 50 in Meyers where most Bay Area tourists come into town.

"Roundabout rally this weekend. No vulgar signs. No fighting the tourists just our city, county, and state governments. No schools = no tourism!" Lease wrote.

The protests are planned for 4 p.m. on Friday, and 9 a.m. on Sunday at four locations around the lake  Truckee, Meyers, Incline Village and Kings Beach, per the Tribune.

Andrew Chamings is an editor at SFGATE. Email: Andrew.Chamings@sfgate.com | Twitter: @AndrewChamings
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-13 01:57:01|Editor: huaxia

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JERUSALEM, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- Israel said on Wednesday it thwarted a cyberattack on its main defense industries carried out by "the Lazarus Group," an international hacking group.

Israel's Defense Ministry said in a statement that the hackers built fake profiles on Linkedin, a social network used mainly for high-tech job searches, posed as potential employers, and sent job offers to employees of leading defense industries in Israel.

The group attempted to infiltrate the computers of these employees and gather sensitive security information, the ministry said.

The attackers also attempted to use the official websites of several companies to hack their systems, it added.

"The cyber-attacks were identified in real-time," the statement read, adding that no harm or disruption was caused to the defense industries' networks.

Israel said the hackers were backed by a foreign country, but did not elaborate on its identity.

In 2019, U.S. Department of Treasury said that North Korea stands behind the Lazarus Group. Enditem
The business of cannabis is one of the fastest growing new market opportunities in the world that is desperately needing more well-trained talent, said Max Simon, Founder and CEO of Green Flower.

Green Flower, the leading education provider for cannabis, today announced the inaugural launch of professionally developed certificate programs in partnership with six public and private higher education institutions across the nation. The innovative, six-month certificate programs are designed to quickly provide an on-ramp and prepare professionals to fill the growing skills gap needs of the companies in the legalized cannabis industry.

Each partnering university powered by Green Flower uniquely stands out as a market leader to offer cannabis training, including:



Northern Michigan University's Continuing Education & Workforce Development - the first institution in the country to offer a cannabis-related degree, Medicinal Plant Chemistry bachelor's degree in 2017. Additionally, an Indoor Agriculture associate degree is starting Fall 2020.

MT Aloysius (PA) - a faith based Catholic private school in Cresson, Pennsylvania, ranked in the top 40 for regional colleges north by US News & World Report

University of California, Riverside, University Extension (UCR Extension)  the continuing education branch of UC Riverside, a public research university that serves more than 25,000 students and a top 100 ranked public school. UCR Extensions mission is to transform lives through lifelong learning.

University of San Diego - a top 100 ranked private, faith based Catholic school is committed to fostering learning pathways in industries like cannabis where there is demand.

Northwest Missouri State University - a regional public university offering a broad range of programs on its Maryville, Missouri, campus as well as continuing education and non-credit programs at its Northwest-Kansas City location.

A University of Wisconsin System public institution to be named in the near future.

Job opportunities in cannabis are growing rapidly. CNBC recently reported that, the marijuana industry looks like the fastest-growing job market in the country. ZipRecruiter recently announced that cannabis jobs have increased 693% year over year and 79% quarter over quarter.

The business of cannabis is one of the fastest growing new market opportunities in the world that is desperately needing more well-trained talent, said Max Simon, Founder and CEO of Green Flower. These schools starting their programs now will have a large first mover advantage in their state or region and will not only help their students get great jobs, they will be seen as thought leaders and industry pioneers.

The programs that Green Flower offers to universities are in four study areas: The Business of Cannabis, Cannabis Agriculture & Horticulture, Cannabis Law & Policy, and Cannabis Healthcare & Medicine. Programs are divided into three eight-week courses, which students can complete on a flexible schedule through weekly modules. Participants will complete a portfolio project that allows them to demonstrate their sector-specific knowledge. Instruction is provided by top experts in the cannabis industry. Upon receiving a certificate from these programs, it will lead to rapid skills to land in-demand jobs.

Green Flower is an innovative partnership that offers a cutting-edge, yet realistic approach to delivering a solid cannabis education for those looking to switch careers or perhaps enhance their current one in a matter of months, said Steve VandenAvond, vice president for extended learning and community engagement at Northern Michigan University. As schools are looking for opportunities to embrace relevant alternative programs in the wake of Covid and as the unemployment rate spikes, the cannabis industry is growing. We are excited to debut these robust online programs. Our efforts are always to move quickly and address high-demand careers that involve non-credit training.

A number of Green Flower partner schools are building for-credit options around the certificate programs that give students an in-depth understanding of the business of cannabis from growing to retail and marketing and include legal, clinical and regulatory issues as well. More importantly, receiving a certificate from these accredited universities in these sectors will link to a rapidly growing business and employment network including a national recruitment company that places thousands of job seekers a year. Currently, Green Flower has an employer network that consists of local cannabis companies headquartered in California and Florida including Parallel, Cookies, Jushi, ACS Labs along with global recruiting firm, CannabizTeam that places nearly 2,000 candidates into jobs annually.

The Green Flower certificate programs have long been considered the best in the cannabis industry. It is exciting to see their successful curriculum expanded to include these new partnerships with leading colleges, said Liesl Bernard, CannabizTeam President and CEO. I know many of our clients across the U.S. will place high value on job candidates that have completed the new Green Flower Media college courses and can demonstrate a strong understanding of cannabis business at the start of their careers.

Enrollment for these programs is open now and a total of 18 programs will launch nationwide by the end of August. For more information, please visit: http://www.greenfloweredu.com.

About Green Flower Media

Since 2014, Green Flower has been the global leader in cannabis education, helping millions of people learn about the professional benefits of cannabis. Utilizing their network of more than 700 experts in cannabis medicine, business, cultivation, retail, compliance, and more, Green Flower produces best-in-class online training and content designed to help people succeed in the cannabis industry. Green Flower also partners with colleges and universities to help job seekers, law and health care professionals and entrepreneurs succeed in the rapidly growing cannabis marketplace.

Media Contact:

Alyssa Miller

alyssa@ammediaworks.com

973-615-1292
Jacqueline Jossa was reportedly first in line to take over from Michelle Keegan on her hit drama Our Girl, before bosses ultimately decided to pull the plug on the show.

It was announced on Tuesday that the hugely popular BBC show would not be returning for a fifth series, following the 33-year-old star's departure.

And according to The Sun, a key element in the decision to ultimately cancel the show came out when talks with former EastEnders star Jacqueline, 27, stalled.

Choice: Jacqueline Jossa was reportedly first in line to take over the lead role on her hit drama Our Girl, before bosses ultimately decided to pull the plug on the show. Pictured in January

A source said: 'Jacqueline was a shoo-in to take over from Michelle in Our Girl but ultimately it would have been tough for her to commit to being away for so long.

'Jacqueline knew it was a massive role for her but after the initial call it all went quiet and nothing more was said. With the pandemic and restrictions on filming, they felt it was best to just pull the plug for the moment.

'Its a shame because everyone thought Jacqueline could have had huge success in the role but the chance never really came off.'

Lead role: Michelle Keegan stepped down from the lead role after winning universal acclaim

Shooting on the show takes place at far-flung locations, often for months at a time. Jacqueline is raising two young children with her husband Dan Osborne.

MailOnline has contacted representatives for Jacqueline Jossa and the BBC for comment. A representative for Michelle Keegan declined to comment.

BBC bosses and the show's creative team announced they had opted to end the military drama series following Michelle's departure from the role of lead character, Sergeant Georgie Lane.

Our Girl creator Tony Grounds told Radio Times: 'With the finale of series four showing Georgie ready to move on with her life, it feels like the right time for us to do the same.'

End of the road: It was announced on Tuesday that Our Girl was axed following its fourth season as show bosses felt it was 'the right time' to end the series

Despite this, Tony admitted he'd be keen to reunite with Michelle at some stage in the future.

He explained: 'Michelle and I are keen to continue our working relationship and, who knows, maybe we'll catch up with Georgie in the future. I wanted to say a big thank you to the fans of the show, it's been a joy to write.'

Piers Wenger, the controller of BBC Drama, added: 'We are very proud of Our Girl and would like to thank Tony Grounds, Michelle Keegan and the fantastic cast and crew for all their hard work on the show.'

In January Michelle quit Our Girl after series four of the drama, revealing she was keen to spend more time in the UK and 'explore other opportunities' in her career.

'Right time': Our Girl creator Tony Grounds claimed series four gave the show a satisfactory conclusion as Michelle's character Georgie Lane was 'ready to move on with her life'

She played British army medic Georgie on the show for three seasons but plans to leave in order to spend more time in the UK.

The demanding filming schedule of the show had seen the Stockport born star travel to South Africa, Nepal and Malaysia for several months of filming a year.

Michelle's husband Mark Wright also had moved back to the UK from Los Angeles where he was working on US TV.

At the time, the former Coronation Street actress acknowledged that it had been a 'really difficult decision' to walk away from the show.

When speaking with The Sun about her decision the ex-Coronation street star said: 'Ive had the most incredible four years on the show and I want to thank the BBC for giving me such an amazing opportunity.

'Playing Georgie has been a life changing role for me. Ive loved every second of the adventure so it was a very hard decision to make not to return.

'I feel it is the right time to explore other exciting opportunities but Im so happy to be part of the new series coming soon so its not the end just yet.'

At the time of the announcement, producers were said to have been looking for another actress to replace Michelle to play the lead, which starred former EastEnders actress Lacey Turner, 31, for its first run in 2014.
A: John Lutz came up with the idea. We were friends for many years at SNL and he was such a funny actor on 30 Rock. He was trying to figure out a show idea for himself, and his wife Sue Galloway, whos such a funny comedian, was like, What if you did something with Paula? Think of a character that Paula could play. And he started picturing me solving murders. And he was like, What if it was a Murder, She Wrote-type homage? Its also a homage those other BBC spinster-y murder mysteries where theres an old maid whose not even an official part of the police department. Theres something about these shows thats so comforting, even though theyre about murder.
When Americans remember 2020, the coronavirus pandemic will likely be the first event to come to mind. But on top of COVID-19, the country has also had an extraordinary year with the Black Lives Matter movement and the subsequent protests, riots, and toppling of historic statues across the country in an effort to make a statement about refusing to honor historic leaders who supported slavery.

Much like the US, Russia has tried at least somewhat to cover up its spotty past by removing statues of problematic historical figures.

The debate rages on about whether allowing the statues to remain means we are honoring those leaderss outdated beliefs, but now theres also a new question at hand: when the statues fall, what exactly do we do with them?

For some international insight, we can look to a sculpture park in Russia called Muzeon, also known as the Fallen Monument Park. It began with a single statue of Felix Dzerzhinsky, founder of the Soviet Unions feared secret police, whose likeness was pulled down by protestors in 1991 and dumped in a vacant lot. Soon after that, other historical figures were taken down and added to the statue graveyard. It wasnt long before fun, contemporary statues representing fairy tale characters and literary figures (taken down for myriad reasons) also started being added to the mix. Today, the once vacant lot has officially become part of the famed Gorky Park, where citizens stroll, picnic, and nap.

One of many toppled Russian statues that sits in the

It seems that Russians feel the statue cemetery represents the deeper, darker parts of a history peppered with regime changes. For a time, rage and desperation had the country erasing remnants of communism altogether, but once the Soviet Union fell, new hardships and everyday life took the steam out of the movement, and the statues were mostly left alone.

Although Russians recognize that these leaders did unconscionable acts, they dont feel the history can or should be erased entirely by destroying the statues that represent previous eras.

The statue cemetery is also home to some more light-hearted pieces, of course, like this one of a group of fairy tale friends.

One of many toppled Russian statues that sits in the

Its one thing what statues mean when they are in conspicuous sites, in main squares and big streets, says Masha Lipman, a political analyst who has studied Russias changing relationship to its monuments. Its quite another thing when statues like that are collected among many others in a park.

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One historically relevant example is the pink granite statue of Stalin, standing tall with a broken nose as a result of its original dismantling. In an anti-Stalin statement, an installation of 282 stone heads in a cage by sculptor Yevgeny Chubarov symbolizes the Soviet dictators countless victims. Chubarov donated the work to Muzeon on the condition it be displayed right next to Stalin. Together, the juxtaposing works tell a story of a history that cant simply be erased by destroying one statue.

This toppled statue of Stalin at the Muzeon sculpture park sits right next to an anti-Stalin sculpture by artist Yevgeny Chubarov.

A head-centric anti-Stalin sculpture by artist Yevgeny Chubarov

I consider these sculptures to be part of our history, says Artyom Golbin, a park guide and historian. The history of Russia  and any other country  has different periods, some of them bad, some of them good. Still, we have to remember them, and these sculptures are an important reminder of Soviet times.

One of many toppled Russian statues that sits in the

The Russian experience should give some food for thought to those who are engaged in toppling statues in the U.S. these days, adds Lipman. Fighting with symbols of the past does not necessarily help solve problems of the present.
GRAND TRAVERSE COUNTY  The Northwest Michigan Invasive Species Network (ISN) is hosting an Autumn Olive Community Workshop to educate interested members of the public on proper identification of the invasive shrub and to demonstrate best management practices, both mechanical and chemical.

Landowners and land managers alike are encouraged to attend this free workshop being held online via ZOOM from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Aug 27. Registration is required. For more information and to register, please visit www.HabitatMatters.org. You may also register by contacting ISN Coordinator, Katie Grzesiak at kgrzesiak@gtcd.org or (231)941-0960 ext. 29.
Russia has only said that the vaccine was tested on 38 people and they have completely recovered.

An indigenous vaccine development will require at least eight to 12 months and there must be some trial results on animals and humans available for assessment to understand its efficacy.

Hyderabad: There is no data available on pre-clinical trials and no scientific input in peer-reviewed journals about the development of the vaccine by Russia, which is creating doubt about its development.

An indigenous vaccine development will require at least eight to 12 months and there must be some trial results on animals and humans available for assessment to understand its efficacy.

None of these has been provided by Russia which has only said that the vaccine was tested on 38 people and they have completely recovered.

CCMB director Dr Rakesh Mishra said, It is a very unreliable vaccine as there is no data available on how and in what manner trials have been carried out. For any vaccine development, apart from time, there are thousands of people who have to be tested. How have they tested the number that they have provided to the world without a cure? When we inject a virus in the body, there has to also be a cure available. But there is no definite cure for Covid-19 yet. There is no clarity on this. Till these questions are answered, no country will be willing to take the vaccine from Russia.

Dr AV Ramarao, senior scientist and former director of Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (CSIR-IICT), said, It is too early to say anything about the vaccine from Russia. There is too much confusion. The numbers presented by them in terms of trials and testing are too few. We have to wait and watch.

Questions have been raised by scientists as to why the apex body of healthcare, the World Health Organisation, has not been involved in the announcement. Have the results of the trials been reviewed by WHO.

Sanjay Reddy, pharmacologist and member of Telangana State Pharmacy Council, says, If the vaccine is really what it is claimed to be, it will help the world but we need data in terms of efficacy, safety and trial results to understand its impact on the human race. The number of trials and the number of people are also very important. Take the case of the Oxford University-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine where the trial on monkeys and the pre-clinical results are peer-reviewed and the data available for scrutiny. These are confidence- building measures in the scientific world as this vaccine is not for one set of people. It will be required for the world population.

While one section of the medical and scientific fraternity is positive and keenly looking forward to the results of the vaccine, others are sceptical due to the lack of scientific information being given out by Russia.

R. Gangadhar, state convener of Breakthrough Science Society said, We have to congratulate Russia for coming out with a vaccine so soon. The results on their human population will now be very important. The real benefit of the vaccine will be judged only when the worldwide populations benefit the same way as the populace of Russia. Due to demographic changes, there is always a concern as it has been frequently noted in the development of vaccines.

Due to the pandemic threat, the vaccine development process which is otherwise 18 months is being cut short. But shortcuts are only for early development and cannot compromise on safety and efficacy, state experts.
NEW HAVEN  City firefighters extinguished a blaze at the United Illuminating substation on Water Street Wednesday, officials said.

Firefighters reported a working fire had been called for a transformer-related blaze at 1:34 p.m. on Twitter.

Emergency Management Director Rick Fontana said the fire was brought under control shortly before 3:13 p.m.

It involved a large capacitor device at the substation, which serves more than 30,000 customers downtown and in the Hill neighborhood, he said.

The fire didnt affect residential electric customers, but some large facilities such as Yale New Haven Hospital moved to generator power, he said.

A nearby medical facility was evacuated, he said.

william.lambert@hearstmediact.com
Listening to the experts to set policy is an elitist approach. Im fearful of an elitist approach. I am also fearful it leads to totalitarianism, especially when you say We are doing it for the public good.
Washington: US Senator Kamala Harris has made history by becoming the first woman of colour nominated to a major party's presidential ticket. But she is a woman of many firsts.

It's not the first time the 55-year-old has broken a glass ceiling or two - she was the first black woman to serve as San Francisco's District Attorney; the first to serve as California's attorney-general; and the first American of South Asian descent elected to the US Senate.

Senator Kamala Harris, a Democrat from California, during her own presidential run in 2019. Credit:Bloomberg

Harris nonetheless has a tendency to play down being "the first" of many, and during her failed campaign for Democratic presidential nomination last year, she also questioned whether it was inconceivable that a woman of colour could win enough votes to get the nod.

Now, she's one step closer to the top job.
COLUMBIA, Mo. Missouri Gov. Mike Parsons contested call to give the attorney general the power to prosecute homicides in St. Louis has spurred backlash and led state lawmakers to delay work on crime legislation he wants.

Parson on Monday asked lawmakers working on sweeping crime bill to give Attorney General Eric Schmitts office that authority a move that was widely seen as a criticism of Democrat Kim Gardner, the citys first Black prosecutor who supports greater police accountability and using diversion programs instead of incarceration.

Parson and Schmitt, both Republicans, have insisted the goal is to help fight a surge in violent crime in the states larger cities.

Gardner on Wednesday said prosecutors choices are challenged every step of the way when African American female prosecutors come into office.

Republican state Sen. Bob Onder last week called Gardner incompetent and floated the idea of giving the governor the authority to oust prosecutors for reasons including incompetence.

Other Black female prosecutors elsewhere in the U.S. have faced similar criticism.

Floridas former Republican Gov. Rick Scott reassigned death penalty cases from Floridas first Black state attorney, Aramis Ayala, when she announced in early 2017 that her office would no longer seek the death penalty because of its cost and failure to deter crime. And Baltimores police union leader has repeatedly criticized the citys top prosecutor, Marilyn Mosby, who attracted national attention when she charged six officers over the 2015 death of 25-year-old Freddie Gray. Three officers were acquitted and Mosby dropped the remaining cases.

Gardner most recently faced criticism for charging a white couple, Mark and Patricia McCloskey, with felony unlawful use of a weapon after they pointed guns at racial inequality protesters marching past their home.

Parson has said he spoke with President Donald Trump about Gardners decision and told the president that its difficult to remove an elected official from office in Missouri, though he didnt say if Trump had asked if Gardner could be removed.

Parsons comments this week came just days after she easily won the Democratic primary for her office. Gardner is heavily favored to win the general election in November in the overwhelmingly Democratic city.

Shaun King, a Black Lives Matter activist and co-founder of the criminal justice reform organization Grassroots Law Project, said Republicans are trying to undermine Gardner.

They want to undo the electoral outcome because their chosen law enforcement candidate was not elected by the people," King said in a statement.

Parson has said his proposal is not about taking away authority but about fighting crime.

But his request has stalled work on the sweeping crime bill that he initially called lawmakers back to the Capitol to work on. Among other things, Parson wants to strengthen witness protection programs, ramp up penalties for giving guns to minors and require judges to consider trying some children as adults for weapons crimes.

A broad bill that included Parsons original requests passed the state Senate last week, and a House committee was holding a public hearing the day the governor added the prosecutorial change to his legislative wishlist.

In response, House Republicans stopped work on the sweeping crime bill and plan to break up the various provisions into separate bills.

Given the fact the governor expanded the call as one of our committees was considering the bill he originally proposed, we think its important to take a step back and give additional thought and attention to each part of the plan," Republican House leaders said in a joint statement.

That will give lawmakers the choice to vote down some of Parsons more contested ideas.

Parson spokeswoman Kelli Jones said the governor and his administration believe in the legislative process but also believe time is of the essence as homicides continue to increase across the state.

___

Associated Press writer Aaron Morrison contributed to this report from New York.

Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor
Coronaviruses were widespread in some wild animal trade networks, according to a new study that highlights the increased risk of transmitting diseases such as Covid-19 to humans.

The study was based on an analysis of animals collected in southern Vietnam between 2013 and 2014, in which scientists found various coronavirus strains in bats and rats sold for food.

Human behaviour is facilitating the spillover of viruses, such as coronavirus, from animals to people, the study said.

Get the latest insights and analysis from our Global Impact newsletter on the big stories originating in China.

The wildlife trade supply chain from the field to restaurant and end consumer provides multiple opportunities for such spillover events to occur.

The current pandemic is the latest example of how coronaviruses that originate in animals have caused deadly diseases in humans.

The 2003 severe acute respiratory syndrome outbreak was probably caused by a coronavirus that originated in bats, while camels were a major host for the virus that caused Middle East respiratory syndrome.

The Covid-19 outbreak was first reported in a seafood and animal market in the central Chinese city of Wuhan.

Although the exact source of the new virus, known as Sars-CoV-2, remains unclear, research suggests that it is likely to have come from bats in Asia.

The authors of the latest study included researchers from the non-governmental group Wildlife Conservation Society and Vietnams Ministry of Agricultural and Rural Development.

As part of the study, scientists examined wild rats sold as food at markets and restaurants in three provinces in southern Vietnam as well as bats raised for their guano  a much valued fertilizer.

Out of the 70 sites sampled, coronaviruses were detected in 58, including all of the 24 live rat trade sites, 17 of the 28 rodent wildlife farm sites and 16 of the 17 bat guano farms, and at the one natural pteropid bat roost.

Story continues

Although the types of the coronaviruses found were not human pathogens, scientists said the poor condition of the captured animals, the mixture of different species and their contacts with traders and consumers increased the risk of viruses crossing to humans.

In some cases, bat or avian coronaviruses were found in rodents raised on wildlife farms  a mixture that raises the risk of the viruses combining, which increases the risk to humans.

The high proportion of coronavirus positive samples at these human-wildlife interfaces highlights the potential for human exposure to wildlife origin coronaviruses, the scientists wrote in a study published in PLOS One.

Livestock and people living in close contact with rodents, bats, and birds shedding coronaviruses provides opportunities for intra and inter-species transmission and potential recombination of coronaviruses.

The study recommends restrictions on the killing, commercial breeding, transport, buying, selling, storage, processing and consuming of wild animals to minimise public health risks in future.

The Covid-19 pandemic has prompted governments to impose stricter bans on wildlife trade, but it is unclear if such bans could be enforced in regions where the consumption of animals like rats and snakes has long been popular.

The Chinese government has fast-tracked a ban on trading and eating wild animals.

In July, the Vietnamese government, which had been accused of turning a blind eye towards wildlife trade in the past, vowed to eliminate illegal wildlife markets.

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.

This article Coronaviruses are widespread among bats and rats sold for food, study warns first appeared on South China Morning Post

For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2020.
London: The push to 'onshore' more production in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic will lead to higher prices and damage the long-term global economy, the Australian head of the world's largest business organisation warns.

John Denton, the secretary-general of the Paris-based International Chamber of Commerce and Industry, also said that the appetite among world leaders to solve problems together has now "all but evaporated" unlike the global financial crisis.

John Denton is the first Australian secretary-general of the International Chamber of Commerce. Credit:Dominic Lorrimer

Denton made the comments while delivering Deakin University's 2020 Brookes Oration on Wednesday.

Denton was the former chief executive of law firm Corrs Chambers Westgarth for many years before he went to run the ICC in 2018. The organisation represents more than 45 million businesses across 100 countries and has big influence in trade policy.
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As Pilot returns to Congress, Ashok Gehlot said to reporters that they had to forgive mistakes, it was for the sake of democracy while Pilot said to media that being called 'nikamma' (useless) by Mr Gehlot did hurt him.

Rajasthan Political rumble has finally concluded as the Gandhis held a meeting with former Rajasthan deputy CM Sachin Pilot and Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot where Gehlot signed a settlement. Addressing the media on Wednesday, Gehlot said that it was natural for the MLAs to be upset, the manner in which this episode occurred and the way in which they stayed for a month, it was natural. He said that he has explained to them that sometimes they need to be tolerant if they have to serve the nation, state, people and save democracy.

Gehlot said that they had to forgive mistakes, it was for the sake of democracy. He went on to say that Democracy was in danger, more than 100 MLAs stood by him and that in itself was remarkable. According to CM Gehlot, the fight is to save democracy and the BJP failed to do in Rajasthan what it did in Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh. He said that they would be united for the sake of democracy.

Sachin Pilot has ended his rebellion, which had been raging from a month, against Ashok Gehlot, the Chief Minister of Rajasthan after having talked with Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Monday. Yesterday, upon arrival Jaipur for the first time after the start of this unarmed revolt, Mr Gehlot made it a point to stay away and in Jaisalmer.

Also read: Andhra Pradesh CM Jagan launched YSR Cheyutha to empower women

Also read: Modi hai to mumkin hai: Rahul Gandhis jibe at Centre over low GDP growth

The two of them, Pilot and Gehlot have not yet met with each other and probably wont see each other physically until the Rajasthan assembly special session to be held on Friday. Unless of course, Mr Gehlot arranges a meeting for Congress legislators in order to offer Pilot the olive branch. Although, the wounds of this in Delhi are likely to take longer to turn into scars.

Yesterday, Pilot said to media that being called nikamma (useless) by Mr Gehlot did hurt him. He said that some unparliamentary and inappropriate terms were used. He said that he was offended, he is a human and he did feel hurt and disappointed, but they have a larger mission and name-calling should not be a deterrent.

Also read: PM to launch transparent taxation platform on Aug 13
NEW DELHI : Actor Sanjay Dutt has been diagnosed with lung cancer. He had admitted to a Mumbai hospital earlier after complaining of breathing problems.

Sanjay Dutt took to Twitter to share a note.

Hi friends, Im taking a short break from work for some medical treatment. My family and friends are with me and I urge my well wishes not to worry or unnecessarily speculate. With your love and well wishes, I will be back soon," he tweeted.

Last week, the actor had tweeted that he was doing well and had tested negative for covid. The 61-year old actor, last seen in period drama Panipat, is said to leave for the US for treatment, according to media reports.

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Editor's take: I'm no legal expert but it sounds as if this was a failure by Genius' legal team. In hindsight, had they taken a different route with their lawsuit, perhaps it would have stood a better chance at success. Maybe they should regroup and try again?

Google added song lyrics to its search results in 2014. Not long after, one of the webs largest lyrics providers, Genius, suspected the Mountain View-based tech giant was scraping lyrics from its site to power its own lyrics service.

The company set a trap in which it embedded a series of straight and curly apostrophes in some song lyrics. When decoded, the string of characters spelled out Red Handed in Morse code. According to Genius, it found more than 100 examples of its booby-trapped lyrics being used by Google.

Genius took the matter a step further and filed a lawsuit against Google in December. This week, however, those efforts ended in defeat.

US District Judge Margo Brodie of the Eastern District of New York rejected Genius claims on Monday, essentially noting that Genius isnt the copyright holder of the lyrics in question. Those rights remain with the artists that wrote the lyrics.

Plaintiffs breach of contract claims are nothing more than claims seeking to enforce the copyright owners exclusive rights to protection from unauthorized reproduction of the lyrics and are therefore preempted, Judge Brodie wrote.

Given that the Court finds that all of Plaintiffs state law claims are preempted by the Copyright Act, and Plaintiff has not asserted any federal law claims, the Court dismisses the Complaint for failure to state a claim, the judge added.

Image credit: PrinceOfLove, guruXOX
Today we'll do a simple run through of a valuation method used to estimate the attractiveness of Regal Beloit Corporation (NYSE:RBC) as an investment opportunity by projecting its future cash flows and then discounting them to today's value. One way to achieve this is by employing the Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model. It may sound complicated, but actually it is quite simple!

We would caution that there are many ways of valuing a company and, like the DCF, each technique has advantages and disadvantages in certain scenarios. For those who are keen learners of equity analysis, the Simply Wall St analysis model here may be something of interest to you.

View our latest analysis for Regal Beloit

Crunching the numbers

We're using the 2-stage growth model, which simply means we take in account two stages of company's growth. In the initial period the company may have a higher growth rate and the second stage is usually assumed to have a stable growth rate. To begin with, we have to get estimates of the next ten years of cash flows. Where possible we use analyst estimates, but when these aren't available we extrapolate the previous free cash flow (FCF) from the last estimate or reported value. We assume companies with shrinking free cash flow will slow their rate of shrinkage, and that companies with growing free cash flow will see their growth rate slow, over this period. We do this to reflect that growth tends to slow more in the early years than it does in later years.

A DCF is all about the idea that a dollar in the future is less valuable than a dollar today, and so the sum of these future cash flows is then discounted to today's value:

10-year free cash flow (FCF) forecast

2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 Levered FCF ($, Millions) US$285.4m US$286.0m US$288.3m US$291.8m US$296.3m US$301.4m US$307.1m US$313.2m US$319.6m US$326.3m Growth Rate Estimate Source Analyst x5 Est @ 0.2% Est @ 0.81% Est @ 1.23% Est @ 1.53% Est @ 1.74% Est @ 1.88% Est @ 1.98% Est @ 2.05% Est @ 2.1% Present Value ($, Millions) Discounted @ 10% US$259 US$236 US$216 US$199 US$184 US$170 US$157 US$146 US$135 US$125

("Est" = FCF growth rate estimated by Simply Wall St)

Present Value of 10-year Cash Flow (PVCF) = US$1.8b

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After calculating the present value of future cash flows in the initial 10-year period, we need to calculate the Terminal Value, which accounts for all future cash flows beyond the first stage. For a number of reasons a very conservative growth rate is used that cannot exceed that of a country's GDP growth. In this case we have used the 5-year average of the 10-year government bond yield (2.2%) to estimate future growth. In the same way as with the 10-year 'growth' period, we discount future cash flows to today's value, using a cost of equity of 10%.

Terminal Value (TV)= FCF 2030  (1 + g)  (r  g) = US$326m (1 + 2.2%)  (10% 2.2%) = US$4.3b

Present Value of Terminal Value (PVTV)= TV / (1 + r)10= US$4.3b ( 1 + 10%)10= US$1.6b

The total value, or equity value, is then the sum of the present value of the future cash flows, which in this case is US$3.5b. The last step is to then divide the equity value by the number of shares outstanding. Relative to the current share price of US$98.7, the company appears around fair value at the time of writing. The assumptions in any calculation have a big impact on the valuation, so it is better to view this as a rough estimate, not precise down to the last cent.

dcf

The assumptions

The calculation above is very dependent on two assumptions. The first is the discount rate and the other is the cash flows. If you don't agree with these result, have a go at the calculation yourself and play with the assumptions. The DCF also does not consider the possible cyclicality of an industry, or a company's future capital requirements, so it does not give a full picture of a company's potential performance. Given that we are looking at Regal Beloit as potential shareholders, the cost of equity is used as the discount rate, rather than the cost of capital (or weighted average cost of capital, WACC) which accounts for debt. In this calculation we've used 10%, which is based on a levered beta of 1.301. Beta is a measure of a stock's volatility, compared to the market as a whole. We get our beta from the industry average beta of globally comparable companies, with an imposed limit between 0.8 and 2.0, which is a reasonable range for a stable business.

Moving On:

Although the valuation of a company is important, it shouldn't be the only metric you look at when researching a company. The DCF model is not a perfect stock valuation tool. Instead the best use for a DCF model is to test certain assumptions and theories to see if they would lead to the company being undervalued or overvalued. For example, changes in the company's cost of equity or the risk free rate can significantly impact the valuation. For Regal Beloit, we've put together three further elements you should look at:

Risks: To that end, you should be aware of the 3 warning signs we've spotted with Regal Beloit . Future Earnings: How does RBC's growth rate compare to its peers and the wider market? Dig deeper into the analyst consensus number for the upcoming years by interacting with our free analyst growth expectation chart. Other High Quality Alternatives: Do you like a good all-rounder? Explore our interactive list of high quality stocks to get an idea of what else is out there you may be missing!

PS. The Simply Wall St app conducts a discounted cash flow valuation for every stock on the NYSE every day. If you want to find the calculation for other stocks just search here.

This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.



Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com.
SEATTLE, Aug. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- U.S.-based Ultra Safe Nuclear Corporation (USNC) has contracted with UK-based Howden to design a helium circulator for use in the company's Micro-Modular Reactors (MMR). Ultra Safe Nuclear is investing in the best-in-breed Howden submerged helium blowers to maximize heat transfer in the MMR's power plant.

Howden products are proven components in the nuclear industry. Used in a variety of reactor designs, including Pressure Water Reactors (PWR) and Advanced Gas-cooled Reactors (AGR), Howden technologies have been successfully deployed in nuclear installations for decades.

"Our contract with Howden is a strategic investment that marries the inherent safety of our MMR with proven equipment that will make the overall system simpler, less expensive, and more reliable," said Mark Mitchell, President of USNC-Power. "By seeking superior components from around the world, we're building a best-in-class supply chain for our MMR."

Ultra Safe Nuclear will collaborate with the Howden engineering and design team to maximize heat-transfer efficiencies. The company plans to incorporate the Howden submerged blower into the MMR Project at the Chalk River Laboratories site in Ontario. This MMR Project is in the third stage of Canadian Nuclear Laboratories' (CNL) four-stage process to site a demonstration small modular reactor (SMR) at Chalk River Laboratories, a site owned by Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL) and operated by CNL.

"Ultra Safe Nuclear is a leader in both development of advanced nuclear reactor technology and the process of starting construction of a working deployment," said Fred Hearle, Executive Director, Howden. "The addition of a custom Howden blower to the Ultra Safe Nuclear design demonstrates how committed the company is to making its reactor safe and state of the art."

The USNC MMR Reactor consists of two plants: the nuclear plant that generates heat, and the adjacent power plant that converts heat into electricity or provides process heat for industrial applications. The USNC system is designed to be uniquely simple, with minimal operations and maintenance requirements, and no on-site fuel storage, handling, or processing. Key to the overall design is USNC's Fully Ceramic Microencapsulated (FCM) fuel, providing a new approach to reactor safety at the fuel level.

About Ultra Safe Nuclear Corporation

USNC is a vertical integrator of nuclear power technologies, committed to bringing safe, commercially competitive, reliable nuclear energy to markets throughout the world. The company strictly adheres to inherent and intrinsic safety principles through technological innovation in fuels, materials, and design practices. Twitter: @UltraSafeNuke

About Howden

Originally founded by James Howden in Scotland as a marine engineering firm in 1854, Howden has grown and evolved into a global leader in manufacturing air and gas handling solutions. With the power of our engineering expertise and technology, our equipment plays an integral role within our customers' processes, which provide safe and reliable solutions that are both sustainable and efficient. Howden supports multiple sectors including infrastructure, power generation, oil & gas, wastewater, metals, mining and transportation. We work in partnership with our customers, wherever they are, to deliver sustainable and customised solutions. Website: www.howden.com

USNC

1-206-290-4431

[email protected]

SOURCE Ultra Safe Nuclear Corporation
(Natural News) Well, the drama is over: Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden did what his handlers told him to do; hes picked a woman of color to be his running mate.

Remember when persons of color were telling Americans the color of someones skin shouldnt matter?

In any event, those days are long gone, and the Democrat Party has become the party of victimhood and identity politics, the latter of which is a joke when you consider Democrats were the party of the breakaway Confederacy, the party of slavery, the party of the KKK, Jim Crow laws, segregation, and opposition to the civil rights movement.

Now we come to the pick: Sen. Kamala Harris of California, who once called Biden the biggest racist on the planet, which is about the only truthful thing she has said during the 2020 campaign cycle.

While shell be feted and celebrated by the phony woke Left as the first black female vice presidential pick (allowing Democrats to check that box), the fact is, shell have a lot to answer for in the coming days and weeks. (Related: California scrubs controversial Kamala Harris-era arrest reports.)

Here are some of the many reasons why shell give Democrats fits:

 As the Marxist Democrat Left gets more woke, the partys law enforcers have become more, shall we say, tolerant of law-breaking. As a California district attorney and eventually attorney general, she pushed for a new state law that sought to punish parents if their kids were chronically truant. How will that work out with a party that lets dangerous criminals out of jail because they might catch COVID-19, or lets rioters and looters walk free?

 She supports the invasion of privacy through the expansion of police attainment of DNA samples. She wants cops to collect them from all crime scenes so that the samples can be added to global databases. Her home state allows them to be collected and preserved from anyone whos ever arrested, even if theyre never charged.

 Harris supports civil asset forfeiture  the governments taking of private property before any criminals proceedings are ever initiated. What a constitutionalist.

 She loves illegal immigrants and supports giving them extra rights that are not normally afforded to non-citizens, such as granting them law licenses and license to drive. Oh, and of course, as president in waiting (Bidens not mentally fit to govern) shell push for and expand giving taxpayer freebies to illegals. Hide and watch.

 Harris reputation as a tough on crime prosecutor, again, will not bode well with her partys new look the other way and defund the cops law enforcement policies. That said, her reputation isnt even deserved.

 She said in 2017 shed rather see the government shut down than vote for a spending bill that didnt address the highly unconstitutional DACA program. She would later refuse to go along with a fix that President Trump proposed, proving that she, and other Democrats, really are hypocrites when they claim they support the illegal aliens caught up in the unconstitutional Obama-era program.

 Then, of course, there was that time a California Superior Court judge found that she, as San Francisco district attorney, violated a defendants rights by hiding damaging info regarding a police drug-lab technician.

 In 2004, Harris angered her now-U.S. Senate colleague from California, Dianne Feinstein, when, as a district attorney, she would not seek the death penalty for David Hill, who had shot and killed a San Fran police officer with an AK-47 (he wounded another cop in the leg). Feinstein drew an ovation from a mostly-cop crowd when she said of Harris decision, This is not only the definition of tragedy, its the special circumstance called for by the death-penalty law.

And wed be remiss if we didnt remind readers that Harris, 30 at the time, dated the married San Fran Mayor Willie Brown, in his 60s, using that as a means of sleeping her way up the California political ladder.

Yeah, Harris was a great pick for Biden.

Sources include:

NationalReview.com

SFGate.com

RollCall.com

NaturalNews.com
(CNN)  In May, millions of Americans watched as Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley, two veteran NASA astronauts, strapped into a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule and took a 17,000 mile per hour ride to the International Space Station. It was the first time NASA astronauts launched from US soil since 2011  and the first time in history that a privately owned vehicle carried humans into Earth's orbit.

The astronauts returned safely home last weekend, and once again, NASA and SpaceX employees cheered together, celebrating their coordinated accomplishment.

That moment of solidarity, however, came after years of infighting, politicking and mutual distrust, according to current and former employees from NASA and SpaceX.

Elon Musk, who made millions as a co-founder of PayPal, founded SpaceX in 2002 with the stated goal of sending humans to live on Mars: "I think we're beginning to see is the dawn of a new era of space exploration  one that is driven by commercial companies as much, if not more, than by government," Musk told CNN in a 2004 interview.

When the startup began working with NASA later that decade, it had only a few dozen engineers and was known primarily for Musk's bold claims and for blowing up its first rocket prototypes.

The space agency, wise from past tragedies that cost astronauts' lives, saw SpaceX as brash and reckless.

The prevailing perception was "they're cowboys; they're dangerous; they're going to kill somebody," said former NASA astronaut Garrett Reisman, a veteran of two Space Shuttle missions who joined SpaceX in 2011 as a senior engineer, working on Crew Dragon development.

Even after SpaceX began to prove its engineering chops and was awarded multibillion-dollar NASA contracts, cultural divisions kept tensions brewing behind the scenes.

NASA repeatedly signaled that it was more confident in its legacy partner, Boeing, which was developing the Starliner, a spacecraft to rival SpaceX's Crew Dragon.

As recently as 2016, NASA was planning its schedule around the idea that the Starliner would beat the Crew Dragon to the launch pad. And, as recently as last September, NASA chief Jim Bridenstine and Elon Musk were publicly sparring over whether SpaceX was paying adequate attention to the spacecraft's development.

But by the new year, Boeing and SpaceX's race to the launch pad took a clear turn. A Starliner test flight in December was riddled with missteps and left NASA and Boeing officials scrambling to figure out what went wrong. Shortly afterward, SpaceX's Crew Dragon soared through its final testing milestones, and, in the midst of a pandemic, swiftly prepared for its crowning launch achievement.

NASA officials admitted earlier this month that they had turned a more scrutinizing eye toward SpaceX and its unorthodox ways, while issues with Boeing's Starliner slipped through the cracks.

"To see NASA step up and say, 'We should have trusted SpaceX more'  If you would have played that clip about eight years ago, I would have been flabbergasted," Reisman said. "It would have been pure science fiction."

'Wacky people doing wacky things'

Back in 2005, NASA knew its Space Shuttle program was nearing its end and the space agency would be shifting its focus to a new human spaceflight program, aimed at fulfilling then-President George W. Bush's directive to return humans to the Moon in 2020.

The space agency, however, also needed to keep the International Space Station, a $100 billion orbiting laboratory, stocked with supplies. And a small faction of NASA employees had a radical idea: Instead of doing the bulk of the work, perhaps NASA could ask private-sector companies to develop new spacecraft and compete for NASA contracts. If the spacecraft proved capable of delivering cargo to the Space Station, then perhaps they could also ask companies to build crew-worthy capsules.

"I think in general it was viewed by [others at] NASA as just a bunch of wacky people doing wacky things," Marc Timm, a senior manager at NASA who was involved with the commercial program (later named COTS), recalled to a NASA historian. "We were kind of left alone, which I think was another benefit that allowed us to be successful."

When SpaceX was selected as a COTS program competitor in 2006, it was a four-year-old company with fewer than 100 employees, mostly young engineers, that were trying to launch cheap rockets off the tiny island of Omelek, about 2,300 miles west of Hawaii. They had already blown up one. A common perception at the time was that space technology was probably too complex and expensive for the private sector, and SpaceX's eccentric CEO, Elon Musk, could join a long list of rich guys who blew their fortune on the impossible.

"We were on our own from our infancy, so we were used to being a bit internally self-centered," Tim Buzza, a former SpaceX vice president and one of its first employees, later said, according to NASA's Oral History Project. "I think learning to accept some of that outside help was something that we had to learn."

Building bridges

Throughout its history, NASA has worked with aerospace contractors to help design, develop, build and test new spacecraft. Boeing and the companies it's merged with, for example, have worked alongside the space agency on every spaceflight program since Project Mercury began in the 1950s

But the COTS program marked an entirely new blueprint. NASA lent expertise and oversight, but companies were awarded fixed-price contracts. If costs ran high, the contractors would have to find more money elsewhere or work around the problem.

SpaceX ended up spending about $545 million of its own money  on top of NASA's $475 million COTS award  to build the first Dragon spacecraft, a vehicle designed only to carry cargo. To cut costs, SpaceX wanted to skip some ground tests. Instead of sticking a spacecraft in a bunch of test chambers, as is standard, the company wanted to accept a bit of added risk and put a Dragon cargo capsule on the launch pad.

"The first flight could serve as these big system tests," SpaceX president Gwynne Shotwell told NASA's Oral History Project in 2013. "The biggest challenge, I think, that we had in the execution of this was convincing NASA, every step of the way, that though we're going to do business very differently, we're going to get it right."

Shotwell said SpaceX engineers also used C++, a modern computer programming language adored in Silicon Valley, while NASA was used to working with its own aerospace-specific languages, such as HAL/S. The two sides became accustomed to long, "painful" meetings to reach understandings, Shotwell said.

NASA preferred slow, methodical approaches and detailed documentation to organize the process. SpaceX's strategy was to move fast and continuously make changes.

But not everyone at NASA was put off.

"They were making things in a month that would have taken NASA like a year," Reisman, the former NASA astronaut, told CNN. He watched the company's progress while preparing for his second Space Shuttle mission. "We were just amazed."

After Reisman returned from his mission, STS-132, he left NASA to join the startup.

A year later, in 2012, the first SpaceX Dragon cargo vehicle safely latched onto the International Space Station after launching atop its new Falcon 9 rocket.

SpaceX became impossible to ignore. And the success of the Dragon spacecraft, which still flies routine cargo missions to the ISS, enabled a pro-commercialization movement inside NASA to push forward with a plan to allow SpaceX and other private companies to take over astronaut transportation, too.

Failure and politics

After President Barack Obama came into office, his administration asked Congress to back a new program, dubbed Commercial Crew, which would be modeled on the COTS program but would be focused on developing human-rated spacecraft. The Obama Administration also proposed scrapping the Bush-era Moon landing program in 2010.

That idea, however, did not sit well with the space industry establishment or some of NASA's bankrollers on Capitol Hill.

Republican Senator Richard Shelby of Alabama, whose state is home to a major NASA facility, called the administration's proposal a "death march" for NASA's human spaceflight ambitions and an attempt to "coddle the dreams of rocket hobbyists."

Republicans also wanted to revive the Bush Administration's Moon landing program and the massive rocket and spacecraft NASA planned to develop for the mission, so eventually a compromise was reached: The Moon program was revived, and Congress agreed to fund the Commercial Crew Program.

But SpaceX's critics continued to fixate on its failures. The company wanted to figure out how to recover rocket boosters after launch, hoping it would save some cash, but the boosters kept crashing off-target into the ocean. In June 2015, just months after SpaceX received its final Commercial Crew contract, one of its rockets and Dragon spacecraft erupted on its way to the ISS, destroying 4,000 pounds worth of science experiments and supplies. And in late 2016, another SpaceX rocket exploded on the launch pad, destroying a multimillion-dollar satellite.

However, SpaceX also amassed impressive successes. It eventually mastered the art of landing rocket boosters and began regularly navigating them to pinpoint landings on ground pads and seafaring platforms. It launched dozens of flawless missions on rockets that cost roughly a third of those built by legacy US aerospace companies. And, in 2018, it successfully launched the largest operational rocket in the world, known as Falcon Heavy.

Many NASA engineers grew to respect the company and its unorthodox process.

"I like to credit a bunch of people along the way that really kind of stuck their neck out," Reisman, the NASA-astronaut-turned-SpaceX-engineer, told CNN Business. (Reisman is currently a professor at the University of Southern California and works as a SpaceX consultant.)

'It's time to deliver'

But SpaceX never stopped giving talking points to its critics. Musk, the company's head engineer and public figurehead, attracted a near-constant string of controversies: Smoking marijuana during a podcast interview, running afoul of federal regulators for posting misleading tweets about his electric car company, Tesla, and lashing out at his critics on Twitter. And that was just 2018.

NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine publicly aired his frustration with Musk in September, when Crew Dragon was months behind schedule after one of the capsules exploded during a test fire, and Musk was hosting a much-hyped press event about SpaceX's Mars rocket concept in Texas. Bridenstine tweeted at SpaceX that he expects to "see the same level of enthusiasm focused" on its plans to carry NASA astronauts to the ISS, adding "it's time to deliver."

Musk responded in an interview with CNN in which he took a jab at NASA's long-delayed and over budget Moon rocket. The back-and-forth ended with a joint press conference to publicly bury the hatchet.

But behind the scenes, NASA and SpaceX engineers were already finishing Crew Dragon's design fixes and preparing to give the spacecraft its final "go for launch."

That approval rested in large part on Kathy Lueders, NASA's Commercial Crew program head.

In May, days before SpaceX launched its historic crewed mission, she reflected on the evolution of Boeing, the trusted NASA partner that was then undergoing lengthy reviews of its botched test flight, and SpaceX, the underdog that some thought would never get the job done.

"I tell people that there'll be Harvard Business studies [about these companies]," Lueders, who has business administration and engineering degrees, told CNN. "I think the program was really a catalyst for maturity for both companies."

Boeing had to learn to work within an aerospace program that didn't send more money when accounts ran dry. And SpaceX had to grow out of its "Skunkworks" phase, Lueders said, a reference to Lockheed Martin's internal experimental prototype division.

From SpaceX's point of view, "the worst thing to be would be to be a major aerospace company," Lueders said. "They want to be on the leading edge and, sometimes, that's tough when you're dealing with government customers."

This story was first published on CNN.com, "How SpaceX and NASA overcame a bitter culture clash to bring back US astronaut launches."
Media, online groups, foreign interference 'top anti-China forces'

Global Times

By Wang Qi and Cui Fandi Source: Global Times Published: 2020/8/11 21:34:47

Lai's arrest just start of HK clean-up: experts

Experts said that those who threaten Hong Kong's security and stability will finally pay a price after the enactment of the national security law for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR). Media tycoon and riot supporter Jimmy Lai won't be the last one, especially when it comes to lawbreakers who incite violence and smear the government through propaganda photos and videos that are full of lies.

From the opposition to the enactment of Article 23 of Hong Kong's Basic Law, to the Moral and National Education controversy in 2012 and the Occupy Central movement in 2014, as well as the anti-extradition bill unrest in 2019, anti-China propaganda from local news outlets, social organizations and foreign forces had played an important role, observers said.

Leo Chan, a Hong Kong resident who used to study in the Chinese mainland, told the Global Times on Tuesday that he had been cheated and misled by some media outlets. "Some Hong Kong media somehow have an obsession to smear the mainland in terms of human rights and freedom, gradually forming a superiority complex Unfortunately, some people who get their information from Apple Daily think they know the truth," Chan said.

The result of a 2019 poll launched by the Center for Communication and Public Opinion Survey, under the Chinese University of Hong Kong, showed that the overall credibility of Hong Kong's press was at its lowest ebb since 2006.

Some local observers said that if a society is full of contradictions and the media deviates from professional norms, credibility will decline. Apple Daily - owned by Jimmy Lai - which incites and glorifies violence, smears the Hong Kong police and spreads rumors, is responsible for the declining credibility of the Hong Kong media.

The media environment will definitely improve after Lai's arrest. Regulating media outlets like Apple Daily can help build a healthier environment, Li Xiaobing, an expert on Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan affairs from Nankai University, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

Police raided the Next Media Headquarters, mother company of Apple Daily on Monday under a court warrant and seized 25 boxes of exhibits, which were regarded as critical evidence to identify underground political networks and money flows of the secessionists. External interference might also be disclosed.

However, Li noted that public opinion in Hong Kong will not be immediately rectified as there are other groups and people like Lai in Hong Kong that have been colluding with foreign forces overtly and covertly for years, inciting Hong Kong people to oppose the Chinese central government and the HKSAR government, and providing funds for local secessionist organizations.

Former "Scholarism" member Wilson Li and "Hong Kong Story" member Andy Li were involved in an anti-China group "Lanchao," which means "burn with us" in Chinese. Hong Kong outlets said the group is closely bonded with a London-based anti-China group called Hong Kong Watch, which manipulated the UK's All-Party Parliamentary Group Hong Kong to stigmatize the Hong Kong police.

Leaders of the group begged the US for sanctions against Hong Kong officials. Hong Kong media reported that the group supported rioters financially, with about $1.82 million in total.

In the latest crowd funding drive launched by the group on US-based website gofundme.com, just before the enactment of the national security law for Hong Kong, the group collected about $1.7 million for the project called "Rise From the Ashes." Although most donors remain anonymous, experts said they have violated the law.

Online platforms like LIHKG, Facebook and Telegram were also widely used to create and spread rumors among Hong Kong youth. Hundreds of posters and pictures per day on average were produced by rioters for propaganda and to incite violence, and there were even guidelines and textbooks for attacking police and producing Molotov cocktails on these platforms, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

The street violence brought fear and chaos. Rumors like "a man was killed in a metro station," "a woman was shot blind by police," and "a pregnant woman was raped" were ceaselessly created and then proved groundless.

The public opinion environment in Hong Kong was overly open in the past, but anti-China forces, who were accustomed to putting the "fourth power" - media - above the law, have seen their time run out with the national security legislation, Fan Peng, a research fellow from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences' Institute of Political Sciences in Beijing, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

In the future, people who mess up Hong Kong will undoubtedly pay a price, Fan said, noting that more cases will refine and enrich the content of the national security legislation in Hong Kong.

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The United States has entered a $1.5 billion agreement with Moderna that would give Trump's administration 100 million doses of the coronavirus vaccine candidate that the pharmaceutical company is developing after it passes approval of the regulatory body.

Preparing coronavirus vaccines

The White House and Moderna announced the agreement on Tuesday after weeks of attempts by the American government to acquire hundreds of millions of doses of the COVID-19 vaccine from multiple medical companies.

The US government's move is part of its Operation Warp Speed program that aims to provide coronavirus vaccines across the country before the year ends.

According to the New York Post, Moderna has given its coronavirus vaccine a price tag of about $30.50 for every person who would be given a two-dose regimen.

All of the US's deals with pharmaceutical companies put the price range of each coronavirus vaccine dose at around $20 to $42 for two-dose treatments except for one, AstraZeneca. The company has agreed to supply coronavirus vaccines for a much lower price compared to competitors in exchange for upfront research and developments costs it would need to provide.

Moderna said its vaccine candidate is given the name mRNA-1273 and is one of a handful of vaccines currently ongoing final testing trials and are on track to be approved by September. The company's deal with the US government will only pay out in full efficiency if it successfully meets timings for the delivery of the vaccine.

The companies included in the list that the United States will purchase coronavirus vaccines include Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer Inc and BioNTech SE, and several others.

Also Read: Coronavirus Vaccines: Countries Enter Heated Debates on Who Gets It First After Development

The agreements would provide the US with over 500 million doses of coronavirus vaccines it could distribute across the country. This number assumes all of the development companies successfully get approval for their potential vaccines.

Moderna's Chief Executive Stephane Bancel stated the company was grateful for the US government's confidence in their vaccine candidate and for the continued support they have provided in the development process, as reported by the Wall Street Journal.

Fighting the pandemic

Government officials see vaccines as the most crucial part of fighting against the coronavirus pandemic that has continued to terrorize the United States and the whole world. However, the cost and prices of the treatments have begun to come into question as a select few have entered late-stage trials.

Alex Azar, the secretary for the US Department of Health and Human Services, said the government is listing down several coronavirus vaccine candidates to increase the chances that the nation would have access to at least one safe treatment for Operation Warp Speed.

Moderna's vaccine candidate will be put to its late-stage trials which would include 30,000 volunteers to test its safety and efficacy in human hosts. Public health officials anticipate that results of the trials would determine whether or not the vaccine would actually work and is safe to use on humans.

During its early-stage trials, Moderna's vaccine candidate produced an immune response in 45 health volunteers and evaluated it to be generally safe for humans.

Throughout Moderna's development of its vaccine, the United States government has provided about $950 million in funding to help support the costs of the research and testing. Morgan Stanley analysts say that adding the financial support, the price of each dose of the pharmaceutical company's vaccine would rise to about $25 per dose or $50 for a two-dose regimen per person.

Related Article: Donald Trump Says COVID-19 Vaccine Could Be Available Before November 3

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
- A woman recently caused a buzz after she took to social media to share a photo with her two husbands

- The polyamorous woman identified as Kenya Stevens explained that they have a peaceful relationship

- Stevens also revealed that she has two sons with them

- Our manifesto: This is what YEN.com.gh believes in

While it is common to see men marry more than one woman especially in many African societies, it isn't everyday one sees a woman married to two men and living with them peacefully too.

An American woman identified as Kenya Stevens recently left jaws hanging after she took to social media to show off her two husbands.

Kenya revealed she has two sons with her husbands. Photo credit: @progressive_love_academy

Source: UGC

READ ALSO: Afia Schwar exposes Tracey Boakye after actress claimed to have gifted her a car (photo)

In the caption, she described them as her life partners and explained that the love she feels for each of them is different but that they live in peace. She also revealed that she has two sons with them.

She shared a photo with both men while listing their similarities and differences.

Kenya captioned the photo: "Poly girls have all the fun!!! Heres me and my two life partners. One is a body love WC one is a mind love CC - Theyre both 63. They both have beards... We all wear glasses One is a Southern Gent, the other is a shrewd northerner. We live together and we get along really well. Im raising both their sons - our oldest two are away at college!"

See post below:

READ ALSO: MzBel Replies Kennedy Agyapong over Prof Jane Naana Opoku Agyemang allegation

In most Nigerian cultures, men are allowed to marry more than one wife.

However, it is not the same for women. A woman who cohabits with more than one man is seen to have committed a taboo. Society frowns at such a situation and the woman may be punished.

But Nollywood actress Susan Peters has made a case for women as regards this matter. The beautiful entertainer took to her social media page to state that women should be allowed to marry two husbands.

In other news, YEN.com.gh earlier reported that a Nigerian man advised married men to stop discussing plans with their wives.

The man who was identified as Maduakor Wiseman Jesus said that men would have a successful future only when they stopped discussing their plans with their wives. He advised them to rather talk with their mothers and sisters.

Wiseman noted that mothers and sisters give better advice than wives. He stated that wives were a threat to the destinies of men but mothers wanted the success of their sons. He said he was not trying to deceive anyone as his advice was tested and trusted.

Know someone who is extremely talented and needs recognition? Your stories and photos are always welcome.

Get interactive via our Facebook page. Enjoyed reading our story? Download YEN's news app on Google Play now and stay up-to-date with major Ghana news!

Source: YEN.com.gh
Ukrainian Defense Minister Andriy Taran had a phone conversation with his Moldovan counterpart Alexandru Pinzari yesterday, August 11, the press service of the Defense Ministry of Ukraine reports.

During the conversation, the defense ministers discussed the development of regional security, the importance of cooperation with partners and international organizations in order to ensure stability in the region of Southeast Europe.

In addition, special emphasis was placed on ways to intensify bilateral Ukrainian-Moldovan defense cooperation. The parties agreed to strengthen military cooperation, in particular, in such areas as joint participation of units of the two countries in multinational exercises, the exchange of delegations between military educational institutions, as well as the exchange of experience in implementing NATO standards.

ish
LOreal Paris, the worlds biggest beauty brand, awards Indigo Consulting, Publicis Groupes Digital Marketing and Business Transformation Company, with its complete digital communication mandate. The account was won following a multi-agency pitch.

L'Oreal entered the Indian market back in 1994 catering to urban audiences.Since then, the brand L'Oreal Paris has grown immensely and offers products in Make Up, Skincare, Hair Colour and Hair Care segments. It also has a widespread product roster in the men's segment.

L'Oreal Paris joins Indigo Consulting's massive client list which includes brands like Jio, Google, YouTube, Vodafone and HDFC Bank.

Also read: L'Oreal Paris and NDTV host'Women of Worth' Conclave
A religious student retreat may have been responsible for growing coronavirus cluster at a Sydney girls school.

The number of cases linked to the Tangara School for Girls in Cherrybrook in the city's north-west grew to 17 on Tuesday as New South Wales recorded its highest daily increase in coronavirus cases in four months.

Eight of the 22 latest cases were linked to the Tangara cluster, which now consists of 11 senior students, five close contacts and a teacher.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian issued a desperate plea to schools to not hold excursions and extracurricular activities amid reports an overnight religious retreat took place shortly before the first Tangara case was diagnosed.

Deep cleaning continued at Tangara School for Girls in Cherrybrook on Tuesday as the coronavirus cluster grew to 17. The figure is expected to rise

'Extracurricular activities, those excursions, overnight things which you would ordinary do are not acceptable during the pandemic,' Ms Berejiklian said on Tuesday.

'I'm absolutely paranoid about what I do myself, the worst thing to be would be unintentionally give it to others.'

The stern warning was echoed by the Independent Education Union of Australia.

'Extra-curricular activities should be curtailed,' branch secretary Mark Northam said in a statement.

An investigation is underway into reports several students attended an overnight religious retreat in Bargo, 90km south-west of Sydney, before they tested positive, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.

The school insists it had nothing to do with the retreat and that it was organised by the nearby Eremeran study centre with the Catholic organisation Opus Dei.

'The school has not held any camps or retreats for its students since March 2020, when the COVID-19 restrictions for schools came into place,' a school statement read.

There are reports a student retreat was responsible for an outbreak at the school (pictured)

The Tangara School for Girls secondary campus will remain closed until at least August 24.

All students and staff and support staff at the secondary campus have been ordered to get tested for and self-isolate at home for two weeks, even if a negative test result is returned.

The junior campus was reopen on Wednesday for parents who need to send their children to school.

'As our positive cases disappointingly continue to grow students received an email from our chaplain this morning reminding them to pray and that Jesus said to 'take heart' and 'have no fear,' the school posted on Facebook on Tuesday.

The email also included references to Anna from Frozen II:

'Let's follow Anna's advice for the next two weeks! Just do 'the next right thing': get up at a good time, and then... talk to your parents and siblings from your room, and then... tidy your bed and desk, and then... set your timetable for the day, and then... pay attention during online classes, do exercise, relax with your music, talk to your friends, wash your hands... and pray for all those that are suffering more than us!'

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian (pictured on August 5) issued a desperate plea to schools to not hold excursions and extracurricular activities to avoid outbreaks

Two cases from the cluster travelled to Shoalhaven on the NSW south coast on Saturday while infectious before they tested positive on Monday.

They dined at the Wildginger restaurant in Huskisson on Saturday night at around 8pm, which is now shut.

'Please be advised that at this time, NONE of our staff have tested positive for COVID-19 and the incident was from patrons visiting from Sydney,' the restaurant posted on its Facebook page.

'We are devastated at the news of this and will be closed for the next two weeks while our affected staff are in mandatory, two week quarantine.

'Rest assured we have remained 100 per cent compliant with all rules and guidelines regarding COVID-19 and our procedures were verified and approved by local police on Saturday night during a routine inspection, and the NSW Department of Health.

Two cases from the Tangara School for Girls cluster travelled to Huskisson (pictured) on the NSW south coast on Saturday before they tested positive

Closer to the Tangara school, Castle Towers at nearby Castle Hill was closed on Tuesday after a customer who visited last week tested positive.

Anyone who visited the shopping centre food court last Friday between 3.30pm and 5pm to monitor for COVID-19 symptoms and get tested.

Parramatta Public School in western Sydney will also be closed on Wednesday after a student tested positive.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-12 20:58:06|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese mainland spokesperson Wednesday urged the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authority in Taiwan to immediately stop political manipulation of affairs related to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), saying DPP's attempts to create chaos in Hong Kong and seek "Taiwan independence" would only end in futile.

Ma Xiaoguang, the spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, refuted irresponsible accusations by leader of the DPP authority over the law on safeguarding national security in Hong Kong and the measures by the HKSAR government in implementing the legislation.

The enactment and implementation of the law on safeguarding national security and the measures against law-breakers by the HKSAR government are legitimate and reasonable, said Ma, adding that the DPP authority has long been meddling in Hong Kong affairs under various pretexts, supporting and colluding with elements and troublemakers advocating "Hong Kong independence," inciting and even participating in activities that damage prosperity and stability in Hong Kong or seek secession.

Ma said the attacks by the DPP authority once again exposed their evil intention to create chaos in Hong Kong and seek "Taiwan independence" under the pretext of democracy and freedom. Enditem
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Furniture stands in a corridor at a school in Brampton, Ont. on July 23, 2020. Plans are being made across the country for how to safely send students back to school in the fall as the COVID-19 pandemic continues. (Chris Young/The Canadian Press)

From Masks to Cohorting, a Guide to Back to School Rules Across Canada

Plans are being made across the country for how to safely send students back to school in the fall as the COVID-19 pandemic continues.

Here is a look at what the various provinces have said about getting kids back to classes.

British Columbia

British Columbia has laid out its plan for studies to resume in learning groups this fall. School districts are to post final back-to-school details online by Aug. 26.

Back to class: Schools were initially scheduled to welcome students back full time on Sept. 8, but the province announced it is pushing back the restart date. Education Minister Rob Fleming says students will be welcomed back to classrooms later in the second week of September after staff review the latest B.C. Centre for Disease Control guidelines and school operation policies. No official date has been set for children to return to schools.

Groups: Students will be sorted into learning groups to reduce the number of people they come in contact with. For elementary and middle school students, groups will be no larger than 60 people. Secondary school groups will be capped at 120.

Physical distancing: Students and staff dont need to maintain physical distancing within their learning group, but contact should be minimized. Outside the group, physical distancing is required. Students should be more spaced out in classrooms.

Masks: Students and staff will not be required to wear masks in schools, but the province says its a personal choice that will always be respected.

New routines: The province is urging schools to stagger recess, lunch and class transition times and take students outside whenever possible.

Transportation: Middle and high school students are asked to wear masks on buses. Students should be assigned seats, and a transparent barrier may be used to separate the driver.



Alberta

The province is planning to fully reopen schools from kindergarten to Grade 12 this fall. Measures will be tightened if an outbreak occurs and class sizes could be reduced to 20.

Back to class: School will be back in session with extra safety measures, but the province says there are programs to support remote and alternative learning.

Groups: Schools should sort students into cohorts by class when possible to minimize contact with others.

Physical distancing: Physical distancing is recommended when possible. Rooms should be rearranged to increase space between desks.

Masks: Masks will be mandatory for staff and many students in some school settings. Students in Grades 4 to 12 must wear masks in all common areas, such as hallways and on buses. Staff are required to wear masks whenever physical distancing cannot be maintained. Mask use will be optional for kids in kindergarten through Grade 3. The government says all students and staff will receive two reusable masks as part of the policy.

Transportation: Parents are asked to bring their children to school if they can. Students who take the bus will sit in the same seat every day.

New routines: Schools are advised to consider a no sharing policy, with each student bringing their own supplies. Class, lunch and recess schedules will be staggered.



Saskatchewan

Saskatchewan first unveiled a set of back-to-school guidelines in June, but released more details Aug. 4.

Back to class: Students will return to class as early as Sept. 1.

Groups: Groups of students and staff members assigned to them should stick together throughout the day and try not to mingle with other groups. Schools should aim to minimize the number of different instructors who interact with students throughout the day.

Physical distancing: Officials say maintaining physical distance is less practical for younger children, and the focus should be on limiting physical contact. Officials suggest limiting hugs and hand holding and suggest using alternative greetings such as air high fives. Schools are also to have dedicated quarantine areas where symptomatic students can go before they are picked up by parents.

Masks: Staff are not required to wear masks or eye protection except when in close contact with someone who is sick. The province says they should only be used when all other controls have been fully explored.

Transportation: Parents should take their kids to school when possible, and pickup and drop-offs should happen outside. Students using school transportation should be assigned seats, and a partition may be used to separate the driver.

New routines: Start times, recess, lunch and class transitions may be staggered to allow for more space for physical distancing. Schools should rearrange their classrooms to space out students. Students and staff are asked to bring hand sanitizer.



Manitoba

The Manitoba government says most students are to be back in classrooms on Sept. 8 with new guidelines to reduce the risk of spreading COVID-19.

Back to class: All students from kindergarten to Grade 8 are to have in-class instruction five days a week. High school students will also be in class full time, except in schools where there is inadequate space for physical distancing, in which case there will be some days of remote learning.

Groups: When physical distancing isnt possible, students will have to be organized into cohorts no larger than 75, and minimize contact with others. In these cases, there must be at least one metre between their desks.

Physical distancing: The province says students are required to maintain a two-metre distance to the greatest extent possible. When it isnt possible, physical barriers may be an option. Spaces should be arranged to encourage separation.

Masks: Masks are not required for students or staff.

Transportation: Buses will be running at reduced capacity, and parents will be asked to transport their children to school if they can.

New routines: Lunch and recess are to be staggered to minimize congestion, and in many cases teachers will change classrooms instead of students.



Ontario

Ontario students will be back in class September, but their schedules and class sizes may vary depending on where they live.

Back to class: Elementary students and many high schoolers will be in school five days a week in standard class sizes. However, secondary students at two dozen boards that are higher risk will only attend class half the time, and will spend the rest of the week working on curriculum-linked independent work. Parents will also have the option to keep their kids out of class, and boards must provide options for remote learning.

Groups: For high schoolers in high-risk districts, class sizes will be capped at 15. Meanwhile, elementary students wont be broken up into smaller groups, but will be grouped into cohorts and their exposure to different teachers will be limited.

Physical distancing: While Education Minister Stephen Lecce said the aim is to keep students one metre apart from each other, a guidance document says only that schools should promote as much distancing as possible rather than being strictly enforced.

Masks: Masks will be mandatory for students in Grades 4 through 12, and will be strongly encouraged for younger kids when theyre in indoor common areas. Staff will be expected to wear masks.

Transportation: Some school boards may have more than one student assigned to a seat. When physical distancing isnt possible, masks will be mandatory for students in Grades 4 to 12, and younger students will be encouraged but not required to do the same.

New routines: Students in some districts will have to pre-register for in-person schooling. Some schools may limit or even ban visitors, including parents. Breaks will be scheduled to allow students to wash their hands.



Quebec

All elementary and high school students in Quebec will be required to attend class in September unless they have a doctors note indicating theyre at high risk of COVID-19 complications or they live with someone at risk. Those students will be allowed to study remotely.

Back to class: Class attendance is mandatory for elementary and high school students. For Grades 10 and 11, schools have the option of alternating schedules where students attend one day out of every twoas long as schools cannot maintain stable classroom bubbles. Grade 10 and 11 students are encouraged to attend classes as much as possible.

Groups: Each classroom will be its own bubble and students will not be required to maintain a two-metre distance between classmates.

Physical distancing: Students will need to keep a two-metre distance from all school staff, as well as all other students outside their classroom bubble. There are no physical distancing requirements for children or teachers in pre-school.

Masks: All students in Grade 5 and upas well as all school staffmust wear a mask inside all common areas of the school except the classroom. Masks can also be removed when students are eating.

Transportation: No more than 48 students will be allowed on a school bus, with no more than two students sitting on the same bench. Preschool and elementary school students are strongly encouraged to wear masks, while older students are required to wear them.

New routines: When schools return in the fall, teachers will move from classroom to classroom, but students will stay put.

Backup plans: In the event of an outbreak in one class, the entire classroom bubble will be sent home to continue studies remotely. Authorities are also putting together an emergency protocol in the event of a second wave to ensure instruction continues online if entire schools are again forced to close. Ideas include quickly distributing tablets or laptops to students needing them and establishing a digital platform to continue courses and maintain communication.



New Brunswick

The province has outlined a set of requirements schools must follow in developing their plans for the fall.

Back to class: Students in kindergarten to Grade 8 are to attend school full time, while those in Grades 9 to 12 are to be taught using a combination of in-class and remote instruction. At-home course work can include online learning, guided projects and experiential education.

Groups: For kindergarten through Grade 2, group sizes will be reduced to about 15, wherever possible. Group sizes should also be shrunk for Grades 3 to 5. Grades 6 to 8 will resume at regular class sizes. Students in Grades 9 to 12 will not be grouped because of their schedules and course options.

Physical distance: Grade 9 to 12 classrooms are required to maintain a one-metre distance, while a two-metre distance is recommended in common areas at all grade levels.

Masks: Its unclear where the province stands on staff and students wearing masks.

Transportation: The province says its working with school districts to develop plans for transportation. Pickup and drop-off schedules may be staggered.

New routines: Arrivals, breaks and lunches are to be staggered. Public access to school buildings will be limited, and students, staff and visitors may also be subject to screening. High school students will be expected to have their own laptop or similar device, and some subsidies will be available.



Prince Edward Island

Schools on the Island are preparing to welcome all students back to class, while drafting backup plans for remote studies if required.

Back to class: Schools are to reopen for teachers and staff on Sept. 1 and for students on Sept. 8.

Groups: Students will be organized into cohorts when possible and limit their exposure to others.

Physical distancing: Students will be taught about the importance of physical distancing, and extra teaching and cleaning staff may be hired. Schools are also asked to reduce class sizes as much as possible, reconfigure classrooms and make use of spaces such as libraries and multipurpose rooms.

Masks: The province says all staff and students in Grades 7-12 are strongly recommended to wear masks when physical distancing cannot be maintained. Students from kindergarten through Grade 6 may wear masks when physical distancing is impossible. Staff interacting with children who have complex medical needs are strongly recommended to wear face shields and gloves.

Transportation: Parents are asked to take their kids to school whenever possible. To reduce the number of riders on buses, schools may add vehicles and routes or implement walk-to-school programs. It is strongly recommended that all students and drivers wear masks on the bus.

New routines: P.E.I. education authorities are revising curricula for this school year to make up for learning gaps caused by lockdown constraints. Schools will stagger schedules to minimize congestion. The provincial school food program will be expanded next year in keeping with public health precautions. Elementary school students will stay in their classrooms for lunch.



Nova Scotia

Education Minister Zach Churchill says the provinces objective is for schools to return to 100 percent capacity in the fall, but its plan includes measures to address the possible onset of a second wave of COVID-19.

Back to class: The province aims to have all elementary and high school students in classrooms by Sept. 8.

Groups: Students will be asked to keep to cohorts.

Physical distancing: Students and staff will be encouraged to maintain a two-metre distance whenever possible. Lecture rooms will be reorganized to increase space between desks.

Masks: Masks are not required in classrooms, but students and staff may choose to wear them. While its recommended that they bring their own, masks will be provided to those who dont have one. Staff and students in Grades 10 to 12 must wear masks when physical distancing is difficult.

Transportation: Students who take the school bus will be required to wear non-medical masks.

New routines: Only students and staff will be permitted to enter school buildings. When possible, teachers will be asked to move their classes outdoors. Students will be asked to bring their own computers to school, and the province says it has acquired an additional 14,000 devices for those with limited access to technology.

Backup plans: If a COVID-19 outbreak occurs during the academic year, schools will move to a blended learning model with smaller class sizes and home learning for older students.



Newfoundland and Labrador

The provinces back-to-school plan aims to maximize in-class attendance with the option of a return to remote learning if the COVID-19 risk increases.

Back to class: The provinces plan outlines three scenariosin-class instruction, remote learning or a combination of both, depending on the COVID-19 risk in a particular community.

Groups: Cohorting by class is recommended when its feasible, but students schedules shouldnt be disrupted to support smaller groupings.

Physical distancing: Schools should aim to create a two-metre distance between desks, or as much distance as possible. However, provincial authorities say these precautions should not interfere with the daily school routine, and strict physical distancing should not be over-emphasized to children, because it is not practical and can cause psychological harm.

Masks: The province does not recommend masks for children, but says their use should not be stigmatized for those that choose to wear them. Staff will not be required to wear masks if physical distancing is possible.

Transportation: It will be up to school districts to determine their transportation operations, considering precautions such as assigning seats and separating the driver with a physical divider.

New routines: All students must bring their own supplies in keeping with a no sharing policy.

Backup plans: In the event of moderate-to-widespread transmission of COVID-19, school districts will move to online learning. Classroom attendance should be limited to about 50 percent when the COVID-19 risk in a community is considered low to moderate. Newfoundland and Labrador says it will spend $20 million to purchase laptops for teachers and students in Grades 7 through 12 to support remote learning.



Yukon

The territorial government says its making plans for the next school year that include flexibility around the number of students in classes if theres a second wave of COVID-19 or increased risk of transmission. It says each school will determine how it will adjust its operations to meet those guidelines, and school principals and staff are expected to share that information prior to September.

Back to class: Preliminary plans indicate that in rural communities, all students will return to school full time. In Whitehorse, however, kids in kindergarten through Grade 9 will return to full-day in-school instruction, while Grades 10 to 12 will spend half their day in the classroom, and the rest learning remotely.

Groups: Class sizes may be smaller to meet safety restrictions.

Masks: Wearing masks is a personal choice.

Transportation: Bus school and schedules will be posted to the territorys website.

New routines: Schedule shakeups may mean that some students wont have their regular teacher or the same classmates. School meal programs may be adapted with new safety measures and pickup options.

Backup plans: The territory has outlined a spectrum of school options if the risk to the community increases, ranging from rotating schedules to suspension of face-to-face learning.



Northwest Territories

All N.W.T. schools have submitted plans to reopen their doors this fall. The territory says education authorities are taking a flexible approach in their planning to account for a potential second wave of COVID-19 in the fall.

Back to class: While plans will vary from school to school, the territory will offer in-person instruction whenever possible, while ensuring alternative options are available.

Groups: Students in kindergarten through Grade 6 will be in classroom bubbles, and wont have to practise physical distancing within these groups.

Physical distancing: For Grades 7 to 9, students are asked to maintain a one-metre distance from each other, and two-metre distance from staff. Grade 10 to 12 students are asked to allow for two metres of distance from their peers and instructors.

Masks: Students of all ages may be required to wear masks in situations where physical distance cannot be practised, such as moving through the hallways.

Transportation: There may be changes to bus schedules, and all riders will be required to wear masks.

New routines: More time will be spent learning outside. School hours and schedules may also look different. Students are asked to label personal items and not share.

Backup plans: The territory says schools are preparing to shift between in-person, distance and blended learning at short notice should there become active COVID-19 cases.



Nunavut

The territory has released a four-stage plan for reopening schools based on the risk of the novel coronavirus in a community.

Back to class: There are no reported COVID-19 cases in Nunavut, so all schools are set to reopen this fall with enhanced cleaning and safety precautions.

Groups: It is recommended that schools cohort students by class and limit mixing as much as possible.

Physical distancing: Distance requirements will depend on what stage a community is in, and will primarily be achieved by limiting school attendance.

Masks: In most cases, the use of masks is not recommended for children. If there are exceptions, parents will be notified, and masks will be provided.

Transportation: As it stands, bus schedules are set to resume. Students older than 13 may be required to wear masks.

New routines: Group activities will be limited. Students wont be allowed to share food in lunchrooms.

Backup plans: The territory says schools could go part-time if contact tracing were to identify a possible source of COVID-19. All schools would be closed if community transmission were to take place.
Sen. Kamala Harris (D., Calif.), speaks alongside Joe Biden during a campaign event at Alexis Dupont High School in Wilmington on Wednesday. Read more

WILMINGTON  Sen. Kamala Harris on Wednesday assailed President Donald Trumps failure to take the coronavirus seriously and said Democrats need a mandate from voters to turn the page on his presidency, as she and Joe Biden appeared together for the first time since Biden tapped Harris to be his running mate.

I am ready to get to work, Harris, a California Democrat, said as she joined the former vice president in the gymnasium at Alexis I. duPont High School in Wilmington, where Biden lives.

Harris, 55, a first-term senator and former attorney general of California, ran against Biden in the Democratic presidential primary but dropped out of the race before voting began. She was considered a front-runner to be Bidens running mate, and Democrats hope the historic nature of her candidacy as the first Black woman and Asian American on a major-party presidential ticket will boost enthusiasm for the campaign. Biden said the campaign logged its best day in online fund-raising after he named Harris as his pick.

Joe, Im so proud to stand with you, she said in a gathering where the traditional pomp and circumstance of a vice presidential rollout was replaced by a room full of socially distanced reporters. I do so mindful of all the heroic and ambitious women before me, whose sacrifice, determination, and resilience makes my presence here today even possible.

Biden introduced her as a proven fighter for the middle class who is ready to be vice president

As a child of immigrants, she knows personally how immigrant families enrich our country as well as the challenges of what it means to grow up Black and Indian American in the United States of America, Biden said, speaking in front of a display of American flags and flags representing the states, territories, and Washington, D.C.

Biden said little Black and brown girls who often feel overlooked and undervalued may now see themselves for the first time in a new way, as the stuff of presidents and vice presidents.

Their appearance came as the Trump campaign launched attacks on Harris as a phony and a tool of the radical left, though many progressives had hoped Biden would pick a more liberal candidate like Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren.

Biden calls himself a transition candidate, a narrator says in one video released by the Trump campaign. He is handing over the reins to Kamala while they jointly embrace the radical left. Slow Joe and Phony Kamala. Perfect together. Wrong for America.

At the White House on Tuesday, Trump had described Harris as nasty for her treatment of Biden during the primary debates and her questioning of Brett Kavanaugh during his 2018 Supreme Court confirmation hearings  using the same derogatory language he aimed at Hillary Clinton in 2016.

Biden shot back on Wednesday. Is anyone surprised Donald Trump has a problem with a strong woman, or strong women across the board? he said.

With Biden and Harris set to be formally nominated by Democrats during the partys virtual convention next week, Trump planned his own counterprogramming with trips to battleground states  including a visit to Bidens childhood hometown of Scranton next Thursday, the same day Biden is scheduled to accept the presidential nomination.

While Wednesdays rollout wasnt a public event, supporters still showed up hours early in Wilmington, with some waiting through a hailstorm for the chance for a peek at the new Democratic ticket.

Harris is a good pick, said Al Hopkins, 62, a retired engineer from Middletown, Del. They need somebody strong and a fighter.

Biden said Wednesday that he told Harris he wanted her to serve a similar role that Biden played as President Barack Obamas second-in-command: To be the last voice in the room, to always tell me the truth ... challenge my assumptions if she disagrees, ask the hard questions.

Among the reasons Biden is believed to have selected Harris is her experience as a prosecutor and her ability to take on Trump and Vice President Mike Pence during the campaign  and on the debate stage. She offered a preview on Wednesday.

The case against Donald Trump and Mike Pence is open-and-shut, Harris said, accusing the administration of bungling the U.S. response to the coronavirus and failing to help millions of unemployed Americans.

While other countries were flattening the curve, Harris said, [Trump] said the virus would just  poof!  go away, like a miracle.

Biden and Harris also reflected on how they first crossed paths a decade ago, when Harris became friends with Bidens son Beau  who before his 2015 death was Delawares state attorney general.

They took on the same big fights together, Biden said. I know how much Beau respected Kamala and her work. That mattered a lot to me, to be honest with you, as I made this decision.

Prominent Black Democrats in Pennsylvania said Tuesday that Black women, a key Democratic constituency, would be energized by the pick. Democrats hope that enthusiasm will increase turnout among Black voters, especially in cities like Philadelphia, to help Biden win Pennsylvania and other battleground states that propelled Trump to the presidency in 2016.

Biden is leading Trump in most national polls and in surveys of Pennsylvania and other key states.

We need more than a victory on November 3, Harris said. We need a mandate that proves that the past few years do not represent who we are or who we aspire to be.

Trump and his allies on Wednesday targeted Harris record on issues that could resonate in battlegrounds. America First Action, a pro-Trump super PAC that is airing TV commercials in Pennsylvania attacking Biden on energy policy, highlighted Harris past remarks on fracking.

Theres no question, Im in favor of banning fracking, Harris said in September during a CNN town hall.

Biden says he opposes a federal ban on fracking but wants to block the federal government from issuing new permits for drilling on public land.

And Trump repeated a warning that Biden would enable low income housing to invade suburban neighborhoods by enforcing a housing regulation adopted by the Obama administration.

The suburban housewife will be voting for me, Trump tweeted. They want safety & are thrilled that I ended the long running program where low income housing would invade their neighborhood.

Housing experts have said Trumps characterization of the rule is misleading and based in racist stereotypes about affordable housing. The president speculated that Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey, a prominent Black Democrat who also ran in the primary, would be in charge.

Pennsylvania Reps. Madeleine Dean, Chrissy Houlahan, and Mary Gay Scanlon, all Democrats representing the Philadelphia suburbs, are hosting a virtual Biden event on Thursday  at which Trumps characterization of the suburban housewife is likely to come up.
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A newborn girl has been deserted in southern China by her parents who wanted to have a son instead, says local media.

The infant was abandoned by her father next to a filthy rubbish bin just hours after she was born because the family already had two daughters.

She was later brought to a local welfare centre by the authorities after a street cleaner spotted her and contacted police.

The Chinese infant was said to have been abandoned by her father next to a filthy rubbish bin in Guangdong just hours after she was born because the family already had two daughters

Police officers were called to the scene in Guangdong province of southern China after the infant was later found by a street cleaner. A team of medics also arrived to check the baby

The parents were detained on suspicion of abandonment soon after the incident took place in Dongguan city of Guangdong province, according to an official statement.

The 21-year-old mother, Ms Li, gave birth to the baby in the wee hours of July 29 at a rented flat. They were said to be disappointed after discovering the newborn to be a girl.

The father, 24, known by his surname Zhang, told the police that his dream of having a son was shattered when their third daughter was born, reported Dongguan Television.

Traditionally, baby boys are preferred by Chinese parents because of their ability to carry forward the family name.

The parents decided to desert the baby girl because they couldnt afford to raise three children altogether.

The couple rushed to the decision in such a hurry that the newborn did not even get named, said the local press.

She was later brought to a local welfare centre by the authorities after a street cleaner spotted her and contacted police. The baby is seen being looked after by medics at a local hospital

Soon after the babys birth, Mr Li left home with his daughter and ditched the newborn next to a rubbish bin in the neighbourhood.

CCTV footage released by Qiaotou police shows the father walking on the street in the dark while carrying the baby girl.

Police officers were called to the scene after the infant was later found by a street cleaner. A team of medics also arrived to check the babys condition.

Another clip shows the young child covered with cloths before being brought into an ambulance by a doctor.

She was then sent to a local welfare centre after being discharged from the hospital the following day.

CCTV footage released by Qiaotou police shows the Chinese father, 24, known by his surname Zhang, walking on the street in the dark while carrying the baby girl in the wee hours of July 29

The parents were arrested in their flat on August 2 after the police launched an investigation

The parents were arrested in their flat on August 2 after the police launched an investigation.

They were both detained under the suspicion abandonment, said the authorities. Mr Zhang has been taken into custody while Ms Li has been released on bail for a pending trial.

Such crime can result in a sentence of up to five years, according to Chinese laws.

According to the latest statistics, around 100,000 babies are abandoned in China every year - an equivalent to more than 270 a day.

Under Chinese criminal law, any parents who desert their children can face imprisonment of up to five years.

However, in reality, few of them are given punishment due to a lack of law enforcement.
Paris: A series of "barbaric" killings of horses and the mutilation of their bodies has horrified rural France.

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The latest horse found dead was a one-year-old filly whose right ear and genitalia had been cut off, an eye gouged out, and its neck slashed.

A woman made the macabre discovery in a secluded meadow while walking near the Burgundy village of Cortambert at the weekend.

Police are struggling to identify the culprits or find a motive. Jessica Martin, a police captain, said: "Everything leads us to conclude that the horse was tortured. It's utterly barbaric."
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's explosive new biography Finding Freedom has became an Amazon bestseller within 24 hours of its release.

The controversial biography written by Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand was released yesterday and is already top of the media giant's bestsellers list as royal fans rush to pre-order their copy, while it also hit the number one on the UK and US sites.

The Duke, 35, and Duchess of Sussex, 39, claim they were not interviewed for the book and did not contribute to the tale by authors Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand, which provides a high level of personal detail and a dramatic account of the events leading up to the Sussexes' departure from royal life.

Palace insiders have described the book as 'score settling' after Harry and Meghan left the Royal Family for a life in Los Angeles - after suddenly announcing their intentions in January in a move that left The Queen 'hurt'.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's explosive new biography Finding Freedom has become a bestseller within 24 hours of release

The book hit the Amazon bestsellers list yesterday shortly after it was released, with Omid sharing a snap of it taking the Number 1 spot last night

Reacting to the news, author Omid tweeted: 'Immense gratitude to all who have been part of the incredible support for #FindingFreedom.

'Youve made it a very memorable pub day. Thank you.'

It comes as royal expert Katie Nicholl said the authors may be the 'only winners' from the publication of Finding Freedom.

Writing in Vanity Fair, she asked if the book was 'worth it for Harry and Meghan' before adding: 'The irony of Finding Freedom is that, locked down in their rented mansion in LA, the Sussexes have less freedom than they did when they lived in Windsor.'

Co-author Omid Scobie tweeted that he felt 'immensely grateful' for the support for the book last night

Meanwhile she added that the book's authors write that the monarchy had lost two of its greatest assets.

She concluded: 'They, perhaps, might be the only winners in this rather sad story.'

The book had reached number one on Amazon's Top 10 New York bestseller in 24 hours list on the day of its release for pre-order.

Meanwhile in July, 14 days before its release, the biography also topped the media giant's bestsellers list as royal fans rushed to pre-order their copy.

Royal expert Katie Nicholl commented that the 'only winners in this rather sad story' were the book's writers Omid Scobie (left) and Carolyn Durand (right)

The book offers new insights into Harry's falling out with William and how the couple felt 'thrown under the bus', after the disagreements started started when the Prince's older brother referred to Meghan as 'this girl' and voiced concerns that he might be rushing the romance.

The authors say Harry 'felt people working with his brother had put things out there to make William look good, even if it meant throwing Harry under the bus'.

Excerpts from the book have already revealed many inside details about the couple's departure from the Royal Family, including how the couple considered driving straight to confront the 'devastated' Queen about Megxit after returning from Canada in January.

The biography offers new detailed insights into Prince Harry and Meghan's life with their son Archie

Sources close to the couple also claim in the book that royal aides feared Meghan and Harry's popularity was eclipsing that of the Royal Family itself - and says the couple were jealous of William and Kate getting the best roles and 'didn't feel supported' by the royals.

The author's note appears to acknowledge that the writers worked with the couple on the biography, reading: 'We have spoken with close friends of Harry and Meghan, royal aides and palace staff (past and present), the charities and organisations they have built long-lasting relationships with and, when appropriate, the couple themselves.'

Among the fresh revelations in the book are:
The Ukrainian Prosecutor General's Office (PGO) has sent requests to Belarus for the extradition of 28 participants in the armed conflict in Donbas, the PGO's press service has reported on its Telegram channel.

"On August 11, 2020, the Prosecutor General's Office turned to the Prosecutor General's Office of the Republic of Belarus with requests to extradite 28 people detained by the law enforcement agencies of Belarus on July 29, 2020," the report reads.

According to the report, all 28 individuals, including nine Ukrainians, are suspected of participating in a terrorist organization (Part 1 of Article 258-3 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine). Kyiv's Shevchenkivsky District Court chose measures of restraint for the suspects in the form of detention.

The investigation established that these individuals took an active part in hostilities in Ukraine's Donetsk and Luhansk regions as part of the terrorist organizations "LPR" and "DPR."

The PGO recalled that on the basis of a request from the main investigation department of Ukraine's SBU Security Service on July 31, 2020, the Prosecutor General's Office addressed the Prosecutor General's Office of Belarus with a letter of intent to request the extradition of these individuals and with a request to take them into custody according to Article 61 of the 1993 Convention on Legal Assistance and Legal Relations in Civil, Family and Criminal Matters.

According to the report, on August 6, 2020, Ukrainian Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova in a phone call with Prosecutor General of Belarus Alexander Konyuk also confirmed her intention to request the extradition of 28 people.

The issue of extradition of the requested persons will be decided by the competent authorities of Belarus, the report said.

On July 29, Belarusian law enforcement agencies detained 33 people who turned out to be mercenaries from Russia's Wagner private military group.

Ukraine asked Belarus to extradite 28 of the 33 detained individuals who, according to Kyiv, took part in the fighting in Donbas against Ukraine.

On August 5, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said he was ready to cooperate with Ukraine on the issues of detained militants from the Wagner group.

On August 6, he invited the prosecutors general of Russia and Ukraine to Belarus to clarify the situation with the detained militants.

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Protesters in Lebanon have vowed to continue demonstrating until the country's corrupt ruling class is removed. Despite the government's resignation on Monday, many Lebanese say it will do little to address the tragedy of last week's Beirut explosion.

Fresh protests were planned on Tuesday near the port, where highly explosive material stored for years detonated on 4 August, killing at least 171 people, injuring 6,000 and leaving hundreds of thousands homeless.

For many Lebanese people, the explosion was the culmination of years of neglect and mismanagement by the country's leaders.

While the ruling class seems to be going through a face lift, some protesters say the changes are indeed merely cosmetic.

"The prime minister quit but the prime minister either way was just a puppet," a demonstrator wearing a gas mask told RFI correspondent Julien Bolieau.

"There are still seven or eight oligarchs. They rule Lebanon, they decide what happens. They need to go as well," he said.

No future

A young female protester told RFI the government's resignation offered little hope for the country's youth population.

"There's no future for us here, they've taken everything. How can they have the audacity to still be here?"

Prime Minister Hassan Diab and his cabinet resigned on Monday in the face of mounting anger over last week's deadly blast. However, Diab will stay on in a caretaker capacity until a new government is formed, which could take months of political wrangling.

On social media, news of his resignation received a lukewarm response.

"It does not end with the government's resignation," said a protest flyer circulating online. "There is still (President Michel) Aoun, (Parliament Speaker Nabih) Berri and the entire system."

In a brief televised speech after four of his ministers resigned, Diab said a level of corruption bigger than the state precipitated the events that led to the blast.

Forming a government

"It's an admission of failure," comments Nadim Houry, Executive Director of the Arab Reform Initiative in Paris. "Not necessarily a personal one but a failure of the system," he said.

"What's regrettable is that Hassan Diab didn't tell us anything we didn't already know. The Lebanese people wanted him to name names, those of the officials responsible for the explosion and who recklessly shunned their responsibilities," Houry told RFI.

Diab formed his government in January with the backing of the powerful Iranian-backed Hezbollah group and its allies, more than two months after Saad Hariri, who had enjoyed the backing of the West and Gulf states, quit as premier amid anti-government protests against corruption and mismanagement.

Forming a government amid factional rifts has been daunting in the past. Now, with the fallout from the explosion and the crushing financial crisis, it could be difficult to find someone willing to be prime minister, even as the hunt begins.

Getting back up

However, pressure from the streets--and from French President Emmanuel Macron, who visited Beirut last week after the blast--could push the political factions to put aside their differences and form a unity government.

This option though is unlikely to satisfy demonstrators reckons Houry. "They believe Lebanon's current oligarchs would just rotate the seats and divide the running of the country amongst themselves."

The researcher proposes instead the creation of a government of national rescue. "In this option, the ruling class would leave the running of the country to an independent government chosen by the Lebanese people for up to two years."

The urgency of the humanitarian situation has put pressure on Lebanon's rulers to put political horse-trading aside for now.

"An independent government would be able to respond to the humanitarian crisis and organize elections two years from now," said Houry, adding this would afford Lebanon time to get back on its feet.
Assets worth nearly $14 mln seized from Moscow Region district ex-head

 RAPSI, Eugeny Varlamov

11:24 12/08/2020

MOSCOW, August 12 (RAPSI)  A court in Odintsovo town near Moscow on Wednesday forfeited immovable assets in the amount of more than 1 billion rubles (about $14 million) belonging to ex-head of the Moscow Regions Serpukhov District Alexander Shestun, RAPSI was told in the court.

A lawsuit to forfeit assets of assets and other codefendants has been filed by the Prosecutor Generals Office of Russia. Along with Shestun there are other defendants in the claim, 25 individuals and 20 legal entities.

Shestun stands charged with fraud, money laundering, illegal business and receiving a large-scale bribe, the statement reads.

According to investigators, acting as a head of the Moscow Regions Serpukhov District, from 2003 to 2018, Shestun created 43 commercial organizations through his trustees and ran them. Profits he used for purchasing municipal land plots at bargain prices.

Moreover, between 2008 and 2011, Shestun along with his business partners Boris Krivodubsky and Sergey Samsonov illegally acquired title to four land plots with an area of 10 hectares through affiliated firms and therefore caused damage worth over 64.5 million rubles to the budget. In total, the accomplices sold illegally acquired plots for 160 million rubles. Initially, they bought the land for 628, 000 rubles, case papers read.

The investigation obtained evidence of possession of assets worth about 3.2 billion rubles by Shestun, his business partners, their relatives and other individuals and legal entities.

Last April, the Krasnogorsk City Court in the Moscow Region forfeited 10-billion-ruble ($150 million) worth assets owned by Shestun to the state. The court therefore granted a motion lodged by the Prosecutor Generals Office to seize more than 670 real estate items in the Moscow Regions Serpukhov district and 22 cars. This property status does not correspond to his income, prosecutors stated.




If you were looking for the Charlestown Democratic Town Committee website and ended up here, try this





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We had the talk with our parents and, in some cases, with our own children. We have experienced what it is like to be invisible to our own colleagues. And yet, today we are more empowered to do something about racial injustice than any other place in America because of who we are and what we believe.
The European Union warned Tuesday it could reimpose sanctions on Belarus as riot police clashed for a third night with demonstrators protesting this week's elections that the EU described as "neither free nor fair," per the Guardian.

Why it matters: The EU removed most sanctions against Belarus four years ago, after "Europe's last dictator" Alexander Lukashenko released political prisoners and permitted protests, AP notes. The EU said in a statement Tuesday it would be "conducting an in-depth review" into its relations with former Soviet country over his elections win claim and the deadly crackdown on protesters.

A tweet previously embedded here has been deleted or was tweeted from an account that has been suspended or deleted.

"This may include, inter alia, taking measures against those responsible for the observed violence, unjustified arrests, and falsification of election results," the EU statement said of Sunday's vote, which Lukashenko claimed to have won in a landslide.

Of note: Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya fled to Lithuania after filing a complaint at the Central Election Commission over the elections on Monday.

Go deeper: U.S. officials condemn Belarus election and "senseless" crackdown
Experts in Taipei expect China to intensify military pressure on Taiwan, but say an invasion is unlikely any time soon.

Taipei, Taiwan  Two Chinese jets briefly flew across the Taiwan Strait median line  the de facto border between China and Taiwan  on Monday morning in what has been a busy year in cross-Strait military exercises.

While the jets were signalling Beijings displeasure with US Health Secretary Alex Azars ongoing visit to Taipei, similar missions have entered Taiwanese airspace and waters at least 20 times this year, according to local media.

While Taipei is not required to publicly disclose every military encounter with the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA), Taiwans Foreign Minister Joseph Wu warned in July that Beijing might be preparing to solve the Taiwan issue  a euphemism for taking control of the island.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has not ruled out force in taking Taiwan, a democracy of 23 million people that Beijings Communist Party claims as its own although it has never ruled the island.

Officials and analysts in Taiwan say the uptick in military activity this year is a sign that Beijing may be seeking a distraction from a slew of domestic problems, including a summer of catastrophic flooding in southern China, as well as international pressure on a range of issues, including the novel coronavirus pandemic and the trade war with the US.

Taiwan, which remains a diplomatic sore spot for Beijing, has long been a convenient scapegoat for the Communist Party in times of trouble, according to Wang Ting-yu, a Democratic Progressive Party legislator and member of Taiwans Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee.





This year, the activity appears of the PLA seems a little bit much more than usual, especially in the Southeast part of the Taiwan Strait. We noticed that compared with Chinas domestic situation, the Chinese Communist Party have some problems inside their country: COVID-19, floods, some food shortages and the economy is a little bit worse than usual, Wang told Al Jazeera.

We think something happened inside the Chinese Communist leadership, maybe Xi faced some kind of challenge, and they are using outside conflict to divert [internal] leadership [problems].

The uptick in military pressure was first noted by China-watchers in March and April and continued over the ensuing months, even as Taiwan held its own annual domestic drill in July to prepare for a possible attack or invasion by the PLA.

Enoch Wu, a Taiwanese political activist and former staffer on Taiwans National Security Council, told Al Jazeera that he expected the hostilities to escalate.

Certainly the number of exercises is quite high this year, but I think we should see it as part of a longer-term trend. Every year, China has been steadily increasing and escalating its military activities, so from where I sit, I see that as part of a longer-term pattern thats probably going to intensify, Wu said.

There is a public expectation here that China will continue to ramp up pressure, and theres a lot more they can do, and will do, before an invasion will happen.

The last major crisis between Beijing and Taipei was in 1995-1996 when China fired missiles into Taiwanese waters following a visit by Taiwan President Lee Teng-hui to the US shortly before his election.

Since then, Wu said China has continued to ramp up the capability of the Peoples Liberation Army while also pushing outwards against Taiwan and its neighbours. Notable incidents included declaring the East China Sea Air Defense Identification Zone, island-building and militarisation in the South China Sea, border skirmishes with India, and conflicts with Japans coastguard and fishing vessels, he said.





While Xi has pledged to take Taiwan, which he claims is part of China, by any means necessary, Wang, the Taiwanese legislator, told Al Jazeera he thought an actual Chinese invasion of Taiwan was unlikely any time soon.

The international costs would simply be too high for Beijing, which is also currently fighting a trade war with the US, and the government could get the same effect inside of China by appearing more assertive towards Taiwan, Wang said.

But while Xi may be winning hearts and minds at home, his push against Taiwan comes at a unique demographic inflection point for the democracy  and one that has given President Tsai Ing-Wen the political willpower to hold her ground against a hostile China.

Notable changes have included a move to emphasise the word Taiwan on passports  which traditionally read Republic of China, Taiwan  and to change the English name of Taiwans flagship carrier, China Airlines. Taiwan has also managed to turn its successful handling of COVID-19 thus far into a global public-relations win and raise its international profile, despite lacking an observer seat at the World Health Assembly.

Such manoeuvring might not have been possible without domestic support inside of Taiwan, said Christy Chiang Ya-chi, director of the Research Center of Intelligent Technology Governance at National Taipei University of Technology.

This year a record 67 percent of Taiwanese identified as Taiwanese as opposed to Chinese according to the latest identity survey by the National Chengchi Universitys Election Study Center, up from 17.6 percent in 1992 when the survey started.

I think the numbers illustrate the growing pressure for the government to change the names of Taiwan passports and China Airlines  It may be fair to say theres a more assertive Taiwan in the face of a more hostile China, Chiang said.

While the numbers are less clear over whether Taiwan should declare formal independence from China, Jessica Drun, a non-resident fellow at US-based think-tank Project 2049, said the long term trend is no longer in Beijings favour.

Identity politics are shifting towards a uniquely Taiwanese identity and what that means for domestic politics  that will shift away from the median [of status quo]. If we view the two ends of the Taiwan spectrum as unification and independence  right now with the way Taiwan identify politics are moving they are going to shift everyone closer to independence, whatever that entails, and further from China, she said.
Lisa Snowdon has paid tribute to Capital FM producer Joe Lyons following the tragic news that he has passed away.

The TV presenter, 48, took to Instagram on Tuesday evening to honour her late friend, a week after receiving a call to inform her he had died.

Lisa admitted she felt 'sad' that she hadn't seen Joe recently before his passing, however she revealed she kept an eye on his achievements like a 'proud mum'.

Tribute: Lisa Snowdon has paid tribute to Capital FM producer Joe Lyons following the tragic news that he has passed away

Alongside a photograph of Joe, Lisa penned: 'It's been a week since I got that devastating call to learn that you'd passed Joe. Everyday since, I've tried to get my head around the fact that you are no longer here.

'You were such a huge part of the Capital Breakfast show. I can still feel your energy bursting through the studio doors briefing us, excited about who was on the phone.

'I can see your cheeky handsome smiling face, that naughty expression, those deep brown eyes, the way you connected with everyone, our callers, our guests, everyone on the day to day.

Tragic: The TV presenter, 48, took to Instagram on Tuesday evening to honour her late friend, a week after receiving a call to inform her he had died

RIP: Lisa admitted she felt 'sad' that she hadn't seen Joe recently before his passing, however she revealed she kept an eye on his achievements like a 'proud mum'

'I'm sad I hadn't seen you in a while- but like a proud Mum i knew what you were doing, what you were achieving, what an incredible brain and creative person you were.

'Today we have spent the afternoon toasting you, reminiscing the good times, celebrating you.

'The listeners knew you as Producer Joe, but to me you were Joe. My heart goes out to your family and close friends.. You've gone much too soon. You'll forever be missed and always remembered- RIP Joe '

Lisa worked alongside Dave Berry and Johnny Vaughan on Capital for more than seven years after having taken over from Denise van Outen in 2008.

Joe joined the Capital family in 2011.

Roman Kemp broke down in tears live on his Capital Breakfast radio show on Monday as he returned to work following the death of Joe.

The presenter and his co-stars Sian Welby, 33, and Sonny Jay, 27, took time off from the show last Tuesday after hearing the sad news.

Roman took the decision to talk to viewers about how he was feeling on Monday as he paid tribute to his 'best friend' Joe.

'He was our best mate': Roman broke down in tears live on air on Monday as he returned to work following the sad news

Breaking down, he said: 'We wanted to share some really sad news. I never thought Id have to do this ever.

'Last Tuesday, very suddenly, we lost one of our best friends. Our producer Joe, he was a member of the Capital Breakfast family.

'We are trying to process this all together. We wanted to share this news with you.'

Roman continued: 'Joe had worked for Global, the parent company, for nine years.

Sad news: Joe, known on the show as Producer Joe has sadly passed away - his cause of death has not been revealed - this was his last Instagram post, shared on June 20

Painful: Roman struggled to contain his emotions during the show

'He was the very first person I met when I walked through the door. I remember thinking he was a bit of a Del Boy.

'He was with me right from my very first show. He taught be everything. I dont know sitting in a radio studio without him.'

Discussing their close bond, Roman added: 'Hes the person Id sit here and rinse constantly.

'He loved dogs. Obsessed with his daily step count. Never ironed his clothes. He loved his family so much. His dad Ivan, his mum Celia, his sister Lou.

'He did love his friends his fans, he did have fans. The thing he loved most of all was doing this show, you listening.

Roman said of his friend: 'He loved dogs. Obsessed with his daily step count. Never ironed his clothes. He loved his family so much. His dad Ivan, his mum Celia, his sister Lou'

'He was like a genius coming up with these ideas. He was driven by the reaction from you every day.'

Roman's mother, Shirlie Kemp wrote on Joe's final Instagram post, shared on June 20, 'God Bless you Joe .... you were and always will be so loved.'

Fellow Capital Breakfast presenter Vick Hope, took to Instagram on Monday morning to pay tribute to Joe.

Sharing a series of pictures of them, she wrote: 'Our Joe. My JoeJoe. My special, magical, beautiful friend. We signed off every message with "I love you, buddy", and yet Im worried I still didnt tell you enough.

Devastated: The radio host, 27, and his co-stars Sian Welby and Sonny Jay (all pictured) came off air mid-way through their radio show on Tuesday after learning the heartbreaking news

Hearbroken: Sian broke down in tears as Roman paid tribute to Joe on Monday

'I really do love you, bud, so so much. We all do. I hope you know that. We are so lucky to have known you. The world is a better place for having had you in it. And now the stars have gained an extraordinary gift in you. Look at everything you made, Joe. Everything you achieved, what you built, who you inspired.

'Your talent and creativity are so immense, but more than that you are the kindest, most hilarious, caring, fun, fiercely loyal and spectacular person any of us had the pleasure of meeting. You really are the best one we ever knew. Our friend. My friend.

'For the last four years you have been my solace, my rock, my confidante. Ive told you all my secrets, and you said youd take them to the grave. And now it seems you did just that, and it breaks my heart.

'Words cannot describe this pain, it doesnt make sense and itll take time to process. I keep repeating: Not you, please not you. But now youre at peace, youre in a better place. Im going to miss you Joe Lyons, so much.'

She continued: 'Thank you for every crab dance, every "youre embarrassing us babe", every cereal box game, every 5am-er at a houseparty were not invited to, every "bah bah", every undersized chino, every photobomb courtesy of your a**e, every cocktail we shook in your flat or evening spent in my yard doing things we shouldnt on a school night, every club we sat in the corner of scheming, every time we were back and ready to do it all over again, every single damn laugh, every hug that meant the world because you made me feel safe and understood.

'And thank you for being my favourite valentine. We met our match in each other. Ive never encountered anyone else as weird and as wild, and together we were chaos.

'Wherever you are I hope youre causing chaos there too. We never wanted the party to end, and I dont believe this one is over either; Ill just see you at the afterparty. Until then, I love you, buddy. My thoughts are with your parents and Lou; Ro, Sonny and the team; Olly and everyone who loves you.'

Poignant: Fellow Capital Breakfast presenter Vick Hope, took to Instagram on Monday morning to pay tribute to Joe
Trax Dynamic Merchandising is a game changer for CPG brands and retailers struggling to address their unique in-store execution issues.

Trax, a leading company in computer vision solutions and analytics for retail, today launched Trax Dynamic Merchandising, a first-of-its-kind enterprise-level service providing CPG brands and retailers a better way to merchandise. The service launches as brands face unprecedented pressure to keep products consistently stocked on shelves, and while they realize the profound negative effects of their inability to expediently resolve in-store execution issues.

Trax Dynamic Merchandising combines the companys computer vision and machine learning platforms with Trax Flexforce, a 1.4 million-plus-strong, crowd-sourced workforce of trained retail representatives spread across North America. Using Traxs proprietary artificial intelligence (AI) and computer vision technologies, Trax Dynamic Merchandising transforms real-time data of on-shelf conditions into specific execution tasks that align with a brands merchandising priorities. Traxs Prioritization Engines ensure Flexforce representatives are in the right stores when it matters most to address the most important tasks during each visit, rather than following a dated plan that was prepared days, weeks or even months prior.

Trax Dynamic Merchandising is a game changer for CPG brands and retailers struggling to address their unique in-store execution issues, said Justin Behar, chief corporate development officer at Trax. Existing solutions involve brands paying for costly dedicated retail labor or inconsistent, syndicated coverage from traditional agencies. These rigid models create significant merchandising gaps due to lack of reach and prioritization, exacerbating in-store issues, creating significant resource trade-offs and ultimately affecting their bottom line. Trax Dynamic Merchandising flips this outdated and inefficient model on its head by helping brands do the right work, at the right store, at the right time in a more sustainable and easily scalable manner.

How Trax Dynamic Merchandising Works:



Continuous In-Store Data Signals: Multiple sources of in-store data signals -- from Internet of Things shelf cameras, Trax Flexforce visits, point of sale data and more -- feed the Trax Dynamic Merchandising platform with rich data points, allowing per store, per visit optimization. The platform automatically learns from each in-store action and data point, leading to a more intelligent platform with every use.

Trax Flexforce: Trax's network of over 1.4 million trained, skills-based retail representatives address customers most urgent store needs, driving more effective sales and merchandising actions. Covering more than 99 percent of all U.S. retailers, customers have the ability to deploy Trax Flexforce to all channels, all formats, and all locations.

AI-Driven Merchandising: Trax leverages dynamic data signals to create prescriptive execution tasks that prioritize customer merchandising needs. The platform automatically identifies the right representatives for each job based on more than a dozen factors, including execution skills, category experience, location, and workload. Photos taken in-store generate additional tasks to further drive real-time improvements, consistency and value of each store visit.

Key Impact Reports: Digitizing every product SKU and in-store action provides total transparency to customers. Image validation of all in-store tasks guarantee customers pay only for the actual work completed. With a rich set of Trax shelf data and KPIs, customers are also able to directly measure the value of merchandising actions and make more informed decisions for overall business strategy.

Consumer goods manufacturers and retailers around the world leverage Traxs in-store execution, store monitoring and retail analytics solutions to better manage on-shelf availability and optimize merchandising. These solutions are powered by proprietary fine-grained image recognition and machine learning algorithms that turn photos of retail shelves into granular, actionable shelf and store-level insights.

Trax Dynamic Merchandising is now available for CPG brands and retailers in the United States. For more information or to request a demo, please visit traxretail.com/products/trax-dynamic-merchandising-powered-by-flexforce.

###

About Trax

Trax is a leading provider of computer vision solutions and analytics for retail. Our computer vision, machine learning, and Internet of Things (IoT) platforms turn everyday shelf images into real-time, actionable insights that our customers leverage to optimize their in-store execution strategy and product availability. Simply put, we digitize the physical world of retail. Many of the worlds top CPG companies and retailers use our dynamic merchandising, in-store execution, market measurement, analytics and shelf monitoring solutions at scale to drive positive shopper experiences and unlock revenue opportunities at all points of sale. We began as pioneers in the retail computer vision space and we continue to lead the industry with innovation and excellence through our development of new advanced technologies and autonomous data collection methods. Trax is headquartered in Singapore and operating in over 90 countries worldwide. To learn more, visit http://www.traxretail.com.
The Ghana Chamber of Construction Industry is pushing for the swift passage of the Construction Industry Development Authority, (CIDA) Bill.



The Bill, when passed, will make the professionals in the industry accountable and thereby get rid of sub-standard persons posing as contractors.



Government has been urged to pass the Construction Industry Development Authority (CIDA) Bill to regulate activities in the construction industry since 2018.



The Construction Industry Development Authority among other things seeks to ensure that quality work is done by professionals.



CIDA will also monitor and evaluate the performance and efficiency of registered contractors.



Cherry Emmanuel Awusanya, Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Chamber of Construction Industry, told Citi Business News there is the need for the Bill to be passed to bring sanity to the sector.



The bill is at the consideration stage on the table of cabinet. We have been asked to present a concept paper so that CIDA can come in to see how best we can mobilise the industry, see how best we can build the capacity of industry players and see how best we can have an equipment and financial base to that effect. There is a garmort of issues we want to regulate in the industry he explained.



Surveyor, Emmanuel Martey, Chairman of the Ghana Chamber of Construction Industry, wants government to pass the bill latest by next year.



Seeing that we are having a good collaboration with government, we are certain that next year we may see the law passed he stated.

Source: citinewsroom.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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SEATTLEAs Seattle embarked on one of the most ambitious police restructuring plans in the country in recent weeks, its chief, Carmen Best, said she felt not only left out of the process, but the target of vindictive salary cuts.

On Monday night, as she announced her resignation, Best said she had been left in tears by an email from a new Black recruit. The officer said he had been ecstatic to join a department led by Best, the first Black woman to oversee the citys police force. But under an effort to drastically reduce the police department budget, the man  among many Best hired to help diversify the force  will most likely lose his job.

That, for me, Im done  cant do it, Best said Tuesday as she explained her decision to step down.

As cities across the U.S. grapple with how to revamp policing to address persistent racism, Seattle has offered a window into the challenges that occur when city officials begin identifying the cuts that may be necessary. Seattle has embarked on one of the most ambitious police restructuring plans in the nation, gaining a veto-proof majority among progressives on the city council who are determined to heed the weeks of protests that shut down part of the city this spring.

In Minneapolis, where the death of George Floyd in police custody sparked nationwide outrage, city leaders have moved to disband the police department entirely and create a new public safety structure from the ground up. But that proposal has stalled amid questions about when it might appear on the ballot  perhaps not until next year.

In Oakland, Calif., despite broad public support for police funding cuts that could reach 50 per cent, the city council last month rejected some of the proposed changes and punted to a task force that will study the issue. Nearby, in Berkeley, officials have touted a possible 50 per cent cut but have only managed to cut 12 per cent so far. New Yorks debate ended with frustration on all sides, with some deriding the $1 billion (U.S.) transferred out of policing as a budget trick. Other cities with earnest goals for defunding or restructuring have been locked in debates over the size of cuts or the methods for reform.

But in Seattle, a majority of the council in recent weeks has endorsed the idea of a 50 per cent budget cut, and members have explored some specific cuts to get close to that target when next years budget is finalized in November.

The council also took an initial step Monday, voting to approve a plan that would eliminate about 100 officers from the force, along with other changes to the department.

We always have to think beyond what is normally considered realistic and possible, said Lisa Herbold, chair of the councils public safety and human services committee.

Best, who has been the target of protests over the tactics used by the police to contain demonstrations, has vehemently objected to the extent of the cuts and said she was not invited to help draft the plan for reforms. As she announced her decision to retire in the coming weeks, she said Tuesday that the council was showing a lack of respect for officers. Efforts by the council to cut her salary and those of her executive team, she said, felt personally vindictive.

Herbold said the loss of Best was a staggering loss to leaders of the Black and brown community.

I am deeply and sincerely sorry that the chief feels councils actions have been disrespectful toward individual officers and that our journey to reimagine community safety has been personally directed at her, Herbold said in a statement.

Mayor Jenny Durkan, in a tearful news conference Tuesday, said she was disappointed that Best was leaving and described her as the right person to help reimagine policing based on not only her 28 years in the police department, but her life as a Black woman in Seattle.

We had the chief that not only believes in the importance of reimagining policing; she was the person, and probably still will be the person, that helps lead the way for our nation, Durkan said.

U.S. President Donald Trump has been critical of cities that he says have not done enough to crack down on the protests that followed Floyds death, and Attorney General William Barr on Tuesday was quick to single out Bests resignation to highlight what he called the real costs of irresponsible proposals to defund the police.

Best had drawn criticism from protesters as a result of the sometimes harsh tactics used by officers during the turbulent weeks when thousands of people took to the streets this summer. Some demonstrators went recently to Bests neighbourhood outside the city to protest at her home, but were rebuffed by neighbours with guns.

The King County Equity Now Coalition, which has helped suggest policing goals for the council to consider, including the 50 per cent budget reduction, said Tuesday that racial violence at the police department had not ended under Best because the task of rooting out racism was too large for any one person. The department requires wholesale structural change, the group said.

Weve already seen hundreds of years of failed promises and failed solutions  by the government, private and philanthropic sectors  with no real concern or true sense of urgency for the Black communitys well-being, the coalition wrote on Twitter.

The group Black Lives Matter Seattle-King County, which has called for cuts to the police budget but not a full 50 per cent, said in a statement that the council had forced Best out of the job and called for members to stop prioritizing performative action that solely suggests the appearance of change.

We demand transparency and accountability for the series of actions and inactions that led to Chief Bests resignation, the group said.

Best and Durkan had proposed smaller cuts of nearly 20 per cent from the police budget and strongly opposed the councils plans for deeper cuts.

But Kshama Sawant, a council member, expressed outrage that colleagues were not moving faster.

It represents a total abdication of responsibility  an abdication of responsibility in the context of the historic movement for Black lives, Sawant said.

Many residents at the public hearing Monday also expressed disappointment that the council was not moving fast enough. But the sentiment was not unanimous; some members of the public said more officers were needed, pointing to a new round of protests Sunday night that left windows smashed at several businesses.

The call for hiring more police officers was embraced by some on the council a year ago, when it approved bonuses to help ramp up the hiring of officers.

The proposed cuts now under discussion would include transferring the 911 call centre and parking enforcement from the police departments control to other city departments. The city is also exploring the creation of a public safety department that could take on some other tasks currently handled by the police.

The budget cuts approved Monday included eliminating the mounted patrol unit and school resource officers, along with cuts to the departments SWAT team. The council had proposed a steep cut to Bests salary, but backtracked on that plan Monday.
An Albanian gangster who returned to Britain after being deported for shooting a rival six times in a cold-blooded attempted murder in his homeland is still living in the UK eight months after the Home Office vowed to kick him out of the country.

Riza Vatoci runs a car wash in the seaside town of Bognor Regis, West Sussex, despite the UK government promising in January to take 'immediate steps' to revoke his British passport.

The Home Office promised to act after the greying was seen arriving at his car wash in a black Jaguar where he runs four staff.

But last week our reporter saw him still working at Express hand car wash to the astonishment of those working nearby.

When approached by MailOnline the 49-year-old refused to comment.

Riza Vatoci (pictured), 49, is still living and running his car wash in the UK - eight months after the Home Office to take 'immediate steps' to revoke the Albanian gangster's British passport

Vatoci (seen working at the car wash he runs in Bognor Regis last week) was deported from the UK over an attempted murder in his homeland, but returned to Britain upon his release

The government said it would start the process of deporting Vatoci, who runs the Express car wash (above), because he got a British passport by claiming to be a Kosovan refugee

Vatoci fled Albania after being arrested in 1996 for attempted murder. He shot a rival six times in revenge for the death of his brother.

He arrived in the UK in 1999 claiming to be a Kosovan refugee seeking asylum and was granted British citizenship in 2006 after claiming thousands of taxpayer pounds in benefits.

Vatoci, who was sentenced to 15-years in jail in Albania in his absence, was eventually tracked down to West Sussex by Interpol.

He waged a costly legal battle claiming that his human rights would be breached if he was sent back to his home country but he lost and was deported in 2012.

Incredibly, he served just two months in jail in Albania after successfully arguing that the sentence no longer applied under the country's law.

Vatoci returned to the UK after successfully appealing his sentence in Albania and set up a firm called Sussex Valeting of which he and 34-year-old wife Gjyle Vata are both listed as directors

Still a British passport holder, Vatoci returned to the UK where he has set up a company called Sussex Valeting of which he and 34-year-old wife Gjyle Vata are both listed as directors.

His deception was revealed at the start of this year when the Mail on Sunday newspaper alerted Home Office officials who began to remove Vatoci's British citizenship on the basis that he falsely claimed to be a Kosovan refugee.

However, he is still running the Express Hand Car Wash and living nearby with his wife and children.

The Home Office say they cannot comment fully on the case as legal proceedings are ongoing but a spokesman said briefly: 'Citizenship is a privilege not a right. The Home Office can ensure a person does not continue to hold British citizenship if it was deemed to have been fraudulently obtained

Vatoci declined to comment on the case when he was approached by MailOnline at the car wash (pictured) last week, angrily telling our reporter to leave the premises

Car washes in Britain  including a number run by Albanians  have been widely linked to crime although there is no suggestion of any wrongdoing at the Express car wash in Bognor owned by Mr Vatoci.

MPs were told that the 'majority of hand car washes may have some illegality around them' as part of a parliamentary report into the industry.

The Environmental Audit committee found a 'spectrum of exploitation'. And investigators have also found car washes may be linked to street drugs, the illegal sale of tobacco and even prostitution.

In 2018, the Safe Car Wash app was launched so that members of the public could report suspected exploitation.
Arthur J. Tesar

(1934-2020)

CLEAR LAKE - Arthur Art Jerry Tesar, 85, died Saturday, August 8, 2020, surrounded by his family in Clear Lake.

A memorial service will be held at 2:00 p.m. Friday, August 14, 2020, at Ward-Van Slyke Colonial Chapel, 101 N. 4th St., Clear Lake, with Pastor David Peterson officiating.

Visitation will be from 5:00-7:00 p.m. Thursday, August 13, 2020, at the funeral home in Clear Lake. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, masks are recommended.

In lieu of customary remembrances, family suggests memorial contributions to the Clear Lake United Methodist Church, Clear Lake Sailing Center or the Clear Lake Community Schools Band Program.

Art was born September 18, 1934 in Omaha, Nebraska, the son of Ladislav and Helen (Vancura) Tesar. He was the youngest of three sons. He graduated from Central High School in Omaha, and took some classes at Omaha University. As a student he played the string bass in a jazz combo. In 1954, he enlisted in the United States Army and served in the Reserves until 1962. In 1957 he married Nelda Marie Sprague and settled first in Omaha and then Millard, Nebraska. There they had three children, Mark, Tami and Todd. Art initially worked as an insurance agent. They relocated to Clear Lake in 1972 for Art's work. He later transitioned to real estate and found his real passion as a real estate appraiser for many years before retiring.

Outside of work, Art was a great community supporter. While living in Nebraska he was very involved with the local and state Jaycees, was an avid square dancer along with his wife, Nelda, and organized several square dance festivals. He was a member of the Clear Lake United Methodist Church where he served as a trustee and on several committees. He was also a member of the Clear Lake Evening Lions, later joining the Noon Lions, and was a board member of the Clear Lake Area Concert Association for many years. Art's family was involved with the Clear Lake Yacht Club where he served as Commodore in 1979. Art was on the Clear Lake City Council from 1988-1999, and served as Ventura Mayor 2014-2015.

Art was an avid artist, working mostly with metal sculpture and leather tooling. He also enjoyed woodworking for many years. Art, with his wife and family traveled extensively, visiting all 50 states and several foreign countries, highlighted by a family trip to the Czech Republic. He participated in RAGBRAI for 10 years and was the chair of the Clear Lake hosting committee in 1999. Later in life he greatly enjoyed cooking and perfecting several of his family's traditional Czech recipes.

Art is survived by his wife of nearly 63 years, Nelda Tesar, Clear Lake, IA; three children Mark (Deb) Tesar, Clear Lake, IA, Tami (Dan) Quiram, Oconomowoc, WI, and Todd (Amy) Tesar, Clear Lake, IA; brother-in-law, John (Marta) Sprague, Santa Cruz, CA; seven grandchildren, Tyler McGriff, Anne Tesar, Freddy Quiram, Chrissy Tesar, Rani Tesar, Tali Tesar and Nikki Tesar; and several cousins, nieces and nephews.

Art was preceded in death by his parents; his parents-in-law, Ernest Sprague and Lorane (John) Hendriks; brothers, Lad and George (Kathy); and several extended family.

Ward-Van Slyke Colonial Chapel, 101 N. 4th St., Clear Lake, IA 50428 ColonialChapels.com.
Russia stunned the world when it announced on Tuesday that it has given statutory approval for the public use of coronavirus vaccine. Experts have been startled since the announcement by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

All India Institutes of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Delhi Director Dr Randeep Guleria on Tuesday said that there was a need to assess the safety and effectiveness of Covid-19 vaccine developed by Russia if it is successful.

If Russias vaccine is successful, then we will have to see critically whether it is safe and effective. There should not be any side effects of the vaccine and it should provide good immunity and protection. India has the capacity for mass production of vaccine, Dr Guleria said.

Putin said yesterday that the vaccine offers sustainable immunity against Covid-19, the disease caused by the virus. He also said that one of his own daughters had received the inoculation and felt good afterwards.

The vaccine, which will be called Sputnik V in homage to the worlds first satellite launched by the Soviet Union, has however not yet completed its final trials.

Some scientists fear Moscow may be putting national prestige before safety.

Normally you need a large number of people to be tested before you approve a vaccine, said Peter Kremsner from the University Hospital in Tuebingen, Germany, currently testing CureVacs Covid-19 vaccine in clinical trials.

In that respect, I think its reckless to do that (approve it) if lots of people havent already been tested.

Top US infectious disease official Dr Anthony Fauci said he had not heard any evidence that the vaccine was ready for widespread use.

I hope that the Russians have actually definitively proven that the vaccine is safe and effective. I seriously doubt that theyve done that, Fauci said.

The Russian business conglomerate Sistema has said it expects to put the vaccine, developed by Moscows Gamaleya Institute, into mass production by the end of the year.

Government officials have said it will be administered to medical personnel, and then to teachers, on a voluntary basis at the end of this month or in early September. Mass roll-out in Russia is expected to start in October.

The vaccine is administered in two doses and consists of two serotypes of a human adenovirus, each carrying an S-antigen of the new coronavirus, which enter human cells and produce an immune response.
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Linkedin Apriadi Gunawan (The Jakarta Post) Medan  Wed, August 12, 2020 14:38 525 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066d72ecd 1 Politics Bobby-Nasution,President-Jokowi,PDI-P,Medan,mayoral-race Free

Several local members of the ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) have expressed their disapproval of the party's decision to nominate President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's son-in-law, Bobby Afif Nasution, for the Medan mayoral race in North Sumatra.

They created the PDIP 98 Exponent Forum to show support for Medan acting mayor and former PDI-P senior politician Akhyar Nasution, who was initially a strong contender to be nominated for the upcoming election.

"We set up the forum [to represent] members of the party who are disappointed that the party nominated a non-cadre for the mayoral race," forum head Gumana Lubis told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.

PDI-P executive Puan Maharani announced on Tuesday that the party would nominate Bobby and Gerindra Party politician Aulia Rahman to respectively run for mayor and deputy mayor in Medan. Bobby officially joined the PDI-P in March in a bid to contest the race.

In late July, Akhyar switched parties from the PDI-P to the Democratic Party after the ruling party refused to back him in the citys mayoral election. Akhyar's candidacy is backed by the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) and the Democratic Party.

Gumana, who also heads the partys Medan Johor branch, predicted that 60 percent of traditional PDI-P voters in Medan would likely vote for Akhyar, as both Bobby and Aulia are non-cadres.

Read also: PDI-P officially nominates Jokowi's son-in-law for Medan mayoral race

"Akhyar is a Marhaenist who is close to [a lot of] the partys members. Our support for him grew after [we saw him] receive unfair treatment [from the party]," he said.

Marhaenism is a socialistic political ideology that originated in Indonesia and emphasizes national unity, culture and collectivist economics.

The head of the PDI-P's Medan executive board (DPC), Hasyim, told the Post that only a handful of members opposed Bobbys and Aulias nomination.

Most party members gladly accept and fully support the decision.

Hasyim added that the pair was a very strong contender in the December election. Besides the PDI-P and Gerindra, the pair is backed by the Golkar Party, NasDem Party, Hanura Party, United Development Party (PPP) and the Indonesian Solidarity Party (PSI).

"I'm optimistic that the pair nominated by the PDIP-Gerindra coalition will win in the Medan mayoral election," he said, adding that the Bobby and Aulia reminded him of Joko Jokowi Widodo and Basuki Ahok Tjahaja Purnama, who won the 2012 Jakarta gubernatorial election.

Hasyim said the PDIP-Gerindra coalition had a strategic meaning for the 2024 presidential election.

Meanwhile, Bobby's nomination came after Jokowi's eldest son, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, secured his ticket with the PDI-P to run in the Surakarta mayoral race in Central Java. (nal)
The state Supreme Court ruled on Wednesday that Gov. Phil Murphys administration can borrow billions of dollars to offset state revenue losses caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

The unanimous decision clears the way for Murphy and his fellow Democrats who control the state Legislature to take on up to $9.9 billion in new debt through next June  provided borrowing requests are approved by a committee of four lawmakers. It also allows Murphy to avoid huge budget cuts and layoffs when he proposes a spending plan later this month.

Like so much else brought on by COVID-19, the legal issue before the Court is unprecedented, Chief Justice Stuart Rabner wrote for the court.

Murphy said the ruling validated his decision to borrow.

The alternative would have been something that no one up here would have wanted to experience, he said Wednesday at his latest coronavirus briefing in Trenton.

The decision allows Murphy to sustain key priorities in his upcoming 2021 budget.

Our schools can be funded, our residents and communities can be protected, and our state can move forward, he said.

Doug Steinhardt, chairman of the state Republican Party, criticized the ruling in a statement, saying: This decision confirms that all three branches of the New Jersey state government are firmly in the grasp of the Democrat Party.

However, in upholding the bond act, justices imposed certain parameters that would limit borrowing to match actual budget deficits.

To avoid borrowing in excess of what the law allows, and to be faithful to the Emergency Exception, we require that the governor or the treasurer certify the states projected revenue figures and the shortfall resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic before each tranche of borrowing, Rabner wrote.

The state may not borrow more than the amount certified, and not more than $9.9 billion in total. In other words, if, at the time the state seeks to borrow money or issue bonds, the governor or the treasurer certifies that the shortfall resulting from the pandemic is estimated to be $7 billion, the state cannot borrow more than that amount.

The court rejected Republicans argument that under the state Constitution, New Jersey cannot borrow to pay for governments ordinary operations, and the way to respond to such a fiscal emergency is to raise taxes or cut spending.

Republicans who filed suit drew a distinction between expenses tied to the pandemic crisis and costs the state would have incurred regardless. While it would be permissible to issue bonds to build temporary hospitals or purchase ventilators, they said, the Appropriations Clause does not allow deficit spending to fund operations, such as leases and salaries.

The framers did not intend to give the state a blank check whenever an unspecified emergency arises, state Sen. Michael Testa, R-Cumberland, argued before the court.

But a lawyer for the state, Assistant Attorney General Jean Reilly, said the lost tax money was itself an unanticipated cost of the crisis and the framers baked exceptions into the Constitutions rules on borrowing for extreme emergencies.

Rabner wrote that the court reads those exceptions in the context of the intent of the framers, who, with the Great Depression in mind, wanted to provide flexible tools to respond to fiscal emergencies.

Because the collapse in revenue brought on by the pandemic affects the states ability to provide for direct aid and other government services, the emergency exception permits the state to borrow in order to meet them, Rabner said. That said, not every act of borrowing would meet the current emergency. Borrowing for programs unrelated to the emergency would not satisfy the language of the exception or the act.

Murphy signed New Jersey COVID-19 Emergency Bond Act into law last month. The act sets the stage for the state to borrow as much as $9.9 billion  an amount equal to the difference between the Treasury Departments estimates of tax collections through June 30, 2021, before the coronavirus hit and after.

Treasurer Elizabeth Muoio has argued such financial losses cannot be resolved by slashing spending alone.

Murphys administration has not said how much it intends to borrow or whether it will tap the Federal Reserves Municipal Liquidity Facility or the public or private markets. The Fed has said it will purchase up to $500 billion from states and large counties and municipalities to help them through the economic crisis.

The bond act was the result of a deal struck by Murphy and Democrats who control the Legislature, Senate President Stephen Sweeney, D-Gloucester, and Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin, D-Middlesex. It passed the Senate 22-15 and the Assembly 46-26.

The state GOP, state Sen. Declan OScanlon, R-Monmouth, and state Assemblyman Hal Wirths, R-Sussex, quickly filed suit to block Murphys administration. The Supreme Court fast-tracked the case, with the ruling coming less than a month after the bond act was signed into law.

Democrats have previously warned of devastating cuts to schools if the law was struck down.

New Jerseys debt per capita already is fourth highest among U.S. states, behind Connecticut, Massachusetts and Hawaii, according to the states annual debt report, which showed it had $44.4 billion in outstanding bonds as of June 30, 2019.

Moodys Investors Service, the Wall Street rating house, has warned increased cash-flow borrowing may spur a credit downgrade, which could increase borrowing costs.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.

Samantha Marcus may be reached at smarcus@njadvancemedia.com.
A British man has been taken into custody in Korea for allegedly filming Korean women using hidden cameras. / gettyimagesbank



By Jun Ji-hye



The National Police Agency said Wednesday it had taken a British man into custody and transferred him to the prosecution on charges that he illegally filmed Korean women via hidden cameras and distributed the videos through his website.



The man, who traveled to Korea from Aug. 9 to Aug. 18 in 2018, approached and talked to Korean women on major streets near Hongik University and Itaewon, and filmed the women without consent by using miniature hidden cameras.



The man uploaded the videos on the website he ran named www.koreangirlseasy.com.



He also allegedly secretly filmed women he had sex with in a hotel. He shared those videos with paid members of the website. The membership fee was $27 per person, according to police.



Officers stated that 10 women in Korea had been filmed without their consent, noting that the man is believed to have committed similar crimes in other countries and regions including Japan, Taiwan and Hong Kong.



Police began an investigation in September 2019 following media reports of the incident. At the time, investigators requested an Interpol red notice on the man as he had already left Korea.



A red notice request requires the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) to call on its member states to locate and arrest a suspect.



The man was arrested by police in Denmark in November last year and extradited to Korea, July 31.



In a bid to prevent "additional damage" to the women, police blocked access to the website and asked a cloud storage service operator to delete 198-gigabytes of videos filmed in and outside of the country.



"We are expanding our investigation into paid subscribers of the website operated by the suspect," an officer said.



Police have stepped up efforts to crack down on digital sex crimes since March, setting up a special investigation headquarters following the so-called "Nth room" case that provoked great public anger.



In the case involving multiple Telegram chat rooms, the operator blackmailed female victims including minors into performing violent sex acts and sold access to the online videos.



Police have investigated 1,299 digital sex crime cases as of Aug. 7, and arrested 174 people.



"As we are active in cooperating with Interpol, those who fled overseas can be extradited for trial in Korea," the officer said.



Women's organizations called for harsh punishment for the man as well as other digital sex criminals, saying such crimes have continued to be a serious social problem here for years due to the soft punishments.



"Illicit filming of women has consistently occurred, but most criminals have been punished by a fine or a suspended jail term," an official from the Gyeonggi Province Women's Group Association said.


Copyright  2020 Albuquerque Journal

Angel Spain didnt want her 9-year-old to be worried about keeping his mask on or staying 6 feet away from his friends this school year.

Kids dont want to stay 6 feet apart on the playground, and I knew that would be so hard for him, she said. Thats not really something I want him to have to worry about.

Spain considered home schooling but decided on online learning as the best fit for her family.

While public schools in the state are not scheduled to start in-person classes until next month at the earliest, Spain decided to enroll her son, Hayden, in Albuquerque Public Schools online eCademy with the aim of keeping him there for the rest of elementary school.

The first school year starts this week for the expanded virtual school, which now includes grades K-8, in addition to high school.

eCademy and all other APS schools started remotely Wednesday, bringing a very different look and feel to back-to-school amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Instead of the hustle and bustle of getting lunchboxes and backpacks ready and ushering kids onto the bus, families will be plugging in their computers and logging on for their classwork. The district has been distributing laptops and iPads at the school level  committing to provide a device to each student during remote learning  and has helped families obtain internet access. The first week of school across the district will include technology distribution and virtual visits with students, in addition to the start of lessons.

In the remote learning model, APS students will learn from a distance Monday through Friday.

Students are expected to attend their online classes daily and turn in assignments, just as they would during a more traditional school year, the district wrote in a newsletter. Attendance during remote learning is based on engagement.

There is a guide to the new school year at APS.edu with frequently asked questions and other resources. Under state direction, the district plans to eventually phase students back into the classroom through a mix of in-person and online school.

Spain admits its hard not to have the sentimental experience of dropping Hayden off at the schoolhouse doors for his first day of fourth grade.

It was a little heartbreaking, probably more for me than him, Spain said. Hes been going to (North Star Elementary) since kindergarten.

But the mother of two said this was still the best option. Besides, Hayden took to online learning in the spring when schools across the state ended up shutting down for the rest of the 2019-20 school year due to the pandemic.

He didnt mind it and was actually all for it, she said.

APS spokeswoman Monica Armenta said over 2,000 students had registered at eCademy as of Tuesday.

Students who transfer to eCademy from another APS school can go back to their previous school, if needed, according to the district. Spain transferred Hayden from North Star Elementary in July and plans to revisit the option of traditional school when he gets to sixth grade.

Our intention is to build a very close community of learners for our students and not to let this nebulous thought of a virtual environment stand in the way of allowing your kids to have some continuity and consistency in their educational time this year, K-8 principal Katherine House said in a video to families.

For the Spain family, health and safety were also at the heart of their decision during this unpredictable time.

Our main reason was because I work a couple of days during the week and his dad works all week, and so my main babysitter is my mother. Living with my mother is my 80-year-old grandmother, who we didnt want to get sick, Spain said. We figured well just put him in the online academy so hed mostly be home and at her house.

Interim APS Superintendent Scott Elder acknowledged a remote start for all schools will look different and require flexibility, but its a critical time.

No one knows how long this pandemic is going to last or when we can return to the normal school setting we all prefer. Still, we will never get this time back, Elder said. We have to do everything possible to support our teachers and students so the educational process doesnt suffer.
Photo: The Canadian Press

After facing repeated criticism for more than a year, Hobo Cannabis Company is changing its name to Dutch Love.

The business is making the switch because it wants to be inclusive and ensure no one sees its name as an effort to slight homeless people, said Jeff Donnelly, the president and chief executive of Hobo parent company, the Donnelly Group.

"We were a bit tone deaf when we came up with the name," Donnelly said.

"One of our favourite magazines was called Hobo in the past and another amazing hotel in Denmark and as a cannabis company, we felt we had the same cultural values as some of those companies. We wanted to capitalize on the experience of cannabis... where you travel when you use it or where your mind wanders."

The Vancouver-based Donnelly Group, which is behind restaurants like the Lamplighter Public House in Vancouver and Berlin Love in Toronto, didn't notice too much "friction" around the name until it opened its first store in 2019, he said.

Community and housing advocates have complained about negative connotations of the word, which they call an offensive term for homeless people. Hobo drew further backlash after it opened a Toronto store near a women's shelter.

Previously, Donnelly held strong and kept the name, telling media it was a nod to wanderlust and harkened back to the 1920s when hobos were travelling workers.

No specific incident prompted the name change, but it came as the COVID-19 pandemic and high-profile incidents of police brutality against the Black community triggered a shift in society and culture.

"People have been empowered to speak up about what they believe in. Although we thought we really liked the culture of our brand, really it's about our people," Donnelly said.

"We might be excluding someone by keeping up with the name. If we wanted to truly have an inclusive brand, we felt like we were going to have to change the name."

The company settled on Dutch Love  a reference to Amsterdam's liberal attitude towards cannabis and the country's key role in pot culture.

The Donnelly Group wanted to make the switch for a while, but the change was slowed down by relationships it has with store owners.

Those with permission to call their stores Hobo were being asked to change their names after building up solid customer bases and brand recognition.

"To convince them to change the name from Hobo when the stores were doing fantastic was really, really difficult," said Donnelly, who eventually got everyone on board.

Hobo's 12 stores will be converted to Dutch Love within the next three weeks as Donnelly works on opening another 14 shops and continues to grapple with COVID-19.
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Shaktikanta Das

Promoters of private sector banks are busy cutting their stake to comply with Reserve Bank of Indias (RBI) rules. The RBI has been insisting that promoters in private banks need to bring down their shareholding within certain years of commencing the banking operations. These rules have been changing from time to time.

The idea is to make sure private bank promoters keep an arms length with the banking institutions and they don't misuse these entities for personal benefit. The reason is simple: Banks, unlike other institutions, are guardians of public money. The regulator doesnt want to take risks by giving the promoter too much control.

Recently, promoters of both Kotak Mahindra Bank (KMB) and Bandhan Bank cut their stake in their respective banks. Kotak got a licence in 2003 while Bandhan got banking permit in 2015.

Kotak, Bandhan cut promoter stake

Kotak Mahindra Banks promoter, Uday Kotak, cut his stake in the bank to comply with RBI rules. In a regulatory filing, the bank said: "In relation to the matter of dilution of promoters' shareholding in the bank, the bank has achieved compliance with the promoter shareholding reduction requirement set out in the Reserve Bank of India's letters dated January 29, 2020, and February 18, 2020, on August 10, 2020, within the timeline prescribed by the RBI."

The RBI asked Kotak to cut stake in the bank to 26 percent. As on June quarter, Kotaks stake in the bank stood at 25.82 per cent. Kotak and RBI had differences on the promoter stake issue. This even went to court until the two had an out-of-the-court settlement. In January, the RBI let KMB retain the 26 percent promoter stake with some riders.

The RBI let the promoters, Uday Kotak and family, retain 26 percent stake but capped the voting rights at 15 percent by April. KMB withdrew the case subsequently and some interpreted this as a win for Uday Kotak. In June, Kotak sold 5.6 crore shares for more than Rs 6,900 crore in a block deal, bringing down his stake to 26.1 percent, inching closer to the RBIs stipulated level.

In Bandhan Banks case, promoter, Bandhan Financial Holding (BFHL) reduced the stake to 40 percent from around 61 percent to comply with shareholding norms stipulated by the RBI. In order to be fully compliant with the licensing guidelines, the NOFHC (BFHL) today informed the bank that it has diluted its excess shareholding of 20.95 percent i.e. 33,73,67,189 equity shares of Rs 10 each fully paid-up in the bank through secondary market sale, Bandhan said in a regulatory filing to exchanges. This transaction brought down the stake to 40 per cent from 61 per cent.

What about public sector banks?

Even when the RBI is insisting private banks to cut their promoter stake, government banks continue to have a very high level of promoter (government) holding meaning there is no level playing field between private and public sector banks on this issue.

Look at government holding in country's top public sector banks. At the end of June quarter, the country's largest lender, State Bank of India (SBI) has 57.64 percent promoter stake. Punjab National Bank, another top government lender, has close to 86 percent stake owned by the promoter at the end of June quarter. Similarly, the government owns 72 percent as at the end of June quarter in Bank of Baroda while it has 79 percent stake in Canara Bank.

In fact, Uday Kotak had recently highlighted the need for applying the same set of rules for both private and public sector banks. Speaking at a virtual seminar, Kotak said policies, supervision and regulation and governance have to be ownership-neutral and the principles of governance should apply to both public sector banks and to private banks.

Continuing government dominance

If one takes a rough estimate, about 60 per cent of the banking industry is still controlled by the government banks. There has been the talk of privatisation but there has been no progress so far. The government promises remained on the paper. In May 2014, the PJ Nayak committee recommended to privatise PSU banks and change their governance structure.

In a recent interview to Moneycontrol, former deputy governor Viral Acharya had highlighted the need for government to cut stake below majority mark in state-run banks. Some public sector banks should be considered for re-privatisation. They can get more financial capital from the market and modernize with better technology, human capital and risk management, Acharya said. In the other ones also, the government can cut stake below majority mark like several of the committees in the past have recommended, Acharya added.

Government ownership of banks has created discomfort for the RBI in the past. In 2018, former RBI governor, Urjit Patel too had highlighted the issue of dual regulation of banks saying the banking regulator doesnt have enough powers to regulate state-run banks when compared with private banks.

Patel was referring to the control over PSBs by the finance ministry. The RBI regulates all banks under the Banking Regulation (BR) Act, 1949. However, government banks are also regulated by the government of India under the Banking Companies (Acquisition and Transfer of Undertakings) Act, 1970, the Bank Nationalisation Act, 1980, and the State Bank of India Act, 1955.

While private sector banks have received the RBI diktat to cut promoter stake, government banks continue to be an exception.
How To Beat Pain

Rating:

The Yorkshire Vet

Rating:

This joke was ancient even in the heyday of the Victorian music hall: a man staggers into hospital, begging 'doctor, doctor, I've got this terrible pain in my head, bang in the middle of my forehead'.

The medic takes one look at him and says: 'I've seen this before. I can cure it but I'll have to chop off both your big toes.'

'Anything, doctor,' sobs the patient. 'Just make the pain go away.' So the doctor takes a hacksaw, whips off the man's toes and the pain vanishes. Miraculous.

Of course, the man's shoes are now too big. So he goes to a shoe shop and an assistant measures his right foot.

None of the doctors and presenters was proposing amputation to help sufferers with their chronic ailments on How To Beat Pain (C4)

Then she asks to measure his left foot. 'Don't fuss,' says the man irritably. 'Both my feet are bound to be the same size.'

'Oh no, sir,' says the woman. 'Your left foot might be bigger. The shoe will pinch  and if your left shoe pinches you'll get this terrible pain, bang in the middle of your forehead.'

None of the doctors and presenters was proposing amputation to help sufferers with their chronic ailments on How To Beat Pain (C4). But they didn't look exactly thrilled when one patient came back after six weeks of trial treatments and announced that he'd found his own cure, no thanks to them.

Mike, a big fellow with a beard, was a martyr to his migraines. The doctors had lots of suggestions: cut out carbs, regular bedtimes, 'wild swimming' in a lake.

More hands-on treatment was meted out by animal medics Peter Wright and Julian Norton (pictured) on The Yorkshire Vet (C5)

Swimming sort of worked  Mike was so cold that he forgot his headache. But it came back with a vengeance, so badly that he ended up in A&E.

Then someone suggested he might try CBD oil, the cannabis derivative that was recently made legal for over-the-counter sales. And, just as magically as if someone had chopped off his big toes, Mike's headaches melted away.

At this point, a message appeared on screen urging us not to try untested cures at home without consulting our GP first.

One doctor pointed out through clenched teeth that trials had not proved CBD oil possessed any medicinal powers whatever. She couldn't have looked more unhappy if a patient had healed himself with the power of spoon-bending.

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Mike didn't care. His headaches were gone.

Presenter Kate Quilton did encourage other people to tackle their long-term pain with alternative therapies such as tai chi, yoga and acupuncture. Some patients felt a bit better but we were left with the impression that these were hit-and-miss remedies that doctors try only when the drugs aren't working.

More hands-on treatment was meted out by animal medics Peter Wright and Julian Norton on The Yorkshire Vet (C5)  but if you can keep eating your supper while watching an alpaca with a prolapsed uterus, then your stomach is stronger than mine. (Alpacas in the Dales? What next?)

Even the cute case of Quercus, the greedy wire-haired pointer, was a bit yucky. Quercus had snatched a bag of seven party poppers from a table and swallowed them. His owner was worried they might explode in the dog's stomach.

Julian gave Quercus an injection to make him bring up the poppers. Obviously, poorly animals are a vet's life but this was all a little too visceral.

Luckily, the irrepressible Peter, who was once the apprentice of Alf Wight (James Herriot), was dispensing his usual cheerful humour. Visiting farmers Steve and Jeannie Green to trim a heifer's horns, he wrestled with the young cow: 'I think I'll have to put me leg over again... careful, Mrs Green!'

Whoops, missus!
Bound with duct tape and cable ties, a cancer patient was forced to hand over bank details to a Melbourne woman he thought was a friend so she could try to steal his inheritance.

Kristy Avdulla was supposedly a long-term friend of Richard Della Grazia, who was targeted in the scary attack in Frankston in April 2019.

The 27-year-old, whose brother is Australian jockey Brenton Avdulla, would regularly visit the 52-year-old who had been battling heart and pancreatic cancer for nearly three years.

But when she came over to visit on April 10 last year, she brought another man with her.

Mr Della Grazia didn't see the other man until he was in his hallway.

'Don't worry who I am,' the man, wearing a black mask with yellow eyes, told him.

Kristy Avdulla (pictured) and an associate raided Richard Della Grazia's home in April 2019

When Mr Della Grazia asked what the man wanted, and he replied 'you'.

Avdulla was jailed for six years on Wednesday, after pleading guilty to charges including aggravated burglary, false imprisonment, intentionally causing injury, and obtaining property and financial advantage by deception.

Mr Della Grazia was grabbed by the throat and thrown to the ground. He yelled for Avdulla to help him.

He gave up struggling so he could breathe, and had his entire face and ankles duct-taped. His hands and arms were tied with cable ties and then taped to his torso.

Avdulla and the man ransacked the property taking the Mr Della Grazia's wallet, phones and computers, and forced him to hand over his banking passwords.

Avdulla knew Mr Della Grazia had $144,000 from an inheritance in his accounts.

Avdulla is the sister of Australian jockey Brenton Avdulla (pictured centre)

Mr Della Grazia was left lying on the bathroom floor for what felt like an hour after the attack, and was found by a friend checking in on him.

He suffered a broken nose and broken ribs, and spent days in hospital.

Over the next two hours $80,000 was transferred from Mr Della Grazia's accounts to his debit card. Avdulla was seen on CCTV withdrawing $4,000 cash at ATMs.

She also made nearly $50,000 of unauthorised transactions into her own bank accounts using 'car' and 'car loan' as the descriptions.

She transferred $20,000 to Mr Della Grazia's tabcorp account and bought a $12,999 gold chain.

The transactions were cancelled before they could be finalised.

She was also sentenced by Judge Sue Pullen on Wednesday over the theft of a car from a car dealership during a test drive while she was disqualified from driving.

Judge Pullen ordered Avdulla to serve at least four years behind bars before she's eligible for parole.
Intensive talks are underway among the various political parties in Lebanon to try to form a new government that will quickly contain public anger after the massive Beirut port blast, political sources said on Wednesday.

All efforts are being exerted to name a new premier and form a government before September 1, when French President Emmanuel Macron is due to return to the country for political talks, the sources told dpa.

Mr Macron visited Beirut on August 6, two days after the port blast.

He met with the Lebanese leaders and toured the devastated areas.

Hassan Diab resigned as prime minister on Monday amid protests over the blast that killed 165 people and wounded 6,000 others.

The new premier must be able to form an emergency government to contain the anger of the people. That is why he needs to be from outside the current Lebanese ruling class, a Lebanese lawmaker, who requested anonymity, told dpa.

According to the lawmaker, he needs to restore trust to the Lebanese people.

Political observers believe that Lebanon is under heavy pressure from the international community to name a premier.

Leaders have struggled to map a way out of the countrys worst economic crisis since the civil war that raged there between 1975 and 1990.

The Lebanese parliament is due to meet on Thursday to discuss the aftermath of the blast and ways to avoid the country entering a political vacuum.

(dpa/NAN)
Iran to respond any provocative move by US decisively

ISNA - Iranian Students' News Agency

Tue / 11 August 2020 / 15:28

Tehran (ISNA) - Iran's government spokesman, Ali Rabiei stressed that the Islamic Republic will respond to any provocative move by the United States decisively.

Pointing to the UN Security Council Resolution 2231, he said, "Any kind of resolution in violation of UN Security Council Resolution 2231 is unacceptable and a mockery of the international law".

In response to a question on the consequences of submitting a US resolution to the United Nations Security Council for the continuation of Iran's arms embargo, Rabiei stated, "The United States, as confessed by its leaders, has withdrawn from Iran's nuclear deal, JCPOA, and has no right to support it whether in relations with the text of the agreement or the UN Security Council resolution until it fully returns to it [JCPOA] and fulfills its obligations."

The US is well aware that this destructive and malicious effort will be turned into another catastrophic and isolating failure for the United States, he emphasized.

The fact is that the international community is resolved to uphold laws, agreements and regulations governing between countries as well as an impassable barrier for the United States in undermining the pillars of global stability and security, Rabiei stressed.

Rabiei went on to say that the Islamic Republic of Iran is ready to prove that it will not show the least negligence in providing a proportionate and decisive response to any provocative and illegal action by the United States.

End Item

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The United States has entered an agreement with drugmaker Moderna Inc to acquire 100 million doses of its potential COVID-19 vaccine for around $1.5 billion (1.15 billion), the company and White House said on Tuesday.

The United States in recent weeks has made deals to acquire hundreds of millions of doses of potential COVID-19 vaccines from several companies as part of its Operation Warp Speed program, which aims to deliver a vaccine in the country by the end of the year.

Moderna's price per dose comes to around $30.50 per person for a two dose regimen.

With the exception of its deal with AstraZeneca, which offered a lower price per drug in exchange for upfront research and development costs, all the deals price COVID-19 vaccines between $20 to $42 for a two dose course of treatment.

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

Moderna's vaccine candidate, mRNA-1273, is one of the few that have already advanced to the final stage of testing and is on track to be completed in September, the company said this month.

Moderna's deal with the U.S. only pays out in full if the drugmaker hits certain unspecific timing benchmarks for vaccine delivery.

The United States has advanced purchase agreements with Johnson & Johnson, AstraZeneca Plc, Pfizer Inc and BioNTech SE, and Sanofi SA and GlaxoSmithKline Plc for their respective vaccine candidates.

The agreements would lock in more than 500 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine for the U.S., assuming that the companies involved receive regulatory approval. Some deals also give the United States an option to purchase additional doses.

The U.S. government previously gave Moderna around $1 billion to fund its research efforts, bringing total U.S. funding to around $2.5 billion.

Other countries, including Japan, the United Kingdom and Canada, have forged similar deals with drugmakers.




Image courtesy Emirates



The announcement means that from September, Emirates will operate 36 weekly flights out of the UK, connecting passengers to Dubai and beyond from its Birmingham, Glasgow, London Heathrow and Manchester gateways.



The airline has also announced it will resume passenger services to Cebu (20th August), and Houston (23rd August). Flights between Dubai and Cebu will operate two times a week, utilising an Emirates Boeing 777-300ER aircraft. This will bring the airlines network to 74 destinations, offering travellers convenient connections between the Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific, Europe and the Americas through its Dubai hub.



Emirates flights between Dubai and Houston will operate three times a week, utilising an Emirates Boeing 777-200LR aircraft. The airline currently offers passenger services to five gateways in the United States including New York JFK, Washington DC, Boston (15 August), Chicago and Los Angeles  expanding its US network to six cities and offering 27 weekly flights to the country.



Customers can stop over or travel to Dubai as the city has re-opened for international business and leisure visitors.



Covid-19 PCR tests are mandatory for all inbound and transit passengers arriving to Dubai (and the UAE), including UAE citizens, residents and tourists, irrespective of the country they are coming from.
Watchdog says US State Department failed to assess risks to civilians in arms sales to Saudi Arabia, Emirates

Iran Press TV

Tuesday, 11 August 2020 7:05 PM

A US State Department watchdog has found that risks of civilian casualties were not adequately assessed by the department when it approved arms sales to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the two main aggressor countries in a war on Yemen.

The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) at the State Department said in a report sent to Congress on Tuesday that the sales of precision-guided munitions (PGMs) to the two Arab countries  approved by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo with the invocation of emergency powers last May  did not take into account the threat to Yemeni civilians.

"OIG found that the Department did not fully assess risks and implement mitigation measures to reduce civilian casualties and legal concerns associated with the transfer of PGMs included in the Secretary's May 2019 emergency certification," the office said.

Pompeo was accused in May last year of abuse of power after he exploited an emergency declaration to push for the eight-billion-dollar arms sales to Saudi Arabia and the UAE despite opposition from US Congress. He cited alleged threats in the Middle East and accused Iran of fomenting instability in the strategic region to sidestep the congressional review process.

US lawmakers had been blocking weapons sales to Riyadh and Abu Dhabi over the Saudi-led coalition's atrocities in Yemen and a litany of human rights abuses perpetrated by Saudi Arabia, including the brutal murder of Saudi dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi at a Saudi consulate in Turkey.

The watchdog's report also underlined that the State Department had allowed some smaller sales of precision-guided munition parts to Saudi Arabia without congressional review even before Pompeo's push in May last year.

In May, US President Donald Trump abruptly fired Inspector General Steve Linick, who was looking into Pompeo's case, and then appointed Stephen Akard, who also resigned from his post last week after recusing himself from the arms sales investigation.

Linick was the fourth government inspector general removed by the Republican president in recent months.

The State Department's Office of the Inspector General reportedly cleared Pompeo of wrongdoing in implementing the emergency powers, however.

Since March 2015, Saudi Arabia has been waging a war in Yemen with help from its regional allies, and has been using arms supplied by its Western backers.

An estimated 100,000 people have lost their lives in the war so far.

The war has also destroyed or damaged Yemeni infrastructure, including a large number of hospitals and clinics.

The aggressor coalition has also blockaded impoverished Yemen.

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Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai and pro-democracy activist Agnes Chow were released on bail on Wednesday (August 12) after the duo was arrested as part of a crackdown under a new national security law implemented by China.

Lai, who is the owner of Hong Kong's Apple Daily, came out of the police custody flanked by his lawyers and was greeted by hundreds of pro-democracy supporters who chanted "fight till the end" and "support apple, have an apple a day".

Lai, however, preferred to remain silent after his release. Lais bail was set at HK$300,000 ($38,461), plus a HK$200,000 ($25,805) surety. The media tycoon was arrested on Monday (August 10) for suspected collusion with foreign forces.

The new national security law was imposed by Beijing on June 30. It gives the authority to punish anything considered as secession, subversion, "terrorism" or collusion with foreign forces with life imprisonment.

The law has received the support of Hong Kong's Beijing-backed government which claims the law is necessary to maintain law and order in the country after months of violent anti-government and pro-democracy protests in 2019.

Lai's two sons and activist Agnes Chow were released late on Tuesday.

Pro-democracy activist Chow called her arrest "political persecution and political suppression", according to the South China Morning Post. "It's very obvious that the regime is using the national security law to suppress political dissidents," she said.

Chow also said that she was "unprepared" when she was taken into custody on Monday night. "I have been arrested four times before, but honestly this time, I was scared the most. And it was the hardest," she added.
Saudi Cement earnings reached SR75 million ($20 million) during the second quarter (Q2) of the year, marking a year-on-year (y-o-y) decline of 19%. However, this was higher than the analysts expectations of SR57 million and consensus estimate of SR67 million, a report said.



The beating of estimate was mostly due to a 34% rise in cement volume in June 2020, which could be because of pre-VAT hike buying, said the report released by Al Rajhi Capital, a leading financial services provider in the Kingdom.



The y-o-y decline in earnings is primarily due to a decrease in sales, an increase in selling and distribution expenses, an increase in zakat, and a decrease in associate income, partially supported by a drop in general and administrative expenses and finance cost.



The company reported revenue of SR298 million, a decline of 12% y-o-y, mainly due to 14.5% y-o-y drop in volume, partially backed by a 3% rise in price to SR255/ton as compared to SR251/ton in Q1 2020 and SR248/ton in Q2 2019.



The Eastern region is the only region that witnessed a y-o-y decline in volume during the quarter. This may be due to slow construction activities. Further, the decline in the cost of sales was similar to a drop in revenue that remained the gross margin almost flat at 41%. Relatively higher operating costs affected the operating margin and net margin.



Going forward, we believe that the cement demand in the Eastern region would be under a little pressure; though a gradual pick-up in demand is expected mainly due to rise in mortgages, which grew by 85% y-o-y in KSA during Q2, and resuming of the construction activities of the other infrastructure projects would also bring demand back in the region, Al Rajhi Capital said in the report.



Cement prices are expected to be at the current levels for the second half of the year. Post Q2 result and considering the improving scenario of the construction sector, we have revised the target price to SR63/share from SR54/share and maintain our rating to Neutral on the stock.  TradeArabia News Service
Minister for Central Region, Kwamena Duncan has lambasted former President John Dramani Mahama for going silent over Professor Kwamena Ahwoi's book titled ''Working with Rawlings''.



The book is an account of Prof. Ahwoi's relationship with former President Jerry John Rawlings and the things that transpired under his regime.



Prof. Ahwoi, in his book, talked about incidents where Mr. Rawlings viciously attacked a former member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) for opposing the candidature of the late Prof. Mills as NDC flagbearer in 2002.



He also revealed moments where the former President attended Cabinet meetings but wouldn't pay attention to the meeting, instead play with toy planes.



There are several revelations in the book; another being that Rawlings' wife is the reason why his comrades have deserted him.



Addressing the issue on Wednesday's edition of Kokrokoo on PeaceFM, Kwamena Duncan wondered why Mr. Mahama, who is seeking to come to power on the ticket of the NDC, has kept mute while the party's founder is crucified by Professor Ahwoi.



He stated that the book should concern him (Mahama) who is the NDC flagbearer because his Running Mate, Prof. Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang wrote the foreword of the book.



To him, he (Mahama) not responding means he agrees with Prof. Ahwoi and everything said about Mr. Rawlings, adding there is a grand scheme by some members of the NDC to desert their founder.



''...when she did the foreword, it was a three-way train. The man Rawlings was the subject matter, the author and then beneath it the State. So, it's one that is inseparable because that is the train that has brought them this far. And you seek to lead, you led it; you brought them into a ditch. You seek to lead that train. This issue is about your [your] foundation.''



''Are we then taking the silence to mean approval, endorsement?'' he questioned.



''The big deal here is only that he fully endorses it; that it is a grand plan but Kwamena Ahwoi, in a very subtle way, has revealed that [look] the earlier we take this man off our way as an obstruction so that we have a full hold of this party.''





Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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A Co Down soldier will be reunited with his young daughter in Scotland today after a gruelling 700-mile barefoot walk.

Army Major Chris Brannigan (40) is raising money to fund research into a rare genetic condition that his eight-year-old girl Hasti lives with.

Cornelia de Lange Syndrome (CdLS) is a potentially life-limiting condition which can get dramatically worse from puberty.

Children often suffer from seizures, severe anxiety and self-harm, meaning they can require around the clock care.

The epic journey from Land's End in Cornwall to Edinburgh Castle is due to finish this afternoon, where Chris will be greeted by his wife Hengameh and three children.

Speaking five miles away from the Scottish border yesterday, he told the Belfast Telegraph that despite suffering multiple open wounds to his feet, he would stop at nothing to cross the finish line.

"I've done 670 miles so far, with 26 more tomorrow," he said.

"The journey's been the hardest thing I've ever done. Walking barefoot on our roads over 20 miles a day and carrying 25kg of kit has been like walking on glass," he said.

"Fundraising's really difficult, we've been doing it since January to try and raise the money for CdLS, and we needed to capture peoples' imagination.

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"Hasti's condition leaves her exposed to the world because of the difficulties it gives her, so it only feels fair that I do that myself."

Chris was forced to go to A&E halfway through the challenge, suffering open wounds and infections on both feet.

"They told me I had to stop now or I would permanently damage my feet."

He added: "I think what's struck me during the whole thing is that I could stop at any time, but Hasti can't stop being sick."

He said the disruption of Covid-19 has caused the UK Government to neglect children with rare diseases.

"They don't do enough to provide coordinated care, appropriate training for GPs and specialists... there's an inequality of care that I want to see addressed so children like Hasti can go on to live long lives and have the same opportunities as every other child in the UK."

He said the public support has been "phenomenal" in every town, with words of encouragement and food at the toughest moments.

A staggering total of over 297,000 has been raised so far, while a petition delivered to Downing Street during the walk gathered more than 11,000 signatures in just two days.

The family aim to raise 400,000 initially, with a final goal of 2.5m to provide treatment for Hasti and others with life-limiting conditions.

To contribute to the fundraising appeal, visit https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/BarefootAcrossBritain
I dont think were going to be in Syria forever, General McKenzie told a security conference organized virtually by the United States Institute of Peace. At some point, we do want to get smaller there. I just dont know when thats going to be. As long as we remain, were going to work very hard to finish off ISIS.

General McKenzies comments on U.S. troop levels in Iraq and Syria were consistent with what he has said in the past, but they come against the backdrop of Mr. Trump recently announcing that forces in Afghanistan would shrink to about 5,000, from 8,600, by the general election in November. The president also directed the withdrawal of about 12,000 troops from Germany, about 6,400 of which would come home and about 5,600 of which would go to other European countries.

While Mr. Trumps motivations for withdrawing troops vary somewhat from country to country, together they underscore his overarching campaign pledge in 2016 to extract the United States from military commitments overseas.

General McKenzie and other American officials say the United States can afford to consider withdrawing troops from Iraq and Syria because local forces are increasingly able to counter ISIS on their own, with some American technical, intelligence and logistical help.

Our assessment is that it is a threat but it isnt an increasing threat, William V. Roebuck, a career Foreign Service officer who is the Trump administrations deputy special envoy to the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, told the conference in a separate panel. Theyre not able to mount sophisticated attacks or operations.
Belfast police raids have been linked to a multi-million pound drugs bust at Heathrow Airport.

Detectives from PSNIs Organised Crime Unit have arrested a man, aged 51, and a woman, aged 36, following searches on Tuesday.

Three premises, two in south Belfast and one in east Belfast, were searched and a quantity of class B drugs with a street value of 50,000 seized alongside a substantial sum of cash.

The arrests are part of an ongoing investigation relating to the seizure of drugs and cash in Belfast and Heathrow Airport recently. These drug seizures have a combined potential street value in the region of 3.5m.

Detective Sergeant Kelly said: These overall seizures demonstrate our commitment to removing illegal drugs from our communities and tackling the funding of organised criminal gangs across the country. We aim to disrupt their

"We urge anyone with information about any criminality linked to drugs to contact police on 101 or anonymously through the Crimestoppers charity on 0800 555 111, which gives people the power to speak up and stop crime and help us keep your community safe.

You can also submit a report online using our non-emergency reporting form via http://www.psni.police.uk/makeareport/"

Crimestoppers can be contacted anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at http://crimestoppers-uk.org/.
Union Minister of Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) on Tuesday said that he will write to and Prime Minister regarding the export of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) kits, facial masks and sanitisers.

"Two months ago, the government took a decision to import kits from China," Gadkar said in a statement.

"Today, our production is surplus and we are in a full position to export it. I am writing to and Prime Minister Modi for permission to export kits, masks and sanitisers," he added.

Earlier on July 28, the shipments of medical coveralls for COVID-19 with an export quota of 50 lakh units per month was permitted by the government, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal confirmed.

"Following PM Modi's mantra of Aatmanirbhar Bharat, in a decision to promote Make in India and industrial growth, govt permits export of 4 cr 2/3 Ply surgical masks and 20 lakh medical goggles every month, along with restriction-free export of face shields," he had said.

The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) said, "Monthly export quota of 50 Lakh units of Medical Coveralls for COVID-19, 20 lakh medical goggles has been permitted."

All other items that are part of PPE kits remain prohibited, it said.

These items include medical goggles, all masks other than non-medical/non-surgical (cotton, silk, wool, polyester, nylon rayon, viscose - knitted, woven or blended); nitrile gloves and face shield.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Ontario boomeranged to almost 100 cases of COVID-19 after a sharp one-day dip as Muskoka health officials wait to see if any infections develop locally following an outbreak among guests who stayed at a Huntsville resort on the August long weekend.

The Ministry of Health reported 95 cases Wednesday, up from an unusually low 33 the previous day that involved an adjustment of statistics from Toronto Public Health.

Locally, 28 of the provinces 34 public health units are reporting five or fewer cases, with 16 of them reporting no new cases, Health Minister Christine Elliott said on Twitter.

Wednesdays case numbers were in line with last week, when the province was slightly below 100 new infections daily for seven days running. Health officials are closely monitoring the tallies with children set to return to school in September.

The Simcoe-Muskoka District Health Unit said it has been informed by other health units in the province that a total of 11 people from a group of 30 staying at Deerhurst Resort developed symptoms after returning home. Some from the multi-family group also ate at Three Guys and a Stove, a restaurant on Hwy 60 in Huntsville.

Both the resort and the restaurant went public with the information, and the restaurant has voluntarily closed for a few days as a precaution while staff are tested. One staff member considered most at risk is in isolation, officials said.

An important takeaway message from this would be that there is potential for transmission ... even when our rates are very low, said local medical officer of health Dr. Charles Gardner, who noted the region that stretches north from Barrie has just 10 active cases of COVID-19 and only one person in hospital for it.

Deerhurst said it remains open and is working with the health unit to ensure the safety of staff, guests and the surrounding community.

The resort continues to operate with reduced occupancy and extensive COVID prevention measures and are confident that these measures will prove effective in safely handling this situation as well as the possibility of similar situations in the future. Deerhurst said in a statement.

Toronto had the most new infections reported Wednesday with 19, followed by Peel with 16 and Ottawa at 13. The Windsor-Essex region  which moved into Stage 3 of business reopenings on Wednesday  had eight new cases, while neighbouring Chatham-Kent had seven, Hamilton had six and Niagara had four, according to the ministry figures calculated at 4 p.m. the previous day.

The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit said Wednesday it has 121 active cases of the virus and is down to nine outbreaks on farms and in manufacturing facilities. Of seven patients in hospital in the region, two were in intensive care.

Across the province, the number of people hospitalized with fell to 49, a drop of 11 since Tuesday, with 20 in intensive care and 10 of them on ventilators. Thats the lowest number of patients in intensive care in months.

Federal public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam said Canadians under the age of 40 have accounted for more than half the new cases of COVID-19 in the last two weeks, with most of them in their 20s. The country has averaged 443 cases daily in the last week.

There have been 120,421 cases of the virus in Canada since late January and 8,991 deaths.

A Star compilation of data from Ontario health units at 5 p.m. Wednesday showed 74 new and probable cases of the virus in the previous 24 hours, for a total of 42,379 in the last eight months. There have been 2,825 deaths.
New Delhi, Aug 12 : The Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) has urged the Centre to investigate the "Chinese Hawala" racket busted by the Income Tax Department.

In letters sent to Finance Minister Nirmala Sithraman and Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal, CAIT demanded an in-depth investigation into the "racket" and "whether such kind of rackets" are also being operated by Chinese nationals in India.

"CAIT has also demanded stern action against banks like Bandhan Bank and ICICI Bank and others for their connivance with Chinese nationals, and nexus of this 'Hawala' racket with e-commerce companies," CAIT said in a statement.

On Tuesday, the I-T Department busted a money laundering racket worth more than Rs 1,000 crore.

The confederation also demanded a separate intensive probe by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

"It's a matter of investigation as to how Chinese national Luo Sang (which is his real identity in China), who was operating under the name of Charlie Peng, was able to secure Indian passport from Manipur and how he was able to further secure Aadhaar and PAN through which he opened a series of bank accounts," the statement said.

"Opening and smooth operations of about 40 Shell bank accounts compelled us to derive at the fact that there is a close nexus between Chinese nationals and bank officials, and stern action should be taken against the erring bank officials," it said.

As per the CAIT statement, some of the leading e-commerce companies operating their online business activities in India "are also hand-in-glove with Chinese individuals and companies".

"CAIT has urged for an investigation into the conduct of e-commerce companies in this regard. This huge revelation by the I-T Department is ample testimony of indulging in blatant violations of Indian laws by the e-com portals," it said.
Houston pipeline operator Kinder Morgan moved forward on a controversial natural gas pipeline through the Texas Hill Country the same day that legendary musicians Willie Nelson and Paul Simon issued a public plea for the company to halt the project.

Nelson, also known as the Red-Headed Stranger, and Simon on Tuesday voiced their opposition to the Permian Highway Pipeline in op-ed in the Houston Chronicle. The pipeline is a $2 billion project to move 2 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day from the Permian Basin of West Texas to the Katy Hub near Houston.

Hours after the two musical stars released their op-ed, the Hays County Commissioners Court approved permits allowing the company to bore under three roadways to build the 42-inch pipeline.

Now more than 79 percent complete, the last portion of the pipeline that needs to be completed is in the Texas Hill Country, where the company faces opposition from landowners concerned about safety and environmental issues in the picturesque region.

We have chosen the route carefully and paid landowners handsomely for the easements, Kinder Morgan CEO Steve Kean said in a rebuttal to Nelson and Simon. We will restore the land when construction is complete and have secured significant additional lands for endangered species habitat.

Accident: Kinder Morgan to suspends construction of Hill Country pipeline

Opponents of the project frequently cite a March 28 accident that sent a mixture of clay and water used for drilling into wells in Blanco County.

In his op-ed, Kean said that in addition to paying numerous expenses for affected landowners, the company is rerouting a two-mile portion of the pipeline project in Blanco County.

After careful consideration, we have decided that rerouting around the Blanco River is the best option, Kean said. This reroute will result in two additional miles of pipeline and does not include any deep drilling.

Kinder Morgan spokesman Dave Conover said survey work began shortly after the March 28 incident and that the company has since obtained all the landowner agreements needed to reroute the pipeline. The project, he said, remains on track to be placed into service during the first quarter of 2021.

MIKE SEGAR / REUTERS

Fuel Fix: Get energy news sent directly to your inbox

The Sierra Club has filed a federal lawsuit to stop the project. With the environmental group seeking an injunction that would stop construction through 129 waterways along the route, both sides met for a virtual July 31 hearing. A decision is expected to come later this month.

The Sierra Club applauds Paul Simon and Willie Nelson for lending their voices to this fight and speaking up on behalf of hundreds of landowners whose concerns about this pipeline have been ignored as Kinder Morgan has torn through their communities with their fracked gas pipeline, Sierra Club Lone Star Chapter Interim Director Cyrus Reed said.

Hill Country: Gallons of seeping drilling fluid collected at Kinder Morgan pipeline site

Brandon Rottinghaus, a political science professor with the University of Houston, said it is rare for a musicians such as Nelson to write op-ed condemning a pipeline project, but was not surprised by the music legends opposition based on past political statements.

Although rural Texas has a reputation of being a Red Republican area of the state, Rottinghaus said the Hill Country is home to a growing base of Democrats and swing voters. The high profile opposition to the Permian Highway Pipeline may not be able to stop the project, but could have an impact on future pipeline projects, he said.

It may not be a win today but it may be a win tomorrow, Rottinghaus said. It might be a win for Democrats or progressives who want to stop the next project.

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service / Courtesy Photo

More: Read the latest oil and gas news from HoustonChronicle.com

Supporters contend that the Permian Highway Pipeline will generate $2 billion of taxes and royalties in addition to reducing the amount of excess natural gas burned at oil wells in an industry practice known as flaring.

Elizabeth Caldwell, a spokeswoman for the industry-funded group Texans For Natural Gas, said the state is already home to 466,000 miles of pipeline.

Texans love Whiskey River, but they also love clean air and affordable energy - which pipelines deliver, Caldwell said.

sergio.chapa@chron.com

http://twitter.com/SergioChapa
CHICAGO In the weeks before Joe Biden named Sen. Kamala Harris his running mate, womens groups were readying a campaign of their own: shutting down sexist coverage and disinformation about a vice presidential nominee they say is headed for months of false smears and brutal attacks from internet haters.

The groups put the media on notice in recent days that they will call out bias one campaign is dubbed We Have Her Back and established a war room to refute sexist or false attacks as they happen.

They didnt have to wait long. Within minutes of the presumptive Democratic nominees announcement Tuesday, false information was circulating on social media, claiming that Harris had called Biden a racist and that she is not eligible to be president.

The womens groups say their efforts are informed by the sexism Hillary Clinton faced from Donald Trump, some of his supporters and the media during the 2016 campaign.

This time we understand the patterns, and this time we have the organizational infrastructure to push back, said Shaunna Thomas, executive director of the womens advocacy group UltraViolet, which released a 32-page guide for media along with a coalition of groups including Color of Change PAC, Planned Parenthood Votes and Womens March.

While the groups have primarily been led by Democrats, their efforts are backed by nonpartisan groups and some Republicans.

The war room will call out bias and disinformation against women in both parties up and down the ballot, said Tina Tchen, CEO of Times Up Now, which fights sexual harassment in the workplace.

The groups say intense scrutiny of a vice presidential nominee is to be expected, but women are often unfairly criticized as overly emotional, weak or unqualified, or for their appearance or demeanor in a way that men are not. The attacks, which include false smears and threats of violence online, not only hurt campaigns but dissuade women from seeking office.

Christine Todd Whitman, a former New Jersey governor and Republican, said Bidens running mate will be at the center of an ugly social media campaign from online bullies.

This is going to be brutal because these platforms allow people to do things anonymously, saying things anonymously, Whitman said.

If elected, Harris would be the countrys first Black vice president. That has invited not only sexist but racist commentary and misinformation around her candidacy.

Harris, who was born in Oakland, California, has been the victim of online falsehoods for more than a year that say she is not eligible to become president because her parents were not born in America. More recently, Facebook users added a new twist to the misinformation: that since Harris is not eligible to be president, if Biden didnt finish his term the presidency would automatically default to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat.

There is no truth to that Harris is a natural-born U.S. citizen whos eligible to be president yet the misinformation has been shared by thousands of Facebook users. Facebook has labeled the posts as false but has not removed them from its platform.

The misinformation hearkens back to the conspiracy theories in 2008 around Democrat Barack Obama, the first Black U.S. president, that claimed he was born in Kenya, not the United States. Those claims were amplified by Donald Trump, then a reality TV star, and gained so much traction during the campaign that Obama produced a birth certificate showing he was born in Honolulu.

The latest attacks on Harris citizenship were highlighted in a letter from more than 100 lawmakers from around the country and the world sent to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and COO Sheryl Sandberg calling on them to remove misinformation, and posts or accounts that threaten women.

Much of the most hateful content directed at women on Facebook is amplified by your algorithms which reward extreme and dangerous points of view with greater reach and visibility, said the letter, which was spearheaded by Democratic Rep. Jackie Speier of California.

Cindy Southworth, Facebooks head of womens safety, said the company will work with the lawmakers to surface new solutions.

Abuse of women on the internet is a serious problem, one we tackle in a variety of ways through technology that identifies and removes potentially abusive content before it happens, by enforcing strict policies, and by talking with experts to ensure we stay ahead of new tactics," she said.

But mere minutes after Harris was announced as Bidens running mate, pro-Trump social media personalities and conservative news outlets claimed Harris called Biden a racist during a televised Democratic debate last year. (In reality, she said, I do not believe youre a racist before criticizing his past opposition to policies around school desegregation.)

The road to becoming Bidens running mate had been littered with misleading online attacks on women under consideration.

Former national security adviser Susan Rice was accused of committing crimes in office, and Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who authorized strict stay-at-home orders in Michigan this year, was pelted with memes and images likening her to Adolf Hitler or an evil queen.

Harris is likely prepared for the onslaught ahead this year after watching how 2016 unfolded on social media, said Sarah Oates, a political communications professor at the University of Maryland.

She is going to be vilified, no matter who she is," Oates said. In 2020, people are much more attuned and aware of it. That doesnt mean its going to make it better, but at least you can be more aware of the toxicity."

Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor
The House of Representatives on Monday said its investigation over the spending of N1.7 trillion on the implementation of the National Social Investment Programmes (NSIP) is not connected to the office of the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo.

The chairman House Committee on Public Procurement, Wole Oke, said this when the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Finance appeared before an investigative hearing into the audit queries on the financial activities of the NSIP between 2016-2017, Thisday reports.

Mr Oke said the House understands that the office of the vice president was responsible for the monitoring and policy formulation of the SIPs. He, however, noted that issues bordering on procurement were handled by the Ministry of Budget and National Planning from 2016 to September 2019, when the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs was created.

By our records, the office of the Vice President is responsible for policy formulation and monitoring of the National Social Investment Programme. Issues bordering on procurement were handled by the Ministry of Budget and National Planning, which has now been merged with the Ministry of Finance, he said.

We have it on record that the Ministry of Budget and National Planning handled all issues of procurement from 2016 to September 2019 when the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs was created.

Our request is for the Ministry of Budget and National Planning to make available all relevant procurement records for the various items under the NSIP.

Our investigation has nothing to do with the office of the Vice President but the Ministry. A total of N1.79 trillion was budgeted for the programme for which over N600 million was expended.

The Bank of Industry (BoI) has appeared and made some explanations. The Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs has also appeared and made their presentation on N-Power. We have also had a presentation from the Programme Officers of the other three programmes, Mr Oke said.

Our interest now is on the Home School Feeding Programme and the ministry should give us records of procurement. Nobody should make a mistake about that and our mission. We are not available for anybody to use to malign anybody. We want to put that on record that we are not investigating the office of the vice president, he added.

The House Committee on Public Procurement had, last week, summoned past and current officials involved in the budgetary execution of the social intervention programmes between the four-year period in review.

The officials invited are a former Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun, her successor, Zainab Ahmed, and the Humanitarian Minister, Sadiya Umar Farouq  permanent secretaries including desk officers at the National Social Investment Office (NSIO).

The officials were summoned after members of the committee asked for the procurement records of N191bn the Special Assistant to the President on Home School Feeding Programme, Dotun Adebayo, allegedly said were spent.

READ ALSO:

As members, we can feel the N-Power beneficiaries in the various local government areas and constituencies; nobody is asking you questions about it. But Dotun claimed that (the) Auditor-General said they spent N191bn and we are asking him to retire same. It is as simple as that.

Give us records, what you did with N191bn. Who did you pay to? That is the question we are asking. We should be able to report to Nigerians. That is what we are asking for. Give us the procurement report and that ends there, Mr Oke had said.

The NSIP includes the school feeding programme for primary school pupils, the N-Power for jobless graduates, the conditional cash transfer for elderly vulnerable Nigerians, and the government empowerment programme that includes Tradermoni  giving microloans to small-scale traders.

The programme started under the control of the vice president but since the commencement of the second tenure of the Buhari administration, Ms Umar Farouq has been in charge.
The former chief of Mexicos state oil giant has accused former President Enrique Pena Nieto of taking bribes, Mexicos Attorney Generals Office said.

In a televised statement, Attorney General Alejandro Gerts Manero said Pena Nieto and finance minister Luis Videgaray had allegedly tasked former Pemex chief Emilio Lozoya to use more than $4 million in illicit payments from Brazilian conglomerate Odebrecht to pay consultants to Pena Nietos campaign.

There were a series of bribes for a quantity of more than 100 million pesos, which were fundamentally used for the 2012 campaign for the presidency of the republic, GA Gerts Manero said. And those who were later president and his finance secretary are the people who this individual presenting the complaint says ordered that the money be given to various foreign electoral advisers who collaborated and worked on the campaign of these two people.

The Wall Street Journal notes Lozoya is himself the object of a corruption investigation.

Among the other allegations made by the former Pemex head are that some of the bribe money was used to convince Mexican legislators to vote for reforms pushed by the Pena Nieto administration including the notorious energy industry reform that saw Pemex lose its monopoly on the Mexican market and foreign companies enter the countrys oil and gas industry.

Lozoya has supplied prosecutors with witnesses names and documents and video footage to serve as evidence for his allegations. Now, the Attorney Generals Office will check this evidence to establish whether it is solid enough to lead to prosecution.

The news, however, will likely work in favor of the current administration: President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador came into office with a strong anti-energy industry reform stance and almost immediately launched a review of all contracts that the previous administration inked with private energy companies to see if there was corruption involved in the deals.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads from Oilprice.com:
The coronavirus pandemic has severely impacted Latino residents of Massachusetts, according to a new survey, with respondents reporting both physical and mental health repercussions as well as unemployment.

Of the of 622 Massachusetts Latino residents surveyed, 12% reported someone in their household had experienced coronavirus symptoms and 51% indicated they have felt more sad and depressed than usual in recent months.

Findings from the survey, conducted by The MassINC Polling Group, were released Wednesday. The survey was sponsored by Amplify Latinx, The Barr Foundation, Eos Foundation, Latino Legacy Fund, Greater Boston Latino Network, Boston Impact Initiative and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts.

In addition to health impacts, 20% of Latinos in the workforce are unemployed and looking for work, per the survey, and about 35% said they have gotten food from a food bank.

The COVID pandemic has laid bare the tragedy of economic, health and housing disparities and highlighted the crucial work to combat racism still ahead of us, said Aixa Beauchamp, co-chair of the Latino Legacy Fund, which co-sponsored the project. The survey will provide our community with the data to assess the impacts of the crisis and identify the needs and policy priorities of our community.

The surveys findings reflect a national and local similarity highlighting a disproportionate impact on Latino residents. As cases were peaking in Worcester County, officials said members of the Latino community were affected by the virus at a higher rate than white residents.

Additionally, the findings from this survey echo a recent Pew analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics data that found Latino unemployment three points higher than the national average, according to The MassINC Polling Group.

The results from this poll show the deep impact of COVID-19 and the serious implications for Latino individuals and families in the Boston area, said Karen Chacon, co-chair of the Greater Boston Latino Network. These results further demonstrate the critical need to provide comprehensive social and economic assistance and programs to Latino families.

Survey responses were gathered July 3 to 13 via live telephone interviews of both landline and cell phone respondents and through an online survey. Both phone and online response options were offered in English and Spanish and results were weighted to known and estimated demographic parameters on age, gender, nationality, education, and region. The margin of sampling error for the full sample is +/- 3.9 percentage points with a 95 percent level of confidence, MassINC said.

The survey looked at the specifics of economic damage, including lost jobs, income, savings, all areas in which Latino residents have seen considerable changes during the pandemic. Economic calamity from the virus was a key issue for residents along with education and healthcare.

This survey, and others that MPG have done before it, help us to understand the scope of the problems facing the entire Commonwealth, but particularly our communities of color, said Juana Matias, COO of MassINC and an Amplify Latinx board member. The next step is to come up with policies that will make a real difference in the lives of those who are struggling the most.

Residents were also asked about participation in the 2020 U.S. Census. The survey found that 62% of Latino residents have responded, but that younger people, those not registered to vote and those with lower educational attainment were less likely to say they have already participated. The survey did not ask about immigration status, MassINC said.

It is extremely important to continue collaborating and investing in collecting-up-to-date data that reflects the state of Latino residents in Massachusetts to inform our advocacy priorities and a policy agenda that supports the advancement of our community, said Rosario Ubiera-Minaya, executive director of Amplify Latinx.

Asked about the presidential race, registered Latino voters prefer Democratic candidate Joe Biden to Republican President Donald Trump by a margin of 59% to 16%, with support for Biden highest among young voters, MassINC said.

But, young people reported barriers to voting like getting time off work, of which 29% of young people said had made it more difficult for them to participate in the past. Not knowing where to vote was a barrier for 27% of respondents. Latino residents make up 8% of the voting-age residents but were only 5.3% of Massachusetts voters in 2016, according to Census figures.

The state electorate does not look like the population as a whole noted Steve Koczela, president of The MassINC Polling Group, who conducted the survey. If it ever did, election results would look completely different than they do today.

Related Content:
Australia suffered its deadliest day of the coronavirus pandemic on Thursday, with South Australia announcing new border restrictions and New South Wales remaining on a knife edge.

Victoria recorded 410 new COVID-19 cases and 21 deaths, taking the state's toll to 267. Some 352 people have died nationwide.

New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian warned the state's relative control of the virus 'couldn't be assured' after recording 18 new cases.

Here's the latest on the pandemic in Australia.

Australia has suffered its single deadliest day of the pandemic after Victoria recorded 21 deaths, taking the state's toll to 267 and the national toll to 352 (police officers pull a car over for a licence and permit check in Melbourne)

LATEST DEVELOPMENTS

* Sixteen of those who succumbed to the virus in Victoria were linked to aged care. More than 160 of Victoria's overall deaths have been from aged care homes.

* Victoria's Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton told a state parliamentary inquiry 20 deaths a day was 'relatively modest' compared to what was happening in other parts of the world.

* Deputy Chief Medical Officer Nick Coatsworth rejected criticism of the government's coronavirus response in aged care.

* Premier Daniel Andrews used his daily briefing to take a swipe at federal Defence Minister Linda Reynolds. Ms Reynolds claimed Victoria knocked back multiple offers to have Australian Defence Force help with the state's hotel quarantine scheme

Victorian premier Dan Andrews hit out at the Defence Minister after she said the state knocked back offers for help with the hotel quarantine (members of the Australian Defence Force pictured in Melbourne)

* 'I don't know the federal defence minister. I don't deal with her. I deal with the prime minister,' Mr Andrews said.

* The premier also appeared to hit out at Canberra by pointing to the disparity in Victorian case numbers between private aged care (1923 active) and public facilities (six).

* A week after stage four restrictions shut all non-essential businesses, Mr Andrews said the curve appeared to be flattening despite cases exceeding 400-plus for the time first time since Saturday.

* Meanwhile, NSW recorded 18 new cases as Premier Gladys Berejiklian warned the state's stable infection rate for the past month couldn't be 'assured' moving forward. She also re-issued a plea for people to wear masks in public and for businesses to comply with COVID-19 regulations.

* Premier Berejiklian also announced NSW residents returning from Victoria would have their hotel quarantine fee waived for the next month to ease the financial burden.

Victoria premier Dan Andrews (pictured) also took a swipe at the Federal Government by pointing out only six active COVID-19 cases in the state were from outside aged care

* Two of NSW's new cases are linked to Cherrybrook's Tangara School for Girls, bringing the total to 19 with the original source still unknown.

* South Australia will tighten measures for people living close to the Victoria-South Australia border. From August 21, those residents must comply with essential traveller requirements when crossing the border for school, work, or shopping.

* In Queensland, a 25-year-old man handed himself into police after allegedly fleeing mandatory coronavirus hotel quarantine in Toowoomba on day nine of his two-week isolation period.

New South Wales premier Gladys Berejiklian warned the state's stable infection rate 'couldn't be assured' after recording 18 new COVID-19 cases (drive-thru testing station in Bondi Beach pictured)

SPORT

* The Brisbane Broncos are embroiled in another potential breach of the league's strict coronavirus protocols after 10 players enjoyed a steak on August 1 at the Everton Park Hotel.

* Cairns will host Fremantle and Sydney in a temporary hub for rounds 15-18 to conclude the AFL's coronavirus-interrupted regular season.

KEY DATES

* August 2 to September 13 - stage four lockdown for Melbourne, including a nightly curfew, and stage three lockdown for regional Victoria.

* August 8 - Queensland border closed with NSW, with road access blocked to everyone except essential workers and border residents.

* August 29 - The last remaining restrictions on gatherings to be removed in WA.

* August 31 - Tasmania's borders will remain shut until at least the end of the month.

* September 11 - NSW government to waive hotel quarantine fee for NSW residents returning from Victoria for the next month.

AUSTRALIAN CORONAVIRUS NUMBERS

* There were 428 new cases recorded in Australia - 410 in Victoria, 18 in NSW. 21 more deaths were also recorded in Victoria.

* The national death toll as of Wednesday is 352: Victoria 267, NSW 52, Tasmania 13, WA 9, Queensland 6, SA 4, ACT 3. (Two Queensland residents who died in NSW have been included in the official tolls of both states).

GLOBAL CORONAVIRUS NUMBERS

* Cases: at least 20,295,000

* Deaths: at least 741,000

* Recovered: at least 12,592,000

Data current as of 1815 AEST August 12, taking in federal government and state/territory government updates, Worldometer and Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Centre
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TROY  The words Black People added by Democrats to the title of a resolution Republicans originally entitled Calling for Racial Justice for People of Color ended the legislation before it could go before the full Rensselaer County Legislature Tuesday night.

The 13 Republicans and six Democrats, however, did unanimously support a resolution adjourning the August meeting in memory of civil rights icon U.S. Rep. John Lewis, D-GA.

But disagreement over words and phrases in the racial justice resolution kept the two parties from reaching agreement among the all-white legislative body. Its the second time in two months that such a resolution failed to pass the 19-member body with even the Democratic minoritys ranks having split over the language.

I think most of the concern over these resolutions was the difference between finding a nice way to say something that we considered was appropriate and an inflammatory way of saying these in such a way that we thought some of your resolutions had gone. Its just a question of looking at things from different perspectives, County Legislature Chairman Mike Stammel, R-Rensselaer, said to close the meeting.

The differences between the Republicans draft and the Democrats version was that they changed the title to Resolution Calling for Racial Justice for Black People and People of Color by adding Black People. The amended version also replaced parts of America were once steeped in racism with America was once a nation steeped in racism. It also dropped from the resolution reference to the arrests of alleged agitators. The Troy police arrested five men with alleged ties to the New England Minutemen, a militia group, who had weapons at the peaceful June 7 Troy Rally for Black Lives.

Minority Leader Peter Grimm, D-Troy, said it was difficult to fathom how the worlds Black People couldnt be put into the resolution. He said the Democrats would return for a third attempt.

Grimm said the Democrats were under the impression the resolution would be considered and the county legislature has received hundreds of letters in support. Deputy Minority Leader Cindy Doran, D-Troy, read one letter into the record attacking the Republican resolution.

Clearly this is not a resolution to support the Black Lives Matter movement, but a weak attempt to support the status quo without saying so, Doran read from the letter written by Noreen McKee.

Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years.

County Legislator Robert Bayly, R-Poestenkill said that certain language is not agreeable.

When we have something that starts off with Black Lives Matters it only encourages more racism as far as I am concerned. I will never vote for something that has Blacks Lives Matters; all lives matter as far as I am concerned, Bayly said.

County Legislator Charles Peter, R-Schodack, said the Lewis resolution for which he was the lead sponsor dealt with some of the issues about racial inequities by citing Lewis actions to combat it as an example.

Both Peter and Grimm complained that each had not worked cooperatively on drafting a resolution. Peter said he is willing to work with the Democrats but that they have to respond.

At the July meeting, about 35 people supporting the initial Democratic resolution and several media outlets attended. At the Tuesday night hearing, there was just one person standing with 1937 maps showing the racial redlining of Troy. Only one media outlet attended.
The story of how weekends and humane working hours came to be makes for an important and inspiring comparison when talking about period leave.

By Sharanya Gopinathan

On 8 August, online restaurant guide and food ordering platform Zomato said it is introducing up to 10 days of period leave for its female (and transgender) employees to build a more inclusive work culture.

At Zomato, we want to foster a culture of trust, truth and acceptance. Starting today, all women (including transgender people) at Zomato can avail up to 10 days of period leaves in a year, founder and CEO Deepinder Goyal said in a blog post.

There shouldnt be any shame or stigma attached to applying for a period leave. You should feel free to tell people on internal groups, or emails that you are on your period leave for the day, he added.

Our female colleagues expressing that they are on their period leave shouldnt be uncomfortable for us...I know that menstrual cramps are very painful for a lot of women  and we have to support them through it if we want to build a truly collaborative culture at Zomato, Goyal concluded.

The move spurred a slew of headlines in the national and international press, including in the New York Times. It also re-triggered the debate around whether or not period leave is a step in the right direction for gender equity, and if it is even necessary, on social media and elsewhere.

The discussion around the pros and cons of Zomato's period leave policy mirrors the debate in 2017 when that July, Mumbai-based media company Culture Machine announced its new FOP  or first day of period leave policy, where women employees had the option of taking the first day of their menstrual cycle off from work. Then too the story made global headlines in outfits like Reuters and The Independent, and Fortune magazine even published an op-ed titled 'Why This Company's New Menstrual Leave Policy Is Especially Misguided'.

Closer to home, The News Minute rounded up 16 women to ask if women needed period leave (10 said no). Then, as now, journalist Barkha Dutt jumped into the fray to weigh in on the debate. In a Twitter thread, Dutt said menstrual leave was a "silly idea", and a form of women ghettoising themselves.

Have seen the debate on whether the first day of your period should be a day off from work. I absolutely disagree;In this thread my thoughts  barkha dutt (@BDUTT) July 13, 2017

She said the concept of period leave would be used to ban women from combat roles and police forces (never mind the whole thorny debate on whether having women in combat roles is necessarily a huge feminist victory), and that while periods were uncomfortable, they don't really stop women from doing their work. She used her own example of covering the 1999 Kargil War while she was on her period to prove the point that women didn't need "nonsense protective gear" like period leave, and said that women were "better than that". Dutt even wrote an op-ed in The Washington Post, titled 'Im a feminist. Giving women a day off for their period is a stupid idea'.

As is the case with anything Dutt writes, does or tweets, she received a barrage of responses. Ignoring the usual vicious trolls (and God, are they vicious!), there were responses from women who agreed with her, pointing out that such a system would reaffirm the belief that women were weak.

There were also a number of women who disagreed, pointing out that her one experience of having mildly uncomfortable periods doesn't speak for all women. Many spoke about their own experience of suffering debilitating pain due to chronic conditions like endometriosis, which causes period pain so bad that women nearly pass out from it.

But I think they may be missing the point too.

The fact is, you don't need to look at any one woman's experience to make the case for period leave. There are women who experience mild discomfort during their periods, and there are others who suffer unimaginable period pain because of conditions like dysmenorrhea and endometriosis. Most women's period experiences fall somewhere between the two.

But barring a few exceptions, all women have periods.

The point is not that all women are physically able to work on their periods. Just like all employees aren't physically unable to work on Sundays, or past 5 pm without being paid overtime. It's that they shouldn't have to work when bleeding painfully from the vagina, and it's okay to say that.

The eight-hour workday and the two-day weekend seem normal to us now because we've become used to it, but it wasn't always like this. In fact, the concept is barely 100 years old, and both concepts came to be only after several decades of protests, demonstrations and strikes from labour unions in the United States.

At that time, around the Industrial Revolution, factories and businesses implemented 10 to 12 hour workdays and six-day working weeks. Workers who were used to farming and setting their own work hours, soon grew disillusioned and disgusted with the situation, and wanted more time to spend with their families, to rest and recuperate from the rigours of the day. So they demanded more humane working hours in the form of a 40-hour working week of five working days of eight hours each.

Factory owners, naturally, said that reduced working hours would massively affect company productivity, lead costs to overtake profits, and that it simply wasn't a viable or reasonable option at all. Labour unions persisted, and organised peaceful marches that turned into violent demonstrations, and things finally came to a head in 1919, when four million American workers went on strike, forcing factories to make the switch to eight-hour working days. A couple of decades later, it was encoded into the law. And here we all are today.

When they made these seemingly radical changes, heavens didn't fall, the US economy didn't come crashing down, and capitalists continued to make their profits, despite all their cries to the contrary. But workers were one step closer to working in a system that respected their rights, and the limitations of their bodies and their need for adequate rest.

These workers could have worked 12-hour days if they were forced to, and indeed, they did for very long. But they chose to create a situation in which they did not. And now, of course, we live in a world where the two-day weekend is taken for granted, where social psychologists extol the virtues of weekend rest in increasing productivity, and Google's Larry Page even praises the idea of a three-day weekend.

The story of how weekends and humane working hours came to be makes for an important and inspiring comparison when talking about period leave.

Of course, the people who are invested in maintaining status quo will say that this is going to lead to decreased productivity, losses and just unimaginable chaos that the economy will never recover from. Of course, very few businesses are going to want to give women additional leave, and we can't really expect anything better from them.

As a fun experiment, go on Facebook and write something in defence of maternity leave and watch men  even men you know  turn into people who troll Barkha Dutt. They'll immediately come flocking to tell you that it will cause unmanageable delays in the delivery of projects, force firms to not hire women at all for fear that they'll disappear to have babies on the company's payroll and that women will take advantage of the policy to keep having paid vacations under the guise of pregnancy. Maternity leave came into place in 1961 and the whining of those who are concerned about the imminent collapse of capitalism is still on.

But history tells us that changes like these, which may seem unthinkable now, can become mainstreamed into how we see work culture. We just have to keep the fight going.

Asking for period leave won't break the world as we know it. It's just a practical realisation of bringing women's (and trans individuals') experiences into the centre of work culture, and tailoring it to meet the lives and needs of half of its workforce. Implementing a system of period leave may seem as radical as cutting 62 hours of the work week did back in 1919 (or, as it seems even now to people who like to imagine domestic workers shouldn't get the same benefits employers gets in offices), but making the workplace amenable to the people who work in it wont cause the damage some imagine it will.

And even if does shake things up a bit, isn't that the whole point? Is it enough, as women and feminists, for us to just fit seamlessly and noiselessly into a sexist world and a sexist system? Don't mind us, we are just working quietly in this corner you gave us? If the way the market works is designed by and for men so far, do we just want to jump right in without tailoring it to meet our own needs too? Of course, women want to work, but we want to work in a system that was also designed for us, not one that we have to contort ourselves into.

Which is why I find it funny when people say this would be a discriminatory policy that reiterates that women are weaker than men. It feels like such a juvenile and deliberately illogical line of argument. Of course, it would be discriminatory if both men and women had their periods, and only women were given period leave, but that's obviously not the case here.

Mainstreaming women into work and work culture also means mainstreaming their experiences, and we can't just close our eyes and pretend that periods don't happen. Women have periods. This doesn't make anyone weaker or stronger, it's just the way it is, and it's okay if the world reflects that. These are the kinds of tangible changes we need to make if we want to centre women's experiences into the way we lead our lives.

Of course, you can't think about the first day of period leave policy without Gloria Steinem's famous piece If Men Could Menstruate very obviously coming to mind, where she imagines how menstruation would be celebrated instead of feared if men experienced it, and talks about how if men menstruated, we'd live in a world where menstruation would be a sign of men's strength, and our lack of monthly blood loss, a sign of our weakness and inability to withstand pain. Doctors would research period pain, while heart disease, which men would be hormonally protected from, would fall to the wayside. Men would greet each other with cries of, "Yeah man, I'm on the rag," and women would be deemed "unable to compensate for being disconnected from the rhythm of the universe" and for their "lack of symbolic death and resurrection every month".

Nobody is taking anything that far, but it's important to remember that this world is ours too. It may not feel like it always has been, and that's why it may feel like we're asking for a lot when we change it to suit us and our needs. But it's okay to shake a misogynistic system up. It's okay to make noise, and take up space, and make people uncomfortable. You know we've earned the right to do it.

The Ladies Finger (TLF) is a leading online womens magazine

***

Editor's note: This article was originally published on 15 July 2017 and has been updated in the wake of Zomato announcing period leave for its employees on 8 August 2020.

 With inputs from PTI. Featured image via Wikimedia Commons.
Salt Lake City Police officer Nickolas Pearce has been been suspended pending investigation following outrage over a video where he's heard encouraging a K-9 to attack a black man who was on his knees with his hands in the air.

The use of K-9s has also been suspended by Salt Lake City Police due to the April 24 incident where cops scrambled to the home of Jeffery Ryans, 36, and set the dog on him resulting in injuries so severe that his leg may be amputated.

Ryans filed his intent to sue on July 20 but police only begin investigating the incident on Tuesday when an interview with Ryans detailed his inspiration to speak out following the recent wave of Black Lives Matter protests.

More than a week after the mayor filed an executive order to reform police policy, requiring them to report use of force, even if it doesn't result in injury, police said the first they'd heard about the incident was on Tuesday.

They then took swift action.

'At this time, we have placed the officer on administrative leave pending the results of these investigations,' police said in a statement on Wednesday. 'SLCPD has also launched a thorough review process of the K-9 apprehension program by external subject matter experts.

'In the meantime, SLCPD has suspended this K-9 function until we review policies, procedures, training, and actual application in the field.'

Jeffery Ryans is suing the Salt Lake City Police Department after he was attacked by a K-9

The police instructed the dog to launch an attack on Ryans, savagely mauling his leg on April 24 outside his Utah home

Ryans' attorneys say medics have not ruled out the possibility that an amputation may be necessary due to the severity of his injuries

Body camera footage showed the moments after a call was made when someone heard Ryans arguing with his wife, who had previously filed a protective order against him for domestic violence.

Ryans says he had been back in the home for several weeks and was smoking outside before he was due to leave for his job as a train engineer.

The Alabama native - who has lived in Utah for 15 years - claims police in the city treat black people differently and as he prepares to sue the department, his lawyer says he was attacked in such a forceful way because he's black.

'I felt like a chew toy,' Ryans told the Salt Lake Tribune. 'I didnt know why this was happening to me. Thats what was going through my mind. Why?'

'What's different between the two of us that could make this happen to him, but I couldn't imagine happening to me? No one's ever shown up at my house', attorney Gabriel White told The Salt Lake Tribune.

They shared the police body camera footage amid racial injustice discussions following the killing of George Floyd that happened a month later.

He said he wanted to tell his story during a time when people have been supporting the Black Lives Matter movement and demonstrating against police brutality.

'People need to know Black lives matter. Everybody matters, but you cant just treat people differently because of their religion or their skin color,' Ryans said. 'I developed myself to get to where Im at right now. I should have the same respect as others. We dont get it.'

It was only this week that cop has been suspended. Nickolas Pearce's K-9 Unit won Unit of the Year in 2011 for its outstanding work. However just nine days earlier Pearce was involved in a use of deadly force incident where another officer shot a minor driving a stolen car several times.

The minor survived the injuries sustained after Pearce said over radio that he had been the victim of aggravated assault on a peace officer because the juvenile's vehicle 'rammed' his patrol car.

The other officer who fired eight shots at the minor's car was found to have used deadly force unnecessarily.

Ryans kneels on the floor and raises his hands, appearing to comply with officers' orders but Ryans - who moved to the city 15 years ago - has said police treat black people differently there

Ryans' blooded lower left leg is seen above. He says the injuries he suffered led to multiple surgeries, a lost job, and means he can't play as much sport with his children

In the clip police ask his wife: 'Is he not supposed to be here? Because he's got a protective order?' She responds that he was there when she got home.

Dressed in a white top with dark trousers, officers startle Ryans as they beam their torches and scream: 'Get on the ground or you're going to get bit'.

A dog barks ferociously as Ryans raises his hands in the air and responds calmly: 'I'm just going to work'.

Officers rush into Ryans' backyard as one claims that he is trying to jump the fence. They repeatedly order him to get on the ground and threaten that the dog will bite him if he doesn't.

Despite Ryans kneeling on the floor with his hands raised, officers order the dog, Tuco, to launch its attack. They repeatedly instruct the canine to 'hit', and Tuco rushes forward to maul Ryans' leg.

'I'm on the ground, why are you biting me?' he pleads, begging the officers to 'stop'.

Despite this, the officers appear to order the dog to continue its attack. Tuco is seen clamping its jaws around Ryans' leg as he screams in pain. Officers praise the 'good boy' while Ryan rolls onto his front in agony.

He yells 'Why are you doing this?' and begs 'What did I do?'

Officers proceed to cuff Ryans while he is laying police down as Tuco remains latched to his leg.

'I was just getting my clothes to go to work', he says.

After Tuco retreats form his attack an officer pats the dog on its side and tells it 'Good boy'. One officer radios through for a medic for a 'dog bite to the leg'.

He then says to Ryans: 'Bro, you're listening great now, you weren't listening great a minute ago.'

Jeffery Ryans points at his ankle as he discusses his encounter with Salt Lake City police at his attorney's office on August 5. They say doctors have not ruled out the possibility that his leg will need to be amputated

Ryans' attorneys, Daniel Garner and Gabriel White, allege that the officers used an unnecessary level of force because Ryans is black

'People need to know Black lives matter. Everybody matters, but you cant just treat people differently because of their religion or their skin color,' Ryans said. He filed a notice of his intention to sue on July 20

Ryans said that the devastating injuries he suffered to his leg led to multiple surgeries, a lost job, and means he can't play as much sport with his children.

He told the Salt Lake Tribune: 'I wasn't fighting. I was just cooperating. We've been through this. We've seen this. Always cooperate with the police, no matter what.'

Ryans has since taken the first steps to filing a lawsuit against the Salt Lake City Police Department.

In a notice of a claim on July 20, his attorneys say Ryans suffered nerve and tendon damage as well as infections and still has difficulty walking. They say doctors have not ruled out the possibility that his leg will need to be amputated.

The city has 60 days to respond to the notice otherwise Ryans will sue. Ryans' attorneys, Daniel Garner and Gabriel White, allege that the officers used an unnecessary level of force.

White alleges that officers reacted the way they did because Ryans is black.

Police say they went to arrest Ryans because he was violating a protective order filed by his wife that meant he was not supposed to be in the home.

It is not clear who called police to Ryans' home, but the man said it was not his wife.

Court records show he is facing charges of domestic violence for an incident that occurred around the time of December. But Ryans claims his wife told him that the protective order had been lifted however it was still pending.

He said he had been back in their home weeks prior to the the police call and that didn't know her request to have the order lifted was still pending.

Ryans is now facing a charge of violating that protective order though court dates have yet to be set.

They have shared the police body camera footage amid racial injustice discussions following the killing of George Floyd (pictured) that happened a month later

Mayor Mendenhall tweeted: 'I am deeply concerned that it took a news outlet publishing this video for it to be brought to the attention of senior police department leadership and myself'

The Salt Lake City Police Department responded to The Salt Lake Tribune's reporting on Tuesday. They said: 'As there is pending litigation, we are unable to discuss specifics of the case.

'Although this incident occurred in April there was never an Internal Affairs complaint filed, when we became aware of the situation this morning, an Internal Affairs investigation was immediately launched by our department to determine if the use of force was within policy.

'That investigation will consider the totality of the events that occurred that night.

'As with every complaint regarding use of force The Salt Lake City Civilian Review Board has the opportunity to conduct their own separate investigation.'

Locals said they planned on protesting this forthcoming Sunday regarding Ryans' case.

Mayor Erin Mendenhall also pushed for a probe by Police Chief Mike Brown on Tuesday evening.

Then on Wednesday afternoon she added: 'I am deeply concerned that it took a news outlet publishing this video for it to be brought to the attention of senior police department leadership and myself.

'We will conduct a thorough review of the breakdown in communication to ensure that it does not happen again.

'I am disturbed by what I saw in that video, frustrated by how the situation was handled, and am committed to working to ensure neither happen again.'

Protesters are seen outside the Cottonwood Heights Police Department on Monday, August 3 in Cottonwood Heights, Utah. Groups of dueling protesters faced off outside the suburban Salt Lake City police department in response to use of force by officers at a protest the night before that resulted in the arrest of eight people

In an executive order signed August 3, following protests against police brutality and racial injustice, police were given until September to implement new policy which states that if an officer sees what they think is illegal use of force, they must intercede

Two levels of supervisors must review a use of force incident and cops are required to do all they can to de-escalate before using force

The mayor signed an executive order on August 3 that made certain use of force practices in the department a part of official policy.

'SLCPD Officers will now be required to use de-escalation techniques before using force. De-escalation tactics are no longer suggested or preferred  they are mandatory prior to using force to effect an arrest unless it would be unreasonable to do so,' one of seven actions reads.

'Officers will employ effective communication techniques in an attempt to achieve voluntary compliance. Officers will be expected to not contribute to a situation that could lead to use of force by taking unnecessary, overly aggressive action.'

Two levels of supervisors are required to investigate any use of force, not just those that result in injury.

Officers witnessing an use of force they believe to be illegal must intercede.

The police chief must put the new policy into action by no later than September 5.
Students having compartment or back in any of the earlier semester will have to clear that paper whenever the examination will be conducted in the future

The Board of Technical Education (BTE), Government of Delhi has cancelled all even semester examinations, including the final semester, for diploma course this year. The decision has been taken due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The students will be promoted on the basis of internal assessment and their previous year marks.

According to a report by The Indian Express, 50 percent weightage will be given to the internal assessment of students, while the remaining 50 percent will be on the marks secured by them in the last year's final examinations.

Students having compartment or back in any of the earlier semester will have to clear that paper whenever the examination will be conducted in the future, the report mentioned an official notice by BTE as stating.

A report by Careers 360 said that BTE has also mentioned in its notice that any student who wishes to improve his/her result in any of the subjects for the current semester under promotion criteria can opt to appear in the examination, whenever they will be held after the prevailing situation improves.

The notice also said that students who have compartment in any of the previous semester and have completed their course duration + 2 years tenure as per BTE rules in May/June 2020 will be given one year's additional time to qualify their diploma for all the semesters.

The Delhi government provides three-year diploma courses in technical education through a number of Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) and other affiliated polytechnics.

Recently, the Delhi government informed the Supreme Court that the exams in universities in the national capital have been cancelled.

Delhi Deputy Chief Minister and education minister Manish Sisodia has directed "all Delhi State Universities to cancel all written online and offline semester examinations including final year exams."

Last month, the Delhi government decided to cancel all the upcoming semester and final exams in universities that come under its jurisdiction.

Delhi Deputy Chief Minister, who is also the education minister of the capital, said that all students will be promoted to the next semester, while final year students will be awarded degrees on the basis of assessment methods decided by universities.

The Delhi government objected to the guidelines of the University Grant Commission (UGC) that stated that the exams could be held in online, offline or "blended" mode.
This 32-foot-tall coral granite structure with four drinking water basins was intended to provide free, ice-cooled water beginning on Oct. 21, 1892  a national holiday for the 400th anniversary of Columbus arrival in America and also the day of the 1893 Worlds Fair dedication  but the 7-foot-tall bronze statue of the explorer had not yet arrived from Italy. Though some materials to complete the fountain were also still in transit, the work has been rushed so that it might be said that water had been drawn during the Worlds Fair dedication, the Tribune reported.
Kaiser Permanente in California and Oregon, including sites in Santa Clara and Sacramento counties, has joined a global trial of one of the first coronavirus vaccines to begin large-scale testing in humans, the health care provider announced Wednesday.

The phase 3 trial, the last step before federal approval, is the first major study to seek Bay Area volunteers in the dramatic, international race for a coronavirus vaccine. Kaiser gave the vaccine to its first Northern California volunteers on Monday.

About 1,400 participants at four Kaiser locations will be given the vaccine developed by Pfizer Inc. and the German technology company BioNTech, which are sponsoring the trial. The developers plan to enroll 30,000 people at more than 120 sites around the world.

The vaccine uses synthetic genetic material, called messenger RNA or mRNA, to prime the bodys immune system to develop cells and antibodies to attack the virus. Its a new approach to immunization that has not yet been used in approved vaccines.

In some ways (the trial) very much looks like the type of vaccine trials we do all the time. What really is not typical is the speed at which all of this has taken place, said Dr. Nicola Klein, director of the Kaiser Permanente Vaccine Study Center and lead investigator for the trial in Northern California. Typically well be involved with the manufacturers for years.

The Kaiser arm of the study will be run out of the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research in Oakland, the Department of Research & Evaluation in Pasadena and the Center for Health Research in Portland, Ore.

Participants must be adults 18 to 85 who are Kaiser members. They cannot be pregnant or planning to become pregnant. Kaiser is especially looking for volunteers who are more likely to develop COVID-19, including people who are older, have underlying health issues, or work in jobs where they face greater risk of exposure to the virus.

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

The trial is a double-blind, placebo-controlled study, which means half of the participants will be given the vaccine and half a placebo. Neither participants nor researchers will know who got the vaccine.

The global trial was launched at the end of July, around the same time as another major trial using a vaccine developed by Moderna. The Moderna vaccine also uses mRNA technology.

Both Pfizer and Moderna have won major funding from the U.S. Health and Human Services Agency as part of President Trumps Operation Warp Speed to quickly push out a safe and effective vaccine. Pfizer was offered up to $1.95 billion for manufacturing and distribution of around 100 million doses of its vaccine. Moderna has been awarded about $955 million.

Three other vaccines, made by Johnson & Johnson, Merck and a team from Oxford University and AstraZeneca, also are on the U.S. short list of most viable vaccine candidates and have received major funding.

Erin Allday is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: eallday@sfchronicle.com
China continues to expand its influence in the Middle East through oil and infrastructure deals, and the latest deal with ADNOC is a great example of how Beijing looks to grow its presence in the offshore oil business

It is little surprise to see that China  again  figures in yet another concessions award in the Middle East, this time relating to the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC). In the aftermath of Saudi Arabias second disastrous oil price war against the U.S. shale sector, virtually all major Middle Eastern state-owned oil firms are looking to plug varyingly significant operational deficits, as are their governments.

In the absence of a sudden major spike in oil prices, economic survival in practical terms now comes down to one of two broad options. The first is to sell off chunks of state assets in initial public offerings (IPOs) or stakes in ongoing oil and gas projects, which ADNOC recently did with the sale of a 49 per cent stake in its gas pipelines for just over US$10 billion to international investors. The second is to sell-off the same assets to companies from countries for which the immediate economic shortfall inherent in such deals pales into insignificance compared to the longer-term geopolitical and financial advantages. In this latter regard, Russia has its own financial constraints to deal with but China does not.

Specifically, ADNOC has announced the transfer of ownership rights in its Lower Zakum, and Umm Shaif and Nasr offshore concessions from the existing holding of the China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) to China National Offshore Oil Corporations (CNOOC) subsidiary, CNOOC Limited. This will be done by CNOOC acquiring a 40 per cent interest in CNPCs majority-owned subsidiary PetroChina Investment Overseas (Middle East) Ltd (PetroChina) through its holding company, CNOOC Hong Kong Holding Limited (CNOOC HK). After the proposal has been approved by Abu Dhabis Supreme Petroleum Council (SPC)  a rubber-stamping affair - CNOOC will join the principal operating consortium in the Lower Zakum concession, comprising Indias ONGC Videsh (10 per cent stake), Japans INPEX Corporation (10 per cent), Chinas CNPC (6 per cent), Italys Eni (5 per cent), and Frances Total (5 per cent). CNOOC will also join the principal operating consortium in the Umm Shaif and Nasr concession, comprising Total (20 per cent), Eni (10 per cent), and CNPC (6 percent). ADNOC will retain a 60 per cent majority ownership interest in both concessions. Related: Iranian Oil Exports Much Higher Than Official Data Suggests

Significantly, aside from the broader relentless expansion of China into the Middle East, in line with its multi-generational One Belt, One Road programme, this deal marks the first time a dedicated Chinese offshore oil and gas company has joined in any ADNOC concession. These points did not go unnoticed by the chairman of CNOOC, Wang Dongjin, who said: CNOOC will leverage our extensive expertise in the offshore sector and be dedicated to value creation in these concessions for our mutual benefit.

In this context, this latest deal follows the signing on 22 July 2019 of a comprehensive framework agreement between ADNOC and CNOOC to explore new opportunities for collaboration in the upstream, midstream, and downstream oil sectors as well as in liquefied natural gas (LNG). Described at the time by ADNOC chief executive officer, Ahmed Al Jaber as far-reaching, the deal is such a significant move by China into the core oil and gas interests of one of the U.S.s few remaining vocal allies in the Middle East - the UAE - that the deal signing ceremony was attended in person by Chinas President, Xi Jinping.

Although couched in the usual platitudes expected in such deals, even the official guidance on its contents highlighted its vast scope and scale. For example, ADNOC and CNOOC, according to the official published notes on the agreement, will share knowledge, best practices and technologies in ultra-sour gas development to improve operational efficiency in gas processing and treatment, deliver efficiency, performance and reliability for drilling operations and develop field and reservoir development plans. As an adjunct to this, Chinas Offshore Oil Engineering Company (COOEC) would be in prime position for associated engineering, procurement and construction opportunities, as would China Oilfield Services Ltd (COSL) for the supply of oilfield services and to explore collaboration opportunities in offshore oil and gas field assets in Abu Dhabi. Related: Big Oil Forced To Change Strategy After The Oil Price Crash

Also according to the July 2019 agreement, ADNOC and CNOOC would jointly explore LNG sales and purchase opportunities, share knowledge and expertise in LNG markets, and evaluate partnerships and joint investment opportunities in the LNG value chain. Finally, in the downstream sector, the two companies would collaborate in new integrated refining and petrochemical assets in China, co-operate in CNOOCs refining assets, and jointly partner and invest in the refining and petrochemical value chain.

One of these early, albeit indirect, China investments may well be into an investment platform to fund local chemicals projects, as part of an overall push to invest US$45 billion in downstream activities in Abu Dhabi, according to a senior oil and gas industry source familiar with the project. The investment platform is to be run as a joint project between ADNOC and the Abu Dhabi state-owned holding company, ADQ (formerly known as the Abu Dhabi Developmental Holding Company) and will oversee the development of projects in the planned Ruwais Derivatives Park. Although ADNOC has not made public the breakdown of where all of the funding is to come from, ADNOC and ADQ together will hold a 60 stake in the project.

That the ADQ has any money at all for such an investment, or indeed for anything at all, is surprising, given that less than two months ago it was in urgent talks to raise a loan of at least US$3 billion, according to various reports. ADQs attempts to put together a syndicate of banks did not go well and yet here it is with investment funding, at a time when the broader deal with China is moving forward, he said. There are no public statements that China is involved in the funding, of course, but it is fair to say that if ADQ or ADNOC had asked China for funding for the investment platform then China would have given it, he concluded.

By Simon Watkins for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Stephen Lawrence's brother has said 'now is the time' for 'brave' witnesses to come forward to help his family get closure - as an MP slammed Met Police's 'crass' decision to shelve its investigation into the racist murder 27 years ago.

Today Stuart Lawrence spoke to Good Morning Britain, speaking about the tragic loss his family have suffered when Stephen was stabbed to death in a racist attack in Eltham in 1993.

Yesterday Scotland Yard announced it was filing the case as 'inactive' - eight years after Gary Dobson and David Norris were convicted of murder.

Mr Lawrence told GMB: 'Even though we've had two people convicted, it wasn't just two people there that night.'

Eltham's MP Clive Efford hit out at Scotland Yard's decision, saying today: 'Only the Met could make such a crass, insensitive decision at this time, when there is so much controversy over the treatment of black people by the police and the use of stop and search.

'The Met failed to properly investigate Stephens murder and, as a consequence, they havent caught all of his killers.

'So I would like to know what arrangements they have put in place to follow up any new information that comes toward.'

Stephen Lawrence, 18, was killed by a group of racists in Eltham, South East London, in 1993

Mr Lawrence added: 'If you do know what happened, this is the time now to speak up.

'In my mind that's the only way we're going to have true justice, if someone is brave enough to come forward and talk about what happened that fateful night and give us some closure, that's what we want as a family.

'You watch movies read story books about how injustices happen and in the light of day justice is served, even though that's not the best thing to bring back that person.

'But it gives the family some sort of closure.

'I know after this I'm going to get people on social media channels saying how we should "just get over it", but it's our lives.

'I've lost my brother, my mum's lost her child, my dad's lost his child.'

Met Police commissioner Cressida Dick, pictured with Baroness Lawrence in 2018, said the investigation into Stephen's murder will be 'periodically reviewed'

Announcing Scotland Yard was changing the case to inactive yesterday, Met Police commissioner Cressida Dick said the force would periodically review their investigation should any more evidence come to light.

Mr Lawrence told GMB how retired detective Clive Driscoll saved an evidence bag that proved vital from being thrown away.

He said: 'That evidence there is what helped convict the first two people.

'I don't know where this other evidence is coming from in my own mind.

'It's going to come down to someone having that realisation of consciousness that what has happened has been a total injustice.

'The only way to see this right, for us as a nation to move on is to come out and talk the truth.'

Stuart and Stephen's mother, Baroness Doreen Lawrence, was granted her title and appointed to the House of Lords in 2013.

Speaking on GMB today, Mr Lawrence suggested he may move into politics himself, to fight against racial inequality.

He said: 'Recently I've been thinking about this political stance that some people think the BLM has now.

'That's my next thought, does it need to be politicised? Do we need to form a party political base?

'All I can say to people is keep supporting it, keep supporting different platforms keep reaching out to people because when I fill the momentum of the force behind me that's probably when I will feel the need that I can step up.'

Inquiries are still ongoing into alleged police corruption connected to the Stephen Lawrence case.

Speaking today, Mr Lawrence said: 'If these people that were in office that are supposed to be protecting people, didn't do their jobs properly, have now retired and are drawing down a police pension are still harbouring these lies and mistruths where's the justice in that?

'Why is that allowed, why are we funding these people and allowing them not to tell the truth?'

In February 1997, the Daily Mail took the unprecedented step of naming the five suspects  Gary Dobson, David Norris and three others  as Stephens killers.

Under the front-page headline Murderers, we challenged the gang to sue. But they never did and former Labour home secretary Jack Straw has since stated that the Mails front page and subsequent Justice for Stephen campaign played a crucial role in his decision to set up the Macpherson public inquiry into botched handling of the case, which branded the Met institutionally racist.

In February 1997, the Daily Mail took the unprecedented step of naming the five suspects  Gary Dobson, David Norris and three others  as Stephens killers. Pictured: The front page of the Daily Mail on February 14, 1997

Gary Dobson (left) and David Norris (right) were jailed for life at the Old Bailey in January 2012 after a trial that hinged on tiny traces of forensic evidence found years after the crime

Stephen's parents, Baroness Lawrence and Neil Lawrence have expressed their disappointment at Scotland Yard's decision

Left: Jamie Acourt, now 44; Centre: Neil Acourt, now 45; Right: Luke Knight, now 43

What happened to the five men named by the Daily Mail as Stephen Lawrence's killers? GARY DOBSON (convicted) Gary Dobson was a teenage gang member turned drug supplier already behind bars for dealing cannabis by the time he faced trial over the Stephen Lawrence murder. A teenage racist, he had been caught on film making hate-filled remarks about black people. He was arrested and charged with Stephen's murder while he was in custody in 2010. His previous acquittal for Stephen's murder was quashed by the Court of Appeal, allowing him to be tried for a second time. He was forced to admit his racist views in 1994, when he was secretly recorded making vile comments to his friends on a camera planted in the skirting board of his council flat. Two years earlier in November 1992, Kevin London, then a 16-year-old black youth, was confronted by a gang of white youths and claimed Dobson threatened him with a knife, although no full report was made to the police. DAVID NORRIS (convicted) David Norris is a convicted racist and son of infamous south London gangster Clifford Norris. He was well known on the streets of Eltham by the time Stephen was killed and had had brushes with the law. Within 24 hours of Stephen's murder he was named as a member of a knife-wielding gang in two anonymous notes left for police and by an informant who spoke to detectives. A year earlier Norris had been charged with wounding after allegedly taking part in an attack on two brothers during which one was stabbed with a knife. The charge was dropped in January 1993, three months before Stephen's murder. Then on March 18 he was accused of stabbing 20 year-old Stacey Benefield with a miniature sword during an scuffle in Kidbrooke, south London. But Norris was cleared of involvement after a trial amid allegations there was contact between a juror and a minder connected to Norris. NEIL ACOURT (not convicted) Knife-obsessed thug who has never provided a satisfactory alibi for his movements on the night of Stephen's murder. He claims he was at home all night but police do not believe his story. His name was linked to Stephen's murder by a series of informants in the days following the killing. When officers raided his home just a few minutes from the murder scene, they found a terrifying arsenal of knives. It was routine for him to carry blades while out and about in Eltham in the mid 1990s. In 2001, he was convicted of possessing an offensive weapon, a baton, which he claimed he needed for protection from revenge attacks. The next year he and David Norris were jailed for 18 months for a racist attack on an off-duty black detective. JAMIE ACOURT (not convicted) Along with his elder brother, revelled in the notoriety of being the other half of Eltham's version of the Krays. He too had an unhealthy obsession in knives. Like his brother, he was also named by police informants as being one of the murderers. His account of the evening when Stephen died does not match his brother's story. In a TV interview, he said he could not remember hearing of Stephen's death until he saw it on TV the next day. Yet Neil said in the same programme that someone came to the door to inform him of a local stabbing. Of great interest to the police is the fact that Gary Dobson has admitted going to the Acourts' home about an hour after Stephen's murder, supposedly to borrow a Bob Marley CD. Police believe that they met to get their stories straight. Detectives have been unable to gather forensic evidence linking him to the murder and he was not positively identified by witnesses. LUKE KNIGHT (not convicted) Luke Knight has always maintained his innocence while police suspect a 'sixth man' might have been part of the gang Although police informants suggested he was one of the gang, he has always maintained his innocence. Along with Neil Acourt, he was charged with murder in 1993 but the case was dropped within weeks because of doubts over the evidence. He was formally acquitted of murder at the 1996 private prosecution. He was not in the dock with Norris and Dobson because of lack of credible identification evidence, no confession and no forensics linking him to the murder. Because of double jeopardy laws, police would need a major breakthrough to snare him. Advertisement

Stephen, 18, was murdered by a group of racists while waiting for a bus in Eltham, South East London, in April 1993.

Five men were named by the Daily Mail as his killers in February 1997, but it was not until January 2012 that two of the group were convicted of murder.

Gary Dobson and David Norris were jailed for life at the Old Bailey after a trial that hinged on tiny traces of forensic evidence found years after the crime.

Two of the three remaining former suspects, brothers Neil and Jamie Acourt, have since served jail time for drug dealing, while Luke Knight has remained free.

The original investigation failed to convict those responsible, and the campaign for justice by Stephen's parents Baroness Lawrence and her former husband Neville led to a public inquiry which branded the Metropolitan Police institutionally racist.

In a statement releasedy yesterday, Stephen's father Neville said: 'I had hoped that the conviction of two of the killers in 2012 would lead to new evidence coming to light and a prosecution of the other suspects.

'This has unfortunately not happened and, over the last few years, I have had to come to terms with the reality that some of the killers of Stephen may never be brought to justice for what they did.

'Stephen died 27 years ago in a senseless murder by racists. The tragedy of this for us was compounded by the initial police response and investigation which were tainted by racism and incompetence. The police failures meant that we as a family had to fight a system as well as deal with the grief of losing our son.

'With the announcement today that the investigation has become inactive, I am conscious that the case can never be closed for me. I will always live with the hope that someone might come forward with evidence which will allow us to achieve full justice for Stephen - by bringing about the prosecution of the others responsible for his murder.

'I do not regret our fight for justice, although the burden has at times felt too heavy for a family to bear. In fact, I am immensely proud of everything that has been achieved along the way.

'Without the campaign we wouldn't have been where we are today. I particularly note the support I have received over the years from families who have suffered what I have, especially the family of Richard Adams, who provided me with support in my darkest hours. This experience has compelled me to try and provide this support to others struck by the tragedy of losing a child.'

Stephen's mother Baroness Doreen Lawrence said: 'I am truly disappointed that those others who were equally responsible for my son's racist killing may not be brought to justice.

'I am very sad that a line has now been drawn into the investigation and that it is now in an 'inactive' phase.

'Despite this, I would still urge anyone who has any information that could help me get all of Stephen's killers convicted, to come forward.

'It is never too late to give a mother justice for the murder of her son.

'Whilst the Metropolitan Police have given up, I never will.'

When the force announced two years ago that it was mothballing the investigation and it was unlikely to progress without new information, Doreen Lawrence said she wanted the probe closed.

However, Neville Lawrence said he hoped the family could get 'total justice' and that he would never give up.

Met Police said it had taken 240 witness statements since 2014 relating to Stephen's murder.

Met Police commissioner, Cressida Dick, said: 'This was an appalling racist murder and I am sad that we have been unable to secure further convictions for Stephen, his family and friends. I, and the senior investigator in charge of the case, Chris Le Pere, have met with Baroness Lawrence and Mr Lawrence and fully explained the work the team have been doing, and why we are now at this stage.

'The investigation has now moved to an "inactive" phase, but I have given Stephens family the assurance that we will continue to deal with any new information that comes to light.

'The investigation into Stephens murder will also be periodically reviewed for any further investigative opportunities which may arise, for example with advances in technology.'

She added: 'As a result of ceaseless campaigning for justice by Stephens parents, profound changes have happened in policing, the law and wider society. I pay tribute to them for their courage and achievements.

'And today my thoughts are with them and all Stephens loved ones.'

She added that the force has told Duwayne Brooks, who was with Stephen on the night he was killed, about their decision.

Knight, shirtless and wearing pink shorts, declined to comment when approached by a reporter at his parents' terraced house on an estate in Eltham today.

He slammed the door when asked how he felt about the Stephen Lawrence case being moved to an 'inactive phase' and someone was then heard shouting 'f*** off you c***' from the house.

The original investigation into Stephen's death was hampered by incompetence, racism and claims of police corruption surrounding Norris's father Clifford and his links to the criminal underworld.

In April 1994 the Crown Prosecution Service said there was insufficient evidence to bring a prosecution, and in September that year Mr Lawrence's parents unsuccessfully attempted their own private prosecution against Dobson, Knight and Neil Acourt.

Five years later the Macpherson report, produced after a public inquiry into the case, found the Metropolitan Police guilty of institutional racism and made a series of recommendations on changes to policing and wider public policy.

Today there are still ongoing inquiries linked to the case, including an investigation by the National Crime Agency and the Independent Office for Police Conduct into alleged corruption.

The case will also inform part of the public inquiry into undercover policing that is due to start next year, after it was revealed in 2013 that a police mole infiltrated a campaign group supporting the Lawrence family's fight for justice.

Speaking today, Stuart Lawrence said: 'If these people that were in office that are supposed to be protecting people, didn't do their jobs properly, have now retired and are drawing down a police pension are still harbouring these lies and mistruths where's the justice in that?

'Why is that allowed, why are we funding these people and allowing them not to tell the truth?'
Marjorie Greene, who also made racist comments, won a Georgia primary that all but guarantees her a spot in Congress.

Marjorie Taylor Greene, a businesswoman who has expressed support for the far-right conspiracy theory QAnon and was criticised for a series of racist comments, has won the Republican nomination for Georgias 14th Congressional District.

Greene beat neurosurgeon John Cowan in a primary runoff for the open seat on Tuesday in the deep-red district in northwest Georgia, despite several GOP officials denouncing her campaign after videos surfaced in which she expresses racist, anti-Semitic and anti-Muslim views.

WE WON! Thank you for your support! Save America. Stop Socialism, Greene tweeted late on Tuesday. A video posted to her Twitter account of her victory party showed a room full of supporters gathered closely together. Few, if any, wore face masks to protect against the coronavirus.

In a victory speech posted to social media, Greene said she decided to enter politics because the country is heading in the wrong direction.

So the Republican establishment was against me. The DC swamp has been against me. And the lying fake news media hates my guts, she said. Yep, its a badge of honour.

Greene is a staunch supporter of President Donald Trump, who tweeted congratulations to the Republican victor, calling her a future Republican Star.

Congratulations to future Republican Star Marjorie Taylor Greene on a big Congressional primary win in Georgia against a very tough and smart opponent. Marjorie is strong on everything and never gives up  a real WINNER!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 12, 2020

She has amassed tens of thousands of followers on social media, where she often posts videos of herself speaking directly to the camera. Those videos have helped propel her popularity with her base, while also drawing strong condemnation from some future would-be colleagues in Congress.

In a series of videos unearthed just after Greene placed first in the initial June 9 Republican primary, she complains of an Islamic invasion into government offices, claims Black and Hispanic men are held back by gangs and dealing drugs, and pushes an anti-Semitic conspiracy theory that billionaire philanthropist George Soros, who is Jewish, collaborated with the Nazis.

Several high-profile Republicans then spoke out against her. House Minority Whip Steve Scalise of Louisiana quickly threw his support behind Cowan, while Representative Jody Hice of Georgia rescinded an endorsement of Greene.

Already starting to hear from GOP sources on Marjorie Greenes victory. One lawmaker just texted the  emoji. Another source took a swipe at McCarthy for sitting on sidelines, calling it political malpractice & Republicans will be answering for her for years to come. https://t.co/lExEFH8DNL  Melanie Zanona (@MZanona) August 12, 2020

However, some Republican lawmakers aside from Trump congratulated Greene, including Georgia Senator Kelly Loeffler. Loeffler, who bills herself a political outsider, sent a congratulatory tweet on Wednesday morning.

Greene is part of a growing list of candidates who have expressed support for QAnon, the far-right US conspiracy theory popular among some Trump supporters.

Lauren Boebert, another candidate who has expressed support for QAnon, recently upset a five-term congressman in a Republican primary in Colorado.

Loeffler, for her part, is not known to have expressed support for QAnon.

Congratulations to @mtgreenee and @Clyde4Congress! Its clear that we need more political outsiders with business sense in Washington who will stand with @realDonaldTrump to Keep America Great. #gasen #gapol  Kelly Loeffler (@KLoeffler) August 12, 2020

Greene has positioned herself as a staunch Trump supporter and emphasises a strongly pro-gun, pro-border wall and anti-abortion message. She has also connected with voters through an intensive effort to travel the district and meet people on the ground.

Larry Silker, a 72-year-old retiree, cast a ballot for Greene last week at an early voting location in Dallas, Georgia.

She seems to be a go-getter, you know. Shes out seeing everybody that she can, and I think thats nice, Silker said.

Asked whether he had seen criticism of Greenes remarks, Silker said: Well yeah, you know, you see it. But do you put faith in it? You just have to weigh it out.

Voter Pamela Reardon told AP she supports Greene because she connects with people, and she is anti-abortion, a defender of the Second Amendment and a true Christian.





I got behind her because of her honesty, she said. Shes not going to be bought by anybody. I could tell that her heart was pure.

Reardon is familiar with criticism of Greenes social media posts and videos but says shes never said anything racist like they say she has, and blamed attacks by her opponents campaign.

The district stretches from the outskirts of metro Atlanta to the largely rural northwest corner of the state.

The winner of the primary is a shoo-in to win in the general election, taking the seat of retiring incumbent Tom Graves.

Greene will face Kevin Van Ausdal in November. Van Ausdal acknowledged that he faces an uphill battle in the heavily conservative district in an interview on Tuesday night and called on people across the country to rally behind his campaign.

Honestly the local Democratic money is not a lot, he said.

We need donors to help get out the message and show people that there is an alternative, and a great alternative, to QAnon conspiracies and divisive rhetoric, he said.

Graves, who did not seek re-election, last won the seat with more than 76 percent of the vote in 2018.
MINNEAPOLIS, Aug. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Merchology , an online retailer of custom logo gifts and apparel , has landed at #1696 on the 2020 Inc. 5000 List of America's Fastest-Growing Companies. This is Merchology's third consecutive appearance on this prestigious list. Only 1 in 10 Inc. 5000 companies have made the list 3 or more times.

"Our goal is to be the preferred partner for co-branded company merchandise. This three time recognition proves that we consistently deliver a best-in-class ecommerce and customer experience," said co-founder and CEO Richard Ward. "Most importantly, we're incredibly proud of and grateful for the team and culture we have in place that has gotten us so far in such a short amount of time."

This recognition is awarded based on Merchology's impressive revenue growth of 253% from 2016 to 2019. Merchology's former rankings on the Inc 5000 were #282 in 2018 and #616 in 2019. The Inc. 5000 list represents a unique look at the most successful companies within the American economy's most dynamic segmentits independent small businesses. Intuit, Zappos, Under Armour, Microsoft, Patagonia, and many other well-known names gained their first national exposure as honorees on the Inc. 5000.

Despite the immense challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, Merchology's quick pivots to meet evolving customer needs have allowed for continued growth in 2020. By the end of 2020, Merchology expects to have a total headcount of over 180 people between its Minnetonka, Minnesota office and its Reno, Nevada production facility. The company partners with over 275 brands, including Under Armour, Patagonia, YETI, Vineyard Vines, Titleist, Helly Hansen, Apple and more. Merchology applies custom company logos using a variety of techniques , including embroidery, screen print, digital print, embossing, and laser engraving.

SOURCE Merchology

Related Links

https://www.merchology.com/


Hanoi has prepared facilities to isolate around 1,000 people returning from the central regions Danang City and Quang Nam Province.

National flag carrier Vietnam Airlines will conduct three flights to transport stranded tourists in Danang and Quang Nam to Hanoi on August 12-13. They then will be monitored at the Military School of the Hanoi Capital Command in Son Tay Town.



The people will be provided at least two Covid-19 tests during the time at the quarantine site.

Two five-floor buildings with 64 rooms have been arranged for the quarantine centre. Each room can accommodate 16 people. Each person will enjoy the daily meals worth VND80,000 per day (USD3.47).

Hanoi will also use a field hospital in the outlying district of Me Linh as a quarantine area.

Major General Nguyen Quoc Duyet, chief commander of the Hanoi Capital High Command, checked facilities at the Military School of the Hanoi Capital Command and the field hospital in Me Linh, requesting to ensure the safety of soldiers to avoid community infection.

Hanoi Capital High Command will also quarantine Vietnamese workers coming back from Angola on August 14.

--
So, its Kamala. After all the speculation about whom Biden might pick to be his running mate, he chose the woman most likely to get the nod all along, according to the betting markets.

The California senator was and is widely seen as the safe choice, given the constraints Biden had imposed on himself. He pledged to pick a woman, and after the George Floyd protests he seemed increasingly likely to pick an African-American woman.

Harris checks both boxes, and as the only black female Democratic senator or governor in the United States, she definitely seems to be a safer pick in the middle of an economic and health crisis than a former state legislator from Georgia, the mayor of Atlanta, or a little-known House member from Florida or California. Harris was vetted somewhat by the press during her presidential campaign, and she can be a poised speaker  the kind of relentlessly on-message politician who will likely avoid any campaign-destroying gaffes.

But was Harris really the safest and smartest pick?

To win in 2020, Biden needs to turn out the moderate voters who abandoned Republicans in 2018. And with that in mind, Harris certainly comes with some risks. Republicans have been painting Biden as a stalking horse for the left wing of the Democratic party: Sure, Biden might say he opposes the Green New Deal and Medicare for All, goes the Republican message, but just you watch whos really going to hold power. And the Democratic presidential nominee who turns 78 in November  amid a plague that is particularly deadly to the elderly  went ahead and picked a running mate who supports Medicare for All and the Green New Deal and federal legislation that would override state laws restricting late-term abortions . . . and on and on.

Despite her attempts to align with the left wing of the Democratic Party on almost every matter of policy, Harris did little to generate actual enthusiasm on the left during the Democratic primary. She hemmed and hawed on Medicare for Alls politically toxic proposal to abolish private health insurance and made the preposterous claim that universal health care would not require any new taxes on the middle class. She effectively portrayed Biden as a racist for opposing forced busing in the 1970s, and then backtracked on whether she now supported new forced-busing measures.

Story continues

Although naming an African-American woman is supposed to be a compassionate response to the police killing of George Floyd, Joe Biden and fellow 2020 candidate Tulsi Gabbard ripped Harris apart at the debates on criminal justice. Biden alluded to a crime lab scandal that involved [Harriss] office and resulted in more than 1,000 drug cases being dismissed. Gabbard claimed Harris blocked evidence that would have freed an innocent man from death row until she was forced to do so. Both of these statements are accurate, the Sacramento Bee reported after a July 2019 Democratic debate.

At the same time, Harris is vulnerable to attacks from the right on criminal justice. Democratic senator Dianne Feinstein called on Harris to seek the death penalty in 2004 for a man who murdered police officer Isaac Espinoza with an AK-47, but Harris refused to do so. Last year, Espinozas widow spoke on camera about Harris for the first time in a tearful interview. She did not call me, Renata Espinoza told CNN. I felt like she had just taken something from us. She had just taken justice from us.

In Harriss 2010 campaign for California attorney general, her only statewide race against a Republican, she won by less than one point even as Democratic gubernatorial and senatorial candidates won by double digits on the same ballot.

Its true that any running mate comes with risks, and some of the problems that dogged Harris in the Democratic presidential primary will be smaller problems in the general election. Her lackluster style on the stump wont matter much in a campaign without real campaign events. Her tendency to be evasive and hedge on policy in interviews wont be as much of a temptation: She can fall back on saying her agenda as vice president would be Bidens agenda.

But the fact remains that Harris would be a heartbeat away from the presidency, and thats why former national-security adviser Susan Rice may have been a smarter pick. Her experience in the White House could have reassured voters shed know what to do in a crisis, and she could have aligned herself squarely with Biden on matters of policy, so there would be less worry among voters that Bidens vice president would pursue a far-left agenda in the event that Biden cant serve out a full term. For all the boxes Harris does check, she doesnt check either of these.

More from National Review
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ERIE life insurance products and services are provided by Erie Family Life Insurance Company (home office: Erie, Pennsylvania). Erie Family Life Insurance Company is not licensed to operate in all states. Go to erieinsurance.com for company licensure information. The insurance products described in this news release are in effect as of July 2020 and may be changed at any time. Insurance products are subject to terms, conditions and exclusions not described in this brochure. The policy contains the specific details of the coverages, terms, conditions, and exclusions. The insurance products and services described in this brochure are not offered in all states. ERIE life insurance products are not available in New York. Eligibility will be determined at the time of application based upon applicable underwriting guidelines and rules in effect at that time.

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SOURCE Erie Insurance Group
A County Derry man has criticised the continued use of conversion therapy as calls increase to ban it in the UK.

The unregulated practice is often offered to young LGBTQ people by organisations claiming to be able to change their sexual orientation.

Maghera native and co-founder of the Ban Conversion Therapy organisation, Matthew Hyndman, says the practice is harmful because it doesnt work.

The difficulty is that conversion therapy is homophobia disguised as compassion, he told the County Derry Post.

For a lot of LGBT people, this is offered to them as some sort of gift, a thing that can save you. Its presented as tough love.

We want to prevent you going down this awful, evil route and what were going to do is really good for you.

The parents who are confronted with the fact that their child is gay and say they are going to send them to conversion therapy, they dont know how harmful it is.

I think if they knew themselves what it entails and the long-lasting effects of it, they would never consider it.

In its 2018 Faith and Sexuality Survey, the Ozanne Foundation found what they called strong evidence of the harm caused by conversion therapy.

The study found more than half of those who attempted to change their sexual orientation reported mental health issues, with a third of those having attempted suicide.

Two thirds of those who experienced mental health issues also said they had suicidal thoughts as a result of the practice.

Locally, Matthew says the practice adds to already high levels of mental illness in Northern Ireland.

The reason conversion therapy is so harmful is that it doesnt work. When people put themselves through this whole process, they invest hope and faith, he said.

Northern Ireland has the highest rates of suicide in the UK. Mental health is not well catered for, the services arent good enough and there is still a great stigma around it.

A lot of people dont take it seriously. Add on to that the repression and oppression that LGBT people face just in figuring out who they are adds an extra level of mental trauma.

Then add onto that what people go through during conversion therapy.

People want to study its consequences and that in itself is incredibly traumatic. It causes so much unnecessary pain, to bring it back to the surface.

Campaigners hopes were raised in 2018 when the UK government announced plans to ban conversion therapy, but two years on, there is frustration at the lack of progress.

An online petition calling for conversion therapy to be banned in Northern Ireland currently has over 8,500 signatures.

Matthew though is hopeful that a recent surge in countries around the world outlawing the practice will put pressure on governments locally.

In the last two months alone, weve seen Israel, Germany, Mexico City, Alberta in Canada all ban it, he said.

There has been a global movement to ban conversion therapy. Quite a few countries are taking action, and there will be more headlines over the coming months.

The pressure the UN are putting on too is helpful. They have declared conversion therapy torture.

In the UK, some of the tactics now might be less extreme, but bear in mind that Alan Turing was chemically castrated for being gay, which is in itself a form of conversion therapy.

If you go to Nigeria, for instance, they will beat the gay out of you. Thats not happening in the UK, but there is a sense of how long can we wait?

A lot of people dont fully grasp the level of oppression, especially within a religious environment, that young LGBT people go through.

There is so much self-hate, shame and denial going on and often, a lot of young LGBT are told that its wrong to be gay before they themselves even know they are gay.

When they start to come to terms with the fact that they are gay, then theyve got this real confrontation to have internally.

What makes it even more difficult is that they cant actually talk about it because then they are outing themselves. Its a cacophony of mental turmoil.

Its therefore unsurprising that if you hear of so-called conversion therapy, something that might get you out of this situation, people might choose to go through it.

The longer the delay in banning this, the more vulnerable people who are at risk.
Jim Brady, center, chief executive of AToN Center, a rehab facility in Encinitas that he started with his wife, Patricia Brady, left, more than a decade ago, pose at the facility with their daughter, Pat, chief operating officer. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

If you had posed the scenario to him as a hypothetical a few months ago  "Your company will be hemorrhaging cash, and youll turn to Uncle Sam for emergency funds"  Jim Brady wouldve confidently dismissed it.

Never, he said, did I think I would need government help.

Brady, 69, started AToN Center, a luxury rehab facility in the hills of Encinitas, with his wife, Patricia, more than a decade ago and built it into a booming enterprise with nearly 70 full-time employees and a five-home campus with a saltwater pool, a sauna and 600-thread-count bedsheets.

But this spring, as the coronavirus charted its deadly path across the country, Brady decided to temporarily stop accepting clients from Washington state and the New York City area  two early hot spots  and capped client capacity at 12, instead of 30, so patients didnt have to share bathrooms.

"I went backwards about a half a million dollars in two months," he said. Although his payroll was sinking him, he felt deeply loyal to his staff and desperately wanted to avoid cuts or furloughs.

Instead, he applied for a forgivable loan through the Paycheck Protection Program, part of the government's initiative to help small businesses survive the pandemic, and received just over $800,000, which he used to cover two months of payroll.

That decision  asking for and then accepting federal funds  has prompted some reflection on his views about government aid, said Brady, who describes himself as basically Republican," but doesn't always agree with the party leadership. For years, he felt frustrated by all the money skimmed from his take-home salary  it felt, he said, as if other people were sitting around and benefiting off of his earnings.

Im in the top tax bracket, he said. I didnt like that money going away.

But now that hes watched the positive ripple effect of having received the loan  how it helped him, his family, his employees and their families  his views of government assistance have started to evolve.

Story continues

I have a very different eye to that now. ... Ive now dipped into the pie.

People out of work use the unemployment insurance phone bank at the state's Employment Development Department office in Sacramento. (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press)

As the pandemic presses into its six month and an expanding cohort of Americans personally benefit from their slice of the governments $2.2-trillion stimulus bill, some political scientists, historians and experts believe that the COVID-19-era could shift the national discourse about the role Americans want government to play in their lives and ultimately lead to an expanded social safety net that more closely resembles those in other affluent nations.

"COVID is such a potentially transformational experience," said Martin Gilens, chair of the Department of Public Policy at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs. "If there is a broader reckoning with the failures of our government, then maybe that will extend to how we deal with inequality and poverty, and we'll be entertaining something that looks a little more like a European welfare state."

While such a drastic widening of the safety net may sound far-fetched  and the scope and lasting power of any expansion remain to be seen  the health, economic and inequality crises currently plaguing the U.S. could well prove the most consequential since two previous eras of deep transformation in the U.S.  the 1930s and the 1960s.

As cities shut down and the economy began its devastating decline in March, President Trump signed into law a temporary relief package that increased funds for Medicaid, expanded eligibility for food stamps and mandated paid leave for some Americans who needed to take time off due to the virus.

Later that month, he signed a much larger emergency stimulus bill, known as the CARES Act, which created the small-business loan program, approved no-strings-attached checks of up to $1,200 for millions of Americans and added a temporary $600-per-week bump in federal unemployment benefits.

Still, unemployment soared and the nations gross domestic product cratered to a level not seen since the Great Depression. Then, late last month, the $600-a-week subsidy lapsed; Washington is still haggling over whether to restore it.

Evidence suggests that a broad swath of Americans are happy with the government's beefed-up role in their lives.

A recent survey found that a vast majority of adults supported the stay-at-home orders, and four out of five respondents to a recent poll said they approved of the emergency stimulus bill. A majority of respondents also said that the next emergency bill should prioritize getting money to individuals and families over businesses or local governments.

But views on the topic will no doubt shift again when the economy improves, cautioned Gilens, who wrote "Why Americans Hate Welfare: Race, Media, and the Politics of Antipoverty Policy."

"During hard times," he said, "the public always becomes more sympathetic toward spending to help the poor."

Over the last century, the size of the American social safety net, like those in many nations, has evolved drastically. When the flu pandemic of 1918 killed hundreds of thousands of Americans, the U.S. didnt have a modern federal safety net and relied instead on a patchwork of local programs and churches to feed and house people in need.

A vintage Social Security poster features a mother and child. (Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library)

As part of New Deal reforms during the Great Depression, President Franklin Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act of 1935, which created old-age benefits for retired workers, established unemployment insurance and created the program eventually renamed Aid to Families with Dependent Children.

But, as it was crafted, the law excluded farm and domestic work  some of the main jobs held by Black people at the time.

Discrimination has always permeated social welfare in the United States," said retired NYU associate professor Alma Carten, who has written extensively about how racism toward Black people shaped the framework of the American social safety net and still shapes perceptions of it today.

Public assistance in the U.S. is broken into two tiers, Carten said. There are the social-insurance programs, such as unemployment and Social Security, which workers or their employers pay into, and means-tested programs, such as food stamps. And the latter category, Carten said, is more stigmatized and considered the dole"  a distinction rooted, she says, in racism and in our nation's work-hard-achieve-anything capitalist ethos.

Americans like to work for their money, she said. They dont like to feel like theyre getting something for nothing.

But parsing out what is fair, and who deserves what, is subjective. And that very wiggle room helped lay the ground work for entrenched, racially stereotyped and often inaccurate views of who benefits most from government aid  a view that took hold in the 1960s, Gilens said, as news organizations' coverage of poverty shifted from white people in rural Appalachia to Black people in inner cities.

By the late 1970s, when Ronald Reagan was running for office, it was no longer almost exclusively white women benefiting from the Aid to Families with Dependent Children program, Carten said, but also some single Black mothers. On the campaign trail, Reagan regaled crowds with an anecdote about a woman in Chicago  a Black woman, many of his listeners assumed  with 80 names, 12 Social Security cards and four fake, dead husbands with veterans benefits. Before long, the deeply exaggerated story of the unnamed woman had solidified into the racist trope of the Welfare Queen.

During his second term, Reagan signed a law that tightened eligibility requirements for the Aid to Families with Dependent Children program. But it was President Clinton, vowing to end welfare as we know it," who got rid of the program altogether in 1996 and replaced it with a much more restrictive program that put a five-year lifetime cap on such benefits.

Fourteen years later, President Obama signed into law the Affordable Care Act  the broadest expansion of subsidized health coverage in decades, which, although deeply polarizing at the time, has since garnered the support of a majority of Americans.

President Obama hugs Monica Weeks in 2013 at an event in Washington promoting the Affordable Care Act. The law allowed her to remain on her parents' health plan while getting treatment for Crohn's disease. (Evan Vucci / Associated Press)

"American social welfare policy is complicated," Carten said. "We make a distinction between people who are 'worthy' and who are 'unworthy.'"

***

Under Trump  a loud advocate for welfare reform  federal officials last year announced a plan to tighten eligibility for food stamps for adults without dependents, a move that was expected to cut benefits to nearly 700,000 Americans. Initially the administration intended to push ahead with the plan even during the pandemic, but eventually decided to hold off after losing a court challenge in mid-March.

Two weeks later, with the economy in free fall, Trump signed the CARES Act, which included the $600-a-week unemployment subsidy.

That provision became a lifeline for Michail Sklansky.

Before the pandemic, Sklansky was making $22 an hour working in the editorial department at the L.A. Philharmonic. It was part-time work, which meant no medical coverage, but he felt grateful to have found fulfilling work compiling program books for shows at Disney Hall and the Hollywood Bowl after the record company he worked at for years was bought out.

Michail Sklansky lost his job in the editorial department at the L.A. Philharmonic during the pandemic. Sklansky speaks a half-dozen languages and has a broad skill set, but at 62, he said, he's learned what it feels like to be passed over for jobs he's qualified for  and that was before the pandemic. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

But in April, with shows on hiatus, he got laid off.

Sklansky speaks a half-dozen languages and has a broad skill set, but at 62 he's learned what it feels like to be passed over for jobs he's qualified for  and that was before the pandemic. So he signed up for unemployment and continued his job search. He updated his resume and LinkedIn profile, researched interview tips and submitted dozens of applications for administrative jobs, as well as some in film and TV licensing.

When you apply online, he noticed, you can sometimes see how many other people have already submitted applications for the same job. In one instance, it was more than 500 people. So far, he hasnt gotten a single follow-up call.

On a recent afternoon  the day the $600 federal subsidy lapsed  Sklansky was listening to the news religiously, hoping to hear about a funding extension. If one didnt come through soon, he said, he planned to start making deliveries for Ralphs or Instacart.

Its nail-biting.

In California alone, more than $68 billion in loans have been handed out to some 580,000 companies  a no-industry-spared list that includes limousine corporations, two-dozen companies with luxury in their name and more than 1,000 dentists' offices. Somewhere in the middle of the list, in the section of companies that got at least $350,000 but less than $1 million, youll spot a Santa Ana-based think tank: the Ayn Rand Institute.

In a video message posted on the nonprofit's website, the president of the institute, which advocates ending the welfare state, defended the decision to accept the federal loan by comparing it to a robbery victim accepting a restitution payment.

If the government offers to return some of the money taken from us by force, the president said, each of us is entitled to reclaim some of what was taken.

Another chunk of loans went to Californias agricultural industry.

Early in the pandemic, Matthew Efird, a fifth-generation farmer who grows almonds, peaches, raisins and pistachios on a farm south of Fresno, carefully monitored his slipping profits. The slowdown in sales to shuttered restaurants and the continued impact of retaliatory trade tariffs China has imposed on many goods from the U.S., including almonds, created what Efird called a perfect storm.

Matthew Efird collects samples of sun-dried raisins for water content at Double E farms south of Fresno in 2016. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)

His companies, Double E Farms and Efird Ag Enterprises, both applied for and received loans in the smallest category, less than $150,000, Efird said, adding that although he and his wife both got stimulus checks, they'd decided to donate them to nonprofits.

In the past, Efird said, he has gotten state and federal grants through agricultural equipment-replacement and irrigation-efficiency programs, neither of which, Efird noted, he viewed as a handout.

I think thats completely different than traditional welfare, he said. We pay into these programs with our tax dollars.

***

The way the CARES Act was written, not everybody will benefit from it, at least not equally, said UCI law professor Mehrsa Baradaran, who recently wrote a piece for the Atlantic arguing that America has a longtime obsession with keeping aid from people viewed as undeserving.

For example, she said, the government included restrictions intended to bar strip club owners and some people with felony records from receiving small-business loans. (Neither restriction has proved fully enforceable, however, after business owners and civil rights groups sued the government.)

The exemptions are hypocritical, Baradaran said, especially when compared with bailouts of corporations, such as Boeing, or big banks, in spite of past wrongdoing.

I mean, talk about felonies, right? she said. The banks have committed crimes of moral turpitude and they hardly get cut off from profit.

Back at AToN, Bradys facility in Encinitas, life has slowly returned to something a little closer to pre-pandemic normalcy.

Because the rehab facility now gets COVID-19 test results back in two or three days, it can confidently admit new clients knowing they don't have the virus. They're still not at their usual capacity, Brady said, but on a recent weekday they were back up to 18 clients.

At one point during the worst of it, he said, they were down to two clients, and his staff of psychologists, counselors and round-the-clock registered nurses started sorting out cabinets to stay occupied.

Brady was desperate to keep his core clinical team, some of whom had worked for him for eight years. In an industry that sometimes attracts bad actors, it can be hard to find trained, ethical employees, said Brady, who is on the board of the Addiction Treatment Advocacy Coalition.

"God, I can't let people go," Brady thought.

He feels deeply fortunate that he didn't have to, even if it meant asking the government for help.

I never thought I would need it, he said, pausing for a few seconds, but I really did.
US-backed SDF militants abduct 9 Syrian civilians in Dayr al-Zawr amid growing public anger

Iran Press TV

Tuesday, 11 August 2020 4:10 PM

US-sponsored and Kurdish-led militants affiliated with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have abducted several civilians in Syria's eastern province of Dayr al-Zawr as public discontent grows over the presence and arbitrary practices of the militants and American military forces.

Local sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Syria's official news agency SANA that SDF militants stormed people's houses in Sweidan Jazeera village, which lies in the southeastern countryside of the province, on Tuesday and took nine people away.

The sources added that the US-backed militants took away the captives to an unknown location.

The SDF forces then set up a number of checkpoints across the village in a bid to prevent locals from participating in demonstrations against them, which have been prevalent in other towns and villages of Dayr al-Zawr and neighboring province of Hasakah over the past few weeks.

The development took place only two days after SDF militants fatally shot a young man in Alaya neighborhood of the northeastern Syrian city of Qamishli

SANA reported that the US-sponsored militants also rounded up a number of youths in the area at the time, and transported them to one of their training camps.

Security conditions are reportedly deteriorating in areas controlled by the SDF in Hasakah and Dayr al-Zawr provinces amid ongoing raids and kidnappings of civilians by the militants.

Locals complain that the SDF's conduct has generated a state of frustration and instability, severely affecting their businesses and livelihoods.

Residents accuse the US-sponsored militants of stealing crude oil and refusing to spend money on services sectors.

Local councils affiliated with the SDF have also been accused of financial corruption. They are said to be embezzling funds provided by donors, and failing to provide basic public requirements.

New US military convoy enters northeast Syria from Iraq

Separately, US forces brought military reinforcements from Iraq to Syria's northeastern province of Hasakah in a new violation of international law and Syrian sovereignty.

Local sources told SANA that a convoy of trucks, oil tankers and several Humvee tactical vehicles rumbled through the Waleed border crossing and entered the Jazira Region on Monday evening.

The sources added that the vehicles later headed toward US bases in Tal Baydar district of the province.

Since late October 2019, the United States has been redeploying troops to the oil fields controlled by Kurdish forces in eastern Syria, in a reversal of President Donald Trump's earlier order to withdraw all the troops deployed there.

The Pentagon alleges that the move aims to "protect" the fields and facilities from possible attacks by Daesh, contrary to earlier suggestions by Trump that Washington sought economic interests in controlling the oil fields.

Syria, which has not authorized the presence of the US military in its territory, says Washington is "plundering" the country's oil.

The presence of US forces in eastern Syria has particularly irked the civilians, and local residents have on several occasions stopped American military convoys entering the region.

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OAKBROOK TERRACE, Illinois, Aug. 11, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- SIRVA Inc., a leading global relocation and moving company, today announced that it has plans to expand its moving operations across Continental Europe.

This expansion will further strengthen SIRVA's existing global network across Europe by providing direct delivery of removal services across key markets; namely Belgium, Denmark, France, Luxembourg, Norway, and the Netherlands while further strengthening our existing offering in United Kingdom, Switzerland and the Czech Republic.

"The expansion of our moving capability across Europe complements our existing strong full-service offerings of relocation and moving in the Americas and Asia Pacific," said Jacob George, Chief Operating Officer and President of SIRVA Europe, Asia Pacific and Middle East. "The combining of our relocation and moving offering is consistent with our value proposition of providing an integrated solution to our clients and customers thus enhancing our customers' overall relocation experience." The moving operations within Europe will operate under SIRVA's Allied brand. In keeping with a global brand, operations in Asia Pacific and the Middle East will also be rebranded as Allied.

ABOUT SIRVA, Inc.

SIRVA, Inc. is a global leader in moving and relocation services, offering solutions for mobility programs to companies of every size. With 75 owned locations and more than 1,000 franchised and agent locations in 177 countries, we offer unmatched global breadth supported by localized attention and innovative technology that strikes the right balance of self service and human support. From relocation and household goods to commercial moving and storage, our portfolio of Brands (SIRVA, Team Relocations, Allied, northAmerican & SMARTBOX) provides the only integrated moving/relocation solution in the industry. By leveraging our global network, we deliver a superior experience that only a "one-stop shop" can provide. For more information about SIRVA visit sirva.com.

ABOUT ALLIED

Allied is an experienced leader in household goods moving and specialized transportation services. Allied is one of the world's largest moving companies and an established global brand of SIRVA, Inc., a leader in providing relocation services to corporations, consumers and governments around the world. Allied is recognized as The International Moving Company of the Year for five years by the Expatriate Management & Mobility Awards, America's Best Customer Service for 2020 by Newsweek, America's Most Recommended Moving Company by Women's Choice Awards and 2017 International Moving Company of the Year by the Forum for Expatriate Management. For more information about Allied, visit allied.com.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Ricardo Ramos, Marketing Director

Tel. 630-234-0418

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/790388/Allied_Women_s_Choice_Logo.jpg

SOURCE Allied Van Lines
When food-delivery platform Zomato announced 10 additional leave days per year for women employees that can be taken for the monthly menstruation cycle, a series of debates broke out on social media on whether this is feasible on a large scale in India Inc. Zomato made the announcement on August 8.

Kolkatas 36-year-old Sushmita Singhal, herself part of the human resource team at a consumer goods firm, is happy that at least there is an option of period leave being provided.

I have Endometriosis, which means that my monthly periods lead to extreme stomach aches due to intense pelvic contractions. I cannot end up taking one to two days of leave every month because we are permitted to take only 10 days of sick leave every year. Being provided an option would be good for women like me, she said.

The need for period leave in companies

Endometriosis and Dysmenorrhea refer to medical conditions among women who have pain associated with menstruation. According to a 2018 estimate by the Endometriosis Society of India (ESI), there are about 25 million women in India with Endometriosis.

Women with painful monthly cycles are now advocating that there should be an option above the sick leave, given their different biological structure than men.

Delhis 34-year-old advertising executive Gizelle Baptista often finds it tough to get up from bed during the first day of periods every month. Her job involves long hours of work with up to five client meetings a day.

Companies have now found out that remote working is efficient. Even when lockdown is over, I would like to avail period leave or at least some special dispensation for my monthly cycles. This could be made the option for those women who need it, she explained.

The most common justification against period leave is that women can avail sick leave. However, women with chronic conditions may find it impossible to get one to two days mandatory sick leave.

Hyderabad-based software consultant Nina Dey said that availing additional days of leave for periods is easier said than done. Deys periods are irregular due to a hormonal condition and she usually takes pain killers to deal with menstruation pain.

We know that a woman wont be granted leave for her periods every month unless it is explicitly part of the company policy. There is still a lot of stigma attached to periods and women may find it easier to apply for leave if there is a period leave category, she added.

Zomato, in its letter to employees, has also carefully worded period leave as an option being granted.

These additional days of leave should only be availed if you are really unable to attend to work. If you do need to take the day off, please apply for leave on the HR portal, communicate to your team that you will be unavailable, reschedule your meetings and proactively communicate if deadlines are getting impacted, said Zomato in the communication.

Further, the food-delivery and restaurant aggregator platform also advised employees to not abuse the leave or use them as a crutch to take time out for other tasks.

Making period leave an HR practice

While smaller companies (start-ups) would be able to offer period leave as a retention/attraction benefit for women, HR experts are of the view that this cannot be made a standard practice across companies.

Aditya Narayan Mishra, CEO, CIEL HR Services, said that while one has to be sympathetic for women seeking special sick leave, period leave across companies is not feasible.

This may not be implementable in a high-pressure job role. This cannot be offered as a company policy since it is not feasible and not everyone needs it, he added.

On the other hand, there is also a fear that the period leave clause could become another factor to keep women out of the workplace. Human resource consultant Puneet Mahajan said that he has worked with several mid-to-small companies in India where hiring for special projects has come with a clause to avoid women of certain age groups.

Freshers from college or women above 40 years with children are preferred for many niche project roles. This is unfortunate but is the reality ever since the maternity leave has been increased to six months from three months. Add period leave and it will indeed be tough to convince some companies to hire women, he added.

The Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Act 2017 made it mandatory for companies to offer paid maternity leave of 26 weeks to women (compared to 12 weeks earlier). This also made it compulsory for companies with more than 50 employees to offer creche facilities for women employees.

Rituparna Chakraborty, co-founder and executive vice president, TeamLease Services, said that if you are increasing the total number of leave, it makes a difference to women who need it.

This is about practicality and there would be some who would not need it. Some women who need it will benefit but we need to see how much it benefits women in general and whether this leave is their first demand, she added.

According to the Economic Survey 2019-20, Indias female labour force participation rate for productive age-group (15- 59 years) has shown a declining trend. Female labour force participation declined by 7.8 percent from 33.1 percent in 2011-12 to 25.3 percent in 2017-18.
Juliana Huxtable is not one to sit idle. Since graduating from Bard College in 2010, she has leapt between various corners of the New York arts scene: as the host of Shock Value, a semiregular transgender-inclusive party; as a model; as a member of the arts collective House of Ladosha; and as a creator and performer who has both D.J.ed and shown work at major museums. Coming off her last art show  an array of off-kilter multimedia work titled Interfertility Industrial Complex: Snatch the Calf Back that opened at Reena Spaulings Fine Art in New York this past fall  her plan was to focus for a bit on her music, traveling the world for D.J. and music gigs shed lined up in cities ranging from Amsterdam to Novi Sad, Serbia.

Then the pandemic hit, forcing Huxtable, 32, to stay put in Berlin, where shes lived part time the last couple of years when not in New York or touring  and allowing her to double down (with interludes spent at local protests against racism and police brutality) on one of the more solitary aspects of her practice: writing. In addition to her second book of poetry, shes assembling what she describes as a part epistolary, mixed-form novel, which builds, she said over a recent Skype call from her Kreuzberg apartment, on the themes of her fall show: interspecies and trans-species discourse, epigenetics and how that influences identity, particularly with respect to racial trauma and food. (For inspiration, shes been reading Leila Taylors 2019 book Darkly: Black History and Americas Gothic Soul.) Im thankful I have writing to turn to, because it requires so little but can do so much.
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Linkedin Karen Lema (Agence France-Presse) Manila, Philippines  Wed, August 12, 2020 18:00 525 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066d85538 2 SE Asia Philippines,Russia,coronavirus,COVID-19,COVID-19-vaccine,pandemic,SARS-CoV-2,virus-corona,novel-coronavirus Free

Philippine scientists were set on Wednesday to meet representatives of the Russian research facility that developed a coronavirus vaccine, to discuss possible participation in clinical trials and access to its research data.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has lauded the vaccine and offered to be "injected in public" with the Russian COVID-19 vaccine, to allay public fears about its safety.

Russia on Tuesday became the world's first country to grant regulatory approval for a COVID-19 vaccine, to be named "Sputnik V" in homage to the world's first satellite launched by the former Soviet Union.

Russia's decision to grant approval before completing trials has raised concerns among some experts, who fear it may be putting national prestige before safety.

Health Undersecretary Rosario Vergeire said Philippine experts would meet representatives of the state research facility Gamaleya to discuss trials and would request a "complete dossier" on the vaccine.

"We will see if the allegations are true," she told a regular briefing, referring to concerns that its approval was hasty.

"That is why were talking with them to understand this vaccine," Vergeire said, adding that local regulatory approval is required for trials to take place.

The Philippines has among Asia's highest coronavirus case numbers, which rose to 143,749 on Wednesday, two days after having hit a daily record of 6,958 infections. Areas in and around the capital have returned to a strict lockdown to contain the spread.

In July, Duterte made a plea to his Chinese counterpart to make the Philippines a priority if it develops a vaccine, amid concern in developing countries about availability.

More than half a dozen drugmakers globally are conducting large-scale, advanced human trials of their potential COVID-19 vaccines, each with tens of thousands of volunteers.

The Russian vaccine's approval comes before trials that would normally involve thousands of people, commonly known as a Phase III trial. Such trials are usually considered essential precursors for a vaccine's approval.




The Leader and Flagbearer of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), former President John Dramani Mahama has urged the leadership of the Christian Council of Ghana not to stay silent on happenings in the country.



According to him, there is so much intolerance in the country orchestrated by the government in its attempt to continue to stay in power.



He said there was the need for people to freely speak without any fear about what they think it is going wrong in the country without being subjected to attacks and insults.



The former President who was formally presenting his running mate, Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyeman to the leadership of the Christian Council of Ghana on Wednesday, August 12, 2020, at the Headquarters of the Assemblies of God Church in Accra, however, commended the leadership of the Christian Council for defending one of their own  Bishop Charles Agyin-Asare, when the Bishop was subjected to attacks and insults on his person after speaking against some ills in the country.

Source: Graphic.com.gh









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Cases of COVID-19 infection linked to a recent outbreak in Vietnams coastal city of Danang are continuing to surge, with Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc calling the next 10 days critical to efforts to contain the spread of the deadly virus.

The number of cases in the country now stands at 880, Vietnams health ministry said in a statement Wednesday, adding that 14 new cases were reportedone in Hanoi and 13 in Danang.

A total of 17 deaths have now been linked to an outbreak in Danang at the end of July, with all who died reported to have suffered from a range of underlying chronic diseases, mostly renal failure, the health ministry said.

Vietnams 17th death was of a 55-year-old man in Danang, who died of pneumonia caused by the infection, complicated by Type 1 Diabetes, end-stage renal failure, and high blood pressure.

The country of 95 million people ranks near the bottom of the World Health Organization tables of total cases, below tiny Andorra and Malta.

But the new outbreak has prompted Vietnam, which has been among the most successful countries in tackling COVID-19, to step up contact tracing and placing several provinces have under social distancing orders.

In a statement Wednesday, Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said the next 10 days will be critical in efforts to control the new outbreak, which began at the end of July after no new cases of infection had been reported for over three months.



Note that the period from this week to the middle of next week is critical to contain the spread, Nguyen said in a statement reported on Wednesday by Reuters.



[Vietnam] is now racing to control infections in multiple locations linked to the popular holiday city of Danang, where a new outbreak was detected on July 25, Reuters said in its report, adding that a city stadium converted to a 1,000-bed field hospital has begun to take in patients from three Danang hospitals.



Vietnams Ministry of Information and Communications said on Tuesday that by Aug. 11, some 15.7 million smartphone users in Vietnam had now downloaded Bluezone, a locally developed contact-tracing app, to identify and alert people who have interacted with COVID-19 patients.



Meanwhile, Taiwan announced on Aug. 12 that because of the upward trend of COVID-19 infections in Vietnam, Taiwans Ministry of Health and Welfare has now moved Vietnam from its list of low-risk countries to the medium-risk list.



Business travelers from Vietnam will now have to quarantine for seven days on their arrival in Taiwan, where previously they were required to quarantine for only five days, Minister Chen Shih-chung said.



Other medium-risk countries on Taiwans list include South Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, and Sri Lanka, while low-risk countries and regions include New Zealand, Macau, Palau, Fiji, Brunei, Thailand, Mongolia, Bhutan, Laos, Cambodia, and Myanmar.



Reported by RFAs Vietnamese Service. Translated by Huy Le. Written in English by Richard Finney.
BEIRUT - The force of the explosion lifted the ship clear out of the water, depositing the battered hull on the concrete pier. The side of the Amadeo II that had faced the blast was blown open, its metal innards spilling out toward the sea, its disfigured facade stripped of paint and reduced to a faded rust color covered with blotches of disgorged sea bottom.

The scene on the Beirut waterfront after the devastating explosion last week looks straight out of "Mad Max," a tortured landscape washed in sepia, littered with the husks of cars. The expanse is dotted with small signs of previous lives: torn fabric, ice pop boxes, a cookbook somehow still intact and open to a recipe for spaghetti squash with clam and mushroom sauce. An unidentified black liquid, perhaps the residue of melted garbage bags, continues to slither down hills of dirt and concrete, sticking to the shoes of search teams.

When 2,750 tons of highly volatile ammonium nitrate exploded in a warehouse, it left a crater nearly 50 yards deep and destroyed the port's towering grain silos, spewing torrents of yellow corn that piled up into mountains and spilled into the water. At least 171 people were killed.

"If this had happened a few hours earlier, we would have around 5,000 deaths," said a civil defense worker, who could not give his name because of tight restrictions placed by the Lebanese army on speaking to the media. Because the explosion occurred shortly after 6 p.m., the port was largely empty, mainly staffed by security personnel at that time, the civil defense worker said.

The shock wave shattered buildings more than a mile from the port. At the site of the blast, the explosion vaporized entire concrete structures and eviscerated a pier that had jutted more than 200 yards into the water.

Search teams, Lebanese and foreign, are searching the port area for the missing. Scuba divers are searching for bodies that might have been flung into the sea. Technical experts are assessing toxic threats, and others are trying to piece together exactly what happened on Aug. 4.

Among the hundreds of foreign rescuers, a 63-member French team was picking Tuesday through the area around the silos. After five days of searching, they despaired of finding survivors. "I think there's no chance anymore," said Lt. Andrea, the leader of the French search and rescue team. He declined to give his last name in line with French security protocol.

But the searchers were determined to recover bodies. So far, the French team had found seven. They believed there are more. "We have to find them," the lieutenant said.

Already, workers had cleared the pier of sand nearly five feet deep, blown ashore by the explosion, in hopes of unearthing human remains.

On Monday, the teams had detected a light stench near the silo. The dogs brought in by the French team sniffed around and seemed to pick up a trace. So on Tuesday, three bulldozers raked through the heaps of rubble, pushing aside a tangle of metal and large chunks of concrete in an effort to uncover human remains. Civil defense and rescue teams stepped out of the way to let the machines work.

Lebanese firefighters watched, their faces set in hard expressions. They had lost 10 of their comrades, who had responded to the initial fire at the port. The bodies of six firefighters had been found, two of them identified by DNA testing. Four were still missing.

"It's like we're dying a hundred deaths every day. Every day, " said one of the firefighters, who declined to give his name because of security concerns. "Every time we extract one of our friends, we get sad all over again. Then we go to the funeral. Then we extract another friend. Then we go to another funeral. It's an indescribable feeling."

He stared through the plume of dust in front of him.

"We used to say, 'We hope they're alive.' Now we say, 'We hope we find their fragments. For their families,' " he said.

Amid the mounds of sand, dirt, metal and concrete, Lebanese civil defense workers spotted a swarm of flies. The men hustled to a twisted car, hunting through the wreckage in hopes of finding a body - to provide a measure of relief to a family still waiting to bury a loved one.

"Keep going, Abu Ziyad. Keep going. Maybe it's in front of you," one civil defense member urged another.

The car was empty.

Then the workers noticed the skeleton of another car poking out of a nearby mound and started frantically shoveling the dirt aside. A bulldozer helped remove the mangled metal piece by piece, discarding it to the side as the men searched.

They finally found what had attracted the flies: food.

No body.

No relief.

- - -

The Washington Post's Loveday Morris contributed to this report.
The war is forcing Syrias children to earn money to support their families.

Nearly five million children have been born in Syria since the civil war began, nine years ago.

The conflict has had a devastating effect on their lives, with many forced to drop out of school to support their families.

Aid agencies warn Syrias deepening economic and currency crisis will push even more kids into child labour.

Al Jazeeras Priyanka Gupta reports
GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala A French aid worker was shot to death on a rural highway in Guatemala, where he had led agricultural projects for indigenous Mayan communities for 20 years.

French President Emmanuel Macron denounced the killing of Benoit Pierre Amadee Maria, who represented Agronomists and Veterinarians Without Borders, saying in a tweet Tuesday that his humanistic, fraternal commitment pays honor to France." The killing Monday came the day after six French aid workers were killed in a giraffe park in the West African country of Niger.

Guatemalan Vice President Guillermo Castillo called for clarity on what happened, saying in a statement that Amadee Maria dedicated a large part of his life to promoting community development in favor of vulnerable populations."

Amadee Maria was killed Monday afternoon on a rural road in the village of Pacam, the National Civil Police said in a statement. He was traveling in a van when he was attacked by unknown individuals who shot him several times, it said. Two police teams in the area are investigating the case, police spokesman Edwin Monroy told The Associated Press.

The European Union, which provided some funding to Agronomists and Veterinarians Without Borders, also joined in mourning the death.

In a July 2019 report, the U.S. organization Global Witness ranked Guatemala as No. 5 in a list of countries with the most killings of land defenders and activists.

Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor
The Auld Dubliner pub in Temple Bar during the Covid-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic in Dublins City Centre Photo:Gareth Chaney/Collins

There is growing scepticism among publicans that they will be allowed to re-open at the end of the month due to recent spikes in Covid cases.

They said the decision by the Government to prioritise the reopening of schools in September has cast doubt over the chances of them getting the green-light at the end of August.

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Some 3,500 pubs employing 25,000 people have been ordered to stay shut after the reopening was delayed two times in three weeks, having most recently been put back from August 10.

A statement reads: "While pubs who are still closed want to reopen and trade as their first priority, there is growing scepticism across the industry that the Government will allow them to open their doors at the end of the month, in light of the critical public health situation that has been developing and the Government prioritising the reopening of schools."

And publicans are asking for stronger support packages for those pubs who have been forced to stay shut.

The two bodies representing Irish publicans said that its critical that an immediate and back-dated support package be given to the industry.

The Licensed Vintners Association (LVA) and the Vintners Federation of Ireland (VFI) are calling for measures that offer meaningful support in the form of grant aid.

The groups said that loans or cuts in indirect taxation measures will not benefit pubs that have had to stay closed.

The suggested the introduction of a Pub Support Package which will provide direct financial aid to pubs that are closed. This would be calculated on a pro-rata weekly basis and linked to the re-start grant scheme.

It would remain in place for as long as theyve had to keep their doors closed.

Payments would range from a low of 270 weekly to a high of 1,650 weekly depending on the premises. They would like to see it backdated from June 29 for each week the Government keeps these pubs closed.

Additionally, they want to see their current licences extended for a year until September 2021.

Chief executive of the VFI Padraig Cribben said that pubs want the opportunity to trade responsibly.

The pubs that are still closed cant wait to get their doors open again, to interact with their customers and to earn a living. These businesses will abide by the public health requirements, they just want the same chance as was granted to the rest of the economy, he said.

They are being denied their right to trade due to the public health situation and they should receive meaningful assistance for as long as that continues.

It is also critical that should there be any further delays to reopening that the Government simultaneously announces a support package. The survival of these businesses depends on it.

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Pubs are being denied their right to trade due to the public health situation and should receive meaningful assistance for as long as that continues, he said.

It is also critical that should there be any further delays to reopening that the Government simultaneously announces a support package. The survival of these businesses depends on it, he said.
Police have arrested 110 people allegedly involved in the violence that killed three people, and the accused who posted a 'communal' social media post

Bengaluru: The Karnataka government on Wednesday decided to conduct an inquiry into the violence in parts of Bengaluru on Tuesday night, in which at least three people were killed and scores of others were injured, though a district magistrate.

The government also decided to recover the losses arising from damage to public property during the violence, from the rioters, Karnataka home minister Basavaraj Bommai said.

"...There are National Human Rights Commission guidelines for such a situation, as per which the inquiry will be conducted by the district executive magistrate. This decision was taken at the meeting headed by the Chief Minister," Bommai said.

Speaking to reporters, he said Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa reviewed the complete situation and the action taken by police.

Yediyurappa, who was discharged from a hospital on Monday after undergoing treatment for a COVID-19 infection, is currently under self-quarantine at home.

Ahead of the meeting with him, Bommai said the government has decided to recover the loss arising out of damage to public property and vehicles during the violence, by making those involved in such acts pay for it.

"We have come to a decision as per the Supreme Court order that when such riots take place and properties are damaged, the loss has to be recovered from those who have caused the damage. I have given orders to initiate all the measures to recover losses from those who have caused the damage," Bommai said.

Speaking to reporters he said, buses, vehicles and properties were burnt in DJ Halli and KG Halli police station limits. All those losses will be recovered from those who have done it. "...there is media and CCTV footage," he said.

At least three people were killed after police opened fire to quell a mob that went on a rampage, irked over a social media post allegedly put out by a Congress legislator's relative, as a city locality witnessed arson and violence.

Scores of persons, including around 50 policemen, were also injured in the violence that erupted on Tuesday night and continued till the wee hours of Wednesday, apparently prompted by the 'communally sensitive' online post.

Also, 110 people allegedly involved in the violence and the accused who posted the communal post have been arrested.

The Congress MLA's residence and a police station were among those targeted by the angry mob, prompting the government to issue a stern warning that rioting and law and order issues will not be tolerated. An ATM was also destroyed in the violence.

Earlier in the day Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya wrote to Yediyurappa requesting him to confiscate the properties of rioters and recover losses caused to public property.

"I request Sri @BSYBJP to confiscate and attach properties of the rioters and compensate losses to public property in the same way as Sri @myogiadityanath govt did in UP. Bengaluru is known for its peace and harmonious society. We must protect this strength of our city at all costs," he tweeted.
Testing is free and open to all regardless of symptoms, according to the release. The mobile testing unit will be available from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Aug. 20 at First Presbyterian Church Harkness Family Center, 60 S. Fourth St. in Aurora; and for the same times Aug. 22 at Cowherd Middle School, 441 N. Farnsworth Ave. in Aurora.
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Bindi Irwin announced on Tuesday that she and her husband, Chandler Powell, were expecting their first child together.

And shortly after they shared the exciting news, the 22-year-old wildlife warrior's mother, Terri, posted a heartfelt message on Twitter.

The Irwin matriarch, 56, uploaded a photo of the expectant couple holding up a tiny version of the Australia Zoo uniform, and also told her followers that the news was bittersweet following her husband Steve's death almost 14 years ago.

'I wish Steve was here to share the beautiful moment': Terri Irwin (left) has said her daughter Bindi's (centre) pregnancy announcement is bittersweet after the death of her husband, Steve Irwin. Pictured right: Bindi's husband, Chandler Powell

She began: 'This is the best day ever! I am over the moon to announce that @BindiIrwin and @chandlerpowell9 are going to have a baby!'

'Words cannot express the love that is filling my heart. While I wish that Steve was here to share this beautiful moment, I know that he would be so proud,' she added.

Steve, who was known to millions around the world as 'The Crocodile Hunter', died aged 44 on September 4, 2006, after a stingray attack at Batt Reef, Queensland.

'This is the best day ever! I am over the moon to announce that Bindi and Chandler are going to have a baby!' Terri tweeted on Tuesday. 'Words cannot express the love that is filling my heart. While I wish that Steve was here to share this beautiful moment, I know he would be so proud'

Proud: Steve (right), who was known to millions around the world as 'The Crocodile Hunter', died aged 44 on September 4, 2006, after a stingray attack at Batt Reef, Queensland

Bindi confirmed via Instagram on Tuesday that she was pregnant with her first child to husband Chandler Powell.

The conservationist, who married 23-year-old Chandler in March, shared a photo of the pair holding up a baby-sized khaki shirt, and wrote: 'Baby Wildlife Warrior due 2021.'

'Chandler and I are proud to announce that we're expecting! It's an honour to share this special moment in our lives with you,' she added.

'Baby Wildlife Warrior due 2021': Bindi confirmed via Instagram on Tuesday that she was pregnant with her first child to husband Chandler Powell

'Though I'm still in my first trimester, we really want you to be part of our journey from the beginning of this new life chapter.

'We couldn't wait to share the news as this beautiful little being has become the most important part of our lives. Your support means the world to us.

'Please let me know your best advice and send good vibes and prayers to our little sweetheart. Love and light.'

On show: The announcement comes a week after Bindi celebrated her 22nd birthday at Australia Zoo - her last public appearance before she confirmed her pregnancy. She celebrated by feeding the crocodiles alongside Chandler, her brother Robert and mother Terri

The announcement comes a week after Bindi celebrated her 22nd birthday at Australia Zoo - her last public appearance before she confirmed her pregnancy.

Bindi celebrated by feeding the crocodiles alongside Chandler, her younger brother Robert Irwin and mother Terri.
Thank you for reading!

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Fine dining in San Francisco isnt technically dead during the pandemic  its moved to farms, with additions like limo rides with Champagne, tours of farms and sunset views of Wine Country hills.

With the Bay Areas most elite dining rooms closed, restaurants have been offering luxe, elaborate meals on nearby farms in the hope of staying in business. San Francisco tasting-menu spot Avery picks diners up in limos, giving them snacks and Champagne until they arrive at a secret farm destination about an hour later. Three Michelin-starred restaurants Quince of San Francisco and SingleThread of Healdsburg are also offering farm dinners that might feature sitting in individual greenhouses or popping canapes under oak trees.

For Avery, the six-course meal  which costs $600 per person including wine tastings  is a way to do dinner service with an elegant vibe while keeping people employed, said chef and owner Rodney Wages.

This is an extreme, over-the-top experience, Wages said. People still want to sit down and eat, and its so horrible sitting outside in San Francisco trying to eat. Getting outside the city is the only option.

Joseph Weaver

One-off fine dining farm meals arent new  roving pop-up Outstanding in the Field is probably the most famous example, filling Instagram feeds with long tables in stunning outdoor settings. And owners of all three restaurants said theyd been contemplating the idea before the pandemic. But once it became clear that indoor dining wouldnt be allowed in the Bay Area for a long time, these restaurateurs decided now was the time to start heading to the farm, where staff and diners can easily spread out without the limits of urban settings.

The Avery on the Farm dinners, which ideally serve just one or two groups at a time, will continue for as long as the weather cooperates. SingleThreads $375 dinners at Kistler Vineyards Trenton Roadhouse in Sonoma County are scheduled through September but could get extended. The 10-course meals take place on the winerys patio surrounded by rolling hills of vines with beautiful sunset views  wine pairings heavily feature Kistlers Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs for an additional $300.

Quince plans to offer $350 four-hour lunch events at McEvoy Ranch in Petaluma and Fresh Run Farm in Bolinas, where diners sit in transparent greenhouses in the fields, through October. At the Fresh Run Farm events, about 30 diners start with a tour from third-generation farmer Peter Martinelli before harvesting their own summer squash that the chefs will prepare. The lunch itself lasts about two hours.

Its a way for customers to connect with the farm, Quinces owners say. That element translates to the meal, too. Photos of snacks arranged on shovels and pitchforks from Quinces lunches recently circulated on social media and drew some ire, similar to when Quince once plated a dish on an iPad. Michael said he hopes the farm tools draw laughs from diners, who also get to take them home with seed packets.

SingleThread

Theres already demand. Tickets for Quinces twice-a-week farm lunches are sold out for August, though future dates will become available on a rolling basis.

It makes people happy  its kind of like simpler times, said Lindsay Tusk, who owns Quince with her husband, Michael, of the tours and meals.

For the chefs, its inspiring to work so close to the ingredients, Michael Tusk said. Fresh Run Farm is a fully operational working farm, and the other events at McEvoy see more Mediterranean fare with freshly pressed olive oil, as well as eggplants and tomatoes that Fresh Run Farm grows in greenhouses there.

Theres another obvious reason to hold these events: To help the farms and other restaurant-adjacent industries. Avery dinners include car service in part because the limo company owner is a friend of Wages and has been struggling during the pandemic, at one point even driving food deliveries for Avery. Quince wanted to help Fresh Run Farm, which did not receive any federal aid related to the coronavirus.

A major objective is to keep the farm intact and keep the jobs intact and really provide what we think is not only a fun but a unique experience to a lot of Bay Area diners who really havent gone anywhere lately, said Michael Tusk, whose restaurant did receive federal aid through the Payment Protection Program.

Still, though theres demand for these luxe dinners, the restaurateurs arent banking on farm meals to be a sustainable future for fine dining in the Bay Area. Its more of a temporary solve to keep the business alive and to have employees working, or in Averys case, to even hire new people.

Food Guide Top 25 Restaurants Where to eat in the Bay Area. Find spots near you, create a dining wishlist, and more.

Because SingleThread was open for about a week for indoor dining before state restrictions forced it to close again in mid-July, moving meals outdoors allowed them to keep reservations that had already been booked.

I think they can be helpful and they can be rewarding, but its not a long-term solution, said chef Kyle Connaughton, who owns SingleThread with his wife, Katina. Doing things outdoors, its only as good for as long as the elements are in your favor.

SingleThread

Wages said such dinners are the best option until theres a coronavirus vaccine, and the Connaughtons are hoping indoor dining resumes before the winter, or theyll need to go back to takeout, which will require furloughing some staffers again.

Were really taking this day by day and learning to adapt to the times, Katina Connaughton said. Weve preserved through floods and fires and now this. Were learning a lot about ourselves and our means of creativity.

The Tusks are focused on one particular solution: the Restaurant Act, a bill that could provide $120 billion in relief for independent restaurants nationwide.

Restaurants are real linchpins not only for employment but for farmers, fisheries, ranchers, real estate.  Restaurants really do support communities, Lindsay Tusk said. If we can get that passed, restaurants will get to the other side. Without that, I think youre looking at an extinction event.

Janelle Bitker is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: janelle.bitker@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @janellebitker
SEOUL, South Korea South Korea reported 54 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday as health authorities scramble to stem transmissions amid increased social and leisure activities.

The figures announced by South Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention brought the national caseload to 14,714 infections, including 305 deaths.

The KCDC says 35 of the new cases were local transmissions, all but three of them reported from the densely populated Seoul metropolitan area, which has been at the center of a virus resurgence since late May.

The other 19 cases were linked to international arrivals. Health authorities see those as less threatening to the community since people arriving from abroad face mandatory tests and two-week quarantines.

In other developments in the Asia-Pacific region:

Health authorities in New Zealand were scrambling to trace the source of a new outbreak as the nations largest city went back into lockdown. The four cases reported from one Auckland household are New Zealands first locally transmitted cases in 102 days. The 22 others were in mandatory quarantine after traveling abroad. Two of the infected people had traveled to the tourist city of Rotorua last weekend while suffering symptoms, and authorities were trying to track their movements.

Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor
Iran dismantles five spy teams tied to foreign intel services : Intelligence Ministry

Iran Press TV

Tuesday, 11 August 2020 6:10 PM

Iranian intelligence forces have identified and arrested a number of spies linked to foreign espionage services.

The deputy head of the Intelligence Ministry's counter-espionage department announced on Tuesday that five teams of spies had been dismantled in the process, describing the arrests as the latest in a series of blows dealt to the "hegemonic system."

The official said foreign intelligence officers, using various complex methods, were attempting to spy on Iran's nuclear, political, economic, military and infrastructural projects.

They were operating under the auspices of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), Israeli spy agency Mossad and those of some European countries involved in recent espionage cases and intended to conduct acts of sabotage in Iran, intensify cruel sanctions against the country, prevent the Islamic Republic from acquiring modern know-how and damage Tehran's relations with friendly states, the official noted.

The official said those desperate attempts were thwarted thanks to the vigilance and intelligence command of the Iranian security forces.

The official delivered a warning to "those who have been deceived, traitors and covert and overt enemies of the Islamic Republic," emphasizing that they will not be immune from Iran's intelligence command in any location when it comes to the country's national security.

The Intelligence Ministry's official assured the Iranian nation that any enemy plot would be countered severely and rigidly.

Earlier on Tuesday, Judiciary Spokesman Gholamhossein Esmaili said five Iranian nationals were recently detained on charges of spying for Israel, Britain and Germany, adding that two of them have already been convicted.

In a stinging blow to Iran's enemies, the Iranian Intelligence Ministry said on August 1 that it had arrested Jamshid Sharmahd, the ringleader of the US-based Tondar terrorist group.

In a statement, the ministry said Iranian security forces had managed to arrest Sharmahd, who directed "armed operations and acts of sabotage" in Iran from the US.

Sharmahd was the mastermind of a 2008 terror attack that targeted the Seyyed al-Shohada mosque in the city of Shiraz, killing 14 people and wounding over 200 others.

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Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 12)  The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) said 424 students, whose schools adopted a pass all policy during the second semester, may lose their scholarship if they are not provided with numeric grades by Oct. 30.

These students, who are under the CHED Merit Scholarship Program (CMSP), are evaluated based on their academic performance, the commission said.

To be eligible for the grant, CMSP scholars are required to maintain a general weighted average of at least 85 percent or its equivalent if they are a full scholar, or 80 percent or its equivalent if a half scholar.

If the HEIs (higher education institutions) will not give them numeric grades, what will be the basis to determine if the students will get financial assistance from the government? CHED chairman Prospero De Vera III said.

According to the commission, there are 17 schools with CMSP scholars and grantees which have adopted a pass all policy:

1. Saint Marys University

2. Bataan Heroes Memorial College

3. De La Salle University  Dasmarinas

4. STI College Rosario

5. University of the Philippines Los Banos

6. Cavite State University

7. Mary Help of Christians College-Salesians Sisters Inc.

8. Ateneo de Naga University

9. Partido College

10. Pili Capital College, Inc.

11. Bicol State College of Applied Sciences and Technology

12. University of the Philippines-Visayas

13. Mindanao State University - Iligan Institute of Technology

14. Mindanao State University- Naawan

15. Polytechnic University of the Philippines - Sta. Mesa, Manila

16. University of Baguio

17. Mindanao State University  Marawi

I made it very clear in CHED announcements that while the grading system of HEIs are determined and exercised by individual HEIs in the exercise of their academic freedom, any decision to adopt a pass all policy must ensure that the interests of individual students are not compromised," De Vera said.

The commission said it has already asked the presidents of the 17 HEIs to give the 424 scholars and grantees numeric grades by Oct. 30, otherwise they will lose their scholarships and may need to stop schooling.

In light of the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic, a number of schools nationwide decided to give students an automatic passing mark during the second semester of the previous academic year.

Among the reasons behind the decision is the disparity in access to gadgets and internet among students, which put others at a disadvantage when it comes to fulfilling academic requirements amid the lockdown.
Retaliation measures enforced by the Chinese government in response to US provocations are overwhelmingly supported by the public, and increasingly more Chinese people disfavor the US amid the recent spate of unprecedented tensions since the two countries established diplomatic ties in the late 1970s, a survey showed on Monday.

The Global Times created on Monday an online survey on its Chinese website and social media networks regarding current China-US relations. The number of participants in the survey has been recorded at 146,196 by Tuesday afternoon. The survey included six questions covering judgments of US intentions to provoke China and the approaches that the country should adopt to retaliate against the US, as well as general thoughts about the US from the perspective of a Chinese.

The survey results show that most Chinese netizens believe that the most recent sanctions implemented by the Trump administration against several Chinese officials due to the national security law for Hong Kong are only just bluffing to serve the US presidential election campaign and almost no one believes such moves are about democracy or freedom.

The US imposed sanctions on 11 officials on Friday, including Carrie Lam, chief executive of the HKSAR; Luo Huining, director of the central government's liaison office in the HKSAR; and Xia Baolong, director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council. China on Monday retaliated in sanctioning 11 US politicians and heads of US NGOs who were involved in damaging China's national security in Hong Kong.
Kamala Harris has just made history, and her 'history' is now making news. Democratic candidate, Joe Biden named the California Senator as his running mate on Tuesday. While simultaneously being called the first Black woman to compete on a major party's presidential ticket, her Indian heritage is also being talked about.

Harris has both African and Indian roots, with her mixed parentage. Her father, Dr Donald Harris emigrated from Jamaica, and her mother Dr Shyamala Gopalan, after graduating in home science in Delhi, went to America for higher studies with a scholarship.

Her mother's younger sister, and Harris' aunt, Dr Sarala Gopalan, told CNN-News18 that the entire family was ecstatic after the good news reached them.

"The entire family is so thrilled and happy after we heard the news. A friend of mine in the United States gave us the message at 4 am in the morning, and we have been up, since then," Gopalan said.

Asked about how she remembered Kamala as a child, Gopalan said that she was a very nice, kind and affectionate person, adding that she was speaking this despite the fact that Harris was her niece.

"If I send her a message right now saying Kamala I need you, the next day she will be there. She is very caring and kind to people, and that's what I like about her most," Gopalan said.

She added that she had not yet spoken to Harris till then, citing how "busy" the vice presidential candidate might be at the moment.

Kamala Harris, in a 2009 interview to Aziz Haniffa, which discussed her campaign for California attorney general, talked about her Indian identity.

"My mother was very proud of her Indian heritage and taught us, me and my sister Maya, to share in the pride about our culture. We used to go back to India every couple of years. One of the most influential people in my life, in addition to my mother, was my grandfather P V Gopalan, who actually held a post in India that was like the secretary of state position in this country," Harris had said.

She recalled walking along the beach with him after he retired and lived in Besant Nagar, Chennai. "He would take walks every morning along the beach with his buddies who were all retired government officials and they would talk about politics, about how corruption must be fought and about justice," she had said, adding that it was those conversations, which had such a strong bearing on her learning to be responsible, honest and to have integrity.
NEW HAVEN  The Yale Center for Clinical Investigation is shepherding the local phase III trials of a COVID-19 vaccine in development by Pfizer.

We will begin to enroll patients through the YCCI, which is intended to assess whether or not the vaccine works to prevent the disease, Dr. Tom Balcezak, chief medical officer at Yale New Haven Hospital, announced at a Zoom press conference with Yale New Haven Hospital officials.

The total randomized study will involved 30,000 patients across the country.

Pfizer has been working with a German company, BioNTech. The trial subjects will come from 39 states in the United States, and from Brazil, Argentina and Germany, according to the New York Times.

The U.S. government recently accounced that it will pay $1.95 billion deal for 100 million does of Pfizers vaccine, if it is effective.

The goal, according to the New York Times, is to see if significantly fewer vaccinated people contract Covid-19, to determine whether the vaccine can prevent the illness.

The Yale officials, which started holding regular press conferences at the start of the pandemic in March, touched on a number of issues related to the coronavirus, but also announced the promotion of Christopher OConnor to president of the Yale New Haven Health System, effective at the beginning of October.

A native of New Haven, OConnor began his interest in hospital work as an orderly at the Hospital of Saint Raphael before getting his degrees in hospital administration at George Washington University and rising through the ranks at hospitals in Boston and New Orleans.

He came back to New Haven as CEO of Saint Raphaels and led the merger of that institution with Yale New Haven Hospital. OConnor has been the executive vice-president and chief operating officer for the Yale New Haven Health System since 2012.

Chris is an extraordinary person who is widely recognized for his leadership skills and strategic insights, Marna Borgstrom, president and CEO of the Yale New Haven Health System said in announcing his appointment.

Chris truly is a courageous leader who effectively worked himself out of a job at Saint Raphaels doing what was right for that organization, its staff and its patients. It was a privilege to be able to attract him to Yale New Haven when the acquisition was complete, Borgstrom said.

Also at the press conference, officials answered questions on Multi- Systems Inflammatory Syndrome, which manifests in some children who contract COVID-19.

Balcezak said 40 cases have been treated at the hospital, with the last one discharged last week. All of them have done well, he said.

He was asked what level of concern parents should have about their children contracting COVID-19 now that schools are opening.

He said there is no immunity in any age group with respect to COVID-19, but children dont have the same mortality as the elderly and the danger is having them bring the disease back to their parents and grandparents.

The American Academy of Pediatrics and Childrens Hospital Association found that 97,000 children in the U.S. tested positive for the novel coronavirus in the last two weeks in July.

Balcezak said he was not surprised by the study because doctors always knew it could spread. He said there continues to be some shortages of testing across the country and the testing is being conducted mainly on people who have severe symptoms.

There is probably a bias to testing fewer children than have had sniffles or coughs or fevers. Those are common symptoms in children and they may not have gotten tested with the frequency that older adults who have similar symptoms may have been tested, Balcezk said.

A far as its impact of school reopenings, Balcezak said they present the same challenges as any large group gatherings.

The hospital administrator said there is the possibility of spread, but that has to balanced with other factors.

Balcezak said a lot of children across the United States get meals in schools and it is an important place for socialization. He said a lack of schooling can affect their normal growth and development and socialization.

He said there are a number of guidelines in each state that help the local school officials on how to open schools safely.

.

Prior to being named president and CEO of the Hospital of Saint Raphael in 2009, OConnor served as president of Caritas St. Elizabeths Medical Center in Boston. Before that, he was vice president of clinical operations for Ochsner Clinic Foundation in New Orleans, La., where his leadership successfully guided that organization though the devastation of Hurricane Katrina.

I am humbled by the opportunity to take on this leadership role, working directly with some of the most talented people in health care, said OConnor. There is so much opportunity ahead of us and I appreciate the faith that Marna and the Board have shown in me to get the job done.

OConnor will be working directly with colleagues from each the Health Systems Delivery Networks, as well as the Yale School of Medicine to advance high quality care throughout the region.

The board of trustees has worked closely with Marna Borgstrom to find the best and most qualified person to take on the leadership of YNHHS. We have found that person in Chris OConnor, said Vince Calarco, chairman of YNHHS. I have worked with Chris for many years and know how talented he is and how much his leadership will mean to the continued success of the Health System. He is the right person at the right time for Yale New Haven Health.

As chief operating officer for Yale New Haven Health, OConnor has led a number of critical initiatives involving the Health Systems growth, including the affiliation with Lawrence + Memorial Hospital in 2016 and the acquisition of Milford Hospital by Bridgeport Hospital in 2019. OConnor also serves on the boards of Greenwich Hospital and Northeast Medical Group; and previously served on the Lawrence + Memorial Health Board.

OConnor is a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives and serves as vice chairman of the Connecticut Hospital Association. OConnor recently served as president of the board of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation of Connecticut and Western Massachusetts.

mary.oleary@hearstmediact.com; 203-641-2577
By Kelly Johnston

Times Guest Columnist

Vote by mail is the latest mantra from a great many Democrats and even Republicans such as U.S. Sen. and former presidential candidate Mitt Romney, R-Utah.

A few states, including Oregon and Colorado, appear to have successfully implemented elected mandatory vote by mail systems.

This is not to be confused with absentee ballots or early voting, which nearly every other state implements. With absentee voting, an active, registered voter requests a ballot to be mailed to their home. They cast their ballot, follow all the instructions, and place it in the mail or deliver it in person. You must sign the outside of the envelope (not the ballot, obviously) so your signature can be compared to the one on file.

With Vote By Mail, election officials just mail the ballot to the address on file, whether you asked for the ballot or not, or even whether you live at that address. There are plenty of stories about people receiving multiple ballots at their homes. In addition, based on data from the Federal Election Assistance Commission, that 16 million mail-in ballots that went missing in the last two elections.

Here is the reality  most states do a terrible job of keeping their voter rolls up to date. The 1993 Voter Registration Act requires states to take certain measures to make sure ineligible voters  people who have died, relocated, or are otherwise ineligible  are removed, along with those who havent voted in two consecutive elections and failed to respond to mail requests to confirm their voting address. Those with active drivers licenses generally cannot be removed from voter rolls.

Take, for example, Los Angeles County, Calif., home to millions of voters. They let their rolls become so polluted with ineligible voters that Judicial Watch, conservative legal watchdog organization, filed suit. The county agreed to remove 1.5 million inactive voters from their roles, consistent with federal law.

And let us not diminish media reports from Chicago, Philadelphia, Denver, and other cities with scores of dead people who have been voting from the grave for years, if not decades. It reminds me of these famous words from something the late governor of New Jersey, Democrat Brendan Byrne, once said: I want to be buried in Hudson County so that I can remain active in politics.

California also permits something that most states, including Pennsylvania, have outlawed  ballot harvesting. A congressional election was overturned in North Carolinas 9th Congressional district in 2016 when a sleazy political consultant, McCrae Dowless, who had worked for both parties in previous years engaged in illegal ballot harvesting on behalf of his GOP client, Mark Harris. That means someone can legally collect ballots and turn them into local election officials on behalf of voters. California Democrats legalized it in time for the 2018 elections and used it to help defeat at least five GOP Members of Congress.

Ballot harvesting is an invitation to voter fraud and disenfranchisement. A ballot delivered to your home today can arrive at the same time as someone who just happens to show up at your door and offers to collect your ballot and return it to election officials and wait while you cast your ballot. Or maybe answer questions, or help you pick the right candidates. Or maybe just throw away your ballot if you are suspected as voting wrong.

But this is not a concern of just Republicans. The Philadelphia Inquirer recently reported on residents in heavily Democratic Philadelphia are not receiving their mail. Or having their mail picked up.

Delaware County, much of Pennsylvania and New York took weeks to count votes from recent primary elections due to the 1) closing of some polling locations and 2) a bigger-than-expected volume of votes by mail. And one New York congressional primary remains undecided with some 12,000 absentee ballots having been rejected.

I will be voting in person this Nov. 3. So should you. There is no evidence, says the Centers for Disease Control, that voting in person (at least in Wisconsin) causes spikes in COVID inspections.

Bottom line: Vote by mail will erode confidence in our election and is an invitation to disaster.

Kelly D. Johnston is a former Secretary of the US Senate. He was nominated to the Federal Election Commission in 1996. He is an Edgmont resident, and be contacted at kston@aol.com.
LOS ANGELES, Aug. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) today announced the launch of the company's Restaurant Recovery Program, which aims to assist Black-owned restaurants in both Los Angeles County and the Inland Empire that have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The program will be administered by the Vermont Slauson Economic Development Corporation (VSEDC), a community-based organization that provides economic opportunities for prosperity by infusing resources into neighborhoods that need support the most. The Restaurant Recovery Program was announced in conjunction with Los Angeles Black Restaurant Week, of which SoCalGas is a proud sponsor. Black Restaurant Week is part of a larger, ongoing effort to support Black-owned businesses in the Los Angeles area.

"Black restaurant owners suffer disproportionately from the ills of this pandemic," said VSEDC's President & CEO Joseph T. Rouzan III. "This critical infusion of capital allows restaurateurs to make vital upgrades to help stay afloat during these challenging times."

"As our nation faces the negative economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is critical to support business owners in the communities we serve. The Restaurant Recovery Program will provide some relief to Black-owned restaurant owners struggling during this time," said Trisha Muse, director of community relations at SoCalGas. "We are also pleased to support Black Restaurant Week Los Angeles. This is a wonderful way to celebrate and support Black-owned businesses in our community and we look forward to participating."

Awarded to restaurants including Watts Coffee House, Hot and Cool Cafe, Post and Beam, and Pip's on La Brea, the grants range from $1,000 to $5,000 and can be used for payroll assistance, sanitizing and personal protective equipment, plexiglass, energy efficiency upgrades or repairs, energy audits and more. The Restaurant Recovery Program runs through the end of the year or until funds are depleted.

"It is with warm appreciation that 27th Street Bakery would like to thank Southern California Gas Company for their generous grant offering," said Jeanette Bolden-Pickens, owner of 27th Street Bakery. "As a family owned business serving the community since 1956, this grant will have an immediate impact. Your generosity will help us to purchase shrink wrap equipment which will help create a healthier environment in this time of COVID-19. We appreciate Southern California Gas Company and VSEDC for their efforts in keeping 27th Street Bakery a 'sweet' spot in the local community."

"VSEDC has been fundamental to the economic navigation in South LA," said John Cleveland, owner of Post and Beam. "We are grateful for the opportunity to meet the challenge of supporting and uplifting our community. Post & Beam plays a significant role in the South Los Angeles community that we intend to uphold. It has been a challenge to prepare for a safe and sustainable outdoor dining environment. We intend to use the funds provided by the SoCalGas/VSEDC recovery grant to provide this much needed experience to our community."

SoCalGas announced the program in conjunction with Black Restaurant Week in Los Angeles, August 7-16. SoCalGas is the presenting sponsor of the week-long event. The company will participate in the Aroma Culinary Panel Discussion by way of VSEDC's President and CEO, Joe Rouzan on August 18.

"In these uncertain times we want to give small businesses an economic boost while raising their visibility in the greater Los Angeles area. They have been a part of the local fabric of this city and it is important that they have a platform to continue to succeed," said Warren Luckett, founder of Black Restaurant Week.

Founded in 2016, Black Restaurant Week is dedicated to celebrating the flavors of African-American, African, and Caribbean cuisine nationwide. Through a series of events and promotional campaigns, Black Restaurant Week's culinary initiatives help introduce culinary businesses and culinary professionals to the community.

Ninety-six percent of professional chefs prefer natural gas for safe, reliable and cost-efficient operations. As California aims to become carbon neutral by 2045, SoCalGas will continue to provide, reliable, affordable and increasingly renewable gas to business owners and residents alike. Last year, SoCalGas announced its vision to become the cleanest gas utility in North America, delivering affordable and increasingly renewable energy to its customers. The utility has set goal of replacing 20% of the gas it supplies to residential and most commercial customers with renewable natural gas (RNG) by 2030. SoCalGas is also pursuing research into renewable hydrogen.

SoCalGas COVID-19 Response

SoCalGas has donated more than $2.5 million to nonprofit organizations for COVID-19 recovery efforts, including supporting the region's workforce, feeding the hungry, providing bill assistance to customers, and more.

Together, the Sempra Energy family of companies  including SoCalGas's sister California utility San Diego Gas and Electric, and the Sempra Energy Foundation  have donated more than $12.5 million to those in need during this crisis.

For more information on SoCalGas's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, please visit www.socalgas.com/coronavirus.

About Black Restaurant Week

Black Restaurant Week LLC is an annual, multi-city culinary movement celebrating the flavors of African, African-American and Caribbean cuisine nationwide. Black Restaurant Week partners with black-owned restaurants, chefs, caterers and food trucks to host a selection of culinary experiences aimed to expand awareness and increase support for black culinary professionals. The organization was founded in 2016 by entrepreneurs Warren Luckett, Falayn Ferrell and Derek Robinson. Connect with Black Restaurant Week on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram.

About VSEDC

For nearly four decades, VSEDC has facilitated community development of the South Los Angeles area by providing programs that revitalize the physical, economic, and social life of the community. A newly-designated Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI), VSEDC has developed and implemented a comprehensive approach to community economic development that includes business development, access to capital, technical assistance and training, residential housing, commercial, and industrial development.

About SoCalGas

Headquartered in Los Angeles, SoCalGas is the largest gas distribution utility in the United States. SoCalGas delivers affordable, reliable, clean and increasingly renewable gas service to 21.8 million customers across 24,000 square miles of Central and Southern California, where more than 90 percent of residents use natural gas for heating, hot water, cooking, drying clothes or other uses. Gas delivered through the company's pipelines also plays a key role in providing electricity to Californians about 45 percent of electric power generated in the state comes from gas-fired power plants. SoCalGas's vision is to be the cleanest gas utility in North America, delivering affordable and increasingly renewable energy to its customers. In support of that vision, SoCalGas is committed to replacing 20 percent of its traditional natural gas supply with renewable natural gas (RNG) by 2030. Renewable natural gas is made from waste created by dairy farms, landfills and wastewater treatment plants. SoCalGas is also committed to investing in its gas delivery infrastructure while keeping bills affordable for our customers. From 2014 through 2018, the company invested nearly $6.5 billion to upgrade and modernize its pipeline system to enhance safety and reliability. SoCalGas is a subsidiary of Sempra Energy (NYSE: SRE), an energy services holding company based in San Diego. For more information visit socalgas.com/newsroom or connect with SoCalGas on Twitter (@SoCalGas), Instagram (@SoCalGas) and Facebook.

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A window is shattered at a Timberland store along Michigan Avenue in Chicago, Ill., after it was looted on Aug. 10, 2020. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Some Chicagoans Call for More Policing After Looting

CHICAGOSeth Glass, a young financial professional, saw the looting on the night of Aug. 9 from his high-rise condo in downtown Chicago.

He saw individuals break store windows along the Magnificent Mile, an upscale shopping district. They carried bags full of merchandise and drove off. The looting by hundreds of people in Chicago was sparked when police shot and wounded Latrell Allen, 20, on the South Side of the city, police said.

It was scary when you saw it, Glass told The Epoch Times. For him, the memory of the June looting following the death of George Floyd was still fresh. After the June looting, he became more fearful for his safety.

He got into the habit of taking off his nice watches or jewelry before heading out of his condo at night.

I dont want to be a target, I dont want to stick out or have a bunch of nice things on, because its more likely to get robbed, Glass said. I feel like there needs to be more police actively patrolling, especially in the city right now. Thats something we dont see enough of.



He doesnt think the police presence was strong enough to stop the recent looting. Officers made about 100 arrests related to the looting, and 13 officers were injured.

Seth Glass, a local resident, stands in downtown Chicago, on Aug. 11, 2020. (Cara Ding/The Epoch Times)

Alia Abourass, who lives in the suburbs, visits her son downtown often; she also says she would like to see a stronger police presence.

I love downtown, Abourass said. I hope the police would not even give them one chance to do this. The police should be here covering the area all the time.

Michael Lawry, another downtown resident, thinks Mayor Lori Lightfoot keeps the police from proactively doing their jobs.

She allowed the first set of riots to happen, he told The Epoch Times.

He says that back in June, when there was looting as well, Lightfoot should have confined people who were protesting Floyds death to Grant Park downtown and had police block them from getting near the shops.

Theyre trying to turn this into some form of socialist hell, he said, regarding people reacting to officer-involved shootings with looting; he said they need to be restrained.

If you dont check the force, it will just keep on going.

Lawry said he and many other residents he knows in the downtown area are thinking about moving. He grew up on the South Side of Chicago, and moved downtown to get away from the violence in that area at the age of 16.

You know these rioters, what their problems are? They didnt grow up in my house. My mom was a big fan of spare the rod, spoil the child, and my grandfather believes in order in the house, Lawry said.

Michael Lawry, a local resident, stands in downtown Chicago, on Aug. 11, 2020. (Cara Ding/The Epoch Times)

Kathy, who declined to disclose her last name, walked along Magnificent Mile on the morning of Aug. 11 to see the damage herself. Shes been a Chicago resident for 32 years and now lives in Lincoln Park, an upscale neighborhood north of downtown.

I took a walk today just to see how horrible it is. And it almost brings tears to my eyes, she said. How did we come to this?

Its getting out of control, Kathy said. She said of Lightfoot: Its like her pride that she can handle it. And she is not handling it. If this turns into Portland [Oregon], its a shame.

Get the National Guard in here before it gets worse, Kathy said.
Officials and organizations around the Bay Area celebrated the news Tuesday that Democratic presidential nominee and former Vice President Joe Biden has selected U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris, former San Francisco district attorney and California attorney general, to be his running mate as vice president.

"This moment is long overdue. For far too long, we have undervalued Black women's political power and their role in shaping our culture, communities, and country," the San Jose/Silicon Valley chapter of the NAACP said in a news release.

"The selection of Sen. Harris as a vice-presidential candidate on a major party ticket is the culmination of the tireless work of Shirley Chisolm, Charlene Mitchell, Sojourner Truth, Rosa Parks, Fannie Lou Hamer, Barbara Jordan, Ida B. Wells, and Myrlie Evers in their fight for representation and equality," the organization said. "Their sacrifices, told and untold, made it possible for Sen. Harris to make political history today. Regardless of party affiliation, every American should be proud that this milestone was finally reached."

Alameda County District Attorney Nancy O'Malley said in a statement that Harris "is a strong woman of color and one with tremendous experience, as an attorney, as the top executive of a major government agency in the largest state in America, and as an effective and impactful member of the Senate, assigned to key committees."

O'Malley noted that Harris "started her legal career in the Alameda County District Attorney's Office and has soared ever since. Senator Harris is a hometown hero who has earned every accolade said about her."

Berkeley Jesse Arreguin noted on Twitter that "US. Sen. Harris was raised in Berkeley, went to Berkeley schools, and is a fierce advocate for Berkeley," saying he is "very excited" by the selection by Biden, who will face President Donald Trump, a Republican, in the November election.

"We could not be prouder of having U.S. Senator Kamala Harris, who is a product of California public schools, as Joe Biden's vice president pick," said E. Toby Boyd, president of the California Teachers Association, headquartered in Burlingame.

"As the first Black woman and Asian American woman on a major party ticket, the selection of Harris sends a much-needed message of unity to our country," Boyd said. "Harris' proven track record of being a champion for all students, educators and workers is reassuring in a time of unprecedented unemployment rates and social unrest."

Harris was elected in 2003 to serve as San Francisco's district attorney and state voters elected her as California's attorney general in 2010 and again in 2014.

She was the first Black woman to serve as the California's top prosecutor.

In 2016, she was elected to the Senate and last year ran for the presidential nomination before bowing out later in the year.

Harris is from Oakland and has known Mayor Libby Schaaf for at least 24 years, well before Schaaf endorsed Harris in her bid last year for the Democratic nomination.

Schaaf tweeted Tuesday afternoon, "Hella Proud. Our country needs this fierce + compassionate woman in the White House."

In the 1990s, Harris was a prosecutor in the Alameda County District Attorney's Office where she worked on child sexual assault cases.

As San Francisco's district attorney, she launched a program that gave first-time drug offenders second chances. Offenders were given the chance to earn a high school diploma and find work.

Harris was the first Black woman to be elected to that job. She would be the first Black woman to be U.S. vice president if she and Biden are elected in November.

Her father is Jamaican, and her mother is from India.

Harris is married and the stepmother to two children. She graduated from Howard University and the University of California Hastings College of Law, where she earned her law degree.

Copyright  2020 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited.
- Government introduces new allowance for teachers

- According to the Minister of Education, the teachers will receive between GHC600 and GHC1,200

- The new allowance is called Professional Teacher Allowance

- Our manifesto: This is what YEN.com.gh believes in

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) government has introduced a new yearly allowance for teachers.

This was revealed in parliament by Education Minister, Dr. Mathew Opoku Prempeh on Tuesday, August 11, 2020.

The Manhyia MP told the House that the new yearly allowance for teachers will be called the Professional Teacher Allowance.

Education Minister, Dr. Mathew Opoku Prempeh (M). Source: Facebook/Education Minister

Source: Facebook

READ ALSO: How Prof Ahwoi and others stopped Rawlings from executing Ghanaians

He explained to the House that professional teachers will take home GHC1,200 and non-professional teachers will receive GHC600.

Dr. Opoku Prempeh added that the money is supposed to support teachers when they want to acquire new skills and upgrade themselves.

In an interview on Citi FM, the President of the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), Mr. Angel Carbonu, opined that the initiative is captured in the teachers' conditions of service benefit.

It is very welcome to us. It is part of the negotiated conditions of service that we are about to sign with the Ministry [of Education] and the Ghana Education Service, he said confirmed.

The minister indicated that the new allowance scheme is expected to be signed in two weeks' time.

READ ALSO: NPP vs NDC: John Boadu is a lunatic who speaks gibberish all the time - Asiedu Nketia

YEN.com.gh earlier reported that the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has raised some questions about the stinking PDS scandal that hit Ghana in march 2019.

At a press conference held in Accra on Monday, August 10, 2020, the National Communication Officer of the NDC, Sammy Gyamfi, said the next NDC/John Mahama government will bring to book all persons involved in the PDS scandal.

University of Ghana's most brilliant student; April Amanda Nutakor | #Yencomgh

READ ALSO: Akufo-Addo has lost control of NPP - Mahama

Have national and human interest issues to discuss? Know someone who is extremely talented and needs recognition?

Your stories and photos are always welcome. Get interactive via our Facebook page!

Source: YEN.com.gh
Last year saw a record number of environmental activists murdered while trying to protect the environment, according to a report published Wednesday by British NGO Global Witness.

At least 212 people who defended the environment were killed in 2019, the Global Witness report said  an average of four murders per week. The dead ranged from environment activists to members of indigenous tribes to farmers trying to defend their livelihood from exploitation. The previous record  at least 207 deaths in 2017  was similarly shocking.

However, Global Witness wrote that its figures are almost certainly an underestimate, largely because of reporting challenges including restrictions on a free press.

Once again, around two-thirds of the people killed were in Latin America. The situation is especially worrying in Colombia  which has the highest number of environmental defenders murdered, with at least 64, more than double the figure in 2018. Fourteen of these murders were linked to the illegal substitution of coca crops, Global Witness pointed out.

Colombia is still scarred by armed conflicts, observed Marie-Emilie Forget, a lecturer in geography at the University of Savoie in southeastern France. Paramilitary groups are still trying to steal resources in the countryside, despite the peace deal that famously ended the conflict with FARC.

The Philippines comes in second, with at least 43 murders of environmental defenders in 2019. Most of them were perpetrated in the islands of Mindanao and Negros, both of which are rich in natural resources.

The situation is also deteriorating in Honduras. There were at least 14 murders related to the environment in the country in 2019  compared to four the previous year. That makes Honduras the nation with the highest international rate of environmental murders per capita.

Criminalised for trying to protect the environment

Brazil  where President Jair Bolsonaros insouciance towards the Amazon has repeatedly caused outpourings of despair throughout the world  is another cause for concern. Global Witness recorded 24 murders on Brazilian territory, around 90 percent of which were in the Amazon. Most of these victims were fighting against deforestation  notably as a consequence of major agricultural and mining projects. These people are criminalised for trying to protect the environment, Forget said. By opposing, for example, a mining project, theyre going against the will of the state and are thus considered to be acting almost like terrorists.

Story continues

A climate of tension and violence is engendered by the development of mines and its repercussions on the health of families living nearby. Overall, opposition to mining projects was the most important reason cited for the murder of environmental activists in 2019. Following that was the agricultural industry, with at least 34 people killed in disputes connected to this domain  with killings related to the installation of palm oil, sugar and tropical fruit farms a particular problem, especially in Asia.

Across the globe, 40 percent of those murdered were members of indigenous communities trying to defend their cultures  even though they comprise just five percent of the population. Indigenous people are claiming ancestral lands, but they dont always have property rights, Forget said. Then theres a power struggle between the state and these communities who have very little means to make their voices heard within their country, she continued. Its thanks to the support of NGOs that their struggles are better known abroad.

People trying to defend their land

As well as indigenous peoples, many farmers have also been killed trying to defend their livelihoods. You can imagine environmental activism coalescing around this idea of defenders of the environment, but it should also be said that in many cases these are just people trying to defend their land so they can live and eat, Forget said.

The Global Witness report also exposes an alarming culture of impunity for those responsible for environmental killings  pointing out that 89 percent of murders do not lead to a conviction. Political pressure on the police is a factor hindering investigative work. In Brazil, for example, the police are poorly paid, easily corruptible and often threatened or intimdated, geographer Herve Thery told FRANCE 24 last year.

As the public clamour to halt the degradation of the environment grows, governments around the world have been taking a wave of measures to close down the space for peaceful protest, the Global Witness report said. They are deploying tactics ranging from smear campaigns to spurious criminal charges to silence those that are standing up for the climate and humanitys survival.

Many people in the developed world are hopeful that a greener world will emerge after the coronavirus crisis  a pandemic that has highlighted the deadly risks involved in humans encroaching onto wildlife, while necessitating lockdowns that displayed the benefits of cities free from pollution. However, Global Witness argued that the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown have intensified the problems land and environmental defenders face.

This is because governments around the world  from the US to Brazil and Colombia to the Philippines  have used the crisis to strengthen draconian measures to control citizens and roll back hard-fought environmental regulations.

This article was adapted from the original in French.
BRISTOL TOWNSHIP, Pa.  A Bucks County man has been arrested and charged with distribution of child pornography following a federal sting operation.

Patrick Shaknitz, 29, of the Croydon section of Bristol Township, is accused of sharing kiddie porn with various parties over the internet, including undercover federal agents.

As alleged in the complaint, Shaknitz is a depraved abuser of children who multiplied the impact of that abuse by sharing images of it over the Internet, U.S. Attorney William McSwain of Philadelphia said Tuesday in a press statement. These children will have to deal with the impact of this abuse for the rest of their lives. We can never make them fully whole again, but we can bring them some measure of justice by investigating and prosecuting the people responsible for stealing their innocence.

Shaknitz is accused of sharing videos and images depicting child porn. One such video depicts an adult female in a dark blue face mask molesting a minor child, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office in Philadelphia.

Beginning in November 2019, undercover federal agents exchanged private messages with a user identified as intoeverything1991, who distributed images and videos containing child pornography, according to the feds.

During chats with the agents, the same user described in explicit detail how he abused other children, federal authorities said Tuesday in a news release. Subpoenas issued for intoeverything1991 revealed an IP address and other identifying information allegedly belonging to Shaknitz.

Shaknitz, whose date of birth is Aug. 10, 1991, was already in legal hot water with a pre-existing drug case before getting re-arrested on or about his 29th birthday.

Records show the Pennsylvania man has a pending case in Bucks County Common Pleas Court on allegations he had possessed and intended to distribute controlled substances earlier this year. Upper Southampton Police arrested him April 30, and he was later released from custody on $10,000 unsecured bail.

But the Bucks County District Attorneys Office on Monday filed a motion to revoke Shaknitzs bail in light of the explosive federal allegations against him, according to court records.

The feds have charged Shaknitz by complaint with one count each of distribution and attempted distribution of child pornography.

The distribution of child pornography results in the continued sexual exploitation of innocent children, Michael J. Driscoll, special agent in charge of the FBIs Philadelphia Division, said Tuesday in a press statement. Thats what pushes the FBI to keep investigating these disturbing but important cases. Protecting kids is paramount, and well never give up that fight.

Shaknitz would be legally required to serve five to 20 years behind bars if convicted, authorities said, adding he would also be subjected to a lifetime of supervised release and a potential $250,000 fine.

The case is being investigated by the FBI and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathryn Deal.
NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / August 12, 2020 / ???There has been no shortage of innovation in the era of COVID-19, as hundreds of medical manufacturers have developed unique products for consumers looking to slow the transmission potential of the virus. Newswire's Market Builder is a strategic tool for CEOs and CMOs seeking omni-channel digital marketing solutions for product promotion campaigns and lowering costs per customer acquisition. The comprehensive approach to media and marketing communications strategy strengthens trust with prospective and existing customers to enhance the overall reach of new product launches.

According to an article published by the Harvard Business School, medical institutions have developed and implemented new products and technologies that specialize in mitigating contagion risk. Examples of such products include robotic delivery and maintenance systems, drone programs that distribute disinfectant, and smart helmets that can identify individuals with fever within a five-meter radius. As businesses ranging from small medical firms to publicly traded corporations continue to innovate in an effort to provide solutions to consumer struggles, Newswire's Market Builder offers a proven system designed to enhance thought leadership and brand awareness. By doing so, brands can capture more mindshare to compete and win through increased sales and profits.

"The Market Builder is a program that elevates brand awareness through strong messaging and effective outreach," said Erik Rohrmann, Newswire's Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. "Our team of Earned Media Advantage Strategists works to position our customers as subject matter experts to demonstrate their deep understanding of their industry and vertical. This helps establish our customers as authoritative information resources in their respective industries."

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Newswire's Earned Media Advantage Guided Tour Market Builder provides integrated media and marketing communications programs aimed to support business growth by increasing site traffic, qualified leads, and lower the cost of new account acquisition. By driving qualified leads that can be converted to sales, medical companies can get ahead of the COVID-19 rush as consumer demand for vaccines and personal protective equipment increases. In addition to the Market Builder, Newswire's Sales Accelerator add-on to the program can help shorten the time to engage with new leads at scale and generate market interest from prospective customers.

Learn how Newswire's Earned Media Advantage Guided Tour Market Builder can help your brand get ahead of consumer trends with impactful campaigns for product launches and more.

About Newswire?

Newswire delivers press release and multimedia distribution software and services (SaaS) that empower the Earned Media Advantage: greater brand awareness, increased traffic, greater return on media and marketing communications spend and the competitive edge. With over a decade of experience, Newswire continues to provide its customers with the ability to deliver the right message to the right audience at the right time through the right medium.?

To learn more about how Newswire can help you, visit http://www.newswire.com.

Contact Information:

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VP of Earned Media Advantage Business

Newswire

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Cyntoia Brown Long, who was sentenced to life in prison for murdering a man who bought her for sex when she was just 16, has opened up on her life as a free woman, one year after her release.

The 32-year-old former convict turned criminal justice reform advocate celebrated one year of freedom in an Instagram post last week, after she was granted clemency last January.

'August 7th last year, at this time, I was walking out of prison. It feels incredible celebrating one year of freedom! God is SO good!!! Thank you everyone for all of the prayers, love, and support', she said in an Instagram post on Friday.

Brown was convicted of first-degree murder in 2006 for fatally shooting real estate agent Johnny Allen, whom she claimed had picked her up at a restaurant in Nashville when she was a minor so he could have sex with her.

One year later: Cyntoia Brown Long opened up on her life as a free woman in an interview with NBC DFW last week

The 32-year-old celebrated one year of freedom on Friday, after she was released from a Tennessee prison last August following a clemency grant by then-Governor Bill Haslam

Brown (pictured in 2018) was convicted of first-degree murder in 2006, for fatally shooting real estate agent Johnny Allen, whom she claimed paid to have sex with her when she was 16

She walked out of Tennessee Prison for Women last August after serving 15 years of her life sentence, following a clemency grant by then-Governor Bill Haslam.

Her case had received national media attention in 2017 after celebrities including Kim Kardashian and Rihanna rallied for her release.

In an interview with NBCDFW last week, Brown opened up on her journey from convicted murderer to advocate for sex trafficking victims and criminal justice reform.

'As you can imagine there was quite a journey that stemmed from that [conviction], ... fighting not only for my freedom but for my sanity,' she told the news station.

'To get back what was taken from me all those years ago. My self-esteem, my sense of worth, my sense of purpose.'

Brown has since been focused on helping those who may be at risk of exploitation through her Christian-based charity, The Foundation for Justice, Freedom, and Mercy.

Brown's case received national media attention in 2017 after celebrities including Kim Kardashian and Rihanna rallied for her release. She has maintained she shot Allen (right) because she feared for her life

In the 12 months since she was freed, Brown has turned her life around for the better by becoming an advocate for criminal justice reform and publishing a memoir on her experiences in prison

'Some people may look at situations and think about what they lost, but I look at what God has given me,' Brown added.

THE MURDER CYNTOIA BROWN COMMITTED Cyntoia Brown admitted to killing 43-year-old Nashville man, Johnny Allen, in 2004 when she was a 16-year-old prostitute. Brown said the real estate agent had picked her up and took her to his home for sex. Brown has maintained she killed Allen because he kept reaching under the bed and she thought he was going for a weapon and was going to shoot her. Afterward, she took two of Allen's rifles, stole $172 from him and fled in his truck. Brown's supporters have said that at the time she was with a violent pimp who beat her, forced her to work the streets and allowed his friends to rape her. But a Nashville police detective said the crime scene and his investigation told a different story. He said Allen was found with his hands clasped under him on the bed. 'He was asleep, basically,' Detective Charles Robinson said. He said gunshot residue showed Allen had been shot in the back of the head at close range and that Brown brought a loaded gun so she could rob the man. Her lawyers maintain she was a sex-trafficking victim and feared for her life. Brown was sentenced to life in prison for first degree murder. She was ordered to serve at least 51 years in prison before being eligible for parole. She was granted clemency in January by then-Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam. Advertisement

'He's given me an opportunity to help others. He's given me an opportunity to be a blessing and that's just an honor. I'm not at all bitter, I'm blessed.'

Brown had originally been ordered to serve at least 51 years in prison before being eligible for parole.

In the 12 months since she was freed, she has turned her life around for the better becoming an advocate for criminal justice reform and victims of sex trafficking.

She also published a memoir, 'Free Cyntoia: My Search for Redemption in the American Prison System', last October.

Her story has been also featured in a Netflix documentary released in April this year, and is being written into a scripted series produced by Lala Anthony.

Brown now lives in Nashville with her husband, Christian hip-hop artist Jaime Long, whom she married while she was still in jail.

In the lead up to his clemency decision last January, Governor Haslam's office was inundated with letters and pleas urging him to show Brown mercy.

Several Democratic Tennessee lawmakers also held events calling for Haslam to offer mercy.

Brown said she was a sex trafficking victim at the time she killed Allen.

Brown had run away from home at the time and linked up with a man known as 'Cut Throat,' who she said later became her pimp. She said that man trafficked her, beat, raped and plied her with drugs on a near-daily basis.

She encountered Allen after he picked her up at a drive-in restaurant in Nashville so he could have sex with her.

Brown said Allen insisted on taking her back to his house after saying he was an ex-Army sharpshooter and showing off his firearms.

She has previously said his behavior made her nervous and that he 'grabbed' her forcefully between her legs while they were on his bed.

'He just gave me this look. It was, like, a very fierce look,' she said in a 2011 documentary based on her incarceration.

'But then, he rolls over, like he's reaching to the side of the bed or something. So I'm thinking, 'he's not going to hit me, he's going to get a gun'.'

Brown has maintained she shot Allen in the back of the head at close range with a gun she had in her purse because he kept reaching under the bed and she thought he was going for a weapon.

After she shot him, Brown took two of Allen's rifles, stole $172 and fled in his truck.

Prosecutors had argued during her trial that the teenager killed Allen in order to rob him.

'When I was 16-years-old, I did a very horrible thing, and that has been with me for a very long time,' she said during her trial.

'He didn't deserve to die. I was wrong. I was wrong. And I can't fix it.'

The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled against life-without-parole sentences for juveniles but the state of Tennessee had argued successfully in lower courts that Brown's sentence was not in violation of federal law because she would be eligible for parole after serving at least 51 years.

Haslam later said that was too harsh a condition for a crime Brown admitted to committing as a teen, especially given the steps she has taken to rebuild her life.

She earned her GED and got a college degree from Lipscomb University in prison. Brown also became a mentor to troubled girls and young women while behind bars.
EAST CLEVELAND, Ohio  A woman is recovering in the hospital after she was wounded in the face in a shooting Tuesday morning, police say.

Police say the shooting occurred at about 9:27 a.m. on the 15200 block of Euclid Avenue. No arrests have been made, but a male suspect was seen running from the area.

The unidentified victim was in stable condition at University Hospital. Police did not release further details on the shooting.

Police say anyone in the area of Shaw and Welton avenues who might have information on the shooting can contact detectives at 216-681-2162 or Crime Stoppers at 216-443-7234. Callers can remain anonymous and information leading to an arrest and conviction could result in a $2,500 reward.

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7-year-old boy injured in accidental shooting at home in Clevelands Central neighborhood, police say

Burglar broke through wall, safe to steal medical marijuana from Painesville Township dispensary, sheriff says

Medina County prosecutor seeks death penalty for man accused of killing wife, mother-in-law

Alert Uber driver helps authorities arrest trio accused of trying to rob elderly Lake County residents

One dead, one injured in drive-by shooting in Clevelands Lee-Harvard neighborhood

Man beaten to death outside store in Clevelands Ohio City neighborhood

Woman hanging out of car window dies in crash in Clevelands Glenville neighborhood

Man whose parachute crashed into downtown Cleveland building told police he was ex-Marine vet, thrill seeker

Man charged in shooting that killed man, injured another after argument at Cleveland Mr. Hero

Woman dies after being hit by train in Cleveland
As Da Nang grapples with a new wave of COVID-19 cases, lab technicians at the Da Nang Center for Disease Control (CDC) are working to extremes to meet the increased testing demand.

The demand for COVID-19 testing in Da Nang has risen to thousands of new inquiries per day accompanied by test samples arriving at local test labs.

The workload that the lab technicians have been given has turned out to be as intense as their colleagues who work directly with patients battling against COVID-19.

As of August 8, the medical department of Da Nang City reported a total of 40,451 clinical samples having been collected since July 25, when the central tourist city recorded Vietnams first local transmission of COVID-19 after 99 days.

Since then, 405 cases traced to Da Nang, the countrys outbreak epicenter, have been documented nationwide.

Sleepless nights

Pulled out of bed by an emergency call on the morning of August 3, Dr. Le Thanh Chung, deputy director of Da Nang CDC, rushed to the agencys headquarters on Phan Chau Trinh Street to inspect the situation.

There were problems with the clinical specimens being delivered, the practitioner on duty reported.

Relying on the glimmering street lights to see, four medical staffers of the sample reception team perused the pages in the report, referencing every single sample to probe the issue.

After 30 minutes of scrutiny and cross-checking by phone with lower-level medical facilities, the staffers let the samples enter the headquarters building, ready to undergo the next processing steps.

Circumstances like these have become a part of the day-to-day routine for Da Nang CDC staff since the city confirmed the resurgence of locally-transmitted COVID-19 cases nearly three weeks ago.

Da Nang CDC has kept its sample reception unit open around the clock for sample submission from lower-level hospitals, due to the fact that sample collecting takes tremendous effort and can extend far after business hours during the pandemic.

Packages may arrive as late as 2:00 am and contain as many as 700 samples.

We have to take all of them in, capture their information into the system, and ensure smooth operations so no sample would be left uncategorized. Most importantly, we need to be completely precise, as the smallest error would ruin the collective effort of the whole society, Chung said.

Fifteen days ago, the screening capacity of Da Nang CDC used to settle at 500-700 samples per day, but now it has been raised tenfold, which goes to show that we have gone all out on this."

Uninterrupted duties

During the first outbreak earlier this year, Da Nang CDC was able to send personnel support to surrounding provinces.

This time around, as the city got caught in the worst COVID-19 outbreak in Vietnam, the medical agency had to call on the Da Nang University of Medical Technology and Pharmacy for professional aid.

To surmount the workload, each of Da Nang CDCs lab practitioners is taking on three shifts a day.

Lab technician Phan Viet Son said that each sample kept him in suspense just as much as it did with the sample owner, as his hands swiftly handled clinical specimens.

He had been quartering himself at the lab for ten consecutive days to share the line of duty with his colleagues.

His wife is also a medical practitioner working at the Da Nang Oncology Hospital, a COVID-19 treatment center in the city, which leaves them no choice but to send their children back to their grandparents who live in the countryside.

The family only manages to talk to each other on the phone occasionally.

In their working stations, electric lights are left on 24/7. Their perception of night and day gradually blends into each other, their focus set on the slightest beeps signifying progress made by the testing machine.

Each of them carries out their individual tasks with little conversation, all too aware of the difference time can make in this endeavor.

As there are ten times more submissions than usual, the operation requires precision, most importantly, and also productivity, Nguyen Thi Thanh Nhan, head of the laboratory division under Da Nang CDC, explained.

We try to make use of every spare moment. A new batch of samples is inserted into the machine the moment a previous batch is completed. People cannot take any breaks, so there is no reason for machines to have one, Nhan jokingly said.

Because the lab technicians have to wear protective coveralls, they find it hard to perform the most basic activities of daily living. Even mealtimes and hygiene activities are forced to wait as they cannot afford to pause work to take off the suits.

Another unit housed in the same building is also working diligently trying to find answers, led by two experts  Assoc. Prof. Dr. Le Thi Quynh Mai, deputy director of the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology (NIHE), and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Le Khanh Hang, deputy head of the Division of Viral Disease under the NIHE.

Their COVID-19 test unit is a standing outfit of the Ministry of Health in Da Nang, who will work to provide situational analysis and strategic foresight to uncover the root cause of the outbreak, a vital part in the effort against COVID-19 because it can inform physicians of the optimal treatment and isolation period as well as the discharge point for infected patients.

Each of us is running our own race, yet we all share the same element of excitement, Mai said.

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HYDERABAD, India, Aug. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Board of Tanla Solutions Limited (NSE: TANLA) (BSE: 532790) at its Board Meeting held on August 12, 2020 announced the un-audited financial results for the quarter ended on June 30, 2020 for FY21.

Revenue at ?455.5 crore increased by 15% sequentially from first quarter of FY20.

Gross Margin at ?105.3 crore increased by 37% sequentially from first quarter of FY20.

Net Profit at ?78.6 crore increased by 204% sequentially from first quarter of FY20.

EPS at ?5.17, increased by 196% sequentially from first quarter of FY20.

Tanla and all its subsidiaries remain debt free.

Provision of ?3.7 crore for loss of investment in liquid funds and a provision of ?2.92 crore created for doubtful debts in FY20, have been reversed in the current quarter, as the same have been realized.

Tax refund of ?1.44 crore has been received during Q1FY2021.

Interest income of ?3.42 crore comprises of ?1.4 crore as interest on TDS and ?2.02 crore realized as interest from fixed deposits made in HDFC Bank.

"Tanla's quarterly performance bucks the trend amidst the raging pandemic disrupting global economies," said Uday Reddy, Chairman & Managing Director of Tanla. "Our unique market standing as a leading Digital and Cloud Communications player have resulted in robust topline and bottom-line growth both YOY and QOQ."

Commenting on TRAI's directive for commercial launch of DLT services from Sept 1, 2020, Uday Reddy said, "With the commercial rollout of Trubloq slated for September 1, this blockchain enabled platform has the traction to become the gold standard in its space. For Regulators, Telco's and Enterprises alike spams and mobile fraud risks can be mitigated and additionally provide the end users with the power to choose."

Business Highlights

During Q1FY21, 80 new customers were signed up with an annual potential revenue of ?80 crore, constituting a healthy mix of customers from leading verticals (e-commerce, BFSI, EdTech, Telecom etc.) including established brands to high potential startups.

Tanla was awarded a contract by a leading telecom service provider in Dubai for deploying the subscriber consent management system for promotional/bulk SMS based on blockchain technology.

Corporate and other Highlights

Update on Buy-back

In the buyback offer, 1.67 Cr number of shares were tendered, representing 87.80% of the buy-back offer size, resulting in the paid-up share capital reducing to 13.55 Cr equity shares of ?1/ each from *15.22 Cr equity shares of ?1/ each.

Post buy-back, the number of shareholders reduced by 3614 shareholders from 50,711 on June 12, 2020 to 47,097, on July 31, 2020 .

to 47,097, on . Total buy-back proceeds of ?135.2 crore were discharged to the shareholders on July 22, 2020 and buy-back tax of ?29.5 crore was paid on August 5, 2020 .

and buy-back tax of ?29.5 crore was paid on . The Shareholding pattern pre and post buy-back is as given below:



Pre-Buyback (as on June 12th, 2020) Post-Buyback (as on July 31st, 2020) Particulars No. of shareholders No. of shares % of shareholding No. of shareholders No. of shares % of shareholding Promoters 6 5,36,10,558 35.21 6 5,36,10,558 39.55 Banyan Investments Limited 1 2,19,99,824 14.45 1 2,19,99,824 16.23 Employees 45 85,32,785 5.6 42 80,47,835 5.94 Public 50,659 6,81,14,390 44.74 47,048 5,19,06,588 38.27 Total 50,711 *15,22,57,557 100.0 47,097 13,55,64,805 100.0

*Note: Listing approval from BSE Limited is pending for listing of 62,85,858 Equity Shares allotted on April 3, 2020 pursuant to conversion of warrants.

Update on Merger

The Hyderabad bench of the Honorable NCLT, approved the merger of Karix Mobile Private Limited ("Karix") and Unicel Technologies Private Limited ("Unicel") with Tanla Corporation Private Limited ("Tanla") on June 30, 2020 .

bench of the Honorable NCLT, approved the merger of Karix Mobile Private Limited ("Karix") and Unicel Technologies Private Limited ("Unicel") with Tanla Corporation Private Limited ("Tanla") on . As per the NCLT Order, the appointed date for the merger is April 09, 2019 .

. As approved in the NCLT Order, Tanla shall be named as Karix subject to regulatory approvals.

As an impact of Merger, Goodwill amounting to ?158.4 crore is now available as a tax allowable expense for Tanla.

HR Update

The annual appraisal of the employees has been conducted and the employees have received the increments and promotions as per the Company Policy, for FY2021, resulting in the total resource cost increase by ~ 10%.

For Further Financial updates, visit https://tanla.com/investors.html

Auditors

Internal Auditors: Deloitte Touche Tohmastu India LLP

Statutory Auditors: MSKA & Associates

About Tanla

Tanla is a Hyderabad, India-based company, established in 1999. It is a global leader in its domain as one of the largest Cloud Communication providers, handling over 200 billion business communications annually. Tanla is innovating the way the world communicates, continuously raising the bar through enhanced speed, ease, and simplicity of Cloud Communication solutions, adopting cutting-edge technologies like blockchain, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning to meet the discerning needs of a diverse clientele, from enterprises to carriers across geographies. Tanla has always adopted new technologies and has many patents to its name including world's first blockchain based commercial communication stack "Trubloq" to address the growing concerns for spam and fraud. Tanla is working with all leading Telco's in India creating India's first Telecom Blockchain Network. Tanla is a public limited company listed on leading Indian stock exchanges (NSE: TANLA & BSE: 532790)

Safe Harbor:

This presentation might contain 'forward-looking statements' that are based on our current expectations, assumptions, estimates and projections about Tanla Solutions Limited (the "Company"), our industry, economic conditions in the markets in which we operate, and certain other matters. Those statements include, among other things, the discussions of our business strategy and expectations concerning our market position, future operations, margins, profitability, liquidity, and capital resources. These statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors and they depend on future events and circumstances. Such statements do not guarantee future results or development and the actual results or outcomes may differ materially from those implied by the forward-looking statements. The risks and uncertainties relating to these statements include, but are not limited to, risks and uncertainties regarding fluctuations in earnings, fluctuations in foreign exchange rates, our ability to manage growth, intense competition in the services provided by the Company, including those factors which may affect our cost advantage, wage increases, our ability to attract and retain highly skilled professionals, time and cost overruns on fixed-price, fixed-time frame contracts, client concentration, restrictions on immigration, industry segment concentration, our ability to manage our international operations, reduced demand for technology in our key focus areas, disruptions in telecommunication networks or system failures, our ability to successfully complete and integrate potential acquisitions, liability for damages on our service contracts, the success of the companies in which the Company has made strategic investments, withdrawal or expiration of governmental fiscal incentives, political instability and regional conflicts, regulatory changes, legal restrictions on raising capital or acquiring companies outside India, and unauthorized use of our intellectual property and general economic conditions affecting our industry. In light of these and other uncertainties, you should not conclude that the results or outcomes referred to in any of the forward-looking statements will be achieved. All forward-looking statements are based on information available to us on the date hereof, and we do not undertake to update these forward-looking statements to reflect future events or circumstances unless required to do so by law.

Contact: marketing@tanla.com

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/627459/Tanla_Solutions_Logo.jpg
Driving to New York? You might get stopped at a coronavirus quarantine checkpoint that the Big Apple has set up at river crossings.

But dont take it the wrong way.

Even though New Jersey isnt on the list of 33 states and two territories with spiking coronavirus cases, a car with Jersey license plates could be stopped in a spot check, New York officials said. Governors of New Jersey, New York and Connecticut announced the 14-day quarantine requirements in June when COVID-19 cases started spiking in other states.
A Mumbai resident had to block as many as 150 callers to protect himself from abuse, as his mobile number closely resembles to that of actress Rhea Chakraborty. A report in Mumbai Mirror shared that Sagar Surve who works as a clerical staffer in an educational institution has been receiving messages of harassment and abuse.

The report also stated that Sagar Surve's mobile number differs from that of Rhea Chakraborty's by just one digit. He revealed to the daily that he has been receiving calls and messages for the past week, which has led him to block as many as 150 numbers, and later went on to switch off his phone. At first, he didn't pay much heed to a caller who asked "for Rhea" and said it was a "wrong number" as a reply.

Surve: Tried To Ignore The Calls But It Only Worsened Surve also told Mumbai Mirror that soon the calls became frequent and turned abusive. He was quoted in the report as saying, "I started receiving messages, voice calls and video calls on WhatsApp. People asked me to send them a photograph of myself when I told them that they were mistaken. I tried to ignore the calls but it only worsened over the next three days." Surve's Number Is A Digit Apart From Rhea's He reportedly realised what was happening, after he found out that a TV channel has released Rhea's mobile number on the screen when showing Sushant's call records. Surve's cousin pointed out that his number is only a digit different than the actress'. Rhea Claims Political Influence Was Used To File FIR Against Her In Patna Rhea is currently under fire because of Sushant Singh Rajput's untimely death. Last month on July 26, the late actor's father KK Singh filed an FIR in Patna, accusing Rhea and her family members of abetment to suicide, cheating and other charges. Meanwhile, Rhea had filed for a plea in Supreme Court to transfer the case from Patna to Mumbai. While appearing in front of the Supreme Court on Tuesday, Rhea said that the FIR was filed under state interference and political influence which lead to a biased probe conducted by Bihar police.

Worried about your mental well-being or of someone you know? Help is just a call away. Reach out to the nearest mental health specialist at COOJ Mental Health Foundation (COOJ)- 0832-2252525, Parivarthan- +91 7676 602 602, Connecting Trust- +91 992 200 1122/+91-992 200 4305 or Sahai- 080-25497777/ SAHAIHELPLINE@GMAIL.COM

Shruti Modi Alleges Rhea Chakraborty Made Financial And Professional Decisions For Sushant

Sushant Singh Rajput's Father Says 'No One Saw My Son Hanging', In Supreme Court Hearing
As Covid-19 spreads throughout Africa, a potentially deadly lack of oxygen is leaving patients gasping for breath. Many are having to go without this essential treatment.

Some experts apportion considerable blame to the two multinational gas suppliers who dominate the market for oxygen cylinders in most African countries, saying their high prices make the treatment unaffordable.

Ex-employees, industry insiders and hospital staff have told the Bureau of Investigative Journalism that in their opinion the Linde Group and Air Liquide have overcharged for medical oxygen and on occasion limited hospitals supply. They perceived the Linde Group as trying to reduce competition, and making it difficult for clinics to switch to cheaper systems.

In most European and North American hospitals, oxygen is delivered by tanker and piped directly to patients beds. But across many countries in Africa without this infrastructure, hospitals instead rely on cylinders. Even then, oxygen is only routinely available in big hospitals in major cities. One nurse in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, said that in her hospital doctors frequently have to choose who receives oxygen and who does not, leaving an average of three patients a month to die without it.

The Linde Group refused to comment on any of the allegations but said they would do everything possible to continue to reliably supply our customers.

Air Liquide told the Bureau: We have done everything we can to secure supply through the pandemic. It added: We are committed to making sure as many patients as possible in sub-Saharan Africa receive treatment and work with Unicef and a range of other international institutions, governments and NGOs to increase access to oxygen in the region.

A life or death situation

Grace Anya watched her father Obiefula die. He was diagnosed with pneumonia and sent for a coronavirus test at Gbagada General Hospital in Lagos, Nigerias most populous city, on May 12. Despite protestations that he had been vomiting and excreting blood, he was given medication and sent home.

Story continues

Over the next two days he became so weak that he could not speak. He did not get his test result. The family took him to hospital after hospital, nine in total, only to be told that they had no oxygen, or were not admitting people over 50 years old, or could not treat people without a positive test result.

Grace Anyas father, Obiefela, died at home of Covid-19. Nine hospitals refused to admit him.

He became breathless and died at home.

It was hell to watch, said Anya. In her view, he would not have died if he had access to oxygen.

With still no cure for Covid-19, oxygen is a key treatment. As lungs become damaged by the virus, people suffer extremely low oxygen levels in the blood, called hypoxemia, which can eventually be fatal. Oxygen buys time for a patients immune system to clear the virus.

While the majority of people with Covid-19 have mild symptoms, of all patients, 14% will need oxygen in hospital and 5% will need mechanical ventilation in intensive care. Yet, across countries including Nigeria, Kenya, Burkina Faso, Guinea, South Africa, South Sudan, Cameroon, Ethiopia and Tanzania, many hospitals and dedicated Covid-19 isolation centers have reported oxygen shortages.

In high-income countries, liquid oxygen is delivered and stored in giant containers on hospital grounds before being turned back into gas and piped to the patients bedside. This is much more efficient than transporting oxygen in compressed gas cylinders, as is generally done in poorer countries. As a result, oxygen in sub-Saharan Africa tends to be at least five times more expensive by volume than in Europe and North America.

The price of a 6.8 cubic meter (240 cubic feet) cylinder of oxygen (a J cylinder), enough to treat an adult for roughly a day, ranges from $112 in Guinea, including transport, to $23 in Kenya. (Air Liquide said that comparisons of prices between countries were unfair because production costs vary.) Additional costs can include a cylinder deposit fee of about $300, a monthly cylinder rental fee of about $25, and paying to transport cylinders to the gas companys depot. As some big hospitals need up to 80 cylinders a day, the costs can quickly spiral.

Air Liquide and the Linde Group, European companies whose African subsidiaries include Afrox and British Oxygen Company (BOC), operate across nearly every country in Africa. Hospitals represent only a small part of their business; they also supply so-called industrial oxygen to the mining, chemical, welding and food industries. Globally the Linde Group and Air Liquide made revenues of $28 billion and $24.5 billion respectively in 2019.

Ex-employees and analysts said that some gas companies have likely made profit margins of between 45% and 88% on medical oxygen. Air Liquide has charged up to a third more for medical oxygen than industrial oxygen, even though it comes from exactly the same gas plant; BOC/Afrox has charged up to seven times more for its medical oxygen. Some ex-employees interviewed by the Bureau felt this had almost bordered on profiteering.

Air Liquide told the Bureau: The 88% margin claim is totally inaccurate and does not reflect the economic reality of our business in Africa or the competitive nature of the market.

Can these prices be justified? As oxygen is regulated as a pharmaceutical drug, companies have to register with the local medical authority to produce it. Thus the businesses require more stringent systems to test the oxygen for impurities and record its journey, so that it can be recalled if there is an issue.

Unlike industrial cylinders, medical cylinders are completely emptied and cleaned every time they are refilled. Some former employees say that these extra steps explain why medical oxygen costs more.

Air Liquide said medical oxygen cannot be produced or distributed in an offhand manner. It needs to be fully traceable and of the highest quality.

Theres no justification for it one way or another.

But others disagree, arguing that, in practice, this process does not significantly increase production costs, especially as most medical oxygen cylinders are returned empty.

One former gas company employee, who wanted to remain anonymous, characterized the discrepancy between the prices of medical and industrial oxygen as, in their opinion, exploitation.

Theres no justification for it one way or another, they added. The Covid-19 crisis highlights the need for governments to treat medical gases as strategic and not be at the mercy of foreign owned suppliers.

The price is right?

The impact of Covid-19 is just the latest symptom of a chronic shortage of oxygen across Africa.

Worldwide, pneumonia is the single largest infectious cause of death in children. In 2018, almost half a million children died of bacterial pneumonia in sub-Saharan Africa. Better access to oxygen and antibiotics could have saved many. Studies from Malawiand Nigeria show that less than a third of adults and children who needed oxygen actually got it.

In a landmark study Trevor Duke, director of the Center for International Child Health at the University of Melbourne, found that improving access to oxygen reduced early deaths in children by 35% and says he is about to publish work suggesting an even bigger reduction in mortality.

Beatrice, 1, getting a checkup in Yola, Nigeria, where thousands of children died every year from pneumonia.

But even when oxygen is available, it has to be paid foralong with other hospital treatments. For children with pneumonia in Nigeria, the gas accounted for half the cost of an admission, said Dr. Hamish Graham, a consultant pediatrician who researched improving oxygen access. Oxygen was a really big driving force of catastrophic health expenditure for those families.

These prices are completely beyond the reach of most public hospitals across sub-Saharan Africa, said Leith Greenslade, an activist from the Every Breath Counts coalition, which is why the hospitals have been passing the cost on to patients.

A price list for medical treatment at a hospital in Nigeria lists oxygen as one of the more expensive treatments.

You can imagine how desperate that situation can be for a family, when they have just put a family member in hospital and they have had to find the oxygen to help keep them alive and come up with these huge, huge amounts of money.

Patients that need oxygen have sometimes discharged themselves against medical advice because the costs get too high.

Air Liquide accepted that patients were charged for oxygen in Nigeria, Ghana, and Cameroon, but said: In most countries where we operatepatients are not charged for the oxygen supplied by public hospitals.

Hospitals cannot simply shop around for a better deal if their local oxygen supply is too expensive. There are many countries with a gas company monopoly, Duke said. In some countries, he added, the oxygen bill is the largest single drug purchase by ministries of health.

Despite oxygen being so necessarynot only to treat pneumonia, but also in surgery, childbirth, and after serious injuriesfor years it was only included for anesthesia on the WHO List of Essential Medicines, which determined the minimum medicine needs for a basic healthcare system. It was added as a treatment for low oxygen levels in 2017.

Air Liquide and BOC have a history of pricing practices that have attracted criticism. In 2002, the European Commission fined them and five other gas companies for running a medical oxygen cartel in the Netherlands, which prompted other investigations across Europe. The companies held regular meetings to fix prices and agreed not to deal with each others customers for at least two months every year, which were concluded to have been in order to raise prices and keep them at the set level.

Between 2001 and 2011, Air Liquide and Praxairwhich later merged with the Linde Groupwere investigated for perceived cartel-like behavior in a series of cases in Latin America. The Argentinian competition authorities fined Air Liquide, Praxair, and two other companies $24.3 million in 2005 for price fixing and allocating customers. Praxair and two other companies were fined $8 million in 2010 for bid-rigging in Peru.

Such investigations are not wholly consigned to the past. The Linde Groups subsidiary Afrox is currently being investigated by the South Africa Competition Commission for concerns over alleged price-fixing over liquid petroleum gas cylinder rental schemes. Medical oxygen also uses similar cylinder schemes.

Its quite obvious that there are structural framework conditions to encourage coordination and thereby anti-competitive practices, Maria Teresa Da Piedade Moreira, of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, said. Its one of those sectors where the investments to enter the market are so high that you will never have a competitive market.

Air Liquide said: The market for oxygen in sub-Saharan Africa is competitive, with more than 15 medical oxygen suppliers across the region.

Community action

Over the years, smaller companies have tried to provide cheaper oxygen. Insiders say, however, that the multinational companies fight to maintain their market share.

The Bureau found evidence of the Linde Group trying to blunt competition. Before 2013 its Kenyan subsidiary BOC Kenya had a near monopoly and was charging about $58 per J cylinder, plus transport to the Nairobi plant, a cylinder deposit and a leasing fee on top of the refill cost.

Dr. Steve Adudans and Dr. Bernard Olayo, of Kenyas Center for Public Health and Development, acquired funding and built their own oxygen plant under the name Hewateleabundant air in Swahili. The pair devised a system to drop off and pick up oxygen cylinders directly from hospitals and clinics for free, providing rural areas with oxygen for the first time.

One of Hewateles oxygen plants.

A year after the doctors set up the business they were approached by a BOC Kenya representative who met them at a restaurant and asked them to shut down their plant and distribute BOC Kenyas oxygen instead. They declined.

Instead they expanded, building two more oxygen plants. If youre a dominant player, you probably want to protect your market share, Olayo said. If someone wants to take it away you better convert them or you aggressively compete against them. Hewatele charges $25 for a J cylinder; BOC soon reduced its prices for some hospitals to compete, Olayo said.

One of Hewateles plants was built on the grounds of the Rift Valley General Hospital in Nakuru, Kenyas fourth largest city. According to Dr. John Murima, who was then the areas medical superintendent, the hospital had previously suffered shortages. BOC orders, which had to be driven for 3 hours from Nairobi, often turned up short.

Switching to Hewatele meant a cheaper, steadier supply. We were able to cut the costs of oxygen by 40% Dr. Murima said. BOC tried to tempt Rift Valley General back, offering a 5% discount for refills and other incentives, but the hospital stuck with Hewatele.

Other hospitals found it harder to switch, Olayo said. Their flow meters, valves which regulate how much oxygen is released from the cylinder, only fit BOC Kenyas cylinders. This design is absolutely purposeful, a former industry insider told the Bureau. My entire life as a young worker, thats what we did. We created those barriers intentionally to make swap-out as difficult as possible.

My entire life as a young worker, thats what we did. We created those barriers intentionally to make swap-out as difficult as possible.

The companies also install tanks and piping when hospitals opt for liquid oxygen, the ex-employee added, and this infrastructure also stops hospitals from switching suppliers.

It is completely wrong that gas companies use their cylinders to seek to tie hospitals to their product, because they cannot always deliver all the oxygen a hospital needs, said Temie Giwa-Tubosun. She set up AirBank, the service she now runs as chief executive, to distribute free emergency oxygen cylinders to Nigerian hospitals, when she saw a news story about a man who died after being sent to five different hospitals, none of which had oxygen. The project is funded by corporate donations.

AirBank has to supply a full adaptor kit, worth $129, to hospitals to ensure that their cylinders can actually be used. By tying hospitals to this one system youre actually putting people at risk, she said.

After turning down BOCs offer, Olayo did not hear from them directly, but heard stories of them trying to win back Hewateles customers. Then, in July 2019 he received a letter that accused Hewatele of illegally filling up BOC Kenyas cylinders at their plants, an allegation he vehemently denies. We have never filled their cylinders, he said. His perception was that BOC was seeking to put inappropriate pressure on him.

Some hospitals report that oxygen companies have occasionally limited their oxygen supply. Usually, 35 cylinders were delivered every day to Yalgado Ouedraogo University Hospital in Burkina Faso, said Idrissa Ouedraogo, who is in charge of buying the hospitals oxygen. But in March, Air Liquide said that the hospital could only order more cylinders if they had returned 60% of those already provided. But those cylinders were still in use.

Now only 10 cylinders a day are delivered, and the hospital is constantly close to running out of oxygen. On a day when the delivery did not arrive at all, Ouedraogo said he told Air Liquide he was concerned he might have enough to last until morning, but no more arrived that day.

Air Liquide told the Bureau: Given the unprecedented increase in demand, leaving empty cylinders in one hospital would result in a shortage elsewherecreating an unacceptable risk to patients. No hospital ran out of the supplies they needed from us.

A concentrated effort

As the coronavirus crisis deepens, the World Health Organization, World Bank and Unicef are shipping thousands of oxygen concentrators to 120 countries. These portable, suitcase-sized machines convert ambient air into oxygen and can be used at a patients bedside in place of cylinders.

But in a meeting about acquiring concentrators for Kenya, the Kenyan Health Federation, whose oxygen division is led by BOC, appeared to have ruled out the oxygen these concentrators produce for use for Covid-19 patients, saying that only 99.95% concentrated oxygen should be used.

That concentration is only possible with oxygen made cryogenicallywhere air is frozen so that the oxygen and nitrogen separate and liquid oxygen is formed. This is the method used at BOCs African plants. The other two methods to make oxygen the concentrators and pressure swing adsorption (PSA) plants (like those built by Hewatele)produce concentrations of between 93% and 99%.

Experts disputed the health federations reported stance. The World Health Organization defines medical oxygen as anything above 82%. There is no clinical reason to raise the WHO oxygen purity recommendations, said Dr. Hamish Graham.

There is a common misconception that 99% is better, Graham, who has led projects to increase access to oxygen, said. He said Nigerian technicians and healthcare workers have told him that gas companies and cylinder distributors contributed to the perpetuation of this misunderstanding, claiming that cylinder oxygen is more appropriate than concentrator oxygen.

Whichever type of oxygen is supplied, the gas given to patients is mixed with air, reaching the lungs at concentrations of up to 50%.

Supplying oxygen concentrators would help hospitals to be more independent of gas companies and mean hospitals that are not accessible by road still had access, said Dr. Hans Lang, a pediatrician working for Alima, a global health NGO. He added that oxygen production needs to be decentralizedproduced near patients rather than at a gas plant in the countrys capital.

A baby in South Sudan receiving oxygen from the hospitals only concentrator.

Alima has ordered 280 concentrators to be distributed around Guinea on top of 50 that have been sent to Donka hospital in Conakry, the capital. At present, the hospital spends between $2,800 and $9,000 a day on cylinders from Sogedi, a former Air Liquide subsidiary.

A concentrator costs about $1,000 to $2,000, but the electricity to produce one cylinders worth of oxygen costs less than $1.50, so the machine can soon pay for itself. The WHO and Unicef have bought more than 30,000 concentrators to send to countries that need them, although more recently the WHO warned of shortages. Concentrators are not a perfect solution. Electricity is not always available, and stories of patients dying during blackouts are common. They were not built for hot, dusty or humid conditions, so are prone to breaking down.

Innovators have tried to find ways around these problems. Professor Roger Rasool, a physicist at the University of Melbourne, has developed concentrators that can run on solar or river power and have a bladder which stores oxygen and continues supplying patients when the power goes off. In a trial at Mbarara hospital in Uganda, the machines eliminated oxygen shortages and cut the number of cylinders used in three months from 77 down to two.

Grow your own

A longer-term solution for hospitals to build their own oxygen plants, either for piping the gas to patients or to fill cylinders for their own use and for other local clinics. It is an expensive projectplants can cost from $100,000 to $1.5 million, with electricity and staff costs on topbut investing can mean improving oxygen access across a large area.

The Ugandan ministry of health used donations to build an oxygen plant at every regional hospital, meaning health center staff no longer need to drive to the capital to get oxygen. Theres been great improvement, said Sheillah Bagayana, a biomedical engineer who helped install the first plant. Oxygen used to be a huge, huge challenge. Youd literally have no optionjust watch the patient die. Now, at least doctors dont have to decide which patient gets oxygen.

There have been challenges: At first technicians were expected to carry out their day jobs while also running the plants. There is no night shift, so the plants run at half capacity. Power cuts shut off the supply.

Ministries of health and governments have to realize they have to invest in health systems to save money, Trevor Duke said. This, he added, requires a sort of multidisciplinary effort [rather] than just signing a check to BOC every quarter. But he argued that by most calculations the expenditure can be regained within three to five years.

Medical oxygen is the only thing available to really keep patients who get very sick alive.

Demand for oxygen is rising.

In Africa, now were in the middle of a pandemic, Leith Greenslade said, and medical oxygen at the moment is the only thing available to really keep patients who get very sick alive. There have been a million recorded cases of Covid-19 across the continent, with tens of thousands of new cases every day.

The Bureau visited Kongoussi hospital in Burkina Faso in mid July. Doctors said that a six-month-old boy had just died from pneumonia because another child was connected to the only oxygen concentrator.

For this young boy, for Grace Anyas father and for the thousands of others who have died because of oxygen shortages, any changes will come too late. But, Greenslade said, if there was ever a time for discussions and negotiations with the five or six gas companies that control most of the market, it is now.

Additional reporting by Rosa Furneaux and Nasibo Kabale.

This story was co-published with the Bureau of Investigative Journalism. It is part of the Bureaus Global Health project, which has a number of funders including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. None of our funders have any influence over the Bureaus editorial decisions or output.

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Three Israeli tanks cross border fence to enter Lebanese territory

Iran Press TV

Tuesday, 11 August 2020 1:56 PM

Three Israeli battle tanks have encroached upon a technical fence that separates Lebanon from the occupied territories amid tensions between the Tel Aviv regime and Hezbollah resistance movement, whose member was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Syria last month.

Two tanks crossed the so-called Blue Line  the UN-recognized boundary between the Israeli-occupied territories and Lebanon  near Meiss Ej Jabal village in the Marjeyoun district on Tuesday, and were deployed in an area of the southern Lebanese neighborhood of Kroum al-Sharqi, the Arabic-language An-Nahar daily newspaper reported.

The report added that the third tank crossed the border and was positioned on a road just opposite the area.

A phosphorous bomb was later fired by one of the tanks. No injuries were reported.

Tensions have been running high between Israel and Hezbollah since July 20, when Tel Aviv killed Hezbollah member Ali Kamel Mohsen in an airstrike on Syria.

The Israeli military has placed its forces near the Lebanese and Syrian borders on high alert after Hezbollah promised retaliation.

On Monday, Israeli deputy prime Minister and minister of military affairs, Benny Gantz, asserted that the regime is ready for a war with Lebanon.

He also warned that Israel's next war against Hezbollah would be more difficult to fight given the tactics that the Lebanese resistance movement would employ in such a military confrontation.

Last week, a leading US news website said the recent developments have "shed light on Israel's impossible situation" along the Lebanese border.

According to Business Insider, Hezbollah has established a high level of deterrence in southern Lebanon, where as many as "150,000 rockets and missiles" are pointed at Israel.

The movement can pour dozens if not hundreds of rockets into Israel throughout the northern third of the occupied territories "almost unimpeded," said Business Insider.

Lebanese journalist Ibrahim al-Amin wrote in Lebanon's Arabic-language al-Akhbar newspaper last Thursday that Hezbollah still plans to carry out a retaliatory attack on Israel despite the massive explosion in Beirut's port, which killed at least 160 people and left over 6,000 more injured.

"Those who are betting that the port explosion will lead Hezbollah to cancel its decision to respond to the crime in Syria are once again thinking in the wrong manner," al-Amin wrote.

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Food delivery company to give female employees up to 10 days of paid leave per year for menstruation.

An Indian companys new policy to give its female employees paid period leave has sparked a debate, polarising women in a country where menstruation is still considered a taboo.

Food delivery company Zomato is the most high profile organisation to institute the policy in India, allowing women and transgender people up to 10 days off per year as part of an effort to combat what it said was stigma around the issue.

There shouldnt be any shame or stigma attached to applying for a period leave, Zomato chief executive Deepinder Goyal said in a note to staff on Saturday.

You should feel free to tell people on internal groups, or emails that you are on your period leave for the day.

The announcement was welcomed by several womens rights activists and social media users as a progressive move that was long overdue.

Most women take pain killers and continue working. Some women find it extremely difficult to work during periods. This wont take away from the hard won space that women have gained, Lavanya Ballal, social media coordinator for the Indian National Congress party, wrote on Twitter.

.@Zomato offering period leave for women is a move I appreciate.

Most women take pain killers and continue working. Some women find it extremely difficult to work during periods.

This wont take away from the hard won space that women have gained. https://t.co/9cC2icmfBE  Lavanya Ballal |   (@LavanyaBallal) August 11, 2020

Today one might not be able to wrap their head around #PeriodLeave, like many who protested against maternity leave. But someday in the future, itll be considered normal and basic. The journey for that day begins now, with the fire lit by a handful of women today. https://t.co/ILrRtpYywg  Angellica Aribam (@AngellicAribam) August 11, 2020

More strong women should talk about what their periods felt like. The problem if we were told to be quiet about it and so the pain is also now a secret pain. Our experience should benefit young girls going through this now.@MasalaBai https://t.co/n4Ra3BZKji  Faye DSouza (@fayedsouza) August 12, 2020

Angellica Aribam, founder of Femme First Foundation, a non-profit promoting womens political leadership in India, said: Today one might not be able to wrap their head around #PeriodLeave, like many who protested against maternity leave. But someday in the future, itll be considered normal and basic.

Millions of women and girls in the South Asian nation still face discrimination and health challenges because of a lack of awareness surrounding menstruation.

According to the United Nations childrens fund, UNICEF, 71 percent of young women in India remain unaware of menstruation until their first cycle.

Frankly, a company that does not hire someone bec they need a few hours of rest (and then also, only those who need it) for painful periods, would be a toxic workplace. How companies evolve in empathy is their responsibility, not women who are being asked to labour through pain.  Rituparna Chatterjee (@MasalaBai) August 11, 2020

In 2018, Indias Supreme Court overturned a decades-long ban on women of menstrual age entering the Sabarimala temple in the southern state of Kerala, leading to a nationwide debate about womens rights.

Meanwhile, Zomatos decision has also angered some women, who called the move discriminatory and anti-feminist.

Zomato has announced 10 days "period leave" for its female and transgender employees. I think this is Brahminical Patriarchy as in Upper caste Hindu houses women are not allowed to touch food when they are menstruating. Dear Feminists, think about it.  Dipti (@super_sanatani) August 11, 2020

Sorry Zomato, as woke as your decision on #PeriodLeave is, this is exactly what ghettoizes women and strengthens biological determinism. We cannot want to join the infantry, report war, fly fighter jets, go into space, want no exceptionalism and want period leave. PLEASE.  barkha dutt (@BDUTT) August 11, 2020

The other thing hideous about the idea of period leave is how it turns a normal biological experience into some sort of monumental event, gendering us at the work place when we have fought so hard to not be gendered, prominent journalist Barkha Dutt said.

This is not the first time such a policy has been introduced in India.

Other companies, like the Cultural Machine and Gozoop, allow their employees to take a leave on the first day of their periods.

In the eastern state of Bihar, female goverment employees are given two extra days off for periods.
Russian president Vladimir Putin says a coronavirus vaccine developed in the country has been registered for use. (AP)

Germany has warned that Russias claim that it has developed the worlds first coronavirus vaccine could prove dangerous.

Russian president Vladimir Putin said this week that a COVID-19 vaccine developed in the country has been registered for use and one of his daughters has already been inoculated.

But German health minister Jens Spahn said he was sceptical about the claims, warning they could ultimately kill the acceptance of vaccination as a weapon against the pandemic.

Spahn told Deutschlandfunk radio: "It can be dangerous to start vaccinating millions, if not billions, of people too early because it could pretty much kill the acceptance of vaccination if it goes wrong, so I'm very sceptical about what's going on in Russia.

An employee works with what is said to be a coronavirus vaccine at the Nikolai Gamaleya National Center of Epidemiology and Microbiology in Moscow, Russia. (AP)

"I would be pleased if we had an initial, good vaccine but based on everything we know  and that's the fundamental problem, namely that the Russians aren't telling us much  this has not been sufficiently tested.

Spahn said it was very, very important that proper studies be carried out, adding: "It's not about being first somehow  it's about having an effective, tested and therefore safe vaccine.

Caution urged over Russia claims

Putin emphasised that the jab he claims Russia has developed underwent the necessary tests and offers a lasting immunity from the virus.

Speaking at a government meeting, Putin said: "I would like to repeat that it has passed all the necessary tests.

"The most important thing is to ensure full safety of using the vaccine and its efficiency."

However, scientists in the UK say no scientific evidence backing these claims has been published.

They also warn the release of a vaccine that is not safe could cause extreme damage and worsen the current situation.

Danny Altmann, professor of immunology at Imperial College London, said there are many vaccines in development around the world and there is an interest in it all being truly open.

He added: "The collateral damage from release of any vaccine that was less than safe and effective would exacerbate our current problems insurmountably.

Story continues

"I hope these criteria have been followed. We are all in this together.

Potential side effects

Dr Ayfer Ali, a specialist in drug research at Warwick Business School, said the problem with fast approvals is that potential adverse effects that are rare but serious are likely to be missed.

"Another issue, he said, is missing potential antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE), which is a phenomenon where a vaccine is not protective enough to prevent the disease but instead allows the virus to enter the body more easily and worsen the disease the vaccine is supposed to protect against.

Ali added: "Russia is essentially conducting a large population-level experiment.

An employee shows a new vaccine at the Nikolai Gamaleya National Center of Epidemiology and Microbiology in Moscow, Russia. (AP)

UK vaccination progress

There are hopes for a coronavirus vaccine as early as this year after human trials are reported to have shown promising results.

Researchers at the University of Oxford said in July that they believe they have made a breakthrough after discovering the jab could provide "double protection" against the virus, the Daily Telegraph reported.

Health secretary Matt Hancock said teams were working towards a "best-case scenario" of a vaccine being made available sometime this year, although conceded it was more likely in 2021.

A person working inside a lab at Oxford University on a potential COVID-19 vaccine. (AP)

Last month the government signed a deal with pharmaceutical giants GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and Sanofi Pasteur to secure 60 million doses of a potential coronavirus vaccine.

A further agreement has been signed with AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford for their jab, which could produce 100 million doses for the UK.

Coronavirus: what happened today

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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M., Aug. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- PNM Resources (NYSE: PNM) management will meet with investors virtually today as part of the BofA Securities Best of SMID Cap Ideas for 2020 Conference.

During the meetings, management is expected to affirm the company's 2020 consolidated earnings guidance of $2.16 to $2.26 per diluted share. Presentation materials are available on the company's website at http://www.pnmresources.com/investors/events.cfm.

Background:

PNM Resources (NYSE: PNM) is an energy holding company based in Albuquerque, N.M., with 2019 consolidated operating revenues of $1.5 billion. Through its regulated utilities, PNM and TNMP, PNM Resources has approximately 2,761 megawatts of generation capacity and provides electricity to approximately 790,000 homes and businesses in New Mexico and Texas. For more information, visit the company's website at www.PNMResources.com.

CONTACTS:

Analysts Media Lisa Goodman Ray Sandoval (505) 241-2160 (505) 241-2782

Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995

Statements made in this news release for PNM Resources, Inc. ("PNMR"), Public Service Company of New Mexico ("PNM"), or Texas-New Mexico Power Company ("TNMP") (collectively, the "Company") that relate to future events or expectations, projections, estimates, intentions, goals, targets, and strategies are made pursuant to the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Readers are cautioned that all forward-looking statements are based upon current expectations and estimates. PNMR, PNM, and TNMP assume no obligation to update this information. Because actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements, PNMR, PNM, and TNMP caution readers not to place undue reliance on these statements. PNMR's, PNM's, and TNMP's business, financial condition, cash flow, and operating results are influenced by many factors, which are often beyond their control, that can cause actual results to differ from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. For a discussion of risk factors and other important factors affecting forward-looking statements, please see the Company's Form 10-K and Form 10-Q filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which factors are specifically incorporated by reference herein.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

GAAP refers to generally accepted accounting principles in the U.S. Ongoing earnings is a non-GAAP financial measure that excludes the impact of net unrealized mark-to-market gains and losses on economic hedges, the net change in unrealized gains and losses on investment securities, pension expense related to previously disposed of gas distribution business, and certain non-recurring, infrequent, and other items that are not indicative of fundamental changes in the earnings capacity of the Company's operations. The Company uses ongoing earnings and ongoing earnings per diluted share (or ongoing diluted earnings per share) to evaluate the operations of the Company and to establish goals, including those used for certain aspects of incentive compensation, for management and employees. While the Company believes these financial measures are appropriate and useful for investors, they are not measures presented in accordance with GAAP. The Company does not intend for these measures, or any piece of these measures, to represent any financial measure as defined by GAAP. Furthermore, the Company's calculations of these measures as presented may or may not be comparable to similarly titled measures used by other companies. The Company uses ongoing earnings guidance to provide investors with management's expectations of ongoing financial performance over the period presented. While the Company believes ongoing earnings guidance is an appropriate measure, it is not a measure presented in accordance with GAAP. The Company does not intend for ongoing earnings guidance to represent an expectation of net earnings as defined by GAAP. Since the future differences between GAAP and ongoing earnings are frequently outside the control of the Company, management is generally not able to estimate the impact of the reconciling items between forecasted GAAP net earnings and ongoing earnings guidance, nor their probable impact on GAAP net earnings without unreasonable effort, therefore, management is generally not able to provide a corresponding GAAP equivalent for ongoing earnings guidance.

SOURCE PNM Resources, Inc.

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A 10-year-old boy who discovered a rare Bronze Age gold treasure with his metal detector almost threw it away because he thought it was a bit of foil.

Patrick Hooper struck gold during a dig on land near Andover, Hampshire, but didnt bother to mention it to his father Andrew, who was also metal detecting, believing it to be rubbish.

The schoolboy even put the ribbon gold in his trash bag which his father usually empties straight into the bin when they return home.

Patrick Hooper struck gold during a dig on land near Andover, Hampshire, but didnt bother to mention it to his father Andrew, who was also metal detecting, believing it to be rubbish

The youngster, pictured, was searching a field with his father using metal detectors

The gold ribbon, pictured, is believed to be up to 5,000 years old and could be worth several thousand pounds

But luckily IT salesman Mr Hooper, 47, tipped out the contents onto their doorstep and spotted the rare gold, which is believed to be between 3,000 and 5,000 years old.

It is now being examined and recorded as suspected prehistoric treasure which could be worth thousands of pounds.

The four-inch strip of gold is believed to have either been worn in womens hair or to decorate a dagger handle.

It could be worth thousands of pounds, which will be split 50/50 between Patrick and the landowner, who has been notified of the incredible find.

Its unusual for anyone to find any archaeological items of cultural significance and even more unusual for them to be found by a little boy, said Simon Maslin, Finds Liaison Officer for Surrey and Hampshire.

This is a suspected piece of prehistoric treasure which will be recorded under the 1996 Treasure Act. It is believed to be Bronze Age ribbon gold which is enigmatic as it was used for personal adornment.

The form, the shape and the decoration are all indicative of that time, and its not very common to find such a piece.

He refused to comment on the value of the piece, which will have to be declared as treasure by the County Coroner.

I cant believe that Ive possibly found something so rare that its treasure, Patrick said. I wasnt even excited when I found it. I had a strong signal and dug the metal out but when I saw it I thought: Oh its just a bit of gold foil.

It looked like a sweet wrapper and I put it in the trash bag and didnt even mention it to anyone as I thought it was rubbish.

Normally Dad empties the trash bag straight into the bin but this time he didnt. Its so lucky otherwise we would have thrown it away. Ive told all my friends that Ive found some treasure and they all think its cool.

Patrick, who started metal detecting 18 months ago and was recently bought a 350 Nokta Makro Simplex as a present by his parents, discovered the ribbon on July 31.

Hed gone out on a dig with metal detecting club Soil Searchers on a piece of land - which they wont identify publically - after getting the permission from the owner.

Patrick, pictured, will be entitled to a 50 per cent share of the gold along with the land owner

Patrick, pictured with his father Andrew, has been metal detecting for the past 18 months

It was a sunny day and Id spent most of the day there, Patrick said. I hadnt had a very lucky dig and I found this at 4pm and thought it was a piece of foil. Dad was over the other side of the land and I didnt even tell him about it.

It didnt look like anything special. It was dented and had a little crack, like a twisted bit of foil. I just put it in the trash bag along with bottle tops and other bits of rubbish metal Id found.

It was only after his father realised it wasnt rubbish after all, and posted a photo on Facebook for other metal detector fans to look at, that the family, from Fleet, in Hampshire, realised they might have found something of cultural - and monetary - value.

Patrick, who has found a gold coin and Victorian gold half-sovereign before, was excited when he was told his trash was probably treasure. It was amazing to think how old the gold was and that I found it, he said.

His proud mum Carly Hooper says hes told all his friends and family about the find. Its something special as hes so young, she said. There are lots of other people whove been metal detecting for years and years and have never found anything like this.

He is so passionate about metal detecting and burst into tears when he found the gold coin. Its a fantastic hobby as it literally brings history to life for him.

In the past, the most valuable item Patrick recovered was a gold coin

He will find a Roman coin, for example, and go off and research everything about that age. He has a great collection of interesting things hes found - but this is the most exciting so far.

The British Museum, which is currently closed, and local museums will have the chance to buy the rare piece at market value otherwise it will be sold privately with the proceeds split between the landowner and the schoolboy.

Im hoping that the landowner will think hes only young and let him keep all the money, Carly, 42, a beekeeper who makes her own beauty range Beeutiful, said. Hed use it to buy more metal detecting equipment as he loves it so much.

Patrick now plans to metal detect throughout the summer and is hoping to find a rare hammered gold coin. Ill never throw anything in the trash bag again without checking it carefully, he said.
Im happy to report that Paul Howard, Fulton County, Georgias district attorney, has gone down to crushing defeat in his primary race. Howard, who has been the DA for more than two decades, lost his runoff race with Fani Willis by more than 45 points.

Readers will recall that Howard charged Atlanta police officer Garrett Rolfe with felony murder in the shooting death of Rayshard Brooks. Brooks had fired a taser gun at Rolfe. Howard had recently declared a taser to be a deadly weapon under Georgia State law.

Charging Rolfe with murder is indefensible. Its doubtful whether Rolfe even committed a crime. And Howard didnt wait for the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to complete its investigation.

The overcharging of Rolfe appeared to be an attempt by Howard to salvage victory in his primary race. Polling showed Howard to be well behind Willis, who ran ahead of him in the first round. Howard was laboring under charges of sexual harassment and corruption.

Now, Howard can fully devote himself to defending against these charges, plus an investigation into the way grand jury subpoenas were issued by his office in the Rayshard Brooks case.

Willis will become the new DA. Apparently, she faces no Republican opposition.

According to this report, Willis worked in Howards office for 16 years, and has been a defense attorney and a judge. She campaigned on promises to put more resources into investigating cases prior to making charging decisions, to implement pre-indictment diversion programs, to place more prosecutors in courtrooms, and to increase transparency in police use-of-force cases.

A quick Google search for Willis name coupled with that of George Soros came up empty. But then, why would Soros want to see a prosecutor like Paul Howard defeated?

Perhaps Willis biggest virtue is that shes not Howard. Well know a lot more about her when we see what she does with the Rolfe prosecution.
Inc. 5000 Sigora Solar Our growth is driven by our never-ending commitment to empower our customers with access to affordable renewable energy, the latest technology, and a connection to something truly meaningful, said Sigora Solar CEO Logan Landry.

Amidst the upheaval of a global health and economic crisis, Sigora Solar continues its meteoric rise in 2020, ranking among the prestigious Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing private companies in the United States.

Sigora earned the rank of 640 on the 2020 Inc. 5000 list, placing the company among the top fifteen percent of fastest-growing private companies

Our growth is driven by our never-ending commitment to empower our customers with access to affordable renewable energy, the latest technology, and a connection to something truly meaningful, said Sigora Solar CEO Logan Landry. Our solar packages paired with our Tesla Powerwall solutions, and our unique One for One program that brings power to homes in Haiti, makes Sigora one of the industrys best overall value-propositions, something our customers recognize each and every day.

The Inc. 5000 ranking continues a banner year for Sigora. The company jumped 20 spots in this years rankings of the largest solar companies in the United States, becoming one of the top 25 residential solar companies in the whole country and is ranked #1 in Virginia, according to Solar Power World.

This momentum has been partly fueled by Sigora Solar becoming a leading certified Tesla Powerwall Certified Installer. As a Tesla installer, Sigora is able to package solar panels, energy efficiency upgrades, and use the Powerwall to bring 100% energy independent solutions to its customers.

In 2019, Sigora claimed the title of Most Forward-Thinking Company by Solar Power World. Sigoras commitment to a sustainable, accessible clean energy future has set the tone for its expansion  Sigora now operates in 13 states and has made a positive impact in achieving energy equity through its One-For-One program which provides access to electricity to a family in Haiti through Sigora Haitis private micro-utility grid.

With all of these recognitions, commitment to energy equity, and proven track record of success, Sigora is proving itself as one of the main players within the renewable energy industry.

About Sigora Solar:

Sigora Solar is the largest residential and commercial solar company in Virginia, with more than 40% of the Commonwealths installed distributed generation capacity. Sigoras unique Produce+Reduce package provides solar and energy efficiency services paired with a PEARL certification to monetize those upgrades. Sigoras One-For-One program expands energy equity, providing households in Haiti access to electricity through Sigora Haiti. Sigora now operates in 13 states, establishing itself as a top 25 residential solar company in the Country. Sigoras mission is to empower people and communities to take charge of their energy and build a more sustainable and equitable energy future.


On Tuesday, the province released a request for proposals to study and forecast noise exposure around the airport and make planning recommendations, a move that has been applauded by all sides in what has become an increasingly contested matter.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 11/8/2020 (525 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

On Tuesday, the province released a request for proposals to study and forecast noise exposure around the airport and make planning recommendations, a move that has been applauded by all sides in what has become an increasingly contested matter.

This year, two potentially sizable development proposals along St. James Street new Polo Park have been met with split decisions from city council committees and which were eventually appealed to the provincial Municipal Board.

An Airport Vicinity Protection Plan has been in place for 25 years that all parties agree is in dire need of an update.

Ostensibly that plan  which was seen as somewhat visionary at the time  was established to ensure the Winnipeg airport would be able to continue as a 24-hour operation that has assisted it in growing its overnight cargo traffic.

The Richardson Winnipeg International Airport is Canadas seventh busiest airport by passenger count but the countrys top dedicated freighter airport by number of flights and third highest in daily air cargo tonnage.

The RFP is looking for a qualified interdisciplinary consulting team with experience doing noise exposure forecast studies and undertaking land use planning analysis of airport-related development restrictions.

It is looking for clear recommendations with a fairly tight, non-negotiable, timeline of 14 weeks.

With developers being stymied from being able to go ahead with developments as a result of what some believe to be outdated restrictions that lack scientific verification, the goal is to allow the airport to continue to grow and for developers  and city council  to have clarity as to what they can and cannot do.

"The Winnipeg airport is a real gem and a significant economic driver and we want to protect that," said Philip Houde, the CEO of the Economic Growth Committee of Cabinet. "We also dont want to limit the kind of development that can occur. We are trying to balance both. It can be done."

The noise exposure forecast is the official measurement used in Canada for aircraft noise assessment. Transport Canada considers residential development incompatible with airport operations in areas that exceed specific noise thresholds.

The former plan has arguably served the city and the airport over the years preventing development that might otherwise lead to complaints or legal disputes with property owners about jet engine noise.

But city Coun. Janice Lukes, who had voted to allow some recent developments, said, "People realize airplane technology has changed and building and window technology has changed. For sure we dont want to jeopardize the airports ability to have its 24-7 operations. I dont think anyone wants to do that. This is a good resolution for everyone. It is very positive."

Tyler MacAfee, vice-president, communications and government relations with the Winnipeg Airports Authority, said he was aware the RFP was coming.

"This is great," he said. "We knew it was necessary. The plan has not been updated in any substantial way for 25 years and some of the assumptions have evolved."

Among other things, the airport has become a much busier cargo hub than was anticipated 25 years ago.

Also, real estate development has taken off in that quadrant of the city and developers are looking forward to having planning clarity.

Martin McGarry, the CEO of Cushman & Wakefield/Stevenson, which manages and develops a lot of industrial properties in the airport region, including CentrePort, said, "First of all, having the WAA, the province and the city on the same page is fantastic news."

St. James Coun. Scott Gillingham said it is something he has been on the record advocating for many years and Frances Smee, the reeve of the RM of Rosser, which butts up against the airport and where much of CentrePort is located, said for her municipality to be successful she needs the airport to be successful.

"A study is needed and we support the province going ahead with it," she said. "It will help to direct development."

Even Justin Zarnowski, vice-president of legal affairs with Shindico Inc., which has been trying to develop high density, multi-use residential projects at the old Winnipeg Stadium grounds and at Polo Park in partnership with Cadillac Fairview, is supportive.

"Were glad to see the province is stepping up," he said. "It is really important for the city."

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But Zarnowski said there is no particular drama for him as to what the results of the study will be.

"I think this is just a recognition by the province that further study of the whole area is needed," he said. "If our site is not impacted, likely there are others as well."

Shindico and Cadillac Fairview commissioned their own noise exposure study for their property and found there were no concerns at all.

It is expected that the Municipal Board will hear the WAAs appeal on the Shindico development after the report has been completed.

"I suppose two reports are better than one," Zarnowski said.

martin.cash@freepress.mb.ca
New Delhi, Aug 12 : A day after the attack on its party MLA in Bengaluru, the Congress has condemned the incident and has questioned the role of the police in controlling the riots in which three persons died.

Congress Chief Spokesperson Randeep Surjewala in a statement on Wednesday said, "Riots and arson are reprehensible, condemnable and unacceptable, and it is a complete failure of the law and order machinery and rule of law." The Congress raised questions about the role of the police and the Yediyurappa government. Surjewala said, "Was the Yediyurappa government sleeping or waiting for violence to happen. And, why did the police not act in time? Who is responsible for the three deaths?" The statement comes after the BJP leaders questioned the silence of the Congress on the whole incident, which occurred on Tuesday in which the house of the Congress MLA was attacked by a mob.

Three people died in the police firing, 60 policemen were injured and several vehicles were set ablaze in Bengaluru on Tuesday night after Congress MLA Akanda Srinivas Murthy's nephew Naveen allegedly posted a derogatory message on social media. Naveen has been arrested. The police had to resort to firing in order to bring the situation under control.
OTTAWA - Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tried Tuesday to shut down speculation that he's about to fire his finance minister, saying he has full confidence in Bill Morneau and that any reports to the contrary are false.

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This article was published 11/8/2020 (525 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he has full confidence in Finance Minister Bill Morneau and any reports to the contrary are false. Finance Minister Bill Morneau rises during Question Period in the House of Commons in Ottawa, Monday, July 20, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

OTTAWA - Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tried Tuesday to shut down speculation that he's about to fire his finance minister, saying he has full confidence in Bill Morneau and that any reports to the contrary are false.

Trudeau's office took the unusual step of issuing a statement in support of Morneau as rumours about the minister's imminent departure from the crucial finance post reached a fever pitch on Parliament Hill.

For several weeks, opposition parties have been calling for Morneau's resignation over allegations that he had a conflict of interest in the WE Charity affair. Morneau and Trudeau are both facing investigations by the federal ethics watchdog.

But news this week that Mark Carney, a former governor of both the Bank of Canada and Bank of England, is helping to advise Trudeau on the post-pandemic economic recovery fuelled speculation that Morneau is about to be replaced as finance minister.

In the statement Tuesday, the Prime Minister's Office praised Morneau's record, including his "lead role" in creating emergency aid programs to help individuals and businesses survive the economic shutdown triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Since we formed government, Minister Morneau has worked relentlessly with all his colleagues, and closely with the prime minister, to deliver critical support for Canadians to build a strong and resilient economy," it said.

"In particular, Minister Morneau played a central role that saw Canada develop one of the best economies in the G7, a million new jobs over the first mandate, generational changes to the CPP, the lowest unemployment rate in Canadian history, and over a million Canadians lifted out of poverty."

The statement said Morneau is continuing his important work of helping Canadians survive the economic impact of the pandemic.

"Of course the prime minister has full confidence in Minister Morneau and any statement to the contrary is false. The prime minister knows that Minister Morneau and the entire team of cabinet ministers will keep doing the work that Canadians rely on to get them through this pandemic."

Earlier Tuesday, Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer said it mattered little to him whether Morneau or someone else serves as finance minister under Trudeau.

"It really doesn't matter, making a trade for Bill Morneau, when you've got a prime minister that has such a lack of ethics embroiled in so many scandals," Scheer told reporters at a news conference in Ottawa.

Trudeau and Morneau are both under investigation by the federal ethics commissioner for possible conflicts of interest arising from the government's decision to hand the administration of a student grant program to WE Charity.

Both have close family connections to the charity and have apologized for not recusing themselves from the decision. However, they've also insisted that it was public servants who recommended WE Charity as the only organization capable of managing the program, which has since been abandoned due to the controversy.

The government had budgeted $912 million for the program, which was supposed to encourage students to sign up for volunteer work related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The agreement to have WE Charity administer the program was for $543 million.

WE Charity was to be paid up to $43.5 million under the agreement, which stipulated that the organization could not make money on the deal.

Trudeau has been a featured speaker at six WE Day events and his wife hosts a podcast for the group, for which they have not been paid. However, the charity has covered hundreds of thousands in expenses for Sophie Gregoire Trudeau as well as fees and expenses to Trudeau's mother and brother for speaking at numerous WE events over the years.

One of Morneau's daughters works for the organization, another has spoken at its events and his wife has donated $100,000. Morneau also revealed last month that he had repaid some $41,000 in expenses that WE had paid for him and his family in 2017 for trips to view two of its humanitarian projects in Ecuador and Kenya.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 11, 2020.
James Cleverly accused Ben & Jerry's of 'virtue signalling' after it spoke out against Priti Patel over migrants crossing the English Channel. (Getty Images/Ben & Jerry's)

A Conservative minister has accused an ice cream brand of virtue signalling after it waded into the debate over migrants crossing the English Channel in small boats.

The move came after Ben & Jerrys called out home secretary Priti Patel for a lack of humanity for people fleeing war, climate change and torture.

The high-end ice cream brand said in a series of tweets that people wouldnt make dangerous journeys if they had any other choice and that people cannot be illegal.

It concluded: Lets remember were all human and have the same rights to life regardless of the country we happen to have been born in.

It prompted James Cleverly, the Foreign Office and international development minister, to go on the attack: Can I have a large scoop of statistically inaccurate virtue signalling with my grossly overpriced ice cream please.

Can I have a large scoop of statistically inaccurate virtue signalling with my grossly overpriced ice cream please. https://t.co/rkZFN9EO5y  James Cleverly (@JamesCleverly) August 11, 2020

The Home Office also pushed back against Ben & Jerrys, with a source quoted by the BBC as saying: Priti is working day and night to bring an end to these small boat crossings, which are facilitated by international criminal gangs and are rightly of serious concern to the British people.

"If that means upsetting the social media team for a brand of overpriced junk food, then so be it."

More than 4,000 people have crossed the Channel from France to the UK this year, with at least 597 arriving between Thursday and Sunday alone.

A Border Force vessel approaches a group of people thought to be migrants on an inflatable dinghy on the English Channel on Monday. (Gareth Fuller/PA via AP)

On Tuesday, immigration minister Chris Philp  who reports to Patel  promised a new, comprehensive action plan to stem the latest surge in crossings after talks with French officials.

Philp, speaking in Paris, said the sheer numbers crossing the Channel were completely unacceptable to both the French and UK governments.

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He did not comment on the details of the new plan, only saying both countries had renewed and reaffirmed their absolute commitment to make sure this border is properly policed and this route is completely ended.

Meanwhile, some asylum seekers were set to launch a legal challenge to halt their deportation after arriving in the UK by crossing the Channel.

Up to 20 people were due to be put on a charter flight to France and Germany on Wednesday, according to campaigners. It is thought to be the first removal planned since the coronavirus lockdown.

The Duncan Lewis law firm said it is representing 15 people from Iran, Yemen, Kuwait, Afghanistan, Iraq and Sudan who have strong claims for asylum and real reasons for wanting to stay in the UK but have been told they are being deported.

Many have mental-health problems and some have been identified as victims of torture, sexual assault and trafficking, according to lawyers.

Lily Parrott, one of the solicitors representing some of the migrants, said: Whether the government likes it or not, under British and international law people are allowed to migrate for the purpose of seeking asylum  even if it means they have to use irregular routes.

The governments suggestion that they cannot is just wrong, and an abuse of power.

The ongoing debate comes as a YouGov survey carried out on Tuesday found 49% of Britons dont sympathise with the thousands of migrants who have been making the dangerous journey across the Channel.

The poll found 27% of British adults have no sympathy at all, with 22% of people having not much sympathy.

On the other hand, the survey of 3,163 people also showed 44% do sympathise: 19% a great deal and 25% a fair amount.
WASHINGTON  Vice President Mike Pence was on his way to an Arizona campaign event Tuesday when former Vice President Joe Biden announced he'd chosen Sen. Kamala Harris as his running mate.

After taking the stage at a Latter-Day Saints for Trump coalition event, Pence noted that the October vice presidential debate will be in Utah, another state with a large Mormon population.

"So my message to the Democrat candidate for vice president?" Pence said. "Congratulations. I'll see you in Salt Lake City!"

Here are some of the clashes between Pence and Harris that could up come up on the campaign trail:

Vice President Mike Pence pumps his fist towards supporters at a "Latter-day Saints for Trump" campaign event in Mesa, Ariz. August 11, 2020.

LGBTQ and women's issues

Pence occasionally became the target of the large field of Democratic presidential hopefuls in 2019, particularly after Biden described Pence as a "decent guy." After push back from the LGBTQ community, Biden walked back his comment, saying that there is nothing decent about being anti-LGBTQ rights.

Harris joined in the condemnation. In a March 2019 MSNBC interview, Harris said: I disagree with most of what the vice president stands for when he makes decisions about our LGBTQ community in a way that doesnt understand that they should be entitled to full equality and all rights under the law as any other American."

Harris also criticized Pence for saying in 2002 that he wouldnt eat alone with a woman other than his wife and didnt attend events featuring alcohol unless she was there  although Harris described it differently.

I disagree with him when he suggests its not possible to have meetings with women alone by himself," she said. "I think thats ridiculous  the idea that you would deny a professional woman the opportunity to have a meeting with the vice president of the United States is outrageous.

Pence's spokeswoman responded at the time that Harris should "get your facts straight."

"Hes elevated women to positions of leadership throughout his career & relies on their advice & counsel," Alyssa Farah tweeted.

Story continues

Is Mike Pence a decent guy?Critics cite his LGBTQ stance, Trump loyalty

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos

Harris' first floor speech after joining the Senate in 2017 was an explanation of her opposition to Trump's choice of Betsy DeVos to run the Education Department. Harris said DeVos, a champion of private schools, didn't understand the importance of public school teachers and lacked knowledge about testing and other issues.

"Our country needs a secretary of education who has demonstrated basic competency when it comes to issues facing children," Harris said. "They just need to know what they're talking about."

It was Pence who pushed DeVos' nomination over the finish line, casting the tie-breaking confirmation vote in his capacity as president of the Senate. It was the first time a vice president had to provide the final vote for a Cabinet nominee.

Pence, who oversaw a huge expansion of Indiana's voucher program as that state's governor, called his vote a "high honor." DeVos had played an influential role in developing Indianas largest-in-the-nation private school voucher program.

Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., takes the stage for a campaign rally at Morehouse College, March 24, 2019, in Atlanta.

Ukraine controversy

As House Democrats dug into Trump's involvement in Ukraine, the matter at the heart of his eventual impeachment, Harris called on Pence to tell Congress what he knew.

"There's no question that Mike Pence is the vice president who clearly was in the zone of, and in the area of, a lot of what's been described as extreme misconduct, should testify before the United States Congress," Harris said in October as she was seeking the Democratic presidential nomination.

The next month, after diplomat Gordon Sondland testified that "everyone was in the loop," Harris again said Pence should testify.

"You can't hide behind, you know, the president on this," Harris said. "You can't prance around talking about being vice president with all the benefits that come with that, and not take the responsibility that comes with that position."

Pence has disputed the notion that he was in the loop, saying after Sondlands testimony that he was not aware of the allegations that U.S. aid to Ukraine was tied to investigations at any point before those matters became public in September.

More: How much did Mike Pence know about pressure on Ukraine? Testimony suggests effort to flag concerns

Donald Trump and Mike Pence on stage at the conclusion of the 2016 Republican National Convention at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland on July 21, 2016.

Abortion issues

Pence has been the administration's most prominent opponent of abortion. As he works the campaign trail to maintain the strong support the ticket received from Christian conservatives in 2016, Pence has been attacking Biden for no longer supporting a long-standing law that blocks federal funding for abortion in most cases.

Pence said Tuesday that Biden's choice of Harris was no surprise because Biden and the Democratic Party "have been overtaken by the radical left" and are promising "higher taxes, open borders, socialized medicine and abortion on demand."

Harris' record was immediately criticized by anti-abortion groups. A super PAC that partners with the Susan B. Anthony List announced it's running TV ads in battleground states "exposing Harris extremism on abortion."

Planned Parenthood Action Fund, the political arm of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, said Biden's choice "made it clear that he is deeply committed to not only protecting reproductive rights but also advancing and expanding them."

Who is Kamala Harris? A look at Joe Biden's vice presidential running mate

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Vice President Mike Pence vs. Kamala Harris: Where they might clash
A barrier-breaking prosecutor with a love for grilling  I will repeat  and music. One nation under a groove. She ran for president  I am running for president of the United States.  going head to head with Biden over school busing. You know, there was a little girl in California who was part of the second class to integrate her public schools. And she was bused to school every day. And that little girl was me. But she later endorsed him. Now, California Senator Kamala Harris is Joe Bidens pick for vice president. As I said, Joe, when you called me, I am incredibly honored by this responsibility. And Im ready to get to work. I am ready to get to work. So, who is she? Harris has a history of being the first. You may be the first to do many things, but make sure youre not the last. She was the the first black person and first woman to become district attorney of San Francisco and later attorney general of California. I decided to become a prosecutor because I believed that there were vulnerable and voiceless people who deserved to have a voice in that system. And in 2016, she was elected the first Black senator from California. Now, she is the first Black woman and first person of Indian descent to be nominated for national office by a major party. So what is she known for in Washington? So my question to you  Harris serves on four Senate committees and is perhaps best known for her tough questions. It makes me nervous  Is that a no? Is that a yes? Can I get to respond please, maam? No, sir. No, no. And some of her policy priorities? Criminal justice reform and racial justice legislation. Racial justice is on the ballot in 2020. After the killing of George Floyd in police custody, Harris returned to the Senate with new purpose. Black Americans want to stop being killed. She found clarity here that she was missing as a presidential candidate. We should have things like a national standard for excessive use of force. But shes faced criticism from progressive activists over her record as a prosecutor, including her push for higher cash bails for certain crimes and for refusing to support independent investigations for police shootings as recently as 2014. So whats her dynamic with President Trump? Shes called Trumps border wall  His vanity project.  and him  That guy in The Wizard of Oz, you know, when you pull back the curtain, its a really small dude. Most recently, Harris criticized Trump for ordering an aggressive military response to peaceful protesters in Washington for a photo op. Turning the U.S. military on its own people. This is not the America that people fought for. Trump tweeted an attack ad on Harris shortly after the V.P. pick was announced, calling her a phony and accusing her of rushing to the radical left during her presidential run. Slow Joe and Phony Kamala. Harris ran an unsteady presidential campaign that ended before the first primaries. We are all in this together. But she is among the best-known Black women in American politics  This is our house.  and may appeal to both moderates and liberals. Her proponents hope her experience in law enforcement will help her face the unique challenges of the moment  I voted.  but her previous public feud with Biden could cast a shadow on their united front.
The management of the University of Lagos and the institutions governing council were on Wednesday locked in a leadership tussle.

The council, at an emergency meeting held in Abuja, announced the removal of the universitys vice-chancellor, Oluwatoyin Ogundipe.

In accordance with the statutory powers vested in it by Law, the Governing Council of the University of Lagos removed Professor Oluwatoyin T. Ogundipe, FAS from office as Vice Chancellor of the University with immediate effect, the councils secretary, Oladejo Azeez, said in a statement.

This decision was based on Councils investigation of serious acts of wrongdoing, gross misconduct, financial recklessness and abuse of office against Professor Oluwatoyin T. Ogundipe, FAS, Mr Azeez, who is also the schools registrar, added.

Mr Ogundipe fired back, saying he remains the vice-chancellor as his reported removal was a figment of the councils imagination.

He urged the public to disregard the mischievous disinformation because even if the purported removal was true, the extant provisions of the law have not been complied with by the council.

Extant provision

The action of the governing council, however, appears contrary to the law establishing the university. The law vests the power to remove a vice-chancellor on the Nigerian president.

On the grounds of misconduct or of inability to perform, section 17(1) of the universitys establishment law empowers the Council to recommend the removal of any of its members to the president, who thereafter decides, in writing, whether or not the councils recommendation should stand.

Also, section 3(8) of the first schedule of the same act vests the power to remove the vice-chancellor on the president of the country after due consultation with the Council and the Senate acting through the Minister of Education.

In other words, only the president has the power to remove the vice-chancellor from office.

Also, the ministry of education through its director of press, Ben Goong, said the ministry is yet to be briefed on the removal of the vice-chancellor by the council.

While the ministry awaits for the proper briefing from the university authorities, it is important to reaffirm that council has the power to hire and fire, but that due process must be followed in doing so, Mr Goong told Punch newspaper on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the amended universities miscellaneous act of 2003 requires the governing council to set up a joint committee of itself and the university senate before a recommendation to remove a vice-chancellor can be forwarded to the president.

However, a human rights lawyer, Inibehe Effiong, said the law specific to the university takes preference.

Also, a professor who represents the universitys senate in the governing council, Bola Oboh, who said he attended Wednesdays emergency meeting, said in a statement that the removal was based on an earlier report but was wrongly done.

He alleged that the vice-chancellor was denied the opportunity to defend himself before the Pro-Chancellor called for a vote for the removal of the VC.

Dear Senate members, the University of Lagos regulation has been stepped on and ridiculed. Babawale Babalakin, the ProChancellor waited for the tenure of Prof. Chukwu and Prof. Familoni to end, to call an Emergency Council meeting. Based on the Dagari report, without allowing the VC defend himself, the ProChancellor called for a vote for the removal of the VC.

I (Prof. Oboh), Prof. Odukoya, Prof. Leshi and John Momoh voted against the removal of the VC. Six persons (excluding Babalakin (the pro-chancellor) voted for. Babalakin then went ahead to announce the removal of the VC, Mr Oboh said, adding that he would report to the schools Senate.

The perennial conflict between the universitys management and its governing council worsened in March when its week-long 2020 convocation was abruptly cancelled.

The cancellation, which was ordered by the NUC, Nigerian universities regulatory body, was in response to a directive by the education minister, Adamu Adamu.

Mr Adamu gave the directive in response to a letter written to the vice-chancellor by the council chairman, Wale Babalakin, accusing the vice-chancellor of failing to share important details about the ceremony with the council.

The exchanges between the two officials were condemned by relevant stakeholders including graduands, parents, alumni and the universitys staff.

The council as stated in the universitys establishment law is a twenty-member body consisting the pro-chancellor, the vice-chancellor, the deputy vice-chancellors, a representative from the education ministry, nine representatives of the federal government, four members of the universitys senate, two persons appointed by the congregation and a member appointed by the convocation.

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Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot is likely to seek a trust vote despite the rebel legislators returning to the Congress as the move will give a breather of six months to the party to set its house in order, people familiar with the development said.

While the chief minister told HT that the decision on the floor test will be taken once the assembly session starts on August 14, a Congress leader said the move is unavoidable as the party cannot keep its legislators lodged in hotels forever.

The partys two central observers  Randeep Singh Surjewala and Ajay Maken  have also been camping in the state for the past one month since July 12.

With 19 rebel legislators returning to the party fold, the Congress has a comfortable majority in the 200-member assembly. Congress leaders claim that the party enjoys the backing of 125 legislators, including independents, and other supporting parties.

No doubt, floor test is the only solution and we can go for it at any opportune time. We will prove our majority on the floor of the House, said the leader on condition of anonymity.

We will get a breather of six months to address all the issues raised by party leaders and legislators from both sides, he further said, referring to both the Gehlot and Sachin Pilot camps.

Also, the three-member All India Congress Committee (AICC) panel formed to look into grievances of rebel legislators will submit its report by then, the leader quoted above added.

Another Congress functionary monitoring the party developments in Rajasthan said the government can move the trust vote anytime in the assembly.

He said the strategy for the session will be finalised on Thursday. The legislators, who were shifted to Jaisalmer on July 31, were back in Jaipur on Wednesday.

But the legislators backing Gehlot displayed their anger and resentment at the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting at Jaisalmer on Tuesday over the amicable resolution of the crisis and return of Pilot and his supporters to the party fold.

As many as 70 of the 100 legislators were vocal against Pilot, questioning how could the Congress take the rebels back after they tried to topple the government, a party leader present in the meeting said.

Who paid the fee of senior lawyers Harish Salve and Mukul Rohatgi? Who paid the bills of the hotel where rebel Congress legislators stayed? Why did the BJP government in Haryana and the 1,100 state police personnel protect the Congress legislators? were some of the questions raised at the CLP meeting, according to this leader.

Gehlot told reporters on Wednesday that it was natural for these legislators to be upset and that they have to bear in the interest of the people of the state.

It is natural for them to be upset. The way this episode happened, they had to stay in hotels. But I told them that in the interest of the country, state, its people and for saving democracy, sometimes we have to bear, he said.

We will work together and our colleagues who had gone have also returned and I hope that all will work together after settling the complaints and grievances, the chief minister said, referring to the rebel legislators.

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A New York man, who had planned to join Pakistan-based terrorist organisation Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and carry out acts of terrorism, has been sentenced to 15 years in prison and a lifetime term of supervised release for attempting to provide material support to the terror outfit.

Jesus Wilfredo Encarnacion, 30, who also went by the alias'Jihadistsoldgier', 'Jihadinhear', 'Jihadinheart', 'Lionofthegood', was sentenced to 15 years in prison for attempting to provide material support to LeT, which is responsible for multiple high-profile attacks, including the Mumbai terror attacks in November 2008, the Department of Justice said.

In addition, Encarnacion was sentenced to a lifetime term of supervised release. Encarnacion had pleaded guilty in January this year before United States District Judge Ronnie Abrams, who also imposed the sentence.

"Unfortunately, individuals continue to attempt to travel to foreign countries to support terrorist organisations. Encarnacion's sentence reflects the seriousness with which the justice system takes these efforts," Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C Demers said.

Acting US Attorney Audrey Strauss for the Southern District of New York said Encarnacion plotted to travel abroad, to join and train with LeT and to carry out shootings, bombings, and beheadings on behalf of that terrorist organisation.

According to the criminal complaint and indictment, Encarnacion expressed his desire to join a terrorist group in an online group chat in November 2018.

At the chat, he met another individual, who introduced Encarnacion to a person who was an undercover FBI employee. Encarnacion repeatedly expressed, in the course of recorded communications through a social media service with the individual and through an encrypted messaging service with the undercover agent, his allegiance to and support for LeT.

The Pakistan-based terror organisation LeT has been designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation by both the United States Secretary of State and the Immigration and Nationality Act.

Over several months, Encarnacion discussed his desire and plans to join LeT overseas so that he could receive training and participate in violent acts of terrorism.

The Justice Department said Encarnacion told the undercover agent that he was "ready to kill and die in the name of Allah" and sought the agent's assistance to help Encarnacion travel abroad to serve as an "executioner" for LeT, stating, "I want to execute. I want to behead. Shoot."

Encarnacion further stated that he aspired to commit terrorist attacks - "a bombing and shooting" - in the United States, but lacked "guidance and guns" to do so.

By early 2019, Encarnacion and the undercover agent agreed on a plan that Encarnacion believed would allow him to join LeT in Pakistan.

Encarnacion told the agent that he had made arrangements to travel to a particular city in Europe, as the first step in traveling to Pakistan to join LeT.

Encarnacion purchased an airline ticket for a flight scheduled to depart in February last year from John F Kennedy International Airport to a European City. Encarnacion was arrested by the FBI after he attempted to board the flight from JFK Airport.
Authoritarian Leaders Are Watching The Turmoil In Belarus Closely. So Are The People Tiring Of Their Rule.

By Mike Eckel August 11, 2020

Congratulations came first from China's president. Then from the entrenched leaders in Tajikistan, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Russia, and more.

Behind the warm words welcoming the Belarusian state's announcement that Alyaksandr Lukashenka had won a sixth term by a landslide were cold calculations, observers said: First, how to secure more time in power in their own countries; and secondly, what to do when faced with strong public opposition themselves.

Opponents, meanwhile, looked to the Belarusian election and its aftermath for hints about how to challenge those in power. And they took note as an unlikely candidate drew crowds of supporters in the run-up to the August 9 election -- and then again as protests against the official results were met with a violent security crackdown.

Authoritarian leaders in former Soviet republics want to maintain power, said Paul Stronski, a former White House and State Department official. They also want stability, he said.

"The type of violence that you're seeing, the [Azerbaijani and Kazakh governments] don't want that," Stronski, who worked on Russia and Central Asian policy at the White House National Security Council from 2012 to 2014, told RFE/RL.

"The signal of congratulations is to try to solidify, turn the page on the protest, because [such upheaval] sends bad signals across the region," he added.

Similar Situations

Several of the countries whose leaders were quick to congratulate Lukashenka face their own sets of problems and discontent. Most have struggled to deal with the coronavirus pandemic and the economic chaos it has unleashed on already brittle economies.

"High turnout & ballot results once again demonstrated the people's great confidence in you," Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoev said in his congratulatory message to Lukashenka. That assessment flies in the face of the massive protests that continue to shake Belarus amid opposition claims that the official result for Lukashenka  more than 80 percent of the vote  is a fiction.

Along with Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan is Central Asia's economic engine, and the latter country has weathered the coronavirus response better than some neighbors. Its aging longtime ruler, Nursultan Nazarbaev, stepped aside last year but retained potentially influential positions. Observers have pointed to the beginnings of a quiet succession struggle and wondered how long the current president, Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev, will stay in power.

Protests erupted in Kazakhastan last year after the election that formally enshrined Toqaev in the presidency, but the country's long-oppressed opposition remains splintered and marginalized by security forces. Some opposition figures drew parallels between Lukashenka's moves and those Nazarbaev has made, suggested that the opposition to Lukashenka was an example for Kazakhstan.

Mukhtar Ablyazov, a Kazakh fugitive who has been accused of stealing millions from a bank and is now an outspoken government opponent, called the Belarusian results falsified. He suggested parallel actions for Kazakh activists looking to replicate the challenge mounted against Lukashenka:

"Dictators will never succeed. This should be a lesson for other dictators like Nazarbaev," said Zhanbolat Mamai, a political activist who has spearheaded the creation of a new opposition party:

Like Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan has relied heavily for years on oil and gas exports to bolster its economy, and President Ilham Aliyev has spent lavishly to transform the capital, Baku, and other parts of the country. He is also accused of brutally suppressing political opposition groups, independent media, civil society organizations and, according to numerous corruption researchers, has enriched himself and his family.

While Aliyev congratulated Lukashenka, the leader of one of the main opposition parties also drew parallels with the situation in Azerbaijan.

"The people of Belarus revolted and demanded their rights, and they will get them," Ali Karimli, a leader of the National Front Party, said in a post on Facebook. "Repressions and arrests don't guarantee eternal rule. All of them will be defeated and be left on history's black page."

Brittle States

The ex-Soviet republic that observers say faces the greatest risks is the country that will next hold a presidential election: Tajikistan.

The incumbent, Emomali Rahmon, has been in power since 1992  longer than any leader in the former Soviet Union, including Lukashenka.

In recent years, he, his allies, and his relatives have consolidated their grip over swaths of the Tajik economy and government entities, even as parts of the country have slipped out of the firm control of the government in Dushanbe.

Rahmon, 68, has not announced whether he will stand for reelection in the vote scheduled for October 11. He has won past elections handily  but, like in Belarus, they have been denounced by observers and marred by evidence of fraud.

His son, Rustam, however, has taken on an increasingly public profile in state media in recent years and now is a top official in the Tajik parliament and mayor of the country's capital, Dushanbe.

That has fueled speculation that Rahmon is positioning his son to take over in a dynastic succession similar to the one in Azerbaijan, where Aliyev's long-ruling father steered his son into the presidency shortly before his death in 2003.

That prospect has caused concern among Tajiks seeking change, like voters in Belarus.

"Hearing and seeing one person continuously at the helm of power and at the same time not seeing any changes in socio-political and economic processes -- that caused anxiety for Belarusians," Shokirjon Hakim, a Tajik lawyer and political activist, told RFE/RL's Tajik Service. "They, too, in the end saw no other way [to prompt a] change of power than protests."

"Tajikistan is quite brittle," Stronski said. "The country has really moved toward full authoritarian, moved from a rentier state. The government doesn't have full control over parts of the country... It's one of the most fragile states of the former Soviet Union."

Lukashenka has overseen the Belarusian economy's slow growth, but he's also succeeded in building a wide social welfare net and a central-command economy that long blunted discontent that could result from joblessness or widespread poverty.

In Tajikistan, the country's isolation, its lack of natural resources like oil and gas, and the legacy of an impoverished population has been compounded by the Rahmon government's policies, his critics say.

"In Belarus, services still kind of work," Stronski said. "That's not the case in Tajikistan."

In Georgia, where parliamentary elections will also be held in October, the ruling Georgian Dream party had been consolidating its power until a brutal crackdown on peaceful demonstrators in 2019, which cast a shadow over Georgian Dream's future plans.

Teona Akubardia, a security expert affiliated with a party called Strategy Builder, told RFE/RL that the Georgian authorities should look at the Belarusian turmoil with an eye to averting the potential for Russian meddling in the upcoming campaign.

"Georgia must carefully assess the processes taking place in Belarus and, consequently, must assess the threats: what mechanisms Russia can use to intervene in Georgia in the October parliamentary elections," Akubardia said.

The Maidan's Shadow

For many leaders in the former Soviet Union, the echoes of the "Maidan" -- the popular unrest that shook Ukraine in 2013 and 2014 -- still reverberate. That has affected how elections are conducted and how public protests are handled.

Then-President Viktor Yanukovych's decision to spurn closer ties with the European Union and turn toward Moscow sparked months of massive street protests. They culminated in a spasm of violence in early 2014, when riot police cracked down and snipers killed dozens of people.

Russian President Vladimir Putin's government has falsely called the protests that ousted Yanukovych a Western-backed coup.

The Kremlin and other authoritarian leaders in the region have been determined to avoid a repeat of the "Maidan" or another "color revolution"  a reference to popular protests and upheavals in Georgia, Ukraine, Kyrgyzstan, and elsewhere.

"The word 'Maidan' and the word 'color revolution' have bad connotations [for governments] across the region; they denigrate it as not a bottom-up action, but something from the top, that's been purposely organized, and that it brings chaos," Stronski said.

When it comes to the leaders currently in power, he said, "no one wants a color revolution or another Maidan," he said.

With reporting by RFE/RL's Georgian, Kazakh, Tajik, and Azerbaijani services

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/authoritarian-leaders-are- watching-the-turmoil-in-belarus-closely-so-are-the-people -tiring-of-their-rule-/30778461.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.

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-12 19:57:44|Editor: huaxia

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KABUL, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- Six children were killed and one child wounded after a wall of a house collapsed in Afghanistan's eastern province of Paktia on Tuesday night, a statement said on Wednesday.

"The incident occurred in Karizkali village of Sayyed Karam district. Provincial officials of State Ministry for Disaster Management and Humanitarian Affairs visited the family and expressed condolences over the incident," the statement issued by the ministry said.

The officials also provided the affected family 300,000 afghani (about 3,900 U.S. dollars) along with food and non-food items, the statement added.

Heavy rains had been pounding in the mountainous region for the last few days.

Wall and roof collapse incidents frequently happen in Afghanistan as most of the houses and shops in the countryside are built with mud and woods.

Last year, a father and his son died after a muddy wall collapsed in neighboring Wardak province. Enditem
Google Beats Genius In Lyric Scraping Lawsuit

A judge has dismissed lyric site Genius lawsuit against Google and lyric provider LyricFind for $50 million for allegedly copying its song lyrics and using then in search results.

Genius claimed that it caught Google by inserting a series of alternating straight and curved apostrophes in the lyrics that it hosts and then finding them verbatim in more than 100 Google search results.

But a federal judge dismissed the case this week in large part because Genius does not own the lyrics that it sued to protect.

Calling Geniuss lyric transcriptions derivative works, the judge wrote: Plaintiffs breach of contract claims are nothing more than claims seeking to enforce the copyright owners exclusive rights to protection from unauthorized reproduction of the lyrics and are therefore preempted.

Although Plaintiff describes the rights it seeks to enforce as broader and different than the exclusive right existing under the Copyright Act, based on the substantial investment of time and labor by [Plaintiff] in a competitive market, and asserts breach of contract claims based on alleged violations of Plaintiffs Terms of Service, Plaintiffs own ability to transcribe and display the lyrics on its website arises from the licensing rights Plaintiff has in the lyrics

H/T Hollywood Reporter

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The authorities at the Rajasthan Assembly, whose upcoming session starts from Friday (August 14), have made seating arrangements for 315 people in the 200-member House in a bid to comply with the social distancing norms amid the raging coronavirus disease (Covid-19) outbreak, officials said.

At present, the assembly can house 270 people.

The assembly secretariat is installing extra seats in the aisles.

Each lawmaker will be allowed only two personal staff members because of the pandemic.

Gaurav Goyal, commissioner, Jaipur Development Authority (JDA), has been appointed as the nodal officer for the assembly session and entrusted with the responsibility to strictly enforce Covid-19 guidelines.

He will be assisted by two health directorate staff, the officials said.

Thermal scanning facility will be installed at the assembly entrance. If an MLA (member of the Rajasthan legislative assembly) is found to be suffering from a fever, he will be taken to an isolation facility within the assembly for a health check-up, they added.

The authorities at the directorate of information and public relations (DIPR) informed that restrictions would be enforced in the issuance of media passes owing to the viral outbreak and prevent overcrowding in the press gallery.

Media organisations have been asked to specify names of their reporters, who will attend the session in shifts. A cap is being placed on the number of media persons in the press gallery, said a DIPR official.

The secretariat is yet to decide on the seating arrangements of three former ministers such as sacked deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot and his supporters Vishvendra Singh and Ramesh Meena amid the stand-off with CM Ashok Gehlot over a bitter internal power struggle in the ruling Congress government.

Though they used to occupy front seats as ministers in line with the protocol, they are likely to be allotted seats depending on their seniority, assembly officials said.

Pilot is a first-time MLA, but Singh and Meena are three-time lawmakers.

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MA XUEJING/CHINA DAILY

By Phil Cunningham

"US Leads a Coalition of One against China" screams the headline of The American Conservative. It sounds like a parody piece in the Onion or a college humor magazine but it comes from the pages of a serious, right-leaning publication not known for going easy on Beijing. The article by Ted Galen Carpenter highlights the utter failure of the United States administration to get allies, with the possible exception of the United Kingdom, to join its crusade against China.

As for the UK, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo paid a visit to London to twist arms and bend British will on controversial questions such as Huawei and military preparedness in the South China Sea with mixed results. A coerced "Coalition of Two" may well be achieved, but the rest of Europe just isn't buying it, and neither is Asia.

The Guardian's world affairs editor Julian Borger pithily explains why the US "coalition" is failing to coalesce: "The failure of governance evident in the Trump administration's response to the coronavirus pandemicwhich has left the US as the biggest, most enduring hotspot, and Americans banned from travelling to much of the worldhas also made it hard for US diplomats to cajole foreign governments into a common cause against China, without drawing pained smiles."

The US president has alienated even longstanding US allies with his erratic, petulant behavior, whether it be slamming down the phone or belittling essential allies such as German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Republic of Korea President Moon Jae-in.

Australia, which the US has long taken for granted as a bulwark against China, has pushed back against Pompeo's push. "The relationship we have with China is very important, and we have no intention of injuring it", Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne explained.

In Asia, India has reasons of its own to seek common ground with the China hawks in the US, but an Indo-US "democratic alliance" against China doesn't stand much of a chance since long-standing New Delhi-Washington distrust can't be easily overcome.

Even Japan, bound by a treaty to be a stalwart supporter and "key security ally" of the US, has shown reluctance to get on board the runaway Pompeo train, even on more moderate issues, as seen in this June 7 report in the Mainichi Shimbun: "Japan opts not to join US, others in rapping China for Hong Kong law."

As for the Republic of Korea, asking Seoul to "choose either China or the United States" is like "asking a child whether you like your dad or your mom", according to Moon Hee-sang, the speaker of the ROK legislature. Talking to The Atlantic in late July he added: "We cannot abandon economy for the sake of security, and we cannot abandon security for the sake of economy."

China's State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi appears to concur: "It is neither necessary nor possible for the two sides to change each other", Wang stressed in a Xinhua report in early August. "Instead, we should respect the choice independently made by the people of the other side."

The US has been undermining support and chiseling away at its own alliance network for some time now. Japan was upset by the way the US unilaterally pulled out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement. The childish storming out of various arms control agreements has not added to the US' stature either.

The US administration inherited a bureaucratic disregard for decisions of the International Court of Justice and global environmental protocols, but by making a mockery of the United Nations, the incumbent US administration has done nothing to win upset allies. And quitting the World Health Organization in the midst of a pandemic is par for the course for the US administration's tone-deaf diplomacy.

The carnage of traditional institutions and valued protocols by the US is so great that critics can be found across the political spectrum.

"Last month, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo launched yet another evangelical crusade, this time against China," writes liberal economist Jeffrey Sachs. "His speech was extremist, simplistic, and dangerousand may well put the US on a path to conflict with China."

Equally cogent analysis comes from conservative writers who are hoping to dampen the impact of Pompeo's audacious and ill-conceived move to declare a new "Cold War" on China. Everywhere you look, outside of race-driven populism of Rupert Murdoch's TV and newspaper empire, there is a palpable sense that US policy has lost its bearings.

"The dirty little secret is that the administration has no strategy. It is a snake pit of competing policy entrepreneurs, most of whom understand little about China or world affairs," writes Columbia University professor Andrew Nathan for the centrist Asia Society. "For many, domestic politics is the key consideration."

Nathan identifies the "snakes" as follows: Mike Pompeo, White House advisers Peter Navarro and Matthew Pottinger, Vice-President Mike Pence, National Security Advisor Robert O'Brien, FBI Director Christopher Wray, Attorney General William Barr, and outside ideologues Newt Gingrich and Steve Bannon. Congressman Ted Yoho of the Taiwan Caucus gets special mention because he was recently upbraided by Democrat Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

To Nathan's taxonomy of the "snake pit" might be added four congressional "hoarse men" known for their rabid anti-China venom: Tom Cotton, Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz and Chris Smith.

The good news is that this loose, incoherent coalition is already embroiled in infighting and will be in no position to prosecute a new "Cold War" if the US presidential election result goes against the incumbent president.

The bad news for those who prefer cooperation over confrontation is that Democrat presidential candidate Joe Biden and the Democrats, desperate to outflank the president, are almost equally hawkish on China these days.

We can only hope better sense prevails on US politicians.

The author is a media researcher covering Asian issues.

The views don't necessarily reflect those of China Daily.
Imported Covid-19 cases rebounded in China as Chinese workers returning from the Middle East and Central Asian countries tested positive for the coronavirus.

Between Aug. 9 and 11, 82 new imported cases were confirmed in China, among them 30 from the United Arab Emirates and 15 from Kazakhstan, according to the National Health Commission (NHC).

Most of the Chinese workers from the United Arab Emirates arrived Friday at Shanghai on a Sri Lankan Airlines flight. The infected patients from Kazakhstan landed at the northwestern city Xian and the eastern city Jinan over the weekend on two charter Air China flights arranged by Chinas Embassy in the Central Asian country.

More than 600 Chinese citizens working or studying in Kazakhstan took the charter flights. The Chinese Embassy said it arranged a second batch of charter flights for returning citizens.

Having largely brought its domestic outbreak under control, China has turned a major part of its disease prevention and control effort to overseas travelers who have the potential to seed new outbreaks in the country.

Coronavirus is raging in some of the most populous nations in the Middle East and Central Asia, with Kazakhstan hit the hardest. Last Friday, Kazakhstan reported 907 new confirmed cases, pushing its total of infections over 100,000. The UAE reported 225 new cases Sunday, with total cases of more than 60,000.

In response to the resurgence of imported coronavirus cases, the Civil Aviation Administration issued three circuit breaker notices Tuesday to suspend a UAE Etihad Airways flight, a China Eastern Airlines flight and the Sri Lankan Airlines flight.

The mechanism was put in place in June to reward airlines that remained on guard for Covid-19 infections while punishing those that were laxer. Any airline that operated a flight with five or more passengers testing positive would be suspended for a week. Airlines with 10 or more passengers testing positive on a single flight would be suspended four weeks.

As a key partner in Chinas Belt and Road Initiative, Kazakhstan is home to many projects backed by Chinese companies in sectors such as oil exploration, nonferrous metals mining and infrastructure construction. A Chinese worker at an oil company told Caixin that his family took the charter flight to China, and he remains at work in Kazakhstan.

Yan Jia and about a dozen of his colleagues working on a project for the Expo 2020 Dubai, have been stranded in Dubai since the expo was postponed until next year from its originally scheduled opening in October. Yan said the suspension of UAE and Sri Lankan airlines flights made it even harder for Chinese people to get home.

Contact reporter Denise Jia (huijuanjia@caixin.com) and editor Bob Simison (bobsimison@caixin.com)

Download our app to receive breaking news alerts and read the news on the go.
Political campaigners posting online material will have to state clearly who they are under new government proposals.

Ministers have launched a consultation on plans to require political parties and other campaigners to display a 'digital imprint' - identifying who they are - when promoting content online.

The move comes after the Government promised to bring forward measures to ensure greater transparency in online campaigning in the Queen's Speech last December.

The government is planning to clamp down on social media advertising during election campaigns by compelling parties and groups to include a digital imprint on their advert

It follows growing concern since the 2016 Brexit referendum about the use of online campaign material where the group or organisation behind it is not clearly identified.

Constitution Minister Chloe Smith said the latest proposals represent a 'big step forward', bringing the same level of transparency to online campaigning as to other regulated activity.

'People want to engage with politics online. That's where campaigners connect with voters and is why, ahead of elections, almost half of political advertising budgets are now spent on digital content and activity,' she said.

'But people want to know who is talking. Voters value transparency, so we must ensure that there are clear rules to help them see who is behind campaign content online.

Constitution Minister Chloe Smith said the latest proposals represent a 'big step forward', bringing the same level of transparency to online campaigning as to other regulated activity

'The measures we have outlined today are a big step forward towards making UK politics even more transparent and would lead to one of the most comprehensive set of regulations operating in the world today.'

Under the proposals, online material will be required to carry a digital imprint in the same way that other materials such as leaflets and posters must show who is promoting them.

The regulations would cover material intended to achieve the electoral success of registered political parties and candidates, or the material relates to a referendum.

It would also cover content produced by registered political parties, registered third parties, political candidates, elected office holders and registered referendum campaigners - both paid-for and organic.

They will apply all the year round and not just during election or referendum campaign periods.

Ministers were said to have worked closely with social media platforms, the Electoral Commission, and devolved administrations to develop technical proposals to ensure the rules do not interfere with people's ability to engage in democratic debate online.

They will only apply to unregistered campaigners if they are promoting paid-for content.

Officials said the measures would also help curb online intimidation of politicians and others in public life as campaigners will be able to be held accountable for the material they produce.

Digital imprints were a specific recommendation by the Committee on Standards in Public Life in its review into intimidation.
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The prison death of an actor who appeared in Love/Hate could lead to a crackdown on inmates, with new calls from the prison watchdog for regular unannounced cell searches.

It comes after a review reported 22 wraps of heroin were found in the cell of the drug-dealing model and actor Daniel 'Dano' Doyle, who appeared in RTE's hit drama.

Two years ago, Ballymun native Doyle (31) was discovered in an unresponsive state in Mountjoy prison and he subsequently died in hospital.

The new report by the Inspector of Prisons into the death of Mr Doyle, who was not named, also criticised delays in fixing broken CCTV cameras in Mountjoy which it claimed compromised the security of prisoners. It revealed the total amount of heroin found in the prisoner's cell was 1.965 grams.

The inspector, Patricia Gilheaney, said the father of two, who was serving a 12-month sentence for drug-related offences, was found unresponsive in his cell at 8.05am on June 15, 2018.

Mr Doyle was provided with emergency medical attention before being taken by ambulance to the Mater Hospital, where he died 10 days later having failed to regain consciousness.

Ms Gilheaney was informed that cursory cell inspections were carried out daily, but there was no record of a more detailed search of any cell on the prisoner's wing in Mountjoy in the first half of 2018.

"Searching, both routine and unannounced, is a fundamental safety requirement in prisons," said Ms Gilheaney.

She said her investigation was unable to determine how the prisoner had come into possession of drugs.

In response to the recommendation to carry out regular routine and unannounced cell searches for illicit material, the Irish Prison Service said it carried out targeted and general searches "insofar as resources allow".
The rumors that Apple would team up with Martin Scorsese to produce Killers of the Flower Moon are true. Scorsese has officially signed a multi-year deal with Apple TV+, Deadline reports. As part of the agreement, Scorseses Sikelia Productions will produce and direct both film and television projects for the streaming service.

This deal comes less than a year after Scorseses The Irishman arrived on Netflix. More than 26 million accounts watched that film in its first week. It appears that after that films success and years of working with Netflix, Scorsese is ready to give Apple TV+ a try.

This isnt Scorseses first Apple partnership -- he starred in a Siri ad way back in 2012 and remotely directed a shot in The Departed via iChat in 2007. This isnt Apples first big movie signing, either. Tom Hanks WWII naval drama Greyhound premiered on the service last month.

According to Reuters, Killers of the Flower Moon, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro, will land on Apple TV+ after its distributed in theaters by Paramount Pictures. Based on a book by the same name, the film (which has a $180 million budget) portrays an investigation into the murders of Osage Nation natives in Oklahoma in the 1920s, as well as a subsequent investigation that led to the creation of the FBI as we know it today.

We dont know yet what other projects Scorsese will bring to Apple TV+.
French President Emmanuel Macron told Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Wednesday that all concerned parties should refrain from external interference in Lebanon, the Elysee office said.

Macron also told Rouhani that parties should support the formation of a new government in Lebanon, it said.

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By Andrei Makhovsky

MINSK (Reuters) - Protesters formed human chains and marched through the streets of Belarus carrying flowers on Wednesday in anger at a crackdown by strongman President Alexander Lukashenko that has prompted the European Union to consider new sanctions against Minsk.

Security forces have clashed with protesters for three consecutive nights after Lukashenko claimed a landslide re-election victory in a vote on Sunday that his opponents say was rigged. Police have detained around 6,000 people.

Lukashenko has sought better relations with the West amid strained relations with traditional ally Russia. Brussels lifted sanctions, imposed over Lukashenko's human rights record, in 2016, but will weigh new measures this week.

Lithuania, Poland and Latvia jointly offered to mediate between Lukashenko and the protesters, and threatened sanctions at a European or national level if the offer was declined.

A former Soviet collective farm manager, the 65-year-old Lukashenko has ruled Belarus for more than a quarter of a century but faces increasing anger over his handling of the coronavirus pandemic, a sluggish economy and human rights.

Women dressed in white formed a human chain outside a covered food market in the capital Minsk, holding flowers in the air and chanting slogans, while a crowd also gathered outside a prison where protesters were being kept.

"I cannot leave my children at night but I can come during the daytime and say my piece," said Minsk resident Yelena. "They have stolen not just my vote but 26 years of my life. Yes, I think so, and this regime must go away."

CLASHES

The Belarusian interior ministry said 51 protesters and 14 police officers had been injured in clashes on Tuesday night.

In Brest, a city in southwestern Belarus on the Polish border, police fired live rounds after some protesters it said were armed with metal bars ignored warning shots fired in the air, the ministry said. One person was injured.

Story continues

Lukashenko has accused the protesters of being in cahoots with foreign backers from Russia and elsewhere to topple his government, and compared them to criminal gangs.

"The core of all these so-called protesters today comprises people with a criminal history and the unemployed," he said at a government meeting on Wednesday.

Belarusian authorities earlier tied opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya's husband to a plot by suspected Russian mercenaries to destabilise the country ahead of the election. She denied the allegation in an interview with Reuters.

In Tuesday night's clashes, security forces beat some of the protesters, sometimes dragging people out of cars before attacking them.

United Nations human rights chief Michelle Bachelet condemned the detention of 6,000 people, "including bystanders, as well as minors, suggesting a trend of massive arrests in clear violation of international human rights standards".

Some of the detainees were lined up in a row on state television this week, looking subdued and promising not to engage in revolutionary activities.

State media also broadcast footage of a van in Minsk with Russian number plates saying it was packed with ammunition and tents.

Tracked down by Reuters, Valdemar Grubov, the van's owner, said he was a film producer and that the vehicle contained only his own personal effects.

He said he had been unable to retrieve the van due to COVID-19 restrictions and was not involved in any alleged foreign plot.

Tsikhanouskaya, a 37-year-old former English teacher who took on Lukashenko in the vote, has fled to neighbouring Lithuania to join her children there. She urged her compatriots not to oppose the police and to avoid putting their lives in danger.

But the protests continued into the evening on Wednesday as thousands took to the streets of the capital.

"We are scared but what else can we do? We are not being aggressive. We are women standing here who also have a voice," said Minsk resident Zhenya. "We are scared of being arrested but we want to be heard."

(Additional reporting by Anton Zverev and Rinat Sagdiev in Moscow, Gabriela Baczynska in Brussels, Stephanie Nebehay in Geneva and Anna Ringstrom in Stockholm; Writing by Matthias Williams; Editing by Mark Heinrich)
The Arecibo Observatory has suffered vast damage, after a cable fell and tore a gap in the dish that powers its telescope.

The incident ripped a 100-foot-gash in the dish as well as causing damage to the "Gregorian Dome" that houses the receiver at the top of the telescope, and the platform that is used to access it.

Operations at the facility in Puerto Rico have now been postponed and the observatory is closed as experts look to understand how the problem could happen and whether it might be possible to fix it.

It is still not clear how the cable broke, according to the University of Central Florida, which manages the National Science Foundation facility.

The observatory was already struggling to fix the damage from Hurricane Maria and the devestation that swept across the whole island. That was just the latest disaster to hit the telescope, which has survived through hurricanes, tropical storms and earthquakes in its 50 years of existence.

The Arecibo Observatory  for years the biggest single-aperture telescope in the world, until China's FAST came online  is used by scientists to conduct a variety of research on planets and other objects elsewhere in the universe. It has been key to the discovery of gravitational waves, asteroids and more.

Recommended China just started looking for aliens with the biggest telescope ever

It has also been seen in a number of fictional works, where it has been portrayed as discovering aliens and being used to endanger humanity. It is famous for its inclusion in one of the pivotal scenes in Goldeneye, for instance.

We have a team of experts assessing the situation, says Francisco Cordova, the director of the observatory, in a statement.

Our focus is assuring the safety of our staff, protecting the facilities and equipment, and restoring the facility to full operations as soon as possible, so it can continue to assist scientists around the world.
If we want to find a stock that could multiply over the long term, what are the underlying trends we should look for? Typically, we'll want to notice a trend of growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and alongside that, an expanding base of capital employed. This shows us that it's a compounding machine, able to continually reinvest its earnings back into the business and generate higher returns. Having said that, from a first glance at Wynnstay Group (LON:WYN) we aren't jumping out of our chairs at how returns are trending, but let's have a deeper look.

Understanding Return On Capital Employed (ROCE)

For those that aren't sure what ROCE is, it measures the amount of pre-tax profits a company can generate from the capital employed in its business. The formula for this calculation on Wynnstay Group is:

Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT)  (Total Assets - Current Liabilities)

0.077 = UK8.0m  (UK176m - UK72m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to April 2020).

So, Wynnstay Group has an ROCE of 7.7%. In absolute terms, that's a low return but it's around the Food industry average of 9.3%.

Check out our latest analysis for Wynnstay Group

roce

In the above chart we have a measured Wynnstay Group's prior ROCE against its prior performance, but the future is arguably more important. If you're interested, you can view the analysts predictions in our free report on analyst forecasts for the company.

What Can We Tell From Wynnstay Group's ROCE Trend?

In terms of Wynnstay Group's historical ROCE movements, the trend isn't fantastic. Over the last five years, returns on capital have decreased to 7.7% from 10% five years ago. On the other hand, the company has been employing more capital without a corresponding improvement in sales in the last year, which could suggest these investments are longer term plays. It may take some time before the company starts to see any change in earnings from these investments.

Story continues

On a separate but related note, it's important to know that Wynnstay Group has a current liabilities to total assets ratio of 41%, which we'd consider pretty high. This can bring about some risks because the company is basically operating with a rather large reliance on its suppliers or other sorts of short-term creditors. While it's not necessarily a bad thing, it can be beneficial if this ratio is lower.

The Bottom Line On Wynnstay Group's ROCE

Bringing it all together, while we're somewhat encouraged by Wynnstay Group's reinvestment in its own business, we're aware that returns are shrinking. And investors appear hesitant that the trends will pick up because the stock has fallen 28% in the last five years. On the whole, we aren't too inspired by the underlying trends and we think there may be better chances of finding a multi-bagger elsewhere.

If you want to continue researching Wynnstay Group, you might be interested to know about the 2 warning signs that our analysis has discovered.

If you want to search for solid companies with great earnings, check out this free list of companies with good balance sheets and impressive returns on equity.

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.
OTTAWA, TRADITIONAL ALGONQUIN TERRITORY, ON, Aug. 12, 2020 /CNW/ - The Government of Canada recognizes that First Nation, Inuit and Metis are among the most at risk and face unique challenges in addressing COVID-19. It also recognizes that Indigenous leadership, governments and organizations are best placed to determine the needs of Indigenous Peoples and to develop community-based solutions that respond to these challenges.

Today, the Honourable Marc Miller, Minister of Indigenous Services, announced an additional $305 million to support Indigenous Peoples during the COVID-19 pandemic, through the Indigenous Community Support Fund.

This fund can be used for a wide variety of measures such as supporting Elders and vulnerable community members, addressing food insecurity, educational and other supports for children, mental health assistance and emergency response services, preparedness measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19, and more. It will be distributed through a combination of allocations directly to First Nations, Inuit and Metis leadership, and needs-based funding, which will be application driven. This approach aligns with our commitment to support Indigenous leaders' approaches to community wellness while providing the flexibility to respond to emerging needs, for example in response to an outbreak of COVID-19.

This funding will be available to First Nations, Inuit, and Metis communities, as well as Indigenous communities and organizations serving Indigenous peoples, including First Nations living off-reserve as well as Inuit and Metis living in urban centres, on an application basis. Further details will be forthcoming.

As the pandemic continues to evolve, the Government of Canada is committed to ensuring that Indigenous leaders have the tools and support they need to implement the various aspects of their pandemic plans.

The health and well-being of First Nations, Inuit and Metis remains the priority of the Department. The Indigenous Community Support Fund was first announced on March 18, and to date has allocated $380 million in funding to Indigenous communities and organizations. The funding in today's announcement is in addition to what has already been committed through the fund and brings the total investments to date in the Indigenous Community Support Fund to $685 million. First Nations, Inuit and Metis also have access to all other measures provided through the Government of Canada's COVID-19 Economic Response Plan, and are encouraged to review financial supports that may be available to them.

Quotes

"Health and safety remains our priority and we will continue to work in partnership with Indigenous communities and organizations to support a strong and comprehensive pandemic response. This funding offers further concrete support for on-the-ground community solutions that respond to the unique needs and circumstances of First Nations, Inuit, and Metis wherever they reside."

The Honourable Marc Miller

Minister of Indigenous Services

Quick facts

Over $2 billion has been committed in specific support to Indigenous and northern communities and organizations, including the funding announced today.

has been committed in specific support to Indigenous and northern communities and organizations, including the funding announced today. $285.1 million to support the ongoing public health response to COVID-19 in Indigenous communities.

to support the ongoing public health response to COVID-19 in Indigenous communities.

$685 million for the distinctions-based Indigenous Community Support Fund.

for the distinctions-based Indigenous Community Support Fund.

$10 million for emergency family violence prevention shelters on reserve and in Yukon to support women and children fleeing violence.

for emergency family violence prevention shelters on reserve and in to support women and children fleeing violence.

$72.6 million for health and social services support to the governments of Yukon , Northwest Territories , and Nunavut .

for health and social services support to the governments of , , and .

$34.3 million for territorial businesses, through CanNor's Regional Relief and Recovery Fund.

for territorial businesses, through CanNor's Regional Relief and Recovery Fund.

$25 million for enhancement to the Nutrition North Canada Subsidy.

for enhancement to the Nutrition North Canada Subsidy.

$17.3 million in support for Northern Air Carriers.

in support for Northern Air Carriers.

$15 million for CanNor's Northern Business Relief Fund.

for CanNor's Northern Business Relief Fund.

Up to $306.8 million in interest-free loans to help small and medium-sized Indigenous businesses.

in interest-free loans to help small and medium-sized Indigenous businesses.

$75.2 million in 2020-21 in distinctions-based support for First Nations, Inuit, and Metis Nation students pursuing post-secondary education.

in 2020-21 in distinctions-based support for First Nations, Inuit, and Metis Nation students pursuing post-secondary education.

$270 million to supplement the On-Reserve Income Assistance Program to address increased demand on the program, which will help individuals and families meet their essential living expenses.

to supplement the On-Reserve Income Assistance Program to address increased demand on the program, which will help individuals and families meet their essential living expenses.

$44.8 million over five years to build 12 new shelters, which will help protect and support Indigenous women and girls experiencing and fleeing violence. The Government of Canada will also provide $40.8 million to support operational costs for these new shelters over the first five years, and $10.2 million annually ongoing. Starting this year, $1 million a year ongoing will also be provided to support engagement with Metis leaders and service providers on shelter provision and community-led violence prevention projects for Metis women, girls, LGBTQ and two-spirited people.

over five years to build 12 new shelters, which will help protect and support Indigenous women and girls experiencing and fleeing violence. The Government of will also provide to support operational costs for these new shelters over the first five years, and annually ongoing. Starting this year, a year ongoing will also be provided to support engagement with Metis leaders and service providers on shelter provision and community-led violence prevention projects for Metis women, girls, LGBTQ and two-spirited people.

$117 million in new funding to support community-owned Indigenous businesses and $16 million in new funding to support Indigenous tourism through the pandemic and into recovery.

in new funding to support community-owned Indigenous businesses and in new funding to support Indigenous tourism through the pandemic and into recovery. In addition to providing support to hundreds of Indigenous communities across the country, the Indigenous Community Support Fund has supported approximately 260 Indigenous organizations serving Indigenous peoples in urban centres.

Associated links

Indigenous Community Support Fund

Canada's COVID-19 Economic Response Plan

Coronavirus (COVID-19) and Indigenous communities

Stay connected

Join the conversation about Indigenous peoples in Canada:

Twitter: @GCIndigenous

Facebook: @GCIndigenous

Instagram: @gcindigenous

Facebook: @GCIndigenousHealth

Twitter: @Min_IndServ

You can subscribe to receive our news releases and speeches via RSS feeds. For more information or to subscribe, visit www.isc.gc.ca/RSS.

SOURCE Indigenous Services Canada

For further information: (media may contact): Adrienne Vaupshas, Communications Assistant, Office of the Honourable Marc Miller, Minister of Indigenous Services, [email protected]; Media Relations, Indigenous Services Canada, 819-953-1160, [email protected]
Rejoicing in his niece being picked as the Democratic Vice-Presidential nominee, her maternal uncle - Gopalan Balachandran, on Wednesday, revealed that his deceased sister would have been proud of her daughter. Highlighting how historic Kamala's pick has been for the Indian community, he said that the Half-Jamaican half-Indian Harris would always choose as per own judgment on issues relating to India. Harris is the first black woman to be chosen a major party's presidential ticket and will face incumbent Vice-President Mike Pence in the 2020 US Presidential elections.

Coronavirus LIVE Updates: India's tally at 23,29,639; 834 deaths reported in last 24-hours

Kamala Harris' uncle rejoices historic pick

She could not come here frequently in the last couple of years as she is a Senator. She is Indian & likes India but that doesn't mean that anything India says is right for her. She is also Jamaican, an African-American, she uses her own judgement: Maternal uncle of #KamalaHarris https://t.co/6emEJiFdz6 pic.twitter.com/sZiZzxcSH2  ANI (@ANI) August 12, 2020

If there is anything to choose between India & somebody else, provided it is not against US interests, she will choose India. After all, she has taken oath on the US Constitution: Gopalan Balachandran, maternal uncle of #KamalaHarris (Democratic candidate for US Vice President) pic.twitter.com/tVM6myWDw2  ANI (@ANI) August 12, 2020

Joe Biden selects Indian-Origin Kamala Harris as VP & running mate for US polls

Biden picks Harris as running mate

After narrowing down to several women - most of them black - Biden, on Tuesday, chose 55-year-old California Senator Kamala Harris as his running mate ahead of the Democratic party convention - slated for next week. During the Democratic presidential debates, Harris had railed hard against Biden calling him out for his opposition to school busing in the 1970s, commenting on her own history. While Biden flaunted his foolproof bromance with Obama, Harris targetted the 76-year-old telling, "You can't invoke Obama when it's convenient, dodge it when it's not". Biden has maintained that he does not hold a grudge against Harris' comments.

Biden 30330: Former US Vice President Joe Biden accidentally directs fans to a phone number instead of campaign website

Who is Kamala Harris?

Harris, 55, whose father is an African from Jamaica and mother an Indian, is currently the US Senator from California and often has been described as a trailblazer by former president Barack Obama. In 2010, Harris became the first black woman to be elected as California's Attorney General, overseeing the countrys second-largest Justice Department, only behind the US Department of Justice. Harris had launched her presidential campaign in January 2019, but withdrew from the race prior to the Iowa caucuses.

In India, Trump rubbishes Russian meddling in 2020 elections but claims 'they want Bernie'

2020 Presidential race

Trump, who was recently impeached by US Congress and then acquitted by the Senate for soliciting a foreign power - Ukraine's - help in his 2020 re-election bid, will face the Democratic presidential nominee- Joe Biden in November. With his popularity at record lows due to his disastrous response to Coronavirus pandemic sweeping across US, Biden has an overall lead of 10 points according to national polls. The US goes to polls on November 3, with its results declared on November 8.
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Disclosure: John Wesley Reid worked for Liberty University as a national recruiter for nearly three years and since moving to Washington DC has interviewed Jerry Falwell numerous times as a reporter. He currently contributes to Liberty University's Falkirk Center for Faith and Liberty as a writer and strategist.

Over the past year or so, students and alumni of Liberty University have shared a common mantra aimed at Jerry Falwell Jr.:

The world is watching.

The statement surfaced routinely when Falwell made headlines from an off-color joke or poorly worded statement.

Now in the wake of a photo-gone-viral taken of Falwell while on vacation, a photo that was blown out of proportion but inappropriate nonetheless, Falwell has been asked by Liberty Universitys board of trustees to take an indefinite leave of absence from his role as chancellor and president.

I agree this decision was probably best, and I hope and pray that Falwells time away from Liberty University, whether temporary or permanent, is every bit restorative to him and his family and that anyone who may have been hurt by Falwell finds true healing.

But in the name of Elmer Towns and every book hes ever written, please have some compassion in your responses to Falwell and his family. Remember, beloved Christian, never think that you are outside the possibility of great sin and public scrutiny. Respond biblically, the way you would want to be treated.

Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father" (1 Timothy 5:1).

Unfortunately, a quick scroll through social media reveals a disheartening response from many in the form of mockery, laughter, and other unbiblical reactions. This posture is not okay. Such self-righteousness stems from an abhorrent theology that has manifested into such piety that people have NO mercy, NO grace, and NO compassion for what sin has done to a fellow believer.

The world is watching.

Indeed, the world is watching the Falwells of the Church and the respondents. Do we want the world to see us mock and laugh at a fallen believer or do we want the world to see accountability through a merciful gospel-centered and spiritually restorative fashion?

On this topic, I spoke with one of the most encouraging young couples the Church has ever raised, and their wisdom was just as satisfying as it was convicting. Kyle and Lauren Smith, both former worship leaders at Liberty University are no stranger to seeing Christian leaders ousted. The Smiths led worship at Harvest Bible Chapel when Pastor James MacDonald was released from his position.

On the issue of navigating love and accountability, Kyle said: Grace and love are not at war with accountability. They are not separate, rather they are co-dependent on each other. Either one, without the other is unbiblical. Lauren echoed Kyles thoughts and added: Having been through this twice before, Ive learned to be a better friend to those involved, regardless of their role. I know the pain that the fallen leader feels, and I dont want to multiply it, so I will love them with Christs love  with grace and accountability.

It should be noted that restoration does not always equate to reinstatement. Falwell can and should find spiritual restoration, which is something we should all hope and pray for. This does not necessarily equate to his reinstatement as chancellor and president.

As Solomon said, theres nothing new under the sun, and thus the world will always be watching. Right now, theres a focus on Liberty University and, by extension, a focus on the Church. Think of it as the eye of Sauron in Lord of the Rings. The eye was constantly seeking the lost ring of power, and when any hint of the rings location was presented, Sauron intensely focused on it and dispatched his Nazguls (dragons) to hunt it down. It was at those moments when Frodo and Sam had to be extra thorough in strategizing their next steps. The Church is always in the scope of the world, but right now the focal point is intensified and how Christians respond to Falwells recent departure from Liberty University will have gospel-centric implications.

Before remarking on Falwell, examine your heart.

A fool gives full vent to his spirit, but a wise man quietly holds it back (Proverbs 29:11).

Criticism and defense are both justified responses to Falwell. But the motive behind these responses makes all the difference. If you criticize him because you have a vendetta and thus anytime he fails is a gotcha opportunity for you, youre wrong. If you defend him by justifying all of his failures and make no mention of his need to repent, youre wrong. If your commentary on social media includes ha Byyeee fiinnaalllyyy then youre wrong.

Are you so out of touch with the feelings of others, not to mention your own sin, that youd publicly post something that will only advance their pain? Im not opposed to public critique; indeed, I rebuke any notion that public rebuke is always wrong. But scripture is very clear that accountability should be taken in private and then gradually increasing the number of exhorters as the sin remains unrepentant. That said, if we are to exhort accountability publicly, we must do so with absolute caution and scrutiny. Remember  the world is watching.

Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and let not your heart be glad when he stumbles, (Proverbs24:17)

If scripture instructs us to have such a posture towards our enemies, so much more than should we avoid celebrating the fall of a fellow believer.

Pray for Falwells repentance, and willingly offer generous grace and mercy.

While Falwell was often misrepresented or misunderstood, even he acknowledges areas where he missed the mark  big time. As of now, he has not made a public statement, but we should all hope and pray that he assumes a posture of humility, repents, and seeks intrusive spiritual discipleship.

Grief saturates the recent events with Falwell and Liberty University, but such grief compounds when Christians respond with mockery, laughter, and celebration unpaired with compassion.

Falwell is no longer at the helm of Liberty University  but the world is still watching and now theyre watching you, Church.

The world saw Falwells brokenness, will the world see your mercy?
Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise, RingCentral Release Cloud Communications Rainbow

By Maurice Nagle , Web Editor

While we often hear the phrase, too many cooks in the kitchen as a negative, but two heads are certainly better than one. Cloud communications is a highly competitive and quite crowded space, with only best in breed technology finding the spotlight, and propelling the enterprise.

Today, Alcatel Lucent Enterprise and RingCentral announced a strategic partnership to offer the co-branded cloud solution, Rainbow Office powered by RingCentral. The Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise exclusive solution sets up to be the first of many, as the duo will develop programs to expand enterprise market presence and maintain tip of spear position in business communications.

Customers demand agile, robust and secured cloud communication and collaboration solutions in todays high-speed technology world, said Jack Chen, CEO of Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise. For our customers and partners, this strategic partnership enables us to offer them a wider choice of technology-leading cloud solutions, to comprehensively cover their business needs. This partnership will also enable Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise to accelerate the development and transformation of our cloud business to become the number one player in cloud solutions in Europe and beyond focusing on vertical solutions and services to make everything connect. It will bring significant opportunities for our well-established business partner ecosystem and strong values for our customers.

In terms of financials, each organization will invest in marketing and sales of Rainbow Office powered by RingCentral, and RingCentral will pay Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise $100 million in cash for a minimum seat requirement, exclusive access and future commissions.

Rainbow Office powered by RingCentral will be available Q1 2021.

Now, choosing the right cloud communications partner takes on deeper importance, as there is no hard time line on a return to the office, and what we once knew as normal. Could this be a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow?

Are your communications in the cloud, yet?

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Edited by Maurice Nagle
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Market Overview

A baking mix is a known to be a pre-mixed formulation ingredients, one which is widely used for baking cakes, pancakes, biscuits, and cookies. Alongside being convenient to use, baking mixes also helps reduce the preparation times, thereby catering to the needs of working couples. This is in a way driving the market growth. Moreover, health-conscious consumers are showing increasing inclination towards clean label and organic products, thus the demand for organic baking mixes in recent years have grown at an impressive rate.

Additionally, booming growth of the organized retailing system and e-commerce industry has made the product easily accessible for the consumers. Rising health awareness regarding celiac disease has boosted the demand for free-from products across the globe such as gluten free baking mixes. Evolving consumption patterns and rapid-paced globalization are most likely to enhance the market growth at a striking pace. Also, sound promotional strategy and product launches in various different flavors are expected to continue supporting the market in coming years.

Attractive designs of packaging and customization of product as per the needs of the consumers offer huge opportunities to the players to ensure market expansion. Increasing rate of urbanization and growth in the overall female workforce are some of the other key factors aiding the market growth. The product is usually priced at a reasonable slab, however, consumers are not shying away from purchasing even premium priced products. Consumers are showing increasing interest in understanding what goes into their product and are more interested in buying quality products. Thus, an increase in the demand for premium range baking mix items has been reported in recent years.

Competitive Landscape

Global Baking Mixes Market Trend comprises a host of key players. This includes names like Hain Celestial Group, Inc. (US), Conagra Brands, Inc. (US), General Mills, Inc. (US), Chelsea Milling Company (US), Associated British Foods Plc (UK), Continental Mills, Inc. (US), Simple Mills. (US), Bob's Red Mill Natural Foods, Inc. (US), Dr. Oetker (Germany), Stonewall Kitchen (US), Mondelez International (US), Keto and Company (US), Pioneer Brand (US), Miss Jones Baking Co. (US), and Foodstirs, Inc. (US).

Market Segmentation

Global Baking Mixes Market has been segmented in terms of type, distribution channel, and category.

By type, the market includes pastry & muffin mixes, cookie & biscuit mixes, cake, bread mixes, others.

By category, the market segments into gluten-free and conventional.

By distribution channel, the market branches into store-based and non-store-based channels. The store-based segment is narrowed down into convenience stores, supermarkets and hypermarkets, and others.

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Regional Analysis

Global Baking Mixes Market is geographically distributed across the following key regions: Asia Pacific, North America, Europe, and the Rest of the World (RoW).

Europe is anticipated to dominate the baking mixes market over the forecast period. Countries like the UK, Germany, and France are expected to be the major contributors to the growth of the regional market. Increasing demand for convenience bakery food items among the working population base is primarily driving the growth of the regional market.

North America is also slated to enjoy a major share of the global baking mixes market. The US is touted to be the leading contributor to the growth of the North American regional market. However, Asia-Pacific stands out with the potential to exhibit the highest CAGR over the forecast period. Herein, developing nations such as India and China are some of the largest contributors to the growth of Asia-Pacific regional market. Rising per capita disposable income, evolving consumer lifestyle, and changing inclination of consumers towards convenience bakery products are some of the leading factors driving the Asia Pacific baking mixes market.

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NOTE: Our Team of Researchers are Studying Covid19 and its Impact on Various Industry Verticals and wherever required we will be considering Covid19 Footprints for Better Analysis of Market and Industries. Cordially get in Touch for More Details.
New treatment regimens for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) have shown early effectiveness in 85 percent of patients in a cohort that included many people with serious comorbidities that would have excluded them from clinical trials, according to the results of a new international study.

The results, based on observational data from a diverse cohort of patients in 17 countries, underscore the need for expanded access to the recently developed TB medicines bedaquiline and delamanid. By contrast, the historical standard of care, still in use in much of the world, has approximately 60 percent treatment efficacy globally.

The study was published July 24, 2020, in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

"This is important evidence that these new regimens will work well for the true population suffering from this disease," said lead study author Molly Franke, associate professor of global health and social medicine in the Blavatnik Institute at Harvard Medical School.

The research was conducted as part of endTB, an international partnership with leaders from HMS, Partners In Health, Medecins Sans Frontieres, Interactive Research & Development, the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Antwerp and Epicentre.

"Our findings underscore the need for urgent expanded access to these drugs," said Carole Mitnick, associate professor of global health and social medicine in the Blavatnik Institute at HMS and a co-author of the study. While recent announcements of a price reduction for bedaquiline and an expected reduction for delamanid are welcome, the researchers said, more must be done to improve treatment guidelines worldwide and to scale up treatment with these new regimens.

The need for better treatments for MDR-TB is dire. The WHO estimates that there are nearly 500,000 new cases of MDR-TB per year and that nearly 200,000 people die of the disease each year . In 2018, only one out of three patients were given an effective treatment, and only half of these were cured.

In the early 2010s, regulatory agencies approved the first new TB drugs in 50 years, bedaquiline and delamanid, offering hope for more effective and less toxic MDR-TB treatment. With the historical standard of care and some newer regimens, certain subgroups of patients, including those with HIV or hepatitis C or diabetes experience worse treatment outcomes than patients without these conditions. In addition, these conditions preclude patients from participating in clinical trials for these drugs.

It's important to examine whether these subgroups experience any benefit from the new regimens that might be observed in healthier study participants, the researchers said. They noted that only a large cohort study has the statistical power to explore these differences.

The endTB study showed that for the new regimens, early treatment response was similar for patients without serious comorbidities or other complicating factors and for those with diabetes, hepatitis C and severe drug resistance.

Patients with severe TB disease when they started treatment had worse outcomes than patients with less severe disease. Sixty-eight percent of people with severe disease had early favorable responses to the new regimen, compared to 89 percent without severe disease. Among patients with HIV coinfection, early outcomes on the new regimens were favorable in 73 percent, compared to 84 percent in those without HIV.

The results are based on an analysis of early treatment results from more than 1,000 MDR-TB patients who were enrolled in the study between April 2015 and March 2018. The study examines outcomes after 6 months in a treatment that lasts 15 months or longer. Long-term effectiveness will be measured at the end of treatment and during follow-up.

For this study, the researchers counted how many of those patients, within the first six months of treatment with regimens containing bedaquiline, delamanid, or both, experienced culture conversion, a state in which the bacteria that cause TB can no longer be found on a sample. Previous studies have shown this to be a strong predictor of successful treatment outcomes.

Confirmation with end-of-treatment outcomes will be important and more work needs to be done to ensure successful treatment in these populations, the researchers said.

"The early results from these studies offer convincing evidence that these new regimens offer a very promising alternative to the historical regimens that achieve approximately 60 percent success at end of treatment, and to other new treatments that are becoming available," said Mitnick, who is a senior researcher at Partners In Health and co-principal investigator of the clinical trials being conducted by endTB.

"We're eager to follow these patients as they progress through treatment in order to verify the effectiveness of these new regimens," she added.

Observational research makes so many important contributions to improving treatment outcomes for complex illnesses in complicated populations that it is critical to continue research efforts past the stage of clinical trials in illnesses like tuberculosis, the researchers said.

While tuberculosis has nearly disappeared in wealthier populations, it remains a critical threat in communities with fewer resources. A big part of the challenge of treating MDR-TB is finding regimens that will work in low-resource settings with complex populations that often include great diversity and many people who might be undernourished or sick with other illnesses.

The partnership is also studying the safety of the new regimens. Preliminary results suggest that side effects from the new regimen may be much less severe than those seen with the historical treatment, which has been known to cause deafness and psychosis.

"TB is well-controlled where control is easy," Mitnick said. "We need to find better ways to treat it where it's difficult."

The global reach of endTB has now provided clinicians with invaluable hands-on experience with bedaquiline and delamanid and helped change country guidelines, getting the new drugs registered for use in more than half of the17 endTB countries, the researchers said. The endTB observational study has contrinuted to changing global guidelines, including new recommendations for concomitant use of bedaquiline and delamanid and extended use of each drug.

The endTB partnership is using the same model for promoting innovation to prepare for what researchers hope will be the next change on the horizon in care for MDR-TB: all-oral, shortened regimens, which are being studied in the current phase of endTB's clinical trial. While the implementation program continues to roll out and reaches new patients, the endTB trial has enrolled 465 patients with MDR-TB in new all-oral regimens that could transform care for MDR-TB.

The all-oral regimens used in the endTB observational study and the all-oral, shortened regimens studied in the trials would be particularly helpful during international health crises like the coronavirus pandemic, the researchers noted. These all-oral regimens are much easier to deliver in routine times and especially so in times of extreme crisis that burden health systems.

"If the ongoing trials demonstrate reduced toxicity of the all-oral, shortened regimens, this is another huge benefit for their delivery in good times and bad," Mitnick said.

The project also transformed the landscape for TB trials by running in six countries (Georgia, Kazakhstan, Lesotho, Pakistan, Peru, South Africa) on four continents. This is the first time a clinical trial has taken place in some of these sites, the researchers said.

"In global health we see many vicious cycles, where poverty and lack of access to care combine to make diseases worse," Franke said. "On the other hand, bringing care delivery, training and research together the way we are in the endTB project can be a kind of virtuous cycle, where each turn of the wheel brings better care, improved health and greater well-being."

###

The endTB project is funded by Unitaid.

https://doi.org/10.1164/rccm.202001-0135OC
New Delhi:

The FMCG industry, which was looking forward to good sales following a robust monsoon this year, has been impacted by demonetisation, according to Godrej Consumer Products Ltd (GCPL).

Given the good monsoon this year, rural sales had begun picking up postharvest from October onwards. This has, however, been significantly impacted in the last few weeks due to demonetisation, GCPL Managing Director Vivek Gambhir told PTI.

Since the rural economy is largely cash based and wholesaler dependent, the large cash crunch has led to a slowdown in rural sales. We believe though that the slowdown is temporary. We expect that as the liquidity situation improves, rural (segment) will start showing better growth, he added.

However, GCPL said that it has been able to perform better than the industry. We delivered over nine per cent volume growth in five of the last six quarters, Gambhir said, adding that the impact of demonetisation could be relatively lower on the company in the ongoing quarter.

According him, this is a temporary phase. While the demonetisation move will be good for the Indian economy in the medium to longer term, we expect muted growth this quarter. We believe, however, that this challenge is a temporary one, he added.

The situation should normalise from the last quarter of fiscal year 2017 onwards, as the liquidity crunch eases.

Gambhir further said that as half of GCPLs business comes from outside India, the impact on demonetisation on the companys overall performance will not be huge.

Our dependence on the wholesaler channel, which has been significantly impacted, is relatively less than some other players, he said.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-12 23:03:51|Editor: huaxia

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BERLIN, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- TUI, one of the world's largest tourism companies, would receive an additional governmental loan of 1.2 billion euros (1.4 billion U.S. dollars) to cope with the effects of the COVID-19 crisis, the Germany-based tourism group announced on Wednesday.

The utilization of the loan was subject to a convertible bond of 150 million euros issued by TUI to the German government's Economic Stabilization Fund (WSF), which aims to stabilize the economy in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, according to the company.

Furthermore, creditors of a bond maturing in October 2021 would need to refrain from limiting TUI's indebtedness. TUI noted that both conditions and "other formal requirements" would need to be fulfilled by the end of September.

The additional COVID-19 loan would strengthen the company's position and would "provide sufficient liquidity in this volatile market environment to cover TUI's seasonal swing through winter 2020/21 and thereafter."

The emergency aid by the German government would also help TUI "in the case of any further long-term travel restrictions and disruptions related to COVID-19," the German tourism group stressed.

Including the additional loan, TUI would hold cash and available facilities of 2.4 billion euros, according to the German company.

At the beginning of April, TUI was granted a loan of 1.8 billion euros by the state-owned German development bank KfW.

Easing of travel restrictions in Europe already enabled TUI to "benefit from a partial restart" of its summer schedule with an "immediate positive effect on working capital, as customers are committing for the current and future holiday seasons," the German company noted. Enditem
Democratic Party candidate Joe Bidens selection of Senator Kamala Harris as his running mate against President Donald Trump and Vice-President Mike Pence sets the tone for a US presidential election campaign where the politics of race and gender will play a more than usually important role.

The choice of Senator Harris is historic because she is the first woman of colour on any partys ticket for the White House and only the fourth woman ever. If Mr Biden wins, as the polls currently suggest and serves only one term, as vice-president, Ms Harris will be in the box seat in 2024 to become Americas first ever female African-American president.

Harris is not a dark horse candidate. She was one of the favourites for the role because her biography and background were a good fit for Biden against President Trump.

At 55, she is young by the standards of this geriatric presidential campaign and can balance Biden, 77, who will be the oldest president ever if he wins.

As a woman of colour with an Indian migrant mother and a Jamaican migrant father she is well placed to bring back together the coalition of minority groups and women who voted for Barack Obama but stayed home for Hillary Clinton.
Uttarakhand tourism minister Satpal Maharaj has written to the Centre urging it to remove some areas from Inner Line restrictions near Indo-China border in the state to boost tourism there, said officials.

The letter was written by the minister on Tuesday in which he cited that removing some areas from Inner Line restrictions would also help in preventing migration of locals from those areas.

The move follows reports of China increasing troop deployment at the border adjoining Uttarakhand amid the tensions between the two sides after the Galwan Valley episode.

Maharaj said, I have written to the Ministry of Home Affairs to remove some areas from the Inner Line including Gartang Gali in Uttarkashi district, Timmersain Mahadev in Chamoli and Om Parvat in Pithoragarh district. These areas presently fall under the Inner Line due to which there are certain restrictions on tourism activities there.

Also Read: India can play a crucial role in easing global strategic reliance on China: British lawmaker

Presently, foreigners are not allowed to visit these areas apart from the limited number of Indian tourists permitted per day. If these areas are removed from the Inner Line, then not only foreign tourists will be allowed there but the number of Indians visiting them will also increase, said Maharaj.

The minister said that a boost in tourism in those border areas will help in their development.

If there is development there, then the locals will stay there and not opt for migration. This in turn will also help in security purposes as the locals could keep an eye on the Chinese activities near the border and inform the security forces, said Maharaj.

He added that the state government was ready to develop various facilities to boost tourism activities in these bordering areas provided Centre grants the request.

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Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc (R) and Samsung Vietnam General Director Choi Joo Ho (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi  The Vietnamese Government, ministries, agencies and localities will continue providing all possible support for Korean businesses and corporations, including Samsung, to continue doing business successfully in Vietnam, said Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc.

During a reception in Hanoi on August 11 for Samsung Vietnam General Director Choi Joo Ho, PM Phuc lauded the group for launching the construction of a large research and development centre in Hanoi.

He was delighted to know that despite COVID-19, Samsung Vietnam has still ensured production and trade and maintained its export targets. PM suggested Samsung Vietnam continue its COVID-19 prevention and control measures in order to ensure stable production.

The PM proposed that Samsung continue doing long-term business in Vietnam, helping to turn Vietnam into its production hub, develop supporting industries and train high-quality workforce in the country.

Choi, for his part, thanked the Vietnamese Government, the PM, ministries, agencies and localities for their support to Samsung over the past years.

Having presented the company's long-term business plan in Vietnam, he expressed his wish to continue receiving further support and pledged to ensure production, business and export targets, thus helping the Vietnamese Government achieve the dual goal of preventing and controlling COVID-19, and recovering the economy.
Authorities believe Army Staff Sgt. Jared Esquibel Harless and his wife were both responsible for murdering their four young children before killing themselves two months ago.

When authorities discovered the entire Harless family dead in the back of an SUV last month, they theorized that the 38-year-old father was solely responsible the deaths.

Now, Lt. Jesse Salame said Harless had help from his wife, 36-year-old Sheryll Ann, and conspired together in the murder-suicide.

A medical examiner confirmed that the family-of-five died from carbon monoxide poisoning.

Lt. Salame admitted to the San Antonio Express-News that an official motive has not been determined, but listed several possible catalysts that could have triggered the deaths.

A combination and life stress that was exacerbated by some mental health issues, and the stress that is not uncommon with having children with special needs as well, were key factors in the apparent murder-suicide.

Authorities identified the children as Esteban Lorenzo Harless, 4; Penelope Arcadia Harless, 3; Avielle Magdalena Harless, 1, and 11-month-old Apollo Harless.

Its unclear which of the four children may have had special needs.

Esquibel Harless was a US Army soldier assigned to the 470th Military Intelligence Brigade at Joint Base San Antonio and had moved to the neighborhood in January from Washington State.

Neighbors told Fox San Antonio the family were new to the area but they never saw anything out of the ordinary.

On June 4, police officers responded to a gated subdivision where the Harless family had a two-story home.

San Antonio Police Chief William McManus said the smell of carbon dioxide was so strong when officers arrived that it kind of blew everybody back out the door.

He said police had gone to the house for a welfare check requested by the husbands employer, who had been unable to reach him.

They were OK yesterday because he checked in with his work, McManus said. So it happened sometime overnight.

McManus said on the front door of the home was a cryptic note with military jargon.

A member of the military translated it to: Bodies or people inside, do not enter. The animals are in the freezer.

The chief said the note also hinted at booby traps.

Based on the note that we received, we were very cautious about going in, and we were trying to find out what was in there before we made entry, the chief said.

When they entered, the cops were overcome by a heavy, noxious odor which turned out to be carbon monoxide.

Police said they found some explosives after they entered, but they were not rigged, Ken 5 reports.

The family was found in the back seat of a SUV inside the familys garage. Two pet cats were also found dead in the front seat.

Its the whole picture. The adults, the children, the pets, McManus said. Saying its not pretty  theres no words to describe that.

At the time, McManus said there was evidence that it was not an accident and he did not suggest that anyone outside the family was involved.

This is the home where a family of 6 was found dead

They were in an SUV in their garage

Officers overwhelmed by heavy fumes

A note said there were bodies inside and not to enter

Were LIVE on @KABBFOX29 and @News4SA w/ the details

: @ulysses_romero pic.twitter.com/YJVA3inZxk  Emily Olson (@EmilyOlsonTV) June 5, 2020

Follow Us on Facebook  @LadunLiadi; Instagram  @LadunLiadi; Twitter  @LadunLiadi; Youtube  @LadunLiadiTV for updates
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Linkedin Tri Indah Oktavianti (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Thu, August 13 2020

With accusations mounting against her, Indonesian human rights lawyer Veronica Koman has said she is being forced to return hundreds of millions of rupiah in government-sponsored scholarships in what she claims is a move to financially punish her as she pleads for Finance Minister Sri Mulyani's impartiality in handling her case.

Veronica, who is currently residing in Australia, said she was forced to return scholarship money totaling Rp 773.8 million (US$52,760) from the Endowment Fund for Education (LPDP) that she received in September 2016.

The Indonesian government has imposed a financial punishment as its latest effort to pressure me to stop advocating human rights issues in Papua, Veronica said in a statement obtained by The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.

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OTTAWA  Canadians are no closer to knowing what due diligence was done by the public service at Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus request that justified a decision by the Liberal government to award WE Charity the contract to deliver a proposed $544-million student volunteer program.

Thousands of documents related to that mystery have still not been released.

But Canadians do know more after testimony before the House of Commons ethics committee on Tuesday about what was not done:

No one in the federal public service looked into the finances or governance stability of Craig and Marc Kielburgers WE Charity organization and its offshoots.

No public servants examined any other possible conflicts of interest like those that led to formal ethics investigations of Trudeau and Finance Minister Bill Morneau, which scuttled the governments hopes of offering a paid volunteer program to students amid the pandemic.

And even after Trudeau pushed back against what he says was the public services recommendation to use WE Charity, no one in the federal government told the charity to halt work it had already begun on the yet-to-be approved program.

Trudeau has said he had concerns that questions would be raised about possible conflict of interest, given his and his family members appearances at WE Charity events, and that he initially hoped the public service would deliver the program. I pushed back. I wanted to be satisfied that the proposal that WE Charity deliver the (Canada Student Service Grant program) had been properly scrutinized, Trudeau testified on July 30.

Yet after testimony Tuesday by two ministers and top civil servants, a key question remained: Exactly what due diligence was done that allowed Trudeau, his chief of staff Katie Telford and other cabinet ministers who had discussed the matter at a cabinet committee to brush aside their early concerns and give a green-light to the program on May 22?

Trudeau has apologized for not recusing himself from that decision, saying he wasnt aware of the extent of his mother and brothers work and compensation by WE Charity. The Conservatives say it adds up to more than $500,000 paid to Trudeaus mother, brother and wife.

Morneau also had to apologize for taking part in the cabinet decision that favoured WE Charity, an organization with which two of his daughters have ties. As the scandal was unfolding, Morneau repaid $41,000 for two trips he and his family took with the WE organization to Kenya and Ecuador.

Employment Services Minister Carla Qualtrough  who once appeared as an unpaid WE Day speaker in 2016  said Tuesday that she could offer no excuse for Trudeaus and Morneaus failures, yet insisted that should not detract from the fantastic work the government has done in the months-long COVID-19 crisis.

Yes, it was a pandemic and we were going at breakneck speed but we should not have dropped the ball on this, she said. But they have apologized and I accept that apology and really hope we soon get back to our focus on delivering for Canadians.

Minister of Diversity, Inclusion and Youth Bardish Chagger was the junior minister in charge of the grant program. She said Tuesday that despite Trudeaus expression of concern and demand to know why the public service could not deliver the program, nobody in government moved to halt work that WE Charity had begun on May 5.

WE Charity told the Star it began work on the program before cabinet had approved its selection, with the knowledge of federal officials. Under the formal agreement it had with the federal department of Employment and Social Development, WE Charity said it agreed to assume costs incurred if the arrangement wasnt ultimately approved.

Chagger said public servants responded to Trudeaus request for further due diligence by confirming in writing that no other organization could deliver the student grant with the scope, scale and timeline that the federal government required. Qualtrough backed that assessment, saying the federal public service was stretched to the limit.

Conservative finance critic Pierre Poilievre disputed that claim, and said it was strange nobody told WE Charity to suspend its work when the prime minister pushed back on its selection.

He said a similar program could have been delivered by grassroots organizations that have long administered the federal governments summer jobs program for students, and he slammed Qualtrough for not overseeing the handling of the WE Charity agreement, calling it ministerial malpractice.

Poilievre also asked the countrys top public servant, Privy Council Clerk Ian Shugart, if Trudeau had specifically sought any information about the financial state of the organization or any evidence that the organization had a governance structure on May 8.

Shugart said his understanding was that the prime minister wanted assurance that the is were dotted and the ts crossed. I am not aware that he found any particular gaps in the information  He was not satisfied, but he wanted greater assurance. I would not say that he pointed to any specific gaps in the information.

Shugart said the public servants due diligence focused on the ability of WE charity to reach hard-to-access segments of population and deliver program in both official languages  that sort of thing.

And his opinion, said Shugart, that due diligence was sufficient. Despite the revelations of internal conflict at WE Charity  including a fight between chair Michelle Douglas and the Kielburgers over financial disclosure  he said he still believes the organization could have delivered the program.

Chagger had little new to add to the behind-the-scenes timeline of how the program grew from a need identified by Trudeau and Morneau in a telephone conversation in early April, to a proposal from the public service, to the ultimately failed deal with WE Charity.

She told the committee she had just two interactions with WE Charity and co-founder Craig Kielburger since December 2019. That month, Chagger spoke at a WE Day event in Ottawa. The next interaction with Kielburger was a phone call on April 17  five days before Trudeau announced the CSSG  originally reported by the Star.

Chagger testified the student services grant idea did not come up in their 30-minute conversation, which focused on an unsolicited proposal from WE Charity to mentor youth in social entrepreneurship during the COVID-19 crisis.

The opposition parties now await the release of some 5,000 pages of government documents from the Privy Council Office that detail the internal conversations about how WE Charity came to administer the program before backing away from it amidst the political scandal.

Correction  Aug. 12, 2020: This story has been edited from a previous version that stated five of seven members of WE Charity's board resigned over a lack of financial disclosure. In fact, Board chair Michelle Douglas said she was asked to resign after a disagreement with WE founders Marc and Craig Kielburger over financial disclosure. WE says the other board changes were part of a planned renewal of its membership.
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A former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode has threatened to dump the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), if the party structure in Cross River State is taken away from Governor Ben Ayade.

Fani-Kayode issued this threat on his Twitter page while reacting to the power tussle over who becomes the next Chairman of the PDP in Cross Rivers.

We learnt that while While Ayade is backing Alphonsus Eba (a.k.a Okadigbo) for the state chairmanship of PDP, the other aggrieved members of the opposition party are totally behind the former PDP national publicity secretary and former Commissioner, Venatius Nkem, in the chairmanship race of the party.

Reacting to the crisis, Fani-Kayode advised the PDP leadership not to undermine Governor Ayade or attempt to humiliate him in his own state and before his people.

He explained that the action will spark off a crisis in the party that will split PDP right down to other states, and he will defect alongside others to another party ahead of the 2023 general elections.

It would be a big mistake for the National Working Committee of the PDP to take the party structures in his state away from Ben Ayade, the Governor of Cross Rivers state, and hand them over to anyone else. If this is done and Ayaade leaves the party be rest assured that many of us will leave with him. You cannot and must not undermine a sitting Governor or attempt to humiliate him in his own state and before his people. Some of those that are advocating and behind this nonsense would never allow it to happen in their own states. A word is enough for the wise. No-one, no matter how big or powerful, should think that they own the PDP. If there is any attempt to undermine Ayade it will spark off a crisis in the party that will split it right down the middle and the consequences will not be limited to Cross Rivers state.

KanyiDaily recalls that Fani-Kayode had said that opposition parties in Nigeria, have much to learn from their counterparts in Venezuela and Sudan. He urged the leaders of his party (PDP) to understudy their counterparts and learn how they play their roles.
BERLIN, Aug 11 (Reuters) - Different German authorities have made a total of 17 requests for information to Russia in connection with the murder in a Berlin park of a Georgian citizen, but to no avail, Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said on Tuesday.

Speaking at a news conference following talks with Sergei Lavrov, his Russian counterpart, he said there would be consequences if a court concurred with prosecutors' conclusion that the murder had been ordered by a Russian state body.

"It's up to the court what the verdict will be. That will be the basis for our reaction," he said. If the court reached the same conclusion, "one must also expect further reactions." (Reporting by Thomas Escritt; editing by Thomas Seythal)
Thuli Madonsela, Law Trust Chair in Social Justice and law professor at the University of Stellenbosch says South Africa needs a different approach to justice that is not so reliant on the legal system to balance the scales.

Thuli Madonsela

How the state capture commission could have been done differently

Speaking during PSGs Think Big webinar series, she said Nelson Mandela led the way for a different approach to justice, which resulted in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.People might not like this, but I believe that going forward, we need to think about different ways of justice.Young people today give me hope because I am seeing change. In my dealings with young people at Stellenbosch University, Im finding that Generation Z and millennials are truly committed to building a functioning society. It might not always be visible, but I think a quiet revolution of uprightness is brewing and the days are numbered for those that think that they can rely on young people to support them when they are corrupt.South African society today has many ills that may seem insurmountable, but Madonsela maintained she is always hopeful. If you lose hope, you lose everything, she said.Law is an important instrument of social change, but it has its own shortcomings. Yes, you need a good justice system that deals with criminals appropriately, but you also have to invest heavily in prevention strategies.As part of investing in prevention, we need to teach humans to be humans. I dont think we are doing enough to teach children to be humans in our society today.Research has found that when you teach children very seriously about human rights, they start to value themselves as human beings. They start to treat themselves better and perform better at school. They also start treating each other better.We need to invest in society, in teaching people how to be abantu, and its called ubuntu. We have to teach our children how to be functional members of our society.No individual can fix our broken society, but instead of becoming despondent, now is a time to teach and demonstrate the values that we would like to see upheld in our country.While many South Africans are disillusioned with how long the state commission inquiry is taking, and believe that the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) should have acted faster, Madonsela said: We need to remember that during state capture, institutions were hollowed out and the NPA has had to rebuild itself. Criminals operate in syndicates and removing all tentacles is a process that takes time."Imagine if the state capture commission had been structured in such a way that there was a self-disclosure process and an investigation process, and the self-disclosure process guaranteed that you wouldnt end up in jail, though there would be some kind of payback to society. I think this would get more people telling us what happened, and I think we would be moving faster.Madonsela said it is too late to change the terms of reference for the Zondo Commission now, but that we can learn from this commission to improve our effectiveness in future. The idea of a commission of inquiry was that it was supposed to be cheaper and faster, but it has proven to be the opposite. We need to look honestly at this and establish what went well and what didnt.What the commission has done a great job at is excavating a level of detail that we would never have uncovered in an ordinary investigation.Another great advantage of the commission is that it has brought justice back to the people. Not as many people are watching it these days, but if you consider the commission as opposed to the courts, youll see that far more people are watching the commission. Thats a real victory for South Africa, because for democracy to hold, people must stay engaged," she said.Madonsela was adamant that people will go to jail for state capture. Will it be all of them? Im not sure.
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia A construction crane in Cambodias northwestern city of Poipet on the border with Thailand collapsed Wednesday, killing at least five people and injuring four others.

The crane was being operated on ground made wet by rain, rendering it unstable, said Ath Khem, chief of the Banteay Meanchey provincial police. He said the crane fell as it was lifting heavy concrete blocks, and described the accident as resulting from carelessness.

The crane fell on houses next to the construction site, killing the victims. No one involved in the construction work was hurt, he said.

Poipet, a major trading post, is a boom town with many casinos patronized by foreigners, including many from Thailand. It has a reputation as a sin city.

In recent years, a fast-growing economy fueled a construction spree in Cambodia. But the building boom has suffered from a number of fatal accidents, the result of shoddy construction practices and poor enforcement of safety standards.

In January, at least 36 people were killed in the collapse of a building under construction in the southern city of Kep, with 23 others rescued alive. Women and children were among the victims, since it is not unusual in Southeast Asia for the families of construction workers to live at the work site.

Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor
Now more than ever, it is important that we continue to create opportunities for professional growth and development among the women in our industry.

Frazier & Deeter, a nationally ranked public accounting and advisory firm, was named one of the 2020 Accounting MOVE Project Best CPA Firms for Equity Leadership. Frazier & Deeter received this honor for the 6th time since 2014. Frazier & Deeter is the only accounting firm based in the Southeast to receive this recognition six times.

This continued recognition confirms that Frazier & Deeter is on the right trajectory for creating an equitable culture for women seeking leadership roles, in an industry that typically struggles with inclusivity, noted Monique Quindsland, Audit Partner and Leader of the Diversity & Inclusion Committee at Frazier & Deeter.

Quindsland further explained, As a firm, we have made it a priority to build and sustain an environment where everyone feels welcome and supported.

It is an honor to once again be named a Best CPA Firm for Equity Leadership, stated Sabrina Serafin. Serafin is the National Practice Leader of Frazier & Deeters Process, Risk & Governance Practice. Now, more than ever, it is important that we continue to create opportunities for professional growth and development among the women in our industry.

The Accounting MOVE Project measures and supports the advancement of women in accounting and consulting firms. The MOVE report outlines tactics that women, advocates for women and firm leaders can take to ensure that women CPAs can achieve their aspirations for their careers and drive firm growth in the process.

The Accounting MOVE Project Best CPA Firms for Equity Leadership list recognizes firms with a percentage of women partners and principals that are well above the industry average.

In 2009, Frazier & Deeter built on its strong presence of women by launching the Womens Business Leadership Initiative to support female executives and business owners. Since its introduction, the initiative has offered programming for women seeking to launch a business, grow an existing business or enhance their leadership skills. In addition to supporting women business owners, this program also offers women within the firm with a unique platform for building a network of business relationships.

About the Accounting MOVE Project

Since 2010, the Accounting MOVE Project has measured and supported the advancement of women at accounting and consulting firms. MOVE is the only annual benchmarking project that both counts and advocates for women in the profession.

MOVE is made possible by support from its sponsors and by administrative fees paid by participating firms. Firms receive benchmarking reports based on the MOVE Project.

About Frazier & Deeter

Frazier & Deeter is an award-winning accounting and advisory firm headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. The firm provides a wide range of tax, audit, accounting and advisory services to serve the emerging needs of clients as they evolve. Frazier & Deeter and its FD family of brands have nine offices across the United States and one in the United Kingdom. The firm has been recognized repeatedly as a Best of the Best Accounting firm, a Best Firm to Work For in the U.S. and a Best Firm for Women in Leadership. Frazier & Deeters brand promise is Investing in Relationships to Make a Difference.
Second phase of UAE residents return programme under way. Image: Etihad Airways

This now removes the need for residents of Abu Dhabi to wait for approval to return to the capital while overseas.

This means Etihad Airways UAE residents at home or overseas, can now travel with ease and return to Abu Dhabi freely without having to wait for approval to do so while abroad. With the gradual return to normal life in Abu Dhabi, this step will further ease the re-entry process for a greater number of professionals as schools and universities re-open and regular working practices are resumed.

Before booking their flight to or from Abu Dhabi, residents are encouraged to visit a new easy-to-use website at https://uaeentry.ica.gov.ae, and submit their passport number, and Emirates ID number, to obtain instant verification of their UAE entry status, in accordance with their UAE residence visa validity.

Currently, all guests travelling on Etihad Airways flights to and via Abu Dhabi are required to show a negative COVID-19 PCR test result from a government approved testing facility, and from 16 August, this will also apply to all guests departing Abu Dhabi. Travellers must visit www.etihad.com/destinationguide for up-to-date information. The PCR test must be carried out within 96 hours prior to their departure and a negative COVID-19 PCR test result certificate must be shown for approval to board. Timings will differ for those flying from China or the USA. Guests departing Pakistan and India must use an Etihad approved medical facility. Children under the age of 12 and people with mild to severe disabilities are currently exempt from this PCR test requirement.
We have watched her grow, he told The Washington Post. She has been incisive, she goes to the heart of the issue that has to be resolved, particularly at this time when the U.S. itself is going through severe challenges  including, but not confined to, matters pertaining to race. It is good to have someone on the ticket who can look at that and who has ethnic origins.
Thought Leaders Dr. Randall Bateman

Dr. Nicolas Barthelemy Washington University News-Medical spoke to Dr. Randall Bateman and Dr. Nicolas Barthelemy from Washington University about their research on Alzheimer's disease, and their new technique that can detect Alzheimer's from a blood test. News-Medical spoke to Dr. Randall Bateman and Dr. Nicolas Barthelemy from Washington University about their research on Alzheimer's disease, and their new technique that can detect Alzheimer's from a blood test.

Why did you choose to research Alzheimers and its detection?

Alzheimers disease offers incredible potential for impact. As the leading cause of disability and death in our elders, and with no effective treatments, the potential for changing the care of millions is now possible due to decades of careful scientific work.

Alzheimers disease is intellectually fascinating to me (Randall) as the disease is a convergence of aging and how the human mind works.

I (Nicolas) am an analytical chemist, specializing in biomolecules analysis using mass spectrometry. I had the opportunity to join research on Alzheimer's after my Ph.D. in 2012. My grandmothers sister died from AD in 2007 and I know how devastating this disease is. I really want to use my skills to help AD research in finding a cure.

Image Credit: Atthapon Raksthaput/Shutterstock.com

Why is it important to have an accurate and reliable test for its detection? What are the limitations of the currently used PET scan for the detection of Alzheimers?

In order to hope to treat a disease, we have to accurately identify it. Currently, PET scans have limited availability, are expensive, and radioactive.

Can you describe how you carried out your research into designing a blood test for the detection of Alzheimers? How does this test work?

Our previous research in cerebrospinal fluid, the fluid surrounding the brain, has pinpointed a particular biomolecule, ptau217, as dramatically increased in AD patients. We thought ptau217 could be transferred from cerebrospinal fluid to blood and thus likely detected if an appropriate test was designed.

This test measures ptau217 but also other tau forms by mass spectrometry, a physical technique with high precision. Thus, we can differentiate our target amongst millions of others and measure the ptau217 level in plasma.

However, before injecting the blood sample into the mass spectrometer, we had to find a recipe able to clean the blood and concentrate ptau217. This was a critical step. Also, the mass spectrometer we use is one of the most sensitive ever built.

Sensitivity is key because ptau217 in the blood is found in very low abundance. To date, ptau217 is likely the lowest abundant protein modification ever measured in blood by mass spectrometry.

What is p-tau-217 and at what accuracy can the test detect this?

P is for phosphorylation, a modification, or let say a kind of tag attached to protein. This modification is made by an enzyme. Tau is one of the two proteins found as protein aggregates in the brain of Alzheimer patients.

217 is a code to find where the phosphorylation is in the tau protein.

We are totally accurate in our detection of ptau217. The mass spectrometry signal is so specific we are certain at 100% the signal is ptau 217.

Do you believe that by having a simple blood test that can detect Alzheimers, we could potentially reduce the number of people developing this disease?

The only way to reduce this number is to find a treatment. This test could assist clinical research to speed up the process of testing drugs.

If a treatment is found in the future, the test should be helpful to screen the population and identify as early as possible an individual who would benefit from the treatment.

What further research needs to be carried out before this test can be readily available?

Refinements in high-throughput systems and commercial laboratory incorporation will be needed for this to be available.

Furthermore, we need to decrease the volume of blood needed for the test and potentially combine this test with other tests on other biomarkers to be able to predict as early as possible an abnormality linked to a risk of future Alzheimer's disease.

What are the next steps in your research?

To pursue additional studies of the relationship of blood p-tau217 and other tau and protein biomarkers of Alzheimers disease.

Where can readers find more information?

About Dr. Randall Bateman

Randall J. Bateman, M.D. is the Charles F. and Joanne Knight Distinguished Professor of Neurology at Washington University School of Medicine.

Dr. Batemans laboratory investigates the causes, and future diagnoses and treatments of Alzheimers disease utilizing a wide variety of assays and techniques from basic applications, such as quantitative measurement of stable-isotope labeled peptides to clinical translational studies in diagnostic and therapeutic biomarkers for Alzheimers disease.

Dr. Batemans lab measures the pathophysiology of Alzheimers disease in humans and measures amyloid-beta isoform kinetics in Alzheimers disease. Dr. Bateman trains postdoctoral fellows, graduate students, and undergraduates in his lab.

About Dr. Nicolas Barthelemy

Dr. Barthelemy obtained his Ph.D. degree in Analytical Chemistry from the University of Strasbourg in France. He specializes in protein characterization and quantitation by mass spectrometry.

He joined Dr. Batemans laboratory at Washington University in St. Louis as Postdoctoral Associate in 2015.

As a research instructor, he is pursuing his research on tau protein implication in Alzheimer's Disease and other tauopathies. He first reported specific ptau217 changes in AD cerebrospinal fluid in 2015.
Hong Kong: Boarding house contacts sought

(To watch the full press briefing with sign language interpretation, click here.)

The Centre for Health Protection today said it is having difficulty locating foreign domestic helpers who had stayed in a boarding house with a patient confirmed to have COVID-19.

The Centres Communicable Disease Branch Head Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan made the statement at a press briefing this afternoon.

Dr Chuang said the centre sought help from Police to gain access to the boarding house in Cheung Hing Mansion in Mong Kok based on information from the Indonesian domestic helper, who was confirmed to have the virus on August 11.

Police visited the place but could not gain entry. The person in charge is not very co-operative, so we could not locate those domestic helpers who had stayed with the patient of case number 4159 during that period at the end of July.

We are worried that they may have contracted the disease and spread it in the community.

Dr Chuang called on employers whose domestic helpers may have stayed in the boarding house to arrange a check-up for them.

The centre also announced it is investigating 62 additional COVID-19 cases, of which 61 are locally infected and one is imported.

Of the local cases, 33 are related to previous ones and 28 are those with unknown sources of infection.

For information and health advice on COVID-19, visit the Government's dedicated webpage.

This story has been published on: 2020-08-12. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
media junction HubSpot Elite Solutions Partner - 5th in the US 10th worldwide "media junction is a shining example of helping customers grow better. They have been a top HubSpot partner for nine years with deep expertise in website design, sales enablement, and branding. As our first female-founded elite partner, they are an inspiration, and I'm proud to have them as a leade

media junction, a full-service creative agency specializing in sales and marketing digital solutions, has been named an Elite HubSpot Solutions Partner, placing them amongst the top 1% of HubSpot Solution Partner agencies in the world.

To reach the Elite level, Partners must have a proven track record of mastery and maximizing the value customers gain from the HubSpot platform.

"media junction is a shining example of helping customers grow better. They have been a top HubSpot partner for nine years with deep expertise in website design, sales enablement, and branding. As our first female-founded elite partner, they are an inspiration, and I'm proud to have them as a leader in our partner community." - Katie Ng-Mak, VP, Solutions Partner Program, HubSpot

media junction was founded in 1997 to help businesses establish an online presence. In 2011 they became a HubSpot partner and quickly earned a reputation for being one of HubSpots most technical solutions partners. Today the team works with companies of all sizes from startups to enterprise across a wide variety of industries.

The partnership with HubSpot allows the media junction team to architect solutions to help HubSpot customers run more efficiently, reduce friction within their business, and create a unified source of truth for their data.

The real story behind this accomplishment is where the team was 18 months ago. As the CEO I was facing several business challenges, including internal culture, increased competition, and commoditization of some of our services, which lead us down the road to re-evaluate our company from the inside out. Trish Lessard, CEO

In early 2019 the leadership team read Building a Storybrand by Donald Miller. The book inspired them to reinvent not only their own messaging, but to become a Storybrand Certified Agency Partner to inspire companies of all sizes to find their voice.

Weve implemented the Storybrand framework into the core of our business. StoryBrand has been immensely helpful in getting our team to think about content in a different and more meaningful way. I had no idea when we started this process that wed use it in every project, and its led to some pretty outstanding results thus far for our clients,  remarks Ben Longlies, a StoryBrand Expert at media junction.

The media junction team clarified their message, found their purpose, and reimagined the customer experience. They set out to become the agency their customers would love and establish what the agency of the future should look like. The agency rolled out flexible services that adapt to their customers' needs.

What has inspired me the most about being named an elite partner is the number of clients that have entrusted us to lead their growth strategies. We couldnt have achieved this without them and I want to thank them, our team, and HubSpot. Sean Royer, VP of Sales

With everything that is going on in our world right now the team is hopeful for a brighter and stronger future, and noted a quote that inspired them from Meagan Kearney Anderson, VP of Marketing, HubSpot. Meagan said I hope this time will be remembered by businesses as The Great Acceleration  a time when companies in every industry and region underwent a rapid digital transformation that defined a new economic era.

To see so many companies flocking to HubSpot right now is pretty inspiring, especially during a pandemic. It's rewarding as a Solution Architect to help as many people as we can solve their pain points and reduce operational inefficiencies with the HubSpot platform.  Kim Wilcox, Vice President.

About media junction:

media junction is a full-service creative sales and marketing tech agency located in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Recognized worldwide as one of HubSpots most technical, top-tier Partners. In 2018, the agency was named one of the fastest-growing companies in the US by Inc 5000 and recognized locally as #20 on the Fast50 list of the fastest-growing private companies in Minneapolis/St. Paul). Media Junction is known worldwide for building websites that get results.

Learn more about media junction here:

https://www.mediajunction.com

About HubSpot:

HubSpot is a leading growth platform. Since 2006, HubSpot has been on a mission to make the world more inbound. Today, 78,500+ customers in more than 120 countries use HubSpots award-winning software, services, and support to transform the way they attract, engage, and delight customers. Comprised of Marketing Hub, Sales Hub, Service Hub, CMS Hub, and a powerful free CRM, HubSpot gives companies the tools they need to Grow Better."

Learn more about HubSpot here:

https://www.hubspot.com/
A father threw an epic temper tantrum in an Arizona grocery store over its policy requiring masks, and needed to be carried out of the store by his son.

The wild altercation was filmed last Saturday at a Sprouts Farmers Market off River Road in Tucson.

On July 15, Pima County issued a mask mandate ordering all residents to wear face coverings as the state continued to see a surge in coronavirus cases. Most businesses have also required patrons to wear masks in order to come inside.

A man launched into a foul-mouthed tirade about people wearing masks at a Tuscon Sprouts Farmers Market on August 8

The incident took place at the Sprouts Farmers Market on Rivers Road

In the brief clip, the irate dad launches into his tirade about masks after he was refused service in the grocery store.

'These people won't learn,' he declares in the cell phone video. 'You're a bunch of idiots wearing masks you know its not real.'

As he repeatedly uses the r-word, a crowd of similarly mask-less people surround him and try to get him to calm down.

The man threatened several people in the store who were wearing masks, telling one man that it appeared that he was wearing a 'doily'

It is then that the man's son comes up and starts pushing him back, which causes the angry father to get even more bolder in his threats

The angry man turns his attention to various customers trying to shop.

'Look at you fools you have a f*****g doily on your face you r****d,' he says. 'It looks like you got it off your mom's countertop.'

As more mask wearers approach the father, he starts yelling at them to come outside so that they can show him how 'tough' they are.

'I'll beat that f*****g mask off your face,' he asserts as people tell him to stop yelling at people.

'You're all a bunch of p*****s wearing masks,' he says as his son picks him up and carries him out of the store

It is then that the man's son comes up and starts pushing him back, which causes the angry father to get even more bolder in his threats.

'You're all a bunch of p*****s wearing masks,' he says as his son picks him up and carries him out of the store.

The man screams more profanities as he is carried out the store, finishing off his tantrum by destroying one of the displays outside the store.
U.S. President Donald Trump said he was surprised Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden chose Senator Kamala Harris as his running mate because she had been disrespectful to the former vice president during the debates.



Trump said Harris had been "very, very nasty" to Biden during the primaries. "She did very, very poorly in the primaries, as you know, she was expected to do well and she ended up right around 2%. So I was a little surprised that he picked her," the U.S.leader added.

Harris will debate Trump's running mate, Vice-President Mike Pence, on October 7 in Salt Lake City, Utah. She dropped out of the presidential race in December after failing in her bid to win the Democratic nomination, BBC reported.
From 'Made in HK' to 'Made in China'

Global Times

By Chi Jingyi and Li Xuanmin Source: Global Times Published: 2020/8/11 22:23:40

American interests are likely to be hit harder due to surplus: experts

Imports from Hong Kong to the US will be labeled "Made in China" instead of "Made in Hong Kong" from September 25, according to a notice published on Tuesday by the US Customs and Border Protection, Department of Homeland Security.

Analysts said that while Hong Kong will suffer a little, the US will suffer more, as the US has a huge trade surplus with Hong Kong.

The notice was in light of US President's executive order on Hong Kong Normalization, issued on July 14, 2020, suspending the application of section 201(a) of the US-Hong Kong Policy Act of 1992, read the US government document.

"The US move is gross interference in China's internal affairs and a full embodiment of its foreign trade policy with political strings attached," Hu Qimu, a senior fellow at the Sinosteel Economic Research Institute, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

The customs notice is actually the implementation of the executive order signed by the US president on July 14, which ended the special treatment granted to Hong Kong, because the national security law that China had passed has effectively deterred anti-China forces in Hong Kong, said Hu.

The US customs' move means that it will suspend Hong Kong's special tariff status from September, and from then on, the exports from Hong Kong to the US will subject to the same tariff rates as the products from the Chinese mainland, which would undercut Hong Kong exports' market competitiveness, an executive of a Shenzhen-based trading agency surnamed Duan told the Global Times Tuesday.

"Some US buyers may shift from Hong Kong to other countries and regions due to higher tariffs. But the announcement is more of a gesture rather than something that will generate a significant impact as Hong Kong does not manufacture a lot of products and 'Made in Hong Kong' products sent to the US are relatively small in quantity," Duan said.

It is highly likely that the HKSAR will retaliate by imposing higher tariffs on US imports, industry observers said.

"Hong Kong is one of the major export destinations for US agricultural products, and the US has long been recording a substantial trade surplus with Hong Kong. So, the tit-for-tat tariff war will make the US suffer a lot more than Hong Kong," Duan added.

The US' goods trade surplus with Hong Kong in June was $1 billion, making Hong Kong the third-biggest trade partner of the US in terms of the surplus, according to statistics from the US Census Bureau released last Wednesday.

Trade between Hong Kong and the US in the first half of the year stood at $17.88 billion, with a trade surplus of $5.72 billion for the US.

Top exports from the US to Hong Kong include cellphones, computer chips, civilian aircraft, photo-sensitive semiconductors, computers and frozen beef, according to a WorldCity analysis.

"Given that the China-US trade negotiations have not yet concluded, the cancellation of the US special trade treatment for Hong Kong is bound to raise the cost of Hong Kong's trade with the US and further hit Hong Kong's economy in addition to the impact of COVID-19," Hu added.

But Hong Kong's biggest advantage is that it is close to the Chinese mainland, which has huge market demand that can help Hong Kong hedge against external developments, Hu noted.

Hong Kong witnessed positive annual growth in exports in June only with the Chinese mainland and the island of Taiwan among its major trade partners, while exports with the US decreased 21.4 percent on a yearly basis, according to the Census and Statistics Department of the HKSAR.

A transition period of 45 days will be granted for commercial realities and affected parties, thus goods produced in Hong Kong must be marked to indicate that their origin is "China" after September 25, 2020, read the notice.

"The US is soon entering the presidential election. Even if the order goes into effect on September 25, it will take about three months until a new US president takes office in January. How the US will execute the order will depend on the next president," Tian Yun, vice director of the Beijing Economic Operation Association, told the Global Times Tuesday.

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President Donald Trump congratulated Marjorie Taylor Greene, a businesswoman who has expressed support for the conspiracy theory QAnon, for her Congressional primary win in Georgia in a tweet Wednesday, calling her a future Republican Star.

Congratulations to future Republican Star Marjorie Taylor Greene on a big Congressional primary win in Georgia against a very tough and smart opponent, Trump said. Marjorie is strong on everything and never gives up  a real WINNER!

Greene won the Republican nomination for Georgias 14th Congressional district, defeating neurosurgeon John Cowan in a primary runoff on Tuesday.

The GOP establishment, the media, & the radical left, spent months & millions of dollars attacking me, she tweeted. Tonight the people of Georgia stood up & said that we will not be intimidated or believe those lies.

She had placed first in the initial June 9 Republican primary, but was denounced by several GOP officials soon after when videos surfaced in which she made comments they deemed racist and anti-Semitic.

Representative Jody Hice (R., Ga.) withdrew his support for Greene and minority whip Steve Scalise of Louisiana threw his support behind Cowan after social media videos surfaced of Greene complaining of an Islamic invasion into government offices, saying black and Hispanic men are held back by gangs and dealing drugs, and pushing an anti-Semitic conspiracy theory that Jewish billionaire philanthropist George Soros collaborated with the Nazis.

Greene has also expressed support for QAnon, the conspiracy theory popular among many of the presidents supporters. She is an ardent Trump supporter and campaigned on a strongly pro-gun, pro-border wall and anti-abortion message.

Greene will face off against Democrat Kevin Van Ausdal in November. In 2018, Republican Tom Graves, who did not seek reelection, won the seat with over 76% of the vote in the deep-red district.

Honestly the local Democratic money is not a lot, Van Ausdal said. We need donors to help get out the message and show people that there is an alternative, and a great alternative, to QAnon conspiracies and divisive rhetoric.

More from National Review
Nearly half of all the violence visited on African migrants during their journey to the Mediterranean coast is perpetrated by law enforcers, the United Nations refugee agency UNHCR said on Wednesday.

According to a report by UNHCR and the Danish Refugee Councils Mixed Migration Centre (MMC), thousands of refugees and migrants suffer extreme abuse including torture and sexual or gender-based violence, and in some cases death.

The report is based on nearly 16,000 interviews with refugees and migrants.

In 47% of the cases, the victims reported the perpetrators of violence are law enforcement authorities, whereas in the past, we believe that it was mainly smugglers and traffickers, Vincent Cochetel, UNHCR special envoy for the central Mediterranean, told a news conference in Geneva.

States have a responsibility that they need to discharge in that respect.

UNHCR reported that 1,750 people had died in 2018 and 2019 trying to reach the sea, but Cochetel said the true numbers were likely to be higher.

That is just the visible tip of the iceberg. There are many families looking for their loved ones along the routes, and there is no answer to give them, he said.

In recent months, hundreds of migrants have been stopped at sea and sent back to Libya despite the risk of violence there.

On Monday, Libyan authorities shot dead three Sudanese migrants trying to avoid detention as they disembarked from a failed attempt to cross the Mediterranean to Europe.

War-ravaged Libya is a major transit point for migrants seeking to reach Europe and now hosts an estimated 654,000 of them, often living in cramped conditions with little access to healthcare.

(REUTERS)
Illya Gorodetskyy, Head of Market Access and Public Affairs at Takeda in Ukraine, Moldova and Belarus

Millions of patients and their families around the world are looking forward to new treatment methods or medicines. Their creation is vital because humankind has not learnt to heal many diseases yet.. Dozens of thousands of scientists around the world work hard to ensure that patients will get new medicines. The research and development of new medicines are based on years of experiments, testing, clinical trials, approvals and dealing with lots of challenges as well as on a constant need for considerable amount of investments. But the efforts are worth of it, because in the long run everyone benefits: new medicines not only provide longer and better lives for patients, but also improve a health care system and positively affect a development of the whole society.

The thousand-year history of medical developments has proven that transforming scientific knowledge into innovative medicines is a must. For example, if AIDS or hepatitis C were previously considered to be a death sentence for a patient, recent developments in treatment have turned them into manageable states and have increased lifespan of millions of people with those diagnoses. The developments of medicines for malaria, cancer and many other diseases have alsobeen successful. In particular, improvements in cancer treatment have reduced the death rate from cancer by 27% in the last 30 years. Although many diseases are not still completely curablethe search for solutions goes on.

Together with scientific institutions, pharmaceutical and biotechnology sectors play a leading role in the development of new medicines. The pharmaceutical and biotechnology sectors amount to more than 18.9% of the total R&D expenditures of each business worldwide. In 2018, pharmaceutical companies invested over 35 billion euros into research and development only in Europe.

At the same time the development of new innovative medicines or treatment methods is not only an expensive but also a time consuming and economically risky process.A pharmaceutical manufacturer spends on average 1015 years for a development of one new medicine. Firstly, it covers the time for a creation of new ideas and a search for new compounds, later  clinical trials testing the efficacy and safety of each compound and a long process of medicines regulatory approval until patients receive an innovative therapy.

While investing in R&D, manufacturers understand that only one molecule out of thousands may eventually become an approved medicine. Or none of them at all. At the same time many samples are eliminated at later stages. This means that long-lasting efforts and investments may be spent on something that will not even become a drug in the end. However,manufacturers continue to contribute into new developments because even one chance for success is worth investing time, efforts and money so that patients will get medicine they need, which has not existed yet.

A success of a research is important not only for patients, doctors and pharmaceutical industrybut also for humanity as a whole. Patients' access to new treatment methods reduces disability and mortality rates and increases lifespan. It is believed that around 40% of a 2-year increase in lifespan measured from 19862000 can be attributed to the introduction and usage of new medicines.

It is worth to mention the economic benefits of innovations in medicine and pharmacy. For example, the development of a new treatment that slows down the onset of Alzheimers disease could have reduced medicare and medicaid spending on patients by $218 billion annually by 2050. These calculations are applicable for the US budget, but they illustrate how innovative developments may affect any country including Ukraine.

Another example: in 2006 the FDA (US Food and Drug Administration) approved a new HIV medicine that combines three existing active ingredients in one pill. The work on the medicine having taken four years to complete clinical trials allowed patients with AIDS to reduce their medication intake to one pill a day and reduce treatment costs for more than $ 6,000 compared to taking multiple pills.

In the overall a success of one innovative medicine may contribute to a development of a concomitant therapy and other new medicines. This so-called innovation cycle involves not only the development of new medicines but also promotes further researches and reinvestments in other medicines or technologies. Any cheaper analogs (generics) cannot be produced without an original medicine.

Obviously, all these efforts, years of work and multibillion dollar investments will not have a positive effect if in the long run patients do not have access to new treatment in their country. I'm not talking about a city or a town. This deals witha whole country. All in all, the decision on access to innovative medicines is made by a state, taking into account its financial willingness to help citizens. Developing countries including Ukraine should pay particular attention to it. In these countries patients usually do not have financial abilities to buy medicines they need unless such drugs are procured by the government. At the same time the use of innovative drugs leads not only to better treatment results but also to saving state funds.

In order to assess the economy of public funds from the use of innovative drugs, one should use the methods of pharmaco-economic assessment of medicines. This is an economic feasibility assessment of spending on a more modern medicine in terms of reducing the cost of treatment in general and better clinical effect. This method makes it possible to reasonably demonstrate not only clinical but also economic feasibility of using innovative medicines and treatment methods.

In Ukraine this approach of assessment is still being developed. I am convinced that it will simplify the access of Ukrainian patients to innovative medicines, which is the ultimate goal of any research and development. The introduction of pharmaco-economic assessment of medicines in Ukraine is particularly important since Ukrainians are treated mainly with out-of-date and less effective medicines, and a share of innovative drugs is much less in comparison with other countries. In monetary terms only 9% of medicines in Ukraine is innovative, while 91% is reproduced (generics). as a global biopharmaceutical company in Ukraine our task is to increase a percentage of modern medicines, as Takeda aims to increase access to innovative medicines for as many patients as possible.

That is why we emphasize that a dialogue between a state and a pharmaceutical industry is necessary. By "dialogue" I mean a regulated, transparent and understandable procedure of interaction between a manufacturer and a state which will allow each side to benefit from it. For a state it means optimizing health care costs and increasing a number of working people. For a manufacturer  transparent conditions for medicines availiability on the market. For patients  improved treatment results and longer lifespan.

Until these mechanisms are fully operational, Ukrainian patients need additional support which may be provided by pharmaceutical companies. For example, within the global Patient Assistance Program (PAP) our company provides access to its two innovative medicines for patients with Hodgkin's lymphoma and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

The opportunities provided by innovative medicines are enormous both for Ukraine and for the whole world. They not only change lives of patients and their families but also have a positive impact on the whole society by saving money, returning people to active life, giving new momentums to the industry. I am convinced that the dialogue between the state and pharmaceutical manufacturers will help to achieve an integrated approach to ensuring patients' access to modern effective treatment. It will improve both the duration and the quality of life for patients in our country.
Prayer is a supernatural phenomenon, a direct communication between man and God, and must be approached as such.

Without question prayer is the greatest untapped source of power in the world, for through it the power and resources of God are released.

That He should have placed this privilege in our hands is an evidence of his love and concern. That we neglect or disregard this blessing is an evidence of the ignorance and perversity of human nature.

We are not speaking of the failure of a pagan (be he American or aborigine) to pray, for that is to be expected; we are thinking of the Christians neglect of prayer.

Prayer opens up a new dimension, one which reaches into the depths and intricacies of the unknown, but a dimension where God lives and moves and has his being.

Because prayer is a two-way communication system between God and man, and because the channel is of Gods devising, not mans, it is imperative that we understand what our side involves.

The writer has used long-distance telephone communications extensively, frequently from other parts of the world to America. Only recently we talked (with an excellent connection) from Jerusalem to a loved one in Alabama. In each case certain laws were observed.

First of all, we knew telephonic connections were available. We also knew there were procedures to be followed, such as giving the operator our credit-card number, the area code and number of the person called, and the persons name. In a remarkably short time such calls can usually be completed. In every case the available means are used by people trained to render such service.

That which science has made possible in the field of communication today fades into insignificance when we realize that man can communicate instantly ...

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The Kerala government on Tuesday handed over an additional compensation of Rs 1.30 crore to former scientist of the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) Nambi Narayanan to settle the two-and-half-decade-old spy case in which he was implicated by the state police.

A case was filed by Narayanan (79) in the sessions court in Thiruvananthapuram after the Supreme Court in 2018 ordered that his arrest in the case was unnecessary and he was implicated and granted him an interim relief of Rs 50 lakh. The court had also observed that Narayanan deserved more and he could approach a lower court for proper compensation. Earlier, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) had also ordered a relief Rs 10 lakh to him.

After the Supreme Courts order, the Kerala government had asked former chief secretary K Jayakumar to look into the matter and fix an exact compensation amount and arrive at a settlement. Later, his suggestions were submitted before the court and a settlement was clinched. I am happy. It is not for money alone I fought. My fight was against injustice, Narayanan said after accepting the cheque.

The Isro spy case relates to allegations of transfer of certain confidential documents and secrets of the countys cryogenic engine technology to enemy countries by two scientists and four others, including two Maldivian women.

The case had generated enough heat. Many books were written over the sensational case and a Bollywood director had even made a biopic on Narayanan who had to pay a heavy price along with former chief minister K Karunakaran. Its release was delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Narayanan was conferred the Padma Bhushan last year.

The case surfaced in 1994 and Karunakaran was forced to quit after a section of his party led by A K Antony and Oommen Chandy revolted against him after the then police chiefs name (Ramon Srivastav) also cropped up in the case. It was alleged that two senior scientists of Isro - Nambi Narayanan and D Sasikumaran - had sold space secrets for money and sexual favours. Two Maldivian women were also arrested in connection with the case. Srivastav was then Inspector General of Police.

However, in 1998, the Supreme Court had quashed the case after accepting the CBI inquiry report that it was cooked up. When the espionage case was unearthed, Narayanan was in-charge of the cryogenic division. He was the first to introduce liquid fuel rocket technology. The countrys space technology had to suffer badly due to the espionage case, he said in one of the interviews pointing to a larger conspiracy in the case.

Hated by all I thought of committing suicide on several occasions. But I never wanted to die as a traitor. I lived all these years only to tell this, Naryanana had told the Hindustan Times in one of the earlier interviews.
Chronicle

Vallejo police arrested two men Sunday in Sacramento who they said murdered a Vallejo resident during a fight outside a shopping center.

The arrest of Antonio Henderson, 23, and Eric Robinson, 21, came two days after the shooting death of Daniel Chavez, 22. According to the statement released by the Vallejo Police Department on Tuesday, Chavez was entering a business on the 3000 block of Sonoma Boulevard at around 3 p.m. on Aug. 9 went he got into a fight with one of the suspects. The second joined in, and one pulled a gun and began firing at Chavez. They followed him into the parking lot and shot him multiple times.
As nations and NGOs around the world scramble to develop a safe and effective vaccine against the coronavirus, Russia claimed on Tuesday to already have one. "A vaccine against coronavirus has been registered for the first time in the world this morning," Russian President Vladimir Putin said on state TV during a press conference outside his residence. "I know that it works quite effectively, it forms a stable immunity."

He is reportedly so confident of the vaccines efficacy that he has already inoculated one of his children with it. "One of my own daughters has tested the vaccine," Putin continued. "All she experienced was a slightly elevated temperature and [she] feels just fine." However, the breakneck speed at which the formula was developed  not to mention the monumental stakes at hand  has many medical researchers questioning whether Russia cut any corners in its efforts to be the first country with a viable vaccine.

The formula, dubbed Sputnik-V in honor of the first satellite to reach space in 1957, was developed by Moscows Gamaleya Institute. However, the Institute has not released any developmental or scientific data relating to the vaccines creation, nor has it undergone peer review, so all we have to go on is what the Russians have publicly announced. Without that data, the World Health Organization cannot evaluate the vaccines safety or efficacy, Jarbas Barbosa, the assistant director of the WHOs regional branch, the Pan American Health Organization, explained to Al Jazeera.

MOSCOW, RUSSIA - AUGUST 12, 2020: Ampoules with a COVID-19 vaccine developed by the Gamalei Scientific Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology of the Russian Healthcare Ministry. Gam-COVID-Vac is a vector two-component adenovirus based vaccine. The vaccine will be available to general public on January 1, 2021. Mikhail Japaridze/TASS (Photo by Mikhail Japaridze\TASS via Getty Images)

Russian health officials have already noted that medical workers, teachers and other front-line groups will be among the first to receive the treatment when production ramps up in September. Putin plans to have doses ready for the general public come January but they wont be the only ones to receive it. "We've seen considerable interest in the Russian vaccine developed by the Gamaleya Institute abroad. Moreover, we have received preliminary applications for over 1 billion doses of the vaccine from 20 countries," Kirill Dmitriev, head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), told CNN on Tuesday. A number of US companies are reportedly interested as well.

Story continues

Now, while Putin said that the formula has been registered, that really only means that its gone through a bureaucratic process within the Russian Health Ministry -- akin to getting regulatory approval. What it has not completed is its Phase 3 clinical trial, a critical step in determining a drugs safety for the general populace.

Rigorous, clinical trials got their start in the 18th century when physician James Lind conducted a study into the cause of scurvy amongst sailors on long distance voyages. These trials grew into their modern form in the 1920s and 1930s with the introduction of randomization, replication, and blocking. Todays trials are typically conducted in a series of phases: Phase 0 involves around 10 - 15 people and is done to see the basic effects of the drug on the human body using very small doses of the formula. Phase 1 screens for safety with a group of around 20 - 80 people to ensure that the drug wont immediately kill or incapacitate anyone. Phase 2 determines the most effective dosages of the drug and the proper dosage range.

Phase 3 trials allow drug developers to test the formulas safety and efficacy, spot potential side effects or interactions with other common pharmaceuticals and compare it to existing treatments. They usually require months to complete, involve thousands to tens of thousands of people, and typically come before a drug gets registered. For example, Modernas mRNA-1273 Phase 3 trial, which began in July and which has just landed a major supply deal with the US government, will rely on as many as 30,000 volunteers.

Although face coverings, physical distancing and proper isolation and quarantine of infected individuals and contacts can help us mitigate SARS-CoV-2 spread, we urgently need a safe and effective preventive vaccine to ultimately control this pandemic, NIAID Director Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, said in a press release. Results from early-stage clinical testing indicate the investigational mRNA-1273 vaccine is safe and immunogenic, supporting the initiation of a Phase 3 clinical trial. This scientifically rigorous, randomized, placebo-controlled trial is designed to determine if the vaccine can prevent COVID-19 and for how long such protection may last.

Russias vaccine, on the other hand, is reportedly based on other members of the coronavirus family which can cause less severe colds and flus. Rather than wait for the results from tens of thousands of study cases, it appears that the Russians may have engaged in a form of intensive human challenge trial, starting with members of the research team themselves, then expanding to military service members and eventually the VIP cohort that Putins daughter was a part of.

Per the US National Library of Medicine, Sputnik-Vs Phase 1 and 2 trials involved a total of 76 people. Among the 38 who were administered either one or two doses of the actual vaccine, all produced antibodies. The effects of the vaccine were reportedly mild with elevated temperatures and headaches being the most reported symptoms.

I hope that the Russians have actually definitively proven that the vaccine is safe and effective, Fauci told ABC News correspondent Deborah Roberts this week, during the taping of an upcoming NatGeo keynote event. I seriously doubt that they've done that.

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Tony Fauci speaks to US President Donald Trump during a tour of the National Institutes of Health's Vaccine Research Center March 3, 2020, in Bethesda, Maryland. - The US Federal Reserve announced an emergency rate cut responding to the growing economic risk posed by the coronavirus epidemic after the UN health agency said the world has entered "uncharted territory" with the outbreak's rapid spread. (Photo by Brendan Smialowski / AFP) (Photo by BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)

Human challenge trials are much more direct than the multiphase trials described above. These are trials in which participants are intentionally challenged (whether or not they have been vaccinated) with an infectious disease organism, the WHO explains in its 2016 publication, Human Challenge Trials for Vaccine Development: regulatory considerations. This challenge organism may be close to wild-type and pathogenic, adapted and/or attenuated from wild-type with less or no pathogenicity, or genetically modified in some manner.

The very first vaccine ever developed was done through a human challenge trial in 1796 when English physician Edward Jenner deliberately infected his son with cowpox, which causes a mild reaction in humans, to protect the boy from its much deadlier cousin, smallpox. The tradition continues today with organizations like 1DaySooner advocating for coronavirus human challenge trials. It has already signed up more than 25,000 volunteers. However this method is not without its dangers, especially in the case of COVID-19.

Human challenge studies are generally contemplated only when rescue with a lifesaving treatment or intervention is available should a vaccine candidate not protect a volunteer from the disease, Michael Rosenblatt, Chief Medical Officer for Flagship Pioneering, argues in a June StatNews op-ed. But there is no cure or treatment against the SARS-CoV-2 virus that can be deployed with confidence, making viral challenges particularly risky and ethically questionable.

He also points out that while vaccines for diseases like the measles and mumps are fully effective, some vaccines  especially for adults  can be only 70 to 80 percent effective and as little as nine percent. Imagine, for a moment, that a vaccine candidate undergoing testing turns out to generate immunity in 80 percent of those who receive it. Then 20 percent will become infected with Covid-19, he wrote.

Russias methodology has also drawn concern from the World Health Organization, which has requested that the Russian Federation adhere to international norms and regulations regarding vaccine development.

Its vital that we apply all public health measures that we know are working, and we need to continue to invest in and accelerate the development of safe and effective treatments and vaccines that will help us reduce disease transmission in the future, WHO spokesman Tarik Jasarevic said during a Tuesday press conference.

We are in close contact with the Russian health authorities, and discussions are going on with respect to possible pre-qualification of the vaccine," he continued. To date, the WHO lists 25 candidate vaccines in clinical evaluation and 139 in a pre-clinical evaluation.

The world passed 20 million global infections this week so if we have any hope of getting back to a pre-pandemic normal, were going to need at least a couple of those vaccine candidates to prove effective.
INDIANAPOLIS - A grand jury indicted two Indianapolis police officers on battery and other charges following an investigation into allegations that they used excessive force while arresting demonstrators at a May protest over the death of George Floyd, a prosecutor announced Wednesday.

Johnathan Horlock, a five-year veteran with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, faces three counts of battery and one count each of official misconduct, perjury and obstruction. Nathanial Schauwecker, who has been with the department for eight years, faces four counts of battery and two counts of official misconduct.

The question here is whether the officers conduct was reasonable or not, Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears said at a news conference. You cant say, Hey, my training told me to do this, if that conduct turns out to be unconstitutional, or excessive.

Two women, Ivore Westfield and Rachel Harding, both of Marion County, are named as victims. They filed a federal lawsuit in June after video was released of officers using batons and pepper balls to subdue the them during their May 31 arrests in downtown Indianapolis.

Video of the arrest, recorded by WISH-TV, shows Westfield, who is Black, being held from behind by a white male officer, escaping his grasp and then being surrounded by several other officers. There were audible pops and several clouds of spray near Westfield, which the lawsuit contends were caused by detonated pepper balls. Two officers struck her with batons until she fell to the ground, and she was then pinned face-down by a baton at the back of her neck.

Harding, who is white, could be seen and heard in the video shouting, Why her? Why her? Another officer then rushed Harding and shoved her to the ground, where officers subdued her.

Neither woman was charged with any crime.

Among other things, grand jurors were asked to consider the level of threat posed by the individuals being arrested, Mears said.

Police Chief Randal Taylor said in a statement Wednesday that Horlock and Schauwecker will remain on administrative duty while an internal investigation continues. Taylor said he intends to address the administrative side of the officers conduct following all criminal proceedings.

Two other officers who were involved, Sgt. David Kinsey and Officer Conrad Simpson, do not face charges at this time, Mears said.

___

Casey Smith is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a non-profit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
CHICAGO  A man has been charged with first-degree murder after police say he struck a woman and her daughter on Chicagos Near North Side, stopped his SUV, got out and looked at the victims on the pavement, then swung back around and hit the mother again, dragging her several feet.

Edgar Roman, 25, sped from Hubbard Street near State Street and hit some barricades so hard he tore the hood off his silver Ford Explorer Monday night, police said. He abandoned the SUV after eluding police, and later showed up at the Albany Park District police station around the corner from where he lives and reported it stolen.

He was arrested and charged with first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, filing a false report and leaving the scene of an accident causing injury or death. Hes due in court later Wednesday.

Zoraleigh Ryan, 55, and her 20-year-old daughter had been walking north on State and were crossing Hubbard around 11:20 p.m. Monday when Roman turned down the street and hit them both, according to police.

Roman stopped, exited and looked at both victims on the ground, police said. He got back into his SUV, made a U-turn and accelerated toward both victims still injured in the intersection. He struck Ryan, dragging her several feet and causing her death.

Roman drove north on State Street and was spotted by police driving erratically on Grand Avenue, authorities said. An officer tried to pull him over, but Roman crashed through a barricade at the Merchandise Mart Plaza and tried to go through a second barricade on Wells Street, police said.

The SUV hit the barricades so hard, the front hood fell off, police said. Roman couldnt get through the second barricade and the officer got out of the squad car with weapon drawn. Roman was able to turn around and continued west through the plaza, escaping the officer, police said.

The SUV was later found abandoned. Roman was arrested when he walked into the Albany Park District station to report the Ford Explorer stolen, police said.

Ryan was pronounced dead on the scene. Her daughter was treated at Northwestern Memorial Hospital and released. Both are from Chandler, Arizona, though Ryan apparently has ties to the Chicago area, according to her Facebook page.

Ryans granddaughter told a television station in Phoenix, Arizona, that her grandmother was just so sweet, doesnt hurt anyone. She always makes sure everyones good before herself.

A decent enough human who felt bad when he hit her would have gone back and got out the car. Oh my gosh, are you OK? No, but he hit her again to make sure that she was dead, Angelina Adams told KPNX. She didnt deserve it  Now my only grandma is gone.

By Paige Fry and Rosemary Sobol, Chicago Tribune (TNS)

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Polls published in recent days dealt a harsh blow to Israels political left. The next elections might feature a right-wing vs. right-wing duel instead of a center-left challenge to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

According to these polls, Yamina party chief Naftali Bennett is now considered by many Israelis as the principal alternative to Netanyahu. Bennett is ranked second, after Netanyahu, as the person most suited to serve as prime minister. In fact, Bennett passed all the leaders of the center-left camp, including opposition chair and Yesh Atid-Telem leader Yair Lapid, and Alternative Prime Minister and Defense Minister Benny Gantz, who also serves as Blue and White party chairman. Bennett also does better than former Chief of Staff Gadi Eizenkot, who is warming up on the sidelines while deciding whether to enter the fray in the next election.

Given this ranking, the Yamina chairman is preparing to announce his candidacy for prime minister in the next election, which will likely be sooner than anticipated.

Any focus on Bennetts remarkable achievement is easy to understand. He flipped the tables within a matter of months, transforming himself from the head of a marginal, essentially irrelevant right-wing party who ended up getting tossed into the opposition into an apparent big winner. In that short time, he tripled his potential strength in the Knesset from six seats to 15-19 seats.

The path he took to become the best alternative to Netanyahu is no less remarkable, even if it was his plan since he first entered politics in 2013. Even the most right-wing voters didnt consider him suitable for the position at the time, certainly not with Netanyahu ruling over the right-wing camp so high-handedly. Bennett was always seen as the head of a satellite party of the Likud, as Netanyahus disciple, and even as a pale shadow of the real leader, and as someone would act according to the prime ministers whims under any and every circumstance.

After the March elections, Bennet found himself outside of the government. Losing his short-term position as defense minister, he again reached a low point. But Bennett saw this as an opportunity. Left outside the coalition, he could now position himself as an alternative leader.

More so, with Netanyahu failing to deal effectively with the second wave of the coronavirus, and with demonstrations against the government intensifying, Bennett gained increasing support. Of course, Bennett did not just wait for things to happen  he fanned the flames of discontent with the government. He identified a political vacuum in the management of the coronavirus crisis, and was quick to step in, thus becoming the oppositions own Mr. Coronavirus. Bennett had no ministry, no political status or position. Nevertheless, he took to the street and presented his own plan to handle the crisis. He ran from one TV studio to the next and seeded social networks with his solutions.

On Aug. 5, Bennett addressed the Knesset. Netanyahu opened the Knesset debate, with Lapid officially responding as the opposition chairman. But Bennett made a point of depicting himself on social networks as the speaker after the prime minister.

Bennetts remarks from the podium were especially intense. They certainly left a greater impression than anything Lapid said. Firing a flurry of toxic arrows at the coalitions tender underbelly, Bennet cried, All the associations are crumbling.  Handicapped children are left without any solutions because you fight with each other.  Have you lost your minds? What else do I have to do? What? God, help us! ... Why havent you transferred any money to them yet? Youve been in government for 80 days already! You should be working day and night. When I was defense minister, I worked on the Sabbath, I violated the Sabbath because lives were at stake. Well, lives are at stake here, too! People are dying. ... Get a hold of yourself and realize that our people are dying!

His speech went viral. He was speaking from the heart and sounded authentic. He was speaking to the people at eye level, as one person to another. A real leader was born that day.

Bennett is now riding the crest of the wave. The weaker Netanyahu gets, the stronger Bennett is. Two days after Bennetts raging speech, Channel 12 created a stir by releasing the results of its poll on suitability for the position of the prime minister. The only person to come close to challenging Netanyahu as the top candidate to be suitable for prime minister was Bennett. Likud voters are shifting to him, and they are not the only ones. Even the soft right, which voted for Blue and White under Gantz, are suddenly realizing that they could live with Bennett as an alternative.

The results of this poll are dramatic, and not just for Bennett. They show how deeply entrenched Israelis are in the right. Even when they are disappointed with the prime minister, they prefer to move further right by supporting a former Netanyahu protege, Bennett. Meanwhile, with the collapse of Gantz, the center-left not only lacks an alternative to take over the government from Netanyahu. It has also failed to create such an alternative. Try as he might, Lapid continuously fails to break through an invisible barrier. No matter what he does, he isnt deemed suitable to lead the country.

Bennett arrives at this round against Netanyahu much tougher, stronger and braced for a fight. The dilemma he faces is what to do next. After the next election, should he still recommend Netanyahu to form the next government? He seems to have resolved that problem in the most elegant way possible. The answer is no; he will recommend himself. This will remain a valid solution as long as the gap between him and Netanyahu continues to shrink. On the other hand, as soon as Netanyahu goes back on offense, all of that could change. Bennett could lose supporters. If the past has taught us anything, it is that when the moment of truth arrives, voters who rushed to answer Bennetts call will rush right back to Netanyahu. Bennett believes that the coronavirus crisis has changed this voting pattern. The country may soon see if he is right.

The center-left frequently compares the current leadership crisis and the failures of the Netanyahu government to what happened in the aftermath of the Yom Kippur War in 1973. That brought about a drastic change in Israeli politics. It saw the downfall of the left and the rise of the first right-wing government in all of Israels history.

Only time will tell how serious the governments failures really are. The one thing that can be seen is that the current crisis has not pushed the center-left to center stage. In fact, the blocs failure to provide a new alternative to Netanyahu is actually strengthening the right. Netanyahu can find comfort in this, because Bennett, unlike Yisrael Beitenu leader Avigdor Liberman, is unlikely to break ranks entirely.

On the other hand, the one thing that leaves Netanyahu worried is the realization that the stronger Bennett gets and the more the prime minister grows dependent on this upstart new leader, the more likely Bennett is to demand a rotation with Netanyahu in the prime ministers office. Bennett seems to be aiming at that.
Amazon fires a 'lie' says Brazil's Bolsonaro Smoke rises from an illegal fire in the Amazon rainforest reserve, north of Sinop in Mato Grosso state, on August 11

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has said it is a "lie" that fires are ravaging the Amazon rainforest, despite data from his own government showing the number of blazes is rising.

The far-right leader has faced international condemnation for presiding over huge fires and rising deforestation in the Amazon -- criticism he took issue with in a speech to a video conference of countries that share the world's biggest rainforest.

"Tropical rainforest doesn't catch fire. So this story that the Amazon is burning is a lie, and we have to fight it with real numbers," he said Tuesday.

Yet satellite data from Brazil's national space agency, INPE, show the number of forest fires in the Brazilian Amazon last month rose 28 percent from July 2019, to 6,803.

Experts say the fires are typically not sparked naturally, but set by humans to clear land illegally for farming and ranching.

Last year, huge fires devastated the Amazon from May to October, sending a thick haze of black smoke all the way to Sao Paulo, thousands of kilometers away.

The fires triggered worldwide alarm over a forest seen as vital to curbing climate change.

Experts warn this year's dry season, which is just getting started, could see even more fires.

The scrutiny is pressuring Bolsonaro, who has called for protected Amazon lands to be opened up to mining and agriculture.

He has deployed the army to the Amazon basin, 60 percent of which is in Brazil, to fight fires and deforestation, declared a ban on agricultural fires and launched a task force to combat the problem.

He said that was producing results, pointing to a more than 25-percent reduction in deforestation year-on-year last month.

"We are making big, enormous efforts to fight fires and deforestation, but even so, we are criticized," he told the meeting of the Leticia Pact, a group launched last year to protect the Amazon.

His government has been accused of cherry-picking data by trumpeting the July drop in deforestation.

Despite the one-month decline, deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon set a new record high in the first seven months of the year, according to INPE data.

jhb/tom
Researchers at Michigan Tech, TUV SUD UK National Engineering Laboratory and University of Edinburgh call for increased research on virus surface stability and interaction in "Surface Chemistry Can Unlock Drivers of Surface Stability of SARS-CoV-2 in Variety of Environmental Conditions" in the Cell Press journal Chem. They highlight the need to understand the different environmental conditions that affect the surface chemistry of viruses like SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes the disease COVID-19.

Creating an unfriendly surface for viruses

We're told to wash our hands with soap for 20 seconds to kill viruses. Why? Because the soap interacts with the surface chemistry of a virus, particularly the lipid, or fatty, casing around it, and essentially makes the virus explode.

Handwashing is a clear example of why understanding how viruses interact with surface environments is important. Increased research will better equip us to diminish how long viruses survive on surfaces or in the air, an important way to stop the spread.

"If the surface is not friendly, it's easier for the virus to fall apart. Where the virus has more friendly interactions with the surface, it's more likely to stay infectious," said Caryn Heldt, professor of chemical engineering and director of the Health Research Institute at Michigan Technological University.

Viruses have unique ways of interacting with surfaces. The surface chemistry of the virus will change how the virus interacts with water. If water such as humidity, which is common in your breath and in the air, gets between the virus and a surface, it can really change the way the virus interacts with that surface. The virus surface and the environment: you can't separate them out." Caryn Heldt, Professornand Director, Department of Chemical Engineering, Health Research Institute, Michigan Technological University

More than one way to skin a cat... or a virus

Part of the reason the scientific community's understanding of the SARS-CoV-2 virus continues to evolve is because there are only a few techniques available to measure the small amounts of virus particles required to infect a person as compared to other types of biomolecules, such as proteins.

"We need to understand how viruses interact with surfaces with and without water present, but the traditional ways we think of studying surface chemistry cannot detect these low levels of virus," Heldt said.

Heldt and coauthors said their article provides a broad overview of different ways researchers could learn more about these surface interactions on a chemical level.

Unlike the viruses that cause influenza, SARS-CoV-2 is mainly transmitted through aerosols, or particles that travel through and stay suspended in the air when people talk, sing, cough or sneeze.

The flu is transmitted by large droplets you breathe out, which fall to and stay infectious on surfaces. Heldt said surfaces have not been ruled out as a mode of transmission, but that the most common form of transition seems to be aerosol inhalation. "It's about how close you are to someone and for how long," she said.

Temperature and humidity in particular seem to have greater effects on the SARS-CoV-2 virus' virility.

"For the first time, we highlight potential mechanisms of the novel SARS-CoV-2 surface stability in various environmental conditions including temperature and relative humidity," said Aliakbar Hassanpouryouzband, a postdoctoral research associate at the University of Edinburgh.

While viruses are typically more stable when it's colder, which explains why flu season hits during the winter, that doesn't seem to be the case for the virus that causes COVID-19. However, researchers can infer from what heat does to molecules -- it increases their energy, causing them to move and vibrate more quickly -- that increased vibrations of virus molecules causes them to explode and no longer be infectious.

When it comes to humidity, viruses need to bind some water to their surfaces. But dehydrating a virus molecule isn't a cut-and-dried solution -- it can actually make some molecules more stable.

Along with further research into the effects of humidity, temperature and other environmental conditions, there's a need to explore the effects of pH balance and protein casings on the virus. The work to better understand the surface chemistry of SARS-CoV-2 will help scientists around the world design vaccines for this pandemic and those of the future.

"We hope that this article will assist experimental scientists worldwide in their investigations for unravelling the molecular drivers implicated in this new coronavirus transmission from the surfaces as well as in vaccine development and antiviral drug design," said Edris Joonaki, fluid properties expert at TUV SUD UK National Engineering Laboratory.
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...
All 28 detainees, including nine citizens of Ukraine, were notified they were charged with involvement in terrorism.

The Ukrainian Prosecutor General's Office (PGO) has sent requests to the Prosecutor General's Office of Belarus to extradite 28 members of Russia's Private Military Company (PMC) Wagner.

"On August 11, the PGO sent the Prosecutor General's Office of the Republic of Belarus requests for the extradition of 28 people detained by the law enforcement agencies of Belarus on July 29," the PGO's press service said on the official website on August 12.

Read alsoLukashenko to invite Russia, Ukraine top prosecutors amid Wagner PMC probe

All 28 detainees, including nine citizens of Ukraine, were notified they were charged with involvement in a terrorist organization (Part 1 of Article 258-3 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).

Kyiv's Shevchenkivsky District Court held hearings on their case in absentia and chose detention as a pretrial restriction for the suspects.

Ukrainian investigators established that the individuals had taken an active part in hostilities in Donetsk and Luhansk regions as part of the terrorist organizations, "Luhansk People's Republic" ("LPR") and "Donetsk People's Republic"("DPR").

The extradition of the requested persons will be decided by the authorities of Belarus.

Detention of PMC Wagner members near Minsk: Background
Lawmakers in Maryland grilled top health officials in their jurisdictions Wednesday over responses to the novel coronavirus pandemic, asking how the state calculates its test positivity rate and why it differs from other health experts' data.

It comes one day after Gov. Larry Hogan, R, touted the state's record-low seven-day average test positivity rate of 3.5 percent.

Lawmakers asked why the state's number - which has tumbled since the height of the pandemic - is routinely lower than other sources.

Del. Shane Pendergrass, D, chairwoman of the House Health and Governmental Operations Committee, told Jinlene Chan, acting deputy health secretary, that she often wondered why the number of positive cases and the number of negative cases do not add up to the number of tests taken.

"It seems cryptic," she said. "There is something missing."

Chan said the state's methodology has remained the same since the first case was reported in the spring. "We have been consistent from the very beginning," she said.

Pendergrass interjected: "There is consistency. You consistently don't add up."

Chan defended the methodology, saying the state divides the total number of people who test positive by the total number of tests reported to them in a day.

According to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center, which studies daily testing trends in states and nationally, the "ideal way" to calculate positivity would be using the number of people who test positive divided by the number of people who are tested. Hopkins has taken its approach because, it says, some states include duplicative tests from the same person.

On Wednesday, Maryland's positivity rate stood at 3.61 percent, according to the state Health Department. The Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center records Maryland's positivity rate at 5.3 percent.

Maryland Senate President Bill Ferguson, D, said as the state continues to battle the coronavirus pandemic, "clarity on this question is crucial."

The state, which reached its highest positivity rate of 26.92 percent in April, reported Wednesday that 23 out of 24 jurisdictions in Maryland are below 5 percent, with Prince George's County's positivity rate at 5.54 percent.

"We picked a methodology that we believe is the most correct and the most stable for us," Chan said.

D.C., Maryland and Virginia combined to report 1,380 coronavirus cases on Wednesday, as well as 16 additional fatalities. D.C. reported 63 cases and no deaths, Maryland reported 541 cases and eight deaths, while Virginia reported 776 cases and eight deaths.
FREDERICTON - New Brunswick's premier says he's willing to call an election as early as next week if opposition parties refuse a deal to keep his minority government in power until the fall of 2022, or until the COVID-19 pandemic is over.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 11/8/2020 (525 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs speaks with the media in Fredericton on Monday February 17, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Stephen MacGillivray

FREDERICTON - New Brunswick's premier says he's willing to call an election as early as next week if opposition parties refuse a deal to keep his minority government in power until the fall of 2022, or until the COVID-19 pandemic is over.

Blaine Higgs told reporters Tuesday he would "absolutely" call an election if talks fail, adding he needs all three opposition parties to agree not to topple his government.

The premier says he is concerned Green Leader David Coon has already rejected the proposal before talks begin.

On Monday, the Progressive Conservative leader proposed that he and the leaders of the opposition parties sign a formal agreement not to trigger an election until September 2022 or no earlier than 30 days after the pandemic is declared over by public health officials.

Negotiations between the Conservatives, Liberals, Greens and the People's Alliance are set to begin Wednesday, with further talks scheduled for Thursday and Friday if necessary.

Higgs says early fall is an opportunity to hold an election, as there is a "lull" in the rate of infections from the novel coronavirus in the province.

"At this stage we have a window ... to decide if we can map out our priorities together," Higgs told a news conference. "This window isn't something that will last for a long period of time .... That's why the timelines are set."

Earlier in the day, however, Coon said Higgs' proposal would remove the ability of the opposition to raise criticism, adding it potentially subverts parliamentary democracy. The Green leader instead proposed to have consultations on what is contained in the throne speech and in the budget.

"It (Higgs' proposal) would have me signing a blank cheque for budgets we haven't seen and throne speeches that haven't been written," Coon said.

Higgs told reporters Coon's signature is required for the deal to proceed, calling the opposition leader's views "disappointing."

"I need agreement from all parties," he said, adding he can't rely solely on Liberal support.

The Conservatives and Liberals each have 20 seats in the legislature, while the Greens and the People's Alliance each have three. There is one Independent and two vacant seats.

Liberal Leader Kevin Vickers issued a statement Tuesday saying that after discussion with his caucus, he is prepared to take part in the meetings.

"I have indicated that we will keep an open mind and participate in these preliminary discussions in good faith," he said.

Vickers said key issues for his party include the health and safety of New Brunswickers during the pandemic, the calling of byelections in two ridings without representation and the economic recovery.

He added that the safe reopening of schools and the protection of rural hospitals are also priorities.

The government's proposal calls for a formalization of the all-party COVID-19 cabinet committee to ensure the other parties have a voice in pandemic decision-making and in the province's economic recovery plan.

The premier said the deal would also include a mutually agreed legislative agenda "including proposals from each participating party."

Kris Austin, leader of the People's Alliance, said in a news release he's optimistic a "mutually agreed upon declaration can be made" with the Tories. His party had an informal agreement to keep the Progressive Conservatives in power, but the deal expired in March.

Austin said in the "unfortunate event" an agreement can't be reached, he believes it important to "respect the decision of voters and allow the democratically elected legislature to continue to operate within its four-year mandate."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 11, 2020.

 By Michael Tutton in Halifax.
A witness to a police arrest in East Vancouver Tuesday night says officers knocked a cyclist to the ground in their unmarked police car before punching him and firing a Taser at him in an incident that left Andrew Louzi shocked at the level of force used.

Louzi shot video of some of the incident on his phone and said the cyclist was riding along East Sixth Avenue, near North Grandview Highway and Woodland Drive, when officers struck him from behind with their car.

Its just a completely unnecessary response to someone who I could almost guarantee was not posing a threat to anybody, and did not deserve that sort of treatment from police, said Louzi, who along with his roommate obtained officers badge numbers and plans to file a complaint with the Vancouver Police Department and Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner.

Louzi was walking home with his roommate around midnight when he noticed the unmarked police car, with its headlights off, going north on Woodland Drive. Then he saw a cyclist ride past the car and continue along Woodland, turning onto East Sixth Avenue.

Thats when the [officers] turned the lights on and started tailgating the cyclist, which we thought was kind of strange, said Louzi, who works in the digital media department for Glacier Media.

Louzi said the police car kept speeding up and slowing down, making contact with the cyclist until hitting him with enough force to knock him off his bike. He came to a rest beside the police car, he said.

Police immediately got out of the car and started throwing punches at the cyclist, who wasnt resisting at all, he said, noting the man then tried to stand up and was pushed inside the open drivers side of the police car.

The video shows police punching the man and yelling at him to get out of the car. An officer arrives and fires a Taser at the man, who is eventually taken to the ground and handcuffed.

At one point, the man said he couldnt breathe after an officer appeared to be leaning on his neck or upper back. Witnesses are heard on the video telling police to get off his neck.

I thought you guys were going to kill me, the cyclist said moments later as he lay with a bloody face in the street waiting for paramedics to arrive.

Sgt. Aaron Roed, a VPD media relations officer, said officers were attempting to stop the man for a bylaw infraction riding a bike on a sidewalk with no helmet. Roed said officers identified themselves as police and told the man to stop.

He said the cyclist ignored their commands and tried to flee from police.

The cyclist was stopped a short distance later, at which time he began to fight with officers, Roed said in an email to Glacier Media. During the arrest of the accused male, he punched the officer in the face multiple times and jumped into the drivers seat of the police vehicle. The man tried to steal the police car and revved the engine in an attempt to get away. After a struggle, he was taken into custody.

Police have recommended charges of two counts of obstructing a police officer, assaulting a police officer, theft of a motor vehicle, flight from police and failing to comply with a curfew previously imposed against the 35-year-old man.

Upon learning of the polices version of the incident, Louzi said there were some obvious gaps in what the department chose to release to media, including the man being struck with the police car and later trying to steal it.

You can see in the video hes completely in self-defence mode, being non-violent and gets pushed into the car  hes not trying to get into the car, he said.

Louzi reiterated the action police took to stop someone for riding a bike on a sidewalk without a helmet was a complete overreaction, and only escalated the incident.

Roed said the department continues to investigate the incident.
Arguably, the most complex and interesting character on CBS Blue Bloods is Danny Reagan (played by Donnie Wahlberg). As much as Tom Sellecks Frank Reagan still intrigues, Danny is constantly battling personal issues he never takes enough time to address.

Even Wahlberg is noticing Danny never pays enough attention to his ongoing career/life problems. Complicating this is Danny trying to find personal help amid all the turmoil that currently exists in the NYPD and law enforcement in general.

Wahlberg recently addressed how the show may address Danny Reagans PTSD while taking on issues about police currently in the headlines. The two could easily intertwine for a truly intense 11th season.

Donnie Wahlberg as Danny Reagan | Patrick Harbron/CBS via Getty Images

How much personal trauma has Danny Reagan gone through?

More casual viewers of Blue Bloods may need a little catching up to do about all the trauma Danny Reagan has gone through. After all, he lost his wife, Linda, in an off-screen helicopter crash back in 2017. He also suffers PTSD from his time in the Iraq War, not including various stressful situations working as an NYPD detective.

All of this somewhat caught up with Danny in recent seasons to a point where it seems like he was close to burnout. Regardless, it seems he never takes time to deal with his own self and instead stays firmly committed to working overly challenging cases. Details of those cases often creates tense conversations during the famous dinner scenes at the Reagan household.

When Wahlberg was interviewed recently for TV Insider, he discussed what might happen to Danny in the proposed 11th season. Along the way, he noted how Blue Bloods would likely go forward due to coronavirus (COVID-19) and the political climate with more controversial views of American police.

How these work together in helping Danny overcome his own demons could be an interesting watch.

What does Danny Wahlberg want for Danny Reagan?

RELATED: Blue Bloods: Will Danny Reagan Find Love Again Thanks to This Guest Stars Character?

Said Wahlberg in the above TV Insider interview: I dont know if the audience is ready yet for Danny to move on [to date]he has a lot of pain that he still needs to confront. Doing that might lead to him being able to move forward. Id like that.

The big question is whether Danny will take the time to do that when the show is already going to be busy enough dealing with subjects like police brutality and racism. Wahlberg noted the show is inevitably going to have to take those issues more seriously and address them head-on.

Fortunately, it could be easier for Blue Bloods to handle these subjects since the show keeps a serious tone about everything. In fact, the show has already addressed these current issues, if only briefly.

Much of this could also wreak more havoc on Dannys PTSD. Will he find himself in the middle of perhaps being accused of more police brutality? He already has a history of stepping over the line and getting in trouble for it.

Fitting in time for Danny to have therapy

With Wahlbergs comment above, he clearly wants Danny to fit in some time for therapy, something we could see amid all the other turmoil. Fans may remember he already sought out therapy for his PTSD in the earlier days of the show. He did this to combat the recurring nightmares of losing comrades when fighting in Iraq.

Dealing with losing his wife so suddenly should also be addressed soon. If not, Danny could end up lashing out in some ways while working as a detective. It could also prevent him from moving on to a new relationship for a long time.
AMBLER  More than one week after Tropical Storm Isaias came through Montgomery County, Wissahickon Trails is still picking up the pieces.

We didnt in our wildest dreams imagine that within hours of the rains starting with Tropical Storm Isaias that wed have a flooding situation on our hands, said Executive Director Gail Farmer.

The barn at Four Mills Nature Reserve, the Green Ribbon Trail and the The Evans-Mumbower Mill sustained the most damage. Farmer estimated repairs would cost at least $30,000 for the barn and the trail.

Shortly after leaving the Four Mills Nature Reserve, located at 12 Morris Road in Ambler, that Tuesday morning, Farmer recalled receiving a video from a nearby resident of flooding on the property.

It was like a torrential waterfall, Farmer said. It was crazy. It was just a huge waterfall, and the water was already pooling in the parking lot.

As Wissahickon Trails most extensive and popular pathway, the Green Ribbon Trail felt the wrath of Tropical Storm Isaias.

A lot of the Green Ribbon Trail was underwater, Farmer said.

The Green Ribbon Trail stretches from Upper Gwynedd to Stenton Avenue near Erdenheim, according to Wissahickon Trails Communication Specialist Madalyn Neff. A portion of the pathway is also within Fort Washington State Park. The Watershed Association maintains roughly 10.5 miles of the Green Ribbon Trail, according to Wissahickon Trails Director of Conservation John Ferro.

The downpour brought rushing flood waters along the adjacent Wissahickon Creek, which displaced stepping stones, destroyed signage and toppled existing boardwalks and bridges.

The entire trail was affected, absolutely, she said.

According to the Wissahickon Trails newsletter, the Green Ribbon Trail was closed  for the safety of our community.

In the meantime, members of Wissahickon Trails team are working to take stock of the damage, clear the space and determine whats salvageable along the pathway. Farmer said that theyre working to reopen the trail in sections, but she is unsure of when it will fully reopen.

Farmer added that environmentalists have worked to assess the damage over the past week to determine whats needed to refurbish the miles of trails impacted by Tropical Storm Isaias. However, once the trail is reestablished, Farmer did acknowledge the need to be realistic of the possibility that a future rain event could threaten existing walking paths.

I think its the price of  admission really. We like to walk along the creek. We need some of this infrastructure to make that walking experience more accessible, more comfortable, safer, and when we have a storm like this, its just going to get damaged, she said. Theres not a lot we can do.

When referencing other places the storm affected, the barn at The Four Mills Nature Preserve, serves as the Wissahickon Trails headquarters. It was originally built in the late 1800s, according to Farmer, and did experience some flooding as a result of the storm with about 10 inches of water inside.

According to the Wissahickon Trails newsletter, several items were damaged including files, photos, furniture, a copier and the heating ventilation and air conditioning system.

Farmer said the organization, formerly known as the Wissahickon Valley Watershed Association, had taken steps to make [the] first floor more flood resilient, by installing concrete floors. There was some additional damage to the existing drywall, which had a 10-inch-tall water mark. Farmer said it was replaced with 18-inch treated baseboards.

Farmer and other members of her team surveyed the damage after the storm had passed and the water had receded, and she said we didnt have a sense of how bad things were until we opened the door.

Nearby, the Evans-Mumbower Mill, located on Swedesford Road in North Wales, took on 24 inches of water, but Farmer said the nature of the building ensured that the water didnt sit [for] very long. While it drained quickly, there was some minor damage, silt residue and a broken window pane in the structure.

While Farmer continues to assess the aftermath of Tropical Storm Isaias, she expressed her appreciation to advocates of Wissahickon Trails, who have given their time and money to help restore the spaces to former glory.

She added that the organization received 54 donations totaling $5,200 since Aug. 7.

In the meantime, organizers have implemented protocols to allow small groups to volunteer clear[ing] the trail to comply with health and safety protocols during the COVID-19 pandemic. Local environmentalists are planning a socially distanced clean up event along the Green Ribbon Trail on Sept. 19.

We do appreciate our supporters, Farmer said.

For more information, visit the organizations website at wissahickontrails.org.
As Apollo 11 streaked through space on its history-making journey, more than 200 Latin American Protestant leaders gathered at Ward College in Buenos Aires in a history-making attempt of their own. Despite months of preliminary work, however, the Third Latin American Protestant Congress (III CELA) seemed to fizzle soon after leaving the launching pad. The final message to the churches, which attempted to synthesize the different points of view expressed through the congress, was passed in the final session with little emotion and no debatealmost as if it were a nuisance to get out of the way before the delegates left for home.

The erratic countdown for the meeting already had foreshadowed something less than full success. Originally scheduled for Brazil in December, 1967, III CELA was postponed and rescheduled for February, 1969. Less than two months before its opening, the Brazilians decided to scrap the congress altogether. Emilio Castro, executive secretary of UNELAM, coordinating agency for ecumenical activities in Latin America, then took things in his own hands and encouraged the reliable Argentine Confederation of Churches to sponsor the meeting. Methodist minister Luis P. Bucafusco, president of both UNELAM and the Argentine Confederation, was able to resurrect the congress and complete plans.

Although Haiti and Cuba sent none, delegates came from all the Latin American republics, representing thirty-eight denominations and the Roman Catholic Church. Both the World and the National Council of Churches were represented.

During the first plenary sessions, four speakers challenged the delegates to give top priority to preaching the Gospel and to look to the Holy Spirit to change lives. The revolution ...

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SANTA FE  More than two dozen Republican lawmakers are pushing to call the Legislature into extraordinary session to limit Gov. Michelle Lujan Grishams emergency powers.

But they have a long way to go to secure the required three-fifths majority necessary.

Democrats hold substantial majorities in both chambers, and so far no Democrat has signed on to the call for an extraordinary session, according to the campaigns website.

It would take approval from 42 members of the House and 26 senators. The campaign so far has 20 representatives and six senators.

Normally, the Legislature meets between regular annual sessions only at the discretion of the governor, who is empowered to call a special session and determine its agenda.

Lujan Grisham, a Democrat, called the Legislature into special session in June, for example, to revise the state budget and handle other matters.

But the state Constitution also permits the Legislature to call itself into session, provided that three-fifths of each chamber certifies that theres an emergency. An extraordinary session, as its called, isnt limited to an agenda set by the governor.

New Mexicos only extraordinary session came in 2002, when lawmakers met during a budget standoff with then-Republican Gov. Gary Johnson.

The push for an extraordinary session this year is the latest development in an ongoing dispute over New Mexicos response to the coronavirus pandemic, largely split along party lines.

Republicans have blasted the governors public health orders as heavy-handed and unnecessarily damaging to businesses. Lujan Grisham and Democrats say the states response to the virus has saved lives and been guided by public health experts, not politics.
(Natural News) We continue to believe that William Barr was President Donald Trumps best appointment, as evidenced by his dedication to helping clean up the deep state mess left by Barack Obama and his Left-wing sycophants.

In an interview with Fox News Mark Levin on Sunday, Barr decried the treatment and disrespect of police officers in Democrat-run cities around the country following the George Floyd incident in May, mostly at the hands of anarchist groups like Antifa as well as Marxist mayors and city council members who want to defund departments.

He also labeled Antifa as terrorists who are engaging in a new form of urban guerrilla warfare with the ultimate goal of toppling our capitalist system and our republican form of government in the way Russian Communist leader Vladimir Lenins Bolsheviks did in post-World War I Russia.

Commenting on the continuous Black Lives Matter-led protests and rioting around the country, Barr said the various Left-wing groups are aligned and pushing some form of socialism, communism.

They are a revolutionary group that is interested in some form of socialism, communism. Theyre essentially Bolsheviks. Their tactics are fascistic, he said, though Antifa claims to be anti-fascist.

He also noted that they are engaged in a new form of urban guerrilla warfare.

The way the guerrillahides out among the people as a fish in the oceanwhat they do is they are essentially shielding themselves or shrouding themselves in First Amendment activity, Barr told Levin. (Related: ALERT: Marxist group planning a political coup in November in preparation to forcibly remove a victorious President Trump from office.)

They go into the demonstrations, which are exercising First Amendment activity, and they insinuate themselves in there to shield themselves. Thats where they swim. And what they do is they hijack these demonstrations and they provoke violence.

And no question, these groups are taking over the infrastructure of the Democrat Party, having pulled away from the umbrella of classical liberal values that have undergirded America and made a secular religion out of seeking complete political victory.

This movement began the day Trump surprised the experts and beat the most corrupt presidential contender ever, Hillary Clinton, Barr said, and from that point forward, theres been the resistance.

They were trying to impeach him from Day One. They have done everything they can..and I think its because of the desire for power that the left wants, he added.

Without a doubt, power has become a secular religion of the left, Barr observed. They want to run peoples lives so they can design utopia for all of usand its the lust for power. And they werent expecting Trumps victory. And it outrages them.

Barr also had criticism for the garbage media, which he says does nothing but push bogus narratives and lie to the American people about alleged peaceful protesters. What the media wont show is the manner in which police officers and federal agents are treated by people who are really nothing short of domestic terrorists.

You dont see it on the networks. You dont see it on the other cable stations. And yet you hear about these peaceful demonstrators. So its you know, its just, its a lie. The American people are being told a lie by the media, he said.

Thats true, and its daily.

Thank goodness (in some respects) for social media. Independent journalists like Andy Ngo have documented the violence occurring in cities around the country as the Bolsheviks seek to overthrow our form of government and institute a global Communist order, according to Barr.

Like in Chicago on Sunday night.

Looters broke into a Chicago mall and are looting the place clean tonight. #BlackLivesMatter pic.twitter.com/wKJZbcvpoZ  Andy Ngo (@MrAndyNgo) August 10, 2020

The coup de grace could occur in November, however, if the Marxists succeed in stealing the election from President Trump  which they are actively planning to do.

Sources include:

FoxNews.com

NaturalNews.com
John 'BIG Kash' Lavulo (pictured) escaped an attempted assassination on Saturday night

A Sydney rapper who was shot multiple times in a Los Angeles gangland style assassination attempt says his girlfriend would have been killed if not for his forearm getting in the way of a bullet.

John 'BIG Kash' Lavulo was leaving his apartment block at Warwick Farm, in Sydney, at 9.05pm last Saturday night when a swarm of cars blocked him in and opened fire on his white Mercedes.

The 33-year-old rapper was shot in his right forearm and left shoulder, but somehow managed to escape the execution-style attack and drive himself to a nearby hospital.

Lavulo has undergone multiple surgeries in the days since that attack and was at one point told by doctors his arm may be amputated - but they now say that will not be necessary.

Speaking to Daily Mail Australia from his hospital bed, he told how if his forearm had not been on the steering wheel a shot would have hit his girlfriend Amelia - who was ducked down in the passenger's seat - in the head.

Speaking to Daily Mail Australia from his hospital bed, Lavulo told how if his forearm had not been on the steering wheel a shot would have hit his girlfriend Amelia (pictured) - who had ducked down in the passenger's seat - in the head

The ex-bikie turned rapper, 'BIG Kash' was shot multiple times as he sat in his white Mercedes outside his apartment block at Warwick Farm, in Sydney's west, about 9pm. His girlfriend was in the passenger's seat and narrowly escaped with her life, despite being an innocent party

THE SHOOTING

'I'm always very alert, so when I was out on the street I was checking the cars and my missus goes to me: "What are you doing?",' Lavulo said.

'As soon as I started driving this red car pulled up behind me and then as I got out of the gate they surrounded me and blocked me in, but I knew they were pretty dumb.

'I just remember them pumping shots into the drivers seat, but they were amateurs.

'There were three cars of them and I just had to get out of there so when they started shooting I just gunned it backwards (into reverse), I hit the car behind me but it spun my car and I could get out of there.

'I had my hand on the wheel and one of the bullets hit me in the forearm, otherwise it would have killed my missus.

'You don't go ambush a bloke when he's with his missus or his family.'

Police are currently investigating whether the shooting was related to BIG Kash's links to the Hells Angels or Comanchero OMCGs, or Sydney's rap music scene.

A NSW Police spokesperson said on Wednesday that inquiries were continuing.

BIG Kash and his girlfriend had spent the night at dinner with criminal turned rapper Caleb 'Hoodrich Hefner' Valeri and embattled former prison officer Melissa Goodwin.

Lavulo somehow managed to escape the gangsters as they fired shots into his car and drove to a nearby hospital, pulling up on the footpath outside (pictured)

NSW Police rushed to the Warwick Farm scene and then on to Liverpool Hospital where they assessed the bloodstained white Mercedes being driven by the rapper

He later shared a photo on Instagram of him in bed at Liverpool Hospital where he underwent surgery for a gunshot wound to his arm.

Afterwards they returned home to pick up some alcohol, before leaving to see more friends.

It was as they left the unit complex that the gangsters attempted their assassination.

A NARROW ESCAPE

Officers arrived at the scene on Lachlan Street before moving to Liverpool Hospital, where BIG Kash's bloodstained white Mercedes was parked on a footpath outside.

In the hours after his narrow escape the rapper shared a photo of himself in hospital on Instagram to let his 38,000 followers know he was doing okay.

Laying on a bed cabled to a machine, he can be seen smiling for the camera as his blood soaked hand makes a rude gesture in front of his eyes.

Lavulo made a splash in the rap scene under his moniker BIG Kash and the notorious mixtape 'K.O.A' (Kash On Delivery), released in 2016.

BIG Kash and his girlfriend had spent the night at dinner with criminal turned rapper Caleb 'Hoodrich Hefner' Valeri (left) and embattled former prison officer Melissa Goodwin (right)

Like BIG Kash, Valeri is a former bikie turned rapper (left). He filmed some of the footage used in his rap videos while in prison (right)

He says his move into music came after becoming disillusioned with the bikie game.

'I got to a certain point where I felt I was throwing my life away,' Lavulo said.

'An old Hells Angels mate of mine Tyrone Slemnik was gunned down and you look at things different.

'When lives are getting lost, it's a different story to what it's made out to be.'
Music producer, Samklef called out Tunde Ednut for blocking him and Ubi Franklin on Instagram after they started their channels on the social media platform.

According to Samklef, he has been friends with Tunde Ednut since 2007, but Tunde blocked blocked him on Instagram for reasons best known to him. He also said that he doesnt believe Tunde Ednut relocated from Nigeria to the United States with his competition mentality.

Read what he wrote below;
Duncan Penny became the CEO of XP Power Limited (LON:XPP) in 2003, and we think it's a good time to look at the executive's compensation against the backdrop of overall company performance. This analysis will also look to assess whether the CEO is appropriately paid, considering recent earnings growth and investor returns for XP Power.

Check out our latest analysis for XP Power

How Does Total Compensation For Duncan Penny Compare With Other Companies In The Industry?

At the time of writing, our data shows that XP Power Limited has a market capitalization of UK878m, and reported total annual CEO compensation of UK461k for the year to December 2019. We note that's a decrease of 33% compared to last year. In particular, the salary of UK398.8k, makes up a huge portion of the total compensation being paid to the CEO.

On examining similar-sized companies in the industry with market capitalizations between UK306m and UK1.2b, we discovered that the median CEO total compensation of that group was UK562k. From this we gather that Duncan Penny is paid around the median for CEOs in the industry. Furthermore, Duncan Penny directly owns UK4.8m worth of shares in the company, implying that they are deeply invested in the company's success.

Component 2019 2018 Proportion (2019) Salary UK399k UK390k 86% Other UK62k UK294k 14% Total Compensation UK461k UK684k 100%

Talking in terms of the industry, salary represented approximately 69% of total compensation out of all the companies we analyzed, while other remuneration made up 31% of the pie. It's interesting to note that XP Power pays out a greater portion of remuneration through salary, compared to the industry. If salary is the major component in total compensation, it suggests that the CEO receives a higher fixed proportion of the total compensation, regardless of performance.

XP Power Limited's Growth

XP Power Limited has reduced its earnings per share by 6.8% a year over the last three years. In the last year, its revenue is up 2.6%.

Story continues

Few shareholders would be pleased to read that earnings have declined. And the modest revenue growth over 12 months isn't much comfort against the reduced earnings per share. So given this relatively weak performance, shareholders would probably not want to see high compensation for the CEO. Looking ahead, you might want to check this free visual report on analyst forecasts for the company's future earnings..

Has XP Power Limited Been A Good Investment?

Most shareholders would probably be pleased with XP Power Limited for providing a total return of 82% over three years. So they may not be at all concerned if the CEO were to be paid more than is normal for companies around the same size.

In Summary...

As we noted earlier, XP Power pays its CEO in line with similar-sized companies belonging to the same industry. This doesn't look good when you see that earnings growth over the last three years has been negative. On the flip side, shareholder returns have been strong over the same time, which is certainly a positive sign. We wouldn't say CEO compensation is too high, but shrinking EPS is undoubtedly an issue that will have to be addressed.

While it is important to pay attention to CEO remuneration, investors should also consider other elements of the business. We've identified 4 warning signs for XP Power that investors should be aware of in a dynamic business environment.

Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking at a different set of stocks. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies.

This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.



Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com.
The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lagos, Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, has rejected the news of his removal as the universitys head by its governing council.

The universitys governing council on Wednesday, through its secretary and university registrar, Oladejo Azeez, said the council suspended Mr Ogundipe during an emergency meeting held in Abuja.

This decision was based on Councils investigation of serious acts of wrongdoing, gross misconduct, financial recklessness and abuse of office against Professor Oluwatoyin T. Ogundipe, FAS, Mr Azeez wrote in a circular released there after.

It is still unclear if the council has such power to suspend the vice-chancellor as PREMIUM TIMES continues its reporting on the controversy.

Mr Ogundipe in a counter statement after the announcement told the public to disregard the councils statement.

He described the announcement as mischievous and a figment of the imagination of the council.

The attention of the University of Lagos (UNILAG) management has been drawn to the Notice to the General Public on the Removal of the Vice Chancellor, University of Lagos dated August 12, 2020 and signed by Oladejo Azeez, Esq, Registrar and Secretary to Council, stating that the current Vice Chancellor, Professor Oluwatoyin T. Ogundipe, FAS has been removed from office with immediate effect.

This is untrue and a figment of his imagination. Therefore, stakeholders of UNILAG and the general public are advised to disregard this mischievous disinformation about the sitting Vice Chancellor of UNILAG, contained in that notice. Professor Ogundipe still remains Unilags Vice Chancellor, he wrote.

Disagreements between the universitys governing council and the management worsened in March when its week-long 2020 convocation was abruptly cancelled just before it started.

The cancellation, which was ordered by the NUC, Nigerian universities regulatory body, was in response to a directive by the education minister, Adamu Adamu.

Mr Adamu gave the directive in response to a letter written to the vice-chancellor by the council chairman, accusing Mr Ogundipe of failing to share important details about the ceremony with the council.
OKLAHOMA CITY  Gov. Kevin Stitt on Monday asked the Oklahoma Supreme Court to clarify an order ruling invalid two gaming compacts he signed.

The Oklahoma Supreme Court on July 21 said compacts Stitt signed with the Comanche Nation and Otoe-Missouria Tribes were invalid because they allowed for games not currently permitted in state law.

The vote was 7-1 with one justice recusing.

The suit was brought by Senate President Pro Tem Greg Treat, R-Oklahoma City, and House Speaker Charles McCall, R-Atoka.

A similar suit involving two other tribes is pending before the states high court.

Stitt is asking the court for clarification as to whether the two compacts can address additional forms of Class III gaming that might later be authorized by state law.

He is also seeking clarifications as to whether the provisions of the compacts that allowed additional gaming that the court found void can be severed from the rest of the compact.

Those games included house-banked card and table games and event wagering.
Its an honor to be recognized by the Inc. 5000 and ranked alongside so many remarkably innovative businesses, said Gooten CEO Brian Rainey. Weve seen incredible growth over the past year which we could not have achieved without the ongoing trust and support from our merchant partners.

Gooten, an eCommerce technology company that combines print-on-demand manufacturing with a robust logistics platform to fulfill and deliver orders on time, today announced it is ranked No. 2192 on the annual Inc. 5000 list, the most prestigious ranking of the nations fastest-growing private companies.

The list represents a unique look at the most successful companies within the American economys most dynamic segmentits independent small businesses. Intuit, Zappos, Under Armour, Microsoft, Patagonia, and many other well-known names gained their first national exposure as honorees on the Inc. 5000.

Its an honor to be recognized by the Inc. 5000 and ranked alongside so many remarkably innovative businesses, said Gooten CEO Brian Rainey. Weve seen incredible growth over the past year which we could not have achieved without the ongoing trust and support from our merchant partners. Our growth is a testament to our amazing team that has adapted tremendously to the unprecedented shifts in the eCommerce world. We will continue to innovate through technology solutions and new services providing merchants access to the best production opportunities globally."

The New York-based Gootens three-year revenue growth rate of 191.74% landed it among the top 50% of fast-growing companies honored by Inc. Gootens print-on-demand platform enables high-growth eCommerce stores to manufacture a wide range of quality products without holding inventory, and its ability to dynamically route orders ensures items will be delivered to customers on time. Founded in 2015 and already profitable, Gootens growth has allowed it to expand its global network of vetted manufacturers and logistics partners, as well as build out its management team.

The companies on this years Inc. 5000 come from nearly every realm of business, says Inc. editor-in-chief Scott Omelianuk. From health and software to media and hospitality, the 2020 list proves that no matter the sector, incredible growth is based on the foundations of tenacity and opportunism.

The 2020 Inc. 5000 is ranked according to percentage revenue growth when comparing 2016 and 2019. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2016. They had to be U.S.-based, privately held, for profit, and independentnot subsidiaries or divisions of other companiesas of December 31, 2019.

Complete results of the Inc. 5000, including company profiles and an interactive database that can be sorted by industry, region, and other criteria, can be found at http://www.inc.com/inc5000.

About Gooten

Gooten is a globally distributed production and logistics company transforming how fast-growing online brands manufacture and fulfill orders. It combines proprietary technology and operations expertise with a network of best-in-class manufacturing partners to fulfill orders more efficiently and at lower cost. Gootens print-on-demand model allows eCommerce stores to sell high-quality products without holding inventory. Founded in 2015 and already profitable, Gooten is based in New York City. For more information, please visit http://www.gooten.com.

About Inc. Media

The worlds most trusted business-media brand, Inc. offers entrepreneurs the knowledge, tools, connections, and community to build great companies. Its award-winning multiplatform content reaches more than 50 million people each month across a variety of channels including websites, newsletters, social media, podcasts, and print. Its prestigious Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to recognize the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. The global recognition that comes with inclusion in the 5000 gives the founders of the best businesses an opportunity to engage with an exclusive community of their peers, and the credibility that helps them drive sales and recruit talent. The associated Inc. 5000 Conference is part of a highly acclaimed portfolio of bespoke events produced by Inc. For more information, visit http://www.inc.com.
"We are honored to receive this award for a second time. We are thrilled our clients recognize our commitment to excellence and the value we provide by entrusting us with their business year after year, validating our original mission that inspires us every day.  Robert Pollin, CEO

Inc. magazine today revealed that Autoscribe is No. 3,228 on its annual Inc. 5000 list, the most prestigious ranking of the nations fastest-growing private companies. The list represents a unique look at the most successful companies within the American economys most dynamic segmentits independent small businesses. Intuit, Zappos, Under Armour, Microsoft, Patagonia, and many other well-known names gained their first national exposure as honorees on the Inc. 5000.

"We are honored to receive this award for a second time. I launched Autoscribe to deliver the most advanced and best-supported enterprise payment systems. We are thrilled our clients recognize our commitment to excellence and the value we provide by entrusting us with their business year after year, validating our original mission that inspires us every day."  Robert Pollin, CEO

Not only have the companies on the 2020 Inc. 5000 been very competitive within their markets, but the list as a whole shows staggering growth compared with prior lists as well. The 2020 Inc. 5000 achieved an incredible three-year average growth of over 500 percent, and a median rate of 165 percent. The Inc. 5000s aggregate revenue was $209 billion in 2019, accounting for over 1 million jobs over the past three years.

Complete results of the Inc. 5000, including company profiles and an interactive database that can be sorted by industry, region, and other criteria, can be found at http://www.inc.com/inc5000. The top 500 companies are also being featured in the September issue of Inc., available on newsstands August 12.

The companies on this years Inc. 5000 come from nearly every realm of business, says Inc. editor-in-chief Scott Omelianuk. From health and software to media and hospitality, the 2020 list proves that no matter the sector, incredible growth is based on the foundations of tenacity and opportunism.

The annual Inc. 5000 event honoring the companies on the list will be held virtually from October 23 to 27, 2020. As always, speakers will include some of the greatest innovators and business leaders of our generation.

Autoscribe Corporation, was founded in 1989 and is the provider of PaymentVision and Lyons Commercial Data. PaymentVision offers innovative payment gateway services; processing more than $2 billion transactions annually. Lyons Commercial Data is a leader in compliance verification tools providing services to thousands of financial institutions and businesses in the United States.

CONTACT:

Ryan Clark

rclark@autoscribe.com

https://www.autoscribe.com/

More about Inc. and the Inc. 5000

Methodology

The 2020 Inc. 5000 is ranked according to percentage revenue growth when comparing 2016 and 2019. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2016. They had to be U.S.-based, privately held, for profit, and independentnot subsidiaries or divisions of other companiesas of December 31, 2019. (Since then, a number of companies on the list have gone public or been acquired.) The minimum revenue required for 2016 is $100,000; the minimum for 2019 is $2 million. As always, Inc. reserves the right to decline applicants for subjective reasons. Companies on the Inc. 500 are featured in Inc.s September issue. They represent the top tier of the Inc. 5000, which can be found at http://www.inc.com/inc5000.

About Inc. Media

The worlds most trusted business-media brand, Inc. offers entrepreneurs the knowledge, tools, connections, and community to build great companies. Its award-winning multiplatform content reaches more than 50 million people each month across a variety of channels including websites, newsletters, social media, podcasts, and print. Its prestigious Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to recognize the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. The global recognition that comes with inclusion in the 5000 gives the founders of the best businesses an opportunity to engage with an exclusive community of their peers, and the credibility that helps them drive sales and recruit talent. The associated Inc. 5000 Conference is part of a highly acclaimed portfolio of bespoke events produced by Inc. For more information, visit http://www.inc.com.

For more information on the Inc. 5000 Conference, visit http://conference.inc.com/.
PARMA, Ohio -- For roughly 15 years, Parma has targeted a portion of its federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds toward streetscaping projects around the city.

Not only does that initiative continue this year, but there are two specific projects that are tied directly to economic development.

Its a slowly-but-surely method, Parma Community Services & Economic Development Director Erik Tollerup said. We like to take our block grant dollars and go into our commercial districts, retail districts and do what we can to improve and beautify those areas for the businesses to keep them sustainable and vibrant.

We also use it as a means of economic development, he said. We have two instances this year where we use our block grant money with the promise of improving the property to get to two businesses to go into that location because it cuts their costs.

Those two projects include the new RTA and Plain Dealer credit union at 5341 Pearl Road and Harb Security Systems at 5211 Brookpark Road. The latter is a former Payless ShoeSource store where the city worked with the landlord, who improved the interior of the vacant building.

This year, Parma is scheduled to receive roughly $980,000 in CDBG funding, with around $180,000 earmarked for streetscape projects.

Tollerup said this fall, the combined $40,000 streetscape plan for the Pearl and Brookpark road locations call for new curbs, brick scape, sidewalks, trees and possibly grass.

We try to look for projects where both sides can benefit from the money, where the city can invest and keep storefronts occupied, Tollerup said. If we didnt underwrite some of these improvements, they would never get done. So its, again, closing the gap to make economic development happen.

Mayor Tim DeGeeter added: These are win-win situations. Erik and his office have taken what was probably going to be a vacant building for a while and turned that into upgrades and new businesses in there.

Remaining CDBG funds earmarked for streetscaping will continue to target the Ukrainian and Polish village areas of the city with new poles, banners, flowerpots and trees.

Its all about beautification and aesthetics to help business, Tollerup said.

DeGeeter added: Each year, we have continued improvements in the area. Its not one big project, but its kind of ongoing. I know residents who live nearby, as well as those business owners seeing those improvements through the years, appreciate the effort.

As for the lions share of federal funds, the city has scheduled what Tollerup referred to as a robust blight-elimination program this year.

Residents who have dilapidated garages and are maybe thinking about building a new one, but are hampered by the costs of demolishing the old one, we go in and do that for free, Tollerup said.

We have seven garages, along with a small cottage home, were demolishing for people. That gets the eyesores out of the neighborhoods and promotes new development, new garages going in.

Read more news from the Parma Sun Post.
The first Circle K locations with automated checkout will still employ human cashiers for shoppers who prefer paying the old-fashioned way and to handle more complicated transactions at locations that also sell fuel. Those who want to check out automatically will need to download a Standard Cognition smartphone app and have a credit card on file.
The creche with five confirmed Covid-19 cases has now been temporarily closed following advice from local health authorities.

The closure occurred after three children and two staff members at the Daoine Oga Community Childcare Centre in Navan, Co Meath, tested positive for the coronavirus in the past week.

Management had already closed three of the eight rooms at the facility, but the entire centre was shut yesterday morning following a recommendation from the public health officer.

The facility is due to reopen on Tuesday, August 18.

The three children are asymptomatic, while the two adults who tested positive showed only very mild symptoms.

All children at the facility had been split into pods of up to eight children with two staff as part of Covid-19 measures since reopening in June.

Reports of delays in testing for some children have been described as "concerning" by immunologist Professor Paul Moynagh of Maynooth University.

Eddie Fennessy is still awaiting results for his son Ned (2), who was tested in a centre in Slane on Monday morning after waiting six days for a test.

Mr Fennessy said that, while the creche followed protocols, he expected swifter action from the health service in organising tests.

"It's a very worrying time for myself and Ned's mother as he has an underlying condition and has attended Temple Street and Drogheda hospitals since birth," said Mr Fennessy, who is a local Sinn Fein councillor.

"The outbreak is in a creche where scores of children attend daily, so the potential for mass transmission is high.

"I'm not qualified to give a medical assessment on how to manage a pandemic but I can tell you one thing for sure, it is downright dangerous for almost a week to pass before you test people who've been in direct contact with an infected person."

Prof Moynagh said: "It is very concerning if direct contacts of confirmed cases are not being immediately contacted and tested as part of the test and trace system operated by the HSE.

"If the test-and-trace system is not done with speed, it is wholly ineffective. Ideally the time period from referral of a suspected case to test confirmation and tracing of contacts should be one to two days. Any period beyond this time loses effectiveness.

"A delay of a week in tracing of direct contacts leads to little or no value. During that week, an infected contact may have infected secondary contacts who in turn could have infected tertiary contacts.

"Recently we have been told, including at the Oireachtas Covid Committee, that we now have a robust test-and-trace system - this is not robust if there are delays of up to a week.

"We need to look beyond the metric of a number of tests being performed. If not done with speed, we are wasting an opportunity to suppress transmission of the virus and we are also wasting valuable resources."

Marie Daly, CEO of the Daoine Oga creche, confirmed she had closed the facility yesterday morning following the advice, and all parents and staff were notified.

"We have always followed all guidelines and advice given to us from all the relevant bodies since the first staff member tested positive, and we have always kept staff and parents up to date with the situation," Ms Daly said.
Early Saturday morning after protesters were largely dispersed by police, a small group gathered at Laurelhurst Park. Then, around 2:30 a.m., video shows an explosive device being thrown at protesters and some members of the press.

The video didnt show who tossed the three devices -- two of which detonated -- and no one was injured.

Photos from the scene show what appears to be a pipe with a bag of black powder removed from it.

Several videos shared on social media captured the incident, including footage of a man leaving the park carrying a military-style helmet with night vision goggles just after the explosions. Scott Keeler, an independent journalist who captured the footage, said he has not been contacted by police about the incident.

Since protests against police brutality and systemic racism began in Portland more than 75 days ago, Portland police have arrested hundreds of people. Some of those arrested were identified using footage of protests streamed on social media.

But with the Laurelhurst incident, police are calling for witnesses who saw the explosive devices thrown at protesters to come forward.

Police are facing criticism from activists for a perceived lack of action on the case, one of the latest attacks on protesters. On Aug. 4, a man drove his truck at a high speed through a demonstration area pushing a motorcycle that had been used as a barricade. The driver brandished a gun at protesters after they chased down his vehicle. Police said the driver was interviewed and released without charges.

A pickup truck was abandoned several blocks west after its driver accelerated towards the crowd, hitting and dragging a motorcycle. Portland protests continue for the 69th consecutive day Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2020. A group gathered at Peninsula Park in north Portland in the evening and marched to the Portland Police Association building on N. Lombard just west of Denver Avenue. Police eventually declared the gathering an unlawful assembly, and then a riot. Dave Killen / staffThe Oregonian

Oregon Public Broadcasting reported Monday that the man seen on video carrying a military-style helmet and night vision goggles was identified by people who know him as retired U.S. Navy Seal and former CIA contractor Louis Gerrick Fernbaugh.

Police named Fernbaugh in a Tuesday release and said they attempted to contact him. In the release, police encouraged Fernbaugh to contact them.

It remains unclear if Fernbaugh is connected to the explosions at the park.

The release also asked people who spoke to the media to contact Portland police. Portland police spokesperson Lt. Greg Pashley said that while police are asking for witnesses to come forward, that doesnt mean police arent also attempting to contact them.

As of Wednesday afternoon, Portland police had not released information about whether any arrests have been made connected to the incident. Pashley said he did not have any info about specific risks to the public.

Keeler, who witnessed the bombing and recorded the footage, told The Oregonian/OregonLive on Wednesday that he had not been contacted by Portland police, even after being quoted by OPB as a witness on Monday. Keeler said he saw Fernbaugh still in the park immediately after the bombing, prior to recording him outside the park.

Here's one of the two men that threw pipe bombs at protesters in Portland tonight. https://t.co/cy6UOwY5Se pic.twitter.com/mI90fsE4wx  Soundtrack to the End (@_WhatRiot) August 8, 2020

Multnomah County Deputy District Attorney Nathan Vasquez said his office is aware of the incident and is closely monitoring the investigation.

OPB reported that Fernbaugh has posted on social media about left-wing activists going back to at least 2018.

Fernbaugh recently said he had infiltrated ANTIFA at the protests downtown in a LinkedIn post. Fernbaughs company sells a target called PDXANTIFA, that is supposed to look like an anti-fascist activist, according to the product description.

OPB published a screenshot of a post on Fernbaughs Facebook page that mentioned an anti-Semitic conspiracy theory involving George Soros.

A call placed to Mayor Ted Wheelers office Tuesday was not returned at the time of publishing.

-- K. Rambo

krambo@oregonian.com

@k_rambo_

Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories.
Copyright  2020 Albuquerque Journal

Almost two months after the Bernalillo County Commission approved spending $5 million to aid small businesses struggling amid COVID-19, officials say they still have more than a third of the money left.

Theyre now trying again to get it into the community.

The County Commission on Tuesday approved opening a second application process for its CARES small business grant program as it looks to distribute the remaining $1.8 million. Applications will open again Monday.

Bernalillo County Economic Development Director Mayling Armijo said in an interview that she had expected all $5 million in grant money to go in the countys first application wave that began June 22, noting that 178 businesses submitted applications on the first day alone.

The county ultimately issued 345 grants worth a total of about $3.2 million that were intended to help businesses and nonprofits weather pandemic-related challenges. Recipients came from a range of industries, including fitness, food service and short-term lodging. They got up to $10,000 each.

When we were actually handing these checks out, some people were in tears, Armijo said, noting that she heard many heart-wrenching stories of struggle during the process.

But the county also rejected about 80 applications during the first wave. Armijo said some had failed to submit complete applications, while others did not meet the criteria, which include being located inside Bernalillo County limits and having a business license. To qualify, businesses and nonprofits also must have between one and 50 full-time employees or the part-time equivalent and cannot have more than $3 million in annual taxable receipts.

Sheriff briefs the president

Also on Tuesday, the commission voted 3-2 to advance an ordinance that would create an advisory and review board for the Bernalillo County Sheriffs Office.

Commissioner Jim Collie, who sponsored the proposal, said it would offer a safe, public place for direct, focused public comment and consideration about public safety matters, but noted that it has limitations. The sheriff is independently elected.

This is not an oversight board, Collie said. It cant tell anybody what to do; it can join the conversation and give advice.

As proposed, the board would have nine members appointed or elected by the county commissioners. It could complete investigations into the sheriffs offices operational policies, practices, processes and procedures, and authorize outside experts to conduct audits and reviews.

Sheriff Manny Gonzales bristled at the idea, telling the commission during Tuesdays meeting that it was overreaching and unnecessary. He encouraged the commissioners to learn more about the office by doing ride-alongs with deputies, saying he understood the community.

Nobody has a better pulse on the public than we do. We entertain meetings with activists (and) other groups, he said. Maybe the commission isnt aware of (that), but thats at my discretion; Im the elected official in this office.

Commissioners Collie, Debbie OMalley and Charlene Pyskoty voted to move the proposal to a 30-day publication phase, meaning it will go back to the commission for a final vote in September.

Commissioners Lonnie Talbert and Steven Michael Quezada voted against advancing the ordinance.

In addition to talking to the County Commission Tuesday, Gonzales had earlier in the day participated in a national call with President Donald Trump, the White House, the Department of Justice and law enforcement officials from around the country, according to his spokesman.

While there were an estimated 1,000 law enforcement officials from around the country on the briefing call, Sheriff Gonzales was the first, of very few, officials to brief the President of the United States on law enforcement operations, deputy Joseph Montiel wrote in a news release. Sheriff Gonzales discussed the results and impact of Operation Relentless Pursuit and Operation Legend on Albuquerques crime crisis.

According to the news release, Sheriff Gonzales said BCSO has partnered with federal law enforcement agencies to arrest extremely dangerous felons and gang members, take illegal guns off the street, and make huge drug busts, and is making progress on what he calls Albuquerques crime crisis.

Lastly, can you tell my fellow law enforcement officials what else the Federal Government is working on in partnership with other Sheriffs across the country to bring law and order to our nation? Gonzales asked the president, according to the release.

On Tuesday evening, President Trump re-tweeted a tweet from the Sheriffs Office about the call, thanked Gonzales by name and said he appreciated his partnership in making Bernalillo County safe.

Elise Kaplan contributed to this report.
Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers' Association (ICSA) president Edmond Phelan has called for supermarkets and other food retailers to face up to the fact that cheap food policies and continuous discounting of basic food staples such as meat, dairy, bread, fruit and vegetables are unacceptable and unsustainable.

"The current Covid-19 crisis in meat and food processing plants is another example of how pressure for lower prices is being facilitated by processors on the back of appalling exploitation of farmers and workers. Last years beef factory protests and this years focus on poor conditions of employment for meat plant workers are two sides of the same coin," Mr Phelan said.

He said trade unions and farm representatives have common cause in trying to stop the exploitation of primary producers and of factory and supermarket workers. "But we need a united front to insist that ever lower prices of food do not come without massive human cost. People need to stop supporting supermarkets who regularly boast about cheaper food but who have no problem charging 32 for a few replacement shaving blades," Mr Phelan said.

Processors need to cop on and stop facilitating supermarket demands which can only be satisfied by screwing farmers and workers. I am calling on the Taoiseach [Micheal Martin] to admit that supermarket giants, which have focused on unsustainably low prices for primary products, are indirectly or directly responsible for appalling conditions of employment for meat factory workers, zero hour contracts for retail staff and farmers losing money on supplying quality food. This cannot continue. Factories may think they are off the hook because factory protests ended last autumn but the problem of unsustainably low prices for farmers has not gone away.

It is time for an EU wide dialogue on how we can have a Farm to Fork strategy that begins with a focus on fairness for all workers and primary producers. While the EU has been totally focused on environmental sustainability it has turned a blind eye to the lack of economic sustainability for farmers and processing and retail workers. The focus must change because we cannot continue with a system where farmers and workers are forced to stay going even when they are sick because their economic conditions are so bad. The cheap food policy is unsustainable and ICSA is calling on all politicians to call for an end to it.
Goodwills Jacksonville store and donation center at 1205 W. Morton Ave. is temporarily closed after an employee tested positive for COVID-19.

The worker last was at the store Friday, according to Land of Lincoln Goodwill Industries.
Plainview police arrested a man on Thursday on several counts, including assault on a public servant.

Officers responded to a request for a welfare check on an individual who was later identified as Kevin Duran. Police investigated suspicious activity from Duran, who gave a false identity to play due to an arrest warrant issued for him in Colorado.

When officers discovered Durans true identity, he was placed under arrest and for failure to identify. Once in custody, Duran became violent and assaulted multiple officers, also threating to harm officers and caused damage to a police vehicle.

Duran was charged with assault on a public servant, criminal mischief and retaliation.
More snow on the way in Pennsylvania; here's how much to expect
Siptu Divisional Organiser for the Manufacturing Industry Greg Ennis will appear before the Oireachtas Special Committee on Covid-19 tomorrow as the recalled committee discusses the outbreaks in meat factories which have seen three counties returned to lockdown.

In Mr Ennis's opening statement, he outlines how the union has been warning since March that meat plants contain "unrivalled vectors for the transmission of Covid-19".

To the beginning of July, 1,115 workers in factories had contracted the virus across 20 clusters. In the most recent outbreaks, over 300 staff have been confirmed to have caught Covid-19.

Mr Ennis will tell the committee that the conditions both in factories and in the employment of staff are creating issues.

"These vectors include close proximity working, bottlenecks in canteens/toilets, noise pollution causing workers to shout to communicate, which create droplets with these droplets being circulated through the industrial air cooling systems, relatively low wages causing workers to car pool, share accommodation and in many cases share rooms within that accommodation.

"It is notable that circa 90% of workers within the industry do not have sick pay, forcing vulnerable workers to go to work, even if they are feeling unwell with possible Covid symptoms."

Mr Ennis will also tell the committee that he has been told of one Offaly town where 40 staff are living together.

"Should this prove to be the case, and if we are truly serious about defeating Covid transmission within the meat industry, this hot bedding of workers has to stop. Surely, its not an Ireland that anyone would want to be proud of or indeed be associated with?

"Very recent commentary has emerged of workers being redeployed from one meat plant to another to finish production at weekends, causing so much concern about contagion, that existing regular employees refused to go back to work until their safety concerns were addressed."

A spokesperson for Meat Industry Ireland will "assure the Committee that the industry has worked diligently to protect employees throughout the course of this pandemic and continues to do so".

"It took very extensive measures early in the crisis to protect workers and to ensure business continuity. It continues to update and enhance its protocols in line with all relevant public health guidance. Vigilance remains the priority. MII members are proud of their committed workforce and we commend them and all those in the extended supply chain for their efforts during these difficult times."

The committee will hear from Health and Safety Authority CEO Dr Sharon McGuinness, who will tell the committee that the agency has carried out over 2,800 Covid-19 protocol inspections, including 34 inspections at meat plants as part of the national outbreak containment team.

"Since March, our Workplace Contact Unit has dealt with over 8,000 contacts, 66% of which related to COVID-19.

"Among these were 21 complaints relating to meat processing or food processing plants, which involved 12 specific employers, and 15 requests for information related to meat processing plants."

The committee will also hear from the Irish Congress of Trade Unions and DCU Professor Anthony Staines, who is asking that Ireland pursue a strategy of eliminating the virus as opposed to living with it.
The operator of a Japanese bulk carrier which ran aground off Mauritius in the Indian Ocean apologized on Sunday for a major oil spill which officials and environmentalists say is creating an ecological disaster.

The MV Wakashio, operated by Mitsui OSK Lines, struck the reef on Mauritius southeast coast on July 25. Fuel started leaking from the cracked vessel on Thursday.

We apologize profusely and deeply for the great trouble we have caused, Akihiko Ono, executive vice president of Mitsui OSK Lines said at a new conference in Tokyo.

He added that the company would do everything in their power to resolve the issue.

At least 1,000 tonnes of oil is estimated to have leaked from the ship onto the waters surrounding Mauritius. Some 500 tonnes of oil have been salvaged from the ship, but there are still 2,500 tonnes remaining on the ship.

Neither Mitsui OSK Lines nor Nagashiki Shipping, the ships owner, could confirm the cost of damages from the oil spill.

Japan will dispatch a six-person disaster relief team, on the request of the Mauritius government, to help with removing the spilt oil, according to a statement by the Japanese Foreign Ministry on Sunday.

We hope that this assistance will contribute to recovery of the environment of Mauritius and prevention of marine pollution, the statement said.

France was also sending specialist teams and equipment to Mauritius, once a French colony, to help deal with the spill.

Mauritius declared a state of environmental emergency on Friday following the accident.

Environmentalists fear the oil spill is the worst ecological disaster the island nation of Mauritius had seen, and would endanger its marine ecology and the pristine waters that attract tourists from around the globe. Mauritius, famous for its pristine beaches, is popular with tourists who last year contributed 63 billion Mauritius rupees ($1.6 billion) to the economy.
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

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Lawyers for jailed comedian Bill Cosby have filed an appeal seeking a new trial, arguing the judge at his 2018 sexual assault trial should not have allowed Cosbys deposition from a civil lawsuit to be used against him.

When the one-time TV icon provided that deposition, he believed he had been guaranteed immunity from prosecution, his lawyers said Tuesday in the Pennsylvania court filing, according to Newsradio KYW 1060 in Philadelphia.

A spokeswoman for the Montgomery County district attorneys office told The Philadelphia Inquirer prosecutors would file a response in the coming month.

Cosby, 83, has been behind bars for nearly two years after a jury convicted him in 2018 of drugging and sexually assaulting a former Temple University employee, Andrea Constand, 14 years earlier. He is serving a three- to 10-year sentence at SCI-Phoenix in Montgomery County, which is about 20 miles from a family estate in the Philadelphia suburbs.

Cosby and his wife, Camille, also have a home near the Franklin County village of Shelburne Falls, Mass.

Earlier this year, Cosbys camp unsuccessfully lobbied Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf to release him because of the threat of COVID-19.

More than 50 women have accused Cosby of sexual abuse and he faced a number of civil lawsuits in addition to the criminal trail.

Suits brought by seven women were in the federal court in Springfield, Mass. Cosbys insurer settled those cases in April 2019.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, Aug.12

By Nargiz Sadikhova - Trend:

The value of trade turnover between Kazakhstan and Czech Republic amounted to $90.3 million over first five months of 2020, compared to $151.7 million during the same period of 2019, Trend reports with reference to Kazakhstans Statistics Committee.

The share of Czech Republic in total value of Kazakhstans trade turnover stood at 0.3 percent during the reporting period compared to 0.4 percent during the same period of 2019.

Kazakhstans export to Czech Republic amounted to $32.5 million over the period from January through May 2020, compared to $31.7 million during the same period of 2019.

Czech Republics share in total volume of Kazakhstans export amounted to less than 0.1 percent during the reporting period of 2020 compared to less than 0.1 percent during the same period of 2019 indicating it was almost flat year-on-year.

In turn, Kazakhstans imports from Czech Republic amounted to nearly $57.8 million over the reporting period, compared to $119.9 million during the same period of 2019, indicating an almost two-times decrease.

Czech Republics share in total volume of Kazakhstans import amounted to 0.5 percent during the reporting period of 2020 compared to 0.9 percent during the same period of 2019.

The total volume of Kazakhstans trade turnover amounted to $34.9 billion over the period from Jan. through May 2020 which indicates a decrease from $37.5 billion during the same period of 2019.

Kazakhstans export amounted to $22.3 billion during the reporting period of 2020 ($23.6 billion in the same period of 2019), whereas import amounted to $12.6 billion ($13.9 billion in 2019).

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Follow the author on twitter: @nargiz_sadikh
The news of actor Sanjay Dutt being diagnosed with stage 3 lung cancer has shocked his fans across the globe. While the actor has refrained from commenting on the same, his wife Maanyata Dutt has issued an official statement on his health.

The statement read, "I thank everyone who has expressed their well wishes for Sanju's speedy recovery. We need all the strength and prayers to overcome this phase. There is a lot that the family has gone through in the past years but I am confident, this too shall pass."

Maanyata further requested fans not to fall prey to rumours and speculations and continued, "However, it is my heartfelt request to Sanju's fans to not fall prey to speculations and unwarranted rumours, but to just help us with their ongoing love, warmth and support."

"Sanju has always been a fighter, and so has our family. God has yet again chosen to test us to overcome the challenges ahead. All we seek is your prayers and blessings, and we know we will emerge as winners on the other side, as we always have. Let us use this opportunity to spread light and positivity," she concluded her statement on a positive note.

While some media reports state that the actor will be flying to the US for his medical treatment, it is likely that he may also undergo treatment in Singapore.

Earlier, the Sadak 2 actor had announced that he is taking a short break from work for some medical treatment without divulging any details about the same. Last week, Dutt was admitted to Mumbai's Lilavati Hospital after he complained of breathlessness and discomfort in the chest. He tested negative for COVID-19 and was discharged from the hospital on August 10.

ALSO READ: Sanjay Dutt's Cancer Diagnosis: Riteish Deshmukh, Urmila Matondkar Pray For His Speedy Recovery

ALSO READ: Yuvraj Singh Shares Encouraging Post For Sanjay Dutt: I Know The Pain It Causes But You're Strong
LifeStyle

The best Lifestyle shows are right here, from Australia and around the world. Catch up with the experts on home design and interiors, food and cooking, the property market, and get fresh ideas with the savviest of renovators. Whether you need inspiration for cooking up a storm, to refresh a tired room, or tips to sell your property, Foxtel Lifestyle will always something new for you to watch. Enjoy your favourite experts like Andrew Winter and Neale Whitaker, or Shaynna Blaze and Jamie Oliver live or On Demand.
Women have gradually integrated into the mining industry since 1996 when the South African government rejected the International Labour Organisation (ILO) convention of 1935, which prohibited women from working underground. Although women held positions in other-above ground roles, due to their gender they have faced numerous challenges in this male-dominated industry.

Refilwe Mkhize and Tintswalo Mukansi of Mixcorp

Sparking an interest

Always remember that the difference starts with you - as a woman you want to exert change or see the change you need to be that change first.

In addition, opening up mining to women was reinforced by Mining Charter of 2002 and other legislation which required a 48% representation in the industry.Despite 20 years of transformation, women still face far greater challenges than their male counterparts and still have to fight for equal opportunities in the workplace, say Tintswalo Mukansi, terminal manager at the Mixcorp Tutuka Power Station and Refilwe Mkhize, commercial and compliance manager at Mixcorp.It has always been that women in high positions are seen as not deserving compared to our male equivalents. You spend your entire career proving that you are worthy of your position, not only to our male colleagues but the entire industry. While youre proving your worth you have to deal with career crippling injustices such as the lack of mentoring and career development opportunities, sexual harassment and balancing work and family time, one of the challenges of working mothers irrespective of industry, says Mukansi.More and more women are joining the workforce and changing the narrative of mining being the reserve of men only, this leap has brought a significant change to the future of female youth who plan to enter any currently male-dominated industries.However, the reception of us being part of the workforce is still not at the level where it should be. Mining companies need to provide equal opportunities for women, especially youth by introducing programmes for tertiary leaving students which are inclusive and provide internships that will shape future women in mining. It is one thing to have a women's league in mining to acknowledge and support women already in mining however to spark interest for the youth and tertiary students or graduates we must give women exposure and appoint them in leadership positions, says Mkhize.Boasting over 19 years of experience with heavy haul company, Transnet, transporting goods throughout South Africa and overboarder within the SADC region, Mkhize believes she is the change she wants to see in the industry, and calls on all women who aspire to join any male-dominated industries, to do so with determination.Women today are very independent, string willed and competitive. With such an attitude and an aptitude for mining and engineering, no door should be shut on our faces simply because we are known to be the weaker gender, says Mukansi.Organisations from mining industries should be given opportunities to be part of our schooling programmes and use their aptitude skills to guide our youth towards career opportunities within this sector. There is a lot we all can benefit from including young women in this industry as they exhibit fresh modern ideas, she says.
Covid-19 Expert Advice #2: Practical guidance on disinfecting

This is the second of a series of Expert Advisories on how to respond to Covid-19 which will be published from time to time by Maverick Citizen.

This series is co-written by some of South Africas leading medical scientists and academics, including some members of the Ministerial Advisory Committee (MAC) on Covid-19. Although not written for or on behalf of the MAC, much of whose important advice is being lost in the corridors of government, it is intended to provide practical life-saving advice based on the best emerging knowledge and evidence of Covid-19.

We are learning all the time, so it is highly likely that advice will change as we learn more about the virus, so keep an eye on any new recommendations. However, the basic principles explained in this series will stand and help inform your decisions.

These are some of the common questions we hear:

How do I make my workplace or school Covid-19 free after someone tests positive? Should I disinfect my groceries? Should my school use disinfection tunnels? What should I disinfect after my child returns from school? Must I wipe my shoes and wash my clothes after going outside? What should I wipe down when I get in a taxi?

Fear of contracting Covid-19 has been exploited by companies marketing unnecessary and even dangerous disinfection methods for surfaces, buildings and humans. Even government departments and officials have implemented spraying of outdoor spaces such as in taxi ranks and open streets. This display, often involving suited sprayers, has been called hygiene theatre, and can be alarming. At best, these systems are unnecessary and expensive; at worst, they are harmful to human health, the ecosystem and environment, and are ineffective in Covid-19 control.

Here, we try to give clear and practical advice, based on the latest evidence, that allows you to be as safe as possible. More detailed references are listed at the end if you need more guidance.

First, some basics:

The risk of being infected by the virus from touching surfaces is still not fully understood. Scientists believe it contributes less to your risk than being exposed to other humans in crowded environments. Physical distancing, ventilation, wearing masks, hand-washing, isolating if symptomatic, and being outdoors as much as possible (which is highly effective at diluting the virus) when you interact with others, are where you should focus energy  see here.

here. The virus is very fragile. It does not need strong, dangerous chemicals to kill it  simple exposure to soap and water (for 20 seconds) breaks down the virus membrane very effectively, and kills it. In addition, sunlight and heat can kill this virus  which means if you must socialise, do so outdoors.

There is NO role for fogging, disinfection tunnels, spraying or deep cleaning for Covid-19. These are heavyweight options we occasionally use for other bugs (we dont use tunnels anywhere!), and in very specific situations, but not for this virus.

Many people have seen studies showing that the virus can live on surfaces like metal and plastic for a long time. However, these studies used large amounts of virus (the equivalent of someone coughing on a surface repeatedly at close range), and even then, it has not been established that the virus can infect you via this route. However, scientists think it is probably a route of spread by touching your face after touching a surface, and is less than with respiratory transmission.

All this being said, it seems sensible to avoid or clean surfaces that may be contaminated (and there are lots of other bugs that can be transmitted this way, so this could have other benefits, and does no harm).

For surfaces you should be suspicious of  high-touch ones like door handles, rails, lift buttons, counters, common work tables  wipe away dirt first, then apply a soapy water mix, which cleans and disinfects, and allow 20 seconds for the virus to be killed. It is important to wipe away dirt, especially organic matter, as it inactivates soaps action.

Avoid using shared utensils or cutlery, or anything else, without wiping them down with soap and water first. Wipe your cell phone down every so often, and try not to share. Make it easy to throw away used tissues, paper towels and other waste into a bin.

Note that our advice relates to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19. Other bugs have different approaches when on a surface, and often need more effort.

There is a host of terms in the infection control field, including decontamination, disinfection, detergent, antiseptic, and cleaning, some of which we have listed at the end if you are interested, but they can be confusing, and its unnecessary for understanding how to keep yourself safe from SARS-CoV-2.

So, it is not that hard, and being sensible goes a long way: In summary, wipe away dirt before applying with a soapy water mix (clean and disinfect), to surfaces you are suspicious of  high-touch ones like door handles, rails, lift buttons, counters, common work tables  and allow 20 seconds for the viral membrane to dissolve. It is important to wipe away dirt, especially organic matter, as it inactivates soaps action.

Which soap should I use?

Any hand soap and nearly all kitchen detergents will do an effective job. If the soap makes oil dissolve  whether on your hands, on your dishes, on the floor  it will dissolve the oil-based membrane around the virus, if in contact with it for 20 seconds or more. The recommendation for hand-washing and for surfaces is the same  give the soap enough time to work.

While alcohol-based sanitisers (at least 70% alcohol content) are more convenient (because they dry quickly on your hands) they are actually less efficient than soap and water at killing the virus. So dont waste them on surfaces unless you want rapid drying, and only use them on your hands if you cant access soap and water, and only if any obvious dirt is removed and your hands are dry. Soap and water, other alcohol-based solutions, and diluted chlorine and hydrogen peroxide-based liquids are effective for wiping down surfaces. Spray onto a cloth first then wipe.

How often should you clean?

Just be sensible  this depends on how busy the area is. Of course, you want to clean things more often if there is a lot of people traffic, someone in the area is coughing and sneezing, or where people are singing, shouting or talking, or in a high-risk area like a health facility. A taxi would benefit from wipe downs of seats and handles between trips (and ensuring everyones hands are sanitised), a shopping counter or credit card machine every so often. For anything left unused overnight, cleaning is not necessary at all.

Otherwise, routine daily cleaning can proceed as usual. Remember cleaning means using a detergent and water, and mechanical action. Disinfection is killing the microbe, but only works after cleaning has taken place because many disinfectants get inactivated in the presence of organic matter.

How extensively should you clean?

As above, it is unclear whether anything except the most frequently touched areas are risky (and even then, we are not 100% sure, but it seems sensible to be cautious). Simply allowing time and air movement to dry and dilute the virus out will naturally disinfect rooms, so there is no need for misting or fogging (which often uses dangerous chemicals). Wipe the common surfaces with soap and water, open all windows, and let nature take care of the rest.

There is no reason to deep clean or shut down buildings, especially where windows can be opened. If you want to err on the side of caution, wipe down surfaces, open the windows, and leave for two to three hours, although even this is almost certainly unnecessary.

Practically, what should happen at my gym, school, mall or place of employment?

Most important is to open windows and doors, add a fan if you dont have windows on two sides, avoid crowding, wear masks, encourage sick people not to come to work, and send sick people home immediately  see here for symptoms. Then, encourage hand washing or sanitising (so as to limit contamination of the commonly touched surfaces), supported by having sanitising stations wherever possible. Physical distancing remains important and regularly cleaned perspex screens may be useful at reception counters or between desks.

Next, identify common-touch areas (and consider highlighting them with signs, to prompt people to not use them unnecessarily), and identify them for regular wipe-downs; in very high traffic areas, half-hourly may be needed, but less often is probably fine in most cases. Occasionally, it may be wise to wipe after every use  in the case of gym equipment, for instance.

Once an area is left overnight, it is very unlikely to have sufficient virus on any surface to infect anyone. Ensure that cleaning staff have access to gloves and masks as some disinfectants can be toxic to the skin. Be considerate of waste workers and waste pickers, and secure higher-risk waste, like tissues, in closed bags.

Laundry is a common question

As above, the amount of virus on clothing is extremely unlikely to be significant, unless the person wearing them has the virus (and even then, its unclear this will allow transmission) or someone near you has been singing, talking or coughing for more than a few minutes (which should never happen, if you do effective physical distancing). Even if contaminated, leaving laundry overnight, or washing (the dilution, detergent and heat of laundering will take care of the virus; cold-water laundering less so, but still very effective with soap) will solve this, but is an overreaction and unnecessary. The likelihood of Covid-19 being spread on shoes, as with laundry, is very low; if you have crawling kids, maybe put them somewhere safe.

Masks need a special mention

They are warm and moist all day, and you may unknowingly have the virus and be coating it all day long. This may be the one place to err on the side of caution, and launder daily. Always wash your hands after handling your mask and try keeping it on one particular spot (again minimising any potential risk of transmission to surfaces if you are shedding Covid-19 virus). Like with other clothes, have several, so some are being washed, or kept in convenient places.

The cause of risk in public toilets is probably poor ventilation more than contaminated surfaces, so again, opening windows is probably the most important. Encouraging soap and water within public toilets is relatively easy, and closing the lid before flushing (to avoid generating an aerosol; there is some concern that faeces may be infectious) may reduce the need for wiping down surrounding surfaces.

Again: no fogging, misting or deep cleaning is required. The chemicals usually used with these cause skin and lung reactions, and are no more effective than soap and water for this virus.

Gloves are unnecessary for prevention of transmission, also need regular washing as per your hands, and may give you false reassurance  rather focus on getting soap and water on your hands regularly.

Fancy equipment, like UV lights, can be expensive and can harm your eyes; they may have a role in health facilities in special situations, but really have no role outside of these. Remember that sunlight is an excellent source of free UV light.

How do I make my workplace Covid-19 free?

Get the basics right  physical distancing, open windows and doors, masks, hand-washing are most important. Wipe common-use surfaces regularly. Encourage ill employees with Covid-19 symptoms to immediately go home and isolate  see here.

Should I disinfect my groceries?

The amount of virus, even if contaminated, is unlikely to pose any threat. If youre worried, sanitise your hands before and after handling the groceries, rather than wiping down each item. Leaving groceries overnight will likely disinfect them automatically anyway.

Should my school use disinfection tunnels? What should I disinfect after my child returns from school?

Disinfection tunnels may harm your child (or you for that matter), and should not be installed anywhere. For school bags, laundry and textbooks  see above, but again very unlikely to be a source of infection. Rather focus energy on educating the child regarding the basics about viral transmission.

Must I wipe my shoes and wash my clothes after going outside?

Unless someone was coughing on you, or singing or talking for prolonged periods, no. And you probably have a far, far greater risk of having breathed in droplets at the time, rather than getting it later from your clothes.

What should I wipe down when I get in a taxi?

Masks and open windows, and trying your best to distance yourself are your primary defence here. Sanitise your hands on getting in or out, and try not to touch common surfaces.

Definitions

A few essential definitions are shown below to clarify concepts and misuse of frequently used words, sometimes interchangeably, without a clear understanding of the meaning.

Antiseptic: a substance that prevents or stops the growth or action of microorganisms by inhibiting their activity or by destroying them. The term is used especially for preparations applied topically to living tissue such as 70% propyl, isopropyl and ethyl alcohol (ethanol) with 2% emollient, povidone iodine (no longer recommended) and chlorhexidine 2-4%.

Cleaning: the physical or mechanical removal of foreign material (e.g., dust, soil) and organic material (e.g., blood, secretions, excretions, microorganisms). Cleaning physically, generally removes rather than kills microorganisms. It is accomplished with water, detergents and mechanical action.

Contact time: the time that a disinfectant must be in contact with a surface or device to ensure that appropriate disinfection has occurred. For most disinfectants, the surface should remain wet for the required contact time. For SARS-CoV-2, it takes 20 seconds to dissolve the membrane.

Contamination: the presence of any potentially infectious agent on items such as environmental surfaces, clothing, bedding, surgical instruments or dressings, or other inanimate articles or substances including water, medications and food.

Detergent: a synthetic cleansing agent that can emulsify and suspend oil. Contains surfactant or a mixture of surfactants with cleaning properties in dilute solutions to lower surface tension and aid in the removal of organic soil and oils, fats and greases. Effective against coronaviruses.

Decontamination: a process for rendering medical or other devices safe for reuse on the same or another patient. It includes thorough cleaning, and disinfection or sterilisation depending on the devices heat tolerance. Disinfection is a part of decontamination and these two terms should not be used interchangeably.

Disinfection: a thermal or chemical process for inactivating microorganisms on inanimate objects.

High-level disinfection: kills all microorganisms, with the exception of small numbers of bacterial spores. Used for endoscopes and heat-labile equipment.

Mid-level disinfection (also intermediate-level disinfection): kills inactivated vegetative bacteria, including mycobacteria, most viruses, and most fungi, but might not kill bacterial spores. Used for large areas of contamination such as blood spills.

Low-level disinfection: inactivates most vegetative bacteria, some fungi, and some viruses including enveloped viruses, in a practical contact time, but does not kill more hardy viruses (e.g. non-enveloped), bacterial genus (e.g. mycobacteria), or bacterial spores. Used for surface disinfection after cleaning. Effective against coronaviruses.

Disinfectants: Chemical compounds that inactivate (i.e. kill) pathogens and other microbes and fall into one of three categories based on chemical formulation: low-level, mid-level and high-level. Disinfectants are applied only to inanimate objects. All organic material and soil must be removed by a cleaning product before application of disinfectants. Some products combine a cleaner with a disinfectant.

Fogging: (fumigation, misting) Dispersing a liquid chemical disinfectant to disinfect environmental surfaces in an enclosed space. Fogging is sometimes indicated after an infectious patient with a highly resistant pathogen (e.g. C difficile), has been discharged and terminal cleaning has been completed. Fogging is to be carried out in a completely empty room with no humans, furniture or obstruction. The room is ready for use after a couple of hours, depending on the contact time. NOT recommended for coronaviruses.

Healthcare areas (also known as patient care areas): patient zones and the surrounding healthcare environment within inpatient (e.g. general wards, specialised wards, patient rooms) and outpatient settings (e.g. examination areas, patient toilets). This area should remain as clean and dry as possible.

Routine cleaning: the regular cleaning (and disinfection, when indicated) of the patient area to remove organic material, minimise microbial contamination and provide a visually clean environment. The frequency of cleaning is determined by indication, but should be at least once a day in the absence of an outbreak.

Terminal (discharge) cleaning: (deep cleaning) cleaning and disinfection after the patient is discharged or transferred, and includes the entire healthcare area. This does not apply to an office area or a gym or school or other work space, where deep cleaning has no place. The removal of organic material and significant reduction and elimination of microbial contamination to ensure that there is no transfer of microorganisms to the next patient. The room can be occupied as soon as terminal cleaning is completed and ready to accept the next patient.

This article was first published in Daily Maverick/Maverick Citizen.

Authors: Prof Shaheen Mehtar, University of Stellenbosch; Dr Nomathemba Chandiwana, Prof Francois Venter, Dr Bronwyn Bosch, Celicia Serenata, Dr Esther Bhaskar, Dr Joana Woods all at Ezintsha, University of the Witwatersrand; Prof Wolfgang Preiser, University of Stellenbosch; Prof Lucy Allais, Department of Philosophy, Wits Centre for Ethics, University of the Witwatersrand; Prof James McIntyre, Anova Health Institute; Professor Shabir Madhi, Respiratory and Meningeal Pathogens Research Unit, University of the Witwatersrand; Dr Aslam Dasu, Progressive Health Forum; Prof Lucille Blumberg, National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD); Dr Jeremy Nel, University of the Witwatersrand, Prof Marc Mendelson, University of Cape Town; Dr Elijah Nkosi, Prof Morgan Chetty, both family doctors; Andy Gray, Division of Pharmacology, Discipline of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal; Prof Yunus Moosa, University of Kwa-Zulu Natal; Prof Eric Decloedt, Division of Clinical Pharmacology, Stellenbosch University; Prof Jantjie Taljaard, University of Stellenbosch

References used in this advisory:
- Sandra Ozwald is the founder and CEO of Saint Ozwald Shoes

- Saint Ozwald Shoes is a fashion wear company that makes designer dress shoes

- YEN.com.gh throws the spotlight on Sandra's journey, her struggles, and success

Our Manifesto: This is what YEN.com.gh believes in

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Ghanaian female businesswoman, Sandra Ozwald, is the founder and CEO of Saint Ozwald Shoes, a shoe-making company that produces Italian standard quality wear.

Coming from an economically challenged background at Sunyani in the Bono Ahafo Region, Sandra has defeated daunting obstacles and is now a successful entrepreneur.

Sandra had a difficult childhood. YEN.com.gh gathered that she started school late because of financial setbacks and struggled throughout her junior and senior high school education.

READ ALSO: Suzy Armah: Meet the 11 year old Ghanaian female barber who runs her own barbershop (Video)

Sandra Ozwald Photo credit: Instagram

Source: Facebook

After she completed senior high school, Sandra decided to turn the lemons life offered her into lemonade. She looked within herself for solutions and decided to start a shoe-making business.

A teenager at the time, Sandra started learning shoe-making from a local shoemaker at a local shop and later decided to start her own business.

She personally began her shoe-making journey from a family storage room with a sewing and scouring machine she borrowed.

In 2013, she officially started her business which has now gained prominence as a brand.

Saint Ozwald Shoes is one of the most celebrity-endorsed locally made shoe brands in Ghana.

READ ALSO: Meet Hannah Akomeah: SHS graduate who turns used car tyres into beautiful furniture (Photos)

Sandras brand has also received endorsements from notable Ghanaian personalities and presidents, including Nana Akufo-Addo and Dr.eMahamudu Bawumia.

Slide to view photos:

In a similar story, Ghanaian entrepreneur, Tonyi Senayah, is the founder and CEO of Horseman Shoes, a local shoe-making company that produces mens dress shoes, unisex sandals, and other fashion wear.

He started learning the craft from a local shoe maker at Lapaz in Accra and subsequently established his own company in 2010.

The brand has now gained global prominence and has been featured on local and international media platforms such as CNN and DW.

READ ALSO: PHOTOS: Great joy as Black father gifts his daughter luxurious house for her 13th birthday

Carruthers Tetteh: Overcoming blindness to be a lawyer in Ghana:

Have national and human interest issues to discuss? Know someone who is extremely talented and needs recognition?

Your stories and photos are always welcome. Get interactive via our page.

Source: YEN.com.gh
Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene speaks to a GOP women's group in Rome, Georgia: (John Bailey The Rome News-Tribune via the Associated Press)

Marjorie Taylor Greene could replace retiring incumbent Tom Graves as the Republican candidate in Georgias 14th Congressional District, despite having a history of bigoted remarks and publicly supporting the QAnon conspiracy theory.

Ms Greene is running against neurosurgeon John Cowan to be selected as the Republican candidate in the 14th District for Novembers election, with the primary runoff taking place on Tuesday.

In the June primary, Ms Greene secured 40.3 per cent of the vote, compared to Dr Cowans 21 per cent, but a recent survey from the latters team showed both candidates on 38 per cent.

The 14th Congressional District is considered to be a safe Republican seat, as multiple nonpartisan political forecasters have classified it as solid or safe Republican, The Hill reported.

However, Ms Greenes campaign has been marred by controversy, after hours of videos she uploaded to Facebook that showed her making offensive comments were uncovered by Politico in June.

The Republican candidate uploaded footage of herself making a number of racist, Islamophobic and anti-Semitic remarks, such as claiming that African Americans are slaves to the Democratic Party.

She also suggested that Muslims should not work in government and made anti-Semitic comments, claiming that Democratic donor George Soros, who is subject to numerous anti-Semitic conspiracy theories, is a Nazi.

In other videos, Ms Greene claimed that Muslims want special treatment in the US and warned that there is an Islamic invasion into our government offices right now.

She has also embraced the far-right QAnon conspiracy theory, whose movement has been identified by the FBI as an extremist group, and whose followers claim a deep state is plotting against president Donald Trump.

If Ms Greene secures the Republican nomination on Tuesday and wins the election in November, she will be the first elected official to have shown support for the movement, according to The Hill.

Story continues

If she ends up winning, its more of a reflection of John Cowans bad campaign than it is of her being a much better candidate, a Georgia-based Republican strategist told The Hill. I dont know how he could not have put her away already.

The strategist added: Hes a doctor. Dont underestimate being a doctor in a pandemic  thats a big deal. And the fact is, he was only able to generate 20 per cent of the vote.

After the footage obtained by Politico was published in June, various Republican officials in Georgia condemned Ms Greenes comments.

Drew Florio, a spokesman for Republican House minority leader Kevin McCarthy, told Politico: These comments are appalling, and Leader McCarthy has no tolerance for them.

The comment was echoed by Republican House minority whip Steve Scalise, who released a statement saying he would support Dr Cowan in the primary runoff.

The comments made by Ms Greene are disgusting and dont reflect the values of equality and decency that make our country great, Mr Scalise said. I will be supporting Dr Cowan.

Her opponent in the primary also condemned her views, saying: These comments do not reflect the views of the people of the 14th District.

Dr Cowan added: I think she would embarrass our state, and Im going to do everything I can to keep her from representing northwest Georgia in Congress.

Read more

Republican candidate caught making racist and Islamophobic remarks
European stocks closed higher on Wednesday following a choppy start to trading, as investors continued to bet on an impending economic recovery from the coronavirus crisis.

The pan-European Stoxx 600 closed up by over 1.1%, with most sectors and major bourses in positive territory. Telecoms shares added 1.7% to lead gains while the travel and leisure sector bucked the positive trend with a 1% decline.

Figures published Wednesday revealed that the U.K. had officially entered a recession after gross domestic product contracted by a record of 20.4% in the second quarter of 2020, compared to the previous three months. However, an 8.7% rebound in June offered some cause for optimism.

Global markets are watching developments in the coronavirus outbreak carefully after global cases of the virus have now topped 20 million, with many regions struggling to ramp up testing to capture the true scale of the global outbreak.

New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said that she would delay the general election process after the country reported its first cases on Tuesday, after 102 days without any local transmissions. A sharp rise in daily cases in France also prompted Prime Minister Jean Castex to reportedly warn the country that it has been going "the wrong way" for the past two weeks.
Opposition Candidate Tsikhanouskaya Leaves Belarus Amid Protests

By RFE/RL August 11, 2020

MINSK -- Belarusian opposition presidential candidate Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya has left Belarus and is in Lithuania, the Baltic country's foreign minister, Linas Linkevicius, announced on Twitter on August 11 amid protests across Belarus over a presidential election that the opposition says was rigged.

Appearing visually shaken in a video released on August 1 by the tut.by news website, Tsikhanouskaya said that she'd made the decision to leave Belarus on her own. It was not immediately clear whether the video had been made in Belarus on August 10 or after she'd arrived in Lithuania.

But an ally of Tsikhanouskaya, Maryya Kalesnikava, said on August 11 that the video statement was made under duress after Tsikhanouskaya had been held without a lawyer for three hours by "high-ranking law enforcement" officers when she tried to file a formal complaint about the official election results at the headquarters of the Central Election Commission in Minsk.

"Svyatlana was there without contact with us," Kalesnikava said. "The recent video is the result of these three hours."

"I made a very difficult decision," she said. "That decision I made by myself. Neither friends, relatives, the campaign team, nor Syarhey (Tsikhanouskaya's husband) could affect it in any way. I know that many will understand me, many will judge me, and many will hate me. But, you know, God forbid, [you have to] face the dilemma I had to face."

In another video released on August 11 on the Telegram channel of the Russia-based MBKhMedia and Belarus's pro-government Telegram channel Zhyoltye Slivy, Tsikhanouskaya called on all Belarusians to use "good judgment" and to show "respect for the law."

"I do not want blood and violence," Tsikhanouskaya said in that 37-second video clip. "I ask you not to stand against police, do not go out to the squares so that you do not put your lives in danger. Take care of yourselves and your loved ones."

A transcript from the second video clip that emerged on August 11 also was published by BelTa -- the Belarusian state-run news agency.

Tsikhanouskaya's departure from Belarus came during a second night of protests across the country over an official tally that gave incumbent President Alyaksandr Lukashenka a landslide victory.

At least one protester died in Minsk overnight amid clashes between riot police and demonstrators. Police also used tear gas, water cannon, and stun grenades to disperse crowds of demonstrators overnight in more than a dozen other cities across Belarus -- including Babruysk, Brest, Vitsebsk, Homel, Hrodna, Mahilyou, Byaroza, and Mazyr.

RFE/RL's correspondents reported from the southeastern city of Homel that at least 500 people were detained overnight when riot police moved in and violently dispersed a crowd of demonstrators.

One young woman who was detained in Homel told RFE/RL that she witnessed severe beatings of other detainees by police who were holding them in custody.

Opposition figures called for protests to continue across the country on August 11.

The Investigative Committee of Belarus, meanwhile, warned citizens on August 11 that they would face repercussions for "illegal actions."

"The Investigative Committee once again appeals to citizens. Do not follow provocations by the organizers of the riots," it said in a statement. "Think about the consequences of your actions, be prudent. We remind you that such illegal actions will certainly lead to criminal liability."

In Lithuania, Foreign Minister Linkevicius tweeted early on August 11 that: "Svetlana #Tikhanovskaya is safe. She is in #Lithuania."

"She arrived in Lithuania and is safe," Linkevicius later told AFP, without providing further details.

But Tsikhanouskaya's spokesperson Volha Kavalkova said on August 11 that Belarusian authorities had taken Tsikhanouskaya out of the country.

"Svyatlana had no choice," Kavalkova said. "It is important that she is free and alive. She left along with her campaign chief Maryya Maroz. But part of Svyatlana's team continues to be held hostage here" in Belarus.

Kavalkova said Tsikhanouskaya's campaign team would hold "emergency consultations" later on August 11. But she said the campaign team now has two main goals -- to defend the choice of the Belarusian people and to stop violence and bloodshed.

"The situation is critical now," Kavalkova said. "No matter how difficult it is for all of us, we need to avoid violence. We must defend our victory in legal, nonviolent ways. We call on all democratic forces and supporters of change to unite."

Meanwhile, the Belarusian Interior Ministry confirmed that one protester died in Minsk around nightfall on August 10. The ministry said an unidentified explosive device blew up in his hand as he was trying to throw it at police.

But witnesses and correspondents at the scene say police were shooting stun grenades into a crowd of protesters at the time of the demonstrator's death.

RFE/RL's Belarus Service reports that several thousand people were in the area at the time and traffic had been partially blocked as some demonstrators built barricades in central Minsk.

Access to the Internet remained blocked for a third day on August 11, and many correspondents in Belarus report they've been unable to use their mobile phones because their SIM cards have been blocked.

Tsikhanouskaya's team had been unable to reach her by phone on August 10 after she left the election commission building. Earlier she told reporters she considered herself to have won the election, not Lukashenka.

Preliminary official results announced by the Central Election Commission (TsVK) on August 10 gave Lukashenka a landslide victory with more than 80 percent of the vote while the official tally for Tsikhanouskaya was less than 10 percent.

Tsikhanouskaya entered the race after her husband, a popular vlogger and potential opposition candidate, was jailed.

She has said she now considers herself the election winner.

"The authorities are not listening to us. The authorities need to think about peaceful ways to hand over power," she said on August 10. "Of course we do not recognize the results."

In its first comment since the election, the White House said it was "deeply concerned by the Belarus presidential election...and we urge the Belarusian government to respect the right to peaceably assemble and to refrain from the use of force."

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo echoed that sentiment in a separate statement, urging the Belarusian government "to respect the rights of all Belarusians to participate in peaceful assembly, refrain from use of force, and release those wrongfully detained."

Britain had called on Belarus to refrain from further violence against protesters following what it called the "seriously flawed" vote, while France urged security forces to exhibit "the greatest restraint."

The opposition said it was ready to hold talks with the authorities, but the government didn't respond.

Belarusians are upset over the economy, the government's response to the coronavirus pandemic, and human rights abuses in Lukashenka's 26 years in office.

Lukashenka on August 10 repeated allegations that forces abroad were trying to manipulate protesters, whom he referred to as "sheep," in order to topple him.

"There were phone calls from Poland, Great Britain, and the Czech Republic, to manage our, sorry for my language, sheep," Lukashenka said during a meeting with Sergei Lebedev, the chairman of the Executive Committee of the Commonwealth of Independent States.

"They are trying to orchestrate mayhem," said Lukashenka. "But I have already warned: There will be no revolution."

With reporting by RFE/RL's Belarus Service, BelTA, Reuters, AP, and AFP

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/second-night-of-clashes -over-belarusian-presidential -election-result/30777334.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.

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(Alliance News) - Be Heard Group PLC said Wednesday its shareholders have approved the GBP6.2 million takeover by marketing communications group MSQ Partners Ltd.

Be Heard noted over 99% of shareholders voted for the deal, which was first agreed in mid-June.

Under the deal terms, MSQ will acquire the digital marketing services firm for 0.50 pence per share, reflecting an 18% premium to the closing price of 0.43p the day before the deal was announced.

Shares in Be Heard Group closed 0.5% higher at 0.48p on Wednesday in London.

The acquisition was conditional on gaining at least 75% in shareholder approval at the scheme meeting and court meeting, held Wednesday, as well as being sanctioned by the High Court of Justice in England & Wales.

"There is compelling commercial logic in bringing together the two complementary businesses of Be Heard and MSQ Partners. We expect the combined business to be better placed to win more and larger clients both within the United Kingdom and internationally, particularly in North America and South East Asia. Moreover, with the support of LDC, it will have potential access to capital to fund further growth," said Chair David Morrison, when the deal was first announced.

By Paul McGowan; paulmcgowan@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2020 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
August 12 : News is viral that handsome hunk Sanjay Dutt has been diagnosed with stage 3 lung cancer and he has taken off to USA for his treatment.

Sanjay Dutts wife Maanayata Dutt just issued a statement regarding the same, urging everyone for little privacy and support.

The statement read, I thank everyone who has expressed their well wishes for Sanjus speedy recovery. We need all the strength and prayers to overcome this phase. There is a lot that the family has gone through in the past years but I am confident, this too shall pass.

However, it is my heartfelt request to Sanjus fans to not fall prey to speculations and unwarranted rumours, but to just help us with their ongoing love, warmth and support. Sanju has always been a fighter, and so has our family. God has yet again chosen to test us to overcome the challenges ahead. All we seek is your prayers and blessings, and we know we will emerge as winners on the other side, as we always have. Let us use this opportunity to spread light and positivity

Just last week actor Sanjay Dutt was admitted to a Mumbai hospital after complaining of breathing problems.

The actors oxygen level was fluctuating between 90-92% when he was admitted. He was immediately tested for Covid-19 through rapid antigen kit. The test result didnt show any presence of the pathogen of the virus. Later, it was reported that he has develop fluid in his chest as it turns out, the actor has lung cancer.

We all pray for Sanjay Dutts speedy recovery!
Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian's Regular Press Conference on August 11, 2020

Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the People's Republic of China

Shenzhen TV: Reuters reported that France and Germany are out of G7 negotiations on WHO reforms because the United States, with its announcement of withdrawal from the WHO, is still trying to dictate the terms. Italy's health department said talks on WHO reform are still underway, adding however that Italy's position is in line with Paris and Berlin. Reports say that the US previously expected G7 to roll out relevant reform roadmap in September under its leadership. Do you have any comment?

Zhao Lijian: I suggest you put raise this question to the German and French sides and hear what they want to say on it. I want to stress three points here.

First, the US pullout of WHO is another example of its unilateral way of doing things: quitting international treaties and organizations. With the developing countries in urgent need of international support bearing the brunt of this decision, it has hindered international anti-epidemic efforts and has been unanimously opposed by the international community, as anyone with a sense of objectivity can see clearly.

Second, as the most authoritative and professional international organization, WHO has played an indispensable role in coordinating global COVID-19 response. To support WHO is to support international anti-epidemic cooperation and to support putting lives first, which is a consensus of the international community.

Third, a common cause calls for extensive participation. We hope all parties will use their concrete actions to support multilateralism, strengthen and improve global governance system with the UN at its center, and support WHO's leading role in global anti-epidemic response. Facing the negativity brought by some party's unilateral withdrawal, the WHO needs more positive input from more sources. It is our common cause to build a community of health for all mankind.

AFP: China's embassy in Denmark has released a notice yesterday saying foreign nationals from certain European countries who hold valid residence permits may apply for visas to enter China. Can the foreign ministry confirm if China is reopening its borders to European countries, including the EU?

Zhao Lijian: I have answered a similar question yesterday. The Chinese government has suspended entry for most foreigners holding valid visa or residence permit starting from March 28, but we never stopped helping process visa applications of foreign nationals who want to come for essential economic, trade, scientific and technological activities or out of emergency humanitarian needs. Recently, as the situation has been brought under control in many countries, people are looking forward to making foreign trips. Thus, China is relaxing in an orderly and gradual manner visa restrictions for foreigners entering China to resume economic activities and for other essential purposes. One more point to highlight is that for those who hold valid visa or residence permit but need visa renewal, Chinese embassies and consulates will provide them visa service for free.

The Global Times: The Global Times created on Monday an online survey regarding current China-US relations, and the number of participants in the survey has exceeded 100,000. About 96% of those surveyed disfavor US and 98 % believe that the US is concentrating its firepower on attacking the CPC because it wants to sow discord between the Chinese people and the CPC, destroy the unity of the country, and create momentum for a new Cold War. Over 97% support China in taking countermeasures against US provocations. Some experts believed that almost no one in China believes the US cares about democracy or human rights in our country, as the US has already proven itself to be a trouble maker who destroys other nations' sovereignty with the excuse of promoting democracy and freedom. Such consensus among the Chinese public has also transformed into overwhelming support for the Chinese government's policy towards the US. Do you have any comment?

Zhao Lijian: A good job to the Global Times in making this survey and I think the US should also have a look at it. They have to be clear that the Chinese people are well aware of certain people's malicious intention to sabotage China-US relations and stoke division and confrontation. Their retrogressive moves will only make the Chinese people bond tightly together and hold their country dearer.

We urge the US to recognize the situation and correct its mistakes, discard the illusion of remolding China as it wishes, stop gross interference in China's internal affairs and unscrupulous oppression of China's legitimate rights and interests and return to the right track of no conflict, no confrontation, mutual trust and win-win cooperation.

Phoenix TV: NBC journalists reportedly were granted access to the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) and interviewed its director and president of the Wuhan Branch of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. US State Department Spokesperson Morgan Ortagus tweeted on August 10: "Eight months later, mystery still surrounds the Wuhan lab...NBC News was granted the first independent media access to the Wuhan lab...They just regurgitated Chinese Communist Party propaganda and didn't press for facts". She also said that the "CCP preferred saving face over saving lives". Does China have a comment?

Zhao Lijian: To be frank, the comments came as no surprise because we know certain individuals in the US have their own "definition" of truth: as long as a lie serves to attack and smear China, it is a fact.

Chinese scientists have shared their professional views of the management and research at the WIV in multiple interviews. The fact is as plain as day that there is no evidence supporting the claim that the novel coronavirus came from a lab. Speaking of facts, we would really hope that the US could open up its research base at Fort Detrick to the media, release more information about its over 200 bio-labs overseas, and invite WHO experts in to conduct origin-tracing so it has a chance to tell the truth and offer an explanation to the American people and the international community.

The US spokesperson talked about preferring "saving face over saving lives". The US should reflect upon its own behavior. The CPC puts people and life front and center. The Chinese government's epidemic response can stand the test of time and history. It stands in sharp contrast with US political parties who put political gains first. As confirmed cases in the US surged over five million and deaths 160,000, focusing on fighting the virus and saving lives should be the one true task at hand for the US, not regurgitating excuses to shift the blame to China.

Kyodo News: Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga today expressed deep concern over the arrests of Jimmy Lai and Agnes Chow in Hong Kong. What's your comment? Second question, the arrests made many media staff in Hong Kong worried. Do you think such behavior will hurt China and Hong Kong's image in the world?

Zhao Lijian: On your first question, Hong Kong affairs are purely China's internal affairs that allow no foreign interference. We urge the Japanese side to grasp the situation, know its position, and stop interfering in China's affairs in any way.

On your second question, China is a country with rule of law and Hong Kong is a place with law and order where nobody is entitled to any exceptional prerogative. We support Hong Kong law-enforcement agencies in fulfilling their duties in accordance with law. Institutions and individuals in the Hong Kong have nothing to worry about so long as they do not break the law.

CCTV: ASEAN Foreign Ministers issued the Statement on the Importance of Maintaining Peace and Stability in Southeast Asia on the occasion of the 53rd anniversary of the establishment of ASEAN. It closely followed the growing uncertainties resulting from the changing geo-political dynamics in the regional and global landscape and stressed ASEAN's central role and the importance of regional architecture while emphasizing a multilateral approach in addressing emerging challenges. Do you have any comment?

Zhao Lijian: The statement issued by the ASEAN foreign ministers once again demonstrates that the pursuit of peace, development and cooperation is the common and urgent aspiration of all countries in the region, including China and ASEAN. As an important dialogue partner and friendly neighbor, China firmly supports ASEAN's central role in regional cooperation, stands ready to deepen dialogue and cooperation with ASEAN, improve the regional architecture, support multilateralism and globalization, so as to respond effectively to the regional and global challenges, especially to solve the most pressing issues of fighting COVID-19 and development, and safeguard good momentum of peace and development in the region.

The Globe and Mail: A report about the Papua New Guinea national data center says the data center was built in such a way that data can easily be intercepted. The data center was built by Huawei. What is your comment to those who might look at this and question the reliability of Huawei's digital infrastructure?

Zhao Lijian: I am not aware of what you said, but I can tell you that the Chinese government consistently requires Chinese enterprises operating overseas to strictly abide by international rules and local laws and regulations.

It is worth noting that this is not the first time that media of a certain country deliberately made slanderous reports on Chinese enterprises. We firmly oppose such action.

AFP: I have a follow-up question about the media tycoon Jimmy Lai's arrest yesterday in Hong Kong. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said it was further proof that Chinese authorities have eviscerated Hong Kong's freedoms and eroded the rights of its people. We have two questions. First, what's China's comment on this? Second, what does China think of the fact that people in Hong Kong have been rushing to buy copies of Apple Daily as well as buying the shares of Apple Daily's parent company?

Zhao Lijian: On the first question, lately Pompeo has repeatedly issued wrong remarks on Hong Kong-related affairs and made wanton comments on China's justified and lawful measures to safeguard national security. His political lies are completely groundless. China has stated its solemn position on many occasions.

With regard to your second question, I'm afraid that's just selective reporting by relevant media. To my knowledge, the sanctions China has rolled out against the US on Hong Kong-related issues have been applauded by people in Hong Kong while the US sanctions have been widely condemned by Chinese officials and the public in Hong Kong.

Xinhua News Agency: We know that a Chinese medical team to Azerbaijan has been working there for a week. Could you please brief us on the work of this team? What support and assistance have they provided to the local epidemic prevention and control efforts?

Zhao Lijian: At the invitation of the Azerbaijani government, a team of ten Chinese medical experts arrived in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, on August 4. They will stay in Azerbaijan for about two weeks during which time they will help train local medical personnel to enhance their epidemic prevention and control capabilities.

So far, China's medical team has visited several hospitals designated to treat COVID-19 patients, including the Azerbaijan Central Clinic Hospital and Sumgayit City hospital, and the Baku Blood Bank. They also held group seminars with relevant departments and medical experts to analyze the current epidemic situation, epidemic prevention measures and treatment process. They talked about China's hard-won experiences in the relevant fields and then offered specific ways and treatments to suit Azerbaijan's needs.

The efforts by the Chinese medical team have been warmly welcomed and highly affirmed by the Azerbaijani government and people. I can give you an example. The medical team visited the ICU room of Central Hospital of Oil Workers to check on all the critical patients there. When they were about to a leave, a female patient just grabbed the hand of a Chinese expert and called them "friends".

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, China and Azerbaijan have stood together and helped each other through exchanging letters at the leadership level, providing medical supplies and sharing experience, which demonstrates the profound friendship between the two countries. We believe that with the joint efforts of both sides, we will be able to overcome the epidemic at an early date.

The Globe and Mail: Just one more question about that national data center. In addition to the concerns about its vulnerability to hacking, it does not appear to work properly and it's barely being used. What is your comment?

Zhao Lijian: I have made myself pretty clear. I am not aware of the specific situation you mentions. We firmly oppose the media of a certain country repeatedly making slanderous and malicious reports about a project built by Chinese company.

RIA Novosti: Yesterday many thousands of people took to the street in Minsk, the capital of Belarus, after the result of presidential elections was revealed. There are people who refuse to recognize this result, and there are many people arrested including journalists. Chinese leader has sent a message of congratulations to Alexander Lukashenko. I was wondering how China comments on the current situation in Belarus?

Zhao Lijian: We note relevant reports. We hope and believe that the situation in Belarus will be stabilized as soon as possible.

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A New Twist As Opposition Leader Leaves Belarus Under Mysterious Circumstances. What's Next?

By Robert Coalson August 11, 2020

Early on August 11, it became known that Belarusian opposition presidential candidate Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya had left Belarus and was in Lithuania.

In a video released later the same day, she read a statement in which she urged Belarusians not to risk their lives by resisting the authorities. She also said that the people had "made their choice"  an ambiguous remark that could allow the government to claim that she conceded an election she had said a day earlier that she had won:

The Russian website Mediazona cited anonymous sources as saying the video had been recorded on August 10, before Tsikhanouskaya left Belarus. And Tsikhanouskaya campaign aide Maryya Kalesnikava said the video was shot in the office of Central Election Commission head Lydzia Yarmoshina.

As backers and other Belarusians worried about the circumstances of Tsikhanouskaya's departure, observers puzzled over what impact it might have on the mounting unrest in Belarus, which has been noted for its decentralized nature from the beginning. Tsikhanouskaya always insisted that she was "a symbol" of the people's discontent, rather than the leader of a political movement. She disavowed any ambition to be president and promised only to hold a new, free, and fair election if she defeated incumbent President Alyaksandr Lukashenka, who electoral officials claim won more than 80 percent of the vote.

"She has been an ideal symbol of change," Minsk-based journalist and political analyst Ihar Ilyash told Current Time. "For that reason, it doesn't matter what she is doing at this specific moment. As a symbol, she fulfilled her function flawlessly. She fulfilled that function and will continue to do so. The people are simply sick of Lukashenka."

Tsikhanouskaya's press secretary, Hanna Krasulina, issued a statement saying the candidate's departure "doesn't change anything."

"She did all that she could, educated and inspired people, achieved victory in the election," Krasulina said. "Now the people are going to act without her. They are not protesting for Tsikhanouskaya but for themselves, for their families, and for their nation."

Even before it was known that Tsikhanouskaya had left the country, Belarusian journalist Dzmitry Navosha noted that she was under "enormous pressure" from "a harsh police state."

"Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya has conducted herself extremely nobly and has done all that she could do," he told RFE/RL's Russian Service about the 37-year-old former English teacher and political novice who entered the race after her husband, popular vlogger Syarhey Tsikhanouski, was arrested. "Now it is up to Belarusian society to either achieve or not achieve its goals."

Tsikhanouskaya left the country shortly after she had a private conversation with Belarusian security officials while she was presenting an official complaint to the Central Election Commission about alleged falsification of the August 9 presidential election.

Although the precise circumstances of her departure remain unknown, past evidence strongly suggests that Lukashenka's government plays hardball in such circumstances. In the run-up to the 2001 presidential campaign, as many as 30 people connected with the opposition "disappeared" under Lukashenka and there was some documentary evidence that the president had ordered the formation of a hit squad for eliminating opposition figures. The mystery of the disappearances has never been solved.

After the 2010 election, Lukashenka's security forces arrested hundreds of opposition protesters and seven of the candidates who opposed Lukashenka in the election.

Tsikhanouskaya's husband was arrested in Minsk in June and remains in government custody. In July, Tsikhanouskaya moved her children out of Belarus following threats against them. About a dozen members of her staff were arrested during the campaign and many of them also remain in custody.

Earlier, Tsikhanouskaya had issued a brief, emotional video in which she announced that she had left Belarus and ended with the assertion that "children are the most important thing in life":

In a post on Facebook, Russian journalist Yevgenia Albats wrote that "we can only guess what threats were made against her, her husband, and the head of her elections staff...during the seven hours that she was kept at the Belarusian Central Election Commission."

From the beginning, the Belarusian unrest supported Tsikhanouskaya but was not guided by her. Protests popped up in towns and cities across the country and lively discussions of what to do next were held in various chat forums on the Telegram social-media platform.

"Internet sites in Belarus are almost completely blocked; even pro-government sites can't be opened," said Roman Protasevich, the Warsaw-based editor of the Nexta Telegram channel, told Current Time, the Russian-language network led by RFE/RL in cooperation with VOA. "Essentially, the only thing that is working without using a VPN or a proxy is Telegram. It continues working."

"Plans [of action] arise based on what people themselves decide," he continued. "There is a large number of internal chats, including chats on our channels where they really have created entire networks. Many of them have more than 10,000 participants, and people really are trying to coordinate themselves. And gradually, brick by brick, plans come together.

"The main idea now for many people is the decentralization of the protests. People understand that this is the most effective way considering that the police habitually gravitate toward one point."

On August 11, an announcement was posted on one of Nexta's Telegram channels calling for an immediate general strike. The statement issued three demands: that Tsikhanouskaya be declared the winner of the August 9 election; that all political prisoners be released; and that a "new, honest" election be held.

"Our polling showed that more than two-thirds of Belarusians are ready to leave their workplaces today in order to bury this regime once and for all," the statement said.

The statement also directed supporters not to Tsikhanouskaya's campaign but to a trio of Telegram channels.

The opposition in Belarus is keenly aware that after the disputed 2010 election, the security forces quickly put down a massive demonstration in the capital, Minsk, while the rest of the country largely watched. Lukashenka subsequently bragged that it only took 7 1/2 minutes to quell the unrest.

Hence, the decentralization strategy.

"It seems that the protesters don't have a clear plan," said Belarusian political analyst Artsyom Shraybman. "When there is no plan, protests often die out. There is no plan for victory yet. But then again, no revolution was ever carried out according to a plan."

Written by RFE/RL senior correspondent Robert Coalson based on reporting by RFE/RL's Belarus Service, RFE/RL's Russian Service, and Current Time

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/a-new-twist-as-opposition -leader-leaves-belarus-under-mysterious- circumstances-what-s-next-/30778429.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.

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Twitter announced last week that it would start labeling some accounts run by media outlets and their top editors as state-affiliated, a descriptor intended to improve transparency about the source of information being shared on the platform.

Since disinformation became a flash point in the debate over content moderation on social media, distinguishing propaganda from public service news has become a priority for companies that operate global platformsespecially when editorially independent outlets receive government funding. Facebook and Google, which owns YouTube, apply their own versions of Twitters label. Twitter has also said it will not accept advertising from state-controlled media, while Facebook blocks state media accounts from advertising to U.S. audiences, citing concerns about political information being manipulated ahead of elections in November. YouTube representatives have told CPJ the company uses the same label to identify state-funded outlets and their advertising.

The classification efforts appear timed to stave off government interference. When top Facebook and Google executives appeared before a congressional antitrust committee in July, they had to answer questions about how their platforms address disinformation. A UK Parliamentary inquiry has separately called for an independent regulator to impose a compulsory code of ethics on companies perceived to enable the spread of fake news, with the power to bring legal action against them for violations. As policymakers continue to probe the dominance of the social media platformsand their role in facilitating the global spread of disinformation that influences decision-making about elections and other democratic institutionscompanies may be hoping that self-regulation helps preempt such controls.

Labeling state media is fraught. In separate investigations, CPJ and ProPublica have found YouTubes labeling to be inconsistent. Several observers and people working at outlets that have been subject to such designations say the process lacks transparency, according to CPJ interviews and public statements. Some said they perceive the labels as derogatory and subjective; others welcomed them, noting their potential to improve transparency for users regarding where information comes from. However, many agreed that categories with more nuance, applied to a wider array of media organizations, would make labels more effective.

Determining the level of state interference in a given media outlet requires considerable expertise, according to several journalists and experts. Many told CPJ they agree the platforms have a role in addressing propaganda which stokes disinformation. Yet neither they, nor the companies responsible for the policies, could point to evidence of the impact of labeling. Its not clear that identifying such outlets on social media improves media literacy or reduces the reach of propagandaor whether it changes the way readers engage with labeled content. In the meantime, however, the companies are adopting definitions with the potential to reduce the visibility of select media outlets, their ability to advertise, and how audiences encounter their work on social media.

I think most of us are in favor of helping users understand where their news is coming from, said Matthew Baise, the director of digital strategy for the U.S. Congress-funded broadcaster Voice of America (VOA), who oversees its social media accounts in 47 languages.

Im all in favor of labeling, said Anya Schiffrin, a former journalist who directs technology, media, and communications studies at Columbia Universitys School of International and Public Affairs. If you dont want regulation then you have to believe in consumer choice, and labeling is part of promoting consumer choice.

Twitters August 6 announcement says the company will apply the policy to accounts run by news media that they determine are affiliated with the state, as well as their senior staff, starting with those from the so-called P5 countriesChina, France, Russia, the U.K., and the U.S.that hold permanent positions on the U.N. Security Council. State-financed media that enjoy editorial independence, like the BBC in the U.K. and U.S. National Public Radio (NPR), would not receive the label, the announcement said. Accounts run by government spokespeople, like foreign ministers and ambassadors, will also be labeled.

Labeled accounts and their content will no longer be amplified through the platforms recommendation systems, Nick Pickles, Twitters public policy strategy director, told CPJmeaning that readers may be less likely to see their posts.

Twitter selected the initial target countries because of their outsized influence on the global conversation, Pickles told CPJ. These states also fund and operate media outlets in scores of languages and jurisdictions, making them harder to assess. In 2019, CPJ documented an information war that social media platforms had identified involving accounts originating in mainland China, where the platforms are generally censored. The significant state-backed information operation, as Twitter described it, sought to discredit pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong. According to Pickles, journalists working for Chinese state media were running ads and tweeting about the protests without their affiliation being clearly visible in posts, including some that went viral.

Google, which began identifying state-funded outlets on YouTube in 2018, now labels content from both state and publicly-funded news outlets in 22 countries, primarily in Europe and the Asia-Pacific region. Facebook announced its policy in 2019 but delayed implementation, in part due to lobbying by resistant media outlets. After consulting with 65 experts and organizations, including CPJ, Facebook said in June this year that it would begin identifying media content and ads from outlets as state-controlled if they were wholly or partially under the editorial control of their government, excluding public service media.

The purpose of the labels is to provide context on the video that people are viewing, a Google official told CPJ in June. The aim was not to dissuade people from viewing content, but to understand that the content they are viewing is coming from a government channel, the official said, declining to be identified by name per company policy.

Theres no such thing as a collectively agreed upon definition, said Sarah Shirazyan, Facebooks stakeholder engagement manager for content policy, who helped develop its rules. One pattern that emerged was that funding was not the only way of influencing or controlling the media, she said. The policy recognizes that state media have an agenda setting power, an opinion making power, that is coupled with the strategic power of the state. But it also recognizes that state media are not always bad, so we dont want to remove them from the platform.

A screenshot of RTs Facebook labels seen from Washington, D.C. (CPJ).

Facebook asked a lot more questions and seemed to really be trying to wrestle with this question of state-controlled versus state-funded, said VOAs Baise.

Representatives of the Qatar-funded news network Al Jazeera, however, told CPJ they oppose Facebooks terminology. Though accounts run by the broadcaster are not currently labeled on Facebook, they said this could change without warning.

Theres a big difference between the YouTube label and the Facebook label, said Andrew Koneschusky, a partner at DC-based public affairs firm CLS Strategies who advised Al Jazeera in its discussions with Facebook, noting that state-funded was a factual determination, while state-controlled is subjective. Facebook controls so much of what we see and how we interpret the world and the content around us, so it is important from that perspective.

The reason we object so forcefully is because for us, perception is reality in the world in which we live, said Michael Weaver, a business development executive in Al Jazeeras digital division. If were being undermined by other platforms, it spreads across not only what Al Jazeera is doing but it spreads across all these geopolitical conflicts that are happening in the area. Since 2017, a Saudi-led quartet of governments have called on Qatar to shutter the broadcaster, among other demands. It could be a death blow to the network, Weaver said.

A screenshot of In the Nows labeled Twitter account (CPJ).

One company even sued Facebook for defamation in relation to the state-controlled label in July; CNN reported that the company, Maffick, which produces English-language videos and social media posts for American viewers, had received funding from a subsidiary of Russian state news agency RT. Brand names operated by Maffick include In the Now, which shares initials with the London-headquartered media production company, ITN. Maffick CEO Anissa Naouai told CPJ via email that the company plans to hire an expert to assess its independence, and had reached out to Twitter to contest the state-affiliated label now applied to In the Nows account and others that it operates.

The concerns arise in part because the systems are opaque and inconsistent, in placement as well as the definitions used. In CPJs August review of accounts run by RT, Twitter labels appeared on both profile pages and posts, YouTube labels beside individual video posts, and Facebook labels in page transparency sections of profile pages. Facebook posts are individually labeled in news feeds, but only when viewed from the U.S., according to the companys June announcement.

If youre going to do it then you have to do it properly, said Anya Schiffrin. You have to open up and share data and provide full definitions and be completely transparent, otherwise you end up doing something thats just cosmetic and ineffective.

Were worried that a lot of the social media platforms are themselves deciding who [is] in or out and where they sit on the scale, Sally-Ann Wilson, CEO of the Public Media Alliance, told CPJ. The group has represented public media around the world for 75 years.

It takes a lot of skill, she said of assessing editorial independencesince even established public media outlets may not retain it over time. A new government comes in and it changes overnight. And Im not sure that a lot of the social media platforms have that nuancing, have that experience. The Alliance considers VOA public media, Wilson said. However, the recent, politically divisive appointment of a new CEO at the outlets parent agency, the U.S. Agency for Global Media, has raised the specter of political interference. None of the officials representing the three technology platforms would comment on whether the label applied to VOA accounts might be subject to change in future.

Yet when companies did consult experts about labeling, Wilson said, they were not always transparent about which onesor concentrated on those from the global north.

Since June, when Facebook announced its new policy, CPJ has spoken with representatives of RT, VOA, and Al Jazeera, which have been operating under the state-funded label on YouTube for more than a year. None reported any change in audience engagement with their videos as a result, and it remains unclear whether labeling has any impact on media literacy.

CPJ asked representatives from all three tech platforms whether the labels were having the intended impact of educating audiences or reducing disinformation campaigns; each said they dont track the data to make such an assessment.

Meanwhile, private owners and advertisers continue to influence media operations in ways that the labels focused only on the state fail to capture. In Turkey, for example, where CPJ has documented the steady erosion of independent news coverage via imprisonment and censorship, the state exerts significant influence over private media through direct and indirect advertising distribution, according to a Reuters Institute study.

Labeling is more art than science. And short of labeling all news media, their ownership, and funding, the classifications are imperfectbut more information about how they are made and what, if any, impact they have would help experts refine them.

We dont want corporate censorship and we dont want government censorship, said Schiffrin. But I also feel like you have to start somewhere. The alternative is just throwing up your hands.

Editors note: The description of CLS Strategies and Andrew Koneschuskys role have been corrected in the 16th paragraph.

Courtney C. Radsch, PhD, is the advocacy director at the Committee to Protect Journalists and the author of Cyberactivism and Citizen Journalism in Egypt: Digital Dissidence and Political Change. As a veteran journalist, researcher, and free expression advocate she writes and speaks frequently about the intersection of media, technology, and human rights. Follow her on Twitter @courtneyr.

Originating at cpj.org
With pubs being treated differently to other sectors of the economy, the Licensed Vintners Association (LVA) and the Vintners Federation of Ireland (VFI) want to see funding provided to all pubs who are being asked to stay closed due to the public health requirements.

Last week, the Government announced that pubs who do not serve food must remain closed at least until 31st August 2020  meaning 3,500 pubs employing 25,000 people across the country will have been unable to trade by Government order for a minimum of 168 days (46% of a year). This was the second time in three weeks the reopening had been delayed.

While pubs who are still closed want to reopen and trade as their first priority, there is growing scepticism across the industry that the Government will allow them to open their doors at the end of the month, in light of the critical public health situation that has been developing and the Government prioritising the reopening of schools.

If the Government is to further delay the reopening of pubs, both the LVA and VFI have said it is critical that a support package for the industry be simultaneously announced. They have called for measures which offer meaningful support in the form of grant aid to be included  not loans or cuts in indirect tax which will not benefit pubs that are closed. The specific measures put forward by the vintners groups are:

 Introduction of a Pub Support Package which will provide direct financial aid to pubs that are closed by order of the Government. This grant is calculated on a pro-rata weekly basis, linked to the Re-start Grant Plus scheme announced by the Government.

The Re-start Grant Plus scheme is being provided by the Government to all business sectors, including hospitality businesses such as restaurants, cafes, hotels as well as pubs who serve food. These businesses were able to resume trading since 29th June, meaning the grant aid has been provided to assist them after a maximum closure of 15 weeks. The level of payment provided is linked to their commercial rates and ranges from 4k to 25k.

Under the Pub Support Package proposed by the vintners, this system of payment would be provided on the same pro-rata weekly basis to pubs for as long as they must continue to keep their doors closed by order of the Government. Accordingly, the payments would range from a low of 270 weekly to a high of 1,650 weekly depending on the rateable valuation of the premises. It would apply from 29th June onwards for each week the Government keeps these pubs closed.

Maintenance of the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) and Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme (TWSS) at current rates for all closed pubs until their reopening.

Extension of current licences for a period of 1 year until September 2021 for all licensed premises, except for any licence renewals which the Gardai intend to object to this coming September.



The need for a special support package for pubs who are still closed has been directly conveyed by the two vintner groups during meetings with Taoiseach Micheal Martin TD, Tanaiste Leo Varadkar TD and Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Michael McGrath TD held over the past few weeks.

As we have made clear from the outset of this crisis, pubs want the opportunity to trade responsibly, said Padraig Cribben, Chief Executive of the VFI. The pubs that are still closed cant wait to get their doors open again, to interact with their customers and to earn a living. These businesses will abide by the public health requirements, they just want the same chance as was granted to the rest of the economy.

The clear preference of these pubs is to reopen, but if the Government wont let them then they owe these pubs special support. They are being denied their right to trade due to the public health situation and they should receive meaningful assistance for as long as that continues. It is also critical that should there be any further delays to reopening that the Government simultaneously announces a support package. The survival of these businesses depends on it, he said.

The Pub Support Package would help pubs who are not allowed to reopen by Government order, said Donall OKeeffe, Chief Executive of the LVA. It offers a fair and consistent support to these businesses, based on a system of payments already introduced by the Government. It provides a means for sustaining these businesses for as long as they are ordered to keep their doors closed.

These businesses have already been left in the lurch, with their expected reopening twice delayed and no consideration given to helping these pubs and employees who are struggling. Few in the industry expect they will be allowed to reopen at the end of the month given the gravity of the public health situation. None of these pubs want to stay closed, but if they have to, then the Pub Support Package removes the income uncertainty which is currently leaving these pubs at breaking point. As the Government has ringfenced these pubs from the rest of the economy, its time they ringfenced specific support for closed pubs too, Mr. OKeeffe concluded.
As shopkeepers and volunteers were sweeping up Monday after an overnight looting rampage through downtown Chicagos ritziest addresses, I already was hearing from taunting emailers like this passive-aggressive troll:

Cant wait to see how you spin the blame for this on Trump, the police or white privilege, wrote a gentleman from Kansasville, Wisconsin. Unless you choose to conveniently ignore it as you are wont to do with the ongoing, self-induced carnage in Chicagos Black communities.

Thanks. That was helpful. Not.

My reader was referring to the hours of looting and destruction early Monday when more than 100 people were arrested and 13 police officers injured, police said. Streets were littered with broken glass and items stripped from shelves and racks in the citys upscale upper Michigan Avenue shopping district and other areas of the city.

This was straight-up felony criminal conduct, said Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot. This was an assault on our city.

True enough. As a longtime Chicagoan, old enough to remember the riots of the 1960s, the city on the brink 1980s, followed by about 30 years of gentrification, I felt nothing short of dismay at the bad news: Here we go again.

When I hear from grumpy suburban and rural wags who echo President Donald Trump in bashing liberal urban dwellers, I question whether they really want honest dialogue or just want to show off their racial innocence  and vent.

Yet I share with my passive-aggressive reader a frustration with hotblooded extremists who somehow got the wrong message from Martin Luther King Jr.s observation back in 1966 that a riot is the language of the unheard.

On Monday evening, peaceful protesters organized by Black Lives Matter Chicago held up a banner outside the Central District station that, in my view, showed how far the young BLM movement has drifted away from the passive resistance of King.

Our futures have been looted from us, the banner urged. Loot back.

No, please dont.

Theres no such thing as a bad protester, organizer Ariel Atkins told reporters.

Also, (were) demanding that police be defunded. Police should not be here. They should not exist, especially because were giving them all this money to beat and terrorize us. Were giving them all this money when its like were in an actual pandemic and people need care right now, but youre giving them police.

We dont need police, she said. We need care.

OK, yes, we do have too many inequities in law and household income  bigger gaps between rich and poor than we had in Kings day. But, as King also would point out, theres a right way and a wrong way to get there.

Todays BLM movement sounded a lot like the Black Panthers of a half-century ago, when their 10-Point Program called in 1966 for the release of all Black men in American jails and prisons because they had not been tried by juries of their peers.

Yet, time is an educator. As Richard Pryor exclaimed on his Live on the Sunset Strip album after his first visit to a real penitentiary, Thank God we got penitentiaries!

Yet we still over-incarcerate nonviolent offenders, particularly Black men, and suspects who are too poor to make bail.

There are a lot of fingers being pointed in all directions after Mondays mayhem. The buck inevitably stops with Lightfoot, but there is plenty of blame to go around during this hot summer in which protesters sometimes look just like plain old looters.

Clarence Page is a member of the Chicago Tribune Editorial Board. Email cpage@chicagotribune.com.

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NASA selects SwRI to participate in $6 billion Rapid Spacecraft Acquisition IV contract

SAN ANTONIO -- Aug. 11, 2020 -- NASA has selected Southwest Research Institute to take part in the $6 billion indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity Rapid Spacecraft Acquisition IV contract. SwRI will be listed in the NASA spacecraft catalog used by the U.S. government to easily contract for proven spacecraft.

The Rapid IV contracts serve as a fast and flexible means for the government to acquire spacecraft and related components, equipment and services in support of NASA missions and/or other federal government agencies. The spacecraft designs, related items and services may be tailored, as needed, to meet the unique needs of each mission.

"Being selected for the Rapid Spacecraft Development Office (RSDO) IV catalog is a major milestone for the SwRI spacecraft development program," said Michael McLelland, executive director of SwRI's Space System Directorate. "Our strong heritage in all phases of science and technology development missions and our collaborative approach to working with our customers makes us an excellent choice as a spacecraft provider for the unique missions developed under RSDO."

An evolution of SwRI's small satellite platform used for the Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System (CYGNSS) mission is the specific asset listed. Under these multiple-award, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contracts, spacecraft and related services will be purchased via government-placed, firm-fixed price delivery orders.

"To be considered for the catalog, an organization must demonstrate that it has developed two spacecraft with on-orbit success," said Randy Rose, a staff engineer in SwRI's Space Science and Engineering Division. "CYGNSS includes a constellation of eight suitcase-sized satellites that has been operating in Earth orbit for more than three years, supporting research to better understand and predict how hurricanes intensify, monitor wetlands and more."

The platform is also being adapted for the SwRI-led Polarimeter to UNify the Corona and Heliosphere (PUNCH) NASA mission. PUNCH is a constellation of four separate satellites scheduled to launch in 2023 into a polar orbit formation to image how the solar corona infuses the solar wind with mass and energy.

"CYGNSS is one of the first small satellite platforms added to the catalog. It provides a solution for a class of spacecraft in the 30-75 kilogram mass range not previously available through the RSDO catalog," Rose said. "The Rapid IV contract is the fourth 'on-ramp' to periodically add new spacecraft and vendors to the catalog."

According to one industry forecast, as many as 11,600 small satellites -- defined in this case as satellites with masses under 500 kilograms -- will be placed in orbit between 2018 and 2030, an average of nearly 1,000 small satellites annually. This contract makes SwRI eligible to receive "requests for proposal" or RFP delivery orders and potentially play a bigger role in this emerging area of space science.

For more information, visit https:/ / www. swri. org/ industries/ space-engineering .

###

This story has been published on: 2020-08-11. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
By Aakash B and Akanksha Rana

(Reuters) - Wall Street analysts praised Tesla Inc's <TSLA.O> move to split its richly valued stock into smaller chunks, saying it had the potential to extend a 200% rally in its shares this year by making it easier for retail investors to hold the stock.

Shares in the electric carmaker rose more than 6% in early trading. The stock, which traded at around $1,467 before the bell on Wednesday, is among the highest priced on Wall Street.

The five-for-one split - Tesla's first - comes at a time when analysts and investors have expressed concerns over the stock's high valuation in the market despite cash burn concerns.

"The move makes sense for Tesla, as it will make its shares cheaper and more accessible to young first-time retail traders using platforms like Robinhood," said Jesse Cohen, senior analyst at Investing.com.

"While stock splits are typically non-events for investors, the reaction seen in Tesla's stock following the announcement underlines the surging demand from the Robinhood-retail traders to get in on fast-growing tech names."

Tesla's move follows a four-for-one split announced by Apple Inc <AAPL.O> in late July, the iPhone maker's first stock split since 2014.

"We believe institutional investors have turned the corner in a positive direction as Musk & Co. have not just talked the talk but walked the walk on its Model 3 sales and profitability trajectory over the last year despite COVID," Wedbush analyst Dan Ives said.

The world's most valuable carmaker posted stellar quarterly results last month, setting it up to be included in the S&P 500 index <.SPX>.

Twelve of 33 analysts covering the stock rated it at "sell" or lower, and just eight rated it at "buy" or higher. The median price target for the stock is $1,300, up from $615 in May.

(Reporting by Aakash Jagadeesh Babu and Akanksha Rana in Bengaluru, writing by Subrat Patnaik; Editing by Maju Samuel)
DALLAS, Aug. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- OTech Group, a subsidiary of HealthMark Group, has officially been added to the Epic App Orchard marketplace. With a full suite of patient intake solutions, OTech supports the entire self-check-in process at the front end of encounters to reduce no-shows, facilitate payments, accept signed consents, and allow patients to assume responsibility for their information.

"We are thrilled to now have our patient intake solutions available for physician clinics, hospitals, and health systems through the Epic App Orchard marketplace," said Bart Howe, CEO of HealthMark Group. "This allows us to serve the needs of significantly more clients and patients as we continue building intuitive, secure, and compliant technology solutions to reimagine the business of healthcare."

OTech Group's solutions aim to reduce administrative burdens while improving the efficiency and accuracy of capturing patient information in a secure and accessible format. Features for data capture include:

Contact information/demographics

Payments - copays and/or past due balances

Driver's license and insurance cards

Patient photo

Histories such as past medical, surgical, and allergies

Consents and screening questionnaires such as PHQ9

Meaningful Use data collection (race/language/ethnicity)

"Some of the largest hospitals and healthcare systems have adopted and utilize Epic, helping to establish its platform as the gold standard of EHRs," said Kevin Ames, VP of Engineering for HealthMark Group. "Integrating with Epic creates an enormous opportunity for us to extend our reach to larger health systems as we use our technology to continue improving upon patient care."

About HealthMark Group

HealthMark Group is a leading provider of software and technology-enabled health information management solutions for healthcare providers across the country. By leveraging technology to reimagine the business of healthcare, HealthMark transforms administrative processes into seamless digital solutions. From patient intake technology supported by OTech, to HealthMark's proprietary MedRelease platform for Release of Information, the company is pioneering an efficient, compliant, and patient-centric approach to support the entire spectrum of the patient information journey. HealthMark Group was founded in 2006 with corporate headquarters in Dallas, TX and has been named to both the Dallas 100 and the Inc. 5000 for multiple years in a row as one of the fastest growing companies in the region and in the country.

Website - healthmark-group.com

SOURCE HealthMark Group

Related Links

https://www.healthmark-group.com


Makers Keen On Roping In Tejasswi Prakash

As per a Tellychakkar report, the makers are keen on getting Silsila Badalte Rishton Ka 2 actress Tejasswi Prakash, who was recently seen in Khatron Ke Khiladi 10. Though there are reports that she has turned down the offer, makers are apparently still trying their best to convince her.

Nia Sharma Might Be Seen In Bigg Boss 14!

It is also being said that Naagin 4 actress and Khatron Ke Khiladi's Nia Sharma has given her nod for the show. A source was quoted by Spotboye as saying, "Nia was having a lot of apprehensions. In fact, she refused it initially but finally she is convinced and will get locked inside the BB house this year."

Chahat Pandey Turns Down The Offer

Chahat Pandey, who was approached for the show, has turned down the offer as she wants to focus on television shows, and do not want to take up a reality show.

Amit Bhadana Rubbishes Rumours Of His Participation

The Hamari Bahu Silk actress was quoted by ETimesTV as saying, "Yes, I was approached for Bigg Boss 14. But I am not doing it. I have informed the team that right now I want to just focus on TV serials and I would not like to take up a reality show. I am not prepared for a show like Bigg Boss right now. I would love to be a part of it in the future maybe two years later, but not right now."

Also, YouTube star Amit Bhadana rubbished rumours of his participation. In a video, Amit said, "There has been a lot of news about me going to Bigg Boss. This is to clear the air that this is a fake news and I am not entering Bigg Boss. No hard feelings for the show, but my goals are totally different. Bigg Boss and Bollywood is not my cup of tea and I am happy on YouTube."

Ramanand Sagar's Great Granddaughter Sakshi Chopra Approached!

As per a TOI report, legendary director Ramanand Sagar's great granddaughter Sakshi Chopra, who is a social media sensation, has also been approached for the show. Apparently, if everything goes well, she will be entering the controversial reality show.
A 23-year-old Orion Township man jailed in Ohio after Oakland County Sheriffs deputies tracked him  and his three children  to a waterpark in Erie County.

The incident started just after 10 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 11, on Deerfield Lane, where the childrens mothers friend called police to report the mother was being assaulted by her ex-husband.

According to the sheriffs office, the ex had come to the womans home and started yelling.

When she shut the door on him and told a friend to call the police, he kicked the door open and began to assault her, the sheriffs office said in a report. He struck her multiple times in the face with a closed fist and then began to strangle her. The suspects new girlfriend separated them. The suspect and his girlfriend then fled the scene in a white 2009 GMC Sierra Denali with the victim and suspects three children that they in common.

The children include two girls, age 2, and another girl, age 1.

The sheriffs office said warrants are being sought as well as extradition back to Michigan.

The case is listed as domestic assault and parental kidnapping.

The sheriffs office did not specify the waterpark where they were found.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Thursday said he was expanding the scope of Iran metals sanctions, targeting 22 specific materials that he said were used in connection with Iran's nuclear, military or ballistic missile programs.

Pompeo in a statement called it a "major expansion" of the Iran metals-related sanctions administered by the State Department, allowing Washington to blacklist those who knowingly transfer the materials to Iran.

"Iran's nuclear, ballistic missile, and military programs pose a grave threat to international peace and security," Pompeo said in the statement.

Pompeo also said he was firm in his determination that Iran's elite security force, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), controls Iran's construction sector.

As a result, sanctions may still be imposed on those who knowingly transfer certain materials, including graphite or raw or semi-finished metals, to or from Iran to be used in connection with the Islamic Republic's construction sector, Pompeo said.

The materials he said he had determined are used in connection with Iran's nuclear, military or ballistic missile programs included aluminum powder with purity above 98%.

Reuters reported in June that Iran Alumina Company's aluminum complex near the city of Jajarm is also home to a secret facility, set up by the IRGC, that has produced powder for use in Iran's missile program.

Aluminum powder is a key ingredient in solid-fuel propellants used to launch missiles.

The United States has previously targeted Iran's metals sector with sanctions in an effort to slash Iranian revenues.

Tensions between Washington and Tehran have spiked since Trump unilaterally withdrew in 2018 from the Iran nuclear deal struck by his predecessor, Barack Obama, and began reimposing sanctions that had been eased under the accord.

(Reporting by Daphne Psaledakis; Additional reporting by Doina Chiacu; Editing by Leslie Adler and Tom Brown)
Victims of domestic and family violence will no longer need to report the crime to police to access free treatment in public hospitals for injuries suffered at the hands of their abusers.

Currently victims who are ineligible for Medicare are required to present a police report to avoid an expensive bill for treatment in hospital emergency departments.

Circuit breaker: Dr Maria Nittis heads up the forensic medical unit at Blacktown Hospital in Sydney's west. Credit:Wolter Peeters

But a new fee policy being launched as part of the NSW government's COVID-19 response will improve hospital access for all victims of violence, in particular those on temporary protection visas.

At the forensic medical unit of Blacktown Hospital Dr Maria Nittis has assisted about 1700 domestic violence victims in the past 13 years, and knows how fearful they can be of the financial and emotional costs of seeking help.
Dear Tripped Up,

I am an American citizen who arrived in Mexico in January on a Forma Migratoria Multiple, the countrys standard 180-day visitors permit. My daughter lives there as a temporary resident, so Id like to stay  and, besides, I really dont want to fly back to the States during a global pandemic. Are you aware of any concessions or extensions for travelers who, for reasons relating to Covid-19, hunkered down abroad and now realize they have overstayed their welcome? Cisco

Dear Cisco,

The coronavirus and its torrent of travel restrictions have affected Americans abroad in numerous ways  early on, when flights were suspended with the flick of a switch, many travelers reported getting stuck while others scrambled to get seats on repatriation flights.

Visas and permits, broadly speaking, allow nonresidents to legally visit or live in another country. The types of visas and permits, and the regulations that back them up, are vast and varied. For example, one can apply for a tourist visa, a medical visa, a student visa, a spouse visa  the list goes on. In general, foreigners must leave the country before their visa expires, or else they risk being fined, deported or subjected to other immigration enforcement measures.

The important thing to remember is that visa policies are controlled by individual host countries, not the United States. There has been no blanket policy about how to handle visa extensions globally, even with the pandemic.
Watch: Donald Trump abruptly escorted from briefing after shooting near White House

US President Donald Trump abruptly escorted out of the White House briefing room by a Secret Service agent while he was addressing reporters on Monday afternoon. Trump, however, returned minutes later, saying there was a 'shooting' outside the White House. There was a shooting outside the White House and it seems to be very well under control. I would like to thank the Secret Service for doing their always quick and very effective work. But there was an actual shooting and somebody has been taken to the hospital. I don't know about the condition of the person. Seems like the person was shot at by the Secret Service, he said. Trump said he was escorted to the Oval Office by the agent. He also praised the work of the Secret Service personnel. Law enforcement officials are trying to determine the suspect's motive. The suspect was transferred to a local hospital. District of Columbia fire dept said the man suffered serious or possibly critical injuries. Authorities are investigating whether the individual has a history of mental illness. White House was placed on lockdown following the incident. The shooting reportedly took place near 17th Street & Pennsylvania Avenue, just blocks from the White House. ...read more
A deadly catastrophe is brewing in schools throughout the United States. Hundreds of thousands of children and teachers are being sent back to schools for in-person learning each week, despite a growing body of scientific evidence that children both spread the virus and are susceptible to falling ill themselves.

A spreadsheet published in Education Week lists data on reopening plans for 382 school districts, representing approximately 3 percent of all the districts in the US. It shows that 200,000 students are already back in classrooms and over 2.7 million will be back in school full-time by the end of August. If the data is extrapolated to include all of the nearly 14,000 districts in the US, millions more students, teachers and staff will be back in school over the next several weeks.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has already given the green light to open the states schools, including in New York City, the nations largest school district with over one million students and 135,000 teachers and support staff.

Reports are emerging daily of teachers writing out their wills and obituaries before the semester starts. Students and parents are being forced to sign waivers to exempt schools from liability in the event that students get infected with the coronavirus when they return to schools and college campuses.

The drive to reopen schools has been justified by President Trump and various right-wing governors with the claim that children are largely unaffected by the virus. The introductory paragraph of the revised CDC guidelinesproduced under political pressure from the White Housefalsely states that children are unlikely to be major drivers of the spread of the virus.

At a White House press conference Monday, President Trump dismissed reports of spreading infections among children, declaring, I think, for the most part, they dont get very sick Its also a case where theres a tiny fraction of death, tiny fraction, and they get better very quickly.

For their part, the Democratic Party-aligned teacher unions, the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and the National Education Association (NEA), are doing everything they can to suppress popular opposition to the reckless reopening of the schools. They have joined the chorus of corporate and political voices who falsely claim that schools can be reopened safely.

The claim that young people are unaffected by the virus is a blatant lie. Recent data shows a drastic surge of infections among small children and adolescents:

* A new report from the American Academy of Pediatrics released Sunday found that nearly 100,000 children tested positive for the coronavirus in the last two weeks of July, a 40 percent increase from the previous two weeks. Out of more than five million reported COVID-19 cases in the US, over 338,000 were children.

* A new CDC report, released Friday, found that between March and late July, hospitalization rates for children increased steadily. About 1 in 3 hospitalized children needed to be admitted to an intensive care unita rate similar to the ICU admittance rate for hospitalized adults with the coronavirus.

* A JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association) study released recently found that babies and young children infected with COVID-19 can carry high viral loads in their throats and airwaysup to 100 times the amount of adults.

The science is clear: the reopening of schools while the pandemic continues to rage will lead to countless deaths among students, parents, teachers and other school workers. In countries where schools have been opened, the consequences have been dire. Israel is now suffering one of the worlds highest per-capita rates of new infections, with many experts blaming the reckless reopening of schools as a major factor.

The experience in Georgia high schools earlier this week shows the futility of the limited social distancing measures that districts cite to justify reopening. Students at North Paulding High School, defying the school administrations ban on photos and social media postings, leaked photos of packed hallways of unmasked kids in the first few days of classes.

Leaked videos reveal a conspiracy of the district Board of Education to get around a state Department of Health regulation that schools classify anyone who has been within six feet of a COVID-19 sufferer for 15 minutes or more as a close contact. In the leaked video clip, a member of the board suggests that students change seats every 14 minutes to get around this regulation.

Dozens of new cases have been confirmed at North Paulding High School and surrounding schools since the leaked photos went viral, proving that the situation in Georgia is not the exception, but the rule.

Democrats and Republicans alike claim that they are solely motivated by concerns about the academic and emotional needs of children. On Monday, Floridas Republican Governor Ron DeSantis used this spurious claim when he rejected the plan by the states third-largest school district to hold online-only classes for the first month of the semester, and instead demanded that 223,000 Tampa-area students attend in-person lessons on August 24.

The supposed concern for the well-being of children never stopped any of the politicians from both corporate-backed parties from slashing funding from public education, closing schools and gutting vital services. Furthermore, none of them dares speak about the permanent psychological damage that will be inflicted on children who lose a teacher, parent or grandparent to the virus, or how they will be affected socially and emotionally when they are told day after day that socializing, hugging, and playing on playgrounds (i.e., being a child) is against the rules.

The sole reason the Democrats and Republicans want to herd children back into the schools is so that their parents can return to work and restart the flow of corporate profits needed to finance the massive bailout of Wall Street and major corporations. For this homicidal return-to-work campaign to be accomplished, the virus must be normalized, along with the death that will come with it. Or, as President Trump so crudely said about the rising death toll, It is what it is.

This is the policy of the ruling classes around the globe. Although there are currently more than 1,000 new coronavirus infections per day in Germany, all of the countrys state governments are ruthlessly enforcing school openings after the summer break. Schools in at least 20 countries are planning to open for in-person learning in the coming month, including in Brazil, where record cases and deaths are being reported almost daily.

Educators, students, parents and workers everywhere will not, and cannot, accept this implicit death sentence. In the face of this corporate and political conspiracy, only the independent intervention of the working class can and will save lives.

There is growing opposition mounting among students, parents, teachers and broader sections of the working class. Over the past month, there has been an explosion of opposition to the unsafe reopening of schools in the US and around the world, with protests across the US and strikes by teachers in Colombia, Argentina, Haiti and other countries. Dozens of Facebook groups have emerged globally, from Rhode Island to Texas, to South Africa, Great Britain and many other countries, with a combined membership of well over 300,000.

This resistance must be organized and directed. The Socialist Equality Party urges educators and every section of workers to build rank-and-file safety committees, independent of the trade unions and both big business parties, to prepare for a general strike to halt the reopening of schools, stop the spread of the pandemic and prevent millions more infections and deaths.

We demand that all schools remain closed until the virus is eradicated. Funding must be made available for public education and online instruction. High-speed internet access, food distribution, mental health care, special education support and all other resources needed to provide the best quality remote learning must be guaranteed to every student and educator. At the same time, full income must be provided to parents who have to remain home with their children.

The SEP and its youth movement, the International Youth and Students for Social Equality, are leading this fight. We urge teachers to contact us for assistance in organizing your struggle. We call on students and youth to support this struggle and join the IYSSE. Teachers, educational staff and parents: sign up for the World Socialist Web Site Educators Newsletter for updates on this fight.
A drunk Florida man asked a police officer to "take him to jail" after he was caught driving his lawnmower on a major road.

Paul Burke was arrested on a charge of Driving Under the Influence (DUI) on August 5, Newsweek reported. Burke already had three previous DUI charges, the Marion County Sheriff's office said in a Facebook post.

Footage from the incident shows Deputy Richard Jentsch tailing Mr Burke as the inebriated Floridian drove his lawnmower down Highway 316 in Fort McCoy, 100 miles north of Orlando City.

The officer pulled Burke over and asked him how much he had drunk.

Burke struggled with the sobriety exercises / Marion County Police/Facebook

Burke replied that he had had "a couple", adding that he was on his way home.

He then asked Deputy Jentsch if he was going to take him to jail or not.

"Are you going to take me to jail or not?", he said.

Burke asked to be taken to jail / Marion County Police/ Facebook

The footage shows Burke staggering as he attempted to do some sobriety exercises.

Frustrated with the exercises Burke refused an offer to do try them again, and asked to be taken to jail instead.

"No sir, just take me to jail," he said.
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP)  The Australian state of Victoria on Wednesday reported a record 21 virus deaths and 410 new cases from an outbreak in the city of Melbourne that has prompted a strict lockdown.

State Premier Daniel Andrews said 16 of the deaths were linked to aged-care facilities. The number of new cases in Victoria is down from the peak, giving authorities some hope the outbreak is waning.

Meanwhile, three Melbourne students were fined after posting social media videos showing them breaching nighttime curfews for a McDonalds run, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported.

The five-minute video, since deleted, showed the students walking through alleys, dodging police officers and dancing inside the restaurant, ABC said.

Victoria police confirmed each student was fined 1,652 Australian dollars ($1,178).

The state of New South Wales on Wednesday reported 18 new cases, including two connected with a private school cluster in Sydney.

In other developments in the Asia-Pacific region:

 Health authorities in New Zealand were scrambling to trace the source of a new outbreak as the nations largest city went back into lockdown. The four cases reported from one Auckland household are New Zealands first locally transmitted cases in 102 days. The 22 others were in mandatory quarantine after returning from travel abroad. Two of the infected people had visited the tourist city of Rotorua last weekend while suffering symptoms, and authorities were trying to track their movements.

 Indias coronavirus caseload topped 2.3 million after adding 60,963 new cases in the last 24 hours. India also reported 834 deaths on Wednesday, bringing its death toll to 46,091. India has the third-highest caseload after the United States and Brazil, but only the fifth-highest death toll, and authorities say the fatality rate has dropped below 2% for the first time. Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged leaders of 10 states that account for about 80% of Indias total cases to rigorously apply containment, surveillance and contact tracing to drive the fatality rate below 1%. Modi also urged that testing be ramped up in several states.

Story continues

 Singapores government says most foreign workers can now resume work as their dormitories have been cleared of COVID-19 after months of lockdown and virus testing. People living in the crowded dormitories comprised the bulk of Singapores 55,353 cases. Only 27 deaths have been recorded in the tiny island-state. The Ministry of Manpower said late Tuesday that all the dormitories have been cleared except for 17 standalone blocks which serve as quarantine facilities. It said all foreign workers living in these dormitories have either recovered or have tested virus-free, except for 22,500 workers in isolation. It said the majority are now able to return to work including 81% of the total 387,000 workers in the construction, marine shipyard and process industries.

 South Korea reported 54 new cases of COVID-19 as health authorities scramble to stem transmissions amid increased social and leisure activities. The figures announced by South Koreas Centers for Disease Control and Prevention brought the total cases to 14,714, including 305 deaths. The center says 35 of the new cases were local transmissions, all but three from the Seoul area. The other 19 cases were linked to international arrivals. Health authorities see those as less threatening to the community since people arriving from abroad face mandatory tests and two-week quarantines.

 Chinas new domestic coronavirus cases fell into the single digits on Wednesday, while Hong Kong reported just 33 new cases. The National Health Commission said all nine new cases were found in the northwestern region of Xinjiang, whose capital Urumqi has been at the center of Chinas latest major outbreak. Another 25 cases were brought by Chinese travelers arriving from abroad. Densely populated Hong Kong also recorded another six deaths to bring its total to 58 fatalities among 4,181 cases. Authorities have ordered mask wearing in public settings, restrictions on indoor dining and other social distancing measures in a bid to stem the latest outbreak.

 A city government in China has donated 40,000 medical-grade face masks to Marylands capital city amid the coronavirus pandemic. The donation from Changsha, China, was first offered to Annapolis city officials in April, when the need for masks among public safety workers was high in the beginning days of the pandemic, Annapolis City Manager David Jarrell said in a statement. The two municipalities are sister cities. The masks arrived this month, with one of the boxes featuring stickers of American and Chinese flags with a message reading: Go, City of Annapolis! Best Wishes from Changsha! True unity inspires people to work as one to overcome adversity, The Capital Gazette newspaper reported. A note from Yani Xia, a representative of the Chinese citys Foreign Affairs Office, accompanied the shipment. We sincerely wish you and everyone in Annapolis continued good health, and the fortitude to persevere during this challenging period, it read. Annapolis relationship with Changsha began under a former city administrator, according to Jarrell's statement.

___

This story has been edited to correct the number of new cases reported in Hong Kong to 33 instead of 102.
Sao Paulo Governor Joao Doria, pictured in July 2020, has tested positive for coronavirus but says he is "completely asymptomatic"

The governor of Sao Paulo, the state with the highest COVID-19 death toll in hard-hit Brazil, said Wednesday he had tested positive for the new coronavirus and would continue working from quarantine.

Governor Joao Doria, an early and vocal advocate of lockdown measures to contain the virus, is a leading opponent of far-right President Jair Bolsonaro, who regularly downplays COVID-19 and argues the economic damage of business closures will be worse than the disease.

Doria, 62, said in a video posted on Twitter that he was "completely asymptomatic."

"I just received my sixth test result for COVID-19 and unfortunately it came back positive," he said.

"I feel fine. I'm going home... and will continue holding meetings remotely with all sectors of the Sao Paulo government for the next 10 days."

Brazil has the second-highest number of coronavirus infections and deaths in the world after the United States, at more than 3.1 million and 103,000 respectively.

Bolsonaro himself tested positive for the virus last month, spending three weeks in quarantine. Eight of his cabinet ministers and 11 of Brazil's 27 governors, including Doria, have also tested positive.

Home to 46 million people, Sao Paulo state is Brazil's industrial hub and also the epicenter of its coronavirus outbreak, with nearly 640,000 infections and more than 25,000 deaths.

The state began a gradual reopening process in June, despite warnings from medical experts that it was still too soon.

val/jhb/bfm
Part of the strategys perverse brilliance is that child sex trafficking is a real, horrible thing, and some politically connected people, including the financier Jeffrey Epstein, have been credibly accused of exploiting underage girls. And speaking out against child exploitation, no matter your politics, is far from an objectionable stance.

Its probably one of the key things thats attractive about QAnon, said Marc-Andre Argentino, a doctoral student at Concordia University who studies QAnons social media presence. Everyone agrees that child trafficking is very bad, and the argument QAnon makes is, If youre against us talking about this, youre in favor of child trafficking.

Sometimes, QAnon followers spin factual information in a way that serves their aims. Last week, an Associated Press article about a $35 million Trump administration grant to organizations that house trafficking survivors became one of the most-shared stories on Facebook, after QAnon groups picked it up and cited it as evidence that President Trumps secret crusade against elite pedophiles was underway.

Other times, the strategy involves latching on to conspiracy theories and inserting QAnon talking points. Weeks ago, influencers on TikTok and Instagram began speculating about baseless allegations that Wayfair, an online furniture site, was trafficking children under the guise of selling expensive cabinets. The conspiracy theory went viral, and QAnon believers began sprinkling in their own supposedly incriminating details. They claimed, falsely, that a Wayfair employee had once been photographed with Ghislaine Maxwell, who has been charged with recruiting underage girls for Mr. Epstein.

These allegations merged in the popular imagination, and soon unsuspecting people were sharing wild conspiracy theories that came straight from QAnon orthodoxy.

With Wayfair, both accounts on the left and right were amplifying the content, Mr. Argentino said. A lot of the yoga moms and juice-cleanse-type circles were sharing it.

The strategy of seeding QAnon talking points with different audiences appears to be working. In recent weeks, Facebook engagement on human-trafficking-related content has surged, according to an analysis of data from CrowdTangle, a Facebook-owned data platform. (Interactions on posts with the #SaveTheChildren hashtag, for example, have grown more than 500 percent since early July.)
Staycationers will have to sign up to a Revenue Commissioner app and hand over their PPS number to avail of the Government's new Stay and Spend incentive.

Revenue are redesigning their RevApp to include the subsidy scheme, which will allow people claim back some of the costs of their restaurant and hotel bills.

The revamped app will allow users take a photograph of their bill which will then be uploaded into the Revenue system, where their tax refund will be calculated.

However, before availing of the subsidy, people will have to give Revenue their contact details and PPS number. The current app allows users access their Revenue account using their phones or tablet devices.

Registered

The Government is considering renaming the app as part of its relaunch next month.

Meanwhile, hotels and restaurants wanting to take part in the initiative will have to be registered with Revenue and have tax clearance certs.

Restaurants will also have to be registered with the HSE if they want their customers to be able to take part in the scheme, while Hotels will have to be registered with Failte Ireland.

The Stay and Spend initiative was announced as part of the Government's July Jobs Stimulus.

Couples will be able to claim back as much as 250 on hotel and restaurant bills under the Government's staycation subsidy.

The tax-back scheme is to run from October this year until April 2021 and will apply to hotels, food and non-alcoholic drinks.

Holidaymakers and diners will have to spend up to 625 to claim back the maximum 125 tax rebate. A couple can claim 250 by spending 1,250.

The incentive was developed by Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe and Tourism Minister Catherine Martin with a view to increasing spend in the hotel and restaurant sector.

The tourism sector has lost billions of euro due to the coronavirus pandemic and the restriction on international flights into the country.

The Government has urged people to book holidays at home rather than travel abroad this summer.

However, they also announced a Green List of countries where it is deemed safe to travel for non-essential reasons.

Meanwhile, employers will be paid up to 3,000 for hiring and retaining apprentices under new plans to tackle the unemployment crisis caused by Covid-19.

Higher Education Minister Simon Harris has announced details of the Apprenticeship Incentivisation Scheme which will see the Government pay businesses and employers for taking on apprentices.

Claim

Under the plan, employers who participate in the scheme are entitled to claim a 3,000 incentive payment for each new apprentice registered between March and the end of the year.

This will come in the form of an upfront payment of 2,000 to a participating employer, with a further 1,000 paid after 12 months.

"Over 18,000 people are currently undertaking an apprenticeship across a wide range of occupations from electrical, construction and engineering roles to healthcare, information technology and financial services," Mr Harris said.
Adjusted Net Income Reached RMB 1.45 Billion

ZTO Reports Second Quarter 2020 Unaudited Financial Results

SHANGHAI, Aug. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- ZTO Express (Cayman) Inc. (NYSE: ZTO), a leading and fast-growing express delivery company in China ("ZTO" or the "Company"), today announced its unaudited financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 20201. The Company maintained high quality of service and customer satisfaction, and expanded parcel volume market share by 1.6 percentage points to 21.5%. Adjusted net income increased 5.6% to reach RMB1,453.6 million.

Second Quarter 2020 Financial Highlights

Revenues were RMB6,402.4 million ( US$906.2 million ), an increase of 18.0% from RMB5,423.6 million in the same period of 2019.

( ), an increase of 18.0% from in the same period of 2019. Gross profit was RMB1,769.2 million ( US$250.4 million ), relatively flat compared to RMB1,768.6 million in the same period of 2019.

( ), relatively flat compared to in the same period of 2019. Net income was RMB1,453.6 million ( US$205.7 million ), an increase of 6.5% from RMB1,365.1 million in the same period of 2019.

( ), an increase of 6.5% from in the same period of 2019. Adjusted EBITDAwas RMB2,187.0 million ( US$309.6 million ), an increase of 11.4% from RMB1,962.8 million in the same period of 2019.

( ), an increase of 11.4% from in the same period of 2019. Adjusted net income was RMB1,453.6 million ( US$205.7 million ), an increase of 5.6% from RMB1,375.9 million in the same period of 2019.

( ), an increase of 5.6% from in the same period of 2019. Basic and diluted earnings per American depositary share ("ADS") were RMB1.85 (US$0.26) , an increase of 6.9% from RMB1.73 in the same period of 2019.

, an increase of 6.9% from in the same period of 2019. Adjusted basic and diluted earnings per American depositary share attributable to ordinary shareholders were RMB1.85 (US$0.26) , an increase of 6.3% from RMB1.74 in the same period of 2019.

, an increase of 6.3% from in the same period of 2019. Net cash provided by operating activities was RMB1,252.3 million ( US$177.2 million ), compared with RMB1,992.8 million in the same period of 2019.

Operational Highlights for Second Quarter 2020

Parcel volume was 4,595 million, an increase of 47.9% from 3,107 million in the second quarter of 2019.

Number of pickup/delivery outlets was approximately 30,000 as of June 30, 2020 .

. Number of direct network partners was over 5,000 as of June 30, 2020 .

. Number of line-haul vehicles was over 9,900 as of June 30, 2020 , which included approximately 9,050 self-owned vehicles, increased from 6,800 as of March 31, 2020 , and over 850 vehicles owned and operated by Tonglu Tongze Logistics Ltd., a transportation operator that works exclusively for ZTO.

, which included approximately 9,050 self-owned vehicles, increased from 6,800 as of , and over 850 vehicles owned and operated by Tonglu Tongze Logistics Ltd., a transportation operator that works exclusively for ZTO. Out of the self-owned trucks, over 7,100 were high capacity 15 to 17-meter-long models as of June 30, 2020 , compared to over 5,000 as of March 31, 2020 .

, compared to over 5,000 as of . Number of line-haul routes between sorting hubs was over 3,400 as of June 30, 2020 , compared to over 2,900 as of March 31, 2020 .

, compared to over 2,900 as of . Number of sorting hubs was 90 as of June 30, 2020 , among which 81 are operated by the Company and 9 by the Company's network partners.

(1) An investor relations presentation accompanies this earnings release and can be found at http://zto.investorroom.com. (2) Adjusted EBITDA is a non-GAAP financial measure, which is defined as net income before depreciation, amortization, interest expenses and income tax expenses, and further adjusted to exclude the shared-based compensation expense and non-recurring items such as the gain on disposal of equity investees and subsidiary which management aims to better represent the underlying business operations. (3) Adjusted net income is a non-GAAP financial measure, which is defined as net income before share-based compensation expense and non-recurring items such as gain on disposal of equity investees and subsidiary in which management aims to better represent the underlying business operations. (4) One ADS represents one Class A ordinary share. (5) Adjusted basic and diluted earnings per American depositary share attributable to ordinary shareholders is a non-GAAP financial measure. It is defined as adjusted net income divided by weighted average number of basic and diluted shares, respectively.

Mr. Meisong Lai, Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of ZTO, commented "Benefited from a strong e-commerce-driven consumption rebound subsequent to the COVID-19 containment in China, the Chinese express delivery industry generated more than 5.7 billion incremental parcels year over year during the second quarter. According to the State Post Bureau, the express industry grew 36.7%, a quarterly record high since the first quarter of 2017. ZTO grew volume 47.9% and expanded our volume market share by 1.6 points to reach 21.5%. During this record-breaking quarter, our industry also witnessed escalated price erosion and we observed insensibly low pricing in a number of key markets. As the Company prioritized quality of service and market share gains, we boosted support to our network partners who faced-off price erosions and maintained confidence in our unified goals and positive business outlook."

Mr. Lai added, "Despite an over 80% volume concentration by a handful scaled express delivery companies in China, the few leading ones are in relatively close range, and competition is to be expected. It is all the more compelling for us to focus on strengthening and leveraging our competitive advantages in scale, capacity and cost efficiency to expand our lead. Our track record has consistently demonstrated our strong determination, execution and stamina. We are confident in our ability to achieve preeminence in market share with high customer satisfaction and profit generation as we journey ahead towards our goal of becoming a world-leading comprehensive logistic services provider."

Ms. Huiping Yan, Chief Financial Officer of ZTO, added, "In response to intense price competition during the quarter, our core express delivery price per parcel declined 20.9% year over year given more aggressive yet necessary subsidies to incentivize volume growth. The negative price impact was dampened by a corresponding 13.9% cost productivity gain, and together with healthy corporate cost leverage, adjusted net income increased 5.6% to reach 1.45 billion. Cash from operating activities was 1.25 billion."

Ms. Yan added, "Nearly halfway into the third quarter, we observed steady parcel volume growth yet persistent price competition. We remain steadfast on market share gain, and are raising our full year volume target to be between 16.2 to 17.0 billion parcels. We have adjusted down our earnings estimates to anchor our conviction to protect our market share gain and maintain network stability. Looking beyond the next few quarters, China express delivery industry volume is likely to reach 300 million daily in the next 2-3 years, and we aim to capture a lion share of that volume and associated pricing power."

Second Quarter 2020 Financial Results



Three Months Ended June 30,

Six Months Ended June 30,

2019

2020

2019

2020

RMB

%

RMB

US$ %

RMB



%

RMB

US$

%













(in thousands, except percentages)













Express delivery services 4,763,902

87.8

5,540,664



784,230



86.5

8,823,274



88.3

8,947,074

1,266,376

86.7 Freight forwarding services 350,088

6.5

467,095



66,113



7.3

639,402



6.4

762,571

107,935

7.4 Sale of accessories 292,570

5.4

321,189



45,461



5.0

501,407



5.0

498,214

70,518

4.8 Others 17,080

0.3

73,473



10,400



1.2

33,588



0.3

110,451

15,633

1.1





































Total revenues 5,423,640

100.0

6,402,421

906,204

100.0

9,997,671



100.0

10,318,310

1,460,462

100.0

Revenues were RMB6,402.4 million (US$906.2 million), an increase of 18.0% from RMB5,423.6 million in the same period of 2019. Revenue from the core express delivery business increased by 17.0% compared to the same period of 2019, as a combined result of an increase of 47.9% in parcel volume and a decrease of 20.9% in parcel unit price in response to competition. Revenue from freight forwarding services increased 33.4% compared to the same period of 2019, driven by increased cross border e-commerce demand and improved pricing as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak globally. The increase in revenue from sales of accessories was in-line with the increase in the sale of thermal paper used for digital waybills, portable scanning devices and uniforms. Other revenues were mainly derived from financing services and advertising services.









Three Months Ended June 30,









Six Months Ended June 30,









2019







2020





2019







2020











RMB % of

RMB US$ % of

RMB % of

RMB US$ % of





revenues revenues revenues revenues





















(in thousands, except percentages)



















Line-haul transportation cost 1,695,866



31.3

1,996,562

282,595

31.2

3,289,873



32.9

3,293,979

466,232

31.9





Sorting hub cost 953,901



17.6

1,254,278

177,532

19.6

1,844,970



18.5

2,220,035

314,225

21.5





Freight forwarding cost 345,283



6.4

416,659

58,974

6.5

628,397



6.3

704,273

99,683

6.8





Cost of accessories sold 156,371



2.9

112,483

15,921

1.8

276,057



2.8

186,958

26,462

1.8





Other costs 503,651



9.2

853,276

120,773

13.3

930,214



9.2

1,325,242

187,577

12.9





Total cost of revenues 3,655,072



67.4

4,633,258

655,795

72.4

6,969,511



69.7

7,730,487

1,094,179

74.9









Total cost of revenues was RMB4,633.3 million (US$655.8 million), an increase of 26.8% from RMB3,655.1 million in the same period last year.

Line haul transportation cost was RMB1,996.6 million (US$282.6 million), an increase of 17.7% from RMB1,695.9 million in the same period last year. The line-haul transportation cost per parcel declined 20.4% to RMB0.43. The decrease resulted from (i) reduced toll road fee charges based on a federal waiver policy which took effect in mid-February and lasted through early May, and (ii) higher usage of self-owned vehicles with an increasing number of higher-capacity trailer trucks. As a percentage of total line haul transportation costs, the self-owned portion increased to 84.6% from 66.3% in the same period last year.

Sorting hub operating cost was RMB1,254.3 million (US$177.5 million), an increase of 31.5% from RMB953.9 million in the same period last year. The increase was primarily due to (i) an RMB207.5 million (US$29.4 million) increase in labor associated costs, and (ii) an RMB65.5 million (US$9.3 million) increase in depreciation and amortization costs associated with the increased number of installed automated sorting equipment. As of June 30, 2020, 282 sets of automated sorting equipment have been placed into service, compared to 155 sets as of June 30, 2019. The sorting hub operating cost per parcel decreased 11.1% to RMB0.27 as the result of increased level of automation and less labor dependencies.

Cost of accessories was RMB112.5 million (US$15.9 million), a decrease of 28.1% from RMB156.4 million in the same period last year. The decrease was mainly driven by the increased use of lower-cost single-sheet digital waybills since the second half of 2019.

Other costs were RMB853.3 million (US$120.8 million), an increase of RMB349.6 million (US$49.5 million) compared to the same period last year. The increase was mainly consisted of (i) an increase of RMB255.5 million (US$36.2 million) in dispatching costs serving enterprise customers with an associated volume increase of 80.4%, and (ii) an increase of RMB75.1million (US$10.6 million) in technology related expenses.

Gross Profit was RMB1,769.2 million (US$250.4million), which remained flat compared to RMB1,768.6 million in the same period last year. Gross margin rate decreased to 27.6% from 32.6% in the same period last year as net effects of 47.9% volume growth, competition-led ASP decline of 20.2% and unit cost productivity gain of 14.3%.

Total Operating Expenses were RMB122.6 million (US$17.3 million), compared to RMB275.8 million in the same period last year.

Selling, general and administrative expenses were RMB312.4 million (US$44.2 million), increased 2.3% from RMB305.4 million in the same period last year. SG&A as a percentage of total revenue decreased to 4.9% from 5.6% from second quarter 2019 demonstrating healthy corporate structure and positive scale leverage.

Other operating income, net was RMB189.9 million (US$26.9 million) for the second quarter, compared to RMB29.5 million in the same period last year. Other operating income mainly consisted of (i) government subsidies and tax rebates of RMB95.4 million (US$13.5 million) received, (ii) RMB60.0 million (US$8.5 million) of VAT super deduction recognized, and (iii) RMB23.6 million (US$3.3 million) ADR fee rebate.

Income from operations was RMB1,646.6 million (US$233.1 million), an increase of 10.3% from RMB1,492.7 million for the same period last year. Operating margin rate decreased to 25.7% from 27.5% in the same period last year, as a net result of decrease in gross margin and increase in other operating income.

Interest income was RMB114.3 million (US$16.2 million), compared with RMB144.5 million in the same period last year.

Foreign currency exchange gain, before tax was RMB2.6million (US$0.4 million) in the second quarter of 2020.

Income tax expenses were RMB298.3 million (US$42.2 million) compared to RMB288.8 million in the same period last year. The effective income tax rate was 17.0%, compared with 17.4% in the same period last year.

Net income was RMB1,453.6 million (US$205.7 million), an increase of 6.5% from RMB1,365.1 million in the same period last year.

Basic and diluted earnings per ADS attributable to ordinary shareholders were RMB1.85 (US$0.26), compared with basic and diluted earnings per ADS of RMB1.73 in the same period last year.

Adjusted basic and diluted earnings per ADS attributable to ordinary shareholders were RMB1.85 (US$0.26), compared with RMB1.74 in the same period last year.

Adjusted net income was RMB1,453.6 million (US$205.7 million), compared with RMB1,375.9 million during the same period last year.

EBITDA was RMB2,187.0 million (US$309.6 million), compared with RMB1,952.0 million in the same period last year.

Adjusted EBITDA was RMB2,187.0 million (US$309.6 million), compared to RMB1,962.8 million in the same period last year.

Net cash provided by operating activities was RMB1,252.3 million (US$177.2 million), compared with RMB1,992.8 million in the same period last year. The decrease in net cash provided by operating activities resulted mainly from (i) RMB270.2 million (US$38.2 million) increase in loans to qualified network partners, and (ii) RMB245.2 million (US$34.7 million) increase in prepaid fuel and toll cost driven by increased self-owned vehicles.

Business Outlook

The Company raises its 2020 annual parcel volume projection to be in the range of 16.2 billion to 17.0 billion, representing a 33.7% to 40.3% increase year over year, and lowers the adjusted net income for 2020 to be in the range of RMB4.8 billion to RMB5.2 billion, representing a 1.7% to 9.3% decrease year over year. These estimates represent management's current and preliminary view, which takes into consideration the current market condition, the negative impact from COVID-19, price competition and the Company's prioritized goal to achieve accelerated market share gains while maintaining a targeted level of earnings, and are subject to change.

Company Share Purchase

On November 15, 2018, the Company announced a share repurchase program whereby ZTO was authorized to repurchase its own Class A ordinary shares in the form of ADSs with an aggregate value of up to US$500 million during an 18-month period thereafter. On March 13, 2020, the board of directors of the Company approved the extension of the current share repurchase program to June 30, 2021. The Company expects to fund the repurchases out of its existing cash balance. As of June 30, 2020, the Company has purchased an aggregate of 7,716,436 ADSs at an average purchase price of US$17.33, including repurchase commissions.

Exchange Rate

This announcement contains translation of certain Renminbi amounts into U.S. dollars at specified rates solely for the convenience of readers. Unless otherwise noted, all translations from Renminbi to U.S. dollars were made at the exchange rate of RMB7.0651 to US$1.00, the noon buying rate on June 30, 2020 as set forth in the H.10 statistical release of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve Systems.

Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures

The Company uses adjusted EBITDA and adjusted net income, each a non-GAAP financial measure, in evaluating ZTO's operating results and for financial and operational decision-making purposes.

Reconciliations of the Company's non-GAAP financial measures to its U.S. GAAP financial measures are shown in tables at the end of this earnings release, which provide more details about the non-GAAP financial measures.

The Company believes that adjusted EBITDA and adjusted net income help identify underlying trends in ZTO's business that could otherwise be distorted by the effect of the expenses and gains that the Company includes in income from operations and net income. The Company believes that adjusted EBITDA and adjusted net income provide useful information about its operating results, enhance the overall understanding of its past performance and future prospects and allow for greater visibility with respect to key metrics used by ZTO's management in its financial and operational decision-making.

Adjusted EBITDA and adjusted net income should not be considered in isolation or construed as an alternative to net income or any other measure of performance or as an indicator of the Company's operating performance. Investors are encouraged to review the historical non-GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable GAAP measures. Adjusted EBITDA and adjusted net income presented here may not be comparable to similarly titled measures presented by other companies. Other companies may calculate similarly titled measures differently, limiting their usefulness as comparative measures to ZTO's data. ZTO encourages investors and others to review the Company's financial information in its entirety and not rely on a single financial measure.

Conference Call Information

ZTO's management team will host an earnings conference call at 9:00 PM U.S. Eastern Time on Wednesday, August 12, 2020 (9:00 AM Beijing Time on August 13, 2020).

Dial-in details for the earnings conference call are as follows:

United States: 1-888-317-6003 Hong Kong: 852-5808-1995 China: 4001-206-115 Singapore: 800-120-5863 International: 1-412-317-6061 Passcode: 4219745

Please dial in 15 minutes before the call is scheduled to begin and provide the passcode to join the call.

A replay of the conference call may be accessed by phone at the following numbers until August 19, 2020:

United States: 1-877-344-7529 International: 1-412-317-0088 Passcode: 10146155

Additionally, a live and archived webcast of the conference call will be available at http://zto.investorroom.com.

About ZTO Express (Cayman) Inc.

ZTO Express (Cayman) Inc. (NYSE: ZTO) ("ZTO" or the "Company") is a leading and fast-growing express delivery company in China. ZTO provides express delivery service as well as other value-added logistics services through its extensive and reliable nationwide network coverage in China.

ZTO operates a highly scalable network partner model, which the Company believes is best suited to support the significant growth of e-commerce in China. The Company leverages its network partners to provide pickup and last-mile delivery services, while controlling the mission-critical line-haul transportation and sorting network within the express delivery service value chain.

For more information, please visit http://zto.investorroom.com.

Safe Harbor Statement

This news release contains "forward-looking" statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements include but are not limited to the Company's unaudited results for the second quarter of 2020, ZTO management quotes and the Company's financial outlook.

These forward-looking statements are not historical facts but instead represent only the Company's belief regarding expected results and events, many of which, by their nature, are inherently uncertain and outside of its control. The Company's actual results and other circumstances may differ, possibly materially, from the anticipated results and events indicated in these forward-looking statements. Announced results for the second quarter of 2020 are preliminary, unaudited and subject to audit adjustment. In addition, the Company may not meet its financial outlook included in this news release and may be unable to grow its business in the manner planned. The Company may also modify its strategy for growth. In addition, there are other risks and uncertainties that could cause the Company's actual results to differ from what it currently anticipates, including those relating to the development of the e-commerce industry in China, its significant reliance on the Alibaba ecosystem, risks associated with its network partners and their employees and personnel, intense competition which could adversely affect the Company's results of operations and market share, any service disruption of the Company's sorting hubs or the outlets operated by its network partners or its technology system. For additional information on these and other important factors that could adversely affect the Company's business, financial condition, results of operations, and prospects, please see its filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

All information provided in this press release and in the attachments is as of the date of the press release. The Company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, after the date of this release, except as required by law. Such information speaks only as of the date of this release.

UNAUDITED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL DATA

Summary of Unaudited Consolidated Comprehensive Income Data:





Three Months Ended June 30, Six Months Ended June 30,







2019

2020



2019



2020













RMB

RMB US$

RMB



RMB US$













(in thousands, except for share and per share data)























































Revenues 5,423,640

6,402,421



906,204

9,997,671



10,318,310



1,460,462









Cost of revenues (3,655,072)

(4,633,258)



(655,795)

(6,969,511)



(7,730,487)



(1,094,179)









Gross profit 1,768,568

1,769,163



250,409

3,028,160



2,587,823



366,283







Operating income (expenses):





































Selling, general and administrative (305,350)

(312,421)



(44,220)

(863,128)



(872,472)



(123,490)









Other operating income, net 29,531

189,867



26,874

87,633



303,270



42,924









Total operating expenses (275,819)

(122,554)



(17,346)

(775,495)



(569,202)



(80,566)







Income from operations 1,492,749

1,646,609



233,063

2,252,665



2,018,621



285,717









Other income (expenses):





































Interest income 144,470

114,258



16,172

290,941



240,485



34,038









Interest expense 

(9,135)



(1,293)





(9,426)



(1,334)









Loss on disposal of equity investees and

subsidiary 







(529)

















Foreign currency exchange gain/(loss), before

tax 22,293

2,594



367

(3,662)



19,047



2,696









Income before income tax, and share of





































loss in equity method investments 1,659,512

1,754,326



248,309

2,539,415



2,268,727



321,117









Income tax expense (288,803)

(298,302)



(42,222)

(480,661)



(428,074)



(60,590)









Share of loss in equity method





































investments (5,614)

(2,453)



(347)

(12,013)



(16,109)



(2,280)









Net income 1,365,095

1,453,571



205,740

2,046,741



1,824,544



258,247







Net income attributable to noncontrolling

interests (5,614)

(5,217)



(738)

(6,547)



(1,490)



(211)









Net income attributable to ZTO Express



































(Cayman) Inc. 1,359,481

1,448,354



205,002

2,040,194



1,823,054



258,036









Net earnings per share attributable to





































ordinary shareholders





































Basic 1.73

1.85



0.26

2.60



2.33



0.33









Diluted 1.73

1.85



0.26

2.59



2.33



0.33









Weighted average shares used in





































calculating net earnings per ordinary





































share





































Basic 786,106,219

783,894,733



783,894,733

786,069,533



783,124,385



783,124,385









Diluted 786,385,711

783,894,733



783,894,733

786,262,099



783,224,329



783,224,329









Other comprehensive income, net of tax of





































nil:





































Foreign currency translation adjustment 293,376

(23,558)



(3,334)

(50,852)



153,368



21,708









Comprehensive income 1,658,471

1,430,013



202,406

1,995,889



1,977,912



279,955









Comprehensive income attributable to

noncontrolling interests (5,614)

(5,217)



(738)

(6,547)



(1,490)



(211)









Comprehensive income attributable to





































1,652,857

1,424,796



201,668

1,989,342



1,976,422



279,744









ZTO Express (Cayman) Inc.

































































Unaudited Consolidated Balance Sheets Data:







As of





December 31,

June 30, 2020





2019





RMB

RMB



US$





















ASSETS















Current assets:















Cash and cash equivalents 5,270,204

5,261,920



744,776



Restricted cash 7,210

1,300



184



Accounts receivable, net 675,567

628,466



88,954



Financing receivables, net 511,124

471,837



66,784



Short-term investment 11,113,217

8,437,887



1,194,305



Inventories 43,845

64,152



9,080



Advances to suppliers 438,272

631,220



89,343



Prepayments and other current assets 1,964,506

2,239,249



316,945



Amounts due from related parties 74,312

81,529



11,540



Total current assets 20,098,257

17,817,560



2,521,911



Investments in equity investees 3,109,494

3,319,697



469,873



Property and equipment, net 12,470,632

14,651,069



2,073,724



Land use rights, net 2,508,860

3,829,158



541,982



Intangible assets, net 48,029

44,930



6,359



Operating lease right-of-use assets 901,956

784,780



111,078



Goodwill 4,241,541

4,241,541



600,351



Deferred tax assets 403,587

552,671



78,226



Long-term investment 946,180

1,390,510



196,814



Long-term financing receivables, net 549,775

1,240,680



175,607



Other non-current assets 612,191

607,178



85,940



TOTAL ASSETS 45,890,502

48,479,774



6,861,865



























LIABILITIES AND EQUITY















Current liabilities















Short-term bank borrowing 

1,690,000



239,204



Accounts payable 1,475,258

1,105,673



156,498



Notes payable 

496,200



70,232



Advances from customers 1,210,887

1,208,970



171,119



Income tax payable 80,272

166,035



23,501



Amounts due to related parties 38,943

23,101



3,270



Operating lease liabilities 298,728

240,240



34,004



Acquisition consideration payable 22,942

22,942



3,247



Dividends payable 1,629

334,313



47,319



Other current liabilities 3,552,288

3,490,285



494,015



Total current liabilities 6,680,947

8,777,759



1,242,409



Non-current operating lease liabilities 504,442

420,310



59,491



Deferred tax liabilities 207,896

215,617



30,519



Other non-current liabilities 93,820

71,409



10,107



TOTAL LIABILITIES 7,487,105

9,485,095



1,342,526





















Shareholders' equity















Ordinary shares (US$0.0001 par value; 10,000,000,000 shares authorized,















803,551,115 shares issued and 781,947,464 shares outstanding as of















December 31, 2019; 803,551,115 shares issued and 783,894,733 shares















outstanding as of June 30, 2020) 517

517



73



Additional paid-in capital 22,336,594

20,852,513



2,951,482



Treasury shares, at cost (1,436,767)

(1,350,529)



(191,155)



Retained earnings 16,726,540

18,549,594



2,625,525



Accumulated other comprehensive income 675,720

829,087



117,350



ZTO Express (Cayman) Inc. shareholders' equity 38,302,604

38,881,182



5,503,275



Noncontrolling interests 100,793

113,497



16,064



Total Equity 38,403,397

38,994,679



5,519,339



TOTAL LIABILITIES AND EQUITY 45,890,502

48,479,774



6,861,865











In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-13, Financial InstrumentsCredit Losses (Topic 326), which requires all entities to disclose their current estimate of all expected credit losses. The Group adopted this ASU on January 1, 2020 using the modified retrospective transition method and no material adjustment to the opening balance of retained earnings of 2020 was necessary. The adoption of this new ASU has no material impact on its consolidated financial position, results of operations or cashflow.

Summary of Unaudited Consolidated Cash Flow Data:



Three Months Ended June 30,



Six Months Ended June 30,









2019

2020



2019

2020









RMB

RMB US$

RMB

RMB US$

















(in thousands)















































Net cash provided by operating activities 1,992,804

1,252,270



177,247

2,626,074

1,430,061

202,415



Net cash provided by/(used in) investing

activities 1,498,752

(1,097,851)



(155,390)

2,394,117

(1,812,554)

(256,552)



Net cash (used in)/ provided by financing































activities (2,493,043)

65,298



9,242

(2,507,052)

362,952

51,372



Effect of exchange rate changes on cash,































cash equivalents and restricted cash 21,803

2,145



304

(23,430)

19,460

2,754



Net increase/(decrease) in cash, cash































equivalents and restricted cash 1,020,316

221,862



31,403

2,489,709

(81)

(11)



Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash































at beginning of period 6,092,347

5,055,471



715,555

4,622,954

5,277,414

746,969



Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash































7,112,663

5,277,333



746,958

7,112,663

5,277, 333

746,958



at end of period



















































































The following table provides a reconciliation of cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash reported within the condensed consolidated balance sheets that sum to the total of the same such amounts shown in the condensed consolidated statements of cash flows:









As of







June 30, 2019 June 30, 2020







RMB

RMB US$









(in thousands)





















Cash and cash equivalents 7,111,684

5,261,920



744,776

Restricted cash, current 979

1,300



184

Restricted cash, non-current



14,113



1,998

Total cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash

7,112,663

5,277,333



746,958





















Reconciliations of GAAP and Non-GAAP Results



Three Months Ended June 30,

Six Months Ended June 30,



2019

2020

2019

2020



RMB

RMB



US$

RMB

RMB

US$



(in thousands, except for share and per share data)







































Net income 1,365,095

1,453,571



205,740

2,046,741

1,824,544

258,247

Add:



































Share-based compensation expense 10,800







295,065

264,154

37,389

Loss on disposal of equity



































investees and subsidiary, net of



































income taxes 







529





Adjusted net income 1,375,895

1,453,571



205,740

2,342,335

2,088,698

295,636







































Net income 1,365,095

1,453,571



205,740

2,046,741

1,824,544

258,247

Add:



































Depreciation 283,409

408,426



57,809

554,832

801,006

113,375

Amortization 14,676

17,602



2,491

25,969

33,250

4,706

Interest expenses 

9,135



1,293



9,426

1,334

Income tax expenses 288,803

298,302



42,222

480,661

428,074

60,590

EBITDA 1,951,983

2,187,036



309,555

3,108,203

3,096,300

438,252







































Add:



































Share-based compensation expense 10,800







295,065

264,154

37,389

Loss on disposal of equity



































investees and subsidiary, before



































income taxes 







529





Adjusted EBITDA 1,962,783

2,187,036



309,555

3,403,797

3,360,454

475,641





































Three Months Ended June 30,

Six Months Ended June 30,





2019



2020



2019



2020







RMB

RMB US$

RMB



RMB US$





(in thousands, except for share and per share data)





































Net income attributable to ordinary



































shareholders 1,359,481

1,448,354



205,002

2,040,194

1,823,054

258,036

Add:



































Share-based compensation expense 10,800







295,065

264,154

37,389

Impairment of investment in equity



































Loss on disposal of equity



































investees and subsidiary, net of



































income taxes 







529





Adjusted Net income attributable to



































1,370,281

1,448,354



205,002

2,335,788

2,087,208

295,425

ordinary shareholders

















































Weighted average shares used in



































calculating net earnings per ordinary



































share/ADS



































Basic 786,106,219

783,894,733



783,894,733

786,069,533

783,124,385

783,124,385

Diluted 786,385,711

783,894,733



783,894,733

786,262,099

783,224,329

783,224,329







































Net earnings per share/ADS attributable to



































ordinary shareholders



































Basic 1.73

1.85



0.26

2.60

2.33

0.33

Diluted 1.73

1.85



0.26

2.59

2.33

0.33







































Adjusted net earnings per share/ADS



































attributable to ordinary shareholders



































Basic 1.74

1.85



0.26

2.97

2.67

0.38

Diluted 1.74

1.85



0.26

2.97

2.66

0.38









































SOURCE ZTO Express (Cayman) Inc.
The Governance Research Bureau says the NDC can win the 2020 elections if they increase their average votes in their strongholds by 115,000.



For the NPP, they need to increase their average votes in the swing regions by 450,000 to clinch victory, according to the Bureau.



This winning formula was prescribed by Dr Kwame Asah Asante and Dr Ezekiel Nii Nortey, both Resource Persons from the Governance Research Bureau while discussing the 2020 elections from the perspectives of Political Science and Statistics on TV3 Election Watch programme last Sunday.



The formula is based on the Bureaus analysis of EC certified results of the two parties since 1992.



The Resource Persons said in addition to the NDCs increasing their votes in their strongholds by 115,000, the party should also maintain their average votes of 1,069,039 in NPP strongholds and 2,515,421 in the swing regions.



For the NPP, Dr Asah Asante and Dr Nii Nortey recommended that while the party should increase their votes in the swing regions by 450,000 votes, they should maintain their average votes of 2,118,663 in their strongholds and 630,503 votes in NDC strongholds



Speaking on the formula they said both the NDC and NPP needed to perform better in their opponents strongholds as well the swing regions to win the elections, stressing that other variables, such as the economy, infrastructure, health, and education, among others, could alter the results either way.



They said for the parties to win they should maintain their national average votes and target the votes of the smaller parties.



Dr Asah Asante, who is also Senior Lecturer in the Department of Political Science, University of Ghana, Legon, said the performance of the NDC and NPP in the swing regions would determine the winner, adding that winning in their strongholds alone would not be enough.



For his part, Dr Nortey, also Senior Lecturer in the Department of Statistics and Actuarial Science, University of Ghana, Legon, said the parties should strive to capture much more votes from their opponents strongholds and the swing regions to secure victory.

Source: Graphiconline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Israeli lawmakers, on Wednesday, rejected an opposition bill that would have made it illegal for an indicted member of parliament to form a government.

The motion was targeted at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is standing trial on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust.

Mr Netanyahus coalition has been bickering for weeks over the state budget, leading to rising speculation that it will collapse.

That could precipitate Israels fourth election in less than two years.

If the bill had passed, Netanyahu would have been prevented from becoming prime minister once again.

The bill, introduced by opposition leader Yair Lapid, was opposed by 53 lawmakers, with 37 in support and the remainder of the 120-seat-parliament absent.

According to Israeli law, a prime minister only has to resign if they are convicted.

Mr Lapid argued the reason for this is that the legislature never imagined someone on trial for serious criminal offences would insist on entrenching himself in the Prime Ministers residence.

Mr Netanyahu accused Mr Lapid of being undemocratic for seeking to pass a bill that targets one man.

The vote came after a bill to extend the August 25 deadline for the state budget, passed a preliminary reading.

This is in a bid to stave off early elections, which would automatically be called if the deadline is missed.

The bill needs to pass three more readings.

(dpa/NAN)
Top leaders of China, Laos, Cambodia and Cuba have extended their profound condolences to Vietnamese Party and State leaders, people and family of former General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam

(CPV) Central Committee Le Kha Phieu over his passing.

Former General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee Le Kha Phieu (Photo: VNA)

In a message of condolences sent to Party General Secretary and President Nguyen Phu Trong on August 8, Chinese Party General Secretary and President Xi Jinping said comrade Le Kha Phieu was an eminent leader of the Vietnamese Party and State who led the Vietnamese people to great victories in the process of socialism building and renewal. He was also a close comrade and friend of the Chinese Party and people, contributing to the building of the China  Vietnam relationship under the motto friendly neighbourliness, comprehensive cooperation, long-term stability, and looking forward to the future.

China attaches great importance to strengthening and upholding the bilateral traditional friendship, and stays ready to promote political trust and solidarity with Vietnam, as well as ties between the two Parties and nations and the socialism building cause of each country, he said.

The Chinese leader believed that under the firm leadership of the CPV Central Committee led by Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, Vietnam will reap new achievements in the cause of socialism building.

Earlier, on August 7, the Central Committee of the Lao Peoples Revolutionary Party, President, Government, National Assembly of Laos, and the Central Committee of the Lao Front for National Construction also conveyed messages of condolences to the CPV Central Committee, President, Government, National Assembly, and the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front and family of comrade Le Kha Phieu.

They said the late leader made great contributions to the national liberation cause of Laos, stood side by side with the Lao peoples army in important campaigns to gain the final victory in 1975. He also dedicated to fostering the great friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between the two Parties, States and people over the past time.

The same day, Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni; President of the Cambodian People's Party (CPP), Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen; President of the National Assembly Samdech Heng Samrin and President of the Senate Samdech Say Chhum also sent messages of condolences to Party General Secretary and President Nguyen Phu Trong, other senior leaders of Vietnam and the family of former Party General Secretary Le Kha Phieu.

The Cambodian leaders said comrade Le Kha Phieus passing was a great loss of the Vietnamese Party, State and people, adding that Cambodia has also lost a good and long-time friend who contributed to enhancing solidarity, close cooperation and friendship between Cambodia and Vietnam.

First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba Raul Castro and President of Cuba Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez also extended a condolence message to Party General Secretary and President Nguyen Phu Trong.

The Cuban leaders said they will forever remember meaningful contributions of the late Vietnamese leader to strengthening and developing the historic relationship between the two nations./.VNA

National mourning for former Party General Secretary Le Kha Phieu Former General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Le Kha Phieu passed away at 2.52am on August 7 and his funeral will be held as national mourning, according to a special communique issued on Monday.
Bake Off star Candice Brown's estranged husband holidayed on a Greek island with a glamorous female companion as his marriage collapsed, MailOnline can reveal.

Liam Macaulay jetted off to Mykonos with mother-of-one Micah Taffurelli days before he confirmed the end of his two-year marriage to reality TV star Candice.

Tree surgeon Liam told MailOnline last month how their relationship collapsed under the pressures of fame as the TV cook's career took off after winning Bake Off in 2016.

He said at the time that he had gone on a two-week break to get over the split while insisting that nobody else was involved in the break-up.

Bake Off winner Candice's estranged husband Liam Macaulay poses for selfies on the Greek island of Mykonos with his glamorous female companion Micah Taffurelli, 28, from Dunstable

Candice, 35 (left and more recently walking the former couple's pet pug), has hinted at her heartbreak over the split when she tweeted: 'Think I'm going to eat a lot of biscuits today.'

Liam and Candice (pictured during happier times) met in 2012 in a bar where he worked while studying for a degree. More recently have been living together in a flat above a pub she runs

Micah (pictured) posted a series of pictures on Facebook showing her holidaying in Greece

But MailOnline can now reveal he appears to have formed a close friendship with former model, Micah.

She posted two pictures on Facebook of her and Liam sunning themselves in Greece on July 19.

She also posted more pictures showing her relaxing and enjoying local cuisine including oysters on the island.

They pair looked cosy during their relaxing break, but Liam denied she was his girlfriend when contacted by MailOnline today, insisting: 'I am not in a relationship with anyone.'

Micah, 28, who lives with her young son from a previous relationship in Dunstable, Bedfordshire, and works in hospitality, declined to comment on the holiday.

Despite enjoying his two-week break in Greece with Micah (pictured together) while he got over his marriage split, Liam insisted he was not in a relationship with the young mother

Single mother Micah, 28, is a former amateur model (left and right) who works in hospitality

Candice's ex told how he had struggled with being thrust into his wife's showbiz world after she won the Channel 4 show and appeared on Dancing On Ice.

He confirmed he had moved out of the flat they shared with their three dogs Dennis, Albus and Sybil above the gastro pub she runs with her brother, The Green Man in Eversholt, Bedfordshire.

Speaking of their marriage split while he was sunning himself in Greece, he said: 'There is nobody else involved. We have just sadly decided it wasn't working.'

Candice first met Liam in the bar where he worked while studying for a degree, back in 2012.

After five years of dating, the couple announced their engagement in October 2017, just over a year after she first appeared on Bake Off.

Their relationship came under strain just days after becoming engaged when Candice was pictured kissing Bake Off judge Paul Hollywood, 54, on a night out.

Liam said last month: 'I'd not long asked Candice to marry me and I had to read reports that my new fiancee was seen kissing Hollywood and getting close to him.

'That was just a kiss on her cheek and there was nothing else to it. But we had only been engaged a few days. It was a lot to have to deal with.'

The couple went on to tie the knot in a romantic ceremony at Chateau de Varennes in Burgundy, France, in September 2018.

But Liam said they had called time on their marriage after a series of long talks.

He said last month: 'My wife is a lovely woman and a wonderful human being and I could never find anything detrimental to say about her.'

Candice and Liam (pictured before their split) struggled with life in the spotlight after tying the knot in a romantic ceremony at Chateau de Varennes in Burgundy, France, in September 2018

Liam has now moved out of a flat above The Green Man (pictured) in Eversholt, Bedfordshire, the gastropub Candice has run with her brother Ben since winning Bake Off in 2016

He continued: 'I am not the famous one, no one is interested in me. I am a tree surgeon from Scotland and I make my own living.'

Candice revealed her low mood shortly after her marriage split was revealed when she tweeted: 'Think I'm going to eat a lot of biscuits today.'

She also liked an uplifting post by artist and author Charles Mackesy, which encouraged 'holding on' when 'your mind plays tricks on you.'

It read: 'Sometimes your mind plays tricks on you. It can tell you you're no good, that it's all hopeless.

'But remember this; you are loved, and important and you bring to this world things no one else can. So hold on.'

She recently opened up about her battles with depression and admitted she considered self-harm while talking to Saturdays star Frankie Bridge on her podcast Open Mind.

Candice said that baking had helped her deal with mental health issues, adding 'I suffer with clinical depression, chronic phobia and PTSD. 'It's hard and it's a real battle.

Liam has previously told of the strain their marriage was put under when Candice was pictured kissing Bake Off judge Paul Hollywood goodbye (above) shortly after their 2018 wedding day

People have got no idea what I've had going on in my brain for the past five or six years.

'It's been s*** and it's probably going to be with me forever. When it got really bad baking was what I would do.'

Candice admitted attending group therapy because of her difficulties, saying: 'I had not very nice thoughts of how I could get out of it.'

Liam admitted last month that he continues to be worried about Candice's health and the tough times she faces living in the public spotlight.

He said: 'I will always be there for her.'

A spokesperson for Candice has been approached for comment.
TAFE has provided a $92.5 billion benefit to the Australian economy, according to a new analysis that recommends a further $2.5 billion investment in wage subsidies for apprentices to help stem the collapse in new positions.

The analysis comes as TAFE NSW joins four universities to form a new jobs taskforce based in western Sydney.

New analysis shows that TAFE has provided a $92.5 billion a year benefit to the Australian economy. Credit:Adam McLean

The taskforce - which includes the University of NSW, Western Sydney University, the University of Wollongong and University of Newcastle - will work together to provide rapid training and reskilling programs.

The federal government is also focused on reforming vocational education and training to address skills shortages needed to help rebuild the post-coronavirus economy.
This Independence Day, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal will hoist the tricolour and deliver his speech from the Delhi Secretariat, which will be telecast live via the governments social media handles, in the light of Covid-19 lockdown norms that prohibit gatherings.

This would mark a break from the traditional celebrations at North Delhis Chhatrasal Stadium where the chief minister participates in a parade a tribute to the freedom fighters followed by a flag-hoisting ceremony and a speech, in the presence of thousands of people. Most of the galleries are often occupied by school children.

In his speech this year, a senior official in the chief ministers office (CMO) said, Kejriwal will focus on Delhis fight against Covid-19including a vote of thanks addressing all doctors, health care workers, sanitation workers, plasma donors and all Covid warriors. He will not, in all likelihood, announce any new scheme or policy.

At Chhatrasal Stadium last year, Kejriwal had announced the governments scheme of providing free rides to women in Delhi buseswhich was implemented from September 29.

The guest list this year will be limited to 100. The flag will be hoisted in the outdoor area of the Secretariat. The chief minister is likely to give his speech from his office on the third floor. We are also considering using the open plazas on the first and second floors. A final call on that is yet to be taken. But there will be no parade or other celebrations, the CMO official said.

Cabinet minister Gopal Rai said, Keeping in mind the Covid-19 pandemic, the Delhi government has decided to cancel the mega cultural programme celebrating Independence Day at Chhatrasal Stadium. However, a small programme will take place at the Delhi Secretariat. The chief minister and all the Cabinet ministers will be present.

Among other invitees are all seven Lok Sabha MPs of Delhi, all three Rajya Sabha MPs, all MLAs, the Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court, mayors of the three municipal corporations, bureaucrats working with the Delhi government and officials of the Tihar central jail, Rai added.
Pa. private schools form 'Christian school district' with in-person classes this fall

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Two suburban Philadelphia private schools have merged to create what they are calling a Christian school district and plan to have full-time, in-person classes this fall.

The schools  Berks Christian School and West-Mont Christian Academy in Pottstown  will remain as separate schools but have officialized the partnership in which they will share a single leadership team.

It has been a very exciting week at BCS as we announced creating a Christian school district with our friends from West-Mont Christian Academy! a post on the BCS Facebook page reads.

According to BCS, the process to merge the schools resources to create a Christian school district serving three counties was in the works before the coronavirus pandemic. Both schools offer preschool through 12th-grade education.

We are so thankful that God is always working in His perfect timing! the BCS Facebook post states.

According to The Reading Eagle, resources at both schools will be merged to provide more robust biblically-integrated education across Berks, Montgomery and Chester counties.

The schools say they share a "philosophical common ground of excellence in Biblically-based education that motivates students to lead and serve in their local communities."

"The combined resources of the district will allow more robust programming on both campuses," Phil Warner, Berks Christian's head of school, told the newspaper.

The schools worked together to create an online format when Pennsylvania mandated all schools halt in-person instruction amid the pandemic.

The online program will be enhanced and available for the coming academic year through the new partnership.

Home education is also offered by the new district, through both Berks and West-Mont.

According to the Annie E. Casie Foundation, 24,658 Pennsylvania children are enrolled in homeschool programs, as homeschooling has gained popularity since 2014.

Each group had pieces that came together to allow us to be responsive to our parents and students, Anthony Buttacy, West-Monts Head of School said in a statement. To continue to grow, this district model is the next step to take to ensure that both campuses continue to thrive.

The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) has released a lengthy set of guidelines for school officials and teachers as the state prepares for the academic year during the coronavirus pandemic.

According to a recent statement, individual counties will cater their instruction to two metrics: incidence rate and percent positivity.

Counties, including Berks, Montgomery and Chester, will review the two metrics to determine whether the coronavirus risk is low, moderate or substantial. Guidelines on how to instruct students safely depend on this dictation, according to the department.

It is important to note that a safe return to in-person instruction will look different across every school, district, and county depending on a variety of factors, the PDE statement reads. One of which is the spread of COVID-19.

School entity decisions on instructional models require a great deal of consideration of local factors, the statement continued. Including size of the school entity, classroom size, school resources, proportion of staff and students with special needs and underlying health conditions, and the ability to accommodate remote learning with equal access for all students.

A county with a low level of coronavirus cases (5% positivity rate) is recommended to use full in-person or a blended teaching model in schools. Counties with a moderate level (5% to 10% positivity rate) are recommended to use a blended or fully-remote model. Counties with a high level are recommended to instruct in a fully-remote style.

As of Tuesday, Montgomery County has had over 10,000 coronavirus cases. Montgomery has the most cases among counties served by the new Christian school district. Chester and Berks have both had over 5,000 coronavirus cases reported as of Wednesday evening.

The new system plans to begin with in-person instruction starting Aug. 1.

According to a post on the West-Mont Christian Academy Facebook page, the school has capped class sizes to ensure social distancing requirements are met in each of its classrooms.

According to the schools joint COVID-19 preparedness plan, class sizes will not go above the number of desks that can be kept at least 6 feet apart.

All communal spaces, such as faculty or student lounges, lobbies, cafeterias, and libraries, will be closed, the plan states.

The new school district positions both schools to meet the challenges of the current COVID-19 crisis and to provide excellent education to families in the region for years to come," according to the BCS statement.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have secretly bought a private family home in Santa Barbara, ditching Tyler Perry's 12-bedroom Beverly Hills mansion for 'considerable privacy.'

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been living in the upscale California community for six weeks since early July, Page Six reports.

'Harry and Meghan have been quietly living in their own home in Santa Barbara since early July,' an. unnamed source revealed.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been living in the upscale California community for six weeks since early July

'They are not houseguests of Oprah or anyone else, they bought this home themselves. This is where they want to continue their lives after leaving the UK.

'This is the first home either of them has ever owned. It has been a very special time for them as a couple and as a family  to have complete privacy for six weeks since they moved in.

'They intend to put down their roots in this house and the quiet community, which has considerable privacy. This is where they want to bring Archie up, where they hope he can have as normal a life as possible.'

Little details are known about the home, but the source adds that the couple have vetted the home.

Harry and Meghan had been staying at Tyler Perry's $18million, 12-bedroom, eight-bathroom Beverly Hills mansion for the last few months

'They have thought about this carefully and researched it well. This is the place where they plan to be happy, make good friends and bring up Archie, giving him the chance to play with other children his age,' the source said.

Harry and Meghan had been staying at Tyler Perry's $18million, 12-bedroom, eight-bathroom Beverly Hills mansion for the last few months.

Perry is close friends with Oprah, who lives just a few miles away from where the couple now reside. He is also represented by some of the same people representing the couple.

Perry is close friends with Oprah, who is the couple's new neighbor

'While it was a nice favor to them at a very difficult time, Tyler Perry's house with 18 bedrooms isn't Harry's style. Yes, he grew up in royalty and the halls of Buckingham Palace, but he prefers more intimate homes with character,' the source shared.

The couple have had to launch a lawsuit against numerous paparazzi agencies after Archie was pictured with Meghan's mom Doria Ragland in a driveway at the house.

'Harry and Meghan are both very upset by this breach of privacy, but that wasn't the reason they left Los Angeles. They were already in the process of buying their home in Santa Barbara.

'Harry and Meghan never intended to make Los Angeles their home. It was a good place for them to be upon their arrival in the US to be close to Meghan's mom [who lives in LA],' the source shared.

Oprah's massive $90million estate in Montecito with stunning visuals of the ocean

The young family will have several notable celeb neighbors in their lavish new neighborhood, which boasts home that go for more than $100million.

Oprah has a massive $90million estate in Montecito with stunning visuals of the ocean, and Ellen DeGeneres has a few homes in the area, as well.

A spokesperson for the couple confirmed that they have moved to the new home.

'The Duke and Duchess of Sussex moved into their family home in July of this year. They have settled into the quiet privacy of their community since their arrival and hope that this will be respected for their neighbors, as well as for them as a family,' the source said.
Best Roofing Company of Conyers & Covington GA, Braswell Construction Group, offers $500 OFF or a FREE architectural shingle upgrade to all Georgia residences impacted by the recent hail storm.

COVINGTON, GA / ACCESSWIRE / August 12, 2020 / Major recent storms in Covington & Conyers GA are requiring the skill and expertise only Elite Premier Status Contractors, like Braswell Construction Group, Inc. (BCG) can offer. When asked what makes them unique, owner Chris Braswell states "We are recognized as an Award-Winning Owens Corning Platinum Contractor with elite status within their Platinum Preferred Contractors, and we are one of few Preferred Contractors in Georgia that is given this recognition by meeting the highest standards of qualifications to be considered the best of the best in the roofing industry. We are also an Insurance claim specialist and work closely with homeowners and Insurance companies to guarantee our clients get what they deserve should they have storm, water, or fire damage. We are also certified by the IICRC for water damage and applied structural dry-outs."

More information can be found at: https://www.braswellconstructiongroup.com

BCG also offers free next-day inspections to assist in beginning this process. A trained expert team member will inspect the roof and determine the extent of the storm damage. Covington GA Roofing Contractor, Braswell Construction Group. is distinctive in that they provide a premium service as being the liaison between the homeowner/business and their insurance provider at no extra cost. They do everything from reviewing the estimate, which guarantees that all required repairs are included in the scope of work, to speaking with the Insurance provider over the telephone to ensure that all paperwork necessary to secure your claim is promptly turned in. BCG has extensive knowledge of the claim procedure with most insurance companies.

Unlike other Contractors that only help with a single trade like replacing the roof, Braswell Construction Group, Inc. handles the restoration or remodel project from start to finish, which in the end saves the customer time, money, and headaches. Their mission is to earn trust by providing timely and quality services. Since exterior property damage may essentially cause further exterior damage, interior damage, or environmental health hazards, Braswell Construction Group, Inc. encourages customers impacted by the recent Covington GA storms to take advantage of the free inspection and estimate offer plus either $500 off the project or a free upgrade to an architectural shingle roof.

Although damage may not be apparent to the homeowner immediately, it is recommended to have an experienced professional, such as BCG, to physically inspect your roof if your area has experienced hail ranging from  inches in diameter or larger. A homeowner's insurance policy should cover the roof replacement as a natural disaster for both wind and hail, meaning that premiums should remain the same once the claim is made.

Braswell Construction Group offers free next-day inspections to assist in beginning this process. A trained expert team member will inspect the roof and determine the extent of the storm damage.

Because of BCG's highly coveted elite 'Platinum Preferred Contractor' status recognition and the recipient of the 2020 Product Excellence Award, coupled with its outstanding BBB rating, Angie's List high ratings, and Super Service Awards and countless other high ratings, reviews, accolades and acceptance to elite trade associations; customers can feel confident knowing that their roofing project is in the hands of the best of the best the state of Georgia has to offer when it comes to quality, experienced professionals to handle all their restoration and remodeling needs.

Braswell Construction Group operates from four Georgia locations to service homeowners with all their roofing and restoration needs in Covington/Conyers, Atlanta, Stone Mountain, Greensboro/Lake Oconee, and their respective surrounding areas.

For more information contact Braswell Constructions Group at their website given above or by calling 678-283-2551.

Contact Info:

Organization: Braswell Construction Group, Inc. Roofing & Restoration

Email: info@braswellconstructiongroup.com

Contact: Michelle Bird

Address: 6105 Emory St NW, Covington, GA 30014

Phone: +1-678-283-2551

Website: https://www.braswellconstructiongroup.com

SOURCE: Braswell Construction Group

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/601340/Covington-GA-Roofing-Contractor-Braswell-Construction-Group-Assists-Homeowners-with-Insurance-Approved-Roof-Replacements-Due-to-the-Recent-Hail-Storm
Rob Delaney has had a vasectomy after he and his wife went through an 'insane six years of being pregnant and breastfeeding, and sometimes doing those things while caring for a dying child'.

The Catastrophe star, 43, said while he is 'sad' he won't get partner Leah pregnant again, the couple haven't ruled out having more children in the future via adoption.

The actor and writer detailed the process in a candid piece for the Guardian, explaining while his whole family 'loves babies', they have been through a great deal after the death of son Henry two years ago when he was just two.

'I'm sad I won't get Leah pregnant again': Catastrophe star Rob Delaney has detailed his vasectomy but says he and his wife are having unprotected sex BEFORE finding out if op was a success (pictured in April 2018)

He said: 'I did this because my wife and I dont want her to get pregnant again. It doesnt mean we dont want any more kids, it just means that if we did have any more, theyd have to be adopted or stolen or left to us because friends or family with young kids died in a plane crash or had their brain stems blown apart by less-lethal rounds fired at them at point-blank range while they were waiting in an 11-hour line.'

'I am sad sometimes that I wont get Leah pregnant again. Our youngest recently turned two and it hurts to think that we wont make more chunky little nuggets together.

'We really love babies... But after an insane six years of being pregnant and breastfeeding, and sometimes doing those things while caring for a dying child. On balance, were glad I did it.'

Rob said that he is yet to have his semen tested to find out if the operation was a success due to Covid, but he has been having unprotected sex with his wife.

Ouch! Rob explained that his operation was done under local anaesthetic but he admitted he could feel much of what was being done by doctors

He jokes that this might mean that they end up having more babies.

Rob said that his wife had been pregnant for three of the eight years they have been together and they had four beautiful boys.

Sadly, their beloved son Henry died in January 2018 from a brain tumour when he was aged two. He had been diagnosed in 2016.

The toddler underwent surgery to remove a tumour in addition to further treatment, spending a gruelling 15 months in hospital. But his family were told his cancer had returned in the autumn of 2017 before he passed away the following January.

Father and son: Rob and Leah sadly lost their son Henry to cancer cwhen he was aged two - he paid tribute to him on Father's Day with this picture two years on from his heartbreaking death

What is a vasectomy and what are the risks? A vasectomy, or male sterilisation, is a procedure to cut the tubes that carry a man's sperm to permanently prevent pregnancy without further contraception. It can usually be done under local anaesthetic and takes about 15 minutes, according to the NHS. The procedure is only usually carried out on older men, and surgeons are often reluctant to carry it out on people under 30 in case they regret it later. The NHS lists possible complications as being a collection of blood inside the scrotum (haematoma), hard lumps called sperm granulomas (caused by sperm leaking from the tubes) or an infection. Long-term testicle pain is another possible complication, which may need further surgery to deal with. The percentage of men who experience this pain is debated, with different figures cited by various sources. Advertisement

Rob said that being in the hospital to have his vasectomy brought back all sorts of memories of Hnnry.

He said that he 'fantasised about them telling me Id have to stay in the hospital for a while,' and he could use that time to think about his late son and feel a 'close communion' with him.

Rob also paid tribute to Henry on Father's Day, this year.

The actor and writer shared a photo of a newborn Henry sleeping on his lap, telling his Instagram followers: 'I'm still his dad & he's still my son.'

Rob explained that his vasectomy was done under local anaesthetic but he admitted he could feel much of what was being done by doctors.

And because he had not been nil by mouth before the operation, they were unable to give him anything stronger to block out the sensations.

So he said he had to put up with it, feeling everything that was taking place during the 30-minute procedure but acknowledged it was nothing compared to his wife's four labours.

Rob said that his youngest son has just turned two and he is sad that they won't be having anymore because he and Leah 'really love babies.'

While he and Leah have been engaging in some risky love-making, he said he thinks the operation did work as she usually gets pregnant 'with the speed and purpose with which I run to the gas station when were out of peanut butter.'

He joked that the gas station is the nearly place to his house which sells peanut butter.
Aura Energy Ltd - Australian minerals exploration firm - Moves to final stage of CAD4.5 million gold funding term sheet with Toronto-listed Chilean Metals Inc for Aura's gold, base and battery metal tenements in Mauritania. Deal will be between Aura and the new joint venture formed, named Achean Gold Inc. Achean Gold to be granted the licences on sales and receive CAD4.5 million in four scheduled payments before October 2021. Following this, Aura will own 50% of Achean Gold.

Also on Monday, Aura says it has filed documents with Supreme Court of Victoria to start proceedings against ASEAN Deep Value Fund. Claims ASEAN and associates breached rules on disclosures on substantial holdings. Aura seeks to have extraordinary general meeting called by ASEAN deferred from the current scheduled date of Friday.

Current stock price: 0.58 pence

Year-to-date change: more than doubled from 0.28 pence

By Dayo Laniyan; dayolaniyan@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2020 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
The 11 U.S. lawmakers and nonprofit leaders sanctioned Monday by China are speaking out, with one spokesperson characterizing the new measures as "not credible" and others as an attempt to "distract" from China's crackdown in Hong Kong.

White House spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany said China's new sanctions are "symbolic and ineffectual," but she would not say if the U.S. government would respond.

China announced sanctions on prominent Republican Sens. Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio, along with four other Republican lawmakers, though China did not target any Trump administration officials. Five individuals at non-profit and rights groups, including Kenneth Roth, executive director of the advocacy group Human Rights Watch, also were named. The announcement was a direct response to sanctions the U.S. imposed three days earlier on Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam and 10 other officials in the special administrative region, including the current and former police chiefs.

"In response to those wrong U.S. behaviors, China has decided to impose sanctions on individuals who have behaved egregiously on Hong Kong-related issues," said Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian at a press briefing Monday. Zhao did not say what exactly the sanctions would include.

China already announced sanctions against Rubio, Cruz and Rep. Chris Smith last month, after the U.S. criticized China and imposed sanctions for the country's treatment of its Uighur ethnic minority. The three lawmakers were banned from traveling to China. "The Chinese Communist Party thinks that it can distract from its crackdown on Hong Kong, including the arrest of freedom fighter Jimmy Lai, by re-announcing sanctions against Sen. Cruz that were already not credible to begin with, said Lauren Blair Aronson, a spokesperson for Cruz, in an e-mail to VOA. "It won't work." Cruz himself joked Monday on Twitter that he was "starting to think they [China] don't like me."

China views as outside interference U.S. outrage and policy regarding its often violent approach to Hong Kong and the Uighur ethnic minority. "I want to reiterate that Hong Kong is China's Hong Kong and Hong Kong affairs are China's internal affairs that no external forces can interfere in," said Lijian, the foreign ministry spokesman. "China urges the U.S. to recognize the situation and correct its wrongdoings, and not to go further and further on the wrong path."
Phuket honours Queen Sirikits Birthday

PHUKET: The islands top-ranking officials joined a merit-making ceremony at Queen Sirikit Park in Phuket Town this morning to honour the 88th birthday of the Queen Mother Sirikit Kitiyakara, mother to His Majesty The King Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun. In her honour, today (Aug 12) is also celebrated as Mothers Day throughout the country.

culture

By The Phuket News

Wednesday 12 August 2020, 11:38AM

Leading officials joined the mass merit-making ceremony with 89 monks from temples across Phuket to honour Queen Sirikits 88th birthday. Photo: PR Phuket

Phuket Governor Narong Woonciew this morning joined a mass merit-making ceremony with 89 monks from temples across Phuket to honour Queen Sirikits 88th birthday. Photo: PR Phuket

Phuket Governor Narong Woonciew this morning joined a mass merit-making ceremony with 89 monks from temples across Phuket to honour Queen Sirikits 88th birthday. Photo: PR Phuket

Phuket Governor Narong Woonciew this morning joined a mass merit-making ceremony with 89 monks from temples across Phuket to honour Queen Sirikits 88th birthday. Photo: PR Phuket

Phuket Governor Narong Woonciew this morning joined a mass merit-making ceremony with 89 monks from temples across Phuket to honour Queen Sirikits 88th birthday. Photo: PR Phuket

Phuket Governor Narong Woonciew this morning joined a mass merit-making ceremony with 89 monks from temples across Phuket to honour Queen Sirikits 88th birthday. Photo: PR Phuket

Phuket Governor Narong Woonciew this morning joined a mass merit-making ceremony with 89 monks from temples across Phuket to honour Queen Sirikits 88th birthday. Photo: PR Phuket

Leading the ceremony, which included the giving of alms to 89 monks, was Phuket Governor Narong Woonciew. The 89 monks taking part in the blessing ceremony represented temples from across the island.

Joining the occasion were Phukets three Vice Governors, the islands highest-ranking police commanders, senior officials as well as members of the public and school children to celebrate Queen Sirikits and recognise her various charitable efforts for the nation.

The official birthday activities continued at Phuket Rajabhat University at 9am, where attendees throughout the day have the opportunity to sign an official book of birthday wishes for Queen Sirikit.

At 5:30pm, there will be the ceremony to pay respects to Queen Sirikit and a candle-lit ceremony.

All government offices are closed today.

Although the sale of alcohol on the Queens Birthday is not prohibited by law, police traditionally encourage people to refrain from drinking alcohol on the auspicious day as a sign of respect and in honour of Queen Sirikit.
Burma Myanmar Human Rights Body: Killings at Mandalay Youth Center Tied to Rule Breaches, Staff Shortage

Mandalay Youth Center is involved in a police investigation following the death of two teenagers at the center in early August. / Zaw Zaw / The Irrawaddy

MANDALAYThe Myanmar National Human Rights Commission (MNHRC) said Wednesday that the killing of two teenagers last week at Mandalay Youth Center was the result of poor adherence to rules and regulations and insufficient numbers of staff at the center.

Pyae Phyo Maung and Khaing Zaw Tun, both age 17, were beaten by other youth at the center last week and died soon after.

The parents of the deceased accused the center authorities of being involved in the deaths and the news since gone viral on the Internet. The MNHRC began investigating the deaths on Friday.

Pyae Phyo Maung, Khaing Zaw Tun and three others from Mandalays Monywa Township were sentenced to two years in prison for robbery after confessing and were sent to Mandalay Youth Center on July 26, 2018.

During the centers lunch time on Aug. 5, the two tried to run away, according to the center authorities and their parents. They were reportedly caught, brought back to the center and then beaten up by the other youth at the center.

Pyae Phyo Maung died that day and Khaing Zaw Tun died the next day. According to their parents, their bodies were bruised and injured, mainly on their heads.

The officials from the MNHRC found that there were only five staff at the center on that day and that the older teenagers tried to catch [the deceased], MNHRC chair U Hla Myint told The Irrawaddy. The youth and the teachers there said the runaway youth and the others got in a fight, which resulted in the death of the pair.

According to the MNHRC investigation team, the center said that Pyae Phyo Maung died one hour after being brought back to the center, after he was beaten by the older youth.

Since there are few staff at the center, due to the low budget for youth centers, the staff could not fully handle the youth. In addition, we found that the adherence to the rules and regulations of the center was weak, and that resulted in such an incident, U Hla Myint added.

There are 23 staff and about 500 youth at Mandalay Youth Center. The youth at the center have been sentenced to serve prison terms and some are still facing lawsuits at courts in Mandalay.

The MNHRC said it sent the report on the incident to the minister of home affairs and the minister of social welfare, relief and resettlement, along with the suggestion to set strict rules and regulations for the center.

We suggest that they do a proper investigation, take action against those who brutally beat [Pyae Phyo Maung and Khaing Zaw Tun] and set strict rules and regulation to avoid violence at the center, U Hla Myint added.

The MNHRC said the police in Mandalay are handling the case and investigating the teenagers who were involved in the incident to take legal action against them.

These youth centers have to handle youth who committed crimes, many of them with incorrigible behaviors, U Hla Myint explained. However, letting youth commit violations and become involved in such a brutal incident is not good and shows the need for special care and rules and regulations. The low numbers of staff and low budget have resulted in such brutal incidents in many youth centers in our country that affect the youth as well as the teachers and the staff.

According to figures from the Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement, there are 10 youth training schools operating under its Department of Social Welfare in: Mandalay; Yangon; Thanlyin, Yangon Region; Lashio, Shan State; Mawlamyine, Mon State; and Labutta, Ayeyarwady Region.

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-11 22:48:45|Editor: huaxia

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Photo provided by Russian Direct Investment Fund on Aug. 11, 2020 shows the vaccine to prevent coronavirus infection developed by the Gamaleya Federal Research Center in Moscow, Russia. (Xinhua/RDIF)



Iraq Tuesday expressed hope of securing Russia's #COVID19 vaccine as the country reported 3,396 new infections during the past 24 hours.

BAGHDAD, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- An Iraqi health official said on Tuesday that Iraq wants to secure the Russian COVID-19 vaccine after it is internationally approved, as the country's health ministry reported 3,396 new cases during the past 24 hours.

The Iraqi health authorities are continuing to follow up the international attempts to produce coronavirus vaccines, said Riyadh Abdul-Amir, head of the ministry's public health department, in a press release.

Abdul-Amir's comments came hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin declared that Russia had registered the world's first vaccine against the novel coronavirus.

The new 3,396 cases brought the total nationwide infections in Iraq to 156,995, with 18,901 testing kits used during the day, the ministry said in a statement.

So far, Iraq has used 1,183,950 testing kits, according to the ministry statement.

It also reported 67 fatalities during the day, raising the death toll to 5,531, while 2,312 more patients recovered, bringing the total number of recoveries to 112,102.

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 Iraq's capital Baghdad.

Since March 7, China has also sent three batches of medical aid to Iraq. 
Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard announces 11 charges against former Atlanta police officer Garrett Rolfe in Atlanta, Ga., on June 17, 2020. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

DA Who Charged Atlanta Officer With Murder Ousted in Election

Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard was ousted Aug. 11 in a runoff election, losing to his former deputy Fani Willis.

In June, Howard had quickly charged Garrett Rolfe, a former Atlanta police officer, with murder, just five days after Rolfe shot a suspect who was pointing a Taser at him.

Rayshard Brooks, the suspect, died at the scene.

Howard focused on how Brooks didnt appear to pose a threat for the first part of an interaction with police. After Rolfe and another officer tried to arrest Brooks, the man resisted arrest and stole one of their Tasers, firing it at the officers multiple times.

Rolfes lawyer said the officer heard what he thought was a gunshot and drew his weapon in a shooting that was described as driven by protocol by Steven Gaynor, president of Cobb County Fraternal Order of Police, a police union.

This screen grab taken from dashboard camera video provided by the Atlanta Police Department shows Rayshard Brooks, center, struggling with Officers Garrett Rolfe, left, and Devin Brosnan in the parking lot of a Wendys restaurant, in Atlanta, Ga., on June 13, 2020. (Atlanta Police Department via AP)

Many observers expressed concern about how fast Howard moved to charge Rolfe, including Attorney General William Barr.

I certainly would have liked to have seen the Georgia Bureau of Investigation complete their investigation before charges were brought, and also, the use of a grand jury, Barr said when asked about the case, referring to the bureaus independent probe into the shooting.

The grand jury process provides some protection to have the citizens, in a group, decide that there has been a crime committed. And there was no grand jury used in this case.

Howard is under investigation by the bureau. Investigators are looking at a salary supplement Howard and Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed negotiated earlier this year as well as grand jury subpoenas issued by Howards office without a grand jury in place, Fox 5 reported. Howard admitted last week that he didnt properly disclose a role with two nonprofits that paid him hundreds of thousands of dollars and agreed to pay a $6,500 fine.

Howard, a Democrat who was in office for more than 20 years, conceded the race late Aug. 11.

Fani T. Willis is your Fulton County District Attorney  Electhttps://t.co/jJbaGedHD4  Fani Willis For Fulton District Attorney (@FaniWillisForDA) August 12, 2020

Ive worked hard for the 23 years that Ive been in the DAs office. I dont have any regrets about the work that weve done, Howard told reporters.

Willis celebrated the win at her home.

They want a district attorney who brings justice to everyone in Fulton County, whether you are rich or poor, prominent or private, black, white, Hispanic, Asian, whether youre from the northside or the southside, Willis said from her front porch.

They want a district attorney that will fight the tough fights to bring justice to victims.

Howard was the first black district attorney in the county; Willis will be the first woman.

The election was a Democratic primary runoff but there is no Republican candidate for the position.

Willis told Fox in a July interview that she sees the district attorneys job as investigating cases and, upon completion of an investigation, if evidence is there, charging people.

I will charge each and every one of those persons that violates the law, she said. But I will not charge anyone unless due process is done, which means we are going to give them a proper investigation.

Williss campaign website outlines a proposal to create pre-indictment diversion programs, which would be aimed at diverting certain offenders from the traditional criminal justice processing into a program of supervision and services administered by the district attorneys office and community partners.

This, to allow a more focused use of our resources, with an emphasis on violent crimes, bringing those who are a danger to our community, to justice, it states.
A software development team in the Boston office of Kessel Run, a program within the DOD's Defense Innovation Unit (U.S. Air Force photo by J.M. Eddins Jr.)

Eli Whitney, the inventor of the cotton gin, demonstrated the value of interchangeable parts in 1801 to the U.S. Congress, President John Adams and President-elect Thomas Jefferson. Whitney proved the viability and the military value of interchangeable parts by stripping down several muskets, then reassembling a functional musket from random parts from the disassembled muskets.

Today, we take for granted that parts are interchangeable -- from the bolt carrier of a rifle to the alternator on a transport vehicle, we assume that one is as good as another. But, as with information systems developed today, muskets of that era were bespoke artisanal creations. The parts for any given firearm were custom fitted to accommodate the variation in manufacturing for the other components comprising the whole. A gunsmith would be necessary to replace the hammer or pan of a musket and return it to working condition. The same can be said for information systems today that often require a specialist or team of specialists to configure, deploy, modify or repair in the instance of a failure.

To address the bespoke nature of information systems and to gain the same types of benefits for information systems that interchangeable parts brought to manufacturing, the Department of Defense is adopting DevSecOps. It's an approach that has seen accelerated growth in the public sector over the last two years, especially within DOD and warrants a closer look.

First, what is DevSecOps? DevSecOps is a combination of processes, tools and people, which combine with enterprise values across the disciplines of Development, Security and Operations. DevSecOps form a unique culture to enable more efficient delivery and management of secure software.

The integration of security augments the DevOps practices seen in industry. Its important to integrate security throughout the process in government adoption to effectively reap the benefits of iterative improvements. Traditional development processes more often incorporate security as a checkpoint that needs to be passed, but does not integrate security concerns throughout the process. DevSecOps elevates security into a first-class citizen, instead of a bolt-on checkpoint. The adoption of DevSecOps is extensive across the federal government including the General Services Administration, Air Force, Army and Navy.

DevSecOps Processes

From a process standpoint, DevSecOps can be seen as an extension beyond the software development lifecycle practices found in agile development and Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery (CI/CD) methodologies to improve the operational behaviors of the deployed system, including security. Taking the principles of continuous deployment, applying them to operations management and introducing configuration as code, operational tasks can be automated and through this automation, increasing resiliency.

Ultimately, the result can be push-button automation -- the ability to completely redeploy a component of infrastructure from bare metal to full operational capability by kicking off the appropriate automation playbook.

DevSecOps tools

The list of tools utilized in DevSecOps are myriad. Its more important to have the right classes of tools than to have precisely the same tools as another DevSecOps-practicing organization might use. DevSecOps is a combination of all three pillars of processes, tools and people -- there is no single product that can be purchased. Unfortunately, theres no such thing as a DevSecOps box we can install in a datacenter.

The collection of tools are focused around source code version control, build automation, test automation, security validation, performance testing, configuration management and extend into project management systems that permit prioritization, issue tracking and team collaboration.

DevSecOps people

The people component of DevSecOps is often the most challenging in the DOD. Conways Law says that organizations tend to build products with a design that reflects the communication structure of the organization. Organizations organized into silos trend toward applications built into silos. With the tight integration of roles required for effective DevSecOps adoption, many government agencies are seeing a need to flatten their organization structure and integrate IT professionals into cross-functional teams aligned across a product, rather than maintaining role based internal organizations that communicate through ticketing systems.

This restructuring and alignment of personnel helps drive results-driven outcomes by bringing everyone together, working toward the same goal: the successful release of their product.

DevSecOps advantages

DevSecOps brings several advantages to the table for DOD agencies, including shorter time to value, faster iteration to field new capabilities and moving risk left. The most valuable advantage is shortened time to value, whether that value be measured as innovation, reliability, or reduced rollout lead time.

The Waterfall process, the most common traditional development process, however, focuses on extensive requirements documentation and development up front. This can set goals for the development of features and capabilities for the first release of a product that do not all have significant impact or provide wide-reaching value across the user base. DevSecOps is able to bring more value to the enterprise, more quickly, through its iterative feedback process.

DevSecOps hurdles

One of the more significant hurdles in adoption of DevSecOps in government is the concept of the Minimum Viable Product (MVP). However, the MVP is a key component in the value achieved by moving risk left.

The Pareto Principle, or 80/20 rule, resonates even in product development. Often, 80% of users only use 20% of a products capabilities. If a product is developed through the traditional waterfall model, 80% of the users may be blocked from getting value out of the product while waiting for the development and testing of features they wont use. The saying perfect is the enemy of good applies when trying to satisfy the urge to complete every desired feature in a waterfall release schedule. This not only complicates the integration and testing of all of the features, but delays the delivery of valuable features.

DevSecOps is positioned to significantly influence the traditional monolithic acquisition and development processes the federal government has canonized through the nearly 2,000 page long Federal Acquisition Regulation. The FAR defines the processes that must be followed for the acquisition of products and services by executive agencies. Because of the guidance of these regulations, the rhythm of the FAR processes strongly influenced the adoption of waterfall development practices. However, industry has demonstrated that the waterfall model of software development has significant shortcomings when it comes to the development of innovative, novel solutions.

Problem-solving with DevSecOps

When solving a new problem, there are two types of unknowns. Known unknowns are challenges we know upfront we will need to tackle. Unknown unknowns are those unforeseen challenges we will face as we break new ground in the production of a novel solution to an unsolved problem.

When dealing with the production of innovative solutions, the unknown unknowns are the true stumbling blocks that cannot be discovered or predicted when following a Waterfall model until after the schedule is set. This is another area where moving risk left is accomplished by maintaining small, strategic, incremental changes through the DevSecOps feedback loop. If a particular feature is intractable or sufficiently complex, it can be reprioritized, abandoned, dissected, or reimagined much earlier in the development process, before it can impact and possibly prevent the delivery of other valuable capabilities.

Many people, when thinking of DevSecOps, imagine cloud-native web applications using microservice or serverless architectures, or container-based workloads. But DevSecOps is not a process only for the development of these modern architectures. It can be used to develop traditional monolithic applications, n-tier architectures, service-oriented architectures and even embedded systems. DevSecOps, however, significantly improves the viability of producing these more sophisticated systems.

One of the key concepts being developed in the DOD is known as the software factory. Software factories are a realization of the concepts of DevSecOps and are focused on the remediation of the bespoke, artisanal nature of IT systems fielded by the DOD today. Software factories correlate with another development of the industrial revolution, the assembly line. A software factory is dependent on the adoption of DevSecOps principles, but the implementation of DevSecOps does not imply the creation of a software factory, just as the success of the assembly line is dependent on interchangeable parts. Through the adoption of DevSecOps principles, the DOD is moving quickly towards leaner, more responsive, more efficient armed forces.

Note: This is the first in a series of articles, co-published by FCW and the IBM Center for the Business of Government, looking at the impacts the adoption of DevSecOps is having on the federal government. Future articles in this series will explore these issues in greater detail.
Shripad Naik to be discharged from Goa Medical College in four to five days

Union Ayush Minister Shripad Naik tests Covid positive, opts for home isolation

India

oi-Deepika S

New Delhi, Aug 12: Union Minister of State for AYUSH Shripad Y Naik has tested positive for Covid-19. He is going into home isolation because he's asymptomatic. Naik i the fifth minister in the Narendra Modi government to have tested for Covid-19.

"I underwent Covid-19 test today and it has turned out assymptomaically (sic) positive. My vitals are within normal limits and I have opted for home isolation. Those who have came in contact with me in last few days are advised to get tested for themselves and take required precautions," Naik said on Twitter.

Shripad Naik had claimed that Britain's Prince Charles was also cured of Covid-19 by Ayurveda. However, when Prince Charles rejected this claim, the minister said it was obvious for him to refuse. "I am hundred and one per cent sure that he got cured because of Ayurveda," the minister said.

IAF writes to censor board over negative potrayal in Gunjan saxena | Oneindia News

With new cases of coronavirus, pandemic threatens New Zealand's fan-filled stadiums

Naik, who is also MoS Defence, is the latest minister in the Narendra Modi cabinet to test positive for the virus. Amit Shah, Arjun Ram Meghwal, Vishvas Sarang, Dharmendra Pradhan are already hospitalised.

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Story first published: Wednesday, August 12, 2020, 19:41 [IST]
Xiaomi has launched a new premium-end smartphone, the Mi 10 Ultra. The phone has been launched in the company's hme country China to celebrate the company's 10th anniversary in the smartphone business.

The device is a premium segment offering that has been announced with a host of new features, including support for 120W charging and 120Hz screen refresh rate among others. As of now, the phone remains available only in the Chinese market with Xiaomi not revealing any plans to launch it in other markets such as India. With the launch of this device, the series now brings four devices -- Mi 10 Ultra, Mi 10, Mi 10 Pro and Mi 10 Lite. Of these, only the Mi 10 is currently available in India.

As for the Mi 10 Ultra, the phone has been made available at a starting price of CNY 5,299 for the 8GB RAM and 128GB storage variant. The 8GB RAM/ 256GB storage variant of the device is available at CNY 5,599, 12GB RAM/ 256GB storage and 16GB RAM/ 512GB storage variants are available at CNY 5,999 and CNY 6,999, respectively. The phone has been made available in three colours, Obsidian Black, Mercury Silver, and a Transparent Edition.

Mi 10 Ultra: Specifications

Mi 10 Ultra comes with a 6.67-inch full-HD+ OLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate. Underneath, there's a Qualcomm Snapdragon 865+ paired with 16GB LPDDR 5 RAM and up to 512GB UFS 3.1 storage. The phone comes with features like VC liquid cooling, multi-layer graphite, thermal sensor array, and Graphene for effective temperature management.

It comes running MIUI 12 and is powered by a 4500mAh battery paired with 120W charging support. The phone also promises support for 50W wireless fast charging. In terms of cameras, the phone gets a quad rear camera setup with a 48-megapixel primary sensor, 20-megapixel ultra-wide sensor, 12-megapixel portrait sensor and a telephoto lens with 120X ultra-zoom support. The phone also includes a laser auto-focus and a flicker sensor. Additionally, the Mi 10 Ultra also suppors recording 8K videos from the primary and telephoto sensor. For selfies, there's a 20-megapixel camera as well.
Sweden had more confirmed COVID-19 cases and fatalities than other Scandinavian countries, which implemented lockdown in March

Herd immunity is a concept that we all got acquainted with during the COVID-19 pandemic. It means that when a certain percentage of people get an infection in a community, the remaining are protected de facto.

During the initial phase of the pandemic, most countries had been sealing their borders and implementing strict lockdowns to control the spread of the disease, which would, in turn, keep their ICUs from becoming overburdened. However, a few countries like the UK and Sweden had planned to keep only the susceptible people safe while letting the disease spread at a low rate to achieve herd immunity. Experts had suggested that to achieve herd immunity, 70% of the total population in an area should get the disease or get vaccinated against it.

However, soon it was evident that herd immunity might come at a big cost when the cases started to surge in the UK and the government decided to seal the borders. On the other hand, Sweden never sealed their borders and their social distancing guidelines also came later in March. Nevertheless, as other countries sealed their border, Swedens borders were also, in a way, sealed.

A new study, published in the Journal of Royal Society of Medicine, suggests that Sweden got only 15 percent immunity as opposed to the predicted 40 percent by May 2020. The country had more confirmed COVID-19 cases and fatalities than other Scandinavian countries, which implemented lockdown in March.

Data from Spain

This is not the first time a study or data has shown the impossibility of herd immunity when it comes to COVID-19. An earlier study, conducted in Spain, also had similar results. The study involving over 61,000 people from various areas of the country found that only 5 percent of the people had antibodies against the disease. Immunity was higher in areas that were hit harder by the virus than those where the rate of spread was lower. Presence of antibodies against a pathogen is generally translated to being immune to the said pathogen.

Diminishing antibodies

Experts have over and again been pointing out that immunity to coronavirus may not last for long even in those who got the disease. A study conducted in China found that both asymptomatic and symptomatic people lose a big part of neutralising antibodies within 2-3 months of recovering from the infection. Neutralising antibodies are those that fight against and eliminate the virus from the body.

Studies with common cold-causing coronaviruses have also shown that our antibodies against these viruses quickly decline after the infection with an antibody drop of 75 percent within a year.

In fact, scientists have been concerned that if such is the case with SARS-CoV-2, we might have to get a vaccine every six months to sustain immunity against the disease.

Immunological dark matter

Dr Karl Friston, a professor of imaging neuroscience at the University College London, proposed a generative model for studying and predicting the course of COVID-19 pandemic, which is based on American physicist Richard Feynmans theories.

Unlike the SEIR (susceptible, exposed, infected, recovered) model used by epidemiologists, which is based on data collected in real-time, the generative model uses possible causes (based on reasoning and observation) to build a model. When we get proof of the causes or against them, the data is changed accordingly.

Friston suggests that generative models can provide a more accurate picture of what is going to happen. He had predicted that cases would peak in London on April 10 and the actual peak did happen close enough - two days later.

To explain the unknown factors in the model, he used the term immunological dark matter. Friston believed the reason Germany got fewer cases was either because a lot of its population is not even susceptible to the virus or because they are geographically isolated - as opposed to more testing, which is largely being considered the cause.

The concept has been criticised by a lot of scientists in the world. The generational model does not include public places like clubs or schools in their data but only people at home or hospitals, which is considered a possible flaw in need of fixing.

T-cell immunity

Whether Fristons model is correct or now, it remains to be seen. However, researchers at Karolinska University have indicated the presence of something called T-cell immunity in people who have recovered from the disease and do not have any antibodies left. The study suggested that we need to look beyond antibody tests to check for the presence of widespread immunity in a population.

According to an article published by the NIH, those who have had encounters with other coronaviruses are less susceptible to COVID-19, indicating some sort of cross-reactivity.

In any case, a lot remains unknown about the disease still, including whether T-cells can provide herd immunity and if some people are naturally immune to the disease.

For more information on herd immunity, read our article on What is herd immunity and can it stop the spread of COVID-19.

Health articles in Firstpost are written by myUpchar.com, Indias first and biggest resource for verified medical information. At myUpchar, researchers and journalists work with doctors to bring you information on all things health.
Weather warnings remain in place for much of the UK after thunderstorms continued to cause disruption amid scorching temperatures.

Yellow thunderstorm warnings have been issued for much of England, Wales, parts of Northern Ireland and southwest Scotland, with the potential for lightning, heavy rainfall and hail on Thursday.

It comes after temperatures above 34C were recorded for the sixth day in a row in parts of southern England, for the first time since at least 1961.

Temperatures could remain above 20C (68F) overnight into Thursday, according to the Met Office, while further unsettled weather is expected throughout the afternoon and evening.

Forecaster Greg Dewhurst said: Its not often we get temperatures this high over several days, and that is triggering thunderstorms across parts of England and Wales.

The yellow thunderstorm warning for Wales and most of England  excluding the north east  is in place all day on Thursday, when sunny spells could see maximum temperatures of up to 32C (90F) in the south east.

(PA Graphics)

Northern Ireland and southwest Scotland may experience power cuts and flooding during thundery showers in the morning, with the weather warning due to lift before midday.

Meanwhile, water firms are advising customers in certain areas to restrict their water usage amid sweltering conditions.

Thames Water said that ongoing power supply issues in Guildford meant it was using tankers to bring water into the area, as it urged customers to use water for essential purposes only in the coming days.

Flooding in Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire (Martin Anderson/PA)

Essex and Suffolk Water said that due to record water demand it was working to maintain supplies but users could notice lower than normal pressure.

An amber thunderstorm warning for most of Wales, the West Midlands and parts of the North West was issued by the Met Office on Wednesday evening after severe thunderstorms causing flooding and disruption.

Gloucestershire Fire & Rescue Service said it was experiencing high call volumes due to bad weather and had been made aware of flash flooding in Gloucester.

Story continues

Whilst the bad weather continues, please be careful and only travel if absolutely necessary and with extreme caution, it tweeted.

Elsewhere, Cheshire Police said on Twitter they were dealing with a number of weather-related incidents in the village of Tarporley, including fallen trees and flash flooding, and advised nearby residents to avoid all but essential travel.

Weve sadly been advised by the @BTP that, in addition to the driver and a passenger, one of the fatalities in the Stonehaven derailment was our conductor. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family, friends, and colleagues of those who have lost loved ones.  ScotRail (@ScotRail) August 12, 2020

Some 10 flood alerts covering areas in the West Midlands were issued by the Environment Agency on Wednesday evening, alongside three flood warnings  meaning immediate action is required.

Two of the warnings, which indicate flooding is expected, covered the River Trent, while third was issued for Sandyford Brook in Stafford.

Three people died in a train derailment in Aberdeenshire after a ScotRail service crashed on Wednesday amid heavy rain and flooding in Scotland.

British Transport Police (BTP) said those pronounced dead at the scene near Stonehaven included the trains driver, while six people were injured in the derailment.
Lewis & Clark Return to North Oregon Coast, Live on the Beach

Published 08/12/20 at 5:44 AM PDT

By Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff





(Seaside, Oregon)  If youre a couple of thousand miles away from home after having hoofed it all the way to the Oregon coast and then you run out of salt  what do you do?

If youre the dudes in Lewis & Clarks party, the Corps of Discovery, salt wasnt just an additive to food, it was a vital part of the mission that allowed you to preserve meats. The crew (including one woman and a baby) needed it to survive. By the time they got to the very wet and dreary Washington and Oregon coast, their supplies of salt were running low. They had to prepare for the journey home.

So the members of the Corps of North Western Discovery did the only thing they could: make their own salt, said the Seaside History Museums Tita Montero.

Thus, coming through time from the past, comes the special living history event Lewis & Clark Salt Makers. The nearly-two-decade tradition will take place on the beach west of the Avenue U and Prom intersection on September 12, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and September 13, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The Corps arrived here in early November of 1805, first puttering around the southern Washington coast. They soon found a spot just east of present day Warrenton and built Fort Clatsop, where they spent the winter here, leaving in early 1806.

On December 28, 1805, Captains Meriwether Lewis and William Clark sent forth a special detachment from their winter quarters at Fort Clatsop, according to the museum. Five men traveled overland from the Fort to the future Seaside part of the north Oregon coast, searching for the best location for making salt.

On January 1, 1806, the fifth day of their search, the five found the perfect spot (where Lewis & Clark Way currently is and the site commemorating their salt-making efforts). Here, they boiled salt water for nearly two months, dealing with the muddy, wet conditions of a Pacific Northwest winter before finally making it back to Fort Clatsop.

The reenactment of this event has been connected to the Seaside Museum for over 15 years. Once again, it continues with third person interpretation provided by members of the Pacific Northwest Living Historians (PNLH). PNLH interpreters will create and share the experience of the Lewis & Clark exploration group, bringing to life the salt camp which those explorers established 214 years ago.

Its the perfect outdoor history museum this year, with plenty of social distancing now added.

Visitors to the program will enter the camp and find members of the PNLH busy making salt, as they boil sea water over a fire just as the men of the Lewis and Clark expedition did in 1806. The interpreters will also share the history and stories of the legendary expedition with everyone who comes to the beach.

Lewis and Clark Salt Makers is a free interactive learning opportunity for the whole family. This event is sponsored by the Seaside Museum and presented by the PNLH. The project is made possible through a grant from the City of Seaside Tourism Advisory Committee, funded by room tax dollars. The program is also supported by the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department, Seaside Public Works Department, and The Tides Vacation Condos.

Mandated COVID 19 precautions will be enforced, requiring face coverings and social distancing.

For more information, call the Seaside Museum at (503) 738-7065.

Preserving Seasides History since 1974, the Seaside Museum and Historical Society is a non-profit educational institution located at 570 Necanicum Drive, Seaside. Due to COVID 19 precautions, the Museum is closed until further notice.

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Dec. 19, 1924  Aug. 7, 2020

QUEENSBURY  Charles J. Nassivera, 95, passed away in his sleep on Friday, Aug. 7, 2020 with his loving wife at his side. He was born in Glens Falls on Dec. 19, 1924, the son of Charles Nassivera and Sadie Nims.

Charlie Chuck went to the Imperial School on Highland Avenue in Queensbury from first through eighth grade and then to Glens Falls High School graduating in January of 1943. While in high school, he enjoyed drafting and his Ford convertibles. He was also an airplane spotter at Warren County Airport in his senior year. He proudly served in the United States Navy as an Aviation Ordnanceman (AO) from 1943 and was honorably discharged in 1945. While in the Navy, he married Ruth Holmquist and enjoyed 34 wonderful years with her until her passing in 1978.

Charlie was a founding member of the South Queensbury Volunteer Fire Company and served as secretary for many years. He was also a member of the Adirondack Mountain Club and led the group on many fall and winter hikes. After discharge from the Navy he and two friends started a successful electrical business in the area. Eventually he and his father started Nassiveras Garage, constructing their own buildings on Dix Avenue, Queensbury, which still stand today. The business closed due to the death of his father. He then began his 32 year career with the Federal Aviation Agency, a job which he truly loved.

Charlie married the love of his life, Suzanne Tarin, on Nov. 23, 1979. On their first date he took her to Whiteface Mountain to teach her to ski. Charlie was a Stein Erickson skier and was proud to have taught Ruth, his son, John, and Suzanne all to ski. He was an avid skier for 80 years, and he and Suzanne enjoyed many ski trips in eastern and western United States as well as Canada. He also enjoyed hiking and climbed 30 of the high peaks, many on snowshoes. He loved to fish and took several trips to northern Canada with his family. In his later years he and Suzanne took up fly fishing and took several trips out west to perfect their technique. Many winter days were spent in the woods hiking and snowshoeing. He was also happy when he was working in his barn (aka the playpen) on any project for his friends and family, especially anything involving iron. He loved to weld, repair tools and equipment and he could fix anything that was broken. He always came up with a solution for anyones problems and helped his son with many home and car repairs. His shop was as fully stocked as any hardware store and he was always willing to give away or lend what someone needed. He also told the best stories and always had a willing audience to listen to them!

He was predeceased by his parents, Charles and Sadie Nassivera; his loving wife, Ruth (Holmquist) Nassivera; his daughter-in-law, Jill Geiger Nassivera; as well as several aunts, uncles and cousins.

Surviving him are his loving wife, Suzanne (Tarin) Nassivera; son, John and his wife, Paula, of Dorset, Vermont; two grandchildren: Mia, of Dorset and Luke, in the U.S. Navy with the Submarine Division stationed at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii; cousins: Lana Cassidy, of Poestenkill, and Lonnie (Lynn) Nassivera of Columbia, South Carolina. He also leaves behind many, many friends and was a proud member of the daily morning coffee group at Panera Bread.

A special thank-you goes to Frank Snyder, his best friend and second son for always being there for us. A special thank-you also to the wonderful staff at High Peaks Hospice.

My best friend and partner, my ski instructor, my hiking buddy, my snowshoe guide, my fishing pal, the guy who always made me laugh and told the best stories, the love of my life is now gone. Rest in peace, my love.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made in Charlies name to High Peaks Hospice, 454 Glen Street, Glens Falls, NY 12801 or to the American Cancer Society, P.O. Box 22478, Oklahoma City, OK 73123.

Calling hours will be held at Baker Funeral Home, 11 Lafayette St., Queensbury, NY 12804 on Aug. 13, 2020 at 10 a.m. followed by a funeral service at 11 a.m. Burial with military honors will follow at 1 p.m. at Saratoga National Cemetery, 200 Duell Road, Schuylerville, NY.

Condolences may be sent directly to Baker Funeral Home, or through www.bakerfuneralhome.com.
According to details, security forces with specific input about the presence of terrorists cordoned off the Kamrazipora area during the night. The militants opened heavy fire as they saw the joint team of police and army approach their hideout. (Image: Qayoom Khan/News18)
Joe Biden announced Kamala Harris as his running mate for the presidential election, but his pick of the California senator comes after the pair have sparred multiple times over differing views.

Although Mr Biden has since formerly said he holds no grudges against his running mate for what shes previously said against his campaign, her past remarks have still dominated the news cycle.

The Independent has rounded up the four key moments Mr Biden and Ms Harris have clashed ahead of being named on the same presidential ticket.

1. Mandatory school busing

Kamala Harris went out swinging against Joe Biden during the first Democratic presidential debate.

The California senator saw her chance to fluster the former vice president, who was leading among all Democratic candidates, and she found Mr Bidens weakness: his past Senate record on mandatory busing in the 1970s.

There was a little girl in California who was part of the second class to integrate her public schools, and she was bused to school every day. And that little girl was me, Ms Harris said during the debate while targeting Mr Biden for opposing mandatory busing.

Mr Biden hit back by saying that was a mischaracterisation of his position in the Senate, but it went down as the most contentious moment between the politicians during the presidential campaign.

The comments thrust segregationist policies onto a national stage, and Ms Harris again repeated her criticisms against the former vice president at the following debate.

Had I been in the United States Senate at that time, I wouldve been completely on the other side of the aisle, and lets be clear about this: had those segregationists their way, I would not be a member of the United States Senate, she said. So on that issue, we could not be more apart.

2. Sexual assault allegations against Mr Biden

In April 2019, prior to Mr Biden entering the presidential race, reports surfaced of the former vice president inappropriately touching women.

When asked by reporters, Ms Harris said she believed the women who spoke out against her now-running mate.

I believe them, and I respect them being able to tell their story and having the courage to do it, she said.

Multiple women accused Mr Biden of inappropriately touching them, including one Nevada politician who said the former vice president came up to her at a 2014 campaign stop and kissed the back of her head. This encouraged Mr Biden to release a video addressing the allegations against him.

Social norms are changing. I understand that, and Ive heard what these women are saying. Politics to me has always been about making connections, but I will be more mindful about respecting personal space in the future. Thats my responsibility and I will meet it, he said.

Then Tara Reade, a former aide to Mr Biden, came forward about allegations of sexual assault when he was a US senator, all of which he has vehemently denied.

Ms Harris, who was a potential vice president candidate at the time, was asked about the allegations, saying Ms Reade has a right to tell her story.

And I believe that and I believe Joe Biden believes that, too, she said on the San Francisco Chronicle podcast.

3. Medicare for All

Another prominent debate moment between Ms Harris and Mr Biden happened when discussing the American healthcare system.

This was a point of contention among many of the Democratic candidates at the time, with voters able to draw a distinct line between those who were for a plan like Medicare for All, which Ms Harris supported, versus those like Mr Biden who wanted to expand on the Affordable Care Act.

After listening to voters, Ms Harris devised her own Medicare-for-All plan that would take 10 years to implement and involved slowly transitioning every American over into a single-payer system.

I listened to the American families who said four years is just not enough to transition into this new plan, so I devised a plan where its going to be 10 years of a transition. I listened to American families who said I want an option that will be under your Medicare system that allows a private plan, the California senator said during a debate after changing her plan multiple times throughout her campaign.

Mr Biden, who has been a proponent of keeping private health insurance for those who want it while expanding on the Affordable Care Act, disagreed at the time.

Well, my response is that the senator has had several plans so far. And any time someone tells you youre going to get something good in 10 years, you should wonder why it takes 10 years, he said.

If you noticed, there is no talk about the fact that the plan in 10 years will cost $3 trillion. You will lose your employer-based insurance. And in fact, you know, this is the single most important issue facing the public.

4. Bringing more police to the streets

In 2002, then-Senator Joe Biden penned an op-ed for the Delaware State News that reacted to the rising national crime rate, which was happening for the first time in 10 years. What was his solution to the rise in crime? More police on the streets.

What works in the fight against crime? Its simple  more police on the streets, he wrote. Put a cop on three of four corners and guess where the crime is going to be committed? On the fourth corner, where the cop isnt. More cops clearly means less crime.

This was during the tough on crime era of the Democratic party in the 1990s and early 2000s.

Now Mr Biden stands as a presidential candidate of a major political party during a time in the country where there is a nationwide call for police reform. Although his views have likely altered since that op-ed, Mr Biden did state he was not for the defund the police movement taking over on the far left of his party.

But his running mate has said she would be for reimagining police in the US.

I think that a big part of this conversation really is about reimagining how we do public safety in America which I support which is this: we have confused the idea that to achieve safety, you put more cops on the street instead of understanding to achieve safe and healthy communities, Ms Harris said.

Thats how I think about this, she added. You know, in many cities in America, over one-third of their city budget goes to the police. So, we have to have this conversation, what are we doing? What about the money going to social services? What about the money going to helping people with job training? What about the mental health issues that communities are being plagued with for which were putting no resources?
Conceived by the Elephant Reintroduction Foundation and filmmakers Patricia Sims and Michael Clark in 2011, the first international Elephant Day was celebrated on August 12, 2012. The aim of the day is to sensitise people about better treatment of captive elephants and against the illegal poaching and trade of the jumbos for ivory.

Given the latest incident of the death of the pregnant elephant in Kerala after allegedly consuming a cracker-stuffed fruit, death of elephants in some Indian states due to an electric pole falling on them or other human-elephant conflicts, Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar highlighted the measures to curb the same. The Vice President too pledged his support to Haathi Hamara Saathi.

On the eve of World Elephant Day, Javadekar launched a beta version of the national portal on human-elephant conflict called Surakhsya. He even released a document on the best practices for ensuring the human-elephant coexistence. Sharing a video he tweeted, India has nearly 60% of wild Asian elephants not just because of strong wildlife laws, but because we Indians revere, are more tolerant & affectionate towards animals. On this #WorldElephantDay2020, let us reaffirm this bond of coexistence with #HaathiHamaaraSaathi. @moefcc (sic).

India has nearly 60% of wild Asian elephants not just because of strong wildlife laws, but because we Indians revere, are more tolerant & affectionate towards animals.

On this #WorldElephantDay2020, let us reaffirm this bond of coexistence with #HaathiHamaaraSaathi. @moefcc pic.twitter.com/3wFVXrlZMW  Prakash Javadekar (@PrakashJavdekar) August 12, 2020

Vice President of India, M Venkaiah Naidu too pledged his support in protecting the jumbos. He tweeted, On this #WorldElephantDay, let us pledge to prevent any mistreatment of these magnificent animals and the cruelty they endure in captivity. Every effort must be made to curb elephant-man conflicts & habitat loss of #elephants #WorldElephantDay2020 #HaathiHamaraSaathi (sic).

On this #WorldElephantDay, let us pledge to prevent any mistreatment of these magnificent animals and the cruelty they endure in captivity. Every effort must be made to curb elephant-man conflicts & habitat loss of #elephants#WorldElephantDay2020#HaathiHamaraSaathi pic.twitter.com/pX6TlnFxIx  Vice President of India (@VPSecretariat) August 12, 2020

Elaborating on the efforts of the government to curb the threats faced by the giant animals, he added, #Elephants form a crucial part of our ecosystem.They hold a place of great significance & reverence in our culture.They are empathetic, self- aware & socially intelligent. Unfortunately, they face a number of threats from poaching for tusks to habitat loss to abuse in captivity. Due to relentless efforts of the government,India is now home to 60% of the global Asian #elephant population,with nearly 30 elephant reserves.

With enhanced community participation & concerted efforts of the governments,we must strive to further augment our elephant population (sic).

#Elephants form a crucial part of our ecosystem.They hold a place of great significance & reverence in our culture.They are empathetic, self- aware & socially intelligent.



Unfortunately, they face a number of threats from poaching for tusks to habitat loss to abuse in captivity  Vice President of India (@VPSecretariat) August 12, 2020

#Elephants form a crucial part of our ecosystem.They hold a place of great significance & reverence in our culture.They are empathetic, self- aware & socially intelligent.



Unfortunately, they face a number of threats from poaching for tusks to habitat loss to abuse in captivity  Vice President of India (@VPSecretariat) August 12, 2020

Turning vulnerable by the day, the population of African elephants in the wild is 4,15,000 as per the latest report by WWF. To help protect them for maintaining the biodiversity of rain forests, World Elephant Day is celebrated on August 12 each year and marked by raising awareness about the plight of the elephants in the wild while also finding out the ways to protect them.

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Mineral water from Carlsbad wells that made the region famous in the late 1800s is experiencing a new surge of popularity, flooding onto store shelves throughout the state.

The historic wells, drilled in 1882, launched two luxury hotels and a nationwide bottled-water business that thrived for decades. But the wells were shut down and largely forgotten during the Great Depression of the 1930s.

The business re-emerged with a trickle in the 1990s and, for the past two years, the Carlsbad Alkaline Water Co. has seen a tsunami of new customers, fueled in part by the popularity of specialty waters nationwide.

We are so busy we cant serve everybody, said owner Ludvik Grigoras. We are turning people down.

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He and his wife, Veronica, bought the small lot at the corner of Carlsbad Boulevard and Christiansen Avenue in 1993. At time the three-story building, a local landmark known as Alt Karlsbad, contained real estate offices and a gift shop.

It took us three years to restore it, Grigoras said.

We worked from sun-up to 2 or 3 in the morning, Veronica Grigoras said.

Once the pair re-drilled the wells and remodeled the building, they opened a day spa that still offers facials, massages, mineral baths and other treatments using the water, and a popular delivery service lugging 5-gallon bottles of the water to a few area businesses and restaurants. And for years now people have lined up along Christiansen Avenue outside the building to fill their jugs from the self-service water dispensers.

Ludvik Grigoras in the basement of the Alt Karlsbad building. (Bill Wechter for the Union Tribune. )

But the business added a new dimension last year when the Grigorases began selling 1-liter bottles of their Carlsbad Alkaline Water in Costco stores across San Diego County.

Initially the bottled water was sold in 20 Costcos and a few other stores, Grigoras said. However, the water sold so fast they had to reduce the distribution to 14 stores and put the rest on a waiting list as the company ramps up production.

Theres plenty of water, he said, but its difficult to package enough of it to meet the increasing demand. He plans to start shipping to several Costcos in Orange County later this month, and to more than 50 in Northern California next year.

Were struggling to get enough corrugated paper to make all the boxes, Grigoras said.

Carlsbad Alkaline Water in 1-liter bottles (Bill Wechter for the Union-Tribune )

The center of operations is the Alt Karlsbad building, a replica of a 650-year-old structure in Germany, that sits along Carlsbad Boulevard, the citys stretch of historic Highway 101. The three-story building was constructed in 1964 by former property owners Kay and Chris Christiansen, who used it as a real estate office and gift shop.The site now includes four tall, stainless-steel storage tanks and a 13-foot-tall statue of the propertys original owner John Frazier.

When Frazier dug the wells, the town had about 300 residents. The water he tapped quickly acquired a reputation for therapeutic health benefits and, in the late 1880s he and other investors built a four-story Victorian hotel on the site that attracted guests from across the country.

There are still three wells of varying depths on the property, but the alkaline water is drawn from a single well, 510 feet deep, thats fed by an artesian spring that flows from an aquifer 1,700 feet deep, Grigoras said.

The water emerges from the ground at a temperature of 80 degrees and several analyses show its 9,500 years old and originates in the Cleveland National Forest, he said. Its tested daily by employees and weekly by an inspector from the federal Food and Drug Administration.

Scientific opinions are mixed on its health benefits. Proponents say it can neutralize acid in the bloodstream, boost metabolism and help the body absorb nutrients, however the Mayo Clinic and other health organizations say further study is needed to verify those claims.

For many customers, its about the taste, which is often described as cleaner and fresher than bottled or tap water.

I dont drink anything else, said Genie Ireland of Carlsbad. Shes been buying the alkaline water since she was pregnant three years ago and a friend recommended it.

Brent Borgquist of Laguna Nigel said he drove to Carlsbad to buy the water for his wife, whos expecting their third child and swears by it.

She says it helps her with her nausea, and shes never felt better, Borgquist said.

Patrick Swift fills water bottles at the Carlsbad Mineral Water Spa (Bill Wechter for the Union-Tribune )

Grigoras said people come from all over Southern California to buy the water, and he knows of some who come from Arizona and Nevada to fill their 5-gallon bottles.

Hed considered selling 1-liter bottles in stores before, but there just wasnt room to produce them in the tight quarters of their basement, he said. They did fill a few small bottles for places such as the Golden Door spa in Escondido and the Chopra Center in La Costa.

We would fill it by hand, label it by hand, he said. It was like Mrs. Fields cookies. We could only do a few cases a day.

However, Costco helped him develop a plan to pump the water into a food-grade tanker in Carlsbad and truck it to a bottling facility in Ramona  the Famous Ramona Water Co.  that bottles several brands of water under contract. Costco also helped with other details of production, right down to the design of the label.

Grigoras is uniquely qualified to run the water business.

A former instrumentation engineer, he was living in Orange County in the 1990s when he became acquainted with the Christiansens. They had been trying to restore the Carlsbad wells for years without success when they sold the property to Grigoras.

Grigoras was born in Carlsbads sister city of Karlovy Vary, in the Czech Republic. The name Karlovy Vary is Carlsbad in the Czech language, and the town has been known for centuries for its therapeutic warm-water springs. Soon after Frazier drilled his wells in California, he had the water tested and it proved similar to water from the famous well of Karlovy Vary, which in the late 1800s was known as Karlsbad, in what was then the country of Bohemia.

Fraziers initial mineral water boom was short-lived. An economic downturn hit San Diego County hard in the 1890s and a fire, suspected to be arson, destroyed his Carlsbad Hotel in 1895.

The spa theme lived on though, and eventually spawned the Carlsbad Mineral Springs Hotel, which opened in 1929 nearby on Carlsbad Boulevard. Today the structure, rebuilt in the 1990s, is the Carlsbad-by-the-Sea retirement home.

With the renewal of the mineral waters popularity, Grigoras said, there are plans for a new multi-story resort and spa called The Source to be built on the vacant property just east of his 7,000 square foot lot. The couple has turned the basement of their three-story building into a water production facility, the first floor into the day spa, and the second and third floors into a home where they live part time.

Twitter: @phildiehl
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-12 00:53:31|Editor: huaxia

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BEIRUT, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- More foreign donations arrived in Lebanon on Tuesday after last week's huge explosions that rocked the capital Beirut, the National News Agency reported.

Two aircraft arrived in Beirut from Czechia, carrying medical equipment and special beds to be used in the emergency rooms of hospitals in the Lebanese capital.

Tunisian Labor Federation sent a military plane carrying 16 tons of medicines and food products for Lebanon.

Meanwhile, Kuwait sent two military aircraft with several tons of food and medical products as part of the daily products sent to Lebanon.

An aircraft arrived from Spain handed to the Lebanese army a donation of six tons of flour.

Lebanon has in the past days received donations from countries including China, Russia, France, Qatar, Egypt, Jordan, Bahrain, Britain and many more.

Two huge explosions rocked Port of Beirut on Aug. 4 at around 6:10 p.m. local time (1510 GMT), shaking buildings all over the capital city.

The Beirut governor has said the losses resulting from the explosions range between 10 and 15 billion U.S. dollars. Enditem
By Trend

Armenian lobby is laundering dirty money in Yerevan, a source in the Turkish government told Trend.

The Armenian lobby in the US and European countries sends millions of dollars to Yerevan every month under the guise of "humanitarian aid", allegedly for the restoration of historical monuments and the rehabilitation of the Armenian economy.

Buildings are being constructed with the dirty money of the Armenian lobby in the center of Yerevan, and most of the money is spent on armaments, as well as on the support of the Armenian armed forces in the occupied Azerbaijani territories, the Turkish government said.

The destabilization in the South Caucasus is primarily in the interests of the Armenian lobby, since it is precisely this situation in the region that allows them to launder dirty money, the source noted.

The Armenian authorities are hostages of the Armenian lobby. This is the lobby, "thanks to" which Armenia has completely isolated itself from regional projects, the Turkish government said.

Acting in the interests of the Armenian lobby, the Armenian authorities actually ruined the country people's lives, added the government.

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Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
As many companies unfortunately had to close their doors as a side effect of the COVID-19 pandemic, the opportunity for us to expand our offices and give more space to even better adhere to social distancing guidelines is a truly exciting opportunity.

Despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Professional Physical Therapy opens a new clinic as an opportunity to continue to put patient care first. The additional office location in this area allows for patients to be more socially distanced and give residents a closer choice for care. This location will also follow the strict cleaning protocols put in place company-wide, which include ULV (Ultra-Low Volume) fogging, non-touch digital temperature reading, masks and gloves, and the frequent cleaning of high-traffic touch points.

Connor Dering, PT, DPT, OCS, CSCS is the new Clinical Director of the Bloomfield facility, located at 31 Broad Street. He received his Doctorate in Physical Therapy from Nova Southeastern University, and has a Bachelors Degree in Health Sciences from Stockton University. Dering is a certified provider in Sportsmetrics ACL injury prevention, Blood Flow Restriction, and he is a certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist.

Dering said of his new role at Bloomfield, I couldnt be more excited about the opportunity to expand our coverage as a company into the Bloomfield community. We have several offices servicing the neighboring towns, and this is a great opportunity for us to expand our quality care to patients in the Bloomfield community and provide them with easier access for us. As many companies unfortunately had to close their doors as a side effect of the COVID-19 pandemic, the opportunity for us to expand our offices and give more space to even better adhere to social distancing guidelines is a truly exciting opportunity.

To learn more and request an appointment, visit the Bloomfield office page online: https://www.professionalpt.com/office/bloomfield-nj/

Professional Physical Therapy currently operates widely across five of the Northeast states. For more information and a list of all Professional Physical Therapy locations and services, please visit http://www.professionalpt.com.

###

About Professional Physical Therapy

Professional Physical Therapy, headquartered in Melville, New York, is a leading provider of outpatient physical and hand therapy and rehabilitation services throughout the New York metropolitan area, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire.

Professionals patient-centric treatment philosophy is focused on providing exceptional, compassionate care to the entire person, and not just their injury. Their licensed Physical Therapists design customized treatment plans, using the most innovative therapeutics, to help patients achieve and exceed their goals. Service offerings include telehealth, in-home physical therapy, and outpatient physical, hand, and occupational therapy in over 180 clinics throughout the Northeast.
A man in his 20s was shot dead by a hooded gunman on the doorstep of his 500,000 northwest London home, as police today launch a murder investigation - the 78th this year in the capital.

Armed officers swooped on Hansel Road, Kilburn, in the early hours of this morning after reports of a shooting.

Neighbours say they heard 'several gunshots' before two hooded men were seen fleeing the scene in a car, whose driver had been waiting nearby.

When police arrived they found a man suffering from a gunshot wound near to a block of flats - where forensic teams have today been seen collecting evidence.

The man was pronounced dead at the scene, despite efforts by paramedics to save him.

Police have now launched a manhunt, with no arrests yet made, while homicide detectives from the Met's Specialist Crime Command have launched a murder investigation.

Armed officers swooped on Hansel Road, Kilburn, in the early hours of this morning after reports of a shooting

Homicide detectives and forensic officers (pictured) from the Met's Specialist Crime Command are investigating after the shooting in the early hours of this morning

Forensic officers were today seen putting up a blue tent around the property where the shooting took place

A crime scene remains in place today as detectives investigate the shooting.

Today a neighbour, who lives near the scene, said how he was sitting on his sofa when he heard 'several' gunshots.

The man said: 'I looked out of the window and saw the two guys.

'They were wearing hoodies and dressed in black. The car was black or blue. The final shot was after a while. As soon as I heard the shot I saw the flash.

'They were in no massive rush to leave.

'The two guys got into the car and there was a driver waiting. They drove off on Kilburn Park Road. There's only one entrance and exit to the estate.'

He added: 'Just after the shooting a jeep came in and out of the estate two or three times.'

The neighbour, who has lived in the flats since they were built, said he knew of the victim. He said: 'He was about 20 or 21.

A crime scene (pictured) remains in place today as detectives investigate the shooting in Hansel Road, Kilburn

Officers have launched a manhunt after the shooting this morning. The Metropolitan Police say no arrests have yet been made

'He would often order delivery takeaways and collect them at a flat away from his house. He would never order to his address.

'My children might know his name, but I don't want to involve them.

'I suspect it was a deliberate attack. They don't come for you unless you are involved in gangs.'

The development, named Chase House, was completed in 2013. It comprises of a mixture of social and private housing.

Though the average house price is around 500,000, prices vary wildly, with some selling for around 450,000, while top floor apartments are currently on the market for more than 800,000.

According to one estate agent, Kilburn is a 'down-to-earth area' four miles from central London, while it describes the development as 'modern and well located'.

Residents say the area has had issues with anti-social behaviour, believed to be 'drug-related', however they say there had not been a shooting 'up until now'.

One local resident who gave his name as Vik, 35, said: 'Historically people have complained about anti-social behaviour which is largely drug-related in this area.'

Another resident, Satoshi, 38, who works in IT, said: 'We heard the sounds of about 10 gunshots at around midnight.

'It was so loud that we were afraid to go outside to have a look, we wanted to be safe and waited for the police to arrive 20 minutes later.

'At around 1.30am, a man left the flat yelling, it sounded like he was crying - I think he was related to the victim.'

Today, Chief Superintendent Roy Smith, borough commander for the North West BCU, said police were working to support the victim's family.

He said: 'Firstly my thoughts are with the victim's family and loved ones and I know colleagues will be working hard to support them.

'Officers from every part of the Met are out on our streets using every tactic available to stop mindless violence like this.

'I am incredibly proud of and grateful to colleagues from both the Met and London Ambulance Service who rushed towards danger to try and save this young man's life  as they would do for any one of us.

Police have cordoned-off a large area near to flats today, while a blue tent has been set up

The police cordon extends around the side of the building near to an open area with trees

'We can only combat violence like this by working together and we really do need your help and support.

'Officers will be out on patrol in the local area over the coming days and I would ask that you stop and talk with them if you have any information which might assist our investigation.'

Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 101 or tweet @MetCC and quote CAD140/12Aug.

Alternatively call the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

The latest Met Police murder investigation, which is the 78th in the capital this year, comes after a 17-year-old boy was stabbed to death with a machete in front of horrified shoppers on Oxford Street in an unrelated incident.

Shoppers looked on as Jeremy Meneses-Chalarca was chased by a man wielding a machete at 5.30pm on Saturday.

Jeremy's heartbroken next-door neighbour broke down in tears when she visited the murder scene this week.

She said: 'He was a sweet boy and he was always smiling. He was a very intelligent boy and he was very good at maths. It is so terrible. He only celebrated his 17th birthday in July.'

LONDON MURDERS 2020 Where the 78 murders across the capital this year have happened William Algar, 53, Jan-03, Barnes

Takieddine Boudhane, 30, Jan-03, Finsbury Park

Krasimir Kartikov, 60, Jan-13, Croydon

Harinder Kumar, 22, Jan-19, Seven Kings

Narinder Singh, 26, Jan-19, Seven Kings

Baljit Singh, 34, Jan-19, Seven Kings

Tahereh Pirali-Dashti, 40, Jan-20, Barnet

Beverley Denahy, 61, Jan-22, Chingford

Unnamed man, 60s, Jan-24, Clapton

Louis Johnson, 16, Jan-27, Croydon

Eraj Seifi, 46, Jan-29, Queens Park

Unnamed man, 33, Feb-12, North Finchley

James Dowdell, 54, Feb-17, Chelsea

Sundeep Ghuman, 36, Feb-18, Thamesmead

Lennox Nigel Alcendor, 42, Feb-21, Cricklewood

Li-Qing Wang, 35, Feb-25, Waltham Forest

Tyler Roye, 24, Feb-26, Croydon

Archie Beston, 19, Feb-29, Kingston

Asante Campbell, 24, Feb-29, Hendon

David Siirak, 27, Mar-01, Hillingdon

Shanur Ahmed, 16, Mar-03, Newham

Ricardo Fuller, 24, Mar-07, Ilford

Vanita Nowell, 68, Mar-08, Southwark

Damani Mauge, 17, Mar-08, Croydon

Cameron Murfitt, 18, Mar-15, Greenwich

Tracey Kidd, 57, Mar-17, Hackney

Shadika Mohsin Patel, 40, Mar-19, Newham

Abdullahi Mahmoud, 29, Mar-19, Enfield

Stefan Melnyk, 54, Mar-22, Acton

Kelly Stewart, 41, Mar-26, Barking

Tomas Macionis, 35, Mar-31, Walthamstow

Sonia Teresa Burton Calvi, 56, Apr-01, Stockwell

Edgar Aguilera Daza, 59, Apr-01, Stockwell

Maryan Ismail, 57, Apr-06, Edmonton

Ralph Gibson, 42, Apr-15, Putney

Denise Michelle Keane-Barnett-Simmons, 26, Apr-16, Brent

Mark Baker, 62, Apr-19, Walthamstow

Jay John, 27, Apr-25, Hackney

Baljit Singh, 37, Apr-25, Hayes

Pavinya Nithiyakumar, 1, Apr-26, Ilford

Nigish Nithiyakumar, 3, Apr-26, Ilford

David Gomoh, 24, Apr-26, Newham

Anthony Rooks, 79, May-04, Holloway

Yonas Haile, 32, May-05, Hammersmith

Francois Kablan, 19, May-13, Southwark

Jemal Ebrahim, 23, May-13, Haringey

Chad Gordon, 27, May-18, Haringey

Oluwamayowa Adeymi, 21, Jun-05, Hackney

Nicole Smallman, 27, Jun-07, Wembley

Bibaa Henry, 46, Jun-07, Wembley

Alexander Kareem, 20, Jun-08, Shepherd's Bush

Unnamed woman, 50s, Jun-10, Lewisham

Mihai Gae, 48, Jun-13, Hornsey

Kyle Kelson, 25, Jun-19, North Cheam

Wayne Hoskyns, 41, Jun-19, Bexley

Steve Morrison, 30, Jun-23, Epping

Sayagi Sivanantham, 5, Jun-30, Mitcham

Imani Allaway-Muir, 22, Jul-04, Islington

Khloemae Loy, 23, Jul-05, Greenwich

Donnell Rhule, 18, Jul-08, Dulwich

Muhammed Samir Uddin, 19, Jul-10, Poplar

Jahreau Shepherd, 30, Jul-11, Kennington

Dean Edwards, 43, Jul-12, Penge

Ahmed Yasin-Ali, 18, Jul-15, Maida Vale

Billy McCullagh, 27, Jul-16, Harlesden

Peter Petrou, 37, Jul-16, Kilburn

Skender Ismaili, 30, Jul-17, Enfield

Glenroy Joseph, 60, Jul-20, Ealing

Elias Biad, 5m, Jul-22, Wembley

Stella Frew, 38, Jul-24, Sutton

Frank Bulbrook, 34, Jul-24, Chislehurst

Abraham Haile, 56, Jul-28, Camden

Christopher George, 26, Jul-29, Enfield

Nathan Mitra, 32, Jul-30, Hounslow

Therasia Gordon, 44, Aug-06, Enfield

Esther Egbon, 30, Aug-08, Dagenham

Jeremy Meneses-Chalarca, 17, Aug-08, Westminster

Unnamed man, 20s, Aug-12, Kilburn



The woman told how she lives next to his mother, who is from Colombia, adding: 'She is not very good right now.

'My daughter came to me last night and showed me a picture of Jeremy next to a dove, but I thought it cannot be true.

'He was studying at college, but he never talked about what he wanted to do next. He was very quiet, he was not outspoken, but a very friendly boy.'

Three men aged 18 have been arrested on suspicion of murder. Two were also arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender.

Last week, a man and woman were found dead hours apart from each other in a potential murder-suicide in Dagenham.

The woman, in her 30s, was pronounced dead at the scene in east London at roughly 12.50pm on August 8. Her death is being treated as suspicious.

Two hours later, a man, also in his 30s, was found dead on a road less than a mile away. His death is not being treated as suspicious.

Detectives believe the two deaths are linked and are not looking for anyone else in connection with the incident.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 12) The approval of the Russia-made COVID-19 vaccine is a welcome development for the Philippines, but its local use and rollout will still hinge on results of clinical trials as well as its compliance with local laws, Malacanang said Wednesday.

Speaking to CNN Philippines, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque stressed the Sputnik V the vaccine claimed by Russia as the worlds first for the mysterious coronavirus would have to earn the nod of the Philippines Food and Drug Administration as the country cannot do away with the local processes.

Whether or not we could actually use it will depend on compliance with our existing laws, because we have a statute which penalizes the use of any drug without prior approval of the FDA, Roque said in an interview with The Source. And before the FDA could approve it, the universities will have to conduct clinical studies to prove that it has no adverse effects.

So it is good news, but it still has to go through our local processes, because we cant do away with them, he added, noting the procedure holds true for any other internationally-developed vaccine that will reach Philippine shores.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday claimed a breakthrough in the global race for a coronavirus vaccine, as the transcontinental country unveiled the Sputnik V, a reference to the surprise 1957 launch of the world's first satellite by the Soviet Union.

Experts from the research and medical field, however, were quick to question Russias announcement as the product was hounded by safety concerns.

The vaccine developed by the Moscow-based Gamaleya Institute has yet to pass the crucial Phase 3 testing stage, where the product is typically administered to thousands of participants, CNN reported.

Concerns on Russias data transparency and track record in locally-developed medicine quality have also prompted the scientific community to issue warnings on the vaccines efficacy.

Russian Ambassador to the Philippines Igor Khovaev, however, said last week that the doses are deemed "safe and effective.

Kirill Dmitriev, CEO of the Russia Direct Investment Fund that bankrolled the development of Russia's vaccine, in an interview with CNN International also allayed concerns on the incomplete clinical trials, saying the late stage trials would take place abroad, including the Philippines. Philippine health and science officials, however said the country was still in talks with Russian authorities about joining the Phase 3 clinical trials.

According to Sputnik-V's website, Phase 3 clinical trial involving more than 2,000 people in Russia and the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, and Mexico will start on August 12.

Dmitriev added 20 countries are already requesting for over a billion doses of the product.

While the government welcomed Moscow authorities offer to provide Sputnik-V to Filipinos, Roque stressed the Philippines continues to work with the World Health Organization for the global clinical studies for vaccines being developed by other nations.

Duterte a guinea pig? He doesnt mind

Roque meanwhile said that President Rodrigo Duterte doesnt mind being a guinea pig for Russias vaccine project, after the chief executive volunteered himself to be the first person to try an injection.

I think it was perfectly fine for him to offer it, because thats his way of telling the people that I want us to have a vaccine, and if I have to be the guinea pig for it, I dont mind. Thats the attitude of the President he can sacrifice his life for the Filipino people, Roque said, adding he himself considered to volunteer as the second person to go on the vaccine trial.

Addressing concerns on Dutertes safety, Roque said the FDA will do everything it can to ensure the vaccine will be administered safely, with the agency seen to also fasttrack studies on the product.

Still little information

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III, on the other hand, assured his agency will be working closely with both the FDA and the Science and Technology Department to ensure the safety of the product prior to possible market rollout.

He underscored the need for experts of the regulatory agencies to gather more data about the vaccine.

There is very little information about the vaccine the duty of the government is to ensure it is safe to use and it is of quality, Duque told reporters in an event in Antipolo City.

Countries have been in a race for a global vaccine for the deadly virus, which has infected over 20 million people in 188 different countries including China, the first epicenter of the outbreak.

Candidate vaccines from China, the United States, and the United Kingdom have likewise entered late-stage trials, but developers stressed the timeline for their rollout will still depend on data.

CNN Philippines' Melissa Lopez contributed to this report.
Travel agencies banking on domestic tourism to stage a recovery have been knocked down yet again by the Covid-19 comeback, with rising infections and deaths.

Nearly 10,000 customers of Hanoi Redtours have canceled or delayed their travel plans for the rest of the year after Vietnam started recording daily double digit increases in Covid-19 cases in August, said Nguyen Cong Hoan, deputy director of the company.

"The second wave of Covid-19 cases is another blow to the tourism industry after many companies have been mostly inactive in the first half of the year," he said.

Hoans company, like many others in the tourism industry, started recording rising revenues from May to July thanks to surging domestic travel demand as Vietnam went over three months without any community transmission. Industry insiders expected August to be the best performing month of the year.

But all that changed late last month when Da Nang City, a tourism hotspot, began recording an increasing number of cases with authorities unable to trace their origins. Since then, Vietnam has recorded 405 community transmissions in 14 cities and provinces including Hanoi and HCMC, and 17 patients have died.

Hoan said that many deposits the company has put down with airlines and hotels will likely be lost. Plans to invest in new products and recruit staff have been suspended, and the company has seen 15 percent of employees leaving for other jobs.

"We expect revenues to fall 70 percent from last year, and losses are likely."

My Khe Beach in Da Nang City is seen deserted on July 28, 2020 as authorities impose social distancing measures in the city to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus. Photo by VnExpress.

A similar situation can be seen at Vietravel, one of the largest tourism companies in the country. Nearly half of its staff have quit to find new jobs due to the pandemic impacts. About 20 percent of staff are still under contract but have been staying at home, and the second wave of Covid-19 cases means they are less likely to be called back to work.

About 50-60 percent of Vietravel customers have canceled their trips amid the worsening Covid-19 situation, many of them demanding a full refund.

"We were stunned by the second blow," said chairman Nguyen Quoc Ky. His company has only been fully operating for about four months this year due to the pandemic, and even if activities resume in the last three months of the year, it would be difficult to achieve the years targets with only seven months of work.

"Even surviving would not be easy," Ky said. Vietravel reported a first-half loss of VND80 billion ($3.4 million), down from a profit of VND30 billion ($1.3 million) in the same period a year ago.

Other tour companies are facing similar challenges. Saigontourist has seen 95 percent of customers in Hanoi alone, 13,000 people, canceling trips this month. For Vietrantour, the figure is nearly 3,000 customers.

Company leaders are working on plans to survive the pandemic. Vietravel is reorganizing its operations to focus on destinations that have not been impacted by the resurgence of cases so far. Instead of cutting all services as it did in the second quarter, the company tries to maintain services with safety measures.

Hanoi Redtours have been offering customers other travel options such as traveling to a resort 50 kilometers away from Hanoi instead of flying to the central region where risks of contagion are high.

As large groups cancel travel plans, Hoan said his company is focusing on family customers and offering them services at five-star hotels in the capital city where safety measures are strictly imposed. This is one of the ways in which the company is trying to maintain its cash flow in the troubled times.

In the best case scenario that Vietnam once again contains the spread of the virus, tourism activities wont likely resume until October, Hoan said.

Vietnams revenues from tourism in the first seven months fell 55.4 percent year-on-year to VND11.1 trillion ($479 million), according to the General Statistics Office.

In the first six months, the number of domestic tourists fell nearly by 50 percent to 23 million, the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism reported.
The director of Jefferson County Public Health said something that made members of the Jefferson County School Board pause in stunned silence at their meeting this week: The districts schools probably wont reopen until 2021 due to sky-high local COVID-19 rates.

Moving forward, based on the data, I do not foresee even an ability to open by the end of the calendar year, Michael Baker, the county health director, told the school board Monday.

Jefferson County School District already planned to start its school year on Sept. 8 with comprehensive distance learning, or learning at home, for at least six weeks. The district was forced into this decision by Gov. Kate Browns strict statewide metrics for opening schools, which require low COVID-19 rates in a schools county to reopen.

But Bakers dour statement contrasted with Superintendent Ken Parshalls optimistic outlook. Parshall repeatedly emphasized that the school districts distance learning will be much improved compared to the spring, and also expressed hope that Jefferson Countys COVID-19 numbers could drop and students could return to classrooms soon.

The health metrics could change. We could meet them, Parshall said later that evening. We have a short-term plan for a really robust comprehensive distance learning model, but (were) still hoping we can still return to school for families that choose that.

Reopening schools in Madras, Warm Springs and other Jefferson County locations is a particularly pressing matter.

At Warm Springs K-8 Academy and Madras High, the district collectively serves more than 2 1/2 times as many students who identify as Indigenous as any other school district in Oregon. Oregons Native American students need a maximum educational boost: Even when schools operated in person, these students were left with high rates of absenteeism, low proficiency rates in reading, writing and mathematics and the lowest on-time graduation rate -- 68% -- of any racial or ethnic group in Oregon.

Complicating matters when it comes to distance learning in Jefferson County: At least 40% of the districts nearly 2,900 students either dont have a decent internet connection at home, a device to access the internet or both, according to a district survey.

The metrics for reopening schools in most cases require counties to have 10 or fewer COVID-19 cases per 100,000 residents and 5% or less positive tests per week, according to Browns mandate. The state must also have 5% or less positive tests as a whole. And all these metrics must be met for three weeks in a row.

Jefferson County is still very far from those requirements. During the week of Aug. 2  the most recent state data  the county had 214 cases per 100,000 residents and a 16.8% positive test rate, according to the Oregon Health Authority. Only three Oregon counties had worse numbers that week: Morrow, Umatilla and Malheur.

Oregon as a whole had a 5.4% positive test rate during the week of Aug. 2.

Much of Mondays meeting was devoted to discussing exactly what distance learning will look like for students in Warm Springs, Madras and Metolius.

The school district ordered more Chromebook laptops and internet hot spots to ensure all students could stay in touch with teachers at home, said district Technology Director David Hicks.

However, these hot spots arent a perfect solution, as they only work in places with cellular service, Hicks warned. This could be a challenge for families who live in remote parts of the county, he said.

Distance learning will be more robust and easy to access compared to the spring, district leaders promised.

Teachers will undergo extensive training in August and early September on teaching remotely. Every teacher will use the same online learning platform  Google Classroom  instead of a mix of platforms, to keep things simple for families. And teachers will mark attendance daily and conduct more face-to-face teaching.

Having an entire summer to prepare helped school leaders create an adequate plan for students, compared to the spring, when COVID-19 surprised everyone, Parshall said.

Lord knows we were caught flat-footed in the spring, he told the school board. But were going to have a much better, more rigorous plan for teaching and learning when we open up in the fall.

Star Todd, a mother of incoming seventh and ninth grade students at Jefferson County Middle School and Madras High School, told The Bulletin she wasnt happy that schools were going to stay closed this fall. She expressed concern for students who needed to socialize with their peers, or who live in households with abusive parents.

However, Todd also acknowledged that keeping schools closed could reduce the spread of COVID-19 in Jefferson County.

I was disappointed, but I cant say I was surprised, Todd said Tuesday of the districts decision. But  we dont want the pandemic to run through all of Jefferson County, so you do need to find that balance.

-- Jackson Hogan; 541-617-7854; jhogan@bendbulletin.com; @JacksonHogan
A map of the Bristol channel (above), outlining the modern channel and showing where the ancient palaeo-islands would have existed. A food web (below) displaying all of the recognised reptilian animals from Ruthin with plants and insects at the base. Insects are eaten by the lizard-like reptiles (Rhynchocephalia) and possibly some procolophonids and plants are eaten by procolophonids and Tricuspisaurus. The slender crocodile-like reptile is recognised as the top predator among the animals found. Credit: University of Bristol A map of the Bristol channel (above), outlining the modern channel and showing where the ancient palaeo-islands would have existed. A food web (below) displaying all of the recognised reptilian animals from Ruthin with plants and insects at the base. Insects are eaten by the lizard-like reptiles (Rhynchocephalia) and possibly some procolophonids and plants are eaten by procolophonids and Tricuspisaurus. The slender crocodile-like reptile is recognised as the top predator among the animals found. Credit: University of Bristol

A recent study led by the University of Bristol has uncovered fossils of dwarf reptiles that lived in South Wales 205 million years ago and were closely related to North American animals that lived 15 million years earlier.

Matthew Skinner, a student from the University's School of Earth Sciences, studied a collection of fossils that had been collected in the 1950s from Ruthin Quarry in South Wales as part of his MSc thesis. In the Late Triassic, Ruthin was a small island set in a tropical sea; at that time, the UK lay much closer to the Equator.

The thousands of fossils that make up the collection housed in the National Museum of Wales, were hard to study because they are mostly smaller than a fingernail, and quite fragile, so they had to be handled very carefully.

In the Late Triassic, 205 million years ago, the Atlantic Ocean had not yet opened, but it was beginning to unzip, as continental drift pulled North America and Europe apart.

Matthew Skinner said: "We were amazed to discover that most of the Ruthin beasts showed greatest similarity to relatives from North America. Of course, at that time, one could just hop across from South Wales to New York. The islands provided little space and food and so regular-sized animals couldn't survive on them; the Ruthin animals were all dwarf versions of their closest mainland relatives, maybe half the size on average."

CT scan and 3D digital model of lower jaw of Tricuspisaurus (below, scale bar=5mm). The scan shows the base of its teeth embedded in tooth sockets. A clear tooth socket lacking a tooth is visible at the back of the jaw. Credit: University of Bristol

Professor Mike Benton, who supervised the project, added: "Our other questions were about the effects of island life. We know today that animals on remote islands can evolve in different ways from on the mainland. Often they become smaller, as there is less food, and they might be anachronisticmeaning they are throw-backs to much more ancient animals from the mainland."

The Ruthin island reptiles include a new species, Smilodonterpeton ruthinensis ("chisel-toothed reptile from Ruthin"), and three other small reptiles which belong to an ancient group called the Procolophonidae.

Other animals recognized include a slender crocodile-like reptile, three species of lizard-like reptiles related to the tuatara of New Zealand and the strange, plant-eating Tricuspisaurus thomasi, which had been named in 1957 by one of the earlier collectors.

Reconstructed heads of the Ruthin reptiles  Smilodonterpeton, the chisel-toothed plant-eater (left) and Tricuspisaurus, the beaked beast (right), both of them unique to the island (scale bars=5mm). Credit: Matthew Skinner

Dr. David Whiteside, another supervisor, said: "It has been questioned for many years how Tricuspisaurus is related to the other reptiles. I was keen we found out what it really was, and Matthew was able to CT scan the specimens, and this showed that its teeth were located in tooth sockets, and it had a beak at the front of its jaws. This confirms it was not a procolophonid, as had been thought, but a distant relative of birds, crocodiles and dinosaurs."

Matthew added: "It's extraordinary how much modern technology can reveal about these animals that we otherwise would be unable to see before without breaking the fossil. Ruthin is one of many such sites around South Wales and Bristol recognized to have once been islands from this ancient archipelago, but none of the others yield an assemblage of reptiles as old or as unusual as that recognized here. Also, Ruthin now has two types of animal named from the same quarry that are found nowhere else."

More information: Matthew Skinner et al. Late Triassic island dwarfs? Terrestrial tetrapods of the Ruthin fissure (South Wales, UK) including a new genus of procolophonid, Proceedings of the Geologists' Association (2020). Matthew Skinner et al. Late Triassic island dwarfs? Terrestrial tetrapods of the Ruthin fissure (South Wales, UK) including a new genus of procolophonid,(2020). DOI: 10.1016/j.pgeola.2020.04.005
The French foreign ministry on Wednesday issued a firm warning against travelling to Niger after six French nationals were among eight people killed by suspected jihadists at the weekend.

The ministry website said people were "strongly advised" not to travel anywhere in the country, the exception being the capital Niamey, for which travel was "not advised unless for compelling reasons."

The new advice means that the southern part of Niger, roughly a quarter of the country, has been added to the so-called red zone, for which there is a strong recommendation to avoid.

"The terrorist threat against Niger, especially outside the capital and near the borders, is very high," the ministry said.

The impoverished country lies in the heart of the Sahel, which has become badly destabilised by a jihadist insurgency that began in northeastern Nigeria in 2010 and in Mali in 2012.

Six French aid workers, their Nigerien guide and a driver were murdered on Sunday in the Koure National Park, a wildlife haven 60 kilometres (37 miles) from the capital Niamey.

The killings were the first by jihadist gunmen in that area, a destination for weekend leisure trips by Niamey residents, including foreigners.

Previously, Niamey and the town of Koure were marked as yellow under France's colour-coded security advice -- a category that calls for additional vigilance but says the risk is "compatible with tourism."

Niamey is now classified as orange (travel "not advised unless for compelling reasons") while Koure, like the rest of the country, is in the red zone.

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Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are slated to make their first appearance together as running mates in the presidential election Wednesday afternoon.

Biden and Harris are speaking in Wilmington, Del. Initially slated to begin at 3:50 p.m., the event is now expected to start at 5 p.m.

On Tuesday, Biden selected the California senator as his choice to be the Democratic vice presidential candidate. Harris becomes the first Black woman to be on a major partys presidential ticket.

Biden, the former vice president, lives in Delaware, where he served as a U.S. senator for more than 30 years. The appearance will be streamed and also broadcast on cable news networks.

You can watch it live here.

Joe Biden and Kamala Harris Deliver Remarks in Wilmington This afternoon, Kamala Harris and I will be speaking together for the first time since yesterdays big announcement. Posted by Joe Biden on Wednesday, August 12, 2020

Pennsylvania Democrats applauded the choice of Harris as Bidens running mate. Democrats said she could help energize voters as they seek to move Pennsylvania blue. In 2016, Donald Trump scored a narrow victory in the Keystone State, a key step to becoming Americas 45th president.

Typically, when presidential candidates appear with their running mates for the first time, its before a packed crowd of party supporters. With the coronavirus pandemic, Biden and Harris are doing a virtual event aimed at galvanizing Democratic voters.

Biden and Harris were formerly rivals for the Democratic presidential nomination and engaged in heated exchanges in debates. But Harris offers experience on domestic issues as a senator and is a former California attorney general.

If elected, Biden said on Twitter Wednesday he and Harris will face multiple crises, a nation divided, and a world in disarray. We wont have a minute to waste.

Thats exactly why I picked her: Shes ready to lead on day one, Biden said.

For her part, Harris said on Twitter that Biden will build an America that lives up to our ideals. Im honored to join him as our partys nominee for Vice President, and do what it takes to make him our Commander-in-Chief.

A Scranton native, Biden has been a familiar figure to Pennsylvania voters for decades, both as a senator and as vice president under Barack Obama. Still, analysts and Democrats say Harris could help spur more Democrats to the polls, including voters in the Keystone State.

Pennsylvania is generally considered one of the most critical battlegrounds in the presidential election. While Trump won Pennsylvania by less than a percentage point in 2016, he nonetheless was the first Republican presidential candidate to claim the Keystone State since 1988. He also succeeded in areas that had been Democratic strongholds, including the Erie and Wilkes-Barre areas, among others.

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NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / August 12, 2020 / At only 15 years old, one of the founders and managing partner of Benemerito Attorneys at Law, John Benemerito, already entered into a business venture with his father. Fortunately for him, the business survived throughout his high school, college, and law school years. Since then, John has owned and managed five different businesses while practicing as an attorney-at-law.

Born to a family of entrepreneurs, John has always been a part of their family businesses. He was always well-versed with the challenges of starting and maintaining a business. But other than the business side of things, John was also enamored with the law, which led him to attend law school.

John received his bachelor's degree in criminal justice at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. He then attended New York Law School, where he met Alejandra Gonzalez, a fellow law student who was specializing in commercial real estate and corporate law. After learning more about corporate law, their combined affinity for both business and law in their practice led the two to establish what would now be known as Benemerito Attorneys at Law. They wanted to help aspiring entrepreneurs, and the best way he could do this was by providing their legal assistance.

Like John, Alejandra had a passion for both law and entrepreneurship as well. After finishing her bachelor's degree in communications from the University of Puerto Rico, she moved to New York to pursue her law studies. Right after graduating from law school, she joined John in establishing the law firm.

Both John and Alejandra began their law practice by working with small business owners. Eventually, their legal services expanded to startup businesses. Since then, John and Alejandra have worked side by side with thousands of entrepreneurs from small-scale businesses and startup companies.

Having a strong background in business as he is an entrepreneur himself, John knows the struggles that these startup business owners face. The amount of legal work necessary to comply with business policies can be overwhelming for those who are still starting their businesses. With that in mind, John and Alejandra envisioned a law firm that specializes in the needs of startup companies. Their mission was building a firm around their needs instead of forcing these startup owners to adapt to the legal field.

Story continues

Benemirito Attorneys at Law is a New York law firm that specializes in business law and securities law. The firm's vision is to provide timely and effective legal services that will, ultimately, help clients meet their needs and achieve their goals.

As a personal mission, John seeks to correct the misconceptions that some entrepreneurs may have about lawyers. He strives to show people that hiring a lawyer does not have to be an expensive experience. Clients may still get high-quality legal services without having to break the bank. This is what the Benemerito law firm seeks to bring in.

With more and more people exploring the business industry, the demand for reliable legal assistance also increases. Many entrepreneurs have no time in their hands to personally take care of the paperwork that is necessary for the business; the rising law firm fills in the gaps for these business owners.

With the law firm being led by an entrepreneur himself, the approach that Benemerito firm takes is more relaxed and designed to give their clients a stress-free experience while fully complying with the legal requirements to help each business reach success. Through his incredible network and team, John has made the firm a one-stop shop for aspiring entrepreneurs who wish to bring their business ideas to life.

For more information about Benemerito Attorneys at Law, visit their official website.

Company: Benemerito Attorneys at Law

Email: info@benemeritolaw.com

Phone number: +1 212 785 1528

Website: BenemeritoLaw.com

SOURCE: Benemerito Attorneys at Law





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Medical assistant Marianne Orantes prepares to see people being tested for COVID-19 at the Mexican Consulate in Los Angeles. The free testing site opened Wednesday. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

A coronavirus testing center has opened at the Los Angeles Mexican Consulate in an effort to better serve Latinos, who have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic.

L.A. County Supervisor Hilda Solis established the new testing site with state and federal funding from the CARES Act after identifying vulnerable communities in the county, she said. Launched in partnership with the Honduran, Guatemalan, Salvadoran and Mexican consulates, the new site will be open for appointments and walk-ins Wednesday through Sunday 7 a.m. to 7 p.m and administer 1,500 tests a week.

"I know there are a lot of needs here," Solis said during a Wednesday morning news conference. "The numbers don't lie."

At Clinica Romero, which serves the predominantly Latino Boyle Heights, Pico-Union and Westlake areas, between 30% and 40% of those who come in to get tested for COVID-19 test positive, said the clinic's executive director, Carlos Vaquerano.

In Westlake, 2,081 people have tested positive for COVID-19. In Pico-Union, more than 1,500 have tested positive.

"The numbers are alarming," Vaquerano said.

Mexican Consul General Marcela Celorio stressed that the consulate was a safe space for the Latino community and that anyone  regardless of immigration status or whether they have health insurance or not  would be able to receive free testing at the location.

Celorio and Solis appealed to Latino essential workers and those who are in the country illegally, urging them to practice social distancing, wear masks and refrain from visiting family members during the pandemic.

At a news conference Wednesday., L.A. County Supervisor Hilda L. Solis, left, and Mexican Consul General Marcela Celorio announce the new COVID-19 testing site at the Mexican Consulate office in Los Angeles. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

"Having COVID-19 isn't something to be ashamed of," Celorio said. "It could happen to anyone and you have to ask for help. It doesn't matter if you're documented or undocumented."

"No one will discriminate against you if you don't have citizenship. People in this area trust the people that are going to be operating this, and that they are not going to be intimidated [or] told they can't get tested," Solis said.

Story continues

Solis said she hopes the site will continue operating through December, or as long as the funding remains available. Translation services for those who speak Zapoteco, Quiche and other languages will be available.

Solis also recently announced openings of new testing sites in other vulnerable areas, including Huntington Park and Azusa, as well as a medical clinic in Bell for southeast L.A. County residents.

To make an appointment, the public can call (888) 634-1123.
Since the death of George Floyd, the incident that ignited the worst and most costly rioting and devastation to Democrat-run cities since the 1960s, not a single Democrat in Congress has spoken out against the violence being perpetrated by Antifa and Black Lives Matter and the clueless, indoctrinated young people whom they have beguiled. Clearly, the carefully planned strategy of the Democrat party is to stand with the looters and arsonists and implicitly to defend them.

For reasons that are entirely mystifying to most Americans, the Democrats seem to believe that their blind support of brutal thugs who delight in destroying the property of others is a winning master plan. In Chicago, BLM is holding a rally to support those arrested in the looting spree that took place Sunday night; that one did about $60M in damage to the businesses on that city's Magnificent Mile. BLM organizer Ariel Atkins defended the looting; looting is their reparations! Witless film business celebrities are raising vast amounts of money to keep the rioters out of jail  not a difficult undertaking, given the Soros-elected D.A.s and prosecutors in many of the affected cities.

Chaos, that old Cloward-Piven prescription for destroying capitalism, is the left's best friend in their view. It is what they take pleasure in fomenting. They care not one bit for a civilized society if embracing barbarism can defeat President Trump. This is what is generally referred to as upside-down thinking; Trump has so deranged the left that they think this ever so faulty reasoning is shrewd! Their scheme would be amusing if it were not so destructive, so murderous, and so economically devastating.

This is our left today. Promote violence, ignore the wreckage and the monumental costs to ordinary people, and they empower those aching for an excuse to plunder and blight. (For much the same reasons, they appear to have looked upon COVID-19 as a blessing, an aid to their agenda.)

The Democrats count on two generations of young people inculcated with the conviction that they are victims of a racist and unequal society to act out, to do their bidding in the streets. The radicals pull the strings, the puppets cooperate as duly indoctrinated and riot in the streets of cities in which they know they will not be hindered or jailed.

The Democrats smile to themselves, confident that their ploy will see Trump defeated. They think Twitter is the window onto the world!

Aside from endorsing violence as their path to victory, their other defining characteristic is their notion that all Americans outside of their superior and elevated realm are extraordinarily stupid and easily manipulated. They are certain they that their crafty blueprint for the implementation of their authoritarian socialist dream is working, and it is with far too many people, mostly young college-educated dupes and the Bernie Sanders old.

But because most Americans have lives of meaning  families, work, school  the left counts on the fact that not everyone pays attention to state or national elections until Election Day is near. And because these wizards of smart in government lack common sense, they forget to remember that those millions of Americans who do successfully navigate life, family, school, and work are possessed of common sense. Those are the voters who elected Donald Trump over Hillary Clinton, easily one of the most corrupt politicians ever to run for the office.

The American people are not nearly as dumb as the Pelosi/Schumer crowd thinks they are. They recognize character and the lack of it with ease.

Most Americans can also discern a person's declining mental state since so many of us have experienced it in our own families or circles of friends. The Democrats' pretense that Joe Biden is not in the throes of dementia is laughable.
ALBANY  Former MyPayrollHR CEO Michael Mann pleaded guilty to federal charges on Wednesday, admitting to an elaborate and decade-long swindle of banks and finance companies across the country that caused the collapse of his payroll processing business.

The massive scheme left thousands of workers across the country without paychecks and Mann's lenders struggling to survive massive financial losses totaling more than $100 million.

Mann faces anywhere from 17 years to 32 years in federal prison under sentencing guidelines, although his attorney Michael Koenig will argue for a much shorter time.

Mann will also be ordered to pay $101 million in restitution to his victims.

Mann pleaded guilty Wednesday to 12 charges, including bank fraud, wire fraud, identity theft and filing false tax records, as part of an agreement with federal prosecutors. The 50-year-old Edinburgh man agreed to waive his right to have the case presented to a grand jury.

"The object of the conspiracy was to obtain tens of millions of dollars in loans from (lenders) by misrepresenting the financial condition of Mann's companies," the charging document filed with the court Wednesday states. "Mann then used the fraudulently obtained loans to operate his companies and enrich himself."

Mann, who has never spoken publicly, said little in court, mostly answering "yes" or "no" to questions from the judge.

U.S. District Court Judge Lawrence Kahn, who set Mann's sentencing for Dec. 10 and allowed him to remain free on bail, will have the final say on how much time Mann spends in prison.

The abrupt shutdown of MyPayrollHR last September left thousands of people around the nation missing paychecks and facing negative bank balances, as well as tax bills for unpaid payroll taxes.

In a 12-page document outlining the charges Mann was facing, prosecutors outlined a virtual pyramid scheme that Mann perpetuated by giving his bankers fake financial documents, creating bogus companies, diverting payroll money into his own accounts and even impersonating a business partner.

And while the collapse of Mann's payroll company and the loss of paychecks by thousands of workers across the country have grabbed all the headlines of the case, that was only the tip of the iceberg for Mann's scheme, which involved a much-larger attempt to trick lenders across the country into giving him millions of dollars in loans without providing any real collateral.

The missing payroll payments ended up being part of a last-ditch attempt by Mann to seize money to repay his lenders and to keep them from uncovering his fraud.

It didn't work.

Prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney's office in Albany say Mann, who earned an MBA from the University at Albany and owned a consulting company called ValueWise based in Clifton Park, began the scheme in 2013 during a period when he was creating and acquiring many different companies to try and expand ValueWise. That included the legitimate purchase of MyPayrollHR.

The key driver of the fraud was Mann's creation of fake invoices that showed his companies - some of which were fake or didn't have any revenue - were owed millions of dollars in consulting fees by other companies.

Those invoices could then be used by Mann to obtain millions of dollars in loans from finance companies that used the invoices - and the cash flow they appeared to represent - for collateral.

But Mann didn't need to just create fake invoices to fool the bankers.

He also needed a company that would verify the invoices and show his lenders that his companies indeed were owed millions of dollars in consulting fees.

That company was Optum, a subsidiary of the Minnesota health insurer UnitedHealth Group, although the company's name was unwittingly used by Mann without its permission.

Mann, who did actual consulting for Optum at the time, hired an Optum employee in 2013 to come work for ValueWise. That person, who prosecutors only identify as a co-conspirator No. 3, introduced Mann to a 20-something Optum employee named Luke Steiner who would verify the fake invoices with two of Mann's financing companies that were located in New York and Colorado. Prosecutors did not reveal the two firms' names.

At one point, Mann impersonated Steiner using a fake email address to obtain a loan from a third financing company in California.

The three loans were in the "tens of millions of dollars," although the charging documents against Mann do not reveal the exact amount. Mann still owes those three firms a total of $17 million.

Mann compensated Steiner for his role in the scheme with $11,300 in Amazon gift cards.

Steiner, who pled guilty to wire fraud in February, is set to be sentenced in September. He faces up to 20 years in prison.

Meanwhile, Mann couldn't repay the loans from his lenders because his companies were not actually being paid millions of dollars in consulting fees from Optum.

So Mann started tapping into a revolving line of credit that he had established with Pioneer Bank in 2009.

Back then, the line of credit was for $2 million. In order to increase that line of credit so that he could borrow more money to pay off his other loans, Mann went back to his fake invoice ploy and created new fake companies that would issue fake invoices that alleged consulting not only for Optum, but also nationally known companies like 3M, Best Buy and T-Mobile.

As a result, Pioneer increased the line of credit to $15 million in 2015. Berkshire Bank and Chemung Canal Trust Co. later came on in stages to go in on the loan with Pioneer, increasing the credit line to $42 million by August of 2019.

Mann also admitted to using corporate credit cards he had obtained from Bank of America to repay his lenders.

The most visible of Mann's schemes happened in late August of last year when Mann needed cash to pay down his line of credit with Pioneer. He diverted payroll funds from MyPayrollHR client companies away from his electronic payments firm, Cachet Financial Services, to his own account at Pioneer.

Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years.

Cachet was the company that would deposit the payroll into the accounts of the employees. But when Mann diverted the money away from Cachet to himself, those employees - at more than 1,000 companies - didn't get paid. Cachet later repaid those workers $7.2 million in lost pay and has since filed for bankruptcy.

Documents filed with the court by prosecutors reflect that Mann largely kept the fraud going to pay off his loans, which he had sought to fund legitimate ventures and business operations in some cases.

The documents do not describe any of the personal purchases Mann might have made with the loans, although he is required to forfeit $14 million he holds under the name of his companies in various Bank of America accounts. He also has to forfeit 30,000 shares of Pioneer Bank stock and a black 2020 Jeep Gladiator, both of which he purchased in July of 2019.

Mann also diverted $3.8 million in payroll tax money from the clients of MyPayrollHR and another payroll firm that Mann owned in Oklahoma to his Pioneer Bank account, also to try and pay down his line of credit with his banks.

The demise of Mann's companies sent shock waves through the banking community. Pioneer Bank told federal regulators that it faced the loss of millions of dollars due to potentially "fraudulent activity" related to MyPayrollHR's collapse. Berkshire Bank last year reported it expected to lose up to $12 million due to "fraudulent activity" by Mann.

After Wednesday's plea hearing, Koenig, Mann's attorney, held an impromptu news conference outside the courthouse, explaining how his client has been cooperating with federal prosecutors for a year now to help them understand the scheme. Mann, who stood off to the side, did not speak.

Koenig said he planned to submit a memorandum to Kahn that would present another side of his client to the court. He said that although sentencing guidelines would put Mann behind bars for as many as three decades, those guidelines are only advisory and no longer mandatory after a 2005 Supreme Court decision.

Koenig said his sentencing memo would lay out reasons to "mitigate," or reduce, the potential prison term that Mann should face.

"Judge Kahn can do whatever he wants," Koenig said. "We're going to give (Khan) a much more complete and broader picture of Michael Mann and his life."

When asked how Mann would repay $101 million to his victims, Koenig replied that Mann didn't have that much money available.

"He is going to do what he can," Koenig said.

As part of the plea agreement with the federal government, Mann also agreed to plead guilty in Saratoga County Court to one count of money laundering. The charge was brought by the state attorney general's office.

Earlier: MyPayrollHR's Michael Mann charged with bank fraud

MyPayrollHR debacle: Who is Michael Mann?

FBI searches home of MyPayrollHR executive Michael Mann

Pioneer Bank admits millions in exposure from My PayrollHR collapse

Complete coverage of the MyPayrollHR scandal

Massarah Mikati contributed to this story
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Linkedin Adrian Wail Akhlas (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, August 12, 2020 08:05 525 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066d43a75 1 Business BI,retail-sales,inflation,COVID-19 Free

Retail sales in Indonesia fell 17.1 percent year-on-year (yoy) in June, marking a slight improvement when compared with an even greater contraction recorded in May, as the economy started to recover after three months of partial lockdown to curb the coronavirus spread, a Bank Indonesia (BI) survey released on Tuesday shows.

In May, retail sales were down 20.6 percent yoy.

The government began lifting large-scale social restrictions (PSBB) in early June to rescue the virus-battered economy.

Compared to the preceding month, June saw improvements in the purchase of vehicle fuels, food, beverages and tobacco, as well as information services, among other categories, according to the survey.

The improved retail sales performance was driven by reopening of retail stores during the shift from the PSBB [and to the adoption of] new habits, the central bank said in the survey.

The retail sales performance is expected to improve further in July despite still being in a contraction phase.

The central bank estimates that sales in July were down 12.3 percent yoy, which would be a further decline in the severity of the contraction, thanks to higher sales of food, beverage and tobacco as well as household equipment.

The government has been campaigning heavily for adapting to new habits, asking people to wear masks and wash their hands regularly, among other measures, to save the economy, which is expected to contract by 0.4 percent this year or grow by only 1 percent.

Indonesia booked its first GDP decline in two decades as the economy shrank 5.32 percent in the second quarter this year as all components of economic activity fell.

The retail sales index in the second quarter contracted 18.2 percent yoy, compared to a contraction of 1.9 percent in this years first quarter and 4.2 percent growth in the second quarter of last year, the central bank said.

According to the survey, retail sales are set to pick up in the next three to six months following the reopening of the economy, which is expected to boost the publics purchasing power.

The retail sales performance hit rock bottom in May, showing early signs of recovery in consumption [in June], albeit at a very slow pace, Mirae Asset Sekuritas Indonesia economist Anthony Kevin told The Jakarta Post. We continue to expect a U-shaped economic recovery.

Anthony said the demand and supply sides of the economy had yet to pick up significantly after the slump recorded in the second quarter. He said he expected the economy to shrink by 1.8 percent yoy in the third quarter as the recovery remained slow amid rising coronavirus cases.

We are not confident about economic growth should government spending remain weak throughout the year. Therefore, the key is to expedite budget spending, he went on to say.

The government has earmarked Rp 695.2 trillion (US$47.5 billion) for boosting the economy and stimulating consumer demand, but many economists warn it may not be effective if spending remains slow.

As of Aug. 6, the government had only spent Rp 151.25 trillion of the stimulus budget, five months after the first outbreak in March, Finance Ministry data show.

Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati attributed the slow spending to complicated bureaucracy and a lack of citizens data, among other reasons.
Trinidad and Tobago PM Says His Ruling Party Won Monday's General Election

By VOA News August 11, 2020

Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Keith Rowley announced Monday night his ruling People's National Movement party won the general elections.

Speaking to a gathering of supporters in Port of Spain, Trinidad, Rowley said, the PNM won 22 of the 41 seats at stake in the elections.

Rowley said the other major party, the United National Congress (UNC), won the remaining 19 seats.

The Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC) is expected to announce the official results Tuesday.

A victory in the election will extend Rowley's five-year tenure as prime minister.

Voters from the twin-republic said corruption and the coronavirus pandemic were major issues of concern.

Politics in Trinidad and Tobago is largely divided along ethnic lines, with supporters of African descent aligned with the PNM. The UNC is a favorite among people of Indian descent.

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-12 09:25:59|Editor: huaxia

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ABUJA, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday denied the assumption that Boko Haram, the terrorist group inside the country, has far more weapons and money than the government and its military.

Buhari, at a virtual security meeting with state governors and security chiefs, said there is nothing left of the terrorists at present, describing them as "mere scavengers desperate for food, raiding shops, and markets, and killing innocent persons in the process."

However, he expressed concern that criminal groups and terrorists continued to have access to small weapons.

Buhari also expressed satisfaction with the level of support from neighboring countries in the war against terrorism. Enditem
Syria's Arab Tribes Give Pro-American Forces and SDF One Month to Leave Eastern Syria

Sputnik News

20:01 GMT 11.08.2020

On 11 August, sheikhs and elders of the Arab Al-Uqaydat tribe met in the Syrian Deir ez-Zor province, agreeing that the US-led coalition is responsible for murdering tribal sheikhs in the province, and demanding that the region be cleared of SDF forces, local control returned to the Syrians, and stating: "leave the Arab region to the Arabs".

Sputnik's correspondent in al-Hasakah reported, citing civilian sources in Deir ez-Zor, that nearly 5,000 people attended a meeting of Al-Uqaydat sheikhs and elders. They agreed that the pro-American coalition and the SDF have one month to turn over all of those involved in murdering sheikhs in the Deir ez-Zor governorate, and demanded that the SDF and the coalition leave the province.

The tribal sheikhs condemned the security chaos caused by a series of murders of tribal elders and sheikhs, as well as condemning widespread corruption. These factors are reported to have forced the tribe to make the decision.

The most recent high-profile crime attributed to SDF fighters is the assassination of Sheikh Mutashar al-Hafil and his relative Dar Mihlef al-Khalaf, which has provoked a wave of protests and aggression by local tribes against both the armed SDF groups and the pro-American coalition.

"We are calling on the international coalition to transfer control over the province directly to its Arab population, respecting Syria's territorial integrity, as well as the rights of Syrian citizens", the trial elder's statement said.

Al-Uqaydat tribal representatives also demand that the SDF release all prisoners and hostages: particularly and first, women and children.

Reportedly, the month given to the SDF and the coalition to meet the ultimatum starts today, August 11, 2020.

The Al-Uqaydat tribes have traditionally been situated in the eastern part of the Syrian Deir ez-Zor province. Popular protests hit these cities after pro-American SDF forces killed several sheikhs and tribal elders. In response, tribal representatives broke into SDF headquarters in several governorate cities and captured fighters.

A Sputnik

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12.08.2020 LISTEN

Friends and family of Michael Amoako, based in the United States of America, have donated several essential food and toiletry to three orphanages.

The donation forms part of effort to help mitigate the plight of the vulnerable during this COVID -19 pandemic, and to show their support and pride for their motherland Ghana.

The items worth 5,000 dollars include masks, sanitisers, soaps, detergents and diapers. The orphanages includes Teshie Children's Home, Save Them Young Mission (Tema) and Village of Hope (Gomoah Fetteh).

Ms. Irene Neequaye, the Local Organizer of the Group in a presentation said they responded to the needs of the orphanages, when they contacted them during the COVID-19 pandemic.

She said the Group quickly mobilized resources through an online campaign in one week to support these vulnerable Children.

"The items being presented were purchased from local vendors to support the local economy as well" she said.

She emphasized the need to support the vulnerable during such trying times and called on other socially conscious Groups to emulate this gesture.

Coordinator and lead fundraiser for the Group, Mr. Michael Adu Amoako, said We were raised up to care for each other and that sense of responsibility has never left us."

He said through the gesture "we in the diaspora wants to foster a sense of ones and continue instilling these principles of togetherness between the diasporan community and communities within our motherland, Ghana.

He expressed gratitude to numerous persons, who rallied behind him to raise funds to support the orphanages.
The vitriol that has broken out in Lebanon over responsibility for the 4 August explosion in Beirut could lead to further sectarian conflict even with fresh parliamentary elections, writes Hassan Al-Qishawi in Beirut

Even before the Lebanese government resigned last week in the wake of the explosion that took place in the capital Beirut on 4 August, there were demands for holding early parliamentary elections and replacing the cabinet.

Prime Minister Hassan Diab said in an address that the corrupt system in Lebanon had tied the states hands and that it could not tear it down. The explosions were a symptom of this corruption, he said, adding that unfortunately some were still only interested in making political gains and populist electoral speeches.

They tried to blame the government for the economic collapse and levels of public debt, he said. Shame on them. This government did its best to come up with a road map to resolve the economic situation, referring to the economic difficulties Lebanon has been facing since last year.

Today, we have seen an earthquake, and our primary concern is dealing with its aftermath and promptly investigating who is responsible. We leave it to the people to hold accountable officials who are responsible for the catastrophe that was concealed for seven years, Diab said.

Lebanons 14 March Alliance appears to be trying to take advantage of the situation by not only demanding the resignation of the cabinet, but also early elections. Samir Geagea, leader of the Lebanese Forces Party, a key rival of the Shia group Hizbullah, has also called for early parliamentary elections.

MP Akram Shoheib, a member of the Democratic Gathering bloc headed by Druze leader Walid Jumblatt, said that we are in consultations about holding early parliamentary elections... The resignation of the government is an immediate demand to produce new authority in the country.

Shoheib said it was vital that trusted international experts lead the investigation into the explosions. We do not trust any local Lebanese committee.

In an escalation from Jumblatts camp, MP Wael Abu Faour, also a member of the Democratic Gathering and a close ally of Jumblatt, said that I hope the cabinet doesnt resign. Diab and his spiteful cohorts do not deserve the honour of resignation: they must be toppled by parliament or the street. And resignation does not prevent the prosecution of preceding governments, as well as the incumbent cabinet and its primary sponsor.

Former tourism minister Michel Pharaon, close to the Future Current, said that there has been a major tragedy and damage to homes in Al-Achrafiyeh [Christian East Beirut] that can only be addressed by the international community because the state is completely absent. There is no transparency about how aid will be delivered, and we hear they do not want aid to be given to civil society groups.

We need a political agreement and the implementation of the road map proposed by [French President Emmanuel] Macron, not only early parliamentary elections. We do not absolve anyone, he added.

Wiam Wahhab, leader of the Arab Unification Party and a former cabinet member, said that former Lebanese prime minister Saad Al-Hariri is the only one acting rationally now. Although I disagree with him on principle, he is the only rational one, and the international community wants a national-unity government.

Wahhab added that the the incumbent government is not the only one to blame for corruption and cronyism. Consecutive parliaments bore false witness and never fired any cabinet member. Responsibility will be revealed in the investigation of the explosions at the port in Beirut.

The Lebanese LBC news channel reported that Parliamentary Speaker Nabih Berri [a Hizbullah ally] insists on holding questions to the government on Thursday, and all ongoing communications are about this, with contacts continuing with Hizbullah and [the Shia group] Amal.

It added that the cabinet views Diabs call for early parliamentary elections and a draft law to shorten the parliaments mandate without consulting Aoun or Berri as violations of the traditions of Lebanese politics.

Sources from the Democratic Gathering bloc said that Berri had agreed with the bloc about holding the government accountable for the 4 August explosions. The sources said that the resignation of the Democratic Gathering bloc MPs will depend on the outcome of Thursdays meeting. If a no-confidence vote passes, so be it; if not, repercussions will follow.

It is rumoured that the Future Current is also considering withdrawing from the parliament along with the Democratic Gathering. Mass resignations were discussed during a meeting between Democratic Gathering and Geagea, who demanded the resignation of the 14 March Alliance MPs.

After a meeting with a delegation from the Socialist Progressive Party sent by Jumblatt, Geagea said that we are hours away from serious developments. We dont care about this governments resignation, because whoever formed this cabinet will form the next one and the status quo will continue. Our goal is to resolve the heart of the problem, which is in parliament.

Geagea said that not all the political class was corrupt. Most politicians are unworthy, but we are worthy. Our pockets are clean, whether they like it or not.

During his visit to Lebanon last week, Macron reportedly presented a new political deal aiming to form a national-unity government led by Al-Hariri to include all parties, except for Gebran Bassil, who would choose ministers from his group, and Hizbullah, which would choose its quota from among its allies.

The initiative proposes that the government agree to the formation of an international committee to investigate the Beirut explosions, and it also calls for early parliamentary elections to produce a new political class that will include extensive participation by revolutionary and protest forces.

However, Washington objects to a national-unity government in Lebanon and prefers a cabinet of independents led by diplomat Nawaf Salam not including any political players, especially those from the Aounist Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) headed by Bassil and Hizbullah.

MP Michel Daher, who withdrew from the Aounist bloc in parliament after the Beirut explosions, said that after the abysmal failure of the government and due to political squabbles and disagreements that could delay the formation of a new cabinet, and after overwhelming and valid anger on the streets, and the catastrophe that struck the capital which reached the point almost of genocide, should we arrive at an interim military cabinet as the only solution to overcome the crisis?

In an attempt to hold the former government responsible for the crisis, Minister of Health Hamad Hassan said after a cabinet meeting that Diabs government had resigned and that the people know the culprits for the port explosions.

Minister of the Displaced Affairs Ghada Chreim said on social media that its a tightly woven scenario to hold the six-month-old cabinet responsible for previous corruption, negligence and hypocrisy. We are not evading our responsibility, but we will never allow them to make us a scapegoat.

You will be held accountable, and like dominoes you will fall. The Lebanese people know who was reckless with their lives and who stole their dreams, wealth and country.

Such vitriol could lead to further sectarian conflict in Lebanon. Shiites and Christians in the 8 March Alliance (FPM and the Marada Movement led by Suleiman Frangieh) are concerned the present proposals would mean marginalising them, even if they are led by France, historically an ally of Lebanons Maronites.

The French proposal seeks to reassure the Shiites and Sunnis by calling for a national-unity government that includes civil society forces.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 13 August, 2020 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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WINSTON-SALEM  Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center is recruiting participants for its portion of a high-profile national clinical trial for a potential COVID-19 vaccine.

The health care system and Javara, a clinical-research company, both based in Winston-Salem, have joined the study sponsored by Moderna, a biotechnology company headquartered in Cambridge, Mass., that already involves UNC Hospitals in the Triangle. The study is projected to last 25 months and involve up to 89 clinical trial sites.

The initial Phase Three clinical trials began July 27. The vaccine doesnt feature any live virus.

The clinical trials will evaluate if the vaccine boosts the immune system to produce enough antibodies against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, so it does not cause illness in case of infection.

This is one of the most important and impactful clinical research studies in our lifetime, said Dr. John Sanders, Wake Forest Baptists chief of infectious diseases and principal COVE study investigator. We encourage individuals across the Winston-Salem area to consider participating in this trial, which could bring the world one step closer to ending this global health crisis.
Chennai born chartered accountant Dhivya Suryadevara has assumed the role of CFO at payment company Stripe. She quit her role as CFO at General Motors for this post.

After Kamala Harris, whose mother came from Chennai, became the vice president nominee of Democrat presidential candidate Joe Biden, Indian origin Suryadevara also has a southern connect. She was born and she studied there till she moved to the United States in 2001.

The Harvard educated Suryadevara spent more than a decade in General Motor Asset Management. Eventually she climbed to the top of the male dominated automobile industry becoming part of the only woman CEO-CFO combination at General Motors. She worked with Marry Barra, who is the current CEO at GM.

In a social media post, Stripe cofounder John Collison welcomed Suryadevara to Stripe as CFO. You may now begin your well-oiled machine and stepping on the gas type puns, he said.

While speculation was rife that appointment of such a seasoned finance officer meant that Stripe, which was last valued at $36 billion, is set to hit the public markets soon, Collison rubbished such speculation.

IPO considerations did not figure highly in our reasoning for this hire, Collison was quoted by the Financial Times as saying. We have no timeframe that we are working toward in terms of going public. Its not a near-term thing on the cards for Stripe.

So, who exactly is Suryadevara?

Chennai born Suryadevaras Linkedin page suggests she has a masters degree in finance from University of Madras, after which she travelled to the US to pursue her Masters in Business Administration from Harvard University.

She worked at the World Bank as an intern, then at UBS Investment Bank for a year. From there she moved on to join automobile major General Motors, where she rose the ranks to become the CEO of its asset management arm and then moved onto parent company GM. She was the CFO at GM for almost two years before moving to the Valley.

In an interview to Real Simple, she said she lost her father at a young age and was brought up by her mother along with her two sisters. It is the struggle of her mother to support the entire family by herself, which inspired Suryadevara to work hard and earn her position in the world.

She shared in the interview how as a 22-year old at Harvard she had to struggle given that she was on student loans and had to find a job to pay it all back. She joined GM at the age of 25 and then never looked back.

While working with GM was obviously a challenge and with her family based in New York she was constantly on the move between Detroit and New York. Now having joined Stripe, she will have to commute between California and New York, one on the west coast and the other on the east coast of North America.

She joins Stripe at a crucial juncture when there is a strong buzz around the payments company going public. Stripe is backed by Y Combinator, Sequoia Capital, Tiger Global Management and other marquee investors.

Stripe does have presence in India, but has not taken off in the highly competitive domestic payments market yet. Razorpay and Cashfree, both Y Combinator-backed companies, are its competitors here. Stripe offers all forms of digital payments be it pay outs for businesses, consumer transactions, online payments, offline payments and many others.
(TNS)  A Chicago woman has filed a lawsuit alleging Macys violated Illinois biometric privacy law by using video surveillance cameras and facial recognition technology on its customers.The lawsuit, which is seeking class action status, was filed last week in Chicago federal court on behalf of Isela Carmean, a regular Macys customer whose image was likely identified  without her consent  through a facial recognition database, the complaint alleges.The states Biometric Information Privacy Act requires companies to get permission before using technologies such as facial recognition to identify customers.The suit alleges Macys is a client of technology startup Clearview AI, which has created facial recognition software that scrapes social media images to build a massive database capable of identifying people through photos.The department store chain allegedly sends or has sent pictures of customers captured by store video surveillance to Clearview to identify them and obtain their personal information, the suit alleges.The suit alleges Macys is actively profiting off of information gleaned from the biometric data through improved security and marketing.Macys said in an email Monday it does not comment on pending litigation.On its website, Clearview AI promotes its platform as a new research tool used by law enforcement agencies to identify perpetrators and victims of crimes.In February, BuzzFeed News reported it obtained leaked internal documents from Clearview that showed Macys, Best Buy, Kohls and Walmart were among more than 200 corporate clients under contract for facial recognition services.Clearview, which is not named as a defendant in the lawsuit, did not respond to a request for comment.The lawsuit alleges Macys has run the identities of more than 6,000 customers through the Clearview database. Carmean has such a widespread and active social media presence that her biometric identifiers and personal information are contained in that database, the lawsuit alleges.Mike Drew, a Chicago attorney who represents Carmean, declined to comment on the lawsuit Monday beyond correcting his clients name, which was misspelled in the complaint.Biometric privacy has been a growing concern in the age of artificial intelligence and social media. In January, Facebook agreed to pay $550 million to Illinois users to settle a class-action lawsuit alleging its facial tagging feature violated their privacy rights. A federal judge upped the total settlement to $650 million in June.In May, the American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit against Clearview in Cook County Circuit Court alleging the facial recognition startup violated the states biometric privacy law and embodied a privacy nightmare by capturing untold quantities of user photos and data from the Internet without consent.Adopted in 2008, the Illinois biometric privacy law requires companies to get written permission to collect and use biometric information, and to publish a written policy establishing a retention schedule for that information.The lawsuit against Macys is seeking $1,000 for each member of the proposed class for every negligent violation of the biometric privacy act and $5,000 for every intentional violation by the department store chain, as well as punitive damages and other costs.It is also asking the court to order Macys to delete the personal information of class members from its database, and to stop its alleged practice of using surveillance photos to get a positive identification of customers through Clearview.On July 22, Macys made it mandatory that every customer wear a mask while shopping in its stores to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. The requirement may provide some inadvertent relief to those with privacy concerns.A preliminary study published July 27 by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, a government agency, found that commercial facial recognition algorithms failed to accurately identify people up to 50% of the time when they were wearing masks.None of these algorithms were designed to handle face masks, said Mei Ngan, an agency computer scientist and an author of the report.
A government target for daily COVID-19 cases has been breached. (Getty)

The UK has breached a 1,000 daily COVID-19 case target for the third time in a single week.

The number, which was set by the Joint Biosecurity Centre in May, was breached on Sunday after 1,062 cases were recorded in a single day and again on Tuesday with 1,148.

On Wednesday cases rose by a further 1,009.

The 1,000 daily total had not been surpassed since late June.

Prof Gabriel Scally, a member of Independent Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) which was set up amid concerns over influence on the governments official Sage advisory group, described the breach as unacceptable, ineffective and dangerous.

Somethings got to change, otherwise we are really in for an extraordinarily difficult time, he told the Guardian.

A testing centre at Mixenden Activity Centre in Calderdale. (Getty)

Its bad, and at the back of it all is that the government does not have a strategy, he added, saying that the last time ministers published a strategy relating to COVID-19 was 3 March.

They have no strategy for dealing with the virus that they have ever made public.

The mention of 1,000 positive tests was included in a document on Sages website on 20 May.

It was part of a series of measures that would help ensure coronavirus flare-ups were avoided.

The document says: Decreasing daily incidence of symptomatic cases in all regions across the UK until the target acceptable incidence is reached, then incidence kept below that target.

This target is yet to be specified and needs to be spelt out. We suggest 1,000 new symptomatic swab +ve [positive] cases per day in the UK.

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson added: The UK continues to have low levels of disease compared to the start of the pandemic and, thanks to our large testing capacity, we are able to detect more cases now than ever before.

We will not hesitate to take necessary steps to stop the spread of the virus and continue to urge the public to play their part by following government guidance.

Overall, a total of 313,798 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in the UK.

Coronavirus: what happened today

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By Kim Hyun-bin







Hanon Systems, a leading global thermal and energy management automotive supplier, said it was the only company selected to present its success story at the Future Mobility Conference, hosted by the K-New Deal Committee of the Democratic Party of Korea, Wednesday.







According to the Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) report, the share of eco-friendly cars is expected to account for more than 60 percent of total car production by 2030.







In the rapidly growing e-mobility market, thermal and energy management plays an important role, since the average unit price of parts is about four times higher than that of internal combustion engine vehicles.







Hanon Systems has diverse product lines that include advanced technologies to manage the thermal energy of electric vehicles (EVs), fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) and autonomous vehicles.







For EVs, Hanon Systems is a leading supplier of highly efficient heat-pump systems. They are powered by an innovative electric compressor to recover waste heat and extend the vehicle's range, particularly in winter.







For FCEVs, Hanon Systems supplies an innovative air compressor that delivers oxygen to generate electricity and a high-voltage fan motor for cooling the fuel cell stack.







Other technologies include an independent cooling system that also can be applied to autonomous vehicles to effectively manage the heat generated by the vehicle's battery and electronics.







"Our long devotion to developing leading technologies to support future mobility is based on our strong global client base," Son Jeong-won (Jay), president and chief executive of Hanon Systems, said.







"Hanon Systems will continue its efforts to maintain a leading position in the global thermal and energy management mobility market and further strengthen its competitiveness to secure long-term sustainability as a company."







For more than three decades, Hanon Systems has delivered outstanding performance and growth. Recently, the company's acquisition of the global fluid pressure and controls business of Magna International bolstered its product portfolio, global footprint and technological capabilities.??







The company has expanded its capabilities to support the future e-mobility market by investing a total of 1.35 trillion won over the past five years, following the company's acquisition by Hahn & Co.







Hanon Systems is responding to the industry shift toward environmentally friendly vehicles by strengthening its foothold in the global automotive market with new business and enhanced capabilities.




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Linkedin News Desk (Agence France-Presse) Hong Kong, China  Wed, August 12, 2020 12:02 525 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066d60238 2 Business loss,Cathay-Pacific,Airlines,Hong-Kong-Airlines Free

Hong Kong carrier Cathay Pacific said Wednesday it lost HK$9.9 billion (U$1.27 billion) in the first half of this year, making it the latest major airline to reveal how badly the coronavirus pandemic has eviscerated its business.

"The first six months of 2020 were the most challenging that the Cathay Pacific Group has faced in its more than 70-year history," chairman Patrick Healy said in a stark statement announcing the results.

"The global health crisis has decimated the travel industry and the future remains highly uncertain, with most analysts suggesting that it will take years to recover to pre-crisis levels," he added.

Like airlines worldwide, Cathay has been battered by the evaporation of global travel during the pandemic.

The firm said it carried 4.4 million passengers in the first six months of 2020 - a 76 percent plunge on-year - as the pandemic burst out of central China and then spread around the world.

At the height of the global lockdowns in April and May, its entire fleet was averaging just 500 passengers a day.

Cargo remained the lone bright spot, bringing in HK$11,177 million and rising nine percent on year.

Hong Kong's government came to the rescue of Cathay earlier this year with a HK$39-billion recapitalization plan.

The deal allowed Cathay to raise some HK$11.7 billion in a rights issue on the basis of seven rights shares for every 11 existing shares held.

Preference shares were sold to the government via Aviation 2020, a new company it owns, for HK$19.5 billion and warrants for HK$1.95 billion, subject to adjustment.

In return Aviation 2020 received two "observers" to attend board meetings.

Healy predicted little optimism for business picking up any time soon, quoting the International Air Transport Association as saying global travel is unlikely to reach pre-pandemic levels until at least 2024.

And he said Asia-Pacific airlines were likely to stay hit for longer given spiraling tensions between the US and China, the world's two biggest economies.

"With a global recession looming, and geopolitical tensions intensifying, trade will likely come under significant pressure, and this is expected to have a negative impact on both air travel and cargo demand," he said.
A Lebanese prosecutor is to question several ministers and former ministers over last week's deadly chemical blast at Beirut port, a judicial official said Wednesday.

'The interrogations will begin with former public works minister Ghazi al-Aridi,' the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

'If a shortcoming or negligence on the part of one of the questioned ministers is found, the judiciary will have to state that it does not have jurisdiction to sue them,' the official explained.

The chief prosecutor will then have to transfer their file and connected evidence to parliament because the jurisdiction lies with a special council in charge of suing ministers and presidents.

The official said the current minister of public works, now working in a caretaker capacity because the government has resigned over the August 4 explosion, would also be questioned in coming days.

Several other former public works ministers, current and former ministers of finance and justice, will also be brought in, he said.

According to latest health ministry figures, the monster explosion at Beirut port killed 171, injured 6,500 and left 300,00 people temporarily homeless.

The explosion, Lebanon's worst peacetime disaster, caused devastation across Beirut and is widely seen as a direct consequence of state incompetence and corruption.

Prime Minister Hassan Diab's government resigned on Monday but that did little to appease protesters who want heads to roll over the disaster.

Documents seen by AFP reveal that relevant officials at every echelon of the state were aware of the danger posed by the large pile of ammonium nitrate stored for years in a port warehouse until it blew up.

Russian emergency personnel walk on the site of the explosion in the port of Beirut, where rescuers are continuing their recovery efforts nearly a week after the blast

The devastating explosion last week. An Italian expert has claimed that the brick red cloud suggests that the blast was not caused by ammonium nitrate and suggested burning armaments had instead caused the blast

A helicopter tries to put out a fire at the scene of last Tuesday's blast, which is thought to have been caused by a stockpile of ammonium nitrate which had been left unsecured at the port since 2013

Wreckage lies in front of destroyed grain silos in the port of Beirut, three days after the devastating explosion in the Lebanese capital

The devastated port of Beirut is seen in an aerial view yesterday after the explosion at a warehouse which has killed more than 160 people and left hundreds of thousands homeless

Explosives expert claims Beirut explosion that killed 171 was caused by burning military missiles - not ammonium nitrate  because the blast cloud was orange not yellow An explosives expert has claimed the Beirut blast was caused by burning military missiles - not ammonium nitrate. Danilo Coppe, 56 and from Parmesan in Italy, is one of the country's leading explosive experts. He believes the August 4 blast, which killed 160 people, wounded 6,000 and destroyed 300,000 homes, was not caused by ammonium nitrate because the colour of the cloud was orange. The explosives expert, nicknamed Mr. Dynamite, explained that when ammonium nitrate detonates, it generates an unmistakable yellow cloud. But videos of the explosion show orange plumes of smoke, Mr Coppe told Corriere. 'There should have been a catalyst, because otherwise it wouldn't all have exploded together. 'You can clearly see a brick orange column tending to bright red, typical of lithium participation. Which in the form of lithium-metal is the propellant for military missiles. I think there were armaments there,' he said. Advertisement

Meanwhile, at Beirut's main fire station, a stone's throw from the charred and ruined port, firefighters held an emotional funeral for one of 10 comrades they lost in the catastrophe.

'May God be with you, our hero,' firefighters cried as they saw off the coffin of their lost friend Jo Noun during their fourth such ceremony since the August 4 disaster.

Ten firefighters are confirmed to have died, and six more are still among the missing, including three members of the same family.

Rina Hitti, the mother of one and related to the two others, said: 'In one piece or several, we want our sons back.'

Hassan Diab blamed a 'corrupt' political class that has ruled Lebanon for more than 30 years for the August 4 explosion, sparked when a warehouse fire ignited 2,750 tons of highly explosive ammonium nitrate that had been stored in the city's port for six years.

The Prime Minister told the nation in a televised address on Monday: 'Today we are heeding the people and their demands to hold accountable those responsible for a disaster.'

Diab praised his government - assembled after previous Prime Minister Saad Hariri stepped down amid protests over corruption - for fighting 'valiantly and with dignity' to reform the country.

But he said that 'I have discovered an apparatus of corruption that is greater than the state,' heaping pressure on Hezbollah-backed President Michel Aoun who will now lead a search for his replacement.

'Between us and change is big powerful barrier,' Diab added as a parting shot.

Several ministers had earlier quit the cabinet amid fury over the blast and the Hezbollah-backed President Michel Aoun - who has rejected calls for an international probe into the disaster - is also facing calls to quit.

The resignations do not force Aoun to step down but they will cause a legislative paralysis in Lebanon's French-inspired system.

Last Tuesday's disaster killed at least 171 people and destroyed swathes of the Mediterranean capital, leaving hundreds of thousands homeless.

Many in Lebanon see the blast as a symbol of corruption and incompetence among the country's elite, and protests have broken out with tear gas fired on protesters after months of political and economic meltdown.

Much of the fury is directed at the political elite which is backed by Hezbollah, in turn backed by Iran which has called for outside countries to refrain from 'politicising' the disaster.

The explosion, which drew comparisons with the Hiroshima atom bomb 75 years ago, has also injured more than 6,000 people and left 300,000 homeless.

Firefighters carry the coffin of their friend Joe Noun, one of ten firefighters who were killed during the explosion that hit the Beirut port, during his funeral at the firefighter headquarters

Ten firefighters are confirmed to have died, and six more are still among the missing, including three members of the same family as the death toll reaches more than 170 in Lebanon

Lebanese anti-government protesters try to break through a barrier placed by Lebanese police to block a road leading to the parliament building during a protest in Beirut

A protester throws a tear gas canister back towards Lebanese police during an anti-government protest in Beirut on Sunday night

Lebanese protesters run from tear gas fired by security forces today in Beirut today. Many see the blast as a symbol of corruption and incompetence among the country's elite, and protests have broken out after months of political and economic meltdown.

The disaster also sparked widespread panic over wheat shortages after 15,000 tonnes of grains were blasted out of the silos.

The cabinet decided to refer the investigation of the blast to the judicial council, the highest legal authority whose rulings cannot be appealed.

Lebanon's president had previously said explosive material was stored unsafely for years at the port.

He said an investigation would consider whether the cause was external interference as well as negligence or an accident.

'There are two possible scenarios for what happened: it was either negligence or foreign interference through a missile or bomb,' he said last Friday.

The shipment of ammonium nitrate was officially destined for Mozambique when it sailed on the cargo ship Rhosus in 2013, but the vessel made an unscheduled stop in Beirut where the chemicals were impounded.

The captain of the Rhosus claims he was told to stop in Beirut to pick up extra cargo - while Mozambique has denied all knowledge of the shipment.

Cypriot police said on Thursday that they had questioned Russian businessman Igor Grechushkin over his alleged links the ship and its cargo.

Beirut's governor said many foreign workers and truck drivers remained missing and were assumed to be among the casualties.

A Lebanese protester uses a slingshot to hurl stones at security forces amid clashes in the vicinity of the parliament in central Beirut on August 10, 2020, following the deadly Beirut port explosion

A demonstrator fires firecrackers during a protest in Beirut, Lebanon, August 10, 2020

Firecrackers thrown by protesters explode in front of riot police amid clashes in the vicinity of the parliament in central Beirut on August 10, 2020

Lebanese protesters clash with security forces for the second evening in a row near an access street to the parliament in central Beirut on Sunday

Anti-government protests in the past two days have been the biggest since October, when demonstrators took to the streets over the country's economic crisis.

Diab's cabinet, which was formed in January with the backing of the powerful Iran-backed Hezbollah, met on Monday with many ministers wanting to resign.

The information and environment ministers quit on Sunday as well as several lawmakers, and the justice minister followed them out on Monday.

Finance minister Ghazi Wazni, a key negotiator with the IMF over a rescue plan, is believed to have gone to the cabinet meeting with a resignation letter.

Lebanon is already seeking $20billion in funding from the IMF and now faces billions more in disaster costs, with losses from the explosion estimated to be between $10billion and $15billion.

At least nine lawmakers have also announced they would quit in protest, as have two senior members of the Beirut local government.

Lebanon's system is modelled on that of former colonial power France, where the president appoints the prime minister and is not required to resign along with the cabinet.

However, Aoun is also under pressure to quit and his portrait was burned by demonstrators who burst into the foreign ministry building during angry protests at the weekend.

The country's sectarian power-sharing system requires the president to be a Maronite Christian, the prime minister to be a Sunni and the parliament speaker to be a Shi'ite.

Prime minister Diab, 61, had said on Saturday that he would request early parliamentary elections.

'The entire regime needs to change. It will make no difference if there is a new government,' said Joe Haddad, a Beirut engineer. 'We need quick elections.'

Last Tuesday's blast is thought to have been caused by a stockpile of ammonium nitrate which had been left unsecured at the port since 2013.

Italian firefighters from the NBCR (Nuclear Biological Chemical Radiological) unit inspecting a ship wreck in the port of Beirut

A handout picture provided by the Lebanese photo agency Dalati and Nohra on August 10, 2020 shows Prime Minister Hassan Diab (R) submitting his resignation to President Michel Aoun at the presidential palace in Baabda, east of the capital Beirut

Emergency crews on Wednesday were still searching the dusty 'ground zero' where the explosion pulverised buildings and left a water-logged 43-metre-deep crater where a quay and warehouses once stood.

The human error that sparked devastation worthy of a major earthquake has sparked public rage, matched only by the speed at which officials are seen to be passing the buck.

Around 100 of the wounded were recently still listed in critical condition and it was feared the death toll could yet rise as Beirut's hospitals treat the casualties.

More than half of 55 healthcare facilities evaluated by the World Health Organization were 'non-functional,' the agency said Wednesday, adding that three major hospitals were out of operation and another three running at well below normal capacity, he said.

Among those killed was a diplomat from Germany, whose Foreign Minister Heiko Maas arrived in Lebanon Wednesday for a short visit of support.

In a social media message, he stressed the need for 'profound economic reform'.

He also announced a one million-euro donation directly to the Lebanese Red Cross, in line with a pledge that emergency aid should bypass a government that has lost its people's trust.
In January 2010, I sat in an auditorium at the Newseum in Washington and heard Secretary of State Hillary Clinton proclaim that the spread of information networks is forming a new nervous system for our planet. Clinton announced that internet freedom would be a new pillar of U.S. diplomacy and that as a country, we stand for a single internet where all of humanity has equal access to knowledge and ideas. She described access to global information networks as being like an on-ramp to modernity and argued that even in authoritarian countries, information networks are helping people discover new facts and making governments more accountable. Paying tribute to Franklin Roosevelts four freedoms speech, she articulated a principle of the freedom to connect:

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the idea that governments should not prevent people from connecting to the internet, to websites, or to each other. The freedom to connect is like the freedom of assembly, only in cyberspace. It allows individuals to get online, come together, and hopefully cooperate.

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This vision was in contrast to that of countries like China, with its infamous great firewall, and other repressive countries, which held that nations internets should be divided by borders and subject to government control just as their physical territories are. Under this vision, authoritarian countries could have equally authoritarian internets.

Last week, the Trump administration followed up on weeks of saber rattling over the Chinese-built social media network TikTok and a monthslong campaign to roll back the internet equipment firm Huaweis role in global 5G networks with an even further-reaching plan. Trumps new executive order will ban any U.S. company from interacting with the Chinese producers of the apps TikTok and WeChat, meaning they cant be offered in American app stores unless they are sold by their parent companies. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also outlined plans for a so-called clean network, prohibiting Chinese companies from accessing American app stores, apps, cloud services, mobile carrier networks and undersea internet cables.

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This was all part of an overall escalation of anti-Chinese rhetoric and policy from the Trump administrationand also based on some very legitimate concerns about Chinas surveillance practices. But another way to look at it is as a final surrender to Chinas vision of internet sovereignty.

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Critics have been raising the alarm about the splinternet, the Balkanization of cyberspace, and the Westphalian web for years. Its now here. This may be a tragedy, but its one that the U.S. should have seen coming and that it partly enabled.

Clintons speech felt forward-looking and futuristic at the timeand briefly appeared prescient when the social mediaenabled Arab Spring protests broke out the following yearbut actually harkened back to notions from the earliest days of the internet about cyberspace as a domain separate from that of terrestrial nation-states.

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The term cyberspace was coined by the science fiction writer William Gibson in novels set in a near future where national governments had been weakened and undermined by new communications technologies. Todays internet looks very little like the fully immersive domain Gibson envisioned, but the space part of cyberspace made it a useful metaphor in conversations about the role of the state in internet governance and freedom.

At the 1996 World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, John Perry Barlow, the former Grateful Dead lyricist and founder of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, penned a Declaration of the Independence of Cyberspace, which begins:

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Governments of the Industrial World, you weary giants of flesh and steel, I come from Cyberspace, the new home of Mind. On behalf of the future, I ask you of the past to leave us alone. You are not welcome among us. You have no sovereignty where we gather.

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Today, Barlows declaration serves a role similar to that of Francis Fukuyamas The End of History: an example of past conventional wisdom for writers to trot out and say, Well, thats not how it turned out. But for a long time, the notion that nations should not, and could not, control the internet was very pervasive, and not just among Silicon Valley libertarians. In 2000, Hillary Clintons husband likened Chinas efforts to censor the internet to trying to nail Jell-O to the wall. In the years since, China has gotten very good at nailing Jell-O.

Authoritarian governments have long rolled their eyes at American talk of internet freedom, and not entirely without reason. As with free trade, many look at the free internet and see a project of American power projection cloaked in platitudes. Is Vladimir Putin being paranoid when he says that the internet was originally a CIA project and is still developing as such? Undoubtedlybut theres some truth to the notion: The internet does trace its origins back to systems developed by U.S. intelligence, and the agency still dabbles in Silicon Valley investing.

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After Edward Snowdens revelations about National Security Agency surveillance, even democratic leaders like thenBrazilian President Dilma Rousseff began talking seriously about the importance of internet sovereignty and, for a time, considered legislation mandating that Brazilian users data be stored within the countrys bordersit didnt happen there, but it did in Russia. Americas own history of mass data collection is why some see the TikTok ban as rank hypocrisy.

American officials forthright rhetoric about internet freedom may also have backfired. Its not exactly a surprise that authoritarian governments like Chinas viewed services like Google and Facebook as a threat when the secretary of state of the United States was giving high-profile speeches openly telling these governments that they should consider social media a threat to their power. (American concerns about TikTok and user privacy may be justified, but its not as if the Chinese foreign ministry isnt putting out statements boasting about how its harvesting Americans data.)

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The big internet companies themselves have been almost comically cynical on the topic of internet freedom. Facebooks Mark Zuckerberg was once so anxious to gain approval from the Chinese government that he conspicuously left a copy of Chinese President Xi Jinpings book on his desk during visits by Chinese officials and asked Xi for suggestions on the name of his unborn child. Today, facing threats from government regulatorsand having given up on accessing Chinas markethe tells Congress that he is upholding democratic traditions like freedom of expression against his Chinese competitors. In 2006, Google agreed to cooperate with Chinese censors, arguing that it was necessary to fulfill its mission to provide the greatest access to information to the greatest number of people. In 2010, after the company moved its operations out of mainland China following a series of cyberattacks, Soviet-born co-founder Sergey Brin decried the forces of totalitarianism that made the move necessary and told the New York Times that the half an Internet approach of authoritarian countries would eventually fail: I think that in the long term, they are going to have to open. In 2018, it was revealed that Google was working on a new censored version of its search engine for the Chinese marketwhich it dropped after its own workers called out the project as a betrayal of Googles stated mission.

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The ideal of an open internet suffered another setback in 2016 with the election of a president who evinced neither an interest in global democracy nor an understanding of how the internet works. Trump was mocked during his campaign in 2015 for suggesting he would combat ISIS by speaking to Bill Gates about in certain areas, closing that internet up in some way and preventing terrorists from using our internet. As with many of Trumps more outlandish utterances, it probably should have been taken more seriously. He will end his first term with the more closed-up internet he described, where national governments have a more proprietary right to their citizens data. Even if he loses in November, it could be a core part of his legacy. Its hard to imagine Joe Biden, who has run on being more of a China hawk than Trump, rolling back these restrictions, which are, after all, based on widely held concerns about Chinese data collection that arent just restricted to Trumps base. And if the new rules end up forcing a sale of TikTok to an American company, theres not much that can be done to reverse it.

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Even if the open internet was always more of an ideal than a reality, that doesnt mean were better off simply acceding to a world of Balkanized national internets. National internet shutdowns during times of political crisis have become commonplaceBelarus on Sunday became just the latest example.

Chinas WeChatthe less discussed but probably more consequential Chinese app banned by the administration last weekcould be a preview of what these internets look like. For Chinese users, its a phenomenally convenient all-in-one platform for person-to-person messaging, social media sharing, payment, shopping, and gaming. Not only is this one app increasingly the internet for Chinese users, its the forum through which much of economic and social life is mediated, and daily lifeparticularly in large citiesis hard to live without it. (The international version of the app possesses little of this functionality and is similar to other messaging apps like WhatsApp.) Omni-apps like WeChat are the antithesis of the open internet idealglobal, unfettered, user-generatedand also function as the kind of surveillance tool that the totalitarian governments of the last century could only have dreamed of. If walled-garden internets become the norm, other countries will look for opportunities to follow Chinas lead.

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National governments have always strived for what the anthropologist James Scott calls legibilityarranging their populations to simplify classic state functions like taxation, conscription, and preventing rebellion and crime. They dislike ambiguity when it comes to the territory under the states control or the people residing within it. In our era, the drive for legibility, fused with an ethnic nationalist political project, is behind the drive toward ever greater border security and crackdowns on undocumented migration.

The classical vision of cyberspace, as expressed by 90s-era visionaries like Barlow and Gibson, was supposed to be a threat to state legibilitya realm for communication and commerce outside the reach of terrestrial nation-states, and one in which authoritarian repression and censorship was ultimately impossible. Governments like Chinas were plainly hostile to this vision from the beginning. The U.S. supported it rhetoricallyif only up to a point and often opportunisticallyuntil now.

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That doesnt mean this is the end of the story. National governments are taking on a greater role in the governance of cyberspace at a time when their ability to perform the basic functions of governance in the real world appears weaker than ever. Just because governments are building new walls on the internet, doesnt mean they will do a particularly good job guarding them.

The dream of the open internet may live on, but at the very least, its time to do away with a whole universe of metaphors. The Jell-O has been nailed to the wall, the weary giants of flesh and steel have elbowed their way into the home of the mind, and the nervous system of our planet will never be the same.

Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University that examines emerging technologies, public policy, and society.
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DETROIT - China Cochran met Kamala Harris at a campaign event in Detroit last year and was swept away by her ambition, charisma and leadership. She hoped the California senator would advance in politics.

So when Joe Biden named Harris on Tuesday as his running mate  making her the first Black woman on a major partys presidential ticket  Cochran wasnt just struck by the history. It represented a full-circle moment for Black women, who for generations have fought for their voices to be heard and political aspirations recognized.

It tells Black girls that they can be president, said Cochran, who recently ran for state representative in Michigan. If you look back at Shirley Chisholm, she ran so that Kamala could lead at this moment. I think its important for us to look at that and see other young women of colour realize that they can go after their dreams and really make change in our world.

Harris selection is historic in many senses. It also marks the first time a person of Asian descent is on the presidential ticket. Born to a Jamaican father and Indian mother, she often speaks of her deep bond with her late mother, whom she has called her single biggest influence.

As they appeared together Wednesday for the first time as running mates, Biden and Harris reflected on the significance of the moment.

This morning, all across the nation, little girls woke up  especially little black and brown girls, who so often feel overlooked and undervalued in their communities. But today, today, just maybe, theyre seeing themselves for the first time in a new way, Biden said.

And in an ode to the many women that paved the way for her, Harris said she was mindful of all of the heroic and ambitious women before me, whose sacrifice, determination and resilience make my presence here today even possible.

Harris boundary-breaking potential serves as an affirmation of the growing power of voters of colour, according to nearly a dozen interviews with political strategists, potential voters and activists.

Black women in particular helped rescue Bidens campaign earlier this year by delivering a resounding victory in the South Carolina primary, powering him to the Democratic nomination. As he prepares for the general election, Biden is trying to recreate the multi-racial and cross-generational coalition that twice sent Barack Obama to the White House.

That will hinge on Black voters in battleground states like Michigan to turn out in force in November.

Weve seen from an electoral process what happens if we dont vote, that can mean the difference between winning and losing a state, said Karen Finney, a senior Democratic strategist and spokesperson for Hillary Clintons 2016 presidential campaign. Were in this moral inflection point of this country and Vice-President Biden is someone whos talked about healing the soul of our country and certainly one of the ways to do that is to uplift the voices of Black women.

Strategists said that Harris will help that effort.

It sends a strong signal about not only the current state of our party but what the future of our party looks like, said Antjuan Seawright, a veteran political strategist in South Carolina. And what better way to reward a group of people who have been the political glue in this party than to put an African American woman on the ticket.

Ravi Perry, Howard Universitys political science chair, said Harris elevation also represents the first time that a graduate of a historically Black college or university will be represented on the ticket. Harris graduated from the Washington-based university and is a member of the storied Black sorority Alpha Kappa Alpha.

While Harris selection has largely been applauded among the Democratic Party and voters, some have raised concerns. She joins the ticket at a time of immense racial tensions and crises in the nation. The coronavirus pandemic has disproportionately affected Black Americans and other people of colour. Protests against systemic racism and brutality are top of mind for potential voters.

And Harris record as California attorney general and district attorney in San Francisco could make it difficult for Biden to galvanize support among younger Black and Latino voters.

Lindsey Roland, a 31-year-old Black woman and Michigan real estate agent, said that background gave her pause.

While I fully appreciate her scope of responsibilities while she was in that role, I still think she was empowered to stand up more for minorities, and I think it was just a really missed opportunity, she said. But I absolutely will be voting. We have far too much at stake. And for me, as a mother, Im frightened and I just feel like another four years with this administration will be catastrophic.

Some of the nations leading activists who have long fought for criminal justice reform see Harris as a potential ally in their push for change. Color of Change President Rashad Robinson said Harris has evolved over time and declared herself a progressive prosecutor who backs reform.

What I appreciate about her is that shes been willing to listen and willing to evolve, and shes been willing to put legislation behind that evolution and policy platforms behind that evolution, Robinson said. Yes, I think there will be very real things that people will raise, but I think that she has been listening and working to address those things.

Alicia Garza, the co-founder of the Black Lives Matter movement, said the nation is in a moment where deep and profound change is needed.

For some activists, it is important that a Black woman is represented on this ticket, and for other activists, substance is going to be much more important than symbolism, Garza said. The trick of getting people out to vote will be a successful combination of the two. This is an incredible moment of opportunity, its a moment that is rife with possibility and Im still hopeful that this newly announced ticket will rise to meet the moment.

Its also not lost on many that the selection comes nearly 100 years after the 19th Amendment was ratified, giving women the right to vote.

But for Black women, the freedom to vote didnt come until much later, part of a historical pattern of being denied justice offered to others.

And for Nse Ufot, CEO of the New Georgia Project, thats a call for action and a reminder how much more work needs to be done. Ahead of the election, her organization is working to register more than 1 million Black, Latino and Asian American voters. So, far theyve registered 425,000 in the state.

It took an additional 45 years of organizing to secure the rights to vote for Black women and other women of colour, Ufot said. And so, you know, there is a long history of, sort of, uncredited work. I think the Biden-Harris ticket is going to make it easier for us to have conversations, particularly in places like Georgias rural Black Belt about why they need to vote.

Melanie Campbell, president and CEO of the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation, was overcome with emotion after the announcement.

She wished her late mother could have lived to see the historic moment. She also wished that Black women who came before Harris  civil rights activists Fannie Lou Hamer, Dorothy Height, Ella Baker and many others  could know how their legacy and hard work culminated into this powerful moment.

I thought about my mother, my grandmother. I thought about my sisters. I thought about in this moment that as a Black woman, we are seen, Campbell said. This moment is more than about the VP slot. It affirms Black women and all we did for this country. Im glad I lived to see it.
NEW YORK, Aug. 11, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- WeissLaw LLP is investigating possible breaches of fiduciary duty and other violations of law by the board of directors of MVC Capital, Inc. ("MVC" or the "Company") (NYSE: MVC) in connection with the proposed acquisition of the Company by Barings BDC, Inc. ("BBDC") (NYSE: BBDC). Under the terms of the acquisition agreement, the Company's shareholders will receive 0.94024 shares of BBDC and $0.39 in cash for each share of MVC common stock that they own. This represents an implied consideration of approximately $8.21 based on BBDC's August 10, 2020 closing price of $8.31.

If you own MVC shares and wish to discuss this investigation or have any questions concerning this notice or your rights or interests, visit our website:

http://www.weisslawllp.com/mvc-capital-inc/

Or please contact:

Joshua Rubin, Esq.

WeissLaw LLP

1500 Broadway, 16th Floor

New York, NY 10036

(212) 682-3025

(888) 593-4771

[email protected]

WeissLaw is investigating whether MVC's board was truly independent and acted to maximize shareholder value in agreeing to the proposed transaction, whether the board was fully informed as to the valuation of the proposed acquisition of the Company, and whether all information regarding the valuation of the deal will be fully and fairly disclosed to MVC shareholders. These issues are of particular concern in light of the fact that Leon Cooperman, Wynnefield Capital, Inc., and West Family Investments, Inc., who collectively control have a 25% ownership interest in MVC, have entered into voting agreements in support of the transaction and may have exerted undue influence on MVC's board. Moreover, at least one analyst set a target price of $9.00 per MVC share.

WeissLaw LLP has litigated hundreds of stockholder class and derivative actions for violations of corporate and fiduciary duties. We have recovered over a billion dollars for defrauded clients and obtained important corporate governance relief in many of these cases. If you have information or would like legal advice concerning possible corporate wrongdoing (including insider trading, waste of corporate assets, accounting fraud, or materially misleading information), consumer fraud (including false advertising, defective products, or other deceptive business practices), or anti-trust violations, please email us at [email protected]

SOURCE WeissLaw LLP

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Total revenue of $4.83 million , an increase of 58% over Q1-2020

Canadian cannabis revenue of $2.72 million , an increase of 309% compared to Q1-2020

Balance sheet strengthened; cost reductions crystallized with 42% reduction in G&A vs prior quarter

Continued focus on execution and innovation portfolio expansion

TORONTO, Aug. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ - The Green Organic Dutchman Holdings Ltd. ("TGOD" or the "Company") (TSX: TGOD) (US: TGODF), a leading producer of premium certified organic cannabis, announced today its financial results for the second quarter of 2020 ended June 30, 2020. These filings are available for review on the Company's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com.

"Since the beginning of the global pandemic, our top priority has been the health and safety of our employees, customers, and patients. Despite the additional layer of complexity, we continued bringing innovation to market, seeing sequential month-over-month growth during the quarter while cutting costs and reducing our cash burn rate. While we are not where we had expected to be at this time, we are seeing strong momentum on our innovative products and will continue to right-size our business plans with a focus on getting our monthly run rate to a scale which delivers positive operating cash flow by the end of the year," commented Brian Athaide, CEO of TGOD. "Our products have now proven their appeal to consumers and shown consistency and efficacy backed by scientific research. We look forward to expanding our portfolio with additional flower strains and variants of our 2.0 line-up and bringing them to more stores across the country." added Athaide.

Q2 Financial Highlights

Quarterly revenue of $4.83 million consisting of sales from cannabis products in Canada of $2.72 million and hemp-derived product sales in Europe of $2.11 million .





consisting of sales from cannabis products in of and hemp-derived product sales in of . The 309% quarter over quarter increase in revenue from Canada can be attributed to expanded distribution due to processing capacity and launches of several new product lines, notably organic vapes, RIPPLE dissolvable THC powder, and the Highly Dutch mainstream organic brand into Quebec . While revenues to date in Canada are encouraging, we are a couple of months behind growth expectations due to ramp-up challenges and some supply constraints arising from provincial listing requirements and third-party contractor issues, which are being addressed by the Company to maintain continued revenue growth.





can be attributed to expanded distribution due to processing capacity and launches of several new product lines, notably organic vapes, RIPPLE dissolvable THC powder, and the Highly Dutch mainstream organic brand into . While revenues to date in are encouraging, we are a couple of months behind growth expectations due to ramp-up challenges and some supply constraints arising from provincial listing requirements and third-party contractor issues, which are being addressed by the Company to maintain continued revenue growth. Net loss of $9.8 million , a $63.7 million reduction in net loss compared to Q1-2020, which can be attributed to the $5.4 million lower loss from operations and no further impairment charges recognized during the quarter. It is also significantly lower than the Company's operational loss for Q1-2020 which was $15.26 million .





, a reduction in net loss compared to Q1-2020, which can be attributed to the lower loss from operations and no further impairment charges recognized during the quarter. It is also significantly lower than the Company's operational loss for Q1-2020 which was . Cash used in operations of negative $8.2 million , compared to negative $13 million in Q1-2020, reflecting the contributions from increased sales and the significant reduction in general and administrative costs.





, compared to negative in Q1-2020, reflecting the contributions from increased sales and the significant reduction in general and administrative costs. Global general and administrative expenses decreased by $4.08 million or 42% to $5.7 million quarter over quarter, reflecting part of the Company's progress towards becoming more agile and adaptive to dynamic market conditions. This decrease is primarily driven by the simplification of the Company's organizational structure and reductions in personnel costs and external consultants. Management continues to right-size its G&A costs in line with Company's operating plans.





or 42% to quarter over quarter, reflecting part of the Company's progress towards becoming more agile and adaptive to dynamic market conditions. This decrease is primarily driven by the simplification of the Company's organizational structure and reductions in personnel costs and external consultants. Management continues to right-size its G&A costs in line with Company's operating plans. During the quarter, the Company secured additional financing, closing a transaction with gross proceeds of $23 million of new equity, $18 million of term debt, and a $17 million revolving operating facility.





of new equity, of term debt, and a revolving operating facility. On May 25, 2020 , the Company sold its interest in Epican Medicinals Limited, given its history of operating losses, recent economic developments in Jamaica restricting operations and the Company's strategic decision to no longer pursue opportunities in Jamaica and focus on Canadian operations.

Q2 Business Highlights

On May 7, 2020 , the Company announced that it received Health Canada's approval for the main hybrid greenhouse at its Valleyfield Facility. The licence amendment is valid until June 8, 2021 and is subject to customary terms and conditions.





, the Company announced that it received Health Canada's approval for the main hybrid greenhouse at its Valleyfield Facility. The licence amendment is valid until and is subject to customary terms and conditions. On May 19, 2020 , the Company signed a supply agreement with Medical Cannabis by Shoppers ("Shoppers"), a subsidiary of Shoppers Drug Mart Inc., making its certified organic medical cannabis products available via the Shoppers online medical cannabis sales platform.





, the Company signed a supply agreement with Medical Cannabis by Shoppers ("Shoppers"), a subsidiary of Shoppers Drug Mart Inc., making its certified organic medical cannabis products available via the Shoppers online medical cannabis sales platform. On May 21, 2020 , under its main TGOD brand, the Company launched the Unite Organic vape cartridge for medical patients and made its first recreational shipment to the OCS on May 25, 2020 .





, under its main TGOD brand, the Company launched the Unite Organic vape cartridge for medical patients and made its first recreational shipment to the OCS on . On May 25, 2020 , the Company launched cannabis-infused teas in Quebec under the TGOD Organics brand with two SKUs  Happy Hibiscus Mate THC and Happy Hibiscus Mate THC/CBD. These teas leverage the same fast-acting technology used in RIPPLE products.





, the Company launched cannabis-infused teas in under the TGOD Organics brand with two SKUs  Happy Hibiscus Mate THC and Happy Hibiscus Mate THC/CBD. These teas leverage the same fast-acting technology used in RIPPLE products. On May 26, 2020 , the Company delivered on its commitment to broaden its customer base by adding a mainstream brand to its portfolio  Highly Dutch. Quebec is the first province where TGOD has deployed its dual branding strategy with the successful launch of a one-ounce format (28 grams) of its Highly Dutch Rotterdam OG Indica.





, the Company delivered on its commitment to broaden its customer base by adding a mainstream brand to its portfolio  Highly Dutch. is the first province where TGOD has deployed its dual branding strategy with the successful launch of a one-ounce format (28 grams) of its Highly Dutch Rotterdam OG Indica. On June 15, 2020 , the Company announced that it had expanded its exclusive licensing agreement with Colorado -based 5071 Inc, for its Stillwater Brands products ("Stillwater"), it will be rolling out the powerful RIPPLE suite of products in Canada , including RIPPLE Gummies and RIPPLE QuickSticks. Leveraging Stillwater's proprietary technology, TGOD launched its first Cannabis 2.0 product at the end of March  TGOD Infuser 10mg THC  which quickly became one of the top selling SKUs within the beverage category across the country. Given the success of this first product, TGOD has decided to expand the series by introducing additional formats. Moving forward, all formats will fall under the well-established RIPPLE brand name.

Subsequent to the Quarter

On July 10, 2020 , the Company announced that its Hamilton facility had obtained a European Union Good Manufacturing Practice ("EU-GMP") certificate enabling it to commence exports to Germany . Under this EU-GMP certificate, valid until December 31, 2020 , TGOD can commence exporting its premium certified organic products for validation in preparation for commercialization in 2021. The Company anticipates validation will be completed by the end of the year, subsequently enabling export of medical cannabis products for commercial purposes to Europe and other jurisdictions.





, the Company announced that its facility had obtained a European Union Good Manufacturing Practice ("EU-GMP") certificate enabling it to commence exports to . Under this EU-GMP certificate, valid until , TGOD can commence exporting its premium certified organic products for validation in preparation for commercialization in 2021. The Company anticipates validation will be completed by the end of the year, subsequently enabling export of medical cannabis products for commercial purposes to and other jurisdictions. The Company continues to monitor and adapt to changing market conditions including but not limited to the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. TGOD has implemented precautionary measures across its facilities to ensure the safety of the staff and product, including limiting visits to essential personnel only, ensuring proper protocols around sanitation, mask usage and physical distancing, and ensuring potentially exposed employees remain in self-quarantine for the appropriate period. However, cultivation is continuing and additional licensed space available in the processing centre allows for better physical distancing among the cultivation and processing teams.





In August 2020 , launched vapes in Alberta and British Columbia , and began rolling out Zen Green Sencha tea in Quebec .





, launched vapes in and , and began rolling out Zen Green Sencha tea in . The Company is also planning the launch of new high THC strains and concentrates in September and expanding the distribution of its popular Highly Dutch brand to other provinces.

Conference Call

The Company will hold a conference call with analysts tomorrow, beginning at 9:00 a.m. (ET). An audiocast of the conference call will be available on a listen-only basis at:

https://produceredition.webcasts.com/starthere.jsp?ei=1353524&tp_key=d196775e24.

Scheduled speakers are Brian Athaide, Chief Executive Officer, and Sean Bovingdon, Chief Financial Officer, followed by a question and answer period with analysts.

Date: August 13, 2020 | Time: 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time

Participant Dial-In

Local  Toronto: 1-416-764-8688

Toll Free  North America: 1-888-390-0546

Conference ID  96424598

A replay of the call will also be available through August 20, 2020 by dialing 1-416-764-8677 or 1-888-390-0541 (Passcode: 424598#).

About The Green Organic Dutchman Holdings Ltd.

The Green Organic Dutchman Holdings Ltd. (TSX: TGOD) (USOTC: TGODF) is a premium certified organic cannabis company focused on the health and wellness market. Its certifiedorganic cannabis is grown in living soil, as nature intended. The Company is committed to cultivating a better tomorrow by producing its products responsibly, with less waste and impact on the environment. Its two Canadian facilities have been built to LEED certification standards and its products are sold in recyclable packaging. In Canada, TGOD sells dried flower and oil, and recently launched a series of nextgeneration cannabis products such as organic teas, dissolvables and vapes. Through its European subsidiary, HemPoland, the Company also distributes premium hemp CBD oil and CBD-infused topicals in Europe. By leveraging science and technology, TGOD harnesses the power of nature from seed to sale.

TGOD's Common Shares and warrants issued under the indentures dated November 1, 2017 and December 19, 2019 trade on the TSX under the symbol "TGOD", "TGOD.WT", "TGOD.WS" and "TGOD.WR", respectively, and TGODF trades in the US on the OTCQX. For more information on The Green Organic Dutchman Holdings Ltd., please visit www.tgod.ca.

Cautionary Statements

This news release includes statements containing certain "forwardlooking information" within the meaning of applicable securities law ("forwardlooking statements"). Forward looking statements in this release includes, but is not limited to, statements about revenues, production timelines, production volumes, general and administration costs, statements about the launch and distribution of the Company's new THC strains, mainstream cannabis and 2.0 products, statements about its operations in Quebec, and statements regarding the future cashflows and future performance of the Company. Forwardlooking statements are frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "continue", "expect", "project", "intend", "should", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate", "may", "will", "potential", "proposed" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. These statements are only predictions. Various assumptions were used in drawing the conclusions or making the projections contained in the forwardlooking statements throughout this news release. Forwardlooking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management at the date the statements are made and are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties (including market conditions) and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected in the forwardlooking statements, including those risk factors described in the Company's most recently filed Annual Information Form available on SEDAR. The Company is under no obligation, and expressly disclaims any intention or obligation, to update or revise any forwardlooking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as expressly required by applicable law.

Neither the TSX nor the TSX's Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of Toronto Stock Exchange) accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

SOURCE The Green Organic Dutchman Holdings Ltd.

Related Links

www.tgod.ca


With the elections approaching, the polarization of the political climate deepens

By Malkhaz Matsaberidze

Giorgi Rurua's sentencing and the president's refusal to pardon him sharply escalated the confrontation between the government and the United Opposition. The authorities also no longer heeded the advice of Western friends in this regard. Controversy has also deepened between opposition parties, which have failed to maintain pre-election unity and are increasingly being criticized.The long-running dispute over the March 8th agreement is over. On July 30th, the Tbilisi City Court sentenced Giorgi Rurua to 4 years in prison for illegal acquisition, possession and carrying of weapons, which the opposition considers to be fabricated charges. This was immediately followed by a reaction both from within the country and from Western friends.Opposition parties to the March 8th agreement, as well as Western friends, hoped that President Zurabishvili would pardon Giorgi Rurua after his trial. Such hopes were somewhat reinforced by the news that the Prime Minister was happy to meet the President at his residence. However, as it turned out, the opposite was agreed on. Salome Zurabishvili said the next day that she would not pardon Giorgi Rurua and his decision "no one and nothing can influence."On July 31st, 20 opposition parties issued a joint statement condemning the release of Giorgi Rurua in custody on "false evidence", saying it "defines a pre-election political climate" and "releasing Giorgi Rurua with less risk for the country to run a difficult election campaign."On July 31st, Jim Rish, chairman of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said that in the interests of depolarizing the political climate ahead of the election, President Zurabishvili should pardon Giorgi Rurua, as he did in the case of Giorgi Ugulava and Irakli Okruashvili. MEP Andrius Kubilius responded to the incident. According to him, the Georgian government "warned the State Department to stop politicizing the judiciary and the electoral process in the form of Mike Pompeo, but the politicization of justice continues."The opposition has long called on the government that ignoring critical statements by Western friends would have dire consequences for the country. It should be noted that the US Ambassador to Georgia made a direct statement regarding this. Kelly Degnan said it is important that any message, if any other statement coming from members of Congress, be taken seriously.However, it seems that the Georgian Dream government will no longer take these statements into account. According to former Parliament Speaker Irakli Kobakhidze, "any statement that opposes the independence of the judiciary is unacceptable." However, the authors of these statements accuse the Georgian government of the fact that the judiciary in Georgia is not independent. Critical statements from the West were also not given much importance by the Prime Minister. "Some congressmen will praise us, some congressmen will criticize us, but the main thing is that nothing threatens the strategic cooperation between the two countries," Gakharia said.The prime minister's remarks were not about Rurua's release in the West, but about a letter from six congressmen to Mike Pompeo dated July 27th. The letter refers to Bidzina Ivanishvili as a Russian oligarch and expresses concern about the decline of democratic governance in Georgia and possible corruption. The letter of the congressmen was made public by the Georgian opposition parties.As for the pre-election preparations of the United Opposition, which has maintained unity in the fight for electoral reform, in fulfilling the terms of the March 8th agreement, it has not been able to maintain unity in the nomination of common majoritarian candidates. The inertia to unity may be partly due to the nomination of common majoritarian MPs in Tbilisi, but in the regions where 22 majoritarian MPs are to be elected, the opposition parties will be identified separately. The main reason for the breach of unity is that each opposition party demands more than other opposition parties think it deserves. Clearly, the proliferation of opposition candidates increases the chances of pro-government candidates winning in majoritarian constituencies. However, the opposition hopes that the case will reach the second round and the strongest opposition candidate will naturally emerge, who will be supported by other opposition parties. But even if it comes to the second round, the government will be able to mobilize much more resources there.As for the proportional elections, here the opposition parties are competing with each other and, in addition to criticizing Ivanishvili's government, they are also criticizing each other. This could negatively affect their prospective electorate and disappoint some of them. Not a small part of the opposition electorate expected a strong opposition coalition, and they even promised it, but it is already clear that the unity of the opposition is failing. Although it is clear to everyone that no opposition party alone can defeat the current government.
SOUTHFIELD, Mich., Aug 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- SEE, the "go to" locale for eyewear aficionados looking for an eclectic selection of fashion forward eyewear, has partnered with Howie Mandel on a capsule collection of handmade, Italian eyeglass frames. The SEE x Howie Mandel capsule collection will arrive in stores and on the SEE website in early November. The tagline for the collection is "This is Howie SEE."

SEE x Howie Mandel

"I'm so thrilled to be partnering with SEE for my Howie See 2020 collection, which hopefully reflects the perfect vision of fun and style while helping boost mental health in underserved communities," states Howie Mandel. A portion of all sales from the collection will be donated to the Boris L. Henson Foundation. The goal of the foundation goal is to change the way mental health is perceived in the Black community.

"I have always not just admired Howie's incredible wit, but also his deep compassion which always comes along with the causes he puts energy into," explains Richard Golden, SEE's founder and CEO. "Howie has an incredible sense of style and I'm honored by how he's gravitated to our SEE Eyewear brand. We couldn't be more flattered that he wanted to do this collaboration as there isn't anyone more ideal."

The collection includes multiple styles featuring both metal and combinations of metal and acetate. "The highest quality materials were used in the manufacturing of the collection," explains Randal Golden, SEE co-founder and EVP. "All of the pieces are handmade by some of the finest craftsmen in Italy. We collaborated with Howie on these styles that fit his image and signature look perfectly."

Limited Quantity Original Designs, Proudly Family Owned and Operated

"We've spent the last twenty-two years blazing new trails, building an iconic brand and truly changing the way consumers view purchasing unique fashion eyewear," says Golden. "My partner is my brother, Randal, who handles the lab operations and manages the buying process while my son, Seth, is an integral part of the day to day operations of the business. We are proudly family owned and operated and have countless long-term employees who may as well be family themselves," explains Golden.

SEE produces an incredibly limited number of each frame, sometimes only 2 per color for each city or store. "It really is the closest thing to custom eyewear made just for you," adds Golden. "It is ideal for people who want a unique look that no one else will have."

"There are no stores like SEE. We have a talented in-house design team and work with the world's premier artisans from 17 countries around the world with the vast majority coming from Europe to build the best fashion eyewear line on the market."

The Buzz about the Brand

With SEE, shoppers across the country now have access to the frames touted by celebrities and national media outlets. SEE has been featured in Esquire, InStyle, GQ, Marie Claire, Elle, O Magazine, WWD, Essence and countless other fashion digital and print magazines both nationally and internationally. Readers in major publications have consistently voted SEE "Best Eyewear", with SEE amassing 73 "Best Eyewear" nods in readers' polls across the country.

About SEE

SEE (Selective Eyewear Elements) was conceived by optical pioneer, Richard Golden, as a prototype optical boutique with the mission of changing the rules forever by making the purchase of "cool" eyewear a fashionably and economically correct experience.

SEE operates 43 stores nationally, including locations in New York City, Los Angeles, South Beach, Boston, San Francisco, Georgetown, Chicago, Nashville, Toronto, and Charleston, among others. For more information, please visit www.seeeyewear.com.

About the Boris L. Henson Foundation

Founded by actress Taraji P. Henson in honor of her father, The Boris L. Henson Foundation's goal is to change the way mental health is perceived in the Black community. The organization seeks to encourage mental health support in urban schools, increase Black therapists, and reduce the number of people who return to prison after release by offering mental health support to formerly incarcerated people. Current programs include COVID-19 free virtual therapy support as well as their ongoing rounds of free online therapy.

Media Contact

Alanna Pfeffer

248-354-7100

[email protected]

SOURCE SEE Eyewear

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The nuclear weapons dropped over Hiroshima and Nagasaki 75 years ago wreaked a devastation never before seen in human warfare. Yet they were firecrackers compared with the nuclear weapons that were soon developed  bombs, warheads, shells, torpedoes and other devices capable of vaporizing the human race in an apocalyptic flash.

For decades, that thought cast a pall of acute anxiety over America and the world. Whether because of that fear, a strategy of effective deterrence, chance or all the above, the United States remains the only country to have used nuclear weapons in combat. With the end of the Cold War, anxiety around nuclear war has receded.

Most people probably are not aware that a harrowing and expensive new arms race is now under way.

Today Americans are more likely to identify climate change as the greatest man-made threat to the planet. Last year, in the list of what Americans fear compiled annually by Chapman University, North Korea using nuclear weapons and Nuclear weapons attack ranked 27 and 29, far below Corrupt government officials (No. 1) or Pollution of oceans, rivers and lakes (No. 2).

Yet even with the Cold War long over and stockpiles of nuclear weapons in the Russian and U.S. arsenals sharply reduced through a series of nuclear arms treaties, to fewer than 6,000 warheads each, there are no grounds for complacency. The world can still be destroyed in a flash.

Nine states have nuclear weapons  the United States, Russia, Britain, France, China, India, Pakistan, Israel and North Korea. Irans nuclear program has been the focus of intense concern for years, and Saudi Arabia has vowed that if Iran develops a nuclear weapon, it will follow suit. Consider also that two men have the power to unleash a nuclear barrage entirely on their own  President Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, who are both working assiduously on modernizing their arsenals.

Trump has said he is working on a new arms control agreement with Russia and is seeking to include China in the talks. But his administration has always found it easier to tear up treaties than to sign them, especially if the result in any way restrains the United States. As the special envoy for arms control, Marshall Billingslea, boasted in May, We know how to win these races, and we know how to spend the adversary into oblivion.

Before the coronavirus pandemic put millions of Americans out of work, spending so much money on new doomsday weapons was profligate. Now, it seems morally indefensible. The Government Accountability Office said that, without changes, the Pentagons nuclear weapons modernization effort is on track to surpass its $1.2 trillion price tag over the next three decades. It seems as if the United States is plunging into a new nuclear arms race with Russia and China without having learned the lessons of the last one.

Trump withdrew the United States from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty and the Iran nuclear deal, and he has not yet extended the New START accord, the only agreement still in place limiting U.S. and Russian nuclear forces, which was signed by President Barack Obama and expires in early February. In addition, the Trump administration was recently reported to be thinking of breaking the 28-year-old moratorium on nuclear testing.

The 75th anniversary of Hiroshima is a good time to revive serious public concern about nuclear weapons. The pandemic may leave little room for other fears, but public health and economic recovery should not have to compete for resources with a needless and enormously expensive new arms race.

Above all, the wrenching images of scorched rubble where Hiroshima had stood ought to be cause for serious reflection on what nuclear weapons do  and what they cannot do.
Bipolar ionization technology is used in many HVAC systems to attack airborne mold, bacteria, allergens, and viruses.

Getty Images

Stagnant, poorly circulated air could foster coronavirus transmission in some indoor spaces.

But it can be hard to tell whether a building's heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system is working properly to minimize risk.

Two HVAC experts offer tips on how to spot low-quality systems.

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Imagine coronavirus particles in a space like glitter in a pool: The glitter is the virus, while the water is the air.

That's how Theresa Pistochini, an engineer specializing in heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, likes to visualize it. To get glitter out of a pool, a system should have three main components: it must move water around (circulation), remove glitter from the circulating water (filtration), and bring in new water to dilute the glitter (ventilation).

The same goes for air in buildings. After people expel coronavirus particles via breathing, talking, or coughing, those particles can remain temporarily suspended in the air. But unlike glitter, coronavirus particles are invisible, and humans can only tell if air is getting circulated (since that means a space doesn't feel stuffy), not whether it's properly filtered or ventilated.

Video: How we know the coronavirus wasnt made in a lab

"You walk into a building that's too cold or too hot, and you know immediately," Pistochini, who works at the Energy Efficiency Institute at the University of California, Davis, told Business Insider. "But people in a building have absolutely no perception if the system is filtering or ventilating."

To ensure people can safely spend time in offices, stores, restaurants, and schools, experts say, building managers must update airflow systems. That's because most cases of documented coronavirus transmission have occurred in tight, poorly ventilated indoor spaces; one recent study (though not yet peer-reviewed) even suggested that a person might be nearly 20 times more likely to spread the coronavirus inside as they are outside.

Story continues

"The biggest risk is these closed, indoor environments," Don Milton, a virologist at the University of Maryland, previously told Business Insider.

Unfortunately, research suggests many buildings aren't meeting even basic standards for air circulation and ventilation. A June report by the Government Accountability Office estimated that at least 36,000 schools nationwide had dysfunctional HVAC systems. A 2018 review also found that the majority of US buildings "have multiple faults residing in the systems causing either energy, thermal-comfort, or indoor air-quality penalties."

Pistochini offered several tips on how to spot faulty HVAC systems.

Older grocery stores are probably safer than newer office buildings

First, identify the building's purpose, since that can inform whether ventilation and filtration are high priorities. In hospitals, for example, the design must ensure sick patients don't contaminate each other; airflow in grocery stores helps keep produce fresh. Offices and school buildings, on the other hand, may not invest in high-quality ventilation or filtration.

A woman selects produce at a grocery store.

Stephen Chernin/Getty Images

Next, consider the building's age.

"Everyone has a preconceived notion they should be more worried if they're in an older building," Pistochini said. "Being in an older building is actually safer than a newer one. If you're in a new building with broken ventilation, you're in real trouble."

That's because most buildings over 50 years old tend to leak air, and consequently require greater amounts of energy for heating and cooling. Designers started sealing them up more thoroughly in the 1970s to reduce energy use. It worked, but airtight spaces mean decreased ventilation when a system isn't up to par.

LEED- and WELL-certified buildings are notable exceptions to the old-versus-new building rule, however, since structures with these certifications must have high quality HVAC systems, Pistochini said.

A LEED-certified building.

Jeff Greenberg/Getty Images

Test a building's CO2 levels

Although there's no simple, easy, or cheap test to measure coronavirus particles in the air, high levels of carbon dioxide can be a "canary in the coal mine," according to Roger Silveira, director of facilities maintenance and operations at San Jose's East Side Union High District. Silveira's work focuses on improving school air quality.

CO2 builds up when a lot of people exhale in a closed space, so a high concentration of it indicates that a building isn't well ventilated. In a buildings with good ventilation, CO2 levels generally stay under 1,100 parts per million, Silveira said.

If you have about $100 to spend, you can buy a carbon-dioxide monitor online at CO2meter.com, or on Amazon or other sites. Silveira, who worked with Pistochini to develop a healthy air plan for schools during the pandemic, plans to install a meter in every classroom in his district.

If all else fails, ask the manager  and open windows

If you have to spend a lot of time in a particular building, like an office or a school, it's probably worth asking the building manager or maintenance director about its HVAC system.

Some good questions to start with: Has this building been updated to comply with COVID-19 standards set by top HVAC experts? If not: Has this building's ventilation system been tested recently, and what's the airflow rate? Different buildings require different airflows, but most should have at least 15 cubic feet per person per minute.

You could also find out which types of filters the building uses  Pistochini recommends HEPA or MERV-13 or -14 filters, since these can block most coronavirus particles if used properly and replaced regularly.

If you can't ask a manager and also can't opt out of being inside a particular building, experts suggest simply trying to stay near open windows. That's no substitute for a state-of-the-art HVAC system, but Pistochini says open windows are still better than no ventilation at all.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Ms Berejiklian said she expected everyone to be wearing face masks in environments where social distancing was not guaranteed, including shopping centres, public transport and places of worship. "Whether it is a school extracurricular activity, which shouldn't occur, whether it's the recommendation for people to wear masks when they can't guarantee social distancing on public transport or in supermarkets, or whether it's the way in which we've asked businesses to approach a COVID-safe environment, compliance is absolutely critical," Ms Berejiklian said. NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard said, "The bottom line is: masks. "We all need to be reminded that this virus has not gone away ... Treat yourself and treat everybody else as if you have got the virus," he said. The Garry Owen Hotel in Rozelle has been fined $10,000 for "a litany of COVID safety breaches" including poor hygiene, failing to sign in patrons, and a lack of social distancing, NSW Liquor and Gaming reported.

The department warned there would be no second chances for venues that failed to adhere to social distancing regulations. Six other venues were fined for similar breaches over the weekend, and 29 fines have been isued to 27 venues totalling $152,500 since the public health orders were introduced. The COVID-19 cluster linked to Tangara School for Girls in Cherrybrook has grown to 19 cases overnight: 12 students, one staff member, four close contacts and two casual contacts. The source of the cluster is still not known. Parramatta Public School was closed on Wednesday after a student was diagnosed with COVID-19. Credit:Louise Kennerley

A study-and-prayer retreat is the suspected catalyst for the cluster linked to the independent Opus Dei school. The retreat organiser Eremeran Hills Study Centre issued a statement on Wednesday confirming that individuals who attended Eremeran activities had tested positive to COVID-19. The centre is now closed. Five high school girls, in years 10 and 11, had recently attended a retreat but all Eremeran staff, including those who supervised the retreat, had tested negative, the study centre said. "We are continuing to assist NSW Health in their endeavours to ascertain whether the retreat may have contributed to the outbreak," the statement said. "Eremeran has sought to follow COVIDSafe protocols including social distancing, best practice for maintaining hygiene, not providing food at activities, keeping a detailed record of attendance, providing hand sanitiser etc."

Ms Berejiklian repeated her warning on Wednesday  particularly to non-government schools  that extracurricular camps and retreats should not be held during the pandemic. A third case has been identified at Our Lady of Mercy College at Parramatta. Loading The case is not linked to the other two students, raising concerns the virus was spreading within the high school, which will be closed for 14 days to allow for contact tracing, NSW Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant said. Parramatta Public School will be closed on Wednesday after a student was diagnosed with COVID-19.

A second staff member at Hornsby Hospital has tested positive. They did not work while infectious, Dr Chant said. Of the 18 new cases today, two are from unknown sources, one is a returned overseas traveller in hotel quarantine, two are in returned travellers from Victoria and 13 are locally acquired from known sources, including two linked to Tangara. Ms Berejiklian said daily case numbers have remained fairly stable over the past month, but "we cant be assured of that moving forward". Registered nurse Ashlee Jackson performs a COVID-19 test on a man in Summer Hill on Tuesday. Credit:Kate Geraghty "When there [are] a number of unknown sources over a number of weeks, our level of concern increases to make sure that we have captured all of the sources where the disease may be transferring and this is really where we need the communitys help and support."

There are currently 16 cases with no known source in NSW, including nine in south western Sydney and three in western Sydney. Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant urged people in western and south-western Sydney to come forward for testing. NSW recorded 20,104 tests in the latest 24-hour period. Of the known clusters, there are now:
NEW YORK, Aug. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- National medical practice Eden Health today announced that it has raised $25 million in Series B funding, led by Flare Capital Partners with participation from principals from Stone Point Capital , a private equity firm that focuses on the financial services industry including the HR benefits, insurance and real estate sectors. Existing investors who participated in the Series B round include Greycroft , PJC , Max Ventures and Aspect Ventures . The oversubscribed round brings Eden Health's total raise to $39M. Eden Health is known for its innovative direct-to-employer healthcare delivery model, bringing in-person and virtual healthcare together to deliver an exceptional patient experience to the employees of mid-market companies.

Eden Health has seen interest from employers and commercial property owners increase by more than 500% since the onset of the public health crisis in mid-March, as the health and safety of employees and tenants has become one of the most urgent issues for employers and property owners.

The COVID-19 crisis has highlighted long-standing healthcare industry shortcomings that Eden Health was built from the ground up to address: the need for both virtual and in-person access to comprehensive healthcare services, with a scalable approach that lowers costs. Eden Health's membership model makes high quality, holistic healthcare an affordable benefit for the average employer, with low to no out-of-pocket costs for their employees. The pandemic also created a new imperative: employers and commercial property owners must be health-forward. Regardless of whether a company owns, operates or occupies a physical location, they are now part of the healthcare delivery system, by choice or circumstance. Both employers and property owners are realizing that offering convenient access to medical services is a short term market differentiator and a long-term must-have, as employers are faced with protecting the health of their workforce whether their staff is at home, remote or entering a physical building.

Since the very first signs of the US coronavirus outbreak in early February, Eden Health has worked with Bell's Brewery , Connell , Convene , Harry's , Kramer Levin , Newscred , Stack Overflow and others to roll out evidence-based, medically-informed plans and protocols to support workforce health. It has guided employers, property owners and workers through the outbreak using real-time monitoring, proactive outreach, and team-based care. And as employers and property owners began to phase workforces back into offices and worksites, Eden Health introduced a comprehensive back-to-work program spanning COVID-19 screening, virtual primary care, PCR testing, on-site antibody testing, immediate triage and patient consults. Through the crisis, Eden Health customers have also chosen to embed dedicated Eden Health Medical Directors into their c-suites to manage employee population health. Thanks in large part to early monitoring and proactive protocols to slow the spread, Eden Health employers have been able to maintain high levels of productivity, deploying essential workers safely while protecting their health and the health of fellow employees.

"For the past four years we've been singularly focused on building exceptional healthcare experiences for employers and their workers. Our proactive, comprehensive, tech-enabled approach put us in a strong position to deliver high quality healthcare in a way that works for this moment," said Matt McCambridge, co-founder and CEO, Eden Health. "What employers are realizing is that they have a responsibility to manage their entire workforce's physical and emotional health. The optimal management of workforce health meets that individual and their family member where they are, whether it's at their worksite, at home, or in the community. With today's funding and the advances we've developed, we're set to radically improve care delivery and health outcomes."

"One of the things we liked most about Eden Health was its commitment to human-centered design and how it aligns the incentives of healthcare and business," said Dr. Dan Gebremedhin, Partner, Flare Capital Partners. "What we're seeing now is that the pandemic has pressed the fast-forward button, bringing both employers and work-sites around to the fact that offloading healthcare labor onto patients and insurance companies is no longer a viable solution. We're thrilled to partner with Matt, Scott and the Eden Health team to tackle some of the hardest problems in healthcare."

First launched in 2016 as a digitally-native alternative to traditional care models, Eden Health today is a nationally recognized medical practice that provides members with a dedicated Care Team. Care Teams are composed of highly credentialed clinicians delivering evidence-based, top-quality care. Each Care Team offers digital care around the clock, same-day in-person primary care, behavioral health services and benefits navigation. Employees interact with the same dedicated Care Team, regardless of whether they are communicating virtually or in-person. Where necessary, Eden Health consults specialists to determine needs, before connecting employee members with fully-vetted, cost-effective in-network specialists.

Eden Health empowers employers to supercharge their benefits packages whether or not they are self-insured. Designed to meet the needs of companies of all sizes, Eden Health lets them fill gaps in their employees care with a fully integrated healthcare option. Eden Health membership services are not tethered to open enrollment, meaning employees and their families can join at any time and begin using services immediately. And one of Eden Health's core services is insurance navigation, to make sure employees get the care they need without surprise costs Although Eden Health's approach is direct-to-employer, its mission is to ensure that superior care is as widely available as possible.

Over the past four years, Eden Health has become a trusted benefits partner for more than 33,000 employees, spanning more than 100 employers across a broad range of industries, including finance, retail, real estate and technology. Eden Health is headquartered in New York and delivers care nationally.

About Eden Health

Eden Health is a nationally recognized medical practice that makes it easier for HR teams to get their employees great medical care. Eden Health's Care Team offers employees digital care around the clock, same-day in-person primary care, behavioral health services and benefits navigation, designed to empower bodies and minds so employees can focus on their lives with newfound energy. Eden Health also has industry-leading engagement: out of every 100 eligible employees, 66 of them have completed an Eden Health clinical encounter in the first 12 months, with an average member rating of 4.95 out of 5. To learn more, visit edenhealth.com .

Media Contact:

Nate Hermes or Monica Miller

646-828-9172

[email protected]

SOURCE Eden Health

Related Links

http://www.edenhealth.com


American scientists hope this is one time that President Donald Trump really does believe it is all just a Russian hoax.

As President Vladimir Putin of Russia triumphantly declared on Tuesday that his country had produced the worlds first coronavirus vaccine, public health experts in the United States worried that Trump would feel compelled to compete in a pharmaceutical manhood contest by hastily rolling out his own vaccine even before it is fully tested.

I am sure that this will give him more impetus to push U.S. R&D and FDA to move more quickly, Margaret Hamburg, a Food and Drug Administration commissioner under President Barack Obama, said, referring to research and development. If he believes that testing causes cases, I suspect he may believe that if you dont test a vaccine or drug, they must be OK.

The announcement in Moscow roiled the international quest to stop the pandemic in what had already developed into a geopolitical race among the worlds biggest powers. The Russian vaccine, approved without the sort of extensive trials typically required in the West, may work, American scientists said. But if it does not, the rushed process could pose dangers not just for Russians but for many others if Trump seeks to match the supposed achievement prematurely.

The search for a vaccine has already been caught in a whirlwind of pressures as the Trump administration scrambles to develop a drug to combat a virus that has killed more than 164,000 Americans. Two pharmaceutical companies have moved to Phase 3 trials in the United States, the final stage of testing before a vaccine can be approved. But scientists have expressed concern that the trials would be short-circuited by Trumps desire for a political win before the general election Nov. 3.

The White House has said that data, not politics, will govern the decision to approve a vaccine, although Trump has repeatedly linked his Operation Warp Speed to the campaign calendar. He has suggested that a vaccine could be rolled out by Election Day even though scientists said it would take until early next year to complete the trials.

Were doing very well in everything including corona, as you call it, Trump said in an interview Tuesday with radio host Hugh Hewitt. But let me just tell you, were getting to an end. Were getting to, and the vaccines are ready to rock. Were going to be very close to a vaccine. Were ready to distribute.

At a news briefing later in the day, the president offered no comment on Russias announcement but made a point of boasting about the tremendous progress on an American vaccine and asserted that were moving very close to that approval.

Operation Warp Speed is the largest and most advanced operation of its kind anywhere in the world and anywhere in history, he said, his competitive juices on display.

Putin saw no need to wait for more expansive testing in Russia, where the medical system is not considered as rigorous as in the United States, despite the prospect that it may not work as advertised or may even prove unsafe. But in doing so, he put Trump in an awkward position given the friendship between the two men.

The announcement immediately spurred suspicion among Trumps domestic opponents. This Putin vaccine thing is all about him giving the alleged science to Trump so the President can take personal credit for a vaccine ahead of the U.S. elections, former Rep. David Jolly of Florida, who left the Republican Party partly out of protest over Trump, wrote on Twitter.

David Kramer, a Russia scholar at Florida International University and a former assistant secretary of state under President George W. Bush, said Trump should use the moment to put his desire for better relations with Russia to the test.

Aside from arms control, fighting the virus would be one issue where we and Russia should work together and not be another source of competition, he said. The speed with which the Russians have found a vaccine has to raise concerns, however, and risks exacerbating the level of distrust between our two sides if it does not work or even does harm.

The vaccine race comes at a time when Washington is already engaging in a new debate over how to recalibrate relations between the two powers after the election. A group of 103 former Cabinet secretaries, ambassadors and other officials from Democratic and Republican administrations published an open letter last week in Politico arguing for an effort to put the relationship on a more constructive path.

Another group of former officials, this one with 33, led by Kramer, published its response Tuesday rejecting a new reset and arguing that Putins regime poses a threat to American interests and values, requiring strong pushback.

The relationship has been dominated by the aftermath of the 2016 election, when Russia intervened in the American campaign to help Trump, according to intelligence agencies and a special counsel investigation. While no charges were brought alleging a criminal conspiracy, Trump has at times rejected even that Russia played a role, calling it a hoax.

Just last week, U.S. intelligence agencies reported that Russia was still trying to intervene in American elections to help reelect Trump, a conclusion that the president likewise instantly rejected. I think that the last person Russia wants to see in office is Donald Trump because nobody has been tougher on Russia than I have, ever, he said at a briefing for reporters.

Told that was not what the intelligence agencies were finding, Trump snapped, Well, I dont care what anybody says.

He defended himself further on Tuesday when Hewitt asked who had been tougher on Russia, Trump or Obama. By a factor of 50, me, OK? Trump said, arguing that he built up the U.S. military and sent weapons to Ukraine for its continuing conflict with Russia.

As he often does, however, Trump laced his answer with factual fallacies. He boasted that he sent Javelin anti-tank weapons to Ukraine when Obama would not, which is true. But what Trump did not say was that his administration barred the Ukrainians from actually using the Javelins and mandated that they be kept locked up far from the battlefront.

The president likewise boasted that I got NATO to pay $400 billion a year more to protect themselves against Russia. That is not true. NATO has projected that the allies will increase military spending by a cumulative $400 billion from 2016 to 2024, meaning over eight years, not each year. Similarly, Trump said he spent $2.5 trillion on the U.S. military, but that credits him with every dollar spent on defense over three years and then some, not just the increases he helped push through.

It is true that his administration has taken aggressive action to counter Russia at times  including sanctions, diplomatic expulsions and modest troop deployments to Eastern Europe  but Trump has left the tough talk to his subordinates and rarely if ever has a word of criticism of Putin, whose leadership and strength he has publicly praised. Indeed, Trump has spoken repeatedly with Putin in recent months without once raising intelligence reports that Russia has paid bounties to Afghan fighters to kill U.S. soldiers. Trump dismissed the reports from his own administration as fake news.

In a separate string of Twitter messages Tuesday, Trump disputed the notion that he trusted Putin more than U.S. intelligence agencies, but he then proceeded to explain why he would doubt his own countrys security apparatus, pointing back to his first encounter with veteran intelligence officials that he later came to consider his enemies.

John Bolton, one of the dumbest people Ive met in government and sadly, Ive met plenty, states often that I respected, and even trusted, Vladimir Putin of Russia more than those in our Intelligence Agencies, Trump wrote, referring to his own former national security adviser.

While of course that is not true, he continued, if the first people you met from so called American Intelligence were Dirty Cops who have now proven to be sleazebags at the highest level like James Comey, proven liar James Clapper, & perhaps the lowest of them all, Wacko John Brennan who headed the CIA, you could perhaps understand my reluctance to embrace!

Peter Baker c.2020 The New York Times Company
Conakry, Guinea (PANA) - Guinean President Alpha Conde Tuesday invited voters to take part in the 18 Octobers presidential election, an official statement said here
In a time of pandemic and economic downturn, strong community bonds take on renewed importance.

The events of the last five months have brought villages, towns, and city neighbourhoods across Ireland closer together, if not physically then in spirit.

In the process, many of us have become more considerate, more neighbourly, and more civically minded.

If ever there were a case of a thundercloud having a silver lining, this new positive mentality is it. An engaged and community-focused citizenship is something that we, as a society, and the government, as societys representatives, should encourage and nurture.

An understanding of what creates community and holds it together is the credit union movements guiding principle.

Credit unions are valued by households and businesses precisely because they are institutions built on a mutual understanding of local people, local needs, and local opportunities.

Ibec estimates that the economy will not recover to pre-Covid-19 levels until at least 2022.

While this outlook is not as dire as our crash-era prognosis, thousands of Irish businesses will still be forced to close or at least severely impacted by nervous and slow-moving international and domestic markets.

There will be a human cost to this, too. Thousands of Irish people may be out of work. This will have consequences for local communities, many of which will not have sufficiently recovered from the recession of a decade ago.

Coupled with the increasing possibility of a no-deal Brexit, until only recently relegated to a background act, there is a real danger that some of Irelands rural and urban communities will be economically disadvantaged for many years to come.

Adequate access to credit in the form of loans, mortgages, and other financial supports is the enabler.

Access to credit and investment accelerate economic recovery, and it will be the areas outside our immediate city centres that will need the biggest boost. Credit unions, because of their local knowledge and local relationships, often see opportunity where other mainstream banks may not (or will not).

Even before the pandemic, there were already major shifts in credit union members demands. While members still want the personal and reliable savings institution that credit unions provide, their needs have changed with their circumstances; they now want mortgages, small business loans, and other specialised financial products.

Unfortunately, credit unions frequently cannot provide these services, often due to the restricted environment in which they must operate. This gives traditional banks an unfair competitive advantage and jeopardises the long-term sustainability of the credit union movement. It also severely restricts regional Irelands chances of economic recovery.

Adequate access to credit in the form of loans, mortgages, and other financial supports is the enabler.

Meeting local needs

The financial services sector is heavily regulated for reasons that became abundantly clear in 2008.

There is no disputing the need for independent, prudent, and transparent regulation by national and international governments and organisations.

However, it is simultaneously true that existing legislative provisions actively restrict Ireland's credit unions from diversifying their services and meeting the changing needs of their members. This restriction not only harms credit unions but deeply limits the growth of local communities, local enterprise, and local families, who look to sources of finance - outside of traditional banks - to support them.

Many rural Irish towns have no commercial bank branches; 160 closed between 2008 and 2018. For older people, many of whom have significant savings, this means greatly reduced access to financial services to the detriment of local investment.

The unfolding Covid-19 downturn means that solving these problems has taken on renewed urgency. The Credit Union has an asset base of over 18 billion. These assets can be used to fund badly needed capital projects, like new housing and retrofitting schemes, projects highlighted in the programme for government. However, current credit union regulation means that most funds deposited in local branches are diverted away from Ireland and invested in EU member states infrastructural projects, like roads in Germany.

Credit union regulation also means that many branches legally cannot accept the current influx of cash deposits from their members, who are saving more due to Covid-19. Caps as low as 15,000 and 25,000 are being introduced in response, which means money is forced out of the community and into international banks.

The programme for government proposed allowing credit unions to become the key provider of community banking services in Ireland  that proposal must be honoured. We need Taoiseach Micheal Martins government to draft a new Credit Union Act that creates a legislative basis for credit unions to achieve their vision of becoming a stronger community banking force.

Simultaneously, new state-regulated mechanisms must be put in place that allow the Credit Union to invest in local, rather than EU, infrastructural projects.

By engaging with the Credit Union and removing these barriers to progress, policymakers can help meet local communities needs and better secure Irelands post-Covid-19 recovery.
Six days after the decomposed body of an unidentified man wrapped in a gunny bag was found in a forested area near Tughlaqabad Fort in south Delhi, the police on Wednesday arrested four men for the murder.

Police said the man was bludgeoned to death on August 3 for not returning a push cart belonging to one of the arrested persons.

The dead man was identified as Jhinaka (he goes by his first name), a garbage collector.

The four arrested men are Ramji, 60, his son Kaushal, 28, Gautam,47, and Bhagirath,45 (all have single names). They too are garbage collectors, police said.

On August 6, the Govindpuri police received a call that a mans body wrapped in a gunny bag was lying near the Tughlaqabad Fort.

The police found four names tattooed on the mans right forearm. A case of murder was registered, deputy commissioner of police (southeast) RP Meena said.

During the probe, the police learnt that the man lived in Tughlaqabad village. Since the gunny bag and a stick attached with it are commonly used by garbage collectors, the police examined many such workers.

We learnt about quarrels Jhinaka used to have with one Gautam from Tughlaqabad village over a push cart. Jhinaka had borrowed a push cart from Gautam but did not return it, DCP Meena said.

The four were interrogated and they admitted to the crime, Meena said.

The four said that on the night of August 3, they beat Jhinaka to death after an argument over the same issue. They wrapped his body in the gunny bag and carried it on their shoulders using the sticks to throw it in a well in the forested area. They panicked on spotting a passerby and dumped the body there, he added.
Russian diamond giant ALROSA said today sales of rough and polished diamonds in July amounted to $35.8 million, down 80% from $170 million it booked in the same month in 2019.

Evgeny Agureev, Director of the United Selling Organization ALROSA, blamed high supply and other factors.

A significant decline in diamond sales was attributable to a number of factors including a sizable level of diamond inventory overhang in the midstream built-up last year on abnormally high demand growth," said Agureev. "This factor was exacerbated by a low availability of credit facilities issue experienced by the mid-stream, trade tensions between USA and China, and other factors."

Agureev said the company would continue doing everything needed to reach the market supply and demand balance as soon as possible.

The company said it has extended financing to favored clients.

Agureev said there are some signs of improvement.

"Recent statistics on the net imports of rough diamonds to India and net export of polished diamonds from this country suggest that the diamond market is gradually coming back to supply-demand balance. In July, we successfully auctioned +10.8 carats diamonds in Israel and Belgium. We also sold expensive rough on spot. As a result, the average realized price of gem-quality diamonds in July increased by 9x compared this year's average," he said.
Snapdragon chipset OEM Qualcomm is taking a victory lap, following the overturning of an earlier antitrust ruling. Thats according to a recent report from The Verge.

The decision could mean a return to old practices for Qualcomm. In particular, it appears to give the company free license to charge royalties for patents that standards-essential. Even when those patents are being used in competitors chipsets and hardware.

What antitrust ruling did the Qualcomm appeal overturn?

The ruling in question followed on an appeal filed by the company over an earlier decision back in 2019. At the time, another US court had sided with the FTC in deciding that Qualcomm could not charge licensing fees on standards-essential patents

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For clarity, standards-essential patents are those that are used industry-wide. So, if Qualcomm patents a chip design that then becomes an industry-standard  essentially required for a phone or other piece of technology to operate at all  it was ruled that it couldnt charge the above-mentioned fees associated with that. At least not where the royalty charges would be applied to rivals chipsets.

The practice, the district court ruled, was anticompetitive. In effect, the court found that the practice was limiting competitors in terms of pricing. Other areas where the royalties were anti-competitive were considered as well. But the argument chiefly fell to whether or not it was forcing other companies to charge higher prices. Thus making Qualcomm chips more appealing in the market.

The Judge in the appeals case sided with Qualcomm, determining that the court which had heard the initial proceedings had not been the proper court. Or the proper type of lawsuit. While the chipmaker may still be violating FRAND licensing terms that came along with its patents becoming standards-essential, it is not stifling competition.

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What does Qualcomm have to say on the matter?

Now, the overturning of this case could potentially not come at a better time for Qualcomm. The company is a leading player in the 5G race and is presently looking to secure licensing approval from the US government to work with Huawei.

Simultaneously, the ruling comes amid a debate about at least some of its competitors. For instance, there is some debate about whether or not Samsung should continue using its own Exynos chips. One alternative would be for Samsung to just use Snapdragon SoCs in all of its flagships.

Conversely, the EU and several other regional governments have put Qualcomm on notice about this practice in the past. In one instance, it was forced to pay a nearly $1.23 billion fine in Europe, for example. And thats not likely to change with this ruling, especially if it begins to engage in the practices more frequently with the backing of a US court.

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In the interim, Qualcomm has lauded the unanimous decision from the Court of Appeals. The reversal, Qualcomm says, validates the companys business model and licensing program. It also underscores the tremendous contributions the company has made to the industry.
County Commissioner Warren Mackey on Wednesday said social media "is blowing up" over the issue of a longtime employee at the 911 Center allegedly being told she must go back to her natural hair color.

He played to the commission a four-minute video of City Councilman Anthony Byrd bringing up the issue on Tuesday night at City Council.

Councilman Byrd said, "This woman has worked there for 30 years and has had the same color for say 15 years. I know about four women at the county who have purple hair and one who has pink hair."

He added, "I know we don't have any control over the 911 Center, but we do contribute right at $5 million to the center."

City Councilman Russell Gilbert said, "These kinds of things are beginning to be a pattern at 911. They say they are on the county HR program. Has this been run through county HR?"

He said, "No one should be bullied on the job."

Commissioner Mackey said the social media response has been "that racism abounds in Hamilton County government. People are angry. They want something done about it."

Sandra Ellis, who heads county human resources, said her office is involved with the 911 office on certain matters, but not on discipline. She said different county offices are allowed to set their own policies on workplace appearance.

County Mayor Jim Coppinger said, "Racism has not, is not and will not be tolerated in county government. We're way past that."

He said there are few racism complaints and Ken Jordan looks into each of those and resolves them.

Commissioner Mackey asked if Mr. Jordan can be directed to look into the hair color situation at 911 and report back to the commission. County Mayor Coppinger said that would be "an overreach." He said 911 and its director are under a board. He said Mr. Jordan could only get involved if asked to do so by the 911 Board.

John Stuermer, 911 executive director, did not respond to an email request for comment.
The Indian Air Force (IAF) has objected to the portrayal of its work culture in Dharma Productions soon to be released movie Gunjan SaxenaThe Kargil Girl.

In its letter to Dharma Production, Netflix and the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), IAF said certain scenes and dialogues in the movie and trailer, which were forwarded to it for viewing, were found to portray the IAF in an undue negative light.

According to an initial understanding, Dharma Production had agreed to represent IAF with authenticity and make all efforts to ensure the film helps to inspire the next generation of IAF officers.

The movies trailer was released recently on the over the top (OTT) platform, IAF said in its letter. IAF said according to its information, the movie is being released on Wednesday.

In the aim to glorify the screen character of Ex-Flt Lt Gunjan Saxena, M/s Dharma Productions presented some situations that are misleading and portray an inappropriate work culture, especially against women in the IAF, the letter said.

It added IAF as a service has always ensured the organisation is gender neutral and provided equal opportunities to male and women personnel.

IAF has also provided a summary of scenes and dialogues that it considers objectionable and an incorrect presentation of the gender bias.

The letter said the production house was informed about the objectionable portions of the movie and advised to delete or modify these.

Also read | Gunjan Saxena The Kargil Girl movie review: Janhvi Kapoor busts boys locker room in new Netflix film

However, the production house has not deleted the scenes but had proposed a media plan in the run up to the release and inserting a disclaimer in the movie, the letter said, adding IAF considers these measures inadequate.

CBFC does not regulate OTT platforms such as Netflix even though the information and broadcasting ministry is working to prepare a regulatory framework for them. The Centre has been looking at self-regulatory mechanisms for these platforms.

Last month, the defence ministry wrote a letter to CBFC, Mumbai, drawing attention to producers of movies and web series distorting the image of the Indian Army and said they should obtain a no-objection certificate from the ministry before airing their movies or shows.

The headcount of women in the armed forces is upwards of 3,300, including 1,300 in IAF, but combat roles were off limits to them until IAF took the lead in crushing internal resistance to grant them equal opportunities in 2015, when they became eligible for the fighter stream.

Warships, tanks and combat positions in infantry are still no-go zones for women, who were allowed to join the armed forces outside the medical stream for the first time in 1992.

The army is currently in the process of granting permanent commission to short service commissioned women following a Supreme Court verdict. In February, the Supreme Court ruled women should be considered for command roles and all women officers are entitled to permanent commission. It asked the army to give them permanent commission within three months in a major boost to gender parity.
This spring, for the first time, Angel Manners found purpose and pride at the supermarket where she has worked the past decade. Customers praised her as a hero for putting herself at risk during the pandemic. Bosses boosted her hourly pay by $2. Suddenly, her job was essential.

Nearly five months in, and it is all gone.

"In the last month, we've lost our hazard pay, and people are quitting every day," said Manners, 43, who processes vendor deliveries at a Meijer store in northern Kentucky. "Those of us who are left are really stretched thin - working so much harder for $11.50 an hour."

Grocer workers across the country say morale is crushingly low as the pandemic wears on with no end in sight. Overwhelmed employees are quitting mid-shift. Those who remain say they are overworked, taking on extra hours, enforcing mask requirements and dealing with hostile customers. Most retailers have done away with hazard pay even as workers remain vulnerable to infection, or worse. Employees who took sick leave at the beginning of the pandemic say they cannot afford to take unpaid time off now, even if they feel unwell.

The mounting despair is heightened by the lack of other job options: Supermarkets are among the few bright spots in an industry that has been ravaged by covid-related store closures and a sharp drop-off in consumer spending. The retail sector has shed 913,000 jobs and chalked up more than a dozen bankruptcies during the pandemic.

"At the beginning they valorized what was deemed a dead-end job, but four months later they don't even treat us like humans anymore," said Fox Wingate, 24, who works at a Safeway in Maryland.

Workers' renewed sense of expendability comes after four straight months of double-digit unemployment. With more than 32 million Americans collecting unemployment benefits, labor experts and economists say there is an ever-growing pool of desperate people willing to face hazardous conditions and low pay to put food on the table. The nation's 2.7 million grocery workers make, on average, $13.20 an hour, or about $27,000 a year, Commerce Department data show.

"These are jobs that already don't pay enough for people to support themselves and their families," said Janice Fine, a professor of labor studies at Rutgers University. "Now with a recession and unemployment being so high, it means that employers have even more of an upper hand - especially in an industry where a disproportionate number of workers are women and people of color."

At least 130 U.S. grocery workers have died, and more than 8,200 have tested positive for covid-19 since late March, according to data from workers' groups and media reports. Grocery stores are generally not required to inform shoppers about coronavirus cases or report them to local health departments, which can make it difficult to get an accurate count.

Manners, who has been at Meijer since 2010, says she has never felt so demoralized. At least a dozen colleagues in her department have quit in the past month alone, she says, while those who have stayed are struggling with the workload and the crush of impatient shoppers.

"Some customers were appreciative in the beginning but now they're just rude," she said.

A handful of co-workers have tested positive for covid-19, Manners said, but anyone who decides to self-quarantine is typically directed to take unpaid leave. And workers who try to call in sick often are being coaxed to come in, she said.

"Managers are making decisions on their own, saying 'You have a cough but you'll be okay,' " said Manners, who is a union steward at her store. "You don't want to say 'no' because you'll lose your job."

Frank Guglielmi, a spokesman for Meijer, said employees undergo temperature checks and other health screenings before each shift. Anyone who tests positive for covid-19 or is considered high-risk can apply for as much as four weeks of paid leave, he said.

"For the record, we are seeing reduced turnover among our store team members," he said. The turnover rate for U.S. retail workers has generally risen during the pandemic, Commerce Department data show.

Adding to the stress, many workers say, are new responsibilities, including disinfecting store fixtures and enforcing social distancing and mask requirements.

Almost every major retailer, including Walmart, Home Depot and Target, is now asking shoppers to wear masks, although employees say enforcement is spotty and often fraught. Grocery workers have been demeaned, screamed at and even assaulted for reminding shoppers of the new protocols, with some of the most egregious incidents captured on video and shared online. Illinois this week made it a felony to assault workers who are enforcing mask requirements.

"The pressure is wearing away at us in great chunks," said a mid-level manager at a Kroger store in Kentucky, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he feared losing his job. "We're getting it from both ends: customers and corporate."

Company representatives, he said, are exerting more pressure to ensure shelves and displays are full, even though stores are at the mercy of broader slowdowns in the supply chain. "It's little things like, why isn't the yogurt display perfect?" the manager said. "They tear management to shreds and leave everybody on eggshells."

Kristal Howard, a spokeswoman for Kroger, said the company has provided paid emergency leave and financial support for child care during the pandemic. It also gave employees an extra $2 an hour - which it called a "hero bonus" - for two months ending in late May and gave them a one-time bonus that topped out at $400.

"Our most urgent priority throughout this pandemic has been to provide a safe environment for our associates and customers while meeting our societal obligation to provide open stores," Howard said.

In Jacksonville, Fla., the Publix store where Tonyalee Henderson works is trying to restore normalcy: It has reopened its salad and olive bars and stopped enforcing occupancy limits. But the reality for workers is far from normal, Henderson says. She is working fewer hours than she used to - about 20 a week instead of more than 40 - but is taking on extra responsibilities and often contending with irate customers for her $13.50 an hour.

"At first it was like, 'You are so great for risking your life,' " she said. "Now the atmosphere is completely different."

The company, she said, raised her pay by 50 cents an hour and gave her four Publix gift cards totaling about $200 after taxes.

In early April, managers gave each worker a disposable mask and a handout instructing them to clean it between uses by holding it over a pot of steaming water. Henderson began buying her own masks so she could change them after every shift. The company now provides Publix-branded cloth masks for its employees.

"So many of us are on the verge of quitting," she said. "We're having to do the work of three people while risking our health."

A spokeswoman for Publix did not respond to requests for comment.

In Manhattan, a Trader Joe's employee in her late 50s who asked not to be identified says she has wondered whether to quit. She has not been feeling well but used up her paid sick time early in the pandemic and has twice tested positive for covid-19 antibodies.

"The unknowns are the worst part of it," she said. "I do notice I'm out of breath more often but I don't know what that is. It's this constant fear for your physical health - not just from coronavirus but also from people who don't want to follow the rules."

Kenya Friend-Daniel, a spokeswoman for Trader Joe's, said the company asks employees to stay home if they are unwell and has provided as much as two weeks of paid time off to those who feel sick or are awaiting covid-19 test results. It also is offering an extra $2 an hour in "thank you" pay through the end of the year.

"Anyone who is concerned about working may take an unpaid leave without question," she said, adding that employees who received health benefits from the company before the pandemic will continue to receive insurance through the end of the year, regardless of how many hours they work.

The worker says she loves her job and does not want to quit. She has worked in retail for more than 35 years, but says she is tired of being treated like a second-class citizen.

"It's my career even though it may not be a well-respected one," she said. "I'm not feeling great today, so I'm sitting here debating: Do I go in? Do I not? If I take time off for feeling sick, I'm treated like I'm guilty until I prove otherwise. It's a terrible position to be in."
Imagine you are assisting at a childrens party in a neighbors house, and the hosts put you in charge of dishing out the Jell-O. Youve got a large bowl of green and a large bowl of red. You look at the eager kids lining up and hope there will be enough to go around. One scoop of either color for each child should do it. Things get complicated when a child asks for a scoop of each color, but what really puts a spanner in the works is when a pushy five-year-old demands a double scoop of each. You dont want to risk an argument with a five-year-old, so you accede, hoping the others havent noticed. Her brothers next, and he has noticed, and asks for an even bigger portion on the grounds hes two years older and hungrier. Then your gaze alights on the next kid in line who is already eyeing up the large bowl containing the red Jell-O, with both hands outstretched as if hell just grab the lot and walk off with it. Things are looking desperate so far as equal portions go, or even eking out the supply of Jell-O so that each child can have some. Youre saved by another parent who gently pushes you aside and announces with an air of authority: Youll get what youre given and no talking back! The line of kids visibly relaxes and the kid with both hands out happily accepts his allotted portion.

That about sums up the results of all attempts in the Western world to introduce the concept of equality into social policy as a beneficial idea conducive to social harmony and justice. Someone has to take charge and tell the recipients exactly what kind of equality theyre going to get and prevent anyone taking advantage of the system. Weak leadership results in an orchestration of competitive special pleading, and/or the tragedy of the commons -- the taking of too much by those who can get away with it, to the detriment of others who might need it more.

When governments get involved in any issue involving the notion of equality the outcome is a massive bureaucracy designed to give at least the appearance of equality, even if the complex rules and form-filling mean that some people will lose out due to inability to work the system to their advantage. Which means lots of work for non-profits designed to help the losers, and of course for lawyers. And seemingly inevitable -- and endless -- challenges to the legitimacy of the rules and regulations, with judicial rulings to clarify the original aims of the policy in question and the legal principles involved. And the more equality some people get, the more is demanded by others, as if its a competition.

There is no easy way of defining what equality should mean that makes it obvious what one can expect when the concept of equality is invoked.

The authoritative Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy tells us that the concept of equality is contested. Things go downhill from there. One can have descriptive equality (e.g., size, shape) or prescriptive equality (equality as specified under norms, rules, laws). But were still left with the question of what kind of equality should be offered to whom, and how, and when, and -- if relevant or even possible -- how to measure it.

One conclusion that might be drawn from all this is that equality has no unified meaning -- or even is devoid of meaning. And thats the philosophers telling us this! When seeking to make sense of the concept of equality as applied to the issue of social justice Stanford advises thinking in terms not of a single principle, but a complex group of principles involving no single clear conception of equality. What unites our concerns about equality is a common humanity.

Essentially what this does is kick the can down the road to be picked up by those arguing for greater equality in specific contexts, without actually doing much to clarify what it is that is so important about achieving equality. In almost any discussion of equality issues you will be enticed down a rabbit-hole and belabored in the dark with various abstruse formulations of theory and principle until you emerge into the light feeling no wiser, but knowing that something is not quite right.

In theory, as citizens we all have equal status in law, and equal civil and political liberties and rights, our agreements made under contract law are protected, and we all have equal economic rights, including the right to own property and be protected in law from encroachments on our possession and enjoyment of that property. And all people -- whether citizens or not -- have equal human rights, which means, in practice, that the public purse often finances the cost of both sides in any legal contest as to whether a human right has been breached.

Whether any right to equality is enforceable depends on the political and judicial will to defend such rights and protections by amending and developing the relevant processes so that the rights and protections are adequate to changing circumstances. As usual, the law -- being a cumbersome beast to enact and deliver -- lags behind what is happening to the ordinary person.

For example, some corporate employees are now being required to undergo diversity training under the implicit threat that their jobs might be at risk if they dont attend and perform to the required standard. It is arguable that the civil rights of those people who might object to such training (whatever the color of their skin) have been infringed. As yet there is no specific remedy available in law. The cancel-culture -- whereby employees can lose their careers if they are merely accused of racism -- provides another scenario in which the idea of equality can seem so malleable as to be almost worthless in practice.

If, however, one understands equality to be a sortal concept, whereby things that are alike in one or more respects are grouped together, using a Venn diagram to represent any overlapping of groups that share a proportion of common members, then a new way of framing equality is revealed.

For example, if one puts this into a political context, the logic of being more equal than others suddenly becomes clear. This is the logic of intersectional identity politics, whereby a hierarchy of victimhood is established, ranked according to how many grievances the members of a group can claim against their oppressor(s). The more victim groups a person can belong to, the higher the status in the victim hierarchy, and the greater authority the person can wield over those lower in the hierarchy -- because victimhood somehow confers moral authority in the world of identity-politics. Cry-bullying rights.

And this explains why some people today are much more equal than others and enjoy many more enforceable rights and protections than those who are not able to find a place in the complex Venn diagram of intersectional identity politics.

Thats partly why the rhetoric of equality is so obscurantist and the rabbit-hole so dark and deep.

Because this is not about uniting us in our common humanity, its about subverting what we have in common in favor of emphasizing the grievances felt by a noisy and disruptive minority who claim that their victimhood means we should submit to them.

Whatever this is, its not equality.

Wen Wryte is the pseudonym of a retired teacher of philosophy who likes a quiet life.
A stoush over Victoria's troubled hotel quarantine program and the role of the Australian Defence Force has been fuelled further, amid demands that the Premier returns to a parliamentary inquiry to clarify his evidence and calls for his resignation.

Mr Andrews gave evidence to a parliamentary inquiry on Tuesday that the ADF never offered to support the hotel quarantine scheme.

Hours later, federal Defence Minister Linda Reynolds directly contradicted Mr Andrews' evidence, saying Victorian authorities had refused or ignored multiple offers of support from the ADF to help with hotel quarantine.

The parliamentary hearing revealed the hotel quarantine system, including the use of private security guards, was signed off by Emergency Management Commissioner Andrew Crisp, under advice from a "governance group".
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-12 19:07:28|Editor: huaxia

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YANGON, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- A total of 1,129 representatives from the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) will contest in Myanmar's general election scheduled to be held on Nov. 8, Dr. Nandar Hla Myint, spokesperson of the party told Xinhua on Wednesday.

Of them, 320 candidates will compete for the House of Representatives (Lower House), 165 for the House of Nationalities (Upper House), others for region or state parliaments and for seats in region or state parliaments reserved for ethnic minorities, the party's announcement said.

Meanwhile, over 1,100 representatives from the ruling NLD party will take part in the general election, Dr. Zaw Myint Maung, vice chairman of the party told Xinhua recently.

In the upcoming general election, a total of 330 constituencies will contest for the House of Representatives (Lower House) while 168 constituencies for the House of Nationalities (Upper House), 644 constituencies for region or state parliaments and 29 constituencies for ethnic minority of region or state parliaments.

About 37 million people are eligible to vote in the election, in which 95 political parties are registered to take part.

Myanmar's previous general election was held on Nov. 8, 2015, in which Aung San Suu Kyi-led National League for Democracy (NLD) won the absolute majority of the parliamentary seats and has run the government since April 2016.

The five-year term of the incumbent NLD government will end in March 2021. Enditem
Shamal Az-Zour Al-Oula Power and Water Company, the first power generation and water desalination company and the first public-private partnership (PPP) project to be listed in Kuwait, said its board of directors has recommended a cash dividend payout of 25 fils per share.

This will be the companys first dividend and relates to the retained earnings for the period from 2017 to 2019 and is subject to lenders approval, said the statement from the Kuwait group.

The announcement for a cash dividend payout was made during the company's board meeting last week.

The Kuwait PPP firm's revenue for the last three years was KD46.2 million in 2017 which rose to KD51.2 million in 2018 and remined steady at KD 51.1 million last year.

Its net profit for 2017 stood at KD17.8 million, while the next year it dropped to KD12.1 million and improved slightly to KD12.3 million in 2019.

Shamal Az-Zour Al-Oula Power and Water Company is scheduled to list its shares on Boursa Kuwaits Premier Market on Sunday (August 16) and will then hold an AGM to discuss the dividend recommendation.

NBK Capital is the listing advisor. The listing follows the successful distribution of 50% of the company's shares to Kuwaiti citizens during the last quarter of 2019, which was oversubscribed by 1.27x and attracted more than to 127,000 investors.

The remaining 50% of shares are owned by different public and private entities as follows: 40% is owned by a private investor Azour North One Holding Company K.S.C.C, which is owned by a consortium comprising ENGIE, Sumitomo Corporation and A.H. Al Sagar & Brothers; and 10% is owned by the Kuwait Investment Authority and the Public Institution for Social Security, each with a 5% ownership.

Shamal Az-Zour Al-Oula Power and Water Company is Kuwaits first to be established under the Independent Water and Power Plant (IWPP) Law. The company operates the Az-Zour North One Power and Water Plant, which commenced commercial operations in November 2016.

The plant supplies about 10% of Kuwaits installed power capacity and 20% of Kuwaits water desalination capacity, said the Kuwaiti utility firm in its statement.

The power and water generated by the company is being entirely supplied to the national power and water grid operated by the Kuwait Ministry of Electricity and Water under a 40-year long-term Energy Conversion and Water Purchase Agreement, it added.-TradeArabia News Service
Ghana's Environmental Protection Action (EPA) has directed that all ammonium nitrate being stored in the country must be kept away from fuels and sources of heat.

The EPA in a public notice explained that this is because ammonium nitrate "typically doesn't detonate on its own and requires another ignition source".



"We wish to further state that ammonium nitrate in Ghana is used both as a fertilizer for farming and as an industrial chemical, especially in mining operations. We, therefore, direct that Ammonium Nitrate must be kept away from fuels and sources of heat," the notice said.



"The Agency directs all concerned in the storage, handling and use of ammonium nitrate, to ensure that all safety requirements and protocols are strictly adhered to and the general public is advised to keep away from such storage areas".



Audit



The EPA also assured that it has taken immediate steps to ensure that all known designated storage areas of ammonium nitrate in Ghana are audited to ensure that safety and stringent storage practices are enhanced.



Lebanese explosion



The directive comes on the heels of a deadly August 4 explosion in Beirut, Lebanon which is said to have been caused by ammonium nitrate.



The blast, which shook the whole city, killed at least 113 people and injured more than 4,000 others. A two-week state of emergency was also declared in the country.



Lebanese President Michel Aoun said the blast was caused by 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate stored unsafely in a warehouse. As a result, all port officials were put under house arrest pending an investigation.



What is ammonium nitrate?



Ammonium nitrate is a crystal-like white solid which is made in large industrial quantities. Its biggest use is as a source of nitrogen for fertiliser, but it is also used to create explosives for mining.



"You won't just find ammonium nitrate in the ground," explains Andrea Sella, professor of chemistry at University College London. That's because it's synthetic, made by reacting ammonia with nitric acid, he says.



Ammonium nitrate is made all over the world and is relatively cheap to buy.



But storing it can be a problem, and it has been associated with serious industrial accidents in the past.



How dangerous is ammonium nitrate?



On its own, ammonium nitrate is relatively safe to handle, says Prof Sella.



However, if you have a large amount of material lying around for a long time it begins to decay.



"The real problem is that over time it will absorb little bits of moisture and it eventually turns into an enormous rock," he says. This makes it more dangerous because if a fire reaches it, the chemical reaction will be much more intense.



What caused the mushroom cloud?



Videos from Beirut showed smoke billowing from a fire, and then a mushroom cloud following the blast.



"You have a supersonic shockwave that is travelling through the air, and you can see that in the white spherical cloud which travels out from the centre, expanding upwards," says Prof Sella.



The shockwave is produced from compressed air, he explains. "The air expands rapidly and cools suddenly and the water condenses, which causes the cloud," he adds.



How dangerous are the gases produced?



When ammonium nitrate explodes, it can release toxic gases including nitrogen oxides and ammonia gas.



The orange plume is caused by the nitrogen dioxide, which is often associated with air pollution.



"If there isn't much wind, it could become a danger to the people nearby," says Prof Sella.



Is it used in bombs?



With such a powerful blast, ammonium nitrate has been used by armies around the world as an explosive.



It has also been used in several terrorist acts, including the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995. In that instance, Timothy McVeigh used two tonnes of ammonium nitrate to create a bomb which destroyed a federal building and killed 168 people.



Has anything like this happened before?



In 1921, about 4,500 tonnes of ammonium nitrate caused an explosion at a plant in Oppau, Germany, killing more than 500 people

The deadliest industrial accident in US history occurred in 1947 at Galveston Bay, Texas. At least 581 people were killed when more than 2,000 tonnes of the chemical detonated on-board a ship which had docked in the port

More recently, an explosion involving ammonium nitrate and other chemicals killed 173 people in the port of Tianjin northern China in 2015.

Source: graphiconline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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ATLANTA - Political newcomer Marjorie Taylor Greene was mocked as a supporter of QAnon conspiracies and denounced for videos deemed racist even by fellow Republicans who withdrew endorsements and declared her unfit for Congress.

The businesswoman from northern Georgia had a blunt message for her critics as she coasted to victory in a Republican primary runoff election that should put her on an easy path to winning an open U.S. House seat: I will not apologize.

If Republicans want to win in 2020, they need to listen the message that Im speaking, Greene told cheering supporters in a victory speech that railed against spineless Republicans and anti-American leftists. Targeting Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, she said: Were going to kick that b - - - - out of Congress..

Outspoken and unrepentant, Greene is proving theres a place among Republicans even for candidates whose views many consider extreme.

In one online video, Greene embraced QAnon, a far-right conspiracy theory centred on the baseless belief that President Donald Trump is waging a secret campaign against enemies in the deep state and a child sex trafficking ring run by satanic pedophiles and cannibals. In other videos, she said Black and Hispanic men are being held back by gangs and dealing drugs, alleged an Islamic invasion of government offices and accused Jewish billionaire George Soros of collaborating with Nazis.

Im a very controversial person, but I even cringed at some of the things that she said, said Debbie Dooley, president of the Atlanta tea party and a Republican activist.

Unofficial election returns showed Greene winning by a wide margin in her Tuesday primary runoff with John Cowan  a neurosurgeon endorsed by several Georgia GOP congressmen, some who openly denounced Greene.

In Washington, Trump came out in support of Greene on Wednesday, all but assuring she would be welcome by Republicans in Congress, despite splinters in the party over her candidacy.

Congratulations to future Republican Star Marjorie Taylor Greene on a big Congressional primary win in Georgia against a very tough and smart opponent, Trump tweeted. Marjorie is strong on everything and never gives up - a real WINNER!

The presidents praise for Greene marked a direct contrast to the condemnation from Republican lawmakers during the primary campaign.

Rep. Jody Hice, a Baptist minister and member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, withdrew his endorsement of Greene over statements he called appalling and deeply troubling. Georgia GOP Rep. Drew Ferguson had said: I just dont think that there is a place in Congress for her.

Calls and emails to Hice and Fergusons congressional offices were not immediately returned Wednesday. Georgia Rep. Austin Scott, another of Greenes GOP critics before the runoff, said in a statement Wednesday she deserves to be congratulated for her victory.

The No. 2 House Republican, Rep. Steve Scalise of Louisiana, had backed Greenes opponent in hopes of denying her the partys nomination. Scalise kept silent Wednesday, as did Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming, the third-ranking Republican leader, who had spoken out against Greenes comments.

Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois tweeted Wednesday: Qanon is a fabrication ... no place in Congress for these conspiracies. He didnt mention Greene by name.

Earlier this year, House GOP leaders sidelined Iowa Rep. Steve King after comments favouring white supremacy, and he lost his primary bid for reelection.

In Georgia, Trumps congratulations of Greene was echoed by Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler and GOP Rep. Doug Collins, rivals in a special election for one of Georgias Senate seats. Collins said Greene created a tidal wave among the voters and had his support. Loeffler said of Greenes nomination: Its clear that we need more outsiders with business sense in Washington.

One former GOP congressman said Republicans should make room for Greene the same way Democrats ended up embracing Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a self-described Democratic socialist who won her seat by defeating a member of the House Democratic leadership.

If the Democrats can bring people like that in and make them an asset, then Republicans certainly need to, said Jack Kingston, who left Congress in 2015 after more than two decades representing southern Georgia.

You cant pick and choose all your soldiers all the time, he said.

Greene isnt the only candidate tied to QAnon marching toward Washington. Lauren Boebert, who has also expressed support for QAnon, recently upset a five-term congressman in a Republican primary in Colorado.

Greene still must face Democrat Kevin Van Ausdal on the November ballot before she can claim the 14th District seat that covers a dozen counties in Georgias northwest corner. But the GOP primary was considered the real contest. Trump won roughly 75% of the districts votes in the 2016 presidential election, when he received 51% of Georgias statewide vote.

I wont lie: Its a tough race, said Van Ausdal, who insists Greenes views dont reflect those of most people in their corner of Georgia. Its an uphill battle. But its important.

Democrats are already using Greenes nomination as a weapon to paint other Republicans as too extreme. With Georgia becoming less white and suburban women offering critical swing votes, Democrats hope for upsets in two U.S. Senate races this fall. Theyre also fighting to defend one House seat and pick up another in the increasingly diverse Atlanta suburbs.

Georgia Republicans own this crisis and their mealy-mouthed statements cant hide the fact that Marjorie Taylor Greenes nomination is a stain on their party, Scott Hogan, executive director of the Georgia Democratic Party, said in a statement late Tuesday.

At least one Republican in a competitive race, former GOP congresswoman Karen Handel, has spoken out against Greene for inflammatory racist rhetoric. Handel is running to win back the metro Atlanta seat she lost to Democratic Rep. Lucy McBath in 2018.

If tied too closely to Greene, Georgia Republicans in competitive races could risk alienating moderate voters, said Charles Bullock, a political science professor at the University of Georgia.

I think theres no incentive for them to get behind her, Bullock said. And there may be a cost to pay.

___

Bynum reported from Savannah, Georgia. AP writers Jeff Martin in Atlanta and Lisa Mascaro in Washington contributed.
Belarus witnessed a third night of postelection protests on August 11 after top presidential challenger Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya left for Lithuania amid a widening government crackdown on the opposition. Riot police fired tear gas, rubber bullets, and stun grenades to disperse protesters. Security forces also beat people with batons and attacked cars that blared their horns in protest in the capital, Minsk.
A report from the Chinese authorities claiming Stormonts leaders said they respected new security laws in Hong Kong has been amended to remove the controversial statement.

The comments were initially attributed to First Minister Arlene Foster and deputy First Minister Michelle ONeill during a teleconference with Chinese consul general in Belfast Madame Zhang Meifang last month.

A translated version of a report which appeared on the consulates website claimed the ministers stated that the Northern Ireland executive understands and respects Hong Kongs national security legislation.

My position on Hong Kong is the same as that of HMG. The article in todays press misrepresents what was said at our meeting with the Chinese Consul General. I will be writing to Madame Zhang to underscore my disappointment.  Arlene Foster #ProudofNI. (@ArleneFosterUK) August 11, 2020

Mrs Foster and Ms ONeill moved to distance themselves from the comments after a newspaper report on the website account on Tuesday.

The leaders faced calls to publish their own minutes from the virtual meeting.

Later on Tuesday afternoon, the report on the website was changed, with the reference to Mrs Foster and Ms ONeills comments on the Hong Kong situation having been removed.

The new laws, imposed by Beijing at the end of June, have given the authorities more powers to clamp down on and punish pro-democracy protesters.

They have been met with widespread international criticism amid claims the powers undermine free speech and curtail Hong Kongs autonomy under the long-established one country, two systems.

The story about the Stormont meeting with Madame Zhang, which was reported by the Irish News on Tuesday morning, had prompted calls for clarity.

Expand Close Image from the Chinese Consulate in Belfast showing Madame Zhang Meifang in a teleconference with deputy First Minister Michelle ONeill (PA/Chinese Consulate) PA / Facebook

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Whatsapp Image from the Chinese Consulate in Belfast showing Madame Zhang Meifang in a teleconference with deputy First Minister Michelle ONeill (PA/Chinese Consulate)

Amnesty International was among those urging the executive to make public its own account of the meeting.

Mrs Foster said she would be writing to Madame Zhang to voice disappointment. She said her position on Hong Kong was no different to the UK Governments.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has condemned the new laws as a violation of Chinas treaty with the UK when Hong Kong was handed over in 1997.

The DUP leader tweeted: My position on Hong Kong is the same as that of HMG.

The article in todays press misrepresents what was said at our meeting with the Chinese consul general.

I will be writing to Madame Zhang to underscore my disappointment.

I made it very clear that I supported the One Country, Two Systems international agreement.



https://t.co/MS9xxpxjMK  Michelle ONeill (@moneillsf) August 11, 2020

Responding to the report, Ms ONeill tweeted: I made it very clear that I supported the One Country, Two Systems international agreement.

Patrick Corrigan, from Amnesty, highlighted that the meeting happened days after images emerged that appeared to show hundreds of hooded Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang province being transported from a train station.

Mr Corrigan, Amnesty International UKs Northern Ireland programme director, said: The Chinese government says that Northern Irelands political leaders have endorsed their draconian actions in Hong Kong and remained silent about human rights violations in Xinjiang and elsewhere in China.

Surely this cannot be true.

If this is an accurate report of the meeting, then the First and deputy First Minister have let down the people of Northern Ireland and betrayed the people of Hong Kong and the Uighur community in China.

We need to hear a clear public condemnation from Arlene Foster and Michelle ONeill of what the Chinese government is doing in Hong Kong and Xinjiang.

First Minister Must Clarify Reported Comments on Hong Kong | https://t.co/eGKaMFM9EK https://t.co/iW25eoCH2l  Jim Allister (@JimAllister) August 11, 2020

Traditional Unionist Voice leader Jim Allister also called for clarification.

In light of the appalling record of the Chinese government on human rights and disregard for the international agreement which is still binding in regard to Hong Kong such comments, if accurate, would be totally inappropriate and I believe give an entirely inappropriate impression of how the people of Northern Ireland view what is currently taking place in Hong Kong, he said.

The Executive Office did not immediately move to publish a record of the call.

A spokeswoman for the Stormont administration said the call involved a briefing by the consul general on the situation in Hong Kong.

The consulates report does not reflect ministers positions on Hong Kong security legislation, nor their comments at a recent courtesy meeting with the Chinese consul general, she said.

As these matters are not devolved, ministers stated their awareness of the issues and their hope that the matter could be resolved.
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Linkedin News Desk (Agence France-Presse) Taipei, Taiwan  Wed, August 12, 2020 20:45 525 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066d8b31d 2 World Russia,coronavirus,US,COVID-19,COVID-19-vaccine,pandemic,SARS-CoV-2,virus-corona,novel-coronavirus Free

Washington's health chief on Wednesday expressed skepticism about Russia's claim of developing the world's first safe coronavirus vaccine, pointing to the lack of data from its initial trials.

Moscow said Tuesday its vaccine offered "sustainable immunity" against the virus, but Western scientists have previously raised concerns about the development speed of Russian treatments, suggesting researchers were cutting corners.

US Health Secretary Alex Azar echoed those concerns Wednesday as he wrapped up a three-day visit to Taiwan.

"It's important that we provide safe, effective vaccines and that the data be transparent... This is not a race to be first," he told reporters during a conference call.

"I should note that two of the six US vaccines that we've invested in entered the phase three clinical trials weeks ago that the Russian vaccine is now only beginning," he added.

"The data from the initial trials in Russia have not been disclosed, it's not transparent."

Russian President Vladimir Putin said the vaccine was safe, and that one of his daughters had received a dose.

The vaccine has been named "Sputnik", after the world's first artificial satellite that helped the Soviet Union take the lead in the Cold War space race in 1957.

Governments are under huge pressure to find a vaccine against the coronavirus, which has killed more than 700,000 people worldwide and eviscerated the global economy since it first emerged in central China late last year.

The United States is the worst-hit country, with nearly 5.1 million infections and more than 163,000 deaths.

President Donald Trump is facing a tough fight to get re-elected in November, trailing rival Joe Biden in the polls as anger mounts over his administration's response to the pandemic.

Azar said he was confident a vaccine would be available for Americans.

"We believe that it is highly credible that we will have in the high tens of millions of doses of gold-standard, safe and effective vaccine by the end of this year, and many hundreds of millions of doses as we go into the beginning of next year," he said.

Trump has launched "Operation Warp Speed", which aims to develop, manufacture and distribute a coronavirus vaccine to all Americans by January 2021.

So far, Washington has handed out at least $9.4 billion to seven vaccine developers and signed manufacturing contracts with five of them to provide 700 million doses.

Azar's Taiwan trip -- the highest-level US visit since Washington switched diplomatic recognition to Beijing in 1979 -- was billed as an opportunity to learn from the island's success in containing the virus.

Taiwan has reported fewer than 500 infections and just seven COVID-19 deaths.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-13 01:42:36|Editor: huaxia

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ANKARA, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- Turkish security forces have launched a new anti-terrorism operation against the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in the southern Hatay city of Turkey, the Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu announced on Wednesday.

The operation, dubbed "Lightning-5," is conducted by at least 1,448 personnel in the Amanos Mountains of Hatay, Soylu said at an inauguration ceremony.

The Turkish security forces regularly conduct anti-terror operations in the eastern and southeastern parts of Turkey.

Operation Lightning-1 Cudi was started in the southeastern Sirnak city on July 14, Lightning -2 Cilo in the southeastern Hakkari city on July 20, Lightning -3 Mt. Agri in the eastern cities of Agri, Igdir and Kars on July 27, and Lightning-4 in the eastern city of Tunceli on July 29.

A total of 15 PKK members were killed in these operations in July and 30 caves, shelters, and storages were destroyed, many weapons, ammunition and food were seized, according to a written statement by the ministry on Wednesday.

The Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) also carry out cross-border operations in northern Iraq, a region where PKK members have hideouts.

"Our counter-terrorism operations continue. Our advice across the globe is to follow the Republic of Turkey on the issue of the fight against terrorism," Soylu told reporters responding to media reports that Cemil Bayik, one of the PKK leaders, was killed during a drone attack by Turkish security forces in northern Iraq on Monday.

Iraqi army said Monday that two senior security officials of Iraq have been killed by "a blatant Turkish drone attack," but Turkish officials have not commented yet.

The PKK, listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States, and the European Union, has been rebelling against the Turkish government for over 30 years, which has claimed the lives of more than 40,000 people. Enditem
Authorities on Wednesday identified a 55-year-old woman killed Tuesday night in a hit-and-run crash in Brockton, noting the driver responsible for the fatal collision later turned himself into police.

Michelle Maxwell, a Brockton resident, was crossing the street near 680 Centre St. around 9 p.m. when she was struck by a dark-colored SUV, according to a statement from Plymouth District Attorney Timothy Cruzs office.

She was taken to Signature Healthcare Brockton Hospital, where she was pronounced dead shortly before 9:30 p.m., the statement said.

Brockton and Massachusetts State Police investigators interviewed witnesses and found video near the crash scene that showed the SUV driving east on Centre Street when it struck Maxwell. The car was then seen taking a right onto Sterling Road and leaving the area, according to Cruzs office.

Allen T. Perkins walked into one of the citys police stations around 10:15 p.m. and said he was involved in the Centre Street crash, the district attorney said.

The Brockton resident told police he had gone out to pick up food and believed he had struck a traffic cone in the roadway. Perkins said he then returned home without the food, according to authorities.

The 57-year-old man added that he searched online and found out about the crash on Centre Street, Cruz said.

Investigators discovered Perkins then moved his car from his home to a nearby parking lot before he turned himself into police, according to the district attorney. Officers located the vehicle and secured it as evidence, and Perkins was placed under arrest.

Perkins was arraigned Wednesday morning in Brockton District Court on one count of leaving the scene of a crash causing death, the prosecutor said.

The man pleaded not guilty and was held on $2,500 cash bail under the conditions that if he makes bail, he must wear a GPS monitoring bracelet and have no contact with the victims family, according to Cruzs office.

Prosecutors requested Perkins be held on $10,000 cash bail, the district attorney noted.

He is expected to appear in court again on Oct. 1.

Man Arraigned In Brockton Hit and Run Fatal pic.twitter.com/eIEJlofJeI  DA Tim Cruz (@PlymouthCtyDAO) August 12, 2020

Related Content: Pedestrian killed in hit-and-run crash near Brockton Hospital
A crowd gathers by the red carpet before a WE Day event in Toronto on Sept. 20, 2018. (The Canadian Press/Christopher Katsarov)

Government Should Be Cautious About Helping Charities, Say Experts

Although government aid to charities can help in limited circumstances, transparency and a lack of political interference are crucial, experts say, and the federal governments 2019 decision to put more resources into charities comes with risks.

In 2018, a Senate committee looked at how to strengthen Canadas 86,000 charities and 85,000 non-profits. Witnesses from these sectors shared their struggles to compete with the public sector and private businesses for pay, pension, benefits, and training in order to recruit and maintain paid staff.

As a result, in June 2019 the Committee on the Charitable Sector called for a national volunteer strategy, a human resources plan, and a pension plan for the sector. The senators also proposed that contribution agreements include costs associated with the recruitment and retention of volunteers needed to deliver funded events or services.

These recommendations helped lead to the Canada Student Service Grant (CSSG), a now-cancelled program that was to be administered by WE Charity to fund activities by 40,000 volunteers.

Kate Bahen, managing director of Charity Intelligence, a Toronto-based organization that builds detailed reports on charities across Canada, told the Epoch Times this wasnt exactly what the sector had in mind.

The day after the contract was announced, it was the charity sector [that protested] because people had different experiences [with WE], some of the former staff. People just knew too much maybe. And over 1,000 people signed the pledge #wehaveaproblem urging the government to reconsider this decision for the delivery of this program, Bahen said.

The awarding of the CSSG contract to WE Charity led to the ongoing political scandal the Liberals have been mired in for over a month.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had participated in WE Day events prior to being prime minister, while his wife, brother, and mother continued to be engaged. Finance Minister Bill Morneau, whose daughter works for WE Charity, paid back $41,000 to WE in travel expenses for a 2017 trip his family took with the organization to Kenya and Ecuadoronly hours before appearing before a Commons committee on July 22. Its my mistake, he said about the delay.

Neither Trudeau nor Morneau recused themselves from the decision to award the CSSG contract to WE, and both are being investigated for possible violations of the Conflict of Interest Act.

I would say that WE Charityit has been very successful in its network of politicians and high net worth individuals, Bahen says. Its such an outlier. I cannot emphasize it enough.

Aaron Wudrick, federal director for the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, says the WE contract betrayed minimum standards.

The main problem with the WE situation is the obvious conflict of interest, Wudrick says. Competitive tenders and transparency with respect to the terms of contracts are critical to ensuring everything stays above board. We didnt see either of these things with WE.

He says deeper government involvement with charities has risks.

In theory, governments can partner with the private sector if its good value for taxpayer money. The big danger, though, is that governments start to treat charities as appendages of government, or that charities become addicted to government support.

Lori Turnbull, the director of the School of Public Administration and an associate professor of political science at Dalhousie University, says there may be a perception issue when charities receive government money.

Sometimes people want to see an independence from government, so it could affect your relationship with your members and your donors and whatever if you take money from government. Some organizations make a point of not doing that so as to preserve their independence, which would suggest it means something, she says.

Sometimes the government has politicized support for charities and non-profits. In 2018, the Canada Summer Jobs grant application required recipients to state their support for reproductive rights as a condition of receiving grant money. Revisions for 2019 still left pro-life groups excluded, according to the Catholic Civil Rights League.

Turnbull says charities do things governments dont, and that can be a legitimate reason governments partner with them.

Oftentimes charity organizations do things that people need that government is not necessarily doing, or not doing all of. So for instance, sometimes people think the Red Cross is part of the governmentits not. Thats work being done by people that are not being exploited by government [even though] they might get government help.

Bahen says the federal governments $100 million contribution to food banks announced on April 3 is a positive example.

What the food banks have done with that money, being able to respond quickly, was phenomenal. I think it always depends on who you engage with.

Canadians gave $17 billion to charity last year, but Imagine Canada expects that to drop to $6.3 billion in 2020. On top of that, closures of charities earned income operations due to the pandemic could lead to additional losses of $2.8 billion to $4.7 billion.

Bahen wants the federal government to make foundations part with more of their $100 billion in asset holdings. Canada has the lowest annual disbursement quota in the world at 3.5 percent, one that she wants raised to 5 percent. This would result in $700 million more spent on charitable causes this year.

She would also like to see the federal government publish the financial statements of all large charities. She says access to information requests made by Charity Intelligence often return with many parts redacted.

We submitted 110 requests for information to the charities directorate to get audited financial statements this year, and thats crazy to me. These are big charities with websites, professional staff, and were just asking, Could you post a PDF? And charities just sort of say no.
GENEVA, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- The World Health Organization (WHO) is in close contact with Russia regarding a possible pre-qualification of the world's first COVID-19 vaccine, a WHO spokesman said on Tuesday.

"We are in close contact with the Russian health authorities and discussions are underway regarding a possible pre-qualification of the vaccine by WHO," WHO spokesman Tarik Jasarevic said at a virtual press briefing.

"The pre-qualification of any vaccine involves rigorous review and evaluation of all the data required for safety and efficacy" in clinical trials, said Jasarevic, adding that at the WHO level, this process would be the same for any vaccine candidate.

"Each country has national regulatory bodies that approve the use of vaccines or drugs in its territory," he said. "Manufacturers are asking for WHO pre-qualification because it is a kind of seal of quality."

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday that his country has registered the world's first vaccine against the novel coronavirus.

Putin said he hoped that the mass production of the vaccine registered in Russia should begin in the near future, and vaccination will be available to everyone in the country voluntarily.

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova said that she expected the production of the vaccine to start at the end of August or the beginning of September and health workers will be the first to be vaccinated.
TV producer JD Majethia has confirmed that unit members of his popular show Bhakharwadi, who have recovered from Covid-19 will donate plasma for the cure of the viral infection. Seven members of the crew will donate plasma to Kokilaben Hospital for the treatment of coronavirus patients.

Confirming the same, Majethia told Mumbai Mirror, Humans know how to evolve and adapt to new situations. Boldly facing adversity and turning the same into an opportunity is our DNA. Apart from the seven members who are all set to donate their plasma, another person on set had also tested positive for coronavirus but he died on July 21, the tabloid added. The report added that additional measures were taken when shoot resumed after the members tested positive for coronavirus. .

About resuming work days later, Majethia had told Hindustan Times, Producers got a cut of 15-25% from broadcasters, even cast and crew have taken cuts. Now, we need to continue working to churn revenues. Out of 8,000 plus people working at various levels, the number of positive cases on sets till now has been just about four or five. People are getting infected at other work places too. So, we were prepared for such a situation. And as days are progressing, weve become extra cautious.

Also read: Priyanka Chopra ecstatic as Kamala Harris picked as Joe Bidens running mate: Historical, transformational, proud moment

Bhakharwadi stars Deven Bhojani, Paresh Ganatra, Akshay Kelkar and Akshita Mudgal as the lead cast. After months of no fresh episodes amid stalling of all shoot in wake of coronavirus pandemic, Bhakharwadi returned with new episodes - and a leap of seven years - in July.

About the seven-year leap, Deven had said, The 7-year leap has been woven beautifully in the story and our viewers are bound to enjoy the changed dynamics between the characters and the light-hearted comical banter between the Gokhales and Thakkars. It has been exciting to include these new elements in my character and I look forward to Bhakharwadi coming back for our viewers after such a long halt.

Follow @htshowbiz for more

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A key supplier to Apple Inc. and a dozen other tech giants plans to split its supply chain between the Chinese market and the US, declaring that Chinas time as factory to the world is finished because of the trade war. Hon Hai Precision Industry Co Chairman Young Liu said its gradually adding more capacity outside of China, the main base of production for gadgets from iPhones to Dell desktops and Nintendo Switches.

The proportion outside the country is now at 30 per cent, up from 25 per cent last June. That ratio will rise as the company -- known also as Foxconn -- ...
US Health Secretary Alex Azar has criticised a COVID-19 vaccine being promoted by Russian President Vladimir Putin, accusing Moscow of withholding trial data and not being transparent.

Speaking in Taiwan on Wednesday morning, Azar likened America's own vaccine development to the Apollo moon mission and said he believed the US would have hundreds of millions of doses of a vaccine ready by the beginning of next year.

US Health Secretary Alex Azar. Credit:EPA

"I should note that two of the US vaccines entered the phase-three clinical trial weeks ago and the Russian vaccine is now only beginning that," he said. "The data from the initial trials has not been disclosed, it's not transparent."

Putin said on Tuesday that one of his two adult daughters had been given the vaccine and had developed a lasting immunity to the virus that has killed almost 740,000 people around the world.
The Luxembourger Jean-Marc Sirichai has been arrested in Spain, 16 years after his escape.

Luxembourg's judicial administration announced the arrest of one of the most wanted Luxembourgers of the 21st century.

Jean Marc Sirichai Kiesch escaped in 2004 while out on parole. He was arrested 16 years later in Punta Humbria in Spain.

According to a spokesperson for for the judicial administration, the arrest has been the result of "an exemplary cooperation" between the targeted search units of Luxembourg (FAST) and Spain.

In 2000, the fugitive had been sentenced to 20 years in prison, 5 years of which were suspended on probation. He was accused of having participated in a murder and attempted arson in Eppeldorf in 1999.

Luxembourg will request the transfer of the convict by Spanish authorities so that he may serve the rest of his sentence in the prison in Schrassig.
When Kamala Harris became San Francisco's district attorney 16 years ago, one of her top priorities was to fight federal policies that she believed put too many Black people in prison.

Some of those objectionable policies - including incentives to build more prisons and lock more people up for longer periods of time - had been enacted in the 1994 crime bill, written by then-Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del.

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As it turned out, the path that Harris and Biden took to finding common ground on criminal justice reform was a key factor in bringing them together on the Democratic presidential ticket at a moment when such reform is considered an urgent task amid the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement, Harris's advisers said.

As Harris makes history as the first Black woman named to a major-party national ticket, Biden has moved markedly closer to her viewpoint, acknowledging that key parts of his crime bill "went wrong" and vowing to undo it.

If the Democratic ticket is elected, "this could be a game changer" for instituting criminal justice reform, said Lara Bazelon, a professor at the University of San Francisco School of Law, who previously has been critical of Harris's claim that she was a "progressive prosecutor."

Still, as she takes on the role of running mate and as every detail of her life becomes subject to intense examination, Harris, 55, is bound to face questions about her career as a prosecutor and the degree to which she and Biden, 77, are truly in sync on a crucial issue.

Biden once said that "it doesn't matter whether or not" criminals "were deprived as a youth," while Harris has written about criminals who were "marked for a bleak future solely because of the circumstances of their birth."

Biden once said the answer to fighting crime is that criminals "must be taken off the street," while Harris has said one of the gravest injustices of recent decades is that this has become "an era of mass incarceration."

Lateefah Simon, whom Harris hired in 2004 to help institute a program to reduce incarceration rates, learned that some of the policies Harris sought to reject had been written by Biden.

"It was her job to undo bad policy," Simon said in an interview. Moments after hearing that Harris had been picked as Biden's running mate, Simon said, "Can you imagine that we are going to have a vice president that is a Black woman, who carries a migrant story of her mother, who has been trying to undo the criminalisation of poor people and immigrants for her whole career?"

Early days

From the earliest days of her career, Harris has faced questions about why she decided to go into law enforcement and spend years as a prosecutor, instead of working to defend those mistreated by the criminal justice system.

As the daughter of a Black father and an Indian-born mother, Harris's racial and political identity has long been a central part of her story

She was, as she has told it, constantly asked why she would go to work for "the man," meaning the law enforcement system. Even her own family questioned the decision, requiring Harris to explain why she believed that "law enforcement has such a profound and direct impact on the most vulnerable among us," as she put it in an interview with The Washington Post last year.

As the daughter of a Black father and an Indian-born mother, Harris's racial and political identity has long been a central part of her story. She grew up in the liberal bastions of Oakland and Berkeley and was wheeled in her stroller to civil rights rallies, where she has said she learned to shout the word "freedom" (pronouncing it "feedom" when she was a toddler).

Harris famously was part of the second group of children in her neighborhood to be bused to an elementary school in a mostly White area as part of a plan to racially integrate classes, an experience that she cited during a debate last year when she charged that Biden opposed such busing. "That little girl was me," Harris said. Biden responded in the debate: "I did not oppose busing in America. What I opposed is busing ordered by the Department of Education."

Harris has said her mother imbued her two daughters with Indian culture but made an extra effort to raise her and her sister as "proud Black women." Harris attended a historically Black college in Washington, Howard University, and joined the nation's oldest Black sorority. Asked how her Black heritage influenced her, Harris told The Post last year that "it affects everything about who I am," including her awareness of racism against people like her as well as those of other races and religions.

Harris's time at Howard foreshadowed her political rise. Soaking up the political atmosphere in the nation's capital, she volunteered for the 1984 presidential campaign of Walter Mondale, who made history by picking a woman, Geraldine Ferraro, as his running mate, but lost by a wide margin to President Ronald Reagan.

Harris then attended the University of California's Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco, where she was tutored by Jeff Adachi. He later became the city's elected public defender, often putting him at odds with Harris during her time as district attorney. After graduating in 1989, Harris served for eight years as the deputy district attorney in Alameda County, prosecuting an array of crimes in the Oakland area.

It was in the midst of that work that Biden won approval of his crime bill. In her 2009 book, "Smart on Crime," Harris wrote that liberal politicians in the late 1980s and early 1990s "were terrified of being branded as soft."

While she didn't mention Biden, the then-senator from Delaware said on the Senate floor in 1993 that he was not one of those "wacko liberals" who only wanted to look at the causes of criminal behaviour and that he was tired of seeing Democrats portrayed as weak on crime.

Working for the District Attorney

After eight years in Oakland, Harris took her work across the bay and served in various roles in the San Francisco city attorney's office from 1998 to 2004, then became a top deputy for District Attorney Terence Hallinan, who called himself America's most progressive prosecutor.

But Harris became disenchanted with Hallinan's performance, resigned from her position and eventually launched a campaign against her former boss.

Adachi, the former tutor who became public defender, recalled asking Harris why she wanted to become district attorney.

"And she said, 'That's how I'm going to change the world,' " Adachi said in an interview with The Post last year in San Francisco shortly before he died.

"My perception is that she saw law enforcement as the place she would have the greatest amount of influence because, you know, as D.A. she would be the one making the decisions" on whether to prosecute individuals. "People saw the system as the enemy, so joining the system was a tightrope walk."

Harris initially was given little chance of becoming district attorney. Previously, every district attorney in San Francisco had been a White male. No African American had ever been elected to such a job in California.

Hallinan, whose father, Vincent, had run for president in the Progressive Party in 1952, was the most liberal candidate in the three-person field. Harris ran to Hallinan's right, asserting that he was unprofessional and too soft on crime. She won the race and took office in 2004.

Death penalty

Harris had said during the campaign that she opposed the death penalty - a position that seemed unremarkable until she stunned the city by winning the election.

Three months after she took office, two undercover police officers were on patrol in the Bayview neighbourhood. The city was experiencing a gang-related crime wave, and the officers were following a suspect. Suddenly, the 21-year-old suspect fired an AK-47 assault rifle, killing Officer Isaac Espinoza, 29.

Espinoza's partner, Barry Parker, was wounded in the left foot.

The following morning, Easter Sunday, Harris went to police headquarters to follow the progress of the case. She talked on the phone with Parker and helped oversee the investigation. Calls soon rose, including from some liberal Democrats, for Harris to seek the death penalty.

She attended the funeral, sitting in the front row, and later said she was stunned when Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., suggested during her speech at the church that the death penalty was appropriate in the killing of a police officer.

"This is not only the definition of tragedy, it's the special circumstance called for by the death penalty law," Feinstein said, prompting a standing ovation from hundreds of officers.

"It was a very intense emotional environment that day in the church," Harris told the San Francisco Chronicle after the funeral. "People were mourning very deeply, so I was well aware that they were not happy with my decision."

When Harris stuck to her campaign vow, saying she would seek life in prison for the killer, the police officers union that had endorsed her said it regretted having done so.

Parker, the wounded partner, told The Post last year in a rare interview that "I was disappointed. But she had her feelings about it. That was her decision to make."

Espinoza's widow, Renata, told CNN last year that Harris's action still upset her, recalling that the prosecutor didn't call her to say she wasn't seeking the death penalty.

"She was only thinking of herself," Renata Espinoza said. "I couldn't understand why. I was in disbelief that she had gone and already made her decision to not seek the death penalty for my husband." She could not be reached for comment.

Jim Stearns, who had been Harris's campaign manager, said that despite the controversy, her approval rating doubled to about 70 percent. She was now one of the most well-known politicians in California, and she faced a series of crises that kept her in the news, starting with a string of murders that plunged the city into a new cycle of fear.

In this atmosphere, her calls to be tough on crime received as much notice as her pleas to reform the system. It was years before the Black Lives Matter movement, although Harris gave voice to some of its future themes. She emphasized her program called Back on Track, which was designed to help nonviolent offenders avoid returning to prison.

By the time she sought reelection in 2007, Harris had repaired her relationship with the police department and won support for her reform program. She said she had increased the felony conviction rate from 52 to 68 percent. The onetime long shot was now considered unbeatable, and no one ran against her. Soon, she launched a statewide campaign for attorney general.

Then a new crisis emerged that threatened to derail her aspirations.

Harris's office had brought thousands of cases against drug offenders, an unpopular position among many in famously liberal San Francisco. A police investigation found problems with test results at a crime lab that dealt with the cases. One of Harris's deputies wrote an email saying that a crime lab technician had become "increasingly UNDEPENDABLE for testimony," and weeks later the technician allegedly took home cocaine from the lab.

Harris, who said she was initially unaware of the issues, did not inform defense attorneys of the problems. She was excoriated for this failure by Superior Court Judge Anne-Christine Massullo, who wrote in May 2010 that Harris had "failed to disclose information that clearly should have been disclosed." The judge said individuals in Harris's office "at the highest levels" knew that the crime lab technician was not a dependable witness.

In casting herself as a "progressive prosecutor" - a phrase designed to soothe voters who may be uncomfortable with her law enforcement background - Harris has surprised some who worked closely with her at the time. They remember her waging a tough campaign against a more liberal opponent whom she disparaged as being too soft on criminals, and they don't recall her initially fighting for some of the reforms that she now presents as cornerstones of her career.

"Did she distinguish herself as a prosecutor who was not for mass incarceration?" Adachi said shortly before he died. "Not really. No. Was she railing against racial injustice in the current justice system? Not really. I mean I'm sure she was aware of the issues because we were saying them, but no one wanted to hear this stuff."

Harris wound up dismissing hundreds of cases handled by the crime lab. In an interview with The Post last year, she took responsibility for her office's failures in the scandal. While noting that the police ran the crime lab, she said in the interview: "My No. 2 knew about it, my office knew about it, and I took full responsibility and take full responsibility. No excuses."

Harris won the general election, vowing to make criminal justice reform the centerpiece of her term.

Elected attorney general of California

Harris was elected attorney general of California in 2010 and 2014 and oversaw an office of almost 5,000 people. After facing much criticism for refusing to call for the death penalty in the Espinoza case, she took a hands-off approach in her new position, saying that was a local decision. A Democratic presidential primary opponent, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii, charged in a debate last year that Harris "blocked evidence from being revealed that would have freed" some death row inmates "until you were forced to do so."

Harris responded in the debate that she has opposed the death penalty her entire career and never sought it when she prosecuted cases.

Harris also was criticised for failing to endorse a measure that would have required police shootings to be investigated by a special prosecutor, a position that put her in harmony with police unions but at odds with reformers.

Asked why she didn't endorse the legislation, Harris said during a primary debate last year that "I did not oppose the bill" but that, as attorney general, she did not think she should be "weighing in on bills" for which she had responsibility to write the title and summary.

In 2016, after a career walking a fine line between being a prosecutor who cracked down on criminals and a reformer who wanted to lower incarceration rates, she ran successfully on that record to win election to the Senate. She had presumed she would take her seat during a Hillary Clinton administration, but instead she has spent her entire service in Washington during the era of President Donald Trump. Instead of being able to push through her agenda, she has spent much of the past four years fighting Trump's.

Bazelon, the University of San Francisco law professor who questioned Harris's credentials as a progressive prosecutor, has seen a change in Harris since she came to Washington. In California, Bazelon said, Harris "didn't want to legalise marijuana, she didn't want her office as attorney general to investigate officer-involved shootings." But Bazelon said that as a senator, Harris has "evolved" and is now much more progressive.

Harris has, for example, supported legalisation of marijuana, a position that Biden has not fully embraced but has been inching toward. He said during the campaign that marijuana is a "gateway drug" but also that it has to be legalised, an off-the-cuff remark that did not amount to a formal endorsement.

In the end, the growing movement to embrace criminal justice reform, and the backlash against Biden's work on the 1994 crime bill, helped lead the former vice president to pick Harris as his running mate.

"Not only Joe Biden but the Democratic Party itself has evolved quite significantly over the last decade, and Senator Harris has been a trailblazer on the issue of criminal justice reform," said Brian Brokaw, who ran Harris's campaign for California attorney general and remains an adviser. "I think the two of them are very much in line in how they see the world and the change that has to be made in that respect."

From the moment she took her Senate seat, Harris has said that her top goal is to oust Trump. She had hoped to be the one to be replace him, but after a burst of initial enthusiasm for her presidential bid, she faltered, and her attacks on Biden over criminal justice and other matters didn't stop his drive to the nomination.

Now the two onetime rivals are on the same ticket, having largely bridged their political divide, united in their desire to return the White House to a Democratic administration.

 Washington Post
Contact tracers are close to identifying the suspected "patient zero" for the Tangara School for Girls cluster linked to a religious study retreat.

The number of COVID-19 cases associated with the independent Catholic Opus Dei school in Cherrybrook has grown to 19, including 12 senior students, one teacher, four household contacts and two casual contacts.

The source of the Tangara cluster is still under investigation but NSW Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant indicated her team had found a likely index case.

Tangara School for Girls is closed for two weeks as a COVID-19 cluster extended to 19 people on Wednesday. Credit:Edwina Pickles

"We have some hypotheses but that person is not linked to a known cluster," Dr Chant said, suggesting contact tracers believe they have found the first person to have contracted coronavirus among the cluster cases, but do not know how they were infected.
Paris, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 11th Aug, 2020 ) :The north-central African nation of Chad, which marked 60 years of independence on Tuesday, has a chronic history of instability, including a long-running battle with jihadists - Fledgling state - A former French colony, Chad declares its independence on August 11, 1960 with Francois Tombalbaye as its first president.

From 1965 an armed rebellion begins in the north of the country led by Frolinat (National Liberation Front).

French troops intervene in the conflict several times in support of government forces, as part of its defence accords with the country.

Tombalbaye is assassinated in a coup and Felix Malloum takes over as president in 1975.

- Libya, civil war - Libya, which borders Chad to the north, occupies a contested strip of land in 1973.

A transitional government of national unity led by Goukouni Weddeye and with the backing of Libyan ruler Moamer Kadhafi, is installed in 1979.

A year later civil war breaks out in the capital between Weddeye supporters and his defence minister Hissene Habre, who seizes power in 1982.

Government forces launch an offensive in the north in 1987 to recapture the region held by Libyan troops. They manage to take back all but the Aouzou Strip, which is finally returned to Chad in 1994, after 21 years of Libyan occupation.

- Habre repression - Habre is in power for eight years -- a period marked by harsh repression in which up to 40,000 people are believed to have been killed and many more kidnapped, raped or tortured.

Habre is overthrown by his former military advisor Idriss Deby Itno in 1990 and flees to Senegal.

In 2016 the Extraordinary African Chambers court in Senegal sentences Habre to life in prison for war crimes, crimes against humanity and a litany of other charges, including rape.

In April 2020 a judge grants Habre a 60-day release due to the coronavirus. He returns to prison in June, despite his supporters ramping up efforts to have him freed.

- Warrior leader - Deby's nearly 30-year rule has been marked by accusations of electoral fraud and violations of human rights, as well as jihadist attacks in the southwest of the country and fighting over land in the east.

A Muslim like some 53 percent of Chadians, Deby has won support and influence in the West for his contribution to the fight against violent Islamism.

On Tuesday, the National Assembly, where his party has a strong majority, named him Marshal of Chad, the first in his country's history, after he led a counter-offensive against jihadists in April.

Deby has successively postponed legislative elections since April 2011, blaming the threat posed by the Nigerian jihadist group Boko Haram, a lack of funds in one of the world's most impoverished states, and finally the coronavirus pandemic in 2020.

The next presidential election is to be held in April 2021, although Deby has not yet announced whether he will run for a sixth term.
Select new 2021 Toyota models have arrived at Earnhardt Toyota, providing interested car buyers with the latest from the Toyota brand.

Year after year, automakers provide car shoppers with updated, upgraded and redesigned models. Earnhardt Toyota is here to help drivers find the perfect fit for their lifestyle and budget and has announced the arrival of select 2021 Toyota models. New 2021 Toyota models that are currently available in the dealership inventory include the 2021 Toyota Corolla, 2021 Toyota Corolla Hybrid, 2021 Toyota Corolla Hatchback and 2021 Toyota GR Supra with more expected to arrive in the coming weeks and months.

The 2021 Toyota Corolla builds on the successful platform provided by its predecessor  which underwent a complete redesign. To upgrade the spec sheet, the Toyota Corolla will add rear side airbags to all models, Rear Cross-Traffic Alert with Blind Spot Monitor to Corolla XLE and XSE trim levels and standard Android Auto integration with the Toyota Entune 3.0 touchscreen infotainment system. In addition to improved safety and connectivity, the 2021 Toyota Corolla will add a limited-edition, track-focused Apex Edition to the lineup later in the model year. Gas-powered 2021 Toyota Corolla models are joined by 2021 Corolla Hybrid and 2021 Corolla Hatchback entries at Earnhardt Toyota.

Drivers who crave speed will find the high-performance 2021 Toyota GR Supra at Earnhardt Toyota. In its second year of production, the Toyota GR Supra will upgrade performance and technology in the new model year. The Toyota GR Supra 2.0 will add the first-ever 255-horsepower, 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine to the lineup that pairs with a lightweight platform to upgrade performance. The Toyota GR Supra A91 Edition will add style to the lineup with exclusive color options and design elements. An 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system is standard for all Toyota GR Supra models.

Mesa-area drivers who would like to learn more about 2021 Toyota models now available at Earnhardt Toyota can explore the dealership inventory online at http://www.earnhardttoyota.com. Individuals who prefer a more personal interaction can contact the dealership directly by calling 480-807-9700.
Commonwealth Bank chief executive Matt Comyn has signalled the lender is still assuming a drop in house prices of up to 12 per cent, as it braces for rising unemployment and a slower recovery owing in part to Victorias second lockdown.

However, the head of the countrys biggest bank says the property market has so far been more resilient than it expected a few months ago, with prices only drifting slightly lower.

Commonwealth Bank chief executive Matt Comyn says house price falls of 10 to 12 per cent are a "reasonable assumption".

As CBA delivered a full-year cash profit of $7.3 billion on Wednesday, the bank reaffirmed its modelling that found house prices could fall by 12 per cent under one set of economic assumptions, or 29 per cent in a much more severe crisis.

Mr Comyn said the prospect of a 29 per cent fall was "just a scenario that we need to be prepared for," but the bank did not expect this to occur.
First Pacific Advisors (Trades, Portfolio) recently released its portfolio updates for the second quarter of 2020, which ended on June 30.





The Los Angeles-based investment management firm emphasizes a research-based, low-risk value investing strategy that seeks to increase capital in the long term while avoiding a high chance of loss. With 88 employees and 31 investment professionals led by Chief Financial Officer J. Richard Atwood, First Pacific invests through several funds, including the FPA Capital Fund (Trades, Portfolio), the FPA Crescent Fund, the FPA International Value Fund and the FPA Paramount Fund.

Based on its investing criteria, the firm's biggest sells for the second quarter of 2020 were JD.com Inc. (NASDAQ:JD), DuPont de Nemours Inc. (NYSE:DD) and Raytheon Technologies Corp. (NYSE:RTX). The firm was less active in terms of buys, with the biggest moves being additions to its investments in Marriott International Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) and Aon PLC (NYSE:AON).

JD.com Inc.

First Pacific Advisors (Trades, Portfolio) sold out of its 3,248,187-share stake in JD.com, impacting the equity portfolio by -1.87%. During the quarter, shares traded for an average price of $50.34.

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JD.com, which is also known as Jingdong and formerly called 360buy, is one of the two largest business-to-consumer e-commerce companies in China in terms of transaction volume and revenue, the other being Alibaba's (BABA) Tmall. The majority of its revenue is derived from online direct sales.

On Aug. 12, shares of JD.com traded around $63.23 for a market cap of $98.33 billion and a price-earnings ratio of 110.36. According to the Peter Lynch chart, the stock is trading above its fair value.

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GuruFocus gives the company a financial strength rating of 6 out of 10 and a profitability rating of 4 out of 10. The cash-debt ratio of 2.12 is higher than 76.72% of competitors, while the Altman Z-Score of 4.69 indicates the company is not in danger of bankruptcy. The company has a three-year revenue growth rate of 23.45% and a three-year earnings per share without non-recurring items growth rate of 28%.

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DuPont de Nemours

The firm exited out of its 3,662,992-share investment in DuPont de Nemours, which had a -1.77% impact on the equity portfolio. Share traded for an average price of $46.28 during the quarter.

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Dupont de Nemours is an American chemicals company that was formed from the 2017 merger of Dow Chemical and Dupont and the subsequent spinoffs of Dow Inc. (DOW) and Corteva Inc. (CTVA). The company makes a variety of chemicals, pharmaceuticals, synthetic fibers, petroleum-based fuels, building materials, cosmetic chemicals, packaging and agricultural chemicals.

On Aug. 12, DuPont's shares traded around $58.74 for a market cap of $43.09 billion. Net income fell into the negatives for the last two quarters.

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GuruFocus gives the company a financial strength rating of 5 out of 10 and a profitability rating of 5 out of 10. The Altman Z-Score of 0.92 suggests the company could be in danger of bankruptcy, though the interest coverage ratio of 2.96 indicates it can pay its immediate debts. The weighted average cost of capital has been higher than the return on invested capital in recent quarters, indicating the company's operations are not profitable.

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Raytheon Technologies

The firm also sold all 2,269,645 shares of its Raytheon Technologies holding, impacting the equity portfolio by -1.67%. During the quarter, shares traded for an average price of $62.35.

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Raytheon Technologies is a global defense company that was recently formed from the merger of Raytheon Co. and United Technologies in April. Sharpening its focus on aerospace and defense, the company spun off some of its other businesses before the merger, including the elevators division (Otis Worldwide Corp. (OTIS)) and the HVAC division (Carrier Global Corp. (CARR)).

On Aug. 12, Raytheon Technology's shares traded around $63.82 for a market cap of $97.48 billion. Net income fell into the negatives for the most recent quarter.

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GuruFocus gives the company a financial strength rating of 5 out of 10 and a profitability rating of 8 out of 10. The cash-debt ratio of 0.2, which is lower than 74.18% of competitors, indicates potential financial difficulties, as does the low Altman Z-Score of 1.62. The ROIC has declined below the WACC in recent years, indicating that the company is becoming less profitable.

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Marriott International

The firm added 808,188 shares to its position in Marriott International Inc., increasing the stake by 161.29% for a total of 1,309,271 shares. The trade had a 0.93% impact on the equity portfolio. Shares traded for an average price of $86.65 during the quarter.

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Marriott is a multinational hospitality company that manages and franchises a wide variety of hotels and other lodging facilities. It is based in Bethesda, Maryland and operates through over 7,000 properties in 131 countries.

On Aug. 12, shares of Marriott International traded around $96.31 for a market cap of $31.27 billion and a price-earnings ratio of 70.14. According to the Peter Lynch chart, the stock is trading above its fair value.

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GuruFocus gives the company a financial strength rating of 4 out of 10 and a profitability rating of 7 out of 10. The Altman Z-Score of 1.93 and current ratio of 0.67 show that the company will likely need to take on additional debt to continue operating. The company's margins have been decreasing in recent years, but the net margin of 6.07% at the end of 2019 was above average for the industry.

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Aon

The firm also upped its stake in Aon by 136,393 shares, or 18.13%, for a total investment of 888,523 shares. The trade had a 0.35% impact on the equity portfolio. During the quarter, shares traded for an average price of $186.19.

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Based in London, Aon is a British global insurance firm that sells a range of financial risk-mitigation products, including insurance, reinsurance and pension administration plans. It operates in 120 countries, and its biggest segment in terms of assets under management is the retirement segment.

On Aug. 12, shares of Aon traded around $193.36 for a market cap of $44.79 billion and a price-earnings ratio of 25.8. According to the Peter Lynch chart, the stock is trading above its fair value.

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GuruFocus gives the company a financial strength rating of 5 out of 10 and a profitability rating of 8 out of 10. The interest coverage ratio of 7.63 is lower than 63.96% of competitors, while the Altman Z-Score of 1.69 indicates that company faces some risk of bankruptcy. With an operating margin of 22.92%, which is higher than 84.91% of competitors, the company has most often achieved ROIC that surpasses WACC in recent quarters, indicating profitability.

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Portfolio overview

As of the quarter's end, the firm held 142 common stock positions valued at a total of $7.43 billion. Its top holdings were Comcast Corp. (CMCSA) with 6.18% of the equity portfolio, American International Group Inc. (AIG) with 5.61% and Broadcom Inc. (AVGO) with 5.60%.

In terms of sector weighting, the firm was most invested in communication services, financial services and technology.

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Disclosure: Author owns no shares in any of the stocks mentioned. The mention of stocks in this article does not at any point constitute an investment recommendation. Portfolio updates reflect only common stock positions as per the regulatory filings for the quarter in question and may not include changes made after the quarter ended.

Read more here:

First Eagle Investment's Top 2nd-Quarter Trades

Shifting Strategies: Buffett's Berkshire Reports 2nd-Quarter Earnings

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This article first appeared on GuruFocus.






PHILADELPHIA, Aug. 12, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- USI Affinity and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) today announced the addition of medical malpractice insurance to the AAP Insurance Program. The addition of this line of insurance will provide AAP members across the U.S. with a comprehensive medical malpractice offering, including complimentary access to Pediatric Care Online (PCO).



USI Affinitys Chief Operating Officer, Jenny Zhang, stated: Were excited to provide pediatricians with access to a medical malpractice policy, as an affinity program offering from the American Academy of Pediatrics, underwritten by MedPro Group and administered by USI Affinity. AAP members can trust that they are insured with the most comprehensive and reliable malpractice option available to pediatricians.



MedPro Group has protected physicians and surgeons since 1899. Both solo practitioners and large healthcare systems can rest easy knowing MedPro Groups stability and experience is on their side. The combination of AAP, MedPro Group and USI Affinity working together to offer an industry-leading medical malpractice policy exclusively to AAP members provides a level of industry knowledge and market strength that will be unparalleled in the marketplace.



USI Affinity and the American Academy of Pediatrics work together to better serve the members of the AAP, and we are thrilled to offer this new coverage to our members. The medical malpractice insurance coverage is the perfect addition to the existing AAP Insurance Program, providing pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and surgeons with both business and personal insurance, said Dr. Martha Middlemist, MD, FAAP, Chair of the AAP Insurance Trust. This offering will provide AAP members with peace of mind and confidence that they have the best program to fit their needs.



To learn more about the products and services available through the American Academy of Pediatrics, visit http://www.aapinsurance.com.



About USI Affinity

USI Affinity is the broker and administrator for the AAP Insurance Program. For over 75 years, USI Affinity has developed, marketed and administered programs to deliver unique advantages in insurance coverage, price and service. USI Affinity markets and administers insurance programs for over 440 organizations nationwide, representing more than 22 million association, union and alumni members. USI Affinity is a division of USI Insurance Services.



About USI

USI is one of the largest insurance brokerage and consulting firms in the world, delivering property and casualty, employee benefits, personal risk, program and retirement solutions to large risk management clients, middle market companies, smaller firms and individuals. Headquartered in Valhalla, New York, USI connects over 8,000 industry-leading professionals from approximately 200 offices to serve clients local, national and international needs. USI has become a premier insurance brokerage and consulting firm by leveraging the USI ONE Advantage, an interactive platform that integrates proprietary and innovative client solutions, networked local resources and enterprise-wide collaboration to deliver customized results with positive, bottom line impact. USI attracts best-in-class industry talent with a long history of deep and continuing investment in our local communities. For more information, visit www.usi.com or follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter.



About MedPro Group

As part of the Berkshire Hathaway family, MedPro Group is the nations first provider of healthcare liability insurance and has protected the assets and reputations of the healthcare community since 1899. With over $1 billion in annual premium and more than 300,000 clients, MedPro Group is the national leader in customized insurance, claims and patient safety & risk solutions for physicians, surgeons, dentists and other healthcare professionals, as well as hospitals, senior care and other healthcare facilities. MedPro Group is the marketing name used to refer to the insurance operations of The Medical Protective Company, Princeton Insurance Company, PLICO, Inc. and MedPro RRG Risk Retention Group. All insurance products are administered by MedPro Group and underwritten by these and other Berkshire Hathaway affiliates, including National Fire & Marine Insurance Company. Product availability is based upon business and regulatory approval and may differ among companies. Visit medpro.com/affiliates for more information.

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The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), on Wednesday, said it had uncovered the person who accused it of collecting money from a terrorist group, the Islamic State for West Africa Province (ISWAP).

ISWAP is a splinter of Boko-Haram that has been causing unrest in North-eastern Nigeria for over a decade now.

MURIC had in a statement, on Tuesday, denied affiliations with any terrorist group in or outside Nigeria, following an accusation it said was made against it by an unnamed person.

MURIC director, Ishaq Akintola, described the allegation as illogical, saying that the group has always condemned every act of terror, whether it happened in or outside Nigeria.

The motto of MURIC is dialogue, not violence. So how can we descend so low as to collect money from terrorists? Such lies will not fly.

The terrorists themselves know that we can never support them. How can they give us money? The allegation is dead on arrival, Mr Akintola said.

The MURIC head appealed to the federal government to investigate the source of the information, adding that the group has never been involved in any international activity.

Following the allegations, a former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode, on his verified Twitter account on Tuesday, called for an investigation into the matter.

Mr Fani-Kayode urged the federal government to declare MURIC a terrorist organisation if the allegation is true.

The allegation by a fmr. Head of Intelligence of Mali that the Ishaq Akintola-led MURIC is funded by ISWA is grave. I call on the FG to investigate this matter &, if proved to be true, declare MURIC a terrorist org., ban it, prosecute its leaders &, if found guilty, hang them.  Femi Fani-Kayode (@realFFK) August 11, 2020

His tweet read: The allegation by a fmr. Head of Intelligence of Mali that the Ishaq Akintola-led MURIC is funded by ISWAP is grave.

I called on the federal government to investigate this matter &, if proved to be true, declare MURIC a terrorist org., ban it, prosecute its leaders &, if found guilty, hang them.

Rebuttal

MURIC said it does not oppose investigations as requested by Mr Fani-Kayode.

It, however, insisted that the whole story was fake news triggered by Islamophobia.

On Wednesday, Mr Akintola in another statement said the group had unravelled the identity of the person who accused it. He named him as Layo Akinlade, who he claimed was a retired major of the Nigerian Army.

PREMIUM TIMES could not immediately confirm the allegation.

ISWAP

ISWAP is an affiliate of the faded Islamic State (ISIS) and a Boko-Haram faction that has continued waging a guerrilla war across north-eastern Nigeria and elsewhere on Lake Chads periphery.

There have been growing concerns about their terror attacks in North-eastern Nigeria and the Nigerian armys capabilities to contain the attacks, just as the country battles security challenges in other parts.

ISWAP has caused real pain to the Nigerian military, its primary target, overrunning dozens of army bases and killing hundreds of soldiers and civilians since August 2018, the International Crisis Group said.

In June, PREMIUM TIMES reported how at least 20 soldiers and more than 40 civilians were killed, and hundreds injured in twin attacks in Monguno and Nganzai areas of Borno State by the terrorists, days after they killed 81 people in a raid on a village in a third area, Gubio.

The International Crisis Group (ICG) attributed ISWAPs growing influence to the cultivation of support among local civilians by turning neglected communities into a source of economic support.

The group appears to pay dividends to its estimated 3,500-5,00 members; it treats local civilians in some ways better than the Nigerian state, the global crisis monitoring said in a report.

It added that the terrorist group digs wells, polices cattle rustling and provides a modicum of health care for the people.

To whittle down the terrorists influence, the ICG urged the Nigerian government to improve governance and services in the region alongside military efforts.

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President Muhammadu Buhari, amid calls for the sack of his Service Chiefs for their failure to contain security challenges, again met with members of the Nigeria Governors Forum Security Council and the military chiefs at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Tuesday.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Arden Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images

New Zealand reported its first locally transmitted coronavirus cases after 102 days.

Four people in one Auckland household tested positive after a person in their 50s went to the doctor with COVID-19 symptoms, Ashley Bloomfield, the country's Director-General of Health, said. None of them had traveled outside New Zealand recently.

In response, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern reinstated Level 3 restrictions in Auckland for three days, closing public venues and schools, and asking people to stay home.

Level 2 restrictions have been reintroduced in the rest of New Zealand, limiting crowds to 100 people and requiring social distancing.

The South Pacific nation has been lauded for tamping down on the coronavirus strictly and early such that only 1,500 people have been infected and 22 have died.

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

New Zealand has ended its 102-day streak of zero locally transmitted coronavirus cases.

Four people in the same Auckland home tested positive for COVID-19, forcing New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Tuesday to reintroduce coronavirus restrictions across the country.

New Zealand has reported 1,570 cases and 22 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Until Tuesday, the only known coronavirus cases were among 22 people who had returned to New Zealand from an overseas trip who are quarantined at the border, the Associated Press reported.

Ashley Bloomfield, the country's director-general of health, said none of the newly infected people had traveled abroad recently.

The cases were recorded after a person in their 50s went to the doctor with COVID-19 symptoms. The patient underwent two nasal swab tests, both of which were positive. Six other residents of the same household were screened for the coronavirus and three tested positive, said Bloomfield, adding that the origin of the infections is still unknown, the AP said.

"In line with our precautionary approach, we will be asking Aucklanders to take swift actions with us," Ardern said at a news conference late Tuesday.

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Level 3 restrictions will be reintroduced in New Zealand's most populous city as of 12 p.m. local time Wednesday and will remain in place through midnight on Friday.

"These three days will give us time to assess the situation, gather information, make sure we have widespread contact tracing so we can find out more about how this case arose and make decisions on how to respond to it," Ardern said.

While health officials determine the extent of local transmission, non-essential businesses will be shut alongside schools and childcare facilities. Crowds of over 10 people will be banned and residents, who are urged to work from home, will only be permitted to leave for "essential movements," like going to the grocery store.

Staying home will prevent people from both contracting and spreading the highly contagious coronavirus, Ardern said at a news conference.

Traveling into Auckland is also not permitted through the end of the week unless people live there and are returning home, she added.

The rest of New Zealand will be faced with Level 2 restrictions, Ardern announced. That means gatherings must be limited to 100 people, and public venues, including swimming pools and museums, can keep their doors open so long as they maintain records of visitors and enforce social distancing, CNN reported.

"I know that this information will be very difficult to receive. We had all hoped not to find ourselves in this position again. But we had also prepared for it. And as a team, we have also been here before," Ardern said.

The South Pacific nation has been lauded for cracking down on the coronavirus in March when only about 100 people had tested positive. A strict lockdown prevented the infection from spreading among its roughly 5 million residents, AP reported.

As of August 11, countries around the world have recorded more than 20 million cases and at least 730,000 deaths from the coronavirus.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Ride-hailing app Uber could close operations in California if the state upholds a law that would require its drivers to be considered full-time employees.

CEO Dara Khosrowshahi told MSNBC that "it's hard to believe we'll be able to switch our model to full-time employment quickly" if a judge does not grant an appeal against a preliminary injunction that prohibits Uber and Lyft from relying on their drivers as independent contractors, ineligible for company benefits and unemployment insurance.

The state's lawsuit challenging the two ride-hailing business giants invoked a recently passed law that aims to align gig economy workers with more traditional employment structures and protections, including minimum wage, unemployment benefits and overtime pay.

Mr Khosrowshahi  who argued in a New York Times column that Uber's labour practises are "outdated and unfair"  has instead argued for a "third" option that would retain independent workers while forcing gig economy companies to "establish benefits funds which give workers cash that they can use for the benefits they want, like health insurance or paid time off."

Absent a successful appeal or "third way" legislation, the company is likely to suspend its business in the state until at least November, when California voters are poised to vote on Proposition 22, which would exempt app-based drivers from the law.

Following May's lawsuit from California Attorney General Xavier Becerra and joined by city attorneys in Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco, Judge Ethan Schulman ruled that the companies' argument "flies in the face of economic reality and common sense."

As regular employees, app-based drivers would be eligible for a minimum wage, reimbursements, overtime pay and other benefits that they are currently not receiving as independent contractors.

The law, which went into effect on 1 January and is supported by a 2018 US Supreme Court decision, has faced several legal challenges and criticism from industry groups, including truckers, freelance journalists, press associations and musicians who fear their livelihoods could be threatened if their unconventional earnings and contracts are susceptible to more stringent employment rules.

Across the US, the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic has exposed the fragility of gig economy workers that are not guaranteed wages, healthcare benefits or sick pay.
on Wednesday alleged that BJP wants to dislodge Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in Maharashtra by September after making an unsuccessful attempt to topple Chief Minister in Rajasthan.

In an editorial in its mouthpiece, Saamna, said that BJP's policy is they will not allow the functioning of governments which disagree with its thoughts.

" has achieved a feat in saving the government in Rajasthan. The State Assembly session is starting from Friday and Chief Minister Gehlot has a clear mandate to run the government. Everybody is laughing at BJP's 'jod tod' (attempts at cobbling up numbers). Their policy is simple they will not allow to run and topple those governments which disagree with its thoughts," read the editorial.

The political crisis in Rajasthan began after differences between Gehlot and his former deputy Sachin Pilot. After a meeting with top leadership, Pilot has agreed to work for the party.

Pilot was removed from the posts of Rajasthan chief and Deputy Chief Minister after differences reportedly emerged within the state unit.

The editorial said that the rebellion of Pilot could not succeed as he could not gather the number of MLAs and BJP could not make through Ashok Gehlot's 'Chakravyuh' (strategic planning).

"BJP leaders said that they will dislodge the by September. After being unsuccessful in government, what is this policy to dislodge the government in Maharashtra? They should happily make efforts to destabilise and dislodge the .. BJP even wants to dislodge the government in Jharkhand," it said.

Sena also targeted the ruling party the Centre alleging lack of support and assistance to state governments led by Opposition parties.

"Operation 'Kamal' could not be successful in Rajasthan... Operation in Maharashtra was unsuccessful. Now bogus doctors have set a new date for operation in September. Operation in Rajasthan continue for a month but was unsuccessful. BJP should learn something from it," read the editorial.

In Assembly polls, BJP emerged as the single largest party in Maharashtra with 105 seats followed with with 56 seats, NCP bagged 54 seats while Congress got 44 seats in 288-member Maharashtra Assembly.

The BJP-Shiv Sena alliance won an absolute majority in the election but could not form the government over the issue of chief ministerial post. Later, Shiv Sena along with NCP and Congress formed the government in the state under the leadership of Uddhav Thackeray, who took oath as Maharashtra Chief Minister.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A few days ago, we had reported that Nayanthara is likely to be seen playing a bold character in Nithiin-starrer much-awaited Telugu remake of Hindi blockbuster, Andhadhun. The report also stated that Nayanthara is charging Rs 4 crore to play a grey shade character in the film. However, the latest piece of information about the South siren might break your heart.

A report published in a leading portal states that Nayanthara has rejected the role played by Tabu in the original, as she doesn't want to play dark characters on screen. The report further suggests that Nayanthara is not interested in playing roles that have extramarital affairs and ruthless personality like Tabu's character in Andhadhun. After Nayanthara's rejection, makers will now have to start searching for another actress to play the bold role in the upcoming Telugu thriller.

If reports are to be believed, the role was earlier offered to actresses like Ramya Krishnan, Shilpa Shetty and Ileana D'Cruz, but they didn't accept the offer. Hence, it will be interesting to see who is going to be the villain in Andhadhun's Telugu remake.

Talking about the film, the Nithiin-starrer will be directed by Merlapaka Gandhi. The shooting of the film already started in February 2020. The remake rights of Hindi Andhadhun were bought for Rs 3.5 crore by Nithiin's home production, Sreshth Movies. For the unversed, the original film Andhadhun stars Ayushmann Khurrana, Tabu and Radhika Apte in the lead roles. Directed by Sriram Raghavan, the film went on to become one of the most successful films of 2018.

Also Read : Is Nayanthara Charging Rs 4 Crore For Nithiin Starrer Andhadhun Telugu Remake?

Coming back to Nayanthara, the actress will next be seen in her beau and director Vignesh Shivan's Kaathuvaakula Rendu Kadhal, alongside Vijay Sethupathi and Samantha Akkineni.

Also Read : Nayanthara And Vignesh Shivan To Announce Their Wedding After Visiting Lord Rahu's Temple?
In the past, Harris has faced questions about whether Trumps donations were related to the legal troubles of Trump University, the future presidents ill-fated school. Former students have said that Trumps school misled them into spending thousands of dollars, on the false promise that they would receive a life-changing lesson in real estate. Instead, they said, the classes offered little of value, and instructors spent most of their time pitching other Trump University classes to the students.
If Trump keeps making claims of superior faith in the Bible, hes going to risk a lightning strike. Photo: Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images

If you want a good, clear sense of how transactional Donald Trumps relationship with the conservative Evangelical Christians who make up his strongest base of support really is, check out this rambling litany of comments he made in a radio interview today with his buddy Geraldo Rivera after the host inquired about how well he thought he was doing against Joe Biden:

TRUMP: One of the polls said, Trump is leading by one in Texas. Okay, Im in favor of oil and gas, Im in favor of the Bible, Im in favor of the Second Amendment, right? Bidens against all these things. Hes against oil and gas, hes against the Bible  essentially against religion, but against the Bible  and hes against the Second Amendment.

RIVERA: That may be a little harsh, him being against the Bible 

TRUMP: Well, the people that control him totally are 

Then the two of them wandered off into attacks on Biden as an empty suit and discussed shy Trump voters and other Trumpian memes. But given the importance of Bible believers to the presidents reelection, his casual mention of the Good Book as a political positioning item to tick off, like oil-and-gas subsidies and gun rights, shows how little respect he has for these voters.

Beyond this, does Trump have any idea whats in the Bible from any sort of Christian viewpoint? Recall that when asked about his favorite Bible verse in 2016, he responded with the decisively un-Christian eye for an eye and tooth for a tooth line from the Hebrew Scriptures. He never goes to church unless its to pick up an endorsement. So what do you suppose he thinks it means to say that hes for the Bible and Biden is against the Bible? Presumably, its that Trump is on the right side and Biden is on the wrong side of Christian-right litmus tests opposing abortion and LGBTQ rights, which, as it happens, have at best a very ambivalent relationship with the Good Book and particularly with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, who never saw fit to so much as mention either subject.

Is there even the remotest chance the president has a clue about the very different conservative and liberal Protestant interpretations of Biblical passages bearing on political topics, from the patriarchal sex-and-gender codes the former deem critical to the peace-and-equality messages cherished by the latter? Since hes calling the observant Catholic Joe Biden an opponent of the Bible, does he know Catholics view the Bible (not codified until the fourth century) as a product of the Church rather than the other way around, intelligible only via Church teachings and rational inquiry? It seems more likely that he can fluidly interpret the unknown tongues some of his conservative Pentecostal supporters regard as a gift of the Holy Spirit.

Unfortunately, Trump seems to be warming to the idea of describing himself as Gods candidate, as reflected in remarks he made in Ohio today:

In Ohio remarks just now, Trump says Biden will "hurt the Bible, hurt God."



Then he says: "He's against God."  Felicia Sonmez (@feliciasonmez) August 6, 2020

When he talks like this, Secret Service agents should scan the skies for signs of clouds from which thunderbolts might come crashing down.

All of this is simply to say that a religious illiterate with heathenish leanings like Donald Trump really needs to stay far away from blithe assertions of his and his opponents relationship to the Bible, Christianity, or faith itself. His religious allies can delude themselves all they want about Trump being an ignorant vehicle of divine vengeance against their liberal enemies, but even they tend to shy away from the assertion that Trump  who once famously said he had no sins to confess  is a God-fearing man in any serious sense. Hell toe the Christian-right line as long as its necessary to carry the electoral votes of states like Texas, and not a moment longer.
A pair of trousers and a shirt are hanging by the wall of a poorly lit, small, room-cum-kitchen. Two face masks, a pair of sunglasses, a packet of chewing tobacco, and a cigarette lighter are strewn by a window shelf. On the edge of the floor are two pairs of socks, craggy and fusty, as if pulled off someones feet moments ago.

Three polythene bags, filled with onions, potatoes and rice, lie on the kitchen shelf besides five red plastic plates and a water jug. Lower to that shelf are four cups, a deep-bottomed utensil, a bottle of cooking oil filled to the neck, and a few packetsof spices, salt and sugar. To an extreme of the adjacent shelf is an electric stove, on top of which is a metal pot, filled with some cooked ricewhich is smelly after lying around for weeks.

This is all that three youths left behind in Kashmirs Shopian district before they went missing.

On Monday, however, something more emerged.

The relatives of the trio  Imtiyaz Ahmed and two named Ibrar Ahmed  alleged that they had been killed by the army in a staged gunfight in a village in Shopian district, 50 kilometres south of the regions capital Srinagar, on July 18.

On that day, army officials said they had killed three unidentified militants in Amshipora village of Shopian district during a gunfight. Around the same time, the trio, hailing from the south-western district of Rajouri, about 160 kilometres away from Shopian, had stopped contact with their families on their way to Shopian, where they were working as labourers.

The trio was silently buried in a graveyard in Baramulla district, 120 kilometres north of Shopian. Under a new policy, the authorities in Kashmir dont publicly identify militants killed in gunfights and their bodies are also not handed over to their families. The authorities cite Covid-19 as a reason and say it is aimed to stop the spread of the virus during last rites. Locals, however, say the authorities are using the pandemic as an excuse to stop protests and huge gatherings in support of militants.

Who are the three people?

The families of the trio lodged a complaint with the police, stating that Imtiaz Ahmed, 21, son of Sabir Hussain, Ibrar Ahmed (17), son of Bagha Khan, and Ibrar Ahmed (25), son of Mohammad Yousuf, were missing and had had no contact with their families since the evening of July 17.

Imtiaz Ahmed was working as a labourer. The 17-year-old Ibrar Ahmed was enrolled in a government high school. The older Ibrar Ahmed had been working in the Gulf and had returned seven months ago. Hes married and has a 15-month-old son. The three were relatives who hailed from Peeri area of Rajouri district and had come to work as labourers in Shopian.

The eldest, Imtiyaz Ahmed, as per his relative Saleem Ahmed, used to visit Shopian to work and he had called the two Ibrars as well to work with him.

They left from their homes on the morning of July 16 and contacted in the evening that they had reached, Ahmed said. They had, according to Ahmed, taken the mountainous route and trekked for 12 hours to reach there.

Since then we have no contact with them, said Ahmed. We tried to call the trio on their phones but they were switched off and couldnt be reached.

The family, however, didnt panic initially and thought to wait for a few days, feeling that the three may have gone to work in some remote place or had been put in quarantine due to Covid-19.

But despite calling a number of people who we knew in that area, we got no information about them, said Ahmed.

A local of Chowgam village, where Imtiyaz Ahmed had earlier worked and was in contact with his family from, said that he also got calls from the family about their whereabouts but he didnt know anything.

He had worked in our apple orchards but I had seen him a few days before the news of his disappearance spread and he said that he was bringing more labourers from his area to work, said Tawseef Ahmad Lone, a resident of Chowgam village.

He would usually stay in our house, but due to the pandemic and as he was planning to bring more workers, he decided to rent a room in the village, said Lone.

On the afternoon of July 16, Imtiyaz rented a room owned by 45-year-old Shakeel Ahmad Lone. The next morning, Fareeda Banu, Lones wife, went to ask for the broom and the bucket Imtiyaz had taken the previous night. But no one opened the door.

I knocked but it was locked from inside. So I went from the other side of the room and started knocking at the window, said Banu, adding that she found one window was not locked. I opened the window and there was no one inside. All the belongings were there.

Gunfight

On July 18 Indian army claimed that three unidentified militants were killed in Amshipora village of Shopian district. Later in the day, Jammu and Kashmir police also issued a statement, reiterating the message.

The suspected militants were killed in a dense apple orchard. The orchard belonged to Mohammad Yousuf, who was summoned by the army on the morning of the gunfight.

I saw three bodies on a road a few metres away from my orchard and there was a huge presence of soldiers, said Yousuf. I was asked to identify the bodies which were in zipped body bags, Yousuf said, adding that he couldnt identify any of them.

However, some army personnel asked him to look again and check if one was Basit Ahmad, a local militant. They insisted that he was Basit but I denied. It was not him, said Yousuf who later found his shed in the apple orchard damaged by the fire caused in the purported gunfight.

Another local, Lal Din Khatana, whose house is situated a few metres away from the encounter spot, said that he had heard gunshots around midnight. The firing stopped later. Then at around 2:30 am there were again two gunshots and then lull till around 7 am when a loud explosion took place, said Khatana.

The army later knocked at his door, and asked him to get along the orchard spray machine and a few buckets to douse the flames, he said.

Upon reaching the orchard I saw the shed ablaze and there were three bodies placed adjacent to each other outside, said Khatana, adding that the dead were wearing torn clothes and two had worn shoes while the third one, the youngest, was wearing sandals.

The army personnel asked me to identify the bodies but I couldnt. I had never seen them, said Khatana, who is among the first people to see the bodies.

That day Jammu and Kashmir police in a statement about the gunfight said that on a specific input by 62RR of the army about presence of terrorists in village Amshipora area of district Shopian, an operation was launched and during the search the terrorists fired upon army personnel and encounter started.

Later on police and CRPF also joined the operation, the police said in the press statement. During encounter three unidentified terrorists were killed.

Police said in the statement that the identification and affiliation of the slain militants was being retrieved and the bodies were sent to Baramulla for their last rites after conducting medico-legal formalities including collection of their DNA.

In case any family claims the killed terrorists to be their kith or kin, they can come forward for their identification and participation in last rites at Baramulla, the police press release stated.

In the press release, the police also mentioned that a First Information Report (FIR) had been registered and an investigation has been initiated into the matter. The police, however, didnt clarify about the investigation in the matter. Moreover, usually the police and paramilitary launch joint operations with the army whenever there is information about the presence of any militant in any area. But in this case, the police had already made it clear that they had joined the operation later.

Meanwhile, the headquarters of 62 RR unit of the army, which carried out the operation, is a stones throw from the room which the trio had rented in Chowgam village. The distance between this village and the encounter spot is around 10 kilometres.

Photograph

A photo of three militants taken by the forces was circulated on the social media in Kashmir. In the picture, the three people can be seen lying on the ground, their bodies bloodied and bullet holes visible. The face of one is covered by clothes.

Someone sent us this picture, Saleem Ahmed, cousin of 17-year-old Ibrar Ahmed, told News18. We could clearly identify all the three; two by their faces and the third one by his body, he said.

Ahmed said the image was seen by a dozen members of the family and all of them could identify them as the relatives who were missing.

The family right now has lodged a missing complaint and also conveyed to the police about the picture being passed off as militants killed in a gunfight.

Investigations

Both the Indian army and the local police have started probes in the matter.

Srinagar-based defence spokesperson Colonel Rajesh Kalia said the army has taken cognisance of the matter.

We have noted social media inputs linked to the operation at Shopian on July 18, 2020. The three terrorists killed during the operation have not been identified and the bodies were buried based on established protocols. The army is investigating the matter, he said.

Jammu and Kashmir police also issued a statement about the incident on Tuesday and stated that DNA sampling will be done in the case to ascertain the identity.

Taking cognisance of the claim by the families and media reports, Shopian Police will examine the claimants and carry out DNA sampling for matching purpose, the statement read. Besides identification, Police will also investigate all other aspects as per the law in due course of time.
HARARE (Reuters) - Zimbabwe's agriculture minister Perrance Shiri died from the COVID-19 infection, becoming the first senior government official to succumb to the pandemic, President Emmerson Mnangagwa said on Thursday.

Shiri, a retired general who helped plot a coup that ousted Robert Mugabe in 2017, died on Wednesday.

The late liberation war veteran was declared a national hero and will be buried on Friday during a closed ceremony.

"Now that it is confirmed that Minister Shiri died of COVID-19, we will follow World Health Organisation regulations on how the funeral should proceed," Mnangagwa said during a funeral wake at Shiri's home in Harare.

Zimbabwe has recorded 2,879 confirmed cases of the coronavirus and 40 deaths.

(Reporting by MacDonald Dzirutwe; Editing by Kirsten Donovan)
For Santiago Avila, the fight against the powerful street gangs that terrorize communities throughout his native Honduras is deeply personal. He was 19 when his 16-year-old brother Mauricio was kidnapped, tortured and murdered by violent criminal gangs known as maras.

But the tragedy did not end there. Mauricios killing triggered a series of other traumatic consequences that rippled out over many years, forcing the family to move from house to house in search of safety and, eventually, obliging Santiago and his mother to flee the country for their lives.

In one week, everything changed, recalled Santiago, now age 32. My family has still not gotten over it.

Even so, Santiago has spent years trying to transform his familys misfortune into something positive for his community. As the director of Jovenes Contra la Violencia, or Youth Against Violence, he has helped turn a nascent not-for-profit community organization into one of the most important forces fighting gangs in Honduras.

The maras, as they are known in Spanish, run rackets ranging from drug dealing to extortion and robbery, routinely committing murders, assaults and rapes as a way of controlling entire communities. They seek to recruit vulnerable young people, often threatening to kill their families if they resist.

My family has still not gotten over it.

Youth Against Violence turns the gangs practices upside down, working with young ambassadors who engage with their peers to counteract recruitment by showing them that alternative futures are possible.

The group  which got its start around a decade ago and receives support from UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency  currently has more than 600 youth ambassadors throughout Honduras, as well as around 200 child ambassadors, some as young as age six.

The gangs thrive in neighbourhoods where poverty is rife and the presence of the state weak. By working on the ground in some of the countrys most marginalized communities to strengthen family ties and build respect for teachers and schools, the group has made it harder for the gangs to recruit young people as disposable foot soldiers to run drugs and enforce their reign of terror.

Preventing violence starts in the home, said Santiago. If children and teens feel loved and valued, they are less likely to be sucked into the whirlpool of criminality that has inundated our country.

Youth Against Violence head Santiago Avila shows Mexican actor Alfonso Herrera around a neighbourhood in the Honduran capital where the anti-gang organization is active, in March, 2020.  UNHCR/Ruben Salgado Escudero

Youth 'ambassadors' volunteer with Youth Against Violence to help keep their peers out of the clutches of criminal gangs in Honduras. Photo taken in March, 2020.  UNHCR/Ruben Salgado Escudero

Gangs in Honduras prey on vulnerable youths, recruiting them to be used as foot soldiers in their criminal operations. Here, schoolboys are at play in Tegucigalpa in November, 2019.  UNHCR/Daniel Dreifuss

UNHCR senior child protection assistant Juan Camilo Jimenez talks in November, 2019, to children at the Simon Bolivar School in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, about forced displacement.  UNHCR/Daniel Dreifuss

Violence in this Central America nation  which at the end of 2019 had a murder rate of 44 per 100,000 inhabitants, according to the National Police  has pushed many Hondurans to abandon their homes and communities. At least 148,000 Hondurans had fled the country and sought asylum abroad as of the end of 2019, making it one of the top ten countries of origin for asylum seekers in the world. Additionally, some 247,000 people were estimated to have been internally displaced within Honduras from 2004-2018.

Violence and its effects are something that Santiago knows only too well. His own life began to unravel after a relative got mixed up with a gang and ended up owing them money. In revenge, they targeted Mauricio, shooting him more than 30 times and driving part of the family into exile, first within Honduras and then abroad.

Santiago returned to Honduras after about a year and, against the odds, managed to steer clear of those who were after him while he pursued a career in social work.

In each and every one of them, I see the face of my brother.

I wish an organization like Youth Against Violence had existed before my brother was killed and before my relative got mixed up in selling drugs, he said. I personally am always really motivated to work with the kids because in each and every one of them, I see the face of my brother.

The organization also works to rehabilitate young people who were at one point affiliated with the gangs.

Generally, there are only two ways of getting out of a gang, said Santiago. By joining the church or by dying.

But in the communities where Youth Against Violence is active, theres a third alternative  our organization, he said. The leaders of the gangs know our work and they know that when young people are with us, theres no way of getting them mixed up in anything else.

Among those whose lives have been turned around by the project is artist Byron Espino, a former gang member who now volunteers with Youth Against Violence, teaching art classes as part of the organizations continuing education programmes. The gangs, he explained, swooped in to recruit him after his family fell apart.

My mother died when I was seven, and, soon after that, my sister died in a fire. My father became an alcoholic, and I  was left on my own. Thats when I joined the gang, Byron recalled, adding that as a volunteer with Youth Against Violence, his goal is to show the kids the dirty rag that my life used to be so  they dont get involved with the gangs.

Maria Rubi in Mexico City contributed to this report.
A Mumbai resident, working for an educational institution, had to block as many as 150 callers to protect himself from abuses as his phone number is quite identical to that of actor Rhea Chakraborty.

Sushant Singh Rajputs girlfriend Rhea has been in the eye of a storm after the late actors father KK Singh filed an FIR in Patna, accusing her of abetment to suicide and cheating among other charges.

According to a report in Mumbai Mirror, Sagar Surves mobile number differs from that of Rheas by just one digit. He is being harassed and abused for close to a week, and has blocked as many as 150 callers. He had to finally switch off his phone.

Surve reportedly didnt pay much heed to a caller who asked for Rhea and dismissed it as a wrong number. It never occurred to him that the caller was asking for Rhea, the Bollywood actor. Soon, the frequency of callers increased and in no time, the calls turned abusive. He was quoted in the report as saying, I started receiving messages, voice calls and video calls on WhatsApp. People asked me to send them a photograph of myself when I told them that they were mistaken. I tried to ignore the calls but it only worsened over the next three days.

Also read: Mahima Chaudhry: Subhash Ghai bullied me and told producers not to cast me, only Salman Khan and Sanjay Dutt stood by me

The report adds that Surve realised what was happening only after his cousin pointed out that a TV channel had flashed Rheas mobile number when it showed Sushants call records. He also mentioned that Surves mobile number differed from Rheas by just a single digit. Thats when Surve realised the enormity of his problem.

Meanwhile, Rhea Chakraborty told Supreme Court on Tuesday that there appears to be considerable amount of state interference, influence and therefore an apprehension of bias in the probe conducted by Bihar Police. She added that the FIR lodged against her in Sushants death case in the state has no connection with any offence in Patna.

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A former SoulCycle executive has accused the company of discrimination, claiming she was demoted after announcing her pregnancy, before being fired 32 days after giving birth.

Jordan Kafenbaum, the former senior director of instructor programming and talent management, filed a lawsuit against SoulCycle interim CEO Sunder Reddy and former people officer Adrienne Gemperle, in Manhattan federal court on Tuesday.

Kafenbaum, who was responsible for overseeing almost 400 employees, says she was fired on April 27 - four weeks into her maternity leave - after the company claimed it was eliminating her position due to the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

Kafenbaum, however, has accused her former employer of 'blatant pregnancy discrimination and retaliation', claiming she was slowly pushed out of her role after she complained about a senior executive who made 'disparaging' comments about her pregnancy to other members of staff.

A former SoulCycle (stock photo) executive has accused the fitness company of 'pregnancy discrimination', claiming she was fired 32 days after giving birth

In a lawsuit filed in a New York district court on Tuesday, Jordan Kafenbaum claimed she was fired on April 27 - four weeks into her maternity leave - after the company said it was getting rid of her position due to the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic

She also claims she had been promised a promotion last year, before she revealed she was expecting a child.

The new role was later appointed to a male executive, whom she was initially told would report to her, earlier this month, according to the court documents.

'Importantly, SoulCycle made such plans for Ms Kafenbaum before it knew that Ms Kafenbaum was pregnant. Everything changed once that happened,' the lawsuit states.

According to the complaint, Kafenbaum had told senior Soul Cycle executives, including Gemperle, that she was pregnant in September 2019.

She claims Gemperle later shared the news in a 'backhanded' announcement at a company conference in Miami, where more than 100 employees were in attendance.

During a presentation about the newly implemented paternal leave policy at SoulCycle, Gemperle allegedly told staff: 'Jordan Kafenbaum's mother actually just called to thank me for changing our policy because when we did . Jordan finally got pregnant!'

The lawsuit claims Kafenbaum was 'embarrassed and shocked that details of her personal life were revealed in such a disparaging manner'.

The comment, she claims, suggested she had 'calculated the timing of her pregnancy only after knowing that she would be entitled to 12 weeks of paid leave'.

Kafenbaum later confronted Gemperle, who allegedly told her she had only repeated a 'joke' that she heard from another employee.

Former SoulCycle CEO, Melanie Whelan (pictured) resigned from her position last year

Following their conversation, Kafenbaum claims she immediately 'noticed a tangible shift in the way that Gemperle treated her.'

Kafenbaum says that from that point on, she was allegedly excluded from decisions within her role, before eventually being told in February that the company 'wanted to find a different place' for her.

Kafenbaum claims company executives suggested a 'better fit' for her was in a role to sell corporate bookings.

'Notwithstanding that these roles had no relation to her role as SDTM and were unquestionably lower, less important positions [the company] offered no rational justifications for what clearly was an intended demotion in status,' the lawsuit states.

Kafenbaum gave birth to her child on March 25, and by April 27, she was told she was being let go.

The complaint alleges that the company offered her several 'inconsistent excuses' for her termination, including: department re-organization; performance concerns; position elimination; and 'finally, a horrific, global pandemic.'

In her lawsuit, Kafenbaum also accuses the company of following a pattern of firing female employees after they become pregnant, claiming three other employees were dismissed after giving birth.

In a statement to Business Insider, a SoulCycle spokesperson said: 'SoulCycle offers paid parental leave for all full-time employees.

'Ms. Kafenbaum was unfortunately laid off as part of a necessary restructuring due to the impact of COVID-19. She was paid for the entirety of her maternity leave and offered severance.'

DailyMail.com has contacted SoulCycle for comment.
Greece to call emergency EU meeting on tensions with Turkey

Iran Press TV

Tuesday, 11 August 2020 6:08 PM

Greece is set to call an emergency meeting of the European Union (EU) foreign ministers to discuss its growing dispute with Turkey in the eastern Mediterranean.

"The foreign minister (will) request an emergency meeting of the European Union foreign affairs council," Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis' office said on Tuesday.

Peter Stano, a spokesman for EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, voiced concern about the rising territorial tensions and said the situation needed to be solved through dialog.

"Apparently the developments on the ground unfortunately show that more needs to be done in order to defuse the tensions and reverse the very negative and unfortunate trend of escalation," the spokesman said.

"That's why (Borrell) stated that he is deploying all efforts necessary to re-establish the dialog, positive constructive dialog, and to facilitate the re-engagement, and these efforts are ongoing," he said.

Tensions escalated in the eastern Mediterranean on Monday after Turkey launched naval exercises off two Greek islands and announced the resumption of its energy exploration research activity in the disputed area.

Turkey dispatched a research ship, accompanied by naval vessels, off the Greek island of Kastellorizo, where Turkey disputes Greek maritime rights. The Turkish vessels are being shadowed by Greek warships.

Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias urged Turkey on Tuesday to withdraw the vessels from the Greek continental shelf.

"Greece will defend its sovereignty and its rights. We are calling on Turkey to immediately leave the Greek continental shelf," he said.

Turkey had suspended the research activities but resumed them on August 6 when Egypt and Greece signed an agreement laying out the maritime boundary between their exclusive economic zones. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan denounced that maritime deal as "worthless."

Greece and Turkey almost went to war in 1974 over Cyprus, which has since been divided, with the northern third run by a Turkish Cypriot administration recognized only by Turkey, and the southern two thirds governed by the internationally-recognized Greek Cypriot government.

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Aaron Brady has been found guilty of the capital murder of Detective Garda Adrian Donohoe by a majority jury verdict at the Central Criminal Court today.

The 29-year-old with an address at New Road, Crossmaglen, Co Armagh will be sentenced to the mandatory term for capital murder of 40 years imprisonment.

Brady had denied capital murder and said he had no involvement in the robbery at Lordship Credit Union on January 25, 2013 that resulted in the detective's death.

The jury of five men and seven women found him guilty on the robbery charge on Monday and returned today having been told by trial judge Mr Justice Michael White that they could bring a majority verdict if ten of them agreed. The jury found him guilty on the capital murder charge by a majority 11 to one verdict after 20 hours and two minutes spent considering their verdicts.

The prosecution used circumstantial evidence to prove that Brady was involved in stealing a Volkswagen Passat used by the raiders as a getaway car and to block the entrance to the credit union car park just as employees were preparing to leave with the day's takings followed by a garda escort. They also pointed to lies Brady told to gardai when he was questioned one day after the shooting and ten days later when he visited Dundalk Garda Station to give a voluntary statement.

In his closing speech to the jury, Lorcan Staines SC described Brady as a "practised liar". He said the prosecution case was a circumstantial one and that each piece of evidence on its own could be considered no more than coincidence. He added: "It's your personal tolerance when coincidence is put on top of coincidence until there comes a point that it is an affront to common sense that all these little things are coincidence."

To prove that Brady was the shooter the prosecution introduced the evidence of Molly Staunton and Daniel Cahill who said they heard Brady confess that he "shot a cop" or "murdered a garda" on multiple occasions after Brady moved to New York following the shooting.

Brady took the stand in his defence and told the jury that he was loading cubes of laundered diesel waste onto the back of a trailer when the robbery happened. He insisted he had nothing to do with the robbery and said that he lied to gardai to cover up his involvement in diesel laundering.



The jury did not accept his testimony and found that he was one of four raiders who jumped over the wall of the credit union just as the Passat blocked the car park entrance.

Brady pointed an automatic or pump action shotgun at Detective Garda Donohoe and fired a single shot to the head from about six feet away, killing him instantly. The jury's verdict shows that they were satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that when Brady pulled the trigger he not only intended to kill or cause serious injury but he also knew he was shooting a member of An Garda Siochana acting in accordance with his duty.

The jury began hearing evidence last January in a trial that was expected to last four months but suffered major delays due to the Covid outbreak and lengthy legal argument in the jury's absence.

The court has sat for 122 days and the jury heard from 139 witnesses over the course of 28 weeks, making this the longest murder trial in the history of the State. During the trial it emerged that gardai had trawled through thousands of hours of CCTV footage and generated tens of thousands of documents during the investigation. Gardai claimed privilege over 50 statements taken during the investigation on the grounds that to reveal them to Brady could result in a threat to the lives of individuals.

Mr Justice Michael White examined the documents and upheld the claims of privilege on the grounds set out by gardai.

Inspector Mark Phillips and Detective Garda Jim McGovern of the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation flew to New York on several occasions and worked with the US Department of Homeland Security to find witnesses who would testify to having heard Brady admit to the murder after he fled to America from Belfast Airport on a British passport about two months after the murder.

Only Molly Staunton and Daniel Cahill came forward to give evidence of having heard Brady's confession. Four others who gave statements to gardai alleging they heard Brady make similar confessions did not give evidence in court. The evidence of another witness who said he heard someone who said his name was Aaron Brady confess to killing a garda in a bar after a wedding was ruled inadmissible by the trial judge Mr Justice Michael White.
Chennai:

Severe cyclonic storm Vardah will make a landfall between north Tamil Nadu and south Andra Pradesh on Monday with both the coastal states putting in place a number of measures to deal with it and TN announcing holiday for all educational institutions in four districts.



The Regional Meteorological Centre said Vardah lay centred at 330 km east of Chennai at 1430 hours on Sunday and would move westwards before making landfall between north Tamil Nadu and south Andhra Pradesh coasts Sunday afternoon. Under its impact, rains will start on Sunday night and gradually increase on Sunday in the northern districts of Chennai, Tiruvallur and Kancheepuram, S Balachandran, Director, Area Cyclone Warning Centre, said on Saturday.

Also read | Cyclonic storm Vardah: High alert sounded in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu

On December 12, heavy to very heavy rains were likely in some places in these districts, he said, adding, strong winds could gust upto 80-90 kph. The sea would be rough, he said and asked fishermen to not to venture into the sea for the next 48 hours.

#CycloneVaradh Eastern Naval Command fully geared up 4 Relief & Assistance. Ships&A/c ready at Vizag/ Arakonam 2b deployed @SpokespersonMoD pic.twitter.com/u5A9f0yOvR  SpokespersonNavy (@indiannavy) December 11, 2016

Chief Minister O Panneerselvam held a meeting of the Tamil Nadu State Disaster Management Authority which also asked the armed forces to be on standby.



The Tamil Nadu government declared holiday for educational institutions in Chennai, Kancheepuram and Tiruvallur, besides coastal taluks of Villupuram.

Also read | Cyclonic storm Vardah heading towards Tamil Nadu, heavy rain likely in Chennai



They should take necessary steps for ensuring the safety of their students especially hostel inmates and their water and food requirements, an official release, detailing the discussions the Chief Minister had with his senior officials including Chief Secretary B Ramamohana Rao, said.



Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu reviewed the situation through a teleconference with Collectors and top officials this evening. He directed them to be alert and undertake necessary rescue and relief efforts in view of the cyclone threat.



Food and other essential commodities should be kept ready in adequate quantities, he said.



Take all steps to prevent loss of lives and to minimise damages to crops and properties, Naidu told the officials.

Also read | AP govt issues high alert in Nellore, Prakasam, Guntur and Krishna districts as cyclone Vardah approaches



Tamil Nadu Government also asked private establishments and undertakings in these districts besides coastal taluks of Villupuram to allow their staff avail holiday or work from home.



Panneerselvam gave instructions for appointment of senior IAS officers as monitoring officers for these districts to oversee and monitor cyclone related works in coordination with the District Collectors, the release said.



Arrangements to be made for evacuating people in low lying and vulnerable areas. Relief centres to be kept in readiness along with necessary food, water and other arrangements. Army, Navy, Air-force and Coast Guard have been alerted to be on standby for deployment as and when necessary, it said.

Helpline numbers:

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Grievances can also be sent via Whatsapp to: 94454 77207, 94454 77203, 94454 77206 , 94454 77201, 94454 77205

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More than 120 people have been killed in South Sudans Warrap State during a disarmament exercise gone awry, the countrys army spokesperson said on Wednesday. Clashes between soldiers and armed civilians in Tonj town, some 430 kilometres north west of the capital Juba, were sparked by a disagreement over an operation to disarm civilians.

Fighting erupted on Saturday and left 127 people dead, according to Major General Lul Ruai Koang, as cited by the AFP news agency.

The UN had previously put the death toll at 70 people, with the local market in Romich reportedly looted during fighting and some shops burnt to the ground, according to Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for the UN secretary general.

Dujarric said women and children had fled in fear of their lives and the UN was sending a peacekeeping patrol to assess security.

The South Sudan Peoples Defence Force said 45 of those killed were members of the security forces and 82 were youth from the local area.

Military spokesperson Koang said the violence started when armed young people argued with soldiers. The initial confrontation was dealt with, he said, however the armed youths gathered to attack an army position.

Koang said two soldiers implicated in triggering the clashes had been arrested.

Local sources said the violence started when a soldier killed a young person in the market during a scuffle, according to the Sudan Tribune.

The youth had refused to hand over his weapon to the military who were conducting a disarmament exercise.

Following the killing, local people mounted an attack against the army, the Sudan Tribune reported.

South Sudan remains awash with weapons some six years after a civil war broke out. People in many communities see guns as essential for protecting themselves against looting or cattle raids, and do not have confidence in the protection afforded by the security forces.
FORT COLLINS, Colo. - Two more people were arrested Tuesday in connection with a brawl that broke out during a pro-police rally in northern Colorado over the weekend.

A 39-year-old from Gill and a 57-year-old from Kersey were arrested for misdemeanour disorderly conduct, police in Fort Collins said. Their names have not been released.

While counter-demonstrators saw some of the pro-police rallygoers as the instigators in Saturdays melee, Fort Collins police chief Jeff Swoboda on Monday stood by his statement that there were aggressors on both sides, the Coloradoan reported. He said several people on each side were armed with weapons, including sidearms, brass knuckles, pepper spray and fireworks.

Youll see, when arrest information comes out, (that) this was a destination for people looking to get into a fight for some, he said, noting that most of the people involved in the fight were not from the city, home to Colorado State University.

Video footage showed members of the pro-law enforcement crowd walking toward counter-protesters who are backing away.

Swoboda criticized those claiming to support police for participating in the fighting.

Simply throwing on an I support the police T-shirt, but then acting like a person with no regard for the law or safety of other people  that is not support, we do not want your support and we do not need your support, he said.

Several people were arrested and cited shortly after the brawl broke out, and investigators say they were aligned with both sides. Three people were arrested for disorderly conduct, including one who faces an additional charge of illegally possessing a weapon and a second person who faces a charge of resisting arrest. A fourth person was cited for criminal tampering.
On any given day, Central Concrete, in San Jose, California, does what concrete companies have been doing for centuries: combining sand, gravel, water and cement to create the slurry that is used in construction.

But Central  one of a handful of companies at the forefront of a movement to make a greener concrete  is increasingly experimenting with some decidedly new mixtures.

Concrete, it turns out, has a serious pollution problem. Credit:istock

In one part of the plant, carbon dioxide from a chemical gas company is injected into the concrete, locking in that greenhouse gas and keeping it out of the atmosphere, where it would contribute to global warming.

Elsewhere, engineers tinker with the recipe for concrete, trying out substitutes for some of the cement, which makes up about 15 per cent of the mix and functions as the glue that holds it all together. Cement, however, is also responsible for most of concrete's carbon emissions  emissions so high that some have abandoned concrete for alternative building materials like mass timber and bamboo.
Seeing Jimmy Lai as 'freedom fighter' is naive thinking, fails to listen to true voice of HKers

Global Times

By Chen Qingqing Source: Global Times Published: 2020/8/11 15:48:40 Last Updated: 2020/8/11 23:20:40

Seeing Jimmy Lai as 'freedom fighter' is naive thinking, fails to listen to true voice of HKers

Attempts in the West to picture Jimmy Lai and his infamous Apple Daily as the spiritual leader of the so-called free press are naive, as Lai is not even accepted by Hong Kong residents, who only see him as a "modern traitor" rather than a "freedom fighter."

Following a high-profile operation on Monday that led to the arrest of key figures in Hong Kong for endangering national security, including Lai, founder of the Apple Daily, and some senior executives of the media group, some opposition groups, along with anti-China forces and foreign politicians, have been voicing concerns over the arrests, seeking to arouse sympathy among the global community to continue support for the anti-government movement while criticizing "erosion" of media freedom.

Some local journalists shared photos of Apple Daily employees sticking to their posts until midnight to finalize the outline of Tuesday's paper, while others showed footage of local people lining up at newsstands at 2 am to get print copies of the newspaper in order to show "support" for Lai and other anti-government figures detained by the police.

However, such "showing off" is seen as a commonly displayed "stunt" to attract public attention, some local residents said.

Lai, who is usually called "fat Lai" or "Marijuana Lai," has an infamous reputation among ordinary Hong Kong residents, who remember the 71-year-old riot supporter as the most aggressive anti-China figure who instigated violent protests, short bought Hong Kong stocks ahead of the anti-government movement in 2014, colluded with foreign politicians and even made a plea for reckless interference from foreign countries in Hong Kong's affairs.

Some American hawks and other foreign politicians who have been meddling or trying to interfere in Hong Kong's affairs also bad-mouthed the Monday arrests. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he was "deeply troubled by reports of the arrest of Lai" and claimed that this was further proof that the Communist Party of China has "eviscerated Hong Kong's freedoms and eroded the rights of its people."

Pompeo has repeatedly made mistaken remarks over Hong Kong issues and false accusations against China's legitimate efforts to safeguard its national security under the law, Zhao Lijian, spokesperson of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, told a routine press briefing on Tuesday. "These political lies have no factual basis," he said.

However, these long-term anti-China Western politicians who have been trying to "have a say" in the country's internal affairs have become ridiculous, as they failed to understand what the Hong Kong majority think about Lai and that Apple Daily is in fact an evil bridge between local secessionists and foreign forces, some observers said.

"Just ask anyone in Hong Kong, 'Who is the biggest traitor of Hong Kong?' people will tell you: Jimmy Lai," Tsuen Wan District Councillor Nixie Lam told the Global Times on Tuesday.

There was only one word to describe Apple Daily: fake, she said, referring to countless stories and eye-catching headlines that the paper has run in order to smear the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government and the Chinese mainland, instigate hatred against the Hong Kong police and spread rumors about China.

Lai had been arrested several times over the past year on suspicion of violating local regulations. But he had also been granted bail several times. Under the national security law for Hong Kong, some legal experts believe that this might not be the case anymore and the prominent anti-China figure would face much more severe punishment, even the possibility of life imprisonment could not be ruled out.

Black hands

New details revealed by the Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF) showed that following the arrests of 10 people on Monday, police found that a group in charge of propaganda was calling on foreign countries to impose sanctions on Hong Kong and even block off the city. Two of the men and one woman who were arrested were in charge of the group's operations, which included using overseas bank accounts of Apple Daily executives to financially support the group.

Along with Lai's arrest, at least 9 people have also been arrested on suspicion of colluding with foreign forces to endanger national security, including certain senior executives from Apple Daily and one of Lai's aides, Mark Simon.

Simon reportedly had stints with US naval intelligence and the CIA, who might have been serving as middlemen in helping to collect US-related funds for the political movement in Hong Kong, according to some observers.

While some Western and local Hong Kong media considered the arrests and search of the media outlet's headquarters as an "erosion" of free press, observers said Apple Daily can't be simply taken as an ordinary news organization given it has been playing its role in fueling anti-government social movements in Hong Kong, and reportedly secretly connecting with foreign powers.

"Apple Daily cannot be seen as a media outlet that is critical of the government, because it represents a certain political power that is closely connected with external forces and actively engages in political battles in Hong Kong," Lau Siu-kai, vice-president of the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macao Studies, said Monday.

The HKPF had sent many letters to Apple Daily regarding its biased and fake reporting of law enforcement amid the social turmoil. For example, in December 2019, a total of 16 letters were sent to Apple Daily to express strong dissatisfactions over biased or even fake reports that aimed to arouse anti-police sentiment in Hong Kong, according to public records. Even when black-clad rioters besieged the Hong Kong Polytechnic University in November 2019, turning the campus into a war zone by clashing with police and endangering the lives of students, Apple Daily ran a front page slogan condemning law enforcement procedures, while other local newspapers all ran headlines like "Vote to reject violence."

"Almost every day, Apple Daily has been instigating public hatred toward the HKSAR government and the mainland. Almost every report [the newspaper runs] on the mainland deliberately exaggerates the gap between the mainland and HK," Lawrence Tang Fei, a member of the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macao Studies, told the Global Times on Monday, "And all these smearing tactics are not secret."

The newspaper, supported by some anti-China politicians in the West, lacks professionalism and ethics, and plays the role of brainwashing the younger generation in Hong Kong, observers noted.

In 2019, on several occasions, Global Times reporters witnessed the so-called journalists from Apple Daily closely communicate with black-clad rioters during anti-government protests, help them escape from police operations and even verbally attack police officers on the scene.

Apple Daily was launched in 1995 through an aggressive dumping strategy to gain market share, and its parent company Next Digital has lost over HK$1.9 billion in the past five years and a cumulative HK$2.7 billion over a period of 10 years, Angelo Giuliano, a veteran business representative and Hong Kong affairs observer, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

"This clearly shows that this venture exists more as a propaganda tool than for a business-profitability purpose," he said, noting that there is an evil link between Lai, Apple Daily and Taiwan's separatist Democratic Progressive Party.

When some Hong Kong people said that Apple Daily also helped fuel the propaganda campaign during the months-long social turmoil in 2019 by designing and dispatching posters and banners such as "Fight for Freedom, Stand With Hong Kong" online and offline, and even ran posts instigating hatred and secessionism on social networks such as LIHKG and Telegram, Giuliano, who witnessed the anti-government movement, said he was not surprised at all.

"With the implementation of the national security law [for Hong Kong], I am confident that now it will help unveil some dirty stuff," he said.

While some Western media like BBC and the New York Times see Apple Daily as a Hong Kong newspaper defying the "crackdown" and the operation as undermining press freedom, some observers ridicule such hypocrisy, and seeing a propaganda machine, which is sometimes seen as a political tool, as a real newsroom just lowers the standards of journalism.

"Freedom of the press does not mean the media has the freedom to violate the law," Tang said, noting that it's also commonly seen in Western countries that media outlets comply with local laws and regulations.

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He ranked number nine in Forbes highest-paid actors of 2020.

But Adam Sandler proved he's still down to earth at heart as he did his family's grocery shopping in Malibu on Tuesday.

The actor, 53, donned a patterned cloth face mask as he stopped by a supermarket.

Grounded: He ranked number nine in Forbes highest-paid actors of 2020. But Adam Sandler proved he's still down to earth at heart as he did his family's grocery shopping on Tuesday

Sandler was dressed casually in a loose-fitting short-sleeve shirt and long UCLA-branded shorts.

He added black socks and black trainers.

The Uncut Gems star pushed his purchases in a shopping cart as he left the store and loaded the bags of items into his SUV.

Errands: The actor, 53, donned a patterned cloth face mask as he stopped by a supermarket near his Malibu home

Shopping trip: The Uncut Gems star pushed his purchases in a shopping cart as he left the store and loaded the bags of items into his SUV

Casual: Sandler was dressed in a loose-fitting short-sleeve shirt and long UCLA-branded shorts. He added black socks and black trainers

Sandler has been spending the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic at his Malibu mansion with wife Jackie and their daughters, Sadie, 14, and Sunny, 11.

On August 1, he had celebrated the anniversary of the first time he met Jackie, 45, whom he married in 2003.

The two met on the set of Sandler's 1999 movie Big Daddy in which Jackie has a small part as a waitress.

Sandler posted a throwback snap of the couple to his Instagram and in the caption, he wrote: '22 years ago today we locked eyes and fell deep. Look forward to the next 22, young lady. Love you my forever girl.'

Isolating: Sandler has been spending the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic at his Malibu mansion with wife Jackie and their daughters, Sadie, 14, and Sunny, 11

Throwback snap: On August 1, the Hollywood star had celebrated the anniversary of the first time he met Jackie with a sweet Instagram post

Sandler and Jackie tied the knot at Dick Clark's oceanfront Malibu estate during a star-studded Jewish ceremony on June 22, 2003.

Jackie has since appeared in a string of her husband's films, albeit in cameos, including 50 First Dates, Just Go With It, Little Nicky and Grown Ups.

Despite frequently having to watch him kiss other women on set, the Hollywood star insists his wife doesn't get jealous of his on-screen romances.

'The only awkward part is hearing my wife on the side going, 'Harder! Harder! Kiss her harder! Deeper,' he told the Associated Press in 2019, while promoting his hit Netflix film, Murder Mystery, which he starred along Jennifer Aniston.

Devoted: Jackie, 45, has appeared in minor roles in several of her famous husband's movies. The couple are pictured in January at an event in Beverly Hills

Their big day: The couple tied the knot at Dick Clark's oceanfront Malibu estate during a star-studded Jewish ceremony on June 22, 2003

Sandler ranked nine out of 10 in the Forbes list released on Tuesday.

He earned an estimated $41 million in 2020.

The majority of his earnings came from his deal with Netflix, which accounts for $31 million of his income this year.

He signed a $250 million four-film deal with the streaming service in 2014 and signed another four-film extension with the outlet in January on the back of the success of Murder Mystery.

He also earned $5 million for his critically acclaimed film Uncut Gems.
Thousands of farm families could face being unable to avail of reduced nursing home fees, after a damning new report claimed funding issues threaten new admissions to the Fair Deal scheme.

The report - by the country's spending watchdog, the Comptroller and Auditor General (C&AG) - comes as farm families await legislation that would cap the amount they pay in nursing home fees, which can run up to 80,000 a year.

"The scheme is cash-limited, which means that the HSE must restrict access if there is an expectation that available funding will be exhausted," said Comptroller Seamus McCarthy.

A review of the Nursing Homes Support Scheme (Fair Deal Scheme), published in 2015, committed to reviewing how productive assets - such as a farm or business - are treated under the scheme, which sees farm families having to contribute 7.5pc of the value of their farm annually towards nursing home fees.

Legislation that would cap how much farm families contribute to nursing home fees was approved in June 2019, but just last month the Department of Health said the progress of legislation that would reduce Fair Deal nursing home costs for farm families has been delayed by Covid-19.

At present, the capital value of an individual's principal private residence is included in the financial assessment for only the first three years of their time in care. This is known as the three-year cap.

However, this cap does not apply to productive assets, such as farms or businesses, except in cases of sudden illness or disability where specific conditions are met.

The proposed policy change to the Nursing Homes Support Scheme would cap contributions based on farm and business assets at three years, where a family successor commits to working the productive asset.

Figures last year showed that 684 residents of nursing homes had farm assets supporting them and 246 of these residents were in care for at least three years.

President of the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers' Association Pat McCormack said the difficulties that farm families had experienced trying to access and use Fair Deal on any kind of equitable basis were "a matter of record".

"From day one, farm families ran slap bang into the fact that while contributions towards the costs were capped at 22.5pc from family homes, they were completely open-ended for family farms. That meant that if a farmer was in Fair Deal for 13 years, the complete value of the family farm was eaten up by their contribution to the cost of elderly care. How was that fair?" Mr McCormack said.

"We've been pointing that out since the scheme was unveiled and, in fairness to the various ministers and governments, they did acknowledge that this disparity of treatment between family homes and family farms was unjust and unworkable."

The C&AG report found it is 600 a week more expensive to care for a patient in a State-run facility than in a private home.

It said that between 2010 and 2018, the average weekly fee for a person in a public nursing homes was 1,564 - while that for a place in a private or voluntary home was 968.

The watchdog said it could not locate any criteria from the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) under which prices charged by operators are assessed.

Minister of State of Older People Mary Butler said she had been advised by the NTPF that a pricing review had been completed. "I understand this was a comprehensive body of work and I expect my officials to brief me shortly on this matter and I will consider this report within that context. I am committed to ensuring that the costs of care are reviewed," she said.

"It is important to acknowledge nursing homes have come into sharp focus these past months... It behoves us all to acknowledge the phenomenal work of healthcare workers and anyone involved in care giving across society," she added.
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An amber thunderstorm warning was issued for large parts of the country last night as lightning strikes and hailstones 'the size of gobstoppers' signalled a dramatic end to Britain's record-breaking 97F heatwave.

Flash floods ravaged Scotland on Wednesday while late in the evening, other areas including Gloucestershire and Cheshire were also badly hit, with disruption set to last for a whole week, after days of sizzling temperatures.

The Met Office upgraded its thunderstorm warning to amber for much of Wales, the West Midlands and parts of the North West after severe storms caused chaos.

Gloucestershire Fire & Rescue Service said it was experiencing 'high call volumes' due to bad weather and had been made aware of flash flooding in Gloucester.

'Whilst the bad weather continues, please be careful and only travel if absolutely necessary and with extreme caution,' it tweeted.

Elsewhere, Cheshire Police said on Twitter they were dealing with a number of weather-related incidents in the village of Tarporley, including fallen trees and flash flooding, and advised nearby residents to avoid all but essential travel.

Some 10 flood alerts covering areas in the West Midlands were issued by the Environment Agency on Wednesday evening, while one flood warning was issued for Sandyford Brook in Stafford.

Rising river levels at the Astonfields river gauge may cause flooding of property and roads in the area overnight, according to the Environment Agency.

The Met Office warned that hail and strong winds could suddenly occur as well as flooding, while buildings could be damaged and power could be lost in some communities. The amber warning expired at midnight, but yellow warnings over a wide area of England and Wales persist.

The Met Office upgraded its thunderstorm warning to amber for much of Wales, the West Midlands and parts of the North West on after severe storms caused disruption in some areas

A soaked cyclist braves the roads during torrential rain and hail by Twickenham Green. London, on Wednesday evening

Lightning lit up the skies over South Wales on Wednesday evening after the Met Office issued an amber thunderstom warning

The lightning which struck many parts of the country on Wednesday evening after another hot day brightened up a dark evening

Sharp lightning bolts appeared over these houses in North Wales as the weather turned on Wednesday evening

Sweltering tropical heat continued to grip parts of Britain on Wednesday with top temperatures reaching 93.3F (34.6C) at St James's Park in London. The six consecutive days of 93F (34C) have made this the UK's most severe heatwave in relation to temperature ever.

The previous prolonged heatwave was in 1976 when Britain had 15 days of 90F (32C) in a row. However, Scotland was hit by 17,000 lighting strikes in 12 hours, rainfall and flash floods, as hailstones 'the size of 2 coins' battered London during the afternoon, bringing an end to the heatwave.

Social media users posted stunning pictures and videos of the torrential downpour of the icy orbs in the capital, with some people comparing them to the size of 'imperial mints' or 'gobstoppers'.

Brits are now bracing themselves for an eight-day thunderstorm barrage. Conditions are perfect for firecracker superstorms, with exceptional temperatures and unstable air, forecasters said.

The Met Office forecast much worse thunderstorms than usual due to the mass of hot air from the south. A 700 mile-wide 'flame-thrower' heat plume has blown in from Spain.

Meanwhile social media users posted a series of memes this afternoon showing they are looking forward to the rain and an end to the blistering heat.

This is the electrifying moment lightning filled the sky above Perth, Perth and Kinross, as thunderstorms battered Scotland

Lightning in Stoke on Trent on Tuesday evening as the heatwave continues causing dramatic storms in some part of the country.

A picture on social media showing the severe hailtstones in Richmond, London, this afternoon

Social media users have been comparing the large hailstones striking the country. The ones on the right are almost the size of a 2 coin

Flooding in Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire in Scotland, where a nearby train has derailed. Thunderstorm warnings are still current for most of the UK on Wednesday, while high temperatures are forecast again for many parts of England

The dramatic diagram shows lightning which has hit the Midlands, West and North since Monday, as Britons are set to go from blazing sunshine to eight days of stormy weather

A girl using crutches walks out from the beach in Southend on Sea, Essex, at low tide to cool down in the water after another hot day

Beaches such as Hayling Island in Hampshire were again popular today as Britain again experienced temperatures of 93F upwards

Beachgoers on Hayling Island in Hampshire tried to cool down from more intense heat today by taking a dip in the water

A large number of visitors brought paddle boards as they took to the water off Hayling Island beach, Hampshire earlier today

Families enjoyed donkey rides on Blackpool beach today as the heatwave that has been sweeping Britain in recent days continues

As well as the sixth day in a row of the mercury hitting at least 93F (34C), Britain also has the second longest run of consecutive 90F (32C) days on record. While the period is unlikely to get close to the 15 days in 1976, it today beat the second-placed five days in 1995.

The record for the longest spell of 95F (35C) is three days - set in 1976 and 1990 - which this week could match. And the UK has only had heat of 98F (36.7C) on four days in history, one of which was recorded only 12 days ago.

Forecaster Greg Dewhurst said: 'It's not often we get temperatures this high over several days, and that is triggering thunderstorms across parts of England and Wales.'

Severe storms could see 30 to 40mm of rain falling in less than an hour in some places, which comes after heavy downpours lashed large parts of Scotland and caused flooding on Tuesday evening.

'If rain is falling on places that have been quite hot and dry, and the ground is quite hard, the rain doesn't have anywhere to go, and from that we can see flash flooding,' he added.

Three people died in a train derailment in Aberdeenshire after a ScotRail service crashed on Wednesday amid heavy rain and flooding.

British Transport Police (BTP) said those pronounced dead at the scene near Stonehaven included the train's driver, while six people were injured in the derailment.

Flood alerts were issued earlier as a landslide shut a road in Fife and there was a major outage at an exchange in Edinburgh affecting 100,000 customers' broadband on BT, EE and Plusnet.

A house burst into flames in Falkirk after being struck by lightning, while Church of Scotland minister Peter Johnston, who is based in Aberdeen, tweeted this morning: 'Biblical levels of flooding... never seen it this bad.'

A Damaged house in Reddingrig Place, in Falkirk, after severe weather in Scotland that has led to flash flooding

Image of the road collapse, near the village of Fala, 15 miles south of Edinburgh, has closed the road while engineers work to make it safe, and a diversion is in place, via Fala Dam

Cars are piled up at Queen Victoria Hospital car park in Kirkcaldy, Fife, this morning after major flooding in Scotland overnight

Flooding at Perth station in Scotland this morning as ScotRail services are hit by weather disruption today

Flooding at Queen Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy, Fife, today as thunderstorm warnings remain for most of the UK

Cars sit in floodwater in Perth, Scotland, this morning following thunderstorms and heavy rain overnight in parts of Britain

Cars on a flooded road in Aberdeen this morning following overnight heavy rain across parts of Scotland

Flooding outside Perth station in Scotland this morning as parts of the country are hit by heavy rain and thunderstorms

Cars have been left with major damage following flooding at Queen Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy, Fife, this morning

How Britain's ten-day heatwave is unfolding Wednesday - 83.1F/28.4C (Santon Downham, Suffolk) Thursday - 86.2F/30.1C (Wisley, Surrey) Friday - 97.5F/36.4C (Kew, West London) Saturday - 94.1F/34.5C (Herstmonceux, East Sussex) Sunday - 93.2F/34C (Herstmonceux, East Sussex) Monday - 95.9F/35.6C (London Heathrow Airport) Tuesday - 96.3F/35.7C (London Heathrow Airport) TODAY - 97F/36C ( forecast) Thursday - 91F/33C (forecast) Friday - 82F/28C (forecast) Advertisement

Perth and Kinross, the Lothians, Forth Valley and the north-east were among the most affected by overnight lightning strikes and heavy rain.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service confirmed it was called to multiple reports of flooding in the Perthshire area, affecting many properties.

Vehicles were recovered from busy roads after they were abandoned and there were reports of internet services being disrupted.

Ten properties in Lancashire were also affected by flooding following overnight storms, according to the Environment Agency.

Meanwhile, Alton Towers resort told visitors to stay away on Wednesday following an overnight electrical storm which interrupted the park's water supply.

In a statement on Twitter, the Staffordshire theme park said: 'Please do not travel to the resort.

'We will revalidate any guests who have booked a ticket for today and had their visit to Alton Towers Resort interrupted.

'We apologise for the inconvenience caused and look forward to welcoming you back soon.'

Thunderstorms are expected to clear overnight, while temperatures could remain above 20C for 'warm and humid' conditions, according to Mr Dewhurst.

Following a grey start to Thursday, there will be sunny spells across much of the country with maximum temperatures of up to 32C in the south east of England.

'It's still going to be warm and humid and that could then trigger some thunderstorms across parts of England and Wales through the afternoon and evening tomorrow,' he said.





A flooded road in Aberdeen is pictured this morning following heavy rain and thunderstorms overnight in parts of Scotland

A train stands in floodwater at Perth railway station in Scotland this morning following severe weather overnight

Flooding in Perth, Scotland, this morning as the Met Office issued a storm warning for all of England and Scotland

Top ten temperatures recorded in UK history 101.7F/38.7C - July 25, 2019 101.3F/38.5C - August 10, 2003 100F/37.8C  July 31, 2020 (12 DAYS AGO) 98.8F/37.1C - August 3, 1990 98.1F/36.7C - July 1, 2015 98.1F/36.7C - August 9, 1911 97.9F/36.6C - August 2, 1990 97.7F/36.5C - July 19, 2006 97.5F/36.4C - August 7, 2020 (FIVE DAYS AGO) 97.5F/36.4C - August 6, 2003 Advertisement

A yellow thunderstorm warning which covers the majority of England, excluding parts of the north-east, has been issued by the Met Office for Thursday.

Further unsettled weather is predicted throughout the afternoon and evening.

Mr Dewhurst added: 'Generally, the rest of the week remains unsettled with showers, some of them thundery and heavy, but there will still be some warm, sunny spells at times too.'

On the roads, some vehicles were recovered after they were abandoned amid flooding on the M8, which was partly closed for a time but later reopened.

A Police Scotland spokesman said: 'We were made aware of flooding on the M8 between junctions 5 and 6 in Lanarkshire shortly before 4am. No injuries have been reported and officers have assisted partner agencies.'

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service said it was called to multiple reports of flooding in the Perthshire area, with many domestic properties affected.

Perth and Kinross Council said several roads in the area were impassable due to flooding.

At 7am, the council tweeted that Feus Road/Marshall Place/Wallace Crescent/Crammond Place/Crieff Road/Glasgow Road and A912 at Bogle Bridge were affected, while surface water was causing problems in many other areas.

Now for the hosepipe ban! Warning from water chiefs as storms bring drama to heatwave The prospect of the first hosepipe ban in eight years reared its head yesterday  just as dramatic storms began to sweep the country. Families have been using record amounts of water to fill paddling pools and relieve parched gardens in the heatwave which has hit 98F in parts. But while some towns have come 'perilously close' to running out of water, other areas have been hit by thunderstorms. Wales saw hailstones 'the size of golf balls' on Monday night and today the South faces a risk of flooding in downpours. The increased water demand during the scorching weather is blamed on millions still working from home combined with families taking staycations. Also, many families who took time to improve their gardens during lockdown have now been watering their plants. Water companies in the driest parts have now urged them to cut their usage. South East Water has warned that their demand  a record 696million litres last Friday dropping slightly to 673million on Monday  was unsustainable. And bosses have urged families to avoid using 'water-guzzling garden hoses and sprinklers'. Steve Andrews, head of central operation at the company, said: 'When demand is this high, we can't treat enough raw water and get it through to all customers.' He added: 'The average paddling pool needs 530 litres of water to fill them  more than three times the total daily amount of water usually used by one person.' Due to the shortages, around 300 households in parts of Sussex lost water supplies altogether over the weekend, with many more experiencing interrupted supplies. It comes as skies across England were lit by thunderstorms on Monday night following scorching temperatures. And heavy rain hit Lancashire where at least ten properties were affected by flooding. Today there are more flood warnings as thunderstorms start to sweep the country with as much as 3in of rain. The storms are expected to rage until Friday as the humid air has created the perfect conditions for thundery outbreaks. The whole country is under a Met Office thunderstorm warning until then. The impact of the heatwave was seen at King's College Cambridge where a wildflower meadow which was blooming in June was being raked away yesterday. Advertisement

Pictures posted on social media showed cars half-submerged in floodwater in streets in Perth.

In Fife, a landslide caused the closure of the A921 between Kinghorn and Burntisland. Police urged motorists to use an alternative route.

BT's incident management team said a major outage at an exchange in Edinburgh, caused by the weather, was affecting about 100,000 customers' broadband on BT, EE and Plusnet in the city and surrounding area. It was reported at 6.30am and engineers were on site working on the issue.

Earlier on Wednesday, the Met Office predicted storms would arrive in the north-west, north Wales and the West Midlands tonight and tomorrow.

Chief meteorologist Steve Ramsdale said in these areas 'exceptional rainfall totals could be seen of 60mm in an hour with a very small chance of 150mm of rainfall in three or four hours'.

Ten properties in Lancashire were affected by flooding yesterday following overnight storms, the Environment Agency said.

The rainfall caused the Burrow Beck waterway in Scotforth, south Lancaster, to rise by almost a metre in less than three hours, the agency's flood risk manager Andy Brown said.

The Environment Agency said further heavy showers could cause more flooding in 'mostly urban areas' of England until Friday, with some homes being affected.

Meanwhile the prospect of the first hosepipe ban in eight years reared its head yesterday as sweltering families use record amounts of water filling paddling pools and restoring parched gardens after days of very high temperatures.

Despite parts of Britain being battered by dramatic thunderstorms, some towns have come 'perilously close' to running out of water, and hundreds of households have been cut off altogether.

Millions of people still working from home due to the coronavirus pandemic has combined with families taking staycations instead of travelling abroad to push water demand during the current heatwave to unprecedented levels.

Now water companies in the driest parts of England have urged people to cut their usage, with millions facing lower water pressure to preserve scarce supplies - although so far none has threatened to impose a hosepipe ban.

Around 300 households in parts of Sussex lost water supplies altogether over the weekend, with many more experiencing interrupted supplies.

Engineers from South East Water were yesterday working to restore supplies for people in parts of Haywards Heath and Cuckfield.

Bosses warned that demand - a record 696million litres last Friday dropping slightly to 673million on Monday - was unsustainable.

They blamed the surge on more of us being at home, the increase in staycations and people undertaking DIY and gardening projects.

A house burst into flames in Falkirk after being struck by lightning overnight amid the severe weather conditions

A spectacular lightning show lights up the skies over Merthyr Tydfil in South Wales overnight amid the severe conditions

Lightning is seen over Newcastle-under-Lyme in Staffordshire overnight as thunderstorms hit parts of Britain

Lightning is seen over Mow Cop in Staffordshire overnight as parts of the country faces severe thunderstorms

Steve Andrews, head of central operations for South East Water, said: 'When demand is this high, we simply can't treat enough raw water and get it through the extensive network of pipes to all customers, especially at peak times.'

It is pumping an extra 150million litres a day into the system.

But he asked people to avoid using 'water-guzzling garden hoses and sprinklers' which it said could use as much water as a family-of-six over the course of a day.

'I was shocked to be told that the average paddling pool now needs a whopping 530 litres of water to fill them - more than three times the total daily amount of water usually used by one person,' Mr Andrews added.

'This is adding to the high demand for water seen during this hot summer weather.'

Neighbouring Thames Water - with 15million customers - warned that 'a combination of hot weather, businesses returning to work, and more people staying in the area over the holiday period due to Covid-19 restrictions' meant water use across the Homes Counties and London could reach 'unprecedented levels'.

It said 'a good amount of water' remained in its reservoirs despite rainfall being almost a third lower than normal over the past three months.

'However, at peak times on hot days, customers in some areas are using water faster than it can be safely treated and pumped to homes and businesses,' it said.

'This current high demand will also inevitably reduce reservoir levels.' Thames Water said it had no plans to impose a hosepipe ban but warned supply could be interrupted if demand did not drop.

Two horse riders cool their horses off in the sea near East Wittering in West Sussex this morning

Assistant Head Gardener, Nick Delves at the National Trust's Nymans Gardens in West Sussex this morning

The sun rises over fishing boats at anchor in the sea off of Selsey in West Sussex this morning

Elsewhere in Southern England, Anglian Water is urging customers to take shorter showers and to cover paddling pools overnight then top them up in the morning rather than refilling them daily.

Susannah Constantine drags her duvet into the garden to sleep outside Many of us are tossing and turning in bed during the current heatwave. But it's all got way too much for former What Not to Wear co-host Susannah Constantine. The one-time Strictly Come Dancing contestsant, 58, piled up mattresses and dragged her duvet into the garden to snooze under the stars. Susannah Constantine has revealed that she has been sleeping outside during the UK heatwave as her house is 'too hot' Miss Constantine shared an Instagram picture of her lying on her makeshift bed outside. She captioned it: 'Too hot to sleep inside last night.' A day later she posted a picture showing an extra two mattresses piled up on her front lawn and said: 'And then there were three (plus one dog).' Although it's not clear who was in the snaps, Miss Constantine and husband Sten Bertelsen share Joe, 21, Esme, 19 and Cece, 16, and live in West Sussex. She hosted What Not To Wear with Trinny Woodall from 2001 to 2005. Advertisement

Its director of water services, Paul Valleley, said there had been 'unprecedented demand', particularly in parts of Essex.

'Our teams are working tirelessly to keep taps running but our network is under a huge amount of pressure,' he said.

Meanwhile Affinity Water - which has 3million customers - said Clacton-on-Sea in Essex came 'perilously close' to running out of water over the weekend before a public information campaign saw residents and holidaymakers reduce their demand.

England's last hosepipe ban was announced during the 2018 heatwave by United Utilities, which serves customers in the normally more rainy North West - although it was cancelled at the last minute when the weather broke.

It has no plans to impose restrictions, it said yesterday.

The warnings come after MPs last month warned that parts of England could run out of water altogether in the next 20 years, with an 'unacceptable' one-fifth of the daily supply lost to leaks.

Mims Davies, Conservative MP for Mid-Sussex, yesterday slammed South East Water's failure to restore supplies as 'truly diabolical'.

The junior minister tweeted that it was 'absolutely unacceptable and gives people zero comfort this is being taken properly seriously'.

Elsewhere in the South East, Thames Water insisted reservoirs and aquifers were at normal levels for the time of year, meaning it had no plans to impose restrictions.

But a spokesman said: 'During any hot and dry spells we could struggle in some areas to treat water and get it to our customers fast enough to keep up with demand, so we're asking everyone to be particularly careful with how much they use.'

As millions struggled to sleep, retailer Currys PC World said sales of electric fans were up 1,300 per cent year on year.

The Met Office yesterday said climate change could lead to more 'tropical nights' where after-dark temperatures do not fall below 68F (20C).

It said there had been three 'tropical nights' so far this month, compared to four during the whole of last summer.

'From a health point of view, the warm nights become an issue, because if you have a hot day and cool night, then people who have long-term health problems and the elderly have a chance to cool down,' a spokesman said.
President Donald Trump has warned of a mail-in voting disaster waiting to happen predicting that China and Russia will snatch plenty of ballots in this year's general election.

In an interview with Fox News' Sean Hannity, the president said that mail-in ballots are a 'rigged election waiting to happen' and that 'China and Russia, they'll be grabbing plenty of them [ballots]'.

'This whole thing with his mail-in ballots, that's a rigged election waiting to happen. It's rigged and everyone knows it,' Trump said on the Hannity show last night.

'You can't send out 16 million mail-in ballots ... who knows who's getting them?

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a news conference in the James Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House August 11, 2020 in Washington, DC

In an interview with Fox News' Sean Hannity, the president said that mail-in ballots are a 'rigged election waiting to happen' and that 'China and Russia, they'll be grabbing plenty of them'

'The mailmen are going to get them, people are going to just grab batches of them and you talk about China and Russia, they'll be grabbing plenty of them.

'It's a disaster. It's a rigged election waiting to happen.'

Yesterday's comments were the most recent rally from Trump against the mail-in voter system.

'This is going to be the biggest election disaster in history,' Trump predicted of the November contest at the start of this month, adding the results may never be known.

'You won't know the election result for weeks, months, maybe years after. Maybe you'll never know the election result. And that's what I'm concerned with. It'll be fixed. It'll be rigged,' he said at the White House during an event with police chiefs.

'Watch what happens,' he said.

The GOP and Trump's reelection campaign have massively increased their legal budget this year to fight efforts, coming from Democrats, to drastically change the standard voting procedures due to the coronavirus pandemic.

However, Democrats claim that cases of voter fraud are far less likely than currently being predicted by Republicans.

A United States Postal Service (USPS) carrier makes his rounds on August 05, 2020 in New York City. The USPS, the nation's national mail carrier service, is under increased scrutiny from politicians who are warning that the agency is not prepared to handle the tens of millions of mail-in ballots which are expected to be sent for the November election

They accuse the GOP of attempting to drive down voter turnout to improve their chances of winning come November.

'It's just common sense,' Trump argued on Hannity yesterday. 'You wouldn't even have to know anything about politics or elections. It's common sense.'

Trump stopped short of slamming mail-in ballots in their entirety. Absentee ballots, he said, are 'okay'.

'An absentee ballot is okay ...,' he said, 'but these mail-in ballots where they send millions of them all over the country, it's going to be a rigged election, and this country shouldn't allow it.'

If the courts don't intervene, 'you'll never know who won the election,' Trump said.

'It hasn't worked in little districts. Small little defined districts, they can't do it. It's an impossibility. Plus, the post office isn't set up for this,' Trump said.

'The post office is not set up for millions -- when you look at what they did in Nevada ... where they're sending millions of ballots [to registered voters] and you don't have to have a confirmed signature, there's nothing to say that that person signed it.

'It's going to be catastrophic corruption.'

Earlier this month, Trump slammed Nevada officials for approving a vote-by-mail election for this November and pointed to a New York congressional primary that was held on June 23 and remains undecided as a reason to fear mail-in ballots for the presidential election.

Trump has repeatedly used the example of voter fraud with mail-in ballots in Paterson, New Jersey, as evidence the process could cause unintended consequences in the general election.

The New Jersey Attorney General filed voting fraud charges in June against 1st Ward Councilman Michael Jackson, 3rd Ward Council-Elect Alex Mendez and two other men.

The charges came weeks after the May 12 local election where the Passaic County Board of Elections did not count 800 city ballots that were found scattered across different municipalities.

'We've had a lot of problems, just take a look at what's gone on over the last month. And take a look at Paterson, New Jersey. Small city in New Jersey. I think they said something like 20 per cent of the ballots were corrupted or something happened with them,' he said.
Pranab Mukherjee or Pranab da was the President of India from 2012 to 2017. The 84-year-old was detected with COVID-19 on Monday when he was tested prior to the surgery to remove a brain clot. In fact, Mukherjee himself tweeted about his COVID status and urged people who had come in contact with him in the last one week to isolate and get tested for the virus.

A powerful orator, scholar and a statesman, Mukherjee had been a Congress stalwart before he was elected as India's 13th President. Prior to this he had held the posts of defence, finance, external affairs, commerce, shipping, industries ministers during the Congress and UPA regimes from time to time. In fact, he was the Best Finance Minister in World, according to a survey of Euro money magazine in 1984.

He had entered politics and the Indian Parliament in 1969 after former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi helped him enter Rajya Sabha on a Congress ticket. He soon went on to become Mrs Gandhis most trusted man and a minister in her cabinet in 1973. He was re-elected in Rajya Sabha in 1975, 1981, 1993 and 1999. An important leader for the Congress party, Mukherjee was the go to man for all senior to junior party leaders till the time he was sidelined by Mrs Gandhis son Rajiv Gandhi following her assassination in 1984. Mukherjee drifted away and formed his Rashtriya Samajwadi Congress which he later merged back to the Congress in 1989 after truce with Rajiv.

Rajiv Gandhis assassination brought Pranab Mukherjee back to limelight as former PM, PV Narsimha Rao handed him the responsibility of the Planning Commission (1991) and Foreign Affairs Ministry (1995). Later, he strongly backed Sonia Gandhi and guided her as she entered the Congress as an active politician in 1998. Mr Mukherjee contested Lok Sabha elections for the first time in 2004 when the UPA came to power. As a skillful administrator and seasoned politician, Mukherjee used to preside over cabinet meetings in the absence of Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh.

Known as man for all seasons, Mukherjee played a crucial role in getting through the controversial Indo-US nuclear deal  123 Agreement  and earning an exemption for India from the Nuclear Suppliers Group.

Mukherjee remains popular in both India and Bangladesh for his family connection  his wife late Suvra Mukherjee was born and brought up in Narail in Bangladesh before moving to Kolkatta at the age of 10. Bangladesh had in 2013 honoured Mukherjee with Bangladesh Muktijuddho Sanmanona for his contribution to the Liberation War in 1971 as a "foreign friend".

He was awarded Padma Vibhusan in 2008 and Bharat Ratna in 2019.
In early August, thousands of parents, educators, students, and community members took to the streets in over 25 U.S. states to call for safe and equitable schools. The protests, organized as a National Day of Resistance, were called to raise concerns that with the coronavirus still spreading reopening schools for in-person learning is dangerous. The issue has become political, with pressure growing from the White House and many state governors to reopen the classrooms. Nina Vishneva has this report narrated by Anna Rice on the demonstrations in New York City. VOA Khmer's Sou Pichchinda narrates.
As Covid-19 tally in Odisha crossed the 50,000-mark and death toll mounted to 305, chief minister Naveen Patnaik said on Wednesday that the state government would increase testing in the coming weeks.

Reviewing the pandemic situation in the state on a day when the Covid-19 tally rose to 50,672 with the highest single-day surge of 1,876 cases, Patnaik asked the district collectors to increase testing at sub-divisional hospitals and community health centres. Similarly, Block Development Officers and officials of panchayati raj institutions have been asked to motivate people to voluntarily come forward for testing.

Director of Institute of Life Sciences in Bhubaneswar, Dr Ajay Parida said the state would now start testing about one lakh samples a day. In the last 24 hours, Odisha tested 32,053 samples of which 23,000 samples were tested through rapid antigen method and 8,000 through RT-PCR method. Currently, the state has the capacity to conduct 8,000-10,000 RT-PCR tests per day.

Click here for full Covid-19 coverage.

Now more emphasis is being laid on rapid antigen tests because you can know the result at the point of care whether one is positive or negative within 4-5 hours. Antigen kits are now available with district hospitals and municipalities. The advantage with rapid antigen kits is that a large number of people can be screened and positive cases can be identified and segregated, he said.

The chief minister said Odisha is one of the few states in the country which is providing universal care for Covid-19 patients completely free of cost. From testing to treatment to food, transport, accommodation, everything is provided free of cost, and the objective is that because of financial problems nobody should suffer without getting treatment in Odisha, Patnaik said.

The chief minister said those Covid positive patients who will be staying in home isolation, would be provided a kit containing dos and donts, few basic medicines and a list of telephone numbers of doctors, counsellors/ tele-medicine professionals and government officials.
Iran arrests 5 for spying for foreign intelligence services

Iran Press TV

Tuesday, 11 August 2020 10:27 AM

Iran's Judiciary has confirmed that five Iranian nationals were recently detained on charges of spying for Israel, Britain and Germany, adding two of them have already been convicted.

Addressing a news briefing on Tuesday, Judiciary Spokesman Gholamhossein Esmaili said "five Iranians who were spying for foreign intelligence services are now in detention."

They were "spying for Israel, Britain and Germany" he explained.

According to the spokesman, they were working at the foreign ministry, the energy sector as well as the defense ministry and the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran.

"Two of them have already been convicted and handed jail terms" in recent days, Esmaili said, identifying them as Masoud Mosaheb and Shahram Shirkhani

Mosaheb, who was secretary-general of the Iran-Austria friendship association, has received a 10-year jail term after being convicted of espionage for Israel's Mossad spy agency as well as the German intelligence service, Esmaili noted.

Meanwhile, Shirkhani has been handed a prison sentence for spying for British intelligence services. He had provided the UK with classified information about Iran's Central Bank, Bank Melli Iran and Defense Ministry contracts.

He had also attempted to recruit some Iranian officials for Britain's MI6 agency.

Last month, the Judiciary announced that Mahmoud Mousavi Majd convicted of espionage for US and Israeli intelligence services had been executed.

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SAO PAULO, Aug. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Azul Airlines and Latam Airlines Brazil commence today their codeshare agreement starting with 64 domestic routes in Brazil. The codeshare agreement announced on June 16 provides Brazilian customers the widest range of travel options across both connected route networks. In addition, members of the airlines' loyalty programs, TudoAzul and Latam Pass will benefit from travel benefits and reciprocal points accrual on each airline.

A total of 35 non-overlap routes will be available for sale today. Latam customers will be able to buy tickets on 23 routes operated by Azul while Azul customers will be able to buy tickets on 12 routes operated by Latam. Until the end of August, the companies will begin sales on another 29 routes, 12 operated by Azul and 17 by Latam. The codeshare routes are focused into and out of the airline hubs of Brasilia (BSB), Belo Horizonte (CNF), Recife (REC) and Campinas (VCP) airports accessing destinations all over Brazil. In addition to the codeshare, the loyalty program accrual partnership brings incredible benefits to TudoAzul's 12 million members and and Latam Pass' 37 million members.

The codeshare will enable a smooth travel experience between Azul and Latam networks with the convenience of through check-in with baggage checked through the final destination. Together our networks bring unparalleled connectivity for the Brazilian domestic customer. For example, customers can now fly from Campinas to Rio Branco, in Acre, with one convenient connection in Brasilia, a journey that would not be possible without this codeshare", says Abhi Shah, Chief Revenue Officer at Azul.

About Azul

Azul S.A. (B3: AZUL4,NYSE: AZUL), the largest airline in Brazil by number of flight departures and cities served, offers 916 daily flights to 116 destinations. With an operating fleet of 140 aircraft and more than 11,000 crewmembers, the Company has a network of 249 non-stop routes as of December 31, 2019. In 2020, Azul was awarded best airline in the world by TripAdvisor Travelers' Choice. The Company was also awarded best regional carrier in South America for the ninth consecutive time by Skytrax in 2019. Additionally, in 2019, Azul ranked among the top ten most ontime low-cost carriers in the world, according to OAG. For more information visit www.voeazul.com.br/ir.

Contact

Investor Relations

Tel: +55 11 4831 2880

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SOURCE Azul S.A.

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By Nancy Lapid

(Reuters) - The following is a roundup of some of the latest scientific studies on the novel coronavirus and efforts to find treatments and vaccines for COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus.

Neuromuscular disease may be triggered by COVID-19

Researchers have added the muscle-weakening disease myasthenia gravis to the list of neurological problems linked to severe COVID-19. Tremors, seizures, impaired consciousness and other nervous system issues already have been tied to severe COVID-19. In some instances, the virus appears to trick the body into attacking the brain by triggering the immune system to produce so-called autoantibodies, which mistakenly target a person's own tissues or organs. In myasthenia gravis, autoantibodies attack nerve connections to muscles, and skeletal muscles involving breathing and moving parts of the body become weak after activity. On Monday in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine, doctors described three patients without previous neurological or autoimmune disorders whose symptoms of myasthenia gravis began within a week after fevers related to COVID-19 started. The time from the coronavirus infection to the beginning of myasthenia gravis symptoms "is consistent with the time from infection to symptoms in other neurologic disorders triggered by infections," the researchers said. They added that the findings add to "the growing evidence of other neurologic disorders with presumed autoimmune mechanisms after COVID-19 onset." (https://bit.ly/2PPI1wo)

Vaping by young people linked to higher COVID-19 risk

Vaping appears to be tied to markedly increased risks for getting COVID-19 among U.S. teens and young adults. Researchers analyzed nationally representative survey data collected in May from 4,351 participants ages 13-24 years in a study published on Tuesday in the Journal of Adolescent Health. Those who used both cigarettes and e-cigarettes in the previous 30 days were 4.7 times more likely to report having experienced COVID-19 symptoms compared with those who never smoked or vaped. Among participants who tested for COVID-19, those who used just e-cigarettes were five times more likely to report a positive test. Those who had ever used both e-cigarettes and cigarettes were seven times more likely to be diagnosed with COVID-19. Dr. David Christiani of Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, who was not involved in the research, told Reuters there are many reasons why people who vape would be at increased risk of getting COVID-19. Studies have shown that "vaping liquids impair local immunity in the nose and the rest of the respiratory tract. Once those defenses are impaired, it's going to make people more viable to infection," Christiani said. Also, the study authors noted, vaping involves repeated touching of the mouth and face, which is associated with the spread of the virus. (https://reut.rs/33QGZZu; https://bit.ly/2XQR9oX)

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Face masks could someday help diagnose illness

Some face masks are effective at limiting the spread of COVID-19, some are not - and some, researchers said, might eventually help diagnose illnesses unrelated to the coronavirus. Researchers reported in the journal Science Advances that N95 masks are most effective, as long as they do not have a valve that lets the wearer's exhaled breath escape. Next most effective are surgical masks, followed by multiple-layer cotton masks. Bandanas only minimally curb the escape of exhaled droplets. Fleece fabrics worn around the neck and pulled over the face "seemed to disperse the largest droplets into a multitude of smaller droplets" that remain airborne longer, so they "might be counterproductive," the researchers said. A separate report in the journal Analytical Chemistry explains that while molecules in exhaled breath can reveal disease, collecting enough molecules to diagnose a problem requires breathing into tubes or bags. But a specific kind of fiber insert placed inside a mask can collect enough molecules while wearers go about their usual activities. After volunteers wore the masks with the inserts, examining the fiber insert using mass spectrometry let researchers see even trace amounts of exhaled particles. (https://bit.ly/33RR2gR; https://bit.ly/2XX6qVA)

Certain immune responses may contribute to severe COVID-19

Researchers who compared innate immune responses - the body's first line of defense - in patients with coronavirus infections and in healthy people found multiple differences that could shed light on COVID-19 and why some cases become so severe. There were differences, for example, in the amounts and functioning of various types of cells in blood, in gene activity in cells isolated from blood, and in levels of inflammatory molecules. In particular, three molecules that were elevated in severely ill patients - called LIGHT, Oncostatin-M and EN-RAGE - are linked with lung inflammation but have not previously been seen in COVID-19 patients, the researchers reported on Tuesday in the journal Science. Severely ill patients also had bacterial debris, such as bacterial DNA and cell-wall materials, in their blood. The more debris, the sicker the patient, and the more inflammatory substances circulating in the blood. But surprisingly, "although there were enhanced levels of inflammatory molecules in plasma, the blood cells themselves were in a state of functional sluggishness, and failed to respond efficiently to stimulation," senior author Bali Pulendran of Stanford University told Reuters. Overall, Pulendran said, "the study yields mechanistic insights and potential therapeutic targets for COVID-19." (https://bit.ly/31NSZs7)

Open https://tmsnrt.rs/3a5EyDh in an external browser for a Reuters graphic on vaccines and treatments in development.

(Reporting by Nancy Lapid and Vishwadha Chander; Editing by Will Dunham)
(Bloomberg) -- SoftBank Group Corp. is targeting investments of more than $10 billion in public stocks as part of a new asset management arm, far exceeding the initial holdings that founder Masayoshi Son outlined to shareholders on Tuesday, people familiar with the initiative said.

The tally could reach into the tens of billions, said one of the people, all of whom asked not to be identified because the plans are private.

Son, the chief executive officer, unveiled the investment arm in a conference call to discuss earnings on Tuesday. He said the unit has about $555 million in capital. However, the amount is seen as a placeholder, people familiar with the project said; 555 is slang in Japanese gaming culture meaning go, go, go.

The asset management team is led by Akshay Naheta, a senior vice president in Abu Dhabi, the people said. The group has been quietly amassing multibillion-dollar stakes in American Big Tech companies over the past few months, the people said.

On Tuesday, Son said SoftBank had acquired holdings in some of the so-called FAANG stocks. FAANG refers to a group of five large tech companies: Facebook Inc., Amazon Inc., Apple Inc., Netflix Inc. and Google, whose parent company is Alphabet Inc.

The Japanese company didnt disclose the size of these positions. The investments were made using financing structures that can prevent SoftBank from showing up in public records as a direct shareholder, said the people familiar with the initiative.

A representative for SoftBank declined to comment. As an investment company, we need to explore various angles and scope. But our focus is still on companies driving the information revolution, Son said during the earnings presentation. This is the purpose of our company.

In recent years, SoftBank has painted itself as a champion of innovative startups, led by its $100 billion Vision Fund. That strategy faltered after WeWork and several other high-profile flameouts. But SoftBanks dealings with public stocks have notched some wins over the past three years. It profited from investments Charter Communications Inc. in early 2018 and in U.S. chip designer Nvidia Corp., which was worth 398 billion yen when it was sold last year.

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Less successful was a complicated investment in the now-infamous German payments company Wirecard. The bet profited select SoftBank employees and sovereign wealth fund Mubadala, an investor in the Vision Fund, but the collapse of Wirecard in recent months caused analysts to question the nature of the investment.

The development of a public-equities vehicle was driven partly by a long-held desire by various executives at SoftBank to pursue asset management. Following its $3.3 billion takeover of alternative-asset manager Fortress Investment Group LLC, SoftBank also considered buying a stake in Swiss Re, the worlds second-biggest reinsurer.

SoftBank is in the process of offloading 4.5 trillion yen in legacy assets, including stock in Alibaba Group Holding Ltd., T-Mobile US Inc. and its domestic telecom unit. Some of the capital raised will fund the asset management arm, the people said. SoftBank said it will own 67% of the asset management group, and Son will personally own the rest.

The new unit reflects the revived ambitions of Son. The founder had said in May that SoftBank was unlikely to secure outside investors for a second Vision Fund after problems with the first. But in the upbeat financial results Tuesday, Son expressed readiness to accelerate a companywide shift from telecom to investing. Our strategy hasnt changed, Son said. We still plan on unicorn hunting with Vision Fund two, three and so on.

SoftBanks investments in FAANG stocks are buoyed by a tech rally in the market. Uber Technologies Inc. rebounded 11% last quarter after tumbling in the first and is now trading at close to the $33 price SoftBank paid in early 2018. The performance gives a strong boost to the Vision Fund portfolio, which is heavily weighted toward ride-hailing companies, also including Didi Chuxing in China, Grab in Southeast Asia and Ola in India.

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Students at state universities have been awarded $210,500 in scholarships from the states oil and natural gas industry for the 2020-21 academic year.

As recipients under the Oklahoma Energy Resources Board (OERB) Petroleum Scholar Program, the students were chosen for their outstanding grades and work ethic. They include 70 freshmen through seniors majoring in petroleum engineering, geosciences or energy management at the University of Oklahoma, Oklahoma State University and the University of Tulsa.

The OERB is funded through a voluntary one-tenth of 1 percent assessment on oil and natural gas production. Since 1993, the agencys purpose is to conduct environmental restoration of abandoned well sites and to educate Oklahomans about the importance of the petroleum industry.

Since 2005, the states oil and natural gas industry program has provided nearly $5 million in scholarships. The goal of the program is to keep these future leaders in the state.
Kamala Harris made history Tuesday when presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden announced the California senator as his running mate. Harris is first Black woman and first Asian American to be the vice presidential nominee of a major party.

Being the daughter of immigrants  her father is Jamaican and her mother was Indian  helped shape Harris, 55.

But it was Harris' late mother, Shyamala Gopalan Harris, who "was a force of nature and the greatest source of inspiration in my life," she wrote in an Instagram post on March 1, the first day of Women's history Month.

And there was one habit her mother had in particular that Harris said helped her decide to run for president, and presumably accept Biden's invitation to be the vice presidential candidate. It was her mother's consistent retort whenever Harris complained about something: "Well, Kamala, what are you going to do about it?" Harris said her mother always asked.

"My sister Maya and I were raised by a strong mother," Harris posted on Instagram in July 2019. "She taught us not only to dream but to do. She taught us to believe in our power to right what is wrong. And she was the kind of parent who if you came home complaining about something, she'd say, 'Well what are you gonna do about it?' So I decided to run for President of the United States."

Harris says her mother also taught her "the importance of a good education. She taught us the good old-fashioned value of hard work. She taught us don't let anyone tell you who you are. You tell them who you are."

And though Shyamala was Indian, Harris said her mother "was very intentional about raising my sister, Maya, and me as strong, Black women," she wrote on Instagram in February for Black History Month. Shyamala took her daughters to a Black cultural center near their home where they were "exposed to extraordinary people like Shirley Chisholm, Nina Simone, and Maya Angelou, who helped show us what we could become," Harris said.

Shyamala was tiny (standing only 5 feet tall) but "hers was a commanding presence characterized by a sharp wit, keen sense of humor and endless depth of knowledge," her obituary reads. She graduated from Delhi University at 19 and later received a Ph.D. in nutrition and endocrinology from the University of California at Berkeley, where she met Harris' father, Donald Harris. Donald, a former professor of economics at Stanford, and Shyamala split when Harris was a child, according to the Mercury News. Shyamala had a storied career researching breast cancer. She died from colon cancer in 2009 at age 70, according to her obituary.

After Harris was announced as the democratic vice presidential candidate, Maya Harris (who is a lawyer in San Francisco and self-described civil-rights advocate), tweeted, "You can't know who Kamala Harris is without knowing who our mother was. Missing her terribly, but know she and the ancestors are smiling today."

See also:

Cash payments to 2.7 billion people living in poverty would slow Covid-19 spread: report

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Pro-UBI Mayor Michael Tubbs lived across the hall from Snap's Evan Spiegel in college
MADISON  The Madison Art Society is sponsoring a Zoom art lecture by Dr. Courtney Skipton Long, Ph.D, Acting Assistant Curator, Prints and Drawings at Yale Center for British Art, 10 a.m. Aug. 21. In the lecture, An English Landscape Revealed: John Constable and the Poetry of Paint, Long will examine the life and artistic practice of one of Englands most celebrated landscape painters, John Constable (1776-1837). The Zoom art lecture is free and open to the public.

According to a statement from the society, Unlike his contemporary, J.M.W. Turner, Constable was not a prodigy. He labored to acquire technical proficiency, spending years in art classes before being elected as a full member of the Royal Academy at age 52. Never traveling beyond his home country, Constable has been recognized as the local boy who transformed landscape painting, winning medals in France and admirers around the world.

According to the statement, Skipton Long is a historian of art and architecture. A Connecticut native, Long received her B.A. in the History of Art and Medieval Studies from Mount Holyoke College and her Masters and Ph.D. from the University of Pittsburgh. Her doctoral thesis focused on Medieval English architectural history and its Victorian reception. In 2016, she was the Zvi Grunberg Postdoctoral Fellow at the Bruce Museum (Greenwich, CT), which was followed by a postdoctoral fellowship in Art Collections at the Yale Center for British Art. Currently, Long is the acting Assistant Curator of Prints and Drawings at the Center where she oversees the largest collection of British works on paper housed outside of the UK; a collection that was generously donated to Yale by Paul Mellon and that includes several masterworks by Constable.

To register for the Zoom lecture, contact Marianne@RTDTECH.com. To learn more about the free Zoom lecture and about upcoming Madison Art Society events, visit madisonartsocietyct.gov.

Free meal sites available through August

End Hunger Connecticut! and the Connecticut State Department of Education remind residents that EHC!s Summer Meal Locator Map has been updated with more than 400 locations serving free summer meals around the state. Kids and teens, 18 years of age and younger, can receive free, nutritious meals all summer long. The EHC! Meal Locator Map, which allows residents to find a site closest to them, is operated in partnership with EHC! and the CSDE, according to a statement.

When schools are closed, millions of children with low-incomes across the country lose access to the school meals provided through the National School Lunch Program. The Summer Meals Programs help fill this gap by providing free meals and snacks to children who might otherwise go hungry. These programs are funded by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and administered by the CSDE. This year, through federal waivers, many sites have the added flexibilities to improve access to meals, including: allowing parents and guardians to pick up meals; offering multiple meals (breakfast and lunch, or meals for multiple days) during one pick-up; and allowing those meals to be consumed off-site, according to the statement. .

Families can find locations across Connecticut where kids and teens 18 years of age and younger can eat free, healthy meals all summer long at www.ctsummermeals.org, texting CTMeals to 877-877, or calling 211.

Essex Savings Bank promotes employees

ESSEX  Gregory R. Shook, President and CEO of Essex Savings Bank, recently announced the promotions of the following individuals. The following information was provided in a statement by Essex Savings Bank.

Denise Goucher was promoted to Vice President, Assistant BSA Officer & Deposit Operations Manager from Vice President & Deposit Operations Manager. Goucher has been an integral part of Essex Savings Bank since 1976. She has held various positions at Essex Savings Bank from starting in the branch network to working at the corporate office. Goucher is a 1998 graduate of the Connecticut School of Finance and Management and resides with her husband in Old Lyme.

Bernadette Jones was promoted to Vice President, Corporate Secretary and Compliance Officer from Vice President, Compliance Officer and Assistant Corporate Secretary. Jones joined Essex Savings Bank in 1978 and has held numerous positions of including Controller, Supervisor of Operations and Teller. She is a graduate of the Stone School of Business, the Connecticut School of Finance and Management and Americas Community Bankers National School of Banking. Jones resides in Westbrook.

Gregory Pilney was promoted to Vice President, Information Systems Officer from Assistant Vice President, Information Systems Officer. Pilney received a bachelors degree from New Hampshire College and is a graduate of the Connecticut School of Finance and Management. He joined Essex Savings Bank in October 2015 and resides with his family in Colchester.

Elizabeth Kuhns was promoted to Assistant Vice President, HR Manager & Marketing Officer and Assistant Corporate Secretary from Marketing Officer and Assistant Corporate Secretary. Kuhns received her bachelors degree from Old Dominion University and is a graduate of the Connecticut School of Finance and Management. She joined Essex Savings Bank in December 2014 and resides with her family in New London.

Hilary Mondelci was promoted to Assistant Vice President, Loan Administration Manager and Assistant Corporate Secretary from Loan Administration Manager and Assistant Corporate Secretary. Mondelci is a graduate of the Connecticut School of Finance and Management. She joined Essex Savings Bank in June 2011 and currently resides with her family in Chester.
Actresses Priyanka Chopra and Mindy Kaling  and many others  welcomed presidential nominee Joe Biden's decision to pick Indian-origin California Senator Kamala Harris as the Vice Presidential candidate.

Biden named Harris as his Vice-Presidential running mate, making history by picking the first black woman to compete on a major party's presidential ticket.

Also read: Kamala Harris: Who is this Indian American politician

Hailing Biden's move, Indian actress Priyanka Chopra said, "This is a historical, transformational, and proud moment for all women."

Highlighting the fact that Harris is the first black woman and first person of Indian descent to be on a US presidential ticket, Chopra said, "Representation matters. P.S. To my younger self  look how far we have come!"

"Was there ever more of an exciting day?" asked Indian-American actress Mindy Kaling on Twitter.

"For our entire country of course, but especially for my Black and Indian sisters, many of us who have gone our entire lives thinking that someone who looks like us may never hold high office?" she wrote, pointing to Harris's mixed Black and South Asian heritage.

That day when a little girl from Oaktown became the first black woman to be a major-party vice-presidential nominee..."



That day when a little girl from Oaktown became the first black woman to be a major-party vice-presidential nominee...

So incredibly proud of you, sis!

pic.twitter.com/sm4ctGCNPU  Maya Harris (@mayaharris_) August 11, 2020

Maya Harris, Kamala's sister, said, "

Leading Indian-American groups across the US have also lauded the selection of Indian-origin Senator Kamala Harris as the Vice Presidential candidate.

"What an electric moment for the Indian-American community! Indian-Americans are now truly a mainstream community in the national fabric, MR Rangaswami, an eminent Indian-American and the founder of Indiaspora, told PTI.

"On a personal note, it's great to have a woman on the ticket whose mother hails from my hometown of Chennai in India," Rangaswami said.

Welcoming the decision, IMPACT, the leading Indian-American advocacy group, and PAC said that it will raise USD 10 million for the campaign.

"Kamala Harris's story is the story of a changing, inclusive America. At a time of rapid change, she ties all our national threads together. The daughter of immigrants from Jamaica and India, Kamala Harris represents the future and promise of this country. Her candidacy is historic and inspiring, not only for Black Americans but for millions of Asian American voters, the fastest-growing voting bloc in the country," IMPACT's executive director Neil Makhija said.

"An estimated 1.3 million Indian-Americans are expected to vote in this year's election, including nearly 200,000 in Pennsylvania and 125,000 in Michigan, both must-win battleground states. IMPACT is gearing up to raise USD 10 million to fight for inclusive democracy and candidates who share our values like Senator Harris," Makhija said.

(With PTI inputs)
Cairn Homes expects to report profit of 5.6m for the first half of this year despite "the significant headwinds faced around production capacity and sales in April and May."

In order to help mitigate the spread of Covid-19 the company's building sites were closed for two months earlier this year.

Cairn made a profit of 27.3m made in the same period last year, according to a trading update from the group.

With much of the economy in lockdown, the Dublin-listed housebuilder closed 207 new home sales in the six months to June 30, down on the 390 closures in the first half of 2019.

Cairn Homes is primarily focused on building houses in Dublin and the surrounding counties, the average selling price per home was 322,000 in the first half of 2020, up slightly on last year.

Revenue for the first six months of this year is expected to be around 80.6m, a fall of 58pc on the corresponding period in 2019.

The company expects its half year gross margin to be around 16pc, down from 18.6pc, on the back of additional costs stemming from the global pandemic.

Productivity levels on sites have improved over the last three months, Cairn said, adding that it is achieving around 80pc of pre-pandemic levels.

Cairn had a gross cash position of around 155m and net debt of about 187m at June 30.

It said it is "encouraged" by the level of underlying demand and sales since its show homes reopened by appointment in June.

Its closed and current forward sales pipeline has grown to 970 new homes as of August 10.

However, due to the Covid-19 shutdown, around 300 of Cairn's forward sales are now expected to close in the first half of next year.

Further sales launches are scheduled over the remainder of the summer and into early autumn, having been postponed from spring.

CEO Michael Stanley,said: "Notwithstanding the impact of the pandemic on our operations, the resilience of the business has shone through in recent months.

Sales interest has picked up appreciably in recently months, underpinned by strong demand for high quality, energy efficient new homes in attractive locations."

Shares in the company were up 2.4pc in Dublin yesterday and Goodbody analyst Robert Eason said: "Overall this is a comforting statement from Cairn Homes,"
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 12)  The principal author of the 1.3-trillion economic stimulus package in the House of Representatives appealed to senators to pass the bill since it is significant to the countrys road to economic recovery amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

House economic cluster co-chair Rep. Stella Quimbo of Marikina's 2nd District explained the Accelerated Recovery and Investments Stimulus for the Economy of the Philippines (ARISE Philippines) Bill will help the country bounce back from economic woes brought by the pandemic.

She noted that the high economic contraction in this years second quarter added 400 billion in the countrys economic losses.

Were now looking at 2.4-trillion for the entire year," Quimbo told CNN Philippines' Rico Hizon. "So thats the amount of damage that an economic stimulus package needs to avert.

Quimbo, also a noted economist, said the Bayanihan to Recover As One Bill (Bayanihan 2) is not enough to pump up the countrys economy. The Senate allotted 140 billion in its Bayanihan 2 version while the House allocated 162 billion.

She also said the economic stimulus bill will guide the government in properly using loans and bring the country into good macroeconomic fundamentals despite uncertain times.

One way to use loans properly is precisely to have a coherent economic stimulus package where guidelines could be put in place so that we can make sure whatever funds we put into an economic stimulus package would be used productively, said Quimbo.

The ARISE Bill, passed by the House in third and final reading on June 4, seeks to extend support to micro, small, and medium enterprises and other sectors affected by the pandemic.

Under the proposed measure, a 568-billion package is intended for immediate employment protection stimulus for affected workers. Around 80 billion from the package will be allocated for 2021, and 650 billion will be for the Build, Build, Build program to be spread within three years in projects for healthcare, education, and security.

Senate President Vicente Sotto III promised the ARISE Bill will be one of the Senates priority measures when it opened its regular session last July 27.
I found myself in tears on my morning run recently. Not the first time its happened and no doubt not the last. I wasnt crying from pain, although that has been the case. I once tripped over a rock in Yarra Bend Park and face-planted in the dirt, boy that stung. But this time I was crying for my dear old dad.

Dad is going OK now but a couple of days ago I had to rush him into hospital emergency. Hed collapsed at home and it turned out hed had a couple of small strokes. His heart had developed a type of arrhythmia. Hes had great medical care and it looks like theres a straightforward treatment that will get him back on track. But it was a shock, and a frightening episode, made all the worse by the impact of the pandemic.

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I took him into emergency, driving through near-deserted streets and wondering if Id get picked up for being outside my five-kilometre bubble. Dad was weak and a bit anxious. I sat with him at the reception window and helped explain what had happened. But that was as far as I was allowed to go. I couldnt go into the emergency department with him. I had to watch him shuffle through the doors alone.

I relayed all I knew to the rest of the family and spoke to the hospital doctors over the phone, who were kind and informative. But no visitors allowed, not even Mum. Instead of sitting by his bedside she had to sit in their house alone. No visitors allowed there either. I try hard to keep positive and count my blessings during this awful time. Were all well, we have jobs, we are able to support our children at home. Were more fortunate than so many. But since the first round of restrictions I have been terribly worried that something will happen to my elderly parents and I wont be able to be with them.
Adding the possibility of spreading COVID-19, along with the "substantial costs" to prevent and mitigate any infections, "may cost lives and force schools to make difficult decisions regarding the continuation of in-person instruction," McCormick said.

"Prior to the start of this school year, many districts had difficulty purchasing cleaning supplies and personal protective equipment. This continues to be an ongoing struggle," she added.

"If the upcoming general election relies on the use of school buildings, there will be a substantial labor and resource cost incurred."

To alleviate that burden, McCormick recommends Lawson take action to enable all registered Indiana voters to choose to cast an absentee ballot by mail  as some 500,000 Hoosiers did for the primary election  reducing the demand for school facilities as in-person voting sites.

"Doing so will support the health and safety of Indiana students, school personnel, poll workers, voters, and the overall community, while also allowing schools to conserve limited cleaning supplies, protective equipment, and finances," McCormick said.

Lawson's office declined to comment Tuesday when asked about McCormick's memo.
As speculation grows that France could be removed from the UK's quarantine-free list this week, analysis has found that fourteen other countries also on the list have higher or similar coronavirus figures.

Fears are now mounting that all fourteen countries - including France - could be added to the quarantine list, throwing the plans of hundreds of thousands of British holidaymakers into chaos.

Analysis of the latest data conducted by The Telegraph found that over the period between August 6 - 12, new cases in France rose to 18.1 per 100,000, up from 13.1 for the previous seven days.

The increase will have triggered alarm bells in Downing Street as the Government considers adding more countries to the list of destinations from which travellers must quarantine upon their arrival to the UK, including returning UK nationals.

The decision on France and the status of other countries on the UK's quarantine exemption 'green list' is expected to be made on Thursday.

The newspaper's research found that a number of other countries that, like France, have 'air corridors' with the UK to allow for quarantine-free travel, have similar or even higher case rates than France.

Pictured: A graph showing the countries from which travellers arriving in the UK are currently exempt from the 14-day coronavirus quarantine, and the number of Covid-19 cases per 100,000 people in each country. Speculation is mounting that France could be removed from the list of exempt countries, but there a number of others that have higher or similar figures

French health authorities reported 1,397 new COVID-19 infections over 24 hours on Tuesday, almost twice Monday's tally of 785. Between August 6 - 12, France saw 18.1 new coronavirus cases per 100,000 people. Pictured: People walk past the Louvre Museum in Paris, Aug 12

On that list, The Netherlands (23.1 per 100,000), Gibraltar (35.6), Monaco (38.2), Malta (46.7), San Marino (53.0), the Faroe Islands (198.5), Turks and Caicos (278.9) and Aruba (547.9) all have higher rates of new cases per 100,000 than France.

Those on the list with a slightly lower rate than France are Denmark (15.3 per 100,000), Iceland (14.7), the Czech Republic (14.0), Switzerland (13.3) and Poland (12.7), but could also be included in the quarantine conversation when the Government reviews the policy.

The UK Government may argue that the likes of Aruba and San Marino do not attract enough British tourists to require a change in status, but the likes of Gibraltar and Malta are both popular destinations for British holidaymakers in the summer.

All the above have now overtaken Portugal's rate of 12.4 new cases per 100,000 people in the last seven days, but despite this, Portugal remains on the list of countries from which all arrivals to the UK, including those returning from holiday, must quarantine for two weeks.

Downing Street reminded potential holidaymakers on Monday that 'there is no risk free way of travelling overseas' with Prime Minister Boris Johnson adding that he 'would not hesitate' to bring in travel restrictions for other countries.

The latest data on coronavirus cases on foreign soil will be analysed by the Government's Joint Biosecurity Centre (JCB), which met on Tuesday, and Downing Street's decision on the quarantine list will be public in the coming days.

An estimated 500,000 Britons in France and many more in other countries could be forced to make a dash home or risk being forced to quarantine on their return to the UK, should the government decide to remove more countries from the list.

Despite Portugal having a lower rate of new Covid-19 cases in the past seven days than a number of countries on the government's exemption list, travellers entering the UK from Portugal are required to self-isolate on their arrival in the UK. Pictured: Beachgoers crowd Praia da Duquesa, in Cascais, Portugal. on August 09, 2020 as tourism slowly returns

UK Ministers are believed to be planning new measures for a swathe of countries amid a surge in European coronavirus cases

The Netherlands is among the countries exempt from the UK's quarantine rules, but saw a rate of 23.1 new cases per 100,000 people in the last week- a higher rate than France - which is expected to be removed from the exemption list. Pictured: Day trippers walk from the train station on their way to the beach on a sunny day in Zandvoort, The Netherlands, August 8

On Tuesday, the UK updated its travel 'green list', but did not take Portugal off the quarantine list, in a blow to the country's economy that benefits greatly from tourism from the UK.

The UK Government was warned that cases in Portugal had not fallen fast enough to be able to safely add the country to the 'green list'.

Portugal registered 120 new cases on Monday, down from 290 last Friday, but in the last 14 days, the cumulative number of cases per 100,000 rose to 24.6, its first increase in weeks, according to The Daily Telegraph.

Meanwhile, France's tally of coronavirus cases rose by 1,397 in the latest update on Tuesday, taking the total from 202,775 to 204,172.

Health officials have reported 10,143 new cases in the last seven days, up from 8,833 in the previous week - making it five straight weeks of increase.

On Monday, France reported the first significant rise in the number of coronavirus patients in hospital since the lockdown was lifted, although it fell again on Tuesday.

Some 227 clusters have been identified across France, a rise of 25 in the last 24 hours, as summer holidays resume and people gradually return to work.

French health officials have reported 10,143 new cases in the last seven days, up from 8,833 in the previous week - making it five straight weeks of increase

France's prime minister Jean Castex (pictured at a hospital in Montpellier yesterday) has told his citizens to 'pull themselves together' amid a fresh surge in coronavirus cases in France

Today, France's prime minister told his citizens to 'pull themselves together' amid a fresh surge in coronavirus cases.

Jean Castex said the public was becoming careless and raised the spectre of a second lockdown after a rise of more than 10,000 cases in the last week.

France's seven-day average now stands at 1,691 new cases per day, up from 542 a month ago and 1,056 at the end of July.

'If we don't act collectively, we expose ourselves to the heightened risk that the rebound in the epidemic becomes hard to control,' Castex said on a visit to an intensive care ward in the South of France.

Some parts of France have tightened their mask rules despite the summer heatwave, with police now set to ramp up checks on face coverings - while neighbouring Belgium has today made masks compulsory in all public spaces including outdoors.
A three-year-old girl has a coin removed from her body in China after she swallowed it while playing at home.

The child was rushed to a hospital after she soon started throwing up and feeling nausea, her mother told the doctors.

A shocking X-ray image reveals the round object stuck at the back of the young patients throat after medics conducted a CT scan.

A three-year-old girl has a coin removed from her body in China after she swallowed it while playing at home. The picture shows the round object stuck at the back of the patients throat

The incident was brought to light after the parent brought the toddler to seek medical attention at the Nanning Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Guangxi province. The picture shows the coin after it was removed from the three-year-girl's body in China

The incident was brought to light after the parent brought the toddler to seek medical attention at the Nanning Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Guangxi province.

The little girl, nicknamed Bei Bei, had been staying at home with her grandmother on Friday morning, said a hospital report.

She is said to have picked up a one-yuan coin from a table and swallowed it before the grandmother noticed what had happened.

Depending on the version of the currency, one-yuan coins usually measure about 25 millimetres (0.98 inches) wide.

The horrified grandparent immediately called Bei Beis parents who then rushed home to check on their daughter.

The surgeons immediately scheduled an emergency operation to remove the coin from the toddlers throat. Bei Bei is pictured undergoing the operation at the hospital in Nanning

After conducting a CT scan on Bei Bei, doctors spotted the metal object lodged at the upper part of the patients oesophagus. The picture shows the process of the removal operation

She kept throwing up after she swallowed the coin, the mother later told the hospital. But [she] couldnt get the coin out.

The parent then took her daughter to the hospital after the young childs condition worsened.

After conducting a CT scan on Bei Bei, doctors spotted the metal object lodged at the upper part of the patients oesophagus, a muscular tube connecting the throat with the stomach.

The surgeons immediately scheduled an emergency operation to remove the coin from the toddlers throat.

Bei Bei has been discharged from the Nanning hospital following the surgery, according to the report.

Doctors warned parents about the danger of children swallowing foreign objects by accident.

We want to remind all the parents to ensure that [their infants and toddlers] stay away from small objects and toys, a medic said to Pear Video.

They are very likely to swallow it when they are frightened or not paying attention.
Afghanistan is becoming the Balkans of the late 19th and early 20th centuries and there is almost no one of Otto von Bismarcks sagacity and vision to prevent the place from blowing up and damaging the neighbourhood.

April 2021 is the last month of the American and allied troops occupation of Afghanistan and there is little likelihood of a change of plans regardless of whether Donald Trump or Joe Biden wins the US presidential elections in November.

Countries sharing a border with Afghanistan, which include the Central Asian states, Iran, Pakistan and China, have an equal stake in keeping the situation from blowing up, as do countries and big powers that dont like the United States, Russia, India, Turkey and the Arab nations.

Afghanistan has never known unbroken central rule as it is usually defined, and it doesnt have a strong centralising army, like another xenophobic state, Myanmar.

Tribes and warlords determine the power structure on the ground and this phenomenon often defies the Islamic impulses.

Afghanistan has an excess of local and foreign actors compounding its misery. Its chief local and foreign actors, respectively, are the Taliban and the United States. Afghanistan is Americas longest war and next year will be its inglorious 20th anniversary.

Although Washingtons objectives of its post-9/11 intervention were met with the dislodgement of the Taliban government and the ouster of Al Qaeda from all power structures, the US returned from the distraction of the Iraq War with new nation-building pledges for Afghanistan, in which India has so far spent $3 billion.

The objectives of foreign interventions amended and enlarged mid-course usually end in stalemate.

The situation with the principal actor opposed to the United States, the Taliban, is equally fraught and troublesome.

Although it controls 20 per cent of Afghanistan, contests another 50 per cent with the international coalition and Afghan forces, twice has held populous Kunduz city in the north, and is close to encircling six to eight other cities whose road links it can sever at will, its future still depends on the gains from the February 2020 peace agreement with the US.

The Talibans hardliners were opposed to the peace deal, which binds it and allies like Al Qaeda, the semi-autonomous anti-India, pro-Pakistan Haqqani Taliban of Sirajuddin Haqqani, etc, from attacking the US and its allies.

One of the biggest beneficiaries of disenchantment in the Taliban is the Islamic State-Khorasan (IS-K), originally constituted from leaders of the Pakistan Taliban facing Pakistan Army persecution.

In the months leading up to the peace deal, the US and Afghan forces on one side and Taliban on the other decimated IS(K), claiming no collusion.

Since the Taliban must sustain violence against the US and Afghan forces and others generally considered outsiders to preserve its raison d'etre, it has, so to speak, outsourced bloodletting and mayhem to IS(K), with the Haqqani Taliban acting as intermediary.

The Jalalabad jailbreak on August 3, while attributed to IS(K), benefited Taliban inmates the most. IS(K) attacks on a Kabul gurdwara and a maternity ward were particularly gruesome but were, however, not meant to help the Taliban cause entirely.

IS(K) mirrors its mother organisation, Islamic State of Iraq and Levant, by making extreme violence an end in itself to gain influence, strength and resources. This has proved a magnet for disenchanted Taliban hardliners.

The key test ahead is if the United States leaves a residual counter-terrorism force of upto 5,000 after the April 2021 withdrawal. A sort of guarantee for the peace deal, it can also increase the Talibans problems with its hardliners to the benefit of IS(K).

Between the Taliban and the IS(K), most states affected by Afghanistans instabilities prefer the Taliban, which is an insurgent movement with no revolutionary ambitions abroad.

These grudging supporters include the leading powers, the US, Russia, China, the Central Asian Republics, Iran, Pakistan, etc.

Although Indian agencies have contacts with the Taliban through Iran, it doesnt translate to meaningful political traction, this being scuppered by Pakistans closeness to the insurgent outfit, and the Talibans own supportive role in the IC-814 hijack.

The Haqqani Taliban through its violent attack on Indian interests and assets in Afghanistan guided by Pakistans ISI also makes accommodation with the Taliban remote for now.

On the other hand, Indias support of the Afghan government and its training of Afghan defence forces makes it anathema to the Taliban. Nevertheless, the IS(K) represents a bigger challenge, with recruits from India and with a chapter dedicated to terrorism in India.

Once the US departs, Indias non-military investments of $3 billion in Afghanistan will go up in smoke and Indias security interests will come under severe strain.

It is unlikely that the isolated civilian government with a depleted military can withstand Taliban pressure for long.

If this is accompanied by an ascendency of Pakistan, it can provide no comfort to New Delhi. Between a rock and a hard place is what confronts India in Afghanistan.

The situation of other states is, however, only slightly better. The United States has to keep an eagle eye on Afghanistan in the foreseeable future with the possibility of repeat military deployments which are politically controversial. Russia, China and Iran have to tolerate a hardline Taliban in their backyard because the alternative of IS(K) is unacceptable.

Having spearheaded the Islamic revolution in the 1990s, the Taliban cannot go soft and still hope to retain its radical base which is ever ready to switch to the IS(K).

The last of its hardcore 400 fighters in Afghan government captivity are to be released after US threats of aid cuts and this only makes the situation more precarious.

All of Afghanistans neighbours and near-neighbours have deepened partnerships with one another to manage the new flux after the US withdrawal, except for India whose differences with Pakistan over Kashmir and now China on the border question stand in the way.

Once a conduit for humanitarian aid to Afghanistan and quiet manoeuvrings with the Taliban, Iran has also moved away over differences over compliances with US sanctions and internal issues related to Muslims and Kashmir.

Busy retrenching, the US has nothing to offer except vague promises of protecting Indian interests.

The only big player left is Russia, with which India has a defence suppliers relationship after the United States displaced it as the most valued political partner. All at once, history is being turned back 20 years and the prospects are dark.

The writer is an analyst and journalist based in New Delhi
Sen. Kamala Harris, named Tuesday by Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden as his running mate, has staked out positions against increases in defense spending. But she has supported boosting the Department of Veterans Affairs' budget, her record shows.

The California Democrat has also called for increases in foreign aid, closer partnerships with allies on security issues, and an end to the military's transgender ban.

Read Next: Ex-Soldier Booted over Child Molestation Conviction Asks Supreme Court to Intervene

In the Senate, and in her losing bid for the Democratic presidential nomination, the 55-year-old has argued for the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan, cuts to border wall funding, and an overhaul of the Authorization for the Use of Military Force law to give Congress more say on war-zone deployments.

Harris has mostly taken positions in line with the overall policy of the Democratic Party.

As a member of the Senate Intelligence and Judiciary Committees, her focus was more on law enforcement, civil rights, judicial nominations and the big picture implications of great power competition.

Her positions on national security, the Defense Department and the VA have been stated in more general terms, and she is certain to be pressed for details in a campaign that promises to be a test of her ability to stand up to criticism.

During her campaign for the presidential nomination, her rivals often accused her of failing to explain her policy proposals and sloughing off demands for details.

In the opening salvo against her Tuesday, President Donald Trump called her "nasty" and a "phony."

"She wants to raise taxes, slash funds to our military" and join with Biden in efforts to "appease socialist dictators," he added.

In August 2019, Harris responded in writing to a series of questions from the Council on Foreign Relations on national security issues.

She said she favored having the U.S. rejoin the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action aimed at limiting Iran's nuclear programs.

"President Trump's unilateral withdrawal from an agreement that was verifiably preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon -- against the warnings of our closest allies, and without any plan for what comes next -- was beyond reckless," she said.

On China, Harris said the U.S. should work together on issues including climate change, "but we won't allow human rights abuses to go unchecked. China's abysmal human rights record must feature prominently in our policy toward the country."

When asked whether the U.S. should give sanctions relief to North Korea in exchange for partial dismantling of its nuclear weapons, Harris said there was no way to accept a nuclear-armed North Korea.

"But it's clear that simply demanding complete denuclearization is a recipe for failure; we must work closely with our allies to contain and reverse the short-term threats posed by Pyongyang as we work toward that long-term goal," she added.

On veterans issues, Harris has said in campaign promotions that she would push for more access to VA health care and housing assistance for veterans with other-than-honorable discharges.

"The bottom line is that, if we are to get serious about addressing the veterans' homelessness and suicide crises, getting at-risk veterans the health care and housing services they need is critical. This isn't just a matter of what's right, it's a matter of public health," she said.

In general terms, Harris has stated that the nation needs to do more to support military families.

In her campaign material, she wrote, "When a member of our armed forces deploys, it impacts entire families, not just one individual. We need to do more to prepare entire families for the challenges they may encounter when their loved one returns."

She called for a "review of all existing pre-deployment and post-deployment training for service members" in an effort to "look for opportunities to provide more support to family members, including related to PTSD and [Traumatic Brain Injury]."

-- Richard Sisk can be reached at Richard.Sisk@Military.com.

Related: Biden Selects California Sen. Kamala Harris as Running Mate
After hearing that Gov. Greg Abbott would be in Beaumont for a meeting with leaders about the COVID-19 pandemic, local brewery and winery owners eager for a chance to be heard gathered at the Jefferson County Courthouse on Tuesday.

Tyler Blount, owner of Neches Brewing Company in Port Neches, said there wasnt a lot of time to prepare, but a group of five business owners rushed to downtown Beaumont with posters and cardboard signs to greet Abbotts arrival.

As soon as we found out, we just decided we had to be here, Blount said. We just had to try to do something.

The business owners turned protesters held their signs up to the windows of the courthouse. Their messages, such as Let us open, could be seen in the meeting room where Abbott gave an address to the media.

Craft breweries, brewpubs, and wineries have spent the last seven weeks closed to the public, along with every other Texas business operating under a 51% liquor license, after Abbotts executive order in July.

Most have been relying on curbside service and the loyalty of customers, but  with the previous weeks of lost business in the spring  business owners are warning that they cant hold on much longer.

Clay and Stacy Rollins, owners of the Vine 2 Wine Vineyard and Winery in Winnie, said they  like most owners impacted by the order  have been looking for a chance to explain their side of the issue and why they feel they are separate from bars or nightclubs.

Since this began, no officials have sat down with us or allowed us to talk about what we would like to see, Stacy Rollins said. There has been no time to explain our part in this.

The Rollins raise their own grapes to create unique wine that they serve at the winery. They said other vineyards they work with are seeing grapes wither on the vine because of a drop in demand from their small-scale customers.

The far-reaching order also closed restaurants operating under the license as a safeguard for staying within Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission rules. Those include Madisons and the Logon Cafe in Beaumont.

But, unlike restaurants, there have been few options for breweries and wineries to adjust their license or business model to stay open.

After some confusion about updated rules on extending license service to other areas of a business in July prompted some establishments to serve their beer and wine to customers in outdoor areas, the TABC quickly shot down the practice.

In late July, days after its first guideline update, TABC sent emails to business owners explaining that businesses with a 51% license were still considered a bar and couldnt remain open to the public.

The agency remained firm that this interpretation was always the original rule and there wasnt a reversal of policy, but brewers such as Blount and Hollier saw it as another slap in the face for the industry.

Being able to open the taproom is the most profitable way to operate, no question, Hollier said. Even if you can distribute, youre looking at a 25% cut of revenue.

In July, the Texas Craft Brewers Guild released a report estimating that two out of three of every breweries in the association could close before the end of the year.

jacob.dick@beaumontenterprise.com

twitter.com/jd_journalism
DENVER, Aug. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- CenturyLink Inc. (NYSE: CTL) announced that Level 3 Financing Inc., its indirect wholly-owned subsidiary ("Level 3 Financing"), completed its previously-announced private offering of $840 million aggregate principal amount of its 3.625% Senior Notes due 2029 (the "2029 Notes").

Level 3 Financing intends to use the net proceeds from the offering, together with cash on hand, for general corporate purposes, including to redeem $840 million aggregate principal amount of its outstanding Senior Notes on the terms described below.

The 2029 Notes are unsubordinated, unsecured obligations of Level 3 Financing, and are guaranteed on an unsecured basis by Level 3 Financing's direct parent, Level 3 Parent LLC. The 2029 Notes were privately placed without being registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

In connection with completing the offering, Level 3 Financing today issued notices to redeem (i) all $140 million aggregate principal amount of its outstanding 5.625% Senior Notes due 2023 and (ii) all $700 million aggregate principal amount of its outstanding 5.125% Senior Notes due 2023. Pursuant to these notices, on Sept. 11, 2020, all such notes will be redeemed at par plus accrued and unpaid interest to, but excluding, the redemption date. Additional information regarding the redemption of these notes is available from Bank of New York Mellon. This press release does not constitute a notice of redemption with respect to any of Level 3 Financing's outstanding Senior Notes.

About CenturyLink

CenturyLink (NYSE: CTL) is a technology leader delivering hybrid networking, cloud connectivity, and security solutions to customers around the world. Through its extensive global fiber network, CenturyLink provides secure and reliable services to meet the growing digital demands of businesses and consumers. CenturyLink strives to be the trusted connection to the networked world and is focused on delivering technology that enhances the customer experience.

Learn more at http://news.centurylink.com/.

Forward-Looking Statements

Except for historical and factual information, the matters set forth in this release and other of our oral or written statements identified by words such as "estimates," "expects," "anticipates," "believes," "plans," "intends," "will," and similar expressions are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future results and are based on current expectations only, are inherently speculative, and are subject to a number of assumptions, risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond our control. Actual events and results may differ materially from those anticipated, estimated, projected or implied by us in those statements if one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or if underlying assumptions prove incorrect. Factors that could affect actual results include but are not limited to changes in the cash requirements, financial position, financing plans or investment plans of Level 3 Financing or its affiliates; changes in general market, economic, tax, regulatory or industry conditions; and other risks referenced from time to time in the filings of CenturyLink or Level 3 Parent LLC with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"). For all the reasons set forth above and in our SEC filings, you are cautioned not to unduly rely upon our forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements for any reason, whether as a result of new information, future events or developments, changed circumstances, or otherwise. Furthermore, any information about our intentions contained in any of our forward-looking statements reflects our intentions as of the date of such forward-looking statement, and is based upon, among other things, existing regulatory, technological, industry, competitive, economic and market conditions, and our assumptions as of such date. We may change our intentions, strategies or plans (including our plans expressed herein) without notice at any time and for any reason.

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Health officials reported Tuesday only four new cases of COVID-19 in Manitoba, after announcing 67 new infections over the previous three days.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 11/8/2020 (525 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Health officials reported Tuesday only four new cases of COVID-19 in Manitoba, after announcing 67 new infections over the previous three days.

Three of the new cases are in the Prairie Mountain Health region, which encompasses Brandon; the fourth is in Winnipeg.

Stay informed The latest updates on the novel coronavirus and COVID-19 delivered to your inbox every weeknight. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement.

The number of active cases of the novel coronavirus in Manitoba edged slightly lower to 194, from 196 on Monday. The current five-day test positivity rate was also lower at 1.27 per cent Tuesday, compared with 1.59 per cent Monday.

A total of 1,059 lab tests for COVID-19 were completed Monday. The province completed 2,062 tests Aug. 7, 1,553 on Saturday, and 1,364 on Sunday.

There are five persons in Manitoba hospitals with COVID-19, including three in intensive care.

Meanwhile, health officials had new information about potential exposure to the virus at the Tim Hortons restaurant on the Trans-Canada Highway and 18th Street in Brandon. In addition to potential exposure Aug. 1, there were additional possible exposures Aug. 3-4, the province said in a news release.

Meanwhile, Prairie Mountain Health is opening a temporary COVID-19 test site in Brandon's Keystone Centre grounds Wednesday.

On Monday, officials reported the coronavirus cluster in Brandon had grown to 64. There was no immediate word Tuesday whether the three most recent infections recorded in Prairie Mountain were part of that cluster.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-12 20:54:18|Editor: huaxia

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MANILA, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- Philippines' budget airline Cebu Pacific on Wednesday reported a 9.14 billion pesos loss (about 186.8 million U.S. dollars) in the first half of 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The loss reverses a 7.14 billion pesos (roughly 145.9 million U.S. dollars) net income in the same period in 2019.

"The disruption in the group's operations due to the repercussions brought about by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) crisis had negative impact on its financial condition and results of operations during the period," Cebu Air Pacific Inc., the airline's listed operator, said in a disclosure during a stock exchange filing.

The Philippines started to ban flights in February due to the spreading COVID-19 infections in the region. The flights restrictions expanded in mi-March when the government and several countries imposed coronavirus lockdowns to curb the spread of the virus.

Like most airlines, Cebu Pacific had suspended all flight operations starting March 19 and resumed on limited capacity on June 3.

"While some sporadic arrangements for sweeper flights to assist with stranded tourists did occur, for the most part, the group's operations were virtually nil until April," Cebu Air said, citing the start of cargo flights overseas.

It added that "commercial passenger operations restarted only last June 3 for domestic flights, but in a limited capacity."

"The group believes that it remains a resilient airline despite the adverse impact of the COVID-19 outbreak," Cebu Air said, citing a strong balance sheet and equity position during the first semester.

Before the pandemic, Cebu Pacific operated 78 domestic routes and 25 international routes, for a total of 2,717 weekly flights.

When quarantine restrictions eased in June, its network fell to 25 domestic routes, accounting for a total of 290 weekly flights.

The airline has laid off over 1,000 employees, including pilots. Enditem
President Donald Trump on Wednesday again acknowledged Dr. Scott Atlas at a coronavirus event, turning over the floor to his new advisor who has argued against lockdowns and school closings and wants to hasten 'herd' immunity.

Trump turned to Dr. Atlas, who he introduced to the media earlier this week, at an event on reopening schools, even as the nation grapples with infections among young people even on campuses starting to reopen.

'It's a great honor to be asked to help out in any way I can,' said Atlas, a trained neuro-radiologist at the Hoover Institution known for his appearances on Fox News.

President Donald Trump on Wednesday again acknowledged Dr. Scott Atlas, his coronavirus advisor. Atlas repeated his call to reopen schools, adding: 'We know that the risk of the disease is extremely low for children  even less than that of seasonable flu'

'We know that the risk of the disease is extremely low for children  even less than that of seasonable flu,' Atlas told an audience at an event that had more than 25 American flags.

'We know that the harms of locking out the children from school are enormous,' he continued. 'And we also know as we all would agree that education america's children is right at the top of the list for our nation's priorities.'

Atlas, who joined Trump, Vice President Mike Pence, counselor to the president Kellyanne Conway, and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, thanked the president and others at the event for 'acknowledging these truths and to get kids back to school safely.'

'We've been working with him very closely, all of the task force, all of the White House,' Trump said of Dr. Scott Atlas, whose new title is advisor to the president

Trump acknowledged Dr. Scott Atlas at the White House Wednesday

Trump in turn praised Atlas and indicated he would take part in a press conference later Wednesday  a role previously held by infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci and Dr. Deborah Birx.

'We'll have more from Scott in a little while. We're going to meet,' Trump said, referencing an upcoming task force meeting. 'We've been working with him very closely, all of the task force, all of the White House,' Trump added.

Then Trump made an odd statement coming from the nation that leads the world in reported coronavirus infections.

'You see countries, other countries are now blowing up in terms of the disease, you call it what you want, so many different names for the disease,' Trump said. 'Whether it's China virus and some I won't get into I just get myself in trouble when I do,' Trump said, in a possible reference to his prior use of the term 'Kung-flu.'

Atlas in his speakers' bureau bio says he has advised presidential candidates, and has been identified as an advisor to former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani's 2008 campaign.

CNN reported that Atlas' title is advisor to the president.

Atlas spoke to Fox News in a mid-July appearance amid national debate over keeping schools closed.

Dr. Atlas has pointed out the costs of lockdowns and noted that most people who get COVID-19 are not seriously harmed. 'It is so mild that half of infected people are asymptomatic, shown in early data from the Diamond Princess ship, and then in Iceland and Italy,' Atlas wrote.

'We are the only country in the world, this is a level of hysteria like this is something I feel like I'm living in a Kafka novel here. I mean, I get thousands of e-mails a week from all over the world, from professors, teachers, mothers in the United States and elsewhere, they are stunned that we are willing to just simply destroy our children out of some bizarre notion that is completely contrary to the science,' he said.

In May, Atlas disagreed with a model projecting 134,000 deaths by August 4, based on his reading of the fatality rate.

The U.S. exceeded that total, and as of August 10 was over 160,000.

White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany has frequently quoted Atlas, as she did in July from the White House podium when she said: 'Children under 18 have virtually zero risk of death from COVID, virtually zero risk of serious illness.'

In an April op-ed in The Hill, Atlas warned against 'mass isolation' measures that nations were taking seeking to head-off the spread of the virus.

The U.S. did impose lockdowns, but in a disjointed way that Fauci and others say didn't do enough to prevent a spike in cases. The U.S. has more than 5 million, about a quarter of all global infections.

'It is so mild that half of infected people are asymptomatic, shown in early data from the Diamond Princess ship, and then in Iceland and Italy,' Atlas wrote.

'That has been falsely portrayed as a problem requiring mass isolation. In fact, infected people without severe illness are the immediately available vehicle for establishing widespread immunity. By transmitting the virus to others in the low-risk group who then generate antibodies, they block the network of pathways toward the most vulnerable people, ultimately ending the threat,' Atlast continued. 'Extending whole-population isolation would directly prevent that widespread immunity from developing.'

Atlas offered up-beat information in a July interview even as cases rose.

'If cases go up, that's okay, the key thing is to prevent a big outbreak of deaths and serious complications and the way we do that is by protecting the high risk group,' Atlas said. 'Actually, we have been protecting the high risk group much better now, because we see that there's a huge increase in cases but there's actually a decrease in the rate of hospitalizations and a continuing decrease in the rate of deaths.'

During the event, Trump dismissed the hybrid approach many schools had been planning for, although some scrapped the idea as coronavirus cases went on the rise. It allows students to attend in-person classes once or twice each week while still maintaining social distancing.

Trump said it sounded 'ridiculous' and 'very strange.'
Hes lived a long, inspiring life. And today, Mr. James Davis, a WWII veteran from Conyers, Georgia, turns 100 years old!

Among the many things hes done during his long life, Davis has served in the U.S. Navy, traveled around the world, and was even hired as a personal assistant to former president Lyndon B. Johnson.

As for his character traits, leadership was something Davis learned at an early age.

Originally from Texas, Davis was born the eldest of six children, in Brookshire, on Aug. 12, 1920. His father died when he was just a teenager, so young Davis learned to become an inspiration to his siblings and ensured that they finished school, WTSP reported.

Then, Davis joined the U.S. Navy as a private first class cook, before serving in United States Merchant Marines for a time.

(Illustration  Miriam Sims Mitchell/Shutterstock)

The centenarian became a father to Lynda Jackson, and she now describes her dad as someone who loves listening to the music of Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye and loves his grandchildren.

She told the news outlet: He doesnt realize how impactful he has been in my life.

His resilience and steadiness, dont tend to let anything rattle him, knowing my dad you come to love the nuggets that hell throw out at younever let anyone mess up your personality.

Nothing visibility appears to shake him.

For Davis, the 100-year milestone isnt without its regrets, however. His late wife of 20 years, Odessawhom hed met through friends, and soon found he had everything in common withpassed away a number of years ago, the news outlet reported.

He described her as the sweetest woman I ever knew, Jackson said. Within three months of their relationship, they were married. Its kind of bittersweet since my mom is not here, Jackson adds. They never had an argument.

Meanwhile, the local community is also marking Daviss big day, and several cities and organizations offered proclamations commemorating his milestone and his service.

Friends and family gathered to celebrate the occasion on Saturday, Aug. 8, during a proclamation ceremony initiated by Rockdale County, Georgia. Davis has also received honors from Austin and Brookshire in Texas.

And Texas, where Davis was born, is where his heart remains, says Jackson.

Whatever state he chooses to call home, Davis can nonetheless take comfort knowing hes appreciated for the many lives he has inspired during his life, and for his service to his country and loved ones.

We want to add our thanks to all the rest and wish Mr. James Davis a very happy 100th birthday, with many more to come!
As data out of Houston, the epicenter of Texass coronavirus outbreak, began to show a surge in cases and hospitalizations at the end of June, the doomsday projections began in full force.

Three weeks from now, if these trends continue, the citys I.C.U.s will be overwhelmed . . . the storm has arrived in Houston, a local doctor wrote in a June 26 piece for The New Yorker. Its Like New York All Over Again, blared a July 4 headline in the New York Times. Two days later, science reporter Donald MacNeil warned during an episode of the Times podcast The Daily that in Houston, doctors who knew the situation in New York are saying that whats happening there looks like what happened in New York in early April.

And as the Texas Medical Center (TMC) reported 446 new coronavirus hospitalizations on July 5  a record-high  the fear intensified. But, more than a month later, the numbers tell a different story.

Following its record-high spike in daily hospitalizations, TMC has seen a steady decline over several weeks, with Mondays 127 new COVID hospitalizations marking the systems best day since June 14. Data from the Southeast Texas Regional Advisory Council (SETRAC) shows that Harris Countys coronavirus bed census has been nearly cut in half, from almost 4,000 confirmed and suspected COVID hospital cases on July 15 to 2,083 on August 10.

Why, then, were the comparisons to New York and the predictions of mass-hospitalization made in the first place?

To get a better picture of what actually happened on the ground, National Review spoke to over half a dozen doctors and administrators in Houstons public and private hospital systems. Ultimately, a number of key factors  and some good fortune along the way  explains why Houstons COVID death-count represents just 6 percent of New Yorks.

***

On March 3, as New York City confirmed its second coronavirus case, TMC CEO Bill McKeon had already begun a daily coronavirus conference call for the citys hospital CEOs. We started planning that far in advance, so we were very confident of our capacity and our plans, he told National Review. The collaboration set a precedent, as calls between the hospitals chief operating officers and their human-resources and critical-care departments became routine.

Story continues

With 49 member institutions across the public and private sectors, TMC is the worlds largest medical complex and represents a large portion of Houstons sizeable health-care system. TMC, which usually treats over 10 million patients a year, gave Houston a massive advantage in the COVID fight with its size and resources. The large and well-integrated health-care system stands in sharp contrast to the starkly divided public and private hospitals that exacerbated the pandemic in New York City.

When Houstons public-hospital system, Harris Health, began to run out of options amid the surges peak in mid July, TMCs other hospitals pitched in to keep things under control by taking on patients and providing additional testing, according to Harris Health CEO Dr. Esmaeil Porsa.

I honestly think without that degree of collaboration, I think the story would have been very different, Porsa admitted. He said that, fearing the worst, he had even prepared the kitchen sink option of turning post-anesthesia recovery beds into additional ICU space, but was fortunately never forced to utilize that option.

All the TMC hospital CEOs, getting together every morning to touch base over the data, trying to understand whats going on, and creating a situation where we were already helping each other in terms of distributing patients, that, to me, has been the most significant part of this whole thing, he stated.

Houston also had some good fortune. Unlike in New York, Houstons surge took months to come to fruition. Early on, Houstons 85-plus hospitals saw less than 100 COVID hospitalizations a day, a trend that continued for several months and gave the citys hospitals vital time to prepare. At the same time, inpatient and outpatient procedures fell dramatically, in part due to a ban on all surgeries that are not medically necessary, which Governor Greg Abbott implemented on March 22. The pause on visits, coupled with the slow burn of cases, allowed Houstons hospitals to gain experience with treating the virus  as well as to gain a secure handle on PPE.

We were desperately trying to get on top of the supply chain for the personal protective equipment, Dr. James McCarthy, executive vice president and chief physician at Memorial Hermann Health System, explained. We couldnt go burning through all of our masks and gowns doing ambulatory elective surgery when we needed them in the hospitals.

And the reliable supply of PPE, much of which is now sourced locally, has paid off. Multiple doctors who spoke to National Review stressed that with the proper gear and the proper precautions, COVID-19s threat could be mitigated.

If you wear a mask, maintain six feet, and wash your hands, were going to be okay, Dr. Glenn Davis, an internist and pediatrician who runs a private clinic on the north side of Houston, stated. It really is that simple. Basically, I bathe in coronavirus all day. Im bathing in coronavirus, and I havent gotten it yet, and neither has my family. Because I wear my mask, I maintain six feet, and I wash my hands. Davis added that 90 percent of the patients he has seen contracted the virus because they were not careful. I could pretty much tell you where they got it, he said.

Dr. Reynolds Delgado, a cardiologist at Baylor St. Lukes Medical Center who handles the really bad COVIDs, said he has closely examined patients multiple hundreds of times, and has been perfectly fine with an N95 mask. He added that none of St. Lukes six infectious-disease doctors have gotten sick, despite examining every single COVID case since the pandemic began  an anecdote the hospital confirmed as accurate.

The masks really do work. Thats the point of all that, he stated.

Abbott eventually allowed his state to begin reopening in May, after a New Yorktype surge never materialized. As Memorial Day rolled around and Texans resumed life as normal  largely without masks or social distancing  Houstons health professionals saw the impending wave and prepared accordingly.

The modeling told us it was coming, and we were able to prepare fairly well, Dr. Pat Herlihy, head of critical care at St. Lukes, told National Review. To prepare for the surge, TMC began rolling out additional ICU spaces by refitting units and recommissioning older facilities. Additional staffing, including traveler nurses, were brought in, and some doctors and nurses within the system were reassigned to boost critical care. While Herlihy said the prospects were intimidating, having months with the novel virus before the real wave hit proved invaluable.

Surge One, we were very nervous, we didnt know we could handle the volume, the acuity, new disease, he stated. By the time Surge Two came around, we were much more practical, focused, and it was much more systems management than this looming catastrophe.

As TMCs daily hospitalizations surged past 250, Abbott decided to pause reopenings, and pulled the trigger on a statewide mask order. Houstons hospital leaders gave him credit for being willing to change course when the moment demanded it.

Our governor made a great decision to pull the trigger on this before the Fourth of July weekend, McKeon said, adding he believed Abbott has been very data-driven in his approach.

I really do think that the mandatory wearing a face mask in public was the catalyst to get things turned around, Porsa told National Review.

The comments offer a different image than how much of the press has painted the Texas governor  If the virus has presented a leadership test, Abbotts metrics are getting worse, the Texas Tribune reported last month.

And compared to the fawning national coverage of New Yorks Andrew Cuomo, who was provided the opportunity for months to be interviewed by his brother, CNN host Chris Cuomo, without questioning over New Yorks alarming rate of nursing-home COVID deaths, the differences are even more glaring.

***

Facing the surge was no small task. But Houstons months-long experience of treating COVID, coupled with the observation of the virus in other cities, taught the doctors much about how to handle the virus effectively, including how and when to deploy ventilators.

When this first started, anyone who got really sick from a pulmonary pathway, we put them on a ventilator early. And weve learned that if we can keep them off the ventilator, they do much better, McCarthy said, explaining that doctors had shifted to more non-invasive ventilation treatments, like BiPAP and CPAP machines, which are commonly used to treat sleep apnea.

I think thats really, really helped us in terms of outcomes, Herlihy added. Ventilators in this particular pathology really can hurt the lungs.

In New York, an April study found that 88 percent of COVID patients who were put on a ventilator ultimately died. But Herlihy said that Baylor St. Lukes has slashed its mortality rate from 23 percent overall on March to 9 percent in July, in part by changing its treatment strategy. He said that the hospitals mortality rate for patients on ventilators is somewhere in the 30 to 35 percent range.

Ive been doing this for a long time, 35 years, Ive never seen a viral pneumonia act like this  it damages the lungs but it really damages the pulmonary vasculature all over the body, a really different thing than what weve seen before, he told National Review. In medicine, the way we operate is we spend ten years doing randomized control trials. And then we have another five years of expert bodies going over it, and they come out with standardized recommendations. Thats how we operate, but in this  the acuity, the volume, the fact that it was very new and different  we didnt have luxury of time to really operate in that way.

With time of the essence and a complete dearth of knowledge surrounding the virus, Houstons doctors have benefited immensely from the citys status as a hub of medical research.

According to McCarthy, Memorial Hermann is involved in over 30 clinical trials of experimental treatments, with the hope that a new antiviral coronavirus treatment will be available in the next one to two months. Additionally, doctors have been working with experimental treatments such as Remdesivir and blood plasma from recovered COVID patients  albeit with mixed results.

Remdesivir barely works. Its very weak in its effect, which is unfortunate, Delgado said. The convalescent plasma definitely works  very important. Ive personally seen that saved many lives.

We have not seen a lot of success with plasma, we have done a lot of it. I cant honestly tell you that it has been a wow-type treatment. I know that we are continue to use Remdesivir, even that, it has not been a life-saving medication, let me just put it that way, Porsa added.

But across the board, doctors told National Review that the implementation of steroids such as Dexamethasone were helping  Delgado called the treatment a game-changer.

Weve really figured out optimal timing of steroids, so we absolutely think the steroids are helping, McCarthy stated.

***

Overall, Houstons collaborative and innovative approach demonstrates a clear model for how hospital systems can handle intense surges  despite the pressure, TMC never surpassed 25 percent of its surge capacity. Even with the positive developments, however, there were still issues.

Early on, hospital coronavirus testing took two days to return results, forcing staffs to make judgement calls on suspected cases and heightening concerns that non-COVID patients could be unwittingly exposed during emergency-room visits.

According to McCarthy, Memorial Hermann saw a 30 percent decline in the number of heart attacks and strokes it saw during April and May. Theres nothing about COVID that protects people from heart attacks and strokes, he stated.

By Surge Two, TMC  which runs its own testing  had cut the lag to an average of two to three hours. Anybody who comes into the hospital is tested, Herlihy told National Review. We know pretty quickly if its COVID or not COVID, and that allows us to route them correctly and keep those infection control walls up for their sake, our sake, other patients sake.

But the initial logistical shortcoming  coupled with apocalyptic headlines like NBCs All the hospitals are full: In Houston, overwhelmed ICUs leave COVID-19 patients waiting in ER  led to a spiraling crisis.

All of that was overblown. We never even got close to capacity, Delgado stated. Its just crazy. Crazy, crazy, out of control, overblown stuff. Its fear, basically. Its a fear-factor so the patients, particularly older patients, are afraid to death to do anything. Theres elderly people with chest pain staying at home and just dying, or coming in late  someone brings them in  theyve already had a big heart attack. A lot of that is going on, and its really unsettling.

Hospitals are probably the safest place you can go to. If youre worried about contracting coronavirus, hospitals are extremely safe  theyre safer than a grocery store, theyre safer than a restaurant, McKeon added.

Davis told National Review that he estimates 5 to 10 percent of his patients are choosing to avoid necessary treatment. The longer you let that go, the bigger the number will get, he warned.

We always had the idea that we would not be overwhelmed quickly like New York, Delgado said. A lot of people got infected very quickly in New York because the population density there is just many orders of magnitude greater than Houston, Texas. That is the problem, the problem is all of them getting infected at a short period of time. Thats the problem, and thats what screwed up everything in New York. That never was going to happen in Houston.

More from National Review
(Natural News) Dictionary.com echoed the radical transgender agenda on Thursday, warning social media users to Beware the TERF  an acronym for trans-exclusionary radical feminist  and slashing a line thorough the universal symbol for women.

(Article by Hannah Bleau republished from Breitbart.com)

Beware the TERF, Dictionary.com posted on Thursday, alongside a tainted symbol for women:

They've changed the crossed-out female logo. Too late, you awful misogynists, too late. pic.twitter.com/SXCrdQ4E4e  Vulvamort (@HairyLeggdHarpy) August 7, 2020

TERF, as defined by Dictionary.com, is an acronym for trans-exclusionary radical feminism or trans-exclusionary radical feminist. In other words, it is a degrading term used by transgender activists to refer to feminists who do not recognize transgender women, who are actually biological men, as the same as biological women in their feminist ideology.

The term has been used by transgender activists to refer to Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling, who made waves recently for noting that only women can menstruate:

People who menstruate. Im sure there used to be a word for those people. Someone help me out. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud? Opinion: Creating a more equal post-COVID-19 world for people who menstruate https://t.co/cVpZxG7gaA  J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) June 6, 2020

She followed up after receiving a wave of backlash from fans and trans activists, warning that radical transgender ideology will effectively erase women:

If sex isnt real, theres no same-sex attraction. If sex isnt real, the lived reality of women globally is erased. I know and love trans people, but erasing the concept of sex removes the ability of many to meaningfully discuss their lives. It isnt hate to speak the truth.  J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) June 6, 2020

A style guide released by the Trans Journalists Association, aimed to advise journalists about the politically correct manner to address transgender issues in their reporting, also warns against TERFs, discouraging reporters from giving gender critical feminists a platform due to their hateful ideology.

This ideology should not be elevated in the press. When reporting on fringe groups and hate groups, instead of calling them TERFs or gender critical feminists, use language like transphobic, anti-trans, etc, the style guide states.

Avoid referring to anyone as a feminist when they are spreading anti-trans hate, it adds.

Like Dictionary.com, Merriam-Webster dictionary has also made substantial efforts to effectively erase the reality of biological females in order to satisfy social justice warriors, altering the definition of trans woman to woman who was identified as male at birth.

CNN also went to bat for the transgender movement last month, failing to use the words women, woman, female, or females in a story focusing on the American Cancer Societys updated recommendation that women undergo cervical cancer screenings at age 25 rather than 21. Instead, CNN used the phrase individuals with a cervix:

Individuals with a cervix are now recommended to start cervical cancers screening at 25 and continue through age 65, with HPV testing every five years as the preferred method of testing, according to a new guideline released by the American Cancer Society https://t.co/gUhYdIIx69  CNN (@CNN) July 30, 2020

Read more at: Breitbart.com
WALTHAM, Mass., Aug. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (NYSE:TMO), the world leader in serving science, has committed to supporting the efforts of historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in the U.S. to make COVID-19 testing available to all returning students, faculty and staff at the beginning of the fall semester. Through an initiative called "The Just Project," named after pioneering biologist Ernest Everett Just, Thermo Fisher plans to donate $15 million in diagnostic instruments, test kits and related supplies. The company will also provide technical assistance to HBCUs seeking to establish or expand their laboratories to provide regular on-campus COVID-19 testing throughout the 2020-21 school year.

Howard University, Morehouse School of Medicine, Meharry Medical College, Xavier University of Louisiana and Hampton University will be among the first HBCUs to receive donations. Their laboratories, along with those at other HBCUs that are expected to join the initiative over the next several weeks, will provide COVID-19 testing for their campuses and will also test samples from other HBCUs across the country. HBCUs receiving these donations have committed to use the donated equipment solely to offer COVID-19 testing to HBCU faculty, staff and students at no cost.

"Our first priority is to ensure a safe and healthy environment on our campuses," said Valerie Montgomery Rice, M.D., president and dean of Morehouse School of Medicine. "The support we receive from Thermo Fisher Scientific through The Just Project allows us to offer easy access to COVID-19 testing that is so important to getting our students back to school safely."

Wayne A. I. Frederick, president of Howard University, said, "Historically black colleges and universities have produced talented doctors, public health experts and engineers, many of whom are contributing to the fight against COVID-19. We are grateful to Thermo Fisher for supporting a testing center on our campus, which will allow us to continue to monitor the health of our academic community."

"Collectively, HBCUs exist to further the goals and aspirations of minorities through higher education, and the mission of the country's HBCU medical schools is to prepare future health professionals to work toward health equity across the land," said James E. K. Hildreth, Ph.D., M.D., president and chief executive officer of Meharry Medical College. "Thermo Fisher has demonstrated its support for minority higher education and recognition that those communities in the U.S. who have been hardest hit by the pandemic are deserving of every opportunity to continue their academic perseverance."

Fred Lowery, senior vice president and president, Life Sciences Solutions and Laboratory Products at Thermo Fisher Scientific said, "The pandemic has disproportionately affected the Black community, and historically black colleges and universities have taken a leadership role in making testing available in order to safely reopen this fall. These schools play an important role in closing the achievement gap in America and consistently train talented STEM professionals who are invaluable to companies like ours seeking to attract top talent and build a more inclusive workplace."

Lowery added, "Given the value we place on recruiting diverse talent, we have also committed to hiring at least 500 students from these institutions over the next three years."

Since the pandemic hit, Thermo Fisher has sought to increase access to COVID-19 tests. The company has increased its production of COVID-19 tests, instruments and supplies and has been working closely with public and private laboratories to scale up national testing capacity, including mobilizing testing facilities across more than 30 states. The company currently has the capacity to produce more than 10 million tests a week.

For more information on The Just Project, please visit our website.

About Thermo Fisher Scientific

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. is the world leader in serving science, with annual revenue exceeding $25 billion. Our Mission is to enable our customers to make the world healthier, cleaner and safer. Whether our customers are accelerating life sciences research, solving complex analytical challenges, improving patient diagnostics and therapies or increasing productivity in their laboratories, we are here to support them. Our global team of more than 75,000 colleagues delivers an unrivaled combination of innovative technologies, purchasing convenience and pharmaceutical services through our industry-leading brands, including Thermo Scientific, Applied Biosystems, Invitrogen, Fisher Scientific, Unity Lab Services and Patheon. For more information, please visit www.thermofisher.com.

Media Contact Information:

Ron O'Brien

Phone: 781-622-1242

E-mail: [email protected]

Investor Contact Information:

Ken Apicerno

Phone: 781-622-1294

E-mail: [email protected]

SOURCE Thermo Fisher Scientific

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12.08.2020 LISTEN

Some irate youth of Juapong blocked the main road on Wednesday, August 12, 2020, after the killing of a businessman in the area by suspected robbers.

The incident happened on Tuesday, August 11, 2020, at about 11 pm while the deceased and his wife were returning home from work.

About three men reportedly accosted the two and shot the man after a short confrontation at a suburb called Deeper Life.

Eyewitnesses say the police delayed in responding to distress calls after the incident which angered the youth and caused them to mount roadblocks and burn car tyres in protest.

Citi News understands that police from the Juapong Police Command arrived at the scene and calm has been restored.

A brother of the deceased in narrating the incident said, I was in the room and I heard a call from one of my tenants that my brother has been shot down there so I asked what happened. The wife told me that they were going home around 11 pm and they saw a gentleman coming out from a dark corner on the way and before they realized, he was about to attack so she called her husband that armed robbers.

So the husband told them that if it is money they want, here is it. They should take it, but they said we are not after money so when he started to run away, someone shot him from the back.

Another resident of the area also said, We got the information this dawn at 1 am that one Samuel Nyamado popularly known as Sonny has been gunned down when he closed from the shop and was going home. He has a provision shop just across the street where the incident happened and what brought out the riots was that they say thing happened around 10 pm to 11 pm but until the youth block the way, the police has not been there but right now calm has returned to the place because the police Commander and some police are there now."

---citinewsroom
Before she gave birth in Peru's largest maternity hospital, Maria Alvarez closed her eyes and made one request through her face mask.

"Where's my husband,'' she said. "I need him. I need him."

But the baby's father, Marco Martinez, had died a month before, from the novel coronavirus.

Alvarez, who had an asymptomatic case of the virus, gave birth to her first child, a daughter, in a special ward for mothers with COVID-19.

Peru's National Perinatal and Maternal Institute has dedicated about half its facilities to care for infected pregnant women.

Between April and the start of August, more than 2,000 infected patients gave birth there, with 120 newborns testing positive.

One in four people in Peru's capital of 10 million people could be infected with the coronavirus, according to a study published by health authorities in July, with more than 483,000 confirmed infected across the country of 32 million and more than 21,000 dead.

Despite wearing personal protective equipment and taking other measures to avoid infection, 400 of the 2,000 workers in the institute have also been infected, said its director, Enrique Guevara.

The institute has barred partners or other relatives from attending births, and pregnant women are moved through the hospital in wheeled beds protected by transparent covers in efforts to stop the virus from spreading.

Martinez returned to Peru in November after five years working in an electronics store in Chile.

Alvarez became pregnant, and after the coronavirus hit Peru, both went to work for a friend sewing face masks.

Martinez became ill and died in June. Alvarez tested positive for COVID-19, but never experienced any symptoms.

She felt contractions on July 29, and rushed to the hospital with a set of blue clothing for the boy that doctors had said was coming.

To her surprise, she gave birth to a girl.

After giving birth, as the 24-year-old recovered in her room in isolation, she said she had still not decided what to name her daughter.

Although mourning for her late husband, Alvarez said she had to keep fighting on.

"For now, I have another reason (to live and fight), one reason for my daughter and for myself."
By Ayya Lmahamad

Azerbaijan repatriated 262 more citizens stranded on the border with Russias South Caucasus Republic of Dagestan due to the lockdown over COVID-19, Minister for National Policy and Religious Affairs of Dagestan Enrik Muslimov told Dagestan media.

According to the statement, about 500 more people are waiting to return home. The next group is scheduled to return in a week.

A special corridor was organized for the citizens of both countries on the borders for repatriating citizens, who could not return on time due to the closure of borders amid the spread of COVID-19.

On June 23, during the telephone conversation of Deputy Prime Minister of Azerbaijan Shahin Mustafayev and head of Dagestan Vladimir Vasilyev, agreed to increase the number of citizens returning across the state border, in line with instructions of Azerbaijan and Russian Presidents.

Thus, according to the weekly schedule, 120 people crossed Samur checkpoint on May 19, 131 people on May 26, 122 people on June 2, 130 people on June 9, 155 people on June 16, 252 citizens on June 23, 250 citizens on June 30, 250 citizens on July 7 and 260 citizens on August 4.

Moreover, Azerbaijan has so far repatriated over 25,000 citizens from different countries over COVID-19 pandemic.

Azerbaijan closed its borders with Russia over COVID-19 on March 18.

Azerbaijan first introduced special quarantine regime on March 24 and closed its borders.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
By Adam Sheridan

Schools have to open.

Thats the edict coming from the halls of power, from the Trump administration on down. The CDC just altered its guidelines for school reopening, but not to recommend procedures that will make it safer: no, bowing to pressure from the president, they spent pages upon pages expounding on why it must happen but added few insights as to how.

Nearly every day, newspapers around the nation publish op-eds from experts that insist schools must reopen and warn of dire consequences if they do not. And lets say nothing of the drumbeat of aggressively uninformed social media screeds being posted in the local Facebook group of seemingly every municipality in America.

At the same time, counterevidence is given short shrift in the debate, even as it piles up more and more every day. A large South Korean study has found that older children, defined as kids ten years old and up, spread the coronavirus as effectively as adults. In Israel, reopening schools has been identified as a massive strategic mistake in the battle against the coronavirus, completely wiping out any gains from the previous lockdown. A new report from the American Academy of Pediatrics notes a 40% increase in pediatric coronavirus cases in the last two weeks in July, which includes a 10% increase in New Jersey. Our national conversation seems unwilling to grapple with the lessons of these and other counterexamples.

Gov. Phil Murphy now says that school districts can opt for an all-remote learning plan if they choose, but like our national conversation, this announcement does not acknowledge the socioeconomic class disparities or the structural racism of our society. Giving districts the choice means that affluent, mostly white, districts can opt-out of the dangers of in-person learning. At the same time, working-class people, especially working-class families of color, will be forced to send their children back to unsafe school buildings, with inadequate safety precautions and insufficient staffing.

Less affluent districts do not have the funding to make any of these reopening plans work, whether its in-person, hybrid or remote, and parents in lower-wage jobs are less likely to be permitted to work from home. In a state where your zip code determines how much money is spent on your education, Governor Murphys plan is stacking a new system of racial and economic inequity atop an old system that was rife with the same.

Meanwhile, teachers and school staff members watch these debates play out with fear and a growing rage. Rage because this discussion takes place within a broader societal context that makes a mockery of the entire debate.

If our nation truly deemed schools vital, if our society actually thought that schools had to open, wed have done everything necessary to make that happen. We would have closed the bars, even the outdoors ones, locked up the restaurants and kept them shut, mandated curbside pickup procedures for every retail store. Everyone would have masked up. Our government would have created a contact tracing system that was the envy of the world and made broadband internet a public utility. Every school in the nation would have the best HVAC system known to man, with MIRV 20 filters and the latest in sterilization technology. We would have spent whatever it took to enable people to stay home via expansive unemployment, recurrent stimulus checks, or a universal basic income system. We would have canceled rent and frozen mortgages.

We didnt do any of those things. Not really.

There is no money, and no societal conviction, to do the things that would make it safe to reopen schools. We drank at bars, and we dined out, and we went to parties on the Fourth of July. We acted as though all of these actions were without price, with no greater consequence. Now we are nearly through the summer, staring down the beginning of the next school year, and we are nowhere near ready to open. Our leaders are trying to open schools on the cheap, and force teachers to go teach in the rubble.

Americas coronavirus response has been a complete failure of our society from the beginning, enabled by an absent president and a childish conception of freedom devoid of any sense of communal responsibility. Educators, and support staff, and working families have done our best in impossible circumstances, and want nothing more than to return to our classrooms and our lives.

But only when its safe, and it isnt yet. Keep the buildings closed.

Adam Sheridan is a public school teacher in Camden County and a member of NJ21United, a progressive caucus of members within the New Jersey Education Association.

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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.
EDWARDSVILLE  Schooling will remain flexible at Edwardsville School District 7, according to superintendent Jason Henderson.

As coronavirus cases continue to climb in Madison County and the school year begins Thursday, board of education members discussed preparedness.

Pretty much daily, we are checking data thats coming out and were talking with other superintendents in Madison County and were thinking about this issue, Henderson said. Obviously, we see value in in-person learning, if its at all possible, if we can do it safely and if we can keep our students and staff safe. So, we are watching the metrics. I just wanted to say that.

Henderson went on to explain that the district is working with the Madison County Health Department to understand the better how the pandemic is impacting the county. The district plans to be prepared to move the school body to remote learning.

While the return to learn plan has been published, Henderson said the document is fluid and that it can be altered as needed. He advises the public to refer to the district website to watch for document revisions. If any significant updates occur, Henderson said a district-wide email would be sent to notify faculty and parents.

If a decision to close schools comes from the help of the health department, Henderson hopes the closure would not be for the entire school year.

We would probably, unless again if its an order or a mandate, we would re-evaluate every couple of weeks, he said. One thing that we do not think [is] if we go into remote, we will not be in remote for the entire year. We dont think that thats going to be the case and so we just need to be fluid and prepared to move from one option to the other. As the data gets worse, its possible that we would move into more restrictive and as it got better, its possible that we would move [into less restrictive].

The district would strongly consider remote learning if the health department were to find that attending school contributed to the transmission of the infection.

Obviously, when kids come back to school theres not zero risk, Henderson said. But, you also have to weigh whats the risk of not allowing kids to come back to school and the things that go along with kids not being able to get an education and be social with their friends, whats the impact?

Another topic of discussion was live learning.

Henderson said some parents have asked why there is no guarantee of how much live or synchronous learning a student would receive if the district moved to remote learning entirely. Synchronous learning means that a group of students or a whole class meets virtually and also live with their teacher for instruction.

He explained that the primary reason there is no guarantee is scheduling, especially at the elementary level. Henderson said that some parents had told him that if their child is at home, they will have set times, they will be able to use the computer. This makes scheduling synchronous learning extremely difficult between a teacher and multiple students.

So, to have some required activities for that length of time, for lets say a first-grade student, while ISBE says thats a recommendation they go on to say be very careful with families, not to require too much time, Henderson said. The Illinois School Board of Education recommends that any district that goes to full remote learning should have two and a half hours of synchronous learning each day.

The board would vote unanimously later that meeting in favor of giving Henderson the authority to make any major changes to the districts plan as well as moving any and all district schools to remote learning.
Congressional Republicans came a step closer Tuesday to welcoming into their ranks a promoter of the QAnon conspiracy theory, whose adherents believe President Donald Trump is battling a cabal of deep-state saboteurs who worship Satan and traffic children for sex.

Marjorie Taylor Greene, who has expressed support on video for the baseless theory, won a Republican primary runoff in Georgia's 14th Congressional District, according to the Associated Press. Her victory, in a northwestern swath of the state that has favored Republicans by wide margins since it was created in 2010, sets her up to become QAnon's first devotee in Congress.

Greene, who owns a construction company jointly with her husband, defeated John Cowan, a neurosurgeon. She will face Democrat Kevin Van Ausdal, an IT specialist, in November.

GOP leaders, whose standard-bearer rose to political prominence on the basis of a conspiracy theory about Barack Obama's birthplace, have watched her ascent with some unease. Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La., the House Republican whip, endorsed her primary opponent. Republican members of Georgia's delegation privately urged the party's House leader, Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California, to do more to intervene in the race, according to multiple GOP aides who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the conversations.

"There are a lot of members livid at McCarthy for sitting back and doing nothing to stop this woman from being elected while the entire Georgia delegation, Scalise and some moderates tried" to help her opponent, said one House Republican aide closely monitoring the race. A spokesman for McCarthy did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Rep. Tom Emmer, R-Minn., chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, rebuked Greene for racist, Islamophobic and anti-Semitic remarks that came to light in June, but a spokesman for the House Republican fundraising arm did not respond to a request for comment about whether the group would back its nominee.

The elevation of Greene to federal office would mark a watershed for adherents of QAnon, which the FBI has identified as a potential domestic terrorism threat. The convoluted belief system, which took shape on Internet message boards in the fall of 2017 with posts from a self-proclaimed government insider identified as "Q," has been core to numerous violent acts, including two murders, a kidnapping, vandalism of a church and a heavily armed standoff near the Hoover Dam.

Above all, the theory's devotees crave recognition from Trump and his allies, making a congressional victory a mark of legitimacy. At the same time, they seek the exposure of what they believe is a vast conspiracy at the heart of the American government, as well as the mass arrest of those complicit in it - mainly Democrats, celebrities and members of the media. If the placement of a presumed ally within the halls of power does not bring about that result, experts noted, QAnon could lose credibility, even for some of its most fervent followers.

"If there is evidence in support of QAnon, then Greene should be expected to disclose it," said Ethan Porter, a professor of media and public affairs at George Washington University. "If she is unable to do so, she should be called for what she is: a reactionary fabulist."

Greene's campaign manager, Isaiah Wartman, did not respond to a request for comment. An email to the state party's executive director, Stewart Bragg, also went unanswered.

"Q is a patriot," Greene said in a video posted on YouTube this summer. "We know that for sure."

Greene said that while the identity of the pseudonymous figure remained unknown to her, signs that the cryptic online hints were making their way to the president gave her hope. "There's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to take this global cabal of Satan-worshiping pedophiles out, and I think we have the president to do it," she said.

Twitter recently took action against the conspiracy theory, including by eliminating more than 7,000 accounts. Facebook is also weighing new action, a spokesperson said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss ongoing deliberations.

Greene is among numerous pro-Trump congressional candidates who have expressed faith in QAnon. Most, however, stand little chance of being elected because their districts are deep blue. Colorado's Lauren Boebert, who defeated Rep. Scott Tipton in a June primary, told an interviewer that the conspiracy theory meant "a lot of things to different people," but she does not personally support it, and the rural district is strongly Republican but Democrats are targeting it in November.

In Greene's district, her Democratic opponent faces an uphill climb to keep her from Congress. Van Ausdal's campaign manager, Vinnie Olsziewski, said he would like the race to focus on local issues but knows they will soon be under a national spotlight.

"What she says, it speaks for itself," Olsziewski said of the Republican candidate. "We are not going to get down in the mud and stoop to that level."

Though the contests are distinct, he said he was studying the 2017 special election for Senate in Alabama, in which Democrat Doug Jones pulled off an unlikely victory against the Republican nominee, Roy Moore, who was dogged by allegations that he had made sexual advances toward teenagers when he was in his 30s.

In that race, Moore, a former state judge twice removed from office, was abandoned by his party's Senate campaign arm.

Republicans on Capitol Hill have yet to take similar action against Greene, though they did speak out against her when Politico unearthed hours of Facebook videos in which she spewed offensive remarks. In the videos, she opined that Black people are "held slaves to the Democratic Party" and called the election in 2018 of the first two Muslim women to Congress evidence of an "Islamic invasion of our government." She described George Soros, the liberal investor and Holocaust survivor, a "Nazi himself trying to continue what was not finished."

Those comments were met with condemnation from Republican leaders. Emmer said he was "personally disgusted" by her rhetoric. Scalise called her comments "disgusting."

Greene brushed off the criticism.

"Every Republican, every Christian Conservative is going to be called a racist and a bigot by the Fake News Media, as have Steve Scalise and Liz Cheney," she asserted in a statement. "I'm sorry my future colleagues are unable to stand up to the pressure and fight back."

On her words promoting QAnon, meanwhile, her potential future colleagues have been mostly mum.
A plan for the upcoming Worcester Public Schools academic year, being presented to the School Committee to consider approval on Thursday, calls for all students to engage in remote learning for the first quarter, with a hybrid model becoming an option in November.

The school year, which is slated to begin Sept. 15, will start with remote learning for all students. The first quarter ends Nov. 16. At that point, in-person learning is planned for students who have the highest level of needs, according to the 57-page plan.

A letter to parents and families from Superintendent Maureen Binienda said students will be provided with a rigorous remote learning plan, including synchronous learning four days a week in all core content subject, electives, and enrichment; small group synchronous learning from support teachers according to their needs; and asynchronous learning one day each week.

The plan puts students in three groups:

Group A - Students who are in general education classrooms who do not have any specially designed instruction

Group B - Students who are in general education classrooms and receive specially designed instruction and/or support

Group C - Students who require the most in-person instructional support to access learning

Students in Group C, according to the letter from Binienda, will be phased in for in-person learning after the first quarter. School administrators will reach out to families to confirm which students will return to school buildings.

The Worcester Public Schools is making all students with disabilities a priority. It is therefore our goal to make every effort to maintain in-person instruction for students with high level needs, the plan reads. If other students are participating in hybrid or full remote models and if the current state of public health allows, the district plan outlines the priority to provide in-person services to students with significant needs up to four days per week with one remote day after Quarter 1.

When the second quarter starts, the district will reevaluate. If its appropriate, the district will shift to a hybrid model where students will receive in-person learning one day per week, according to the plan.

The safety and well-being of our students, families and staff will continue to be our top priority as an educational community, Binienda wrote in the letter.

Districts across Massachusetts are required to submit final plans for the year to the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education by Friday. On Tuesday, DESE Commissioner Jeff Riley issued new guidance recommending many districts across the state to return to school buildings, indicating the states new color-coded metric for tracking possible spikes in coronavirus cases should inform classroom models.

After the coronavirus pandemic forced the closure of schools in March, many students in Worcester faced roadblocks with online learning. Not every student had a laptop, and many students did not have internet access. Further, a number of surveyed students indicated the online learning offered was not challenging and felt like busywork.

Our WPS faculty and staff have learned a great deal since the emergency school closure. For this reason, we expect the teaching and learning experience in the fall will look differently than what you experienced during the emergency school closure that began in March, the plan reads.

Any students who did not get a Chromebook in the spring can schedule a time to pick one up at school before Sept. 15, according to the letter. Students will also be provided with hot spots to get internet access if needed.

Equity is at the heart of all of the work we do in Worcester Public Schools, and we plan to offer more support for our vulnerable and at-risk students. This guidance includes a plan for a full return to school for students in pre-kindergarten who receive special education services, students with disabilities in substantially separate special education programs, and others determined to be at risk, the plan reads.

With the hybrid and remote models, students who do not attend or log in for synchronous or asynchronous learning will be considered absent, according to the plan. Grading includes active participation in synchronous sessions, submitting assignments online, logging onto online learning platforms and attending virtual check-ins.

While students begin classes on Sept. 15, teachers are required to report to school on Aug. 27 to begin twelve days of training.

The Educational Association of Worcester has questioned why teachers are asked to be present in school buildings if students are being kept at home for safety reasons.

The city must reverse the plan that forces educators into potentially unsafe working conditions. Too many of our school buildings are old and lack adequate ventilation systems, putting educators and their families at unnecessary risk said EAW President Roger Nugent. The superintendent has again failed to take educators concerns into account when drafting reopening plans.

In Worcester, the plan calls for a hybrid model of online and in-person learning to become an option during the second quarter of the year. About a quarter of students would be present in a school building at a time. Students will have one day per week in-person learning support at schools either Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays or potentially Thursdays; synchronous remote learning three days a week in all core content subject, electives, and enrichment; small group synchronous remote learning from support teachers according to their needs; and asynchronous remote learning one day each week.

When students do return to school buildings, those in grades two through twelve will be required to wear a face mask. Students and teachers will be kept six feet apart when possible, per the plan. The state requires a minimum of three feet.

Meals will be served in classrooms for those students learning in-person. Students learning online can pick up meals at designated areas, the district said.

With the remote and hybrid models, English as a Second Language will be scheduled into a students day per the students language needs.

Families have been asked to fill out an Educational Model Selection Form by Monday, Aug. 17 to indicate whether they plan to choose remote learning or hybrid learning for the second quarter of the year. A process to request a change in a familys education model is being developed, the district said.

For students in kindergarten through second grade, computer time should be limited, according to the plan, and synchronous instructional time will be reflective of a typical primary classroom with frequent breaks, transitions and activities.

When students transition from remote to hybrid learning, the focus of the in-person day will be for the students to have the opportunity to receive instructional support, according to the plan.

Families will be surveyed to learn transportation preferences, according to the plan.

On buses, students will be assigned a seat and required to wear a mask. Bus windows will be kept open to circulate air, the plan indicates.

Bus drivers and monitors will be trained to observe students for coronavirus symptoms as they get on the bus. If a student appears symptomatic and a parent or caregiver is present, they will not be allowed on the bus, according to the plan.

Hand sanitizer will be provided as students board the bus and as they exit, and buses will be disinfected at high-touch surfaces between runs, as well as and the end of both morning and afternoon runs.

Read the full plan here:

Related Content:
Fayaz Wani By

Express News Service

SRINAGAR Police has arrested an active militant of Lashkar-e-Toiba from north Kashmirs Bandipora district in Jammu and Kashmir.

SP Handwara G V Chakravarthy told TNIE that they received inputs that active Lashkar militant of Handwara -- identified as Aquib Ahmad Rather alias Jana was -- planning an attack on August 15.

Handwara police tracked his movements through technical surveillance and his location was detected in Bandipora. We jointly launched an operation with Bandipora police and other security forces in Bandipora last night and arrested the militant, he said.

Aqib had joined militancy about two months back and was an active militant of Lashkar-e-Toiba.

Police said incriminating materials including arms and ammunition were recovered from his possession.

Police said his questioning is going on to know information about militants active in Handwara and Bandipora.


WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Presumptive Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden named California Senator Kamala Harris as his running mate.



Biden, 78, revealed his choice for his deputy through Twitter.



'I have the great honor to announce that I've picked @KamalaHarris - a fearless fighter for the little guy, and one of the country's finest public servants - as my running mate,' the former vice-president wrote.



'Kamala will be ready to tackle the work that is needed to heal our country on Day One of the Biden-Harris Administration,' Joe Biden's campaign said in a statement later.



Both the candidates will appear in Delaware on Wednesday afternoon to deliver remarks. They are also scheduled to attend a virtual grass-roots fund-raiser later in the day.



Harris responded to her selection as Vice President candidate on Twitter, saying, 'JoeBiden can unify the American people because he's spent his life fighting for us. And as president, he'll build an America that lives up to our ideals'.



'I'm honored to join him as our party's nominee for Vice President, and do what it takes to make him our Commander-in-Chief,' she added.



Harris, 55, is the first black woman and Asian American to be chosen as a running mate.



She is only the third woman to be nominated as U.S. vice-presidential candidate for a major party. Sarah Palin ran as running mate of Republican Party presidential candidate John McCain in 2008, and Geraldine Ferraro was the VP candidate of the Democrats in 1984.



Harris, who is the first Indian-origin member of the U.S. Senate, dropped out of the race in a crowded field of Democratic presidential aspirants in December last year unable to raise sufficient funds.



However, Harris vowed that although she is no longer running for President, she will do everything in her power to defeat Donald Trump and fight for the future of the country.



Harris, who is the daughter of immigrants from India and Jamaica, later became the Attorney General of California.



She advocated strongly for racial-justice legislation after the brutal killing of George Floyd in police custody.



No woman has won the US presidency, but in her memoir, 'The Truths We Hold: An American Journey,' Harris says she thinks that the country is ready for a president who is a woman of color.



Responding to the news, President Donald Trump referred to her as a 'nasty' woman, a term he also used against his 2016 presidential rival Hilary Clinton.



Vice President Mike Pence, who is seeking re-election, said he is looking forward to debating Harris in VP debate this October.



'I'll see you in Salt Lake City', he told a rally in Mesa, Arizona.



Bernie Sanders, who also fought for Democratic presidential ticket, extended his support for his Senate colleague.



'Congratulations to @KamalaHarris, who will make history as our next Vice President. She understands what it takes to stand up for working people, fight for health care for all, and take down the most corrupt administration in history. Let's get to work and win,' the Vermont senator tweeted.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

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Phoenix, AZ -- (SBWIRE) -- 08/12/2020 -- VoiceAmerica, the leader in online media broadcasting and the largest producer and distributor of live internet talk radio, announced the newest podcast episode by Landmark Recovery, "The Science of Opioid Addiction", with host, Zach Crouch, and guests Dr. Aaron Weiner and Amanda Villaveces. The episode played live on August 11th and can be heard on-demand at Landmark Recovery Radio.



Host Zach Crouch is joined by Dr. Aaron Weiner and Amanda Villaveces. Dr. Weiner is an addiction treatment specialist who nationally speaks on the topic of addiction. He explains how quickly using medically prescribed opioids can turn in to an addiction. Amanda Villaveces serves as a licensed marriage and family therapist in Louisville, KY. Amanda explains the relationship between mental health and substance use and how it can be experienced in different ways by men and women.



About Landmark Recovery

Landmark Recovery offers individualized treatment, including detox, inpatient drug and alcohol rehab, intensive outpatient, and alumni programming to address addiction. Landmark has drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers in Carmel, Louisville, Oklahoma City and Lexington, OK. Their sister company, Praxis by Landmark Recovery, is based in Louisville, Kentucky and serves the Medicaid population. If you or a loved one need help with drug or alcohol recovery, call 866-504-8545 or visit Landmark Recovery .



About VoiceAmerica

VoiceAmerica is the original digital broadcast company for the production and delivery of Live Internet Talk Radio programming and continues to be the industry leader in digital media, marketing, and distribution. We are the pioneers of digital radio programming and have been since 1999. We create and distribute over 500 unique and innovative radio programs for our millions of engaged listeners worldwide. Our network channels distribute live programs daily that reach a growing domestic and international audience who connect through all devices via our mobile, desktop, and tablet VoiceAmerica destinations. Learn more at http://www.voiceamerica.com. Download the VoiceAmerica App now to listen live on Apple and Android. follow us on Facebook and Twitter. Call us any time to find out how VoiceAmerica can help you reach your audience, 1-855-877-4666.



CONTACT: Zach Crouch  Alicia.Borchardt@landmarkrecovery.com
1. Restructuring time

2. Student-centered models

3. The educators role

4. Curriculum analysis and development

5. School culture

As American educators battle the COVID-19 crisis, we are rightly recognizing that providing quality education faces incredible new challenges in the short and long term. As John Bailey writes in Education Next , In planning to reopen, schools will be forced to question long-standing assumptions and develop strategies that can lead to building a better education system. The process can help to distinguish between the superfluous and the essential and build from those fundamentals.These transformational challenges do not allow us to return to previous, largely ineffective academic methodologies that have not allowed us to accomplish the goals we have for our students, nor do they call on us to believe that the best we can do is to merely cope through a temporary, hybrid system. Rather, they require us to rethink the future of education and radically improve our current system, a transformation that will include at least five major shifts to better serve all students.We need to shift from a system where time is the constant and learning is the variable to one where learning is the constant and time is the variable. Though far from optimal, the way we've done schooling during the pandemic might help us break free of outdated time structures for learning, write Chris Gabrieli and Colleen Beaudoin in ASCDs Educational Leadership . Sal Khan famously argues, Lets teach for mastery, not test scores, where he shows the inherent illogic in time-based education systems.In 1994, the National Education Commission on Time and Learning released  Prisoners of Time . This report, which has been reprinted and which teachers still hold in high regard, argued that our schools and systems are flawed because they are based on fixed ideas about the school day and the school year. The report argued that time is something educators can vary even in the face of other established standards (e.g., testing minimums, technology protocols, children per class). Yet, teachers have struggled to apply the concept of the report to practical, in-class operations. Further, school systems still run on adult-driven priorities and a rationale of weve always done it this way.Now, as schools try to figure out how to simultaneously serve students and accommodate social distancing, we see parents, administrators, legislators, and health professionals exploring new time solutions. For example, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended both staggered arrival/drop-offs and flexible hours in its school reopening guidelines. Similarly, we can re-evaluate the length of individual lessons or units, use of weekends, and whether to hold class year-round as well as rethink the time when students enroll and when the school year begins and ends. More importantly, we can use time as a tool to ensure schools meet students where they are and move them ahead only when they have mastered their current lesson.Previously, teachers have relied on batch-mode, factory, industrial, or similar models, particularly at the high school level. These approaches do not sufficiently acknowledge the unique traits, hurdles, or disparities students experience. We routinely see, for instance, that affluent students come out ahead compared to disadvantaged students. Other students start behind and fall further behind, because of the outdated school model in place.COVID-19 is forcing the public to acknowledge variations among students like never before, such as within the basic ability to access the Internet for distance learning. Another consideration is time and space available for homework, when some older students are caring for siblings while parents work or may not have the proper setting for study. Thinking about how different each student is will help teachers reject the idea of one-size-fits-all education and focus on educating each student step by step from where they are. We can begin to build truly student-centered education with a full spectrum of possibilities.This approach is already working in schools across the country (Lindsay Unified School District in California and Westminster School District in Colorado are just two examples), but has not yet been widely adopted. But schools who have succeeded can share their success with others who are now eager to move to a true 21st-century educational approach. And groups such as KnowledgeWorks and Aurora can provide the support schools need to help them shift to models that educate more students more fully.A shift to student-centered education will also require us to change the role of the classroom teacher. Right now, the teacher typically serves as the resource for their students. You see this perhaps most clearly in the persistence of the lecture approach in which the teacher stands in front of the class and delivers information to students, who are expected just to accept the data and repeat it back on multiple-choice tests. (We test what is testable, not what is important, and multiple-choice tests are inherently bad as they allow guessing).With information (data) readily available at our fingertips via smartphones and computer screens, education needs to shift from data transmission to skills acquisition, including the ability to think logically, research quickly and efficiently, and more. And there are many new skills to be learned to navigate the flood of information and misinformation available, and to make correct decisions in the new world of rapid change.With student-centered education, teachers focus not on being a resource by themselves but on providing whatever resources are necessary for both individual students and the group to learn best. They help each student learn at the students own pace, from the last point of mastery to the new point of mastery. They help students find the resources they need to learn what they need and want to learn. As teachers shift to be resource providers and guides over student-directed learning, they will also look at new ways of observing students and learning about them to ensure a good resource-to-student match.The reality right now in classrooms is that we dont always teach whats most important. Some of it is just busywork, and it often only focuses on content and getting kids to give the right answer from a textbook. There is evidence that much of the curriculum in use is not good. Ashley Berner at the Johns Hopkins Institute for Education Policy writes:  National studies of Americas classrooms find that most of them under-challenge students, particularly underprivileged students. The RAND Corporations national survey on instruction found that the vast majority of teachers cobble together their own lessons from a variety of sources, including from Pinterest, Google, and TeachersPayTeachers."Post-COVID-19, with a better focus on student independence and proper resourcing, we will better analyze what we are teaching overall. We will ask ourselves what facts or processes we want kids to really remember years down the road. We will also identify the underlying skill sets we want students to walk away with and focus on practical, hands-on application thats easy to transfer to real-world settings.School culture discussions can include a deeper address of issues like diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). But with COVID-19 forcing administrators to debate why they should support specific directions, policies, or tools compared to others, schools are also learning to better define and support exactly what they value (e.g., honesty, integrity, determination). Once theyve figured out which ideologies they hold dearest or fundamental to the way they operate, they then will need to incorporate those values directly into the curriculum. In this sense, schools will take a stronger role in social development aside from merely preparing children to enter competitive careers, influencing belief systems and associated behavioral expectations/outcomes.In a host of ways, COVID-19 has wreaked havoc on our stability and way of living  and we arent done. It isnt behind us. But the challenges of these times offer an outstanding opportunity for us to transform what we do in the classroom for the betterment of all. Many of us knew that the system needed fundamental transformation to serve current and future students. Transformation is survival from all points of view. If we properly use this moment for the better, it could mean improved education for more students. Those students could emerge with knowledge, skills, and abilities weve only dreamt of being achieved broadly. But the working models are there, the thought leaders are there, and we have the ability to transform all of our schools. Society will benefit, but more importantly, we will be more prepared than ever to help every student reach their fullest potential. Working together, lets quickly bring the five shifts outlined above  and perhaps even more  to fruition for the benefit of all. Remember  transformation is survival!
P3 HVAC Software Financing for Repairs We understand HVAC contractors are in need of more tools in their toolbox to aid homeowners during this unpredictable time. Contractors report up to 50% more sales when offering financing, so making it available for repairs and servicing is a game-changer, said Brian Starzec, P3 HVAC Software CEO.

P3 HVAC Software announces it now provides HVAC contractors financing options on home air conditioning services and repairs in response to the recent financial challenges consumers are facing due to COVID-19. Previously, repair or service calls required payment in full.

Were excited to be partnering with GreenSky Financing at a time when money is tight, cashflow is unpredictable, and temperatures are at an all-time high, says Brian Starzec, P3 HVAC Software CEO. We understand HVAC contractors are in need of more tools in their toolbox to aid homeowners during this unpredictable time. Contractors report up to 50% more sales when offering financing.

While many HVAC service providers offer financing, most options are typically limited to the purchase of new air conditioning or heating units. Now, in anticipation of an economic crunch, coupled with the great need for unit repairs and maintenance in the height of summer, P3 HVAC Software is partnering with Greensky to offer financing for HVAC repairs, services, and new unit purchases.

Through this partnership with the GreenSky Loan Program, an industry leader in home improvement financing, P3 HVAC Software is able to offer contractors a way to close more sales by providing consumers a credit decision in seconds and immediate funding upon authorization.

This new financing option will allow homeowners to get the service they need with flexible payment options, while helping our HVAC contractors build stability into their businesses during a challenging time, says Starzec.

With the mobile-friendly interface and paperless application process, work can be done on a primary residence, vacation home, rental property, or other location and ordered from anywhere in the country.

P3 HVAC Softwares latest financing offer is a part of the companys larger initiative to find innovative solutions to support contractors and consumers during these trying times. P3 HVAC Software launched contactless service options shortly after the pandemic began.

To learn more about how P3 HVAC Software is supporting contractors and consumers in this era of unprecedented change, visit HVACbusinesssolutions.com.

About P3 HVAC Software

P3 HVAC Software is a leading field management software, made specifically for HVAC dealers. Focused on growing smaller companies consisting of 2-10 technicians, P3 HVAC Software supports the complete workflow of all HVAC dealers business, dispatching, customer presentation and invoicing needs. Offering the industrys most tailored HVAC software at an affordable price, P3 enables clients to improve their business and sales immediately. P3 HVAC Software was developed from Picture Perfect Pricing, a proprietary flat-rate pricing material in business for over 30 years. P3 HVAC Software seamlessly creates proposals integrating financing options with its good-better-best proposal equipment sales module. P3 HVAC Software has been a technology platform for almost 10 years. P3 HVAC Software is owned by HVAC Business Solutions, LLC which has been in business since 2008. For more information, please visit us at p3hvacsoftware.com, or for financing information, visit: greensky.com/sponsor/hvacbusinesssolutions
Illustration by Jocelyn SandsIn a matter of weeks, students in many areas of Kansas City will return to classrooms for the first time since the middle of March. So many questions are being hotly debated right now. Is it safe to return to school?
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US to Withdraw Troops From MidEast Regardless of Who Wins Election, Syrian Opposition Says

Sputnik News

18:01 GMT 11.08.2020

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The withdrawal of US troops from the Middle East will proceed regardless of the upcoming presidential election's outcome, Qadri Jamil, the leader of Syria's Popular Front for Change and Liberation opposition coalition and the head of the Syrian opposition's Moscow Platform, said on Tuesday.

"It doesn't matter who wins the upcoming presidential election in America - [Joe] Biden or [incumbent President Donald] Trump - there will be no change to the American foreign policy. They are essentially pursuing the same policy, but its form is different in details. The only difference will be in the speed of troops withdrawal from the region. If Biden wins, the withdrawal will be slower, but it will take place anyway", Jamil said at a virtual press conference.

At the same time, the politician opined that Washington "would try to keep [its] presence" out of necessity to redeploy troops around the world due to the fact that "the situation in the world, in general, has changed".



The United States has had its troops in war-torn Syria since 2014, albeit their presence was neither requested by the Syrian government nor authorised by the UN Security Council.

Since Trump came to power in 2016, he several times announced withdrawal, but never withdrew completely. Last October, after the Syrian-deployed US troops eliminated a Daesh* leader Abu Bakr Baghdadi, Trump declared the country's fight against terrorists over but said that part of some 2,000 troops would remain in Syria to protect the essential oil infrastructure.

*Daesh (also known as ISIS/IS/ISIL) is a terrorist group banned in Russia

A Sputnik

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On Tuesday, Google announced 'People Cards', which will allow users to build an online presence and discover others on Search.

As per Google, the feature allows users to create a virtual visiting card on Search, highlight their website or social profiles and add information about their selves that they would like others to know.

The People Cards feature is aimed at helping individuals, influencers, entrepreneurs, prospective employees, self-employed people, freelancers who want to be discovered and help the world find them.

Introducing the people card on Google Search. Showcase your business, passion or portfolio when people search for you on Google. Get started  https://t.co/CAm3mRiCgM pic.twitter.com/wPx6GIUdWz  Google India (@GoogleIndia) August 11, 2020

Starting 11 August, users across India can discover the people cards on their mobile phones in English.

How to create your People Card on Google Search

Step 1: To create a People Card, users will first need to sign in to their Google Account, search for their name on Google Search

Step 2: Tap on the "add me to Search" option that appears on the page

Step 3: Upload an image of yourself from your Google account, add a description and links to social profiles or websites. You can even include your phone number or email address if you want it on your virtual visiting card

Step 4: Tap on the "save" option and that's it

Google said that for every new card, the user must authenticate the account with a unique mobile number. He/she will have complete control of the information to be included on the card and can opt-out of the experience anytime, which will stop their details from appearing in Search.

How secure is People Cards?

To make sure people find reliable and helpful information, the tech giant has put together several protections and controls. It has also added safeguard mechanisms to protect against offensive content.

There is a feedback button with the help of which users can identify and report low-quality information or a card that they believe was created by an impersonator.

For people looking to find someone on Search with their name, the card will be available. There will be a module with the name, profession and location which users can tap to see their card.

For people who share the same name, the Search will show multiple modules. The unique information will help users distinguish between different individuals to find accurate information.
Stickers such as these were found in Arlington, MA on Monday morning

Residents of a Massachusetts town are stunned after vandals defaced a number of Black Lives Matter signs with stickers depicting hooded members of the Ku Klux Klan.

Arlington Police Chief Julie Flaherty said the department responded to, and is actively investigating, four incidents of 'malicious vandalism' in the city aimed at Black Lives Matter signage.

All four incidents were reported on Monday morning and originated at the First Parish Unitarian Universalist church, at Calvary Church, and at two private residences in East Arlington.

At the Unitarian church, the Black Lives Matter banner was altered to read 'ALL Lives Matter' according to WFXT-TV.

At the Cavalry Church two Black Lives Matter signs and one mural were destroyed.

The Black Lives Matter sign outside of a church is seen vandalized on Monday morning

At one private residence a KKK sticker was affixed to a 'Black Lives Matter' lawn sign and at another the same KKK sticker was stuck to a 'Hate Has no Home Here' lawn sign.

In both cases the sticker depicted a Klansman wearing a white robe and mask on a horse with a torch.

'We are thoroughly investigating these incidents,' said Chief Flaherty in a statement. 'The hurtful messages far outweigh the physical damage done and underscore the work that needs to be done to make Arlington a truly supportive and welcoming town.'

Police say that over the course of the last few weeks, a number of other Black Lives Matter signs have been stolen, egged, and vandalized, including the banner at the high school.

Other signs outside of an Arlington church are seen vandalized on Monday

'The Arlington Human Rights Commission is appalled at this pattern of racist destruction, defacement, and vandalism,' said Sharon Grossman and Kristen Bauer, Arlington Human Rights Commission Co-Chairs. 'The Commission has formed a working group to explore responses and ways to support the community.'

'The Board is extremely disappointed to see these acts of vandalism,' said John Hurd, Arlington Select Board Chair.

'It is a painful reminder that racism exists in Arlington and reinforces the Town's commitment to further promote diversity, equity and inclusion in Town. We appreciate the work the Arlington Police Department investigating this matter.'

'These acts of vandalism and attacks on free speech are unacceptable,' said Sandy Pooler, Acting Town Manager. 'The Town supports Black Lives Matter and all those who express those sentiments.'
When a vaccine is pre-qualified by the WHO, the manufacturers seek the agency's stamp of quality, and approval for its use.

On Tuesday, 11 August, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that the country was the first to developed and registered the first vaccine against the novel coronavirus. He claims that the vaccine that offers "immunity" against the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has responded to Russia's claim by saying that a rigorous review of the vaccine's safety data needs to be submitted if the country wants the WHO's stamp of approval.

"Pre-qualification of any vaccine includes the rigorous review and assessment of all the required safety and efficacy data," Tarik Jasarevic, spokesperson for WHO, said during an online press briefing.

"We are in close contact with the Russian health authorities and discussions are ongoing with respect to possible WHO pre-qualification of the vaccine."

Registered but unverified Sputnik V vaccine

The 'Sputnik V' vaccine as it's being popularly called, is a name alluding to the Soviet launch of the first satellite in 1957 that caught the world by surprise. It was developed by Russia's Gamaleya Research Institute along with the Russian Defence ministry.

The Gamaleya vaccine is one of two candidates from Russia, and is among 21 candidates from around the world that WHO has listed as being in early human trials, in its 10 August update on global vaccines. The Russian health minister Mikhail Murashko, however, claims that the vaccine has shown high efficacy and safety, implying that Phase 2 trials have been completed.

"All the volunteers developed high titers of antibodies to COVID-19. At the same time, none of them had serious complications of immunization," Murashko said.

Murashko said that a mass vaccination campaign against the novel coronavirus will begin in October, with the first doses given to doctors and teachers, as per a Livemint report. The vaccine will also be 'free of charge', with the expenses coming out of the national budget, he added.

Over 20 countries, including India, have expressed their interest in the vaccine, according to Kirill Dmitriev, head of the country's Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) sovereign wealth fund and the main investor in the vaccine's development.

Russia has got "preliminary applications" from around 20 countries to secure a total of over 1 billion doses of their Gamaleya vaccine, according to Dmitriev. They have inked agreements with five countries to produce a total of 500 million doses a year. The Phase 3 trials of the vaccine are expected to take place in Saudi Arabia, Philippines and the UAE, according to a Financial Times report.

Also read: Philippines to conduct human trials of Russia's COVID-19 vaccine; President Duterte claims he has 'huge trust' in the shot

While Russia has made clear its intent on being the first in the world to develop a vaccine against COVID-19, there is still no large-scale trial of the vaccine to support the claim that it works. This is, experts told Reuters, a "reckless" step.

"Russia is essentially conducting a large population level experiment," Ayfer Ali, specialist at Britains Warwick Business School's research wing, said. Approvals that come through very quickly could mean that adverse effects of the vaccine may not have been studied or recorded.

While adverse effects are rare in nature for vaccines, part of the reason for this is the lengthy processes of observation and approval before releasing a vaccine for the general population. Even if any adverse effects do come about, they could be serious and cause lifelong damage, Ali said.

WHO's stamp of approval awaited

Every country has national regulatory agencies that approve the use of vaccines or medicines on its territory, Jasarevic explained at the WHO briefing. "WHO has in place a process of pre-qualification for vaccines but also for medicines," he said.

When a vaccine is pre-qualified by the WHO, the manufacturers seek the agency's stamp of quality and approval for its use.

"To get this, there is a review and assessment of all required safety and efficacy data that are gathered through the clinical trials. WHO will do this for any candidate vaccine," Reuters quoted Jasarevic as saying.

With an estimated 230 vaccine candidates in development, as per a vaccine tracker from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, the pandemic has seen an unprecedented mobilization of research and funding to find a working prevention tool against the coronavirus.

"As we have been always saying, we hope some of these vaccines will prove to be safe and efficient," Jasarevic said.

"But accelerating progress does not mean compromising on safety," he added.
Nationwide BVLOS waiver granted to K-State Polytechnic Campus

Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2020

A new waiver granted to K-State Polytechnic permits UAS BVLOS flights in all Class G airspace nationwide. | Download this photo.

SALINA  The ability of Kansas State University Polytechnic Campus to fly unmanned aircraft systems beyond visual line of sight is expanding.



The campus's Applied Aviation Research Center has received a new waiver from the Federal Aviation Administration that permits K-State Polytechnic to fly unmanned aircraft beyond visual line of sight, or BVLOS, in all Class G airspace nationwide. Class G airspace is where a majority of UAS flights take place, allowing K-State Polytechnic and the Applied Aviation Research Center to enhance research, education and training opportunities.



Along with conducting flights in all Class G airspace, this new waiver also permits the remote pilot in command to fly from a mobile command center. Flying from a mobile command center allows for a controlled environment, meaning pilots can fly distraction-free, out of the elements, and monitor not only the live UAS feed but also weather, manned traffic, telemetry feed and more. This type of training situation will provide students with experience highly sought after in the UAS industry, as well as valuable training experience for professionals in public safety, emergency response, and more. This waiver will also allow K-State Polytechnic to continue research operations that move the industry forward.



"Kansas State Polytechnic's dedication toward its students is evident with the approval of this latest BVLOS waiver," said Spencer Schrader, UAS flight instructor at K-State Polytechnic and author of the waiver request submitted to the FAA. "Both for-credit and noncredit students will benefit from the advantages of this waiver, providing them experience with operations that are highly limited within the current regulatory framework of Part 107."



A nationally recognized leader in the UAS industry, K-State Polytechnic is a member of the Kansas UAS Joint Task Force and was the first university in the nation to receive a BVLOS waiver from the FAA in 2018, granting permission for K-State Polytechnic to fly beyond the visual line of sight of the pilot and visual observers in a single location. K-State Polytechnic is also a key partner with the Kansas Department of Transportation, which is one of the nine entities nationwide to be part of the FAA's UAS Integrated Pilot Program.



"We are committed to continually evolving our UAS program to ensure our students are prepared to enter the UAS industry with a broad range of relevant experience," said Kurt Carraway, UAS executive director of the Applied Aviation Research Center and department head of the program. "This waiver allows us to train the way our industry partners want their pilots to operate. I am proud of our ability to conduct thorough operational risk assessments and articulate those into safety cases, such as this, to garner FAA approval for advanced UAS operations."



K-State Polytechnic and the Applied Aviation Research Center provide elite UAS education and training in the undergraduate and professional realm. For more information on K-State Polytechnic's unmanned degrees  UAS flight and operations, and UAS design and integration  contact the admissions office at 785-826-2640 or polytechnic@k-state.edu, or visit polytechnicexperience.com/droneexpert. For more information on K-State Polytechnic's UAS training courses, visit ksu-uas.com/fly-with-the-experts.
NEWS FLASH

The Polish government wants to extend its ban on international flights until August 25, 2020 for 45 countries, the government wrote in a draft decree on the extension. Markets on the list include Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia, among others. LOT Polish Airlines, which serves Skopje, Podgorica and Belgrade, now plans to resume operations to the Macedonian and Serbian capitals in September, while flights to Podgorica have been terminated until the start of the 2020/2021 winter season, in late October. The decision also affects Wizz Air's and Ryanair's operations from Poland to Podgorica.
(Photo : Twitter: Xiaomi (@Xiaomi)) (Photo : Twitter: Xiaomi (@Xiaomi)) (Photo : Twitter: Xiaomi (@Xiaomi))

If you thought things would not get any weirder after thousands of tech out there, well, see for yourself.

Chinese consumer electrics manufacturer, Xiaomi, best known for their performance smartphones, crafts an innovation that is undoubtedly out of the ordinary- its new see-through OLED Smart Television!

As the Chinese tech company giant, Xiaomi, celebrate its tenth anniversary, it releases two new performance smartphones namely, Mi 10 Ultra and K30 Ultra. Apart from that, Xiaomi's blog post said that the company is releasing a third addition to their anniversary line-up, Xiaomi's Mi TV LUX Transparent Edition.

Xiaomi's bold new smart television is priced at RMB 49,999 (7,192.96 US Dollars as of August 12, 2020) and will begin its sale come August 16, 2020, at 10:00 in the morning.

ALSO READ: Facial Recognition: How China Uses the Technology to Control (or Publicly Shame) Its People

Xiaomi's Transparent TV Vision

"Mi TV LUX Transparent Edition is the world's first mass-produced transparent TV. With an edge-to-edge transparent self-luminous display transmitting images that seem to be suspended in the air, this TV ushers in a new way to consume visual content previously only seen in science fiction films." Xiaomi Team's blog post said.

Xiaomi aims to replicate televisions set in the futuristic timeline as seen on Science Fiction or Sci-Fi films or television shows. They also aim to get ahead of the competition in providing the "major exploration of future TV forms."

Xiaomi also shared that it would seemingly look like a "glass display" when turned off that will incorporate the virtual and real elements to bring an "unprecedented visual experience."

Transparent OLED Technology

Xiaomi equipped the Mi LUX TV with the 55" Transparent OLED panel that portrays a 150000:1 static contrast ratio with an infinite dynamic contrast ratio that offers immense brightness and rich blacks throughout the screen.

The 10-bit panel display "1.07 billion color combinations" that is made from the wide variety of color spectrum that is far beyond the human eye can perceive, at DC-P3 93 percent.

The Verge shares Universal Display Corporation's TOLED or Transparent OLED technology specs breakdown that is believed to be a pillar of Xiaomi's tech.

TOLEDs are sporting transparent components in the entirety of the display where each diode emits their light. This technology emits light in both front and rear directions, making it transparent either way. When the device is turned off, it can appear 'transparent as is. Most OLEDs in the current market is made of reflective cathode layers that prevent transparency even if components are disassembled.

Mi LUX TV OLED Features

The Mi LUX TV Transparent Edition features a MediaTek 9650 custom made chip for TV together with Xiaomi's AI Master Smart Engine that can produce vibrant and crisp displays that the device's graphic resolution intelligently refines.

The TV is gaming certified as it comes with a 120Hz refresh rate from its 120Hz MEMC Technology, creating a clear motion presentation. This serves gamers with a 1ms fast response rate, providing lifelike control and smooth latency.

Apart from the display, Xiaomi put their money and developed the TV's audio as well. The tech company boasts of the device being perfectly compatible with AI Master for Audio that chooses the right fit of audio presentation for specific content that plays or displayed. The device is notably supporting Dolby's Atmos technology as well.

The TV runs on MIUI TV custom made by Xiaomi for its devices. The company is known for producing their signature user interface for their devices and Xiaomi markets this as the perfect addition to their transparent TV. Always-on display is also available for the television to display images or texts suiting the user's preferences.

ALSO READ: Killer Robots Might Surface as Autonomous Weapons Increase, Experts Warn





This article is owned by Tech Times





Written by Isaiah Alonzo

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
There is nothing in the Constitution that specifies the exact size and makeup of the Supreme Court. It only offers guidance on how justices are appointed and confirmed, and that there will be a chief justice. But since 1869, the Supreme Court has been fixed at eight associate justices and one chief justice.
ATLANTA, Aug. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The James M. Cox Foundation has awarded a $100,000 grant to PCs for People, a nonprofit that will provide discounted computers to low-income families across Cox's footprint nationwide. The funds will be used to provide students with computer equipment to help them learn from home during the pandemic.

PCs for People is dedicated to providing high-quality, refurbished computers for low-income families. Cox has partnered with the organization to expand access to affordable computers for families enrolled in its Connect2Compete program, which provides low-cost home internet service. Through Connect2Compete, families also benefit from the Cox Digital Academy  an online learning platform with a library of computer literacy tips, educational videos, tutorials and interactive games.

As a result of this grant, 1,000 qualifying households participating in Cox's Connect2Compete program will receive a premium, all-in-one Dell OptiPlex desktop or similar-brand computer equipped with Windows 10 Pro software, a webcam and microphone. The Wi-Fi-ready computers will be shipped to recipients for free and will come with a 19-inch screen and accompanying accessories that include a keyboard, mouse and power cords.

"Cox is committed to supporting K-12 students in our Connect2Compete program, whether they are learning inside the classroom or in their homes during this pandemic," said Pat Esser, president and chief executive officer of Cox Communications. "We're proud to provide these computers to 1,000 kids and look forward to partnering with our communities to ensure more kids have access to their digital schoolwork."

Throughout the pandemic, Cox has implemented several programs to help families connect from home during the pandemic. Recently, the company announced a new offer for qualifying families to receive Connect2Compete free for 2 months including free remote technical support just in time for back-to-school. For more information on Cox's Connect2Compete or PCs for People, visit www.cox.com/connect2compete.

About Cox Communications

Cox Communications is committed to creating meaningful moments of human connection through broadband applications and services. The largest private telecom company in America, we proudly serve six million homes and businesses across 18 states. We're dedicated to empowering others to build a better future and celebrate diverse products, people, suppliers, communities and the characteristics that makes each one unique. Cox Communications is the largest division of Cox Enterprises, a family-owned business founded in 1898 by Governor James M. Cox.

About the James M. Cox Foundation

The James M. Cox Foundation is named in honor of Cox Enterprises' founder and provides funding for capital campaigns and special projects in communities where the company operates. James M. Cox was Ohio's first three-term governor and the 1920 Democratic nominee for president of the United States. The Foundation concentrates its community support in several areas including: conservation and environment; early childhood education; empowering families and individuals for success; and health.

SOURCE Cox Communications
New Delhi, Aug 12 : The Indian Air Force has written a letter to Dharma Productions, Netflix and the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), raising objections over inaccurate presentation of gender bias in the movie 'Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl' which it said portrays the IAF in a bad light.

The movie was released on Wednesday on the over-the-top (OTT) platform. The story of the movie is based on the first Indian Air Force woman pilot who was part of the 1999 Kargil conflict. The force said that certain scenes and dialogues in the movie and trailer portray the IAF in a "negative light".

In the letter, the force stated that Dharma Productions had agreed to represent the IAF with authenticity and make all efforts to ensure the film helps to inspire the next generation of officers.

The letter further stated: "In the aim to glorify the screen character of ex-Flt Lt Gunjan Saxena, M/s Dharma Productions presented some situations that are misleading and portray an inappropriate work culture, especially against women in the IAF." The force said that it has always ensured the organisation is gender-neutral and provided equal opportunities to male and female personnel.

IAF said that the production house was told about the objectionable portions of the movie and was advised to delete or modify them.

"However, the production house has not deleted the scenes but had proposed a media plan in the run up to the release and inserting a disclaimer in the movie," the letter said.

However, they did not delete or modify it.

Last month the Ministry of Defence had written a letter to the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to advise production houses to obtain a No-Objection Certificate from the MoD before the telecast of any film or documentary or web series with a military theme in the public domain.

The MoD's move came after a few web series allegedly presented a distorted image of the armed forces.

The MoD had also received complaints raising strong objections over portrayal of Indian Army personnel and the military uniform in an insulting manner.
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The Riverview Park and Zoo will begin guided tours of the zoo starting Saturday after the zoo had to close to the public in March because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The zoo announced Wednesday that a team of staff and volunteers will offer four tours per day, five days of the week, for groups of up to 10 people.

The tours will continue until Labour Day on Sept. 7.

Preference will be given to city residents, annual donors and current animal adoptees, according to a news release from the zoo.

Registration opens at 8 a.m. Friday. Tours can be booked online at riverviewparkandzoo.ca.

Zoo attractions remain closed at this time, including the splash pad, miniature train ride, buildings and facility rentals. although the playground reopened a month ago.

The release states that the continuing restrictions are meant to ensure the safety of the public, staff and the 150 animals in the care of the Water Street zoo, which is a department of Peterborough Utilities Commission and the only free-admission, accredited zoo in Canada.
STRATFORD  Jim Simon took a commanding lead in the primary for the Democratic registrar of voters race, according to early unofficial results.

But with roughly 1,500 absentee ballot requests that could theoretically still arrive by a Thursday deadline, neither candidate had declared the race over.

According to results from the head moderator late Tuesday, Simon held a 2,559-1,141 lead over Marcone.

More than 3,500 absentee ballots were requested in the race, and roughly 2,100 had been counted by Tuesday, leaving Marcone with a near-impossible gap to make up.

The registrar race pitted Simon, a journalism professor endorsed by the Democratic Town Committee, against by Marcone, a three-term incumbent who gathered the required signatures to force Tuesdays primary.

Simon said he was very pleased with the results thus far, but was not declaring victory.

We have to wait for the outcome on Thursday, he said.

Marcone hadnt yet conceded to Simon late Tuesday.

Im just extremely disappointed and extremely tired, he said outside his office at Town Hall.

Simon won the endorsement of the Democratic Town Committee in May, but his opponent in that vote wasnt Marcone, but Barbara Heimlich, signaling no shortage of candidates among the party willing to challenge the incumbent.

The race has evolved into a proxy war between the current town committee and its members and leadership before the tenures of current chairman Steve Taccogna and his predecessor, Stephanie Philips.

A decision by Marcone to file signatures to run as a petitioning candidate in November further alienated him from the partys current leadership. Taccogna said in a statement last week that Marcones decision was disappointing.

Marcone said he would decide whether to go forward with the petitioning candidacy in the next day or two.

Simon said he had plans of his own for Wednesday  celebrating his 43rd wedding anniversary with his wife Karen.

I cant think of a better present, he said.
YEREVAN, AUGUST 12, ARMENPRESS. The opposition Bright Armenia party (LHK) faction of the Armenian parliament is planning to introduce a motion seeking to end the coronavirus-related state of emergency in the country.

The party said it deems the extension of the state of emergency to harm all sectors of the country.

LHK says reasonable restrictions can be maintained with amendments to existing laws on public health safety and emergency protection of population.

The government extended the state of emergency, originally declared in mid-March, until September 11th.

The restrictions have been significantly reduced.

Reporting by Norayr Shoghikyan; Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan
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Bharat Forge on August 12 reported a consolidated loss of Rs 127.32 crore for the June quarter of FY21, against a profit of Rs 171.92 crore in the corresponding quarter a year ago.

Sequentially, the company's loss grew as in the March quarter of FY20, the company's loss was Rs 68.6 crore.

The company's Q1FY21 revenue from operations declined 50.42 percent to Rs 1,154.2 crore, against Rs 2,327.86 crore in Q1FY20.

EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization) loss came at Rs 14.1 crore in the quarter under review, against EBITDA profit of Rs 410.4 crore in the year-ago period.

Total expenses for the quarter stood at Rs 1,343.62 crore, against Rs 2,101.17 crore in the same quarter in FY20.

"The quarter gone by was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and the stringent measures adopted by countries to control the spread," said B.N. Kalyani, Chairman & Managing Director, Bharat Forge.

"Despite being operational for only one month in the quarter and running at nearly 20 percent capacity utilisation, we were able to reduce breakeven levels through continued focus on cost reduction and improve productivity."

"In these uncertain times and working within guidelines set by local authorities, we continue our steadfast focus on 4Cs: meeting customer demand, ensuring the safety and wellbeing of our colleagues, control on costs and working on the cost reduction initiatives already mapped out," said Kalyani.

"Looking ahead into demand for the coming quarter, we are witnessing marginal improvement in demand across both domestic and export markets. We expect our domestic revenues to be flat as compared to Q2 FY20 while the exports will be lower than the levels witnessed in Q2 FY20. The sustainability in the recovery in underlying demand is a key factor to track in the coming months," he added.
Tsai Ing-wen is the President and Commander-In-Chief of the patriotic Armed Forces of Taiwan. Born on 31st. August 1956, in Taipei (Capital City of Taiwan) Tsai Ing-wen traced her family roots to the Fangshan Township of Pingting County of Southern Taiwan.

President Tsai Ing-wen traces her family roots to Fangshan Township of Pingtung County in southern Taiwan. Growing up at an auto repair shop run by her parents, her family background instilled in her the spirit of small and medium-sized enterprisesprofessional, dynamic, resilient, and hard-working.

President Tsai Ing-wen graduated from National Taiwan University with a Bachelor of Laws degree in 1978. She then studied in the US and the UK, obtaining a Master of Laws degree from Cornell University Law School in 1980 and a Ph.D. in Law from the London School of Economics and Political Science in 1984, specializing in international trade law and competition law.

After finishing her studies and returning to Taiwan, Dr. Tsai served as an associate professor and then a professor in the Department of Law at National Chengchi University (1984-1990), a professor at the Soochow University School of Law (1991- 1993), and a professor in the Department of International Business at National Chengchi University (1993-2000).

President Tsai Ing-wen began her tenure as part of Taiwan's trade negotiation delegation in the late 1980s. By 1990, Taiwan began working on the bid to join the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), eventually gaining admission to the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2002. She was on the forefront of the process during key negotiations in her capacity as Chief Legal Advisor (1992-2000). Dr. Tsai hand witness to this landmark event in the history of Taiwan's economic transformation.

In the 1990s, Dr. Tsai also regularly attended Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting, and chaired the Group on Services (GOS) of the Committee on Trade and Investment (CTI). Beginning in the late 1990s, cross-strait relations experienced several changes.

President Tsai Ing-wen served successively as Senior Adviser to the Mainland Affairs Council (1994- 1998), Senior Adviser to the National Security Council (1999-2000), and Chairperson of the Mainland Affairs Council (2000-2004), devoting her efforts to the development of cross-strait relations.

Dr. Tsai joined the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in 2004 and became a DPP legislator at-large (2005-2006). She was then appointed to serve as vice premier (2006-2007). After the DPP returned to the opposition, Dr. Tsai was elected DPP chairperson for two successive terms (2008-2010 and 2010-2012), the first woman to chair a major political party in Taiwan. She returned as DPP chairperson in 2014, a position she held until 2018.

President Tsai Ing-wen represented the DPP in Taiwan's 13th-term presidential election in 2012, becoming Taiwan's first female presidential candidate. She ran again as the DPP candidate in 2016, and was elected as the nation's 14th-term president.

The first female head of state in Taiwan's history, President Tsai Ing-wen is also the first female head of state in Asia who was not born into a political family. Dr. Tsai represented the DPP in the nations 15th-term presidential election in 2020 and was successfully re-elected with over 8.17 million votes, the highest total in the political history of Taiwan. Dr. Tsai was officially sworn in as the 15th-term President in May and concurrently serves as DPP chairperson.

President Tsai Ing-wen had received the following honours:

The Honduran Order of Francisco Morazan (Grand Cross with Gold Star) from President Juan Orlando Hernandez in 2016.

The Paraguayan National Order of Merit in the Degree of Great Collar (aka Marshal Francisco Solano Lopez Order) from President Horacio Cartes in 2016.

The Guatemalan Peace Ambassador Order of the Quetzal in the Degree of Great Collar from President Jimmy Morales in 2017.

The Kingdom of Eswatini/Swaziland Order of the Elephant in the Degree of Great Collar from King Mswati III in 2018. And,

Sender:

James Baimba Fofanah

Interim Executive Director

The Africans United for Taiwan (AUT)
The AAP government has decided to invite 'corona warriors', including a doctor, nurse and a plasma donor, for its Independence Day event to be held at the Delhi Secretariat instead of Chhatrasal Stadium due to COVID-19 pandemic.

Delhi Minister Gopal Rai, who also heads the general administration department, said like last year, there will be no cultural programmes during the Independence Day function.

The Independence Day celebrations of the Delhi government will be a low-key affair this year as a list of only 80-100 guests, which includes cabinet ministers, all city MPs, MLAs and top bureaucrats, has been prepared.

"We will invite limited number of guests for the August 15 event due to coronavirus. 'Corona Warriors', including a doctor, nurse, a police personal, sanitation worker, ambulance driver and plasma donor, will be invited as a mark of respect for their contributions to the fight against COVID-19," Rai told PTI.

The minister said the chief minister will hoist the national flag at the main event to be held at Delhi Secretariat. This year, there will be no event at the Chhatrasal Stadium in North Delhi.

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

For years, the Delhi government has been holding a grand event at Chhatrasal Stadium on the occasion of Independence Day.

"The Chief Justice of India and Chief Justice of Delhi High Court are also among those who have been included in the guest list for the Independence Day event.

"During Independence Day celebrations, anti-COVID-19 measures such as social distancing will strictly be followed," Rai said.

The Delhi Secretariat houses offices of the the chief minister, cabinet ministers, chief secretary and other top bureaucrats.
WESTPORT  A full week after Tropical Storm Isaias struck the town, some residents remained without power, officials said on Wednesday, but that number has dropped to about 40.

Those customers, and others with specific outage issues, are being addressed as quickly as possible, a town news release said.

Eversource reported the customers without power as of 1:45 p.m., saying about a third of a percent of the 12,633 Eversource customers in Westport, which was among the communities hardest hit by Isaias, remained out, according to the utility companys website.

Town officials have warned information posted by the utility site may not be accurate.

In addition to an electricity update, the town is telling residents that because of the heat wave and for those in need, the Cooling Center at Greens Farms Elementary School will be opened from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m on Aug. 12. Residents are asked to wear a face covering and maintain social distancing recommendations.

Homeowners should contact electricians to manage individual issues, such as wires that have been pulled from the home or electric panels.

These situations require a certified electrician to re-attach those wires, a news release said. Neither Eversource crews or town DPW crews are qualified to re-attach or service individual home electric panels.

Optimum  also known as Cablevision or Altice  has also deployed teams around the clock to restore services as quickly as possible. The percentage of customers in Connecticut without Optimum services because of the storm had fallen from 44 percent to less than 4 percent on Wednesday.

Food remaining in a refrigerator or freezer during the week of the outage should be considered contaminated. Residents should not rely upon appearance or smell to determine if its safe to consume, the news release said.

Residents are asked to also be cautious if they are engaged in post-storm cleanup work. The Westport Yard Waste Site at Bayberry Lane is open for those who wish to discard tree limbs and branches, the news release said

dj.simmons@hearstmediact.com
Taras Semenyuk, Analyst KyivStatPro

Lukashenkos problem is that he has not prepared a successor. He is copying Volodymyr Putins system of power; however, batska remains far behind his Eastern neighbor.

The problem of personalist regimes is that an authoritarian leader concentrates all power in one hand. State institutions operate on the principle of loyalty to a leader, not to the people and even not by law. It is happening because the authoritarian leader imitates the behavior of Louis XIV, who told Letat cest moi (I am the State), that is why he establishes laws of co-existence.

At that time, in France, the political elite was discussing the primacy of royal authority as opposed to the Parliament. In Belarus, the absolute power and society are counteracting.

Belarusians are protesting not only to make batska leave. It is just a visible reason. Instead, the main idea is that protesters want the authorities to respect their vote, to be open to a dialogue, and not to label them as maidan-crazy or sheep, if Lukashenko just understands it.

Protesters think better about themselves because they mainly represent an average young middle class, which has achieved the success not by working at state enterprises, but due to their own efforts, in particular in the IT and business spheres. They were in the EU and saw how democratic countries were operating.

Protests can be a chance to create a real political opposition for the first time in history. However, to do it, it is necessary to have a leader, who will convert the societys demand into political concepts.

Nevertheless, there is one but. It can happen only if Lukashenko himself enters into the dialogue, to which presidents of Ukraine, Poland, Latvia, and Lithuania are urging; except for Russia, a president of which congratulated the current president of Belarus with the victory. It is not a surprise as authoritarian leaders support each other.

Nothing popularizes a society as much as violence. The authorities violent confrontation in the streets of Minsk is a sign of Lukashenkos reluctance to negotiate because it will indicate his weakness in the face of the security forces, who are still demonstrating their loyalty to him

Any presidential election is always a bet on security and protection. Mary Kaldor writes in her book New and old wars that instead, the stronger the sense of insecurity, the stronger the polarization of the society will be. At the same time, there will be less free space for alternative uniting political values. This book describes modern and organized forms of violence, such as organized crime and the mass violation of human rights, in the global era.

Authoritarian rulers are using terror tactics to reach their private political goals. In fact, all 26 years Lukashenko was building power around his person and thus, making it dependent on himself through terror.

In such circumstances, the transit of power from the state of total control to democracy will be extremely painful. In democracies, institutions do not depend on the will of one person. They depend on the law, clear rules of a game, and turnover of the power. This is what makes Ukraine different from Belarus. It is explained by the fact that since 1994 we have been changing out presidents. It has proved a certain maturity of institutions, which task is to balance the power, not to make it be concentrated in one hand.

Siabry are only at the beginning of their transit to democracy on the condition that protests will have a clear political agenda, not riots and confrontations with the security forces. The active minority will have an advantage over the majority, if it is conditionally institutionalized into political concepts and an alternative strategy of further movement in Belarus. In other words, it will happen when politics from the streets at least passes to the Parliament.

Todays dependence of the country on Russias GDP is about 50% and Chinas GDP is 15%. It does not mean that when the power changes, the course will also be changed. However, the powers infrastructure can be changed enabling it to penetrate into all levels of the society in the whole territory and to make democratic and political changes.
One issue stands out for St. Catharines as contract talks get underway between Unifor and the Detroit Three automakers, says Local 199 plant chair Tim McKinnon.

He wants assurances new work will be brought to General Motors Glendale Avenue plant in three years when a discontinuation of some models elsewhere could affect local operations.

Im looking down the road to make sure I secure something, at least a commitment, well in advance, McKinnon said Wednesday.

The union and automakers  GM, Ford and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles  opened negotiations in Toronto, with existing agreements due to expire Sept. 21.

Speaking to reporters, Unifor national president Jerry Diaz said the unions goal is to protect jobs by getting the companies to commit to invest in Canada.

He predicted the automakers will use the temporary market downturn caused COVID-19 to plead poverty and avoid increasing salaries and investments, but insisted Im not going to take any concessions.

This industry has been printing money to the tune of billions of dollars of profitability (for years)  our overall costs are much cheaper in Canada than they are in the U.S.

Diaz is expected to wait until Labour Day, on Sept. 8, to choose one of the big three to negotiate with before settling and moving onto talks with the other two automakers.

He didnt provide any hints Wednesday as to which he will target.

General Motors released its written statement midday.

Matt Hough, general director for human resources and labour relations, said our focus is to reach a new fair, flexible four-year agreement for the roughly 1,600 unionized workers in St. Catharines, the Oshawa OEM stamped products and service operation, and Woodstock parts distribution centre.

Diaz said the automakers need to make Canadian investments in production and development of electric vehicles going forward.

Currently, he said, EVs account for about three per cent of the world market but that will likely grow to 50 per cent within 20 years.

Three-hundred billion dollars has been announced by the global (original equipment manufacturers) to date for electric vehicles, he said.

Not one nickel, not one, has been allocated to Canada. Thats something that needs to change.

At the Glendale propulsion plant in St. Catharines, up to half the workforce of about 1,250 could be eliminated in about three years if new work isnt moved there, due to discontinuation of some models.

There is some time, we have a few years, said McKinnon. But at the end of that, and prior to going into bargaining again, we need product.

In addition to job security, he said another important local issue is to close the wage gap between newer and more senior workers.

In St. Catharines its different than most other places, we went 22 years without hiring at one point, he said.

So we have a substantial young workforce and a substantial seniority workforce. For St. Catharines its funny, were almost negotiating two separate contracts.

At the Glendale plant, workers were sent home for a time after COVID-19 struck but things have largely returned to normal, McKinnon said.

Actually were so far ahead now that  we actually had summer students in this year.

He expects to return to Toronto Aug. 24 for more national business.

In the meantime, local side agreements are being negotiated at plants across Canada on site-specific issues.

Were doing well, McKinnon said of the local talks, which began about two weeks ago. Were not being unreasonable, the company isnt being unreasonable.

I think the local talks are going reasonably well, were getting through some of the tougher stuff.
MASSAPEQUA, N.Y., Aug. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Monica S. Giuliani, DDS, is being recognized by Continental Who's Who as a Top Distinguished Dentist for her remarkable contributions in the field of Dental Medicine and acknowledgment of her exceptional commitment as the Sole Practitioner and Owner of Sunrise Dental Group.

Situated at 4250 Jerusalem Avenue, Sunrise Dental Group offers top quality general, cosmetic, restorative, and emergency dentistry services to Nassau County residents. Other services include treatment for TMJ and sleep apnea, as well as Invisalign, implants, dental impressions, and whitening. Serving in her current location for ten years, Dr. Giuliani has earned a reputation as a skilled, caring dentist who is great with children.



Unwavering in her dedication to excellent dental care, Dr. Giuliani loves her profession and patients. She ensures each patient is as comfortable as possible, frequently updating her office and adding new amenities. In her current capacity, she leads an exceptional team and continues to demonstrate the highest level of professionalism and integrity.



In preparation for her career, Dr. Giuliani attended State University of New York at Albany for undergraduate studies and State University of New York at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine for a Doctorate of Dental Surgery.



Remaining abreast of the latest dental innovations, Dr. Giuliani maintains memberships and affiliations with the International Association of Dentists, NY Dental Society, and American Dental Association.



As a testament to her success, Leading Physicians of World recognized Dr. Giuliani in 2013 and Top Dentist recognized her in 2012.



Outside of work, Dr. Giuliani enjoys spending time with her husband Dr. Michael Giuliani and their children Alex and Sophia. She met her husband at SUNY Albany and they moved back to his hometown of Massapequa to start their careers and raise their children.



For more information, please visit https://www.sunrisedentalgroupny.com

Contact: Katherine Green , 516-825-5634 [email protected]

SOURCE Continental Who's Who

Related Links

http://www.continentalwhoswho.com


Two light combat helicopters, produced by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, have been deployed in the Ladakh sector to support the Indian Air Force at short notice amid the border row with China along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), HAL said in a statement on Wednesday.

It is the lightest attack helicopter in the world designed and developed by HAL to meet the specific and unique requirements of Indian armed forces reflecting the crucial role of HAL in Atma Nirbhar Bharat. said HAL chairman R Madhavan. The LCH figures on the governments negative import list that seeks to ban the import of 101 different types of weapons, systems and ammunition over the next five years.

The state-run aircraft maker is expecting an order for 15 LCHs by the year-end --- 10 for the IAF and five for the army. The IAF and the army together need 160 LCHs.

The deployment of the twin-engine LCH in the Ladakh sector is symbolic in nature and an acknowledgement of the potential that the platform holds but it is yet to be fully weaponised to meet the IAFs requirements, people familiar with the LCH programme said.

The LCH holds a lot of promise but is not really capable of carrying out missions in its current configuration. It lacks anti-armour and air-to-air weapons. Thats work in progress, the officials said. The LCH is equipped with 70mm rockets and a chin-mounted cannon.

Also read: For Ladakh stand-off, how India readied its fleet of Apache attack choppers

The LCH may not be carrying its full weapons load as of today but when the weapon integration is complete, it will prove its worth, said Air Marshal KK Nohwar (retd), director general, Centre for Air Power Studies.

During a visit to the Ladakh sector last week, IAF vice chief Air Marshal Harjit Singh Arora flew in one of the two LCHs from the Daulat Beg Oldie airbase, near the contested LAC.

Air Marshal Arora took off from a high-altitude location to a forward area for a simulated attack on a target, the HAL statement said. This was followed by a landing at one of the most treacherous helipads in the region. The LCH successfully demonstrated its quick deployment prowess to forward locations in extreme temperatures, the statement said.

LCH is a potent platform because of its state-of-the-art systems and highly accurate weapons (it will eventually carry) that are capable of hitting any type of target by day or night, it added. The two LCHs deployed in Ladakh are prototypes and the ones that will be supplied to the IAF will come with the desired weapons capability, said an HAL official, speaking on the condition of anonymity.

On the upcoming order for 15 LCH, the HAL said, Technical evaluation and the price negotiations have been concluded and the order is expected shortly.

However, as a proactive measure HAL has launched limited series production in anticipation of orders at its Bengaluru facility.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR Rahul Singh Rahul Singh covers military affairs. He has been a journalist for 18 years. ...view detail
Effective immediately, the Sydney-based duo will come onboard and report to HDI Global Specialty SE  Australia general manager and head of branch Mark Fleiser.

Anja will play a key role in supporting our developing branch operation and comes to us with an impressive amount of experience gained both in Australia and globally, having previously worked within the Talanx Group, noted Fleiser. Anja will be tasked with leading our risk management and compliance activities, ensuring that we strive for and achieve best market practices.

The general manager went on to say that Newtons position is another important appointment within the firms growing branch operation.

Fleiser commented: He has the kind of skills and industry insight from both the insurer and distribution perspective to stand him in very good stead and allow him to quickly add value to the broader finance and accounting function of the team.


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The permission of local bodies -- be it panchayats or municipal bodies -- will no longer be mandatory for telecom infrastructure companies to set up towers in Goa, according to a new Goa Telecom Infrastructure Policy, 2020 that was approved by the state cabinet on Wednesday.

The decision to streamline the processes for setting up towers in the state was made in a bid to improve connectivity, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said.

The major change is that the permissions from local bodies will no longer be needed. But a one-time payment of 50,000 will be given to the local body as a licence fee. In urban and semi urban areas it is 50,000 monthly rent for the operators and in rural areas it is half of that, Sawant said.

If it is in a private property, they will need the permission from the land owner and can then approach the government for permissions, Sawant said.

The need for a permission from the local body was holding up the installation of towers, Sawant said adding that the Covid-19 pandemic has exposed the states poor connectivity and has sent children scurrying up hills, treetops, roofs of houses, etc in the search of connectivity.

However, owing to opposition from residents, panchayats and municipal bodies have been slow in processing permissions for setting up the towers with around 300 tower permissions pending for permission.
Percept Live, the organisers of the popular annual electronic dance music festival Sunburn, would contribute to the Chief Ministers Relief Fund for the raging coronavirus disease (Covid-19) outbreak, CM Pramod Sawant announced on Wednesday.

The CM made the announcement while interacting with media persons after a Cabinet meeting.

He said Percept Live had sought permission from the Goa government to raise money to combat against the viral scourge and would donate proceeds of its online music festival to the CMs Relief Fund.

Click here for full Covid-19 coverage

Percept Live is doing a live event and the proceeds of the event will be contributed to the CMs Relief Fund to combat the Covid-19 pandemic, the CM said.

Its an online musical festival for free that is being held in Berlin. The donation is voluntary. The money will come to the CMs Relief Fund. We dont need to spend any money. The organisers are doing it to promote Goa and Goa Tourism. The music has been recorded. They only sought our permission for the online fundraiser, the CM added.

Earlier, the Goa government had responded positively to Percept Lives proposal to organise an online fundraiser event for the CMs Relief Fund to tackle the Covid-19 menace.

The CM also lamented that the state government has received only Rs 6 crore to date from the Central government in its fight against Covid-19, even though it has drawn New Delhis attention for more funds.

So far, the Central government has given us only Rs 6 crore. However, we have written to the authorities in New Delhi that we need more money, as our Covid-19 caseload has gone up significantly, the CM said.

Sunburn, an electronic dance music festival, had started in Goa in 2007 and has since grown in both its reach and popularity.

The festival has led to the launch of several offshoot festivals at campuses of Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) and other college campuses, including online events, on a global scale.

Usually, the annual festival is held in Goa between December 27 and 29.

Past events had hosted some of the marquee names from the music industry, including Chainsmokers, Martin Garrix, Jason Derulo, David Guetta, etc, and drew celebrities from across the country to Goa.

However, the organisers have had several run-ins with the successive state government over payments and dues, while efforts were on to shift the event to Pune.

Several legal cases between the state government and the organisers are still unresolved.

Sunburn was also in the news for occasional deaths due to drug overdose.

Besides, local residents had frequently complained about inordinate traffic snarls and the litter that were strewn all around the place in the wake of the annual music festival.
New Delhi, Aug 13 : The Congress has blamed 'toxic' TV debate for the untimely demise of its spokesperson Rajiv Tyagi, who passed away on Wednesday after suffering a cardiac arrest.

The Congress leader had attended a television debate at 5 p.m. and complained of chest pain soon after the programme ended. He then fell unconscious and was rushed to the Yashoda Hospital, where doctors pronounced him dead.

Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala tweeted, "Till when will toxic debates and venomous spokespersons continue to kill sober and simple people? Till when TV channels will continue to run the TRP business through such debates? Till when will divisive communal agenda continue to poison the soul of the country? Till when? #rajiv_tyagi." Congress interim President Sonia Gandhi, former party chief Rahul Gandhi and senior leader Priyanka Gandhi spoke to Tyagi's wife and extended their condolences.

Rahul Gandhi said in a tweet, "Congress has lost a lion. We will always remember his love for the party. My condolences are with the family." "Shocked to hear about the tragic demise of Shri Rajiv Tyagi. He was too young and had a long life ahead of him. It is a big loss for the party. My heart goes out to his family & wellwishers. May God give them the strength in this hour of grief," tweeted senior leader Ahmed Patel.

A resident of Ghaziabad, Tyagi was a member of the Uttar Pradesh Congress before becoming the party's national spokesperson.

The Congress in a statement said, "We are deeply saddened by the sudden demise of Rajiv Tyagi, a staunch Congressman and a true patriot. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends in this hour of grief." Congress leader Jitin Prasada said, "I am shocked and deeply saddened by his untimely demise." BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said, "I can't believe that my friend Rajiv Tyagi is not with us any more. He was in a debate with me at 5 p.m. Life is uncertain."
A northern Michigan orchard filed a Court of Claims lawsuit against Gov. Gretchen Whitmer Wednesday to prevent any administrative action that would effectively shut down its operation.

David Kallman, the same lawyer that represented Owosso barber Karl Manke in his successful litigation battle with the state, filed the lawsuit on behalf of Friske Orchard Farm Market of Antrim County near Charlevoix on Aug. 4, according to an Aug. 12 press release. The other defendants are the states Agriculture and Rural Development and Labor and Economic Opportunity departments and the Health Department of Northwest Michigan.

State drops lawsuit aimed at shutting down defiant Owosso barber

Friske Orchard Farm Market seeks injunctive relief on restrictions to its business to ensure its business and employees have the opportunity to earn a living, and to protect itself from wrongful prosecutions by various state and local governmental agencies, the lawsuit states.

The orchard and market defies Whitmers executive orders 2020-153 and 2020-161, which requires mask-wearing and following other COVID-19 mitigation guidelines. Richard Friske and his family, who own the market, allows customers to make personal choices regarding their health, according to the release.

The lawsuit claimed that Whitmer and state agencies are attempting to revoke business and health licenses for not adhering to executive orders. The Court of Claims ruled in June that the penalty for violating the orders is a misdemeanor, up to 90 days in jail or a $500 fine.

Penalty for violating Gov. Whitmers coronavirus safety guidelines isnt legal, court rules

The Court of Claims has already ruled that the Governor cannot weaponize her state agencies to prosecute a business for violating her EOs, the release stated. Yet the Governor continues with her administrative actions against Friske in direct contempt of this prior court order.

The Governors office does not comment on pending litigation, said Whitmers spokeswoman Tiffany Brown.

Wearing a mask is an effective and low-cost way to protect ourselves and our families from a deadly disease. It should beand isthe responsibility of every Michigander, according to Executive Order 2020-153.

Kallmans release argued that the goal of Whitmers executive orders has already been achieved, including flattening the curve and not overwhelming hospitals.

Despite a very high survival rate for those who do contract the virus, and the fact that the majority of deaths occur in nursing homes and elder care facilities, the government is willing to destroy any business that wont comply with its unlawful EOs, the release stated.

Nursing-home patients and staff comprise about 17% of the states coronavirus cases and 34% of deaths, according to a June 26 MLive article. There have been spikes in COVID-19 cases in patients under 30 in Washtenaw and Muskegon counties, among others.

States handling of COVID in nursing homes worthy of critique, but GOP lawmakers miss mark, experts say

Michigan ranks well in nationwide report on coronavirus risk in nursing homes

Whitmer is currently attempting to hijack the authority of all three branches of government, the release stated, arguing for more separation of powers in state government. This is the argument that was made by Patrick Wright, the vice president of legal affairs for the libertarian think tank Mackinac Center for Public Policy when the Court of Claims ruled against Whitmer.

It is time for our judicial system to assert its constitutional role and affirm that all three branches of government have their appropriate duties and responsibilities that cannot be usurped by one person, said Kallman in the release. Michigans citizens are competent to shape their own opinions and make their own health decisions without the protection of government officials.

In the first 11 days of August, the Upper Peninsula has confirmed 209 cases of coronavirus, which is 30% of all the confirmed cases in the U.P. Since the beginning of the pandemic, the U.P. has had 697 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 18 deaths. Almost 60% of those cases, or 414, have been reported since mid-July.

Upper Peninsulas coronavirus numbers have more than doubled in past four weeks

COVID-19 PREVENTION TIPS:

In addition to washing hands regularly and not touching your face, officials recommend practicing social distancing, assuming anyone may be carrying the virus.

Health officials say you should be staying at least 6 feet away from others and working from home, if possible.

Use disinfecting wipes or disinfecting spray cleaners on frequently-touched surfaces in your home (door handles, faucets, countertops) and carry hand sanitizer with you when you go into places like stores.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has also issued executive orders requiring people to wear face coverings over their mouth and nosewhile in public indoor and crowded outdoor spaces. See an explanation of what that means here.

Additional information is available at Michigan.gov/Coronavirus and CDC.gov/Coronavirus.

For more data on COVID-19 in Michigan, visit https://www.mlive.com/coronavirus/data/.

READ MORE ON MLIVE:

Joe Biden selects Kamala Harris as vice presidential running mate

Why Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer wasnt chosen to be Bidens running mate in 2020 presidential election

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer set to speak at Democratic convention

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer says Biden and Harris will bring fierce leadership to White House

Kamala Harris is officially Joe Bidens running mate. Michigan supporters say its about time.
Unifor national president Jerry Dias has kicked off what is expected to be an especially challenging round of contract negotiations with Detroits Big Three by warning that Canadians will punish companies that disinvest in the country.

The union wants new vehicle commitments from Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, Ford and General Motors for their car plants in Oshawa, Oakville, Brampton, St. Catharines and Windsor.

That would stem the industrys decline in the near term, said Dias. Then Unifor will push for longer-term investments for the development of autonomous and electric vehicles of the future, he said.

The reality is we are in one tough set of negotiations, he told reporters in Toronto on Wednesday.

Ford has not announced a new vehicle for its Oakville plant beyond 2023; Fiat Chrysler needs to add another vehicle to its Brampton plant, and two new models are needed to recall a third shift in Windsor, he said.

Two programs at the GM engine plant in St. Catharines are also set to expire in 2023, which will mean layoffs for half of Unifors 1,150 members there.

Calling the GM Oshawa plant the elephant in the room, Dias said that facility needs to be maintained to ensure it can build cars in the future even as it evolves now to building aftermarket parts.

Although he acknowledged that the pandemic has resulted in production stoppages and lost spring sales, the union leader flatly rejected the idea of concessions for Canadian workers.

Clearly this is an industry that has been printing money for the last decade and Im not going to allow COVID to be an excuse to somehow not give our members the increases that they deserve, he said.

There were 21 million vehicles sold in North America in 2019. When the pandemic hit, carmakers expected a significant drop. But Dias said consumers  nervous about using transit or ride-sharing  have been car shopping, so he is hopeful that sales will recover more quickly than was anticipated.

Unifor represents 17,000 Canadian auto workers. That is 3,600 fewer than in 2016, following the loss of production last year at GMs Oshawa plant, the loss of a third shift in Windsor and layoffs at Fords giant Oakville facility.

We told Ford that unless there is a solution for Oakville there isnt going to be a settlement, said Dias, who said he will announce on Labour Day which of the three manufacturers Unifor will negotiate with first.

The current four-year agreements expire Sept. 21.

Unlike the last recession in 2008-2009, automakers are coming off a period of healthy sales, he said. But Canadas car manufacturing has been declining from about three million cars built in 1999 to about 1.9 million last year  a number that is expected to fall again this year.

At Wednesdays news conference he argued that GM should leverage the proximity of its autonomous vehicle technology centre in Markham to its test track in Oshawa to also build those vehicles in Oshawa.

If you have a tech centre that is developing the most modern technology and you have a test track in which to test those vehicles, why wouldnt you build in Oshawa? he said.

The Canadian auto sector employs nearly 130,000 people and generates nearly $100 billion in revenue, according to Unifor.

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Kendallville, IN (46755)

Today

A mix of clouds and sun during the morning will give way to cloudy skies this afternoon. Morning high of 36F with temps falling to near 20. Winds WNW at 10 to 20 mph..

Tonight

Cloudy early with some clearing expected late. A few flurries or snow showers possible. Low 13F. Winds N at 10 to 20 mph.
(Source: Getty)

One of Australias most recognised charities has admitted to underpaying more than 9,000 employees to the tune of $3.36 million.

The Uniting Church in Australia Property Trust (NSW), which runs more than 70 residential aged care and other facilities in NSW and ACT, is being forced to back-pay 9,561 workers after self-reporting the underpayments which occurred between 2013 and 2019.

The individual amounts some workers were underpaid ranged from less than $1 to more than $11,000.

Uniting discovered the underpayments after conducting a review following a series of complaints from several employees, many of whom were front-line carers such as community or disability service workers.

The charity made a series of errors in providing laundry, uniform and vehicle allowances, and also didnt provide shift workers an extra week of annual leave that they should have been entitled to every year.

The charity has entered into an enforceable undertaking (EU) with the Fair Work Ombudsman (FWO), a legally binding agreement that forces an employer to comply with the law in lieu of being taken to court.

According to the FWO, most workers have already been back-paid, but the EU will require workers to pay workers back by 15 August this year, as well as comply with other obligations.

Uniting will also have to fund and operate a hotline for the next four months that workers can use to make enquiries about their entitlements, underpayments or other workplace concerns.

The charity will also have to display public workplace and online notices detailing its breaches, and apologise to workers.

Fair Work Ombudsman Sandra Parker praised the charity for its compliance with the investigation.

Uniting demonstrated a strong commitment to rectifying all underpayments owed to its workers, she said.

Under the EU, the charity will have to conduct an external audit to independently assess its rectification program for the next two years.

This matter serves as a warning to all organisations that if you dont prioritise workplace compliance, you risk underpaying staff on a large scale and face not only a massive administrative exercise calculating underpayments but the cost of a significant back-payment bill, she said.

Story continues

Any employers who need help meeting their lawful workplace obligations should contact us.

In a statement, Uniting NSW.ACT said it had made some errors around leave and payments.

We regret and apologise for the errors and any impact they may have had on our people, it said.

Unitings statement counts every instance of underpayment, rather than the number of affected staff, which is represented in the FWOs statement.

Nearly 13,000 instances of underpayment was recorded across leave, uniform and laundry and vehicle allowance underpayments amounting to $3.36 million. Uniting said it is offering a range of remediation options.

You can make tips to Fair Work via 13 13 94 or visit their website at fairwork.gov.au.

You can also make an anonymous report to Fair Work through their website.

Make your money work with Yahoo Finances daily newsletter. Sign up here and stay on top of the latest money, economy, property and work news.

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Dr. Anthony Fauci, the country's top infectious disease expert, expressed his doubts over Russia's claim that it has quickly created a COVID-19 vaccine that is safe and effective.

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on Tuesday that his health ministry has approved a vaccine after just two months of trials. It "works effectively enough," he said, adding that his daughter has received a dose.

During a virtual panel discussion with National Geographic on Tuesday, Fauci said he hopes the Russians have "actually, definitively proven that the vaccine is safe and effective. I seriously doubt they've done that." There are several vaccine candidates being tested in the U.S. right now, Fauci continued, and "if we wanted to take the chance of hurting a lot of people, or giving them something that doesn't work, we could start doing this, you know, next week if we wanted to. But that's not the way it works."

The Russian vaccine has not gone through Phase III testing, when scientists compare the vaccine to a placebo in tens of thousands of people, The New York Times reports. This is not the time to cut corners, Fauci said, and Americans need to know that the U.S. isn't rushing to produce a vaccine "because we have a way of doing things in this country that we care about safety." Worldwide, there are more than 20 million confirmed cases of COVID-19, with at least 737,000 people dying of the virus.

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WILMINGTON, Del.  Joe Biden named California Sen. Kamala Harris as his running mate on Tuesday, making history by selecting the first Black woman to compete on a major partys presidential ticket and acknowledging the vital role Black voters will play in his bid to defeat President Donald Trump.

In choosing Harris, Biden is embracing a former rival from the Democratic primary who is familiar with the unique rigor of a national campaign. Born to a Jamaican father and Indian mother, the 55-year-old first-term senator is one of the partys most prominent figures. She quickly became a top contender for the No. 2 spot after her own White House campaign ended.

In a tweet, Biden called Harris a fearless fighter for the little guy, and one of the countrys finest public servants.

Together, with you, were going to beat Trump, he said.

Harris and Biden plan to deliver remarks Wednesday near Bidens home in Wilmington, Delaware.

She joins Biden in the 2020 race at a moment of unprecedented national crisis. The coronavirus pandemic has claimed the lives of more than 160,000 people in the U.S., far more than the toll experienced in other countries. Business closures and disruptions resulting from the pandemic have caused severe economic problems. Unrest, meanwhile, has emerged across the country as Americans protest racism and police brutality.

After Tuesdays announcement, Trump quickly tweeted a campaign ad that dismisses Harris as phony and says she and Biden jointly embrace the radical left.

Trumps uneven handling of the crises has given Biden an opening, and he enters the fall campaign in strong position against the president. In adding Harris to the ticket, he can point to her relatively centrist record on issues such as health care and her background in law enforcement in the nations largest state.

Harriss record as California attorney general and district attorney in San Francisco was heavily scrutinized during the Democratic primary and turned away some liberals and younger Black voters who saw her as out of step on issues of racism in the legal system and police brutality. She tried to strike a balance on these issues, declaring herself a progressive prosecutor who backs law enforcement reforms.

Biden, who spent eight years as President Barack Obamas vice president, has spent months weighing who would fill that same role in his White House. He pledged in March to select a woman as his vice president, easing frustration among Democrats that the race would center on two white men in their 70s.

Bidens search was expansive, including Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a leading progressive; Florida Rep. Val Demings, whose impeachment prosecution of Trump won plaudits; California Rep. Karen Bass, who leads the Congressional Black Caucus; former Obama national security adviser Susan Rice; and Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, whose passionate response to unrest in her city garnered national attention.

Rice congratulated Harris on her selection, calling her a tenacious and trailblazing leader. Rice said she would support Biden and Harris with all my energy and commitment.

Bass tweeted, @KamalaHarris is a great choice for Vice President. Her tenacious pursuit of justice and relentless advocacy for the people is what is needed right now.

A woman has never served as president or vice president in the United States. Two women have been nominated as running mates on major party tickets: Democrat Geraldine Ferraro in 1984 and Republican Sarah Palin in 2008. Their parties lost in the general election. And Hillary Clinton headed the Democratic ticket in 2016.

The vice presidential pick carries increased significance this year. If elected, Biden would be 78 when hes inaugurated in January, the oldest man to ever assume the presidency. Hes spoken of himself as a transitional figure and hasnt fully committed to seeking a second term in 2024. If he declines to do so, his running mate would likely become a front-runner for the nomination that year.

Harris won her first election in 2003 when she became San Franciscos district attorney.

She was elected Californias attorney general in 2010, the first woman and Black person to hold the job, and focused on issues including the foreclosure crisis. She declined to defend the states Proposition 8, which banned same-sex marriage and was later overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court.

As her national profile grew, Harris built a reputation around her work as a prosecutor. After being elected to the Senate in 2016, she quickly gained attention for her questioning of Trump administration officials during congressional hearings. In one memorable moment last year, Harris tripped up Attorney General William Barr when she pressed him on whether Trump or other White House officials pressured him to investigate certain people.

Harris launched her presidential campaign in early 2019 with the slogan Kamala Harris For the People, a reference to her courtroom work. She was one of the highest-profile contenders in a crowded Democratic primary and attracted 20,000 people to her first campaign rally in Oakland.

But the early promise of her campaign eventually faded. Her law enforcement background prompted skepticism from some progressives, and she struggled to land on a consistent message that resonated with voters. Facing fundraising problems, Harris abruptly withdrew from the race in December 2019, two months before the first votes of the primary were cast.

One of Harris standout moments of her presidential campaign came at the expense of Biden. During a debate, Harris said Biden made very hurtful comments about his past work with segregationist senators and slammed his opposition to busing as schools began to integrate in the 1970s.

There was a little girl in California who was a part of the second class to integrate her public schools, and she was bused to school every day, she said. And that little girl was me.

Shaken by the attack, Biden called her comments a mischaracterization of my position.

But Biden and Harris have since returned to a warm relationship.

Joe has empathy, he has a proven track record of leadership and more than ever before we need a president of the United States who understands who the people are, sees them where they are, and has a genuine desire to help and knows how to fight to get us where we need to be, Harris said at an event for Biden earlier this summer.

At the same event, she bluntly attacked Trump, labeling him a drug pusher for his promotion of the malaria drug hydroxychloroquine as a treatment for the coronavirus, which has not been proved to be an effective treatment and may even be more harmful. After Trump tweeted when the looting starts, the shooting starts in response to protests about the death of George Floyd, a Black man, in police custody, Harris said his remarks yet again show what racism looks like.
Hotels in Rome cut their rates by up to half as they battle to entice handful of tourists.

Rome's hotels are slashing their rates, in some cases by 50 per cent, in a desperate bid to attract the few tourists visiting the Eternal City this summer.

The capital's hospitality sector, decimated by the covid-19 crisis, is struggling to survive, with many hotels either closed or with only a handful of rooms occupied.

The city's luxury hotels are finding it particularly tough, with the absence of wealthy tourists from America, Asia and Russia, reports Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera.

This has led to drastic action by an "exhausted" sector, with hotel room prices being halved, according to Giuseppe Roscioli of hotel federation Federalberghi.

"There has been a small return to tourism, but in recent weeks the customers in the city for work have totally disappeared," Roscioli told Italian newspaper La Repubblica, which gave a few examples of the struggle faced by hoteliers.

The Condotti Palace, a four-star hotel near the Spanish Steps, is offering a double room in the week before the national Ferragosto holiday at 67.

The four-star Milton Hotel near the Basilica di S. Giovanni in Laterano offers a double room for 67, while the four-star Hotel della Conciliazione on Via di Borgo Pio near St Peter's rents a room for just 65, half the price of last year.

Francesco Gatti, head of the Rome branch of hoteliers' association Assohotel, told La Repubblica that the hotels that have chosen to reopen have done so to "stay on the market," even by getting into debt, in a bid to "hold out until March, when hopefully a few more tourists will return."

So who are the tourists in Rome visiting this summer? Europeans: French, Spanish, British, and naturally Italians.

Despite the difficulties faced by hoteliers, and Italy's attempts to attract tourists, visitors to the Eternal City are still hit with a tourist tax in addition to their hotel bill.

"The highest in Italy" - Gatti told La Repubblica - "A couple who comes to the city in a double room in a 4-star hotel spends 12 per day. Compared to 5.40 per person in Paris and 2.50 in Barcelona."

For this reason, Gatti says he has written to the city to request that Rome "eliminate the tourist tax, at least until 2021."

Photo credit: Kirk Fisher / Shutterstock.com.
Making India believe that the skys the limit, Vikram Sarabhai is not only credited for putting the first Indian satellite, Aryabhata, in orbit in 1975 from a Russian cosmodrome but also for establishing the Indian Space Research Organisation. His pioneering contributions towards the establishment and development of Indias nuclear power plants for defence purposes, apart from taking education to remote villages through satellite communication, landed him with two of Indias highest honours - the Padma Bhushan in 1966 and the Padma Vibhushan which was awarded posthumously in 1972.

On his 101st birth anniversary today, Skyroot Aerospace announced the successful test firing of their Vikram-1 Launch vehicle. Taking to their Twitter handle, the Spacetech startup shared the test firing of an upper stage rocket engine. It tweeted, No better day than Dr. Vikram Sarabhais birthday to announce our successful test firing of our Vikram-1 Launch vehicles upper stage Engine-Raman. Four Raman engines with multi-start capability produce a thrust of 3.4kN and inserts multiple satellites into orbit (sic).

No better day than Dr. Vikram Sarabhai's birthday to announce our successful test firing of our Vikram-1 Launch vehicle's upper stage Engine-Raman.



Four Raman engines with multi-start capability produce a thrust of 3.4kN and inserts multiple satellites into orbit. pic.twitter.com/uF9ETTBSTc  Skyroot Aerospace (@SkyrootA) August 12, 2020

Vikram Sarabhai was a visionary scientist, industrialist and institution-builder who called for the development of satellite-based remote sensing of natural resources. Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb remembered the Father of the Indian Space Program on his birth anniversary by tweeting his monochromatic picture.

As Sarabhai was dedicated to all aspects of science and technology, especially space applications, Deb shared, Humble tributes to Father of Indian Space Program, Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan Shri Vikram Sarabhai on his birth anniversary. He will always be remembered for his pioneering contribution to Indias space and nuclear programs (sic).

Humble tributes to Father of Indian Space Program, Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan Shri Vikram Sarabhai on his birth anniversary.



He will always be remembered for his pioneering contribution to India's space and nuclear programs. pic.twitter.com/njIHrVpuo7  Biplab Kumar Deb (@BjpBiplab) August 12, 2020

Hailing from the famous Sarabhai family of major industrialists who helped in the Independence movement in India, Vikram Sarabhai founded the Physical Research Laboratory at Ahmedabad in 1947 and Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, a decade later. One of the greatest achievements of the Cambridge doctorate holder was the establishment of the Indian National Committee for Space Research in 1962.

It was later renamed the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). An inspiration to young scientists of the country, Vikram Sarabhais birth anniversary is also celebrated as National Remote Sensing Day in India.

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Prabhas is a busy bee these days as he preps up for his upcoming projects. The recent release of Radhe Shyam's first look poster and the highly awaited announcement of Prabhas 21, has raised the expectations of his fans and followers who are eagerly awaiting the film's release. Well, looks like one more movie is in the making to join the array of Prabhas' upcoming films as we hear that Prashanth Neel is in talks with the actor for a film.

As per reports, the KGF director is working on the script of an action thriller amid the COVID-19 lockdown, and wishes to rope in Prabhas for the movie that will also have a strong social message. It is said that the duo wanted to work with each other since Prashanth's debut film Ugramm released. The yet-to-be-titled movie is also said to be along the lines of Ugramm. It is said that Prashanth has narrated an underworld mafia-themed storyline to Prabhas, which has impressed the latter, who eagerly wants the project to be his 22nd film. As per the buzz, the movie will be a pan-India project which will be released in Telugu, Tamil, Kannada and Hindi. Prabhas- Prashanth Neel film will probably start rolling from 2022 after the release of their respective project.

Talking about Prabhas' projects, Radha Krishna Kumar directorial Radhe Shyam will have Pooja Hegde in the female lead role. Bankrolled by Gopikrishna Movies and UV Creations, the pan-India project is touted to be a romantic thriller. Nag Ashwin's directorial #Prabhas21 will have Bollywood diva Deepika Padukone in the lead role. The sci-fi film is produced under the banner Vyjayanthi Movies.

On the other hand, Prashanth Neel is gearing up to release Yash-starrer KGF: Chapter 2, which is slated to hit the theatres on October 23, 2020. Post the big project, the director will collaborate with Jr NTR for a project backed by Mythri Movie Makers. The film was announced by Prashanth on the occasion of Tarak's 37th birthday on May 20, 2020.

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Intercropping of agave and columnar cacti near Las Canoas in Jalisco, Mexico. Credit: Bill Hatcher

As the National Weather Service warns that a heat wave spreading across the southwestern United States is of a "magnitude rare, dangerous and deadly," a team of scientists, led by the University of Arizona, has generated a new vision aimed at reducing climate disruptions to food security, human health and rural economies.

In a new article published in the journal Plants, People, Planet, 14 scientists from the U.S. Southwest and Mexico present a model for farming in arid landscapes that's designed to benefit land health, reduce disease risks and restore economic well-being to desert communities.

The researchers propose restructuring desert food production from the ground up, by selecting wild food crops already adapted to extreme conditions. The desert food crops would be companion-planted or "intercropped" in designs that not only reduce heat stress in the plants, but among the farmworkers who care for them as well.

The researchers' article, titled "An Aridamerican model for agriculture in a hotter, water scarce world," calls for a dramatic paradigm shift to move desert food production away from water-consumptive, heat-intolerant annual crop plants.

Conventional agriculture attempts to reshape land and water resources to protect single crops grown in uniform stands from heat and drought stressa strategy that is becoming increasingly costly and unsustainable under rapidly changing climate and soil conditions, the researchers say. Instead, they suggest that farmers in arid landscapes select crops from wild, resilient native species already adapted to aridity.

"Desert plants have evolved a remarkable number of strategies to cope with heat, drought, unpredictable rainfall and poor soils," said Erin Riordan, a UArizona research associate and the principal scientist coordinating the binational research team anchored at the University of Arizona's Desert Laboratory on Tumamoc Hill.

Such stressful agronomic conditions are predicted to dominate over half of the world's land surface in the coming century, Riordan said.

To create their model, the interdisciplinary team of ecologists, anthropologists, ethnobotanists, restoration ecologists and public health professionals married elements of high-tech energy and water harvesting solutions with the traditional ecological knowledge of desert foragers from the dry regions of North America, known as "Aridamerica."

"We see today's deserts not as wastelands but as laboratories for the future of agriculture," said Gary Paul Nabhan, lead co-author of the study and a research social scientist in the university's Southwest Center. Nabhan is a MacArthur award-winning agroecologist and the Endowed Chair in Food and Water Security at UArizona.

By combining ancient and cutting-edge strategies for dealing with rising temperatures, water scarcity and diseases exacerbated by heat stress, the scholars hope to make food production less daunting, dangerous and deadly for future desert dwellers.

The new model co-locates renewable energy production, rainwater harvesting and no-till food cropping of hardy perennials in the same spaces. The placement of several low-growing food under trees like mesquite and photovoltaic panels allows for partial shade, soil moisture retention, soil microbe proliferation and carbon sequestration to benefit the plants.

Desert plants like prickly pear cactus have evolved strategies to cope with heat and drought. Credit: Tucson City of Gastronomy

By relying on heat- and drought-adapted food species such as agaves, cacti and nitrogen-fixing legume trees, these diverse systems can provide reliable yields of nutritious foods with minimal irrigation in the face of climate uncertainty.

"Cacti and agaves have functioned in many traditional cultures in Aridamerica as a form of insurance against environmental vagaries and annual crop failures," said Exequiel Ezcurra, a University of California ecology professor globally renowned for both his desert research and conservation of biodiversity.

The Benefits of Consuming Desert Plants

Desert food plants not only benefit land health, but human health. Unlike corn, sorghum and sugar cane that produce simple sugars that aggravate obesity and adult-onset diabetes, perennial desert crops offer multiple means to prevent these diseases, the researchers say.

The study highlights 17 categories of desert plants that can reduce blood sugar levels and provide a diversity of antioxidants that help buffer humans from the negative consequences of chronic illnesses that are being exacerbated by heat stress.

The authors propose public investment in producing chemo-preventive foods and medicines to deal with health risks upfront rather than investing most health care dollars in costly end-of-life hospitalizations.

Water-efficient succulents and nitrogen-fixing tree legumes may take five to 12 years to produce their first nutritional harvests. Nevertheless, they can produce more edible biomass over a decade with far less water than that used by conventional annual crops, while sequestering carbon into the soil to mitigate climate change, Nabhan said.

"We call such steadily producing arid cropping systems 'slow agriculture,' because they are like the desert tortoises who will ultimately win the race," he said. "They require few inputs other than patient capital and innovative farmers to restore food production potential to marginal lands that have been salinized, compacted or depleted of their microbial diversity."

In metropolitan Tucson, where much of the research team's work has taken place over four decades, more than 120 new desert food and beverage products have emerged from 40 start-up microenterprises. Most of these "slow foods and drinks" have appeared in the marketplace since Tucson was designated as the first UNESCO City of Gastronomy in the U.S. six years ago.

The researchers say the timing of their work is critical. With accelerating climate change and the ongoing pandemic, they warn that food security in arid regions will dramatically deteriorate over the coming decades unless new strategies are put in place.

Pilot projects to test the researchers' model are underway in both the United States and Mexico. The agrivoltaic component of this study, in which perennial crops are grown under solar panels, is being tested at the university's Biosphere 2 facility and at three public schools in southern Arizona.

In addition, Nabhan has been working with the Comcaac (Seri People) village of Desemboque in Sonora, Mexico, to plant perennial desert plants under new solar installations. Elements of the researchers' model are already in use by some food producers, including the Via Organica Farm in Guanajuato, Mexico, where mesquite, agave and cacti are intercropped for food, drink and carbon sequestration.

Explore further First food-grade intermediate wheatgrass released

More information: Gary Paul Nabhan et al. An Aridamerican model for agriculture in a hotter, water scarce world, Plants, People, Planet (2020). Gary Paul Nabhan et al. An Aridamerican model for agriculture in a hotter, water scarce world,(2020). DOI: 10.1002/ppp3.10129
A 20-year-old woman, on a visit home from the United States where she studied, died in Bulandshahr in a road accident, which her family alleged happened because two motorcycle-borne men were following her two-wheeler and harassing her, officials said Tuesday.

The daughter of a tea-shop owner, Sudiksha Bhati died on Monday morning near Aurangabad when she was riding pillion on a motorcycle with her younger brother, a minor, they said.

The two were en route to their maternal uncle's home in Bulandshahr's Khanpur area from their house at Deri Scanar village in Gautam Buddh Nagar's Dadri tehsil, the officials said.

The eldest among six siblings, Bhati had an envious academic record.

"She got admitted in our school in 2011 in Class 6. In 2018, she scored 98 per cent marks in class 12 examination and topped the district," said Bishwajit Banerjee, the principal of Sikandrabad Vidyagyan School, Bulandshahr.

She then went onto win a Rs 3.8-crore scholarship from Babson College, Massachusetts (US), and was pursuing a graduation course in entrepreneurship, he said.

Her family members said she had come to India due to the coronavirus pandemic and was scheduled to go back to the US on August 20.

They also alleged that while going to her maternal uncle Monday, she was being harassed by the two unidentified persons during the ride which led to the accident.

Additional Superintendent of Police (City) Atul Kumar Srivastava said there was traffic on the route when the accident happened.

"A Bullet (a Royal Enfield motorcycle) which was moving ahead of them suddenly stopped due to braking, and the two-wheeler of Sudiksha Bhati and her brother rammed into it from behind."

"She suffered injuries in the crash and was taken to a community health centre but she died," he said.

Uttar Pradesh Director General of Police HC Awasthy said, "There is definitely an accident. People will be questioned during probe, and the investigation will proceed according to what comes to light."

"A motorcycle was going ahead, and accident happened after its brakes were applied. After the motorcycles collided, the girl fell down and got injured. She was taken to a hospital, where unfortunately she died," he said.

He said it has come to light that the two were not wearing helmets.

The district police filed a first information report against two unidentified people on the basis of a complaint by Sudiksha's father Jitendra Bhati, officials said.

The FIR has been lodged under IPC sections 279 (rash driving on a public way), 304A (causing death due to negligence), 184 (dangerous driving), 192 (fabricating false evidence), among others, the officials added.

Political rivals Bahujan Samaj Party and the Congress attacked the BJP-led UP government over the law and order situation in the state.

'How will daughters progress? The UP government should take strict legal action against the culprits immediately, this is a demand from the BSP,' BSP supremo and former chief minister Mayawati tweeted in Hindi.

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also sent out tweets criticising the Yogi Adityanath government.

'It seems the administration does not take incidents of eve-teasing seriously,' she said in her tweet in Hindi.

In another tweet, she posted an old video of the woman delivering an 'emotional speech'.

'This daughter of UP said that many girls of her age have to leave studies due to eve-teasing,' the Congress leader said.

'Today, this problem has killed Sudiksha. The government will ask where is the solution to the problem? The solution to the problem is in the voice of daughters? Only if you listen.'

By Tuesday evening, the Bulandshahr Senior Superintendent of Police constituted a three-member SIT, led by Circle Officer (city) Diksha Singh, to probe the matter.

The other two members of the teams are crime branch officials.

The incident drew the attention of National Commission for Women (NCW) and its chairperson Rekha Sharma wrote to the UP Police chief asking him to ensure a swift, fair and thorough investigation and submit an action taken report at the earliest.

'Considering the gravity of the matter, it is requested that CCTV footage may be checked,' she said in the letter.

In a purported video that has surfaced on social media, Bhati's brother said, "We were on a motorcycle at a speed of 30 km per hour. The men on the Bullet were riding near us and applied brakes on their vehicle suddenly...The Bullet had 'Jat Boys' inscribed on its number plate and its number started with UP-13."

ASP Srivastava, however, said the woman's brother had not mentioned anything about harassment to the police at the time of the incident.

District Magistrate Ravindra Kumar said, "We are inquiring into the allegations of harassment. We'll record statements of people concerned and gather video footages.

"Arguments and counter-arguments will be taken into account and probe carried out as per evidence."

He also clarified that it was the younger brother of the woman and not the uncle, as being told by some people, who was riding the two-wheeler.

The DM and the Superintendent of Police (city) also visited the accident site.

According to the woman's uncle, the younger brother, a minor, was riding the motorcycle without a helmet, the DM added.

He said officials in Bulandshahr are trying to contact Sudiksha's family in Dadri, but have been unable to reach them over the phone.

They have been sent to their home and further investigation is underway, he added.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-12 21:23:25|Editor: huaxia

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TOKYO, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- Two more employees of J-League club Sagan Tosu have tested positive for COVID-19 following their manager Kim Myung-hwi, J-League chairman Mitsuru Murai said on Wednesday.

Japan's Kyodo news agency said that the club tested 89 individuals, with two members, including a player, testing positive and another seven suspected as positive.

The J-League has postponed Wednesday's Levain Cup match between Sagan Tosu and Sanfrecce Hiroshima.

Kim, 39, is the first J-League manager to test positive for the virus, and the first positive case from Japan's top flight since two were discovered at fellow J-League side Nagoya Grampus' camp two weeks ago.

Japan has been suffering a second wave of infections since early July, with confirmed cases nationwide increasing by 700 on Tuesday. The Tokyo Metropolitan government reported 222 new cases on Wednesday. Enditem
Queensland: cool one day, rising temperatures the next and rain and storms for the weekend.

The Bureau of Meteorology has described the state's weather patterns for the rest of the week as "like a bag of mixed lollies" with a "roller coaster" of temperatures and conditions.

Meteorologist Shane Kennedy said the top temperatures were set to be 2-5 degrees above the August average in the south-east on Thursday and Friday.

Parts of central and western Queensland were on track to go as high as 8 degrees above the average maximums for this time of year.
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is rarely diagnosed until symptoms arise, often well into childhood. Evidence however, is mounting that developmental abnormalities likely emerge in the brain long before then: early identification of babies at risk for ASD could allow for interventions that would improve their developmental outcomes.

Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, have found evidence of signature brain activity in infants that predicted ASD symptoms later at 18 months old. The work, led by Shafali Jeste, MD, at UCLA appears in Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging, published by Elsevier.

"Early identification and intervention is key to getting better outcomes for children with neurodevelopmental disorders," said Cameron Carter, MD, Editor of Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging.

"This study suggests that relatively low-cost diagnostic tools such as EEG may, in the not-too-distant future, help us to do a better job by identifying atypical brain development in infancy, when interventions may be even more impactful than when offered to toddlers and young children."

The researchers used electroencephalography (EEG), a non-invasive technique to measure electrical brain activity from outside the head and tracked neural activity in the so-called alpha range. Alpha-range activity is associated with long-range connections in the brain. The group then used an approach that allowed them to integrate data from across the brain.

One crucial aspect of brain development is the change in patterns of brain activity. We wanted to know if measures of neural activity could detect atypical brain development in ASD during early infancy." Abigail Dickinson, PhD, Study First Author, University of California

Dr. Dickinson and the team performed EEG measurements in 65 3-month-old infants; 29 with low familial risk of ASD and 36 at high risk, with an affected older sibling.

When the children were 18-months-old, they were assessed for ASD by a trained clinician.

The researchers used computer modeling to predict symptom outcomes at 18 months based on the babies' neural activity in infancy. The model's predictions correlated with the actual symptoms measured in the toddlers. The model was not able to predict verbal or non-verbal cognitive scores in the toddlers--suggesting that the brain connectivity pattern may be a specific marker of ASD.

In infants that later showed higher ASD symptoms, researchers saw decreased connectivity between frontal regions. The infants also showed increased connections across temporo-parietal areas in the right hemisphere, which are associated with social information processing.

"These findings improve our understanding of the neural differences that precede autism and show which brain regions reveal the earliest signs of disruption," Dr. Dickinson said. The findings bolster the idea that disrupted brain connectivity is a root cause of ASD, not a consequence.

The authors suggest that the low cost, wide availability and low risk of EEG make it a good screening tool to identify babies at higher risk of developing ASD or those with "borderline" symptoms, so that they get early intervention. "Mapping patterns of activity associated with autism could ultimately help identify infants who show early signs of neural risk," Dr. Dickinson added.
OTTAWACanada must swiftly censure Chinas ruling Communist party over its crackdown on democracy in Hong Kong, activists told MPs studying Ottawas fractious relationship with Beijing.

Canada should work with other countries to invoke sanctions against Chinese officials for human rights violations, said Cherie Wong, executive director of Alliance Canada Hong Kong.

Wong warned MPs on the House of Commons special committee on Canada-China relations Tuesday there is a short window to act before Beijing completely shuts down freedom of movement in Hong Kong.

Gloria Fung, president of Canada-Hong Kong Link, echoed the call to sanction Hong Kong and Chinese officials responsible for abuses, something the U.S. has already done.

She also urged Canada to initiate a safe-harbour program with an expedited process to grant permanent residence to people from Hong Kong at risk of political persecution.

Canada needs to work with international allies to institute a strong policy toward China, Fung said. It is way past time for Canada to show leadership on the world stage.

Canada has expressed deep concern about Chinas recent passage of national security legislation for Hong Kong, which critics say is being used to curb protest and free speech.

Ottawa says the legislation was enacted in a secretive process, without the participation of Hong Kongs legislature, judiciary or people, and in violation of international obligations.

The process demonstrated disregard for the high degree of autonomy promised for Hong Kong under the traditional one country, two systems framework, Canada said.

Aileen Calverley, co-founder of Hong Kong Watch, said the new security law, which took effect this summer, has been used to suppress freedom of expression and assembly on the streets and in the classroom.

Witnesses decried the arrest this week of Jimmy Lai, founder of the Apple Daily newspaper, as a blow to press freedom.

If Canada, with its long history of defending human rights, is not willing to stand with like-minded partners in defence of Hong Kongs freedom, then those values that we believe in will be degraded, along with Canadas standing in the world, Calverley said.

For Hong Kong it is five minutes to midnight.

Ottawa has suspended the Canada-Hong Kong extradition treaty and says it will not permit export of sensitive military items to Hong Kong.

The foreign ministers of Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States recently issued a joint statement denouncing what they called the Hong Kong governments unjust disqualification of candidates in legislative council elections.

Activists said Tuesday the Liberal government could do more to defend freedom in Hong Kong and protect protesters in Canada from Beijings interference.

The Canadian Coalition on Human Rights in China said in a report released in May that activists in Canada increasingly face consequences for raising awareness of serious rights issues involving China.

The coalition, which includes Amnesty International Canada, said a number of protests organized by Hong Kong democracy supporters in Canada were met by pro-Beijing counterprotesters who used aggressive, confrontational tactics, and who expert observers believe may be directed or organized by Chinese state authorities.

Alex Neve, secretary general of Amnesty Canada, said Tuesday the new national security law in Hong Kong has been abused from Day One.

People have been arrested for possessing flags, stickers and banners with political slogans, he said.

Police and officials have claimed that slogans, T-shirts, songs and even holding up pieces of white paper endanger national security.

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Russia may send Switzerland and Hong Kong proposals on the review of double taxation agreements, Deputy Prime Minister Aleksey Overchuk said Tuesday

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 11th August, 2020) Russia may send Switzerland and Hong Kong proposals on the review of double taxation agreements, Deputy Prime Minister Aleksey Overchuk said Tuesday.

"We are carefully analyzing all the agreements on avoiding double taxation that Russia has with other countries.

At the moment, we are studying Switzerland and Hong Kong and considering whether to send them relevant proposals," the deputy prime minister said at a meeting with President Vladimir Putin.

Putin said he had spoken to the president of Cyprus who was understanding about Russia's plan to review the tax agreement with his country.

"The only thing that was of concern to my colleague ... is for these flows not to go to some other place. We are not interested in this. We are interested not in sending these money to some other countries but in keeping the funds. Either taxed fairly or invested in the development," Putin said.
An eyewitness said on Wednesday there was a strong mob, which pelted stones at police personnel and damaged property at a police station during the violence on Tuesday night in Bengaluru.

At least three people have died and scores of police personnel have been injured after the violence in Pulakeshi Nagar of the state capital of Karnataka on Tuesday night. The violence broke out over a social media message, which was allegedly posted by a relative of a Congress legislator. Police vehicles were also damaged and set on fire.

Sharif, who was an eyewitness to the violence at the police station in DJ Halli, said he had come to record his statement. We are from civil defence and have come to protect the police. It was not the polices fault, it was the publics fault, he told reporters.

This (police station) is like my temple, my masjid. We have to support the police, he added.

Bengaluru Police have arrested 149 people for arson, stone-pelting and assault on the police, officials said. Congress member of legislative assembly (MLA) Srinivas Murthys nephew was also arrested for sharing the derogatory post on Facebook.

Chief minister BS Yediyurappa tweeted to condemn the violence and that he has already ordered action against those taking the law into their hands. Yediyurappa said those who attacked the police, media and the public will not be spared and strict action will be taken. He also appealed for calm.

Yediyurappa appealed to people to maintain peace and said that violence against journalists, police and people was unacceptable.

The miscreants in the DJ Halli police station has led to the assault and rioting at MLA Akhand Srinivasas house and police station. Already, directives have been issued against the perpetrators and the government has taken all possible steps to curb the situation, Yediyurappa tweeted (roughly translated from Kannada).

Also Read: Bengaluru clashes: Digvijaya Singh seeks probe into source social media post

The attack on journalists, the police and the public in the riot last night was unacceptable. The government will not tolerate such provocations and rumours. Strict action against perpetrators is certain. I appeal to people to maintain peace and act with restraint and without panic, he said in another tweet.

Murthys house was also vandalised by the mob following the social media post by his nephew. Residence of Congress MLA Akhanda Srinivasamurthy was also attacked after the violence broke out.

A curfew has been clamped in DJ Halli and KG Halli police station limits after the violence broke out in the area. Police have also imposed Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) in Bengaluru to prohibit the assembly of four or more persons in an area.

(With agency inputs)
Description

- 12 August 2020

: The Council of Ministers of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) will meet virtually on 13 August, 2020 in preparation for the 40th Ordinary SADC Summit of Heads of State and Government which will be held on 17th August, 2020.

During the meeting, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of the Republic of Mozambique, Hon. Veronica Nataniel Macamo Dlhovo will take over the Chairpersonship of the SADC Council of Ministers from the Outgoing Chairperson, Hon. Prof. Palamagamba John Kabudi, Minister of Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation of the United Republic of Tanzania.

The Ministers will review implementation of the 39th SADC Summit A Conducive Environment for Inclusive and Sustainable Industrial Development, Increased Intra-Regional Trade and Job Creation and recommend for Summit approval the theme of the 40th Summit of Heads of State and Government, 40 Years Building Peace and Security, and Promoting Development and Resilience in the Face of Global Challenges.

The 40th SADC Summit Theme takes forward the implementation of the SADC Industrialisation Strategy and Roadmap by recognising the primacy of peace security and governance as a foundation which ensures the preconditions needed to achieve the other priorities of SADC regional integration.

As part of the regional response to COVID-19, the Ministers will discuss the socio-economic impact of COVID-19 and its implications on the SADC region. The Ministers will also consider the draft SADC Vision 2050 and the revised Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (RISDP) 2020-2030 and recommend the two strategic documents for approval by the 40th SADC Summit.

According to Article 11 of the SADC Treaty, the Council of Ministers is responsible for, among others, overseeing the functioning and development of SADC, approving policies, strategies and programmes of SADC as well as advising the Summit of Heads of State and Government on matters of overall policy. The Council consists of Ministers from each of the 16 Member States; usually from the Ministries responsible for Foreign Affairs and International Relations, Economic Planning or Finance.
BISHKEK -- Kyrgyzstan's Foreign Ministry has called on Belarus to explain why President Alyaksandr Lukashenka made a recent public appearance with a man who looks like Kyrgyzstan's wanted former prime minister, Daniyar Usenov.

Usenov, thought to be living in exile in Belarus, has been sought for years by Kyrgyz authorities in connection with the deaths of nearly 100 people in April 2010 when security forces in Bishkek fired live ammunition at anti-government demonstrators.

The Kyrgyz Foreign Ministry said on August 11 that a diplomat from the Belarusian Embassy in Bishkek was handed a note of protest and asked "to undertake immediate measures for the expedited detainment and extradition" of Usenov.

Lukashenka appeared next to the man while visiting the Belarusian National Biotechnological Corporation on August 10, the day his reelection to a sixth presidential term was announced by the Central Election Commission in Minsk.

Bishkek demanded similar explanations from Minsk in July 2018 after Belarusian media released a photograph of a man that Kyrgyz authorities say was the wanted former prime minister.

Belarusian state media had identified that man as Daniil Uritski, saying he was the CEO of the Belarusian National Biotechnological Corporation.

Usenov, convicted together with Kyrgyzstan's ousted President Kurmanbek Bakiev and 24 other defendants, was sentenced to life in prison in 2014 after a trial in absentia on charges of ordering the deadly April 2010 crackdown.

Usenov, Bakiev and other defendants in the case fled Kyrgyzstan after the government was ousted in 2010.

Bakiev later appeared in Belarus. But Minsk has refused Kyrgyzstan's extradition requests for Bakiev.
DA declares California county a 'sanctuary county' for church worship gatherings

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San Luis Obispo County, located in central California, has become a sanctuary county for churches struggling to cope state restrictions on worship gatherings.

San Luis Obispo County District Attorney Dan Dow confirmed late last month he will not prosecute churches for holding worship services or for singing in church, which was deemed unlawful by an order from California Gov. Gavin Newsom.

In many counties, pastors have had to decide between revolting or abiding by the order.

Newsoms order to ban or limit church gatherings has led to lawsuits from churches and even a federal court ruling in May, where District Judge John A. Mendez ruled that Newsoms order is legal during the COVID-19 crisis.

I declare San Luis Obispo County a sanctuary county for singing and praising in our houses of worship, Dow said in a video shared via Twitter. Inherent with my responsibility to enforce the law is the discretion I have  to pursue only those charges that are warranted and are in the interest of justice.

More than 30 counties in California are not allowed to gather for church services, according to Newsoms order that places even greater restrictions on counties included in the states COVID-19 watch list.

Gatherings of 10 people or more in households in those counties are also banned, essentially prohibiting some in-home Bible study gatherings. Whether a church can legally gather or not, singing during worship is disallowed under Newsoms order.

Churches in other counties not on the watch list are permitted to gather in limited capacities as long as they follow social distancing guidelines.

In Dows Twitter announcement, he referenced an Independence Day speech he gave in which where he spoke about the importance of the First Amendment. It was in the July 4 speech that he first declared that San Luis Obispo County would be a sanctuary county for worship and praise in church.

Daw contended that the military makes sacrifices to bring freedoms that are uniquely American. He said he stands by the speech, reaffirming his stance on Newsoms gathering ban.

Now more than ever in 2020, we need more people attending their houses of worship and seeking help from the Almighty for an answer to the coronavirus, Dow said. In that spirit, Im calling on people of faith in our county and across our state, across our country and across the world, to pray for peace [and] healing.

San Luis Obispo County has 2,254 coronavirus cases and 16 coronavirus-related deaths as of Monday, according to a Los Angeles Times virus tracker.

The county has significantly fewer cases than some of its larger, more urban neighbors. By comparison, Los Angeles County has nearly 209,000 cases as of Monday.

Dow also acknowledged the thousands of prisoners that have been freed in California due to the coronavirus. He stressed how unfair it would be if he were to prosecute a person for attending a religious service.

At this time our state is letting tens of thousands of state prisoners out of prison who were convicted and sentenced for very serious crimes because were concerned they might catch the coronavirus, Dow said.

It would be, in my opinion, the very definition of insanity if we simultaneously branded a person of faith as a criminal for singing in a house of worship, Dow continued. It would be a severe injustice for my office to charge a person with a crime who has simply chosen to practice their faith by singing with their congregation.

Not all people of faith see Newsoms order as an attack on religious freedom.

Pastor John Cox of Riverpark Bible Church in Fresno told The Christian Post earlier this year that the ban put his church in a tricky situation. But he does not want to worship in defiance of the law.

"It put us in a tricky spot. We want to be who God ordered us to be. But also, [we] want to be gracious and submit to leadership," Cox said. "We don't want to worship in defiance or to stand against the government, but as the people of God."

Riverpark has halted in-person services and has held online services since the restrictions began. Cox said he thought the bans used vague language, so his church is being safe by remaining online.

In Ventura County, a judge granted a temporary restraining order last week against Godspeak Calvary Chapel and its Pastor Rob McCoy.

The church is ordered to adhere to statewide and county public health orders requiring that church services be held outdoors with congregants wearing masks and adhering to social distancing protocols.
MOSCOW (Reuters) - A Russian YouTube blogger who makes videos of industrial sites and abandoned facilities was arrested earlier this month on a charge of illegally obtaining and disseminating state secrets, a court said on Wednesday.

Andrei Pyzh, who runs a YouTube channel with nearly 800,000 followers, could face up to eight years in jail if found guilty. It was not immediately clear whether he had denied the accusation or not. His lawyer could not immediately be reached.

In his videos, Pyzh visited sites including abandoned bunkers and a functioning radar station used for Russia's nuclear strike early-warning system, Russia's Kommersant newspaper reported.

Details of criminal cases involving Russian state secrets or treason seldom come to light because authorities say they are classified. Critics say these cases are often opaque and cannot be properly scrutinised.

A court in Moscow told Reuters it had ordered Pyzh to be held in custody on Aug. 6 until October pending trial.

(Reporting by Tom Balmforth; editing by Mark Heinrich)
KEY FACTS 4:10 p.m. A child attending day-camp at the Barbara Frum Community Centre has tested positive for COVID-19.

11:05 a.m. The COVID-19 pandemic has almost doubled Ontarios already sky-high budget deficit to a record $38.5 billion.

10:51 a.m. Ontario is reporting 95 new cases of COVID-19 today and one new death related to the illness.

The latest coronavirus news from Canada and around the world Wednesday. This file is no longer updating. Click here to read the latest. Web links to longer stories if available.

4:15 p.m. For the first time in 65 years, the Sugar Plum Fairy will not dance across a stage with the National Ballet of Canada.

The company announced Wednesday that it has cancelled its annual production of The Nutcracker due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as its fall season.

Artistic director Karen Kain said she was particularly heartbroken to cancel The Nutcracker.

This will be the first year since 1955 that Toronto audiences will not be able to share this holiday tradition together, she said in the release. The glorious production includes 213 dancers, musicians and children, and requires many hours of rehearsals that would need to start in September.

4:10 p.m. A child attending day-camp at the Barbara Frum Community Centre, one of the City of Torontos 120 CampTO locations, has tested positive for COVID-19, the city announced in a news release Wednesday. The release said the camper was sent home from camp with symptoms last week and is self-isolating.

According to the release, CampTO programs at the Barbara Frum and the Glen Long centres will close for the remainder of this week and each centre will undergo a deep cleaning before CampTO resumes on Monday, August 17.

3:26 p.m. Colombian officials say they have arrested two Florida men wanted in the United States on charges they illegally sold a bleach-like chemical as a miracle cure for the new coronavirus and other diseases.

The Colombian prosecutors office said Tuesday that Mark and Joseph Grennon were arrested in the beach town of Santa Marta, and were shipping their Miracle Mineral Solution  chlorine dioxide  from there to clients in the United States, Colombia and Africa.

It said seven Americans had died from using the substance.

Mark Grenon is the archbishop of the Genesis II Church of Health and Healing, based in Bradenton, Florida, which is centred on use of the toxic chemical as a supposed sacrament it claims can cure a vast variety of illnesses ranging from cancer to autism to malaria and now COVID-19.

A Miami federal judge in April ordered the self-styled church to stop selling the substance, but it was ignored.

3:24 p.m. Georgias largest school district struggled Wednesday to launch online learning for its 180,000 students, with parents complaining students couldnt log in to Gwinnett Countys system.

Meanwhile, Cherokee County has quarantined 1,156 students after trying in-school learning, adding about 330 students to yesterdays total. They are home because of possible coronavirus exposure since classes resumed last week.

About 70 students and staff members in the 40,000-student Cherokee County district have tested positive for the coronavirus, according to data posted Wednesday on the districts website. Its unclear whether any were infected at school.

3:24 p.m. Health authorities in Greece have announced 262 new coronavirus infections, the highest daily number since the outbreak began.

Two more deaths were announced, bringing the total death toll to 216. The total number of confirmed cases is 6,177.

Greece imposed an early lockdown that kept the number of infections and deaths low. But theres been significant increase in the number of confirmed cases since restrictions were lifted and the country reopened to international visitors.

Authorities have imposed new restrictions in some areas, including ordering bars, restaurants and cafes in some of the countrys top tourist spots to shut between midnight and 7 a.m.

3 p.m. The British government on Wednesday changed the way it compiles coronavirus deaths, a move that reduced the countrys official death toll by more than 5,000.

The Department of Health said the new total is 41,329, down from 46,706. That is still Europes highest death toll.

The government announced last month that it was reviewing the way death statistics were compiled, after academics pointed out that in England the tally included anyone who has tested positive for COVID-19 and later died, with no cut-off point between positive test and death. That means some people recorded as coronavirus deaths may have died of other causes - and the proportion would increase over time.

2:30 p.m. Back home training following quarantine in the wake of the MLS is Back Tournament, Canadas three teams await word on where and when they will play next.

Its just the latest step in a stop-start MLS season, with the U.S. border looming large during the global pandemic.

But it looks like the Montreal Impact, Toronto FC and Vancouver Whitecaps could see a lot of each other in the near future.

I think therell be a time period where we will play the Canadian teams, hoping that that will get us farther along  that theres some solution where we can get some games in against the Eastern Conference teams that are in the States, said Toronto coach Greg Vanney.

On Saturday, MLS has released a series of dates for U.S. teams in what it dubbed the first phase of return to play in home markets.

The pandemic halted play March 12, some two weeks into the season. Play resumed July 8 with the MLS is Back Tournament, which wrapped up Tuesday with Portlands 2-1 win over Orlando City SC.

2:30 p.m. NBA players could have some family members or close friends inside the season-restart bubble with them by the end of the month.

And that raises the possibility of having a real, albeit small, cheering section for some playoff games.

The league detailed the policies for guest arrivals to teams on Wednesday in a memo, a copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press. The opportunity to bring guests into the bubble at Walt Disney World will be only for teams advancing to the second round of the playoffs, and the earliest any guest could satisfy quarantine rules and be reunited with a player is Aug. 31.

In most cases, players would be limited to four guests. The league told teams that any guests would have to be either family members, longtime close personal friends with whom a player has an established, pre-existing, and known personal relationship, private security staff and established family child care providers.

Those who wouldnt be allowed into the bubble: trainers, physical or massage therapists, personal chefs, hair/apparel stylists, tattoo artists, and current/prospective business partners, and certified agents (other than family members), among others, the memo said.

ESPN first reported on the contents of the memo.

2 p.m. Toronto has recorded 8 new COVID-19 cases today, Mayor John Tory announced at a news conference.

1:43 p.m. British Columbias Education Ministry says children will be returning to classrooms two days later than originally planned as part of a gradual restart to schooling.

Education Minister Rob Fleming told reporters Tuesday that students wouldnt be expected back on the original date of Sept. 8 to help give administrators and teachers more time to prepare for education amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The ministry now says in a release that staff will meet on Sept. 8, while students will be welcomed in classrooms by Sept. 10.

A government steering committee, established to help schools plan their restart, will issue operational guidelines next week on issues ranging from health and safety protocols to supporting the mental health of students.

The change in the start date comes after concerns were raised by the BC Teachers Federation and the BC Principals and Vice-Principals Association.

Federation president Teri Mooring has called for more details on the governments school plan, saying the information is needed for educators and parents.

1:37 p.m. New Brunswick is reporting one new case of COVID-19.

Authorities said today the case involves a person in their 60s in the Fredericton region.

Health officials say they suspect the case is travel-related and linked to a case reported Tuesday.

They say the infected person is no longer symptomatic and has passed the 14-day contagious period for the virus.

There are now eight active cases of COVID-19 in New Brunswick.

The cases announced Tuesday and Wednesday are under investigation.

1:27 p.m . Toronto will receive $400 million to support transit in first round of provinces Safe Restart funding. Ontario will allocate up to $1.6 billion in emergency funding to municipalities struggling with COVID-19 as part of the Safe Restart Agreement. The news comes as the province prepares to tackle a record $38.5 billion deficit.

Read the full story from the Stars Ben Spurr: The TTC will get $400 million emergency bailout, province says

1:20 p.m. The federal government has announced an additional $305 million to help Indigenous Peoples combat COVID-19.

Indigenous Services Minister Marc Miller says the money is meant to help Indigenous communities prepare for emergencies and prevent the spread of the new coronavirus.

He says communities can also use the money for a variety of other measures, including helping elders and vulnerable people, food insecurity, educational and other supports for children and mental health assistance.

The new money will flow through the Indigenous community support fund, bringing the total amount to $685 million this year.

Some funding will also go to First Nations living off-reserve as well as Inuit and Metis people living in urban centres, distributed based on need through an application process.

Miller says Ottawa is committed to ensuring Indigenous leaders have the tools and support they need to implement the various aspects of their pandemic plans.

This funding will provide crucial support to key community initiatives that strive to prevent, prepare for and respond to COVID-19 in First Nations, Inuit and Metis communities, he said.

12:25 p.m. More than 1,200 students at two Alabama schools will begin the year at home after a person connected with both schools tested positive for COVID-19.

While 12 other Lawrence County schools planned to begin traditional classes Wednesday, Superintendent Jon Bret Smith told the Decatur Daily that students from the elementary and middle schools in Moulton, located in North Alabama, would start the academic year taking classes online.

Education officials learned Monday that a person linked to both schools had tested positive for the disease caused by the coronavirus. State health officials recommended delaying the reopening by two weeks. Combined, the schools have more than 105 workers.

School officials notified 10 people who were in contact with the person. Computers are being distributed for online classes.

12:25 p.m. Italy added another 481 coronavirus cases and authorities are weighing whether to impose tests or quarantines on Italian vacationers returning from coronavirus hot spots.

Some regional governors have announced plans or proposals to use rapid tests at airports or quarantines after Italians returning from vacation in Malta, Croatia, Spain and Greece tested positive once home. Other clusters have been traced to newly arrived migrants and migrant centres.

Italian news reports said the regional affairs minister, Francesco Boccia, was meeting with regional governors Wednesday.

France and Germany have announced tests-on-arrival after their daily cases topped 1,000. In Italy, where the virus first erupted in Europe in February, new cases are hovering around 300-500 per day.

Italy has 251,713 confirmed infections. With 10 more deaths, the total confirmed death toll stands at 35,225.

11:47 a.m. Prince Edward Island is reporting five new cases of COVID-19.

Chief public health officer Dr. Heather Morrison said today the five cases involve essential workers who arrived on the Island July 30 from outside the country.

Morrison says the five men have been self-isolating since their arrival and are believed to have had limited contact with others.

The men, two in their 30s and three in their 40s, work in the same industry and arrived from a country other than the United States.

Morrison would not say what field they work in but said it is not health care.

P.E.I. has had a total of 41 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus and no COVID-19 deaths, and Morrison says there is no indication of community transmission of the virus in the province.

11:47 a.m. Quebec health authorities say 19 people died from COVID-19 in a Montreal-area seniors residence last spring, but 10 of the deaths are only being reported today because of a delay in transmitting data.

Officials say in a statement that Place Kensington, which bills itself as a luxury residence in Westmount, saw a total of 19 residents die from the novel coronavirus.

The Health Department says the home no longer has active cases, and that authorities are working to ensure a similar situation does not recur.

Quebec added a total of 12 new COVID-19 deaths, 11 of which occurred more than a week ago.

The province recorded 95 new cases of the disease, bringing the total to 60,813, and the death toll stands at 5,709.

The number of COVID-19 hospitalizations remains steady at 151, and there are 20 people in intensive care.

11:30 a.m. Russia brushed aside international concerns about the safety of the worlds first COVID-19 vaccine and announced it will start mass inoculation this month before clinical testing is completed.

COVID Vaccine: Read more

Western colleagues, who can sense the competitive advantage of the Russian drug, are trying to express some opinions that are completely unjustified in our view, Health Minister Mikhail Murashko told a briefing on Wednesday. This vaccine is a platform that is already well-known and studied, he said, adding that other countries have developed antidotes under accelerated testing programs.

Authorities plan to start inoculating medical workers and other risk groups within two weeks on a voluntary basis, Murashko said. The vaccine will be available to the wider population from October.

(Updated) 11:05 a.m. The COVID-19 pandemic has almost doubled Ontarios already sky-high budget deficit to a record $38.5 billion.

Finance Minister Rod Phillips  who had projected a $20.5 billion shortfall in March, up from last years $9.2 billion deficit  revealed Wednesday the extent of the coronaviruss toll on the provincial treasury as he unveiled first quarterly results.

The outbreak has killed more than 2,800 Ontarians and cost nearly 1.2 million jobs as most businesses were forced to close due a state of emergency that extended from March 17 until July 24.

Phillips, who had pledged $17 billion last spring for COVID-19 relief, said that new spending has ballooned to $30 billion.

That includes $7.7 billion for additional health-care funding, up from the $3.3 billion announced on March 25, as well as about $4 billion in increased financial aid for municipalities and public transit.

Along with Ottawa, Queens Park has given 375,000 front-line workers a temporary $4-an-hour pandemic pay hike to reward them for their efforts dealing with COVID-19. That $1.55 billion program includes $424 million in provincial cash.

Read the full story from the Stars Robert Benzie: COVID-19 pandemic doubles Ontarios sky-high budget deficit to a record $38.5B

10:56 a.m. Quebec is investing $18.9 million to create a reserve of computer equipment for students as they return to school during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Education Minister Jean-Francois Roberge announced today the government is purchasing about 30,000 laptops and tablets for use by students most in need.

Roberge says the devices will be reserved for children who dont have computers or exclusive access to them, as well as for Grade 10 and 11 students who will be on alternating schedules of in-person and remote learning.

He says the laptops and computers will also go to children who are considered at-risk or who have learning disabilities.

Quebecs back-to-school plan announced earlier this week provides for most elementary and high school students to physically return to classes at the end of the month.

Students who have health conditions putting them at higher risk of complications from COVID-19 or who live with someone who does, will be offered a remote learning service.

(Updated) 10:51 a.m. Ontario boomeranged to almost 100 cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday after a sharp one-day dip.

The Ministry of Health reported 95 cases, up from an unusually low 33 the previous day that involved an adjustment of statistics from Toronto Public Health.

Locally, 28 of the provinces 34 public health units are reporting five or fewer cases, with 16 of them reporting no new cases, Health Minister Christine Elliott said on Twitter.

Wednesdays case numbers were in line with last week, when the province was slightly below 100 new infections daily for seven days running. Health officials are closely monitoring the tallies with children set to return to school in September.

Toronto had the most new infections with 19, followed by Peel with 16 and Ottawa at 13. The Windsor-Essex region  which moved into Stage 3 of business reopenings on Wednesday  had eight new cases, while neighbouring Chatham-Kent had seven, Hamilton had six and Niagara had four, according to the ministry figures calculated at 4 p.m. the previous day.

Read more from the Stars Rob Ferguson: Ontario back up to 95 new cases of COVID-19 after one-day drop

10:22 a.m. The grandmother of Brazils first lady died Wednesday after more than a month fighting COVID-19 in a public hospital on the outskirts of Brasilia.

Maria Aparecida Firmo Ferreira, 80, was the grandmother of Michelle Bolsonaro, who is married to Brazils President Jair Bolsonaro. She had been hospitalized since July 1, having tested positive for the coronavirus.

The health secretariat of Brazils federal district confirmed her death.

President Bolsonaro and Michelle Bolsonaro were diagnosed with COVID-19 last month. The president, who has recovered, has consistently downplayed the severity of the virus.

Brazil has more than 3.1 million confirmed cases of coronavirus and more than 103,000 deaths, ranking second highest in the world.

10:22 a.m. Switzerland plans to permit public gatherings of more than 1,000 people at sports events and concerts starting Oct. 1.

Organizers will have to apply for permission and meet social distancing requirements.

Switzerland was one of the first countries in Europe to ban large scale events on Feb. 28 to combat the coronavirus.

The Swiss government says any decision on whether to allow individual events will be up to Switzerlands 26 cantons (states) and depend on the local virus situation.

In a statement following its weekly Cabinet meeting, the Swiss government says, this careful reopening step takes into account the needs of society and the economic interests of sports clubs and cultural venues.

Government officials also decided to make wearing of masks compulsory on all scheduled and charter flights taking off from or landing in Switzerland, starting Saturday.

10:22 a.m. Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg advised against travelling abroad, adding countries to its list of European nations where non-essential travels is not recommended.

Norways red list of countries included the Netherlands, Poland, Cyprus, Iceland, Malta, and parts of Sweden and Denmark including the Faeroe Islands.

Norway had earlier listed as red: France, Spain, Portugal, Belgium, Switzerland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Romania and Bulgaria.

People from those countries must quarantine for 10 days.

Last week, the Norwegian Institute of Public Health said nearly half the cases in Norway come from abroad.

Norway has 9,750 confirmed cases and 256 deaths.

10:22 a.m. Spains army is setting up a field hospital in Zaragoza as the northern city struggles to stop a new spike in coronavirus cases.

The region of Aragon, home to Zaragoza, has led Spain over the past seven days with 242 hospitalizations and 32 deaths from COVID-19.

The army says it responded to a request by Aragons government to set up the field hospital in the parking lot of one of its hospitals in Zaragoza. The army says it should be ready for use if needed by Friday.

Regional health authorities say the field hospital is a precaution in case the hospitals reach capacity as they did in many parts of Spain during the months of March and April when the pandemic first hit.

During that first wave of the virus, the army put up several field hospitals in Spanish cities.

Spain had managed to reign in the virus until a steady uptick in cases in the northeast and central areas in recent weeks.

10:22 a.m. Greeces health minister is warning young people about the ease of transmission of the coronavirus.

New daily cases have been in the triple digits for several days. Vassilis Kikilias tweeted the average age of those sickened by the virus in Greece in August had fallen to 36.

The government has imposed new restrictions on some areas, ordering bars and restaurants to shut between midnight and 7 a.m. in some of the countrys top tourist destinations.

Greece initially was credited with handling the coronavirus outbreak well, imposing an early lockdown that kept infections and deaths at low levels. But it has seen a resurgence of the virus after lifting restrictions and opening to visitors as it tries to bolster tourism.

On Wednesday, Greece reported 196 new coronavirus cases and one new death, bringing the total number of confirmed infections to 5,942 and the death toll to 214.

10:22 a.m. Romanian health authorities say the country has set another one-day high for new COVID-19 infections, with 1,415 confirmed cases reported in the last 24 hours.

Despite the rising trend, Prime Minister Ludovic Orban has said he believes Romania managed to stop the growing spread of the coronavirus pandemic and expects no problem in nationwide local elections being held at the end of September. The elections were initially planned to be held in June but were postponed due to the pandemic.

A report this week by the National Institute of Public Health predicts the number of daily cases could practically double to 2,800 by the first week of September.

As of Wednesday, Romania has reported 65,177 confirmed virus cases and 2,807 deaths.

10:22 a.m. A municipal government in China has donated 40,000 medical-grade face masks to Marylands capital city amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The donations from Changsha, China, were first offered to Annapolis city officials in April, when the need for the masks among public safety workers was high in the beginning of the pandemic, Annapolis City Manager David Jarrell said Tuesday.

Annapolis relationship with Changsha began under a former city administrator. The two municipalities are now sister cities.

The masks arrived this month, with one of the boxes featuring American and Chinese flags with a message that read: Go, City of Annapolis! Best Wishes from Changsha! True unity inspires people to work as one to overcome adversity, The Capital Gazette reported.

Another note from Yani Xia, a representative in the Chinese citys Foreign Affairs Office, accompanied the shipments. We sincerely wish you and everyone in Annapolis continued good health, and the fortitude to persevere during this challenging period, Xias note read.

10:22 a.m. Pope Francis has denounced a culture of individuality revealed by the pandemic, which has sacrificed the care of the weakest members of society.

Francis, speaking at his Wednesday audience called on the faithful to overcome our personal and collective individualism as experts work to find a cure for the coronavirus, which hit us all indiscriminately.

The pontiff says the pandemic has revealed how vulnerable and interconnected we all are, while also making us more aware of the spread within our societies of a false, individualistic way of thinking, one that rejects human dignity and relationships, views persons as consumer goods and creates a throwaway culture.

He called on people to look with care at our brothers and sisters, especially those who suffer, and recognize human dignity in every person, whatever their race, language or condition.

10:22 a.m. Germanys heath minister expressed concern about the rising numbers of coronavirus infections in the country and called on his compatriots to adhere to social distancing and hygiene rules.

Health Minister Jens Spahn says smaller and bigger outbreaks have taken place in almost all regions.

He told Deutschlandfunk radio the infections were driven by travellers returning from abroad but also people partying or getting together for family gatherings.

He say, This obviously  if we dont all watch out now  can lead to a certain dynamic, and the re-emergence of the pandemic.

Germanys Robert Koch-Institute, which tracks the coronavirus, registered 1,226 new infections on Wednesday. Thats the highest number since early May.

Spahn reiterated appeals to wear masks, keep distance and not go overboard in social settings.

He says, When theres alcohol involved, when a festive event turns into a party, it can go very, very quickly.

Germany has been lauded for keeping the pandemic under control for a long time, but the easing of measures and the return of travellers have in recent weeks lead to an uptick of infections. In addition, summer vacations are over in several states and students are mostly back to regular classes and dont have to wear masks.

Germany has recorded 218,519 confirmed cases and 9,207 deaths.

10:22 a.m. Singapores government says most foreign workers can now resume work as their dormitories have been cleared of COVID-19 after months of lockdown and virus testing.

People living in the crowded dormitories were the bulk of Singapores 55,353 cases. Only 27 deaths have been recorded in the city-state.

The Ministry of Manpower said in a statement late Tuesday that all the dormitories have been cleared, except for 17 stand-alone blocks, which serve as quarantine facilities.

It said all foreign workers living in the dormitories have either recovered or tested as virus-free, except for 22,500 workers in isolation. The majority can return to work, including 81% of the 387,000 workers in the construction, marine shipyard and process industries.

10:22 a.m. Indias coronavirus caseload has topped 2.3 million after adding 60,963 in the last 24 hours.

India also reported 834 deaths on Wednesday for a total of 46,091. India has the third-highest caseload after the United States and Brazil, but only the fifth-highest death toll, and authorities say the fatality rate has dropped below 2% for the first time.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a video conference Tuesday with the top elected officials of 10 states that together account for about 80% of Indias total cases, urging them to rigorously apply the strategies of containment, surveillance and contact tracing to drive the fatality rate below 1%.

Modi also urged testing to be ramped up in several states as it has been in the capital region of Delhi.

The Indian Council of Medical Research, Indias top medical research body, said that more than 733,000 samples were tested for COVID-19 on Tuesday, but didnt break down how many underwent the gold standard RT-PCR test compared to the antigen test, a cheaper and more efficient though less accurate blood test that looks for antibodies.

10:22 a.m. Chinas newly confirmed community transmitted cases of coronavirus fell into the single digits on Wednesday, while Hong Kong saw another 33 cases of infection.

The National Health Commission says all nine new cases were found in the northwestern region of Xinjiang, whose capital Urumqi has been at the centre of Chinas latest major outbreak. Another 25 cases were brought by Chinese travellers arriving from abroad.

China has largely contained the local spread of the pandemic that is believed to have originated in the central Chinese city of Wuhan late last year before spreading worldwide.

The government has recorded 4,634 deaths from COVID-19 among 84,737 cases. Hong Kong, a densely populated semi-autonomous southern Chinese city, also recorded another six deaths to bring its total to 58 among 4,181 cases.

Authorities have ordered mask wearing in public settings, restrictions on indoor dining and other social distancing measures in a bid to stem its latest outbreak. Those measures appear to have been successful in bringing numbers down from the more than 100 new daily cases reported at the end of last month.

10:22 a.m. South Korea has reported 54 newly confirmed cases of COVID-19 as health authorities scramble to stem transmissions amid increased social and leisure activities.

The figures announced by South Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Wednesday brought the national caseload to 14,714 infections, including 305 deaths.

The KCDC says 35 of the new cases were local transmissions, all but three of them reported from the densely populated Seoul metropolitan area, which has been at the centre of a virus resurgence since late May.

The other 19 cases were linked to international arrivals. Health authorities have said imported cases are less threatening as they mandate tests and enforce two-week quarantines on all people arriving from abroad.

10:22 a.m. Mexico reported a near-record 926 newly confirmed COVID-19 deaths Tuesday, bringing the countrys accumulated total to 53,929.

The Health Department reported 6,686 new coronavirus infections, bringing the countrys total confirmed cases so far to 492,522.

At that rate Mexico will reach a half million confirmed cases soon, but given the extremely low rate of testing  less than 1.1 million tests in a country of almost 130 million inhabitants  the number would like be a vast undercount. For the most part, only people with considerable symptoms are tested in Mexico.

10:22 a.m. Philadelphia Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley says he plans to tell a visiting group from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that long delays in getting coronavirus test results have been very problematic and to press them for a strategic approach to deploying a vaccine once it is available.

Long waits across the country for the results of coronavirus tests renders them nearly useless in helping to contain the spread of the virus, public health officials say.

The group is doing a site visit in Philadelphia through Thursday, part of a tour of a handful of cities around the country, Farley says.

Farley says he views the visit as a way to show what the city has been doing in terms of prevention, contact tracing and social distancing efforts.

9:05 a.m. Amica at Erin Mills, a private retirement home in Mississauga, has declared an outbreak after a staff member tested positive for COVID-19.

The team member last worked on Aug. 7, and is now recovering at home with pay, Amica Senior Lifestyles said in a statement. Whenever one or more cases occur, Peel Public Health places the health-care institution in outbreak status as a precautionary measure, it added.

We have completed extensive contact mapping and determined that this team member wore the appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) at all times while in the building and followed all safety protocols, minimizing any risk to our residence, the statement reads.

8:41 a.m. (updated) Finance Minister Rod Phillips is set to reveal the fiscal toll of the COVID-19 pandemic on the province of Ontarios books.

Phillips will unveil the first quarterly financial results for the year on Wednesday at 11 a.m.

That will include the early weeks of the outbreak that has killed more than 2,800 Ontarians and cost 1.15 million jobs as most businesses were forced to close due a state of emergency that extended from March 17 until July 24.

On March 25, the treasurer announced a $17-billion coronavirus plan, injecting $3.3 billion more into health care plus $3.7 billion for other supports.

He also pledged an additional $10 billion in tax deferrals, which doubled the projected deficit to $20.5 billion on a record $174.3 billion spending plan. The budget shortfall was $9.2 billion last year.

Read the full story from the Stars Robert Benzie

7:40 a.m. Ontarios Minister of Finance Rod Phillips will provide an update on the provinces first quarter finances on Wednesday. Phillips will deliver his remarks from Queens Park at 11 a.m. and will discuss the provinces response plan.

7:38 a.m. The Windsor-Essex region has joined the rest of Ontario in Stage 3 of the provinces reopening plan.

Premier Doug Ford made the announcement Monday, saying COVID-19 case counts have dropped enough to warrant the move.

The decision means most businesses and public spaces to will be allowed to reopen, but public health guidance on physical distancing and social bubbles of 10 people remain in place.

Outbreaks among migrant workers on farms in the region had previously held Windsor-Essex back from Stage 3, which other parts of the province entered throughout last month.

Windsors mayor said Tuesday that the city will move forward cautiously and ask for additional resources if case counts spike.

Drew Dilkens praised the province for dispatching additional resources to the region to help co-ordinate the local response to the farm outbreaks.

5:45 a.m. Authorities in Brussels are introducing mandatory mask rules across the Belgian capital following a spike in cases.

Brussels Minister-President Rudi Vervoorts office said Wednesday that the number of new infections in the city had reached Belgiums red line of 50 per 100,000 inhabitants on average over the last seven days.

A statement says the wearing of masks is from now on obligatory for all people aged 12 and over in all public places and in private places accessible to the public.

Brussels is home to the main European Union institutions and the NATO military alliance and has a population of around 1.2 million people. Mandatory masks are also in place in the port city of Antwerp.

Belgium has one of the highest COVID-19 mortality rates per capita in the world. Around 10,000 people have died in a country with a population of some 11.5 million.

Wednesday 5:38 a.m. The British economy has recorded the deepest coronavirus-related slump among the worlds leading industrial economies after official figures on Wednesday showed it shrinking by a fifth in the second quarter alone.

The 20.4% quarter-on-quarter drop in the April to June period is worse than anything since records began in 1955, the Office for National Statistics said.

Following a 2.2% contraction in the first three months of the year, the U.K. economy is now in recession, commonly defined as two quarters of contraction.

Britains recession is deeper than those recorded by comparable economies in Europe, notably Germany, France and Italy, or that of the United States. The other Group of Seven economies, Japan and Canada, have yet to post second-quarter numbers but no economist thinks they will be as bad as the U.K.s.

Wednesday 4:20 a.m. U.S. Health Secretary Alex Azar says the push to develop a COVID-19 vaccine is not a race to be first.

Azars comments during a visit to Taiwan on Wednesday follow Russian President Vladimir Putins announcement that his country was the first to approve a coronavirus vaccine, prompting doubts about the science and safety behind that purported achievement.

Azar says the U.S. is combining the powers of its government, economy and biopharmaceutical industry to deliver as quickly as we can for the benefit of the United States citizens, but also for the people of the world, safe and effective vaccines.

He says the U.S. has secured an advanced manufacturing contract for a vaccine being developed by the company Moderna and has supply agreements with five other firms who have vaccines in the works.

He says four of the six companies under contract have reported testing results showing they produce more antibodies for the virus than people who have survived COVID-19, without severe side effects.

Azar says two companies vaccine candidates have entered the third phase of trials while the Russian vaccine is just now embarking on that stage with no information having been disclosed.

He says the U.S. process should allow the production of a gold-standard, safe and effective vaccine available in the tens of millions of doses by the end of the year.

Tuesday 10:40 p.m. The Australian state of Victoria on Wednesday reported a record 21 virus deaths and 410 new cases from an outbreak in the city of Melbourne that has prompted a strict lockdown.

State Premier Daniel Andrews said 16 of the deaths were linked to aged-care facilities. The number of new cases in Victoria is down from the peak, giving authorities some hope the outbreak is waning.

Tuesday 9:19 p.m. Students in British Columbia wont head back to classrooms on the originally planned date of Sept. 8 as the provincial government looks to a more gradual return.

Children will be welcomed back to class later in the second week of September after staff reviewed the latest BC Centre for Disease Control guidelines and school operation policies for COVID-19, Education Minister Rob Fleming said Tuesday.

Having the restart week staged in some kind of manner that would have staff teams together for a couple days before we gradually welcome kids back to make sure that every school  all 1,500 of them in the province  are truly ready to welcome students is a good idea, and thats the approach that well be taking, he said.

No official date has been set for children to return to schools.

Tuesday 5:09 p.m. Quebec Premier Francois Legault says he doesnt think a potential second wave of COVID-19 will strike as hard as the first one did in Canadas worst-hit province.

Legault said many of the infections occurred in the early weeks when infected employees brought the virus into long-term-care homes and seniors residences while not wearing proper protective equipment.

I think that if we have a second wave, we will be a lot better prepared, Legault told reporters in Mascouche, Que., on Tuesday.

And those workers will be wearing masks when meeting with patients, which he said wasnt always the case early on in the pandemic and contributed to the 5,000 deaths in nursing homes. I think well be more ready for that, he said.

4:25 p.m. The Pan American Health Organization has expressed reservations over reports that institutions in the region were negotiating to manufacture and distribute a new COVID-19 vaccine announced by Russia that has yet to go through standard, extensive safety and efficacy trials.

The organizations deputy director, Jarbas Barbosa, said in an online news conference Tuesday from Washington that any vaccine should be carefully evaluated to ensure the product is safe and effective.

In Brazil, Parana states government said it is negotiating with the Russian embassy to participate in the development of a COVID-19 vaccine, and will be holding a technical meeting Wednesday with Russias ambassador.

Nicaragua earlier announced plans to produce a Russian vaccine and on Monday, Vice-President Rosario Murillo, wife of President Daniel Ortega, again said the country was in contact with Russian institutions to produce and even export a COVID-19 vaccine.

Barbosa said the vaccine has not yet gone through all the steps needed so that it could be recommended by the World Health Organization or the Pan American Health Organization. He said global health officials were talking with Russian officials to review their data and clinical trials.

Only after that review, having access in a transparent way to those data and all the information, are we going to take a position, he said.
Here is a list of the best forex brokers for Kenyan traders reviewed.

Interactive Brokers

Interactive Brokers is an award-winning broker based in the United States, which offers its services to countries around the world.

Clients of Interactive Brokers are granted access to six cutting-edge trading platforms, on which some of the most popular asset classes can be traded, including stocks, options, futures, currencies, bonds and funds.

The broker offers six tailored accounts, including the Individual, Joint Trust, IRA and UGMA/UTMA Accounts, which can be opened with a minimum deposit of $100 or equivalent, and provide tight spreads which start as low as 0.5 pips for major currency pairs.

Robo forex

Founded in 2009, robo forex operates in 169 countries, and boasts of over 3.5 million clients. That makes it one of the leading developers of forex software in the entire world.

With a small minimum deposit of just $10, robo forex is ideal for first time traders who want to get a grasp of the business before going all in. On top of forex, you can also trade Stocks, Indices, and ETFs on the platform.

XTB

XTB is a UK based broker which offers competitive trading conditions, with spreads that start as low as 0.35 pips and a high maximum leverage of 1:200.

Headquartered in London, XTB is well-regulated across a number of jurisdictions by reputable organisations such as the KNF, FCA, CySec and IFSC.

Clients of XTB can open a live trading account with a minimum deposit of $250 or equivalent, and receive access to an impressive range of over 1500 global markets.

Added to this, clients receive negative balance protection, and can execute profitable trades on the award-winning MetaTrader 4 platform.

CM Trading

CM Trading is a leading South African forex broker which has become very popular amongst traders throughout Africa for its advanced selection of trading tools, complemented by a competitive trading environment that caters for both beginner and professional traders.

As such, clients of CM Trading are afforded a high leverage of 1:400, which can be used to trade over 50 popular instruments including forex, indices, commodities and CFDs.

In terms of its forex offering, CM Trading provides access to over 28 currency pairs, which can be traded on tight spreads that start as low as 0.7 pips for EUR/USD.

Oanda

Oanda is a well-established forex broker which has been in operation since 1996, and offers services to clients across the globe.

Based in the United States, Oanda is a MetaTrader 4 supported broker, providing clients with access to an advanced suite of trading tools, with leverage of 50:1, no minimum deposit, and exceptionally low trading fees.

OANDAs wide selection of CFD products include stock index, bond, and commodity CFDs. Leverage can also be set manually, a useful feature to lower the risk of a trade.

Oanda offers the ever popular MetaTrader4 trading platform, as well as proprietary trading software that features forex analysis, signals, and a number of advanced trading tools.

IG Markets

IG Markets is a global forex trading brand that offers tailored solutions to retail, institutional and professional traders.

Clients of IG Markets have access to an impressive selection of over 17 000 markets, which can be traded using the advanced capabilities of the MetaTrader 4 trading platform.

While the brokers leverage of 1:33 for forex is not the highest in the industry, clients can select from a range of live trading accounts with no minimum deposit, and trade on spreads that start as low as 0.6 pips for on EUR/USD currency pairs.

Exness

Exness is a Cyprus based broker which offers clients tailored financial services and investment solutions.

Exness provides exceptionally competitive trading conditions, with a minimum deposit of just $1, a very high leverage of 1:2000, and spreads that start as low as 0.3 pips.

Clients of Exness can enjoy these profitable trading conditions using the advanced trading capabilities of both the MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5 trading platforms, with access to popular asset classes such as Forex, Metals, Cryptocurrencies, Energies and Indices.

Regulated by both the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC), Exness provides a secure trading environment that caters to a variety of trading levels and strategies.

Forex.com

Forex.com is a well-regarded US forex broker that offers traders access to over 80 currency pairs for a low minimum deposit of $500, with spreads as low as 0.84 pips on the EUR/USD pair.

Established in 1999, the broker is regulated in six global jurisdictions, including the UK, Canada, Japan and Australia.

The broker offers a high leverage of 1:200, with competitive pricing, fast execution and excellent customer support, with trading supported by MetaTrader 4 and 5, as well as the brokers flagship proprietary Advanced Trading platform.

Plus500

Based in Australia, Plus500 is a leading forex broker in the industry today, particularly for its highly rated CFD trading apps which are available for both Apple and Android.

Plus500 offers clients a competitive trading environment, with spreads that start as low as at 0.6 pips for EUR/USD currency pairs, and a maximum leverage of 1:300.

For a minimum deposit of $100, clients can access the brokers single, integrated live trading account and gain access to the brokers award-winning trading platform.

Using this advanced software, traders have access to 2,000 CFDs across the Forex market, cryptocurrencies, commodities, equities and indices, ETFs, and options markets.

HotForex

HotForex is an online commodities and forex broker based in Cyprus, which offers tight spreads 0.1 for EUR/USD currency pairs and an exceptionally high leverage of 1:1000.

The broker offers prospective clients a wide selection of live trading accounts, which support EAs, Scalping, and Hedging, and which can be opened with an impressively low minimum deposit of $5.

The brokers advanced trading tools and competitive trading environment have garnered it over 35 industry awards, with its services offered to over two million clients around the world today.

Pepperstone

Pepperstone is an Australian forex and multi-asset broker that offers 70 currency pairs for forex trading, as well as CFDs, with a high maximum leverage of 1:500 and spreads that start at 0.13 pips for EUR/USD currency pairs.

The broker has become particularly popular for its rich selection of advanced trading platforms, including both MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5, copy-trading software, and cTrader.

Prospective clients can choose from the commission-based Razor Account, or the Standard Account with commissions incorporated into the spread, both of which can be opened with a minimum deposit of AUD$200 or equivalent.
Former President John Mahama has called on the Clergy to help save Ghana from sinking into a decadence and dictatorship under President Akufo-Addo.



He said the gains made in the countrys 27-year democratic journey are being eroded and setting the country backwards.



The National Democratic Congress (NDC) flagbearer said the bastardisation and politicisation of state institutions under the NPP government is a tragedy befallen the nation.



He made these comments when he introduced his running mate Prof. Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang to the leadership of the Christian Council in Accra.



No matter where we belong to, this is the time to unite and save our country. We cant sit and look on as our nation slips towards decadence and dictatorship Mahama said.



Ghana has been touted as the beacon of democracy in Africa because of its relatively stable political climate under its fourth republic.



But Mr Mahama said the country is at the crossroad in its democratic dispensation as a result of governments interference into the work of state institutions.



The tragedy befallen us is a judiciary that lacks impartiality, an oppressed parliament and pliant Electoral Commission, an Auditor-General hounded out of office and a misuse military, anti-corruption institutions in bandage and an intimidated media and a terrified moral society Former President claimed.



Mr. Mahama criticised the NPP government of its insatiable desire to stay in power at all cost; perverting the future generations in their quest.



He, however, commended the Ghana Pentecostal and Charismatic Council for boldly defending one of its own, Bishop Charles Agyinasare who recently spoke against the ills in society.



The NDC Flagbearer also promised to run a clean campaign devoid of insults and vilification and called on the Church to pray for Gods guidance as Ghana inches close to December 7 polls.



Mr. Mahama criticised the NPP government of its insatiable desire to stay in power at all cost; perverting the future generations in their quest.



He, however, commended the Ghana Pentecostal and Charismatic Council for boldly defending one of its own, Bishop Charles Agyinasare who recently spoke against the ills in society.



The NDC Flagbearer also promised to run a clean campaign devoid of insults and vilification and called on the Church to pray for Gods guidance as Ghana inches close to December 7 polls.

Source: Myjoyonline.com









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Luis Polanco, Jr.

Polanco, Jr. served 31 months for theft and identity theft before being granted an early release due to COVID-19 concerns. He lives in Eugene.

Lying in my bunk in a dorm that holds 80 men at the Columbia River Correctional Institution in North Portland, I could reach my arms out and touch two neighboring bunks. At night, I could hear people coughing, and I wondered if they had COVID-19, and if it would spread to me. Theres nowhere you can go to be at a safe distance in prison, where people have no choice but to be constantly exposed to others.

For months, Oregonians have lived with the fear of COVID-19 and what it could do to us and our families. For those of us who have been incarcerated during the pandemic, the threat of the virus is particularly acute. We have seen how coughs, colds and flu spread like wildfire through a prison each winter, and we fear the same happening with COVID.

I am one of the 57 people released early from prison by Gov. Kate Brown because we are particularly vulnerable to COVID-19. Right now, Oregon has about 14,000 people in its prisons. Fifty-seven people is 0.4% of that population  an average of just four people from each of Oregons 14 prisons. While the governors action may save our lives, it is not enough to fight the spread of COVID-19 in prison. COVID-19 has already entered half of Oregon Department of Corrections facilities, according to the agency. Gov. Brown needs to release more people before it is too late. No other solution can effectively fight the spread of the virus in our prisons.

I am grateful to Gov. Brown for commuting my sentence and allowing me to go home. The first thing I did was drive to see the ocean with my family, including my 17-year-old son. I had not seen my family for months, because COVID precautions shut down prison visits. I cannot fully explain how much I value the extra time the governor has given me to spend with my son and the rest of my family. But there are still many vulnerable people in prison who also deserve the opportunity to be reunited with their families. Those people can, and should, be released.

Since March, the governor has issued executive orders requiring people to stay six feet apart. We all know that physical distancing is the most effective way to stop the spread of the virus, but it is impossible in prison. In an average unit at Columbia River, 80 people share a dormitory-style room. The beds are about two and a half feet apart. By my count, those 80 people share three toilets, five sinks and four showers. In the dining hall and in the day room, people sit four to a table. Every week, people from other institutions were transferred to CRCI, sometimes from places with confirmed COVID infections.

Our state is also facing a massive budget shortfall because of the economic effects of the pandemic. The Department of Corrections has suggested it will close two minimum security correctional institutions which together house about 800 people. If they close, those prisoners will likely be moved to existing prisons, cramming more people into already limited space. If Gov. Brown does not release more people before that happens, the spread of COVID-19 in our prisons will only get worse.

In June, a group of state legislators urged the governor to release 2,000 people, or about 14% of the current prison population. I believe she should release even more. There are about 4,000 people who are scheduled to be released in the next 12 months, according to the state corrections department. The final year in a prison sentence makes little difference in whether someone is fit to rejoin society, based on research on the impact of shortening prison terms. But early release could save lives and stem the spread of COVID.

COVID-19 is the scariest thing I encountered in my two and a half years in prison. But the spread of COVID-19 within a prison will not stay there. Prisons are an incubator for the disease: what comes in through a single staff member spreads easily in a packed, congregate environment, and as more staff catch it, they bring it out to their families and communities. The only thing that can control its spread, and save lives of prisoners and staff, is to release enough people from each prison to allow physical distancing for the remaining population. Anything less is simply not enough. Anything less will result in disaster.

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The first vaccine against COVID-19 may be available towards the end of this year or early next year, German newspaper Handelsblatt reported on Monday, quoting European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety Stella Kyriakides.

"Although making predictions is risky at this stage, we have good indications," Kyriakides told the newspaper.

Kyriakides said the vaccine may not solve all the problems right away, but will "gradually allow a return to normality" once a "critical mass of citizens, especially among the risk groups" have been vaccinated.

The commissioner expressed concern over rising infection rates across the European Union (EU), saying, "we are seeing an increasing number of smaller and larger outbreaks in several member states." She called on EU countries to locally control infection source with "testing, contact tracing and immediate isolation."

Kyriakides didn't exclude the possibility that some member states might again take drastic restriction measures as in March and April.

"The uncertainties surrounding the virus remain... We must remain vigilant and not let our guard down to avoid a second lockdown," she warned, adding that the EU is better prepared than at the beginning of the crisis.

Kyriakides said the coronavirus warning apps now available in member states should be "merged into one portal so that they can be used throughout the EU." The official also hoped the pilot phase of the portal could start in early September.




The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine has sent a letter to the Russian Foreign Ministry to express a protest over the conduct of illegal military exercises of the Russian Black Sea Fleet in the temporarily occupied Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol.

"Ukraine condemns Russian Federations illegal demonstration of its military power and the actions aimed at further militarization of the temporarily occupied territories of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol," the press service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine informs.

Ukrainian diplomats view the illegal exercises of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, which began on August 10, as another evidence of Russia's blatant disregard for the norms and principles of international law and a clear demonstration of Russia's deliberate steps to escalate tensions in the Azov-Black Sea region.

"The Russian Federation must immediately stop internationally illegal actions against the state sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine," the Foreign Ministry underscores.

As reported, the Russian occupiers conducted surprise military exercises of the Russian Black Sea Fleet. On August 11, as part of the exercises involving Bastion coastal defense missile system, the occupying forces trained in identifying and destroying a detachment of conventional enemy aircraft carriers which allegedly intended to open fire on the economic facilities located on the occupied Crimean Peninsula.

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The suit alleges that while voting is a fundamental, constitutional right that is central to our democracy, Pritzker violated this right by signing into law a partisan voting scheme that is designed to harvest Democratic ballots, dilute Republican ballots, and, if the election still doesnt turn out the way he wants it, to generate enough Democratic ballots after election day to sway the result. Read the full story here. (Rick Pearson)
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-12 21:01:12|Editor: huaxia

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JUBA, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- The South Sudan military on Wednesday confirmed 127 people have been killed during recent clashes between the army and civilians in Tonj area of northern Warrap region.

Lul Ruai Koang, military spokesperson said that 82 civilians and 45 soldiers were killed in the clashes which broke out on Aug. 8 following a disagreement between soldiers and a youth at a local market.

"The situation was brought under control. Disarmament will continue because it was not the cause of the violence," Koang said in Juba.

The military spokesman also clarified that 45 soldiers were among those killed in the clashes and not 55 soldiers as he said on Tuesday.

Makuei Mabior, executive director of Tonj East County, said the violence erupted following an argument between the government forces carrying out a disarmament exercise and a local youth.

Mabior said that some civilians have started to return from the bushes but noted that some of the armed youth are still holding out in the bushes.

Koang said the missing youth may fear to return from the bushes due to fear of being disarmed or arrested.

The government forces are undertaking civilian disarmament exercise in a bid to curb frequent inter-tribal violence in the area. Enditem
More than half a century before Sen. Kamala Harris was named Joe Biden's running mate Tuesday, another Black woman from California took the stage at a Chicago convention to make a momentous declaration.

"This is a historic moment in American political life," the journalist and political activist Charlotta Bass told the crowd. "Historic for myself, for my people, for all women. For the first time in the history of this nation a political party has chosen a Negro woman for the second highest office in the land."

Indeed, while Harris will indeed be the first Black woman and the first Asian American to appear on a major-party ticket, she is not the first Black woman to run for vice president. That title belongs to Bass, who joined a long-shot Progressive Party ticket in 1952, more than a decade before the Voting Rights Act was signed into law.

Martha Jones, a historian at Johns Hopkins University, said Bass is one of several key figures who paved the way for Harris and several other contenders for Biden's VP pick. As a Los Angeles civic leader and the publisher of a major Black newspaper, Bass chronicled and commented on politics before entering the fray herself.

"I don't think you can understand how we got here in 2020 if you don't appreciate the way in which Black women have built this moment," Jones told The Washington Post. "Kamala D. Harris doesn't just drop from the sky. She's a political figure whose career is very much linked to a history."

Bass's chapter in that narrative starts in 1910, when she moved from her native South Carolina to Los Angeles and started working at the California Eagle, an influential Black weekly newspaper, according to Denise Lynn, a historian at the University of Southern Indiana. She and her husband became joint publishers, though she took over fully following his death in 1934.

In the Eagle's pages, she criticized the Ku Klux Klan, denounced the Hollywood production of "The Birth of a Nation," and endorsed female candidates in local races. Women had already won the vote in California by 1911, but Bass kept thousands of readers informed on the national women's suffrage movement.

Bass's commentary created change, too. Her pieces on employment discrimination resulted in the first Black hires at a major hospital and several big telephone companies, she said in her biography. She later got involved with the Los Angeles chapter of the NAACP and Marcus Garvey's Universal Negro Improvement Association, as well as local and state politics.

After serving as a delegate to the California Republican convention, she switched to the Democratic Party, and finally denounced both major parties entirely. Both had neglected Black and women's rights, she wrote in an editorial, by trying to prove their commitment to fighting communism in the era of Sen. Joseph R. McCarthy's Red Scare.

Around this time, Bass's friendly ties with some Black figures suspected of communism caught the attention of the FBI. Federal agents interrogated Bass at her office, kept tabs on each issue of the Eagle, and attended her public speeches to send reports back to Washington. At one point, her passport was confiscated.

It was enough to radicalize her fully into politics. "This is a moment in which Bass can no longer be, if you will, merely a journalist," Jones said. "She has nowhere left to hide."

She sold the Eagle in 1951 and co-founded the Sojourners for Truth and Justice, a short-lived Black women's group that was named after the abolitionist and suffragist and rallied and lobbied politicians in Washington.

Less than a year later, she joined the San Francisco lawyer Vincent Hallinan on his underdog campaign for the White House. Hallinan, who had been convicted on contempt of court, announced his presidential bid a day before he was set to enter prison, leaving Bass to do most of the in-person campaigning.

Amid a backdrop of McCarthyism closely scrutinizing the left, the Progressive Party was not expecting to win, said Erik McDuffie, a professor at the University of Illinois. But that wasn't the point anyway.

"To be publicly associated with them was, depending on your politics, incredibly courageous, or a foolhardy move," he told The Post. "During such a politically repressive moment, it speaks to her dedication to Black freedom and dignity for Black women."

Hallinan and Bass mustered only 140,000 votes, netting the third-highest total in a race Dwight Eisenhower won in a landslide. Their best showing was in New York, where they won just under 0.1% of the vote.

Yet Jones, the Johns Hopkins professor, said Bass's legacy is far more consequential than those results may seem. Together with figures like Fannie Lou Hamer and Shirley Chisholm, who ran for president in 1972, Bass helped usher the notion of a Black female candidate fully into the political mainstream.

Besides Harris, other VP contenders - like Susan Rice, Stacey Abrams and Rep. Val Demings, D-Fla. - have also benefited from that legacy.

"To my mind, it makes Kamala Harris all the more admirable in her accomplishments, because they are so hard won," Jones said. "Charlotta Bass is not a detractor. To the contrary, it shows how far we have come."

Besides, the connections between the two women are more than just symbolic.

Four decades after that failed long-shot presidential bid, Vincent Hallinan's son Terence won a narrow race for San Francisco district attorney. The younger Hallinan took after his father's left-wing politics, declaring himself America's most progressive prosecutor and hiring a slew of non-White officials to his office.

Yet he only lasted two terms. In 2003, he was ousted by his former deputy, a young lawyer from Oakland who had grown disenchanted with her boss and had her sights set on politics.

That lawyer's name? Kamala Harris.
The council heard from seven of eight candidates seeking to fill its vacant seat.

North Adams Council Selects Oleskiewicz to Fill Vacant Seat

NORTH ADAMS, Mass.  The City Council voted to fill its vacancy with the 10th highest vote-getter in last year's municipal elections.

Peter Oleskiewicz was nominated by Councilor Wayne Wilkinson and elected by unanimous decision (with Councilor Jessica Sweeney absent). The owner of Desperados Mexican Restaurant was 103 votes short for a seat on the nine-member council last November.

"Once I was No. 10 in the election and this is the reason I was able to get back on council, because the council thought you're the 10th finisher," Wilkinson said in giving his reasoning for nominating Oleskiewicz. "All the other candidates I think are very well qualified and the only reason I nominated Mr. Oleskiewicz is because he got more votes than five North Adams city residents to be on the council. I think this position deserves to be an elected one, not appointed one."

Oleskiewicz will fill the unexpired term of Robert Moulton Jr., who resigned after remarks he made on his public access show about Black Lives Matter and COVID-19 were condemned by colleagues and constituents. The council decided to solicit interested candidates, as it did in 2017 when then Councilor Nancy Bullett resigned. Wilkinson, who had finished 10th, was selected to complete her term.

Oleskiewicz said he applied as a candidate because of his 10th place finish, "otherwise I probably would have just waited until the next cycle."

"But being the 10th vote, I see myself as laying the groundwork in the previous election," he said. "And I think I also proved enough to the community that I was worthy enough to be given their trust."

He said he had a deep seated interest and love for the community and that until the pandemic, he had attended all the meetings.

"So I pretty much have been paying attention and trying to stay up on top of things so, hopefully, when the time came, I could fill that seat and it make it a smooth transition," Oleskiewicz said. "I just like to state what an awesome community we live in. ... I would very much like to give back. So I would like to come to the seat with an open mindset with no bias, and I want to work with my peers."

Other candidates who had run for council in the past included Brian Sapienza, a member of the Public Arts Commission; Ashley Shade, a civic, political and LGBTQ activist; and Ronald Sheldon, who wants to be a voice for the city's disabled. Also expressing interest were newcomers Howard Carter, an attorney and former Navy SEAL; Gina Consolini, a registered nurse; Wayne Gelinas, who is resurrecting the historic Wigwam; and J. McConnell, a software developer. Each spoke about their interest in serving and their backgrounds, with the exception of Consolini, who did not attend the meeting.

Council President Paul Hopkins and several other councilors thanked the candidates for seeking to serve the city and encouraged them to consider running for office next year.

"So very impressed by the comments that we heard tonight the caliber of those who willingly held their hand up and I think all of us who are councilors now know how difficult that can be," said Hopkins. "I say for the record, I hope to see some of you run in the future."
A 40-year-old man has been charged with felony murder in the July 22 killing of Maxine O. Callaghan, 93.

Chantry Rice, was arraigned on the charge Aug. 7 in Dearborns 19th District Court. Rice had worked for several years as a Border Patrol Agent in Texas before moving to Michigan.

Rice is set for a probable cause hearing at 9 a.m. Aug. 21, according to officials at the 19th District Court.

Dearborn Police Chief Ronald Haddad said the case was especially difficult, and is still under active investigation. He said Callaghan was well known in her area of the community, walking her neighborhood in the 21000 block of Outer Drive daily, and also volunteering at the Henry Ford.

We lost a very revered member of our community, he said. Wed like to offer our condolences to the family.

He said officers were called to her house around 7:30 p.m. July 22 where they found her dead. Haddad said they found her body injured, but declined to say the extent of the injuries. He later said it was blunt force.

This was a highly complicated case, he said. Rice had no criminal record, worked four years as a Border Patrol agent, attended the Lutheran seminary, and was married with four kids.

Haddad said the investigation was kept as quiet as possible because of Rices background. But now that hes been charged, they want anyone who knows Rice, or who had him do odd jobs like cutting their grass, to call the department at 313-943-2273.

He also released photos of jewelry that was found with Rice, and asked that anyone who might recognize it to report it to police.

Callaghan was well regarded in the community. A close friend of hers, who also volunteers at The Henry Ford, spoke highly of her.

She was extremely vibrant, Patricia Zadorozny said. She was on her feet all the time. Her sense of purpose was to help whoever she saw, and be kind and generous.

Zadorozny said that when she first found out about Callaghans death, it was a shock, but to find out a few days later it was a murder was very perplexing.

She would have given him whatever it was that he wanted, she said. It was stunning to find out. I hadnt seen her since March 17 when I was sent home from work because of my age.

Zadorozny said news of the murder sent shock waves through the volunteer group at The Henry Ford.

I feel badly, I miss her, she said.

She wasnt surprised though that it was someone from the neighborhood that was charged.

I was a cop for 31 years (in Detroit), she said. It had to be someone who saw her in the neighborhood. Its rarely random, people dont always get that.

Haddad said the case remains under investigation.

Rice is set for a probable cause hearing at 9 a.m. Aug. 21, according to officials at the 19th District Court.
There has been a renewed push to remove Confederate monuments following the death of George Floyd in the custody of police.

In May and June 2020, a number of monuments and memorials were destroyed or removed, or commitments to remove them were announced.

Some had been the subject of lengthy, years-long efforts to remove them. Where legal avenues had all but failed, some monuments were deliberately broken.

Many statues of Christopher Columbus were removed, as he participated in abuses against Native Americans and his arrival in the Americas was the beginning of the genocide of Native American people.

Monuments to many other local figures connected with racism were also removed. Some pro-Union or anti-slavery monuments were also targeted, as they were seen to embody disrespectful attitudes towards Native Americans or the enslaved.

At least 63 monuments or plaques in cities across the country have been removed since the protests began.

General Stonewall Jackson and Confederate President Jefferson Davis, Richmond, Virginia

Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney ordered the immediate removal of several confederate statues.

'These statues, although symbolic, have cast shadows on the dreams of our children of color,' Stoney said. 'Let me be clear, removing these monuments is not a solution to the deeply embedded racial injustices in our city and nation, but is a down payment.'

The work began with the statues of General Stonewall Jackson, who became one of the best-known Confederate commanders, and General Robert E. Lee, who was the only president of the Confederate States of America.

People watch as the Stonewall Jackson statue is removed from Monument Avenue in Richmond, Virginia on July 1, 2020

A statue of Confederate States President Jefferson Davis lies on the street after protesters pulled it down in Richmond, Virginia

John C. Calhoun, Charleston, South Carolina

Crews in Charleston tore down a statue of politician John C. Calhoun, a former Vice President of the United States, from its pedestal in Marion Square on June 24. He is remembered for strongly defending slavery and for advancing the concept of minority states' rights in politics.

Workers use cherry pickers to help remove the John C. Calhoun statue atop a monument in Marion Square in Charleston, South Carolina in June

The John Breckinridge Castleman monument, Louisville, Kentucky

John Breckinridge Castleman was a Confederate officer and later a United States Army brigadier general as well as a prominent landowner and businessman in Louisville, Kentucky. The statue will eventually make its way to Cave Hill Cemetery, where Castleman is buried.

Jefferson Davis statue from Kentucky Capitol rotunda, Frankfort, Kentucky

The statue had been in the building since 1936. Five years ago, Frankfort officials voted to get rid of the statue, but ended up just removing the bronze plaque that was displayed in the front.

Workers hoist a statue of Jefferson Davis after removing it from the Kentucky state Capitol in Frankfort, Kentucky in early June

Charles Linn, a city founder who was in the Confederate Navy, in Birmingham, Alabama

Linn was a sailor, wholesaler, banker and industrialist. He was a captain in the Confederate Navy and later one of the founders of Birmingham, Alabama.

Robert E. Lee that stood in front of Lee High School in Montgomery, Alabama

Robert Edward Lee was an American Confederate general best known as a commander of the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. He commanded the Army of Northern Virginia from 1862 until its surrender in 1865.

The Robert E. Lee Statue stands off its base at Lee High School in Montgomery, Alabama, pictured in June 2020. The school has a majority black student population

Edward Carmack, a former US senator, Nashville, Tennessee

Carmack was an attorney, newspaperman and political figure who served as a U.S. Senator from Tennessee from 1901 to 1907. Following his political service, and after an unsuccessful run for Governor of Tennessee, he became editor of the one-year-old Nashville Tennessean.

Protesters toppled the statue of Edward Carmack outside the state Capitol after a peaceful demonstration turned violent at the end of May in Nashville, Tennessee

Confederate Adm. Raphael Semmes , Mobile, Alabama

Raphael Semmes was an officer in the Confederate Navy during the American Civil War. Until then, he had been a serving officer in the US Navy from 1826 to 1860. During the American Civil War, Semmes was captain of the cruiser CSS Alabama, the most successful commerce raider in maritime history, taking 65 prizes.

The pedestal where the statue of Admiral Raphael Semmes stands empty, in Mobile, Alabama. The city of Mobile removed the Confederate statue without making any public announcements

Bronze statue of Confederate soldier named 'Appomattox' removed from Old Town Alexandria, Virginia

The Battle of Appomattox Court House, fought in Appomattox County, Virginia, on the morning of April 9, 1865, was one of the last battles of the American Civil War.
The unions representing Ontarios teachers are calling on the provincial government to change its back-to-school plans and are warning a legal challenge is possible.

We are consulting with legal counsel, absolutely, said Liz Stuart, president of the 45,000-member Ontario English Catholic Teachers Association, which continues to advocate for smaller class sizes and masks for all students.

The best thing to find out at this point is to see what we can do in order to fight to keep our members safe.

Sam Hammond, who heads the Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario  the countrys largest teachers union  said his members will use the next couple of weeks to try and push those issues to get the government to step forward and address teachers and parents concerns.

But if the government doesnt budge, his union executive is meeting later this week and if they continue to have the concerns that theyve had since the plan was released, then certainly well look at all of our options to take a stand to get the attention of the government to make change.

While ETFO is not officially calling for a delay to the start of the school year, I think the government needs to look at all the options, Hammond said. If we had the luxury of another month, wed certainly be in a very different place.

Local unions have talked about launching grievances or legal challenges, and Stuart said the labour board is a possibility.

In the United States  where cases in many states have hit record highs  one teachers union in Florida is seeking a court injunction to force all classes online until COVID-19 numbers have subsided.

The American Teachers Federation has said it supports strikes if local units dont feel the reopening conditions are safe enough to protect members.

Ontarios back-to-school plan includes mandatory masks for students starting in Grade 4  the only province in Canada to require them throughout the school day  as well as improved hand hygiene and school cleaning and smaller classes for high school students in large, urban boards.

However, in elementary schools, classes sizes will remain unchanged, meaning children in kindergarten and Grades 4 through 8 could be in rooms with 30 students.

The province has said it will provide $30 million to help shrink class sizes if classes are too large. That amount would fund roughly 300 teachers.

The Toronto public board alone has said it would need at least 200 extra elementary teachers if class sizes were to be reduced to 15.

The province is also hiring 500 public health nurses, or about one for every 10 schools, to help with COVID and also random testing of high school students.

Premier Doug Ford said Tuesday that Ontario is doing everything we can ... we have the best plan in Canada. People from other provinces want our plan, and were going to do everything we can and Im not going to spare a penny and Im not going to spare anything making sure that we have the safest classrooms in the country.

Ontario, he added, has the smallest classroom sizes in the entire country, bar none. We have more protocols and guidelines than any other jurisdiction in Canada, and noted his government is so far spending more than $309 million, which is more per pupil than other provinces.

But NDP Leader Andrea Horwath, who visited Kingston on Tuesday, called the provinces announcement a bargain basement plan that really pinches pennies on the backs of our kids and urged the province to hire thousands of teachers.

Alexandra Adamo, spokesperson for Education Minister Stephen Lecce, said the government has engaged in discussions with multiple unions with the singular goal of ensuring the safest and healthiest school environment for all students and staff and is willing to continue talks.

Hammond said smaller class sizes were a key part of recommendations made by experts from Sick Kids, advice the government chose to ignore. Hes advocating for elementary classes to have about 15 students, or close to that number.

He also said masks, proper ventilation in schools and busing remain huge safety issues.

Harvey Bischof, of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation, said his union is consulting with counsel now and have been for some time ... We just want to ensure that we are aware of, and maximize the use of, any legal strategy required to keep our members safe.

Bischof said his union hasnt landed on what its strategy will be, but added that Ive seen no evidence so far that this government is listening to us and our concerns.
By Laman Ismayilova

Azerbaijan is keen to enhance cultural ties with other countries. First Deputy Minister of Culture Anar Karimov, acting Minister of Culture, held several meeting aimed at promotion of cultural ties with Turkey and Brazil.

The meeting with Turkish Ambassador to Azerbaijan Ercan Ozoral discussed prospects of cultural cooperation between the two countries. The parties touched upon expansion of the legal base, exchange of experience and protection of joint cultural heritage.

Anar Karimov stressed that studying Turkeys experience in the fields of cultural industries, movie, cultural heritage, and museum works is one of the priorities of the Azerbaijan Cultural Ministry.

In his speech, Ercan Ozoral stressed that historically friendly and fraternal relations between Azerbaijan and Turkey are at the forefront of cultural cooperation. He expressed confidence that work would continue in this direction, especially in cultural exchange program, partnership with Turkish International Cooperation and Development Administration (TIKA) on the restoration of cultural heritage and historical monuments.

The sides agreed on restructuring of workings groups of Azerbaijan Cultural Ministry and Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

First Deputy Minister of Culture Anar Karimov also met with Brazilian Ambassador Manuel Adalberto Carlos Montenegro Lopes da Cruz.

The meeting focused on holding joint cultural events cultural as well as creating of a legal framework for expanding cooperation between Azerbaijan and Brazil.

In conclusion, Anar Karimov thanked Brazilian Ambassador for its support in connection with the inclusion of the historical center of Sheki in the UNESCO World Heritage List together with the Khan's Palace within the 43rd session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee held in Baku last year.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
illustration photo, source: Shutterstock

International container shipping company Maersk Line, the largest subsidiary of Danish business conglomerate Maersk Group, can now expand their business activities in the Vietnamese maritime market on the back of the commitments in the landmark EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), which took effect on August 1.

Under the deal, Maersk Line and other businesses from the bloc are allowed to provide redistribution of empty containers and feeder transportation services initially on the Quy Nhon-Cai Mep Thi Vai routes before expanding to all shipping routes after the five-year enforcement in line with EVFTA commitments.

Arising prospects

Nguyen Tuong, deputy secretary general of the Vietnam Logistics Business Association, told VIR, This is a service line that EU companies have been expecting to enter for years. And the golden opportunity is now coming, adding that the race is beginning for both Vietnamese and EU companies, urging them to increase capacity to win customers.

Before the enforcement of the historic deal, the empty container and feeder transportation services had for years been restricted to Vietnamese companies, with shipping giant Vietnam Maritime Corporation (VIMC) being among the major domestic players. Evidently, along with shipping lines operating in Vietnam by Maersk Vietnam Ltd., those of APL-NOL (Vietnam) Ltd., MSC Vietnam Co., Ltd., and CMA CGM Vietnam JSC are now also able to go on the offensive in the playground.

With a huge sea network of 45 ports, 286 berths, and 18 anchorage and ship-to-ship transfer areas, Vietnams maritime market is a magnet to foreign players, including those from the EU. In the coverage, the Cai Mep-Thi Vai port area, which is home to seven ports, is among the most promising seaports in Vietnam. The port area boasts a total capacity of seven million TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) a year, with current capacity reaching 80 per cent, and is able to accommodate mainline vessels of 194,000 deadweight tonnage (DWT) connecting Vietnam with Europe, North America, and Asia.

Before the health crisis, groups have seen improvements in comparison with previous years thanks to a cargo volume increase.

These include SP-PSA, a joint venture between shipping giant Vietnam Maritime Corporation (VIMC) and Singaporean PSA; CMIT, backed by VIMC and Danish company APMT; and SSIT, backed by VIMC and US firm Carrix/SSA.

CMA CGM Vietnam JSC, which holds a 25 per cent stake in Gemalink Seaport, will also benefit. Gemalink Seaport is expected to come into operation in late 2020 with a total annual capacity of 8.5 million TEUs and handle 200,000 DWT or 23,000 TEUs, making it one of the top 20 seaports worldwide.

Christian Lamhien, director of Business Development at CMA CGM Vietnam, told VIR, We are also looking to invest in local inland container depots and depots in Southern Vietnam to get us closer to industrial parks. Then we will expand to other regions.

He elaborated, We also want to develop technology applications to fast-track procedures for cargo entry into Vietnam and to connect with Tan Cang ports and others. We might face difficulties this year due to COVID-19 but see great promise next year amid an investment shift in Vietnams manufacturing.

Looking forward, in addition to inland shipping services, many other maritime transport services are also open to EU firms to invest or do business, with passenger and cargo transportation services even being committed at a higher level than those in the World Trade Organization and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership. Moreover, bilateral trade is forecast to grow significantly, thus opening huge business opportunities in the months to come.

Vietnam is the EUs second-largest trading partner in the ASEAN after Singapore, with trade in goods worth 45.5 billion ($53.9 billion) in 2019. As forecast by the Ministry of Planning and Investment, the FTA is expected to help increase Vietnams GDP by 4.6 per cent and its exports to the EU by 42.7 per cent by 2025.

Future seaport pressures

Vietnams maritime transport system plays an important role in the countrys economy. Currently, up to 90 per cent of goods are transported by sea and, on average, the port system handles 550-570 million tonnes of cargo a year, with the figure forecast to rise further on the back of the EVFTA and new investment shifts.

According to the recent Drewry report of the investment research arm of global shipping consultancy Drewry, COVID-19 has strongly affected logistics businesses in Vietnam, especially marine container business which may lose 7-12 per cent volume throughput in 2020. However, marine transport is forecast to bounce back starting from 2021 when the pandemic is controlled and demand starts budding again.

Despite the opportunities, industry insiders warned about possible pressures on local seaport infrastructure due to a vessel upsizing tendency, as the majority of seaports in the country are unable to receive big vessels due to dredging problems, weak connection with other means of transport, and weak IT application.

According to the statistics of Alphaliner, which harbours a wealth of maritime industry information, container ships have increased in size over the years with the average vessel being 2.5 times higher than two decades ago. The trend in the near future is the proportion of newly-built vessels is mainly 37 per cent of super-sized ships (over 18,000 TEUs).

A representative of Saigon Newport Corporation, a market leader in seaport operation, said that the upsizing trend in a short time puts pressure on port operators and authorities. Ports need to have synchronised investment to avoid lagging and to meet shipping lines demands.

The investment should focus on dredging channels, building berths and equipment to receive mega ships, and increase productivity as mega ships carry large amounts of cargo. Unless productivity increases, increased port stay time will affect port productivity and put more pressure on peak time, he explained.

For instance, with upsized vessels, the -14m channel depth and equipment at the Cai Mep terminal make them less attractive than other ASEAN ones. In the future, even though cargo flow between Vietnam and the EU increases, the bigger vessels and maritime routes between the two sides would still focus at ports of Singapore, Malaysia, and others which are more suitable for vessels passing through the Suez Canal.

The Lach Huyen deep seaport complex is in a similar situation, showing that if planning and dredging does not keep up with the vessel upsizing trend, logistics cost to the EU will remain high, reducing the competitiveness of local ports.
Hudbay (NYSE:HBM) said today consolidated copper production in the second quarter of 2020 was 18,026 tonnes, a 27% decrease from the first quarter of 2020 primarily as a result of the temporary suspension of operations at Constancia until mid-May.

Consolidated gold production increased by 7% compared to the first quarter of 2020 due to higher production from Manitoba as a result of higher gold grades and record quarterly gold recoveries at the Stall mill.

Consolidated zinc production in the second quarter of 2020 was in line with the first quarter of 2020.

Cash generated from operating activities in the second quarter of 2020 increased to $31.4 million compared to $9.1 million in the first quarter of 2020.

Hudbay issued new guidance but warned that its mine in Peru faces future risks. Hudbay lost production during the eight-week suspension at Constancia.

"The situation in Peru...remains fluid. The state of emergency, first declared by the government in response to the COVID-19 pandemic on March 15, has since been extended to August 31, 2020 and there remains a risk of further disruptions to mining operations. The company is actively monitoring the situation and any potential future impact on Constancias operations.
Ive always been fascinated by the concept of personal branding. Personal branding is the spoken and unspoken ways in which we portray ourselves. Whether or not we want to have personal brand or not, we have one. Personal branding is not only for business people or marketing purposes.

It is the perception that our interactions have of us. It is the first impression we make before even speaking. Personally I want to have a brand that has impact. Ive been working on improving my brand and this has meant gathering honest feedbacks from those close to me and becoming more self aware of my core values.

I realise that in many cases people have great attributes that can be beneficial in attaining their goals but these good qualities are not portrayed in their brand. Not many people who cross our paths have the time to spend getting to know us on the level of discovering all our winning attributes, hence the importance of working on a personal brand that represents us favorably.

So how do we build a brand that fits?

To be authentic, personal branding should represent our core values and not portray who we are not. For me personally that would involve tapping into the good attributes I already have and finding ways to magnify these. For instance i like to add value in any space I occupy be it professionally or socially. So my personal brand should portray me as someone who can deliver and bring improvements.

Personal brand is built with consistency, the core values have to be a day to day practice. Who you are should be aligned to the brand. Whatever is different or unique about a person should be leveraged to form their personal brand.

Personal branding begins the moment you discover yourself

 Bernard Kelvin Clive

I wonder how many times we portray values that dont represent who we really are by our words or actions. How many times our actions affect the opportunities life presents because we dont have our best feet forward. Finding people who give honest feedback on how you are as a peer, leader and friend helps give an idea about how to start building a personal brand.

Who do I want to be defined as? How do I bring these out to show thats who I am or thats what I can do? This will be authentic because I cant bring things out that were not there in the first place. A wise person said were always being interviewed for opportunities that do not exist yet.

As Christians I wonder if our brand is always a representative of the body of Christ. Can those around us by our words or actions identify with our faith? Do we carry a personal brand that represents the church favorably? By our brand do people want to be followers of Christ?

How many of our good values that shape our brand are anchored so strongly that during crisis these good attributes remain consistent? The brand wont be perfect but something to be worked on and improved with time but eventually with consistency become a normalcy.

There is no destination with personal branding; this will be a continuous journey of self improvement.

Your personal brand follows you wherever you go and sometimes even lingers behind when you leave a room.

 Jackie Canton
The overall rate of pressure ulcers for every 1,000 bed days has increased steadily since 2013/14

There has been an alarming increase in the number of patients developing hospital-acquired pressure ulcers in Western Health Trust facilities, some of which were found to have been avoidable.

The revelation came at a recent Western Trust board meeting, where Director of Nursing, Primary Care and Older People's Services, Dr Bob Brown, presented a report on current trends.

It indicated the overall rate of pressure ulcers for every 1,000 bed days has increased steadily since 2013/14. Significantly, there has been a 13% increase over the last year alone. Of these, prevalence of more serious ulcers had also risen, and out of 54 recorded, 14 were deemed avoidable.

Dr Brown told the board that over the last six or seven years "we are seeing a greater complexity of patient care need in our acute hospitals".

"There are varying lengths of stay, but people who have more complex needs will stay longer and will be at an increased risk of pressure damage."

In Altnagelvin Hospital since 2019 there was an increase in Ward 2, which hosts older patients with complex needs - for example a fractured hip - and a stay may be longer, increasing risk. Ward 26, which deals with respiratory issues, has also seen an increase, as has Ward 1 in the South West Acute Hospital, a trauma and orthopaedic unit.

Critical care wards also showed an increase.

One board member described the increase as "worrying" and had thought hospital-acquired ulcers in shorter stay areas would be lower. He said: "On comparing the cardiac care unit with critical care, there's quite a blatant difference. Critical care appears to have a worse outline in terms of pressure ulcers. That seems strange to me. What's the explanation for that difference."

Dr Brown felt it would be best to take time to study the comparison between the two areas and provide a response at a future meeting.

After the board meeting, independent councillor Donal O'Cofaigh, who sits in the Fermanagh and Omagh Council Health and Social Care Group, said the news was "very concerning", adding: "Dr Brown stated the increase was primarily due to the greater complexity of conditions but I fail to understand how this could be the sole explanatory factor for such an extended trend."

He said he has written to the Trust chief executive over whether the increase may be related to a lack of staffing or delays in securing transfer out of hospitals.
33 Nigerians slaughtered in mass killing during 24-hour curfew

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Armed Fulani herders launched a series of attacks during a 24-hour curfew in a predominantly Christian area in Nigerias Kaduna state, killing about 33 people and burning down dozens of homes, according to reports.

While police said Fulani gunmen killed 21 villagers, local community leaders put the death toll at 33 in the attacks on five villages, according to AFP.

The attacks took place in the Atyap Chiefdom in Zangon Kataf Local Government Area on Wednesday and Thursday, according to the U.K.-based Christian Solidarity Worldwide, which said armed men traveling in trucks killed six people and burned 20 homes in Apiashyim village, and killed seven people in Kibori village.

Locals reported the attack while it was still going on in Apiashyim, but personnel arrived only after the attack was over, a survivor told local media.

The Fulani men then attacked the Atakmawei community, killing 12 people and burning down 10 homes. Later, they killed three people in Apyiako village and five in Magamiya village, burning down several houses in both locations, CSW said.

A truck resembling an armored military vehicle and military motorcycles drove into the Apyiako village square while the attack was underway, but no attempt was made to stop the destruction, according to survivors, CSW reported.

Fulani herders routinely attack predominantly Christian farming communities in Nigerias Middle Belt. While some believe the nomadic herders launch attacks as they look for grazing pastures, the radicals are known for targeting Christian villages in a similar manner as the Boko Haram terror group that terrorizes the northern regions of the country.

The fact that these attacks continue is a damning indictment of Governor el Rufais decision to extend the duration and scope of a 24-hour curfew that had manifestly failed, CSW Chief Executive Mervyn Thomas said. Instead of protecting villagers, the curfew not only subjects them to privations, but also makes them sitting targets for militia who continue to attack at will.

The disturbing allegations of survivors regarding the failure of security personnel to intervene in ongoing violence and apprehend the perpetrators require swift, transparent and independent verification.

In a special report, titled Nigeria: A Killing Field of Defenseless Christians, released earlier this year, the Anambra-based nongovernmental organization International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law estimated that about 11,500 Christians had been killed in Nigeria since 2015 by Fulani herdsmen, Boko Haram, and highway bandits.

Nigeria was added to the U.S. State Departments special watch list of countries that engage in or tolerate severe violations of religious freedom and is ranked as the 12th worst country in the world for Christian persecution by Open Doors USA.
Donald Trump has told Mayor Bill de Blasio to 'hire back' officers who the president suggested had been fired after almost $1 billion was cut from the NYPD's budget in response to BLM protests as crime and homelessness escalate in the city.

Speaking on Tuesday afternoon at a White House briefing, Trump said: 'I want to address the violence, looting, and rioting taking place in the Democrat-controlled cities of New York, Portland, Chicago, and Seattle,' said Trump on Tuesday afternoon.

'The mayor, Bill de Blasio, should immediately hire back all of the police who were fired without justification.

'They were fired. I guess that's part of 'Defund the Police' by the Democrats. They should hire New York City's finest back.'

On June 30, the City Council voted, under de Blasio's suggestion, to strip $1billion from the NYPD in response to intense calls from BLM protesters who surrounded City Hall and the courthouse, vandalizing it and staging demonstrations for days.

A large chunk of the cut was eliminating the jobs of more than 1,000 rookies who were due to graduate from the police academy in July. A plain clothes anti-crime unit was also disbanded.

At the time, it had only been a few weeks since NYPD cops struggled to contain looting across the city and there were already complaints from top brass that the force didn't have the resources it needed.

Since then, crime has shot up - with shootings and murders on the rise - and homelessness is spreading. As part of his pandemic response, de Blasio has moved 13,000 homeless people into hotels.

Donald Trump on Tuesday afternoon blamed the city's police budget cut for a surge in violence in

The president said that the sharp increase in gun crime in New York was down to the June 30 budget cut.

So far in 2020, more than 1,000 people have been shot in New York City  twice the number recorded last year.

Homicides are also up 50 per cent, according to statistics.

Trump said that the surge in New York crime was down to politicians in the Democrat-run cities bowing to pressure from left-wing activists, and said New York should serve as a warning to the rest of the country.

'They want to pass federal legislation gutting and hamstringing every police department in America,' he said.

'They want to end cash bail; close prisons; defund police departments - or at least largely defund.

'You see that with New York. A billion dollars they took out of their police department, and crime has gone through the roof.

'And appoint far-left prosecutors who side with the criminals and target law-abiding citizens.

Officers from the New York Police Department prepare to confront protesters on August 7

In the last five years the number of shootings fell to a low of 754 in 2018, but is now rising

People outside the DoubleTree hotel on 36th Street in Manhattan on Wednesday afternoon

The DoubleTree on 36th Street is one of the hotels being used to house the homeless

Homeless people arriving at the DoubleTree hotel on Tuesday night

Police in Portland, Oregon arrest a protester in front of the precinct on Monday night

Police in Seattle block the road to protesters during a demonstration on July 26

'If the left gains power, no city, town, or suburb in our country will be safe.'

De Blasio replied that Trump was 'making things up' to distract from his own cuts to benefits, and urged the president to demand Congress pass another coronavirus stimulus bill.

'@realdonaldtrump is making stuff up about Americas cities because he wants you to forget that hes cutting Social Security, Medicare and unemployment during a pandemic,' said de Blasio.

'We're not falling for it. Pass a stimulus.'

The president also returned to his usual attacks on Democrat-run cities which have seen waves of protest, descending into violence.

'What you're seeing in Portland and Seattle, New York, Chicago is really the Democrat roadmap for America,' he said.

'They want every city in America to resemble Portland, in a form.'

Portland has seen 75 straight nights of protests against police brutality since George Floyd was killed on May 25, while Seattle has also been turbulent.

Chicago, like New York experiencing an abnormally bloody summer, saw a frenzy of looting in the early hours of Monday after a false rumor spread about a police shooting.

Trump called on the leaders of Chicago, Portland and Seattle to allow the law enforcement officers to 'do their job'.

'I'm urging them to deploy these resources to protect their citizens and to stop the violence and all of the things that we watch on television going on,' he said.

'Local authorities have to investigate and prosecute all of these crimes immediately.

'We'll work with you. And the local authorities know who they are. They know where they come from. They know a lot about them.

'They ought to get their act together and get it done, and we're ready to help.'
Bengaluru Police has arrested Congress MLA Srinivas Murthys nephew for sharing a derogatory post on social media, which triggered violence in the city last night.

As many as 110 people have been arrested in connection with the violence in the city.

Accused Naveen arrested for sharing a derogatory post on social media, said Bengaluru Police Commissioner Kamal Pant.

110 people have also been arrested in connection with the violence that broke out in Bengaluru over an alleged inciting social media post, Sandeep Patil, Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime), Bengaluru said.

Two persons died and around 60 police personnel sustained injuries during the clashes, police said.

While Section 144 has been imposed in Bengaluru, curfew has been imposed in DJ Halli and KG Halli police station limits after violence broke out in the area.

Earlier, Congress MLA Srinivas Murthys house was also vandalised by miscreants following the social media post by his nephew Naveen.

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Microsoft is timing the Xbox Series X at about the same time that Sony will release its PlayStation 5 ("holiday 2020", which means somewhere around November). Now obviously for both companies, it's important to launch in the same window as one another from the perspective of competition, but at the risk of sounding horribly controversial by daring to suggest we don't have new toys to play with as soon as possible, why the hell are both of these things not being delayed? Why are the good people at Microsoft not on the phone with the good people at Sony to agree that perhaps releasing a console in the depths of a pandemic is not the right time for it? Microsoft had some pretty big news to share overnight (for we Aussies it's always overnight): the release window for its "next generation" console, the Xbox Series X, has narrowed further. For some reason, we still don't have an exact date, but it'll be in November . This accompanies the less-hypeworthy news that one of the flagship games for the console, Halo something-or-other, is being delayed into 2021.Microsoft is timing the Xbox Series X at about the same time that Sony will release its PlayStation 5 ("holiday 2020", which means somewhere around November). Now obviously for both companies, it's important to launch in the same window as one another from the perspective of competition, but at the risk of sounding horribly controversial by daring to suggest we don't have new toys to play with as soon as possible, why theare both of these things not being delayed? Why are the good people at Microsoft not on the phone with the good people at Sony to agree that perhaps releasing a console in the depths of a pandemic is not the right time for it?





Here's the brutal reality, folks: COVID-19 won't be dealt with by November. It's distressing to me to acknowledge this since the longer this thing goes on the longer it'll be before I'm able to travel to Japan again, and I am aching to get back over there, but that is the reality we face. Beyond the lives being lost, COVID-19 is also messing with the global economy in a way that hasn't been seen in a very long time. People are losing jobs at a terrifying rate. Those that haven't lost their job are terrified of losing it in the near future. Basic concerns like making rent, eating food, and having some kind of backup in case things go belly-up is the concern for almost everyone right now. The appetite to go out there and spend big on a new toy is just not there, except for an extreme minority.





In that context, to launch a new console in this kind of environment comes across as downright cruel. It's cruel because it's in Sony and Microsoft's best interests to foster a strong sense of FOMO with their new consoles (and they're certainly working hard at doing just that). A marketing/PR blitz that doesn't make you feel like you're missing out if you're not playing the shiny new console would be a complete failure from these companies, and under more normal circumstances, there's nothing wrong with that. I've lined up on launch day for a new console and the big new launch titles to go with it. I let myself fall into the trap of not wanting to miss out. I've felt the excitement. It's fun, and under normal circumstances, as consumerist as it is, it's a way to celebrate a hobby that (obviously) means a lot to me.





But this is not "normal circumstances," and in this current environment, a lot of people are going to miss out on something that a few months ago wouldn't have had to. In this current environment, encouraging that FOMO will lead people to spend money that they probably should hold on to in order to protect themselves and their families, or potentially it'll reinforce an anxiety in now not being able to afford things that previously gave that person pleasure. In either circumstance, actively encouraging people to feel this way is the height of irresponsibility on the part of Sony and Microsoft. And they're doing so in service of what? Consoles that won't break sales records at launch. Consoles that have had key titles delayed and therefore won't have the impressive launch lineups that fans would ultimately have preferred they had. Consoles that are less about celebrating a new generation of gaming than it is a case of these companies imposing it on us.





I understand that the wheels of capitalism are a difficult force to stop once they're in motion. I also understand that capitalism is an inhumane monster and neither Sony nor Microsoft actually care about the feelings of their customers. No doubt both companies will have factored "soft" sales into their expectations and are projecting for a strong roll into 2021 and beyond as the global economy starts to settle. I also understand that the entire industry is pivoting to work on these devices, and a delay in having them on the market will ripple throughout in a very disruptive way, and yet, I still can't believe that Sony and Microsoft would rather their consoles launch to what will be a miserable response and market, rather than hold them back and launch in 2021 where, we all desperately hope, America has a new president, COVID-19 is under control and people are ready to start enjoying life again.
Israeli military says attack is retaliation for the launch of multiple incendiary balloons from Hamas-run Gaza Strip.

The Israeli military said it carried out overnight attacks on Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip after incendiary balloons were launched from the Palestinian enclave.

The army on Wednesday said the attacks were retaliation for the floating of multiple fire balloons from the Hamas-run enclave in recent days.

Fighter jets, attack helicopters, and tanks struck a number of Hamas targets including underground infrastructure and observation posts, a military statement said.

No casualties were reported and there was no immediate response from Hamas.

Fire services in southern Israel said the incendiary balloons caused 60 fires on Tuesday alone but no one had been hurt.

Laying siege

Explosives tied to balloons and kites first emerged as a weapon in Gaza during intense protests in 2018, when the makeshift devices drifted across the border daily, causing thousands of fires on Israeli farms and in communities.

Israel closed its Kerem Shalom goods crossing with the Gaza Strip in response to the recent balloon barrage.

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Hamas denounced the closure as an aggressive move that showed Israels insistence on laying siege to Gaza, and warned it could cause further worsening of the humanitarian situation in the territory.

As the Gaza Strip crossing closed, the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt opened Tuesday for the first time since April.

Traffic in both directions was to be permitted for three days, allowing Gazans to leave the enclave for the first time since the start of the pandemic.

The Rafah crossing provides Gazas sole access to the outside world not controlled by Israel.

The Palestinian territory has been under an Israeli blockade since 2007.

Hamas and Israel have fought three wars since 2008. Despite a truce last year backed by the UN, Egypt and Qatar, the two sides clash sporadically.

Palestinian analysts say cross-border fire from Gaza is often used as a bargaining tool to secure Israels greenlight for the entry of Qatari financial aid into the territory.
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Linkedin News Desk (Reuters) Bangkok, Thailand  Wed, August 12, 2020 09:38 525 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066d52d51 2 SE Asia Thailand,Prayuth-Chan-ocha,anti-government,pro-democracy,protests,politics,lese-majeste-law,student-protest Free

Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said on Tuesday student protesters had gone too far after some issued a 10-point call for reform of the monarchy, which is considered sacred in the country's conservative culture.

About 3,000-4,000 protesters chanted Long live democracy at Thammasat University on the outskirts of Bangkok on Monday night. Speeches were delivered calling for the resignation of Prayuth, who first took power in a 2014 coup, and an end to military domination of politics.

But protesters from the Thammasat University Pro-Democracy Group also issued a 10-point call for monarchy reform, becoming at least the third student protest group to break a decades-long taboo on questioning its role and powers.

Thailand has strict "lese-majeste" laws against insulting or defaming the king, punishable by up to 15 years in prison.

Palace officials declined to comment on the student protests or on any criticism of the monarchy.

Prayuth, a former chief of the armed forces, told reporters he had watched the protests and was very concerned.

"There are a lot of people in trouble waiting for their problems to get fixed, not just the young people. So is doing all of this appropriate?"

"It really went too far," Prayuth said, without directly commenting on the demands on for royal reform.

In June, Prayuth warned protesters against involving the monarchy in their protests but said King Maha Vajiralongkorn, who took the throne after the death of his father in 2016, had asked him not to arrest anyone under the "lese majeste" laws.

The monarchy remains a sensitive subject in Thai society and Monday's protest prompted a public statement by Thammasat University apologizing for the event. It said that while the university was supportive of freedom of expression it did not condone "some references on the monarchy that impact people's feelings", and that legal action would be taken.

The students' new demands included reversal of a 2019 order that transferred two army units to the king's personal command, and a 2017 law that gave him full control of the crown's extensive property holdings.
A General Court Martial (GCM) sitting in Abuja on Wednesday sentenced a soldier to 55 years imprisonment over culpable homicide, burglary and theft.

The soldier, Lance Corporal Ibrahim Babangida, was alleged to have killed one Bello Aliyu and also robbed his car, at Anka Local Government Area (LGA) of Zamfara State, in 2014.

Mr Aliyu was then a staff of the World Health Organisation (WHO), in the State.

Mr Babangida was also accused of stealing a mobile phone and N600,000 from various persons, on separate occasions.

President of the GMC, Priye Fakrogha, a major-general, while reading the judgement after listening to the prosecuting and defence counsel said the accused soldier will serve a term of 40 years, in jail for homicide.

Mr Fakrogha further said Mr Babangida will serve a prison term of five years concurrently for pleading guilty to the second, third and fourth charges.

PRNigeria gathered that the GCMs verdict is subject to the confirmation of the Nigerian Army Council Authority.
A conservative Christian organisation worker has been awarded compensation after watching pornography and suffering a stroke due to office stress.

Michael Bowker, 47, held a position as national office manager at Family Voice Australia - formerly known as Festival of Light - in Adelaide when he collapsed at work in April 2016.

The SA Employment Tribunal awarded Mr Bowker compensation on July 31 after it was found his stress levels 'significantly contributed' to the brain haemorrhage.

Michael Bowker, 47, was the national office manager at conservative Christian organisation Family Voice Australia (service pictured) when he collapsed from a stroke in April 2016

Mr Bowker, who was born into a 'seriously religious family' in South Africa first came to rely upon pornography to relieve his stress after witnessing a drive-by shooting in 1993 and had since 'struggled with it for many years'.

'He felt this was in conflict with his religious beliefs and his moral standards,' Tribunal deputy president Stephen Lieschke said in his judgement.

'He believed that looking at pornography was a sin.

'He said that when he felt under pressure or stress he used pornography.'



Family Voice Australia and Return to Work SA argued Mr Bowker's use of pornography had contributed more to his stress levels than had the office culture he relied upon in his claim.

However Mr Lieschke ruled that Mr Bowker's increased viewing of pornography was a symptom and not a cause, which ultimately caused by his anxiety over work issues.

The judgement said Mr Bowker began experiencing anxiety shortly after starting the job because of poor staff morale, long hours and his workload.

Mr Bowker was awarded two years of compensation payments after it was determined his work (head office pictured) stress levels 'significantly contributed' to his collapse

The 47-year-old suffered 'various complications' after his stroke and was hospitalised for three months.

The judgement said he had made improvements since but still remained 'significantly impaired'.

Mr Bowker was awarded two years of weekly compensation payments due to the impact of work anxiety on his stroke.

Family Voice Australia has campaigned against same-sex marriage, the decriminalisation of cannabis and sex work.
 Flash

Japan reported 700 new daily COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, bringing the nation's cumulative total to 50,448 infections as concerns remain high about the virus' resurgence in large urban areas including Tokyo and Osaka.

The Tokyo metropolitan government on Tuesday confirmed 188 new daily COVID-19 cases, marking the second straight day infections have remained below the 200-mark.

The latest figure, however, compares with 197 cases recorded on Monday following Sunday's tally where cases surged to 331.

Osaka, meanwhile, saw daily cases rise by 102 bringing its caseload to 5,994, while Tokyo's neighboring prefecture of Kanagawa reported 27 new cases to total 3,331, according to the latest official figures Tuesday evening.

Tokyo residents have been urged to refrain from traveling to their hometowns for family reunions during the Bon holiday period which usually sees an annual mass-exodus from the capital.

They have also been asked to avoid dining out in large groups over extended periods, or attending smaller evening gatherings in close proximity with others.

The Tokyo metropolitan government has maintained its alert level at the highest on its four-tier scale meaning that "infections are spreading" and has warned residents to maintain the utmost caution.

As for those testing positive in the capital Tuesday, 108 people of the total were aged in their 20s and 30s accounting for around 57 percent of the total, the metropolitan government said.

Tokyo's cumulative number of infections now stands at 16,252, the highest among Japan's 47 prefectures and compares to a nationwide total that surpassed the 50,000-mark on Monday.

In just one week prior to this, 10,000 new cases were recorded as large urban areas like Tokyo, Osaka and Kanagawa have seen the virus' rapid resurgence since the state of emergency was fully lifted on May 25.

Establishments serving alcohol like bars, restaurants and karaoke parlors have been requested by the Tokyo metropolitan government to close their businesses by 10:00 p.m nightly for the majority of August.

Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike, meanwhile, has not ruled out the possibility of declaring a Tokyo-specific state of emergency should the COVID-19 situation in the capital of 14 million continue to worsen.
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Just steps away from Philadelphias Singing Fountain and the sounds of Sinatra rolling through its speakers, Manatawny Still Works lured in customers with music of its own. People killing time around Passyunk Square before their dinner reservations would turn to the sounds flowing from Manatawnys French door window, noticing its huge flower box and then its tasting room sign.

When Gov. Tom Wolf ordered restaurants and bars to stop dine-in services in March, the window went from passersby attraction to service window for whiskey to-go, operations manager Jennifer Sabatino tells Fortune. Then, when the new mandate said that bars had to serve food, Sabatino came up with a spiel for her newest menu item.

Operations manager Jennifer Sabatino (right) at the front window of Manatawny Still Works tasting room.

Due to the current mandates of Pennsylvania we now have to serve you a meal. Tonight we have an incredible selection of handcrafted peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, she recites. You are going to get half of one for 75 cents, and if you would like to order more, youre more than welcome.

With a little humor and a lot of uncertainty, bar owners are thinking on their feet to keep up with their states changing regulations. Nationally virus cases continue to rise, and some experts are pointing their fingers at bars, forcing them to shut down completely in some states while restaurants are allowed to continue to operate. It remains to be seen how many will never open again.

For bars that were fortunate enough to keep operating in some way, Sabatino says, the new challenge is to adapt to new rules. Every morning when she wakes up, she checks the Pennsylvania Restaurant & Lodging Association website to see what might have changed. What will I have to do this week to keep my staff employed and this operation going? Sabatino asks herself.

At first, we were going to be allowed to open outside dining, and then they put a hold on outside dining. And then we were going to be able to do indoor dining, but then they put a hold on indoor dining. Were kind of just trying to keep up, Sabatino says.

Story continues

For the first two months, Manatawny Still Works did pretty well. The state had closed liquor stores, making them one of the few places to buy spirits. To enable the outdoor dining thats keeping the tasting room alive, the city created a temporary outdoor dining permit. Now the cost of doing business involves dealing with the public, and Sabatino says patrons dont want to be told what to do about anythingincluding wearing masks.

Its a lot to put on service-industry people to regulate how their guests and people outside of the realm of their guests are acting, she says.

Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

Irish pub owner Matthew Bagley learned this lesson firsthand when he started selling Cuomo Chips at Harveys Irish Pub in Saratoga Springs, the birthplace of the potato chip. The pub has a full kitchen and dinner menu, but when the New York governor ordered that bars could not serve alcohol without food, Bagley wanted to give his customers a way to enjoy their drinks without buying a full meal.

The pub ran out of chips in a day and a half as news of the offer went viral, but the joke had some unintended consequences. That same week, the state liquor authority called. The chips werent compliant, the authority said. The good news? The solution was simple: add salsa.

His bar had also attracted clientele who thought masks were optional.

It was supposed to be like, Look, we made a funny, Bagley says. But now people think Im some alt-right bar owner who wants to stick it to the governor and not wear masks, and thats not it at all.

Boise

Before it was called State Street, it was Highway 44, the namesake of the Boise karaoke bar, 44 Club. When manager Judy Smith passed away after running the bar for 30 years, no one, not even the owner, knew who could replace her.

Her daughter, Debbie, quit her job as an EKG technician to run her mothers favorite place in the world.

I used to go down there and see her, and now Im actually right in her shoes, Thompson says. I stand exactly where she did. I have her friends now. I have her dogs. Now, I have her job.

Folk singer Pinto Bennett and his band perform at the 44 Club.

Because the regulars loved her mom, Thompson says, they love her, too. They helped her learn how to run the bar, and with guidance from nightlife expert Jon Taffershe watched every Bar Rescue episode she could find55-year-old Thomspon has run the 44 Club successfully for the past seven years.

Thats how Thompson planned on spending the rest of her lifeuntil the pandemic left the bars future in limbo. Idaho Gov. Brad Little ordered bars to shut down in mid-March, then allowed them to reopen in May before shutting them down again in late June. The 44 Club has since remained closed, left with so little operating capital after all the fits and starts that Thompson isnt sure if it will be able to open again. All the money the bar made in May went to paying property and corporate taxes that were due in June, she says.

My mom went in every day knowing her life was coming to an end and did her job. She ran the place right up until she passed away from cancer, and I dont want to get all sad here, but thats kind of what I thought I would do, too, she says.

During the first shutdown, all her beer expired. The second time around, Thompson was on it: She suspended her trash service immediately and cut the cable off. Then the phone. Then she turned the coolers down low to save as much power as possible, and she returned the expensive bottles of liquor to the store.

With unemployment checks running out, Thompson is worried shell have to find another job.

My son said he can hire me to run parts; he runs an auto shop, Thompson says. Right now, I mow my sons lawn to make a little extra money because he works hard all week.

Inside the Standard Pour, in Dallas.

Dallas

Over the years as a leading mixologist in Dallass bar and restaurant scene, Eddie Lucky Campbell has been able to put together a pretty outstanding private collection of rare whiskey, including all of the rare Pappy Van Winkle bourbons. One 23-year-old bottle of Pappy Van Winkles Family Reserve can sell for as much as $3,000, and Campbell sold all of them at half price to collect as much money as he could for his family and the three bars and restaurants he co-owns.

When the closure ends, and they allow you to reopen, everybody thinks that the struggles are over. But with such high occupancy restrictions, no ones really making money, says Campbell, who also sold his Ford F-150 Raptor pickup, both his dream car and the bestselling truck in the U.S. for the past 40 years. If we had to go through another one? It would bury us.

But the hardest part, he says, is being separated from his 5-year-old son. Because Campbell comes in contact with new customers every day at his cocktail restaurant, the Standard Pour, hes been careful to keep his distance, sticking to FaceTime calls or visits from the front yard.

I think for every parent in the hospitality industry, they are terrified of exposure, he says. After dealing with guests every night, theyre sanitizing themselves like crazy in their cars out of worry and fear.

After the initial shutdown, bars in Texas were allowed to reopen in May at 25% occupancy, then forced to close again in June. July brought a chance to reopenif a bar could make over half of its revenue from something other than liquor sales, technically making it a restaurant in the states eyes.

Campbell would be the first to admit that right now, bars are a want but not a need. But when states close bars and not restaurants, he says, it doesnt mean people will stay home. Theyll just go across the street to open restaurants where they can still drink.

Its not an effective strategy at all, says Campbell, whose bar Parliament is currently closed. It almost encourages over-gathering in some of those places, because for young people, they feel like theyve got the inside track on all the parties happening at restaurants tonight.

More must-read retail coverage from Fortune :

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com
The Russian novel coronavirus vaccine will likely not be approved in Canada at this time, Deputy Chief Public Health Officer Howard Njoo told reporters on Tuesday, citing lack of data. Earlier in the day, President Vladimir Putin announced that Russia became the first country in the world to register a novel coronavirus vaccine.

Njoo said regarding the possibility Canada may approve the Russian vaccine that he does not think that they are going to approve as far too much information is missing. Njoo said he found the approval of the vaccine in Russia surprising given the testing timelines  from initial discovery to approval  that Canadian scientists and experts use.

Canadas Chief Public Health Officer Dr Theresa Tam said the developments to produce a vaccine are exciting and she continues to work with counterparts abroad. Perhaps, the Russian vaccine to treat coronavirus might not be approved in Canada. In Canada, they even found it surprising that the vaccine was approved in Russia, given the testing timelines.

Also read: After Rajasthan, BJP wants to eject Thackeray govt: Shiv Sena

Also read: High rate of asymptomatic COVID-19 cases could help end pandemic: Expert

Russian officials said the country is capable of producing 500 million doses of the vaccine in the next 12 months, with production expected to be conducted abroad as well and clinical trials set to start soon in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and the Philippines.

Also read: Sanjay Dutt diagnosed with stage 3 lung cancer: Reports
Over $1million in cash has been seized after a gang was busted for allegedly selling baby formula as a front to move drug money.

Three men were arrested across suburban Sydney on Monday in connection with the alleged international money-laundering syndicate.

Police seized the cash packed into supermarket cooler bags outside a western Sydney daigou, a business which re-sells Australian goods to China.

Three Sydney men were arrested in relation to an alleged international money-laundering syndicate on Monday. Police seized $1million cash in cooler bags (pictured above)

Wang Wuchen, 37, and Ma Jiyuan, 40, were both arrested (one arrest pictured) and faced Parramatta Local Court on Tuesday where they were denied bail

Wang Wuchen, 37, from Carlingford, was arrested outside the daigou in Auburn while allegedly delivering the money as the group's 'cash-collector'.

Ma Jiyuan, 40, from Dundas Valley, was arrested after leaving a pub in Ermington and was alleged to be the coordinator of the money laundering operation.

The pair appeared in Parramatta Local Court on Tuesday and were accused of laundering $28.4million for offshore Australian crime figures, The Daily Telegraph reported.

Wang was charged with recklessly risking money as an instrument of crime.

The court heard that $1.2million was found during a raid on his home.

Ma was charged with intending money as an instrument of crime and failing to comply with an order.

Police arrested Wang outside of a daigou business (pictured) in Auburn, western Sydney, where sought-after goods like baby formula are purchased in Australia and re-sold in China

The court heard Wang and Ma allegedly funnelled millions of dollars of illicit drug money on behalf of offshore crime figures through the daigou business (pictured above)

Wang and Ma were allegedly identified as part of a joint investigation between the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission and the United States Drug Enforcement Administration.

Police will allege the two Sydney men funnelled millions of dollars through the daigou business, from the sale of drugs, on behalf of their criminal clients.

WHAT IS A DAIGOU? Daigou, a Chinese word, translates to 'surrogate shopping' A daigou business operates by sending shoppers into Australian stores to purchase items that are sought after in China The shoppers bulk buy high-value items like baby formula, vitamins, luxury clothing and accessories These goods are then exported to China for re-sale The daigou business is legal and often deals with large amounts of cash Source: NSW Police Advertisement

Thomas Keogh, 21, was also arrested in southwest Sydney on Monday and was passing the bags of cash onto Wang to be laundered.

Keogh was charged with recklessly dealing with the proceeds of crime and dealing with property proceeds of crime.

He remains in custody after he was refused bail in Fairfield Local Court on Tuesday.

A joint investigation between the Australian Federal Police, Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission and NSW Police will continue into the alleged moving of illicit drug profits through daigous.

Police claim money laundering operations often funnel dirty money through the cash-intensive daigous to avoid Australian authorities.

Investigations are ongoing into whether the daigou operators were aware their business was being used to move illegitimate funds.

Wang and Ma were both refused bail and court documents revealed Ma did not admit to any offence during his police interview.

Magistrate Tim Keady said Wang played a 'small but important part' in the money laundering syndicate.

'There are very large amounts of money involved and multiple alleged participants.

'He has offered no explanation as to how he allegedly came to be in possession of the $1.2 million,' Mr Keady said.

Wang and Ma are set to face Parramatta Local Court in October.

One of the cooler bags containing $500,000 in cash seized by police (pictured above)
PHOTO: Getty Images

SINGAPORE  The first group of volunteers have been dosed with an investigative COVID-19 vaccine for an early stage of a Singapore-based trial.

The vaccine is jointly developed by Duke-NUS Medical School and United States pharmaceutical company Arcturus Therapeutics, while the trial is being administered by the SingHealth Investigational Medicine Unit and is expected to last until October.

According to a media release by Arcturus on Tuesday (11 August), doses of the coronavirus vaccine  called Lunar-Cov19  were administered as a single injection to the volunteers, who are adults aged between 21 and 55 years old.

Based upon the data from this group, dose regimens will be selected for further evaluation in the next phase, which includes cohorts in younger adults as well as older adults aged 56 to 80 years old.

Vaccination at low doses possible

Joseph Payne, president and chief executive officer of Arcturus, said that based on pre-clinical data, the Lunar-Cov19 vaccine may allow vaccination at very low doses, with just a one-time injection.

These favourable attributes could greatly facilitate mass vaccination campaigns necessary to control this global pandemic, he said in the media release.

We look forward to sharing initial clinical data from this Phase 1/2 study in Q4, which we expect to enable dose selection for late phase clinical trials.

According to The Straits Times, more than 250 people had volunteered for the trials of the vaccine, but only about 100 were selected.

The vaccine was originally slated to begin trials in September, but had been approved ahead of time due to pre-clinical trials exceeding expectations.

Stay in the know on-the-go: Join Yahoo Singapore's Telegram channel at http://t.me/YahooSingapore

Other Singapore stories:

Odd/even date entry restriction at 4 markets to be lifted on weekdays

Bukit Timah Market & Food Centre among places visited by COVID-19 cases

Growth in past 2 to 3 years to be negated in 2020, not returning to pre-COVID-19 world: Chan Chun Sing

COVID-19: Employers to send dorm-staying workers for swab tests every 14 days
No Ukrainian army casualties were reported over the past day.

Ukraine has reported two enemy provocations on Tuesday, August 11, as Russia's hybrid military forces violated the newly-agreed truce in Donbas, eastern Ukraine.

"On August 11, two ceasefire violations by the Russian Federation's armed formations were recorded in the areas of responsibility of our units," the press center of Ukraine's Joint Forces Operation (JFO) said in a Facebook update as of 07:00 Kyiv time on August 12, 2020.

In particular, random shots from an under-barrel grenade launcher were heard near the town of Maryinka, while the enemy opened fire from rifles near the village of Shyrokyne.

Read alsoRussia occupying authorities in Donbas boost conscription efforts  Ukraine intel

As was the case in previous days, the shots were provocative, so the Ukrainian military did not return fire.

No Ukrainian army casualties were reported over the past day.

Since Wednesday midnight, enemy troops have opened fire using small arms to stage an act of provocation near Maryinka. The Ukrainian Armed Forces did not fire back.

"The Joint Forces are abiding by the ceasefire, being ready to adequately respond to possible attacks by the adversary," it said.

The situation is under full control of the Ukrainian military, it said.
Eagle Cement sees 61% decline in net profit

12 August 2020

Philippines-based Eagle Cement Corp has reported a 61 per cent YoY decline in net profit to PHP1.3bn (US$26.54m) for the first half of 2020, while net sales fell 44 per cent to PHP5.9bn.



In the 2Q20 the company saw a drop in net profit to PHP128m from PHP1.7bn last year. Net sales also decreased 73 per cent YoY to PHP1.4bn.



"These are very difficult times, but we remain confident that the economy will recover from this pandemic and emerge stronger. The governments steady push for the completion of major infrastructure projects and the private sectors readiness to bounce back offer encouraging signs for our companys prospects moving forward," said Paul Ang, president and CEO.

Published under
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP)  The family of a Florida man who disappeared in 1997 and who appeared on the hit TV series "Tiger King," has hired a lawyer and is offering $100,000 in exchange for information to help solve the case.

Attorney John Phillips held a news conference in Tampa Monday and announced an independent investigation into Don Lewis' disappearance. He also said that on behalf of the Lewis family, he's filed a lawsuit against Lewis' second wife Carole Baskin in an attempt to depose her and get her to speak on the record. He and the family have also paid for Tampa-area billboards asking for information in the case.

Lewis vanished a day before a scheduled trip to Costa Rica and was never found. He was declared legally dead in 2002. He and Baskin started the animal sanctuary, which later became Big Cat Rescue Corp. in Tampa, Florida.

Three of Lewis' daughters were at the news conference. Lewis' youngest daughter Gale Rathbone, expressed gratitude for those interested in the case.

"Amazingly, our little family tragedy has become your tragedy. Our search for closure and truth has become your mission also," she said. "We all know by now that (Lewis) was not a perfect man. But do only the perfect among us deserve justice?"
GUYSBOROUGHIn recent months, Guysborough and area citizens have woken up to the harsh reality that health care in the area is not what it used to be. In years past, people in this area would hear of ER closures in rural hospitals across the province and think, That will never happen here. Those days are gone. As of this month a sign has been installed at the entrance to Guysborough Memorial Hospital to indicate whether the ER is open or closed. Service is intermittent and few residents can keep track of the ever-changing hours of service.

The reduction in service hours at the Guysborough Memorial Hospital ER is due to a physician shortage, which has been covered extensively in this paper in recent months. There are currently only two doctors on staff where at least four are needed to maintain full-service hours.

While the doctor shortage is starting to hit home for residents due to the ER closures, the problem has been recognized for years. And it has not been ignored. The Guysborough Memorial Hospital Foundation has worked tirelessly to attract new doctors to this area and has invested significant funds on recruitment efforts.

Last Thursday, a meeting of the newly organized Guysborough District Working Group on Hospital Services was held to discuss what the community in general could do to address the doctor shortage in this area. Nancy ORegan, co-chair of the group, spoke to The Journal about the meeting on the weekend.

The Hospital Foundation has done a great deal to attract doctors to the area, said ORegan, and they are frustrated. The meeting held at the Chedabucto Lifestyle Complex on Thursday, August 6, was convened to discuss, What could we do to get people calling their MLA and to get people interested? She said.

This is not just about an ER closure. This is about us having one doctor and one who has really been waiting very patiently to retire, where we actually need four to run full service in this location, with full ER and all the services weve been used to. We dont just need one, we need a few doctors. Theyre all frustrated, said ORegan.

There were approximately 25 participants in the meeting on Thursday, some attending in person and others through video conference. Those invited to attend were several constituents from each district of the Municipality of the District of Guysborough and representatives of stakeholder groups in the health care system such as paramedics, CUPE, Hospital Auxiliary, Nurses Union, Community Health Board, pharmacists, a wide cross-section of citizens and health care organizations.

Nova Scotia Health Authority representatives Angela MacArthur, Director of Integrated Health Rural Sites and Brett MacDougall, Eastern Zone Executive Director of Operations attended the meeting and laid out everything they are doing, everything they have done and some of the issues and challenges they are facing, said ORegan.

Local MLA Lloyd Hines provided the group with a community tool kit outlining how communities can support recruitment efforts. There was discussion about the strategies the community can promote, such as developing community profiles and highlighting unique community needs.

Nova Scotians take pride in their welcoming nature, but ORegan told The Journal that to recruit and keep doctors, we need to do more than put out a welcome mat. Theres room for a welcoming committee; we do a good job when doctors come in to find out about the place. We tour them around, show them the best. Once they actually come  maybe we need a group of people who work with them over a year or two to make sure they are integrated and comfortable and make sure they have everything they need to stay here. To build relationships  to make those families feel like they fit.

During the two-hour meeting there was also discussion about defining services and the need for public education around what services are available, where and what they should be used for. For example, said ORegan, not many people know our pharmacists have expanded their scope of practice during COVID. They can renew prescriptions; they can check other things  I dont think the public knows about. We want to make sure, when you go to the ER, what does an emergency really mean. If it is something that should be done at the clinic, please dont go. Please use the services as they are specified and appropriately.

Another point made during the meeting was that recruitment should, in some ways, start at home. There was discussion regarding youth and the need to entice local students to enter health care fields.

ORegan said that the general consensus was that there was support for moving forward with a working group to support the Hospital Foundation and NSHA recruitment efforts. She anticipates another meeting of the provisional working group will be held in the near future. They are looking at new models of care for service delivery in rural areas  I think theres room for a whole lot of innovation.

Charla Cosgrove also attended the meeting last Thursday. She works for the Guysborough Memorial Hospital Foundation in a recruitment position but was at the meeting as a private citizen last week. She told The Journal in an online interview, I think that the sharing of this information on the reality of the crisis we are facing is important. Everyone was able to get a clearer picture of whats been done in the past, and whats happening now. Everyone who was there was eager to be a part of this group going forward and I am sure more will come to the table. As Paul Long, co-chair, said in his opening remarks, This is not a committee to find blame, its to focus on positive change so our residents get the emergency health care they deserve.

This reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative.

Read more about:
Computational experiments on semiconducting polymers show under harsh loading conditions -- stretching and compression - the addition of small molecules enhances performance and stability; points to promising new direction for solar cell research

Organic solar cells are ideal for use in flexible electronics because of the inherently malleable nature of semiconducting polymers. Recent research on the interplay between processing, thermodynamics and mechanical stability of typical photoactive layers in organic cells is providing a deeper understanding of these high-potential materials.

Ganesh Balasubramanian, P.C. Rossin assistant professor of Mechanical Engineering & Mechanics at Lehigh University, and his graduate student Joydeep Munshi recently set out to understand how stable these materials are when deformed, and whether the promising properties can be realized under harsh loading conditions when the solar cells may be subject to stretching and compression. Through computational experiments using the leadership class computing resources in Frontera, the team demonstrated that adding small molecules to the semiconducting polymer blend enhances the performance and stability of material used in organic solar cells. They predict this is also true for organic solar cell material more generally.

The study is described in an article, "Elasto-morphology of P3HT:PCBM bulk heterojunction organic solar cells" featured on the back cover of Soft Matter. Additional authors include: professors TeYu Chien at the University of Wyoming and Wei Chen, at Northwestern University.

"Based on previous literature, we anticipated that variations in the materials processing parameters would influence the structure as well as the thermal and mechanical properties of these solar cells," says Balasubramanian. "However, the finding that presence of small molecular additives can augment the mechanical properties is new knowledge gained from this work."

The team demonstrated that, in addition to the solar-to-electrical power conversion efficiency, the mechanical stability and flexibility of typical organic solar cells is significantly impacted by the presence of molecular additives.

"This could prove crucial towards the commercialization of organic solar cells," says Balasubramanian.

The results were achieved by performing large scale molecular simulations in the supercomputer Frontera, located at the Texas Advanced Computing Center (TACC) at the University of Texas at Austin), which is the world's fastest academic supercomputer. The predictions consisted of the deformation mechanisms of the polymer blend under straining conditions as well as examining the structure/morphology of the material upon loading. Balasubramanian's team has been among the first to utilize Frontera.

While similar approaches have been considered for interrogating the properties of organic photovoltaic materials, the correlation between the material structure and elastic properties had not been done before, according to Balasubramanian. By adding molecular additives to the polymeric blends, advanced solar power materials and devices can be fabricated that sustain extreme operational stress-strain conditions while delivering superior performance.

He adds: "The research has the potential to provide new directions for scientific practices in this field of materials and energy research."

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Patient Access Solutions Market Size, Share, key Trends, Top Leaders and Analyzed information by Global Patient Access Solutions Market  Service (Support & Maintenance and Implementation), Software (Eligibility Verification Software and Medical Necessity Management Software,), End User & RegionGlobal Forecast till 2024

Patient access solutions can be used by patients to gain access to their records, prescriptions, reports, and bills in a centralized location. The software helps in identification, management, and collection of data. The global patient access solutions market report by Market Research Future (MRFR) uses industry insights accumulated from experts by analysts for the compilation of pertinent drivers and challenges in a comprehensive manner.

Market Overview

The global patient access solutions market is predicted to accrue revenues at a CAGR of 7.5% during the forecast period (2019-2024). The market can thrive by minimizing the amount of staff required for management of patient data. The increase in healthcare expenditure by nations globally can drive the adoption rate by hospital chains globally and provide the market a much-needed boost. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the total healthcare expenditure was reported to be USD 831.5 billion.

Technological advances in software which have culminated in accuracy, portability, and affordability can ramp up the adoption rate significantly. The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into the software to assist patients in their search can bode well for the global Patient Access Solutions Market Share . Additional functions of health economics management and patient record management, as well as integration of real-time management models, can influence the growth patterns of the market.

Segmentation

The global patient access solutions market is segmented by delivery mode, software, service, and end-user.

By delivery mode, it is segmented into on-premise solutions and web & cloud-based solutions.

By software, it is segmented into eligibility verification software, pre-certification & authorization software, payment estimation software, medical necessity management software, medical claims payment processing software, claims denial & appeal management software, and others.

By service, it is segmented into training & education, support & maintenance, and implementation.

By end-user, it is segmented into laboratories & research institutes, hospitals & clinics, and healthcare providers.

Regional Analysis

The Middle East & Africa (MEA), Europe, Asia Pacific (APAC), and North America are the main regions considered during the compilation of the market report.

The Americas accounted for the lions share of the market due to presence of well-established hospital chains, reputed personnel, sophisticated infrastructure, and high healthcare expenditure.

Europe accounted for the second-largest market share due to increased support for research and development. Furthermore, the integration of the latest technology as well as upgradation of current equipment can drive the global patient access solutions market demand till 2023. Investment of capital as well as the large healthcare expenditure allocated for the well-being of patients can augur favorably for the market in the region.

The APAC region is estimated to grow at a robust pace due to rapidly growing economies as well as the large patient pool. Awareness among patients of mobile applications as well as large disposable income levels has led to the integration of the latest automated solution at major hospitals. This can prove fruitful for the market looking to expand in the region. Furthermore, the improving economies other than large ones of China and India can be lucrative areas for investment.

Competition Outlook

Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited, Optum, TeleTracking Technologies, Inc., TransUnion LLC, SCI Solutions, Inc., GAFFEY Healthcare, Experian Information Solutions, Inc., Genentech USA, Inc., PokitDok, Inc, nThrive, Inc, Stericycle Inc, Cardinal Health, McKesson, Availity, LLC, UNITED BIOSOURCE LLC, KYRUUS, Cerner Corporation, MEDHOST, and FormFast are prominent names in the global patient access solutions market.

Industry News

Patient Access Solutions, Inc., has decided to try out a new strategy of acquiring local clinics in order to expand its services. It will establish Integrated Health Centers in its place and focus on patient care.

Table Of Contents:

Chapter 1. Report Prologue

Chapter 2. Market Introduction

2.1 Definition

2.2 Scope Of The Study

2.2.1 Research Objective

2.2.2 Assumptions

2.2.3 Limitations

Chapter 3. Research Methodology

3.1 Overview

3.2 Primary Research

3.3 Secondary Research

3.4 Market Size Estimation

Chapter 4. Market Dynamics

4.1 Drivers

4.2 Restraints

4.3 Opportunities

Continued

OBTAIN RESEARCH REPORT DETAILS WITH TOC @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/patient-access-solutions-market-7811

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About Market Research Future:

At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.
Dublin Fire Brigade were called to a house fire after reports of a jeep crashing into the building (Credit: Dublin Fire Brigade).

A garda investigation is underway following an incident of criminal damage by fire after a jeep crashed into a house in Dublin last night.

Four fire engines and an ambulance from Tallaght fire station attended the scene at Grange View Road, Clondalkin, Dublin shortly after midnight.

Firefighters managed to prevent the fire from spreading to other houses.

At midnight, 4 fire engines and an emergency ambulance from Tallaght fire station were called to a house fire after reports of a jeep crashing into the building. No one was injured and firefighters prevented the fire from spreading to adjoining properties #Dublin #fire pic.twitter.com/SEMe2WIRPR  Dublin Fire Brigade (@DubFireBrigade) August 12, 2020

No one was injured and no arrests have been made.

A garda spokesperson said: "Gardai are investigating an incident of criminal damage by fire which occurred in Grange View Rd, Clondalkin shortly after midnight, 12 August 2020. No injuries. No arrests"

An investigation is ongoing.
Through the Gaggle Lens: The State of Student Safety With school now taking place in our students living rooms and bedrooms, safety is more important than ever, said Jeff Patterson, Gaggle's founder and CEO.

During the 201920 school year, Gaggle was instrumental in saving the lives of 927 students. While this number represents a general increase of 28% over the preceding school year, a significant difference emerged after the COVID-19 pandemic began. The pre-pandemic increase in lives saved was 11%, but during the pandemic, the increase rose to 32%. These are just a few of the startling statistics in Gaggles annual national student safety report, Through the Gaggle Lens: The State of Student Safety 201920 School Year.

With school now taking place in our students living rooms and bedrooms, safety is more important than ever, said Jeff Patterson, Gaggle's founder and CEO. Many educators are concerned that without in-person school, they may not be able to identify students in abusive situations or those suffering from mental illness. We hope Gaggle can be part of your districts plan to help students who are in crisis.

During the 201920 school year, Gaggle reported:

 64,000 references to suicide or self-harm in students online activity. Of these, more than 5,600 were serious enough to merit immediate attention by the district.

 38,000 references of violence toward others. More than 1,600 warranted an immediate call to prevent a potential incident.

 18,000 instances of nudity or sexual content, of which more than 2,400 were identified to be child pornography.

A special section of the report examined changes in student behaviors and trends during the pandemic. As students were isolated in their homes, certain behaviors declined. For example, incidents of violence toward others, as well as drugs and alcohol, decreased 43% and 23% respectively after school closures.

However, two other trends were noted during this time:

 A 21% increase in nudity and sexual content involving minors that required an immediate response from the district.

 Four out of five of the highest weeks of reported domestic abuse occurred from mid-March to mid-May. Imminent threatsincidents where a life is in danger, or there is an imminent threat to the well-being of a personincreased 79% compared to previous weeks in the year when students were in school.

These figures come from Gaggles student safety solution, which analyzes the use of online tools within Googles G Suite, Microsoft Office 365, Google Hangouts, Microsoft Teams, and the Canvas learning management system for more than 4.5 million students across the United States. During the 201920 school year, the platform analyzed more than 6.25 billion items within school accounts for harmful content.

Gaggles machine learning technology watches for specific words and phrases that might indicate potentially harmful behavior. When a match surfaces, the content is evaluated by a trained safety professional to determine whether it is a threat and how much of a threat it poses. They then alert school officials to signs of student self-harm, depression, thoughts of suicide, substance abuse, cyberbullying, credible threats of violence against others, or other harmful situations.

Before and during the pandemic, the majority of incidents happened outside school hours when educators werent actively watching what students were posting online. Gaggles 24/7/365 service and its ability to quickly identify, act on, and alert districts of potential problems allow educators to have peace of mind even when they are off duty. We get information on weekends, holidays, evenings, and all times of the day, said Principal Steve Lehman of Northern High School in Pennsylvanias Northern York County School District.

Through the Gaggle Lens: The State of Student Safety 201920 School Year can be downloaded at https://news.gaggle.net/19/20-safety-report

About Gaggle | http://www.gaggle.net

Since 1999, Gaggle has been the leader in helping K-12 districts manage student safety on school-provided technology. Using a powerful combination of artificial intelligence and trained safety experts, the safety solution proactively assists districts 24/7/365 in the prevention of student suicide, bullying, inappropriate behaviors, school violence, and other harmful situations. Most importantly, Gaggle continues to help hundreds of districts avoid tragedies and save lives, while also protecting their liability. During the 201920 academic year, Gaggle helped districts save the lives of 927 students who were planning or actually attempting suicide. For more information, visit https://www.gaggle.net and follow Gaggle on Twitter at @Gaggle_K12.

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Hundreds of people arrested on non-violent misdemeanor charges during the protests in Portland, Oregon won't be prosecuted after the District Attorney announced policy changes to protect people exercising their First Amendment right.

About 550 charges have been referred to Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt's office since May 29 and they include 140 felonies, 45 of which are currently being pursued by authorities.

But as the office runs more than two months behind in processing cases because of COVID-19, Schmidt announced Tuesday that charges will be dropped for people who got caught up in rioting, if the allegations dont involve 'deliberate' property damage, theft or force against another person or threats of force.

The majority of those arrested as a result of the unrest at the racial justice protests are white, according to the DA.

The policy change doesn't affect federal charges, of which there are dozens, including arson.

Schmidt acknowledged that many of the crimes committed in the days and months following George Floyd's death were unexpected reactions to the mistreatment of citizens by police while they were protesting against police brutality.

Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt announced a policy change on Tuesday saying they won't prosecute non-violent misdemeanor charges as a result of Portland riots

About 550 charges have been referred to the DA since May 29 and they include 140 felonies, 45 of which are currently being pursued by authorities

The policy change doesn't affect federal charges, of which there are dozens, including arson. Federal police clear the streets in front of the Mark O. Hatfield federal courthouse on July 24 after an unlawful assembly was declared

The new policy announced Tuesday recognizes the outrage and frustration over a history of racial injustice that has led to the city's often violent protests and the practical realities of the court system.

'The protesters are angry ... and deeply frustrated with what they perceive to be structural inequities in our basic social fabric. And this frustration can escalate to levels that violate the law,' Schmidt said in a video from KGW.

'What were doing is recognizing that the right to speak and have your voice heard is extremely important.

'If youre out there committing violence, youre damaging property, those cases are going to be prosecuted. If youre a person who is out there demonstrating and you get caught up in the melee, those are the kinds of cases that were talking about.'

The same no prosecution policy applies to those arrested on similar charges in future demonstrations, he said.

The city's protests have dominated local news and made international headlines for more than 70 days since the police killing of George Floyd, a Black man who died after a white Minneapolis police officer held a knee to his neck for nearly eight minutes.

Consecutive nights of unrest last month that increasingly targeted a federal courthouse in Portland prompted President Donald Trump to dispatch U.S. agents to guard the building.

The presence of the agents from U.S Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the U.S. Marshals Service was aimed at quelling the demonstrations but instead reinvigorated the Black Lives Matter movement.

But the government reaction ignited more unrest. Police precincts in the north and east of the city, the police union headquarters and a building that houses police offices have been frequent targets.

Schmidt acknowledged that many of the crimes committed in the days and months following George Floyd's death were unexpected reactions to the mistreatment of citizens by police while they were protesting against police brutality. Federal police deploy tear gas and fire less-lethal munitions on July 29

The majority of the people arrested are white, the DA said. In this July 29, 2020, file photo, members of the 'Wall of Moms' protest group march during a Black Lives Matter protest in Portland, Oregon. Protests in Portland have topped the headlines for days, but lost in the shouting are the voices of Black Portlanders themselves and their feelings about the unrest are nuanced and diverse

Protests continued nightly at locations miles from the courthouse, with demonstrators calling for the City Council to defund local police and reinvest the money in the Black community.

The U.S. agents began drawing down July 31 under an agreement between the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Democratic Gov. Kate Brown for Oregon state troopers to guard the courthouse.

Schmidt took office August 1 and worked with a 15-member transition team including four who were at the briefing on Tuesday; Ricardo Lujan-Valerio of the Latino Network, Kayse Jama of Unite Oregon, retired Portland Assistant Police Chief Kevin Modica, and Lakayana Drury, co-chair of the Portland Committee on Community-Engaged Policing.

Portland Police Chief Chuck Lovell and Multnomah County Sheriff Mike Reese objected to a draft proposal of the policy on Friday so they reached a compromise.

'This policy acknowledges that centuries of disparate treatment of Black and brown people have left people with deep wounds,' Schmidt said.

'This policy recognizes in order to advance public safety, we must not only prevent crime but we must also promote economic and housing stability, educational opportunities, strong family and community relationships, mental and physical health and build trust with everybody in our community.

Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler reacts after being exposed to tear gas fired by federal officers while attending a protest against police brutality and racial injustice on July 22

Portland police officers walk through the Laurelhurst neighborhood after dispersing protesters from the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office early in the morning on Saturday. Portland Police Chief Chuck Lovell, informed of the impending policy change last week, said the decision does not change Oregon law and still holds accountable people who commit violent acts or intentionally damage property

'I want to make it very clear though, this is not a free pass. While I will do what I can to provide protesters with a forum to make their voices heard, I will not tolerate deliberate acts of violence against police or anyone else.'

Portland Police Chief Chuck Lovell, informed of the impending policy change last week, said the decision does not change Oregon law and still holds accountable people who commit violent acts or intentionally damage property.

'Committing a crime is different from demonstrating,' Lovell said in a statement. 'The arrests we make often come after hours of damage to private property, disruption of public transit and traffic on public streets, thefts from small businesses, arson, burglary, attacks on members of the community, and attacks against police officers.'

Mayor Ted Wheeler, who is also the Police Commissioner, did not respond to a request for comment.

Demetria Hester, center, speaks to the media after being released from the Multnomah County Justice Center on Monday. Authorities said Hester won't be charged following her arrest early Monday. Hester had been booked on suspicion of disorderly conduct and interfering with a police officer during the protest that began Sunday night

Hester became a leading activist in the racial justice movement after she was assaulted by a white supremacist three years ago. Hester's arrest drew a sharp rebuke from national Black Lives Matter activists

Watch: Multnomah County DA Mike Schmidt announces policy on Portland protests Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt announces policy on Portland protests. Posted by KGW-TV on Tuesday, August 11, 2020

Schmidt's policy change came the day after he dropped charges against Demetria Hester 'in the interest of justice.'

Hester became a leading activist in the racial justice movement after she was assaulted by a white supremacist three years ago.

Hester had been booked on suspicion of disorderly conduct and interfering with a police officer during the protest that began Sunday night. Hester's arrest drew a sharp rebuke from national Black Lives Matter activists, who are increasingly focusing on demonstrations in Oregon's largest city.

Officers made dozens of arrests last weekend and this week after clashes with demonstrators who police have said threw eggs, bottles and rocks at officers; started fires and punctured the tires of police vehicles.

Tuesday night, one group blocked traffic downtown in a peaceful gathering that authorities did not interact with, Portland police said in a statement.

A person in another demonstrating group that blocked traffic for hours near the Multnomah County Sheriffs Office building fell off the back of a pickup truck, the statement said.

Authorities brought in an ambulance to take the person to a hospital. Police threatened to arrest some protesters after they went on the property of the sheriff's office building, but they left, the statement said.

No arrests were made and no crowd control methods were used, the police statement said.
Families are the fundamental units of society, and familiesmothers in particular, who are connected physically with new life and handed babies the moment they are bornare really what govern the private sphere. Yet this isnt a story Kimberly Ells has heard fully told elsewhere, as she explains in her new book The Invincible Family.

Today, the fight for political power encompasses every issue, so its not surprising that those set on accumulating power have turned their attention toward taking it from the private realm, Ells says. What did surprise Ells was when she learned about the movement for childrens sexual rights and its influential base of global supporters.

In 2013, Ells came across a pamphlet online called Exclaim! Young Peoples Guide to Sexual Rights,' published by the International Planned Parenthood Foundation (IPPF) and distributed at the United Nations, from which IPPF receives funding.

Its [written] for young people; it presents to children sex and sexual pleasure as if it is their right to pursue that, unconnected to marriage, unconnected to childbearing, or long-term responsibility on some level, said Ells, who is a policy adviser for Family Watch International. She was troubled by the fact that there was a mainstream movement to promote the sexual rights for children and that the U.N. had been developing material to promote this idea for several years already.

They drape sex for kids in very appealing terms, in the language of rights, she said.

In plain language, this rights movement says children, of any age, should have sex. Its not something most people would support, but its a core principle that already has made its way into culture and classrooms, where children are told they have rights to life, privacy, health, and so on. But a closer reading reveals the purpose of teaching these rights is to ensure that activists have the right to teach children how to have sex, have an abortion, and obtain contraceptioncutting parents out of the process.

In her recent book, Ells details how those vying for power and advocating for socialism have made powerful allies in the U.N. The documents and official goals then developed in U.N. branches trickle through a maze of organizations until they reach your childs school or become part of the mainstream culture. If youve ever wondered why nonprofits, unions, and advocacy groups suddenly start to push in unison for a certain education trend (such as gender equity in education, social and emotional learning, and so on), you can look to the U.N., which probably had something to do with it.

The U.N. isnt a regulatory agency with enforcement power, but it is a forum with wide reach, perfect for organizing ideas like the Sustainable Development Goals and the Incheon Declaration, and it provides relief funding to developing countries around the world. Its affiliate organizations, like the Global Partnership for Education, do some of this on-the-ground work, pouring millions into education in dozens of countries, from Albania to Zimbabwe, and dictating curricula that easily include ideological sex education.

But even in places where the U.N. isnt footing the education bill, such as the United States, there is voluntary buy-in to ideas that were originally hashed out in U.N. documents by committees and authors, including those from nonprofits, unions, and other organizations that espouse the same ideas.

Theres all these major players with big money and big influence that are bearing down on the family, particularly from the United Nationsso that can be a little bit daunting, Ells said.

But there is hope, as Ells emphasizes in her new book. The family has great power, and the woman in the family, the mother in the family particularly, has great power because she is most often entrusted with the care of children and the teaching of children from the time that they are brand new. They are handed right to her, she said.

There is this great power of guiding and molding childrens minds and beliefs from the very earliest ages that lie in the family.

Its very difficult to stop the family from functioning, and when you try there is a whole lot of trouble. And when you undercut the family, you undercut society itself, because the family is really what sustains society.

A mothers influence is immeasurable, as she shapes the mind and heart of her children from their earliest years. (Xavier Mouton Photographie/Unsplash)

The Usurpers

Ells says those who seek to unseat the family from its place of power come from many different directions, and there are many (sometimes even contradictory) tactics.

Early in the book, she quotes Friedrich Engels, coauthor of The Communist Manifesto, who wrote that marriage was invented by egoistic men who wanted to leave their private property to their offspring; and from Shulamith Firestone and her intellectual successor Sophie Lewis, women of a particular brand of feminism, who insisted the womans own body is the source of all problems. At first, these works may sound like absurdist theater.

Ells says that though most people wouldnt agree with their radical ideasto remake society so that no one could tell to whom any child belonged, childrearing would all be left to professionals, or incest wouldnt be taboothese ideas have taken root in documents hashed out at the U.N. and are making their way around the world in policy and culture.

She poses a few questions: Who is suggesting or legislating that mothers or fathers are unnecessary to families? Who is working to make the care of young children a government-run endeavor? What efforts are setting the stage for the state to become the gatekeeper for who is allowed to have children?

Countless studies show that children who grow up with married biological parents have higher levels of well-being than children in any other type of family. Adoption exists to protect children whose biological parents cannot care for them, not so adults can buy parenthood. Ells adds that families create an innate sense of belonging, a unique social bond we compare every other kind to (such as when we talk about loving someone like family). Mothers and babies show this even in a physical sense, being literally tied to each other by an umbilical cord, and fathers do so through marriage.

Yet today, children are being commodified and surrogacy is on the rise. U.N. organizations boast of being able to shape childrens attitudes through education, and influence societies toward handing over the education of children to the state from earlier and earlier ages. The organization actually has a Population Award (which has been given to a China one-child policy architect as well the Guttmacher Institute, once Planned Parenthoods research arm). There are efforts to erase the differences between men and women both physically and in language.

A lot of people dont see that those influences are coming from the United Nations, they dont see the connections that are woven together, Ells said.

For instance, women from around the world come to the U.N. in New York every spring to finalize the Commission on the Status of Womens outcome document. In 2017, the document contained language promoting quality care and recognizing unpaid work, but in policy terms it meant regulating the private and domestic sphere, wherein womens work would be redistributed. The intentionally vague language makes such goal documents easy to support; only someone familiar with how they are written would worry about who might be doing the redistribution and whether these women would continue to have any say over their domestic work.

Throughout her book, Ells shows how these vague and benign-sounding policies eventually lead to damaging outcomes.

They convince all these really well-meaning women who come here to really embrace these ideas, and then go home and advocate for them in their countries, she said. These women push these goals through word of mouth, nonprofit organizations, the media, and so on.

I think feminism has had a huge part to play, ironically, in undercutting womens power, in telling women that there is no power in the family, there is no power in mothering in the home, when really thats where key power in the world resides and actually springs from.

Feminism has been really effective in telling women that power lies elsewhere, [that] it lies not in being a mom, but really anywhere else.

Battle for the Babies

Ells also quotes a long list of wise men and dictators alike who all said that influencing the young, impressionable child is the key to changing a society.

And if the mother is the one who shapes the mind and heart of a new person from his or her earliest years, and these people then go on to fill our schools and legislatures and boardrooms and society at large, her influence is immeasurable.

Its almost impossible to crush the family entirely, because its self-regenerating. Governments are not, Ells said.

Regimes, dynasties, political factionsthey come and go, and they have to have funding and supporters and all these things, and they dont regenerate themselves inherently. But the family does. Thats how life itself is created. Its the thing that always comes back, its the constant. Its the thing that persists when other things fall away or fail. The family is regenerative, and it will always rise again.

Her book includes a story of a pregnant woman living under communist Chinas one-child policy who escaped authorities through a pigpen and hid in a rice paddy for days because she was ready to fight them to the death for the life of my son. There are also the Hungarian families who brought their children into the cellar every night in secret to teach them the truth, undoing the lies and communist propaganda taught all day in school. Ells believes the usurpers will ultimately fail, because mothers and fathers care about their children.

The state cannot successfully impose values on a society that families refuse to agree with.

Its difficult to accomplish that if there are families in the world, these little tiny cells, these pockets in the world that are teaching their kids what they want and what they believe is right, Ells said.

The primary way the U.N. agenda reaches children is through Comprehensive Sexuality Education, an innocuous name that is slowly becoming recognized around the world. It mixes regular sexual education with plenty of gender ideology and the concept of childrens sexual rights, which includes having children understand that parents, culture, or beliefs that say otherwise are infringing on their human right to sexual pleasure.

In my state, which is a very conservative state traditionally, there have been repeated attempts to mandate Comprehensive Sexuality Education in our schools through our legislature, said Ells, who lives in Utah. More left-leaning states like California have already fully embraced it, she added, but in her state, people have fought back and blocked it. Despite that, similar ideas do make it into the curriculum.

Its creeping in almost everywhere, said Ells, who is a mother of five. She has two daughters now in college, two daughters in high school, and a young son. Years ago, one of her daughters mentioned that her health teacher had taught that Planned Parenthood was a viable alternative to students parents for information about sex education.

We openly and regularly talk about these issuesfamily, marriage, sex, gender. And we make it a point to talk about them, she said.

If your kids are taught early about what is right, they are likely to continue to embrace it. If the parent is the one that opens the conversation about sex, then more often the child sees the parent as the safe place to come to talk about sex. But if the parent never broaches the topic, then its awkward for the child to bring it up. So we parents have to be proactive and persistent, and persistent in making that a comfortable topic for our children.

Families have power, and parents have power, and it really cannot be permanently crushed. And if we have drifted away, in our personal lives or policies, family-supportive policies, we can come back. We can return to the policies that are going to best uphold society, which are policies that best uphold the family.
'Cocaine' Cassie's mother has pleaded with the Australian Government to help her daughter who has been forced to sell nude photos to men to make ends meet.

Cassie Sainsbury, 25, spent six years locked up in the notorious El Buen Pastor prison in Colombia after being convicted for smuggling 5.8kg of cocaine hidden inside headphones in April 2017.

She is now stranded in the Colombian capital Bogota where she will serve the remainder of her six-year sentence on parole.

Sainsbury has resorted to selling nude photos to Australian men to make money, prompting her mother Lisa Evans to call on Scott Morrison to intervene and bring her home.

Cassie Sainsbury, 25, is making $400 per week from a man who she sends explicit photos to and exchanges phone calls with

Cassie Sainsbury was arrested with 5.8 kilograms of cocaine (pictured) concealed in her luggage at Bogota's El Dorado International Airport in April 2017

'So I'm thinking about starting a petition to get help for my daughter Cassie,' Ms Evans posted on social media.

'I need our government to help this kid. I can't fight the Colombian judicial system by myself. I need them to help her while she is in the country. Or help me get her home.

'Cassie receives no help from our government during this pandemic. She cannot work etc.

'Side note... our government repeatedly ignores my requests for help!!!'

Sainsbury is making $400 a week from a man who she sends explicit photos to.

One photo shows the South Australian lying on a bed wearing lacy underwear showing her distinctive stomach tattoo.

Sainsbury has resorted to selling nude photos to Australian men to make money, prompting her mother Lisa Evans to call on Scott Morrison to intervene and bring her home

Sainsbury's mother Lisa Evans (left) said she is going to start a petition for the Australian Government to help her daughter

'Well I'm happy with the amount you offered, like I'm not the sort of person to be like, no that's not enough give me more,' she wrote to the man, according to the Courier Mail.

She also wrote: 'How do I know that you sent the money?' and explained that the photo could be verified by her Facebook profile picture.

In June Sainsbury took to Facebook to say she was struggling financially in locked down Bogota.

Sainsbury worked at Club 220 in western Sydney in a desperate bid to make ends meet in 2017, prior to her drug smuggling attempt Pictured: Sainsbury on the Club 220 website

'To everyone that has been asking, yes I'm okay. The situation is definitely difficult here in Colombia and more so when there's no work and no way to receive my visa, but hoping things will get better soon. However I'm okay and staying safe,' she wrote.

While behind bars, Sainsbury became engaged to fellow inmate Joli Pico, 29, from Venezuela.

'Honestly, it was the least thing that I expected to find in prison,' she told 60 Minutes in April.

'It started as a friendship and then out of nowhere it just turned into a relationship.'

The pair were together for nine months before Pico - who is serving time for theft - proposed to Sainsbury in front of their cell mates late last year.

Earlier this year Sainsbury spoke about her former job as a sex worker in western Sydney prior to her thwarted drug smuggling attempt.

She worked at Club 220 in early 2017 in a desperate bid to make ends meet after her and then-fiance Scott Broadbridge's gym went under.

'Everyone makes mistakes and I was looking for a way to get out of the hole I was in. It got to a point where I had rent to pay and bills and shopping, everything was piling on top of me,' she told WHO Magazine.

While behind bars, Sainsbury became engaged to fellow inmate Joli Pico, 29, from Venezuela

'Everyone assumed that because I worked at the brothel, then I was guilty of being involved with drugs. For a lot of people, sex work and drugs go hand in hand.'

Sainsbury claimed she only intended to work as a receptionist, but after arriving at the brothel her bosses convinced her to become a prostitute.

'I got there and [they said] ''you're not the type of person to be a receptionist, you're the sort of person who needs to try and be a sex worker'',' she said.

'I wasn't comfortable doing it, I didn't like doing it. [But] if it wasn't that then it was like ''what else?''

Sainsbury will have to stay in Colombia for the next 23 months as part of her parole conditions.
But no one made the connection back then  Atkins had just given birth to her second child a few days after the gruesome discovery and never heard about it.

At the time, Richmond police dismissed the disappearance as a runaway, Atkins said. Chesterfield police said their city counterparts helped in the initial and subsequent investigation, but the city had no file on the case.

They never took it seriously, she said.

After a lengthy search, police recovered only a leg, a foot and a torso from the landfill. Missing were the victims head and hands, complicating investigators ability to identify the teenager at the time. Police said then that they believed the body might have been stored for up to two months in a cool, insect-free environment.

An autopsy ruled the death a homicide by some undetermined violence, detectives said. According to news accounts at the time, police thought the slaying was committed by a psychopath who had sawed off the body parts that were missing.

Its taken some time for science to catch up to where we need to be to identify her, Chesterfield police Capt. Jay Thornton said at Wednesdays news conference.
Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar won her Democratic primary race handily Tuesday, defeating Antone Melton-Meaux, who was backed by pro-Israel groups.

Omar is a vocal critic of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and many aspects of US-Israel relations. Some of her statements on Israel have proven controversial, such as when she said in 2019 that some people in US politics push for allegiance to a foreign country in reference to Israel. Many criticized the comments as anti-Semitic for implying American Jews may have dual loyalties.

Omar has also has supported the controversial anti-Israel boycott movement known as boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS). On the other hand, she signed a May letter supported by AIPAC backing the Trump administrations efforts to extend a UN weapons embargo on Iran.

Because of her views, many pro-Israel groups supported Melton-Meaux. He was endorsed by Pro-Israel America and given nearly $19,000 by the pro-Israel lobby NORPAC. But although he nearly matched Omar in fundraising, she won the primary by nearly 30,000 votes. She is expected to win the general election in the solidly Democratic Minneapolis-based district.

Omar, a Somali American who formerly served in the state legislature, was first elected to Congress in 2018.
Editor's note:

American Thinker normally does not reprint previously published material, but this morning, we are making an exception, owing to the level of interest in Kamala Harris and her political career, which began, as Howie Carr quipped, "working under Willie Brown."

The item below was originally published January 27, 2019.

* * * *

Kamala Harris, that vaunted self-righteous feminist candidate who's using her 'year of the woman' chops to challenge President Trump in 2020, has a little problem: She slept her way to the top.

You know, the mistress thing, not exactly moving on up based on hard work or merit, that little advantage of good looks (President Obama called her the 'best-looking' state attorney general), employed to their optimal practical use. Her political patron, former lawyer to pimps, Mayor of San Francisco, and State Assembly Speaker Willie Brown, admitted he helped her get her political start, writing in his bloggy San Francisco Chronicle column:

Yes, we dated. It was more than 20 years ago. Yes, I may have influenced her career by appointing her to two state commissions when I was Assembly speaker. And I certainly helped with her first race for district attorney in San Francisco. I have also helped the careers of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Gov. Gavin Newsom, Sen. Dianne Feinstein and a host of other politicians.

Now you know where we get these people from. Somehow Harris, who was in her late 20s or at most 30 when she dated the 60-year-old married Brown around 1994 did so because he was just so very irresistable. Here's how the San Francisco Chronicle reported it on Twitter:

WILLIE BROWN: "Ive been peppered with calls from the national media about my 'relationship' with Kamala Harris, particularly since it became obvious that she was going to run for president. Yes, we dated."https://t.co/xkzR0YhIl0  San Francisco Chronicle (@sfchronicle) January 26, 2019

That of course, was in exchange for certain kinds of favors. Her rival, Democratic candidate Elizabeth Warren got her start playing fake Indian. Kamala went the old fashioned way, sleeping her way to the top. Democrats have some pool of candidates here in this 'it's our turn' year of the woman and out to Get Trump offerings.

Willie Brown, of course, was California's most powerful politician, which might have had something to do with why Harris was out 'dating' the married man twice her age. And it's interesting because Brown, a former attorney for pimps in his pre-political days, seems to have a taste for the kind of women often seen in a positive light by pimps, such as this one - who represents Brown's taste in women. Not that it mattered that he was married, he's always had a girlfriend in the picture, according to the article. And well, Kamala was one of them.

Other reports say that once Kamala got the office she wanted from Brown, she dumped him. Brown made a cutesy reference to Kamala saying she was going to ticket him for jaywalking, which sounds like overkill, probably the kind of statement someone with a guilty conscience would make, not wanting anyone to know about how she got her office. What's more, Harris has kept virtually all references to Brown out of her numerous memoirs on the market.

Some feminist she is. She slept her way to the top and now it's out. It's actually not the first time it's been out, but since it's coming out now so early in the campaign, perhaps it was an inoculation shot, the way that candidate Donald Trump's team must have released the Melania Trump nude modelling shots to the New York Post to make it 'old news' so as to assure it would not become a campaign issue the day before the election.

All the same, it's disgusting, and while Trump is no angel on the love front, at least he never offered sex for political favors, either to women or from women. He never cheated on someone's spouse to get himself some political power the way she did. So now that Harris is presented as a role model and antidote-to-Trump these days, is she going to encourage all the little girls out there by saying that getting a politically strong boyfriend is the way to make it big in politics now? One wonders.

Let's hope she has to answer some questions about it from the Trump camp in what's sure to be a pious and hectoring political campaign.

Image credit: Twitter screen shot from the San Francisco Chronicle.
Choi Doo-young, left, head of the Korean Federation of Port & Transport Workers' Union, speaks at a press conference to discuss POSCO's plan to launch a logistics affiliate, at the Four Seasons Hotel Seoul on May 19. Yonhap



By Lee Min-hyung



POSCO's plan to launch a logistics affiliate is drawing a severe backlash from the shipping industry.



The conflict has arisen from the steelmaker's planned establishment of POSCO Global Smart Platform (GSP) by the end of the year. Initially, the company was supposed to finish launching the affiliate by July, but decided to delay the move amid fierce opposition from the local maritime logistics industry



The industry is concerned that POSCO will pose a serious threat to existing logistics and shipping companies. It argues that POSCO's expansion into the sector will weaken the industry and provide ammunition for other conglomerates to join in.



But POSCO is remaining unwavering in its position, with the aim of turning the firm into an advanced logistics platform based on artificial intelligence. The company said it does not have any intention of hurting other firms. It also argues the move is part of its efforts to cut the logistics costs by creating a subsidiary to handle all logistics for POSCO and its affiliates.



Last year alone, POSCO spent about 3 trillion won transporting 160 million tons of products.



"POSCO reported its first deficit in the second quarter, and concerns are the firm is in its worst crisis," an official at the Korea Ship Owners' Association said. "POSCO is apparently seeking to shift such a burden to the domestic logistics industry by seeking to launch the subsidiary."



Unions at local shipping and logistics companies are also stepping up criticism of POSCO. They will stage a protest in Seoul unless the steelmaker drops the move.



But POSCO said the decision was "inevitable" at a time when the company and its major affiliates are spending too much on transportation contracts.



"The logistics function is dispersed among various affiliates, such as POSCO International, SNNC and POSCO C&C," the company said. "By integrating the logistics into a single company, POSCO aims to promote efficiency and improve expertise while eliminating redundancy and dissipation." POSCO also pledged to build a cooperative logistics environment with its partners.



"The affiliate is to institute a direct contract method with freight owners as a measure to promote fair competition and shared growth," it said. "A mobile platform will be introduced where freight owners can directly participate in the bidding, and settle freight transportation and shipping charges."



Under the Maritime Transport Act, freight owners cannot tap into the shipping industry unless they receive consensus from a third-party consultative party consisting of industry experts.



Amid strong opposition from the industry, POSCO CEO Choi Jeong-woo also reaffirmed it does not have any plans to tap into the shipping industry. But the logistics industry is concerned that POSCO will take advantage of a legal blind spot and eventually expand into shipping and transportation.



The ship owners' association is also teaming up with the Korean Federation of Trade Unions and other logistics associations nationwide to stop POSCO from launching the subsidiary.


BEIRUT  A citizens army descended on the streets of Beirut after last weeks explosion. Arriving on buses from all corners of the country and armed with brooms, thousands of volunteers packed the areas hit hardest by the blast and stayed all week.

Every aspect of the response to the deadly explosion has been volunteer-led. This was the Lebanese people turning out en masse to do a job that, in most countries, would have been handled by the government.

The firefighters ran to the port to try to get the fire under control before the explosion happened. The Civil Defense immediately began digging through the rubble to find survivors. The Red Cross whizzed the injured to hospitals and treated them among the rubble across the city.

The Aug. 4 blast killed at least 171 people and injured thousands occurred when a fire in a port warehouse ignited hundreds of tons of ammonium nitrate.

Outgoing Health Minister Hamad Hassan said Tuesday that between 30 and 40 people are still missing, the Associated Press reported. Of the injured, 1,500 needed special treatment while 120 remain in intensive care, he said.

When the immediate chaos settled, thousands of people took to the streets around the blast site. They would have to move the rubble, wipe the blood and rebuild peoples lives because they knew the government would not. Their instincts were correct.

We have to come together, the government has done absolutely nothing, not even the municipality. Its always up to us to rebuild our city when they destroy it like this, Afif Ayad, the founder of My People, My Responsibility, a nongovernmental organization, said.

We live in a parallel world at the moment and have zero trust in anything the government does. We dont need them and we dont care, Ayad said. We decide what we want. We feed each other and we fight side-by-side together against them. Its our city to get back on track, not theirs.

As volunteers helped clean up, protesters also took to the streets expressing their frustration at the ruling elite and blaming them for chronic mismanagement and corruption that is believed to be behind the explosion as well as the country's economic crisis and grave inequality.

Story continues

Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diab announced Monday that he and his government were stepping down as the fallout from the explosion deepened a political crisis in Beirut. Diab said in a brief televised address that he had come to the conclusion that corruption in the country is bigger than the state.

Image: Volunteers clean debris (Aziz Taher / Reuters)

Most people here are grieving and angry; helping to put the lives of others back together has been the only thing they could do to feel less helpless about their country.

Even if this wasnt about coming and doing a job that the government should be doing instead of us  its about feeling like I need to do something about all the injustice that happened, said Rami Mehio, a 26-year-old volunteer.

Sweltering under the August sun, volunteers fortified themselves with donations of food and water. The nightlife hubs of Mar Mikhael and Gemmayzeh were soon busier than a Saturday night.

Weve had to turn volunteers away at some points over the last few days, there were so many you could barely move in here, said Yusef Ahmed, the concierge of a building just 250 meters (about 275 yards) from the blast site.

Some of the boys trying to do the heavy lifting are just children, but you cant stop them, they are so determined to help.

Over 60 volunteers traipsed through metal window frames, doors, glass and broken furniture up and down the blood-soaked stairs where bodies had been pulled just days before.

Many who fled Beirut after the explosion have returned to homes that have already been cleaned up by strangers.

As the volunteers rescue-mission drew on, it became increasingly sophisticated and coordinated. NGOs divided up streets, each looking after a certain area so the chaos could be managed effectively.

A week on from the blast, efforts have now turned to long-term recovery.

Image: Volunteers distribute food in Beirut (Anwar Amro / AFP - Getty Images)

With Google maps volunteers track where piles of recyclables have been swept so that they can organize pick-ups for the shattered glass to be broken down into sand and then turned into usable glass.

In Gemmayzeh, one of the hardest-hit areas, the NGO My People, My Responsibility have set up camp.

On a big paper map of their designated street they tick off the houses that theyve visited to assess the damage. Their volunteers include architects and structural engineers who are checking homes for structural damage as well as material.

The various NGOs are, between them, sending engineers to every affected house. The data they collect will help the international community figure out what the post-disaster city needs most, said Jack Ata, who is coordinating volunteers at the base camp point.

First aid, mental health support and food distribution points have sprung up to help the broken city.

On Friday, an army truck full of soldiers sat and watched as a group of men tried to pick up a destroyed car from the rubble of a shopfront with their bare hands.

Image: Volunteers clear the rubble in the Gemmayzeh neighborhood of Beirut (AFP - Getty Images)

As the piles of debris grew larger over the week, with no one coming to collect them, community groups hired machinery to move it themselves.

This city has been destroyed 100 times, and each time we rebuild it  but it doesnt ever get rebuilt by the government. Its always rebuilt because of the people, Ayad said.

If you want to understand the level of disaster that is Lebanon: On a Monday morning, the streets are packed with volunteers. This is what unemployment looks like.
Ganni has launched a new collection that comes with a catch  it is not for sale. Customers can only rent items, rather than purchasing them to keep.

The Danish brand has teamed up with iconic American denim brand label Levis to create an exclusive rental-only capsule collection, called Love Letter, a first for both brands.

The collab features three staple denim pieces  a button-down shirt with a bib collar, 501 jeans and a shirt dress, all made from upcycled vintage Levis jeans and repurposed denim.

Shown at Copenhagen fashion week, the SS21 collection is meant to be an ode to wearability, longevity and heritage of Levis says a Ganni spokesperson.

The collection incorporates the style of the Scandi-brand known for its leopard prints, oversized peter-pan collars, and voluminous sleeves, with the unmistakable look of Levis denim.

Normally these items would retail anywhere between 300 to 350, but now customers can only keep them for a short period  between one and three weeks.

The cost will reportedly range from 40 for one week for the jeans to 65 for the dress (the price for the jeans for three weeks is 90).

Gannis creative director Ditte Reffstrup told Vogue magazine that the collection was born before the worldwide Covid-19 lockdown began. She said: We joked about how it was the easiest and lightest collection we had ever made.

But then the pandemic hit and caused production issues. It was like having written a 300-page book and then being asked to rewrite the same story in 150, she added.

Prior to this collection Ganni has road-tested the idea of rental fashion with its Ganni Repeat project, which launched in 2019.

But until now it was only available in Denmark. Love Letters will be available in the UK and USA as well.

(Ganni (Ganni)

In Gannis annual sustainability report it says: We dont identify as a sustainable brand. We recognise the inherent contradiction between the current fashion industry that thrives off newness and consumption, and the concept of sustainability.

So instead, were focused on becoming the most responsible version of ourselves. Committed to making better choices every day across the business to minimise our social and environmental impact. We see this as our moral obligation.

The brand also says it is training all our designers and production teams in circular design principles and design strategies for cyclability.

Fashion rental has often been hailed as the future of the industry  a way for people to wear new fashion but reduce the impact on the environment of mass consumption.

Brands such as Onloan, My Wardrobe HQ, and Hurr are third-party companies that buy up warehouses of clothes and then distribute them to renters.

Or By Rotation, a peer-to-peer service, which facilitates borrowing between owners.

The Independent tested rental fashion for London Fashion Week 2020. See how we got on.
Belarus election: Thousands protest as Lukashenko wins 6th term

Iran Press TV

Tuesday, 11 August 2020 6:37 AM

The situation remains tense in Belarus which has been the scene of furious public protests in the past few days against President Alexander Lukashenko and a presidential election which they claim was "rigged."

Fierce scuffles broke out between police and protesters when thousands of people poured out into the streets of the capital Minsk Monday night after official results showed that Lukashenko had won a sixth consecutive term, taking over 80 percent of the vote. A man lost his life the clashes.

The protesters have complained of election fraud in Lukashenko's favor, claiming he has stolen the vote from his rival, political novice Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, who was said to ahve gained only 10 percent of the ballots.

"Too many people are against Lukashenko," Pavel, a 34-year-old protester, told AFP, adding "Our goal is to depose Lukashenko. He is not worthy of being president."

Police used rubber bullets, stun grenades, batons and tear gas to disperse the demonstrators, who responded with stones and fireworks and set up makeshift barricades.

The interior ministry said a man died when an unidentified explosive device, which he was aiming at police, blew up in his hand Monday night, confirming the first fatality of the post-election protests.

Yevgeny Zaichkin, another protester, who was reported to have died in the early hours of Monday during clashes with police survived the altercation. He told Reuters that he had been transferred to hospital after the beating and discharged earlier in the day with concussion, four stitches and bruising across his body.

Similar unrest and clashes were reported in other towns on Monday.

The president, referred to by some as "Europe's last dictator," is facing criticism over his handling of the coronavirus epidemic and an economic crisis in the country.

Lukashenko remained adamant in the face of a chorus of criticism from Western leaders, and signaled there was no chance of him stepping down.

"We won't allow the country to be torn apart," the 65-year-old president was quoted by the Belta news agency as saying

"We recorded calls from abroad. There were calls from Poland, Britain and the Czech Republic, they were directing our -- forgive me -- sheep," Lukashenko said, in reference to protesters who aim to topple him.

Tikhanovskaya, who ran for president after her blogger husband was jailed, went to lodge a complaint with the Central Election Commission on Monday where she spent three hours.

But since then her whereabouts were unknown to her team. Her spokeswoman Anna Krasulina told AFP that she had gone incommunicado after she left the election commission building.

Lithuania's Foreign Minister Linas Linkevicius confirmed in a Twitter post on Tuesday that Tikhanouskaya has traveled to Lithuania.

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In the past four months, several festivals have been celebrated quietly in a low-key manner due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, however, Dahi handi which was scheduled to be celebrated today has suffered this year, given the huge spectacle of the festival.

The Dahi Handi mandals in Pune are well known for their grand celebrations with celebrities, huge prize money and the reward given to the team who breaks the handi for its grand decoration sets.

This year all of these things dont exist and several prominent mandals are going to celebrate the Dahi Handi by donating prize money for the Covid related works.

Balasaheb Marne president of Hutatma Babu Genu mandal trust which is one of Punes biggest Dahi Handi mandal said, This year we have cancelled the Dahi Handi celebrations as the Covid pandemic has affected all of us. Every year we give away prize money of Rs 3 to 5 lakh during Dahi Handi, for which we do not take any public contributions (Vargani). This year the mandal is going to donate the same prize money to several government agencies who are fighting against this disease and for a social cause.

The Khajina Vihir Tarun mandal in Sadashiv peth is working on similar lines. Om Kasar, president of the mandal said, Our mandal every year celebrates the Dahi Handi in grand style with huge decorations and sound system. Teams from Mumbai, Thane, Chiplun, Baramati and Pune come to break the Dahi handi at our mandal and more than Rs 1 lakh prize money is given. This year there is no Dahi Handi celebrations instead we are going to provide meals to sex workers in Budhwar peth and will distribute 5,000 face masks and sanitizers to citizens in Sadashiv peth area.

Another prominent Dahi Handi mandal, the Suvarnyug Tarun mandal has also cancelled the Dahi Handi this year.

Prakash Chavan, president of Suvarnayug Tarun mandal said, As the Covid situation is rising in Pune city and several government agencies are working to fight against it we are going to donate medical equipment to them. An amount of Rs 1.25 lakh will be used to purchase the medical equipment and it will be handed over to the Pune district administration.
A -level students across the country are awaiting their results - which for the first time will be predicted by teachers after exams were cancelled due to the coronavirus crisis.

The period between sitting your last exam and opening that envelope containing the key to your future is ordinarily a very stressful time, but for students hoping to set off to university this year, the anxiety has intensified due to the fact theyve had little control over their grades.

As schools closed back in March to curb the spread of coronavirus, not only have students not had much hands-on time with their teachers, theyve also been prevented from sitting their A-level exams. Instead, the results for the two-year period will be based on teachers earlier predictions and their confidence in individual students ability to achieve that mark.

These predicted grades will be submitted and then external examination boards will moderate the estimated grades, using various factors, such as mock results and non-exam assessments, to determine the final outcome.

Many have expressed concerns over the fairness of this method designed by Ofqual (England's exam regulator), which depends in part on the faculty members' ability to remain impartial and lay their bias aside.

Earlier this year, The Commons Education Committee admitted that disadvantaged and ethnic minority pupils face greater risk of unconscious bias.

Ofqual's deputy chief regulator also told the committee: "There is some evidence of bias.

"For the most able students [from ethnic minority backgrounds], there tends to be under-prediction of the grades that students go on to get. At lower levels of ability, you get the reverse effect where there is some over-prediction."

Robert Halfon, the Education Committee chairman, also admitted: "No system for awarding grades will be perfect [...] we have serious worries about the fairness of the model developed by Ofqual."

He also questioned how fair the appeals system would be, calling this year's process the "Wild West of appeals", favouring the "well-heeled and sharp-elbowed" who know how the system works.

Whats more, many students who usually fare better in exams fear their inability to sit their tests this year may be a setback for them, and despite having sat mock exams earlier on in the academic year, students were unaware at the time that their performance would contribute to their overall marks.

This has triggered a response from the Government, who announced on August 11 that A-level students would be able to keep their mock exam results, should they be higher than their overall grade on Thursday.

In addition to the very valid fears students have about their grades, there also comes concerns over their university experience; the pandemic not just impacts their performance, but will prevent prospective students starting their degrees from socialising and making friends in the same way most Freshers would.

So, given how little say A-level students have had, the Evening Standard has spoken to a group of students from both state and private education to hear their thoughts and concerns over the upcoming Results Day, and their university experience.

Liv Facey, 18

Liv is planning on studying English at King's College London / Liv Facey

Studied English Literature & Language, Textiles and History at A-level, planning on going to King's College London to study English

"I feel that a lot of students will be disadvantaged," Liv explained. "Im more nervous about my grades now than I was at GCSE due to the lack of clarity surrounding how my grades will be calculated and moderated [...] This year just shows how without exams its very hard to know a students academic potential."

Despite normally suffering with anxiety in the lead up to exams, Liv does feel that by not having sat them this year, many students will be at a disadvantage: "At GCSE, I felt that I wouldnt have done well because of how I feel about exams, but in the end I got better grades than I or my teachers expected, which just highlights how as much as its perceived that our teachers know us, they are not always accurate in knowing what a student can pull out of the bag on the day."

She added: "I feel that [her overall grade] being based on the work Ive done during the academic year doesnt really reflect me as a whole.

"I feel that this is the case for a lot of students as we never expected for our mock results to be of such high importance. I know a lot of people who didnt revise for mocks because they didnt see mocks as final examinations.

"I think by not taking exams it has really lowered my confidence in being able to get the results I wanted."

Ms Facey also has concerns that the lack of contact with teaching staff at her college in recent months will potentially affect her performance, should she need to resit her exams in autumn.

On what her university experience will be like, Liv said: "I think in some ways it will be limited as universities kind of thrive on being in contact with lots of people. Freshers' Week probably wont happen like it normally would because the whole week is based around interacting with people.

"From what Ive heard from my university they are making provisions to ensure that we have face to face contact with our lecturers and time on campus but I dont think it will be the same."

She also added: "Theres quite a few international students going to my university and talking to a few of them, theyre saying they dont think theyd be able to come right away due to their own country being on lockdown or just not having flights to the UK."

Anya Burrows, 18

Anya is planning on attending Durham / Anya Burrows

Studied geography, law & politics at Aquinas College, planning on going to Durham University

Anya shares Liv's concerns when it comes to the grading system this year: "I feel that no matter which way it was decided how our grades were given, it wouldn't be fair for everyone.

"I feel that taking into consideration multiple factors is a good way but in my personal opinion no one ever performs as good as they would in the real exam. I suppose teachers know that though!"

She continued: "In my experience, this has created massive uncertainty for me and my grades as in terms of classwork my strengths and weaknesses are obvious. Also, no teacher or minister has suggested which factor is the most important when deciding grades, so that makes me nervous."

Ms Burrows also feels like she ordinarily fares better in exams and reflects on what it means to not be able to sit them this year, saying: "I often perform much better in exams, particularly ones that hold significance as I prepare months in advanced unlike for mock exams.

"This is partly due to that when mocks happen, you're still learning content and revising on the side so it makes things harder to juggle. At the time of mocks I focussed on the end goal rather than the near one, meaning that I didn't really revise for my mocks because I was focussing on current content for the end exam. This really shot me in the foot!"

While Ms Burrows noted the commitment of the teaching staff at her sixth form, she also commented: "What almost felt a little too much at times with consistent classwork being set and that standard wanting to be maintained."

In terms of setting off to university, Ms Burrows discussed the living situation and being told she and fellow students would still be able to move into halls: "I am shocked about this!"

However, despite this news, she went on to say: "I suppose I am a bit disappointed just because it's part of the whole 'uni experience', but in my experience I wouldn't be going if it wasn't for the degree getting me the job I want, so I don't see it as big of a deal.

"But I know a lot of my friends have deferred their places and are really disappointed that it won't be the same."

Alex Stanley, 17

Alex is heading to Exeter University / Alex Stanley

Studied politics, English literature and history at City & Islington Sixth Form College, planning on going to Exeter to study politics, philosophy and economics

Alex commented on how this year's system has gotten rid of an element of individuality: "I'm frustrated about the way that grades have been determined this year," he said.

"The system of standardisation treats us students as groups, rather than individuals, and this will inevitably benefit those from higher socio-economic backgrounds and those in private education.

"This leaves no room for some students to achieve beyond what is expected of their college/sixth form, and will only increase the educational inequalities in this country."

Like many of the others, Alex also feels he performs stronger in exams: "At GCSE I attained better grades than those predicted for me, and I worry that I may miss out on the opportunity to make up the ground that I potentially could with exams.

"In all honesty, as the results will not be directly reflective of my actions, I am more focused on confirming my place at university and less concerned with the actual grades themselves."

Speaking of university, Mr Stanley said: "Freshers' Week is always depicted as one of the best times you'll have at university, so I am disappointed that it won't be as full on and event filled as it normally is. However, my firm choice have committed to Freshers' going ahead, and whilst this will be with restrictions and social distancing, I'm sure universities will do their best to ensure students feel welcome."

In terms of how lectures will be set up, Mr Stanley added: "I've been told by my firm choice that lectures will be online whilst smaller sessions will proceed in person, and to me this seems to be a sensible and pragmatic balance between a good experience and safety."

Ayaan Abdulle, 18

Studied biology, chemistry and maths at City & Islington Sixth Form College, planning on going to Southampton University to study medicine

Ayaan agrees the marking the system this year "does leave a lot of room for uncertainty, which can cause some worry. In particular about the future; students have worked hard during admissions process to achieve their offers from chosen universities."

Ms Abdulle also feels she is usually stronger in exams than when it comes to coursework: "With exams the outcome is dependent on your own efforts and actions, so you have a greater sense of control. However, now being unable to sit them can cause some doubts."

When it comes to university life, Ayaan has mixed feelings: "Everyones university experience is different and this year will be particularly unique.

"I understand need for the rules to maintain the safety of students, such as use of face coverings on campus."

She continued: "I believe that much of university is what you make of it. With some adapting and creativity, I still think you shape your university experience into a positive and memorable one.

"Starting university amidst of a pandemic comes with new challenges, I think there will be different ways to meet people maybe in smaller groups."

Megan Oldham, 18

Megan is hoping to go to Durham University / Megan Oldham

Studied biology, chemistry, psychology and maths at City & Islington Sixth Form College, planning on going to Durham to study biosciences

Despite initially "feeling okay" by the grading system, Megan later had concerns after the Government announced that there would be different weights to each grading factor.

"I was feeling okay as I have consistently been working at the same grades over the course of the two years.

"[...] I became extremely worried as it is a fully inclusive college and the average grade that students get is far off my predicted so I am worried about being downgraded to a grade that I do not deserve due to the past history of the college," she said.

Ordinarily Megan feels she "[does] much better under the pressure that exams bring and usually did well in mock week with the exams due to being in an exam zone mental state.

"In my GCSEs I did much better than what I was predicted and while I am happy with what I was predicted with UCAS I am worried that my results wont do justice to what I would have received had I sat the exams."

When asked if she had had much contact with the teaching staff at her college, Ms Oldham replied: "Up until the point at which I would have gone on study leave, I was having regular contact with my teachers in the same teaching hours that I would have had if I had been in college [...] We would finish the course and at least have all the knowledge expected when going to university."

As for her own university experience, Ms Oldham admited it may be "limited". Beyond the classes themselves, Megan commented on the living situation: "I will only be living with people who also do the same course as me and I was quite looking forward to having a wide range of people to make friends with, but if it's only my subject it will be limited. I am hoping that labs will still be able to take place though as this is a large part of my course."

A-Level Results Day 2019 - In pictures 1 /29 A-Level Results Day 2019 - In pictures Students celebrates their A Level results at King Edward VI High School for Girls in Birmingham PA Students laugh as they celebrate their A Level results from Roedean School in Brighton PA Molly Rasbash, 18, gets a kiss from her mum Jacky Willett as she shares her A-Level results at St Mary Redcliffe and Temple School, Bristol PA Nadine Alosert (right) embracing a friend after receiving her A Level results at Ark Academy in Wembley PA Ella Rosenblatt (L) who achieved 2 A stars and one A grade, reacts with her friend Grace Leaitherland after opening her A Level results at Withington Girls' School in Manchester Reuters Dancer Aishani Ghosh, 18, who is going to study at the London Contemporary Dance School, celebrates her A Level results at King Edward VI High School for Girls in Birmingham PA Molly Rasbash, 18 (centre), give the thumbs-up as she opens her A-Level results at St Mary Redcliffe and Temple School, Bristol PA Benjamin Sheridan, 19, (left) and John Brown, 18, laugh as they share their A Level results at St Mary Redcliffe and Temple School, Bristol PA Rosie Harris (L) and Raphaelle Hoffman-Vogenheim react after opening their A Level results at Withington Girls' School in Manchester Reuters Yash Shah, who is registered blind, celebrates his A Level results at Ark Academy in Wembley PA Timea Lliffe (L) and Florence Bradshaw react after opening their A Level results at Withington Girls' School in Manchester Reuters Hannah Millward, 18, reacts as she opens her A Level results at St Mary Redcliffe and Temple School, Bristol PA Aaliyah Wallace celebrates celebrates 3x A* in her A Level results at King Edward VI High School for Girls in Birmingham. Aaliyah is going to study modern languages at Oxford University PA Izzy Windle (left) and Jules Kelly celebrate after collecting their A Level results at Norwich School in Norwich PA Jessica Tedd, who was awarded 4 A* grades and is going to study Physics at Oxford University, celebrates her A Level results at King Edward VI High School for Girls in Birmingham PA Students (from left) Krishika Balakrishnan (2 x A*, 2 x A), Ayeesha Sohail (3 x A*, 1 x B) and Daveena Malhi (no details) celebrate their A Level results at King Edward VI High School for Girls in Birmingham PA Students (from left) Olivia Kolasinski, Joey Guan and Sinali Gunarathne, celebrate their A Level results at King Edward VI High School for Girls in Birmingham PA Lara Wells (right) and her mother Emma receive her A Level results at Norwich School in Norwich PA Sophie Todd (right) and Willow Major celebrate their A Level results at Norwich School in Norwich PA Saida Nuur (right) and her mother (name not given) open her A Level results at Ark Academy in Wembley PA Sara Arybou (left) and Heba Mushattat celebrate their A Level results at Ark Academy in Wemble PA Bruna Miguel (right), whose A Level results have qualified her for a place at the London School of Economics, is congratulated by school principal Delia Smith at the Ark Academy in Wembley PA

Natraya Thomas, 18

Studied biology, history and politics at A-level, planning on going to Plymouth to study nursing

Natraya was also sceptical about how the grading system would work: "I feel really upset about the way they're predicting grades. When we first found out that we weren't going to be sitting exams everybody I knew was in hysterics assuming that they would use just mock and predicted grades.

"However, the class rating system and using how well schools/ colleges would usually get does not accurately show how the work of the individual."

She continued: "Exams are completely different from mock tests and class assessments in so many ways, so I feel most people are better at exams.

"When schools closed and we were told we weren't going to sit exams, there was not one class syllabus that we had finished - but there was still so much time left. The months running up to exams are the most stressful because it's the time when you spend all of your time studying and preparing for them; so I feel that work cannot be reflected in predictions of mock results.

"I have no confidence in the results I will receive."

When in comes to contact with her teachers, Ms Thomas said: "I haven't spoken to any of my teachers since April because there really is no reason to.

"I have returned my school books and have been informed on what will happen on results day but have had no actual contact with my teachers; they can't answer any of my questions because they know as much as we do."

Sophie Howard, 18

Sophie Howard is hoping to go to Sheffield this autumn / Sophie Howard

Planning on going to the University of Sheffield to study politics with modern languages

Unlike the other students we spoke to, Sophie feels like the grading method is probably the best solution: "Although its not ideal, I think this method of collating past results from assessments and mocks is probably the best way to get an overall view of how someone performs.

"Many people were worried they would just look at results from one mock so hopefully the results were given will be appropriate for what weve already achieved."

What's more, she's "confident they cant throw a random letter at me for no reason," as "if the board are looking at all our other work, then we worked for those grades and theyre quite consistent ."

Ms Howard is also optimistic about her university experience: "Yeah Freshers is a big part of what I pictured moving to uni to be like, its a shame.

"Im hopeful that because everyones in the same boat, well all still want to do it at some point, even if its in 2021. "

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She continued: "The same goes for meeting people really, Im hoping there will be more flat parties and people might all make more of an effort to chat and make friends themselves rather than in societies or subjects," before adding, "were there for at least 3 years, even if theyre on Zoom at the start Im sure well get to a proper lecture at some point!"

Results Day is on Thursday, August 13. We will be following up with the students in this article to see how they got on.
Two north Alabama schools on Tuesday announced they have postponed the reopening of in-class instruction Wednesday and will now start traditional classes in two weeks. Both schools did not explain why the move was made.

Moulton Elementary School and Moulton Middle School were supposed to reopen on Wednesday. In Facebook posts Tuesday, the schools said the restart date for traditional learning was pushed to Aug. 26 due to unforseen circumstances beyond our control.

MMS Parents and students: Due to unforeseen circumstances that are beyond our control, Moulton Elementary School and... Posted by Moulton Middle School on Tuesday, August 11, 2020

The schools said plans were being made for students to pick up laptops for virtual learning. They also rescheduled orientation times.
What can you do if you can't find a job? Make one for yourself.

Last week Money Mail launched its jobs crisis survival guide, taking you through your basic redundancy rights and how to navigate a competitive labour market.

But the harsh reality is that work could be scarce.

The Bank of England has revised its unemployment forecast down from 10 per cent to 7.5 per cent but firms continue to haemorrhage jobs and the economy may not recover until the end of next year. So it could be time to take matters into your own hands.

In your hands: More than a third of those who have been made redundant start their own business

It's a well-trodden path. More than a third of those who have been made redundant start their own business, according to Direct Line.

Emma Jones, of business network Enterprise Nation, says recessions often trigger an 'uptick in startups' and June saw a record number of new businesses being created.

But there's no need to go it alone completely. There is plenty of support available. Here is Money Mail's guide to how to get started.

What's your big idea?

Make it your mission to solve a problem you care about. Alec Hawley, business expert at startups.co.uk, says a good business idea marries your own passions with wider trends.

He adds: 'If you're creative and good with your hands, then selling things you've produced online can be a great way to start, especially with online sales booming as a result of the UK lockdown.'

Will anyone buy it?

There is no point in throwing time and money at something nobody wants.

Is the industry profitable? If you enter a growing market, you don't have to be the biggest fish to make a splash.

Test it before you launch it. You can launch a website with 50 of Google marketing to see whether people will buy the product. Or you could go old-school and stop people in the street.

I make a living selling art after redundancy Former lecturer Christian Azolan makes more than 1,500 profit per month selling digital art online Christian Azolan is already making more than 1,500 profit per month from his own business after losing his job as a lecturer. He was made redundant from Brunel University, London, in March and decided to work for himself. Christian, 37, who lectured in media, now uses his skills in design to sell digital art online. He says: 'The first thing I did was just research. I looked at fine art, digital art, who was selling what. I went down into the detail of how much it would cost me. He advertised via Instagram, which brought him to the attention of online gallery Saatchi Art, who asked him to produce a collection. But Christian, from Hayes, West London, wanted to sell his work himself, so he created a website and shop front using Shopify. He secured an international deal with furniture store Wayfair. He says he generates up to 2,400 per month, with profits of 70 per cent. 'Before, I relied on someone else to pay me and renew my contract,' he adds. 'But now all the onus is on me. It's stressful, but I'm in control.'

Is it profitable?

Next you should create a business plan. Mr Hawley says: 'It doesn't need to be hugely detailed when you're starting out.

You simply need to think about your costs and who your audience is, as well as the best ways to reach that audience.'

What is the growth potential? To create a business worth at least 1 million, you will need to map a path to making at least 100,000 profit each year.

Do I crowd-fund it?

How much capital you need will depend on your concept. If you decide you need to raise money, there are various ways to do it.

A Government-backed start-up loan allows you to borrow up to 25,000 at a low rate of interest for up to five years and also provides 12 months of mentoring from a business expert.

Business loans are similar to start-up loans but are not available just for new businesses.

The Federation of Small Businesses launched an online funding platform last year which allows you to access hundreds of funding options via just one application.

Last crash killed my career... now my firm makes 20million a year Adam Taylor started an online pet business after losing his job at Lehman Brothers I remember the meeting with my managing director. It was heartbreaking. He told me I was lucky because I was let go early; the labour market would only get tougher. But losing my job at Lehman Brothers was still a massive shock. It felt like my identity. I'm Adam Taylor and I work at Lehman Brothers. What would I say now? Some people said I should get another job immediately but others suggested I take a step back  so I had about three months off. I finally accepted a job as a management consultant but quit six months later. And that was when I thought of starting my own business. It was a lonely time, but the Prince's Trust Enterprise programme provided structure and support. There is a lot of strategy in choosing a business idea. I would tear out articles on industries that were booming or policy changes that might create opportunities. I've got three sisters and we always had pets at home. At one point we had two dogs, seven cats and a goldfish. I was always lugging heavy bags of pet food back from the supermarket. No one was doing home delivery in 2009. The pet-food industry was worth 4 billion a year but online sales accounted for just 1 per cent of that. So there was big growth potential. The next step was to decide whether I wanted to self-fund or raise money. I didn't have much money so I chose the latter - but I still own 100 per cent of my company, so my strategy is not dictated by shareholders. The Prince's Trust lent us 5,000 for test trading. We went to market stalls and anyone in the street with a dog. And we bought a cheap website but nobody would buy from it because it was on page 20 of Google. So we sold on Etsy, notonthehighstreet, eBay and Amazon. Now, those represent only about 5 per cent of our online sales - but it got the ball rolling. As we grew, brands began giving us funding to market their products. This year is our tenth anniversary. We have about 70 staff and will be turning over 20 million this year. Adam founded PetShop.co.uk in 2010 after losing his job at Lehman Brothers during the 2007-08 financial crisis.

Count the costs

Track your finances. Emma Jones says the key is to use resources efficiently.

She recommends using free digital tools such as Google docs and time-management apps such as Toggl, while accounting software such as Xero helps you to keep records of invoices.

Setting up a business bank account is a must if you're a limited liability company, as you are legally required to separate your business and personal finances.

Capital: A Government-backed start-up loan allows you to borrow up to 25,000 at a low rate for up to five years and also provides 12 months of mentoring from a business expert

Get out there

Social media is a free and effective way of getting yourself and your business noticed.

Ms Jones says LinkedIn is essential for B2B businesses and you should be on Instagram for fashion and food. 'Twitter and Facebook are also musts,' she adds.

Mr Hawley says a slick website will help potential customers find you.

He adds: 'Luckily, website-builders make it easy to quickly create a professional website that showcases your brand.' Examples include Shopify, Wix and Squarespace.

Help is at hand

This guide won't turn you into Apple boss Steve Jobs. It simply can't cover everything  but the key message is to access available support, much of which is free.

The Prince's Trust Enterprise programme is available to those aged 18 to 30 who are unemployed or working fewer than 16 hours a week.

Enterprise Nation has teamed up with the Government to provide small firms with free one-to-one mentoring with expert business advisers. There are also dozens of free online guides available  and don't forget friends and family.

m.dilworth@dailymail.co.uk
WASHINGTON - A federal judge on Wednesday allowed the Education Department to move forward with new rules governing how schools and universities respond to complaints of sexual assault.

The rules, which take effect Friday, expand the rights of the accused, narrow the definition of sexual harassment and reduce the scope of cases that schools are required to investigate, among other changes.

In a suit challenging the rules, attorneys general from 17 states and the District of Columbia argued that the policy would block schools from investigating certain sexual abuse complaints and would discourage students from reporting assaults.

As a result, fewer sexual harassment complaints will be filed, and schools will be less well equipped to protect their students safety and rid their programs and activities of the pernicious effects of sex discrimination, the suit said.

But U.S. District Judge Carl. J. Nichols rejected those arguments.

Plaintiffs are free to investigate and punish as violations of their codes of conduct or of state law behaviour that does not meet the new definition of sexual harassment under the Final Rule, Nichols wrote.

He also turned aside an argument that the rules would bring heavy costs for schools and limit their ability to respond to the coronavirus pandemic.

The Court recognizes the obvious seriousness of the COVID-19 pandemic, he wrote. In fact, for these and other reasons, a later effective date might have been a preferable policy decision.

Still, he said, the Education Department took the pandemic into account when it issued the new rules, and schools have long known that a new policy would be coming.

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos said the ruling is yet another victory for students and reaffirms that students rights under Title IX go hand in hand with basic American principles of fairness and due process.

DeVos issued her policy May 6 after rescinding earlier guidelines from the Obama administration in 2017. Victims advocates say the 2017 rules forced colleges to confront sexual abuse after ignoring it for years. But DeVos has said the guidelines turned campus disciplinary panels into kangaroo courts that were too quick to punish accused students.

DeVos rules, which carry the weight of law, tell schools how to implement Title IX, the 1972 law barring discrimination based on sex in education.

Under her overhaul, the definition of sexual harassment is narrowed to unwelcome conduct determined by a reasonable person to be so severe, pervasive, and objectively offensive that it denies a person access to a schools education programs or activity.

The policy will now require colleges to investigate claims only if theyre reported to certain officials, and schools can be held accountable for mishandling complaints only if they acted with deliberate indifference. Opponents also took exception with a provision allowing students to question one another through representatives at live hearings.

DeVos on Wednesday said the rules require schools to to act in meaningful ways to support survivors of sexual misconduct without sacrificing important safeguards to protect free speech and provide all students with a transparent, reliable process.

The case challenging the rules was led by attorneys general in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and California, with backing from a total of 17 states and the District of Columbia.

The California and Pennsylvania attorneys general didnt immediately respond to requests for comment.

The challenge was supported by the American Council on Education, an association of university presidents, along with 24 other higher education organizations. In a June legal brief, the groups said the policy ordered a sea change for colleges but gave them less than three months to implement it.

In the best of times, that deadline would be unreasonable. But in light of the extraordinary burdens that have been placed on American colleges and universities in the wake of the COVID-19 global pandemic, that August 14 implementation deadline is problematic in the extreme, the groups wrote.



AP Education Writer Collin Binkley reported from Boston.
On the defensive in a Tuesday night debate after Rep. Joe Kennedy III highlighted multiple billionaires among Sen. Ed Markeys donors, including telecommunications and private equity executives, the senator accused Kennedys family of funding relentless negative ads as the Senate race heats up before the Sept. 1 primary.

Markey challenged his opponent to ask his father, Joseph P. Kennedy II, and twin brother, Matthew Kennedy, to cease helping to fund attack ads through a super political action committee, the New Leadership PAC.

After Kennedy knocked Markey by saying Youre the guy that took a donation from the chair of the ExxonMobil board, not me, the incumbent alleged that some of the negative ads against him may be partly funded by money that the Kennedy family previously held in trusts including stocks in Chevron, ExxonMobil and NextEra Energy.

Tell your father and tell your twin brother you dont want any money to be spent on negative ads, Markey insisted multiple times, before WBZ-TVs political analyst and moderator, Jon Keller, cut him off to let Kennedy respond.

Kennedy, whose campaign noted in May that his mothers family had divested from fossil fuel and pharmaceutical stocks, said he had no clue whether his father was helping to fund the ads.

Kennedy added that hed stated publicly several times that he doesnt support negative campaigning, and that he and former candidate Shannon Liss-Riordan wanted Super PACs out of the race altogether.

The four-term congressman noted that Markey had taken more money from telecom industry than any living member of Congress.

In June, a Super PAC for Markey, United for Massachusetts, received a $250,000 contribution from Robert Hale, president and CEO of Granite Communications, according to The Center for Responsive Politics OpenSecrets.org.

Earlier in the race, Markey had to refund almost $47,000 in campaign contributions that broke a popular pledge to refuse money from fossil fuel-connected executives and lobbyists.

Markey chose not to sign the Peoples Pledge along with Kennedy and Liss-Riordan. The agreement would have restricted PACs and outside money, but Markey instead advocated for an updated pledge that would allow for positive voices so long as the funds were transparent, including from environmental, labor and womens rights groups.

My campaign is people powered, Markey said. Congressman Kennedys campaign is fossil fuel powered.

He claimed again that the Kennedy campaign and backers, including the New Leadership PAC receiving fundraising help from Kennedys family, according to The Boston Globe, were running a relentlessly negative campaign, which I dont think is good for Massachusetts.

Kennedy quickly responded by calling out supporters of Markey who have put out tweets that bullied my supporters, put out tweets that say Lee Harvey Oswald got the wrong Kennedy, and not a word coming from you.

So cut the negative complaining, Kennedy told the senator.

Markey pledged that he would never find such a comment that included violence acceptable from his campaign or supporters, calling it absolutely wrong.

Related Content:
UPPER UWCHLAN  While drilling for the Sunoco Mariner East Pipeline, an unconfirmed 10,000 gallons of horizontal directional drilling fluid was dumped into a tributary of Marsh Creek Lake.

A plume of industrial waste mixing with state park water, containing clay and chemical additives, which can smother aquatic life, was spotted Monday.

While Sunoco/Energy Transfer has blocked the pollutant from a marsh, a large plume of gray water stretched hundreds of feet into the lake that supplies water downstream to several areas in Chester County. That water flows through the pipes at the Downingtown Municipal Water Company and as far away as Wilmington, Del., along the Brandywine Creek

A state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) representative, Virginia Cain, said Tuesday afternoon that all downstream users along the Brandywine Creek were notified, with no reports of drilling fluid released to intakes.

Her statement is as follow:

On Monday, Aug. 10, 2020, DEP responded to a report from Sunoco of a potential inadvertent return at HDD 290, a drill site off Green Valley Road in Marsh Creek State Park in Upper Uwchlan Township, Chester County. An unconfirmed amount of drilling fluid (mud and water) spilled into wetlands and a tributary to Marsh Creek Lake and migrated to the lake itself. Mitigation efforts are ongoing in numerous places in the impacted waters, and the responsible party is working to deploy additional vac trucks. DEP is working in coordination with DCNR and PA Fish & Boat on this pollution event.

The drilling mud came from an inadvertent return, or frac-out, during the drilling process, as has occurred recently in several areas of Chester and Delaware counties. Drilling was stopped.

Documentarian Christina P.K. Digiulio is a neighbor to the state park and frequent visitor.

Energy Transfer thinks they can also bully nature, she said. They were dead wrong. And now a lot of aquatic life is suffering and being suffocated by this industrial waste spill. The entire project needs to be stopped now.

More than a year ago, 250 people wrote to the DEP urging a stop to Sunoco plans to cross the popular recreation site for sailors, kayakers and those fishing. The DEP approved the plans as Sunoco requested on Jan. 23.

DEP has failed Pennsylvanians when we need them most, said attorney Joseph Otis Minott, executive director of the local Clean Air Council, an opponent of the Mariner East pipeline projects. Our lakes and parks are among our few refuges during the pandemic and they are more critical than ever.

By letting Sunoco proceed in the face of clear warnings of the destruction it would cause, DEP has made what amounts to a willful decision not to protect the publi, Minott said. Residents are weary and they are frustrated. Do your job, DEP. Step up, Governor Wolf. Fines are not enough. Shut it down.

State Rep. Danielle Friel-Otten, D-155th, of Uwchlan, visited the site Monday night.

No more pay-to-pollute policies in Pennsylvania. Governor Wolf and the DEP must pull Sunocos permits across Chester County, Friel-Otten said. In the last month, weve had more than a dozen land subsidence events surrounding a valve station on one of our most active county thoroughfares; weve had 250,000 gallons per day of water pouring out of a hillside at the drill site on Shoen Road, with a blowout event damaging private property there this weekend.

Now Sunoco has spilled 10,000 gallons of proprietary drilling mud of undisclosed composition into a tributary to a drinking water source, recreation area, and wildlife habitat, the longtime opponent of the pipeline stated. Enough is enough. I stand with Chester County residents calling for an end to this madness, and for Pennsylvania to put people over the profits of an out-of-state, multinational corporation.

The Sunoco Mariner East Pipeline was designed to stretch 350 miles from Marcellus Shale sites in West Virginia, Ohio and Pennsylvania to a Sunoco refinery in Marcus Hook, Delaware County. Sunoco has repurposed a 1930s-era pipeline to carry highly volatile gasses/liquids to be used for overseas production of plastics.

Digiulio said the waterway is near and dear to her.

This is where I go to get away from the chaos in life, she said. I paddleboard here all the time.

What I saw when I threw my drone up in the air made my jaw drop. It brought tears to my eyes because we work so hard to protect the water as community watchdogs, and it feels like we are screaming into the wind. This was completely predictable; dont let anybody tell you it was not.

The community does not yet understand the effects of this spill.

This is so reckless, the filmmaker said. It is very clear that (Energy Transfers, the construction company building the project) and the DEP have no intention of protecting our water, they only have the intention of trying to clean up and cover up for their blatant disregard of our resources, our health, and our safety.

Sam Rubin, and organizer with Food and Water Watch, released the following statement:

Throughout the whole Mariner East ordeal, Sunoco has demonstrated carelessness and a callous disregard for the people of Pennsylvania. Our communities have suffered sinkholes, spills, and water contamination, and yet Governor Wolf and his DEP have allowed this to continue. There is no way to safely construct this monstrous pipeline, and there will be no safe way to operate it in the future either.

Our homes, schools and parks are threatened by a project that only exists to serve Sunocos interests, sending dangerous gas liquids overseas to be turned into plastic junk. This mud spill and the damage it is causing was predictable and predicted. Enough is enough: Governor Wolf must shut down Mariner East before Sunoco does any more damage.

Lisa Coleman, spokeswoman for Energy Transfers, released the following statement Tuesday afternoon:

We experienced an inadvertent return (IR) of water and bentonite clay yesterday that entered into a tributary for Marsh Creek Lake in Upper Uwchlan Township. We recognize the importance of this waterbody and are committed to allocating all necessary resources to fully remediate and restore the area; which includes removing the non-toxic bentonite clay and water mix  sometimes referred to as drilling mud. The critical resources have been mobilized and the cleanup process is currently underway. We are working with the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources on our cleanup response.

While IRs are not unexpected, we try to take all precautions to avoid them from happening and to minimize the impacts when they do. IRs are covered in our permit applications approved by the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). We comply with an Inadvertent Return Contingency Plan by responding to and containing the inadvertent return to avoid any adverse impacts, and by reporting them to the DEP.

Del-Chesco United for Public Safety, a grassroots organization, released the following statement Tuesday afternoon:

In the past, little has been done about events like these. A major release at Raystown Lake resulted in a $2 million fine  trivial in the context of the budget for this proposed pipeline. If nothing changes, these releases will also result in trivial fines and Notices of Violation (NOVs) which will have no deterrent effect. Sunoco has racked up hundreds of similar NOVs for violating state law and permit conditions, which it simply ignores. The only thing that gets Sunocos attention is shutting down construction, and that is what must happen here.

Chester County Commissioners Marian Moskowitz, Josh Maxwell and Michelle Kichline said, We take seriously our role to protect Chester Countys natural resources and try to ensure the health, safety and welfare of Chester County residents, businesses and the environment. Residents in the Marsh Creek area have reached out to us about this situation, voicing their concerns for the environment and wildlife.

Although Marsh Creek is a state-owned reservoir, we will do all that we can to find answers. We are coordinating with the DEP, PEMA, the PA Fish and Boat Commission, the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, relevant county departments, township officials, and other elected officials to ensure appropriate actions are being taken by Energy Transfer to resolve the Marsh Creek incident, and by the Commonwealth agencies to prevent situations like this happening in the future.

Residents are reminded to report observed or suspected pollution events directly to the DEP at 484-250-5900 to file an official complaint or concern. This hotline is monitored 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
U.S. President Donald Trump named the situation surrounding the nuclear disarmament talks with Russia worlds biggest present-day problem.



"Were dealing with Russia right now on a nuclear arms pact, because, and they want to do it. They want to do it badly," Trump said in an interview with radio host Hugh Hewitt. "I dont think theyll wait. I think they want to do it. And its a great thing. This is the biggest problem in the world today."



"Were dealing with Russia right now on that," the U.S. leader added.



Trump said in response to a TASS question on November 4, 2019, that the U.S. would like to make a new arms control agreement with Russia and China, and maybe some other countries. A U.S. Department of State spokesperson told TASS on April 9 that Washington was considering the possibility of extending New START.



New START, which came into force in 2011, limits Russia and the U.S. to no more than 700 deployed intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM), submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBM) and strategic bombers, no more than 1,550 deployed warheads and 800 deployed and non-deployed launchers.



The Treaty is set to remain in effect for ten years (until 2021) unless a new document is signed to replace it. The document can also be extended for no more than five years (that is, until 2026) by mutual agreement of the parties.



On August 16-18, Russia and the United States will hold another round of consultations on strategic stability in Vienna. The Russian delegation will be led by Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, the U.S. one - by Special Presidential Envoy for Arms Control Marshall Billingslea.
Acts of malicious vandalism targeting Black Lives Matter signage have rattled a Massachusetts town in recent weeks, police said.

Residents in Arlington reported Monday morning that six banners, murals or signs that expressed either support for the Black Lives Matter movement or opposition to discrimination were defaced, according to a statement from the towns police department.

The vandalism was reported at the Calvary Church, the First Parish Unitarian Universalist of Arlington and at two homes in the eastern part of the Middlesex County town, the statement said.

#ArlingtonMA Police respond to 4 Incidents of vandalism toward Black Lives Matter signage. APD are investigating and ask anyone with information to come forward. http://ow.ly/VU9q50AWF70 Posted by Arlington, Massachusetts Police Department on Tuesday, August 11, 2020

The First Parishs Black Lives Matter banner was altered to read, ALL Lives Matter, and the Calvary Churchs two BLM signs and mural were destroyed, according to police.

At one of the vandalized homes, a sticker showing an image of the Ku Klux Klan white supremacist group was affixed to a Black Lives Matter lawn sign, the Arlington Police Department said.

The same KKK sticker was attached to a Hate Has No Home Here sign on another residents lawn, according to the departments statement.

In both cases, the sticker depicted a klansman wearing a white robe and a mask on a horse with a torch, police said.

Although the vandalism was reported Monday, in the past few weeks, people have stolen, egged or vandalized multiple Black Lives Matter signs, including a banner at the towns high school.

We are thoroughly investigating these incidents, said Arlington Police Chief Julie Flaherty. The hurtful messages far outweigh the physical damage done and underscore the work that needs to be done to make Arlington a truly supportive and welcoming town.

The global Black Lives Matter movement was founded in 2013 in response to the acquittal of the killer of Trayvon Martin, an unarmed Black teenager who was killed by a neighborhood watch captain.

The international organization aims to eradicate white supremacy and combat racial violence committed against communities of color. It has been organizing hundreds of demonstrations in the wake of the death of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man killed by a Minneapolis police officer in May.

Sharon Grossman and Kristen Bauer, co-chairs of the Arlington Human Rights Commission, said the AHRC has formed a working group to explore responses to the white supremacist vandalism in the town and ways to support the community.

The Arlington Human Rights Commission is appalled at this pattern of racist destruction, defacement and vandalism, they said in a statement.

Police have urged anyone with information about the vandalism to call the department at (781) 643-1212 or report it via Tip411.

Related Topics:
(Natural News) In an attempt to justify the states ongoing face mask mandates, Kansas Health Secretary Dr. Lee Norman recently held a press conference at which he presented a colorful data chart suggesting that masked counties in Kansas are faring much better than unmasked counties in terms of new Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) cases. But there was just one problem: The data that Dr. Norman presented was deliberately faked.

Appearing to plot a seven-day average for new Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) cases per 100,000 people across Kansas, Dr. Normans chart made it seem as though counties in Kansas that require face masks are seeing case declines, while those that allow people to breathe normally have a flat rate of new cases. But this was all a facade, as Dr. Norman had deliberately used a different set of ranges on the two axes to make the graphs appearance fit his pro-mask narrative.

It was actually The Sentinel, a non-profit watchdog group based out of Kansas, that noticed the anomaly and pressed Dr. Norman on it. During his presentation, a reporter from The Sentinel asked Dr. Norman if the blue line, which represented new Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) cases in unmasked Kansas counties, would drop below the orange line, which represented new Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) cases is masked Kansas counties.

If the no-mask counties would start masking, would it [blue line] drop, and would it dip down below the mask counties? this reporter from The Sentinel asked.

I think it would, Dr. Norman answered.

But the chart was consciously manipulated to produce that appearance by comparing the same data (cases per day) on different axes, the Sentinel reporter further charged.

Cases for mandate counties are based on the left axis, with a range of 15 to 25, while those without mandates are based on a secondary axis on the right, with a scale of 4 to 14, he added, exposing the alleged data as a manipulated farce.

Unmasked counties in Kansas are actually doing BETTER than masked counties, data shows

To drive home the point that Dr. Normans data was obviously manipulated, The Sentinel created its own new graph with equivalent, and thus accurate, axes, which produced completely different results. As it turns out, the no-mask counties had fewer new cases of the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) than mask counties  the exact opposite of what Dr. Normans chart implied.

At a time when the public needs government to provide sound conclusions with accurate information, its unfortunate the Kansas Health Secretary knowingly deceived the public into justifying his narrative, stated Kansas Policy Institute (KPI) economist Michael Austin in response to the revelation.

At best, both masked and unmasked counties in Kansas are seeing similar declines in new cases of the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19), suggesting that masks are unnecessary. At worst, masked counties are actually seeing more new cases of the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) than unmasked counties. In both cases, masks are hardly the health saviors that people like Dr. Norman continue to claim they are.

Governor Kelly and her administration have failed Kansans time and again, but manipulating data to intentionally deceive the entire state is a new low, stated Kansas House Majority Leader Dan Hawkins.

Tens of thousands of Kansans have lost their jobs and businesses as a direct result of Governor Kellys politics-first response to the COVID pandemic, and these individuals struggling to make ends meet deserve to know the truth. It is reprehensible for a public servant like Dr. Norman that we trusted to protect our health and safety in a nonpartisan way to intentionally spread misinformation. The Kelly administration has lost all credibility.

The latest news about the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) is available at Pandemic.news.

Sources for this article include:

TheNewAmerican.com

SentinelKSMO.org

NaturalNews.com
Michelle Bachelets remarks come as hundreds of women in Minsk protest against post-election violent clampdown.

The United Nations human rights chief has condemned a violent crackdown by Belarusian authorities against peaceful protests after longtime President Alexander Lukashenko claimed a landslide victory in an election his opponents say was rigged.

Michelle Bachelet said on Wednesday police were reported to have used excessive force as they clashed with demonstrators for three consecutive nights, firing rubber bullets, using water cannon and throwing stun grenades while carrying out thousands of arrests.

I remind the Belarusian authorities that the use of force during protests should always be exceptional and a measure of last resort, clearly differentiating between any violent individuals and peaceful protesters, against whom force should not be used, Bachelet said in a statement.

 #Belarus: UN Human Rights Chief @mbachelet condemns the violent response of the Belarusian authorities to the peaceful demonstrations held across the country in the aftermath of the presidential election and calls for peoples grievances to be heard  https://t.co/wKz0s2LgvM pic.twitter.com/cQSiWwZZWy  UN Human Rights (@UNHumanRights) August 12, 2020

Her comments came as hundreds of women marched in the capital, Minsk, to condemn the violence, holding flowers in the air and chanting slogans.

They can come to your home, they can break the door in your apartment, they can catch you anywhere, when you go shopping, or go to the hospital, they can find you and detain and beat you, a young woman on a bicycle told Al Jazeera.

They started beating me

Another protester added: I dont want our husbands, brothers and sons to die. We are for a peaceful Belarus and for fair elections.

Meanwhile, relatives and friends gathered outside a detention centre in Minsk where protesters were being kept. Worried about the fate of their loved ones, they shouted cries of support. Nearby, a recently released 17-year-old boy said he was severely beaten after being arrested while sitting on a bench in the city centre.

Riot police came to me with six men and started beating me, Denis told Al Jazeera. When I grabbed their stick they started to beat me even more and sprayed something in my face, it was burning. When I asked for medical aid they did not help me.

Demonstrations erupted on Sunday evening after authorities said Lukashenko, who has been in power since 1994, won 80 percent of the vote held earlier in the day.

Lukashenkos main challenger in the presidential race, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, said on Tuesday she had fled to Lithuania for the sake of her children. A 37-year-old former English teacher who took her husbands place on the ballot after he was jailed, Tikhanovskaya urged her compatriots not to oppose the police and to avoid putting their lives in danger.

Lithuania, Poland and Latvia, meanwhile, jointly offered to mediate between Lukashenko and the protesters, and threatened sanctions at a European or national level if the offer was declined.

Mass detentions

Lukashenko has accused the demonstrators of being in cahoots with foreign backers from Russia and elsewhere to topple his government, and compared them to criminal gangs.

The core of all these so-called protesters today comprises people with a criminal history and the unemployed, he said at a government meeting on Wednesday.

But in her statement, Bachelet also said the authorities should hear and respond to peoples electoral grievances and lambasted what she described as the trend of massive arrests in clear violation of international human rights standards.

Reports suggest that more [than] approximately 6,000 people have been detained in the last three days, including bystanders as well as minors, the former Chilean president said.

Even more disturbing are the reports of ill-treatment during and after detention, she added, calling for the immediate release of those unlawfully detained and thorough and impartial investigations into alleged human rights violations.





Bachelet also voiced concern at the intermittent internet shutdowns since Sunday, as well as the blocking of many social media platforms, saying it amounted to a severe curtailment of the right to freedom of expression.

Riot police have also targeted press photographers, pulling out memory cards and breaking cameras.

Free flow of information is crucial in any democratic society, and especially in a context of crisis and social unrest, said Bachelet.

But even more so, in the current situation of the COVID-19 pandemic, and where people might feel compelled to express dissent online rather than on the streets. The right to peacefully protest online must be also protected.
TUSD will only invite small subsets of students, which the district deems the most vulnerable, back on campus on Aug. 17.

As the coronavirus continues to impact the city, Tucsons largest school district is planning on accommodating high needs special education students, children in foster care, those experiencing homelessness and refugees.

If we actually removed the structure of the classroom, the brick-and-mortar building of school and the services of food and transportation that go along with it and the access to onsite services, who amongst the TUSD overall student body would experience such a barrier that learning would practically just stop? said TUSD superintendent Gabriel Trujillo. We were left with these four categories of students.

Tucson Unified School District kicked off the school year with remote instruction only on Aug. 10. The state has called for Arizona schools to offer some form of in-person supervision of children for families that want it starting Aug. 17, tying the requirement to funding.

Trujillo clarified that the district wont turn any student away but will prioritize those categories. Families with students who need a place to go during the day but who fall outside those categories can reach out to TUSD and their situations will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

The district will partner with the City of Tucsons KIDCO to provide low-cost child care for other families who need it at 16 alternative sites.
ALBANY, N.Y.  A 41-year-old Troy man pleaded guilty Tuesday to conspiring to distribute at least 10 kilograms of heroin.

The announcement was made by United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith; Special Agent in Charge Ray Donovan, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), New York Division; and Rensselaer County Sheriff Pat Russo.

In pleading guilty, Mario Figueroa-Portalatin admitted that for two years ending in March 2020, he sold at least 10 kilograms of heroin, which he acquired from a source of supply in New York City.

From March 2018 to March 2020, he traveled to New York City once a month, on average, and each time purchased between 500 grams and 1 kilogram of heroin that he brought back to Troy, packaged, and sold.

On March 30, 2020, Figueroa-Portalatin was the subject of a traffic stop in Troy. Police officers seized a black canvas bag, on the front passenger floorboard of his vehicle, that contained approximately 200 grams of heroin that Figueroa intended to sell that day to a customer.

Law enforcement then executed warrants on Figueroas apartment and another apartment in the same building, and seized $34,001 in drug trafficking proceedings. In Figueroas bedroom, officers found a Hi-Point model JHP .45 caliber pistol.

Figueroa-Portalatin will be sentenced on Dec. 8, 2020, by Chief United States District Judge Glenn T. Suddaby. He faces at least 10 years and up to life in prison, as well as post-release supervision of at least five years and up to life. A defendants sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.

This case was investigated by DEA Albany and the Rensselaer County Sheriffs Office and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Barnett.
Getty Images



By Yi Whan-woo



Korea's diplomatic policy of strategic ambiguity toward the U.S.-China row is being called into question in terms of its effectiveness, with the conflict between the two world powers increasingly expanding from the economic sphere to the security arena.



The strategy, according to analysts, is based on the premise of not antagonizing China so that Korea can secure benefits from both Beijing and Washington  relying on the former for trade and the latter for its security interests.



But an increasing number of cases in what started as a trade row now involve security and economic issues at the same time, ranging from the Huawei ban and the Economic Prosperity Network (EPN) initiative to the Hong Kong Autonomy Act, all measures taken by Washington against Beijing.



"And this is forcing Korea to make its stance clear and choose between the U.S. and China in every case of a conflict scenario," said Park Won-gon, an international relations professor at Handong Global University.



He referred to the U.S. urging LG Uplus, July 22, to switch to "trusted vendors."



LG Uplus is the only major Korean telecom operator using equipment from Chinese telecommunications equipment manufacturer Huawei, which the U.S. has accused of stealing technology and is pressing its allies to shun.



In what is seen as a countermeasure to the Huawei sanctions, China warned Samsung and SK hyix, among other major international technology companies, in June that they could face "dire consequences" if they cooperate with the U.S. ban on sales of key American technology to Chinese companies.



The U.S. has asked Korea to join the EPN, an envisioned alliance of "trusted partners" to remove global industrial supply chains from China amid the intensifying trade war.



President Trump signed the Hong Kong Autonomy Act, July 14, to impose sanctions on China in response to its interference with Hong Kong's autonomy.



The law came after 27 countries issued a joint statement July 1 against China imposing a national security law on Hong Kong, which they said "undermines" the city's freedom.



Korea has not joined the 27, after Chinese Ambassador to Seoul Xing Haiming said he believed in "winning understanding and support from the Korean side" over the security law.



"Under the Trump administration, the row with China is getting complicated as it spans many areas at the same time," said Kim Hyun-wook, a professor at the Korea National Diplomatic Academy (KNDA). "This is making it difficult for Korea to seek U.S. understanding when it comes to conflicts of economic interests between Washington and Beijing."



Among other U.S.-China conflicts that Korea may be forced to choose sides on are the U.S.-led Indo Pacific Alliance and China's territorial disputes in the South China Sea.



What can be Korea's new strategy?



In a meeting to come up with measures to deal with the U.S.-China dispute, July 28, Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha proposed a set of principles in four areas: security, the economy, science and technology, and values and norms.



Regarding security, she called for expanding Seoul's constructive role in strengthening regional stability through its alliance with Washington.



For the economy-related sector, she said the government should enhance its principles of fairness, reciprocity, transparency and inclusiveness.



In science and technology, Kang said the administration will work to strengthen technological security.



"Even a little frictions can escalate into a fierce conflict. It is appearing more difficult to find the middle ground and seek cooperation," she said. "Holding our balance and harmonizing various and often contradicting elements is vital under these changing circumstances."



Professor Park said he agrees with upholding fairness, reciprocity, transparency and inclusiveness, adding "these are basic values shared by the international community."



Park, however, noted pursuing such "universal" values would not guarantee amicable relations with both the U.S. and China.



He argued the Trump administration has been pursuing trade protectionism and shunning multilateralism.



On Korea-China relations, Park pointed to Beijing's economic retaliation against Seoul for the deployment of a U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile system here.



"None of these are in accordance with international norms and we have to be ready to suffer disadvantages for not standing with either the U.S. or China when they act against internationally-accepted values," Park said.



The professor added it was important to draw a public consensus when Korea is being forced to choose a side between the U.S. and China.



"For instance, I would say the social divide over whether the THAAD deployment was appropriate gave China confidence that we can't fight back as one against retaliatory measures on Korean businesses," Park said.



Professor Kim thinks Korea should still stick to strategic ambiguity while "saving the moment of making a choice between the U.S. and China till the last moment."



"I find it risky to say Korea should make its stance clear in every case involving the U.S.-China dispute," he said, adding the country, unlike Europe and Australia that side with the U.S., is "in a geopolitically disadvantageous position."



"Given this situation, we should make a choice only when necessary."



Kim brought up the THAAD dispute and argued "receiving assurances" for a choice in favor of either the U.S. or China would be critical.



The U.S. was seen as disinterested in assisting Korea against China's "bullying" over the THAAD deployment, he noted.


Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-12 13:24:27|Editor: huaxia

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Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference Leung Chun-ying speaks in an interview in Hong Kong, south China, Aug. 11, 2020. (Xinhua/Wu Xiaochu)

HONG KONG, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- The decision of China's top legislature on the vacancy of the Legislative Council (LegCo) of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) will allow Hong Kong to focus on the anti-epidemic fight, Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference Leung Chun-ying said.

The sixth LegCo will continue to perform duties for no less than a year until the term of the seventh LegCo starts, according to a decision passed Tuesday at the 21st session of the Standing Committee of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC).

"The decision of the NPC Standing Committee is reasonable and legitimate and has received support from most Hong Kong residents," Leung told Xinhua on Tuesday.

The decision addressed the LegCo vacancy after HKSAR Chief Executive Carrie Lam announced in late July postponement of the election of the seventh-term LegCo, which was originally scheduled for Sept. 6, 2020, for one year due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

"If the election were held as scheduled, the public gatherings of millions of voters would significantly increase the infection risk. Many voters, in particular old-aged voters, would likely give up their voting rights for fear of the infection risk, which would make an unfair election," Leung said.

Leung believed Tuesday's decision will allow the HKSAR government to concentrate efforts to rein in the COVID-19 spread and will ensure effective cooperation between the HKSAR government and legislature on various issues including developing the economy and improving people's livelihood.

"I hope the LegCo members who will remain in the post, no matter what political stance they have, will genuinely assume their responsibility according to the Basic Law to work with the government to contain the epidemic and push for an early economic recovery," Leung said.

The HKSAR government has announced plans to launch voluntary virus testing for all Hong Kong residents with the help of a mainland supportive team and three national testing service providers.

Leung welcomed the help of mainland professionals that significantly enhances the testing capacity of Hong Kong. "I and my family will register for the testing," he said.

Leung dismissed rumors spread by the opposition camp, such as the claim that DNA data of Hong Kong residents taking the virus tests will be sent to the mainland. He said people have no need to worry as those rumormongers are just repeating the smearing tactics that they had adopted over the past years.

The Hong Kong police arrested 10 people on Monday, with some suspected of breaching the national security law in Hong Kong, including Jimmy Lai Chee-ying, an instigator of the Hong Kong riots.

Leung said he believes Lai was arrested on suspicion of breaking laws, not because of the media company he owns, and stressed that freedom of the press is always guaranteed by law in Hong Kong.

"The national security law in Hong Kong has played an effective role in cracking down on violence and safeguarding social order since taking effect," Leung said, adding that more efforts should be made in this regard.

Responding to the so-called U.S. sanctions against some Chinese officials, including HKSAR government officials, Leung said the sanctions had hardly any influence on Hong Kong, adding that Hong Kong affairs, which are China's internal affairs, have nothing to do with other countries. Enditem
New Delhi, Aug 12 (IANS) As part of tradition, Delhi skies are studded with kites of various shapes and sizes just as Independence Day approaches. Image Source: IANS News

New Delhi, Aug 12 : As part of tradition, Delhi skies are studded with kites of various shapes and sizes just as Independence Day approaches.

Flying kites has become a symbol of freedom, with both the young and the old taking part in kite-flying competitions either on their rooftops or empty grounds. Young kids rushing to kite shops to buy kites and charkhis is a common sight.

However it is not entirely a happy picture. Some of the strings used for these kite-flying competitions are coated with glass and metal. These are popularly known as the 'Chinese manjha' in the market. The string can prove fatal if it strikes around the neck. In recent years many people including children have lost their lives because of its use, prompting the government to ban it in 2017 in Delhi. The National Green Tribunal ordered a total ban on manjha made of nylon or any other synthetic material in 2017 as well.

As Independence Day nears, the use of drones and paragliders have already been banned by the Delhi police. Now, the police is keeping a constant vigil on the sale of glass-coated manjha in the market.

"Using kite thread made out of plastic, nylon or similar synthetic materials popularly known as 'Chinese manjha' or any other thread coated with glass or metallic powder causes injury to humans and birds which at times proves fatal. Such deaths and incidents have been seen in the past few years," said a senior police officer.

Several police stations in Delhi have been asked to escalate vigil in their areas around kite shops and see if rules are being flouted and the banned manjha is either being secretly sold or purchased.

"Any person found selling the metallic powder or nylon or plastic majhas would be booked under section 188 of the Indian penal code," said the officer.

Surprise raids are also being conducted at various shops in different parts of the city. Most of the manjha supplies in Delhi come from Bareilly, Meerut and even Noida.

While many people including children have fallen victim to the deadly manjha, the police find to difficult to identify the accused as the kite-flyer cannot be traced through CCTV. Also tracing the string to its source is difficult considering several kites fly in the sky.

In August 2019, a civil engineer died after his throat was slit with a glass-coated manjha string in the capital's Paschim Vihar area when he was going to a relative's place.

In August 2016, in Delhi, a three-year-old child collapsed in the lap of her mother after she peeped out of the car window when a glass-coated manjha slit her throat. She was rushed to the hospital but could not be saved.

Latest updates on Independence Day 2020
Kin Man Hui /San Antonio Express-News

Metallica is preparing to pre-record a concert that will be shown Aug. 29 at hundreds of drive-ins across the country, including two in the San Antonio area, the heavy metal band announced Monday on Facebook.

The pre-recorded show will be the first time the band has played together since their concerts in San Francisco in September 2019, according to a news release from Encore Live.
San Antonio police found a man dead in the front seat of a vehicle on the North Side Wednesday morning.

Just before 2:30 a.m., police received a call about a white Mitsubishi in the ditch near the 6000 block of North Loop 1604. When they arrived, they found the man dead.

FIND OUT FIRST: Get San Antonio breaking news directly to your inbox

The driver of the Mitsubishi was speeding down Loop 1604 when he rear-ended an unknown red vehicle before losing control and crashing into the median between the highway and access road, SAPD said. A witness saw the debris and the vehicle and called 911 after checking on the victim, however there were no witnesses to the crash.

Police did not find the second vehicle at the scene an closed off some eastbound lanes to investigate.

Taylor Pettaway is a breaking news and general assignment reporter for MySA.com | taylor.pettaway@express-news.net | @TaylorPettaway
A woman had the veins in her vagina 'closed off' after a medical condition left her with chronic pain every time she had sex with her boyfriend.

Victoria Jenkins, 34, from Islington, north London, began experiencing excruciating stabbing pains during intercourse four years ago which also left her with a swollen abdomen.

She was diagnosed with pelvic congestion syndrome - pain caused my enlarged veins in the pelvis  in 2016 but was told there was nothing the NHS could do to treat it.

Victoria was even forced to take painkillers so she could be intimate with boyfriend Jack Morgan, 32, who shes been in a relationship with for eight years and hid just how much it hurt her.

But when the chronic pain became so intense, Victoria decided to research her condition and found a procedure that could help.

Victoria Jenkins, 34, pictured, from Islington, began experiencing excruciating stabbing pains during intercourse four years ago which also left her with a swollen abdomen

She had kept the pain she experienced after sex from her boyfriend of eight years Jack Morgan, 32

Victoria, pictured in hospital after the procedure, said the pain was more intense than anything she had experienced

However the procedure had to be performed without a general anaesthetic due to safety reasons, with brave Victoria only receiving a local anaesthetic to her neck where tubes were inserted.

She saved 6,500 to have a vein embolisation performed privately at the Whiteley Clinic, in London, where doctors inserted a tube into her neck, down her body and into her pelvis while she was awake.

The freelance clothing designer for Unhidden, an adaptive fashion label for people with disabilities, was only given a local anesthetic on her neck and a small dose of diazepam to calm her nerves.

She was then told to squeeze a stress ball as 11 metal coils were inserted inside the tube to travel down to her pelvic veins and scar them, which will close them off permanently, stopping the pain.

After two weeks of healing, Victoria was finally able to have intercourse with Jack for the first time in three months and says the pain is finally bearable and she is getting better every day.

Weve had sex once after I had the operation a week ago and already I could feel a huge difference - especially in my left side, Victoria says in an exclusive interview.

Doctors inserted a tube into her neck, down her body and into her pelvis while she was awake. Pictured, the area of the neck where the tube was inserted

Victoria saved 6,500 to have a vein embolisation performed privately, where doctors inserted a tube into her neck, down her body and into her pelvis while she was awake. (Pictured after an operation in 2012 when a stomach ulcer burst)

I was in pain during sex before but the agony of the procedure itself was horrific.

Over the past eight years Ive built up a high tolerance to pain - I admitted myself to A&E for two days after my stomach ulcer burst.

But this procedure was like nothing Ive ever felt before - I felt like my pelvic area was on fire and had razor-blades cutting into it.

I was given a syringe to bite down on and a stress ball to squeeze. I also had a nurse holding my arm to comfort me but nothing helped and I was shouting out from the pain.

What is Pelvic Congestion Syndrome? Pelvic Congestion Syndrome causes chronic pelvic pain due to enlarged varicose veins in the pelvis and is also known as ovarian vein reflux. It is more common in women who have had children. Vein embolisation closes off the veins so they can no longer enlarge with blood, relieving the pain. The procedure is usually carried out under local anesthetic or intravenous sedation. Advertisement

Even though it was the most painful procedure Ive ever experienced, Im happy I had it done and hope that the effects of the operation will only get better.

Victorias nightmare began in 2016 when she started to experience dull, period-like pains all the time, shooting pains down her legs and swelling of her stomach when she walked. Sex became excrutiating.

I thought it was a cyst on my ovaries, Victoria says. Ive had them in the past and the symptoms were similar so I thought it would go on its own.

But the pain continued and it got to the point where I needed to go and see someone to get some answers.

Experiencing pain during and after sex isnt normal and I didnt want my relationship to be effected because of it.

But a gynaecologist revealed that Victoria was actually suffering from Pelvic Congestion Syndrome and there was no treatment or cure she could have on the NHS.

I was desperate to sort it out so went to a private doctor who gave me painkillers but they didnt do anything, she says.

The pain during sex was really extreme and because I couldnt relax Id seize up.

Sex would leave Victoria with a swollen lower abdomen and the condition could also leave her bed bound.

There were times when I couldnt get out of bed for a week, it was so bad.

Victoria tried to cope with the pain before paying another private doctor to prescribe lidocaine pain patches - which work by stopping nerve signals to the brain - but they didnt help either.

Since the operation she said sex has been less painful with her boyfriend Jack and hopes it will get even less painful with time

Victoria pictured two hours after the operation, had bruising on her neck after a tube was fed down it to her pelvis

A small incision was made into her neck but the intrusive procedure left her with lots of bruising

It became painful to even stand up and walk for more than 15 minutes and Id be swollen and bloated just from that.

Sometimes Id look three months pregnant and could only wear leggings as they were the most comfortable thing I had.

Finally, Victoria decided to have surgery done privately as it wasnt available on the NHS.

In January 2020 Victoria went for a consultation, supported by her boyfriend, Jack, a market researcher - who was shocked to discover the extent of her pain during intercourse.

We were talking to the consultant and he said that I must have problems being intimate and asked me if it causes me a lot of pain, she says.

I blushed at that point and Jack was shocked, as I hadnt been honest with him about just how painful it really was.

I was worried about putting a strain on the relationship. Weve been together for eight years and I thought that if I told him then he would be too worried that I was in pain to have sex.

The 34-year-old has several chronic conditions and has recently purchased a walking stick to help her get around more easily

After her stomach operation in 2012, Victoria spent time at home recovering with her dog and she believes her health has never been the same since

Victorias nightmare began in 2016 when she started to experience dull, period-like pains all the time, shooting pains down her legs and swelling of her stomach when she walked

But if you take sex away then its just like youre living with a friend. I wanted to show Jack just how much I loved him.

After Victoria admitted the truth, she and Jack didnt have sex for a month as he didnt want to hurt her. We just hoped that once the procedure was done, Id be out of pain and we could get our sex life back on track, she explains.

Victoria was meant to have surgery performed in May, but it was postponed until July 25 because of coronavirus.

I have a high threshold anyway from years of chronic pain, she says. But nothing could have prepared me for the agony of the procedure.

I thought Id be getting some kind of anaesthetic so that I couldnt feel anything at all but I didnt

I lay on my side wearing a facemask while the nurse gave me a small dose of diazepam because I was so anxious.

I also had local anesthetic applied to the area of my neck that they were inserting the tubes in - but that was it.

I was given a syringe to bite down on and a stress ball to squeeze for when the pain became overwhelming.

When the coils reached my pelvic area it felt like razor blades cutting into me, she says. It was horrific pain, the worst Ive ever felt - like cystitis times a thousand.

Doctors then inserted nine platinum and two tungsten coils down the tube and into her pelvic area.

Victoria estimates that each coil was 1mm wide and 4cm long.

That bit was so painful I kept on shouting out while squeezing the ball and biting down hard on the syringe.

My leg kept jolting because of the pain and I thought at one point I was going to accidentally kick one of the nurses.

Victoria says since the operation sex with her boyfriend has become more bearable and the 4cm coils seem to be working

She went for a consultation in January 2020, supported by her boyfriend, Jack, a market researcher - who was shocked to discover the extent of her pain during intercourse

I was told the average procedure time was 45 minutes, she says. But it ended up taking 1hr 40 minutes as they had to put in more coils than they planned.

Finally, the procedure was over and she was wheeled to recovery.

The second I saw Jack I just burst into tears, she says. I told him how badly it had hurt and he gave me a hug and was really supportive.

Victoria was told to wait for 48 hours before having sex but left it over a week instead.

I wanted to make sure I was completely healed and give the coils a chance to work, she says.

But when we finally had sex the pain was already so much more bearable, especially on the left side of my pelvis. I hope that it will have even more of an effect than it already has and will make having sex completely pain-free again.

The coils will stay in for the rest of my life. I cant physically feel them inside me, but my body is aware that theyre there, she says.

The effects of the vein embolisation are meant to last for life - unless more varicose veins appear in Victorias pelvis.

Victoria suffers from nine other conditions - including IBS, gastroparesis, diverticular disease and Raynauds syndrome - which all cause her chronic pain.

I find it hard to stand up for more than 15 minutes at a time, she says. I bought a walking stick in January to help me move about more easily which has really helped.

Victoria has also had her gallbladder and appendix removed and has had an additional exit made from her stomach into her intestine to help her digest food more easily following her gastroparesis- a condition where the stomach cannot empty itself of food in the normal way.

The clothing designer believes that her health fell into decline following a burst stomach ulcer in 2012, which she was visiting the doctors for three years before it burst.

Every time I went to the doctor with stomach pains theyd tell me I was stressed or had IBS, Victoria says. I knew it wasnt either but had to wait until my ulcer burst for anyone to listen to me.

Surgeons tried to do keyhole surgery but had to cut me open to drain out the stomach acid and check there was no damage to my organs.

After I spent five days in hospital and had a morphine pump, but the vein embolisation procedure was so much more painful than the stomach ulcer.

But looking back now Id say the operation was worth the pain.

Victoria lay on her side wearing a facemask while the nurse gave her a small dose of diazepam because she was so anxious.

If more varicose veins developed in my pelvis and I needed the procedure done again, I would have it but would ask to be sedated first this time.

The procedure has enabled me to have a normal sex life again with my partner and even thought it was nearly two hours of excrutiating pain it was worth it.

Professor Mark Whiteley, a Consultant Venous Surgeon and Consultant Phlebologist at The Whiteley Clinic, says: One in three women who go to gynaecologists with chronic pelvic pain have pelvic congestion syndrome but gynaecologists misdiagnose it as endometriosis.

Every local anaesthetic patient is given a stress ball as it reduces pain and anxiety during any local anaesthetic procedure.

We don't currently use general anaesthetic or sedation because it is safer not to. We moved over to local anaesthetic 5  years ago and our patient success rate and satisfaction rate increased dramatically.

Anaesthetic and sedation both increase the risk to the patient quite considerably.

No surgical procedure that is effective will ever be completely pain-free in the whole process of performing the procedure and recovery.

But our 20 years of research has got this to the lowest amount of pain, the high success rate and the safest possible way that this procedure can be done currently.
The Bachelor's Locklan 'Locky' Gilbert has broken his silence on rumours that 'dozens' of women pulled out of the show after realising he was the suitor.

Woman's Day had reported earlier this week that several contestants dropped out after learning that Locky, 30, spends half the year living in Bali, where he owns a tourism company.

Addressing the gossip on The Kyle and Jackie O Show on Wednesday, the former Australian Survivor star said: 'I don't see how that's true because the girls don't know who I am and I don't know who the girls are. I don't know where that's come from.'

'I don't know where that's come from': The Bachelor's Locky Gilbert has broken his silence on rumours that 'dozens' of women pulled out of the show after realising he was the suitor

'They said it's because of Bali,' he continued. 'Bali is just a place [where] I have a business. I don't need to live there.

'I'm lucky enough to run my company from anywhere in the world. So yeah, I don't know where that came from.'

It comes after a production insider claimed to Woman's Day on Monday: 'There was a revolving door of women; it was quite a headache for casting.'

Claims: Woman's Day had reported earlier this week that several contestants dropped out after learning that Locky, 30, spends half the year living in Bali, where he owns a tourism company

Dozens of bachelorettes apparently quit after learning that Locky spends six months a year living in Bali, where he owns the Four Elements Adventure tourism company.

'A lot of women were disinterested,' the source said.

'It was just hard to get them to sign up and compete for a guy who spends half his life in another country.'

Speaking out: Addressing the gossip on The Kyle and Jackie O Show on Wednesday, the former Australian Survivor star said: 'I don't see how that's true because the girls don't know who I am and I don't know who the girls are. I don't know where that's come from'

Producers reportedly had to work overtime to 'encourage the girls to take the process seriously and put it all on the line' for Locky.

Tensions were running so high over the matter that the 'awkward' first few weeks of filming even saw the women argue over who would seriously consider leaving their friends and family behind to start over in Bali.

Despite the rumoured casting struggles, Locky has repeatedly assured fans that he found love on The Bachelor.

Tricky situation: It comes after a production insider claimed to Woman's Day on Monday, 'There was a revolving door of women; it was quite a headache for casting'

He said over the weekend: 'I can definitely assure you I am madly in love. It's an amazing feeling and to be able to say it out aloud now, it's a really good feeling.

'It's definitely a love story that everyone will remember. It's a crazy ride, I'll tell you that,' he added.

The Bachelor premieres tonight at 7:30pm on Channel 10
Petrofac, a leading international service provider to the energy industry, said its aims to reduce its direct and indirect emissions to net zero by 2030, and work to influence its supply chain to set its own reduction targets.



Our Net Zero target supports the principles of the Paris Agreement, the UK governments Net Zero goal, and is aligned with our clients own ambitions as the sector moves to a net zero future. Our gender diversity target will help develop more women leaders for Petrofac and our industry, and builds on our work of increasing female representation at both Board and junior levels, said Group Chief Executive Ayman Asfari.



Sustainability is at the core of our strategy, underpinning best-in-class delivery, future growth and enhanced returns. It allows us to help clients decarbonise their activities as well as our own; promote safe, local delivery and ethical value chains underpinned by rigorous compliance and governance; and build a diverse workforce that helps address the sectors skills gap.



Petrofac will focus the business on three areas:



 Reduce - cut its emissions by implementing energy efficiencies and low carbon strategies on sites and operations, optimising operations and methods of construction and advancing flare and venting reduction and carbon abatement plans.

 Transform - adopt new technologies such as phasing in hybrid and electric vehicles on site, decarbonising heating and cooling systems by switching to renewable electricity where available and fitting smart building technology in offices to maximise energy efficiency.

 Enable - support its clients, partners and suppliers in their lower carbon ambitions, enable flexible and agile working practices, continue to embed emission reductions targets in management scorecards and incentivise staff to be advocates for Net Zero.



Petrofac comprises 80 nationalities and its Board has achieved 33% female representation, but we recognise we need to do more to increase the number of women in management.



We will achieve our target of 30% of women in senior roles by 2030 through a series of measures that include: continuing to embed diversity targets in management scorecards; developing our in-house diversity and inclusion capability; implementing Women in Leadership and working without bias training programmes for all our employees and; mentoring high potential women by Executive Committee members, a Petrofac statement said.



To ensure we achieve our 2030 target, we are also setting interim targets of 10% of women in senior roles by 2021 and 20% of women in senior roles by 2025.



We are proud of our track record of developing young talent and building diversity from within. We will build on the 46% women in our 2019 graduate engineering intake by continuing to encourage more female graduates to join Petrofac as we develop our female leaders.



Finally, we want to build teams that reflect the communities we serve, and will be advancing programmes such as our graduate academy to further increase the national diversity of our workforce and leadership to better reflect the countries in which we operate, it added.  TradeArabia News Service
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Two Lebanese, Dina Jihad Khali and Chamseddine Waell Mohmmed, have been arrested for attempting to smuggle $890,000 out of Nigeria, through the Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa.

They were arrested by officers of the Customs Area Command, Port Harcourt, Rivers State on Wednesday and handed over to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The suspects were arrested on Wednesday, August 12, 2020 and handed over to the Port Harcourt Zonal office of the EFCC for further investigation.

Speaking while handing over the two suspects, A.B Mohammed Olayinka, Customs Area Controller, disclosed that Khali with Passport Number LR152975 (Republic of Lebanon) was arrested with $670,000USD, while Mohammed with Passport Number LR0356598 (Republic of Lebanon) had $220,000USD.

They were both arrested while trying to board a flight to Lebanon.

He further disclosed that the money recovered from the suspects, which they failed to declare to Customs, has been deposited with the Central Bank of Nigeria, Rivers State Branch, for safe keeping.

Principal Detective Superintendent Macaulay Olayinka, who received the suspects on behalf of the Zonal Head, thanked officers of the Customs Area Command for the synergy that exist between the Command and the EFCC.

He assured that investigation would commence in earnest, adding that the suspects would be charged to court as soon as investigation was concluded.

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Nearly 250 million years ago, a very odd reptile patrolled the shorelines and coves of the Triassic Alps. Called Tanystropheus, it had a toothy head and a body echoing that of modern monitor lizards. But between them stretched a horizontal, giraffe-like neck.

The question of how this 20-foot creature used that nine-foot neck has bedeviled paleontologists for over 100 years, and it is seen as one of the most baffling animals that ever lived, said Stephan Spiekman, a paleontologist at the University of Zurich, in Switzerland. How could this animal even breathe or swallow? And then there is the evolutionary question: Why on earth did this animal evolve this ridiculously long neck?

But research published last week in Current Biology, including a new reconstruction of its skull, shows evidence that its body was primed for an aquatic hunting strategy and that the creature came in two varieties: regular and miniature-size.
Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi says the ride-sharing company could be forced to shut down service in California for several months if a state court does not overturn a ruling requiring it to classify its drivers as full-time employees.

'If the court doesn't reconsider, then in California, it's hard to believe we'll be able to switch our model to full-time employment quickly,' Khosrowshahi told MSNBC on Wednesday.

'We will have to shut down until November.'

Uber's rival Lyft issued the same warning about a probable shutdown soon after.

'We may appeal this ruling and request a further stay. If efforts here are not successful, we would be forced to suspend our operations in California,' Lyft co-founder and president John Zimmer said.

Both companies are now in the process of filing appeals to overturn a Monday ruling from San Francisco Superior Court Judge Ethan Schulman, who determined there is an 'overwhelmingly likelihood' that the firms violated a state law by classifying their drivers as contractors instead of as employees.

Schulman gave Uber and Lyft 10 days to reclassify the drivers, which would require the companies to provide benefits and unemployment insurance to all of them.

Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi is pictured in an MSNBC interview on Wednesday, where he warned that the ride-sharing company could be forced to shut down service in California for several months if a state court does not overturn a ruling requiring it to classify its drivers as full-time employees

Khosrowshahi warned that restructuring its operations in California would result in 'much smaller service [and] much higher prices', hurting both drivers and customers.

'That's a reality, so it's not a game of chicken one way or another,' he said. 'It's really up to the courts and we're going to comply with the law, and we will look to get going again.'

He said that service would have to pause for a few months, and when it resumed it would be much more limited and concentrated in cities rather than suburbs.

Khosrowshahi penned an op-ed in the New York Times over the weekend calling for states to require all gig economy companies to establish benefit funds for their workers instead of forcing them to classify workers as employees.

Schulman's ruling came down the following day, marking a crushing defeat for Uber and Lyft as they fight a May 5 lawsuit from state Attorney General Xavier Becerra and the cities of Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco - where they are both based.

The suit accused Uber and Lyft of violating Assembly Bill 5 (AB5), which requires companies to classify workers as employees if they controlled how workers did their jobs, or the work was part of their normal business.

Uber and Lyft say their drivers prefer the flexibility of working as freelancers, while labor unions and elected officials argue that the designation deprives drivers of benefits like health insurance, sick leave and overtime.

A judge on Monday ordered Uber and Lyft to classify their drivers as employees instead of contractors after California sued the ride-sharing giants for violating state law (file photo)

In a 34-page decision faulting the money-losing companies' 'prolonged and brazen refusal' to comply with state law, Schulman said the plaintiffs showed an 'overwhelming likelihood' they could prove Uber and Lyft classified drivers illegally.

Labor advocates praised the ruling as a milestone in their fight to apply traditional worker protections to a fast-growing segment of the labor force.

'This is a resounding victory for thousands of Uber and Lyft drivers who are working hard - and, in this pandemic, incurring risk every day - to provide for their families,' Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer said in a statement.

But the companies - whose largest market is in California - criticized the decision, saying it threatens to shut them down during a pandemic-induced economic downturn where many people who have lost their jobs turn to the ride-hailing companies to make money.

'Our elected leaders should be focused on creating work, not trying to shut down an entire industry during an economic depression,' Uber spokesperson Davis White said.

Both Uber and Lyft have pledged to spend more than a hundred million dollars to support a November ballot measure, Proposition 22, that would exempt them from AB5.

'Drivers do not want to be employees,' Lyft said in a statement. 'Ultimately, we believe this issue will be decided by California voters and that they will side with drivers.'

Both Uber and Lyft have pledged to spend more than a hundred million dollars to support a November ballot measure, Proposition 22, that would exempt them from AB5. Pictured: Drivers protest the proposition on August 6 in Los Angeles

Several hundred thousand 'gig' workers, including many at ride-hailing companies and app-based food delivery services, are affected by AB5, which took effect on January 1 and had broad support from organized labor.

Lawyers for Uber and Lyft said they are not violating the law because drivers are not fundamental to the business, arguing the companies are 'multi-sided platforms' whose activities encompass much more than transportation.

But Schulman rejected that argument, writing that it 'flies in the face of economic reality and common sense'.

'To state the obvious, drivers are central, not tangential, to Uber and Lyft's entire ride-hailing business,' Schulman wrote.

He also said the public could face substantial harm if drivers were denied employee benefits such as minimum wage, paid sick and family leave, unemployment insurance and workers' compensation insurance.

'These harms are not mere abstractions; they represent real harms to real working people,' Schulman wrote.

The judge said Uber and Lyft had themselves to blame if their resisting state laws contributed to any 'far-reaching' effects an injunction might have.

'Defendants may not evade legislative mandates merely because their businesses are so large that they affect the lives of many thousands of people,' he wrote.

State officials have argued Uber and Lyft's behavior hurts more than just drivers, noting the companies don't pay into the state's unemployment insurance fund that covers benefits for people when they lose their jobs.

The state's fund was quickly depleted following huge job losses because of the pandemic, resulting in the state borrowing billions of dollars from the federal government.

'Our state and workers shouldn't have to foot the bill when big businesses try to skip out on their responsibilities,' Becerra, California's Democratic attorney general, said.

'We're going to keep working to make sure Uber and Lyft play by the rules.'

But ride-hailing companies have been hurt by the pandemic, too. Uber announced last week it lost $1.78billion in the past three months as millions of people stayed home during the pandemic.

Shares in both companies tumbled in early trading on Tuesday following the ruling.

California Attorney General Xavier Becerra (right) and Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer (left) are leading the state's lawsuit against Uber and Lyft. After their injunction was granted on Monday, Feuer said: 'This is a resounding victory for thousands of Uber and Lyft drivers who are working hard - and, in this pandemic, incurring risk every day - to provide for their families'

Hours before the ruling was handed down, Uber outlined proposals for a new type of relationship with gig workers, including its own drivers, that would allow them to keep their independence as freelancers while also receiving benefits.

The ride-hailing giant described 'a new model for independent platform work' in an 18-page document it hopes can be used as blueprint for Uber and similar firms relying on independent workers.

The company seeks 'to deliver certainty for millions of independent contractors who will increasingly rely on independent work to help them face the economic challenges that lie ahead,' Uber said in its document.

'The current health and economic crisis has brought into sharp focus the need for everyone, regardless of their employment status, to be able to find good quality, rewarding work; be able to work in the way they choose; and have access to adequate social protections and benefits.'

Uber proposed that gig economy companies be required to establish 'benefits funds', allowing gig workers to accrue and use the money for benefits or paid leave.

In his Times op-ed, Uber CEO Khosrowshahi said that the current employment system 'is outdated and unfair' and 'forces every worker to choose between being an employee with more benefits but less flexibility, or an independent contractor with more flexibility but almost no safety net'.

'Uber is ready, right now, to pay more to give drivers new benefits and protections,' Khosrowshahi wrote.

'But America needs to change the status quo to protect all workers, not just one type of work.'

Khosrowshahi (pictured) penned an op-ed in the New York Times on Monday calling for all gig economy companies to establish benefit funds for their workers

Khosrowshahi echoed the arguments Uber made in response to the California lawsuit, saying that the requirement to classify drivers as employees would leave fewer jobs and dramatically increase costs.

'Uber would not be as widely available to riders, and drivers would lose the flexibility they have today if they became employees,' Khosrowshahi wrote.

'The vast majority of drivers have said they don't want to be employees because of how much they value flexibility.'

He called the argument over flexibility and benefits a 'false choice', adding: 'As a start, all gig economy companies need to pay for benefits, should be more honest about the reality of the work and must strengthen the rights and voice of workers.'

Khosrowshahi said that if all 50 states required gig economy companies to establish benefits funds, Uber would have paid $655million into theirs last year.

'During this moment of crisis, I fundamentally believe platforms like Uber can fuel an economic recovery by quickly giving people flexible work to get back on their feet,' he wrote.

'But this opportunity will be lost if we ignore the obvious lessons of the pandemic and fail to ensure independent workers have a stronger safety net.

'This is the time for Uber to come together with government to raise the standard of work for all.'
The United States has entered an agreement with drugmaker Moderna Inc to acquire 100 million doses of its potential Covid-19 vaccine for around $1.5 billion (1.15 billion), the company and White House said on Tuesday. The United States in recent weeks has made deals to acquire hundreds of millions of doses of potential Covid-19 vaccines from several companies as part of its Operation Warp Speed program, which aims to deliver a vaccine in the country by the end of the year. Moderna's price per dose comes to around $30.50 per person for a two dose regimen. With the ...
Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden on Tuesday picked Senator Kamala Harris as his choice for vice president, making her the first Black woman on a major-party U.S. presidential ticket and giving him a partner well prepared to go on the attack against Republican President Donald Trump.

With social unrest over racial injustice rocking the country for months, Biden had been under increasing pressure to select a Black woman as his running mate. Harris is also the first Asian-American on a major presidential ticket.

In Harris, a 55-year-old senator from California who made her own run for the White House, Biden gains an experienced politician already battle-tested by the rigors of the 2020 presidential campaign as they head into the final stretch of the Nov. 3 election.

Biden on Twitter called Harris a fearless fighter for the little guy, and one of the countrys finest public servants." Harris wrote on Twitter that Biden could unify the American people because hes spent his life fighting for us."

Biden and Harris will appear together on Wednesday at an event in his hometown of Wilmington, Delaware, the campaign said. [nL1N2FD215]

Harris, who became only the second Black female U.S. senator in history when elected in 2016, will be relied on to help mobilize African Americans, the Democratic Partys most loyal constituency. Four years ago, the first dip in Black voter turnout in 20 years contributed to Democrat Hillary Clintons upset loss to Trump.

Biden, whose foundering campaign was rescued by Black voters in South Carolinas primary in February, needs their strong support against Trump. They will be crucial in battleground states such as Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, where Trump narrowly prevailed in 2016, as well as Republican-leaning southern states like Georgia and Florida that polls show have become competitive this year.

Biden served as vice president for eight years under President Barack Obama, the first Black U.S. president.

Numerous Black leaders, including politicians who had themselves been considered as Bidens running mate, emphasized the historic import of Harris selection.

To see a Black woman nominated for the first time reaffirms my faith that in America, there is a place for every person to succeed no matter who they are or where they come from," said U.S. Representative Val Demings, a Black woman who had been a contender.

Obama, perhaps the partys most popular figure, praised Harris on Twitter: Shes spent her career defending our Constitution and fighting for folks who need a fair shake."

The Biden campaign notched its best grassroots fundraising day following the announcement, according to one of its digital directors, Clarke Humphrey.

Republicans immediately tried to portray Harris as a radical" who embraces far-left priorities such as sweeping police reform and a ban on fracking.

During a White House briefing on Tuesday, Trump called Harris the meanest, the most horrible, most disrespectful" and most liberal" senator and said she was his No. 1 draft pick" given her unsuccessful presidential campaign.

On a conference call the Trump campaign hosted for reporters, Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn asserted that Harris supports eliminating private insurance in favor of Medicare for All and said her selection reflects the leftist takeover" of the party.

As a presidential candidate, Harris proposed a government-run system that would still allow private insurers to offer plans; she also supported a fracking ban. Biden has not embraced either proposal.

Harris, a former prosecutor and state attorney general in California, is known for her sometimes aggressive questioning style in the Senate, most notably of Brett Kavanaugh during his 2018 Supreme Court confirmation hearing.

As a presidential candidate, she also took Biden to task in a nationally televised debate over his past stances on mandatory busing for students as a means to desegregate schools. Some Biden advisers have told Reuters the attacks made them question whether she would be a trusted working partner because of her political ambitions.

While that exchange failed to boost her White House hopes, the Biden campaign will now look for her to train her fire on Trump and Vice President Mike Pence. Harris is scheduled to debate Pence on Oct. 7 in Salt Lake City, Utah.

The choice of a running mate has added significance for Biden, 77, who would be the oldest person to become president if he is elected. His age has led to speculation he will serve only one term, making Harris a potential top contender for the nomination in 2024.

Biden publicly committed to choosing a woman as his No. 2 in a March debate after discussing the matter with his wife Jill.

After the protests that erupted over the May 25 killing of George Floyd, a Black man, by a white policeman in Minneapolis, Bidens search focused predominantly on candidates of color.

Harris will be confirmed as Bidens running mate at the Democratic convention that begins on Monday, where Biden will also be formally nominated to challenge Trump.

A PROMINENT VOICE

Harris has become a key ally for Biden at a time when race has been thrust to the forefront of the campaign.

After Floyds death, she became a leading voice in the push for racial justice and police reform. [nL2N2E402J]

Harris came under criticism from some in the Black community and from progressive advocates for her record as California attorney general where, they say, she did not do enough to investigate police shootings and too often sided with prosecutors in wrongful conviction cases.

Her defenders say she has always been reform-minded  and point to her record in the Senate, where she has championed a police-reform bill and an anti-lynching bill, among other measures.

Harris, whose mother and father emigrated from India and Jamaica, respectively, was the first woman to serve as San Franciscos district attorney and the first woman to serve as Californias attorney general.

Historically, the vice presidential nominee has taken the lead in criticizing the opposing ticket, although Trump has largely shredded that tradition. Brian Brokaw, a California political consultant who managed Harris campaigns for attorney general and Senate, said she fits that role well.

She is someone who can really make Republicans quake in their boots," Brokaw said.

Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor
Ranjani Madhavan By

Express News Service

BENGALURU: People who are asymptomatic Covid-positive patients and have a family doctor monitoring them are being forced to go into Covid Care Centres (CCCs) by BBMP officials. This despite medical advice from doctors that home isolation will suffice, as patients are not suffering from cough, cold or fever. Also, no officials come to check on these patients to see whether they need CCC admission.

Naveens 40-year-old wife got a call from the BBMP that she was positive. Their physician, Dr T R Chandrasekhar, who is a member of Critical Care Society, Bengaluru and intensivist, Institute of Gastroenterology Organ Transplant, (IGOT), Victoria Hospital, deemed her fit for home isolation. But the BBMP officials were in no mood to listen to the family.

They insisted that a CCC was the only option and told us that home quarantine was withdrawn 10-12 days ago. When I asked for a document to prove it, they did not have any. It was a harrowing experience and I got calls from multiple officials asking us to shift her to the CCC and one officer even threatened to go to cops if we did not agree, Naveen told TNIE.

After a lot of persuasion and mentioning that a doctor from Victoria Hospital was monitoring them, a consent form was sent by BBMP for them to sign. It stated that they are under home quarantine on their own will and against advice from the BBMP.After an inter-state returnee tested positive in Keerthis apartment, one of the five family members, who is a 20-year-old woman, tested positive, on Tuesday. She too had no symptoms.

They have a 3 BHK house with attached bathrooms in bedrooms, which was sufficient for her to be under home quarantine. We have been fighting very hard with the local PHC doctor who is hell-bent on sending her to a Sri Sri Ayurveda Hospital which is a CCC. No BBMP official came to assess the patient to declare whether she is fit for home quarantine or CCC, Keerthi P K said,

Even people from the Apthamitra helpline called the patient urging her to go to a CCC. Later in the evening, only after reports of tele-consultation with their family doctor stating she is fit for home quarantine were sent to the PHC doctor, did BBMP stop pursuing them. BBMP Commissioner Manjunath Prasad and Special Commissioner of Public Health D Randeep were unavailable for comment.
A ten-year-old boy trying to ride his bike down a hill for the first time ended with him veering off an empty road in California and crashing into garbage bins.

Footage of the incident has gone viral after the child's father synched the moment of the crash with the sound of Phil Collins' drum break in his hit track In The Air Tonight.

The 1981 song is already back in the spotlight after twin brothers from Gary, Indiana, posted their hilarious reaction to hearing it for the first time last week.

In the bike footage, Kim Chvotkin, 44, filmed her son riding on Morgan Lane in Redondo Beach on July 25.

The short clip shows Cooper wearing a helmet as he heads straight down a steep hill which has no obstacles, apart from a few parked cars on the opposite side.

Kim Chvotkin shot this footage of her 10-year-old son Cooper trying to ride down a hill, on Morgan Lane, Redondo Beach, California, for the first time

Despite the road being clear, Cooper manages to veer to the left and crashes straight into two bins outside a house, sending them - and him - tumbling to the ground. The moment was synched - by his father, Jamie - to the drum break on Phil Collins' hit record In The Air Tonight

Jamie wrote on his Facebook page that his son was 'fine and back on his bike' following the mishap, which has since gone viral

However, he ends up veering left and crashes into two bins in front of a row of houses, sending them flying and falling off his bike.

The moment is perfectly synched with In The Air Tonight's drum break - thanks to the editing skills of Cooper's father, Jamie, who wrote on his Facebook page that his son is 'fine and back on his bike'.

The video has since gained over 6.5million views and 323,000 likes, leaving users in hysterics at the young boy's attempt.

One said: 'This happened to me once but I rode into a mailbox instead.'

Some commentators on social media jokingly said that Cooper may want to wear a helmet for the rest of his life - while others felt sorry for him, in what is a classic rite of passage

Another added: 'This kid may want to wear a helmet for the rest of his life. In the shower, to bed, everywhere.'

Meanwhile, one wrote: 'I feel like he must've... fallen asleep??

However, some felt sorry for the young boy. One wrote: 'Am I the only one who feels bad for the kid?'

In The Air Tonight... and last week: How Phil Collins' track is enjoying a new life

Twin brothers have gone viral for their hilarious reaction to hearing Phil Collins' 1981 track 'In the Air Tonight' for the first time.

Tim and Fred Williams, 21, from Gary Indiana, have been broadening their musical horizons as part of their popular YouTube series First Time Hearing: Twins the New Trend, which has more than 200,000 subscribers.

In their videos, the rap-loving siblings share their initial reactions to classic songs they've never heard before. They've taken on music from the likes of Dolly Parton, Freddy Mercury, and Luciano Pavarotti, but fans believe their Collins video is their best yet.

Brilliant: Tim and Fred Williams, 21, from Gary Indiana, have also gone viral - for their hilarious reaction to listening to Phil Collins' 1981 track In the Air Tonight for the first time

Tim and Fred had no idea what they were getting into when they started playing In The Air Tonight, with the former noting that the song's intro 'sounds like a rain entrance or something'.

'Okay... hold up,' Tim said as he and his brother started getting into the song.

'This is like a WWE entrance,' he added. 'I can see somebody walking down to the ring with this.'

They seemed to be enjoying the song, but they were truly blown away when they heard its famous drumbeat. The twins both pushed their chairs back, and Tim's jaw dropped as he turned to look at his brother.

Fred imagined that Collins was thinking listeners were 'sleeping' on him, and he was going to wake them up.

'I gotta download this to my phone,' he said.

'That was cool how he did that,' Tim agreed. 'I ain't gonna lie. You got me on that.'

Fred noted that he had 'never seen somebody drop a beat three minutes into a song' like Collins did.

They appeared to be Collins converts by the end of the video.

'Okay, Phil. Man killed it, bro,' Fred said once it was over. 'That song was cool. I ain't gonna lie.'
CLEVELAND, Ohio  Health care workers at the Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center not only took care of veterans during the COVID-19 pandemic, but also were temporarily deployed to other cities to help veterans and ordinary citizens.

Its about time somebody thanked them, U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie said. He visited the Cleveland VA Medical Center Tuesday to praise the staffs dedication and sacrifice.

Wilkie praised the Cleveland VA as a vibrant medical center that handles about 2 million appointments annually. That says a lot about the trust people have in that facility, he said.

During an interview after his tour of the Cleveland VA, Wilkie spoke about how the VA is coping with the COVID-19 pandemic and challenges that the agency hopes to address in the next few years.

Like other hospital systems, the VA took precautions in its hospitals and nursing homes against COVID-19 this spring, such as restricting visitors at nursing homes, and testing patients and employees for the illness.

Due to increased demand during the pandemic, the VA expanded its VA Video Connects program for telemedicine visits between veterans and health care workers. The platform supports more than 25,000 virtual appointments each day, the VA said. More than 26,000 tablets have been distributed to veterans to ensure that they can access VA Video Connects.

As of mid-June, more than 100 VA medical facilities and medical centers have reopened with at least one in-person service. The Cleveland VA continued to offer all services, including office and telemedicine visits.

Now the VA is looking ahead, at how to deal with the coronavirus as it collides with flu season.

We need to prepare in the event that this boomerangs back on us and dovetails into the coming flu season, Wilkie said. Were stockpiling equipment in the case we have a repeat, anywhere in the country, of what happened in New York City, where the public health system was overwhelmed.

VA hospitals in the New York region took in COVID-19 patients who were not veterans, he said.

The problem of high rates of suicide among veterans has been building for decades, and stems in part from the poor reception many veterans received when they returned home from conflicts in Southeast Asia. We can never make that mistake again, Wilkie said.

There are approximately 20 million veterans in the U.S.  18 million men and 2 million women, according to government statistics. More than 45,000 American adults died from suicide in 2017, including 6,139 veterans, according to the VAs 2019 National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report. Calls to the Veteran Crisis Line (800-273-8255) increased from 1,700 calls a day to 2,000 during the pandemic, he said.

The Presidents Roadmap to Empower Veterans and End a National Tragedy of Suicide (PREVENTS), is a nationwide public health campaign with the goal of changing the culture surrounding suicide and mental health and help prevent veteran suicide.

The VA will make PREVENTS grants to local charities and programs that address the root causes of suicide such as homelessness, addiction and mental health. Funding will come from the VAs proposed $240 million budget, Wilkie said.

The exact amount that the suicide program will receive has not been determined, but Wilkie estimated it will be in the tens of millions of dollars.

The VA is also tackling the modernization of its medical record-keeping system, with a transition to a new electronic health record system. The new system will include decades-old Department of Defense medical records as well as data from private hospitals and physicians, he said. This will allow VA medical providers to have a more complete picture of a patients medical history.

Its the most complex IT program weve ever done, Wilkie said.

The $16 billion electronic health record system project, administered jointly between the Department of Defense and the VA, will roll out in Washington state in the fall and come to Ohio in early 2022.
FREETOWN, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese Embassy in Sierra Leone donated some essential items to the Muslim community on Tuesday to help them tide over the difficulties caused by COVID-19.

The items include 10, 000 surgical masks, 10 metric tons of rice, 100 buckets of cooking oil, 100 bottles of hand sanitizer, 2 television sets, 15 cell phones, and 10 forehead thermometers.

Chinese ambassador to Sierra Leone Hu Zhangliang said the donated items are to further deepen the ties between China and Sierra Leone. He assured that China will continue to support the people of Sierra Leone in all fronts of diplomatic ties and people-to-people cooperation.

Sierra Leone's Social Welfare Minister Baindu Dassama remarked that the donation epitomizes the friendship ties between the two countries and assured the donated items will reach the targeted beneficiaries.

One of the Islamic scholars in Sierra Leone Sheikh Abubakarr Conteh described the donation as timely for especially extremely poor Muslims. He thanked the Chinese embassy in Sierra Leone for facilitating the great gesture.

"I hope the friendship ties between Sierra Leone and China will continue to flourish," he said.

The Chinese embassy also donated some medical and office supplies to the Social Welfare Ministry on the same occasion.
Mauritius dodges second oil spill as fuel pumped from stricken ship Satellite image showed the stricken tanker off the southeastern coast of Mauritius (picture courtesy of Maxar Technologies)

Mauritius avoided a second catastrophic oil spill Wednesday after salvage crews pumped the remaining fuel from the tanks of a cargo ship that ran aground off its coast, imperilling world-famous wildlife sanctuaries.

The stricken vessel threatens to break apart after more than two weeks stranded on a reef, where it leaked more than 1,000 tonnes of fuel into pristine seas.

Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth said "all the fuel" had been pumped from reservoirs beneath the MV Wakashio bulk carrier, dodging what experts warned would been a crippling blow to an island nation popular with honeymooners and ecotourists.

"It was a race against the clock, and I salute the excellent work to prevent another oil spill," said Jugnauth, who added that another 100 tonnes still remained elsewhere aboard the Japanese-owned ship.

"The weather was calm and it helped the pumping exercise, it also prevented the breakup of the boat, which is inevitable."

Mauritius declared an unprecedented environmental emergency last week as the Wakashio, which ran aground on July 25, began seeping oil into a protected marine park boasting unspoiled coral reefs, mangrove forests and endangered species.

Jugnauth said the "ecological crisis" was beyond the scope of the tiny Indian Ocean nation, and appealed for urgent international help.

France and Japan were among those to answer the call, along with thousands of ordinary Mauritians who volunteered day and night to clean sludge from the picturesque tropical coastline to which their economy is deeply tied.

Jugnauth acknowledged there was "still a lot of work to do" assessing and cleaning up the damage, but refused to take responsibility for the disaster.

"How did I do wrong?" he said, adding bad weather hindered efforts to pump oil from the ship earlier.

"We did everything right from the start. We were told that the risks of an oil spill were very low. The experts convinced us otherwise."

Story continues

Police have launched an investigation into the accident and have seized the black box, log book and other items of interest from the vessel as part of their inquiries.

- Wildlife jewel -

Fresh cracks appeared in the hull this week near the fuel reservoirs, spurring fears that the Wakashio could soon split up and inflict irreversible damage on the archipelago's fragile marine ecosystem.

The ship struck a reef at Pointe d'Esny, an ecological treasure fringed by idyllic beaches, colourful reefs, sanctuaries for rare and endemic wildlife, and protected wetlands.

Aerial images showed huge stretches of crystal-clear seas around the marooned cargo ship stained an inky black.

Pressure has mounted on the government to explain why it did not act earlier, with calls for the fisheries and environment ministers to resign, and volunteers angrily defying official orders to stay away from the clean-up site.

Mauritius and its 1.3 million inhabitants depend crucially on the sea for food and ecotourism, having fostered a reputation as a conservation success story and a world-class destination for nature lovers.

The spill is a double blow for tourist operators who had hoped foreign tourists could soon return.

The country has no active cases of coronavirus and had declared a wary victory after a long stretch without any new infections, but its borders remain closed.

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An Adelaide truck driver who abused and assaulted Environment Protection Authority officers, punching one in the head and threatening him with a plank of wood, has been given a four-month suspended jail sentence.

Gavin Piller was also fined $2,100 in the Environment, Resources and Development Court on Tuesday after pleading guilty to two counts of hindering EPA officers and two counts of assaulting an EPA officer.

The charges related to an incident in April 2018 when the officers were investigating claims of asbestos being illegally stored at a business at suburban Largs Bay.

Truck driver Gavin Piller abused and assaulted Environment Protection Authority officers, punching one in the head and threatening him with a plank of wood

They were documenting the contents of two skip bins containing wrapped and unwrapped asbestos when they were abused and attacked.

In a statement after Piller's court appearance, the authority said the sentence sent a strong message to anyone who would abuse or assault a government officer.

'To launch a tirade or profanities and then physically attack EPA officers, who were on-site to investigate the illegal storage of asbestos, is completely unacceptable,' EPA chief executive Tony Circelli said.

The company, GP and Sons Demolition, was also convicted on two counts and fined $49,000 for illegally storing asbestos at its Largs Bay depot and also at a site at nearby Wingfield without a licence.
The Arab League and the Arab Parliament have condemned the Turkish drone attack on Iraq on Wednesday.

Arab League chief Ahmed Aboul Gheit slammed the "continuous Turkish violations of Iraq's sovereignty" after the Tuesday strike.

Arab League sources told Sky News Arabia that the pan-Arab organisation backs any international action by the Iraqi government to stop Turkey's military aggressions on its territories and to maintain Iraq's sovereignty, stability and security.

Meanwhile, the Arab Parliament's speaker Mishaal bin Fahm Al-Salami said he considers the strike a "dangerous assault on Iraq's sovereignty" and a violation of international law and norms and the UN charter.

Al-Salami said that Turkey is clearly violating the UN Security Council's decisions and is not respecting its relations with neighbouring countries.

The drone attack, which took place in the Bradost area, north of Irbil, led to the death of two border guard commanders and their car's driver.

Iraq responded to the incident by summoning the Turkish envoy twice and announcing that Turkey's defence minister is no longer welcome in Iraq.

Kurdish media reports said that the strike took place during a meeting between Iraqi border officials and members of Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

Ihsan Chelebi, Bradost's mayor, told AP that general Mohammed Rushdi and brigadier Zubair Hali, commanders of the border guards' second brigade and third regiment respectively, lost their lives while trying to establish new military sites in the area.

Turkey regularly goes after PKK members in Iraq, for the latter has long used northern Iraq as a base to launch attacks on Turkey.

Turkey has been engaged in a counterinsurgency campaign against PKK separatists since the 1980s.

A ceasefire, which lasted for two years amid peace talks between the two sides, collapsed in July 2015, and were followed by Turkish aerial campaigns on PKK militants in southeastern Turkey.

Turkey has also launched operations against the People's Protection Units (YPG), a Kurdish armed group, in Syria.

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The Australian sharemarket eased from two-month highs on Wednesday as the big miners dragged and the Commonwealth Bank underperformed its buoyant rivals after a virus-affected full-year earnings result.

The ASX 200 fell 6.7 points, or 0.1 per cent to close at 6132.0 with earnings season again creating a number of clear winners and losers. Wall Streets lead was soft, plunging gold prices hobbled the materials sector, and the markets apparent cycle away from tech stocks continued.

The ASX 200 snapped a two-session streak on Wednesday to close lower. Credit:Louie Douvis

Financials were strong  CBA excepted  continuing a three-session run of gains for the sector.

Weve still got the same sort of relative movements in terms of what weve had in the past couple of days  the financials have been strong and people are moving away from some of those high growth areas that have done well recently, said chief investment officer at Australian Eagle Asset Management, Sean Sequeira.

We saw this happen earlier in June  though not quite as violently as then  and it tells me that perhaps global markets are looking to take advantage of the situation when lockdowns potentially end.

CBA  in one of the most anticipated results of the reporting window  showed its strength in declaring a 98 cent final dividend, 31 per cent lower than last year, but still higher than many expected. It was also at the maximum level allowed under recent guidance from the banking regulator.

Despite a 2.7 per cent rise in early trade, the nations biggest lender soon lost traction as investors digested the result, an 11 per cent decline in cash profit to $7.3 billion, weighed down by provisions for bad debts. The bank closed 0.5 per cent lower at $74.34.

CBA aside, the market nonetheless continued its cycle into financials, with the remained of the Big Four banks all sharply higher. Westpac gained 2.3 per cent to finish at $18.19, ANZ rose 2 per cent to $18.85, and NAB climbed 2.2 per cent to $18.28. Macquarie Group was 0.6 per cent higher at $126.93.

Investment group Magellan finished 2.8 per cent higher at $63.41 on a solid full-year result  and a heftier dividend.

The materials sector was 1.8 per cent lower, with gold miners faltering in the wake of plunging precious metals prices. Spot gold fell back below $US1900 an ounce as US 10-year yields climbed, resulting in a 3.2 per cent drop for Newcrest to $34.10, a 5.4 per cent fall for Northern Star to $14.50, a 5.3 per cent decline for Evolution to $5.54, and a 4.4 per cent drop for Saracen to $5.41.

Rio Tinto and Fortescue Metals each shed 1.4 per cent and BHP dropped 0.7 per cent.

Seek dragged the communications sector down with an 8.6 per cent fall to $19.58 after it reported an impairment-driven, $111 million full-year loss. Toll giant Transurban also suffered after it announced it had swung to a $111 million loss, compared to a $171 million profit last year, as traffic fell on its roads in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and North America.

Big gainers included Wesfarmers, which touched a record high $47.46, and finished 0.9 per cent higher at $47.38. Supermarket Woolworths gained 0.6 per cent to $40.38 and Coles rose 0.1 per cent to $18.99, earlier coming within a whisker of Tuesday's record high $19.16.

Blood giant CSL rose late to finish up 0.3 per cent at $281.73.
Hoover, Alabama  Attorneys for the three young men charged in the July Riverchase Galleria shootout that killed 8-year-old Royta Giles Jr. claimed each fired in self-defense  from each other. A Jefferson County judge rejected those claims and ruled there was enough evidence for the case to go to a grand jury.

During testimony throughout the hearing  which lasted more than 6  hours  it was stated at least 12 rounds were fired in just four seconds near the food court of the states largest mall during a dispute that possible started because of a previous beef over rap lyrics.

Additional testimony showed one of the defendants fired his AR-15 style pistol through a book bag. The gun jammed after the first round, but he had about 75 rounds of ammunition in the backpack  nearly 50 rounds were in two gun magazines and 24 were stuffed in a sock. Two other defendants, according to witnesses, raised their shirts to show they, too, had weapons shortly before the gunfight commenced.

Though all parties agreed no one went to the mall that day with the intent to kill, the resulting carnage happened because of their willingness and spoken or unspoken agreement to get in this gunfight, said Jefferson County Deputy District Attorney Shawn Allen.

When engaged in mutual combat, he said, all parties are criminally liable in the death and injuries that happened that day.

The three suspects charged with capital murder and second-degree assault in the July 3, 2020 shooting death of young Royta and the wounding of Walter Lee Rashad Hudson, Senia Escobar Fajardo and Chateria Brant appeared in a Jefferson County courtroom Tuesday.

Those charged are Montez Moses Miracle Coleman, 22, King Gary Williams, 19, and Demetrius Dewayne Jackson Jr., also 19.

The case is being prosecuted by Allen and Deputy District Attorney Julie McMakin. The attorneys for the defendants are: Coleman- Julian Hendrix; Jackson  Victor Revill, and King  John Lentine. Hoover police Sgt. Matt Savage is the lead detective on the case and was the sole investigator to testify Tuesday.

Testimony was set to begin at 9 a.m. but was delayed an hour because attorneys for Jackson and Williams had requested their clients appear in street clothes versus the orange jail jumpsuits. That didnt happen. Once they changed clothes, Judge William Bell ordered the media present not to show photos or video of them in their jail attire.

On July 3, Royta was killed when he, his mother, Jesslyn Layfield, stepfather Anthony Jones, and sisters Trinity, 5, and Marlee, 4, were waiting to go into the Childrens Place to buy new outfits for the Fourth of July.

Police said Coleman, Williams and Jackson exchanged gunfire and when the shooting stopped, Royta was motionless on the mall floor, surrounded by his family. He had been shot in the head and would be pronounced dead within hours. The other three victims survived.

Police say an ongoing feud between the young men came to a head when they encountered each other inside the mall.

Coleman, according to testimony, went to the mall that Friday to buy a new shirt for a party later that night. He met up with two of his friends, including Birmingham rapper Yaven Big Yavo Mauldin. Coleman, testimony indicated, was somewhat of a bodyguard or muscle for Mauldin. Mauldin has not been charged in any crime in connection to the shooting that day and, according to testimony, is the only person there that day that has not made himself available to speak with investigators.

Williams and Jackson, and a group of other men were at the mall independently. That group was coming down the escalator when the two groups encountered each other, but from there the stories began to differ.

Savage testified to the statements given by many of those involved, including Coleman, Jackson and King. Coleman, he said, was standing at a t-shirt kiosk when someone from the opposing group bumped into him and then Williams and some others looked at them in an aggressive manner and raised their shirts to show they had guns in their waistband.

That, Coleman said, is when he fired one shot and fled.

According to testimony, that one shot went above the heads of the other group and lodged in the wall above Starbucks, near the malls second story. Coleman was quickly taken into custody outside of the mall. His backpack had a hole in from where the shot was fired.

Williams, also a rapper, told police that his group was coming down the escalator when he spotted Mauldin. The two, police said, had a previous dispute about a rap video or rap lyrics, and Williams believed that a group called H2K, with which Mauldin is reportedly affiliated, had a bounty out on him. Williams said he saw Coleman raise his weapon, so he returned fire. He said he shot three to four times and then ran out of the mall.

From the Galleria, Williams went to an apartment in Tarrant where he dismantled the gun and gave it to a female to get rid of, Savage testified. That gun has never been recovered.

Jackson told police that after they got off the escalator, he heard someone having words, saw a flash of a gunshot and returned fire with a Glock. At one point, he told police he blanked out and didnt remember if he had fired any shots. After the shooting, he fled the mall. Jackson told police he had borrowed the Glock and returned it to its owner. That gun has never been recovered either.

Of the 12 rounds recovered at the mall, one was from Colemans assault-type pistol, five were from a .40-caliber pistol and six were from a .9mm handgun, according to testimony. Though authorities said they werent able to recover any bullets from the victims, all of the innocent bystanders who were shot were standing behind Coleman and were in the path of the bullets fired by Jackson and Williams.

Royta was struck in the head. Bryant was struck in the right leg. Fajardo, age 11, was struck in the face and the right leg. They were transported by ambulance from the Galleria to the hospital. Hudson was struck in the right arm. He fled the Galleria and drove to American Family Care where he was picked up by an ambulance and taken to the hospital.

In Tuesdays hearing, police played multiple videos taken from both the Galleria surveillance cameras as well as individual businesses.

Colemans camp claims Jackson and Williams started the incident that led to gunfire, while Jackson and Williams camps claim Coleman was the instigator. Police testified it appeared that Coleman did fire the first shot.

Under questioning by attorney Revill, Savage testified that Coleman was heard saying to the other group of men that day, On God, I will do it and Ill do it, Ill pull it.

Though attorneys for Jackson and Williams claimed their clients fired in self-defense, testimony showed that their weapons had to be already cocked and ready to fire because of the rapid succession with which the return shots were fired after Colemans initial shot.

Attorneys for Jackson and Williams argued that their clients were within their rights under Alabama law to defend themselves. The fault lays at the feet of Montez Coleman,' Revill said. If what Demetrius Jackson did was a crime, then no one can defend themselves. The only thing he did that day was try to live.

Lentine agreed. But for Mr. Coleman shooting first, none of this would have happened,' he said. What were they supposed to do? Wait until the next round to see if they were going to die?

In defending Coleman, his attorney, Hendrix, said Coleman was in fear for his own life. He did not intend to shoot anyone,' Hendrix said. He pointed it way above their heads. He definitely didnt intend to shoot the young boy or anyone else.

I think its obvious Montez Coleman saw their guns, perceived a threat and defended himself,' Hendrix said.

Bell said based on testimony and video evidence, there was enough evidence of capital murder and assault for the cases to be presented to a grand jury for indictment consideration. He also questioned why Jackson and Williams werent charged with attempted murder of Coleman, and vice versa.

Attorneys for Jackson and Williams argued that their clients should be released on bond. The prosecutor rejected those claims, pointing out that if convicted they face life in prison without parole or the death penalty. Additionally, Allen said, prosecutors obtained a jail phone records of Jackson stating to someone, Who snitched? When he gets out, hes going to pop that (expletive).

All remain held without bond.
Description

 12 August 2020:

The Mauritius Broadcasting Corporation (MBC), in collaboration with the Society for the Welfare of the Deaf, is currently examining the possibility of increasing the duration and frequency of the weekly 10-12 minutes broadcast intended for people with hearing impairment. The implication of a project for the live broadcasting of one news bulletin in the Mauritian Sign Language, as suggested by the Society for the Welfare of the Deaf, is also being studied.

The Prime Minister, Mr Pravind Kumar Jugnauth made this statement, yesterday, at the National Assembly, in Port Louis. The MBC, he highlighted, in collaboration with the Ministry of Social Integration, Social Security and National Solidarity and the Society for the Welfare of the Deaf, is already providing an eight to 10 minutes news bulletin in the Mauritian Sign Language. This bulletin is broadcasted every Saturday on MBC 1 at around 17.55 hours and on MBC SAT on the same day at 19.20 hours.

The Mauritian Sign Language News Bulletin, he added, can only be done on recorded mode, as the MBC does not have the required technical facilities for live broadcast of such news bulletins, at this stage.

In addition, Mr Jugnauth pointed out that from 18 December 2019 to 18 January 2020, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Centre (NDRRMC) carried out a series of sensitisation campaigns in the Mauritian Sign Language on the MBC TV. The campaigns focused on disaster and disaster management to raise awareness among persons suffering from hearing impairment. The NDRRMC, he stated, will carry out the sensitisations again during the current financial year.

The Prime Minister also underscored that a video in the Mauritian Sign Language was produced by the Society for the Welfare of the Deaf for the awareness campaigns carried out through television. The objective was to sensitise the population on the COVID-19 pandemic, while ongoing campaigns on health issues are still being carried out in the Mauritian Sign Language. The major coverages of the MBC news bulletins are broadcasted with special subtitling to reach a broader audience, including those with hearing impairment, he further observed.
Our passion for technology and for our customers continues to drive us forward. Im forever grateful to our employees and our customers for helping us make the list for the third year in a row. -- Steve Latham, CEO and Founder, Banyan Hills Technologies

Inc. Magazine today ranked Banyan Hills Technologies, an Internet of Things (IoT) company, in position 4,651 on its 39th annual Inc. 5000 list, an exclusive ranking of the nations fastest-growing private companies. This is the third year in a row that Banyan has been featured on the Inc. 5000 list.

Banyan Hills Technologies was founded in 2013 by Steve Latham, an IoT expert with more than 20 years of technology and industry experience. The company started on the simple premise of helping customers navigate the complexities of IoT, and within only a few years brought to market Canopy, its end-to-end IoT platform. In its next phase of growth, the company is building out an IoT marketplace with an ever-expanding library of business applications and device integrations.

With a year-over-year growth rate of 66 percent, Banyan is one of only a handful of IoT companies in Georgia to have earned a spot on the list.

Were honored to be recognized as one of the fastest-growing private companies in the nation, said Steve Latham, chief executive officer and founder of Banyan Hills Technologies. Our passion for technology and for our customers continues to drive us forward. Im forever grateful to our employees and our customers for helping us make the list for the third year in a row.

The Inc. 5000 represents a unique look at the most successful companies within the American economys most dynamic segmentits independent small businesses. Intuit, Zappos, Under Armour, Microsoft, Patagonia, and many other well-known names gained their first national exposure as honorees on the Inc. 5000.

Started in 1982, this prestigious list of the nation's most successful private companies has become the hallmark of entrepreneurial success. The annual Inc. 5000 event honoring the companies on the list will be held virtually from October 23 to 27, 2020. As always, speakers will include some of the greatest innovators and business leaders of our generation.

For more information on Inc. and the Inc. 5000 Conference, visit conference.inc.com.

About Inc. Media

The worlds most trusted business-media brand, Inc. offers entrepreneurs the knowledge, tools, connections, and community to build great companies. Its award-winning multiplatform content reaches more than 50 million people each month across a variety of channels including websites, newsletters, social media, podcasts, and print. Its prestigious Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to recognize the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. The global recognition that comes with inclusion in the 5000 gives the founders of the best businesses an opportunity to engage with an exclusive community of their peers, and the credibility that helps them drive sales and recruit talent. The associated Inc. 5000 Conference is part of a highly acclaimed portfolio of bespoke events produced by Inc. For more information, visit http://www.inc.com.

About Banyan Hills Technologies

Banyan Hills Technologies is an Internet of Things (IoT) company and a trusted partner for innovative software solutions. Canopy is Banyans IoT platform, and the most advanced solution for monitoring and managing any network of connected endpoints like self-service kiosks, digital signs and on-premise control systems. Canopy helps enable automation, decrease costs, increase revenue, enhance security and leverage data for operators of large networks of unattended devices. Banyans highly-skilled team helps customers launch, scale and secure successful IoT implementations. Banyans deep industry knowledge and strong capabilities in machine learning, transaction management, communication protocols, payments and predictive analytics help companies realize the full potential of their technology strategies. For more information, visit banyanhills.com.

Contact Information:

Steve Pollak

Banyan Hills Technologies

Tel: (404) 579-5768

Email: steve.pollak@banyanhills.com
BACKGROUND: The convention was originally scheduled for July, more than a month before the Republican convention, with the Summer Olympics falling between the two events. In April, as the coronavirus pandemic was spreading and with the Olympics already canceled, the Democratic National Committee moved the dates for their event to August with hopes that the pandemic would subside and some traditional convention activities could be held in Wisconsin. But the continued rise in coronavirus cases across the country forced Democrats to adopt a mostly virtual format in June. There were still plans at the time to have Biden come to Milwaukee to accept the nomination before a small crowd. But this month, just days before the event was scheduled to begin, the party announced that Biden would not attend.
The Federal High Court (FHC) in Port Harcourt has convicted three of the nine accused persons who on March 21 hijacked an Equatorial Guinea flagged vessel, MV ELOBEY VI, off Equatorial Guinea coast.

Navy Director of Information, Suleman Dahun, who made this known in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja, said Justice Ishaq Sani gave the judgement on Monday.

Mr Dahun said the judge summarily convicted Binaebi Johnson, Daniel Lemmar and Ghane Gordon on Counts 1 and 2.

He said that the three were convicted under the new Anti-Piracy Act 2019 and ordered to pay a fine of N10 Million each on each of the counts.

Mr Dahun said during the hearing, the prosecution filed an amended charge dated August 7.

In its ruling on the bail application, the bail application was not granted because the accused persons may not make themselves available to stand trial if granted bail.

Consequently, the court arraigned the accused persons on the amended charges.

During the proceedings, Binaebi Johnson, Daniel Lemmar and Ghane Gordon pleaded guilty to counts 1 and 2 and not guilty to counts 3  5 while the remaining six accused persons pleaded not guilty to the charges against them.

Accordingly, the prosecutor applied to the court to withdraw the charges on which the accused persons pleaded not guilty.

The prayer was granted and the accused persons were discharged on counts 3  5, he said.

Mr Dahun recalled that the Nigerian Navy had arrested Binaebi Johnson, Daniel Lemmar, Ghane Gordon, Hassan Hakeem, Gregory Smith, Ofem Uket, John Mark, Chidi Amadi and Eze Amadi who were suspected to be members of the kidnapping syndicate that hijacked the vessel.

He said that it was reported that the kidnappers demanded for a two million dollars ransom out of which 200,000 dollars ransom was eventually paid.

Mr Dahun said after their arrest by the Nigerian Navy, the suspects were arraigned before the FHC, Port Harcourt on July 23 on a 7 count charge to which all the accused persons pleaded not guilty.

As a result, the counsel to the accused persons made an application for bail pending conclusion of the trial.

Accordingly, the matter was adjourned to August 10, 11 and 12 for ruling on the bail application and commencement of the trial, he said.

(NAN)
WASHINGTON - The FBI is investigating the shooting of a military helicopter during a training mission this week in northern Virginia, injuring one crew member who was aboard, officials said Wednesday.

The Air Force helicopter was flying over Middleburg on Monday when it was shot from the ground nearby, according to authorities. The helicopter made an emergency landing at the Manassas Regional Airport, and federal agents were called to the scene to investigate, the FBI said in a statement.

The crew members aboard the UH-1N Huey helicopter, assigned to the 1st Helicopter Squadron at Joint Base Andrews, were on a routine training mission when the helicopter was struck by a bullet, the Air Force said in a statement. The helicopter was about 10 miles (16 kilometres) northwest of the airport, near Middleburg, and was flying about 1,000 feet (300 metres) above the ground when it was hit, according to officials.

One crew member in the helicopter was injured but has since been treated and released from the hospital, according to authorities. The initial findings of the investigation show that the helicopter was struck by a bullet, causing some damage to the aircraft, though it landed safely, the Air Force said.

The squadron transports senior military and civilian leaders, along with high-ranking dignitaries, and also performs emergency medical evacuations.

Agents from the FBIs field office in Washington and from the bureaus evidence response team were called to the airport after the shooting on Monday. The FBI said it was working alongside other law enforcement agencies, including the Air Force Office of Special Investigations, in order to determine the circumstances surrounding the incident.

Patty Prince, spokesperson for the city of Manassas, said the airport received a call from the control tower at 12:20 p.m. Monday about an inbound military helicopter that had an onboard emergency.

Investigators are also looking to speak with any witnesses and have asked anyone who was in the area at the time to call the FBI.

___

Balsamo reported from New York. Associated Press writer Matthew Barakat contributed to this report.
All Easton Area School District K-12 students will attend school two days a week at least through September, with remote learning the other three days a week.

The district is also pushing back the first day of school to Tuesday, Sept. 8 and shifting its reopening plan in light of new guidelines released by the Pennsylvania Departments of Education and Health on Monday, according to a letter sent to district parents.

Weeks before the first day of school, after most districts approved plans, the departments released the guidance aligning local COVID-19 infection rates with recommended modes of instruction.

The Lehigh Valleys two counties have a moderate level of the virus spreading in the community, so the state says blended learning or fully remote learning is the best choice.

I want to assure you that this plan is the result of many hours of collaboration and consideration for what is best for our school community, Superintendent David Piperato writes in the letter. While the plan has evolved since it was first presented, the administrative team is united in this plan and we believe it is the best method for starting school safely, as we have made necessary adjustments warranted by the circumstances.

Easton had landed on a scaffolded hybrid plan, where elementary students attend five days a week and upper grades two days.

Easton is also offering a cyber academy and it just added online classes taught by district teachers in response to parent feedback. Nearly 1,000 district families have signed up for all remote learning.

The districts pandemic team met Wednesday morning and shifted its recommendation for the reopening of school in light of the state guidelines, according to the letter.

Now, all K-12 schools will begin the school year in -- what the district is dubbing-- green phase one: a hybrid learning model that splits students into two groups.

The first group of students will report to school buildings Monday and Tuesday and learn online the rest of the week. School buildings will undergo a deep clean on Wednesday. Then on Thursday and Friday, the second group of students will attend school. Wednesday will be a remote learning day for all students and staff.

Unless the community spread data indicates a need to move to the yellow phase, EASD will remain in Green Phase 1 no less than through the end of September, Piperato stated in the letter.

The district is pushing back the start of school to give more time for professional development, scheduling and logistics for students and teachers and to give families time to select remote or hybrid learning.

School will start the Tuesday after Labor Day, so for that week only students in the first group will attend Tuesday and Wednesday while the second group will attend Thursday and Friday. The district will have extra custodians to ensure a deep cleaning Wednesday evening.

Starting Sept. 14, the district will go to the Monday/Tuesday and Thursday/Friday schedule for in-person school.

The pandemic team will meet in September to review data and determine if any changes to the phased reopening are warranted.

The deadline for families to opt for remote learning was 3 p.m. Wednesday.

We understand that the changes specific to the elementary plan may impact a familys previous decision to select remote learning, Piperato said. Therefore, all families of elementary students who previously submitted interest in the remote learning option will be receiving an email from the school district asking for confirmation of their preference: remote learning or the hybrid learning plan.

The school board will be voting on the reopening plan and the full school calendar at its Tuesday school board meeting.

The first day of school for remote learning and Easton Cyber Academy will also be Sept. 8.

The district is now holding teacher in-service Aug. 25-27 and Aug. 31 and Sept. 1.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to lehighvalleylive.com.

Sara K. Satullo may be reached at ssatullo@lehighvalleylive.com.
A controversial plan to change the traffic pattern at the intersection of Frays Mill Road, Burnley Station Road and U.S. 29 in Albemarle County received even more scrutiny on Tuesday.

The plan is one of the projects the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission has submitted for Smart Scale, which is the Virginia Department of Transportations primary method for selecting projects for funding. VDOT will announce in January the projects it has decided to fund.

People who live near the intersection have said they are worried about how the proposed changes will affect how cars and bicycles navigate the intersection.

Tom Ferrell, who lives off of Watts Passage, said hes very frustrated with the proposal, citing a fight to get a traffic light at the intersection years ago.

This proposal takes what had been a significant improvement for the people who live in this local area to be able to access southbound [U.S.] 29 and turns it around and makes it a more difficult situation for both us and the folks coming from Frays Mill, he said. So, all the benefit, really, to me seems to fall in the direction of [U.S.] 29, and not for the people who live local here.

During the May Smart Scale workshops, approximately one third of public comments were directed at this proposal, and 92 of the 96 comments it received were in opposition, according to TJPDC.

Charles Proctor, Virginia Department of Transportation Culpeper District planning manager, said that from 2014 to the end of 2019 there were 39 crashes at the intersection and of those, 12 had injuries.

Thats the main reason that this project was presented, because its ranked number 12 in the district for crash locations, Proctor said. So we wanted to come up with a solution that would try to address some of those crashes that were seeing out there.

In an RCUT, side street traffic from Frays Mills Road and Burnley Station Road that wants to turn left would turn right onto U.S. 29 and travel to a median cut and dedicated turn lane to make a U-turn. Vehicles turning left from the main street onto the side street would have a dedicated left turn lane.

Proctor said because it is a four lane divided road, there are very few options that VDOT would consider for this location.

The reason [an RCUT] provides better safety is because it spreads out the conflict points, he said. Instead of having all of your conflict points at one intersection, where youre crossing all multiple paths of traffic every time you make a turning movement or go through the intersection, it takes some of those turning movements and moves them to other locations, and makes them safer.

Proctor said other concepts could be added like rumble strips and advanced flashing lights, but he said they have a short life expectancy and people stop paying attention to them and they lose their effectiveness.

In the short term, we may look at something like that, because even if this is selected for funding, its going to be five to seven years before it would be built, he said. Its not something thats going to come out there next year.

Its currently a signalized intersection, and, if funding is ultimately approved, VDOT would maintain it as a signalized intersection, both at the main intersection and at the U-turn locations, Proctor said. Cyclists would be able to cross through the middle of the main intersection.

The Albemarle County Board of Supervisors in June passed a resolution in support of the RCUT. Supervisors Ann H. Mallek and Bea LaPisto-Kirtley voted against the resolution.

In the last Smart Scale round, this intersection proposal received a score of 1.915. It received a ranking of 215 in the state and 27 in the district.

Final Smart Scale applications are due Aug. 17.

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In South Africa, when Grade 9 learners return to school after the COVID-19 closures , they will have a maximum of 76 teaching days left in 2020. But given the safety requirements and the limited infrastructure in most schools, it's highly unlikely that they will be able to attend school every day. This means the average Grade 9 learner in 2020 is likely to have less than half of a normal year's time in class.

While learners in schools for the middle class and independent schools have had access to online learning, learners in schools for the poor and working class have had no such access. And this is unlikely to change in the near future.

There is evidence that, in mathematics, learners in less well-resourced schools are four years behind their counterparts in well-resourced schools by the end of Grade 9. It is therefore likely that most Grade 9 learners will fall further behind in 2020.

This situation needs urgent attention. It is time to think beyond 2020, and to treat 2020 and 2021 as a continuous learning opportunity. It's also time to be more strategic about what is taught. In the COVID-19 discussions on schooling there has been too little focus on what learners will learn  whether at school or at home.

Indications from research conducted after the Pakistan earthquakes of 2005 showed that, although learners in the affected areas had only a three-month break from school, four years after the earthquake they were 1.5 years behind their peers. In South Africa, most Grade 9 learners will have been at home for about five months due to the COVID-19 pandemic before they return to school.

A curriculum that does not adapt to learners' levels may leave them further and further behind. The need to prevent this has led to calls to build back better after the COVID-19 pandemic. Evidence suggests that the way to do this is to focus on core concepts and identify what learners need to know but may have missed or forgotten.

The legacy

After Grade 9, South African learners must choose between Mathematics and Mathematical Literacy for the remaining three years of secondary school. Mathematics is essential for entrance into science-based programmes in universities, but the majority of learners lack the knowledge to cope with Mathematics from Grade 10 onwards.

For example, in the Annual National Assessments for Mathematics, administered from 2012 to 2014, the average mark each year for Grade 9 was less than 14%. Similarly, in the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study assessments in 2015, only one third of South African Grade 9 learners achieved at the minimal level in mathematics . A recent study of Grade 9 and 10 learner performance on negative number, basic algebra and functions yielded an average score of 28.3%. Clearly Grade 9 performance is far below desired levels.

Add to this situation the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. In most state schools, Grade 9s are scheduled to return to class on 24 August 2020. Research indicates that long breaks from school lead to learning loss , with maths scores being particularly badly affected. And these breaks have a greater negative impact on learners from lower socioeconomic groups.

Read more: COVID-19 school closures in South Africa and their impact on children

A US model based on studies of the known effects of long breaks suggests that learners in the US could end the school year with only 37%-50% of the average gains they would have made in a normal school year in mathematics.

What's needed

We suggest the solution to the pandemic interruption of learning is to identify a limited number of core concepts and skills for Grades 8 and 9 that will provide a strong foundation for further mathematics.

This involves, firstly, a carefully designed curriculum to address learners' difficulties, starting with whole number, fractions, negative number, introductory algebra, linear patterns and functions.

Secondly, teachers need a range of supportive materials  not just fixed lesson plans. It should be clear what must be done face-to-face and what can be done alone at home without technology. Teacher materials should help to identify gaps in learners' knowledge and to provide guidance for re-teaching what learners have missed.

Thirdly, tests should focus on revealing what learners understand and what they are battling with, instead of putting pressure on them to pass a certain level.

Encouragingly, recently released documents (S2 and S3 of 2020) from the Department of Basic Education are promoting these principles. These documents emphasise the need for teachers to work with learners where they are, to take time to remediate when learners don't understand and to assess only what has been taught.

This is arguably the most forward-thinking policy produced by the department in recent years. What it lacks is a carefully considered implementation plan, informed by the realities on the ground, to identify the core mathematics content for learners, and a teaching and learning pathway for what remains of 2020 and into 2021.

In the short term, if learners are able to master the content we have identified, they may well end 2020 with more mathematical knowledge than they would have gained ordinarily.

COVID-19 could be the unexpected catalyst that makes the education system accountable to learners and their learning. But we need to get Grade 8 and 9 learners back to learning as soon as possible. It is crucial that they are not neglected because of an overwhelming focus on Grade 12.

Craig Pournara receives funding from the National Research Foundation and the First Rand Foundation. He is affiliated with RaysOfHope.

[email protected] is affiliated with OLICO Mathematics Education

By Craig Pournara, Associate Professor of Mathematics Education, University of the Witwatersrand And

Lynn Bowie, Visiting associate, University of the Witwatersrand
Midland Health CEO Russell Meyers said Tuesday he expects the start of students returning to campus will lead to higher numbers of Midland County residents being tested and those testing positive for coronavirus.

Meyers, speaking during his weekly press conference, said his team at Midland Health has had good conversations with Midland ISD during the last several weeks. And while Midland ISD will start its school year with at-home instruction, there are other schools that will begin with an on-campus option. Hospital officials have been consistent during the pandemic that gatherings have led to higher coronavirus case counts.
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Alfalfa is considered a nutrient-rich feed for cattle, horses, goats, sheep, and other animals. It contains 15%22% crude protein and is an excellent source of vitamins and minerals. It provides energy and boosts the immunity of livestock. The increasing demand for meat and dairy products worldwide has created the need for high-quality feed to enhance the quality and production of animal products. Alfalfa is a proteinaceous and fiber-rich feed for animals that helps in improving the quality of milk and meat. Thus, dairy and livestock farmers are the main buyers of alfalfa. It is also used as horse feed and is in high demand in the equestrian industry. Pellets, cubes, and hay bales are the common alfalfa product types available in the market.

Alfalfa Market Share is projected to be valued at USD 39.71 Billion by 2025, registering a CAGR of 5.06% during the forecast period. However, the high cost of production as compared to other forage crops and the need for large amounts of water for irrigation may hinder the alfalfa market growth. Nonetheless, the growing demand in the Middle East in countries such as Saudi Arabia and the UAE, where the production of forage crops is banned due to water scarcity, provides lucrative opportunities for the alfalfa market players.

Market USP

Availability of a wide range of alfalfa products

Get a FREE Sample Copy of Report: https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/8508

Growth Opportunities in the Market

Increasing demand for alfalfa in the form of pellets: Alfalfa pellets are highly nutritious as they a good source of digestible fiber, protein, vitamins, and minerals. Pellets are also convenient and cost-effective as compared to hay bales and cubes, resulting in high demand by dairy and livestock farmers. The pellets segment is, therefore, expected to be the fastest-growing during the review period.

Alfalfa pellets are highly nutritious as they a good source of digestible fiber, protein, vitamins, and minerals. Pellets are also convenient and cost-effective as compared to hay bales and cubes, resulting in high demand by dairy and livestock farmers. The pellets segment is, therefore, expected to be the fastest-growing during the review period. High consumption by ruminant rearers: The ruminant segment dominated the global alfalfa market in 2018 and it is expected to register the highest CAGR during the forecast period. The demand for meat, milk, and other dairy products is increasing rapidly across the globe. Thus, dairy and livestock farmers are focused on high yield from ruminants by increasing the use of high-quality fodder. Moreover, the introduction of advanced products such as dehydrated and organic alfalfa fodder for cattle is likely to augment the alfalfa market demand in the coming years.

Browse Full Report Details @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/alfalfa-market-8508

Key Players

Grupo Oses (Spain)

Al Dahra ACX Global, Inc. (US)

Alfalfa Monegros, S.L. (Spain)

Anderson Hay & Grain Inc. (US)

Bailey Farms (US)

Border Valley (US)

Cubeit Hay Company (Spain)

Green Prairie International (Canada)

Carli Group (Italy)

Hay USA Inc. (US)

Haykingdom Inc. (US)

M&C Hay (US)

McCracken Hay Company (US)

SL Follen Company (US)

Standlee Hay Co Ltd. (US)

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Three people were killed in Bengaluru after police opened fire as clashes broke out in parts of the city on Tuesday night after a youth allegedly posted derogatory content inciting hatred on Facebook.

Members of the minority community pelted stones at the residence of Congress MLA Akhanda Shrinivasa Murthy, DJ Halli and KG Halli police stations. The youth, who is said to be associated with the Congress lawmaker, has been arrested.

Among the three dead persons, two have been identified as Wajid Khan (20) and Yaseen Pasha (20). The third person remains unidentified. The bodies are currently kept at the Bowring Hospital morgue as the authorities will conduct Covid-19 tests and post-mortem before handing them over to the family members.

Karnataka: Visuals from Bengaluru's DJ Halli Police Station area where violence broke out over an alleged inciting social media post.



Two people died & around 60 police personnel sustained injuries in the violence in Bengaluru, according to Police Commissioner Kamal Pant. pic.twitter.com/QsAALZycs0  ANI (@ANI) August 11, 2020

According to news agency ANI, 60 policemen sustained injuries as the mob hurled bottles and stones at them while protesting against the Facebook post which allegedly insulted the religious figure.

#UPDATE Accused Naveen arrested for sharing derogatory posts on social media: Bengaluru Police Commissioner Kamal Pant



Two persons died and around 60 police personnel sustained injuries in the violence that broke out over the social media post, in Bengaluru last night.#Karnataka https://t.co/VlZKo8CW3d  ANI (@ANI) August 12, 2020

The city police commissioner Kamal Pant has said that the police has also detained 165 people for rioting. People familiar to the development said that the youth arrested for posting the content has denied his role saying that his social media account was hacked.

Section 144 has been imposed across Bengaluru following the violence that erupted in some parts of the city. State home minister B Bommai said that nobody will be allowed to take the law into their own hands. He also added that additional police forces have been deployed to maintain law and order.

Karnataka: Residence of Congress MLA Akhanda Srinivasamurthy was attacked last night, as violence broke out in Bengaluru over an alleged inciting social media post.



Section 144 imposed in entire Bangalore city. Curfew imposed in DJ Halli and KG Halli police station limits. pic.twitter.com/fEYJvUdomD  ANI (@ANI) August 12, 2020

The home minister has also briefed Karnataka CM BS Yediyurappa about the incident. The chief minister in a tweet condemned the violence and ordered action against elements who took the law in their hands.

Yediyurappa further added that the miscreants who attacked the police personnel, media and the general public will not be spared. He also appealed for calm and asked people to not get incited.

BJP Karnataka president and member of Parliament Nalin Kumar Katee while speaking to reporters said that the government is thinking to hand over the case to the CB-CID for investigation.

    , ,     .  ,    .     .         . (2/2)  B.S. Yediyurappa (@BSYBJP) August 12, 2020

Officials familiar with the development said that additional police forces have been deployed to ensure peace and security throughout Bengaluru city.

Now, situation is completely under control. Curfew imposed in DJ Halli & KG Halli police station limits & Section 144 imposed in remaining city. We are getting some companies from RAF, CRPF & CISF, to join our security arrangements: Kamal Pant, Bengaluru City Police Commissioner pic.twitter.com/zw39XnKPY4  ANI (@ANI) August 12, 2020

Congress president for Karnataka unit DK Shivakumar condemned the incident saying, Completely condemn the violence unleashed on our party legislators house as well as on the police. Equally condemn the derogatory facebook post. Nobody should indulge in violence.

I condemn the violence that has happened in Bengaluru. No one must take law into their own hands.



The Government must take strict and exemplary action against the person who made the derogatory social media post as well as those who indulged in rioting and arson. pic.twitter.com/Adhl152LPt  DK Shivakumar (@DKShivakumar) August 12, 2020

He has also called for a meeting at 12 pm on Wednesday at the Karnataka Congress officer to discuss the matter.

Congress MLA AS Murthy will meet R Ashoka, Karnataka revenue minister, to seek protection for him and his family. Murthys residence was burnt down in the violence that erupted on late Tuesday night.

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By Associated Press

TAIPEI: US Health and Human Service Secretary Alex Azar has redoubled accusations that China failed to adequately warn of the coronavirus after it was first detected in Wuhan.

Azar says China's ruling Communist Party "had the chance to warn the world and work with the world on battling the virus. But they chose not to, and the costs of that choice mount higher every day."

The Trump administration has repeatedly accused China of withholding information from the UN World Health Organisation and the international community as the virus began to take hold.

China denies the charge, saying it communicated information as soon as it had it, although records appear to show new cases weren't being tabulated during a key meeting of the provincial legislature.

Since then, the US has announced it will withdraw from the WHO.

Azar says Beijing had been lobbying against an investigation into the origins of the virus along with "reforms desperately needed to make WHO a more effective institution."

Azar, the highest-level US official to visit Taiwan since formal relations between the sides were severed in 1979, praised Taiwan's response to the coronavirus.
Plans are being made across the country for how to safely send students back to school in the fall as the COVID-19 pandemic continues.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 11/8/2020 (525 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Furniture stands in a corridor at a school in Brampton, Ont. on Thursday, July 23, 2020. Plans are being made across the country for how to safely send students back to school in the fall as the COVID-19 pandemic continues. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young

Plans are being made across the country for how to safely send students back to school in the fall as the COVID-19 pandemic continues.

Here is a look at what the various provinces have said about getting kids back to classes.

---

BRITISH COLUMBIA

British Columbia has laid out its plan for studies to resume in "learning groups" this fall. School districts are to post final back-to-school details online by Aug. 26.

Back to class: Schools were initially scheduled to welcome students back full time on Sept. 8, but the province announced it is pushing back the restart date. Education Minister Rob Fleming says students will be welcomed back to classrooms later in the second week of September after staff review the latest B.C. Centre for Disease Control guidelines and school operation policies. No official date has been set for children to return to schools.

Groups: Students will be sorted into learning groups to reduce the number of people they come in contact with. For elementary and middle school students, groups will be no larger than 60 people. Secondary school groups will be capped at 120.

Physical distancing: Students and staff don't need to maintain physical distancing within their learning group, but contact should be minimized. Outside the group, physical distancing is required. Students should be more spaced out in classrooms.

Masks: Students and staff will not be required to wear masks in schools, but the province says it's a "personal choice that will always be respected."

New routines: The province is urging schools to stagger recess, lunch and class transition times and take students outside whenever possible.

Transportation: Middle and high school students are asked to wear masks on buses. Students should be assigned seats, and a transparent barrier may be used to separate the driver.

---

ALBERTA

The province is planning to fully reopen schools from kindergarten to Grade 12 this fall. Measures will be tightened if an outbreak occurs and class sizes could be reduced to 20.

Back to class: School will be back in session with extra safety measures, but the province says there are programs to support remote and alternative learning.

Groups: Schools should sort students into cohorts by class when possible to minimize contact with others.

Physical distancing: Physical distancing is recommended when possible. Rooms should be rearranged to increase space between desks.

Masks: Masks will be mandatory for staff and many students in some school settings. Students in Grades 4 to 12 must wear masks in all common areas, such as hallways and on buses. Staff are required to wear masks whenever physical distancing cannot be maintained. Mask use will be optional for kids in kindergarten through Grade 3. The government says all students and staff will receive two reusable masks as part of the policy.

Transportation: Parents are asked to bring their children to school if they can. Students who take the bus will sit in the same seat every day.

New routines: Schools are advised to consider a "no sharing policy," with each student bringing their own supplies. Class, lunch and recess schedules will be staggered.

---

SASKATCHEWAN

Saskatchewan first unveiled a set of back-to-school guidelines in June, but released more details Aug. 4.

Back to class: Students will return to class as early as Sept. 1.

Groups: Groups of students and staff members assigned to them should stick together throughout the day and try not to mingle with other groups. Schools should aim to minimize the number of different instructors who interact with students throughout the day.

Physical distancing: Officials say maintaining physical distance is "less practical" for younger children, and the focus should be on limiting physical contact. Officials suggest limiting hugs and hand holding and suggest using alternative greetings such as air high fives. Schools are also to have dedicated quarantine areas where symptomatic students can go before they are picked up by parents.

Masks: Staff are not required to wear masks or eye protection except when in close contact with someone who is sick. The province says they should only be used when "all other controls have been fully explored."

Transportation: Parents should take their kids to school when possible, and pickup and drop-offs should happen outside. Students using school transportation should be assigned seats, and a partition may be used to separate the driver.

New routines: Start times, recess, lunch and class transitions may be staggered to allow for more space for physical distancing. Schools should rearrange their classrooms to space out students. Students and staff are asked to bring hand sanitizer.

---

MANITOBA

The Manitoba government says most students are to be back in classrooms on Sept. 8 with new guidelines to reduce the risk of spreading COVID-19.

Back to class: All students from kindergarten to Grade 8 are to have in-class instruction five days a week. High school students will also be in class full time, except in schools where there is inadequate space for physical distancing, in which case there will be some days of remote learning.

Groups: When physical distancing isn't possible, students will have to be organized into cohorts no larger than 75, and minimize contact with others. In these cases, there must be at least one metre between their desks.

Physical distancing: The province says students are required to maintain a two-metre distance to "the greatest extent possible." When it isn't possible, physical barriers may be an option. Spaces should be arranged to encourage separation.

Masks: Masks are not required for students or staff.

Transportation: Buses will be running at reduced capacity, and parents will be asked to transport their children to school if they can.

New routines: Lunch and recess are to be staggered to minimize congestion, and in many cases teachers will change classrooms instead of students.

---

ONTARIO

Ontario students will be back in class September, but their schedules and class sizes may vary depending on where they live.

Back to class: Elementary students and many high schoolers will be in school five days a week in standard class sizes. However, secondary students at two dozen boards that are higher risk will only attend class half the time, and will spend the rest of the week working on "curriculum-linked independent work." Parents will also have the option to keep their kids out of class, and boards must provide options for remote learning.

Groups: For high schoolers in high-risk districts, class sizes will be capped at 15. Meanwhile, elementary students won't be broken up into smaller groups, but will be grouped into cohorts and their exposure to different teachers will be limited.

Physical distancing: While Education Minister Stephen Lecce said the aim is to keep students one metre apart from each other, a guidance document says only that schools should promote "as much distancing as possible" rather than being strictly enforced.

Masks: Masks will be mandatory for students in Grades 4 through 12, and will be strongly encouraged for younger kids when they're in indoor common areas. Staff will be expected to wear masks.

Transportation: Some school boards may have more than one student assigned to a seat. When physical distancing isn't possible, masks will be mandatory for students in Grades 4 to 12, and younger students will be encouraged but not required to do the same.

New routines: Students in some districts will have to pre-register for in-person schooling. Some schools may limit or even ban visitors, including parents. Breaks will be scheduled to allow students to wash their hands.

---

QUEBEC

All elementary and high school students in Quebec will be required to attend class in September unless they have a doctor's note indicating they're at high risk of COVID-19 complications or they live with someone at risk. Those students will be allowed to study remotely.

Back to class: Class attendance is mandatory for elementary and high school students. For Grades 10 and 11, schools have the option of alternating schedules where students attend one day out of every two  as long as schools cannot maintain stable classroom bubbles. Grade 10 and 11 students are encouraged to attend classes as much as possible.

Groups: Each classroom will be its own bubble and students will not be required to maintain a two-metre distance between classmates.

Physical distancing: Students will need to keep a two-metre distance from all school staff, as well as all other students outside their classroom bubble. There are no physical distancing requirements for children or teachers in pre-school.

Masks: All students in Grade 5 and up  as well as all school staff  must wear a mask inside all common areas of the school except the classroom. Masks can also be removed when students are eating.

Transportation: No more than 48 students will be allowed on a school bus, with no more than two students sitting on the same bench. Preschool and elementary school students are strongly encouraged to wear masks, while older students are required to wear them.

New routines: When schools return in the fall, teachers will move from classroom to classroom, but students will stay put.

Backup plans: In the event of an outbreak in one class, the entire classroom bubble will be sent home to continue studies remotely. Authorities are also putting together an emergency protocol in the event of a second wave to ensure instruction continues online if entire schools are again forced to close. Ideas include quickly distributing tablets or laptops to students needing them and establishing a digital platform to continue courses and maintain communication.

---

NEW BRUNSWICK

The province has outlined a set of requirements schools must follow in developing their plans for the fall.

Back to class: Students in kindergarten to Grade 8 are to attend school full time, while those in Grades 9 to 12 are to be taught using a combination of in-class and remote instruction. At-home course work can include online learning, guided projects and experiential education.

Groups: For kindergarten through Grade 2, group sizes will be reduced to about 15, wherever possible. Group sizes should also be shrunk for Grades 3 to 5. Grades 6 to 8 will resume at regular class sizes. Students in Grades 9 to 12 will not be grouped because of their schedules and course options.

Physical distance: Grade 9 to 12 classrooms are required to maintain a one-metre distance, while a two-metre distance is recommended in common areas at all grade levels.

Masks: It's unclear where the province stands on staff and students wearing masks.

Transportation: The province says it's working with school districts to develop plans for transportation. Pickup and drop-off schedules may be staggered.

New routines: Arrivals, breaks and lunches are to be staggered. Public access to school buildings will be limited, and students, staff and visitors may also be subject to screening. High school students will be expected to have their own laptop or similar device, and some subsidies will be available.

---

PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND

Schools on the Island are preparing to welcome all students back to class, while drafting backup plans for remote studies if required.

Back to class: Schools are to reopen for teachers and staff on Sept. 1 and for students on Sept. 8.

Groups: Students will be organized into cohorts when possible and limit their exposure to others.

Physical distancing: Students will be taught about the importance of physical distancing, and extra teaching and cleaning staff may be hired. Schools are also asked to reduce class sizes as much as possible, reconfigure classrooms and make use of spaces such as libraries and multipurpose rooms.

Masks: The province says all staff and students in Grades 7-12 are "strongly recommended" to wear masks when physical distancing cannot be maintained. Students from kindergarten through Grade 6 may wear masks when physical distancing is impossible. Staff interacting with children who have complex medical needs are strongly recommended to wear face shields and gloves.

Transportation: Parents are asked to take their kids to school whenever possible. To reduce the number of riders on buses, schools may add vehicles and routes or implement walk-to-school programs. It is strongly recommended that all students and drivers wear masks on the bus.

New routines: P.E.I. education authorities are revising curricula for this school year to make up for learning gaps caused by lockdown constraints. Schools will stagger schedules to minimize congestion. The provincial school food program will be expanded next year in keeping with public health precautions. Elementary school students will stay in their classrooms for lunch.

---

NOVA SCOTIA

Education Minister Zach Churchill says the province's objective is for schools to return to 100 per cent capacity in the fall, but its plan includes measures to address the possible onset of a second wave of COVID-19.

Back to class: The province aims to have all elementary and high school students in classrooms by Sept. 8.

Groups: Students will be asked to keep to cohorts.

Physical distancing: Students and staff will be encouraged to maintain a two-metre distance whenever possible. Lecture rooms will be reorganized to increase space between desks.

Masks: Masks are not required in classrooms, but students and staff may choose to wear them. While it's recommended that they bring their own, masks will be provided to those who don't have one. Staff and students in Grades 10 to 12 must wear masks when physical distancing is difficult.

Transportation: Students who take the school bus will be required to wear non-medical masks.

New routines: Only students and staff will be permitted to enter school buildings. When possible, teachers will be asked to move their classes outdoors. Students will be asked to bring their own computers to school, and the province says it has acquired an additional 14,000 devices for those with limited access to technology.

Backup plans: If a COVID-19 outbreak occurs during the academic year, schools will move to a blended learning model with smaller class sizes and home learning for older students.

---

NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR

The province's back-to-school plan aims to maximize in-class attendance with the option of a return to remote learning if the COVID-19 risk increases.

Back to class: The province's plan outlines three scenarios  in-class instruction, remote learning or a combination of both, depending on the COVID-19 risk in a particular community.

Groups: Cohorting by class is recommended when it's feasible, but students' schedules shouldn't be disrupted to support smaller groupings.

Physical distancing: Schools should aim to create a two-metre distance between desks, or as much distance as possible. However, provincial authorities say these precautions should not interfere with the daily school routine, and strict physical distancing should not be "over-emphasized" to children, because it is not practical and can cause psychological harm.

Masks: The province does not recommend masks for children, but says their use should not be "stigmatized" for those that choose to wear them. Staff will not be required to wear masks if physical distancing is possible.

Transportation: It will be up to school districts to determine their transportation operations, considering precautions such as assigning seats and separating the driver with a physical divider.

New routines: All students must bring their own supplies in keeping with a "no sharing" policy.

Backup plans: In the event of moderate-to-widespread transmission of COVID-19, school districts will move to online learning. Classroom attendance should be limited to about 50 per cent when the COVID-19 risk in a community is considered low to moderate. Newfoundland and Labrador says it will spend $20 million to purchase laptops for teachers and students in Grades 7 through 12 to support remote learning.

---

YUKON

The territorial government says it's making plans for the next school year that include flexibility around the number of students in classes if there's a second wave of COVID-19 or increased risk of transmission. It says each school will determine how it will adjust its operations to meet those guidelines, and school principals and staff are expected to share that information prior to September.

Back to class: Preliminary plans indicate that in rural communities, all students will return to school full time. In Whitehorse, however, kids in kindergarten through Grade 9 will return to full-day in-school instruction, while Grades 10 to 12 will spend half their day in the classroom, and the rest learning remotely.

Groups: Class sizes may be smaller to meet safety restrictions.

Masks: Wearing masks is a personal choice.

Transportation: Bus school and schedules will be posted to the territory's website.

New routines: Schedule shakeups may mean that some students won't have their regular teacher or the same classmates. School meal programs may be adapted with new safety measures and pickup options.

Backup plans: The territory has outlined a spectrum of school options if the risk to the community increases, ranging from rotating schedules to suspension of face-to-face learning.

---

NORTHWEST TERRITORIES

All N.W.T. schools have submitted plans to reopen their doors this fall. The territory says education authorities are taking a flexible approach in their planning to account for a potential second wave of COVID-19 in the fall.

Back to class: While plans will vary from school to school, the territory will offer in-person instruction whenever possible, while ensuring alternative options are available.

Groups: Students in kindergarten through Grade 6 will be in classroom "bubbles," and won't have to practise physical distancing within these groups.

Physical distancing: For Grades 7 to 9, students are asked to maintain a one-metre distance from each other, and two-metre distance from staff. Grade 10 to 12 students are asked to allow for two metres of distance from their peers and instructors.

Masks: Students of all ages may be required to wear masks in situations where physical distance cannot be practised, such as moving through the hallways.

Transportation: There may be changes to bus schedules, and all riders will be required to wear masks.

New routines: More time will be spent learning outside. School hours and schedules may also look different. Students are asked to label personal items and not share.

Backup plans: The territory says schools are preparing to shift between in-person, distance and blended learning at short notice should there become active COVID-19 cases.

---

NUNAVUT

The territory has released a four-stage plan for reopening schools based on the risk of the novel coronavirus in a community.

Back to class: There are no reported COVID-19 cases in Nunavut, so all schools are set to reopen this fall with enhanced cleaning and safety precautions.

Groups: It is recommended that schools cohort students by class and limit mixing as much as possible.

Physical distancing: Distance requirements will depend on what stage a community is in, and will primarily be achieved by limiting school attendance.

Masks: In most cases, the use of masks is not recommended for children. If there are exceptions, parents will be notified, and masks will be provided.

Transportation: As it stands, bus schedules are set to resume. Students older than 13 may be required to wear masks.

New routines: Group activities will be limited. Students won't be allowed to share food in lunchrooms.

Backup plans: The territory says schools could go part-time if contact tracing were to identify a possible source of COVID-19. All schools would be closed if community transmission were to take place.

This report was first published by The Canadian Press on Aug. 11, 2020.
COLUMBIA, Mo. - Missouri Gov. Mike Parsons contested call to give the attorney general the power to prosecute homicides in St. Louis has spurred backlash and led state lawmakers to delay work on crime legislation he wants.

Parson on Monday asked lawmakers working on sweeping crime bill to give Attorney General Eric Schmitts office that authority  a move that was widely seen as a criticism of Democrat Kim Gardner, the citys first Black prosecutor who supports greater police accountability and using diversion programs instead of incarceration.

Parson and Schmitt, both Republicans, have insisted the goal is to help fight a surge in violent crime in the states larger cities.

Gardner on Wednesday said prosecutors choices are challenged every step of the way when African American female prosecutors come into office.

Republican state Sen. Bob Onder last week called Gardner incompetent and floated the idea of giving the governor the authority to oust prosecutors for reasons including incompetence.

Other Black female prosecutors elsewhere in the U.S. have faced similar criticism.

Floridas former Republican Gov. Rick Scott reassigned death penalty cases from Floridas first Black state attorney, Aramis Ayala, when she announced in early 2017 that her office would no longer seek the death penalty because of its cost and failure to deter crime. And Baltimores police union leader has repeatedly criticized the citys top prosecutor, Marilyn Mosby, who attracted national attention when she charged six officers over the 2015 death of 25-year-old Freddie Gray. Three officers were acquitted and Mosby dropped the remaining cases.

Gardner most recently faced criticism for charging a white couple, Mark and Patricia McCloskey, with felony unlawful use of a weapon after they pointed guns at racial inequality protesters marching past their home.

Parson has said he spoke with President Donald Trump about Gardners decision and told the president that its difficult to remove an elected official from office in Missouri, though he didnt say if Trump had asked if Gardner could be removed.

Parsons comments this week came just days after she easily won the Democratic primary for her office. Gardner is heavily favoured to win the general election in November in the overwhelmingly Democratic city.

Shaun King, a Black Lives Matter activist and co-founder of the criminal justice reform organization Grassroots Law Project, said Republicans are trying to undermine Gardner.

They want to undo the electoral outcome because their chosen law enforcement candidate was not elected by the people, King said in a statement.

Parson has said his proposal is not about taking away authority but about fighting crime.

But his request has stalled work on the sweeping crime bill that he initially called lawmakers back to the Capitol to work on. Among other things, Parson wants to strengthen witness protection programs, ramp up penalties for giving guns to minors and require judges to consider trying some children as adults for weapons crimes.

A broad bill that included Parsons original requests passed the state Senate last week, and a House committee was holding a public hearing the day the governor added the prosecutorial change to his legislative wishlist.

In response, House Republicans stopped work on the sweeping crime bill and plan to break up the various provisions into separate bills.

Given the fact the governor expanded the call as one of our committees was considering the bill he originally proposed, we think its important to take a step back and give additional thought and attention to each part of the plan, Republican House leaders said in a joint statement.

That will give lawmakers the choice to vote down some of Parsons more contested ideas.

Parson spokeswoman Kelli Jones said the governor and his administration believe in the legislative process but also believe time is of the essence as homicides continue to increase across the state.

___

Associated Press writer Aaron Morrison contributed to this report from New York.
For most of this year, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has publicly swatted away suggestions she should get the nod for Vice President. New reporting from The Associated Press indicates she was doing the same thing behind the scenes within Joe Bidens presidential campaign, as well.

Biden announced Kamala Harris, D-Calif., as his running mate Tuesday.

According to a high-ranking Democrat familiar with the process, AP reports, this spring Whitmer asked to be taken out of consideration and recommended he pick a Black woman as his running mate. She later agreed to stay under consideration after a personal appeal from Biden in June, according to the report.

Traditionally, people seeking the office of Vice President do so while pretending they arent. As Kyle Kopko, an adjunct professor at Elizabethtown College who studies the Vice Presidency told MLive earlier this year, Thats the norm, to deny it. Thats one of the ways to get noticed, believe it or not.

Whitmer did that as far back as February when presidential primary candidates were calling her for advice on Michigan.

At that time, she said the attention was flattering but Washington D.C. didnt appeal to her.

I love the state. My family is here. And so, you know, its flattering. With it comes all sorts of scrutiny and speculation. Im not feeding into it. Im not interested in doing that. Ive got a lot of work to do, she said in a February interview.

And, long before public pressure mounted to choose a Black woman in the midst of a national conversation about race and police brutality following the death of George Floyd, Whitmer recommended a Black woman for the job.

I think that there are a lot of candidates that could add, and one of my favorites is Stacey Abrams, a good friend of mine. I think shes a wonderful leader and would add something. I have to imagine theres a lot of people who could really round out a ticket, depending whos at the top, Whitmer said in February.

When it was clear Biden was at the top, she was on board. She joined his campaign as co-chair, touted his qualifications publicly and appeared at his online events, all the while denying she was interested in being Vice President.

But her name was in the ring into the final stages of Bidens decision, and she reportedly flew to meet with him in the final weeks leading up to the announcement.

She faced criticism from Republicans, who painted her as not focusing completely on Michigan while she was in the running for Vice President.

Several political experts point to some factors that swayed the decision toward Harris, instead. Harris is a woman of color with congressional experience and a broader name ID. Whitmers coronavirus response in Michigan rocketed her national recognition, but also made her essential in her current role. Must-win Michigan is looking bluer than it did a cycle or a year ago.

Related: Why Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer wasnt chosen to be Bidens running mate in 2020 presidential election

After Biden publicly announced his decision, Whitmer welcomed the news of Harriss selection.

I am really excited about Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, Whitmer said Tuesday. I am really excited about the candidates that we have, up and down the ticket. Im very pleased. I think that its going to be really the kind of fierce leadership that we need in Washington, D.C.

READ MORE ON MLIVE:

Joe Biden selects Kamala Harris as vice presidential running mate

Why Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer wasnt chosen to be Bidens running mate in 2020 presidential election

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer set to speak at Democratic convention

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer says Biden and Harris will bring fierce leadership to White House

Kamala Harris is officially Joe Bidens running mate. Michigan supporters say its about time.
Most competitive exams in India have GK questions as an essential component. Reading up on all the India GK there is to know is not an easy task, but you can brush up on your GK today with these GK 2020 questions and answers. This GK Question Bank is updated daily to help you with the most relevant and up-to-date GK questions.

These GK 2020 questions are perfect to solve when you are studying for a competitive entrance exam, preparing for an interview, or reading up on GK today for your own knowledge. India GK is quizzed in several competitive and entrance exams, including but not limited to those for the UPSC, SSC, IAS, CGL, CHSL, CDS, Railways, Defence, Banking and MBA exams. Here, along with aptitude and banking questions, GK in English is also tested.

Also Read: GK Questions 2020 For June 10 | Daily Updated Quiz On National & International Affairs

How to solve GK quiz online

Various general knowledge practice tests and mock exams are available to help check your preparedness for competitive exams. They typically have multiple-choice questions (MCQs) in a general quiz format and G.k questions on current affairs. Regular practice with daily GK questions helps to improve one's score in such quizzes along with an improvement in ability to recollect details. It might also help to expose oneself to news or discuss easy general knowledge questions with friends & family and gradually move to more specialised ones. Such questions can be found below or in various GK questions pdf available online.

Also Read: Current Affairs 2020 For June 10 | Daily Updated Quiz On National & International Affairs

Top GK Questions for August 12, 2020

1.Who is largely responsible for breaking the German Enigma codes, created a test that provided a foundation for artificial intelligence?

Alan Turing

Jeff Bezos

George Boole

Charles Babbage

2. Ashoka Chakra' is awarded for --------------.

acts of gallantry in the presence of enemy

gallantry by children

outstanding contribution to literature

the most conspicuous bravery or self sacrifice on land, air or sea but not in the presence of the enemy

3. The largest production of mica in Asia is from ------------.

Indonesia

Malaysia

Myanmar

India

4. The most important ore of aluminium is -----------.

bauxite

magnetite

haematite

monazite

5. The Nobel peace prize is awarded in which city?

Oslo

Stockholm

Brussels

Geneva

6. The percentage of India's total population employed in agriculture is nearly ----------.

40%

50%

60%

70%

7. Who developed Yahoo?

Dennis Ritchie & Ken Thompson

David Filo & Jerry Yang

Vint Cerf & Robert Kahn

Steve Case & Jeff Bezos

8. Made from a variety of materials, such as carbon, which inhibits the flow of current...?

Choke

Inductor

Resistor

Capacitor

9. The Nobel Prize was first awarded in ------------.

1976

1958

1901

1972

10. Who among the following own the Nobel prize for literature?

Linus Pauling

Samuel Beckett

Philip Noel - Baker

Ralph Bunche

11. The latitude 'AA' on the map represents the -----------.

Tropic of Cancer

Tropic of Capricorn

Equator

None of the above

12. The largest fresh water lake of Africa, area wise is -----------.

lake Victoria

lake Tanganyika

lake Malawi

Lake Rudolf

13. The organic reaction represented by equation CH3 - CH = O + H2NOH gives CH3 - CH - NH + H2O is an example of ------------.

an addition reaction

a condensation reaction

an oxidation reaction

an elimination reaction

14. The number of electrons presents in H+ is -------------.

zero

one

two

three

15. Arjuna Award is given for --------------.

Exceptional service in emergency

Bravery on battlefield

Outstanding performance in sports

Exceptional service in slum dwellers

16. Who among the following is not a recipient of the Bharatiya Jnanpith Award?

Ashaparna Devi

M. F. Hussain

Raghupathi Sahai

V. K. Gokak

17. Which of the following important rivers of India does not originate from the Western Ghats?

Cauvery

Godavari

Krishna

Mahanadi

18. Which of the following areas or regions is most prone to earthquakes?

Ganga-Brahmaputra valley

Deccan plateau

Plains of northern India

Western ghats

19. The most common format for a home video recorder is VHS. VHS stands for...?

Video Home System

Very high speed

Video horizontal standard

Voltage house standard

20. The 'Cannes Award' is given for excellence in which field?

Films

Journalism

Literature

Economics

21. The important mountains of Europe include -----------.

Andes, Alps, Pyrenees

Alps, Carpathians, Pyrenees, Apennines

Alps, Himalayas, Rock mountains

None of the above

22. The hottest part of the gas flame is known as ------------.

luminous zone

dark zone

blue zone

non-luminous zone

23. The UNSECO's 'Prix Jules Verne' prize has been given to which of the following serials of Doordarshan?

The World This Week

Surabhi

Eye Witness

Turning Point

24. The proportion of forest to the total national geographical area of India as envisaged by National Forest Policy is ----------.

30.3%

33.3%

38.3%

42.3%

25. What does VVVF stand for?

Variant Voltage Vile Frequency

Variable Velocity Variable Fun

Very Very Vicious Frequency

Variable Voltage Variable Frequency

26. The journalist who refused to accept 'Padma Bhushan' was?

Shekaran Nair

Khushwant Singh

Ratan Thiyam

Arun Shourie

27. The last major glacial period began about 2,000,000 years before present and is commonly known as --------------.

Pleistocene or ice age

Paleocene or ice age

Pliocene or ice age

Holocene or ice age

28. The imaginary axis at which the earth rotates remains inclined at an angle of ____ to the plane of earth's orbit.

44 1/2 

55 1/2 

66 1/2 

0 

29. The human body is made up of several chemical elements; the element present in the highest proportion (65%) in the body is --------------.

carbon

hydrogen

oxygen

nitrogen

30. The isomerism which exists between CH3CHCI2 and CH2CI. CH2CI is -------------.

chain isomerism

functional group isomerism

positional isomerism

metamerism

Also Read: Current Affairs 2020 For June 09 | Daily Updated Quiz On National & International Affairs

GK 2020 Answer

1.Who is largely responsible for breaking the German Enigma codes, created a test that provided a foundation for artificial intelligence?

Answer- Alan Turing

2. Ashoka Chakra' is awarded for --------------.

Answer- the most conspicuous bravery or self sacrifice on land, air or sea but not in the presence of the enemy

3. The largest production of mica in Asia is from ------------.

Answer- India

4. The most important ore of aluminium is -----------.

Answer- bauxite

5. The Nobel peace prize is awarded in which city?

Answer- Oslo

6. The percentage of India's total population employed in agriculture is nearly ----------.

Answer- 70%

7. Who developed Yahoo?

Answer- David Filo & Jerry Yang

8. Made from a variety of materials, such as carbon, which inhibits the flow of current...?

Answer- Resistor

9. The Nobel Prize was first awarded in ------------.

Answer- 1901

10. Who among the following own the Nobel prize for literature?

Answer- Samuel Beckett

11. The latitude 'AA' on the map represents the -----------.

Answer- Equator

12. The largest fresh water lake of Africa, area wise is -----------.

Answer- lake Victoria

13. The organic reaction represented by equation CH3 - CH = O + H2NOH gives CH3 - CH - NH + H2O is an example of ------------.

Answer- a condensation reaction

14. The number of electrons presents in H+ is -------------.

Answer- zero

15. Arjuna Award is given for --------------.

Answer- Outstanding performance in sports

16. Who among the following is not a recipient of the Bharatiya Jnanpith Award?

Answer- M. F. Hussain

17. Which of the following important rivers of India does not originate from the Western Ghats?

Answer- Mahanadi

18. Which of the following areas or regions is most prone to earthquakes?

Answer- Ganga-Brahmaputra valley

19. The most common format for a home video recorder is VHS. VHS stands for...?

Answer- Video Home System

20. The 'Cannes Award' is given for excellence in which field?

Answer- Films

21. The important mountains of Europe include -----------.

Answer- Alps, Carpathians, Pyrenees, Apennines

22. The hottest part of the gas flame is known as ------------.

Answer- non-luminous zone

23. The UNSECO's 'Prix Jules Verne' prize has been given to which of the following serials of Doordarshan?

Answer- Turning Point

24. The proportion of forest to the total national geographical area of India as envisaged by National Forest Policy is ----------.

Answer- 33.3%

25. What does VVVF stand for?

Answer- Variable Voltage Variable Frequency

26. The journalist who refused to accept 'Padma Bhushan' was?

Answer- Khushwant Singh

27. The last major glacial period began about 2,000,000 years before present and is commonly known as --------------.

Answer- Pleistocene or ice age

28. The imaginary axis at which the earth rotates remains inclined at an angle of ____ to the plane of earth's orbit.

Answer- 66 1/2 

29. The human body is made up of several chemical elements; the element present in the highest proportion (65%) in the body is --------------.

Answer- oxygen

30. The isomerism which exists between CH3CHCI2 and CH2CI. CH2CI is -------------.

Answer- positional isomerism

Also Read: GK Questions 2020 For June 09 | Daily Updated Quiz On National & International Affairs
By Kim Bo-eun





A notice on the Presidential Committee for Balanced National Development's website

A presidential committee on regional development is looking into fostering Korea as an "Asian financial hub," raising questions of who should actually be in charge of strengthening Korea's competitiveness as a financial center.



The move comes as governments in Asia seek to attract financial firms possibly leaving Hong Kong amid the unrest following China's introduction of a security law there. The government has assigned the Presidential Committee for Balanced National Development to undertake studies on fostering an Asian financial hub, even though the committee's stated focus has been entirely domestic.



It states on the committee's website that its aim is "to resolve the imbalance among regions and contribute to the equal improvement of people's lives." This was one of President Moon Jae-in's key election pledges, as there is still a heavy concentration in the capital, despite previous decentralization efforts.



President Moon has unveiled plans to relocate public institutions including state-run banks to regional cities as part of these efforts.



While the initiatives for balanced development appear reasonable, it is difficult to fathom how the two projects of balanced development and fostering the nation as a financial hub can be tied together.






Nagpur municipal body has directed two Covid designated private hospitals in the city to refund excess amounts charged from patients after receiving complaints of hospitals fleecing patients in the name of Covid 19 treatment despite the ceiling set by the state government for charging coronavirus patients.

Nagpur municipal commissioner Tukaram Mundhe said that 80% beds in private hospitals in the city, designated as Covid centres, had been taken over by the state government and were thus regulated by the treatment cost slabs set previously by the government.

In these private hospitals, 80% of the beds are reserved as government beds and 20% beds are their own. Hospitals can levy charge on the 20% beds as per their own policy. As far as 80% of beds are concerned, they are to be charged as per the government policy, Mundhe was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

Complaints of private hospitals overcharging patients for Covid-19 treatment have been reported from several states including Maharashtra. The Central government was the first to appoint a committee to fix costs at government and private hospitals for Covid-19 testing and treatment. Several states including Maharashtra followed suit and set up price bands to prevent profiteering in times of crisis.

Also Read: Navi Mumbai chief warns hospitals not to overcharge Covid patients

Nagpur commissioner said strict action will be taken if hospitals violated rules.

Earlier in May, the state governments health department had issued directives restricting private hospitals from charging more than up to Rs 4,000 per day for a general bed; Rs 7,500 per day in the intensive care unit (ICU); and Rs 9,000 per day for treatment with a ventilator facility. The charges also include meals for patients. The regulations make it mandatory for all private hospitals to follow the rules laid down by the state government during a pandemic, according to the Epidemic Diseases Act.

Restrictions also apply on the billing of medicines at these facilities apart from consultancy fees of doctors along with other expenses.

Also Read: Patients protest lack of facilities, substandard food at Uttarakhand Covid care centre

The price capping was done after several incidents of exorbitant billing by private hospitals was reported from across the state including a case when a Covid-positive patient had to pay Rs 16 lakh for a 15-day stay in a private hospital and cases when people had to take loans to pay private hospitals bills.

Private hospitals like Nanavati Hospital were found to be charging Rs 8,000 to Rs 9,800 per personal protective equipment (PPE) even though the cost of PPEs were much less.
New INM delegate announced for Quintana Roo

Chetumal, Q.R.  A new head of Instituto Nacional de Migracion (INM) for the state of Quintana Roo has been appointed. Government officials say Demetrio Aristeo Toabada has bee appointed the new delegate of the National Institute of Migration (INM) for Quintana Roo, replacing Angel Ramirez Florescano.

The official appointment of Demetrio Aristeo Taboada will be made August 16, however, he is in Quintana Roo for the delivery-reception process of the agency.

Angel Ramirez Florescano, the former delegate, is being investigated for alleged acts of corruption within the institute. He is being investigated for acts of corruption related to the trafficking of undocumented persons, the clandestine sale of foreigner stays and the delivery of identification badges to suspected criminals to operate inside the Cancun International Airport.
Christian Author Tina Medina, Ph.D. Creates Writing Journals to Accompany Faith-Based Book Series on Overcoming Sexual Abuse

NEWS PROVIDED BY

Tina Medina Ministries Inc.

Aug. 12, 2020







KANSAS CITY, Kan., Aug. 12, 2020 /Standard Newswire/ -- According to the Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network, the most recent statistics in America regarding sexual abuse are staggering:

44% of victims are under age 18



80% are under age 30



There is an average of 267,868 victims (age 12 or older) of sexual assault each year

Often churches, Christian counselors, and clergy lack the faith-based resources to adequately explain the issue of sexual abuse in a kid friendly manner. In 2015, Tina Medina, a Christian Minister and Counselor created the Overcoming Sexual Abuse Book Series to help people of all ages. Three week ago, Medina finished the three My Jesus Journals (Writing Therapy Journals) which accompany the Why Me?, Why Me? Why Now?, and Overcoming Sexual Abuse, No More Pain and Shame books.



Medina spent many years in the development of this series and used her own resources to bring the series to the marketplace. Medina is a child sexual abuse survivor herself and believes that these books are essential for the victim who has a broken spirit and needs to be healed. Three of the four books target the very young and precious group of individuals: preschoolers (3-5), children (5-12), teenagers (13-19) and adults (20-80).



"I wrote these books so others can gain inner healing to move past the pain and shame of sexual abuse. There is life beyond sexual abuse and my premise is that God has given us all gifts, talents, skills, abilities, intelligence, education and experiences to use in a positive manner. Just because one has been sexually abused, does not mean life is over. One can be thrown off track, but with God's love and healing, anything is possible. The topic of sexual abuse is no longer a taboo subject and now it is time to equip the Evangelical Church with these affordable resources," said Tina Medina.



The books are purposely written in an understanding, compassionate, and loving style. This style allows the reader to be gently guided on their path to gain inner spiritual healing with the Trinity Team and the Word of God. The book series can be purchased through the following outlets: Amazon Kindle, and the www.realsexualabusehelp.com website. For more information contact Tina Medina at (913) 236-4351.



SOURCE Tina Medina Ministries Inc.,



CONTACT: Tina Medina, 913-236-4351


Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian takes questions at a regular media briefing in Beijing on August 10, 2020. [Photo/Foreign Ministry official website]

China on Monday announced sanctions against 11 U.S. officials with egregious records on Hong Kong affairs, according to Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian at a press briefing.

Zhao made the announcement in response to a request for comment on the so-called sanctions by the U.S. government against 11 officials of the Chinese central government and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government.

According to Zhao, China's decision stems from the wrongdoings of the U.S. side. The sanctions, effective from Monday, are applied to U.S. officials, including Senators Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz, Josh Hawley, Tom Cotton and Pat Toomey, Representative Chris Smith, and Carl Gershman, President of the National Endowment for Democracy, Derek Mitchell, President of the National Democratic Institute, Daniel Twining, President of the International Republican Institute, Kenneth Roth, Executive Director of Human Rights Watch, and Michael J. Abramowitz, President of Freedom House.

Stating that China firmly rejects and condemns the U.S. government's so-called sanctions against Chinese officials, Zhao stressed that the U.S. behavior openly meddles with Hong Kong affairs, blatantly interferes in China's internal affairs, and gravely violates international law and basic norms governing international relations.

Since Hong Kong's return to the motherland, the practice of "one country, two systems" has proven to be an enormous success, Zhao said, and Hong Kong residents enjoy unprecedented democracy and rights and freedoms in accordance with law.

"This is an objective fact no unbiased people will deny," Zhao said.

In the meantime, there are new risks and challenges in the implementation of "one country, two systems," the most prominent of which is heightened national security risk, Zhao added.

When national security in Hong Kong is undermined and confronted with real threats and the HKSAR government had difficulty in completing national security legislation on its own, the Central Government took decisive measures to establish and improve at the state level a legal system and enforcement mechanisms to safeguard the national security in Hong Kong, he said.

"The law on safeguarding national security in Hong Kong targets a small number of criminals who gravely jeopardize national security and protects the law-abiding Hong Kong residents, who represent the vast majority," Zhao said.

He said Hong Kong is part of China and its affairs are entirely China's internal affairs which allow no foreign interfere. "We urge the U.S. side to grasp the situation, correct its mistake, and immediately stop meddling in Hong Kong affairs and China's internal affairs."

In response to a joint statement on Hong Kong by the foreign ministers of the Five Eyes, namely the United States, Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, on Sunday, in which they urged Hong Kong to hold legislative elections as soon as possible, Zhao said China strongly deplores and rejects it.

"It is another evidence of their interference in China's internal affairs and Hong Kong Legislative Council election. China has made stern representations with the relevant countries," Zhao said.

Zhao stressed that the HKSAR government's decision to postpone the elections in the face of the raging pandemic is a justified and necessary step to ensure people's safety and health, as well as a safe, fair and just election.

According to Zhao, more than 60 countries and regions have postponed national or local elections due to COVID-19. For example, Britain announced in March that local elections in places like England originally scheduled in May would be postponed to May 2021.

"It is the epitome of double standards that the Five Eyes chose to interpret the HKSAR government's decision in a twisted political way," Zhao said.

He noted that at a recent UNHRC session, 70 countries supported China's formulation of the law and condemned interference in China's internal affairs by using Hong Kong as a cover.

"This reflects the common voice and just position of the international community," Zhao said, adding that the Five Eyes can by no means represent the international community.
Walmart Chile deploys Geek+ robots in Chile , upgrading its supply chain operations

, upgrading its supply chain operations Geek+ continues to expand with its first South American project, following the US & Mexico deployments

SANTIAGO, Chile and SAN DIEGO, Aug. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Geek+, a global AMR leader announces expansion into South America with its first robotics project, providing smart logistics solutions to Walmart Chile, the largest supermarket chain in the country, with 345 stores distributed across the country under banners Liders Hiper, Lider Express, Superbodega Acuenta and Central Mayorista.

Mark Messina, COO of Geek+ Americas said: "After successful projects in Mexico and the USA and the opening of our Americas headquarters in San Diego, California, we are very pleased to land our first project in South America and accelerate our regional expansion. We are also excited to have been selected by Walmart Chile after a highly competitive tendering process, and look forward to providing their operations with more efficiency and flexibility through our Goods-to-Person system."

Walmart has long been celebrated for its agile supply chain operations and continues to invest in technology that can help them satisfy customer expectations, especially in regard to the accelerated growth of e-commerce and the need for solutions that can enable responsive and efficient inventory management.

Ignacio Gomez, Supply Chain & Logistics Technology Director at Walmart Chile said: "We look forward to the cooperation with Geek+ as we seek to further streamline our warehouse operations. This is the first time we deploy AMRs in our warehouses, driven by the objectives of bringing flexibility and efficiency to our operations. As with the partnership seen with Geek+ solution in Walmart China, we are confident that this project too, will be a success."

Geek+ Goods-to-Person Picking System, empowered by Geek+ proprietary smart algorithms, uses P-series warehouse robots to eliminate redundant walking of the picking workers, improve picking accuracy, and reduce labor intensity. The AI-driven system features robot task management, combined order optimization and picking, inventory management, dynamic wave optimization, and adjustments of inventory layouts for maximum efficiency.

About Geek+

Geek+ is a global technology company leading the intelligent logistics revolution. We apply advanced robotics and AI technologies to realize flexible, reliable and highly-efficient solutions for warehouses and supply chain management. Geek+ counts 300 global customers and has deployed more than 10,000 robots worldwide. Founded in 2015, Geek+ has over 800 employees and is headquartered in Beijing, with offices in Germany, the UK, the US, Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore.

For more information, please visit: https://www.geekplus.com/

Related Links

geekplus.com.cn



SOURCE Geek+
The mostly digital convention will run from August 17 to 20 and is set to culminate in Joe Bidens official nomination.

The Democratic Party is heading into unchartered territory as it readies for its first-ever mostly digital National Democratic Convention, which is set to culminate in the official nomination of presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, former Vice President Joe Biden.

In the past, the event has been a high-energy pinnacle of the primary season, when delegates across the United States pledge their support for the candidate who will compete for the highest office in the country in the November general election.





Part hype fest, part party business, the gathering is also when the Democratic Party unveils its 2020 Democratic Platform  a list of the partys defining policies and values for the election season.

This years four-day convention will be anchored in the city of Milwaukee, in the US state of Wisconsin, but will be mostly digital, with speeches from Democratic heavyweights, officials and the presumptive candidate Biden all live-streamed from across the country as a precaution for the coronavirus pandemic.

The party has said only essential staff will be on site to make sure things run smoothly. The conventions main nighttime events will be preceded by party caucus and council meetings, as well as a pre-show from 7pm to 9pm local time (23:00 GMT to 01:00 GMT).

Here is the schedule for the 2020 Democratic National Convention:

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and vice presidential candidate Senator Tim Kaine were greeted by an enthusiastic crowd during the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia in 2016 [File: Andrew Harnik/The Associated Press]

Monday, August 17

Theme

The first night of events is themed We the People and will feature speakers who the party says have risen up to face three defining challenges in modern American life: The coronavirus pandemic, the resulting unemployment crisis and racial injustice.

9pm to 11pm (01:00 GMT to 03:00 GMT)

Speakers

Former First Lady Michelle Obama

Former Democratic Presidential candidate, Senator Bernie Sanders

Senator Catherine Cortez Masto

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer

Representative Jim Clyburn

Convention Chairman Representative Bennie Thompson

Representative Gwen Moore

Former Governor John Kasich

Senator Doug Jones

Former Democratic presidential candidate, Senator Amy Klobuchar

Senator Bernie Sanders pulled out of the presidential race in April, providing former Vice President Joe Biden a clear path to the nomination [File: Matt Rourke/AP Photo]

Tuesday, August 18

Theme

Tuesday is themed Leadership Matters and will focus on the leaders and the experts, the veterans and the activists, all those who seek to unite and not divide, and who step up  not back down  from a fight over whats right, according to the party.

9pm to 11pm ET (01:00 GMT to 03:00 GMT)

Roll call across America

Tuesday will include a virtual roll call that will take viewers to all 57 states and territories across the US as delegates officially cast votes to nominate Biden.

Speakers

Former Acting US Attorney General Sally Yates

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer

Former Secretary of State John Kerry

Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

Representative Lisa Blunt Rochester

Former President Bill Clinton

Former Second Lady, Joe Bidens wife, Dr Jill Biden

Joe Bidens wife, Dr Jill Biden is set to speak on the second day of the Democratic National Convention [File: Matt Rourke/The Associated Press]

Wednesday, August 19

Theme

Wednesdays theme is A More Perfect Union and speakers are set to include the Vice Presidential nominee and many others who are committed to working alongside Joe Biden to achieve his goals to form a more perfect union. The night will also include the official nomination of Bidens vice presidential pick Kamala Harris.

9pm to 11pm ET (01:00 GMT to 03:00 GMT)

Speakers

Democratic Vice Presidential Candidate Kamala Harris

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi

Former Secretary of State and 2016 presidential candidate Hillary Clinton

Former Democratic Presidential candidate, Senator Elizabeth Warren

Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers

New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham

Former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords

Former President Barack Obama

Senator Kamala Harris has been chosen as Joe Bidens candidate for vice president [File: Etienne Laurent/EPA]

Thursday, August 20:

Theme

The final night of the convention focuses on Joe Biden himself and is themed Americas Promise.

Speakers will include individuals who can speak to Joe Bidens leadership and character, according to the party.

Joe Biden will address the convention and speak about his vision for uniting America to move us forward out of constant chaos and crisis, and for delivering on that promise for all.

9pm to 11pm ET (01:00 GMT to 03:00 GMT)

Speakers

Vice President Joe Biden

Former Democratic Presidential candidate, Senator Cory Booker

California Governor Gavin Newsom

Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms

Senator Tammy Baldwin

Senator Tammy Duckworth

Senator Chris Coons

Former Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang

The Biden family
The morning mail at 3, blvd Gambetta, Strasbourg, brought the latest issue of the new Lutheran theological journal Dialog. In an editorial entitled, A Theology of Rediscovery, Roy A. Harrisville of Luther Seminary, St. Paul, Minnesota, informed readers that the boredom of Lutheran orthodoxy was being replaced by a new posturecharacterized by such views as that there is a demonstrable parallel between Bultmanns method and Luthers concentration of the gospel in the single theme of justification (Dialog, Summer, 1963, pp. 18890).

This kind of reasoning was no surprise, for I had encountered similar utterances in earlier issues of this journal which consistently tries to lift American Lutheranism out of its boring biblical orthodoxy into the mainstream of contemporary theological thought (i.e., that contemporary theology which, with Harrisville, admits to the discrepancies and the broken connections in Scripture). What did surprise and amuse me was the assertion that this concern for the contemporary manifested itself in a streaming to the universities of Europe  One by one, the so-called Young Turks went to Basel, to Heidelberg, to Marburg, to Tubingen, to the universities of England and France. The obvious implication was that merely to drink the heady wine of European theology was to be forever cured of reactionary views of plenary inspiration and Reformation orthodoxy. I found this implication especially bizarre because I was then engaged in writing a dissertation for the degree of Docteur de lUniversite, mention Theologie Protestante, at Schweitzers ...

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Former Air Force base in Gettysburg on market for $4.5 M

A former air force base near Gettysburg is up for sale. The base is listed as having 50 beds and 15 bathrooms on a 42-acre parcel of land.
The latest surprise in Turkey's Libyan dossier has been Malta, an island state of some 316 square kilometers (122 square miles). After securing Maltas support for Libyas internationally recognized Tripoli government, Turkey is now hoping to use this cooperation to reach two major goals.

In getting Malta, the smallest country in the European Union, on board, Turkey is primarily aiming to stave off EU efforts led by France and Greece to block the Turkish moves in Libya.

Secondly, Turkey-Malta rapprochement may serve Ankaras discreet quest to secure an airbase near Libya to counter a possible Egyptian military operation and expand its military operations in the war-torn country to break the deadlock over Sirte and al-Jufra.

Unable to provide steady air support from more than 1,500 kilometers (some 930 miles) away, Turkey needs to secure an airbase near or inside Libya. Despite its efforts to settle in al-Watiya airbase, which was seized by Turkish-backed Libyan forces in early July, the base remains vulnerable.

Three alternatives stand out: Tunisia, Algeria and Malta, but the fragile Tunisian politics do not serve Turkeys agenda. Although Turkeys Muslim Brotherhood allies in Tunisia's coalition government seem ready to support Ankara, the other political actors in the country staunchly oppose involvement in the conflict.

Algeria, despite maintaining good relations with Turkey, has remained against all foreign intervention in Libya. The remaining option is the EU member island of Malta some 355 kilometers (220 miles) north of the Libyan coast.

Yet, Maltas possible green light for Turkey to use its airbases seems like a highly risky option for Valletta, given the earthquake the decision will set off in the European Union and the potential risks of making new enemies in the region.

Malta needs a powerful ally in Libya to prevent illegal immigration from Africa, which has seemed to be the sole focus of the Maltese authorities interest in the Libyan conflict. The support that Malta extended to the UN-recognized Government of National Accord (GNA) does not pose any political risk for Vellatta, despite the controversy surrounding the legitimacy of the former. But taking a side in the military conflict is a whole different matter.

The first meeting between Libya, Malta and GNA officials in Ankara suggests possible cooperation in the military field. Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar, Interior Minister in Tripoli Fathi Bashagha and Maltese Minister of National Security and Interior Byron Camilleri discussed cooperation on defense and security matters, according to the Turkish Defense Ministrys statement on the July 20 meeting.

The second gathering on Aug. 6, however, had a more diplomatic appearance with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and his Maltese counterpart Evarist Bartolo meeting with the GNAs head Fayyez al-Sarraj and other officials in Tripoli.

The joint statement issued after the meetings confirmed Vallettas focus by emphasizing efforts to prevent illegal immigration. Valletta and Ankara also confirmed their support for the Tripoli-based government and opposition to a military solution to the conflict, as well as agreement to cooperate on preventing illegal immigration, strenghtening the capabilities of the Libyan Coast Guard and resumption of flights between Libya and Malta and Turkey.

Unable to receive the support it desired from the European Union on immigration and burden-sharing issues, Maltas rapprochement with Turkey may cajole the blocs major actors into extending broader support to the union's smallest country. However, Turkeys game plan that involves military support is too risky for Vellatta.

For Ankara, Vallettas support may come handy to ease Turkey's isolation at a time when tension with Greece is escalating, but Maltas support wouldnt tip the balance of power on this front either.

Essentially, all Turkeys Libya moves have been facing a test in the wake of the failure to break the Sirte and al-Jufra stalemate  both locations are key to controlling Libyas oil crescent region and currently under the control of eastern commander Khalifa Hifters forces backed by Egypt, Russia and the UAE.

As the Tripoli governments long awaited offensive against the Hifters Libyan National Army lags, some in the GNA government have begun to question the real value of partnership with Turkey.

Although the GNA regards the military achievements, made possible by the Turkish military support it garnered by accepting Ankara's terms, as significant, this support has not secured the capture of Sirte al-Jufra, the key locations on the way of the countrys oil crescent region which contributes 60% of Libyas oil exports.

Officials from the Tripoli government disclosed that Sarraj initially resisted a controversial maritime deal that his government signed with Turkey in November on the grounds that it was beyond his jurisdiction, but that he was pressured into signing it by the Islamist members of his government. The maritime deal was one of Turkey's conditions for the military-security cooperation agreement with the Sarraj government, which paved the way for Turkish military support for the GNA forces.

Speaking to the Associated Press on July 30, an official in the Tripoli government said that Sarraj had reluctantly agreed to the maritime deal because he believed he had no other option. It was like a give-and-take game. They took advantage of our weakness at the time, the official quoted as saying.

There are several causes of the stalemate and the GNAs discomfort with the maritime deal: Egypts declaration of Sirte and al-Jufra as red lines, Saudi support for Egypts cease-fire plan, Russias reactivation of the mercenary Wagner Group in Libya, Algerias firm stance against foreign intervention, American reluctance to interfere in the conflict despite US support for Turkeys position against Russia, problems with the thousands of Syrian fighters that Turkey transferred to Libya and not least, the hefty bill Ankara has demanded from the Tripoli government to compensate for the losses of Turkish companies operating in Libya. All of these issues have led the GNA to question whether Libya has benefitted from the give-and-take. Turkeys use of naval bases in Misrata and Watiya have the potential to spark further problems between the Tripoli government and Libyas neighbors.

Even though Ankara has seen a foothold in Libya as key to its calculations in North Africa and the eastern Mediterranean, this strategys benefits for Turkey remain questionable as the controversial maritime deal between Ankara and Tripoli necessitates the capture of eastern coastline of Libya.

Turkey needs the GNA to take control of Sirte and the other eastern provinces. The boundaries of the maritime zone between the two countries draw a line between the Turkish coastline around the port of Antalya and the Benghazi-Tobruk-Derna stretch of the Libyan coast.

The Aug. 6 maritime deal between Greece and Egypt indicates that the two sides are now engaged in a diplomatic battle via their respective maritime agreements.

As the Libyan conflict has reached a near deadlock, whether Turkey can cultivate an effective strategy with Malta remains an open question, especially at a time when Italy, which supports the Tripoli government, has aligned with France and Germany on EU sanctions against Ankara.

Maltas withdrawal from the EU marine mission to enforce an arms embargo on the Libyan conflict might be a positive sign for Turkey, which provides military support to the Tripoli government, but Valletta's support won't be enough to change the current trend against Turkey.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  Grand jury proceedings have resumed on Staten Island, ending a five-month wait.

A panel was seated on Tuesday, said Lucian Chalfen, a spokesman for the state Office of Court Administration.

Grand juries had been suspended in the city in mid-March due to coronavirus (COVID-19) concerns.

Since that time, courts have largely operated remotely except for essential matters.

In the past month, however, in-person operations have gradually ramped up in courts throughout the city to include this weeks convening of grand juries.

Grand jury candidates were summoned to report to courts in all five boroughs on Monday.

In all, more than 8,000 individuals were called; 425 of them on Staten Island, Chalfen said.

Staten Island will empanel one grand jury this term, the spokesman said.

Due to case volume, Brooklyn, the Bronx and Queens are each convening three grand juries. Manhattan will have four panels.

In a statement, Janet DiFiore, New Yorks chief judge said: We have been thoughtfully and carefully preparing for this day, under the direction of Deputy Chief Administrative Judge George Silver -- and in coordination with the district attorneys and defense bar, as well as with the guidance of our own epidemiologist  retrofitting courtrooms and adjusting operations, among other measures, to ensure the safety of grand jury operations throughout the city.

On Staten Island, the grand jury will convene in the state Supreme Court building at 18 Richmond Terrace in St. George.

Grand juries are comprised of 16 to 23 panelists.

The grand jurys role is to decide whether to bring criminal charges or an indictment against individuals accused of felonies.

Prosecutors present evidence, including testimony, to the panel.

The grand jury does not vote on an individuals guilt or innocence. That is for a jury to determine at trial.

The district attorneys office did not immediately respond to an email asking how many cases prosecutors intend to present to the grand jury this week.

One month ago, District Attorney Michael E. McMahon said 230 grand jury cases were pending then.

That number has undoubtedly increased in the interim.
India will not recognise degrees awarded by medical colleges in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, the Medical Council of India has declared in a public notice, a move designed to firmly, even if partially, block Prime Minister Imran Khans scholarship scheme for 1,600 students from Kashmiris every year.

The MCI announcement comes months after the Jammu and Kashmir high court asked the MCI and external affairs ministry to review its stand to see if students who study medicine in these territories could be allowed to practice.

The trigger for the courts December 2019 order was a petition from a young Kashmiri woman who had studied medicine in PoK but was disallowed from sitting for the exam meant for people who studied abroad. This exercise was still in motion when the Pakistan government, in February, announced the scheme to extend generous scholarships for 1,600 Kashmiri students.

Security agencies red-flagged the Imran Khan governments outreach to Kashmiri students soon after. Pakistan had been offering cheaper education options to Kashmiri students for years, mostly on the recommendation of Kashmiri separatist leaders. There had been several instances where Kashmiris had gone to Pakistan and its occupied territories through legal channels to study but returned via the Line of Control after being trained at terror camps.

Those who did stick to studies returned more radicalised than they were when they left, said a counter-terror operative.

Mondays MCI order deals with one part of what security agencies described as a big challenge.

This is to inform all concerned that entire territories of UT of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh are an integral part of India. Pakistan is in illegal and forcible occupation of a part of the territory. Accordingly, any medical institution in Pakistan occupied Jammu & Kashmir, and Ladakh (POJKL) requires permission/recognition under the Indian Medical Council Act 1956. Such permission has not been granted to any medical college in PoJKL. Therefore, any qualification obtained from medical colleges within these illegally occupied areas of India shall not entitle a person for grant of registration under Indian Medical Council Act 1956 to practice modern medicine in India, the MCI said.

This implied that students who pass out from professional colleges in PoK cannot sit for the exam meant for foreigners because the occupied territories are an integral part of India.

Security officials told Hindustan Times that the MCI order only deals with one part of the challenge. It does not deal with students who receive their degrees from universities in Pakistan. Unless this is stopped, it would remain a key area of concern, one of them said.

But there has been no consensus at the meetings that have been held to discuss the security concerns from PM Khans scholarship offer. An official said there were questions around the powers of the government to bar citizens from studying in certain institutions in the absence of enabling legal provisions.

This is still work in progress, he said, adding that security agencies were working out a plan that would withstand legal scrutiny.

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Gunjan Saxena-The Kargil Girl

Cast: Janhvi Kapoor, Pankaj Tripathi, Angad Bedi, Vineet Singh

Director: Sharan Sharma

A female pilot trainee gets late to her practice session everyday because she has to rush back to the dormitories from the class room to change clothes, and that makes her flunk the reporting time. This keeps going on, until one day she decides to erect a make-shift changing room right inside the class campus. This makes her male colleagues uneasy, but she has gotten no choice.

Such timely decisions and a strong will to conquer all hurdles make Gunjan Saxena (Janhvi Kapoor) a human story that finds its reflection in our day to day lives. She proceeds despite the patriarchal grip and proves her worth. Though it takes her triple the efforts than her male counterparts. Unlike them, she is not only fighting the enemies, but also the prejudices and patronising attitude. Director Sharan Sharma and writer Nikhil Mehrotra have ensured that the viewers get to witness all aspects of being Indias first female combat pilot in the most raw way.

Sharmas characters are mostly black and white, and he is spot on with casting. For example, Vineet Kumar Singhs chauvinistic officer hardly leaves any trace of grey. He very audaciously asks Kapoors Gunjan to arm wrestle a male cadet, and then declares, We are here to fight for the country, not to give equal opportunity.

Sharma then balances Vineets oh so tough act with a tough yet considerate Manav Vij. Actually, this balancing is the constant feature of Gunjan Saxena-The Kargil War.

There are enough roadblocks for Saxena in a typical mans world, but then there are men to help her cross them. Be it her recruiter who clears her name despite falling short on physical requirements, or her constantly supportive father, Anup (Pankaj Tripathi).

And that brings us to the best part of Gunjan Saxena, the film. Tripathi is in exquisite form as a doting yet progressive father. While confronting his daughter for not pushing enough, he describes with a sigh how he wanted his wife to go for excellence than managing home. He is so effective in that scene that you tend to forever tilt in his side even if he, kind of, undermines domestic work.

Tripathi has hardly been this restrained recently, and he is a delight to watch. His presence lights up the screen even if he is not saying anything. In fact, his company helps Kapoor in doing the heavy-lifting in emotional scenes.

Another such character is Angad Bedis Anshuman, Saxenas over protective brother. His nuanced act keeps the audience confused whether he really wants his sister to soar high. Despite some overdramatic scenes between him and Kapoor, Bedi leaves a strong impression on the narrative.

Read: Raat Akeli Hai Movie Review

Read: Bulbbul Movie Review

Thankfully, Gunjan Saxena is not a war film because that might have exposed its leads limited range. Nevertheless, her real age and a will to experiment have made Jahnvi a good choice for playing Gunjan Saxena.

Gunjan Saxena-The Kargil Girl has a lot to celebrate. Its a solid punch in the face of misogyny without showing much liking for chest-thumping jingoism.

Rating: 3/5
In the field of photovoltaics, intensive research is being carried out to continually improve solar cell efficiency. Increasingly, the focus is on tandem photovoltaics, in which high-performance solar cell materials are brought together in various combinations in order to use the solar spectrum even more efficiently when converting light into electrical energy. Fraunhofer ISE is now reporting a new record efficiency of 25.9 percent for a III-V/Si tandem solar cell grown directly on silicon. This cell was produced on a low-cost silicon substrate for the first time  marking an important milestone on the way to economical solutions for tandem photovoltaics.

The Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE has been working for many years on multi-junction solar cells, in which two or three sub-cells stacked on top of another absorb different portions of the solar spectrum and convert it into electricity. Silicon is a suitable absorber for the infrared part of the spectrum. Several micrometer-thin layers of III-V compound semiconductors made of elements from groups III and V of the periodic table are deposited on top of silicon. These sub-cells efficiently convert the light from the ultraviolet, visible and near-infrared parts of the spectrum into electricity. III-V semiconductor solar cells on Germanium are often used in space as well as in concentrator photovoltaics. Through the development of better and more cost-effective processes in combination with the use of silicon as the bottom sub-cell, the tandem technology can become accessible for wide-range use in almost all photovoltaic applications in the future. However, there is still much work to be done before this objective can be achieved.

25.9 Percent for III-V/Si Tandem Solar Cells Grown Directly on Silicon

Several different approaches for producing combinations of III-V and silicon solar cells exist. For example, Fraunhofer ISE holds the world record efficiency of 34.1 (new 34.5) percent for a tandem solar cell in which the III-V semiconductor layers are transferred from a gallium arsenide to a silicon substrate and connected by wafer bonding. This technology is very efficient but also expensive. For this reason, Fraunhofer ISE has been working for many years on more direct manufacturing processes in which the III-V layers are deposited, or grown directly onto a silicon solar cell. In this process it is crucial that all layers maintain a high crystal quality, and this presents a major challenge. Now a new world record efficiency of 25.9 percent has been achieved for a III-V/Si tandem solar cell grown directly on silicon. The researcher Markus Feifel of Fraunhofer ISE recently presented his successful results at the 47th IEEE Photovoltaic Specialists Conference, which was held online as many conferences presently are. At this conference his work was distinguished with the Student Award in the Category of Hybrid Tandem Solar Cells. "The complex inner structure of the cell is not visible from the outside, since all of the separate absorbers are internally interconnected by additional crystal layers and electrically series connected," explains the young solar cell researcher, who was able to improve his results from 24.3 to 25.9 percent in less than a year. "This was achieved by replacing a single thin layer within the multi-junction cell," he explains. "A careful analysis of our cells showed that this layer created a potential barrier for electrons moving through the crystal structure. 

Since 2007 the Fraunhofer researchers have been continuing to develop this technology in small steps together with the Ilmenau University of Technology, the Philipps University of Marburg and the company Aixtron, for example, setting up special epitaxial equipment and examining every single layer of the structure. These developments were funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) as part of the III-V-Si project and the MehrSi project. A particular highlight of the new tandem solar cell is that the III-V layers were not grown on a chemo-mechanically polished substrate as in previous cases, but directly on a silicon wafer which, after sawing was treated in a simple process using only inexpensive grinding and etching processes. The Danish company Topil developed this silicon wafer in the European SiTaSol project, thus realizing an important step towards the economical production of the new multi-junction solar cells. In the future, the focus will be to increase the efficiency even further as well as realize a faster layer deposition, with higher throughput, and thus improve the cost-effectiveness of the production. The ultimate objective is that tandem photovoltaics will be able to make an important contribution to the expansion of photovoltaics, which is necessary for the energy transition.

A Key Technology for the Energy Transition

In many parts of the world today, electricity from solar cells is the cheapest form of energy generation. "In Europe the photovoltaic research community is working on numerous concepts to further improve the efficiency of this key technology which plays a central role in the energy transition," says Prof. Dr. Stefan Glunz, Division Director of the Photovoltaics Research at Fraunhofer ISE. "Not only are we working to make silicon solar cell production more sustainable and cost-effective, but we are also breaking new ground. We are aiming to reach even higher efficiencies using the tried and tested silicon in combination with other semiconductor materials and have achieved this in the field of tandem photovoltaics. This technology not only opens the door to the future of power generation but also is ideally suited for electrolysis, which is a process of using electricity to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. Thus, tandem photovoltaics can be used to produce hydrogen, an energy storage medium and important building block for the energy transition.
Updated 10:20am. Additional reporting by Vivienne Clarke.

Different areas of the island will be given a colour-coded status akin to weather warnings depending on its levels of Covid-19, under a new Government plan to manage the virus.

The new plan for the coming months agreed at a Cabinet sub-committee yesterday will see Government move away from the current phased approach to reopening the country, though New Zealands approach of fully eliminating the virus will not be adopted.

Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly explained that the new colour coding system for Covid-19 will have an aimed-for category of blue, which is the colour of vaccines in the medical world.

Though the plan will aim for a status blue period in the country where the virus is suppressed, this will only come into effect when vaccinations or a breakthrough medical treatment become available.

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Other codes include red, orange and yellow. The Minister said a green category had been avoided because of concern about it being confused with the green list of countries to which it is possible to travel without having to quarantine on return.

Targeting lockdowns

Under the new colour coding system it will be possible to see how the country, a county, a region or a local area is doing, he told RTE radios Morning Ireland.

The Minister also explained that the colour coding system was different from the phased approach to reopening the countrys society and economy, which involved a specific time period with a timeline attached.

It emerged yesterday that a programme of serial testing at meat plants and direct provision centres was also agreed at the Cabinet sub-committee meeting, which saw Ministers discuss plans for living with Covid-19 in Ireland for the next nine months.

Economic measures for the three Midlands counties of Kildare, Laois and Offaly currently in local lockdowns were also discussed at the meeting.

Mr Donnelly today denied that introducing the local restrictions had been a blunt instrument, saying that if the Government had not reacted as quickly the virus could have spread around the country and we would have been right back at the beginning.

It was important to move as quickly and as locally as possible, he said.

The Cabinet sub-committee is set to meet again next week, where work will begin on a medium-term plan to keep the economy as open as possible while keeping community transmission low.

It comes as the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) are due to meet later today to discuss the recent spike in the Midlands and the clusters in meat factories.

The Governments plan to ban non-essential travel from countries with high rates of the virus is also likely to be on the agenda later today.
CHICAGO, Aug. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Technomic has revised its forecasts for the remainder of 2020 and into 2021 as the pandemic continues to disrupt the foodservice industry. This data is presented using three scenarios: Best Case, Middle Case and Worst Case. After a dramatic dip in sales in 2020, Technomic's Middle Case scenario predicts that the industry will grow by 21% next year but sales are expected to still be down 11% from 2019 industry sales levels.

Key findings from the updated release include:

Depending on scenario, the industry is expected to lose anywhere from $250 billion to almost $300 billion in sales this year compared to 2019

to almost in sales this year compared to 2019 Quick service is among the segments performing the best, while full-service restaurants, bars, business and industry, travel and leisure, and education are struggling

Industry prospects going forward are tied directly to medical advances related to COVID-19, such as a vaccine or advanced therapies as well as underlying economic recovery

"Few industries have felt the repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic quite like foodservice," explains Joe Pawlak, managing principal at Technomic. "Restrictions are wreaking havoc, especially on the segments that depend upon on-premise consumption. What we are seeing is continued decline for the remainder of the year but aggressive growth in 2021. However, it will still take longer to fully bounce back, and we'll be updating our forecasts as circumstances continue to shift and evolve."

These forecasts and future updates are available to Technomic clients who are either members of the Foodservice Planning Program or subscribers of Ignite Company. Learn more about Technomic's offerings at technomic.com.

Contacts:

Press inquiries: Joe Pawlak, (312) 506-3940, [email protected]

Purchasing details: Patrick Noone, (312) 506-3852, [email protected]

About Technomic

Technomic, Inc., a Winsight company, was founded as a management consulting firm in 1966. Since then, Technomic's services have grown to encompass cloud-based B2B research tools, consumer and menu trend tracking, as well as other leading strategic research and analytic capabilities, to prioritize and size business opportunities. Our clients include food manufacturers and distributors, restaurants, retailers and multiple other business verticals aligned with the food industry that are looking to make informed decisions to support their business growth. Visit Technomic at www.technomic.com.

About Winsight LLC

Winsight LLC is a business-to-business information company serving the restaurant and noncommercial foodservice, convenience and petroleum retailing and grocery industries. Winsight provides research and analytics, branding solutions, face-to-face opportunities, lead generation initiatives, and content marketing services through products including subscription data products, reports, research tools, research programs, fully custom studies, conferences, custom marketing services, meetings, print and digital trade media. To learn more, visit www.winsightmedia.com

Winsight LLC is a portfolio company of Pamlico Capital.

SOURCE Technomic

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INDIANTOWN, Fla. A Florida woman was fatally shot by her ex-boyfriend as her daughter started her first day of online school, authorities said.

A Warfield Elementary School teacher told investigators she could hear some kind of domestic disturbance from her 10-year-old students video chat Tuesday morning, Martin County Sheriff William Snyder said during a news conference. The teacher said she muted the audio from that student but then saw the girl cover her ears before the screen went blank.

Donald Williams, 27, has been charged with first-degree murder in the death of Maribel Rosado Morales, 32. Investigators said the shooting occurred at the womans Indiantown home in front of her four children and their two cousins.

Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor
Many marchers will arrive by bus, others will join satellite marches in states that are hotspots for COVID-19.

Amid widespread protests and unrest over the police killings of Black Americans, a national commemoration of the 1963 civil rights March on Washington is being reconfigured to comply with coronavirus protocols in the District of Columbia.

Although many marchers will arrive via charter buses from surrounding communities on August 28, the Reverend Al Sharpton, one of the organisers, will ask some to join satellite marches planned in states that are considered hotspots for COVID-19.

Were following protocol, Sharpton told The Associated Press in an exclusive interview. The objective is not how many thousands of people will be [in Washington]. Itll still be a good crowd.

The commemoration, taking place on the 57th anniversary of the Reverend Martin Luther King Jrs I Have A Dream speech, will begin with a rally at the Lincoln Memorial. Martin Luther King III, a son of the late civil rights icon, lawyer Benjamin Crump and the families of George Floyd, Trayvon Martin, Eric Garner, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor, are expected to participate in Washington.

Organisers plan to go ahead with the commemoration of the 1963 civil rights march on Washington, DC but have altered their plans to accommodate for coronavirus rules [File: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images/AFP]

Following the commemorative rally, participants in Washington will march to the Martin Luther King Jr Memorial in West Potomac Park, next to the National Mall, and then disperse.

All participants will be required to wear masks, Sharpton said. Organisers also will provide hand sanitising stations and conduct temperature checks throughout the event.

The objective is to put on one platform, in the shadow of Abe Lincoln, the families of people that  have lost loved ones in unchecked racial bias, Sharpton said. On these steps, Dr King talked about his dream, and the dream is unfulfilled. This is the Exhibit A of that not being fulfilled.

The revised plan appears to avoid a potentially awkward face-off with Washington Mayor Muriel Bowsers government about COVID-19 restrictions in the nations capital. In late July, with local infection numbers rising, Bowser ordered that anyone travelling or returning to Washington from a virus hotspot must self-quarantine for 14 days. The list is revised every two weeks and the newest list, released on August 10, classifies 29 states as hotspots.

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Bowser, when asked on July 30 about the potential conflict, said government officials had been in contact with march organisers and that Washington would not be relaxing its virus rules for participants.

They are aware of all the local guidance that would affect their planning, she said. If there are people who are coming from jurisdictions that are on that list, they would need to be quarantined.

The August 28 event has already received a permit from the National Park Service (NPS). Operating under a permit application submitted by activist and radio host Reverend Mark Thompson, the original application estimates 100,000 participants.

NPS spokesman Mike Litterst said his agency was discussing COVID-19 mitigation plans with the organisers, but that compliance with local virus restrictions was not a requirement or condition of the permit.

Sharptons civil rights group, the National Action Network, is working with its local chapters to hold commemorations in Kentucky, South Carolina and Texas, where outdoor jumbo screens will display a live simulcast of the rally in Washington. All of those states are currently on Washingtons hotspot list.

The NAACP, one of several partners in this years commemoration, last week launched a website for a virtual March on Washington. The site will livestream the Washington march, in addition to other programming leading up to and after the event.

The Movement for Black Lives, a coalition of more than 150 Black-led organisations that make up the broader Black Lives Matter movement, will hold its virtual Black National Convention later in the evening. Organisers said their convention would coincide with the unveiling of a new political agenda intended to build on the success of this years BLM-themed protests, which called for the defunding of police departments in favour of investments to healthcare, education, housing and other social services in Black communities.

Reverend Al Sharpton announced plans for the march during a memorial service for George Floyd in June at The Fountain of Praise church in Houston, Texas [Godofredo A Vasquez / Pool via EPA]

Sharpton first announced plans for the commemoration during a June memorial service in Minneapolis for Floyd, a Black man whose death at the hands of police galvanised nationwide protests against police brutality and systemic racism. The marchs theme  Get Your Knee Off Our Necks  is inspired by a refrain from Sharptons eulogy for Floyd, who died May 25 after a white police officer held his knee to Floyds neck.

The civil rights leader has called for participants in other states to march on their US senators offices, to demand their support of federal policing reforms. Sharpton said protesters should also demand reinvigorated US voter protections, in memory of the late Congressman John Lewis who, until his death on July 17, was the last living speaker at the original March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in 1963.

In June, the Democrat-controlled House of Representatives passed the George Floyd Justice In Policing Act, which would ban police use of stranglehold manoeuvres and end qualified immunity for officers, among other reforms.

In July, following Lewiss death, Democratic senators reintroduced legislation that would restore a provision of the historic Voting Rights Act of 1965 gutted by the US Supreme Court in 2013. The law previously required states with a history of voter suppression to seek federal clearance before changing voting regulations.

Both measures are awaiting action in the Republican-controlled Senate.

Everybody is trying to jump from demonstration and to reconciliation, with no legislation, Sharpton said. If we dont have the legislation, well be back here again.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-12 06:55:20|Editor: huaxia

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UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- UN special coordinator for Lebanon, Jan Kubis, on Tuesday called for the early formation of a Lebanese government following the resignation of Prime Minister Hassan Diab and his Cabinet.

Kubis, who briefed the Security Council in a closed session on Tuesday, emphasized the importance of avoiding a prolonged period of governmental vacuum. He urged the rapid formation of a new government that meets the aspirations of the Lebanese people and enjoys their support, a government that can address the urgent and many challenges facing the country, break with the corrupt practices of the past, said his office in a press release after the briefing.

"There are immediate humanitarian needs that need to be addressed and necessary reforms that need to be undertaken without any delay to restore the trust of the Lebanese people, and of the international community in Lebanon," Kubis was quoted as saying.

The Lebanese government resigned on Monday amid protests following the Aug. 4 massive explosion in the port of Beirut. The government was accused of mishandling more than 2,700 tons of ammonium nitrate that caused the explosion.

Members of the Security Council reiterated their solidarity, strong support through urgent humanitarian assistance and commitment of the international community to Lebanon and its people. They highlighted a strong coordinating role of the United Nations, according to the press release.

The council members expressed their sympathies and condolences to the families of the victims and wished a speedy recovery of the injured, including UN staff and peacekeepers, it said.

UN Undersecretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix, who also briefed the Security Council, said the UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon, known as UNIFIL, continues to work in close coordination with the Lebanese armed forces. It stands ready to assist the Lebanese forces and the Lebanese people, according to Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. Enditem
Photo: (Photo : Photo by Ketut Subiyanto from Pexels)

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), exposure to the coronavirus may be reduced by cleaning and disinfection.

As schools are about to reopen, CDC encourages frequent handwashing among students.

However, in Daytona Beach, Florida, a Grade 3 teacher realized that her classroom is far from a sink or the bathroom.

The Grade 3 teacher, Annette Fernandez of Turie T. Small Elementary School, wanted to make sure that her students have access to a handwashing station.

She was able to raise money for her classroom's sink and also for another class through a GoFundMe Campaign.

READ ALSO: 6 Interesting summer activities for kids before the school reopening

Raising the funds

Initially, Annette approached her principal to ask if they have funds for handwashing stations. The principal said there were no enough funds.

The Grade 3 teacher did not want to give up, so she asked her principal if it would be okay to raise funds through a GoFundMe campaign. The principal agreed, so she created a page for the handwashing station.

READ ALSO: 4 Tips to Parents for Kids' Return to Schools During the Pandemic

In her campaign, Annette only wanted to raise 1,500 US Dollars, which is the cost of a sink in her classroom. However, in just two hours, she was able to raise more than $1500.

In an interview with the TODAY Parents, Annette shared that this is the first time that she used GoFundMe, that is why she was very shocked to receive such support in a short period.

As of writing, the Grade 3 teacher has already raised more than 3,800 US Dollars. Because of this, she has decided to purchase another handwashing station for another classroom.

In the GoFundMe page, Annette said that any excess to the funds which she will raise would be used to purchase soap and paper towels.

READ ALSO: "No Pajamas Rule" During Remote Learning, to Be Implemented in a School District in Illinois

Story behind raising the funds

The Grade 3 teacher's classroom is one of the twelve portable classrooms at their school. These rooms do not have bathrooms.

Annette decided to raise funds when she realized that as she encourages her students to wash their hands, this will also mean that most of the school day will be spent moving from the classroom to the bathroom. Annette said, "I just thought about the amount of wasted instructional time I was going to need ... just trying to get them to wash their hands outside of the classroom."

Fernandez has been teaching for 23 years. For the teacher of grade 3 students, handwashing is like a basic necessity nowadays. Considering this, she felt that the kids deserve better. She said, "It doesn't matter where they live. It doesn't matter if they're poor or they're rich. They all deserve the same."

READ ALSO: Dad's comics about school reopening sparks debate among parents and teachers
Through both qualitative and quantitative market research, Eckrich successfully created a design that breathes new energy into the heritage brand with a modern, approachable look, all with its key consumer top of mind. The designs feature a white background and crisp imagery, displaying the product and information in an organized, eye-catching way. The imagery also showcases the product in a prepared fashion, allowing consumers to see easy ways to create an Eckrich meal at home.

"We're excited to refresh the graphics on our Deli portfolio," stated Laura Koenes, brand manager for Eckrich at Smithfield Foods. "We hope to inspire consumers with new and different ways to use Deli meat in their everyday lives, while also better communicating the product benefits and the quality that they have come to know and trust from Eckrich."

The new packaging will be used for Eckrich's Deli items, including:

Eckrich Deli Poultry - Top-quality chicken and turkey that is cured, glazed, roasted and smoked for the perfect line of flavors.

- Top-quality chicken and turkey that is cured, glazed, roasted and smoked for the perfect line of flavors. Eckrich Deli Ham - The finest cuts of pork that are cured, roasted and smoked for a whole line of flavor profiles, from traditional sweet to hot and spicy styles.

- The finest cuts of pork that are cured, roasted and smoked for a whole line of flavor profiles, from traditional sweet to hot and spicy styles. Eckrich Bologna - Flavorful bologna deli meat is crafted with the finest quality meats for a unique bologna taste.

- Flavorful bologna deli meat is crafted with the finest quality meats for a unique bologna taste. Eckrich Hard Salami - Crafted from high quality pork, beef, and our signature seasonings and then smoked.

Eckrich is a brand of Smithfield Foods. For more information about Eckrich, please visit www.Eckrich.com or follow Eckrich meats on Facebook , Twitter and Instagram .

About Eckrich

Founded by Peter Eckrich in 1894, Eckrich has a rich heritage starting from a small meat market in Fort Wayne, Indiana, to one of the most recognized regional premium deli and meat brands on the market today. Through it all, Eckrich meats have been recognized for their great taste and supreme quality, craftsmanship, care, and pride. For more information, visit www.Eckrich.com .

About Smithfield Foods

Headquartered in Smithfield, Va., since 1936, Smithfield Foods, Inc. is an American food company with agricultural roots and a global reach. Our 40,000 U.S. employees are dedicated to producing "Good food. Responsibly." and have made us one of the world's leading vertically integrated protein companies. We have pioneered sustainability standards for more than two decades, including many industry firsts, such as our ambitious commitment to cut our carbon impact by 25 percent by 2025. We believe in the power of protein to end food insecurity and have donated hundreds of millions of food servings to our neighbors in need. Smithfield boasts a portfolio of high-quality iconic brands, such as Smithfield, Eckrich, and Nathan's Famous, among many others. For more information, visit www.smithfieldfoods.com , and connect with us on Facebook , Twitter , LinkedIn , and Instagram .

SOURCE Smithfield Foods, Inc.

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Michelle O'Neill has predicted that a successful vote for a united Ireland will happen in the next 10 years.

The deputy First Minister also said the "reckless" actions of the UK Government over Brexit could persuade more people to vote for Irish unity.

Her comments were made in an interview on the Guardian Weekly Politics Podcast.

She also discussed the death of John Hume, growing up in Co Tyrone during the Troubles, being inspired to enter politics by the Good Friday Agreement, and her relationship with First Minister Arlene Foster.

Ms O'Neill said the "blatant disregard" shown by the government over Brexit had opened up the discussion on Irish unity, including for unionists.

"I can tell you this, in my whole lifetime I have never witnessed the level of conversation that is now under way," she said.

"But also the Boris Johnson strategy in terms of Covid-19. We would have lost a lot more people to Covid-19 had the Assembly here not had the ability to take its own path."

She continued: "Now is the time to plan for unity and to start to put the facts on the table. Let people understand what does an all-Ireland health service look like, what does an all-Ireland education system look like.

"We now need to put that information out for all to see and let them make an informed choice, because I believe we are now in a decade of opportunity and I believe in the next number of years, certainly before the end of this decade, we will have voted for a united Ireland."

She added that both British and Irish identity would be "cherished equally," but that many would vote in a border poll to return to the European Union.

"So for a lot of people in this decade we have in front of us, they're going to be considering which union they wish to be part of and the EU have offered us a route back in," she said. "So for some people it may not be about Britishness versus Irishness, it may be about do they value their European citizenship. I think that's going to be a very interesting debate."

Born in 1977, she spoke of growing up in a happy home with her parents and younger brother, but how the conflict around her became normalised.

She recalled one of her earliest memories was of soldiers raiding the family home.

On the passing of John Hume, she said it marked "the start of the end of an era".

Ms O'Neill described "a very good, constructive" working relationship with Mrs Foster, adding: "I've been quite pleased with the work that we've been able to do and the relationship we've been able to build for the betterment of the people that we serve."

Asked if Mrs Foster was tough to get on with, she said: "We all have our own personality traits don't we, but I think Arlene and I have been able to strike quite a good working relationship where we've been able to have quite constructive conversations which is necessary as we work together as joint head of government."
UPDATED: 4.00pm

Three people have reportedly died and another is missing after a passenger train came off the tracks in Aberdeenshire in Scotland, amid heavy rain and flooding.

The driver and two passengers are reported to have been killed after the train hit a landslip at about 9.40am this morning.

Dozens of emergency service vehicles, including an air ambulance, attended the scene near Stonehaven where the ScotRail train crashed.

Rail industry sources told the PA news agency the suspected cause of the incident is a landslip.

A major emergency service response to a train derailment near Stonehaven. An air ambulance is in attendance. A lot of smoke is coming out of the tree line where the railway track runs. Ambulances arriving by the minute. https://t.co/LcOYUnlF8m pic.twitter.com/rioaSUUN94 Advertisement  Ben Philip (@BenPhilip_) August 12, 2020

The train involved was the 06.38 Aberdeen to Stonehaven, made up of a locomotive and four carriages.

It is understood the locomotive and three carriages derailed and slid down an embankment.

Unions called the crash a tragedy as a major incident was declared at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary.

Scottish First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon said: My immediate thoughts and the thoughts of those across the chamber are with all those involved.

Local MP Andrew Bowie said he had spoken to the UKs Transport Secretary Grant Shapps, who is liaising with Network Rail Scotland and ScotRail about the derailment.

He told the PA news agency: Its obviously a terrible situation, a train derailment, the emergency services are on the scene.

Ive already spoken to Grant Shapps, who has spoken to Network Rail and the British Transport Police, who are obviously investigating and assisting.

I am aware that Aberdeen Royal Infirmary has declared a major incident.

Train operator ScotRail posted a message on Twitter shortly after 6.30am warning that services across Scotland would be disrupted due to extremely heavy rain flooding.

A video shared on Facebook at 7.30am shows heavy flooding in Stonehaven.
"We're so incredibly thankful for the support of our partners at Perdue, especially during this time of staggering need amid the pandemic," said Peter Werbick, president and CEO of the food bank. "This truck will go a long way to increase access to fresh, nutritious food for people in need in the Sandhills area."

This truck will be operational immediately, helping to provide more than 8,000 meals with each load. It will be used in deliveries to the Food Bank's partner agencies (the pantries and soup kitchens providing hunger relief on the front lines) and pickups from food donors, primarily retail stores and produce farmers.

The Perdue Foundation gift aligns with the company's "Delivering Hope To Our Neighbors" hunger relief initiative focused on making meaningful progress toward ending hunger and providing access to nutritious protein for people struggling with hunger. In January, the Perdue Foundation announced a $1 million donation to support 10 of its Feeding America-affiliated food bank partners in celebration of the company's 100th anniversary.

"At Perdue Farms, we're committed to doing all that we can to support the communities we call home, and value our ability to help address the issue of food insecurity," said Kim Nechay, executive director of the Perdue Foundation. "We're proud that we can expand our partnership with the food bank through this gift and improve their ability to help meet the needs of our neighbors, especially during this challenging time."

Since partnering with the food bank, Perdue Farms has donated more than 268,573 pounds - or the equivalent of more than one million servings - of nutritious protein through its partnership with the food bank.

About Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina

The Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina is a nonprofit organization that has provided food for people at risk of hunger in 34 counties in central and eastern North Carolina for 40 years. The Food Bank serves a network of more than 900 partner agencies such as soup kitchens, food pantries, shelters, and programs for children and adults through warehouses in Durham, Greenville, New Bern, Raleigh, the Sandhills (Southern Pines), and Wilmington. In fiscal year 2019-2020, the Food Bank distributed nearly 92 million pounds of food (over half of which was perishable) and non-food essentials through these agencies. Sadly, hunger remains a serious problem in central and eastern North Carolina. In these counties, nearly 760,000 people struggle to access nutritious and adequate amounts of food necessary for an active and healthy life. To learn more, visit foodbankcenc.org.

About the Franklin P. and Arthur W. Perdue Foundation

The Franklin P. and Arthur W. Perdue Foundation, the charitable giving arm of Perdue Farms, was established in 1957 by company founder Arthur W. Perdue and is funded through the estates of Arthur W. Perdue and Frank Perdue. As part of our belief in supporting the communities where and with whom we do business, the Foundation provides grants on behalf of Perdue Farms in communities where large numbers of our associates live and work. At Perdue Farms, we believe in responsible food and agriculture.

About Perdue Farms

We're a fourth-generation, family owned, U.S. food and agriculture company. Through our belief in responsible food and agriculture, we are empowering consumers, customers and farmers through trusted choices in products and services.

The PERDUE brand is the number-one brand of fresh chicken in the U.S., and the company is leader in organic chicken in the U.S., and Perdue AgriBusiness is an international agricultural products and services company. Now in our centennial year, our path forward is about getting better, not just bigger. We never use drugs for growth promotion in raising poultry and livestock, and we are actively advancing our animal welfare programs. Our brands are leaders in no-antibiotics-ever chicken, turkey and pork, and in USDA-certified organic chicken. Learn more at corporate.perduefarms.com.

SOURCE Perdue Farms

Related Links

https://corporate.perduefarms.com






"The disbursement of the second grant in favor of 8.5 million households throughout the country will begin immediately after the payment of the first one has been completed," Mr. Vizcarra explained as he addressed the nation

The investment for this second phase entails more than S/6 billion (around US$1.68 billion).

"It is a justifiable effort, given the difficult circumstances that families have faced during the time of the pandemic," he stressed.

The Head of State affirmed that he is holding meetings with the Economy-Finance Ministry, the Development-Social Inclusion Ministry and the Labor-Employment Promotion Ministry in a bid to ensure a meticulous disbursement.





"We are making the arrangements to secure a rapid and efficient disbursement of the grant funds, using the experience gained during the delivery of the first Universal (Family) Bonus ," he emphasized.





Remarks were made in a televised address to the nation from the Government Palace in Lima. President Vizcarra was joined by State ministers on the occasion.





(END) RGP/JJN/RMB/MVB
File photo of members of the Jain community taking part in a rally during "Mahaveer Jayanthi" festival celebrations, in Bangalore on April 17, 2019. Cal State Long Beach will now have an endowed chair in Jain studies, thanks to generous gifts from Indian Americans Raksha and Harshad Shah and Dr. Meera and Jasvant Modi. (Manjunath Kiran/AFP via Getty Images)
The McLaren 570 was left a mangled wreck after the crash in a central London street.

The motorist behind the wheel of the 150,000 car - with a top speed of 203mph - lost control.

It's understood it happened in a 20mph limit in Montagu Mansions in Marylebone.

The McLaren has a 0-60mph of less than three seconds.

The McLaren 570 suffered damage to the front nearside quarter during last week's crash

The supercar's head light was smashed while its front bonnet, wing and chin splitter all suffered major damage

London Fire Brigade said it was not often it had to deal with an incident involving a McLaren

Simon Tuhill - London Fire Brigade Borough Commander for Camden - said' 'We go to many incidents involving crashed vehicles.

'But not that many where one of those vehicles is a McLaren 570 supercar.

'Crews from Euston attended this RTC on Montagu Mansions, Marylebone last week to make the scene safe after a driver lost control.'

MailOnline has approached Scotland Yard for an update on the case.

Last week, shocking footage showed a bright orange Lamborghini Huracan swerving in front of other traffic to pull onto a slip road leaving the A3 outside Portsmouth.

Unfortunately for the owner, a police car spotted the dangerous manoeuvre and followed the Italian V-10 supercar with its blue lights flashing.
TANZANIA, Tanzania - The U.N. Security Council remains at odds over the way the U.N. peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon operates on the ground, with the United States backing Israels demands for major changes.

At a closed council meeting Tuesday on the mission known as UNIFIL, whose mandate is up for renewal at the end of the month, U.S. Ambassador Kelly Craft stressed the need for a new mandate.

The U.S. has long reiterated publicly and privately that the status quo in Lebanon is unacceptable, Craft said in a statement to The Associated Press after the meeting. Now is the time to empower UNIFIL, end the long complacency, and enable the mission to fully achieve what it was set out to accomplish.

But Craft faces an uphill struggle because most of the council backs a continuation of the current UNIFIL mandate.

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres wrote to the council on July 29 recommending a 12-month renewal of UNIFILs mandate, stressing the importance of maintaining high troop strength.

In his latest report to the Security Council, the U.N. chief underscored the importance of UNIFILs work as it continues to maintain peace and provide stability at a difficult time for the country, U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Wednesday.

Earlier on Wednesday, France circulated a draft resolution that diplomats said would extend the current UNIFIL mandate for a year. The diplomats, speaking on condition of anonymity because discussions have been private, predicted tough negotiations before the mandate expires on Aug. 31.

UNIFIL was created to oversee the withdrawal of Israeli troops after a 1978 invasion. The mission was expanded after a 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah militants so that peacekeepers could deploy along the Lebanon-Israel border to help Lebanese troops extend their authority into their countrys south for the first time in decades.

Germanys deputy U.N. ambassador Gunter Sautter told the council in remarks circulated by the countrys U.N. mission that recent tensions and the danger of escalation only underline the importance of UNIFIL presence on the ground. He said the new political reality since last weeks devastating explosion at Beiruts port made it more important than ever.

UNIFILs mandate continues to be of utmost importance, Sautter said. It is clear that UNIFIL will not be able to do more with less. We therefore fully support UNIFIL in its current mandate and strength, and we hope that the council will once more show unanimous support to this important mission.

Israel has repeatedly accused Iranian-backed Hezbollah militants of impeding the peacekeepers from carrying out their mandate.

Israels former ambassador Danny Danon said in May that Israel will insist that peacekeepers have access to all sites, that they have freedom of movement and that any time they are being blocked the U.N. Security Council must be immediately informed.

Craft said at that time that UNIFIL was being prevented from fulfilling its mandate and Hezbollah had been able to arm itself and expand operations, putting the Lebanese people at risk.

She said the Security Council must either pursue serious change to empower UNIFIL or realign its staffing and resources with tasks it can actually accomplish.

As of June 15, UNIFIL comprised 10,275 military personnel from 45 troop-contributing countries, 238 international civilian staff and 580 national civilian staff.

Its Maritime Task Force comprised six vessels, two helicopters and 864 of the forces military personnel. However, one vessel was damaged in last weeks deadly explosion and 23 naval personnel from Bangladesh were injured, two critically. Dujarric, the U.N. spokesman, said Wednesday that four remain hospitalized in stable condition,

Jan Kubis, the United Nations special co-ordinator for Lebanon, and U.N. peacekeeping chief Jean-Pierre Lacroix briefed Tuesdays virtual council meeting.

Kubis urged the rapid formation of a new government following Mondays resignation of Prime Minister Hassan Diab and his Cabinet.

The U.N. quoted him as telling the council: There are immediate humanitarian needs that need to be addressed and necessary reforms that need to be undertaken without any delay to restore the trust of the Lebanese people, and of the international community in Lebanon.
Naason Joaquin Garcia, leader of La Luz del Mundo church, at his bail hearing Aug. 5 in Los Angeles. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

Since the day he stepped off a private jet at Los Angeles International Airport and was arrested last June, Naason Joaquin Garcia, the leader of an international church headquartered in Mexico, has been held on charges of raping children and possessing child pornography, among other felonies.

The case against Garcia, whose followers consider him an apostle of Jesus Christ, is sweeping. It encompasses multiple underage victims, implicates several employees of his church, La Luz del Mundo, and is buttressed by photographs and videos seized from Garcias phones and other devices.

It had also been, to this point, untested in court.

On Tuesday, prosecutors from the California attorney generals office began a preliminary hearing, by the end of which they must convince L.A. Superior Court Judge Ronald S. Coen that their case is strong enough to proceed. They expect the hearing to last seven to 10 days.

The prosecution's first witness, Troy Holmes, a special agent from the California Department of Justice, testified that he oversaw the investigation from shortly after the time Garcia was reported through an online child sex abuse hotline and culminating in his arrest on a private airstrip at LAX.

When Garcia disembarked, he was carrying an iPhone and an iPad, Holmes said. The agent spent much of Tuesday testifying about videos and photographs retrieved from the devices.

Holmes described one video found on the iPad that showed a young male wearing a suit and a black mask that covered his eyes. A woman entered the frame, undressed him and performed oral sex on him, Holmes testified. A witness has identified the woman as the boys aunt, the agent said.

A pair of FBI agents traveled to Texas and interviewed the boy at his high school, Holmes testified. The boy, whom he called John Doe 2, was born in 2003, he said.

Garcia's attorney, Alan Jackson, protested that prosecutors were refusing to identify his client's accusers, as well as many of the cases witnesses, depriving him of the opportunity to cross-examine them or establish any motives or biases. The prosecution wants to conduct this entire hearing basically in secret, he told the judge.

Story continues

Diana Callaghan, a deputy attorney general, said they were keeping victims and some witnesses nameless because theyd been subjected to threats and intimidation." Coen ruled that, because this was a preliminary hearing and not a trial, Garcia didnt have a right to confront his accusers.

Garcia has maintained his innocence since being arrested last summer, and his lawyers have said they look forward to clearing his name in court. Jackson declined to comment after Tuesdays hearing.

The religious leader appeared in court Tuesday wearing an orange jumpsuit from the county jail, his wrists shackled at the waist, and he listened to a Spanish translation of the proceedings through an earpiece.

Holmes described a series of interviews he conducted with two girls and a woman identified as Jane Does 2, 3, and 4.

In April 2019, he spoke with Jane Doe 2, who was 17 at the time, he said. Several years earlier, she told the agent, she was invited to join a service group at La Luz Del Mundos church in East Los Angeles. A member of the church since birth, she told the agent she felt honored to be brought into this circle, which Holmes described as an exclusive group of girls that serviced Mr. Garcia.

Belonging to this group was very important to her mother, Holmes testified.

After she turned 15, Jane Doe 2 was invited by Alondra Ocampo, a member of La Luz Del Mundo in East Los Angeles and a co-defendant of Garcias, to join a more exclusive group of girls, Holmes said he was told. Girls in this group danced for Garcia while partially nude and wearing lingerie, Holmes testified.

When Jane Doe 2 told Ocampo she felt uncomfortable doing this, she said she was told if she didnt want to participate in the dancing, it would go against the church and Mr. Garcia, Holmes testified. Knowing the girls father was not in her life, Ocampo told her Garcia would be like a father to her and take care of her, she told the agent.

One night, Jane Doe 2 came to Garcias home in East Los Angeles and was greeted at the back entrance by Ocampo, who told her to undress and serve Garcia coffee in the nude, she recalled to Holmes. When she entered Garcias office, he complimented her, kissed her and raped her, she said, according to Holmes. She was a virgin at the time, he said.

Holmes testified that he interviewed Jane Doe 3 in April 2019. She was 17 at the time. Ocampo had invited her into the same service group" at the East Los Angeles church, only Jane Doe 3 knew it as the fruteros, or fruit servers, Holmes said.

Ocampo told the girl she would be committing sins with Garcia but that they would be forgiven because he was Gods servant, the young woman told Holmes. At a hotel in Whittier, Ocampo filmed Jane Doe 3 and another girl spreading whipped cream and strawberries on each others bodies and licking it off, Holmes said she told him.

In January 2018, Jane Doe 3 was summoned to Garcia's East Los Angeles home and told to go to Garcias bedroom, where, according to Holmes, she saw a woman she knew as Ms. Susie. The woman  whom Jane Doe 3 subsequently identified as Susan Oaxaca, Garcias personal assistant and, now, a co-defendant  took the girls hand, placed it on Garcia's genitals and began massaging his penis, she told Holmes.

Oaxaca asked the girl to perform oral sex on Garcia, and Jane Doe 3 said, very quietly, No, and shook her head, the agent said he was told. The girl said she "felt stuck," Holmes testified, and she ultimately submitted and performed a sex act on Garcia. She felt disgusted afterward, he recalled her saying.

The agent described interviewing Jane Doe 4, a 24-year-old woman who had served as Garcias personal assistant in Guadalajara, where the religious leader keeps another home. He likened the womans role in Mexico to that of Ocampos in East Los Angeles: overseeing a group of young girls who performed chores in Garcias household, then grooming some of them to be inducted into a more exclusive circle that was subjected to sexual abuse.

Garcias preference was the younger the better, she told Holmes. He said something to the extent of, Theyre more pure, they have more love for me, the agent recalled her saying.

Jane Doe 4 said Garcia had raped and abused her, Holmes testified. A lifelong member of La Luz Del Mundo, she said she left the church after Garcia asked for her to provide her sister for similar behavior, the agent said.
The widespread pandemic pods that are emerging as back-to-school alternatives this fall are models of parental ingenuity, educator adaptability, and entrepreneurial agility.

These learning pods, or in-home microschools, involve small groups of families coming together to take turns facilitating a curriculum for their children in their homes, or pooling resources to hire a teacher or college student to lead instruction. They are a creative, spontaneous response to uncertain or undesirable school reopening plans that make at-home learning easier, more practical, and more enjoyable for more families.

These pods are also a prime example of what Adam Thierer calls permissionless innovation, where new solutions and discoveries are born without explicit regulatory blessings. In his book, Thierer explains: The best solutions to complex social problems are almost always organic and bottom-up in nature.

The organic and bottom-up nature of the pandemic pod trend has the potential to dramatically reshape American education, now and into the future. Parents are reassuming control of their childrens education, opting out of centralized school systems, and challenging regulatory regimes.

New Hampshire Commissioner of Education, Frank Edelblut, sees these pods and microschools as promising signs of education transformation.

They are decentralizing education, moving away from a central bureaucracy, he told me in a recent interview. Parents and teachers are creating microschools that are reflective of the goals and aspirations of the families who engage in them, he says.

At a time of such educational turmoil and societal disruption, parents, educators, and policymakers should embrace the idea of permissionless innovation regarding pods, encouraging enterprising individuals to experiment and create.

Entrepreneurs are already rising to the occasion, with startups such as SchoolHouse and Weekdays acting as managed marketplaces to connect educators and parents who are now forming pods and microschools.

As Thierer writes: For innovation and growth to blossom, entrepreneurs need a clear green light from policymakers that signals a general acceptance of risk-takingespecially risk-taking that challenges existing business models and traditional ways of doing things. Thats permissionless innovation in a nutshell.

In some places, these pandemic pods are accepted and encouraged.

In New Hampshire, for instance, existing homeschooling law allows for these pods to emerge, even if their terminology and context are new. Parents submit a simple home education intent form and then customize a home learning plan in whatever way they choose, including forming pods and microschools.

This is totally legitimate in New Hampshire, says Edelblut, who homeschooled his own children in the state. Homeschooling law here says that parents are responsible for their childs education, but they can work with other teachers and parents in homes or elsewhere in the community.

Perhaps not surprisingly, New Hampshire is seeing surging interest in homeschooling this summer.

Pandemic pods show the remarkable ability of free individuals to self-organize to solve societal problems, without government interference. Lindsey Burke at the Heritage Foundation explains that these pods are civil societys response to the pandemic and its impact on education. Burke recently hosted an online panel discussion to help parents and educators create more of these pods.

These pods show that parents are ready to and capable of directing their childrens education, and that while too many districts are still determining whether or not to reopen schools, parents arent waiting around any longer, she said.

Jason Bedrick of EdChoice, which co-hosted the pod-building webinar, agrees that these pods are a source of parental empowerment. He believes that pods are here to stay.

Theres a reason that microschooling was already taking off before the pandemic: theyre adaptable, affordable, and can provide a great deal of high-quality, personalized instruction, he says. Most of the new podders wouldnt have considered this form of education but for the pandemic, but I anticipate that a significant portion of them will continue microschooling once the pandemic is over.

Pandemic pods are positioned to dramatically redesign education. As parents realize that they are capable of guiding their childrens education, and can collaborate with others toward this end, they will be more skeptical of inefficient, coercive, one-size-fits-all government schooling. They will also demand that education dollars get redistributed more equitably, ensuring that all parents, regardless of income, have the opportunity to take advantage of pods, microschools, and similar educational options.

Burke says: States need to work quickly to make sure children from low-income families in particular have the same chances to form pods or enroll in microschools, and should work to provide education savings accounts (ESAs) to all families immediately.

Policymakers should work to expand education choice and encourage innovation, while parents, educators, and entrepreneurs continue to craft new and better education models. When it comes to creating pandemic pods, parents dont need to raise their hands to ask for permission to do what is best for their children.

Kerry McDonald is a senior education fellow at FEE and author of Unschooled: Raising Curious, Well-Educated Children Outside the Conventional Classroom (Chicago Review Press, 2019). She is also an adjunct scholar at The Cato Institute and a regular Forbes contributor. Kerry has a B.A. in economics from Bowdoin College and an M.Ed. in education policy from Harvard University. She lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with her husband and four children. You can sign up for her weekly newsletter on parenting and education here.

This article was originally published on FEE.org.
Korean textile and fashion firms in Vietnam are among the beneficiaries of the EVFTA

In the report titled "The Impacts of the EVFTA Effectuation on Korean companies and Implications" issued on August 5, the Institute for International Trade of the Korea International Trade Association anticipated that Vietnam would take on a greater role and status in the global value chain with the EVFTA going into effect in August, following the entry into force of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) in January 2019.

The report stated, A high level of market opening is expected as the EU and Vietnam agreed to eliminate around 99 per cent to 100 per cent of tariffs based on import bill within 7 years and 10 years, respectively, and added, As Vietnam's institutional reform, mitigation of non-tariff barriers, protection of intellectual property rights, and strengthening of labour rights and environmental protection obligations are included in the agreement, it will play a major role in advancing Vietnam's economy as well as expanding overseas investment.

In particular, Korean textile and fashion firms based in Vietnam are expected to benefit from this FTA. Under the agreement, Vietnam-based Korean clothes manufacturers exporting to the EU can enjoy a preferential duty for goods made from Korean materials as the EU has FTAs with both Vietnam and South Korea.

In contrast, clothes produced from Chinese materials cannot enjoy the benefits of the EU-Vietnam trade deal, as China does not have an agreement with the EU.

Currently, the EU depends on China for 30 per cent of its clothes imports, but it imposes tariffs of up to 12 per cent. These imports will likely be replaced with Vietnamese goods when tariffs are removed.

In addition, the EU-Vietnam agreement is expected to increase demand for high-quality Korean materials. Since tariffs on consumer goods from Vietnam such as shoes and bags are significantly lowered, Korean producers based in Vietnam will be able to expand exports to the EU.

Kim Jung-kyun, a senior researcher at the Korea International Trade Association, said, Vietnam has been making aggressive moves to open up its markets. It currently holds FTAs with 52 countries and has emerged as the trade hub of the ASEAN region. Korean companies based in Vietnam need to actively utilise the FTA network built by the country and set up mid-to-long-term strategies to expand trade and investment in Vietnam and restructure the supply chain.
While most Americans frantically pursued the good things of life in the weeks preceding Christmas, scientists and doctors made headlines by preserving life and unlocking its most elusive secrets.

In South Africas Groote Schuur Hospital, where a surgical team headed by Dr. Christian N. Barnard had been anticipating the breakthrough for weeks, surgeons performed the first transplant of a human heart in history. In an operation lasting nearly five hours, the heart of Miss Denise Darvall, an accident victim, was implanted in the chest of grocer Louis Washkansky, 55-year-old victim of progressive heart failure. But eighteen days later Washkansky died, and a study of the causes was begun.

In Brooklyns Maimonides Medical Center a similar operation was performed three days later on a 19-day-old boy, who died inexplicably after only 6 hours. As an interesting sidelight to the story, journalists learned that the donor of the heart, an arencephalic child who lived only a few days, was the grandchild of Carl McIntire, well-known radio preacher. (McIntire commented perceptively on the theological implications of the transplant: The fundamental Christian glories in all modern scientific advances, for these unfold the design and the wisdom of the Creator.)

Exciting as these developments were, the best was yet to come. The same week brought news that scientists in Palo Alto, California, had manufactured from inert laboratory chemicals the active, inner core of a virus. Since the virus material DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) was able to perform as a virusreproducing itself by invading living cells and altering their normal functions to produce virusesscientists rightly hailed the experiment as the creation of a primitive form of life. ...

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The "The Corporate Reputation of Pharma in 2019 The Patient Perspective Italy Edition The Views of 100 Italian Patient Groups" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

This is the 6th edition of the report series. These 2019 results are drawn from a survey of Italian patient groups, conducted November 2019 February 2020.

About the 2019 survey of Italian patient groups

2019's 100 respondent Italian patient groups specialised in 45 different therapy areas.

The 100 Italian patient groups had the following geographic remits: 6% an international remit; 61% a national remit; 22% regional (within one country); and 11% local.

On the relationships that Italian patient groups had with pharma, 2019

63% of the 100 Italian patient groups responding to the 2019 survey worked with at least one pharma company.

What this report contains

Industry-wide analyses: The 2019 Italian 'Corporate-Reputation' report examines the issues of importance to Italian patient groups, including:

levels of industry innovation;

access to treatments;

transparency of the industry; and

drug pricing.

Analyses are reinforced by extensive feedback from 2019's respondent Italian patient groups [found in Appendix I], organised according to the disease specialties of the respondent patient groups.

Individual company analyses: The 23 pharma companies are reviewed by 2019's 100 respondent Italian patient groups for overall corporate reputation, and for performance at 12 individual indicators of corporate reputation.

Key industry-wide findings for Italy, 2019

Despite expressing a generally-positive attitude to the pharma industry, 2019's 100 respondent Italian patient groups were concerned about pharma's drug pricing policies and the industry's levels of transparency.

2019's respondent Italian patient groups (like their peers worldwide) were more positive about the pharmaceutical industry's corporate reputation than Italian patient groups responding to the 2018 survey. Some 59% of 2019's respondent Italian patient groups described the industry's corporate reputation as Excellent or Good, compared with 56% saying the same in 2018. Italian patient groups have, since 2014, consistently ranked the pharma industry's corporate reputation higher than their peers in most other parts of the world.

The majority of Italian patient groups undoubtedly appreciate the pharmaceutical industry's high-quality products. 50% of 2019's 100 respondent Italian patient organisations described the industry as Excellent or Good at creating high-quality products (although this figure was down on the 2018 equivalent of 61%).

However, aside from their relatively-high rating for the pharmaceutical industry's ability to provide high-quality products of benefit to patients, most of 2019's respondent Italian patient groups marked the industry less favourably for a range of other activities of importance to Italian patients.

Undoubtedly, the thinking of patient groups was influenced by the fact that drug-pricing and transparency issues dominated the Italian pharma scene throughout 2019. Indeed, in August 2019, Italy released a decree on new rules for negotiating drug pricing with the State, requiring greater transparency in previously-confidential discounting arrangements.

Relationships between Italian patient groups and pharma, 2019

These efforts by Italy to improve the transparency of company drug-pricing negotiations with the State increased tensions between the pharma industry and Italian patient organisations in 2019. Only 29% of 2019's 100 respondent Italian patient groups judged pharma Excellent or Good at relationships with partner patient groups (the equivalent figure from patient groups worldwide was 42%).

Pricing, transparency, and access to medicines, 2019:

On fair pricing policies : Only 8% of 2019's 100 respondent Italian patient groups felt that the pharma industry was Excellent or Good at having fair pricing policies.

: Only 8% of 2019's 100 respondent Italian patient groups felt that the pharma industry was Excellent or Good at having fair pricing policies. On transparency of pricing policies : Only 13% of 2019's 100 respondent Italian patient organisations thought the pharma industry Excellent or Good at the transparency of pricing policies (although this negative sentiment was echoed by patient groups worldwide 14% of 2019's 1,850 respondent patient groups worldwide stated the same).

: Only 13% of 2019's 100 respondent Italian patient organisations thought the pharma industry Excellent or Good at the transparency of pricing policies (although this negative sentiment was echoed by patient groups worldwide 14% of 2019's 1,850 respondent patient groups worldwide stated the same). On access to medicines: Just 22% of 2019's 100 respondent Italian patient groups believed the pharma industry to be Excellent or Good at helping patients gain access to their medicines (compared with a figure of 26% from 2019's respondent patient groups worldwide).

Lega Italiana Sclerosi Sistemica [the Italian League for Systemic Sclerosis] (APS), called for better access to medicines through more-equitable pricing mechanisms:

Equo accesso, ossia un prezzo che possa essere sostenuto dal SSNN e che porti il farmaco a un numero pi ampio possibile di pazienti (vd. biologico vs biosimilare). Payment at results stato un compromesso eccellente nelle terapie CAR-T.

(Fair access, or a price that can be sustained by the Italian Health Service, and that makes the drug available to the largest-possible number of patients see biological versus biosimilar. Payment at results has been an excellent compromise in CAR-T therapies.)

Key company findings for Italy, 2019

Roche was ranked overall 1st out of 23 companies for corporate reputation in Italy in 2019 by the 74 respondent Italian patient groups familiar with the company. Roche was ranked overall 2nd out of seven companies by its 33 respondent Italian patient-group partners.

Novo Nordisk was ranked overall 2nd out of 23 companies for corporate reputation in Italy in 2019 by the 26 respondent Italian patient groups familiar with the company. Too few of Novo Nordisk's Italian patient-group partners responded to the 2019 survey to permit worked-with analyses of the company.

Pfizer was ranked overall 3rd out of 23 companies for corporate reputation in Italy in 2019 by the 64 respondent Italian patient groups familiar with the company. Pfizer was ranked overall 1st in 2019 out of seven companies by its 22 respondent Italian patient-group partners.

Comparing just the 14 largest pharma companies (big pharma), Italy, 2019 v. 2018

To enable peer-to-peer comparisons of the results, PatientView recalculates overall rankings for the 12 indicators of corporate reputation for just the 14 largest, multinational, multi-therapy pharma companies. These big-pharma' results provide a different perspective on how the largest pharmaceutical companies fare for corporate reputation enabling true peer-to-peer analyses. (Takeda/Shire was added to this listing in 2019 for the first time.)

A note about COVID-19 and the 2019 study's results

Covid-19 should have a relatively limited impact on many of the results of the '2019 Corporate-Reputation' study, because the survey took place (November 2019 to late-February 2020) largely before the crisis became global. However, early announcements about Covid-19 by some pharma companies (during January and February 2020) may have influenced the views of Italian patient groups responding to the 'Corporate-Reputation' survey during those last two months of the survey.

Key Topics Covered

Executive summary

Relationships that Italian patient groups have with pharma, 2019

Industry-wide findings, 2019

Rankings of 23 pharma companies, 2019 (v. 2018) among Italian patient groups familiar with the companies

Rankings of 7 pharma companies, 2019 (v. 2018) among Italian patient groups that work with the companies

Profiles of the 23 companies, 2019 (v. 2018)

Profiles of the 23 companies, 2019 v. 2018; charts and tables

Number of respondent Italian patient groups claiming familiarity with the company, 2019.

Number of respondent Italian patient groups saying that they had a working relationship with the company, 2019.

Profile of respondent Italian patient groups familiar with the company, 2019: specialties, geographic remit; and types of relationships.

Company scores among respondent Italian patient groups familiar with the company, and which work with the company, for each of the 12 indicators of corporate reputation, 2019.

Percentage of the respondent Italian patient groups that work with the company, but which also works with other companies, 2019.

Overall rankings for the company according to respondent Italian patient groups familiar with the company, 2019 v. 2018.

Overall rankings for the company according to respondent Italian patient groups that work with the company, 2019 v. 2018.

Company rankings for each of the 12 indicators according to respondent Italian patient groups familiar, or working, with the company, 2019 v. 2018.

Snapshot view: where the company sits in the corporate tiers for each of the 12 indicators (in the higher, the middle, or the lower tier), as assessed by respondent Italian patient groups familiar with the company, 2019.

Snapshot view: where the company sits in the corporate tiers for each of the 12 indicators (in the higher, the middle, or the lower tier), as assessed by respondent Italian patient groups that work with the company, 2019.

The company's Patient Corporate Reputation Indexes (PCRIs), 2015-2019 selected indicators.

Companies Mentioned

AbbVie

Amgen

AstraZeneca

Bayer

Biogen

Boehringer Ingelheim

Bristol Myers Squibb

Celgene

Chiesi Farmaceutici

Eli Lilly

GSK

Janssen

Menarini

Merck Co/MSD

Merck KGaA

Novartis

Novo Nordisk

Pfizer

Roche

Sandoz

Sanofi

Takeda/Shire

Teva

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/v9jfpp

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200812005326/en/

Contacts:

ResearchAndMarkets.com

Laura Wood, Senior Press Manager

press@researchandmarkets.com



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Fate of disqualified lawmakers to be decided by HK govt as NPC extends LegCo for 1 year

Global Times

By Yang Sheng and Bai Yunyi Source: Global Times Published: 2020/8/11 23:23:40

NPC extends LegCo for 1 year, fate of disqualified lawmakers to be decided by HK govt

The National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee voted unanimously on Tuesday to extend the sixth Hong Kong Legislative Council (LegCo) lawmakers' terms of office by at least one year until the new LegCo begins, in case the coronavirus outbreak remains uncontained within one year.

The decision didn't clarify whether the opposition lawmakers, who are disqualified from election for next term, could remain in the LegCo in the extended term. It is a matter that the HKSAR government has to decide, with experts saying this could avoid unnecessary political struggles, and showed great trust that the national legislature has on the HKSAR government. All attendees of the meeting consider that, as the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government and the Executive Council of the city have already decided to postpone the seventh LegCo election by one year, to ensure the normal operations of the HKSAR government and society, the decision made by the NPC standing committee conforms to the Chinese Constitution and the Basic Law of Hong Kong, and is necessary and appropriate, the Xinhua News Agency reported on Tuesday.

Whether the Hong Kong lawmaker candidates disqualified from running in the next LegCo election could stay in the legislature during the extended term is up to the HKSAR government's decision, Tam Yiu-chung, Hong Kong delegate to the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress told the Global Times on Tuesday after the vote. "Other questions were left for the HKSAR government to handle in accordance with the law," he said.

Handling the vacuum period in LegCo following the postponed election amid the resurgence of the COVID-19 has attracted public attention, which took center-stage at the four-day meeting of the NPC Standing Committee, which ended on Tuesday.

Li Xiaobing, a Hong Kong affairs legal expert at Nankai University in Tianjin, told the Global Times on Tuesday that the decision is appropriate because political issues like disqualifying opposition camp lawmakers are not the reason why the NPC Standing Committee made this decision.

"The decision is based on a public health crisis. The political problem of opposition politicians is a very detailed issue, so it should be handled by the HKSAR government," Li noted.

Lau Siu-kai, vice president of the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macao Studies, told the Global Times on Tuesday that the decision is the most convenient and simplest way to keep current LegCo operating amid the ongoing epidemic situation as well as to avoid political struggles so that the HKSAR government can focus on fighting the virus and handle the economic recovery.

Online debates focused on whether the extended terms of office would violate the Basic Law, as it states that each lawmaker should serve four years. Tam noted that the NPC Standing Committee has the right to supplement the law in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution, and to deal with problems arising from abnormal circumstances, which won't violate the Basic Law.

It also states that the term of the seventh LegCo is four years, which won't change the relevant regulations of the Basic Law.

'Behave yourself'

Former HKSAR chief executive Leung Chun-ying said in an interview with Hong Kong media on Friday that lawmakers who were disqualified from running in the next LegCo election should not be allowed to stay in the current LegCo in the extended term, because they are not even qualified to be a candidate. So no matter what will happen to the LegCo, these people should not stay in the city's legislature.

Tian Feilong, a legal expert on Hong Kong affairs at Beihang University in Beijing, told the Global Times on Tuesday that the HKSAR government will likely allow disqualified lawmakers to continue their service in the extended term. But these lawmakers "should behave themselves" because with the enactment of the national security law for Hong Kong, these lawmakers will violate the law if they continue their separatist stance and extreme activities, such as storming and paralyzing the LegCo, to challenge national security.

The NPC meeting decided that the term of the current LegCo should be extended by at least one year, because of concerns that there might be another outbreak, which would impede the voting process, Tam said. "At that time, there won't be any need to go through the NPC procedure, as the current LegCo will continue to perform its duties until the beginning of the seventh term of the LegCo," he noted.

"Opposition camp lawmakers should cooperate with the decision. The coming year would be extremely important to them. They need to decide whether to change their political stance and approach to achieve their political demands. If they can't, their careers in the Hong Kong political system could end anytime," Lau said.

Politicians from the opposition camp need to learn that after the enactment of the national security law for Hong Kong, they can only be "the opposition parties with loyalty," who are loyal to the "one country, two systems" principle and the HKSAR government, Lau stressed.

If they can't correct their extreme, radical and even separatist political stance, they would be replaced by "loyal opposition politicians" with a constructive stance, Lau noted.

Important term

In the extended term, which is an unusual period, the LegCo should explore how to operate under such a special situation, analysts said.

Junius Ho Kwan-yiu, a current LegCo lawmaker, told the Global Times that in the coming year, the pro-establishment camp should make full use of the time to try its best to win public support by making concrete contributions to fighting the epidemic situation, and to facilitating economic recovery.

Ho said, "More importantly, the HKSAR government and the LegCo should use the time to push the national security legislation under the Basic Law and to pass Article 23, because the national security law for Hong Kong has made it clear that this is a constitutional obligation of the HKSAR."

The national security law for Hong Kong states that the HKSAR shall complete, as early as possible, legislation for safeguarding national security as stipulated in the Basic Law of the HKSAR, and shall refine relevant laws.

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The F.B.I. and the U.S. military said Wednesday they were investigating the shooting of an Air Force helicopter this week during a routine training exercise over Northern Virginia that injured one airman and forced the crew to make an emergency landing.

The helicopter, a UH-1N Huey, was practicing an instrument landing near Manassas Regional Airport when it was struck by a bullet at about 12:43 p.m. on Monday, an Air Force spokesman said in an email.

The bullet was fired by someone on the ground, according to the F.B.I. Washington Field Office, which asked for the publics help in solving who was responsible for the mysterious shooting and what led up to it.

The aircraft was about 1,000 feet above ground and 10 miles northwest of the airport, flying near Middleburg, Va., when the episode occurred, according to the Air Force spokesman, 2nd Lt. Myron E. McRae.
File photo: A mine-sweeping supervisor of the 18th Chinese peacekeeping multifunctional engineer contingent to Lebanon, demonstrates mine-clearing skills. (Photo by Sun Shuai)

By Sun Shuai

BEIRUT, Aug. 12 -- The 18th Chinese peacekeeping multifunctional engineer detachment to Lebanon completed its last mine-clearing operation in Lebanon on August 11, setting a new record by clearing an area of more than 10,000 square meters within a single batch.

The demining operations were carried out at a minefield designated by the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) for humanitarian mine clearance missions on the early morning of August 11. Four Chinese mine clearance operators strictly followed the UN Standard Operating Procedures for Mine Action and completed all clearance tasks in the minefield in that afternoon.

During the inspection, director of the UN Mine Action Service said that Chinese peacekeeping minesweepers always braved to fight on the Blue Line and undertook the most dangerous mission of the UNIFIL. "The UNIFIL and Lebanese people are very grateful for your hard work," added the director.

Furthermore, he stressed that the Chinese peacekeepers have carried out minesweeping missions along the Blue Line for 14 years, and have achieved many excellent results in minesweeping with "the largest demining number, the fastest demining speed, zero casualties and zero accidents". The Chinese minesweeping team is the best of its kind in his opinion.

Since their deployment to Lebanon at the end of May last year, the 18th Chinese peacekeeping multifunctional engineer detachment to Lebanon has so far cleared 4 minefields, 1 suspected minefield, and 1 minefield for humanitarian mine clearance, and discovered and destroyed 1,577 mines. The total area of mine clearance field is up to 10,427 square meters. This is the first time that a single batch of mine clearance area by the Chinese peacekeeping minesweepers has exceeded 10,000 square meters since China started sending peacekeeping troops to Lebanon in 2006.

It is learned that the 18th batch of Chinese peacekeeping troops to Lebanon was initially scheduled for a one-year mission. Still, the rotation was delayed for more than two months due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
FLINT, MI  An 18-year-old man told a Genesee County District Court judge Wednesday morning that his brother lied to him about the use of a racial slur by an employee at a store inside the Genesee Valley Center in Flint Township.

At a Wednesday, Aug. 12, preliminary examination before Genesee District Judge Jennifer J. Manley, Damire C. Palmer, of Mt. Morris Township, testified his brother told him the employee inside the Macys store had used a slur after being asked a question about clothing.

The statement that (my brother) made was untrue and I swung on him for no reason, said Palmer, of hitting the employee multiple times on July 15.

Video shot of the incident circled the Internet, drawing attention from President Donald Trump who asked why there were no protesters over the incident amid mass demonstrations regarding the death of George Floyd.

Palmer is black. The employee is white.

When asked by Genesee County Assistant Prosecutor Patrick McCombs why his brother would lie to him, Palmer responded: I wouldnt know. I honestly wouldnt.

But you took your brother at his word, right? asked McCombs.

Yes, I did, Palmer said.

When asked by McCombs if the assault that injured the store employee was over the alleged use of the racial slur, Palmer said yes.

He pleaded guilty in court to a single count of assault with intent to do great bodily harm less than murder, punishable by up to 10 years in prison and/or a $5,000 fine.

In speaking with the victim, McCombs told the court that Palmer would be sentenced under the Holmes Youthful Training Act, which could lead to probation on a lesser charge of aggravated assault after completion of any programming order by a circuit court judge.

The decision came after consultation with the victim.

If he did not approve of this, you would not be getting this possibility, said Manley. You understand what kind of break that man gave you?

This is a big deal for your life. I really want you to understand that, she said. I agree that programming needs to be put in place and you need to have strict guidelines before you are out in the community.

Manley denied a bond request for Palmer.

Palmer is due back in court next month.

More on MLive:

Man charged in beating of Macys manager at Flint Township mall

Man wanted in assault of Macys store manager at Genesee Valley Center is in custody

Felony assault warrant issued for 18-year-old in beating of Macys store manager

Trump retweet Michigan mall assault video, asks Where are the protesters?

Police investigating video of beating inside Genesee Valley mall
Why dont we just put everyone in astronaut suits, send everyone to school, and when they get home they are allowed to take it off in the garage? Scott Conway, Dioscene superintendent, Diocese of St. Augustine, Fla.



..."I couldnt make the teaching factor and the transportation work. No [districts] Ive seen actually have the specifics on how to make hybrid learning work. Monica Goldson, superintendent, Prince Georges County schools, Md.

Local [health] guidance has been excellent all the way through. From the state, it has been miserable."Jack Smith, superintendent, Montgomery County schools, Md.

The superintendents job is a tough one on a good day. But as these three quotes from a new report make clear, the pandemic has required them to make some impossible choices balancing school health, quality teaching, and constituencies like parents and teachers whose priorities frequently conflict.

The report, issued today by the American Enterprise Institutes Nat Malkus, its deputy director of education policy studies, summarizes a series of in-depth conversations with 12 school district or Catholic diocese superintendents.

Its main insight is that, for all the airy pundit talk about innovating and making the best of a crisis, most superintendents view school reopening as no less than an unwinnable situation. There are awful tradeoffs: A decision that pleases one constituency, like working parents who cant afford to keep their kids at home, can be the same thing that frustrates another onelike teachers who, not without good reason, are fearful of being exposed to the virus in a classroom setting.

Although all the superintendents acknowledged that the responsibility for decisionmaking ultimately rested on their shoulders, many said they didnt necessarily feel in total control.

The virus, said Matthew Veerecke, the Dallas Diocesan superintendent, when asked who was in charge.

Its safe to say that nothing in the report hasnt been reported in local and national news. But it is worth reiterating some of the unique ways that the United States response to COVID-19 has made the superintendents job a lot harder.



The federal governments confusing, sometimes contradictory messages about school reopeningmixed with threats from the Trump administration to withhold funding has politicized the process unnecessarily.

has politicized the process unnecessarily. State health guidance has been vague or lacking, forcing superintendents to become mini-epidemiologists on a dime. Only two weeks before most Pennsylvania districts were scheduled to open, for example, state officials unveiled guidelines linking specific transmission rates in each county to school reopeningand that was partly in response to a push by the states school leaders. Two other states, Arizona and Wyoming unveiled more specific school health guidance only in the last week.

linking specific transmission rates in each county to school reopeningand that was partly in response to a push by the states school leaders. Two other states, Arizona and Wyoming unveiled more specific school health guidance only in the last week. Disagreements among district constituencies about the reopening options have cleaved along lines of privilege. In New York City, one of the only large districts that has so far planned to offer a hybrid model, better-off parents are putting pressure to move to all-remote learning , even as the citys schools serve primarily disadvantaged students whose parents cant afford not to work. (superintendents in the AEI report also noted these schisms.)

What Leaders Think of Hybrid Plans

One of the reports findings portends something to watch this fall as school resumes: Many of the superintendents interviewed said that they concluded after some research that a hybrid plan mixing in-person and remote learning was simply unworkable.

Two other pieces of data suggest other districts have come to the same realization. The Center on Reinventing Public Education found recently that only about 12 percent of the districts whose plans it examined were offering hybrid learning. And Education Week has found through its continually updated database of reopening plans that hybrid is the least common of the instructional options.

The interviews with Catholic superintendents point to a tension for those schools. All four Catholic school leaders were planning to resume in-person classes, or were leaning in that direction. Thats in part for pedagogical reasons, but also because of the pressure to do something for parents who are laying out cash to send their students to those schools.

If I dont open face-to-face five days a week, people arent going to pay to come to a Catholic school, said Conway of St. Augustine.

Indeed, as my colleague Evie Blad recently reported, some parents whose children had previously attended public schools are exploring private school because it works better for their schedules.

Photo: Students in the Avon, Indiana school district arrive for their first day back to school. Doug McSchooler/The Indianapolis Star via AP
New research published by the National Literacy Trust indicates video games can have a positive impact on the literacy, creativity, and wellbeing of young people.

A survey of 4,626 young people aged 11-16 in the UK found that games can often provide children with a route into reading and writing, with 79 percent of respondents explaining they regularly read game-related materials including in-game text, reviews, blogs, books, and fan fiction.

Meanwhile. 63 percent of young people said that playing games has encouraged them to pursue writing, with many dabbling in penning their own video game scripts, walkthroughs and advice, fan fiction, and blogs. Additionally, 58 percent of those surveyed expressed an in writing or designing games in the future.

"The benefits of playing video games for young peoples literacy were found to be strongest for boys and reluctant readers," reads the report. "Boys are much more likely to play video games than girls (96% vs 65%) and nearly twice as many boys than girls said they chatted with family and friends as part of playing a video game during lockdown (71% vs 40%).

"Video games were also found to be effective at engaging reluctant readers with stories, as 3 in 4 (73%) young people who dont enjoy reading say playing video games helps them feel more part of a story than reading a book-based text."

Dr Jo Twist, chief exec of UK games industry trade body Ukie, said the research highlights the educational value games can bring to the lives of young people by sparking interest and inspiring creativity.

This excellent research shows both the benefits of games on childrens literacy and how valuable a part they are to young peoples lives. Games are a fantastic way to inspire creativity, encourage exploration of worlds and characters, and to get young people talking with friends or family. We look forward to working with our partners to build on this work to show the positive impact of games as a medium."
The proposed reopening of the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, on August 30 is being threatened by the execution of a court judgment which ceded part of the land to one John Emejulu.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that an Enugu State High Court had in 2017 given a judgement in favour of Mr Emejulu pertaining to the expanse of land in Phase IV and V of Airport Road Layout.

However, previous attempts to execute the court order failed due to alleged interference by notable politicians in the state.

Mr Emejulu in Suit no. E/ 165M/2020 returned to the court through an application by Motion on Notice for the court to compel the Commissioner of Police, Enugu State and the Inspector-General of Police to execute the courts judgment.

On June 3, 2020, Justice J. L. C. Okibe granted an order of mandamus compelling the police to enforce the judgement and prosecute anyone that hinders its judgement.

Mr Emejulu in the early hours of Wednesday visited the affected site with equipment to take possession of the land and pulled down illegal structures including those erected for the operation of the air.

He alleged that some politicians in the state, including the member representing Enugu East/Isiuzo Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Cornelius Nnaji, and others were behind the trespass on the land.

Mr Emejulu, who is an architect by training, claimed that he bought the 400 plots of land in 2008 from Umuenwene Iji Nike community in Enugu East Local Government Area of the state.

He also alleged that Mr Nnaji and another member of the state assembly threatened to use government machinery to take over the land.

They brought the state government in the pretext that they want to site the Free Trade Zone on my land and annexed it to the airport.

I am not opposed to the government using my land for development projects but the right thing must be done. They cannot take my land by force, he said.

Mr Emejulu faulted the state government for involving officers of the Nigeria Air Force in the matter even when the police had been mandated to enforce the judgement.

Meanwhile, the Commandant, Air Force Ground Training Command, V. O. Obiabaka, who stormed the location with four of his officers, said that the state governor directed him to intervene.

Mr Obiabaka said that he got a call from the governor to the effect that someone was causing anarchy in the state by destroying property belonging to the government and private individuals.

On sighting the courts judgment and order mandating the police to enforce the judgement, the commander said that the takeover of the property needed to be done peacefully.

The governor called me and said someone was destroying property belonging to the government and private individuals. I thought I would come here to meet a mad person.

Mr Obiabaka said that it was not wrong for someone to enforce their rights but you have to do it peacefully. You are free to enforce your rights, he said.

He expressed concern that the incident which had halted some civil works in the airport could affect the reopening of the airport if not properly handled.

The commandant appealed to Mr Emejulu, management of the airport and others who erected buildings illegally on the land to have a round table to resolve the issue in line with the courts judgment.

When contacted, Mr Nnaji, who was at the scene of the event, said that he would not comment on the matter.

Why are you people talking to him (Emejulu)? I will not talk to you, the lawmaker said.

On his part, the state Commissioner for Lands, Victor Nnam, said that he cannot comment on the matter as he was not so sure about the particular court judgment.

The commissioner said the state ministry of land had more 100 land cases in the court, adding that I cannot give you any response because the document is not before me.

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The daunting sway zika virus had held over the populace in recent past has a far-reaching impact on governments in terms of initiatives undertaken. FDA had recently made it mandatory for zika virus testing of all the blood testing done across the U.S. in hospitals and laboratories just to keep the virus at bay. Borne by Aedes genus of mosquitoes, this disease can be easily transmitted to another person even via sexual intercourse and pregnant women, if affected, can forward that to her newborn child as well.

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These initiatives have resulted in the growth of zika virus testing market, and the market is all set to witness a considerable hike during the forecast period (2017-2023), asserts Market Research Future (MRFR) in an extensively analyzed report. FDA and the U.S. government have taken considerable steps to outclass this disease by having it properly tested and developing drugs that can contain the virus. The outcome is quite overwhelming. The World Health Organization (WHO) is also quite aware of the impacts of the virus and has taken steps accordingly. For instance, in 2016, it had declared a health emergency in the Americas, where the disease was spreading its wings. Subsequently, testing kits for the disease found a significant market and started growing in leaps and bounds. These precautionary decisions can act like a global market booster for the zika virus testing.

Industry Trend:

Researchers from Brigham and Womens hospital have recently come out with their discovery where they have used nanotechnology and digital health systems to detect zika virus. In the process. They have involved smartphones as necessary equipment for the testing. The method is known as nanomotor-based bead-motion cellphone (NBC) system, which can have considerable impacts in afflicted regions.

Technology firm Inovatech, in collaboration with the Sao Paulo Research Foundation, developed a test at the Butantan Institute that can detect antibodies against zika virus in samples with great precision to declare infection, if any, caused by the virus previously.

Zika Virus Testing Market Segmentation:

The global Zika Virus Testing Market size can be segmented by tests and end-users.

By tests, the market can be further sub-segmented into serological/Zika virus antibody and molecular/nucleic acid amplification. The latter is the most commonly used test for zika virus detection.

Based on end-users the market includes diagnostic units, hospitals, pathology labs, and others.

Zika Virus Testing Market Regional Analysis:

Region-specific analysis of the global market has regions Asia Pacific (APAC), Europe, Americas, and the Middle East and Africa (MEA) under its coverage.

The Americas are in-charge of the market and Latin American countries, where the outbreak of the disease hit massively, are contributing more than the regions far in the distance. Projects initiated by Health and Human Services (HHS), and Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) to deter the disease from further growth and cure the affected populace can be seen as a market influencer. Brazils National Development Bank (BNDES) has also infused USD 136.6 million for further researches that can help the market grow considerably.

Zika Virus Testing Market Competitive Analysis:

The market is witnessing constant evolution owing to companies launching innovative technologies to detect the virus and cure the effects. However, collaborations are also abounding such as technology firm Inovatechs collaboration with Sao Paolos Research Foundation.

Prominent companies playing a significant role in the zika virus testing market are Luminex Corporation, ARUP Laboratories, Roche Molecular Systems, Hologic, and Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics.

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At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.
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.
John Lepore

John Lepore, who was in charge of policy and advocacy at Mastercard, has joined Moderna, the biotechnology company that signed a $1.5B deal to sell 100M doses of its COVID-19 vaccine to the US government as part of the Operation Warp Speed effort.

As senior VP-government engagement, Lepore reports to CEO Stephane Bancel.

At Mastercard, Lepore led a team of 80 staffers in charge of global public policy, regulatory affairs and litigation. Earlier, he was head of global government affairs at RELX (ReedElsevier LexisNexis) Group and VP-government affairs for GlaxoSmithKline's emerging markets unit.

Bancel said Lepore's "experience in developing corporate strategy for vaccines at GSK along with his unique blend of government affairs, public policy, commercial and legal experience" will be an important asset as Moderna transitions into a global commercial-stage enterprise.
Nominations for the 2nd Annual Hacker Noon Tech Awards, the Noonies, Close on August 12, and Voting Opens on August 13 There are over 200 Hacker Noon Tech Industry Awards and prizes up for grabs this year  not to mention a prize pool of over $10,000 and 3,000+ Years of Domain Registration

In case you've not yet had the pleasure: The 2020 Noonies  presented by hackernoon.com  are not only the only Industry Awards you don't have to be an influencer to win, but also the most community-driven awards on the internet.

There are over 200 Tech Industry Awards and prizes up for grabs this year  not to mention a prize pool valued at over $10,000  including:



Thank you to TECH Domains for this awards prize, which includes $ 3000 Cash Prize + a Free 10-yr domain for the winner!



Shoutout to Skillsoft for this award's prizes, and the prize for Hacker Noon Contributor of the Year - WOMEN IN TECH, which both include 1 Year FREE Access to Percipio to the Winner.



A huge thanks to Grant for the Web for this award's prize, as well the prizes for Best Web Monetized Digital Artist and Best Web Monetized Blogger, which ALL include: a $1000 award for the eventual winner (!!!)



"Improving on our stack from last year, weve built this years Noonies on  the now much loved by the whole Hacker Noon dev team  Next.js, and refactored a lot of it to take advantage of the ever-shifting current standards of evolving technologies," explains Hacker Noon's lead full-stack developer on the project, Storm Farrell. "The result is a more robust, future-proof and feature-rich 2.0 submission and voting platform."

"It's incredible to see the broader tech community come together  in these unprecedented times  to sponsor big award prizes for top technologists, makers, and creators in tech today," said David Smooke, CEO and Founder of Hacker Noon. "We're excited about the opportunity to recognize and reward the people in our global community who are working to make the internet a better place."



"The *'why'* behind this year's better, bigger, and longer Noonies campaign is to give the community the chance to make sure ***everybody*** who deserves the recognition of being nominated for a Hacker Noon tech industry award this year gets the chance to be included," says Natasha Nel, Hacker Noon's Managing Editor. "I'm looking forward to getting to know all of our 2000+ nominees via hackernoon.com blog interviews, Hacker Noon Podcasts, and our upcoming AMA series."



Public Nominations for the 2020 Noonies close on Wednesday, 12 August, and voting will open Thursday, 13 August, 2020. Winners will be announced 13 October, 2020.

For more information, or **to request an interview with any of Hacker Noon's 2020 Noonie Nominees**, reach out to Natasha on Twitter @natashanoon.

About Hacker Noon

How hackers start their afternoons. Hacker Noon is built for technologists to read, write, and publish. We are an open and international community of 12,000+ contributing writers publishing stories and expertise for 4,000,000+ curious and insightful monthly readers. Founded in 2016, Hacker Noon is an independent technology publishing platform run by David Smooke and Linh Dao Smooke. Get your technology story published today.

About the Noonies

The Noonies are an annual tech industry awards event, presented online by Hacker Noon, built to recognize and reward the most innovative people and products in technology today. Conceptualized in early 2019, Hacker Noons first annual Noonies celebrated the contributions of over 500 internally and publicly nominated technologists, thinkers, makers, and leaders in tech. The second edition will run for an extended period of three months, with [public nominations open for a full month from July 13 to August 12, with voting open for two months, from August 13 to October 13.
Hurricane Elida is expected to continue tracking to the northwest. (CNN)

Hurricane Elida Churns in the Pacific While Atlantic Forecasters Watch What Could Become Josephine

As the peak of hurricane season nears, two storms are being monitored for possible impacts on land, one in the Pacific and one in the Atlantic.

Elida, a strong Category 1 hurricane with winds as high as 90 mph, is forecast to stay out in the eastern Pacific. It will not impact land directly, but hazards from hurricanes extend well beyond the center of the storm.

Swells generated by Elida are expected to cause life-threatening surf and rip currents along the west-central Mexican coast and the Southern Baja California Peninsula.

Offshore swells as high as 25 feet will also be a hazard for mariners.

Although Elida is a hurricane, it will likely track to the northwest over colder water and die, said CNN meteorologist Chad Myers.

Though Elida is expected to begin weakening sometime Wednesday, more developments are anticipated in its wake.

The tropics of the eastern Pacific off the west coast of Mexico appear to be getting very active, Myers said. The computer models are predicting two more tropical storms behind this one.

The earliest J storm could form later this week.

A tropical wave in the Atlantic is expected to develop into Tropical Storm Josephine over the next couple of days.

The system has a 90 percent chance of becoming a tropical depression or tropical storm in the next 48 hours, according to the National Hurricane Center. If it does become a tropical storm, it would be the earliest storm on record to begin with a J. The previous record was August 22, 2005.

This would continue the record-setting pace of this hurricane season, which has smashed previous records set during the infamous 2005 season. That season saw 28 named storms, 15 of which were hurricanes.

The tropical wave was 900 miles west-southwest of the Cabo Verde Islands and moving to the northwest on Tuesday.

Computer models are suggesting it will move to the north of the Leeward Islands and Puerto Rico this weekend, as a tropical storm.

Whether it will affect the mainland United States remains uncertain, but the National Hurricane Center is monitoring it closely.

The 2020 Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30. The areas covered include the Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, and the Caribbean Sea.

The-CNN-Wire

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Machirairwa-Mugidho

12.08.2020 LISTEN

Zimbabweans had yet another opportunity to define their destiny as a collective when they exercised their constitutional right to choose a leader of their choice. The July 2018 elections had new contenders apart from those Zimbabweans had been accustomed to. Hopes were high, spirits ignited and there was a euphoria that spelt out a new dawn. However two years down the line the state of hopelessness, despair and sorrow is written all over the faces of Zimbabweans. In trying to rise up and transform the state of affairs that citizens have witnessed for the past two years since ED Mnangagwa assumed power, a number of people from various organisations ranging from political leaders , CSO representatives, Activists and individuals embarked on a campaign. Hashtagged #ZimbabweanLivesMatter, to combat the rampant corruption that has brought the economy to its knees. This was brought to light after the Minister of Health and Child Care was involved in a scandal of covid-19 funds estimated to sum up to US$60 million. As a result, the 31st Demonstrations gathered momentum on the microblogging sites on twitter and facebook where people felt the need to participate so as to put an end to lack of transparency and accountability which has enormously affected the lives of ordinary citizens who continue to grapple with adverse effects of Covid 19.

As a counter productive move, state security agents where unleashed and widely dispersed across the nation to ensure that no citizen dared to exercise his/her right to express disgruntlement and an opinion on what needs to be done on the actual day of the nationwide demonstration slated for 31 July 2020. Despite that, some citizens were not deterred or moved by the level of intimidation which includes two people in the disability fratenity namely Henry Chivhanga the director for Disability Amalgamation Community Trust (DAT) and Honourable Machirairwa Mugidho for Masvingo constituency who got into parliament using the women's proportional representation ticket under the MDC Alliance banner. Mr Chivhanga staged a one man demonstration in Masvingo to express his level of frustration on government's failure to decisively deal with corruption and all corrupt people found to have used their powers in an unduly way thus further impoverishing this already marginalised community. Chivhanga was stopped at the roadblock, taken to the police station and charged for unnecessary movement by contravening SI 83 of 2020 that sets out lockdown guidelines and regulations. He was released upon paying a total amount of 500 RTGs as a fine. His arrest quickly got the attention of the public.

However for Honourable Mugidho, it was a different case altogether. In an interview with her husband after news broke out that the legislator had been arrested, we learnt that she together with a number of residents had demonstrated at Chiredzi where she currently resides after her expulsion as the PR for that constituency due to Thokozani Khuphe's grandstanding after the Supreme court declared her the legitimate leader of the opposition party. Therefore, her case and that of other expelled members is still before the courts. Speaking with her husband we learnt that the Honourable was taken at her homestead later that day around 1600hrs after police had been alerted by the army at the headquaters in Harare that they had received information of a group that had staged a demonstration earlier on and pictures had been taken. The police used those pictures to locate them. Since it was a friday and court would be open on monday, she was remanded in custody. However upon her arrest she quickly got assistance from Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR). Through constant follow ups, information was obtained on monday mid morning that her bail hearing would commence after 1400hrs in her absence as police officers had indicated that they had no fuel to transport the accused to attend her bail hearing. Thus more updates were shared to put pressure for bail to be granted. As a result 5 000 RTGs bail was granted and the case will continue on the 3rd of September 2020.

Narrating her story Honorable Mugidho said, "I had to stand firm and prove to police officers that even though I am accused, I was exercising my constitutional right as enshrined under Section 59." She also highlighted that they wanted to take away her assistive mobility aid (crutches) fearing that inmates would use it to harm each other. However, upon boldly refusing such, an agreement was made for her to use her crutches during the day but once in her cell, it would be taken away.

Over the years, the voice of persons with disabilities has been naturally suppressed where issues of national interest are of concern by the citizens. This is attributed to high levels of polarisation, hostility, brutality and dehumanizing acts that reveal a high degree of vulnerability amongst this community. As much as the the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilitities encourages persons with disabilities to effectively and fully participate in political and public life on an equal basis with others directly or through freely chosen representation. The political landscape has not made it any easier for them to amplify their voices in fear of persecution or prosecution for desiring an ideal Zimbabwe whose aspirations are engraved in their hearts by freely speaking out against what is contrary to the constitution.

In modelling and shaping Zimbabwe's future discourse state parties must promote participation of social groups with special needs including the youth and people with disabilities, in the governance process. As stated by the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance (ACDEG) article 31. Moreover good economic and corporate governance ensures that there is prevention and combating of corruption and related Offences; considering that Zimbabwe ranked 158 as one of the most corrupt country out of 180 as stated by Corruption Perception Index of 2019. What we do and how we do what we have to do determines the consequence on whether the nation begins to prosper or continues to sink in this economic quagmire.

By Tsepang Nare and Abel Mavura
Innovation Minister Navdeep Bains and Minister of Public Services and Procurement Anita Anand make an announcement regarding vaccine procurement in Toronto on Aug., 5, 2020. (The Canadian Press/Christopher Katsarov)

Mandatory Vaccination in Canada Would Face Legal Challenges

The federal government has bought millions of doses of COVID-19 vaccines but hasnt definitively stated whether or not vaccination will be mandatory. Constitutional experts say any such legislation would violate personal rights and get challenged in court.

On Aug. 5, Minister of Public Services and Procurement Anita Anand announced procurement agreements for COVID-19 vaccines. One was with Pfizer Canada working with BioNTech in Germany, and a separate agreement was reached with U.S.-based Moderna. Anand said the move is part of our aggressive approach to secure vaccine candidates now.

The minister said at a press conference that a vaccine would likely not be mandatory, but a decision would be guided by public health authorities and an independent vaccine task force.

Innovation Minister Navdeep Bains also didnt rule it out.

With regards to making it mandatory/keeping it voluntary, thats something that well closely work with Dr. Tam and Minister Hajdu on, to determine when we get to that stage how to proceed, he said in response to a question.

James Kitchen, a lawyer with the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms, told The Epoch Times that health is a provincial jurisdiction, not federal, and thats only one constitutional hurdle that legislation making the vaccine mandatory would face.

Section 7 [of the Constitution] protects life, liberty, and security of the person. So wrapped up with liberty are things like bodily autonomy, personal autonomy, medical decisions, right? So youd be implicating that.

An Angus Reid poll released Aug. 4 shows 46 percent of Canadians would get a COVID-19 vaccine as soon as it becomes available. Thirty-two percent said they would wait a while, with safety concerns being the reason for most who would delay. Fourteen percent said they would never get a COVID-19 vaccination.

The worry among most of those who said they would wait was possible side effects from a new and potentially quickly developed vaccine.

Kitchen says mandatory vaccination also threatens guaranteed freedoms of religion and conscience since many would object to a foreign substance being injected into their bodies regardless of the contents. And then theres religious objections based on the contents because some vaccines are either made, or the process of making them, involves aborted fetal cell tissues.

Archbishop of Winnipeg Richard Gagnon and 17 co-authors drew attention to this aspect in a May 21 letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

COVID-19 vaccine candidates that are ethically unacceptable are produced using human cell lines such as PER.C6 and HEK 293, derived from elective abortions, the letter stated. The subsequent manufacture of vaccines using such ethically-tainted human cell lines demonstrates profound disrespect for the dignity of the human person.

Rocco Galati, the founder and executive director of the Constitutional Rights Centre and an expert in constitutional law, says the principle of habeus corpus, or bodily integrity, was fundamental even prior to the Constitution. He says the Ontario Court of Appeal has already ruled that people committed to psychiatric care without consent still have the right to refuse drugs while in care. In practice, however, those committed involuntarily in many cases are also often given medication involuntarily.

The Supreme Court of Canada and other appellant court jurisdiction in Canada is quite clear: You cannot be forced to take any medical treatment without informed voluntary consent, Galati told the Epoch Times.

Im not delusional about the courts, but lets put it this way. Its one thing to say that the courts may dishonestly not uphold the rights. Its another thing to say the rights arent there. So if youre asking me is it constitutional to impose mandatory vaccines, my answer is no.

Last fall, New Brunswick introduced Bill 11 to ban unvaccinated students from school. To prevent legal challenges, the bill used the notwithstanding clause from Section 33 of the Constitution. Wide criticism led to that provision being removed. Even so, the bill was defeated in a 22-20 in a free vote on June 18.

Kerri Froc, assistant professor of law at the University of New Brunswick, wrote a column for the Canadian Bar Association opposing the provinces pre-emptive use of the clause. She believed the bill would pass legal challenges as it is based on solid public policy, to which courts will give deference. More likely than not, they would uphold it.

Section 1 of the Charter says: The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms guarantees the rights and freedoms set out in it subject only to such reasonable limits prescribed by law as can be demonstrably justified in a free and democratic society.

In an email to the Epoch Times, Froc wrote, There is not much case law on s.7 violations that have been justified under s.1. But in cases of emergencies (e.g. to prevent threats to national security), the Supreme Court has accepted that limitations on s.7 rights are possible.

Kitchen says a court challenge to federally mandated vaccinations would likely involve both sides drawing on expert testimony to argue whether the safety, efficacy, and necessity of a vaccine could justify overruling personal rights.

I cant predict which way the courts are going to go. Its a tough haul for people who are going to challenge the government because a lot of courts and a lot of judges do tend to defer a lot to governments in Canada. A lot of rights violations are justified under Section 1 because the government is able to convince the court that theyre right and the individual is wrong.
When the pandemic started in March, David Pham went on Amazon and panic-bought childhood-favorite foods like Chef Boyardee ravioli. In his defense, no one really knew how long this lockdown would last.

It became very apparent very quickly that eating this for three meals a day wasnt going to be sustainable, he said.

Pham, who is the co-founder and chief technology officer for the New York-based start-up Mogul, wanted to cook healthier meals for his family. But when he set out to find fresh meat and produce, it wasnt that easy. At the very beginning of the virus outbreak, delivery services for grocery stores and the like were overbooked; you were lucky to find a time slot two weeks out, if at all.

Around the same time, his coworker Jason Curescu was searching for a specialty cut of beef thats rarely sold at grocery stores. He researched local farms and shared them with Pham for his own needs. The pair realized they were onto something.

With restaurants closed, many farmers were losing income and looking to sell directly to consumers, who in turn were seeking alternate sources of meat and produce. Pham and Curescu set out to build a website that would connect the two.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Texas farmers and ranchers adapt to how we eat in a pandemic

FarmsThatAreDelivering.com launched at the end of April with 40 farms. Today, it lists more than 1,300 in all 50 states. About 130,000 unique users have visited the site so far.

The farmer database is searchable by location. Typing Houston, Texas in the search bar yields more than 300 results, including Bedias Creek Farms in Spring and New Hira Farms in Tomball. The list has many other searchable filters: type of meat (beef, chicken, duck, alligator), type of produce (fruit, vegetables), how it was raised or grown (organic, pastured, grass-fed), religious specifications like halal and kosher, and several more. Pham says they plan to introduce filters for woman-owned and Black-owned farms soon.

Building and maintaining the website is painstaking work. Pham and Curescu spent hours browsing thousands of websites to find farms that have online stores and that deliver or offer pick-up. They sometimes stay up until 3 a.m. tagging farms with the searchable filters. They are continuously adding farms to the database, as users in different corners of the U.S. are constantly suggesting new ones in their areas.

FarmsThatAreDelivering.com is easy to use and has a simple interface while offering plenty of information on each farm, linking directly to their website.

Pham says theyve received grateful emails from farmers who noticed a boost in traffic and business. Farming is a grueling, all-consuming occupation. Its difficult to find the time and resources to market the products theyre trying to sell.

I think thats a really big challenge for farmers, said Pham. They have to become marketing experts even though they probably just want to farm. We take care of that for them.

emma.balter@chron.com
Clashes between soldiers and civilians during a disarmament exercise in the central South Sudanese town of Tonj have left 127 dead, the army spokesman said Wednesday.

Major General Lul Ruai Koang told AFP that the fighting erupted on Saturday as security forces carried out an operation to disarm civilians in the area which has seen deadly inter-communal clashes.

More than six years after a civil war broke out in the country, and in the absence of a functioning government, many communities are flush with weapons, which they keep for protection or defense against cattle raids.

The violence in Tonj began after several armed youths got into a disagreement with soldiers. An initial armed confrontation was brought under control, but according to Koang the youths mobilised others for an attack on the army position.

"On the latest, the number of those killed, I can confirm to you that it rose to 127," said the spokesman Major General Lul Ruai Koang, adding that 45 of those killed were security forces and 82 were youths from the area.

A further 32 soldiers were injured.

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Henry Nana Boakye, NPP National Youth Organizer, has slammed former President and NDC flagbearer, John Dramani Mahama over his comments on the shooting incident that occurred at Nkrankwanta in the Dormaa West District of the Bono Region.



Supporters of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and National Democratic Congress (NDC) clashed during EC's mop-up exercise over the weekend resulting in the death of one person.



Two other people sustained gunshot wounds while a vehicle and motorbike were also burnt down.



Former President John Mahama accused ruling NPP thugs to have orchestrated the violent clash.



''It is crystal clear now for all to see that armed NPP thugs are running rampage everywhere and this portends a clear and present danger to our democracy.



Violence must never be an option in our democracy. Unfortunately, it is increasingly clear that having nurtured and democratized violence by his all die be die mantra, Nana Akufo-Addo has lost control of his own party, just as he has lost control of many sectors of the economy in Ghana. In January 2021, a new administration under my leadership will fix our economy and restore justice and peace to our beloved Ghana," he said.



He, however, condemned the act and sent his condolences to the bereaved family saying, "I join the rest of our well-meaning compatriots to mourn the loss of the NPP activist who was killed by gunshots discharged by armed thugs of his own party".



Reacting to the former President's attribution of the incident to the NPP, Nana Boakye, popularly called Nana B asked Mr. Mahama not to usurp the role of the Police.



According to him, it is unfortunate for Mr. Mahama to accuse the NPP of being behind the clash or using thugs to cause violence at the location.



Nana B found the comments very distasteful and asked him to allow the Police to do their job.



"It's not proper and I believe our former President should know that the Police are investigating the matter," he told host Kwami Sefa Kayi on Peace FM's 'Kokrokoo'.



Watch full submissions below:





Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Five Iranians Charged With Leaking Classified Details, Spying for Israel, Britain, Germany - Report

Sputnik News

20:05 GMT 11.08.2020

Five Iranians have been arrested by Iranian authorities on charges of spying for Israel, Britain and Germany.

At least two of the five people charged with spying have been convicted and handed prison sentences, according to a report by Reuters.

During an online news conference on Tuesday, Iranian judiciary spokesperson Gholamhossein Esmaili named two of the five accused, one being Shahram Shirkhani, who has been charged with spying for Britain and attempting to recruit Iranian officials for MI6, the foreign intelligence service of the UK government.

According to Esmaili, Shirkhani leaked sensitive information related to banking and defense ministry contracts.

Masoud Mosaheb was also named as one of the people who had been sentenced. Mosaheb, the co-chair of the Iranian-Austrian Friendship Society, which aims to promote relations between Iran and Austria, was sentenced to 10 years in prison for leaking information on Iran's "missile and nuclear projects" to Israel's national intelligence agency, Mossad, and Germany's federal intelligence service, the Bundesnachrichtendienst, Esmaili said.

The Austrian foreign ministry has failed to facilitate the release of Mosaheb, who has been imprisoned in Iran since January 2019, according to Reuters.

"Since the person detained in Iran is an Austrian-Iranian dual citizen ... Iran does not allow the monitoring of legal proceedings, visits to prison or access to trial and medical records," the Austrian ministry said in a statement to Reuters.

Esmaili did not provide any other details on the other detainees, but claimed that each of them worked for Iranian state bodies.

"We had the arrests in the foreign, defense and energy ministries as well as in the Atomic Energy Organization," Esmaili said.

In a separate statement, the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence recently said that a "number of spies related to foreign intelligence services were identified and arrested."

"They sought to spy on sensitive and vital centres in the economic, nuclear, infrastructure, military and political areas for the CIA, the Mossad and some European countries," said the televised statement, Reuters reported.

However, it is unclear whether the individuals referred to in that statement are the same ones Esmaili spoke about.

In early July, a fire broke out at Natanz, a significant Iranian nuclear facility. At the time, Iranian officials stated that the incident may have been caused by a cyberattack. However, it's unclear if the fire was linked in any way to the individuals that have been accused of spying.

A Sputnik

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Korea Board of Audit and Inspection recently warned Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae over poor management of the ministry and its affiliated organizations./ Korea Times file



By Kim Se-jeong





Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae arrives at her office in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, Monday. Yonhap
Shimla: Himachal Pradesh has seen a rise in the number of suicides this year, particularly during the lockdown since March, which underscores the need for improving the states mental health facilities.

Though a mental health rehabilitation centre was set up in Shimla in 1997 and a helpline number 104 was launched two years ago, these facilities are woefully inadequate in dealing with the scale of the problem.

According to police data, an average of three people commit suicide in the state every day and there are only five government counsellors to address issues related to mental health of a population of 75 lakh.

Initially, the helpline that functions 24 hours a day and seven days in a week, was not active but nowadays it gets 120 calls daily.

Special secretary, health, Nipun Jindal says, Mental health problems have increased during the lockdown and there is a plan to set up a helpline in each of the 12 districts.

Issues related to mental health are also being addressed on the e-sanjeevani portal.

MOST VICTIMS ARE LABOURERS, HOUSEWIVES

The police recorded 466 suicides till July 31 this year with an average of 67 people ending their life every month. Last year, 710 people committed suicide, an average of 59 suicides a month.

Of the total suicides this year, 12% (55) were abetted and cases were registered under Section 306 of the Indian Penal Code. In the remaining 88% of cases (411), inquest proceedings were initiated under Section 174 of Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC).

Among the victims, 62% are men and 38% women. Of them, 21% (101 cases) are of labourers; 15% (72) housewives; 8% (38) students; 6% (29) private employees; and 4% (16) each are farmers and businessmen.

13% of the victims took the extreme step due to marital discord (60 cases) and 12% due to domestic disputes (58 cases), while 7% or 33 victims ended their life because of health problems. Ten people committed suicide due to loss of job.

Police said that from January to April, the average number of suicides was 10 but it shot up to 25 from May to July. In May, June and July, more than 100 suicides were reported each month. The monthly average from January to April was 41.

YOUNGSTERS MOST VULNERABLE

People between 18 years and 35 years are most vulnerable to suicides as 111 men and 57 women in the age group ended their lives this year. They comprised students and those in their early married life. Those in the 35-50 year age group were also vulnerable with issues such as a troubled marriage and hectic professional life.

Domestic violence, economic distress, failed relationships, unemployment, health, setback in business; drug abuse and alcoholism are factors that drove people to take the extreme step.

PRESSURES OF SOCIAL DISTANCING

Social distancing measures, though vital to stop the spread of Covid-19, leads to isolation from loved ones. People are at greater risk of anxiety, depression and loneliness. It could lead to fear, panic, regret, guilt, a sense of loss or despair. Such emotions can lead to suicidal thoughts, says Dinesh Dutt, the head of the psychiatry department at Indira Gandhi Medical College and Hospital, Shimla.

Health experts say that not only the government but people at large can also play a vital role in improving the mental health scenario. Social media has a responsible role to play. A suicidal act is unwarranted and undesirable, says Dr Sanjay Pathak, the senior medical superintendent at the Himachal Hospital of Mental Health and Rehabilitation, Shimla.

Drinking, smoking and drugs are escape routes that complicate matters. Face the problem and seek help of a therapist. Meditation, yoga and music help improve mental health, he adds.

WORST-HIT DISTRICTS (JANUARY TO JULY, 2020)

District Male Female Total

Kangra 54 25 79

Mandi 43 32 75

Shimla 31 28 59

Una 34 13 47

Sirmour 27 14 41

Hamirpur 21 15 36

Solan 19 14 33

SIGNS TO WATCH OUT FOR

1) Change in routine, eating and sleeping less

2) Lack of energy or feeling tired

3) Feeling of hopelessness or feeling overwhelmed

4) Restless, agitated, nervous, and irritable

5) Withdrawal from family and friends

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Were committed to learning and continuing to address the harmful impacts of systemic racism.

Oh, Toronto police! At what point did you decide to make this commitment you declared to media Monday? Was it in January when Kanika Samuel-Wortleys report on Durham police found Black youth more likely to be charged and less likely to be cautioned for minor crimes? Was it in 2017 when the Black Experience Project revealed, among other things, that 79 per cent of young Black men said they were stopped by police in public for no apparent reason?

Was it in 2010 when Barrington Walker identified historical trends in charges and convictions of Black Canadians beginning in 1858? The Roots of Violence report in 2008?

Or maybe 1998, when Clayton Mosher offered a historical examination of systemic racism in social, legal and criminal justice systems?

Or was it literally only Monday when a new report titled A Disparate Impact, by the Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC), found that Black people are far more likely to be arrested, charged, shot and killed by Toronto police?

When we think about why it is Black people exist in the conditions they do in Toronto today, to what extent are the police playing a role in producing those conditions? asks University of Toronto sociologist Akwasi Owusu-Bempah, who co-authored the upcoming book Race, Ethnicity, Crime and Justice.

Were awash with the evidence of violence against Black people in this country, in this province, in this city. That evidence-gathering is at least partly in response to policy-making naysayers who continuously couch their ignorance with the demand: Where is the evidence of racism?

However, racism doesnt shift because data exists. The practice of brutalizing a people and calling them brutes wouldnt survive 400 years if it were so fragile as to actually disappear in the face of evidence.

Even with this plethora of data, Ive been told Black people get disproportionately arrested because they commit more crimes. One reader sends me an email every time he comes across a news story of a crime involving a Black person. Inherently, brutes, see?

But how about the violence that flows the other way, from others, to Black people? For instance, the statistic that Black people are far more likely than any other racial group to be victims of hate crimes, according to the Canadian Centre for Justice and Community Safety?

Shrug.

Criminality is different from criminalization. One is the act, the latter is the process in which a person is turned into a criminal.

Owusu-Bempah illustrates the cycle of criminalization like this:

Black Torontonians are more likely to live in impoverished neighbourhoods, in small homes, in apartments. His research shows cannabis is used at similar rates among different groups. Youths in dense housing wanting to consume cannabis outside the watchful eyes of their parents are more likely to have to go into the streets as opposed to the backyard or basement or garage.

Couple this with long-standing data that shows Black people are disproportionately likely to be stopped, questioned and searched by police, and the chances of the youths being caught go up. Throw in the data that Black people with no criminal history are three times more likely to be arrested for a small amount of cannabis than white people and also more likely to be detained without bail.

Because people are not likely be convicted of a single cannabis offence, these youths may get other charges.

For instance, Owusu-Bempah says, a 17-year-old young Black man who has been stopped multiple times by police is more likely than others to have a bad attitude with the cops because hell think hes being harassed like he has been numerous times before.

If he happens to be in possession of cannabis, his risk of getting further criminalized rises.

We know that the police are more likely to exercise their authority and to arrest when people are impolite, when they are hostile. So that individual may not get just a cannabis possession arrest but may get a charge for something like obstructing justice.

Being arrested is a destabilizer.

Its hugely disruptive to their lives, Owusu-Bempah says. It disrupts the ability to finish school. To get a job. To keep a job. Legal fees unsettle already precarious finances. Oftentimes they dont get to clear their names if the charges were made public, even if the charges were dropped.

We want the police to deal with very real issues of crime and violence but we dont want the police creating conditions that lead to further crime and further violence.

When the OHRCs newest report says charges against Black people were more likely to be withdrawn and less likely to result in a conviction, it illustrates  like the Durham police report did  how racism resides in the use of discretion in policing.

Reports on anti-Black racism among police usually focus on the worst outcomes such as death. Mondays report highlights layers to those violations with new data that showed Black people were five times more likely to be injured in a lower use of force that resulted in severe bruises and lacerations but not death or sexual assault.

The Toronto police board released 81 recommendations Tuesday, one of which was to immediately implement anti-Black racism training and make it an annual affair. But it was short on accountability: it did not make it mandatory for police officers to speak to investigators of the Special Investigations Unit  Ontarios police watchdog  in cases of fatal encounters. It did not explicitly tie officers performance reviews to anti-racism.

The question is no longer, where is the evidence of racism against Black people? It now turns on the police to ask, If you must exist, show us the evidence that youre not racist.
Seafood Expo Asia logo We look forward to offering an event that will facilitate business between seafood buyers throughout Asia and suppliers from around the world in 2021

The organizers of the annual Seafood Expo Asia, produced by Diversified Communications, announced today that it has become necessary to cancel the November 2020 edition due to ongoing health and safety issues caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The event was scheduled to take place on 18-20 November 2020 in Singapore.

Despite some re-opening measures internationally and locally, there are still far too many uncertainties about the impact COVID-19 will have on travel and mass gatherings this November. Consequently, it is impossible to hold an event that would provide an experience the seafood community would find valuable.

This has been a challenging year for the seafood community and we are thankful for the support from the industry, our vendors and partners, said Liz Plizga, Group Vice President, Diversified Communications. We will continue to evaluate our offerings and find solutions to help our customers connect and develop business during this difficult time.

The Seafood Expo Asia team will reach out to customers to answer questions about the cancellation of the 2020 edition. They will discuss opportunities to continue to move their business ahead in the Asian market, access educational resources and reconnect with seafood buying communities going forward, and in 2021.

We look forward to offering an event that will facilitate business between seafood buyers throughout Asia and suppliers from around the world in 2021, added Plizga.

For more information and event updates please visit http://www.seafoodexpo.com/asia.

About Seafood Expo Asia

Seafood Expo Asia is a trade event where buyers and suppliers of seafood from around the world come together to network and conduct business in the lucrative Asian market. The event is produced by Diversified Communications and takes place annually in Asia. SeafoodSource is the expositions official media covering industry news year-round. http://www.seafoodexpo.com/asia.

About Diversified Communications

Diversified Communications is a leading international media company with a portfolio of face-to-face exhibitions and conferences, online communities and digital and print publications. As producers of these market-leading products Diversified Communications connects, educates and strengthens business communities in over 15 industries including: food and beverage, healthcare, natural and organic, business management and technology. The companys global seafood portfolio of expositions and media includes Seafood Expo North America/Seafood Processing North America, Seafood Expo Global/Seafood Processing Global, Seafood Expo Asia and SeafoodSource.com. Established in 1949 and headquartered in Portland, Maine, USA with divisions and offices around the world, Diversified Communications remains a privately held, third generation, family-owned business. For more information, visit: http://www.divcom.com.

# # #

Media Contact:

Iris Kwan, Event Director

Diversified Communications

Tel: +852 39580590

Mobile: +852 98212393

Email: ikwan@divcom.com

Christine Pedersen, Marketing Director

Diversified Communications

Tel: +1 207-842-5488

Email: cpedersen@divcom.com


Victorian Jobs Minister Martin Pakula has offered the Andrews governments first detailed explanation of how the hotel quarantine system was run, using his questioning at a parliamentary committee to distance himself from the apparent mistakes of cabinet colleague Jenny Mikakos health department.

Not once during his evidence did Mr Pakula cite the hotel quarantine inquiry to avoid questions, but instead spelled out that his department was responsible for things like logistics, while the Department of Health and Human Services was in charge of infection control.

Jobs Minister Martin Pakula answered questions on his department's involvement in quarantine hotels on Wednesday.

Any lapses in that area, including training security guards in how to avoid catching COVID-19, were the DHHS responsibility, he said.

Mr Pakula also said staff from his department had asked for police to be brought in to monitor hotels 24 hours a day, as had been done in New South Wales, but the request was rebuffed or ignored.
The Bombay high court (HC) on Tuesday upheld the conviction and life sentence of a widow who killed her new born daughter, purportedly to hide her relationship with a man which resulted in the pregnancy.

The division bench of justice RD Dhanuka and justice Surendra Tavade upheld the conviction of Kamlabai Gharat after finding that the prosecution had proved the chain of circumstances against her beyond the shadow of reasonable doubt. There was nobody else except the appellant / accused to commit murder of the said child.

The bench has directed Alibag sessions court to secure her presence and remand her in prison for serving the remainder prison term.

According to the prosecution, on November 10, 1993, a resident of Nhava Sheva in Uran found a newborn girl abandoned near Sheva bus stand and took the infant to his house.

The family then reported the matter to local police, who arrested Kamlabai after finding that she was pregnant. Police then took Kamlabai and the infant to the rural hospital in Uran, but later shifted them to Alibag Civil Hospital. However, Kamlabai strangled the girl in the hospital.

In 1995, the sessions court convicted Kamlabai for murder and sentenced her to life. She was, however, acquitted of the charge of abandoning the child.

The widow then moved the high court challenging the conviction.

The bench on Tuesday dismissed the appeal and concluded that the prosecution had proved all the circumstances against the woman which include abandonment of the child, the physical condition of the child before the murder, the fact that the newborn was with the woman in both the hospitals.

The bench held that the prosecution has proven the homicidal death of the child and the fact that no one was around when the infant was killed except the convict. It also found that the woman had motive to commit the crime as she wanted to hide her relationship and the pregnancy which took place eight years after the death of her husband.
PHILIPSBURG:--- Management of Learning Unlimited has refused to follow the guidelines set down by the government when it comes to distance learning.

On Tuesday the Minister of VSA Richard Panneflek and Minister of Education Rodolphe Samuel sent a letter to Learning Unlimited and Caribbean International Academy advising them that they too have to follow the restrictions set down by government even though they are a private institution. Despite the rise in COVID-19 cases, a commotion broke out at the Learning Unlimited on Wednesday morning while Police and the Minister of VSA Richard Panneflek were on site trying to get management of the school to comply with the restrictions laid down by the government and to proceed by distant learning.

Minister of TEATT Ludmilla de Weever said she also intervened and spoke to management of LU but hoped to continue that discussion later today.

Information circulating on St. Maarten states that a 13-year-old has been hospitalized with COVID-19 effects, asked about that at the Council of Minister's press conference the Minister of Education Rodolphe Samuel said there have been rumors but he does not have any information on the case. In the meantime, Deputy Prime Minister Jurendy Doran said he could not comment on such sensitive matter on the press conference platform.

SMN News will continue to monitor the situation at these private institutions and update it later today.
LIVINGSTON, Calif., Aug. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Foster Farms is delivering an additional 420,000 servings of poultry to California and Washington state food banks to assist families impacted economically by COVID-19. In April, at the onset of the pandemic, the family-owned company donated 2.4 million servings of poultry to West Coast, Alabama and Louisiana hunger relief organizations, targeting communities where it operates plants.

"COVID-19 has changed the very fabric of our lives and has added to the challenge of ensuring that no one in this country goes hungry. The need for protein among our food bank partners is at a near unprecedented level," said Foster Farms VP of Communications Ira Brill. "As a leader in the poultry industry, we have a responsibility to provide all the assistance we can."

"So many families are facing economic uncertainty far beyond the financial crisis of 2008, forcing them to turn to us for help for the very first time," said Kym Dildine, Co-CEO of Central California Food Bank in Fresno serving Central Valley communities. "Demand for food has nearly doubled and continues to grow, with no end in sight, while supply of protein is limited. We are so grateful for Foster Farms' continued support during these critical times."

Foster Farms encourages others to join in its efforts by donating to their local food bank or community organization. The food banks receiving the most recent donation include:

Foster Farms' donations are a continuation of a decade-long commitment to fighting hunger and responding to community need in time of crisis. The company has facilities in California, Oregon, Washington, Alabama and Louisiana.

About Foster Farms

Since 1939, West Coast families have depended on Foster Farms for premium quality chicken and turkey products. Family-owned and operated, the company continues its legacy of excellence and commitment to quality established by its founders, Max and Verda Foster. Foster Farms specializes in fresh, all-natural chicken and turkey products free of preservatives, additives or injected sodium enhancers. Based in California's Central Valley, with ranches in the Pacific Northwest, the company's fresh chicken and turkey are produced in or near each region served. Foster Farms also produces delicious pre-marinated, ready-to-cook and fully cooked products that meet the quality and convenience needs of today's home cooks, retailers, warehouse clubs and foodservice customers. The company's commitment to excellence, honesty, quality, service and people is a source of great pride, and, a longtime family tradition.

Food safety is Foster Farms' highest priority and the company would like to remind consumers to always follow safe handling, preparation and storage guidelines for the preparation of fresh poultry products. All fresh poultry products should be cooked to an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit as measured by a meat thermometer to ensure safety. Visit www.fosterfarms.com to learn more.

SOURCE Foster Farms

Related Links

http://www.fosterfarms.com


Online Irish marketplace DoneDeal has moved to temporarily suspend all advertisements for the sale of dogs following a surge in dog thefts across the country.

In a statement, the company said it is actively working with animal welfare groups to introduce measures to further improve animal welfare and advertising in Ireland.

However, it warned that by removing the section it 'may push activity offline and lead to reduced transparency when it comes to advertising dogs'.

The move comes in response to a recent influx in the theft of dogs across the country which has had owners on high-alert, leading to a flood of social media warnings in recent weeks.

The full statement from the company is below:

"DoneDeal works closely with several animal welfare groups including the ISPCA and Department of Agriculture in order to comply with legislation and meet the standards set out by bodies such as IPAAG (The Irish Pet Advertising Advisory Group), of which we are a member.

"DoneDeal take our responsibilities as an advertising platform very seriously and will continue to introduce measures to further improve animal welfare and advertising transparency in Ireland. As we work on further solutions to improve animal welfare and in light of unprecedented demand in Ireland we have taken the decision to temporarily suspend the dogs section from 7th August 2020. Unfortunately we believe removing the section may push activity offline and lead to reduced transparency when it comes to advertising dogs.

"Every month, over 200,000 advertisements are placed on DoneDeal across various advertising categories. Given the volume of advertisements on DoneDeal it is not possible for our customer service team to manually review every ad placed and we must therefore rely on technical measures to block improper content.

"In addition to these preventative technical measures, DoneDeal operate a notice and takedown policy which allows any user on DoneDeal to report any ad that is believed to be in breach of our terms and conditions. The ad will be reviewed and if it is in breach will be taken down immediately.

"Already in 2020 we have introduced several measures in the dogs section to further improve transparency around the advertisement of dogs.

Introducing 2 factor phone verification for advertisers in the dogs section

Capturing the microchip number of dogs at the point of advertisement and the publishing of microchip numbers

Capturing seller registration numbers at the point of advertisement (if applicable)

Capturing country of origin on the dog advertisement

Introducing educational content on the dogs section around legislation around microchipping

The most recent technical change around microchip validation against available microchip databases was launched Monday 27th July.

"We are working hard to find the right next technical solutions to improve animal welfare in Ireland though there are limits to what is possible for us alone as a publisher which is understood in the legislation:

'A person shall not make a statement which the person knows to be false with a view to securing a publication or display of an advertisement of a pet animal for sale or supply, that results in the publication or display being made.'

"Our intention is to prevent the possibility of advertisers making false statements but in some cases we rely on users of DoneDeal to report these advertisements to us. Our team of 13 customer service representatives are on call 7 days a week to handle queries or complaints from people visiting DoneDeal.

"At DoneDeal we will continue to work hard with animal welfare bodies to find the best possible solutions to maximise transparency and protect animal welfare when it comes to the advertisement of animals."

For more Limerick news, click here
President Muhammadu Buhari mourns the demise of former United States Ambassador to Nigeria, Walter Carrington, describing him as a long time friend of Nigeria and an astute and courageous diplomat.

In a tribute this evening, President Buhari praised the late ambassador whom he said openly supported the people of this country when they fought for the return of democracy following the annulment of the June 12, 1993, presidential elections won by the late Moshood Abiola.

President Buhari said the story of the Nigerian democracy under the Fourth Republic will not complete without a mention of the heroic roles of the likes of Ambassador Carrington.

On behalf of my family, the government and people of Nigeria, I commiserate with the family of the deceased, his friends and admirers as well as the government and people of the United States, concluded the President.
President Donald Trump is tapping his presidential authority to make tax changes that Congress is refusing to do, but his limited power means he could end up over-promising and under-delivering on his pledge to slash IRS bills.

Trump has deferred hundreds of billions of dollars worth of payroll tax payments and is contemplating another executive action that would amount to a roughly $100 billion capital gains tax cut for investors by changing Treasury Department guidelines.

The president is running for re-election in November trailing Democrat Joe Biden in every recent poll. Meanwhile, Congress is deadlocked on another stimulus as the country continues to struggle under a still-raging coronavirus pandemic. There are no immediate prospects for more negotiations and the stalemate could drag in September, leaving the economy limping as voters are getting ready to make their choices.

With a recovery key to Trump winning a second term, actions are aimed at giving a lift to both his working-class base and financial markets. But the tactic comes with a significant amount of political risk.

Those payroll tax payments will still come due unless Congress decides to forgive those amounts, which is no sure bet. Both Republican and Democratic leaders aren't enthusiastic about slashing the levies that finance Social Security and Medicare.

The president's plan to cut capital gains taxes would involve executive action that some conservatives think may overstep his authority and end up in court. And the benefits, if they were to be realized, would be heavily tilted to the wealthy, giving Democrats another opportunity to attack Trump as favoring the rich at the expense of the middle class.

"With payroll taxes, administratively there is no way to make it work perfectly without Congress," Kyle Pomerleau, a resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, said. "With capital gains, it could get tied up in the courts and it just never happens."

With congressional talks at an impasse on another round of stimulus that economists, Federal Reserve officials and market participants all see as essential, Trump unilaterally extended extra unemployment aid and deferred payroll tax payments. When that failed to prod a resumption of talks, and analysts assessed its impact as limited, the S&P 500 turned sharply lower in the final hour of trading on Tuesday.

Some companies are waiting for guidance before deciding whether to take the risk of getting saddled with bills at the end of the year.

White House economic advisor Larry Kudlow told reporters Tuesday that companies and employees "trust the president" that the the tax bills would be forgiven.

"I think they will take the pledge to heart, is what I think," he said. "And I think we have a lot of credibility. Look, we're very close to the small business community."

Trump is reliant on Congress to forgive the deferred tax payments, but that could be a tough sell for lawmakers who have repeatedly dismissed his requests for a payroll tax cut, said Joe Bishop-Henchman, the vice president of policy and litigation at the National Taxpayers Union Foundation.

"He's been pretty insistent on that for some time now, and Congress hasn't addressed it," he said.

Trump on Monday also said he'd soon release a middle-income tax cut proposal. But that would need Congress to act, so any plan would be more a campaign pledge than something that could take effect in the coming months.

Polls have indicated that voters aren't inclined to trust the president. A Quinnipiac University poll released last month found that 31% of registered voters said he was honest, with more than double that -- 66% -- saying he wasn't.

His penchant for big ideas that never quite come to pass could hurt him as voters find that promised benefits don't materialize in their bank accounts. Businesses are already worried that Trump's payroll order could create a series of administrative problems, but not actually deliver any economist boost.

"If employees are burdened with deferred payroll taxes later, then we haven't provided relief, we have postponed the tax payment at best, all at a significant expense to employers," Alice Jacobsohn, the Director of Government Relations for the American Payroll Association, said in a statement.

Mark Zandi, chief economist of Moody's Analytics, estimates that the executive orders would have "at best" marginal economic benefits, falling short of pledges to provide relief to jobless workers and create jobs through tax cuts.

"The EOs are much ado about nothing," Zandi said in an email. "Aside from the waiving of interest payments on student loans through the end of the year, which is important for student loan borrowers but has little macroeconomic benefit, the EOs will not be implemented, at least not in the foreseeable future."
by Paul Wang

Shares of the Apple Daily climb by 1300%. Demonstrations against the arrests in Mong Kok and Shatin. Police increasingly violent. Denunciation of the Hong Kong Journalists Association.

Hong Kong (AsiaNews) - Business mogul Jimmy Lai, his two sons Ian and Timothy, and democracy activist Agnes Chow were released on bail over several hours last night.

Along with six other people, they had been arrested two days ago for violating the new security law. Jimmy Lai, founder of theApple Daily newspaper, and his sons were arrested for "collusion with foreign forces" and also for "fraud"; Chow for "colluding with foreign forces" through social media. The headquarters of Lais newspaper was also subjected to raid and search with a huge deployment of police forces: at least 200.

Lai and his two sons were released a few hours after midnight and made no comment.

Agnes Chow (photo 4), was released before midnight and immediately denounced the government's use of the new national security law "to suppress political dissidence".

There was a group of young people waiting for Jimmy Lai outside, who held aloft the front page of his newspaper and shouted the slogan "We support Apple Daily" (see photo 2).

Yesterday, the newspaper's stock market shares rose again for a hike of 1300% in value over two days, after an appeal by the Democratic front to support the newspaper, known for its frankness and caustic criticism of the Chinese leadership.

There were also demonstrations last night in support of those arrested in Mong Kok and Shatin. A 71-year-old man was arrested in Mong Kong. The police accuse him of attacking a policeman. The man, on the other hand, accuses the police of beating him up and he was taken to Kwong Wah Hospital.

At least 29 people in Mong Kong and seven in Shatin have been fined for violating the ban on gatherings, imposed because of the coronavirus.

A young journalist, a university student at the Polytechnic, was beaten up by the police, who blocked him, knocked him to the ground and immobilized him by pressing one knee to his neck.

The young man says that the police had searched him and accused him of not respecting the rules of social distancing.

Violence against journalists has now become normalized for the Hong Kong police. But now, with the security law, it has broad coverage. The Association of Journalists today accused the police today of excessive use of force. In addition to the incident with the young reporter, it cites what happened last night at 9 pm in Nathan Road: a large number of journalists were gathered in a cordoned area and were asked to stop filming and show their press pass. Those who didn't - like several student journalists - were fined.
The Director-General of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru, Habu Galadima, has said the challenges facing the country and Africa require new and innovative thinking.

Mr Shuaibu made this statement at a virtual ceremony, on Wednesday, to mark the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between NIPSS, the Dantiye Centre for Good Leadership and Journalism (DCLJ) and the JS Centre for Governance and Security Policy Initiative (CGPSI).

He said, We must dig deep within ourselves and reach beyond our comfort zones for useful, practical and beneficial solutions.

Listing the challenges facing the country and the sub-region, he said, With the insurgency in the Sahel impacting parts of Nigeria and a number of other countries in the region; political tensions, often related to elections; disputes over trade and regional protocols; significant climate changes affecting the largely agrarian economies of the region; not to mention the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and its ramifications for public policy, particularly public health, safety and the economy, the world is indeed going through a period that tasks the creative energy, innovative spirit and imagination of institutions such as NIPSS.

He said the problems confronting the world also presented unique opportunities, adding that the MoU would provide the framework for the National Institute to seize the opportunities.

Mr Galadima said the focal objective of the MoU is to promote, establish and maintain cooperation and mutual assistance in the provision of training and strategic policy research and advisory support in the field of regional (Africa) and global issues.

He said, We are confident that this partnership will also assist Nigeria and other countries in the sub-region in the quest to promote collaborative politics; the ECOWAS protocols on good governance; the African Union Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance (ACDEG) and the African Union Agenda 2063; the United Nations Agenda 2030; and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Also present at the signing was the Chairman of the Dantiye Centre, Munzali Jibril and the Chairman of the CGPSI, Jonathan Sandy, represented by Tony Karbo.

Messrs Jibril and Karbo praised the leadership and foresight of NIPSS and expressed confidence that the MoU will open a new frontier in collaborative problem-solving on the continent.

The ceremony was witnessed by senior management of NIPSS; members of the Board of Trustees of the Dantiye Centre; affiliates of the CGPSI from Cote dIvoire, Sierra Leone, Guinea, Malawi, Kenya, Rwanda, UK, USA and Australia; and members of the AU-Economic, Social and Cultural Council (ECOSOCC), Lusaka.

Background on the partners:

 The Dantiye Centre based in Kano, Nigeria, brings to the table some of the most versatile and illustrious experts in public policy and management, including Mr Jibril, an Emeritus Professor, (Chairman) and former Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), and former Provost of the Nigerian Defence Academy; and Shamsuddeen Usman, former Minister of National Planning, who has just been appointed Honorary Economic and Regional Development Adviser to DCLJ, among others.

 The Centre for Governance and Security Policy (CGPSI) with headquarters in Freetown, Sierra Leone, is a regional consortium accredited to the African Union Economic, Social and Cultural Council (AU-ECOSOCC) and is headed by Jonathan Sandy, a former national security adviser in his country and a widely sought-after expert in political and economic governance, stabilization, peace safety, security and leadership.
Is washing the hand with water and soap better than using hand sanitizers and gels? How safe and effective are disinfectant tunnels?

These were some interesting questions that sprung heated arguments during the virtual colloquium aimed at debating divergent opinions on measures adopted by relevant authorities to curb the spread of coronavirus in Nigeria.

The colloquium, organized by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), in collaboration with the Nigerian Defense Academy and PREMIUM TIMES, was partly held virtually and physically on Tuesday.

While some attendees joined via Zoom, a virtual meeting platform, others were physically present at the JAMB head office in Abuja from where the event was beamed live.

Presenters and participants discussed several questions on what Nigeria should locally adapt as best preventive measures against the spread of the coronavirus.

Here are five takeaways from the event:

How safe and effective are disinfectant tunnels?

One contentious issue that generated heated debate and pitched government officials and health experts against each other is the use of body disinfectants.

Disinfection tunnels that many countries, including Nigeria, are setting up to spray disinfectant on people as they enter certain premises have become a common sight in the COVID-19 era.

The idea is for people to walk through these tunnels or chambers and be disinfected to reduce the risk of them spreading COVID-19.

However, some experts say these tunnels do not help curb the spread of the virus and could also harm the people using them.

Disinfectant booths have become a common sight in public buildings, whereby chemical is sprayed or showered on human skin each time one passes through the booth. The use of body disinfectant booths and tunnels have been supported, as there have been vociferous arguments against them by different professional individuals and bodies, Is-haq Oloyede, the JAMB registrar, said in his opening remark, .

Registrar, Joint Admission and Matriculation Board, JAMB, Ishaq Oloyede

Recently, while the Federal Ministry of Education has persuaded educational institutions to install body disinfectant tunnels as government looks at the possibility of the full resumption of schools, the Ministry of Aviation, following the resumption of flights, has however dissuaded the use of the same disinfectant tunnels at the nations airports.

While Aliyu Sani, coordinator of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 argued against the application citing health safety, some other government officials saw no problem with the use of body disinfectants.

Mr Aliyu, a former director of Nigerias agency for the control of Aids (NACA) said a walk-through disinfectant such as booths, boxes, chambers, or tunnels, is not so effective in curbing the spread of COVID-19.

He said the duration of between 20 and 30 seconds would not be enough to disinfect effectively. However, the chemical components of these disinfectants sprayed on humans including on vital parts such as eyes, ears, mouths, and noses should raise concerns.

The official said common sanitation is better than using those chemicals.

Instead of using these spray chemicals that its components are generating debates on its effect on human health, its better and safer we use common sanitary products recommended by the WHO, he said.

A participant, Ezekiel from Niger Delta University, spoke against the use of disinfectant tunnels. He said such chemicals used have not yet been studied and their impact on human health is yet to be determined.

But Mohammed Haruna, head of the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) believes otherwise.

He said the adoption of disinfection tunnels for preventing COVID-19 is necessary.

He said the measure was first started in Wuhan, China, the birthplace of the virus, and was very pivotal in the success recorded by the Asian country against the contagion.

The official said the use of disinfectant and fumigation is one of the main measures used in flattening the curve in China where it was first adopted.

Mr Haruna said disinfection tunnels do not cure the disease but they are very useful in preventing the disease.

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Prevention is better than cure, he said.

He said it was on May 15 when the WHO issued a guideline that the debate and doubts on disinfectant booths started.

The official said the WHO guideline did not say that the use of disinfectant booths was ineffective, but it was more concerned with the toxicity of chemicals used.

The NCDC does not allow the spraying of humans. Its wrong to discard the use of disinfection completely.

He said it is very important to use disinfection booths because the tunnels are multi-purposeful; they check the temperature as well as disinfect.

While no common ground was reached on this debate, participants agreed that measures being taken in preventing COVID-19 are still evolving and should be applied with caution.

Soap and Water vs Hand Sanitizers

Wash your hands always is one of the most reechoed prevention messages throughout the coronavirus pandemic era. However, how long, how well, and what to be used for handwashing has been a subject of debate.

Mr Oloyede, the JAMB registrar, said some health experts have argued that handwashing with soap alone is not completely effective without the additional use of alcohol-based sanitizers, while some experts have argued that one can serve in place of the other.

Meanwhile, what is the effect of too much sanitizer (another chemical) on the hand? As we are advised to use this chemical frequently, he queried.

He also said some argue that it is dangerous to use hand sanitizers too much.

Several health experts and researchers believe soap and water are our best defence against diseases even though hand sanitizers became the more priced commodity amid the coronavirus outbreak.

The popularity of hand gels has not just been driven by the fear of pandemics. Lucrative opportunities to market them have pushed sales.

Mr Sani, the PTF coordinator, said soap and water are far better than using hand sanitizers because hand washing with soap employs mechanical action that loosens bacteria and viruses from the skin, rinsing them into the drain.

He said hand sanitizers are best used in emergency situations when water, soap, and sink are not readily available.

Handwashing: 40-60 seconds or 20 seconds?

The Nigerian Center for Disease Control (NCDC) recommended washing of hands for 20 seconds. The World Health Organization says hand-washing should take 40 to 60 seconds. Who is right? Which is to be localized in Nigeria?

This was yet another contentious issue at the colloquium.

In his reaction, Mr Aliyu said it is best to wash our hands for as long and as often as possible.

Face masks or Face screens?

There were contentions over the use of face masks and face shields.

The PTF boss said using a face mask is the best practice regardless of the contentions.

Face shields may be easier to clean than cloth masks and could be more comfortable, but experts believe they are likely not sufficient because the coronavirus spreads through microscopic respiratory droplets that can easily get around the open sides.

But Mr Haruna, head of NASENI, said there are no measures that have been generally accepted.

In the US, they said its not necessary to wear masks, later they said its only medical face masks should be used, he said.

Way Forward?

The president of the Nigerian Academy of Science, Sunday Bwala, who was a co-moderator of the event, said even if there are lapses in the national responses, it behoves on us as Nigerians to take precaution seriously and make personal decisions on how to protect ourselves from getting infected.

Frank Egbokhare, his co-moderator, said it is necessary to follow the science in the fight against the disease.

The moderator said Nigeria has not done enough in awareness creation, and in disseminating the right information about the virus.

What has spread more is fear, misinformation, and anxiety. Until we strengthen the appropriate communication channels, it will be difficult to follow the science, he said.

Addressing journalists at the end of the colloquium, Mr Oloyede, the JAMB registrar, said the board decided to organize the event to allay doubts and fears as it prepares its centres for its annual examination.
Dani Dyer has encouraged fans not to use at-home baby ultrasound devices after being left anxious when she couldn't hear her a heartbeat.

The Love Island star, 24, who is 15 weeks pregnant, had purchased the hand-held fetal doppler but said it sent her into a panic when she couldn't hear anything.

Dani, who reassured fans her baby was fine after booking in an ultrasound scan with her midwife, spoke of her experience with the device on Instagram on Wednesday.

Expecting: Dani Dyer has encouraged fans not to use at-home baby ultrasound devices after being left anxious when she couldn't hear her a heartbeat (pictured last month)

She said: 'Nothing against it, some people are really lucky and find a heartbeat in six weeks.

'I tried this at home. It made me ill. If you're a little bit of a worrier, like me, I just really don't recommend them because if you cant find the heartbeat, you're stressing about it. I know I was.

'Please, save your money and don't get one of them. It just really stressed me out.'

Worried: The Love Island star, 24, who is 15 weeks pregnant, had purchased the hand-held fetal doppler but said it sent her into a panic when she couldn't hear anything

Scare: Dani, who reassured fans her baby was fine after booking in an ultrasound scan with her midwife, spoke of her experience with the device on Instagram on Wednesday

Midwives advice against using a fetal doppler in the early stages of pregnancy because it is so difficult to listen to the babys heartbeat before 14-16 weeks, which can lead to unnecessary panic and anxiety.

It comes after Dani detailed her pregnancy woes in a candid post uploaded to Instagram last week.

The celeb offspring showcased her baby bump in a pink bikini as she explained that while she's started to 'embrace' the changes in her body, she has suffered from 'nausea and horrendous migraines'.

'I've had bad, bad days': Actress Dani has been keeping her fans updated on her journey to motherhood on social media

She wrote: 'I've really started noticing the changes in my body and Im definitely embracing it.

'Apparently at this stage Im supposed to feel on top of the world which I really hope for as the first few months have been really hard.

'Ive had loads of messages from people so thought Id share my experience so far. And honestly your responses and little tips have been amazing I really feel like it is like a little community on here and I love it lol.'

Dani also shared she'd like to call her baby Ariana if she has a girl, but admitted her boyfriend Sammy 'is not having it'.

Dani made her surprise pregnancy announcement on Instagram in late July, just three months after she rekindled her relationship with Sammy.
Hong Kong: More COVID-19 deaths recorded

The Hospital Authority today announced that four COVID-19 patients have passed away, taking the number of such patients who died in public hospitals to 63.

A 79-year-old male patient, admitted to Caritas Medical Centre on August 3 due to fever and subsequently transferred to Yan Chai Hospital on August 6, succumbed at 1.04am.

A 91-year-old female patient, admitted to Alice Ho Miu Ling Nethersole Hospital on July 23 due to fever, succumbed at 1.40am.

A 78-year-old male patient, admitted to Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital due to underlying diseases on July 29, succumbed at 3.47am.

Also, a 93-year-old female patient, admitted to Tuen Mun Hospital on July 29 due to cough, succumbed at 10.05am.

All of them had chronic diseases and their conditions deteriorated after being hospitalised.

The hospitals concerned will offer necessary assistance to the deceased patients families.

This story has been published on: 2020-08-12. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Shares is the leading weekly publication for retail investors. It is packed with investment ideas, news and educational material to help build and run portfolios and get more from your money.

Shares puts on free Investor Events throughout the year across the country. They provide an opportunity for investors to learn more about companies on the stock market and hear from a range of investment experts including fund managers and Shares journalists.
OMAHA, Neb., Aug. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Vishal M. Kothari, MD, FACS, is being recognized by Continental Who's Who as a Top Surgeon for his outstanding contributions to the fields of Medicine & Education and acknowledgment of his professional excellence with Nebraska Medicine  Lauritzen Outpatient Center.

Board Certified General Surgeon Dr. Kothari, is currently serving patients within the Nebraska Medicine healthcare network. He practices at Nebraska Medicine  Lauritzen Outpatient Center in Omaha, Nebraska, and also sees patients within the Bariatrics Center at the Nebraska Medical Center, as well as the Multispecialty Clinic at Village Pointe Health Center. At these offices, the highly trained medical professionals are dedicated to providing quality, expert services for a wide range of issues including acid reflux, gallstones, appendicitis, hernias, intestinal surgery, minimally invasive surgery, swallowing problems, weight loss, and weight loss surgery. Dr. Kothari can also perform surgeries at Nebraska Medical Center, Village Pointe.



Having accrued 15 years of professional experience in his field, Dr. Kothari offers a vast repertoire of expertise in complex abdominal wall reconstruction (foregut), hernias, hiatal hernias, all bariatric surgeries, and gastric bypass. In addition to providing quality healthcare, he has served as an Associate Professor in the Department of Surgery at the University of Nebraska since 2011, where he educates his students on Minimally Invasive and Bariatrics. He continues to demonstrate the highest level of professionalism and integrity in all of his professional endeavors.



To prepare for his distinguished career, Dr. Kothari completed his undergraduate studies at Lehigh University, where he earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in pre-medical accelerated studies. He went on to obtain his Medical Degree from Drexel University College of Medicine. Following his medical degree, Dr. Kothari completed a General Surgical Residency At North Shore LIJ in Manhasset, New York, and a Minimally Invasive and Bariatric Fellowship at the University of Nebraska. With his commitment to excellence, Dr. Kothari is Board Certified in General Surgery.



Remaining abreast of the latest industry developments, Dr. Kothari maintains active memberships and affiliations with various professional organizations, including the Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, American Hernia Society, American Board of General Surgery, and the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery. He is also a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons. Dr. Kothari has contributed to several publications.



A pillar of his community, Dr. Kothari participates in the annual hernia event, sponsored by the University of Nebraska. He and other dedicated medical professionals collectively provide services to the underinsured, and disadvantaged.



Dr. Kothari dedicates this recognition in the loving memory of his father, Mayur Kothari, MD. He also dedicates this recognition to Dmitry Oleynikov, MD.



For further information, please visit https://www.nebraskamed.com/nebraska-medical-center/lauritzen-outpatient-center and https://www.unmc.edu/.

Contact: Katherine Green, 516-825-5634, [email protected]

SOURCE Continental Who's Who

Related Links

http://www.continentalwhoswho.com


Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki, third from left, greets participants in a meeting to discuss the real estate market at the Government Complex in Seoul, Wednesday. From left are Korean National Police Agency Commissioner General Kim Chang-yong, Land Minister Kim Hyun-mee, Hong, Financial Supervisory Service Governor Yoon Suk-heun, National Tax Service Commissioner Kim Hyun-jun and Financial Services Commission Chairman Eun Sung-soo. / Yonhap



By Park Jae-hyuk



The government is facing some setbacks over a proposed idea for establishing an agency aimed at overseeing the overall housing market, as its establishment  if it actually happens  would increase government intervention.



Unsurprisingly, opposition leaders slammed the tentative idea, while presidential aides and ruling party lawmakers stressed the necessity of the proposed Real Estate Supervisory Service.



Rep. Kim Sang-hoon of the main opposition United Future Party raised questions about the envisioned agency, Wednesday, saying the current "response team against illegal practices in the real estate market," which is likely to be transformed into the new agency, has rarely uncovered such practices since its establishment in February.



According to data the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport gave to the lawmaker, in 110 cases the ministry's taskforce investigated, 55 led to acquittals. Among the remaining half, only three resulted in only lenient punishment.



The land ministry organized the taskforce under the supervision of First Vice Minister Park Sun-ho to investigate the real estate market for any criminal activities and collect information about these. The taskforce included representatives from the prosecution, police, tax agency and financial regulators.



Some opposition lawmakers claimed the government's plan to launch the Real Estate Supervisory Service may possibly cause concerns and alarm among the public.



Citing other government intervention in other countries' housing markets to prevent speculation, the government is planning to set up the new regulatory body.



Lee Ho-seung, senior presidential secretary for economic affairs, supported this plan, saying in a recent radio interview that the real estate watchdog would play an important role for market stabilization, if established. But he denied a rumor its workforce would employ 2,000.



Rep. Jin Sung-joon of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea also called for the establishment of the Real Estate Supervisory Service with powers similar to those of the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS).



"Considering 80 percent of assets owned by Korean households are real estate, it is necessary to establish a real estate supervisory agency larger than the FSS which monitors the stock market and the financial industry," he said in a separate radio interview. "The temporary taskforce under the land ministry cannot cope with the market disruptions properly."



The remarks came as the nation's housing market has not shown any signs of stabilization despite the administration's 22 regulatory measures.



According to data compiled by housing information provider Real Estate 114, the average price of apartments in Seoul at the end of July surpassed 1 billion won ($843,000) for the first time in history. This was nearly double the 517 million won in 2013.



Experts warned that the new agency could exacerbate the current situation.



"Although the FSS has been able to oversee the real estate market and the government introduced a special judicial force to crack down on unlawful practices, there has yet to be any significant achievements," Myongji University real estate professor Kwon Dae-jung said. "This is because the housing price hike resulted from undersupply, not illegal acts."



Amid growing concerns, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki discussed with relevant ministers measures to prevent real estate market disruptions.



The measures included strengthened crackdowns by the police and the tax agency against the overheated real estate market in the Seoul metropolitan area and Sejong, but the establishment of the real estate watchdog was not on the agenda for the meeting.



"As the government has discovered multiple suspicious transactions of high-priced homes, we are investigating whether there were any illegalities," Hong said. "We will announce the results in August and will impose fines on illegal practices."


Jim Coltrin, CFP is celebrating his 20-year anniversary in the financial services industry. Mr. Coltrin began his career in the financial services industry as a financial advisor with Edward Jones in July of 2000. In 2004, he transitioned to Northwest Georgia Bank, which was affiliated with Raymond James.

Mr. Coltrin was serving as a financial advisor at Northwest Georgia Bank while growing into the role of branch manager. He served in that capacity until 2015. In 2015, Mr. Coltrin held the role of financial advisor with Pinnacle Asset Management. He left the bank model in 2018 and went independent with Raymond James. Jim Coltrin, CFP and Andy Bailey, CFP started True North Advisors at Raymond James in 2019.

Mr. Coltrin earned his bachelors degree in business finance from UTC. Active in his community, he has been a member of the East Tennessee Symphony Orchestra for 10 years and the Kiwanis Club of Fort Oglethorpe for 19 years. He served as the Kiwanis Clubs president and lieutenant governor of Division 3.

Mr. Coltrin is originally from Chattanooga and currently lives in Bradley County. He is an outdoorsman who enjoys flying airplanes and spending time with his family. Mr. Coltrin and his wife, Penny, have three children, Kate, Matthew, and Michael.

As a Certified Financial Planner professional, he is dedicated to helping his clients work toward their financial objectives by guiding them through the investment planning process set forth by the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards. The CFP certification is one of the most respected financial planning credentials among consumers and the recognized standard of excellence in personal financial planning, said officials.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 12) The multi-agency task force investigating the alleged irregularities within the embattled Philippine Health Insurance Corporation will be inviting resource persons and agency officials for a briefing slated on Friday.

We are presently inviting certain resource persons to give us a briefing on alleged irregularities at PhilHealth, so that we may clearly identify and prioritize the work to be done, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra, whose agency leads the newly-formed probe team, said in a message on Wednesday.

Guevarra, however, did not mention names of those who will be facing the task force.

As fresh allegations of corruption continue to hound the state health insurer, President Rodrigo Duterte last week ordered the creation of Task Force PhilHealth a group that will also include top officials from the Office of the Ombudsman, Commission on Audit, Civil Service Commission, Office of the Executive Secretary, Office of the President, and the Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission.

The team given the power to conduct lifestyle checks and impose preventive suspensions has 30 days to submit to the President its findings and recommendations, including proposed legal actions against erring employees.

PhilHealth earlier said the agency is prepared to face the new probe. Its President and CEO Ricardo Morales, in an earlier interview with CNN Philippines, also remained confident that his name will be cleared during the investigation, saying he has nothing to hide.

Morales free from Duterte pressure

Malacanang, for its part, said that while Morales has previously earned the trust of Duterte, the chief executive would still be awaiting the results of the task force probe.

As far as the fate of General Morales is concerned, the President has said I believe in his integrity. I believe he is a soldier of courage and of principles but he will await the results of the task force, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said in an interview with CNN Philippines The Source.

He has said that I dont care if you were my political supporter. I dont care if youre close with me, if youre corrupt then youll have to go, he added.

While some lawmakers and officials have repeatedly called on Morales to take a leave amid the rising number of controversies hounding PhilHealth, Roque stressed that Duterte will not be adding to the pressure, given that that the agencys chief has been battling a health condition for months.

Alam mo kasi si Presidente (You know the President) is really a very kind person, lalong-lalo na may sakit si (especially with the health condition of) Morales, he will not add pressure to General Morales Its up to Morales what he wants to do but the process of investigation will continue, he said.

Morales earlier sought a medical leave after it was revealed that he has been undergoing treatment for lymphoma or cancer of the lymph nodes since February. PhilHealth spokesperson Shirley Domingo previously said the chief will go on a two-week medical leave, but did not specify the dates covered.
Today

Generally cloudy. A few flurries or snow showers possible. High 42F. Winds light and variable.

Tonight

Considerable cloudiness. Occasional rain showers after midnight. Low 36F. Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%.

Tomorrow

A steady rain in the morning. Showers continuing in the afternoon. High 46F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch.
Violence broke out in Bengaluru's Pulakeshi Nagar on Tuesday night over a derogatory post about the Prophet Muhammad. The post was reportedly written by Congress MLA Srinivas Murthy's nephew Naveen. Irked by the social media post, hundreds of people went on rampage and set DJ Halli police station on fire. The Congress MLA's residence was also targeted by the angry mob on Tuesday.

Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa said the "attack on the residence of MLA Akhanda Srinivasa Murthy and the DJ Halli police station is condemnable."

Bengaluru violence: Here's what's all happened so far:

1. As per the media report, Murthy's nephew Naveen posted a derogatory image on social media. Subsequently, a group of people visited the police station to file a complaint against him. However, the cops allegedly asked them to talk and sort it out. Angry over the response, the mob gathered outside the police station and started protesting against the cops to take immediate action.

2. The mob vandalised DG Halli, KG Halli police stations, as well as Congress legislator Murthy's residence. Angry protesters set ablaze 24 four-wheelers, 200 bikes kept outside the police stations.

3. To disperse the mob, police resorted to lathi charge, lobbed tear gas shells and later opened fire, killing three people. Thereafter, the police imposed Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) in the city, including areas around DJ Halli and KG Halli police station.

4. So far, three people have died and around 60 cops have been injured in the clashes.

5. Bengaluru Police have arrested Murthy's nephew Naveen as well as 110 other people in connection with the clashes. Bengaluru Police Commissioner Kamal Pant said the situation has been brought under control. He added, "With regard to incidents in DJ Halli, a total of 110 people have been arrested for arson, stone-pelting, and assault".

6. Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa stated that directives have been issued to take strict action against the accused (of Bengaluru violence). He also said that the government has taken all possible steps to bring the situation under control.

7. Congress leader Digvijay Singh demanded an investigation and told media, "I strongly condemn communally provocative offensive post on social media which resulted in violence in Bengaluru. Police must find out the source from which the post originated rather than taking cognisance of only those who shared it".

8. Murthy also released a video urging people to maintain peace. Karnataka Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai also released a video message, saying people should not take the law into their own hands.
The Jagan Reddy government in Andhra Pradesh on Wednesday launched yet another populist scheme  YSR Cheyutha  aimed at promoting entrepreneurship opportunities for women belonging to weaker sections and minorities.

Launching the scheme over a video link from his camp office in Tadepalli in Amaravati, chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy said YSR Cheyutha scheme would ensure self-reliance among women by promoting entrepreneurship.

Under this scheme, about 23 lakh women belonging to SC, ST, OBC and Minority communities in the age group of 45-60 years will get a direct cash transfer of Rs 18,750 per year aggregating to Rs 75,000 in four years.

The scheme would cost the state government around Rs 17,000 crore. This year, the government had earmarked Rs 4,687 crore. The amount would be directly transferred into the bank account of mothers and sisters, who are free to spend the same on the activity of their choice, Jagan said.

He pointed out that among 23 lakh beneficiaries, about eight lakh widows and single women in the age group of 45-60 years were already receiving monthly social pensions and they would get additional benefit under YSR Cheyutha.

At present, each such woman is getting Rs 27,000 per year in the form of pensions, at the rate of Rs 2,250 per month. In addition to this, they would receive Rs 18,750 per year under YSR Cheyutha. The total amount comes to Rs 45,750 per annum, he said.

The chief minister said under the YSR Cheyutha scheme, the government would extend marketing and technical assistance to all the beneficiaries. Besides, the government would also facilitate securing loans from banks for their business activities.

The state government has signed memoranda of understanding (MoUs) with major FMCG giants like Proctor and Gamble, Anand Milk Union Limited (AMUL), Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) and India Tobacco Limited (ITC) to strengthen rural economy and the beneficiaries of Cheyutha can be stakeholders in their business, Jagan said.

Beneficiaries from across the state thanked the chief minister through a video conference. They appreciated the government for taking up such initiative, which will help them invest the amount in setting up their own business.

The opposition Telugu Desam Party, however, described the YSR Cheyutha scheme as a big fraud played on the women by the Jagan government.

Senior TDP lawmaker Nimmala Ramanaidu reminded that in his election manifesto, Jagan had promised to give pensions to the extent of Rs 3,000 per month to women below 45 years of age.

As such, each woman should get Rs 36,000 per year and Rs 1.80 lakh in his five-year tenure. What he is giving now for women between 45 and 60 years is just Rs 18,750 per year. Is it not cheating the innocent women after garnering their votes in the elections? Ramanaidu asked.

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Market Research Future (MRFR), in its recently published research report, asserts that the global air powered vehicle market 2020 is expected to grow exponentially over the review period, recording a substantial market valuation and a healthy CAGR in the forecast period.

Drivers and Restraints

Technological advances in the global automotive industry have culminated in alternative-fueled vehicles such as automobiles powered by air. Such vehicles, which work on the concept of compressed air technology, like internal combustion engine vehicles, have no detrimental impact on the environment. Therefore, they have witnessed rising demand in the environment from countries that have strict regulatory policies in place. Increasing demand for clean and renewable energy for driving vehicles is projected to be the main driver of the market for air-driven vehicles in the coming years. Other factors, like longer life cycles, low toxicity, and strict vehicle emission regulations, are expected to play a crucial role in the market growth over the forecast period.

High costs of air compressed vehicles, however, may prove to be a major impediment to market growth. Increasing demand for alternatives such as electric vehicles may also present the market with a challenge over the forecast period.

Segmental Analysis

The global Air Powered Car market is segmented on energy mode, vehicle type, and region.

Based on energy mode, the market has been bifurcated into a single energy mode and dual energy mode.

By vehicle type, the market is segmented into passenger cars, LCV, and HCV. The market Is witnessing a growing demand for passenger cars as well as LCVs owing to their fuel efficiency and relatively better environment-friendliness as compared to HCVs. This is likely to create a growth trend in the market.

Regional Analysis

The geographical analysis of the global market has been conducted in four major regions, including the Asia Pacific, North America, Europe, and the rest of the world (Latin America, the Middle East, and Africa).

It is estimated that North America holds a significant market share in the Global Air Powered Vehicle Market. The U.S. dominates the market in this area, contributing nearly 70 percent of revenue. The major driving factors of the market in this area are the production of renewable energy for vehicles and increasing understanding of preserving the environmental balance.

Europe, which is known as an innovation center for the global automotive industry, is also expected to see substantial demand over the next five years. It is expected the involvement of major players in France, Italy, and Germany would have a positive effect on the market in this area. Also, in some countries, incentives and subsidies which encourage the use of air powered vehicles play a key role in the growth of the market.

The Asia Pacific market is expected to see the highest CAGR in the next five years. This area is distinguished by some of the emerging economies, including China and India, which individually reflect major automotive markets. Also, increasing environmental protection measures by governments and concerned authorities are driving demand for air-driven vehicles in this area. This region is regarded as a significant export of air-powered vehicles because of the low production costs, and the availability of skilled and cheap vehicles is also expected to contribute to the growth fo the market.

Competitive Analysis

The major market players operating in the global market as identified by MRFR are Motor Development International SA (France), Tata Motors (India), Honda Motor Company, Ltd. (Japan), Groupe PSA (France), Engineair Pty Ltd (Australia), and Phinergy (Israel).
The Indian-born, UK-based cookbook author reveals the truth about Indian home cooking: it's quick and effortlessly good for you, full of fresh vegetables enlivened with spice

In the heat of summer, when mangoes are in season, cookbook author Chetna Makan chops up the raw green fruit to make a refreshing, if unexpected, salad.

She tosses the tart, crisp flesh with handfuls of red onion, cucumber, carrot, and soaked lentils, which are softened until they retain just a whisper of a crunch. Then she adds the finishing touch that brings it all together: a tadka, or tempering, of pungent black mustard seeds and chili flakes warmed in hot oil or ghee, a seasoning technique that sizzles the spices to life, drawing out their oils and full aromas. Hows that for a salad dressing?

Makan was born and raised in the small town of Jabalpur in central India, spent time in Mumbai, and moved to the UK in 2004. She learned this recipe from a woman named Jayashree she met during a trip to Delhi, in search of inspiration for her fourth and latest cookbook, Chetnas Healthy Indian: Vegetarian.

Chetna Makan, cookbook author and former Great British Baking Show semifinalist. (Photo by Nassima Rothacker)

It was her first time having lentils in a saladnot to mention one that included mangoesbut the unlikely combination ended up being just a revelation to me, she said. I was thinking, Is this going to taste good? But it was amazing. For Jayashree, who is from South India, the revelatory salad was a typical summertime staple; it quickly became a new favorite for Makan, too.

Youre likely to find similar revelations in cooking through Makans recipes, a repertoire of healthy and vibrant vegetarian Indian dishes, full of fresh vegetables and pulses enlivened with spices and heat. She plays with simple but lively pairings of flavors and textureslike a bright green puree of cooked lentils, spinach, and fresh coconut, spiced with cumin, coriander, and black mustard seeds; or another salad of earthy-sweet shredded beets and carrots, topped with roasted peanuts and a tadka of crisped cumin seeds and green chiles.

My aim is to help you feel more confident using veg, and become a little more experimental with pulses, Makan writes. I wanted to share the wonderful variety of dishes that can be made simply with a few basic veg and grains.

Chetnas Healthy Indian: Vegetarian: Everyday Veg and Vegan Feasts Effortlessly Good for You by Chetna Makan (Mitchell Beazley, $29.99).

Everyday Home Cooking

But Makans biggest reason for writing this book and its (omnivorous) predecessor, Chetnas Healthy Indian, was to make people aware of what real Indian food is, she saidand how easy it is to make at home.

When she moved from India to the UK, she realized that for many non-Indian people in the West, Indian food is what takeaway islimited to naan and rich, long-simmered curries, heavy with oil and cream. Actually, you know, thats not how we eat every day, she said. Such dishes are generally reserved for feasts and celebrations, such as weddings.

On the other hand, everyday foodwhat Indian cooks make for themselves and their families at homeis really healthy and full of vegetables and lentils, usually given the simplest treatment, Makan said. Its not lots and lots of processes or steps. Its really quick, healthy meals.

Lentils and other pulses, which come in a huge variety of colors, flavors, and qualities, are a year-round staple on Indian tables. (Africa Studio/Shutterstock)

Take dal, for instance, a huge category of nourishing stews made from simmered lentils or other split pulsesalso known as dalthat are a year-round staple on the Indian table. (Vegetables are highly seasonal, but we cook lentils whether its piping hot or freezing cold, Makan said.)

Some varieties take longer than others to cook, but in the average Indian home kitchen, a pressure cooker makes quick work of the job (and even without one, the process is mostly hands-off). Then the cooked lentils are finished with a tadka, which is ready in a flash on the stovetop and can take the dish in countless directions, depending on what spices and other ingredients you use.

It could be very simple, and it could be very complicated; you could add more things or add less thingschiles, fresh herbs, even onions and tomatoes, Makan said. Every household obviously has their own favorite one.

The only rule for the tadka, really, is that there must be one: I think lentils without tadka is just like toast without butter, Makan said. The flavor it adds to lentils is like no other.

Tadka is a common Indian seasoning technique that involves warming whole spices in hot oil or ghee, helping them release their full flavor and aroma. (Indian Food Images/Shutterstock)

Finding Inspiration in Simplicity

Makan cites her mother, who loves to cook, as her biggest culinary influence. She remembers always coming home from school with her siblings to find that the dining table would be all prepared with the whole meal. There would always be one dal and one dry sabji (a cooked vegetable side dish), served with chapatis and rice, all made from scratch, and just enough for us to eat for lunch. We would never have the same food for lunch and for dinner.

For this cookbook, though, she knew she had to look beyond her own family kitchen for some fresh inspiration: I thought to myself that I really have to go [out], I cant write it from home. I need to meet some people and get inspired.

So she put out a call for home cooks on social media, and arranged to visit them in Delhi and cook with them in their homes. She did her best to meet women who had moved to Delhi from all over the country, thus representing a broader range of Indias diverse regional cuisines.

I told these people not to cook [before I arrived], as I wanted to watch them cook. That was the whole point, Makan said. She happily found that from-scratch cooking, rather than reliance on short cuts and ready-made spice pastes or meals, was still the norm for many families.

They were working women who were cooking all this amazing food when they would get back from work, and that was so, so inspiring. And they were so kind to let me into their homes and share their knowledge with me, she said.

Meeting Jayashree, the woman who taught her the mango salad recipe, among others included in the book, was a particularly memorable experience. She provided nine dishes, one after the other after the other after the other, and within an hour and a half, we sat at the dining table with all that amazing food, Makan recalled. Everybodys food was incredible, but I will not forget [hers] in a hurry at all, because it was just amazing.

This was the tiniest kitchen I have been in in historyso tinyand she was using these crushing stonesshe didnt have a pestle and mortar, she was using the stone on her work surface, and that stone had belonged to her grandmother.

The experience confirmed for Makan that to cook well, you really dont need fancy kitchens, she said. You dont need fancy equipment, and you dont need a whole spice shop to make good food. You just need to know how to do it right, and you just need a pan and a hob [stovetop].

RECIPE: Lentil and Mango Salad

RECIPE: Beet, Carrot, and Peanut Salad

RECIPE: Spinach and Coconut Dal

RECIPE: Zucchini Pulao
in Most cases, a small spark is enough, and not always the person to blame for it. When forests burn, can also eruptions, lightning strikes or volcanic be the cause. As a result of climate change and global warming according to scientific studies, to have significantly more Lightning and fires in the consequence more forest.

Oliver Bock

correspondent of the Rhein-Main-Zeitung for the Rheingau-Taunus-Kreis and Wiesbaden.

F. A. Z. Twitter

not manage to determine The cause of the fire in the forest, in many cases, but. Lightning plays, according to a study by the Federal environment Agency, at most, five percent of the forest fires, a role in the state of Hesse, according to the Ministry of the environment looking back on ten years account for only two percent. Usually it is arson, and the careless behavior of forest visitors, as well as negligence in the case of forestry and agricultural Work, the flames will prepare the way.

The impression that it burns more often in the forest, does not disappoint. 2018 there are 1708 forest fires in Germany, the highest number in 15 years. 2019 there were 1523 slightly less. In the hot and dry year of 2003, there were 2524. That forest fires are in Germany and Hesse nothing out of the ordinary, is evidenced by the statistics: In the years between 1993 and 2017 978 forest fires registered.

Since 1977, there is a forest fire statistics. Accordingly, it burned in 2018 on an area of 2350 hectares and 2019 even on 2711 hectares, while the long-term average is only around 500 acres. The damage was estimated 2018 to 2.67 million euros and 2019, to 2.2 million. This is significantly more than the mean of 1.28 million. In Hesse, the damage to EUR 91,000 in the year 2018 and 115,000 Euro in 2019, however, were very low, because of the smaller ground fires are on the lower surface of the rule.

Appeals to the visitor in the Woods

The third hot, dry summer in a row, the forest fire hazard once again on the rise. Most of the Federal States of Brandenburg, Saxony and lower Saxony are affected, however, almost always. Especially in the state of Brandenburg with its sandy soils and pine forests burn frequently. In the year 2019 at least 417 Times in Hessen, only 84 fires (2018: 139 fires) were recorded. The cause remained in 51 cases cleared, but 26 of the fires had been deliberately placed. Five fire of the negligence and carelessness were due to some of the campers. This also shows that it is difficult to avoid the majority of the forest fires alone, by Appeals to the rule, the prudent forest visitors and campers. Until the end of July of this year, the Ministry of the environment registered 70 forest fires. The level is thus expected to be high.

The managing Director of the Hessian forest owner Association, Christian Raupach, holds the risk of forest fires in the state of Hesse, currently, even "for as high as never before". His explanation is simple: Due to the long drought, some of the deciduous trees begin now, dry leaves drop on the ground and is highly flammable. And because of the bark beetle infestation and the removal of dead spruce is a lot of brushwood on the remaining bare surfaces, which is highly flammable.

Updated Date: 12 August 2020, 07:20
Nigerian authorities should thoroughly investigate the recent attack on journalist Sikiru Obarayese and hold those responsible to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

On August 3, at least four police officers slapped, kicked, and used their batons to beat Mr Obarayese, a correspondent for the privately owned Daily Post newspaper, while he was reporting on officers enforcement of COVID-19 restrictions in Old Garage, a suburb of the western Osun States capital Oshogbo, according to the journalist, who spoke with CPJ via phone and messaging app, and a report by the Daily Post.

Mr Obarayese told CPJ that police questioned him after he photographed officers beating people who had allegedly violated the states requirement to wear face masks, and said that Adebayo Adeleke, a local state commissioner who was at the scene, ordered the officers to attack him.

The attack left Mr Obarayese with injuries on his elbow, a scratch on his right leg, and pains in his knees, according to the Daily Post and Mr Obarayese. He received an x-ray on his knee following the attack, but told CPJ that the injury was not serious.

The attack by police on journalist Sikiru Obarayese is an alarming reminder of the Nigerian polices willingness to target the press for doing their jobs, said Angela Quintal, CPJs Africa program coordinator, in New York. Journalists must be free to report on how authorities enforce COVID-19 response measures, and those responsible for violence against the public and the media must be held accountable.

Mr Obarayese told CPJ that the Osun State chief press secretary, Ismail Omipidan, called and apologised for the attack, and gave him 50,000 naira ($129) to cover his medical bills.

In a phone call with CPJ, Mr Adeleke denied ordering any attack on Md Obarayese. Mr Adeleke also published an article on the privately owned news website News Indicator, disputing Obarayeses account of the incident, and denying that police had attacked the journalist at all.

CPJs calls to MRNA Omipidan went unanswered.

When CPJ called the Osun State police command for comment, spokesperson Opalola Yemisi Olawoyin said she was not aware of the incident, but would follow up with those involved.
HONG KONG  Ever since a new round of pro-democracy protests broke out in Hong Kong last year, journalists from both local and global media have exposed how freedoms are shrinking, human rights are deteriorating and police brutality is worsening in the city.

Now, with new sweeping powers under the national security law that China promulgated for Hong Kong on June 30, the news media themselves are in the Chinese governments cross hairs.

The publisher Jimmy Lai, whose media company puts out the popular tabloid Apple Daily, has long been one of Beijings most vocal critics in Hong Kong. Mr. Lai was arrested on Monday morning under the recent law, for allegedly colluding with foreign forces. The papers office was raided by dozens of police officers. (Mr. Lai was released on bail late Tuesday night.)

A special unit has recently been created in the Hong Kong Immigration Department to vet visa applications that are deemed to be sensitive, including for foreign correspondents, according to The Standard.
Serving in the military appealed to Fensterwald, especially because for men in Russia, military service is mandatory.

It sounded really exciting to me, she said. My dad was in the Russian army a long time ago, and my uncle was too, so I guess I just kind of wanted to go through the same thing that they did in a way.

She threw herself into her new career, which took her to Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri, Fort Sam in Texas and Fort Meyer in Virginia until she was deployed to Iraq from 2005 to 2006 and again from 2008 to 2009 as a mental health specialist. She helped fellow soldiers access treatment, which she found fulfilling.

I would go to other tiny little outposts where I would assess the overall health of the unit and just see if anyone needed to talk or Id encourage them to see if they could take a ride out to the main base to see a mental health professional, she said. In order to entice people to not be scared of mental health, we would bring a bunch of frozen popsicles with us because its so hot and everyone wants a popsicle.

After getting home from Iraq for the last time, she worked as a civilian with the Veterans of Foreign Wars but wasnt satisfied with life away from active duty.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-12 23:09:02|Editor: huaxia

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Spain's King Felipe VI (L) meets with Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez in the Palacio de Marivent in Mallorca, Spain, Aug. 12, 2020. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez met King Felipe VI on Wednesday for the first time since Felipe's father and former king Juan Carlos I announced last week that he was leaving the country. (Spanish Royal Household/Handout via Xinhua)

MADRID, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez met King Felipe VI on Wednesday for the first time since Felipe's father and former king Juan Carlos I announced last week that he was leaving the country.

The meeting took place in the Palacio de Marivent, which is the Spanish royal family's residence in Mallorca.

Juan Carlos' whereabouts are still unknown over a week after he abandoned Spain in a move that has been seen as an attempt to protect the image of the royal family following the opening of an investigation into financial irregularities surrounding the former monarch.

There is speculation that Juan Carlos traveled to Portugal and from there flew to either Abu Dhabi or the Dominican Republic, but speaking to the press after the meeting, Sanchez refused to reveal his whereabouts.

"Conversations and meetings with the King will remain under the required confidentiality," said the prime minister, who insisted it was not for him to say where Juan Carlos has taken up residence.

"We are different institutions. Executive power is one thing and the Head of State is another and it is the Royal Household or the person himself, who has to give the news," explained Sanchez.
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Linkedin Ivan Couronne (Agence France-Presse) Washington, United States  Wed, August 12, 2020 10:58 525 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066d5b0a5 2 World health-crisis,pre-order,coronavirus,COVID-19,COVID-19-vaccines,pandemic,SARS-CoV-2,virus-corona,novel-coronavirus Free

Although none of the coronavirus vaccines under development has proved its efficacy yet in clinical trials, at least 5.7 billion doses have been pre-ordered around the world.

First shipments of a COVID-19 vaccine created by Western laboratories have often been snapped up by the United States.

Five vaccines -- three Western and two Chinese -- are in Phase 3 efficacy trials involving thousands of people.

In a surprise announcement, Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed Tuesday that a vaccine dubbed "Sputnik V" -- after the Soviet satellite -- conferred "sustainable immunity" against the novel coronavirus.

As research laboratories around the world race to develop a vaccine, manufacturers have received financing to help them prepare to have millions of doses ready to administer in 2021 or even before the end of the year.

Oxford University, working with the Swedish-British pharmaceutical group AstraZeneca, hopes to have results by September while the US biotech company Moderna, partnering with the US National Institutes of Health (NIH), is aiming for the end of the year, possibly November.

US: 700 million doses

President Donald Trump has launched "Operation Warp Speed" in a bid to develop, manufacture and distribute a COVID-19 vaccine to all Americans by January 2021.

Hundreds of millions of dollars have been directed to vaccine developers including nearly $500 million to Johnson & Johnson at the end of March.

The United States has allocated funding to more companies than other nation in the hope that one of them will come up with the vaccine to counter the highly contagious virus.

So far, Washington has handed out at a total of least 9.4 billion dollars to seven vaccine developers and signed manufacturing contracts with five of them to provide 700 million doses.

The companies involved are: Johnson & Johnson, Moderna, Oxford/AztraZeneca, Novavax, Pfizer/BioNTech, Sanofi/GSK, Merck Sharp and Dohme.

Europe: 700 million doses

Two vaccine developers -- Oxford/AztraZeneca and Sanofi/GSK -- have signed or are in advanced negotiations with the European Commission to provide a combined 700 million vaccine doses.

Britain, Japan, Brazil

Britain, because of Brexit, is negotiating a separate pre-order of 250 million doses from four developers.

Japan is counting on 490 million doses from three suppliers including 250 million from Novavax of the United States.

Japanese pharmaceutical giant Takeda bought the rights to a Novavax vaccine for Japan, which has funded the research. It would be produced locally.

Brazil chose a similar model, ordering 100 million doses from AstraZeneca, and partnering with China's Sinovac to produce 120 millions of "CoronaVac," which is already undergoing testing with Brazilians.

China, Russia

Clinical tests of two Chinese vaccine candidates -- Sinovac and Sinopharm -- are well underway but only a few international partnerships have been announced, the one with Brazil and a possible one with Indonesia.

Russia said 20 nations have pre-ordered one billion doses of Sputnik V and that with foreign partners it would be able to produce 500 million doses a year in five countries.

Developing countries

The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), launched in 2017 by Norway, India, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Wellcome Trust, seeks to ensure that there is "equitable access" to future vaccines.

It has pre-ordered 300 million doses from AstraZeneca for dozens of developing countries in a partnership with The Vaccine Alliance (Gavi).

Billions of doses would be produced for Asia and elsewhere by the giant Serum Institute of India (SII), the largest vaccine producer in the world.

Novavax and AstraZeneca have separately signed agreements with SII to produce a billion doses each for India and low- and middle-income countries on the condition, of course, that they prove their efficacy in clinical trials.
ANCHORAGE, Alaska - A DNA match has solved the strangulation murder of a teenager in southeast Alaska, a case that was cold for 24 years and saw another man acquitted of the crime after confessing, Alaska State Troopers said Tuesday.

DNA obtained from Steve Branch, 66, of Austin, Arkansas, at an autopsy matched that of a sample left at the scene where Jessica Baggen, 17, was sexually assaulted and killed in Sitka in 1996, troopers said.

Troopers interviewed Branch at his Arkansas home on Aug. 3, when he denied involvement and refused to voluntarily provide a DNA sample. A half-hour after troopers left, they said he killed himself.

A warrant was obtained to collect DNA at the autopsy, which came back Monday as a positive match to the sample collected at the crime scene.

While Branch will never face a jury of his peers in this case, we can finally say that Jessicas case is solved, Alaska Department of Public Safety Commissioner Amanda Price said at a news conference.

Baggen disappeared on May 4, 1996, a day after her 17th birthday. She vanished in the early morning hours while walking home from her sisters residence.

Two days later, her body was found buried in a hollowed-out area under a fallen tree in a wooded area near the campus of the former Sheldon Jackson College, troopers said.

Within days a man confessed. Troopers said while there was circumstantial evidence, no physical evidence connected the man to the case. He was found not guilty of all charges.

Over the years, DNA comparisons have cleared more than 100 other potential suspects.

Hoping to give the case new life, a DNA sample was uploaded to a public genealogy database in February 2019. By the end of last year, Branch emerged as a new suspect, troopers said. About the same time Baggen was killed, the investigation found that Branch was arrested in the sexual assault of another teenager in Sitka. He was later acquitted at trial. In 2010, he moved to Arkansas.

Earlier this year, police in Sitka obtained discarded DNA from one of Branchs relatives. The DNA analysis in May determined Branch was most likely the source of the DNA found on Baggens clothing and body, leading troopers to visit Branch in Arkansas.
Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajputs cousin and BJP MLA Neeraj Kumar Bablu on Wednesday sent a legal notice to Shiv Senas Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut over his controversial remarks on the late actors family, his lawyer said.

He has asked Raut to apologize publicly in 48 hours or he might face legal action over his offensive comments on Rajputs relation with his father.

Also read: Nobody talks when farmers die: Sharad Pawar on Sushant Singh Rajput case

The MLAs counsel Birendra Kumar Jha said that the legal notice has been sent to the Raut through email raising objections to the latters remarks and seeking a public apology.

Raut has told the media that Rajputs father had married twice, which was the reason the slain actor was unhappy with his father. This is completely untrue and baseless, said Jha.

Hence, you are given a chance to express regret or apologise without delay as anyone can commit a mistake, the notice read.

Earlier on Wednesday, Sanjay Raut while talking with media persons said that if there has been any kind of miss on our part, we will think about it.

He also said, What I have said so far is based on info I have.

Relatives and friends of Sushant in Patna denied that his father KK Singh had tied the knot again after his mother died in 2002. Her death had affected the actor deeply. The late actors last Insatgram post too, was a dedication to his mother.

Bablus lawyer said that Raut is a senior political leader and should not make personal remarks against anyone without being aware of facts. He said Rauts comments were baseless and nothing of the sort had happened.

The Shiv Sena leader might be giving the statement under political duress or that he had been misled by someone into doing so, Jha said.

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WeChat users in the US are fuming at US President Donald Trump's signing of an executive order that could ban the app, saying he is putting politics ahead of people's interests.

The potential banning of the app, which racks up a billion daily uses mainly in China, is seen as a direct affront to the Chinese community, making people of Chinese descent considering leaving the US.

Users are now transferring contact lists to QQ, LINE and similar apps to avoid losing. For many Chinese in the US, WeChat is their main tool to keep in close contact with their family and friends in China. Even considering banning WeChat makes them feel they're not welcome in the US.

"I'm worried Trump's WeChat ban will cause me a lot of inconvenience when I try contacting my parents in China. I video chat with them every day through WeChat," a 28-year-old Chinese woman who has been studying and working in Los Angeles for six years, told the Global Times on Monday.

The woman said many of her friends are transferring their contact information to have video chats via Skype or use a VPN which could allow them to continue to access WeChat.

It remains unclear if Trump's executive order can actually prevent people who now have the app on their devises from using it, or will the president's order only force the app off download platforms.

Beyond the banning of WeChat, the woman in LA said she's disappointed with the Trump administration which is always taking measures against immigration to gain political influence.

The one-sided and biased understanding toward WeChat in an New York Times article with the headline Is TikTok More of a Parenting Problem Than a Security Threat? was ridiculed by many Wechat users, who asked the NYT to hire someone who has actually used WeChat.

"It shows that some American politicians and media just smear China and Chinese companies without basic objective research and rational professionalism, which makes me anxious that my life and future in the US is unstable," the woman said.

She is considering developing her career outside the US as the so-called openness and inclusiveness of the country are gradually disappearing.

People's parents in China are also worried about the WeChat ban as WeChat is the only way for them to contact their children in the US.

Yu Xiaotong, a 30-year-old Chinese woman living in Seattle, told the Global Times that her mother urged her to download Ding Talk, another chat app developed by Chinese Internet giant Alibaba, as a backup.

Yu's mother wrote down her daughter's account numbers for Instagram, Facebook, Line and her email address on paper, to eliminate her insecurity of suddenly losing contact with her daughter on WeChat. Yu is also considering returning to China, saying the US could lose many talents.

Americans in China also have concerns about the WeChat ban.

WeChat is the main medium through which Cale Holmes, a 26-year-old American man who has been working in Beijing for 10 months, speaks with his father on a nearly daily basis. Holmes believes WeChat is the cheapest and most reliable way to keep in contact with his family in the US.

Holmes said he's spent a lot of time teaching his parents how to use WeChat. "My parents both like WeChat a lot and it gives them emotional comfort that they can use it to call me anytime," Cale told the Global Times.

He also thinks the potential WeChat ban pushes the US and China closer to the brink of conflict, and foments distrust of China among Americans who don't know any better.

"Most importantly, I think banning WeChat is dangerous. It scares Americans into thinking that anything China-related is treasonous. It feeds into the false narrative that Chinese tech companies are inherently corrupt. That narrative in turn feeds into the notion that China is a threat to the US," he noted.
Alexandria

For the Alexandria Police Department Online Police Reporting System, visit alexandriava.gov/police.

These were among incidents reported by Alexandria police. For information, call 703-746-4444 or visit alexandriava.gov.

HOMICIDE

Greenmount Dr. S., 1400 block, 6:23 a.m. July 29. Homicide was reported.

ASSAULTS

Armistead St. N., 400 block, 12:56 p.m. Aug. 2. An assault was reported. An arrest was made.

Canterbury Sq., unit block, 8:43 p.m. Aug. 3. An assault was reported. An arrest was made.

Columbus St. S., 500 block, 4:50 p.m. Aug. 3. An assault was reported.

Duke St., 5400 block, 10:21 p.m. July 29. An assault was reported.

Edsall Rd., 6000 block, 2:52 a.m. Aug. 3. An assault was reported.

Edsall Rd., 6100 block, 1:17 a.m. Aug. 2. An assault was reported.

Edsall Rd., 6100 block, 10:43 a.m. Aug. 1. An assault was reported.

Eisenhower Ave., 4600 block, 4:33 p.m. Aug. 4. An assault was reported.

Four Mile Rd., 600 block, 7:12 p.m. July 28. An assault was reported. An arrest was made.

Harwich Ct., 5700 block, 6:51 a.m. Aug. 1. An assault was reported.

Hume Ave., 100 block, 12:44 a.m. Aug. 3. An assault was reported. An arrest was made.

King St., 100 block, 1:47 a.m. July 31. An assault was reported and property was stolen.

Lincolnia Rd., 6100 block, 11:20 a.m. July 28. An assault was reported.

Madison St., 1000 block, 11:04 a.m. July 30. An assault was reported.

Mill Rd., 2000 block, 8:15 a.m. July 27. An assault was reported. An arrest was made.

Mill Rd., 2600 block, 4:37 p.m. July 28. An assault was reported.

Park Center Dr., 3000 block, 2:09 p.m. Aug. 1. An assault was reported. An arrest was made.

Pendleton St., 300 block, 8:59 a.m. July 28. An assault was reported. An arrest was made.

Quantrell Ave., 5800 block, 4:44 a.m. Aug. 1. An assault was reported.

Reynolds St. S., 300 block, 5:16 a.m. Aug. 1. An assault was reported.

Richmond Hwy., 2300 block, 4:32 p.m. July 28. An assault was reported.

Seminary Rd., 4900 block, 12:50 a.m. Aug. 2. An assault was reported. An arrest was made.

Seminary Rd., 4900 block, 4:22 p.m. July 29. An assault was reported. An arrest was made.

Seminary Rd., 4900 block, 6 p.m. July 29. An assault was reported. An arrest was made.

Tancil Ct., 300 block, 12:35 p.m. Aug. 3. An assault was reported.

Whiting St. S., 200 block, 4:19 a.m. Aug. 2. An assault was reported. An arrest was made.

Wythe St., 300 block, 3:43 p.m. July 30. An assault was reported.

KIDNAPPINGS

Seminary Rd., 4900 block, 7:45 p.m. July 30. Kidnapping was reported. An arrest was made.

Seminary Rd., 5000 block, 7:28 p.m. July 30. Kidnapping was reported. Property was stolen and damaged. An arrest was made.

WEAPON

Madison St., 1200 block, 10:57 p.m. July 28. Weapon violation was reported.

ROBBERIES

Armistead St. N., unit block, 7:03 a.m. July 29. A robbery was reported.

Duke St., 5200 block, 6:51 a.m. July 28. A robbery was reported.

Florence Dr., 3800 block, noon July 30. A robbery was reported.

THEFTS/BREAK-INS

Alexandria Ave. E., 200 block, 11:12 a.m. July 31. A theft was reported.

Alfred St. S., 200 block, 10:29 a.m. July 30. A theft was reported.

Beauregard St. N., 1400 block, 11 a.m. Aug. 4. A theft was reported and property was damaged.

Boyce Dr., 5500 block, 11:42 a.m. Aug. 3. A theft was reported.

Bradford Ct., 5400 block, 8 a.m. July 30. A theft was reported.

Bradford Ct., 5400 block, 10:57 a.m. July 30. A theft was reported.

Cameron St., 1600 block, 3:09 p.m. July 27. A theft was reported.

Cameron St., unit block, 7:22 p.m. July 29. A theft was reported and property was damaged.

Cameron Station Blvd., 400 block, 5:40 p.m. Aug. 4. A theft was reported.

Century Dr., 100 block, 2:40 p.m. Aug. 1. A theft was reported.

Clermont Ave., 100 block, 2:31 p.m. Aug. 3. A theft was reported.

Colfax Ave., 5400 block, 2:03 a.m. July 29. A theft was reported.

Colvin St., 3000 block, 1:19 p.m. July 31. A theft was reported.

Dominion Mill Dr., 3800 block, 3:30 p.m. July 29. A theft was reported.

Duke St., 1600 block, 10:13 a.m. Aug. 3. A theft was reported.

Duke St., 1600 block, 4:43 p.m. July 30. A theft was reported.

Dunster Ct., 5700 block, 2:26 a.m. Aug. 1. Trespassing was reported.

Edsall Rd., 5700 block, 3:02 p.m. Aug. 2. A theft was reported.

Edsall Rd., 5700 block, 4:08 p.m. July 29. A theft was reported.

Essex Ct., 5300 block, 4:34 p.m. July 30. A theft was reported.

Essex Ct., 5300 block, 6:20 p.m. Aug. 4. A theft was reported and property was damaged.

Fairfax St. S., 200 block, 8:10 a.m. July 31. A theft was reported.

Fayette St. N., 600 block, 1:40 p.m. July 29. A theft was reported.

Glebe Rd. E., 600 block, 3:35 p.m. Aug. 2. A theft was reported.

Holmes Run Pkwy., 5500 block, 2:55 p.m. Aug. 3. A theft was reported.

King St., 4300 block, 10:36 a.m. July 31. A theft was reported.

Lee St. N., 100 block, 3:44 p.m. July 29. A theft was reported.

Leslie Ave., 2400 block, 8:53 a.m. Aug. 1. A theft was reported.

Mason Ave. E., 200 block, 9:48 a.m. July 28. A theft was reported.

Mill Rd., 2300 block, 10:04 a.m. July 28. A theft was reported.

Mill Rd., 2400 block, 11:02 a.m. July 30. A theft was reported.

Mount Vernon Ave., 3900 block, 8:08 p.m. July 30. A theft was reported.

Pickett St. S., 600 block, 11:30 a.m. Aug. 4. A theft was reported.

Pitt St. N., 1000 block, 9:40 a.m. Aug. 3. A theft was reported and property was damaged.

Potomac Greens Service Dr., 2500 block, 10:27 a.m. Aug. 3. A theft was reported.

Prince St., 1400 block, 6:45 p.m. July 29. A theft was reported and property was damaged.

Queen St., 500 block, 11:50 a.m. July 30. A theft was reported and property was damaged.

Reed Ave. E., 100 block, 6:46 p.m. July 28. A theft was reported.

Reynolds St. S., 200 block, 11:46 a.m. Aug. 4. A theft was reported.

Richmond Hwy., 3100 block, 10 a.m. July 29. A theft was reported. An arrest was made.

Richmond Hwy., 3100 block, 1:04 p.m. July 29. A theft was reported. An arrest was made.

Richmond Hwy., 3100 block, 9:31 p.m. July 27. A theft was reported.

Seminary Rd., 4900 block, 5:16 p.m. July 31. A theft was reported.

Seminary Rd., 5000 block, 8:16 p.m. July 29. A theft was reported.

Taney Ave., 5300 block, 12:06 p.m. Aug. 3. Trespassing was reported. An arrest was made.

MOTOR VEHICLE THEFTS

Clermont Ave., 100 block, 4:05 p.m. Aug. 3. A vehicle was stolen.

Fort Ward Pl., 2200 block, 12:59 p.m. Aug. 4. A vehicle was stolen.

Hampton Dr. N., 3100 block, 7:55 a.m. July 29. A vehicle was stolen.

Pelham St. N., 700 block, 9 a.m. July 30. A vehicle was stolen.

VANDALISM

Braddock Rd. W., 700 block, 12:09 p.m. July 28. Property was damaged.

Duke St., 2000 block, 9:20 a.m. July 31. Property was damaged.

Duke St., 5200 block, 5:48 p.m. Aug. 2. Property was damaged.

Duke St., 5800 block, 6:48 p.m. July 29. Property was damaged.

Fairfax St. S., 300 block, 8:30 a.m. July 29. Property was damaged.

Potomac Ave., 600 block, 7:27 p.m. Aug. 2. Property was damaged. An arrest was made.

Queen St., 500 block, 11:50 a.m. July 30. Property was damaged.

Reynolds St. S., 100 block, 3:26 p.m. Aug. 3. Property was damaged.

Arlington

For the Arlington County Police Department Online Police Reporting System, visit police.arlingtonva.us.

These were among incidents reported by Arlington County police. For information, call 703-558-2222 or visit newsroom.arlingtonva.us.

ASSAULTS

Arlington Blvd., 4700 block. Threats were reported.

Columbia Pike, 2000 block. An assault was reported.

Crystal Dr., 2300 block. An assault was reported.

Frederick St. S., 800 block. An assault was reported.

Stuart St. N., 900 block. An assault was reported.

Taylor St. N., 900 block, 5:55 p.m. Aug. 2. A man struck a male victim sitting in a park with a sharp object, causing a laceration. The victim was taken to a hospital and treated for minor injuries. A 52-year-old man, of no fixed address, was arrested and charged.

Wilson Blvd., 1800 block. An assault was reported.

23rd St. S., 400 block. An assault was reported.

INDECENT EXPOSURE

Washington Blvd., 3200 block, 7:30 p.m. June 28. A male exposed himself to an employee while they were engaged in a conversation.

ROBBERY

George Mason Dr. N., 400 block, 7:15 a.m. Aug. 2. During a verbal dispute, a male robbed a man of a wallet at gunpoint. The male fled from the scene.

THEFTS/BREAK-INS

Army Navy Dr., 800 block, 1:25 a.m. July 31. A male was observed entering three vehicles and attempting to enter two other vehicles. A male was located and charges are pending.

Clark St. S., 1700 block. A theft was reported.

Crystal Dr., 2100 block. Trespassing was reported.

Florida St. S., 800 block. Property was stolen from a vehicle.

Four Mile Run Dr. S., 4200 block. A theft was reported.

Frederick St. S., 1000 block. Property was stolen from a vehicle.

George Mason Dr. S., 900 block. A theft was reported.

Glebe Rd. N., 2100 block, 11:30 p.m. July 30 to 6:45 a.m. July 31. Eight vehicles were entered by smashing windows, and airbags were stolen from seven vehicles.

Glebe Rd. N., 300 block. Shoplifting was reported.

Glebe Rd. N., 3400 block, 8:12 p.m. Aug. 1. A man entered a residence by force. A 31-year-old Arlington man was arrested and charged.

Hayes St. S., 1000 block. A theft was reported.

Hayes St. S., 1000 block. Property was stolen from a vehicle.

Hayes St. S., 1100 block. A theft was reported.

Hayes St. S., 1100 block. Property was stolen from a vehicle.

Hayes St. S., 1100 block. An item was stolen.

Hayes St. S., 1100 block. Shoplifting was reported.

Lee Hwy., 4300 block. Property was stolen from a vehicle.

Lee Hwy., 5600 block, 3:01 a.m. July 29. Three males entered a business by force and took items. The males fled in a vehicle.

Lynn St. N., 1800 block. Property was stolen from a vehicle.

Quincy St. N., 800 block. A theft was reported.

Richmond Hwy., 2100 block. Property was stolen.

Veitch St. N., 1900 block. A theft was reported.

Walter Reed Dr. S., 2700 block. Property was stolen from a vehicle.

Washington and Arlington Blvd. Identity theft was reported.

Washington Blvd. area. Property was stolen.

Washington Blvd., 3400 block. A theft was reported.

Wilson Blvd., 1500 block. A theft was reported.

Fifth Pl. N., 6000 block. Property was stolen from a vehicle.

Fifth St. N., 5600 block. A vehicle reported stolen was recovered at this location.

19th Rd. N., 4500 block. Property was stolen from a vehicle.

MOTOR VEHICLE THEFTS

Jefferson St. S., 1000 block, Aug. 4. A 2003 Ford F350 was stolen.

Joyce St. S., 1300 block, July 28. A white 2018 Toyota RAV4 was stolen.

Lynn St. N., 1800 block, Aug. 3. A white 2017 Audi Q5 was stolen.

Pershing Dr. N., 2200 block, July 28. A blue 2017 Kawasaki motorcycle was stolen.

Ninth St. N., 4000 block, July 31. A green 2001 Mitsubishi Montero was stolen.

12th and S. Elm streets, July 30. A red 2019 Jiaj Gator 50-E2 moped was stolen.

17th St. N., 4000 block. A vehicle reported stolen was recovered at this location.

19th Rd. N., 4500 block, Aug. 2. A gray 2020 BMW X7 was stolen.

19th St. N., 1100 block, Aug. 3. A black 2004 Saab 93B was stolen.

20th Rd. N., 4600 block. A vehicle reported stolen was recovered at this location.

23rd St. S. and Crystal Dr., Aug. 2. A red 2011 Chevrolet Camaro was stolen.

29th Rd. S., 600 block and Inge St. S., 2300 block, 10:06 a.m. July 31. A brown 2016 Honda Accord; a gray 2016 BMW 428i; and a beige 2020 Nissan Armada were stolen.

30th St. N., 6200 block, Aug. 2. A white 2019 Chrysler Pacifica was stolen.

VANDALISM

Columbia Pike, 3500 block. Property was damaged.

Glebe Rd. N., 600 block. Property was damaged.

Lincoln St. S., 2100 block. Property was damaged.

Stafford St. N., 1300 block. Property was damaged.

Fifth St. S., 5500 block. Graffiti was reported.

Eighth Rd. S., 5200 block. Graffiti was reported.

14th St. and N. Courthouse Rd. A vehicle was damaged.

17th St. N., 5700 block. A vehicle was damaged.

26th Pl. S., 900 block. Graffiti was reported.

 Compiled by Ria Manglapus
In Minnesota, we know that organized people will always beat organized money, Ms. Omar wrote on Twitter. Tonight, our movement didnt just win. We earned a mandate for change. Despite outside efforts to defeat us, we once again broke turnout records. Despite the attacks, our support has only grown.

Mr. Melton-Meaux had received extensive financial support from national groups hoping to see the incumbent ousted. During the second quarter of 2020, Mr. Melton-Meaux raised six times as much as Ms. Omar did, and an analysis from The MinnPost showed about 20 percent of his large-dollar donations came with bundling help from pro-Israel political action committees. Mr. Melton-Meaux also received the endorsement of The Star Tribune, the regions flagship newspaper.

But Democrats rallied to Ms. Omars aid in recent weeks, making bedfellows of progressives such as Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and establishment figures like Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

The race was more than a referendum on her first term, and was upended by the two factors that have reshaped every facet of political life in 2020: the coronavirus pandemic and the national protests over racial inequality and police brutality that began in May after George Floyd was killed in Minneapolis. The unrest was particularly acute in Minneapolis, where fires and chaos raged for days. One Police Department precinct was burned to the ground.

Ms. Omar and Mr. Melton-Meaux both emphasized the need for social justice and an end to systemic racism. But Ms. Omars vision of progressive change went further, as she embraced calls to restructure the Police Department altogether, diverting money to invest in social services.
Bolivian patient received helmet ventilation treatment with Subsalve Oxygen Treatment Hood. Photo courtesy Dr. Cesar Vargas.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for the Subsalve Oxygen Treatment Hood (https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/coronavirus-covid-19-update-daily-roundup-august-6-2020).

The Subsalve hood is a one-piece, soft, single patient use device used for helmet/hooded non-invasive positive pressure ventilation. This ventilation technique has been used in Italy for decades to treat respiratory distress, but is very new in the United States. Until this EUA issued, only off-label use of helmet ventilation has been implemented for treating respiratory distress. A 2016 clinical trial from the University of Chicago showed significant reductions in required invasive intubations. Widespread adoption has been slow given this off-label regulatory challenge.

During Covid-19, mortality once intubated has been reported to be as high as 80% in the US. With the newly available Subsalve Oxygen Treatment Hood, physicians can proactively treat early respiratory distress and hypoxemia without intubation. The very nature of helmet ventilation also filters the patient's exhalations to mitigate viral exposure to healthcare workers.

Subsalve USA is a 40 year manufacturer of high performance engineered inflatables focusing on underwater, defense, and other markets. Subsalve teamed up with Lombardi Undersea LLC, a diving technology research company specializing in life systems integration, to further research and market the device.

The Subsalve Oxygen Treatment Hood now stands alone as the only US manufactured hooded ventilator that is authorized for respiratory distress from Covid-19. More than 20,000 hoods have been distributed internationally in only a few short months since project inception. Positive results are coming in from resource limited areas including Bolivia, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Nigeria, and multiple other countries.
COVID-19 is here to stay and it seems that the country is losing the battle against controlling its spread. There are many variables at play and so it is time for rational decisions that can maximise outcomes on saving lives and protecting livelihoods while the COVID-19 situation unravels. Here are some critical issues that government must consider:

Prioritising health sector: First things first, one has to acknowledge that every decision that government has to take here onwards has to be anchored on the COVID-19 pandemic in terms of how the country can curb its spread to save lives and how it can allow the economy to function to protect livelihoods. It is now clear that COVID-19 cases are out of control and no extended lockdowns and alcohol bans can remedy the situation. Its all about luck, individual behaviour and survival of the fittest. All the savings that government has hopefully made from its frozen activities such as external travel, hotel meetings, etc, should be redirected to the health sector to make sure that people get the treatment they need to get a fair chance of fighting the virus. It is sad to see that money is still being spent on useless public expenditures such as the ICC and FISH while these substantial resources should be redirected to the health sector to get the best doctors, buy medicines from the developed world, secure equipment and proper facilities to treat COVID-19 patients.

Government spending right now should be about keeping people alive, particularly by fixing the public health system that is clearly overwhelmed by the ever rising number of cases. A lot of money seems to be focused on administrative issues and logistics of handling the spread of the virus, but no serious investment has been made within the health sector to treat patients. Unfortunately, the country has focused energies on the easy things, which is deploying a lot of security personnel on roads to stop and harass the public instead of spending that money on medication and equipment needed to treat people. Without solid treatment, preventable deaths will continue to rise. Government should stop chasing a virus it clearly cant catch but focus on trapping it with the best treatment available in the world. Whats the use of sending people to the Lubombo Referral Hospital and Mavuso if they wont get the treatment that they need?

Protecting the economy: It is also clear that there will be no stimulant package to rescue businesses from going under due to the impacts of COVID-19. What government has shown and proven over and over again is that it does not have money for public service delivery and most of the money that it collects through taxes has to go to capital projects and the huge public sector wage bill that end up draining the economy. Given that there is no money to rescue businesses, government should do everything in its power to protect the businesses that are surviving by relaxing some of the regulations for the ease of doing business as well as encourage new businesses to set up in the economy.

The theme Eswatini is open for business should be the operating mantra for all government administrators and regulators that do more to stifle the economy than to stimulate business growth. What is ironic is that the public sector will be getting its cost of living adjustment while it is truly a cold war in the private sector as people continue to lose their jobs without any substantial packages to take home. Eswatini really needs to get value for its money when it comes to the public sector because it is more of a hindrance that ends up suffocating the private sector that many people could depend on for their livelihoods. A majority of the private sector people never really had the luxury to lockdown while the story is quite different for Eswatinis overrated public sector. Go to the various ministries and parastatals today, you will find that many of the public sector staff is still pretending to be working from home while we all know that they are just being paid to do absolutely nothing!

Reopening of schools: It is really hard to figure out the point government is trying to prove by insisting on the reopening of schools while COVID-19 cases continue to spike. Everyone knows that the majority of school facilities, particularly in rural areas, are in no state to comply with the COVID-19 regulations. There is no water, no functional toilets, there is a lot of vulnerable elderly primary school teachers, government still hasnt paid a bulk of its free primary education obligations, and yet it insists on sending pupils back to school just so it can tick the box and pretend to be sorting out the mess it has created out of the education system. Government should have instead used the lockdown and the rest of the school year to fix the critical issues within the education system so that it would ensure that come January 2021, Eswatini would have a well-prepared education system that can not only handle COVID-19 but also provide quality education for all emaSwati. Just because other countries are reopening their schools does not necessarily mean Eswatini should follow suit. Rather lose one year of schooling than to set up the perfect scenario to arrogantly push the education system into complete disaster.
Seventy-five percent of all silent films made at the end of the 19th Century and in the first three decades of the 20th, are considered lost, according to a 2013 study by U.S. Library of Congress. Some of these vanished artifacts have taunted film historians for decades. And for every London After Midnight (1927, directed by Tod Browning and starring Lon Chaney) or 4 Devils (F.W. Murnaus 1928 circus melodrama, with cameras strapped to trapezes), thousands of less pedigreed examples of silent cinema remain out of sight and out of reach  ghosts without form.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-12 22:59:01|Editor: huaxia

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FUZHOU, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- The 2020 China International Fair for Investment & Trade (CIFIT) and the Belt and Road Investment Congress will kick off on Sept. 8, as scheduled, in Xiamen, east China's Fujian Province, local authorities said Wednesday.

The pavilions featuring investment and industry promotion will cover an exhibition area of around 110,000 square meters, with 16 specialized display zones, the Fujian provincial government said at a press conference.

The scale of offline activities, however, will be controlled due to epidemic prevention and control requirement.

Currently, a total of 209 merchant groups have planned to attend the exhibition, with exhibitors from 35 countries and regions, including Britain, Germany, Japan and the Republic of Korea, making clear their intention to participate in the event.

This year's fair will focus on themes including new infrastructure, digital economy, and scientific and technological innovation, said Lin Jian, deputy mayor of Xiamen.

There will be an industrial internet innovation and development conference, as well as high-tech, smart-city and fintech exhibitions to display new technologies and products, Lin said.

Meanwhile, the fair will hold a series of forums on the latest global economic development trends within the context of epidemic prevention and control.

In addition, this year's CIFIT has cooperated with Alibaba Group to set up an online platform to provide services including online display, project docking, investment negotiation, forum discussion and cloud signing. The platform will be available to more than 40 countries and regions that take part in the fair.

The CIFIT, approved by the State Council, takes place every September in Xiamen. It aims at promoting bilateral and multilateral economic and trade exchanges and partnerships. Enditem
Jaipur, Aug 12 (UNI) Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot here on Wednesday said he has asked MLAs in his support to forgive the rebels to bring an end to political crisis and move ahead.

The assertion from Mr Gehlot came a day after former state deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot returned to Jaipur after Congress High Command acknowledged his grievances against the leadership of Mr Gehlot and assured to address them.

"My message to MLAs is forget and forgive and move ahead," Mr Gehlot told mediapersons here.

However, the Chief Minister said forgiving the rebels is not easy for his supporters who have lived together in hotels and developed new bonds.

"It is quite natural for them to be angry. They lived together for more than a month and developed new bonds," he reasoned.

"But sometimes for the nation, state and people, we have to make sacrifices. They understood this and accepted my appeal," Mr Gehlot stated.

In a jibe against Bharatiya Janata Party, Mr Gehlot said out of three planes destined for Gujarat, only one took off.

Last week, the BJP ferried few of its MLAs to neighbouring Gujarat to prevent crossovers between parties before a Floor test.

The legislative supporting Gehlot, sequestered at Suryagarh Hotel in Jaisalmer, have left for Jaipur in chartered planes.

Now, both the camps will be in Jaipur nearly after a month since the tussle began. However, there is no clue of any meeting or a get together between the two. Also, after truce, Mr Gehlot and Mr Pilot are yet to meet formally.

If the 19 rebels including Mr Pilot sit together with Mr Gehlot at the treasury benches in the State Assembly, the Congress has enough numbers to continue ruling the House.

The Gehlot government has called an Assembly session from August 14 onwards and is likely to go for the Floor test.

In the present Assembly, Congress has 107 MLAs, while BJP has 72. Thirteen independents, two MLAs each from the CPI(M) and the Bhartiya Tribal Party (BTP), and one from the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) have supported the Congress.

UNI PS JAL 1910
Ender diagnostics, a Swiss company specialising in the development of rapid molecular biological tests, today announced the launch of ender MASS, its second CE-marked test to detect SARS-CoV-2, the virus which causes Covid-19.

Ender MASS is highly specific, easy-to-use and fast  providing results from a simple nasopharyngeal swab in only 30 minutes. It is designed to enable rapid diagnosis for critical settings including schools, manufacturing facilities, travel, hospitals and care homes, as well as enabling centralized laboratories to accelerate and increase throughput, said a statement.

It enables flexible testing in critical settings, with capacity to run up to eight times more tests than conventional PCRs, it said.

Reliable and rapid testing has emerged as one of the most important factors in controlling and limiting the spread of infection in the Covid-19 pandemic. One of the most critical challenges around the world has been limited testing capacity in laboratories due to shortages of viral RNA extraction kits, testing reagents and qualified technicians.

Ender diagnostics specialises in isothermal PCR-based test kits for laboratory and on-site diagnosis. It has already launched the ender LAB test in June 2020, which enables laboratories to directly detect SARS-CoV-2 on standard real-time PCR (polymerase chain reaction) devices within 30 minutes, significantly faster than currently available PCR tests, which take several hours.

The newly approved ender MASS offers further benefits by enabling detection in a simplified and accelerated process, considerably reducing the workload for medical professionals and laboratories. It is designed to enable on-site and pop-up labs to operate rapid testing in diverse settings, potentially including travel-related locations such as airports and cruise ships. The simplified workflows and analysis mean laboratories can process up to eight times as many tests compared to conventional PCR testing over the same period, the company said.

US FDA clearance for the test is anticipated in September 2020, it said.

Tim Pfister, CEO of ender diagnostics, comments: "Constant rapid and flexible testing is the key to controlling the Covid-19 pandemic and enabling countries and economies around the world to open up and recover. Combined with a mobile lab infrastructure, the fast and easy-to-use ender MASS test would enable detection of coronavirus infection directly on-site in a wide range of locations, such as schools, hospitals, care homes, factories and in challenging locations such as airports and cruise ships prior to boarding. With a fully portable version of our testing system also advancing rapidly, ender diagnostics is well placed to make a significant contribution to helping avoid partial or large-scale lockdowns around the world."

The company is also moving ahead with development of a mobile point-of-care test for acute Covid-19 cases, called ender Mobile. Launch in Europe is planned during fall this year, it said. -TradeArabia News Service
The Boston Arts Commission moved on Tuesday to continue studying the legacy of the Christopher Columbus statue in the North End, which was beheaded several months ago in the wake of the police-involved killing of George Floyd.

Specifically, the commission voted to initiate a process whereby commissioners will study the future of the statue with input from the public, and establish a group within the commission that will determine an appropriate review process.

My hope is that we will hear from many people, and we will hear many voices, Mark Pasnik, chairman of the Boston Arts Commission, said.

Celebrations of Columbus and his explorations of the New World have been called into question in recent years, amid increased scrutiny over his role in the genocide of Native Americans following the colonization of the Americas by Europeans, as well as his involvement in the international slave trade.

Statues, in particular those of Columbus and other Confederate figures, have become flashpoints in the ongoing national conversation about systemic racism amid protests following the death of George Floyd, a Black man who was killed by a Minneapolis police officer in May.

The statue in Boston was damaged several times in recent years. In 2015, the statue was doused in red paint with Black Lives Matter spray-painted onto its base. In 2006, the head of the statue was removed and remained missing for several days.

After the monument was defaced this year, Boston Mayor Marty Walsh said officials will take time to discuss the historic meaning of the statue.

Dozens of residents weighed in on the debate on Tuesday over Zoom. Daniel Deluca, a former Massachusetts resident of Italian-American heritage, said the statue is not an appropriate symbol to honor Italian American heritage, citing the genocide of the indigenous Caribbean people.

We know there are many many better ways to reflect on our heritage, Deluca said, adding that public comment on the statue should continue so long as it prioritizes the voices of indigenous peoples.

Jean-Luc Pierite, a Jamaica Plain resident and member of the Tunica-Biloxi tribe of Louisiana, urged that commissioners advocate that representatives of indigenous communities be integrated into the study process to ensure not only that they are heard, but that they have a seat at the table.

Others urged that the statue stay, noting that it serves as an anchor for the North End neighborhood and a tourist attraction. North End resident Bernie Sapienza said many Italian-Americans are proud of the monument.

Resident Patrick Mason, a member of the Osage Nation, a federally-recognized Native American tribe based in Oklahoma, suggested that the conversation around removing the statue is a distraction from the real issues facing Native American communities.

We need to talk about the issues facing indigenous people today, he said.

A statue of Christopher Columbus in front of Worcesters historic Union Station was also vandalized around the same time as the Boston statue. In Springfield, the Italian-American Veterans Memorial Monument, which includes a statue of Christopher Columbus, was also damaged.

Worcesters city council voted to keep the statue after calls to have it removed.

Related Content:
'Reelin' in a new treatment for multiple sclerosis

DALLAS - Aug. 12, 2020 - In an animal model of multiple sclerosis (MS), decreasing the amount of a protein made in the liver significantly protected against development of the disease's characteristic symptoms and promoted recovery in symptomatic animals, UTSW scientists report.

The findings, published online today by Science Translational Medicine, could lead to a new treatment strategy for this neurological disease and other conditions marked by chronic inflammation.

In 1997, researchers discovered a protein secreted in the brain called Reelin. Subsequent work showed that Reelin appears to help the brain organize itself during development and assist in forming connections between brain cells during adulthood. However, as researchers learned more about Reelin, they discovered that large amounts of it are produced in the liver and that cells lining blood vessels have receptors for this protein.

A 2016 study by Joachim Herz, M.D., director of the Center for Translational Neurodegeneration Research and professor in the departments of molecular genetics, neurology and neurotherapeutics, and neuroscience at UTSW, and his colleagues showed that depleting levels of circulating Reelin protected mice from atherosclerosis. Probing deeper into the mechanism behind this phenomenon, they found that Reelin appears to regulate the production of adhesion molecules on blood vessel walls that capture circulating monocytes, a type of inflammation-inducing immune cell. When the scientists decreased Reelin in animal models, levels of these adhesion molecules also declined, preventing them from capturing monocytes and causing inflammation.

Wondering if Reelin plays a similar role in other inflammatory diseases, Herz, along with Laurent Calvier, Ph.D., an instructor in the department of molecular genetics at UTSW, and their colleagues investigated this protein's role in MS, a neurodegenerative disease that affects an estimated 2.3 million people worldwide. They started by examining blood concentrations of Reelin in patients with relapsing-remitting MS, the most common form of the disease. They found that while Reelin concentrations were about the same in patients in remission as those without the disease, concentrations were elevated in patients during relapse. These findings suggest that circulating Reelin levels might correlate with MS severity and stages, and that lowering Reelin levels might be a novel way to treat MS.

Investigating further, Herz, Calvier, and their colleagues worked with mice affected by a disease called experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), a condition that mimics human MS. When these animals were genetically modified so that the researchers could control Reelin production, they found that eliminating this protein substantially mitigated the disease's typical paralysis or even eliminated it altogether, in contrast to mice with normal Reelin levels. These effects appeared to stem from the lack of monocyte adhesion on the altered animals' blood vessel walls, which prevented entry into the central nervous system.

The researchers had further success preventing paralysis when unaltered animals with EAE received antibodies that inactivated Reelin. This strategy was even effective in animals that already displayed symptoms of the disease - a situation that more closely mimics human patients diagnosed with MS - reducing paralysis severity and promoting healing.

Herz and Calvier suggest that reducing immune cells' ability to accumulate and cause inflammation by altering Reelin levels could represent a new strategy for treating patients with MS, a disease for which several effective drugs exist that nevertheless can have significant side effects. Additionally, they say, reducing Reelin could alter the course of several other conditions marked by chronic inflammation, including psoriasis, Crohn's disease, and rheumatoid arthritis.

"We think we can use this intervention for a wide range of inflammatory diseases that have been difficult to therapeutically address," Herz says. "We are now in the process of testing this in animal models for these human diseases. In preparation for future human clinical trials, we are also working at humanizing a monoclonal antibody that can clear Reelin from human blood."

Herz holds the Presbyterian Village North Foundation Distinguished Chair in Alzheimer's Disease Therapeutic Research and the Thomas O. and Cinda Hicks Family Distinguished Chair in Alzheimer's Disease Research.

###

Other current UTSW scientists who contributed to this study include Connie Wong, Anastasia Sacharidou, Chieko Mineo, Philip W. Shaul, Nancy L. Monson, and Olaf Stuve.

This research was supported by grants from DFG (CA 1303/1-1), National Institutes of Health (R01-HL131597 and R01-HL109604), Sanofi Genzyme, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (R37 HL063762), the National Institute on Aging (NIA) (RF AG053391), the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke and NIA (R01 NS093382), BrightFocus A2016396S, the Bluefield Project to Cure FTD, and a Harrington Scholar Innovator Award (2019).

Calvier and Herz are shareholders of Reelin Therapeutics Inc. of La Jolla, California, along with co-author Maria Z. Kounnas, Ph.D., who is affiliated with Reelin Therapeutics. Calvier and Herz are co-inventors of a patent related to anti-Reelin strategies (application number 15/763,047 (patent pending) and publication number 20180273637).

About UT Southwestern Medical Center

UT Southwestern, one of the premier academic medical centers in the nation, integrates pioneering biomedical research with exceptional clinical care and education. The institution's faculty has received six Nobel Prizes, and includes 24 members of the National Academy of Sciences, 16 members of the National Academy of Medicine, and 13 Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigators. The full-time faculty of more than 2,500 is responsible for groundbreaking medical advances and is committed to translating science-driven research quickly to new clinical treatments. UT Southwestern physicians provide care in about 80 specialties to more than 105,000 hospitalized patients, nearly 370,000 emergency room cases, and oversee approximately 3 million outpatient visits a year.

This story has been published on: 2020-08-12. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Joyce Wilson Harley has been waiting for Joseph Biden Jr. to announce his female running mate for weeks, hoping he would choose a Black woman who would help the Democrats presidential campaign.

Wilson Harley was not disappointed when she heard Tuesday afternoon that Sen. Kamala Harris was his pick. Harris would be the first Black woman as well as South-Asian woman nominated for vice president in a major party.

"I was so glad to see a Black woman on the ticket,'' said Harley. "She's someone I know. I was out there in California for her campaign, and I'm just thrilled and I just hope America is ready."

Robin Lewis, Gabrielle Smith, Monica Elmore, and Joyce Wilson Harley of West Orange were meeting about getting out voter information when they heard Joseph Biden Jr. selected Californial Senator Kamala Harris as his vice presidential running mate. Wilson Harley, member of the West Orange Democratic County Committee said she was glad to see a Black woman on the ticket.

Biden announced his choice in a tweet Tuesday afternoon after weeks of speculation of who would be chosen. The pair is expected to deliver remarks Wednesday in Wilmington.

"I have the great honor to announce that Ive picked @KamalaHarris  a fearless fighter for the little guy, and one of the countrys finest public servants  as my running mate," Biden tweeted.

Harris, 55, was among the candidates running for the Democrat presidential nomination before she suspended her campaign in December. Harris, the junior senator from California, became the first South Asian-American and the second African-American female senator in history, according to her biography. Harris' mother emigrated to the United States from India and her father from Jamaica.

Story continues below the gallery

The news was celebrated by several people in the Black community as well as the South Asian community in New Jersey, including several who posted on social media .

S. Nadia Hussain, of Bloomingdale, said Harris was her preferred choice early on in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination. Hussain, who worked at the University of Berkeley in California, said Harris, who served as a district attorney at the time, spoke at the school.

"I was very impressed, and she would always have her family with her.....I don't think everyone sees that side of Kamala and she was really accessible and down to earth and a really strong leader,'' Hussain said.

Story continues

She said she also likes that Harris embraces both her Black and South-Asian roots.

"I hope this opens doors to other south Asian women to see themselves in leadership positions at the highest levels of government and knowing they don't have to ask their turn and that they can forge forward and be the leaders they were meant to be,'' she said.

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Opinion: Public defender: I worked with Kamala Harris. She was the most progressive DA in California.

Paula Madison-Ryner of Teaneck, president of the Bergen/Passaic chapter of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women, said she would have been disappointed if Biden's pick was not a Black woman, saying that they have worked hard and played a significant role in past presidential elections.

Black women have always been the transformational vessel in this country in many ways,'' she said. "This signifies the diversity and progression this country needs especially with the current political and racial environment."

Paula Madison-Ryner, of Teaneck, and and president of the Bergen/Passaic chapter of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women, said she was excited that California Senator Kamala Harris was chosen as Joseph Biden's vice presidential running mate. "Black women have always been the transformational vessel in this country in many ways,'' she said.

Deborah Witcher Jackson, of Teaneck, who also served as president of the Bergen/Passaic Chapter of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Inc., said it was a great choice, calling her experienced.

"She's a go-getter, a fighter, she is not going to let anyone get her down, she's fearless,'' she said. "The Black community, male and female, young [and old] are all pretty proud right now that history is being made and that they will look at her record and see she is a woman who has accomplished things and can help get things done."

Jackson said that she was glad to see Biden put behind the differences he had with Harris, pointing to the contentious interaction they had over busing during one of the Democratic debates late last year.

Reader  covering our local communities takes time and resources. Help us better support your community by becoming a subscriber today  see our special offers.

Khyati Joshi, founder and former co-chair of the South Asian-American Caucus of the New Jersey Democratic State Committee, said Harris' religious and racial background is representative of a growing segment of the population. Harris grew up going to a Black Baptist church as well as a Hindu temple.

"I'm hoping we can start having much more nuanced and complex discussions about race in America, and that is one of the things that I'm looking forward to, and having her in the spotlight it's going to help us have those conversations that are needed,'' said Joshi, a professor at Fairleigh DickinsonUniversity who teaches courses on race, religion and social justice.

Joshi, who is on the advisory board for SouthAsians for Biden, said since the announcement she has received several messages and calls from people in the South Asian community, both young and older, about the pick.

"It's lovely, it's absolutely lovely, and I think that this is energizing this campaign,'' she said. "I could feel it, I could absolutely feel it, which is great.''

Monsy Alvarado is the immigration reporter for NorthJersey.com. To get unlimited access to the latest news about one of the hottest issues in our state and country, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

Email: alvarado@northjersey.com Twitter: @monsyalvarado

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Black, South Asian women embrace Kamala Harris as Joe Biden's VP pick
The March 2020 oil price crash and COVID-19 pandemic has hit the global energy sector hard. In response oil companies are slashing capital spending, driving down costs and shuttering uneconomic operations. The key goals being to preserve cash flow, shore-up balance sheets, protect dividend payments and retain investor confidence in the current harsh operating environment. This, however, may not be enough. The severity of the crisis recently forced oil giant BP to slash its dividend by half after posting a shock $16.8 billion second quarter 2020 loss. One integrated oil major considered especially vulnerable is Colombias national oil company Ecopetrol. For almost a decade it has been battling high operating expenses, cost overruns, declining petroleum production and low proven oil reserves. It was feared that even after slashing billions of dollars from planned 2020 spending and aggressively dialing down costs, Ecopetrol would still report a large loss. Such an event would significantly impact Colombias petroleum dependent economy and the finances of an already fiscally challenged national government, which is Ecopetrols single largest owner.

The prolonged oil price slump, which began in late-2014, has profoundly impacted Colombia, which was one of the fastest growing economies in Latin America. Annual GDP growth has been spiraling ever lower bottoming at 1.4% for 2017, the worst performance since the 2009 global financial crisis. Colombias plight is worsening as the COVID-19 pandemic and oil price collapse bite deeper. The IMF believes that the Andean countrys economy will contract by almost 8% during 2020, potentially its worst performance on record.

Related: OPEC Admits That 2020 Oil Demand Is Worse Than Expected



Colombia is particularly vulnerable because its economy is heavily reliant on oil. Crude, as well as refined petroleum products, according to DANE the national statistics agency, account for 40% of Colombias exports by value. This makes them a key source of government revenue accounting for around 16% of fiscal income in 2014 according to the OECD. The sharp decline in oil prices since late-2014 has weighed heavily on government revenue, leading to ever larger budget deficits. When the international Brent oil price plunged below $30 per barrel in 2016 Colombias budget deficit ballooned out to 4% of GDP, the worst in over a decade, despite drastic spending cuts. That forced the central government to look elsewhere for urgently needed funds to meet pressing financial obligations, notably upgrading Colombias poor transport infrastructure and implementing the 2016 FARC peace accord.

That saw Ecopetrols dividends become an important revenue source for an increasingly cash-strapped Colombian government. For 2018, Ecopetrol paid $2.6 billion in profits to the central government making it a key source of income. By 2019, the worsening economic climate, driven primarily by the ongoing oil price slump, saw President Duques administration announce it would tap Ecopetrol for a $948 million special dividend to meet fiscal targets. This came on the back of an earlier 2019 announcement, stating the government was considering selling an almost 9% interest of its 88.5% stake in the integrated energy major to raise urgently required capital. While the sale didnt eventuate, those events triggered considerable consternation among financial markets and investors because they gave the impression that Duque was using Ecopetrol as a state-controlled piggy bank. Years earlier, the Brazilian government had destroyed billions of dollars of private shareholder value in that countrys national oil company Petrobras by using it to fund government spending.

Related: Big Oil Forced To Change Strategy After The Oil Price Crash



Bogotas fiscal position has worsened appreciably since the end of 2019 because of the latest oil price crash and growing COVID-19 pandemic forcing a nationwide shutdown. That heightens the importance of Ecopetrol as a source of desperately needed fiscal revenue, heightening the risk that the central government will seek further extraordinary dividends as the economic crisis deepens. The magnitude of the catastrophe facing Latin Americas fourth largest economy is underscored by the IMF predicting 2020 GDP will contract by up to 7.8% and Bogota abandoning its fiscal deficit limits after forecasting a budget shortfall of 6.1% of GDP.

The bleak outlook for oil means that Ecopetrol may not be in the position to provide the considerable financial assistance the central government requires. Sharply weaker oil prices, coupled with the depressed economic outlook, forced the integrated oil major to slash planned 2020 spending twice, ultimately by a total of $2.5 billion, sharply impacting oil production and ultimately earnings.

As a result, Ecopetrol forecast an 8% year over year reduction in 2020 oil production, to around 664,000 barrels per day and that second quarter oil output would plunge to between 660,000 to 680,000 barrels. This combined with sharply weaker oil prices saw analysts predict that Ecopetrol would report a second quarter 2020 loss. However, in a surprise turn of events, Ecopetrol defied market expectations to report a second quarter profit of almost $7 billion. The companys quarterly oil production of 677,000 barrels was at the upper end of its revised May 2020 guidance.

It was Ecopetrols ability to significantly dial down operating overheads that was responsible for the surprise profit. The company reduced first half lifting costs by 20% year over year to $7.10 per barrel and transportation expenses fell 9% to $3 a barrel. That saw Ecopetrol report a first half 2020 cash breakeven price of a low $19.90 per barrel or almost 2.5 times less than a year earlier. This confirms that Ecopetrol is profitable even at $30 per barrel Brent, with the international benchmark price averaging $29.70 for the quarter. It also explains why Ecopetrols April 2020 $2 billion bond offering was oversubscribed and ranked investment grade by international credit ratings agencies.

This is an important outcome for Colombia, its economically crucial hydrocarbon sector and cash-strapped central government. Ecopetrols ongoing profitability in such harsh circumstances will act as a bulwark against Bogotas fiscal weakness. It will ensure that Colombias oil resources are profitably exploited despite significantly weaker oil prices and the poor economic outlook.

By Matthew Smith for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com;
BOSTON, Aug. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- GoPeer, an educational technology company that pairs vetted college students with K-12 students for virtual tutoring lessons, closed a $2M seed round led by angel investor, Ed Baker, former VP of Product and Growth at Uber, and prior to that, Head of International Growth at Facebook. The new financing will power GoPeer's product-driven growth and fuel its innovative platform, prioritizing teaching, accessibility, and analytics.

At a time when families are coping with school closures, GoPeer has been able to support students overcome many of these challenges. With GoPeer, families get unlimited tutoring at $20 per hour, which is 1/3 the national average cost, and tutors keep 100% of their earnings. K-12 students use GoPeer to complement their existing curriculum assigned by teachers. College students help deliver this curriculum through GoPeer's virtual classroom in a relatable, easy-to-understand way. To date, the company has served more than 16,000 K-12 students in 150+ subjects, and over 10,000 college students are on the platform.

"I'm extremely excited to be investing in GoPeer, which is bringing low-cost, high quality online tutoring to children all over the world," said angel investor Ed Baker. "When my own kids started using GoPeer after the pandemic began, I immediately realized that Ethan and the team were solving a very important problem in a creative way that allows college students to earn money while helping K-12 students master new academic subjects."

Founding Story

GoPeer was founded in 2017 by Ethan Binder, Zura Mestiashvili, and Erik Laucks from their dorm rooms at Lafayette College in Pennsylvania. The team believes that inaccessible education is fundamentally a cost problem. Traditional tutoring's high costs are a barrier to entry for students, who wind up feeling neglected by supplementary education systems. GoPeer aimed to solve this problem by recruiting elite college students as educators, tapping into a world of talent. The concept gained widespread praise from families and undergraduates, and GoPeer was born.

The Product

"If there is one thing we set out to do each and every day, it is building tools that turn our tutors into online teaching superheroes, bringing cost-effective and high-quality education to every kid in the world," said Ethan Binder, founder and CEO of GoPeer.

Students and tutors communicate through GoPeer's secure online classroom, using tools like real-time face-to-face video conferencing, photo/document sharing, and a virtual whiteboard/notepad to collaborate or edit essays.

Over the last three years, GoPeer has met with and spoken with thousands of tutors and students to carefully refine its virtual classroom. From the insights learned, the company has created the most versatile digital classroom that makes online tutoring personalized, effective, and collaborative. With GoPeer, an online tutor offers the same face-to-face personalized tutoring experience as an in-person tutor but uses GoPeer's state-of-the-art live learning platform to meet with students online.

Why Parents Love GoPeer

Parents love the high quality, convenience and cost-effective tutoring that inspires growth, learning and understanding in their children.

"Abigail takes the time to make sure my daughter understands concepts behind problems in a way that is supportive and encouraging. Now she's less stressed, more confident, and even got an A on her last exam." - Liz, Nicole's Mom

Why Students Love GoPeer

Students love working with approachable college undergraduates, who can relate to their current perspectives, strategies, and insights.

"Katie was honestly an amazing teacher. She not only sent me instructions and tips on how to solve the problems, but she helped diversify my understanding of the problem. As a 9th grader doing Algebra is a little bit frightening, but Katie made it seem very easy and approachable." - Connor, 9th Grade

"GoPeer's mission is to improve the quality and lower the cost of online education," said Binder. We are thrilled to have Ed and all of our phenomenal backers on the team. This is just the beginning of a very exciting journey. It will help us continue to provide the accessibility, affordability, and flexibility necessary to move education forward in a substantial way, especially in these very trying times."

Other investors in this round include:

Javier Olivan , Vice President of Growth at Facebook

, Vice President of Growth at Facebook Deborah Quazzo , Managing Partner at GSV Ventures

, Managing Partner at GSV Ventures Daniel Graf , CEO of Mindstrong, and previously Head of Product at Uber, Vice President of Consumer Product at Twitter and Senior Director at Google Maps

, CEO of Mindstrong, and previously Head of Product at Uber, Vice President of Consumer Product at Twitter and Senior Director at Google Maps Josh Hannah , CEO and Co-Founder of Flutter and General Partner at Matrix Partners

, CEO and Co-Founder of Flutter and General Partner at Matrix Partners Aaron Schildkrout , Previously Head of Driver Product at Uber and Investor at Addition

, Previously Head of Driver Product at Uber and Investor at Addition Chris Protasewich , Chief of Staff at Freshly

, Chief of Staff at Freshly Tom Medrek , Will Weddleton , George Gong , investors at Launchpad Venture Group

About GoPeer

GoPeer is an educational technology company that pairs vetted college students with K-12 students for virtual tutoring lessons. Families get unlimited tutoring at a $20/hour rate. Plus, tutors keep 100% of their earnings. GoPeer's virtual classroom is designed to enhance a student's online learning experience with a variety of tools that make learning online feel like an in-person lesson. The company is based in Boston, Massachusetts. For more info, visit: https://gopeer.org

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If Joe Bidens selection of Kamala Harris is met with a cold shoulder by some on the Left, she is likely to be embraced by Bidens most important electoral constituency within the Democratic Party: Black voters

Joe Biden selected Senator Kamala Harris of California as his vice-presidential running mate Tuesday, embracing a former rival who sharply criticised him in the Democratic primaries but emerged after ending her campaign as a vocal supporter of Biden and a prominent advocate of racial-justice legislation after the death of George Floyd in late May.

Harris, 55, is the first Black woman and the first person of Indian descent to be nominated for national office by a major party, and only the fourth woman in history to be chosen for one of their presidential tickets. She brings to the race a far more vigorous campaign style than Bidens, including a gift for capturing moments of raw political electricity on the debate stage and elsewhere, and a personal identity and family story that many find inspiring.

Biden announced the selection over text message and in a follow-up email to supporters: Joe Biden here. Big news: Ive chosen Kamala Harris as my running mate. Together, with you, were going to beat Trump. The two are expected to appear together in Wilmington, Delaware, on Wednesday.

After her own presidential bid disintegrated last year, many Democrats regarded Harris as all but certain to attempt another run for the White House. By choosing her as his political partner, Biden may well be anointing her as the de facto leader of the party in four or eight years.

A pragmatic moderate who spent most of her career as a prosecutor, Harris was seen throughout the vice-presidential search as among the safest choices available to Biden. She has been a reliable ally of the Democratic establishment, with flexible policy priorities that largely mirror Bidens, and her supporters argued that she could reinforce Bidens appeal to Black voters and women without stirring particularly vehement opposition on the right or left.

While she endorsed a number of left-wing policy proposals during her presidential bid, Harris also showed a distinctly Biden-like impatience with what she characterised as the grand but impractical governing designs of some in her party.

Policy has to be relevant, Harris said last summer in an interview with The New York Times. Thats my guiding principle: Is it relevant? Not, Is it a beautiful sonnet?.

In a Twitter post Tuesday, Harris said she was honoured to join Biden on the ticket. Joe Biden can unify the American people because hes spent his life fighting for us, she wrote.

For all the complexity of Bidens vice-presidential search, there is a certain foreordained quality to Harris nomination. She has been regarded as a rising figure in Democratic politics since around the turn of the century, and as a confident representative of the countrys multiracial future. Harris sought to capture that sense of destiny in her own presidential campaign, announcing her candidacy on Martin Luther King Jr Day in 2019 and paying frequent homage to Shirley Chisholm, the first Black candidate to seek a major partys nomination.

Throughout her rise, Harris has excited Democrats with a personal story that set her apart even in the diverse political melting pot that is California: She is the daughter of two immigrant academics, an Indian-American mother and a father from Jamaica. Harris was raised in Oakland and Berkeley, attended Howard University and pursued a career in criminal justice before becoming only the second Black woman ever elected to the Senate.

You cant know who @KamalaHarris is without knowing who our mother was. Missing her terribly, but know she and the ancestors are smiling today. #BidenHarris2020 pic.twitter.com/nmWVj90pkA  Maya Harris (@mayaharris_) August 12, 2020

Still, Harris was far from a shoo-in for the role of Bidens running mate, and some of Bidens advisors harboured persistent reservations about her because of her unsteady performance as a presidential candidate and the finely staged ambush she mounted against Biden in the first debate of the primary season. Jill Biden, the former second lady, called Harris debate stage remarks a punch to the gut at a fundraiser in March.

In the end, however, Biden may have come to see the panache Harris displayed in that debate  when she confronted him over his past opposition to busing as a means of integrating public schools  as more of a potential asset to his ticket than as a source of lingering grievance. Indeed, even in the bleaker periods of her presidential candidacy last year, Harris maintained an ability to excite Democratic voters with the imagined prospect of a debate-stage clash between her and President Donald Trump.

Minutes after the announcement, the Biden campaign released what they called a fact sheet  Biden-Harris: Ready to lead, read the subject line. Perhaps in recognition of the attention paid to tensions between the Biden family and Harris surrounding the debate stage attack, the release included a section titled, Kamalas partnership with Joe Biden.

The document noted that she served as attorney-general of California when Bidens son, Beau, was attorney-general of Delaware. The two grew close while fighting to take on the banking industry, read one bullet point. Through her friendship with Beau, she got to know Joe Biden. From hearing about Kamala from Beau, to seeing her fight for others directly, Joe has long been impressed by how tough Kamala is.

Bidens choice drew immediate praise Tuesday afternoon from some of his former rivals for the Democratic nomination. Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, herself a onetime candidate for the vice-presidential slot, called it a historic moment and praised Harris leadership, experience and character.

The Trump campaign responded to Harris selection with a statement branding her as proof that Joe Biden is an empty shell being filled with the extreme agenda of the radicals on the Left. Katrina Pierson, a spokeswoman for the campaign, attacked the policy stances Harris adopted during her own presidential campaign and highlighted her past attacks on Biden.

Clearly, Phony Kamala will abandon her own morals, as well as try to bury her record as a prosecutor, in order to appease the anti-police extremists controlling the Democrat Party, Pierson said.

After leaving the presidential race in December, Harris turned her attention back to the Senate and found new purpose amid a wave of nationwide protests this spring against racism and police brutality. She marched beside protesters and forcefully championed proposals to overhaul policing and make lynching a federal crime, often speaking with a kind of clarity that had eluded her in the presidential primaries on economic issues like health care and taxation.

Harris is likely, however, to face some scepticism from the Left  and attacks from Trump  over her record as district attorney of San Francisco and attorney-general of California. She has struggled in the past to defend her handling of some highly sensitive cases, including one involving a death-row inmate seeking to obtain DNA evidence for his case, as well as her decision to defend Californias death penalty in court despite her stated opposition to capital punishment.

In perhaps her worst moment of the 2020 primary race, Harris during a debate appeared entirely unable to rebut searing criticism from an obscure rival, Representative Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii, who demanded that Harris apologise for having prosecuted so many people for marijuana infractions. At other times, Harris struggled to articulate clear positions on litmus-test issues like single-payer health care.

But if Bidens selection of Harris is met with a cold shoulder by some on the Left, she is likely to be embraced by Bidens most important electoral constituency within the Democratic Party: Black voters.

Indeed, his choice reflects an emphatic recognition of the diversity of the Democratic political coalition and the foundational role that Black women in particular play within the party. Black women are among the most loyal Democratic constituencies, and without their overwhelming support Biden would have been unlikely to secure the Democratic nomination in the first place. By nominating a Black woman for national office, Biden appears to be acknowledging the immensity of that political debt.

He considered at least five Black women for the job, including Susan Rice, the former national security advisor to former President Barack Obama, and Representative Karen Bass, before ultimately settling on Harris. While Biden never described race as a central criterion in his decision-making, he stressed repeatedly throughout the process that he was reviewing a highly diverse group of candidates, including Latina and Asian-American candidates.

Biden faced only limited pressure from voters and Black elected officials to select an African-American running mate, and polls found that even liberals and Black voters themselves mostly believed that race should not be a factor in his decision. But the political atmosphere that took hold after the killing of Floyd in Minneapolis seemed to demand a running mate who could speak with great authority on matters of racism, law enforcement and social inequity  and there is little doubt that Harris will be called upon to do just that.

Some Democratic leaders also urged Biden to choose a Black running mate for purely strategic reasons, arguing that an increase in Black turnout across the South and Midwest could improve both Bidens chances of winning the Electoral College and his partys odds of winning a majority in the Senate. Still, it remains an open question how much Harris will help Biden and his party in that respect: Last year, she never garnered strong support in the diverse primary states of South Carolina and Nevada, and opinion research conducted by Bidens team in recent weeks suggested she was not especially compelling to Black voters.

The question of Bidens potential running mate was an urgent issue even for his core admirers, some of whom supported him in the Democratic primaries because they believed he could win the election but worried about whether he would be able to generate passionate enthusiasm for his candidacy. Part of Harris task now may be to stir the energy of Bidens coalition in a way he has seldom managed to do himself.

The immediate political impact of Harris selection could be relatively muted in a campaign shaped so heavily by forces of extraordinary scale, most of all a global pandemic that has claimed many tens of thousands of American lives and pushed the economy into a painful recession.

Yet it has been clear for months that Bidens vice-presidential decision would have unusually weighty implications for the Democratic Party, and for national politics in general. If he wins in November, Biden would become the oldest president ever to hold the office, and few senior Democrats believe he is likely to seek a second term that would begin after his 82nd birthday.

As a result, when Democrats formally approve Harris as Bidens running mate this month, they may well be naming her as a powerful favourite to lead their party into the 2024 presidential race.

Bidens age  77  also may have heightened the importance of finding a running mate with thoroughly convincing political credentials. Biden himself seemed sensitive to that reality, reiterating often that he wanted a vice president who would be ready to assume the top job immediately.

The first and most important attribute is, if something happens to me, the moment after it does, that that person is capable of taking over as president of the United States of America, he said at a fundraiser in May.

The vice-presidential search was at once highly public  involving tryouts on television and in online campaign events for more than half a dozen candidates  and surprisingly discreet for a campaign that has weathered a sizeable number of leaks over the past 15 months.

Much of the process was carried out by a committee of four trusted advisors named by Biden in late April: Former Senator Chris Dodd of Connecticut, Representative Lisa Blunt Rochester of Delaware, Mayor Eric Garcetti of Los Angeles and Cynthia Hogan, Bidens former chief counsel.

Aided by a team of lawyers, this group held interviews with a range of vice-presidential prospects and delved into their political records, personal finances and private lives before referring a smaller number of them for interviews with Biden.

The field of women considered was certainly the most diverse array of vice-presidential candidates in history, beginning with a pool of more than a dozen contenders that included governors, senators, members of the House, a former UN ambassador, the mayor of Atlanta and a decorated combat veteran. The group included two Asian-American women and the first openly gay person elected to the Senate. Dodd in particular is said to have pressed for a large list with some unconventional names on it, to give Biden maximum flexibility in his choice.

By the end of June, a smaller cluster of candidates had emerged as strong contenders, impressing the screening committee in interviews and reaching a point in the process that involved extensive document requests from Bidens lawyers. Among that group were Harris, Senators Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, Representative Val Demings of Florida, Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham of New Mexico, Bass of California and Rice, the former national security advisor and UN ambassador.

Yet more than in any other recent vice-presidential process, it was also plain enough from the start that this one would be decided by one person, and one person alone, with an unusually well-developed sense of the vice presidency and firm convictions about how to do the job right. After all, Biden is the first presidential candidate in 20 years to choose a running mate after serving as the vice-president himself.

On the campaign trail, Biden constantly fielded inquiries about a possible vice-presidential pick, leading him to craft a well-honed answer about his criteria. In addition to being able to assume the presidency immediately, if necessary, Bidens running mate must be simpatico with him on critical issues of the day, as well as on a broader vision for how to lead the nation.

Bidens running mate should also balance him out with some qualities that I dont possess, he has said.

Perhaps most importantly, he has emphasised the need to select a vice-president with whom he could have the same trusting, candid relationship that he had with Obama.

We disagreed on some tactical approaches, Biden recalled at a fundraiser in April, describing the lunches he and Obama had where everything was on the table. But, he went on, It has to happen in private. You always have to have the presidents back.

Alexander Burns and Katie Glueck c.2020 The New York Times Company
The Iranian Health Ministry, on Wednesday, urged caution over the new Russian coronavirus vaccine Sputnik-V, which has drawn international criticism for not completing phase three clinical trials.

Before all clinical trials are completed, the use of vaccines is like a Pandoras Box and, therefore, potentially dangerous, spokesperson, Kianush Jahanpur, tweeted.

In Greek mythology, the box opened by the curious Pandora contained all the evils in the world, including sickness.

Mr Jahanpur added that countries should remember that the goal of a vaccine must be the safety and health of the population.

Like many countries, Tehran has said it is also working on a vaccine.

Iran has been hit hard by the pandemic, with more than 330,000 infections and 18,800 fatalities.

Moscows announcement, on Tuesday, that it was the first country in the world to register a vaccine drew scepticism over the speed of its regulatory approval and because Russia had not shared data from large-scale clinical trials.

(dpa/NAN)
Russia claims first coronavirus vaccine as global cases top 20 million

WORLD: Russia claimed yesterday (Aug 11) that it had developed the worlds first vaccine offering sustainable immunity against the coronavirus, as the pandemic marked another bleak milestone with 20 million infections globally.

RussiandrugsCOVID-19CoronavirusChinesedeathhealth

By AFP

Wednesday 12 August 2020, 11:19AM

With more than 897,000 confirmed infections, Russias coronavirus caseload is currently fourth in the world. Photo: AFP

President Vladimir Putin said that one of his own daughters had received the inoculation, dubbed Sputnik after the pioneering 1950s Soviet satellite.

Western scientists have previously raised concerns about the speed of development of Russian vaccines, suggesting that researchers might be cutting corners.

The World Health Organization (WHO) yesterday warned any approval of the Russian vaccine would require rigorous review of data to show its safety and efficiency.

I know that it is quite effective, that it gives sustainable immunity, Putin said of the vaccine developed by the Gamaleya research institute in coordination with Moscows defence ministry.

Russia hopes to begin production in September and start vaccinating medical staff immediately afterwards.

Some 20 foreign countries have pre-ordered over a billion doses according to Russias sovereign wealth fund, which helped develop the vaccine.

The race for a vaccine heats up as nations across the globe brace for new outbreaks of the disease even as they try to restart economies battered by months of initial lockdowns to curb the spread.

An AFP tally from official sources showed that by 5pm yesterday Phuket time, the number of confirmed infections worldwide passed 20.1 million, having topped 20 million the previous night.

Almost 737,000 deaths had been recorded since the virus first emerged in China late last year and spread globally, with the figure expected to surpass 750,000 within days.

Tests underway

Russian Health Minister Mikhail Murashko said that clinical trials of the vaccine involving several thousand participants would continue.

Elsewhere in the world, Indonesia said it would launch a Phase 3 human trial of a vaccine candidate from Chinas Sinovac Biotech.

Phase 3 refers to trials involving large numbers of human test subjects and is usually the last step before regulatory approval.

Sinovacs vaccine, dubbed CoronaVac, is already being tested on 9,000 Brazilian health workers.

A WHO overview said 165 candidate vaccines are being worked on around the world, with six reaching Phase 3.

But the WHOs emergencies director Michael Ryan warned that a vaccine was only part of the answer, pointing to polio and measles as diseases with vaccines that have not been fully eradicated.

Youve got to be able to deliver that vaccine to a population that want and demand to have that vaccine, he said.

Second waves inevitable

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has pointed to green shoots of hope in countries that had successfully clamped down on COVID-19, such as Rwanda and New Zealand, which says it plans to open a virus-free travel bubble with the Cook Islands.

But Wellington yesterday reported its first locally-transmitted coronavirus infections in more than 100 days.

We have all worked incredibly hard to prevent this scenario, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said, but added that we have also planned and prepared for it.

So far New Zealand has reported just 22 deaths from the COVID-19 disease, although authorities repeatedly warned a second wave was inevitable.

The remote Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan yesterday announced its first coronavirus lockdown after months largely shielded from the disease.

And in Europe, the EUs health agency urged countries to reinstate some controls as new cases began to pick up again.

There is a true resurgence in cases in several countries as a result of physical distancing measures being relaxed, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) said.

France had already reacted by requiring mask-wearing in certain crowded areas and tourist hotspots of capital Paris.

Several French towns and cities have already introduced similar measures, as well as parts of Belgium, the Netherlands, Romania and Spain.

There was better news for residents of the Gaza Strip yesterday, as the enclaves only border crossing with Egypt was opened to people wanting to leave for the first time since the pandemic began.

But some residents were fearful of leaving the tightly-sealed territory, which has seen just 81 cases.

There is a fear of being infected with COVID-19 in cars or buses in Egypt, Hatem al-Mansi told AFP. In Gaza, we dont have that problem.

Every day like my last

In China, the city of Wuhan where the novel coronavirus first emerged is limping back towards normal after lockdowns were lifted in April.

Business is slow for stall owners at food markets, while a pandemic-themed exhibition shows off autographed hazmat suits used by medical workers.

China officially recorded around 85,000 cases and just over 4,600 deaths - a fraction of the worlds total - and has now largely brought its domestic virus spread under control.

Despite fears of a resurgence, some Wuhan residents are keen to enjoy the citys recovery.

Now I enjoy every day as if it were the last, says Hu Fenglian. I dont want to worry too much.
To me, Lang himself is a hero of literature. Besides being the champion of Robert Louis Stevenson and Haggard, he was the first critic to produce a study of Kiplings work, found a publisher for the young Arthur Conan Doyles first major novel Micah Clarke, and repeatedly informed the English that Mark Twain was one of the worlds great writers. Drawing on his classical education, he translated, with S.H. Butcher, Homers The Odyssey and, with Walter Leaf and Ernest Myers, The Iliad. Both would be the standard English versions for half a century. Not only did Lang pioneer the study of myth and ritual, he helped establish the Folklore Society and served as president of the Society for Psychical Research. His version of that winsome medieval French love story, Aucassin and Nicolette, is the one I read in college. Among his historical works are a life of Joan of Arc and a series of short investigations into some of Europes most mysterious figures, including the feral and enigmatic Kaspar Hauser and the seemingly deathless Comte de Saint-Germain.
Three journalists with The Caravan magazine were allegedly assaulted by a mob in northeast Delhi on Tuesday, while they were reporting. Two of the journalists were identified as Prabhjit Singh and Shahid Tantray. The team included a female journalist, who, according to a statement issued by the magazine last night, was sexually harassed and physically assaulted.

In a statement released on Twitter The Caravan said, "After the mob began attacking her, @shahidtantray and @Prabhtalks, she managed to extricate herself and escape to a neighbouring gully. Here young men surrounded her and took her pictures and videos without her consent, and verbally harassed her. A middle-aged man exposed his genitals to her, shook his penis and made lewd facial expressions at her."

As the woman staffer attempted to reach the Bhajanpur station, the mob attacked her again, the statement added. "The attackers beat her on her head, arms, hips and chest," it said.

The Caravan said that among those in the mob which threatened to kill their reporters while using communal slurs, was a person dressed in a saffron kurta, who claimed to be a BJP general secretary.

The magazine added that upon learning the name of one of the journalists, the mob beat him and threatened to kill him. "In his complaint, @Prabhtalks wrote that were he not present, 'the mob led by that saffron-clad man would have lynched Shahid for his Muslim identity,'" the statement said.

The Caravan has produced a series of stories on the Delhi riots. The attack happened in Subhash Mohalla in northeast Delhi, from where The Caravan recently also did a story on how mobs had allegedly gathered outside a Muslim-dominated neighbourhood on the day of the Ayodhya event and raised communally charged slogans after which women complainants were slapped by police as they went to record a statement at the Bhajanpura police station.

Over 50 people, most of them Muslims, were killed in the riots that broke out in the capital in February. Many journalists reporting from the communally tense area have claimed that they have been harassed and assaulted by such mobs.
Joe Biden and his handlers are hoping that Kamala Harris can fill two roles. They hope she will be the social justice warrior who fires up the Democratic base, but at the same time come across as moderate and non-threatening to more centrist voters. After all, theres better than a small chance that, if elected, Biden wont serve out his first term.

The social justice firebrand part shouldnt be difficult for Harris, but how can she simultaneously present a moderate image?

The mainstream media intends to do its part to help. As Steve noted, the New York Times has already labeled Harris a pragmatic moderate.

How moderate is Harris? So moderate that she blasted Biden for opposing school busing decades ago. Busing children in the name of racial balancing is an idea so far to the left that Biden, who repudiated many of his past positions to appease the left, stuck to his guns in opposing busing.

How moderate is Harris? The American Conservative Union gave her 0 percent rating for her votes as Senator. Dick Durbin and Chuck Schumer managed to reach 5 percent. Hell, even Elizabeth Warren came in at 3 percent.

How moderate is Harris? The Republican Attorneys General Association declared that during her time as Californias attorney general, she was the nations most liberal attorney general.

I dont see how Harris can appeal to centrist voters. The problem wont just be her record and the positions she takes on current issues. To fire up the base, she will have to be fiery. She will have to demagogue  something shes rather good at.

With apologies to We Have Your Back, she will come across as shrill and threatening. And Biden may come across as immoderate for unleashing her.
Back in 2015, as a first-term councilman, Ron Nirenberg fought to preserve the Edwards Aquifer Protection Program against some resistance from then-Mayor Ivy Taylor.

One of Nirenbergs council colleagues, Rey Saldana, argued that public transit had been neglected for too long and suggested redirecting a 1/8-cent sales tax from aquifer and linear creekways programs to transportation. But Nirenbergs commitment to aquifer protection won the day.

Now, as mayor, Nirenberg has found himself under attack from environmentalists over his decision to shift that 1/8-cent sales tax to other policy objectives.

Early this year, he wanted to redirect that funding to public transit. Over the summer, in the face of a COVID-19 pandemic that has stripped away more than 160,000 local jobs over the past five months, he called an audible and proposed a plan to dedicate the revenue to workforce development.

Once again, the mayor found himself at odds with old allies, as members of the VIA Metropolitan Transit board voted to move forward with a plan to put a 1/8-cent transportation sales tax proposition on the November ballot.

Nirenberg and VIA reps ultimately worked out a compromise, allowing for two separate ballot propositions: one that would fund Nirenbergs economic recovery program for four years and another that would enable the revenue to go to public transit in 2025.

In the midst of all this drama, there is the hot-button issue of police reform.

Two months ago, Nirenberg took the microphone at a downtown Black Lives Matter rally and told protesters: Im the mayor of this goddamn city and were going to make change together.

Nirenberg still intends to make that change happen, but activists were angry last week when they learned the proposed 2021 city budget actually would increase Police Department spending by $8 million.

The convergence of all these controversies speaks to the strange position the mayor occupies at this tense, uncertain time.

One the one hand, Nirenbergs steady, prudent handling of the COVID-19 pandemic has cemented his leadership credentials and put him in a commanding position to win a third term. (A Bexar Facts poll in late April found that his approval rating had jumped by 18 percentage points, to 74 percent, in the span of two months.)

On the other hand, he finds himself in the middle of several intense, fractious public policy debates, and has disappointed some allies along the way.

The council will vote Thursday on whether to put Nirenbergs workforce-development plan on the ballot. It would generate a projected $154 million over the next four years in revenue for job training and higher education.

Conspicuous by its absence on the November ballot will be the aquifer protection program, which voters have approved four times over the past 20 years.

Its hard to think of another program that unites San Antonio voters across the political spectrum the way the EAPP does.

Progressive environmentalists such as Annalisa Peace, the executive director of the Greater Edwards Aquifer Alliance, champion it. Fiscal conservatives, such as Republican state Rep. Lyle Larson, are enthusiastic supporters.

In a January letter to Nirenberg, Larson urged the mayor to put the aquifer protection program on the November ballot for another five-year renewal. Larson called it the model program in North America for protecting groundwater.

Francine Romero, the chair of San Antonios Conservation Advisory Board, calls it a perfect program, because its rooted in a simple, sensible concept: protecting the Edwards Aquifer by purchasing conservation easements for property over the aquifer recharge and contributing zones.

Romero notes that Nirenbergs alternative strategy for aquifer protection  revenue bonds that would be paid off with money the city collects each year from the San Antonio Water System  would bring in about $100 million over the next decade, compared to the estimated $200 million the program would generate from a renewal of the 1/8-cent sales tax.

Its a huge difference (in funding), but it seems that every time weve had to battle to get this back on the ballot, Romero said. Obviously, this time weve lost the battle to get it back on the ballot.

I know people are still fighting that fight and I completely respect that position. But I kind of think this is a pretty good deal, given the context.

Two months after taking office in 2017, Nirenberg stated that the biggest problem facing San Antonio was socioeconomic segregation.

The three ballot propositions hell be supporting in the coming months all address that problem: Pre-K 4 SA seeks to close the citys education gap; workforce development aims to lift up people struggling to find work; and the public-transit referendum should help to get those people to their jobs.

Winning all three will be tough. But Nirenberg rarely takes the easy path.

Gilbert Garcia is a columnist covering the San Antonio and Bexar County area. To read more from Gilbert, become a subscriber. ggarcia@express-news.net | Twitter: @gilgamesh470
HMD Global, the home of Nokia phones, today announces it has successfully closed 230 million USD in the first closing of its current funding round from some of its top global strategic partners.

As well as establishing itself as a leading feature phone manufacturer by value[2], HMD Global has been successful in clearly differentiating its Android smartphone offering. Nokia smartphones come with premium Nordic design that is inspired by the companys European heritage, superior product quality, premium ZEISS imaging experience, and market-leading reliability, as well as security features including a three-year monthly security update promise and two-year Android software upgrade commitment with the Android One promise. As the only key European smartphone player, HMD Global is increasingly popular with both enterprises and consumers who are looking for a pure, secure, and up-to-date smartphone experience.

The investment will further fuel HMD Globals strategic vision in four key areas. Firstly, it will accelerate the companys mission to make 5G smartphones accessible to consumers across the world, with an emphasis on strong partnerships with US carriers. Secondly, HMD Global will further transition to digital-first offerings as part of a new post-COVID reality. It will also expand its presence in key growth markets, including the recently introduced operations in Brazil, as well as Africa and India. Finally, the investment will help the business strengthen its leading position beyond just hardware and into a holistic mobile service provider. This year alone, HMD Global launched its international data roaming service, HMD Connect, enhanced its mobile cybersecurity capabilities with the acquisition of assets of Valona Labs, and built dedicated resources on software, security and services with a new research and development Centre of Excellence in Tampere, Finland.

Jean-Francois Baril, Executive Chairman and Co-Founder, HMD Global, says: Our unique business model, based on asset-light global deployment and strong partnerships with the best in the industry, is entering a new level of maturity with the valued support of some of the most influential market-makers in mobile devices. I am extremely proud of our significant achievements to date and also thrilled about the immense opportunity before us to accelerate our journey towards excellence.

Florian Seiche, Chief Executive Officer, HMD Global, says: Since the very beginning, HMD Global has worked to build strong bonds with our strategic partners. This additional investment further validates our long-term business strategy and is evidence of our collective mission to make modern mobile technology accessible to everyone. Security, reliability and dependability are the cornerstones of our offering, and we will ensure we are using these funds to deliver the best experiences people have come to expect from a Nokia phone. As the only major European smartphone manufacturer, we remain true to our Finnish roots and the hallmarks that our customers trust Nokia phones to be synonymous with. With the support of our heavyweight partners, I am truly excited for the next chapter of Nokia phones.

Since the company began its operations in 2016, HMD Global is now active in 91 markets across eight regions and 250,000 retail outlets and has sold over 240 million phones to date.
The Directorate General of GST



Intelligence (DGGI) conducted multiple searches at premises of a major cement manufacturer in Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh over the last seven days and detected evasion of Rs 17.2 crore, a release said on Wednesday.

The DGGI, the enforcement arm of the Central Board of Indirect Taxes & Customs (CBIC), has arrested a director of the company from Satna in Madhya Pradesh this connection, it said.

The DGGI also seized Rs 52.39 lakh in cash during the searches conducted in two states from August 5 to August 11.

"DGGI has conducted multiple searches in Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh from August 5 to August 11 at various premises belonging to a major cement manufacturer located at Maihar and Satna besides their registered dealers and distributors," the DGGI, Bhopal, said in a release.

The release, issued by Additional Director General, DGGI, did not mention names of the manufacturer and the director.

The company evaded worth Rs 17.2 crore. A sum of Rs 52.39 lakh has also been seized in cash, it said.

The searches have indicated substantial quantities of cement and clinker have been supplied clandestinely without payment of Goods & Service Tax (GST) in Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, the DGGI said.

The DGGI had conducted 28 searches at Maihar, Satna, Allahabad, Kushinagar, Agra, Kanpur and in New Delhi during the week-long operation.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Moscow court to hear Rosneft embezzlement case against Ex-Khabarovsk governor

 RAPSI, Eugeny Varlamov

18:19 12/08/2020

MOSCOW, August 12 (RAPSI)  A case against former governor of Russias Khabarovsk Region Victor Ishayev charged with embezzling more than 7.5 million rubles (over $100,000) from Rosneft oil company will be considered by Moscows Zamoskvoretsky District Court, RAPSI has learnt from the Supreme Courts press service.

Ishayev was arrested in Moscow on March 28, 2019. On March 29, Moscows Basmanny District Court denied a 15-million-ruble ($232,000) bail to Ishayev and placed him under house arrest.

From 2013 to 2018, Ishayev was a vice-president of Rosneft. According to investigators, between 2014 and 2017, he fraudulently ensured signing of premises lease agreements for the company offices use in the Khabarovsk Region at an overvalued price. The contracts were concluded with Ishayevs firm.
Raipur:

A villager was killed and another injured when they were reportedly caught in a crossfire between security forces and Maoists in Chhattisgarhs insurgency-hit Bijapur district on Monday, police said.

The incident took place in the wee hours when joint team of CRPFs 168th battalion and district force was out on an anti-Maoist operation near Timmapur village under Basaguda police station limits, Bijapur Superintendent of Police KL Dhruv said.

Acting on inputs about the movement of rebels, security forces had launched the operation from its Timmmapur camp, around 450 kms away from here, to adjoining areas late last night, he said.

On way back?close to the camp, they came under fire from ultras prompting them to retaliate. However, the exchange of fire soon stopped after rebels escaped, he added.

During searches, they spotted two men who had reportedly sustained injuries in the cross fire, in the forests. They rushed the injured to Basaguda hospital where one of them was declared brought dead, the SP said.

The deceased was identified as Punem Nandu, a native of Timmapur, he said adding that another injured man- Kaken Suklu- a resident of the same village, was undergoing treatment at Basaguda.

However, a CRPF official claimed that the deceased and injured villager could be jan-militia members who handle the village level operations of the Maoists.

Investigation is being done to ascertain the background of both the villagers, the paramilitary official said on the condition of anonymity.

Notably, CRPF Director General K Durga Prasad is visiting Bijapur district today along with other paramilitary officials to inaugurate the newly set up camp of CRPFs 229th battalion.

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BEIRUT (Reuters) - A car bomb killed at least five people near a Syrian border town controlled by Turkish-backed forces on Thursday, Turkey's Anadolu Agency and the Syrian Observatory, a war monitor, said.

A parked truck exploded near the checkpoint at the entrance of Tel Halef village, west of the town of Ras Al Ain on the Turkish-Syrian border, killing at least five and wounding 12 others, said Anadolu.

The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said nine people were killed and 15 wounded.

Anadolu said local security forces were examining the possibility that fighters from the Syrian Kurdish YPG, which Ankara views as a terrorist group, may have carried out the attack.

Turkey, which is allied with some rebel groups opposed to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, seized control of the town last year in an offensive to push back YPG fighters.

(Reporting by Ghaida Ghantous and Ali Kucukgocmen; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
The mother of an eight-year-old boy with special needs whose arrest at a Key West school sparked outrage announced on Tuesday that she was planning to sue.

Bianca Digennaro, 48, has initiated legal action after her son was detained in December 2018 while at school.

Harrowing footage of the arrest went viral on Monday after it was published online by Benjamin Crump, the Tallahassee-based civil rights lawyer representing the families of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery.

Digennaro is suing the city and school district; the three officers who detained her son - Michael Malgrat, Kenneth Waite and Fred Sims; her son's teacher, Ashley Henriquez; principal Fran Herin and assistant principal Kyle Sheer.

Bianca Digennaro, 48, announced during a Zoom press conference she was filing a civil suit

Her attorney, Benjamin Crump, said the case was against officers, school, city and teachers

Video courtesy of Local10

The lawsuit's allegations include that the named parties violated the boy's civil rights by using excessive force, not intervening in his arrest and not considering his disabilities during the incident.

Digennaro said her son also has anxiety and depression, for which he takes two types of medications.

'My son has a disability and the authorities tried to make him a criminal,' she said.

'I'm here for my son, because I refuse to let them make him a convicted felon at the age of 8, just because he was having a mental breakdown.'

She said her son's teachers and the rest of the school staff were aware of his special needs.

'Everybody knew this,' Digennaro said, at the press conference on Tuesday, obtained by Local10.

Body camera footage from the December, 14, 2018 incident shows two officers in front of the sitting child inside Gerald Adams Elementary in Key West, Florida.

The boy had punched a teacher in the chest and was arrested on a felony battery charge, according to the arrest report.

The document says that the boy's teacher said the child was not sitting properly in his cafeteria bench seat.

The teacher asked him several times to sit down but he didn't comply and she asked him to sit next to her.

He refused and told her: 'Don't put your hands on me.'

She then told the boy to walk with her and he told her: 'My mom is going to beat your a**.'

He then punched her with his right hand.

Harrowing video surfaced Monday from the 2018 incident at a school in Key West, Florida

The officers told the child he was going to jail and tried to put him in too-big handcuffs

Sources close to the investigation told The Miami Herald that the boy's father, who is not married to Digennaro, went to the school that day and asked the officers to scare his son as a way to improve his behavior.

Asked by two reporters about this Tuesday, Crump said he did not know, and that it was irrelevant either way.

'Police officers have no authority to arrest based on the instructions of lay persons,' he said.

Crump said the footage was deeply disturbing, and that the child was left traumatized.

One officer behind the camera says, 'You're going to jail. So you need to stand up and put your hands behind your back.'

An officer then frisks the child as he puts his hands on a cabinet and is then placed in handcuffs, but they're too large and don't fit.

The little boy looks down and complies with the officers and whimpers and cries as he's asked to walk out of the school.

The officer told the crying child: 'You understand this is very serious, okay?'

The boy was escorted out of school into a squad car and booked into a juvenile justice facility

A teacher is seen coming to the boy and comforting him before he's escorted out of the school.

'You understand this is very serious okay and I hate that you put me in this position and I have to do this. The thing about it is that you made a mistake and you have to learn from it and grow from it and not repeat the same mistake again,' an officer sternly tells the boy as he nods.

The clip ends with officers escorting the child towards a squad car.

The boy was then booked into a juvenile justice facility in Key West.

Digennaro said her son's mouth was swabbed, his DNA and mugshot were taken, he was fingerprinted and then locked in a cell for several minutes.

She said on Tuesday that she finds it difficult to watch the video.

'I can tell and I can feel how scared my son was,' she said.

Crump said the boy was mentally scarred by the incident.

'He vividly remembers them slamming the big doors with the bars on them,' he said.

'That's the perspective of an eight-year-old child.

'A mental health crisis at a school, and they feel it is appropriate to arrest, charge and have him become a convicted felon at eight years old.'

The incident took place at Gerald Adams Elementary in Key West in Florida

Former San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro said the incident was 'unbelievable'

Officer Michael Malgrat wrote in the report that he was in the school's administrative office when the teacher and the boy arrived.

He said the boy 'had his hands clenched in fists and he was postured as if he was ready to fight.'

Sean T. Brandenburg, Key West Police Chief, said in a statement Monday his officers did nothing wrong.

'Based on the report, standard operating procedures were followed,' he said.

The charge was dismissed almost a year later, in October 2019.

The video has been seized on as yet another example of police brutality.

Julian Castro, ex-contender for the Democrat presidential nomination and former San Antonio mayor, shared the video on Monday, describing the incident as 'unbelievable'.

'Police in Key West tried to put an 8-year-old boy in handcuffs and transport him to jail to 'scare him straight,' Castro tweeted.

'Police should have no role in punishing our kids or pulling traumatic stunts like this in our schools.'
cannot agree with many of the recommendations of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) draft notification 2020, said Chief Minister said on Tuesday.

According to Vijayan, has informed its stance to the Central Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change (MoEF & CC) on Tuesday."The draft EIA notification will have far-reaching and adverse effects on our State and a final decision should only be reached after more effective discussions with all parties concerned. In addition to this, some changes are required based on the particular circumstances of the state. This should be examined and be factored in", the Chief Minister said.

He said the state is concerned about the changes mainly related to the mining and quarrying permits.

"In the case of B1 medium category, environmental clearance is required for permitting mining/quarrying in an area exceeding five hectares to one hundred hectares. The state wants the lower limit to be brought down from five hectares to be two hectares. That is, environmental clearance should be required when mining/quarrying activities are permitted on more than two hectares. The existing norms will continue for small quarries of less than two hectares," he said. Similarly, has expressed its concern over the reduction in the time allowed for public hearings before approving projects to 20 days in the new draft notification. The state wants it to be retained at the earlier 30 days.

"Such a short period of time is not enough in many places. The District EIA Committees were the system for conducting detailed inspections before approving small projects. Apart from this, these district-level committees play a crucial role in handling applications at the state level. These committees are being exempted from the EIA draft notification. Kerala wants to retain the district level committees," he added.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The scene on McKenzie Road in Caledonia was quiet Tuesday afternoon, as the new residents of 1492 Land Back Lane continued to remodel the McKenzie Meadows construction site.

There is construction happening, but its framing for a kitchen to feed a group from Six Nations that has been there since July 19, claiming the plot of land in the south end of town as unceded Haudenosaunee territory.

The future kitchen is not far from several storage containers that bear the sites new name in brightly coloured spray paint. A sign near the road declares No Consent, No Construction.

Approximately 10 tents dot the property, where some members of the group have been sleeping for the past 23 nights.

The police raided the site on Aug. 5 to enforce a court injunction filed by one of the developers who plan to build 218 detached homes and townhouses there, a project approved by elected officials in Haldimand and Six Nations.

Not long after the OPP left the site, group members moved back in. Now the purple and white Six Nations flag flies again on a hydro line near the road, next to the distinctive red and yellow Mohawk Warrior flag.

McKenzie Road has become well-travelled ever since protesters acting in solidarity with the group at Land Back Lane blocked Highway 6 and Argyle Street in Caledonia last week, creating the need for a detour that passes the construction site.

On Tuesday, some passing motorists honked in apparent support of the occupiers, who have blocked all but one entrance to the site with pylons, piping and other building materials, defying a second Superior Court injunction ordering the group to leave.

Instead, theyre digging in.

They say, you need to go to court. Well, if we went to court about this, wed be sitting there for the next 30 years like the current land claims process, and theres been unimpeded development up and down the Tract, said Skyler Williams, who was among the nine activists arrested last Wednesday.

Williams faces charges and is grateful for a GoFundMe bail fund that raised almost $5,500 in its first day.

Thats the sad part of the criminalization of us defending our borders. This shouldnt be a criminal thing. This is a matter between nations, he said.

Six Nations elected band council was accommodated by developers in the form of a $352,000 cash payment and 42.3 acres on Townline Road, a parcel of land Williams described as being next to the city dump.

In a video message posted Monday evening, Six Nations elected Chief Mark Hill tried to strike a balanced tone.

My goal is to keep an open line of communication and continuous dialogue with everyone involved, said Hill, who has visited the site and spoken with some of the occupiers.

We agree that this needs to be a time of unity for our community of Six Nations in order for us to move forward.

Hill was not available for an interview Tuesday. In his statement, he called for open and meaningful dialogue guided by empathy, compassion, and a true willingness to understand each other.

I encourage all sides, and each and every person involved, to carefully consider the actions they take and the impacts those actions will have on this situation, Hill said. We want to be clear that we do not support any actions that would lead to violence and destruction.

Hill offered to host a discussion among stakeholders  including community groups and senior levels of government  to tackle our problems constructively.

We want to ensure that every voice is heard, he said.

Williams said he would absolutely join that discussion, adding that his group believes there should be no development on contested lands until the various leadership groups within Six Nations can work out their differences and come to the table with one voice and one answer.

That goal is complicated by the long-standing question of who speaks for Six Nations, which is governed by the elected council and a council of hereditary chiefs, with influence from other groups as well.

What had been a bare work site last month is now the beginnings of an encampment. But Haldimand Mayor Ken Hewitt and Premier Doug Ford have publicly called for the OPP to enforce the latest court orders and clear the site, along with the roadways.

Im just losing my patience, Ford said last week. I cant direct the police, and I wont direct the police. But enough is enough. People have to obey the rules.

OPP Const. Rod LeClair said officers are engaged in open dialogue with the group on McKenzie, and Williams confirmed members of the OPPs provincial liaison team had been in touch.

He said the land defenders have no plans to abandon the site, even if police move in again.

When it comes down to third-party land claims and who has the right to what, it all boils down to money. Government and police dont have the understanding that our connection to the land goes much deeper than dollars and cents, Williams said.

Our connection to the land, thats who we are. So if we have to put our bodies on the line and our freedom on the line, thats what well do. You can arrest me tomorrow and Ill be back here that afternoon. Thats the resolve our people have.
By PTI

KOLKATA: The COVID-19 tally in West Bengal breached the one lakh-mark on Tuesday to reach 1,01,390 after 2,931 new infections were reported, the state health department said.

The death toll also mounted to 2,149 with 49 fresh fatalities, the department said in a bulletin.

Of these 49 people, 47 died due to comorbidities where COVID-19 was incidental.

Kolkata accounted for 18 deaths while nine fatalities were registered in North 24 Parganas, five each in Howrah and Murshidabad, three each in South 24 Parganas, Hooghly and Dakshin Dinajpur, and one each in Darjeeling, Paschim Medinipur and Purba Medinipur districts.

Since Monday, 3,067 patients were discharged from hospitals taking the total number of people who recovered from COVID-19 to 73,395.

The number of active cases is 25,846 now, the bulletin said.

It said that 711 fresh cases of coronavirus infection were detected in the city, followed by 643 in North 24 Parganas, 220 in South 24 Parganas, 156 in Howrah, 127 in Nadia, 117 in Malda, 115 in Hooghly, and 112 in Purba Medinipur.

The remaining 730 new cases were reported from 15 other districts of the state.

In the last 24 hours, 27,015 samples were tested in the state. So far, 11,59,211 such tests have been conducted in West Bengal.

Meanwhile, state minister Swapan Debnath tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday, health department officials said.

Debanath, who is the minister of state for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise and Textile, was keeping unwell for the last few days, and his swab sample was tested on Monday.

The 69-year-old MLA is suffering from breathing problem, said a doctor of state-run Beliaghata ID Hospital where he was admitted.
OTTAWAThe Bloc Quebecois will try to topple the Liberal minority government and trigger a federal election this fall unless Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, his chief of staff and finance minister resign.

Bloc Leader Yves-Francois Blanchet laid down the ultimatum Wednesday on Parliament Hill, telling reporters that his party has lost faith in the current leadership of the federal government amidst huge spending during the COVID-19 pandemic and the WE Charity scandal.

He said the Bloc will table a no-confidence motion in the House of Commons at its earliest opportunity  which he said would come in October  unless Trudeau, Finance Minister Bill Morneau, and Trudeaus chief of staff Katie Telford all step down.

The motion would need the support of the opposition Conservatives and New Democrats for a majority of MPs to declare the House has lost confidence in the government. According to convention, the Governor General would then call an election or give the opposition the chance to win the confidence of the House.

Which is worse  keeping them and this government in place, or creating a temporary distortion in the management of the crisis? Blanchet responded when asked about his willingness to trigger a vote during the pandemic.

The Prime Ministers Office declined to comment Wednesday on Blanchets ultimatum.

The Liberals have been rocked by controversy since late June, when the government announced it had outsourced the multimillion-dollar Canada Student Service Grant program to WE Charity, a Toronto-based organization that has paid members of Trudeaus family tens of thousands of dollars in fees and expenses. Morneaus daughter also works for the organization, and the finance minister revealed in July that he had repaid the charity more than $41,000 for trips he took to Kenya and Ecuador in 2017.

Trudeau and Morneau both participated in the cabinet decision on May 22 to award the grant program to WE Charity, and later apologized for doing so. They are now being investigated by the House of Commons ethics commissioner.

Trudeau has previously broken the Commons ethics law twice as prime minister.

Speaking Wednesday, Blanchet said the conflict of interest scandal is just one reason his party wants Trudeau, Morneau and Telford to resign. He also pointed to how the Canada Mortgage Housing Corporation outsourced administration of the governments COVID-19 rent assistance program to a private company for which Telfords husband is executive vice-president.

Blanchet also criticized the Liberal Party of Canada for applying for and receiving public money through the governments emergency wage subsidy (which the New Democratic and Conservative parties are also receiving).

He said the Bloc has not discussed triggering an election with the other opposition parties.

Even if the Bloc tables a confidence motion, its not clear it would succeed in the House. The Conservatives have called for Trudeaus resignation too, but that party is in the final days of a leadership race. Conservative spokesperson Keslie Chiasson said Wednesday that the partys current leader, Andrew Scheer, has already said it will be up to his successor to decide whether to declare non-confidence in the Liberal government.

Meanwhile, the NDP said Wednesday that it will keep trying to work in the minority parliament. In a written statement, the party said the government needs to earn the confidence of Canadians by working with New Democrats to improve Employment Insurance and make sure children are safe as schools and daycares reopen during the pandemic.

Those are the things we will be fighting for and be looking for as we continue to try to make parliament work. Just like we have been throughout the minority parliament, the NDP said.

The Greens, who hold three of the 338 seats in the Commons, rejected the idea of an election during a pandemic. Posting on social media, interim leader Jo-Ann Roberts said threatening an election during a pandemic is irresponsible and called for changes to elections law to protect health and safety before the next federal vote.
The State Information Service says 'no allegations have been reported concerning the integrity of the electoral process'

The second and final day of voting for Egypt's new Senate has been going smoothly since polling stations opened their doors at 9am local time nationwide on Wednesday morning, officials say.

According to reports, the turnout at polling stations has varied from moderate to heavy, with voters wearing protective masks while standing in line as they waited to cast their vote in several parts of Cairo.

Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry and Irrigation Minister Mohamed Abdel-Aty were among the officials who cast their ballots on Wednesday.

In comments after casting his ballot, Shoukry lauded the process of organising and securing the Senate elections, which kicked off on Tuesday and is due to wrap up later on Wednesday.

The foreign minister also stressed the importance of the public's participation in the election to choose their representatives in the second parliamentary chamber.

The electoral process is being secured by the armed forces in coordination with the interior ministry, with intensified security measures put in place to ensure a "safe climate" for citizens casting their ballots.

The State Information Service (SIS) said 564 foreign media correspondents representing 163 international media organisations registered with its foreign press centre covered the electoral process in all governorates across the country.

The authority said it has received five complaints from foreign reporters on the second day of voting and 17 complaints on the first day about difficulties facing them in their coverage.

Some of the first days complaints were related to taking photographs at some polling stations in Cairo and Giza, which the authority said was the result of them not carrying permits from the National Elections Commission.

The problems had been solved in coordination with the concerned authorities, SIS said in a report on Wednesday, adding that foreign media correspondents were performing their work freely and without any hindrance on the second day of voting.

No allegations have been reported concerning the integrity of the electoral process or committing any kind of violations at polling stations, SIS said.

The vote, which is being supervised by 18,000 judges assisted by 120,000 clerks, is being held at some 14,000 polling stations across the country.

The polling stations are due to close on Wednesday at 9pm local time, with the results of this first round to be announced on 19 August.

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Turkeys deadly pursuit of Kurdish rebels in Iraqi territory elicited an unusually harsh response from Baghdad after two high-ranking Iraqi border officials perished in a Turkish drone attack in the Sidekhan area yesterday. Iraq announced today that it had cancelled a planned Aug. 13 visit by Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar to Baghdad and that it had summoned the Turkish ambassador to relay its fury over what it termed a dangerous violation of Iraqi sovereignty.

Turkey has not formally responded to Baghdads accusations.

The deaths occurred in the remote mountain region that is wedged between Iraq, Iran and Turkey that has long been a target of Turkish airstrikes. The operations have killed hundreds of sheep as well as civilians, according to members of the Bradost tribe who inhabit Sidekhan and routinely complain to US officials about the Turkish attacks.

The Kurdistan Regional Government, which controls Sidekhan, renewed calls on Turkey and the PKK to take their fight outside its territory. Ankara, as ever, is likely to turn a deaf ear.

Baghdads decision to disinvite Akar is more about face saving by Iraqs Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi, who has made control of Iraqs border part of his governments bid to assert sovereignty, reckons Ramzy Mardini, an associate at the University of Chicago's Pearson Institute, which studies conflict resolution.

Mardini observed in emailed comments to Al-Monitor, The fact that Iraqi border personnel were killed suggests that the Turkish drone strike occurred without the approval of Baghdad, thereby incurring domestic audience costs for the prime minister. To protest without taking some retaliatory action would undermine his credibility and highlight the reality that he isnt capable to exercise his authority. The visit of the defense minister is now too politically costly.

Mardini went on, In the past, the Iraqi government had protested operations conducted by Ankara inside the country that were not approved by Baghdad. Had the deaths not occurred, plausible deniability would have remained intact, and the pressure to respond would not have mounted against Kadhimi.

The Iraqi officers, both ethnic Kurds, were killed after meeting with members of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). The meeting reportedly took place to smooth out a skirmish that erupted between the sides the previous day. The PKKs military wing, known as the Peoples Defense Forces, said in a statement that Turkish drones had targeted vehicles carrying the Iraqi officers even though they were clearly marked with Iraq flags. It confirmed that the PKK had lost some of its own fighters but gave no numbers or names.

A Kurdish official speaking not for attribution told Al-Monitor that senior PKK commander Egivid Civiyan, who was previously deployed in Yazidi-majority Sinjar near the Syrian border, had also died in the attack. The PKK announced in a subsequent statement that the slain commander was one Agit Garzan who was deployed in the Sidekhan region.

Initial reports suggested that the slain militant was Cemil Bayik, one of the PKKs top two commanders in the field, prompting protracted gloating in the Turkish Twittersphere. The claim proved empty. Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu left little doubt, however, that getting Bayik is one of Turkeys goals. When queried by reporters about Bayiks fate, Soylu responded, Our advice to the world is to keep their eyes on Turkey.

Aliza Marcus, the author of Blood and Belief, the most authoritative history of the PKK to date, told Al-Monitor, The death of Cemil Bayik would be a definite psychological blow. Hes basically been leading the PKK for years in Ocalans absence but he doesnt lead alone. So, while this would be a real shock to people in the PKK, its not that the group would collapse.

Marcus was referring to Abdullah Ocalan, the PKK leader who's been held in an island prison off the coast of Istanbul since his 1999 capture by Turkish forces with the help of the CIA.

The PKK has been waging an armed insurgency against the Turkish state for Kurdish self-rule since 1984 and since the early 1990s has been using Iraqi Kurdistan as its principle launching pad. Turkey has mounted numerous land and air offensives against the group in Iraqi Kurdistan, leading to civilian deaths and damage to livestock and agricultural land.

In a July 22 report, Human Rights Watch said Turkey had failed to take adequate precautions to minimize civilian casualties in a June 25 strike against the PKKs Iranian arm, the Party for Free Life of Kurdistan (PJAK). One PJAK militant died and three members of the same family were all wounded in the drone strike targeting the Kuna Masi picnic area in Sulaimaniyah province.

In a July 6 letter to the watchdog, KRG official Dindar Zebari said the Turkish military had been intensely bombing various border areas since launching its twin air and ground offensives of Operation Claw Eagle and Operation Tiger Claw in June. Zebari said five civilians had died as a result of the operations, which also led to mass displacement and the destruction of forests and civilian infrastructure, he said.

Belkis Wille, senior crisis and conflict researcher at Human Rights Watch, told Al-Monitor that the Turkish government had yet to respond to any of the organizations requests for information on the cases of civilian deaths that its documented, leaving victims with no avenue for redress. If the civilian victims were to seek compensation, there exists no mechanism for them to do so, she said.

The targeting of PJAK fighters chimes with the PKK sources claims that Iran and Turkey are acting in concert, as they do particularly when the United States is perceived to be bolstering the Kurds against them. This is clearly how Iran and Turkey views matter in northern Syria, where the United States is partnered with the PKKs sister organization, the Peoples Protection Units, to fight the Islamic State, keep the countrys oil wealth out the Syrian regimes grasp and eject Iranian militias that help the regime remain in power.

Editor's note: Aug. 13, 2020. This article was updated since its initial publication.
Summary

Focus

Early warning indicators for financial crises are important inputs for central bankers to guide macroprudential policies. One such indicator -the deviation of the credit-to-GDP ratio from a long-run trend, in short the credit-to-GDP gap - is very useful in this regard. Basel III therefore suggests that policymakers use it as part of their countercyclical capital buffer frameworks. However, several authors have critisised the technicalities to drive the trend and have suggested alternatives. We agree with these criticisms. Yet, in the absence of clear theoretical foundations, all proposed alternatives are but indicators. It is therefore an empirical question which measure performs best as an early warning indicator for crises - the question we address in this paper.

Contribution

We compare how well differently derived credit-to-GDP gap perform as early warning indicators. We use quarterly data, from 1970 to 2017, for 41 economies. We first compare different linear projections, to see which performs best. We do this both looking at each economy separately, and using a panel. We then compare this against other measures, including our baseline one which was suggested by the Basel Committee.

Findings

We find that credit gaps based on linear projections perform poorly when applied to each country separately. But when we estimate as a panel, and impose the same coefficients on all economies, they do well. They perform slightly better than our baseline measure, although the difference is small. The practical relevance of the improvement is limited, though. Over a ten year horizon policy makers could expect one less wrong call on average.

Abstract

The credit gap, defined as the deviation of the credit-to-GDP ratio from a one-sided HP-filtered trend, is a useful indicator for predicting financial crises. Basel III therefore suggests that policymakers use it as part of their countercyclical capital buffer frameworks. Hamilton (2018), however, argues that you should never use an HP filter as it results in spurious dynamics, has end-point problems and its typical implementation is at odds with its statistical foundations. Instead he proposes the use of linear projections. Some have also criticised the normalisation by GDP, since gaps will be negatively correlated with output. We agree with these criticisms. Yet, in the absence of clear theoretical foundations, all proposed gaps are but indicators. It is therefore an empirical question which measure performs best as an early warning indicator for crises. We run a horse race using expanding samples on quarterly data from 1970 to 2017 for 41 economies. We find that credit gaps based on linear projections in real time perform poorly when based on country-by-country estimation, and are subject to their own end-point problem. But when we estimate as a panel, and impose the same coefficients on all economies, linear projections perform marginally better than the baseline credit-to-GDP gap, with somewhat larger improvements concentrated in the post-2000 period and for emerging market economies. The practical relevance of the improvement is limited, though. Over a ten year horizon policy makers could expect one less wrong call on average.

Online appendix

JEL classification: E44, G01

Keywords: early warning indicators, credit gaps, HP filter, linear projection
FILE - A lone traveler heads to the ticketing counter of Frontier Airlines in the main terminal of Denver International Airport on July 22, 2020, in Denver. Hotel and home-sharing reservation site Booking.com plans to lay off 25% of its workforce, or more than 4,000 people, due to the impact of the new coronavirus on travel. Connecticut-based parent company Booking Holdings said Tuesday, Aug. 4, that the layoffs will begin next month. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)

Booking.com is laying off a quarter of its workforce  more than 4,000 people  with the global pandemic snuffing out travel.

Layoffs will begin next month and run through the end of the year, according to parent company Booking Holdings Inc.

Booking Holdings, based in Norwalk, Connecticut, also owns the restaurant reservation company OpenTable and Priceline.com.

The number of room reserved at Booking.com during the first quarter of this year tumbled 43%, to 124 million.

The company warned investors in May to brace for worse in the second financial quarter, the results of which are due Thursday.

Booking.com, based in Amsterdam, is a dominant player in Europe, where it controls more than 60% of online travel bookings, according to a 2018 report from Hospitality Europe. But bookings have plummeted as travel from major markets like the U.S. and China has slowed significantly.

The number of people passing through U.S. airport checkpoints is running about 70% lower than a year ago, according to figures from the Transportation Security Administration. Travel plunged about 95% by mid-April, then rose steadily until leveling off throughout July. More than 700,000 people were screened each of the last five days, through Monday, the first time that has happened since mid-March.

The World Tourism Organization, an agency of the United Nations, said late last month that there was a 56% drop in tourist arrivals between January and May. That's about 300 million people, and $320 billion in lost international tourism receipts.

Booking.com has 17,500 employees and more than 200 offices worldwide.
Jurgen Klopp phoned their new signing Kostas Tsimikas to persuade the left-back to join Liverpool for 11.75million according to Greek outlet Sportime.

Klopp reportedly told Tsimikas: 'The decision is yours. We want you, you fit very well in our project and in how we want to play.'

The 24-year-old Greece international, who has won three caps for his country, joined the Premier League champions after signing a contract at the Melwood training ground on Monday.

Jurgen Klopp phoned their new signing Kostas Tsimikas to persuade the left-back to join

The 24-year-old Greece international joined the Premier League champions on Monday

Tsimikas made his first-team debut for Olympiacos in December 2015 and made a 86 appearances in total for the Greek club.

Liverpool's first choice was Jamal Lewis but Norwich chiefs were reportedly left feeling disrespected by the Reds over their low-ball attempt to sign Lewis.

The Merseyside club expressed an interest in Lewis but were only prepared to pay half of Norwich's valuation of the player and submitted a bid worth 10million - which was immediately rejected.

According to Eastern Daily Press, the Canaries were willing to negotiate a deal and expected to receive an improved bid only for Liverpool to instead announce the signing of Tsimikas from Olympiacos just days later.

Liverpool signed Kostas Tsimikas just days after Norwich rejected their first bid for Lewis

Tsimikas suggested his move was already in full swing by the time his former club crashed out of the Europe League against Wolves - just 24 hours after Liverpool had made contact with Norwich about Lewis.

Norwich had made it clear they would not be selling their top talent on the cheap following their relegation from the Premier League and stuck to their guns despite the player being desperate to join Jurgen Klopp's side.

Lewis reportedly even returned home early from a holiday in hope of sealing his 'dream' move to Anfield.
The general idea of financial independence is to have enough income to pay for your living expenses for the rest of your life. In practice, it means having a financial plan or a budget, and following it diligently, Aashish Shanker, Head of Investments, Motilal Oswal Private Wealth Management, said in an interview with Moneycontrols Kshitij Anand.

Edited excerpt

A) The general idea of financial independence is to have enough income to pay for your living expenses for the rest of your life.

In practice, it means having a financial plan or a budget and following it diligently.

In turbulent time likes these, it needs no reiteration that investors should be very disciplined with their personal finance decisions.

The important points to note to be financially independent are as follows:

The importance of having an emergency fund is critical during the current pandemic situation with a lot of uncertainties relating to businesses and job continuity.

It is advisable to keep at least 3 to 6 months of your expenses as an emergency fund and putting those funds in highly liquid instruments such as liquid funds or fixed deposits.

Having all your savings into financial instruments that have lock-in periods would be unwise going forward.

It would be prudent to postpone large expenditures that are discretionary until such time that things become normal, to maintain adequate liquidity and savings.

Avoid spending money on big-ticket items during online sales from e-commerce companies until it is of utmost necessity.

It is advisable to not take new loans during a pandemic situation, as there is very less income security with possible salary cuts, job losses on account business slowdown.

Any default in the repayment of loans could negatively impact your credit score and future borrowing ability. On the contrary, you should try to repay your liabilities starting with higher interest loans such as credit card debts to reduce your financial burden.

After witnessing a bear market in equities, investors usually get cold feet in deploying new money to beaten-down strategies. Instead of timing the markets, one should continue their investments based on the existing financial plan.

Periods like these give opportunities to reassess risk tolerance appetite and rebalance the portfolio to the desired levels. A risk assessment done during sunny days have chances of being wrong mainly due to overestimating the risk appetite.

It is the right time to have your financial planning done by your financial advisor and sticking to the same. Any impulsive calls without such consultation could again be detrimental to the financial health of your portfolio.

In summary, it would be prudent to draw up your Investment Charter, which is a vision document that lays down the philosophy, framework, and process of managing your portfolio, while also aiming to understand broadly, the purpose of investment, horizon, liquidity and risk appetite.

A) The historical correlation (over the last 30 years) between the domestic Nifty50 index and the US S&P500 index is just 0.24.

This builds a good case for diversification of a domestic equity portfolio by investing some portion in the US equities.

The important factors to be considered before investing in overseas funds are the following:

Developed markets such as the US have much higher information efficiency than emerging markets such as India. This means that for a US fund manager, it is extremely difficult to generate a sustainable long term alpha over the benchmark index.

Hence, for investment in US equities, it would be preferable to invest in passive strategies such as index funds.

The US market (S&P500) has seen a significant rally over the last 2 years, and hence valuations, in terms of Market Cap / GDP are far more expensive than domestic equity markets.

Hence, it would be preferable to stagger the investments over a 6-12 month period.

Domestic Funds that invest in global equities are taxed as debt funds, i.e. 20% with indexation if held for more than 3 years, else taxed at the maximum marginal rate for less than 3 years.

Hence, an investor in such funds needs to have a long term horizon of at least 3 years, to also navigate through any heightened interim volatility.

A) One of the common mistakes made by investors is shifting investments from beaten-down asset classes to those where prices are elevated.

Such behaviour leads to investors not participating in any upside once the dust settles. The recovery of equity markets from the March lows is extremely narrow and led by very few stocks, even within large caps.

The broader markets viz. the mid & small-cap indices have still a long way from the levels seen at beginning CY18. Hence, it is imperative to stay invested and to adhere to your long term asset allocation.

A) While valuations of the Large Cap index, Nifty50, are slightly above long-term averages post the recovery since March, the broader markets remain attractive.

Moreover, Corporate profits as % to GDP is at 3.1 percent, which is at decadal lows. Hence, there is a higher probability of better earnings growth going forward.

Therefore, we suggest holding on to equity investments.

A) Gold has historically performed well in periods where global economies are running high fiscal deficits and low real rates, which is also true of the current global scenario.

Rather than having any target price, we maintain that investors should invest around 5-15 percent of their portfolio in Gold.

Investors can participate through Sovereign Gold Bonds, Gold ETFs/FoFs, or through electronic platforms.

Q) Which are you re-rating themes in markets and why? Or sectors which could get rerated as economic normalizes?

A) We believe that businesses which have strong moats, where demand continues to remain resilient, where they can continue to charge a reasonable price for their services, which generate free cash flows, and which are run by quality management, will be the leaders going forward.

Such businesses are available across market caps and various sectors such as Pharmaceuticals, Insurance, Manufacturing, Consumer Staples / Discretionary & niche lenders.

The views and investment tips expressed by investment experts on Moneycontrol.com are their own and not that of the website or its management. Moneycontrol.com advises users to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions.
ALBANY, N.Y., Aug. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Electronic health records (EHRs) comprise digital forms of patient records that include wide range of information related to patient's medical history, test results, and treatment plans. Clinicians in private clinics, hospitals, and ambulatory surgery centers are leveraging electronic health records to drive better patient engagement and outcomes, manage chronic diseases, and potential health threats to various populations. These gains are based on high productivity and efficiency of EHRs, high accuracy, less chances of error, and automated access to patients' data for managing population health issues.

Analysts at TMR largely concur that growing awareness of the aforementioned benefits, coupled with substantial governments' incentives in the developing world, will help the electronic health records market to garner CAGR of 4.8% from 2019 to 2027. The projected valuation will be US$ 42,330.2 Mn by the end of 2027.

Request for Analysis of COVID-19 Impact on Electronic Health Records Market  https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/covid19.php

Key Findings of Electronic Health Records Market Report

The global valuation of EHRs market was pegged at US$ 26,126.3 Mn in 2018

in 2018 Of the various installation types, client server based segment led the market in 2018

Another segment software-as-services is anticipated to expand at remarkable pace

Geographically, North America contributed the major share of the market in 2018

contributed the major share of the market in 2018 Asia Pacific electronic health records market is expected to rise at rapid CAGR during 20192027

electronic health records market is expected to rise at rapid CAGR during 20192027 The EHRs market has a highly consolidate landscape

Explore 109 pages of top-notch research, incisive insights, and detailed country-level projections on Electronic Health Records Market (Installation Type - Web-based, Client Server-based, and Software as Services; End Users - Hospitals, Physicians Office, Ambulatory Surgery Centers) - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast 2019  2027 at https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/report-toc/4153

Electronic Health Records Market: Key Driving Factors and Promising Avenues

Healthcare facilities in developed as well as developing nations have been increasingly transitioning to electronic health records system. Big ones have been early adopters, and the benefits and incentives to deploy such systems have hastened the adoption in small-sized healthcare providers. The following shape the key growth dynamics of the electronic health records market.

Growing burden of chronic diseases, such as due to prevalence of cardiovascular diseases and strokes, is a key driver for adoption of EHR.

Prevalence of infectious diseases in recent decades is also rising, according to several reports by the WHO.

Stroke has been considered as the second leading cause of death worldwide. It has a yearly mortality rate of ~5.5 million and substantial morbidity for survivor population. This places strokes at the top of concern of public health issues, driving the deployment of EHR systems.

One of the most common chronic diseases is CAD. EHRs have been proven to be very effective in managing such chronic diseases. Another area where both patient population and healthcare providers have reaped the benefist is the diabetic care.

Focus on patient-centered care is another robust aspect of the expansion of the electronic health records market.

Advances in platforms such as integration of EHR systems with artificial intelligence technologies and use of advanced predictive analytics methods are spurring new prospects in the market.

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Electronic Health Records Market: Competitive Assessment

The electronic health records market features a high degree of consolidation of market shares among few players. Most companies are either looking to expand their EHR portfolio, or consolidating their presence in various geographies. Some industry players are keen on getting into collaborations with academia to improve the performance of these systems, and further unveiling innovative products.

Purchase the Electronic Health Records Market Report - https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/checkout.php

Several players in the electronic health records market are striving to increase the interoperability of these with the existing digital health systems.

Some of the well-entrenched players in the electronic health records market are Advanced MD, Greenway Health, LLC, eClinical Works, DXC Technology Company, Cerner Corporation, and All Scripts Healthcare, LLC.

Browse More Press Release - https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/press-releases.htm

The Electronic Health Records Market can be segmented as follows:

Installation Type

Web based



Client Server Based



Software-as-a-service

End-user

Hospitals



Physician Offices



Ambulatory Surgical Centers



Others

Region

North America



U.S.





Canada



Europe



Germany





U.K.





France





Italy





Spain





Rest of Europe



Asia Pacific



China





India





Japan





Australia & New Zealand

&



Rest of Asia Pacific



Latin America



Brazil





Mexico





Rest of Latin America



Middle East & Africa

&

GCC Countries





South Africa





Rest of Middle East & Africa

Explore Transparency Market Research's award-winning coverage of the global Healthcare Industry:

Smart Healthcare Products Market: According to the report, the global smart healthcare products market was valued at US$ 37.5 Bn in 2018 and is anticipated to expand at a CAGR of 8.8% from 2019 to 2027, growing digitalization in healthcare industry, growth in number of SMEs and large enterprises dealing in smart healthcare products, and increasing government initiative to promote smart healthcare are projected to drive the market

Health Care Information Systems Market: The global health care information systems market was valued at US$ 227,021.4 Mn in 2017 and is projected to expand at a CAGR of 9.6% from 2018 to 2026. Increase in government initiatives and increase in adoption of health care IT products by health care providers are expected to boost the global health care information systems market from 2018 to 2026.

Healthcare API Market: The gradual rise in the acceptance and adoption of healthcare API solutions by doctors, patients, and payers is expected to benefit the global market during the forecast period. The revenue generated by the global healthcare API market was pegged at US$162.4 mn in 2015 and expanding at a 4.2% CAGR, the market revenue is poised to reach US$234.2 mn by 2024.

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About Us

Transparency Market Research is a next-generation market intelligence provider, offering fact-based solutions to business leaders, consultants, and strategy professionals.

Our reports are single-point solutions for businesses to grow, evolve, and mature. Our real-time data collection methods along with ability to track more than one million high growth niche products are aligned with your aims. The detailed and proprietary statistical models used by our analysts offer insights for making right decision in the shortest span of time. For organizations that require specific but comprehensive information we offer customized solutions through adhoc reports. These requests are delivered with the perfect combination of right sense of fact-oriented problem solving methodologies and leveraging existing data repositories.

TMR believes that unison of solutions for clients-specific problems with right methodology of research is the key to help enterprises reach right decision."

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A Ghanaian male residing and working in London, the United Kingdom, has a herbal cure for asthma. However, all his attempts to get any of the pharmaceutical companies in Great Britain to have a look at his curative herb drug have fallen on deaf ears.

By his assertions as confirmed by his work colleagues as could be seen in the video below, the herbal drug is of great efficacy. Some of his work colleagues who are asthma sufferers but no longer suffer from the disease after using the herbal drug, have completely done away with their asthma inhalers.

He may have desired to help a greater number of asthma sufferers throughout the world hence making all the needed efforts to have the big pharmaceutical companies accept it for extensive scientific test, then clinical trials etc. Sadly, things have not turned out as anticipated.

Here is where the saying, "count every misfortune as a blessing" comes in. Now that the western pharmaceutical companies don't want to know about any Ghanaian herbal cure for asthma, why not turn his attention to the pharmaceutical companies in Ghana? If they test it, find it curative as asserted, they can mass-produce it not only to cure asthma patients in Ghana but for export to other African countries, if not to other parts of the world.

It is about time Ghanaians or Africans impacted the world with our contributions toward making it a better place to live rather than always looking up to the whites for everything. We should not feel inferior to produce things of our own for both local and international consumption. Let the finder of the asthma herbal drug get it mass-produced in Ghana and once the world hears about its efficacy, those companies that have rejected him will come seeking him, similarly as the stone that the builder rejected became the head corner stone.

Before we are able to help manufacture it in industrial scale, how can we get some to buy for friends and family members suffering from asthma? Once I get some for my work colleague who is on asthma inhaler for several years now and it cures him, I shall be all out to help advertise it to hopefully get it produced in larger quantities in Ghana.

Ghanaians in our efforts to realise our dream of "Ghana beyond aid" will need to be able to come up with things initiated and produced in Ghana as it is with the asthma herbal drug under discussion.

Let Ghanaians patronise our own products. Let Ghanaians genuinely come up with ideas, the materialisation of which will make Ghana and by extension Africa, develop to the admiration and envy of all.

Asthma sufferers, please check the video and probably make contact. Asthma is a killer disease so we have to kill it before it kills us.

Ghana shall be great if we could honestly come up with innovations in every sphere of our socio-economic life. The sexual-enhancing concoctions as are constantly being advertised on radios, televisions and in passenger vehicles are not what I am talking about here but useful drugs like that for asthma in discussion.

Rockson Adofo

Wednesday, 12 August 2020
The following events are planned for the upcoming week throughout the region:  Colin Mochrie, the star of the long-running Whose Line Is It, Anyway?, joins forces with master hypnotist Asad Mecci, for the return of their hit show HYPROV:...
Azad Maidan police on Wednesday arrested an art teacher of a Chembur-based school who allegedly leaked intermediate papers on WhatsApp in September 2019. The police registered a first information report (FIR) against two art teachers, Amit Pore and Gangadhar Sawant, in July this year after an investigation report was submitted by the education department.

Amit Pore was arrested after his anticipatory bail plea was rejected by session court and the high court recently. He was produced in the court and remanded in police custody till August 12, said senior inspector Vidyasagar Kalkundre, Azad Maidan police station.

Sawant has not been arrested yet. The mobile phones of the suspects have been given to the forensic department in Kalina forensic science laboratory to gather evidence, said Kalkundre.

The intermediate drawing exams were scheduled to be held from September 26 to September 29, 2019 and the papers were leaked on September 24, two days before the exam. Following this, the concerned department of Directorate of Art of Maharashtra government cancelled the exams, said a police officer.

The department then informed all the centres to return the sealed bunch of question papers to the examination centre. The Art department formed a committee and during an inquiry, they found that the seal of one bunch of question papers, sent by the Chembur-based school, was tampered with, said police.

The inquiry further found the involvement of Pore and Sawant, who were the art teachers of the school and in-charge of the question papers. A written complaint regarding the matter was filed by the controller in September last year.

The police conducted an inquiry and found them to be involved. A case has been registered against both for breach of trust and under relevant sections of the Information Technology Act in the second of July, this year. Pore had first approached the sessions court and then the high court seeking anticipatory bail, but his plea was rejected. However, he surrendered in the metropolitan court on Monday and was arrested thereafter, said Kalkundre.
Rome:

Paolo Gentiloni was named as Italy's new prime minister following reformist leader Matteo Renzi's resignation in the wake of a crushing referendum defeat, on Sunday.



Gentiloni, who had been Renzi's foreign minister, was asked by President Sergio Mattarella to form a new government that will guide Italy to elections due by February 2018, a presidency spokesman announced.



Gentiloni, 62, is seen as a close ally of the outgoing premier.

Also read: Italy's Prime Minister Matteo Renzi announces resignation after losing a referendum on constitutional reform

For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
MUSKEGON COUNTY, MI -- A Muskegon County concealed pistol instructor is accused of providing courses that do not meet legal requirements, potentially invalidating licenses for people who attended the classes.

Muskegon County sheriffs investigators late Tuesday, Aug. 11 announced that they were investigating an instructor for violating the Michigan Firearms Act.

Investigators said it had been substantiated that a concealed pistol license instructor, who taught classes on South Dangle Road and Cherry Court in Muskegon Township, had been conducting courses that did not meet legal requirements.

The instructor issued course completion certificates between Sept. 1, 2019 and Aug. 10, 2020.

Police said they are gathering names of people who completed the courses and filed CPL certificates with the Muskegon County Clerks Office.

Investigators ask anyone who obtained a certificate at either of the locations, during the time frame, to contact the Muskegon County Sheriffs Office at 231-724-7126.

They say the CPL may be invalid.

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South Africa: KZN overtakes W Cape as COVID-19 cases rise to 566 109

KwaZulu-Natal has overtaken the Western Cape on Tuesday, becoming the province with the second-highest Coronavirus infections in the country.

The Health Department reported 2 512 new identified cases, which bring the total to 566 109 in South Africa.

Of these new cases, 1 309 were reported in KwaZulu-Natal, bringing the tally to 100 494 cases since the outbreak. This is compared to the Western Cape which now has 100 316 infections, while the Eastern Cape has 82 715 cases.

Gauteng remains the epicentre with 194 093 infections.

According to Health Minister, Dr Zweli Mkhize, there are 130 additional COVID-19 related deaths.

Of the new deaths, 35 are from Gauteng, 30 from KwaZulu-Natal, 25 from the Western Cape and 20 each from the Eastern Cape and the North West, pushing the death toll to 10 751.

We convey our condolences to the loved ones of the departed and thank the healthcare workers who treated the deceased, Mkhize added.

Also, 426 125 have recovered which translates to a recovery rate of 75%, the Minister said.

Meanwhile, 3 278 977 tests have been conducted, of which 11 483 were done in the last 24 hours.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), there are now nearly 20 million cases of COVID-19 worldwide.

WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesu, stressed that behind these statistics there is a great deal of pain and suffering, calling the leaders to suppress the virus.

Globally, there are now 19 936 210 cases and 732 499 deaths of which 4 268 were recorded since the last report.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2020-08-12. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
With the accounts of 11 lakh of an estimated 49 lakh beneficaries of old age, disability and widow pension in Odisha yet to be verified with their respective Aadhar numbers, right to food activists allege that the latest decision to debar such people from availing monthly welfare entitlements is a callous move during the coronavirus pandemic.

At least 49 lakh old, disabled, transgenders, HIV affected and widows in Odisha get monthly pension between Rs 500 and Rs 700 under the National Social Assistance Programme and Madhu Babu Pension Yojana. Though the rising bills have been a major drain on the state exchequer, these welfare measures coupled with subsidies have kept starvation deaths at bay.

However, the state Social Security & Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities department decided to disburse the monthly pension to people with Aadhaar verified accounts from this month. This left around 11 lakh people in the lurch. Aadhaar, as a proof of identity, has been made mandatory for availing benefit under both the pension schemes from August 2020, the department said in a letter to all district collectors.

As per the updated National Dashboard of National Social Assistance Programme, only 83% of the NSAP accounts in Odisha have been verified by Aadhaar, while only 74% have been verified for the MBPY scheme leaving out 11 lakh persons.

Joint secretary of SSEPD department, Dipak Routray, said that Aadhar verification was being done to weed out ghost beneficiaries. During the Aadhar verification, we found out about ghost beneficiaries. Only those with Aadhar verified accounts will get the pension. We are trying to finish the verification process as soon as possible, but cant say how long will the entire process take, said Routray.

Sameet Panda, a right to food activist, condemned the move. People who depend on the allowances can die of starvation when the pandemic is raging. Mandatory linkages with Aadhaar have caused mass exclusions, both at the point of disbursal of welfare entitlements (because of biometric or technical failures) and during the process of seeding and verification. The Aadhar seeding and verification processes are also shrouded in opacity, he said.

Activists also raised question on how the state government after opposing the Aadhar linking with pensioners account in 2017 on the grounds that it would cause hardship to the beneficiaries has now done a volte face. Aadhar seeding or verification can fail for a range of reasons, often without any of the responsible officials understanding the reason, or how it should be remedied. The Aadhar-enabled Payments System (AePS) comes with its own share of failures due to poor design, missing safeguards, and a confusing array of failure codes, said a member of Odisha Khadya Adhikar Abhijan, a group that works for Right to Food.

Activists said if eligible beneficiaries are left out due to Aadhar verification process then there is a possibility of starvation deaths happening like Dukhi Jani, a 46-year-old tribal woman in Nayagarh district who died after going without food for three days in June.

Opposition leaders also said that the government should not stop the monthly pension on the pretext of Aadhar verification. For a large number of tribals and Dalits in the remote districts, the pension is the only source of sustenance. The govt can continue giving the pension while doing the verification process, said Pradipta Naik, Leader of Opposition in Odisha Assembly.
Great British Bake Off star Candice Brown was seen living it up with X Factor 2008 star Diana Vickers at the beach in Whitstable on Tuesday.

The chef and restaurateur, 35, looked sensational in a tiny black bikini while giving a flash of the thus unseen wedding date tattoo on her bicep, while Diana, 29, donned a near-identical number as they frolicked in the surf.

The outing comes after MailOnline revealed that Candice's estranged husband Liam Macaulay holidayed on a Greek island with mother-of-one Micah Taffurelli as his marriage to the Bake Off star collapsed.

Stunners: Great British Bake Off star Candice Brown was seen living it up with X Factor 2008 star Diana Vickers at the beach in Whitstable on Tuesday

Candice looked to be having a wild time on the beach as she and her unlikely pal frolicked in the water while joined by Dancing On Ice's Matt Evers.

While Candice favoured low-slung bottoms to showcase her taut abs, Diana went fro a vintage style with high-waisted bottoms.

Showing her trendy style, she pulled her hair into a high ponytail with a scarf wrapped around to fix the do' in place.

As she lifted her arms up to pull her hair back, Candice gave a flash of the date of her wedding which had been delicately inked under her arm. Candice has another tattoo on her ribs, although the text cannot be clearly read.

Sad times: Candid flashed a glimpse of her wedding date inking on her bicep - showing the date of her nuptials, 22.9.18

Tough times: The outing comes after MailOnline revealed that Candice's estranged husband Liam Macaulay holidayed on a Greek island with mother-of-one Micah Taffurelli as his marriage to the Bake Off star collapsed

Hot stuff! The chef and restaurateur, 35, looked sensational in a tiny black bikini, while Diana, 29, donned a near-identical number as they frolicked in the surf

Jetting off: But MailOnline has revealed he appears to have formed a close friendship with former model, Micah. She posted two pictures on Facebook of her and Liam sunning themselves in Greece on July 19

The brunette beauty seemed unfazed by the recent revelation about her husband of two years and his jaunt amid the disintergration of their romance.

Liam jetted to Mykonos with Micah days before he confirmed the end of his marriage. Tree surgeon Liam told MailOnline how their relationship collapsed under the pressures of fame as her career took off after winning Bake Off in 2016.

He said at the time that he had gone on a two-week break to get over the split while insisting that nobody else was involved in the break-up.

But MailOnline has revealed he appears to have formed a close friendship with former model, Micah. She posted two pictures on Facebook of her and Liam sunning themselves in Greece on July 19.

Sensational: Candice looked to be having a wild time on the beach as she and her unlikely pal frolicked in the water while joined by Dancing On Ice's Matt Evers

Hot stuff: While Candice favoured low-slung bottoms to showcase her taut abs, Diana went fro a vintage style with high-waisted bottoms

Hot stuff: She looked stunning in the stylish in the black number

Hitting the shores: Proving themselves to have formed a close friendship she was joined by her Dancing On Ice co-srtar Matt Evers

Haha! She and Matt were feeling particularly playful as she jumped on his back

Sizzling: Diana looked to be showing off some dance moves as they larked around

Cheeky! Diana gave a hint of cleavage as she bent to down

She also posted more pictures showing her relaxing and enjoying local cuisine including oysters on the island.

They pair looked cosy during their relaxing break, but Liam denied she was his girlfriend when contacted by MailOnline today, insisting: 'I am not in a relationship with anyone.'

Micah, 28, who lives with her young son from a previous relationship in Dunstable, Bedfordshire, and works in hospitality, declined to comment on the holiday.

Get in! She braved the chilly waters as she went for a warm dip

Wow! The girls looked incredible in their sizzling numbers which showed off their figures

Sizzling: She looked fabulous during her dip in the ocean

Candice's ex told how he had struggled with being thrust into his wife's showbiz world after she won the Channel 4 show and appeared on Dancing On Ice.

He confirmed he had moved out of the flat they shared with their three dogs Dennis, Albus and Sybil above the gastro pub she runs with her brother, The Green Man in Eversholt, Bedfordshire.

Speaking of their marriage split while he was sunning himself in Greece, he said: 'There is nobody else involved. We have just sadly decided it wasn't working.'

Hold me close: The girls did not stray far from one another during the jaunt

Stylish: Diana was famed for her chic style on X Factor has clearly maintained her fashionista status

Shorty! Candice pulled on some shorts to do a drinks run

Playful! The girls were feeling super playful in the water

Candice first met Liam in the bar where he worked while studying for a degree, back in 2012.

After five years of dating, the couple announced their engagement in October 2017, just over a year after she first appeared on Bake Off.

Their relationship came under strain just days after becoming engaged when Candice was pictured kissing Bake Off judge Paul Hollywood, 54, on a night out.

Liam said last month: 'I'd not long asked Candice to marry me and I had to read reports that my new fiancee was seen kissing Hollywood and getting close to him.

Here come the girls! The ladies were having a wild time in the waters and held hands

Out and about: They looked happier than ever as they walked down the beach

Drink up! The girls enjoyed a refreshing drink as they walked down the beach

'That was just a kiss on her cheek and there was nothing else to it. But we had only been engaged a few days. It was a lot to have to deal with.'

The couple went on to tie the knot in a romantic ceremony at Chateau de Varennes in Burgundy, France, in September 2018.

But Liam said they had called time on their marriage after a series of long talks.

He said last month: 'My wife is a lovely woman and a wonderful human being and I could never find anything detrimental to say about her.'
Uber, in partnership with Mastercard and Al Nahda, a Saudi NGO dedicated to empowering women, will be facilitating free rides to select beneficiaries across the kingdom for the next two months.

The strategic partnership between Mastercard and Uber spans across Middle East & Africa and is the largest partnership for Uber in the region, aiming to support members of the community based on specific needs and initiatives. Initially, it started in the UAE by offering free transport from the airport for residents arriving home. Further initiatives are being rolled out across the region, each one tailor made to the specific country and consumer needs.

Uber is utilising its technology and making available their wide network of drivers to ensure cities have a reliable and efficient way of getting around. The technology company has shared relevant health information with drivers to ensure they are well-informed in Covid-19 related safety protocols and have been provided with masks and sanitizer reimbursements.

Mastercard is helping people around the world navigate these challenging times. While ensuring that its network remains secure, resilient and reliable. Mastercard is also applying its technology, philanthropy, and data science expertise to rebuild communities and ensure that economic growth is inclusive. As millions of people across the world come together in their communities, Mastercard is extending its support to help those who help others.

Amnah Ajmal, Executive Vice President Market Development, Mastercard, MEA explained: Mastercards partnership with Uber in Saudi Arabia is focused on helping those who help others. Ubers mission to improve lives is matched with Mastercards mission of doing well by doing good, and together we are focused on helping people across the region feel confident and safe with access to free transportation.

Mohammad Gazzaz, General Manager, Uber, Middle East and Africa, said: It is our role to better connect cities and communities through safe, reliable technology and in the moments that matter the most. Kicking off the partnership in Saudi Arabia through Al Nahda with free trips for beneficiaries is only a testament to our continued commitment to the Kingdom and the communities it thrives in.

We are proud to be working alongside both Mastercard and Al Nahda to ensure that we are supporting those who support the Saudi community especially on the frontline, by having access to safe and reliable transport at all times," added Gazzaz.

Commenting on this initiative, Rasha Al Turki, Al Nahda CEO, said: We are proud to be working alongside Uber and Mastercard to alleviate some of the burden on women during these unprecedented times by allowing them to move around freely and comfortably. We would also like to thank Uber for their continued trust and support in facilitating the free rides.

The Move What Matters initiative comes as part of Ubers global pledge to help communities in the region, and globally. Earlier in May, Uber launched its UberMedics initiative in Saudi Arabia, providing healthcare workers in Riyadh, Jeddah and Eastern Province with discounted trips to and from their workplaces. - TradeArabia News Service
The Air Force's newest combat search-and-rescue helicopter, the HH-60W Jolly Green II, hit another milestone Aug. 5, as it began two weeks of developmental tests on its aerial refueling abilities at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida.

The rescue helicopter, based on the Army's UH-60M Black Hawk and designed for locating and rescuing pilots who have gone down in hostile territory, has already undergone radar, weather and defensive system testing, according to a base news release. The Air Force has a contract to purchase 113 of the HH-60W helicopters to replace its HH-60G Pave Hawks.

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The helo, named the Jolly Green II by the Air Force in February, connected with a HC-130J tanker for a successful refueling approximately 3,000 feet above the ground, the release states. The 413th Flight Test Squadron and its mission partners will continue developmental testing of the aircraft's aerial refueling capabilities, which will be conducted both in daylight hours and at night with night-vision goggles.

"This capability is essential for the CSAR mission since it greatly extends the operating range of the aircraft and thus allows the unit to extend their rescue capabilities over a larger battlespace," Joe Whiteaker, 413th FLTS Combat Rescue Helicopter flight chief, said in a statement. "Our job is to evaluate how difficult aerial refueling will be for operational pilots and to identify any unforeseen hazards due to the unique configuration of the HH-60W, which may not have been present in the legacy HH-60G."

The aircrew and engineers will evaluate the helicopter's connection with the fuel drogue and its handling qualities during refueling, according to the release.

The Jolly Green II is manufactured by Lockheed Martin's Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. and carries advanced and improved defensive systems. In addition to its combat duties, it will also provide civil search and rescue; medical evacuation; disaster response; humanitarian assistance; security cooperation and aviation advisory; NASA space flight support; and rescue command and control, according to the release.

"This is a critical test milestone for the program as it reinforces the superior capabilities of the HH-60W and its ability to support the Air Force's CSAR mission," Greg Hames, the Sikorsky Combat Rescue Helicopter program director, said in a statement. "The execution of this critical test is yet another demonstration of our successful partnership with the Air Force and brings us one step closer to delivering this much needed helicopter to our Airmen."

Maj. Andrew Fama, a 413th FLTS pilot, flew the helo during the refueling mission. "It's rare for a test pilot to have the opportunity to test a new aircraft replacing the one he or she flew operationally and to be the first one to do something like this," he said in the release. "It was an honor to be the pilot to fly this mission and work with a truly professional test team."

-- Bing Xiao can be reached at bingxiao2020@u.northwestern.edu.

Related: In Vietnam-Era Throwback, New Air Force Rescue Helo Is the 'Jolly Green II'
T he daughter of a man gunned down in south London as he walked home last month has launched an emotional appeal for information about her fathers killing.

Police believe 43-year-old Dean Edwards was assassinated in a case of mistaken identity after he sustained a single fatal injury to the back of his head as he left Betts Park in Penge, south east London, in the early hours of July 12 .

Detectives have looked at CCTV and knocked doors in the area in an attempt to piece together what happened, but, one month on, they remain perplexed as to why the popular father-of-four and grandfather to five was gunned down.

Mr Edwards daughter, Hollie Edwards, 21, described her father as a "big softie" and appealed for anyone with information concerning his murder to come forward.

Hollie Edwards, the daughter of Dean Edwards, stands next to tributes for her father at Betts Park / PA

Our dad was a friendly, bubbly and loving person," Ms Edwards said.

He was never confrontational and hated arguments, he was a big softie at heart, loved all the grandchildren and spoiled them.

He was a good, innocent person. He was really generous, used to get all the beers in. You knew you were having a cheap night if you went out with dad. But hes been taken from us, wrongly.

Mistaken identity is the only thing that makes sense  and that just doesnt make sense.

She continued: Someone out there knows what happened to our dad, she said.

Someone knows who did this.

Please tell the police any little thing youve heard, it might be a big deal.

Weve tried to sugarcoat whats happened with the grandchildren, but the oldest one is eight and he wants and deserves answers as much as we do.

Tributes near the scene of Dean Edwards' murder in Betts Park / PA

Police believe Mr Edwards, who had worked for a locally based events hire firm for the last two decades, walked through Betts Park shortly after midnight on the night he died.

He crossed the park and was walking down the alleyway leading onto Croydon Road near his home when he was shot with a 9mm pistol. His lifeless body was discovered at around 2am.

Police said Mr Edwards, who adopted three step-children in his early 20s, was not involved in any criminal activity and had never been in trouble with them.

Detective Chief Inspector Kate Kieran said: We believe this is a case of mistaken identity. There is nothing in Deans life, background, family and friends, or in the pubs he visited earlier that evening that indicate hes had a row or argument  nothing.

It means we can concentrate on criminality in the area and those with access to firearms.

Someone has to have been in the park, and hes been shot some point in this alleyway. Someone was in the park, with a gun. Why? We are keeping an open mind, but it was not linked to Dean.

No arrests have been made.

Ms Kieran added: For there to have been a single person who has got hold of a firearm, shot someone dead in a park  not necessarily the person they were intending  and then not talk about it, that would be highly unusual.

We really do think there are people out there who know whats happened  thats who we want to hear from. Nobody has a bad word to say about Dean. This case  with Dean being an innocent victim  has a particular impetus.

Mr Edwards death was one among a spate of violent murders in the capital during a short period last month.

Billy McCullagh, 27, was gunned down in Harlesden, north west London, on July 16, a day after 18-year-old Ahmed Yasin-Ali was found stabbed to death in Maida Vale, west London.

British champion fighter Jahreau Shepherd was stabbed to death in Kennington, south London, on July 11, while a 19-year-old man was left in a critical condition and two 15-year-old boys were seriously injured in a triple shooting in the Broadwater Farm estate, north London, on July 23.

Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 020 8721 4868, or via 101 quoting CAD 1402/12JUL.
Il magnate dell'high tech John McAfee e stato fermato per alcune ore dalla polizia in Norvegia perche utilizzava un perizoma per coprire il viso e si era rifiutato di indossare una mascherina certificata.

A raccontarlo e stato proprio l'ideatore del software antivirus, che su Twitter ha spiegato di essere stato fermato dalle autorita norvegesi. La motivazione? Indossava una mascherina che aveva realizzato con della biancheria intima da donna, di pizzo nero, la cui foto e stata poi condivisa dalla moglie Janice.

Il manager 74enne ha spiegato: "E la piu sicura disponibile e mi rifiuto di indossare qualcos'altro per il bene della mia salute". La moglie Janice ha insistito: "La mascherina perizoma non ricicla la sua anidride carbonica espirata, come le maschere sopra le orecchie".

Dopo alcune ore, la coppia e riuscita a imbarcarsi sul proprio aereo privato per Monaco, dove vive.

McAfee, nato nel 1945 in una base militare statunitense sul territorio britannico, ha una lunga storia di problemi con le forze dell'ordine, come ricorda il Daily Mail. Ha fatto notizia nel 2012 per essere stato ricercato cin merito all'omicidio del suo vicino in Belize. L'eccentrico milionario era stato poi rintracciato in Guatemala. Successivamente era stato arrestato per essere entrato illegalmente nel paese e alla fine era stato rimpatriato negli Stati Uniti.

La scorsa estate McAfee e sua moglie sono stati arrestati dalla polizia nella Repubblica Dominicana che li ha accusati di essere entrati nell'isola con una barca carica di armi da fuoco. Poi e fuggito in Lituania. Attualmente, sta cercando di candidarsi per il Libertarian Party (che non vuole vincoli al capitalismo) a presidente degli Stati Uniti. Ci aveva gia provato senza esito nel 2016.

 Riproduzione riservata

(Unioneonline/v.l.)
Alibaba-backed Best Inc is seeking a Hong Kong listing for its express delivery and freight delivery businesses, keen to boost its valuation and establish an investor base closer to China, said three sources with knowledge of the matter. The plans by Best, which went public in New York in 2017 and has a market value of $1.8 billion, are preliminary and the offering size and target valuation have yet to be determined, said the sources, speaking on condition of anonymity as the information was private. The Hangzhou-based company, which has been unhappy with its New York valuation, ...
WASHINGTON, Aug. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the U.S. Small Business Administration announced that the federal government exceeded its small business federal contracting goal, awarding 26.50 percent or $132.9 billion in federal contract dollars to small businesses, over $12 billion increase from the previous fiscal year. Additionally, the Fiscal Year 2019 Small Business Federal Procurement Scorecard marks the second time in Scorecard history that the women-owned small business contracting goal of 5% has been met*.

The federal government also added a record-breaking one million jobs to the American economy with $132.9 billion in prime contract dollars awarded to small businesses and $90.7 billion in subcontracts awarded. Overall, the federal government earned an "A" on this year's government-wide Scorecard.

"I'm thrilled to report that the federal government exceeded its set goals and awarded a significant $132 billion to small businesses in FY19," said SBA Administrator Jovita Carranza. "There is good news for women-owned small businesses too. For the second time in the history of the Scorecard, the federal government has met the women's contracting goal. For the seventh year in a row, the federal government has also exceeded the contracting goal set for service-disabled veterans. The federal prime and subcontracts awarded to small businesses in FY19 equate to more than one million jobs created. Every contract that gets in the hands of a small business is a win-win for our nation, entrepreneurs and their employees, and the communities they support. This is especially important now, as our economy recovers from the pandemic-related setbacks."

FY2019 Small Business Federal Procurement Scorecard :

The individual agency scorecards released today by the SBA, as well as a detailed explanation of the methodology, is available online.

In FY19, the federal government exceeded the service-disabled veteran-owned small business and small disadvantaged business goals and the prime contract dollar awards in all small business categories increased from previous years.

The federal government also exceeded its subcontract goals for awards to small businesses and women-owned small businesses and awarded more than $90 billion in subcontracts to all small businesses.

*The prime contract goal achievements by dollars and percentages for all categories are as follows:

Category Goal 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019(1) $(B) %SB $(B) %SB $(B) %SB $(B) %SB $(B) %SB Small Business 23% $90.70 25.70% $99.70 24.40% $105.70 23.80% $120.80 25.05% $132.90 26.50% Small Disadvantaged Business 5% $35.40 10.10% $39.10 9.40% $40.20 9.10% $46.50 9.65% $51.60 10.29% Service- Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business 3% $13.80 3.90% $16.30 4.00% $17.90 4.10% $20.60 4.27% $22.00 4.39% Women Owned Small Business 5% $17.80 5.10% $19.70 4.80% $20.80 4.70% $22.90 4.75% $26.00 5.19% HUBZone 3% $6.40 1.80% $6.90 1.70% $7.30 1.70% $9.90 2.05% $11.40 2.28% 1. FY19, in accordance with federal law, SBA provided double credit, for scorecard purposes only, for prime contract awards in disaster areas that are awarded as a local area set aside and a small business or other socio-economic set aside when the vendor state is the same as the place of performance (15 USC  644(f)), for Puerto Rico awards (15 USC  644(x)(1)) and included in the calculation of FY19 government-wide achievements the Department of Energy first-tier subcontracts required to be included by section 318 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2014 ("CAA"), Public Law 113-76.

SBA continues to collaborate with federal agencies to expand small business opportunities for small business contractors to compete and win federal contracts. The FY2019 Scorecard analyzed the prime contracting and subcontracting performance and other contributing factors, which resulted in an overall "A" grade for the federal government. Eight agencies received A+, 14 received a grade of "A" and two received a "B" grade.

Small Business Federal Procurement Scorecard Overview :

The annual Procurement Scorecard is an assessment tool to: (1) measure how well federal agencies reach their small business and socio-economic prime contracting and subcontracting goals; (2) provide accurate and transparent contracting data and (3) report agency-specific progress. The prime and subcontracting component goals include goals for small businesses, small businesses owned by women, small disadvantaged businesses, service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses, and small businesses located in Historically Underutilized Business Zones (HUBZones).

Every year, the SBA works with each agency to set their prime and subcontracting goals and their performance is based on the agreed upon goals. Each federal agency has a different small business contracting goal, determined annually in consultation with the SBA. The SBA ensures that the sum total of all of the goals exceeds the 23 percent target for the federal government as well as the socio-economic goals established by law.

While each federal agency is responsible for ensuring the quality of its own contracting data, SBA conducts additional analyses to help agencies identify potential data anomalies. As part of its ongoing data quality efforts, the SBA works with federal agency procurement staff to provide analysis and tools to facilitate review of data, implement improvements to procurement systems and conduct training to improve accuracy.

About the U.S. Small Business Administration

The U.S. Small Business Administration makes the American dream of business ownership a reality. As the only go-to resource and voice for small businesses backed by the strength of the federal government, the SBA empowers entrepreneurs and small business owners with the resources and support they need to start, grow or expand their businesses, or recover from a declared disaster. It delivers services through an extensive network of SBA field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations. To learn more visit www.sba.gov .

Contact: [email protected]

Follow us on Twitter , Facebook , Blogs & Instagram

Release Number: 20-60

SOURCE U.S. Small Business Administration

Related Links

http://www.sba.gov


The Supreme Court has sought a plan from the civic agencies in Delhi for installing Radio Frequency Identity (RFID) system at 111 toll points to electronically deduct municipal toll tax and the environment compensation charge (ECC) from e-wallets of commercial vehicles. The plan has to be submitted by August 20, the court said.

The RFID system is already working at 13 toll points in Delhi. There are total 124 toll points in Delhi.

The Supreme Court order, passed on Monday, came on a suggestion by Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority (EPCA) -- an expert statutory body assisting the apex court in matters relating to environment and pollution. EPCA pointed out to the court that with the introduction of RFID technology, it has been possible to check the entry of commercial vehicles older than 10 years. It has further improved online collection of the environment cess, EPCA said. The ECC was imposed on commercial vehicles by the Supreme Court to dissuade their entry into the Capital in order to reduce air pollution.

In its latest report dated January 28, 2020 submitted to the top court, EPCA said, The results from the 13 entry points are substantial and suggest that the efforts to mitigate pollution have been rewarded. There is a 95% reduction in the total particulate load from trucks entering from 13 locations, as compared to 2015. There is 87-94% reduction in NOx loads from light-heavy duty vehicles entering from 13 locations.

A bench of justices Arun Mishra, Br Gavai and Krishna Murari said, It is agreed to by the learned counsel appearing for EPCA and the municipal corporation that on all the 111 entry points, RFID should be implemented and that can be done within the budget which is available. Let the steps be taken in this regard for implementation of the RFID and plan be placed on record before the next date of hearing on August 20.

Senior advocate Aparajita Singh assisting the Court as amicus curiae in this matter told HT, The 13 locations were selected since 80% heavy vehicles used them to enter city. But in the latest assessment, the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) informed the court that commercial traffic was increasing at the 111 other entry points to the Capital.

According to the EPCA report, the entry of commercial vehicles at 13 entry points has reduced from a maximum of 38,000 per day to 3,000 per day after the introduction of ECC and RFID system. The number of commercial vehicles entering Delhi also reduced after the opening of Western and Eastern Peripheral expressways last year, Singh said.

According to the EPCA report, Vehicle owners (of commercial vehicles) are seeking new entry points to avoid payment of ECC.

To plug this loophole, the EPCA urged the apex court to extend RFID to all entry points of the Capital on an urgent basis. The project, to be undertaken by SDMC, will incur a cost of 36 crore. For the first phase (in 13 locations), 80.94 crore was spent. The total cost for both phases will be 116.94 crore, which is within the stipulated 120 crore sanctioned as project cost by the court, EPCA stated.

A senior official of the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC), which is the nodal agency to collect ECC in Delhi, said 111 more toll points are to be equipped with RFID for which the SC has asked to submit a report by August 20. EPCA has convened a meeting to discuss the issue on Thursday. Once the Supreme Court clears the plan, we will start work on it, the official said, requesting anonymity.
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif. Photo: Xinhua

What we in Iran - the target of a vicious and indiscriminate sanctions regime -have seen from the current US administration is quite straightforward: there is no grand vision for an alternative global community. The US' fickleness and unpredictability have nothing to do with masterful implementation of game theory. Rather whether it comes to its mismanagement of COVID-19 at home or its undermining of peace and stability abroad, the current regime in Washington has no real plan except to frontally assault those who stand by the rule of law.

The US handling of UN Security Council Resolution 2231, which endorsed - and is inseparable from - the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, commonly known as the Iran nuclear deal, is a case in point.

In July 2015, Iran, the United States, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany signed a landmark agreement to satisfy any concerns over the exclusively peaceful nature of our nuclear program while relieving the Iranian people of inhumane and unjust sanctions. As part of the JCPOA, the US and other signatories also jointly co-sponsored UN Security Council Resolution 2231, which embraces the nuclear deal - and to which its full 90 pages are attached, thus enshrining the accord into international law. However, in May 2018 the US administration declared that it had unilaterally opted for "ceasing participation" in the JCPOA. Since then, Iran and the rest of the international community have been left in the extraordinary position of watching the US become the first government in UN history that not just violates a binding resolution it itself sponsored, but also punishes those governments and companies that uphold international law by implementing its provisions. As I warned the Security Council last month, this status quo is neither desirable nor sustainable. We are thus at a crossroads.

The US administration's disinformation campaign - including false and forged claims regarding a regional consensus about the consequences of the remaining signatories to the JCPOA upholding the deal's provisions, including normalizing Iran's defense cooperation with the world in October - is a ruse to disguise its real, more malevolent motivations: having failed to collapse Resolution 2231 after over two years of the most brutal "maximum pressure" ever imposed on a nation - including depriving ordinary Iranians of access to medicines and medical equipment amid the deadliest pandemic the world has seen in many decades - the US now hopes to abuse its mal-interpretation of the provisions of the same resolution it abandoned in 2018 to finally destroy it. This deeply malicious US behavior is evident throughout the UN, where it seeks to use the UN itself to effectively destroy the world body.

There are several key issues and consequences to consider in this equation.

First and foremost, one may wonder why or how the collapse of a single UN Security Council resolution on a niche subject relates to the bigger picture. It does, for most notably it would be a generational setback for the cause of multilateralism should the Security Council be bullied into torpedoing its own resolution. Unless all powers respect the principles which the Council was created to embody, it cannot perform its duties, nor can any nation acknowledge its authority.

We should not forget that the same US regime has fatuously also withdrawn from the WHO amid the worst global pandemic, but now seeks to lead the WHO reform process, to the chagrin of its closest Western allies.

If the US is allowed to continue on this path, the world will slide backwards toward a "might makes right" standard. And while this may sound appealing to Cold Warriors looking for new targets, even that standard has its limits. For both superpowers of the past century witnessed the unraveling of their international influence in their military defeat in Afghanistan, a country with a GDP that is 14 times smaller than Apple Inc.'s annual revenue.

We have also seen in past years how the US administration has - in parallel with its assault on international institutions and accords - sought to supplant international law with its own domestic laws. In practice, this has meant that it is now the US Treasury and not European national governments which decide with whom European companies can do business - be it under Resolution 2231 or their own North Stream gas lifeline.

While it has so far primarily been the US that has sought to expand the jurisdiction of its domestic laws, there is nothing to suggest that it will retain a monopoly on it. With the opening of this Pandora's box and with complacency on the part of some national governments, it is not difficult to imagine a future where ordinary citizens and private enterprises alike may end up having to contend with the extra-territorial application of multiple and growing series of domestic laws, debilitating international travel, trade and investment in a retrograde step for our globalized world.

Thus, the international community in general - and the UN Security Council in particular - face an important decision: do we maintain respect for the rule of law, or do we return to the law of the jungle?

While Iran has proven its resilience and decisive response to coercive bullying, I am confident that - in the next few critical weeks and months - members of the Security Council will refute the campaign struggle of a beleaguered US administration to turn what was the diplomatic achievement of the 21st Century into an exercise in futility, and in the process annihilate what is left of multilateralism and international law.

Mohammad Javad Zarif is Foreign Minister of Islamic Republic of Iran
Does that mean Sunrise shareholders can ask for more money? Probably not. Malones offer is the only option on the table. The one other fixed-network operator in Switzerland is state-controlled Swisscom AG, which already has its own mobile network. No other bidder could find the savings from combining networks to justify even Libertys current offer price, which is a 28% premium to the stocks close on Tuesday. And Liberty has an alternative target in Salt, a smaller Swiss carrier owned by French billionaire Xavier Niel.
Stuck between the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and its sprawling economic impacts, the extreme poverty of the Jalapa mountains of Guatemala and local politics, a Niagara-based charity says it may be able to continue to feed starving people thanks to local donations made this week.

Scott Maxwell, chair of Wells of Hope, said if the donations keep coming a critical meal program serving thousands of Indigenous people in the mountains  a program on the verge of shutting down this weekend due to a lack of resources  could survive until the fall.

The idea is that if this works, we can keep it going until the fall when the crops start coming in and the people are able to help themselves, said Maxwell. The response so far has been amazing.

Earlier this week, Wells of Hope founder Ted van der Zalm, who has been unable to leave Guatemala due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, said the meal program was on the verge of collapse. The hot meal the program provides daily is often the only food the people in need have.

Without an injection of resources, Van der Zalm said, Wells of Hope would be unable to buy enough food to keep the program running.

After the Standard published a story about the situation, two local families  both of which want to remain anonymous  provided large donations to the charity. One donation was for $50,000 and the other for $40,000.

Maxwell said if someone donates another $40,000 to Wells of Hope, the second family will match it.

He said that would be enough money to keep the meal program running until the farmers in the Jalapa mountains can harvest their crops, which largely consist of corn and beans.

Like most countries, Guatemalas national government imposed economic and social lockdowns to limit the spread of the novel coronavirus which causes the COVID-19 disease.

In the already impoverished Jalapa mountains, the lockdown had an immediate and devastating effect.

Maxwell said many people are dependant on being able to take public transit from the mountains into the valley towns or cities, including Guatemala City, to buy food and sell what they can. When the pandemic struck, those public buses were shut down, effectively trapping the mountain population. The only way to get to the city and back is to walk.

You had a situation where people were literally starving, Maxwell said. So we decided to see what we could to do help.

Wells of Hope first reached out to the local Catholic diocese which, although keen to help, did not have deep pockets.

Just like Wells of Hope and other charities, the church didnt have money because they arent getting donations either, he said.

Similarly, the cash strapped municipal government was willing to help but, without the kind of social safety net that exists in countries like Canada, its ability to act is limited.

Still, Maxwell said the partnership between the charity, church and government, combined with some donations from Canada, allowed Wells of Hope to build an outdoor kitchen, bring in food and pay for the gas to have Jalapa residents bussed to the meal program site from the small villages that dot the hardscrabble mountains.

According to Maxwell and Van der Zalm, once word got out that Wells of Hope  which has been in Guatemala for nearly two decades digging wells for mountain communities with no access to clean water  had a meal program, demand skyrocketed.

Initially, hundreds were lining up for food every day. Now it is more than 2,000 and rising. Local donations of money and food began to dry up this month and Van der Zalm said Monday the program might not survive the week.

Maxwell said the aim now is to get Jalapa residents through the current rainy season to the fall, when crops are harvested. Once residents can grow their food, that should take some of the pressure off the Wells of Hope program.

To do that, he said, the charity still needs an injection of cash which is why he hopes someone will answer the $40,000 challenge from the recent donor.

One Canadian dollar buys around six Guatemalan Quetzals  the nations currency  and can be stretched to supply the meal program for a few months.

For more information or to donate to Wells of Hope, go online to www.wellsofhope.com.
Horrific photographs taken inside the blood-soaked Mercedes where a former bikie boss was gunned down have been shown during his murder trial.

Mahmoud 'Mick' Hawi was shot dead during an alleged daylight execution outside Fitness First in Rockdale, in Sydney's south, on February 15, 2018.

Yusuf Nazlioglu, 38, and Jamal Eljaidi, 32, are accused of Hawi's murder. Both deny their alleged role in the killing.

Photos taken by police and tendered to the court on Wednesday show Hawi's luxury 4WD riddled with bullet holes and shell casings.

Mr Hawi's blood was visible across the steering wheel, leather-upholstered car seat and centre console in the graphic photographs

Former Comanchero bikie boss Mahmoud 'Mick' Hawi arriving at the NSW Supreme Court in 2014. He was killed outside of a gym in 2018, the day after Valentines Day

A receptionist at the gym told the court she felt glass behind her neck as a gunman executed the Sydney identity outside the front doors of her workplace.

Stephanie Nicolaou was at the front desk when she saw a man dressed in a black hoodie walk towards Mr Hawi's car, which was parked within metres of the gym's front doors.

'The next minute, I heard bang bang bang,' she told the NSW Supreme Court on Wednesday.

Mr Hawi's blood was visible across the steering wheel, leather-upholstered car seat and centre console in the graphic photographs

The passenger window was shattered on the black Mercedes AMG and bullet holes were left in the side of the gym's windows (pictured)

'I didn't know what was happening until I saw the bullet holes on the other side.'

Mr Nazlioglu has pleaded not guilty to murdering his former close friend.

Ms Nicolaou said she hid behind the gym's front desk when she realised she was metres from the firing gun.

'I panicked and tried to duck for cover,' she said.

'I initially felt glass hit down behind my neck.'

Another eyewitness, gym customer Matthew Kellaway, drove into the car park and parked his car just seconds before the fatal shots were fired.

He heard loud bangs, looked into his rear-view mirror and saw a balaclava-clad man dressed all in black at the car.

Photos taken by police and tendered to the court on Wednesday show Mr Hawi's luxury 4WD was riddled with bullet holes (pictured) and shell casings after his death

The passenger window was shattered on the black Mercedes AMG (pictured) and bullet holes were left in the side of the gym's windows

'It was a fairly animated sort of thing, (he was) reaching into the car a little bit and then they sprinted off pretty quickly,' Mr Kellaway told the trial on Wednesday.

Mr Kellaway grabbed a medical care bag from his car and found Mr Hawi unresponsive in the car.

He conceded in cross-examination that his view of the incident was through two rows of parked cars and it was of a 'very short' duration.

CCTV from a camera across the road from the gym car park showed the gunman reach into Mr Hawi's car, fire the shots and then sprint to a waiting car.

That car, allegedly driven by Jamal Eljaidi who has also pleaded not guilty to murder, was torched minutes after the shooting, the jury has been told.

The men are accused of moving into a second car, found in Rosebery a month later with a balaclava in a front seat footwell.

Pictured: A burnt out Silver Mercedes-Benz

Pictured: A burnt out Silver Mercedes-Benz

DNA consistent with Eljaidi's was found in that car but his barrister has suggested secondary transfer could be involved.

Nazlioglu denies being the balaclava-clad gunman, with his barrister telling the jury on Tuesday others had a greater motive to kill.

Mr Hawi became national president of the Comancheros at just 22 but relinquished the role in 2009 when he was sent to prison.

He later had tension with Comancheros leader Mark Buddle but Mr Hawi's wife, Carolina Gonzalez, told the trial on Tuesday it was not bikie related.

Ms Nicolaou is expected to resume her evidence on Friday after technical difficulties impacted her ability to video-call from interstate.

The trial is due to resume on Thursday with other witnesses testifying.
(Natural News) One of the best things you can do to naturally protect yourself against the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) is not to cover your skin but rather to purposely expose it to natural sunlight.

The vitamin D hormone produced by the suns rays when they interact with human skin has been scientifically shown to help protect the human body against disease, the Wuhan coronavirus being no exception.

In addition to supporting a healthy colon and guarding against cardiovascular disease, vitamin D from the sun has been shown time and time again to help strengthen the immune system, giving it the fuel it needs to ward off illness.

According to Dr. Kecia Gaither, screening for vitamin D is the first thing doctors should do when evaluating patients because patients with adequate vitamin D levels have been found to have lesser morbid and mortality from COVID-19 than those that were deficient.

Along with vitamin D supplementation, adequate sunshine exposure is needed, particularly if melanated because vitamin D is made in the skin, she explains. Melanin inhibits vitamin D production in the skin.

In other words, people with darker skin are more likely to be vitamin D deficient because their unique pigmentation acts as a barrier against the beneficial ultraviolet (UV) rays that trigger vitamin D production in the skin.

Being obese and having darker skin is a double whammy against healthy vitamin D levels

Research compiled by The Cooper Institute has determined that black people and others with darker skin tones are at a disadvantage when it comes to having optimal vitamin D levels. This is especially true, the institution further found, when black people are obese.

African American men and women with moderate or high fitness levels were 45 percent less likely to have vitamin D deficiency than those with low fitness levels, the Cooper Institute reports.

Additionally, obese African American men and women were 70 percent more likely to have vitamin D deficiency than those who were normal weight.

This may explain why the black community has higher rates of chronic disease than non-black communities. Leading a sedentary lifestyle and having inadequate vitamin D is a recipe for a health disaster, and many black people suffer from both, according to the data.

This would also seem to explain why black people are being hit the hardest by the Wuhan coronavirus, as they simply do not have robust enough immune systems to ward off serious infection. If they are not already supplementing with vitamin D3, black people require much more time in the sun to produce the same levels of vitamin D as white people, hence why many are deficient.

Dr. Abe Malkin recommends supplementing with 2,000 international units (IU) of vitamin D daily for maintenance, or 5,000 IU if one is exceptionally deficient. Vitamin D can also be obtained naturally from wild salmon, white mushrooms, cod liver oil, and raw milk and butter.

Dr. Malkin also suggests supplementing with zinc and vitamin C, both of which help bolster the immune system. It is also advisable to drink green tea along with zinc, as the epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) in green tea functions as a zinc ionophore, meaning it supports zinc in making its way into cells.

Scotland recently updated its official guidance on vitamin D to reflect the current situation with the Wuhan coronavirus. The government there says that it is important that people maintain sufficient levels of vitamin D, adding that people in high-risk groups should take a daily supplement.

France likewise recommends that people supplement with vitamin D to help maintain adequate levels. Those over 60, the French government further maintains, should take a bolus dose of 50,000 to 100,000 IU if tests show they are deficient.

For more related news about the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) and how to combat it naturally, visit Pandemic.news.

Sources for this article include:

TheEpochTimes.com

NaturalNews.com

ZeroHedge.com
Investigations have been launched into the deaths of hundreds of NHS and care workers who had Covid-19 to see if they were properly protected, it emerged today.

Ministers have asked medical examiners to review the deaths of all frontline health and social care staff who died while fighting the first wave of the epidemic in England and Wales.

The review, which was launched last month, will look to determine if the victims caught the infection as a result of their work and if they had access to personal protective equipment (PPE).

Many hospitals and care homes ran out of PPE at the height of the crisis and there were harrowing reports of staff having to make their own masks and use bin bags as aprons.

The Office for National Statistics estimates a total of 625 health and social care workers' deaths across England and Wales were linked to coronavirus up to July 20 - one of the highest rates in the world.

The medical examiners, which were introduced in the NHS last year and are called in to independently review deaths, will state whether they 'have reason to suspect the Covid-19 infection was acquired in employment,' The Independent reported.

Employers including the NHS could face legal consequences if it emerges that deaths were caused by their negligence.

At least 625 healthcare staff have died from coronavirus so far, and people from black and ethnic minority groups have been disproportionately affected. Pictured are some of the BAME healthcare staff who fell victim to the disease

The review could spark several investigations by hospitals, health and safety watchdogs and coroners into the lack of protection healthcare workers received.

In cases where medical examiners suspect the workers caught the virus at their work, they will be referred to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

The watchdog will then probe further to see if the case was a direct result of failings by the hospital, NHS or Government.

Dr Rinesh Parmar, chair of the Doctors' Association UK, told the Independent: 'It's a positive step that the Government is recognising these deaths need investigation, but we would ask that they take the next step with a full coroner's investigation into all health worker deaths.

'Coroners are best placed to carry out independent investigations. They have the experience and they are not directly employed by hospital trusts so there is less of a chance of them being persuaded to make certain decisions or recommendations.'

One medical examiner added: 'It definitely is the right thing to do. There is a hope it could help develop ways to protect staff in the future... The intention is that no death will be left unscrutinised. There is an expectation medical examiners will have a low threshold to suspect the virus was occupationally acquired.'

BAME NHS staff are TWICE as likely to get infected with Covid-19 as white healthcare workers, study finds Healthcare workers from black, Asian and ethnic minority (BAME) backgrounds are twice as likely to catch coronavirus, a study suggests. Researchers swabbed 10,000 NHS staff for the infection and tested their blood for antibodies, which signal if they've ever had the disease. Some 14.7 per cent of BAME workers tested positive for the virus, rising to 17 per cent when only black and Asian staff were included. By comparison, only 8.7 per cent of their white counterparts at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust produced positive results. Trust bosses said 'special steps' had been taken to 'ensure all BAME staff working at OUH feel safe and supported' on the back of the results. The study also found porters and cleaners were twice as likely to catch coronavirus than staff in intensive care units. It follows a mountain of evidence showing BAME Brits are more likely to contract the disease and die from it than white people. Scientists have yet to pin down exactly why minority groups are at a heightened risk of infection. But they believe it may be partly explained by the minority groups being more likely to live in deprived areas and use public transport - but experts say this can't explain the whole story and increased rates of vitamin D deficiency among minorities are being investigated. Advertisement

An NHS England spokesperson said: 'NHS and other care staff have gone to extraordinary lengths to treat people during the Covid-19 pandemic, it's absolutely right that we seek to understand the circumstances of every death, which is why all NHS employers will work with the Health and Safety Executive, as well as local and regional medical examiners, to ensure any lessons are learned to protect frontline staff.'

It comes after an Office for National Statistics report last week found that 625 frontline health and social care workers were suspected to have died from Covid.

Men in the NHS had a much higher death rate from the virus compared to the general population, with a rate of 34 deaths per 100,000 people, compared with 22.

For women in healthcare it was less pronounced, with a rate of 13 per 100,000 compared with 11 in the general population.

In the care sector - which was devastated by the crisis - 57 male workers per 100,000 died from the disease, while women had a rate of 22.

A damning Commons report last month concluded that care homes were thrown to the wolves during the pandemic and the Governments actions were at times negligent.

The social care crisis was exacerbated further by a series of reckless and appalling policy errors, MPs said.

Advising hospitals to discharge thousands of patients into care homes without knowing if they had coronavirus was an example of this, they said.

In excoriating comments, the Commons public accounts committee report said: This pandemic has shown the tragic impact of delaying much needed social care reform, and instead treating the sector as the NHSs poor relation.'

It followed a report by the National Audit Office - the Government's spending watchdog - which highlighted ministers' PPE failings during the crisis.

The NAO found that plans to distribute personal protective equipment (PPE) were hampered because officials ignored warnings in 2019 to stockpile gowns and visors - and didn't have enough of them when the need arose.

This resulted in less than half of the necessary equipment being available to healthcare workers on the frontlines of the crisis.

The report also found that ministers had ignored warnings to stockpile essential PPE in June 2019.

The New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (Nervtag) - which advises the Government on pandemic planning - told Public Health England to stockpile tens of thousands of gowns and visors.

Many hospitals and care homes ran out of PPE at the height of the crisis and there were harrowing reports of staff having to make their own masks and use bin bags as aprons.. Pictured: Nurses wearing clinical waste bags on their heads at at Northwick Park Hospital in Harrow

The NAO said that PHE had only supplied a fifth of the gowns, a third of the eye protectors and half of the aprons that Nervtag had recommended.

In February, PHE had 41,500 pairs of gloves, 25,700 eye protectors, and 156,000 facemasks. By the end of April the stocks were completely used up, the report found.

Ms Hillier said frontline health workers had been 'badly let down by the government's failure to prepare properly'.

She added: 'Shockingly, the government squandered the last opportunity to add to the central PPE stockpile, even after the NHS had gone to the highest level of alert.'

NHS England has since ordered all of its frontline staff to be Covid-19 risk-assessed, with factors like age, sex, ethnicity and BMI all taken into consideration.

Nurses and paramedics who are put in this category are either moved to areas where infection rates are low, while GPs are told to move to online consultations.

Matt Hancock also announced in April that families of medics who tragically lost their own lives to coronavirus after bravely trying to save others will receive a 60,000 life assurance payout.
Purdue and Egyptian officials took part in a virtual conference Tuesday (Aug. 11) to sign two agreements for dual degree programs. (Top tiles) from left are Rafaat Hindy, Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) vice minister (deputy minister for infrastructure) (H.E. Amr Talaat, MCIT minister, is behind clapping); and Mark Lundstrom, acting dean of Purdues College of Engineering. Bottom tiles are Purdue President Mitch Daniels and Mohamed Hamza, director, Cultural Bureau, Egyptian Embassy in Washington, D.C. (Photo provided)

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind.  Purdue Universitys colleges of Engineering and Science, and Egypts Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) signed agreements Tuesday (Aug. 11) to enable Egyptian students to earn a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering, a Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering, or a Professional Master degree in Information Security from Purdue University.

The new degree programs align with Egypts strategy of enhancing specialized training in advanced technologies to equip graduates to compete successfully in the digitally driven economy.

Students in the new programs will attend the Egypt University of Informatics (EUI), which MCIT is working to establish in Knowledge City in Egypts New Administrative Capital, and then transfer to Purdue, provided that they meet academic requirements. EUI will be the first university in the Middle East and Africa region to specialize in information and communications technology (ICT). Faculty from EUI and Purdue will be encouraged to co-teach courses, and study plans will include blended online course delivery, which Purdue Online will support.

This is an exceptional project of exceptional promise. This endeavor fits our mission and has potential for genuine impact, Purdue President Mitch Daniels said at the virtual signing ceremony, attended by more than two dozen Egyptian and U.S. dignitaries, including the charge daffaires of the U.S. Embassy in Cairo, and Purdue faculty and staff. We at Purdue believe in the transformative power of higher education and the absolute necessity of providing our youth with the foundational skills they need to succeed and move our economies and societies forward.

George Chiu, assistant dean of Global Engineering Programs and professor of mechanical engineering, said, Our new collaboration is another example of Purdues commitment to working with Egyptian partners, like the ministry, to identify mutually beneficial opportunities that support workforce development and research priorities across a variety of academic disciplines.

The new Purdue partnership builds on a foundation of collaboration with Egyptian universities. For instance, in April 2019, Purdue received support for the creation of one of three USAID-funded Centers of Excellence in Egypt at the University of Cairo, focused on linkages between research and the public and private sectors. Since the mid-1990s, Purdue has been partnering with a number of Egyptian universities on research, student exchange programs and international educational collaborations.

For the electrical engineering and computer engineering programs, students will spend their first two years at EUI and then transfer to Purdues School of Electrical and Computer Engineering in West Lafayette for their last two years, meeting the requirements to receive a BS degree from both universities.

We are delighted to join with the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology in a partnership that we envision as setting a benchmark for global collaboration and online learning, said Mark S. Lundstrom, acting dean of the Purdue College of Engineering and the Don and Carol Scifres Distinguished Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering. In line with Purdues land-grant mission, our faculty looks forward to working hand-in-hand with Egyptian colleagues to accelerate Egypts efforts to hone its young peoples skills for the digital transformation.

Dimitrios (Dimitri) Peroulis is the Michael and Katherine Birck Head and Reilly Professor of the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Purdue University. In addition, he serves as a special advisor to the Dean of Engineering on online learning.

We are happy to innovate and create this unique partnership that blends the boundaries of online and on-campus education and is expected to benefit many students. We are eager to welcome our dual degree students virtually and on-campus, Peroulis said.

For the information security program, students will receive a bachelors degree from EUI after four years, including taking Purdue blended online professional masters courses in information security during their senior year. Upon graduation with a bachelors degree from EUI, students will apply to transfer to Purdues Department of Computer Science to complete requirements for an MS in information security.

Research expertise in information security is a leading strength at Purdue, said Patrick J. Wolfe, the Frederick L. Hovde Dean of the College of Science and Miller Family Professor of Statistics and Computer Science. We are incredibly pleased and proud to be partnering with our Egyptian colleagues on this effort.

Sunil Prabhakar, head and professor of the Department of Computer Science, said, We are excited to offer this opportunity to EUI students to continue their education through our masters degree program in information security. We know this degree enhances students skills in the security profession, and given the increasing importance of cybersecurity, the degree will position EUI students to meet challenges and needs across the globe.

The College of Science is very excited to be partnering with the Egyptian Ministry of Communications and Information Technology in order to launch this innovative program in computer science and information security, said Peristera Paschou, associate dean for online and graduate education for the College of Science. This agreement showcases our commitment to expanding international partnerships despite challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. This is also the first international dual BS/MS program in the College of Science and paves the way for establishing similar programs with other partners.

Walid Aref, professor of computer science, who was instrumental in negotiations for the BS/MS program, said, "This exemplary collaboration between the College of Science and MCIT will open the door to similar agreements with other prominent overseas universities. As Purdue Computer Science moves toward a fully online professional masters degree in information security, this partnership can become a model that can be replicated beyond information security. For example, a professional masters degree in data science that our department is developing could be an excellent next candidate for a similar program, and other academic units could follow suit.

About Purdue Online

Purdue Online is the administrative unit charged with driving and coordinating the rapidly growing online offerings of Purdue's four campuses, including its flagship West Lafayette campus; Purdues virtual campus, Purdue Global; and its regional campuses, Purdue Fort Wayne and Purdue Northwest. Purdue now has hundreds of online courses aimed at serving all types of students and ranging from undergraduate and graduate degrees to continuing education certification and tailored corporate training. For more information, visit online.purdue.edu.

About the Office of Global Partnerships

The mission of the Office of Global Partnerships is to increase the impact, scale and sustainability of Purdue University's global partnerships for the purpose of creating additive and tangible contributions to the Purdue Moves, Purdue's global reputation/rankings; and the overall Purdue experience for students and faculty.

About Purdue University

Purdue University is a top public research institution developing practical solutions to todays toughest challenges. Ranked the No. 6 Most Innovative University in the United States by U.S. News & World Report, Purdue delivers world-changing research and out-of-this-world discovery. Committed to hands-on and online, real-world learning, Purdue offers a transformative education to all. Committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue has frozen tuition and most fees at 2012-13 levels, enabling more students than ever to graduate debt-free. See how Purdue never stops in the persistent pursuit of the next giant leap at https://purdue.edu/.

Media contact: Jim Bush, jsbush@purdue.edu

Journalists visiting campus : Journalists should follow Protect Purdue protocols and the following guidelines:
Extra university places could be created to deal with any extra demand created by calculated Leaving Cert results, the Higher Education Minister has said.

Simon Harris expressed hope that additional places could be made available in some high demand courses.

Mr Harris said the results furore in Scotland would have added to the stress and anxiety being experienced by Irish students ahead of receiving their Leaving Cert grades on September 7.

But he said he was confident that the Irish system for calculating grades was sophisticated enough to ensure there would be no repeat of the Scottish experience, when examiners downgraded 125,000 results based on the past performance of schools.

The Scottish Government reversed those downgrades this week in response to the controversy.

Today Im announcing winners of the #GenerationApprenticeship competition - people who highlight the incredible opportunities apprenticeships have to offer our country - and also launching our new financial incentive scheme for apprentices. Take on an apprentice & receive 3,000 pic.twitter.com/55IeNqcYt4  Simon Harris TD (@SimonHarrisTD) August 12, 2020

At an event to announce a new incentive scheme for businesses to take on apprentices, Mr Harris was asked whether the prospect of higher grade averages being recorded in 2020 would see more university places created.

Mr Harris said there were a number of variables to consider.

We are still liaising with the Department of Education and with universities to see where possible, particularly in some high demand courses, will it be possible to provide more University places? he said.

I think it will, is the short answer. Not in every area, but in some areas.

On the problems with the system for Scottish higher exams, Mr Harris said: Theres no doubt Leaving Cert students watching the news, reading the newspapers, will have seen what happened in Scotland and that will add to their anxiety and stress after already a horrifically anxious and stressful time for them.

I do note what the Minister of Education (Norma Foley) said here in Ireland is the system that she has in place in relation to the standardisation does take into account that there could be students in any school in Ireland who could be academically stronger than students in previous years. So she does believe that the system put in place is sophisticated enough to recognise that, to ensure that no student is disadvantaged here.

Expand Close Simon Harris and Mary-Liz Trant at the announcement of the new apprenticeship scheme (Niall Carson/PA) / Facebook

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The minister added: We cannot see any student disadvantaged by virtue of the school they went to, or where they live in our country.

That goes against the ethos of what education is meant to be, about fairness.

Mr Harris was also asked about university accommodation in the coming term.

Some students face paying for traditional leases when social distancing measures will only require them to attend classes part time.

The minister said he had spoken to several universities about the issue and expressed confidence flexible solutions could be found.

Under the new apprenticeship scheme, employers will be paid 3,000 euro to take on an apprentice  2,000 euro up front and 1,000 euro next year.

Over 18,000 people are currently undertaking an apprenticeship across a wide range of occupations from electrical, construction and engineering roles to healthcare, information technology and financial services, said Mr Harris.

Our ambition is to see that number grow and the Government provided funding for this new incentive for employers in the July stimulus package.
After Boston Animal Control and the MSPCA rescued 21 animals from a hoarding house in Brighton last month, the pets are now up for adoption.

The animals include 20 cats and one dog, the MSPCA said on Wednesday. They range in age from 3 months old to 2 years old.

When the animals were removed from the home, they were shy. Most were suffering minor ailments like waxy, swollen ears, the MSPCA said. All the pets needed an antibiotic shot to clear up existing infections and ward off new ones.

Theyre coming out of their shells a little bit and, now that weve gotten to know their personalities, its very clear that many would prefer to live in homes with far fewer animals, and some may prefer to be the only pet in the home, said Anna Rafferty-Arnold, associate director of the MSPCAs Boston adoption center.

Boston elder services is assisting the former owner of the pets, who voluntarily surrendered the animals, in finding new housing. The owner has not been publicly identified and is not facing charges. The Boston Housing Authority has taken over the property the animals were removed from, which has been described as unlivable, the MSPCA said.

This is one of those cases where the animals began to multiply and their owner got overwhelmed and could no longer care for them, said Rafferty-Arnold. In cases like these we are as concerned with helping the people involved as we are the animals.

The animals are temporarily calling the MSPCA-Angells Boston adoption center in Jamaica Plain home. Anyone interested in adopting is asked o contact adoption@mspca.org for more information on the process.

The surrender of so many animals has placed an undue burden on the MSPCAs resources at a time when so many animalsboth inside and outside its three adoption centersare in need of help, the organization said.

Anyone who wants to help the MSPCA offset the cost of the cats care can make a donation online.

During the coronavirus pandemic, the MSPCA has been working to help pet owners in need of help. Last week, the organization hit a milestone of distributing 500,000 pet meals since the start of the pandemic to families in need. And, more than 1,300 owned pets have received subsidized medical care.
As Western cities see statues of slaveholders and colonialists toppled, Benins coastal town of Ouidah is going the other way, restoring monuments of the painful era of the slave trade.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, European slavers held more than one million African men, women, and children in Ouidahs Portuguese Fort before shipping them across the Atlantic in abominable conditions.

Ouidah, 40km (25 miles) from Benins economic hub of Cotonou, was one of the main slave staging posts to the Americas, according to Yale University research.

It ranked alongside slave coast ports in modern-day Ghana and the swathe of Central Africa that today encompasses Angola, the Republic of Congo, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

In Benin, coveted for slave trade by Portugal, Britain, and France, villagers were captured in surprise raids orchestrated by powerful local chiefs.

Slavery must be taught

The renovation of the Ouidah fort and the history museum inside it is part of Benins drive to ensure that future generations of Africans know their ancestors suffering.

When I see these chains that hobbled our ancestors, I feel sick, Benoit Daounde said as he studied a number of artefacts moved to a temporary exhibition.





But its our history. We must accept it and tell it to future generations, said Daounde, a UN official who returned to Benin on holiday from his posting in Cameroon.

Our children know nothing of all that. Slavery must be taught in school and more than in just a few lessons.

Daounde is one of a stream of other Beninese, Ouidah residents, and historians who have visited the temporary exhibition since it opened on August 3.

Under protective glass in the main hall, visitors can inspect crusty old maps used by Portuguese mariners, along with guns used in the trade.

Visitors can also see portable altars used in ceremonies by the long line of kings of former Dahomey, founded around 1600 and crushed by French colonialists in 1894.

The museum houses a church bell brought by Roman Catholic missionaries, together with a sinister selection of chains and other implements used to bind slaves.

Ulrich Lantonkpode, a jurist who grew up in Ouidah before moving to the capital Cotonou, said before the exhibition he lacked elements and information about the culture and history of [his] family.

I appreciate this exhibition as much as the idea to rebuild the Portuguese Fort, enabling us to safeguard this history, he added.





Need tough action

We need tough action, way beyond the movements to reclaim Black causes, argued Eric Accrombessi, a tourist guide born in Ouidah.

The renovation of these places will better illustrate the course of history to pass on to future generations.

The authorities are also building an International Museum of Memory and Slavery, with a tourist complex of 130 rooms and places of reflection, and a reconstruction of a slave ship.

Historian Sarah Pruitt stressed while exact numbers will never be known, about 12.5 million Africans were forced on to the ships between the 17th and 19th centuries.

Of these, some 10.6 million survived the crossing.
The Bombay high court (HC) on Tuesday directed the state government to file an affidavit in reply to a public interest litigation (PIL) which sought directions to constitute a special task force led by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to deal with manufacturing, selling, trading of banned products including gutkha, khaini, zarda and other products which could contribute towards the spread of Covid-19. The plea seeks stringent laws to implement the ban as well as immediate action against cartels, hoarders and transporters from Madhya Pradesh.

A division bench of justice AA Sayed and justice SP Tavade, while hearing the PIL filed by lawyer Arvind Singh, was informed by senior advocate Jamshed Cama along with advocates Anil Mishra and Jindagi Shah that one of the contributors to the spread of Covid 19 was banned products like gutkha, khaini and zarda. Cama submitted that as Covid-19 spreads through droplets from the mouth, infected persons who consumed these products could transfer the infection through their saliva when they spit in public places. Cama further submitted that smoking could also result in the spread of the virus.

Cama further submitted that though the Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restriction on Sales) Regulations, 2011 banned the use of gutkha and nicotine, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Maharashtra had banned the use of these products from time to time through orders. He also submitted that the Maharashtra FDA had, on February 7, announced that persons found manufacturing gutkha would be booked under the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime (MCOCA) Act.

He submitted that as the ban was in place, the products were coming from Madhya Pradesh after the district magistrate of Indore allowed pan masala wholesalers and retailers to sell their products outside the district. He submitted that a large consignment of gutkha had entered Maharashtra which posed a huge threat to the lives of the citizens, and hence immediate steps should be taken to stop it.

Cama stressed there was an urgent need to form a special task force to be led by CBI to unearth the trade routes, manufacturing units and selling points to stop the use of gutkha and related products.

After hearing the submissions, the court directed the state to file an affidavit in response to the plea and posted the matter for hearing on September 1.
For the first time, the nations top law enforcement officer has explicitly outlined the nature of far-left anarcho-communist group Antifa, describing it as a revolutionary group intent on establishing socialism or communism in the United Statesand the experts agree.

Attorney General William Barr delivered a scathing critique of Antifa in a Aug. 9 interview with Mark Levin on Fox News, noting that the groups organization and tactics make it a difficult phenomenon to deal with.

They are a revolutionary group that is interested in some form of socialism, communism. Theyre essentially Bolsheviks. Their tactics are fascistic, Barr said.

Antifa publicly identifies with communist and socialist ideology, but the interview marked the first time Barr went into such detail.

The Attorney Generals comments represent a significant improvement over previous government statements on Antifa, and he should be commended for his outspokenness, Kyle Shideler, director and senior analyst for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism at the Center for Security Policy told The Epoch Times.

Shidelerwho testified on Aug. 4 before the Senate Subcommittee on the Constitution about the structure and origin of Antifasaid he hopes Barr will direct the Justice Department to take Antifas core mission to heart and begin to treat the group as the subversive and insurrectionist force it is.

Antifas distributed and non-hierarchical network structure requires better intelligence to counter, he said, noting that the federal government has a unique responsibility to address this threat as local and state governments are unable or unwilling to do so.

Antifa is fundamentally committed to the abolition of the U.S. government and the violent overthrow of the United States Constitution, Shideler said in his written testimony. To achieve this, its committed to the use of both subversion and violent extremism to enforce its political views by terrorizing American citizens.

Antifas activities clearly meet the definition of an organized criminal conspiracy and terrorism established by federal law, he said in his testimony.

The reality is that Antifa demonstrates an elaborate and complex but non-hierarchical structure, Shideler said. He described how websites linked to the group attract users who spend inordinate efforts discussing how Antifa groups can and should be organized.

The FBI has become increasingly concerned about violence perpetrated by Antifa at public events, according to a 2018 report by the Congressional Research Service, a public policy research arm of the U.S. Congress.

Sheriff Bob Songer of Klickitat County, Washington, told The Epoch Times that he considers Antifa as well as Black Lives Matter domestic terrorism groups trying to overthrow the United States government and turn our country into a communist government, adding that AG Barr is spot on with regard to Antifas goal.

Songer said its hard to crack down on Antifa and other similar groups when there are politicians who explicitly support them.

Ivan Pentchoukov contributed to this report.

From The Epoch Times
This matters, because how we talk about violent incidents often determines how we respond to them. Those two words  mass shooting  have the power to raise our antennas and keep them up. They signal to anyone who hears them that many of the victims, simply because of where they were and when they were there, happened to end up in front of a shooters loaded gun and unchecked emotions.
She's been unable to hit the balmy shores of Dubai, which has emerged as one of her favoured holiday spots.

But Lauren Goodger didn't let her inability to travel abroad keep her down, as she was seen enjoying an evening at a bar with friends in Chigwell, Essex, on Tuesday.

The former TOWIE star, 33, put on a very busty display by stepping out in a plunging black crop top that showed off a generous glimpse of her cleavage.

Outing: Lauren Goodger put on a VERY busty display in a plunging black top as she headed to a bar to spend time with friends in Chigwell, Essex, on Tuesday

Lauren teamed her revealing top with a pair of loose-fit trousers, and she stepped out in brown flip flops.

She pulled her brunette locks up into a chic bun, and the TV personality used a light palette of make-up for the outing.

Keeping her personal items in a black tasselled handbag, Lauren opted to keep her accessories to a minimum so that all eyes remained on her ensemble.

Style: Lauren teamed her revealing top with a pair of loose-fit trousers, and she stepped out in brown flip flops

Attention to detail: Lauren's ensemble had sheer ribbon straps at her shoulders

Stylish: Lauren pulled her brunette locks up into a chic bun, and the TV personality used a light palette of make-up for the outing

While a number of celebrities have made a beeline for such destinations as Spain, France and Portugal, Lauren will have to wait until she can visit Dubai once again.

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) issued a blanket warning against all non-essential international travel in March.

And while the travel restriction was lifted for some 67 destinations from 4 July, with some of those air bridges since being recalled, Dubai wasn't on the list.

Effective from 1 August, all visitors to the United Arab Emirates must have received a negative PCR COVID-19 test result within the 96 hours prior to their arrival.

Minimalist: Lauren opted to keep her accessories to a minimum so that all eyes remained on her ensemble

In good spirits: Lauren looked relaxed as she headed to the bar to meet her friends

Time to catch up: Lauren was seen arriving at the bar before heading to where her friends were

Lauren came under fire last week after she was accused of enhancing her social media images with photo editing tools.

On Wednesday, she hit back at 'vile, nasty, evil' trolls in a lengthy rant.

The former TOWIE star vowed to be even more 'successful, sexy and confident' than ever after her followers criticised her for enhancing her appearance in a white bikini.

Enjoying herself: Lauren was seen drinking a refreshing cocktail at the bar

Talkative: Lauren chatted away with her friends as she puffed on a cigarette

Touch up: Lauren re-applied her make-up while she was out with her friends

In a lengthy rant, Lauren wrote: 'Please look at every other celebs page comments who are posting pics of them with @boombod and please look at mine!

'Same brand and same pics! This is why I never take ANYTHING seriously what my "hating" followers say. They just want any excuse to hate and make vile, nasty, evil comments.'

Lauren has defended other celebrities such as Kylie Jenner- who was called out for a Photoshop blunder- and she has accused fans of fuelling hate out of jealousy.

Chilling out: Lauren was seen soaking up the sun as she sat on the outside terrace

Refreshing: Lauren was sure to cool down in the hot weather with her iced drink

She added: 'Some people that follow me are just pure jealousy. It's actually disgusting. Someone said I should never be allowed children and I'm mentally deranged.

'I have PTs "professionals" (my a**e)! using their own profile by slagging me off and putting clown emojis over my face.

'It's any excuse to try and bring me down! But it's so wrong. How dare you. But one thing about me is I will never let you win! You will never bully me to try and make your ugly selves feel better...'

Hot water: Lauren has come under fire recently after fans called her out for Photoshopping her images on social media, specifically one of her posing in a white bikini (pictured above)

Speaking out: She said, 'This is why I never take ANYTHING seriously what my "hating" followers say. They just want any excuse to hate and make vile, nasty, evil comments'
A man who repeatedly raped a tourist in Noosa bushland on Christmas Day more than 18 years ago will be released from jail under supervision.

Kym Spoehr was jailed in 2003 after admitting he hit the Japanese woman over the head with a piece of wood before dragging her to his bush camp where he tied her to a tree.

He raped her seven times during the night before letting her go.

Spoehr served 14 years in jail, but was returned to custody for assaulting another prisoner in a housing precinct where he was living on his release.

Kym Spoehr raped a Japanese woman at his bush camp on Christmas Day in Noosa National Park (pictured) in 2001

Brisbane Supreme Court Justice Peter Applegarth on Wednesday agreed to release Spoehr, 68, from custody on a supervision order.

Spoehr told an earlier hearing he isn't a danger to the community and doesn't need to be subject to a supervision order.

'I screwed up badly and I've paid a big price for it,' he said.

Spoehr claimed he has a 'mental anomaly' that was being managed with medication.

Representing himself during an annual review of his continuing detention order, Spoehr said being released on a supervision order would be counter-productive.

'I would like to get my life back,' he told the court.
By Express News Service

PATNA: The Bihar government has banned Pakistan and the Chinese's agencies from the tender process in the state "in view of national security".

Sharing this, Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi on Wednesday said the state government will soon implement e-tendering version 2.0.

Modi said: "The e-tendering 2.0 version will be implemented in Bihar soon and online verification of bank guarantee will also be started.



"There will be a facility of integrated registration and automatic withdrawal of money in place for individual departments. In Bihar, on the lines of the Indian government, Pakistan and Chinese agencies will not be allowed to participate in tenders in view of national security," he added.

The Deputy CM said that after 15 years of NDA rule, electricity, road and water are no more an issue in Bihar now.

ALSO READ | Exhibiting Atmanirbharta, migrants use their skill to start business, earn Bihar CM Nitish Kumar's praise



"If there is courage in the opposition, then make it an issue in the upcoming elections. House to house, village to village, electricity, road and water have been provided," he stressed.

Taking a dig at the main opposition RJD, he said the bitumen scam took place during the first 15 years of the RJD rule in which even the then road construction minister, and many engineers, were jailed.



During 1990-91 to 2004-05, the amount spent on roads for repairing was Rs 6071.57 crore, he noted.

During the 15-year tenure of NDA (from 2004-05 to 2019-20), Rs 1 lakh 40 thousand crore have been spent on roads, he said.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-12 10:41:30|Editor: huaxia

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U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (C) walks pass the Ohio Clock Corridor on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., the United States, Aug. 10, 2020. Mitch McConnell on Tuesday urged the White House and congressional Democrats to restart negotiations on the next COVID-19 relief bill after talks broke down last week. (Photo by Ting Shen/Xinhua)

WASHINGTON, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Tuesday urged the White House and congressional Democrats to restart negotiations on the next COVID-19 relief bill after talks broke down last week.

"There hasn't been a meeting of any consequence between the two parties since last Friday. That's too long. And it's time to sit down and get a deal done," McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, said in an interview with Fox News.

"The American people are sick of the stalemate. They want to get a result. And the result ought to be directly related to the COVID-19 crisis, kids back in school, jobs, healthcare, direct cash payments to low-income people, who need our help," he said.

Negotiations between House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and White House chief of staff Mark Meadows collapsed on Friday as both sides blamed each other for making little progress.

Democrats had offered to cut their 3.4 trillion-U.S.-dollar relief proposal by 1 trillion dollars if Republicans would agree to increase their roughly 1 trillion-dollar package by the same amount, but were rebuffed.

U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday signed a series of executive orders to extend certain COVID-19 economic relief, but they're unlikely to provide a meaningful boost to the overall economy.

"Rather than trying to break the logjam, President Trump issued a bunch of unworkable, weak executive orders. He slashed enhanced unemployment benefits and his executive order on evictions doesn't even guarantee a moratorium on evictions," Schumer tweeted Tuesday.

"Senate GOP delayed for months, failed to come up with a proposal that had the support of their own caucus, then left it for someone else to figure out. Even now, Sen. McConnell has said 20 GOP senators won't vote for any more COVID relief," Schumer said, adding Republicans must come back to the negotiating table.

Economists have warned that the U.S. economy is at serious risk of sliding back into recession if the White House and Congress couldn't reach a deal on another fiscal rescue package in the coming months.
Nurses and some nursing students at a Shahjahanpur medical college hospital in Uttar Pradesh staged a protest against the college administration after a nursing student allegedly jumped off the first floor of the hostel alleging torture, harassment and forced deployment in Covid-19 ward of the hospital by the authorities.

Senior police and administrative officials of the district interacted with the students and assured them of their support.

A 22-year-old nurse from Uttar Pradesh was injured after she allegedly jumped off the first floor of her hostel located inside a medical college campus in Tilhar area of Shahjahanpur on Tuesday evening, police said. The nursing student recorded and shared a video claiming they were being forced to work in Covid-19 ward by the college administration and alleged mental harassment.

Police have lodged an FIR against the principal and two other staff of the medical college and initiated investigation.

Confirming the incident, superintendent of police of Shahjahanpur S Anand said, The incident occurred at Varun Arjun Medical College in Tilhar area at 6 pm on Tuesday. The nurse jumped from the first floor and was injured. She has been admitted to medical college hospital.

They are not increasing our salaries and we dont even have a health insurance, they torture us mentally, stopped my food and force us for duty, the nurse could be heard saying in the video.

Also Read: UP reports 4,583 new Covid-19 cases

In a police complaint, the mother of the girl has alleged that her daughter was forced to work in Covid-19 ward and was not given protective equipment mandated by the central government.

The management threatened to cancel her diploma. She was also threatened and was not provided food, the mother has alleged in the police complaint.

Based on her complaint, police have lodged an FIR under section 342 (wrongful confinement) and 506 (criminal intimidation) at Tilhar police station.
Foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian on Wednesday said China firmly opposed any official interactions between the United States and Taiwan under any pretext.

"Those who play with fire will get burnt," Zhao said, urging certain American people not to have illusions about issues concerning China's core interests.

Zhao made the remarks at a press briefing when asked to make comment on US Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, who said during his visit to Taiwan that China "chose not to" warn the world about COVID-19 and betrayed the cooperative spirit needed for global health.

Zhao said China had been containing the COVID-19 epidemic in an open, transparent and responsible manner, earnestly implementing its duties and obligations under the International Health Regulations, and actively carrying out international prevention and control cooperation.

Focusing on saving American people's lives, instead of political shows, is what American health officials should do now, Zhao said.

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Oil prices climbed in early trade on Monday, clawing back over half of Fridays losses, on hopes for a stimulus deal to shore up the US economic recovery and a pledge from Iraq to deepen its crude oil supply cuts.

US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures rose 49 cents, or 1.2%, to $41.71 a barrel at 0010 GMT, while Brent crude futures were up 40 cents, or 0.9%, at $44.80 a barrel.

While both benchmark contracts fell on Friday, hurt by demand concerns, Brent ended the week up 2.5%, with WTI up 2.4%.

Hopes grew on Sunday that a stand-off would end between US Democrats and the White House on a new support package for cash-strapped US states hit by the coronavirus pandemic.

US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin both said they were willing to restart talks on a deal to cover the rest of 2020.

At the same time, Saudi Arabian Aramcos Chief Executive Amin Nasser said he sees oil demand rebounding in Asia as economies gradually open up after the easing of coronavirus lockdowns.

Theres a small undercurrent of positivity this morning emanating from comments by Saudi Aramco who are seeing a recovery in demand, said AxiCorp market strategist Stephen Innes.

On the supply side, Iraq said on Friday it would cut its oil output by a further 400,000 barrels per day in August and September to compensate for its overproduction in the past three months. The move would help it comply with its share of cuts by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and their allies, together called OPEC+.

The sharper cut will take Iraqs total reduction to 1.25 million bpd this month and next.

Saudi Arabia and Iraq forging better relationships over the oil deal are excellent for the compliance outlook, Innes said.

The Saudi and Iraqi energy ministers said in a joint statement that OPEC+ efforts would improve the stability of global oil markets, accelerate its balancing and send positive signals to the markets.
A man carrying a shield with a symbol linked to Antifa stands next to a van with Black Lives Matter imagery during a demonstration outside a Multnomah County sheriff's office building in north Portland, Ore., on Aug. 12, 2020. (Nathan Howard/Getty Images)

New Portland Prosecutor Wont Pursue Some Charges Against Protesters

Nightly unrest has taken place in Oregon's largest city since May 28

The prosecutor whose territory includes Portland announced Tuesday his office will not prosecute cases of disorderly conduct, criminal trespassing, and interfering with law enforcement officers.

Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt claimed the unusual move would lead to a safer community.

Speaking at a press conference, Schmidt said he acknowledges the emotions of those involved in nightly demonstrations, many of which have turned violent.

These demonstrations are being used to righteously express grief, anger, and frustration over that senseless act of violence, and the countless other abuses people of color have endured throughout history at the hands of the legal system, he told reporters.

Schmidt said he wants to be responsive to demands from the demonstrators and the new policy on handling protest-related cases is just the start.

Escape in the third degree, harassment, and riot will also not be prosecuted under the policy.

And a deputy district attorney must review any referred charges of resisting arrest or assaulting a public safety officer, with consideration for the chaos of a protesting environment, the district attorneys office said in the announcement of the changes.

Green lines cast by rioters laser pointers cross the darkened lobby of the Mark O. Hatfield courthouse as federal officers wait, in Portland, Ore., on July 24, 2020. (Noah Berger/AP Photo)

Further, when a person is charged with a misdemeanor or felony that only causes financial harm, that person should be offered conditional dismissal after restitution is paid to the victim or when other amends to the community are made, such as restorative justice with the impacted victim, the office said.

Crimes in that category include burglary in the second degree, criminal mischief in the second and third degree, and theft in the first, second, or third degree.

This policy acknowledges that the factors that lead to the commission of criminal activity during a protest are incredible complex. The protesters are angry, yes, deeply frustrated with what they perceive to be structural inequities in our basic social fabrics. And this frustration can escalate to levels that violate the law, Schmidt told reporters.

Some of those violations are impermissible by any standard, resulting in physical violence, injury, and worse. Others represent the instinctive reactions of people who have been gassed repeatedly, who have been struck with kinetic-projectile weapons, and who have seen other protesters arrested in ways they deeply disapprove of.

Schmidt was officially not supposed to take office until next year but was appointed by Oregon Gov. Kate Brown following the retirement of the previous district attorney last month.

Schmidt recently called a self-identified member of Antifa an old buddy and shared an interview he gave to the member. Antifa is a far-left, anarcho-communist network deeply involved in the near-nightly violence that has shaken Portland since May, disrupting normal activities in parts of downtown.

Demonstrators try to topple a steel fence during a Black Lives Matter protest at the Mark O. Hatfield courthouse in Portland, Ore., on July 25, 2020, (Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP Photo)

Attorney General William Barr recently described Antifa as a revolutionary group bent on establishing socialism or communism.

After the city and state reached a deal with the federal government last month, the demonstrators began turning their attention to city and county buildings and nearby residential areas outside the downtown area, primarily in the northern part of the city.

Dozens of people have been arrested in recent weeks on charges including assaulting an officer, disorderly conduct, and resisting arrest.

In response to the new policy, Portland Police Chief Chuck Lovell said police officers prefer not to make arrests at all.

Committing a crime is different from demonstrating. Some people use the gatherings as an opportunity to commit crimes. The arrests we make often come after hours of damage to private property, disruption of public transit and traffic on public streets, thefts from small businesses, arson, burglary, attacks on members of the community, and attacks against police officers, he said in a statement.

The Portland Police Bureau will continue to reach out to all people to connect and build trusting relationships. One of those relationships is with the district attorney, and we will continue to work with that office in the interest of public safety, he added.

A Portland police officer watches the crowd as medics help a protester who fell and hit his head in front of the Multnomah County Sheriffs Office in Portland, Ore., on Aug. 11, 2020. (Nathan Howard/Getty Images)

The gathering late Tuesday outside the Penumbra Kelly building, which houses law enforcement offices, was a rare example of a demonstration that didnt devolve into a riot. Demonstrators milled around the building from 9:40 p.m. until about 1:30 a.m. No arrests were made and there was no police interaction with the crowd, other than an officer and a medic responding when a person fell out of the back of a pickup truck associated with the group.

After rioters tried burning down a police precinct last week, Portland Mayor and Police Commissioner Ted Wheeler said they committed attempted murder and vowed to do everything in his power to crack down on those responsible. Wheeler and Brown, both Democrats, have declined to take President Donald Trump up on his offer to deploy National Guard troops to Portland.

The Portland Police Association (PPA), a police union, hasnt responded directly to Schmidts new policy.

But in a letter last week to the district attorney and Wheeler, PPA President Daryl Turner denounced the rioters, also referencing consecutive attempts to burn down the East Precinct.

Twice in the last two days, these rioters have accomplished their mission: chaos and destruction. That is because the Police Bureaus operational direction from the police commissioner and City Council is to let the violence escalate almost to the point of no return, and only then can the Police Bureau intervene. That is insane, Turner wrote.

Police should have the latitude to prevent crime, not watch it happen and only intervene after the fact. It does not stop there. Although the Police Bureau has made 21 arrests in those two days, I have no doubt that those arrested will get away with their crimes without any consequence or accountability from the district attorneys office.

Turner urged Wheeler not to handcuff the police by telling them when to intervene, and for Schmidt to focus on holding rioters responsible for their actions.

I am disgusted that our city has come to this. If it is acceptable for rioters to commit acts of violence against community members and to try and burn down occupied buildings, and if this conduct is allowed to continue, then Portland is lost, he wrote.
Most pastors say adultery shouldn't permanently disqualify clergy from ministry: survey

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Most pastors believe church leaders who commit adultery should withdraw from the pulpit for some time, but only a small percentage believe extramarital affairs permanently disqualify pastors from the ministry.

"Pastors Views on Moral Failure," a new survey of U.S. Protestant pastors by Nashville-based LifeWay Research, finds that most pastors believe a fellow pastor who has committed adultery needs to take time away from the ministry. However, opinions vary when it comes to the duration of the sabbatical.

The survey of 1,000 Protestant pastors found that around one in six pastors (16%) believe an offending pastor should stay gone for at least a year; 3% say for at least three months, and another 3% say at least six months.

Other pastors believe those who commit adultery should remove themselves from public ministry for a longer period of time: 10% say at least two years, 7% say at least five years, and 1% say at least 10 years.

Just 27% of pastors believe those who commit adultery should withdraw from public ministry permanently, and 2% of pastors believe a fellow pastor who has an affair does not need to take any time away. Three in 10 pastors (31%) say they arent sure what the appropriate time frame would be.

Scripture doesnt mince words about adultery, said Scott McConnell, executive director of LifeWay Research. From the Ten Commandments, to the apostle Pauls lists of wicked things, to the qualifications for elders listed in 1 Timothy, adultery is not appropriate for a follower of Christ nor a leader of a local church.

While the Bible is clear that this behavior does not fit a pastor or elder of a church, said McConnell, there is much debate over how long this act would disqualify someone from pastoral ministry.

LifeWay found that the ethnicity, education, and denomination of a pastor influenced the likelihood of their response.

The survey found that African American pastors are the least likely to say one who commits adultery should withdraw from the ministry permanently (8%), while Pentecostal pastors are the least likely to advocate for a permanent withdrawal (6%) and most likely to support staying away for at least a year (35%).

Pastors with a bachelors degree (34%) are more likely to select Withdraw permanently than those with a masters degree (27%) or a doctoral degree (22%).

Church size also impacted respondents' opinions: Pastors of churches with attendance of 50-99 (31%) are more likely to select Withdraw permanently than those with attendance of 100- 249 (23%).

Pastors opinions on the subject are a good barometer for opinions across churches, said McConnell. There is widespread disagreement from pastors across denominations, church size, age, race and education levels to quickly restoring pastors who commit adultery to public ministry positions.

Theologian John Piper previously said that standards can vary for what can disqualify a pastor for life because I dont think the Bible gives a clear instruction about how a disqualified pastor can become qualified again.

I dont think this is the kind of issue where the church as a whole will ever have agreement, Piper said. I think every local church should pray and think and study their way through the Scriptures into a position from which the elders can work in unity with regard to these kinds of things.

Still, the Desiring God founder said he considered sins like adultery that are committed after ones conversion and well into ones Christian life to be more serious indications of unfitness for ministry than our sins prior to the new birth and the new creation in Christ.

Adultery after conversion is sinning against the glory of the light of Christ, he continued. Before conversion, we were all in spiritual darkness; we were acting according to our nature.

The issue is that the offense has been compounded by its deeply multilayered betrayal of God, wife, Christian newness, the Holy Spirit, the people of God, the Gospel, the reputation of the Gospel in the Christian ministry.

Megachurch Pastor Robert Jeffress of First Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas, said it's possible for fallen pastors to return to public ministry  if they have demonstrated true repentance. He also recommended that the offending pastor move to a different church.

"There are too many variables to make a hard and fast rule for every situation. Whether a fallen pastor can or should return to ministry depends not only on the pastor's response, but also the congregation's response. Sometimes a genuinely repentant pastor may be able to lead a congregation again, but it may have to be a different congregation. We must balance the very high moral qualifications for pastors found in 1 Timothy 3 with the possibility of restoration for those who truly repent of their sins," said Jeffress.
Despite everything that has happened, Giovanni Colangelo is trying to stay positive after a massive tornado, measuring EF2 on the Enhanced Fujita scale, cut right through his property this past Friday.

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This article was published 12/8/2020 (525 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Despite everything that has happened, Giovanni Colangelo is trying to stay positive after a massive tornado, measuring EF2 on the Enhanced Fujita scale, cut right through his property this past Friday.

The 60-year-old farmer recently told the Sun that while he has got over the initial shock of seeing most of his grain bins torn to shreds by winds that reached up to 190 kilometres per hour, he still has a lot of work to do for the upcoming harvest.

"I lost about 110,000 bushels worth of storage space," he said on Tuesday. "One bushel, on average, costs between three to five dollars. So you do the math."

Still, Colangelo said hes in a much better state of mind compared to when the tornado first touched down near his property approximately 16 kilometres south of Virden around 8 p.m. Friday.

While the farmer was a safe distance away from his property when the twister hit, he was still powerless to stop the storm from uprooting trees, battering his storage bins and filling his yard and surrounding wheat fields with various debris.

"I didnt get any sleep that night," Colangelo said. "At two oclock, I couldnt stay in bed anymore and I came into the yard, and that was the worst five to six hours of my life."

Luckily, as the day went on, Colangelo discovered that he didnt have to tackle the cleanup alone.

Not only did his neighbours drop by to lend some moral support, but approximately 50 members of a Mennonite church group from nearby Cromer eventually showed up with some heavy machinery to help clear away the wreckage.

"By seven oclock at night, we had most of the yard cleaned, and we were walking through the field and picked up all the pieces," he said. "We walked for about two miles and got five to six piles of debris. It was a gigantic job, but it did give me some hope."

However, Colangelo doesnt hold any illusions about the struggle thats ahead of him.

With a lot of his grain-storage capabilities crippled, he doesnt know if hell ever be able to financially recover from this severe weather incident, especially given his age.

"Im going to need to have a miracle," he said. "But then again, I do have a chance to do it."

Colangelo has been farming on this stretch of land near the community of Scarth for the last 40 years, having immigrated to Manitoba from his native Italy with several other members of his family.

"Back then I was working with my father and my brother," he said. "We started out like any farm, more or less, renting. Eventually, we bought (the property) and we got it to this point."

Even though Colangelo said the tornado blew away 25 years worth of progress on his farm, hes still trying to keep things in perspective, especially since a young couple from Melita, Shayna Barnesky and Carter Tilbury, were killed in the tornado.

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"Im still here, still able to work," he said. "Bins can be rebuilt. Life cannot."

In a followup email to the Sun, Colangelo wanted to thank some additional individuals for helping clean up his land.

This includes members of Valleyview Co-op for supplying diesel fuel for their equipment and "the Cromer ladies for bringing pizza at lunch time for the workers."

On top of offering his deepest sympathies to the families of Barnesky and Tilbury, Colangelo also wished a speedy recovery to James Blacksmith, the 54-year-old man from Sioux Valley Dakota Nation who was injured in Fridays tornado.

 kdarbyson@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @KyleDarbyson
TORONTO, Aug. 11, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- VitalHub Corp. (the Company or VitalHub) (TSXV: VHI) announced today it has filed its Interim Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements and Management's Discussion and Analysis report for the three and six months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019 with the Canadian securities authorities. These documents may be viewed under the Company's profile at www.sedar.com.



COMPANY HIGHLIGHTS

Net income (loss) for the three months ended June 30, 2020 was $179,467 as compared to a loss of ($212,035) for the three months ended June 30, 2019, an increase of $391,502 or 185% (an increase of $743,925 or 131% over the loss of $564,458) for the three months ended March 31, 2020). Net income (loss) for the six months ended June 30, 2020 was $($384,991) as compared to ($150,488) for the six months ended June 30, 2019, a decrease of $234,503 or 156%. The improvement in net income in the quarter is a reflection of managements continued commitment to reduce costs and gain synergies from integrating acquisitions.

EBITDA (defined as earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortization) for the three months ended June 30, 2020 was $705,901 as compared to $337,109 for the three months ended June 30, 2019, an increase of $368,792 or 109% (an increase of $718,591 over the EBITDA loss of ($12,690) for the three months ended March 31, 2020). EBITDA for the six months ended June 30, 2020 was $693,211 as compared to $904,640 for the six months ended June 30, 2019. EBITDA is a non-IFRS measure.

Adjusted EBITDA (defined as earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation, amortization, share based compensation, business acquisition, restructuring and integration costs and other one-time costs) for the three months ended June 30, 2020 was $754,262 as compared to $552,525 for the three months ended June 30, 2019, an increase of $201,737 or 37% (an increase of $471,971 or 167% over the Adjusted EBITDA of $282,291 for the three months ended March 31, 2020). Adjusted EBITDA for the six months ended June 30, 2020 was $1,036,551 as compared to $1,209,290 for the six months ended June 30, 2019. Adjusted EBITDA is a non-IFRS measure.

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Revenue for the three months ended June 30, 2020 was $2,748,895 as compared to $2,827,291 for the three months ended June 30, 2019, a decrease of $78,396 or 3% (a decrease of $21,105 or 1% over the revenues of $2,770,000 for the three months ended March 31,2020). Revenue for the six months ended June 30, 2020 was $5,518,895 as compared to $5,271,602 for the six months ended June 30, 2019, an increase of $247,293 or 5%. The COVID-19 pandemic has affected revenues with hospitals shifting their focus toward dealing with the virus vs new business, and the additional effect of having been unable to perform any on premise service work or audits.



The Company defines Annualized Contract Value (ACV) of recurring revenue as the contracted annual renewable software license fees and maintenance services. The ACV of recurring revenue at June 30, 2020 was $7,491,841 as compared to $5,321,119 at June 30, 2019, an increase of 29%. ACV at March 31, 2020 was $7,486,925. ACV is a non-IFRS measure.



The Company defines acquisition recurring revenues as gross recurring revenues of the companies acquired at the time of acquisition and organic revenues as revenue over and above the acquisition recurring revenues. For the three and six months ended June 30, 2020, organic revenue represented 57% and 46% of total revenue (2019  53% and 53%), with the remaining 43% and 54% representing acquisition revenue (2019  47% and 47%). As compared to Q1 2020 organic revenue represented 36% of total revenue, with the remaining 64% representing acquisition revenue. The continued mix of both organic and acquisition revenues is a good indicator of the success of our two-pronged growth strategy, targeting both organic growth and growth through mergers and acquisitions. Acquisition and organic revenue are non-IFRS measures.

Adjusted EBITDA as a percentage of revenue for the three months ended June 30, 2020 was 27% as compared to 20% for the three months ended June 30, 2019. EBITDA as a percentage of revenue in Q1 2020 was 10%. Adjusted EBITDA as a percentage of revenue for the six months ended June 30, 2020 was 19% as compared to 23% for the six months ended June 30, 2019. Due to the relatively high amortization of intangibles from acquisitions and periodic restructuring and integration costs from acquisitions management believes that Adjusted EBITDA as a percentage of revenue is a relevant KPI to measure. Adjusted EBITDA as a percentage of revenue is a non-IFRS measure.



In the quarter as part of the Nova Scotia Department of Services (DCS) contract the company recognized a one-time Perpetual license of $150,000 to start the creation of the MY Account external facing portal project. Upon rollout of the customization of this module VitalHub will also be charging recurring user-based fees in addition to the one-time fees. The expected go live is scheduled to happen in 2021.

The Company sold its DOCit Solution to the Corporation of the County of Lambton Long-Term Care Services. The County of Lambton owns and operates 3 Long-Term Care Homes as well as two Adult Enrichment Centres The County of Lambton will leverage the applications multi-site reporting capabilities allowing for organization wide trending, multi-site data analytics and benchmarking.

The Company entered into a partnership with UK-Based healthcare technology specialist Intouch with Health. The partnership agreement will see Intouch patient flow virtual management solutions and software combined with VitalHubs solutions and services to enable patient flow to be managed from a patients hospital activities through to ongoing support and care in the community.

When asked to comment on the results of Q2 2020, VitalHub CEO Dan Matlow said, As anticipated we saw a slowdown in new sales as a result of the focus of our clients on the COVID-19 pandemic. The strong percentage of recurring revenue along with implementation services allowed us to achieve revenues comparable with the prior quarter and outperform our bottom-line expectations. We are also starting to see the positive results of our acquisition integration efforts from a cost-reduction perspective. This combined with some government assistance programs has led to strong earnings for the quarter. Moreover, we continue to progress and advance our M&A strategy, which has become increasingly active since the onset of the pandemic, amid a robust environment for prospective acquisitions.

Our existing customers and future prospects are getting back to refocusing on new initiatives as healthcare systems around the world reopen with newfound experience and insight into the importance and necessity of digital health solutions. We expect to benefit from this as we move forward.

ABOUT VITALHUB:

VitalHub develops mission-critical technology solutions for Health and Human Services providers in the Mental Health (Child through Adult), Long Term Care, Community Health Service, Home Health, Social Service and Acute Care sectors. VitalHub technologies include Blockchain, Mobile, Patient Flow, Web-Based Assessment and Electronic Health Record solutions.



The Company has a robust two-pronged growth strategy, targeting organic growth opportunities within its product suite, and pursuing an aggressive M&A plan. Currently, VitalHub serves 200+ clients across North America. VitalHub is based in Toronto, Canada, with an offshore development hub in Sri Lanka. The Company is publicly traded on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol VHI.

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This press release includes forward-looking statements regarding the Corporation and its business, which may include, but is not limited to, statements with respect to the appointment of a new directors. Often, but not always, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "is expected", "expects", "scheduled", "intends", "contemplates", "anticipates", "believes", "proposes" or variations (including negative variations) of such words and phrases, or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. Such statements are based on the current expectations of the management of each entity and are based on assumptions and subject to risks and uncertainties. Although the management of each entity believes that the assumptions underlying these statements are reasonable, they may prove to be incorrect. The forward-looking events and circumstances discussed in this release, may not occur by certain specified dates or at all and could differ materially as a result of known and unknown risk factors and uncertainties affecting the companies, including risks regarding the technology industry, failure to obtain regulatory or shareholder approvals, market conditions, economic factors, the equity markets generally and risks associated with growth and competition. Although the Corporation has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results to differ from those anticipated, estimated or intended. No forward-looking statement can be guaranteed. Except as required by applicable securities laws, forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made and the Corporation undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Dan Matlow

Chief Executive Officer, Director

(416) 727-9061

dan.matlow@vitalhub.com




Power struggles. Family rifts. Sex. The lawsuit over the mental competency of media mogul Sumner Redstone has all the elements of a great Hollywood drama. Heres a look at the key cast of characters who took center stage in the legal tussle that ultimately was dismissed by a judge on May 9.

Sumner Redstone

Sumner Redstone at a premiere in 2012. (John Shearer / Invision/AP)

Media mogul Sumner Redstone is the former chairman of Viacom Inc. The ailing 92-year-old, who controls about 80% of the voting shares in Viacom and CBS, won his legal battle against his former girlfriend Maneula Herzer. A Los Angeles judge concluded Redstone was in command of his faculties enough to recognize and articulate  despite a severe speech impediment  the person he wanted in charge of his healthcare.

I wish to put our family back as we were before ... and restore our family relationship to what it was then. This is very important to me Sumner Redstone

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Former companion Manuela Herzer

Manuela Herzer in 2013. (Billy Bennight / UPPA / ZUMAPRESS.com)

Manuela Herzer is Redstones former companion who was removed from a position of power at his home in October 2015. She filed a lawsuit in late November, alleging that Redstone was not mentally competent to make decisions concerning his healthcare, describing the once powerful titan as a living ghost who is prone to crying spells.

Sumner and I have been close friends and confidantes since 1999. My loyalty and love is for Sumner, and I will do everything that I can to make sure that he is protected from this horrible setup that has separated us. Manuela Herzer

Daughter Shari Redstone, vice chair of CBS and Viacom

Sumner and Shari Redstone in 2012. (Katy Winn / Invision / AP)

Shari Redstone, 62, has had a tumultuous relationship with her father over the years. She contends that she and her children were not welcomed in Sumners home while Herzer and another woman were central in his life. In April, Sumner named Shari as his healthcare proxy, replacing Viacom Chairman and Chief Executive Philippe Dauman. She will be a member of the Redstone Trust, which makes decisions regarding the familys controlling shares of Viacom and CBS.

My father and I have a uniquely close relationship. ... We have had very public disagreements over business matters; we have patched those up. Shari Redstone

Viacom Chairman and CEO Philippe Dauman

Viacom CEO Philippe P. Dauman. (Associated Press)

Dauman met Sumner Redstone 30 years ago when the mogul was planning to launch a hostile takeover of Viacom and Dauman was a young attorney. He has been the CEO of Viacom for the past 10 years and recently became Viacoms chairman. Last fall, he became Sumners healthcare agent once Herzer was pushed out of Redstones inner circle. Redstone abruptly removed Dauman from his family trust on May 20, suggesting that his next step might be to use his clout as controlling shareholder of Viacom to push Dauman out as chairman and chief executive of the struggling media company.

Former girlfriend Sydney Holland

Sydney Holland and Sumner Redstone in 2012. (Katy Winn / Invision / AP)

Sydney Holland, 44, dated Redstone for five years. Court filings contend that he lavished her and Herzer with more than $150 million in gifts during that time period. After he learned that she was having an affair with another man, she confessed and he ordered her out of his home in August 2015, court documents show. Days later, he cut Holland out of his will.

Former wife Paula Fortunato

Sumner Redstone and then-wife Paula Fortunato in 2007. (Reed Saxon / Associated Press)

Paula Fortunato, 53, was a schoolteacher in New York when she met Redstone a few years after his 52-year marriage ended. She was married to Redstone for five years and divorced in 2009. In late October 2015, after Herzer was tossed out of the Redstone house, she rekindled her friendship with Redstone.

Grandson Tyler J. Korff, lawyer and rabbi

Sumner Redstones grandson Tyler J. Korff. (Christina House / LA Times)

Tyler Korff is the youngest son of Shari Redstone. He is a lawyer and rabbi and will be a board member on the Redstone Trust. He is one of five beneficiaries of the trust.

Granddaughter Keryn Redstone

(photo not available)

Keryn Redstone, the 34-year-old daughter of Sumners estranged son, Brent, also is a beneficiary of the Redstone Trust. She attempted to join the lawsuit filed by Herzer to have her grandfather declared mentally incompetent, but a judge denied the move. The Redstone grandchildren, including Keryn, refer to Sumner as Grumpy, according to court documents.

I clearly heard Shari [Redstone] state her beliefs as to what should happen to Grumpy. She said, If he gets sick, dont take him to the hospital. Let him die. Keryn Redstone in her court declaration

Estranged son Brent Redstone

(photo not available)

Brent Redstone, 66, worked for years at Viacom but had a falling out with his father and sister, Shari, a decade ago. He brought suit against the family business, National Amusements Inc., alleging that his father favored Shari in the familys business dealings. He received a $250-million settlement, severed ties with his family and retired to a ranch in Colorado. His two daughters, including Keryn, are beneficiaries of the Redstone Trust.

MORE:

Sumner Redstone says his former girlfriends received $150 million from him

Sumner Redstone trial showcases family rifts, betrayals and lavish spending

Sumner Redstones testimony is of utmost significance, judge declares

UPDATES:

May 24, 8:30 a.m.: This article was updated with additional information.

This article was originally published at 6:24 p.m. May 5.
Trillium Brewing Co. announced on Tuesday that it is suspending its outdoor seating and draft service at its Fenway location as a result of new guidelines issued by the state regarding crowds amid the coronavirus pandemic.

New guidelines went into effect this week regarding indoor and outdoor gatherings. Outdoor gathering, including restaurants and breweries, are limited to 25% capacity or a maximum of 50 people.

Under those guidelines Trillium opted to close its patio and suspend draft service at its Fenway Location. Retail sales of cans and bottles to-go will continue to be available for online ordering.

The brewery introduced the greenhouse-inspired structure on the front lawn of 401 Park Drive last year. The indoor/outdoor facility operates as a brewery and taproom.

The announcement on Tuesday didnt mention Trilliums other locations. The brewery operates another two locations in Boston, one at Thomson Place and the other at High Street and Atlantic Avenue.

The brewery also has a taproom in Canton, its original location.

Breweries across the state have tried to implement innovative strategies to stay afloat amid the pandemic.

White Lion Brewery Co. in Springfield plans to open a taproom in the fall. In Worcester, Redemption Rock Brewing Co. and 3Cross Fermentation are expanding distribution both east and west of Central Massachusetts.

Bay State Brewing Co. even introduced a new hard seltzer to attract a more diverse audience.

Some breweries in the state have become success stories as well. Rustic Brewing Company in Indian Orchard has struggled keeping up with demand for its 21 different varieties of drinks.

During the pandemic, the brewery has doubled its output.
MANAMA, Bahrain, Aug. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- On August 16, GAC MOTOR will unveil its two comprehensively upgraded models, the GS5 and GN6, in Bahrain. The price, configuration parameters and service policies of the two models will be announced at a later time.

As the two latest flagship products of GAC MOTOR, the GS5 and GN6 bring together the latest achievements in brand research, development and global innovation. Localized to Bahrain's unique tropical desert climate and harsh desert terrain, GAC MOTOR combines the daily travel needs of the people of Bahrain by introducing a new generation of pioneer SUV model GS5. The latest GS5, now available in Bahrain, comes equipped with multi-terrain driving mode and master-level tuning chassis, which greatly improves the ride comfort and vehicle handling, and provides considerate and efficient driving protection for Bahraini consumers.

The GN6, another versatile MPV model, has also been carefully crafted by the GAC's R&D team over the years, which is specifically designed for pragmatic and enterprising people who are also looking to enjoy life. Living a diverse life and enjoying a wide range of activities and social networks, they expect to take care of their families while also indulging in full enjoyment. And GN6 will be a perfect interpretation of home and commercial use with its multi-functional and large space. This listing will announce the official launch of GS5 and GN6 in the Bahrain market. It is believed that with their excellent product quality and brand reputation, they will surely become a strong brand of best-selling models in the Bahrain market.

It is understood that GAC MOTOR officially entered the Bahrain market in 2015. Its sales have been rising steadily. It has ranked No. 1 among Chinese brands in imports and terminal sales for four consecutive years. And the market share is more than 2%, which is very popular among local consumers. The introduction of the vehicle series will once again complete the Bahrain market, which not only reflects the important position of Bahrain and the Middle East market in the GAC MOTOR international strategic map but also provides a solid guarantee for GAC MOTOR to further develop and deepen the Middle East market.

Nowadays, with the rapid growth of the national economy, the consumption level of Bahraini people has been continuously upgraded and expectations for vehicle quality have also increased. GAC MOTOR is fully in touch with the development on the ground and the trends of user needs with its fashion and cutting-edge products, excellent taste and services. GAC serves the travel and life of the Bahraini people, allowing Bahraini consumers to recognize the first-class benefits and strength of GAC products so as to experience the energy and flexibility brought by the new vehicles. The future is now, and already is here in Bahrain. GAC MOTOR will continue to impress consumers around the world with its high-end manufacturing strength and quality.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1227367/GS5_GN6.jpg
Mumbai, Aug 12 : The 30-scrip Sensitive Index (Sensex) on Wednesday opened on a negative note during the morning session of the trade.

The Sensex of the BSE opened at 38,321.13 points which was also the high point. The Sensex touched a low of 38,125.81 points.

On Tuesday the Sensex closed at 38,407.01 points.

The Sensex is trading at 38,257.08, down by 149.93 points or 0.39 per cent.

On the other hand, the broader 50-scrip Nifty at National Stock Exchange (NSE) also opened at lower note.
The writer is a journalist who specialises in communications studies and nuclear diplomacy. She is also the author of several books.

It cannot be ignored that the virus has left Indians a little too tense to remain distracted by his Ayodhya show for long

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has certainly gone overboard in making a grand show of his presence at Ayodhya.

He has proved to be a master strategist, ahead of seniors in his own political camp and, of course, his political rivals.

Clearly, he can claim to have achieved what apparently was not visualised and perhaps not even seriously considered by others. True, around a year ago, the apex courts verdict regarding this controversial issue had set the clock ticking speedily in this direction.

Apprehension prevailed in certain quarters about the verdict and subsequent developments, including the latest ceremonies, leading to communal tension.

Thankfully, Indians at large adopted a mature and secular approach then as well as now (August 5), with there being no report about any major communal disturbance from any part of the country.

And this certainly proves that the Ayodhya-issue can no longer be viewed as a communal bomb that it once seemed to be. Against this backdrop, what can Mr Modi expect to gain by the grand religious show displayed at Ayodhya on August 5? Of course, constitutionally, he has as much a right to be as religious he wants to be.

After all, India is a multi-religious, secular country. Besides, most politicians do indulge in display of their religious as well as secular images for political gains. Almost all key leaders, including Mr Modi, flaunt their secularism by sending a token symbol to Ajmer Shareef every year.

During electoral season, substantial importance is given by most to gain media coverage of their visiting temples and so forth. Well, this is India.

Mr Modis Ayodhya-show cannot but be viewed as a grand step taken by him in style, to enhance his image, particularly his religious credentials in the eyes of Indian voters.

Considering that it has been taken at a time when a vicious virus is sending distress signals from all directions, Mr Modi is probably hopeful that this Ayodhya-move will be of some help in distracting the peoples attention. Will it? This may be viewed as a million dollar question.

The nature of comments coming from even his key political rivals suggests that they cannot afford to criticise his Ayodhya-show. This may be viewed as a political victory for Mr Modi.

There is nothing wrong with politicians of various parties expressing appreciation for the Ayodhya Ram temple ceremony.

Indians have come a long way from December 6, 1992, when communal violence engulfed practically the entire country following the demolition of Babri Masjid, for construction of the Ram temple.

Nevertheless, there lurks a fear in certain sections, whether the underlying motive of the ruling party and its leaders is to pay greater importance to their Hindutva-agenda than to the countrys Constitution.

It is hoped that this is not the case and substantial attention is paid not to provoke communal violence in name of religion, constitutionally.

Mr. Modi is apparently well aware that he cannot afford to openly use the communal card for political gains. It is not without reason that he donned a secular mask when he first chose to come on the national stage by contesting the 2014 parliamentary elections.

Also, each time communal frenzy targeting minorities of some nature, particularly Muslims, hits headlines, protests and demonstrations against it do not take long to surface.

A greater number of secular non-Muslims (largely Hindus) participate in these demonstrations than Muslims. This suggests that the question of his Ayodhya-show being viewed communally by people in general is as good as non-existent.

Even if this were not a Covid year, the prospects of people adding communal fervour to the Ayodhya-show would probably not have prevailed.

It is possible that Mr Modi has his eye on gaining votes in the Hindi belt with the Bihar Assembly election round the corner.

He has his right to make political use of religious shows, if he wants to, as long as communal violence and hatred are not provoked. In recent years, some noise has been made about certain leaders hoping for polarisation of vote banks along religious lines.

Perhaps, a motive of the Ayodhya-show is this. It may be, but with Hindus as well as Muslims divided into numerous groups, castes, sub-castes and also regional, the question of there being any Hindu or Muslim vote-bank is as good as non-existent.

So Mr Modis Ayodhya move may certainly be viewed as a master card as it has helped him gain substantially a positive image that had suffered in recent days because of crises caused by the coronavirus. He hopes to dominate headlines for some time.

It cannot be ignored that the virus has left Indians a little too tense to remain distracted by his Ayodhya show for long. Nevertheless, he has once again proved to be a master strategist who knows how to steal a march on his rivals in the political race.

He has, for the moment, all the reason to talk about his 56-inch chest and feel proud!
Central Regional Minister, Kwamena Duncan has hailed First Lady Rebecca Akufo-Addo for complementing the good works of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.



Speaking on 'Kokrokoo' on Peace FM, Kwamena Duncan disclosed that the First Lady has been making lots of donations in the Central Region, ensuring that women enjoy a good living.



He narrated that Mrs. Akufo-Addo donated some items to cushion underprivileged women and families, and also equiped some health facilities in the Region.



"She also equipped a treatment centre in the Region as part of measures to curb the COVID-29 pandemic," he added.



The Minister further revealed that the First Lady will soon commission a library to help with research and studies in the Region.



Kwamena Duncan lauded the First Lady for her good efforts and also thanked Ghanaians for voting for a change.



He was optimistic the Akufo-Addo administration will be given another term to continue the good works.



"If you cast a good vote for the right President whose vision is big and does great works, you get a competent First Lady as bonus," Kwamena told host Kwami Sefa Kayi.







Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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By PTI

COLOMBO: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday congratulated Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and premier Mahinda Rajapaksa on their party's resounding electoral success and expressed confidence that bilateral ties will be further strengthened.

In a letter addressed to the two Rajapaksa brothers, Modi pointed out that he looks forward to working with them, including for the recovery and revitalisation of the bilateral economies in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

On Wednesday, Sri Lanka's new Cabinet, including four members of the powerful Rajapaksa family, took oath with President Gotabaya retaining the key defence ministry while the finance portfolio went to newly-elected Prime Minister Mahinda after their party won a landslide victory in parliamentary elections last week.

The President administered the oath of office to the 28-member Cabinet.

Taking to Twitter, India's High Commission said: Together for development! PM @narendramodi wrote to @GotabayaR & @PresRajapaksa.

He congratulated them on resounding electoral success of @PodujanaParty. PM Shri Modi also congratulated @PresRajapaksa on being sworn in as PM of #SriLanka.

PM Shri Modi expressed confidence that #India-#SriLanka relationship will be further strengthened.

He pointed out that he looks forward to working with @GotabayaR and @PresRajapaksa, including for recovery and revitalisation of our economies in the wake of #COVID19 pandemic, it said in another tweet.

The Mahinda Rajapaksa-led Sri Lanka People's Party (SLPP) won a landslide victory in the parliamentary elections held last week that allowed the influential family to consolidate power for the next five years.

The SLPP won a record 145 seats in the 225-member Parliament.

Sri Lanka was one of the very few Asian countries apart from Singapore to hold general elections in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.
MANISTEE  As the first day of school draws near, school officials continue to create and adjust plans that will allow students to resume their education while restrictions are in place due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The recent Executive Order 2020-142 requires school districts to adopt a COVID-19 preparedness and response plan and detail how they will protect students and educators across the various phases of the state's Safe Start Plan. The 55-page MI Safe Schools Return to School Roadmap offers guidelines for safety protocols that will be required or recommended at each given phase.

Trinity Lutheran School and Manistee Catholic Central both intend to start the 2020-21 school year with in-person instruction, but both also have plans at the ready to switch to remote learning should the need arise.

Jeremie Solak, MCC principal, said the use of face masks, social distancing and cleaning will allow the school to provide students a safe environment to learn.

"The plan is to start in person. We believe that face-to-face education is better for the students," Solak said. "However, so long as we're in Phase 5, there are going to be different routines for the school to keep people safe. Part of that is  just like with all the other schools  regular cleaning and spraying things down with misters approved by the health department between classes and lunch and different things like that."

He said the school will divide students into cohort groups.

"We're going to be cohorting, so on the playground the students' groups will be in different zones. When we're in the classes, and we're socially distanced, so long as we're in Phase 5, students will be able to take their masks off if they'd prefer that in the building as the desks are spread out," Solak said.

He said teachers will also have a teaching zone and can take their masks off if they feel comfortable "especially for the elementary, so they can see their mouths and everything like that."

"But then when they come up back to the school, they'll sort of mask up. When we're in person in high congestion areas and when we can't properly socially distance, the expectation is masking up," he explained.

The small student counts of Trinity Lutheran and MCC make social distancing an easier task.

"We do not have any Phase 4 area students in our school, so we can go along with Phase 5 regulations, which are a little more flexible. We have small class sizes, so we will be social distancing, but we should be able to do that with ease in our classrooms," said Trinity principal Tina Fisk. "We're going to stay together in cohorts in our classrooms so our classrooms will stay together throughout the day without interaction between the other classrooms. We'll be out of the hall when other classrooms are in the hall. Recesses are separated into zones so our classrooms are not intermingling."

Trinity students will be required to wear masks in the hallway, when entering or exiting the school and during chapel time. Fisk said she will be asking parents to get their children acclimated to wearing face masks.

"I've been talking to some parents and they're like, 'Our kids are adjusting to do that.' Maybe not for long periods of time, but they're learning how to do that," she said. "We're going to spend some time with our parents ahead of time, before school, and say, 'Why don't you practice? If they haven't worn their masks very much, have them practice that  putting them on and things like that.'"

Due to the smaller class sizes, both schools anticipate holding lunch in the cafeteria, whereas larger schools will see students eating in classrooms. However, lunch periods will still look different than those of years past.

This means the cafeteria will be sectioned off, fewer people seated at tables and more outdoor time.

"When the weather is good we're going to have some more picnic tables and outdoor tables. Typically, our grades six through 12 have all been in one room, so we're going to stagger those," Solak said. "High school will go first and then we'll spray with the cleaning misters and then the middle school will come in after that. We'll clean in between  we did anyway, but it will just be a little bit different and a little bit more thorough."

Trinity also has plans in place to keep the building sanitized.

"We've actually added some time to one of our parttimer's hours so she can make an additional sweep of the building with sanitation," Fisk said. "That way, we're not unnecessarily burdening our regular custodial staff. There'll be lots of regular cleaning."

Fisk said even though the school is in Phase 5, it plans to have cleaning at least every four hours or more similar to Phase 4 requirements.

MCC and Trinity are both expecting families to monitor the health of students before they head to school, with MCC planning on sending parents 6:45 a.m. reminders to check on the health of their children. Trinity plans on performing temperature checks in school as well, but not on a daily basis.

"We're planning on having families do their health screening at home, although we're going to do a check a lot of times before lunch, also, where we take everybody's temperature just to double-check," Fisk said. "Partly because I think kids are going to need to get used to that. But, generally, we're leaving that screening to families at home."

If a student is running a temperature or feels ill, they will be isolated immediately and cannot return to class for three days, even if the fever is not caused by COVID-19.

"We have an isolation spot for them and we'd make emergency phone calls to take them home and then we'd follow the protocols of the health department," Fisk said. "I believe the new ruling for the fever thing is now 72 hours. Not just for COVID, but for anything. ... We'll follow the health department protocol."

If a student tests positive for COVID-19, they will be required to self quarantine.

"Basically, if you test positive, you'll be out of the school for 10 working days and you can come back once you have 10 days with no symptoms," Solak said. "If we have a scenario where maybe three people test positive in one particular class, then the plan is to take that cohorted group and just have them sit out for 10 days, just so we don't have something that affects the whole school."

Very few Trinity or MCC students use busing, but there will be staggered entrance protocols in place to avoid crowding where students enter and exit the schools.

"With the elementary grades in particular, we're developing sort of a staggered schedule which we'll let parents know, just so we can cut down on the congestion," Solak said. "Typically, parents have had to pick up their children from the classrooms in our elementary up to fifth grade, and that's been great to give parents a moment to talk to the teachers, ask some questions, catch up, but we're going to be bringing students outside to the parents at this point  at least until we move to Phase 6 or things are markedly better and there's freedom within where we are with Phase 5."

The status of band and choir classes is still up in the air at MCC.

"We're pretty limited. I'm still asking some questions about what is possible with band," Solak said. "Maybe we can do band outdoors with super spacing, and maybe do elements of band in the gym, but right now, I'm not sure what is going to happen. Choir, I think we're just not going to be doing that unless it's outdoors, but it's something too where I still have some questions out with the superintendent of (St. Mary Cathedral School of) Gaylord."

The matter of field trips is also complicated by social distancing requirements, but Solak hopes MCC will still be able offer them.

"In some ways, that's still a little bit up in the air. ... Our field trips might be a combination of using our school bus so we only have the number of students that are allowed on the bus and then combination of parents helping to take people," he said. "We're still planning to do things, but right now how we travel may be a little bit different. Some of our field trips might turn into things that avoid high congestion areas. We might be doing a lot more nature field trips and visiting places where there just aren't as many people."

Both schools are braced for the possibility distance learning will be required, and based on how things went with remote learning in the spring, feel confident they can effectively teach students without face-to-face instruction if need be.

"If we have to shift into distance learning mode, then we're prepared for that. Although it's not face-to-face education, I think we can still learn through it," Solak said. "For the most part, we were happy with how it went in the spring, so we'll just be using (the curriculum) we currently have. We do have some changes in our curriculum  some improvements for this year. One of the things we're doing is using Saxon Math in grades K-12. One of the benefits of that in particular is we really like how it spirals. It's constantly reviewing prior concepts, so in a time where there might be more gaps than usual, we feel confident in the math side of things that it's going to help cut down on the loss of learning.

"We'll just be using sort of our normal things  they'll just be translated into an online environment for distance learning."

"We did have good success with our distance learning when we were in Phase 3," Fisk said. "I have plans ready to submit to the Michigan Department of Education for Phase 5 and Phase 4. I'm certain that if we have to close again, that we'll be able to accomplish what we need to with our distance learning program, too."

Hope for the best but prepare for the worst, the old saying goes, and despite being prepared to use distance learning exclusively if need be, Fisk hopes to see students back in school went Sept. 1 rolls around.

"It's going to be different, but I think kids are so excited and families are so excited to have their kids back in person," she said. "We're really praying that's going to happen and things aren't going to change here so we can do that and see their smiling faces again. It's a little different on Zoom than it is in person."
Iran's President Hassan Rouhani says the heads of the three branches of the state in Iran have decided to offer the country's oil for sale to private individuals in the Energy Exchange.

Rouhani had promised last week to announce an economic breakthrough. However, there have been many speculations, questions and doubts about the practicality of selling "oil bonds" to the people.

Rouhani said Tuesday morning August 11 that the heads of the executive, legislative and judiciary bodies, have ratified the general terms of the plan, but the administration of the process is to be finalized later.

As analysts had predicted earlier, the measure is aimed at "controlling the excessive liquidity and coping with sanctions." The government hopes that people holding close to $30 billion in foreign currency and a huge amount of rials will entrust the state with their savings, helping the government to narrow its budget deficit.

Rouhani said he hopes that the new plan will lead to positive developments in the area of employment and production.

Although the Rouhani has less than nine months before the next presidential election, he said that his administration will try to make the economy stable until its last day in office.Earlier, some Iranian lawmakers had expressed concern that that the plan might create problems for the Iran's next president and his administration., as Rouhani might be borrowing from the people, while his successor will be faced to pay for it.

In an analysis on Radio Farda on Monday, Dalga Khatinoglu said "although the government is hoping to collect Iranian and foreign currencies from the people in order to reduce liquidity and make up for the budget deficit, many uncertainties will dissuade ordinary people from investing in such a scheme."
At least three people were killed after police opened fire to quell a mob that went on a rampage, irked over a social media post allegedly put out by a Congress legislator's relative, as a city locality witnessed arson andviolence.

IMAGE: Firefighters spread water on the vehicles burnt by angry mob following a remark by a relative of Congress MLA Akhanda Srinivas Murthy, at Devar Jeevana Halli in Bengaluru. Photograph: ANI Photo

"Three people have died (in police firing)," said Bengaluru Police Commissioner Kamal Pant. Further, 110 people have been arrested in connection with the incident at Pulakeshi Nagar.



Scores of persons, including around 50 policemen, were injured in the violence that erupted on Tuesday night and continued till the wee hours of Wednesday, apparently prompted by the 'communally sensitive' online post.



The Congress MLA's residence and a police station were among those targeted by the angry mob, prompting the government to issue a stern warning that rioting and law and order issues will not be tolerated.

IMAGE: Police stand next to the charred remains of a vehicle vandalised by a mob over a social media post by a relative of a MLA, in Bengaluru, on Wednesday. Photograph: Shailendra Bhojak/PTI Photo

Pant said Naveen, who allegedly posted the social media post has been arrested and appealed for peace.



Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa said the "attack on the residence of MLA Akhanda Srinivasa Murthy and the DJ Halli police station and riot are condemnable."



"Already given directions to initiate stringent action against the criminals (and) the government has initiated all the measures to contain violence," he said.

IMAGE: Police stand next to the charred remains of a vehicle vandalised by a mob over a social media post. Photograph: Shailendra Bhojak/PTI Photo

The attack on police, media persons and common citizens was unpardonable. The government will not tolerate such instigation and mischief, he added.



On Tuesday night, irked by the social media post, hundreds of people went on a rampage and set DJ Halli police station on fire.



They torched many police and private vehicles, smashed the belongings of MLA Murthy and those of his sister. An ATM was smashed into pieces.

IMAGE: A mob rampaged through Bengalurus Pulakeshi Nagar on Tuesday night and vandalised a police station and a Congress legislato'rs residence after an alleged relative of the MLA shared a social media post purportedly on a communal issue. Photograph: Shailendra Bhojak/PTI Photo

To disperse the mob, police resorted to lathi charge, lobbed tear gas shells and later opened fire, killing three people.



One of the victims has been identified as Yasin Pasha. The victim's father Afzal told reporters that his son was 'innocent.'



"My son operated a meat shop in the area and had gone for dinner when the police opened fire and he died. He is innocent and was not involved in any arson," he said.

IMAGE: Police walk past damaged vehicles vandalised by the mob. Photograph: Shailendra Bhojak/PTI Photo

He claimed that some outsiders, who came in hordes and damaged property, were responsible for the violence.



Meanwhile, curfew has been imposed in the affected areas in and around DJ Halli and KG Halli.

IMAGE: Charred remains of a vehicle vandalised by a mob, in Bengaluru, on Wednesday morning. Photograph: Shailendra Bhojak/PTI Photo

Legislator Murthy appealed against violence.



"I appeal to my Muslim brethren that we should not resort to violence for the fault committed by some miscreants. There is no need to fight. We all are brothers. We will get the person punished as per law. We will also be with you. I appeal to the Muslim friends to be calm," he said in a video message on Tuesday night.

IMAGE: Police stand guard after a mob vandalised the police station. Photograph: Shailendra Bhoj/PTI Photo

Congress MLA and former minister B Z Zameer Ahmed Khan termed the violence as 'unfortunate.' "I am hopeful police will take action against all those who are responsible for this. I also request everyone to stay calm and maintain peace in the area," Khan tweeted.



Shivaji Nagar Congress MLA Rizwan Arshad too appealed to the people to maintain peace and harmony.

IMAGE: Police and Revenue Minister R Ashoka inspect as they stand near the charred remains of vehicles. Photograph: Shailendra Bhojak/PTI Photo
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-12 12:09:30|Editor: huaxia

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A man walks on Times Square in New York, the United States, July 23, 2020. (Xinhua/Wang Ying)

"The last Cold War was dangerous enough," Jeffrey Sachs said. "This one would be even more dangerous. It's completely misconceived and misguided, but a lot of Americans want to put it to China and think that we run the show, which is a very dangerous view of thinking."

WASHINGTON, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- U.S. politicians risk making a "dreadful mistake" by stoking a geopolitical Cold War with China, a renowned U.S. economist has warned.

"The last Cold War was dangerous enough," Jeffrey Sachs, an economics professor at Columbia University and senior United Nations advisor, said in an interview with CNBC on Monday.

"This one would be even more dangerous. It's completely misconceived and misguided, but a lot of Americans want to put it to China and think that we run the show, which is a very dangerous view of thinking," he said.

Photo taken on Sept. 24, 2015 shows the national flags of China (R) and the United States as well as the flag of Washington D.C. on the Constitution Avenue in Washington, capital of the United States.(Xinhua/Bao Dandan)

Sachs noted that attacking China has become a bipartisan strategy for political gain in the United States, but a geopolitical Cold War with China would threaten global security in an already tumultuous period as the COVID-19 pandemic continues its spread across the world.

"While politics is a game, and a pretty tough one in the U.S., it's an incredibly dangerous sport also, and to play with the facts and the lies that we're saying about China right now has consequences," Sachs told CNBC.

Sachs urged global leaders to cooperate on issues like climate change as the economy undergoes a "remarkably choppy period of disruption and transition."

"If we face it as each one is on your own, then we're going to look back with a lot of regret," he said.

Aerial photo taken on July 15, 2020 shows a container port in Quanzhou, southeast China's Fujian Province. (Xinhua/Song Weiwei)

China rejects any attempt to create a so-called "new Cold War," because it contravenes the fundamental interests of the Chinese and U.S. people and the global trend toward development and progress, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said earlier this month.

Anyone who tries to start a so-called "new Cold War" in the 21st century will be on the wrong side of history and will only be remembered as the one who has upended international cooperation, Wang told Xinhua in an exclusive interview. 
The campaign to bring back ABS-CBN, the largest broadcasting station in the country, continues to gather momentum. PIRMA Kapamilya, a public campaign, has been launched to lobby for the network to regain its franchise. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joins its affiliate the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) to support the campaign and calls Filipinos to sign up to the initiative.

ABS-CBN supporters protest in front of the House of Representatives in Manila on July 10, 2020. Credit: Miggy Hilario/AFP

NUJP hosted a webinar on August 10 to discuss PIRMA Kapamilya, the Peoples Initiative to campaign to bring ABS-CBN back on air by granting it a new franchise. On the webinar, PIRMA Kapamilya convenors, Attys. Third Bagro, Eirene Aguilla, and Mike Tiu and Leon Flores III, discussed the initiative which was launched following the decision of the House of Representatives panel to deny the application of ABS-CBNs franchise renewal.

Pirma means to sign and Kapamilya means family member which is also a brand name of ABS-CBN.

Based on the Veritas Survey, 68 per cent of Filipinos support the initiative. Such community action is allowed under Article VI Section 32 of the 1987 Constitution that states: the people can directly propose and enact laws or approve or reject any act of law or part thereof passed by Congress or local legislative body

PIRMA Kapamilya needs to gather an estimated 7 million signatures, or at least 10 per cent of Philippines voting population and no less than 3 per cent of voters in each congressional district to be able to pass the law of allowing for a new franchise for ABS-CBN.

The livestream of the webinar has gained 20,000 views and another 500 joined Kapamilya World onlines watch party.

NUJP Chairman Nonoy Espina said that the initiative is a huge step forward after the decision to shut down ABS-CBN despite the visible outrage of the citizens. With the initiative of PIRMA Kapamilya, the Filipino people will finally be able to voice out their own opinions about ABS-CBNs franchise, added Espina.

Read more here , and find out how to sign on to the initiative.

The IFJ said: IFJ stands with NUJP to support the initiative to bring back the ABS-CBN. The shutdown of the largest broadcasters amid the global pandemic has blocked access to information for Filipino people. IFJ calls on Filipinos to sign onto this ground-breaking public campaign to put the ABS-CBN back on air.
Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt has been diagnosed with lung cancer, it was revealed on Tuesday.

The news was confirmed by trade analyst and film industry insider Komal Nahta on Tuesday night.

"Sanjay Dutt diagnosed with lung cancer. Let's pray for his speedy recovery," tweeted Nahta on his verified Twitter account, @KomalNahta.

According to reports, Dutt will fly to the US for treatment soon.

Earlier on Tuesday afternoon, as the news spread that the 61-year-old actor may have cancer, Dutt had taken to social media to urge well-wishers not to worry or unnecessarily speculate.

"Hi friends, I am taking a short break from work for some medical treatment. My family and friends are with me and I urge my well-wishers not to worry or unnecessarily speculate. With your love and good wishes, I will be back soon," he tweeted on his verified account, @duttsanjay.

Dutt's health came into focus last Saturday evening when he was rushed to hospital in Mumbai after complaining of chest discomfort and breathlessness. The actor had subsequently been discharged from hospital.
Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 12 : The Customs department is now probing if there was any protocol violation by Kerala Higher Education Minister K.T. Jaleel in the sensational gold smuggling case.

Jaleel allegedly received kits for distribution from the UAE consulate during Ramzan and also a copy of the Holy Quran, both of which are a violation of protocol.

The Customs have sent a notice to the State Protocol Officer asking if there were any exemptions granted for this and also to provide the list of baggage under this segment.

The issue surfaced after the minister said that he was in contact with Swapna Suresh, one of the prime accused in the gold smuggling case, with regard to accepting sponsorship worth Rs 5 lakh from the UAE consulate here for distribution of Ramzan kits in Malappuram district from where Jaleel hails.

According to the code of conduct for state ministers, they cannot accept gifts which are valued at over Rs 5,000. Besides, the rules are very clear that all such items should be routed only through the Ministry of External Affairs and not given directly to either state ministers or Union ministers.

The Holy Quran was also received by a department under Jaleel.

Already, Union Minister of State for External Affairs V. Muraleedharan has expressed concern about the protocol violation, an issue which the BJP's Kerala unit has also raised.
In one online video, Greene embraced QAnon, a far-right conspiracy theory centered on the baseless belief that President Donald Trump is waging a secret campaign against enemies in the deep state and a child sex trafficking ring run by satanic pedophiles and cannibals. In other videos, she said Black and Hispanic men are being held back by gangs and dealing drugs, alleged an Islamic invasion of government offices and accused Jewish billionaire George Soros of collaborating with Nazis.
A woman in central Chinas Hubei Province has again tested positive for COVID-19, months after her recovery from the disease, local authorities said on Wednesday.

The 68-year-old retiree in the city of Jingzhou was admitted to hospital after falling ill on Aug. 9 and following COVID-19 nucleic acid test showed positive result, said the Jingzhou COVID-19 epidemic control and prevention headquarters.

She was confirmed to be infected with COVID-19 on Feb. 8, but recovered for months, said the headquarters,

adding that this is not a new COVID-19 case, but a reinfection.

The woman is again being treated in isolation, but all her contacts tested negative for COVID-19.

Her home and areas of activities have been thoroughly disinfected.(Xinhua/NAN)
While close to 200 doctors have died in India while performing their COVID duties, attacks on health professionals continue to take place across the country.

A team of healthcare workers engaged in collecting swab samples for COVID-19 test was pelted with stones by some people in Kushinagar district of Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday.

A 40-year-old lab technician, Vinod Sharma, was injured in the attack on the team in the Patehrwa area of the district.

A vehicle of the team was also damaged.

Getty Images

Police later arrested five people in connection with the stone pelting.



The coronavirus stigma has led to a brutal assault on doctors and frontline warriors. Earlier, a group of health workers were assaulted in Indore when they were tracing a man who may have had contact with a confirmed case of the coronavirus. At least 100 people surrounded the team, throwing stones and other objects.

Health care workers are being subjected to assault and abuse as they try to contain the virus.

Multiple incidents of violence have been reported across the country as people panic about catching the disease from medical workers or being stigmatized for having contracted it themselves.

In Bengaluru, health workers were attacked as they went door to door checking people for symptoms.

In Bhopal, health workers returning from an emergency shift were stopped with police, accused of spreading the virus and beaten with batons.

Even as the government has taken stricter measures to protect healthcare workers from violence, the stigma around the virus must be tackled first.
ST. JOHN  The first day of school can be nerve-wracking, and COVID-19 only has heightened that feeling.

After a summer of preparation, St. John the Evangelist School's opening of the school year went well Tuesday, Principal Michelle Kwasny said.

Things went very well, very smoothly. I was a bit apprehensive, but we did a lot of professional development with staff, said Kwasny, who has been leading the school for the past two years.

Kwasny said 15% of the students have opted for e-learning; the school has an enrollment of a little over 300 students.

We spent the summer planning, Kwasny said, but until things roll, you never know about the implementation. Im very happy. Were trying every measure to provide a safe learning environment.

Parents are being asked to ensure their children are well enough to attend school. When students arrive, a staff member checks each childs temperature with an infrared sensor tablet. Someone from staff then takes students to their classroom, to avoid congregating. Currently, parents and visitors may not enter the school.
By PTI

NEW DELHI: Union Minister Shripad Y Naik on Wednesday said he has tested positive for coronavirus infection and has opted for home isolation.

The minister of state for AYUSH and defence said he opted for self-isolation as he is asymptomatic and added his vitals are within normal limits.

Naik took to Twitter to inform he was COVID-19 positive.

"I underwent COVID-19 test today & it has turned out asymptomatically positive. My vitals are within normal limits and I have opted for home isolation. Those who have come in contact with me in last few days are advised to get tested for themselves and take required precautions," he said in his tweet.
World Elephant Day is observed on August 12 to make people understand the importance of protecting the giant animal. It is also observed to bring the world together to help elephants in terms of rehabilitation and in other ways. World Elephant Day 2020 is conducted to raise awareness about the urgency to protect such intelligent and huge animals from extinction. Read about the World Elephant day theme, history and significance below:

Also Read: Balaram Jayanti 2020: Read History, Significance, And Importance Of This Day

World Elephant Day Theme 2020: History, significance & meaning

In 2012, on August 12, the first International Elephant Day was celebrated. Since then, this day is observed every year and is dedicated to the huge intelligent animal. Micheal Clark and Patricia Sima, two filmmakers from Canada and Sivaporn Dardarananda, Secretary-General of the Elephant Reintroduction Foundation in Thailand decided to celebrate Worlds Elephant Day in 2011. Apart from a day dedicated to the protection of this animal, it is also celebrated to improve the illegal poaching and trade of ivory and the better treatment of captive elephants.

Also Read: Book Lovers Day 2020: Quotes, Wishes, Images To Send To Fellow Bookworms

World Elephant Day is the best day to educate yourself and others, about the magnificent animal that is an elephant. You could raise the necessary issues the animal faces on this day. African Elephants are listed Susceptible while Asian elephants are endangered on the Crimson Listing of threatened species. It is also stated that African and Asian elephants will face extinction in the next 10 years and thus it is necessary to preserve them.

Also Read: International Cat Day 2020: Here Are Some Beautiful Wishes, Quotes, And Images To Share

How to Celebrate World Elephants Day 2020?

Educate yourself about the magnificent animal and also educate others about them.

Raise the necessary issues that these animals face. You could conduct these campaigns on social media.

Watch documentaries on elephants which will make you realise the importance of wildlife and these majestic animals. The issues they face can be an eye-opener for you.

Donate to foundations dedicated to protecting elephants from poachers or relocating them at better places where they are safe.

You can host an elephant day themed party for your family and friends.

Art is another excellent medium to express your thoughts and feelings to others. You can organise a painting competition and involve children from your surrounding.

Also Read: Nagasaki Day Quotes To Share And Commemorate The 75th Anniversary
Tensions with Greece reignite as Turkey holds military drills, resumes energy exploration

Iran Press TV

Tuesday, 11 August 2020 2:00 AM

Turkey has launched naval exercises off two Greek islands and announced resumption of its energy exploration research activity in the disputed area, as territorial tensions escalate in the eastern Mediterranean.

The seismic vessel Oruc Reis' arrival on Monday in a disputed area of the eastern Mediterranean, following Turkey's announcement it was resuming energy exploration work, has reignited tensions between two NATO allies with a long history of discord.

Turkey has also launched a two-day naval drill to the east and south of Rhodes and Kastellorizo, signaling that it won't accept any agreement or move that would limit its own maritime interests in the waters.

The Turkish naval exercise was first announced on August 6 -- the same day Egypt and Greece signed an agreement laying out the maritime boundary between their exclusive economic zones.

The eastern Mediterranean has become an energy hot spot with big finds for European Union member Cyprus and Egypt in recent years, and Turkey's push to secure a share of the resources has exacerbated strains.

Turkey had earlier put exploration in the area on hold at the request of German Chancellor Angela Merkel to make it easier for her to mediate. Germany on Monday warned Ankara that unilateral action in territorial disputes with Greece could strain its ties with the EU.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan recently denounced a maritime deal between Greece and Egypt in the eastern Mediterranean as "worthless," saying his country will resume its controversial oil and gas exploration in the area.

Speaking after Friday prayers in the recently-reconverted Hagia Sophia Mosque, Erdogan said the deal was a supposed response to Turkey's maritime agreement with Libya's internationally-recognized government that had been reached last year.

The maritime deal angered Greece at the time, which slammed it as an "infringement on its sovereignty" that could complicate Athens' decades-old disputes with Ankara over Cyprus and maritime rights in the Aegean Sea.

Erdogan said Turkey had paused research in waters disputed with Greece after a request from German Chancellor Angela Merkel but had now restarted research activities.

Greece and Turkey almost went to war in 1974 over Cyprus, which has since been divided, with the northern third run by a Turkish Cypriot administration recognized only by Turkey and the southern two thirds governed by the internationally-recognized Greek Cypriot government.

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T ory MP James Cleverly has hit out at Ben and Jerry's after the Ice Cream brand criticised the UK's immigration policies.

The ice cream giant posted a thread on Twitter addressed to Home Secretary Priti Patel demanding " more safe and legal" routes to asylum.

Ben and Jerry's also urged ministers to talk to expert organisations including charity Refugee Action.

However, rather than take the brand's input on board, Mr Cleverly accused them of "virtue signalling".

He wrote: "Can I have a large scoop of statistically inaccurate virtue signalling with my grossly overpriced ice cream please?"

The MP's comments came after the ice cream maker tagged Ms Patel in a thread which began: "Hey @PritiPatel we think the real crisis is our lack of humanity for people fleeing war, climate change and torture. We pulled together a thread for you..

People wouldnt make dangerous journeys if they had any other choice.

The UK hasnt resettled any refugees since March, but wars and violence continue. What we need is more safe and legal routes.

People cannot be illegal.

Mr Cleverly acused the brand of 'virtue signalling' / AFP via Getty Images

The thread ends: Lets remember were all human and have the same rights to life regardless of the country we happen to have been born in.

And once more for the back: PEOPLE CANNOT BE ILLEGAL.

Immigration minister Chris Philp also hit back at Ben and Jerry's, telling the creators of Chocolate Fudge Brownie and Baked Alaska to stick to ice cream

Mr Philp told the ice cream company: Theyre fleeing France, which is safe, civilised & has a good asylum system.

Last year the UK made 20,000 asylum grants. We are the only G7 country to meet the 0.7% aid target & have run the largest refugee resettlement scheme in Europe over the last 5 years.

Stick to ice cream.

At least 12 migrants arrived at the port of Dover in Kent on Wednesday morning aboard Border Force boat Eagle.

They were helped ashore by officials in masks and fluorescent jackets and led up a gangway.

Border Force vessels continue to be active in the English Channel with more small boats expected later on Wednesday.

Lawyers representing asylum seekers who arrived in the UK by crossing the Channel on small boats have launched legal action to halt their deportation, which is due to take place on Wednesday.
By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 08/11/2020



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star Bennett Kirschner and expert Pastor Calvin Roberson are defending Christina's emotional outburst prior to walking down the aisle.Pastor Cal and his fellow experts, Dr. Pepper Schwartz and Dr. Viviana Coles, matched Christina, a 30-year-old flight attendant from Houma, LA, with Henry Rodriguez , a 35-year-old clinical recruiter from Arabi, LA, to marry on Season 11 of the Lifetime reality series.During the August 5 episode of : Unfiltered, Bennett, Pastor Cal and Henry watched back a Season 11 clip in which Christina vented about being tired of waiting for her wedding to commence."Let's just do it," Christina cried to the producers, expressing annoyance over Diary Cam interviews and all the distractions.Unfiltered host Jamie Otis , who starred on Season 1 of and is still married to her match, Doug Hehner, admitted it's hard to "control how you're feeling" on your wedding day when you're a bride about to meet her groom for the first time.When asked for his thoughts on how Christina acted before walking down the aisle, Pastor Cal replied, "People respond to stress in different ways.""I mean, that was a little divaesque and [Christina was] a little frustrated, but I hope that in spite of people's frustrations, they can still just remain respectful and kind," Pastor Cal explained.But Bennett said he could totally understand why Christina had a bit of a meltdown or lashed out prior to meeting her future husband."I completely understand her feelings in that moment," Bennett shared."It's an operation that has so many tentacles, from the marriage ceremony itself to the celebration to the [wedding night]. But it's also a film set, so there is so much going on at once, and as, you know, all of these parts are trying to operate, there are naturally going to be a lot of hiccups."Bennett was matched to marry Amelia Fatsi on 's eleventh season, and he apparently had to work through some frustrations as well before saying, "I do.""I remember, for our wedding, we had to wait, like, three or four hours when ostensibly nothing was going on, and then the wedding happened," Bennett recalled."So I can understand how over the course of that time, when you don't see what you're waiting for and you have no idea what you're waiting for, someone might feel anxious and start to feel uneasy because there is all this absent waiting time."Jamie added a participant's anxiety probably spikes if she or she feels ready for the experience but then is forced to wait to get on with it."What was it like to watch your wife moments leading up to your wedding?" Jamie asked Henry on Unfiltered."She seemed a little stressed, I guess. She seemed anxious," Henry admitted. "It's a big day."Once Henry and Christina's wedding commenced, Henry could be heard whispering to himself, "She's tall," after catching his first glimpse of the bride walking towards him."Is she what you pictured your wife looking like?" Jamie asked Henry, who also noticeably avoided eye contact with Christina during their wedding ceremony."You know, I really tried to keep, like, a really open mind," Henry revealed."My initial thought was, 'Please don't know her and if [I] do, please let it be in a capacity that would be okay.' But I thought she was pretty and I was glad I didn't know her in any way. It was just the moment when everything became really real."And for Christina's part, she told the cameras on Season 11 Henry seemed "very different" from someone she'd "usually date."Christina thought Henry acted very shy and reserved, and so she figured she would have to take the lead in their relationship. For example, Christina even went in for the kiss at the altar and for a smooch during wedding photos.Christina and Henry's wedding reception turned out to be a success, with Christina really liking Henry's female friends -- although they talked badly about Christina behind her back -- and the next day, Christina and Henry enjoyed brunch with their respective in-laws.The couple then learned they'd be traveling to Mexico for their honeymoon, which was captured on the latest episode.Despite awkward silences and a lack of physical touch, Christina, a well-traveled flight attendant, said she looked forward to having adventures with Henry and teaching him things since it would be his first trip out of the country.'s eleventh season also stars Miles Williams and Karen Landry Woody Randall and Amani, and Brett and Olivia.Interested in more news? Join our Married at First Sight Facebook Group
Up to 96% gold recovery from gravity processing and leach or flotation

TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / August 12, 2020 / Nuinsco Resources Limited ("Nuinsco" or "the Company") (CSE:NWI) today announced positive results from metallurgical testing of gold-bearing material from the waste pile at the past-producing El Sid project in Egypt. These results demonstrate the effectiveness of low-cost, proven processing methods for gold recovery at El Sid.

"Gold recoveries of up to 96% obtained from simple, conventional, gravity and leaching or flotation processing supports our concept that El Sid can be exploited quickly using proven, off-the-shelf methods at a low capital cost," said Paul Jones, President and CEO. "Given that the waste pile has been mined, is at surface, is partially processed and has an average gold grade of 4.1 g/t these metallurgical results are very encouraging from the perspective of economic viability."

A total of 114kg of metallurgical samples were submitted to Met-Solve Laboratories in Langley, B.C. for gravity gold recovery determination. The sample passed through an initial crushing stage (Stage 1) followed by two stages of grinding (Stage 2 and Stage 3) - the gravity recoverable gold value of 67.8% contained in 1.54% of the processed rock is from a final grind size of 89 m (note: 1,000m = 1mm). Stage 1 achieved a gold recovery of 38.0% without any grinding whatsoever, with Stages 2 and 3 adding an additional 9.3% and 20.5% gold recovery respectively. Tailings from the tests comprise 98.46% of the total processed rock and grade 1.28 g/t Au. Subsequently the tailings were subjected to flotation and leach tests to determine the amenability of the material to flotation, using common gold flotation reagents, and cyanide leaching. The test results show that the feed sample is amenable to gravity concentration and the gravity tailings are amenable to flotation and cyanide leaching.

Process Option Gravity

Recovery Global Stage Total

Recovery Calculated

Head

Grade Final

Tailings

Grade Au (%) Au (g/t) Gravity Only 67.8 N/A N/A 67.8 3.90 1.28 Gravity and Flotation 75.0 20.9 83.4 95.8 3.53 0.18 Gravity and Leaching 69.0 27.0 87.5 96.0 3.82 0.16



The sample provided to Met-Solve (subject of Met-Solve report MS 1882 Nuinsco Resources Limited) was crushed to a top size of 1.8 mm then homogenized and split into test charges using a rotary splitter. A subsample of the head material was submitted for fire assay. The test incorporated intermediate grinding to recover the precious metal as it was liberated and the products from the test were analyzed on a size-by-size basis to determine precious metal deportment in the ore. The gravity tailings were subjected to a baseline cyanide leach test to determine the amenability of the material to cyanide leaching. The test was conducted using a leach time of 24 hours, a cyanide concentration of 1 g/L and a target pH of 10.5-11.0. The flotation test was conducted using a strong gold collector (Flex51 PM) and promotors (AMG900 and 3418A) to maximize gold recovery.

Nuinsco, through its Egyptian subsidiary Z-Gold Resources, won a competitive bid for the right to evaluate and produce gold from waste dumps and tailings at the past-producing El Sid gold project in Egypt. Located in Egypt's Eastern Desert, approximately 90km west of the town of Quseir on the Red Sea coast, the El Sid project is easily accessible via a paved road that passes through the project site. Three past-producing gold mines are located on the project - the largest of which is the El Sid Mine which operated primarily between 1947 and 1957 and was Egypt's largest gold producer. If the El Sid project proves to be economically viable the timeline to production is short - measured in months - at which point the Company anticipates cash flow for non-dilutive funding of existing projects and evaluation of potential project acquisitions.

P.L. Jones P. Geol. is a qualified person as defined by NI 43-101 and has reviewed and approved the technical contents of this press release regarding the El Sid project

About Nuinsco Resources Limited

Nuinsco Resources has over 45 years of exploration success and is a growth-oriented, multi-commodity mineral exploration and development company focused on prospective opportunities in Canada and internationally. Currently the Company has two properties in Ontario - the high-grade Sunbeam gold prospect near Atikokan and the large, multi-commodity (rare-earths, niobium, tantalum, phosphorus) Prairie Lake project near Terrace Bay. In addition, Nuinsco has completed an agreement to exploit the El Sid project in southeastern Egypt - this project requires little capital and can provide near-term revenue to the Company; the Company is in the process of sourcing funding to commence the process of building a plant on-site.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains certain "forward-looking statements." All statements, other than statements of historic fact, that address activities, events or developments that Nuinsco believes, expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as "seek," "anticipate," "believe," "plan," "estimate, "expect," and "intend" and statements that an event or result "may," "will," "can," "should," "could," or "might" occur or be achieved and other similar expressions. These forward-looking statements reflect the current expectations or beliefs of Nuinsco based on information currently available to Nuinsco. Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that may cause the actual results of Nuinsco to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements, and even if such actual results are realized or substantially realized, there can be no assurance that they will have the expected consequences to, or effects on Nuinsco. Factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations include, among other things, failure to successfully complete financings, capital and other costs varying significantly from estimates, production rates varying from estimates, changes in world copper and/or gold markets, changes in equity markets, uncertainties relating to the availability and costs of financing needed in the future, equipment failure, unexpected geological conditions, imprecision in resource estimates, success of future development initiatives, competition, operating performance of facilities, environmental and safety risks, delays in obtaining or failure to obtain tenure to properties and/or necessary permits and approvals, and other development and operating risks. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made and, except as may be required by applicable securities laws, Nuinsco disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise. Although Nuinsco believes that the assumptions inherent in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and accordingly undue reliance should not be put on such statements due to the inherent uncertainty therein.

To learn more, please contact:

Paul Jones, CEO

paul.jones@nuinsco.ca

Sean Stokes, Executive VP

sean.stokes@nuinsco.ca

Cathy Hume, Consultant

cathy@chfir.com

416 868-1079 x 231

Website: www.nuinsco.ca

Twitter: @NWIResources

SOURCE: Nuinsco Resources Limited

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/601348/Nuinsco-Announces-Positive-Metallurgical-Results-from-the-El-Sid-Gold-Project
FALLS VILLAGE  Music Mountain will present performances by artists from overseas on three Sundays in August, to continue to share music and conversation while we remain physically distanced, and to contribute to the larger ongoing conversation regarding how to safely get back to in-person concerts in the U.S., according to a statement.

Live From Music Mountain presents the New Zealand String Quartet as they return from their first in-person national tour of concerts, at 5 p.m. Aug. 16.

The program will include works by Debussy and New Zealand composers. Music Mountain will take questions from the public for the New Zealand String Quartet; questions can be submitted in advance via email to info@musicmountain.org, as well as in real time via email to info@musicmountain.org, and via the chats on YouTube and on Facebook Live.

Live From Music Mountain presents a special master class at 1 p.m. Aug. 23 by English conductor Benjamin Zander, music director of the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra, and author of the US National Bestseller, The Art of Possibility.

The master class will feature cellist Elena Ariza, alumna of the Music Mountain Academy, who will join live from San Francisco to perform Haydn Cello Concerto No 2 in D Major, Hob VIIb:2 (I. Allegro moderato). Questions can be submitted in advance via email to info@musicmountain.org, as well as in real time via email to info@musicmountain.org, and via the chats on YouTube and on Facebook Live.

At 8 p.m. Aug. 30, presents the Cassatt String Quartet performs works by Andy Teirstein, Daniel Godfrey and Mozart.

Michiko Oshima, former violist of the Cassatt String Quartet, will join the program from Japan to discuss how artists are getting back to in-person concerts there and, together with the current members of the Cassatt String Quartet, will take questions from the public in real time. Email info@musicmountain.org, as well as in real time via email to info@musicmountain.org, and via the chats on YouTube and on Facebook Live.
The markets regulator has charged some of the promoters of Kirloskar Brothers Ltd (KBL) with fraud in a decade-old case of the promoter group selling a 13.5% stake in the then ailing company to Kirloskar Industries Ltd, harming the interests of minority investors.

In a showcause notice to the six promoters of KBL and two others, the Securities Exchange Board of India (Sebi) said that the promoter group was aware of the precarious financial condition of KBL when these shares were sold, committing a fraud on minority shareholders of Kirloskar Industries. The notice, reviewed by Mint, was sent in December 2019.

Sebis assessment is that the ill-gotten gains in the transaction could be in excess of 350 crore, which includes the value of the sale transaction and profit, said a person with direct knowledge of the matter.

The promoter group on 6 October 2010 sold 10.72 million shares of KBL worth 275 crore in the company to Kirloskar Industries.

The markets regulator has charged the individual promoters of KBL and two others under Sebi (Prohibition of Fraudulent and Unfair Trade Practices relating to Securities Market) regulations, 2003. The regulator alleged that Gautam Kulkarni, Rahul Kirloskar, Atul Kirloskar, Alpana Kirloskar, Jyotsna Kulkarni and Arti Kirloskar were the direct beneficiaries of the sale.

Sebi observed in the notice that four out of the five directors of Kirloskar Industries were aware of the deteriorating financial position of KBL and, thus, were duty-bound to check if the decision to buy those shares were in the interest of the firm and its stakeholders. Further, these directors, by inducing Kirloskar Industries to buy shares of KBL, allowed the six individual promoters to dump their shares of KBL into Kirloskar Industries.

According to the showcause notice, Sebi during the course of investigation had sought information from Kirloskar Industries whether it was aware of KBLs financial position in 2009 and 2010 before it arrived at a decision to buy its shares. Kirloskar Industries replied that it had only considered the growth and profitability of KBL.

The financial position of KBL as of September 2010 had deteriorated on all aspects. It had also written off a loan amount of 300 crore due from its wholly owned subsidiary, Kirloskar Construction and Engineers Ltd, Sebi observed.

A spokesperson for promoters of Kirloskar Industries said: We reject any suggestion of wrongdoing and refute these allegations. The sale of shares (in 2010) was completed in line with the applicable laws, appropriate stock exchange disclosures and necessary regulatory pre-clearances. We continue to cooperate fully with Sebi in relation to its ongoing enquiries and remain confident of our position.

A spokesperson for KBL declined to comment.

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New York:

President-elect Donald Trump on Sunday rejected as "ridiculous" the CIA's reported assessment that Russia intervened to help him win the closely-contested US election against Democratic rival Hillary Clinton.



Trump told Fox News that the claim as another "excuse" pushed by Democrats to explain his upset victory against Hillary.



"It's just another excuse. I don't believe it," Trump said. "...Every week it's another excuse. We had a massive landslide victory, as you know, in the Electoral College."



The 70-year-old real estate billionaire-turned-politician spoke at length about his Cabinet selection process, defending his decision to tap several military generals while previewing an announcement soon on his secretary of state choice.



The Republican leader vowed as well to "clean" up and "speed" up government agencies, without necessarily dismantling outgoing President Barack Obama's legacy.



But while staying careful not to personally criticize the sitting president over his intelligence agencies' analysis on foreign cyber-interference in the election, Trump made clear he rejects their assessment so far.



"Nobody really knows, and hacking is very interesting. Once they hack, if you don't catch them in the act you're not going to catch them," he said.



"They have no idea if it's Russia or China or somebody. It could be somebody sitting in a bed some place."



Trump was responding to a Washington Post report that the CIA concluded in a secret assessment that Russia interfered in the race to boost Trump.



Intelligence agencies reportedly found individuals connected to the Russian government gave WikiLeaks hacked emails from the Democratic National Committee, as well as from Hillary Clinton Campaign Chairman John Podesta - though did not have "specific intelligence" showing Kremlin officials directed the activity.



Shortly before the interview with Trump was aired today, a bipartisan group of senators described the Russia interference reports as serious.



"For years, foreign adversaries have directed cyberattacks at America's physical, economic, and military infrastructure, while stealing our intellectual property.



Now our democratic institutions have been targeted. Recent reports of Russian interference in our election should alarm every American,' Senators John McCain, Lindsey Graham, Chuck Schumer and Jack Reed, said in a statement.



"Democrats and Republicans must work together, and across the jurisdictional lines of the Congress, to examine these recent incidents thoroughly and devise comprehensive solutions to deter and defend against further cyberattacks.



This cannot become a partisan issue. The stakes are too high for our country," the statement said.



Amid the CIA findings, the White House also said on Friday that President Obama has ordered his intelligence agencies to conduct a full review of hacking during the 2016 election and present their findings before he leaves office.



Trump's transition team responded by saying the election "ended a long time ago" and "it's now time to move on."

For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
A group of Armenian citizens on Wednesday gathered near the government offices in Yerevan to demand an opportunity to leave the country and specifically go to Russia.

Some Armenian citizens who live and work on a permanent basis in Russia had come to Armenia before the introduction of the coronavirus-related state of emergency in March and had to stay in the country due to the subsequent closure of international borders.

Five months on, many of them, including those who also hold Russian passports, say they cannot travel back to Russia either to rejoin their families or return to work there.

The protest comes on a day when the Armenian government has announced imminent removal of certain travel restrictions for foreigners to enter Armenia by air.

In presenting to parliament the decision to extend the state of emergency for another month, Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Avinian said, however, that land border crossings with both Georgia and Iran will remain closed for now.

Avinian also made it clear that there are no restrictions for Armenian citizens to leave the country by air and that it was within the competence of the receiving country to remove any existing prohibitions.

At the same time, the official confirmed that the Armenian government was in talks with counterparts in Moscow regarding the possibility of Armenian citizens traveling to Russia.

Answering the question of opposition Bright Armenia faction leader Edmon Marukian on the fate of thousands of Armenians who travel to Russia as migrant workers, Avinian said: As you know, the Russian Federation has publicly expressed its readiness for a mutual opening of borders. Now individual negotiations are being conducted. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is working in this direction. In other words, work is being conducted with the Russian Federation at this point over a mutual opening of borders and also over subsequent regulations.

Some participants of todays protest said they wanted to travel to Russia in their own cars. But even for citizens holding Russian passports this looks problematic given that they have to go through Georgia, a country with a much better coronavirus epidemiological situation than Armenias.

We went to the [Russian] embassy, we went to the National Assembly... We have been raising this issue for three or four weeks now, one protester complained.

Some Armenians who mainly live in Russia spent several nights in their cars at the Bagratashen border checkpoint in northern Armenia only to be turned away by border officials. Many of us are Russian citizens. We all want to return home. We want to be given a corridor to go to Russia, the protester said.

Armenian Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanian came down to listen to the protesters. He explained to them that borders are opened and closed not only in Armenia, but in other countries as well. At this moment Armenia has a system in place for other citizens to cross the border, and other countries have theirs. If our neighbors keep the border closed, that is their policy.

Mnatsakanian said that it is the Russian authorities that should answer the questions raised by the protesters in Armenia.

One man claimed that they were being held hostage in Armenia. There is no such [harsh] state of emergency, he contended.

The minister countered: Do you understand that there has been a pandemic? Do you follow the numbers? Do you see that the risks are very high?

Since the start of the epidemic in March over 40,000 coronavirus cases have been identified in Armenia, making the infection rate in the South Caucasus country with a population of about 3 million one of the highest in the world. During this period 806 people in Armenia have died from COVID-19, the death of another 234 patients infected with the virus, according to the health authorities, was primarily caused by other, pre-existing diseases.
The UK economy suffered more than any major European nation during the coronavirus lockdowns, piling pressure on the British government to ensure the withdrawal of its support programs doesnt derail the nascent recovery.

GDP plunged 20.4% in the second quarter, the most since records began in 1955 and roughly double that of Germany and the US. It also pushed Britain into its first recession since 2009.

The report followed massive job losses since the start of the pandemic, and Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak acknowledged that more pain is to come.

Ive said before that hard times were ahead, and todays figures confirm that hard times are here, he said following the release.

Hundreds of thousands of people have already lost their jobs, and sadly in the coming months many more will, he said.

That casts a light on the risks of winding down UK government support for companies and workers too soon.

Almost 10 million jobs have been put on furlough programs under which the government pays the wages.

Mr Sunak, who has borrowed tens of billions of pounds to finance spending, insists the time has come to start phasing the plan out, although his critics say it should be extended.

"Sunak has got a tricky job, said James Smith, developed markets economist at ING. Theres no easy answer to the Job Retention Scheme and thats the main risk at the moment as that is unwound. Theres a real chance that the recovery stalls if unemployment broadens out, Mr Sunak said.

UK output jumped a record 8.7% in June, beating forecasts -- but high frequency data such as credit card spending and electricity use are still well below pre-pandemic levels. Theyve more or less recovered in other major European economies.

The UK economy has been hit particularly hard because of its reliance on services and social consumption, such as eating out and shopping. And there are worrying signs that the upturn could soon run out of steam.

Localized jumps in infections have heightened concerns over more shutdowns, government wage support is being phased out, and companies face higher tariffs should Britain fail to agree a trade deal with the European Union by the end of the year.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has come under fire for failing to respond quickly enough to the virus, and the opposition Labour Party wasted no time in blaming his government for the scale of the slump. Bloomberg
The Adrian Donohoe murder trial sat in court 19 of Dublin Criminal Courts of Justice for 116 days with more than 50 sittings in the absence of the jury.

Between March and May, jurors did not hear evidence for nearly two months due to the Covid-19 pandemic while lawyers on both sides argued over evidence being put to the panel.

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A threat to Adrian Donohoe by a murder suspect just months before his death and evidence from five men who implicated Aaron Brady in the murder were among the evidence not heard by the jury. A tape of a US agent allegedly making offers to a suspect in the case was also ruled inadmissible, as were images showing Aaron Brady and his friends posing in balaclavas during a party a month before the Lordship credit union robbery.

Threat to Adrian Donohoe by gang suspect months before murder

The dangerous criminal suspected of direct involvement in the credit union robbery made a sinister threat to detective garda Adrian Donohoe just months before his murder. Evidence was given in a voir dire that gardai were investigating two armed robberies, one at Lordship credit union on August 5, 2011, in which 22,500 was stolen and another at Dundalk racecourse two months later where approximately 9,000 was taken.

Detectives received confidential information that a prolific robber, Suspect B in the murder, was responsible for both raids. Both crimes involved a similar modus operandi, carried out at the same time of night using a sawn-off shotgun and crossing the Border to steal and burnout the getaway car.

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The jury heard evidence of the previous credit union raid carried out in just 27 seconds, but were not told of the racecourse robbery or that Suspect B had been arrested in relation to both incidents. The jury also weren't told that on September 24, 2012, gardai received information that Suspect B was attending Monaghan courthouse and travelled there to arrest him. Det Gda Adrian Donohoe and Det Gda Andy Barron, now a sergeant, made the journey and witnessed Suspect B with a number of men at the court, including Aaron Brady.

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Suspect B was arrested for unlawful possession of a firearm as well as the robberies before being placed into the unmarked patrol car and being driven back to Dundalk. During the drive, Det Gda Barron recalled in the voir dire, Suspect B appeared extremely calm and civil with no angry words exchanged. However, in the middle of the journey the alleged armed robber turned to Det Gda Donohoe, who was driving the vehicle, and menacingly named the small housing estate he resided with his family near Lordship credit union, asking "how is all" there.

Det Gda Donohoe acknowledged the comment and simply replied "grand", but the sinister reference was noted.

During the interviews Suspect B appeared confident that there was little linking him to the robberies, telling his interviewers I'd like you to start showing the evidence against me, before he was later released without charge.

The prosecution wanted the evidence to be admitted to show the existence of links between Aaron Brady, Suspect B and the previous Lordship robbery. However, Mr Justice Michael White said the court had to be careful to distinguish fact from suspicion and said that an improper inference could be drawn by the jury if the evidence was admitted.





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Five other witnesses gave statements incriminating Aaron Brady in the murder

Seven people gave statements to gardai that they heard Aaron Brady admit to shooting a guard in Ireland but following a campaign of intimidation only Daniel Cahill and Molly Staunton gave evidence. A bench warrant was issued for one witness while two men living in the US refused to cooperate with the court process.

A fourth man changed his statement on the eve of being called while the evidence of a fifth man was ruled inadmissible. On May 5 an arrest warrant was issued for a Northern Irish man after he refused to show up in court. The Armagh man had lived with Aaron Brady in New York and previously gave a statement to detectives. However, when they approached him ahead of the trial as he carried out work in Dundalk, he told them to get off my truck and refused to acknowledge them.

Three other witnesses expressed concerns for their safety at different stages after giving statements. One man, also originally from an Armagh town close to the Border, said he was left with a scar by Aaron Brady. This alleged incident occurred after the man overheard Brady brag about what it was like to kill someone in a Bronx bar on St Patrick's Day 2015. He hired a US lawyer who informed gardai that his client would not come to court and claimed that the statement was carried out under duress, something denied by investigators.

Another man, whose family have been the subject of serious intimidation, told detectives Aaron Brady admitted the shooting to him as well as involvement in the theft of the car in Clogherhead. The would-be witness was related to two other suspects in the murder but refused to come to give evidence.

A third person, who had also lived with Brady, hired a lawyer after first making a statement to gardai. On the eve of being scheduled to be called, the Cork man indicated that he wanted to make changes to his statement because, he said, they did not reflect accurately what he intended to say. After gardai took a new statement from him the prosecution decided that they would not call him to give evidence.

A fifth man, who was willing to give evidence over a one-off encounter he had with Brady, had his evidence ruled inadmissible. The Armagh man worked in construction in the US in the summer of 2015 when he attended the New York wedding of a couple originally from Crossmaglen. The celebrations spilled into the next day and during the early hours of the morning the man recalled encountering a person in the Tombstone Bar.

The would-be witness told detectives that as he got to the bar counter, he saw a man sitting there with his girlfriend and, after asking who he was, was given the name Brady. He recalled hearing that the talk around Woodlawn was that a man by the name of Brady was living in the area having been linked to the shooting of a guard.

"I didn't know him," he told gardai. "I was tipsy so I asked him straight out, Are you the lad on the run for shooting the garda?. He said, Yeah, that's me. I'm the one who shot him.

The witness continued that he laughed when Brady said he was the one who shot the garda but, when the accused did not laugh back, he realised he was being serious. The altercation made him nervous and they chatted for a few more minutes before going their separate ways.

The man later attended a Federal building with Det Insp Pat Marry and Det Gda John Ogle where, using a mugshot of Aaron Brady, he positively identified him as the man who made the admission in the bar three years earlier.

The statement, taken on May 15, 2017, was a major breakthrough in the case and seriously advanced the investigation. Brady would be arrested and deported a week later. However, the defence objected to the evidence being admitted and on the morning the witness was due to be called Mr Justice White ruled the evidence inadmissible over identification issues.

The Belfast Tape

Aaron Brady goes away... you'll probably never see me again. This was the promise made by a US special agent during an impromptu discussion with a chief suspect in the Adrian Donohoe murder at an Irish airport three years ago.

Special agent Matt Katske, who worked out of the Department of Homeland Security's London bureau, had received information that a chief suspect in the garda's murder was returning to Belfast. The man, referred to as Suspect A, would make regular trips back and forth to America where he is also a green card holder. He was Aaron Brady's best friend at the time of the Lordship robbery and was identified as being involved early on.

On June 6, 2017, Suspect A walked through the arrival gates of Belfast International Airport with his wife. Both were greeted by Special Agent Katske who asked if they were willing to speak to him. The couple agreed and the three convened to a nearby coffee shop. Unknown to the agent, the conversation was being surreptitiously recorded. Over the next 10 minutes or so, the agent and Suspect A discussed Aaron Brady, the issues that came with speaking to law enforcement in the Border region, and immigration problems in the US.

Suspect A told agent Katske: The situation is, where we come from, you get a bullet for talking. He added: If next week I hear somebody saying, I've no problem telling you, I want this off my back.

He went on to voice his frustrations with the gardai, referring to them as the other party down south.

The young man told Agent Katske to pass on a message, and to let gardai know the reason there's a lack of cooperation. The murder suspect said gardai don't want to offer people anything, they just want to terrorise people".

Agent Katske, sensing an interest from Suspect A to assist, said he would pass on the fact that he offered to talk to him.

Towards the end of the conversation, the agent told Suspect A: My goal is Aaron Brady, I want to be clear on that yeah. So, Aaron Brady goes away, yeah, you'll probably never see me again.

It only became apparent to Agent Katske in January 2018, when it was sent to him by Suspect A via Whatsapp, that he had been recorded.

The tape was later played in legal argument and the defence argued that they be allowed to cross-examine both SA Katske and Det Insp Pat Marry, then the senior investigating officer, about the contents of the tape.

Michael O'Higgins SC described Agent Katske as a maverick working in a foreign embassy and that the language used by him was compromising and amounted to inducement. Agent Katske, in the end, was not called to give evidence, while Justice White rejected the tape being put to Det Insp Marry saying it was not probative.

Drinking sessions with balaclavas, pistols and IRA songs

At the time of the Lordship robbery Aaron Brady was renting a small prefab with a friend on the Lough Road near Annaghmare, Co Armagh. He was also staying in his family home in nearby Tullydonnell as well as with his friend Suspect A at a property near Bellurgan. The trial heard how the Lough Road property was a party house where the group of friends would gather after nights out in Dundalk to continue their sessions into the early hours of the morning. What went on at these late-night parties was revealed in images and videos recovered from Jessica King's phone after it was seized.

Gardai discovered data from the early hours of December 17, 2012, just a month before the murder, which documented the drinking that was taking place in the house at the Lough Road. The various pictures and videos showed Aaron Brady, his girlfriend and Suspect A posing wearing balaclavas while drinking and singing along to what Ms King described as IRA songs.

In one image, two men, identified by Jessica King as Brady and Suspect A, were pictured embracing each other while holding bottles of spirits. The balaclavas they posed in had slits for the eyes but not around the mouth, and Suspect A can also be seen with an implement in his hand.

In a statement Ms King said that every time they went back to the house they would play IRA music and wear balaclavas.

I never questioned why they had them, I've never taken it seriously until now. Aaron never said where he got them, she told gardai while giving a statement in the weeks after the robbery.

Another video showed Suspect A come into the living room of the house holding a small pistol in his right hand, which Jessica King said looked fake.

However, she said that night she saw a black handgun in the drawer along with up to three balaclavas, and that the weapon was bigger and appeared more realistic than the one in the image from her phone.

The men told her, she recalled, that the gun was for shooting birds. Ms King also described in her statement how everything changed after the Lordship robbery and that parties never happened again.
The movie is based on the life of IAF officer Gunjan Saxena who became the first woman pilot to take part in the 1999 Kargil war

The Indian Air Force (IAF) has written a letter to the Censor Board objecting to its "undue negative" portrayal in the movie Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl, said a senior official. The movie was released on streaming platform Netflix on Wednesday.

The movie is based on the life of IAF officer Gunjan Saxena who became the first woman pilot to take part in the 1999 Kargil war. It has been produced by Karan Johar's Dharma Productions.

"The IAF has written a letter to the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) objecting to certain scenes in the movie 'Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl' wherein it has been portrayed in undue negative light," the official said.

The Defence Ministry had written to the CBFC last month raising strong objections to the depiction of armed forces personnel in some web series, sources said.

It had urged that production houses may be advised to obtain a no-objection certificate from the ministry before telecasting any film, documentary or web series on an Army theme, they added.

The ministry had received some complaints raising strong objections about the portrayal of Indian Army personnel and the military uniform in an 'insulting manner', they said.

The sources said the communication last month was also sent to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology for consideration
China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government strongly objects to the notice published Tuesday on the U.S. Federal Register by the Customs and Border Protection in relation to origin marking of Hong Kong products.

A spokesman for the HKSAR said, "The new rule on origin marking of Hong Kong products originates from the U.S. President's Executive Order issued on July 14 and reflects that the U.S. ignores Hong Kong's status as a separate member of the World Trade Organization (WTO). The rule may not be consistent with WTO rules, and it will also not help protect consumers' interest. In fact, it will only cause confusion and affect the interests of all parties, including the U.S."

"The special status as a separate customs territory enjoyed by the HKSAR under 'one country, two systems' is conferred by the Constitution of the People's Republic of China and the HKSAR Basic Law. It is recognized by multilateral organizations such as the WTO, and is not granted or revocable by an individual country," the spokesman said.

According to the notice, the new rule will be implemented after 45 days. The HKSAR government is clarifying certain important implementation details with the U.S. authorities through the Economic and Trade Office of the HKSAR government in Washington in order to decide on the way forward.

The HKSAR government will maintain liaison with and provide clarification to the trade. It will also carefully consider if the U.S.' measures contravene WTO rules, and does not rule out the possibility of taking action under WTO rules if necessary to protect Hong Kong's interests, the spokesman said.
Sweetgreens first New Jersey spot finally opened Wednesday in Jersey City, months after originally being slated to open this spring.

The popular salad chain is located at 90 Hudson St., a 2,900-square-foot space about a block from the waterfront.

Indoor dining is indefinitely closed, as it is throughout New Jersey, because of the coronavirus pandemic. Sweetgreen has an outdoor patio and also offers takeout.

The menu features salads, warm bowls, plates, sides and seasonal items, all of which are customizable. Ingredients are sourced from local growers and partners, according to Sweetgreens website.

Sweetgreen is a well-known salad chain among New Yorkers, with dozens of restaurants and outpost spots in the Big Apple, most of them scattered throughout Manhattan.

The company, which has tried branding itself as the Starbucks of salads, was valued at $1.6 billion. It was founded in 2007 and has restaurants throughout the U.S.

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Bengaluru Police Commissioner has said that the accused has been arrested for posting derogatory posts and 110 people have been arrested for arson, stone-pelting, and assault on police

Three people killed and around 60 police personnel have been injured after violent clashes broke out in the eastern part of Bengaluru on Tuesday night over a Facebook message posted allegedly by a relative of a Congress MLA.

Angry mobs went on a rampage in the Kaval Byrasandra area in Bengaluru to protest against the Facebook post, allegedly put up by P Naveen, nephew of the Congress MLA R Akhanda Srinivas Murthy, reports The Print.

The incident took place at Kaval Byrasandra in Bengaluru, where a mob of about 1,000 people reportedly attacked the Congress MLAs house on Tuesday night, reports The Wire, damaging the vehicles parked outside the residence.

Rioting, violence in KG Halli, DJ Hallli over derogatory FB post by the nephew of a Cong MLA.. Nephew says his account has been hacked, MLA appeals for calm.. pic.twitter.com/S5Ge80TwUI  Deepa Balakrishnan (@deepab18) August 11, 2020

The crowd then went on to attacked two police stations  KG Halli and DJ Halli  pelting stones at the police and even tried to burn them down, according to the New Indian Express, demanding that Naveen be arrested.

However, Naveen has refuted the allegations against him. According to The News Minute, he has claimed that his Facebook account was hacked.

The police teams that tried to contain the violence also bore the brunt of the mob as their vehicles were damaged, eye-witnesses said.

DJ Halli Police Station in Bengaluru vandalised last night, as violence broke out in the city over an alleged inciting social media post. Sec 144 CrPC imposed in Bangaluru city,curfew in DJ Halli & KG Halli police station limits. 2 died, 110 arrested, 60 Police personnel injured pic.twitter.com/CO1ZdIzLbx  ANI (@ANI) August 12, 2020

The riot-like situation within KG Halli and DJ Halli police station limits, which began around 8.30 pm on Tuesday, was contained around 1 am on Wednesday, according to The News Minute.

The website also reported that journalists from Kannada news channel Suvarna News were also allegedly attacked by the mob. Reporters cameras were smashed and two staffers were injured, and are currently receiving treatment.

An India Today reporter has said his team was attacked by the police even after they said they were journalists. There was no mob present where they were, he said. The News Minute has said one of their reporters was also attacked by the police.

@CPBlr your police hit my head with a pole even though we kept yelling we are reporters. @prajwalmanipal was hit on the back. We had to run from your police to save ourselves when there was no mob present!! Thanks @path2shah for the first-aid. pic.twitter.com/GI8QLp36Vo  Nolan Pinto (@nolanentreeo) August 11, 2020

Around 60 police personnel were injured, more than 25 vehicles and 200 bikes torched, The News Minute reported.

Police have imposed Section 144 of Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) in Bengaluru to prohibit the assembly of four or more persons in an area while curfew has been imposed in DJ Halli and KG Halli police station limits. Curfew has also been imposed within the Banaswadi police sub-division.

The police commissioner on Wednesday said that the accused has been arrested for posting derogatory posts and 110 people have been arrested for arson, stone-pelting, and assault on police.

With regard to incidents in DJ Halli, accused Naveen arrested for posting derogatory posts.. also total 110 accused arrested for arson, stone pelting and assault on police. APPEAL TO ALL TO COOPERATE WITH POLICE TO MAINTAIN PEACE.  Kamal Pant, IPS (@CPBlr) August 11, 2020

Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai said riots and arson are against law and warned the rioters that he has given police a free hand to contain the violence. "Issue will be probed but vandalism is not the solution. Additional forces have been deployed. Action will be taken against miscreants," the state home minister said.

Later, MLA Murthy appealed to the community members to not resort to violence.

"I am appealing to my Muslim brethren that we should not resort to violence for the fault committed by some miscreants. There is no need to fight. We all are brothers. We will get the person punished as per law. We will also be with you. I appeal to the Muslim friends to be calm," he said in a video message.

Several Muslim leaders also released videos appealing for peace.

Congress MLA and former minister BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan said the violence was unfortunate.

"I am hopeful that police will take action against all those who are responsible for this. I also request everyone to stay calm and maintain peace in the area," Khan tweeted.

The incident that is happening in Kaval Byrsandra is unfortunate. I am hopeful that police will take action against all those who are responsible for this. I also request everyone to stay calm and maintain peace in the area.  B Z Zameer Ahmed Khan (@BZZameerAhmedK) August 11, 2020

Mufti PM Muzammil Sab of Jamiat Ulema I Hind appeals for peace after violence erupted over a controversial SM post pic.twitter.com/FqVf7Xu8bx  Soumya Chatterjee (@Csoumya21) August 11, 2020

.@INCIndia @INCKarnataka#Bangalore #Shivajinagar mla @ArshadRizwan appeals for peace.

He was at the ground along with mla @BZZameerAhmedK pacifying the mob. They also came under attack from the mob. Zameer Ahmed was even injured. pic.twitter.com/z2PXqqTUqg  Imran Khan (@keypadguerilla) August 11, 2020

Soon after the incident, the Bengaluru police commissioner Kamal Pant rushed to the spot but his intervention too did not stop the rioters.

Later, the Bengaluru Police tweeted that it had to lathi-charged the mob, lob tear gas and finally open fire to control them. Without choice, we were forced to fire in the air. At least 60 cops are injured, Pant told the Times of India.

The police said the culprits of Tuesday's violence and arson will not be spared.

Meanwhile, while clashes were getting violent out in the eastern part of Bengaluru, a video showing a group of Muslim youths standing in solidarity to protect a Hindu temple from being damaged during the violence is doing rounds on social media

The video shows tens of young Muslim protesters forming a human chain outside a temple, a nearby neighbourhood from where the violence occurred, according to reports.

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor tweeted out the video, saying:

Those who incited and perpetrated the #bangaloreriots must be found, arrested & given exemplary punishment. But they are not to be equated with an entire community any more than thugs & vigilantes represent all Hindus. This also happened in Bangalore: https://t.co/TCrfo6kU7k  Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) August 12, 2020

With inputs from agencies
Anne's birthday plans have been scaled back, but will involve sailing, according to reports. (Getty Images)

Princess Annes plans to mark her 70th birthday have been scaled back a bit according to her son-in-law.

Mike Tindall, who is married to Annes daughter Zara, said the royals were meant to be celebrating his mother-in-laws 70 amazing years in Scotland, but have had to rethink because of coronavirus.

Plans for Annes birthday had not been formally announced, but it was rumoured the Queen was keen to mark the occasion.

Speaking on The One Show, Tindall said: We did have plans. It would have been up in Scotland, but obviously with COVID and obviously Aberdeen is being locked down a bit.

I think everything has been scaled back a little bit.

Its a shame. I am sure we will do something to celebrate her 70 amazing years.

She is just an incredible woman in terms of how much work she can get through in the year.

We will be doing something, as yet I dont know whether she knows, so my lips are sealed.

Read more: Nine things we learned about Prince Harry and Meghan as Finding Freedom is released

Mike Tindall, pictured with daughter Mia and mother-in-law Anne in 2016, might have a birthday surprise for the Princess. (Getty Images)

The Queen and Prince Philip travelled to Balmoral, which is in Aberdeenshire, earlier this month for their summer break.

Its expected that members of the Royal Family will travel to see her over the course of the summer, with William, Kate and their children likely to make an appearance.

Its not thought that Harry, Meghan and Archie will be able to travel from California for a visit.

On Tuesday evenings show, Alex Jones also asked Tindall if his children, six-year-old Mia and two-year-old Lena, received money from the Queen in a card.

He replied: No, my mum and dad still do though. They still send it and they ring you 25 times to check that it has arrived in the post. Just transfer it.

We havent quite changed my mum and dad yet, but no, I would like to say it doesnt arrive in the post from the Queen.

Read more: Everything you need to know about the Queen's grandchildren

Vanity Fair reported that Anne was planning a sailing trip around the Scottish coast with her husband Vice Admiral Timothy Laurence.

Story continues

She previously described sailing trips as time she can spend with just my husband and I, and friends have said its when she is able to relax.
Discovered by a Wall Street Journal investigation, TikTok has said they have discontinued the practice.

Amidst all the security concerns piling up against TikTok, a Wall Street Journal investigation has discovered that TikToks Android app has been collecting users MAC addresses for 18 months. This violates Androids rules.

MAC addresses, or Media Access Control addresses, serve as unique identifiers for each users device making them useful for both advertising purposes and also for more invasive forms of tracking.

Both the iOS App Store and the Google Play Store had banned the collection of MAC addresses as a matter of policy by 2015. However, according to The Verge, TikTok was able to obtain the identifier through a loophole.

But TikTok is not the only app doing this. The WSJ study found almost 350 apps on the Google Play Store that had taken advantage of a similar loophole, usually for ad-targeting.

WSJ reports that TikTok stopped this practice last November and attributed this shift in policy to the mounting political pressure from the US.

A revelation like this comes at a time when TikTok is facing some very tough questions from the Trump administration over its parent company ByteDances level of access to US user data and this could be crucial.

The White House cut off all US transactions with ByteDance, via an executive order issued last week, beginning September 20 if the company is unable to complete the sales of its US operations by that time.

ByteDance is currently in talks with Microsoft for the deal but reports state that it could take more time than anticipated, which just might frustrate the Trump administration.

WSJs revelation goes against TikToks argument that the system does not collect any more data than a standard mobile app. When it comes to collecting user data, collecting MAC addresses is mostly done for ad tracking, but it is one of the more invasive forms of the practice.

TikTok told The Verge that they had discontinued the practice and mentioned that the current version of the app does not collect MAC addresses.
A former Saudi intelligence official who contends in a lawsuit that the kingdoms crown prince sent a hit squad to Toronto in a bid to kill him faces a daunting legal road.

Experts say while there is international precedent for the strategy being employed by Saad Aljabri, he will need to overcome some potentially significant hurdles  including the likely possibility the defendants will assert immunity and the mechanics of serving a lawsuit to a sitting crown prince.

While its not the first time a lawsuit has been filed in the U.S. accusing a foreign government official of carrying out or attempting to carry out an extrajudicial killing, the high profile of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman  he is considered de-facto ruler of the Saudi kingdom and is son of the king  and the fact he is a sitting official makes this case stand out.

It is outrageous for any country to authorize an extrajudicial killing, particularly in another country, says William Aceves, a law professor at the California Western School of Law. At the same time, I believe this lawsuit faces significant legal challenges.

Foreign government officials are typically immune from civil liability in U.S. courts. As a result, the defendants will argue they are subject to immunity in U.S. courts.

Aljabri, who is said to have developed a close relationship with U.S. intelligence officials on counterterrorism files, fled to Canada in 2017 around the time that bin Salman carried out a bloodless palace coup. He had maintained a relatively low profile in Toronto until last week, when he filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., accusing bin Salman of sending a group of hit men to Toronto to kill him in the fall of 2018, just a couple of weeks after the high-profile death of Saudi dissident Jamal Khashoggi inside the Saudi consulate in Turkey.

The alleged plot was foiled when the team failed to get past border officers at Pearson airport, according to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit, which names bin Salman and several associates as defendants, goes on to say that two of Aljabris children, Sarah and Omar, who were reportedly detained in Saudi Arabia earlier this year, are now being used as human bait to lure him out of hiding.

Sarah and Omar have done nothing wrong, nor have they been accused of wrongdoing, Khalid Aljabri, one of Aljabris other children, wrote on Twitter on Tuesday.

If they are alive, they are being held hostage in an illegal and immoral Saudi govt effort to force their father to return to Saudi Arabia, where he and they cannot expect justice.

The defendants have not filed a response to the lawsuit. Once served, they have 21 days to respond. Saudi embassy officials in Ottawa and Washington, D.C., have not responded to repeated requests for comment from the Star.

Immunity

If bin Salman argues that he is entitled to some form of head-of-state immunity, theres no guarantee he will receive such protection, said Beth Van Schaack, a visiting professor in human rights at the Stanford University law school.

Typically, such immunity applies narrowly to heads of state, heads of government (such as prime ministers) and foreign ministers, Van Schaack said. Since bin Salman is none of those  technically, his father is head of state, for instance  he may be out of luck.

Bin Salman could also assert that he is entitled to something called functional immunity and argue that state officials are protected from any repercussions for acts carried out in their official duties.

This, too, could be a tough sell.

The U.S. Court of Appeals in the Fourth Circuit has previously determined in one case that under international and domestic law, officials from other countries are not entitled to foreign official immunity for jus cogens violations, such as crimes against humanity, even if the acts were performed in the defendants official capacity.

There are occasions when the U.S. State Department is invited or chooses to weigh in with its view on whether a defendant is entitled to immunity, experts said.

It remains to be seen whether the U.S. State Department will insert itself in this case.

U.S. a prime place for a lawsuit

Experts agree that the U.S. is probably one of the best places to file a lawsuit like this. Unlike most countries, the U.S. has adopted laws that allow victims of human rights violations to bring lawsuits in federal court against perpetrators, even when the harms occurred abroad.

Asked this week why the lawsuit was filed in the U.S. as opposed to Canada, a source connected to Aljabri confirmed it was because the U.S. has a more favourable legislative regime for suing global bad actors.

That said, Aljabri is still exploring legal action in Canada and Europe, the source said.

According to the U.S. lawsuit, Aljabri is alleging the defendants attempted to carry out an extrajudicial killing  a killing not authorized by a court  in violation of the U.S. Torture Victim Protection Act, as well as international law under the U.S. Alien Tort Statute.

Proving these allegations wont be a cake walk, experts said.

In 2013, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Alien Tort Statute does not apply to human rights violations committed in other countries, unless there is a strong connection to the United States.

Much of the misconduct Aljabri has alleged happened in Saudi Arabia and Canada. But Van Schaack says Aljabri will likely argue there is still a sufficient nexus to the U.S. According to the lawsuit, bin Salman had previously deployed a network of covert agents in the U.S. to try to track down Aljabris whereabouts.

The crown prince has also previously spent a lot of time in the U.S., visiting the White House and tech leaders in Silicon Valley.

How do you serve a crown prince?

Experts say the lawsuit could also get mired in procedural questions, including the manner in which the plaintiffs served the defendants with the lawsuit, said Beth Stephens, a Rutgers University law professor.

U.S. federal rules outline a number of methods for serving foreign individuals with a lawsuit. It is unclear how Aljabris lawyers plan to serve the crown prince, whether its through the Saudi embassy or some other way.

However hes served, it is unlikely that bin Salman will ignore the lawsuit given that he likely has assets in the U.S. and likely wants to be able to continue to travel to the U.S., experts say. Plus, bin Salman has resources to hire good lawyers.

There is precedent

While many cases filed in the U.S. against foreign actors have been dismissed due to immunity, there have been some successes, including lawsuits filed on behalf of thousands of Filipinos against Ferdinand Marcos, the former president of the Philippines, for human rights abuses that took place under his watch. (He was overthrown in 1986 and fled to Hawaii).

Just this month, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit released a judgment favourable to plaintiffs who invoked the Torture Victim Protection Act to sue Bolivias former president, Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada, and former defence minister, Jose Carlos Sanchez Berzain, over the deaths of scores of civilians during a crackdown on protesters in 2003.

A jury had previously awarded the plaintiffs $10 million in damages in 2018 but the trial court set aside the jury verdict and found the defendants not liable. The Court of Appeals has sent the case back to the district court to consider further arguments.

Stephens said the fact the defendants reside in the U.S. and the fact the Bolivian government waived immunity for them helped move their case along.

The (Torture Victim Protection Act) is a powerful statute, but its most powerful when the defendant is physically in the U.S. and doesnt have immunity, she said.

Its a dance

Experts say even if Aljabri is not able to get any damages out of the lawsuit, the serving of the lawsuit could put public pressure on the Saudi regime to ease off on its intimidation tactics against dissidents and former insiders around the world.

Maybe this will cause the regime to think twice if these individuals start to fight back in their places of refuge. There may be a deterrent impact there, Van Schaack said.

Its a dance. The music is starting to play. Everyone is getting their dance shoes on. Itll be interesting to see how this unfolds.

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Lebanon's prime minister resigns amid protests after deadly Beirut explosion

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Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diab announced his government's resignation Monday following last week's massive explosion in Beirut that killed at least 163 people and resulted in over 6,000 injuries.

I declare today the resignation of this government, said Diab, who cited huge corruption as a problem at a press conference amid large-scale public protests in response to the explosion, ABC News reported. May Allah protect Lebanon.

Diab tendered his resignation to Lebanese Christian President Michel Aoun who will remain in his office for the time being in what ABC News dubbed a caretaker capacity.

The resignation decision came after days of protests against the regime, with protesters arguing that the government was guilty of negligent handling of the explosives that triggered the blast.

Last Tuesday, an explosion caused by an estimated 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate, used in fertilizers and bombs, occurred at a warehouse in a port in Beirut, a major metropolitan city in the country of 6 million people, many from Muslims Christian faiths.

The exact cause of the explosion remains unknown. However, soon after the blast, the government put several port officials under house arrest as part of its investigation.

French President Emmanuel Macron visited the country once controlled by France on Thursday, expressing solidarity with the victims of the explosion.

During his visit to one damaged neighborhood, Macron was met with a large crowd demanding government reforms and an end to the current Lebanese regime.

As he walked the streets of the hardest-hit neighborhoods, Christians shouted: "Mr. Macron, free us from Hezbollah," The Epoch Times reported, adding that they were referring to the Iran-backed Shi'ite Muslim terrorist organization.

They feel that international money [for recovery] should not be going to this government, France 24 reported days before the resignation was announced.

Many people who have been protesting for the last nine months, they say that this government will not spend it on the things that people actually need.

Cardinal Bechara Boutros Rai, Maronite Patriarch of Antioch, whose denomination has a strong presence in the country, called the devastation of the explosion a war scene without war.

Beirut is a devastated city. A catastrophe struck there because of the mysterious explosion which occurred in its port, said the cardinal, as reported by the Catholic Telegraph.

The Church, which has set up a relief network throughout Lebanese territory, today finds itself faced with a new great duty which it is unable to assume on its own.
Pakistan Army chief General Qamar Ahmed Bajwa will travel to Saudi Arabia next week amid efforts by the Imran Khan government to soothe tempers in Saudi Arabia after foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi presented an ultimatum to the kingdom, according to Pakistani newspaper The News.

In an interview last week, the foreign minister asked the Saudi-led Organisation of Islamic Conference to convene a meeting of the foreign ministers. If you cannot convene it, then Ill be compelled to ask Prime Minister Imran Khan to call a meeting of the Islamic countries that are ready to stand with us on the issue of Kashmir and support the oppressed Kashmiris, Qureshi had told a TV channel.

The foreign ministry later followed up on the ministers ultimatum, signalling that it wasnt an off-the-cuff remark. The foreign office rejected suggestions that the ministers statement was against diplomatic norms.

Foreign minister Qureshi has since then twice called a press conference to offer a clarification but later cancelled the invites. In Islamabad, the cancelled news conferences were seen to reflect the governments assessment that a mere clarification wasnt going to be enough to put relations between the two countries back on track.

There has been no official announcement about Gen Bajwas visit yet.

Gen Bajwa did, however, meet Saudi Ambassador Admiral Nawaf Bin Said Al-Maliki on Monday to discuss what the army had then described as matters of mutual interest, regional security situation and bilateral defence relations.

The newspaper, quoting diplomatic sources, suggested the visit had raised hopes in Islamabad that the recent misunderstanding would be resolved soon.

It is a tough task, given how Saudi Arabia had called in a $ 1 billion loan extended at Imran Khans request to bail out the economy in 2018. The Saudi package entailed $3 billion in loans and a $3.2 billion oil credit facility, according to Asian Nikkei Review. The oil credit facility was suspended in May and the Saudis later asked Pakistan to repay the loan in full. Pakistan repaid the $ 1 billion loan, borrowing from its iron brother China.

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A man has been charged with murder after he allegedly shot dead his next-door neighbours five-year-old son in front of his young sisters.

Family members say Cannon Hinnant was playing outside his fathers house in North Carolinas town of Wilson, US, when he was allegedly shot in the head by 25-year-old Darius Sessoms on Sunday evening (local time), local television station WRAL reported.

Witnesses at the scene said they thought Sessoms was playing with the kids before realising his gun was real.

Cannon Hinnant (left) was allegedly shot in the head by Darius Sessoms (right). Source: GoFundMe/ WRAL

"For a second, I thought, 'That couldn't happen.' People don't run across the street and kill kids, neighbour Doris Lybrand told WRAL.

Cannons mother said the boys two sisters, aged 7 and 8, were playing with him at the time and witnessed the shooting.

In a GoFundMe page set up for Cannons family, his uncle Austin Hinnant said Cannon had cycled into Sessoms yard when he was shot.

Mr Hinnant described Cannon as a sweet soul.

A neighbour said Sessoms and the boys father were known to each other, and they had been at Cannons home earlier that Sunday.

The three children were playing outside on Archers Road in Wilson. Source: WRAL

The two men were understood to have dined together the night before.

Police have yet to indicate a motive for the shooting.

Sessoms was arrested by local police, and charged with first-degree murder and was refused bail.

At a brief court hearing on Tuesday (local time), Sessoms indicated he would be hiring his own lawyer.

Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.

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Accra, GHANA: On Wednesday, August 12, 2020, the United States Government, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and the Global Shea Alliance (GSA) launched the Action for Shea Parklands (ASP) initiative.

Spearheaded by GSA, this initiative seeks to promote, plant, and protect the shea parklands while advancing a shea industry commitment to plant ten million trees across West Africa over the next ten years. In Ghana, 20,000 trees will be planted across the five northern regions this year alone.

To commemorate the launch, U.S. Ambassador to Ghana Stephanie S. Sullivan joined members of the Global Shea Alliance and women shea cooperative leaders to plant 50 shea seedlings in seedling bags which will be transported to the Northern Region of Ghana for planting during the 2021 shea season.

Ambassador Sullivan applauded the projects partners during her remarks, stating, Given the impact of the industry on improving incomes for women and their families, Ive been excited to witness first-hand the enormous growth of the shea export industry in Ghana. U.S. companies and consumers continue to play a key role in this growth, ensuring that the industry contributes to Ghanas economic development while meeting the highest social and environmental standards.

Togo and Benin are also pilot countries for the ASP initiative. In August 2020, 6,000 trees will be planted in northern Togo by 500 rural farmers, including 300 women. The seedlings were acquired from a network of small community nurseries established in 2019. In Benin, the Federation Nationale des Productrices damandes et de beurre de Karite du Benin (FNPK), the umbrella of women cooperatives, launched the shea planting campaign as part of ASP in June 2020. The campaign involves 400 women from the northern regions in Benin who planted 2,400 trees in July this year.

The initiative also highlights the importance of bolstering womens economic development activities in Ghana. Shea is a primary source of livelihood for women living in northern Ghana. In partnership with USAID, GSA is leading the industry's sustainability effort.

To date 100,000 seedlings have been raised and 8,000 shea trees planted with private sector funding under the USAID-funded Sustainable Shea Initiative (SSI), a public-private partnership with GSA. The SSI is an $18 million, five-year program that promotes the sustainable expansion of the shea industry in Ghana, Benin, Cote dIvoire, Togo, Mali, Nigeria, and Burkina Faso as well as increases the incomes of rural women, who form the backbone of the industry.

About USAID/West Africa

The USAID/West Africa mission goal is to promote social and economic well-being in the region. Spanning 21 countries, USAID/West Africa designs and implements programs with West African partners to strengthen systems of non-violent conflict management, support economic growth, and expand quality health services. For more information please visit https://www.usaid.gov/west-africa-regional .
IG Confirms Emergency Arms Sales "Properly Executed"

Media Note

Office of the Spokesperson

August 11, 2020



Today, the State Department Office of Inspector General released its report on the May 2019 emergency certification to transfer arms to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the U.A.E. The report determined that the Secretary's "emergency certification was properly executed" and "complied with the requirements" outlined in the Arms Export Control Act, which has been used five times by Democrat and Republican administrations since 1979. (Report Attached)

Yesterday evening, the House Foreign Affairs Committee released a statement asserting that the Assistant Secretary for Political-Military Affairs has refused to respond to offers to appear before the committee for an interview on the declaration. In fact, the State Department has made multiple offers for the Assistant Secretary for Political-Military Affairs, and other requested witnesses, to provide information and testimony to the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

On July 16 th , the Department offered to have the Assistant Secretary for Political-Military Affairs, along with other requested witnesses, appear for a member briefing as soon as the OIG report was finalized, and this offer was not accepted.

, the Department offered to have the Assistant Secretary for Political-Military Affairs, along with other requested witnesses, appear for a member briefing as soon as the OIG report was finalized, and On August 7th, the Department also stated that the Assistant Secretary for Political-Military Affairs, along with other requested witnesses, are willing to appear for a classified briefing and an on the record public hearing as soon as August 13th. Chairman Engel has yet to respond to this offer. (See Attachment)

# # #

Please see the State Department's statement below on the final OIG report:

Inspector General Confirms No Wrongdoing in Emergency Arms Sales to Counter Iran

The Secretary's "Emergency Certification Was Properly Executed" and "Complied with the Requirements" of Law

The State Department Office of Inspector General (OIG) has confirmed in a final report that the Department acted in complete accordance with the law and found no wrongdoing in the Administration's exercise of emergency authorities available under the Arms Export Control Act (AECA) to expedite $8 billion in critical defense systems to key Middle East partners. The transfers were essential to bolster the security of the Gulf region and our ally Israel against the sharp increase in Iranian aggression in 2019.

The OIG determined that:

"[T]he Secretary's May 2019 use of emergency authorities was executed in accordance with the requirements of Section 36 of AECA." (p. 9);

the "Emergency Certification Was Properly Executed" (p. 9); and

"the documentation complied with the requirements outlined in the AECA." (p. 9).

Far from a unique determination, the report notes that this emergency authority has been utilized by five (5) of the previous seven (7) U.S. Presidents to address critical national security threats, including Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush, and President Donald J. Trump.

The OIG briefed these key findings to the Department in November 2019 and March 2020 under former Inspector General Steve Linick, including the finding that the OIG found no wrongdoing. The Acting Inspector General recused himself from this review. It is unclear why the OIG required an additional 10 months to finalize the report since its key conclusions were briefed to the Department.

In June 2019, every Democratic Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee signed a letter directing the OIG to embark on this legal review, despite the fact that the Secretary exercised a specific authority granted to the Executive Branch by Congress in law. Over the course of the OIG's 13-month inquisition, the OIG interviewed 46 Department employees  an astounding expenditure of taxpayer resources. Now that the OIG has completed its work, we hope these Members and media outlets who echoed their baseless accusations will publicly accept the findings of the report they requested from the OIG and immediately retract their statements from the past year:

Chairman Engel stated the Administration was lying about the "phony" Iranian emergency, alleging it was "an abuse of the law." (House Foreign Affairs Committee, 6/12/19)

stated the Administration was lying about the "phony" Iranian emergency, alleging it was "an abuse of the law." (House Foreign Affairs Committee, 6/12/19) Ranking Member Menendez wrongly asserted that Secretary Pompeo "ignore[d] the law", when, in fact, the OIG found the Secretary utilized the authority Congress granted by law to the Executive Branch (Senator Bob Menendez, 7/10/19)

wrongly asserted that Secretary Pompeo "ignore[d] the law", when, in fact, the OIG found the Secretary utilized the authority Congress granted by law to the Executive Branch (Senator Bob Menendez, 7/10/19) In June 2020, the New York Times reported on the yet to be completed Inspector General review, while speculating that Secretary Pompeo may have "acted illegally." (The New York Times, 6/25/20)

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Passengers wear masks as they walk through Tianhe Airport in Wuhan

China has eased entry restrictions for nationals from 36 European countries, months after thousands were left stranded when the country closed its borders and slashed flights to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

Almost all foreign nationals were forbidden from entering the country when Beijing imposed the measures in March, even those with Chinese work or residence permits or family living in the country.

But this week China said it would relax some of the bureaucratic requirements for Europeans hoping to re-enter.

The new rules will allow European passport holders from 36 countries - including France, Germany and the UK - with a valid residence permit to apply for a Chinese visa without an invitation letter, according to a notice by the Chinese embassy in Berlin published Wednesday.

Everyone returning to China has to reapply for their visa, since travel documents issued before the pandemic have been nullified.

Previously, China had allowed only a small number of skilled foreign workers to return with special official invitation letters -- a process which proved slow.

China's foreign ministry said in a statement published Monday that European passport holders who qualify will now be allowed to "apply for a Chinese visa free of charge".

Anyone coming from abroad is still subject to COVID-19 tests and a 14-day quarantine -- and will still have to find a plane ticket, after Beijing ordered a drastic reduction in international air links at the end of March, and prices soared.

Some of these strict flight quotas are also being lifted, with Air France allowed to operate three weekly flights between China and France from the end of August.

China has largely brought the spread of COVID-19 under control after the disease first emerged there late last year, but there has been a series of local clusters in recent months.

bar-prw/rox/leg
The accused were granted bail by the court as no chargesheet was filed against them within the specified 90 days

Mumbai: A local court has granted default bail to 28 accused in the April 16 Palghar mob-lynching case in which two sadhus and their driver were killed. The accused were granted bail by the court as no chargesheet was filed against them within the specified 90 days.

Dahanu Judicial Magistrate First Class M.V. Jawle ordered their release on bail, said counsel Amrut Adhikari. The 28 were arrested as part of the first two FIRs relating to murder and attempt to murder filed in the case, Adhikari said. However, of this group, 18 will be taken into custody again as their names figure in the third chargesheet relating to obstructing police, rioting and attempt to murder filed against 47 accused on Friday.

Palghar sessions court judge S.D. Dabhade had rejected the bail plea of 25 accused in this case last month saying the case was serious in nature and investigation in the case was going on. However, if a chargesheet is not filed within a stipulated time period in a criminal case the accused are entitled for bail by default.

A total of 154 people were arrested in the mob lynching case which took place late night on April 16 in Gadchinchale village in Kasa area of the district. Sadhus Kalpavruksha Giri (70) and Sushilgiri Maharaj (35) and their driver Nilesh Telgade (30) were killed.
NEW YORK, Aug. 12, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Inc. magazine today revealed that LogicMonitor is No. 1,709 on its annual Inc. 5000 list, the most prestigious ranking of the nations fastest-growing private companies. The list represents a unique look at the most successful companies within the American economys most dynamic segmentits independent small businesses. Intuit, Zappos, Under Armour, Microsoft, Patagonia, and many other well-known names gained their first national exposure as honorees on the Inc. 5000.



Its an honor to be recognized by the Inc. 5000 as one of the fastest-growing, privately held companies in the nation, said Kevin McGibben, CEO and President of LogicMonitor. LogicMonitors growth is a testament to the increasing digitization of business and the essential role our platform plays for thousands of enterprise IT teams and managed service providers worldwide. Our cloud-based monitoring and observability platform provides the insights and visibility our customers need to keep their businesses running seamlessly, no matter the complexity of their IT infrastructure.

Not only have the companies on the 2020 Inc. 5000 been very competitive within their markets, but the list as a whole shows staggering growth compared with prior lists as well. The 2020 Inc. 5000 achieved an incredible three-year average growth of over 500 percent, and a median rate of 165 percent. The Inc. 5000s aggregate revenue was $209 billion in 2019, accounting for over 1 million jobs over the past three years.

Complete results of the Inc. 5000, including company profiles and an interactive database that can be sorted by industry, region, and other criteria, can be found at www.inc.com/inc5000 . The top 500 companies are also being featured in the September issue of Inc., available on newsstands August 12.

The companies on this years Inc. 5000 come from nearly every realm of business, says Inc. editor-in-chief Scott Omelianuk. From health and software to media and hospitality, the 2020 list proves that no matter the sector, incredible growth is based on the foundations of tenacity and opportunism.

The annual Inc. 5000 event honoring the companies on the list will be held virtually from October 23 to 27, 2020. As always, speakers will include some of the greatest innovators and business leaders of our generation.

Since LogicMonitor was founded in 2007, the company has grown exponentially to become the leading provider of cloud-based IT infrastructure monitoring and observability software for both enterprises and managed service providers. Headquartered in California, LogicMonitor has nine offices around the world, including Austin, London, Singapore, Stockholm, Sydney and Pune.

CONTACT:

More about Inc. and the Inc. 5000

Methodology

The 2020 Inc. 5000 is ranked according to percentage revenue growth when comparing 2016 and 2019. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2016. They had to be U.S.-based, privately held, for profit, and independentnot subsidiaries or divisions of other companiesas of December 31, 2019. (Since then, a number of companies on the list have gone public or been acquired.) The minimum revenue required for 2016 is $100,000; the minimum for 2019 is $2 million. As always, Inc. reserves the right to decline applicants for subjective reasons. Companies on the Inc. 500 are featured in Inc.s September issue. They represent the top tier of the Inc. 5000, which can be found at http://www.inc.com/inc5000 .

About Inc. Media

The worlds most trusted business-media brand, Inc. offers entrepreneurs the knowledge, tools, connections, and community to build great companies. Its award-winning multiplatform content reaches more than 50 million people each month across a variety of channels including websites, newsletters, social media, podcasts, and print. Its prestigious Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to recognize the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. The global recognition that comes with inclusion in the 5000 gives the founders of the best businesses an opportunity to engage with an exclusive community of their peers, and the credibility that helps them drive sales and recruit talent. The associated Inc. 5000 Conference is part of a highly acclaimed portfolio of bespoke events produced by Inc. For more information, visit www.inc.com . For more information on the Inc. 5000 Conference, visit http://conference.inc.com/ .

About LogicMonitor

Monitoring unlocks new pathways to growth. At LogicMonitor , we expand whats possible for businesses by advancing the technology behind them. LogicMonitor seamlessly monitors infrastructures, empowering companies to focus less on problem solving and more on evolution. We help customers turn on a complete view in minutes, turn the dial from optimization to innovation and turn the corner from sight to vision. For more information, visit www.logicmonitor.com .

Contact

LogicMonitor

Anna Lindsey

Tel: (805) 323-3901

Email: anna.lindsey@logicmonitor.com
Manglai village in New Barag Right Banner, Hulun Buir, North China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, has found an effective way to shake off poverty, striking a balance between local husbandry development and ecological conservation.

The grassland there is glimmering in the summer, where fences have been demolished; and cattle and sheep are browsing in vast meadows where green leaves swaying in the wind.

The once impoverished village is now a pioneer in modernized pasture construction. This remarkable transition could not have been achieved without the efforts of Migej Dolge, Party head of Manglai village.

"The separate operation in the past failed to control cost and expenses, so the incomes of the herdsmen were low," Migej Dolge introduced. After repeated discussion and research, he and other village officials finally came up with a clear solution  to establish a professional sheep breeding cooperative. They centralized 18 households' livestock and pasture based on the principle of free will and distributed the resource to realize large-scale, intensive and professional operation of the cooperative. Four years after the cooperative was established, the 18 households saw a growth of nearly 10,000 yuan ($1,437) in their annual average income.

The cooperative introduced a rotational paddock grazing system, which brought benefits and further spurred the enthusiasm for the herdsmen. Under the guidance of Migej Dolge, New Barag Right Banner established its first joint-stock professional cooperative in June 2019 which integrates 26,000 hectares of pasture and 5,800 cattle and sheep. Its members include 248 herdsmen from 88 households.

Keeping a balance between forage and livestock, the joint-stock cooperative made rotational paddock grazing plans, demolished fences on the grassland, and demarcated rotational grazing pastures and cutting pastures. It secures sustained and healthy development of the husbandry industry while guaranteeing the ecological balance of the pastures.

Villager Aladengtsang's family was once a registered impoverished household. After joining the joint-stock cooperative, he entrusted his 180 sheep to it. He told the People's Daily that he earned a net income of 110,000 yuan last year, which enabled him to pay off his loans and lifted him out of poverty. "The cooperative is great, and I'll keep working for it," he said.

The joint-stock cooperative has largely lowered the production cost for herdsmen, expanded their employment channels and improved their living quality. "We have benefited enormously by exploiting the pastures in a science-based manner," Migej Dolge told the People's Daily.

Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in 2012, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region has applied grazing ban and forage-livestock balance mechanism to 68 million hectares of grassland. It has also been planting one million hectares of grassland on average each year. The vegetation coverage ratio of grasslands of the autonomous region reached 44 percent last year, up 4 percentage points from that in 2012.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-12 19:24:23|Editor: huaxia

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CAPE TOWN, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- The COVID-19 infection rate appears to be stabilizing in South Africa as fewer and fewer daily confirmed cases were reported, Health Minister Zweli Mkhize said on Wednesday.

The minister, however, cautioned against drawing any conclusions from the significant decline in the daily COVID-19 infection rate.

As of Tuesday, South Africa reported a total of 566,109 confirmed cases, 2,511 of which reported in the previous 24 hours.

For several days, daily confirmed cases in the country have hovered around 3,000, compared with about 10,000 a week ago.

The recovery rate has also gone up to 75 percent.

The good news was encouraging but it doesn't mean South Africans can let their guard down, Mkhize said in his update about the country's response to the pandemic.

He urged South Africans to continue observing health regulations such as wearing masks, keeping social distance and washing hands with soap or sanitizer.

Mkhize indicated that the lockdown regulations might be further relaxed to ramp up economic activities.

He said the National Command Council is discussing different suggestions and proposals in this regard.

Also on Wednesday, the opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) called on President Cyril Ramaphosa to end the hard lockdown, including the "irrational" bans on tobacco and alcohol.

The tourism industry, schools, and borders need to be fully opened, the curfew lifted, and the state of disaster ended, the party said in a statement.

"South Africa's daily COVID-19 infection rate is declining, taking pressure off our public health system," DA leader John Steenhuisen said.

While South Africans should all continue to adhere to safety protocols like wearing masks, they need to pick up the pieces and start to rebuild their shattered economy, which has lost over a trillion rand (about 56.8 billion U.S. dollars) and three million jobs due to the lockdown, which was enforced on March 27, Steenhuisen said. Enditem
More than half of Beirut's healthcare facilities have been left 'non-functional' after last week's explosion devastated the Lebanese capital.

The blast at a warehouse storing thousands of tons of ammonium nitrate killed at least 171 people, injured 6,000 and damaged swathes of the Mediterranean city.

Iman Shankiti, WHO Representative for Lebanon, said intensive care units and regular beds were occupied by trauma cases following the explosion.

The number of beds being used is particularly problematic while the country continues to react to the coronavirus crisis, having recorded 7,121 cases including 87 deaths, out of a population of six million.

It comes as shocking new footage has emerged of the moment the warehouse explosion hit a hospital in the city.

Shocking footage of a hospital being destroyed has emerged after it was revealed more than half of Beirut's healthcare facilities have been left 'non-functional' following last week's explosion which devastated the Lebanese capital

CCTV footage shows St George University Medical Center destroyed in the blast as people are seen reacting to the explosion seconds before the hospital is hit

In the video, people wearing coronavirus face masks try to run away before the blast demolish's the hospital's lobby.

The CCTV footage cuts to a scene outside of the St George University Medical Center seconds before people are caught up in the explosion.

A woman inside an office in the hospital talks on the phone before the whole room is torn down by the blast.

Finally two nurses are seen in an empty maternity ward before the explosion smashes a wall down covering the floor with broken glass.

The disturbing footage shows an office in the hospital being completely destroyed by the blast

Following an assessment of 55 clinics and health centres in the Lebanese capital, 'we know now that just over 50 percent are non-functional,' said WHO's regional emergency director Richard Brennan at a virtual press conference in Cairo.

Three major hospitals were non-functional and another three operating at well below normal capacity, he said.

'That means we have lost around 500 beds,' he added.

He urged Lebanese authorities and their partners to 'restore functionality of many of those health facilities as quickly as possible' to help the country deal with both casualties of the blast and a spike in novel coronavirus cases.

A bulldozer removes the debris of a destroyed neighbourhood facing the port of Beirut today following last week's cataclysmic explosion

It comes as Germany's foreign minister said that Lebanon needed a government that can fight corruption and enact reforms as he toured Beirut port today.

Foreign Minister Heiko Maas went round scene of the devastating explosion that has triggered protests and led the government to resign.

The blast at a warehouse storing highly explosive material compounded a deep economic and financial crisis in the country.

'It is impossible that things go on as before,' Mr Maas said.

'The international community is ready to invest but needs securities for these investments. It is important to have a government that fights the corruption.

A picture of victims is displayed inside their damaged apartment facing the port of Beirut

'Many in Europe have a lot of interest for this country. They want to know that there are economic reforms and good governance.'

President Michel Aoun has promised a swift and transparent investigation into the blast at a warehouse where authorities say more than 2,000 tonnes of ammonium nitrate was stored for years without safety measures.

He has said the probe would look into whether it was negligence, an accident or external factors.

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas (left) meets with with Lebanese President Michel Aoun (right) in Beirut, Lebanon, today

Aoun and Diab were warned in July about the warehoused ammonium nitrate, according to documents and senior security sources.

The presidency said in a statement on Wednesday that as soon as Aoun received the state security report on the ammonium nitrate on July 20, the president's military consultant instructed the secretary general of the Supreme Defence Council to 'do the necessary'.

Protests have erupted, with Lebanese calling for the wholesale removal of a ruling class they brand as responsible for the country's woes.

The financial crisis has ravaged the currency, paralysed banks and sent prices soaring.
Months after her presidential campaign collapsed amid questions over her political identity, Kamala Harris suddenly and forcefully found her voice  and at a fortuitous time.

Harris, a 55-year-old US senator from California, was chosen by Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden as his running mate on Tuesday, making history as the first Black woman and Asian-American on a major presidential ticket.

Her selection came as little surprise. With the United States in the midst of a reckoning over its history of racial injustice, Biden had increasingly been pressed to select a woman of color. Harris, who became the Senates second Black woman in its history when she was elected in 2016, was always at the top of the list.

But Harris did anything but keep a low profile while Biden was making up his mind. Instead, she emerged as a fierce advocate for police reform and social justice - in the Senate, in the streets, and on the airwaves, sparring with Republicans on the Senate floor and offering fiery critiques of Republican President Donald Trump.

"She has been very resolute," said Marc Morial, president of the National Urban League, the longstanding civil rights and social justice advocacy group, which has worked with Harris on reform issues. She has the ability to go toe-to-toe with anybody.

For Harris, the barrier-breaking former prosecutor and California state attorney general, the moment provided a clarity of purpose that was often absent from her failed presidential bid.

After a strong start, Harris campaign quickly foundered amid strategic somersaults. First positioning herself as a progressive in the mold of reformers such as Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders, Harris then tried to tack toward the center. Her position on healthcare, for example, became a mishmash. She dropped out in December, before a single vote was cast in the Democratic nominating contests.

She was trying to play the middle a little bit and trying to be all things to all people," said Joel Payne, a Democratic strategist who worked for Hillary Clinton`s 2016 presidential campaign.

Now, Payne said, "There is a little more of a defined voice. Theres more clarity to her public persona.

WINNING OVER FLOYD LAWYER, PAST DOUBTERS

Her background in law enforcement had been seen as a vulnerability early in the race for the party`s nomination. But her work of late has impressed some past doubters who say she did not do enough to investigate police shootings and too often sided with prosecutors in wrongful conviction cases in the past.

In the days after George Floyd died at the hands of police in Minneapolis in May, sparking a national conversation on race, Harris joined protesters in the streets of Washington.

On Capitol Hill, she, along with Senator Cory Booker, an African American who made his own bid for the presidency, became the drivers of the Democratic effort to battle police abuses and led the pushback against an alternative Republican police reform measure, which she blasted as "lip service."

Her efforts received important recognition in early August when Ben Crump, the attorney for Floyd`s family, published an opinion article supporting her candidacy.

"The case for me is simple: She`s been a change agent at every level of government - local, state, and federal - for 30 years," Crump wrote as the search for Biden`s running mate entered a final stage.

Lara Bazelon, a professor at the University of San Francisco School of Law who last year assailed Harris` record as a prosecutor and attorney general, said Harris has made an "important shift" on criminal justice. She now hopes Harris will become a leading adviser to Biden on the issue.

"She got a good, hard shove to the left. I really hope she seizes that moment and resists the urge to drift toward safety and the center," Bazelon said.

SHORING UP

While advocating for social justice publicly, Harris was also working to shore up her relationship with Biden. The two had long been friendly because of Harris friendship with Bidens late son, Beau Biden, who served as Delawares attorney general and worked with Harris when she held the same position for her state.

"Back when Kamala was Attorney General, she worked closely with Beau. I watched as they took on the big banks, lifted up working people, and protected women and kids from abuse," the elder Biden wrote on Twitter on Tuesday. "I was proud then, and I`m proud now to have her as my partner in this campaign."

But Harris relationship with Joe Biden was sorely tested last year when in a Democratic debate she battered Biden over his long-ago stance on mandatory busing for public school students. Bidens wife, Jill, later said she viewed the attack as a punch in the gut, while some Biden aides saw it as opportunistic.

Since she endorsed him in March, Harris has become a fierce advocate of his candidacy and an effective fundraiser on his behalf. Biden told reporters in August he had put the debate fracas behind him. "I don`t hold grudges," he said.

Even so, Harris had to survive a last-minute lobbying campaign against her selection, one that included close Biden allies, over concerns she was too politically ambitious and would not put Biden`s interests ahead of hers. That push, in turn, sparked a backlash among Harris` supporters who called the arguments sexist.

Harris has used the time since her campaign exit well, Payne said.

"She realized that one of her vulnerabilities was her background as a prosecutor," he said. "She did some repair work. She did some fence-mending to get ready for the moment."
Louth TD, Ruairi O Murchu says he welcomes the conviction of Aaron Brady for the capital murder of Detective Garda Adrian Donohoe.

The Dundalk deputy said: This is an incredibly good result for the Gardai, the investigation team and the prosecution legal team who worked so hard to get this conviction.

There was international support for this prosecution, particularly from the law enforcement agencies in America, and I know everyone involved in the case is grateful for their support, which was key.

Gardai, particularly in the Louth Division, have been so badly affected by what happened to Adrian, and then, later Garda Tony Golden. The community and his Garda colleagues in North Louth where Adrian was murdered have been scarred by this terrible tragedy.

Today is a day to thank all those who came forward with information, who made appeals for information and for those who gave evidence, for their bravery and determination over the last few years.

Most importantly, I want to pay tribute to Adrians family for the dignity and poise they have shown throughout the last seven years. They have kept his memory alive, kept faith with the justice system and have not wavered in their pursuit of justice for his death.

Today is also a day to remember Adrian and his life and his work. He was a well-respected detective and a much-loved friend, husband, son, father and brother whose memory will always be kept in the hearts of the community of North Louth.
The PLA has blemished the Modi Govts muscular image created in the wake of Uri and Balakot responses against Pakistan, which won it an overwhelming political mandate





by Ashok K Mehta





Ones blood boils watching the way India and its Army are being pushed around by the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). Roughing up soldiers, intruding/transgressing on the Indian side of the LAC at will and violating border protocols have become second nature to the PLA. And yet, many citizens keep harping that when it comes to joining the battle, Indians are six feet tall. The PLA has no experience to fight in high-altitude terrain; whereas Indian soldiers have been deployed in Sikkim, Ladakh and Siachen for decades. China lacks the regimental system of the Indian infantry and is composed mostly of short-term conscripts compared to Indias wholly volunteer Army. The PLA has not fought a war since 1979. Neither have the Indian troops since the skirmish they fought on our side of the Line of Control (LoC) against a mixed bag of Pakistani frontier militia and hardcore terrorists at Kargil.









Because the PLA has done a sort of Kargil in east Ladakh, loud thinking can be heard about launching a land-air offensive a la Kargil, confined to our side of the LAC to vacate aggression in Ladakh. This comparison has many holes: It likens LAC to LoC, which is delineated with the maps exchanged in 1972 between the two militaries. The LoC is violated regularly by infiltration, cross-border firing and is a hot border. Not a shot has been fired along the LAC since 1975 and a no-shooting protocol exists. The Indian Air Force (IAF) has not carried out any joint military exercises for air support of ground troops along the LAC. Border protocols debar the use of force in settling the boundary question, which includes the LAC.





And yet, rogue actions of the PLA have continued periodically like the intrusions at Sumdorongchu (1988), Depsang (2013), Chumar (2014), Doklam (2017) and now across east Ladakh, stretching over 250 km. They have all gone unpunished. Instead, PLA raw recruits managed to thrash outnumbered Indian soldiers near the Pangong lake on May 17/18 last year so badly that 72 soldiers had to be hospitalised. PLA helicopters chased away an Indian helicopter in the same area around the same time. In short, India has been at the receiving end of PLA depredations except possibly at Galwan. The mystery is, why have Indian troops never done a tit-for-tat counter intrusion?





That the disengagement and de-escalation process has ended in utter failure was recognised by the Indian Ministry of Defence (MoD) on its website earlier this month but the admission was pulled down within 48 hours. Indian forces have been left with buffer zones at friction points where they have had to withdraw and dismantle their fortifications from the Indian side of the LAC. Worse, the PLA is not permitting these soldiers to exercise their patrolling rights upto established patrolling points, which when connected, roughly align with the Indian LAC.





Still worse is the stubborn refusal of the PLA and its commanders to even discuss the 18-km deep massive intrusion made in Depsang, a repeat of the intrusion in April 2013, from where the PLA withdrew after three months. Crowning the multiple intrusions is the PLAs construction of infrastructure on the Indian side of the LAC. Violative of border patrols, PLA activities are nothing short of acts of war.





Not only has China unilaterally changed the status quo but it has also shifted the LAC several kilometres westwards, attempting to conform to its 1960 claim line. It has also annexed several hundred kilometres of Indian territory. Prime Minister Narendra Modis in-denial statement of June 19  neither has anyone intruded across our border nor is anyone intruding  has become the great enabler of PLA intrusions. Taking down the belated acceptance of intrusions on the MoD website is supportive of Beijings actions.





China is rejoicing that Modi has kept the Wuhan spirit alive whereas it is an abysmal failure of summitry. By virtually condoning the Galwan clash, Modi seems to have done the reverse of Nehrus cavalier orders to throw out the Chinese from the Thagla ridge.





The joy and excitement exuded by Modi and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh over the arrival of five Rafales reflected the dire and option-less situation at the LAC. Given the phenomenal spike in the COVID-19 pandemic in India, a debilitating decline in the economy and the military overstretched on two fronts, a Kargil-like response to multiple intrusions will lead to a war that India cannot afford.





Indias continental strategy (if there is one) for border management has come unstuck because the PLA has changed the rules of engagement, both on the ground and at the negotiating table. Five rounds of military commander talks, four rounds of Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination (WMCC) dialogue and conversations between high ranking Special Representatives on border talks have hit a cul-de-sac.





With wholesale intrusions in early May, China delivered an initial fait accompli. This was followed by a Chinese-scripted DPP in July end that made cosmetic disengagement to ease tensions at friction points but was tantamount to quarantining Indian soldiers on their own territory. The PLA, on the other hand, dug down like it did at Doklam after disengagement and nobly proclaimed that disengagement is completed. This new fait accompli has imposed on India a new status quo without a hint of restoring the May 5 situation.





The Modi Government can pretend it is business as usual: Take down belated acceptance of intrusions from the MoD website, talk tough the virtues of Rafales and most of all, use diversionary strategies to focus on its spectacular political achievements like the grand ceremony at the Ram temple on the same day it erased Article 370 at Jammu & Kashmir a year ago.





In deference to Chinese sentiment, the new status of Ladakh has been played down. The setback at LAC has almost disappeared from TV and media, reflecting Indias acceptance of aggression by the PLA. The tragedy playing out along the LAC for 10 weeks, that was essentially concealed by the Government, is a reminder of Indias colossal intelligence and operational failures.





It has blemished the Modi Governments tough muscular image created in the wake of Uri and Balakot responses against Pakistan, which won it an overwhelming political mandate. The Chinese PLA has changed that perception. That, too, 60 years after the 1962 war when China gave India a dressing down and withdrew unilaterally, vacating areas it now covets: Tawang and East Ladakh. Indias failure to shape and maintain a deterrent has led to the loss of face.





Three days from now, on August 15, Independence Day, Modi will recount his Governments achievements, including the handling of the pandemic. How he will frame the situation along the LAC, where the Chinese PLA has altered status quo and annexed Indian territory, will be worth watching out for.





(The writer, a retired Major General, was Commander IPKF South, Sri Lanka and founder member of the Defence Planning Staff, currently the Integrated Defence Staff.)
Ceramic Tiles Market Research Report by Product (Floor Tiles and Wall Tiles), by Raw Material (Bentonite, Feldspar, Kaolin, and Silica Sand), by Application - Global Forecast to 2025 - Cumulative Impact of COVID-19

New York, Aug. 12, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Ceramic Tiles Market Research Report by Product, by Raw Material, by Application - Global Forecast to 2025 - Cumulative Impact of COVID-19" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p05913805/?utm_source=GNW



The Global Ceramic Tiles Market is expected to grow from USD 202,458.99 Million in 2019 to USD 297,262.90 Million by the end of 2025 at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 6.61%.



Market Segmentation & Coverage:

This research report categorizes the Ceramic Tiles to forecast the revenues and analyze the trends in each of the following sub-markets:



Based on Product, the Ceramic Tiles Market studied across Floor Tiles and Wall Tiles.



Based on Raw Material, the Ceramic Tiles Market studied across Bentonite, Feldspar, Kaolin, and Silica Sand.



Based on Application, the Ceramic Tiles Market studied across Commercial and Residential.



Based on Geography, the Ceramic Tiles Market studied across Americas, Asia-Pacific, and Europe, Middle East & Africa. The Americas region surveyed across Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, and United States. The Asia-Pacific region surveyed across Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, South Korea, and Thailand. The Europe, Middle East & Africa region surveyed 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 Ceramic Tiles Market including CERAMICHE ATLAS CONCORDE S.P.A, China Ceramics Co Ltd, Florida Tile Inc., Grupo Lamosa, Kajaria Ceramics, Mohawk Industries, NITCO, Saloni, and Siam Cement Group.



FPNV Positioning Matrix:

The FPNV Positioning Matrix evaluates and categorizes the vendors in the Ceramic Tiles 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 the market 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 Ceramic Tiles Market?

2. What are the inhibiting factors and impact of COVID-19 shaping the Global Ceramic Tiles Market during the forecast period?

3. Which are the products/segments/applications/areas to invest in over the forecast period in the Global Ceramic Tiles Market?

4. What is the competitive strategic window for opportunities in the Global Ceramic Tiles Market?

5. What are the technology trends and regulatory frameworks in the Global Ceramic Tiles Market?

6. What are the modes and strategic moves considered suitable for entering the Global Ceramic Tiles Market?

Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05913805/?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.



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CONTACT: Clare: clare@reportlinker.com US: (339)-368-6001 Intl: +1 339-368-6001




Jean Smart, beloved by fans of the TV series Designing Women, isnt Southern. But the actress certainly projected a steel magnolia vibe as Charlene Frazier, the sassy office manager at the Sugarbaker interior design firm in Atlanta.

Smart, whos originally from Seattle, made Charlene an indelible character on the show for five seasons, 1986-1991. And shes likely to have no trouble slipping into the shoes of another Southern woman with a sweet nature, eccentric streak and strong determination to succeed.

Smart, 68, is set to star in a movie about Olma Macy Harwell, the owner of a charm school in Anniston, Alabama, according to reports by Deadline Hollywood, The Hollywood Reporter and other media outlets. Tate Taylor, known for his work on The Help, Get On Up and The Girl on the Train, is set to direct and produce the film, The Hollywood Reporter says. Playwright and screenwriter Beth Henley (an Oscar nominee for Crimes of the Heart) is on board, as well.

Harwell -- a real-life mentor who taught young women about modeling, poise, pageants and more -- was known in her community as Miss Macy. (Thats the working title of the movie, as well.) Harwell died in 1990 at age 74, but left a lasting impression on at least one of her students: writer and interior designer Trisha Mitchell Coburn.

Coburn, whos from Anniston, met Harwell in the 1960s and, with her guidance, became Miss Anniston Alabama in 1971. She won titles such as Miss Talladega Raceway and Miss Cotton Crop, and with Harwells help, moved to New York City to launch a modeling career.

Coburn wrote a story about her experiences with Harwell, and recorded it for The Moth -- a radio show, podcast and storytelling project -- in 2012. The story was called Miss Macy, and it focused on the impact Harwell had on a poor girl from Alabama with few prospects. (You can listen to the story here. A shorter version, published in Readers Digest, can be found here.)

Miss Macys Charm School changed Coburns life, and the story is a tribute to the indomitable woman who believed in Coburn and nudged her to success.

Olma Macy Harwell of Anniston, left, posed in 1964 with Helen Silver of Birmingham and W.C. Sawyer of the Freedoms Foundation.(AL.com file photo)

Its unclear if Coburns recording for The Moth was the impetus for the Miss Macy movie, but Deadline says producer Angeliki Giannakopoulos and Smart discovered the story and realized its potential for film.

Amblin Partners, Steven Spielbergs company, won a bidding war for the project, Deadline says. Holly Bario, Amblins president of production, will oversee Miss Macy for the studio. Theres no word yet on other casting for the movie, filming dates or locations.
When police in New Jersey learned a homeowner in Gloucester Township was planning to host a large pool party where attendees would be charged admission, they said they warned him of "potential violations."

The party Sunday in Sicklerville, about 20 miles from Philadelphia, went on and the homeowner and the event promoter were charged, Gloucester Township police said Monday. It is at least the third large party shut down in New Jersey in the last week where guests paid entrance fees.

Police say two men held a pool party with around 250 people at a home in Gloucester Township, N.J., and charged an admission fee for it. (NBC Philadelphia)

Lt. Jason Gittens said Wednesday that police learned through social media that the homeowner, Jeffrey Davis Jr., would be hosting a "for-profit pool party."

Officers had contacted Davis last Thursday and warned him of the potential violations of the state's order against large social gatherings and local ordinances for having a party during the COVID-19 pandemic, police said.

From 4 p.m. to 9 p.m., officers monitored the single-family home at 12 Prospect Court and observed approximately 250 people inside and outside of the property, police said. Attendees were charged a $35 admission fee and were observed not wearing masks or practicing social distancing, the police lieutenant said. The state limits outdoor gatherings to 500 people, and social distancing must be practiced.

Loud music was also playing in violation of the township's noise ordinance, according to police, who said eight vehicles were ticketed for parking violations.

"Officers requested that the homeowner shut down the party, and upon the attendees exiting, large crowds littered the street with trash," police said in a news release.

Davis, 31, and a man identified by police as the party promoter, Marheem Miller, 28, of Camden, were charged with three counts of violating the governor's executive orders. Davis was also issued a summons for littering and will be charged for violating the local zoning ordinance. Davis and Miller could not immediately be reached for comment Wednesday.

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Separately, police in Howell Township, about 65 miles northeast of Philadelphia, broke up what they described as a "pop-up party" Sunday where 300 people were in attendance. Most of the attendees were compliant, police said, adding that others were angry at the host who charged admission.

On July 26, a homeowner and two organizers of a party were charged with violating the governor's executive order that limits the size of gatherings after police in Jackson spent nearly five hours shutting down the event that drew more than 700 people to an Airbnb rental, police said.

Last week, Gov. Phil Murphy lowered the number of people allowed to gather indoors to 25 percent of a room's capacity with a maximum of 25 people  down from the previous limit of 100  following reports of large house parties and indoor events.

"Unfortunately, the actions of a few knuckleheads leave us no other course," Murphy said. "We have to go back and tighten these restrictions."
Rating Action: Moody's affirms ColourOz MidCo (Flint) Caa1 CFR, upgrades PDR to Caa1-PD/LD; negative outlook

Global Credit Research - 12 Aug 2020

Frankfurt am Main, August 12, 2020 -- Moody's Investors Service, ("Moody's") has today affirmed the Caa1 corporate family rating (CFR) and upgraded to Caa1-PD/LD from Caa3-PD the probability of default rating (PDR) of ColourOz MidCo's (Flint). At the same time Moody's appended the PDR with the "/LD" (limited default) designation.Concurrently Moody's has assigned Caa1 ratings to COLOUROZ INVESTMENT 1 GMBH & FDS Holdings BV senior secured first lien term loan credit facilities and to the COLOUROZ INVESTMENT 1 GMBH revolving credit facility (RCF), and assigned Caa3 ratings to COLOUROZ INVESTMENT 1 GMBH senior secured second lien term loan credit facilities. The outlook on all ratings remains negative.

RATING RATIONALE

The affirmation of the Caa1 CFR and the upgrade of the PDR by two notches to Caa1-PD/LD reflect the successful conclusion of Flint's amend and extend proposal initially put forward to lenders in April 2020. This resolves the near-term refinancing risk associated with debt instruments in the capital structure that would otherwise have matured in 2021 and 2022 respectively. The original maturities of the RCF and first lien facilities in 2021 and second lien facilities in 2022, have been extended to 2023 and 2024 respectively. This extends the next meaningful debt maturity by two years to 2023. The amend and extend transaction has come into effective 7 August 2020 and is in Moody's view moderately credit positive, as the transaction alleviates concerns about the company's liquidity profile. It provides the company with additional financial flexibility at a time when the company is in the middle of restructuring its packaging business and managing through the structural decline of its CPS business. Under Moody's definition this constitutes a distressed debt exchange and a default event. Moody's will remove the "/LD" designation from the PDR after three days. This transaction does not constitute an event of default under any of the company's debt agreements.

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The affirmation of the Caa1 CFR takes into account the highly levered capital structure. Flint's Moody's adjusted gross leverage of 11.1x (9.8x adjusted for the packaging restructuring) in the LTM period ending March 2020 remains high and in our view continues to create a major challenge for the refinancing of the capital structure after the extended maturity dates . To retain the Caa1 rating a material improvement in performance transformed into positive free cash flow generation would be necessary in the next 12-18 months, in absence of additional measures to improve the company's capitalization.

Flint's Moody's-adjusted gross leverage peaked at 11.6x in 2019 due to weak performance of its packaging segment, the continued structural decline in CPS, high restructuring cost in its packaging segment in addition to its regular restructuring related to its CPS segment. In total restructuring charges in both segments resulted in P&L charges of E62 million during 2019. We expect a gradual deleveraging supported by lower restructuring charges and the benefits from restructuring measures. Performance in Q1 2020 was well above that of prior year due to cost savings initiatives implemented in late 2019. Q1 2020 results have also benefitted from increasing demand for food & pharma packaging and the company indicated that it expects strong demand to continue through Q2 2020, which also should support a moderate deleveraging in 2020 and 2021 towards 10.0x on a Moody's-adjusted basis. The company reports its Q2 results in mid-August. This is somewhat offset by generating free cash flows in 2021 onwards which supports the build-up of cash.

LIQUIDITY

Flint's liquidity profile will be adequate after the exchange. As at 31 March 2020 the company had around E124 million of cash on balance sheet and around E94 million of availability under its E103 million RCF and a $55 million ABL facility provided by its shareholders. These liquidity source in combination with projected FFO generation should be sufficient to cover forecasted capital expenditure, scheduled debt amortizations and swings in working capital over the next 12-18 months. The company's RCF is subject to financial covenants, which we expect to be met all times during the next 12-18 months.

STRUCTURAL CONSIDERATIONS

The rating on the first lien debt (including the RCF, which ranks pari passu) is Caa1, in line with the CFR, while the second lien debt is rated Caa3, two notches below the CFR reflecting the ranking in the waterfall analysis.

RATING OUTLOOK

The negative outlook on Flint's rating reflects Moody's expectation of adjusted leverage remaining above 10x in 2020, with limited free cash-flow to deleverage by the time the debt will be due. Furthermore the negative outlook reflects the risk that absent a performance improvement in the next 12-18 months refinancing risks will exacerbate again.

FACTORS THAT COULD LEAD TO AN UPGRADE OR DOWNGRADE OF THE RATINGS

Upward pressure on the rating could materialize, if there are visible near term improvements in performance resulting in Moody's adjusted leverage decreasing towards 7.0x, resulting in a high likelihood that Flint will be able to refinance its capital structure without any further losses for creditors. Furthermore, an upgrade of Flint's ratings would require Flint maintaining an adequate liquidity profile, including comfortable head room under its covenants, at all times.

Moody's could downgrade Flint's rating, if liquidity weakens due to negative FCF or decreasing covenant headroom under its RCF. Flint's rating also could be downgraded if there are no operating performance improvements that result in a more sustainable capital structure.

The principal methodology used in these ratings was Chemical Industry published in March 2019 and available at http://www.moodys.com/researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx?docid=PBC_1152388. Alternatively, please see the Rating Methodologies page on www.moodys.com for a copy of this methodology.

PROFILE

Headquartered in Luxembourg, ColourOz MidCo (Flint) is one of the largest global producers and integrated suppliers of inks and other print consumables, with a wide range of support services for the printing industry, along with well-established positions in most of its key markets. In 2019, the company reported revenue of around E2.0 billion, split 51% between EMEA, 39% the Americas and 10% in the AsiaPacific region. Flint serves the printing industry through two segments: packaging and CPS. Since September 2014, Flint has been owned 50% each by Goldman Sachs Merchant Banking Division and Koch Equity Development LLC, after a secondary leveraged buyout (LBO) from CVC Capital Partners (CVC). The company traces its origins to the acquisition and merger of Akzo Nobel Inks and BASF Printing Systems in 2004 by CVC, forming Xsys Print Solutions. Flint was created when Xsys merged with US-based Flint Ink Corporation. Since 2014, the company has grown its packaging business through various add-on acquisitions.

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.

For any affected securities or rated entities receiving direct credit support from the primary entity(ies) of this credit rating action, and whose ratings may change as a result of this credit rating action, the associated regulatory disclosures will be those of the guarantor entity. Exceptions to this approach exist for the following disclosures, if applicable to jurisdiction: Ancillary Services, Disclosure to rated entity, Disclosure from rated entity.

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.

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.

Moritz Melsbach Asst Vice President - Analyst Corporate Finance Group Moody's Deutschland GmbH An der Welle 5 Frankfurt am Main 60322 Germany JOURNALISTS: 44 20 7772 5456 Client Service: 44 20 7772 5454 Matthias Hellstern MD - Corporate Finance Corporate Finance Group JOURNALISTS: 44 20 7772 5456 Client Service: 44 20 7772 5454 Releasing Office: Moody's Deutschland GmbH An der Welle 5 Frankfurt am Main 60322 Germany JOURNALISTS: 44 20 7772 5456 Client Service: 44 20 7772 5454

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A wet market in Da Nang, which is now Vietnams epicenter of COVID-19, has been closed from Tuesday night after three people who had regularly shopped there tested positive for the coronavirus.

The three were confirmed as Vietnams COVID-19 patients No. 781, 795, and 802 on August 8.

However, authorities were only recently able to track their travel history and found that all were regular visitors to Nai Hien Dong Market in the namesake ward of Son Tra District.

The market was therefore ordered to close from Tuesday night, according to the wards chairman Cao Dinh Hai.

On Tuesday morning, Son Tra Districts Center for Disease Control in collaboration with the Peoples Committee of Nai Hien Dong Ward also sampled more than 450 sellers and visitors at the market for COVID-19 testing.

Results are expected to arrive on Thursday at the earliest.

If all the samples are negative for the novel coronavirus, Nai Hien Dong Market will be reopened.

In the meantime, the local authorities advise people to shop at other markets and supermarkets in the central city.

Previously, authorities in Da Nang also required residents to visit local markets less often in a bid to curb the outbreak.

A new approach that seeks to limit each Da Nang households market trips to no more than once every three days started to be implemented from Wednesday.

Vietnam has logged 866 cases in total, including 321 imported patients who were quarantined upon arrival, since the COVID-19 pandemic first hit in January.

Four-hundred and five local infections have been registered since July 25, when Da Nang recorded Vietnam's first community-based COVID-19 case after the country had gone 99 days without any local transmission.

Among Vietnams patients, 400 have been cleared of the virus, while 17 virus-deaths have been recorded.

Social distancing regulations were previously implemented in Da Nang City from July 28 until August 11 to control the epidemic.

The period was extended on Wednesday due to continued community transmission.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
They number 10,000, but politically the islands of Southeast Asia fall into just two major groups: Indonesia and the Philippines. In addition, Malaysia bites hard into northern Borneo and Australia lays claim to eastern New Guinea. Rich in minerals and natural resources, rising in international stature, Indonesia and the Philippines are destined to play strategic roles in the future of the Orient.

The two island empires have more in common than the volcanic origin of their land holdings. They were peopled by the same basic Malayan stock, discovered by the same breed of intrepid Portuguese explorers, and evangelized for Islam by the same assault of itinerant Muslims, and they have striking similarities in culture, language, resources, food, employment.

But there are sharp differences as well. Roman Catholic influence fostered by Spain localized Islam in the Philippines, and the nation is today approximately 57 per cent Catholic. In Indonesia the Dutch Protestants arrived too late to stem the Islamic tide. Although Protestants hold majorities on some of the islands, the highly populated islands of Java and Sumatra are almost totally Muslim. Both Indonesia and the Philippines have significant Protestant minorities. Indonesia claims to have a Protestant community of (6,400,000, the Philippines more than 3,000,000.

In the Philippines the benevolent rule of American administrators during the first half of the twentieth century built up for the West and for democracy a reservoir of good will. On its troubled road to independence Indonesia played into the hands of Communism, and it is doubtful today that President Sukarno has either the will or the power to chart a course independent from that world evil.

Straddling the equator on a ...

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-13 03:31:37|Editor: huaxia

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UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- Solidarity and cooperation is the most powerful weapon in the global fight against COVID-19, a Chinese envoy told the Security Council on Wednesday.

Conflict-affected countries are the weakest link in this fight. Helping them build a strong line of defense is most important for ensuring victory over the pandemic and consolidating peacebuilding gains, said Zhang Jun, China's permanent representative to the United Nations.

China calls on all parties to conflict to respond to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' appeal for a global cease-fire as soon as possible, lay down their arms, and work together to fight COVID-19, he told an open debate of the Security Council on pandemics and the challenges of sustaining peace.

Zhang called for support for the efforts of the United Nations and the World Health Organization to strengthen policy coordination among countries and to channel more resources to conflict-affected countries to help them deal with COVID-19.

China appreciates and supports the assistance to relevant countries by UN peacekeeping operations. It supports the Peacebuilding Commission in providing tailored response and reconstruction programs for countries, and encourages the Peacebuilding Fund to reprioritize its projects and resources for that purpose, said Zhang.

Unilateral sanctions are seriously undermining the capacity of targeted countries in responding to the pandemic and safeguarding livelihoods, making innocent civilians the biggest victims, he said. "We once again strongly urge relevant countries to acknowledge the negative humanitarian consequences and immediately lift their unilateral coercive measures."

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, China has been actively engaged in the global fight and has been doing its utmost to support and assist countries in need, said Zhang, adding that China is ready to continue providing medical supplies to affected countries, share experience in diagnosis and treatment, and send medical experts to those countries. Enditem
Tanzanias government cracks down on what journalists can report on the coronavirus pandemic.

Tanzania is enforcing a new crackdown on the media.

Under a new law, coverage of the coronavirus pandemic will essentially be silenced.

And there are fears it will also prevent fair and balanced reporting on the presidential election later this year.

Al Jazeeras Catherine Soi reports.
Katie Price arrived at hospital in London on Wednesday for a coronavirus test, ahead of her essential surgery on her feet later this week.

The former glamour model, 42, appeared downcast as she heavily relied on her boyfriend Carl Woods, 31, to help her out of the car and into a wheelchair.

Katie broke both of her feet and ankles in a freak accident while on holiday in Turkey last month, and is awaiting crucial surgery which will help her on the long road of recovery.

Broken feet: Katie Price arrived at hospital in London on Wednesday for a coronavirus test, ahead of her essential surgery on her feet later this week

Katie ensured she made her arrival known as she showed off her customised her leg casts which were covered in pink and purple glitter.

The mother-of-five dressed for the sunny climes in a tiny black ditzy print dress and wore a face mask as she headed into the hospital.

Doting boyfriend Carl, meanwhile, opted for a Moschino camouflage T-shirt and shorts.

Knight in shining armour: The former glamour model, 42, appeared downcast as she heavily relied on her boyfriend Carl Woods, 31, to help her out of the car and into a wheelchair

In pain: Katie broke both of her feet and ankles in a freak accident while on holiday in Turkey last month

The star was pushed by Carl into the hospital where she had the test to see if she could be operated on later in the week.

It comes as reports say Katie has been warned by doctors she 'must take her recovery seriously or she could risk losing a leg'.

The reality star is now said to have been left 'terrified' by her surgeon's stark warning.

Operation: She is awaiting crucial surgery which will help her on the long road of recovery

Having a bit of fun: Katie ensured she made her arrival known as she showed off her customised her leg casts which were covered in pink and purple glitter

A source told The Sun: 'Katie's doctors have warned her she must take her recovery seriously and it's left her terrified.

'She's prone to getting infections after operations, and her surgeon says she could lose a leg if her feet get infected.

'She'll have to be so, so careful - she'll have medical professionals on call 24/7 - and change the dressings regularly. She's got a long road ahead of her.'

Heatwave: The mother-of-five dressed for the sunny climes in a tiny black ditzy print dress and wore a face mask as she headed into the hospital

Casually-clad: Doting boyfriend Carl, meanwhile, opted for a Moschino camouflage T-shirt and shorts

Safety first: Carl took off his mask after leaving the hospital with his wheelchair-bound girlfriend

When contacted by MailOnline, a representative for the star said : 'Katie I can confirm will be undergoing major surgery this week to correct her injuries sustained on her recent holiday to Turkey.'

Katie recently explained she broke her ankles and feet during a 'silly accident' while on holiday with her beau and her children Princess, 13, and Junior, 15.

Taking to her YouTube channel, the star explained: 'Silly me, at my age, should calm things down. Basically, silly little accident. I was running and jumped over a wall, as it was a little shortcut, and didn't really judge the height.

Surgery: The wheelchair-bound star was pushed by Carl into the hospital where she had the test to see if she could be operated on later in the week

'I just sort of fell funny on my ankles and I fractured the hairline on my heels and stuff. The hospital here wanted to operate and wanted to put pins in and stuff. Because I'm away, I'd rather wait until I get home.'

She continued: 'It's the most painful thing ever. Like when I was trying to put the cast on, I was screaming in pain. They said I won't be able to walk for three to six months.'

Katie was taken to A&E for emergency surgery after doctors realised the extent of her horrific injuries.

Serious risks: It comes as reports say Katie has been warned by doctors she 'must take her recovery seriously or she could risk losing a leg'

Scary: The reality star is now said to have been left 'terrified' by her surgeon's stark warning

Terrifying: 'She's prone to getting infections after operations, and her surgeon says she could lose a leg if her feet get infected', a source said

According to doctors, she will need pins in her feet which will undoubtedly be another agonising experience.

Upon her return to the U.K, the star headed to a specialist for a series of X-rays and told fans the news was 'devastating'.

Carl has been by Katie's side throughout the ordeal and it's been revealed the smitten pair are planning to move in together.

Painful: According to doctors, she will need pins in her feet which will undoubtedly be another agonising experience

Upset: Upon her return to the U.K, the star headed to a specialist for a series of X-rays and told fans the news was 'devastating'

In love: Carl has been by Katie's side throughout the ordeal and it's been revealed the smitten pair are planning to move in together

A representative for Katie confirmed the plans, explaining: 'As Katie is temporarily wheelchair-bound, something no one could have foreseen, she has voiced the possibility of looking for a property that would work better for her wheelchair access and mobility scooter.

'Carl as Katie's carer would be living with her. There is a lot to consider: Katie's rehabilitation, the children, school, respective family, work commitments.

'Essex would be a probable location - Katie however remains in her current rented property in Surrey.'
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Linkedin Ardila Syakriah (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, August 12, 2020 08:46 525 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066d496ef 1 National COVID-19,discrepancy,Central-Java,COVID-19-death-toll,#CentralJava,#COVID19 Free

Data discrepancies have continued to be a problem for Indonesia five months since it announced its first COVID-19 cases, prompting concerns about outdated data and declining public trust in the government.

Central Java, for instance, recorded on its website 11,423 total confirmed cases, with 3,529 active cases and 1,049 deaths as of 12 p.m. of Tuesday. However, according to the central government's tally, Central Java's cases stood at 10,765, with 3,888 active cases and 731 deaths as of Tuesday.

There is a 318-figure gap between the reported fatalities and a 658-figure gap between the confirmed cases.

The Central Java administration updates its data at 12 p.m. every day  the same cut-off time for daily data collection by the Health Ministry.

Using data from the Central Java administration, the case fatality rate stands at 9.2 percent, yet with the central government's tally, the rate significantly drops to 6.8 percent.

Central Java Health Agency head Yulianto Prabowo said the differences were to be expected because there was no "bridge" between the information systems of provinces and the central government.

He suspected that the reason for this was the difference in methods used to input data on patient domicile, with some cases recorded based on the patients location of residence, while other cases are based on a patients registered address according to their citizenship identification number (NIK) or ID card (KTP).

As a result, a patient living in Central Java, for example, could have their data recorded in a different province.

"Central Java data [is] based on domicile, central [government] data [is] based on the NIK," Yulianto told The Jakarta Post on Sunday.

"We actually send complete data based on domicile and on the NIK [to the central government], but the provincial [administration] tends to use the domicile data for [our] epidemiological purposes and [COVID-19] response."

Yulianto said that before the Health Ministry started recording data using the All Record TC-19 system, COVID-19 data was input into the Bersatu Lawan Covid (BLC) system, meaning there could be cases in which "data from the old system wasn't brought into the new one".

He highlighted the need for better data integration by standardizing the variables and systems for data input.

But the national COVID-19 task force, tasked with announcing the data collected by the Health Ministry, said that it was using data that indicated where the patients were physically being treated.

"The right [process] is to submit both NIK or KTP and domicile [information]. What is used is certainly the domicile data showing where patients are treated," task force spokesperson Wiku Adisasmito told the Post.

"If there's no domicile data then it's treated as if [a patients] residence is the same as their address on their KTP. We use KTP data  NIKs, names and addresses  to verify data so there won't be duplicates.

Wiku said the ministry could be receiving incomplete data from provincial administrations. He said that the task force was working on improving interoperability between national and regional data so that there would not be any discrepancies.

Achmad Yurianto, the ministry's director general for disease control and prevention and former government spokesperson for COVID-19 affairs, insisted that the ministry's data was collected from data submitted by provincial administrations.

"If the provincial administrations have their own [data], please ask them why it isn't the same as the [data they] gave to the central [government]," he told the Post on Thursday.

This is not the first time that such discrepancies have come to light.

In May, West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil told a roundtable discussion with foreign ambassadors that the numbers announced by the Health Ministry in daily press conferences, which no longer run now, did not match those reported by his regional administration.

For example, I reported 30 cases today; the central government put five in the report. I reported seven today, the central government reported 50, he said on May 11.

Airlangga University epidemiologist Laura Navika Yamani said that data discrepancies did not only exist between Central Java and the central government, but among many other regions, including between East Java and its capital, Surabaya.

Laura said such discrepancies should have already been fixed given that the country was five months into the pandemic, and the fact that this problem persisted had shown a lack of coordination between the state and regions.

"A gap of hundreds in data on fatalities should be questioned. Who are these 200 deceased people?" she said.

With inaccurate data that did not reflect the reality of the pandemic in the country, it was difficult to predict how the situation would unfold, Laura said. As a result, the government would have a hard time coming up with the right policies, she added.

"The public will also be confused by the data. Data discrepancies will cultivate distrust toward the government, making it harder [to implement] policies set forth by the government," she said.

She urged the government to improve its method of tracking cases before drawing any conclusions and making announcements to the public.

The COVID-19 task force said on Aug. 2 that there had been a 28 percent decline in deaths from two weeks prior, with Bengkulu having the highest fatality rate at 8.09 percent, followed by East Java with 7.74 percent and Central Java with 6.73 percent.
Police in Hanoi are hunting for a woman who allegedly hired two hitmen to shoot a man four times due to a personal conflict in early 2020.

Tran Thi Xuan Huong, a 46-year-old resident in Long Bien District, is being wanted for attempted murder, officers in Gia Lam District announced on Wednesday morning.

Police investigation showed that a conflict previously broke out between Huong and N.V.M., 38, who resides in Gia Lam District.

Huong then hired Pham Tuan Hai, 35, and To Thanh Hiep, 32, to kill M. for VND300 million (US$12,900).

At around 6:00 pm on January 11, M. was riding his motorbike when he was approached by Hai and Hiep.

The two men shot M. four times and left the scene.

Pham Tuan Hai and To Thanh Hiep are held at the police station in Hanoi. Photo: H.Trung / Tuoi Tre

The victim survived after being rushed to the hospital as his injuries were not fatal.

Police launched an investigation into the case and arrested Hiep and Hai on January 15.

They later discovered that Huong was the one who had hired Hai and Hiep to assassinate M. and issued an arrest warrant for the woman on February 7.

As she had already left her place of residence, officers decided to put Huong on their list of wanted individuals on February 17.

Residents are asked to make a report to police if they see Huong.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
Soldiers help farmers harvest rice in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue in May 2020. Photo by VnExpress/Vo Thanh.

With the Thai baht weakening, Vietnamese rice is fetching 3 percent higher prices in global markets than varieties from Thailand.

Vietnams 5-percent broken rice has been priced at $468-472 per ton since August 8, $15 more than its Thai rivals. The prices have risen by 6.8 percent since the beginning of this month.

Vietnam was the third largest rice exporter last year behind India and Thailand.

In the first seven months of this year it exported $1.9 billion worth of grains, up 10.9 percent year-on-year, with the Philippines being the top buyer, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.
Driving a mail truck around Toronto, Theo Poot usually wouldnt blink an eye at a box of dusty old books at the end of a driveway.

But since one of the items in the box caught his eye for its pocket size and ancient appearance, hes become consumed by a puzzle  and a conviction that it should be returned as a precious bit of inheritance.

To Bob, from Mother, is the first inscription written on the inside cover of the Bible, which Poot found discarded in a semi-industrial area of Toronto.

Mother marked the date, too: It was Christmas 1903, and the Bible would be the one Robert McKeown took with him as a private in the First World War, occasionally marking the pages with descriptions of what happened during his days there.

There was one entry about how it was a really horrible day, five casualties, Poot said. There were parts of it that were scribbled out  you werent allowed to keep a diary in World War I.

A navy reservist who has researched war artifacts on his own and with his son, an air force member, Poot felt he was holding something that would be a treasure to family members.

Putting it on a shelf in my house means nothing to me; but if that was my grandad, that would mean the world to me, he said. I would like to return it to where it belongs and enjoy the ride of doing the research.

University of British Columbia historian David Borys said that such personal writing from troops during the First World War, even though it was officially discouraged in case of intelligence leaks, was fairly common, and that the resulting records lend a lot to war historians.

Thankfully, we have many of them today and they are extremely valuable windows into the lives of individuals during such unimaginable times, Borys said.

Poot used Bobs name in the Bible to find the military records for Robert McKeown, who joined the 48 Highlanders regiment based out of Moss Park as a private in 1915.

Even with this information, finding the family at first seemed a daunting task: All he really had was the name and military record of a man born 133 years ago, and one more key piece: the name of his wife, Maud.

Having posted pictures of the Bible on his Facebook page, it began to attract attention from Facebook groups and other web forums dedicated to researching family histories of the First World War.

Thats how the story reached Lindsay Graves, a 27 year-old from Coldbrook, N.S., who has more than 20,000 followers on social media platform TikTok, where she posts interesting stories about the war.

She shared Poots find, and is already getting questions from her followers in Ontario who think they might have a link to a Bob and Maud in their family chains.

The pair are hopeful that with enough traction, they can find McKeowns relatives.

A lot of really cool stuff like that happens quite a bit on these groups that Im on. We all reach out to one another and network, Graves said. Were all pretty much at the same frame of mind.

Graves got into researching her own family history of the First World War when she found out about a great uncle who was involved. Like Poot, she said she understood how precious an item like the Bible could be to a family.

I know that if this was my uncles Bible I would want it; I would want my family to have it, she said. The whole point of these groups is that families are trying to preserve memories.

If Poot is unable to find McKeowns family, he said he plans to donate the Bible to the 48 Highlanders museum, so that it will still be connected to McKeowns past in some way.

These were real people. This was a Bob who lived in Toronto. Its really exciting seeing that, Poot said. Whats exciting about this is that we havent forgotten. In the past you can say we were trying to forget some history, but were still remembering the people.
Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden's pick of Kamala Harris as his running mate showed his commitment to Black voters, African-American activists said, but they warned it would not guarantee him the support he needs to win.

In choosing Harris to be the first Black woman on a major party presidential ticket in US history, Biden signaled to activists he was heeding the lessons of 2016, when the first decline of Black voter turnout in 20 years helped Republican President Donald Trump win the White House.

Some prominent Black political operatives had urged Biden to choose a Black woman as the country grappled with nationwide protests against racial injustice and as the coronavirus pandemic disproportionately hurt people of color.

Black Americans - and Black women particularly - are the most loyal Democratic constituencies.

"He's answering the call of millions of us, and it's a really critical message to the base of the party: I see you, I hear you," said Aimee Allison, founder of She the People, a group that promotes women of color in US politics.

Allison had sounded alarms earlier this summer after she felt Biden had been too slow to engage Black communities and risked repeating mistakes from the last presidential election.

She said she has been heartened that Biden's campaign has responded by hiring new, diverse staff members and reached out to Black elected leaders across the country.

Other Black leaders said Harris, a U.S. senator from California, has a record of building a multi-racial coalition of voters that would boost Biden in the November 3 election.

They said she would drive turnout not only with Black voters but also suburban white women in crucial states such as Michigan and Wisconsin, where Trump's 2016 margins of victory were slim.

"There is going to be tremendous momentum as a result of this announcement," said Adrianne Shropshire, the executive director of BlackPAC, a super PAC focused on Black Democrats.

But Shropshire said adding Harris to the ticket would not be enough, and that the Biden campaign still needed to accelerate its local outreach efforts given that early voting is beginning soon in some states.

'WORK TO DO'

Many Black activists and voters have said Biden's policies were the most important factor in winning their support, not the race of his running mate.

Yvette Simpson, the Black chief executive of the advocacy group Democracy For America, said there was a disconnect in agendas between her group and the campaign.

Liberal Democrats criticize both Biden and Harris on criminal justice issues, for example. They argue Harris failed to crack down on police misconduct as a former prosecutor and attorney general in California.

They pan Biden for his vote as a senator in favor of a 1994 crime bill that critics see as a cause of current mass incarceration, and for his staunch opposition to the Defund the Police movement following the death of George Floyd, a Black man, in police custody in May.

"He's so divorced from the community that he says he wants to serve, and he's not bold and willing to take on real challenges," said Simpson, who is based in Ohio, a state that could be competitive this fall.

Simpson, speaking before Biden's choice was announced, said she has yet to see a strong presence from the campaign's field organizing and political engagement in her state, with only a few months to Election Day.

Keith Williams, chairman of the Michigan Democratic Black Caucus, advocated for Harris and will help the campaign with outreach in his battleground state. He, too, has warned the campaign has a heavy lift to overcome a split between more moderate and older Black voters, and younger progressives.

"We have work to do," he said. "We can't sit on our laurels."
SAO PAULO - The governor of Brazils Sao Paulo state, Joao Doria, said Wednesday that he has tested positive for COVID-19.

Doria, a potential challenger to President Jair Bolsonaros 2022 reelection campaign, is the 11th Brazilian governor to contract the new coronavirus.

I am feeling well, no symptoms, Doria said in a video posted on his social media channels. I will continue working from home, following the medical recommendations of isolation.

Social distancing recommendations and quarantine measures have been the main stress point between Doria and Bolsonaro since the beginning of the pandemic. Though Sao Paulos governor never imposed lockdowns, he challenged the presidents frequent defiance of science-based recommendations aimed at stopping the spread of the virus.

Sao Paulo is Brazils most populous state, with 46 million people, where COVID-19 has claimed more than 25,000 lives  nearly one quarter of Brazils death toll.

Also on Wednesday, the grandmother of Brazils first lady died after more than a month fighting COVID-19 in a public hospital on the outskirts of capital Brasilia.

Aparecida Firmo Ferreira, 80, was the grandmother of Michelle Bolsonaro. The health secretariat of Brazils federal district confirmed her passing.

She had been hospitalized since July 1, having tested positive for the new coronavirus.

____

Associated Press reporter Daniel Carvalho contributed to this report from Brasilia.

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By Trend

The value of trade turnover between Kazakhstan and Romania amounted to over $645.3 million over first four months of 2020, compared to $533.4 million during the same period of 2019, Trend reports with reference to Kazakhstans Statistics Committee.

The share of Romania in the total value of Kazakhstans trade turnover stood at 2.3 percent during the reporting period of 2020 compared to 1.8 percent during the same period of 2019.

Kazakhstans export to Romania amounted to $620.2 million over the period from January through April 2020 compared to $511.1 million during the same period of 2019.

Romanias share in the total volume of Kazakhstans export amounted to 3.4 percent during the reporting period of 2020, compared to 2.8 percent during the same period of 2019.

In turn, Kazakhstans import from Romania amounted to $25.07 million over the reporting period compared to $22.2 million during the same period of 2019.

Romanias total share in Kazakhstans import reached 0.3 percent during the reporting period of 2020 which is flat year-on-year compared to 0.2 percent during the same period of 2019.

Total volume of Kazakhstans trade turnover made up $28.1 million over the period from Jan. through Apr. 2020 which indicates a decrease from $28.8 million during the same period of 2019.

Kazakhstans export amounted to $18.3 million during the reporting period of 2020 ($18.5 million in the same period of 2019), whereas import amounted to $9.8 million ($10.3 million in the same period of 2019).

--

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
TORONTO - The COVID-19 pandemic continues to take a heavy toll on Ontario, the province's finance minister said Wednesday as he announced the government has nearly doubled its deficit projection in just three months.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 12/8/2020 (524 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford makes an announcement with Vic Fedeli, Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade at Clean Works Corp., in Beamsville, Ont., Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Tara Walton

TORONTO - The COVID-19 pandemic continues to take a heavy toll on Ontario, the province's finance minister said Wednesday as he announced the government has nearly doubled its deficit projection in just three months.

Rod Phillips said the pandemic has created an "unprecedented health crisis" and the province had to spend billions to support the health-care sector and help businesses and residents weather the storm.

In March, the Progressive Conservative government said the deficit would reach $20.5 billion by the end of 2020-2021, but Phillips said Wednesday that due to billions more in spending required by the ongoing pandemic, the number is set to reach $38.5 billion.

"We remain in uncertain times and the risk of a second wave is real despite our collective efforts to avert it," he said. "The economic impacts of COVID-19 globally, and in Ontario, are still unfolding."

In its spring fiscal update, the province announced a $17-billion spending package designed to provide aid during the pandemic. The government said Wednesday that its COVID-19 relief spending will now total $30 billion by the close of the fiscal year.

Overall, the government expects to spend an additional $13 billion on programs this year, while collecting $5.7 billion less in taxes and other revenues because of the pandemic.

Among the new measures announced in Wednesday's update, the province now plans to add $4.3 billion more to a health-care spending contingency fund in advance of a potential second wave of coronavirus cases this fall.

The "Safe Restart Agreement" the provinces recently reached with the federal government will cost Ontario $2.4 billion, while another $2.2 billion will be added to a standard contingency fund.

The cost to Ontario for the promised pandemic pay for front-line workers is estimated at $1.1 billion.

All tax deferrals the province had put in place earlier this year will be extended until to Oct. 1, which it estimates will cost $1.3 billion.

Prior to the pandemic, Ontario had been projecting a $9-billion deficit for 2020-2021 and Premier Doug Ford had pledged to balance the province's books by 2023-2024  into a hypothetical second mandate for the Tories.

Phillips stressed that the government had been on track to achieve that goal, but COVID-19 required immediate action.

"While the current level of government spending and deficits are not sustainable over the long term, they are necessary today," he said.

The premier also defended the spending and acknowledged that balancing the budget by 2023 was no longer possible.

"I'm going to be very frank," Ford said Wednesday. "It was a whole different situation six months ago compared to now. But we're going to continue to be very fiscally conservative (and) responsible."

Ford has said repeatedly since the start of the pandemic that the province would not hold back spending if it felt it could save lives. Now, he said, it's about ensuring people clearly understand how the money is being spent.

"I kept my promise to the people of Ontario," he said. "When this first started, I said ... 'I'm not going to spare a penny,' and I've proved it."

The premier's spending plan received a vote of confidence from the Canadian Union of Public Employees, which said in a statement that the higher deficit "should not be cause for concern."

Ready, Pet, Go! Leesa Dahl looks at everything to do with our furry, fuzzy, feathered, fishy (and more!) pet friends. Arrives in your inbox each Monday. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement.

"We need more investment and support to help Ontario continue to manage and to rebound out of this crisis," the union's Ontario president, Fred Hahn, said. "Because spending saves lives. What the pandemic has taught us is that we need more collective resources, not less."

NDP finance critic Sandy Shaw noted that the fiscal update shows the government has spent just $218 million on long-term care since April.

"More than 1,845 seniors and front-line health care workers tragically died in long-term care homes," Shaw said in a statement. "It's abundantly, heart-breakingly clear that $218 million was nowhere near enough to fund the iron ring around nursing homes that was needed."

Earlier this year, the province postponed its annual budget, which is normally introduced in March. The government said it will instead introduce its full spending package on or before Nov. 14.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 12, 2020.

Note to readers: This is a corrected story. An earlier version had an incorrect figure for the deficit projection.
VOE, Loan Delivery, Lead Source Products; Investor and Lender Changes

Dating in college is a matter of many things. I mention this because I wondered what colleges were recommending about COVID, and the University of Georgia answered that with a student guide to romance, at least for a few days. Go Dawgs! Dating is also impacted by supply and demand, and lenders know that mortgage rates are mostly determined by supply and demand: if theres no demand for a particular type of loan by investors or portfolios, it wont be offered to consumers. But in an interesting twist to the law of supply and demand, high-priced attorneys may have found a loophole. The Q2 peer monitor index from Thomson Reuters indicates that overall demand for legal services dropped 5.9% from the same point last year, marking the largest decrease in year-over-year quarterly demand since 2009. But the average rate billed jumped up 5.2%. Why? While overall work is down, the work that is left is being increasingly done by partners, at partner-level rates. At the other end of the labor spectrum from partners in law firms, BOTS (web robots, autonomous internet-based programs that interact with computer systems and users) have helped many companies take care of mundane, routine tasks as this article about a credit union using them points out.



Broker and Lender Products

Flooded with mortgages and losing important time conducting manual verifications? Offload them to Truework! As you well know, mortgage volumes are through the roof with todays historically low rates. Our team at Truework is helping lenders and processors manage well over 40,000 VOE/VOI requests, and with a median turnaround time of 30 hours! Truework is a company of highly trained professionals from the mortgage industry, helping process tedious VOE/VOI requests to help you close your loans faster than ever. And for a limited time, Rob Chrisman readers get 5 free Verifications ($200 value). Let us do the heavy lifting so you can focus on your customers. Click here to learn more.

Over in Appraisal Land...last month, we talked about what lenders can and cannot request in terms of using their favorite appraisers. We received a lot of responses and questions from readers, which wed like to answer. The issue of appraiser independence can get complicated and confusing. For example, did you know that brokers and retail loan officers cant specify which AMC is used for a specific appraisal? To be completely compliant with Dodd-Frank and AIR, only loan processors, underwriting and other operations (non-origination) staff can select the AMC. Heres this months follow-up article entitled Dodd-Frank: Another Compliance Pitfall. This information - as well as other resources about managing appraisals during this challenging time - is provided by Triserv, a 50-state AMC that has client-specific, dedicated teams on both coasts offering high-touch, personalized service. Contact Triserv at learnmore@triservllc.com.

Discover How JFQ Lending is using direct mail with Monster Lead Group to surpass $4.2 billion in originations for 2020: In just its first 3 years, the JFQ team has grown to approximately 120 MLOs, funding upward of $400 million in a given month. JFQ Lendings President, John Kresevic reveals 75%-80% of our growth comes from Monster. Kresevic explains, Weve been successful with the strategies we get from Monster. I know whats certain every week: Monday around 12 oclock Pacific the phones are going to start ringing and theyre going to ring the rest of the week. I know that as long as I spend 'X, my returns going to be Y. If you want consistent phones and predictable ROI from your direct mail like JFQ, go to https://www.monsterleadgroup.com/jfqlending/ right now.

ReadyPrice has added a number of super-regional lenders to its universal lender pricing and delivery portal, including The Loan Store and Windsor Mortgage Solutions. These new additions join ReadyPrices existing network of wholesale lenders, like industry leaders Stearns Wholesale and PRMG, allowing them to promote their loan products to brokers in their desired territories. The ReadyPrice platform gives brokers an even simpler way to deliver complete and approved loans directly to their lender of choice through the application. As a high number of brokers continue to adopt ReadyPrice, now is the best time to become a ReadyPrice Lender Sponsor and lock-in 2020 sponsor pricing. Click here to learn more or schedule a call today!

Dont let URLA changes sneak up on you. Join us next week, August 18-20, at Calyxs virtual user conference Calyx Vision 2020 and get ready for URLA. Hear directly from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac executives about the upcoming changes and what to expect and see the updates in your Calyx loan origination software. Register today!

While companies like FormFree report a high overall success rate when it comes to retrieving consumer asset, employment and income data, sometimes there are hiccups in the process. There are a handful of reasons why digital verifications have a less-than-perfect success rate. What lenders may not realize is that these issues typically result from consumer error or stem from the institutions that hold the data, says FormFree Founder and CEO Brent Chandler, whose company recently released a free white paper that helps explain the challenges and opportunities of financial data aggregation for lenders. The good news is that even now, lenders are saving substantial time and money when they routinely verify asset, employment and income electronically, and those efficiency gains will only get bigger as data-sharing standards and practices continue to improve.



Investor, Lender, and Wholesaler Changes

Mountain West Financial Wholesale announced that its Affordable Housing Overview Website is now available. Access program information not only for the Housing Finance Agency (HFA) programs, but for over 80 stand-alone DPAs.

FAMC Correspondent will be retiring the following ARM products, effective August 13, 2020, instead of October 30, 2020: 2051-225 5/1 LIBOR ARM Standard; 2071 7/1 LIBOR ARM Standard; 2051-HBAL 5/1/ LIBOR ARM High Balance; 2071-HBAL 7/1 LIBOR ARM High Balance. Additionally, Effective August 13, 2020, the 7051-5/1/ CMT Treasury ARM Standard product will no longer be available.

First Community Mortgage posted guideline update regarding an Increase to Tennessee Housing Development Agency (THDA) Income limits in Wholesale Announcement 2020-36.

Verus Mortgage Capital (VMC), announced it has begun purchasing non-QM loans again after a short pause at the beginning of the pandemic. It is actively investing in new origination and pre-pandemic loans.

Do you have a Borrower in Forbearance? Pay the mortgage current and refinance immediately with Parkside Lending. There is no waiting period required if past due balance paid current.

Click here to view ParkXpress loan required criteria.

Brokers should know that Land Home Financial Services offers Digital Mortgages. Contact Mark Sheridan for information.

Calcap Lendings Accelerator Program provides Interest Only with No Prepayment Penalty. Contact Dan Crouse to find out more about this program and about Calcaps Expanded Bridge Programs with 1, 3, and 5 Year Terms.

The new full eClosing options from Plaza Home Mortgage, you can offer borrowers with eligible loans a simple and safe way to review, sign and execute all of their closing docs online. No face-to-face closing appointment needed and no more last-minute scrambling over missing signatures or documents. Plaza Home Mortgages Certified Loan Program helps correspondents mitigate the financial risk that can arise from loan manufacturing defects and buy back requests, at no upfront cost. Learn more on Plazas information page.

Plaza delivers a customized, full analysis of its most popular Reverse programs specific to your borrowers scenario right to your inbox. The analysis details available funds, rates, fees, and other loan information. Plazas Reverse Mortgage staff will run a complete analysis on your submitted information and send the findings back to you via e-mail - typically within a few hours.

Speaking of reverse mortgages, Medicare may not provide enough coverage for long-term care (LTC), and most (56%) of middle-income baby boomers dont know it. According to a Medicare expert, reverse mortgages can be an effective tool to help fill the gaps. Read more in this article from Reverse Mortgage Daily.

First Community Mortgage is offering its Select QM and Choice QM Jumbo Products Select QM and Choice QM Jumbo Products again. Full guidelines are posted on the Knowledge Center.

For current information on Mountain West Financials programs for brokers, it is best to visit its website. Mountain West Financial Wholesale has extended its July Special through the month of August. All REFINANCE transactions during the month of July AND August will receive a 60-day lock for the price of 30 days for NEW LOCKS ONLY. Be sure to set the lock period to 60 days in PML at the time of locking.

AmeriHome has recently observed some Sellers closing Non-Delegated loans prior to a Clear to Close (CTC) underwriting decision being issued. In response, AmeriHome is updating policy for loans in the Non-Delegated Underwriting Program.

Guild Mortgage announced it will incorporate eOriginals technology into its eClose solution to create, execute and deliver eNotes, adding a crucial function to its digital mortgage origination process and secure eClose solution. Guild customers will now have the option to review and sign the eNote remotely. Additionally, eOriginal provides an eVault, a secure platform for the management of electronically signed assets, such as eNotes, after they are executed. Once an eNote is signed by a customer, it transfers to additional parties, such as warehouse banks or investors, including Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, directly through the eVault.

Cherry Creek Mortgage Company announced that it now offers a new flexible and efficient closing experience for its customers called Smart Close allowing borrowers receive and review closing documents electronically prior to closing day. On the day of closing, the borrower electronically signs most of the closing documents remotely, eliminating the need to sign non-notarized documents in person.



Capital Markets

Looking at Treasuries and MBS yesterday, they were buffeted by good and bad news. Russian officials announced the certification of the first coronavirus vaccine, though this comes before the completion of a full clinical trial. Successful vaccine news would help world economies and drive rates higher. Sure enough, the 10-year yield closed +8 bps to hit its highest level since mid-July. On top of that, the day's $48 billion 3-year note auction was met with lukewarm demand. In Washington, there was little hope surrounding fiscal stimulus negotiations. The four main players (Steven Mnuchin, Mark Meadows, Nancy Pelosi, and Chuck Schumer) haven't spoken since Friday, and some congressional staff are speculating that the standoff could continue into September, saying an October 1 shutdown deadline may be the ultimate trigger for a deal. And for the latest on U.S./China tensions, the U.S. will reportedly require goods made in Hong Kong to carry a "Made in China" label.

Todays economic calendar began with mortgage applications from the MBA for the week ending August 7. Mortgage applications increased nearly 7 percent from one week earlier. Weve also had the July Consumer Price Index and Core CPI, both +.6 percent, stronger than expected. Investors can also step up and buy a piece of the second leg of this weeks record refunding when $38 billion 10-year T-Notes are auctioned, and there are three Fed presidents scheduled to speak: Bostons Rosengren, Dallas Kaplan, and San Franciscos Daly. The Desk of the New York Fed will purchase up to $5 billion MBS over three operations starting with $754 million UMBS15 2 percent and 2.5 percent followed by $2.8 billion UMBS30 2 percent through 3 percent and $1.4 billion GNII 2.5 percent and 3 percent. We begin today with Agency MBS prices down/worse .250 in price and the 10-year yielding .69 after closing yesterday at 0.66 percent.



Employment and Promotions

Plaza Home Mortgage a leading national TPO based in San Diego, CA is looking for a Senior Vice President, Risk Management to join its leadership team. This senior officer will be responsible for overall risk management and risk and credit policies and oversee a range of risk-related activities and report to senior management and risk committees. In addition, they will develop and direct the execution of strategies and risk mitigation activities for the company and manage a team of risk professionals. The ideal candidate will have 10+ years experience in mortgage banking with 8+ years of regulatory compliance and management experience. Plaza offers competitive compensation and outstanding benefits, with remote work options. Candidates who reside outside of California are encouraged to apply. Please send all resumes to Alicia Wadsworth, VP of Human Resources. Equal Opportunity Employer; Plaza NMLS 2113. Equal Housing Lender.

Congratulations to Debbie Beier, who has been awarded by HousingWire as one of the top 100 Women of Influence in 2020 for her role as GO Mortgage's Chief Operating Officer. According to the publication, this has been one of the most competitive years for the award ever seen. The Women of Influence are selected by HousingWire based on their achievements within their organizations, contributions to the overall industry, community, and client experience. More on Debbie's contribution to the modernization of GO Mortgage can be found here: https://hubs.li/H0tj55d0.

Dallas MyAMC, LLC, announced David Mentesana has been promoted to Managing Director to lead the company and implement key growth strategies that expand client relationships and leverage new technology advancements.
As LGBTQ activist Malgorzata Szutowicz, sits in solitary confinement for a fourth day in the city of Plock, central Poland, hundreds of people across the country are protesting in her name. On Friday, Margo, as she is more commonly known, was placed in pre-trial detention for two months, on charges of assaulting a driver of a truck that displayed an anti-LGBT banner.

The same day, hundreds of people gathered in the capital, Warsaw, to defend her freedom. In doing so, they were risking their own: 48 protestors were detained and many more injured in what experts say was an unprecedented level of police aggression against an LGBTQ demonstration, particularly in a European Union member state.

By Saturday, thousands had gathered in Warsaw to denounce Margos arrest and police aggression against LGBTQ people. And although Poland is experiencing a rise in new cases of COVID-19, at least 15 solidarity protests, both big and small, took place on Monday in towns and cities across the Poland, as well as in Budapest and London, New York, Paris and Berlin, with more planned.

While not all activists may agree with Margos methods, her prosecution and imprisonment has been widely condemned. These radical actions are a part of history that has happened in many other countries before, says Julia Maciocha, chairwoman at the Warsaw-based LGBTQ organization Volunteers of Equality Foundation. In a nod to the Stonewall Uprising of 1969 in New York City, several users on Twitter started posting #PolishStonewall in tweets about the weekends events and subsequent solidarity protests.

Whats the state of LGBTQ rights under Polish President Andrzej Duda?

The weekend protests come amid intensifying anti-LGBTQ rhetoric by government officials and state media after the recent re-election of President Andrzej Duda. On Aug. 6, the anti-E.U. populist leader was sworn in for a second five-year term as president on a strong anti-LGBTQ platform, branding LGBTQ rights an ideology worse than communism and proposing a Family Charter, including a vow to block legislation allowing gay couples to get married or adopt children. The charter also included a ban on the propogation of LGBTQ ideology in schools and public institutions, reminiscent of Russias notorious gay propaganda law in 2013. Such moves pave the way for verbal and physical attacks against the LGBTQ community, says Hanna-Gill Piatek, a lawmaker from a pro-E.U. political party, Spring. Adam Bodnar, the Polish Human Rights Commissioner, agrees, saying that to a great extent, LGBT persons are becoming victims of political life.

Story continues

For over a year, the government and religious leaders have used LGBTQ people as a scapegoat, says Mirosawa Makuchowska, vice diretor of the Warsaw-based Campaign Against Homophobia. The Duda-allied Law and Justice party (PiS), which has led Poland since 2015, has consistently railed against the LGBTQ community, presenting its members as a threat to family values. (Anti-LGBTQ attacks are not considered a hate crime by law in Poland.)

The church in Poland also wields enormous influence over education, law and politics, and about 86% of the population identify as Roman Catholic. Marek Jedraszewski, an archbishop, warned last year that a rainbow plague seeks to control the population. Since 2019, authorities in one-third of cities across Poland have adopted resolutions declaring themselves LGBTQ ideology free zones. In late July, the European Union announced it would not provide funding to six Polish towns that made this declaration.

Protestors sit in front of police on in Warsaw, Poland Aug. 7, 2020. | Rafal MilachMagnum Photos

What sparked the protests?

On July 14, Margo, who is a member of the LBTQ activist group Stop Bzdurom (Stop Bullshit), was arrested in Warsaw and accused of assaulting the driver of a truck promoting anti-LGBT propaganda and blaring slurs from loudspeakers, as well as of damaging the vehicle on June 27. She was detained overnight and released.

On Aug. 3, police again arrested Margo, along with other activists, for taking part in a campaign that covered monuments in Warsaw with rainbow flags. Authorities accused them of insulting religious feelings and insulting Warsaw monuments.

Four days later, on Friday, a court ordered Margo to be placed in pre-trial detention for two months. When the court order came through, she was seeking legal counsel at the headquarters of a local organization, Campaign Against Homophobia. Although Margo gave herself up to the police, they did not arrest her. From the campaign headquarters, Margo and other activists and protesters then headed to Krakowskie Przedmiescie, one of the central streets in Warsaw, where the Monument of Christ had been covered with a rainbow flag a week earlier, in response to the E.U.s announcement that it was blocking funds to the six Polish towns that declared themselves LGBT-free zones.

Witnesses say that police officers in an unmarked police car then detained Margo with excessive use of force. This was the last straw, says LGBTQ rights activist Zoska Marcinek, who tried to prevent the car from leaving the scene. Not only the charges and arrest were farcical, not only it was obvious Margo is being targeted as a nonbinary/transgender person, it was also cowardly and brutal, she says.

What happened at the protests?

Hundreds of protesters were gathered at Krakowskie Przedmiescie when Margo was detained at the scene. What started as a peaceful, spontaneous protest soon escalated into violence, as police started removing people violently from the site. Protesterssome just walking by or standing on the side-walkwere pushed against walls and thrown to the ground by police, activists say. Police made a lot of mistakes says Bodnar, whose team was able to access the 33 out of the 48 detained protestors on Saturday when all other visitors were barred. Bodnar says some people were wrongly detainedone person was just observing the protests, another was on a shopping trip.

Marcinek tells TIME that a uniformed policeman tripped her over, causing her to hit the back of her head on the pavement, before an officer then held her in a chokehold. She was arrested and taken into custody, and says police taunted her with homophobic slurs. Despite suffering from a concussion, she says she was denied medical assistance for around eight hours. Makuchowska, the head of the Warsaw-based Stop Homophobia Campaign, says police pushed her to the ground, leaving her with a bruised back.

On Twitter, Warsaws police force said 48 people were detained in connection with insulting a policeman and damage to a police car, and that the police had called for legal behavior during the protests. A report by the Polish Commissioner found that many people were interrogated at night with no access to legal aid, food or drink and that several detainees had visible body injuries as a result of police brutality. Piatek says that police blocked lawyers from contacting some detainees for hours. Several left-wing politicians, who intervened at the police stations, were also denied the right to information, she says.

Bodnar says that he wouldnt compare this situation with previous LGBTQ demonstrations, which were planned Pride events and marches. But he notes an unequal approach by the police, referring to the lack of police response to marches led by nationalist groupseven when such marches could be seen as promoting aggression, like burning an LGBTQ flag. In his view, the polices reaction to demonstrations depends on whether a certain group is liked by the authorities or not.

The Nicolaus Copernicus monument is decorated with a rainbow flag. | Rafal MilachMagnum Photos

What happens next?

Now, Polands LGBTQ community is bracing itself for whats next. While those detained over the weekend have now been released from custody, activists say many of them will likely end up in court on charges of illegal gathering. In Polish law, this is defined as a riot in which participants jointly commit a violent assault on a person or property  a provision only used when a crowd is calling for violent actions, says Bodnar. But the weekends events were not like this, he says.

Nevertheless, helike many othersis finding hope in the solidarity the LGBTQ community has received after the weekends protests. What made these protests different and impressive, he says, was the way politicians and lawyers rallied in support. At least eight politicians were present at police stations where protestors were detained, he says, while lawyers volunteered to defend them. Polish authorities didnt predict that putting Margo in detention would cause such powerful protests by the LGBTQ community and that those protests would be supported by opposition politicians and pro bono lawyers, Bodnar says.

As well as solidarity protests, Polands LGBTQ community is rallying together to provide legal help and psychological support for the 48 people who have been detained. The Campaign Against Homophobia has been recruiting pro bono legal help for people who have been detained, and an LGBTQ-organized fund for psychological help has raised 20,000 Polish zoty ($5,345).

But what happens next for Margo remains uncertain and she is still waiting to access a lawyer while in solitary confinement. On the outside, Marcinek, the protester, tells TIME that policemen are randomly visiting and searching the homes of others who had been detained during the protests without warning or justification. And the broader future for LGBTQ rights in Poland is unclear. Living in Poland, you cant predict the future, says Maciocha, head of the Volunteers of Equality Foundation.

What activists want now is stronger international solidarity, particularly from European governments. Remy Bonny, a Brussels-based LGBTQ rights activist and researcher who focuses on Central and Eastern Europe, says we have seen this kind of violence in Russia and Belarus, for example, but not in an E.U. country. The European Commission should condemn police violence in Poland in the same way it recently denounced the repression of protests in Belarus, he says. Makuchowska says she and other activists are calling on the international community to help us to immediately release Margo.

Despite the recent political campaign against LGBTQ people, activists say they feel that support for this community is growing and that more people who were once silent on LGBTQ rights issues are now compelled to speak out on social media or attend solidarity protests. The community feels stronger in the end, Makuchowska says. We are determined to protect ourselves. The feeling is that we are strong.
Actor Dan Wyllie has pleaded not guilty to assault charges today stemming from an alleged domestic violence incident in Woollahra in March.

Wyllie, whose credits include Love My Way, Seachange and Puberty Blues was arrested on Saturday and charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm and common assault.

Wife Shannon Murphy, who has directed on On the Ropes, Killing Eve, Rake and Offspring, has also taken out an apprehended violence order.

Wyllie did not appear before Downing Centre Local Court today due to the COVID-10 pandemic, but his solicitor entered a plea of not guilty on his behalf, indicating the defence planned to call multiple witnesses, including an additional police witness.

Medical records are also expected to play a role in the case.

The matter returns to court on August 26.

Source: news.com.au, Sydney Morning Herald
REGINAIndigenous leaders from across Saskatchewan are crying out for governments to help their communities deal with what they are calling a suicide pandemic.

The Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations, which represents 74 First Nations in the province, hosted several chiefs at a news conference Tuesday near a teepee erected on the lawn across from the legislature to draw attention to the suicide problem.

The provincial government is seeking a court order to have organizer Tristen Durocher and his supporters removed from the site.

Durocher set up his teepee after walking more than 600 kilometres to Regina from a community in northern Saskatchewan to call for legislative changes to address suicide.

Officials have said there is no overnight camping or fires allowed in the park and that Durochers group doesnt have a permit.

A hearing is set for Thursday.

The provincial government announced a strategy back in May to tackle its rate of suicide. It said each year about 144 people in the province kill themselves, and that suicide is the leading cause of death for people aged 10 to 49 in northern Saskatchewan.

Durocher said much more still needs to be done to save lives.

Hes currently on a tea fast, which he plans to end mid-September.

Faces of dozens of people who have died by suicide are displayed around the teepee. Durocher said people have come there to grieve the loss of loved ones and offer tobacco.

Many of the chiefs voiced support for Durochers cause and spoke of personal loss.

Chief Louie Mercredi of the Fond du Lac Denesuline First Nation said his remote northern reserve is home to 900 members. He and many people have lost loved ones to suicide, he said.

This is normal for us,  he said as young community members surrounded him, holding up pictures of people who have died.

We need help.

Ochapowace Nation Chief Margaret Bear said that a young man in her community, about 170 kilometres east of Regina, recently attempted suicide. He is recovering after being revived by his partner.

I know what it is that they are thinking, she told the crowd and gathered leaders. The lack of hope.

Two years earlier, protesters set several teepees at the legislature as part of the Justice For Our Stolen Children camp to call attention to racial injustice and the disproportionate number of Indigenous children in care. A judge ordered the camp dismantled.
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This is the moment a herd of elephants charged a bloat of hippos to claim the prime spot at a watering hole.

The spectacular clash of nature's giants was caught on camera on Sunday, August 9 in the Pilanesberg Nature Reserve, South Africa.

Wildlife photographer Corlette Wessels, 47, was just yards from the action when a large elephant cow began to take exception at the presence of nearby hippos.

The elephant's bad temper quickly turned into a charge and the hippo was forced to turn and flee.

This is the moment a herd of elephants charged a bloat of hippos to claim the prime spot at a watering hole

The elephant's bad temper quickly turned into a charge and the hippo was forced to turn and flee

Seeing one of their herd in distress several tonnes of elephant herd joined the chase which saw the hippos race for safety.

Both the female elephant and some of members of the herd managed to catch the hippos hitting them with their massive trunks.

But thankfully a pachyderm peace descended once the hippos moved to a muddier section of the watering hole.

Corlette, who lives on Crocodile Nature Reserve, just north of Johannesburg, said this was the first time she had seen anything like this.

She said: 'I am no expert in animal behaviour, but I think this elephant cow was irritated with the two hippos being near where she was busy drinking.

'The hippo she chased after is known as 'Harry' as you can ID him with his deformed teeth.

'She at first mock charged him and then quickly this turned to a full on chase where she chased him through the water, hitting him with her trunk and pushing him.

She said: 'I am no expert in animal behaviour, but I think this elephant cow was irritated with the two hippos being near where she was busy drinking'

Seeing one of their herd in distress several tonnes of elephant herd joined the chase which saw the hippos race for safety

'While she chased him the other hippo ran into the bush and the rest of the elephant heard ran toward the hippos.

'I thought they were going to kill the hippos, honestly as the entire heard of elephants ran after the hippos with aggression.

'I could not see much after they chased them into the bushes and only much later 'Harry' returned to the waterhole with the elephant cow still behind him chasing him.

'He went into thick mud and things settled down. The elephants were all trumpeting during this, it was crazy really, it all happened so fast.'

Both the female elephant and some of members of the herd managed to catch the hippos hitting them with their massive trunks

But thankfully a pachyderm peace descended once the hippos moved to a muddier section of the watering hole

Corlette said the other hippo also appeared later with some blood on its side but otherwise unharmed.

She said: 'I know both hippos and elephants are extremely dangerous and fast when they run, but seeing both elephant and hippo run like this through muddy water and on land was insane and makes one even more aware how dangerous they are and how quickly these big animals can go from standing to full speed charge. It's a reminder to respect animals.

'I have seen elephants being irritated before with hippos but often just a blow of water or swing of the trunk towards them but never like this, this was a full-on charge to kill the hippo.'

Corlette, who works as a business development manager for a solar energy business she runs with her husband, used a Nikon D750 with Nikkor 70-200 lens to take the photos.

She said: 'I have been doing wildlife photography since my late 20s and it is a big part of my life and passion of mine, I try to get into the bush as often as I can.'
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 12)  The Department of Education may release this week or early next week the interim policy guidelines on assessment and grading learners under the new normal in education, an official said Wednesday.

Education Undersecretary Nepomuceno Malaluan told a Senate hearing that they are still finalizing the review of the guidelines.

Nepumoceno said the review is taking some time because they are still seeking the opinion of experts and getting inputs from teachers on the ground in terms of the practicability of the guide.

But he noted they will focus on formative assessments rather than summative ones.

The formative assessment's goal is to monitor student learning and give ongoing feedback to improve teaching and learning. Under summative assessment, students are evaluated at the end of the instruction period by comparing it against a standard or benchmark.

DepEd has repeatedly said that school year 2020 to 2021 will formally begin on August 24, but lessons will be delivered through the digital platforms, radio and television broadcasts of educational materials and printed self-learning modules. The strategy is called blended learning. President Rodrigo Duterte has banned face-to-face classes until a vaccine is available for wide distribution.
MANAMA, Bahrain, Aug. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Gulf Business Machines (GBM), a leading end-to-end digital solutions provider, offering industry-leading digital infrastructure, digital business solutions, security and services, has been recently recognized as one of the best places to work for in Bahrain. Best Places to Work is an international HR certification program providing employers in different countries the opportunity to learn more about the engagement and satisfaction of their employees and honor those who deliver an outstanding work experience with the highest standards in regards to working conditions.

"Our people are our greatest asset, which is reflected by achieving the highest score (91%) for the Best Place to Work for in Bahrain. We value our outstanding employees and reward them for making their targets, and continue in developing our employees' soft and technical skills with the latest technological trends. We believe, establishing a happier and positive workplace is transmitted daily to customers for the past 30 years of GBM journey regionally," said Abdulla Ishaq, General Manager Bahrain.

"I am proud that on the 30th Anniversary since the inception of GBM which started in Bahrain in 1990, we are recognized as one of the Best Places to Work and this confirms our status as an employer of choice within our industry and further affirms our standing as the leading digital solutions provider in the region. As HR we are proud that our colleagues believe that our HR portfolio rewards their contribution, takes care of their well-being and provides them tools for their ongoing development and enables them to support our clients as they prepare business for tomorrow," said Feras Almajed, HR Vice President.

"The Best Places to Work certification highlights successful companies in Bahrain that are going above and beyond to keep their workforce engaged even in challenging period," said Hamza Idrissi, Program Manager for Bahrain.

ABOUT BEST PLACES TO WORK PROGRAM

Best Places To Work is a global HR certification program that certifies and recognizes leading workplaces in many countries around the world. Our proprietary assessment analyzes a company's attractiveness through a two-step process focusing on 8 Workplace factors including culture, leadership, opportunities for growth and people practices. Beside the employee satisfaction survey, we conduct an HR assessment focusing on HR practices implemented in the organization against our global people framework standard.

For more information, please visit www.bestplacestoworkfor.org

Contact:

Hamza Idrissi | hamza@bestplacestoworkfor.org | +44 208 895 6562

Related Links

http://www.bestplacestoworkfor.org



SOURCE Best Places To Work
Aaron Brady's defence lawyers complained that they were prevented from showing the jury evidence that they said points to a possible campaign to pressurise witnesses into giving evidence against their client.

In particular the defence wanted to introduce evidence that Suspect A for the robbery spoke to Special Agent Matt Katske of the US Department of Homeland Security in July 2017 at Belfast Airport. Mr Bradys lawyers said that the special agent, who was at the time attached to the American embassy in London, appeared to offer help with citizenship in return for information that would convict Brady.

Suspect As brother was under threat at the time of being sent home from the US. In the recording, which was carried out covertly by Suspect A, the special agent can be heard saying: Hes being removed, hes going home. I can find plenty wrong with his paperwork. If he puts Aaron Brady away, you will probably never hear from me again... I cant do anything for him until he commits to doing something for us in this case.

Retired former detective inspector Pat Marry told the court during legal argument that he first heard of the recording after Suspect A sent it to Special Agent Katske who then passed it on to him.

He said he had not told the special agent to approach Suspect A or anyone else with offers in return for statements. Michael OHiggins SC for the defence said that if Mr Marry is to be believed then this was evidence of a maverick agent behaving in a bizarre and inappropriate manner taking it on himself to enter into a bargain in return for evidence against his client. He said the agent indicated there were great prospects available for anyone willing to make statements against Brady.

Counsel argued that the jury needed to be aware that Special Agent Katske behaves in this way so that when they look at the evidence of Daniel Cahill they will know what they are dealing with. Mr Cahill gave evidence that Brady told him on three occasions that he had shot a garda but the defence claimed that Mr Cahill may have been pressurised by Homeland Security with the threat that he would be deported if he refused to give a statement to gardai.

In that context, Mr OHiggins said it was necessary for the jury to hear about what was said to Suspect A at Belfast Airport. However, Mr Justice Michael White refused to allow the tape to be played in front of the jury and refused to allow Mr OHiggins to question Agent Katske about it.

He said the issue was a collateral one and that Daniel Cahill and Special Agent Mary Ann Wade had said repeatedly when cross examined in front of the jury that no inducements were offered in return for Mr Cahills statement.
A TOTAL of 20 military personnel have been tasked to help Consolacion Municipal Government in implementing strict health measures designed to contain the spread of the new coronavirus in the northern Cebu town, which is still on general community quarantine status.

The deployment of the uniformed personnelnon-medical frontliners in the efforts to slow down the local transmission of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19)came as several residents continue to violate health protocols such as wearing masks and observing physical distance in public.

Mayor Joannes Alegado said in a Facebook post on Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2020, that he received complaints from barangay captains and tanods that several residents defied the ban on mass gatherings.

These incidents involving quarantine violators pushed Alegado to request troops from Col. Jerry Borja, who leads the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Cebu Task Force.

Nine of the AFP personnel have already arrived in Consolacion. The rest will arrive within this week.

Consolacion, Minglanilla and Talisay City are the remaining local government units (LGUs) under the Cebu Provincial Government that are still on general community quarantine (GCQ), while the 42 municipalities and five component cities are on modified GCQ (MGCQ). These three LGUs are proximate to LGUs that have high numbers of Covid-19 casesConsolacion is in the north of Mandaue City in the north, while Talisay City and Minglanilla are in the south of Cebu City.

Several residents of Consolacion are employees in businesses in the cities of Mandaue, Lapu-Lapu and Cebu. Also, some of Consolacion's ill residents visit hospitals in these three cities for routine checkups.

Past reports indicated that Consolacion's Covid-19 patients had a history of travel to the cities of Mandaue, Lapu-Lapu and Cebu; they had work in business establishments in these places, or they had medical checkups or dialysis in hospitals located in the three cities.

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Covid-19 cases

As of 5 p.m., Aug. 12, 2020, the Department of Health 7 reported that Consolacion had a total of 446 Covid-19 cases with 88 active cases, 329 recoveries and 29 deaths.

Consolacion, a first class municipality, has a population of over 131,528, according to the 2015 census. Based on the census and the Aug. 12 total Covid-19 cases, only 0.33 percent of the Consolacion population had contracted the respiratory disease, which first emerged in Wuhan, China in late December last year.

Not-so-obedient residents

According to Mayor Alegado, some of his constituents only observe health protocols when they see police officers, afraid they would be apprehended.

P/Ssgt Gemini Adalim of the Consolacion Police Station said they apprehended 81 quarantine violators from Aug. 7 to 12. Most of the violators were caught for not wearing masks in public, while others were driving motorcycles without wearing helmets and back riders who failed to show proof of their relations to the driver.

Two Covid-19 patients who escaped from quarantine facilities were caught and returned by the police.

With the AFP presence in Consolacion, Alegado is hopeful that his constituents will obey the GCQ guidelines.

Under GCQ and MGCQ, minimum public health standards such as wearing masks and observing physical distance must be complied with at all times.

Public movement in a GCQ setting is limited to getting essential goods and services, and work in the offices or industries permitted to operate.

Persons below 21 and those who are 60 and above, those with immunodeficiency, comorbidities or other health risks and pregnant women must stay home at all times unless they have to buy essential goods and services, or are allowed to work in permitted businesses.

All persons are allowed outside their houses in a place under MGCQ.

Public transport is allowed in both GCQ and MGCQ settings provided that the physical distancing is observed inside permitted public utility vehicles. (KAL from ANV)
White House officials and top Democratic leaders signaled on Wednesday that they cant agree on what they said to each other, much less forge a compromise, on a Covid-19 relief bill to help the battered U.S. economy or tens of millions of Americans facing financial hardship.

The high-stakes stalemate now appears likely to drag on for weeks, or even into September, according to lawmakers and aides in both parties.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin reached out to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) Wednesday to meet, after nearly a week of no in-person meetings. But in a statement, the two top Democrats on Capitol Hill said theres no reason for further discussions at this point since the White House isnt changing positions on numerous policy fights that have stalled the talks.

The White House is not budging from their position concerning the size and scope of a legislative package, Pelosi and Schumer said in a statement. We have again made clear to the administration that we are willing to resume negotiations once they start to take this process seriously.

But Mnuchin shot back at Pelosi, saying that her statement is not an accurate reflection of our conversation. She made clear that she was unwilling to meet to continue negotiations unless we agreed in advance to her proposal, costing at least $2 trillion.

The Administration is willing to move forward with legislation that allows for substantial funds for schools, child care, food, vaccines, hospitals, PPP for small businesses, rental assistance, broadband, airports, state and local government assistance, and liability protection for universities, schools, and businesses, he said in a statement. The Democrats have no interest in negotiating.

Among the key outstanding issues is the overall price tag for the next coronavirus relief package. The White House and Senate Republicans want to keep the cost of the package around $1 trillion, while Pelosi and Schumer initially pushed for the nearly $3.5 trillion HEROES Act that the House passed in May.

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During negotiations last week, Pelosi and Schumer offered to come down $1 trillion if the White House came up $1 trillion, but Mnuchin and White House chief of staff Mark Meadows rejected that offer. Democrats have repeatedly pointed to that offer as a sign that its the White House thats being unreasonable and blocking a bipartisan agreement.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Wednesday continued to blame Democrats for the impasse in negotiations, accusing them of playing political games like this is some run-of-the-mill typical negotiation and trying to add on funding for non-Covid-19 related issues.

The speaker and the Democratic leader say nothing can move unless every one of these unrelated far-left items tags along, McConnell said on the Senate floor. These two individuals are letting the wish-lists of wealthy coastal elites stand between every working family in America and the additional help they deserve.

In a sign that negotiators wont reach an agreement anytime soon, most members of Congress have left Washington for the traditional August recess, with a 24-hour notice to return. The Senate is technically in session, but Meadows, one of the chief negotiators for the White House, is out of town and Schumer was in Long Island Wednesday for an event.

Mnuchin and Meadows are holding frequent calls with the Senate Republican Conference to update senators on the negotiations, but so far there are no indications that talks are moving forward in any meaningful way. In response to the impasse, Trump issued a series of executive actions over the weekend that would order federal agencies to take steps to reduce evictions, extend student loan payment suspensions, lengthen federal unemployment benefits at a lower rate and the defer of payroll taxes.

Democrats dismissed Trumps moves as wholly inadequate.

Other key policy disputes include restoration of enhanced federal unemployment benefits. Democrats are pushing for an extension of the $600 weekly federal benefit from the March CARES Act, which expired in July. Republicans, however, argue that the weekly payment is a disincentive to work. In closed-door negotiations last week, the White House offered to provide a $400 weekly benefit through mid-December, but Democrats rejected that move. Pelosi and Schumer are pushing for extending the payment well into 2021.

In addition, Democrats are pushing for substantially more funding for state and local governments. But Republicans argue that most of the money from the CARES Act has yet to be spent.

We cant agree to a bill that has nothing for state and local governments, said Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.).


Minsk: Protesters formed human chains and marched through the streets of Belarus carrying flowers on Wednesday in anger at a crackdown by strongman President Alexander Lukashenko that has prompted the European Union to consider new sanctions against Minsk.

Security forces have clashed with protesters for three consecutive nights after Lukashenko claimed a landslide re-election victory in a vote on Sunday that his opponents say was rigged. Police have detained around 6000 people.

About 200 women march in solidarity with protesters injured in the latest rallies against the results of the country's presidential election in Minsk, Belarus. Credit:AP

Lukashenko has sought better relations with the West amid strained relations with traditional ally Russia. Brussels lifted sanctions, imposed over Lukashenko's human rights record, in 2016, but will weigh new measures this week.

Lithuania, Poland and Latvia jointly offered to mediate between Lukashenko and the protesters, and threatened sanctions at a European or national level if the offer was declined.
Nina Dobrev was snapped Tuesday stepping out for coffee in Los Angeles with a face mask on.

The Vampire Diaries actress, 31, donned a light top with a graphic, black pants, white shoes and a black purse as she balanced her phone and her coffee.

The Bulgarian-Canadian beauty had her dark locks pulled back on the late summer day, following social distancing protocols of keeping six feet away from others on her outing.

Out and about: Nina Dobrev, 31, was snapped stepping out for coffee in Los Angeles with a face mask on Tuesday

The Crash Pad actress earlier Tuesday took to Instagram donning a black top that read, 'Arrest the cops who killed Breonna Taylor,' the 26-year-old EMT who was fatally gunned down by Louisville Metro police on March 13 after they raided the wrong home.

The police said they were seeking to arrest a drug dealer but no drugs were found on the premises, and no one was arrested in connection with the killing.

'Its been 150 days since Breonna Taylor was murdered in her sleep by Jonathan Mattingly, Brett Hankison, and Myles Cosgroveand her killers have not been charged,' Dobrev said in the caption.

She continued: 'Too often Black women who die from police violence are forgotten. Lets stay loud, keep demanding justice for Breonna and her family, and SAY HER NAME.'

Casual: The Bulgarian-Canadian beauty had her dark locks pulled back on the late summer day,

Cautious: Nina followed social distancing protocols of keeping six feet away from others on her outing

Dobrev joined a growing list of entertainers who have posted the message and worn the shirt in a social media campaign, a group which also includes Viola Davis, Jessica Alba and Ruby Rose.

The top is currently available online, with all monies being donated to Breonna Taylor Foundation, which her mom Tamika Palmer founded in the wake of the shooting.

Dobrev is dating Olympian Shaun White, as sources told US this past May that they had 'really been enjoying quarantining and living together' and were 'super compatible and both free-spirited people.'

'They're very comfortable around each other and both supportive of one another in their fields.'

Making a statement: The Crash Pad actress earlier Tuesday took to Instagram donning a black top that read, 'Arrest the cops who killed Breonna Taylor,' the 26-year-old EMT who was fatally gunned down by Louisville Metro police on March 13 after they raided the wrong home
President Assad addressed the newly elected People's Assembly to discuss the ongoing situation and the sanction imposed on the country, but also had to excuse himself during the speech because of ill health.

On Wednesday, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad addressed the newly elected Peoples Assembly. While he was speaking he felt unwell and had to excuse himself for a while, before returning and completing his speech.

Assad told the MPs, My blood pressure has dropped and I need to drink water.

Shortly afterwards, he said, I need to sit for a minute if you dont mind, before exiting the huge hall.

It was not clear how long he was absent for, but when he returned, Assad, a trained ophthalmologist who is not known to have any specific health condition, joked that doctors are the worst patients.

I havent eaten since yesterday afternoon. I have no sugar or salt and this happens, he added.

The presidencys Facebook page said in a post that the speech would be aired later on Wednesday. It did not provide further details.

The newly elected parliament has face heavy criticism for the way election were run and the results it brought.

Below is the Assads speech as published by SANA:

President Bashar al-Assad said on Wednesday that the peoples Assembly elections is a historic stage of the war phases that our people wrote their details through their electoral pens and their will.

The President added that the elections you lately run were different, thus, in spite of coronavirus epidemic and its effect in the abstention of some people to take part in, there were multiplicity in the lists and a true competition, and this competition is a patriotic movement and any national movement is positive because it reflects the patriotic commitment.

The President added We heard a lot of criticism about the peoples Assemblys elections, and part of that might be true, but the most important positive side is to see our problems in a true manner.

President al-Assad added We have to put into consideration that the victory in the war is not only by carrying it out military, economically or morally, but it also needs preparing for it through planning and organizing it.

Regarding the organizing and the administrative side, it depends on right legislations which are the core of your Assemblys work It depends on the right legislations that organize the relation between the states institutions and between the citizens and establishments which create the justice and equal opportunities, thus they boost the national belonging to Homeland President al-Assad added.

He added that the successful plans set off from strategic visions and your council has a central role in dialogue and it is an important bridge between the citizens and the Executive Authority.

The President affirmed that the war will not prevent us from assuming our duties, and the power of peoples is in adaptation with the conditions and subjugating them for their interests.

President al-Assad added any defect in the legislations affects the institutions , weakens the citizens confidence, and weakens the morals and destabilizes the situation ..and both of the morals and stability are the core of the aggression on Syria and at the same time they are the core of defending it, especially that this war, which is not traditional from the military side through bringing in hundreds of thousands of terrorists from other areas of the world, depended on the psychological side that aimed at destroying morals , self-defeat and later the free surrender.

President al-Assad added that Caesar Act is not a separate state of what had come of the blockade stages that have caused a big damage to the Syrian people.

The president added that the act has some additional harm and there is a lot of psychological warfare in it.

President al-Assad went on to say that through the general context of war, whenever terrorists fail in their missions, there are an escalation, one time they go to the Security Council, another time they escalating in the chemical issue or they bomb our forces, and after the liberation of the west of Aleppo and the south of Idleb, the title was economic aggression to weaken the achievements of our forces victories, making them pale and without meaning for the Syrian people.

The question about why the last Israeli strikes in Al-Badya and the surrounding areas coincided with the issuance of the act, the answer is that because they came to facilitate the movement of Daesh as their cells are positioned in Al-Badya region and its surroundings and they are not sleeping cells, they are active ones , and this is another aspect of  Caesar Act,  so it is not only an act to impose economic sanctions, but it isalso a new stage of the escalation  the president added.

The other side is to motivate the terrorists, throughout the past years, terrorists have lost trust in their leadership and began to hand over the weapons and began to change their positions and lost hope to achieve something.

The US needs terrorists in the region, on top, Daesh, and it wanted from Caesar Act to express its support to the terrorists, the President said.

He added that the Israeli aggressions on Deir Ezzor came to facilitate the movement of Daesh terrorists.

President al-Assad said that responding to the blockade will be through production and self-dependence.

The President said that we have to think about what could secure the livelihood of the citizen and distance him from poverty and we have to boost hope and work because without them there is no meaning for life.

President al-Assad added that we have to remember that our standing by the army was the reason behind all its achievements and our support to the Syrian Pound will be the reason for its power.

The President affirmed that unlike what some people think, the circumstance now is appropriate to inject money, adding that the foreign capital is coward but the national one must not be so, otherwise the homeland will lose.

We have to concentrate on supporting the micro-investments as they are able to support the national economy and face blockade the agricultural sector is the pillar of the national economy and it has to be supported, the President added.

As for the factors that affect the Syrian pound, the President said they are known; the direct effect of the war that lead to slow down the economy by the destruction of infrastructure and a dramatic decline in investment, also the blockade that has prevented the import of essential necessary materials for the production process.

As for the measures applied by the institutions, the President affirmed that they aim at fixing the exchange price. But fixing the price or returning it to the best situation, this needs everyones cooperation because the Syrian pound is in everyones hands, not Justin the hands of institutions, and we have to the Syrian pound instead of abandoning it for the interest of other currencies.

He went on to say that deterrence is the last mean in combating corruption, adding we are persistent in restoring the stolen public funds through the legal ways and institutions.

President aL-Assad said that urgent reforms in agricultural sector are able to give swift and wide results more than any other sectors.

He added we are in the heart of war and we are talking about the liberation of different lands and regions ,however, the return of state authority will be through the return of the rule of law, and not only the liberation of the lands, because Law and corruption cannot meet in one place.

Homeland cant withstand while its being snapped by terrorists and looted by corrupters, the President said.

The president reaffirmed that Golan remains in the heart of every honest Syrian, its status wont be changed by the annexation decision of the government of a Zionist entity or an immoral US regime, and our right to regain it is inseparable from our right to liberate all our lands from terrorism.

The President said that we have to think about what could secure the livelihood of the citizen and distance him from poverty and we have to boost hope and work because without them there is no meaning for life.

He added that there is no difference between a local or imported terrorist, a Zionist soldier, Turkish or American one, all of them are enemies on our territory.

The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
By Laman Ismayilova

National Library has opened a virtual exhibition timed to International Youth Day.

The project features quotes of prominent people about young generation as well as official documents, books from the library's collection highlighting the role of young generation in society. The exhibition is available here.

International Youth Day is commemorated every year on August 12. On 17 December 1999, the United Nations General Assembly endorsed the recommendation made by the World Conference of Ministers Responsible for Youth that August 12 be declared International Youth Day.

The theme of the International Youth Day 2020, "Youth Engagement for Global Action" seeks to highlight the ways in which the engagement of young people at the local, national and global levels is enriching national and multilateral institutions and processes, as well as draw lessons on how their representation and engagement in formal institutional politics can be significantly enhanced.

Youth policy has always been one of the priorities in Azerbaijan. Young people here are distinguished with their active roles in all sectors of public life including political, economic, humanitarian and social sectors.

As a result of state policy, many young people in Azerbaijan have achieved their full potential in various spheres of life.

Azerbaijan annually celebrates the National Youth Day on February 2. The public holiday takes its origin from the First Youth Forum which was held in 1996.

A year later, national leader Heydar Aliyev signed a decree according to which February 2 was declared the Day of Azerbaijani Youth.

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Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
Namibia fishing body backs quota auctions for virus funds

August 12,2020 | Source: AFP

Namibias main fishing federation on Tuesday said it backed plans by the government to auction fishing quotas on the international market to help fund its response to the coronavirus pandemic.



Last week, Fisheries Minister Albert Kawana announced that 60 percent of quotas would be opened to the international market.



The move came amid a surge in coronavirus infections and is meant to help Namibia purchase drugs and medical equipment.



The Confederation of Namibian Fishing Association (CNFA) on Tuesday said it supported the decision, adding that care should be taken not to erode fish stocks and protect jobs.



The auctioning modalities and conditions should be adequately thought through in order to maximise government income while protecting Namibian employment, without attracting unfair competitors and illegal fishing vessels, CNFA chair Matti Amukwa said in a statement.



Namibias fishing quotas are usually awarded to local companies through a scheme critics say has promoted cronyism in the industry.



Under the new format, 40 percent of quotes will still be reserved for Namibian companies to preserve employment.



The local quotas include 72,000 metric tonnes of horse mackerel and 11,000 metric tonnes of hake.



Fishing employs around 16,000 people in Namibia and is the third-largest contributor to the countrys gross domestic product.



The only resource that can speedily give you foreign exchange and financial resources is the fisheries sector, Kawana explained as he made the announcement on Friday.



The sparsely populated southern African country has registered 3,229 coronavirus cases and at least 19 deaths to date.

Theme(s): Fisheries Development and Aquaculture.
Part of the Pyongyang 326 Electric Wire Factory is seen through glass windows of its recreation center Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2017, in Pyongyang, North Korea.

Police in the North Korean capital Pyongyang have arrested the head of a district government in the city for involvement in real estate fraud, in the latest case of officials getting reported by citizens for using public land or buildings to make illicit cash on the side, sources in the country told RFA.

As the leader of the Chung district Peoples Committee  the government of a ward in central Pyongyang -- the man illegally rented out idle government factory buildings to wealthy business figures and pocketed the proceeds of about U.S. $1,500 per month.

The case is the latest in a series of officials getting exposed for real estate-related crimes over the past month.

On July 29, the head of the Chung district Peoples Committee in Pyongyang was arrested on charges of illegally leasing real estate, a Pyongyang city official, who requested anonymity to speak freely, told RFAs Korean Service Monday.

[He] is accused of taking $1,500 per month in return for renting out factory buildings and other sites in Chung district, the source said.

According to the source, the buildings were factories and other businesses that had stopped operating in February 2019. The committee head had illegally leased the buildings to wealthy business owners.

Illegal lease transactions between the head of the Peoples Committee and the rich [business owners] were known to idled employees of the former factories, so this was reported to the Central Committee [of the Korean Workers Party], the source said.

[He] was arrested following police investigation, the source added.

The source said that disgruntled employees at factories were angry when they learned of the scheme involving a trusted community leader.

They are expressing their discontent over the fact that the head of the Peoples Committee, who is supposed to be in charge of peoples lives in the district, thought of filling his own pockets first, and put the difficulties of the people in the back of his mind, said the source.

Recently the authorities have been continuously sending out orders and enacting policies to eliminate corruption among officials. Its going to be difficult for the head of a Peoples Committee to avoid heavy punishment, given that he [used] state-owned real estate, going against the Partys instructions and policies, the source said.

A second source confirmed it was the disgruntled Chung district factory employees who turned in their Peoples Committee leader on July 29.

The Pyongyang resident said Monday that the committee leader was arrested for illegally leasing factories in and sites in Chung districts Ryonhwa-2 neighborhood and filling his own pockets.

He authorized the rich [business owners] to use the factory buildings and land that had stopped production due to lack of raw materials and operating funds, and pocketed the monthly rent, the second source said.

It was reported that employees at the factory, who had been struggling after they werent paid. They filed a complaint with a higher level agency, said the second source.

The second source said that authorities are likely to make an example of the committee leader, as a stoppage in the states distribution program has caused the temptation for corruption to increase.

Since last year, various forms of illegal activities have been appearing among officials because state distribution has been cut off, so now the public does not trust [officials,] the second source said.

Therefore, the authorities are expected to raise the alarm once again to the officials through this case by imposing a strong punishment on the [committee leader,] the second source said.

Corruption is a response to a reduction in official benefits and perks, like food and other goods, according to the second source.

The authorities have stopped providing special supplies to officials, so they are engaging in corruption to raise a large sum of money while in office, so they can prepare for their own living difficulties and life after retirement.

War on corruption

North Korean authorities appear to be paying renewed attention to corruption within official ranks recently.

RFAs Korean Service over the past month reported several instances of officials either implicated or arrested for crimes including real estate speculation, attempting to smuggle gold to China, and sex trafficking. Four officials, along with two others were publicly executed, possibly on Kim Jong Uns orders, for their role in a sex trafficking ring that involved female performing arts college students.

Greg Scarlatoiu, the executive director of the Committee for Human Rights in North Korea (HRNK), told RFA Monday that under North Koreas pervasive corruption, not all corrupt officials are arrested, and the greatest risk of arrest is faced by officials who do not share their financial gains with seniors, peers, and those under their charge.

Houses on government farmland

As in the case of the Pyongyang committee leader, a group of officials in South Hwanghae province were turned in by ordinary citizens who resented the corruption.

Last month in South Hwanghae province, several land officials were implicated when an investigation revealed they were building houses on government farmland and selling it to rich people for massive profit.

Private ownership of houses is technically illegal in North Korea. The constitution states that all property is owned by the state, and the government typically grants living spaces to its citizens for specific periods of time in exchange for nominal usage fees.

Because the rights to these living spaces can be transferred to others, it presents a loophole for those looking to cash in on property they technically do not own.

Over the course of the investigation, many of the officials were found to own several homes, and they now face punishment that could include the seizure of their property. But they could have gotten away with it if not for a natural disaster.

The investigation began because during the rainy season here in Kangryong county last year, several poorly maintained [state-owned] houses collapsed and the farmers living there had to temporarily live in rural propaganda rooms and could not return home for nearly a year, a resident of the county in South Hwanghae province told RFA last month.

When the officials ignored their responsibility to repair their houses and instead used resources to build the new homes to sell, the farmers reported them. This is what led to the investigation, said the third source, who requested anonymity to speak freely.

To build the houses with state funds, on state property, then sell them for profit, required that several parties be in on the deal, the sources said.

The military officials had to conspire with farm officials to make false documents stating that the farmland was non-agricultural land that could not be cultivated due to severe acidification, the third source said.

They then made money building private houses or taking bribes from rich people so they could use the farmland [to build their own houses]. They got caught this time and they will be punished, the third source said.

According to the third source, the officials were charged with breaking the Real Estate Management Act for disposing of state land on their own terms, failing to report real estate built on farmland to relevant agencies, and failure to pay for the use of real estate to the state.

The scheme in rural Kangryong county also implicated several urban officials, including in Haeju, the provinces administrative center.

Officials who bought several apartment units in Haeju and other cities, as well in other rural areas, were also caught in the investigation. They were harshly punished for fraud and all their houses except for their primary residences were confiscated, the third source said.

Reported by Sewon Kim and Hyemin Son for RFAs Korean Service. Translated by Leejin Jun. Written in English by Eugene Whong.
For the Philippines Mangyans, COVID-19 extends a long history of discrimination

by Robert Bociaga

August 07,2020 | Source: Mongabay

On May 12, the Philippine island of Mindoro reported its first confirmed case of a tribal resident being infected with COVID-19. The patient, a 4-year-old Indigenous Mangyan child with no travel history, was taken to a government hospital in the city of Calapan.



The child had difficulty breathing. In addition to tuberculosis and severe malnutrition, he suffered a persistent fever over the course of more than a month. While he later recovered, and his family didnt show any symptoms of the virus, the case has highlighted the threat of the coronavirus spreading among the islands Indigenous tribes, who are already vulnerable to preventable and treatable diseases.



Over the centuries, the Mangyans, a group of eight tribal communities on Mindoro, have suffered dispossession, displacement and cultural degradation, which has impacted their access to health services. Its a problem common to Indigenous communities around the world, with the United Nations warning that their poorer access to health care compared to non-indigenous populations can have grave consequences for the outcome of the fight against COVID-19.



In a 2012 report for the U.N.s International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Jacqueline K. Carino from the Indigenous rights group Cordillera Peoples Alliance notes high rates of poor nutrition among Mangyan children. Malaria and tuberculosis are also prevalent among these communities. The Philippine Department of Health says tribe members suffer from common illnesses such as diarrhea, skin diseases, vector-borne and infectious diseases, as well as complications from unsafe birthing practices.



Even before the coronavirus outbreak, tribal communities faced high mortality rates because of the lack of health care access. On Dec. 23 last year, a 38-year-old-tribesman named Oyan died from an unknown viral infection, leaving behind a family of five. In their thatched house adorned with a mix of auspicious animistic and Christian symbols, they prepared his body with a traditional egg ritual and coconut massage.



Oyan could not afford going to the hospital, said Umna, his wife. We tried to heal him with the aid of a shaman for two months. As per our tradition we keep his corpse inside the house for three days. Hes wrapped in the blanket filled with coffee leaves to get rid of the bad smell.



Umna said its customary for bereaved family members to move to a different community after a death, but this time she refused. Oyan was buried in the communal cemetery. We dont own any land, she said. We get hired for rice and coconut plantation to make ends meet. Very little attention was given to providing us with health care.



Estimates for the Mangyan population vary from 100,000 to 280,000, or 7.5% to 21% of the total population of Mindoro. The uncertainty stems from the remoteness of many of their communities.



Since the COVID-19 pandemic struck, the Philippine government has called on the public to comply with health regulations such as strict home quarantine, physical distancing, and wearing of face masks. But some of the tribal communities in the very mountainous areas may not have gotten the information. In addition, low levels of formal education in rural and impoverished communities can lead to misinformation spreading rapidly. This in turn may nurture skepticism about the seriousness of the pandemic or confusion about safety measures and symptoms. For the Mangyan communities living closer to towns, it may be difficult to self-isolate because they have to work to support their families.



The lockdown imposed by the government in March also highlighted the discrimination faced by Indigenous groups, including Mangyans. Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, the U.N. Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and herself an Indigenous woman from the northern Philippines, said she has received reports of Mangyan groups being overlooked in the delivery of relief supplies by the government.



This is nothing new, says TABAK, a Manila-based organization advocating for Indigenous minority groups rights to ancestral lands and self-determination; Mangyans rarely get government assistance for social services, it says.

 2020 Copyright Conservation news

Theme(s): Communities and Organisations.
Euphoria star Hunter Schafer dazzled in a futuristic Iris van Herpen headpiece for a new high-fashion spread shot at stylist Nicola Formichettis Los Angeles home.

The 20-year-old transgender trailblazer was 'very excited to be on the cover' of the September edition of Allure.

'I always wanted to be an artist,' Hunter told the mag.

Head turner: Euphoria star Hunter Schafer dazzled in a futuristic Iris van Herpen headpiece for the September edition of Allure

'When you think about it, [my work] has this common thread of creating the identity of a person...Thats been the project of my life. Just trying to feel seen and learn how to see others correctly.'

Schafers shoot also marked her official debut as the new global makeup ambassador for Japanese cosmetics giant, Shiseido, applied by makeup artist Holly Silius.

The 5ft10in Elite Model 'was shook' to land the ambassador gig, for which she plans on 'exploring where beauty meets creativity.'

'The Future of Beauty': The 20-year-old transgender trailblazer was 'very excited to be on the cover' of the September edition of Allure

Applied by makeup artist Holly Silius: Schafers shoot also marked her official debut as the new global makeup ambassador for Japanese cosmetics giant, Shiseido

'I always wanted to be an artist': The 5ft10in Elite Model 'was shook' to land the ambassador gig, for which she plans on 'exploring where beauty meets creativity'

In one shot by photographer Daniella Midenge, Hunter squats in a Christopher John Rogers FW/20 green blouse and pants with white cloven-toe Madison Margiela heels.

Schafer looked as ethereal and otherworldly as Oscar winner Tilda Swinton in a Y/PROJECT lavender dress accessorized with Lillian Shalom Ghost pearl gloves.

The Calvin Klein stunners signature platinum-blonde locks were coiffed by hairstylist Rena Calhoun for the magazine.

Hunter made her acting debut as 17-year-old trans girl Jules Vaughn in the hit HBO drama, which scored six nominations for the 72nd Primetime Emmy Awards airing September 20 on ABC.

Fancy feet! In one shot by photographer Daniella Midenge, Hunter squats in a Christopher John Rogers FW/20 green blouse and pants with white cloven-toe Maison Margiela heels

Werrrrk! Schafer looked as ethereal and otherworldly as Oscar winner Tilda Swinton in a Y/PROJECT lavender dress accessorized with Lillian Shalom sheer 'Ghost' pearl gloves

The Calvin Klein spokesmodel's signature platinum-blonde locks were coiffed by hairstylist Rena Calhoun for the magazine

'I think, perhaps, there's a bit of projection of Jules onto me, Hunter,' Schafer explained.

'Sometimes I dress like her; sometimes I like to dress like her. But shes one part of me...I think Im different from Jules in where I am with myself, and how I love people, and what my concerns are as far as being affirmed, and whatnot.'

Her castmate Zendaya Coleman was the only actor singled out from the series by the TV Academy for her role as recovering drug addict Rue Bennett.

However, production on the second season of Euphoria has been on hold ever since the March 11th script reading.

'In order to do it the way we want to do it, we need to wait until its safer,' Zendaya told InStyle last week.

Breaking through: Hunter made her acting debut as 17-year-old trans girl Jules Vaughn in the hit HBO drama, which scored six Emmy nominations

Schafer explained: 'I think, perhaps, there's a bit of a projection of Jules onto me, Hunter. Sometimes I dress like her; sometimes I like to dress like her. But she's one part of me'

'There is an idea to do a couple of bridge episodes that can be shot safely but arent necessarily part of season two. So, hopefully, we will be able to do those in the coming months. I cant wait!'

Hunters life of LGBTQAI activism began as early as 2013 at age 13, and she appeared as a plaintiff in the ACLUs case to overturn North Carolinas HB2 'bathroom bill'.

'Even right now, I have to filter what I say, because more often than not Ive found that when I say the T-word, whatever sentence that is becomes a headliner,' Schafer noted.

'I also understand the need for dialogue on it.'

Virtual ceremony airing September 20 on ABC! Her castmate Zendaya Coleman was the only actor singled out from the series by the TV Academy for her role as recovering drug addict Rue Bennett

'We need to wait until it's safer': However, production on the second season of Euphoria has been on hold ever since the March 11 script reading

After taking Shonda Rhimes' Masterclass on TV writing, Hunter went stir crazy in isolation during quarantine and decided to take a road trip to see her sister in North Carolina.

'I met her friends that shes quarantining with, they approached me being like, "Damn, you have your life together. You know what youre doing. Youve got jobs, whatever." And Im so not that,' the daughter of a Presbyterian pastor said.

'I have no idea what Im doing - just riding the wave that life is handing me and trying to be okay and keep my s*** together. I think whatever presence I have, in the public-figure world, presents itself as something more collected, but Im messy. I am just trying to figure out how to be a 21-year-old.'

Rainbow flag: Hunter's life of LGBTQAI activism began as early as 2013 at age 13 (pictured), and she appeared as a plaintiff in the ACLU's case to overturn North Carolina's HB2 'bathroom bill' at age 17
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Sharks have taken over television screens this week during Discovery Channels Shark Week 2020 -- featuring 20 hours of shark programming for eight straight days.

The summer tradition, which began this past Sunday, wraps up on Sunday, Aug. 16. The lineup of shark specials is bringing brand new, innovative shark research technology and compelling insight on some of the most unique species in the world.

If you are a cord-cutter and cant get Discovery Channel, you can watch Shark Week on fuboTV, which is currently offering a free trial.

This year, Discovery sought to find out if shark attacks are on the rise -- especially after Maine recorded its first fatal great white shark attack on July 27.

According to multiple media outlets, the attack happened just 20 yards from the shore of Bailey Island off the Atlantic coast of Maine. The last attack in Maines waters was 10 years ago, when a cameraman was attacked by a different shark species and survived.

But Discovery said shark attacks are rare and especially shocking this far north in the Atlantic Ocean. According to the Florida Museum, which has a shark research program, there were 64 reported shark attacks worldwide in 2019, with two fatalities, which is about average year-over-year.

So dont be scared to go swim in the ocean.

Dr. Neil Hammerschlag, director of The Shark Research and Conservation Program at The University of Miami, told Discovery that a shark bite is so rare that it is hard to call any inferences based on pattern. He added that sharks, including great white sharks, are incredibly tolerant and patient with people and try to avoid them.

Human safety is paramount, Discovery said, and that includes ocean safety and awareness, as well as understanding what to do and how to behave if you find yourself in the ocean.

WATCH SHARK WEEK ON FUBOTV

Dr. Austin Gallagher, of the research and conservation organization Beneath The Waves, told Discovery that, while shark attacks are tragic, its important to remember that one incident doesnt mean theres a spike in the shark population or that the animals are moving into a new territory.

What is critical is for water users to heed warnings issued by local agencies and to avoid areas where there are seals swimming, as these are what the big predatory sharks are hunting, Gallagher said.

So what do you do if you get attacked by a shark?

Discovery has a video below that offers ocean swimmers and surfers with lifesaving tips.

WATCH SHARK WEEK

Shark Week 2020 is continuing to air on Discovery Channel through Sunday, with new shark specials every night starting at 8 p.m.

You can go here for the full schedule.

This year, Shark Week will travel from Australia, to South Africa, to New Zealand in search of the worlds most incredible shark stories -- while also celebrating the 20th anniversary of Air Jaws.

The Shark Week experience will be brought to viewers across digital and social media platforms. You can follow Discovery on TikTok, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for updates on programming and fun shark facts.

WATCH SHARK WEEK ON FUBOTV

FOLLOW ANNALISE KNUDSON ON FACEBOOK AND TWITTER.
The Macron administration has released new guidelines for school reopenings at the beginning of September that slash social-distancing requirements for teachers and students.

The document was quietly produced on July 9 and reportedly circulated to educational institutions on July 20, without any public announcements. Media reports cited the document for the first time over the weekend.

The new guidelines state that in closed areas (classrooms, workshops, libraries, canteens, boarding rooms, etc.), physical distancing is no longer obligatory where it is not physically possible or would not permit the return of all students. As many teachers have commented on social media, since classrooms typically contain up to 35 students, the rule that distancing will be eliminated if is not physically possible for the return of all students means it will apply nowhere.

Students above 11 years old are required to wear masks if they cannot maintain a distance of one meter from one another. Teachers are only required to wear a mask if they are less than one meter from students. This directly contradicts scientific evidence that the virus spreads via aerosolized particles which spread far further than one meter in the air. The new guidelines add an exception for teachers in creches for young children, who are no longer required to wear a mask under any conditions.

There are also no longer any restrictions on inter-mixing of students in different classrooms or year levels, which otherwise limit the spread of the virus among students inside the same school. The guidelines simply state that schools organize the daily schedule and activities to limit, as much as possible, large mixing and crossings. There is no requirement that additional public transportation be organized to limit physical contact between students.

This analysis of the back-to-school plans makes clear the fraudulent and essentially homicidal character of the Macron administrations policy. The government is pursuing this policy well aware that it will accelerate the ongoing resurgence of the virus once schools reopen in September. Students will become infected; their parents, family members and teachers will catch the virus from them; and many more people will die due to these policies.

The guidelines have provoked widespread outrage among teachers on social media. Hundreds of comments have been posted by teachers on the Red Pens Facebook group in the past two days. Its shameful, wrote Jean-Paul. They talk of respecting the health measures even outdoors, but here, in the classroom, not a single protective measure Scandalous Murderers.

Distancing is no longer obligatory when it is not possible. Lets make this clearer: No distancing and lets let the children infect each other, commented Isa. And let them infect the adults, replied Mary.

Its obvious that with the return of schools, there will be numerous clusters affecting students and teachers first of all, said Mina. There already was one in my school in June although everyone was wearing a mask and was keeping their distance from one another. One has to expect many local school closures and no more general shutdowns.

The Macron administration has not made any attempt to explain the obvious contradiction between the relaxation of social-distancing measures in schools at the same time as it admits that the virus is resurgent in France and across Europe.

The total number of cases has now surpassed 20 million around the world, with more than 700,000 dead. In Europe, the World Health Organization issued a new warning this weekend of a resurgence of cases in countries where lockdown measures have been eased since the spring. Spain has gone from an average daily infection rate of 132 in June to over 1,500 in the first 10 days of this month.

In France, more than 4,500 cases have been detected in three days. The number of people in hospitalization rose from 383 on Friday to 396 on Sunday. Nicolas Peju, the assistant director general of the Regional Health Service in the Ile-de-France region around Paris, reported Sunday that the number of daily cases in that region exceeded 500 in recent days, compared to 100 at the end of June. We are at the beginning of a rebound of the epidemic, he said.

The school reopening policy is motivated not by scientific considerations but the naked financial greed of the French corporate and financial elite. Any restrictions on a full return of all students into classrooms are to be ended, to free parents to return to work and keep producing corporate profits. The same interests underlie the school re-openings underway internationally, including by the Trump administration in the United States, in Britain, Germany and beyond.

French Prime Minister Jean Castex has explicitly stated that there will be no general confinement in France as occurred in March. Castex declared last month that a confinement stops the spread of the virus, of course, but from an economic and social standpoint its a disaster.

In other words, the deaths of tens or hundreds of thousands cannot stand in the way of corporate profits.

The government is relying on its close collaboration with the trade unions to enforce this homicidal policy. The major trade union federations have all made clear they will do nothing to prevent the reopening of schools in September. The SUD trade union released a statement on Monday in response to the latest school guidelines, declaring that it would display great vigilance concerning the evolution of the health situation, and calls on staff to do everything to protect their health in their workplace.

The school guidelines justify the ending of distancing requirements by referring to reassuring data concerning the impact and transmission of the coronavirus among children. This is a flat-out lie. While young people are statistically less likely to die from the virus than older adults, there is no scientific consensus that they transmit the virus less actively. Some studies indicate that children are more active propagators than adults. The long-term impact of the virus on young people also remains not understood.

A recent study from South Korea was based on testing and tracing of nearly 60,000 people who had come into contact with infected people. They found that for people who lived with patients 10 to 19 years old, 18.6 percent contracted the virusthe highest rate of transmission of all age groups.

A July 30 research letter in the journal JAMA Pediatrics reviewed tests of 145 patients with mild to moderate COVID-19 symptoms within one week of contracting the virus. They found children aged five to 17 exhibited similar levels of viral nucleic acid in their upper respiratory tract as adults. Young children aged under 5, however, had 10 to 100 times more SARS-CoV-2 in their respiratory tract than the older cohorts. The researchers note that pediatric studies have reported a correlation between higher nucleic acid levels and the ability to culture infectious virus.

The development of a struggle against the school reopening policy cannot be left in the hands of the trade union federations, which are collaborating actively with the Macron government. Teachers must instead establish their own independent rank-and-file safety committees in every school and workplace, as the starting point for waging an independent organizational and political offensive uniting the entire working class. The organization of a safe and rational response to the pandemic means a political fight for a workers government and socialist policies based on social need rather than private profit.
With a coronavirus vaccine still months off, companies are rushing to test what may be the next best thing: drugs that deliver antibodies to fight the virus right away, without having to train the immune system to make them.

Antibodies are proteins the body makes when an infection occurs; they attach to a virus and help it be eliminated. Vaccines work by tricking the body into thinking theres an infection so it makes antibodies and remembers how to do that if the real bug turns up.

But it can take a month or two after vaccination or infection for the most effective antibodies to form. The experimental drugs shortcut that process by giving concentrated versions of specific ones that worked best against the coronavirus in lab and animal tests.

A vaccine takes time to work, to force the development of antibodies. But when you give an antibody, you get immediate protection, said University of North Carolina virologist Dr. Myron Cohen. If we can generate them in large concentrations, in big vats in an antibody factory ... we can kind of bypass the immune system.

These drugs are believed to last for a month or more and could give quick, temporary immunity to people at high risk of infection, such as health workers and housemates of someone with COVID-19. If they proved effective and if a vaccine doesnt materialize or protect as hoped, the drugs might eventually be considered for wider use, perhaps for teachers or other groups.

Theyre also being tested as treatments, to help the immune system and prevent severe symptoms or death.

The hope there is to target people who are in the first week of their illness and that we can treat them with the antibody and prevent them from getting sick, said Dr. Marshall Lyon, an infectious disease specialist helping to test one such drug at Emory University in Atlanta.

Having such a tool would be a really momentous thing in our fight against COVID, Cohen said.

Vaccines are seen as a key to controlling the virus, which has been confirmed to have infected more than 20 million people worldwide and killed more than 738,000. Several companies are racing to develop vaccines, but the results of the large final tests needed to evaluate them are months away.

The antibody drugs are very promising and, in contrast, could be available fairly soon, said Dr. Janet Woodcock, a U.S. Food and Drug Administration official who is leading government efforts to speed COVID-19 therapies. Key studies are underway and some answers should come by early fall.

One company, Eli Lilly, has already started manufacturing its antibody drug, betting that studies now underway will give positive results.

Our goal is to get something out as soon as possible and to have hundreds of thousands of doses ready by fall, said Lillys chief scientific officer, Dr. Daniel Skovronsky.

Another company that developed an antibody drug cocktail against Ebola  Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc.  now is testing one for coronavirus.

The success with our Ebola program gives us some confidence that we can potentially do this again, said Christos Kyratsous, a Regeneron microbiologist who helped lead that work.

Regenerons drug uses two antibodies to enhance chances the drug will work even if the virus evolves to evade action by one.

Lilly is testing two different, single-antibody drugs  one with the Canadian company AbCellera and another with a Chinese company, Junshi Biosciences. In July, Junshi said no safety concerns emerged in 40 healthy people who tried it and that larger studies were getting underway.

Others working on antibody drugs include Amgen and Adaptive Biotechnologies. The Singapore biotech company Tychan Pte Ltd. also is testing an antibody drug and has similar products in development for Zika virus and yellow fever.

Im cautiously optimistic about the drugs, said the nations top infectious diseases expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci. Im heartened by the experience that we had with Ebola, where the drugs proved effective.

What could go wrong?

 The antibodies may not reach all of the places in the body where they need to act, such as deep in the lungs. All the antibody drugs are given through an IV and must make their way through the bloodstream to wherever theyre needed.

 The virus might mutate to avoid the antibody  the reason Regeneron is testing a two-antibody combo that binds to the virus in different places to help prevent its escape.

Skovronsky said Lilly stuck with one antibody because manufacturing capacity would essentially be cut in half to make two, and you will have less doses available. If a single antibody works, we can treat twice as many people, he said.

 The antibodies might not last long enough. If they fade within a month, its still OK for treatment since COVID-19 illness usually resolves in that time. But for prevention, it may not be practical to give infusions more often than every month or two.

A San Francisco company, Vir Biotechnology Inc., says it has engineered antibodies to last longer than they usually do to avoid this problem. GlaxoSmithKline has invested $250 million in Vir to test them.

Giving a higher dose also may help. If half of antibodies disappear after a month, if you give twice as much, you will have two months protection, Lillys Skovronsky said.

 The big fear: Antibodies may do the opposite of whats hoped and actually enhance the viruss ability to get into cells or stimulate the immune system in a way that makes people sicker. Its a theoretical concern that hasnt been seen in testing so far, but large, definitive experiments are needed to prove safety.

As best as we can tell, the antibodies are helpful, Lyon said.

___

Marilynn Marchione can be followed on Twitter: @MMarchioneAP

___

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
A sexual health charity has advised wearing face coverings, avoiding kissing and picking positions where participants are not face to face during intercourse to manage the risk of coronavirus while having sex.

The Terrence Higgins Trust (THT) has published guidance on managing the risk of Covid-19 during intercourse after lockdown restrictions were imposed in March.

Due to the social distancing measures introduced, the number of people seeking new sexual partners plummeted, according to research.

The charity, with UK sexual health clinic 56 Dean Street, found 84pc of people had abstained from sex outside of their immediate household.

However, after several months of the lockdown and its partial easing, THT said it was no longer realistic to ask people to refrain from sex.

The charity advised the best sexual partner during the pandemic is yourself or someone you live with.

Masturbation, using sex toys or participating in phone or online sex are recommended as the safest options.

If having sex with someone outside of your household, THT advised having one regular partner or limiting the number of partners, as well as taking other precautions.

Potential sexual partners should discuss Covid-19 and ask if they or anyone in their household have had symptoms or tested positive.

The charity also recommends not having sex if you feel unwell and to isolate if you have symptoms.

Sexual partners are advised to wash their hands for 20 seconds before and after sex to help reduce the risk.

The charity further recommends not kissing, and wearing a face covering during intercourse. It also advises picking positions where participants are not face to face.

People are also advised to use condoms as well as dams, as the virus is thought to be found in some bodily fluids.

THT's medical director Dr Michael Brady said: "We all need to find ways to balance our need for sex and intimacy with the risks of the spread of Covid-19."
(Bloomberg) -- Eastman Kodak Co. significantly increased its spending to lobby the federal government in the months before the Trump administration announced a $765 million loan to the beleaguered camera company.

Kodak spent $870,000 lobbying Congress and federal agencies from April through June, according to public disclosures filed with Congress. The Rochester, New York-based company hadnt spent any money on lobbying since an expense of less than $5,000 in the first quarter of 2019, the reports show.

The recent lobbying may have helped secure a letter of interest from the U.S. International Development Finance Corp., announced on July 28, that would give Kodak a $765 million loan to manufacture pharmaceutical materials. When news of the loan offer was announced, Kodaks stock rallied, climbing more than 2,000% at one point. That surge helped trigger federal investigations into potential securities law violations and stock options granted to Kodaks executives days before the announcement.

Now, suddenly, in this specific quarter when the government was considering this loan, they suddenly spent more money in the quarter than in any calendar year since 2011, said Gabe Lezra, policy counsel at Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics, a government watchdog agency in Washington, which flagged the lobbying increase. That to me jumps out simply because its such a huge change in the ways they were interacting with the government.

Three of Kodaks executives, including Chief Financial Officer David Bullwinkle, lobbied the Department of Defense, the Food & Drug Administration, the White House and the Overseas Private Investment Corp. during the three-month period, according to the reports. Kodak lobbied specifically for Covid-19 programs that pertained to specialty chemicals manufacturing, as well as the CARES Act and another coronavirus-relief bill.

The Daily Beast previously reported on Kodaks lobbying spending.

With the onset of Covid-19, Kodak, like many businesses across the country, explored federal support for the company and our workers, as well as opportunities to assist the government, on the state and federal level, in response to the pandemic, a company spokesperson said. This included our application for a federal loan to support the launch of Kodak Pharmaceuticals with the intent to bolster the domestic response to Covid-19.

Story continues

The federal agency that offered the loan to Kodak has since put the deal on hold. House Democrats have requested all communications about the loan.

For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com

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A Star ferry (C) is seen among cargo ships sailing near the Kwai Tsing Container Terminals port facility in Hong Kong on Aug. 20, 2019. (Philip Fong/AFP via Getty Images)

US Residents Prosecuted for Exporting Restricted Military-Related Tech to Hong Kong, China

U.S. authorities recently announced two criminal cases involving individuals who allegedly skirted U.S. export rules to illegally ship restricted electronics to Hong Kong and mainland China.

In one of the cases, Alex Yun Cheong Yue, 69, of South El Monte, California, is charged with conspiring with Wai Kay Victor Zee, 56, of Hong Kong, in attempts to purchase cesium atomic clocks and send them to Hong Kong without obtaining required export licenses, beginning in December 2015, according to court documents.

Atomic clocks are devices used to synchronize time in modern technology, such as global positioning systems. They measure time using the frequency of atomic emission from certain elements, such as hydrogen and cesium.

Cesium atomic clocks are controlled for export by the Department of Commercemeaning businesses and individuals must apply for special licenses to export themdue to national security and anti-terrorism reasons. For example, the devices can be used in defense and space applications.

Yue successfully purchased cesium atomic clocks from an unnamed U.S. seller using a fictitious company called Ecycle Tech International Ltd. and falsely told the seller that the clocks would be used only in the United States for cordless phone research and development, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ).

Three days after receiving the clocks, on Feb. 22, 2016, Yue shipped the clocks to Zee and his company, Premium Tech Systems, in Hong Kong. Two days later, Zee confirmed receiving the devices.

Yue tried to purchase more cesium atomic clocks from the same U.S. seller in December 2017 and again falsely declared that he had no intention to export the items. After the seller demanded a visit to the lab in California where Yue claimed the clocks would be used, Yue abruptly canceled the order.

Yue was arrested and charged in June 2019. In the same month, Zee and Premium Tech were also charged.

On Aug. 10, Yue pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit export violations, two counts of unlawful exports and attempted exports of U.S. goods to Hong Kong, and one count of smuggling, according to a DOJ statement.

If convicted, Yue faces up to 20 years in prison and a fine of $1 million for the export violations. The smuggling charge carries a potential sentence of up to 10 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.

Yue is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 10, while Zee remains at large in Hong Kong.

China

In the other case, Chong Sik Yu, 58, of Oradell, New Jersey, and Yunseo Lee 33, of Fort Lee, New Jersey, were arrested on Aug. 6, according to a DOJ statement. They face multiple charges, including unlawful export of dual-use electronics components, wire fraud, bank fraud, and money laundering.

Chong Sik Yu and Yunseo Lee are accused of violating U.S. export laws by sending electronics components with military applications to Hong Kong and China, Audrey Strauss, acting U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, said in the statement.

Yu was president of a U.S.-based company called America Techma Inc. (ATI), while Lee was the companys sales representative. ATI began illegally exporting electronic components from the United States to Hong Kong for re-export to countries including China since at least 2019, according to prosecutors.

For instance, in June 2019, ATI obtained electronics componentsitems that are export-controlled because they are dual-use, or have both civilian and military applicationsfrom a U.S. supplier and sent them to a trading company in Hong Kong.

According to the DOJ, ATI shipped more than 200 packages to the Hong Kong trading company between August 2016 and July 2020. From May 2019 to June 2020, in exchange for the goods, the trading company transferred more than $800,000 into a U.S. bank account belonging to ATI.

The trading company also instructed ATI on how to evade U.S. export controls, such as having the items placed within electrostatic discharge bags and taking out original documents related to the items.

In February, in an email exchange with another customer in Hong Kong, Lee stated that the company was considering sending shipments to South Korea before forwarding them to Hong Kong to dodge customs scrutiny.

The alleged export violation of dual-use electronics components carries a sentence of 20 years in prison. The charge of wire fraud and bank fraud carries a sentence of up to 30 years in prison. Money laundering carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
The WSWS Autoworker Newsletter stands ready to assist autoworkers and other workers in establishing safety committees at their own workplaces. Email the WSWS Autoworker Newsletter at autoworkers@wsws.org to learn more.

Brothers and sisters at Ford Chicago Assembly Plant: We are faced with a life-and-death situation each day that we work on the assembly lines. Workers are being infected with COVID-19 at the plant, and Ford management along with the United Auto Workers union is trying to cover it up. Our coworkers are falling ill and even dying, but management and the union refuse to tell us the truth about how many have been exposed to or become infected with COVID-19.

Illinois Democratic Governor Pritzker is moving full steam ahead with his economic reopening plan, even though daily case counts, deaths and test positivity rates have increased over the past month in Illinois and northwest Indiana. There have been 196,948 total confirmed infections and 7,657 fatalities in Illinois, with terrible consequences for the families affected.

We are being forced to work under unsafe conditions to make profits and pay off Fords multi-billion dollar corporate debt, or given the choice of unemployment, evictions and hunger. We are given flimsy masks to wear that break and fall off and are difficult to breathe in. We are working elbow-to-elbow with each other on assembly and subassembly lines and are packed in on meal breaks, bathroom breaks and shift changes when it is impossible to maintain a safe social distance.

Chicago Ford Assembly (Photo credit: WSWS)

Workers are having panic attacks. We have to be near one another, always hypervigilant, questioning if well be safe, if this or that person could have the virus, if well be taking it home to our families and friends. We know its in the plant, and its coming for us, until we come together to fight against the conditions that are causing it to spread.

We all know that the so-called safety measures put in place by the company with the blessings of the union are a joke. Symptom questionnaires and temperature checks are not enough. We know that these measures do not rule out asymptomatic cases. We are told to clean our own workstations, but are not given enough time to clean or even wash our hands.

Safety problems that existed at the plant before COVID-19 have not been addressed. We are still breathing in weld dust and fumes. Rats and bugs still crawl over the factory floors and in the cafeteria. We still lack proper ventilation and air conditioning to keep us cool. We are not given enough water to stay hydrated on hot days. Even machinery is not maintained until something breaks down.

We know that the UAW will not stand up for us. That is why we, the rank-and-file workers at CAP, must take matters into our own hands to organize the fight for our right to a safe and comfortable workplace.

We put forth the following demands:

1. All workers must be notified of any cases of COVID-19 and what areas have been affected. This information must not be kept hidden from workers.

2. When theres a case confirmed, the factory should be closed for at least 24 hours for deep cleaning, not just the affected area, but the whole plant. Preventive maintenance and daily sanitizing are vital to ensure a safe and comfortable working environment.

3. All areas of the plant must be sanitized regularly and all equipment must be cleaned on breaks by a designated cleaning crew trained in the proper procedures. The areas of the plant where we work must be properly ventilated and cooled for our safety.

4. Social distancing must be implemented at all timeswhen entering and leaving the plant and during bathroom, lunch and other break times. Disinfectant and cleaning equipment must remain readily available and stocked for workers to use as they see fit.

5. We demand all lines be stopped for at least 10 minutes every hour for workers to take off their masks, stay hydrated and cool down. Our health and lives are far more important than Fords profits. We have the right to stop and begin work as we see fit based on safety conditions.

6. We must have access to universal daily testing with rapid results and the highest-quality health care if either one of us or our family members becomes ill, all paid for by Ford. Daily, high quality testing in addition to contact tracing are the only ways proven to effectively control the spread of the pandemic.

7. We will not accept that workers face any retaliation in the form of write-ups, harassment, layoffs or other types of intimidation if they get tested for the virus or get sick. Workers who feel ill or have to quarantine must receive full pay and not be penalized for staying home.

8. Stop misusing and abusing temp workers to fill in production shifts when workers regularly scheduled stay home for their own health and safety. All workers in the plant deserve the right to a safe and comfortable workplace and the best health care possible. All workers must receive adequate paid time off benefits regardless of full time or part time status or seniority.

9. The inhumane working hours and schedules must stop. We cannot stay healthy if we are fatigued. We demand a return to a fully-paid eight hour day, with adequate breaks, with at least two days off per week for rest and leisure.

10. Whenever conditions are not safe, we have the right to refuse to work without any threat of retaliation by management or the union.

If you work at CAP and agree to these demands, join us, and join the movement which was started by our brothers and sisters at Fiat Chrysler Jefferson North, Sterling Heights, Toledo Jeep and Ford Dearborn Truck.

We, the rank-and-file workers, are the only ones who will fight for our safety. Everybody knows the UAW wont fight for them. Neither will the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, or the National Labor Relations Board, or the Democratic or Republican Parties. Autoworkers everywhere are suffering from the same problems at the same time. We do have rights, and we dont have to stand for these injustices.

If you work at another plant, form a rank-and-file safety committee to link up with ours. This is our fight, we the workers are the only force that can stop the virus and save lives worldwide!
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Linkedin Belseran Christ (The Jakarta Post) Ambon, Maluku  Wed, August 12, 2020 08:26 525 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066d47c3a 1 National infrastructure,facility,bridge,Maluku,village Free

The flow of the Nalbesi River was getting stronger as the rain flushed Buru Selatan regency in Maluku on a Thursday morning, but villagers still flocked to the river bank.

The river is the only access for residents in the two villages, namely Neath and Liang, to reach the district center, Leksula, while risking their lives and those of their loved ones.

Among the residents crossing the river that morning was Nori Hukunala, who had just bought monthly supplies in Leksula with her 8-month-old baby.

Leksula is about 3 to 4 kilometers from the Nalbesi River. In the rainy season, residents are forced to travel on foot, as did Nori with her baby that day.

With the bad weather and swift water, Nori ventured to cross the river while carrying her child with a sarong to return to her home in Neath.

Three men volunteered to help Nori and other residents cross the river. They stretched strands of nylon rope across the river and tied them to tree trunks on both sides of the river.

They wrapped other strands of nylon rope around the stretch, knotted them and tied them to a wooden branch that served as a seat. Residents would sit on the wooden branch to swing across the river.

This is our daily job. Sometimes we arrive home late at night after helping residents cross the river, said one of the volunteers, Fendy Nurlatu.

Every day, Fendy and the other volunteers witness how residents fight their fear and anxiety, while also remaining vigilant to cross the river safely.

I saw that [Nori] was worried. She was afraid because she was carrying her baby. But what else could she do? She had to cross the river, Fendy said.

Read also: Students in Maluku help each other cross dangerous river to get to school

To cross the river, Nori sat on the wooden branch with one hand holding her child and one hand holding the hanging rope. The rope was pulled from the other side of the river slowly until she reached the riverbank.

Nori told Fendy how nervous she was crossing the river with a child in hand, especially when they paused in the middle of the river.

I prayed and prayed -- Oh God, when will I get across the river? said Fendy, conveying what Nori said to her.

After crossing the river, Nori continued his journey to her village, which is about 4 km away from the Nalbesi River, Fendy said.

Besides Nori, several women also crossed the river in the same way that day.

A college student from Liang, Melky Solisa, said local residents had crossed the river for decades whenever they wanted to shop for basic necessities or sell their plantation products at the market in the district center.

Melky, who is studying at the University of Pattimura in Ambon, Maluku, recalled an incident that happened to a resident crossing the river last year.

A resident was rushed to a hospital last year because he fell and was carried away by the river flow. The victim was injured but alive, said Melky.

The villagers, including Fendy and Melky, regretted that there was no actual plan from the central or regional governments to build a bridge over the river.

Fendi said a district head and members of the local legislature had promised to build an emergency bridge during their pre-election campaigns but had never realized the program.

Five years ago, the current regent, Tagop Solisa, promised an emergency bridge. But the condition is still like this, said Fendi.

Mr. President, please look at our suffering and lack of freedom, Sir. Even though Indonesia will be 75 years old soon, we are not independent yet, Melky added. (syk)

Topics : infrastructure facility bridge Maluku village
Under the amendments, those who insult public workers or law enforcement personnel while on duty face jail terms of one to two years and/or a fine between EGP 20,000-EGP 50,000

Egypts cabinet approved on Wednesday draft amendments to the penal code that toughen penalties against those who assault public workers and law enforcement personnel while they are on duty.

Under the amendments, those who insult public workers or law enforcement personnel while on duty by gesture, verbally or by threatening face jail terms of one to two years and/or a fine between EGP 20,000-EGP 50,000 (approx. $1,200-$3,100).

The cabinet said that the previously stipulated penalties against assault on public workers "were no longer sufficient to achieve deterrence".

It added that public workers have become more susceptible to assault while on duty, which it said called for harsher punishments.

Those who assault or resist these workers by force or violence face jail terms of at least one year and a fine ranging between EGP 10,000-EGP 20,000.

If the assault or resistance leads to injury, the assailants face a jail term of no less than two years and a fine of EGP 20,000-EGP 50,000. The penalties are increased to prison terms ranging from three to five years and fines of EGP 50,000-EGP 100,000 if the assault is carried out with a weapon.

Perpetrators could see jail terms ranging from five to seven years if the victim of the assault is a member of law enforcement, teaching staff in schools or universities, public health staff, or transportation workers.

Those who use force or threaten a public worker or law enforcement personnel to interfere with them carrying out their lawful duty face jail terms of up to 10 years, with aggravated conditions resulting in an increased penalty of up to life imprisonment if the assault leads to death.

Those who vandalise or destroy property owned by the state can face prison terms of at least one year and/or a fine ranging between EGP 100,000-EGP200,000.

If the vandalism is committed with terrorist intent, the penalties are set at life imprisonment.

Contempt against a court or one of its members during a court session can result in jail terms ranging from five to seven years and a fine ranging between EGP 50,000-EGP 100,000.

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Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota on Tuesday survived a stiff Democratic primary challenge from a well-funded opponent who tried to make an issue of her national celebrity.

Omar, seeking her second term in November, defeated Antone Melton-Meaux, an attorney and mediator who raised millions in anti-Omar money.

'Tonight, our movement didnt just win,' Omar tweeted. 'We earned a mandate for change. Despite outside efforts to defeat us, we once again broke turnout records. Despite the attacks, our support has only grown.'

Melton-Meaux used the cash to paper the district and flood airwaves with his 'Focused on the Fifth' message that portrayed Omar, a member of 'The Squad' of four progressive female members of Congress, as out of touch with the Minneapolis-area 5th District. He conceded defeat and acknowledged that his efforts weren't enough, while declining to speculate on why.

Democrat Rep. Ilhan Omar addresses media after lunch at the Mercado Central in Minneapolis on Tuesday. She won the Democratic primary in Minnesota's Fifth District

Antone Melton-Meaux, an attorney, mounted a well-funded challenge to Omar but fell short

'I'm also incredibly proud of the work that we did, that garnered at least over 60,000 votes from the district, from people who resonated with our message of effective leadership grounded in the district, and bringing people together to get things done,' Melton-Meaux told The Associated Press.

Omar in 2018 became one of the first two Muslim women elected to Congress, building on a national profile that started when the onetime refugee from Somalia was elected to the Minnesota Legislature just two years earlier. Her aggressive advocacy on liberal issues, and her eagerness to take on Donald Trump, made her even more prominent.

Omar rejected Melton-Meauxs attacks, saying they were funded by interests who wanted to get her out of Congress because shes effective. She also downplayed Melton-Meauxs prodigious fundraising before the vote, saying, 'Organized people will always beat organized money.'

Democratic U.S. Sen. Tina Smith and Republican challenger Jason Lewis easily won their primaries in the only statewide races on the ballot. Elsewhere, in western Minnesota's conservative 7th District, former state Sen. Michelle Fischbach won a three-way Republican race for the right to challenge Democratic Rep. Collin Peterson. Peterson, chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, is one of the GOP's top targets to flip a House seat in November.

Minneapolis voters line up to vote a day ahead of Minnesota's Tuesday primary election on Monday, Aug. 10, 2020, at the Minneapolis Election and Voters Services offices

Riya Madan, left, verifies her information with poll worker Sharri Nurein, right, as she cast her ballot inside the Frederick R. Weisman Art Museum at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis on Tuesday, Aug. 11

Minnesota residents vote in a statewide primary election, Tuesday, Aug. 11

After entering Congress with fanfare, Omar hurt herself early with comments about Israel and money that even some fellow Democrats called anti-Semitic, and found herself apologizing. She also came under scrutiny when her marriage fell apart and she married her political consultant months after denying they were having an affair.

Republicans also raised questions about continuing payments to her new husband's firm, though experts said they aren't necessarily improper.

In the wake of George Floyds death in Minneapolis, police reform also emerged as an issue. Omar supported a push by a majority of the Minneapolis City Council to replace the citys police department with something new. Melton-Meaux did not support that but did support shifting some funding away from police to more social service-oriented programs. Both touched on the issue in personal ways, with Omar saying she wanted her son to grow up safely. Melton-Meaux, who is also Black, told a personal story of being detained while at the University of Virginia by police seeking an assault suspect reported to have run into his apartment building.

Progressive Democrats gained confidence in Omars reelection chances after primary victories last week by fellow 'Squad' member Rashida Tlaib in Michigan and by Cori Bush, a Black Lives Matter activist, in a St. Louis-area congressional primary. Progressives also claimed momentum from the renewed focus on racial and economic justice after Floyd's death.

Omar talks with Dulce Sanchez, whose family owns Dulceria La Pinata at Mercado Central in Minneapolis, on Tuesday, Aug. 11

Rep. Ilhan Omar, left, talks with Keaton Sisk outside the Dinkytown Target near the University of Minnesota campus in Minneapolis on Tuesday, Aug. 11

Wendy Helgeson, 57, a consultant, backed Omar two years ago, even installing a lawn sign in her yard, and said she was 'awfully proud of her being the first Black Muslim woman that we elected.' But she said she was concerned about campaign payments to Omar's husband's firm as well as her national presence, and found it easy to vote for Melton-Meaux, whom she said has been her friend for 12 years.

'I admire her as a woman,' Helgeson said of Omar. 'As a candidate, ehhh ... I have some reservations.'

John Hildebrand, a 47-year-old teacher in Minneapolis who voted for Omar, said her national profile is an advantage.

'I think just her presence encourages other Muslims and Somalis to run for office and to seek to be represented,' he said. 'I think she just engages people in the political system more and more.'

Blake Smith, 23, a parks worker who is Black and described himself as a leftist, also backed Omar. He's concerned about climate change, Medicare for all and getting money out of politics, and he sees her as an ally.

'It's more time for radical change than like small - I don't think we have time for incremental change anymore,' Smith said.
It was darn considerate of the Las Cruces school district to ask community members their thoughts about dropping the name of embattled Spanish conquistador Don Juan de Onate from one of its high schools. Considering it had been in place for more than three decades, seeking the input of students, parents, faculty and staff was a good idea. Thousands have had connections with and received diplomas from Onate High School since it opened in 1988. Given 30-plus years of community relationships, the districts decision was going to be consequential, so getting community input was wise.

So Las Cruces Public Schools commissioned a survey, in which 1,350 voted in favor of changing the name of Onate High School and  wait for it  4,129 opposed it. Thats 75.4% opposed, a landslide in political terms. A total of 119 students voted to change the name, while 435 students voted to keep it. A whopping 78.5% of students said No, essentially asking to graduate from the same high school they started in, perhaps the same one their siblings and parents graduated from. The vast majority of parents, faculty and staff also voted not to rename the school.

The community input was presented to the school board by an associate superintendent for equity, innovation and social justice during a virtual meeting of the school board on July 14. Even before the vote was taken, Maria Flores, the vice president of the board, and another board member were already suggesting getting grants to fund the renaming.

Then, the board voted 3-1 in favor of changing the name.

Ray Jaramillo, the lone board member who voted against dropping the Onate name, said he thought the name should be changed but opposed it because of budgetary concerns. If we listen to the survey, it was overwhelmingly no, not at this time, he said. Other school board members expressed buyers remorse. Shortly after the vote, Teresa Tenorio, who abstained from voting, said she should have voted her conscience against the change and for first educating students about Onate and his treatment of New Mexicos Native Americans in the 16th century. It wouldve hurt me because I want Onate to be changed (but) I wouldve waited until the students were ready and there was a majority that was willing to do it, she said.

Board member Carol Cooper told the Las Cruces Sun-News she wished she could reverse her vote after receiving countless calls from residents expressing their disappointment in the boards decision. Cooper asked the school board to annul the July 14 vote. But on Aug. 4 the board didnt take a vote to annul its decision, instead voting unanimously to rename Onate High School Organ Mountain High School, referencing the nearby mountain range and saving money by keeping the O in the logo.

The days of recognizing Onate as part of the first group of early Spanish settlers who braved harsh conditions to settle the region are obviously over. Does anyone really think the bronze statues of Onate will ever be back on the pedestal in Alcalde or rejoin the La Jornada sculpture outside the Albuquerque Museum? As the colonial governor of Santa Fe de Nuevo Mexico, Onate ordered the attack on Acoma Pueblo in 1599 and was eventually banished from New Mexico.

Principal Jim Schapekahm says the issue has popped up every couple years and continues to divide the school community, so its understandable the board wanted to put the issue to rest. But its unfortunate members made a pretense of caring about public input when their minds were made up long before a survey was tallied.

The newly christened Organ Mountain High now stands as a poor lesson in how democracy is supposed to work.

This editorial first appeared in the Albuquerque Journal. It was written by members of the editorial board and is unsigned as it represents the opinion of the newspaper rather than the writers.
When Tesla, Inc. made its splashy announcement last month that it will build a $1.1 billion Cybertruck factory in Austin, the electric vehicle makers decision was celebrated as a once-in-a-generation opportunity for the region.

Tesla is expected to create 5,000 jobs in Central Texas and strengthen the states position in the automotive industry.

But Texans will pay a hefty price for the gains.

Tesla

Under Chapter 313, a little-known provision of the Texas tax code, taxpayers will pay millions of dollars annually over the next 10 years to Tesla, which has a market value of more than $200 billion, as part of the package of public giveaways the manufacturer will receive.

As a result of the program, the state will send an estimated $1.6 billion in tax dollars over the next two years to large companies like Tesla. Critics say these lavish tax breaks frequently go to companies that were likely to choose locations in Texas anyway.

And the people who broker these multi-million-dollar deals? Administrators and board members at school districts across the state.

JAY JANNER /TNS

Yet those school districts dont cover the cost when they agree to offer these tax breaks. The state refunds each school district whatever money it would lose over the course of its Chapter 313 agreements.

Tesla received about $60 million in local incentives. The biggest subsidy came from Del Valle Independent School District, which OKd a Chapter 313 tax break for Tesla worth $46.4 million over ten years.

In most of the current Chapter 313 agreements  totaling 393  companies agreed to make supplemental payments in lieu of taxes to the school districts. That means school districts come out ahead thanks to those side agreements with companies receiving the giveaways.

In 2020 alone, Texas will pay out $752 million to fund tax breaks granted through the Chapter 313 program. Next year, the comptroller estimates the deals will cost the state $860 million, and in 2022, just shy of $1 billion.

Ben Margot, STF / Associated Press

State lawmakers created Chapter 313  also known as the Texas Economic Development Act  in 2001, arguing the states taxes were too high and deterred large companies from expanding or relocating to Texas. When Boeing moved its headquarters from Washington state, the aerospace giant in 2001 selected Chicago over competing Texas cities.

Chapter 313 agreements are available mainly to manufacturers and generators of renewable energy  industries where it's expensive to get projects off the ground. Companies that invest $1 billion or more in a project are also eligible for the tax break.

Supporters of the incentive agreements say they help lure firms that will create good-paying jobs, but need the tax break to make the math work. Without the public subsidies, the company could go to another community thats willing to be more generous.

Andrew Harrer, Bloomberg / Bloomberg

On ExpressNews.com: Commentary: Tesla in Austin will benefit San Antonio

When a major firm wants to set up a large-scale operation in Texas, it typically applies for tax breaks to lower the amount of cash it has to spend on property taxes every year.

Chapter 313 allows school districts to limit the value of the property where the company is planning to invest for 10 years. In urban areas, a property granted 313 tax breaks is limited in value between $80 million to $100 million, regardless of the size of the investment. In rural areas, property values are held to $10 million in Chapter 313 deals.

Think of a homeowner who has to pay taxes only on the first $10,000 in value of their home, even if its a mansion.

In Teslas case, Travis County commissioners approved a $14 million property tax abatement over 10 years  a giveaway dwarfed by Del Valle ISDs $46 million tax break.

Under the agreement with Del Valle ISD, the property where Tesla plans to build its electric pickup factory is limited to a value of $80 million, meaning Tesla will pay roughly $4.6 million less in property taxes each year than it would have without the agreement.

Thats where the state of Texas steps in by paying the school district to make up that lost tax revenue.

Chapter 313 agreements are common.

Toyota, for example, worked out an incentive agreement with Southwest ISD when the automaker decided in 2003 to build its next pickup plant on the South Side plant. The deal limited the taxable value of Toyotas property to $10 million.

When a large company such as Tesla or Toyota wants to build a facility in an area, the local school district has little reason to deny them the tax break, said Nathan Jensen, a professor of government at the University of Texas at Austin who researches economic development incentives.

The school district grants the incentive, and companies typically take the money saved from their tax break and pay the school district around 40 percent of that sum in supplemental payments.

And those payments have few strings attached, Jensen said.

The school district isnt paying anything. The school finance system is, he said. So even if the school district is 100 percent sure that Tesla was coming anyway, they make more money by offering a 313 (tax break).

The Chapter 313 deal with Toyota is considered a gold-standard when it comes to incentive agreements  it created thousands of good-paying jobs in an economically distressed area.

Toyota paid Southwest ISD a $2 million supplemental payment in 2007, according to records filed with the comptrollers office.

Most Chapter 313 agreements, however, dont create as many high-paying jobs as the Toyota deal.

An agreement in 2004 between Sweeny ISD, south of Houston, and ConocoPhillips limited the taxable value of a property where the company built a $195 million manufacturing facility to $30 million. The project created a total of 12 jobs.

The state comptroller has to approve the agreement  and determine whether the company would have come to Texas without the incentives. And the comptroller also has to prove that 25 years after the investment, the state would end up with more tax revenue than if the deal hadnt gone through.

But 25 years is a long time. And it can be nearly impossible to prove a firm would have declined to invest without getting the tax breaks, according to a 2016 report from the comptrollers office.

(E)conomic projections over such a long period are uncertain at best. Economic conditions change; companies and industries rise and fall. Some Chapter 313 projects fail to produce the predicted rise in property values, the reports authors wrote. This unpredictability poses an ongoing challenge in assessing the value of Chapter 313.

In an application seeking incentives filed in early June, consultants working for Tesla said the incentive agreement was essential for the project to happen. Texas high property taxes would be too prohibitive without the tax breaks, the company said.

(F)or a project to succeed, it must also have a necessary rate of return to secure the necessary capital and compete against some very capable competitors that have been longstanding industry players, officials wrote in the application. Therefore, obtaining the 313 limitation is a determining factor in the decision whether to locate the project in Texas.

Tesla officials did not respond to requests for an interview.

On ExpressNews.com: Austin and Tulsa compete for Teslas next gigafactory  and San Antonio hopes to gain

San Antonio officials also celebrated Teslas July announcement, likening it to Navistars decision last year to build a $250 million heavy-duty truck plant on the South Side.

Tesla has said its Austin facility will create 5,000 jobs that pay roughly $47,000 on average.

Though its not yet clear whether Tesla will add much to the San Antonio areas automotive industry, some expect economic reverberations throughout the region.

Teslas decision to locate in the region presents a further opportunity for San Antonio and our regional economic development allies to attract the supplier network required to support the gigafactory operations, Jenna Saucedo-Herrera, CEO of the San Antonio Economic Development Foundation, said in a statement. The 5,000 new jobs committed by Tesla are the base. Were well-positioned to support regional growth stemming from Teslas commitment.

Most firms move to a region for reasons other than cash incentives  and Tesla is likely no different. Companies often prioritize an areas infrastructure, workforce and available real estate over cash incentives, said Tim Bartik, a senior economist with the Michigan-based W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research.

Incentives currently are overused. Too many are long term. Too many go to the largest companies, and too many go to non-distressed areas, Bartik said. State and local governments in the U.S., he added, spend about $45 billion on incentive agreements every year.

Id be happier if that number was trending downward, and if the money we save from that was invested in things like infrastructure, industrial parks, research parks and custom job training, he said.

In a 2018 research paper, Bartik found that incentive packages tip somewhere between two to 25 percent of firms toward going to the community offering the incentives.

For his part, Jensen estimated 85 to 90 percent of projects that have received Chapter 313 incentives would have come to Texas whether they had gotten the tax break or not.

One example is a tax incentive that the Jim Ned Consolidated ISD, south of Abilene, granted to Horse Hollow Wind Farm in 2006. Records show the wind farm was already built in 2005, but the school district still approved the tax break in December 2006.

The wind farm has created 10 jobs. FPL Energy, the owner of the project, paid Jim Ned CISD a total of $4.6 million in supplemental payments from 2009 through 2019, records show.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk in February posted tweets suggesting the gigafactory was coming to Texas. In May, Gov. Greg Abbott said in a tweet that he spoke with Musk about building the operation in Texas.

Soon after, Tulsa, Okla., emerged as a contender for the factory. But Jensen noted that Tesla started construction on the plant the day after local officials in Austin approved incentives.

Given construction happened the day after, its very highly likely they were coming without incentives, he said.

The real opportunity cost is lost school finance revenues that are really going to be needed, Jensen said. Plenty of companies will still invest without 313, without these incentives. I would have liked it if we called (Teslas) bluff, and said, No incentives for you. Are you coming or not?
Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure of Armenia Suren Papikyan today introduced the personnel of the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant to newly appointed Executive Director Eduard Martirosyan.

The Armenian Nuclear Power Plant plays a weighty role in Armenias economy and particularly the energy sector. Taking into consideration the strategic importance of the nuclear power plant, I fully hope Mr. Martirosyan will use his longstanding experience in the national security sector to help increase effectiveness and reliability of the nuclear power plant in the best way, Papikyan said and wished Martirosyan success.

In his turn, Martirosyan extended thanks for the trust and expressed certainty that he will justify the trust by working with the top specialists in the energy sector.

Minister Papikyan touched upon the future actions to repair and upgrade the nuclear power plant, particularly the organizing of procurement and repair works through government funding and internal procedures for the first time ever. The minister added that the nuclear power plant has also undergone structural changes, that is, the positions of executive director and first deputy director have been added.

In early June, President of Armenia signed decrees on the dismissals of Director of the National Security Service Eduard Martirosyan, Chief of Police Arman Sargsyan and Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces Artak Davtyan, accepting as a basis the recommendations of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.
Onondaga County fiscal crisis took another negative turn Tuesday after a sales tax payment from the state fell $475,000 short of the previous years payment.

The county received $5 million as a cleanup payment from the state to close the books on Junes sales tax receipts, the latest payment to fall short of projections because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The shortfall means the county has received about $26.5 million less in sales tax than expected in the 2020 budget, said Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon.

McMahon has warned of county layoffs and other drastic and draconian measures to fill the budget gap.

Each sales tax payment we receive continues to demonstrate the real and critical need for help from our partners in the federal government, McMahon said in a statement Tuesday.

McMahon and Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh have pushed for Congress to provide direct aid to state and local governments in the next coronavirus relief bill.

House Democrats passed a bill in May that would give Onondaga County $172.6 million in federal aid this year and $86.3 million next year.

Syracuse would receive $242 million this year and $121 million next year under the same bill.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, has declined to consider the House bill and instead proposed a GOP bill that includes no direct aid to local governments.

Got a tip, comment or story idea? Contact Mark Weiner anytime by: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 571-970-3751
Areas under Pulakeshinagar assembly constituency resembled a war zone on Wednesday, hours after an unruly mob went on a rampage torching vehicles, irked over a "communally sensitive" social media post allegedly put up by a relative of a Congress MLA.

Charred vehicles, shards of glass from broken windows, stones and bricks could be seen strewn on deserted roads of the violence-affected localities.

Three people were earlier killed in police firing and scores of others wounded, including at least 50 policemen, in the violence and arson that erupted in the city on Tuesday night and continued till the early hours of Wednesday.

Bikes that were set on fire by the mob on Tuesday night.

The property of Congress legislator Akhanda Srinivasa Murthy and his family members was targeted after a "communally sensitive" social media post uploaded by one of his relatives enraged a section of people. "We were not at home when all this happened," said Jayanthi, the MLA's sister, weeping inconsolably. "The only solace is that my brother and his family are safe."

"Yesterday, some unknown people set my house on fire, they hurled petrol bombs," said Srinivasa Murthy. "The police should investigate and take action against culprits. If this can happen to an MLA, what would happen to others?"

The MLA said he has spoken to the state Home Minister and sought security cover. "I have spoken to the Home Minister, police officials and my party leaders over the incident. All those who did this are not from my constituency, they are outsiders. It will be good if I get security," he added.

The violent crowd set police vehicles on fire and barged into DJ Halli police station on the intervening night of Tuesday and Wednesday and damaged the property. About 110 people have been arrested so far on charges of rioting.

The police station that was damaged by the mob.

The incident also drew reactions from political leaders, with Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa saying strict action would be taken against the perpetrators. "The directives issued against perpetrators and the government has taken all possible steps to curb the situation. Attack on journalists, police and public is unacceptable. The government won't tolerate such provocations and rumours. Strict action against perpetrators is certain," he said.

Murthy also put out an appeal on social media asking for calm. "For the fault of some miscreants, let us not fight among ourselves. Whoever has done that, let police and government take action legally. I am also with you to see that whoever it is, is punished. Please maintain calm," he said.

Karnataka Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai said strong action will be taken against those taking the law into their hands.

"Looting, rioting, arson  all this is criminal. Whatever you want to do, what issues you want to take up, please take up issues legally," said Bommai, adding that additional police forces have been sent to bring things under control. "We have given complete powers to the police to take action. Whoever has gone against the law, we will take strict action. I want to warn the mobsters against taking the law into your own hands."

Senior Congress leader and former Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah condemned the violent incident and the social media post. "I condemn both violent incident that erupted in Kaval Byrsandra & also the social media post that instigated the mob. I humbly request both Hindus & Muslims of the area to stay calm, maintain peace & live in harmony," he wrote on Twitter.

Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala in a statement said, "Riots and arson are reprehensible, condemnable and unacceptable, and it is a complete failure of the law and order machinery and rule of law."

The Congress raised questions about the role of the police and the Yediyurappa government. "Was the Yediyurappa government sleeping or waiting for violence to happen. And, why did the police not act in time? Who is responsible for the three deaths?" asked Surjewala.

The statement came after the BJP leaders questioned the silence of the Congress on the whole incident.
An eyewitness to the shooting murder of former senior bikie Mick Hawi in a gym car park unwittingly turned off his dashcam a second before the fatal shots rang out, a trial has been told.

Matthew Kellaway drove into the Fitness First Rockdale car park a minute before Mr Hawi - a former rising star of the Comancheros - was executed on February 15, 2018.

Yusuf Guney Nazlioglu, 38, is accused of being the masked gunman while Jamal Eljaidi, 32, is accused of being his getaway driver.

Mick Hawi (pictured with his wife Carolina Gonzalez) was shot outside a Fitness First gym

Both have pleaded not guilty to murder in the NSW Supreme Court.

The trial on Wednesday was shown footage from Mr Kellaway's front and rear dashcams as he drove into undercover parking opposite the gym entrance at 12.05pm.

At the same time, Mr Hawi left the gym and entered his black four-wheel-drive Mercedes parked at the gym entrance.

As Mr Kellaway turned off his engine, which stopped the dashcams' continuous recording, he heard 'a couple of bangs' and through his rear-vision mirror, saw a person beside Mr Hawi's car.

'It was pretty much dead centre in my rear-view mirror,' he told the trial.

'Because of the bangs, I figured they were firing a gun into the car.'

Yusuf Guney Nazlioglu, 38, is accused of being the masked gunman while Jamal Eljaidi (pictured), 32, is accused of being his getaway driver

Mr Hawi's wife Carolina Gonzalez was pictured with a juice outside court on Wednesday

He said the gunman was 'fairly animated' and was entirely in black, including a balaclava, which was 'somewhat uncharacteristic' for the area.

'It was a fairly animated sort of thing, (he was) reaching into the car a little bit and then they sprinted off pretty quickly,' Mr Kellaway said.

He grabbed a medical care bag from his car and found Mr Hawi unresponsive in the car.

In a triple-zero call a minute later, Mr Kellaway tells the operator he 'didn't get a good look' at the incident and says he assumes his dashcam had recorded it.

Triggered by unrelated movement in front of the car, Mr Kellaway's front-facing dashcam turned on and recorded the sounds of the gunshots but the rear camera remained off during the shooting.

The Crown alleges Nazlioglu and Eljaidi torched the getaway car minutes after the shooting and escaped in a second car, found in Rosebery a month later.

DNA consistent with Eljaidi's was found in that car but his barrister has suggested secondary transfer could be involved.

Nazlioglu, a former friend of Mr Hawi, denies being the balaclava-clad gunman, with his barrister telling the jury on Tuesday others had a greater motive to kill.

Mr Hawi became national president of the Comancheros at just 22 but relinquished the role in 2009 when he was sent to prison.

He later had tension with Comancheros leader Mark Buddle but Mr Hawi's wife, Carolina Gonzalez, told the trial on Tuesday it was not bikie related.

The trial continues.
The notorious Nxivm sex cult is still allegedly recruiting members despite disgraced leader Keith Raniere awaiting sentencing in prison.

Frank Parlato, the group's former publicist, made the claim after various members were seen dancing outside the prison where cult leader Raniere, 59, is being kept.

Live-streamed videos circulated on Instagram, showing members of the so-called Forgotten Ones and WeAreAsYou twerking outside the Brooklyn prison.

One such member allegedly includes Battlestar actress Nicki Clyne, who court records show was accused of recruiting women as 'slaves', but was never charged with any crime.

Parlato claims the woman in the above video twerking is Battleships actress Nicki Clyne

More women are shown dancing outside Raniere's Brookyln prison cell

Parlato identified another woman as Dr Danielle Roberts, the doctor accused of branding Nxivm women with Raniere's initials.

Parlato told The Sun: 'There's seven well known Nxivm members I have identified in the videos including Nicki Clyne, the branding doctor Danielle Roberts and DOS slave Michelle Hatchet.

'Clearly they're dancing for Keith, they've admitted it on their website. They also said that Keith was punished because he encouraged the dancers and that's on their website.'

Parlato added that there are well-known Nxivm members following the dancers' Instagram accounts.

Parlato added that there are well-known Nxivm members following the dancers' Instagram accounts

He said this shows there are still 'dozens of members in Mexico, in the United States and Canada who are still devoted to Raniere.'

He also claimed to have spoken with up to six women who have been 'targeted' for recruitment since Raniere has been in prison, and that prison officers have confiscated two phones from him.

In 2019 Raniere was convicted of charges including racketeering, wire fraud conspiracy, forced labor conspiracy, and sex trafficking.

Some plaintiffs claim they were recruited as sex slaves and were forced to have his initials branded on their bodies.

He and his lawyers filed a motion in March, arguing that two witnesses perjured themselves when they denied they were planning to sue him after the trial.

Some plaintiffs claim Raniere recruited women as sex slaves and were forced to have his initials branded on their bodies

Keith Raniere is seen during closing arguments in a courtroom sketch. A jury convicted him in June on all counts of sex-trafficking and coercing women into sex

In July this year Judge Nicholas Garaufis of Brooklyn federal court ruled that Raniere is not entitled to a new trial because he did not prove that any of the testimony was actually false.

Prosecutors said that as the leader of NXIVM, Raniere used blackmail and punishment to turn his female victims into sex slaves.

Witnesses testified that Raniere's 'slaves' were forced to provide nude photos as 'collateral' to keep them in line.

His attorney Marc Agnifilo argued in his motion for a new trial that two women identified as Daniela and Nicole committed perjury when they testified that they did not plan a civil lawsuit against Raniere.

A jury convicted Raniere in June last year on all counts of sex-trafficking and coercing women into sex. Some plaintiffs claim they were recruited as sex slaves and were forced to have Raniere's initials, K A R, branded on their bodies

He contended that two were among the 'Jane Doe' plaintiffs in a civil lawsuit filed in January against Raniere and 14 associates.

Attorney Neil Glazer, who represents the two women, told the New York Post in March they did not initially intend to join the lawsuit but changed their minds after they saw how much evidence was revealed during the trial.

The federal lawsuit filed in Brooklyn accuses NXIVM founder Keith Raniere and his inner circle of running a corrupt organization that duped victims into paying thousands of dollars for classes based on false scientific claims.

The former members, many of whom are only identified as Jane or John Does, claim NXIVM preyed on people who wanted to better themselves with the cult's costly self-improvement courses.

Among Raniere's adherents were co-founder Nancy Salzman, Smallville actress Allison Mack, right, and Seagram's liquor heiress Clare Bronfman, left, who were all charged with racketeering. They pleaded guilty before facing trial

NXIVM marketed itself as a personal improvement and professional development training program.

The cult is also accused of forcing victims to undergo illegal human experiments and falsely claiming they could cure medical conditions like Tourette's syndrome and OCD.

The members claim NXIVM used psychological treatments that were not scientific and that the methods were actually 'pseudo-scientific hodgepodge' that risked serious psychological injury and emotional distress.

At least 40 members of the cult were part of a 'human fright experiment' in which electrodes were used on their heads to measure brainwaves, according to the lawsuit.

The members believed they were going to be watching Raniere speak but were actually shown graphic footage or five women being beheaded and dismembered in Mexico.

Many who participated in the courses were left traumatized and broke, according to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit comes as Raniere and several of his associates wait to be sentenced for charges related to their involvement in the cult. Raniere faces life in prison.
By Suleiman Al-Khalidi

AMMAN (Reuters) - Syrian President Bashar al Assad said on Wednesday that sweeping new U.S. sanctions amounted to a new stage of economic warfare against his government and were part of long-standing U.S. efforts to "choke" the living standards of Syrians.

In a speech to deputies at the presidential palace, Assad also blamed the sanctions, known as the Caesar Act, for a fall in Syria's currency to new record lows, with panic buying of dollars by Syrians worried about their economic situation.

Assad urged his subjects to support the currency, which has lost around almost two thirds of its value since the start of Syria's nearly decade-old conflict that has killed hundreds of thousands of people and made millions refugees.

"Our support of the pound is a source of our strength," Assad said, criticizing a scramble by ordinary Syrians to buy foreign currencies as a safe haven to cushion themselves from skyrocketing inflation.

The pound touched a record low of 3,000 to the dollar in June as many feared the new sanctions would tighten the noose around Assad and worsen Syria's dire economic plight.

It traded at 47 to the dollar before protests against Assads rule erupted in March 2011.

The collapse of the currency has driven up inflation and aggravated hardship as Syrians struggle to afford food, power and other basics.

Assad said Western adversaries were waging a long-term economic war that Syria could withstand by raising its food self-sufficiency and by cracking down on corruption, which he said was wasting public funds needed to raise living standards.

"The Caesar Act is not a separate case, it is another phase in stages of sanctions that preceded it for years and which have caused huge damage," he told the deputies.

Washington says the goal of the new sanctions is to hold Damascus to account for war crimes and deter it from further pursuing the war. The sanctions exempt humanitarian aid.

Story continues

Earlier, state media had flashed that Assad had suffered low blood pressure for a few minutes while delivering a speech to parliament, before resuming normally, and that it would broadcast it later in the evening.

Assad was shown in a pre-recorded speech asking for a chair to rest after he stopped the address, and in the edited footage he reappeared on television in front of the deputies.

"Doctors are the worst patients, in truth I have not had anything to eat since yesterday. I had some sugar and salt," the 55-year-old former eye doctor said, without elaborating.

(Reporting by Suleiman Al-Khalidi with additional reporting by Kinda Makieh in Damascus; Editing by Mark Heinrich)
MIAMI, Aug. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The purpose of The Enlightened Worldview Project is to promote peace in society through teaching effective communication techniques, even between people who hold outrageously opposing viewpoints. Currently, there's too much unnecessary conflict and suffering in this world, but The Enlightened Worldview Project seeks to help resolve this through a new book, Seeking a More Enlightened Worldview. Support the Kickstarter here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/enlightenedworldview/the-enlightened-worldview-project

Enlightened Worldview Project Enlightened Worldview Project

The book digs into the root causes of unnecessary conflict and suffering and explains how to combat this lack of mutual understanding, agreement, and cooperation. The manual provides practical solutions such as improved communication, which is designed to help individuals break free of their tribal, nationalistic, and partisan instincts. The effective techniques outline new methods of dialogue that can bridge this great divide and inspire a more peaceful and prosperous society. Although the Kickstarter is specifically for EWP's first book, the end goal is to produce an entire content series of books, podcasts, and videos that educate and inspire people to promote societal understanding and inner awareness, with the ultimate aim of working toward conflict avoidance and greater peace.

Founder Brandon Norgaard says, "Our global civilization is a bit like a large machine. The hardware is our human brains, but we run on software, which is our culture. Nowadays, we have networks of computers working in conjunction to where it seems like it is functioning like one large entity, and we call that "the cloud".

Human civilizations are also like a cloud. Civilizations clash because people have divergent and seemingly incompatible worldviews, which is the cause of unnecessary conflict. If computer networks were not compatible with each other, we'd consider that to be a software problem. The solution is to reprogram the machines so that the networks can operate in harmony. I think we need to do that in our human society, as well."

The company plans on releasing the book (e-book, paperback, hardback) by December 2020. In the early months of 2021, will be the release of the first season of their podcast series. For press inquiries, please contact Kat at [email protected] or call 305-490-5911 and visit the links below to learn more.

https://www.enlightenedworldview.com

https://www.enlightenedworldview.com/project-overview/

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/enlightenedworldview/the-enlightened-worldview-project

More about Brandon Norgaard:

Brandon was a software engineer but quit because he found a mission he truly believed in  The Enlightened Worldview Project. He grew up in Northern California and founded a Meetup group in Sacramento to discuss societal issues & solutions. Now, the group has over 1,000 members and collaborates with academic and professional researchers to advance their mission of global understanding, dialogue, & peace.

Contact:

Katherine Fleischman, CEO

Do Tell PR

305-490-5911

[email protected]

Dotellpublicity.com

SOURCE Enlightened Worldview Project

Related Links

http://www.enlightenedworldview.com


Writer Thach Lam once famously wrote that Bun doc mung, locally known as bun bung, reflects the soul of the Vietnam.

In his book, Ha Noi 36 Pho Phuong (Hanoi 36 Streets and Wards), he compared the aromas of this dish to music.

So it was with great excitement we decided to embark on this culinary concerto with Ho Nguyen Ngoc, a friend from HCM City who although had heard of this particular noodle soup, was yet to sample its delights.

Kicker: Bun doc mung or bun bung (rice noodle-taro soup), a must-try dish of Hanoi.  Photo toplist.vn

We invited him to Bat Dan Street in the capitals Old Quarter where one of Hanois finest eateries for bun bung is located.

With tables already packed on arrival, and at least a 10 minute wait before we could be seated, these were clears signs we had chosen well, and it also gave us time to watch the chef at work.

First she puts the taro pieces in a large broth pot to simmer. They float to the surface, retaining their green colour, before removing and placed in a noodle bowl already filled with a mixture of pork leg, ribs, minced pork ball and onions.

The smells alone were enough to make us want more, before wed even tasted our first mouthful.

My mouth is watering, said Ngoc, telling me that he could eat two bowls at the same time.

He wasnt lying. Not long before bowl number one had arrived it was devoured at top speed, despite the temperature. Bowl number two was quickly ordered.

Kicker: A pure and sweet broth cooked from pork bones helps to make the dish more tasty.  Photo toplist.vn

Cooking up this particular treat was Nguyen Thi Hai who, by her own admission, said making the dish is no easy task.

The taro should be peeled carefully and mixed with salt for half an hour then washed to make sure the texture remains crispy after cooking. Maybe our host was parting with too many of her trade secrets as she said this technique is often not done by her rivals.

Pork is clearly the meat of choice, but other cuts such as boiled tongue or trotters are also available on request. We could see Ngoc, our guest, was tempted, but after too filling bowls he decided to try other varieties another time.

It is not just the capital you will find taro. In the central province of Nghe An, professional cook Phan Thi Ngot is famed for her version.

She said: The taro is available in our Quynh Doi Village so I often use it to make the taro salad to eat in summer to cool down heat and salted taro to eat in winter.

Ingredients for the taro salad include salt, sugar, garlic, chili, roasted peanuts and lemon leaves. The taro should be peeled out its shell then cut it into pieces. Not too think, and not too thin, before being dried under sunlight or in a gentle breeze until they wilt.

By doing this you ensure the taro is crispy, Ngot said.

Kicker: Taro salad not only makes dinner's meal more appetite but also helps to cool down summer heat very effectively.  Photo congthucmonngon.com

Once the elements have done their job, again the taro pieces should be mixed with salt and the other ingredients.

A refreshing salad in the summer, but also one that contains medicinal benefits.

The salad helps to treat ailments such as colds and many others, she said, noting that taro is also very good to help people stay slim.

Herbalist Trinh Minh, from the Quynh Doi Traditional Medicine Centre, said the taro is rich in phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium and particularly rich of fibre to effectively help those patients with high lipid and cholesterol in their intestine.

Kicker: Taro is grown widely in Asia such as India, Vietnam and other countries.  Photo baomoi.com

I often use taro as one of herb remedies to treat measles and fever for children and indigestion for adults, Minh said, adding that he agreed with writer Thach Lam that bun doc mung really is not only food for the soul, but also one to help ensure a healthy way of living. VNS

Ha Nguyen

French newspaper introduces Hanois must-eat street food French daily Le Figaro recently ran an article introducing Hanois most renowned street food.
The second general biennial convention of the American Lutheran Church convened at the Veterans Memorial Auditorium in Columbus. Ohio, October 2127, 1964. In an atmosphere of growing maturity after a four-body merger in 1960, the main drive of the convention was directed toward implementing the union and widening the effort to close Lutheran ranks in America.

To this end, high priority was given to creation of a new cooperative agency that will bring 81/2 million Lutherans into closer relations than ever before. The American Lutheran Church is the first body to act upon the proposal to establish the Lutheran Council in the U.S.A.; this will replace the old National Lutheran Council, which has outlived its usefulness. The projected council will begin functioning in 1967, and its membership will include the Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod, the Lutheran Church of America, and the Synod of Evangelical Lutheran Churches, in addition to the American Lutheran Church. By overwhelming agreement the proposal was voted and sent down to the district conventions for approval in 1965. It is expected that the other Lutheran bodies will vote affirmatively at their own conventions.

Indicative of the delicacy of present negotiations involving the Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod was the response of delegates to memorials from three districts that asked the convention to formalize pulpit and altar fellowship with the Lutheran Church of America. Dr. Fredrik Schiotz, president of the ALC and also of the Lutheran World Federation, acted to prevent the adoption of these memorials. Speaking from the rostrum, he warned the delegates that any such action would impede negotiations with the Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod. He added, however, that he did ...

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Why is results day different this year?

Exams were cancelled across the UK in March as the pandemic took hold and schools closed. As a result, Ofqual, the exam regulator in England, decided grades would instead be awarded based on teacher assessments of how pupils would have performed, moderated by exam boards.

However, it soon became apparent that teachers' grades had been far too generous. As a result, as many as 40 per cent of grades have been adjusted downwards by Ofqual, using a computer algorithm that takes into account schools' results over the past three years.

The idea was that this would stop this year's students having higher grades than their contemporaries, and mean they would keep their credibility in the eyes of universities and employers.

But the sheer scale of downgrading by the computer algorithm was strongly criticised.

Exams were cancelled across the UK in March as schools closed. As a result, Ofqual, the exam regulator in England, decided grades would instead be awarded based on teacher assessments of how pupils would have performed, moderated by exam boards (stock image)

Why and how was the policy changed at the last minute?

On Tuesday evening, the government suddenly introduced a last-minute 'triple lock' policy  meaning that pupils unhappy with the grades they receive today can ask for their mock exam grades to be used instead, or take fresh exam papers in October.

The decision was made after a fiasco in Scotland last week which saw 124,000 grades for equivalent exams awarded by teachers lowered, with the poorest entrants getting their marks downgraded at more than double the rate of the richest.

On Tuesday, the Scottish government was forced into embarrassing U-turn, promising to restore the original teacher predictions to any student who had been downgraded by the system.

The 'triple lock' policy was introduced in England to try and prevent similar chaotic scenes.

How will pupils in England be able to switch grades?

Students can only challenge their results via their schools, and not as individuals. If they wish for their mock results to be taken instead of the results they receive today, the school will need to prove to Ofqual that the mock exams were sufficiently rigorous.

But the exact process this will involve is currently unknown. Yesterday Ofqual said it was 'working urgently' to try and implement the sudden change 'as fairly as possible'. It said it would not know what evidence schools needed to provide for appeals until next week.

Schools minister Nick Gibb said mocks need to have been 'sat under exam conditions' to form the basis of an appeal, but provided no method for schools prove this.

Last night head teachers were warning that 'every school' may decide to appeal grades  risking overwhelming the system (stock image)

Why are teachers worried about mock results being used?

Mock results could be unreliable, teachers have warned. They are often sat under differing conditions, with some schools more strict than others. Teachers also said last night that providing evidence  such as the mock papers themselves  for appeals would be in some cases be impossible because the papers would have been thrown away.

Will the appeal system be able to cope?

Last night head teachers were warning that 'every school' may decide to appeal grades  risking overwhelming the system.

The current deadline for university applicants to meet their offer conditions is September 7, leaving exam boards under four weeks to issue outcomes of thousands of appeals.

What could the impact on going to university be?

If students are rejected of because today's grades, but plan to appeal or resit in October, they need to contact admissions department as soon as possible to explain their situation. Universities say they are 'bending over backwards' to help students this year, and have promised to try and keep places open for candidates until their appeals are concluded.

But in practice this may be difficult for students who could end up missing weeks of term-time before their appeals are resolved.

Universities, who have had access to today's since results since last week in order to hasten the admissions process, will now need to contend with students assuring them that their mock results were higher, but will need to wait on Ofqual to confirm them as valid grades.
New Delhi: Sushant Singh Rajput's relative and Bihar BJP MLA Neeraj Kumar Singh alias Bablu has sent a notice to Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut via email over his controversial remarks regarding late actor Sushant Singh Rajput's father and his family.

Neeraj Kumar Singh has in the notice given 48 hours time to Raut for apologising over his scathing statements. He has demanded an apology, failing which a proper legal course will be undertaken.

Countering Shiv Sena's controversial statements regarding the late actor's family, Neeraj said, "We want justice for Sushant Singh Rajput. Shiv Sena is interfering in it and unnecessarily politicising it, trying to save a few people. We are fighting for Sushant and not making it a political issue but why Shiv Sena is making such a hue and cry over it, the world is watching."

Talking about the Bihar police investigation in the case, he said: "The Bihar police team officials went to Mumbai for carrying out the investigation if the government had an issue with it, they should have raised it and not any fringe group. As far as Karni Sena is concerned, it has been supporting us right from the time Sushant was found dead. In fact, Kari Sena President visited Patna and expressed solidarity."

On Rhea Chakraborty's claim that Sushant was showing sign of depression during their Europe trip, Neeraj Kumar Singh said, "Rhea has gotten herself into trouble mentioning this. If at all she felt Sushant was not well, she should have immediately informed his family members about it. But she chose not to tell anyone from his family which is a crime. She has in a way created pressure on him and hindered his mental health."
Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden on Tuesday announced that U.S. Senator Kamala Harris of California would be his running mate in the November 3 election.

Here are some reactions to the choice:

Former President Barack Obama, via Twitter.

"Ive known Senator @KamalaHarris for a long time. She is more than prepared for the job. Shes spent her career defending our Constitution and fighting for folks who need a fair shake. This is a good day for our country. Now lets go win this thing."

U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who had been one of Biden's rivals for the Democratic nomination, via Twitter.

"Congratulations to @KamalaHarris, who will make history as our next Vice President. She understands what it takes to stand up for working people, fight for health care for all, and take down the most corrupt administration in history."

Republican U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham via Twitter.

Senator @KamalaHarris will be a formidable opponent. She is smart, aggressive, and has fully bought in to the Democratic Partys very liberal agenda.

Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel in a statement.

"A hiding, diminished, and incoherent Joe Biden didnt just select a vice-presidential candidate, he chose the person who would actually be in charge the next four years if he is somehow able to win. Kamala Harris extreme positions, from raising taxes to abolishing private health insurance to comparing law enforcement officials to the KKK, show that the left-wing mob is controlling Bidens candidacy, just like they would control him as president.

"These radical policies might be popular among liberals, but they are well outside the mainstream for most Americans."

Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, who was on Biden's list of potential running mates, via Twitter.

"Congratulations to @kamalaharris and @JoeBiden on a fantastic and historic ticket. Now, lets go win!

Republican U.S. Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas in a statement.

"Kamala Harris supports Medicare for All, she implied that Joe Biden is racist, and she laughed at the idea that the Constitution would stop her from confiscating guns. Her presidential campaign was a mismanaged catastrophe that ended before any votes were cast.

"By selecting Kamala Harris, Joe Biden's staff have shown just how radical and incompetent a Biden administration would be."

U.S. Representative Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas, via Twitter.

"I have tears in my eyes but joy in my soul. I am so overwhelmed, as I know that women around the nation, women of color, and yes Black women can see their equal status in this nation finally. Thank you Vice President Biden ..."

Georgia political activist Stacey Abrams, who was on Biden's list of potential running mates, via Twitter.

"Thrilled to support @KamalaHarris as next VP. I was honored to speak with @JoeBiden at length over the weekend and again today. His focus on reaching out to every corner of our country speaks to how he will lead us. ..."

Hillary Clinton, the 2016 Democratic presidential candidate, via Twitter.

"I'm thrilled to welcome @KamalaHarris to a historic Democratic ticket. She's already proven herself to be an incredible public servant and leader. And I know shell be a strong partner to @JoeBiden. Please join me in having her back and getting her elected."

U.S. Senator Michael Bennet of Colorado, who had run for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, in a statement.

"Kamala Harris has spent her career fighting for people who need it most - an essential quality for our Vice President as we face the coronavirus pandemic, economic turmoil, and our longstanding struggle for racial justice in America.

"She is a champion for middle-class families, and her leadership in the Senate on criminal justice reform has been vital."

NAACP President Derrick Johnson, in an interview.

"She will not only be able to speak to the moment, she understands the plight of Black women; therefore, she's up to the task."

Aimee Allison, founder of She the People, a group that promotes women of color in politics, said in a phone interview.

"Its remarkable. Today is a spark of hope. Its a watershed moment for Black women, for women of color. Its nothing short of historic.
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Linkedin Chris Impey (The Jakarta Post) The Conversation  Wed, August 12, 2020 09:47 525 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066d53aa6 3 Lifestyle online-learning,online-course,e-learning,digital-courses,Coursera Free

Massive open online classes, or MOOCs, have seen a surge in enrollments since March.

Enrollment at Coursera  an online platform that offers MOOCs, has skyrocketed and was 640 percent higher from mid-March to mid-April than during the same period last year, growing from 1.6 to 10.3 million. The surge was driven in part by giving free catalog access for 3,800 courses to their university partners. Enrollment at Udemy  another MOOC provider  was up over 400 percent between February and March. These surges correspond to lock downs across the world as the pandemic started to rage.

As an astronomy professor who teaches and studies MOOCs, I believe there will be a continued shift toward these types of courses as the pandemic forces educators and students alike to rethink the risks associated with in-person instruction. COVID-19 turbocharged my two MOOCs, increasing the number of active users by a factor of ten. Class Central, an aggregator of MOOCs, saw more visitors in April than in the entire previous year.

Emergence of MOOCs

Whats a MOOC?

The M is for massive, meaning a huge number of people can be reached. I teach MOOCs on astronomy and astrobiology. The courses are free. Together, these courses have enrolled over 200,000 people from around the world since they began.

The first O is for open. All you need is the internet to participate, and many courses are free.

The second O is for online, which removes the limits of space and time. You can be anywhere to take a MOOC. And you can go through the material at your own pace.

The C is for course: a complete set of video lectures and other material to help you learn a subject. Many people take MOOCs for the pleasure of learning, but badges and certificates are available as well.

MOOCs have been around for a decade. They saw explosive early growth, and The New York Times declared 2012 the Year of the MOOC.

They also became a classic example of the hype cycle, where people tend to overestimate the effect of a technology in the short run and underestimate the effect in the long run.

Courses and credentials

When I first started a MOOC in 2013, I intended to boost my online teaching skills.

The education team I lead at the University of Arizona conducts research about MOOCs. We look at what influences whether or not students complete a course and what motivates them to take a MOOC.

The last few years have seen rapid growth in microcredentials, modular learning units that can be combined for a qualification like a masters degree. Full online degree programs are also booming. A snapshot at the end of 2019 listed 820 microcredentials and 50 MOOC-based degrees. Many MOOCs are free, but for a small fee you can get a completion certificate.

Coursera pays its university and corporate partners 6 to 15 percent of gross revenues across all the types of courses they offer.

The skills gap

The modern workplace is changing due to disruptive forces like artificial intelligence and automation.

Employers point to a skills gap, which is basically a mismatch between the skills that employers require and the skills that job seekers possess. Some, however, argue that the skills gap is a myth.

The gap is particularly acute in manufacturing. Traditional college education fails to close the gap. This creates an opening for MOOC providers.

Benefits for learners and employers

Researchers are making models of how MOOCs might be valuable to the people who take them. Learners expect career benefits, like boosting their job performance, helping them start a new business and improving their application for a new job.

Most people pay for MOOCs themselves and take them in their spare time, which is a missed chance for employers to invest in their workforce relatively cheaply.

Some MOOC companies are seizing the opportunity to help people be nimble in a changing job market.

Udacity was present at the birth of MOOCs in 2011, when founder Sebastian Thrun created a private company in northern California as an outgrowth of computer science courses he had taught at Stanford University. In 2018, it nearly ran out of cash. Thrun returned from Stanford in 2018 to rescue the company, and he turned it into a company focusing on courses that delivered marketable skills. Big-name clients now include Amazon and Google, for which it offers courses in programming and data science.

Udacity offers nanodegrees, which are industry-recognized credentials to help students advance their skills. They typically take four months to complete, working 10 hours per week, and only cost US$1,200. Similarly, nonprofit edX offers a micromasters degree for about $1,000. A micromasters is a set of online graduate courses roughly equivalent to one semester of a full-time masters program. The topics focus on technology, business and management.

Universities once worried that MOOCs would become online competitors to their residential (and very expensive) degree programs. But they appear to have found a niche as a place for lifelong learners and people looking to upgrade their skills or change careers. Theyve taken their place in a dynamic landscape of methods for teaching and learning in the digital age.

The new MOOC learners

Generally, MOOCs attract learners with two types of motivation. Some are motivated by general interest and personal growth. Others are motivated by professional advancement. Who are these new learners? Its too early to tell in general. However, in research done in my astronomy course, they are young, with more than half under age 20.

Many are full-time students and the largest number are from India. In fact, the above-average surges come from people in developing countries, particularly Asia, while below-average surges are from the U.S. and Europe. The surges are more likely to involve learners who take the course to further their career goals and get a certificate than because theyre curious about astronomy.

Making higher education more accessible

The pandemic is refocusing attention on the opportunity for MOOCs to democratize higher education, by providing cheap or free access to anyone in the world.

In under a decade, MOOCs have reached 110 million people. The number of people continuing to higher education has grown from 3 percent of the worlds adult population in 1970 to 10 percent in 2015.

That still leaves 700 million high school graduates without access to higher education, mostly in developing countries. Education is an important driver of higher earnings for individuals and economic development, and it can help lower income inequality. With the catalyst of the pandemic, the full potential of MOOCs may be realized.

---

Chris Impey, University Distinguished Professor of Astronomy, University of Arizona

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post.
Noida (Uttar Pradesh) [India], Aug 12 (ANI/NewsVoir): To harness brilliant ideas of students and to promote self-hosted successful business projects, ITS Engineering College is spending a big amount on research as well as seed funding, entrepreneurship development and project-based and technology-based learning.

With the establishment of NewGen IEDC, ITS Engineering College, all undergraduate students, post graduate students, doctoral students, alumni and faculties would be entertained to convert their business ideas into successful commercial or social ventures.

NewGen IEDC, ITS Engineering College offers integrated, customized Innovation-Based Incubation support services for potential high investable entrepreneurs and enterprises. It scouts for innovative entrepreneurs, builds on ideation leading to develop a business concepts, provides skills and competencies trough capacity building training programs towards building effective enterprises.

Even the Indian government has also formed separate ministries for Entrepreneurship skills enhancements like Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) and New Generation Innovation and Entrepreneurship Development Centre (NewGen IEDC) to cater innovative and impactful ideas and help students to move ahead in their career and achieve their dreams. If the student has a impactful idea that meets the threshold set forth by this bunch, then Seed funding is a no strings attached grant under MSME guidelines. Only few selected colleges in North India are under this scheme.

Highly motivated young graduates and post graduates, who want to start companies while still in their colleges, have such an increasing number of resources to tap into that exist just for them. Students that want to learn how to build companies can apply to an increasing number of fast-track programs that allow them to gain valuable early stage operating experience.

Investing in technology for universities in India may conjure up images of laptops and tablets being delivered to masses, but the greatest ROI in higher education technology comes from software rather than hardware. So, to cater this side of technical education, colleges have technology-based Industry Oriented Labs, also known as Centre of Excellence, to support students for technical aspects which they will need to introduce fresh ideas.

Some of the top companies who have setup such labs are Apple iOS, R Systems, Syscom, ITB & SALT, National Instruments, Rockwell Automation, eYantra and SMC pneumatics. Entrepreneurship Development can assist students in the early stage development of your business start-up or social enterprise; invest in market research, or to develop a prototype.

NewGen IEDC at ITS Engineering College is an organization geared towards speeding up the growth and success of startup and early stage companies. NewGen IEDC has a mission to "Promote knowledge based and technology-driven start-ups by harnessing young minds and their innovation potential in an academic environment".

In view of this, the National Science & Technology Entrepreneurship Development (NSTEDB), Department of Science & Technology (DST), has taken an initiative of introducing this scheme for setting up "New Generation Innovation & Entrepreneurship Development Centers (NewGen IEDCs)" being implemented by Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India (EDII), Ahmedabad. In this initiative DST is providing a grant of Rs. 2.87 Cr. over a period of five years.

ITS Engineering College has become The Entrepreneurial Hotspot. Striving to inculcate Entrepreneurial thought process, ITS Engineering College guides its students to start their own businesses (startups) when they complete their programs.

"The college has NewGen IEDC, Start-up Cell & Business Incubation Centers in the campus in collaboration with the Department of Science and Technology and also with the Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises. In fact, Once the prototype is ready, the college supports them in getting their patents/intellectual property registered. Also, if the student is looking to start the business for a scalable and marketable idea, the college also provides seed funding. The college supports the entire business activity, including space, power, equipment and logistic requirements," says Sohil Chadha, Vice Chairman, ITS - The Education Group (Estb. 1996). "We strongly believe in combining the futuristic subjects with the traditional ones and imparting a skill-based curriculum crucial to succeed in today's world," he added.

With good technological inputs we get tremendous ideas. So here at this level, education industry has introduced a concept of Entrepreneurship Development. Entrepreneurship Development Cell (EDC) in educational institutions is formed to develop institutional mechanism to create entrepreneurial culture in academics and to foster technology based entrepreneurship for generation of wealth and employment for students.

So in Nutshell the objective of Entrepreneurship Development Cells in Colleges is to develop spirit of Entrepreneurship among the Students, Creating Awareness Programmes, Mentoring Students, Assisting in getting financial support for Start-ups.

This story is provided by NewsVoir. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/NewsVoir)

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
"Memory is the first thing to go."

Everyone has heard it, and decades of research studies seem to confirm it: While it may not always be the first sign of aging, some faculties, including memory, do get worse as people age.

It may not be that straightforward.

Zachariah Reagh, assistant professor of psychological and brain sciences in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, looked at the brain activity of older people not by requiring them to recite a group of words or remember a string of numbers. Instead, Reagh looked at a "naturalistic approach," one that more closely resembled real-world activities.

He found that brain activity in older adults isn't necessarily quieter when it comes to memory.

"It's just different," he said.

The study results were published today in the journal Nature Communications.

Common tests of memory involve a person's ability to remember a string of words, count backward, or recognize repeated images. "How many times do you suspect a 75-year-old is going to have to remember, 'tree, apple, cherry, truck?'" asked Reagh, first author on the paper with Angelique Delarazan, Alexander Garber and Charan Ranganath, all of University of California, Davis.

Instead, he used a data set from the Cambridge Centre for Ageing and Neuroscience (Cam-CAN) that included functional MRI (fMRI) scans of people watching an 8-minute movie. "There were no specific instructions, or a 'gotcha' moment," Reagh said. "They just got to kick back, relax and enjoy the film."

But while they may have been relaxing, the subjects' brains were hard at work recognizing, interpreting and categorizing events in the movies. One particular way people categorize events is by marking boundaries -- where one event ends and another begins.

An "event" can be pretty much anything, Reagh said. "This conversation, or a component of it, for example. We take these meaningful pieces and extract them out of a continuous stream."

And what constitutes a boundary is actually consistent among people.

If you and I watch the same movie, and we are given the instruction to press a button when we feel one meaningful unit has ended, you and I will be much more similar in our responses than we are different." Zachariah Reagh, Assistant Professor, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Washington University in St. Louis

When looking at the fMRI results -- which use changes in blood flow and blood oxygen to highlight brian activity -- older adults showed similarly increased activity as a control group at the boundaries of events. That's not to say that brains of all ages are processing the information similarly.

"It's just different," Reagh said. "In some areas, activity goes down and, in some, it actually goes up."

Overall activity did decline pretty reliably across ages 18-88, Reagh said, and when grouped into "younger, middle aged, and older," there was a statistically reliable drop in activity from one group to another.

"But we did find a few regions where activity was ramped up across age ranges," he said. "That was unexpected."

Much of the activity he was interested in is in an area of the brain referred to as the posterior medial network -- which includes regions in the midline and toward the backside of the brain. In addition to memory, these areas are heavily involved in representing context and situational awareness. Some of those areas showed decreased activity in the older adults.

"We do think the differences are memory-related," Reagh said. At the boundaries, they saw differences in the levels of activity in the hippocampus that was related to memory in a different measurement -- "story memory," he called it.

"There might be a broad sense in which the hippocampus's response to event boundaries predicts how well you are able to parse and remember stories and complex narratives," no matter one's age, Reagh said.

But for older adults, closer to the front of the brain, particularly the medial prefrontal cortex, things were looking up.

Activity in that area of the brain was ramped up in older adults. This area is implicated in broad, schematic knowledge -- what it's like to go to a grocery store as opposed to a particular grocery store.

"What might be happening is as older adults lose some responsiveness in posterior parts of the brain, they may be shifting away from the more detailed contextual information," Reagh said. But as activity levels heighten in the anterior portions, "things might become more schematic. More 'gist-like.'"

In practice, this might mean that a 20-year-old noting an event boundary in a movie might be more focused on the specifics -- what specific room are the characters in? What is the exact content of the conversation? An older viewer might be paying more attention to the broader picture -- What kind of room are the characters in? Have the characters transitioned from a formal dinner setting to a more relaxed, after-dinner location? Did a loud, tense conversation resolve into a friendly one?

"Older adults might be representing events in different ways, and transitions might be picked up differently than, say, a 20-year-old," Reagh said.

"An interesting conclusion one could draw is maybe healthy older adults aren't 'missing the picture.' It's not that the info isn't getting in, it's just it's getting indifferently."
Today's figures bring Ireland's 14-day incidence rate to 18.9 cases per 100,000. The total number of confirmed cases is now 26,838, while 1,774 people have died from the virus.

Of the 40 cases recorded, 21 are men and 19 are women. 12 cases were in Dublin, 11 in Kildare, 7 in Offaly, and the rest of the cases are in Clare, Donegal, Limerick, Meath, Roscommon, Tipperary, Wicklow.

Speaking at the Department of Health's press conference, Professor Philip Nolan said increases in the number of cases in Clare, Limerick, Donegal, Wexford and Carlow are of concern and estimated that the reproduction, or R rate, is now 1.6.

Acting Chief Medical Officer, Dr Ronan Glynn said: "Although todays number is positive relative to what we saw last weekend, we remain concerned about both the number of cases that are being reported and their distribution across the country.

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"The five day average for reported cases nationally is now at 75 per day. Even when we exclude Kildare, Laois and Offaly from this, it remains significantly elevated for the rest of the country at 31 per day.

"It is worth recalling that in late June, the five day average for cases reported was less than 10. In light of this, I ask people to continue to hold firm and continue to closely follow public health advice.

This comes as Tanaiste Leo Varadkar has said outbreaks of the virus are likely to occur when schools reopen in September.

Mr Varadkar said: "Its almost inevitable that if schools open that there will be clusters in some schools. Does that mean that that school did something wrong or the principal was somehow negligent? Probably not."

The reopening of schools is due to go ahead as normal next month despite concerns that some will not be able to adhere to Covid-19 guidelines due to class sizes facilities in schools.

Funding was made available to schools to carry out alterations to buildings in order to make them compliant with regulations, but the tight timeframe to carry out the necessary works was said to be an issue in many areas.

Elsewhere, Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly announced that the Government will adopt a 'weather warning' based colour-coded system to monitor outbreaks of the virus around the country. Areas will be given a colour; red, orange, yellow or blue.

Areas with a red status may be considered for local lockdown measures, while blue, which is the colour given to vaccines in the medical sector, will be given to areas that have suppressed the virus.
By Associated Press

JERUSALEM: When Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his rival, Benny Gantz, agreed to form an emergency government in May after three bitter and deadlocked election campaigns, the goal was to stabilize Israeli politics in the face of a global pandemic.

But less than 100 days later, their fractious coalition government could be headed toward collapse as Israel grapples with a raging coronavirus outbreak, an economic calamity and a wave of public protests. With little common ground and a severe lack of trust, the uneasy alliance now has just two weeks to reach a budget deal or plunge the nation into its fourth election since last year.

The differences run so deep that this week's Cabinet meeting was canceled. Parliament is expected on Wednesday to approve an extension beyond the Aug. 25 deadline to allow the sides more time to reach a compromise. But even if there is a deal, few expect the partnership to last much longer because of the bad blood and many clashes.

What is clear is that even if elections have been deferred, this is just a matter of time. In another two months a new excuse will be found, and we will once again find ourselves in the same deep crisis, argued columnist Sima Kadmon in the Yediot Ahronot daily. Netanyahu has been given time to conceive of his next tricks and shticks.

Critics say that Netanyahu is focused on his ongoing corruption trial and resistant to ceding the premiership to Gantz next year, as called for by their coalition agreement. Netanyahu has reportedly tried to lure in defectors from Gantzs party to secure a thin parliamentary majority and avert another election.

Netanyahu has seen his support drop dramatically in the face of the wave of demonstrations sweeping the country against his perceived failure to respond to the virus and its resulting economic crisis. Hes repeatedly said he opposes another election, saying that with unemployment over 20% now is the time to focus on getting the Israeli economy back on track.

But opponents believe he is angling for a crisis that would trigger a new election. Despite the dip in support, polls suggest Netanyahu's Likud maintains a sizable lead over all other parties.

The election of a more favorable government could enable Netanyahu to pre-empt what is expected to be a a new legal challenge against his fitness to serve. Opponents are expected to file the challenge when the evidentiary stage of the trial begins in January. During that phase, he will be required to sit in court three times a week.

In another twist, opposition leader Yair Lapid, who this week accused both Netanyahu and Gantz of playing pathetic petty politics at the expense of the public, intends to introduce a bill that will bar anyone indicted of a crime from seeking the premiership. Without Gantz's support, it is unlikely to pass.

The showdown ostensibly revolves around the state's budget. The government is required by law to pass one by Aug. 25 or else elections are automatically called.

The coalition agreement calls for a two-year budget. But Netanyahu, citing the economic crisis, is pushing for a 2020 budget alone. Gantz says that a short-term budget halfway through the year would be meaningless and violate their deal.

Netanyahu appears to be driven in part by political considerations.

Under their power-sharing deal, a failure to reach a budget deal appears to be the only scenario that allows Netanyahu to dissolve the partnership without yielding power to Gantz.

If a long-term budget deal is reached, it would all but guarantee that Gantz will take over as prime minister in November 2021, as specified in the deal.

Netanyahu desperately wants to stay in office throughout his trial, which is expected to drag on for several years.

At a tour of an air force base Tuesday, he tried to explain his motivations as that of responsible leadership.

I don't deal in ultimatums. I think we need to pass a budget immediately, for the needs of our security and for the needs of the state, Netanyahu said.

Defense Minister Gantz, whose Blue and White faction has also seen its support drop, says he doesnt want to go to elections and accuses Netanyahu of having personal reasons for leading to it.

Whoever loves the state of Israel doesn't take it to elections at this time, Gantz said Monday.

He and Netanyahu have repeatedly clashed throughout their brief alliance over various pieces of legislation and policy proposals. Ever since Gantz's faction broke ranks with coalition discipline two weeks ago to pass a pro-gay rights bill, Netanyahu's allies have been threatening disbandment.

Theyve also differed in their approach to the widescale protests drawing thousands to the streets several times a week. While Gantz has sympathized with the demonstrators, Netanyahu has denounced them as radicals and anarchists who were waging an incitement campaign against him and his family.

Netanyahu has come under withering criticism for remaining in office while on trial for corruption, pushing for seemingly anti-democratic measures under the guise of combating the virus and generally mismanaging the crisis. The size of his bloated government, a ministers comment dismissing the publics pain, and his own efforts to secure himself a sizable tax break have created a sense that the 70-year-old Netanyahu is detached from the troubles of his angry electorate. His familys perceived hedonism and zest for power have further alienated those who are struggling.

Netanyahu is on trial for a series of cases in which he allegedly received lavish gifts from billionaire associates and traded regulatory favors with media moguls for more favorable coverage of himself and his family. The prime minister has denied any wrongdoing and accuses the media and law enforcement of a witch hunt to oust him from office.
Belarus Opposition Candidate Tsikhanouskaya Flees to Lithuania

By VOA News August 11, 2020

Belarus opposition candidate Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya said Tuesday she fled to neighboring Lithuania, after a second night of post-election demonstrations in Belarus with clashes between protesters and police.

Tsikhanouskaya, who rejected the official results that showed her losing to longtime President Alexander Lukashenko, said leaving Belarus was a "difficult decision," but that she did so for the sake of her children.

Lukashenko Declared Winner in Belarus Election for 6th Straight Term

Protests erupted challenging the results; rights groups say one person was killed, dozens injured, and several hundred arrests were made

"I know that many will understand me, many will judge me, and many will begin to hate me," Tsikhanouskaya said. "But God forbid anyone face the choice I had."

"People please take care of yourselves," she said. "What is happening now is not worth a single life."

Earlier Tuesday, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Linas Linkevicius tweeted that Tsikhanouskaya was in his country and safe.

Tsikhanouskaya went into hiding ahead of Sunday's election after police detained two senior staffers and seven other campaign members. She reemerged to cast her vote.

Lukashenko, who has been in power for 26 years, said Monday that opposition protesters would face a tough crackdown. He described them as sheep manipulated by foreign masters.

"Follow the law and then all these conversations about repression disappear," he said.

Video of the clashes show protesters being beaten by police with truncheons Monday night. Police also used stun grenades, tear gas and water cannon.

Police said Monday that one protester died in the country's capital, Minsk, when he tried to throw an explosive device, but it blew up in his hand.

Rights groups said a protester died after being run over by a police truck, which authorities denied. Rights groups also said dozens of people have been injured in the police crackdown. Several hundred protesters have been arrested.

Photos and videos of the protests circulated online, despite a widespread shutdown of the internet limiting access to social media.

The country's Central Election Commission said Monday that after all ballots were counted, Lukashenko took 80.23% of the votes, and main opposition candidate Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya 9.9%.

Speaking from her headquarters, Tsikhanouskaya said she did not recognize the outcome.

"We have already won because we have overcome our fear, our apathy and our indifference," she said. Tsikhanouskaya submitted a formal request for a recount to the Central Election Commission.

International officials also questioned the legitimacy of the election, as well as the crackdown on protesters. Foreign observers have not considered a Belarusian election to be free and fair since 1995, Reuters reported.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement Monday it was "deeply concerned" by the situation, noting that intimidations and restrictions on ballot access for opposition candidates, as well as a lack of independent observers at polling stations, have "marred the process."

"We urge the Belarusian government to respect the rights of all Belarusians to participate in peaceful assembly, refrain from use of force, and release those wrongfully detained," Pompeo said. "We strongly condemn ongoing violence against protesters and the detention of opposition supporters, as well as the use of internet shutdowns to hinder the ability of the Belarusian people to share information about the election and the demonstrations."

"Harassment & violent repression of peaceful protesters has no place in Europe," Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, wrote on Twitter. "I call on the Belarusian authorities to ensure that the votes in yesterday's election are counted & published accurately."

In a joint statement, the presidents of neighboring Poland and Lithuania encouraged Belarus to cooperate with the European Union and "uphold basic democratic standards."

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the organization "condemns violence against peaceful protesters."

"Fundamental rights must be respected," he said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated Lukashenko Monday on his victory.

Protests were held in other Belarusian cities, including Gomel, Grodno, Vitebsk and Brest, where tear gas was fired.

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On Tuesday, Discoverys Shark Week continued its programming with the special Will Smith: Off the Deep End.

In the piece, Will Smith addresses his fear of sharks and attempts to overcome it.

Smith revealed that his phobia of all things water started when he was very young. In fact, his fear was so great that he didnt learn how to swim until he was in his 40s. He attributed much of that fear to Steven Spielbergs masterpiece, Jaws.

Read more: Will Smiths teeth knocked out by Jason Derulo in prank

I blame Steven Spielberg, said Smith. I was literally scared in the bathtub. I literally felt like a shark could come out of the spout.

Will Smith attends 2020 Salute to Greatness Awards Gala at Hyatt Regency Atlanta on January 18, 2020 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images)

As Smith has gotten older and wiser over the years, he has made it a point to overcome his fears. So he decided to learn how to scuba dive and swim with sharks. Smith documented a series of dives, culminating with a terrifying swim with a tiger shark.

I am a firm believer that fear creates the greatest atrocities and evils that have ever been committed on this planet, Smith said while sitting on the ocean floor surrounded by sharks. Fear is poison and Im gonna cleanse mine.

The experience was so meaningful to Smith, that he believes it fundamentally changed him. He said, There was Will Smith before the sharks and there is Will Smith after the sharks.

For more on Shark Week check out Discovery.com.

Watch as Record-breaking great white shark breach helps launch Shark Week 2020:
SAN JOSE, Calif. and GUANGZHOU, China, Aug. 12, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- GOWIN Semiconductor Corp., the worlds fastest-growing programmable logic company, obtains certification for their GW1NRF-4 SoC FPGA BLE module for Korea enabling developers with quick and easy end-product integration.



GOWIN Semiconductor is the only company to date providing an FPGA with integrated Bluetooth Low Energy Radio transceiver. The GW1NRF-4 delivers a new generation of wireless product capabilities for product developers by providing 4.6k LUT FPGA, a 32-bit power-optimized ARC processor and a Bluetooth Low Energy radio within a small 6x6mm QFN package. Additionally, GOWIN offers a small 19x20mm PCB module, which integrates the GW1NRF4 IC, passives, oscillators, antenna, and other components. This module is now certified for various geographies including Korea through the Korea National Radio Research Agency under Clause 2, Article 58-2 of the Radio Waves Act.

Wireless ICs are often manufactured as an IC chip as well as a solderable PCB module. Integration of the standalone IC requires additional components on the board and certification for each country the product will be sold in. This creates additional product cost overhead for end-product developers. Alternatively, some wireless IC manufacturers integrate their chip, passives, oscillators, an antenna, and an interference shield into a single PCB module that is pre-certified. This way the product can be manufactured and sold in various geographies without the need to certify the product.

Many wireless customers request pre-certified GW1NRF-4 modules over the IC chip itself said Grant Jennings, Director of International Marketing for GOWIN Semiconductor. Certifying for each country that a wireless product is sold in can be a significant cost and technical knowledge burden for customers. As a result, GOWIN Semiconductor offers pre-certified GW1NRF-4 Bluetooth Low Energy modules that can be easily designed into products without performing additional certification.

The GOWIN GW1NRF-4 Certified Bluetooth module is 19x20mm in size and includes the GW1NRF-4 device, all required passives, crystal oscillators and an antenna creating a plug and play path to enabling products with FPGA and Bluetooth capabilities.

GOWIN will present some of the many GW1NRF-4 BLE enabled FPGA use cases for mobile influenced, IoT and industrial markets at MIPI DevCon 2021. They will discuss and demonstrate how the use of flexible high speed IO and parallel processing can be used to develop unique end product capabilities.

As the only integrated BLE programmable logic device in the market, Gowin GW1NRF attracts tremendous customer interests in Asia, especially in IoT space, said by Stanley Tse, Sales Director (Asia) of Gowin Semiconductor Corp and General Manager of Gowin Semiconductor Hong Kong, the availability of GW1NRF-4 Certified Bluetooth enables design innovation and further reduce customer products time-to-market.

About GOWIN Semiconductor Corp.

Founded in 2014, Gowin Semiconductor Corp., headquartered with major R&D in China, has the vision to accelerate customer innovation worldwide with our programmable solutions. We focus on optimizing our products and removing barriers for customers using programmable logic devices. Our commitment to technology and quality enables customers to reduce the total cost of ownership from using FPGA on their production boards. Our offerings include a broad portfolio of programmable logic devices, design software, intellectual property (IP) cores, reference designs, and development kits. We strive to serve customers in the consumer, industrial, communication, medical, and automotive markets worldwide.

For more information about GOWIN, please visit www.gowinsemi.com

Copyright 2020 GOWIN Semiconductor Corp. GOWIN, LittleBee, GW1N/NR/NS/1NSR/1NZ, Arora, GW2A/AR, GOWIN EDA and other designated brands included herein are trademarks of GOWIN Semiconductor Corp. in China and other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. For more information, please email info@gowinsemi.com

Media Contact:

Scott Casper

scott@gowinsemi.com
Over the last 125 years, OshKosh BGosh has outfitted millions of kids and multiple generations. To celebrate the major milestone, the company will release a limited-edition capsule collection with overalls and T-shirts that fit kids and adults.

While OshKosh originally launched as a source of durable overalls for adult workers in 1895, the brand has since become a childrens wear line. For a brief time in 2004, the company released adult apparel, but have not held the offering since.

Still, according to Jeff Jenkins, executive vice president of global marketing at Carters Inc. and Zia Taylor, vice president of design for OshKosh the denim lovers had been able to find the durable apparel in vintage stores if they were willing to pay a high price.

We went back and looked at the history and the last time that we can find that we [offered adult sizes] was about 15 or 20 years ago, Jenkins said. Whats really interesting is we keep finding when you walk into any vintage shop and find the original adult Oshkosh overalls they are coming up for hundreds of dollars. Our ceo was in a shop [and saw that people were] paying $125 to $400 for adult overalls and some of the old baby overalls from OshKosh from years ago.

Jenkins shared that the team felt the companys large birthday was the perfect time to invite all generations to embrace the brand once again. I think when we thought about 125th [anniversary] question was always how do you celebrate, Jenkins said. The brand has such amazing recall, and people just say when you say OshKosh, they love it. Its a very nostalgic brand and everyone has a picture of themselves in it as a kid. One of the things we started thinking about was this: it is a brand that started out making adult workwear. And we sort of said How can we go back to the roots of the brand in a fun way?

The 125th anniversary capsule, he said, is a nod to the brands history, but at the same time, will give all the Millennials who are now parents a chance to match with their kids. The collections T-shirt was also born out of brand nostalgia. Anecdotally, Taylor shared that the design was actually taken from an archival shirt from the late Seventies and Eighties that she had hung in her office.

Story continues

We have a great archive in our office, it was really exciting to dig through that, read through all the details and kind of reimagine what it could be, Taylor said. The T-shirt Ive actually been hanging in my office for years. And its kind of perfect. Its a really nice clean throwback. And people just coming in and [saying], I wish we could find that T-shirt.

In designing the overalls for the anniversary capsule collection, Taylor said it was important to get every detail right to incorporate both the heritage elements and the capabilities of todays modern denim. Nodding to the history, the final design includes the classic yellow and blue logo and real metal hardware that has been a part of the overalls since 1954.

I would say the piece thats kind of cool and the one really modern piece is that weve added stretch for kids, and women, and the womens fit, Taylor said. So we have stretch for kids, which makes it like perfect and just so much comfier. The wash looks incredibly authentic  it doesnt stretch, so using that technology thats happened in in denim development you can get it a completely authentic wash.

The denim washes chosen, Taylor said, was through a process of looking at both the companys full archive and what vintage-wearing influencers are wearing now.

The fact that were in the midst of a global sort of pandemic and the way we thought about it is, what weve seen consumer trends wise is that consumers are running into the brands they trust, Jenkins said. And theres not a more trusted brand name than OshKosh, and we just thought what a fun time right time to bring back every trusted American brand so that you know its one you trust and love, and you give some people some sort of joy during this time.

The collection will be available in select stores and online starting Aug. 27.

For More WWD Business News:

This Swimwear Brand Touts Natural Dyes and Environmental Karma

Chipotle Launching Sustainable Apparel Line Dyed With Avocados

Amex Trendex Finds Shifts in Global Spending

Sign up for WWD's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
Heavy rainfall and a hail storm caused flash flooding in a number of municipalities in Seville on Tuesday, with the town of Estepa one of the worst affected. As seen in videos shared on social media, the force of the water carried away cars parked in the streets and caused the collapse of at least one house.

Spains Aemet weather agency has been warning since Monday of a yellow alert in Sevilles Sierra Sur area, with the level being raised to orange almost by surprise at around 4pm on Tuesday.

Emergency services were sent to the affected areas in order to deal with the situation, with the local council in Estepa sending reinforcements once the extent of the situation became clear. The full damage of the weather event is yet to be confirmed.

A resident of Estepa with her furniture on the street after Tuesday's extreme weather event. Jose Manuel Vidal (EFE)

The heavy rainfall has also caused problems in the municipality of Herrera and in a number of areas in Cordoba province, including the capital city, which reported around two dozen incidents.

A similar meteorological phenomenon was seen last year, when a hailstorm caused damage in a number of areas in Andalusia toward the end of August.

English version by Simon Hunter.
ASM: TSX/NYSE American

VANCOUVER, BC, Aug. 11, 2020 /PRNewswire/ - Avino Silver & Gold Mines Ltd. (TSX: ASM) (NYSE American: ASM) (FSE: GV6) ("Avino" or "the Company") released today its consolidated financial results for the Company's second quarter ended June 30, 2020. The Financial Statements and Management's Discussion and Analysis (MD&A) can be viewed on the Company's web site at www.avino.com, on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and on EDGAR at www.sec.gov.

David Wolfin, President and CEO commented, "Similar to many other mining companies, Avino's financial performance for the second quarter was impacted by the temporary mine shutdown due to Covid-19, which in turn resulted in decreased production.

At the beginning of June, the Company announced a phased ramp-up of operational activities and a production restart. As we head into the second half of the year, our plans to commence the 2020 exploration program, as well as connect the underground levels at the Avino Mine to allow for a higher haulage rate to surface for processing, have been put on hold with the current strike action.

I would like to thank our employees globally for their dedication and commitment to safety during these challenging times. The health and wellness of all of our employees and stakeholders continues to be imperative along with protecting our shareholder's interests."

Second Quarter 2020 Financial Highlights

Revenues from mining operations of $4.8 million , down 38% from Q2 2019

, down 38% from Q2 2019 Mine operating income of $0.8 million , up 166% from Q2 2019

, up 166% from Q2 2019 Loss before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization ("EBITDA") 2 of $0.8 million

of Adjusted EBITDA 2 of $2.0 million

of Net loss from continuing operations of $1.1 million , or $0.01 per share

, or per share Consolidated cash costs 2 of $10.92 per silver equivalent payable ounce 1

of per silver equivalent payable ounce Consolidated all-in sustaining cash cost ("AISC") 2 of $16.37 per silver payable equivalent ounce 1

of per silver payable equivalent ounce Working capital of $13.8 million

Reduction in term facility and equipment debt by $2.2 million since December 31, 2019

1. In Q2, 2020, AgEq was calculated using metals prices of $16.38 oz Ag, $1,707 oz Au and $2.45 lb Cu. In Q2, 2019, AgEq was calculated using metals prices of $14.88 oz Ag, $1,309 oz Au and $2.77 lb Cu. Calculated figures may not add up due to rounding.

2. "Silver equivalent payable ounces sold" for the purposes of cash costs and all-in sustaining costs consists of the sum of payable silver ounces, gold ounces and copper tonnes sold, multiplied by the ratio of the average spot gold and copper prices to the average spot silver price for the corresponding period.

3. The Company reports non-IFRS measures which include cash cost per silver equivalent payable ounce, all-in sustaining cash cost per payable ounce, EBITDA, adjusted EBITDA, and cash flow per share. These measures are widely used in the mining industry as a benchmark for performance, but do not have a standardized meaning and the calculation methods may differ from methods used by other companies with similar reported measures. See Non-IFRS Measures section for further information and detailed reconciliations.

HIGHLIGHTS (Expressed in 000's of US$) Second Quarter

2020 Second Quarter

2019 Change YTD 2020 YTD 2019 Change Financial





Revenues $ 4,840 $ 7,813 -38% $ 11,956 $ 14,524 -18% Mine operating income $ 787 $ 296 166% $ 1,630 $ 352 363% Net loss from continuing operations $ (1,111) $ (125) -789% $ (1,343) $ (664) -102% Net loss including discontinued operations $ (1,276) $ (166) -669% $ (1,508) $ (776) -94% Cash $ 10,386 $ 3,405 205% $ 10,386 $ 3,405 205% Working capital $ 13,797 $ 8,665 59% $ 13,797 $ 8,665 59% Earnings before interest, taxes and amortization

("EBITDA")1 $ (797) $ 609 -231% $ (425) $ 658 -164% Adjusted EBITDA1 $ 1,958 $ 350 458% $ 2,349 $ 350 567% Per Share Amounts





Loss per share from cont. operations  basic $ (0.01) $ - -100% $ (0.02) $ (0.01) -100% Loss per share  basic $ (0.02) $ - -100% $ (0.02) $ (0.01) -100% Cash Flow per share (YTD)1  basic $ - $ 0.01 -100% $ - $ 0.01 -100%



1. The Company reports non-IFRS measures which include cash cost per silver equivalent payable ounce, all-in sustaining cash cost per payable ounce, EBITDA, adjusted EBITDA, and cash flow per share. These measures are widely used in the mining industry as a benchmark for performance, but do not have a standardized meaning and the calculation methods may differ from methods used by other companies with similar reported measures. See Non-IFRS Measures section for further information and detailed reconciliations.

Costs and Capital Expenditures:

Capital expenditures for the first half of 2020 were $0.7 million compared to $4.9 million for the corresponding period in 2019, with the decrease due mostly to the timing of expenditures and a cautious approach regarding the current COVID-19 pandemic. We expect that this amount will increase later into 2020, as certain capital expenditures have been pushed into the latter half of the year, and potentially into 2021.

Operational Highlights and Overview

HIGHLIGHTS (Expressed in US$) Second Quarter

2020 Second Quarter

2019 Change YTD 2020 YTD 2019 Change Operating





Tonnes Milled 40,190 200,873 -80% 204,286 398,560 -49% Silver Ounces Produced 50,581 246,129 -78% 317,299 514,528 -38% Gold Ounces Produced 404 1,609 -75% 1,935 3,422 -43% Copper Pounds Produced 459,767 1,136,113 -60% 2,267,939 2,198,815 3% Silver Equivalent Ounces1 Produced 158,286 599,493 -74% 842,230 1,214,512 -31% Concentrate Sales and Cash Costs





Silver Equivalent Payable Ounces Sold3 322,886 618,894 -48% 897,953 1,141,521 -21% Cash Cost per Silver Equivalent Payable Ounce1,2,3 $ 10.92 $ 10.89 -% $ 10.22 $ 11.14 -8% All-in Sustaining Cash Cost per Silver Equivalent

Payable Ounce1,2,3 $ 16.37 $ 15.61 5% $ 15.42 $ 15.89 -3%



1. In Q2, 2020, AgEq was calculated using metals prices of $16.38 oz Ag, $1,707 oz Au and $2.45 lb Cu. In Q2, 2019, AgEq was calculated using metals prices of $14.88 oz Ag, $1,309 oz Au and $2.77 lb Cu. Calculated figures may not add up due to rounding.

2. "Silver equivalent payable ounces sold" for the purposes of cash costs and all-in sustaining costs consists of the sum of payable silver ounces, gold ounces and copper tonnes sold, before penalties, treatment charges, and refining charges, multiplied by the ratio of the average spot gold and copper prices to the average spot silver price for the corresponding period.

3. The Company reports non-IFRS measures which include cash cost per silver equivalent payable ounce, all-in sustaining cash cost per payable ounce, EBITDA, adjusted EBITDA, and cash flow per share. These measures are widely used in the mining industry as a benchmark for performance, but do not have a standardized meaning and the calculation methods may differ from methods used by other companies with similar reported measures. See Non-IFRS Measures section for further information and detailed reconciliations.

As a result of the temporary shutdown due to COVID-19, all production results in Q2 2020 were lower than anticipated compared to Q2 2019. In addition, all production for the quarter came from the Avino Mine only. Silver equivalent production in Q2 2020 decreased by 56% compared to Q2 2019. Copper production decreased by 54%, with silver and gold production decreased by 52 and 50%, respectively. This was offset by higher than planned grades, as well as higher recovery rates as a result of the grade increase and metallurgical improvements.

Operational Overview

Consolidated Production Tables

Q2 2020 Production by Mine Tonnes

Processed Silver

Oz Gold

Oz Copper

Lbs AgEq Avino 40,190 50,581 404 459,767 158,286 Historic Above Ground Stockpiles - - - - - Consolidated 40,190 50,581 404 459,767 158,286 YTD 2020 Production by Mine Tonnes

Processed Silver

Oz Gold

Oz Copper

Lbs AgEq Avino 199,575 312,819 1,916 2,263,082 835,370 Historic Above Ground Stockpiles 4,711 4,481 19 4,857 6,860 Consolidated 204,286 317,299 1,935 2,267,939 842,230

Q2 2020 Grade & Recovery by Mine Grade

Ag g/t Grade

Au g/t Grade

Cu % Recovery

Ag % Recovery

Au % Recovery

Cu % Avino 43 0.40 0.58 90% 79% 90% Historic Above Ground Stockpiles - - - - - - Consolidated 43 0.40 0.58 90% 79% 90% YTD 2020 Grade & Recovery by Mine Grade

Ag g/t Grade

Au g/t Grade

Cu % Recovery

Ag % Recovery

Au % Recovery

Cu % Avino 54 0.40 0.58 90% 75% 88% Historic Above Ground Stockpiles 59 0.31 0.15 50% 41% 31% Consolidated 54 0.40 0.57 89% 74% 87%



* In Q2, 2020, AgEq was calculated using metals prices of $16.94 oz Ag, $1,584 oz Au and $2.56 lb Cu. In Q2, 2019, AgEq was calculated using metals prices of $15.57 oz Ag, $1,304 oz Au and $2.82 lb Cu. Calculated figures may not add up due to rounding.

The Company continues to explore the potential of dry stack tailings as discussed earlier in the year as well as automation upgrades which are still planned and budgeted for. In addition, during the second quarter equipment was installed in Mill Circuit 4 to help boost metallurgical recovery on gold and to a lesser extent silver.

Exercise of Warrants

At the start of the third quarter, the Company received proceeds from the exercise of warrants. The Company will use the proceeds to execute on its operational plans.

Mine Update

Further to the company's press release dated July 10, 2020, good-faith negotiations with representatives of the authorized union are ongoing and an update will be provided when further information is available.

Non-IFRS Measures

The financial results in this news release include references to cash flow per share, cash cost per silver equivalent ounce, and all-in sustaining cash cost per silver equivalent ounce, EBITDA and adjusted EBITDA, all of which are non-IFRS measures. Cash flow per share, cash cost per ounce, and all-in sustaining cash cost per ounce are measures developed by mining companies in an effort to provide a comparable standard of performance. However, there can be no assurance that our reporting of these non-IFRS measures is similar to that reported by other mining companies. Cash flow per share, cash cost per silver equivalent ounce, and all-in sustaining cash cost per silver equivalent ounce are measures used by the Company to manage and evaluate operating performance of the Company's mining operations, and are widely reported in the silver and gold mining industry as benchmarks for performance, but do not have standardized meanings prescribed by IFRS, and are disclosed in addition to the prescribed IFRS measures provided in the Company's financial statements and MD&A.

Conference Call and Webcast

In addition, the Company will be holding a conference call and webcast on Wednesday, August 12, 2020 at 8:00 am PDT (11:00 am EDT). Shareholders, analysts, investors and media are invited to join the webcast and conference call by logging in here http://services.choruscall.ca/links/avino20200812.html or by dialing the following numbers five to ten minutes prior to the start time:

Toll Free Canada & USA: 1-800-319-4610

Outside of Canada & USA: 1-604-638-5340

No passcode is necessary to participate in the conference call or webcast; participants will have the opportunity to ask questions during the Q&A portion.

The conference call and webcast will be recorded, and the replay will be available on the Company's web site later that day.

Qualified Person(s)

Peter Latta, P.Eng, MBA, Avino's VP Technical Services, who is a qualified person within the context of National Instrument 43-101 and has reviewed and approved the technical data in this document.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

"David Wolfin"

________________________________

David Wolfin

President & CEO

Avino Silver & Gold Mines Ltd.

Safe Harbor Statement - This news release contains "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" (together, the "forward looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws and the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including, but are not limited to, the Company's ability to meet its production guidance, expectations of All-In Sustaining Cash Cost ("AISC"), information on the updated mineral resource estimate for the Company's Avino Property located near Durango in west-central Mexico (the "Property") with an effective date of February 21, 2018, and amended on December 19, 2018, prepared for the Company, and reference to Measured, Indicated, Inferred Resources referred to in this press release. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release and the dates of technical reports, as applicable. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, as there can be no assurance that the future circumstances, outcomes or results anticipated in or implied by such forward-looking statements will occur or that plans, intentions or expectations upon which the forward-looking statements are based will occur. While we have based these forward-looking statements on our expectations about future events as at the date that such statements were prepared, the statements are not a guarantee that such future events will occur and are subject to risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors which could cause events or outcomes to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. No assurance can be given that the Company's Property does not have the amount of the mineral resources indicated in the updated report or that such mineral resources may be economically extracted.

Such factors and assumptions include, among others, the effects of general economic conditions, the price of gold, silver and copper, changing foreign exchange rates and actions by government authorities, uncertainties associated with legal proceedings and negotiations and misjudgments in the course of preparing forward-looking information. In addition, there are known and unknown risk factors which could cause our actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Known risk factors include risks associated with project development; the need for additional financing; operational risks associated with mining and mineral processing; fluctuations in metal prices; title matters; uncertainties and risks related to carrying on business in foreign countries; environmental liability claims and insurance; reliance on key personnel; the potential for conflicts of interest among certain of our officers, directors or promoters with certain other projects; the absence of dividends; currency fluctuations; competition; dilution; the volatility of the our common share price and volume; tax consequences to U.S. investors; and other risks and uncertainties. Although we have attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. We are under no obligation to update or alter any forward-looking statements except as required under applicable securities laws.

Cautionary Note Regarding Non-GAAP Measures

This news release includes certain terms or performance measures commonly used in the mining industry that are not defined under International Financial Reporting Standards ("IFRS"), including silver equivalent ounces (AgEq oz) of production. Non-GAAP measures do not have any standardized meaning prescribed under IFRS and, therefore, they may not be comparable to similar measures reported by other companies. We believe that, in addition to conventional measures prepared in accordance with IFRS, certain investors use this information to evaluate our performance. The data presented is intended to provide additional information and should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for measures of performance prepared in accordance with IFRS. Readers should also refer to our management's discussion and analysis available under our corporate profile at www.sedar.com or on our website at www.avino.com

SOURCE Avino Silver & Gold Mines Ltd.

Related Links

http://www.avino.com/


On most Fridays, you will find Yusuf Faqiris tall, broad frame hunched over a small grave marker at a cemetery in Ajax.

For the past three and a half years, the 36-year-old public servant has been visiting his brothers final resting place with a promise in mind: to hold those responsible for his death accountable.

Yet fulfilling that promise has been painfully elusive, highlighting concerning dysfunction in our justice system.

Yusufs brother Soleiman, also fondly known as Soli, was diagnosed with schizophrenia following a car accident while studying environmental engineering at the University of Waterloo. Up until then, he had been the rock of his family  a straight-A student who even taught his mother how to read. Following his diagnosis, his family watched his health deteriorate and, from time to time, police would be asked to intervene under the Mental Health Act.

The last such incident involved an altercation with a neighbour that resulted for the first time in various assault charges against Soleiman. But instead of medical treatment, Soleiman was taken to prison and put into segregation, waiting for a bed to become available at a nearby hospital. He remained in solitary confinement for 11 days.

His family would never see him alive again. They were simply notified of Soleimans death without any given explanation. No one from the jail or from the Ministry of the Solicitor General offered condolences.

What happened inside has now been the subject of two criminal investigations, an internal ministry probe, a coroners report and a media investigation that included the testimony of an eyewitness. Every piece of information and revelation to date has clearly pointed to a system that not only failed to protect a vulnerable young man but that was responsible for his demise.

No one has been fully held accountable.

The most recent blow to the Faqiri family came last week when the Ontario Provincial Police concluded that it wouldnt seek criminal charges against any of the corrections officers involved in the confrontation that led to Soleimans death. The forces unconscionable reasoning was it couldnt ascertain exactly who did what in the melee that saw Soleiman punched, pepper-sprayed, shackled and covered in a spit-hood before taking his final breaths inside his isolation cell.

Its a huge slap in the face to the family of Soleiman Faqiri and to all Canadians who expect that the police do their job diligently, regardless of who the alleged perpetrators are or who the alleged victims are, said the familys lawyer, Nader Hasan, in an interview. There is no doubt in my mind that the outcome would have been different if Soleiman wasnt in pre-trial custody and his killers werent correctional officers.

Hasan isnt alone in questioning the OPPs reasoning, which it has claimed is based on a legal opinion from the local Crown attorneys office that it refuses to make public. Other prominent criminal and human rights lawyers, including Paul Champ and Clayton Ruby, have similarly spoken out against the forces conclusion, which essentially suggests that if a group of people kill someone, no one can be held responsible unless it is absolutely clear who did what.

With the backdrop of the Black Lives Matter movement and the subsequent spotlight on police brutality of Black and brown people in both the United States and Canada, this case is one more example of why little trust exists between communities of colour and state institutions.

This unrelenting violence against Black, Indigenous and racialized people, particularly those whose lives intersect with disability, reflects a massive failure of government  at all levels  to meet its obligations to protect and promote human dignity, equity and non-discrimination. This violence must end now, reads a statement released this week and signed by a host of organizations serving racialized communities, including the Black Legal Action Centre and the Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants. They, too, are demanding answers.

The burden of pushing for reform shouldnt rest solely on the shoulders of those who have lost someone to systems that keep failing. Justice is a collective promise we owe each other. Keeping it starts with accountability.
We are honored that so many of our team members have received such prestigious awards, recognizing the amazing dedication of our management, leasing, and maintenance teams across the county.

While the COVID pandemic of 2020 has forced much of the business world off-course, PRG Real Estate, a leading multifamily investment, and management company celebrates its success by recognizing the dedicated people who make the company extraordinary.

PRG Real Estate proudly acknowledges its outstanding team members who are recipients of the prestigious awards presented by apartment associations across the country.



Jayme Presley, Regional Director: Corporate Employee of the Year  Virginia Apartment Management Association

Danielle Porche, Regional Director: Multi-Site Supervisor of the Year  Louisville Apartment Association

Omar Sosa, Regional Maintenance Director: Maintenance Supervisor of the Year  Kansas City Apartment Association

Jamie Jacobs, Property Manager: Property Manager of the Year  Kansas City Apartment Association

Reserve at Barry Apartments: Maintenance Team of the Year  Kansas City Apartment Association

Chris Piercy, Maintenance Supervisor: Maintenance Supervisor of the Year  Central Virginia Apartment Association

Jessica Tolliver-Holstine, Assistant Manager of the Year  Lexington Apartment Association

Gary Morasco, Maintenance Technician: Maintenance Technician of the Year - Central Virginia Apartment Association

Roberto Santiago, Maintenance Technician: Maintenance Technician of the Year  Lexington Apartment Association

Melissa Russell, Manager-in-Training: Rookie of the Year  Virginia Apartment Management Association

PRG Real Estate is grateful for the ongoing support and resources provided by the National Apartment Association and, in turn, PRG is proud to be an active member of all local apartment associations in markets where they operate properties.

Kathleen Betz, Chief Operating Officer of PRG Real Estate Management, acknowledges the great pride that the company has in the success of its employees. We are honored that so many of our team members have received such prestigious awards, recognizing the amazing dedication of our management, leasing, and maintenance teams across the county.

PRG Real Estate looks forward to the new growth opportunities presented to its teams as its portfolio of properties continues to expand.

Learn more about PRG Real Estate at http://www.PRGRealEstate.com
From Town & Country

Royal reporters Carolyn Durand and Omid Scobie's new book Finding Freedom has provided the most intimate portrait yet of what Meghan Markle and Prince Harry went through during their years dating and as newly-married working royals. The authors also managed to get some new, intimate details about their son Archie and how the couple's first year with him went.

Here, the biggest revelations.

Meghan and Harry knew Archie's gender before he was born.

In fact, Meghan quietly revealed to her friends at her baby shower that she was expecting a baby boy. In February 2019, ELLE.com learned from sources close to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex that Harry and Meghan had found out the sex of their newborn, but the couple has elected to keep it a surprise from the public.

Meghan was eight days overdue with Archie and had planned on a hospital birth for months.

A friend called them "the longest eight days of her life! But her patience and calm were amazing during that timeshe just said, 'The baby will come when it comes.' And that was that."

A source told the authors that Meghan "knew it would be a hospital birth for a few months" despite discussions of home birth early on. "All she cared about was having the baby in the safest way possible," the source said. "She was more and more nervous as she approached the due date, so I would say in some ways it was relief for her to be doing it in a traditional hospital."

Meghan additionally never considered giving birth at Lindo Wing at St. Mary's Hospital (where Kate Middleton gave birth to all three children), opting to give birth at Portland Hospital instead. Meghan had an "uncomplicated" birth and did not deliver by C-section. She "took the advice" of the doctors, source said.

Meghan's first moments with Archie were "total bliss."

A friend told Durand and Scobie that "Archie was alert as soon as he arrivedeyes wide open. Meghan described the moment she first held Archie as 'ecstasytotal bliss and contentment.'"

Story continues

A trusted confidant added that "like any new mother, you cant fully know what to expect until you have been through it."

Meghan and Harry chose Archie's name during the final week of her pregnancy.

A source revealed that Meghan and Harry knew days before Archie's birth what his name would be. "They thought about Archibald for all of one second," a friend of the couple said with a laugh. He was always going to be little Archie. His nicknames over his first year alive were "Arch" and "Bubba."

Meghan called her first day with Archie a "pinch-me moment."

Meghan texted friends after Archie's birth, calling their first day a "pinch-me" moment and marveling over how well-behaved he was. "Hes barely cried. Hes an angel," Meghan said.

Archie was also a quiet baby, with Meghan telling a friend that Archie slept so quietly she sometimes wanted him to make noise so she knew he was okay.

Photo credit: WPA Pool - Getty Images

Meghan was not amused by the British press's demands to see her son.

"The same people who have been abusing me want me to serve my child on a silver platter," she told a friend, according to Scobie and Durand, around the time of his christening. "A child who is not going to be protected and doesnt have a title. How does that make sense? Tell that to any mother in the world."

Photo credit: Pool - Getty Images

Archie is already a tall baby.

While Meghan and Harry were in Canada, Meghan told friends that her son, hes in the ninetieth percentile for height."

Archie loves being read to and secretly went to baby-and-me classes with Meghan.

Durand and Scobie report that Archies favorite book back in September was Is Your Mama a Llama? While Archie lived with his parents at Frogmore Cottage, Meghan took him to classes, like the Happy Clappy music class in Windsor. "All the moms, and two dads, in the room were wide-eyed as the Duchess of Sussex joined their circle with Archie, who went straight for a tambourine and, according to his mom, 'loved it,'" Scobie and Durand wrote.

The authors also reported that in the summer of 2019, Archie was already taking baby swimming classes. During the couple's late September tour of South Africa, Archie was "mimicking the sound of animals during their stay at the high commissioners residence in Cape Town," the authors wrote.

Meghan sent Harry photos and videos of Archie to lift his spirits while he was negotiating their royal exit.

Back in January 2020 when Harry was in England negotiating his and Meghan's stepping back from their senior royal family roles, Meghan remained in Canada with their son Archie. She would send him photos, Durand and Scobie reported, to try to cheer Harry up, including a video of the first time Archie saw snow.

Harry was focused on making things right for his own little family, a source close to the couple told the authors. This is tearing him apart. He loves the Queen, but his wife feels aggrieved, and he adores his son. Harrys whole world is Archie. Hes the most amazing father.

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This article will reflect on the compensation paid to Christopher Williams who has served as CEO of Wynnstay Properties Plc (LON:WSP) since 2006. This analysis will also assess whether Wynnstay Properties pays its CEO appropriately, considering recent earnings growth and total shareholder returns.

View our latest analysis for Wynnstay Properties

Comparing Wynnstay Properties Plc's CEO Compensation With the industry

At the time of writing, our data shows that Wynnstay Properties Plc has a market capitalization of UK16m, and reported total annual CEO compensation of UK160k for the year to March 2020. That's a notable decrease of 13% on last year. In particular, the salary of UK129.0k, makes up a huge portion of the total compensation being paid to the CEO.

In comparison with other companies in the industry with market capitalizations under UK153m, the reported median total CEO compensation was UK209k. So it looks like Wynnstay Properties compensates Christopher Williams in line with the median for the industry. What's more, Christopher Williams holds UK70k worth of shares in the company in their own name.

Component 2020 2019 Proportion (2020) Salary UK129k UK151k 81% Other UK31k UK33k 19% Total Compensation UK160k UK184k 100%

On an industry level, around 53% of total compensation represents salary and 47% is other remuneration. It's interesting to note that Wynnstay Properties pays out a greater portion of remuneration through salary, compared to the industry. If salary dominates total compensation, it suggests that CEO compensation is leaning less towards the variable component, which is usually linked with performance.

Wynnstay Properties Plc's Growth

Over the last three years, Wynnstay Properties Plc has shrunk its earnings per share by 65% per year. Its revenue is up 2.5% over the last year.

Few shareholders would be pleased to read that earnings have declined. The modest increase in revenue in the last year isn't enough to make us overlook the disappointing change in earnings per share. These factors suggest that the business performance wouldn't really justify a high pay packet for the CEO. We don't have analyst forecasts, but you could get a better understanding of its growth by checking out this more detailed historical graph of earnings, revenue and cash flow.

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Has Wynnstay Properties Plc Been A Good Investment?

Wynnstay Properties Plc has generated a total shareholder return of 17% over three years, so most shareholders would be reasonably content. But they probably don't want to see the CEO paid more than is normal for companies around the same size.

In Summary...

As previously discussed, Christopher is compensated close to the median for companies of its size, and which belong to the same industry. According to our analysis, Wynnstay Properties is suffering from uninspiring earnings growth, and even though shareholder returns are stable, they are hardly impressive. This doesn't compare well with CEO compensation, which is largely in line with the industry median. We wouldn't go as far as saying CEO compensation is inappropriate, but we don't think the executive is underpaid.

CEO pay is simply one of the many factors that need to be considered while examining business performance. That's why we did our research, and identified 7 warning signs for Wynnstay Properties (of which 2 are concerning!) that you should know about in order to have a holistic understanding of the stock.

Important note: Wynnstay Properties is an exciting stock, but we understand investors may be looking for an unencumbered balance sheet and blockbuster returns. You might find something better in this list of interesting companies with high ROE and low debt.

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.
News / Film & TV Reporter

James is on the news desk where he focuses on protest reporting. Outside of reporting for the Daily Emerald, he is a former reporter and copy editor at LCC's The Torch, has contributed to KISS vinyl guides as a collector and is a vintage vinyl dealer.
ST. LOUIS  Two Washington University doctors have been leading a national effort to study convalescent plasma, a centuries-old treatment for infectious diseases, and believe they have submitted enough data to secure federal approval for emergency use against COVID-19.

Doctors have been injecting coronavirus patients with plasma since March. But approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration could vastly expand use of the treatment, which has shown some success, here and across the country.

Washington U. doctors Jeffrey Henderson and Brenda Grossman, leaders of the National COVID-19 Convalescent Plasma Project, were on a team with Minnesotas Mayo Clinic that reported earlier this month that hospitalized coronavirus patients who received donor plasma with high concentrations of antibodies were 10 percentage points more likely to survive.

Henderson and Grossman expect a decision from the FDA any day and are hopeful.

I am completely amazed at how well things have come together, said Grossman. I never thought wed be able to accomplish what weve already accomplished in this short amount of time. Usually these things take forever.
Sen. Kamala Harris speaks in Washington on Aug. 6, 2020. She was chosen as presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden's running mate on Aug. 11, 2020. (Toni Sandys/Pool/Getty Images)

Conway Calls on Harris to Clarify Stance on Late-Term Abortion

Harris 'very much part of the radical left,' White House adviser says

White House adviser Kellyanne Conway on Aug. 12 called on presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Bidens new running mate to clarify her stance on late-term abortion and other issues.

Shes very much part of the radical left. She is for the Green New Deal. She is for government-run health care. She is for abortion in the ninth month. And if shes not, I want her to say that today, Conway told reporters outside the White House when asked about Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.).

Because the Democratic Party platform basically is abortionanyone, anytime, anywhere, no restrictions, no regulationseven though we knowand I can introduce you to them, theyve been in the White Housepeople who have survived abortions.

The Biden campaign didnt respond to a request for comment.

Abortion is the termination of unborn babies or fetuses. Once pushed as safe, legal, and rare by top Democrats, many in the party now push for wider and wider access, even as most Americans believe it should be illegal to get abortions later in pregnancy.

Harris voted in 2018 against a bill that would have limited abortions to the first 20 weeks of pregnancy and made it a crime to perform abortions if the fetus was 20 weeks or older. She later co-sponsored legislation that would have axed some requirements for and limits on the procedure, including invalidating any state law that prohibits abortion after fetal viability when, in the good-faith medical judgment of the treating physician, continuation of the pregnancy would pose a risk to the pregnant womans life or health.

NARAL, a pro-abortion group, currently rates Harriss congressional record as what it describes as 100 percent pro-choice.

The organizations president, Ilyse Hogue, applauded Harris being chosen as the vice-presidential nominee, writing in a statement that Harris has cosponsored critical legislation to protect and advance reproductive freedom, including the Womens Health Protection Act (WHPA) to protect our right to access abortion care free from medically unnecessary restrictions and bans.

In an illustration photo, a doctor performs an ultrasound on a pregnant woman during her visit to a gynecologist. (Jennifer Jacobs/AFP/Getty Images)

Just 10 percent of Americans support late-term abortion, or abortion in the third trimester, according to a number of polls and surveys.

We know people who have survived outside of the womb at 22, 23, 24 weeks and go on to have great lives, God bless them, Conway said.

If shes not for late-term abortion, if shes not for sex-selection abortion, if shes changed her mind on voting against abortions after the 20th week, because she voted against that as a United States senator, Im open to hearing that.

Harris also sparked criticism for choosing to prosecute citizen journalist David Daleiden after he and other Center for Medical Progress investigators published videos they said showed that Planned Parenthood was selling aborted baby body parts. Harris, the California attorney general at the time, ordered an investigation into Daleiden instead of probing Planned Parenthood.

The Center for Medical Progress filed a lawsuit against her and current California Attorney General Xavier Becerra in May, alleging a violation of civil rights.

A judge in December 2019 dismissed five felony charges against Daleiden and another activist.

Abortion can be a wedge issue. Some voters chose to support Donald Trump because of his pro-life stance, according to The Great Revolt by Salena Zito and Brad Todd.

Over 40 percent of black and Hispanic Democrats or voters who lean Democrat dont agree with their own partys stance on abortion, according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted last year.

The Trump campaign also described Harris as a radical, pointing to Harriss support of the Green New Deal, support of so-called sanctuary cities, and desire to eliminate private insurance.

Harris is the most radical, far-left Vice Presidential nominee in U.S. history, the campaign said in a statement.

Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the Susan B. Anthony List, a pro-life group, said in a statement after Biden announced he chose Harris that the senator is an extremist who supports abortion on demand through birth, paid for by taxpayers, and even infanticidean agenda rejected by the overwhelming majority of Americans, including millions of Independents and rank-and-file Democrats.

According to the Biden campaign website, the presumptive nominee would expand access to contraception and protect the constitutional right to an abortion if elected president.

The Affordable Care Act made historic progress by ensuring access to free preventive care, including contraception. The Biden Plan will build on that progress, the campaign stated.

Vice President Biden supports repealing the Hyde Amendment because health care is a right that should not be dependent on ones zip code or income. And, the public option will cover contraception and a womans constitutional right to choose.
Paris Saint-Germain manager Thomas Tuchel is expecting star man Neymar to put in one of biggest performances of his career in their Champions League quarter-final against Atalanta.

Tuchel's side take on the free-scoring Italian side on Wednesday night looking to reach the Champions League last-four for the first time in their history.

The Ligue 1 champions will be without key forward Kylian Mbappe, who has been struggling with an ankle injury and is likely to play his part from the substitutes' bench.

PSG boss Thomas Tuchel is expecting a big performance from Neymar on Wednesday night

Tuchel's (pictured) side take on Atalanta in the Champions League quarter-final in Lisbon

But Tuchel claims that the potential loss of Mbappe will be overshadowed by fellow attacker Neymar stepping up to the plate.

The German boss told his pre-match news conference: 'I have the impression there's always a lot of pressure on Neymar. You can't imagine the pressure that's on Ney. But he is a lad who likes that, who's used to playing with that pressure.

'We're glad he has the possibility of finishing the match with Kylian - they like playing together a lot.

Neymar (right) will need to step up as Kylian Mbappe (left) is struggling with an ankle injury

'He [Neymar] likes the big matches and he likes decisive matches. He's a player you can trust in the big matches.

'I'm absolutely convinced he will put on a big performance and that he holds the keys for us, he has the mentality for situations like this.'

The French side face a difficult test against Atalanta on Wednesday night, with the Bergamo club finishing as Serie A's top scorers with 98 goals.

While there is a fear-factor attached to Atalanta's attack, PSG have their own threats, which include Mbappe and Neymar, who fired the Parisian club to French Cup and League Cup victories in July.

Tuchel is wary of the threat posed by Atalanta - who scored 98 goals in Serie A last season

Tuchel believes this cup-winning mentality will serve PSG well in the one-off Atalanta game.

He added: 'It is hard to play against Atalanta. It is a huge challenge but there are always possibilities.

'It will be a tactical game, but also a mental game.

'Our latest training sessions were a good mix of concentration and team spirit.

Tuchel (left) will be hoping that Neymar (right) will be able to step up in Mbappe's absence

'We suffer together, but we also fight and play together. We all have the feeling we've prepared in the best fashion. For us it was really important to win the two finals.

'It wasn't easy to restart after a four-month pause and then four weeks' preparation to play two finals as the big favourites.

'That was a big challenge mentally for the players but to win was the best preparation for this tournament.'
MASSACHUSETTS  As families and school districts struggle with whether to send children back to the classroom, people are looking to whatever available data they can find to help inform their last-minute decisions.

One of the reports to garner attention this week is one from the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Childrens Hospital Association. It shows a 40 percent increase in pediatric coronavirus cases nationwide in the last two weeks of July, with nearly 100,000 testing positive in that time.

The latest public health data in Massachusetts shows more than 7,600 people under 20 having been diagnosed with COVID-19, making up nearly 6 percent of the state's confirmed cases to date.

According to the national report, pediatric cases made up a lower percentage of a state's total in only four states and New York City as of July 30. Since not all states have the same age range for children as Massachusetts (0-19), it's not a perfect comparison. For instance, Utah's data is for people 0-14 while Alabama's is 0-25.



Overall, children made up about 9 percent of all cases in the country as of the end of July.

The rate of pediatric cases in Massachusetts is at 474 per 100,000, almost exactly the national rate as of July 30.

None of the 8,519 deaths related to COVID-19 in Massachusetts have been children. There were 86 such deaths across the country in the national report, including three in New England  one in Maine and two in Connecticut.

Massachusetts has had 122 hospitalizations of people 0-19 due to COVID-19.

It's still not known what sort of long-term complications children can get as a result from COVID-19.

The national report comes at the 11th hour for Massachusetts school districts, which must submit finals plans for returning to learning by the end of the week.

Some parents are pushing for a widespread in-person return to class, while others are joining a vocal group of educators  including the Massachusetts Teachers Association  in calling for a fully remote start to the school year, which starts in about a month.

Gov. Charlie Baker has said the science and data do not support a fully remote start to school.



This article originally appeared on the Boston Patch
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-12 09:25:48|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- Chinese health authority said Wednesday that it received reports of 25 new confirmed COVID-19 cases on the Chinese mainland Tuesday, including 16 imported cases and nine locally-transmitted ones.

All of the nine new locally-transmitted cases were reported in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, the National Health Commission said in its daily report.

One new suspected COVID-19 case, which was imported from outside the mainland, was reported in Shanghai Municipality.

No deaths related to the disease were reported Tuesday. Enditem
Results for COVID-19 tests in the Roanoke region are taking anywhere from two days to two weeks, with the lag making it more difficult to curb the spread of the disease, Dr. Molly ODell said Tuesday.

ODell said once the test turnaround time stretches beyond 48 hours, it is harder to identify others who many have come into contact with the person infected with the coronavirus.

The further out we get before starting [investigations], the more chance there is for more spread, she said.

ODell is leading the pandemic response for the Roanoke and Alleghany Health Districts. The health department learns of new cases when lab results come in. Based on that information, it appears as though new cases of the disease have slowed from their more rapid pace earlier this summer.

We have gone from 80-something a day for about four weeks to the last 24 hours of 23 [new cases]. Last week and this week have certainly been better, but two weeks doesnt really indicate a trend. Its just a glimpse, she said.

A better measure of how the disease is acting in a community comes from looking at the Virginia Department of Healths data sets that show the onset of symptoms in people who are tested. This tracking lags anywhere from a day to two weeks , depending on when test results are returned.

At the beginning of the pandemic, it got to where it was 10 to 14 days. Then it was reliably, gosh, two to three days for a good while. These past two weeks, were seeing anywhere from two to 14 days again. Its very spotty, ODell said.

The local health department uses the states consolidated lab and the one set up by Virginia Tech to serve the region. Those results are still coming in quickly, she said.

But private labs, such as Quest and LabCorp, have been overwhelmed with tests to process and are getting backed up, she said. This is happening across the country and state.

ODell said the priority for testing remains with health care workers, vulnerable people such as elderly or those who live in group homes, and people with symptoms.

She said testing is not necessary for people without symptoms even if they have been in close contact with someone with the disease. Regardless of the result, they still need to quarantine for 14 days.

ODell was reporting on what are referred to as PCR tests, which involve swabs that can gather samples of the virus deep inside the nasal cavity. (Other tests, involving a blood draw, look for antibodies to see if someone might have had the virus.)

PCR tests detect when someone is infectious and most likely to spread the disease to others. To date, nearly 1.3 million of these tests have been given to Virginians at a daily rate fluctuating anywhere between 10,000 to 20,000. During the past week, on average, about 7.5% of tests statewide came back positive.

More than 38,000 of the overall tests have been given in Roanoke. The current rate for positive results is 6.6%. In the Alleghany Health District, which includes Salem, Covington and the counties of Alleghany, Botetourt, Craig and Roanoke, about 19,200 tests have been given. The current positivity rate is 3.8%.

ODell was also asked during her weekly news briefing about reopening of schools.

Im cautiously optimistic, she said. Our school superintendents, and this is our public school superintendents, have taken the responsibility of making a decision about face-to-face instruction extremely seriously.

She said there have been limited classes at community college and in the public schools.

There already has been instruction going on face to face, and we have not had any outbreaks related to the ongoing instruction since March, she said, adding that distancing, masking and sanitation kept it at bay.

She said both K-12 and higher education leaders have developed plans for what will occur inside their buildings.

She doesnt know what might come after hours for college students and parties.

I know each university has their own commitment and strategies for encouraging students to maintain social distancing and appropriate socializing. She said theres a plan to hire 92 additional environmental health specialists in Virginia to help enforce regulations in restaurants and bars that are licensed by the health department.

Really, in our district, restaurants have been very motivated to do the right thing because they want to stay open, she said.

The health department, though, has no authority to police house parties.
"The Charlotte R. Schmidlapp Fund was created to uplift and strengthen the lives of young women," said Heidi Jark, senior vice president and managing director, Foundation Office at Fifth Third Bank. "We are proud to support this program, as it provides women with the knowledge and skills that they need to be successful in the STEM and biomedical research industries."

The Charlotte R. Schmidlapp STEM Scholars piloted in 2017 and supports underrepresented minority girls and young women from middle school through college to pursue their interests in science and biomedical research. Through research opportunities, mentorship, structured networking and science symposiums, the goal of the program is to increase the number of young underrepresented minority women who eventually go to medical and/or graduate school.

"Nationally, there is a critical shortage of underrepresented minority women in medicine and in biomedical research, which adversely impacts efforts to optimize clinical outcomes, improve health equity, and conduct innovative, high-quality research," said Jessica Kahn, MD, MPH, Associate Chair of Academic Affairs and Career Development at Cincinnati Children's. "We want to be part of the solution to increase the number of underrepresented minority women who will transform patient care and conduct breakthrough research."

Because of the program's important role in fostering diversity of women in science, Cincinnati Children's will make an equal investment in the endowment and has pledged to help support the program until the endowment is fully funded in five years.

"We are deeply committed to supporting the development of young women who have been historically underrepresented in biomedical sciences and helping them reach their wildest dreams," said Jamilah Hackworth, EdD, Director of the Charlotte R. Schmidlapp STEM Scholars program.

For more information about the Charlotte R. Schmidlapp (STEM) Scholars program, go to: https://www.cincinnatichildrens.org/education/funded/schmidlapp.

About the Charlotte R. Schmidlapp Fund

The Charlotte R. Schmidlapp Fund was one of the first independent foundations in Ohio. It begun in 1908 in Cincinnati by Jacob G. Schmidlapp after the death of his daughter, Charlotte, in a car accident in France. Schmidlapp founded Union Savings and Trust, which later merged into what is now Fifth Third Bancorp. He instructed the fund's trustees to make grants that would aid women to establish themselves in life. With the theme of enoble, empower and uplift, The Charlotte R. Schmidlapp Fund was one of the first funds in the country created and solely dedicated exclusively to the needs of women and girls.

About the Foundation Office at Fifth Third Bank

The Foundation Office at Fifth Third Bank currently oversees over 300 private and corporate foundations which distribute grants in excess of $70 million annually. The Foundation Office is a member of the Council on Foundations, Philanthropy Ohio, Council of Michigan Foundations, PEAK Grantmaking and Philanthropy West Virginia, and abides by the guiding principles of these organizations for family and corporate foundations. The Foundation Office works with foundations residing across Fifth Third's10-state footprint as well as other states in which Fifth Third Bank clients reside.

SOURCE Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center
FREMONT, Calif., Aug. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Concentrix, a leading global Customer Experience Solutions Company, today announced SecureCX, the CX BPO industry's newest Work-at-Home (WAH) platform that provides next generation security features for WAH environments.

The global shift to remote working has accelerated the necessity for highly secure, off-premise systems access to ensure the same level of security as that of an on-premise office environment.

SecureCX, Concentrix' proprietary platform, provides advanced digital tools and technology for remote employee monitoring. Key features of SecureCX include biometric authentication/identification (facial recognition), monitoring for mobile phone, shoulder surfing, background noise and the presence of any nearby recording devices or ports.

The fully hosted solution can integrate with WFM tools and includes flexible business rules which can be customized based on client requirements. SecureCX is supported by centralized, 24x7 monitoring for immediate alerts and resolution with automated actions for screen lockouts as well as real-time alerts and historical dashboarding.

"SecureCX represents the future of security in both on-premise and work-at-home environments," said Chris Caldwell, Concentrix President. "We will continue to invest in evolving technology that ensures the highest possible level of security for our clients and their confidential business information."

Concentrix SecureCX takes the remote work environment beyond data and workstation security, providing workspace monitoring to protect your customers and your business. Find more information on SecureCX at www.concentrix.com/securecx.

About Concentrix

Concentrix, a wholly-owned subsidiary of SYNNEX Corporation (NYSE: SNX), is a technology-enabled global business services company specializing in customer engagement and improving business performance for some of the world's best brands. Every day, from more than 40 countries and across 6 continents, our staff delivers next generation customer experience and helps companies better connect with their customers. We create better business outcomes and help differentiate our clients through technology, design, data, process, and people. Concentrix provides services to clients in our key industry verticals: technology & consumer electronics; retail, travel & ecommerce; banking, financial services & insurance; healthcare; communications & media; automotive; and energy & public sector. We are Different by Design. Visit concentrix.com to learn more.

About SYNNEX

SYNNEX Corporation (NYSE: SNX) is a Fortune 200 corporation and a leading business process services company, providing a comprehensive range of distribution, logistics and integration services for the technology industry and providing outsourced services focused on customer engagement strategy to a broad range of enterprises. SYNNEX distributes a broad range of information technology systems and products, and also provides systems design and integration solutions. Concentrix, a wholly-owned subsidiary of SYNNEX Corporation, offers a portfolio of strategic solutions and end-to-end business services around customer engagement strategy, process optimization, technology innovation, front and back-office automation and business transformation to clients in ten identified industry verticals. Founded in 1980, SYNNEX Corporation operates in numerous countries throughout North and South America, Asia-Pacific and Europe. Additional information about SYNNEX may be found online at www.synnex.com.

Safe Harbor Statement

Statements in this news release that are forward-looking, such as features and capabilities of products and services, product offering expansion, and technology trends, involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties which may cause the Company's actual results in future periods to be materially different from any future performance that may be suggested in this release. The Company assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this release.

Copyright 2020 Concentrix Corporation. All rights reserved. SYNNEX and CONCENTRIX are registered trademarks of SYNNEX Corporation, Reg. U.S. Pat. & Tm. Off., used under permission. All other names and marks are the property of their respective holders.

SNX-G

SOURCE Concentrix

Related Links

http://www.concentrix.com/securecx


BALTIMORE, Aug. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Urological Association (AUA) is pleased to announce Margaret Brennan, moderator of "Face the Nation" and CBS News' Senior Foreign Affairs Correspondent will deliver the keynote address at the 2020 Annual Urology Advocacy Summit.

In her keynote, Ms. Brennan will deliver a fact-based, balanced look at the news driving Washington paired with global stories and insights that light up emerging global trends. Ms. Brennan's presentation will take place on August 31 at 5:15 p.m. EDT.

"We are excited to welcome Ms. Brennan as the keynote speaker for this year's Annual Urology Advocacy Summit," said Dr. Christopher Gonzalez, chair of the Summit Planning Committee. "Her perspective on various current affairs will be an exciting addition to our program for this important event  especially as we approach the 2020 elections."

Ms. Brennan has been reporting on politics, international affairs, and global markets since 2002. Since joining CBS News in 2012, she has conducted numerous interviews with newsmakers including President Donald Trump, Vice President Mike Pence, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Secretaries of State Mike Pompeo, Rex Tillerson, John Kerry and Hillary Clinton. The list also includes many presidential hopefuls, as well as heads of state in Iraq and South Korea.

While covering both the White House and State Department for CBS News, Brennan reported extensively on the Trump administration's efforts to broker a deal with North Korea, presidential actions against ISIS, the migration crisis, attempts at tax and health care reform, as well as its trade policies including the standoff with China. In that dual domestic and foreign reporting role during the Obama administration, Brennan also covered the 2016 election interference by Russia, the global refugee crisis, health care policy and trade negotiations.

To learn more about the AUA Summit, visit www.AUASummit.org.

About the American Urological Association: Founded in 1902 and headquartered near Baltimore, Maryland, the American Urological Association is a leading advocate for the specialty of urology, and has nearly 23,000 members throughout the world. The AUA is a premier urologic association, providing invaluable support to the urologic community as it pursues its mission of fostering the highest standards of urologic care through education, research and the formulation of health policy.

SOURCE American Urological Association
Peak fall foliage is seen at French Creek State Park in Elverson, Pa., on Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2019. Pennsylvania can create jobs and protect public lands by creating a new conservation corps, write Collin OMara of the National Wildlife Federation and Jacquelyn Bonomo of PennFuture. Read more

Unprecedented times call for bold measures, and its clear that Pennsylvania needs a new vision for economic renewal and job creation to recover swiftly from the coronavirus pandemic.

We should summon solutions that match the historic magnitude of these challenges. One sufficient first step toward that goal: establishing a new Conservation and Economic Recovery Corps.

The need for such a program is clear. Nearly one million Pennsylvanians are out of work amid an economic crisis that touches all demographics but is disproportionately affecting people of color, women, and young people.

In addition, faced with lockdowns and social restrictions, Pennsylvanians of all ages have turned to biking, kayaking, hiking, birding, fishing, hunting, boating, and camping for exercise, recreation, and relief from stress. As a result, visitation to our state parks has increased by more than 50%.

This historic level of participation in the commonwealths natural beauty highlights the fragility of our public lands. Our state parks and forests face a billion-dollar maintenance and infrastructure backlog. The state watershed plan calls for $324 million of investment annually to improve water quality in our rivers and streams. Many of our natural spaces and streams are beset by acid mine drainage, abandoned oil and gas wells, and brownfields.

Weve faced similar challenges before.

Shortly after his inauguration in 1933, President Franklin Roosevelt created the Civilian Conservation Corps during the Great Depression to create jobs and conserve our natural resources, create future national wealth and prove of moral and spiritual value not only to those of you who are taking part, but to the rest of the country as well. Roosevelts Tree Army ultimately employed 3.4 million men who planted three billion trees, created more than 700 state and local parks, and constructed trails across the country.

While the country is certainly different today than it was in 1933, the benefits of a youth conservation corps remain the same.

Investments in restoration, recreation, and resilience create good-paying jobs more quickly than many other alternatives  15 to 33 jobs per million dollars invested. Thats because most of the funds go toward labor, both skilled and unskilled, rather than materials.

The benefits of a modern-day conservation corps would extend to all 67 Pennsylvania counties.

Shovel-ready projects  planting tree buffers, installing green stormwater infrastructure, maintaining and creating trails, and renovating park building, among others  exist in all 121 state parks. Abandoned coal mine lands exist in 43 counties, requiring cleanup and reclamation.

Nearly 1,000 municipalities have projects that would improve water quality by addressing stormwater runoff. Every county has impaired streams, flood control needs, and main street beautification projects in need of a workforce.

 READ MORE: Coronavirus is a reminder to value parks and public spaces | Opinion

Policymakers dont need to look far for existing programs that can be built upon into a statewide effort, including the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Outdoor Corps, AmeriCorps, and PowerCorpsPHL. More than just an opportunity for service, a modern-day state conservation corps should pay a family-sustaining wage, provide health insurance and sick leave, and offer training and certification opportunities for workers.

The creation of a state Conservation and Economic Recovery Corps is just one of several recommendations made in a new PennFuture report  A Green Stimulus and Recovery Platform for Pennsylvania  that provides solutions to create jobs, reduce pollution, and advance sustainable industries.

The pandemic and economic crises require swift, bold action. We can put Pennsylvanians to work restoring the commonwealths natural treasures, green spaces, and recreational opportunities as soon as it is safe.

A modern-day conservation corps will not just restart the economy, it will increase our strength and resilience as a state.

Collin OMara is the president and CEO of the National Wildlife Federation. Jacquelyn Bonomo is the president and CEO of PennFuture.
President Donald Trump said he was a little surprised that Democratic challenger Joe Biden selected Senator Kamala Harris of California as his running mate, saying she had been nasty to the former vice president in primary debates.

She was my number one pick to run with Biden, Trump said at a Tuesday news conference.

Trump attacked Harris for her questioning of Brett Kavanaugh over sexual misconduct allegations during his Senate confirmation hearings to join the Supreme Court.

I thought she was the meanest, the most horrible, the most disrespectful of anybody in the U.S. Senate, Trump said.

Minutes after Biden announced Harris as his pick on Tuesday, Trump tweeted a campaign ad calling Harris a phony, saying she criticized the Biden for supporting racist policies when they ran against each other for the Democratic presidential nomination.

Harris, 55, became the first Black woman and first Asian-American on a major party presidential ticket. Known as an aggressive campaigner, she has won statewide elections three times in California. She built her early career as district attorney of San Francisco and was elected as the states attorney general.
Argentina turns up the heat on illegal fishing by foreign boats.

Argentina is ramping up the defence of its maritime territories, to prevent illegal fishing by foreign boats and crew.

Countries across Latin America are concerned about Chinese ships entering their waters.

Al Jazeeras Teresa Bo reports from Buenos Aires.
Bar girls talk to potential customers in the red light district of Angeles City, north of Manila, Nov. 5, 2014

Philippine police said Wednesday that they have arrested six Chinese nationals believed to be behind a criminal syndicate and rescued eight sex workers from China and Vietnam who were forced to work for them north of the capital Manila.

Police raided the Fontana Hotel and Villas inside the Clark Freeport Zone in Angeles City on Tuesday, rescuing the women and arresting the suspected members of the crime gang.

The raid was the latest operation by Philippine authorities in their bid to crack down on syndicates linked to mainland China.

They were arrested while in the act of maintaining and offering for prostitution the rescued women, the national polices Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) said in a statement. Seized during the rescue operation was marked money. The arrested persons, rescued women, and the confiscated evidence were brought to the CIDG office.

The women included six Chinese and two Vietnamese. The suspects identified as Fu Yi Nei, 26; Iuo Ying, 25; Hu Yu Lin, 30; Wang Ji Yi, 30; Lui Lin Feng, 34; and Qui Shi Kai, 30; face anti-trafficking charges, the CIDG said.

This was not the first time that Chinese syndicates were known to operate in Angeles. In June, police killed two Chinese nationals with alleged links to a kidnap gang that preyed on their compatriots.

Crackdowns

Across the nation, authorities have arrested and deported Chinese nationals following a series of raids on suspected syndicates involved in gambling and other illegal activities.

President Rodrigo Duterte has refused to ban the entry of Chinese nationals into the country despite requests from Beijing, where gambling is outlawed. The onslaught of the COVID-19 pandemic, however, had forced a stop to the mass migration.

Based on government data, about 200,000 Chinese nationals work in the country, mostly in the gaming industry.

In May, police said they apprehended as many as 90 Chinese nationals suspected of working for an illegal online casino in Metro Manila.

Two months earlier, the Senate carried out an investigation into the proliferation of undocumented Chinese workers in the country amid allegations that they were being used to carry out large-scale smuggling of foreign currencies. Working through a syndicate, the Chinese nationals allegedly bypassed immigration checks and were believed to have brought U.S. $167 million into the country in 2019.

In July 2017, Philippine police arrested 43 foreign suspects, mostly Chinese nationals, who allegedly were involved in the kidnap-for-ransom of a Singaporean woman who was rescued by authorities after she was abducted from a casino in Pasay City near Manila.

Jeoffrey Maitem in Cotabato City, Philippines, contributed to this report.
"It is an honor to be selected as 2020 Star Nurse finalist and I thank my colleague for nominating me," said Milburn. "With so many nurses, including myself, caring for patients on the frontlines during the COVID-19 pandemic, our commitment to helping patients receive the highest-quality care is being recognized more than ever."

The Washington Post and the American Nurses Association (ANA) partnered to present 2020 Star Nurses, a new nurse-recognition event that honors patient, consumer, and peer-nominated nurses who work in Washington, DC, Maryland, and Virginia. It is part of the World Health Organization's year-long Year of the Nurse and Midwife celebration to highlight nurses' vital position in transforming healthcare. Milburn was one of 92 finalists selected from hundreds of nominees. Six Nightingale Award winners will be selected from the finalists and announced in September.

"The AANA is thrilled that one of our members, Darolyn Milburn, was chosen by her peers in the ANA for this prestigious honor," said AANA President Kate Jansky, MHS, CRNA, APRN, USA LTC (ret). "CRNAs provide care across all settings and in all patient populations and as advanced practice registered nurses with expertise in airway and ventilation management and critical care, many are providing patient care that helps to improve health outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic."

Milburn completed a master's degree in nurse anesthesia at Villanova University in Villanova, Pa. and received her bachelor's degree in nursing from East Carolina University in Greenville, N.C. For the past six years, Milburn has worked at Johns Hopkins Hospital and participates in the otolaryngology, endoscopy, outpatient, and transgender cohorts.

In addition to her nursing background, she also has a master's in science education from Morgan State University in Baltimore and works with a local girls' youth group to guide and mentor the girls, and to help foster scholastic achievement, leadership, and community service. Milburn also serves as a mentor in the CRNA division high school internship program at Johns Hopkins.

As advanced practice nurses, Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) are among the most trusted professions according to Gallup. CRNAs provide anesthesia care across all settings and in all patient populations and are the primary anesthesia providers in rural and underserved areas and on the battlefield in forward surgical teams.

SOURCE American Association of Nurse Anesthetists

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Linkedin Gary McWilliams (Reuters) Houston, United States  Wed, August 12, 2020 10:20 525 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066d57793 2 Business Chevron,Noble-Energy,natural-gas,acquisition Free

Chevron Corps US$5 billion offer to acquire Noble Energy emerged after the US oil major first proposed taking a stake of at least 50 percent in Nobles Eastern Mediterranean natural-gas fields, a proxy filing on Tuesday showed.

If consummated, the all-stock merger will boost Chevrons US shale oil holdings and give it vast natural gas assets off the coast of Israel. Nobles Leviathan, one of the worlds biggest offshore gas discoveries of the last decade, already is supplying gas to Israel, Egypt and Jordan.

Last year, Noble sought a partner to help finance the multibillion-dollar investment required for Leviathan, according to Tuesdays Securities and Exchange Commission filing.

The company denied Chevron an opportunity to visit the Leviathan facility in February, but weeks later agreed to a confidentiality agreement to begin discussing their operations in the region, according to the filing.

As global energy markets collapsed that month and Noble reported a first-quarter loss of nearly $4 billion, its board opted for a sale of the company rather than a regional partnership, according to the filing.

It contacted eight companies to gauge interest in a stake in its Eastern Mediterranean holdings and held talks with six potential buyers. The alternatives to Chevron were either high risk or did not result in any material benefit, according to the filing.

Chevrons bid valued Noble at $10.38 a share, a 7.5 percent premium to its closing price before the deal was disclosed. Including assumption of debt, the price tag for the purchase is roughly $13 billion.

During their talks, Chevron agreed to raise its exchange ratio while Noble dropped a force-the-vote provision and agreed to pay a higher termination fee if the deal did not close.

The purchase still faces a vote by Noble shareholders, who are expected to approve it. Chevron shares on Tuesday were off 6 cents at $89.67 while Nobles lost 4 cents at $10.65. The proxy filing came after 4 p.m.
Thousands attend Sean Feucht's Riots to Revival event in Portland: Church is rising up

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Thousands attended California evangelist Sean Feuchts Riot to Revival worship concerts this weekend in Portland, Oregon, and Seattle, Washington, two cities that have been gripped by riots and protests in recent weeks.

Feucht, the founder of the Let Us Worship movement who is known for his work with Bethel Music, held a Riots to Revival event at Portlands Waterfront Park Saturday and another at Cal Anderson Park in Seattle, Washingtons Capitol Hill district on Sunday.

Feucht, who ran for Congress earlier this year but lost in the primary election, made headlines last month for organizing a beach revival attended by hundreds in Southern California in defiance of the states coronavirus orders. He has also argued that coronavirus restrictions that prohibit church services are a double standard.

Saturdays events in Oregon began at 10 a.m. with training for acts of love & compassion across the Columbia River in Vancouver, Washington, according to a tweet from Feucht.

After joining city pastors and leaders for the MLK March at 4 p.m., the revival concert began at 6 p.m.

People gave their lives to Jesus, Feucht proclaimed in an interview on Fox & Friends Sunday. We baptized people in the river behind us  It was so much joy that took over the streets of that city last night.

We just believe that the church has the ability to change the narrative, he added. All of America has just seen these buildings burning and theyve seen this destruction and the violence. And the news, the mainstream media seems to be infatuated with this. But, Im telling you there is another story of what God is doing in these cities and the church is rising up.

While Feucht was unsure exactly how many people attended the event in Portland, he estimated that there was a crowd of between 4,000 and 7,000.

As Fox & Friends co-host Pete Hegseth noted, the rally in Portland marked the largest gathering yet of all the events that Feucht has held this summer.

Hours after his appearance on Fox & Friends," Feucht held the Sunday revival in Seattle. The event in Seattle took place in a part of the city that was once home to the autonomous zone known at different times as CHOP and CHAZ.

Along with Portland, Seattle has also faced violence and unrest in the weeks following the death of African American George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody on Memorial Day.

According to a local NBC affiliate, hundreds attended the rally in Seattle, most of which were not wearing face masks or practicing social distancing.

Feucht first founded the Let Us Worship movement to protest the restrictions on worship services implemented to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus.

The movement calls on the Church to rise up with one voice and tell our government leaders and the rulers of big tech that we refuse to be silenced!

States across America, including here in California have shut down church services and even outlawed singing in church, Feucht explains on the Let Us Worship website. Instagram and Twitter [are] censoring Christian voices every single day. And every hour that passes they grow bolder in their efforts to silence the faithful.

In the interview with Fox & Friends last weekend, Feucht elaborated on his concerns about how restrictions have been placed on churches while protest gatherings drawing large crowds of people are permitted with no such restrictions.

It is a double standard. And I would say at best, its hypocrisy. And at worst, its bigotry, he said. You know, theres a target on churches.

In a previous interview with The Christian Post, Feucht described his movement as a return back to a gritty, raw Gospel, Jesus people movement foundation spurred by the fact that we cant be in our churches.

I think what its doing is stripping off the sheen and the polished nature of what weve built in America and its allowing us to return to the simplicity, to the power of the raw Gospel, Feucht said.

Feucht has many more outdoor worship events planned for the rest of the summer in cities all across the country. Those include Chicago, New York City, Milwaukee, Boston, Colorado Springs, Tampa and Orlando.

The pastor has extended an invitation to Gov. Gavin Newsom of California to join him on the steps of the California Capitol on Sept. 6 for a Let Us Worship event.
(Bloomberg Opinion) -- For all the fame and attention Tencent Holdings Ltd. receives because of its ubiquitous WeChat messaging app  which has 1.2 billion users and counting  the Chinese internet giants old-school roots as a games company are what pulled it through the darkest days of the pandemic.

A 40% increase in online games revenue, including a 62% jump in the smartphone subcategory, helped quarterly sales beat estimates by the most in four years, according to results reported by Tencent on Wednesday. Advertising, on the other hand, was lackluster. Media advertising  placed on its content platforms  remained particularly weak, posting a fifth straight decline.

With China pulling out of the Covid-19 outbreak earlier than most countries, the hope was that consumer spending had returned to normal and the economy was close to stabilizing. That thesis may need to be rethought.

What Tencents June-quarter numbers tell us is that even China remains in a kind of economic limbo. Nesting habits  such as gaming and video-streaming  remained hot, while consumer-goods expenditure looks anemic. At the very least, advertisers themselves lacked the confidence to boost marketing budgets to lure whatever consumption may be available.

Theres also the elephant in the room: the U.S. administrations plan to ban American companies from working with Tencent and WeChat. Such a move could at the least interrupt how the Chinese company distributes its app and sell ads, but the impact on revenue is likely to be limited given its solid domestic focus.

Thankfully for Tencent, games are here to act as a savior. Advertising has never been a major revenue driver, peaking at 20% of sales in the third quarter of 2018. Still, it has provided icing on top of Tencents games, fintech, and media businesses. The division is profitable, with gross margins hovering around 50%.

Games are solid, though, accounting for a third of revenue in the quarter. Tencents social networks business  which includes live broadcast service Huya  also did well, posting a 29% rise that was the most in two years. Its fintech and business services unit  mostly cloud and financial products climbed a solid 30%.

Story continues

Its a bonus that games and social combined  under the label value-added services  have the fattest margins of all Tencents businesses, at 53.7%.

This should serve as a warning to other Chinese internet companies, especially those that rely inordinately on advertising. Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. has remained an investor favorite throughout the turmoil in the belief that its size gives it an advantage. That company was hit particularly hard in the first quarter, eking out growth in enterprise businesses such as cloud computing. Its likely that second-quarter figures will look better when it reports earnings Aug. 20, but investors will need to dig into the data to see the true source of growth.

Tencent, however, already knows where it strength lies, and thats in the old-school games business.

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

Tim Culpan is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering technology. He previously covered technology for Bloomberg News.

For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com/opinion

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2020 Bloomberg L.P.
The e-waste recycling centre in Melbourne's north that erupted in a massive toxic blaze earlier this week was under investigation by the environmental regulator for allegedly amassing an illicit stockpile of batteries and electronic equipment.

The Campbellfield premises of MRI e-cycle solutions, one of the states largest e-waste operators, caught fire in the early morning hours on Sunday and burned for more than a day, sparking explosions heard kilometres away and spewing toxic smoke across the northern suburbs.

The burned out factory in Campbellfield on Wednesday. Credit:Joe Armao

The cause of the blaze is still under investigation, but authorities do not consider the circumstances suspicious.

Its the latest in a series of major fires to erupt in recent years at industrial premises, recycling businesses and illegal waste dumps that authorities have allegedly linked to violations of environmental and hazardous goods regulations.
Photo taken on Feb. 12, 2020 shows the NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium. (Xinhua/Zhang Cheng)

By Fang Xiaozhi

The US has announced to withdraw troops from Europe recently, first in July when it vowed to pull nearly 12,000 troops from Germany starting in September, leaving only 25,000 soldiers there, then in August when it announced to withdraw about 700 soldiers from Norway, leaving only 20 in the country.

Such a move has much to do with Americas adjustment of domestic policies and the changes in the international situation. Uncle Sam has stationed troops in many countries after the end of WWII, which has made it an essential pillar for Europes regional security and also served as a bond to intensify Americas defense cooperation with European countries.

However, the Trump administrations strong push of the America first strategy and adjustment of its European policies since taking office has aggravated its conflicts and divergences with Europe and NATO members on such issues as military budget, NATOs position, Iran nuclear deal, and the INF Treaty. To put pressure on Europe, Washington has threatened to call back its troops stationed there many times and even to quit NATO, trying to bend Europe to make concessions on relevant issues as Washington requests.

Washingtons continuous announcement to withdraw troops from Europe has caused an uproar within NATO, with the members all condemning it for abandoning its decades-long commitment to the European allies collective security. Norway is especially angry as it is considered the gateway on NATOs land border for its important geostrategic values.

US unilateral pull-out of Norway will leave a gap on NATOs land border and largely undermine the military blocs defense capability against Russia. Moreover, Washington didnt give prior notice to Norway about the planned withdrawal but only notified the country when all the preparations were made, and it was ready to leave, indicating an increasingly apparent tendency of unilateral actions on the American side. As a result, the rift between Washington and its NATO allies has been widening, and the consequent chain effects will seriously shake NATOs strategic stability, even push the bloc to the brink of collapse.

Posing a sharp contrast to its pull-out of Europe, the US military has stepped up the military deployments in the Asia Pacific recently. Its enhancement of regional military presence by increasing military input and advancing forward deployments has demonstrated a clear shift of its strategic priority.

For instance, on June 8, the US Navy announced that it would dispatch two aircraft carriers - USS Nimitz and USS Ronald Reagan - to patrol the Asia Pacific, putting an end to about two months carrier vacuum in the West Pacific. At present, the USS Theodore Roosevelt has also been deployed to the region, increasng the number of American aircraft carriers in the Pacific Ocean to three.

On June 11, the US Senate Committee on Armed Services passed the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021, giving a nod for the first time to set up the Pacific Deterrence Initiative thats primarily targeted at the Asia-Pacific region. According to the initiative, the US will ramp up efforts to transform and develop its military forces in Asia Pacific, intensify the integrated operation capability in the region, and create a forward-position operational force with stronger strategic deterrence and better combat preparedness by improving the military structure, tightening military relation with allies and partners, and expanding joint exercises and training. Besides, the US is also seeking to deploy more medium-range missiles in the Asia Pacific. All these moves attest to the Asia Pacific regions great importance in its global strategy.

As far as the US is concerned, pulling some troops from Europe doesnt mean it will give up its global hegemony. Its at most just an adjustment of its troops stationed at military bases worldwide and of its military deployments in response to changes in its strategic priorities and security threats.

Scaling down its military presence in Europe is intended to force its European allies to bear more responsibilities within NATO, so that Washington can dedicate more energy in shifting its strategic focus to the east, further consolidating its military forces in Asia, and better dealing with the major-country competition from the Indo-Pacific region.

(The author is a researcher at the Institute of Strategic Studies and International Security under Fudan Institute of Belt and Road & Global Governance. All the contents in the article represent the author's opinions and dont necessarily reflect the views of eng.chinamil.com.cn. )
But Pat Kelly, the Municipal Leagues executive director, said at the meeting that he was frustrated with the countys strategy. He said most of the municipalities were hurting and he didnt know how the county could justify redistributing funds when under Treasury guidelines they were supposed to be direct reimbursements for police and firefighters.

During a Tuesday meeting of the County Councils committee that oversees coronavirus spending, two council members, Lisa Clancy, D-5th District, and Kelli Dunaway, D-2nd District, also said they supported a sliding scale for grants to municipalities. Dunaway suggested having the municipalities apply for them, similar to the countys $17.5 million small business relief program that is also funded by federal relief money. Walker, also in attendance at this meeting, said that makes a lot of sense.

Days, whose district includes dozens of municipalities in north St. Louis County, also said Tuesday she was asking for $800,000 to help create a strategic plan for making sure those municipalities survive.
You are here: Business

Privately-owned businesses have earmarked a total investment of 476.5 billion yuan (about 68.5 billion U.S. dollars) for 1,577 projects in central China's Hubei province since late March.

The investments aim to help revive economic growth in the province, which was hit hard by the COVID-19 epidemic.

On Tuesday, privately-owned companies signed 30 investment deals with a total investment value of 116.7 billion yuan at an event in Wuhan, the capital city of Hubei.

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 epidemic, 110,600 privately-owned companies have donated 17.2 billion yuan and provided 11.9 billion yuan's worth of goods to Hubei, said Zhao Dejiang, secretary general of the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-13 06:01:23|Editor: huaxia

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BAGHDAD, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- A roadside bomb explosion destroyed a truck belonging to the U.S.-led coalition forces in Dhi Qar province in southern Iraq, the Iraqi military said Wednesday.

The blast took place in al-Bataha intersection near the provincial capital Nasiriyah, some 370 km south of Baghdad, and resulted in the burning of one of the convoy's trucks, the media office of the Iraqi Joint Operations Command said in a brief statement.

This is the third attack within a week against civilian convoys contracted with the international coalition in Iraq.

No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack, but unidentified militant groups have frequently targeted U.S.-led coalition convoys, which usually travel from neighboring Kuwait to the coalition bases in central and northern Iraq.

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.

The troops are part of the U.S.-led coalition that has also been conducting air raids against IS targets in both Iraq and Syria. Enditem
Later this month will see a change in the weather just as children are expected to go back to school.

A weather forecaster has warned of cooler conditions in the final week of August which could see daily temperatures drop as low as 14 degrees.

This lower than average temperature is more akin to late Spring or early Summer.

Hazy sunshine this week is bringing humid conditions but Irish Weather Online said a change is coming from Monday onwards.

Met Eireann's forecast beyond Sunday says the weather will be "remaining humid and unsettled with showers or longer spells of rain."

But Irish Weather Online said: "The outlook for next week involves a gradual change to more unsettled and cooler conditions with the westerly flow resuming and then becoming quite cool at times towards the end of August.

"Some guidance for about two weeks from now suggests daytime highs only 14 to 17 C.

"It seems safe to say that the month will turn cooler and wetter than it has been (in Ireland).

Meanwhile the rest of this week will see temperatures above normal values by 1 or 2 degrees.

Here is Irish Weather Online's forecast for this week:

Wednesday: Hazy with some sunshine at times, and quite warm. Highs will reach 21 to 24 C.

Thursday: Partly cloudy and very warm conditions, highs 21 to 25 C.

Friday: Slightly unsettled, humid and rather warm trend with highs 21 to 25 C.

Saturday: More cloud than sunshine and scattered thundery showers. Lows about 13 C and highs 18 to 21 C.

Sunday: Partly cloudy and warm conditions with isolated showers and highs near 23 C.
By Gina Lee

Investing.com  Asian stocks were mostly down on Wednesday morning, following overnight declines in U.S. markets.

Investor sentiment was dampened by the deadlock in the U.S. Congress over the latest COVID-19 stimulus measures, with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell stating on Tuesday that talks are at a stalemate.

"We have enormous uncertainty. It appears it's getting harder for both sides to compromise as the election is nearing... Trump's proposals would be smaller than markets have expected. There's question over whether they are viable, too," Junpei Tanaka, strategist at Pictet, told Reuters.

Investors will now be looking to see whether the two sides can reach a consensus, with negotiations continuing for the fourth day.

In the Asia Pacific region, New Zealand reported its first cases in 102 days as four COVID-19 cases were reported in Auckland. Prime Minister Jacinda Arden promptly re-imposed lockdown measures in the city and restricting travel across the country, as well as deferring the dissolution of parliament ahead of September's general election.

But with the measures to be imposed for a far shorter period than the previous lockdown, some investors remained optimistic.

If the lockdowns are removed after three days, the damage to New Zealands economy should be small, Joseph Capurso of Commonwealth Bank of Australia (OTC:CMWAY) said in a note.

Neighboring Australia is fighting its own battle against the pandemic, with the second largest city of Melbourne currently under stage 4 COVID-19 restrictions, and the country reporting the biggest daily rise in infections in three days on Wednesday.

Dismal data also dampened the mood Down Under, with the Australian Bureau of Statistics reporting that wages grew at a record slow pace during the second quarter. The official wage price index inched up 0.2% quarter-on-quarter and 1.8% year-on-year, with both figures missing expectations. Consumer confidence also collapsed, with the Westpac consumer sentiment index reporting a 9.5% dive to 79.5 in August.

Story continues

The ASX 200 was down 0.46%. by 11:27 PM ET (4:27 AM GMT).

Japans Nikkei 225 was up 0.15%, the sole gainer in the region, while South Koreas KOSPI inched down 0.13%.

Hong Kongs Hang Seng Index was down 0.36%, with Tencent (HK:0700) and Cathay Pacific (HK:0293) both reporting their earnings later in the day. Investors are also keeping an eye on Next Digital (HK:0282), or Next Media, shares, after founder Jimmy Lai's arrest on charges of violating the citys national security laws on Monday sparked an outcry that sent share prices up 1,200% over two days. Lai was released on bail earlier in the day.

Chinas Shanghai Composite fell 93% while the Shenzhen Component slid 1.95%. Officials from the U.S. and China are scheduled to discuss their phase one trade deal, as well as potentially air grievances, at an online meeting on August 15.

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YEREVAN, AUGUST 12, ARMENPRESS. The Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs is working with Russia in the direction of bilaterally re-opening air traffic between the two countries, the Deputy PM of Armenia Tigran Avinyan said.

As you know, the Russian Federation publicly expressed readiness regarding bilaterally opening the borders. Our foreign ministry is working on bilaterally opening the borders and further regulations, Deputy PM Tigran Avinyan told lawmakers.

However, he said the current coronavirus-related epidemiological situation doesnt yet allow the re-opening of air and land borders with Georgia and Iran.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan
UNITED NATIONS  The top UN envoy for Guinea-Bissau on Monday stressed the need for continued international engagement with the country after the expected departure of the UN peacebuilding mission by the end of the year.

Recent political developments in the country have led to a politically charged atmosphere with mounting mistrust among stakeholders. Mutual accusations and reported acts of intimidation against those opposing the new political dispensation have created a hostile environment, making it difficult to reach a compromise for the sake of political stability and consensus-building around national peacebuilding priorities, said Rosine Sori-Coulibaly, the UN secretary-generals special representative and head of the UN Integrated Peacebuilding Office in Guinea-Bissau (UNIOGBIS). A prognosis of the current impasse and beyond underscores a need for continued and robust engagement by the international community to avoid a deterioration of the political and human rights situation, consolidate past democratic gains, and preserve the much-needed peace and stability, she told the Security Council.

The political crisis and the parliamentary paralysis that emerged following the 2019 presidential election prevented UNIOGBIS from supporting urgent reforms, including the review of the Constitution, the electoral law and the law on political parties, she said. Regretfully, therefore, UNIOGBIS mandate is unlikely to be fully implemented before the missions departure. Entrenched postures and divisions among political stakeholders pose a serious threat to stability and sustainable development. All political forces must be encouraged to commit to constructive dialogue and consensus-building around national priorities. The military and security forces must consistently be reminded not to interfere in politics. The security sector reform remains paramount, she said.

The implementation of key reforms and the continuation of efforts in key peacebuilding priorities  protection and promotion of human rights and rule of law, womens participation and gender parity, the fight against drug trafficking and transnational organized crime  are an imperative beyond UNIOGBIS. Local elections should also be considered among the peacebuilding priorities, she said. As UNIOGBIS advances toward its closure in less than five months, I would like to stress that the support provided by the international community to the 2019 electoral process was necessary but not sufficient to address the long-term political instability of Guinea-Bissau. Therefore, I wish to emphasize the need for the country to remain high on the international community agenda, with paramount focus on reforms and the strengthening of state institutions.

The recent political crisis linked to the electoral dispute is self-explanatory of the structural weaknesses of Guinea-Bissau. The country and its people need international support to uphold stability, sustain peace, and advance socio-economic development, she said. The latest episode of political crisis started with the dispute over the outcome of the presidential poll toward the end of 2019. Umaro Sissoco Embalo finished second in the first round of voting on Nov. 24. He won the second-round run-off on Dec. 29 against Domingos Simoes Pereira, who led in the first round. Pereira refused to concede and challenged the outcome.

The saga seemed to be over after the endorsement of Embalos presidency by the Economic Community of West African States. Pereiras opposition PAIGC party, which holds by far the largest number of seats in Parliament, continues to challenge the presidents authority.The PAIGC is contesting the parliamentary vote of June 29 that approved the program of the Nuno Nabiam government. The PAIGC continues to question the legality of the session, alleging procedural errors, and denouncing threats and intimidation against members of parliament that preceded the session. The PAIGC continues to reiterate its call for a political solution, said Sori-Coulibaly.

While President Embalo has expressed the wish to form a broad-based government with Nuno Nabiam as the prime minister, the prospects of a breakthrough are low given the PAIGCs strong opposition to joining the government under the current circumstances. A sustainable solution that promotes stability requires all sides to compromise, but this appears far-fetched at the present time as both sides remain deeply entrenched in their positions, she said.

Concerns about insecurity and human rights abuses, such as the July 26 raid on Radio Capital FM, which is considered allied to the opposition, as well as the arbitrary arrests, intimidation and detention of persons and political figures perceived as opposing the current administration have been reported. These occurrences have heightened political tensions, she said.

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The governments alertness is commendable. This is no ordinary summer: The French are itching to wander after months of being cooped up, and more than two-thirds of holidaymakers staying in France. The coronavirus is traveling with them too, as demonstrated by new clusters cropping up across France. With mounting evidence that sun-seekers are dropping their guard on social distancing  and with cases also rising in neighboring Spain  the Macron administration clearly wants to adopt a belt-and-braces stance before the back-to-school season and the return of winter infections like influenza. Tackling these logistical challenges  plus a historic heatwave, which can be fatal for the elderly  plays to the states strengths.
State media organizations and Chinese state security police have produced dozens of televised forced "confessions" in the years since ruling Chinese Communist Party general secretary Xi Jinping took power, often involving severe duress and torture, according to a recent submission to the United Nations.

A total of 87 televised confessions were identified by the rights NGO Safeguard Defenders between and in a submission this week to the U.N.



"Many televised confessions are the result of extreme physical or emotional coercion and thus qualify as being obtained through torture," the group said, adding that it had interviewed 17 victims whose confession had been obtained through methods qualifying as torture, including severe physical torture.



It said as many as 22 had spent up to six months in solitary confinement while the authorities were "investigating" their case, which in itself is a recognized form of torture, according to the U.N. Special Rapporteur.



It said detainees are kept in conditions that create immense stress and feelings of fear, are regularly sleep deprived under lights that are kept switched on 24 hours a day.



They may also undergo hours of interrogation during which they are subjected to beatings, electric batons, restraints and denial of bathroom breaks.



It said Simon Cheng, a former employee of the British Consulate in Hong Kong, was placed under "tremendous duress" during his detention in mainland China after he was intercepted in an international railway terminus in the city.



"[Cheng] was handcuffed and interrogated within a detention center," the report said. "Secret police coerced him to open his iPhone by grabbing his hair and forcing him to do facial recognition entry."



He was locked to a "tiger chair" while in detention, and handcuffed, shackled, blindfolded and hooded to the point of having trouble breathing when taken out for interrogation.



UK political asylum





The British government lodged a formal complaint with China over Cheng's treatment, which it said amounted to torture, and later granted him political asylum.



Told that he could be jailed for decades for subversion or rioting, Cheng was forced to perform a video confession to charge of "soliciting prostitutes." He said papers relating to his detention had the date fields left blank, so he never knew if or when he would be released.



According to Safeguard Defenders, forced TV confessions are "routinely scripted and staged," citing interviews with several victims.



The "confessions" were scripted and directed by media professionals as if they were a TV drama, with the director requiring multiple takes if the detainee didn't produce the desired effect.



Detainees are typically dressed in costume, too, the report said, citing the account of Swedish rights activist Peter Dahlin who was told to shower and put on civilian clothes before the video confession was shot.



Hong Kong bookseller Lam Wing-kee and rights lawyer Wang Yu were also made to change out of their "residential surveillance at a designated location" uniform of orange top and beige sweatpants and into civilian clothing for their "confessions," it said.



"Detainees are routinely told what to say during the confession. Several methods are used, including learning lines [and] reading from a script," it said.



"The recordings are directed by the security agency. Officers tell suspects how to deliver their lines and multiple retakes are made until they are satisfied," the report said, adding that victims are also ordered to weep on camera in some cases.



Uyghurs, foreign nationals





Footage is then edited to ensure that none of the crueler details are visible. Former China-based investigator Peter Humphrey was shown in his confession tape in head-and-shoulders close-up, masking the fact that he was handcuffed, locked into a chair and sitting in a cage.



Around 60 percent of forced TV confessions are forced from rights activists, dissidents, journalists and lawyers, while the remainder are accused of a wide variety of crimes, including ethnic Uyghurs accused of "terrorism," and other suspects accused of financial crimes, drug-related offenses and homicide.



Nine of the 87 were Uyghurs while 15 were nationals of countries other than China.



As well as being broadcast on state TV in China, several "confessions" were broadcast on Chinas overseas Communist Party TV channels, including CGTN/CCTV-9 in English and CCTV-4 in Chinese, or by the pro-Beijing Hong Kong media, Safeguard Defenders said.



British media regulator Ofcom last month upheld a complaint from Humphrey against CGTN for treating him unfairly and infringing his privacy when it filmed his "confession." The broadcaster could now face a ban, as the interview was broadcast in the UK.



"We have upheld Peter Humphreys complaint about programmes broadcast on CCTV News, since renamed CGTN, after we found that he was unfairly treated, and his privacy was unwarrantably infringed, an Ofcom spokesperson said.



Among other things, the licensee failed to obtain Mr Humphreys informed consent to take part in the interviews. And the programmes left out facts that put the reliability of his alleged confession into serious doubt."



Ofcom requires channels licensed to broadcast in the UK to enforce privacy and fairness.



Yaqiu Wang, a China researcher for the New York-based group Human Rights Watch (HRW), said the ruling was a breakthrough for campaigners seeking to highlight China's use of forced TV "confessions."



"More and more foreign governments have begun to pay attention to the situation in China now," Wang told RFA.

"It is true that forced television confessions, torture, and enforced disappearance have always been carried out (in China), but Ofcoms ruling indicates that this matter has come to the attention of authorities overseas," she said.



Reported by Chen Pinjie for RFA's Mandarin Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.
The top health official in Massachusetts has recommended that some residents wear masks inside their own homes if they live in areas with high rates of coronavirus.

Health and Human Services Secretary Marylou Sudders made the suggestion on Tuesday after raising alarm about four cities - Chelsea, Everett, Lynn and Revere - that have been reporting more than eight daily cases per 100,000 residents on average over the last two weeks.

'To residents of these communities, we have some simple messages: There is an extremely high level of COVID in your community,' Sudders said.

'Residents of these higher risk communities should wear a mask at all times, particularly when you cannot keep six feet away from others.

'You should also consider wearing a face covering inside your home if an older individual or someone with compromised medical condition is part of your immediate household.'

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Massachusetts Health and Human Services Secretary Marylou Sudders (pictured) on Tuesday recommended that some residents wear masks inside their own homes if they live in areas with high rates of coronavirus

Sudders' comments came as Governor Charlie Baker strengthened the state's mask mandate with a new order requiring residents to wear face coverings at organized gatherings of more than 10 people from more than one household.

The order, which went into effect Tuesday, applies to both indoor and outdoor areas, including in people's homes or backyards.

Baker's office also unveiled a new color-coded map and ranking system to determine a city or town's risk level for spreading the virus.

Each community on the map is given a different color based on its average daily coronavirus cases per 100,000 people, with red for high risk (more than eight cases per 100,000), yellow for moderate (between four and eight cases), green for low risk (less than four cases).

Areas that have seen fewer than five cases total in the previous two weeks are shown in white.

Governor Charlie Baker's office unveiled a new color-coded map and ranking system to determine a city or town's risk level for spreading coronavirus

As of Tuesday 33 communities have been identified as having moderate to high rates of COVID-19.

After the press conference, Baker's office told Boston.com that Sudders was referring only to residents of the four high risk 'red' cities when she suggested considering wearing face masks indoors.

Sudders had emphasized that the recommendation was targeted at households where members were regularly going out for work or other activities.

Baker's administration has increasingly stressed the importance of face masks in recent weeks as certain Massachusetts communities continue to see surges in daily new cases.

Nearly 113,000 cases and 8,529 deaths have been reported across the state to date.

Prior to Tuesday's order, residents were only required to wear masks in public places where they could not consistently maintain six feet of physical distance from other people.

Last week Baker halted the second phase of the state's three-part reopening plan and announced that the maximum number of people allowed at outdoor events would be cut down from 100 to 50.

Gov Charlie Baker (pictured) said his latest initiatives came in response to complaints from local leaders who have struggled to enforce restrictions on face masks and gatherings

The governor said his latest initiatives came in response to complaints from local leaders who have struggled to enforce restrictions.

'Over and over again, what these folks said is there are too many informal gatherings, there are too many people at them, and nobody is wearing face coverings.

'That was literally like a unified message across every conversation that both of us had,' he said in reference to Sudders.

The governor said that communities marked as having high or moderate risk will now be targeted for heightened enforcement of mask rules and other restrictions on gatherings.

He said fines and citations could be issued for noncompliance, but that those measures should be a last resort.

'The idea here is not to be issuing big fines, it's to make sure people are following guidance, or to send them home if they're not,' Baker said.

'We're not doing anyone any good if we let these folks continue to do these sorts of things, because it's clearly having a negative impact.

'It's really important if you're putting a bunch of people in your house or in your backyard and they're not the immediate people you have in your house everyday that you live with, people need to wear face coverings.'

The governor said that the new map system will also help the state determine areas that are in need of more assistance with other measures to slow the spread of the virus, including testing and contact tracing.

Federal health officials have said that universal use of face coverings could help the US cut back on its rapidly rising case count under control in a matter of weeks - but no universal mandate has been issued.

Thirty-four states have implemented varying degrees of mask requirements, while some governors including in Florida and Arizona have resisted doing so.

Research suggests that wearing a face covering can reduce a person's risk of spreading COVID-19 to others by up to 70 percent.

But questions about the effectiveness of different types of coverings gained traction last week after a Duke University study found that a certain type of neck gaiter could be even less effective than no mask at all.

On Tuesday Sudders noted that officials are reassessing the state's face covering guidance in light of the study's findings.
UPDATED: There is another case of COVID-19 in managed isolation this afternoon plus the four cases of community transmission announced last night.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield are providing an update on COVID-19.

Ashley says there are another four probable cases, these people have symptoms and are linked to the four cases from yesterday. He says these people are self-isolating and are awaiting test results.

Five cases of COVID-19 have recovered so the number of active cases in New Zealand remains at 22.

Ashley says a woman in her 20s who tested positive visited Rotorua from August 8 to 11 while symptomatic.

Based on the information about the visit to Rotorua he says none of the contacts are considered close contacts.

Ashley says the visit to Rotorua had not resulted in a positive test for any of the close contacts of the positive case and her child.

He says the symptomatic family members had visited Waiora Lakeside Hotel, the Skyline Gondola and Heritage Farm and 3D Gallery.

He says they remain confident that level 2 is the right level for Rotorua at the moment.

Over 200 close contacts of the family had been identified by about midday, says Ashley.

He says any employees, contractors or visitors to Americold in Mt Wellington, and Finance Now on Dominion Road - and their households - should remain at home in isolation.

Ardern says at midday today a new public health order also came into effect.

The order provides the legal basis to require people to stay at home, unless they are working in places where it is safe for them to do so.

The order also included two new provisions. It is now mandatory for any business or service to display the QR code for the tracing app at all entry points. Businesses will have one week to comply.

The second new element of the health order is a requirement for people travelling out of Auckland to wear a mask while on a plane.

The Auckland region moved to level 3 at midday today, with the rest of New Zealand moving to level 2 simultaneously. The increased levels will remain for three days until midnight Friday, when alert levels will be reassessed.

EARLIER: Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield will provide a COVID-19 update at 4pm.

Earlier today it was confirmed that one of the four new cases of COVID-19 visited Rotorua on the weekend.

Ashley Bloomfield says a woman in her 20s, who is part of the Auckland family currently in self-isolation, visited the Bay of Plenty town while symptomatic.

He is urging people who visited the region on the weekend, and those around the rest of the country, to be vigilant about their health.

"We are working with the family to found out where they visited. There are testing sites in Rotorua.

There are currently testing sites available in Rotorua (on Vaughn Rd) and Taupo for people in the area, he says.

No members of the family require hospital care at this stage.

The ministry is testing all close and casual contacts of the family that have come into contact with them recently, which the ministry estimates to be 130 people including workplace colleagues.

Three colleagues of the male and his partner are symptomatic and are isolating, says Ashley.

The ministry is using genome sequencing on all those who have tested positive to try and track the source of the virus.

Ashley says they are expecting to test tens of thousands of people in the coming days.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- A new, independent report has concluded that the Sandia Science & Technology Park contributed significantly to the local economy in 2018-19 by adding 310 jobs and generating increases in economic activity and tax revenue to the city and New Mexico.

The report by the Mid-Region Council of Governments presents the park's economic impact through 2019. In the most recent two-year period, taxable personal consumption totaled about $461.8 million in Bernalillo, Sandoval, Torrance, Valencia and Southern Santa Fe counties. According to the report, taxable personal consumption refers to spending by individuals on goods and services that are taxable in New Mexico.

In addition, gross receipts tax revenue contributed $19.8 million to the state of New Mexico and $8.8 million to the city of Albuquerque.

The Science & Technology park is a 340-acre, master-planned technology community and a public-private partnership. Associated with Sandia National Laboratories and adjacent to Kirtland Air Force Base, its companies have access to world-class facilities, technologies, scientists and engineers.

Sandia Laboratories Director James Peery emphasized that Sandia partners on projects with companies in the park, and that the close proximity gives researchers in both sectors the opportunity to work together and share equipment and results.

"Everyone benefits when Sandia can team on technical, collaborative projects with park companies," he said. "Together, Sandia and the companies can explore solutions to challenges faced in the public and private sectors. A culture of collaboration continues to be engrained within the labs because it's an important and essential way to solve problems."

Total wages, for both direct and indirect employment, for the two-year period were $887.8 million, according to the report. Direct employment refers to people employed at the park. Indirect employment estimates jobs that would not have existed without employment or investment in the park. For example, investments in infrastructure could lead to temporary construction employment, which are indirect jobs.

During 2018-19, eight companies moved into the park and 310 direct jobs were added, according to the report. The average full-time annual salary in the park was $95,000, well above the average annual salary of $49,000 for full-time employees in the Albuquerque metro area.

"It's great to see what the SS&TP has become," said Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller. "The park is creating opportunities for Albuquerque residents and businesses by advancing state-of-the-art accomplishments in this area."

At the end of 2019, the park was home to 2,369 employees working in 48 companies and organizations, including some Sandia sites. About two-thirds of park employees work in scientific and technical fields, performing work that requires a high degree of expertise and training, the report concludes. For every direct job located in the park, nearly two indirect jobs were created in the region, according to the report. The park sustains approximately 4,500 indirect jobs per year.

"The Sandia Science & Technology Park continues to bolster the local economy and make a significant economic impact," said Jackie Kerby Moore, Sandia's manager of Technology and Economic Development and the labs' program manager for the park. "In addition to sizeable increases in tax revenues and wages, the park provides high-paying jobs to people in Albuquerque who want to work on important national security projects."

Park impacts community since 1998

The report concluded that the park has contributed significantly to the local economy since its establishment in 1998. In its 22-year history, the park helped produce $147.5 million in tax revenue for the state of New Mexico and $32 million for the City of Albuquerque. The park generated a $6.4 billion increase in wages and helped produce an estimated $3.7 billion in taxable personal consumption.

"The benefits of having a tech park like this in Albuquerque are invaluable to the community," said Executive Director Dewey Cave of the Mid-Region Council of Governments. "It provides successful jobs and a way of life for many people that wouldn't have these options otherwise. We hope it continues to grow."

Some of the highly technical direct jobs offered by the companies include computer and electronic product manufacturing, electrical equipment and appliance manufacturing, telecommunications, metal product manufacturing and scientific services.

The tech park is also home to a credit union, schools, a museum, an early childhood center, parks, exercise stations, and walking and biking trails. A community center, ball fields and housing are within walking distance from the businesses.

Private, public investments support jobs, operations

Investments in the park since 1998 total $396 million, with $306 million coming from private sources and $90 million coming from public investment. According to the report, private and public investment in the park creates direct and indirect jobs, helps maintain existing jobs, and contributes to the overall health and security of the regional economy.

"Since 1998, the Sandia Science & Technology Park has continued to expand and benefit the local community and state by offering high-paying positions at companies and organizations in a variety of fields," said Sherman McCorkle, chairman of the board of the SS&TP Development Corp.

Park companies helped with COVID-19 research efforts

In addition to the economic impact, some park companies worked on COVID-19 projects and established programs to address some of today's scientific, financial and social challenges.

Xertrix Technologies rapidly produced 100 tubes that Sandia requested for pathogen management kits. Once authorized, these kits will be attached to ventilation equipment to treat patients with severe cases of COVID-19 while decreasing the risk of spreading the virus.

PADT is supporting the response to COVID-19 by using 3D printing and engineering to help create personal protective equipment for medical workers.

Sandia Laboratory Federal Credit Union quickly adapted and found ways to help clients during the COVID-19 pandemic. The credit union offered payment relief, loan deferment and personal relief loans for members, and actively participated in the federal government's Payment Protection Program by processing and approving 322 applications, totaling more than $14 million. The credit union funneled much-needed financing for businesses in the SS&TP and elsewhere.

NMA Ventures is helping companies with financial modeling during this challenging time by offering virtual office hours.

Like other Albuquerque high schools, the Technology Leadership High School cancelled their commencement ceremony for 34 seniors. As an alternative, staff members scheduled individual graduation ceremonies to honor students all over Albuquerque and Rio Rancho for their hard work and commitment.

"We are grateful that park companies stepped up to address issues tied to the global pandemic," Moore said. "They came up with innovative and timely solutions."

###

The park is a partnership of Albuquerque Public Schools, Bernalillo County, the city of Albuquerque, the Mid-Region Council of Governments, the New Mexico congressional delegation, the New Mexico State Land Office, PNM, Sandia National Laboratories, the Sandia Science & Technology Park Development Corp., the state of New Mexico, the Department of Energy, the National Nuclear Security Administration and the U.S. Economic Development Administration.
Softeq Makes Inc. 5000 for the Third Year in a Row Softeq continues to lead the industry in the area of connected devices and our unique ability to deliver advanced IoT hardware and firmware solutions sets us apart as a software developer, says Christopher A. Howard, Softeq Development Corporation Founder and CEO

Softeq Development Corporation has been recognized by Inc. magazine for the third year in a row as one of the 5000 fastest-growing private companies in America. Between 2016 and 2019, Softeq achieved a growth rate of 148.5% and ranks number 2721 among the honorees. The companys growth strategy focuses on serving large enterprise technology companies and innovative startups and has allowed Softeq to accelerate revenue while at the same time narrowing the breadth of its high-quality client portfolio. Softeq provides software and hardware engineering services to a global client base through offices in Houston, Texas, Munich, Germany, and Minsk, Belarus.

Im thrilled that Softeq has been named to the list of fastest-growing companies for three consecutive years. Our continued focus on the highest growth technology segments is paying off and were pacing ahead of many tech industry growth rates. Softeq continues to lead the industry in the area of connected devices and our unique ability to deliver advanced IoT hardware and firmware solutions sets us apart as a software developer, says Christopher A. Howard, Softeq Development Corporation Founder and CEO.

Softeq is focused on the Internet of Things, embedded systems, electronic hardware, mobile applications, desktop applications, cloud backends, artificial intelligence, and machine learning. Key industries served by the company include Consumer Electronics, Telecommunications, Healthcare, Automotive, Oil & Gas, and Industrial Automation.

Results

The 2020 Inc. 5000 list as a whole posted a three-year average growth of more than 500% and a median rate of 165%. Aggregate revenue was $209 billion in 2019, accounting for 1,000,000 jobs over the past three years. The Inc. 5000 list is presented as an online interactive database, where companies can be filtered by industry, location, and other criteria.

Inc. 5000 Methodology

To qualify for the 2020 Inc. 5000 list, companies had to meet each of the following criteria:

 A US-based, privately-held, for-profit, and independent business

 Has been generating revenue since March 31, 2016

 Generated no less than $100,000 in revenue in 2016, and no less than $2,000,000 in 2019

Contact

For additional information about Softeq Development Corporation contact:

Terry Marshall, US Regional Marketing Manager

281-552-5030

terry.marshall@softeq.com

About Softeq Development Corporation

Founded in 1997 in Houston, TX, Softeq Development Corporation provides technical solutions to enterprise technology companies and innovative startups. As a full-stack software and hardware development service provider, Softeq bridges technology gaps in knowledge-intensive projects and builds end-to-end IT solutions from the ground up. To help clients make the transition from analog to digital, the company provides expertise in a variety of trending technologies including the Internet of Things, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, Industrial Automation, Robotics, Blockchain, and AR/VR. The company designs IT systems and connected devices for increased security and scalability. Softeq customers include Verizon, Epson, Microsoft, Lenovo, AMD, Disney, Intel, NVIDIA, and others. Learn more at softeq.com.

About Inc. Media

The worlds most trusted business-media brand, Inc. offers entrepreneurs the knowledge, tools, connections, and community to build great companies. Its award-winning multiplatform content reaches more than 50 million people each month across a variety of channels including websites, newsletters, social media, podcasts, and print. Its prestigious Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to recognize the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. The global recognition that comes with inclusion in the Inc. 5000 allows the founders of the best businesses to engage with an exclusive community of their peers and the credibility that helps them drive sales and recruit talent. For more information, visit http://www.inc.com.
Meanwhile, Maharashtra BJP chief Chandrakant Patil has slammed the Shiv Sena for its demand

Mumbai: Fuming over the Centre's decision to hand over the Sushant Singh Rajput death case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Shiv Sena has demanded that the deaths of BJP leader Gopinath Munde and judge BH Loya should also be investigated by the central agency.

Former Union minister and Sena leader Arvind Sawant said, Even we demand CBI inquiry into the death of Gopinath Munde and judge Loya. Let the truth come out in these cases.

Demand for CBI inquiry is not made very often. Its not right to conduct a probe just because someone has demanded it. There is some procedure, which needs to be followed for carrying out a CBI probe. But an attempt is being made to undermine the Constitution, which is based on the federal structure of governance, he said.

Mumbai police was investigating Sushant Singhs death case impartially. But the decision to hand over the case to CBI is an attempt to demoralise them, Sawant added.

Foul play was suspected in the death of Loya, who was hearing the Sohrabuddin Sheikh fake encounter case of Gujarat involving current Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Munde had died in a road accident in 2014, but a US hacker claimed he was murdered as he was aware of EVM hacking.

Meanwhile, Maharashtra BJP chief Chandrakant Patil has slammed the Shiv Sena saying its demand of a CBI probe into the deaths of Munde and Loya was due to its confused state.

There is no connection between the Sushant Singhs case and these two deaths. There is no point in again raking up the judge Loya issue, which is already over. The entire world knows that Munde had died in a road accident, he added.
A policy allowing investors to bid on solar power prices is being developed by the Vietnamese Ministry of Industry and Trade (MOIT). It is expected to be submitted to the Prime Minister this August and applied this year.

The projects to attend bids must be ones listed in the power development program approved by appropriate agencies and which enter commercial operation prior to June 30, 2022 and have the capability of releasing capacity at the COD (commercial operate date), according to VnExpress.





After chosen, investors will have to follow procedures for the bidding, including site clearance, design and other professional agreements.

The bidding will be organized separately for two different types of solar power projects  ground-mounted and floating solar power.



The maximum total capacity of the projects of one investor must not be higher than 20 percent of total capacity of projects to attend bids.



A bid will be considered valid if at least five investors attend the bid and observe legal procedures for bidding.



At present, under Decision 13/2020, the solar projects licensed prior to November 23, 2019 and put into commercial operation prior to December 31, 2020 will still enjoy the FIT (feed in tariff) mechanism. Other projects will obtain electricity sale contracts through bidding.



As for the projects in Ninh Thuan province, listed in the power development program, and to be put into commercial operation prior to January 1, 2021, they have the price of 9.35 cent per kwh (VND2,086). The price doesnt include VAT and will be applied for 20 years.

At present, under Decision 13/2020, the solar projects licensed prior to November 23, 2019 and put into commercial operation prior to December 31, 2020 will still enjoy the FIT (feed in tariff) mechanism. Other projects will obtain electricity sale contracts through bidding.

Prior to that, in a document to the government last April, MOIT suggested three bidding solutions: bidding in accordance with projects; bidding at transformer stations; and bidding to choose investors for specific projects with the large scale of over 100 MW.

The ministry believed that the first solution was the best. The projects to be chosen are the ones which can satisfy technical requirements, and offer competitive prices (from low to high until EVN can mobilize the total capacity of 1,000 MW).



The ceiling prices are 7.69 cent per kwh for floating solar power and 7.09 cent per kwh for ground mounted solar power.



Tran Viet Ngai, chair of the Vietnam Energy Association (VEA), believes that bidding for solar power prices is necessary to prevent solar power projects from developing uncontrollably as seen currently.



Many solar power investors have expressed concern that they may fail to put solar power plants into operation by the end of this year to be able to enjoy the FIT because of Covid-19 which has affected the import of equipment and the use of labor force.

Translated by Kim Chi

Solar power plants accelerate connection to grid to enjoy incentive Many solar power plants have managed to get hooked to the power grid early to enjoy the high electricity prices, thus overloading the grid.
Seven more criminal cases launched against founder of Police Ombudsman public page

 RAPSI, Vladimir Burnov

11:57 12/08/2020

MOSCOW, August 12 (RAPSI)  Investigators had launched seven more cases against Vladimir Vorontsov, the creator of the Telegram channel called Police Ombudsman, attorney Sergey Tyulenev told RAPSI on Wednesday.

Six new cases are opened over insulting a representative of authorites and one more is over porno peddling. In total, Vorontsov is defendant in 14 criminal cases, the defense lawyer said.

Charges have been already brought in cases over extortion and porno peddling. According to the police, the defendant has demanded the money for non-distribution of personal photos.

From 2012 to 2017, the victim served in Moscow police. In October 2017, the suspect called him and demanded 300,000 rubles threatening to publicly share his personal photos, the statement reads. The victim refused and his photos were published in the Telegram channel.

The defendant could face up to 7 years in jail if convicted of extortion.




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One commonality amongst all reporting associated with the COVID-19 pandemic: unprecedented. Unprecedented circumstances, unprecedented symptomatology, unprecedented prevalence, and now, unprecedented velocity. 300 million doses of a safe, effective vaccine for COVID-19 by January 2021the project: Operation Warp Speed.

On January 20, 2020, the first case of COVID-19 was reported in the United States; fast forward to July 2020 and the National Institutes of Health announced the start of a Phase 3 clinical trial, evaluating the efficacy of an investigational vaccine for the novel coronavirus.

As we approach a prospective approval, Operation Warp Speeds once elusive target appears tangible. Despite what many would describe as an extraordinary feat of science, the vaccine candidates have not been met with a congruous response from the public. Why is that?

Recent polls have indicated that less than 50 percent of people in the U.S. would willingly receive a COVID-19 vaccine. For perspective, Dr. Anthony Fauci told CNN that even if two-thirds of the U.S. population were inoculated, it would still fail to provide herd immunity. Previous vaccine development timescales are measured in durations magnitudes larger than mere months. When vaccines which took 15 to 20 years to develop are met with contempt, what will those same individuals say about this vaccine? In fact, what sensible individual would not question the legitimacy of a vaccine under a development process touted to be traveling at superluminal velocity?

If our goal is to ensure the public will be comfortable being inoculated once a safe and effective vaccine is approved, we need to adjust our narrative; otherwise, we should not be surprised when individuals, who under normal circumstances advocate for vaccination, are hesitant to get vaccinated. Furthermore, if we fail to demonstrate the validity of the stringent regulatory standards associated with vaccine development, we may lose the publics confidence in vaccines for other preventable diseases. We cannot have poor scientific communication undermine the countless efforts which have sought to vanquish anti-vaccination movements.

COVID-19 is not the first coronavirus we have dealt with; its predecessor SARS and its distant relative MERS have been largely eradicated. Various, previously developed, vaccines have rendered many communicable diseases nearly inexistent; for instance, since 1979, after widespread use of the polio vaccine, the U.S. has been polio-free, and the introduction of a measles vaccine has led to a greater than 99 percent reduction in cases. Once contextualized, our circumstances seem far less unprecedented.

In fact, the most unprecedented circumstance we are witnessing is the enormity of resources, researchers, and financial capital poured into the vaccine development process. Not to mention the number of vaccine candidates concomitantly under development26 candidates in clinical evaluation and 139 candidates in preclinical evaluation. These factors are all at play and should be a larger part of the conversation when we discuss how traditional timelines have been shortened.

It is important to note that this shift in narrative is not with any intention of misinforming or misguiding the public. It is imperative that everyone is aware of any vaccines associated risks. However, our enamoras a scientific communityat the speed of innovation we are witnessing, should not cloud our ability to appropriately communicate with the public. And while we may be unable to instill confidence in everyone, the stakes are much larger than the publics uptake of this single vaccine.

Perhaps our first step should be to rename a vaccine development project to something more reassuring than a reference to a science-fiction movie.

Austin A. Barr is an undergraduate student.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com
GRANGEVILLE, Idaho, Aug. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Syringa Hospital & Clinics in Grangeville, Idaho, has now contracted to use FastCommand to keep communications adaptable and ongoing during emergencies and disasters. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Syringa Hospital is initiating the FastCommand tools to ease staff coordination with continuous communications during challenging times. The FastCommand system allows hospitals to care for and protect their patients, staff, and the community with advanced communications that are enabled during outages or panics. You can view Syringa Hospital's command site at https://shc.fastcommand.com. Syringa has also chosen FastHealth Corporation for advanced website development services partially for reasons such as safety, security, privacy, and compliance with the American Disabilities Act. Both systems enabled by Syringa hospital show the region how sophisticated the hospital is becoming in these challenging times.

The main entrance to Syringa Hospital in Grangeville, Idaho. FastCommand logo presented on the corporate office building located in Tuscaloosa, AL.

Dana Greig, Marketing/Engagement Specialist of Syringa Hospital, said, "We have selected FastCommand and FastHealth Corporation to help protect our hospital during this difficult time with COVID-19. FastCommand gives us the ability to inform our staff quickly and urgently; thus, keeping the community safe and our communications resilient during emergencies. FastHealth Corporation tools provide additional value beyond other web developers. Compliance, safety, resiliency, and urgency are all-important web development aspects for today's management teams. FastHealth Corporation was an obvious choice, as it is a company that is going to help the hospital develop the tools we need to meet privacy and security standards for our hospital and the community. We are grateful for the relationship that begins with creativity but not at the expense of compliance and security."

FastHealth Corporation works with hospitals to develop manageable websites meant for adaptability. FastHealth Corporation works with over 200 hospitals across the United States to assist hospitals in keeping their patients and data safe, secure, and private. Multiple departments can manage website areas when needed, giving them the capabilities to update and coordinate their hospital departments and website without difficulty. Whether you are using FastHealth for an online hiring system, bill pay center, patient forms, or even for advanced website designs, FastHealth is an adaptable and flexible system that can be customized specifically for today's needs of your hospital and community.

About FastCommand

FastCommand patented website deflection technologies are specifically designed for critical emergency situations. This cutting-edge continuity technology helps communications to endure even during website overload or phone collapse. The tools are used by non-technical healthcare staff during many threats that can quickly occur in the healthcare industry and many other industries. The system is used during situations such as pandemics, active shooter events, natural disasters, hacking situations, etc. FastCommand has public safety teams available 24 hours a day 365 days a year to serve as the hospital's emergency communication personnel. Learn more at https://www.fastcommand.com/press.



For More Information Visit:

https://www.fastcommand.com/docs/FastCommandHospitals.pdf

https://www.fasthealthcorporation.com/docs/websiteproposal2.pdf

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2rxRbTiDAk&feature=youtu.be

https://www.fastcommand.com/getpage.php?name=Pandemic_Alerts



Contact:



Kasey Sellers

FastHealth Corporation

FastCommand

[email protected]

https://www.fastcommand.com

205-752-5050, Ext. 110

Dana Greig

Marketing/Engagement Specialist

Syringa Hospital

[email protected]

http://www.syringahospital.org

208-983-8571

SOURCE FastCommand

Related Links

https://www.fastcommand.com


NEW YORK, Aug. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Fostering a culture of working together to further goals and personal growth, Keystone National Properties (KNPRE) expands its management team by welcoming additional members.

Adding to KNPRE's diverse expertise are David Shladovsky, Esq., Nora Harris, Allen Esrock, and Steve Buffone, Esq. David Shladovsky will be General Counsel for KNPRE. Nora Harris and Allen Esrock are signing in as Directors of Development while Steve Buffone will serve as a Senior Advisor.

Before joining KNPRE, David Shladovsky was with Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors, L.P., a leading alternative investment and private equity firm with over $30BB AUM. For 24 years, he served as General Counsel and Secretary for the firm and their publicly traded funds. He was also the President of the firm's broker dealer.

Nora Harris was a Director of Investor Relations at HAS Capital, a private real estate firm specializing in Manufactured Housing. Ms. Harris has held senior-level positions at Northern Trust Asset Management, Lombardia Capital Partners, and Goldman Sachs.

Allen Esrock was a retained executive recruiter working across industries including digital media, technology, healthcare, and non-profits before joining KNPRE. He is the Founder of NxtGen Nexus, a definitive online global community that supports families through Education and Connectivity.

Steve Buffone is a corporate transactional lawyer who was an associate and partner at the Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP law firm for 33 years. His practice at Gibson Dunn focused on mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance and securities, restructurings and bankruptcies, and general corporate counseling.

KNPRE is dedicated to creating maximum value for investors in real estate and private equity. Prior to the addition of the new members, the firm's management team already had over 50 years of combined experience in real estate and finance. The firm's expertise encompasses building and growing companies, as well as tax- advantaged real estate transactions.

For Inquiries, contact KNPRE at [email protected] or 310.413.9113

SOURCE KNPRE
FP Trending

The ongoing pandemic has seen a shift to online meetings and schooling on a global scale. To match with the increasing demand, Google has planned a series of updates and features on its Meet and Classroom programmes.

In a company blog, Google talked about the enhanced controls that will be coming to the moderators of Educational meetings on Meet. The capabilities will be arriving by next month, by which moderators will be able to end meetings for all participants once the class is over; manage join requests easily; lock meetings until the moderator joins. Another feature of prohibiting participants from joining a meeting after they have been ejected or after they have been denied entry twice is going to come to Meet later this month.

To help moderators manage online classes better, a hand raising feature is going to be launched later this year. Polls, Q&A sessions and other interactive features are going to be introduced to make learning more interactive. By October, Meet will be getting a new attendance tracking system via G Suite Enterprise for Education. Teachers will be able to split classes into breakout rooms to create small group discussions.

On the other hand, the Classes page in Classroom will see a to-do widget for students and a to-review widget for instructors soon. Link sharing over platforms like WhatsApp will make joining classes over the application easier. Also, now "instructors with G Suite Enterprise for Education licenses will be able to see potential plagiarism between students at their school". This feature is set to begin in a few weeks.
Porous liquids acting as membranes: This process could save enormous amounts of energy and thus CO 2 in the plastics industry. (Photo: A. Knebel, KIT)

Jointly with cooperation partners, a researcher of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) has developed porous liquids: Nanoparticles, that are able to separate gas molecules of different sizes from each other, float  finely distributed  in a solvent. This is because the particles have empty pores, through whose openings only molecules of a certain size can penetrate. These porous liquids may be used directly or processed into membranes that efficiently separate propene from gaseous mixtures. Propen, in turn, is employed as the starting material for propylene, a widely used plastic material. This could replace the energy-intensive distillation that has been the common procedure up to now. The team reports on the results in Nature Materials. (DOI: 10.1038/s41563-020-0764-y).

Propene, also known as propylene, is one of the most important raw materials for the chemical industry, of which around 100 million tons are used up worldwide every year. Polypropylene, a real mass plastic, produced from propene is mainly used for packaging, but also in industries such as construction and automotive. Propene is mainly obtained by processing crude oil or natural gas. In this process, it is separated from other gases by distillation and then purified. In the technical literature, it is assumed that gas separation in petrochemistry using membranes would only cost one fifth of the energy required for distillation. In view of the required high quantities of propene, this means that the release of huge amounts of the greenhouse gas CO 2 can be avoided, says Junior Research Group Leader Dr. Alexander Knebel from the KIT Institute of Functional Interfaces who conducted research at Leibniz Universitat Hannover and in Saudi Arabia until 2019.

The chemist is a major contributor to a research project that, for the first time, raises interest in the petrochemical industry as regards the use of membranes for the separation of propene. Knebel's cooperation partners were scientists from Leibniz Universitat Hannover, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology and the Deutsches Institut fur Kautschuktechnologie.

Metal-organic framework distributed in a liquid for the first time

The researchers started their work with the solid material ZIF-67 (zeolitic imidazole framework) whose atoms form a metal-organic framework with 0.34 nanometer-wide pore openings. In doing so, they systematically modified the surface of ZIF-67 nanoparticles. This enabled us to finely disperse a metal-organic framework in liquids such as cyclohexane, cyclooctane or mesitylene, says Knebel joyfully. Scientists call the resulting dispersion porous liquid.

The porous framework of ZIF-67: The metal centers of cobalt (pyramids) are connected to each other by methyl imidazolate (rods and rings). (Graphics: R. Ahmad)

Gaseous propene needs much longer to pass through a column filled with the porous liquid than methane, for example. This is because propene is retained, as it were, in the pores of the nanoparticles, while the smaller methane molecules smoothly pass through. We want to exploit this property of the dispersion in the future to produce liquid separation membranes, states Knebel.

Yet, porous liquids can also be used to produce solid separation membranes with particularly advantageous properties. The researchers produced membranes from a plastic material and the chemically modified ZIF-67. They succeeded in increasing the proportion of modified ZIF-67 in the membrane to 47.5 percent without making it mechanically unstable. When the scientists passed a gas mixture consisting of equal parts of propene and propane over two membranes arranged in series, they obtained propene with a purity of at least 99.9 percent, even though the two gas molecules differ in size by not more than 0.2 nanometers.

Besides its separation efficiency, the quantity of a gas mixture that can be passed through in a certain time is decisive for the practical use of such a membrane. This flow rate was at least three times higher with the new membranes than with previous materials. With the separation values achieved, Knebel is convinced that it would pay off for the petrochemical industry for the first time to use membranes instead of conventional distillation processes for gas separation.

It is crucial for the performance of the membranes that as many metal-organic particles as possible can be distributed uniformly in the plastic and that the pores in the nanoparticles are not clogged by solvents during membrane production, i.e. remain empty, so to speak. We were able to achieve both goals because we did not directly incorporate solid particles into the membrane, but instead proceeded via the porous liquids even though this looks like a detour, explains Knebel.

Further material:

Publication in Nature Materials: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41563-020-0764-y

Original publication:

Knebel, A., Bavykina, A., Datta, S., Sundermann, L., Garzon-Tovar, L., Lebedev, Y., Durini, S., Ahmad, R., Kozlov, S. M., Shterk, G., Karunakaran, M., Carja, I. D., Simic, D., Weilert, I., Kluppel, M., Giese, U., Cavallo, L., Rueping, M., Eddaoudi, M., Caro, J., Gascon, J.: Solution processable metal-organic frameworks for mixed matrix membranes using porous liquids. Nature Materials, 2020. DOI: 10.1038/s41563-020-0764-y

Being The Research University in the Helmholtz Association, KIT creates and imparts knowledge for the society and the environment. It is the objective to make significant contributions to the global challenges in the fields of energy, mobility, and information. For this, about 9,600 employees cooperate in a broad range of disciplines in natural sciences, engineering sciences, economics, and the humanities and social sciences. KIT prepares its 23,300 students for responsible tasks in society, industry, and science by offering research-based study programs. Innovation efforts at KIT build a bridge between important scientific findings and their application for the benefit of society, economic prosperity, and the preservation of our natural basis of life. KIT is one of the German universities of excellence.
EL DORADO, Ark., Aug. 12, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE: MUSA) is thrilled to announce its store employees and customers have raised more than $1 million for Boys & Girls Clubs of America youth in 2020. This milestone comes on the heels of the companys partnership announcement with the youth advocacy organization in April  the gasoline and convenience store leaders first national cause marketing initiative.



We are blown away by the generosity of our customers and employees who have more than doubled our original commitment of $500,000 to support Boys & Girls Clubs members, said Andrew Clyde, President and CEO of Murphy USA. Even in these trying times, were deeply moved and proud to see the generous spirit of our customers and Murphy USA store employees through their support of the Great Futures Fueled Here campaign that will help provide opportunities for the next generation.

The multi-phase cause campaign launched April 1 across nearly 1,500 Murphy USA locations in 25 states. During the campaign, customers can choose to make a monetary contribution of $1, $2 or $5, or round-up their purchases to the nearest dollar amount at checkout. The funds raised will benefit Boys & Girls Clubs in the same communities served by Murphy USA locations.

The young people we serve are in dire need of community support as they navigate unprecedented challenges this year, said Jim Clark, president and CEO, Boys & Girls Clubs of America. Murphy USA has galvanized its nationwide network of stores to give back to the kids and teens right in their backyard. Were amazed by the tremendous response to our partnership so far, and we look forward to continuing to achieve great things together.

Every year, 4.6 million young people are served by Boys & Girls Clubs of America, a youth advocacy organization working to ensure that all kids and teens have the same opportunities to succeed in life. After-school programs at Boys & Girls Clubs support the learning young people do during the school day. They ensure all youth have the resources they need to achieve a great future  including a safe, supportive environment and caring adult mentors.

The second phase of the Great Futures Fueled Here campaign will run through Sept. 1, 2020. Customers can round up or donate $1, $5, or $10. To donate or learn more, visit www.murphydonates.online . To learn more about what Boys & Girls Clubs of America is doing to help youth and families during this time, visit www.bgca.org .

About Murphy USA

Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE: MUSA) is a leading retailer of gasoline and convenience merchandise with nearly 1,500 stores located primarily in the Southwest, Southeast and Midwest United States. The company and its team of nearly 10,000 employees serve an estimated 1.7 million customers each day through its network of retail gasoline stations in 25 states. The majority of Murphy USA's sites are located in close proximity to Walmart stores. For more information, please visit www.murphyusa.com .

About Boys & Girls Clubs of America

For 160, Boys & Girls Clubs of America ( BGCA.org ) has enabled young people most in need to achieve great futures as productive, caring, responsible citizens. Today, more than 4,700 Clubs serve over 4.6 million young people through Club membership and community outreach. Clubs are in cities, towns, public housing and on Native lands throughout the country, and serve military families in BGCA-affiliated Youth Centers on U.S. military installations worldwide. They provide a safe place, caring adult mentors, fun and friendship, and high-impact youth development programs daily during critical non-school hours. Club programs promote academic success, good character and citizenship, and healthy lifestyles. In a Harris Survey of alumni, 54 percent said the Club saved their lives. National headquarters are located in Atlanta. To learn more, visit Boys & Girls Clubs of America on Facebook or Twitter .

Media Contact:

Don Miller  Community Relations Ambassador

Don.Miller@murphyusa.com

Office: 870-881-6617
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-12 17:31:31|Editor: huaxia

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HEFEI, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- As trans-provincial travel in China resumed after months-long suspension due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the usual hustle and bustle returns to tourist attractions across the country.

"I received over 20 guests from Hebei and Inner Mongolia today, a big improvement compared with previous months," said Huang Min, a tour guide based in the eastern Chinese province of Anhui.

The Ministry of Culture and Tourism announced on July 14 that travel agencies and online tourism companies were allowed to resume their trans-provincial group tours gradually. The resumption has unleashed the domestic travel demand of Chinese people who had been confined to their homes for months to prevent the spread of the virus.

Since July 29, popular tourist destinations across the country have received nearly three times the tourists compared with last quarter, according to a report released by the country's major online travel agency Trip.com Group.

"The resumption of trans-provincial travel has boosted the tourism sector. Take Hongcun (a historic village in Hongcun Town), for example, its average daily visitors have increased to more than 3,000, nearly half of the number in the same period last year," said Hu Weimin, marketing director of Yixian County Hui Huang Tourism Group.

According to Hu, as the resumption comes ahead of the summer vacation, family travel has become quite popular, registering an increase of nearly 60 percent.

Travel agencies that encountered financial difficulties due to the epidemic have also returned to work.

Trip.com Group's report showed that over 4,000 travel agencies have launched domestic travel products on its platform.

Liang Jianzhang, chairman and co-founder of Trip.com Group said in the first half the year, travel agencies had to rely on short trips to survive and the revenue only accounted for one-tenth of their previous income.

Liang added that outbound tourism usually accounts for half of the revenue for travel agencies and 40 percent of their earning comes from cross-provincial travel.

Wu Minghua, a 34-year-old from Guangdong, said tourists like himself had to sign an undertaking that mentioned about complying with anti-epidemic measures such as daily temperature screening, among others.

"We were told before the trip that vehicles will be disinfected every day to ensure a clean and safe environment for passengers," said Wu.

Due to the impact of the epidemic, small-scale and customized tour groups began to gain popularity, said Li Kang, head of a travel agency in Hefei, capital of Anhui Province.

"People are willing to pay more for quality service and strict health and safety protection measures," Li said.

As scenic spots are busy preparing for a major inflow of tourists, local tourism departments also introduced incentives to attract visitors from outside the region. Provinces such as Shandong, Shanxi, Henan, and Guizhou announced free tickets or big discounts to tourists.

"Hongcun will allow free entry for children under 16 when they travel with their parents," said Hu.

"We are eager to seize the opportunity by offering tailored services to meet demands of tourists amid the recovering tourism market," said Li. Enditem
The focus of Gov. Phil Murphys 1 p.m. coronavirus press conference is expected be the states decision to change course and allow public schools the option of starting the school year with no in-person classes.

Interim state education Commissioner Kevin Dehmer will join Murphy at the press conference from the Trenton War Memorials George Washington Ballroom. It will be streamed live on the governors YouTube channel.

The news of the all-remote option for districts broke early Wednesday, hours after the New Jersey Education Association issued a statement calling for all teachers and students in New Jersey to begin the upcoming school year remotely.

Murphy ordered all schools statewide closed in mid-March at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic. Students concluded the school year by completing their assignments online. In early May, he said schools would remain closed though the end of the academic calendar in June.

Then on June 26, Murphy said districts would be required to offer at least some in-person instruction for the upcoming year. He later revised that plan, announcing on July 21 parents would have the option of keeping their children home and letting them resume remote learning.

The governor is expected to make the all-virtual option for districts official on Wednesday. Many districts have already announced hybrid plans for the upcoming year and others have said a return to in-person classes is impossible under the restrictions required.

Dehmer is temporarily serving as state education commissioner after Lamont Repollet left in May to become the president of Kean University. Dehmer is also the chief financial officer of the state Department of Education.

State health Commissioner Judy Persichilli, communicable disease medical director Dr. Edward Lifshitz and State Police Superintendent Colonel Pat Callahan will also attend the press conference.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.

Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JeffSGoldman. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
NEW YORK, Aug. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ --



INTRODUCTION

Vaccines are versatile preventive formulations that have, so far, enabled the global eradication of smallpox (1980) and polio (2015), which are both debilitating viral diseases. According to the WHO, currently, global vaccination coverage is nearly 85%. This is believed to be responsible for preventing close to three million deaths, which would have otherwise been caused by infectious diseases, such as chickenpox, diphtheria, measles, pneumonia, tetanus, and tuberculosis. In fact, recent immunization records indicate that more than 115 million children are immunized against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis annually. However, vaccine development, especially against newly identified pathogens, is a challenging and time consuming process. For instance, authorities claim that although there are many initiatives investigating vaccines against the recently identified SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus strain, a viable vaccine is still a year away. Other barriers to vaccine development include lack of pathogen specific information, inadequate immunity (conferred by certain types of vaccines), existence of multiple pathogenic strains, and reversion potential (a phenomenon where a weakened pathogen intended for use as a vaccine, reverts to its infectious phenotype).







Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05950928/?utm_source=PRN







Despite the success achieved, so far, through vaccination, it is estimated that over 1.5 million children, under the age of five, die of vaccine-preventable diseases, every year. This is largely attributed to storage (loss of efficacy upon prolonged storage) and logistics-related (cold chain requirement) complexities, which impact adequate distribution and transportation of such medications to remote areas. Given the rate at which the global population is growing, the demand for vaccines is anticipated to increase significantly. In this regard, significant strides have been made in improving existing vaccine formulations, mostly focused on enhancing stability. Recent technical advances, especially in the field of biotechnology, have heralded a new era in immunogen design for vaccine development. Moreover, many developers claim to be working on next generation preventive vaccine candidates, such as recombinant vaccines, viral vector-based vaccines and DNA vaccines, which have been demonstrated to elicit powerful immune responses, resulting in the development of immunologic memory. Further, a variety of adjuvants (substances with the innate potential to augment an immune response) have been discovered and are now available for the development of more versatile vaccine formulations. Several regional government bodies and private investors are actively financing stakeholders in this industry. Given that in the recent past there has been a marked rise in new entrants in this field, we anticipate this market to witness substantial growth in the coming years.



SCOPE OF THE REPORT

The 'Global Preventive Vaccines Market, 2020-2030' report features an extensive study of the current market landscape and future opportunities associated with the preventive vaccine domain. The study also features a detailed analysis of the key drivers and trends related to this evolving segment of the pharmaceutical industry. Amongst other elements, the report includes:

 A detailed assessment of the current market landscape, including information on type of developer (industry, non-industry, industry / non-industry), phase of development (phase I, phase I/II, phase II, phase II/III, phase III and preregistration) of lead candidates, route of administration (intramuscular, intranasal, oral, intradermal, subcutaneous, intravenous and others), type of vaccine API (live, attenuated vaccine, recombinant vaccine, conjugate vaccine, inactivated vaccine, DNA vaccine, peptide vaccine, subunit vaccine, mRNA vaccine, toxoid vaccine and others), dosage form (ready to use liquid, lyophilized powder, nasal spray, capsule and tablet), dosage (single dose, 2 doses, 3 doses, 4 doses, 5 doses and 6 doses), target disease indication and target patient population (children, adults and seniors).

 A competitiveness analysis of preventive vaccine developers, taking into consideration supplier strength (based on company size and its experience in this field) and pipeline strength (based on the number of clinical-stage vaccine candidates, highest phase of development, number of compatible routes of administration, number of indications evaluated, number of APIs evaluated and target patient population).

 Elaborate profiles of the key preventive vaccine developers (shortlisted based on a proprietary criterion) across North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. Each profile includes a brief overview of the company, its year of establishment, location of headquarters, number of employees and financial information (if available). In addition to this, the profile includes information on the various clinical-stage vaccine candidates developed by the company. Further, we have provided the recent developments of the company and an informed future outlook.

 A detailed analysis of more than 1,400 completed, ongoing and planned clinical studies of preventive vaccines, highlighting prevalent trends across various relevant parameters, such as trial registration year, phase of development, trial recruitment status, study design, trial focus area, type of preventive vaccine (based on pathogen), target disease indication(s), type of sponsor / collaborator, leading industry sponsors / collaborators (in terms of number of trials conducted), enrolled patients population and regional distribution.

 An overview of the ongoing vaccine development initiatives for complex conditions, such as COVID-19, ebola virus disease, HIV/AIDS, malaria and zika virus infection, including information on disease, its global burden, current treatment landscape and preventive vaccine research landscape. Further, we have provided the information on investments made and recent developments in the domain.

 An analysis of the investments made in this domain, during the period between 2015 and 2020 (till March), including seed financing, venture capital financing, debt financing, grants, capital raised from IPOs and subsequent offerings, at various stages of development in companies that are engaged in developing preventive vaccines.

 A case study on contract manufacturing landscape for vaccines, featuring a comprehensive list of active CMOs and analyses based on a number of parameters, such as year of establishment, company size, scale of operation (preclinical, clinical and commercial), geographical location, number of vaccine manufacturing facilities, types of services offered (cell / virus banking, analytical development / testing, formulation, process development, fill / finish and regulatory filings), type of expression systems used for vaccine production (mammalian, microbial and others) and type of vaccine manufactured.



One of the key objectives of the report was to estimate the existing market size and identify potential growth opportunities for preventive vaccines over the coming decade. Based on several parameters, such as target consumer segments, region specific adoption rates and expected prices of such products, we have provided an informed estimate on the likely evolution of the market over the period 2020-2030. The report also provides details on the likely distribution of the current and forecasted opportunity across [A] route of administration (intramuscular, subcutaneous, oral, intranasal, intradermal and others), [B] type of vaccine (pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, human papilloma virus vaccine, influenza vaccine, rotavirus vaccine, varicella vaccine, DTP-HepB-Hib vaccine, meningococcal group A, C, Y and W-135 vaccine and others), [C] type of vaccine API (live attenuated vaccine, inactivated vaccine, conjugate vaccine, subunit vaccine, toxoid vaccine and others), [D] target patient population (pediatric and adults) and [E] key geographical regions, covering North America (the US, Mexico and Canada), Europe (Spain, the UK, Italy, France, Germany and rest of Europe), Asia Pacific (India, China, Australia and rest of Asia Pacific), and rest of the world. In order to account for future uncertainties and to add robustness to our model, we have provided three forecast scenarios, namely conservative, base and optimistic scenarios, representing different tracks of the industry's growth.



RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

The data presented in this report has been gathered via secondary and primary research. For all our projects, we conduct interviews / surveys with experts in the area (academia, industry and other associations) to solicit their opinions on emerging trends in the market. This is primarily useful for us to draw out our own opinion on how the market will evolve across different regions and segments. Where possible, the available data has been checked for accuracy from multiple sources of information.



The secondary sources of information include:

 Annual reports

 Investor presentations

 SEC filings

 Industry databases

 News releases from company websites

 Government policy documents

 Industry analysts' views



All actual figures have been sourced and analyzed from publicly available information forums and primary research discussions. Financial figures mentioned in this report are in USD, unless otherwise specified.



KEY QUESTIONS ANSWERED

 Who are the leading developers of preventive vaccines?

 How big is the development pipeline and which new indications are coming in focus?

 Who are the key investors in the preventive vaccines market?

 What is the impact of COVID-19 on the demand for preventive vaccines?

 Which are the key / emerging CMOs, in different regions, that you can reach out to for your vaccine manufacturing requirements?

 How is the current and future opportunity likely to be distributed across key market segments?



CHAPTER OUTLINES

Chapter 2 is an executive summary of the key insights captured in our research. It offers a high-level view on the current state of the preventive vaccines market and its likely evolution in the short-mid term and long term.



Chapter 3 provides a general introduction to vaccines, as well as their classification based on the type of active ingredient. The chapter also includes an overview of the various expression systems that have been / are being used in the development and production of vaccines. Along with these, later sections highlight a discussion on the various routes of vaccine administration. It also features a brief overview of clinical development and approval processes for vaccines. The chapter ends with a discussion on the challenges and growth drivers that are likely to impact the evolution of the vaccines market in the comping years.



Chapter 4 provides a detailed assessment of the current market landscape of over 200 preventive vaccines that are currently being evaluated in different stages of development. It features a comprehensive analysis of pipeline molecules based on a number of parameters, such as type of developer (industry, non-industry, industry / non-industry), phase of development (phase I, phase I/II, phase II, phase II/III, phase III and preregistration) of lead candidates, route of administration (intramuscular, intranasal, oral, intradermal, subcutaneous, intravenous and others), type of vaccine API (live, attenuated vaccine, recombinant vaccine, conjugate vaccine, inactivated vaccine, DNA vaccine, peptide vaccine, subunit vaccine, mRNA vaccine, toxoid vaccine and others), dosage form (ready to use liquid, lyophilized powder, nasal spray, capsule and tablet), dosage (single dose, 2 doses, 3 doses, 4 doses, 5 doses and 6 doses), target disease indication and target patient population (children, adults and seniors).



Chapter 5 features an insightful company competitiveness analysis of preventive vaccine developers based in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. The analysis presents a comparison of the companies within each geography on the basis of supplier strength (based on company size and its experience in this field) and pipeline strength (based on number of clinical-stage vaccine candidates, highest phase of development, number of compatible routes of administration, number of indication evaluated, number of APIs evaluated and target patient population).



Chapter 6 provides elaborate profiles of the key preventive vaccine developers (shortlisted based on a proprietary criterion) across North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. Each profile includes a brief overview of the company, its year of establishment, location of headquarters, number of employees and financial information (if available). In addition to this, the profile includes information on the various clinical-stage vaccine candidates developed by the company. Further, we have provided the recent developments of the company and an informed future outlook.



Chapter 7 presents a detailed analysis of more than 1,400 completed, ongoing and planned clinical studies of preventive vaccines, highlighting prevalent trends across various relevant parameters, such as trial registration year, phase of development, trial recruitment status, study design, trial focus area, type of preventive vaccine (based on pathogen), target disease indication(s), type of sponsor / collaborator, leading industry sponsors / collaborators (in terms of number of trials conducted), enrolled patients population and regional distribution.



Chapter 8 provides an overview of the ongoing vaccine development initiatives for complex conditions, such as COVID-19, ebola virus disease, HIV/AIDS, malaria and zika virus infection, including information on disease, its global burden, current treatment landscape and preventive vaccine research landscape. Further, we have provided the information on investments made and recent developments in the domain.



Chapter 9 presents an analysis of the investments made in this domain, during the period between 2015 and 2020 (till March), including seed financing, venture capital financing, debt financing, grants, capital raised from IPOs and subsequent offerings, at various stages of development in companies that are engaged in developing preventive vaccines.



Chapter 10 features a comprehensive market forecast, highlighting the future potential of this market till 2030 based on several parameters, such as target consumer segments, region specific adoption rates and expected prices of such products, we have provided an informed estimate on the likely evolution of the market over the period 2020-2030. The report also provides details on the likely distribution of the current and forecasted opportunity across [A] route of administration (intramuscular, subcutaneous, oral, intranasal, intradermal and others), [B] type of vaccine (pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, human papilloma virus vaccine, influenza vaccine, rotavirus vaccine, varicella vaccine, DTP-HepB-Hib vaccine, meningococcal group A, C, Y and W-135 vaccine and Other), [C] type of API (live attenuated vaccine, inactivated vaccine, conjugate vaccine, subunit vaccine, toxoid vaccine and others), [D] target patient population (pediatric and adults) and [E] key geographical regions, covering North America (the US, Mexico and Canada), Europe (Spain, the UK, Italy, France, Germany and rest of Europe), Asia Pacific (India, China, Australia and rest of Asia Pacific), and rest of the world.



Chapter 11 presents a case study on contract manufacturing landscape for vaccines, featuring a comprehensive list of active CMOs and analyses based on a number of parameters, such as year of establishment, company size, scale of operation (preclinical, clinical and commercial), geographical location, number of vaccine manufacturing facilities, types of services offered (cell / virus banking, analytical development / testing, formulation, process development, fill / finish and regulatory filings), type of expression systems used for vaccine production (mammalian, microbial and others) and type of vaccine manufactured.



Chapter 12 is a summary of the overall report. In this chapter, we have provided a list of key takeaways from the report, and expressed our independent opinion related to the research and analysis described in the previous chapters.



Chapter 13 is a collection of interview transcripts of discussions held with key stakeholder(s) in this market.



Chapter 14 is an appendix, which provides tabulated data and numbers for all the figures provided in the report.



Chapter 15 is an appendix, which contains the list of companies and organizations mentioned in the report.



Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05950928/?utm_source=PRN



About Reportlinker

ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place.



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LifeLink chatbots virtualize the entire intake process on mobile devices, which will ultimately do away with the need for waiting rooms and will make the patients visit more efficient.

LifeLink today announced that Memorial Health System selected the company to provide advanced conversational technology that virtualizes the waiting room experience for every patient who has an appointment with their physicians. LifeLink-powered artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots communicate through intuitive, natural language-based mobile messaging to help patients confirm appointments, screen for COVID-19 symptoms, complete intake forms, provide timing updates, and check in for visits. The mobile solution supports both in-person and telehealth appointments.

Memorial Health System (MHS) is a community-based, not-for-profit corporation serving the people and communities of central Illinois through five hospitals, behavioral health and home services units, and Memorial Physician Services  a network of physicians that handles more than 300,000 patient visits each year.

As patients get back to seeing their physicians for care, we must find ways to virtualize that experience to keep everyone safe, but theres a bigger opportunity at hand, said Jay Roszhart, president of MHS ambulatory group. Were always looking for ways to improve our patient experience. LifeLink chatbots virtualize the entire intake process on mobile devices, which will ultimately do away with the need for waiting rooms and will make the patients visit more efficient.

The virtual waiting room chatbot solution digitizes processes that were previously handled through manual, one-off phone calls, paper forms, and in-person interactions. Now patients simply converse with a digital agent on any smartphone or personal device. Key capabilities include:



Reminder and confirmation messages are sent ahead of appointments

Intake and consent forms are digitized into conversational workflows and completed before arrival

Chatbots educate patients about COVID-19 protocols and conduct a risk assessment

On the day of appointment, the bot provides timing updates and alerts when it is time to enter the office and go directly to the exam room

Integration into the hospitals electronic health record (EHR) and scheduling systems for full process automation

The COVID-19 pandemic has created an opportunity and urgency to improve digital patient engagement, said Greg Johnsen, CEO of LifeLink. The MHS team understands that technology is the path forward and it must be mobile, interactive, and simple. Conversational chatbots are designed to engage and help patients navigate their care. Today, were addressing waiting rooms, but MHS has identified several other improvement opportunities that we are excited to be part of.

We were among the first providers to successfully launch conversational chatbot screeners from LifeLink as the COVID-19 pandemic began to spread, Roszhart added. Now its time to take patient engagement innovation to the next level. The waiting room presents a significant opportunity to reduce costs and streamline operations, all in the context of delivering a better, safer patient experience.

About LifeLink

LifeLink is pioneering a new class of patient engagement technology, one thats mobile, conversational, and simple. Large hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, and healthcare service providers use LifeLink chatbots to engage patient populations at scale, across a spectrum of workflows and care scenarios. For more information, visit http://www.lifelink.com.
CatholicVote demands Biden speak out against church attacks, leading Dems hate-filled rhetoric

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A conservative Catholic group has called on presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden to publicly denounce attacks on Catholic churches as well as the fueling of a climate of hate against Catholics by prominent members of his party.

Referring to arson-related church fires, desecration of sacred symbols and statues by extremist mobs and to the hate-filled rhetoric of leading members of the Democratic Party, CatholicVote said in a statement that Biden, a baptized Catholic, has a responsibility and duty to Catholics to publicly condemn these attacks.

Catholic churches across America are literally burning, and Joe Biden has said nothing, CatholicVote President Brian Burch said. Leading members of the Democratic Party have fueled a climate of hate against Catholics, and these attacks have now led to acts of vandalism and violence. These attacks on the Church raise serious questions about the commitment of Joe Biden, a self-professed Catholic, to stand up to the rising climate of anti-Catholicism across the country.

Former congressman and CatholicVote Senior Political Adviser Tim Huelskamp said the growing anti-Catholic rampage offends all good and decent Catholics.

Joe Bidens deafening silence during this hate-filled epidemic speaks loudly of his consent to this shocking assault on our religious freedoms, he added.

Last month, two Catholic churches were set on fire while statues of the Virgin Mary in major cities across the U.S. were defaced.

In the New York City borough of Queens, a vandal targeted a statue of the Virgin Mary located at Cathedral Prep School and Seminary.

CatholicVote says it plans to reach over 5 million active Catholics in battleground states during this election cycle.

President Donald Trump recently said that Biden is against God. In response, Biden's campaign released a statement to supporters, labeling the remarks as shameful.

Like so many people, my faith has been the bedrock foundation of my life: its provided me comfort in moments of loss and tragedy, its kept me grounded and humbled in times of triumph and joy, said Biden through his campaign.

Last month, more than 100 Christian pastors and pro-life academics and advocates called on the Democratic National Committee to recognize the inviolable human dignity of the child, before and after birth, and adopt a party platform thats friendlier to those who are pro-life.

We urge the Democratic Party to embrace policies that protect both women and children: legal protection for pre-born children, improved prenatal care for women in need, especially women of color, alternatives to abortion, and a comprehensive culture of life free from violence, poverty and racism, the letter said.

Last year, Biden reversed his decades-long support for restricting federal funding of abortions, according to The Associated Press, which quoted him as saying at the time: Just as Ive never attempted to impose my views on anyone else as to when life begins, I have never attempted to impose my view on who should pay for it.

Steven Krueger, president of the nonprofit Catholic Democrats, warned at the time that the far left wing of the party has had an influence on a number of issues, particularly on the issue of abortion, that is not going to serve candidates well once theyre in the general election.
TDT | Manama

The Capital Governorate has conducted sanitisation campaigns in Gudaibiya and Zinj as part of national efforts to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19). The operations are being conducted in cooperation with the Ministry of Health, the Capital Governorate Police Directorate and the General Directorate of Civil Defense. Streets and shops in the two areas were disinfected by a team of 50 volunteers.

They also made inspection visits to mens and womens barber shops and beauty salons, to ensure that all health requirements and procedures are being followed. The team also distributed flyers in different languages to passers-by and to shop employees.

Capital Governor Shaikh Hisham bin Abdulrahman Al Khalifa praised the role of the governorate police, civil defence personnel and volunteers in enhancing community cooperation and creating a growing awareness in the campaign to combat the coronavirus.

He said that similar campaigns have already been conducted in Jidali, Juffair, Um Al Hassam and Block 388 in Adliya. He praised the awareness of the Capital Governorates residents about the dangers of COVID-19 and the importance of playing their part in helping overcome this crisis in Bahrain.
Press Release

August 12, 2020 SENATOR TOLENTINO TO DEPED: "YOU HAVE 168 HOURS TO DRAFT IRR FOR NEW SCHOOL OPENING LAW" Manila, Philippines - Senator Francis Tolentino is currently urging the Department of Education (DepEd) to postpone the scheduled opening of classes this August to October or even later, citing that the new law, Rep. Act No. 11480, enables the agency to do so. He further reminds the agency that they have only 168 hours to craft the implementing rules and regulations of the law in order to fully carry it out. Tolentino made this call during the Senate hearing on basic education in light of public sentiments on the challenges of distance education and on-line learning which the department has yet to adequately address up to this time. He is proposing instead to regionalize the opening of classes, with high risk areas to start school upon determination of more favourable public health situation. "Our common and ultimate goal is the protection of our learners. There is no disagreement on that. However, different localities have varying health circumstances, and hence will need varying approaches in the delivery of education. It will be wise perhaps for DepEd to consider opening classes on a per regional health and connectivity situation basis. Not only will students' health and safety be safeguarded, but as well as the welfare of teachers who will be forced to deliver the modules to students' homes or at the very least report to school for the distribution of modules to parents. I am asking DepEd to prudently adhere with the provisions of RA 11480. The lawmaker points out that RA 11480, which was signed into law on July 17, allows the President, upon the recommendation of Education Secretary, to set a different date for the start of the school year in the country in the event of a rate of emergency or calamity. DepEd's readiness for school opening remains in question as the issue on connectivity and access to such other tools for learning have not been settled even with barely two weeks to the target date of opening. Modules have yet to be completed, not to mention the challenges of local government units passed on with the burden of reproducing these modules for learners within their jurisdiction. Senator Tolentino adds, "Forcing schools to open this August will only defeat the purpose of education. Let us accept the fact that we are not fully ready, and it will not be wise, to simultaneously open School Year 2020-2021. Let those areas with low health risk, those that are ready with learning modules, and areas not hampered by quarantine restrictions begin classes using whatever modality is best to ensure public health and safety. Areas with higher health risks should be allowed to start the school year at a later date, as even the parents' livelihood are also affected. Not only will postponement of school opening favor teachers and learners. The prevailing health, livelihood, and internet connectivity situations should all be considered by DepEd."
Chad

President Idriss Deby Itno was named a marshal, the first in his country's history, in ceremonies on Tuesday to mark the 60th anniversary of independence from France.

Deby, a 68-year-old general who came to power in 1990, was given the honour by the National Assembly, where his party holds a strong majority, after he led an offensive against jihadists in April.

"You are an icon and a symbol for Chad," said assembly speaker Haroun Kabadi.

Deby, clad in ceremonial regalia, said the prestigious military rank was awarded for a "feat of arms" and he dedicated the tribute "to all my brothers in arms".

"The threat of terrorism is still there, and it is ruthless," he warned.

"The fight against terrorism is a vital imperative and will remain at the core of our concerns."

The offensive was launched after Boko Haram jihadists killed nearly 100 troops in March at a base at Bohoma in the west of the vast arid country.

Bohoma is located in the Lake Chad region, which straddles the borders of Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon and Niger and has become a haven for jihadists who hole up on islands in its marshes.

The toll was the biggest one-day loss in the history of Chad's armed forces, and many commentators saw it as a humiliation for a country which prides itself on its military strength in the Sahel.

The counter-attack, named "Wrath of Bohoma", forced out every jihadist from Chad, Deby claimed afterwards.

However, on Saturday, he acknowledged that Boko Haram "will still do a lot of harm" to Chad in cross-border attacks.

- Military nuance -

Deby struck a martial tone during his speech, and there was barely a reference to the anniversary or Chad's history -- an approach criticised by the opposition.

Saleh Kebzabo, a veteran opposition leader and former presidential election challenger, said "independence day has been reduced to a mere ceremony, of 'present arms'."

Story continues

Chadian political analyst Evariste Ngarlem Tolde said, "the rise to independence will never be retold to this country's children and grandchildren, because this crucial event will have been eclipsed by the promotion to the rank of marshal."

The occasion was also muted by concerns over coronavirus safety, and the ceremony was sparsely attended with gatherings limited to 50 people.

The usual independence day parade was cancelled, replaced by a simple air force flyover in the skies over the capital N'Djamena.

The country today known as Chad had a thousand-year history of kingdoms and empires before French colonial forces took over in 1900.

After World War II, political parties began to sprout, adding to the momentum that led to independence from France in 1960, with Francois Tombalbaye as the state's first president.

But Chad has had a post-independence history of chronic instability, marked by coups and accusations of election fraud, as well as grinding poverty.

Deby himself took power in 1990 by overthrowing his former boss, the authoritarian Hissene Habre, whom he once served as military advisor.

In the West, though, he has gained much support, especially from France, for his commitment to fighting jihadism.

"I will continue to be the first guarantor of the freedom of my fellow citizens," Deby said on Tuesday.

He also released 538 prisoners as part of the independence day commemorations.

They include General Abdelkader Baba Ladde, a Chadian rebel who had been active in neighbouring Central African Republic (CAR).

He was sentenced last December to eight years on charges of illegal possession of weapons, criminal association, rape and arson.

UN troops arrested Ladde in CAR in December 2014 and he was extradited to Chad in January 2015.

yas-dwi/js/ri/gd/bmm
Scranton, PA (18503)

Today

A mix of clouds and sun early followed by cloudy skies this afternoon. High near 40F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Cloudy skies with late-night snow showers. Low around 25F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of snow 60%. Snow accumulations less than one inch.
The Bureau of Land Management planned to open 87,000 acres near three Utah national parks to fossil fuel development. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

The Trump administration has canceled plans to open tens of thousands of acres for oil and gas drilling near three national parks in Utah next month, a victory for environmentalists and residents angered by its proposal.

In all, the Bureau of Land Management's plans had called for more than 114,000 acres of federal land across southern Utah to be auctioned off in September, one of many lease sales across the West planned for the end of this year. But from the outset, the proposal generated fierce debate because most of the land  about 87,000 acres  is close to three of the state's biggest tourist attractions: Arches, Canyonlands and Capitol Reef national parks.

Critics said that, under the original proposal, visitors in search of iconic views would instead be treated to a landscape crisscrossed by power lines, access roads and pipelines. In letters to the agency, local elected officials, tribal governments, environmentalists and those in the tourism business also worried about increasing air pollution and heavy truck traffic, as well as the long-term effects that more oil and gas development would have on a warming planet.

"All of these concerns run counter to the thriving outdoor community and high quality of life that has attracted many tourists and our residents," Emily Niehaus, the mayor of Moab, Utah, wrote to the agency.

Elected officials in Grand County and Moab, the county seat, voted to oppose the lease sale. Local opposition caught the attention of state officials, who asked the bureau to reconsider its plans.

Environmental Protection Agency officials submitted a letter warning that the bureau's environmental assessment of the lease sales pointed to the possibility of worsening air quality, less visibility and "increased risk of cancer."

Bureau of Land Management officials on Tuesday said that, while most of the contested land would now be off-limits, they still plan to move forward with leasing more than 27,000 acres in other parts of the state.

Story continues

"Understanding the nature of the proposed parcels, as well as gathering input from local communities, partners and the public are a priority for me," said Greg Sheehan, the agency's Utah state director. "The BLM supports the recreation and tourism industry as an important source of revenue in Utah, while also responsibly leasing and supporting our nation's energy independence."

Steve Bloch, legal director for the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, praised the bureau's reversal.

"This particular sale highlights why the odious practice of oil and gas leasing on public lands needs to come to a halt," he said in an emailed statement. "The proposed leases in southeast Utah were located on some of Utah's wildest public lands, lands with at best a trivial amount of oil and gas but where development would scar the land for decades if not permanently."

"This enormous oil and gas drilling plan was a mistake from the very beginning and we're relieved it has finally been deferred," said Erika Pollard, associate southwest director at the National Parks Conservation Assn. "This victory will ensure, for now, the spectacular views at Arches and Canyonlands remain unspoiled by industrialization."

Environmental groups remain concerned that the land could be opened for fossil fuel development in the future. Though the agency responded to pressure to remove the leases from the September sale, it could put them back up for auction at the end of the year.

The agency's decision to defer the sale marks the second time a Republican administration has attempted to open vast areas of land in Utah's red rock country to oil and gas development  and failed. In 2008, the Bush administration tried to lease tracts in the same region, but lawsuits brought by environmental groups blocked the sale.

The Trump administration's "energy dominance" agenda has run into similar difficulties. Courts have ordered the government to suspend or void hundreds of leases, finding that the agency made procedural mistakes and violated environmental laws in its haste to increase domestic oil and gas production.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates: Minister of State for AYUSH (Independent Charge) Shripad Naik has positive for Covid-19 and has opted for home isolation since he is asymptomatic. I underwent Covid-19 test today & it has turned out assymptomaically positive. My vitals are within normal limits and I have opted for home isolation. Those who have come in contact with me in last few days are advised to get tested for themselves and take required precautions (sic), he said on Twitter.

India's Covid-19 tally has gone past 23 lakh with a single day increase of 60,963 cases, while the recoveries surged to 16,39,599 pushing the recovery rate to 70.38 per cent, according to data by the Union Health Ministry. The total coronavirus cases in the country have mounted to 23,29,638, while the death toll climbed to 46,091 with 834 new fatalities being reported in a span of 24 hours.

The case fatality rate has declined to 1.98 per cent. There are 6,43,948 active cases of coronavirus in the country at present which comprise 27.64 per cent of the total caseload. India had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7.

According to the ICMR, a cumulative total of 2,60,15,297 samples have been tested up to August 11 with 7,33,449 samples being tested on Tuesday.

Of the 834 new deaths reported, 256 are from Maharashtra, 118 from Tamil Nadu, 87 from Andhra Pradesh, 86 from Karnataka, 56 from Uttar Pradesh, 49 from West Bengal, 32 from Punjab, 23 from Gujarat, 18 from Madhya Pradesh, 16 from Bihar, 12 from Jammu and Kashmir and 11 each from Haryana and Rajasthan, the data showed.

Ten fatalities have been reported from Odisha, nine from Telangana, eight from Delhi, six from Goa, five each from Chhattisgarh and Kerala, four each from Assam and Jharkhand, two each from Puducherry and Uttarakhand while Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Chandigarh, Himachal Pradesh and Manipur have registered one fatality each.

Of the total 46,091 deaths, Maharashtra has reported the maximum at 18,306, followed by 5,159 in Tamil Nadu, 4,139 in Delhi, 3,398 in Karnataka, 2,695 in Gujarat, 2,203 in Andhra Pradesh, 2,176 in Uttar Pradesh, 2,149 in West Bengal and 1,033 in Madhya Pradesh, according to the Union health ministry data.

Story continues

So far, 811 people have died of COVID-19 in Rajasthan, 654 in Telangana, 636 in Punjab, 500 in Haryana, 490 in Jammu and Kashmir, 413 in Bihar, 296 in Odisha, 192 in Jharkhand, 155 in Assam, 136 in Uttarakhand and 120 in Kerala, it added.

Chhattisgarh has registered 104 deaths, Puducherry 91, Goa 86, Tripura 43, Chandigarh 26, Andaman and Nicobar Islands 21, Himachal Pradesh 18, Manipur 12, Ladakh nine, Nagaland eight, Meghalaya six, Arunachal Pradesh three, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu two and Sikkim one.

The health ministry stressed that more than 70 per cent of the deaths occurred due to comorbidities.

"Our figures are being reconciled with the Indian Council of Medical Research," the ministry said, adding that state-wise distribution of figures is subject to further verification and reconciliation.
12.08.2020 LISTEN

Education-focused civil society organization, Africa Education Watch says it is concerned about the country's low quality of basic and secondary education despite the huge investments made in the sector.

The Executive Director of the Africa Education Watch, Kofi Asare in an interview on Eyewitness News on Tuesday said while the government has been successful in achieving policy objectives such as increasing school enrollment, the quality of academic activities has remained low.

Basically, when it comes to effectiveness, we've not had so much issue with the alignment of policies with their objectives or the potential of policies to achieve their possible outcomes, but where the problem has been is with efficiency and quality, he observed.

Kofi Asares comments come on the back of a statement delivered by the Minister for Education, Matthew Opoku Prempeh before Parliament on Tuesday, August 11, 2020, in which the Minister touted the governments achievements in the sector and claimed that the government has significantly outperformed the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) in boosting the sector.

He said Africa Education Watch has the view that the amount of money spent on the procurement of some materials or execution of some of the policy interventions could serve other more important purposes that could directly contribute to ensuring efficient and quality education.

He indicated that efficiency is not being achieved for reasons including not allocating resources according to our real priorities.

Most often, procurement has been the driver of certain decisions, he indicated.

On ensuring quality education, Kofi Asare said while it was generally expected that education in Ghana would be tremendously transformed since the introduction of the education reform by the John Kufuor administration in 2007, the current state of education in the country appears to show a struggle to improve upon the quality of teaching and learning.

In 2007, the Kufuor administration launched the education reform programme which proposed 11 years of Free Compulsory Universal Basic Education (FCUBE) and four years of Senior High School formerly known as Secondary School.

We've struggled to maintain or improve upon the quality of basic education and we are seeing the same trend in secondary education too. For us, the biggest issue has been at the basic level. If we are struggling to move proficiency level in Mathematics and English beyond 30%, [knowing that] English is the medium of instruction, then we have serious issues with quality. We have not been able to resolve them.

---citinewsroom
The same proportion of people in London were infected with coronavirus in April as in Stockholm  where authorities opted for a herd immunity strategy, according to a new study.

Antibody testing regimes from both the UK and Swedish governments suggested that 17 per cent of the population in both cities had contracted Covid-19 in April, the paper published in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine highlights.

The authors stated that the UK  where Boris Johnson admitted one main point of debate was whether to take it on the chin  had been tardy in imposing a lockdown.
As COVID-19 outbreaks continue to flare up across the U.S., the need for coronavirus testing remains urgent.

Individuals rely on test results to guide their medical treatment and decisions on whether to self-isolate. Public health officials rely on the results to track the state of the pandemic, and policymakers use this information to guide decisions on reopening schools and businesses.

One numberthe percent positiveis often cited in these decisions. In this Q&A, Epidemiology faculty David Dowdy, MD, PhD 08, ScM 02, and Gypsyamber DSouza, PhD 07, MPH, MS, explain what this term means and why it matters.

What is the percent positive and why does it matter?

The percent positive is exactly what it sounds like: the percentage of all coronavirus tests performed that are actually positive, or: (positive tests)/(total tests) x 100%. The percent positive (sometimes called the percent positive rate or positivity rate) helps public health officials answer questions such as:

What is the current level of SARS-CoV-2 (coronavirus) transmission in the community?

Are we doing enough testing for the amount of people who are getting infected?

The percent positive will be high if the number of positive tests is too high, or if the number of total tests is too low. A higher percent positive suggests higher transmission and that there are likely more people with coronavirus in the community who havent been tested yet.

The percent positive is a critical measure because it gives us an indication how widespread infection is in the area where the testing is occurringand whether levels of testing are keeping up with levels of disease transmission.

What does a high percent positive mean?

A high percent positive means that more testing should probably be doneand it suggests that it is not a good time to relax restrictions aimed at reducing coronavirus transmission. Because a high percentage of positive tests suggests high coronavirus infection rates (due to high transmission in the community), a high percent positive can indicate it may be a good time to add restrictions to slow the spread of disease.

How high is too high?

The higher the percent positive is, the more concerning it is. As a rule of thumb, however, one threshold for the percent positive being too high is 5%. For example, the World Health Organization recommended in May that the percent positive remain below 5% for at least two weeks before governments consider reopening. If we are successful in bringing coronavirus transmission under control, this threshold might be lowered over time. To further relax social restrictions and allow very large gatherings or meetings of people traveling from many different areas, for example, we would want a lower threshold.

As of July 2020, some countries (for example, Australia, South Korea, and Uruguay) and U.S. states (for example, New York, Maine, and Connecticut) were well below the 5% threshold, with 1% of tests or fewer being positivewhile other countries (for example, Mexico and Nigeria) and states (for example, Mississippi, Nevada, and Florida) had percent positive levels higher than 15%, far above this cutoff. (See Beckers Hospital Review and the Johns Hopkins Testing Tracker.)

Does a low percent positive mean that a population has herd immunity?

No. A low percent positive simply means that the level of coronavirus transmission, relative to the amount of testing, is low at this point in time.

As of July 2020, it is unlikely any country (or U.S. state) is close to achieving herd immunity. Places that have low percent positive levels have gotten there by reducing levels of coronavirus transmission through policies restricting social contact, aggressive testing and isolation, and the actions of everyday people to maintain distance. But even in these places, the vast majority of the population is still vulnerable to getting COVID-19.

In the future, if populations begin to develop herd immunity (for example, through widespread vaccination), the level of coronavirus transmission will fallwhich will also cause the percent positive to fall. But just because a place has a low percent positive now does not mean that it has achieved herd immunity. In fact, some of the places with the lowest percent positive (for example, in New Zealand, where an outbreak has not yet occurred) are likely to have the least amount of population immunity. These places will still be able to achieve herd immunity through mass vaccination when a vaccine becomes available.

How can we reduce the percent positive when it is too high?

Simply put, there are two ways to lower the percent positive: Reduce the amount of coronavirus transmission or increase the number of people who get tested. Fortunately, these two things often go hand-in-hand. If a place is doing more testingand responding appropriately to positive tests, by making sure that people who might be contagious are isolated, for examplethe amount of transmission should go down over time. But even without testing, measures such as stricter regulations regarding wearing masks, physical distancing, and avoiding large gatherings are all effective ways to reduce transmission.

Why does more testing help?

When there is not enough testing in an area, people who are infected with coronavirus dont get counted, and they dont know to isolate themselves. As a result, these people can spread the coronavirus and cause disease in their communities.

People who test positive for the coronavirus (and those exposed to them) should isolate themselves for two weeks, and contact tracing should be done to prevent the infection from spreading. Without enough testing, the coronavirus spreads silently. By the time severe cases begin to surge in hospitals, outbreaks are larger and much harder to control. These outbreaks can be detected earlierand their severity lessenedby testing more people.

But for testing to work, people need to get test results quickly. When people have to wait many days to get their results back, they may be less likely to keep themselves isolated. By the time a positive test result comes back, therefore, someone who has been waiting many days may have infected more people.

While tracking the number of positive tests is useful, what matters more is the total number of people who are infectedand we can only know this number by testing more people. As more people are tested, the percent positive will go down.

What should I do if Im in a place with a high percent positive?

Since this means that the level of coronavirus transmission in your area is likely still high, you should be very careful about wearing masks, washing your hands, maintaining physical distance, and avoiding situations that may put you at risk for getting infected or infecting others (which you could do if youre infected but dont know it). You should also consider getting tested if you have any symptoms, or if you have not been distancing and are likely to be in contact with people who are at risk of getting very sick if they develop COVID-19.

If Im in a place with a low percent positive, does this mean Im immune?

No. All this means is that coronavirus transmission, relative to testing, is low in your setting at the moment. This usually means that the risk of getting COVID-19 in your area is lower at this time, but its important to remember that coronavirus transmission can increase again at any time. Also, a lower percent positive does not mean there is herd immunity. We all need to keep our guard up if we want to keep transmission levels lowwhich is what needs to happen if we want to get back to our normal activities again.

David Dowdy is an associate professor and Gypsyamber DSouza is a professor in Epidemiology at the Bloomberg School.

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-12 22:54:42|Editor: huaxia

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URUMQI, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- Dr. Ma Rui's words are considered to have a healing impact on residents of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

At a time when the region is fighting a fresh wave of COVID-19 infections, the practicing psychologist has helped soothe many anxious minds either under quarantine or treatment.

After a 24-year-old resident in the regional capital of Urumqi tested positive for COVID-19 in mid-July, Xinjiang has since tightened epidemic prevention and control measures to contain the spread of the virus.

As of Tuesday, Xinjiang had 535 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 131 asymptomatic cases, and 14,569 people were still under medical observation.

Ma was among the first batch of psychologists dispatched to a designated COVID-19 treatment hospital to offer mental health support.

"We fully understand the anxiety and fear among patients. Their mental stress should be eased through a better understanding of the disease," said Kang Yan, a professor at West China Hospital of Sichuan University.

"When I was diagnosed with COVID-19, I was afraid that I would never see my family again and encountered sleepless nights," said Wang Jing. "I was finally able to calm down after chatting with Dr. Ma every day. Now I have almost recovered and ready to return home."

Psychological counseling has been a critical part of COVID-19 treatment in China. It has also proven effective in relieving stress among those under quarantine, or people who are over-worried about the situation.

Chen Xiaoying, director of the psychological treatment center at the Urumqi fourth people's hospital, said patients who receive psychological support are more cooperative in treatment.

About 4 million residents in Urumqi have avoided unnecessary outdoor activities as part of efforts to reduce possible cross-infection. Thus, some residents have experienced mental health issues after being confined to indoors for a prolonged period.

Wang Xiaozhen, a certified psychological consultant, has seen surging inquiries lately. "Most of the people have never experienced such long-term isolation, and from my experience in post-disaster psychological assistance, I know how much help they might need in this situation," said Wang.

She even had a two-hour video call with a deaf-mute woman using sign language to mediate her family conflict.

From mid-July to Aug. 3, Wang has helped over 60 people, and she constantly gets WeChat messages from those requiring assistance.

Hundreds of psychological counselors and psychologists like Wang have offered to join hands to battle the mental trauma triggered by COVID-19 in Xinjiang. The local government has launched 10 hotlines to answer queries from the public.

Echoes of laughter emanating from the hospital wards have become a positive sign in Xinjiang's anti-epidemic fight. Daily new confirmed cases have begun to drop and from July 15 to Tuesday, 264 people were discharged from the hospital after recovery, and another 89 asymptomatic cases were dismissed from medical observation in Xinjiang. Enditem
She's long been open about her journey with IVF and just how much she wants to welcome a child.

And on Wednesday, Real Housewives of Melbourne star Jackie Gillies posted a photo to Instagram of herself before getting a procedure done to retrieve her eggs.

The 39-year-old psychic also shared an inspirational message for other women who might also be having fertility issues.

'Ladies, you got this': Real Housewives of Melbourne star Jackie Gillies, 39, spoke about her heartbreaking IVF journey Wednesday. Pictured before a procedure to retrieve her eggs

'This is what pre-egg retrieval looks like. IVF. Ladies, you got this, for anyone out there going through IVF!' she wrote.

'From my heart to yours, I'm sending you all positive thoughts, prayers and shine.'

Jackie, who is married to former Silverchair drummer Ben Gillies, received supportive messages from the likes of Michelle Bridges, Jasmine Yarbrough, Imogen Anthony and model Simone Holtznagel.

Support: Jackie, who is married to Silverchair drummer Ben Gillies, received supportive messages from the likes of Michelle Bridges, Jasmine Yarbrough and Imogen Anthony

In February, Jackie told Stellar magazine that she had quit The Real Housewives of Melbourne to focus on starting a family with Ben.

At the time, she revealed that she was on her fourth round of IVF, but had kept her treatments under wraps because she was worried about being judged.

She decided to share her experience because she wanted to be more 'honest' with herself and possibly help other women going through the same thing.

Family plans: In February, Jackie told Stellar magazine that she had quit The Real Housewives of Melbourne to focus on starting a family with Ben

She explained that her time in the South African jungle on I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! in 2018 had made her realise she wanted to be a mother.

'Do I know I'm definitely going to have children? From the depths of my heart, yes. But what I haven't been prepared for is the way it was going to come,' she said.

Supporting her along the way is her husband, Ben, who told Stellar he was surprised by how IVF works, calling it an assistance to the natural process.

Struggles: At the time, she revealed that she was on her fourth round of IVF, but had kept her treatments under wraps because she was worried about being judged

Jackie said that while she and Ben don't have a time frame or budget, they know that they have other options - surrogacy or adoption, for example - if she is unable to carry a child.

'The biggest thing I've learnt... is to never hide things,' she said.

'When you talk, it's like you become lighter. And please don't feel like you're not good enough. Because you are enough. It's okay. It's not your fault.'
Sharmistha Mukherjee

New Delhi: The daughter of former President Pranab Mukherjee, who is in a critical condition after undergoing brain surgery, prayed for her father saying may God do whatever is best for him.

Pranab Mukherjee

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Sharmistha Mukherjee, who is a Congress leader, said her father has fallen critically ill just a year after he received the 'Bharat Ratna' - the country's highest civilian award.

"Last year August 8 was one of the happiest day for me as my dad received Bharat Ratna. Exactly a year later on August 10 he fell critically ill.

"May God do whatever is best for him and give me strength to accept both joys and sorrows of life with equanimity. I sincerely thank all for their concerns," she said on Twitter.

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Sharmistha Mukherjee

The condition of former President Pranab Mukherjee worsened on Tuesday.

The Army's Research and Referral (R&R) Hospital said he remains on ventilator support and he has not shown signs of improvement, after he underwent a brain surgery on Monday.
Image: CNNNews18

Bengaluru Police have arrested Congress MLA Akhanda Srinivasa Murthys nephew Naveen for sharing a derogatory post on social media purportedly on a communal issue that triggered violence late night on August 11.

Accused Naveen arrested for sharing derogatory posts on social media, reported news agency ANI citing Bengaluru Police Commissioner Kamal Pant.

A large number of people gathered near MLA Srinivasa Murthy's residence and vandalised it and damaged the vehicles parked there.

The mob then targeted the police station and damaged vehicles believing that the police had kept the accused detained there, they said.

After learning about the incident, the Police Commissioner Kamal Pant had rushed to the spot.

The Police arrested 110 people in connection with the violence, in which two people lost their lives and around 60 police personnel, including an Additional Commissioner of Police, sustained injuries in Karnatakas capital, said the report.



Rioting, violence in KG Halli, DJ Hallli over derogatory FB post by the nephew of a Cong MLA.. Nephew says his account has been hacked, MLA appeals for calm.. pic.twitter.com/S5Ge80TwUI

 Deepa Balakrishnan (@deepab18) August 11, 2020

The two people died in police firing and one injured shifted to a hospital, Pant was quoted as saying.

Restrictions under Section 144 of Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) imposed in Bengaluru and curfew imposed in DJ Halli and KG Halli police station limits of the city, said Pant.
The new head of Egypts Court of Cassation was sworn in by President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi on Wednesday, a statement by the presidency said.

According to the statement, Abdullah Omar Mostafa Shoda was sworn in before the president as the new chief of the countrys highest appeals court, replacing Abdullah Amin Mahmoud Assr, who served as head of the Court of Cassation for only one year.

The statement said that El-Sisi has expressed his appreciation for Assr bearing the responsibility for the advocacy of justice and the application of the law to uphold the publics interest.

The Egyptian president also granted Assr the merit of the state.

The appointment comes following the ratification by El-Sisi in June 2019 of laws regulating the appointment of the heads of top judicial bodies, which were passed by parliament to be in accordance with new constitutional amendments passed in April last year.

The new laws include legislation regulating the appointment of judges heading the Administrative Prosecution Authority, the State Lawsuits Authority, the Court of Cassation, the Military Judiciary Authority, and the State Council.

Under last years amended laws, the president has the authority to pick the chief of each of the abovementioned judicial bodies from the seven longest-serving deputy heads for a one-time term of four years, which ends if the age of retirement is reached.

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-12 16:40:35|Editor: huaxia

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SUVA, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- Two more COVID-19 patients in Fiji out of the eight have recovered and have been released from isolation, a Fijian Health Ministry official said on Wednesday.

James Fong, acting permanent secretary of the Health Ministry, said on Wednesday that two people have recovered and have been sent home for self-quarantine, and this means that Fiji now has six active COVID-19 cases under quarantine.

He said that of the six active COVID-19 quarantine cases, five are in isolation in Nadi, Fiji's third largest city and one is in Lautoka, Fiji's second largest city.

He stressed that the island nation remains free from any community transmission of COVID-19 while a nationwide curfew from March 30 this year remains.

Fiji reported its first COVID-19 case in March 19 this year and the island nation had 18 COVID-19 cases, but all of them fully recovered before June 5. The nation has since July 6 reported nine other cases and one of them, a 66-year-old Fijian man who had a history of cardiac problems and returned from India early July, died on July 31. It is the first reported death case of such virus in the country. Enditem
(Adds comment from Moldova's naval agency and Paris MoU)

By Maria Vasilyeva, Lisa Barrington and Jonathan Saul

MOSCOW/DUBAI/LONDON, Aug 11 (Reuters) - In the murky story of how a cache of highly explosive ammonium nitrate ended up on the Beirut waterfront, one thing is clear -- no one has ever publicly come forward to claim it.

There are many unanswered questions surrounding last week's huge, deadly blast in the Lebanese capital, but ownership should be among the easiest to resolve.

Clear identification of ownership, especially of a cargo as dangerous as that carried by the Moldovan-flagged Rhosus when it sailed into Beirut seven years ago, is fundamental to shipping, the key to insuring it and settling disputes that often arise.

But Reuters interviews and trawls for documents across 10 countries in search of the original ownership of this 2,750-tonne consignment instead revealed an intricate tale of missing documentation, secrecy and a web of small, obscure companies that span the globe.

"Goods were being transported from one country to another, and they ended up in a third country with nobody owning the goods. Why did they end up here?" said Ghassan Hasbani, a former Lebanese deputy prime minister and opposition figure.

Those linked to the shipment and interviewed by Reuters all denied knowledge of the cargo's original owner or declined to answer the question. Those who said they didn't know included the ship's captain, the Georgian fertilizer maker who produced the cargo and the African firm that ordered it but said it never paid for it.

The official version of the Rhosus' final journey depicts its voyage as a series of unfortunate events.

Shipping records show the ship loaded ammonium nitrate in Georgia in September 2013 and was meant to deliver it to an explosives maker in Mozambique. But before leaving the Mediterranean, the captain and two crew members say they were instructed by the Russian businessman they regarded as the ship's de facto owner, Igor Grechushkin, to make an unscheduled stop in Beirut and take on extra cargo.

The Rhosus arrived in Beirut in November but never left, becoming tangled in a legal dispute over unpaid port fees and ship defects. Creditors accused the ship's legal owner, listed as a Panama-based firm, of abandoning the vessel and the cargo was later unloaded and put in a dockside warehouse, according to official accounts.

Story continues

The Beirut law firm that acted for creditors, Baroudi & Associates, did not respond to requests to identify the cargo's original legal owner. Reuters was unable to contact Grechushkin.

The empty ship eventually sank where it was moored in 2018, according to Lebanese customs.

The Rhosus' final movements are under fresh scrutiny after the ammonium nitrate caught fire inside the warehouse and exploded last week, killing at least 158 people, injuring thousands and leaving 250,000 people homeless.

Among the still-unanswered questions: who paid for the ammonium nitrate and did they ever seek to reclaim the cargo when the Rhosus was impounded? And if not, why not?

The cargo, packaged in large white sacks, was worth around $700,000 at 2013 prices, according to an industry source.

UNINSURED

Reuters inquiries have raised numerous red flags.

Under international maritime conventions and some domestic laws, commercial vessels must have insurance to cover events such as environmental damage, loss of life or injury caused by a sinking, spill or collision. Yet the Rhosus was uninsured, according to two sources familiar with the matter.

The ship's Russian captain, Boris Prokoshev, said by phone from his home in Sochi, Russia, that he had seen an insurance certificate but could not vouch for its authenticity.

Reuters was unable to obtain a copy of the ship's documents.

The Mozambican firm that ordered the ammonium nitrate, Fabrica de Explosivos Mocambique (FEM), was not the cargo owner at the time because it had agreed to only pay on delivery, according to its spokesman, Antonio Cunha Vaz.

The producer was Georgian fertilizer maker Rustavi Azot LLC, which has since been dissolved. Its owner at the time, businessman Roman Pipia, told Reuters he had lost control of the Rustavi ammonium nitrate plant in 2016. UK court documents show that the firm was forced by a creditor to auction off its assets that year.

The factory is now run by another firm, JSC Rustavi Azot, which also said it could not shed light on the cargo owner, according to the plant's current first deputy director, Levan Burdiladze.

FEM said it had ordered the shipment through a trading firm, Savaro Ltd, which has registered companies in London and Ukraine but whose website is now offline.

A visit to Savaro Ltds listed London address on Monday found a Victorian terraced house, with a locked and barred door, near the fashionable bars of Shoreditch. No one responded to knocks on the door.

Reuters contacted UK-registered Savaro Ltd director Greta Bieliene, a Lithuanian based in Cyprus. She declined to answer questions.

A source familiar with the inner workings of Savaro's trading business said it sold fertilizer from ex-Soviet Union states to clients in Africa.

Ukraine-based businessman Vladimir Verbonol is listed as director of Savaro in Ukraine, according to Ukrainian corporate data base You Control. Reuters was unable to contact Verbonol for comment.

THE RUSSIAN

As grief and anger over the blast turn to civil unrest in Beirut, there are signs the Lebanese government's promised investigation has already turned its sights back to the Rhosus and Grechushkin, the man the crew considered as its owner.

A security source said Grechushkin was questioned at his home in Cyprus last Thursday about the cargo. A Cypriot police spokesman said an individual, whom he did not name, had been questioned at the request of Interpol Beirut.

The Rhosus arrived in Beirut in November 2013 with a leak and in generally poor condition, captain Prokoshev said. It had already been beset with problems.

In July 2013, four months before docking in Beirut, the ship was detained for 13 days by port authorities in Seville, Spain, after multiple deficiencies including malfunctioning doors, corrosion on the deck area and deficient auxiliary engines were found, according to shipping data. It resumed sailing after inspection firm Maritime Lloyd issued a cargo ship safety construction certificate, which would have involved a survey of the ship, the data showed.

Teimuraz Kavtaradze, an inspector at Georgia-based Maritime Lloyd, which does not rank among the most prominent and widely-used inspection firms, said he could not confirm whether or not the firm had provided any inspection documents to port officials in Seville. He said he was working for Maritime Lloyd in 2013 but that other staff and the management had since changed.

Seville port officials were not immediately available for comment. Paris MoU, a body of 27 maritime states under whose authority the detention was carried out, confirmed in an email that the vessel was detained and inspected in Seville.

Moldova, where the Rhosus is registered, lists the owner of the ship as Panama-based Briarwood Corp, a certificate of ownership seen by Reuters shows. Reuters was not immediately able to identify Briarwood Corp as a Panamanian registered company. Panamas maritime authorities did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The ship's charterer, Teto Shipping Ltd, is based in the Marshall Islands and was dissolved in 2014, according to International Registries, which says it provides shipping registry services to the Marshall Islands.

Igor Zaharia, the director of Moldova's Naval Agency, said Grechushkin was Teto Shipping's director.

The Rhosus' captain passed Reuters an email address that he and the crew had been using for Teto Shipping, but requests for comment to the same address went unanswered. The captain said he regarded Grechushkin and Teto as the same entity.

(Additional reporting by Michele Kambas in Nicosia and Limassol, Cyprus; Maria Tsvetkova and Polina Devitt in Moscow, Victoria Waldersee in Lisbon, Tsvetelia Tsolova in Sofia, Margarita Antidze in Tbilisi, Tom Perry in Beirut, Alexander Tanas in Chisinau, Elida Moreno in Panama City, Guy Faulconbridge and Luke Baker in London, Nathan Allen in Madrid Editing by Mark Bendeich and Nick Tattersall)
Britain's NatWest is cutting at least 500 jobs across its retail business and closing one of its remaining offices in London as banks press on with cost-cutting in the face of a wave of expected loan losses due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The state-backed bank is finalizing a voluntary redundancy round targeting cutting 550 full-time equivalent roles across its branches and 'premier banking' premium service, union Unite told Reuters. A NatWest spokesman confirmed the redundancy process.

"We have taken the decision to invite applications for voluntary redundancy and will support those colleagues who apply with a comprehensive support package. There will be no compulsory redundancy as a result of this announcement," the spokesman said.

Around 800 staff are expected to leave once part-time workers are included, Unite national officer Rob MacGregor said, adding he understood the round was oversubscribed.

NatWest is also separately closing its Regents House office in London, which was home to one of the bank's biggest tech hubs and had space for 2,500 workers.

"We have been reviewing our London property strategy to better reflect how we will work in the future," a NatWest spokeswoman said. "As a result, we will exit Regents House, and will reconfigure our London remaining properties at 250 Bishopsgate and 440 Strand."

The bank has told the bulk of its staff they can work from home until next year.

Banks across the industry are looking to cut costs as their finances are dented by the pandemic, with official data on Wednesday showing the UK economy entered a deep recession in the first half of the year.

Unlike some rivals, NatWest pressed on with job cuts through the pandemic, including cutting more than 130 staff from minnow investment bank NatWest Markets despite improved trading in volatile markets.

NatWest chief executive Alison Rose reaffirmed the bank's target of cutting 250 million pounds from costs this year in July after the bank tumbled to a half-year loss.

Unite's MacGregor said he understood the pandemic meant more people were banking online but urged lenders not to cut too deeply.

"Tens of thousands of people working for banks have risen to the challenge that the pandemic created. The banks' response should not be a repeat of the austerity measures that we saw after the financial crisis."

Reuters reported on Monday that TSB was phasing out more than 900 branch roles including dedicated cashiers, with staff affected asked to retrain for more complex jobs or take voluntary redundancy. (Reuters)

Source: www.businessworld.ie
Police have captured 41-year-old Taniel Cole (pictured) who went on the run after allegedly shooting one man inside St. Mary's Medical Center in Shreveport, Louisiana

Police have captured the gunman who allegedly shot a man at a Louisiana hospital and threatened to kill cops before carjacking a woman on her way to work and fleeing with her from the scene.

A statewide manhunt was launched for 41-year-old Taniel Cole who went on the run after allegedly shooting one man inside St. Mary's Medical Center in Shreveport, Louisiana, at around 5:30 a.m. Wednesday morning.

The shooting victim has non-life threatening injuries and is expected to recover.

He was then seen on security footage from the offices of local news site KSLA carjacking a woman who was arriving for work at nearby Buckner Square at around 5:45 a.m.

After later fleeing from the woman's car, he allegedly stole another vehicle from a used car dealership.

The Meridian Police Department and Mississippi Highway Patrol arrested Cole after he crashed the second vehicle on an Interstate about nine miles from the Mississippi-Alabama border.

The carjacked woman was allegedly forced into a vehicle by the suspect and made to travel eastbound on I-20 toward Monroe before the suspect then fled.

It is unclear how far they traveled in the car before the suspect exited the car.

The woman was not hurt in the incident.

Authorities were unaware of the carjacking until the woman called 911 from Monroe after the suspect fled, according to KTBS.

Cole was eventually detained by Mississippi police outside Meridian following a high speed chase

The suspect crashed in a car, which was allegedly stolen from a dealership in Monroe. There were four crashes along the interstate as police pursued the suspect

Cole was eventually detained by Mississippi police outside Meridian following a high speed chase.

Officials said Cole stole the vehicle from Car Town in Monroe, Louisiana, after asking for a test drive, KSLA reported.

There were four crashes along the interstate as police pursued the suspect, according to KTBS.

Cole will now be extradited to Louisiana after he crossed state lines while on the run.

He faces charges of attempted second-degree murder and kidnapping over the shooting at the hospital.

His arrest came after the suspect was captured on surveillance footage carjacking a woman just 15 minutes after the shooting took place

The footage from local news site KSLA's offices shows Cole (circled) carjacking a woman who was arriving for work at nearby Buckner Square at around 5:45 a.m.

The woman was allegedly forced into a vehicle by the suspect and made to travel eastbound on I-20 toward Monroe before the suspect then fled

Police were called to reports of a shooting incident at St. Mary's Medical Center soon after 5:30 a.m. Wednesday morning when a gunman entered the building and shot a male victim in the leg.

More than two dozen law enforcement units including the FBI and US Marshals were drafted in and hostage negotiators and a SWAT team entered the hospital to search for the suspect.

The hospital went into lockdown but was not evacuated.

Police said the suspect's vehicle was believed to have been left at the scene.

Shreveport Police Spokeswoman Sgt. Angie Willhite said in an early morning press conference the suspect had threatened to kill law enforcement and anyone else who 'attempts to stop him'.

The Meridian Police Department and Mississippi Highway Patrol arrested Cole after he crashed a vehicle on an Interstate about nine miles from the Mississippi-Alabama border. Pictured the scene above

Police have captured Cole after he allegedly shot a man at a Louisiana hospital and threatened to kill cops before carjacking a woman on her way to work and fleeing with her from the scene. Pictured: St Mary's Medical Center in Shreveport

'We quickly learned the identity of the suspect who had shot the man and the suspect made threats to kill any law enforcement and any others that attempted to stop him today,' she told reporters outside the hospital.

'Our SWAT team, hostage negotiator team is in there actively searching every nook and cranny of St. Mary's Hospital.'

SPD Spokesperson Cpl. Angie Whilhite warned the public not to approach Cole if they see him

Cole was described as 'armed and dangerous' and the public was warned not to approach him and to call 911 if they saw him.

Cole, of Farmerville, Louisiana, is 54 and is of a slender build, police said.

He was last seen wearing blue jeans, a muscle type shirt and a jacket.

Police later said the search had expanded into a statewide manhunt after the search of the hospital was completed and revealed Cole had fled the scene and was on the run.

Police initially said the suspect may have known the shooting victim but now do not believe the two men are connected.

It is not clear if the victim is an employee or patient at the hospital and no motive has been given for the attack.

The public was told to stay away from the area and patients were told to go to Ochsner Hospital on King's Highway.

Two local schools - Loyola College Prep school which backs on to the hospital and the nearby St. John Berchmans Catholic School - also remain closed for the day.
NORWALK  Recent entry-level firefighter exam results have been deemed invalid after an investigation revealed a member of the department might have provided answers to his son, city officials said Wednesday.

A four-week investigation was conducted by an external law firm after the company that oversees the citys firefighter exams raised possible cheating concerns in June involving one of the test-takers, according to a statement released by the city.

The statement said the investigation focused on two members of the Norwalk Fire Department who may have supplied answers to their sons.

One of the members resigned before a hearing was held about his conduct, according to the statement. The Fire Commission found there was insufficient evidence the other firefighter disobeyed orders to recuse himself from the testing process and no disciplinary action was taken against him, the statement said.

The report concluded that ... two members of the department might have disobeyed direct orders to recuse themselves from the testing process because their sons were taking the test, the citys statement said. It was also determined that one of those members might have supplied answers to his son.

The city said the member who might have given his son the answers was put on administrative leave pending a disciplinary hearing by the Fire Commission. City officials did not provide the members name.

The son, who the city identified as a municipal employee but did not release his name, was also put on administrative leave pending a disciplinary hearing, the city said.

Both father and son tendered their resignations prior to their disciplinary hearings being held, the citys statement said.

Mayor Harry Rilling said he received the investigative report on July 20, and reviewed it with the Fire Commission in executive session the next day.

On July 28, the same day the fire department confirmed an investigation had been launched into its testing procedures, Assistant Fire Chief Chris King, a 33-year veteran of the department, submitted a request to retire immediately. King, as well as other city officials, declined further comment on his retirement.

The Fire Commission has voted not to continue with the State of Connecticut Firefighter Testing Consortium, and will not use the recent entry-level test results.

This incident raised concerns about the testing program resulting in our decision to conduct our own entry-level exam in the future, which will ensure the test is fair and equal for all candidates, Rilling said in a statement. I am disappointed this happened in Norwalk, but thankfully, it appears to have been an isolated incident.

Rilling could not be reached for further comment Wednesday afternoon.

Fire Chief Gino Gatto said in a prepared statement that he was also disappointed in the situation.

This incident does not reflect the overall character, values and integrity of the Norwalk Fire Department, said Gatto, who also could not immediately be reached for further comment.

Gatto previously said during a Norwalk Fire Commissions meeting in May that there had been 683 applicants for the citys entry-level firefighter exam.

A total of 583 applicants passed the written test and were scheduled to have an oral exam online in late May. A final list of applicants was expected to be prepared in June. Those applicants were expected to help fill some openings and cover for members out of work with long-term injuries.
A senior police leader has backed the officers who stopped a car carrying a black MP and hit out at trial by social media.

Sir Steve House, deputy commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, said Dawn Butler and a friend were pulled over because of professional curiosity by officers who wrongly believed their car was registered outside London.

Ms Butler accused police of racial profiling over the incident but Sir Steve said police were unable to see the ethnicity of people inside the BMW because its windows were tinted.

There are existing, appropriate and proportionate processes for making complaints and for facts to be established, and on the occasions where there is fault  unlike this case  for consequences to follow, he added.

The increasingly routine trial by social media is unfair and damaging to individual officers and has the potential to undermine the role our communities need us to do to protect them and keep them safe from violence.

Ms Butler was a passenger in the car, which was being driven by a friend who is also black when it was stopped in Hackney on Sunday.

The former shadow equalities minister said: We know that the police are institutionally racist and what we have to do is weed that out. We have to stop seeing black with crime. We have to stop associating being black and driving a nice car with crime.

Ms Butler filmed the interaction, and said officers told her the car was registered in North Yorkshire and that they were carrying out searches because of gang and knife crime.

Sir Steve said an officer had wrongly entered the number plate during an initial search of the Police National Computer and explained the error.

But Ms Butler said driving in an area away from home would be a ridiculous reason to be stopped by police.

Dawn Butler filmed the stop, which sparked racism accusations

The officers who carried out the stop were from Scotland Yards Violent Crime Taskforce and were running number plate checks in the area as part of proactive work.

Sir Steve said they explained the mistake and answered questions, adding: Ms Butler has said that she has no complaint about how the stop was conducted, rather her concerns lie in why the stop was initiated and I have discussed these concerns with her.

The officers in this case came into work on Sunday to keep Londoners safe.

The incident came amid wider debate about racial discrimination in policing, including the use of force and stop and search.

Police data also shows that coronavirus fines have been given to disproportionately high numbers of black and Asian people.

In the wake of Black Lives Matter protests in June, the National Police Chiefs Council announced a plan of action to address inequalities.
12.08.2020 LISTEN

In as much as condemning the assault on officials of the West African Examination Council (WAEC) and a journalist, old students of Bright Senior High school has described the statement by the Akyem Abuakwa Traditional Council as unfortunate.

In a release on Tuesday, 11th August 2020, and signed by the Secretary, Doku Edmund Koranteng, the old students indicated that the traditional council cannot use the unfortunate situation to justify its demand to close down the school.

The Akyem Abuakwa Traditional Council on Monday, 10th August 2020 called for the closure of the school as well as the immediate arrest of the Principal, Mr. Bright Amponsah after some WAEC officials and a journalist were allegedly assaulted by students writing the WASSCE exams due to misunderstanding that broke out during the Social Studies period.

The Ghana Education Service and the Ministry of Education have, however, relocated the examination to Ofori Panin Senior High School to enable continue writing the rest of their papers as the investigation is ongoing to deal with the matter.

But the old students in their statement, however, debunked assertion by the traditional council that, graduates from the school drop out of universities and other tertiary institutions, emphasizing, students from the school are studying in different institutions across the world.

The old student body is therefore urging the general public to treat the statement from the traditional authority as a sheer grammatical construction, hence need not to be considered.

Full statement below:

Our Ref: OSBS/PR 001 Date: August 11, 2020

PRESS RELEASE

RESPONSE TO THE AKYEM-ABUAKWA TRADITIONAL COUNCIL ON THE CLOSURE OF BRIGHT SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL, AKYEM KUKURANTUMI

The old students of Bright Senior High School condemn the act of students causing damage and assaults on West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) officials and a journalist. We say, such actions by the students were terribly demeaning and uncalled for. We are therefore using this as enough grounds to apologize to the general public especially, the Ghana Education Service and the West African Examination Council on the daft conducts of the students and with much assurance that, such a disturbing behavior would not see the light again in the school. It is for this reason, we want to make the point that, the Akyem- Abuakwa Traditional Council cannot use the unfortunate and really disturbing incident as a perfect ground to justify their demand for the closure of Bright SHS.

The Traditional Council in their communique stated on 10th August, 2020 emphatically that, it has become evident that 90 percent of graduands of Bright Senior High School drop out of public universities in their first year due to their inability to meet the intellectual and academic demands of tertiary institutions, which we the old students association strongly disagree. This statement made by the Traditional Council has no evidential backings and we believe are mere accusations and expression of opinions.

To put forth our stance, there is no justification for the statement made by the Akyem- Abuakwa Traditional Council.

In point of fact, Bright senior high school has graduands from various tertiary institutions in the country and across the world respectively. We the old students are in the most prestigious universities in and across the country, reading the toughest courses in these institutions and yet, we are all excelling. Talk of those studying in China, Russia, United States of America, just to mention, but a few. We would want to also make it clear that, studying at the tertiary level is to a greater extent different compared, to the other levels of education. Its factual that, students are not compelled nor mandated by any means to learn in the tertiary level hence the sole decision of the student to learn or not.

To another statement made by the Traditional council thus, I am directed to express publicly that the exam results from the rogue Bright SHS are falsified, is also a well-structured statement carefully constructed to throw hot dust into our eyes.

The statement has no substantial documents to support it on the tangent it wants to go. If they would want to come hard on this statement again, then they would have to answer the question: how possibly could students from Bright SHS made it through the entrance examinations and interviews which certain courses in the tertiary level like medicine, nursing amongst others demand before admissions are granted? If their claims of falsified results could stand unshakingly, then their answer must be unyieldingly solid to flaw our stance.

So again, we the Old Students of the reputable Bright senior high school want to make it clear to the general public that the statement made by Akyem-Abuakwa Traditional Council is a sheer grammatical construction, hence need not to be considered.

Signed:

Doku Edmund Koranteng

Secretary

(0507971127)

---Nsemgh.com
French Prime Minister Jean Castex is concerned that the country is going "the wrong way" when it comes to the coronavirus, as the number of new cases has almost doubled in the last 24 hours.

Since Monday, 1,397 new infections have been reported by France's health ministry and 14 people have died. During a press conference in Montpellier on Tuesday, Castex said the "epidemiological situation . . . is deteriorating," as "about 25 new clusters are identified every day compared to five three weeks ago."

A ban on gatherings of more than 5,000 people has been extended to Oct. 30, and Castex called on local authorities to also lengthen mask requirements. Nationwide, people must wear face coverings while inside government offices, stores, and on public transportation. Since the beginning of the pandemic, more than 30,000 people have died of the coronavirus in France.

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WILMINGTON, N.C., Aug. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Inc. magazine revealed that Innovative Financial Group is No. 1253 on its annual Inc. 5000 list, the most prestigious ranking of the nation's fastest-growing private companies. The list represents a unique look at the most successful companies within the American economy's most dynamic segmentits independent small businesses. Intuit, Zappos, Under Armour, Microsoft, Patagonia, and many other well-known names gained their first national exposure as honorees on the Inc. 5000.

"As majority owner of IFG, I'm honored to be highlighted by Inc. for the rapid growth of our company due to the hard work and efforts put forward by our incredibly hardworking team. Customer service and trust is what we have built our company on and this recognition is truly a blessing and confirms what we are doing to help all those who need the many types of insurance that we offer," stated Tyler Rees.

Not only have the companies on the 2020 Inc. 5000 been very competitive within their markets, but the list as a whole shows staggering growth compared with prior lists as well. The 2020 Inc. 5000 achieved an incredible three-year average growth of over 500 percent, and a median rate of 165 percent. The Inc. 5000's aggregate revenue was $209 billion in 2019, accounting for over 1 million jobs over the past three years.

Complete results of the Inc. 5000, including company profiles and an interactive database that can be sorted by industry, region, and other criteria, can be found at www.inc.com/inc5000. The top 500 companies are also being featured in the September issue of Inc., available on newsstands August 12.

"The companies on this year's Inc. 5000 come from nearly every realm of business," says Inc. editor-in-chief Scott Omelianuk. "From health and software to media and hospitality, the 2020 list proves that no matter the sector, incredible growth is based on the foundations of tenacity and opportunism."

The annual Inc. 5000 event honoring the companies on the list will be held virtually from October 23 to 27, 2020. As always, speakers will include some of the greatest innovators and business leaders of our generation.



About Innovative Financial Group

Innovative Financial Group (IFG) headquartered in Wilmington, North Carolina, is one of the nation's fastest growing independent distributors of life and health insurance products. IFG develops and distributes life and health insurance products with insurance carriers through its distribution network of independent agents and agencies. IFG works with over 6,000 independent insurance agents across the nation providing best in class support, training, leads and compensation. This year, IFG has written over 75 million in new life insurance premium, $150 million in annuity business and over $25 million in Medicare and ancillary health products. For more information: www.teamifg.com. To follow on social media: https://twitter.com/home https://www.facebook.com/teamifg910/ and https://www.instagram.com/innovativefinancialgroup/

For Media Opportunities: MJ Pedone  Indra Public Relations  [email protected] (917) 319-9600.

More about Inc. and the Inc. 5000

Methodology

The 2020 Inc. 5000 is ranked according to percentage revenue growth when comparing 2016 and 2019. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2016. They had to be U.S.-based, privately held, for profit, and independentnot subsidiaries or divisions of other companiesas of December 31, 2019. (Since then, a number of companies on the list have gone public or been acquired.) The minimum revenue required for 2016 is $100,000; the minimum for 2019 is $2 million. As always, Inc. reserves the right to decline applicants for subjective reasons. Companies on the Inc. 500 are featured in Inc.'s September issue. They represent the top tier of the Inc. 5000, which can be found at http://www.inc.com/inc5000.

About Inc. Media

The world's most trusted business-media brand, Inc. offers entrepreneurs the knowledge, tools, connections, and community to build great companies. Its award-winning multiplatform content reaches more than 50 million people each month across a variety of channels including websites, newsletters, social media, podcasts, and print. Its prestigious Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to recognize the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. The global recognition that comes with inclusion in the 5000 gives the founders of the best businesses an opportunity to engage with an exclusive community of their peers, and the credibility that helps them drive sales and recruit talent. The associated Inc. 5000 Conference is part of a highly acclaimed portfolio of bespoke events produced by Inc. For more information, visit www.inc.com.

For more information on the Inc. 5000 Conference, visit http://conference.inc.com/.

SOURCE Innovative Financial Group

Related Links

https://www.teamifg.com


The 360 shows you diverse perspectives on the days top stories and debates.

Whats happening

Former Vice President Joe Biden on Tuesday ended months of speculation by selecting California Sen. Kamala Harris as his running mate.

Long considered the frontrunner for the nod, Harris was chosen from a group of finalists who reportedly included former national security adviser Susan Rice, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Sen. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois and California Congresswoman Karen Bass.

The daughter of Jamaican and Indian immigrants, Harris is the first Black woman to be named to a major party presidential ticket and the first Asian-American vice presidential nominee. If she and Biden win in November, she will become the first woman and person of color to hold the office of vice president.

Harris, 55, has quickly ascended the political ladder over the past 15 years. A former prosecutor, she served as district attorney of San Francisco before being elected as California attorney general in 2010. She became a senator six years later and launched a presidential bid in early 2019. Despite being considered a frontrunner in the early stages of the race, Harris dropped out before the Iowa caucuses.

Why theres debate

Bidens choice of Harris as his running mate has sparked strong opinions about how it will impact his chances of defeating Donald Trump in the general election.

Some political experts see Harris providing a significant boost to the presidential ticket. By selecting a Black woman, Biden has shown hes eager to reach out to groups that have long been left out of the highest ranks of American politics and may have been disappointed to see a white man emerge as the Democratic nominee. Also, if he wins, Biden will be 78 years old at his inauguration. Harris apparent readiness for the presidency, as displayed by her time in the Senate and her presidential run, could provide comfort to voters who might be concerned that Biden may choose not to run for a second term.

Story continues

Harris is considered to be a sharp debater, as evidenced by her performance in Senate hearings and primary debates  including landing a scathing critique on Bidens voting record on the issue of bussing. The policy agenda she promoted during the primary was progressive enough to satisfy those calling for significant change, but not so far left that it might scare off more moderate voters, experts say.

Others see Harris as a poor choice for running mate who will hurt Bidens odds of winning the presidency. Her tenure as a prosecutor has come under intense criticism from the members of the left wing of the Democratic party, who say she was far from the progressive prosecutor she has attempted to portray herself as. That scrutiny may only intensify amid the nationwide push for police reform and social justice that has enveloped the country in recent months.

There are also questions about her ability to turn favorable media coverage into support from voters. Harris was among the top candidates in polls for a period during the summer of 2019, but her support cratered rapidly over the next few months, forcing her to drop out. The idea that Harris will boost enthusiasm among the Black voters ignores her inability to garner their support during the primary, some political analysts say.

Whats next

Biden and Harris will formally accept the presidential and vice presidential nominations during the Democratic National Convention, which begins next week. The vice presidential debate between Harris and Mike Pence is scheduled for Oct. 7.

Perspectives

Advantages

Harris will energize Black women to support Bidens candidacy

The choice of Harris, like that of any vice presidential pick, is fundamentally about one thing: winning. Biden didn't choose her to thank Black women for bailing him out with their votes in the pivotal South Carolina Democratic primary this year, though Black women did that. More important, he will need their votes  and their activism  in swing states in the fall.  Jonathan Allen, NBC News

She lands in the ideal spot on the political spectrum

For one thing, Harris brings an unusual blend of social justice progressiveness and law-and-order conservatism. She has a long career of fighting to protect the downtrodden and looking for ways to reform the criminal justice system while still locking up plenty of the proverbial bad guys.  Editorial, Los Angeles Times

Her presence on the ticket will reassure voters who are concerned about Bidens age

Harris is a charismatic and telegenic politician. And as a U.S. senator and recent presidential candidate, Harris also meets another important test for Biden. People familiar with research the campaign undertook to inform its decision told me voters viewed her as among the most qualified to be president on Day 1  a key positive, given Biden's status as potentially the oldest politician to ever serve as president.  David Axelrod, CNN

Harris can trade barbs with Trump, allowing Biden to stay above the fray

If Biden wishes, he can delegate the daily barrage of rebukes against his opponent to her. Biden now can rise above the fray, leaving Harris  who seems to tie up President Trump in knots like no one else (he once called her nasty)  to taunt, fact-check and condemn their opponent effortlessly.  Jennifer Rubin, Washington Post

Republicans are in a poor place to capitalize on her biggest weakness

Though Harris styled herself a "progressive prosecutor" who fought for criminal justice reform, her presidential bid was plagued by criticism from the party's left wing. Those criticisms may return. ... Still, Harris' record on race and criminal justice will be pitted against that of President Donald Trump.  Roger Sollenberger, Salon

She is a strong debater whos especially well-suited to spar with Mike Pence

Because the pandemic has limited in-person campaigning, Harriss most important job will be debating Vice President Mike Pence this fall. Harris gained national popularity after her intense questioning of various Trump nominees, including Brett Kavanaugh and Jeff Sessions, during their Senate confirmation hearings. Observers believe she will be an intense opponent for the more subdued Pence.  Edward-Isaac Dovere, Atlantic

Drawbacks

The Harris pick will alienate the left wing of the Democratic party

Harris alienates both the uber-left and libertarians thanks to her ham-handed, tinpot authoritarianism as a California prosecutor. It's hard to imagine Trump-skeptical independents now aching to pull the trigger for Biden with Kamala on the ticket.  Tiana Lowe, Washington Examiner

Black voters wont rally to her just because shes Black

Its not a crazy idea that Harris might boost the ticket with Black voters. It has some empirical basis. But I think the stronger case, at least based on what we know right now, is that she wont have much of an effect in terms of Black voters.  Perry Bacon Jr., FiveThirtyEight

Voters have already shown they wont flock to support her

Ms. Harris ran for President this year but washed out quickly despite being a media favorite as the candidate from central casting.  Editorial, Wall Street Journal

Biden and Harris are an awkward duo to lead the movement for racial justice

The mostly young protesters filling the streets of nearly every American city to denounce police brutality and President Trump are represented by two figures who have offered sympathetic words and proposals but whose careers have been shaped by their relationship with law enforcement.  Jonathan Martin and Astead W. Herndon, New York Times

The election is still a referendum on Trump, regardless of whos on the Democratic ticket

The choice of Kamala Harris was an inspiration, but the reality is that bold moves by the Democratic ticket wont win this election. Bad moves by the Republican ticket will lose it.  Political scientist Jo Freeman to Politico

Running mates dont really matter

Heres a reality check: Running mates have very little direct effect on voters. When people go to the polls, they are primarily expressing a preference for the presidential candidate, not the second person on the ticket.  Christopher Devine, The Conversation

Is there a topic youd like to see covered in The 360? Send your suggestions to the360@yahoonews.com.

Read more 360s

Photo illustration: Yahoo News; photos: Getty Images
Fears are growing for the safety of Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanouskaya after she fled to Lithuania following an apparent threat to her children.

As clashes between protesters and security forces continue in Belarus over disputed election results, the 37-year-old released a video claiming she had made "a very difficult decision" and left the country.

In the footage, Ms Tikhanouskaya implied she left for the sake of her two children, who she had earlier sent abroad over fears of their safety. Her husband, Sergei, a would-be candidate, is in jail in Belarus.

However, her supporters say two videos released yesterday in which the mother of two says she accepts the election result and that she is a "weak woman" were recorded under duress.

Ms Tikhanouskaya spent periods in her teenage years in Roscrea, Co Tipperary, as part of a Chernobyl charity respite programme and remains close with her host family.

Henry Deane (72) and his wife Marian have known Ms Tikhanouskaya since she was 12 years old and told the Irish Independent of their fears for her safety.

"It is a nightmare. It's a horrible situation.

"We would love to have her back in Tipperary," Henry said.

Belarus's authoritarian president Alexander Lukashenko, who has held power for 26 years, has cracked down on demonstrators with stun grenades, rubber bullets and tear gas.

Foreign observers have not judged an election to be free and fair in Belarus since 1995, and the run-up to this month's vote saw authorities jail Lukashenko's rivals and open criminal investigations of others who voiced opposition.

Political novice Ms Tikhanouskaya is a former English teacher who only ran for election after her husband, a political blogger, was jailed for depicting Lukashenko as a cockroach.

Her campaign rallies drew some of the biggest crowds since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. She was initially reluctant to stand, saying she had received an anonymous threat of having her children taken away. She moved them abroad during the campaign to ensure their safety.

According to Lithuania's foreign minister Linas Linkevicius, she has taken refuge in the neighbouring country and "faced certain pressure and did not have much choice but to leave the country."

Yesterday morning, Ms Tikhanouskaya posted a cryptic and emotional video on YouTube. In it, she stated that she had left Belarus for the sake of her children.

"I thought that this election campaign had made me strong and had given me the power to withstand anything, but perhaps I remain that weak woman that I was initially," she said.

"I have made a very difficult decision. I made that decision absolutely by myself; no friends, my staff or [my husband] could affect it in any way.

"I know that many people will understand me, many will judge me, and many will hate me, but God forbid you face such a choice that I had to face," she added.

"That's why I say, people, take care of yourselves, please. What is going on right now is not worth a single lost life."

In a second video, she appeared to be reading from a prepared statement.

In a monotone voice, she asked her supporters to stop protesting and said "the people of Belarus have made their choice" in the election.
(UPDATE: New police chief says hes driven by his love of the city of Flint)

FLINT, MI  The city of Flint has decided on a new top cop.

Mt. Morris Township Police Chief Terence Green was formally announced as the new Flint chief of police at a Wednesday, Aug. 12, press conference outside City Hall.

I love the City of Flint. This is a dream come true to become the chief of police in the city where I was born and raised and that I love so much, he said. This will be the pinnacle of my career.

Green is expected to begin in the new role by Sept. 1. The appointment of Chief Green will be presented to Flint City Council for its consent as described in the citys charter.

He will fill the role left vacant after Phil Hart stepped down Monday after his temporary appointment expired.

Green has served as the Mt. Morris Township police chief since September 2014.

He retired in 2013 from the Genesee County Sheriffs Office after 21 years of service, according to MLive-The Flint Journal records.

Green earned his bachelors degree in criminal justice from Minnesota State University-Moorehead in 1991 and began working for the sheriffs office in 1992, says his biography on the Mt. Morris Township Police Department website.

During his time with the Genesee County Sheriffs Office, Green became a licensed paramedic and worked as a road deputy before he was promoted to sergeant in 1999.

He later oversaw three narcotic teams and worked on details with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, Flint Area Narcotics Group, and the Genesee County Sheriffs Office narcotics enforcement team.

A Flint native, Green was promoted to captain in 2009 and remained in the position with the sheriffs office until his retirement in 2013.

He then joined the University of Michigan-Flint Department of Public Safety while attending the Northwestern University School of Police Staff and Command, graduating in 2014.

It is an honor to have Chief Green join our City of Flint team, said Mayor Sheldon Neeley. Chief Green brings knowledge, expertise, decades of experience and, above all else, a deep commitment to the City of Flint.

More on MLive:

First black Mt. Morris Township police chief calls new job highlight of my law enforcement career'

Flint police chief steps down after temporary appointment expires

Man testifies brother lied to him about employee using racial slur ahead of Michigan mall assault
Deputy AG who dropped Red Bull case quits

THAILAND: Deputy Attorney-General Nate Naksuk, who dismissed the reckless driving charge against Red Bull scion Vorayuth Yoovidhya, has tendered his resignation.

death

By Bangkok Post

Wednesday 12 August 2020, 10:55AM

In this 2012 file photo, Vorayuth Boss Yoovidhya is escorted to the Thong Lor police station for interrogation, hours after a crash that killed a police officer. His whereabouts remain unknown even though all warrants against him were lifted in June this year. Photo: Kosol Nakachol.

In his retirement letter, Mr Nate defended his decision to drop the charge against Vorayuth by citing that the decision was above board. As the Office of the Attorney-General faced mounting pressure from society over his decision, he wanted to show his responsibility by resigning to protect the image of the organisation, a source at the Office of the Attorney-General said yesterday (Aug 11).

The source said Mr Nate is due to retire at the age of 65 on Sept 30 this year but his term could be extended by five more years if a panel under the Office of the Attorney-General approves it.

The attorney-general has not yet approved Mr Nates resignation, added the source.

Mr Vorayuth, 35, also known as Boss, drove a black Ferrari that killed Pol Snr Sgt Maj Wichian Klanprasert, 47, in the early morning of Sept 3, 2012.

He crashed into the rear of the police motorcycle on Sukhumvit Road. He then fled the scene to his home nearby.

He delayed hearing charges seven times. It was not until April 27, 2017, that prosecutors finally charged him with reckless driving causing death and failing to help a crash victim.

He fled on a private plane two days before he was due to face the charges.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, Aug. 12

By Ilhama Isabalayeva Trend:

There is a serious need in Azerbaijan for carrying out scientific research works in qanats (underground water channel), Director of the Institute of Soil Science and Agrochemistry of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences (ANAS) Alovsat Guliyev told Trend.

One of the important issues in terms of the efficient use of water resources is the protection and operation of qanats as water sources.

Back in 1938, there were 1,500 qanats in Azerbaijan, of which 885 were officially registered, and these channels were used as sources of drinking and irrigation water, Guliyev noted.

He added that more than 500 million cubic meters of water were used annually through the qanats.

Currently, 332 of these qanats are under Armenian occupation," he said.

"Based on the agreement concluded with ANAS and Azersu OJSC, the qanats are being studied in the territory of Azerbaijan, the director added.

At present, the restoration of the qanats is underway in the Hasansu village of the Aghstafa district. Since the restoration of the qanats and the design of new ones are quite a costly work from a financial point of view, finding new sources of financing is the most important issue. But not everything should be left to the state. Patriotic businessmen should also support this activity, Guliyev said.
Disclaimer The results here are provided for general informational purposes from the CMLviz Trade Machine Stock Option Backtester as a convenience to the readers. The materials are not a substitute for obtaining professional advice from a qualified person, firm or corporation.

Preface

After rigorous testing over multiple time periods and over 100,000 back-tests, today we demonstrate the technical conditions that have provided a strong short-term 'not bearish' trigger for Alaska Air Group Inc (NYSE:ALK) , as well as, broadly speaking, the Nasdaq 100 index constituents over the ten year period from 2009-2019.

Logic

Fade the Dip Trigger: The Option Trade with Technical Analysis and Moving Averages in Alaska Air Group Inc (NYSE:ALK) .

While some traders like to "Buy the Dip" (BTFD), and we have a model for that event, sometimes it can be prudent to take a less aggressive tack.In this case we ok for tbut seek a higher win rate strategy than buying a call. Looking to "fade the dip" is a fancy way of saying, we examined a straegy that looks to profit if a stock "doesn't go down very much," after bouncing out of technical failure, as opposed to getting aggressively long by buying the dip.This strategy looks to win if the stock goes up or even if it just doesn't go down very much. It's profit zone is signifantly larger than just buying a call, but its upside is limited relative to a long call. The result is a higher average win rates for a trade off of smaller average win amounts.Whether it's buying the dip or fading the dip, this only works if a stock in a down trend actually reverses to a rally or at the very least, doesn't drop back down into techncial failure.We focused our testing specifically on the trigger that identifies a stock in a down channel and when the selling pressure has eased and the stock may be ready for a bounce or a steady state. In other words, we focused less on a simplistic mantra of "," and more on the empirical view of "."Find today's option triggers today. Tap here to finally find the trading outcomes you've been looking for.It doesn't matter if ALK is in a downtrend right now. What matters is what has happened historically when that time comes, because it will come again.We will examine the outcome of going short an out-of-the-money putg spead by selling the 40 delta strike and buying the 30 delta delta strike in options that are the closest to 30-days from expiration (using calendar days). But we follow three rules:Let's not worry about earnings. Here it is, first, we enter the long call.Use a technical trigger to start the trade,these specific items are met.Trigger is here: [ Trade Machine members only You can set an alert in Trade Machine, which will track all of these moving parts for you. Let Trade Machine do the work for you -- there's no need to stare at the screen.* Use a 50% limit and no stop.At the end of each day, the back-tester checks to see if the 30-day short put spread has seen a 50% gain (it has gone down in value by 50% or more). If it has, it closes the position. As an example, of a put spread was sold at $1.00 and in a week it had dropped to $0.50, it would purchased to close with that 50% win on the initial credit.

Fade the Dip: 5-year Stock Option Backtester Results in Alaska Air Group Inc

ALK: Short 40/30 Delta Put Spread

% Wins: 89.00% Wins: 8 Losses: 1 % Return: 74.6%

Tap Here to See the Back-test



RESULTS

ALK: Short 40/30 Delta Put Spread

% Wins: 86% Wins: 6 Losses: 1 % Return: 97.4%

Tap Here to See the Back-test

Setting Expectations



Here are the results of opening a 30-day short put spread, using the 40 delta / 30 delta as the strike prices, over the last five-years once this "fade the dip" trigger has fired:We're now looking at 74.6% returns, on 8 winning trades and 1 losing trades.The average percent return over the last yearwas 14.6%.Here are the results for the 30-day short put spread over the last three-years in Alaska Air Group Inc:The mechanics of the TradeMachine are that it uses end of day prices for every back-test entry and exit (every trigger).While this strategy had an overall return of%, the trade details keep us in bounds with expectations:The average percent returnwas 13.93% for each 30-day period.

Checking the Moving Average

ALK: Short 40/30 Delta Put Spread

% Wins: 100.00% Wins: 1 Losses: 0 % Return: 17.3%

Tap Here to See the Back-test



Next Steps

You can check to see the values of all the moving averages discussed above with real-time daily prices, including live after hours prices, for ALK by viewing the Pivot Points tab on www.CMLviz.com Now we can look at just the last year as well:We're now looking at 17.3% returns, on 1 winning trades and 0 losing trades.The average percent return over the last yearwas 17.35%.Find tomorrow's option trades triggers today. For that matter, find today's option triggers today. Tap here to finally find the trading outcomes you've been looking for.Past performance is not an indication of future results.Trading futures and options involves the risk of loss. Please consider carefully whether futures or options are appropriate to your financial situation. Only risk capital should be used when trading futures or options. Investors could lose more than their initial investment.Past results are not necessarily indicative of future results. The risk of loss in trading can be substantial, carefully consider the inherent risks of such an investment in light of your financial condition.Please note that the executions and other statistics in this article are hypothetical, and do not reflect the impact, if any, of certain market factors such as liquidity and slippage.You should read the Characteristics and Risks of Standardized Options
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Kolkata, Aug 13 : Day after a 60-year old Covid patient died while waiting in an ambulance outside a private hospital in Kolkata, the West Bengal health regulatory commission on Wednesday filed a suo-motu case against the hospital authorities.

The chairman of commission, Justice (retd) Ashim Kumar Bandopadhyay said that this was the first such case taken up on a suo-motu basis by the state health regulatory commission against any private hospital in Kolkata.

He said such an incident is unprecedented, inhumane and unfortunate. The case will be heard by the commission on August 19.

The commission has already asked for all necessary details of the Covid patient from her previous hospital.

The shocking incident took place at the Desun Hospital on the EM Bypass on Monday night. The patient's party came from East Midnapore's Tomluk. The deceased's husband also died of Covid-19 last week.

The family members of the victim alleged that they were asked to deposit Rs 3 lakh for admitting the patient to the hospital. They immediately deposited Rs 80,000 and asked for an hour's time to arrange the rest of the amount.

But the hospital authorities categorically told them that they would not be able to start treatment until and unless the full payment is made. Later, they did arrange for Rs 2 lakh and deposited the amount to the bank account but the patient died in the ambulance while waiting for treatment.

Despite repeated attempts, the hospital authorities refused to release any media statement on the issue.
HiPhi X is equipped with an advanced, highly-personalised onboard AI assistant, HiPhiGo, which has been developed in collaboration with Microsoft. HiPhiGo is highly sensory, with an array of intelligent functions, including a level of reasoning and continuous learning whilst interacting with its occupants, the surrounding environment and a multitude of vehicle parameters.

This new breed of self-learning smart vehicle has a "neural network" consisting of 6 "super brain" domain controllers, connected by 1G Ethernet, which provides a higher transmission rate than traditional CAN networks. HiPhi X is able to analyse massive amounts of information and make decisions utilising cloud computing with a powerful data analysis engine, which results in a truly intelligent and smart vehicle.

HiPhi X will be one of the world's leaders by offering Level 3 autonomous driving at launch, which is supported by redundancy in all key safety-related systems. HiPhi X will be offered with rear- and all-wheel drive derivatives and will provide a 0-to-100 km/h time of 3.9 seconds. There will also be several battery options, with the largest 96 kWh unit providing a range of at least 610 km (NEDC).

HiPhi X is now entering the final phase of development and launch ahead of production which is expected to commence by the end of this year, with official deliveries in 2021.

About the HiPhi Brand

HiPhi is a premium brand created by Human Horizons and enhanced by its users. HiPhi X is an EV with a lightweight hybrid- aluminum construction. It also embeds sustainability with the adoption of vegan leather and the use of recyclable materials to further increase the sustainable nature of Human Horizons' EV products.

About Human Horizons

Human Horizons is established for R&D in innovative and leading intelligent mobility technologies as well as the industrialisation of future-oriented smart vehicles. Furthermore, Human Horizons builds smart transportation technologies and contributes to the development of smart cities, which will redefine human mobility.

SOURCE Human Horizons
Googles Fact Check Explorer database is connected with a range of fact-checkers, most of which are part of the Poynter Institutes International Fact-Checking Network. Screenshot

In February, major social media platforms attended a meeting hosted by the World Health Organization to address coronavirus misinformation. The aim was to catalyze the fight against what the United Nations has called an "infodemic."

Usually, misinformation is focused on specific regions and topics. But COVID-19 is different. For what seems like the first time, both misinformation and fact-checking behaviors are coordinated around a common set of narratives the world over.

In our research, we identified the key trends in both coronavirus misinformation and fact-checking efforts. Using Google's Fact Check Explorer computing interface we tracked fact-check posts from January to Julywith the first checks appearing as early as January 22.

A uniform rate of growth

Our research found the volume of fact-checks on coronavirus misinformation increased steadily in the early stages of the virus's spread (January and February) and then increased sharply in March and Aprilwhen the virus started to spread globally.

Interestingly, we found the same pattern of gradual and then sudden increase even after dividing fact-checks into Spanish, Hindi, Indonesian and Portuguese.

Thus, misinformation and subsequent fact-checking efforts trended in a similar way right across the globe. This is a unique feature of COVID-19.

According to our analysis, there has been no equivalent global trend for other issues such as elections, terrorism, police activity or immigration.

Different nations, different misconceptions

On March 16, the Empirical Studies of Conflict Project, in collaboration with Microsoft Research, began cataloging COVID-19 misinformation.

It did this by collating news articles with reporting by a wide range of local fact-checking networks and global groups such as Agence France-Presse and NewsGuard.

We analyzed this data set to explore the evolution of specific COVID-19 narratives, with "narrative" referring to the type of story a piece of misinformation pushes.

For instance, one misinformation narrative concerns the "origin of the virus." This includes the false claim the virus jumped to humans as a result of someone eating bat soup.

We found the most common narrative worldwide was related to "emergency responses." These stories reported false information about government or political responses to fighting the virus's outbreak.

This may be because, unlike narratives surrounding the "nature of the virus," it is easy to speculate on (and hard to prove) whether people in power have good or ill intent.

Notably, this was also the most common narrative in the US, with an early example being a false rumor the New York Police Department would immediately lock down New York City.

This chart shows the proportion of total misinformation narratives on COVID-19 by the top ten countries between January and July, 2020.

What's more, a major motivation for spreading misinformation on social media is politics. The US is a polarized political environment, so this might help explain the trend towards political misinformation.

We also found China has more misinformation narratives than any other country. This may be because China is the world's most populous country.

However, it's worth noting the main fact-checking website used by the Empirical Studies of Conflict Project for misinformation coming out of China is run by the Chinese Communist Party.

When fighting misinformation, it is important to have as wide a range of independent and transparent fact-checkers as possible. This reduces the potential for bias.

Hydroxychloroquine and other non-cures

Another set of misinformation narratives was focused on "false cures" or "false preventative measures." This was among the most common themes in both China and Australia.

One example was a video that went viral on social media suggesting hydroxychloroquine is an effective coronavirus treatment. This is despite experts stating it is not a proven COVID-19 treatment, and can actually have harmful side effects.

Myths about the "nature of the virus" were also common. These referred to specific characteristics of the virussuch as that it can't spread on surfaces. We know this isn't true.

Narratives reflect world events

Our analysis found different narratives peaked at different stages of the virus's spread.

Misinformation about the nature of the virus was prevalent during the outbreak's early stages, probably spurred by an initial lack of scientific research regarding the nature of the virus.

In contrast, theories relating to emergency responses surfaced later and remain even now, as governments continue to implement measures to fight COVID-19's spread.

A wide variety of fact-checkers

We also identified greater diversity in websites fact-checking COVID-19 misinformation, compared to those investigating other topics.

Since January, only 25% of 6,000 fact-check posts or articles were published by the top five fact-checking websites (ranked by number of posts). In comparison, 68% of 3,000 climate change fact-checks were published by the top five websites.

It seems resources previously devoted to a wide range of topics are now homing in on coronavirus misinformation. Nonetheless, it's impossible to know the total volume of this content online.

For now, the best defense is for governments and online platforms to increase awareness about false claims and build on the robust fact-checking infrastructures at our disposal.

Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
The ancient land of Portugal is yielding in a slow but gratifying way to evangelical Protestant penetration. Much Spanish and Portuguese Catholicism remains hostile and intolerant of evangelical Christianity, some of the most conservative churchmen participating in Vatican Council II coming from this European peninsula. Yet believers are daring nonetheless to pray daily that Portugal may be stirred by divine blessing upon the courageous witness of united evangelical forces.

The Portuguese are in fact adrift from their traditional Romanist moorings. Some Dutch Catholics are said to consider Portugal a mission field. In a land the size of Indiana, with almost ten million inhabitants, some 70 to 90 per cent of the people are not attending Catholic churches, the figure varying with the provinces. Of Catholic candidates for the priesthood, proportionately fewer arrive at the goal from seminaries in Portugal than in any other country in Europe. Some 40 per cent of the population remains illiterate. In some sections there is but one priest to every 12,000 inhabitants. In this land of the legends of Fatima, religious life is crassly superstitious, and for many Portuguese Catholics the doctrine of Marys assumption into heaven has become more significant than the ascension of Jesus. When the Baptist Convention of Portugal during an evangelistic effort in Porto paid for billboards proclaiming Christ the hope of the world, Catholic zealots superimposed the words Christ and the Virgin.

Despite the deterioration of their own religious position, some Catholic leaders repeatedly exert subtle political pressures to repress Protestant evangelistic efforts. A Keswick convention of sorts was held annually at Carrascal until Catholic pressures ...

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Ford announced safety recalls for its current F-150 pickup along with several Ford and Lincoln crossovers early Wednesday. The recalls cover more than 550,000 vehicles and address various safety defects, ranging from a fire hazard to potential loss of braking power.

The most far-reaching of the recalls covers approximately 550,000 examples of the 2015-2018 Ford Edge and 2016-2018 Lincoln MKX, which may have been assembled with defective front brake jounce hoses (also commonly referred to as "flex lines"). These hoses run from fixed points on the chassis to the individual front brake calipers. Defective hoses could potentially rupture, allowing brake fluid to leak and resulting in a loss of braking function. Ford will replace the components in question with revised parts.

The next-largest recall is for roughly 3,000 2020 Lincoln Corsair crossovers. The affected models may have been assembled without proper clearance between their rear suspension springs and toe link brackets. The components could potentially make contact, wearing down the protective coating on the rear coil springs, allowing corrosion to occur over time. This corrosion could eventually lead to a failure of the spring. If this happens while the vehicle is being driven, it could result in a sudden change to the vehicle's handling characteristics, and the spring fragments could potentially cause further damage to the car or surrounding traffic.

Ford says owners will be notified that their Corsairs need to be inspected; if there is not adequate clearance between the rear suspension components, Ford's service technicians will remove material from the toe link bracket to allow for operation without contact.

The final (and by far the smallest) recall is for the 2020 F-150. Some units may have left the factory with the incorrect retention nut on the hot lead to the starter motor. Ford says it can cause increased heat generation or electrical arcing, which could potentially result in a fire. Ford says this issue is limited to just a few hundred examples sold in the United States. Dealers will inspect the vehicles and replace the nut if necessary.
Geneva:

International airlines grouping IATA's chief Alexandre de Juniac claimed that India was among the "most open" aviation markets.

Further, he also said that the country will benefit from the regional air connectivity plan but imposing levy on carriers can also lead to disruption of competitive conditions.

While being appreciative of the Indian government putting in a "consistent plan" for the aviation sector, Juniac also emphasised the need to have the right infrastructure and lower costs for the airlines.

"In general, we are not favouring levies because we think that it is a disruption or disturbance in the competitive conditions," Juniac told PTI in an interview. His comments come against the backdrop of the government levying up to Rs 8,500 per flight on major routes from December 1 in order to fund its ambitious regional connectivity scheme.

The scheme -- UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik) -- seeks to connect small cities by air as well as make flying more affordable for the masses.

"Regional connectivity is good for air traffic but using levy, tax or cross-subsidy system, let's name it as it is, is not convincing," he said, adding that it is being opposed by many operators as something which would not be efficient.

"We think that if you want to develop regional connectivity, first of all we need to have right infrastructure, airports and the lowest costs. So, for us there is a very clear link between the level of cost and the dynamism of aviation, the flow of passengers," Juniac said.

To provide viability gap funding for the flights operated under UDAN, a levy would be imposed on every departure on major air routes such as New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Kolkata.

Under the scheme, fares for one-hour flights would be capped at Rs 2,500.Juniac took over as the Director General and CEO of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) in September this year and has already visited India in his new role.

The grouping represents more than 265 airlines from across the world.
The Competition Commission is investigating MultiChoices deal with Netflix and Amazon Prime Video to integrate the streaming services into its DStv Explora decoder.

MultiChoice CFO Tim Jacobs said in June the agreements with Netflix and Amazon Prime Video are part of a new streaming platform MultiChoice would launch that would include content from international players.

Jacobs said they want to provide simplicity, choice, and convenience to subscribers, where they can come to one place and can get access to all of this different content.

MultiChoice CEO Calvo Mawela said it makes sense for DStv to become a one-stop-shop where you pay one bill and get access to all streaming content, including Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, and YouTube.

Mawela said pay-TV operators like MultiChoice have always operated in a multi-channel environment where they purchase content from third-party providers.

This third-party content is then aggregated into the DStv platform and sold to subscribers in the form of DStv bouquets.

Mawela said adding streaming players to the DStv platform is a natural progression of pay-TV into the online space.

We have always seen ourselves as a one-stop-shop where you can get content from all content producers in Africa and around the world, said Mawela.

He added that Netflix is essentially a content provider, as are Amazon, Hulu, YouTube, and many others.

He said MultiChoice is reaching out to all the streaming platforms around the world with the aim of providing their content to DStv subscribers.

Competition Commission investigation

Siyabulela Makunga, head of communications at the Competition Commission, told MyBroadband they are investigating MultiChoices bundling plans and agreements.

The Competition Commission could not provide further details about the investigation because it is currently at a very sensitive stage.

As the Competition Commission focuses on business practices, mergers, and deals which may restrict competition, it can be assumed that the Competition Commission is concerned about limiting competition in South Africa.

MultiChoice owns and operates two of South Africas most popular streaming services  DStv Now and Showmax.

MultiChoices plan to bundle Netflix and Amazon Prime with DStv, DStv Now, and Showmax may therefore be seen as limiting competition in South Africa.

MyBroadband asked MultiChoice for feedback on the investigation, but spokesperson Benedict Maaga said they are unable to comment at this stage.
Falsely implicated in a spy case 26 years ago, former scientist of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Nambi Narayanan has finally seen full justice. Pulling the curtain on the case in which he was implicated by state police, the Kerala government on Tuesday gave Rs 1.30 crore as compensation to Narayanan, a report by Hindustan Times states.

A case was filed by the 79-year-old Naryananan in 2018 against the government in a sub-court in Thiruvanthapuram, seeking enhanced damages for his illegal arrest and harassment.

The compensation is in addition to the Rs 50 lakh provided by the government to the former scientist on a Supreme Court order and the Rs 10 lakh recommended by the National Human Rights Commission.

The apex court had observed that Narayanan could approach a lower court for proper compensation as he deserved more. The government had in 2018 handed over Rs 50 lakh to the former scientist, three weeks after the the apex court ordered the relief holding that he was "arrested unnecessarily, harassed and subjected to mental cruelty."

The espionage case, which hit the headlines in 1994, pertained to allegations of transfer of certain confidential documents on India's space programme to foreign countries by two scientists and four others, including two Maldivian women.

Narayanan had to spend close to two months in jail before the CBI concluded the allegations against him were false. The case was first probe by the state police and later handed over to the CBI, which found the charges to be false.

The scientist had moved the Supreme Court against the Kerala High Court order, which said no action was required to be taken against former DGP Siby Mathews and two retired Superintendents of Police K K Joshua and S Vijayan, who were later held responsible by the CBI for his illegal arrest.
Reams of red ink and a recession.

The COVID-19 pandemic has plunged Ontario into an economic recession, forcing Premier Doug Fords Progressive Conservatives to almost double the budget deficit to a record $38.5 billion.

At a news conference in Toronto, Rod Phillips, Ontarios minister of finance, provides a fiscal update outlining the provinces first quarter finances and the economic impact of the COVID-19 (coronavirus disease) pandemic.

Finance Minister Rod Phillips  who had projected a $20.5-billion shortfall in March, up from last years $9.2-billion deficit  revealed Wednesday the toll that the coronavirus is taking on the provincial treasury as he unveiled first quarterly results.

Underlying this economic crisis is the health crisis, Phillips said of an outbreak that has killed more than 2,800 Ontarians and cost nearly 1.2-million jobs after most businesses were forced to close due a state of emergency that extended from March 17 until July 24.

We are in a recession today in Ontario and, I would argue, across Canada, the grim-faced finance minister told reporters in a Queens Park teleconference.

Warning that we are in for a difficult economic time, Phillips, who had pledged $17 billion last spring for COVID-19 relief, said that new expenditures have ballooned to $30 billion.

The treasurer stressed while the current level of government spending and deficits are not sustainable over the long run, they are necessary today to steer Ontario through the storm.

That includes $7.7 billion for additional health-care funding, up from the $3.3 billion announced on March 25, as well as about $4 billion in increased financial aid for municipalities and public transit.

Bracing for a second wave of COVID-19, the government has earmarked $9.6 billion in a contingency fund.

Weve learned something from what we did last time, said Phillips of the governments decision to effectively shut down most of the economy starting in mid-March to prevent the virus from overwhelming hospitals.

In contrast to other jurisdictions, such as the United States, where things opened up too quickly, Ontarios strategy appears to be working.

Daily new case counts are relatively low and people are wearing masks indoors in public spaces, such as shops, and maintaining a safe physical distance to stem the spread of coronavirus.

The treasurer, who will table a full budget in November, noted the government has spent $610 million for personal protective equipment for front-line workers.

But with schools reopening in September, there are mounting concerns about a second wave as students and teachers descend on classrooms for the first time since March.

Liberal Leader Steven Del Duca said parents know firsthand that the only way we can get Ontarios economy back on track is to get our kids safely back to school and blasted the premier for not having an adequate blueprint for that.

Doug Fords fiscal update makes it clear that he has dropped the ball badly and has no credible plan to get our kids back in classrooms safely come September, said Del Duca.

Without a new plan, moms and dads across Ontario will not have the peace of mind they need to get back to work and ensure that our economic recovery is successful. Now parents are being unfairly forced to make a choice between their kids and their careers.

NDP MPP Sandy Shaw (Hamilton West-Ancaster-Dundas) said the Tories are pinching pennies on the backs of our children and that choice is so risky for our childrens health and well-being.

We should be spending what it takes to get all kids into smaller, safer classes  to keep them safe, and to protect our progress in the fight against COVID-19, said Shaw.

Ford, for his part, said his government is prepared to spend what is needed to keep people safe.

When this first started ... I said, Im not going to spare a penny, and I proved it, the premier said.

Along with Ottawa, Queens Park has given 375,000 front-line workers a temporary $4-an-hour pandemic pay hike to reward them for their efforts dealing with COVID-19. That $1.55-billion program includes $424 million in provincial cash.

Last month, federal Finance Minister Bill Morneau said Ottawas deficit could be a record $343.2 billion.

Ontarios real gross domestic product rate declined by two per cent in the first quarter with the provinces economy expected to shrink by 6.7 per cent by the end of the year.

By definition, a recession occurs when real GDP falls in two consecutive quarters.

Provincial officials are optimistic that real GDP will grow by 5.5 per cent next year.

In March, Phillips forecast overall spending would be $174.3 billion this year. That has now climbed to $186.7 billion, by far the largest budget in Ontario history. The Tories are spending 18 per cent more than the previous Liberal governments 2018-19 budget.

The 2020-21 deficit has skyrocketed by $18 billion in just a few short months.

Revenues for this year had been expected to be $156.3 billion; that figure has been revised to $150.6 billion, a $5.7 billion hit to the treasury.

While there was an increase in federal transfers of $6.2 billion, corporate tax revenue projections dropped by $5.2 billion and expected sales tax revenue declined by $4.2 billion.

Queens Park was also hurt by reduced revenues from personal income taxes, gasoline taxes and employer health taxes.

Ontarios net debt-to-GDP ratio, which in March was anticipated to be 41.7 per cent, is now expected to be 47.1 per cent this year  a 5.4 percentage-point change.

In May, the provinces independent financial accountability office had warned that the deficit could balloon to $41 billion due to a combination of increased spending and decreased tax revenues because of the pandemic.

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Defunding the police is crucial, but we must avoid obvious traps along the way.

Since the murder of George Floyd by police officers in Minnesota on May 25, calls to reform, defund, and even abolish the police have taken centre stage in the United States.

In response to mass civil unrest, the Minneapolis City Council unanimously passed a resolution on June 26 to replace the citys police force with a community-led public safety system that takes a holistic, public health-oriented approach. City Council members specified that funds will be redirected from the police to a variety of programmes including the Office of Violence Prevention (OVP), located within the citys health department.

Multiple public commentators have championed this turn to the health sector. In a viral social media post , US Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez suggested that the prioritisation of youth, health, housing, etc and restorative measures such as community service will naturally reduce reliance on police and carceral institutions.

The now popular book The End of Policing offers similar solutions. Citing the example of the United Kingdom, American sociologist Alex Vitale treats improved mental health resources as an alternative to modern law enforcement. Though acknowledging the inadequate training of many Mental Health Liaison Officers in the UK, Vitale nonetheless argues that the overall attitude [of mental health policing] is one of care rather than threat neutralization.

While these approaches urgently seek to disband the police as we know it, they fail to address how the violent work of policing requires the participation of countless state and non-state actors beyond uniformed rank-and-file officers. Through intricate government programmes like Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) in particular, policing and public health have come to converge in dangerous new ways, making policing a community-wide affair.

The future of policing in the US

Modern policing conscripts a wide variety of parties including health workers, transnational corporations, the non-profit sector, educators, religious institutions, social workers, and increasingly, vigilantes and other everyday citizens. This pervasive policing web enlists even seemingly neutral actors and positions them as forces of social control.

For this reason, Vitales optimism about mental health policing in the UK is perplexing. Few countries blur the line between law enforcement and health services more clearly than Britain, where for nearly half a decade, academics and medical professionals have protested the health sectors role in unethically monitoring political organisers, people of colour, and Muslims in the name of deradicalisation.

Consider Lyn Jenkins, the retiree who casually disclosed his participation in climate protests during a doctors appointment. This admission led to an unexpected visit by the police and his referral to the UKs counterterrorism programme PREVENT. Or consider the Muslim man who visited his general practitioner about a leg injury, only to be pressed for his opinions on the ISIL (ISIS) group. As a July 2020 report indicates, such encounters are not isolated events, but indicative of institutionalised patterns of racism and religious discrimination.

Vitales blind spot, however, is hardly his alone. To critics of American policing, Britain may appear like a successful model to emulate. Despite a 2019 influx of tasers, the majority of police officers in the country remain unarmed  a policy partially responsible for Britains low rate of police murder. But this is not the only lesson to learn from the UK. It also demonstrates how a (largely) disarmed police force does not necessarily lead to a less repressive state.

In lieu of baton-wielding police staff, a more insidious counter-terrorism matrix has come to perform much of Britains domestic security work. Although fuelled by 9/11 and the 7/7 bombings in London, the legal arm of this system rarely prosecutes actual violence (the longtime purview of criminal law). Rather, it intervenes in a so-called pre-crime space, in which the books one reads, certain forms of speech, or practices of civil disobedience can invite state intervention upon target demographics.

The UKs 2015 Counter-Terrorism and Security Act imposed a legal requirement in nearly every single sphere of public sector life to report people who appear vulnerable to radicalisation. This statutory duty recast countless actors including all National Health Service (NHS) staff, public school teachers, and potentially even ones colleagues as extensions of the state. Since at least 2019, the same strategy has been proposed as a solution to Britains knife crime crisis  a move that would place an unprecedented number of young Black men into the crosshairs of public sector scrutiny.

Key features of the USs domestic security apparatus are modelled after Britains  itself refined long before 9/11, in the fight against paramilitary activities in Northern Ireland. Insofar as the US continues to emulate British security strategies today, policing trends in the UK remain instructive for American police abolitionists.

While the science of pre-crime is less developed in the US, legal mechanisms such as the charge of material support for terrorism have already transformed beliefs into criminal acts. Consider the case of Tarek Mehanna, sentenced to 17 years in prison for what was essentially a thought crime. His Arabic translation efforts, participation in online debates, and two-week trip to Yemen ultimately brought him under the microscope of the state.

Similarly, recall the 2005 conviction of Ali al-Tamimi, the biologist whose often-incendiary rhetoric against US foreign policy was deemed outside the parameters of free speech. He was sentenced to life in prison by a judge who emphasised: this was a case about intent.

Racism as a public health crisis

It is no coincidence that these shifts in US policing mirror the UKs controversial PREVENT programme, introduced by Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair in 2003. For almost a decade, PREVENT has served as a blueprint for Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) programmes in North America and across the world.

US President Barack Obama first launched CVE in the US in 2011. Though coercive and based on established methods of counterinsurgency, the programme is considered a soft power approach to counterterrorism that relies heavily on community participation. The underlying premises of CVE and its offshoots are that 1) Communities themselves provide the solution to violent extremism, and 2) Such efforts are best pursued at a local level, tailored to specific communities internal dynamics.

Despite its strategic messaging, CVEs primary targets  Muslims  have been able to identify and critique the programmes racist designs for nearly a decade, frequently resisting its expansion on a grassroots level. In response, the programme has adopted a new tactic in recent years, superficially rebranding itself in terms of a whole community or public health approach (PDF). As CVE practitioners themselves highlight, Unlike a criminal justice approach, basing violence prevention efforts in mental health and education approaches offers significant promise in building community participation and buy-in.

However, the USs health sector, much like its law enforcement, is not innocent. One need only cite the disproportionately high maternal mortality rate of Black women, cruel experiments underpinning the development of gynaecology, or the role of psychiatry in pathologising political resistance to tell a (partial) tale of how racist harm and notions of community wellness are inextricably tied rather than mutually exclusive.

For these reasons, along with CVEs history of continual reinvention, it is striking that the mayors and city councils of former CVE laboratories (pilot cities) Boston, Los Angeles, and Minneapolis-Saint Paul have all declared racism a public health crisis in recent weeks. While this description of racism as a public health crisis would logically imply that racists might become targets of increased government scrutiny, recent federal mobilisation tells a story more consistent with the USs historical record.

Since at least June 2020, the FBIs Joint Terrorism Task Force has partnered with state and municipal authorities across the country to monitor protestors seeking justice for George Floyd. Groundwork for this federal involvement, however, was partially laid years earlier, in response to Black-led uprisings in Ferguson and Baltimore.

In 2017, the FBI even issued a memo warning of the dangers of black identity extremism  a pseudo-legal category later renamed racially motivated violent extremism in order to appear more capacious and colour-blind.

Such terminology has cast a shadow of criminality over anti-racist movements, naturalising their placement within the scope of counterterrorism. While this lexicon echoes, for example, the COINTELPRO-era targeting of militant black nationalist groups, its reformulation in our post-9/11 world should raise red flags about the development of a more explicitly PREVENT-like infrastructure in the US  one that weaponises health and public services to repress political dissent.

The case of Minneapolis: Policing the pre-crime space

In Minneapolis-Saint Paul, where George Floyds murder catalysed an ongoing national uprising, CVE-style community policing and technologies of predictive policing work side by side. Like British counterterrorism, both approaches construct and subsequently monitor a sphere of so-called pre-crime. In this framework, logics of prevention, risk mitigation, and data accumulation appear to prevail over that of punishment. This, however, is no cause for celebration.

In January 2019, Minnesota residents alarmed over inevitable civil rights violations and racial profiling prevented a proposed data-sharing agreement between Saint Paul, Ramsey County, and Saint Paul Public Schools. Relying on zip codes, incomes, truancy numbers, race and other indicators, the goal of the project was to use algorithmic techniques to identify at-risk youth for local, pre-crisis interventions. Critics, however, pushed back against the labelling of children as early criminal  and cited similar experiments in the 1990s that ultimately funnelled teenagers into juvenile detention.

While this predictive policing initiative was successfully halted, similar efforts more strategically tethered to health and social services remain in place. For example, the Minneapolis Health Department has administered a Youth Violence Prevention programme in coordination with local police since 2006. Despite concerns , the city has also been seeking to expand initiatives like Group Violence Intervention (a US Department of Justice model) that bring together social service providers, city officials, law enforcement, and carceral institutions across federal, state, and municipal levels.

At a quick glance, these community-oriented or participatory styles of policing appear to break from existing paradigms of surveillance and punishment. But as former CVE pilot city Minneapolis demonstrates, such approaches simply delegate policing duties across new networks, ultimately expanding the reach of a widely criticised criminal justice system. Further, the common rhetoric of collaboration and cooperation surrounding such efforts obscures the deeply conditional character of partnerships with the state.

Consider Targeted Violence and Terrorism Prevention (TVTP), the Trump administrations iteration of CVE. It focuses on a growing threat from domestic actors  such as racially and ethnically motivated violent extremists and emphasises proactive rather than punitive interventions. In this endeavour, it does not highlight, for example, the hiring of more uniformed police.

Rather, it stresses empowering communities and individuals to themselves counter extremism on a local level. Through large Department of Homeland Security grants, the programme funds non-profit organisations and other bodies that further its stated mission.

Despite careful messaging meant to suggest otherwise, programmes like TVTP are not meant to support existing grassroots efforts. In reality, they carefully select and artificially amplify those community voices that bolster security state imperatives.

The resulting partnerships are shaped by the unequal power dynamic between funder and funded. In 2020 alone, TVTP has made $10m available to potential grantees  an amount set to double next year. Such manipulation of the political landscape creates an environment in which it is difficult to discern whether civil society actors are truly independent or mere extensions of the government.

In our current moment of social upheaval, street mobilisations are continuing to generate innumerable victories and concessions, and more people than ever are recognising the inefficacy of fighting anti-Black racism purely through legal channels. For these reasons, we should be especially wary of attempts to reroute popular energy entirely into collaborations with state power, non-profit organisations, or bureaucratic court proceedings.

Risks of co-optation are particularly high in economically deprived urban centres, where non-profit organisations are seemingly permanent fixtures. Meant to serve as community lifelines, many such organisations actually function as apparatuses of political containment, perpetually ready to deploy the rhetoric of community in service of the status quo. Thus even community becomes a tool  wielded by careerist activists, politicians, and the Department of Justice alike  in the scramble for authority during moments of new political possibility.

Calls to reject mere reform or clarifications that defund the police means defund the police recognise exactly this. They push us to ask: how might community appear when liberated from the imperatives of foundation funding, racist governance, or the impotent politics of multiculturalism? How might fighting for a world unstructured by policing change how we view ourselves, relate to one another, and imagine our collective future?

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance.
paraklisi

St. Nektarios Bishop of Pentapolis, the Wonderworker (+1920) (source)Akathist to St. Nektarios of Pentapolis, the Wonderworker (+1920)Kontakion 1 In joy of heart let us hymn with songs the newly revealed star of Orthodoxy, the newly erected bulwark of the Church; for, glorified by the activity of the Spirit, he pours forth the abundant grace of healings upon those who cry: Rejoice, O Father Nektarios, model of patience and lover of virtue.Ikos 1In the world you were shown to be a man of heavenly mind, O Nektarios, heirarch of Christ; for having passed through life in holiness, you were shown to be blameless, venerable and God-pleasing in all things. Wherefore, you hear from us such praises as these:Rejoice, you by whom the faithful are edified;Rejoice, you of whom the enemy is afraid!Rejoice, emulator of the venerable fathers;Rejoice, divine teacher of the Orthodox!Rejoice, you for whom the Church joins chorus;Rejoice, you in whom Aegina rejoices! Rejoice, O Father Nektarios, model of patience and lover of virtue.Kontakion 2Having adorned yourself with meekness of soul from your youth, O holy father, one fervent desire consumed your heart: to become a preacher of the Holy Gospel. From childhood you knew the Scriptures which are able to make man wise for salvation, teaching them to cry: Alleluia.Ikos 2When you left your home and traveled to Constantinople, you labored in the midst of worldly distractions. Yet you did not forsake the Faith which dwelt first in your grandmother and mother and also dwelt in thee, steadfastly dedicating yourself to prayer and to the sayings of the Fathers, which you wrote on packages and wrappings so that others might read them and receive spiritual profit. Wherefore, to one who was in the world but not of it, we the faithful cry aloud in thanksgiving:Rejoice, most holy temple of the activity of God;Rejoice, divinely inscribed book of new morals!Rejoice, for you made yourself like unto the saints in perfection;Rejoice, for you wisely spurned material things!Rejoice, splendid victory of the Faith;Rejoice, honored clarion of grace! Rejoice, O Father Nektarios, model of patience and lover of virtue.Kontakion 3As a fervent lover of the monastic life, you often visited the Monastery of the Holy Fathers, conversing there about the spiritual struggle with its holy founder, Elder Pachomios. As you aspired to the angelic habit, you were tonsured and dedicated yourself to prayer on behalf of the people as you sang: Alleluia!Ikos 3Wholly consumed with the love of heavenly knowledge, you received a blessing to continue your theological education to which you devoted yourself with zeal and self-denial. While living in Athens, you studied day and night, knowing no other roads but that to the school and to the Church. Wherefore, as to our instructor in heavenly theology, we your children joyfully cry:Rejoice, great pillar of piety;Rejoice, city of refuge for the faithful!Rejoice, firm stronghold of Orthodoxy;Rejoice, venerable vessel and praise of the Holy Trinity!Rejoice, you who shone forth in these latter times like a never-setting sun;Rejoice, you who pour forth the nectar of grace upon all believers. Rejoice, O Father Nektarios, model of patience and lover of virtue.Kontakion 4Arrayed in true holiness and pure morals, Patriarch Sophronios of Alexandria saw in you great potential for service to Christs Holy Church. You were ordained to the sacred priesthood and elevated to the office of Bishop. O wise one, you offered your life to Christ as a pure sacrifice, ever chanting: Alleluia!Ikos 4In your position as Metropolitan of Pentapolis, you were deeply loved by the faithful, for clothed in the vesture of the hierarchy, you adorned your life with humility. Ever disdainful of material possessions, you opened your hand freely and distributed your alms to the poor. Like your Master, you willingly came not to be served but to serve and to give your life as a ransom for many. Conquered by your love, we who honor your holy memory cry unto you thus:Rejoice, model of lambs and shepherds;Rejoice, pure and honorable abode of holiness!Rejoice, worthy converser with angels;Rejoice, good guide of men!Rejoice, for through you we are delivered from bodily passions;Rejoice, for through you we are filled with spiritual delights! Rejoice, O Father Nektarios, model of patience and lover of virtue.Kontakion 5When the enemy of our souls saw you laboring in humility, he could not abide your holy presence among the people. Raising up slanders, inciting rumors, he sought to destroy your good name and to lead you to bitterness and anger. But you overcame all of his devices, for in all things you didst meekly chant unto God: Alleluia!Ikos 5Lacking even your daily bread, slandered on all sides, you prayed for your accusers, begging the Father to forgive them. Refusing to speak one word in your defense, you joyfully suffered according to the will of God, committing yourself to Him in doing good, as to a faithful Creator. Wherefore, amazed by your long-suffering and steadfast endurance, we your children exclaim:Rejoice, treasury of great mercy;Rejoice, inexhaustible bread for the hungry!Rejoice, container of great virtues;Rejoice, model of spiritual meekness!Rejoice, you who said, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they have done;Rejoice, you who repaid evil with good! Rejoice, O Father Nektarios, model of patience and lover of virtue.Kontakion 6Having within you a strong desire for the life of stillness on the Holy Mountain, you could not abandon the people but heeded their call to remain in the world and to proclaim the words of salvation. Freely you received and freely you gave, calling all men to exclaim: Alleluia!Ikos 6With the words of your mouth you dropped heavenly sweetness into the hearts of those who accepted your words with faith, directing the minds of the faithful to seek those things which are above. The sacred writings of your teachings continually gladden the souls of the pious; for moved by the Holy Spirit, O Father, you wisely recorded words of grace and instruction for those who cry to you:Rejoice, faithful servant of the Most Holy Trinity;Rejoice, habitation adorned of the Holy Spirit.Rejoice, light that illumines all the ends of the earth;Rejoice, you who delivers people from the abyss of sin!Rejoice, you who exalts truth;Rejoice, you who dispells falsehood! Rejoice, O Father Nektarios, model of patience and lover of virtue.Kontakion 7Invited to assume the direction of the Rizarios Ecclesiastical School, you brought peace where there once existed confusion, for you treated all as a loving father. Wherefore your students in gratitude sang to God: Alleluia!Ikos 7Strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus, having received the words of Life, you committed these to faithful men who, because of your good instruction and spiritual example, were enabled to teach them to others. Enduring hardships as a good soldier of Christ, you did not entangle yourself in the affairs of this life but thought only how to please the Master. Therefore, as to a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth, we cry out to you in words such as these:Rejoice, teacher of the divine commandments;Rejoice, you who makes wise the unwise by your teachings!Rejoice, new Paul, who has bequeathed to us the pattern of sound words;Rejoice, new Jude, who has given us the exhortation to contend earnestly for the faith!Rejoice, new Chrysostom, who has poured forth upon the Church the heavenly nectar of piety;Rejoice, new Damascene, who has defended the faithful from impious doctrines! Rejoice, O Father Nektarios, model of patience and lover of virtue.Kontakion 8Wisely adorned with understanding and meekness, you brought together venerable virgins in godliness, leading them to Christ by your words and the works of your blameless life, teaching them to sing: Alleluia!Ikos 8Listening to your prayers and earnest supplications, the Lord Who does the will of those who fear him, led you to the island of Aegina where you rebuilt the monastery which had been abandoned. Who can describe your labors and toils? Exercising vigilance in all things, you showed forth a model of divine virtue. Your spiritual daughters in thanksgiving cry to you thus:Rejoice, pure and honorable abode of holiness;Rejoice, all-luminous lamp, beloved by all!Rejoice, worthy converser with angels;Rejoice, good guide of men!Rejoice, pious rule of faith;Rejoice, holy purification of mortals! Rejoice, O Father Nektarios, model of patience and lover of virtue.Kontakion 9Worldly-minded men cannot understand your patience, for despite the many cares of the monastery, you did not cease writing edifying books for Christians living in the world. Wherefore, amazed at the great wisdom which you were given, we cry to God: Alleluia!Ikos 9Having settled at the Monastery in Aegina, you became all spirit and led an altogether spiritual life. Venerable, meek, kindly, humble, extremely compassionate and charitable, you carried on the good fight in order to lay hold of that which for which Christ Jesus laid hold of you. In your pious ways you blamelessly followed Dionysios, the godly pastor of Aegina. Now as you partake of heavenly glory with him, receive from us these praises:Rejoice, you who despised the world and its delusive pleasures;Rejoice, you who received in exchange heavenly blessings!Rejoice, you who completely subdued your flesh to your spirit;Rejoice, you who subjected your spirit to your sweetest Lord Jesus!Rejoice, lover of the holy Fathers;Rejoice, instructor in the prayer of the heart! Rejoice, O Father Nektarios, model of patience and lover of virtue.Kontakion 10Never neglecting mental prayer but always crying from the depths of your heart, Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me, all bore witness that you had become completely spiritualized. Noticing in you an exceptional sweetness which radiated from your serene countenance, the faithful joyfully exclaimed: Alleluia!Ikos 10Knowing that the Most Holy Virgin is a bulwark for all saints and a joy to monastics, you often offered your intercessions to her with tears and commited yourself to her motherly protection. Writing beautiful hymns, you gave to the faithful the gift of your love teaching them to sing, Rejoice, O unwedded Bride! Therefore, we cry to you:Rejoice, precious chosen one of Christ;Rejoice, unblemished fragrance of God!Rejoice, you who showed flaming love for the Lord;Rejoice, you who always honored His Holy Mother!Rejoice, boast of the Orthodox Church;Rejoice, you who work many miracles through the power of God! Rejoice, O Father Nektarios, model of patience and lover of virtue.Kontakion 11When the time came for you to depart to Christ to receive the Crown of righteousness laid up for thee in heaven, you endured severe pain and suffering with exemplary patience. Always thanking the Heavenly Father and blessing His all-holy name, you continually cried: Alleluia!Ikos 11The Lord, Who always glorifies those who glorify Him, did not allow your virtue to be hidden but desiring that those on earth know the glory He has given you in the heavens has revealed your relics as a well-spring of healings and miracles. For immediately after your repose, as your body was being prepared for burial, the Lord worked wonders through your sweater, raising up a man who had been paralyzed for many years. Therefore, together with him we also gratefully cry to you:Rejoice, speedy helper of those in need;Rejoice, constant stream of mercy by which we are cleansed!Rejoice, physician of soul and body;Rejoice, new pool of Siloam, healing the infirm!Rejoice, sweet myrhh of compassion;Rejoice, miracle worker of the faithful! Rejoice, O Father Nektarios, model of patience and lover of virtue.Kontakion 12Multitudes of the faithful from all lands continually flee to your shrine, O holy one, and from your precious relics faithfully obtain divine grace and answers for their every petition. O Father, as you know how, fulfill you also the petitions of those who now cry: Alleluia!Ikos 12Singing praises we glorify you, O all-praised Nektarios; for in you God Who is glorified in the Trinity is wonderfully glorified. But even if we were to offer you a multitude of psalms and hymns composed from the soul, O holy wonderworker, we should do nothing to equal the gift of your miracles, and amazed by them we cry unto you:Rejoice, you who conquered all the snares of the Evil One;Rejoice, you who were sanctified both in soul and body!Rejoice, speedy helper of those in need;Rejoice, restoration of health to the sick!Rejoice, healer of diseases by the Grace of God;Rejoice, helper of those that suffer cruelly! Rejoice, O Father Nektarios, model of patience and lover of virtue.Kontakion 13 [3 times]As a partaker in the life of heaven and a dweller with the angels, O Father Nektarios, in that you labored to please God, accept our present offering, and unceasingly intercede for your flock and for all the Orthodox who honor you, that we may be healed of all diseases of both body and soul, that together with you in the eternal Kingdom we may unceasingly cry: Alleluia!Ikos 1 RepeatedIn the world you were shown to be a man of heavenly mind, O Nektarios, heirarch of Christ; for having passed through life in holiness, you were shown to be blameless, venerable and God-pleasing in all things. Wherefore, you hear from us such praises as these:Rejoice, you by whom the faithful are edified;Rejoice, you of whom the enemy is afraid!Rejoice, emulator of the venerable fathers;Rejoice, divine teacher of the Orthodox!Rejoice, you for whom the Church joins chorus;Rejoice, you in whom Aegina rejoices! Rejoice, O Father Nektarios, model of patience and lover of virtue.Kontakion 1 RepeatedIn joy of heart let us hymn with songs the newly revealed star of Orthodoxy, the newly erected bulwark of the Church; for, glorified by the activity of the Spirit, he pours forth the abundant grace of healings upon those who cry: Rejoice, O Father Nektarios, model of patience and lover of virtue.(source)St. Nektarios the Wonderworker (source)Through the prayers of our Holy Fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us and save us! Amen!: full-of-grace-and-truth
This undated photo shows a UH-1N Huey helicopter preparing to land at Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana.

Federal officials are investigating after a U.S. Air Force helicopter on a routine training mission was shot at in Virginia on Monday, causing an injury to one of the craft's crew members.

An Air Force UH-1N Huey helicopter was conducting a routine training mission when it was struck by a bullet a little before 1 p.m. Monday, an Air Force official not authorized to speak publicly said.

The helicopter was about 1,000 feet above ground and heading for the Manassas Regional Airport and the shot was fired near Middleburg, Va, the official added.

FBI agents were dispatched to the Manassas Regional Airport after the bureau received reports that the helicopter was shot from the ground, the FBI Washington Field Office (WFO) said in a statement to USA TODAY.

History made: Air Force general Charles 'CQ' Brown makes history as first African American service chief

The person who was injured suffered a "non-threatening injury, for which he was treated and subsequently released from the hospital," according to the bureau.

"WFO is working jointly with our law enforcement partners, including the Air Force Office of Special Investigations, to determine the circumstances surrounding the incident," the field office said in a statement.

The incident was first reported by McClatchy.

A Joint Base Andrews spokesperson confirmed the helicopter is assigned to the base's 1st Helicopter Squadron and added "initial findings are that the helicopter was struck by a bullet resulting in a minor injury to an aircrew member and damage to the aircraft."

"The FBI asks that anyone near this area at the time of the incident who may have information please call the FBI at 202-278-2000," the FBI Washington Field Office said in a statement.

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Contributing: Tom Vanden Brook, USA TODAY

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: US Air Force helicopter shot at over Virginia, FBI investigating
World Health Organization's top official warned on Monday that the new coronavirus has exhibited no seasonal pattern, notifying health practitioners to keep fighting the virus.

During a press briefing, Dr. Michael Ryan articulated what the virus has evidently demonstrated is that if the pressure of the virus will be taken, the virus will bounce back.

The number of confirmed Covid-19 cases continues to increase despite warmer weather has arrived in some countries.

Scientists and politicians have foreseen earlier that the virus, which has changed people's way of living around the world, would fade during summer before the number of cases accelerates again in the winter, just like other similar respiratory viruses such as influenza, DW reported.

Several countries, Europe to be exact, have begun relieving their restrictions in an attempt to rise up the economy that has been affected by the pandemic. Previously implemented lockdowns appeared to have contributed to curbing the spread of the virus.

Countries where the spread of the new coronavirus appeared to have been controlled, like in Europe, still have to apply measures in order to slow down the spread of the virus, as stated by Ryan.

According to The Manila Times, Ryan mentioned countries that still have recorded intense transmission of the virus, such as Brazil, to adopt control measures. This is in order for communities to have necessary support they will be needing to implement strategies, including social distancing, self-isolation of people having symptoms of the disease, and wearing of face coverings.

Related article: Various Face Masks to Be Tested for Effectiveness Against COVID-19

Global Coronavirus Situation

In Asia, several countries, particularly Thailand, plans to permit at least 3,000 teachers from foreign countries to enter their nation. This is imposed while still keeping out tourists and restricting other arrivals to protect the country against the spread of the novel virus.

Those who have listed to return to the country include teachers who will be returning back to their jobs after leaving when the pandemic struck, as well as freshly hired teachers, as stated by Attapon Truektrong, Private Education Commission secretary-general, on Monday.

Teachers coming from the United States, New Zealand, Philippines, and Britain, will undergo a 14-day quarantine after their arrival to the country. In early April, Thailand has hindered scheduled passenger flights from foreign lands.

In India, Covid-19 confirmed cases continues to increase. The country's Health Ministry announced on Monday that the total number of deaths has reached 44,386 after 1,007 people have died in the past 24 hours. The number of cases also reached 62,000.

India has recorded the most number of daily cases in any other country around the world for six consecutive days with more than 60,000 cases recorded per day in the last four days. Since mid-June, India has averaged around 50,000 daily cases.

In the Americas, indigenous people in Peru were reported to be involved in an encounter with local authorities followed by an attack in the Amazon in an oil company settlement.

Around 70 indigenous people tried to invade the arrangement at Bretana in the Loreto region to raise their voices against government indifference towards them in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic and recurring oil spills. Three native people were killed, while 11 indigenous people and six police officers were injured in the incident.

In Oceana, 19 new coronavirus deaths have been recorded in Australia on Monday, but the state of Victoria, the country's epicenter of the second wave of the novel virus, has seen a reduced number of positive cases.

With 322 new confirmed Covid-19 cases in the last 24 hours, marked Victoria's two-week low confirmed cases. However, state premier Daniel Andrews noted that a single-day data cannot provide enough information. But the recorded 19 fatalities in Victoria marked the country's highest single-day death.

In Europe, temperatures during the weekend exceeded 38 degrees Celsius in several parts of Germany. Authorities feared that people might not follow social distancing. Many Germans are still on their summer holiday while some foreign travel restrictions are still being implemented.

German firms anticipate that public life will be regulated for another 8.5 months because of the coronavirus pandemic.

In France, wearing of face masks has been made mandatory by the authorities. Wearing of masks will be obligatory for people aged 11 and over in very crowded zones, including banks of the Seine River and more than a hundred French capital streets, as stated by the authorities.

Related article: Donald Trump Says COVID-19 Vaccine Could Be Available Before November 3

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Pennsylvanias labor department doesnt believe it has the ability, practically or legally, to quickly enact the financial aid for the unemployed outlined in President Donald Trumps executive order over the weekend.

The executive orders from the White House came as talks between the president and both houses of Congress over the next phase of COVID-19 economic relief stalled. The additional $600 per week in unemployment insurance, provided by the federal government under the CARES Act passed in March, expired at the end of July.

One of Trumps orders seeks to add an additional $400 in weekly unemployment support. But this is not technically unemployment insurance, which is a joint state-federal program whose operation is set by Congress, but rather federal disaster relief dollars that the president has unilateral power to allocate.

The Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry, which runs the states unemployment insurance system, said it is awaiting further guidance from the U.S. Department of Labor and the Federal Emergency Management Agency as to how the money is supposed to get to the unemployed.

However, we already know that what is outlined in the memorandum does not fall under USDOLs unemployment insurance program, which mandates Pennsylvanias unemployment compensation program and the new COVID-19-related unemployment benefits programs created under the CARES Act, Penny Ickes, spokesperson for the Pennsylvania DLI, said in an email.

The problem is that the statutory authority for Trumps order is the Stafford Act, which relates to disaster relief. The order directs up to $44 billion out of the Department of Homeland Securitys Disaster Relief Fund, administered by FEMA, to be used as assistance for those who are eligible for unemployment compensation, including the recently expired CARES Act programs.

Under Trumps plan, the disaster relief funds would be issued with their normal 75-25 cost share; the federal government would provide $300 per week per worker, and another $100 would be provided by states out of money already allocated to them by the CARES Act, but which has not been spent.

Allocating money out of Pennsylvanias remaining CARES Act dollars would require action by the Legislature, according to Labor and Industry.

White House advisers have indicated that additional flexibility will be introduced. White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow told national media on Tuesday that the state share could be waived if states had already paid a recipient at least $100 per week in benefits.

But another problem, according to the Department of Labor and Industry, is that Trump isnt extending the existing CARES Act unemployment boosters; hes creating a new disaster relief program under the Stafford Act.

That means this is not an extension of the existing program, but is a new program as currently outlined in the presidents memorandum, Ickes wrote. It would have to be created from scratch and run parallel with Pennsylvanias existing unemployment benefits programs. This is not something that any state will be able to do quickly.

Even before talks on another round of federal pandemic relief funding stalled last week, concerns were raised that complicating the enhanced unemployment payments would result in further processing delays.

Democratic legislators and governors, including Gov. Tom Wolf, have called for the $600 per week flat addition to unemployment payments, created under the CARES Act, to be extended as-is, saying its the most sure-fire and simple measure to keep households solvent during the pandemic.

The Republican majority in the U.S. Senate introduced a more conservative measure as part of the proposed HEALS Act, a successor to the CARES Act that would, among other things, provide a $200 per week unemployment bonus temporarily until states can adopt a new formula that will replace 70% of workers wages.

No legislation has emerged from that, however, as negotiations grind on.

The Midstate economy continues to suffer from the pandemic-induced fallout, as does the rest of the nation. The unemployment rate in June for the Harrisburg-Carlisle metro area, which encompasses Cumberland, Dauphin, and Perry counties, was 11.5%, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Julys nationwide data shows the national unemployment rate dropping slightly from 11.1% in June to 10.2% last month, with payrolls recovering about 9.3 million jobs in May, June and July after losing more than 20 million in March and April.

An estimated 16.3 million Americans were still unemployed in July; on the last day of June, according to BLS data, an estimated 5.9 million job openings existed.

Email Zack at zhoopes@cumberlink.com.

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Shocking surveillance footage shows the moment elderly woman lost control of her vehicle and smashed through an entrance of an ER killing one person and injuring four more.

Mary Clayton, 75, had driven herself to the hospital for an appointment at Atlantas Piedmont Hospital at 7.45am on June 30, when she lost control of her Mercedes-Benz SUV, plowed into a car in front of her before driving through the glass entrance of the emergency room. The incident left 55-year-old Kimberly Hall dead and four others injured.

Newly released surveillance footage shows hospital workers desperately running out of the way of Claytons car as it sped inside the waiting area during the incident.

Two of the workers narrowly avoid being struck by the car by a matter of feet. Another angle shows that two other staff were not so fortunate, with one woman - Kailyn Bailey  sent hurtling into a door and a second left motionless on the floor.

Shocking surveillance footage shows the moment elderly woman lost control of her vehicle and smashed through an entrance of an ER killing one person and injuring four more. Two of the workers narrowly avoid being struck by the car by a matter of feet

However, another angle shows that two other workers were not so fortunate, with one woman - Kailyn Bailey  seen pinned beneath a shattered door and a second motionless on the floor

A number of other bystanders were bumped by the vehicle, police said, but escaped serious injury.

When Claytons car finally comes to a rest, bystanders are seen racing to administer aid to the injured.

Bailey who survived the crash held a press conference Tuesday to talk about the severe injuries she sustained, including a broken pelvis, a broken tailbone and two shattered hips.

The 29-year-old, who said shes considering filing a lawsuit, was only recently released from hospital having spent weeks learning how to walk again.

I remember running from the red SUV, recalled Bailey to WSBTV. Once I got up to run into the entrance of the hospital, that is when Mrs. Clayton gunned and hit me on the right side.

I'm extremely hurt by all of this. My family is hurt. Why wasn't I protected at an emergency room?

Police never filed charges against Clayton. Their report found that the crash wasnt a deliberate act as she had lost control of her vehicle, with tests showing she did not have any alcohol or drugs in her system at the time.

Im just wondering how do you drive through a hospital, critically injure me, kill one person, but yet youre allowed to be home, living your life? Bailey said. Every day is a struggle for that family. Every day is a struggle for me and my family.

The incident, which happened at 7:45 am on June 30 at Atlantas Piedmont Hospital, left a 55-year-old Kimberly Hall dead at the scene and four others injured.

A 75-year-old woman, Mary Clayton, had driven herself to the hospital for an appointment at the facility that day when she lost control of her Mercedes-Benz SUV and smashed through the ER entrance

Bailey who survived the crash held a press conference Tuesday to talk about the severe injuries she sustained, including a broken pelvis, a broken tailbone and two shattered hips

When Claytons car finally comes to a rest, bystanders are seen racing to administer aid to the injured.

Bailey and her attorney, Jane Lamberti, also say the hospital failed to install safety post in front of the emergency room entrance, which could have prevented the fatal incident from happened in the first place.

Secured posts that provide a secured space between pedestrians and an ER and car traffic going through, Lamberti said. If you look at the video, Piedmont does not have any of these security bollards or posts.

While Bailey considers her legal options, she says she has a question for the driver, who said she never reached out to her.

I just need her to look at me and see that my life has changed, Bailey said. Im glad to be here, but my life has changed. But do you feel any type of remorse or anything?

Police never filed charges against Clayton. Their report found that the crash wasnt a deliberate act as she had lost control of her vehicle, with tests showing she did not have any alcohol or drugs in her system at the time

Outside, a horrified bystander leaps into the arms of another, clearly distressed by the frightening scene

When quizzed by WSBTV as to why Clayton was never charged, Atlanta police told the station the investigation is still ongoing.

Clayton reportedly declined to comment on the incident when reached by phone by FOX5.

Lamberti said right now she is investigating the crash. Depending on the findings a lawsuit may be filed against the driver, Piedmont, or both.

In a statement, Piedmont offered their deepest sympathies to the patients, families, and staff who were impacted by this accident and its aftermath.

Regarding any other questions, we do not comment on any pending claims or investigations as a matter of policy.
Gavin Williamson announced last-minute changes to the way A-level and GCSE results will be dealt with  prompting criticism from teaching unions. (Aaron Chown/PA Images via Getty Images)

Teaching unions have attacked ignorant Gavin Williamson after he announced last-minute changes to the way A-level and GCSE results will be dealt with.

Education secretary Williamson said late on Tuesday that students in England will be able to use their results in mock tests to appeal if they are unhappy with the expected grades they are given by teachers, and which are then moderated by exam boards.

The move came less than 48 hours before students receive predicted A-level results following the cancellation of actual exams amid the COVID-19 crisis.

Responding to Williamsons embarrassing U-turn, Dr Mary Bousted, joint general secretary of the National Education Union, said on Wednesday: He should have listened to the concerns raised much earlier by teachers and assessment experts.

He should have worked with the profession to establish a sound basis for grades which can determine pupils life chances.

Ignorance and inaction appear to have been his watchwords.

As well as being able to appeal using mock exam results if they are unhappy with their expected grades, students will also be given the option to sit their exams in the autumn.

All outcomes will hold the same value for universities, colleges and employers, with Williamson saying it will ensure [students] are able to progress with the next stage of their lives.

Bristol A-level students Benjamin Sheridan and John Brown receiving their A-level results last year. Students this year will get their results based on either an expected grade, mock exams or through taking exams in the autumn. (Ben Birchall/PA Images via Getty Images)

However, Dr Bousted said the two alternatives to the expected grades remain insufficient.

Mock exams, she said, do not take into account expected further progress as they are taken much earlier in the academic year.

Meanwhile, she added, Williamson has not answered questions about how exams could be taken in COVID-secure schools in the autumn.

Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, also said the U-turn beggars belief.

He said: Schools and colleges have spent months diligently following detailed guidance to produce centre-assessed grades, only to find they might as well not have bothered.

Story continues

However, school standards minister Nick Gibb told BBC Breakfast on Wednesday: We apologise to nobody for finding solutions, even at the 11th hour, to stop any student being disadvantaged by this system.

The governments decision came in the wake of a separate U-turn by the Scottish government.

Scotlands education secretary John Swinney announced that moderated grades would be scrapped following a massive outcry after more than 124,000 results were downgraded.

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OFF TO SEE THE WIZARD by Joyce Marcel DUMMERSTON, Vt. - It's 1931, and a 14-year-old girl is standing alone on a stage. She's small and lively with dark curly hair, widespread hazel eyes, slender wrists and an open, eager face filled with the wonder of performing. Her name is Rose, and one day she will be my mother. But now she is performing an Eugene O'Neill monologue called "Before Breakfast" for a ladies' club in a wealthy suburb of Long Island. [MORE] One Woman's World

COMFORTABLE WITH MYSELF by Elizabeth T. Andrews CARTERSVILLE, Ga. -- I'm not sure but I think I may be socially incorrect. [MORE] On Native Ground

ENOUGH FOR A WAR, NOT FOR A PEOPLE by Randolph T. Holhut DUMMERSTON, Vt. -- Last week, the National Governors Assn. met in Washington, D.C. One of the tasks the NGA had on its agenda was to ask President Bush to increase federal spending on roads, bridges and other public works projects as a way to stimulate the economy. He rejected their pleas out of hand, claiming that infrastructure projects wouldn't offer any short-term economic boost. [MORE] Brasch Words

BEWARE THE SELF-REVERENTIAL PRESS by Walter Brasch BLOOMSBURG, Pa. -- Shortly before the primary votes this past week, Newsweek's Jonathan Alter called Sen. Barack Obama's surge to the Democratic nomination "inevitable." It also called for Hillary Clinton to "start her campaign for Senate majority leader." [MORE] Constance

A CONVERSATION WITH MY CAT Constance Daley ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. -- Normally, when the cat starts his evening rant of meowing continuously until he makes his point, I just take it as long as I can, pick him up, and put him in the garage for the night. He doesn't want to go, but the meowing stops and I don't care if he likes it or not. [MORE] Momentum

OUT OF STRUGGLE, ART by Joyce Marcel DUMMERSTON, Vt. -- Here we are again at the crossroads of art and social change, having the opportunity to watch good and great films about the lives of women in support of the Women's Crisis Center. [MORE] Campaign 2008

HOW TO PREDICT SUPER TUESDAY II WINNERS? ONLINE SEARCH by Jay Bhatti NEW YORK, March 4, 2008, 7:00PM ET -- With the outcomes of the Texas, Vermont, Ohio and Rhode Island primaries to be decided tonight, how possible is it that online searching can predict who will win tonight's primaries? [MORE] One Woman's World

DON'T VOTE; IT ENCOURAGES THEM by Elizabeth T. Andrews CARTERSVILLE, Ga. -- Call me angry and disgusted but don't call me un-American because I won't be voting come November. [MORE] On Native Ground

BUSH AND THE KEYBOARD COMMANDOS by Randolph T. Holhut DUMMERSTON, Vt. -- As the days tick down toward the eventual departure of President George W. Bush from the White House, it's a hopeful sign that most Americans are no longer moved by his Administration's constant exploitation of terrorism for political gain. [MORE] Momentum

WHICH AMERICA DO YOU LIVE IN? by Joyce Marcel DUMMERSTON, Vt. -- It's a little confusing. [MORE] Make My Dat

THE LAWYER THAT ATE NEW YORK by Erik Deckers INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- I used to know a guy who, quite literally, didn't get hyperbole. He didn't understand exaggeration. As a result, he missed most jokes that came his way. [MORE] On Native Ground

FIDEL RETIRES: NOW THE COLD WAR IS REALLY OVER by Randolph T. Holhut DUMMERSTON, Vt. -- Maybe now, we can finally say the Cold War is over. [MORE] Make My Dat

THE LAWYER THAT ATE NEW YORK by Erik Deckers INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- I used to know a guy who, quite literally, didn't get hyperbole. He didn't understand exaggeration. As a result, he missed most jokes that came his way. [MORE] One Woman's World

POLITICS IS NO PARTY by Elizabeth T. Andrews CARTERSVILLE, Ga. -- Are you having a hard time focusing your eyes? Do you have faint red spots all over your body? Is there a ringing in your ears and do you see wavy lines when you look at your television set? Do your hands shake when you try to hold a cup of coffee? And have you recently been forgetting what day of the week it is - or what year? [MORE] Make My Day

FOR BETTER OR WORSE ... A LOT WORSE by Erik Deckers INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- "Marriage: It's Only Going to Get Worse." [MORE] Constance

YOU CALL THESE RIGHTS? by Constance Daley ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. -- When you express an opinion you hope to persuade others to your point of view. It doesn't always happen but still, opinion writers try. [MORE] Momentum

THE BRIDGE WOMAN by Joyce Marcel DUMMERSTON, Vt. - Out there in America - yes, still - is a generation of women who were born in the 1940s, raised in the 1950s, and who came to radical consciousness in the late 1960s and early 1970s. I am one of them. Hillary Clinton is one of them. [MORE] On Native Ground

OBAMA AND MY GENERATION by Randolph T. Holhut DUMMERSTON, Vt. -- I originally planned on voting for Dennis Kucinich in the Vermont Primary on March 4. [MORE] The Willies:

WARNING: THIS MEDICATION MAY MURDER YOUR FRIENDS by Joe Shea BRADENTON, Fla. -- You've heard the warnings, haven't you? Stop Prozac and you may take a shotgun, an Uzi or an AK-47 and mow down your family and friends, or even a whole classroom full of your fellow students. You didn't? Well, that warning is not on the bottle, but like countless mass-murder incidents before it, Friday's shootings at Northern Illinois University, as well as the Virginia Tech shootings that killed 32 last year, was probably precipitated by the effect of stopping medications that suppress anger and other powerful emotions but do not relieve the underlying cause. Isn't it time we started warning people - or stopped prescribing these medicines? [MORE] One Woman's World

DON'T KNOCK ON MY DOOR by Elizabeth T. Andrews CARTERSVILLE, Ga. -- I wish I could feel delight in my poet's mansion being like Grand Central Station all the time, but I can't. And I wish my place was such a place that someone would one day write: "Her door was always open and she always made you feel all fuzzy and warm in her presence. She could make a cup of coffee seem like a banquet." [MORE] Reporting: Panama

PANAMA'S VIOLENT LABOR UNREST INTENSIFIES Mark Scheinbaum PANAMA CITY, Panama, Feb, 15, 2008 -- After just one day of relative calm, wildcat construction strikes by some members of Panama's largest union flared up again Friday morning, four days after a police sniper shot one worker. More than 140 demonstrators have been injured and at least 500 arrested, authorities say. [MORE] Brasch Words

TO STIMULATE ECONOMY, BUY A CHINESE-MADE U.S. FLAG by Walter Brasch BLOOMSBURG, Pa. -- Walking down Main Street, pushing a grocery cart loaded with clothes, toys, and appliances was Marshbaum. Fastened to the right front corner of the cart was an American flag tied onto a three-foot ruler. [MORE] Make My Day

THE TOOTH, AND NOTHING BUT THE TOOTH by Erik Deckers INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- To commemorate the death of noted shark exploder Roy Scheider, and the "Jaws" movies that resulted in Erik never setting foot in the ocean again, we are reprinting this column from 2003. Shark Experts 0, Sharks 1 [MORE] Momentum

THE WINTER OF MY DISCONTENT by Joyce Marcel DUMMERSTON, Vt. - As I write this, it's raining ice. Maybe a half a foot of snow and ice has already landed up here in the woods of Dummerston. Our cars are encased in it, and the door to the house is blocked. The satellite dish that brings in our Internet service quit about 20 minutes ago - frozen solid. [MORE] The Willies

AMERICA TO HILLARY: GET OUT! by Joe Shea BRADENTON, Fla., Feb. 13, 2008 -- Sen. Hillary Clinton has adopted the Rudy Giuliani strategy, and it's working - for Sen. Barack Obama. It turns out to be the strategy all Democrats are seeking - an exit strategy. But it's not for Iraq. It's for her exit from the race for the 2008 Democratic Presidential nomination. [MORE] Constance

CONFESSIONS OF A DISAPPOINTED VOTER by Constance Daley ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. -- A week ago at just about this time, I completed an article and was about to submit it as scheduled to The American Reporter. I was feeling rather elated, ready to show up on Super Tuesday morning, firmly touch the X next to Rudy Giuliani's name and get on with my day. He was my choice; he would get my vote. [MORE] Reporting: Florida

SIERRA CLUB SET TO SUSPEND FLA. CHAPTER by Joe Shea BRADENTON, Fla., Feb. 10, 2008 -- The national Sierra Club is set to suspend its Florida chapter after years of divisive infighting, the president of the national club told Florida members in a letter delivered to some this weekend. It is the first time in its 116-year history that such a step has been considered by the club, according to news reports. [MORE] One Woman's World

PLANT A NEW WORLD THIS SPRING by Elizabeth T. Andrews CARTERSVILLE, Ga. -- For a little while, the men will just have to toss and turn in their fear-free-women beds. For a small space of time Hillary Clinton will just have to trudge on toward the White House without my faint applause in the background. [MORE] On Native Ground

VERMONT AND THE 5 STAGES OF CONSERVATIVE GRIEF by Randolph T. Holhut DUMMERSTON, Vt. -- First, Vermont tried to convince the nation to impeach President Bush and Vice President Cheney. [MORE] Make My Day

REBEL WITHOUT A TONGUE by Erik Deckers INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- Kids' brains work in amazing ways. At times, they can grasp complex concepts and make impressive discoveries. Other times, you have to wonder how we ever survived as a species. [MORE] The Willies

FOR DEMOCRATS, NOW IT'S ABOUT RACE, INCOME AND GENDER by Joe Shea BRADENTON, Feb. 6, 2008 -- It's not a good time to be a Democrat. As the Super Tuesday results demonstrated, the presidential race between Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton has divided the partly along clear racial, income and gender lines - the very distinctions the party has sought to erase in principle but has emphasized in its pursuit of diversity. [MORE] Momentum

SUPER TUESDAY BLUES by Joyce Marcel DUMMERSTON, Vt. -- Super Tuesday has come and gone and I still can't get excited about the upcoming presidential elections. [MORE] The Willies

ON THE BRINK OF HISTORY, YOUR PUSH IS NEEDED by Joe Shea BRADENTON, Fla., Feb. 5. 2008 -- I'm expecting a sea change tonight. I believe that for the first time in this nation's history we will once and forever banish racism as the deciding factor in the destiny of African-Americans, and indeed adopt diversity as our path to the future. [MORE] Campaign 2008

AT 88, EVERY VOTE REALLY COUNTS by Ted Manna DENVER, Feb. 5, 2008 -- Pearl Turner will caucus for Mitt Romney tonight in Denver. [MORE] One Woman's World

STAND BY YOUR WOMAN by Elizabeth T. Andrews CARTERSVILLE, Ga. -- The black vote. The gay vote. The fundamentalist vote. The Hispanic vote. [MORE] An AR Special

SUSPECTS IN BENAZIR ASSASSINATION HAVE TIES TO MUSHARRAF by Ahmar Mustikhan WASHINGTON, D.C. -- When Gordon Brown this past Monday feted coup-leader-turned-President Pervez Musharraf at 10 Downing Street, Britain's new prime minister probably didn't ask the Pakistani dictator a question that is now on many minds: Did you order the murder of Benazir Bhutto? [MORE] Momentum

TO THE VERMONT DELEGATION: WHAT HAVE YOU DONE FOR US LATELY? by Joyce Marcel DUMMERSTON, Vt.  Back when President George W. Bush and Dick Vice President Dick Cheney were building up to their loathsome war in Iraq, very few people were brave enough to call the bullies' bluff. [MORE] On Native Ground

IF BUSH HAS HIS WAY, WE'LL NEVER LEAVE IRAQ by Randolph T. Holhut DUMMERSTON, Vt. - In his final State of the Union address on Jan. 28, President Bush cautioned against accelerating U.S. troop withdrawals from Iraq, saying that it would endanger the process that has been made over the past year. [MORE] Campaign 2008

CLASH OF COMMENTS AND PROTESTORS AT CLINTON, OBAMA RALLIES IN DENVER by Ted Manna DENVER, Feb. 1, 2008 -- At least four presidential campaigns of both partiers rolled into in Denver this week ahead of the Feb. 5 "Super Tuesday" primaries in 22 states, but it was the Democratic presidential contenders who drew the big crowds and duked it out Wednesday. If sheer numbers are any indication, Sen. Barack Obama - preceded by a buoyant and beautiful Caroline Kennedy - won the round handily. He is the overwhelming favorite to win the Colorado primary next Tuesday. [MORE] The Willies

WHY THE FLORIDA PRIMARY STINKS by Joe Shea BRADENTON, Fla., Jan. 30, 2008 -- I was with my wife and daughter driving the back way from Miami home to Bradenton when we stopped at a McDonald's in Clewiston, the only big town along the vast shore of Lake Okeechobee, the state's precious freshwater reservoir. The McDonald's had three televisions at a central seating area, each tuned to a different network, and our table was in front of CNN as the very first election results started to pour in around 7:30PM. With them, almost as counterpoint, suddenly came such an overwhelming odor of cow plop that my wife started to throw up as we all ran to the parking lot. [MORE] Passings: Suharto

DEATH OF A KEMUSU THUG by Andreas Harsono JAKARTA - A few minutes after hearing that former president Suharto had died in his hospital bed, Marco, a militia leader in downtown Jakarta, raced to Suhartos house, wearing his jungle camouflage and began guarding the Suhartos residence on Cendana Street. [MORE] Constance

I REMEMBER YOU by Constance Daley ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga.. -- It seems to be more often lately that the sentiment is spoken but it's always been out there: "You never get over the death of your child." This is true. But the heartfelt expressions come from some who cannot fathom the notion of losing a child; their own child is who is in their mind, not another mother's child. [MORE]
An amendment proposed this week would empower the governor to remove any circuit attorney ... for any crimes, misconduct, willful neglect of duty, corruption in office, or incompetency. The governor would get to decide what incompetency consists of, and then appoint a successor. The will of the people be damned.

This from the party that once was the avowed enemy of big government and that championed local control. Under Parson, however, local control is the enemy and big government is good. If a local government wants to ban smelly, polluting pig farms, Parson believes the state should be able to impose that pig farm on a community anyway. Local governments might seek to limit firearms sales to reduce violent crime, but Parson favors measures prioritizing the criminals gun rights. Now the Republicans wont even respect local election results.

And the proposal to empower Schmitt to intervene as prosecutor is as laughable as his lawsuit this year against China for failing to stop the pandemic.

The entire special session was convened under the premise that urban crime  not the pandemic and economic crisis  deserves Missouris priority focus. Why? Because Parson has so badly mismanaged the pandemic response and seems flummoxed about the next steps to keep the states economy from collapsing. Just as President Donald Trump is doing on the national scene, Parson is scrambling to distract and deflect from his own leadership disaster. Thats how Gardner became the enemy instead of the gunmen terrorizing St. Louis streets.
People wearing face masks and taking pictures by the Singapore River. (PHOTO: Maverick Asio/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

SINGAPORE  The Ministry of Health (MOH) has confirmed 42 new COVID-19 cases in Singapore as of Wednesday (12 August) noon, taking the countrys total case count to 55,395.

Of the cases, there is one community case, 11 imported cases, and 30 foreign workers residing in dormitories.

About 800 foreign workers were newly quarantined after the discovery of a COVID-19 case amongst them in a cleared dormitory. The MOH did not reveal the name or location of the dormitory.

The sole community case is a 58-year-old Singaporean man (case 55469) who had been identified as a contact of a previously confirmed case. He had been placed on quarantine earlier, and was tested during quarantine.

Chong Pang Wet Market & Food Centre is among the new locations added by the MOH to the list of public places visited by COVID-19 cases in the community recently.

Overall, the number of new cases in the community has remained stable at an average of two cases per day in the past two weeks. The number of unlinked cases in the community has also remained stable at an average of one case per day in the past two weeks.

Amongst the 11 imported cases, two are Singaporeans  an eight-year-old boy (case 55439) and a 37-year-old man (case 55436)  who returned to Singapore from India on 3 July and from Indonesia on 30 July respectively. The boy had served his Stay-Home Notice (SHN) with his parent and siblings in the same room at a dedicated facility, and was subsequently placed on quarantine when his SHN contacts tested positive for COVID-19. He was tested during quarantine to verify his status.

Four cases (Nos. 55444, 55464, 55465 and 55470) are dependants pass holders who arrived from India on 28 July and 31 July. Another four cases (Nos. 55455, 55456, 55457 and 55458) are work pass/work permit holders currently employed in Singapore who arrived from the Philippines on 29 July and from India on 31 July.

All of them had been placed on 14-day SHN upon arrival in Singapore, and were serving their SHN at dedicated facilities.

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The remaining case (No. 55471) is a seaman currently holding a Special Pass who arrived in Singapore from India on 8 August on a vessel. He reported symptoms and was swabbed while on the vessel. He had remained on the vessel until his test result came back positive for COVID-19, and was subsequently conveyed to a hospital.

The Inter-agency Taskforce has completed the testing of all workers in the dormitories. There are currently about 22,800 workers who are still serving out their quarantine period. These workers will be tested when their quarantine ends.

Over 50,500 discharged; none in ICU

With 392 more patients discharged from hospitals or community isolation facilities on Wednesday, 50,520 cases  some 91 per cent of the tally  have fully recovered from the infection.

Most of the 92 hospitalised cases are stable or improving, while none is in critical condition in the intensive care unit.

A total of 4,756 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.

Stay in the know on-the-go: Join Yahoo Singapore's Telegram channel at http://t.me/YahooSingapore

Other Singapore stories:

Woman who fell prey to 2 love scams jailed for helping scammers launder proceeds

Singapore-developed COVID-19 vaccine injected into first group of volunteers in trial

Odd/even date entry restriction at 4 markets to be lifted on weekdays
Courtesy San Antonio Fire Department

Two men hospitalized after a small plane crash on the South Side last month have died, the Bexar County Medical Examiner's Officer confirmed Wednesday.

Another passenger died at the scene and was earlier identified by the medical examiner's office as 56-year-old Simon Willett. On Wednesday, the two who died at the hospital were identified as 28-year-old Robert Cole Perguson and 33-year-old Zach Collins. Both were hospitalized in critical condition after the crash. The medical examiner did not say when the two men died.
ALONE has highlighted the need for an established and regulated home care sector in Ireland to support older people to age at home for as long as they wish.

The organisation which supports older people believes that the lack of governance within the home care sector has had an ongoing negative impact on home care workers, that has now been heightened by the Covid-19 pandemic.

They contend that change is needed to ensure that home care workers are correctly protected, paid and trained going forward.

The home care sector has suffered as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, with many home care workers losing pay during the pandemic despite the fact that the HSE agreed to pay providers who had to take time off work to self-isolate.

During the height of the pandemic, many older people cancelled their home care services to prevent coming into contact with a carrier of the virus. Some older people also chose to pause care services during this time, due to the risks incurred from care providers going from house to house.

In addition to this, many home care workers suffered a loss of income while self-isolating after coming into contact with a positive case of Covid-19, which resulted in some care workers experiencing additional financial pressure. ALONE believe that increased supports are needed for home care workers in order for them to continue the valuable service they provide.

Before the pandemic, waiting lists for Home Care supports were continuing to lengthen and in many instances, lists were not being maintained. The Home Care Coalition note that the shortfall in home care provision is resulting in delayed discharges from hospital settings and are impacting on waiting times in Accident and Emergency departments.

The Coalition is aware of and is working to support the Department of Health in the development of a statutory scheme to be introduced in 2021, however, the current pandemic will not grant this time and action is needed now. A home care packages allocation needs to be transparent while observing the allotment of hours required to provide an older person with an adequate and quality service.

ALONE believe that there needs to be a greater variety of practical supports available to older people in order to allow them to live independently at home. Many older people require the traditional home-help with household tasks such as preparing meals, housework and grocery shopping in order to stay living at home and remain independent. However, ALONE have found that for many people, the issue is that home care solely relates to personal care and does not extend to practical household services. Auxiliary support services such as Meals On Wheels have also been scaled back due to governance requirements on small groups.

Although many older people have now reinstated their home care services, there are still individuals who have found themselves without home care services and are not receiving an adequate level of support. ALONE have been in touch with many older people regarding issues with home care, and the organisations support line has received a number of calls from older people in relation to lapses in home care services. An older lady named Jane*, who has now enlisted the help of ALONE, had the same carer for 12 years but had her pulled at the start of the pandemic; the carer is yet to be reinstated. Jane is really missing her carer and finding it difficult both on a social and practical level not having her call in daily.

Sean Moynihan, CEO of ALONE, said, Quite a few of our older people put their Home Support on hold at the height of lockdown due to fears of infection, or because they had family members available to provide the care. Since then, most requests for reinstatement have been successful, but there are still a number of older people who are struggling without the right level of support.

In order to rectify this, we are encouraging Government to establish a regulated home care sector to ensure that every older person is receiving the necessary levels of support to age at home safely and securely.

There are recurring issues with the lack of hours and type of assistance offered by HSE, and often the success of the application for home support depends on the Public Health Nurse in some areas. We owe it to our older people to provide them with a consistent level of high-quality service which is tailored to their specific needs in order for them to flourish independently in their own homes, he continued.

Since March, ALONEs Support Line has received in excess of 29,515 calls for support. ALONE staff and volunteers have made more than 155,267 calls to older people who needed support, and provided more than 23,104 units of practical support, including collecting groceries and prescriptions. ALONE is providing ongoing support to more than 14,183 older people who require support for difficulties with loneliness, health, finance, housing, accessing services, Covid-19 and other challenges.

ALONE is encouraging older people who need advice to call ALONE on, 0818 222 024 from 8am-8pm, seven days a week. Contact ALONE on 0818 222 024 if you have concerns about your wellbeing, or the wellbeing of an older person you know. Further information can be found on alone.ie.
US president Donald Trump denied claims on Sunday he asked about Mt. Rushmore additions: AP

If Donald Trump were to square off with US founding father George Washington in an election, the current president would have had a leg up  so says Mr Trump.

I dont know if youve seen, the polls have been going up like a rocket ship. George Washington would have had a hard time beating me before the plague came in, before the China plague. And then, you know, like every other nation, like other countries, when you get hit, it affects you, and we went down a little bit, Mr Trump said in an interview with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt.

The president has blamed several factors for his decline in the polls this summer against Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, who has led him by a nearly double-digit margin at times during the pandemic.

The former vice president led Mr Trump by 7.2 percentage points in an average of polls between the dates of 24 July and 10 August, RealClearPolitics found.

Mr Biden is also leading Mr Trump in nearly every key swing state  North Carolina, Michigan, Arizona, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Florida, and others  according to FiveThirtyEights aggregate of polling.

For his slide in the polls, Mr Trump has blamed China for allowing the coronavirus to spread around the world by covering up the seriousness of the initial outbreak. He has blamed Democrats, alleging they advocated lockdowns to cripple the Trump economy. And he has blamed a compliant media for going too easy on Mr Biden while being overly critical of the Trump administration.

If [Mr Biden] goes and debates, if he said, Yes, I had a wonderful breakfast, thank you for asking the question, theyll give him [praise]  theyll say it was one of the greatest answers in history, Mr Trump said in his interview with Mr Hewitt.

So, you know, I know what Im up against, and I had a smaller dose of it with Hillary. But Hillary was smart. Joe was never smart. Joe wasnt smart in prime time, the president said, alluding to his belief that Mr Biden no longer has the cognitive function to serve as president.

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The Biden campaign has denied any allegations he is senile.

In fact, more voters think Mr Trump is mentally unable to perform the office of the presidency than Mr Biden, poll data from July reveals.

In a new poll from Monmouth University Polling Institute released on Tuesday, Mr Biden maintained his advantage against the president, capturing 51 per cent support from registered voters compared to 41 per cent for Mr Trump.

Trump has stopped his slide in the poll, but Biden maintains a lead among all registered voters nationally, said Patrick Murray, director of the Monmouth poll.

Read more

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Trump adviser says people starting to lose it over reelection

Trump promotes book of fired aide who criticised his daughters

Trump may bar US citizens exposed to coronavirus abroad from returning

Trump lawyers complain attorney general tax probe is harassment
PRETORIA, South Africa, Aug. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Blockchain company Apollo Fintech is announcing the completion of its National Payment Platform (NPP), an innovative cashless system that enables a central bank to issue a sovereign, digital currency (stablecoin) for national adoption. After central bank issuance, the NPP system enables a government agency and/or central bank to add commercial banks and agents. The entire platform has the capability to power an economy, from merchants to peer to peer transactions using its app, SMS, QR codes, cards, offline codes, and more.

Apollo Fintech

Authorized banks can onboard citizens and merchants for mainstream transactions including currency deposits and withdrawals, currency exchange, money transfers and payments for goods and services.

National Payment Platform

"The National Payment Platform is the only blockchain-powered system that enables users to make digital payments through a sovereign currency," says Stephen McCullah, CEO of Apollo Fintech. "The NPP enables regulated banks and commercial entities to harness the power of blockchain and facilitate frictionless transactions. This allows economic participants to save large amounts of time and resources and enables an economy to gain massive efficiencies at scale."

Features include :

Online sign-up by merchants and citizens to facilitate easy accessibility and onboarding

Merchants can publish a product catalog to sell goods (and collect payments) directly on the platform

Merchants can use the point of sale system to sell goods and services locally

Deposit and withdrawal of funds via online wallet, as well as money transfers/remittances between wallets and abroad

Add bank cards to top-up funds or withdraw money

Generate efficiencies from frictionless transactions across an economy

The future benefit of quantum-resistant encryption of data on an immutable distributed ledger

Zero downtime of the database

Physically accessible throughout the country by government-approved agents/banks

The ability to make payments and check account data using only SMS

Mobile Money: Overcoming Challenges of Banking Access and Usability

The National Payment Platform is compatible with Apollo Cash, a cashless innovation that allows a traditional economy to transition to frictionless digital payments. The NPP removes the barriers of accessibility and usability by allowing physical access from any agent locally and by utilizing top up cards that could be sold in all major retailers. Unprecedented usability is offered by allowing digital currency transactions via mobile SMS and text messages, so anyone can use the system and benefit from blockchain.

"By solving accessibility and usability challenges, NPP in conjunction with Apollo Fintech's other financial innovations can lead to accelerated mass adoption of digital payments and cashless transactions," says McCullah. "When utilized, a government and central bank can leverage the security and transparency of blockchain on a national scale. This empowers a government to accelerate the transformation of a national economy and gain unprecedented efficiency, stability and economic control."

Frictionless Payments

The World Bank estimated in 2018 that 1.7 billion adults globally are unbanked, which means these individuals do not have an account with a financial institution. However, two-thirds (1.14 billion) own a mobile phone which gives these individuals the potential to access financial services. (More than half of the global population do not own a smartphone.)

Through NPP, Apollo Cash, Apollo Bank Network and other cashless innovations, Apollo Fintech has created one of the first comprehensive, blockchain backed, frictionless transaction systems that can collaborate with a central bank and regulated financial industry.

"We're thrilled to have developed the first solution that enables a central bank to issue a blockchain-powered digital currency which can be sent and received through mobile texts," says Stephen McCullah. "This capability can bring enormous economic benefits to developing countries and to millions of banked and unbanked consumers. Furthermore, by removing the two major barriers to blockchain, accessibility and usability, it can accomplish two historical milestones, true mass adoption of blockchain and banking the unbanked."

For updates, visit Apollo Fintech:

Apollo Fintech is a leading blockchain company that develops world-shaping fintech solutions for a global economy. Apollo has offices in Africa and North America with plans to expand in Asia, Europe and Latin America. Apollo Fintech is becoming a global leader in Government blockchain solutions, as well as pioneer of international mass adoption.

Website: aplfintech.com

GSX Coin: gsxcde.com

Medium: medium.com/@apollocurrency

Videos: YouTube

Twitter: @ApolloCurrency

Telegram: @apolloofficialannouncements

Media Contact:

Stephen McCullah

563-506-9679

[email protected]

SOURCE Apollo Fintech

Related Links

http://www.aplfintech.com


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According to Saturday's figures, there was one death roughly every 5 minutes and a staggering 534 new cases every hour.However, the state recovery rate rose to 67.26 per cent, while the current mortality rate stood at 3.45 per cent.On Saturday, 11,081 recovered patients returned home, taking the total number of discharged patients to 338,262.Of Saturday's fatalities, Pune again notched the highest deaths, at 67, followed by Mumbai's 58, and Thane's 48 deaths.Mumbai's deaths -- again in the 50-plus range -- took its toll to 6,751, while the number of cases increased by 1,304 to 122,316.There were also 17 deaths in Raigad, 14 in Palghar, nine in Kolhapur, eight each in Nashik, Dhule, and Sangli, seven in Solapur, six each in Jalna and Nagpur, four in Ratnagiri, three in Beed, two each in Ahmednagar, Jalgaon, Aurangabad, and Yavatmal, and one each in Satara, Latur, Osmanabad, and Akola.The MMR (Thane division) saw its toll shooting up sharply by 137 to 10,629, while 3,744 new cases took its tally to 263,619.Pune district's total cases have now reached 109,988, with the death toll increasing to 2,633, while Thane district had 103,642 cases with 2,961 fatalities, as on Saturday.With 75 more fatalities, the Pune division's death toll has reached 3,367 and the case tally zoomed up with 3,409 new cases to 126,715.Nashik division has recorded 1,400 fatalities and 47,076 cases, followed by Aurangabad division with 668 deaths and 20,077 cases, Kolhapur division with 405 fatalities and 15,297 cases, Latur division with 327 fatalities and 9,822 cases, Akola division with 312 fatalities and 9,734 cases, and Nagpur division with 205 deaths and 10,243 cases.Of the eight divisions, only Latur and Akola remain in the sub-10,000 cases bracket, though the numbers of new infectees continue to mount steadily.Meanwhile, the number of people sent to home quarantine now stands at 989,612, while those in institutional quarantine total 35,625.Source: IANS
YEREVAN, 12 AUGUST, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs Armenpress that today, 12 August, USD exchange rate down by 0.32 drams to 485.00 drams. EUR exchange rate down by 1.54 drams to 570.60 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate down by 0.02 drams to 6.64 drams. GBP exchange rate down by 2.89 drams to 632.83 drams.

The Central Bank has set the following prices for precious metals.

Gold price down by 1,655.97 drams to 30245.18 drams. Silver price down by 0.14 drams to 440.97 drams. Platinum price down by 665.05 drams to 14719.9 drams.
Seizing command from post 7, Dragon Energy drew clear of his rivals to post an open-length victory in the second of two $18,900 divisions of the Alberta Rising Star on Tuesday (Aug. 11) at Century Downs.

Driver David Kelly launched Dragon Energy to the top, leading stablemate Tidal Shark by two lengths to a :29.3 first quarter. From there, the two-year-old Custard The Dragon gelding faced no challenge. He posted middle fractions of :59.3 and 1:28.3 before kicking six-and-a-quarter lengths clear to a 1:57.2 win over Had A Hard Handle, who swept past Tidal Shark for second.

Owned by Kurt Schmidt, Kathy Schmidt and Robert James, Dragon Energy remains unbeaten from two starts, earning $11,950. Nate Sobey trains the $2.20 winner.

Shark Week vaulted off a stalking trip to a 22-1 upset in the opening division of the Alberta Rising Star.

Crazy I M led narrowly to a :29.2 first quarter before yielding the lead to Codename Cigar Box, who opened two lengths on the pocketsitter to a :59.4 half. Shark Week raced in third and remained in that position past three-quarters in 1:29 until Codename Cigar Box galloped on the turn into the stretch. Crazy I M inherited the lead while driver Michael Hennessy sent Shark Week after the late leader, charging to the front in the final strides to win by a nose in 1:58.4. Pacin Perfect closed for third.

Returning $47.90 to win, Shark Week competes for owners Lorne Duffield and Rodney Hennessy, the latter of whom trains the Vertical Horizon colt winning on debut.

Graceful Horizon rode from the pocket and popped to the lead late to win the faster of two $19,300 divisions of the Alberta Starlet.

With early breaks from Drive Away and Burn The Evidence, 2-5 favourite Custard Smoothie opened seven lengths on Whirl A Wick to a :28 first quarter and slowed the tempo towards a :59.4 half. Meanwhile Graceful Horizon, sitting fourth, slid around horses and landed in the pocket moving towards the backstretch.

Custard Smoothie continued to lead the field by three-quarters in 1:28.1 and through most of the stretch, but grew leg weary towards the tail of the mile. Graceful Horizon loomed closer to the pacesetter nearing the finish and lunged by in the final strides to win by a half length in 1:57. Bearcat Matilda finished third, 25 lengths behind the top two.

Co-owned by trainer Chris Lancaster with Derek Gilbert, Graceful Horizon won on debut, collecting a $9,650 cheque. David Kelly steered the Vertical Horizon filly who paid $8.20 to win.

Trainer-driver Kelly Hoerdt steered his pupil Sintaluta to a 1:59.1 victory in the other division of the Alberta Starlet.

Stablemate Overactive sprinted to the lead with Outtheresomewhere landing in second to a :28.1 first quarter and Sintaluta racing third. Overactive maintained control to a 1:00 half but faced pressure as Hoerdt tipped Sintaluta first over moving to three-quarters in 1:29.2. Sintaluta stuck close to the leader but did not edge pass until midstretch, extending to a one-and-a-half length win over Overactive. Outtheresomewhere finished third.

Co-owned by Hoerdt with Ralph Morrow and Julie Lambert, Sintaluta won her debut, earning $9,650. The Blue Burner filly paid $3.20 to win.

Trainer Chris Lancaster collected three wins on the 12-race card, among them his win with Graceful Horizon. He also sent Canadian Pharoh ($4.30) and Lady Neigh Neigh ($4.50) to victory.

To view Tuesday's harness racing results, click on the following link: Tuesday Results - Century Downs.
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla.

Aug. 11, 2020

Bangkok, Thailand

Karen Timmons

Bangkok, Thailand

Thailand

Southeast Asia

/PRNewswire/ -- Bumrungrad International Hospital (BIH) (https://www.bumrungrad.com/en), one of the World's top choices for traveling patients, located in, is the first hospital in the world to be awarded Global Healthcare Accreditation's Certification of Conformance with COVID-19 Guidelines for Medical Travel Programs.The Global Healthcare Accreditation (GHA) Program For Medical Travel Services issued the free Guidelines (https://www.globalhealthcareaccreditation.com/gha-covid-19-guidelines) in early July of this year to assist organizations in the medical tourism and health tourism industries seeking to mitigate the risk of COVID-19 infection for both domestic and traveling patients and their companions. The guidelines are unique in that they focus on the entire care continuum, including providing guidance for travel, as well as interactions with the healthcare organization, hotel and ground transportation.Ms. Artirat Charukitpipat, Bumrungrad's Chief Executive Officer stated, "From the very start of the spread of the coronavirus, Bumrungrad moved quickly to implement internal, as well as national and international protocols and guidelines designed to mitigate the risk of COVID-19 infection for patients and staff. While the pandemic continues to be an ongoing challenge, I am extremely proud of the work our entire team has done and continues to do to keep patients and staff safe. Achieving GHA's Certification of Conformance with COVID-19 Guidelines for Medical Travel Programs is a very important step for us to help increase patient trust in our medical travel services and also to validate the work we are doing to keep medical travelers safe during this difficult time."The Certification of Conformance (https://www.globalhealthcareaccreditation.com/certification-of-conformance-with-gha-covid-19-guidelines-for-medical-travel-programs) for hospitals and ambulatory centers is a three-year Certification with annual reviews, which signals to medical travelers, referrers, and other payers that the organization has implemented the recommendations in the guidelines as a proactive risk mitigation strategy to ensure patient safety and wellbeing during and post-COVID-19.According to, Chief Executive Officer, Global Healthcare Accreditation (GHA), "The COVID-19 Certification of Conformance provides a seal to patients, buyers and other key stakeholders demonstrating that a medical travel program's operational protocols, practices and procedures have undergone an external review and reflect international best practices designed to keep traveling patients safe. One of the key objectives of the Certification of Conformance is to enhance transparency and encourage ongoing communications with patients, which is even more important during this challenging time, and which ultimately helps to increase patient trust in the organization. We congratulate Bumrungrad International Hospital as the first hospital in the world to achieve the GHA's Certification of Conformance and for its unwavering commitment to patient safety."The Global Healthcare Accreditation (GHA) Program For Medical Travel Services Guidelines (https://www.globalhealthcareaccreditation.com/gha-covid-19-guidelines) are free and the Certification of Conformance (https://www.globalhealthcareaccreditation.com/certification-of-conformance-with-gha-covid-19-guidelines-for-medical-travel-programs) is a process that is accomplished virtually and usually within a three to six week period of time. For more information about the Global Healthcare Accreditation (GHA) program and/or the COVID-19 Guidelines for Medical Travel Programs email Info@GHACCREDITATION.COM or Call U.S. +1 561 228 4014.Founded in 2016, the Global Healthcare Accreditation for Medical Travel Services is the only accrediting body focused solely on medical travel services. GHA's international standards and professional norms for medical travel were developed in consultation with leading global experts in the industry, including providers, insurers and employers committed to establish best practices in medical tourism and health tourism, which support healthcare providers in validating quality and patient experience, increasing visibility, and implementing a sustainable business model for providers along the entire medical travel care continuum. GHA received ISQua's International Society for Quality in Health Care External Evaluation Association (IEEA) accreditation in 2019.Visit: https://globalhealthcareaccreditation.com/About Bumrungrad International Hospital:Bumrungrad International Hospital is an internationally accredited, multi-specialty hospital located in the heart of. Founded in 1980 and listed on the Stock Exchange ofin 1989, it is one of the largest private hospitals in. Bumrungrad International serves 1.1 million patients annually, including over half a million international patients from 190 different countries.

View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/bumrungrad-international-hospital-is-first-to-achieve-ghas-covid-19-certification-of-conformance-for-medical-travel-301110275.html



SOURCE Global Healthcare Accreditation




Australian actress Rose Byrne quietly returned home last month.

And straight out of quarantine, the star was seen taking one of her sons on a stroll along a beach in Byron Bay on Wednesday.

Rugged up for the cooler weather, Rose was seen walking barefoot across the sand while holding her youngster's hand.

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Keeping under wraps! Actress Rose Byrne rugged up in Byron Bay on Wednesday as she enjoyed a barefoot beach stroll with one of her sons

The brunette beauty returned to Australia last month with her American actor partner, Bobby Cannavale, who is here to film Nicole Kidman's new series Nine Perfect Strangers.

The Hollywood couple and their two children, sons Rocco, four, and Rafa, two, had previously been quarantining in a Sydney hotel for 14-days after their arrival into New South Wales.

With filming commencing on Monday, it appears Rose is keen to spend some quality time with her family.

Home: Rose returned to Australia last month with her American actor partner, Bobby Cannavale, who is here to film Nicole Kidman's new series Nine Perfect Strangers

Her little boy was seen adventurously climbing a tree branch while dressed in a white jumper, khaki pants and sneakers.

The couple and their children are residing in the coastal town as Bobby films his part in the much-anticipated series.

Little has been revealed about Bobby's role, except that his character is named 'Tony' and he will be one of the titular strangers.

Beach side fun: Her little boy was seen adventurously climbing a tree branch while dressed in a white jumper, khaki pants and sneakers

Last month, Nicole told The Daily Telegraph that she's 'thrilled' to be able to bring hundreds of jobs to the local film industry after it was sent crashing down by the coronavirus pandemic.

Nine Perfect Strangers is based on the 2018 novel by Big Little Lies author Liane Moriarty.

Nicole will also star in the series, alongside an A-list Hollywood cast including Melissa McCarthy, Luke Evans and Manny Jacinto.
For years comedian and actor Gerry Connolly pulled on a hat, and with it, the parodied persona of Queensland's longest-serving premier as part of a cast of characters from Bob Hawke and the Queen.

Next time, it will be with one from Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen's own collection.

Gerry Connolly, as Sir Joh, outside Queensland Parliament House almost 34 years ago to the day. Credit:Fairfax Archive

"Wouldn't Joh be chuffed now that the Queensland border is finally closed shut," said Connolly, the proud new owner of Sir Joh's old "Stetson Swagger".

"I hope that I can don the hat and stand at the border with a very big stick to keep the Mexicans and the communists from the south from sweeping up to the great Sunshine State.
Democratic Party candidate Joe Bidens selection of Senator Kamala Harris as his running mate against President Donald Trump and Vice-President Mike Pence sets the tone for a US presidential election campaign in which the politics of race and gender will play a more than usually important role.

Joe Biden's running mate, Kamala Harris. Credit:AP

The choice of Senator Harris is historic because she is the first woman of colour on any partys ticket for the White House and only the fourth woman ever.

If Mr Biden wins, as the polls suggest, and serves only one term, Senator Harris, as vice-president, would be in the box seat in 2024 to become Americas first female president, and first female black president for that matter.

She is not a dark horse candidate, having been one of the favourites for the role because her biography and background were a good fit for Mr Biden against Mr Trump. At 55, she is young by the standards of this geriatric presidential campaign and can balance Mr Biden, 77, who would be the oldest president ever if he wins.
Japan this week marks the 75th anniversary of the atomic bomb attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which killed over 200,000 people and left many more deeply traumatised and even stigmatised.

Here are some facts about the devastating attacks:

- The bombs -

The first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima in western Japan on August 6, 1945 by the US bomber Enola Gay.

The bomb, weighing 13-16 kilotons, was nicknamed "Little Boy" but its impact was anything but small.

It detonated about 600 metres from the ground, with a force equivalent to 15,000 tonnes of TNT, and killed 140,000 people.

Tens of thousands died instantly, while others succumbed to injuries or illness in the weeks, months and years that followed.

Three days later, the US dropped a second bomb dubbed "Fat Man" on the city of Nagasaki, killing another 74,000 people.

The attacks remain the only time atomic bombs have been used in wartime.

- The attacks -

When the bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, the first thing people noticed was an "intense ball of fire" according to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

Temperatures at the epicentre of the blast reached an estimated 7,000 degrees Celsius (12,600 Fahrenheit), which caused fatal burns within a radius of about three kilometres (five miles).

ICRC experts say there were cases of temporary or permanent blindness due to the intense flash of light, and subsequent related damage such as cataracts.

A whirlwind of heat generated by the explosion also ignited thousands of fires that burned several square kilometres (miles) of the largely wooden city. A firestorm that consumed all available oxygen caused more deaths by suffocation.

It has been estimated that burn- and fire-related casualties accounted for more than half of the immediate deaths in Hiroshima.

The explosion generated an enormous shock wave that in some cases literally carried people away. Others were crushed to death inside collapsed buildings or injured or killed by flying debris.

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"I remember the charred bodies of little children lying around the hypocentre area like black rocks," Koichi Wada, who was 18 at the time of the Nagasaki attack, has said of the bombing.

- Radiation effects -

The bomb attacks unleashed radiation that proved deadly both immediately and over the longer term.

Radiation sickness was reported in the attack's aftermath by many who survived the initial blast and firestorm.

Acute radiation symptoms include vomiting, headaches, nausea, diarrhoea, haemorrhaging and hair loss, with radiation sickness fatal for many within a few weeks or months.

Bomb survivors, known as hibakusha, also experienced longer-term effects including elevated risks of thyroid cancer and leukaemia, and both Hiroshima and Nagasaki have seen elevated cancer rates.

Of 50,000 radiation victims from both cities studied by the Japanese-US Radiation Effects Research Foundation, about 100 died of leukaemia and 850 suffered from radiation-induced cancers.

The foundation found no evidence however of a "significant increase" in serious birth defects among survivors' children.

- The aftermath -

The twin bombings dealt the final blow to imperial Japan, which surrendered on August 15, 1945, bringing an end to World War II.

Historians have debated whether the devastating bombings ultimately saved lives by bringing an end to the conflict and averting a ground invasion.

But those calculations meant little to survivors, many of whom battled decades of physical and psychological trauma, as well as the stigma that sometimes came with being a hibakusha.

Despite their suffering and their status as the first victims of the atomic age, many survivors were shunned -- in particular for marriage -- because of prejudice over radiation exposure.

Survivors and their supporters have become some of the loudest and most powerful voices opposing the use of nuclear weapons, meeting world leaders in Japan and overseas to press their case.

Last year, Pope Francis met with several hibakusha on visits to Hiroshima and Nagasaki, paying tribute to the "unspeakable horror" suffered by victims of the attacks.

In 2016, Barack Obama became the first sitting US president to visit Hiroshima. He offered no apology for the attack, but embraced survivors and called for a world free of nuclear weapons.

kh/sah/rma
Kamala Harris ability to stick to her principles and her commitment to human rights are two qualities that will stand her in good stead if she and Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden win the US elections, her uncle Gopalan Balachandran said on Wednesday.

Balachandran said much of Harris views on politics and civil rights were shaped by her strong-willed mother, Shyamala Gopalan, who went against convention by travelling to the US for studies in 1958, and her grandfather, PV Gopalan, who rose from a humble beginning as a stenographer to become a government official who was deputed to Zambia in the 1960s to help with a refugee crisis because of his experience in rehabilitating refugees from Pakistan.

In an interview at his home in New Delhi, which was virtually taken over by media crews on Wednesday following the news that Biden had picked Harris as his running mate, the 80-year-old academic who specialises in civil nuclear issues and economics said his strongest impression of his niece was her ability to stand her ground.

Referring to Harris decision in 2004, when she was serving as district attorney in San Francisco, not to seek the death penalty for the killer of a policeman despite opposition from the police union, Balachandran said: The ability to stick to her principles and to convince those who opposed her logic to come to her side, that was my strongest impression of her.

Also Read: We have arrived, say Indian American after Kamala Harris selection

Harris commitment to human rights and justice is largely due to her mother Shyamala, who married Jamaican national Donald Harris after meeting him during the black civil rights movement of the 1960s. Balachandran, who has a PhD in economics and computer science from the University of Wisconsin, said his sister Shyamala was politically active in the US when it was unheard of for Indian-Americans to do so.

This commitment to rights issues has been reflected in Harris position against Indias Citizenship (Amendment) Act and the situation in Kashmir, Balachandran said, acknowledging that she is unlikely to change her stance even if it upsets those in the corridors of power in New Delhi.

She likes India, obviously her family is Indian but that doesnt mean she gives a free pass to everything that India does. She will not accept somebody saying, Its done in India, so why are you stopping it? Shell say, Look it may be India but is something which should not be done, which is against my feelings, he added.

Also Read: Kamala Harris and her rise | HT Editorial

But Balachandran, who was earlier part of the Institute of Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA) and served as a consultant to the Americas division of the external affairs ministry, said he believes India-US relations are too strong to be affected by the views of an individual.

Today theres nothing in India-US relations that requires presidential or vice presidential intervention at the highest level. These are small things  whether one export control licence should be given to India or not...Both the US administration and Congress are already working on [these issues], all that she has to make sure is the administration follows what they are told to do, he said.

Harris, the first American of Indian and African origin and only the third woman to run for vice president, also has a strong connection to her roots. Her roots are a combination of things  her mothers roots are her roots, and her mothers roots were strongly Indian in one sense and strongly independent in the other sense. [Harris] roots are strongly influenced by her mother, and through her mother, when she used to come to India, her grandfather and others, Balachandran said.

Asked if Harris had benefited from the progressive and liberal views of her grandfather, PV Gopalan, and grandmother Rajam, Balachandran said: They just said people are equal, people should do what they want, they should study, you should not force them to do something. So whats so liberal about it? Thats how you treat human beings.

[They] didnt mind the Jamaican son-in-law, a Mexican daughter-in-law, a 19-year-old daughter going abroad to study by herself and taking part in demonstrations in another country.

Balachandran said he had no plans to speak to Harris before the US elections are over, mainly because of concerns that someone in the US could use such a conversation to target her during the campaign. If I tell her something, [they will say her] uncle is an expert on India-US relations and is advising her. The Indians are interfering in the US, he said.

But he did send a message to Harris after learning that Biden had chosen her as running mate. I sent her a congratulatory message this morning. I said, Kamala, congratulations. Shyamala would have been very proud.
The Chinese Communist Partys implementation of a new national security law in Hong Kong has been as draconian as expected, if not worse. In recent weeks, Beijing has worked swiftly to quash the burgeoning pro-democracy movement in the city, disqualifying candidates, delaying elections for the Legislative Council, and arresting participants in a memorial commemorating the June Fourth Massacre.

The new laws implications for Hong Kong are worrying enough, but it also contains the CCPs claim of jurisdiction over the whole world: Article 38 of the legislation allows Hong Kong authorities to target anyone in violation of the law, including non-Chinese nationals outside of China. Observers and activists have paid close attention to how Article 38 would be enforced. This became clearer at the end of July, when Samuel Chu, an American citizen of 25 years who leads the U.S.-based Hong Kong Democracy Council (HKDC), was reportedly charged under the law along with five other activists. As is typical of the Chinese regime, however, the charges are murky; in an interview with National Reviews Jimmy Quinn last week, Chu, who has lived in the U.S. since 1990, said that he still has not seen them himself.

Jimmy Quinn: Can you tell me a little bit about the charges? How did you hear about them? I read that the Hong Kong government never actually reached out to you directly. What are they alleging?

Samuel Chu: I actually to this day still have not received any communication. Theres been no notification or official communication from any Hong Kong authorities or Chinese authorities. So just like the rest of the world, I learned about it from media reports. And I think one of the early media reports was [from] Chinese state media. And so I think that I essentially just learned about it the same way that everybody else did. I was actually sleeping, since I was here in the States. And while I think its definitely a provocative move for China and for Hong Kong to target foreign citizens, Im also not surprised. I think that this is consistent with the CCP playbook, and I think, as you now see, the tactics that theyre now using with the NSL [national-security law] in Hong Kong. And so its consistent with what theyre doing.

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JQ: What were your thoughts when you initially heard about the national-security law and then when you eventually read the version that the National Peoples Congress promulgated? What was your initial reaction to Article 38?

SC: The HKDC  the organization that I direct  we were one of the first to put out our analysis, and we had a number of public discussions. We were obviously very surprised by Article 38, particularly, because its sort of unprecedented to have this extraterritorial jurisdictional claim.

Back to your first question, I think that the charges I am allegedly being charged under, besides using Article 38, is allegedly Articles 20 and 29 about inciting or planning to incite secession, which is not true. Neither I nor HKCD as an organization has ever advocated or talked about Hong Kong independence.

And [charging me under] Article 29, which [criminalizes] colluding with foreign powers, obviously is crazy  I guess I am both the foreign power and the one whos colluding. Its the fact that Im only advocating in my own country with my own government. Thats not a crime. Its certainly not. Im simply exercising my American constitutional rights. So I think that the idea of extraterritorial jurisdiction is laughable. They can go out [and try to] arrest anybody  any members of Congress or anybody in the White House, or just any regular, everyday Americans who say anything in support of Hong Kong.

JQ: How likely is it that other Americans and non-Chinese nationals would be charged under the law for their activism?

SC: I might be the first U.S. citizen to be targeted. I dont think there is any doubt that Im not going to be the last. Theres an estimated 85,000 Americans who are living and working in Hong Kong right now, and this presents a real immediate threat to their safety and freedom. I think the real intent behind this is by targeting me, theyre sending a message  not just that they can target anybody, but I think that contact with people like me, anyone whos associated in any other way, could be targeted. And I think that is part of the intent as well. Its to create a chilling effect on anybody whos either personally or professionally or publicly connected to me.

JQ: Have you witnessed the impact of that chilling effect yet? Have people been reluctant to speak out after the national-security law was imposed?

SC: I have not seen any immediate effect yet. I think that we were already fairly conscious about not putting people in Hong Kong at direct risk after the national-security law was implemented. I have not spoken to my family who are still in Hong Kong. I have family members who are there. I think we were already pretty aware that they might use the national-security law as a way of harassing and targeting people in Hong Kong. The arrest warrant didnt really change the way that we were operating. And even stepping back a year ago, when I founded HKDC, this was something that we anticipated. We knew that there could come a time where China and the Hong Kong government authorities would try to completely cut things off. We had anticipated this, and we knew this could happen. And the reason why we created HKDC in the first place was to ensure that we have a base of operations in a place for free voices for Hong Kong, regardless of what their control in Hong Kong might be.

JQ: Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Nathan Law went as far as officially announcing that he was cutting ties with his family to make sure that they were not targeted. What did you think when you heard that? Is that a really drastic measure? Is it similar to what you did?

SC: I feel a sadness for the rest of the folks who are targeted, because unlike me they had to make a snap decision, or at least a quick decision  in recent days, in the last few months, or since the start of the protests  to leave Hong Kong and to cut ties. Nathan did that publicly. Simon Cheng did that when he left Hong Kong to go to the U.K. I have been away for a long time, and I made a decision knowing that this could be something that affects me and also my family. I have not officially made any comments renouncing or severing ties with my family. I havent actually directly spoken to them. This is also not new to my family, as you might know. My father was tried and convicted in his own right. Its not new. And I feel like that is something that both my family and I have chosen, knowing the risk. I do feel for not just Nathan and others, but thousands and thousands of Hong Kongers who didnt ever get to choose for themselves what threat they are willing to take on.

JQ: What would be your message to other Hong Kong activists who are based abroad, other people like you who might be targeted under this law?

SC: First of all, back to your other questions about family: This is very common. Its consistent with typical Communist tactics. Historically, the broader idea of using your family, your clan, as a controlling mechanism is not a new thing. In the past its been effective, which is why they keep doing it. We also see them using this in very provocative ways. There are cases of American citizens who are currently in China who are being denied the ability to leave, with the same logic of trying to hold them hostage to pressure either foreign nationals or foreign governments.

As Ive said publicly, the fact that theyre trying to target a U.S. citizen makes this threat real and personal for everybody in the U.S. and anywhere outside of Hong Kong. And I think that you have seen already the kind of public outrage from American government officials. This is a really helpful part because now it is really personal and real for Americans. Its not just something that is happening in Hong Kong, but its actually being brought to their front door.

As you saw this morning, there were additional arrests today or charges today against 25 Hong Kong activists for participating in the June Fourth Memorial. What this is showing  and I think people in Hong Kong see this  is that the Chinese government and the Hong Kong authorities are getting more and more desperate and theyre escalating faster and faster. And by delaying the election and disqualifying candidates and arresting [activists] in Hong Kong and issuing arrest warrants overseas they show that they are losing the battle on trying to control and quash the opposition in Hong Kong.

Theyre not going to be able to arrest and ban us all. There are millions of Hong Kongers and millions of people across the world. We continue to step up, and even if they were to target and arrest, or even to imprison, people like me, there would be hundreds of thousands of others who would step up.

JQ: Would you be able to talk about your conversations with officials since you have been charged? What have U.S. officials been telling you in conversations since you were charged? Have you been in touch about your safety and things like that?

SC: Consistently there are three things that I would say Ive heard in every conversation Ive had with congressional offices and other administration officials. One is their assurance that this is outrageous and outlandish and theres no legal risk. The Chinese government cannot come and get me, and theres no way that the U.S. would ever entertain a request for actual extradition. Im in no legal danger. The second thing that was also consistently told to me is that obviously there was concern about my family and others who are in Hong Kong. I appreciate it, and everybody understands that that is part of the scare tactic that is trying to isolate and cut off communications.

But I think thirdly, most of them just share in my outrage that [China] has really stepped out of line to target a foreign citizen. Im not a U.S. official, I dont work for the government, Im not a diplomat. Im not in any way, shape, or form appropriate for them to target. Especially since, again, I have been in the U.S. for 30 years. All of what Ive done and said has been done on American soil as an American citizen. And so I have received very clear assurances about the support that the U.S. gives to me and how outraged the U.S. is in general and each individual lawmaker is as far as what this really means for everyday Americans. Ive told all of them, if China can come after me, China could come after you.

JQ: What would you say to the CCP? What would you say to the officials who charged you in Hong Kong?

SC: Let me again clarify that nobody has seen any official notification or documents. The police department in Hong Kong has refused to comment even until now. And I think this potentially might expose one of the key provisions in the new national-security law: Rather than just having Hong Kong police, you now have a new agency, a department in Hong Kong run directly by the CCP. It is conceivable that the new national-security office or whatever its called could be something that is almost outside of Hong Kong authorities and Hong Kong government and police control. This is the kind of secret, opaque operation that is so alarming.

Im fortunate enough to be in the U.S. and outside Hong Kong, but think about what this means for Hong Kongers, to have an agency that can just basically operate without any kind of transparency or any accountability. That is the really scary part for people in Hong Kong.

As far as what I want to say to the CCP, its that I think this is a mistake. By trying to criminalize or target me individually for speaking out on Hong Kong and speaking out against the CCP under the new national-security law, they have transformed every person who has ever cared about Hong Kong and supported Hong Kong into a Hong Konger. They have made this threat real for everybody. And I think that this will have the opposite effect of what they want. Instead of trying to silence the opposition, they have now just made us even more compelling and meaningful as far as speaking for Hong Kong.

The second thing is I would say that they are also mistaken, if they think that targeting me would be cutting off the head of a snake of an organization and effort like HKDC and what were doing in the U.S. Theyre going to find that even if they  theyre not going to be  but if they were able to silence me, there would be 100, 200, 1,000 other people just like me. And thats the nature of what this movement has become. It is not just a single person, or six of us, or twelve of us, or the 25 whom theyre targeting in Hong Kong today. There are hundreds of thousands of people who will step up and who are already doing the same, as committed as I am. And China is not going to be able to ban us all.

More from National Review
People in Ireland could be living with Coronavirus for the next two years before a vaccine is found.

Health Minister Stephen Donnelly has issued a warning there is no short-term solution to the current crisis and a more over-arching approach needs to be adopted.

Now the reality is, we could be looking at this for nine months, we could be looking at it for two years, we dont know; it really depends on when a vaccine comes through, he said.

The role the Government has to play is that we have to be fully open and transparent and people have all the information they can get, that people understand in areas like Laois, Offaly and Kildare, when these restrictions are being put in place as quickly as possible, its to save lives.

Read More

He told RTEs Morning Ireland that in spite of these very bit clusters which are moving on quickly, the level community transmission, remains low.

He also admitted that while not very pleasant in the short-term, more localised lockdowns are entirely possible in the future. They were necessary to save lives, protect those in nursing homes and protect vulnerable people in the community.

What Laois, Offaly and Kildare have shown is just how quickly this virus can spread and the need for us to be able to react to it quickly. So if we hadnt reacted as quickly as we had, we wouldnt have seen the scale of this. It would have seeped into the community very quickly.

We could have been right back to the start again, having to impose really strict measures right across the country.

He also admitted that the delays in getting test results back was due to the entire operation being scaled back during the period when the rate of new cases was low.

He said the turnaround times of 3.1 days were pretty good.

Looking very closely at what happened in the three counties, there have been one or two issues which have been identified. We were down to about 20 positive tests a day and as a result of that, the operation was scaled back. The number of people we had (was) reduced, over a really short period of time, he said.

When the challenge was there, the teams got onto the ground very quickly.
HOUSTON, Aug. 11, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Targa Resources Partners LP (the Partnership), a subsidiary of Targa Resources Corp. (NYSE: TRGP), and the Partnerships subsidiary Targa Resources Partners Finance Corporation announced today the pricing of an upsized offering of $1.0 billion in aggregate principal amount of senior unsecured notes due 2031 (the 2031 Notes). The 2031 Notes will accrue interest at a rate of 4.875% per annum, will mature on February 1, 2031, and were priced at par.



The offering is expected to close on August 18, 2020, subject to customary closing conditions. The Partnership intends to use a portion of the net proceeds from the offering to fund the previously announced concurrent cash tender offer (the Tender Offer) of the Partnerships 6.750% Senior Notes due 2024 (the 2024 Notes), to pay fees and expenses thereof, and to redeem any 2024 Notes that remain outstanding after consummation of the Tender Offer. The Partnership will use the remaining net proceeds from the offering to reduce borrowings under the Partnerships senior secured revolving credit facility. The offering is not conditioned on the consummation of the Tender Offer. The Tender Offer is conditioned on, among other things, the offering.

The securities offered have not been registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the Securities Act), or any state securities laws, and unless so registered, the securities may not be offered or sold in the United States except pursuant to an exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the registration requirements of the Securities Act and applicable state securities laws. The senior unsecured notes are expected to be eligible for trading by qualified institutional buyers pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act and by non-U.S. persons pursuant to Regulation S under the Securities Act. This announcement shall not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of these securities, except as required by law.

About Targa Resources Partners LP

Targa Resources Partners LP is a Delaware limited partnership formed in October 2006 by its parent, Targa Resources Corp. (TRC or the Company), to own, operate, acquire and develop a diversified portfolio of complementary midstream infrastructure assets. On February 17, 2016, TRC completed the acquisition of all outstanding common units of the Partnership. Targa Resources Corp. is a leading provider of midstream services and is one of the largest independent midstream infrastructure companies in North America. The Company owns, operates, acquires and develops a diversified portfolio of complementary midstream infrastructure assets. The Company is primarily engaged in the business of: gathering, compressing, treating, processing, transporting and selling natural gas; transporting, storing, fractionating, treating and selling NGLs and NGL products, including services to LPG exporters; and gathering, storing, terminaling and selling crude oil.

The principal executive offices of Targa Resources Partners LP are located at 811 Louisiana, Suite 2100, Houston, TX 77002 and their telephone number is 713-584-1000.

For more information, please visit our website at www.targaresources.com.



Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements in this release are forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, included in this release that address activities, events or developments that the Partnership expects, believes or anticipates will or may occur in the future are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements rely on a number of assumptions concerning future events and are subject to a number of uncertainties, factors and risks, many of which are outside the Partnerships control, which could cause results to differ materially from those expected by management of the Partnership. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, weather, political, economic and market conditions, including a decline in the price and market demand for natural gas, natural gas liquids and crude oil, the impact of pandemics such as COVID-19, actions by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and non-OPEC oil producing countries, the timing and success of business development efforts; and other uncertainties. These and other applicable uncertainties, factors and risks are described more fully in the Partnerships filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K. The Partnership does not undertake an obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Contact the Company's investor relations department by email at InvestorRelations@targaresources.com or by phone at (713) 584-1133.

Sanjay Lad

Vice President  Finance & Investor Relations

Jennifer Kneale

Chief Financial Officer
Just Eat Takeaway said its business has been unaffected by the Governments Eat Out To Help Out discount scheme (Dominic Lipinski/PA)

The boss of food delivery giant Just Eat Takeaway.com has said the Governments scheme to give diners half-price restaurant meals has not damaged his business.

Chief executive Jitse Groen said that, despite takeaways being excluded from Eat Out To Help Out, which gives diners a 50% discount, he is seeing little effect.

Food delivery is rarely in direct competition with restaurant visits, and that doesnt change under these circumstances, the Dutch boss said on a call with the press on Wednesday morning.

Restaurants have limited capacity because they can only seat a certain number of people, he said.

We dont believe that there will be a material impact on our figures because of these relief measures from the UK Government.

Mr Groen said he was not personally upset that the Competition and Markets Authority cleared Amazon to take a stake in its UK rival, Deliveroo.

But he added: I am an entrepreneur, I dont particularly care whos competing with us.

I think the UK consumer should be upset that that happened.

And that has nothing to do with Deliveroo, that has something to do with Amazon.

Just Eat Takeaway.com processed around 257 million orders in the first six months of the year as takeaway companies supplied food to people in lockdown.

The company said that had pushed up its revenue, while it added a record number of new restaurants and customers to its system.

The number of active customers increased from 44 million to 54 million compared with the same time last year, it said.

Customers are also ordering more, Mr Groen said.

The Dutch firm said its like-for-like pre-tax loss was 121 million euros (109 million), on revenue that had increased by 44% to just over one billion euros (927 million).

Just Eat Takeaway.com is in the fortunate position to benefit from continuing tailwinds, Mr Groen said.

On the back of the current momentum, we started an aggressive investment programme, which we believe will further strengthen our market positions.

We are convinced that our order growth will remain strong for the remainder of the year.

Just Eat Takeaway is in the process of buying US peer Grubhub for 7.3 billion US dollars (5.6 billion).

The deal is likely to complete in the first half of next year, but Mr Groen declined to talk more about it.

The deal is set to make the company one of the biggest delivery firms in the world outside China.
Effective immediately, the Authority for Identity and Citizenship (ICA) and the National Crisis & Emergency Management Authority (NCEMA) have launched the second phase of the UAE Resident Return Programme, which now removes the need for residents of Abu Dhabi to wait for approval to return to the capital while overseas.

The development is welcome news for Etihad Airways UAE residents at home or overseas, who can now travel with ease and return to Abu Dhabi freely without having to wait for approval to do so while abroad. With the gradual return to normal life in Abu Dhabi, this step will further ease the re-entry process for a greater number of professionals as schools and universities re-open and regular working practices are resumed.

Before booking their flight to or from Abu Dhabi, residents are encouraged to visit a new easy-to-use website at https://uaeentry.ica.gov.ae, and submit their passport number, and Emirates ID number, to obtain instant verification of their UAE entry status, in accordance with their UAE residence visa validity.

Currently, all guests travelling on Etihad Airways flights to and via Abu Dhabi are required to show a negative Covid-19 PCR test result from a government approved testing facility, and from August 16, this will also apply to all guests departing Abu Dhabi. The PCR test must be carried out within 96 hours prior to their departure and a negative Covid-19 PCR test result certificate must be shown for approval to board. Timings will differ for those flying from China or the USA. Guests departing Pakistan and India must use an Etihad approved medical facility. Children under the age of 12 and people with mild to severe disabilities are currently exempt from this PCR test requirement.

The gradual return to more international flying to, from, and via Abu Dhabi is being greatly supported by the Etihad Wellness sanitisation and safety programme, which ensures the highest standards of hygiene are maintained at every stage of the customer journey. This includes specially trained Wellness Ambassadors, a first in the industry, who have been introduced by the airline to provide essential travel health information and care on the ground and on every flight, so guests can fly with greater ease and peace of mind. More information on the stringent measures being taken by Etihad Airways to provide a healthy and hygienic travel experience is available at www.etihad.com/wellness.

Etihad continues to follow UAE and international government, regulatory and health authority directives, and is playing its part in helping to limit the spread of Covid-19.

Those wishing to book are advised to visit www.etihad.com for information on the latest developments, to view their options, and to remain informed on the appropriate entry regulations at their end destination. Flights are also available for booking through the mobile app, by calling the Etihad Airways Contact Centre, or through a local or online travel agency. - TradeArabia News Service
(Newser)  Alaska State Police were pretty sure they'd found their man when they arrived at the Arkansas home of Steve Branch last week. But 66-year-old Branchsuspected of raping and killing Jessica Baggen after her 17th birthday party in Sitka, Alaska, in 1996refused to provide a DNA sample, so authorities left to get a warrant. Just a half-hour later, Branch fatally shot himself, per KCAW . "While Branch will never face a jury of his peers in this case, we can finally say that Jessica's case is solved," Alaska Public Safety Commissioner Amanda Price said at a Tuesday press conference, per NBC News . DNA from Branch's body was found to match a DNA sample taken from Baggen's body and submitted to public genealogy databases in 2018. Authorities expected that. Branch had emerged as a suspect through genetic genealogy and had a suspicious background.

story continues below

He'd been indicted but acquitted in the sexual assault of another teenager in Sitka around the time of Baggen's death. He'd also lived at properties opposite a well-used bike path, where Baggen's body was found beneath a hollowed-out tree, per the Anchorage Daily News and KCAW. In 2010, Branch moved to Arkansas, where Alaska authorities located him on Aug. 3. They had previously requested the help of Arkansas police in acquiring a DNA sample from a discarded item, but that effort ultimately failed. In an interview, Branch denied killing Baggen, who would've turned 41 in May. She'd been walking the mile home from his sister's house, where she'd celebrated her birthday on May 4, 1996, when she was raped and strangled. The Daily News reports another man confessed to the crime in 1996 but was acquitted after the confession was found to be coerced. (Read more cold cases stories.)
Pennsylvania residents who meet financial criteria and have lost either 30% of their income due to the coronavirus pandemic or became unemployed after March 1 can apply to get help with their past-due residence rent up to $750 a month, state and county officials report.

The Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency is providing $150 million in federal CARES Act dollars to counties to help those who are behind on their rent between March 1 and Dec. 31 due to the pandemic, officials say.

The money is part of the $3.9 billion designated to the state in late May to offset the financial impact of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, a news release from Lehigh County and state guidelines say.

To qualify, income cannot exceed a countys median household income when broken down by the number of family members. The figures for Northampton and Lehigh counties are the same.

The deadline to apply is Sept. 30, but that could be extended, Lehigh County said.

Those who are unemployed must have applied for unemployment compensation from the state, the news release said.

Three applications are required in the rent assistance program -- two from the landlord and one from the tenant, the news release said. Supplemental documentation such as proof of income and proof of residency are required as well from the tenant.

To get started, PHFA offers this website that includes links to the applications.

All materials must be submitted together and renters or landlords may make the submission, the news release said.

In Lehigh County, completed submissions may be sent to:

Hispanic American Organization, 462 Walnut St. Allentown PA 18102, 610-435-5334

Catholic Charities, 900 S. Woodard St., Allentown PA 18103, 610-435-1541

Lehigh County Conference of Churches/Pathways, 457 W. Allen St., Allentown PA 18102, 610-439-8653

Completed applications may also be hand delivered or mailed to:

Lehigh County Department of Human Services, 17 S. 7th Street, Allentown PA 18101 (ATTN: RRP)

In Northampton County, contact the following organizations to review the applications and compete the submission:

If you live in Bethlehem, Bethlehem Township, Hellertown, Lower Saucon Township: New Bethany Ministries at 610-691-5602 Ext. 213

If you live in Easton: Easton Area Neighborhood Center at 610-253-4253 or email Ross Marcus at rmarcus@eastonanc.org or ProJeCt of Easton at 610-258-1100 Ext. 13 or email Michael Banas at mbanas@projecteaston.org

All other municipalities of Northampton County: Third Street Alliance at 610-438-1763 or email Ziana Keith at zkeith@thirdstreetalliance.org

The Northampton County contact for the rent assistance program is the Department of Community and Economic Development, 2801 Emrick Blvd., Bethlehem PA 18020, 610-829-6306.

For Northampton County residents who are 14 days or less away from losing their residence and have either a Notice to Quit or a Lockout Order/Notice: Call 211 to be connected to the Northampton County Tenant Eviction Assistance program seeking rental assistance.

Questions? In addition to the county and local numbers above, PHFAs call center is available 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays. The toll-free number is 1-855-U-Are-Home (827-3466). Callers should listen for the prompt mentioning CARES assistance for renters and homeowners. Spanish-speaking operators are available.

Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting lehighvalleylive.com with a voluntary subscription.

Tony Rhodin may be reached at arhodin@lehighvalleylive.com.
ABC NewsBY: MEG CUNNINGHAM



(WASHINGTON) -- Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez told Amy Robach on ABCS "GMA3" that when he heard former vice president and now presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden had chosen California Sen. Kamala Harris as a running mate, he had "goosebumps" -- a nod to the historic nature of the first Black woman and first South Asian woman running on a major party ticket.



"I had goosebumps quite frankly, Amy. This was an historic day, shattering so many glass ceilings, glass ceilings for women, glass ceilings for women of color, and Kamala Harris is ready to govern day one," he said.



Biden, after becoming the sole Democrat left in the race, announced his running mate would be a woman. After months of deliberation, calls got even louder for his pick to also be a person of color.



"He ran a really inclusive process for the vice-presidential determination and I think he picked the perfect running mate," Perez told Robach.



Perez said criticism of Harris as the running-mate pick falls flat when you "look at the facts" of her record.



"Look at the facts, Kamala Harris is a fighter, she took on big banks in California, got a $20 billion settlement for victims of mortgage fraud," Perez said. "She ran the Department of Justice in California. The only Department of Justice bigger than that is the United States Department of Justice -- and she undertook major reforms there, including the use of body cameras to make sure that law enforcement was transparent. Her entire life has been fighting for the underdog."



"I'm so proud to have her on the ticket," he added. "The more you learn about Kamala Harris, the more you will love her."



Perez also touched on the scaled-back Democratic National Convention, which is set to launch Monday after delays and massive changes to the typical programming amid the coronavirus pandemic.



Democrats significantly scaled back the convention, announcing in late June that officials were planning for a mix of in-person and virtual elements. But over the last two months, as the coronavirus hobbled planning, organizers further pared back the event, urging members of Congress, state delegations and delegates not to travel to Wisconsin. Biden, who was scheduled to accept the party's nomination in the key battleground state on Aug. 20, will now accept the nomination from Delaware.



Delegates are also voting entirely by online ballot, which began on Aug. 3 and will run until Saturday, two days before the convention kicks off. The results are expected to be announced on Monday, the first night of the event.



"I think it's going to be an exciting week, itll be different than past conventions, there will be less podiums and more conversations around kitchen tables and union halls across America," Perez said.



"Youll see people that you know and love, like Michelle Obama and Barack Obama and other great leaders of our party, governors and mayors who've led, and you'll also see everyday Americans, ordinary people who have done extraordinary things through this pandemic," he added. "It's about bringing America together. We need to unite this country and we're going to have our unity on full display next week. I'm a big believer that hope triumphs over fear."



Perez said a Biden- Harris ticket is what the country needs to be united through 2021 and beyond -- a theme that will be on full display next week.



"Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are two of the most optimistic people I know. Youre going to see that optimism. Were fighting to make sure we take back our country, we build back a better America, not an America we saw in 2016, but an America we need to have in 2021 and beyond. I'm really excited. And therell be a few surprises, too," he said.

Copyright  2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
The latest catastrophe loss estimates are for property damage, and exclude COVID-19-related claims. More than 2,000 people were killed or went missing in disaster events in the first half of the year. The main drivers of first-half losses were secondary perils, with a significant role played by thunderstorms in North America, the report said.

Natural catastrophes accounted for $72 billion of the $75 billion in total global economic losses in the first half, up from $52 billion in H1 2019. The remaining $3 billion in losses were caused by man-made disasters, down from $5 billion in the first half of 2019. The decline was due in part to the COVID-19 pandemic, with its associated lockdowns bringing economic activities to a near standstill in many countries. Global insured losses from natural catastrophes rose to $28 billion in H1 2020 from $19 billion the year before, while insured losses from man-made disasters fell to $3 billion in H1 2020 from $4 billion in H1 2019.

Secondary perils were primary loss drivers, according to Swiss Re Institute. In North America, severe convective storms  thunderstorms with tornadoes, floods and hail  caused insured losses of more than $21 billion in the first half. This was the highest level since H1 2011, when losses from that peril alone were about $30 billion. In June, Calgary suffered $1 billion in losses from hail damage, the costliest hailstorm ever in Canada.

In May, heavy rainfalls caused severe flooding in several provinces along Chinas Yangtze River. Australia saw mounting losses from fire events, given the still-burning 2019/2020 fire season. That season, which lasted from September 2019 to February 2020, was the longest and most destructive ever, according to Swiss Re Institute.

Once again, secondary perils caused the most catastrophe losses in the first half of 2020, said Martin Bertogg, head of catastrophe perils at Swiss Re. Climate change is expected to worsen and amplify the scale of secondary peril events and associated losses in the future.
<! Buhari >

By Ismaila Chafe

President Muhammadu Buhari has dispelled assumptions that the terrorists in the Northeast had far more weapons and money than the federal government, stressing that what is left of them are mere scavengers desperate for food, raiding shops and markets, and killing innocent persons in the process.

This was one of the assertions made by the President at his virtual meeting with governors coordinated from the State House, Abuja on Tuesday  Malam Garba Shehu, the Presidents Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity said in a statement in Abuja.

The President, however, expressed concern that in spite of the fact that borders with neighbouring countries had been shut, bandits and terrorists continued to have access to small weapons.

These terrorists are in the localities. How is it that they are not short of small arms? he queried the security and intelligence chiefs.

He said: We have said enough on the need for them to rejig their operations. I am glad that there are better synergy and cooperation which are very important.

I have directed the Service Chiefs to meet among themselves in-between the National Security Council meetings.

The services have resources; yes, they need more, and mobility, and are doing their best, but there is a need for better gathering and interpretation of intelligence. Our intelligence-gathering must be improved.

The President also informed the governors of the imminent shipment of military weapons and aircraft from Jordan, China, and the United States.

He, therefore, asked for patience on the part of the public because the new weapons and aircraft must be manned by trained fighters and pilots who must first receive appropriate training.

Buhari also expressed satisfaction with the level of support from neighbouring countries in the war against terrorism.

They are cooperating with us. On Boko Haram, we are making progress with Benin, Niger, Chad, and Cameroon, he said.

He, however, restated that intelligence-gathering must be improved to be able to track small arms in the Northwest, North Central and Northeast States.

The President also expressed satisfaction with the level of Naval activity in the Gulf of Guinea, using newly-acquired equipment.

The president, however, demanded that hard-to-reach areas of Lake Chad where Boko Haram terrorists have found new havens, as well as the forests now inhabited by bandits, must be accessed and rid of nefarious elements.

The Chief of Defence Staff has spoken about their study of the forests and their potential danger to security. We must make sure we follow the bandits and terrorists, but there must not be deforestation in view of the climate situation, said Buhari.

However, President Muhammadu Buhari and State Governors on Tuesday ended their meeting on the state of the nations security with a call for a joint strategy to bring various conflicts to an end within time limits.

They also called on field commanders to take measures to protect civilian communities as a confidence-building mechanism between the military and those communities.

According to the statement, the president and the governors believed that when the trust that has been lost between both parties is re-established, there would be improved cooperation in intelligence-gathering and sharing.

The presidential aide revealed that the meeting also agreed that poverty and youth unemployment were at the root of the nationwide security challenges, and needed to be addressed with greater vigour by all tiers of government.

Shehu said the meeting also focused on the countrys security policies and approaches in tackling the internal security challenges with a charge that intelligence-gathering and sharing must be optimized.

In their submissions anchored by their Chairman, Gov. Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State, and Gov. Babagana Zulum of Borno, the governors highlighted the problems of poverty, unemployment, trust deficit between the military and civilian populations and the inflow of small arms into the country.

The governors also pointed to the problem of coordination among military and security chiefs and played up their own security roles which included one billion dollars they allowed the President to withdraw from the Excess Crude Account for weapons procurement two years ago.

They, therefore, urged the President to consider a bailout for security for the States in view of the enormity of the resources they now expend in support of the military and the police.

The three-hour meeting was attended by the Vice-President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, heads of defence, security and intelligence agencies, and members of the Security Committee of the Nigerian Governors Forum represented by one governor from each of the six geo-political zones.

Related
Kolkata, Aug 12 : The Indian Medical Association (IMA), a voluntary body of doctors in India, on Wednesday decided to appoint at least 2-4 doctors per police station under Kolkata Police's jurisdiction to help the force in rescuing critical Covid patients in the eastern metropolis.

There are altogether 79 police stations under Kolkata Police's jurisdiction, which are divided into eight divisions. Each division is headed by a Deputy Commissioner rank officer.

"Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had convened a meeting where we gave the proposal to appoint at least 2-4 doctors per police station who will help the police in rescuing Covid patients in critical situations. The proposal has been approved," said IMA President Shantanu Sen, who is also a Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha MP.

Sen said that the list of names of doctors has already been sent to all the police stations in Kolkata.

"In many cases it has been seen that senior citizens who are staying alone in high-rise apartments are getting infected by Covid-19. They are not getting any medical support. These elderly citizens often call the local police for help. This can be addressed if doctors can work in tandem with the Kolkata Police at every police station in this time of pandemic," he said.

The IMA President said that the Chief Minister had already appealed to everyone to show up their humane face in the ongoing time of coronavirus scare. She had also urged everyone to work together in view of fighting out the health and hygiene scare.

"The IMA has responded to her call to troubleshoot the critical situation," Sen added.
Physical Distancing

De-densification Tech Monitors Foot Traffic

In fall 2020, the University of Rochester is planning a hybrid online and in-person approach to meet standards of physical distancing. The university recently adopted a new technology that monitors foot traffic, which it will use in concentrated locations on campus, starting with its main library.

The technology from Occuspace is customized for each site. Sensors are used to scan for Bluetooth and WiFi signal activity in the area. Then algorithms estimate the number of people those signals equate to. According to the company, the accuracy rate is "over 90 percent." Occuspace said there's no personally identifiable information collected or stored, and the sensors can be installed without changes to the immediate infrastructure.

Annual pricing is based on the total devices used, which is predicated on total square footage. A site that's 100,000 square feet, for example, would be priced at between $10,500 and $15,000.

At Rochester, the tech will be used for the Rush Rhees Library to continuously monitor and share patron density in five areas.

The university is also using Waitz, an Occuspace app that provides a real-time view of a given space's occupancy, so students can find out ahead of time when specific study areas are full or have space for more people.

"When we were thinking about reopening in the fall, we thought a lot about what it means to de-densify," said Lauren Di Monte, assistant dean of Digital and Research Strategies, in a campus article about the implementation. "This technology gives us the ability to help our students make informed choices about where they study and when."

She noted that the data collected each day will also give the library an opportunity to evaluate how spaces are being used and how they might be modified to make them safer or more accommodating.

"We can also look at a broader swath of data and use it to inform long-term and strategic plans," Di Monte said. In time, she added, this could become a research opportunity for students.

Occuspace products are also being used in other institutions, the company said, including the Universities of California in San Diego, Santa Barbara and Irvine; and McGill University.
The attorney generals opinion also disputed the idea that LB 814 would ban dilation and evacuation abortions. It said the bill would ban the method only if used when a fetus is alive.

But some attorneys in the Legislature disputed such arguments.

Sen. Adam Morfeld of Lincoln said it is not unusual for lower courts to reconsider cases in light of new high court rulings. He said the Arkansas case does not alter any prior standards for judging abortion laws.

He also said the constitutionality of the proposed ban does not depend on the percentage of women who have abortions using the method but whether it creates an obstacle for those women.

The abortion procedure banned by LB 814 is used from weeks 13 through 24 of a womans pregnancy. The bill would apply when clamps, forceps or similar instruments are used to remove pieces of a viable fetus. The ban would not apply if suction is used to remove pieces of a fetus. It also would not apply if the fetus was dead before being removed.
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The global dewatering pumps market size is expected to reach $10,133.4 million in 2026 from $6,374.1 million in 2018, growing at a CAGR of 5.9% from 2019 to 2026.

Dewatering is a process that helps to eradicate water from solid material or soil through centrifugation, filtration, wet classification, or alike solid-liquid separation methods. A dewatering pump is specially designed to handle sediment-laden water from a construction site, sediment basin, or an excavated area.

Several benefits offered by dewatering pumps such as abrasion resistance & enhanced operational proficiency and implementation of stringent energy-saving government regulations to monitor the manufacture of pumps are the key factors that propel the growth of the global dewatering pumps market. In addition, rise in construction activities globally is projected to fuel the development of the industry. Moreover, worldwide increase in consumption of oil & gas products is expected to boost the market growth

Request for Report Sample: https://www.trendsmarketresearch.com/report/sample/13234

. However, uneven prices of raw materials is the major challenge faced by the vendors operating in the dewatering pump industry, thereby hampering the market growth. On the contrary, upsurge in demand for water & wastewater management is anticipated to offer lucrative opportunities for the players in the dewatering pumps industry.

The global dewatering pumps market is segmented based on type, application, and region. On the basis of type, the market is categorized into the submersible dewatering pump and non-submersible dewatering pumps. The submersible dewatering pump segment is anticipated to dominate the global dewatering pumps market in the upcoming years. By application, the market is segregated into construction & agriculture, oil & gas, municipal, mineral & mining, and others. The construction & agriculture segment is projected to dominate the global dewatering pumps market throughout the study period.

The global dewatering pumps market is analyzed across four geographical regions, which includes North America (U.S., Canada, and Mexico), Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia, and rest of Europe), Asia-Pacific (Japan, China, Australia, India, and rest of Asia-Pacific), and LAMEA (Latin America, Middle East, and Africa). Asia-Pacific is expected to hold the largest market share throughout the study period, however, LAMEA region is expected to grow at the fastest rate.





COMPETITION ANALYSIS

The key market players profiled in the report of dewatering pumps market include Atlas Copco, EBARA Corporation, Flowserve Corporation, Grundfos, Gorman-Rupp, ITT INC., KSB SE & Co., Sulzer Ltd., The Weir Group PLC, and Xylem. Other companies operating in the market are Honda Power Equipment, BBA Pumps, Designed & Engineered Pumps, Ruhrpumpen, Atlantic Pumps Ltd, Tsurumi Pump, Veer Pump, Wacker Neuson, Mersino Dewatering, Kirloskar Pumps, and Zoeller Pumps.

Many competitors in the dewatering pumps market adopted product launch as their key developmental strategy to improve their product portfolio and sustain the intense competition. For instance, in January 2018, Gorman-Rupp introduced an innovative ValuPrime Line, which is an economical priming-assisted submersible dewatering pump.



KEY BENEFITS FOR STAKEHOLDERS

 The report provides an extensive analysis of the current and emerging dewatering pumps market trends and dynamics.

 In-depth market analysis is conducted by constructing market estimations for the key market segments between 2018 and 2026.

 Extensive analysis of the market is conducted by following key product positioning and monitoring of the top competitors within the market framework.

 A comprehensive analysis of all the regions is provided to determine the prevailing opportunities.

 Key market players within dewatering pumps market are profiled in this report, and their strategies are analyzed thoroughly, which help to understand the competitive outlook of the air filtration media industry.

Request for Report Discount: https://www.trendsmarketresearch.com/report/discount/13234





GLOBAL DEWATERING PUMPS MARKET SEGMENTS

BY TYPE

Submersible Dewatering Pumps

 Non-submersible Dewatering Pumps



BY APPLICATION

 Construction & Agriculture

 Oil & Gas

 Municipal

 Mineral & Mining

 Others



BY REGION

 North America

o U.S.

o Canada

o Mexico

 Europe

o Germany

o France

o UK

o Russia

o Rest of Europe

 Asia-Pacific

o Japan

o China

o Australia

o India

o Rest of Asia-Pacific

 LAMEA

o Latin America

o Middle East

o Africa





KEY PLAYERS

 Atlas Copco

 Ebara Corporation

 Flowserve Corporation

 Grundfos

 Gorman-Rupp

 ITT INC.

 KSB SE & Co.

 Sulzer Ltd.

 The Weir Group PLC

 Xylem

More Info of Impact Covid19@ https://www.trendsmarketresearch.com/report/covid-19-analysis/13234
WASHINGTON (AP)  Elements of the Islamic State group are working to rebuild in western Syria, where the U.S. has little visibility or presence, the top U.S. commander for the Middle East warned on Wednesday.

In the region west of the Euphrates River where the Syrian regime is in control conditions are as bad or worse than they were leading up to the rise of the Islamic State, said Gen. Frank McKenzie. "We should all be concerned about that.

McKenzie said insurgents are operating with some degree of freedom, and he said the U.S. and its allies have little hope the Syrian regime will do anything to tamp down the group there. The western part of the country has historically been controlled by Russian-backed Syrian government troops, while the U.S. and its allies, the Syrian Democratic Forces, have largely been in the north and eastern part of the country.

President Donald Trump has touted the defeat of IS as one of his key national security achievements. He ordered the removal of U.S. forces from the northern border near Turkey, as part of a planned move to pull all American troops out of the country. But he was eventually convinced by U.S. military leaders to leave U.S. forces in the east to continue working with the SDF and help protect oil fields from IS.

Speaking online to a United States Institute of Peace forum from his U.S. Central Command office in Tampa, McKenzie said that the slow-moving effort to transfer people out of Syrian refugee camps has been further complicated and delayed by the coronavirus pandemic. And that, he said, fuels concerns about the radicalization of people  particularly the youth  in the camps, which officials worry are breeding grounds for IS insurgents.

The al-Hol camp in northeastern Syria is home to as many as 70,000 people  mostly women and children  who were displaced by the ongoing civil war in Syria and the battle against IS. Many fled as the U.S.-backed SDF cleared out the last pockets of land held by IS last year.

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Leanne Erdberg Steadman, the USIP director for countering violent extremism, said getting people out of the camps is key to having them abandon violence and secure a new future. Officials said that there have now been the first few reported cases of COVID-19 at al-Hol.

McKenzie said concerns about blocking the spread of the virus among European allies and other nations in the region has complicated efforts to repatriate camp residents to their home nations.

Repatriation is the key to clearing out the refugee camps, and the U.S. has aggressively pushed to get allies to take their own citizens back. Most nations, however, are reluctant to take in potential IS insurgents. And the potential spread of COVID-19 is now an added fear.

Humanitarian groups say many of the women and children are not risks, but officials also note that there are a lot of women who were radicalized and active in the insurgency.

McKenzie said that unless political leaders find a way to deradicalize and repatriate the displaced people in the camps, there will be another IS resurgence in the future.

As young people grow up, were going to see them again unless we can turn them in a way to make them productive members of society, he said. We can either deal with this problem now or deal with it exponentially worse a few years down the road.
The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) is calling for $19.6 million to meet the needs of women and girls affected by the Beirut port explosion, which resulted in the killing of at least 160 people, the injuring of around 6,000, and the displacement of more than 300,000 people.

Many of Beiruts hospitals and healthcare centres have been damaged, and reports indicate that over 80 primary healthcare centres and nearly 15 hospitals have been affected by the blast, while three hospitals were fully destroyed.

Besides the financial and economic crisis that Lebanon is experiencing, the Beirut port explosion has created another huge crisis that Lebanon will take time to deal with.

The UNFPA is doubling its efforts in order to meet the needs of approximately 81,000 women of reproductive age, and 48,000 teenagers among the 300,000 who have been left homeless after the explosion.

As a lot of maternity wards have been affected, and the UNFPA is looking forward to delivering antenatal care services to those in need, including approximately 3,938 homeless pregnant women.

The UNFPA aims to collect the required funds in order to provide the needed services for pregnant women, such as comprehensive emergency obstetric and neonatal care, family planning services, and antenatal and postnatal services.

Besides the previously mentioned services, the UNFPA is working on providing medicines, medical supplies and maternity supplies.

The UNFPA is also procuring medical equipment, medicines and supplies for affected health facilities and is supporting the provision of 25 percent of health procurement needs for the next six months, as identified by the World Health Organization.

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(Micah Fluellen / Los Angeles Times)

When Martha Grahams ballet Appalachian Spring had its premiere on Oct. 30, 1944, in Washington, D.C., Aaron Copland was the voice of America. He had the gift to be simple. He wrote music that served the essential need for wartime American unity.

Among Copland's wartime efforts had been Fanfare for the Common Man and Lincoln Portrait, patriotic music that miraculously avoided sentimentality and reminded us of what we were supposed to have evolved into being as a nation. Five months after D-day, "Appalachian Spring" then became the parable of a struggle that leads, with humility and grace, to a new beginning. With the premiere of an orchestral suite derived from the ballet score a year later, with the war over, "Appalachian Spring" attained a mystic glow.

It has long been a cultural mystery how Copland, this Brooklynite of Russian Jewish immigrants  someone who grew up in what he described as a drab neighborhood of other Eastern European immigrants  invented what came to be heard as the American sound. Yet the Holocaust and much else haunts Appalachian Spring. The roots of Grahams ballet lie in the awareness of the Appalachian Trail as the slave route to freedom. Graham and Copland also had been affected by the civil conflict of the Memorial Day Massacre of 1937, when the Chicago police shot and killed 10 unarmed protesters during the Little Steel Strike.

In the end, the ballet wound up being vaguely set in an antebellum Shaker village that wasnt even in the Appalachians. A couple is to be wed and begin a new life in a new home. A pioneer woman and a revivalist preacher, with four female acolytes, represent the narrow confines of a community that honors spiritual lives of simplicity, close to nature. The musics lasting character is its quietude that submerges hollow triumph into hallowed reflection.

Michael Tilson Thomas once described this as the mythical heritage that as Americans we all share. But is it even thinkable today, in our divisiveness, to agree on any American icon, let alone Appalachian Spring, which has come to be seen by some as a relic of an idyllically whitewashed America?

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Coplands music has been used as the soundtrack for Republican and Democratic campaigns wanting to signify a candidates sanctified Americanness, and at the same time attacked by voices on the right and the left. Coplands patriotism was questioned when Joseph McCarthy hauled the composer in front of the House Un-American Activities Committee for his alleged communist sympathies. In an essay on Coplands music written in 2000 on the occasion of the composers centenary, the musicologist Judith Tick noted that Copland in some circles already had been rendered suspect for allegedly  imposing a homogenous identity on a diverse society.

None of this was helped by the Appalachian Spring-like music used for years to sell just about anything on television commercials. Once a modernist, Copland was considered a cop-out by progressive composers. The State Department supported orchestral concert tours that included Appalachian Spring as American propaganda. The postwar Germans, for one, would have none of this, one critic labeling the score pretentious, harmless, unsatisfying, feminine and unbearably boring.

Nothing could be further from the truth. Grahams was an incredibly brave and conciliatory ballet. Coplands score demands our questioning of every assumption we have about American identity, whether we strive to be one people  of women and men, various gender and sexual identities, a melting pot of races and cultures and backgrounds and privileges  or whether sexual, racial, regional, political or other cultural differences make us incurably incompatible. What we hear, then, in the near inconceivable purity of sound and intent of "Appalachian Spring" is nothing less than utopian transcendence.

The ballet opens in an exalted stillness. The music comes out of nowhere with low As (two short and one long) played by a handful of violas and second violins, as though two seeds planted in the earth, nothing but future promise. Seeds grow into two simple chords that rise through individual instruments with cool tranquility. A plaintive melody evolves out of this low-density harmonic exosphere. There is just enough gravity to hold the chords together, but each note is an individual with promise.

In the sections that follow, there is a duet for the intended, followed by solos for cocky groom, anxious bride in presentiment of motherhood, pioneer woman and ecstasy-exhorting revivalist. The most famous section is a set of five variations on the Shaker tune The Gift to Be Simple, reaching an apotheosis that is the only moment of grandiosity in the score, a bubble in need of bursting as the opening atmosphere returns, the couple taking its place among the community, a serene sense of seasons to be ever turning.

Coplands music throughout, whether upbeat or unruffled, has the structural security of being a musical house seemingly made of a single beam, which is also the effect that Isamu Noguchis Noh-theater-inspired set had for Grahams dance. Adding considerably to the cultural mix, Coplands music was sourced from his Jewish roots, the 1920s Paris where he studied, New York modernism, jazz he regularly heard in Harlem, folk music, journeys to Mexico. The music entered into his vocabulary and took on his accent.

It so happened that Copland began and wrote much of Appalachian Spring in Hollywood while scoring the film The North Star. In the big-budget production about the Nazi invasion of a Ukrainian village, Copland confronted his own background, Copland-izing Russian Ukrainian musical traditions.

That might seem a world away from Appalachia. But it was in Paris where Copland first understood his essential Americanness, in Mexico where he was inspired to become an American populist, and in the fantasy world of Hollywood where he entered into the ultimate spirit of America. It is also worth noting that while writing the ballet score, the orchestral sound in his ear would have been that of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, which had just become the first major American orchestra to appoint an American-born music director, Alfred Wallenstein.

More unexpected West Coast Americanism entered into "Appalachian Spring." The star of the ballet's first performances turned out to be Merce Cunningham, a member of Grahams company allowed to choreograph his own dances. That year, Cunningham and his partner, John Cage, who had left his native L.A. five years earlier, gave their first joint concert of solo dances and music. I date my beginning from that concert, Cunningham wrote.

"Please capture all hearts present, Cage, who was after Cunningham to strike out on his own, wrote the dancer just before opening night of "Appalachian Spring. Cunningham did. This was his last role for Graham, Coplands music giving him permission to become himself. At the memorial in 1991 for Copland at Lincoln Center, Cage and Cunningham sat in the last row of Alice Tully Hall so they wouldnt be seen weeping.

Appalachian Spring is a vision of an America not of cancellations but additions, open to all. We celebrate the 75th anniversary of the end of the last world war this week while fighting a new world war against a novel coronavirus, all the while deciding on Americas future with what is forecast to be an unprecedentedly divisive presidential campaign. A parable of a struggle that leads, with humility and a grace, to a new spring takes on new necessity.
Would somebody half-way across the world pay $30 to visit New Zealand for an hour? That's the question begin pondered by University of Auckland professor Mark Billinghurst, who believes virtual reality and augmented reality can provide an alternative income stream for tourist operators struggling in the COVID-19 economy.

Billinghurst leads the Empathetic Computing Lab at the Auckland Bioengineering Institute and is a pioneer in researching and commercialising AR. His team were working on a project to provide remote expert assistance to New Zealand organisations and businesses in a virtual setting prior to the pandemic.

"When COVID happened we realised that the technology we were developing could be applied to tourism as well, especially if we could make it more acceptable for the mass market," he says. "So, we've taken the technology we've developed for the remote experts and we've used more commodity level hardware and will deliver on the browser, rather than the headsets, to make it more accessible," he explains.

The product, which has the working title 'Envisage AR's Immersive Conferencing Solution', enables a human guide to show a group of virtual tourists around an attraction such as a museum or vineyard in real time. The attendees viewing from their homes can ask the guide questions, which are displayed on the screen for the guide to see. The tour would likely end at the gift shop where attendees would be able to buy merchandise.

AR app to require low-cost hardware
A powerful image of a nurse has emerged in the wake of the devastation caused by a massive explosion in Beirut last week.

The picture, which was captured by photojournalist Bilal Jawich at Saint George Hospital University Medical Center, shows Pamela Zeinoun calmly cradling three newborn premature babies.

She was surrounded by dead bodies and blood. People were crying, Jawich told TODAY Parents. I was astonished and surprised by how calm she was. She was just doing her duty. She wasn't looking to be a hero."

Zeinoun, who briefly knocked unconscious by the blast, was attempting to call her mother when Jawich snapped the photo.

Of course the phones werent working, Jawich said. Everything was destroyed.

Zeinoun rescued the children from their incubators in the pitch black as the roof collapsed on them.

The thing that I felt was that these babies belong to me; they are under my protection," Zeinoun told ITV News. If they are going to make it, they are going to make it with me.

At the same hospital, Emmanuel Khnaisser was preparing to give birth when the blast ripped through her delivery room. The terrifying moment was filmed by her husband, Edmound Khnaisser.

I was afraid she was dead or the baby was dead, he told the BBC. Everything was shattering around (us).

But that day, Emmanuel delivered a healthy little boy named George. Edmond described the birth as "old-style labor" without electricity or medication.

Huge appreciation to St. George Hospital team, who stayed with us until we were safe, and even afterwards, Edmound wrote on Facebook. On behalf of Baby George: Thank you for bringing me safely into this world. I hope I can pay you back some day. Stay safe everyone and pray for our beloved Lebanon.

The Aug. 4 blast that killed at least 171 people and injured thousands occurred when a fire in a port warehouse ignited hundreds of tons of ammonium nitrate.
Just as she emerged as an early favorite for Joe Biden's ticket this spring, Kamala Harris issued a directive to her supporters: There would be no lobbying campaign to try to influence his pick.

"He knows who I am," one of her supporters, California Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, recalled Harris saying. "I don't want to put pressure on him. He'll make the right call."

For months, they obeyed. But as Biden entered the final stretch of his VP selection process, the dam broke. In late July, her surrogates grew incensed by a pair of stories in POLITICO  including a report that a top member of Biden's vetting team, former Sen. Chris Dodd, complained to a donor that Harris had shown no remorse for her surprise attack on Biden in a Democratic debate last year.

Harris' staunchest allies in California mobilized. Kounalakis reached out to more than a dozen current and former California officials, mayors, and labor union and business leaders to demand a conference call with Biden campaign brass. No other vice presidential candidate was afforded such a meeting.

We went rogue, Kounalakis said. Theres no question about it.

On Tuesday, Harris' strategy  a low-profile, leak-free effort that contrasted sharply with her undisciplined presidential campaign  and the late push by her supporters paid off when Biden made her the nations first Black woman to run for vice president on a major-party ticket. The announcement capped weeks of crypt-like silence from Biden advisers, whisper campaigns, opposition research and late drama.

In picking the 55-year-old senator, Biden essentially nominated the future face of the Democratic Party. The child of Jamaican and Indian immigrants, Harris is both South Asian and Black. She is viewed by the right as too liberal, and by the far left as too centrist.

Interviews with more than two dozen people in and around the vetting process  including staffers, elected officials, Biden confidants, donors and Biden campaign aides  paint a picture of how Biden arrived at his decision.

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The logic of Harris as Biden's running mate was apparent  no other contender had the combination of executive and legislative experience and diverse background. Not long into Barack Obama's presidency, she was being compared to him and pegged as a future national star. Much to her annoyance, Harris was held up as an ideal No. 2 for Biden even before she announced her own campaign.

She was even close friends with Biden's late son Beau after the two served as fellow state attorneys general.

The only question mark  and it was a big one  was the debate attack.

From left, Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders and Kamala Harris go at it during a contentious June 2019 presidential debate in Miami.

Several people close to the process say the revelation that Dodd had expressed such distaste over Harris remarks was the most disruptive period of the search. And the specter that there was hesitancy about Harris  whom her competitors also considered the frontrunner  triggered a furious round of late lobbying and speculation about which direction Biden would ultimately go.

Calls poured into the top members of the vetting committee from outside interests pressing for and against Harris, and making pitches on other candidates. Dodd took hundreds of calls, sometimes working morning until night on the vice presidential search  some of it handling the fallout of media coverage that his wife insisted was not true.

Anyone who knows my Irish-Catholic husband knows  the word remorse, Ive never heard him say [it], Jackie Clegg Dodd said in a brief interview on Tuesday. Its not part of his vocabulary.

The four co-chairs of the search committee, which also included Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, conducted multiple Zoom interviews with each of the VP contenders. At times, committee members would split into pairs to follow up with candidates.

Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) had a late surge of support, including from some donors in California, the home state of both Harris and Rep. Karen Bass. The vetting team at one point flagged a potential issue with Duckworth: She was born in Bangkok. Her father, a U.S. citizen and then a Defense Department employee, was stationed in Thailand. They worried that Republicans would try to use that to stoke doubts about the legitimacy of the VP pick.

Ultimately, though, Duckworth was in it until the end, holding a one-on-one interview with Biden over the weekend. Biden personally called her hours before announcing Harris was his choice.

Bass remained in contention until the final weekend. Campaign allies called Florida Democrats to ask whether concerns about her past ties to socialists and comments about Fidel Castro were limited to Miamis Republican-leaning electorate, two sources familiar with the discussions said. They were not, Biden team's was told.

In the course of the search, Biden and Harris spoke more than once. When the debate issue came up, according to one source familiar with the discussion, Biden told her it wasnt a problem.

Im not good at keeping hard feelings, Biden told her, echoing remarks he has repeatedly made since Harris dropped out of the presidential race in December.

One friend of Bidens who recently spoke with him privately told POLITICO that the candidate confided he was struggling with the choice at times because he felt pressure from former Obama White House advisers pushing former national security adviser Susan Rice, while Dodd and others talked up Bass.

But, the friend said, Biden had more of a personal rapport with Harris, despite their run-in during the campaign. He remembered her friendship with Beau, and he respected that she ran for president.

In that way, Harris debate ambush was an upside for Biden.

Joe wants someone who has been on the big stage under the bright lights who can gut someone like a fish, and Kamala more than proved she could do that, the donor said. Now its Pences turn and shes gonna cut him up.

As the vetting was underway, Biden leaned on South Carolina Rep. Jim Clyburn, a key ally, whose endorsement was pivotal to Bidens South Carolina victory.

Yes, my advice was sought. I talked to him several times leading up to today, Clyburn said Tuesday. Over the last four to five days, I think Ive talked to him more than Ive talked to him all year.

Clyburn said the list of 11 contenders had narrowed significantly in recent days.

I think Susan Rice was in strong consideration. I think Karen Bass was in strong consideration, he said. I think in the last two or three days I came to the conclusion that it was Harris, Bass and Rice. No one told me that, this is what I felt.

Even as she came under attack, Harris and her husband maintained their silence throughout the process, something friends and allies viewed as key to their efforts to build trust with the Bidens.

Kamala Harris takes the stage at a candidate cookoff after being introduced by House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn in October 2019 in Orangeburg, S.C. Joe Biden leaned on Clyburn for advice.

But Sunday night, in the throes of Bidens VP considerations, J.A. Moore received a phone call from Harris. Moore, a state lawmaker from South Carolina who was an early supporter of her presidential campaign and has kept in touch, noted that Harris call wasnt for him, but his young daughter.

The lid was supposed to be closed. She wasnt supposed to be chit-chatting, Moore recalled. But here she was calling to sing my daughter 'Happy Birthday.'

Moore and other Harris allies in South Carolina  a state she visited repeatedly before dropping out well before the primary there  have continued to advocate for her, keeping tabs through a network unofficially led by Clyburn.

He was huge, Moore said of Clyburns influence. All the signs were there if you looked. It had to be someone that was viable. She was the only one who was tested nationally. He made it clear that she was the right person.

The announcement highlighted the campaigns ability to lock down and control messaging. Bidens choice was widely suspected, but it was kept under wraps until the campaign announced it.

He had vivid memories of going through this himself. He didnt want leaks. He didn't want speculation. He wanted to keep it as discreet as possible to protect the candidates, a senior campaign adviser told POLITICO. He felt strongly from the beginning that the interests of the potential nominee were protected.

Harris won the veepstakes despite lingering bitterness among some Biden allies over the debate clash. But her supporters have long argued that what she demonstrated would only be an asset to the ticket.

If youre running for president, run to win, said a longtime Harris adviser, who praised Biden and his team for being able to put the incident behind them. In the end, it wasnt held against her. And we have to recognize that.


CALUMET TOWNSHIP  Lake Ridge New Tech Schools has pushed back the start of school until September.

In a letter to Lake Ridge staff, students and parents, Superintendent Sharon Johnson-Shirley shared that students will start their first day virtually on Sept. 2.

Teachers' first day will be Aug. 31 with a staff convocation the following day on Sept. 1.

"I understand the frustration this may cause," Johnson-Shirley wrote in the letter. "However, know that all decisions made are in the best interest for all as we navigate through this COVID-19 pandemic."

The superintendent said the delayed start will allow school leaders to prepare for "the glorious day when we all can meet in person."

The letter also addressed the suspension of fall sports, such as football and volleyball.
UK Lawmakers Urge Sanctions on HK Officials Due to Excessive Police Force

A group of British lawmakers had urged the UK government to impose sanctions on Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam and other senior officials for permitting the police to use excessive violence on pro-democracy protesters.

In a report that discussed the treatment of aid workers during the protests, the lawmakers said the Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF) had breached international humanitarian law and principles, international human rights, and the Sino-British Joint Declaration.

The report said that humanitarian aid workers were subjected to intimidation, harassment, threats, physical violence, and arrests during the protests that began last year in response to the introduction of extradition law. Even doctors and nurses received treatment that fell short of international human rights law.
Montreal, CA (H4T1V6)

Today

Snow this morning will give way to lingering snow showers this afternoon. Some sleet may mix in. High -3C. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of snow 100%. Snow accumulating 1 to 3 inches..

Tonight

Snow showers this evening. Becoming partly cloudy later. Low -16C. Winds W at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of snow 60%.
SoFi Stadium in Inglewood. (Richard Vogel / Associated Press)

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health reported 15 additional cases of COVID-19 at SoFi Stadium in the last week, raising the total cases among workers at the sprawling project in Inglewood to 75.

More than 4,000 workers have been on site since the first case became public in late March, according to Turner-AECOM Hunt, the joint venture directing construction.

A health department spokeswoman said in an email Tuesday that none of the workers who have tested positive at the project have been hospitalized or died.

Most of the cases have been reported in the last six weeks as construction on the stadium concludes.

The joint venture has announced 41 positive tests since July 2 in emailed memos to trade partners reviewed by The Times.

Twenty-three of those cases have come from workers involved with the stadium; 11 from workers at the performance venue thats under the same sail-shaped roof; three from workers in office trailers; two from workers at the park surrounding an artificial lake; and two from workers at parking lots.

Of those workers, 10 were listed in the emailed announcements as asymptomatic, eight had minor symptoms and the severity of illness wasnt indicated for the remaining 23.

Ten cases announced by the joint venture in August have come from stadium workers. They reported first feeling ill between July 20 and July 29. Most were tested the same day as the onset of illness or a day or two after.

The joint venture has taken a series of safety measures in response to the pandemic, which include required temperature checks for everyone entering the site starting in early April, mandated coverings for the mouth and nose of each worker, and instructing workers to stay home when first feeling ill for any reason and symptom. Workers must not have symptoms for 72 hours without medication to be allowed to return to the project.

The emailed announcements of positive tests, including the most recent ones, use boilerplate language to describe many of the precautions.

The trade worker was wearing proper PPE at all times, the emails say. All workers in close proximity were also wearing COVID-19 required PPE.

After the pandemic forced the cancellation of several concerts at the stadium and the NFLs preseason, the venues first event is scheduled to be the regular-season opener between the Rams and Dallas Cowboys on Sept. 13. The Chargers play the Kansas City Chiefs in their opener at the stadium a week later. Its unclear when  or if  fans will be allowed to attend games.
The killing of George Floyd may also be a factor. There is good sociological and historical evidence that if people lose confidence in the police to protect them, or if they lack trust in the police because they believe the police are harassing them or behaving unfairly, they do tend to take matters into their own hands, criminologist Richard Rosenfeld of the University of Missouri-St. Louis, said in 2016. So one tends to see preemptive killings and retaliatory shootings go up.
A video of a witness telling gardai that he heard Aaron Brady admit to murdering a garda was circulated on social media, with text accusing the witness of being a tout or a rat, in what the presiding judge described as the most outrageous contempt of court he had ever seen.

After hearing from representatives of WhatsApp Mr Justice Michael White found he was "powerless to prevent its dissemination" on that platform and could make no order that would prevent it being circulated. It was, the judge said, a deliberate attempt to intimidate the witness and others who were due to give evidence in the trial. The same video appeared on Youtube and Facebook who were able to delete it and prevent it being put up again.

The capital murder trial took place against a background of intimidation and interference, with witnesses and their families subjected to threats and targeted using social media.

Molly Staunton, who told the trial that she heard Brady admit that he shot a cop, received a death threat on Snapchat within hours of completing her testimony.

Throughout the trial, prosecution counsel Brendan Grehan SC raised concerns about the impact of witness interference and intimidation and worried that ongoing delays caused by the covid-19 outbreak and lengthy legal argument gave those intimidation efforts greater chance of success.

In total five people who had given statements to gardai failed to show up in court or told the prosecution that their original statements were inaccurate. One talked of being petrified after coming into information about the shooting. Another potential witness, a friend of Aaron Bradys, originally provided an alibi for him but later retracted it and then did not come to court. He lives in Northern Ireland and will be arrested on a bench warrant if he travels south of the border.

Another man who lives in Northern Ireland lived with Brady for a period in New York and went out with Molly Staunton. He was there along with Ms Staunton when Brady went on a rant one evening and said he wanted to be a good father but had to carry around the guilt of having shot a cop in Ireland. This man initially gave gardai accounts of various times when he overheard Brady say incriminating things about the murder of Det Gda Donhoe but when it came to trial he did not come forward. There is an outstanding warrant for his arrest as a result.

Most outrageous contempt of court

Besides the leaked video on social media, Brendan Grehan SC for the prosecution told the court the same witness was the subject of widespread intimidation both personally and through his family here in Ireland.

In his statement to gardai the man in question said he heard Aaron Brady admit to shooting Det Gda Adrian Donohoe. He lives in New York where, due to the extent of the pandemic lockdown, it was not possible for him to be subpoenaed to give evidence.

Mr Justice White said he had no doubt the publication of the video was intended to intimidate the named witness and to have an effect on other witnesses due to give evidence. It had, he said, interfered fundamentally with the administration of justice.

Mr Grehan said the prosecution believes that the WhatsApp message was part of a campaign to disrupt the trial and prevent witnesses, including [the subject of the video] from giving their testimony in accordance with their statements.

In an update to the court on June 2 Mr Grehan told the trial that the witness and members of his immediate family, have been subjected to an ongoing campaign of intimidation and it is continuing. He said the leaked video was neither the beginning nor the end of the campaign and that it had become clear the witness was not going to give evidence.

Bradys senior defence barrister Michael OHiggins SC said that any campaign to stop witnesses giving evidence is reprehensible, beyond comprehension.

Mr Grehan noted the timing of the leaked video, coming soon after the prosecution had secured permission from the court for witnesses based in America to give evidence via video link.

After hearing evidence that there was nothing WhatsApp could do to prevent the video being circulated, Mr Justice White said: It's a sobering day for the administration of justice in Ireland. He said it was the most outrageous contempt of court I have come across yet he was powerless to prevent it. At the time, he couldnt even make an order telling people not to share the video because he would have to make the order public through the media which would alert the jury to the existence of the video.

Another man, who also lives in New York, told gardai that he heard Brady boasting in a pub that he knew what it was like to kill someone. According to his original statement to gardai, when Brady realised he was there he took him outside, assaulted him and warned him to keep his mouth shut. The man was left with a scar over his eye which was photographed by gardai.

Some months into the trial a solicitor on behalf of this man contacted Inspector Mark Phillips of the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation and told him that his client would not return to Ireland to give evidence because of outstanding criminal matters in Northern Ireland.

When gardai contacted the solicitor to say his client could give evidence by video link from New York the solicitor responded that his client had no knowledge personal or otherwise of the matter into which you are inquiring. He said that his client was under immense duress when he spoke to gardai previously and wishes to put the matter behind him. He added that his client, will not voluntarily testify. He will not cooperate with the process.

Inspector Phillips told the court there was no question of duress during the taking of the witnesses statement.

During their visits to the US gardai became aware of numerous people who had heard Brady admit to the murder. Although gardai tried to speak to them, most were unwilling to talk. Gardai claimed privilege over numerous documents generated during their investigations on the grounds that if they were revealed to Brady there would be a risk to the life or lives of people mentioned in those documents. The claims of privilege were upheld by Mr Justice White.

Mr Grehan also referred at various times to people being terrified after coming into information about the shooting and not wanting to speak to gardai as a result.

Molly Staunton video death threat

Molly Staunton told gardai that following her appearance in front of the jury she received a video death threat from a known associate of Aaron Brady, one of the men initially expected to give evidence against Brady but who failed to show up in court. The man, who was identified by the witness, sent her a Snapchat video in which he used his hand to form the shape of a gun and said, bang bang, youre dead. This was followed by a text message saying: You silly, silly girl with ten crying laughing emojis.

Mr Grehan told the court that while Homeland Security was able to assure Ms Staunton that the man who sent the video was not in the US but in Northern Ireland, she was still scared for her safety and that of her family. She had previously been in a relationship with this man and he knew where members of her family lived. She also told gardai that she had done an internet search on south Armagh and the IRA and found something stating that informants would have a life expectancy of one week.

The court also heard that members of Aaron Brady's family had contacted trial witnesses through social media.

During legal argument in the trial Det Inspector Phillips revealed that Ms Staunton had been contacted prior to giving evidence by Mr Bradys wife Danielle Healy who sent her a friend request on Facebook to Ms Staunton and also messaged the witness. Ms Staunton ignored both.

On April 24 Mr Grehan raised concerns that Danielle and Bradys sister Sonya had contacted witnesses through social media. He said the prosecution believed there are people hell bent on making life difficult for potential witnesses.

He revealed that gardai had become aware that on April 8, 2020, while the court was on its Easter vacation, various witnesses or people close to them had been contacted. A former girlfriend of one witness, whose evidence was later deemed inadmissible by the judge, received a message from Aaron Bradys sister Sonya Brady saying that her brother is on trial for murder but had no part in it. Ms Brady claimed that gardai had given people in New York money, arranged visa green cards and left people off with crimes in return for statements. She said the Brady family believed this womans partner was one of those people who has been forced to lie about my brother. She added that the family believed the man had visa problems and problems with a sham marriage. She added: I promise you all the Brady family wants is the truth and we won't stop until we get the truth.

"We're asking people who have any or some knowledge about this behaviour no matter how small to help.

"We have information about [THE WITNESS] but we will continue to dig for more.

"If someone is telling the truth so be it, if they are telling lies we want to know.

On April 14 Sonya Brady sent another message saying: We are reaching out to you, please, please consider talking with us. All the Brady family want is the truth.

By late June Mr Grehan raised concerns that delay in the trial due to ongoing legal argument was playing into the hands of those who were attempting to exert pressure on witnesses. On June 24, as Daniel Cahill was being cross examined, Mr Grehan said there was in the background a campaign being waged on behalf of Mr Brady, excluding his lawyers, of contacting witnesses, associates of witnesses and family members in Ireland with a view to putting pressure on people not to give evidence.

He said that as the delays continued it provides further opportunities for Mr Brady or his family or associates to do that.

Daniel Cahill, he said, had been contacted before it was even disclosed to the defence that he had made a statement to gardai. Mr Grehan said there was evidence that Brady had boots on the ground in New York who were keeping him abreast of who was speaking to gardai.

Sonya Brady had also contacted Mr Cahill prior to him giving evidence with a message saying my dad would really appreciate if you would chat to us for five minutes over the phone. I understand the problem this has created but I promise all the Brady family wants is the truth.

Chief Superintendent Christy Mangan has said that the issues around intimidation during the trial are under investigation by gardai.
REUTERS/Blair Gable

Canopy Growth (WEED.TO)(CGC) said it sold more than a million cans of infused beverages since its first drinks hit stores in mid-March. The milestone comes as the company pleads with regulators to rethink rules preventing consumers from buying more than five cans of its least potent pot drink per purchase.

Canopy marked the sale of 1.2 million cans year-to-date on Monday as it reported better-than-expected financial results. Chief executive officer David Klein touted the companys drinks as a bright spot in the quarter, noting Canopy products accounted for 74 per cent of cannabis beverage sales in Canada year-to-date.

A self-described recovering beer guy following his tenure at Canopys largest shareholder, booze giant Constellation Brands (STZ)(STZ-B), Klein has been a vocal critic of Health Canadas limits on how pot drinks are sold.

He and others in the industry have argued for purchase limits based on active cannabis ingredients, not the volume of liquid in each container. The Canopy CEO said provincial cannabis authorities hes raised the issue with, including the Ontario Cannabis Store, now support the change. With those parties on side, he now sees the political optics of tweaking federal cannabis rules as the main obstacle.

Every single provincial cannabis lead is on the same page as we are. The question they bring up is, When is the timing right? I think it has as much to do with the political cycle in Canada as anything else, Klein told Yahoo Finance Canada in an interview. I think most people would feel more comfortable doing it in a politically expedient way, whether it's at the right time before or after an election.

Its easy to see why Canopy is pushing for changes. Three out of four products it has on the market come in 355ml cans with about two milligrams of THC per serving. Consumers are limited to five cans per purchase under Health Canadas current rules. Those same rules allow consumers to buy up to nine cans of Canopys strongest 10 milligram of THC per serving drink, because its sold in a smaller 222ml can. Rival Aurora Cannabis (ACB.TO)(ACB) recently put 10 milligrams of drinkable THC in an even smaller bottle. Health Canada lets you buy 42 of those at once.

Story continues

While Ottawa has been quiet on the legal cannabis file for some time now, records show a number of companies in the sector have lobbied the government on pot drinks and edibles. The Cannabis Act, the legislation that ushered in legal recreational cannabis on Oct. 17, 2018, is set to be reviewed in 2021. A report must be tabled in Parliament no later than April 17, 2023.

Asked in June about potential changes to the rules, a Health Canada spokesperson declined to say whether any are being considered.

Like any government, its government inaction. It takes a while to get stuff done, Klein said. I dont know that anybody disagrees with us.

The Smiths Falls, Ont.-based company has placed a far bigger bet on drinks than any of its rivals, with four ready-to-drink products now on the market. It plans to release several more in the coming months, including a new lemon flavoured THC drink under Seth Rogens brand, and a CBD product. The company said on Monday that it doubled its beverage production capacity between June and July, and is set to do so again in August in order to meet demand.

Cowen analyst Vivien Azer said Canopys drinks are off to a better-than-expected start.

The offerings hold over a 75 per cent share of the beverage segment (which [Canopy] estimates accounts for three to four per cent of the total legal adult use market, and would be ahead of the one to two per cent share that we generally see for THC beverages in the U.S., she wrote in a note to clients.



Klein sees pot drinks like his Houseplant grapefruit eventually rivalling the explosive popularity of hard seltzers like White Claw with American consumers as Canopy its expands its product and intellectual property sharing agreements with New York-based Acreage Holdings (ACRG-U.CN)(ACRGF).

Jeff Lagerquist is a senior reporter at Yahoo Finance Canada. Follow him on Twitter @jefflagerquist.

Download the Yahoo Finance app, available for Apple and Android.
Tributes have been coming in across the media and TV industry following the death at the age of 97 of US media mogul Sumner M. Redstone, attributed with coining the phrase content is king.





After US military service where he was a cryptographer, Redstone went on to lead his familys National Amusements company, which begun as a chain of drive-in cinemas, and in 1987 took a controlling stake of the Viacom media group. Redstone led Viacom for nearly 30 years as executive chairman of the board and also held the position of CEO from 1996 until 2005, during which time Viacom merged with CBS Corporation in 2000.Upon the separation of the two companies in December 2005, Redstone served as executive chairman of the boards of CBS and Viacom. In February 2016, Redstone assumed the role of chairman emeritus for both companies.Current CEO and president of the remerged ViacomCBS corporation Bob Bakish described Redstone as a brilliant visionary, operator and dealmaker, who had single-handedly transformed a family-owned drive-in theatre company into a global media portfolio.He was a force of nature and fierce competitor, who leaves behind a profound legacy in both business and philanthropy, Bakish added.  ViacomCBS will remember Sumner for his unparalleled passion to win, his endless intellectual curiosity, and his complete dedication to the company. We extend our deepest sympathies to the Redstone family today.
The ruling Congress party in Rajasthan will stick to its plan of holding a floor test in the forthcoming session of the state assembly despite Sachin Pilot and his band of 18 MLAs returning to its fold, party leaders said on Wednesday.

The day of the floor test will be decided by the business advisory committee which is expected to meet Thursday

Earlier in the day, the Congress MLAs loyal to chief minister Ashok Gehlot returned to Jaipurs Fairmont hotel from Jaisalmer. Pilots flock of MLAs were, however, not invited to Fairmont Hotel, where the Gehlot loyalists will stay till the assembly session starts on August 14, leaders said.

Until two days ago, the Ashok Gehlot-led Congress government was facing a majority crisis in the assembly, but the situation now seems to be under control with the return of rebels.

A senior Congress leader on condition of anonymity said the fact that although the party earlier had the numbers in its favour, it wasnt enough to be in a comfortable zone. The entire political crisis is being witnessed by the public. A message is needed to be sent that the government is safe and promises made will be fulfilled  a floor test would be held for the same, he said.

The leader also said that the BJPs alleged Operation Lotus that sought to topple the government might be on hold for now but it would return.

A floor test by the government will leave no space for such threats for at least next six months. The BJP used all means such as misuse of ED, IT and CBI and horse trading to destabilize the government. Our objective is to save the democracy and the elected government, he said.

AICC general secretary Avinash Pande said, I am happy that the Congress members stood united like a family to serve the people. The Opposition was challenging the majority of the government. We want that they only should ask for a floor trust, rest it is for the business advisory committee to decide.

Political analyst Narayan Bareth said Congress wants to take no risk. The ruling party is still keeping an eye on rebels because they may still not have faith in them. They would also want to convey to the rebels that they arent dependent on them. In addition, the floor test will give them a breather for six months.

BJP MLA and spokesperson Ram Lal Sharma said Congress agenda for convening the assembly session was to remove the rebel MLAs.

No one is aware of the conditions under which they have returned, but it seems that the government was under pressure from the high command and has accepted them, Sharma said.

He said the fight between Gehlot and Pilot is still on and they are working to show each other down. The BJP neither asked nor will ask for a floor test. Let them do whatever they want to do  this is their internal issue, he said.
Michael Ryan, executive director of the World Health Organizations (WHO) Health Emergencies Programme, called for an open mind on Monday when speculating on the source of the global COVID-19 pandemic as case zero might not be from Wuhan.

In a regular briefing of the WHO, Ryan pointed out that the first cluster of COVID-19 were picked up in Wuhan, yet case zero is not always where the first cluster is, but its usually before in time, and might be in another place. Ryan made the remarks citing his 25 years of professional experience.

Ryan said coronavirus is proving it to be exceptionally difficult to detect or stop, but it is important to find the initiation point where the disease crossed the animal-human species barrier.
Renowned Hunterdon County community leader and founder of the annual Clinton Christmas Parade Frank C. Hooper passed away on Aug. 6 at the age of 90.

Hooper was a prominent figure throughout the Clinton area, serving as the grand marshal of the Christmas Parade since its establishment 33 years ago. He spent over 30 years serving as the president of Shive Wright and Exton Insurance Agency in Clinton, throughout which time he was honored by the Clinton Town Council as Citizen of the Year and presented with a key to the town.

Dan Torrone, well-known in Hunterdon County as Dr. D, a personal friend to Hooper who assisted him with the parade since its inception 33 years ago, wrote his obituary.

Frank would leave gigantic footprints in Hunterdon County as one of its most enduring, humble and devoted community leaders and volunteers, he wrote. Frank was involved in so many aspects of community life it would be impossible to mention them all.

Hoopers memory is intertwined with his 1947 White Mack Fire Truck, which made appearances in a countless number of Hunterdon County events throughout the years. The car was often seen outside of schools in Califon, Clinton, and Hampton on Kindergarten students last day of school, and was annually used to collect hundreds of Christmas trees for Clintons yearly Yuletide Bonfire.

A member of the advisory board of the Hunterdon Developmental Center in Clinton for many years, Hooper also loved giving rides in his car to those who attended the organizations annual picnic.

Clinton Mayor Janice Kovach credited Hooper to leaving Clinton with an amazing legacy.

He and his wife both were committed to this community. Everything they did was about Clinton, Kovach said. Hell be remembered always. Every time the parade happens, every time we see a white fire truck, well always remember Frank Hooper.

Beyond his recognition as Citizen of the Year, Hooper was named the Volunteer of the Year by the United Way of Hunterdon County and the Citizen of the Year by the Hunterdon County Chamber of Commerce, for which he served on the board of directors.

My personal involvement with Mr. Hooper was always just a phenomenal experience, said Chris Phelan, president and CEO of the Hunterdon County Chamber of Commerce. The man was so giving, so personable  and especially for the town of Clinton. He just loved the community, and did so much for the business community.

Hooper received a Paul Harris Fellowship from the North Hunterdon Rotary Club and served as the chairman of the first Great Bloomsbury Hot Air Balloon Races. These races would grow to become the New Jersey Festival of Ballooning held in Readington Township, an annual event currently billed as the largest summertime hot air balloon and music festival in North America.

Hooper and his late wife, Joan, were founding members of the Church of the Holy Spirit in Lebanon, which was first established in September 1966 within the Clinton Community Center.

Hooper was born on Sept. 13, 1929 in Massena, New York, and spent his childhood years on a farm property on the banks of the St. Lawrence River on the Canadian border. He attended college at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he would become a member of the monogram club, receiving his letter for Track.

Hooper also served as the president of Class of 1951, although his formal graduation ceremony was delayed after he initiated a prank in which he and a group of other students locked up 50 North Carolina State Troopers in their barracks.

Upon graduating from college, Hooper joined the Army and completed his training at the Infantry Leadership School in Fort Jackson, South Carolina and Officer Candidate School at Fort Bliss, Texas. He served as a Battalion staff officer and Artillery Battery Commander during the Korean War.

After he was discharged, Hooper worked at Sinclair Oil in Augusta, Georgia until he was transferred to the home office at Rockefeller Center in New York City. There, he met his wife-to-be, Joan, at Christmastime in 1956. They married in 1958 and were devoted to each other. She passed away in January 2019.

An avid outdoorsman, Frank and his family vacationed at the Adirondack Mountains in upstate New York every summer. Amongst other activities, he and his late son, William, enjoyed backpacking in the Tetons of Wyoming and the High Sierras in California as well as canoeing across the Yukon River in Canada and the Missouri River in Montana.

In his obituary, Hoopers friend Ron Subber described him as a giant among us without being physically big.

He was the definition of generous. He was everyones role model for living a life fully, Subber said. If you had Frank Hooper as your friend you were indeed lucky.

In an interview with NJ Advance Media, Subber further emphasized how beloved Hooper was throughout the Clinton community and beyond.

I knew Frank for forty years, and I never very heard anybody say one bad thing about him, Subber said. If the world were made up of Frank Hoopers, it would be a better place.

Martha Wood, Subbers wife, labeled Hooper Mr. Clinton, stating he was the heart and soul of a small town.

He got us to do all kinds of great things. He got me to be the first Big Bird in the Christmas parade. And he had this really wild idea to have camels in the Christmas parade and have Ron and I ride on them, Wood said.

He needed somebody to pay for it, Subber laughed.

Frank is survived by his niece Betty Hooper Wroblewski; her husband, Andrew; his nephews Carter and David Hooper; and 10 great-nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his parents William and Primrose; his wife Joan; his daughter Amelia; his son William; and his brothers Laurence and Billy Hooper.

Because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, a public celebration of Hoopers life will be announced at a later date. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to the William Randolph Hooper Foundation Inc. at 15 West Main St. in Clinton in care of the Clinton Christmas Parade.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.

Caroline Fassett may be reached at cfassett@njadvancemedia.com.
Edison, NJ -- (SBWIRE) -- 08/12/2020 -- The Latest research study released by HTF MI "Global Synthetic Dye and Pigment Market" with 100+ pages of analysis on business Strategy taken up by key and emerging industry players and delivers know how of the current market development, landscape, technologies, drivers, opportunities, market viewpoint and status. Understanding the segments helps in identifying the importance of different factors that aid the market growth. Some of the Major Companies covered in this Research are Clariant International, Huntsman, Dupont, DIC, Altana AG, Eckart Gmbh, BASF SE, Kiri Industries & Atul etc.



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Market By Type (Value and Volume from 2019 to 2025) : , Product Type Segmentation, Acidic, Basic, Direct & Mordant



Global Synthetic Dye and Pigment Market by Key Players: Clariant International, Huntsman, Dupont, DIC, Altana AG, Eckart Gmbh, BASF SE, Kiri Industries & Atul

Geographically, this report is segmented into some key Regions, with manufacture, depletion, revenue (million USD), and market share and growth rate of Synthetic Dye and Pigment in these regions, from 2012 to 2022 (forecast), covering China, USA, Europe, Japan, Korea, India, Southeast Asia & South America and its Share (%) and CAGR for the forecasted period 2019 to 2025.



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Chapter 1 Global Synthetic Dye and Pigment Market Business Overview

Chapter 2 Major Breakdown by Type [, Product Type Segmentation, Acidic, Basic, Direct & Mordant]

Chapter 3 Major Application Wise Breakdown (Revenue & Volume)

Chapter 4 Manufacture Market Breakdown

Chapter 5 Sales & Estimates Market Study

Chapter 6 Key Manufacturers Production and Sales Market Comparison Breakdown

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Chapter 8 Manufacturers, Deals and Closings Market Evaluation & Aggressiveness

Chapter 9 Key Companies Breakdown by Overall Market Size & Revenue by Type

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Chapter 11 Business / Industry Chain (Value & Supply Chain Analysis)

Chapter 12 Conclusions & Appendix



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Bombardier Transportation India, Siemens Limited, Alstom Transport India Ltd are the big names among 23 firms that have evinced interest in running private trains on Indian Railways network of more than 100 key routes.

A pre-bid meeting was held by the ministry of railways on Wednesday with the firms. The private firms raised several queries regarding flexibility in clusters, eligibility criteria, bidding process, procurement of trains, fares, operations and Maintenance, officials aware of the development said.

Private players will be given full freedom to decide the fare for the passengers and will be given the option of either purchasing the trains or leasing them in terms of procurement, officials from the Niti Aayog and railway ministry clarified.

The 23 firms who have sought interest in the tender are: Medha Group, ALSTOM Transport India Ltd, state-run BEML Limited, Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL), Bharat Forge, IRCTC Ltd, Bombardier Transportation India, CAF India Pvt. Ltd, Gateway Rail, GMR Infrastructure Ltd, Hind Rectifiers Limited, Iboard India Private Limited, ISQ ASIA Infrastructure investments PTE.LTD, Jasan Infra Private Limited, JKB Infrastructure Pvt Ltd, L&T Infrastructure Development Projects Ltd (L&T IDPL), Medha group, Megha Engineering & Infrastructures Limited (MEIL), National Investment and Infrastructure Fund, PSGG Technologies Pvt Ltd, R.K Associates & Hoteliers Pvt.Ltd, Siemens Limited, Sterlite Power and Titagragh Wagons Limited.

The ministry of railway inter alia emphasised that complete freedom will be given to private partner in terms of procurement of trains - can either be purchased or taken on lease. MoR also clarified that risks with regard to operation of trains shall be allocated to the parties best suited to manage them. MoR also informed that the private entity shall have the freedom to decide on the fare to be charged from its passengers, the ministry said on Wednesday.

As part of the Bidding Process, MoR conducted the second Pre-Application Conference on August 12 which received an over-whelming positive response, with participation from about 23 prospective Applicants with varied profiles. Applicants queries with regard to the definition of Gross Revenue were also addressed. Regarding haulage charges, MoR informed the indicative haulage charges @ 512.31 per train km for 2019-20 with indexation, the ministry added.

The railway ministry on July 1 began the formal process of allowing private trains on 109 routes - a process that aims to, for the first time, to open up one of the governments most prominent enterprises that has in recent decades been outpaced by the demands of a rapidly growing economy.

The ministry issued what is known as a request for qualification (RFQ) private companies to run 151 trains spread over these routes, laying down specific conditions that will need to be met in a move that is meant to introduce modern technologies and world class services for one of Indias most popular modes of transport.

The private partners will be selected through a two-stage competitive bidding process comprising Request for Qualification (RFQ) and Request for Proposal (RFP). The first pre-Application Conference was held on July 21. Post the first pre-application conference, ministry of railways reduced the RFQ fee by one tenth for participating in more than one project, removed restriction of up to 3 projects per bidder and clarified that leasing of trains is allowed. The ministry has also shared traffic data, draft concession agreement, draft feasibility report and draft manual for standards and specifications of trains.

The railways plans to introduce private trains on its network in phases, with the first dozen due to start running in the 2023-24 financial year and all 151 by 2027. According to the railway ministrys projections, the transporter will select the companies that will run the private trains by April 2021; the first 12 are expected to start plying by 2023-24, followed by 45 more in FY 2024-25, the next 50 in FY 2025-26 and the last 44 by 2026-27.

The ministry plans to run the trains along 12 clusters across Indian Railwayss network. It has planned two clusters each in Delhi and Mumbai, and one cluster each in Secunderabad, Chennai, Howrah, Jaipur, Prayagraj, Chandigarh, Bengaluru, and Patna.

According to the ministry, the planned investment will come to around 30,000 crore, and a majority of the rakes (70%) will have to be manufactured in India; private entities cleared to run the train services shall be responsible for financing, procuring, operating and maintaining the trains.

The trains will be designed to run at a maximum speed of 160 kmph. The ministry expects a reduction in journey time by around 10-15% at 130 kmph and around 30% at 160 kmph. Initially, they will run at 130 kmph and are slated to run at 160 kmph by March 2024.

The private entity shall pay to Indian Railways fixed haulage charges, energy charges as per actual consumption and a share in gross revenue determined through a transparent bidding process. The railways is expected to receive total haulage charges of around 3,000 crore per annum from operation of these 151 trains.

The railways is currently undergoing losses in the passenger segment, and the national carrier aims to meet its expenditure through a minimum guaranteed cost that the private train operator will have to pay to the national carrier.
Joe Biden has named California junior senator Kamala Harris as his running mate Tuesday, making her the first woman of color to appear in a major political party's presidential ticket.

"I've decided that Kamala Harris is the best person to help me take this fight to Trump and Mike Pence and then to lead this nation starting in January 2021," Biden said in an email.

According to CNN, Biden and Harris are set to appear side by side for the first time for a speech Wednesday in Delaware. It is not yet clear what time the speech will take place.

In choosing Harris, Biden chose to add a former rival to the Democratic ticket. Harris was unsuccessful in her bid last year for the White House, noted Los Angeles Times.

She centered her former campaign on her readiness to take on Donald Trump and show Americans that she would fight for them.

Who is Kamala Harris?

Harris has been widely seen as the front-runner in becoming Biden's vice presidential pick before the announcement was made.

New York Times said in their report that Harris is the daughter of two immigrant academics. Her mother is Indian-American while her father is from Jamaica.

She was raised in California and attended Howard University in Washington. She worked in criminal justice before becoming the second Black woman to ever be elected to the Senate.

She worked as California attorney general and had four years of experience in the U.S. Senate.

Her credentials make her among the most conventionally qualified of the women under consideration as Biden's running mate. The pool, in itself, is thought of as the most diverse crop of contenders ever.

"I need someone working alongside me who is smart, tough, and ready to lead. Kamala is that person," Biden said.

She memorably drew sharp contrasts with Biden in the past. But the decision to have her as running mate would say that the former vice president has set aside their friction, reported Fox News.

Who Did Biden Consider?

Biden had told before that he was considering picking a woman to join him in the Democratic ticket. Harris, 55, is now the third woman to be a VP pick for a major political party.

Those who came before her are Geraldine Ferraro, Democratic pick in 1984, and Sarah Palin, Republican pick in 2008.

Before her selection, though, the process that Biden went through unfolded at utmost secrecy. He met with some 11 women for the post. According to CNN's sources, he and his aides spent some time on Tuesday making calls to the prospects he did not choose.

The calls include California Rep. Karen Bass, Georgia Democrat Stacey Abrams, Illinois Sen. Tammy Duckworth, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and Florida Rep. Val Demings.

Harris and former Obama national security adviser Susan Rice were among those seen as the most serious prospects.

Biden, 77, is aware that voters are concerned with his age. In picking Harris, who is 20 years younger, he believed he became "a bridge" to a new slate of Democratic leaders.

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The share of Japanese carmakers in Korea's import market in the first seven months fell from 20.3 percent last year to 7.9 percent this year, while German automakers' rose from 52.1 percent to 62 percent.

According to the Korea Automobile Importers and Distributors Association, Japanese automakers' sales from January to July plummeted 55.4 percent on-year. Over the same period, total sales of imported cars rose 14.9 percent.

Japanese car sales have plunged here due to a continued boycott by consumers here and the coronavirus epidemic.

Industry watchers blame the ongoing boycott against Japanese products in protest against Tokyo's trade curbs. But they also say that Toyota, Honda and Nissan are falling behind their rivals in terms of product competitiveness.

Genesis' high-end G80 and GV80 sedans have been huge successes here since their release earlier this year, while Tesla's cheapest electric car, the Model 3, also achieved strong sales when it finally became available here. Japanese automakers by contrast lacked eye-catching new products.

Unable to tolerate further losses, Nissan announced in May that it will pull out of the Korean market altogether. It offered up to W15 million discounts and succeeded in emptying its entire inventory of 824 cars excluding the high-end Infiniti brand (US$1=W1,185).

Toyota and Honda are also offering hefty discounts, but there are no signs of sales improvements. Toyota (including Lexus) saw sales plummet 24.4 percent in July compared to the previous month, while Honda's sales dropped 0.8 percent to just 129 cars despite the introduction of a new model.

Neither intends to pull out. Rather, Toyota continues to invest in its operations in Korea, rolling out six new models in the first half of this year and refurbishing showrooms and service centers in Bundang, Suwon and Wonju.

They are also appealing to Korean customers in other ways. Honda Korea gave W100 million to the Korean Red Cross on Monday to help flood victims, while Toyota donated W100 million to the Korea Disaster Relief Association.
US President Donald Trump said US generals had told him the powerful explosions in Beirut may have been caused by a 'bomb of some kind'

President Donald Trump said Tuesday that US generals had told him that the powerful explosions which rocked Beirut appeared to have been caused by a "bomb of some kind."

"It looks like a terrible attack," Trump told reporters at the White House.

"It would seem like it, based on the explosion. I met with some of our great generals and they just seemed to feel that it was," he said.

"This was not some kind of a manufacturing explosion type of event. It seems to be, according to them -- they would know better than I would -- but they seem to think it was an attack.

"It was a bomb of some kind, yes."

Lebanese officials have not described the explosions which rocked the capital as an attack.

Prime Minister Hassan Diab said 2,750 tonnes of the agricultural fertilizer ammonium nitrate that had been stored for years in a Beirut portside warehouse had blown up, sparking "a disaster in every sense of the word."

"What happened today will not pass without accountability," said Diab. "Those responsible for this catastrophe will pay the price."

General Security chief Abbas Ibrahim said "highly explosive material" that had been confiscated years earlier had been stored in the warehouse.

According to the Lebanese health ministry, at least 73 people were killed and 3,700 injured across wide parts of the country's biggest city.

Asked about Trump's remarks, a Pentagon spokesman told AFP "we don't have anything for you" and "you will have to reach out to the White House for clarification."

Trump offered US assistance to Lebanon.

"Our prayers go out to all the victims and their families," he said. "The United States stands ready to assist Lebanon.

"We have a very good relationship with the people of Lebanon and we will be there to help."

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, who has been receiving intelligence briefings since last month, also reacted to the Beirut blast but did not describe it as an attack.

Story continues

"Our hearts and prayers are with the people of Lebanon, and the victims of the horrific explosion in Beirut," Biden said in a tweet.

"I urge both the Trump Administration and international community to immediately mobilize assistance to the thousands injured in the blast," he said.

cl/dw
By Express News Service

HYDERABAD: A Covid-19 positive patient undergoing treatment in a hospital at Malakpet on Tuesday killed himself, afraid that the infection would finally kill him anyway. The 58-year-old patient belonging to Karimnagar district, was admitted to the hospital on August 6 morning.

In a similar incident, a 45-year-old suspected Covid-19 patient was found dead at her Jeedimetla residence.

In the first case, the man was a retired Singareni employee from Karimnagar district who also had diabetes. On August 6, he got admitted to the hospital at Malakpet. He was lodged in a room on the fifth floor of the hospital. In the wee hours of Tuesday, he hanged himself.

The Jeedimetla woman had been suffering from fever for the past four days. Though doctors diagnosed her aliment as malaria, she was worried that she had contracted Covid-19. On Tuesday morning, her son, who returned home from night duty, found her hanging.

At least 14 people in the State have killed themselves in the last five months, suspecting they have Covid-19. According to B Dhanalakshmi, who heads the Hussainsagar Lake Police team, at least 40 people tried to attempt suicide by drowning themselves in July. In one unfortunate incident, a 34-year-old man who jumped into the lake and died suspected he had been infected by Coronavirus, Dhanalakshmi said.

The reason for death was not the virus, but health anxiety or hypochondria wherein a patient is obsessed with the idea of having a serious but undiagnosed medical condition. Health experts suggest that symptoms of hypochondria can worsen if the person is excessively worried about his financial status, health and the current scenario.

The question: What if Covid-19 infects me or anyone in my family? daunts the person. Sometimes, the person goes to the extreme of killing himself, says M Uma Shankar, Superintendent of Institute of Mental Health, Erragadda. Last week, a woman who was depressed over her husbands demise due to Covid-19, hanged herself at Yellareddyguda in Ameerpet.

Google search for death in Telangana has become more frequent in the last five months than in five years. Also, searches for terms like depression and anxiety have risen. According to the Lake Police, suicidal people who were rescued are citing financial debt.

Several doctors from private hospitals in the city told Express, Many people are not sick. Its all in their head. A senior Otorhinolaryngologist from Apollo Hospital who wished not to be named said, The recurrence of suspected illness in patients is increasing. I am seeing many patients who come up with imaginary pains. They also keep changing doctors to confirm if there is nothing wrong with them.

(If you are having suicidal thoughts, or are worried about a friend or need emotional support, someone is always there to listen. Call Sneha Foundation - 04424640050 (available 24x7) or iCall, the Tata Institute of Social Sciences' helpline - 02225521111, which is available Monday to Saturday from 8 am to 10 pm.)
WATKINSVILLE, Ga., Aug. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Oconee Financial Corporation (OTCQX: OSBK), (the "Company"), the holding company for Oconee State Bank (the "Bank"), today announced that it has completed the private placement of $10 million in fixed-to-floating rate subordinated notes due August 7, 2030 (the "Notes") to institutional accredited investors. Oconee Financial Corporation intends to use the net proceeds from this placement to support organic growth, and for general corporate purposes.

The Notes have been structured to qualify as Tier 2 capital for the Company for regulatory purposes and will bear interest at a fixed rate of 6.00% per annum until August 7, 2025. For the remainder of the term, the subordinated notes, which mature on August 7, 2030, will bear interest at a rate equal to 3-month Secured Overnight Financing Rate ("SOFR") plus 596 basis points. The subordinated notes are redeemable by the Company at its option, in whole or in part, on or after August 7, 2025, or in whole or in part from time to time under certain other circumstances.

President and Chief Executive Officer Neil Stevens remarked: "We are pleased to announce the successful completion of this capital raise. This debt at the holding company can be downstreamed to the bank as equity capital without the dilutive impact of issuing new shares of stock. While the Bank is well-capitalized by regulatory standards, we believe this transaction provides an additional source of capital strength should our borrowers be more negatively impacted than we currently anticipate. In addition, should our current expectations be correct, this capital will give us the flexibility to continue to grow and to be essential to the lives, businesses and communities we serve."

Performance Trust Capital Partners, LLC served as the sole placement agent for the offering. Alston & Bird LLP served as legal counsel to the Company, and Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP served as legal counsel to the placement agent.

About Oconee Financial Corporation

Oconee Financial Corporation is headquartered in Watkinsville, Georgia and operates four full-service branches and one limited-service loan production office, through its wholly-owned subsidiary Oconee State Bank. At June 30, 2020, Oconee Financial Corporation had assets of $469 million.

In February 2020, Oconee State Bank celebrated 60 years of service and continues to be the only locally owned and operated community bank headquartered in Oconee County. Oconee State Bank has proudly served the local community, providing an unparalleled commitment to personalized service, innovative products and solutions, and strives to bring exceptional value to our customers through local ownership, involvement and decision-making. We continuously strive to create remarkable experiences that significantly mark the lives of others.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements about the offering. Forward- looking statements include statements regarding anticipated future events and can be identified by the fact that they do not relate strictly to historical or current facts. They often include words such as "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," and "intend" or future or conditional verbs such as "will," "would," "should," "could," or "may." Forward-looking statements, by their nature, are subject to risks and uncertainties. Certain factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from expected results include increased competitive pressures, changes in the interest rate environment, general economic conditions or conditions within the securities markets, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our business and the businesses of our customers, including the impact of the actions taken by governmental authorities to contain the virus or address the impact of the virus on the United States economy (including, without limitation, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security ("CARES" Act)), and the resulting effect of all of such items on our operations, liquidity and capital position, and on the financial condition of our borrowers and other customers, and legislative and regulatory changes that could adversely affect the business in which the Company and the Bank are engaged.

SOURCE Oconee Financial Corporation
Citizens pass by a notice of a temporary shutdown posted at the entrance of Lotteria's Seoul Station branch, Wednesday. At least 11 Lotteria employees have tested positive for COVID-19 since the previous day. / Yonhap



By Jun Ji-hye



A COVID-19 group infection broke out among Lotteria employees, affecting at least 11 who attended a managerial meeting, health authorities said Wednesday, noting that they are bracing for additional cases traced to Lotte Group's fast-food chain.



This is reigniting concerns over a possible spike in the number of new infections in the country, as the infections involving Lotteria came at the same times as cases traced to a local church have continued to increase.



According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC), about 20 Lotteria employees including managers of some branches had dinner together on Aug. 6 to discuss measures to improve performance.





Lotteria case raises alert over additional infections in greater Seoul area New virus cases above 50 for 2nd day S. Korea reports 54 new coronavirus infections One of the participants who is a resident in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, was confirmed to have COVID-19 Tuesday, and three more participants who reside in Seoul tested positive later that day.



The KCDC said seven more meeting participants tested positive for the virus as of 6 p.m. Wednesday.



The authorities are carrying out an epidemiological investigation into the cases.



"We are working to determine the exact infection route and other people who came into contact with those infected," a KCDC official said, noting that the participants of the meeting did not wear face masks.



Lotteria shut down some branches,including the Seoul Station branch, to disinfect them.



Adding to the woes is a continuous increase in the number of virus patients traced to a church in Goyang.



The church added one more infection as of noon Wednesday, raising its related caseload to 34.



Infections traced to the church have already spread to Namdaemun Market, one of the most popular tourist attractions in Seoul, as well as to daycare centers.




SECOND QUARTER 2020 RESULTS

CALGARY, AB / ACCESSWIRE / August 12, 2020 / Valeura Energy Inc. (TSX:VLE, LSE:VLU) ("Valeura" or the "Company"), the upstream natural gas company focused on the Thrace Basin of Turkey, reports its financial and operating results for the three and six month periods ended June 30, 2020.

Highlights from Q2 2020

A safe quarter, with no serious incidents and no reported cases of COVID-19 among Valeura personnel or contractors;

Resumption of normal office work and preparations underway to resume field operations in Q3, as pandemic-related restrictions are eased, but the Company remains vigilant to the COVID-19 situation;

A strong financial position, with net working capital surplus of US$33.2 million at June 30, 2020 (including US$30.5 million cash), and no debt;

Average Q2 2020 production of 561 boe/d which increased to at exit rate of 672 boe/d;

Realised prices unchanged on a Turkish Lira basis, equating to US$6.24/Mcf;

Revenue of US$1.9 million and average operating netbacks of US$18.33 per boe (excluding one-off costs for testing Devepinar-1 from operating costs);

Completion of a thorough desktop study of opportunities in the Company's conventional gas production business, with a development drilling programme expected to commence late 2020/early 2021; and

Extension of Valeura's three exploration licences at Banarli and West Thrace until June 27, 2022, and the engagement of Stellar Energy Advisors Limited with a mandate to secure a partner for the deep tight gas play.

Sean Guest, President and CEO commented:

"I am pleased to report a quarter that demonstrates the resilience of our business. We exited Q2 with our conventional gas production business ramping back up to volumes in the range of 672 Mcf/d, a continuing strong financial position, and fresh extensions to our key exploration licenses.

Despite the challenging circumstances the global oil and gas industry has faced during the last several months, our strategy remains intact and poised to deliver value for shareholders. We are resuming activities to improve the efficiency of our conventional gas business and are focused on increasing production to maximise value. We have a unique opportunity to layer inorganic growth into our strategy and are actively pursuing opportunities to build production growth from new sources. We continue to see our deep tight gas play as a key part of our long-term value story and have started our search for a new partner, while preparing in the background to resume appraisal activities, with new well locations selected, and extensions granted for our key exploration licences."

Financial and Operating Results Summary

Three Months Ended June 30, 2020 Three Months Ended March 31, 2020 Six Months Ended June 30, 2020 Three Months Ended June 30, 2019 Six Months Ended June 30, 2019 Financial (thousands of US$ except share amounts) Petroleum and natural gas revenues 1,918 2,808 4,726 2,440 5,358 Adjusted funds flow (1) 339 52 391 774 1,115 Net loss from operations (1,899) (192) (2,901) (1,603) (3,913) Exploration and development capital 1,734 1,882 3,616 3,050 7,323 Net working capital surplus 33,231 34,054 33,231 39,825 39,825 Cash 30,469 32,554 30,469 38,536 38,536 Common shares outstanding Basic Diluted 86,584,989 94,988,323 86,584,989 94,988,323 86,584,989 94,988,323 86,584,989 92,406,655 86,584,989 92,406,655 Share trading (CDN$) High Low Close 0.44 0.23 0.32 0.65 0.20 0.23 0.65 0.20 0.32 3.16 2.09 2.32 3.99 2.09 2.32 Operations Production Crude oil (barrels ("bbl")/d) 18 17 17 - 10 Natural Gas (one thousand cubic feet ("Mcf")/d) 3,260 4,200 3,730 4,202 4,344 boe/d 561 716 639 700 734 Average reference price Brent ($ per bbl) BOTAS Reference ($ per Mcf) (2) 29.70 6.37 50.44 7.17 40.24 6.76 - 6.49 66.07 6.79 Average realised price Crude oil ($ per bbl) Natural gas ($ per Mcf) 41.65 6.24 65.22 7.08 53.25 6.71 - 6.38 69.56 6.65 Average Operating Netback ($ per boe) (1) 15.27 24.95 20.70 21.34 23.40

Notes:

See the Company's Management's Discussion and Analysis for the three and six months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019 filed on SEDAR for further discussion.

(1) The above table includes non-GAAP measures, which may not be comparable to other companies. Adjusted funds flow is calculated as net income (loss) for the period adjusted for non-cash items in the statement of cash flows. Operating netback is calculated as petroleum and natural gas sales less royalties, production expenses and transportation.

(2) BOTAS regularly posts prices and its Level-2 Wholesale Tariff benchmark is shown herein as a reference price. See the Company's Annual Information Form for the year ended December 31, 2019 (the "AIF") filed on SEDAR for further discussion.

Net petroleum and natural gas sales in Q2 2020 averaged 561 boe/d, approximately 7% higher than the preliminary production figure disclosed in the Company's July 13, 2020 trading update announcement. Q2 production was 20% lower than Q2 2019, and 22% lower than Q1 2020 as a result of reduced customer demand for natural gas due to lower industrial activity caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and Turkish national holidays during the period. Production volumes have since recovered as industrial activity in Turkey normalises, resulting in an exit rate for Q2 of 672 boe/d.

Price realisations in Q2 2020 were effectively unchanged from Q1 2020 on a Turkish Lira basis. When expressed in US dollars this equates to US$6.24/Mcf, which is 2% lower than in Q2 2019, and 12% lower than the first quarter of 2020. Subsequent to the end of the quarter, BOTAS lowered Turkey's natural gas reference price (Turkish lira basis) by 10%, effective July 1, 2020.

Production revenue in Q2 2020 was US$1.9 million, a decrease of 21% relative to Q2 2019, and a decrease of 32% from Q1 2020. The decrease reflects the combined impact of lower production during the quarter and reduced gas price realisations, when expressed in US dollars.

Exploration and development capital spending was US$1.7 million in Q2 2020 comprised primarily of costs associated with drilling two shallow exploration commitment wells, Kuzey Atakoy-4 and Bati Sariyer-1 resulting in spending which was 8% less than the prior quarter.

Valeura's reported average operating netback in Q2 2020 was US$15.27/boe, which reflects the inclusion of one-off costs for production testing of the Devepinar-1 well as an operating expense (a requirement due to the well having associated proved plus probable (2P) reserves). If the one-off costs for testing Devepinar-1 were removed from operating costs, the Q2 2020 average operating netback would have been US$18.33/boe, which is 14% lower than Q2 of 2019, and 27% lower than Q1 2020, largely driven by the reduction in the realised price.

As of June 30, 2020, the Company had a net working capital surplus of US$33.2 million compared to US$34.1 million at March 31, 2020 primarily due to capital expenditure incurred in connection with drilling two shallow exploration commitment wells.

Strategy Update

Valeura is pursuing a three-pronged strategy intended to leverage the Company's assets, financial strength, and differentiated capabilities, toward delivering shareholder value. This strategy is crafted to provide immediate stability through the conventional gas production business, near- and mid-term growth through inorganic opportunities, and exposure to substantial long-term upside through the Company's tight gas play.

Conventional gas production business

Valeura intends to maximise the efficiency and near-term value of its producing conventional gas business through operations focused at converting reserves into production.

The Company's efforts to maintain gas production over the last two years has been both technically and commercially successful. Prior to the impact of COVID-19 related restrictions, Valeura's programme of well workovers and reperforations more than offset natural declines and generated an increase in production. Individual investments have generally delivered payback in the order of a few weeks or months. With most personnel now returning to normal work, the Company will resume this programme starting in Q3 2020 and will also conduct production testing to confirm the commerciality of its two recently drilled exploration wells.

The Company sees potential for further activity as it continues to commercialise its 7.9 million boe of 2P reserves, the majority of which relate to its conventional gas production business, and which were valued at US$66.1 million (net present value of future net revenue discounted at 10% after deducted taxes) as of December 31, 2019 by its external, independent reserves evaluator. During Q2 2020, Valeura completed a thorough desktop study of existing opportunities in its conventional gas business, which confirmed an inventory of 12 higher priority drilling locations that could be drilled in the near term. Several of these near-term locations will be submitted shortly to regulators for permitting, and the Company anticipates resuming an active development drilling programme around the end of 2020 or early 2021, subject to permits and procurement of requisite equipment and services.

Inorganic growth

Valeura is actively seeking opportunities to grow its business through the mergers and acquisitions market.

With an enviable financial position including US$33.2 million in working capital and no debt, the Company has capacity to layer in inorganic growth as part of its forward strategy. Valeura has engaged RBC Capital Markets to support certain deal opportunities and continues to believe conditions are favourable for the current environment to continue generating a flow of potential M&A targets.

In keeping with the management team's international expertise, the Company is focusing on the greater Mediterranean region, and has a strong preference for assets that generate near-term cash flow and provide opportunities for further development to ensure follow-on organic growth.

Deep gas upside

Valeura is continuing to pursue appraisal of its very large deep tight gas play.

Management regards the tight gas play as a core constituent of the Company's portfolio, and a material upside value proposition for shareholders. The government has recently approved extensions to its key exploration licences through to June 27, 2022, which offers ample time for the next phase of appraisal that in turn could position additional licence extensions of four years.

Valeura has a clear vision for how to execute the next phase of appraisal after having now integrated the significant learnings from the drilling and testing of the Inanli-1 and Devepinar-1 wells. The Company has observed that the best reservoir quality in all wells is encountered in the upper few hundred metres of the Kesan Formation. However, the best gas flow results have been achieved deeper in the wells, where the gas is very dry and flows without condensate and minimal water - as seen in the first production test in Inanli-1 at approximately 4,275 metres. The next appraisal wells will target sweet spots which have both of these characteristics; in particular, locations that are closer to the centre of the basin where the high quality reservoir at the top of the Kesan Formation is deeper, and therefore within the dry gas maturity window. Final well locations within this broader area will then focus on regions of more intense natural fracturing, as interpreted on 3D seismic data.

Well locations are currently being prepared for submission to the government for environmental approval to allow for drilling in the first half of 2021, along with joint venture partners.

Valeura intends to farm out a portion of its interest in the deep gas play, and has engaged Stellar Energy Advisors Limited, with a mandate to secure a partner with technical and commercial expertise suited to a tight gas appraisal play of this magnitude. The Company anticipates this process will run from late Q3 through at least Q4 2020. With the addition of a new partner, Valeura will be poised to resume appraisal activities rapidly.

Organisation Structure and COO Retirement

Valuera has adjusted its corporate organisation and reporting structure to enhance the efficiency of its production operations by delegating more autonomy to the in-country team. These changes are intended to free up senior management resources and reduce costs at the corporate centre, while equipping the local team to be nimble and decisive in executing day-to-day operations. This adjustment also creates a distributed organisational model which can be replicated for other potential assets in the future.

In connection with these changes, the Company has appointed a new Turkey Country Manager, and Valeura's Chief Operating Officer ("COO") Peter Sider, has opted to retire. Mr. Sider assumed the role of COO in Q4 2019 in order to ensure smooth ongoing operations during a busy phase of operations, after having previously held other senior roles with the Company. His contribution has led to a safe and reliable performance on both conventional production enhancement activities as well as the technically challenging deep unconventional testing programme. The directors and management team are all greatly appreciative for Mr. Sider's tireless efforts.

Annual Meeting

Valeura will hold an annual and special meeting of shareholders (the "Meeting") today, August 12, 2020 at 09:00 (Calgary time) in the Calgary Petroleum Club, 319-5th Ave. S.W., Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The meeting will include a business update presentation by Sean Guest, President and Chief Executive Officer.

The Company will be following all public health recommendations, including social distancing requirements at the Meeting due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Physical access will be restricted to registered shareholders and formally appointed proxyholders and any others will not be permitted to attend (including beneficial shareholders that hold their common shares through a broker or other intermediary).

Rather than attending in person, shareholders are strongly encouraged to listen to the Meeting proceedings via live webcast using the following link:

https://produceredition.webcasts.com/starthere.jsp?ei=1341355&tp_key=64b800beb7

For further information, please contact:

Valeura Energy Inc. (General and Investor Enquiries) +1 403 237 7102

Sean Guest, President and CEO

Heather Campbell, CFO

Robin Martin, Investor Relations Manager

Contact@valeuraenergy.com, IR@valeuraenergy.com

Canaccord Genuity Limited (Corporate Broker) +44 (0) 20 7523 8000

Henry Fitzgerald-O'Connor, James Asensio

CAMARCO (Public Relations, Media Adviser) +44 (0) 20 3757 4980

Owen Roberts, Monique Perks, Hugo Liddy, Billy Clegg

Valeura@camarco.co.uk

Please click on or paste the following URL into your web browser to view the announcement in full:

http://www.rns-pdf.londonstockexchange.com/rns/8923V_1-2020-8-12.pdf

This information is provided by RNS, the news service of the London Stock Exchange. RNS is approved by the Financial Conduct Authority to act as a Primary Information Provider in the United Kingdom. Terms and conditions relating to the use and distribution of this information may apply. For further information, please contact rns@lseg.com or visit www.rns.com.

SOURCE: Valeura Energy Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/601294/Valeura-Energy-Inc-Announces-Q2-2020-Financial-and-Operating-Results
Will Smith's 90s sitcom "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" is about to have a reboot. However, it will have a different take.

The comedy series is about a Philadelphia kid who was forced to move in with his rich uncle, who lives in the posh neighborhood of Bel-Air. Nonetheless, the new version is set to have a grittier, darker and more dramatic plot that is far from the original show's comical vibe.

Will Smith Returns to "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" Reboot

According to Hollywood Reporter, the five-time Golden Globe nominee will be the show's executive producer via Westbrook Studios. He will fulfill the role alongside Quincy Jones, Benny Medina and creators Andy and Susan Borowitz.

Aside from the original series producers, Westbrook Studios' Terence Carter and Miguel Melendez were also attached to executive produce the film. Smith's company and Universal Television are responsible for the production.

Furthermore, the new project will reportedly be co-written and directed by Kansas City filmmaker and "Fresh Prince" superfan Morgan Cooper.

"Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" Reboot Inspiration

The dramatic reboot came after Cooper created a reimagined short film drama in 2019 which went viral on Youtube.

Titled as "Bel-Air," the trailer had the tagline "What would happen if Will Smith made The Fresh Prince today? Bel-Air, a story of a kid from Philly whose life got turned upside-down... in 2019." It gained over 5 million views on the platform alone.

Moreover, this also caught the attention of Will Smith and praised Cooper for having the "brilliant idea" of a "dramatic version of The Fresh Prince for the next generation."

Aside from the new retelling of the beloved '90s sitcom, it will also reportedly highlight social issues like racism in the U.S. and the emotions and biases of living as a Black man in a well-off neighborhood like Bel-Air.

The hit show aired from 1990-1996 and ran for six seasons on NBC. It starred James Avery, Alfonso Ribeiro, Karyn Parsons, Tatyana M. Ali, Joseph Marcell, Janet Hubert-Whitten, Daphne Maxwell Reid and Smith as the original cast.

"Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" was also the breakthrough project for the Grammy Award winner, catapulting him to stardom.

Following Will Smith's successful stint on the show, he landed several movies such as the 1996 epic science fiction action film "Independence Day," the blockbuster hit film "Men in Black," "Ali," "Bad Boys" franchises, and the 2007 post-apocalyptic action thriller movie "I Am Legend."

On the other hand, Hollywood Reporter cited that as of now, there are no details regarding where the series will be shown. However, it's being shopped to multiple streaming giants such as HBO Max, where the original sitcom can be seen currently.

"Sources tell The Hollywood Reporter that Peacock, Netflix, and HBO Max are among the streamers who are bidding on the potential series. HBO Max is the current streaming home for the original series."

READ MORE: Daughter of New York Giants Co-Owner Dead at 36 -- Tragic Cause of Death Revealed
DEKRA's stature as the world's largest vehicle testing company, is due to its high-quality and consistent process serving consumer and commercial vehicles around the globe. DEKRA experts inspect more than 27 million vehicles each year.

"We are thrilled to have been commissioned by the State of Jalisco to open our first facilities in the Mexican market," said DEKRA AMERICAS President and Chief Regional Officer Bert Zoetbrood. "Sixty-one percent of assigned vehicle verification lines commissioned by the Jalisco Ministry of Environment and Territorial Development went to DEKRA. We look forward to working with our new partners in Mexico and in helping improve the air quality in the areas we will serve."

The Mexico launch is the result of a collaboration with global specialists and the same vehicle inspection team that today runs the largest private emission check operations in the U.S.

"The success we've had in the U.S. proves we represent the industry gold standard for maintaining vehicle compliance in every region we serve. We expect to bring that same diligence and quality of service to our new clients in Mexico," said Peter Villari, Managing Director of Vehicle Inspection at DEKRA who is helping lead the effort. The government of Jalisco will brand the six new stations and DEKRA will operate them.

DEKRA's emissions testing ensures that the exhaust emissions of diesel engines or gasoline engines with regulated or unregulated catalytic convertors meet all reference values using state-of-the-art gas analyzers and opacimeters. The tests identify and eliminate any deviation in the vehicle's exhaust system. The result: emissions are reduced and pollution prevented.

"DEKRA offers emission and safety inspection services for a wide range of vehicles, which means that no matter the size or kind of fleet, our service will be comprehensive," said Clemens Klinke, Member of the Board of Management of DEKRA SE.

As a member of the Under2 Coalition, the State of Jalisco is committed to reducing emissions by 80-95 percent by 2050. "We are pleased to play a major role in Jalisco's ongoing story of improving the climate for the country and the public health of its citizens," Klinke said.

About DEKRA NORTH AMERICA:

DEKRA NORTH AMERICA protects people, assets, and our community by providing comprehensive testing, inspection, certification and consulting services around the globe. DEKRA NORTH AMERICA is a service unit of DEKRA S.E., a global leader in safety since 1925 with over 45,000 employees in 60 countries across all six continents.

SOURCE DEKRA NORTH AMERICA

Related Links

https://www.dekra.us


New Delhi, Aug 12 : Putting their political differences aside, BJP leaders on Wednesday mourned the sudden demise of Congress spokesperson Rajiv Tyagi.

Tyagi (53) passed away on Wednesday evening after suffering a cardiac arrest. The Congress leader had attended a television debate at 5 p.m. and complained of chest pain soon after the programme ended. He then fell unconscious and was rushed to the Yashoda Hospital, where doctors pronounced him dead.

BJP's national media head Anil Baluni referred to Tyagi as a "brother" and a "passionate" leader.

"Shocked by the news of the sudden demise of Congress spokesperson Rajeev Tyagi ji. He was a very intimate and passionate person," Baluni said.

BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra, with whom Tyagi was involved in an animated debate hours before his death, was also left shocked. "I can't believe that my friend Rajiv Tyagi is not with us, he was in a debate with me at 5 pm. Life is uncertain. I don't have words," tweeted Patra.
Most Bay Area schools are heading back to class remotely over the next few weeks as the coronavirus pandemic keeps their campuses shuttered for at least the first part of the fall.

Here are the answers to some common questions about the new school year.

Distance learning in the spring was widely viewed as a disaster. Will things be better this fall?

Most teachers and school officials would answer this with a resounding yes. The switch to distance learning in March was unexpected and chaotic, with no time to prepare. The pandemic upended the entire education system overnight. With some experience and time under their belts, district officials say this fall will be better, more organized and still not perfect. Families in Oakland saw a lot of technology glitches and other issues when school started Monday and many children still are without devices or internet. And its expected that struggling students and those with special needs will continue to struggle the most. So, better? Yes. Ideal? No.

How many hours of live instruction will students have?

This was a big issue in the spring, with many students having no live online interaction with teachers. Surveys have consistently shown parents want more live instruction this fall. But this will be dictated by labor agreements between districts and teachers. While new state law requires live daily interaction, no minimum amount of time is specified. Some districts are setting minimums or maximums for live instruction. San Francisco teachers will need to do a minimum of two hours each day  although that could include small group instruction or full-class sessions.

How many hours a day of work will students have?

State law dictates the amount of time students need to be in school, which varies by grade level. Legislators reduced the requirement for instructional minutes to provide more flexibility for districts during distance learning. Instructional minutes can include live instruction, time spent on student assignments, reading time or other educational activities.

For the 2020-21 school year, the minimum amount of instruction is:

 180 minutes for kindergarten (down from 200)

 230 minutes for grades 1-3 (down from 280)

 240 minutes for grades 4-12 (down from 300 for grades 4-8 and 360 for high school)

Paul Chinn/The Chronicle

How many hours a day will teachers have to work?

This will vary based on distance learning labor agreements between districts and teachers unions. In the spring, some districts reduced the teacher workday to four hours from 7.5. In many districts these labor talks are still ongoing and, in some cases, local unions are pushing for a five-hour day while district officials are asking for the full day required in the contract.

What if we want to homeschool or create a micro-school pod until public schools fully reopen?

Californias compulsory education laws require students to be enrolled in school from age 6 to 18 (those 16 and 17 who have graduated from high school are exempt). So whether you homeschool or create a pod, these arrangements would have to adhere to state laws regarding registering a private school or homeschool. For more information, go to the California Department of Educations Schooling at Home webpage.

Why are some schools in the state reopening but not others?

In general, local school boards have control over this. Currently, however, Gov. Gavin Newsom has mandated that schools cannot open if their county is on the state watch list because of high COVID-19 rates and hospitalizations, among other factors. A county must be off the state list for 14 consecutive days before schools can consider reopening to students. Currently, more than 30 counties are on the state list, representing the vast majority of the states 6 million students. Theres a caveat, though, to the governors order: Elementary schools can request waivers to reopen their campuses for in-person instruction even if a county is on the state list. Some private schools and charter schools as well as a handful of districts are expected to request such waivers to reopen. (Read more about the states reopening criteria for schools here.)

Will all schools open as soon as state and county health officials say its OK?

The short answer is no. Even if state and county officials give the green light, schools will still have to comply with safety and health standards, including social distancing, adequate supplies of hand sanitizer, soap, masks and other equipment, as well as the ability to test teachers and staff for the coronavirus at least once every two months. In addition, districts also will need an agreement with labor unions outlining when and how teachers and other staff will return.

Gabrielle Lurie / The Chronicle

What if we dont want to send our child to school when they reopen?

County health officials and district reopening plans almost universally include a distance learning option for families concerned about sending a child back to school when they reopen. That might include doing independent study, which means home-based learning, with regular contact with a teacher to verify progress.

What are some alternatives for kids who dont do well in video classrooms?

Not all students learn the same way, and while some students thrived in live video classrooms, not all did. Many districts are offering an independent study or offline/paper packet options for those who dont want or cant do online learning. Check with your childs teachers to see what might be available.

How will students be graded?

Grading policies will also vary among districts, but it appears that most districts likely will return to letter grades for older students, switching back from a pass/fail system adopted after schools closed in the spring.

How are parents supposed to help their children learn when they have to work or have other obligations?

This is a tough one. In general, students will have specific times for live instruction each week and then assignments to complete on their own. For younger children, this typically requires help from parents. Some communities, like San Francisco, are offering child care and support at libraries, recreation centers and other locations for low-income families and essential workers. For some families, there is just no good answer to this one yet.

COVID Resources Coronavirus Map Tracking COVID-19 cases across the Bay Area and California.

Are school districts paying for pandemic pods?

No. While there were rumors that some schools were organizing or creating pods in San Francisco, that wasnt exactly true. Some school leaders are trying to work with parents to ensure that all students have access to that kind of support, but the schools are not providing pods or paying for them. In San Francisco, city officials will be providing child care and educational hubs for low-income families and children of essential workers.

How do we get a computer or internet access if we dont have that?

Local school districts are handing out laptops and Chromebooks across the state, while cities and tech companies are helping with hot spots and other internet access. If you dont have a device or internet access, contact your teacher or principal to find out how to get the needed technology.

What happens with school meal programs?

Feeding students continues to be a top priority for school officials, with breakfast and lunch provided at various sites in districts. In some cases, a few days of school meals are available for pickup at a time, to limit contact and make things easier for parents.

California school funding is based on attendance. With so many students in distance learning, what counts as attendance? How will it be recorded?

Because education is considered compulsory in California, new state law for distance learning requires schools to track daily participation. But teachers wont typically take attendance like they would in a classroom. Instead, most districts will track whether students are engaged each day, meaning they logged into a Zoom class, submitted an assignment, communicated with a teacher or otherwise demonstrated they were participating in school.

But isnt school funding connected to attendance?

Yes. But state legislators recognized that daily attendance isnt realistic during distance learning and therefore are tying funding to last years enrollment figures rather than whether a child is present at school. This will ensure districts dont lose funding if a child has tech issues or isnt able to participate in distance learning.

What will happen with standardized testing? How will schools measure progress?

Standardized testing is on hold in California. Teachers will continue to monitor student progress, using grades and other assessments, but there wont be district, county or state scores for last school year and the 2020-21 academic year.

Jill Tucker is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jtucker@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @jilltucker
The head of the NEA said vote-counting will be held inside sub-committees, with headcount of each committee sent to general committees to announce final headcount for each districts polling stations nationwide

Polling stations closed nationwide in Egypt on Wednesday at 9 pm, wrapping up the two-day Senate elections that began on Tuesday amid strict precautionary measures against the coronavirus pandemic.

The head of the National Elections Authority (NEA), Lashin Ibrahim, said the second day of voting passed smoothly without any reported violations that would affect the electoral process.

The turnout on the second day was moderate, according to live footage by satellite TV channels throughout the day, similar to a light to moderate turnout on the first day as soaring temperatures dropped.

Ibrahim said the vote-counting will be held inside sub-committees, with the headcount of each committee sent to general committees to announce the final headcount for each districts polling stations nationwide.

The committees are then tasked with sending a headcount with the number of registered voters, casted ballots, the number of correct and void votes and votes garnered by each candidate to the NEA.

The vote-counting is held inside every sub-committee, with independent system and closed-list electoral cards counted separately.

The results of the first round of the Senate Elections are set be announced on 19 August by the NEA.

A run-off round will take place in September.

Around 63 million Egyptians from the country's population of more than 100 million people are eligible to cast ballots.

The two-day vote for the second chamber of parliament was held at some 14,000 polling stations across the country under the supervision of around 18,000 judges assisted by 120,000 clerks.

The elections were held under strict preventive measures against the pandemic, as the NEA said masks must be worn with social distancing maintained inside polling stations.

A total of 787 candidates have been vying for seats in the new legislative body, which is to be set up as part of constitutional amendments approved last year. Voting for Egyptians living abroad took place in 124 countries on Sunday and Monday.

The Senate, whose term is set at five years, will have 300 members.

Two-thirds of the members are elected via the individual candidacy and the closed party list systems, and the rest will be appointed by the president. Women will hold a quota of at least 25 percent of the seats in the chamber.

The polls are expected to be swept by the pro-government Mostaqbal Watan (the Future of Homeland) party, which fielded the largest number of candidates. A list led by the party will seek 100 seats allocated to party lists uncontested. Mostaqbal Watan has 59 candidates on this list.

Another 100 individual seats will be up for grabs, of which 95 will be contested by Mostaqbal Watan candidates.

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The Perseids are one of the most spectacular meteor showers of the year (Getty)

One of the best meteor showers of the year will unleash up to 100 shooting stars an hour as it reaches its peak this week, astronomers have said.

All through this week, the Perseid meteor shower will blaze across the sky as our planet flies through a cloud of dust from a comet.

The shower will peak between 11 and 13 August, according to Royal Museums Greenwich.

You wont need binoculars or a telescope to watch, astronomy experts say (weather permitting).

The meteors occur yearly between 17 July and 24 August, but reach their peak this week.

The event, one of the high points in the celestial calendar, occurs as the Earth ploughs through dusty debris left by Comet Swift-Tuttle.

Read more: Lyrid meteor shower captured in time-lapse

The meteors, mostly no bigger than a grain of sand, burn up as they hit the atmosphere at 36 miles per second to produce a shooting stream of light in the sky.

Peak temperatures can reach anywhere from 1,648C to 5,537C as they speed across the sky.

The meteors are called Perseids because they seem to dart out of the constellation Perseus.

This colourful Perseid fireball was photographed during the Perseid meteor shower in Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico. (Getty)

To make the best of the Perseids, observers should avoid built-up areas and try to find an unobstructed view to the east, experts suggest.

Royal Museums Greenwich suggests wannabe viewers should try to minimise the amount of light affecting their view.

Read more: Scientists warn dangerous space rocks could be hiding in meteor shower

An astronomer at the Greenwich Royal Observatory advises: Reduce the amount of light pollution in your field of view. This could mean heading out to the countryside, a nearby park or even do something as simple as turning your back to street lamps if you are not able to go anywhere.

Give your eyes at least 15 minutes to adjust to the dark so that you can catch more of the fainter meteors  this does mean that you should not look at your phone!

Meteors can appear in any part of the sky so the more sky you can see the better. Find an area with a clear view of the horizon and away from trees and buildings.

Story continues

Read more: Huge meteor explodes in the sky above Derby

Such shooting stars are formed when pieces break off comets in the heat of the sun.

If the debris ends up in Earths atmosphere, it can slam into our atmosphere, creating shooting stars visible from the ground.

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-12 23:35:04|Editor: huaxia

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WINDHOEK, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- Namibia will impose a nationwide curfew for 16 days effective, from Aug. 12 midnight to Aug. 28, a move aimed to control the further spread of COVID-19, the country's President Hage Geingob announced Wednesday.

The curfew will apply to the most affected local authority areas of Walvis Bay, Swakopmund, and Arandis, as well as Windhoek, Okahandja and Rehoboth.

Geingob said COVID-19 cases have increased exponentially in recent weeks, with cases reported from all corners of the country, hence the country will revert to stage-3 restrictions.

Outlining the details of the newly approved measures as part of the national strategy to combat COVID-19 in the country, Namibia's Health Minister, Kalumbi Shangula said no movement of persons will be permitted in the restricted areas between 20:00 to 05:00 daily, during the specified period, unless such person is in possession of an authorizing permit as essential service providers.

"To enforce this regulation, checkpoints will be introduced at specified locations within the city of Windhoek and on the parameters of the restricted areas to control movements," he added.

Meanwhile, under stage-3 restrictions, public gatherings will be limited to 10 persons, including weddings, funerals, and religious gatherings.

To date, Namibia has recorded a total number of 3,406 confirmed cases and 22 deaths. Enditem
The French organisation representing victims of terrorism says it will file a legal complaint after the publication of photos of the bodies of humanitarian workers killed in Sunday's attack in Niger. It says the images were relayed to France, notably by accounts linked to far right followers and jihadist movements.

Update 10h37 UT:

The French foreign ministry has issued a firm warning this Wednesday against travelling to Niger after six French nationals were among eight people killed by suspected jihadists at the weekend.

The ministry website said people were "strongly advised" not to travel anywhere in the country, the exception being the capital Niamey, for which travel was "not advised unless for compelling reasons."

The new advice means that the southern part of Niger, roughly a quarter of the country, has been added to the so-called red zone, for which there is a strong recommendation to avoid.

The managing director and spokesman of the French terror victims association (AFVT), Guillaume Denoix de Saint Marc, said the pictures came from two sources, probably from within Niger and were then relayed by extremist groups.

"On the one hand, these photos shouldn't be going around, and furthermore, they're being used to incite hatred and that is abhorrent," he told France Info, on the sidelines of a meeting of the victims' families at the French ministry for Foreign Affairs on Tuesday afternoon.

"That is why we are going to file a legal complaint, against those who took the photos and those who republished them."

Shock for families

Seven humanitarian workers from the aid organisation Acted and their guide were killed on Sunday while exploring Koure, 60 kilometres outside the capital Niamey.

Their vehicle burst into flame after being shot at by men on motorbikes.

The remains of two victims were found burnt. Five others were shot at close range.

According to AFVT, just a few hours after the attack, photos showing the bloodied bodies of the victims could be seen online.

Story continues

"There were some very shocking photos that were going around on Twitter," the head of the association France Victimes, Jerome Bertin said.

"Can you imagine the shock for the families who discovered photos of the bodies of their loved ones online, it's unacceptable," he said.

Twitter reportedly removed several accounts which had published the photos.

Following a Defense Council meeting on Tuesday President Emmanuel Macron announced that he would "reinforce the security measures for French nationals based in the region."

France to reinforce security in Niger

Macron said he would "closely study the situation in Niger based on the elements at hand" and assess what needed to be done on a diplomatic and military level in the Sahel region.

France is one of the members of the G5 Sahel group of nations, in charge of monitoring and eradicating terror groups from the Sahel region.

The French national anti-terrorism court has opened an inquiry for "assassination in relation to a terror group" and "links to criminal activity".

A dozen specialized workers from the French internal security body and scientific agencies have already arrived in Niger to carry out a thorough investigation into the attack.

The Nigerien interior minister said the search was ongoing to find those responsible.

Who were the victims?

Among the group of young workers was 30 year old Charline, who had begun her humanitarian mission in Niger with Acted only a week ago.

Nafida, Stella, and Myriam were also killed, along with Antonin and 25 year-old Leo, the youngest of the group, in charge of logistics.

The final two local victims were Boubacar, the driver employed by Acted and father of five children, and Kadri, the group's tour guide, who was also president of Koures Giraffe Guides.

Acted, which has suspended its activities temporarily, says it will file a legal request so that the families of the victims will "know exactly what happened," confirmed a lawyer for the NGO.

The Nigerien president Mahamadou Issoufou also said a national state of emergency would be extended and access to the zone around Koure would be suspended.

The French government is to announce a ceremony and repatriation of the French victims in the coming days.
Uncertainty seems to be the only thing we can be certain of today, which is a theory put forth by French theologian, writer, and mathematician Blaise Pascal. Yet it was Carl von Clausewitz, a Prussian general and military theorist, who proposed our intellect always longs for clarity and certainty, our nature often finds uncertainty fascinating. Whether fascinating or not, we know that despite all the changes we have already faced because of this global pandemic, more change is also likely heading our way.

Think of it like this: education is transforming in front of our eyes. Technology continues to evolve and alter the way we educate our children and conduct our business. Transparency is critical for building and keeping trust. The key to that transparency is effective communication. Whether you are in-person or online, synchronously or asynchronously, utilizing video, audio, chat, and/or another web-based platform, you have to become more adaptable as an educator.

Remember that people will not trust what they cannot understand. The more precise and explicit you can be, the better it is for your message. Different people will respond to messages differently. The use of Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Skype, GoToMeeting, and FaceTime has been accelerated since the COVID-19 pandemic began. We are uncertain about what will work over time. We do know that the technological changes that occur during this pandemic are likely to last long after COVID-19 is gone.

Education advocacy has also been impacted by technological change, especially in the last few months because of COVID-19. We still have to meet the challenge of engaging the education community. Too many think advocacy is about political rallies and protests, or giving political money and endorsements. Tactics have to shift to fit the moment  and the future. Unions have increasingly turned their focus away from workplace matters and more and more towards buying political influence, according to Stan Greer. This is a mistake, as few educators sign up to become loyal foot soldiers who advance extremism.

Right now, our own attention is on helping educators focus and engage with the difficult work of educating children in unfamiliar settings and conditions. Educators take their role in serving their community seriously, particularly during times of uncertainty. Our members work every day to make Tennessee a better place for students to learn and for teachers to teach. Voting in lockstep for an endorsed and bankrolled candidate takes a backseat to safety and security. Children are an educators priority, but they, too, must feel safe.

We naturally assume that politics is merely a clash of ideas and that the best ideas will win out. However, that is not usually true in the majority of elections or even legislative battles. Most of the time we are forced to choose between inferior choices, with the worst ideas being defeated. Often, the best ideas are not even considered. This technologically-driven approach to advocacy is one reason why we conduct frequent surveys. That allows us to build the consensus needed for informed advocacy with policymakers. We also strive to be impartial, without bias when asking questions.

Our long-term success during this pandemic will be rooted in short-term expectations. No leader and no person has ever gone through a global pandemic like this before. It is appropriate to acknowledge that we do not have all the answers. That is why being consistent with our message is critical, but it is also difficult. People are more positive and trust information when we are being open about uncertainties. What we are living through is unprecedented. As we face an unknown future, we reflect more critically about how to succeed in life and public education during changing and challenging times, through a global pandemic that came without warning. Truly we are all well beyond fascinated.

JC Bowman

Executive Director of Professional Educators of Tennessee
The General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketia, says the book by former Local Government Minister, Prof Kwamena Ahwoi, which records his time working with ex-president Jerry John Rawlings, will not have any effect on the partys fortunes in the general elections in December.



I dont see how what somebody has written as his personal account and experience with the founder of our party, would generate this amount of controversy. And even if that controversy is raging, I dont see how it comes to affect our elections. Who said people dont attack each other in all parties? If it is about issues relating to the party, fine. But if it is about personal issues, I dont see how it comes to affect our campaign at all, he said on Citi TVs Face to Face program.



In the book titled Working with Rawlings, Prof Ahwoi, among other things, chronicled his dealings with Rawlings who gained access to power through a coup but subsequently handed over power peacefully.



He also captured the ups and downs of the Rawlings government.



Ahwoi, in the book, also disclosed that he and other NDC members later groomed some young NDC communicators to tame Rawlings, who gave the late President John Atta Mills a tough time during his tenure as President, with his scathing attacks.



The recently published book has caused a lot of controversy among members of the opposition party, creating the notion among some sections that it was deliberately published to cause commotion within the NDC, with the 2020 elections just around the corner.



Mr. Asiedu Nketia, however, is opposed to this notion.



According to him, the contents of the book, which have caused a stir among members of the party, has nothing to do with the NDC as a whole, and hence, will in no way affect the campaign strategies of the party.



He stressed, Since the book is not authored or authorised by NDC, it doesnt mean that anybody who is in the NDC must have everything he does together with the timing and everything sanctioned by the party. So they are free to do what they choose to do outside the partys main strategy for elections. I dont want to the policeman in the affairs of everybody within the party because I cannot be that policeman.



Professor Kwamena Ahwoi on Thursday, July 30, 2020, launched his book which extensively presents insights about his working relationship with the Founder of the NDC and former president, Jerry John Rawlings.



But the ex-president, Rawlings has discredited the claims in the book, emphasizing that Ahwois claim is borne out of a desire to control the party.



A number of NDC loyalists, including former Deputy Education Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, former Deputy Communications Minister, Felix Kwakye Ofusu, former Communications Minister, Dr. Edward Omane Boamah and Chairman of the Volta Regional Council of Elders for the NDC, Dan Abodakpi have all issued disclaimers to what was captured about them in the book.



Smaller groups like the Volta Youth Forum and the Regional Youth Organizers of the NDC have also condemned the contents of the book which they claim directly attacks the NDC founder and destroys his legacy.

Source: citinewsroom.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Waller County commissioners on Wednesday appointed a veteran law enforcement officer to serve as sheriff following the death of R. Glenn Smith, according to a news release issued by the county judge.

Chief Deputy Joe Hester will serve as sheriff for the rest of the year. Smith, the sheriff since 2009, died of a heart attack Aug. 1.

Republican Troy Guidry, who had defeated Smith in a primary, and Democrat Cedric Watson will vie to be the countys next sheriff in the Nov. 3 election. The winner will take office Jan. 1.

It is indeed a honor and a privilege to take Sheriff Smiths place as Sheriff to fulfill the remainder of his term, said Hester, in the news release. I look forward to serving the citizens of Waller County to the best of my ability in the coming months.

Hesters career in law enforcement spans over 40 years, according to the news release. He previously served as chief of police in Hempstead, Navasota and Katy.

He has worked at the Waller County Sheriffs Office since 2007.

Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with the family of Sheriff Smith, but at this point, we know that Sheriff Hester will continue to run the department with the same efficacy and leadership that Sheriff Smith had, and we look forward to supporting him in that regards, Waller County Judge Trey Duhon said in a written statement.

In his new position, Hester will shepherd the transition of the sheriffs office and jail to the new Waller County Justice Center. The center is set to be completed in September.

Duhon said that Smith was instrumental in winning passage of the $39.5 million jail bond in 2017 and in designing the new jail and sheriffs office.

I know that Sheriff Hester will honor Sheriff Smiths contributions in that regards to making sure the transition goes as smoothly as possible over the next few months, Duhon said in the statement.

Smith, 61, spent more than 40 years working in law enforcement agencies across southeast Texas.

Smith came under intense scrutiny in 2015 after a Texas Department of Public Safety trooper pulled over and arrested 28-year-old Sandra Bland, a Black woman and Prairie View A&M University graduate who had returned to the area to work for her alma mater. She had allegedly failed to signal a lane change. Three days later, Bland was found hanged in her jail cell, a death that was ruled a suicide by the medical examiner.

Blands arrest following an argument with an irate trooper  captured by police dashcam and her cell phone  and her death drew national outrage and galvanized civil rights activists and criminal justice reform advocates, leading to sweeping legislation aimed at making jails safer. Blands mother later sued the county and reached a $1.8 million settlement. The trooper was indicted for perjury and fired, but prosecutors ultimately moved to drop the charge.

The Texas Commission on Jail Standards found the jail could not prove it had complied with state standards regarding staff training and observation of inmates.

Smith also invited an outside committee of defense lawyers and other officials to scrutinize the jail operations, and instituted a series of reforms to screen new inmates for mental health and make sure they were monitored more closely while detained.

Many of those reforms were later included in the Sandra Bland Act, which mandates that county jails divert people with mental illnesses and substance abuse to treatment facilities and require that police departments investigate jail deaths. The measure was signed into law in 2017 by Gov. Greg Abbott.

Paul Takahashi and St. John Barned-Smith contributed to this report.

brooke.lewis@chron.com
The Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) at Kalina in Mumbai started probe in the death case of Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput's former manager Disha Salian in early June, an official said today (date).

The FSL official said that the lab, run by the Maharashtra government's home department, received the case on Monday.

FSL is also handling the forensic aspect of the case related to the death of Sushant Singh Rajput, who was found dead in his flat in suburban Bandra on June 14, a week after 28-year-old Disha Salian died.

The department has received Disha Salian's viscera, blood sample and other materials to conduct relevant tests, the official added.

In the viscera test, the internal organs of the body, specifically those within the chest or abdomen, are examined thoroughly to ascertain the cause of death.

According to the official, three major units of the lab- biology, DNA and toxicology will work on the case.

During the investigation, the FSL will ascertain if on the day of the incident, she was subjected to any kind of assault or if she had consumed any intoxicants, and also analyse the circumstances in which she died, he said.

"As we received the case on Monday nothing has done till now, but we have taken this case on a priority basis," the official added.

An accidental death report was registered in connection with the celebrity manager's death. Last week, Disha Salian's family told the police that they do not suspect any foul play in her death.

Satish Salian, father of Disha Salian, said he does not suspect any foul play in her death and is "completely satisfied" with the probe being conducted by the police in the case, an official had said earlier.

In a letter sent to the assistant commissioner of police (ACP), Malvani, Satish Salian alleged that media persons were harassing his family by repeatedly questioning their faith in the police and their way of inquiry, he had said.

Worried about your mental well-being or of someone you know? Help is just a call away. Reach out to the nearest mental health specialist at COOJ Mental Health Foundation (COOJ)- 0832-2252525, Parivarthan- +91 7676 602 602, Connecting Trust- +91 992 200 1122/+91-992 200 4305 or Sahai- 080-25497777/ SAHAIHELPLINE@GMAIL.COM

Disha Salian's Friends' Whatsapp Texts Reveal What Happened Before Her Death

Disha Salian's Dance Video Shot 2 Days Before Her Death Goes Viral!
Last week, the federal government, as part of the ministry of informations review of the National Broadcasting Code, raised the fine for hate speech from N500,000 to N5 million.

In the face of a public backlash, the information minister, Lai Mohammed, said on TV that the new fine was imposed to deter desperate people from airing broadcast content containing hate speech.

What motivated the amendment was that when the fine was N500,000, we saw the provision being violated at will because the amount was very easy to pay, he said.

Citing the Rwandan genocide and wars in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Cambodia as consequences of unchecked hate speeches, Mr Mohammed said the fine increment was justified.

He added that the sanction was still lenient when compared to the action of the government of Chad, which slowed down the speed of its internet service to slow down the growth of hate speech.

Iceland has a provision in its penal code against hate speech and the punishment is up to five years in jail, Mr Mohammed said.

The sanction in Norway is up to two years imprisonment while South Africa separated hate speech from the protection their citizens can get from the constitution, he added.

Genesis

Mr Mohammed said that the amendments were necessitated by a presidential directive in the wake of the 2019 general elections to vest more regulatory powers in the NBC, Nigerias broadcasting commission.

Legislative moves

Meanwhile, still receiving legislative action is the National Commission for the Prohibition of Hate Speech Bill, sponsored by the deputy chief whip of the Senate, Aliyu Abdullahi.

Among other things, the bill which could not scale through in the eight assembly, prescribes death by hanging for any person found guilty of hate speech that results in the death of another person.

For offences such as harassment on grounds of ethnicity or race, the offender shall be sentenced to not less than a five-year jail term or a fine of not less than N10 million or both, a section of the bill read.

Opposition

Like the bill, the new fine in the reviewed broadcasting code has been heavily pushed back by some Nigerians who argue that regulators would arbitrarily define hate speech.

They fear that what could otherwise pass as bickering, satire, or a challenge to authority may be adjudged as hate speech.

This, they say, would stifle freedom of expression and gag the press in the country.

The Director of Amnesty International Nigeria, Osai Ojigho, told PREMIUM TIMES that the new sanction is bound to undermine the right to freedom of expression and of a free press.

Osai Ojigho (PHOTO CREDIT: amnesty.org)

By imposing such an ambiguous provision, it creates opportunities for the press to be intimidated and harassed for disseminating information without interference, the rights group head noted.

It is a dangerous attempt to cage the social rights of Nigerians, David Hundeyin, a journalist and social critique, also wrote.

The critics say the move is needless and that the government should instead focus its energy on human and social development of the Nigerian people.

With insecurity still a major challenge and unemployment and poverty still rising, critics said those were more pressing matters that needed governmental attention.

Their worries are further fuelled by the rights violations that have been meted out on dissenting voices who challenged governments at both state and federal levels over perceived misrule.

There have been recent reports of harassment and arrest of political opponents, journalists, clerics and other citizens who make critical statements on social media or in the traditional news outlets.

A recent report found that attacks on the press and free speech have worsened under President Muhammadu Buharis watch.

For instance, in August last year, a police inspector in Yobe State, Sunday Japhet, was arrested for allegedly insulting President Buhari, Vice President Osinbajo and the Inspector-General of Police on his Facebook page.

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The police officer, who said he was only venting his anger at the inhuman treatment meted out to him and his colleagues by their superiors, and calling for action, spent days in custody.

Also, a Bauchi-based Islamic cleric, Idris Abdullaziz, was in May 2019 arrested and detained by the SSS for his attacks on the Buhari government during his periodical sermons.

I was told categorically that I have been abusing the president in my sermons and other majlis (gatherings) and that they have the records. I challenged them to play one for me, but they could not present any as evidence, the cleric said after his release, vowing to continue to deliver his criticism in line with Islamic injunctions.

Last week, security operatives also cracked down on #RevolutionNow protesters across the country, arresting Agba Jalingo and Olawale Bakare, who had in the past years been held against court orders.

Arguably, the most controversial application of the NBCs powers in recent times was the clampdown on Daar Communications last year June.

For the alleged use of inflammatory, divisive, inciting broadcasts, and media propaganda against the government in its flagship morning programme, Kakaaki Social, the NBC suspended the license of Daar Communications PLC, owners of Africa Independent Television.q

Both parties would later resolve their weeks-long confrontation, days after an Abuja High Court ordered the stations reopening.

Meanwhile, following claims he was being trailed by Nigerian security agents with intention to arrest and charge him for treason and incitement, Ohimai Amaize, the anchor of the programme, fled the country, before being granted asylum in the United States earlier this year.

State governments not left out

Using extant laws like the Cybercrime Act, state governments, too, have a long history of muzzling dissenting voices and intimidating critics.

Last October, Joseph Odok, a Nigerian lawyer and critic of the governor of Cross River State, Ben Ayade, was charged with terrorism over his critical remarks about the governor on his Facebook page.

The police later withdrew the charge and the governor denied having a hand in his arrest.

Abubakar Idris also known as Dadiyata, a social media personality known for his strong criticism of Governor Umar Ganduje. [PHOTO CREDIT: Official Facebook page of Dadiyata]

Last August, a social critic, Abubakar Idris, better known as Dadiyata, was whisked away by unidentified men from his residence in Barnawa neighbourhood of Kaduna.

More than a year after, state authorities are still unaware of the abducted critics whereabouts.

Mrs Ojigho said with these records of abducting and arresting critics by state and federal governments, the hate speech clause in the broadcasting code could be wielded by the state to justify abuse of rights.

Such broad provisions are liable to be a used and potentially have long term implications for not only the right to freedom of expression but also association, thought and conscience and freedom from discrimination, she said.

Instead of the sanction, she said the state should address the root causes of hate speech, especially insecurity.
Most Rohingya not considered citizens and will have no vote, living in what Amnesty describes apartheid conditions.

A Rohingya Muslim has been barred from standing in Myanmars upcoming election, in a decision decried by rights groups as discriminatory and a symptom of the ongoing genocide against the persecuted minority.

A 2017 military operation drove 750,000 Rohingya out of the country into sprawling refugee camps in neighbouring Bangladesh, prompting genocide charges at the UNs top court.

Myanmar has denied the allegations and justified the military operations as a means of rooting out terrorists.

Another 600,000 Rohingya remain in Myanmar, but most are not regarded as citizens and will have no vote, living in what Amnesty International describes apartheid conditions.

Three Rohingya-led parties had hoped to field at least a dozen candidates in Novembers vote, according to regional watchdog Fortify Rights.

But Abdul Rasheed, 58, a member of the Democracy and Human Rights Party, told Fortify Rights, which monitors the situation of the Rohingya minority, that he was denied the right to run for office in Myanmars forthcoming national elections.

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The commission said this was because his parents were not Myanmar citizens when he was born, Rasheed said  even though he had proof his parents and grandparents were granted citizenship in 1957, four years before his birth.

They dont want Rohingya in the parliament and that is the only reason this is happening, Abdul Rasheed told Fortify Rights.

Why are there restrictions for Rohingya? Why is there a separate set of questions for Rohingya? These are my questions.

Sittwes election commission was not immediately available for comment.

The Muslim minority has had citizenship and other rights eroded over decades.

Rasheed, who said his father worked as a Myanmar government civil servant for more than 30 years, also tried without success to stand in the countrys landmark 2015 election.

This rejection is discriminatory and not unrelated to the ongoing genocide of Rohingya, said Matthew Smith from Fortify Rights.

The government of Myanmar must end its mass disenfranchisement of Rohingya.
Update  The South African Civil Aviation Authority has confirmed that two Instrument Landing Systems (ILSs) at OR Tambo have been switched off, and the same systems at a number of other airports have also been downgraded or switched off.

Pilots landing at certain South African airports may be forced to do so without an essential ground-based system used to guide planes safely towards the ground in low visibility.

This is according to various notices to airmen (NOTAMs), including one issued on Monday 10 August, which was posted on aviation forum Avcom.

According to the notice, the Instrument Landing Systems (ILSs) used for OR Tambos two runways  03R/21L and 03L/21R  would be switched off as they were due for calibration.

Instrument Landing System JS 03R/21L will be switched off today because it has reached its calibrations expiry date, 25 days extension, and 180 days exemption today, the notice stated.

Instrument Landing System JS 03L/21R also reaches its 90 days exemption period today; we have applied for the extra 90 days exemption, however, the CAA has not yet signed; if not signed by 16:00 today (10 August) we will have to switch off these ILSs as well, it continued.

NOTAMs are filed with an aviation authority to alert aircraft pilots of possible hazards along their flight route or at a location that could affect the safety of the flight.

ILS employs ground-based antennae which provide pilots with their location relative to a particular landing strip.

This is particularly important during periods of bad weather, where clouds or mist may impede the pilots ability to view their approach to the airport.

As required by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), a runways ILS needs to be calibrated regularly to ensure continued accuracy and safe use.

In South Africa, this responsibility lies with the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA), which uses specially-equipped aircraft to perform the calibration.

More airports affected

According to another member of Avcom, OR Tambo is not the first South African airport to be affected.

Citing multiple previous NOTAMs, the member said that King Shaka, George, and Kruger airports have no ILS or VOR (another orientation system) due to calibration expiry.

The member added that Cape Town airport had been downgraded, likely due to calibration exemptions.

SACAA confirmed that the ILS at the George and Kruger airports had been turned off, while King Shaka had been downgraded.

Solidarity Trade Union Deputy General Secretary Marius Croucamp also addressed the issue in a tweet on Tuesday morning.

The union represents numerous pilots in the industry.

A very serious situation has developed at OR Tambo International airport. The ILS instrument landing system is off due to the calibration that has expired. The CAA calibration aircraft that was written off in a crash has not yet been replaced. More SA airports affected.  Marius Croucamp (@croucampm) August 11, 2020

Calibration aircraft crash

Croucamps tweet refers to one of the aircraft SACAA had previously used for calibration, which crashed after take-off from George airport.

The Cessna Citation II  carrying three SACAA crew members  was due to conduct calibration work for the airports navigation systems.

Captain Thabiso Tolo (49), first officer Tebogo Lekalakala (33) and Gugu Mguni (36), a flight inspector, died in the crash.

SACAA is still investigating the cause of the incident, an issue which has been met with scepticism from aviation experts, who dont believe SACAA can investigate its own conduct in such a case.

SACAAs financial woes

SACAA is facing a financial battle as it struggles with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the aviation industry.

The initial lockdown regulations meant that the vast majority of domestic, regional, and international flights were grounded for several months.

SACAA draws its income from passenger safety fees, a fuel levy, and user-related charges, which include licensing, approval, and other regulatory service fees.

It previously warned Parliament that it would only be able to continue paying salaries until the end of the year or early 2021 should restrictions on flights remain for five to seven months.

MyBroadband contacted SACAA and the Airports Company of South Africa for a response to the NOTAMs and comments on the forum, but we did not receive feedback by the time of publication.

SACAA statement

SACAA has provided a statement addressing the switching off of its ILSs at South African airports, which is included below.

It has come to the South African Civil Aviation Authoritys (SACAA) attention that there are circulating reports that inaccurately suggest that aviation activities in South Africa are about to come to a screeching halt as a result of the airports instrument landing systems calibration status expiring at some airports. The SACAA states the following facts to provide clarity and answers to questions that may emanate around this matter. In providing such clarity, it is prudent to preface this by explaining what an Instrument Landing System (ILS) is and the purpose thereof in relation to the flying of an aircraft. In a nutshell, an ILS is a ground-based navigational instrument system that provides guidance to an aircraft when approaching or landing on a runway when the pilot cannot see the runway due to bad weather. Regulated safety protocols require that when an Instrument Landing System is not functioning, or its certification had expired, the affected airport must be downgraded to a lower instrument usage level. In addition, and as international protocol dictates, the status of the facilities at the affected airport are published via a notice to airmen (NOTAM), and this is aimed at assisting pilots to plan their flights safely, prior to departure. Most importantly, the ILS is just one of the few landing and take-off techniques that are used. This simply means that you can still land without an ILS, however, visibility on the runway must be determined first. An Instrument Landing System can be non-functional for several reasons, which may include the following: The ILS approval certificate is expired which demands that the system is switched off to avoid pilots depending on it to provide information for landing and take-off purposes, especially during bad weather; and

The ILS may be defective, in which case there may be a need to switch it off pending maintenance and calibration, even if the calibration certificate expiry date is not yet due. As such the airport management is expected to maintain and service the systems to ensure that they work at all times. Would flying stop in the absence of an Instrument Landing System? No. An Instrument Landing System is mainly used by pilots when landing during inclement weather such as when there is reduced visibility due to fog, rain, snow, etc. Assertions that suggests that all ILSs at all South African airports are switched-off and not functioning are misguided. Regulations prescribe that ILS certificates are valid for 150 days with an automatic tolerance of 30 days without the requirement for an extension application. Thereafter, an airport operator can apply for a 25 days extension in accordance with applicable civil aviation regulations. After the expiry of the 25 days extension, if the calibration of the ILS has not taken place, the operator can apply for an exemption, which can be granted for up to 180 days, provided that the system has a history of being stable during previous calibration intervals and that certain additional maintenance and monitoring measures are in place. This is a perfectly acceptable practice and is in line with global standards and practices. OR Tambo International Airport has four (4) ILSs, and, as at 10 August 2020, two of these were switched-off because the exemption period lapsed. This airport therefore will neither be downgraded or closed as reported. In addition, King Shaka International Airport has been downgraded to a lower instrument meteorological usage level as a result of two ILSs being switched-off. Other airports affected are Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport and George Airport whose exemptions have also expired. These are the only ones that have been switched off. The rest, even though they are also nearing expiry during the month of August, and later on in the year, are still operational. In terms of bringing the expired ILSs back to service, calibration will need to take place to perform the necessary adjustments to obtain the required performance accuracy. Following the fatal accident involving the SACAA aircraft and crew late in January 2020, the SACAA appointed a service provider to calibrate the landing and navigation equipment in the country, through an open tender process as prescribed by the National Treasury Regulations. The service provider, which is a South African company, was appointed for this service and a Service Level Agreement was concluded on 17 April 2020. Due to the fact that the service provider was going to utilise an aircraft that is based in Europe, they experienced major delays in receiving a Foreign Operators Permit from the International Air Service Licensing Council, which was eventually granted on 19 June 2020. Due to further delays resultant from the Covid-19 lockdown restrictions, the crew work permits, and visas were eventually granted, and the SACAA was duly informed on 31 July 2020. According to the assurances given to the SACAA by the service provider the aircraft is expected to arrive in the country by the end of this week following an earlier promise that the aircraft will most possibly arrive on 09 August 2020. The explanation provided by the service provider was that they needed to ensure that Flight Inspection System had to undergo some maintenance as it has been operating during the delay period. As soon as the aircraft arrives the calibration programme will prioritise those airports which are negatively affected to date. The SACAA wishes to reiterate that there has been constant communication with all affected stakeholders to ensure that aviation operations continued safely. Hence, to date, there has not been any interruption in flying activities despite the switching-off, in line with regulations, of the affected ILS at the indicated airports.

Now read: How to build your own aeroplane
This scanning electron microscope image shows SARS-CoV-2 (yellow)also known as 2019-nCoV, the virus that causes COVID-19isolated from a patient, emerging from the surface of cells (blue/pink) cultured in the lab. Credit: NIAID-RML

Sweden's policy of allowing the controlled spread of COVID-19 viral infection among the population has so far failed to deliver the country's previously stated goal of herd immunity. Commenting on recent antibody testing clinical and research findings, authors of a paper published by the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, write that Sweden's higher rates of viral infection, hospitalization and mortality compared with neighboring countries may have serious implications for Scandinavia and beyond.

Rather than imposing a hard lockdown in March as most European and Scandinavian countries did, Sweden's strategy in dealing with the pandemic has been to rely on people's individual responsibility to curtail the spread of the disease. This follows the Swedish sociocultural concept of 'folkvett'; the common sense of the people as a collective.

The health authorities predicted that 40% of the Stockholm population would have had the disease and acquired antibodies by May 2020. However, the actual prevalence figure was around 15%. While clinical and research findings suggest that severely infected COVID-19 patients do acquire antibodies in the immediate and early recovery phase of their illness, antibodies are much less commonly found in only mildly ill or asymptomatic patients. This means they are very likely not to be immune, and so cannot act as a bulwark against further spread of infection amongst the community.

Lead author Professor David Goldsmith said: "It is clear that not only are the rates of viral infection, hospitalization and mortality (per million population) much higher than those seen in neighboring Scandinavian countries, but also that the time-course of the epidemic in Sweden is different, with continued persistence of higher infection and mortality well beyond the few critical weeks period seen in Denmark, Finland and Norway." He added that in these countries, rapid lock-down measures brought in from early March seem to have been initially more successful in curtailing the infection surge and thus the malign consequences of COVID-19 on the country as a whole.

Prof Goldsmith said: "We in the UK would do well to remember we nearly trod the same path as Sweden, as herd immunity was often discussed here in early March. Right now, despite strict (but tardy) lock-down in the UK, and the more measured Swedish response, both countries have seen high seven-day averaged COVID-19 death rates compared to other Scandinavian and European countries."

The authors do say, however, that only once the pandemic and impact of measures taken are fully understood, after one or two years at least, can we begin fairly then to judge what was done correctly.

Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak

More information: Eric J W Orlowski et al, Four months into the COVID-19 pandemic, Sweden's prized herd immunity is nowhere in sight, Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine (2020). Journal information: Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine Eric J W Orlowski et al, Four months into the COVID-19 pandemic, Sweden's prized herd immunity is nowhere in sight,(2020). DOI: 10.1177/0141076820945282
Earthquakes occur when rocks suddenly break on a fault  a boundary between two blocks or plates. During large earthquakes, the breaking of rock can spread down the fault line. Now, geoscientists have recorded a boomerang earthquake in the equatorial Atlantic, where the rupture initially spreads away from initial break but then turns and runs back the other way at higher speeds.

While large (magnitude 7 or higher) earthquakes occur on land and have been measured by nearby networks of seismometers, these earthquakes often trigger movement along complex networks of faults, like a series of dominoes.

This makes it difficult to track the underlying mechanisms of how this seismic slip occurs.

Under the ocean, many types of fault have simple shapes, so provide the possibility get under the bonnet of the earthquake engine. However, they are far from large networks of seismometers on land.

Dr. Stephen Hicks from Imperial College London and the University of Southampton made use of a new network of underwater seismometers to monitor the Romanche Fracture Zone, a fault line stretching 900 km (559 miles) under the Atlantic near the equator.

In 2016, the researchers recorded a magnitude 7.1 earthquake along the fracture zone and tracked the rupture along the fault.

This revealed that initially the rupture traveled in one direction before turning around midway through the earthquake and breaking the seismic sound barrier, becoming an ultra-fast earthquake.

Only a handful of such earthquakes have been recorded globally.

The authors believe that the first phase of the rupture was crucial in causing the second, rapidly slipping phase.

Whilst scientists have found that such a reversing rupture mechanism is possible from theoretical models, our new study provides some of the clearest evidence for this enigmatic mechanism occurring in a real fault, Dr. Hicks said.

Even though the fault structure seems simple, the way the earthquake grew was not, and this was completely opposite to how we expected the earthquake to look before we started to analyze the data.

However, if similar types of reversing or boomerang earthquakes can occur on land, a seismic rupture turning around mid-way through an earthquake could dramatically affect the amount of ground shaking caused, the scientists said.

Given the lack of observational evidence before now, this mechanism has been unaccounted for in earthquake scenario modeling and assessments of the hazards from such earthquakes.

The detailed tracking of the boomerang earthquake could allow us to find similar patterns in other earthquakes and to add new scenarios into their modeling and improve earthquake impact forecasts.

The findings were published in the journal Nature Geoscience.

_____

S.P. Hicks et al. Back-propagating supershear rupture in the 2016 Mw 7.1 Romanche transform fault earthquake. Nat. Geosci, published online August 10, 2020; doi: 10.1038/s41561-020-0619-9
GRAND RAPIDS, MI  A proposal to build an upscale, 48-unit senior housing complex on a seven-acre property containing wetlands on Grand Rapids Southeast Side is drawing pushback from neighbors.

The project, known as Breton Hamlet, is being proposed by Sid Jansma Jr., who has owned the development site, 2200 Griggs St. SE, for 44 years. Jansma is the chairman of Grand Rapids-based Wolverine Gas and Oil Corporation and co-manager of Covenant Properties.

On Thursday, Aug. 13 the project  located in the citys Eastgate neighborhood  is slated to go before the Grand Rapids Planning Commission for consideration. The commissions meeting is being held digitally at 1 p.m.

Neighbors say the project, which would include 42 condominiums and six single family homes, would hurt the neighborhood.

In letters to the planning commission, theyve voiced concerns about traffic, noise, lighting, and the environmental impact of building over a wetland. They also say the development would cater to higher-income residents, and therefore lead to a less socioeconomically diverse neighborhood.

Its a big intrusion on us and all the people that live around here, said Kris Andrus, who has lived nearby on Asbury Road SE for 40 years. Theres really no reason to cut down those trees. They could plan that community elsewhere in the city.

Jansma is partnering on the project with Brad Rottschafer, president of Mosaic Properties and Homes. The homes and condos included in the project are reserved for residents 55 and older.

We know that change can be hard, especially if it is in your backyard. Five decades ago most of the surrounding area was open space, he said.

The property at 2200 Griggs was always planned for development, as evidenced by the existing sanitary sewer line that bisects the site as well as three drains that discharge East Grand Rapids stormwater on the land.

Rottschafer said the development, because its geared toward older adults, most of whom will not have young children, would produce less traffic than a development consisting of single-family homes.

Alan Fanta lives on Elliott Street, just south of the proposed development. He says the project would add too many homes into too small an area, and that the condos and homes built there would be too expensive for many city residents.

He says the neighborhood is very diverse, but that the development would make the area older, whiter, wealthier and more exclusive.

Documents submitted to the planning commission say the homes are expected to cost between $300,000 and $500,000. Existing homes in the neighborhood, known as Eastgate, cost about $250,000, the document says.

Jansma cold not be reached for comment Wednesday afternoon.

In addition to the woods and wetland, the seven-acre property that Jansma is seeking to redevelop includes a 5-bedroom house that he called home for 30 years.

In a letter to the planning commission, dated Aug. 12, Jansma said that, in addition to the woods and wetland, the seven-acre property hes seeking to redevelop is home to a 5-bedroom house that he lived at for 30 years.

He said, A home on 7+ acres in an urban neighborhood is much akin to a farmer owning 200 acres in the country, and that its should not be surprising that a development project is proposed for the site. The project calls for multi-family housing because the continued construction of stand-alone single-family homes is not the path for responsible land stewardship, he said.

There is a housing crisis, household sizes are shrinking, and our population continues to age, Jansma wrote. Breton Hamlet provides housing of its time that is most appropriate and needed.

The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy in March 2019 approved Jansmas request to fill-in about three acres of wetland on the site. It requires that Jansma place 29.8 acres of wetland under Conservation Easement along the Grand River.

To access the Thursday planning commission meeting, visit https://cityofgr.webex.com.

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-12 19:13:20|Editor: huaxia

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by Tafara Mugwara

HARARE, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- Traditionally women in Zimbabwe have played a silent and peripheral role in agriculture, but a new generation of young female farmers is taking up space.

Anastasia Guni, a 33-year-old woman who runs a poultry business in Macheke, about 105 km south-east of the capital Harare, said women have often been the unseen faces of agriculture.

In a telephone interview, Guni said "women have always played a vital role in agriculture, but a silent one, behind the scenes...but things are changing. We are starting to see more and more young female faces in commercial farming, including in positions of influence."

In Zimbabwe, women from rural areas form the backbone of the agricultural labor force. However, they generally work as subsistence farmers, or as casual wage laborers.

According to the National Gender Profile of Agriculture, rural women constitute about 70 percent of household labor in rural areas.

Guni said while women are a force to be reckoned with in the agriculture sector, they are also burdened with domestic roles such as caring for children, the elderly, and the sick.

In addition to social obstacles and prejudices, women own fewer assets such as land, and few women have the collateral needed to get funding from financial institutions, she said.

"And when you are not a landowner it is almost impossible to access credit facilities," said Guni.

Twenty-five-year-old Thelma Sandurani is among a growing number of young women helping to redefine what the future of agriculture in Zimbabwe looks like.

Sandurani grows maize, pepper, and ginger at her late grandparents' five-hectare homestead in Guruve, 150 km north of Harare.

After finishing her degree in History and International Studies, Sandurani decided to follow her passion for agriculture.

Although she had no prior agricultural training, Sandurani said reading and networking with other women equipped her with the knowledge to start farming.

"I learned how to grow pepper when I was networking with other ladies in farming and their experiences inspired me, also on YouTube, googling on the internet, reading other pepper stories from agricultural groups and books," she said.

Her major challenge is that the land she is using belongs to her late grandparents' which means other family members have an equal right to use it.

"This means if everyone wants to utilize the land it will be shared accordingly and that will leave me with a small space that I can only plant vegetables," she said.

Women in Agriculture Union (WAU) National Coordinator Olga Nhari said the economic benefits of farming have enticed more young women to venture into farming and agribusiness value addition.

"The world is evolving. Africa is evolving and right now agriculture that's where the business is, that's where the money is, even the young generation are beginning to see it," she told Xinhua.

Nhari said agriculture and other downstream industries such as food processing and packaging are low hanging fruits that young women can easily reach.

"Agriculture is one field where creativeness doesn't stop. Opportunities are endless in agriculture. You don't need to stress about where to start from. It's one business that you start from where you are, with what you have," said Nhari.

Apart from growing crops and domesticating animals, more young women are now involved in agribusiness value chains, a development that creates more economic value and more job opportunities, Nhari said.

"We are living in a country where unemployment is high, so the chances of getting a job are very slim, but we have got the land, we have got all the resources we need to make money and the market will never end," she said.

The Zimbabwean government has over the years taken various initiatives to support youth in agriculture, a development that has seen an unmatched surge of interest in agriculture from young women.

Agriculture is the backbone of the southern African country's economy and the sector contributes immensely to GDP.

The government sees the inclusion of the youth, particularly young women, in the agricultural sector as key in its efforts to plug the country's food supply gap and to achieve food security at the household level.

However, women in agriculture still find it difficult to get support from financial institutions and the difficulty in accessing credit facilities means young women have to find their own ways to finance their agricultural projects.

The government has also over the past years prioritized the allocation of land to women and youth as part of its efforts to ensure that they fully participate in economic development.

In an effort to support women entrepreneurs financially, in 2018 the Zimbabwean government set up the Zimbabwe Women's Microfinance Bank to specifically provide financial aid to women and youth.

The bank's overall goal is to help women business owners to overcome the lack of collateral that holds back many potential female entrepreneurs from realizing their dreams by disbursing loans for various income-generating projects.

According to the World Bank, closing the gender gap in agriculture could increase yields on women-run farms by 20-30 percent, a development that could raise total agricultural output in developing countries by 2.5-4 percent. Enditem
Once again, CLA Wealth Advisors has been named a leading wealth magnet by Accounting Today. We also appear on the Financial Times list of 300 Top Registered Investment Advisors.

CLA Wealth Advisors is honored to be recognized again this year, said Clayton Bland, chief wealth advisory officer. We work hard to improve and offer clients best-in-class services and this recognition shows we are on the right track.

CLA Wealth Advisors is honored to be recognized again this year, said Clayton Bland, chief wealth advisory officer. We work hard to improve and offer clients best-in-class services and this recognition shows we are on the right track.

Seattle, Aug. 12, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CLA Wealth Advisors (CliftonLarsonAllen Wealth Advisors, LLC), an SEC-registered investment advisor, announced today that it continues its winning ways. For the third consecutive year, CLA Wealth Advisors appears on the Financial Times 300 Top Registered Investment Advisors (RIA) list. It was also named one of the 2020 Top Firms by Assets Under Management (AUM) by Accounting Today.

CLA Wealth Advisors is honored to be recognized again this year, said Clayton Bland, chief wealth advisory officer. We work hard to improve and offer clients best-in-class services and this recognition shows we are on the right track.

CLA Wealth Advisors works with thousands of privately held business owners, senior corporate executives, professionals, families, and institutions. Multidisciplinary teams with vast financial planning, investment, tax, and risk management experience offer planning and guidance to help clients reach their professional and personal goals.

At the time of the Accounting Today survey, CLA Wealth Advisors had $7.56 billion in AUM, placing it fourth on the prestigious list of wealth magnets. The Accounting Today annual report, now in its 14th year, ranks the top CPA financial advisors by AUM. It also shares some of the firms major challenges and achievements from the past year. Digital communication was a clear theme, with many firms embracing virtual meetings, video conferencing, and other forms of remote contact to serve their clients during the pandemic.

Like many firms on this list, were finding innovative ways to support our clients, said Bland. Our success is a team effort to add value for our clients, no matter the economic environment.

Story continues

The Financial Times (FT) is one of the worlds leading business publications. The FT 300 list, now in its seventh year of publication, recognizes the top independent RIA firms from across the United States. FT produces the list independently in collaboration with Ignites Research, a subsidiary of FT that provides business intelligence on the asset management industry.

While RIA firms must apply for consideration, they must also meet certain minimum criteria. This years applicants were evaluated on six key factors:

Assets under management (AUM)

Long-term (three-year) AUM growth

Years in existence

Advanced industry credentials of the firms advisors

Online accessibility

Compliance records

According to FT, the list identifies the industrys elite advisors, accounting for different approaches and specializations. The final list includes advisors from 39 states, and Washington, D.C. The median AUM for the FT 300 advisors rose from $1.2 billion to $1.9 billion in the past year.

For more information about CLA Wealth Advisors, visit claconnect.com/services/wealth-advisory.

About CLA

CLA exists to create opportunities for our clients, our people, and our communities through industry-focused wealth advisory, outsourcing, audit, tax, and consulting services. With more than 6,200 people, 120 U.S. locations and a global affiliation, we promise to know you and help you. For more information, visit CLAconnect.com. Investment advisory services are offered through CliftonLarsonAllen Wealth Advisors, LLC, an SEC-registered investment advisor.

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CONTACT: Jackie Kruger CLA (CliftonLarsonAllen LLP) 612-376-4623 jackie.kruger@CLAconnect.com




Copyright  2020 Albuquerque Journal

SANTA FE  New Mexico county clerks in 10 counties  including Bernalillo, Sandoval, Dona Ana and Santa Fe  have notified the Secretary of States Office they intend to start sending absentee ballot applications to all registered voters in their counties next month.

Voting by mail will likely play a key role in the November general election due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, and county clerks can decide whether to send absentee ballot applications to voters under a special session bill signed by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham in June.

They are not required to do so, however, and five county clerks  in Rio Arriba, McKinley, Mora, Luna and Hidalgo counties  have told Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Olivers office they do not plan to send out the applications, which have to be submitted by voters for an absentee ballot to be mailed to them.

The remaining 18 county clerks had not yet responded to the Secretary of States Office about their plans as of last week.

Some of those clerks could still decide to send out the applications, Secretary of States Office spokesman Alex Curtas said.

He also said county clerks who do send out absentee ballot applications can begin doing so Sept. 14, though the first day the absentee ballots can be sent to voters is Oct. 6.

Sen. Daniel Ivey-Soto, D-Albuquerque, who co-sponsored the bill that makes temporary changes to this years general election, said some New Mexico voters ended up frustrated after their primary election ballots ended up being delivered to county clerks too late to be counted.

If we can front-load some of this administrative stuff that helps get people a ballot, then we should do that, Ivey-Soto said Tuesday.

Absentee voting rates skyrocketed during the June primary, after top-ranking state Democrats urged voters to mail in their ballots to reduce person-to-person contact during the pandemic.

In all, a record 264,793 New Mexico voters used the method to cast their ballots  or about 63.4% of all votes cast.

Dona Ana County Clerk Amanda Lopez Askin said voters have already been asking about absentee voting options for the Nov. 3 election.

We just want to give voters the most options to cast their ballots, Lopez Askin told the Journal.

She also cited a change in the special session elections bill that will move the application deadline for requesting an absentee ballot to 10 days before Election Day, instead of five days, in an attempt to reduce the number of ballots that are returned too late to be counted.

While most absentee ballots are returned by mail, they can also be hand-delivered to county clerks offices and polling places starting Oct. 6.

Curtas also said the Secretary of States Office will be launching a pilot program of absentee ballot drop boxes for the general election but said the exact locations of those drop boxes has not been determined.

Meanwhile, he also said absentee ballot applications sent out by a third-party group, a Washington D.C.-based nonprofit group called Center for Voter Information, are legitimate.

They are using an acceptable form that voters in New Mexico can submit to their county clerks and get an absentee ballot, Curtas said.

The group faced criticism after reportedly sending out more than 500,000 absentee ballot applications to Virginia voters with erroneous return addresses.

In New Mexico, the group has sent out absentee applications to nearly one-third of the states registered voters  399,733 out of roughly 1.3 million  and about 30,000 of those voters have submitted the applications to their county clerks.

Statewide registered voters will also be able to request absentee ballots on the secretary of states website, Curtas said, but county clerks will send only one ballot per registered voter regardless of how many applications are submitted.
Sanjay Dutt on Tuesday said he would be taking a "short break" from professional commitments to focus on medical treatment and requested well-wishers to not speculate about his health. Soon after, reports began doing the rounds that the actor had been diagnosed with a terminal illness and planning to fly to the US for treatment. Now, Maanayata Dutt has released a statement regarding her husband's health.

The statement reads, I thank everyone who has expressed their well wishes for Sanjus speedy recovery. We need all the strength and prayers to overcome this phase. There is a lot that the family has gone through in the past years but I am confident, this too shall pass. However, it is my heartfelt request to Sanjus fans to not fall prey to speculations and unwarranted rumours, but to just help us with their ongoing love, warmth and support. Sanju has always been a fighter, and so has our family. God has yet again chosen to test us to overcome the challenges ahead. All we seek is your prayers and blessings, and we know we will emerge as winners on the other side, as we always have. Let us use this opportunity to spread light and positivity

Earlier this week, the 61-year-old actor, was admitted to Lilavati Hospital over the weekend after complaining of breathlessness. He was discharged from the medical facility on Monday.

Sanjay is the eldest child of late Bollywood stars Nargis and Sunil Dutt. He has two sisters -- Priya Dutt and Namrata Dutt. He is married to Maanayata Dutt with whom he has two children, a son and a daughter. He also has a daughter Trishala Dutt from his first marriage to Richa Sharma. She died of brain tumour in 1996.

On the work front, Sanjay is currently awaiting the release of "Sadak 2" and "Bhuj: The Pride of India", which will premiere on Disney+Hotstar.He will also star in the second installment of "KGF" and "Shamshera", alongside Ranbir Kapoor.

In 2019, the actor had featured in three movies -- Ashutosh Gowariker's period drama "Panipat", Karan Johar-produced "Kalank" and political drama "Prassthanam".
Meghan Markle does not take her voice lightly.

While the Duchess of Sussex and former American actress has been a public figure for nearly a decade now, even she understands the struggle of feeling unheard.

With the centennial of women's right to vote in the United States being celebrated in August and the 2020 presidential election approaching, Markle and dozens of other prominent womenincluding Michelle Obama, Hillary Clinton and Oprah Winfreyweighed in on why they're casting their vote in November in a feature for Marie Claire's first digital August issue.

As Markle powerfully explained to the magazine, "I know what it's like to have a voice, and also what it's like to feel voiceless. I also know that so many men and women have put their lives on the line for us to be heard. And that opportunity, that fundamental right, is in our ability to exercise our right to vote and to make all of our voices heard."

How Meghan Markle Forever Changed the Royals

Archie Harrison's famous mom also referenced her well-known husband, Prince Harry, in her explanation. As Markle noted, "One of my favorite quotes, and one that my husband and I have referred to often, is from Kate Sheppard, a leader in the suffragist movement in New Zealand, who said, 'Do not think your single vote does not matter much. The rain that refreshes the parched ground is made up of single drops.'"

Markle concluded, "That is why I vote."

Meghan Markle

The longtime champion of women's rights also referenced Sheppard in a 2018 speech she gave commemorating the 125th anniversary of women's suffrage in New Zealand while visiting the country at the time.

As the royal said in her remarks, "Women's suffrage is not simply about the right to vote for women, but also about what that represents: the basic and fundamental human right of all people, including those members of society who've been marginalized whether for reasons of race, gender, ethnicity or orientation, to be able to participate in the choices for their future and their community."

In finishing her speech, the royal borrowed another quote from Sheppard: "All that separates, whether of race, class, creed or sex, is inhuman and must be overcome.'"

See Marie Claire's full voting feature here.
The Sheraton Hotel Da Nang and Dam Sen Water Park have reported a loss of nearly VND100 billion, while Vietravels loss in H1 was three times higher than that predicted for the whole year, reported CafeF.

The Covid-19 pandemic has had a big impact on the economy in general and the tourism industry in particular.





Travelers, especially foreigners, are a big source of revenue in Vietnam. It has been increasing year after year, from $2.3 billion in 2005 to $4.45 billion in 2010, $7.35 billion in 2015 and $11.83 billion in 2019. Vietnam continues to see a trade surplus in tourism services.



However, the number of foreign travelers to Vietnam has fallen since March because of Covid-19 by up to 99.3 percent, or 1 million travelers in June compared with the same period last year, according to CafeF.



June was the bottom of the diagram showing a decline in the number of foreign travelers to Vietnam over many years.



The big challenges faced by the tourism industry can be seen in the business results of listed tourism companies. Some of them reported a sharp 70-80 percent decrease in revenue in Q2.



Phu Tho Tourism (DSP), the owner of the Dam Sen Culture Park, reported an 87 percent drop in revenue in Q2 to VND12 billion. Because of the cost price increase, the company took a gross loss of VND144 billion, while it made a profit of VND18 billion the same period last year. After deducting expenses, it reported a net loss of VND146.5 billion.

The Sheraton Hotel Da Nang and Dam Sen Water Park have reported a loss of nearly VND100 billion, while Vietravels loss in H1 was three times higher than that predicted for the whole year.

The Dam Sen Water Park Company (DSN), which always made high and stable profits for many years, also reported a loss, VND4.3 billion, for the first time in Q2, while it made a profit of VND42 billion the same period last year. The loss in Q2 forced the profit in H1 to VND 0.1 billion.

Meanwhile, Vietravel (VTR) only needed six months to take a loss which was triple the loss predicted for the whole year. The Q2 consolidated revenue dropped from VND2.204 trillion to VND206 billion which caused a net loss of VND38 billion after deducting expenses.



The biggest travel firm in Vietnam reported revenue of VND996 billion in H1, decreasing by 72 percent compared with the same period last year and the net loss of VND76 billion.



International tours are the main source of revenue for the company. Meanwhile, inbound and outbound tours all have become stagnant because of Covid-19.



When the pandemic broke out, Vietravel predicted that revenue would drop sharply to VND3.065 trillion, or 60 percent, and that it would take a loss of VND22 billion in 2020 after many years of making profit. However, the loss has far exceeded the expectation after just half a year.

Translated by Mai Lan

VN travel firms under pressure as travelers require 100 percent refunds All travelers have canceled tours to Covid-19 stricken areas and 30-40 percent have canceled tours to epidemic-free areas as well, reported Nguoi Lao Dong.
Burma Rakhine Man Dies in Myanmar Military Custody, Critics Suspect Execution

Mrauk-U Township signage. / Ko Aung Aung / Facebook

SITTWE, Rakhine StateA local resident in Rakhine States Mrauk-U Township died in the Myanmar militarys custody over the weekend, according to the victims relatives.

U San Shwe Hlaing, 41, a resident of Pazun Pe Village, went to his brothers funeral in urban Mrauk-U last week and was detained by the Myanmar military around 5 p.m. last Friday on his way back to the village, according to his relatives.

Light Infantry Battalion 377 of the Myanmar military handed over his dead body to the police on Monday. Police then took the body to the Mrauk-U Hospital and the body was cremated on Tuesday, according to Daw Bu Mache, the younger sister of U San Shwe Hlaing.

I heard that the military asked the police to come and take the body of my elder brother. Police took his body with an ambulance to the mortuary in Mrauk-U Hospital. So we went to the hospital and found that his body was rotten beyond recognition, said Daw Bu Mache.

He is neither a member of the AA [Arakan Army] nor a mentally impaired person. After the funeral of our brother mid-day [on Friday], he left for his village in the evening and went missing after that. We heard that he was arrested. But we had just lost a brotherwe had no time to look for him and we did not know where to look for him, she added.

The Irrawaddy was unable to obtain comment from the Mrauk-U Township police.

The militarys Tatmadaw True News Information Team said on Monday that an unknown man was attempting to open a gate of a military unit in Mrauk-U around 9:15 p.m. on Friday. Guards fired two shots at him after the man did not answer their questions, according to the report. The man then allegedly ran away but the guards arrested him.

The military claimed that the man is an AA private, with Service Number A-6737. The military said they were going to hand him over to the Mrauk-U Township police station so that legal action could be taken against him. However, the statement did not mention the name of the detainee nor publish his photo.

Even if U San Shwe Hlaing is guilty and has ties to the AA, he must be punished in line with the law, but extrajudicial execution is not the way, Rakhine State lawmaker U Tun Tha Sein of Mrauk-U Township told The Irrawaddy.

In mid-July, a 37-year-old man from Rakhines Yanbye Township died while being held by the Myanmar military for interrogation. The military said he took his own life but his relatives expressed doubts about the militarys claim.

During the militarys conflict with the AA in Rakhine State, 20 civilians have died during interrogation by the Myanmar military in Kyauktaw, Mrauk-U, Minbya, Yanbye and Rathedaung townships.

Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko.

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Global insured property losses from disasters were US$31 billion in the first half of 2020, up from US$23 billion during the same period last year, according to Swiss Re Institutes sigma estimates.

Natural catastrophes accounted for US$28 billion of H1s insured losses  most resulting from secondary perils events  compared with US$19 billion reported in H1 2019, said Swiss Re. (Secondary perils are the smaller to mid-sized events, or secondary effects, which follow a primary peril. Secondary effects of a primary peril might be hurricane-induced flooding, storm surges, tsunamis, and fire following an earthquake).

On the other hand, insured losses from manmade disasters decreased to US$3 billion from US$4 billion in H1 2019. Swiss Re said the drop in man-made disasters was due in part to the COVID-19 pandemic with lockdowns across the world bringing economic activity in many countries to a near halt.

Global economic losses from natural catastrophes and man-made disasters in the first half of 2020 were US$75 billion, which is up from US$57 billion reported for the same period last year, but well below the average first-half economic loss of US$112 billion reported during the past 10 years.

Breaking down the overall total for economic losses, Swiss Re said, natural catastrophes accounted for US$72 billion during the first half, up from US$52 billion in the same period in 2019. The remaining US$3 billion of economic losses were caused by man-made disasters, down from US$5 billion for the first half of 2019. (Economic losses include insured and non-insured losses).

Of the overall economic costs (US$75 billion), around 40%, or US$31 billion, were covered by insurance. During the previous 10 years, insured claims during the first half averaged US$36 billion.

Around 60% of natural catastrophe losses in the first half of 2020 were uninsured. As the severity of secondary perils will likely increase in the coming years, the importance of the insurance industry in closing natural catastrophe protection gaps is very clear. Climate change is a systemic risk and unlike COVID-19 it doesnt have an expiry date, said Jerome Jean Haegeli, Swiss Re Group Chief Economist.

Secondary Perils

The main driver of the first half losses were secondary perils, said Swiss Re, noting that in North America, severe convective storms (or thunderstorms with tornadoes, floods and hail) caused insured losses of more than US$21 billion. The report said this was the highest since the first half of 2011 when losses from this peril alone were around US$30 billion.

In June, sigma added, Calgary in Canada suffered losses of US$1 billion from hail damage, the costliest hailstorm event on record in Canada.

Starting from May, heavy rainfalls caused severe flooding  another example of a secondary peril  in several provinces along the Yangtze River in China, said sigma.

Though not counted in the first half preliminary estimates, the current ongoing fires in southern California are a reminder of the ever-present danger that fire presents, said the report, noting that, in the future, climate change and rising temperatures will likely exacerbate secondary perils, including wildfires.

Once again, secondary perils caused most catastrophe losses in the first half of 2020. Climate change is expected to worsen and amplify the scale of secondary peril events and associated losses in the future, said Martin Bertogg, head of Cat Perils in Swiss Re.

Other findings from the sigma report include:

Northern Europe was hit by two consecutive, intense windstorms, Ciara and Dennis, in February. Strong wind and heavy rains caused flooding, power outages and transport disruption, causing combined insurance losses of more than US$2 billion.

Cyclone Amphan in the Bay of Bengal caused economic losses of US$13 billion in May, which was the most destructive tropical cyclone to hit India. Insured losses are expected to be just a fraction of the total.

Source: Swiss Res sigma

Related:

Topics Catastrophe USA Profit Loss Flood Swiss Re
Normalising flexible working and shared parental leave is key to addressing the problem. Photo: Getty

The coronavirus lockdown has brought many things into focus, but particularly the issue of work-life balance. With many people working from home and schools closed, parents have had to manage their usual workload while looking after kids who would usually be at school or nursery.

Understandably, this has been deeply stressful. But it has also led to some uplifting television moments  such as young children interrupting live news interviews.

Last month, Dr Clare Wenham, an assistant professor at the London School of Economics, was discussing the lockdown on the BBC when her young daughter strolled in with her own conundrum: Where should she put her framed unicorn picture?

To the delight of viewers, anchor Christian Fraser engaged her daughter in conversation  complimenting her on the drawing: Scarlett, I think it looks better on the lower shelf.

READ MORE: Women working from home are still dealing with comments about their appearance

Later that day, Sky News foreign affairs editor Deborah Haynes experienced a similar disruption when her young son entered her home office to ask if he could have two biscuits. Haynes paused her analysis of China's new Hong Kong laws to gently ask her son to leave the frame, but her segment was still cut short. I can confirm that his high-stakes negotiating skills netted him two chocolate digestives, she later tweeted.

These moments may be entertaining, but they offer a glimpse of the challenging realities working parents often face when juggling jobs and childcare. While some employers are understanding of the difficulties parents can face, others are less empathetic.

The lockdown has definitely helped to make the juggle between work and parenting more visible, says Angharad Salazar Llewellyn, founder of The Flex Network, which connects freelancers, small business owners and flexible workers. There's the old saying  we're expected to work as if we're not parents, and parent as if we don't work.

Story continues

The view that women cant be good workers and good parents at the same time is pervasive. In 2018, a study surveying more than 50,000 individuals across 18 countries found that the factors that most strongly correlated with thinking that women shouldnt work were beliefs that children and family suffer if mothers work. These motherhood myths were prevalent even in countries with progressive parental leave policies, such as Sweden.

The social prejudice that women should carry the overwhelming responsibility for caring for children isnt just driving gender pay gaps, though  it can also prevent fathers from playing a more active role at home.

Two in five dads who have applied for flexible working have had their requests turned down, while a report by the Women and Equalities Committee found some men have been mocked by colleagues after choosing to work part-time to share childcare duties. And with women prevented from going back to work, this has a knock-on effect on their progression in the workplace too.

Normalising flexible working and shared parental leave is key to addressing the problem, as is being more understanding of the challenges many working parents experience.

READ MORE: What leave and flexible working are parents entitled to during the pandemic?

After the pandemic passes, it is thought there will be a cultural shift towards working from home and away from the traditional 9 to 5. According to data from CIPD, employers expect the proportion of people working from home on a regular basis to increase to 37% after the pandemic, compared to 18% before. Having already had a trial run of remote working, some businesses may be open allowing flexible working in the future  but it remains to be seen.

I don't think we'll understand the true effects of this pandemic on flexible working in the short-term, Llewellyn says. Businesses are under huge pressure just to stay afloat and this may drive them to be more conservative or go back to doing things in a way they have always been done.

However, a recent study by the World Economic Forum showed that most workers want to continue to work flexibly and for a manager who leads with empathy and a supportive attitude, she adds. The pandemic has clearly shown that this style of leadership is to be valued.
The police in Imo State on Wednesday arrested 67 persons, suspected to be members of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and a native doctor, for alleged unlawful assembly.

The state commissioner of police, Isaac Akinmoyede, stated this in Owerri, the state capital.

Mr Akinmoyede said the people were arrested in Orji, Owerri North Local Government Area of the state on Sunday.

He said they were on their way to see the native doctor to fortify them against bullet penetration when they were arrested.

It is believed that the group is planning an attack on security agencies with the aim of snatching weapons, he added.

He alleged that the native doctor had before removed bullets from a suspected IPOB member who had gunshot injuries.

It is also noteworthy that the group attacked and snatched two rifles from police during a violent protest in 2018, of which the rifles were later recovered from a kidnap gang in a robbery operation.

The police boss said the suspected IPOB members were intercepted by soldiers of the 34 Field Artillery Brigade while on duty at Mmahu Egbema checkpoint who then called for reinforcement from the Divisional Police Headquarters, Egbema.

He said that officers from the division moved swiftly to the scene and assisted in the evacuation of the suspects to the divisional police headquarters for further action.

It will be recalled that this organisation (IPOB) has been proscribed by the Federal Government of Nigeria, as such, any such gathering by the group is viewed as unlawful. They will be charged to court as soon as investigation is concluded.

But IPOB spokesperson, Emma Powerful, in a reaction to the incident, warned Nigeria government and security agencies to stop hunting IPOB members.

We are warning Nigeria government and her security agencies to allow IPOB because we are peaceful in all our activities since the formation of this noble movement to liberate our people.

Nigeria security operatives are deriving joy in arresting and slaughtering IPOB family members since 2015 while their brothers terrorists herdsmen and their Boko Haram counterparts are busy causing mayhem throughout Nigeria without security officers stopping them.

We are calling on Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State to instruct his countrys security to release our members before it is late. Nigeria government and her army of terrorists have been looking for our trouble and they must get it when we are ready. At the appropriate time they will regret their actions against IPOB members, he said.
While the Covid-19 pandemic rages, more than 100 low- and middle-income countries will still have to pay a combined $130 billion in debt service this year  around half of which is owed to private creditors. With much economic activity suspended and fiscal revenues in free fall, many countries will be forced to default. Others will cobble together scarce resources to pay creditors, cutting back on much-needed health and social expenditures. Still others will resort to additional borrowing, kicking the proverbial can down the road, seemingly easier now because of the flood of liquidity from central banks around the world.

From Latin Americas lost decade in the 1980s to the more recent Greek crisis, there are plenty of painful reminders of what happens when countries cannot service their debts. A global today will push millions of people into unemployment and fuel instability and violence around the world. Many will seek jobs abroad, potentially overwhelming border-control and immigration systems in Europe and North America. Another costly migration crisis will divert attention away from the urgent need to address climate change. Such humanitarian emergencies are becoming the new norm.

This nightmare scenario is avoidable if we act now. The origins of todays looming are easy to understand. Owing to quantitative easing, the public debt (mostly sovereign bonds) of low- and middle-income countries has more than tripled since the 2008 global financial crisis. Sovereign bonds are riskier than official debt from multilateral institutions and developed-country aid agencies because creditors can dump them on a whim, triggering a sharp currency depreciation and other far-reaching economic disruptions.

Back in June 2013, we worried that shortsighted financial markets, working with shortsighted governments, were laying the groundwork for the worlds next  Now, the day of reckoning has come. This past March, the United Nations called for debt relief for the worlds least-developed countries. Several G20 countries and the International Monetary Fund have suspended debt service for the year, and have called upon private creditors to follow suit.





Illustration: Binay Sinha

Unsurprisingly, these calls have fallen on deaf ears. The newly formed Africa Private Creditor Working Group, for example, has already rejected the idea of modest but broad-based debt relief for poor countries. As a result, much, if not most, of the benefits of debt relief from official creditors will accrue to the private creditors who are unwilling to provide any debt relief.

The upshot is that taxpayers in creditor countries will once again end up bailing out excessive risk taking and imprudent lending by private actors. The only way to avoid this is to have a comprehensive debt standstill that includes private creditors. But without strong action from the countries in which debt contracts are written, private creditors are unlikely to accept such an arrangement. These governments therefore must invoke the doctrines of necessity and force majeure to enforce comprehensive standstills on debt service.

But standstills will not solve the systemic problem of excessive indebtedness. For that, we urgently need deep debt restructuring. History shows that for many countries, a restructuring that is too little, too late merely sets the stage for another crisis. And Argentinas long struggle to restructure its debt in the face of recalcitrant, shortsighted, hard-headed, and hard-hearted private creditors has shown that collective-action clauses designed to facilitate restructuring are not as effective as had been hoped.

More often than not, an inadequate restructuring is followed by another restructuring within five years, with enormous suffering on the part of those in the debtor country. Even creditors lose, over the long run.

Fortunately, there is an underused alternative: voluntary sovereign-debt buybacks. Debt buybacks are widespread in the corporate world, and have proved effective both in Latin America in the 1990s and, more recently, in the Greek context. And they have the advantage of avoiding the harsh terms that typically come with debt swaps.

A buyback programmes principal objective would be to reduce debt burdens by securing significant discounts (haircuts) on the face value of sovereign bonds, and by minimising exposure to risky private creditors. But a buyback programme could also be designed to advance health and climate goals, by requiring that the beneficiaries spend the money that otherwise would have gone to debt service on creating public goods.

As we explain in a recent proposal, a multilateral buyback facility could be managed by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which can use already available resources, its New Arrangements to Borrow function, and supplemental funds from a global consortium of countries and multilateral institutions. Countries that do not need their full allocation of Special Drawing Rights, the IMFs unit of account, could donate or lend them to the new facility. A new issuance of SDRs, for which there is a clear need, could provide still additional resources. To ensure the maximum debt reduction for a given expenditure, the IMF could conduct an auction, announcing that it will buy back only a limited amount of bonds.

In the long term, a predictable, rules-based debt-restructuring mechanism, modelled after the United States municipal bankruptcy legislation (Chapter 9) is needed. That would be in keeping with the recommendations of the post-2008 UN Commission of Experts on Reforms of the International Monetary and Financial System.

The usual objection to such proposals is that they would destroy the international capital market. But experience shows otherwise. One cant squeeze water from a stone. There will be restructuring  the only question is whether it will be orderly. Our proposals would aid in achieving this objective, and thus strengthen capital markets.

Ultimately, though, our concern should not be with the health of capital markets, but with the welfare of people developing and emerging-market countries . There is an urgent need for debt relief now, in the midst of the pandemic. It has to be comprehensive  including private creditors  and more than just a stay of debt. We have the tools to do it. We only need the political will.

Stiglitz, a Nobel laureate in economics and University Professor at Columbia University, is chief economist at the Roosevelt Institute and a former senior vice president and chief economist of the World Bank. Rashid is chief of global economic monitoring at the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs. Project Syndicate, 2020.

Views are personal
MINNEAPOLIS - Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota survived a stiff Democratic primary challenge Tuesday from a well-funded opponent who tried to make an issue of her national celebrity, the latest in a string of victories by a new generation of emboldened progressive lawmakers.

Omar, seeking her second term in November, easily defeated Antone Melton-Meaux, an attorney and mediator who raised millions in anti-Omar money.

Omar and her allies gained confidence in her reelection chances after primary victories last week by fellow Squad member Rashida Tlaib in Michigan and by Cori Bush, a Black Lives Matter activist who ousted a longtime St. Louis-area congressman. They also claimed momentum from the renewed focus on racial and economic justice after George Floyds death in Minneapolis.

Tonight, our movement didnt just win, Omar tweeted. We earned a mandate for change. Despite outside efforts to defeat us, we once again broke turnout records. Despite the attacks, our support has only grown.

Melton-Meaux used the cash to paper the district and flood airwaves with his Focused on the Fifth message that portrayed Omar as out of touch with the heavily Democratic Minneapolis-area 5th District, which hasnt elected a Republican to Congress since 1960. He conceded defeat and acknowledged that his efforts werent enough, while declining to speculate on why.

Im also incredibly proud of the work that we did, that garnered at least over 60,000 votes from the district, from people who resonated with our message of effective leadership grounded in the district, and bringing people together to get things done, Melton-Meaux told The Associated Press.

Omar in 2018 became one of the first two Muslim women elected to Congress, building on a national profile that started when the onetime refugee from Somalia was elected to the Minnesota Legislature just two years earlier. Her aggressive advocacy on liberal issues, and her eagerness to take on Donald Trump, made her even more prominent.

Omar rejected Melton-Meauxs attacks, saying they were funded by interests who wanted to get her out of Congress because shes effective. She also downplayed Melton-Meauxs prodigious fundraising before the vote, saying, Organized people will always beat organized money.

Democratic U.S. Sen. Tina Smith and Republican challenger Jason Lewis easily won their primaries in the only statewide races on the ballot. Elsewhere, in western Minnesotas conservative 7th District, former state Sen. Michelle Fischbach won a three-way Republican race for the right to challenge Democratic Rep. Collin Peterson. Peterson, chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, is one of the GOPs top targets to flip a House seat in November.

After entering Congress with fanfare, Omar hurt herself early with comments about Israel and money that even some fellow Democrats called anti-Semitic, and found herself apologizing. She also came under scrutiny when her marriage fell apart and she married her political consultant months after denying they were having an affair.

Republicans also raised questions about continuing payments to her new husbands firm, though experts said they arent necessarily improper.

In the wake of Floyds death, police reform also emerged as an issue. Omar supported a push by a majority of the Minneapolis City Council to replace the citys police department with something new. Melton-Meaux didnt support that but did support shifting some funding away from police to more social service-oriented programs. Both touched on the issue in personal ways, with Omar saying she wanted her son to grow up safely. Melton-Meaux, who is also Black, told a personal story of being detained while at the University of Virginia by police seeking an assault suspect reported to have run into his apartment building.

Wendy Helgeson, 57, a consultant, backed Omar two years ago, even installing a lawn sign in her yard, and said she was awfully proud of her being the first Black Muslim woman that we elected. But she said she was concerned about campaign payments to Omars husbands firm as well as her national presence, and found it easy to vote for Melton-Meaux, whom she said has been her friend for 12 years.

I admire her as a woman, Helgeson said of Omar. As a candidate, ehhh ... I have some reservations.

John Hildebrand, a 47-year-old teacher in Minneapolis who voted for Omar, said her national profile is an advantage.

I think just her presence encourages other Muslims and Somalis to run for office and to seek to be represented, he said. I think she just engages people in the political system more and more.

Blake Smith, 23, a parks worker who is Black and described himself as a leftist, also backed Omar. Hes concerned about climate change, Medicare for all and getting money out of politics, and he sees her as an ally.

Its more time for radical change than like small  I dont think we have time for incremental change anymore, Smith said.

___

Doug Glass contributed. Ibrahim is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a non-profit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
Michelle Bright (pictured) was last seen alive when she was dropped off outside the Commercial Hotel in Gulgong in February 1999

An abattoir worker who was charged with the murder of 17-year-old schoolgirl Michelle Bright posted an eerie message on Facebook less than 24 hours before his arrest.

Michelle's body was discovered less than 1km from her home in the small town of Gulgong, near Mudgee, in the New South Wales Central Tabelands three days after she went missing on February 27, 1999.

Detectives have charged the family's former neighbour Craig Henry Rumsby, 53, with her murder after arresting him in Mudgee on Tuesday night.

The day before he was arrested, Rumsy commented on a Facebook post about Michelle's horrific death.

'It's so sad that they haven't caught her killer years Michelle was like a sister to me I feel sorry for the family,' he wrote on a NSW Police post about her disappearance.

Detectives charged Craig Henry Rumsby with murder on Wednesday, just hours after he posted this message on Facebook

On Monday, the reward for information to solve the case was doubled to $1million as Michelle's heartbroken mother Lorraine (pictured) begged for someone to come forward

On Monday, the reward for information to solve the case was doubled to $1million as Michelle's heartbroken mother Lorraine begged for someone to come forward.

She was last seen alive when she was dropped off outside the Commercial Hotel on Herbert Street, Gulgong, after a birthday party.

Michelle's heartbroken mother pleaded with anyone who had any idea about what happened to her daughter to come forward.

Ms Bright told 2GB she waited 21 years to find out who was responsible for her daughter's death, only for her neighbour to be accused of the crime.

'I've shed more tears in the last three days than I've shed in my whole lifetime,' she told Ben Fordham.

Although Ms Bright said she was exhausted by the events of the past few days, she was ready to start the 'next journey in her life'.

'It was quite a shock for me when I got the call. I got the call about 10pm from detectives saying they had somebody in custody in Mudgee,' she said.

Abbatoir worker Craig Henry Rumsby, 53, pictured being led away in handcuffs on Wednesday morning. He has been charged with the murder of 17-year-old schoolgirl Michelle Bright

Rumsby (pictured) replied simply 'no' when asked by reporters if he had murdered the teenager

Michelle's (pictured) body was found in long grass near train tracks less than 1km from her home in Gulgong

'I feel sorry for the detective because I screamed then I cried and I had to compose myself and get on the phone... it was very very emotional.'

Upon his arrest, Rumsby simply 'no' to reporters when asked if he had murdered the teenager and said he had known her mother 'for years', Nine News reported.

Ms Bright said Rumsby was living two houses down from the family in Mudgee and their children went to school together.

Rumsby has reportedly been living near Windsor in Sydney's north-west in recent years.

Michelle's (pictured) heartbroken mother Loraine begged for someone to come forward when the reward for information was doubled to $1million on Monday

NSW Police said the man was taken to Mudgee Police Station and charged with murder, two counts of inflicting actual bodily harm with intent to have sexual intercourse and attempting to choke or strangle with intent to commit indictable offence.

He was refused bail to appear at Mudgee Local Court on Wednesday.

Despite extensive investigations at the time and over the past two decades, no one until this week had been charged in connection with Michelle's murder.

'After 21 years of indescribable pain, we are hoping that someone will come forward and help police put those responsible for taking Michelle's life away behind bars,' Michelle's mother had said in Monday's plea for information.
Mr De Ferrari did not comment on the scandals engulfing the bank directly, but acknowledged there was work to do to improve AMP's culture. "Driving cultural change is key to unlocking AMPs potential and driving shareholder value. Weve made progress in strengthening accountability and execution, but know we have more to do," he said in a statement. Believe me, I feel the responsibility on my shoulders and Im driving this very hard. CEO Francesco De Ferrari on culture change at AMP "To accelerate change, weve implemented a number of immediate actions including establishing a board culture working group and an employee-led inclusion taskforce, as well as working with an external expert to drive inclusive leadership." In a media briefing, Mr De Ferrari said he would not comment on why Mr Wade left the company, but accepted responsibility for the appointment. It's understood Mr Wade was a personal recruit of Mr De Ferrari's as the two bankers had previously worked together at Credit Suisse.

'Most challenging transformation' "A decision to hire an executive that reports to me is my responsibility as CEO of the company," Mr De Ferrari said. "All my direct reports would need to have the approval of the board. But ultimately its my decision." Mr De Ferrari was appointed as CEO in December 2018, tasked with cleaning up the sordid reputation of an institution that had been exposed as one of the worst performers during the banking royal commission. "I think in reading some of the headlines when I joined, [it] was called the most challenging transformation in corporate Australia," Mr De Ferrari said. "That does not happen over night. I have been acutely aware from day one. Believe me, I feel the responsibility on my shoulders and Im driving this very hard." The investment division, AMP Capital, was also plagued by a scandal last month after it was revealed the newly appointed chief executive Boe Pahari was promoted to the top role after being fined $500,000 for sexually harassing a former colleague.

Loading AMP Capital's operating performance fell to $72 million from $120 million in the prior-year period as a result of a 39 per cent decline in performance and transaction fees due to a slowdown in activity caused by the pandemic, according to the group. AMP Capital chief Boe Pahari said the company was in a strong position to grow AMP Capital's private markets business by pursuing further investment opportunities in infrastructure and real estate. "We are already in the top 10 in infrastructure equity and debt," Mr Pahari said. "If you combine that with our domestic real estate business [...] were in an excellent position to capture that sort of wallet that goes to the large-scale players." However, Merlon Capital principal Hamish Carlisle was not convinced and said this part of the business should be divested.

"Our strong view is they shouldnt own that private markets business. The company has a disastrous track record in terms of capital allocation and as weve seen recently, in terms of their capacity to manage businesses," Mr Carlisle said. "We think the sooner they spin off that business, the better." The longer this drags on, regardless of whether you believe these people are doing a good job, the perception is that theyre not. In financial services, perception matters and drives real outcomes. Merlon Capital's Hamish Carlisle Loading Mr Carlisle said shareholders continued to be impacted by the ongoing reputational damage caused by the sexual harassment scandals at AMP. "The longer this drags on, regardless of whether you believe these people are doing a good job, the perception is that theyre not," he said. "In financial services, perception matters and drives real outcomes."

In regards to the special dividend, Mr Carlisle said the $544 million paid out to shareholders was positive, but he suspected there was "significantly more" that could be returned: "I would question the requirement to hold such a significant 'board buffer' of $733 million." The capital buffer could be used to cover legal fees as AMP prepares to battle four class actions and further law suits to be launched by the corporate regulator by the end of the year. In some good news for the company, total deposits in AMP Bank increased by $2.6 billion and its residential mortgage book also increased by 2.9 per cent to $20.5 billion. The sale of AMP Life had been a "major milestone" for the company, Mr De Ferrari said. "The proceeds have strengthened our capital position, enabling us to return up to $544 million to our shareholders via a special dividend and a $200 million share buyback, subject to market conditions," he said, but warned the outlook remained challenging for AMP.

"With the second wave of COVID-19 impacting the economy here and overseas, we expect conditions to remain challenging. However, we also see opportunities emerging over the longer term as we transform AMP to be a simpler, client-led and growth-oriented business." Severing ties In a separate announcement, the group also revealed plans to repurchase Mitsubishi UFJ Trust and Banking Corporation's 15 per cent stake of AMP Capital for $460 million. Once the transaction is complete, AMP's existing business and capital alliances with the Japanese company will end and MUTB will no longer have a representative on AMP Capital's board. Mr De Ferrari said MUTB had been a "strong and valued partner" but the companies would now move in separate directions.
SOMERVILLE, Mass., Aug. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Greentown Labs , the largest climatetech startup incubator in North America, and Vineyard Wind , developer of the first utility-scale offshore wind energy generation facility in the United States, have selected three startups for the Offshore Wind Challenge . The startups will focus on innovations in marine mammal monitoring through data collection, real-time transmission, and analysis. The advancement of their technologies will support the responsible development of the offshore wind industry off the coast of Massachusetts, and well beyond.

The Challenge, run by Vineyard Wind and Greentown Labs with support from the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) , received more than 60 applications from around the globe. After a highly competitive recruitment and deliberation process, the partners are pleased to announce that the following three companies have been selected to participate in the Offshore Wind Challenge and apply their technologies to near, real-time marine mammal detection:

SICdrone, based in Massachusetts , builds offshore-capable aerial drone systems that can fly in harsh weather conditions, eliminating weather delays for critical inspection and monitoring at sea.

, builds offshore-capable aerial drone systems that can fly in harsh weather conditions, eliminating weather delays for critical inspection and monitoring at sea. Night Vision Technology Solutions, based in Rhode Island , is a high-technology provider of thermal and visible camera systems designed for offshore wind, search and rescue, threat detection, and situational awareness.

, is a high-technology provider of thermal and visible camera systems designed for offshore wind, search and rescue, threat detection, and situational awareness. Open Ocean Robotics, based in British Columbia , makes it cheaper, easier, and safer to understand our oceans using solar-powered, self-driving boats that travel oceans for months at a time while collecting ocean data.

Based at Greentown Labs, which is headquartered in Somerville, Mass., the Offshore Wind Challenge is a six-month accelerator program focused on providing entrepreneurs with the connections, business and technical resources they need to commercialize their technologies. In addition to receiving direct support from Vineyard Wind and the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, the Challenge also draws on the knowledge and expertise of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) and the New England Aquarium.

Vineyard Wind is pioneering the United States' first utility-scale offshore wind project off Massachusetts' coast, which will provide clean power for over 400,000 homes and businesses and eliminate 1.68 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually. Vineyard Wind is committed to responsibly developing and operating the project, including by protecting North Atlantic right whales and other marine species that live off the Northeast's coast.

"We take our responsibility as 'first movers' in the U.S. offshore wind industry very seriously and are always looking for ways to implement new technologies that reduce impacts to the environment and marine life," said Lars T. Pedersen, CEO of Vineyard Wind. "We're grateful to Greentown Labs for their partnership and to all of the applicants for their work and passion. We look forward to seeing the development of these technologies and how they can assist our work and mission."

Over the next six months, the startups participating in the Offshore Wind Challenge will benefit from mentoring, networking opportunities, educational workshops, and partnership-focused programming through Greentown Launch , Greentown Labs' flagship corporate partnerships accelerator platform. Within this framework, the Offshore Wind Challenge will help startups explore potential partnership outcomes with Vineyard Wind, including piloting their technologies in Vineyard Wind's Massachusetts lease waters. Furthermore, participants will receive Greentown Labs membership for the duration of the program.

"We're thrilled to receive more than 60 applications from around the world and we are excited to support the three selected startups as they work alongside experts from Vineyard Wind, MassCEC, and other leading organizations in the marine and offshore wind industries," said Emily Reichert, CEO of Greentown Labs. "The success of the burgeoning offshore wind industry is critical to our progress toward a decarbonized future, and the Offshore Wind Challenge will drive the development and ultimate deployment of new innovations that will simultaneously protect marine life in our oceans and accelerate the new industry's growth on the U.S. East Coast, and beyond."

MassCEC, a pillar in Massachusetts' cleantech ecosystem, has been leading the state's offshore wind initiatives and technical analyses in close collaboration with policymakers, regulators, developers, industry, and stakeholders since 2009. MassCEC is an enabling partner for the Offshore Wind Challenge, providing grant funding, expertise, and in-kind support for startup pilot projects in Vineyard Wind's lease areas in Massachusetts' waters.

"Research and innovation are critical components in our toolkit for advancing the responsible development of offshore wind," said Steve Pike, CEO of MassCEC. "We are pleased to support the testing and validation of these new technologies for marine mammal protection in real-world conditions."

WHOI and the New England Aquarium will also support the program, including through participation in major program events and workshops.

"With the offshore wind industry emerging right in our backyard, WHOI is looking forward to participating in the research, technology, and entrepreneurship accelerated by the Offshore Wind Challenge to help drive forward the responsible development of the offshore wind industry in the Northeast U.S. and beyond," said Dr. Rick Murray, WHOI's Deputy Director and Vice President for Research.

"The New England Aquarium is committed to environmentally responsible offshore wind development and believes innovative technologies are a critical part of both monitoring and safeguarding ocean animals during turbine construction and their ultimate operations," said Dr. John Mandelman, Vice President and Chief Scientist for the Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life at the New England Aquarium. "We are pleased to offer our ocean science expertise to help guide innovators in this Offshore Wind Challenge to better understand and minimize potential impacts."

All participants in the program will receive:

Acceptance into Greentown Launch, a six-month partnerships acceleration program for startups, hosted at Greentown Labs, the largest climatetech incubator in North America

A structured platform to explore potential partnership outcomes with Vineyard Wind

Exclusive access to the Greentown Labs and Vineyard Wind networks

Funding and access to MassCEC's New Bedford Marine Commerce Terminal for ocean validation of technologies

Greentown Labs membership for the duration of the six-month accelerator program

Mentorship, networking opportunities, and partnership-focused programming from the Greentown Labs ecosystem of cleantech and climatetech startup experts

Access to mentorship from the world's leading offshore wind engineers, scientists, and permitting specialists

Access to various offshore wind organizations and suppliers

The Offshore Wind Challenge will feature over 40 hours of intensive business training, hands-on mentorship from industry experts, and a unique model of startup-and-corporate relationship building. The Offshore Wind Challenge partners will host a final showcase in 2021 to share startup progress, accomplishments, and successful results of working closely with Vineyard Wind, Greentown Labs, and MassCEC throughout the program.

About Greentown Labs

As the largest climatetech startup incubator in North America, Greentown Labs brings together startups, corporates, investors, politicians, and many others with a focus on scaling climate solutions. Driven by the mission of providing ground-breaking startups the resources, knowledge, connections, and equipment they need to thrive, Greentown Labs offers prototyping and wet lab space, shared office space, a machine shop, an electronics lab, software and business resources, a large network of corporate customers and investors, and more. Greentown Labs' 100,000-square-foot campus in Somerville, Mass. is home to more than 100 startups and has supported more than 280 startups since the incubator's founding in 2011. These startups have collectively created more than 6,500 direct jobs and have raised more than $850 million in funding. For more information, please visit www.greentownlabs.com or Twitter , Facebook, and LinkedIn .

About Vineyard Wind

Vineyard Wind LLC is an offshore wind development company seeking to build the first large-scale offshore wind energy project in the U.S., to be located 15 miles south of Martha's Vineyard. Vineyard Wind, based in New Bedford, Mass., is 50 percent owned by funds of Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) and 50 percent by Avangrid Renewables. For more information, visit www.vineyardwind.com .

About MassCEC

The Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) is dedicated to growing the state's clean energy economy while helping to meet the Commonwealth's clean energy, climate, and economic development goals. Since its inception in 2009, MassCEC has helped clean energy companies grow, supported municipal clean energy projects, and invested in residential and commercial renewable energy installations creating a robust marketplace for innovative clean technology companies and service providers. MassCEC constructed and operates the Wind Technology Testing Center and the New Bedford Marine Commerce Terminal. Massachusetts Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Kathleen Theoharides chairs MassCEC's board of directors.

Greentown Labs Media Contact:

Cayman Somerville

Chief of Staff

[email protected]

208-863-9599

Vineyard Wind Media Contact:

Andrew Doba

Communications Director

[email protected]

203-850-7400

SOURCE Greentown Labs

Related Links

https://www.greentownlabs.org


If not the COVID-19 outbreak and the subsequent lockdown, Pawan Kalyan's Vakeel Saab would have hit the theatres by now. The movie which was earlier slated to be released on May 15, 2020, was postponed indefinitely due to the pandemic. Well now, as Power Star's birthday is around the corner, the makers of the film are leaving no stone unturned to thrill the fans with a special update.

As per reports, the team is gearing up to release a 90-second teaser of the film on the actor's 49th birthday that falls on September 2. The teaser which is currently on the editing table, will reportedly reveal more about Pawan's character from the movie. It is to be noted that the first look poster of the film featuring Power Star in a carefree avatar was highly appreciated by the netizens, who are now expecting a big dhamaka from the teaser.

There are also reports suggesting that the motion poster from the makers of #PSPK27 will also be out on the same day. Helmed by Krish, the epic drama will have Bollywood diva Jacqueline Fernandez in the lead role.

Recent grapevine claims that an update will also be out from #PSPK28. It is to be noted that the cast and crew have not yet begun shooting, so expecting an update from the Harish Shankar directorial will is unrealistic.

Coming back to Vakeel Saab, the film directed by Venu Sriram is the official Telugu remake of Bollywood film Pink starring Amitabh Bachchan and Taapsee Pannu in the lead roles. Backed by Boney Kapoor and Dil Raju, the courtroom drama will feature Anjali, Nivetha Thomas, Ananya Nagalla and Prakash Raj.

Pawan Kalyan Fans Break Jr NTR's Birthday Trend; #AdvanceHBDPawanKalyan Garners 22M Tweets

Pawan Kalyan's Vakeel Saab To Start Rolling From September 2020! Read Deets Inside!
It has been the 16th day without casualties among Ukrainian troops in the Donbas warzone following the latest ceasefire declaration.

Ukraine plans to end the war in Donbas, but not at the expense of losing its sovereignty or concessions that would not be accepted by Ukrainians, says Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Oleksiy Danilov.

"Today we're doing everything in our power to stop the war, to put a halt to fatalities among our guys at the front line," Danilov told journalists in Kyiv on Wednesday, August 12, according to an UNIAN correspondent.

"Today it's been the 16th day without casualties at the front," Danilov noted.

Read alsoZelensky sees Normandy as "beginning of Donbas freedom"

The NSDC secretary said the Ukrainian government had been doing everything to end the war in Donbas, "but not at the expense of losing our sovereignty or going for certain concessions that our society would not accept."

Donbas ceasefire
In 2020, the Republican Party has a bad reputation on race, not entirely undeserved, and the thing to understand about the upcoming elections is this: As a matter of pure cynical political calculation, the Republican Partys problem isnt that its bad reputation on race costs it the support among black voters but that its bad reputation on race costs it support among white voters.

And that is why Kamala Harris is going to matter come November.

Senator Harris is not on the ticket to shore up Joe Bidens support among African Americans. Bidens black support doesnt obviously need shoring up, and it isnt certain that Senator Harris would help him very much if he did. Black voters do not simply vote for the black candidate when a black candidate is put in front of them, and black voters could have voted for Senator Harris or another black candidate in the Democratic primary if they had wanted to  but they considered and delivered the nomination to Joe Biden.

We have a number of exotic theories about African-American voting habits (Republicans cling to their ghastly stupid plantation talk), but the most likely explanation remains the most obvious one; i.e., that African Americans vote according to their perceived self-interest like any other group of voters, and that Republicans who are mystified by the fact that black voters still go D in spite of a generation of GOP talk about school choice and empowerment zones do not understand how black voters actually reckon their own interests, possibly because they dont ask.

Black voters (like women and some immigrant groups) for the most part do not share Republicans traditional confidence in free enterprise as a force for social good, their (vanishing) preference for market-based solutions, or their (considerably diminished) hostility toward reflexive statism. And, even if they did, there would still be the fact that while the Republican Party itself is not exactly corporately racist in any meaningful sense of that word  that it is in its official positions and public statements quite the opposite of that  it is today nonetheless the partisan home of old-fashioned white racism and our newfangled white-grievance politics.

Story continues

Nobody wants to join a party that is understood to be the party for people who dont like people like them.

Not anymore, anyway. Historically, black voters have been quite capable of seeing past explicitly racial politics when they believe that they have an interest at stake. It is worth keeping in mind that the migration of black voters to the Democratic Party in both presidential and congressional races was complete by the 1940s: The last Republican presidential nominee to win the black vote was Herbert Hoover, and the last Republican congressional slate to win the majority of black votes made its case in 1946. Franklin Roosevelt was pretty weak on civil rights, and Democrats of his era were still blocking anti-lynching bills with his assistance, but the New Deal was very popular with African Americans. The majority of black voters have supported Democrats ever since.

Black voters do not naturally want to join a party with a bad reputation on race. But the more numerically significant fact is this: Neither do white voters. And that matters. One example: As Ronald Brownstein noted in The Atlantic, President Trumps heaping scorn on Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez et al. didnt hurt him only in nonwhite urban constituencies: In both parties, most strategists Ive spoken with agree that Trumps bellicose attacks on the congresswomen will harden the opposition he faces among the groups most accepting of Americas changing identity: young people, minorities, and college-educated white voters, especially women.

The Republican Partys obliteration in the cities and its diminished standing in the suburbs is the expression of its partial alienation of young people and college-educated whites, women in particular. Republicans can win elections all day without the support of black voters  but without the support of well-off white suburbanites, they are more or less hosed. There just arent enough Oklahoma hog farmers to get it done. And at least some of those alienated white people are uncomfortable in the GOP because of Republicans reputation on race.

Of course, the Democrats and their media allies are eager to see spectral evidence of racism everywhere, for obvious reasons. Is it reasonable to detect a racial dynamic when a white Republican president criticizes a nonwhite Democratic member of Congress? It depends: Did he also argue that a federal judge should be disqualified from a case because he is a Mexican? (The judge in question was born in Indiana.) Paul Ryan, who endorsed Donald Trump, was right to call that a textbook definition of racism. The bigoted comments about the parents of the late Army captain Humayun Khan, the housing-discrimination settlement from his New York real-estate business, the crazy birther stuff? The best taco bowls are made in Trump Tower Grill. I love Hispanics! Enough small impressions eventually make a big mark.

A little bit of racism has a whole lot of stink on it  enough to rub off on everybody around you, fairly or unfairly. The GOP has some stink on it, and Senator Harriss purpose on the 2020 ticket is not to convince more black voters to support Democrats but to convince more white voters that they should not support Republicans.

And how will Republicans answer the questions Senator Harris will raise among young people, women, and educated suburbanites? If the answer is, Add ten feet to the Wall and listen to Q! then it is going to be a very, very cold January for the Party of Lincoln, so-called.

More from National Review
PRAGUE -- U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, speaking about the contentious Belarusian presidential election and the ensuing police crackdown against peaceful protesters, says that "we want good outcomes for the Belarusian people, and we'll take actions consistent with that."

Pompeo, who earlier condemned the conduct of the election that handed authoritarian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka a sixth-straight term by a landslide, said in a wide-ranging interview with RFE/RL in Prague on August 12 that "we've watched the violence and the aftermath, peaceful protesters being treated in ways that are inconsistent with how they should be treated."

The August 9 vote, which the opposition has called "rigged," has resulted in three-straight evenings of mass protests marred by police violence and thousands of detentions.

Pompeo said that the United States had not yet settled on the appropriate response, but would work with Washington's European partners to determine what action to take.

Asked whether the election and its aftermath would affect the future of U.S.-Belarus relations, including the promised delivery of U.S. oil, Pompeo said: "We're going to have to work through that...we were incredibly troubled by the election and deeply disappointed that it wasn't more free and more fair."

U.S. Troops In Afghanistan

Pompeo, who was in Prague at the start of a five-day trip to Europe that will also take him to Slovenia, Austria, and Poland, discussed a number of other issues, including allegations that Russia was involved in offering Taliban militants bounties to attack U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan; expectations that Washington will seek to extend the UN arms embargo against Iran; and the effect violence against protesters in the United States might have on Washington's image abroad.

The U.S. secretary of state declined to comment on whether he believed U.S. intelligence reports that reportedly said Russia had offered money to the Taliban and their proxies in Afghanistan to kill U.S. soldiers, saying he never commented on U.S. intelligence matters.

"What we've said is this: If the Russians are offering money to kill Americans or for that matter, other Westerners as well, there will be an enormous price to pay," Pompeo said. "That's what I shared with [Russian] Foreign Minister [Sergei] Lavrov. I know our military has talked to their senior leaders as well. We won't brook that. We won't tolerate that."

WATCH: Pompeo Says He Warned Lavrov Over Bounties On U.S. Troops

Regarding the prospect of resistance among European allies to U.S. efforts to extend the expiring arms embargo on Iran indefinitely, Pompeo said it "makes no sense for any European country to support the Iranians being able to have arms."

"I think they recognize it for exactly what it is," he said of the U.S. proposal, a draft resolution of which is reportedly currently being floated in the 15-member Security Council. "And I hope that they will vote that way at the United Nations. I hope they will see."

"The resolution that we're going to present is simply asking for a rollover of the extension of the arms embargo," Pompeo said. "It's that straightforward.

Asked specifically about the prospect that Iranian allies Russia and China could veto such a proposal, the U.S. secretary of state said: "We're going to make it come back. We have the right to do it under 2231 and we're going to do it."

UN Resolution 2231 was passed unanimously by the United Nations in 2015, endorsing the Iran nuclear deal, known formally as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)

The United States withdrew from the deal, which offered sanctions relief to Tehran in exchange for security guarantees aimed at preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons, in 2018.

Russian Media Pressure

Pompeo also discussed recent efforts by Russia to target foreign media operating there, which the secretary of state earlier warned would "impose new burdensome requirements" on Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and Voice Of America.

In an August 10 statement, Pompeo said that the two U.S.-funded media outlets already faced "significant and undue restrictions" in Russia, and that a recent draft order by Russia's state media regulator requiring all media registered as "foreign agents" to label their content as such or face fines of up to 5 million rubles ($70,000) had left Washington "deeply concerned."

In Prague, home of RFE/RL's headquarters, on August 12, Pompeo said that he believed that "we think we can put real pressure and convince them that the right thing to do is to allow press freedom."

"We've condemned it. We've also imposed enormous sanctions on Russia for other elements of their malign activity," Pompeo said. "We hope that the rest of the world will join us in this. We hope that those nations that value the freedom of press, who want independent reporters to be able to ask questions, even if sometimes leaders don't like them, will join with us."

(WATCH THE FULL INTERVIEW)

Asked whether the recent handling of protests against social injustice in the United States, which has included the use of police force against civilians and journalists, had harmed Washington's image and weakened its moral authority in scolding authoritarian regimes, Pompeo called the question "insulting."

He said that the "difference between the United States and these authoritarian regimes couldn't be more clear."

"We have the rule of law, we have the freedom of press, every one of those people gets due process. When we have peaceful protesters, we create the space for them to say their mind, to speak their piece," he said.

"Contrast that with what happens in an authoritarian regime. To even begin to compare them, to somehow suggest that America's moral authority is challenged by the amazing work that our police forces, our law enforcement people do all across America -- I, frankly, just find the question itself incomprehensible and insulting."
WOONSOCKET, R.I., Aug. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- CVS Health Corporation ("CVS Health",NYSE: CVS) announced today that it has commenced cash tender offers (each, a "Tender Offer" and collectively, the "Tender Offers") for (i) up to $3,000,000,000 aggregate principal amount (the "2023 Notes Maximum Amount") of its 4.000% Senior Notes due 2023 and 3.700% Senior Notes due 2023 and the 2.800% Senior Notes due 2023 issued by its wholly-owned subsidiary, Aetna Inc. (collectively, the "2023 Notes") in the priorities set forth in the first table below (the "2023 Notes Tender Offers") and (ii) up to $3,000,000,000 aggregate principal amount (the "2025 Notes Maximum Amount" and, together with the 2023 Notes Maximum Amount, the "Maximum Amounts") of its 4.100% Senior Notes due 2025 and 3.875% Senior Notes due 2025 (collectively, the "2025 Notes", and, together with the 2023 Notes, the "Notes") in the priorities set forth in the second table below (the "2025 Notes Tender Offers"). Each group of Tender Offers that constitutes either the 2023 Notes Tender Offers or the 2025 Notes Tender Offers as the "Capped Tender Offers".

The Tender Offers are summarized in the tables below:

The 2023 Notes Tender Offers

Title of Notes CUSIP

Number Original

Issuer Principal

Amount

Outstanding 2023 Notes

Maximum

Amount(1)(2) Acceptance

Priority

Level(3) UST Reference

Security Bloomberg

Reference

Page(4) Fixed

Spread

(bps) Early

Tender

Payment(5) 4.000% Senior Notes due 2023 126650 CC2 CVS Health $1,250,000,000 $3,000,000,000 1 0.125% UST due 07/15/2023 PX1 20 $30 3.700% Senior Notes due 2023 126650 CV0 CVS Health $6,000,000,000 2 0.125% UST due 07/15/2023 PX1 25 $30 2.800% Senior Notes due 2023 00817Y AV0 Aetna Inc $1,300,000,000 3 0.125% UST due 07/15/2023 PX1 25 $30

The 2025 Notes Tender Offers

Title of Notes CUSIP

Number Original

Issuer Principal

Amount

Outstanding 2025 Notes

Maximum

Amount (1)(2) Acceptance

Priority

Level(3) UST Reference

Security Bloomberg

Reference

Page(4) Fixed

Spread

(bps) Early

Tender

Payment(5) 4.100% Senior Notes due 2025 126650 CW8 CVS Health $5,000,000,000 $3,000,000,000 1 0.250% UST due 07/31/2025 PX1 36 $30 3.875% Senior Notes due 2025 126650 CL2 CVS Health $2,828,067,000 2 0.250% UST due 07/31/2025 PX1 43 $30





















(1) The 2023 Notes Maximum Amount of $3,000,000,000 represents the aggregate principal amount of 2023 Notes that will be purchased in the 2023 Notes Tender Offers. The 2025 Notes Maximum Amount of $3,000,000,000 represents the aggregate principal amount of 2025 Notes that will be purchased in the 2025 Notes Tender Offers.



(2) If the principal amount of Notes tendered at or prior to the Early Tender Date (as defined below) or Expiration Date (as defined below) is such that the Maximum Amount with respect to one of the Capped Tender Offers is not met and the Maximum Amount with respect to the other of the Capped Tender Offers is exceeded, then the Maximum Amount that was exceeded may, at CVS Health's sole discretion, be increased above such Maximum Amount to allow for the purchase of additional amounts of such Notes provided that aggregate principal amount of $6,000,000,000 of Notes to be purchased in the Tender Offers is not exceeded.



(3) Subject to the Aggregate Maximum Amount, the Maximum Amounts, Reallocation (as defined below) and proration, the principal amount of each series of Notes that is purchased in each of the Tender Offers will be determined in accordance with the applicable acceptance priority level (in numerical priority order) specified in this column.



(4) The applicable page on Bloomberg from which the Dealer Managers (as defined below) will quote the bid side prices of the applicable U.S. Treasury Security. In the above table, "UST" denotes a U.S. Treasury Security.



(5) Per $1,000 principal amount of Notes validly tendered at or prior to the Early Tender Date and accepted for purchase.

The Tender Offers are being made upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the Offer to Purchase dated August 12, 2020 (as amended or supplemented from time to time, the "Offer to Purchase"), which sets forth a detailed description of the Tender Offers. The Tender Offers are open to all registered holders (individually, a "Holder" and collectively, the "Holders") of the Notes. The purpose of the Tender Offers is to refinance a portion of CVS Health's debt and to lower its overall indebtedness.

The sum of the 2023 Notes Maximum Amount and the 2025 Notes Maximum Amount is $6,000,000,000 (the "Aggregate Maximum Amount"), which represents the aggregate principal amount of the Notes subject to the Tender Offers and excludes any Accrued Interest (as defined below) or Early Tender Payment specified in the tables above that may be payable. If the principal amount of Notes tendered at or prior to the Early Tender Date or Expiration Date is such that the Maximum Amount with respect to one of the Capped Tender Offers is not met and the Maximum Amount with respect to the other of the Capped Tender Offers is exceeded, then the Maximum Amount that was exceeded may, at CVS Health's sole discretion, be increased above such Maximum Amount to allow for the purchase of additional amounts of such Notes provided that the Aggregate Maximum Amount is not exceeded ("Reallocation"). If the Maximum Amount with respect to one of the Capped Tender Offers is increased at the Early Settlement Date (as defined below) pursuant to a Reallocation and the Aggregate Maximum Amount is not purchased at the Early Settlement Date, CVS Health reserves the right to further adjust the Maximum Amounts for one or both of the Capped Tender Offers in connection with purchases made at the Expiration Date as it deems appropriate provided that the Aggregate Maximum Amount is not exceeded.

The Notes validly tendered and not validly withdrawn at or prior to 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on August 25, 2020 (the "Early Tender Date") will be eligible to receive the applicable Total Consideration, which includes the Early Tender Payment. The Notes validly tendered after the Early Tender Date but at or prior to 11:59 p.m., New York City time, on September 9, 2020 (the "Expiration Date") will be eligible to receive the applicable tender offer consideration (the "Maximum Tender Offer Consideration"), namely the applicable Total Consideration minus the Early Tender Payment.

The applicable Total Consideration payable by CVS Health for the Notes will be a price per $1,000 principal amount based on the yield to maturity or first par call date, as the case may be, of the U.S. Treasury reference securities specified in the tables above (the "UST Reference Security"), as determined at 9:00 a.m., New York City time, on August 26, 2020 (unless otherwise extended by us as described in the Offer to Purchase), plus a fixed spread, calculated in accordance with the Offer to Purchase. For the avoidance of doubt, if the applicable Total Consideration determined is less than $1,000 per $1,000 principal amount of such series of Notes, then the Total Consideration will be calculated to the stated maturity date and not to the first par call date for such series of Notes.

The settlement date for the Notes validly tendered and not validly withdrawn at or prior to the Early Tender Date and accepted for purchase is expected to be promptly after the Early Tender Date, which is expected to be August 27, 2020, the second business day after the Early Tender Date (the "Early Settlement Date"). The settlement date for the Notes validly tendered after the Early Tender Date but at or prior to the Expiration Date and accepted for purchase is expected to be September 11, 2020, the second business day after the Expiration Date (the "Final Settlement Date," and along with the Early Settlement Date, each a "Settlement Date"), if either or both of the Maximum Amounts of applicable Notes is not purchased on such Early Settlement Date.

In addition to the Total Consideration or Maximum Tender Offer Consideration, as applicable, Holders of Notes accepted for purchase will receive accrued and unpaid interest ("Accrued Interest") on those Notes from the last interest payment date with respect to those Notes to, but not including, the applicable Settlement Date.

Holders who tender their Notes at or prior to 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on August 25, 2020 (such date and time, as it may be extended, the "Withdrawal Deadline") may withdraw such tendered Notes at any time at or prior to the Withdrawal Deadline. Following the Withdrawal Deadline, Holders who have tendered their Notes (whether before, on or after the Withdrawal Deadline) may not withdraw such Notes unless CVS Health is required to extend withdrawal rights under applicable law.

CVS Health expressly reserves the right, in its sole discretion, subject to applicable law, to terminate the Tender Offers at any time prior to the Expiration Date. The Tender Offers are not conditioned on any minimum principal amount of Notes being tendered but the Tender Offers are subject to a financing condition and certain other general conditions as described in the Offer to Purchase. Each Tender Offer is a separate offer. The Capped Tender Offers are not conditioned on each other. Each Tender Offer may be individually amended, extended or terminated by CVS Health.

CVS Health has retained Barclays Capital Inc., Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC and J.P. Morgan Securities LLC to act as Dealer Managers for the Tender Offers. D.F. King & Co., Inc. has been retained to act as the Tender and Information Agent for the Tender Offers. Requests for assistance relating to the procedures for tendering Notes may be directed to the Tender and Information Agent either by email at [email protected], or by phone (212) 269-5550 (for banks and brokers only) or (800) 714-3305 (for all others toll free). Requests for assistance relating to the terms and conditions of the Tender Offers may be directed to Barclays Capital Inc. at (800) 438-3242 (toll free) or (212) 528-7581 (collect), Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC at (800) 828-3182 (toll free) or (212) 902-6351(collect) or J.P. Morgan Securities LLC at (866) 834-4666 (toll free) or (212) 834-8553 (collect). Beneficial owners may also contact their broker, dealer, commercial bank, trust company or other nominee for assistance.

This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or purchase, or a solicitation of an offer to sell or purchase, or the solicitation of tenders with respect to, the Notes. No offer, solicitation, purchase or sale will be made in any jurisdiction in which such an offer, solicitation, or sale would be unlawful. The Tender Offers are being made solely pursuant to the Offer to Purchase made available to Holders of the Notes. None of CVS Health, the Dealer Managers, Tender and Information Agent or the trustees with respect to the Notes, or any of their respective affiliates, is making any recommendation as to whether or not Holders should tender or refrain from tendering all or any portion of their Notes in response to the Tender Offers. Holders are urged to evaluate carefully all information in the Offer to Purchase, consult their own investment and tax advisers and make their own decisions whether to tender Notes in the Tender Offers, and, if so, the principal amount of Notes to tender.

About CVS Health

CVS Health employees are united around a common goal of becoming the most consumer-centric health company. We're evolving based on changing consumer needs and meeting people where they are, whether that's in the community at one of our nearly 10,000 local touchpoints, in the home, or in the palm of their hand. Our newest offerings  from HealthHUB locations that are redefining what a pharmacy can be, to innovative programs that help manage chronic conditions  are designed to create a higher-quality, simpler and more affordable experience. Learn more about how we're transforming health at www.cvshealth.com.

Cautionary Statement Concerning Forward-Looking Statements

The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 provides a safe harbor for forward-looking statements made by or on behalf of CVS Health Corporation. By their nature, all forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance or results and are subject to risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict and/or quantify. Actual results may differ materially from those contemplated by the forward-looking statements due to the risks and uncertainties related to the COVID-19 pandemic, the geographies impacted and the severity and duration of the pandemic, the pandemic's impact on the U.S. and global economies and consumer behavior and health care utilization patterns, and the timing, scope and impact of stimulus legislation and other federal, state and local governmental responses to the pandemic, as well as the risks and uncertainties described in our Securities and Exchange Commission filings, including those set forth in the Risk Factors section and under the heading "Cautionary Statement Concerning Forward-Looking Statements" in our most recently filed Annual Report on Form 10-K, our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended June 30, 2020 and our recently filed Current Reports on Form 8-K.

You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on CVS Health's forward looking statements. CVS Health's forward-looking statements are and will be based upon management's then-current views and assumptions regarding future events and operating performance, and are applicable only as of the dates of such statements. CVS Health does not assume any duty to update or revise forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, uncertainties or otherwise.

SOURCE CVS Health Corporation

Related Links

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MILPITAS, California, Aug. 11, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- SEMI, the industry association serving the global electronics design and manufacturing supply chain, today launched a new collaborative apprenticeship program to make it easier for companies to offer training and for more workers to pursue careers in electronics. The competency-based SEMI Industry Approved Apprenticeship Program (IAAP) is designed to identify skills gaps and delver targeted training that efficiently meets industry employers' hiring needs.

SEMI developed the IAAP in partnership with GLOBALFOUNDRIES (GF), the largest pure-play semiconductor foundry in the U.S. and the world's leading specialty foundry. Designed to be scaled to meet industry demand for technicians, the program leverages SEMI's Unified Competency Model (UCM), which was formed with industry input as a new skills standard and is endorsed by the U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration (USDOL-ETA). The UCM is posted on DOL-ETA's Competency Model Clearinghouse.

"GLOBALFOUNDRIES has long been committed to building educational partnerships that benefit both our employees and the region, particularly in developing a highly skilled workforce to ensure our industry and the U.S. remains at the forefront of innovation for years to come," said Ron Sampson, senior vice president and general manager of U.S. Fab Operations at GF. "Through SEMI's new Industry Approved Apprenticeship Program, we look forward to helping our employees advance their careers, while playing an important role in workforce training and boosting the semiconductor manufacturing talent pool."

"The IAAP is designed to help the microelectronics industry and advanced manufacturers overcome the talent shortage by enabling companies to fill skills gaps more effectively and at lower cost," said Mike Russo, vice president of Industry Advancement and Government Programs at SEMI. "SEMI will continue to work to ensure the IAAP lays a path for employers to pursue government-registered apprenticeship programs and qualify for reimbursement of related training expenses."

Hudson Valley Community College (HVCC) will offer the apprenticeship program courses, the first certified under the SEMI Certs program, online. The course curriculum is aligned with UCM to ensure course curriculum supports the development of skills required by the electronics industry.

"We are excited to be a partner in this pilot program that is expected to graduate approximately 50 apprentices by the end of this year and more than 100 apprentices by the end of 2021," said Roger Ramsammy, president of Hudson Valley Community College. "Hudson Valley's participation in the SEMI Certs program has ensured our courses are aligned with industry requirements and that participants receive college credits to help them pursue related degrees and support career laddering. In addition, we hope the program will ultimately be a New York State Registered Apprenticeship Program, providing access to tuition reimbursement for Required Technical Training."

Along with GLOBALFOUNDRIES and HVCC, SEMI partnered with SUNY Polytechnic Institute, the Manufacturing Association of Central New York (MACNY) and the Center for Economic Growth (CEG), a nonprofit economic and business development organization that serves as the primary point of contact for businesses interested in growing in or moving to New York's eight-county capital region, to develop the apprenticeship program.

The apprentice program marks a milestone in the evolution of SEMI Works, the first U.S. electronics workforce development program developed under a partnership with the National Science Foundation Advanced Technological Education (NSF-ATE) Program, the USDOL-ETA and academic partner SUNY Polytechnic Institute in New York.

About SEMI

SEMI connects more than 2,400 member companies and 1.3 million professionals worldwide to advance the technology and business of electronics design and manufacturing. SEMI members are responsible for the innovations in materials, design, equipment, software, devices, and services that enable smarter, faster, more powerful, and more affordable electronic products. Electronic System Design Alliance (ESD Alliance), FlexTech, the Fab Owners Alliance (FOA) and the MEMS & Sensors Industry Group (MSIG) are SEMI Strategic Technology Communities, defined communities within SEMI focused on specific technologies. Visit www.semi.org to learn more, contact one of our worldwide offices, and connect with SEMI on LinkedIn and Twitter .

SEMI Contact

Michael Hall/SEMI

Phone: 1.408.943.7988

Email: [email protected]

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SOURCE SEMI
The leader of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), former President John Dramani Mahama says he and his running mate, Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyeman will not engage in the politics of insults as they prepare for their campaign towards this year's presidential polls in December.



According to him, people who express contrary views to that of the current government are subjected to insults and attacks by the party's hierarchy and apparatchiks.



The former President made the remarks when he formally presented his running mate to the leadership of the Christian Council of Ghana on Wednesday, August 12, 2020, at the headquarters of the Assemblies of God Church in Accra.



He said: My running mate, Prof. Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, whom I am presenting to you today, has been encouraged by the Osu Mantse to be strong and courageous in the face of, what he feared would be, a barrage of insults and attacks on her person, just because she has decided to serve her country at the highest level, help shape its destiny and ensure shared prosperity for all.



According to him, the unprovoked attacks and insults have already started, stressing that But I can assure you and all Ghanaians that Naana Jane and myself will never engage in insults and name-calling of opponents. Children are watching, listening and copying and it is important we serve as good role models.



The NDC Flagbearer said his running mate, Professor Opoku-Agyemang whom he described as a God-fearing, a woman of unquestionable integrity, hardworking, and a results-oriented person and who has carved a niche for herself as a distinguished scholar in Ghana, on the African continent and across the world will not trade insults.



The President of the Ghana Pentecostal and Charismatic Council (GPCC), Rev Prof Paul Yaw Frimpong-Manso, for his part, described politics of insults as a backward culture and therefore admonished politicians and political parties to refrain from the act in this years campaign.

Source: graphiconline.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
She has been lending a hand in person at her SJP shoe store in New York.

And Sarah Jessica Parker looked boho chic as she headed to the shop on Tuesday in a white floral maxi dress.

The Sex And The City actress, 55, teamed her babydoll style dress with black Mary Jane heels topped with a silver broach on the strap.

Sarah and the city: Sarah Jessica Parker looked boho chic as she headed to the shop on Tuesday in a white floral maxi dress, in NYC

Looking summer fresh, her dress was in a white fabric with red and pink flowers and greenery.

Sarah carried her essentials in a black leather crossbody bag, accented with a lime green strap.

Most of her famous face was covered in large black shield sunglasses, from her Sunglass Hut collaboration, and a beige and black lace face mask amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Her signature golden blonde hair was down in loose waves and parted in the center.

Natural: Looking summer fresh, her dress was in a white fabric with red and pink flowers and greenery

Covered: Most of her famous face was covered in large black shield sunglasses, from her Sunglass Hut collaboration, and a beige and black lace face mask amid the COVID-19 pandemic

Lending a hand: She walked down to one of her SJP by Sarah Jessica Parker shoe stores and was sure to get in on the action helping out

Adding to her boho look she topped her dress with a large wooden bead necklace.

She walked down to one of her SJP by Sarah Jessica Parker shoe stores and was sure to get in on the action helping out.

A dedicated business owner, she is said to make weekly visits to her stores to check in.

Inside she was photographed helping a customer try on shoes and pick new styles from the large collection.

Writing on Instagram recently she said 'It was a lovely day. So nice to be in the shop with our customers (safely, 6 feet apart and with a mask!).'

Picking: Inside she was photographed helping a customer try on shoes and pick new styles from the large collection

Routine: A dedicated business owner, she is said to make weekly visits to her stores to check in

Adding that she spoke 'to all those who called the boutique with questions and orders,' and even 'headed downtown' herself to deliver to a customer.

'We will continue to offer same day Manhattan delivery,' Sarah wrote. 'As well as offering virtual sales appointments for anyone who isn't in New York or may not yet feel safe visiting us in store.'

Sarah has not let coronavirus completely stop her from expanding her shoe empire.

Taking precautions: Writing on Instagram recently she said 'It was a lovely day. So nice to be in the shop with our customers (safely, 6 feet apart and with a mask!)'

No task is too small: Last month she shared a photo of herself going through her shoe inventory while standing upon a box in her heels

The actress actually opened her flagship boutique last month, and was on hand once again to meet customers on the very first day.

Precautions were taken to keep everyone safe, with only three shoppers allowed in at a time and hand sanitizer available.

The SJP Collection was first launched in 2014, and not only includes footwear but handbags and fragrances.
"Find a job, those who don't have one," the long-time leader said, adding that those unemployed should be looked into.

President Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus has labeled protesters who took to the streets in defiance of what many believe are rigged voting results "people with a criminal record" and "unemployed."

According to the Belarusian President's press service, Lukashenko made the comment during a working meeting with government officials on Wednesday.

"Everyone who wants to work, who seeks to work, should have a job and a salary, accordingly. Everyone who doesn't work today should be looked into and offered a job. The core of all these so-called protesters is people with a criminal record, and today they are unemployed. No job, which means those folks just take to streets and avenues." Therefore, I am kindly asking and warning everyone: get a job, those who don't have one," Lukashenka said.

"And I'd like to warn some of our, to put it mildly, bourgeois citizens: God forbid that someone issue fake employment papers to anyone. Everything must be fair and decent," he said.

Read alsoTikhanovskaya's campaign HQ offers Lukashenko to discuss "peaceful transfer of power to the people"

Lukashenko also instructed law enforcers and government agencies to ensure that his instructions are followed.

Belarus protests: background
Forced abortions and infanticide  the purposeful causing of a baby's death  are among the human rights atrocities experienced by women who have attempted to flee North Korea, according to a United Nations Human Rights report.

A hundred women women have shared 'heartbreaking' first-hand accounts of the suffering they and their babies have suffered while in North Korean detention centres.

Researchers found abortions were routinely conducted without the consent of the women detainees and often through violence.

Additionally, they were told about "the killing of newborn babies and the death of women due to lack of medical assistance".

'No medical attention'

In one tragic incident of infanticide, a woman's baby was killed by officials who had forced a premature delivery. The mother reportedly died one week later because she had not received any medical assistance.

The eyewitness account states: "She was taken out of the holding centre and given an injection to make her miscarry. I saw her giving birth with my own eyes I heard crying, but then the baby was placed face down, wrapped in plastic and taken out of the cell by a prison guard No medical attention was given [to the mother]. She died after a week or so."

Left to die in the cold

In another incident, one woman told researchers she may have witnessed a baby left to die in temperatures well below freezing after officials had tortured her heavily pregnant mother to induce premature labour.

She said: "The guards put bricks on her back, and forced her to walk around. She had to walk with the bricks every day for a week or so. She eventually gave birth. The baby was alive when born. I was told to wrap the baby and put it outside. The woman had to work the following day."

The witness did not see what happened to the baby, but believes the baby may have been left to die in sub-zero conditions during North Korea's winter.

Forced abortion

One woman disclosed how another woman was forced to have an abortion as her baby had a Chinese father.

"I suffered no violence but the other woman had become pregnant in China so the guards knew that her baby had Chinese blood. This was an issue as the local laws prevented any North Korean woman from giving birth to a mixed race baby. The doctor in the MPS centre told her to get an abortion despite the fact that she wanted to keep the baby. She was eventually forced to have an abortion and sent to a kyohwaso [re-education camp]," the report said.

'Systematic' violations

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, said: "These accounts show once again the systemic nature of human rights violations in the DPRK, and the need to keep seeking pathways to proper accountability for such crimes.

"The UN Human Rights Office will continue to gather evidence of this kind to support a process of criminal accountability, whenever and wherever possible."

The report concludes with recommendations calling for the Government to bring the detention system into line with international norms and standards.

One recommendation states the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) should "take immediate measures to end forced abortion as well as violence intended to provoke miscarriage, including through specific legislation prohibiting such practices, and conduct prompt and impartial investigations into allegations of such acts; and ensure the prosecution of those responsible."

'We heard mothers screaming'

Speaking at a UN event in 2017, Ji Hyeon described how she was forced to have an abortion without medication at a local police station when she was three months pregnant.

"My first child passed away without ever seeing the world, without any time for me to apologize," she tearfully said.

"Pregnant women were forced into harsh labour all day. At night, we heard pregnant mothers screaming and babies died without ever being able to see their mothers."

At one detention centre, she described how inmates starved to death, with their dead bodies given to the guard dogs for food.

'Barbaric'

A spokesperson for Right To Life UK, Catherine Robinson said: "The barbarity being reported in North Korea is shocking. Forced abortion is not restricted to North Korea, however, and is a barbaric practice which we must work to end wherever it happens."

Courtesy of Right to Life UK
Actor Dan Wyllie has pleaded not guilty to assaulting his wife, fellow actor Shannon Murphy, at the couple's home in Woollahra, in Sydney's east, in March.

The Silver Logie winner, 50, was charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm and common assault on Saturday "following an investigation by officers from the Eastern Suburbs Police Area Command into an alleged domestic violence assault," police said in a statement earlier this week.

Dan Wyllie was due to appear in court on Wednesday, but did not attend in person "in light of COVID", his lawyer said. Credit:Brendon Thorne

The former star of TV drama Love My Way was due to appear in the Downing Centre Local Court on Wednesday, but did not attend in person "in light of COVID", his solicitor Michael Hempsall said.

Mr Hempsall entered a plea of not guilty on Mr Wyllie's behalf, telling the court that the defence planned to call multiple witnesses, including an additional police witness.
Chinese PLA Navy completes 2020 pilot cadet recruitment

PLA Daily

Source: China Military Online

Editor: Li Wei

2020-08-11 17:31:34

BEIJING, Aug. 11 -- The Chinese Navy has recently completed its annual pilot cadet recruitment in 2020. A total of more than 16,000 students actively participated in the recruitment, and lots of outstanding talents with carrier-based aircraft flight potential came to the fore after multiple rounds of selection.

The naval pilot cadet recruitment work this year has three characteristics. First, the number of pilot cadets enrolled has achieved a breakthrough, with more recruited than planned. Second, the college entrance examination scores of these enrolled high school graduates have far exceeded the cut-off point of the first batch of universities, reaching a record high in recruitment quality and efficiency. Third, a third of the enrolled candidates are from the Youth Aviation Schools affiliated to the PLA Navy, which fully proves the effectiveness of the training model of military-civilian integration.

According to Chu Hanqiang, director of the PLA Navy Pilot Recruitment Office, the number of carrier-based fighter pilot cadets enrolled reached 49 percent of the total enrollment in 2020, which can effectively meet the needs of the PLA Navy's aircraft carrier development. Moreover, the pilot cadets come from 22 provinces and cities around China, making the geographic sources of these cadets more diversified.

With the further transformation of the PLA Navy, the demand for carrier-based aircraft flight personnel has multiplied in recent years. For the selection of better carrier-based aircraft pilot cadets, this year's recruitment testing adopted new medical identification standards for the first time. The new standards focus on the screening of corneal topography, visual contrast sensitivity, stereo vision, vestibular and spine functions.

In terms of psychological quality testing, a carrier-based flight potential testing platform was added for the first time, along with new psychological selection standards. Finally, pilot cadets for the carrier-based fighter jets were selected based on the college entrance examination scores and psychological testing results.

It is learnt that after enrollment, these pilot cadets will receive various professional training in different military and civilian universities.

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In the IAF, the LCH is a potent weapon platform because of its state-of-the-art systems and highly accurate weapons

In the light of border tensions, two Light Combat Helicopters developed by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) have been deployed for operations at high altitude in Leh to support Indian Air Force missions. The operational requirement was met in a short notice.

R. Madhavan, CMD, HAL, on Wednesday, said: "It is the lightest attack helicopter in the world, designed and developed by HAL to meet the specific and unique requirements of the Indian Armed Forces, reflecting the crucial role of HAL in Atma Nirbhar Bharat."

Recently, the Vice Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Harjit Singh Arora, took part in one such operation along with HAL test pilot, Wg Cdr (Retd) Subash P. John, by taking-off from high altitude location to a forward area for a simulated attack on a high altitude target.

This was followed by a landing at one of the most treacherous helipads in the region. The Light Combat Helicopters successfully demonstrated its quick deployment prowess to forward locations in extreme temperatures.

In the IAF, the LCH is a potent weapon platform because of its state-of-the-art systems and highly accurate weapons that are capable of hitting any type of target by day or night.

The IAF and the Indian Army together need around 160 Light Combat Helicopters. The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) had approved the proposal for an initial batch of 15 Light Combat Helicopters. Consequently, the IAF issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) for 15 Limited Series Production (LSP) helicopters (10 for IAF and 5 for Army).

Technical evaluation and the price negotiations have been concluded and HAL expects to deliver shortly. As a proactive measure, HAL had already launched production of Limited Series Production in anticipation of the orders at its Bengaluru facility.

In May, the IAF had operationalised a second fighting squadron of the Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) at Sulur. Though there seems to be a lot to cheer about the development, defence experts and the veterans believe that the 'IAF is not in a fit state'amid the escalating tension at the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

As of now, the fighting squadrons of the IAF is down to 30 against the requirement of 42 squadrons.

Former AOC-in-C training command, IAF and defence expert, Air Marshal (retd) BK Pandey, said, "With no project underway and the older fleet getting obsolete the IAF is in distress. The second fighter squadron of the LCA will be a breather. The major concern is China. Though there may not be a full scale war, a possibility of skirmishes will be there and Pakistan may take advantage of it. We are not prepared to meet the Chinese threat". Pandey also opined that the IAF will constantly need upgraded number of fighter aircraft.
Early in the 16th century, political theorist Nicollo Machiavelli wrote the still-influential book The Prince, which offered hard-headed advice to political leaders about the management of their affairs. One piece of advice was never surround yourself with flatterers.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 12/8/2020 (525 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Opinion

Early in the 16th century, political theorist Nicollo Machiavelli wrote the still-influential book The Prince, which offered hard-headed advice to political leaders about the management of their affairs. One piece of advice was never surround yourself with "flatterers."

Machiavelli came to mind when I was thinking about the political troubles of the "new young Prince," Justin Trudeau, since he became prime minister in 2015. He now finds himself ensnared in a damaging controversy that will likely end with a third ruling by the ethics commissioner that he violated the conflict of interest (COI) law.

Why has this happened? Does Trudeau have an ethical blind spot because he comes from a "royal" political family? Has he failed, in his relatively short career, to develop the capacity to understand, reason and act appropriately when ethical dilemmas arise?

Or could another explanation be that he has surrounded himself with "flatterers"  in the form of a group of "courtiers"  who lack the inclination and/or the courage to question his judgment?

The courtier group would include the following: cabinet ministers, government MPs, paid political staff and the senior ranks of the public service  all of whom have the prime minister to thank for their current position or their future career advancement.

Going back to Justins fathers time as prime minister, beginning in the late 1960s, there has been a steady increase in the power in and around successive prime ministers. Before his 2016 victory, Justin Trudeau promised that he would restore the collective decision-making in cabinet, grant ministers more autonomy and listen to his parliamentary caucus. In practice, however, he appears to have governed much like his predecessors, in a top-down, controlling manner.

One has to say "appears," because decision-making at the centre of government is mostly shrouded in secrecy. This makes it impossible for outsiders to know for certain whether ambition, gratitude, loyalty or team play prevented the courtiers from warning the prime minister that he should recuse himself from the WE Charity decision.

Maybe, in this instance, the frenetic conditions related to crisis management disrupted the normal routines of cabinet decision-making, giving ministers and backbench MPs few opportunities, especially on a face-to-face basis, to register their concern about real or perceived violations of the COI law.

Another source of cautionary advice could have been the political staff in the Prime Ministers Office (PMO), the central agency that advises the prime minister and helps to manage his agenda in government. The nearly 100 employees who work in the PMO are friends of the governing party, not neutral public servants.

From the time Trudeau took office, the key actors in the PMO have been principal secretary Gerald Butts (who resigned during the earlier SNC-Lavalin scandal) and chief of staff Katie Telford, who remains in that position. In his 2019 book Promise and Peril: Justin Trudeau in Power, Aaron Wherry described these two individuals as co-CEOs and the prime minister as the chairman of the board in government.

Both are close friends of the prime minister, a fact that may have inhibited them in challenging his judgments. As leaders, they may have contributed to group-think within the PMO such that no one had the courage to warn the prime minister about the political risks of his familys close ties to the WE organization.

A shrewd prime minister has to avoid relying on "yes"-people. He also has to get the balance right between trusting his staff too much or too little.

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The late, great scholar Peter Aucoin coined the phrase "promiscuous partisanship" to describe the risk that senior public servants had become too anxious to please their political masters, regardless of the party in power. Does the WE situation illustrate this dynamic at work? Ian Shugart, Canadas most senior public servant, told the parliamentary committee that given the amount of public money involved, the prime minister had no choice but to participate in the discussion of the WE contract.

Another senior public servant responsible for managing the WE file told the same committee that her department did not warn the prime minister because the onus is on the public-office holder to comply with the COI law. The implication seemed to be that a potential perceived conflict of interest was more an ethical than a strictly legal issue, which meant it belonged in the political rather than the public-service domain.

The COI law, however, covers both real and perceived conflicts, so that distinction probably does not apply.

I dont know if Machiavellian, self-interested calculations led to no one in Trudeaus inner circle questioning his judgment. It is possible that faced with numerous urgent policy and political issues, ethical considerations did not receive the attention they deserved.

Either way, given his disappointing track record, appointment of a full-time ethical adviser to his government is something the prime minister should consider.

Paul G. Thomas is professor emeritus of political studies at the University of Manitoba.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-12 21:01:02|Editor: huaxia

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KUWAIT CITY, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- Kuwait on Wednesday reported 717 new COVID-19 cases and three more deaths, raising the tally of infections to 73,785 and the death toll to 489, the Health Ministry said in a statement.

Currently, 7,845 patients are receiving treatment, including 117 in ICU, the statement added.

The ministry also announced the recovery of 692 more patients, raising the total recoveries in the country to 65,451.

Kuwait started the third-phase plan of restoring normal life on July 28. During this phase, labor capacity will increase to no more than 50 percent and visits to social care homes will be allowed.

Kuwait and China have been supporting each other and cooperating closely in combating the COVID-19 pandemic.

Kuwait donated medical supplies worth 3 million U.S. dollars to China at the early stage of the COVID-19 outbreak.

On April 27, a team of Chinese medical experts visited Kuwait to assist the Gulf country's anti-coronavirus fight, through sharing their experience and expertise in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19. Enditem
By Karen Freifeld and Alexandra Alper

NEW YORK/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump's executive order banning China's TikTok could prevent U.S. app stores from offering the popular short-video app and make advertising on the platform illegal, according to a White House document seen by Reuters.

Trump signed an order last week prohibiting transactions with TikTok if its parent ByteDance does not reach a deal to divest it in 45 days. It did not specify the scope of the ban, stating only that the U.S. Department of Commerce would define which transactions would be barred at the end of the 45-day period.

The White House document, sent out to supporters last week, provides insight into the Trump administration's thinking. It shows the U.S. government is considering disrupting key aspects of TikTok's operations and funding, amid concerns over the safety of personal data that the app handles.

"Prohibited transactions may include, for example, agreements to make the TikTok app available on app stores ... purchasing advertising on TikTok, and accepting terms of service to download the TikTok app onto a user device," the document states.

A source familiar with the White House document verified its authenticity. TikTok did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Some technology industry experts said eliminating TikTok's ability to be offered on Apple Inc <AAPL.O> and Google owner Alphabet Inc's <GOOGL.O> app stores, which in turn allow it to be downloaded on iPhone and Android smartphones, could cripple the app's growth.

"That kills TikTok in the U.S," said James Lewis, a cyber security expert with the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies. "If they want to grow, these rules are a huge obstacle."

He added, though, that the U.S. government may not be able to prevent Americans from downloading TikTok from foreign websites.

Apple and Alphabet did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Story continues

Following Trump's executive order last week, TikTok told advertisers it would continue to honor planned ad campaigns, refund any that it cannot fulfill, and work with major influencers to migrate to other platforms in the event of a ban. Some advertisers told Reuters they were drafting contingency plans and considering other apps for their marketing.

It is not clear whether Trump's order will be implemented. Microsoft Corp <MSFT.O> has been leading negotiations to acquire the North America, Australia and New Zealand operations of TikTok under the supervision of the Trump administration. A successful deal would make banning transactions with TikTok moot.

The White House document seen by Reuters is not clear on whether the United States would implement a similar crackdown on WeChat, the social media app owned by China's Tencent Holdings Ltd <0700.HK> that Trump also sought to ban in an executive order on last week.

TikTok, which has said is exploring legal challenges to Trump's order, has 100 million active users in the United States, and is especially popular with teenagers. It has said U.S. user data is safely stored in the United States and Singapore, and that it would not hand over such information to the Chinese government.

(Reporting by Karen Freifeld in New York and Alexandra Alper in Washington, D.C.; Additional Reporting by Echo Wang in New York; Editing by Greg Roumeliotis and Tom Brown)
Owner of Investment Firm that Managed Over $1 Billion in Assets Arrested in Federal Case Alleging He Defrauded Investors

LOS ANGELES  The founder and former CEO of an investment firm that specializes in debt instruments was arrested this morning on federal charges alleging he falsified financial records to fraudulently inflate the value of the funds he managed, allowing him to charge investors millions of dollars in unauthorized fees.

Brendan Ross, 47, of La Canada Flintridge, who founded Direct Lending Investments, LLC (DLI) in 2012, was taken into custody by special agents of the FBI.

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In conjunction with the unsealing of the criminal case, the United States Securities and Exchange Commission today filed a civil complaint today against Ross alleging he defrauded investors.

Todays arrest was pursuant to a grand jury indictment filed on July 30 that charges Ross with 10 counts of wire fraud based on a scheme he executed between late 2013 and early 2019 to defraud investors in funds managed by DLI, a firm he still owns. Ross resigned as CEO in March 2019, and soon after the SEC filed a civil complaint against DLI, which resulted in the appointment of a court-ordered receiver in early April 2019.

By the summer of 2017, only five years after Ross founded DLI, the firm had over $1 billion in assets under management. According to the indictment, Ross allegedly directed DLI to invest the funds assets in, among other things, a company that loaned money to small businesses and retailers. The DLI funds made money when the loans performed, meaning that the borrowers made timely payments. The indictment alleges that, rather than disclose some of the loans were not performing, Ross falsified monthly reports to make it appear borrowers were making payments. The payments actually came from fee rebates given by the company originating the loans.

By lying about the true status of the loans, Ross caused DLI to overstate the value of these loans on the funds books and fraudulently inflate the funds value, according to the indictment. Specifically, Ross allegedly caused the monthly asset values of the funds to be cumulatively inflated by over $300 million over the course of about four years. By fraudulently inflating the value of the funds, Ross was able to collect millions of dollars in fees he otherwise would not have been able to charge to clients, according to the indictment.

To further his scheme and help conceal it, Ross allegedly arranged for the sale of approximately $55 million of the loans to a third-party buyer in the summer of 2017. Ross once again inflated the value of these loans by lying about their status, falsely telling the buyer that borrowers had been making payments on many of these loans, according to the indictment.

Ross is expected to be arraigned on the indictment this afternoon in United States District Court in downtown Los Angeles.

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An indictment contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

Each of the 10 wire fraud counts in the indictment carries a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.

This matter was investigated by the FBI. The SEC provided substantial assistance during the criminal investigation.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Poonam G. Kumar and Catherine S. Ahn of the Major Frauds Section.
The Accra Regional Police Command has arrested ten persons allegedly engaging in offensive conduct and disrupting the peace at Teshie.

The arrest came at the backdrop of some rampaging youth numbering about 300 who took to the streets of Teshie on Monday, August 2020.

Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Effia Tenge, Head, Public Affairs Unit of the Command, disclosed at a media briefing.

"The youth, armed with bottles, stones, missiles and other offensive weapons, attempted vandalizing properties amid chanting of war songs," she said.

She said the agitation was believed to be a snub of a directive seeking to ban the celebration of this year's Homowo festival at Teshie due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The directive, she said, did not go down well with some youth who took to the streets to express their displeasure towards the traditional authorities.

All suspects were currently in custody and assisting in police investigation.

The Police had warned that it would not condone acts of lawlessness, she added.

---GNA
On Thursday, August 13, at 13:00, the press center of the Interfax-Ukraine News Agency will host the presentation of a sociological research on the subject: "Electoral Sentiments of Kyiv Residents before Elections" on the results of a poll conducted on August 1-2, 2020 in Kyiv. Participants include Director of the Active Group Research Company Oleksandr Pozniy, political scientist, Head of the Ukrainian Institute of Political Kitchen Oleksandr Lapushkin (8/5a Reitarska Street). The press conference will be broadcast on the YouTube channel of Interfax-Ukraine. Admission of journalists requires registration on the spot.
Global Controlled-release Fertilizer Market to Reach $3. 8 Billion by 2027. Amid the COVID-19 crisis, the global market for Controlled-release Fertilizer estimated at US$2. 8 Billion in the year 2020, is projected to reach a revised size of US$3.

New York, Aug. 11, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Global Controlled-release Fertilizer Industry" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p05899294/?utm_source=GNW

8 Billion by 2027, growing at a CAGR of 4% over the analysis period 2020-2027. Polymer Sulfur Coated Urea/Sulfur Coated Urea, one of the segments analyzed in the report, is projected to record a 4.8% CAGR and reach US$1.5 Billion by the end of the analysis period. After an early analysis of the business implications of the pandemic and its induced economic crisis, growth in the Polymer Coated Urea segment is readjusted to a revised 3.8% CAGR for the next 7-year period.



The U.S. Market is Estimated at $767.2 Million, While China is Forecast to Grow at 7.3% CAGR



The Controlled-release Fertilizer market in the U.S. is estimated at US$767.2 Million in the year 2020. China, the world`s second largest economy, is forecast to reach a projected market size of US$810.6 Million by the year 2027 trailing a CAGR of 7.3% over the analysis period 2020 to 2027. Among the other noteworthy geographic markets are Japan and Canada, each forecast to grow at 1.2% and 3.1% respectively over the 2020-2027 period. Within Europe, Germany is forecast to grow at approximately 2.1% CAGR.



Polymer Coated NPK Fertilizer Segment to Record 3.3% CAGR



In the global Polymer Coated NPK Fertilizer segment, USA, Canada, Japan, China and Europe will drive the 2.8% CAGR estimated for this segment. These regional markets accounting for a combined market size of US$466.4 Million in the year 2020 will reach a projected size of US$565.7 Million by the close of the analysis period. China will remain among the fastest growing in this cluster of regional markets. Led by countries such as Australia, India, and South Korea, the market in Asia-Pacific is forecast to reach US$530.8 Million by the year 2027, while Latin America will expand at a 4.1% CAGR through the analysis period. We bring years of research experience to this 9th edition of our report. The 285-page report presents concise insights into how the pandemic has impacted production and the buy side for 2020 and 2021. A short-term phased recovery by key geography is also addressed.



Competitors identified in this market include, among others,

Story continues

ATS Group

Compo GmbH

Ekompany

Haifa Group

Israel Chemicals Ltd.

JNC Corporation

Kingenta International

Nutrien Ltd.

Scottsmiracle-Gro

Smart Fert Sdn Bhd

Sociedad Quimica Y Minera De Chile SA

Yara International ASA







Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05899294/?utm_source=GNW



I. INTRODUCTION, METHODOLOGY & REPORT SCOPE



II. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY



1. MARKET OVERVIEW

Global Competitor Market Shares

Controlled-release Fertilizer Competitor Market Share Scenario

Worldwide (in %): 2019 & 2025

Impact of Covid-19 and a Looming Global Recession



2. FOCUS ON SELECT PLAYERS



3. MARKET TRENDS & DRIVERS



4. GLOBAL MARKET PERSPECTIVE

Table 1: Controlled-release Fertilizer Global Market Estimates

and Forecasts in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2020-2027



Table 2: Controlled-release Fertilizer Global Retrospective

Market Scenario in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2012-2019



Table 3: Controlled-release Fertilizer Market Share Shift

across Key Geographies Worldwide: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027



Table 4: Polymer Sulfur Coated Urea/Sulfur Coated Urea

(Product) World Market by Region/Country in US$ Million: 2020

to 2027



Table 5: Polymer Sulfur Coated Urea/Sulfur Coated Urea

(Product) Historic Market Analysis by Region/Country in US$

Million: 2012 to 2019



Table 6: Polymer Sulfur Coated Urea/Sulfur Coated Urea

(Product) Market Share Breakdown of Worldwide Sales by

Region/Country: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027



Table 7: Polymer Coated Urea (Product) Potential Growth Markets

Worldwide in US$ Million: 2020 to 2027



Table 8: Polymer Coated Urea (Product) Historic Market

Perspective by Region/Country in US$ Million: 2012 to 2019



Table 9: Polymer Coated Urea (Product) Market Sales Breakdown

by Region/Country in Percentage: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027



Table 10: Polymer Coated NPK Fertilizer (Product) Geographic

Market Spread Worldwide in US$ Million: 2020 to 2027



Table 11: Polymer Coated NPK Fertilizer (Product) Region Wise

Breakdown of Global Historic Demand in US$ Million: 2012 to

2019



Table 12: Polymer Coated NPK Fertilizer (Product) Market Share

Distribution in Percentage by Region/Country: 2012 VS 2020 VS

2027



Table 13: Other Products (Product) World Market Estimates and

Forecasts by Region/Country in US$ Million: 2020 to 2027



Table 14: Other Products (Product) Market Historic Review by

Region/Country in US$ Million: 2012 to 2019



Table 15: Other Products (Product) Market Share Breakdown by

Region/Country: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027



Table 16: Cereals & Grains (Application) Worldwide Latent

Demand Forecasts in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2020-2027



Table 17: Cereals & Grains (Application) Global Historic

Analysis in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2012-2019



Table 18: Cereals & Grains (Application) Distribution of Global

Sales by Region/Country: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027



Table 19: Oilseeds & Pulses (Application) Sales Estimates and

Forecasts in US$ Million by Region/Country for the Years 2020

through 2027



Table 20: Oilseeds & Pulses (Application) Analysis of Historic

Sales in US$ Million by Region/Country for the Years 2012 to

2019



Table 21: Oilseeds & Pulses (Application) Global Market Share

Distribution by Region/Country for 2012, 2020, and 2027



Table 22: Fruits & Vegetables (Application) Global Opportunity

Assessment in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2020-2027



Table 23: Fruits & Vegetables (Application) Historic Sales

Analysis in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2012-2019



Table 24: Fruits & Vegetables (Application) Percentage Share

Breakdown of Global Sales by Region/Country: 2012 VS 2020 VS

2027



Table 25: Other Applications (Application) Worldwide Sales in

US$ Million by Region/Country: 2020-2027



Table 26: Other Applications (Application) Historic Demand

Patterns in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2012-2019



Table 27: Other Applications (Application) Market Share Shift

across Key Geographies: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027



III. MARKET ANALYSIS



GEOGRAPHIC MARKET ANALYSIS



UNITED STATES

Market Facts & Figures

US Controlled-release Fertilizer Market Share (in %) by

Company: 2019 & 2025

Market Analytics

Table 28: United States Controlled-release Fertilizer Market

Estimates and Projections in US$ Million by Product: 2020 to

2027



Table 29: Controlled-release Fertilizer Market in the United

States by Product: A Historic Review in US$ Million for

2012-2019



Table 30: United States Controlled-release Fertilizer Market

Share Breakdown by Product: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027



Table 31: United States Controlled-release Fertilizer Latent

Demand Forecasts in US$ Million by Application: 2020 to 2027



Table 32: Controlled-release Fertilizer Historic Demand

Patterns in the United States by Application in US$ Million for

2012-2019



Table 33: Controlled-release Fertilizer Market Share Breakdown

in the United States by Application: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027



CANADA

Table 34: Canadian Controlled-release Fertilizer Market

Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Product: 2020 to 2027



Table 35: Canadian Controlled-release Fertilizer Historic

Market Review by Product in US$ Million: 2012-2019



Table 36: Controlled-release Fertilizer Market in Canada:

Percentage Share Breakdown of Sales by Product for 2012, 2020,

and 2027



Table 37: Canadian Controlled-release Fertilizer Market

Quantitative Demand Analysis in US$ Million by Application:

2020 to 2027



Table 38: Controlled-release Fertilizer Market in Canada:

Summarization of Historic Demand Patterns in US$ Million by

Application for 2012-2019



Table 39: Canadian Controlled-release Fertilizer Market Share

Analysis by Application: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027



JAPAN

Table 40: Japanese Market for Controlled-release Fertilizer:

Annual Sales Estimates and Projections in US$ Million by

Product for the Period 2020-2027



Table 41: Controlled-release Fertilizer Market in Japan:

Historic Sales Analysis in US$ Million by Product for the

Period 2012-2019



Table 42: Japanese Controlled-release Fertilizer Market Share

Analysis by Product: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027



Table 43: Japanese Demand Estimates and Forecasts for

Controlled-release Fertilizer in US$ Million by Application:

2020 to 2027



Table 44: Japanese Controlled-release Fertilizer Market in US$

Million by Application: 2012-2019



Table 45: Controlled-release Fertilizer Market Share Shift in

Japan by Application: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027



CHINA

Table 46: Chinese Controlled-release Fertilizer Market Growth

Prospects in US$ Million by Product for the Period 2020-2027



Table 47: Controlled-release Fertilizer Historic Market

Analysis in China in US$ Million by Product: 2012-2019



Table 48: Chinese Controlled-release Fertilizer Market by

Product: Percentage Breakdown of Sales for 2012, 2020, and 2027



Table 49: Chinese Demand for Controlled-release Fertilizer in

US$ Million by Application: 2020 to 2027



Table 50: Controlled-release Fertilizer Market Review in China

in US$ Million by Application: 2012-2019



Table 51: Chinese Controlled-release Fertilizer Market Share

Breakdown by Application: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027



EUROPE

Market Facts & Figures

European Controlled-release Fertilizer Market: Competitor

Market Share Scenario (in %) for 2019 & 2025

Market Analytics

Table 52: European Controlled-release Fertilizer Market Demand

Scenario in US$ Million by Region/Country: 2020-2027



Table 53: Controlled-release Fertilizer Market in Europe:

A Historic Market Perspective in US$ Million by Region/Country

for the Period 2012-2019



Table 54: European Controlled-release Fertilizer Market Share

Shift by Region/Country: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027



Table 55: European Controlled-release Fertilizer Market

Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Product: 2020-2027



Table 56: Controlled-release Fertilizer Market in Europe in US$

Million by Product: A Historic Review for the Period 2012-2019



Table 57: European Controlled-release Fertilizer Market Share

Breakdown by Product: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027



Table 58: European Controlled-release Fertilizer Addressable

Market Opportunity in US$ Million by Application: 2020-2027



Table 59: Controlled-release Fertilizer Market in Europe:

Summarization of Historic Demand in US$ Million by Application

for the Period 2012-2019



Table 60: European Controlled-release Fertilizer Market Share

Analysis by Application: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027



FRANCE

Table 61: Controlled-release Fertilizer Market in France by

Product: Estimates and Projections in US$ Million for the

Period 2020-2027



Table 62: French Controlled-release Fertilizer Historic Market

Scenario in US$ Million by Product: 2012-2019



Table 63: French Controlled-release Fertilizer Market Share

Analysis by Product: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027



Table 64: Controlled-release Fertilizer Quantitative Demand

Analysis in France in US$ Million by Application: 2020-2027



Table 65: French Controlled-release Fertilizer Historic Market

Review in US$ Million by Application: 2012-2019



Table 66: French Controlled-release Fertilizer Market Share

Analysis: A 17-Year Perspective by Application for 2012, 2020,

and 2027



GERMANY

Table 67: Controlled-release Fertilizer Market in Germany:

Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$ Million by

Product for the Period 2020-2027



Table 68: German Controlled-release Fertilizer Historic Market

Analysis in US$ Million by Product: 2012-2019



Table 69: German Controlled-release Fertilizer Market Share

Breakdown by Product: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027



Table 70: Controlled-release Fertilizer Market in Germany:

Annual Sales Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by

Application for the Period 2020-2027



Table 71: German Controlled-release Fertilizer Market in

Retrospect in US$ Million by Application: 2012-2019



Table 72: Controlled-release Fertilizer Market Share

Distribution in Germany by Application: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027



ITALY

Table 73: Italian Controlled-release Fertilizer Market Growth

Prospects in US$ Million by Product for the Period 2020-2027



Table 74: Controlled-release Fertilizer Historic Market

Analysis in Italy in US$ Million by Product: 2012-2019



Table 75: Italian Controlled-release Fertilizer Market by

Product: Percentage Breakdown of Sales for 2012, 2020, and 2027



Table 76: Italian Demand for Controlled-release Fertilizer in

US$ Million by Application: 2020 to 2027



Table 77: Controlled-release Fertilizer Market Review in Italy

in US$ Million by Application: 2012-2019



Table 78: Italian Controlled-release Fertilizer Market Share

Breakdown by Application: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027



UNITED KINGDOM

Table 79: United Kingdom Market for Controlled-release

Fertilizer: Annual Sales Estimates and Projections in US$

Million by Product for the Period 2020-2027



Table 80: Controlled-release Fertilizer Market in the United

Kingdom: Historic Sales Analysis in US$ Million by Product for

the Period 2012-2019



Table 81: United Kingdom Controlled-release Fertilizer Market

Share Analysis by Product: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027



Table 82: United Kingdom Demand Estimates and Forecasts for

Controlled-release Fertilizer in US$ Million by Application:

2020 to 2027



Table 83: United Kingdom Controlled-release Fertilizer Market

in US$ Million by Application: 2012-2019



Table 84: Controlled-release Fertilizer Market Share Shift in

the United Kingdom by Application: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027



SPAIN

Table 85: Spanish Controlled-release Fertilizer Market

Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Product: 2020 to 2027



Table 86: Spanish Controlled-release Fertilizer Historic Market

Review by Product in US$ Million: 2012-2019



Table 87: Controlled-release Fertilizer Market in Spain:

Percentage Share Breakdown of Sales by Product for 2012, 2020,

and 2027



Table 88: Spanish Controlled-release Fertilizer Market

Quantitative Demand Analysis in US$ Million by Application:

2020 to 2027



Table 89: Controlled-release Fertilizer Market in Spain:

Summarization of Historic Demand Patterns in US$ Million by

Application for 2012-2019



Table 90: Spanish Controlled-release Fertilizer Market Share

Analysis by Application: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027



RUSSIA

Table 91: Russian Controlled-release Fertilizer Market

Estimates and Projections in US$ Million by Product: 2020 to

2027



Table 92: Controlled-release Fertilizer Market in Russia by

Product: A Historic Review in US$ Million for 2012-2019



Table 93: Russian Controlled-release Fertilizer Market Share

Breakdown by Product: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027



Table 94: Russian Controlled-release Fertilizer Latent Demand

Forecasts in US$ Million by Application: 2020 to 2027



Table 95: Controlled-release Fertilizer Historic Demand

Patterns in Russia by Application in US$ Million for 2012-2019



Table 96: Controlled-release Fertilizer Market Share Breakdown

in Russia by Application: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027



REST OF EUROPE

Table 97: Rest of Europe Controlled-release Fertilizer Market

Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Product: 2020-2027



Table 98: Controlled-release Fertilizer Market in Rest of

Europe in US$ Million by Product: A Historic Review for the

Period 2012-2019



Table 99: Rest of Europe Controlled-release Fertilizer Market

Share Breakdown by Product: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027



Table 100: Rest of Europe Controlled-release Fertilizer

Addressable Market Opportunity in US$ Million by Application:

2020-2027



Table 101: Controlled-release Fertilizer Market in Rest of

Europe: Summarization of Historic Demand in US$ Million by

Application for the Period 2012-2019



Table 102: Rest of Europe Controlled-release Fertilizer Market

Share Analysis by Application: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027



ASIA-PACIFIC

Table 103: Asia-Pacific Controlled-release Fertilizer Market

Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Region/Country:

2020-2027



Table 104: Controlled-release Fertilizer Market in

Asia-Pacific: Historic Market Analysis in US$ Million by

Region/Country for the Period 2012-2019



Table 105: Asia-Pacific Controlled-release Fertilizer Market

Share Analysis by Region/Country: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027



Table 106: Controlled-release Fertilizer Market in Asia-Pacific

by Product: Estimates and Projections in US$ Million for the

Period 2020-2027



Table 107: Asia-Pacific Controlled-release Fertilizer Historic

Market Scenario in US$ Million by Product: 2012-2019



Table 108: Asia-Pacific Controlled-release Fertilizer Market

Share Analysis by Product: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027



Table 109: Controlled-release Fertilizer Quantitative Demand

Analysis in Asia-Pacific in US$ Million by Application:

2020-2027



Table 110: Asia-Pacific Controlled-release Fertilizer Historic

Market Review in US$ Million by Application: 2012-2019



Table 111: Asia-Pacific Controlled-release Fertilizer Market

Share Analysis: A 17-Year Perspective by Application for 2012,

2020, and 2027



AUSTRALIA

Table 112: Controlled-release Fertilizer Market in Australia:

Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$ Million by

Product for the Period 2020-2027



Table 113: Australian Controlled-release Fertilizer Historic

Market Analysis in US$ Million by Product: 2012-2019



Table 114: Australian Controlled-release Fertilizer Market

Share Breakdown by Product: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027



Table 115: Controlled-release Fertilizer Market in Australia:

Annual Sales Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by

Application for the Period 2020-2027



Table 116: Australian Controlled-release Fertilizer Market in

Retrospect in US$ Million by Application: 2012-2019



Table 117: Controlled-release Fertilizer Market Share

Distribution in Australia by Application: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027



INDIA

Table 118: Indian Controlled-release Fertilizer Market

Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Product: 2020 to 2027



Table 119: Indian Controlled-release Fertilizer Historic Market

Review by Product in US$ Million: 2012-2019



Table 120: Controlled-release Fertilizer Market in India:

Percentage Share Breakdown of Sales by Product for 2012, 2020,

and 2027



Table 121: Indian Controlled-release Fertilizer Market

Quantitative Demand Analysis in US$ Million by Application:

2020 to 2027



Table 122: Controlled-release Fertilizer Market in India:

Summarization of Historic Demand Patterns in US$ Million by

Application for 2012-2019



Table 123: Indian Controlled-release Fertilizer Market Share

Analysis by Application: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027



SOUTH KOREA

Table 124: Controlled-release Fertilizer Market in South Korea:

Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$ Million by

Product for the Period 2020-2027



Table 125: South Korean Controlled-release Fertilizer Historic

Market Analysis in US$ Million by Product: 2012-2019



Table 126: Controlled-release Fertilizer Market Share

Distribution in South Korea by Product: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027



Table 127: Controlled-release Fertilizer Market in South Korea:

Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$ Million by

Application for the Period 2020-2027



Table 128: South Korean Controlled-release Fertilizer Historic

Market Analysis in US$ Million by Application: 2012-2019



Table 129: Controlled-release Fertilizer Market Share

Distribution in South Korea by Application: 2012 VS 2020 VS

2027



REST OF ASIA-PACIFIC

Table 130: Rest of Asia-Pacific Market for Controlled-release

Fertilizer: Annual Sales Estimates and Projections in US$

Million by Product for the Period 2020-2027



Table 131: Controlled-release Fertilizer Market in Rest of

Asia-Pacific: Historic Sales Analysis in US$ Million by Product

for the Period 2012-2019



Table 132: Rest of Asia-Pacific Controlled-release Fertilizer

Market Share Analysis by Product: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027



Table 133: Rest of Asia-Pacific Demand Estimates and Forecasts

for Controlled-release Fertilizer in US$ Million by

Application: 2020 to 2027



Table 134: Rest of Asia-Pacific Controlled-release Fertilizer

Market in US$ Million by Application: 2012-2019



Table 135: Controlled-release Fertilizer Market Share Shift in

Rest of Asia-Pacific by Application: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027



LATIN AMERICA

Table 136: Latin American Controlled-release Fertilizer Market

Trends by Region/Country in US$ Million: 2020-2027



Table 137: Controlled-release Fertilizer Market in Latin

America in US$ Million by Region/Country: A Historic

Perspective for the Period 2012-2019



Table 138: Latin American Controlled-release Fertilizer Market

Percentage Breakdown of Sales by Region/Country: 2012, 2020,

and 2027



Table 139: Latin American Controlled-release Fertilizer Market

Growth Prospects in US$ Million by Product for the Period

2020-2027



Table 140: Controlled-release Fertilizer Historic Market

Analysis in Latin America in US$ Million by Product: 2012-2019



Table 141: Latin American Controlled-release Fertilizer Market

by Product: Percentage Breakdown of Sales for 2012, 2020, and

2027



Table 142: Latin American Demand for Controlled-release

Fertilizer in US$ Million by Application: 2020 to 2027



Table 143: Controlled-release Fertilizer Market Review in Latin

America in US$ Million by Application: 2012-2019



Table 144: Latin American Controlled-release Fertilizer Market

Share Breakdown by Application: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027



ARGENTINA

Table 145: Argentinean Controlled-release Fertilizer Market

Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Product: 2020-2027



Table 146: Controlled-release Fertilizer Market in Argentina in

US$ Million by Product: A Historic Review for the Period

2012-2019



Table 147: Argentinean Controlled-release Fertilizer Market

Share Breakdown by Product: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027



Table 148: Argentinean Controlled-release Fertilizer

Addressable Market Opportunity in US$ Million by Application:

2020-2027



Table 149: Controlled-release Fertilizer Market in Argentina:

Summarization of Historic Demand in US$ Million by Application

for the Period 2012-2019



Table 150: Argentinean Controlled-release Fertilizer Market

Share Analysis by Application: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027



BRAZIL

Table 151: Controlled-release Fertilizer Market in Brazil by

Product: Estimates and Projections in US$ Million for the

Period 2020-2027



Table 152: Brazilian Controlled-release Fertilizer Historic

Market Scenario in US$ Million by Product: 2012-2019



Table 153: Brazilian Controlled-release Fertilizer Market Share

Analysis by Product: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027



Table 154: Controlled-release Fertilizer Quantitative Demand

Analysis in Brazil in US$ Million by Application: 2020-2027



Table 155: Brazilian Controlled-release Fertilizer Historic

Market Review in US$ Million by Application: 2012-2019



Table 156: Brazilian Controlled-release Fertilizer Market Share

Analysis: A 17-Year Perspective by Application for 2012, 2020,

and 2027



MEXICO

Table 157: Controlled-release Fertilizer Market in Mexico:

Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$ Million by

Product for the Period 2020-2027



Table 158: Mexican Controlled-release Fertilizer Historic

Market Analysis in US$ Million by Product: 2012-2019



Table 159: Mexican Controlled-release Fertilizer Market Share

Breakdown by Product: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027



Table 160: Controlled-release Fertilizer Market in Mexico:

Annual Sales Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by

Application for the Period 2020-2027



Table 161: Mexican Controlled-release Fertilizer Market in

Retrospect in US$ Million by Application: 2012-2019



Table 162: Controlled-release Fertilizer Market Share

Distribution in Mexico by Application: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027



REST OF LATIN AMERICA

Table 163: Rest of Latin America Controlled-release Fertilizer

Market Estimates and Projections in US$ Million by Product:

2020 to 2027



Table 164: Controlled-release Fertilizer Market in Rest of

Latin America by Product: A Historic Review in US$ Million for

2012-2019



Table 165: Rest of Latin America Controlled-release Fertilizer

Market Share Breakdown by Product: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027



Table 166: Rest of Latin America Controlled-release Fertilizer

Latent Demand Forecasts in US$ Million by Application: 2020 to

2027



Table 167: Controlled-release Fertilizer Historic Demand

Patterns in Rest of Latin America by Application in US$ Million

for 2012-2019



Table 168: Controlled-release Fertilizer Market Share Breakdown

in Rest of Latin America by Application: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027



MIDDLE EAST

Table 169: The Middle East Controlled-release Fertilizer Market

Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Region/Country:

2020-2027



Table 170: Controlled-release Fertilizer Market in the Middle

East by Region/Country in US$ Million: 2012-2019



Table 171: The Middle East Controlled-release Fertilizer Market

Share Breakdown by Region/Country: 2012, 2020, and 2027



Table 172: The Middle East Controlled-release Fertilizer Market

Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Product: 2020 to 2027



Table 173: The Middle East Controlled-release Fertilizer

Historic Market by Product in US$ Million: 2012-2019



Table 174: Controlled-release Fertilizer Market in the Middle

East: Percentage Share Breakdown of Sales by Product for

2012,2020, and 2027



Table 175: The Middle East Controlled-release Fertilizer Market

Quantitative Demand Analysis in US$ Million by Application:

2020 to 2027



Table 176: Controlled-release Fertilizer Market in the Middle

East: Summarization of Historic Demand Patterns in US$ Million

by Application for 2012-2019



Table 177: The Middle East Controlled-release Fertilizer Market

Share Analysis by Application: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027



IRAN

Table 178: Iranian Market for Controlled-release Fertilizer:

Annual Sales Estimates and Projections in US$ Million by

Product for the Period 2020-2027



Table 179: Controlled-release Fertilizer Market in Iran:

Historic Sales Analysis in US$ Million by Product for the

Period 2012-2019



Table 180: Iranian Controlled-release Fertilizer Market Share

Analysis by Product: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027



Table 181: Iranian Demand Estimates and Forecasts for

Controlled-release Fertilizer in US$ Million by Application:

2020 to 2027



Table 182: Iranian Controlled-release Fertilizer Market in US$

Million by Application: 2012-2019



Table 183: Controlled-release Fertilizer Market Share Shift in

Iran by Application: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027



ISRAEL

Table 184: Israeli Controlled-release Fertilizer Market

Estimates and Forecasts in US$ Million by Product: 2020-2027



Table 185: Controlled-release Fertilizer Market in Israel in

US$ Million by Product: A Historic Review for the Period

2012-2019



Table 186: Israeli Controlled-release Fertilizer Market Share

Breakdown by Product: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027



Table 187: Israeli Controlled-release Fertilizer Addressable

Market Opportunity in US$ Million by Application: 2020-2027



Table 188: Controlled-release Fertilizer Market in Israel:

Summarization of Historic Demand in US$ Million by Application

for the Period 2012-2019



Table 189: Israeli Controlled-release Fertilizer Market Share

Analysis by Application: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027



SAUDI ARABIA

Table 190: Saudi Arabian Controlled-release Fertilizer Market

Growth Prospects in US$ Million by Product for the Period

2020-2027



Table 191: Controlled-release Fertilizer Historic Market

Analysis in Saudi Arabia in US$ Million by Product: 2012-2019



Table 192: Saudi Arabian Controlled-release Fertilizer Market

by Product: Percentage Breakdown of Sales for 2012, 2020, and

2027



Table 193: Saudi Arabian Demand for Controlled-release

Fertilizer in US$ Million by Application: 2020 to 2027



Table 194: Controlled-release Fertilizer Market Review in Saudi

Arabia in US$ Million by Application: 2012-2019



Table 195: Saudi Arabian Controlled-release Fertilizer Market

Share Breakdown by Application: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027



UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

Table 196: Controlled-release Fertilizer Market in the United

Arab Emirates: Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$

Million by Product for the Period 2020-2027



Table 197: United Arab Emirates Controlled-release Fertilizer

Historic Market Analysis in US$ Million by Product: 2012-2019



Table 198: Controlled-release Fertilizer Market Share

Distribution in United Arab Emirates by Product: 2012 VS 2020

VS 2027



Table 199: Controlled-release Fertilizer Market in the United

Arab Emirates: Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$

Million by Application for the Period 2020-2027



Table 200: United Arab Emirates Controlled-release Fertilizer

Historic Market Analysis in US$ Million by Application:

2012-2019



Table 201: Controlled-release Fertilizer Market Share

Distribution in United Arab Emirates by Application: 2012 VS

2020 VS 2027



REST OF MIDDLE EAST

Table 202: Controlled-release Fertilizer Market in Rest of

Middle East: Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis in US$

Million by Product for the Period 2020-2027



Table 203: Rest of Middle East Controlled-release Fertilizer

Historic Market Analysis in US$ Million by Product: 2012-2019



Table 204: Rest of Middle East Controlled-release Fertilizer

Market Share Breakdown by Product: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027



Table 205: Controlled-release Fertilizer Market in Rest of

Middle East: Annual Sales Estimates and Forecasts in US$

Million by Application for the Period 2020-2027



Table 206: Rest of Middle East Controlled-release Fertilizer

Market in Retrospect in US$ Million by Application: 2012-2019



Table 207: Controlled-release Fertilizer Market Share

Distribution in Rest of Middle East by Application: 2012 VS

2020 VS 2027



AFRICA

Table 208: African Controlled-release Fertilizer Market

Estimates and Projections in US$ Million by Product: 2020 to

2027



Table 209: Controlled-release Fertilizer Market in Africa by

Product: A Historic Review in US$ Million for 2012-2019



Table 210: African Controlled-release Fertilizer Market Share

Breakdown by Product: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027



Table 211: African Controlled-release Fertilizer Latent Demand

Forecasts in US$ Million by Application: 2020 to 2027



Table 212: Controlled-release Fertilizer Historic Demand

Patterns in Africa by Application in US$ Million for 2012-2019



Table 213: Controlled-release Fertilizer Market Share Breakdown

in Africa by Application: 2012 VS 2020 VS 2027



IV. COMPETITION

Total Companies Profiled: 42

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It took a while for some of them to see where we were coming from, but I guess one of the organizers got the message that we wasnt happy. And there will be nobody speaking for Englewood and there will be nobody protesting in Englewood, he said. If youre from Englewood, if the people on 56th Street want to come over and protest the police, they can do it. But no one from the North Side or Indiana or any place other than Englewood can come here and do that.
Dublin, Aug. 11, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Middle East & Africa Online Payment Methods 2020 and COVID-19's Impact" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



Cash on delivery was the leading payment method preferred by online shoppers in Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, Morocco, Kenya, and other countries in this region, as of 2019. The COVID-19 outbreak in early 2020, however, is changing this perspective, with online shopping platforms and regulators encouraging the use of cashless payment means during the pandemic. Their efforts are already showing results, as close to two-thirds of respondents to an April 2020 survey reported having reduced their use of cash since the outbreak. Mobile money, card, and contactless payments are among the payment methods that are benefitting from consumers turning their backs on cash.



Africa and Middle East's FinTech companies are contributing to the rise of digital payments across the region, with the help of millions of dollars raised during 2019, as the report shows. Some of the stars of the investment rounds include Interswitch and Opay in Nigeria, Tala in Kenya, and Dubai-based Network International which listed its shares on the London Stock Exchange at the beginning of 2019. Furthermore, Kenya's mobile money service M-Pesa is making a major contribution to the development of mobile payment transactions during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Report Coverage

This report covers the online payment market in the Middle East & Africa. It takes into account a wide definition of online payment, including payment methods used in online shopping and mobile payment, such as remote and proximity payments. In addition, information related to the impact of the coronavirus (COVID19) on digital payments in the Middle East, Africa, and worldwide was included in this report.

It features an overview of global online and mobile payment developments.

Information about regional development is included, covering online and mobile payment. A text chart summarizing the impact of COVID-19 news on digital payments in the Middle East & Africa and relevant news about major players, such as payment providers is presented.

The rest of the report contains country-specific information. The countries are grouped by sub-region (Middle East and Africa) are presented in the descending order of B2C E-Commerce sales.

Depending on data availability, the following types of market information are included: payment methods most used by online shoppers, number and value of online/mobile payment transactions, mobile payment usage, and consumer awareness of mobile payment services.

Story continues

Key Topics Covered:



1. Management Summary

2. Global Developments

COVID-19 Impact on Online & Mobile Payment, May 2020

The Impact of COVID-19 on Payments Revenues, incl. Payments Revenues in 2019, Pre-COVID-19 Forecast, and Payments Revenues Forecast Under The Impact of COVID-19, in USD billion, 2020

Post-COVID-19 Forecast for Digital Commerce & Payments Spending, in USD trillion, 2020f & 2021f Compared to 2019

Share of Respondents Who View Contactless as a Cleaner Way to Pay, in %, April 2020

Payment Methods Most Used When Shopping Online During The Pandemic, in % of Online Shoppers, by Selected Countries, April 2020

Payment Methods Used For the First Time When Shopping Online During The Pandemic, in % of Online Shoppers, by Selected Countries, April 2020

Criteria for Choosing a Payment Method in Online Shopping Which Became More Important Since The Pandemic Outbreak, in % of Online Shoppers, by Selected Countries, April 2020

Online & Mobile Payment Platform Revenues, in USD billion, 2019e & 2024f

Mobile & Online Remote Payment Value, in USD billion, by Selected Regions, 2024f

Mobile & Online Remote Payment Value, in USD billion, by Digital and Physical Goods, 2024f

Payment Methods Preferred in E-Commerce, in % of Online Shoppers, by Selected Regions, January 2019

Share of Online Shoppers Who Had Abandoned a Shopping Cart Due to Their Preferred Payment Method Not Being Offered, in %, January 2019

Share of Mobile Shoppers Who Had Abandoned a Shopping Cart Due to Their Preferred Payment Method Not Being Offered, in %, August 2019

Online Payment Fraud Losses, in USD million, by Segment, 2023f

Online Payment Fraud Prevention Software Spending, in USD billion, 2020f & 2024f

Number of Digital Wallet Users, in billions, 2019e & 2024f

Breakdown of Digital Wallets by Provider's Main Industry, in %, 2019

Proximity Mobile Payment Users, in billions, and Penetration, in % of Smartphone Users, 2018 - 2023f

Value of Mobile Payment Transactions Authenticated via Biometrics, in USD billion, 2019e & 2024f

Overview of Mobile Money Statistics, incl. Number of Live Services, Registered Accounts, in millions, Active Accounts, in millions, Transaction Volume in millions, and Transaction Value, in USD billion, and Year-on-Year Growth, in %, by Region, 2019

3. Middle East & Africa

4. Middle East

5. Africa

Companies Mentioned



Interswitch Ltd

Jumia Technologies AG

Network International Holdings Plc

Noon AD Holdings

Opay

PalmPay Technology Co Ltd

Paytabs

Safaricom Plc

Visa Inc

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/j3zv9r

About ResearchAndMarkets.com

ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends.

CONTACT: CONTACT: ResearchAndMarkets.com Laura Wood, Senior Press Manager press@researchandmarkets.com For E.S.T Office Hours Call 1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call 1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900




Harry, pictured in January 2020, had wanted to make changes to dealing with the press, a biographer says. (WireImage)

Prince Harry wanted to form a new way of working within the Royal Family after being told no for the first time, according to his biographer.

Omid Scobie, who co-authored Finding Freedom, which was released this week, said he believed a conversation with the palace about the press planted the seeds which led to him and his wife Meghan Markle leaving their senior royal roles.

Scobie told Newsweek: Harry's relationship with the press itself, that's something he will always struggle with.

"There were times within his role as a working member of the royal family he wanted to change that royal rota system.

He wanted to bring in foreign press, they wanted to be able to work with a more diverse media landscape, and that was really the first time they were told 'no.'

"And on top of that, they were told maybe if you want to do that you have to fund that yourself and that was a conversation in summer 2019.

Harrys spokesman has previously said the couple did not co-operate with Finding Freedom.

Harry, 35, has previously spoken about the press as problematic, saying the sound of camera clicks reminds him of how his mother Diana died.

He and Meghan set out a plan to work outside the royal rota in early 2020 when they announced their desire to forge a new path that would allow them to make their own money but also continue to represent the Queen.

Harry has said the camera clicks remind him of his mother's death. Together here in 1995, two years before her death. (Getty Images)

Read more: Nine things we learned about Prince Harry and Meghan as Finding Freedom is released

However that was not allowed by Buckingham Palace, and they left their senior royal duties entirely instead.

In April this year they went further than simply operating outside the royal rota, when they cut ties with four UK tabloids, over what they called distorted, false or invasive stories.

The royal rota is the name given to a group of newspapers and broadcasters who cover engagements by the Royal Family and who share news between them. It includes broadcasters such as the BBC and Sky, as well as print publications like the Telegraph, the Daily Mail and the news agency Press Association.

Story continues

On the Sussex Royal website, Harry and Meghan previously explained: Britains Royal Correspondents are regarded internationally as credible sources of both the work of members of The Royal Family as well as of their private lives.

This misconception propels coverage that is often carried by other outlets around the world, amplifying frequent misreporting. Regrettably, stories that may have been filed accurately by Royal Correspondents are, also, often edited or rewritten by media editorial teams to present false impressions.

And Harry said in October 2019: I think being part of this family, in this role, in this job, every single time I see a camera, every single time I hear a click, every single time I see a flash it takes me straight back so in that respect it's the worst reminder of her life as opposed to the best.
New Delhi: Bollywood superstar Salman Khan and Sri Lankan beauty Jacqueline Fernandez's on-screen chemistry has always been bang on. The good news for fans is that the dashing duo is returning in 'Kick 2' - the sequel to their 2014 film.

Warda Nadiadwala welcomed Jacqueline on board with a sweet message she dropped on her birthday. She wrote: Here is your BIRTHDAY GIFT that will be remembered Forever! @Asli_Jacqueline overjoyed to FORMALLY announce that #SajidNadiadwala locked the script at 4am this morning & has written an exceptional role for you! @BeingSalmanKhan 's #Kick2 rolling soonSmiling face with sunglasses Welcome Back! @NGEMovies

Here is your BIRTHDAY GIFT that will be remembered Forever!@Asli_Jacqueline overjoyed to FORMALLY announce that #SajidNadiadwala locked the script at 4am this morning & has written an exceptional role for you! @BeingSalmanKhan's #Kick2 rolling soon Welcome Back! @NGEMovies pic.twitter.com/2xK7osY00T  Warda S Nadiadwala (@WardaNadiadwala) August 11, 2020

Filmmaker and producer Sajid Nadiadwala has locked the 'Kick 2' script.

The 2014 actioner 'Kick' starred Salman Khan, Jacqueline Fernandez and Randeep Hooda in lead roles.

Salman and Jackky were last seen in 'Race 3'.

Are you excited for 'Kick 2'?
Mumbai: Janmashtami is celebrated on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Lord Krishna, the effervescent king of hearts. To make this festive atmosphere even more joyous, people sing melodious songs dedicated to Lord Krishna. Bollywood is loved by many as it brings out the vibrancy and diversity of our culture.

While Urvashi Rautela is set to get in the festive mood by celebrating it in a conventional way like every year. Urvashi Rautela said, "May Shri Krishna shower you with his choicest blessings on the auspicious day of Shri Krishna Janmashtami. May Lord Krishna be with you and your family, always! Blessings of Health, Wealth, Love, and Happiness."

On the work front, Urvashi Rautela was last seen in a comedy-drama film titled Virgin Bhanupriya. It also featured Gautam Gulati and Archana Puran Singh in pivotal roles.
Happy to welcome the key hire is Charles Taylor group chief executive Rob Brown, who himself came onboard recently at the company which provides services and technology solutions to the global insurance market. He described the incoming colleague as having a strong track record of building high-performing teams that have consistently delivered technology-led client benefits.

This client focus, coupled with his deep technology expertise, will really help us define the next chapter of success for not only our InsureTech business but also Charles Taylor as a whole, asserted the group CEO.

Meanwhile, Ramdas added: The insurance industry is poised for a significant period of transformative change, and Charles Taylor InsureTech is in a strong position to drive this change through its industry insider perspective coupled with process & technology know-how and a consultative approach.
Labor councillors have apologised to the LGBTIQ community after Brisbane City Council debated two "offensive" petitions that called for LGBTIQ children's programs to be banned from public libraries.

The petitions were uploaded to the council website following a January incident at Brisbane Square Library, in which two drag queens reading books to children faced a protest by LNP-affiliated university students.

Brisbane council debated the petitions on Tuesday. (File photo). Credit:Tammy Law

Footage of the protest was uploaded to social media and the protesters swiftly identified. In the immediate fall-out from the event, one of the young protesters, Wilson Gavin, tragically committed suicide.

The two petitions, containing statements about the diverse community that were described as "inaccurate" and "offensive", remained on the council website, sparking debate about the processes for approving and publishing public petitions.
NCP president Sharad Pawar has said there is no need for a CBI probe into the death of Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput as the Mumbai police are capable of handling the matter.

"I trust Mumbai Police, I know them for the last 50 years. There is no need for a CBI probe. It is sad when someone commits suicide but am surprised at the way it is being spoken about," Pawar said.

#NewsAlert | I trust Mumbai Police, I know them for the last 50 years. There is no need for a CBI probe. It is sad when someone commits suicide but am surprised at the way it is being spoken about: NCP Chief Sharad Pawar on Sushant Singh Rajput death probe.#WhoKilledSushant pic.twitter.com/mvqvFRjCqn CNNNews18 (@CNNnews18) August 12, 2020

Meanwhile, the Maharashtra government on Tuesday told the Supreme Court that the Bihar Police lacks jurisdiction in the Sushant Singh Rajput case, while the late actor's father claimed that Mumbai Police was not probing the matter "in the right direction."

The Bihar government told the top court that the FIR lodged in Patna in the case is legal and valid and alleged that there is non-cooperation from Maharashtra.

It said that even Rajput's post-mortem report was not given to Patna Police by Mumbai Police, and refuted the allegation of political pressure in the case.

Reserving verdict on actress Rhea Chakraborty's plea, seeking transfer to Mumbai of the FIR lodged in Patna against her for allegedly abetting the suicide, the top court asked the parties concerned to file their written submissions, not more than two pages each, by August 13 in the case.

During the nearly 3-hour hearing, a bench of Justice Hrishikesh Roy was told by senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, appearing for Maharashtra, that there was complete lack of jurisdiction of Bihar in the case.

On August 5, the top court had said that the truth behind the "unfortunate" death of the "gifted and talented artist" should come out.

The Centre had apprised it of having accepted the Bihar government's recommendation for a CBI probe in the matter.
A police officer in Salt Lake City has been suspended on Wednesday and is under investigation for a vicious attack on a Black man involving a police dog. Video surfaced of the altercation that took place in the man's own yard. Some of the footage may be disturbing to some.

"Get on the ground or you're gonna get bit," an officer could be heard saying in the clip.

Just six seconds after that warning, the officer commands his K-9 to attack.

"Hit. Hit.," the officer said. "I'm on the ground, why are you biting me? I'm on the ground, stop," the man could be heard saying.

Every time the officer says "hit," the dog bites down on 36-year-old Jeffery Ryans' leg.

"Good boy, good boy," the officer is heard saying. "Ow!! Why are you guys doing this?" Ryans asked. "Good boy, hit! Good boy," the officer continues to say.

Jeffery Ryans seen in police bodycam footage. / Credit: Salt Lake City Police Department

Ryans' attorney, Dan Garner, told CBS News that his client wasn't resisting at all.

"Even when the dog starts to bite him. He's, he's still just laying there," Garner explained. "Looks like someone took a chainsaw to his leg."

Police were responding to a domestic disturbance call and say Ryans was violating a protective order filed by his wife. But Ryans said the order was supposed to be lifted.

The Salt Lake City police K-9 program will undergo an external review. Deputy Chief Jeff Kendrick told CBS News that they're limiting the use of police dogs during that time.

"Just deploying them just for searches, but we do not want them to come in contact with any individuals," he explained.

Ryans is still recovering from multiple surgeries and an amputation has not been ruled out.

LA County sheriff's deputies detain Black teens at gunpoint after they were allegedly attacked

Trump rips Kamala Harris as "nasty" and "disrespectful" despite previous campaign contribution

Trump goes after Kamala Harris with familiar insults
Tourism Minister Simon Birmingham has warned state and territory leaders will need to rely on their own budgets to prop up businesses reliant on interstate travel should they keep borders closed for longer than necessary.

International and interstate travel has been heavily restricted to limit the spread of coronavirus, prompting the tourism lobby group to push for national cabinet to intervene to reduce confusion and create nationally consistent rules about border restrictions.

Simon Birmingham said state border restrictions shouldn't remain in place for one more day than needed. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

Senator Birmingham told The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age that state and territory governments should not rely solely on federal assistance for the tourism industry if it was affected by unnecessary state government decisions to limit travel between non-affected areas.

"State border restrictions need to be proportionate to the health risk and shouldn't remain in place for one more day than they need to," he said.
A 66-year-old man is dead after a late-night crash in Brandon Township, the Oakland County Sheriffs Office reported.

Deputies were called at 11:23 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 11, to the area of Baldwin Road near Oakwood Road with the report of a traffic crash.

There, they found a 2019 Chevrolet Equinox, which had been driven westbound, that had collided with a 2014 V8 Chopper motorcycle, which had been heading northbound on Baldwin Road.

The sheriffs office reported that the motorcycle failed to stop at the stop sign and struck the Equinox.

The rider was ejected from his vehicle, the sheriffs office report read. He was wearing a helmet.

The Oxford Township man died at the scene.

The woman driving the Equinox, an Orion Township resident, was taken to hospital by Brandon Township firefighters, where she was listed in stable condition.

While the crash did not appear to involve alcohol or drugs, police said, the sheriffs office continues to investigate.
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. and LEBANON, N.H. and NEW YORK, Aug. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Celdara Medical ("Celdara") announced that the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant to fund the company's development of advanced antivirals for the treatment of pandemic and interpandemic influenza (flu).The funding will support a demonstration of proof-of-concept against future pandemic threats as a part of Celdara's Pandemic Security Initiative. The Initiative is a framework for public-private partnerships that integrates ground-breaking science, entrepreneurial innovation, public-sector investment, and private-sector business acumen to develop and produce the treatments and vaccines that will help address future pandemic-threats.

"We are extremely grateful for this support, especially during these challenging times," said Dr. Jake Reder, co-founder and CEO of Celdara. "While it can be difficult to imagine, the threat from a virus as seemingly familiar as the 'flu' has the potential to be deadlier than COVID-19. The scientists and policymakers at NIAID and across NIH know this well, and we are therefore heartened that during a global pandemic, preparedness against other threats continues to be a priority that is supported. The scientific foundations in this country are strong  unparalleled  and we 're pleased to be able to translate those innovations and discoveries into medicines that can help patients and secure our health and economy against pandemic threats."

Influenza's pandemic potential is well known. The H1N1 pandemic of 1918 claimed at least 50 million lives worldwide, while the H2N2 pandemic of 1957 and the H3N2 pandemic of 1968 each claimed over a million lives globally. The 2009 H1N1 pandemic was estimated to have killed as many as 575,000 people in its first year, and has since been endemic, as a seasonal flu.

The morbidity and mortality associated with, for example, highly pathogenic H7N9 and H5N1 avian influenzas, merits the urgent development of medical countermeasures to secure ourselves against outbreaks. If successful, the work supported by this grant will provide powerful and innovative tools for our frontline healthcare workers to treat patients, battle outbreaks and prevent pandemics from occurring.

Research reported in this press release is supported by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases of the National Institutes of Health. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

About The Pandemic Security Initiative

The Pandemic Security Initiative seeks to protect the nation from future pandemics by developing tests and medicines that integrate the best of ground-breaking science, entrepreneurial innovation, public-sector investment and private-sector efficiency. Celdara Medical initiated this work in 2014 and formalized it under the Pandemic Security Initiative umbrella in early 2020 to capture learnings from, and aid in the response to, COVID-19.

Celdara's Academic Partner Network includes collaborations with 60 leading universities, and thousands of pipeline innovations from all 50 states. With support from the public and private sectors, including the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), its mission is to identify and develop innovative diagnostics, prophylactics and therapeutics against pandemic- scale threats. The Pandemic Security Initiative is an entrepreneurial-operating, health-security product developer. For more information on the Pandemic Security Initiative visit celdaramedical.com/pansec/.

About Celdara Medical, LLC

Celdara Medical gives hope and health to patients by transforming academic innovations into medicines with the potential to cure the world's most challenging diseases. Celdara is a recognized leader with a rich stable of discoveries, developed in concert with premiere research institutions in the U.S., EU and beyond. The company secures lasting partnerships with inventors and their institutions, and provides the developmental, financial and business acumen to bridge the gaps between discovery and clinical impact. With robust funding options, operations in Greater Boston, NYC and Washington, DC, growing affiliates in Seattle and Indianapolis, a wealth of opportunities in our pipeline, and partnerships with industry leaders worldwide, Celdara navigates the path from science to medicine, accelerating innovation to improve human health.

SOURCE Celdara Medical

Related Links

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Staunch Trump Supporter Marjorie Taylor Greene Wins GOP Primary in Georgia

Marjorie Taylor Greene, a businesswoman who drew ire for controversial comments about minorities and raised eyebrows for her vocal support for the QAnon movement, has won the Republican nomination for Georgias 14th Congressional District.

Greene beat neurosurgeon John Cowan to clinch the win on Tuesday and will face Democrat Kevin Van Ausdal in the Nov. 3 general election, an extraordinary political contest with 435 House seats, 35 Senate seats, and the White House all up for grabs in the midst of a pandemic.

WE WON! Thank you for your support! Save America. Stop Socialism, Greene announced in a tweet late Tuesday. She won against Cowan on June 9 but failed to pass the threshold to claim a victory in the first round.

President Donald Trump took to Twitter on Wednesday to congratulate Greene, calling her a future Republican Star.

Congratulations to future Republican Star Marjorie Taylor Greene on a big Congressional primary win in Georgia against a very tough and smart opponent. Marjorie is strong on everything and never gives up  a real WINNER!, Trump wrote.

Greene, a staunch supporter of Trumps policies, commented on the presidents tweet, saying he inspired me to run and fight to Save America and Stop Socialism!!

In an earlier campaign message, she wrote, President Trump needs bold, fearless allies as he fights to save America and stop socialism, adding that in the course of her bid for office, she made all the right enemies.

The Fake News media hates me, big tech censors me, the D.C. swamp fears me, and George Soros and the Democrats are trying to take me down, she said, echoing some of the rhetoric that has landed her in hot water with critics, which includes accusing Soros, who is Jewish, of collaborating with the Nazis.

Greene is known for promoting content related to QAnon, which has been labeled by the mainstream media as a fringe conspiracy theory. While opinions vary as to its nature and intent, QAnon is a movement that started on 4chan and 8chan message boards with a trickle of clandestine-sounding posts, often centered on the theme of big government plots to curb individual liberties and advance so-called deep state and globalist agendas. It grew into a large underground movement with a number of splinter groups and sometimes claims that members of the worlds social, economic, and political elites have engaged in child sex trafficking, abuse, and cannibalism.

Greene has called the movement a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to take this global cabal of Satan-worshiping pedophiles out, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Other controversial online comments Greene has made include comparing the victorious runs for office of Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) to an Islamic invasion of our government, Politico reported.

During the campaign, Cowan criticized Greene for her statements, saying she deserves her own YouTube channel, and not a seat in Congress.

Greene, who emphasizes strongly pro-gun, pro-border wall and anti-abortion messages, has accused Cowan of being insufficiently conservative.

Georgias 14th Congressional District stretches from the outskirts of metro Atlanta to the largely rural northwest corner of the state.
Aaron Brady has been found guilty of the capital murder of Detective Garda Adrian Donohoe by an 11 to one majority jury verdict at the Central Criminal Court.

The 29-year-old with an address at New Road, Crossmaglen, Co Armagh will be sentenced on October 14. Brendan Grehan SC for the prosecution told Mr Justice Michael White that the is obliged to impose a life sentence for murder and as the jury found him guilty of capital murder he must specify that Brady serve not less than 40 years.



With the verdict returned the trial judge lifted an embargo on what he had called "the most outrageous" contempt of court he had seen in his career. It emerged during the trial that a video of one witness giving a statement about Aaron Brady to gardai was circulated on social media with text calling the witness a "rat" and accusing him of "touting" on his friends. The witness in question did not come forward to give evidence. He was one of five witnesses who did not give evidence in a trial during which there were repeated claims that witnesses were suffering interference and intimidation.



The jury returned to Court 19 in the Criminal Courts of Justice at 12pm today (WED) having spent 20 hours and two minutes considering their verdicts since last Thursday. Sitting at the back of the court, Garda Adrian Donohoe's sister and two brothers sat patiently as the jury filed into the courtroom. His wife, Caroline Donohoe, sat alone in the body of the court, two rows in front of her relatives.



Brady, who was wearing a grey suit and red tie, sat in the dock staring straight ahead. His father and sister were the only members of his family in court as the verdict was read out and sat together directly behind him.



As the guilty verdict was announced, Brady hung his head and stared into the distance. He closed his eyes for a moment but made no reaction as the judge thanked the jury for their dedication to the case. His face was pale as the reality of what he had just heard sunk in.



The brothers and sister of the late detective became emotional and wept silently.



When the jurors left the courtroom, Mr Justice Michael White said the court would rise for 15 minutes. Within seconds, Brady left the dock and walked to the cell area without engaging with his father or sister, who have both been with him throughout the trial. Brady's legal team then followed him into the holding area.



As the courtroom began to empty out, Caroline Donohoe embraced the two solicitors for the State. She looked relieved as she touched fists with Detective Inspector Martin Beggy. One of the brothers of the late detective wiped away tears as he spoke to gardai within the confines of the court and the prosecution barristers.



Whilst groups of people gathered outside the courtroom, Brady's father and sister sat alone in their seats in the courtroom gathering their thoughts. Moments later, the defence team was seen sitting with Brady's family at the back of the court to discuss the outcome of the case. Brady's sister could be heard crying during the brief conversation.



Family members of the detective and supporters of the family looked relieved.



When Mr Grehan told the trial judge that he was obliged to impose a life sentence with a minimum of 40 years, Brady listened intently but gave no reaction.



Last Monday Brady was found guilty of involvement in the robbery that led to Det Gda Donohoe being shot dead. Brady's father was in court at the time and shook his head in disagreement as the jury left court to continue their deliberations on the first count. Before Brady returned to the holding cell that day, he embraced his father in a big hug. However, there was no such reaction from Brady today.



Brady had denied capital murder and said he had no involvement in the robbery at Lordship Credit Union on January 25, 2013 that resulted in the detective's death.



The prosecution used circumstantial evidence to prove that Brady was involved in stealing a Volkswagen Passat used by the raiders as a getaway car and to block the entrance to the credit union car park just as employees were preparing to leave with the day's takings followed by a garda escort. They also pointed to lies Brady told to gardai when he was questioned one day after the shooting and ten days later when he visited Dundalk Garda Station to give a voluntary statement. In his closing speech to the jury Lorcan Staines SC described Brady as a "practised liar". He said the prosecution case was a circumstantial one and that each piece of evidence on its own could be considered no more than coincidence. He added: "It's your personal tolerance when coincidence is put on top of coincidence until there comes a point that it is an affront to common sense that all these little things are coincidence."

To prove that Brady was the shooter the prosecution introduced the evidence of Molly Staunton and Daniel Cahill who said they heard Brady confess that he "shot a cop" or "murdered a garda" on multiple occasions after Brady moved to New York following the shooting.

Brady took the stand in his defence and told the jury that he was loading cubes of laundered diesel waste onto the back of a trailer when the robbery happened. He insisted he had nothing to do with the robbery and said that he lied to gardai to cover up his involvement in diesel laundering.

The jury did not accept his testimony and found that he was one of four raiders who jumped over the wall of the credit union just as the Passat blocked the car park entrance.

Brady pointed an automatic or pump action shotgun at Detective Garda Donohoe and fired a single shot to the head from about six feet away, killing him instantly. The jury's verdict shows that they were satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that when

Brady pulled the trigger he not only intended to kill or cause serious injury but he also knew he was shooting a member of An Garda Siochana acting in accordance with his duty.

The jury began hearing evidence last January in a trial that was expected to last four months but suffered major delays due to the Covid outbreak and lengthy legal argument in the jury's absence.

The court has sat for 122 days and the jury heard from 139 witnesses over the course of 28 weeks, making this the longest murder trial in the history of the State. During the trial it emerged that gardai had trawled through thousands of hours of CCTV footage and generated tens of thousands of documents during the investigation. Gardai claimed privilege over 50 statements taken during the investigation on the grounds that to reveal them to Brady could result in a threat to the lives of individuals. Mr Justice Michael White examined the documents and upheld the claims of privilege on the grounds set out by gardai.

Inspector Mark Phillips and Detective Garda Jim McGovern of the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation flew to New York on several occasions and worked with the US Department of Homeland Security to find witnesses who would testify to having heard Brady admit to the murder after he fled to America from Belfast Airport on a British passport about two months after the murder.

Only Molly Staunton and Daniel Cahill came forward to give evidence of having heard Brady's confession. Four others who gave statements to gardai alleging they heard Brady make similar confessions did not give evidence in court. The evidence of another witness who said he heard someone who said his name was Aaron Brady confess to killing a garda in a bar after a wedding was ruled inadmissible by the trial judge Mr Justice Michael White.

Mr Justice White will preside over a sentence hearing on October 14 when he will hear evidence relating to the robbery conviction and capital murder. The maximum sentence for robbery is life while the minimum for capital murder is 40 years.
Donald Trump supporters have mocked Joe Biden for using a script when he rang Kamala Harris to ask her to be his vice presidential nominee.

In an image posted on Biden's Instagram, the 77-year-old is seen with his laptop open, speaking to Harris, 55, via video link.

He is holding his iPhone up to the laptop with the speaker, at the bottom of the phone, directed towards the laptop - suggesting that a third person was on their call.

It was unclear who that person was.

Joe Biden posted a photo to Instagram showing him calling Kamala Harris to inform her of his selection

Eagle-eyed observers noted that Biden had a script prepared for the conversation

Beneath the iPhone was a typed up script, with the words 'chose you' and 'three reasons' spelled out.

'I think you are entitled to know why...,' Biden's script read.

The former vice president captioned the photo: 'I have the great honor to announce that Ive picked Kamala Harris  a fearless fighter for the little guy, and one of the countrys finest public servants  as my running mate.

'Back when Kamala was Attorney General, she worked closely with Beau. I watched as they took on the big banks, lifted up working people, and protected women and kids from abuse.

'I was proud then, and I'm proud now to have her as my partner in this campaign.'

Harris becomes the first black woman to be nominated for national office by a major party

Pro-Trump social media mocked Biden for using a script, continuing their attacks on him for his gaffes and stumbles.

Sean Davis, co-founder of right-wing site The Federalist, joked: Biden's staff had to write a script for him so he'd know why he was even talking to Kamala Harris. "I'm calling you today because..."'

Benny Johnson, chief creative officer of the conservative nonprofit Turning Point USA, tweeted that there were 'three very important things' about the image.

'1. Biden has to read from a script that is clearly visible,' he said.

'2. Biden does not know how to hold an iPhone (its upside down).

'3. The cartoon on Bidens desk is a man screaming WHY ME?!'

Biden's photograph was mocked online by pro-Trump critics of the former vice president

Johnson, chief creative officer of the conservative non-profit Turning Point USA, laughed

The Trump fundraising Twitter account dug out the frailest photo of Biden they could find

The Trump fundraising account @TrumpWarRoom savagely attacked the Delaware-based politician.

'"I am calling you today ... There are three reasons." Joe Biden needed a script to understand why his handlers chose Phony Kamala Harris to be his VP,' they tweeted.

Harris' choice as Biden's running mate has been widely praised by Democrats, with Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton among those posting glowing tributes to the California senator.

'I've known Senator Kamala Harris for a long time,' said Obama.

'She is more than prepared for the job. She's spent her career defending our Constitution and fighting for folks who need a fair shake.

'This is a good day for our country. Now let's go win this thing.'
The All Assam Students Union (AASU) on Tuesday made public a high-level committees confidential report on the implementation of 1985 Assam Accords Clause 6, which pertains to safeguards for the preservation and promotion of Assamese identity and heritage.

The report seeks reservation for Assamese in Parliament, state assembly, local bodies, and regulation of entry of people from other states into Assam.

The tripartite accord involving AASU, whose members were a part of the committee, the state government and the Centre was signed in 1985. It was signed after a six-year agitation against illegal immigrants.

AASUs chief advisor, Samujjal Bhattacharya, said the report was submitted over five months back, but the state government, as well as the Centre, has remained mum over it.

There is no clarity as well on whether the Assam government has handed it over to the Centre yet, Bhattacharya said. He added they were expecting the committees recommendations would be implemented. But as the government has remained quiet on its contents and about its implementation, we decided to make it public so that people in Assam know about it, Bhattacharya added.

Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal said his government is committed to implementing the clause in letter and spirit. He added both the Assam government and the Centre have been making efforts in this regard.

Though the state government is battling flood, erosion, landslides, storm, African swine fever, Baghjan gas well fire etc along with Covid-19, the government continues its efforts sincerely to implement Clause 6. Therefore, without giving a definite time frame, disclosing the report...is very unfortunate, Sonowal said in a statement.

Justice (Retd) Biplab Kumar Sarma-led 13-member committee submitted the report to Sonowal in February. None of the three AASU members in the committee were present when the report was submitted. AASU was upset that the report was not handed directly to Union ministry of home affairs.

The report proposes January 1951 as the cut-off date for any Indian citizen residing in Assam to be defined as an Assamese for the purpose of implementing Clause 6. The report also seeks quotas in government jobs. It also talks about issues related to land and land rights, linguistic, cultural and social rights and protection of the states resources and biodiversity.

Clarity on who can be called an Assamese was one of the committees main tasks as the accord did not clearly define it.

The passage of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) in December triggered protests in Assam amid concerns that it could encourage a fresh wave of infiltration from Bangladesh and threaten the livelihoods of indigenous people. CAA seeks to fast-track citizenship to non-Muslims from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan.

The protests against the law in Assam came in the drop of fears that it could dilute the 1985 accord, under which the government agreed to identify and deport all refugees and migrants who have entered the northeastern state after March 25, 1971. The CAA extends the deadline until December 31, 2014.

AASU general secretary Lurinjyoti Gogoi said to deport undocumented Bangladeshi citizens, who have entered Assam post-March 24, 1971, an extradition treaty should be signed with the neighbouring country. He added borders with Bangladesh should also be sealed.

Senior advocate Nilay Dutta, who was a member of the committee, welcomed the move to release the report so that the recommendations are in the public domain and a discussion is initiated on them.

The report is meant for the people of Assam and they have a right to know about its contents. If they have any opinion, advice or suggestions about the report, those can be made known now, Dutta said.

Implementation of Clause 6 remained on the backburner for over three decades till the Centre formed a panel in January last year it to suggest how to do it. All members of the panel resigned amid protests against the CAA.

The new 13-member committee was constituted in July last year. It was given a months extension after its six-month tenure expired in January.

The timing of AASUs release of the Clause 6 committee report shouldnt be considered very important. A crisis situation is on right now because of COVID-19 and the government is busy handling it at the moment, Nani Gopal Mahanta, professor of political science at Gauhati University, said.

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WATERLOO  Northeast Iowa avoided the widespread property damage from the huge storm that crippled much of Iowa and the Midwest, but the derecho did cause outages in everything from cellphones to cable TV in the Cedar Valley.

It also caused disruptions to 911 emergency services across Northeast Iowa, including Black Hawk County. And cable and satellite TV viewers of KWWL-TV and KCRG-TV were without those stations Tuesday.

The storm Monday snapped poles in and around Cedar Rapids, cutting power along with phone and fiber lines, said Mediacom spokesperson Thomas Larsen.

Those cut lines took out the redundancy built into Mediacoms system, and when the power was restored fiber couldnt be rerouted.

That affected customers across Iowa and beyond.

Usually, youll have these where its isolated to a market, Larsen said. This was basically the width of a state, crossing two states.

About 340,000 customers in Iowa and Illinois were offline Tuesday, Larsen said.

Larsen had no timeline for when service will be restored to all customers. He said crews were called in from other states to fix the lines, but they had to wait until utility companies restored power first.

Were scrambling to get all that back online, he said.

Cellphone customers are likely to experience intermittent outages in the meantime, no matter which cellphone carrier you have.

All of our networks  cellular, phone and cable companies  were sort of interconnected, Larsen said. They could all ride on the exact same fiber, which is a little-known secret.

Waterloo didnt see much damage from the storm, which dropped just 0.18 inches of rain with 40 miles-per-hour winds at the Waterloo Airport, said National Weather Service meteorologist Rod Donavon.

Power outages were tame in the Cedar Valley compared with areas south of here, said MidAmerican spokesperson Geoff Greenwood. Crews from this area were sent to the hard-hit Quad-Cities, Iowa City and Des Moines to assist in getting power restored. Nearly 450,000 customers were without power Monday night.

Some 911 services in Black Hawk County were affected by lingering communication outages, according to the Sheriffs Office.

Sheriff Tony Thompson said CenturyLink notified officials of the potential disruptions.

The 911 service disruption could cause a lack of detailed information about emergency calls received at the dispatch center.

Residents are urged to remain on the line with the dispatcher for the entire duration of the call to ensure that all details are obtained, Thompson said. Staying on the line will not slow the emergency response, as responders will be dispatched by another dispatcher during the call.

If callers cant reach the dispatch center via cellphone, they should find a land line phone, Thompson said.

Intermittent issues with emergency communications centers may be experienced in Oelwein, Black Hawk County, Bremer County, Allamakee County, Jasper County, Decorah/Winneshiek County, Grundy County, Ames Police Department, Benton County, Butler County, and Howard County. This could mean that these centers may not be able to receive 911 calls or the corresponding location information embedded in the call.

Some 85,684 customers were affected by the issue Tuesday.

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MILFORD  The Planning and Zoning Board has a full plate.

This is in part due to, Tropical Storm Isaias, which has twice delayed the PZBs first meeting of August, pushing it to Aug. 18.

The board was originally scheduled to meet online using the Zoom application at 7 p.m. Aug. 4, which was when the storms winds were abating.

The board had a number of applications to review, with the most interest in a proposed mixed-use development on the site of the former Smith Funeral Home . The board tabled the application at its July 20 meeting, in part to get a legal opinion from the city attorney regarding whether it could require a public hearing for a project that only needs site plan approval. The board also wanted time to review a proposal for shared parking and to request a traffic study for the project area.

City Planner David B. Sulkis had sent an email at 1:30 p.m. Aug. 4 announcing the meeting was postponed to Aug. 5 at 7 p.m. due to the unknown severity of the incoming storm, and in an abundance of caution. At that point in the day, the fury of the storm had not yet manifested in Milford. But at 7 p.m. on Aug. 4, when the meeting would have started, the power outage chart on the United Illuminating website showed 45 percent of Milford customers were without power.

At 4:38 p.m. Aug. 5, Sulkis sent an email indicating the meeting would open at 7 p.m. and then be adjourned due to the severity of the storm, the aftermath of which has brought power outages and internet disruption. At the time the meeting started on Aug. 5, the UI outage chart showed 36 percent of Milford still without power.

The board adjourned the meeting around 7:15 p.m. on Aug. 5 due to the lack of a quorum, since fewer than six board members were present. The meeting is now set to take place online at 7 p.m. Aug. 18, which is the boards next scheduled meeting.

City Attorneys Jonathan D. Berchem and Debra Kelly provided their opinion on the Smith Funeral Home project in a July 30 memo to Sulkis, and concluded that the board could conduct a public hearing, but with limitations.

Metro 135 LLC, with Robert H. Smith Jr. as member, has submitted plans to construct and renovate buildings at 125-135 Broad St. to create a mixed-use property with three new mixed use retail and office buildings totaling 77 apartments. Since these plans only require site plan approval, a public hearing is not typically required.

The 2.28-acre property in the Milford Center Design District is the location of the 6,690-square-foot former Smith Funeral Home, a 416-square-foot office building, and a garage. The plans call for retaining and renovating the funeral home building and the office building, but demolishing the industrial building and garage, and replacing them with three new mixed use retail and office buildings totaling 77 apartments. The 5,700-square-foot industrial building at the rear of the property has been demolished.

As part of the original application, Smith proposed a shared parking arrangement between the apartments and the retail/office components. The project requires 154 parking spaces, while only 120 would be provided with the intent that 34 spaces will be shared. Of the 120 spaces, five would be handicapped-accessible. This parking would be provided through a mixture of surface parking and parking under two mixed-used buildings at the rear. In the MCDD zone, the board has the discretion to agree to a finding of parking adequacy, which it has done on other projects in downtown.

Traffic Engineer David G. Sullivan submitted a written assessment of the shared parking proposal on behalf of Metro 135, in which he explained that office and residential parking demands do not peak at the same time. Sullivan noted that office parking peaks during the morning and afternoon, while residential parking typically peaks in the evening and overnight.

Therefore, we feel that the 120 proposed parking spaces on the site will comfortably and reasonably accommodate the expected parking demand, Sullivan concluded in his report.

On July 30, Metro 135 submitted an alternate plan with an underground parking garage located below the proposed surface level parking under the two rear buildings. This new garage along with the exterior surface parking would include 178 parking spaces, which is 17 more than the 161 required. The alternate plans increase the bedroom count, which boosts the residential parking requirements from 109 to 116 spaces, while the retail and commercial spaces remain at 45 spaces. The alternate project lists parking as 33 surface, 66 covered at grade, and 79 garaged.

In the legal opinion to the board, Berchem and Kelly wrote that Connecticut General Statutes and Milford Zoning Regulations neither require nor prohibit a public hearing for site plan review. They indicated that case law in Connecticut has found that conducting a public hearing on a site plan application is permissible, however different timelines apply.

When a commission conducts a public hearing where one is not required by statute, it must render its decision on the application within 65 days of the receipt of the application, not 65 days from the completion of the hearing, Berchem and Kelly wrote. The commissions failure to act within this shorter time frame would trigger automatic approval of the application.

The attorneys added an asterisk to this comment, noting that Gov. Ned Lamonts Executive Order of March 21 allows for up to a 90-day extension to typical land use deadlines for starting, finishing and deciding a zoning application. The governors order is in effect for the duration of the public health and civic preparedness emergency.

With regard to the boards decision-making process, the city attorneys noted that the boards review of the application is limited to whether the plan complies with the application regulations, and note that the application calls for a mixed-use development in the MCDD zone - a use specifically permitted under Section 3.21.1.8 of the Milford Zoning Regulations.

The boards Aug. 4 agenda indicated the board must vote on this application by Sept. 23. By comparison, the timeline is much longer for the application for a manufacturing facility at 132 Shelland St., which was also introduced at the boards July 20 meeting.

The Shelland Street project has a required public hearing because it involves a special permit in addition to the site plan review. The board has to close that public hearing by Oct. 7 and vote on that project by Dec. 14. This public hearing continued on Aug. 4 and now Aug. 18 because the boards meeting ran past 11 p.m. on July 20 and the public did not have the opportunity to comment.

The board is also conducting a public hearing for a special permit with site plan review to convert an existing office and residential building at 158 Cherry St. to an all-residential building. Another public hearing is with regard to a previously approved affordable housing project at 526 Naugatuck Ave. The board included the condition that the project include solar panels and applicant is seeking to remove that requirement, due to the cost involved. The final public hearing is for a previously approved affordable housing project at 328 Meadowside Road. The applicant is seeking to convert four of the one-bedroom units into two-bedroom units.

Other applications

In addition to the Shelland Street project, the board has moved one other application that requires a public hearing and one that does not involve a public hearing to the Aug. 18 meeting.

Par Brook LLC of Elmsford, N.Y. submitted an application for a special permit with site plan review to convert a mixed-use office and residential building at 158 Cherry St. to all-residential use. The LLC owns the 1.09-acre property, which was valued at $5.1 million in 2019.

The Cherry Street plans call for converting the existing first-floor office space into 11 residential units, making the structure a fully residential building with 35 units. There will be 68 parking spaces where 50 are required.

One application that does not require a public hearing is a site plan review to convert a single-family house at 95 Cherry St. from residential to office use. John Blevins of Wallingford owns the 0.19-acre property at 95 Cherry St. As part of the plan, the rear two-car garage will be demolished, which will create room for nine parking spaces, including one accessible space, where seven are required.

Two affordable housing applications

The board has not set a public hearing date for two affordable housing applications that were on the Aug. 4 agenda, but are not on the Aug. 18 agenda. The next board meeting after Aug. 18 is scheduled for Sept. 1. The public hearings for these items must be closed by Oct. 7, and the board must vote by Dec. 14, unless the applicants grant an extension.

The board is being asked to removed a condition it applied requiring solar panels when it approved a 12-unit apartment complex at 526 Naugatuck Ave., which was filed as an affordable housing plan. Developer Marwan Sayyed of Stratford proposed the development under the name 526 Naugatuck Avenue LLC. The applicant submitted an estimate that the solar panels required by the board would be add $180,000 to $270,000 to the project cost with an additional fee of $10,000 to redesign the roofs to handle the weight of the panels.

A third application involves a 12-unit affordable housing project called Islandview Commons at 328 Meadowside Road where the owners are asking the board to modify the original special permit and site plan review approved in Feb. 2018. The requested modification would be to convert four of the 12 units from one bedroom to two bedrooms. The owner is 328 Meadowside LLC, which lists Warren K. Field and Christopher F. Field of Milford as managers.
Highlife musician, Akosua Agyapong together with the one other person, who were standing trial for alleged fraudulent sale of land were on Wednesday acquitted and discharged by an Accra Circuit Court.



At the hearing Wednesday, August 12, 2020, the court presided over by Ms Priscilla Dappah Mireku held that the prosecution failed to established a prima facie case against the accused persons - Akosua Agyapong and Frank Agyemang.



In her ruling, the presiding Judge also held that there was no evidence before the court which proved that land documents were forged in the case.



She added that, based on evidence before the court from the complainant during cross-examination, he (complainant) knew that the land belonged to one Dora Amoansi.



It also held that the matter before the court was more of a civil case rather than a criminal case urging that the complainant could file a civil case again if he so wish to.



Background



Agyapong and Agyemang were hauled to court in October 2017 for allegedly defrauding a businessman of GH105,000 in a land deal.



The prosecution claimed the musician and Agyemang, aka, Killer Boss, sold a land, which apparently did not belong to them to the businessman.



Prosecutions Case



Per the facts of the case, as presented by the prosecutor, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), Ms Agnes Boafo, were that the complainant in the case was a car merchant, while Agyemang claimed to be a building contractor.



She explained that in February 2017, the businessman wanted a parcel of land by the roadside to display his cars for sale. As a result, he contacted Akosua Agyapong for assistance.



The musician, the prosecutor said, told the businessman that she had a plot of land for rent, but the businessman wanted an outright sale.



Later Akosua introduced Agyemang to the businessman as her brother who had a one plot of land opposite the West Hills Mall for sale. The businessman after inspecting the land showed interest, she said.



ASP Boafo added that the highlife maestro assured the businessman that the land was genuine and Agyemang was the rightful owner.



They then took the businessman to the Lands Commission, went into one of the offices and came out with someone who confirmed that the land indeed belonged to Agyemang, and upon this, the businessman became convinced, she said.



Afterwards, the prosecutor said, the businessman paid GH105,000 for the land and later gave a Toyota RAV 4 vehicle valued at GH100,000 to Agyemang for another plot of land.



When the businessman went to work on the land, another person came to claim ownership of the land with original documents. He reported the matter to the police leading to Akosua and Agyemangs arrest. Agyemang, however, released the vehicle to the police, the prosecutor added.



The two have pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to commit a crime and fraudulent transaction of land and are each on bail in the sum of GH160,000 bail with three sureties.





Source: graphiconline.com









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A Huawei logo is displayed at a retail store in Beijing, China on May 27, 2019. Fred Dufour | AFP | Getty Images

Huawei is reportedly running out of its own high-end chips for smartphones due to U.S. sanctions  and the company may have limited options to secure future supply. The inability to obtain cutting-edge chips will threaten Huawei's newly-acquired status as number one smartphone maker in the world. It could also wipe out billions of dollars of sales for the Chinese technology giant. Huawei may survive 2020, but the next two years could be very difficult, one analyst told CNBC. In May, the U.S. introduced a rule which requires foreign manufacturers using American chipmaking equipment to get a license before they're able to sell semiconductors to Huawei. The Chinese firm designs its own chips via a subsidiary called HiSilicon. But those semiconductors, which go by the Kirin brand name, are actually manufactured by Taiwanese contract chipmaker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company. Washington's rule has effectively cut Huawei off from TSMC. To comply with the rule, any chips currently in production must be shipped to Huawei by Sept. 15. "This is a very big loss for us," Richard Yu, CEO of Huawei's consumer business, said Friday at an industry conference in China, according to the Associated Press. "This year may be the last generation of Huawei Kirin high-end chips," he added, saying the company has "no chips and no supply." Huawei did not respond to a request for comment when contacted by CNBC.

Huawei is among just a handful of companies, which includes Samsung and Apple, that design their own chips for their smartphones. It's one of the major reasons the Chinese technology giant has been able to differentiate from its rivals and grow.

Huawei is 'running out of options'

"Huawei's smartphone division is running out of options for sourcing chipsets. The outlook is bleak, but salvageable," Neil Mawston, executive director of wireless device strategies at Strategy Analytics, told CNBC by email. He said there are 15 chipset suppliers in the world Huawei could work with but only five were "credible" options. They are: Continue with the Kirin line of processors and eventually move to manufacture with SMIC, China's biggest contract chipmaker, instead of TSMC. Outsource to Unisoc in China Outsource to Taiwan's MediaTek Outsource to South Korean chip and phone maker, Samsung Get the Qualcomm ban lifted by the U.S. government (Qualcomm is not allowed to supply to Huawei because the Chinese firm sits on a U.S. blacklist known as the "Entity List.") Mawston notes, however, that "all five options face major challenges." SMIC uses U.S. equipment to make chips which would mean it would not be able to supply to Huawei. It is also significantly behind TSMC in terms of technology. Huawei's Kirin chips are built using a so-called 7-nanometer process, one of the most advanced chipmaking techniques. And chipmakers are now looking toward 5-nanometer process, the most cutting-edge technology. It's unclear when SMIC may introduce a 7nm production process at scale.

Huawei's smartphone unit is probably fine for the rest of 2020  but 2021 and 2022 are a whole 'nother ball game. Neil Mawston Strategy Analytics

Meanwhile, China's Unisoc, which designs its own chipsets, produces low-end semiconductors that won't fit Huawei's needs. "It will take years for Unisoc to ramp up scale and quality," Mawston said. Samsung makes its own chipsets, called Exynos, and it may not be willing to share that with Huawei, it's fiercest competitor in smartphones. Mawston noted that South Korea usually sides with the U.S. on political issues. U.S. chipmaker Qualcomm is lobbying the U.S. government to reverse a ban that stops it from selling to Huawei, the Wall Street Journal reported over the weekend. "But with a tight U.S. election coming up in November, it is hard to see the tough U.S. stance being softened any time this year," Mawston said. That leaves Taiwan's MediaTek which makes low-to-mid-range chips for mobile devices. Mawston sees this company as one of the most viable options for Huawei in the short term. But some risks remain, including the fact it uses TSMC for some production and "may yet come under the U.S. spotlight." MediaTek was not immediately available for comment when contacted by CNBC.

U.S. election factor

The outcome of the U.S. election in November could well be a key factor in whether Huawei's smartphone division survives or not. If Democratic presidential candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden wins, policy toward technology and China could change. "The Biden camp may be formulating its own policies around geopolitics of technology, including on chips. And to win support from U.S. businesses, like Qualcomm, it may propose revoking Huawei's chip ban. Or, the Trump camp may want to win support from U.S. businesses and may ease up restrictions," Abishur Prakash, who specializes in geopolitics at the Center for Innovating the Future (CIF), a Toronto, Canada-based consulting firm. "This may also be a strategy of Huawei, to wait it out until November and see what happens," Prakash added. Another potential post-election solution could be Qualcomm being allowed to supply ready-made chipsets to Huawei, but the Chinese firm may be forbidden from designing its own chips like it currently does, according to Strategy Analytics' Mawston.

Qualcomm and MediaTek both produce chipsets that can be bought "off the shelf," which means multiple smartphone makers may buy the same semiconductors from them. Huawei's current solution is customized as they design their own Kirin chips. If Huawei was forced to go with a generic vendor, that would hurt its smartphone business, according to Nicole Peng, a mobile analyst at Canalys. "If they (Huawei) are using a standard solution, it will be hard to differentiate from Oppo, Vivo and Xiaomi. It's expected they will lose their competitive advantage especially on the high-end side to the Chinese players," Peng told CNBC. "So the expectation is that it will be difficult to maintain the kind of leadership status (it currently has)."

Sell HiSilicon?

Huawei could also consider selling HiSilicon, its chip design unit, according to Neil Shah, research director at Counterpoint Research. That would involve potentially merging with another supplier like MediaTek, as well as transferring knowledge and intellectual property to build exclusive chipsets for Huawei's devices that would be optimized to work with its own operating system called HarmonyOS. "This basically decouples HiSilicon from Huawei but still helps Huawei get advanced and exclusive chipsets for itself," Shah told CNBC.

Huawei's remaining supplies
B-1 crew trains with Japan, USS Ronald Reagan in Indo-Pacific

By 1st Lt. Joshua Sinclair, 28th Bomb Wing Public Affairs / Published August 11, 2020

ANDERSEN AIR FORCE BASE, Guam (AFNS) -- A B-1B Lancer launching from Andersen Air Force Base conducted a bilateral mission with Japan and a joint mission with the USS Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Group (CSG) Aug. 7 in the Indo-Pacific region.

The B-1, from the 37th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron, integrated with the eight F-2s and six F-15s from the Koku-Jieitai, or Japanese Air Self-Defense Force, in the vicinity of Japan, to improve interoperability and readiness between the two nations' forces.

"Opportunities to train alongside our joint partners and allies in the region are an invaluable experience for our Airmen," said Lt. Col. Lincoln Coleman, 37th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron commander. "Not only are we able to highlight our continued commitment to our allies, but it also increases our ability to integrate with one another and strengthen our combined capabilities."

The B-1 also conducted joint war training at sea with the Reagan CSG in the Sea of Japan.

"Integration with our joint partners is essential to ensuring joint force responsiveness and lethality, and maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific," said U.S. Navy Cmdr. Joshua Fagan, Task Force 70 air operations officer. "The recent integrated training between our carrier strike group and Air Force B-1s is the latest example of how we are continually working to stay synched with all of our joint partners and ready to respond to any contingencies throughout the region."

B-1s are deployed to Guam from Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota, to conduct long-range, long-duration Bomber Task Force missions, which give aircrews opportunities to train alongside allies and partners in a joint environment and build interoperability to bolster their ability to support a free and open Indo-Pacific.

The continual interoperability training is designed to promote stability, security and seamless integration throughout the Indo-Pacific for the U.S. Air Force and joint and partner forces.

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Austin's Alex Jones is at it again, y'all.

In a widely circulated act that Twitter user rskanse called "some next level Karen-ing," the far-right conspiracy theorist verbally harassed lifeguards at Barton Springs in Austin, bullhorn in hand, all because they were doing their job.

Referring to employees and hikers as "cult member kooks," he said his wife showed up at the park location Monday morning and was unable to enter after employees asked for her reservation.

Bull Creek Greenbelt and Barton Creek Greenbelt reopened Monday, Aug. 8, but to limit large gatherings amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the City of Austin now requires a reservation ahead of visits  a move Jones said is unconstitutional.

Now you guys use your COVID hoax to like set a checkpoint up to take over the parks and start charging? a mask-less Jones yelled at park employees in a video posted to Twitter by Austin filmmaker Scott Cobb. "This is a illegal power grab of the people's Greenbelt, and it is time to free Austin." (Really dude?)

DEFUND ALEX JONES: Alex Jones filmed loudly berating patrons at Austin restaurant

Jones continued on his very unnecessary rant, getting only inches away from one employee before asking, "Who are you, masked man?"

"I'm a lifeguard for Barton Springs," the man replies. "You're a lifeguard, for Barton Springs, now part of the criminal power grab," Jones yelled back. "This is outrageous criminal activity. This is the seizure of the infrastructure of Austin."

He said, to everyone out there watching, the time for civil disobedience is here. (Whatever that means.)

At the end of the video, Jones can be heard claiming that the Austin Police Department said the new park rule is not enforceable. A spokesperson with Austin Parks and Recreation could not be reached for comment.

So, what have we learned? Alex Jones thinks COVID-19 is a hoax put in place to make him follow rules, and the rest of us think he should stop making Austin look worse than it already does.
Conn. city agrees to exempt pro-life pregnancy center from sign ordinance

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A mobile pro-life pregnancy clinic can operate in Connecticuts capital city without having to adhere to an ordinance requiring that it post signs inside and outside the facility that imply that it does not have medical professionals on-site.

Caring Families Pregnancy Services Inc. and the City of Hartford recently agreed to a settlement over a lawsuit the pro-life clinic filed against the city over its Ordinance No. 25-17.

As part of the agreement, Caring Families will be exempted from the ordinance because it has licensed medical professionals on staff and will still be allowed to operate in the city.

For their part, the city will maintain the ordinance and will not have to admit liability in the case. Both sides agreed to cover their own legal expenses.

The settlement was reached last month but was only recently made public.

Both sides of the lawsuit have claimed victory.

This resolution leaves our ordinance completely intact and enforceable, Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin said, according to The Hartford Courant. By settling in this way, the plaintiff chose not to pursue their challenge to the constitutionality of our ordinance, and we remain confident that our ordinance is constitutionally sound.

Denise Harle, senior counsel with the Alliance Defending Freedom, a conservative legal group representing Caring Families, said in a statement that the settlement allowed the pro-life clinic to operate in a way that does not undermine their message.

Caring Families exists to help ensure that no woman feels alone, hopeless, or without options during an unexpected pregnancy, stated Harle. We commend the city for changing course and deciding not to use the force of law to make this pro-life care provider imply through its own communications that it is anything but competent and tolerant.

In 2017, Hartford passed the ordinance compelling pro-life pregnancy centers that dont perform or refer patients for abortions to post signs clarifying that they do not have a licensed medical professional on staff. The language of the ordinance accused the pro-life clinics of false and misleading advertising.

When a woman is misled into believing that a clinic offers services that it does not in fact offer, she loses time crucial to the decision whether to terminate the pregnancy, the ordinance argues.

In a statement at the time, Mayor Bronin said the ordinance is necessary to stop women from going to pro-life clinics rather than facilities that provided abortions.

When women are making choices that affect their lives, their health, they deserve to have full information and they deserve to not be deceived about what services are provided, said Bronin, according to NBC Connecticut.

Theyre going to have to put a sign up at the front door and at reception and theyre going to have to tell those women who are coming in for care and for counseling that they dont have medical personnel. It's really pretty simple.

In response, ADF filed a federal lawsuit in April 2019 on behalf of Caring Families. Caring Families operates a mobile care unit in the city. The organization argued at the time that it offers a wide range of services that dont require supervision by a licensed medical provider.

Although the clinic has licensed medical providers on-site  either a registered nurse or a certified ultrasound technician  most of the time it is in operation, the clinic was "uncertain whether Hartford may apply the Compelled Speech provision to Mobile Care, because of the vague wording of the Ordinance and implementing Rule."

"In addition, there are times when Mobile Cares licensed medical providers are

not on the premises," the lawsuit explains. "Under the Ordinance, Mobile Care would be required to make the burdensome Compelled Speech at all times  permanently posted both in and on its facility and on its website, and over the telephone in conversations with potential clients."

ADF argued that the ordinance was an unconstitutional violation of the First and 14th Amendments to the U.S. Constitution.

The ordinance exempts abortion clinics, community health clinics, and all other health care facilities within Hartford, except for pregnancy centers that do not offer abortion, wrote Harle in a May 2019 letter to Hartford officials.

The ordinance therefore unlawfully discriminates against organizations such as Caring Families that do not desire to perform, assist in, or refer for abortion services.

According to the settlement, the city acknowledges that Caring Families offers medical services such as urine pregnancy tests and ultrasounds. Additionally, the city agrees that because Caring Families has licensed medical personnel on-site at all times to provide and/or supervise such medical services, it does not consider Caring Families to be a pregnancy services center under the Ordinance.

[The city] will therefore not attempt to enforce the Ordinance  as to either its required disclosures or its advertising requirements  against Caring Families, the settlement states.

In 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a similar measure in a California law in its 5-4 ruling in the National Institute of Family and Life Advocates v. Becerra. The California law mandated that all licensed pregnancy health centers include a sign that refers patients to abortion clinics.
Some 42% of young people around the world, who were still working during the pandemic, have seen a drop in income as a result of the coronavirus crisis, a study by the United Nations' labor body has found.

Drew Gardiner, youth employment specialist for the UN's International Labour Organization, told CNBC's "Squawk Box Europe" on Wednesday that young people were in a "disadvantaged position" in the labor market even before the pandemic hit.

This is partly because young people were more likely to work in sectors highly affected by the pandemic and the associated lockdowns, the report highlighted.

So these "existing vulnerabilities," Gardiner said, meant that one in six young people had stopped working since the onset of the pandemic. This was a finding the ILO reported in one of its previous reports on the labor market, when it warned that the multiple shocks of the pandemic on young people could result in a "lockdown generation."

The ILO's latest "Youth & Covid-19" survey, published Tuesday, collected responses from over 11,000 people, aged 18-29, from 112 countries between April and May 2020. It surmised that the impact of the coronavirus crisis on young people was "systematic, deep and disproportionate."
An ALDI customer has been left scratching his head after opening a multi pack of face masks that were missing one of the vital parts to make the mask effective against the spread of coronavirus.

A woman wrote on the ALDI Mums Facebook page that she had purchased a box of the face masks from her local store and her partner had grabbed a handful to take to work but when he went to put on one, he noticed one key feature was missing.

When he went to put it on... he noticed only ONE side of the masks had the string to go around his ear, but the other side did not... has anyone else had this problem? the ALDI customer asked.

An ALDI customer was confused by the face masks she had purchased. Source: Facebook

In order for a face mask to provide the best protection against spreading and contracting coronavirus, Jessica Stokes-Parish, a nurse and researcher from the Hunter region, told Yahoo there are a few key factors to look out for.

Jessica says the purpose of a face mask is to reduce the risk of viral droplets being shared between individuals.

This works best if you have a mask that has no gaps under the chin or the cheek. Air will always find a way to leak out, that's a reality, but the less gaps you have the less risk you have of viral droplets escaping, she explains.

So securing your mask firmly is the best way to wear them  something that is pretty difficult to do with only one set of elastic.

If your mask doesn't fit around your mouth and nose, it's not working. Source: AAP

A mask for Vincent Van Gogh?

Wearing a mask that hangs off only one ear is not going to be much use to anyone.

Members of the ALDI Mums group agreed.

Unless theyre made for Vincent Van Gogh, its definitely a defect, one person suggested, referring to the infamous Dutch painter who cut off one of his ears.

These ones are for unicorns, you grabbed the wrong box, another person joked.

Laughter aside, many people in the group said they had found faults with their ALDI masks.

My whole box is faulty Im so angry. Its the $29 box I bought a couple of weeks ago. All the strings just pop straight off, one customer shared.

Story continues

Another ALDI shopper said she found several faulty masks in her box.

Yea it was happened to me too. But just a few of them had this problem so I just put in bin, she said.

An ALDI spokesperson told Yahoo News Australia the original customer has reached out to them.

We thank the customer for getting in contact with us so we can investigate the issue. We can confirm that this is an isolated incident and we encourage the customer to take the masks back to their local store for a full refund, they said.

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.
Health Minister Robin Swann has voiced alarm at the rising number of Covid-19 cases in Northern Ireland.

A further 48 new incidents were reported yesterday - the highest since May 13.

In the last week, a total of 194 people have tested positive in the region. Nine people have been admitted to hospital, with two in intensive care.

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Mr Swann said: "I am concerned about the rise in positive cases in recent days.

"We now have an average of over 27 new positive cases per day compared to approximately three per day a few short weeks ago.

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"It is very concerning that nine people have been admitted to hospital with Covid-19, two of which are currently in ICU.

"This highlights the continuing threat from Covid-19 and we must all do everything within our power to tackle this."

Mr Swann said contact tracing was key to tackling the virus.

The StopCOVIDNi tracing app launched 12 days ago and has already been downloaded more than 230,000 times.

Mr Swann added: "I congratulate the team who are working hard to track and trace those who have been in contact with positive cases. The StopCOVID NI app is also fundamental in this fight.

"Since going live I am heartened that there have been over 230,000 downloads, however, I am urging everyone to share the app with friends and family who have not yet got it. The more people that have it, the more effective it will be."

On Monday health officials announced the first death linked to Covid-19 in Northern Ireland for almost a month.

Mr Swann said the virus's threat remains high.

He added: "We spent many weeks clapping in support of our health and social care staff and I urge everyone to remember why we did that.

"The threat has not gone away and our HSC system still needs our support. The measures that we have introduced will help slow the spread of Covid-19 and keep more of our loved ones and family safe.

"I therefore make no apology for once again urging everyone to remain vigilant. Do not let down your guard."

He added: "It is easy to forget how important social distancing is, however, we all must remember how far we have come since the beginning of this pandemic. Do not let your resolve wane. Stay at least two metres from people from outside your household wherever possible and closely follow other mitigations at all times."

In the Irish Republic, the National Public Health Emergency Team said one new Covid-19 related death had been reported. An additional 35 cases were confirmed, bringing the overall tally to 26,801.

It came as the Irish Government began drawing up a fresh plan to chart the country through coronavirus challenges into next year.

Taoiseach Micheal Martin outlined the details as he confirmed that meat plants and direct provision centres nationwide will now be subject to weekly Covid-19 testing.

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An upsurge in cases that triggered localised restrictions in Kildare, Offaly and Laois have been linked to outbreaks among staff at meat processing sites and people living in direct provision accommodation.

The new coronavirus plan will outline how the Republic will respond to further localised spikes or a second wave of Covid-19.

It will succeed the current road map to recovery that has plotted Ireland's path out of lockdown in several phases.
Scientists studying a species of ray-finned fish made a startling discovery  a parasite had replaced the tongue of its host.

An X-ray image of a wrassess skull showed a small crustacean inside the mouth that has been feasting on liquid in the muscular organ.

The small isopod, also called fish lice or tongue-eating louse, paralyzes the fishs tongue and sucks nutrients until it withers away.

The parasite eventually replaces the organ, attaching in the location and leaving just the underlying bone.

An X-ray image of a wrassess skull showed a small crustacean inside the mouth that has been feasting on liquid from the muscular organ until

The isopod belongs to the genus Cymthoa and was discovered inside a fish pulled from Australian waters.

Kory Evans, an assistant professor in the Department of BioSciences at Rice University in Houston, Texas, spotted the small creature while conducting a CT scan on a wrasses skull.

Found a tongue-eating isopod (purple) in one of our wrasse scans this morning while digitizing it. These parasites attach themselves to the tongues of fishes and effectively become the new tongue...horrifying, Evans shared in a tweet regarding the discovery.

Spotting one of these terrifying parasites is very rare, but experts know it attaches itself inside its hosts mouth and feeds on the tongue.

The small isopod, also called fish lice or tongue-eating louse, paralyzes the fishs tongue and sucks nutrients until it withers away

It first releases anti-coagulants to prevent the fishs blood from clotting and attaches to organ in order to extract blood and mucus from it.

The tongue eventually withers away and the isopod replaces it  acting as the fishs acting tongue.

Though the isopod seems scary (in fact, it was the inspiration behind the 2012 horror film The Bay), little harm is done to the fish aside from the removal of its tongue, Evans shared in a blog post.

The isopods body acts as a functional tongue, and feeds on mucus secreted by the fish. This is actually the only parasitic animal known to functionally replace one of its hosts organs.

The tongue eventually withers away and the isopod replaces it  acting as the fishs acting tongue. Pictured is an example of the parasite inside a fish's mouth

There are 380 different known species of tongue-eating isopods, most of which usually have a specific species of fish that they invade and feast upon.

Although little is known about the lifecycle of these creatures, experts have found evidence that females may mate with male isopods living in the fishs gill chamber.

Another underwater parasite dubbed vampire fish was spotted in a freshwater lake in Vermont, hundreds of miles away from its natural habitat in the Atlantic Ocean.

The sea lampreys are described as a 'nuisance species' by the Vermont Fish & Wildlife, and survive by parasitizing other fish, attaching to their bodies and sucking out blood and other body fluids for sustenance.

Another underwater parasite dubbed vampire fish was spotted in a freshwater lake in Vermont, hundreds of miles away from its natural habitat in the Atlantic Ocean

The sea lampreys are described as a 'nuisance species' by the Vermont Fish & Wildlife, and survive by parasitizing other fish, attaching to their bodies and sucking out blood and other body fluids for sustenance

State officials say they have contained the most threatening sea lamprey population in Lake Champlain near the Canadian border.

The younger larval lampreys can spend as much as five years in a sedentary state, burrowed beneath the sandy river bottoms slowly filtering out small food particles form the water.

Once they mature, the swim back downstream to the Atlantic Ocean, where they spend the bulk of their lives feeding off the blood of other fish.

In the past sea lampreys have had a devastating impact on freshwater fish populations, with one capable of killing an average of 40 pounds of fish in a year.
Pocketing a student's scholarship fund and then using that for personal profit? That's what one former Texas Southern University assistant dean has been accused of in an elaborate scholarship scheme which resulted in $74,000 theft from the school.

Edward Wayne Rene, 52, faces a second-degree felony theft charge after officials allege that he stole from the university by "awarding double tuition scholarships to at least two students," and then made students return the extra money which he then pocketed, according to the Houston Chronicle. If he's convicted, he'll face the maximum punishment of 20 years in prison.

"The former TSU Law School Dean of Admissions masterminded a variety of schemes to steal money from the school by diverting student scholarship funds to himself," Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg explained in a statement.

The scheme allegedly began in August 2017, according to an FBI affidavit. The two students informed the FBI that Rene had offered scholarships to cover tuition costs, but then received tens of thousands in additional financial aid. That's when Rene then informed the students that the excess funds needed to returned to him, according to the affidavit.

Rene reportedly told one student that the additional funds would be returned to a "charitable foundation" to help minority students, the affidavit states. However, he then told the student to write a cashier's check to Rene instead of a charitable foundation.

"He abused his power for personal profit and his actions hurt the school and the students," Ogg continued. "It was the TSU Board of Regents who brought us the case following an internal investigation, and we applaud their swift actions to bring this thief to justice."

In November, the university said that an employee had been fired over improprieties in the admissions process, but did not disclose what the improprieties were. At that point, the school disclosed that the findings of their internal audit were given to local authorities.

If anyone has more information about this case, they are urged to contact the District Attorney's Office Public Corruption Division of FBI's Houston Division at 713.274, 5811.

alison.medley@chron.com
New figures released by the Bank of Ghana show that fraud cases in the banking sector increased to 2,295 from 2,175, representing 5.5 percent in 2019.



The marginal increase in the number of fraud cases according to the central bank could partly be attributed to the improved efforts by the Financial Stability Department to identify, monitor and to ensure compliance with reporting of fraud cases in the industry.



Giving more details, the document titled 2019 Banking Industry Fraud Report said the various forms of advanced technologies adopted by financial institutions made the banking sector more susceptible to various risks such as phishing, identity theft, card skimming, vishing, email fraud and more sophisticated types of cyber-crime.



Similar to the year 2018, in 2019, suppression of cash and deposits accounted for the largest portion of the total number of fraud cases reported to the Bank of Ghana, the report said.



The report stressed that about 94 per cent of the fraud cases reported as suppression of cash and deposits were perpetrated by staff (either contract or permanent) of the financial institutions.



The alarming rate of involvement of bank staff in the perpetration of fraud in the banking sector, calls for significant reforms in the engagement, remuneration and disengagement processes of employees and contractual staff of financial institutions, the report noted.



In 2019, the industry reported a total fraud value of approximately GH115.52 million.



Approximately 28.96 percent that is GH33.44 million of this amount was reported as losses and 71.04 per cent that is GH82.06million was unsuccessful or recovered.



The reported total loss value is made up of GH10.35million and the remaining balance of GH23 million.

Source: citinewsroom.com









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In The News is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to kickstart your day. Here is what's on the radar of our editors for the morning of Aug. 12.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 12/8/2020 (525 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

This photo provided by Capt. Dave's Whale Watching Safari shows some of 300 dolphins caught on camera Sunday, Aug. 9, 2020, stampeding across the ocean near Dana Point, Calif. A minutes-long video captured by Capt. Dave's Whale Watching Safari shows dolphins leaping several feet into the air above the glistening waters. The Orange County Register reported that dolphins move fastest while porpoising out of the water since there is less resistance in air than in water. It is unknown why pods of dolphins stampede. (Capt. Dave's Whale Watching Safari via AP)

In The News is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to kickstart your day. Here is what's on the radar of our editors for the morning of Aug. 12.

What we are watching in Canada ...

Justin Trudeau's ethical conduct will be put under an opposition microscope today during a rare summer sitting of the House of Commons  but the prime minister won't be there.

Trudeau is on vacation with his family and his office says he won't be cutting it short to attend the special parliamentary sitting.

It's not clear that Finance Minister Bill Morneau will be there either.

Trudeau and Morneau are under investigation by the federal ethics watchdog for possible conflicts of interest arising from the government's decision to hand the administration of a student grant program to WE Charity.

Both have close family connections to the charity and have apologized for not recusing themselves from the decision.

Trudeau's office points out that the prime minister has already testified at length about the controversy before the Commons finance committee, as have Morneau, other ministers and senior bureaucrats.

---

Also this ...

Conservative leader Andrew Scheer is expected to mark a political milestone today: his final time rising in the House of Commons as leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition.

Today's Commons sitting is one of two scheduled for August, but the second comes after party members will elect Scheer's replacement, bringing an end to the long and sometimes painful process for Scheer that began just after last fall's federal election.

That the House is sitting at all this month though is something Scheer himself took some credit for Tuesday as he briefly reflected on his achievements during a news conference.

He argued that Commons sittings, committee hearings and the chance to propose improvements to government programs all came from the Opposition's push for more accountability from the Liberals as they rolled out their COVID-19 response.

While the Liberals haven't taken the Tories up on all their ideas, they did agree to some, he said.

"We haven't missed a beat, we've been right there," he said.

---

ICYMI (in case you missed it) ...

Some 300 dolphins were caught on camera Sunday stampeding across the ocean near Dana Point, the Orange County Register reported.

The minutes-long video captured by Capt. Dave's Whale Watching Safari shows dolphins leaping several feet into the air above the glistening waters, wowing those aboard the boat.

Dolphins move fastest while porpoising out of the water since there is less resistance in air than in water, the Register reported. It is unknown why pods of dolphins stampede.

"It's thought that the dolphins could be evading a predator such as orcas, racing to catch a food source, or meeting up with another pod of dolphins," the charter company said in a statement.

Dolphin sightings off the Orange County coastline are not uncommon. A dolphin pod caught stampeding in waters near Laguna Beach made news around the world last year.

Southern California is home to nearly 450,000 common dolphins, the species captured on video Sunday, the charter company said.

---

What we are watching in the U.S. ...

Joe Biden named California Sen. Kamala Harris as his running mate on Tuesday, making history by selecting the first Black woman to compete on a major partys presidential ticket and acknowledging the vital role Black voters will play in his bid to defeat President Donald Trump.

In choosing Harris, Biden is embracing a former rival from the Democratic primary who is familiar with the unique rigour of a national campaign. The 55-year-old first-term senator, who is also of South Asian descent, is one of the partys most prominent figures. She quickly became a top contender for the No. 2 spot after her own White House campaign ended.

She will appear with Biden for the first time as his running mate at an event Wednesday near his home in Wilmington, Delaware.

In announcing the pick, Biden called Harris a "fearless fighter for the little guy, and one of the country's finest public servants." She said Biden would "unify the American people" and "build an America that lives up to our ideals."

Harris joins Biden at a moment of unprecedented national crisis. The coronavirus pandemic has claimed the lives of more than 160,000 people in the U.S., far more than the toll experienced in other countries. Business closures and disruptions resulting from the pandemic have caused severe economic problems. Unrest, meanwhile, has emerged across the country as Americans protest racism and police brutality.

---

What we are watching in the rest of the world ...

Health authorities in New Zealand were scrambling Wednesday to trace the source of a new outbreak of the coronavirus as the nation's largest city went back into lockdown.

Authorities have found four cases of the virus in one Auckland household from an unknown source, the first reported cases of local transmission in the country in 102 days. The news came as an unpleasant surprise to many and raised questions about whether the nation's general election would go ahead as planned next month.

Authorities said two of the people who had tested positive had travelled to the tourist city of Rotorua last weekend while suffering symptoms, and they were now trying to track their movements.

"We are working with urgency to find out what places the family may have visited while in Rotorua over the weekend," Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield said. "But the important thing is here, people in Rotorua and indeed around the country should be vigilant about their health and seek advice if they have symptoms."

Auckland was moved to Alert Level 3 at midday Wednesday, a designation initially set to continue through midnight Friday. That means that non-essential workers are required to stay home, while bars, restaurants and most businesses will be closed.

The rest of the country was moved to Alert Level 2, meaning that mass gatherings are limited to 100 attendees and people are required to socially distance themselves.

---

Also this...

In a race against tides and time, workers pumped tons of fuel on Tuesday from a Japanese bulk carrier ship grounded in the shallow waters of Mauritius to try to prevent a renewed oil spill from further fouling the island's eastern lagoons and shore.

The Japanese ship, MV Wakashio, ran aground on a coral reef about a mile off Mauritius on July 25, and prolonged pounding by heavy surf caused the vessel to crack about two weeks later. It spilled an estimated 1,000 tons of oil  about a quarter of the ship's total cargo  into the Indian Ocean, polluting the island's once pristine coastline.

Although the oil leak was stopped, the ship's hull was continuing to crack, prompting fears that the remaining fuel would gush into the sea.

By Tuesday, about 1,000 tons of the fuel had been pumped out of the stranded ship into small tankers nearby, according to a statement from the Wakashio's owner, Nagashiki Shipping. About 1,800 tons of fuel remained on the ship by midday and with efforts continuing, some experts expressed hope that all the fuel could be emptied from the ship before it breaks up.

"The situation is very tight. The pumping is continuing non-stop," said Sunil Dowarkasing, an environmental consultant and former member of parliament who was at the scene. "If all the oil can be successfully removed from the ship that would prevent any increase in the destruction, which is already an environmental disaster."

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published on August 12, 2020.
His team met with Beirut governor Marwan Abboud to discuss assistance. Mourad said an emergency room was being set up in the hard-hit Karantina neighborhood for those who couldnt pay. An adviser to the governor, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to provide the information to news media, said that its not clear when damaged hospitals will be functional again.
ComplyAdvantage, a global technology company transforming data risk management and financial crime detection, today announced the appointment of Vatsa Narasimha, COO and CFO, to the companys board. The company also announced the addition of Elizabeth Bramlage as Chief Marketing Officer and Amanda Ward as Vice President of People. The announcement comes on the heels of the companys $50M series C fundraise and record quarterly growth and represents its strong commitment to investing in top talent as it rapidly accelerates expansion in the U.S., U.K. and Asia-Pacific regions.

New board member, Vatsa Narasimha, joined ComplyAdvantage as COO and CFO in January of 2020. He is responsible for leading the companys global expansion across all aspects of ComplyAdvantage. In the last eight months, Narasimha has expanded the executive leadership in the United States and secured Series C funding alongside Founder and CEO, Charles Delingpole.

Despite headwinds due to the global spread of Covid-19, 2020 has been a strong year for ComplyAdvantage. We were able to seamlessly move to remote work in March, honored as a Technology Pioneer by the World Economic Forum in June, and closed our largest sales quarter while finalizing our Series C funding in July. This is thanks to our strong foundation of talent and also to Vatsa who led the effort behind our most recent round of funding. I look forward to the rest of the year with a profound appreciation for what we have accomplished and excitement about the tasks ahead as we continue on our journey of eliminating financial crime. Vatsa will be playing a pivotal role in leading the charge, said Charles Delingpole, Founder and CEO.

ComplyAdvantages new Chief Marketing Officer, Elizabeth Bramlage, brings deep industry expertise that includes executive leadership in financial services, payments, SME financing and fintech at companies including Amazon.com, American Express and Klarna. In her role, Bramlage will be responsible for spearheading global marketing operations and initiatives across the United States, Europe and Asia Pacific.

ComplyAdvantage sits at a fascinating intersection of data and technology. Focused on machine learning and natural language processing, the company has the ability to revolutionize data risk management. I look forward to working with the talented team to scale this visionary company, said Bramlage.

ComplyAdvantage is the leading AI-driven financial crime risk data and detection technology provider in a global regtech market expected to reach $16B by 2025. With its proprietary database and groundbreaking financial risk management tools, the company already works with a wide variety of reputable financial institutions, insurance companies and fintechs including Santander Bank and the more recent additions of Azlo, Brex and Binance.

Bolstering the People team, ComplyAdvantage hired Amanda Ward as VP of People. With deep experience growing teams at a rapid pace, Ward will be responsible for further evolving a best-in-class workforce as ComplyAdvantage continues to expand its global footprint. Ward was previously Head of Business HR at the online money transfer business, WorldRemit. She has held senior HR and People roles at King.com, Expedia and Barclays.

When we started this year, we knew we wanted to accomplish three things. We wanted to raise our Series C, further invest in our award-winning products, and hire an incredibly talented set of leaders to take us into our next phase of growth, said Vatsa Narasimha, COO and CFO of ComplyAdvantage. With Elizabeth and Amanda leading our marketing and talent functions respectively, we will be able to scale at a faster rate. I am pleased to welcome them both as we take our next step in transforming the world of risk and compliance.

About ComplyAdvantage:

ComplyAdvantage is the financial industrys leading source of AI-driven financial crime risk data and detection technology. ComplyAdvantages mission is to neutralize the risk of money laundering, terrorist financing, corruption, and other financial crime. More than 500 enterprises in 75 countries rely on ComplyAdvantage to understand the risk of who theyre doing business with through the worlds only global, real-time database of people and companies. The company actively identifies tens of thousands of risk events from millions of structured and unstructured data points every single day. ComplyAdvantage has four global hubs located in New York, London, Singapore and Cluj-Napoca and is backed by Ontario Teachers, Index Ventures and Balderton Capital. Learn more at complyadvantage.com.

Media contacts:

ComplyAdvantage press team: press@complyadvantage.com

New York

Lila Ritger

+1 (646) 844 0841

London

Sally Morris

+44 (0)20 7834 0252

Singapore

Jordan Krogh

+65 9456 4679
When a 6th-grade teacher learned that her 12-year-old students were posting topless photos on social media, she resisted a direct intervention.

Instead, she came up with a smart way to prove to her students how quickly a picture can spread online, and how one compromising photo could impact their lives for years to come.

Melissa Bour, from Emerson Elementary School in Tulsa, Oklahoma, only wanted to keep her students safe. So, she penned a letter on Facebook as a social experiment to find out how quickly it would circulate. Melissa, who teaches science and math, encouraged everyone who saw it to pass it on.

(Illustration  Dean Drobot/Shutterstock)

My 12-year-old students think it is no big deal that they are posting pictures of themselves in bras or with their middle finger in the air, the teacher wrote in her since-deleted viral Facebook post, shared in its entirety by Little Things.

Please help me out by sharing this image and commenting with where you live to show these young students how quickly their images can get around, Bour continued.

(Illustration  Jovica Varga/Shutterstock)

The letter reached 33 U.S. states in just eight hours, spreading nationwide and to social media users in England, Germany, Australia, and Saudi Arabia shortly thereafter. Bours point was proven.

Speaking to Today about her decision to educate her students by way of demonstration, the 6th-grade teacher said that she simply made the most of a teachable moment.

I noticed more and more pictures were showing up that were inappropriate, she explained. I got out a piece of computer paper and a green pen, and I wrote a little note.

I was just really hoping to reach some family on the west coast, and say, Here it is on the west coast, but it went much further than that.

All of a sudden, Bours 6th-graders understood why their parents were prohibiting or limiting their social media use. Technology is not going away, Bour rightly reflected, so her teachable moment is an opportunity for parents and teachers everywhere to mitigate misuse and protect their preteens from the ramifications.

We dont elaborate enough as parents telling our kids no all the time, Emerson Elementary School mom Kalecia Thomas told Today. What Miss Bour did, it gave them more of an understanding of why were saying no to our children.

Bour deleted her original post from Facebook, but the note is still being published on news and social media sites worldwide. The notes viral status is a reminder to Bours students, and others, that what goes online stays online, indefinitely.

Many of Bours 6th-graders have since sworn off social media completely, or are at least regulating their output with greater awareness. Their teachers surprising lesson hit home.

Im not going to put any more photos on my Facebook, declared student Peyton Piguet. Say I want to be the president, added her classmate, Xavier Ingram. That might affect me becoming president!

We would love to hear your stories! You can share them with us at emg.inspired@epochtimes.nyc
All patients in the ICU are critically ill. Before getting infected by the novel coronavirus, they had other underlying conditions like heart failure, kidney failure, diabetes and high blood pressure. Even without the Covid-19 infection, their lives were under threat.

While treating these patients, doctors and nurses also have to take care of their hygiene and change their lying position to prevent bedsores. On sedatives and endotracheal tubes inserted to aid their breathing, patients are asked to move their hands and feet and keep their eyes open so the doctors can check their body reactions.
At least three people died and 60 police personnel were injured after violence broke out in the eastern part of Karnatakas Bengaluru on Tuesday night over a social media message, which was allegedly posted by a relative of a Congress legislator.

Bengaluru Police have arrested 149 people for arson, stone-pelting and assault on the police, officials said. Congress member of legislative assembly (MLA) Srinivas Murthys nephew was also arrested for sharing the derogatory post on Facebook.

Chief minister BS Yediyurappa tweeted to condemn the violence and that he has already ordered action against those taking the law into their hands. Yediyurappa said those who attacked the police, media and the public will not be spared and strict action will be taken. He also appealed for calm.

Here is what we know so far:

 The violence broke out in Pulakeshi Nagar of the state capital of Karnataka after protesters vandalised a police station and Congress leader Murthys house. They hurled bottles and stones at the legislators house and the policemen, officials said.

 Murthys house was attacked by people for an alleged controversial post on Facebook regarding a religious figure by his nephew.

 The protesters also damaged some of the vehicles parked near the MLAs hosue.

 People familiar with the development said the man arrested for posting the content has denied his role, saying his social media account was hacked.

 DG Halli and KG Halli saw violent incidents. To bring this under control, police used lathi charge, tear gas and firing. Police Commissioner went to the spot. Police bandobast is in place. Strict action will be taken against those offenders, Bengaluru Police tweeted.

 Murthy appealed to the protesters to not resort to violence in a video message. There is no need to fight. We all are brothers. We will get the person punished as per law. We will also be with you, he said.

 Bengaluru Police commissioner Kamal Pant also tweeted to appeal for peace.

 Curfew was imposed in DJ Halli and KG Halli police station limits after violence broke out in the area.

 Police have imposed Section 144 of Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) in Bengaluru to prohibit the assembly of four or more persons in an area.

 Basavaraj Bommai, Karnatakas home minister, also said nobody will be allowed to take the law into their own hands. He added that additional police forces have been deployed to maintain law and order.

 Additional police forces are being rushed and leaves of all personnel have been cancelled to ensure adequate security on the ground across the city, according to people familiar with the development.
Black women in the United States who work full time, year-round are typically paid just 62 cents for every dollar paid to white, non-Hispanic men  and that number has not budged in the last 25 years.

For women overall, the wage gap stands at 82 cents for every dollar paid to men.

August 13 is Black Womens Equal Pay Day, which marks how far into the year Black women working full time need to work to earn what their white, non-Hispanic male counterparts earned in 2019.

This wage gap costs Black women $23,653 a year, according to a new analysis by the National Womens Law Center. Over a 40-year-career, the wage gap translates to a staggering $946,120.

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STSI members and community stakeholders at a screening of "Pushout" a movie that highlights the school to prison pipeline for Black girls.

We owe Black women so much more. Especially right now in the middle of this pandemic, the wage gap has robbed them of their ability to weather this storm, said Jasmine Tucker, director of research for NWLC. They don't have the financial cushion, they don't have any savings because we haven't been paying them what we owe them. And that's just straight earnings that doesn't even account for if they were able to put any money away, if they were able to buy a house, the equity, the wealth that they could have built for themselves over that time.

On Thursday, Sister to Sister International, a Yonkers-based nonprofit which is dedicated to the empowerment of Black women and girls in Westchester and Rockland counties, will participate in a tweetstorm using the hashtag #BlackWomenEqualPayDay from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. to raise awareness.

Community partners including the Westchester Women's Agenda, Jack and Jill of America Inc's Rockland Orange Chapter, PowerHer NY, American Association of University Women, Westchester County Youth Bureau, Westchester County Office for Women and Westchester Children's Association will be participating in the effort, said Cheryl Brannan, founder of the nonprofit.

Story continues

It's very, very fundamental and it's tremendously impactful on the life of a Black woman. It influences what kind of disposable income she has, where she may be able to live, her access to education and educational opportunities perhaps for her children, said Brannan. It clearly impacts the quality of life for Black women.

Black women make up 11% of the front-line workforce despite only making up 6.3 percent of the workforce overall, according to NWLC.

More than 26% of personal care aides, home health aides and nursing assistants working full time, year-round are Black women but they are still paid less than white, non-Hispanic men in the same jobs.

This pandemic has really highlighted all of the systemic ways in which we undervalue women's work and especially Black women's work and how we've underpaid them for so long, said Tucker. And if now is not the moment to fix this, I really don't know when it will be.

One of the focus areas for Sister to Sister International has been to encourage Black girls to pursue science, technology, engineering and medicine (STEM), which have the least wage disparities. The nonprofit organizes annual summer STEM camps for Black and girls of color.

When they pursue those fields, that they're more likely to have less of a pay disparity, said Brannan. And you get paid almost twice as much in STEM fields than you do a non-STEM field.

In the fall, the nonprofit will also facilitate training on salary negotiation.

We want to make sure women are comfortable negotiating their salaries. When you go into the workforce, you need to understand that these pay inequities exist, she said. This is what you're up against, and you need to learn strategies to help promote yourself, to look for mentors, to hold your place of work accountable.

Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy covers women and power for the USA Today Network Northeast. Click here for her latest stories. Follow her on Twitter at @SwapnaVenugopal. Support local journalism; go to lohud.com/specialoffer to find out how.

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Black Women's Equal Pay Day: Movement highlights gap in wages
Professor of public policy Julia Lane's forthcoming book from The MIT PRESS (on sale 9/1/2020) "Democratizing Our Data: A Manifesto" explains why public data is vital to public health and democracy in general. The book is a wake-up call for America to create a new framework for democratizing data.

Nancy Potok, former Chief Statistician of the United States, writes, "Julia Lane is a brilliant visionary with the rare ability to bring her visions successfully to fruition. Her manifesto is a clarion call we must heed to ensure a dynamic and viable future for timely, relevant, accurate, and objective federal statistical data. A must-read."

Lane argues that we must rethink ways to democratize data; there are successful models to follow and new legislation that can help effect change. The private sector's data revolution--which creates new types of data and new measurements to build machine learning and artificial intelligence algorithms--can be mirrored by a public sector data revolution characterized by attention to counting all who should be counted, measuring what should be measured, and protecting privacy and confidentiality. Just as Google, Amazon, Microsoft, Apple, and Facebook have led the world in the use of data for profit, the United States can show the world how to produce data for the public good.

She calls for a more automated, transparent, and accountable framework for creating high-quality public data that would empower citizens and inspire the workforce that serves them. And she outlines an organizational model that has the potential to make data more accessible and useful. As she says, failure to act threatens our democracy.

###

Julia Lane is a founder of the Coleridge Initiative, Professor at the NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service and the NYU Center for Urban Science and Progress, and an NYU Provostial Fellow for Innovation Analytics.

You can discover more information about the book via The MIT PRESS website here: https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/democratizing-our-data

You can learn more about Lane here via her website.

http://julialane.org/

Watch a video interview with Lane and The Conversation here; https://theconversation.com/video-who-controls-pandemic-data-143638

Watch a virtual talk with Lane and The MIT PRESS Live! virtual event series;

https://mitpress.mit.edu/blog/author-talk-democratizing-our-data-julia-lane

You can read an excerpt from the book here; https://www.engadget.com/hitting-the-books-democratizing-our-data-julia-lane-150045790.html
NEW DELHI: In view of the prevailing border tension between India and China over the bloody Galwan Valley clashes, the shop owners at Lal Kuan - the largest wholesale hub for kites in the national capital - have decided to not sell Chinese glass-coated Manja and colourful kites for the Independence Day celebrations this year.

Instead, the shop owners here are themselves encouraging the customers to buy the locally made items, which is also in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modis recent ''Vocal For Local'' call to promote Made In India brands.

According to Zee Media reports, the shop owners at Lal Kuan have taken this initiative to discourage the sale of Chinese products and have appealed to customers to buy only goods made in the country and promote 'Made In India'.



As a result of this initiative, the local buyers are rejecting the Chinese products and goods and insisting on buying only home-made items.

With just three days left for the Independence Day celebrations to begin, the kite market in Delhis Lal Kuan is dull also due to the coronavirus scare.

There has been a tradition of flying kites on this day every year but due to the COVID-19 scare and India-China border row, the locals are not too keen to go to the market to buy kites.

When the Zee News team talked to the local shopkeepers about whether the Chinese kites and Manja are being sold in the market, a shopkeeper named Rahul said, you will not find Chinese kites and Manja at any shop in this market this year.

Due to India-China border tensions, the local shopkeepers have decided not to encourage the sale of Chinese Manja and dragon kites this year. This is also in line with the PMs recent appeal to make India self-reliant, he added.

Every year on August 15, Chinese goods worth millions are sold in the Lal Kuan kite market, but this time it will not be business as usual.

Shortly after the Narendra Modi-led NDA government at the Centre banned at least 59 Chinese Apps, the Calcutta High Court had prohibited the usage of Chinese Manja (a type of nylon thread coated with powdered glass used for flying kites).

The decision was taken after multiple accidents and deaths were reported throughout the Kolkata city due to the use of the Chinese Manja in kite flying.

Several state governments had earlier banned the use of Chinese Manja, a nylon thread coated with powdered glass, as it poses threat to humans and other living beings and has led to many fatalities.

Despite a ban, there has been limited awareness and subsequent decrease in its use across the country. The bikers continue to suffer as they entangled in the Chinese Manja mostly on their neck and face leading to serious wounds.

According to kite sellers, the Chinese Manja is costlier than the normal cotton strings and is mostly imported from cities like Hyderabad, Delhi, Surat and Bangalore and is sold illegally in other states.

The AAP government in Delhi had earlier imposed a ban on manufacture, sale, use and purchase of Chinese Manja, alleging that it is razor-sharp and had caused several deaths across the country as it is capable of cutting human flesh.
Related Sudan says 13 killed in ethnic clashes in Port Sudan

The Sudanese government on Wednesday announced its decision to send police forces to the Red Sea State in eastern Sudan which is witnessing tribal clashes, Sudan's council of ministers said.

"Sudan's Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok on Wednesday issued instructions to enhance the security presence by sending central reserve forces to the Red Sea State with the stress on the decision by the local authorities to impose full curfew in the state's capital city of Port Sudan," said the council in a statement.

Hamdok urged all social and civil components in eastern Sudan to abide by peacefulness and avoid escalation, according to the statement.

Since Sunday, Port Sudan has been witnessing armed clashes between members of Bani Amer and Al-Nuba tribes, which reportedly left at least 25 people dead, according to unofficial statistics.

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Linkedin Rizki Fachriansyah (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, August 12, 2020 13:17 525 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066d657aa 1 National Nadiem-Makarim,Education-and-Culture-Ministry,school-reopening,Exclusive,Jakpost-Up-Close Free

Education and Culture Minister Nadiem Makarim has fended off criticism over the government's decision to allow the reopening of more schools amid the pandemic, defending the policy as a difficult but necessary trade-off to maintain students' spirit of learning in a time of crisis.

You can consider [the decision] bold in some aspects, but on the other hand, you can also see that were a little late, Nadiem said on Wednesday during the webinar Educating the Nation, which is part of The Jakarta Posts webinar series Jakpost Up Close.

We are the second-last to reopen schools out of the 11 countries in Southeast Asia."

After previously giving the green light for schools in COVID-19 green zones, or low-risk areas, to reopen in mid-July, the government expanded its school reopening policy to schools in yellow zones, or moderate-risk areas, on Friday.

The move sparked criticism from teachers and pediatricians, who called for schools to stay focused on distance learning as they feared that sending children back to school could put them at risk of contracting the coronavirus.

Nadiem, however, said that conventional face-to-face learning was, in many cases, the only available option amid socioeconomic discrepancies among teachers and students across the archipelago.

He went on to say that, for instance, 88 percent of the countrys least developed regions were considered green and yellow zones, and that they had no option but to reopen schools due to their limited access to decent internet connections and digital communication software.

Read also: Decision to reopen more schools draws ire from teachers

Theres always an element of increased risk in doing this, but when we have 50 percent of our population struggling immensely for reasons that are not their fault, [] the gap between them and the more well-to-do parts of the economy could become permanently unbridgeable, Nadiem said.

He called on the public to view the current situation not only as a health or economic crisis, but also as an education crisis that could have lasting repercussions for the future of Indonesian youth.

This is something we need to balance in our considerations and policies, while maintaining as strict a health protocol as possible, he added.

In response to concerns over the health and safety of students returning to schools amid the pandemic, Nadiem said the government had issued an official guideline mandating  among other things  a limit on the number of students allowed to attend classes on a given day and the temporary closure of all extracurricular, nonessential activities.

Furthermore, the decision to reopen schools ultimately falls on the parents themselves, he asserted.

Official data shows that 57 percent of Indonesian students currently live in red and orange zones, while the remaining 43 percent are in green and yellow zones across 276 cities and regencies.

The Federation of Indonesian Teachers Associations (FSGI) previously said that reopening more schools risked creating new infection clusters. The group has received reports of at least 180 teachers and students from across the nation who have tested positive for the virus.
U.S. Sen. Cory Booker on Wednesday told President Donald Trump your racism is showing on Twitter after the president suggested that Booker and Joe Biden would push policies for low income housing to invade suburban neighborhoods.

Trump said on Twitter that Booker would run a Biden administration program to build low-income housing in suburban neighborhoods after bringing back a rule that the president rescinded, and therefore the suburban housewife would be voting Republican.

The suburban housewife will be voting for me. They want safety & are thrilled that I ended the long running program where low income housing would invade their neighborhood. Biden would reinstall it, in a bigger form, with Corey Booker in charge! @foxandfriends @MariaBartiromo  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 12, 2020

Booker responded on Twitter with one sentence:

Donaled, your racism is showing.

Booker added an extra E to the presidents first name after Trump had misspelled Bookers first name (calling him Corey).

Donaled, your racism is showing.

-Cory https://t.co/jrHIoqJ8A2  Cory Booker (@CoryBooker) August 12, 2020

It was a followup to similar statements Trump made about Booker and Biden last month after the president killed an Obama administration policy requiring municipalities that receive federal funds to look at racial discrimination and work to integrate their communities.

We ended a rule that was a very horrible rule for people in suburbia  in the suburbs, Trump told reporters at the White House on July 31. And that rule has been a very unfair rule for a long time and it was going to be made a lot worse by Biden and Cory Booker.

Its a rule that, basically, you build low-income housing and you build other forms of housing  also having to do with zoning  and destroy people that have lived in communities in suburbia. For years, theyve lived there, and they want to destroy their lives and destroy what they have.

Factcheck.org said the rule Trump rescinded did not require construction of low-income housing.

In a New York Times-Siena College poll released in June, 50% of suburban voters disapproved of Trumps job performance, with 38% approving.

Donald Trumps presidency is melting down after his failed, divisive, erratic leadership has cost over 160,000 American lives, tens of millions of jobs, and left the United States the hardest-hit country in the world by COVID-19, Biden campaign spokesman Andrew Bates said.

As he struggles in vain attempts to tear the American people apart and distract the country from his devastating mismanagement with clumsy, bigoted lies, hes only further discrediting himself.

Trump re-election campaign senior adviser Katrina Pierson shot back.

We already know Joe Biden thinks you aint Black if youre not voting for him, Pierson said.. Senator Booker is willfully ignoring Bidens racist record and the divisive, radical housing policies he forced onto suburban communities.

President Trumps policies have always been focused on improving the lives and economic situations of every American  including when he replaced Joe Bidens overreaching, failed tactics with common sense policies on affordable housing aimed at cutting red tape and restoring the power to our nations suburban communities, she said.

During his presidential campaign, Booker proposed using the threat of losing community development block grants and surface transportation funds to push communities into changing zoning laws to encourage construction of more affordable housing.

Booker, who is running for re-election to the Senate this fall, later used Trumps tweet to raise money.

If we succeed this fall, he wont be our president next year  but I plan on returning to the Senate and fighting back against everything Trump stands for, he wrote on his Facebook page.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.

Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com.
Two people who knew the Pennsylvania man fatally shot last week by Ventnor police said Tuesday his fiancee had recently died.

Kayla Drevenak, who said she had been in a relationship with Amir Johnson that ended in 2015, said Johnsons current girlfriend had died of a drug overdose in July.

And a friend from New York City, Alhassan Abdulfattaah, said Johnson, 30, of Wilkes-Barre, told him in late July he had lost his fiancee, although he did not elaborate. Abdulfattaah said Johnson grew up in the Bronx and returned there last month to stay with him and Johnsons older brother.

He came to New York City to better his spirits up, Abdulfattaah said.

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Officials release identity of man fatally shot by Ventnor police VENTNOR  A Pennsylvania man has been identified as the man fatally shot by city police last

The state Attorney Generals Office on Tuesday identified Johnson as the man Ventnor police shot about 4:30 p.m. last Thursday near Wellington and West End avenues. Authorities said Johnson was shot after he advanced on officers with a broken bottle and ignored commands to drop it. He was rushed by ambulance to AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center in Atlantic City and pronounced dead shortly afterward.
The SEC today announced fraud charges against Arizona resident Vu Anh Nguyen for orchestrating a scheme to trade securities without sufficient funds - known as "free riding" - causing a total of over $1 million in losses for eight brokerage firms. The SEC also charged Arizona residents Adam Michael Reed and Anthony Xavier Moya with aiding and abetting the scheme.

According to the SEC's complaint, in 2018 and 2019, Nguyen opened brokerage accounts and requested electronic fund transfers from bank accounts, knowing that the accounts had insufficient funds to cover the transfers. The complaint alleges that Nguyen immediately began trading securities in the accounts. According to the complaint, Nguyen was able to transfer $61,888 out of the accounts before the accounts were frozen by the brokerage firms, reaping the benefits of profits earned due to trading, while leaving the brokerage firms to settle the trades at a significant loss. The complaint further alleges that Reed and Moya provided Nguyen access to brokerage accounts they opened, knowing that Nguyen was going to use the accounts to further this fraudulent scheme. In total, Nguyen allegedly engaged in free-riding in 26 accounts at eight brokerage firms, making $4.7 million in bogus transfers and purchasing over $16 million in securities.

The SEC's complaint charges Nguyen with violating, and Reed and Moya with aiding and abetting Nguyen's violations of, the antifraud provisions of Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 thereunder, and seeks injunctions and civil penalties against all defendants and disgorgement with prejudgment interest against Nguyen and Reed. Nguyen and Moya, without admitting or denying the allegations in the SEC's complaint, consented to the entry of judgments enjoining them from future violations of the charged provisions and prohibiting them from opening brokerage accounts without first providing the broker-dealer with a copy of the complaint and judgment in this matter. Nguyen also agreed to be enjoined from trading in securities in any brokerage account that does not have settled cash to pay for the trade.

The SEC's investigation was conducted by staff in the SEC's Los Angeles Regional Office. The SEC's litigation will be led by Daniel Blau and Amy Jane Longo.
One of Australia's best known bottled water brands that had a mission to help end world poverty has pulled the plug on its famous product.

Melbourne-based social enterprise charity Thankyou will no longer produce bottled water that raised awareness and more than $6.9 million towards hygiene, sanitation programs and food security initiatives in 16 developing countries.

Production has already ceased with the last remaining bottles to trickle off store shelves in the coming months.

Thankyou described the product as being 'the elephant in the room' since the charity was founded in 2008 when the news was announced on Wednesday.

Thankyou has ceased production of its most famous product, bottled water (pictured)

'We've said it from the start, bottled water is a "silly product" and that it shouldn't exist  but while it does, we wanted to provide a better choice in the market that would help bring water to those in need,' the charity said in a blog post.

'We naively always thought we'd eventually find a solution that's a win-win for humanity and the planet. We were wrong.'

The charity said it searched far and wide for a more environmentally-sustainable alternative but to no avail.

'To reduce the impact that single-use bottled water has on the planet, well, we have no other option but to leave it behind,' the blog post continued.

'So the question is, will we ever fill that gap with a water product again? The short answer is, yes. In time we will. It will look very different, but it will exist to serve both humanity and the planet.'

Thankyou announced the news on Wednesday, described bottled water as 'the elephant in the room'. Pictured are charity co-founders Daniel and Justine Flynn

The charity urged others to reconsider their H2O-buying habits with millions of 'water points' in Australia.

'We know that for most of you, if you stood up right now and took a few steps to your bathroom, kitchen, or even walked to a cafe nearby, you'd find water. All you need is your favourite reusable cup or drink bottle and you're good to go,' the charity added.

Co-founder Daniel Flynn told SmartCompany: 'It's one of those products we shouldn't be buying. We don't think it needs to be a part of our future.

'The simple call to say 'let's remove packaging and move to a reusable society' is a great step, but we're a long way off that

Thankyou will continue its mission to helping end worldwide poverty by focusing on personal care, baby and food product range, which will feature plastic-free packaging in the future.

Former Prime Minister Tony Abbott is a fan of Thankyou water. He's pictured with social enterprise co-founders Daniel (left) and Justine Flynn at the 2014 Australian of Year awards

'Thankyou is not going anywhere. We have, and always will exist to see a world where not one person lives in extreme poverty,' its blog post ends.

'The best is yet to come, and we believe that together we can be that great generation. To get to where we are headed, we know that sometimes we must take action and challenge (even our very own!) systems, structures, and ways of doing stuff.'

Daniel Flynn founded Thankyou with his wife Justine and friend Jarryd Burns in 2008 and became and a Young Australian of the Year finalist within six years.

Financial documents revealed last October the enterprise had donated just two thirds of its profits to charity in the last four years.

The last bottles of Thankyou water will trickle off the shelves in the coming months

The rest was left in the bank for 'for good financial stewardship' to be invested back into the business at a later date.

'All funds are ultimately committed to the charitable purposes of Thankyou, which is to help end global poverty,' a spokeswoman said at the time.

'If Thankyou entities were to be wound up, anything surplus would go straight through to the Charitable Trust.'
Portlands public safety fund is set to pay $240,000 in retroactive pension benefits to 20 firefighter and police retirees resulting from a recent arbitrators ruling.

The payout is expected to increase residents property taxes that support the fund, according to Sam Hutchison, executive director of the Portland Fire and Police Disability and Retirement Fund.

The public safety fund is unique among public pension funds -- its financed by Portland taxpayers through annual property taxes. Each year, the city sets the tax in an amount equal to the funds administrative expenses and benefit costs.

The retirees affected were no longer members of either the Portland Fire Fighters Association or the Police Commanding Officers Association when they left city service but should have been awarded additional pension benefits covering the time they were union members, according to a state arbitrators ruling this year.

Members of the firefighter and police unions currently have their pensions calculated based on a final years pay.

But if a firefighter or officer retires in a certain so-called magic month, their pensions may be artificially inflated when the final 12-month look-back period includes 27 pay dates, versus the more typical 26 pay dates.

Under the citys biweekly pay structure, the city pays wages eight calendar days after the last day of a two-week period. The structure makes it possible to receive 27 pay checks in a 12-month period.

The 27th pay dates occur randomly and have become known as the magic months, allowing public safety retirees to have their pensions calculated based on more than one years pay if the firefighter or officer retired in that special month.

The city had argued that the former union members didnt have vested contractual rights to have their pensions inflated by including a 27th pay date because they retired when they werent members of the respective unions.

The dispute involved retired command-level firefighters and police who, when they retired, werent part of a union but had retired during a month in which a 27th pay date occurred. That included captains and above in the Police Bureau and deputy chiefs and above in the Fire Bureau.

The city also argued that the 27th pay date anomaly' was an unintended consequence of the public safety funds board trying to comply with the literal wording of the city charter and not an intentional decision to provide pensions that exceeded their annual pay.

An arbitrator ruled that these former union members are entitled to a prorated pension benefit, apportioning the benefit based on the ratio of their service before they left their respective unions to their total years of service.

For example, an officer who was promoted out of the Police Commanding Officers Association to an exempt rank in 2015 after 25 years of service and then later retired in 2020 after 30 years of service would get five-sixths of the 27 pay-period increment if the officer retired during the month when a 27-pay period occurred.

The decision applies to 20 retirees who retired after Jan. 1, 2013, according to Hutchison. The $240,000 payout is on the City Councils consent agenda Wednesday.

In addition, ongoing monthly pension benefits of these retirees and one surviving spouse will increase by roughly $200 to $400 each, resulting in an annual cost of about $75,000, according to Hutchison.

While the fund has sufficient money in its 2020-21 budget and five-year forecast to cover these extra costs, Hutchison said the long-term impact to the fund is unclear.

The pensions for future retirees who fall under this category and their surviving spouses are expected to increase an estimated 2.5 to 3.5 percent, he said.

The fund anticipates six to seven firefighters or police in this category retiring each year, continuing for the next 15 to 20 years, with their pensions lasting a median of 30 years for retirees and another five years for their surviving spouses.

-- Maxine Bernstein

Email at mbernstein@oregonian.com; 503-221-8212

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A borough council in Camden County voted Tuesday to rescind the business license of a gym that has repeatedly defied a state order to close its doors under coronavirus restrictions.

The Bellmawr council voted 5 to 1 to rescind the mercantile license of Atilis Gym after an hour-long hearing that featured comments from the gym owners attorney, the boroughs lawyer and council members. One of the gym owners, Ian Smith, sat in the council chamber, along with a half dozen police officers and 10 members of the public allowed to attend in seats spaced 6-feet apart.

Anybody who didnt already have their minds made up would have made the right choice, Smith said outside of the hearing.

One of the last times he was inside the Bellmawr municipal complex, earlier this month, he was in handcuffs after being arrested.

This time he entered on his own free will but the circumstance was equally unpleasant.

Howard Long, the boroughs attorney, presented information about the citations issued to the gym and advised the council on what they could do about it.

If you believe this business is unsafe to your residents of Bellmawr and you believe that laws have been violated, Long said. You have the right...to revoke this license

Smiths attorney, John McCann, called some of the information presented in the hearing about the gym as goofy and obnoxious. He called it something out of George Orwell.

The borough council eventually voted to revoke the license following nine pairs of citations against Smith and his business partner Frank Trumbetti, and an arrest for defying a state executive order to keep their gym closed as part of the coronavirus pandemic response.

The bottom line is we are fighting for our constitutional rights, Trumbetti, 51, said earlier this month.

Trumbetti did not attend the Tuesday hearing.

Previously, Trumbetti said he and his partner think the borough is acting at the behest of Gov. Phil Murphy.

Murphy has been a target of Trumbetti and Smith, 33, in an ongoing campaign they are waging against the restriction on opening Atilis Gym. Both have appeared multiple times on national newscasts on which they are critical of Murphys pandemic restrictions. They say the governors executive order, issued when the state was in the height of its pandemic response as one of the hardest hit in the nation, was unfair to them and a violation of federal rights.

The state doesnt see it that way.

Atilis Gyms brazen conduct is abhorrent to an organized judicial system, jeopardizes the public health and the safety of New Jerseyans, and must not be tolerated, the state Attorney Generals office has said. It is clear that additional sanctions and relief are necessary to coerce Atilis Gyms compliance with the courts order.

The AGs office last week recommended fines of up to $10,000 a day and possible imprisonment for Trumbetti and Smith who were found to be in contempt of a state executive order to remain closed during the coronavirus pandemic shutdown.

Trumbetti and Smith kicked in a plywood barricade at the front door of the gym earlier this month and reopened it to patrons, officials said. The building had been shuttered to mandate compliance with the shutdown order, which the pair had repeatedly violated, claiming it was a financial hardship and driving them out of business.

Trumbetti and Smith were also arrested by Camden County sheriffs at the gym on July 27 and brought to a holding cell of the Bellmawr police after refusing to leave. They were released after appearing before Mercer County Civil Court Judge Robert Lougy and ordered to reappear on Aug. 16.

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[View live results from Tuesdays races in Connecticut, Georgia, Minnesota and Wisconsin.]

The Republican Party is going to find out just how big a QAnon problem it has on Tuesday when a primary runoff is decided in a northwest Georgia district, where polls opened at 7 a.m. Eastern time.

The favorite in the race in the 14th Congressional District is Marjorie Taylor Greene, a gun-rights activist who is an unabashed supporter of QAnon, a fringe group that has been pushing a convoluted pro-Trump conspiracy theory. Lined up against her is John Cowan, a physician who is no less conservative or pro-Trump, but who does not believe QAnons theory that there is a deep state of child-molesting Satanist traitors plotting against the president. The winner is a near lock to be elected to Congress in the overwhelmingly Republican district.

The F.B.I. has labeled QAnon a potential domestic terrorism threat, and the conspiracy theory has already inspired real-world violence. Yet its supporters are slowly becoming a political force with more than a dozen candidates who have expressed some degree of support for the theory, running for Congress as Republicans.

Most are expected to lose. Yet all present a fresh headache for Republican leaders.

The party, while already struggling to distance itself from conspiracy theories steeped in racist and anti-Semitic messaging, also cannot afford to turn off voters who share those conspiratorial views if it hopes to retain the Senate and retake the House.
Pilot Dave Unwin has told how he cheated death when the vintage fighter plane he was in plummeted out of the sky and crashed into a tree at 150mph

A pilot has described his brush with death after a vintage aircraft crash-landed and slammed into a tree at 130mph, leaving him nearly an inch shorter.

Dave Unwin was in the cockpit of a 1951 Hawker Sea Fury with co-pilot Eskil Amdal when disaster struck on Tuesday last week.

They had been performing a series of loops and turns at 5,000ft for a magazine feature when the engine cut out, leaving them plummeting towards the ground.

Mr Amdal took control while Mr Unwin searched for a field to land.

With no landing gear down, the multi-million pound aircraft  named Invincible  hit the ground at 150mph and skidded across a field before hitting a tree.

Both men walked away with no major injuries. Mr Unwin, 59, who has been flying for 35 years, said: We should be dead. Theres no doubt in my mind, knowing what I do about flying.

The father-of-two from Grimsthorpe, Lincolnshire, was treated for a broken rib, cuts and bruises and three spinal fractures caused by compression injuries  which have left him 2cm shorter.

He said: I was 172cm and now Im 170cm. I was wanting to lose some weight but now Ive got to add some height as well.

The mid-air drama happened when the pair took off from the Imperial War Museum in Duxford, Cambridgeshire.

They had gone flying to write test reviews for Pilot Magazine but the aircrafts oil gauge needles suddenly registered in the red and the engine stopped.

They then plummeted at 150mph.

Mr Unwin said: Luckily for me, Eskil is a really good pilot and had the nerve and courage to bring us down.

'When we got near the ground he levelled off. It sort of skipped and skidded and then we hit a tree that tore the left wing off.

'We probably went from 130mph to nothing when we hit the tree.

This dramatic photo shows the wreckage of a vintage British fighter plane The Hawker Sea Fury after it crashed during a routine flight in Button End near Duxford, Cambs - leaving the pilot and a passenger injured

Mr Amdal, a former Royal Norwegian Air Force test pilot, staggered 50ft before collapsing.

Both were taken to Addenbrookes Hospital in Cambridge and have since been released.

The accident happened a month after Mr Unwin was flying a de Havilland Chipmunk above Lincolnshire to pay tribute to the NHS.

He said: Its ironic that having applauded the NHS I really needed it a couple of weeks later.

His wife Lizzie said: Its terrifying but I would never ask Dave to stop flying because he loves it so much.

An investigation is under way to determine what caused the fault but it is hoped Invincible will be restored to take to the skies again.
Actress Soha Ali Khan took to her Instagram handle to wish her brother Saif Ali Khan, who is going to become a father for the fourth time. Saif and Kareena Kapoor Khan announced that they are expecting their second child.

Soha made a meme of her brother Saif sitting with a thoughtful look on his face, and wrote 'The Quadfather', as a play on the classic Hollywood film, The Godfather. Soha shared this post with the caption, "Coming soon!! Couldn't resist! Congratulations @kareenakapoorkhan be safe and healthy - and radiant as ever."

Apart from Taimur Ali Khan, Saif is also father to Ibrahim Ali Khan and Sara Ali Khan.

On Wednesday, Saif and Kareena, said in an official statement, "We are very pleased to announce that we are expecting an addition to our family."

When the news hadn't been confirmed yet, Kareena's father Randhir Kapoor had said in a statement to Times of India, "I hope it's true and if so, I would be very happy. Doh bachche toh hone chahiye (One should have two children) to give each other company."

The power couple had their first child, Taimur Ali Khan, on December 20, 2016. Taimur has become a celebrity in his own right. The cherub is loved by the media and the paparazzi which has led his fan pages to have a keen social media following.

A while back, Kareena had shared during a media interaction that she and Saif were indeed looking to expand their family.

Talking about work, Kareena will next be seen in Advait Chandan's Laal Singh Chaddha, a Hindi remake of the Hollywood film Forrest Gump. She will share screen space with Aamir Khan. The film was scheduled for release during Christmas this year, but may now be delayed by another year.

ALSO READ: Confirmed! Power Couple Kareena Kapoor Khan And Saif Ali Khan Are Expecting Their Second Child
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An amateur teenage photographer snapped adorable images of harvest mice stacked on top of each other.

Matthew Gwilliam, aged 17, took the intimate photos of the glossy-eyed creatures on July 13.

The A-Level pupil from Cheddar, Somerset, spent hours with his father David trying to capture the best shots of the mice.

Matthew said he used Canon 5D Mark IV and a Canon 100mm Macro lens, which he borrowed from his father.

The harvest mouse is Britain's only mammal that has a prehensile tail - which it can use it like a fifth limb, holding on to grass stems with it, according to the Wildlife Trust.

Mice to see you: An amateur teenage photographer snapped adorable images of harvest mice stacked on top of each other

Two's company... Matthew Gwilliam, aged 17, took the intimate photos of the glossy-eyed creatures on July 13

Hang in there: The A-Level pupil from Cheddar, Somerset, spent hours with his father David trying to capture the best shots of the mice

Time for my closeup: Matthew said he used Canon 5D Mark IV and a Canon 100mm Macro lens, which he borrowed
Can I speak with Catherine? The man asking that question then began shouting obscenities at the office of Infrastructure and Communities Minister Catherine McKenna. It was a blizzard of violent and foul language. At one point, the man, filming himself, called her a ct.

One of the eeriest things? He called her by her first name, part of a social media campaign to demean her. He felt he had that right. She is not a minister of the Crown, she is his.

McKenna once had that word sprayed in red across her Ottawa constituency office. She has had to ask Rebel Media to not refer to her as climate Barbie. And Laura Dudas, an Ottawa city councillor who has faced constant sexualized insults, last week had rocks thrown through the window of her home.

Attacks on politicians, particularly females, are accelerating, McKenna told the CBC, and I think that a lot of what weve seen happen south of the border comes up here, and it is exacerbated by social media. The police are launching a hate crime investigation and that sounds about right.

Good men are supporting women when foul attacks like this take place in an increasingly toxic and violent atmosphere poisoned by the Trump era. Other men dont. NDP Charlie Angus recently said Margaret Trudeau is nothing more than a famous surname. The virulent Maxime Bernier said she has accomplished nothing in life beyond marriage and childbirth.

Misogynists are targeting women more during the pandemic than they did earlier. Why? We women are in a much-weakened position. The pandemic has killed more womens jobs than mens, and has made working from home much more difficult because of lack of child care and doing most of the domestic workload.

One despairs. Good men back feminism; without them, women cant win. We team up. Feminism helped bring more women into the workforce but when will they win power in the workplace? If we measure power by money, men have more. I suspect they will always have more until more men come to support equal rights.

As dusk arrives earlier and earlier, I am less free to walk around my neighbourhood after work (in a home office) where there have been several violent attacks on women outdoors. Domestic violence  attacks on women and children in the home  is increasing and shelters are becoming full.

We women cant do it alone. Look at how hard it is to be a woman in politics, fearing physical violence and crude insults just for having been born female.

And then there is another more sinister question. Do women still exist? The word women is vanishing. This week, a male New York Times reporter wrote about gay men having children. This was his first sentence: While plenty of New Yorkers have formed families by gestational surrogacy, they almost certainly worked with carriers living elsewhere.

Pregnancy is now gestational surrogacy. A pregnant woman is not human; she is a carrier. The word woman is not used until near the end when feminist Gloria Steinem, 86, is mentioned.

Normally I would not write about a dull American papers use of language. Its not of interest to Canadians; there are more elegant papers to quote. But its a huge mainstream paper and its sexist prose gradually smokes into general conversation, in the same way that Trumpish attitudes to women headed north.

In the liberal Guardian this week, a female reporter wrote about a rape survivor, Georgina Fallows, being unable to wear a face mask because it immediately brought back the terror of being raped by a man whose hand was over her mouth. Traumatized, she finds herself abused in public for going unmasked.

The story does not mention women even once. If the intent is not to exclude male rape victims who cant wear face masks, it is not clear there are any because victims sex or gender go unmentioned. Yet rape is a current and present danger for all women, smaller and weaker than their rapists. Rape is so rarely prosecuted that Britain has almost decriminalized it.

And now this. With women enduring every disadvantage already, we women and girls are vanishing from English speech. It bodes ill for womens rights.
Several Nebraska Democrats celebrated Joe Bidens choice of California Sen. Kamala Harris as the Democratic vice presidential nominee, making her the first woman of color on either major partys presidential ticket.

Pastor Janet Goodman Banks of Christ Place Church in Lincoln said she was ecstatic and elated at Tuesdays announcement by Biden, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee.

Banks, who is Black, said she was pleased to see a candidate recognize the work so many Black women have done to help Democratic candidates  including Biden  win elections.

In South Carolina, it was the Black church ladies with the pretty church hats that saved his political life, she said. Its more than appropriate for him to have picked a Black woman.

Charlene Ligon, chairwoman of the Sarpy County Democratic Party, called Tuesday historic. She said Bidens pick reaffirmed her optimism about the value of striving for women and people of color.

It lifts me up in a lot of ways, Ligon said. I knew you need to keep moving, that we would move forward. Sometimes it can seem difficult, but we shouldnt give up.
Mekedatu padayatra: After Karnataka HC chides Cong, Siddaramaiah says permission not taken for protest

Congress spokesperson Rajiv Tyagi dies after a heart attack

India

oi-Deepika S

New Delhi, Aug 12: Congress spokesperson Rajiv Tyagi died after a heart attack on Wednesday at his residence in Ghaziabad.

A young leader, Tyagi suffered an attack soon after a TV debate and fell unconscious at his residence in Vaishali. He was immediately rushed to the Yashoda Hospital in Ghaziabad, where doctors tried to revive him, but could not. His last tweet was about his participation in a TV debate at 5 PM.

"We are deeply saddened by the sudden demise of Shri Rajiv Tyagi. A staunch Congressman & a true patriot. Our thoughts and prayers are with his families & friends in this time of grief," the Congress tweeted.

Vaccine is hurried, won't take it: Rajiv Bajaj

IAF writes to censor board over negative potrayal in Gunjan saxena | Oneindia News

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra led the tributes, calling Tyagi's death "personal sorrow for me" and a matter of "irreparable damage for all".

"The untimely death of Rajiv Tyagi, spokesperson of the Indian National Congress, is a personal sorrow for me. We all have irreparable damage," Gandhi Vadra tweeted.

"Rajivji was a dedicated warrior. Heartfelt condolences to the family from all UP Congress. May God give his family the strength to suffer," she added.
Star couple Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor Khan have announced that they are expecting their second child. The couple released a statement, which reads, "We are very pleased to announce that we are expecting an addition to our family!! Thank you to all our well-wishers for all their love and support. Saif and Kareena."

Earlier on Wednesday, Kareena Kapoor's father Randhir Kapoor had discussed the rumours surrounding Kareena's second pregnancy. Randhir Kapoor had said that he hoped that the rumours were true. "I hope it's true and if so, I would be very happy. Doh bachche toh hone chahiye (One should have two children) to give each other company," Randhir told The Times of India.

Rumours about the actress' pregnancy started to appear online after Kareena Kapoor posted a video on Instagram. Kapoor looked a little chubby in the video which led many of her fans to speculate whether she was pregnant or not.

In the video, Kapoor can be seen eating a burger while binge-watching F.R.I.E.N.D.S. She wrote, "Now that's a Sunday binge on acid! Friends on my iPad, the best burger in my hand by my bestest producer ever... thank you @rheakapoor for always supporting my stomach (no pun intended) Love you (sic)."

Back in 2018, Kapoor had said that she will have her next child in two years time, i.e 2020. She and her husband had their first child Taimur Ali Khan back in December 2016.

Kareena Kapoor's next on-screen appearance would be alongside Aamir Khan in the much-awaited movie 'Laal Singh Chaddha', which is a remake of Hollywood film 'Forrest Gump'. The shooting for the film was supposed to happen in March but was halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then the film's release date has been postponed by one year to Christmas 2021.

Saif Ali Khan will be next seen in Amazon Prime's Dilli and films Bhoot Police and Bunty Aur Babli 2

Also Read: 8 marquee funds among top 10 investors in HDFC's Rs 10,000 cr equity offering

Also Read: Coronavirus update: India records 60,963 new cases, 834 deaths; tally surges to 23,29,639
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Prince Andrew today enjoyed a horse ride at Windsor Castle in blistering temperatures - as pictures emerged of friend Ghislaine Maxwell cavorting with a suspected rapist on Jeffrey Epstein's paedophile island.

The Duke of York infamously dismissed some of the allegations made against him by Virginia Giuffre in his disastrous Newsnight interview last year by claiming he couldn't sweat due to a medical condition - she previously claimed he was 'profusely sweating' when they had sex.

But Andrew, who has denied any sexual contact with Ms Guiffre, was clearly feeling the 82F heat this morning as he left two buttons undone on his dark navy blue shirt, and rolled his sleeves up while galloping through the picturesque royal grounds with an unnamed companion.

The duke, who retired from royal duties in November after the catastrophic BBC grilling from Emily Maitlis, is under pressure to cooperate with the FBI's probe into Epstein. Andrew has always claimed he would be happy to cooperate with any US investigation into depraved child abuser Epstein, who was Andrew's friend.

It comes as pictures have emerged of the duke's friend Ghislaine Maxwell play-fighting with Jean-Luc Brunel, who is accused of sex offences, on Epstein's paedophile island.

Prince Andrew goes for a horse ride near Windsor Castle as the temperatures begin to rise during a heatwave in the UK

The Duke of York appears to be feeling the heat today with two buttons undone on his navy blue shirt and sleeves rolled up

The photos were taken by an island visitor in 2003, at a time when Epstein was at the height of his financial powers and had not yet been publicly accused of sex abuse.

Brunel, despite already facing a slew of sex assault allegations, was the head of prestigious modelling agency MC2, and Maxwell was enjoying the high-life as the billionaire financier's 'best friend' and 'aggressive assistant'.

It has been alleged in court documents that Brunel once had three 12-year-old girls flown in from France for Epstein to abuse as a sadistic birthday present.

Epstein is now dead, found unconscious in his Manhattan jail cell last year at the age of 66 while awaiting trial for sex crimes in what was ruled a suicide.

Maxwell, 58, is in jail in Brooklyn, accused of procuring young girls for Epstein to abuse. She is under constant surveillance in case she tries to harm herself before the case can come to trial.

Andrew was clearly feeling the 82F heat this morning as he left two buttons undone on his dark navy blue shirt, and rolled his sleeves up while galloping through the picturesque royal grounds with an unnamed companion

Ghislaine Maxwell and Jean-Luc Brunel laugh and play-fight in newly-uncovered photos taken on 'pedophile island'

The pair take a breather after wrestling with each other on Epstein's private Caribbean island

The pair, two of Jeffrey Epstein's closest confidantes, clearly enjoyed each other's company

Prince Andrew, wearing mirrored sunglasses, enjoying his ride this morning with an unnamed companion in Windsor

Jean-Luc, 74, is believed to be hiding somewhere in South America, having vanished shortly after Epstein died.

But there is no hint of their fates in the photographs, which show Maxwell eating dinner from a platter while Jean-Luc smokes a cigarette nearby.

A person who witnessed the photos being taken told The Sun: 'Ghislaine and Jean-Luc were very close friends.

'On this occasion, she had just returned from the gym and was eating when Jean-Luc suddenly grabbed her.

'I used to call Ghislaine the Wicked Witch of the West. Shes a bad, bad lady.'

According to newly-unsealed court documents in Maxwell's trial, the island was the scene of orgies with young girls who were flown in to take part in the parties.

Virginia Roberts, Epstein's main accuser, told lawyers that many young girls - too many to count - participated in sex sessions with both Maxwell and Epstein all over the island.

She also alleges that high-profile visitors, including Bill Clinton, came to the island, where he spent time with 'two young girls from New York'.

Prince Andrew and Virginia Roberts, (middle) aged 17 at Ghislaine Maxwell's (right) townhouse in London, on March 13, 2001

Andrew was friend's with Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted paedophile, who killed himself last year

Clinton, who by the time of his alleged visit had left his post as president, denies ever being there.

Meanwhile Jean-Luc, who faces allegations of sex assault separate to Epstein that date back until 1988, was once described as Epstein's closest male friend.

Epstein bankrolled Jean-Luc's modelling agency, and in return the scout allegedly supplied him with a string of young women to abuse.

Jean-Luc, who is also facing an investigation in France, strongly denied the claims before vanishing last year, shortly after Epstein died.

According to La Parisien he has since be traced to South America, though it is unclear exactly where he is hiding.

Maxwell is facing up to 35 years in jail if she is found guilty of sex crimes charges and perjury, for allegedly lying under oath in depositions she gave to a previous case.

She has pleaded not guilty, and her trial is set to take place next year.

In the meantime she is being held in Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center, described as one of America's most-troubled prisons by a former warden.

Maxwell, daughter of disgraced press baron Robert Maxwell, was being kept on suicide watch for a time but has now been taken off it.

However, her lawyers say she is being kept under constant surveillance and is woken every few hours during the night to make sure she doesn't harm herself.

Her lawyers have requested that the searches and surveillance be stopped, and that she be be taken out of solitary confinement and placed in with other prisoners.

Her legal team say she is only being subjected to the 'onerous' conditions because of what happened to Epstein, and not because of any genuine risk she poses.
(Newser)  It was a horrific start to the school year for a student at a Florida elementary school: The mother of a 10-year-old girl was killed while the teacher was setting up the class' Zoom call. Police say Donald J. Williams 27, fatally shot his ex-girlfriend, 32-year-old Maribel Rosado-Morales, in front of her four children and two of their cousins at their Indiantown home, Fox reports. Martin County Sheriff William Snyder says that when the shooting happened at 8am Tuesday, the girl was online for the first day of virtual learning with her teacher and classmates at Warfield Elementary School. He says the girl's end of the call cut out abruptly when a bullet hit her computer.

story continues below

"The teachers statement is that she heard a commotion, knew it was some kind of confrontation, muted it, and then watched the 10-year-old put her hands up to her ears," says Snyder, per CBS 12. The sheriff says Williams had entered the home and confronted Rosado-Morales about something to do with Facebook and an online video. The suspect was taken into custody by a SWAT team after attempting to flee the neighborhood by bus, reports TCPalm. The sheriff says Williams and Rosado-Morales split up more than a year ago; he was recently released from jail in a domestic violence case involving her. He says Williams confessed to the killing and will be charged with first-degree murder. (Read more Florida stories.)
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Children made up a very small proportionjust 1%of all confirmed COVID-19 cases in England during the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic, despite the large numbers of them tested, reveals a study based on national monitoring data, and published in the Archives of Disease in Childhood.

The findings confirm that, unlike adults, children aren't an important source of COVID-19 infection, say the researchers.

Children account for only a small proportion of confirmed cases of COVID-19. But it's not clear if this is due to low levels of testing or higher than expected death rates.

To compare disease trends in adults and children during the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic in England between January and May 2020, the researchers reviewed COVID-19 test result data for this period.

The data included NHS and Public Health England (PHE) test results plus those carried out by family doctors at 300 general practices contributing to the Royal College of General Practitioners monitoring system for flu-like illness.

Between 16 January and 3 May, a total of 540,305 people, including 35,200 children under the age of 16, were tested for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19 infection.

Around one in four (24%) of all those tested (129,704 out of 540,305) had the virus. Children accounted for 1408 of those 129,704 positive results, equal to 1% of the total and 4% of the 35,200 tests carried out on them. This compares with around 19%-35% of adults.

The first confirmed cases of the infection in children were reported on 29 February and these continued to increase before peaking on 11 April, echoing the trends seen in adults.

On average, children were nearly 6 years old when they tested positive for the virus, and just over half (53%; 742) the cases were among boys. The highest number of tests and positive results were among infants, particularly those under 3 months, and among 1 year olds.

In general practice, SARS-CoV-2 positivity was low even in children with acute respiratory infections, the data show.

In all, 2,961 people with respiratory illnesses were tested for SARS-CoV-2 and only 10 children (2.8%) were positive, compared to 9% of 15-44 year olds; 18.5% of 45-64 year olds; 20.5% of 65-79 year olds; and 45.5% of those aged 80 and above.

The total number of deaths among children between January and May in England wasn't higher than expected compared to the same time period in the previous four years. This contrasts sharply with the estimated 56,456 excess deaths occurring among adults in England between March and May.

In all, 8 of the 1,408 children who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 died, but only four died of COVID-19; they were aged between 10 and 15, and three had several co-existing conditions. The others died of other causes, with SARS-CoV-2 confirmed as an incidental or contributory factor.

The case fatality rate for children with COVID-19 in England was estimated to be less than 1 in 200 (0.5%).

The figures are in line with those reported for children in other countries, say the researchers, who write: "The experience in England adds to the growing body of evidence on the limited role of children in the COVID-19 pandemic, with just over 1% of confirmed cases occurring in children.

"With nearly half a million SARS-CoV-2 tests performed during the first 4 months of 2020, the positivity rate among 35, 200 children tested was only 4.0% compared with 19.1%-34.9% in adults and older adults."

In additional comments not found in the text of the paper, lead author Dr. Shamez Ladhani says: "It is still not clear why young children have such a low risk of infection compared to older children or adults. One theory is that, compared to adults, children have fewer ACE2 receptors which the virus can bind to in cells that line the respiratory tract.

"The way the immune system reacts to the virus is also likely to be different in children compared to adults."

He adds: "Whilst these numbers are reassuring for children, they include a long period of complete lock down where children were less likely to have been exposed to the virus."

And he cautions: "We need to remain vigilant as the lock down eases and children have increased contact with other children and adults in the coming weeks. In particular, we need more information about asymptomatic infections and silent transmission."

Explore further What we know so far about COVID-19 and children

More information: COVID-19 in children: analysis of the first pandemic peak in England, Archives of Disease in Childhood (2020). Journal information: Archives of Disease in Childhood COVID-19 in children: analysis of the first pandemic peak in England,(2020). DOI: 10.1136/archdischild-2020-320042
Wednesday, August 12th, 2020 (9:28 am) - Score 3,999

Openreach has officially started to expand their range of EV cars and vans beyond last years limited trial of 11 vehicles with Renault (here), which theyve done by adding 279 new EVs from Vauxhall that will soon be used by their UK broadband and phone engineers (including 270 Vivaro-e vans and 9 Corsa-e cars).

The new EVs, which will join the network access providers wider fleet of some 27,000 vehicles, seem to be carrying-forward the special design from last years trial  intended to spell out their green credentials. All of this should help to support the wider BT Groups ambition to become a net zero carbon emissions business by 2045 (here); in the last year alone they emitted 243 Ktonnes of CO2e (a 18.6% reduction on the previous year).

The operator has previously said that their ambition for a wider roll-out of EVs was being restricted by the United Kingdoms weak nationwide infrastructure for charging vehicles, as well as the limited range of such vans. But the technology is improving and indeed the new vehicles from Vauxhall can go further than the ones they tested from Renault last year.

The Vauxhall Vivaro-e (from 27,723 ex VAT) has a WLTP range of 143 miles with a 50kW battery and an impressive 205 miles with the 75kW option, while the Corsa-e can do 209 miles in its single 50kW configuration. Both support 100kW rapid charging (i.e. 80% charge in 30 minutes on the 50kW vehicles or 45 mins on the larger 75kW van). The Vivaro-e can also support a payload of up to 1,226kg and can tow up to 1,000kg.

NOTE: The Renault trial seem to involve the KANGOO Z.E. 33 Van or Maxi Van, with a range of 124 miles (summer), and this fell to just 74 miles on the MASTER Z.E van.

Clive Selley, Openreach CEO, said: Openreach is leading the charge on the transition to electric vehicles. Our order today is an important first step as we begin to move our fleet, the second largest commercial fleet in the UK, to being fully electric.

James Taylor, General Sales Director of Vauxhall, said: Our electric vehicles help achieve significant cost savings from day one, and equally as important have no compromise in capability. Having one of the UKs largest fleet operators choosing our electric vehicles shows just how confident they are in our product. We are very happy to continue our partnership with Openreach, transforming their nationwide fleet with our new electric vehicles.

Broadly speaking the capabilities of these new vehicles should be enough to cover the vast majority of Openreachs engineering requirements, while also in theory making savings on fuel and maintenance costs. As part of the deal both vehicles will also come with an 8 year (100,000 mile) battery warranty matched by 8 years of Roadside Assistance cover from Vauxhall.
Our nation is in trouble, we need Gods help: Franklin Graham announces Prayer March 2020

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Evangelist Franklin Graham has called on thousands of families, pastors and churches to join him for Prayer March 2020 in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 26. Our nation is in trouble  we need Gods help, he says.

Im announcing today that on Sept. 26, Im going to be in our nations capital to pray& I hope thousands of families, pastors, & churches will join me! Our nation is in trouble, & we need Gods help. Make plans now to come for #PrayerMarch2020, Graham, president of the Christian charity Samaritans Purse and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, wrote on Twitter.

Our only hope for this country is God, he says in a video message.

Jack Graham, the pastor of Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas, responded to Franklin Grahams tweet, saying,  I will be there. I want to invite every Pastor and church in the SBC and all others who can to join us. Can you imagine thousands of believers praying together for our broken nation? Lets do it!

From noon to 2 p.m., believers will march from the Lincoln Memorial to the Capitol building covering 1.8 miles while praying for the nation during extraordinary times, the events website says.

America is in trouble. Its in distress. But we do have hope, and that hope is in Almighty God. And we need to pray now more than ever  more than we have ever done in our lives. Our communities are hurting. Our people are divided. And theres fear and uncertainty all around us, Graham says in a video message on the website, referring to riots and violence across the country and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Earlier this month, rioters carrying Black Lives Matter signs threw Bibles into a fire in front of the federal courthouse in Portland, Oregon, and burned an American flag.

Riots in Portland and many other cities across the country have been ongoing since the May 25 death of George Floyd, who died while in police custody in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

According to the Johns Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Center, the U.S. had more than 5 million confirmed cases with nearly 163,000 deaths, as of early Monday.

Jentezen Franklin, the senior pastor of Free Chapel Church in Gainesville, Georgia, also called on Americans to join him for 21 days of fasting and prayer beginning Aug. 1.

I believe the Lord spoke to me and said to make the month of August a season of  crying out and praying and fasting and turning back to God like never before, Jentezen Franklin said. Its time to fast and pray and break the back of COVID. We must see a divine reversal. We must see a turnaround, added the host of the weekly television program Kingdom Connection.

In May, GO 2020 invited thousands of churches and ministries worldwide to dedicate the entire month  to sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Through the outreach, 50 million Christians shared the Gospel reaching 248 million people, according to estimates by the organizers.
Two persons who robbed a family at gun point and made away with their household items at Amasaman have been sentenced to a 20 year jail term each by an Accra Circuit Court.



Benson Osei aka Abouden aka Nana Yaw Osei aged 35 and Evans Baffour Asare, 26, were found guilty on the charges of conspiracy to commit crime to wit robbery and robbery.



The court sentenced each of the accused to 20 years on each count, the sentences were however to run concurrently.



The trial judge, Mrs Afua Owusuwa Appiah handing down the sentence said the court took into consideration the use of guns by the accused, the fact that items taken away from the family by the accused was not retrieved, the spate of robbery in the country and the seriousness of the offences.



According to the court it also considered the fact that Osei was married with three kids and Asare was also married with two kids.



Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Sylvester Asare prayed the court to hand down sentences which would serve as a deterrent to other likeminded people.



ASP Asare said the accused ought to be kept away for the good of the society.



Mr. Yaw Dankwah, counsel for the accused prayed the court to consider the two years that the accused person had spent in custody, adding that they have shown remorse during the trial.



Mr. Dankwah said the courts punishment should be reformative and same must bring hope to the accused, adding that deterrent punishment has not been helpful.



Prosecutions case was that the complainant is a chop bar operator at Apenkwa near Tesano but resides at Agya Appiah, near Amansaman with her family. Osei and Asare also reside at Amansaman and Joeman, near Ablekuma all in the Greater Accra Region respectively.



Prosecution said on March 16, 2019 the accused met and agreed to rob the complainant.



He said on March 16, this year, about 0100 hours, the complainant and her daughter were at home sleeping when Osei and Asare armed with a gun and machete broke into the house.



DSP Asare said the accused attacked the family and made away with 20 pieces of Holland wax prints, 20 pieces of GTP wax prints, ten pieces of Hi-Target fabrics, a 42 inch flat screen TV, four mobile phones and cash of GH3,500.00.



He said on June 20, 2019, Osei was arrested at Tema Station over a similar offence and during interrogation, he admitted the offence saying he sold the wax prints and flat screen TV at GH500.00 and GH600.00 respectively to one Kweku Achaw and David Offei respectively.



The Prosecution said when Offei was arrested by the Police, he admitted that Osei sold to him 28 pieces of assorted wax print but he also sold same to one Felicia Adai Torto for GH800.00



Prosecution said on February 21, 2020 Asare was arrested at Circle and during interrogation he admitted that he and Osei robbed the complainant and her daughter at Amasaman on March 16, last year.

Source: GNA









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On this day, August 12, 1990, the mammoth 65 million-year-old skeleton of the most frightening dinosaur species, Tyrannosaurus Rex, was discovered in Faith, South Dakota. Greek for Terrible Lizard, the carnivores species T.Rexs specimens for the first time are exhibited at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. According to reports, the skeletal framework was excavated by the fossil hunter Susan Hendrickson and was, in fact, 90 percent intact.

When the first-ever full T. rex fossil skeleton was put on display in the Museum in Dec. 1915, its tiny forelimbs were topped by 3 claws. It wasnt until 1988 that a specimen with intact arms was discovered, confirming it only had 2 claws. FULL STORY >>https://t.co/8ES76cUQmK pic.twitter.com/T4nWq89v81  American Museum of Natural History (@AMNH) April 4, 2019

After the discovery, the carnivore was well-preserved. Hendricksons employer was paid an amount of $5,000 to buy rights on the historically significant structure. It was then shipped to the Black Hills Institute of Geological Research headquarters in Hill City. US Attorneys Office in 1992 indulged in a legal battle over land, calling it as federal from where the specimens were excavated, as per a report. However, it was later established that the excavation rights hadnt been valid as the potion was acquired by the Cheyenne River Sioux tribe. Therefore, in October 1997, Chicagos Field Museum bought the skeleton for $8.36 million at Sothebys auctions and installed in New York City.

[After excavating the fossilized bones, collectors wrapped the bones in protective plaster field jackets to remove them from the site to transport to The Black Hills Institute. Credit: The Black Hills Institute/ Peter Larson for Field Museum Blog]

"At more than 40 feet long and 13 feet tall at the hip, SUE is physically the largest Tyrannosaurus rex specimen discovered .... SUE is also the most completearound 90 percent. We have 250 of the approximately 380 known bones in the T. rex skeleton."https://t.co/3iG0VC4YZv

3/3  David Shellenberger (@DEShellenberger) August 12, 2020

Its been kind of deeply embarrassing to be the national museum and NOT have a T. rex, the museums director, AP quoted Kirk Johnson saying.

Read: Fossils Reveal Dinosaur Predecessor Kongonaphon Kely Was Smaller Than A Cellphone

Read: SpaceX Nasa Launch: Why Was A Ty Flippable Dinosaur Toy Aboard The Crew Dragon?

T. Rex tableau is now centerpiece

A massive Tyrannosaurus rex now stands in the National Museum of Natural History after it acquired the rare and coveted T.Rex skeleton. Earlier, only a simulation was used to demonstrate the species to the visitors. T. Rex tableau is now the centerpiece of the museums newest exhibition and opens to the public at David H. Koch Hall of Fossils  Deep Time on Saturdays. The museum had missed out on acquiring a T. rex back in 1997, at the Sothebys auction. Known as the Reaper of the death the oldest living dinosaur on the planet existed in the late Cretaceous Period, native to North America. A related species of T.Rex, Daspletosaurus, was found in Canada in 1970.

[A detail of an authentic Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton is seen at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History, during the media preview of "David H. Koch Hall of Fossils-Deep Time". Credit: AP]

[T. Rex specimen has been invaluable to the paleontological community. Credit: Field Museaum]

[Preserve at Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History. Credit: AP]

[Tooth #2 in the lower left jaw of a Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton is seen in the paleobiology prep lab at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History. Credit: AP]

[The lower left jaw of a Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton is seen in the paleobiology prep lab at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History. Credit: AP]

Read: Fossilised Remains Reveal Dinosaurs Last Meal It Ate 110 Million Years Ago

Read: Study: Asteroid That Led To Extinction Of Dinosaurs Hit At 'deadliest Possible' Angle
WILLISTON PARK, NY  In Williston Park, Hildebrant's Restaurant has been woven into the fabric of the community with its famous ice cream and cameos in major films, such as Martin Scorsese's Oscar-nominated film "The Irishman."

After 93 years at the same location, the family-owned eatery represented a glimmer of hope for other restaurants on Long Island, where many do not survive past the first year of opening. Indeed, a 1997 article in The New York Times dubbed Hildebrant's an "atypical evergreen."

"In this world of flux, virtually nothing is static, much less permanent, except, perhaps, for Hildebrandt's in Williston Park, the most atypical of Island restaurants," The Times wrote. "Yes, there are still traditional, nostalgic, unapologetically-old-fashioned places like Hildebrandt's in middle America, but few remain in Nassau or Suffolk."



Photo courtesy of Hildebrandt's Restaurant Facebook page, used with permission.





But with more places to eat now, a perception that there are "nicer" places to go, and no dedicated parking spots, even Hildebrandt's, the evergreen that stood the test of time, faced an uphill battle.

"We were struggling," Hunter Acosta, daughter of owner Bryan Acosta, told Patch on Wednesday. "Its been a tough couple of years if Im being honest."

When the coronavirus pandemic reached New York, it exacerbated the situation.

The restaurant remained open for takeout during Gov. Andrew Cuomo's statewide stay-home order, but lost an estimated 75 percent of its business. The eatery was "barely making ends meet," Hunter Acosta said.

"We understood [the shutdown was necessary] because we cared about the safety of our customers as well as our employees, but we were also shocked because we knew as a very small business it would massively affect us compared to others," she said.

Photo courtesy of Hildebrandt's Restaurant Facebook page, used with permission.

The eatery resumed indoor dining at half capacity around late May, but Hildebrant's is small. Indeed, the ice cream parlor/luncheonette/confectionery has just 14 tables. Opening at half capacity wouldn't help as much as other places. The family prepared for the worst.

Story continues

While the coronavirus hasn't forced the restaurant to close permanently yet, owners fear that could be coming soon. Their landlord tried to sell the building, but the sale fell through, Hunter Acosta said. The building is back up for sale, but the landlord told the family Hildebrant's can stay if they agreed to up the monthly rent to $5,000. The family does not believe it can make monthly payments, leaving the family in limbo.

"So we aren't sure what is going to happen at the moment," Hunter Acosta said.

The family hasn't given up hope just yet, and it may have found an ace up its sleeve: obtaining a historic designation. Specifically, with the National Register of Historic Places.

According to the National Parks Service, the registry is the official list of the nation's historic places worthy of preservation. Properties must meet certain criteria to be eligible for the list. Properties typically must be at least 50 years old and appear similarly as they did in the past. The property must also have a connection with important historical events, activities or developments.

Earning a spot on the list would allow for federal preservation grants for planning and renovation, federal investment tax credits and preservation easements to nonprofit groups. State tax and grant benefits could also be in store.

The idea came from neighbors in an unlikely place: its Facebook page.

"Many people suggested it," Hunter Acosta said. "We thought you had to be 100 for it to be considered a landmark, but you actually have to be about 75 and considering we are way past that point, we should be able to get that status."

At first glance, Hildebrant's makes a strong case for inclusion.

The restaurant opened in 1927 or 1929  there's evidence to suggest either could be the case  by Henry Hildebrandt, the eatery said on its website. Despite having four families take over the business since then, the business model has largely remained unchanged.

"We know that only four families have owned the place in all that time: Henry sold to Alma Steffens in the '50s; Alma sold to Helen Baum in 1974; and Mrs. Baum sold it to my parents, Alfred and Joanne Strano in 1975," Bryan Acosta said on the restaurant's website. "Henry Schriever, the original candy maker, trained by Henry, trained my dad, Alfred, and the recipes have continued to be handed down and closely guarded. Alfred and Joanne's daughters: Joanne, Anne and Susan all worked at Hildebrandt's through high school and beyond. Susan and her husband, Bryan Acosta, bought the store in 2007, and ran it together until Susan's passing in June 2015. Since then, Bryan has kept the tradition going. Their children Dakota and Hunter Acosta, both worked here during their high school years, and Hunter is currently working with her father, still family owned and operated."

The family has applied for the designation, Hunter Acosta said. While the landlord can evict the family even with the designation, the building itself would have to remain Hildebrant's.



"We are working at our current location being a landmark, so even if its not in my family, it will always remain Hildebrandt's," she said.

Photo courtesy of Hildebrandt's Restaurant Facebook page, used with permission.









This article originally appeared on the Mineola Patch
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Cindy Wang's whole life is on WeChat.

Through the Chinese everything app, the 24-year-old shops for clothing and sends photos and audio messages to her grandma and uncle in Guangzhou. It's how she schedules appointments with her hairstylist and where she found her bao suppliera local woman who sells the steamed buns out of her car.

For millions of people around the globe, and in swaths of the United States with concentrated Chinese populationsincluding Southern California communities in the San Gabriel Valley and Irvine, where Wang livesWeChat is a way of life.

"We always use WeChat because everyone else uses it," Wang said. "It's like Facebook messenger but ten times better, ten times more sophisticated."

But with the Trump administration targeting the app, she worries that soon she and her parents will be cut off from their cultural community in the U.S. and lose the last line of communication they have with the rest of their family thousands of miles away.

Trump signed executive orders last week barring business transactions with WeChat and TikTok, the popular video app. The actions came after Washington deemed apps from Chinese software companies national security threats, warning that they could jeopardize Americans' privacy.

While the dictate was vague and its impact remains unclear, experts say the order could cause the WeChat app to be pulled from Apple and Google online stores when it goes into effect in fewer than 45 days. Without the ability to download updates, users of the app would become more vulnerable to security breaches and miss out on tweaks that keep it functioning smoothly, decreasing the app's utility over time.

In his rhetoric, Trump has kept the focus on TikTok, haranguing and threatening the company for months, but WeChat users may feel the effects of his actions more acutely. That's because TikTok has an out: Microsoft has publicly acknowledged it is in talks with the app's Chinese parent company, ByteDance, to take control of operations in the U.S., Canada, New Zealand and Australia. If the sale goes through, consumers aren't likely to face the disappearance of the app anytime soon.

No such fallback plan exists for WeChat, often described as the Swiss army knife of appsa messaging service, payments platform and social network all in one. With China's patchwork of internet firewalls, filters and censors locking out most outside technology, WeChat is one of the few bridges left between China and the rest of the digital world.

News of the federal government's WeChat crackdown sent Southland communities and Chinese enclaves nationwide into a panic, with people scanning news, posting angry and fearful rebukes of the move online and messaging friends and relatives to parse what the decision could mean for them, their families and their businesses.

A White House petition "WeChat Should Not Be Banned" blew up on local WeChat feeds Friday. Started July 14, after White House trade advisor Peter Navarro threatened to take action against WeChat, the petition has accumulated more than 60,000 signatures.

Several WeChat users in Southern California said their friends had begun to sign up for accounts on Line, a Korean-owned messaging app popular in Japan, and Facebook-owned WhatsApp, in the hours after the ban was announced, desperately searching for WeChat alternativesalthough both of these apps are blocked in China.

"There's definitely a lot of fear. This is an essential platform for Chinese immigrants in the United States," said Sunny Shao, a researcher at AAPI Data and Ph.D candidate at UC Riverside studying political participation on WeChat.

WeChat, known as Weixin in China, began as a project in parent company Tencent's research center in Guangzhou in 2010, and gained traction as a mobile messaging service after its launch in early 2011.

But WeChat wanted to be more than a social network. Ahead of the Lunar New Year in 2014, WeChat developed its "red packet" toola digital way to send small amounts of money to other users, emulating "hongbao," the red envelopes gifted during holidays and celebrations. The tool was an overnight sensation, according to the South China Morning Post.

Combining the functionality of Facebook, Whatsapp, Venmo and more, WeChat is woven into almost every aspect of life in China. People use it for hailing taxis, paying for food and buying plane tickets. Since February, a nationwide health-clearance system embedded within the app has been used to regulate travel and enforce quarantine.

It's China's most popular mobile app, with over 1.2 billion monthly users worldwide. In the U.S., the platform has 19 million daily active users, according to data firm Apptopia.

In the San Gabriel Valley, where at least nine cities have majority Asian populations, and Asian Americans and Latinos make up 74% of the population, some local authorities have used WeChat for official outreach to constituents.

Alhambra Police Department in 2015 became the first in the country to adopt WeChat, using the app to inform residents about law enforcement activities. The city of San Gabriel has a part-time worker who translates its regular communications into Chinese and posts them on the city's WeChat and Weibo (another Chinese social network) accounts, according to city councilman Jason Pu, who has lobbied the city to increase engagement to the Chinese-speaking population since he was first elected in 2013. Arcadia, too, has an official WeChat account.

It's hard to overstate how much of life for California's Chinese diaspora unfolds on WeChat. Local eateries and grocery stores like 99 Ranch Market use it as a payment method to cater to tourists and students with Chinese bank accounts. People shop, read news and organize donation drives and political actions there. Restaurants can integrate their menus directly into the interface. Real estate agents list properties on the platform. There are whole publications that exist exclusively on WeChat.

Tony Ding, a San Gabriel city council member, described how community service-focused groups use the app to gather personal protective equipment donations and organize seminars to spread awareness of crucial COVID assistance information, such as how small businesses can support their employees through Paycheck Protection Program loans.

Across California, WeChat has helped spark political participation among Asian immigrant populations. Community organizers used it to drive protests against affirmative action initiatives such as Senate Constitutional Amendment 5 (later shelved) and Proposition 16, which would erase the state's ban on affirmative action from the California Constitution should voters approve it this fall.

Beyond tamping down civic engagement, the WeChat crackdown could have vast implications for both regional and cross-border commerce. WeChat supports Southern California's underground cottage industry of home-cooked Chinese cuisinemarinated duck wings, stewed pork knuckles and those baos Wang buys from her neighborhood vendor, for example.

Amy Duan, who built a following for her Chinese-language food website Chihuo on WeChat, said the ban is cruel to the Chinese community.

Chihuowhich publishes dining recommendations and other content about the food scene in some 15 metropolitan areashas more than 1 million subscribers on WeChat. Duan said the company largely neglected other social media platforms until earlier this year, when Chihuo was featured on Padma Lakshmi's Hulu show "Taste the Nation," and Chihuo gained a broader following. Still, the company is reliant on the platform.

"If WeChat is really banned, we might have to find some new business models and we will have a lot of struggles," Duan said. "We will prepare for the worst and hope for the best."

More than her own business however, Duan worries about struggling San Gabriel Valley restaurants Chihuo has built partnerships with. Since the start of the pandemic, more restaurant owners have created WeChat groups and communities, posting their hours and delivery schedules. Duan makes it a point to order via WeChat rather than delivery apps such as Doordash and Postmates, which charge restaurants fees.

For those conducting business between the U.S. and China, WeChat is an essential communication tool with no ready substitutes, said Geoffrey Gertz, a fellow with the Global Economy and Development program at the Brookings Institution. "Almost everybody in China is on this one app. Everyone trying to find a new workaround is really going to be a hassle and a pain," Gertz said.

Along with small businesses, Gertz said some of the biggest American companies could suffer as well. Those include Apple, which manufactures its products in China and last year made $44 billion there. If Apple can't sell phones able to operate WeChat, or if the Chinese government targets it in retaliation, its business could be devastated, he said.

Tony Chen, who owns freight forwarding company TSJ Logistics, based in Cerritos, Calif., has an agency network that stretches through China, as far north as Dalian and south to Shenzhen. Virtually all of the company's communications happen through WeChat.

During the day Chen uses the app to order dumplings and bento boxes and to chat with friends. At dusk, Chinese truck drivers and warehouse managers message Chen with updates on pickup times and routes. Money is collected, and drivers are paid through WeChat. "I'm constantly on the app," he said.

Although the ban will be a huge nuisance for his business, Chen said he believes it should have happened long ago.

There is a common understanding that talking about sensitive topics like Hong Kong or Taiwanese democracy movements over WeChat is a no-no, Chen said. His family is Taiwanese, and for security reasons usually uses the Korean-owned Line to communicate.

While security concerns about TikTok are largely speculative, surveillance of WeChat conversations and propaganda-pushing by the Chinese government has been documented by cyber researchers at the Citizen Lab in Toronto and open-source data security collective GDI Foundation, who say messages are blocked and stored in a database connected to public security agencies in China.

Still, others say the app is too important a bridge to China to do away with completely.

San Francisco marketing agency owner Charlie Gu spent Friday morning fielding calls from panicked clients asking what the Trump administration's targeting of WeChat would mean for them. His firm helps American brands sell themselves to Chinese consumers. A big part of his work is helping businesses, such as the Beverly Center on La Cienega Boulevard, develop a presence on WeChat.

Gu tells his clients he has only as much information as they do. "It's new and fresh and we're waking up to ittrying to understand what it means," Gu said. "The lack of clarity is creating uncertainty for a lot of business."

It also threatens to disrupt his bond with those closest to him. Gu, his husband, his parents and extended family are all in the same WeChat group, where they share stories and plan trips. Gu's husband doesn't speak Chinese. But WeChat has built-in text translation tools that make it easy for him to communicate with his in-laws over the app.

On Friday, Gu bought a year-long subscription to a virtual private network service of the type internet users in China use to access blocked websites, as a precautionary measure.

"It does feel sad that we live in this world where this decoupling is happening. It's really sad for me," he said. "We're kind of caught in the middle of this escalation."

Explore further Study: WeChat content outside China used for censorship

2020 Los Angeles Times

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
A Sinn Fein party member has been forced to resign after being outed as a social media troll.

Paul Heffernan, a party member in Wexford, confessed after being confronted by a businessman over anonymous abusive texts on social media.

A party investigation found he had used a Twitter account to troll politicians of other parties as well as various high-profile individuals.

The account was using the name 'PeeO'Neill,' a variant of a well-known Provisional IRA codename used to claim att- acks and make statements.

Sinn Fein housing spokesman Eoin O Broin said: "With respect to the former member, good riddance.

"I think if you're going to say something on social media, then say it under your own name. This business of hiding behind anonymity I think is cowardly."

Fine Gael TD Jennifer Carroll MacNeill said: "It is time Mary Lou McDonald took action against the Sinn Fein trolls who are destroying Irish public discourse and bullying and intimating people.

"Ahead of the new Dail term, every party should make a clear statement about how its members and representatives communicate on social media.

"All parties should instruct their members to use their real names online, and not fake accounts.

"This is most needed in Sinn Fein as it seems they are actually engaged in organised online bullying.

"Any time a member of another party puts something online, they are met with an avalanche of abuse from Sinn Fein activists."

Her comments echo an att-ack by her party leader, Leo Varadkar, who denounced Sinn Fein online bullying on the last night of the Dail before it rose for the summer recess.

NASTY

However, Mr O Broin said: "I don't accept that the party doesn't do enough.

"In this instance, if that individual hadn't resigned from the party you'd have lots of us making sure everything was done to get rid of such a person.

"There is an element of soc-ial media, it's a minority, but it's nasty.

"We have far too many positive things to be talking about to be engaged in nasty or negative or vitriolic attacks on anybody, so I think our record stands for itself.

"People are accountable for what they say themselves online, and what we can do is we can urge people to use social media positively.

"The party doesn't benefit from negativity online."
Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat on Tuesday (August 11) told a parliamentary committee that the Indian armed forces are ready to handle any eventualities along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh, adding that the troops are well-prepared for a long haul along the LAC even during the harsh winter months.

It is learnt that CDS General Rawat made the remarks before the Parliament's Public Accounts Committee (PAC). General Rawat and top commanders of the Army had appeared before the parliamentary committee to hold discussions on the issue of procurement of high-altitude clothing for the soldiers. The PAC is headed by Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury.

Notably, India and China have been holding diplomatic and military talks at several levels to pull back troops from all the friction points along LAC in Ladakh.

PTI reported that the Chinese People's Liberation Army(PLA) has pulled back from Galwan Valley and some other friction points but the Chinese troops are yet to disengage from the Finger areas in Pangong Tso, Gogra and Depsang as demanded by India.

Considering the volatile situation along the LAC, the Army and the IAF are maintaining a very high-level of operational readiness in all areas along the LAC in eastern Ladakh, North Sikkim, Uttarakhand and Arunachal Pradesh in order to stop China from engaging in any misadventure.

Sources told PTI that Indian Amry Chief General MM Naravane has directed all the senior commanders overseeing operation of the frontline formations along the LAC to remain on high alert.

India-China ties suffered a blow after the Galwan clashes in Eastern Ladakh of 15th June when forces from both sides had a violent face-off. India lost 20 of its soldiers, while china accepted it suffered casualties but never came out with a number.
Actor Nanis upcoming Telugu action-thriller V might become the first mainstream star-studded Telugu release to head for direct-OTT release. As per a report by Telugu 360, Amazon Prime has snapped the streaming rights of V for a whopping 33 crore.

The report further added that V will premiere on Amazon Prime on September 5. An official announcement is expected to be made soon. V, which has reunited Nani with filmmaker Indraganti Mohan Krishna for the third time, also stars Sudheer Babu, Nivetha Thomas and Aditi Rao Hydari in key roles. The first glimpse of Nanis character in the film was released recently. Nani plays the antagonist in the film.

When it was announced that Nani plays a negative role in the film, he took to Twitter and wrote: He introduced me as a Hero in my 1st film. Today he is all set to introduce me again in my 25th film. But, this time its different. Your friendly neighborhood bad ass joins the party. Nivetha Thomas plays the second leading lady. Its her second outing with the filmmaker after Nani starrer Gentleman.

Nani was last seen on screen in crime comedy Gang Leader. The film, directed by Vikram Kumar, saw him share screen space with actors Lakshmi, Saranya Ponvannan and Priyanka Arulmohan.

Also read: Mahima Chaudhry: Subhash Ghai bullied me and told producers not to cast me, only Salman Khan and Sanjay Dutt stood by me

Nani is currently shooting for Shiva Nirvanas Tuck Jagadish. Being produced by Sahu Garapati and Harish Peddi, the film also stars Aishwarya Rajesh and Ritu Varma as the leading ladies. The shoot of the project has been stalled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

He also has a project titled Shyam Singha Roy in the pipeline. To be directed by Taxiwaala fame Rahul Sankrityan, the film will feature three heroines. Sai Pallavi has been confirmed as one of the leading ladies. The makers are yet to finalise the rest of the cast and crew.

Follow @htshowbiz for more

ott:10:ht-entertainment_listing-desktop
Weve hung all the awards weve been given, all the photos of our dead colleagues, said Danielle Ohl of The Capital Gazette. Recounting the temporary newsroom the staff went to after the shooting and then the new newsroom that was closed Wednesday, she added, It felt like we finally had somewhere we know we will be, and we can move forward. And now we have to leave again. And not only are we leaving, but were leaving with nowhere else to go.

Jen Sheehan, of The Morning Call, reflected on the coronavirus-imposed status quo. Nobody wants to be home, she said. You get a lot out of being around your co-workers, both personally and how you report. Were going to lose all of that.

In its 20th-century heyday, The Daily News was a brawny metro tabloid that thrived when it dug into crime and corruption. It served as a model for The Daily Planet, the paper that counted Clark Kent and Lois Lane among its reporters, and for the tabloid depicted in the 1994 movie The Paper. It has won Pulitzer Prizes in commentary, feature writing and even international reporting.

The longtime home of the columnists Jimmy Breslin, Dick Young and Liz Smith, The Daily News reveled in its role as the voice of the average New Yorker. Etched into the stone above the entrance of its former home, the Daily News Building on East 42nd Street, is a phrase attributed to Abraham Lincoln: God must have loved the common man, he made so many of them.

The attitude of The News was always: A tabloid is smarter than a broadsheet, said Michael Daly, who began there as a general-assignment reporter in 1978, and was later a city columnist. It gets to the essence of things. It doesnt talk down to people, it talks to them eye to eye.

Last fall, The Daily News had the 18th-highest weekday circulation of newspapers in the United States, according to the Alliance for Audited Media.

But it has been in financial trouble for decades. Mortimer B. Zuckerman, the New York real estate developer and media mogul, bought the paper out of bankruptcy in 1993. He sold it to Tribune Publishing, then known as Tronc, in 2017 for $1. (That is not a misprint.) Even so, The Daily News won (with ProPublica) the prestigious Pulitzer Prize for Public Service that same year, for uncovering New York Police Department abuse of eviction rules.
LAKE CHARLES, La., Aug. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Yesterday, The American Waterways Operators' Tankering & Barge Operations Subcommittee presented AWO affiliate member CITGO Petroleum Corporation's Lake Charles, La. Marine Department and facility with the subcommittee's inaugural safety award. The Department received this award in recognition of its industry-leading commitment to workplace safety, demonstrated by its requirement that the dock operator be present while someone is transiting the gangway from the facility to a vessel. This practice ensures the safety the individual utilizing the gangway through close visual observation.

The award was presented virtually to accommodate COVID-19 safety precautions in place at CITGO and across the tugboat, towboat and barge industry. Representatives on hand for the presentation included, among others:

Carlos Jorda , President & CEO, CITGO Petroleum Corporation;

, President & CEO, CITGO Petroleum Corporation; Jennifer Carpenter , President & CEO, American Waterways Operators;

, President & CEO, American Waterways Operators; Matt Lagarde , Assistant Vice President, Ingram Barge Company and Chairperson, AWO Interregion Safety Committee; and

, Assistant Vice President, Ingram Barge Company and Chairperson, AWO Interregion Safety Committee; and Jim Fletcher , Owner/President, Team Services, LLC and Chairperson, AWO Tankering & Barge Operations Subcommittee.

The video of the award presentation can be found here.

"All of us at CITGO are extremely proud to be named the inaugural recipient of AWO's safety award," said CITGO President and CEO Carlos Jorda. "Safety is our top priority, and this prestigious award is a testament to the dedication and professionalism of the CITGO Lake Charles marine department."

AWO President & CEO Jennifer Carpenter stated: "AWO is proud of the work that the Tankering & Barge Operations Subcommittee is doing to raise awareness of best practices in maritime safety. The subcommittee has identified safe access/egress at the vessel-to-facility interface as a serious safety issue, and CITGO's Lake Charles Marine Department richly deserves this inaugural award for its leadership in this area and for its commitment to ensuring its facility is a safe work environment."

About American Waterways Operators:

The American Waterways Operators is the national trade association representing the tugboat, towboat and barge industry, which operates on the rivers, the Great Lakes, and along the coasts and in the harbors of the United States. Barge transportation serves the nation as the safest, most environmentally friendly and most economical mode of freight transportation. www.americanwaterways.com

About CITGO:

Headquartered in Houston, Texas, CITGO Petroleum Corporation is a recognized leader in the refining industry with a well-known brand. CITGO operates three refineries located in Corpus Christi, Texas; Lake Charles, La.; and Lemont, Ill., and wholly and/or jointly owns 48 terminals, ten pipelines and three lubricants blending and packaging plants. With approximately 3,400 employees and a combined crude capacity of approximately 769,000 barrels-per-day (bpd), CITGO is ranked as the sixth-largest, and one of the most complex independent refiners in the United States. CITGO transports and markets transportation fuels, lubricants, petrochemicals and other industrial products and supplies a network of approximately 4,700 locally owned and operated branded retail outlets in 30 states and the District of Columbia. CITGO Petroleum Corporation is owned by CITGO Holding, Inc. For more information, visit www.CITGO.com .

SOURCE American Waterways Operators

Related Links

http://www.americanwaterways.com


New Zealand's looming general election could be delayed, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern warned Wednesday, as the shock re-emergence of the coronavirus sent the country's largest city into lockdown and forced nursing homes nationwide to shut their doors.

Ardern said authorities were scrambling to trace anyone who had been in contact with four Auckland residents whose positive tests on Tuesday ended the country's envied run of 102 days without community transmission.

A three-day stay-at-home order for Auckland -- a city of 1.5 million people -- went into force at lunchtime on Wednesday, ending weeks of near normality, when thousands had flocked to restaurants and filled rugby stadiums.

Panic buying returned to supermarkets, huge queues formed at COVID-19 testing stations and face-masked police manned roadblocks on major roads to enforce the new measures.

Ardern warned the September 19 election may be have to be delayed if the outbreak could not be contained.

"We're seeking advice from the Electoral Commission, just so that we make sure we have all options open to us," she said. "No decisions yet, as you can imagine, have been made."

New Zealand's parliament had been due to be dissolved Wednesday, to allow the election to go ahead.

In a statement, the legislature said that step "will no longer be held today" but could be done any time before 13 October 2020, potentially pushing the election out by months.

Health officials were also locking down aged care homes across the country because they could act as transmission hotspots.

"I realise how incredibly difficult this will be for those who have loved ones in these facilities, but it's the strongest way we can protect and look after them," Ardern said.

Director-general of health Ashley Bloomfield acknowledged the heartbreak of many Kiwis as they come to terms with the return of a virus many thought had been defeated.

Story continues

"I know the virus re-remerging in our community has caused alarm and the unknown is scary," he said. "(But) we've been here before, we can get through it if we work together."

- Election 'very difficult' -

New Zealand had been held up by the World Health Organization as an example of how to contain the disease after recording only 22 deaths in a population of five million, and halting community transmission for more than three months.

Ardern described the new cases as "unsettling" but said all efforts were being made to retrace the steps of the Auckland family of four who contracted it from an unknown source.

Her centre-left Labour Party has been riding high in opinion polls, largely on the back of its success containing the virus through a strict seven-week lockdown earlier this year.

With campaigning temporarily halted by the latest virus scare, the conservative National Party said it was open to a delay if circumstances warranted.

"It's going to be very difficult to have an election in mid-September when we are now mid-August. It is very little time," National leader Judith Collins told TV3.

The initial lockdown is only for three days but University of Otago epidemiologist Amanda Kvalsvig said it could last much longer if the source of the infection was not found swiftly.

"The aim is to return to alert level one (New Zealand's lowest) and regain elimination status -- but that won't happen overnight," she said.

"Even after we stop seeing new cases it'll take time and extensive testing to be sure the virus is once more under control."

The final match of Super Rugby Aotearoa -- which had been set to take place in front of a sold-out 43,000 crowd at Eden Park on Sunday -- is also in doubt.

The Auckland Blues said its players had been sent home to await advice on whether they can host the weekend's blockbuster match against newly-crowned champions, the Canterbury Crusaders.

ns/arb/hg
A tech start-up entrepreneur and rich-lister who turned a $180 website into a successful global empire has become the youngest independent director of an ASX top 200 company.

Expert360 co-founder Bridget Loudon, 32, has joined the Telstra board as a non-executive director to add a unique and fresh perspective to the telecommunications giant's board.

She's humbled to be part of Telstra's journey but remains 100 per cent dedicated to the online recruitment marketplace platform she co-founded with Emily Yue.

'I remain fully committed to Expert360 as the company's CEO and founder and will ensure that this new appointment, which is supported by the Expert360 board, will not in any way negatively impact my current role, Ms Loudon told The Australian.

Bridget Loudon (pictured) has become the youngest independent director of an ASX top 200 company after she joined Telstra's board

Telstra chairman John Mullen first approached Ms Loudon to join the board more than a year ago, inspired by her professional drive and impressive desire to create positive outcomes.

'Bridget understands and is a leader in how organisations transform themselves to capture the opportunities presented by developments in technology. Her passion for solving customer problems and entrepreneurial thinking is also evident and critical for Telstra in today's environment,' Mr Mullen said in a statement.

'I am delighted to have Bridget join the board  her youth and entrepreneurial start-up experience in particular will provide a fresh and unique perspective to ensure we are considering a range of views as we navigate Telstra through the next period.'

Born in Australia, Ms Loudon grew up on a sheep farm in Ireland and scored the HSC equivalent 99.9 in her final school exams before living, studying and working abroad in France and Hong Kong.

Ms Loudon started up and sold her first company by the time she was 21.

She then moved to Sydney in 2010 to join global management consultant firm Bain & Co, where she first met future business partner Emily Yue.

Bridget Loudon (left) remains fully committed to Expert360, despite her new role on the Telstra board. She's pictured with business co-founder Emily Yue (right)

The two colleagues spotted a weakness in traditional recruitment marketing methods and paid $180 to set up a website in 2012.

'At that time, corporations lacked the ability to easily augment staff, build handpicked consultant teams, hire top individual short-term talent and engage with subject matter experts and boutique firms. They were also unable to have these elite business professionals available for deployment within days, not weeks,' their website states.

'Simultaneously, we noticed that more freelancers and firms in management, finance, marketing, HR, sales, operations and technology wanted to have more flexibility and choice in the way they work and with whom they work.'

The pair quit their jobs the following year to launch the start-up firm from Ms Loudon's living room.

Around 700 consultants had signed up within 48 hoursm of the launch in response to 1000 LinkedIn messages sent out and raised $1 million from investors within months.

Bridget Loudon (pictured) grew up on a sheep farm in Ireland and moved to Sydney in 2010

Today, Expert360 has more than 100 employees across five cities with an estimated annual revenue of $14.8million.

It's regarding as Australia's top skilled talent platform which connects more than 1000 companies with more than 30,000 professionals.

Expert360 has also been recognised as a game-changing platform by Harvard Business Review and the Economist.

In 2017, Ms Loudon was one of two women to make the Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia list.

She has also been named in the top 100 Women of Influence in Australia and FutureMakers list of Australias top 25 Emerging Entrepreneurs under-25.

Ms Loudon admitted in a Marie Claire interview last year that she had no work/balance and she was okay with it.

Expert360 co-founders Emily Yue (left) and Bridget Loudon (right) more than 100 employees across five cities with an estimated annual revenue of $14.8million

'I love what I do and I'm incredibly excited about the future and everything there is yet to do in our company and in the world. I spend my time how I want to. It's difficult to know where work stops/starts. I think there's a saying about that being a great thing,' she told the magazine.

She had this advice for budding entrepreneurs.

'You've got to get up every morning with the same level of energy and hunger  almost uncomfortably so  to solve that problem and get your product or service into the hands of more people,' she said.

Ms Loudons role at Telstra is effective from August 14 and will stand for election at the telco giant's annual general meeting later in the year.
The groups have created a war room to refute sexist or false smears of the US Democratic vice presidential candidate.

In the weeks before Joe Biden named Senator Kamala Harris his running mate in the United States election, womens groups were readying a campaign of their own: shutting down sexist coverage and disinformation about a vice presidential nominee they say is headed for months of false smears and brutal attacks from internet haters.

The groups put the media on notice in recent days that they will call out bias  one campaign is dubbed We Have Her Back  and established a war room to refute sexist or false attacks as they happen.

They did not have to wait long. Within minutes of the presumptive Democratic nominees announcement Tuesday, false information was circulating on social media, claiming that Harris had called Biden a racist and that she is not eligible to be president.





The womens groups say their efforts are informed by the sexism former candidate Hillary Clinton faced from President Donald Trump, some of his supporters and the media during the 2016 campaign.

This time we understand the patterns, and this time we have the organisational infrastructure to push back, said Shaunna Thomas, executive director of the womens advocacy group UltraViolet, which released a 32-page guide for media along with a coalition of groups including Color of Change PAC, Planned Parenthood Votes and Womens March.

While the groups have primarily been led by Democrats, their efforts are backed by nonpartisan groups and some Republicans.

The war room will call out bias and disinformation against women in both parties up and down the ballot, said Tina Tchen, CEO of Times Up Now, which fights sexual harassment in the workplace.

Unfair criticism

The groups say intense scrutiny of a vice presidential nominee is to be expected, but women are often unfairly criticised as overly emotional, weak or unqualified, or for their appearance or demeanor in a way that men are not. The attacks, which include false smears and threats of violence online, not only hurt campaigns but also dissuade women from seeking office.

Christine Todd Whitman, a former New Jersey governor and Republican, said Bidens running mate will be at the centre of an ugly social media campaign from online bullies.

This is going to be brutal because these platforms allow people to do things anonymously, saying things anonymously, Whitman said.

If elected, Harris would be the countrys first Black vice president. Her mother is from India and her father is from Jamaica. That has invited not only sexist but also racist commentary and misinformation around her candidacy.





Harris, who was born in Oakland, California, has been the victim of online falsehoods for more than a year that say she is not eligible to become president because her parents were not born in the US. More recently, Facebook users added a new twist to the misinformation: that since Harris is not eligible to be president, if Biden did not finish his term, the presidency would automatically default to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat.

There is no truth to that  Harris is a natural-born US citizen whos eligible to be president  yet the misinformation has been shared by thousands of Facebook users. Facebook has labelled the posts as false but has not removed them from its platform.

The misinformation calls to mind the conspiracy theories in 2008 around Democrat Barack Obama, the first Black US president, that claimed he was born in Kenya, not the US. Those claims were amplified by Trump, then a reality TV star, and gained so much traction during the campaign that Obama produced a birth certificate showing he was born in Honolulu.

Hate amplified by algorithms

The latest attacks on Harriss citizenship were highlighted in a letter from more than 100 female lawmakers from across the world that was sent to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg. It called on them to remove misinformation, as well as posts or accounts that threaten women.

Much of the most hateful content directed at women on Facebook is amplified by your algorithms which reward extreme and dangerous points of view with greater reach and visibility, said the letter, which was spearheaded by Democratic Representative Jackie Speier of California.

Cindy Southworth, Facebooks head of womens safety, said the company will work with the lawmakers to surface new solutions.

Abuse of women on the internet is a serious problem, one we tackle in a variety of ways: through technology that identifies and removes potentially abusive content before it happens, by enforcing strict policies, and by talking with experts to ensure we stay ahead of new tactics, she said.

Now that we know Senator Kamala Harris will be Biden's running mate, the media must be prepared to report the election without relying on sexist, racist tropes. Here's our guide on how the media can #GetItRight: https://t.co/nOqMkMI1BX pic.twitter.com/3soV1VRV93  UltraViolet (@UltraViolet) August 11, 2020

But mere minutes after Harris was announced as Bidens running mate, pro-Trump social media personalities and conservative news outlets claimed Harris called Biden a racist during a televised Democratic debate last year. In reality, she said, I do not believe youre a racist, before criticising his past opposition to policies around school desegregation.

The road to becoming Bidens running mate had been littered with misleading online attacks on women under consideration.

Former National Security Adviser Susan Rice was accused of committing crimes in office, and Democratic Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, who authorised strict stay-at-home orders in her state this year, was pelted with memes and images likening her to Adolf Hitler or an evil queen.

Harris is likely prepared for the onslaught ahead after watching how 2016 unfolded on social media, said Sarah Oates, a political communications professor at the University of Maryland.

She is going to be vilified, no matter who she is, Oates said. In 2020, people are much more attuned and aware of it. That doesnt mean its going to make it better, but at least you can be more aware of the toxicity.
Kathua:

Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday said India has always wanted to have friendly relations with all its neighbours but Pakistan has betrayed India and returned peace initiatives with terrorist attacks.

Referring to the invitation extended to SAARC countries for the oath-taking ceremony of Narendra Modi, he said this was done because we realised if we want to make India a powerful country we need cooperation of all neighbouring countries.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, before the formation of the government, had held a party meeting and we decided if we want to make India a powerful country we need cooperation of all the neighbouring countries. So we decided to invite all the neighbouring heads of state/government and we invited Nawaz Sharif also, and he had come, Singh said.

ALSO READ: (Pakistan conspiring to divide India on religious lines but will not succeed: Rajnath Singh)

Sharif was invited not just to shake hands but let the hearts of the two countries to meet, he said, adding Pakistan should understand our intentions but it has failed to do so.

He also said Modi, breaking all the protocols, went to attend a function in Sharifs family while returning from Afghanistan.

We try our best that our neighbours live in peace with us. We want development of India as well as that of Pakistan, Nepal, Myanmar, Bhutan and Sri Lanka. All should progress. We want this. But what has Pakistan given us in return of our large-heartedness?

We got Gurdaspur, Pathankot and Uri where terrorists entered and launched cowardly attacks on our soldiers, Singh said. But we also showed them what we are capable of, he added.

I thank our soldiers who succeeded in giving the message we cannot only hit them here but if need arises we can hit them anywhere, Singh said, referring to the surgical strikes carried by the army inside Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

He accused Pakistan of continuously fuelling terrorism and said India wants friendly ties with the neighbouring country but will never compromise on the issue of terrorism.

I ask them (Pakistan) why they are not saying they are not ready to compromise on terrorism. If India says this why Pakistan is not saying the same, Singh said.

He said after Gurdaspur and Pathankot terror attacks, Pakistan had stated it wanted to cooperate and sent a team to India. But after the teams return to Pakistan, they refused to allow Indian SIT to visit Pakistan, he said.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Drivers in San Antonio are paying some of the cheapest prices at the pump in the nation.

The average price for a gallon of regular gasoline in Bexar County was $1.65 on Tuesday, the lowest price of any county in Texas, according to gas price-tracking service GasBuddy.

Across San Antonios eight-county metro area, gas on average cost $1.71 per gallon  the fourth cheapest of any city in the nation.

A year ago, when the local economy was still going strong, a gallon of gas in San Antonio cost $2.35.

Its a testament to the over-sized influence the coronavirus is having right now, said Patrick DeHaan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy.

Lawton, Okla., about 40 miles north of the Texas border, had the cheapest gas prices in the country on Tuesday, at $1.65 on average. Joplin, Mo., and Denison, Texas, were the only other U.S. cities with lower-priced gasoline than San Antonio.

Texas statewide average for a gallon of regular was $1.83, lower than the U.S. average of $2.17.

On ExpressNews.com: Flux: A womans view in the male-dominated oil and gas industry

Since late June, the average price of gas in the U.S. has hovered between $2.17 and $2.20. Gasoline in San Antonio, meanwhile, has fallen in price in recent weeks since reaching $1.88 on July 16.

Thanks to the states robust oil and gas industry, DeHaan said drivers in San Antonio and the rest of Texas almost usually see lower prices at the pump than drivers across the U.S. But the gap has grown during the pandemic.

A year ago, San Antonians paid about 29 cents less per gallon than the average American driver. On Tuesday, a San Antonio driver shelled out about 45 cents less per gallon than the average U.S. motorist.

As Texas and other states have continued attempting to suppress the coronavirus, DeHaan said, crude oil prices have remained remarkably stable over the last several weeks.

The price of the West Texas Intermediate, the U.S. oil benchmark, closed Tuesday at $41.61 per barrel. The price has oscillated between $40 and $41 since early July, likely contributing to the steady price of gasoline nationally.

On ExpressNews.com: Valero reports second-quarter rebound

The only guarantee in the oil industry is that stability is very short-lived, DeHaan said. We generally dont see stability like that, especially in the mid-summer driving season.

Well be stuck in this holding pattern for a little bit, as states continue to combat COVID-19, he said.

Demand has rebounded faster for gasoline than for other fuels made from oil, such as jet fuel, as Americans have opted to hit the road rather than fly this summer.

The American Automobile Association estimated that 97 percent of vacationers this summer would travel by car. Over the previous five years, 87 percent on average traveled by vehicle.

Domestic air travel is down 70 percent compared to one year ago, according to the airline trade association Airlines for America.

Looking ahead, gas prices will largely depend on how soon a COVID-19 vaccine wins regulatory approval, DeHaan said.

A vaccine later this year would likely spawn an economic recovery that would boost gas prices. If the coronavirus continues spreading through the end of the year, it could push gas prices down even further.

The most likely case is that we probably wont have a (vaccine) by the end of the year, and gas prices drift lower simply because we probably wont have a sizable recovery in the last quarter without that, DeHaan said.

But then seasonal factors kind of accentuate that  by kids not going to schools, parents not driving to work, Americans out of work. So that would cause gas prices most likely to drift lower, and the national average to fall back under $2 dollars a gallon, he said.

diego.mendoza-moyers@express-news.net
(@ChaudhryMAli88)

The political situation in Belarus, engulfed in violent protests following a controversial presidential election, should be included in the agenda of the upcoming UN Security Council meeting, Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Reinsalu said on Wednesday

HELSINKI (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 12th August, 2020) The political situation in Belarus, engulfed in violent protests following a controversial presidential election, should be included in the agenda of the upcoming UN Security Council meeting, Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Reinsalu said on Wednesday.

The UN Security Council is scheduled to have an open video teleconference meeting later in the day. Estonia is the council's non-permanent member for the 2020-2021 period.

"I would like to draw your attention to the political situation in Belarus and the importance of protecting human rights and political freedoms amid the coronavirus pandemic around the world. The Belarusian topic should certainly be included in the agenda of the UN Security Council meeting, since it is important both from the point of view of our region and our values," Reinsalu told Estonia's ERR broadcaster.

The Estonian Foreign Ministry summoned Belarusian Ambassador Viacheslav Kachanov on Tuesday to urge Minsk to immediately stop the use of force against protesters.

People took to the streets in the Belarusian capital of Minsk and many other cities in the days following the Sunday presidential election that saw the country's incumbent president Aleksander Lukashenko reelected for a sixth consecutive term atop 26 years of presidency.

Police used water cannons, stun grenades and rubber bullets to disperse the protesters. Thousands of people were arrested and many journalists, both local and foreign, went missing. internet access was reportedly cut in Minsk and other Belarusian cities.
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Greece on Wednesday registered 262 new COVID-19 infections, the highest figure since the pandemic began and part of a steadily rising trend this month.

The public health organisation also said two more people had died, bringing the total virus death toll to 216.

The number of patients under intensive care has nearly doubled, with 24 reported Wednesday from 13 last week.

Authorities have blamed the spike in infections to the flouting of social distancing rules in restaurants, bars and public gatherings.

Health Minister Vassilis Kikilias said earlier that the average age of those infected in August had dropped to 36 years old.

"It can happen even if you're young and think you're invulnerable," Kikilias tweeted.

The Greek government on Monday announced a night curfew for restaurants and bars in some of its top tourist destinations.

New entry restrictions for Balkan arrivals and flight passengers from several EU countries were also unveiled.

Eateries and bars are closed from midnight to 0700 in a dozen parts of the country, including the popular islands of Mykonos, Santorini, Corfu, Rhodes and Crete.

The cities of Thessaloniki, Larissa, Volos and Katerini are also affected, as is the Halkidiki peninsula which is popular with Balkan visitors.

In addition, all passengers on flights from Belgium, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Spain and Sweden arriving from August 17 must provide a negative COVID-19 result obtained up to 72 hours before entry, as must all land border arrivals.

The civil protection agency last week made masks compulsory in all indoor public areas.

Among other measures announced Monday was a decision to scrap Greece's top trade exhibition, the annual Thessaloniki international fair in September.

The government has ruled out a general lockdown after gradually reopening the economy in May and starting to accept foreign arrivals in June to salvage part of the tourism season which is vital to the economy.

Only 10 percent of cases in Greece can be traced to foreign arrivals.

Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak

 2020 AFP
RED DEER, Alta. - A man accused of killing a family doctor at a walk-in clinic in central Alberta appeared confused at his first court appearance Wednesday, telling a judge that he doesn't remember and is sick.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 12/8/2020 (525 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

An impromptu memorial for Dr. Walter Reynolds, who died after he was attacked in an examination room rests outside the Village Mall walk-in clinic in Red Deer, Alta., Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2020.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

RED DEER, Alta. - A man accused of killing a family doctor at a walk-in clinic in central Alberta appeared confused at his first court appearance Wednesday, telling a judge that he doesn't remember and is sick.

Deng Mabiour of Red Deer, Alta., is charged with first-degree murder in Monday's death of 45-year-old Dr. Walter Reynolds, as well as other offences.

The 54-year-old appeared via a video link, but wasn't able to tell the judge if he understood the charges laid against him.

"Listen to me. I don't remember anything because I'm sick. I want a doctor," Mabiour, with a heavy accent, told provincial court Judge Bert Skinner.

"I'm telling you I didn't remember anything because I am sick."

Skinner ordered the duty counsel to speak with Mabiour by phone. The charges were then read a second time.

A physician died after he was attacked in an examination room at the Village Mall walk-in clinic in Red Deer, Alta., Monday, Aug. 10, 2020.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

"Did you understand the charges?" asked the judge.

"No, I didn't understand," Mabiour replied. "Because I am sick. I lost memory. Listen to me, I don't remember. I want a doctor."

Mabiour continued talking as the judge and lawyers spoke.

Skinner said a first-degree murder charge that goes to trial is automatically put before a jury.

The case was put over to Sept. 9.

RCMP have said the attack was not random and the two men knew each other through the clinic. They have not said if Mabiour was a patient, citing confidentiality.

Officers received a 911 call reporting an assault in progress at the Village Mall Walk-in Clinic just after 11 a.m. Monday. Mounties arrived within minutes.

One witness told media that she heard cries for help and a man in the clinic had a hammer and a machete.

Mabiour was arrested at the scene. Reynolds was rushed to hospital, where he died.

A vigil for Reynolds has been planned for Friday night at city hall.

The province's chief medical officer of health, Dr. Deena Hinshaw, said during a COVID-19 briefing that people need to feel connected during their grief. She urged people to connect in safe ways.

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"We are all shaken by this tragic event. I imagine that, though this was an isolated incident, it leaves a mark on all health-care professionals, as we wonder about the safety of our own workplaces and the personalized patient care that is the bedrock of our profession," she said.

Dr. Christine Molnar, head of the Alberta Medical Association, said it has been a dark week and support is available for doctors if they need it.

"A couple of days has not been enough time to feel that I can properly express my sorrow," she said in a statement.

"Our colleague, Dr. Walter Reynolds, was a family physician devoted to his family, his patients and his calling. He will be sorely missed."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published on Aug. 12, 2020

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Security Council diplomats said the revised draft could be put in a final form Thursday and put to a vote Friday.

The United States on Tuesday circulated a revised resolution that would extend a U.N. arms embargo on Iran indefinitely, seeking to gain more support in the 15-member Security Council where veto-wielding Russia and China have voiced strong opposition.

U.S. Ambassador Kelly Craft said the new draft ``takes council views into account and simply does what everyone knows should be done _ extend the arms embargo to prevent Iran from freely buying and selling conventional weapons.''

``It is only common sense that the world's (hash)1 state sponsor of terror not be given the means of unleashing even greater harm on the world,'' she said in a statement.

Council diplomats said the revised draft could be put in a final form Thursday and put to a vote Friday.

The revised draft, obtained by The Associated Press, is just four paragraphs and replaces the original seven-page, 35-paragraph draft circulated in June.

The original draft included several provisions that some diplomats objected to as going beyond the extension of the arms embargo, and were eliminated.

One provision in the original resolution would have authorized all U.N. member states to inspect cargo entering or transiting through their territory at airports, seaports and free trade zones from Iran or heading there, if the member state had ``reasonable grounds to believe the cargo'' contained banned items.

Another provision would have condemned a September 2019 attack on Saudi Arabia and December 2019 attacks on an Iraqi military base in Kirkuk and the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, saying Iran was responsible.

The new draft states that the arms embargo, notwithstanding its Oct. 18 expiration, ``shall continue to apply until the Security Council decides otherwise.'' It says that full implementation of the arms embargo ``is essential to the maintenance of international peace and security.''

Iran's U.N. Ambassador Majid Takht Ravanchi tweeted: ``Rebuffed by UNSC (Security Council) members, US was forced to retreat from its draft resolution ... and proposed another version.``

``The new draft is similar _ in its NATURE and GOAL _ to the previous,`` he tweeted. ``Confident that the Council will _ again _ reject this move.``

The United Nations banned Iran from buying major foreign weapon systems in 2010 amid tensions over its nuclear program. That blocked Iran from replacing its aging military equipment, much of which had been purchased by the shah before the 1979 Islamic Revolution. An earlier embargo targeted Iranian arms exports.

The U.S. push to make the arms embargo permanent follows President Donald Trump's 2018 withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal between six major powers and Iran, aimed at preventing Iranian development of nuclear weapons. Tehran has repeatedly insisted it has no interest or intention to produce a nuclear bomb.

The 2015 U.N. Security Council resolution endorsing the nuclear deal includes a provision lifting the arms embargo on Iran on Oct. 18.

The foreign ministers of Russia and China, in separate letters to U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the Security Council last month, were sharply critical of the U.S. effort to indefinitely extend the arms embargo. They gave every indication they would veto any such resolution if it got the minimum nine ``yes'' votes in the 15-member council, which appears unlikely.

If the resolution is defeated, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo suggested the U.S. would invoke the ``snap back'' mechanism in the 2015 nuclear deal that would restore all U.N. sanctions on Iran. ``Snap back`` was envisioned in the event Iran was proven to be in violation of the accord, under which it received billions of dollars in sanctions relief in exchange for curbs on its nuclear program.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov accused the Trump administration of waging a politically motivated campaign against Iran and called for ``universal condemnation'' of the U.S. attempt to impose a permanent arms embargo on the Islamic Republic. He said Trump withdrew from the 2015 nuclear agreement and now has no legal right to try to use the U.N. resolution endorsing the deal to indefinitely continue the embargo.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said the arms embargo should be lifted Oct. 18. He also argued that since the U.S. is no longer a party to the nuclear deal it ``has no right to demand the Security Council to activate the rapid reinstatement of sanctions'' through the ``snap back'' provision.

The five remaining signatories to the 2015 deal _ Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany _ remain committed to the agreement. Diplomats from several of these countries have expressed serious concern that extending the arms embargo would lead to Iran's exit from the deal and its speeded-up pursuit of nuclear weapons.

The U.S. argues that Iran hasn't been cooperating with the International Atomic Energy Agency for a year and has been moving a lot of weapons to proxies in the Middle East despite the embargo.

If the embargo is lifted, the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency predicted in 2019 that Iran likely would try to purchase Russian Su-30 fighter jets, Yak-130 trainer aircraft and T-90 tanks. Tehran also may try to buy Russia's S-400 anti-aircraft missile system and its Bastian coastal defense missile system, the agency said.

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The minister claims the mission "pays insufficient attention" to its mandate.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says he is unhappy with the performance of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine.

"As for the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission, we actively support this mechanism, which has a clear mandate to work throughout Ukraine, not only in Donbas, but also in other regions in terms of monitoring respect for human rights, national minorities, and [monitoring] attempts to revive neo-Nazism. Unfortunately, the Mission pays insufficient attention to this part of its mandate," Lavrov said at a press conference in Moscow on August 11, according to UNIAN's own correspondent in Russia.

Read alsoOSCE reports over 250 violations since start of newly-agreed ceasefire in Donbas

He also said the OSCE SMM's performance in Donbas "gives rise to questions."

"In particular, the SMM prefers to report on ceasefire violations and shelling of civilian targets without going into detail: 'there have been that many attacks in such and such a period.' It says nothing about which side [mounts the attacks]," he said.

OSCE in Donbas
THE Adrian Donohoe murder trial sat in court 19 of the Criminal Courts of Justice for 116 days with more than 50 sittings in the absence of the jury.

Between March and May, jurors did not hear evidence for nearly two months due to the Covid-19 pandemic while lawyers on both sides argued over evidence being put to the panel. A threat to Adrian Donohoe by a murder suspect just months before his death and evidence from five men who implicated Aaron Brady in the murder were among the evidence not heard by the jury. A tape of a US agent allegedly making offers to a suspect in the case was also ruled inadmissible, as were images showing Aaron Brady and his friends posing in balaclavas during a party a month before the Lordship credit union robbery.

The dangerous criminal suspected of direct involvement in the credit union robbery made a sinister threat to detective garda Adrian Donohoe just months before his murder. Evidence was given in a voir dire that gardai were investigating two armed robberies, one at Lordship credit union on August 5, 2011, in which 22,500 was stolen and another at Dundalk racecourse two months later where approximately 9,000 was taken.

Detectives received confidential information that a prolific robber, Suspect B in the murder, was responsible for both raids. Both crimes involved a similar modus operandi, carried out at the same time of night using a sawn-off shotgun and crossing the Border to steal and burnout the getaway car.

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The jury heard evidence of the previous credit union raid carried out in just 27 seconds, but were not told of the racecourse robbery or that Suspect B had been arrested in relation to both incidents. The jury also weren't told that on September 24, 2012, gardai received information that Suspect B was attending Monaghan courthouse and travelled there to arrest him. Det Gda Adrian Donohoe and Det Gda Andy Barron, now a sergeant, made the journey and witnessed Suspect B with a number of men at the court, including Aaron Brady.

Suspect B was arrested for unlawful possession of a firearm as well as the robberies before being placed into the unmarked patrol car and being driven back to Dundalk. During the drive, Det Gda Barron recalled in the voir dire, Suspect B appeared extremely calm and civil with no angry words exchanged. However, in the middle of the journey the alleged armed robber turned to Det Gda Donohoe, who was driving the vehicle, and menacingly named the small housing estate he resided with his family near Lordship credit union, asking "how is all" there.

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Det Gda Donohoe acknowledged the comment and simply replied "grand", but the sinister reference was noted.

During the interviews Suspect B appeared confident that there was little linking him to the robberies, telling his interviewers I'd like you to start showing the evidence against me, before he was later released without charge.

The prosecution wanted the evidence to be admitted to show the existence of links between Aaron Brady, Suspect B and the previous Lordship robbery. However, Mr Justice Michael White said the court had to be careful to distinguish fact from suspicion and said that an improper inference could be drawn by the jury if the evidence was admitted.

Five other witnesses gave statements incriminating Aaron Brady in the murder

Seven people gave statements to gardai that they heard Aaron Brady admit to shooting a guard in Ireland but following a campaign of intimidation only Daniel Cahill and Molly Staunton gave evidence. A bench warrant was issued for one witness while two men living in the US refused to cooperate with the court process.

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A fourth man changed his statement on the eve of being called while the evidence of a fifth man was ruled inadmissible. On May 5 an arrest warrant was issued for a Northern Irish man after he refused to show up in court. The Armagh man had lived with Aaron Brady in New York and previously gave a statement to detectives. However, when they approached him ahead of the trial as he carried out work in Dundalk, he told them to get off my truck and refused to acknowledge them.

Three other witnesses expressed concerns for their safety at different stages after giving statements. One man, also originally from an Armagh town close to the Border, said he was left with a scar by Aaron Brady. This alleged incident occurred after the man overheard Brady brag about what it was like to kill someone in a Bronx bar on St Patrick's Day 2015. He hired a US lawyer who informed gardai that his client would not come to court and claimed that the statement was carried out under duress, something denied by investigators.

Another man, whose family have been the subject of serious intimidation, told detectives Aaron Brady admitted the shooting to him as well as involvement in the theft of the car in Clogherhead. The would-be witness was related to two other suspects in the murder but refused to come to give evidence.

A third person, who had also lived with Brady, hired a lawyer after first making a statement to gardai. On the eve of being scheduled to be called, the Cork man indicated that he wanted to make changes to his statement because, he said, they did not reflect accurately what he intended to say. After gardai took a new statement from him the prosecution decided that they would not call him to give evidence.

A fifth man, who was willing to give evidence over a one-off encounter he had with Brady, had his evidence ruled inadmissible. The Armagh man worked in construction in the US in the summer of 2015 when he attended the New York wedding of a couple originally from Crossmaglen. The celebrations spilled into the next day and during the early hours of the morning the man recalled encountering a person in the Tombstone Bar.

The would-be witness told detectives that as he got to the bar counter, he saw a man sitting there with his girlfriend and, after asking who he was, was given the name Brady. He recalled hearing that the talk around Woodlawn was that a man by the name of Brady was living in the area having been linked to the shooting of a guard.

"I didn't know him," he told gardai. "I was tipsy so I asked him straight out, Are you the lad on the run for shooting the garda?. He said, Yeah, that's me. I'm the one who shot him.

The witness continued that he laughed when Brady said he was the one who shot the garda but, when the accused did not laugh back, he realised he was being serious. The altercation made him nervous and they chatted for a few more minutes before going their separate ways.

The man later attended a Federal building with Det Insp Pat Marry and Det Gda John Ogle where, using a mugshot of Aaron Brady, he positively identified him as the man who made the admission in the bar three years earlier.

The statement, taken on May 15, 2017, was a major breakthrough in the case and seriously advanced the investigation. Brady would be arrested and deported a week later. However, the defence objected to the evidence being admitted and on the morning the witness was due to be called Mr Justice White ruled the evidence inadmissible over identification issues.

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The Belfast Tape

Aaron Brady goes away... you'll probably never see me again. This was the promise made by a US special agent during an impromptu discussion with a chief suspect in the Adrian Donohoe murder at an Irish airport three years ago.

Special agent Matt Katske, who worked out of the Department of Homeland Security's London bureau, had received information that a chief suspect in the garda's murder was returning to Belfast. The man, referred to as Suspect A, would make regular trips back and forth to America where he is also a green card holder. He was Aaron Brady's best friend at the time of the Lordship robbery and was identified as being involved early on.

On June 6, 2017, Suspect A walked through the arrival gates of Belfast International Airport with his wife. Both were greeted by Special Agent Katske who asked if they were willing to speak to him. The couple agreed and the three convened to a nearby coffee shop. Unknown to the agent, the conversation was being surreptitiously recorded. Over the next 10 minutes or so, the agent and Suspect A discussed Aaron Brady, the issues that came with speaking to law enforcement in the Border region, and immigration problems in the US.

Suspect A told agent Katske: The situation is, where we come from, you get a bullet for talking. He added: If next week I hear somebody saying, I've no problem telling you, I want this off my back.

He went on to voice his frustrations with the gardai, referring to them as the other party down south.

The young man told Agent Katske to pass on a message, and to let gardai know the reason there's a lack of cooperation. The murder suspect said gardai don't want to offer people anything, they just want to terrorise people".

Agent Katske, sensing an interest from Suspect A to assist, said he would pass on the fact that he offered to talk to him.

Towards the end of the conversation, the agent told Suspect A: My goal is Aaron Brady, I want to be clear on that yeah. So, Aaron Brady goes away, yeah, you'll probably never see me again.

It only became apparent to Agent Katske in January 2018, when it was sent to him by Suspect A via Whatsapp, that he had been recorded.

The tape was later played in legal argument and the defence argued that they be allowed to cross-examine both SA Katske and Det Insp Pat Marry, then the senior investigating officer, about the contents of the tape.

Michael O'Higgins SC described Agent Katske as a maverick working in a foreign embassy and that the language used by him was compromising and amounted to inducement. Agent Katske, in the end, was not called to give evidence, while Justice White rejected the tape being put to Det Insp Marry saying it was not probative.

Drinking sessions with balaclavas, pistols and IRA songs

At the time of the Lordship robbery Aaron Brady was renting a small prefab with a friend on the Lough Road near Annaghmare, Co Armagh. He was also staying in his family home in nearby Tullydonnell as well as with his friend Suspect A at a property near Bellurgan. The trial heard how the Lough Road property was a party house where the group of friends would gather after nights out in Dundalk to continue their sessions into the early hours of the morning. What went on at these late-night parties was revealed in images and videos recovered from Jessica King's phone after it was seized.

Gardai discovered data from the early hours of December 17, 2012, just a month before the murder, which documented the drinking that was taking place in the house at the Lough Road. The various pictures and videos showed Aaron Brady, his girlfriend and Suspect A posing wearing balaclavas while drinking and singing along to what Ms King described as IRA songs.

In one image, two men, identified by Jessica King as Brady and Suspect A, were pictured embracing each other while holding bottles of spirits. The balaclavas they posed in had slits for the eyes but not around the mouth, and Suspect A can also be seen with an implement in his hand.

In a statement Ms King said that every time they went back to the house they would play IRA music and wear balaclavas.

I never questioned why they had them, I've never taken it seriously until now. Aaron never said where he got them, she told gardai while giving a statement in the weeks after the robbery.

Another video showed Suspect A come into the living room of the house holding a small pistol in his right hand, which Jessica King said looked fake.

However, she said that night she saw a black handgun in the drawer along with up to three balaclavas, and that the weapon was bigger and appeared more realistic than the one in the image from her phone.

The men told her, she recalled, that the gun was for shooting birds. Ms King also described in her statement how everything changed after the Lordship robbery and that parties never happened again.
Irans president and foreign minister lashed out on Wednesday at a revised proposal by the US that would extend a UN arms embargo on Iran indefinitely, the latest in the Trump administrations maximum pressure policy against Iran.

The US on Tuesday circulated the revised draft at the UN, seeking to gain more support in the 15-member Security Council where veto-wielding Russia and China have voiced strong opposition.

The revised draft, which eliminated some provisions from the earlier version that diplomats said went beyond the extension of the arms embargo, may be put to a vote as early as Friday.

Still, with Russia and China sharply critical of the US effort to indefinitely extend the arms embargo, the two will likely use their veto powers even if the draft got the minimum nine yes votes in the council, which appears unlikely.

The US push to make the arms embargo permanent follows President Donald Trumps 2018 withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal between major world powers and Tehran, aimed at preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons. Tehran has repeatedly insisted it does not seek to produce a nuclear bomb.

The nuclear deal, endorsed by the Security Council, includes a provision lifting the arms embargo on Iran on October 18.

Rouhani lambasted the revised draft, saying its initiators will be responsible for the consequences if the Security Council adopts the new resolution. He did not elaborate on what steps Iran could take.

Zarif said the US draft was a very illegal resolution, and in fact it uses the Security Council mechanisms to destroy the Security Council.  Im confident that this resolution will be rejected too, Zarif said.

The United Nations banned Iran from buying major foreign weapon systems in 2010 amid tensions over its nuclear program. That blocked Iran from replacing its aging military equipment, much of which had been purchased by the shah before the 1979 Islamic Revolution. An earlier embargo targeted Iranian arms exports.

In a separate development Wednesday, Iranian hard-liners in parliament voted against Rouhanis nominee for trade minister in the first showdown between the rival camps since the house resumed work in May despite the struggles to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

Lawmakers rejected Hossein Modares Khiabanis nomination for minister of trade and industries.

Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said the vote was 140-104 against the nominee. There were 254 lawmakers at the session and 10 abstained. The parliament has 290 seats.

The vote marked the first serious confrontation between the newly elected house, dominated by conservatives and the bloc of supporters of the relatively moderate Rouhani. Under the law, Rouhani must introduce new nominees to his Cabinet in the next three months.

Rouhani in May dismissed the trade and industry minister at the time, Reza Rahmani, as Iran faced an unprecedented economic downturn amid intense pressure from the United States after Trump pulled America out of the nuclear deal and reimposed sanctions on the country. Khiabani, 52, had since been the acting trade minister.

Iran is also grappling with the largest and deadliest outbreak of the coronavirus in the Middle East, with more than 333,000 confirmed cases and at least 18,988 deaths.
We are getting the word out now regarding how to use the postcard to send it back, correcting the instructions, Bennett said. Its unfortunate  Im not going to make any excuses for the design flaw of that particular postcard  but well be getting other information out to voters to make sure its clear what people need to do, or not do, to vote in November.
A Germinator field specialist performing sanitizing and disinfecting services. We are excited for the continued expansion of our services throughout North Carolina, said Jeff Gill, CEO of Germinator. The pandemic has presented the world with unprecedented circumstances, and we aim to do our part in helping to reduce the spread of harmful bacteria, germs and viruses.

Germinator Mobile Sanitizing and Disinfecting https://www.thegerminator.com/, a broad-spectrum sanitization, disinfection and deodorization provider, is proud to announce it has opened a location in Greensboro, North Carolina. Clemente McWilliams will own and operate the franchise, which will provide door-to-door sanitizing and disinfecting services to commercial and residential properties.

McWilliams brings nearly 30 years of corporate management experience, entrepreneurship, and community engagement to Germinator. In addition to the Greensboro location, he plans to open a Germinator franchise in Raleigh, North Carolina in the coming months.

I've always been an advocate for change and for transformational efforts that lead to more effective outcomes, said McWilliams. The current pandemic has been eye opening for me, my family and friends. During these difficult times, we want to focus our efforts on helping our community. I truly believe Germinator is a game-changer in the sanitizing and disinfecting business, enabling all of us to feel safe and confident that we can thrive in our environments.

The Greensboro franchise is the third Germinator location to launch in North Carolina. The company also recently announced the opening of franchises in Charlotte and Durham.

We are excited for the continued expansion of our services throughout North Carolina, said Jeff Gill, CEO of Germinator. The pandemic has presented the world with unprecedented circumstances, and we aim to do our part in helping to reduce the spread of harmful bacteria, germs and viruses.

Germinator provides a 100% safe and non-toxic sanitizing and disinfecting process, utilizing breakthrough technology scientifically proven to help reduce the spread of harmful bacteria and viruses similar to the novel coronavirus.

The company utilizes a two-step process to sanitize and disinfect surfaces as well as provide long-lasting protection against odor-causing bacteria, bacteria which cause stains and discoloration and fungi such as mold and mildew, and algae. The first step - Genesis - harnesses the power of hypochlorous acid (HOCl) to destroy bacteria, mold, mildew, viruses and odors caused by bacteria. HOCI is a non-toxic, near-neutral pH, hospital-grade sanitizer and disinfectant. The second step applies the Germinator's Shield - an invisible microbial coating that protects surfaces for an extended period of time against the growth of mold, mildew and odor-causing bacteria. Both products are EPA registered and safe for humans, pets and the environment. The companys highly trained field specialists employ best practices using electrostatic sprayers and wear Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) as appropriate.

Upholding the highest standards of sanitization and disinfecting, Germinator makes claims that are scientifically supported and within EPA regulations. In an effort to research and further validate its practice of sanitizing and disinfecting surfaces, the company recently created the Germinator Scientific Advisory Board. The board is made up of key leaders such as Dr. Roscoe M. Moore, Jr - who was an Assistant to the United States Surgeon General for five administrations.

"During these unprecedented times, the need to focus on sterilizing agents within our country's airports, public spaces, and offices in order to decrease the spread of viral pathogens such as Coronavirus is essential," states Dr. Moore. "I am extremely happy to be a part of the Germinator team and lend my expertise in public health and regulatory affairs to what I feel is an immense asset to the containment effort."

Germinator was founded by Jeff Gill in 2015, with the vision of providing a safe, effective and non-toxic method of proper sanitizing and disinfecting for businesses and households. Since February, the company has launched Germinator locations in major cities across the U.S.

The company continues to expand across the country, providing communities with a proactive solution to help free environments from harmful germs, bacteria, and viruses. With Germinator, society can now have peace of mind and the freedom to live or work in a sanitized and disinfected environment. Businesses and residents in the Greensboro area can learn more by visiting http://www.germinatorgreensboro.com or calling (336) 530-2900.
Ford Recalls Ford F-150, Ford Edge, Lincoln MKX and Lincoln Corsair







DEARBORN, Mich., Aug. 12, 2020  Ford Motor Company is issuing three safety recalls in North America.

Safety recall for select 2015-18 Ford Edge and 2016-18 Lincoln MKX vehicles

Affected vehicles have front brake jounce hoses that could rupture. A ruptured front brake jounce hose will cause a progressive brake fluid leak. If the brake fluid reservoir is depleted below a certain level, the brake fluid warning indicator light will illuminate. The driver may experience an increase in brake pedal travel, together with a reduction in the rate of deceleration, increasing the risk of a crash.

Ford is not aware of any reports of accident or injury related to this condition. This action affects 488,594 vehicles in the U.S. and federal territories, 62,876 in Canada and 7,140 in Mexico.

Affected vehicles are as follows:

2015-18 Ford Edge vehicles built at Oakville Assembly Plant from June 25, 2014, to Dec. 21, 2017 and 2016-18 Lincoln MKX vehicles built there from Nov. 11, 2014, to Dec. 21, 2017

Dealers will replace the front brake jounce hoses with new hoses that have a revised braid material. The Ford reference number for this recall is 20S42.

Safety recall for select 2020 Lincoln Corsair vehicles

Affected vehicles may have insufficient clearance between the left and right rear coil springs and the toe link bracket. This may result in a condition in which the spring and bracket touch, potentially wearing away the protective coating on the coil spring. Over time, corrosion due to removal of the protective coating may reduce the full life of the spring and may result in fracture of the spring. A fractured rear coil spring may separate from the vehicle and cause a potential road hazard for traffic following behind, increasing the likelihood of a crash for other vehicles.

Ford is not aware of any reports of accident or injury related to this condition.

This action affects 2,965 vehicles in the U.S. and federal territories, 491 in Canada and 141 in Mexico. Affected vehicles were built at Louisville Assembly Plant from Jan. 7 to Oct. 21, 2019.

Dealers will inspect the vehicles for proper clearance between the toe link bracket and rear coil spring. If needed, the toe link bracket edge will be trimmed, and a new coil spring will be installed. The Ford reference number for this recall is 20S41.

Safety recall for select 2020 Ford F-150 vehicles

Affected vehicles may have been built with an improper attachment nut used to fasten the positive battery cable (B+) to the starter motor. An improper attachment nut may not provide a secure connection to the starter or the required conductive properties. This could increase the potential for incremental heat generation during a vehicle start cycle, and electrical arcing, which could lead to a fire.

Ford is not aware of any reports of fire, accident or injury related to this condition. This action affects 431 vehicles in the U.S.

Affected vehicles were built at Kansas City Assembly Plant from June 30 to July 1, 2020.

Dealers will replace the starter motor B+ power supply attachment nut. The Ford reference number for this recall is 20S40.
Simon Harris wants to see more apprentices (Niall Carson/PA)

Employers are to be offered a 3,000 euro incentive to take on apprentices, minister Simon Harris has announced.

The jobs boost is part of the Irish Governments efforts to kick-start an economy stalled by the coronavirus pandemic.

Mr Harris said it was an exciting opportunity for people to forge brilliant careers.

The Further Education Minister added: Over 18,000 people are currently undertaking an apprenticeship across a wide range of occupations from electrical, construction and engineering roles to healthcare, information technology and financial services.

Our ambition is to see that number grow and the Government provided funding for this new incentive for employers in the July stimulus package.

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He launched the incentive at the announcement of the winners of the Generation Apprenticeship competition.

These winning teams demonstrate all that is good about apprenticeship and the key part it is going to play in Irelands recovery and our countrys future, he said.

It is a really exciting option for people of different ages, genders and backgrounds, career-changers and school-leavers, to forge brilliant careers for themselves.

Today Im announcing winners of the #GenerationApprenticeship competition - people who highlight the incredible opportunities apprenticeships have to offer our country - and also launching our new financial incentive scheme for apprentices. Take on an apprentice & receive 3,000 pic.twitter.com/55IeNqcYt4  Simon Harris TD (@SimonHarrisTD) August 12, 2020

Meanwhile, Tanaiste and Enterprise Minister Leo Varadkar said the Government intended to announce economic supports for three Midlands counties that are under localised lockdown this week.

He told the Irish Times many in Kildare, Laois and Offaly felt retail, travel and hospitality sectors will suffer since people will be slow to return.

Was at @GECinD8 this morning announcing 12m for Enterprise Centres to help companies all over the country continue to operate, adapt and expand pic.twitter.com/tpX3ghO0xp  Leo Varadkar (@LeoVaradkar) August 12, 2020

Were going to help to counteract that, perhaps through marketing funds and other things, he said.

As they pointed out to me, that if we can impose local restrictions surely we can have some additional local investment and financial support for business.
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip  Hamas military wing, Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, test-fired eight medium-range missiles into the sea of the Gaza Strip on Aug. 10.

Many Palestinian and Israeli pundits considered the missile launching as a warning to Israel that Hamas is heading for a military confrontation should the Israeli blockade on Gaza remain in place, as Hamas claims that Israel is failing to uphold truce understandings reached in October 2018.

Prior to firing rockets, dozens of incendiary and explosive balloons were launched from the Gaza Strip toward southern Israel, causing the outbreak of 30 fires in Israeli agricultural fields Aug. 10. This prompted Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz to punish Gazans by partially shutting down the Kerem Shalom commercial border crossing in southern Gaza, and prevent the entry of building material into the enclave.

The uptick in violence between Israel and Hamas comes at a time that the Qatari monthly financial assistance distributed to Gaza will cease by early September.

The Palestinian daily Al-Quds reported Aug. 10 that the head of Hamas political bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, was currently in Doha in a bid to renew the Qatari grant, which amounted to $150 million for a period of six months and was offered by the Qatari emir in March.

A Hamas official told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity that Hamas had recently informed the Egyptian mediator as well as the Qatari one that the state of calm with Israel would come to an end as the latter has failed to abide by the truce understandings, including permitting the implementation of large projects in the Gaza Strip, namely with regard to the electricity and water sectors and the temporary employment for the unemployed and recent graduates, and with regard to the industrial zone, east of Gaza City.

The official noted that the relaunching of incendiary balloons and test-firing of rockets are clear field messages that Israel must heed before the situation explodes in the Gaza Strip, in light of the extremely dire economic situation and the ongoing Israeli blockade. He noted that mediators have assured Hamas that they will take action to pressure Israel to adhere to the understandings for fear that the situation would blow up in Gaza.

He added that the contacts that have been made so far yielded little to nothing, including with regard to the renewal of the Qatari financial grant, stressing that Hamas is serious in its threats should no real and immediate progress be made in implementing the truce understandings.

This was not the first time that Hamas test-fires rockets to send military messages to Israel. In early July, Hamas launched 24 rockets with different ranges toward the sea, the biggest missile test, in a message threatening Israel about the annexation plan of the West Bank.

Daoud Shehab, head of the Islamic Jihad media office, said in a press statement Aug. 11, The blockade is not our destiny and we will not allow the blockade to become Gazas reality. The whole world must realize that the Palestinian people can turn the tables on blockage and aggression plots.

The Israeli Walla news website quoted Aug. 11 a senior Israeli security official as saying that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Gantz discussed the escalation with Hamas and following the meeting, Israel sent messages to Hamas via mediators that it is working on promoting the humanitarian projects needed in Gaza.

The report said that Israel might take some time to deliver on its promises because of the coronavirus repercussions, which make it difficult to meet with officials from other countries.

Hamas must understand that this is not a deliberate act on the part of Israel, but the product of reality, the military official said.

Noam Amir, military correspondent for the Israeli Makor Rishon newspaper, shared a tweet Aug. 11, saying, Usually every launch marks the end of production of a series of missiles but in my humble opinion, this time the missiles fired into the sea are a message to Israel that Hamas is ready for a confrontation and has already filled its [rocket] warehouses.

The escalation between Hamas and Israel affected the Israeli border towns with Gaza, where the daily incendiary balloons land. On Aug. 10, the heads of local councils in these towns urged the Israeli government to put aside political disputes and direct a harsh response against the factions in the Gaza Strip.

Retired Palestinian Maj. Gen. Yusef al-Sharaqawi told Al-Monitor that, through the test-firing of missiles, Hamas is trying to send a message to Israel that it will not hesitate to use its military strength should the Israeli government fail to adhere to the truce understandings.

Meanwhile, Rami Abu Zubaydah, researcher on military and security affairs, said the firing was meant to show that Hamas decision to break the siege was not merely media hype, and that the ongoing economic pressure facing Gaza could put an end to the state of calm.

The tense situation between Israel and Hamas continues to cast a shadow over both sides of the border, amid expectations of further escalation in the coming days as mediators have yet to take action and Netanyahus threat to the Palestinian factions that they will pay dearly.
HAMBURG (dpa-AFX) - Hamburger Hafen und Logistik AG or HHLA (HHULF.PK, HHULY.PK), a German logistics and transportation company, reported Monday that its first-half profit after tax and minority interests fell 74.2 percent to 14.1 million euros from last year's 54.7 million euros. The operating result or EBIT decreased 51.5 percent to 55.5 million euros. EBIT margin was 8.8 percent, down 7.7 percentage points from last year. EBITDA declined 27.4 percent to 140.1 million euros from last year's 192.9 million euros. Group revenue decreased 9.4 percent to 628.4 million euros from 693.7 million euros a year ago. Looking ahead, the company projects further strong decline in revenue and earnings for the 2020 financial year. The company said it has sufficient liquidity despite the strains caused by the pandemic. The available liquidity at the end of the first half amounted to 296.1 million euros, compared to 260.1 million euros last year. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
For the first time, researchers in Germany sent perovskite and organic solar cells on a rocket into space. The solar cells withstood the extreme conditions in space, producing power from direct sunlight and reflective light from the Earth's surface. The work, published August 12 in the journal Joule, sets the foundation for future near-Earth application as well as potential deep space missions.

One of the goals for space missions is to minimize the weight of equipment that the rocket carries. While current inorganic silicon solar panels used in space missions and satellites have high efficiencies, they are also very heavy and rigid. The emerging technology of hybrid perovskite and organic solar cells that are incredibly light and flexible becomes an ideal candidate for future applications.

"What counts in this business is not the efficiency, but the produced electric power per weight, which is called specific power," says senior author Peter Muller-Buschbaum of Technical University of Munich in Germany. "The new type of solar cells reached values between 7 and 14 milliwatts per square centimeter during the rocket flight."

"Transferred onto ultra-thin foils, one kilogram (2.2 pounds) of our solar cells would cover more than 200 square meters (2,153 square feet) and would produce enough electric power for up to 300 standard 100-W light bulbs," says first author Lennart Reb, of Technical University of Munich in Germany. "This is ten times more than what the current technology is offering."

In June 2019, the rocket launched in northern Sweden, where the rocket entered space and reached 240 kilometers (149 miles) in altitude. The perovskite and organic solar cells, located at the payload, successfully withstood extreme conditions on the rocket ride--from the rumbling forces and heat at liftoff to the strong UV light and ultra-high vacuum in space. "The rocket was a big step," says Reb. "Going to the rocket was really like going into a different world."

In addition to operating efficiently in space, the perovskite and organic solar cells can also function in low-light conditions. When there's no direct light on the traditional solar cell, the cell typically stops working, and the power output turns zero. However, the team discovered an energy output fueled by the weak diffuse light reflected from Earth's surface from perovskite and organic solar cells that weren't exposed to direct sunlight.

"This is a good hint and confirms that the technology can go into what is called deep space missions, where you would send them far out in space, far away from the sun, where standard solar cells wouldn't work in," says Muller-Buschbaum. "There's really exciting future for this sort of technology, bringing these solar cells into more space missions in the future."

But before launching more new solar cells into space, Muller-Buschbaum says one of the limitations of the study is the short time the rocket spent in space, where the total time was 7 minutes. The next step is to employ long-term applications in space, such as satellites, to understand the cells' lifetime, long-term stability, and full potential.

"It's the very first time these perovskite and organic solar cells ever were in space, and that's really a milestone," says Muller-Buschbaum. "The really cool thing is that this is now paving the way for bringing these types of solar cells to more applications in space. On the long run, this might also help to bring these technologies for broader use in our terrestrial environment."

###

The authors received financial support from Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, the University of Munich International Graduate School for Environmentally Responsible Functional Materials, and TUM.solar.

Joule, Reb et al.: "Perovskite and Organic Solar Cells on a Rocket Flight" https://www.cell.com/joule/fulltext/S2542-4351(20)30322-6

Joule (@Joule_CP), published monthly by Cell Press, is a home for outstanding and insightful research, analysis, and ideas addressing the need for more sustainable energy. Joule spans all scales of energy research, from fundamental laboratory research into energy conversion and storage up to impactful analysis at the global level. Visit http://www.cell.com/joule. To receive Cell Press media alerts, contact press@cell.com.
The President of Laweh Open University, Prof. Mrs Goski Alabi, has appealed to the government to employ strategies that will help reduce the cost of internet accessibility to help promote virtual learning among schools in the country.



She said due to the COVID-19 pandemic which had resulted in the closure of schools, it had become necessary for schools to adopt advanced methods such as virtual learning to ensure the situation didnt have an adverse impact on the educational system of the country.



Reduce cost of internet

Prof. Mrs Alabi noted that such advanced methods demanded internet availability, accessibility and reliability and as a result, the government needs to liaise with internet service providers to ensure the cost of internet access is reduced.



The president of the university was speaking at a press conference held in Accra recently by the Laweh Open University College to outdoor its online private leadership school.



Dubbed LAWIS, the programme is a career-driven platform developed to help equip students to be purpose-driven, creative, entrepreneurial and intellectually stimulated in a way that pushes the boundaries of traditional education.



Internet access is very expensive for education, and until the government intervenes to work with the service providers to ensure that it is affordable, it will be very difficult for a lot of people to get access, particularly the rural folks, Prof. Alabi stated.



The platform

On the online platform, Prof. Alabi said the platform was to motivate students who wanted to learn at a school that fitted their individual learning style.



She said under the programme, students who had completed junior high school would undertake 21 courses within the space of three years to get an American High School Diploma.



Also for students who had completed senior high school, Prof. Alabi said they would undertake five courses to attain such a diploma certificate.



She said although the platform offered a rigorous technologically driven and career-preparatory American High School programme based on accredited curriculum, the school also required resources to support West African Examination Council A-Level curriculum.



In addition, she said all classes were taught through online and supplements-blended instruction, utilising fully American-certified teachers.



Global classroom

Students of this novel method of instruction engage with their classmates both online and offline through interactive projects based on learning, global leadership track, clubs, study abroad and other opportunities.



Students are part of a global classroom of same courses at a benchmark against over 40,000 students daily from America and across the world, Prof. Alabi explained.



She noted that each student in such a learning environment would acquire the requisite competences, skills and experiences to prepare them to thrive in the chosen future career through their own learning style and pace.







Source: graphiconline.com









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Rodrigo Duterte has expressed 'huge trust' in Russia's efforts to stop the contagion

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte will be a guinea pig for a controversial Russian coronavirus vaccine, his spokesman said on Wednesday, as the Southeast Asian nation emerged as a frontrunner for overseas clinical trials.

Moscow says it has developed the world's first vaccine offering "sustainable immunity" against the virus and is in the final stage of tests involving 2,000 people.

However, Western scientists have previously raised concerns about the speed of development of Russian vaccines, suggesting researchers might be cutting corners.

But despite the scepticism, Manila has accepted Russia's offer to participate in clinical trials, vaccine supply and production of the drug, and Philippine health authorities said they are meeting the Russian drug developer Gamaleya on Wednesday.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said the drug was safe and that one of his own daughters had received the inoculation, dubbed "Sputnik V" after the pioneering 1950s Soviet satellite.

Duterte has also expressed "huge trust" in Russia's efforts to stop the contagion.

"I believe the vaccine that you have produced is really good for humanity," Duterte said, praising Putin.

"I will be the first one to be experimented on," he said on Monday.

Duterte's spokesman Harry Roque said that the president -- known for making controversial remarks -- was not joking.

"He's old. He can sacrifice his life for the Filipino people," Roque said.

- 27 million in lockdown -

A government technical working group was meeting officials of the Moscow-based Gamaleya research institute to discuss the scope and protocols of the clinical trials in the Philippines, health undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said.

The country of around 107 million people is scrambling to contain coronavirus infections. There have been more than 143,000 cases -- the highest in Southeast Asia after Indonesia -- and the death toll is now over 2,400.

Story continues

More than 27 million people have been under strict stay-at-home orders since last week to contain the spread of the virus in the capital Metro Manila and nearby areas.

Officials have said an extension of the two-week lockdown is unlikely as the government struggles to provide aid for the country's poorest.

Vaccine confidence remains an issue in the country.

The Philippines in 2016 was the first nation to use dengue vaccine Dengvaxia in a mass programme, but a botched rollout led to claims several dozen children had died after being vaccinated.

Duterte last year banned the drug after a nationwide panic among parents, although a government-commissioned investigation found no conclusive proof that Dengvaxia was to blame and the drug's manufacturer Sanofi has always denied the claims.

The World Health Organization said 20 countries have licensed the dengue vaccine for widespread use.

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Linkedin M. Taufiqurrahman, Dian Septiari and Trin Indah Oktavianti (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, August 12, 2020 13:21 525 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066d66ff5 1 World ASEAN,discourse,Retno-Marsudi,multilateralism,COVID-19,pandemic,recovery,ZOPFAN Free

Multilateralism is facing an uphill battle during the COVID-19 pandemic, which to some extent has prompted nations to pursue their own interests, rather than common ones. Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi recently talked with The Jakarta Posts deputy editor-in-chief M. Taufiqurrahman about Indonesias diplomacy during the pandemic and endeavors to promote multilateralism.

Question: How has the pandemic affected relations between great powers and how will Indonesias diplomacy respond to these rivalries?

Indonesia will remain steadfast in its free and active foreign policy. All great powers are important and strategic partners for Indonesia. We will not allow ourselves to be forced to take sides.

Indonesia will consistently urge all parties to refrain from provocative rhetoric and action, intensify dialogue, and peacefully settle their differences. It sounds very cliche but I continue to convey this message to our partners.

Southeast Asia must remain a region of peace, freedom and neutrality and I convey this to my ASEAN foreign minister colleagues in line with the spirit of the ZOPFAN [Zone of Peace, Freedom and Neutrality] declaration. Our neighbors and partners must continue to uphold the principle enshrined in the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation.

Indonesia will also continue promoting the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific to ensure the regional dynamics contribute to regional peace, security and prosperity. This is especially important as we are recovering from the impact of COVID-19 pandemic.

What is your view regarding weakening trust in multilateralism and how can we rebuild it?

We are going to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the United Nations, and this is an opportunity for us to push a reform, and developing countries must have a say on this reform.

Indonesia continues to believe in the virtue of multilateralism. I recalled in April, Indonesia co-initiated the UN General Assembly resolution on global solidarity to fight against COVID-19, which underlined the role of the UN.

Last month, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution No. 2532 after such a long process. [The resolution] demanded immediate cessation of hostilities in all conflict situations and a humanitarian pause in all situations in its agenda and support undertaken by the [UN] secretary-general and his special representatives and special envoys.

How has Indonesia capitalized on its membership in some UN bodies to promote international cooperation against COVID-19?

This month, Indonesia holds the presidency of the UN Security Council. One of the signature events of our presidency will be a high-level open debate on the pandemic and challenges in sustaining peace. It will explore how the council can do better to support conflict-impacted countries during this pandemic.

At the UN Human Rights Council, the council president adopted a statement on the human rights implications of the COVID-19 pandemic. It involves the Indonesian proposal on the importance of equitable access to health products especially diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines.

Next year, Indonesia will become a member of the UN Economic and Social Council. We will use it as a platform to promote economic recovery.

How has this pandemic changed the way Indonesia conducts diplomacy?

We have had no option but to adjust our foreign policy. On top of the existing 4+1 priorities, there are several immediate priorities.

First, protection of Indonesian citizens abroad. This includes ensuring those who are infected receive appropriate care and facilitating their voluntary return to Indonesia.

Second, filling the shortages of medicine and medical supplies, as well as supporting the development of potential vaccines.

Third, economic recovery. Our foreign policy must work to support this and it is a daunting task for every diplomat now. Due to the pandemic, we dont convene to traditional diplomacy; diplomats are the ones who should adapt and enhance their knowledge regarding the matter.

What is your view on the impact of COVID-19 on women? Is there a role for women to play in addressing this pandemic and its impacts?

This issue has been regularly discussed at female foreign minister meetings. I have always underlined the need for hitting the reset button in our approach. Any interventions, any policies must always consider both women's vulnerabilities and the potential, so providing protection and involving women is part of the solution.

First, the pandemic has disproportionately affected certain vulnerable groups including women. Many do not have sustainable incomes in the informal sector and are deprived of access to social protection schemes, proper health care and much of the socioeconomic stimulus provided by the government. At the same time, isolating at home during the pandemic has reportedly increased their vulnerability to domestic violence.

Second, women can be an important part of the solution. Women make up more than 70 percent of global medical workers. In Indonesia, women own more than 64 percent of micro, small and medium Enterprises. Many of them diversified business during the pandemic to produce masks, protective gear and other things.

In your opinion, what are the key issues for Indonesias economic recovery?

There are three issues that need to be highlighted. First, it is important for countries to keep the markets open for investment. Non-tariff barriers that hinder the movement of goods and services must be lifted. Indonesia was constantly delivering this message in the first few months of the pandemic.

Second, the travel bubble may hold the key to reactivating economic and business relations between countries. Many countries have explored this as they relax restrictions of movement and gradually open their borders, but not at the expense of health.

Third, economic integration  regional comprehensive economic partnerships (RCEP) included. Indonesia has been underlining the importance of signing an RCEP at the ASEAN Summit this year.
Samantha Jones, left, has been sentenced to three and a half years in prison after she stabbed her husband to death. (AFP via Getty Images)

A British woman who fatally stabbed her husband in Malaysia has avoided the death penalty.

Samantha Jones, 54, pleaded guilty to a lesser charge on Monday and was sentenced to three and a half years in prison.

Her husband John William Jones, 62, was found dead in the couples resort home on 18 October, 2018.

On Monday her lawyer Sangeet Kaur Deo said prosecutors had reduced the original murder charge to culpable homicide, which is murder without intent, after the defence appealed to the attorney-generals office.

In Malaysia a conviction for murder carries a mandatory death sentence by hanging.

She is very relieved having come to terms with what happened that night and for the court to understand what happened that night. She didnt intend for this to happen, her lawyer said after the hearing in Alor Setar in the northern state of Kedah.

In addition to the jail sentence, Jones was also fined 10,000 ringgit (1,800).

Samantha Jones, left, escorted by a police officer for a previous court appearance in October 2018. (AFP via Getty Images)

Jones, originally from Somerset, was charged with her husbands murder two years ago after his body and a bloodstained kitchen knife were found in the property.

Police say Jones confessed to stabbing her husband in the chest during a heated argument.

Wearing a mask and handcuffed, Jones was escorted by police into the courthouse on Monday.

The couple moved to tropical Langkawi island 11 years ago under the Malaysia My Second Home programme, which gives foreigners long-staying visas.

Sangeet Kaur Deo, the lawyer for Samantha Jones, said the defendant had pleaded guilty to a lesser charge and avoided the death penalty. (AP Photo)

British woman Samantha Jones, right, was detained in October 2018 after the death of her husband in Malaysia. (AP)

Her lawyer said the couple, who had been married for 17 years, were devoted to each other but Jones was struggling with physical violence by her husband.

Unfortunately, Samantha found herself at the receiving end of abuse, the lawyer said.

She supported John through various therapies to address certain problems that he had, none of which worked obviously, until that unfortunate night when things took a turn for the worst.

She has accepted the fact that she needs to serve the sentence. She acknowledged the fact that a life is lost and I think she is looking forward to her own recovery because this was indeed a traumatising event for her.

The lawyer added that Jones, who has spent 20 months in detention, could be released as early as the end of next year with one-third off the sentence for good behaviour.

In 1989, Derrick Gregory, from Ealing, London, was hanged in Malaysia after being convicted of drug smuggling.
HALIFAXThe mother of a man who died in a Halifax police jail cell in June 2016 asked a judge Wednesday to impose the strictest penalty possible on two special police constables found guilty of criminal negligence in his death.

In her victim impact statement during a sentencing hearing in Nova Scotia Supreme Court, Jeannette Rogers said she is seeking a strict penalty because living every day without her son is like a life sentence without the possibility of parole.

A medical examiner determined Corey Rogers, who was intoxicated, died of suffocation on June 16, 2016, while lying in a narrow individual cell with a spit hood covering his mouth as he appeared to be vomiting.

Two hours  thats how long my son lay on the floor of the cell alone, deceased with a covering over his head, Rogers told the court. How can that happen when the policy of the Halifax police department is to do 15-minute rousability checks on every prisoner?

Daniel Fraser and Cheryl Gardner were found guilty by a jury in November of criminal negligence causing death. Rogers addressed both of them directly Wednesday in the courtroom.

Maybe the name of your prisoner-care facility should be changed to we dont care facility because there certainly was no care given to Corey that night, she said. Because you both decided not to do your jobs that night my son is dead.

Rogers said her son would have been better off in the drunk tank where at least one of the other detainees could have taken the hood off when they noticed he had vomited into it. If you could take just one day, hour, or minute of my grief I would gladly exchange it for whatever your sentence will be.

Crown attorney Chris Vanderhooft asked the judge for two-year prison sentences for Fraser and Gardner. He said both failed in their duty of care by not seeking medical attention for Rogers and the sentence should reflect the principles of denunciation and deterrence.

Vanderhooft said Rogers, who was an alcoholic, was vulnerable the night he died and was treated in the worse way by the state.

Special constables are appointed as peace officers by the police department for specialized duties such as booking prisoners, but they are not considered police officers. Vanderhooft said that distinction shouldnt be made in this case.

The clear authority given to special constables in the acceptance of prisoners into their care ... places them, once they take a prisoner, in the highest position of trust, he said. They now have the life and safety of that prisoner on their watch.

During the trial, the jury was shown video of Rogers, 41, heaving in a cell while wearing the spit hood. The mask prevents prisoners from spitting on guards, but also comes with instructions warning against leaving it on a highly intoxicated person who may vomit.

In their submissions to the court, Fraser and Gardners defence lawyers called for a suspended sentence, arguing their clients were not properly trained by the police department in the use of spit hoods and also lacked the tools to properly assess the medical needs of prisoners.

Gardners defence lawyer, Ron Pizzo, said it was manifestly unfair to hold someone to a higher standard when they havent been given what they need to discharge that standard.

Both defendants addressed the court briefly Wednesday, expressing remorse for what happened.

Im deeply sorry for how this has affected the family, said Gardner. If Id known then what I know now things would have been different.

Fraser said through his job he had gotten to know Rogers for quite a while and had nothing against him.

Knowing what I knew that night with my training, with my experience, I cant think of anything I would have done differently, Fraser said. In hindsight of course, I look back and see things that could have been done differently.

Justice Kevin Coady reserved his decision on sentencing until Monday.

Hours before his death, Rogers was arrested outside a Halifax hospital where his wife had given birth to their child the day before.

Evidence was presented during the trial indicating he was extremely impaired after rapidly drinking half a bottle of whisky and that police saw him consume the liquor.

The arresting officers testified they placed the hood on Rogers face after he was spitting in the police car on the way to the station.

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SPRINGFIELD  Police are warning residents of the latest scam involving someone pretending to be from the Social Security Administration after at least one person was victimized recently.

The caller claimed the victims Social Security Number was being used fraudulently to launder money and drugs and they had to make immediate payments to the government or face arrest, said Ryan Walsh, police spokesman.

The victim then received a second call for someone who had spoofed their number and had it appear as the Springfield Police Department phone number on caller identification. That caller told the victim to purchase gift cards and read off the numbers. They were then to turn themselves into police, he said.

People are advised not to answer any number they dont recognize and instead let the caller leave a message. Residents can then figure out the veracity of the call from the message. Walsh also offered other advice to help people avoid becoming a victim to a scam.

Police or any government agency, including the Internal Revenue Service or the Social Security agency, will never demand payment over the phone and will never ask for payment through any type of gift card or I-Tunes card, Walsh said.

Springfield Police or any law enforcement will speak to people who are wanted in person, never over the phone.

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Since the pandemic started and all classes were canceled, students and teachers have come up with innovative ways of using Google tools to optimise online learning. Google is now adding more features to make things better for them.

Google has announced a whole bunch of new features it is bringing to Google Meet and Google Classroom to help support online learning and online teaching as both students and teachers keep working from home.

Since the pandemic started and all classes were canceled, students and teachers have come up with innovative ways of using Google tools to optimise online learning. Google is now adding more features to make things better for them.

Whats coming to Google Meet

1. More control for moderators in Meet

Over the next few months, Google is going to give the moderators of education meetings more controls to manage their virtual classes. Here are the new capabilities, arriving in September, that moderators will have:

- Prohibit participants from joining meetings after theyve been ejected for any reason or have been denied entry twice. This feature is coming in by later this month.

- End meetings for all participants once the online class is over.

- Manage join requests in bulk to accept or reject them.

- Disable in-meeting chat and set restrictions on who can present during a meeting.

- Lock meetings until the moderator joins.

2. More interactivity

Features that allow you to interact with your teachers or with students are invaluable at this point in time since that increases engagement from both parties. For teachers, it helps them understand that the student is paying attention and for students too it helps get their potential questions and doubts clarified.

Google is adding features under interactivity is various phases. In September users will get larger tiled views with a 7x7 grid so you can see up to 49 students at once and a collaborative whiteboard with Jamboard in Meet so teachers can encourage students to share ideas and try creative approaches to lessons.

Later in October, users will get options to blur or replace backgrounds so everyone feels more comfortable during distance-learning classes. Admins can disable custom backgrounds as needed.

In the same month, Google is also adding attendance tracking that will help teachers see and track which students attended virtual class (G Suite Enterprise for Education). Breakout rooms will also be added so as educators can split classes into simultaneous small group discussions (G Suite Enterprise for Education).

And later this year, Google is going to add a hand-raising option that will help students out if they have a question or need a doubt clarified. They are also adding new Q&A features to provide a way for students to ask questions without disrupting the flow of the class discussion or lesson, and polling to engage students to share their voice (G Suite Enterprise for Education).

Additionally, later this year Google is launching a new temporary recordings feature which will be available to all Education customers for free (premium recordings will still be part of G Suite Enterprise for Education).

With this feature, any meeting host can record the meeting and share the recording within their domain for up to 30 days before the video expires. These recordings cannot be shared outside their domain or be downloaded.

The promotion for access to premium Meet features like live streaming and meetings with 250 participants will be ending on September 30, but education users will have continued access to premium recordings until temporary recordings are made available later this year.

Whats coming to Classroom

1. Keep a tab on upcoming work

While both students and teachers have taken these new online challenges in their stride and have overcome them, it can still get a little confusing trying to keep up with what needs to be done and when - particularly when it comes to assignments.

The new to-do widget. (Google )

To help instructors and students better discover and track their work in Classroom, the Classes page will soon have a to-do widget for students and a to-review widget for teachers.

2. Easier ways to join classes

In addition to sharing course join codes, educators can now share a link to join classes easily. This link-sharing allows educators to share classes anywhere they communicate with students, including on messaging platforms such as WhatsApp.

Share links for classes easily and on any platform. (Google )

3. Enhanced originality reports

Originality reports are built into Classroom and Assignments, provide educators with flags for potential plagiarism in the work they are reviewing and also help students identify passages that may need citations. Google is making these two features better.

The number of originality reports that educators can use per class are being raised from three to five (Educators with G Suite Enterprise for Education licenses will continue to get unlimited originality reports).

Educators will also be able to save, download and print these reports to share with students, parents and administrators as needed. And educators and students will be able to run originality reports on Google Slides, in addition to Google Docs soon and in multiple languages, including Spanish, Portuguese, Norwegian, Swedish, Indonesian and Italian.

4. Check for potential plagiarism between students

So far, originality reports pull up matches for potential plagiarism by checking them against hundreds of billions of web pages and over 40 million books. Now, instructors with G Suite Enterprise for Education licenses will be able to see potential plagiarism between students at their school.

In a few weeks time, Googles originality reports will check submissions against a private, school-owned repository of past student work to look for student-to-student matches besides the usual trove of web pages and books.

Better plagiarism check. (Google )

Student submissions get automatically added when instructors use originality reports in Classroom. And if admins want to actively manage the repository, they can manually add files or remove documents.

Google does not have access to or the ability to use this repository and its owned and used solely by the school domain.

5. More visibility and tools for Classroom admins

Google is rolling out additional tools for admins who want to troubleshoot Classroom issues or gain deeper insights into usage across their domain. All Education admins will have access to Classroom audit logs. Admins with Enterprise license will be able to export logs to BigQuery or create a customisable dashboard on Data Studio to see a slate of engagement metrics soon.

6. Classroom is now available in more languages

Google will be launching Classroom in 10 additional languages, including Bengali, Telugu, Marathi, Tamil, and Urdu. Classroom will soon be supporting over 54 languages globally with more languages being added in the future.

7. More support from Google partners

With the new features in Google Classroom, many apps are also launching new features that make them easy to use with Classroom. Apps like Canva, Adobe, Achieve3000, Nearpod, Screencastify etc can be used in collaboration with Classrooms to learn better.

More Classroom features coming soon

In the coming months, Google will provide a more detailed roadmap to help education leaders and teachers understand and prepare for other improvements that will keep getting added to Classroom throughout the school year.

Some of these include -

- Student engagement metrics: Educators will be able to see stats that help track how students are interacting in Google Classroom each day.

- Deeper integration with other teaching tools: With Classroom now playing a role as mission control for many classes, Google will be enabling more seamless integrations with the content and learning tools schools are using alongside Googles tools.

- Mobile offline improvements: Google working to update the Classroom mobile apps to work much better even with intermittent connectivity.

- Integrated admin capabilities for deploying and managing Classroom: Provisioning classes for an entire school system can be time-consuming, especially given the scale in many cases, so Google is building integrated tools to make it easier to create and manage courses at scale.

You can check out the detailed blog Google has put out on this, here.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-12 20:51:13|Editor: huaxia

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KAMPALA, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- At least three people were killed and four others rescued after a boat capsized in the western Ugandan district of Kabale on Tuesday, a police spokesperson said on Wednesday.

Elly Maate, Kigezi regional police spokesperson, said in a statement that seven residents of Katete Nkora were travelling along Hakyabatunga stretch when their canoe capsized on Lake Bunyonyi at around 6:40 p.m.

"The seven people, while traveling on a canoe, were hit by a strong wave that forced it to overturn," said Maate.

"All the said occupants on board fell into water but four of them were rescued by residents who were traveling on the same lake. The remaining three drowned and their bodies are yet to be recovered," he said.

The group was returning home from Kyevu, Nyamiryango parish in Butanda sub-county after a youth elections interaction.

The police spokesperson said search efforts are underway to recover the bodies of the deceased.

"Efforts are underway by the police and local divers from the community to trace and recover the bodies of the three persons," said Maate.

It is believed that the deceased were not wearing life jackets when travelling on water. Enditem




THE Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority (Zera) has warned service stations not using their own offshore funds against charging fuel in forex only.





Zera said it is illegal for service stations that buy fuel using local currency to refuse to accept all forms of payment including mobile money platforms from motorists. The energy regulator said it is now working with law enforcement agencies to ensure compliance in the sector so that every motorist has access to fuel.





The development comes amid concerns from motorists in the country who are failing to fuel their vehicles as most service stations are demanding payment in forex.





In response to written questions, Zera chief executive officer Engineer Eddington Mazambani, said only operators who would have used their own offshore funds to source fuel may sell the product in the currency of their choice.





He said all operators are compelled to prove that they indeed used their own foreign currency sources to buy fuel should they be caught selling in foreign currency.





It is illegal to refuse to accept all forms of payment (if fuel was purchased using local currency) and Zera is working with law enforcement agencies to ensure compliance in the sector. Only operators who would have used their own offshore funds to source fuel from the traders may sell the product in the currency of their choice, said Eng Mazambani.





He said the country is saving about 20 percent on all fuel imports through blending.





While not giving exact figures, he said the savings are in the form of scarce foreign currency which would have been paid to fuel traders.

The blending programme is indeed viable. Fuel blending is a Government programme which is in synch with regional and global trends as countries are shifting towards cleaner, renewable and environmental friendly fuels, he said.





National Oil Company of Zimbabwe (NOIC) chairperson, Engineer Daniel Mackenzie Ncube said there must be a law that compels service stations to implement dual pricing. He said dual pricing using the interbank rate of the day should be considered for ordinary people without access to foreign currency.





We must see a pricing policy which enables motorists to buy using swipe or any other form of payment using local currency at the prevailing interbank exchange rate. We not saying service stations should run at a loss, no, we want dual pricing because we all dont have access to foreign currency, he said.





Eng Ncube said the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe must give a directive on the issue of dual pricing.




The American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living published a report on Wednesday stating that nursing homes in the U.S. have experienced an alarming spike in new COVID-19 cases due to a community spread among the general population.

With the recent major spikes of COVID cases in many states across the country, we were very concerned this trend would lead to an increase in cases in nursing homes and unfortunately it has, said Mark Parkinson, president and CEO of the AHCA and NCAL. This is especially troubling since many nursing homes and other long-term care facilities are still unable to acquire the personal protective equipment and testing, they need to fully combat this virus.

The report is based on data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services which showed that coronavirus cases in nursing homes considerably increased in July after having dropped significantly throughout the month of June.

The AHCA and NCAL represent more than 14,000 nursing homes and assisted living communities across the country that provide care to approximately five million people each year.

Given the fact we are several months into the response of this pandemic and the lack of PPE supplies is still an issue is very concerning. We request governors and state public health agencies to help secure and direct more PPE supplies to nursing homes and assisted living communities, especially N95 masks, Parkinson wrote in a letter to the National Governors Association.

Using data from Johns Hopkins University, AHCA and NCAL released a state-by-state breakdown showing 33 states with a positive coronavirus test rate of higher than five percent and data from CMS indicating many nursing homes are still facing significant PPE supply shortages, especially for N95 masks and gowns.

American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living charts

Massachusetts by comparison has not been hit quite as hard with 376 nursing homes showing 2.6% positive testing over seven days, according to the data from Johns Hopkins University.

However, three Massachusetts nursing homes have received initial termination notices from MassHealth for failing to meet the states safety standards during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a statement, the Executive Office of Health and Human Services reported that all three failed to meet several safety standards set forth as part of the states Accountability and Support program in which long-term care facilities were audited.

By the fourth round of audits, 94% of facilities were in adherence, but some remain ill-equipped to safely care for residents, according to EOHHS.

Built in the 1950's the Holyoke Soldiers' Home needs renovation and expansion said families of current veteran residents and those who died during the COVID-19 spread.

Holyoke Soldiers Home, a long-term care facility for veterans lost 76 residents, a third of its population, during the first outbreak that erupted in March.

Lead members of the Holyoke Soldiers Home Coalition called on the facility to publicize its plan to head off a second outbreak after regular testing among staff and residents yielded 11 positive results. However, there was consensus by infectious disease experts that these were positive results due to the previous contagion not evidence of new infection, according to an EOHHS spokesperson.

Parkinson is also urging Congress for an additional $100 billion for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Provider Relief Fund citing that a sizeable portion of the fund could be dedicated to helping nursing homes and assisted living communities to acquire resources associated with protecting vulnerable residents and staff from the virus, including constant testing, PPE and staff support.

Without adequate funding and resources, the U.S. will end up repeating the same mistakes from several months ago. We need Congress to prioritize our vulnerable seniors and their caregivers in nursing homes and assisted living communities in this upcoming legislation, Parkinson said.

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The United States has circulated a revised draft resolution that seeks to indefinitely extend a United Nations arms embargo against Iran.

The move on August 11 by the United States is aimed at gaining more support in the 15-member UN Security Council.

But it is seen as unlikely to overcome opposition from the Security Councils veto-wielding permanent members Russia and China.

U.S. Ambassador Kelly Craft said the new draft takes council views into account and simply does what everyone knows should be done -- extend the arms embargo to prevent Iran from freely buying and selling conventional weapons.

It is only common sense that the worlds #1 state sponsor of terror not be given the means of unleashing even greater harm on the world, Craft said in a statement.

Reuters reports that the new text is just four paragraphs and would extend a weapons ban on Iran "until the Security Council decides otherwise."

It also states that indefinite extension of the arms embargo is "essential to the maintenance of international peace and security."

The 13-year-old arms embargo is due to expire in October under the 2015 nuclear deal that Iran made with Russia, China, Germany, Britain, France, and the United States -- a deal for sanctions relief in exchange for security guarantees aimed at preventing Tehran from developing nuclear weapons.

The previous U.S. draft resolution was more than a dozen pages long and was described by diplomats and analysts as "maximalist."

It would have required countries to inspect cargo going to or coming from Iran. It also included an annex of individuals and entities for targeted sanctions.

Richard Gowan, who monitors UN developments for the International Crisis Group, says there is a good chance the U.S. draft resolution will fail by August 14.

"Don't let the brevity of the new U.S. draft fool you, Gowan said on Twitter. The key point is that it authorizes an indefinite extension of the Iran arms embargo ... and China and Russia will *not* like that."

The United States has asked council members for comments by the morning of August 12. The council is operating virtually -- so once a vote is called, members have 24 hours to submit their response.

Based on reporting by AP and Reuters
Pastor David Platt asks for prayers after pandemic delays adoption of son

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As the coronavirus pandemic has halted most adoptions from outside the U.S., megachurch pastor and author David Platt is asking Christians to pray that their third adopted child, who turned 4 on Sunday, would come into their family soon.

Today was my sons 4th birthday. But I havent met him yet. We were 5 days away from going overseas to adopt him when travel to his country shut down in early February, Platt, the lead pastor of McLean Bible Church in Vienna, Virginia, wrote on Twitter.

For the last 6 months, Ive been pleading every single day for a way to go to him. As a dad, I would do anything possible to make that happen, continued the author of Radical.

Platt, who at one point was the youngest megachurch pastor in the United States, added, I woke up this morning to new pictures of him in his orphanage, and then I read the first verse that just so happened to be in my Bible reading plan. Jesus told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart  Luke 18:1.

The former leader of the Southern Baptist Conventions International Mission Board then urged Christians to pause for a moment, pray for J.D., and ask God to make a way for him to come into our family.

The National Council for Adoption says over 110,000 children are adopted in the U.S. every year. This includes international adoptions, but their numbers have been far lower. The council estimates that the number of overall adoptions has gone down tremendously due to COVID-19.

International adoptions  are effectively at a standstill, leaving many families in a painful holding pattern, according to The Wall Street Journal.

In 2019, Americans adopted 819 children from China, 298 from Ukraine, 244 from Colombia, 241 from India, 166 from South Korea, 134 from Bulgaria, 130 from Haiti, 116 from Nigeria and 94 from the Philippines among other countries, according to the State Department.

In late January, Platt told The Christian Post, My family and I are about to adopt our fifth child next week. Two of our kids are adopted and this will be our third child that we have adopted.

He said his family was doing an international adoption but he couldnt yet publicly disclose which country the child is from.

At the time of his interview with CP, Platt was a speaker at the annual March for Life where he talked about the harms of abortion.

Platt stressed that there was a need to show the dark realities of whats happening to children and shine a light on the effects of that on women. He urged churches to come alongside women who have abortions in their healing process.

We have many women in our church who have had abortions, he explained. We have outlets where we are doing ministry with them as they walk through a healing process from having an abortion. We have got to make sure we are addressing this issue holistically and not just saying, OK, let me make this political statement and move on. There is so much more.

Platt said he doesnt remember exactly what year the Lord convicted him on the abortion issue, but said that he had already been a pastor for a few years at that time. I just kind of dodged abortion altogether, he explained. I had to repent before the Lord for sitting idly by and not doing anything personally or pastorally to mobilize people to see the value of life according to Gods Word.
Then-Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and then-Crown Prince Muhammad bin Nayef in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on December 14, 2016. Bandar Algaloud/Saudi Royal Council

Since becoming Saudi Crown Prince in June 2017, Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) has moved to eliminate threats to his reputation and rule from activists, journalists, and royals alike.

Now he is trying to bury the remaining threats posed by the man he usurped, Mohammed bin Nayef, by accusing him of corruption and treason.

Bin Nayef, who worked with US intelligence against al-Qaeda, is a darling of the US, and lawmakers are calling on the Trump administration to help release him.

Another member of the old guard with strong ties to the US is suing MBS. Saad al-Jabri accused him of sending a hit squad to kill him in Canada.

The backlash from the corruption charges, the attempt on al-Jabri's life, and the lawsuit are weighing heavily on MBS.

But if the threats can be silenced, MBS will have banished the most vocal threats to his legitimacy to date.

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, also known as MBS, has been Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler for just over three years. In that time he has fast-tracked a string of domestic reforms that have made the country almost unrecognizable.

Those developments, however, have been undermined and overshadowed on the world stage by his relentless appetite for crushing threats to his legitimacy.

A journalist was murdered, activists have been silenced, dissidents living in exile were hacked or threatened, and royals have been jailed and made to bend the knee.

After each strike, the international community has, by and large, condemned MBS. But each time the headlines disappeared, business returned to normal.

Now, MBS is attempting once again to silence dangerous threats to his rule, and this time the fallout could be far more severe.

MBS's ascent to power was not routine. Over the years his father, King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud, gave MBS more responsibility, and in June 2017, eventually agreed to cast then-Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef aside in favor of him.

Story continues

Many welcomed the self-branded reformer prince, but were concerned nonetheless by the clinical nature of his rise.

Now MBS wants to tie up the loose ends and protect his reputation.

Silencing people who know too much

The first and biggest threat to MBS's rule is bin Nayef himself, a favorite of the US and the sole rallying point for opposition to MBS's claim on the throne. Bin Nayef is the nephew of King Salman, and cousin to MBS.

Then-Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef in Ankara, Turkey, in September 2016. Ahmet Bolat/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

The second is bin Nayef's top associate, the former Saudi intelligence chief Saad al-Jabri. He has been living in exile in Canada since MBS became crown prince in June 2017.

Both of these men have strong followings in the US, and have enough information about the Saudi regime to damage MBS's standing, perhaps irretrievably. Al-Jabri worked in Saudi intelligence for 40 years before he fled.

Bin Nayef has been effectively under house arrest since he was ousted as crown prince in June 2017, according to The New York Times, and is now monitored by guards loyal to MBS, according to The Wall Street Journal.

On March 6, 2020, MBS had bin Nayef formally arrested and accused of plotting to seize the Saudi throne from King Salman and MBS, The Journal reported.

Saudi investigators have also accused bin Nayef of embezzling $15 billion through shell companies he had managed to fund counterterrorism operations between Saudi and US intelligence agencies, though it's not clear how they got this figure, The Washington Post reported.

His $5.6 billion family fortune has also been frozen.

MBS's 'Tiger Squad'

Earlier this month, al-Jabri sued MBS in a US federal court in Washington, DC. In a shocking lawsuit, the former intelligence officer claimed that MBS had sent a hit squad  known as the "Tiger Squad"  to assassinate him in Canada in 2018.

Since al-Jabri fled Saudi Arabia in 2017, MBS has made fruitless, sustained attempts to bring him home to give evidence about bin Nayef's dealings, lawyers for al-Jabri wrote in the claim.

On September 10, 2017, MBS texted al-Jabri to say he would enforce measures that "would be harmful to you" if he didn't come home, according to the lawsuit.

The Kingdom Centre Tower in Riyadh in 2017. Reuters

As a close associate and former colleague of bin Nayef, al-Jabri would likely be incriminated, and jailed alongside the ex-crown prince in the corruption case.

But al-Jabri may not even make it to court. A Canadian intelligence source told the Globe and Mail last week that Saudi agents had made an attempt on al-Jabri's life in the wake of the court filing.

A corruption charge 'plays well with Saudi audiences'

Whether or not the corruption allegations are true, bin Nayef and his circle are already inflicting substantial damage to MBS's reputation on the world stage, and MBS is scrambling to silence them.

"What this campaign will achieve is to put corruption allegations over MBN and his associates to damage their public impression as honest and men of integrity," Umer Karim, a visiting fellow at the Royal United Services Institute, told Business Insider. (MBN is a popular nickname for Mohammed bin Nayef.)

"We see this corruption tactic plays well with Saudi audiences as has been the case in Ritz," he said, referring to the 2017 purge where hundreds of royals were detained in the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Riyadh, accused of corruption, and made to swear allegiance to MBS.

Mohammed bin Salman and Mohammed bin Nayef in Riyadh in October 2016. Bandar Algaloud/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

"There's an understanding within Saudi ruling circles that people like al-Jabri need to remain quiet, and it's them who are changing or damaging Saudi image abroad," Karim said.

"Therefore, attempts are now being made to push corruption allegations to taint his image and portray him as a person whose own record is not 100% right."

Dr. Kristian Ulrichsen, a Baker Institute fellow for the Middle East at Rice University, told Business Insider that the corruption trial is an attempt to further smear bin Nayef's reputation back in Saudi Arabia.

"It is likely that any trial against him would be an attempt to ensure that MBN is neutralized within Saudi Arabia," he said.

"It is likely that MBS can ensure that a verdict is delivered, which does do that, but he cannot control what happens internationally, and that is probably a major concern."

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo shakes hands with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on September 18, 2019. Bandar Algaloud/Reuters

MBS's enemies are darlings of the US

Bin Nayef and al-Jabri are especially favored in the US, which makes it harder for MBS to destroy them.

Both worked closely with US intelligence agencies during the War on Terror in the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks.

George Tenet, the former head of the CIA, once called bin Nayef "my most important interlocutor."

US lawmakers from both parties have met the two men's causes with sympathy, and bin Nayef's reputation in Washington is causing MBS headaches.

"We need to know right now where he is and if he is safe," Rep. Francis Rooney, a Republican from Florida, tweeted of bin Nayef on July 16, 2020, after The Washington Post published a report detailing his charges.

Rep. Jim Himes, a Democrat from Connecticut, also tweeted: "It is not OK for the Trump administration to ignore the disappearance of one of our strongest counterterrorism allies, Mohammad bin Nayef."

Crown Prince Mohammed in Riyadh. Saudi Press Agency

Al-Jabri too has earned the backing of the US.

"Saad al-Jabri was a valued partner to the US on countering terrorism," a State Department spokesperson told Business Insider this week.

"Saad's work with the United States helped save American and Saudi lives. Many US government officials, both current and former, know and respect Saad."

Americans are comparing MBS to Mohammed bin Nayef

Ulrichsen, of Rice University, told Business Insider: "Officials in Washington and London have long held MBN in high regard for the results he obtained and the cooperation he extended on security and defense issues, and have contrasted those results and cooperation with what they see as an alarming decline since MBN was ousted."

As an example, Ulrichsen cited the killing of three US cadets by a Saudi gunman on US soil in December 2019. The terror cell al-Qaeda  which bin Nayef worked with the US to bring down  had claimed responsibility.

An aerial view of Naval Air Station Pensacola in Florida. US Navy/Patrick Nichols/Handout via Reuters

A long line of silenced Saudis

Bin Nayef and al-Jabri are the latest in a long line of people MBS has tried to silence abroad.

Jamal Khashoggi, a vocal critic of MBS's reforms who fled to the US, was brutally murdered by Saudi agents in October 2018. The CIA later concluded that MBS ordered the hit.

Other Saudi critics in exile in the UK, Norway, and Canada  namely Omar Abdulaziz, Iyad al-Baghdadi, and Ghanem al-Dosairi  have reported of their families targeted, their phones hacked, and their lives threatened.

But as criticism continues to pile up at MBS's door, one thing is assured: unless something drastic changes, he will become King of Saudi Arabia when his father dies. King Salman is 84.

"The succession will be instant to MBS, he needs no further steps upon the passing of the King to assume the monarchy," Ali Shihabi, a Saudi politics expert who serves on the board of MBS's $500 billion mega-city project NEOM, told Business Insider.

A demonstrator dressed as Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman with blood on his hands outside the Saudi Embassy in Washington, DC, on October 8, 2018. JIM WATSON/AFP/Getty Images

Karim, from RUSI, told Business Insider: "This is all about altering MBN's perception as a clean operator at home and tainting those who have worked for him."

"Of course, if the King were to pass away and MBS succeed to the throne without any opposition, the campaign against MBN and al-Jabri might abate."

"So long as MBS is still the Crown Prince he may feel he has to take MBN out of the equation to ensure his eventual succession."

Read the original article on Business Insider
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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
It took two years and $11 million, but eventually ranchers, politicians and scientists came to a consensus about how to prevent flooding in Tillamook, a coastal Oregon town. A recent study by Portland State University researchers examining the social factors involved in this decision-making process showcases how environmental justice can be served when affected parties have a seat at the table. The study was published in the journal Natural Hazards.

For this study, Melissa Haeffner, assistant professor of environmental science & management, and PhD candidate Dana Hellman interviewed people involved in the decision to see how they came up with a plan to stop flooding while balancing the needs of individual people and protection of both society at large and the environment.

Tillamook sits at the confluence of five rivers that merge as they run off into the ocean. Heavy rains in the coastal mountains cause these rivers to flood, especially at high tide when water is also pushing up from the ocean.

"All of that flood water has to go somewhere," says Haeffner.

With flooding becoming more frequent and more hazardous at a particular site in Tillamook, something had to be done.

"You can't stop flooding from happening, but you can try to get the water out so it's not standing and destroying buildings, Highway 101 and other infrastructure," says Haeffner. The goal was to come up with a flood mitigation strategy that was sustainable both for the environment and for the people living near the site.

However, in the past, federal agencies made decisions about flood mitigation without consulting local people, leaving ranchers from Tillamook dairy farms feeling disenfranchised.

"There was a strong opinion among locals that a lot of federal money was going into these large projects and the money was being wasted," says Haeffner.

To prevent a similar scenario, then-Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber brought in Oregon Solutions, a third-party mediation group based at PSU, to facilitate a collaborative decision-making process.

Haeffner found that in addition to instilling trust among the various stakeholder groups, a crucial part of the process was making sure that all parties understood the science underlying the flooding and the potential strategies for stopping the floods.

No matter what strategy was implemented, two landowners would have to lose some of their land for any flood mitigation strategy to work. This was a potential problem because these landowners were members of the Tillamook Dairy Co-op, which has a policy that prevents ranchers from giving up land. Thus, impacted ranchers had to convince others in the co-op that some land loss was necessary to stop the flooding.

"One of the ranchers that I talked to felt like he should have a PhD in hydrology right now because he had to get up, milk the cows, do his ranching and then, at the end of the day, he would study the plans," says Haeffner.

In fact, because the impacted ranchers understood the science so well, they were able to come up with their own flood mitigation proposal that participants eventually agreed upon.

"It ended up being called a land owners alternative, and they completely reversed the power dynamic from the top down," says Haeffner. The ranchers received compensation for their land, which became an ecologically restored salt marsh that helps prevent flooding.

"What I found most interesting was that most people thought it was a success," says Haeffner. "From my studies, all over the world, I've never seen that before."

The entire process took two years of deliberation, weekly or biweekly meetings between local residents, state agencies, and federal agencies as well as the involvement of the Governor.

According to Haeffner, this case study shows just how much time, effort, and even money it takes to undo decades of harm and distrust between groups.

"That the project cost over $11 million and took two years of intensive dialogue to get to a place where landowners regained some decision-making power -- procedural justice -- shows exactly what we are up against when we think about truly social sustainability," says Haeffner. "And if this is what it took to make transformative change in this community, just think of what we have to do to realize environmental justice and regain trust in our most vulnerable communities."

But the fact that transformational change was possible in this situation is equally important. "This case study also offers a ray of hope -- that it can be done," says Haeffner.

###
Filling your home with pheromones that appeal to cats and dogs could be the key to a harmonious relationship feline friend and pet pooch, a new study discovered.

Animal behaviour experts from the University of Lincoln examined the impact of different scents on the relationship between different types of household pets.

The new research, led by Professor Daniel Mills and Dr Miriam Prior, explored the effects of two different pheromone products on cat-dog interactions in homes.

Feliway Friends, which emits pheromones that are calming for cats and Adaptil, which does the same for dogs can both be used to create a better environment.

They found that while both chemicals improved overall harmony, Adaptil actually led to positive behavioural changes in dogs which likely made cats more open to forming social bonds with their canine housemates.

Filling your home with pheromones that appeal to cats and dogs could be the key to a harmonious relationship feline friend and pet pooch, a new study discovered

The team from Lincoln worked with pet owners who have cats and dogs under the same roof and said there was 'room for improvement' in the animal relationships.

DOG FRIENDLY PHEROMONES LEAD TO BETTER HARMONY Researchers found that both dog and cat friendly pheromones helped in terms of pet household harmony. They both led to a reduction in negative behavioural traits. However, dog friendly pheromones actually led to an increase in positive behavioural traits in dogs. This improved overall harmony more than thee cat friendly pheromones. The team suggest this was due to a reduction in the number of times the dog chased the cat. This led to the cat being more open to creating a social bond with the dog. Advertisement

The results show that both products had a positive impact on the interactions between cats and dogs living in the same home.

Over a six week period, both products led to a notable decrease in undesirable interactions between the two typical pet species.

This included dog chasing cat, cat hiding from dog, cat and dog staring at each other, and dog barking at cat.

Users of Adaptil even observed a significant increase in some desirable behaviours - friendly greetings between cat and dog, and time spent relaxing in the same room.

'We believe this is the first study of its kind to explore the use of pheromone products to improve the relationship when the two species are living in the same household,' explained Professor Mills.

'Seven per cent of households in the UK own both a cat and a dog, which represents a large number of pet owners and their animals living with potentially stressful animal relationships on a day-to-day basis,' he explained.

'Many cat and dog owners report that their animals are comfortable in each other's company, but where this isn't the case, a poor relationship between a resident cat and dog can have serious consequences for the welfare of individual animals.'

The team say this could be revealed as an unacceptable level of social stress or restricted access to resources such as food, water or toilet areas.

'There will also be increased stress for the remainder of the family (both human and animal), and potential risks of injury due to conflict,' Mills said.

A problematic relationship between a new pet and an existing pet is one of the main reasons for cats and dogs being taken to shelters for rehoming, experts claim.

The pet owners involved in this new scientific trial reported weekly on the frequency of 10 specific undesirable interactions and seven specific desirable interactions between their cats and dogs.

They were split into two groups - one group using Feliway Friends and the other using Adaptil, with the pheromones supplied in unlabelled packaging and randomly assigned by an independent staff member.

This was so that neither the participants nor the researchers knew which product was being trialled in each household until after the statistics had been collected.

They found that while both chemicals improved overall harmony, Adaptil actually led to positive behavioural changes in dogs which likely made cats more open to forming social bonds with their canine housemates

The researchers were aware that in many households, the comfortability of the cat seems to have a stronger influence over the quality of the cat-dog relationship.

It could therefore be seen as surprising that it was the product releasing dog pheromones which was seen to increase specific desirable interactions.

Miriam, a Lincoln-based vet said Feliway Friends should have in theory been more effective as cat comfort is usually more important in their relationship with dogs.

'This did not appear to be the case. Our results might be explained by the behaviour of the dog being the primary determinant of the cat's quality of interaction with it.

'We would like to investigate this further to really tease out the effects of these pheromone products individually and also to investigate their use in combination with each other,' said Miriam.

'We suggest that Adaptil may have had such a beneficial effect because a more relaxed dog may be less likely to disturb the cat, resulting in a cat that is less stressed and more willing to form some form of social bond with the dog.'

The Lincoln University study involved products provided free of charge with no condition on their use by Ceva Animal Health - but they didnt fund the research.

The findings have been published in the journal Frontiers in Veterinary Science.
Selena Rivera-Apodaca was arrested at the Hyatt Regency, Boston on Tuesday morning for an alleged armed robbery of a man she met through a dating app, according to the Boston Police Department.

According to the victim of the robbery, he and 24-year-old Rivera-Apodaca of Kent, Washington met in the lobby of the hotel before making their way to her hotel room.

They spoke for approximately half an hour before Rivera-Apodaca pulled out a taser and started to go through his pockets. The victim told police that she had taken more than $100 from his pockets before he was able to escape the room and find help.

He notified the hotels security staff who in turn called police. Boston police received the radio call at roughly 11:50 a.m. and met with the man in the lobby.

When the police arrived at the room the alleged robbery took place in, Rivera-Apodaca not only denied knowing the man making the allegations but started to Facetime with another person while the officers were in the room.

Rivera-Apodaca was arrested after the pink taser was found in her luggage. She is expected to be arraigned in Boston Municipal Court on the charge of armed robbery.

Dating App Disaster Ends Up in Female Suspect Arrested for Armed Robbery in Boston. https://t.co/dWgtoavWwM  Boston Police Dept. (@bostonpolice) August 12, 2020

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CLEVELAND, Ohio -- One reason President Trump can be happy Joe Biden announced Sen Kamala Harris will be his running mate, is it took press attention away from the fact that his executive order on Covid relief is nuts, at least in one major aspect.

Issuing the orders Saturday, President Trump announced there would be a $400 unemployment aid bonus. Not only was it not a renewal of the $600 bonus that expired August 1, it wasnt even really $400. The amount is actually $300, with states left to provide an additional 25% ( $100 ) when many cant afford to.

I dont know if the president is genuine in thinking the executive order is a resolution or if this is just a tactic in the the negotiation. But this is irreconcilable for the state. And I expect this is just a chapter in the book of Washington COVID mismanagement, said New York Governor Andrew Cuomo

Unlike the previous chapter on the first Covid relief deal reached between Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, House Speaker Rep Nancy Pelosi and Minority Leader Sen Chuck Schumer, this time Mnuchin is also negotiating with new White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows. Meadows, along with Rep Jim Jordan, is a cofounder and former co-chair of the House Freedom Caucus, which stirred past government shutdowns.

Ohio is among the states that cant afford to contribute the 25% share Trump and Meadows are requesting. So Ohioans unemployed due to Covid will be receiving $300. Any additional aid thrown in by the state will be buckeyes.
Inc. magazine today revealed that SwanLeap is No. 190 on its annual Inc. 5000 list, the most prestigious ranking of the nations fastest-growing private companies. The list represents a unique look at the most successful companies within the American economys most dynamic segmentits independent small businesses. Intuit, Zappos, Under Armour, Microsoft, Patagonia, and many other well-known names gained their first national exposure as honorees on the Inc. 5000.

SwanLeaps 4th consecutive appearance on the Inc. 5000 is a testimony to the success of our approach to transform the way companies think about their supply chains, shared SwanLeap CEO, Brad Hollister. Established in 2013, SwanLeap is an end to end logistics technology company that delivers immediate value through visibility, speed, and control. Best known for its world-class Transportation Management System, the company offers comprehensive solutions from procurement to settlement in the product lifecycle. Hollister continued, our teams passion for driving process improvements and solving complex problems for shippers is what fuels SwanLeaps continued growth.

Not only has SwanLeap marked four years on the list, but the Madison, Wisconsin based tech company held the #1 spot for 2018 and has appeared in the top 200 since 2017. The companies on the 2020 Inc. 5000 are very competitive within their markets and the list as a whole shows staggering growth compared with prior lists as well. The 2020 Inc. 5000 achieved an incredible three-year average growth of over 500 percent, and a median rate of 165 percent. The Inc. 5000s aggregate revenue was $209 billion in 2019, accounting for over 1 million jobs over the past three years.

Complete results of the Inc. 5000, including company profiles and an interactive database that can be sorted by industry, region, and other criteria, can be found at http://www.inc.com/inc5000. The top 500 companies are also being featured in the September issue of Inc., available on newsstands August 12.

The companies on this years Inc. 5000 come from nearly every realm of business, says Inc. editor-in-chief Scott Omelianuk. From health and software to media and hospitality, the 2020 list proves that no matter the sector, incredible growth is based on the foundations of tenacity and opportunism.

The annual Inc. 5000 event honoring the companies on the list will be held virtually from October 23 to 27, 2020. As always, speakers will include some of the greatest innovators and business leaders of our generation.

CONTACT:

Ben Weger

608-709-2656

pr@swanleap.com

More about Inc. and the Inc. 5000

Methodology

The 2020 Inc. 5000 is ranked according to percentage revenue growth when comparing 2016 and 2019. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2016. They had to be U.S.-based, privately held, for profit, and independentnot subsidiaries or divisions of other companiesas of December 31, 2019. (Since then, a number of companies on the list have gone public or been acquired.) The minimum revenue required for 2016 is $100,000; the minimum for 2019 is $2 million. As always, Inc. reserves the right to decline applicants for subjective reasons. Companies on the Inc. 500 are featured in Inc.s September issue. They represent the top tier of the Inc. 5000, which can be found at http://www.inc.com/inc5000.

About Inc. Media

The worlds most trusted business-media brand, Inc. offers entrepreneurs the knowledge, tools, connections, and community to build great companies. Its award-winning multiplatform content reaches more than 50 million people each month across a variety of channels including websites, newsletters, social media, podcasts, and print. Its prestigious Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to recognize the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. The global recognition that comes with inclusion in the 5000 gives the founders of the best businesses an opportunity to engage with an exclusive community of their peers, and the credibility that helps them drive sales and recruit talent. The associated Inc. 5000 Conference is part of a highly acclaimed portfolio of bespoke events produced by Inc. For more information, visit http://www.inc.com.
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In the last few days, India's three large private financial firms - HDFC, Axis Bank and ICICI Bank - chose the qualified institutional placement (QIP) route to raise Rs 35,000 crore, cumulatively, to meet their needs during such stressful times of the COVID-19 pandemic.

ICICI Bank raised around Rs 15,000 crore while housing finance major HDFC and private lender Axis Bank raised Rs 10,000 crore each via QIP.

In the calendar year 2020, besides these three firms, the market has seen 10 QIPs so far from firms including Info Edge (India), Kotak Mahindra Bank, Avenue Supermarts and Bharti Airtel.

While QIP is a tool for fundraising from the market, it is available to only qualified institutional buyers that are mostly large institutional investors. Of late, the market has seen a rush to tap funds from them.

Not only QIP, but companies are also opting for other routes such as rights issues, too, to boost their cash reserves during the COVID-19 pandemic and consequent economic fallout.

Amid the COVID-19 outbreak, India's equity capital market is seeing plenty of fundraising, setting 2020 on track to become the best year on record for share sales, Mint reported.

Lenders in stress?

Can QIPs by heavyweight lenders, such as HDFC, Axis Bank and ICICI Bank, be seen as them facing credit crunch?

"It is not about credit crunch for top lenders as they are able to garner funds through the deposit and CASA. This round of fundraising is largely to build an adequate capital buffer for uncertain times," said Jaikishan Parmar, Senior Equity Research Analyst, Angel Broking.

"The slowdown in economic activity led by lockdown has severely impacted MSME and few sectors. Banks are building adequate capital if slippage increases from the current level post moratorium end in august. Most of the banks are not sure what quantum of loans will slip into GNPA from moratorium book or stressed book once the RBI moratorium period completes," Parmar added.

Lenders, it seems, will have to endure a lot in days to come. While credit growth is falling, the threat of swelling NPAs is growing as there is still uncertainty on the part of pandemic and economic recovery.

The 21st issue of the Financial Stability Report (FSR), July 2020 of the Reserve Bank of India, presented a grim picture of the status of Non-Performing Assets (NPAs) in India.

The stress test conducted by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is indicative of the fact that the challenging situation posed by COVID-19 could result in the Gross Non-Performing Assets (GNPA) increasing to 12.5 percent by March 2021 as against 8.5 percent in March 2020.

As per Standard and Poor's estimates (June 2020), gross NPA could rise to 13-14 percent for India.

However, large private sector banks look well-positioned to endure this pain and that is the reason, analysts disapprove of the idea of avoiding them completely.

"Investors should not blankly avoid the full sector, as the sector has few operationally well-managed companies and in an uncertain environment, investors can buy top banks at a lower valuation," Parmar pointed out.

He is of the view that in this environment, the ability to raise sufficient liquidity at a competitive rate, capacity to absorb expected provision for bad loans and adequate capital adequacy will determine the performance of the bank going forward.

"The concern for the financial sector for the next 2 to 4 quarters would be lower growth and possibility of deterioration in asset quality," said Parmar.

The views and investment tips expressed by investment experts on Moneycontrol.com are their own and not that of the website or its management. Moneycontrol.com advises users to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions.
Ontario schools are set to open in just a few weeks, but theres still a lot of uncertainty for those students who rely on school buses for daily transportation.

School boards across Ontario have started to ask parents and guardians whether their kids will be opting for remote or in-class learning this fall amid the COVID-19 pandemic, but families who depend on school buses, and the drivers who operate them, have concerns. School buses are often crowded, with sometimes three kids per seat. How will physical distancing be enforced? How will classroom bubbles impact student transportation? Will more buses be required to meet needs?

The Ontario School Bus Association told the Star it expects some of its drivers  especially those who are older than 60  to opt out and not come back to work in September. However, theres also an expectation that the need for the buses will be much lower than before, with some parents expected to opt for remote learning or find alternative transportation means.

Driver retention has always been an issue and it continues to be an issue. And this fall its going to be a little bit more problematic than in most years, said Nancy Daigneault, the associations executive director.

Were working on trying to recruit and retain as many drivers as we can, and we believe theres going to be fewer people who will opt to use the buses this year because theyre concerned about COVID, so were going to have to take it day by day.

According to some guidelines from Ontarios ministry of education, school buses will require cleaning and sanitizing twice a day  following the morning and afternoon runs. Personal protective equipment (PPE) will be provided to the drivers and theyll get some basic training on how to use it.

The initial plan was to have one student per seat on the bus, but Daigneault said that may not be possible as many regions of Ontario moved into Stage 3 of reopening, which could lead to more parents feeling safe enough to register their kids for the in-class option. That would result in the buses needing to accommodate more students.

Right now its all very fluid in terms of knowing how many students will be on each bus, she said, noting there have been some informal surveys over the course of the summer that suggest there could be around 30 per cent fewer students opting to take the buses this year.

The lack of adequate information on this issue is leaving parents and even school bus drivers concerned.

Katie Piccininni, whose 11-year-old son is heading into Grade 7 in the Toronto Catholic District School Board, said the government seems to be more preoccupied with asking whether kids will opt for online or in-person classes rather than ensuring the safety of students, teachers and school bus drivers.

As parents we dont understand how school busing is going to be safe, she said. She usually drives her son to school but as a member of the Ontario Association of Parents in Catholic Education, shes heard many parents expressing frustration about the lack of details on student safety.

Its a very stressful situation, she said. If they dont have the details, then perhaps ... do we have to start right after Labour Day?

Chris Hausen, 54, is a long-time school bus driver in the Kingston area. He said he usually has about 60 kids on the bus and has not seen any adequate plans on how to safely do his job during a pandemic.

I cannot see how social distancing will be possible to follow, he said.

Driving a school bus in regular times can be overwhelming, he pointed out, with overcrowding and emotional conflicts that can occur at any time between passengers. Throwing in the responsibility to monitor the students is unfair for the drivers, many of whom are seniors and at a higher risk of contracting the coronavirus, he added.

Premier Doug Ford and education minister Stephen Lecce recently announced that Ontario plans to spend just over $300 million on various school reopening initiatives. Of those funds, about $40 million will be directed toward cleaning and sanitizing of school buses.

Each bus will have a visor separating the driver from students entering and exiting the bus, but the driver can remove the visor once the students are in their seats, Daigneault explained. Masks will be required for kids from Grade 4 and up, except for those with health conditions.

We are trying to offer as many reassurances as possible, she said, noting a lot could change between now and the first day of school. But parents can rest assured that when school starts the bus service will be there.

Earlier this year TDSB had announced plans to adjust the start time at over 100 of its schools, an effort that was believed to cut 55 buses off the transportation fleet and save the board around $2.5 million.

TDSB spokesperson Ryan Bird told the Star in an email that these plans are still being worked out and that a final decision on the matter will be made based on the number of students who will be returning to school as well as those who will need busing.
With the announcement of 16 new positive tests Wednesday, Manitoba continued a four-day run of new highs for its number of active COVID-19 cases.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 12/8/2020 (524 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

With the announcement of 16 new positive tests Wednesday, Manitoba continued a four-day run of new highs for its number of active COVID-19 cases.

After spiking at 163 on April 4, the province logged a steady decline and plateau through mid-July. The climb began again July 19-20, and has now reached 202 active cases, health officials said.

After watching the number of new cases rise in the Southern and Prairie Mountain health regions this month, while Winnipeg recorded few, the tables turned Wednesday.

Of the 16 new cases, only four are part of the Brandon cluster of cases in the Prairie Mountain health region, one is in the Interlake-Eastern region, and one is in Southern Health. Ten were reported in the Winnipeg region.

The majority of the Winnipeg cases are related to travel and close contacts, according to preliminary investigations by public health.

In an advisory, officials warned of potential exposure to COVID-19 on flights on Aug. 3-4:

 Air India Flight AI 121 to Frankfurt, Germany, from New Delhi on Aug. 3. Affected rows include Nos. 30 to 36;

 Air Canada Flight 873 to Toronto from Frankfurt on Aug. 4. Affected rows include Nos. 32 to 38;

 Air Canada Flight 271 to Winnipeg from Toronto on Aug. 4. Affected rows include Nos. 19 to 25.

All passengers on international flights  and anyone returning to Manitoba from points east of Terrace Bay, Ont.  should be self-isolating for 14 days and getting tested if symptoms develop, officials said.

Stay informed The latest updates on the novel coronavirus and COVID-19 delivered to your inbox every weeknight. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement.

The majority of Prairie Mountain coronavirus cases reported Wednesday are linked to previously announced cases in Brandon, health officials said. They would not specify how many of the four cases are in Brandon or if they're workers at the city's Maple Leaf Foods plant, which public health officials have identified only as "a Brandon business."

In a news release, they repeated a familiar line: "Case investigations are ongoing; when they are completed, additional information will be provided as needed to inform of any public health risks."

Ontario-based Maple Leaf, which has been providing updates on the number of infected workers, did not respond Wednesday when asked if any of the new cases are employees at the Brandon plant.

The current five-day COVID-19 test positivity rate dropped to 1.06 per cent from 1.27 per cent Tuesday. The total number of lab-confirmed positive and probable positive cases in Manitoba is 578, with 368 who've recovered and eight who have died.

An additional 1,554 laboratory tests were completed Tuesday, bringing the total number of tests completed since early February to 105,661.

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca
LED & OLED lighting products and display manufacturers are investing in potential applications for agriculture and intelligent street lighting following government initiatives in the Middle east.

DUBAI, UAE / ACCESSWIRE / August 12, 2020 / Future Market Insights: The Middle Eastern LED & OLED lighting products and displays market is anticipated to cross a US$ 7.1 Bn valuation through the projection period from 2015 to 2025. The covid-19 pandemic has negatively impacted the market owing to a shortage of electronic components owing to production shut down in multiple countries including China. On the other hand, potential disinfection applications with UV LED products will create growth opportunities.

"The Middle-East LED and OLED lighting industry is expected to remain resilient to market fluctuations. Regional governments will help in maintaining stable investments, while private investments will continue to grow, particularly in hospitality sector applications," says the FMI analyst.

For more insights into the Market, Request a Sample of this Report@ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-eu-1253

LED & OLED Lighting Products and Displays MEA Market - Primary Takeaways

LED lamps are expected to reflect a high growth rate, propelled by demand for alternatives to conventional incandescent lights in the region.

Commercial applications of LED and OLED lighting products and displays are gaining traction, supported by changes in government regulations, and lighting standards.

Saudi Arabia is displaying widespread adoption of LED & OLED lighting products and displays owing development of smart lighting and li-fi systems in the region.

LED & OLED Lighting Products and Displays MEA Market - Growth Factors

Indoor farming, light based wi-fi, and smart sunlight applications are generating niche application opportunities in the middle east.

Major investments from the Gulf Co-operation Council towards industrial and commercial lighting boost market prospects.

LED & OLED Lighting Products and Displays Market - Major Constraints

Higher costs of purchase and installation in comparison to conventional lighting reduces adoption, particularly in rural areas.

Growing competition from linear fluorescent and circadian lighting hurts market prospects.

For information on the Research Approach used in the Report, Request Methodology@ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/askus/rep-eu-1253

The Projected Impact of Coronavirus

The coronavirus pandemic is likely to result in increasing prices of LED and OLED lighting products and displays in the Middle East. In addition, suspension of production activity in the electronics sector in multiple countries, will hurt supplies of components required to produce LED and OLED lighting products and displays around the globe. However, recent research on UV-based LED products for disinfection applications during the pandemic will generate substantial opportunities for growth within the industry.

Competition Landscape

The Middle East LED & OLED lighting products and displays market comprises players including but not limited to LG Display Co. Ltd., GE Lighting, Zumtobel Group AG, OSRAM Light AG, Toshiba Lighting and Technology Corp., Daktronics Inc., and Barco N.V.

Players in the Middle East LED and OLED lighting products and displays market are pushing for the expansion of production capacities, and product innovations to widen the scope of application to multiple verticals.

For instance, Rexton Technologies has opened the largest LED technologies production facility of the Middle East and North Africa sector in Sharjah. Barco N.V. has unveiled a new range of LED-based video and presentation control systems with 4k technology. OSRAM Light AG has developed a new LED lighting product for automotive applications in dense fog conditions.

Request Special Price for this Report to our Sales Executive@ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/request-special-price/rep-eu-1253

More About the Study

The FMI study provides detailed insights on LED & OLED lighting products and displays market. The market is broken down in terms of type (solar, conventional, mobile display, consumer TV display, outdoor LED display), and end use (residential and commercial) across two key regions (GCC and Levant).

Explore Future Market Insights Coverage of the Electronics, Semiconductors and ICT Industry

Head Mounted Display Market: Find insights on the head mounted display market with segment analysis, statistics, influencing factors, players and key strategies adopted by market players for a 6-year forecast period.

Russian IT Software and Services Market: FMI's report on the Russian IT software and services market offers details on the market between 2014 -2020. The study covers influencers, revenue sources, market leaders, and strategies.

E-Tailing Solutions Market: Get an in-depth analysis on the e-tailing solutions market with insights on growth levers, opportunities, policies, restraints, regional markets and market leaders.

About Future Market Insights

Expert analysis, actionable insights, and strategic recommendations of the experienced research team at FMI helps clients from across the globe with their unique business intelligence requirements. With a repository of more than thousand reports and 1 million+ data points, the team has studied the electronics, semiconductors, and ICT sector across 50+ countries for over a decade. The team provides unmatched end-to-end research and consulting services. Reach out to explore how we can help.

Contact

Mr. Abhishek Budholiya

Unit No: AU-01-H Gold Tower (AU), Plot No: JLT-PH1-I3A,

Jumeirah Lakes Towers, Dubai,

United Arab Emirates

MARKET ACCESS DMCC Initiative

For Sales Enquiries: sales@futuremarketinsights.com

For Media Enquiries: press@futuremarketinsights.com

Report: https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/middle-east-led-oled-lighting-products-displays-market

Press Release Source: https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/press-release/middle-east-led-oled-lighting-products-displays-market

SOURCE: Future Market Insights

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/601311/LED-OLED-Lighting-Products-and-Displays-Market-in-the-Middle-East-Propelled-by-Carbon-Reduction-and-Smart-Urbanization-Initiatives-says-Future-Market-Insights
As the case fatality rate of covid-19 in India dropped below 2% and recoveries touched 70% on Tuesday, the union health ministry said that a Joint Monitoring Group will soon come up with a guidance note for recovered patients for possible complications that may afflict them.

The Joint Monitoring Group with domain experts is working under the Director-General Health Services (DGHS).

As there is a fast progress in the area of vaccines against covid-19 globally, the government also said that it has made projections for funding the procurement of a possible vaccine.

In this context, a high-level government committee chaired by NITI Aayog member (health) Vinod K. Paul will meet states and manufacturers on Wednesday to discuss means to fund, procure and plan logistics of covid-19 vaccines when they are approved and commercialised.

The government has formed a National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration which is scheduled to meet tomorrow (Wednesday). This group will be chaired by NITI Aayogs member health...," health secretary Rajesh Bhushan said on Tuesday.

The Health Secretary also the Vice-Chairman of the expert group which will hold a meeting tomorrow with the terms of reference as  methodologies for selecting a suitable vaccine, procurement and delivery of vaccines, prioritization of groups for administering vaccine, related logistics like cold chains and inventories, financial implications and so on. The issue of requirement of vaccine and the various modalities of funding the procurement of a possible vaccine have been engaging the attention of the Ministry of Health for quite some time now. There have been internal consultations which are still going on. We have consulted a number of stakeholders and have also made certain projections", Bhushan said.

As the total tally of covid-19 cases breached the 23 lakh mark, the Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday discussed the current situation and plan ahead for tackling the covid-19 pandemic via video conferencing with representatives of 10 states including Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Punjab, Bihar, Gujarat, Telangana, and Uttar Pradesh having high caseload.

The Prime Minister during the meeting discussed about the challenges and pressure faced by hospitals and health care workers.

Bhushan presented an overview of covid-19 cases in the country, noting that the rate of growth of cases in some states is higher than the average rate, and requested the States to focus on optimal utilization of testing capacity.

Bhushan apprised the PM that these states, namely, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telengana, Punjab, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal have also recorded about 81% of the deaths related to covid-19.

There is a need for reporting accurate mortality figures and also talked about perimeter monitoring of containment zones with the help of local communities," Bhushan said.

The total recoveries have jumped to 15,83,489 with 47,746 covid-19 patients were discharged in the last 24 hours. The actual case load of the country is the active cases (6,39,929) which is about 28.21% of the total positive cases. They are under active medical supervision, the union health ministry said.

The Case Fatality Rate (CFR) of covid-19 has been low when compared to the global average. It has fallen below 2% today, currently standing at 1.99%.

Taking note of the increasing recovery rate and declining case fatality rate, the Prime Minister said that target of bringing down the fatality rate below 1% can be achieved soon.

The Prime Minister said if we are able to identify the cases in the initial 72 hours, then the spread of the virus can be slowed down.

There is a need to trace and test all those who had come in contact with an infected person within 72 hours. This should be followed like a mantra, with the same earnestness as washing hands, maintaining do gaz doori, wearing masks etc,," Modi said.

Mentioning the preparation of a roadmap for tackling the pandemic together with Delhi and nearby states, the prime minister said that the main pillars of this strategy were segregation of containment zones and focus on screening, especially of those in high risk category.

Modi noted that Delhi, Ghaziabad, Gautam Buddha Nagar, Jhajjar, Faridabad, Sonepat and Gurgaon have not only seen substantial increase in recoveries, but also decrease in the number of deaths and active cases.

During the meeting the Chief Ministers requested Modi for further guidance by the Union Health Ministry for conducting sero-surveillance, while also suggesting the setting up of an integrated medical infrastructure in the country.

The Health Secretary also stated, the national average of tests per million has reached 18,320; while 24 states and UTs have done more tests than the national average.

Leroy Leo contributed to the story

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Linn Energy

Oil climbed to near a five-month high after an industry report pointed to a third straight weekly drop in American crude stockpiles.

Futures in New York rose past $42 a barrel after losing 0.8 percent Tuesday. The American Petroleum Institute reported inventories fell by 4.01 million barrels last week, according to people familiar with the data.

The improving picture in the U.S. overshadowed lingering concerns about the coronaviruss impact on demand. Indias oil product consumption was still down 12 percent compared to a year earlier in July, as the nation continues to grapple with the virus, while Japans gasoline demand is showing renewed signs of weakening.

Oil has battled its 200-day moving average for the last week, with prices kept in check amid ongoing uncertainty over the trajectory of the demand recovery from the pandemic. At the same time, OPEC+ is adding barrels back to the market, though the U.S. picture is more uncertain. The Energy Information Administration revised down its production forecast for this year on Tuesday but the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries own forecasts suggest American producers are ramping up output.

West Texas Intermediate added 2 percent to $42.44 a barrel as of 7:41 in Midland.

Both crude markers are regaining ground amid expectations for a drop in U.S. oil inventories, said Stephen Brennock, analyst at PVM Oil Associates Ltd. Market players are cheering the easing U.S. oil glut but the upside will be capped by nagging fiscal uncertainty in Washington.

Saudi Arabia will grant the oil supply asked for by refiners next month, while also accommodating some requests for reduced volumes of its lighter grade. Some had sought to take less Arab Extra Light crude with more affordable alternatives available, including crude from the Permian.

American crude production will be 11.26 million barrels a day this year, the EIA forecast, down from Julys 11.63 million estimate. Gasoline and distillates stockpiles also fell last week, the API said, while inventories at the Cushing storage hub rose by 1.1 million barrels.
The Electoral Commission (EC) says there are minors and foreigners among the 16.9 million persons it has so far registered to vote on December 7.



This comes days after the Commission patted itself on the back for the successful completion of the voters registration exercise.



Last week, the EC during its weekly update assured it is on course to deliver a credible elections with a register comprising only Ghanaians.



But addressing the media, Chairperson of the EC, Jean Mensa who made the revelation said, measures are in place to clean up the register before the December polls.



We are aware that a number of minors have found their way on to the register and we are confident that the challenge process initiated at all districts throughout the country will help deal with this illegality and rid the register of those who do not deserve to be there, she said.



The compilation of a new voters register, which was met with strife opposition from various civil society organizations and stakeholders was characterized by a handful of violence by supporters of the two major parties in the country.



Among other allegations, members of these political parties had accused each other of aiding minors and foreigners to partake in the exercise.



From gunshots at various registration centres to physical assaults, the exercise had resulted in the death of two people, countless injuries and arrest.



As worrying as the situation had been, the Electoral Commission continues to touts the overall success of the exercise which was finally wrapped up with a two-day mop-up exercise on Saturday, August 8, and Sunday, August 9, 2020.



Speaking during todays Let the Citizens Know forum, Mrs Mensa expressed optimism that the register which would be used in the December polls will reflect only Ghanaians.









Source: Joy News









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Featured Video
MIAMI - A last-minute battle is unfolding over the fate of a former paramilitary warlord who the Colombian government wants returned following a long drug sentence in U.S. prison.

Salvatore Mancuso, the top commander of a since-disbanded group of right-wing militias, completed a 12-year cocaine trafficking sentence in March.

He remains in U.S. custody as Colombia  where courts have judged him responsible for more than 1,500 acts of murder or forced disappearance  fights a U.S. order that would send him to Italy, where he also has citizenship.

Mancusos lawyers contend he would be killed if he returns to a South American country that has struggled to heal from decades of bloody conflict. They argue he has already fulfilled his obligations under a 2003 peace deal he negotiated, which caps prison terms at eight years for paramilitary bosses who confess their crimes.

The many victims Mancuso left behind say at stake is the justice that has long been denied them. Colombian officials also complain that denying their request that Mancusco be deported back home would be a high-profile snub to a staunch ally that suffered a decades-long civil conflict that left 260,000 dead and millions more displaced. The carnage was made worse by U.S. demand for Colombian cocaine, which funded illegal armed groups including Mancusos United Defence Forces of Colombia, known as AUC.

Successive conservative governments have sent several thousand Colombians to face drug trafficking charges in the U.S. Mancuso is among the highest profile, having directed the manufacture and shipment of more than 138,000 kilograms of cocaine, according to his U.S. plea agreement.

Removing him to Italy would be a repugnant betrayal for victims said Jose Miguel Vivanco, the Americas director for Human Rights Watch. If the Colombian government is honestly committed to justice for atrocity crimes, it should exhaust all legal avenues to take Mancuso back to Colombia, hold him to account and prevent this humiliation to victims.

The fight underscores the unfinished business of the paramilitary peace process, known as Justice and Peace, that led to the demobilization of 30,000 right-wing fighters but fell way short of its ambitious goal of truth telling and reconciliation.

Those wounds resurfaced this month when Colombias Supreme Court ordered the arrest of former President Alvaro Uribe as it investigates whether he helped bribe witnesses to keep a lid on suspicions that have long swirled about his own relationship with paramilitary groups.

In 2008, the far-right Uribe stealthily extradited Mancuso and 13 other warlords to face drug charges in the U.S. His critics say the shock move, an apparent peace accord violation, was an attempt to silence the men just as they began to reveal secrets about their crimes and politician collaborators  including Uribe, who as a governor in the 1990s backed the creation of legal, armed groups to protect ranchers land from leftist guerrilla fighters.

With me they extradited the truth, Mancuso told Colombian media shortly after his arrival in the U.S. in 2008.

On April 16, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security ordered Mancusos removal to Italy, according to two people close to Mancuso who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the private administrative proceeding.

But that deportation didnt happen. In June, U.S prosecutors requested on behalf of their Colombian counterparts that the 55-year-old Mancuso be extradited to Colombia to serve a 27-year sentence for the 1997 kidnappings of two relatives of a top leftist rebel commander, according to U.S. court records. Armed AUC fighters dressed as Colombian police carried out one abduction at a flower shop while, at the same time in a separate operation, commandos posing as prospective home buyers raided the residence of the other victim.

Mancuso, who according to the extradition request was in phone contact with one of the captors right after the raids, later took responsibility for the kidnappings during the peace process. Both captives were later killed.

Colombia withdrew its extradition request last month and the U.S. case was closed. While the government gave no reason for its sudden reversal, it appears that Mancusos Miami-based attorney, Joaquin Perez, outmanoeuvred prosecutors.

Last year, a judge in the capital, Bogota, granted Mancuso probation in Colombia. The judge said Mancusos years in U.S. prison satisfied the requirements of the Justice and Peace law, which allows alternative sentences of up to eight years to be served abroad. She cancelled the arrest orders on July 15; Colombia withdrew its extradition request five days later.

But the countrys president still says he wants Mancuso returned and prosecutors still seek his arrest for other crimes, though they arent recognized as offences under U.S. law because they stem from his position atop AUCs chain of command  not specific orders he gave.

The Colombian chief prosecutors office said Tuesday that it continues working to seek Mancusos extradition. In a statement, it said a second extradition request depended on a judge handling a case in which Mancuso is suspected of money laundering that occurred after his demobilization. In 2018, the judge suspended proceedings in the case.

Mancusos apparently solid legal standing hasnt stopped Colombian officials from demanding his arrest. And in a country with a notoriously weak, corrupt and maze-like judiciary, it doesnt take much for a freelancing judge to issue an arrest order.

Colombian President Ivan Duque has said the time Mancuso served in the U.S. for drug trafficking cannot be credited against his sentences for crimes against humanity back home.

The second he steps on Italian soil, I will personally make a request to the International Criminal Court that he be tried for these crimes, Duque said in a recent interview with Bogotas Semana magazine.

Some critics believe Duques government may just be going through the motions.

Opposition Sen. Ivan Cepeda said Duque  whose political mentor is Uribe and whose supporters include politicians who were jailed for ties to the AUC  has little to gain from the warlords return.

You have to be really naive to believe that an involuntary bureaucratic mistake is what is blocking the return of the person who knows the most about the history of the paramilitaries, said Cepeda, who has travelled to the U.S. to meet Mancuso on behalf of victims.

The leftist Cepeda, who is Uribes top accuser and whose father was killed by soldiers in co-ordination with paramilitaries, pledges to hold congressional hearings about how in his view Colombia bungled the extradition request.

Formed as self-defence forces by wealthy ranchers in the 1980s to counter leftist rebel extortion and kidnapping, the militias seized control of much of Colombias Caribbean coast in the late 1990s, killing thousands and stealing millions of acres of land while wresting control of lucrative drug routes. In 2001, the U.S. designated the AUC a foreign terror organization.

Mancuso has expressed more remorse than other paramilitary leaders and an eagerness to make amends with his former battlefield enemies  the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC  who signed their own peace agreement with the government in 2016.

His sophistication  he studied English at the University of Pittsburgh  has always distinguished him from the other rural warlords. Robert Spelke, a retired federal narcotics prosecutor who led proceedings against the warlords, described Mancuso as very bright, very personable and a co-operative witness who was committed to telling the truth. Spelke spent over 200 hours interviewing Mancuso and recalled once when the Colombian tearfully broke down as he recounted a paramilitary massacre of civilians.

I know what these guys did, said Spelke. But when you put yourself in their shoes  It was a nasty war. Id like to think Id do things differently, but if the FARC was killing my family, stealing my cattle...

Mancusos eagerness to talk has already shaken Colombias politics.

His boast in 2005 that a third of Colombias congress was elected with paramilitary support triggered a wave of judicial investigations that ended with dozens of elected officials behind bars, including Uribes senator cousin.

His co-operation with the Justice and Peace process continued after he reached the U.S., where he did more than 300 video conferences with Colombian investigators and victims.

In a symbolic gesture that shocked many Colombians, Mancuso spoke by phone last month with the FARCs former top commander, Rodrigo Londono. The one-time adversaries united in pledging their support for peace, reconciliation and support for millions of victims.

That candour is what got Mancuso extradited to the U.S. in the first place  and endangers his life should he be returned, said Jaime Paeres, his Colombia-based attorney. Several family members have already received threats and last month Paeres filed a complaint with Colombias chief prosecutor alleging he was the intended target of an attack by 35 armed men who raided a ranch adjacent to where he was staying.

Mancuso wants to return to Colombia. But its us, his lawyers and friends, and even some authorities, who have told him not to come back, Paeres told The Associated Press. I have no doubt they will kill him if he comes.

With the U.S. order that he be sent to his fathers native Italy, Colombian officials have launched a last-ditch lobbying effort.

Colombias Ambassador in Washington, Francisco Santos, in recent weeks has met with U.S. officials in the White House as well as the State and Justice Departments to try and block his transfer to Italy, according to a senior Colombian official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the private talks.

The State Department and White House wouldnt comment. A spokeswoman for Immigration and Customs Enforcement said in a statement that the agency took custody of Mancuso, who it referred to only as a Colombian national, from federal marshals on July 21 and that hes now awaiting removal. ICE declined to provide details, citing operational security.

While extradition of Colombian drug lords has helped relieve pressure on the countrys investigators, its far rarer for Colombia to seek arrests beyond its borders.

But Mancusos value is unique. If the famously voluble warlord returns, hed surely divulge uncomfortable truths that many Colombians havent wanted to hear, said Cepeda, the leftist lawmaker.

A lot of the truth is already known, Cepeda said. But theres a lot more to come.

___

Contact APs global investigative team at Investigative@ap.org.

___

Joshua Goodman on Twitter: @APJoshGoodman
New Delhi, Aug 12 : With the help of the Centre, the Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) and Ladakh UT administration are planning to connect all picturesque tourist resorts through a new 600-km-long highway circuit.

According to the J&K Chief Secretary B.V.R. Subrahmanyam, each spot would be like "another Gulmarg".

The proposed Rs 8,000 crore road project will connect Gulmarg with Kargil and Drass in Ladakh. It is proposed to initiate from the revered shrines of Pakharpora and Chrar-e-Sharief and connect upper Budgam's picturesque and virgin spots of Yusmarg, Doodhpathri and Tosamaidan with Gulmarg and Babarishi.

"We are planning to construct a 600-km-long road which will touch tourist attractions like Keran, Gurez and Machhil. The road will connect all unexplored tourist spots and picturesque valleys and help open them for the tourists," Subrahmanyam told a group of visiting journalists.

The Chief Secretary said there will be 12 to 13 major tunnels along the road and it will also facilitate connectivity to the forward locations. "Each of these tourist locations will be another Gulmarg," he said.

While picturesque Keran and Machhal are located along the Line of Control in Kupwara district, Gurez is a valley surrounded by snow-capped mountains in Bandipora district. Kargil and Drass now fall under the UT of Ladakh. Fifty km from Srinagar, Gulmarg is one of the best tourist attractions in India with its snow-clad mountains, magnificent beauty and winter game facilities.

The Chief Secretary said J&K administration has also intensified construction of rural roads. "Earlier, on an average 1,300 km rural road was built in a year but now we are planning to build 5,000 km rural road in a year," he said.

Over Rs 2,000 crore amount is being spent on the construction of two circular roads bypassing the national highway No: 44 around the capital cities of Jammu and Srinagar. While as work is underway and land acquisition process is in the final stage, in Srinagar the process of the land acquisition has hit a hitch due to the coronavirus pandemic which began in March this year and demand of the land owners to pay them compensation according to the new law adopted after abrogation of the Article 370.

According to the land owners, as per the new Central law they would be getting around Rs 1 crore per kanal in close vicinity of the district headquarters of Budgam. If paid as per the old state law, they would get not more than Rs 25 a kanal. Much of the length of the new highway bypass passes through Budgam district. It also passes through Pulwama, Srinagar, Bandipora and Ganderbal districts.

A separate highway is already underway under a tourism circuit connecting Chenani and Sudh Mahadev in Jammu with spots of religious tourism in Doda and Kishtwar districts.

(This content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com)
BOSTON - Adults with the chronic skin condition atopic dermatitis can rest easy in the knowledge that two topical immunosuppressant medications commonly prescribed to treat the condition do not appear to increase the risk for the most common forms of skin cancer, despite package label warnings to the contrary, researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) found.

Looking at data on nearly 94,000 people diagnosed with dermatitis in general or more specifically atopic dermatitis -- Maryam M. Asgari, MD, MPH, Professor of Dermatology at MGH and colleagues found that patients who were prescribed topical tacrolimus or pimecrolimus did not have a greater risk for either basal cell or squamous cell carcinomas compared with patients who received prescription topical corticosteroids, the most common topical treatment for dermatitis.

Their findings are published online in JAMA Dermatology.

Tacrolimus and pimecrolimus belong to a class of drugs known as topical calcineurin inhibitors (TCI). The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requires that TCI medications carry a "black box" warning about increased risk for skin cancer, although previously published studies have shown conflicting results regarding the use of TCIs and skin cancer risk. The FDA has mandated long-term studies of patients with atopic dermatitis who use these products to get a better handle on their potential for increasing skin cancer risk.

"I thought that the data implicating increased skin cancer risk with TCIs was not robust, and that prompted me to get involved in studying it " Asgari said.

The MGH researchers took advantage of the comprehensive database maintained by Kaiser Permanente Northern California in Oakland, which contains integrated pharmacy and pathology data on 93,746 adults age 40 and older who were diagnosed by a clinician with atopic dermatitis or dermatitis from January 2002 through December 2013.

Since nearly all Kaiser Permanente patients use the health plan's pharmacy, Asgari and colleagues were able to determine the proportions of patients who received prescriptions for TCIs vs. topical corticosteroids, and then compared those data with pathology-verified skin cancer diagnoses.

They found that there was no association between TCI use and risk for either keratinocyte carcinomas overall, or for squamous cell or basal cell carcinomas individually. Looking at different doses, frequency, and duration of TCI use did not change the findings.

"We analyzed the data with multiple sensitivity analyses to explore the association of TCI use and skin cancer risk in detail, which revealed no association each time, so that was very reassuring" Asgari says.

###

Asgari's co-investigators include Ai-Lin Tsai, MA, Lyndsay Avalos, PhD, MPH, Monica Sokil, BS, and Charles P. Quesenberry Jr, PhD, all of Kaiser Permanente Northern California. The study was supported by a grant to Kaiser Permanente from Valeant Pharmaceuticals. Asgari disclosed receiving grants from Valeant during the conduct of the study.

About the Massachusetts General Hospital

Massachusetts General Hospital, founded in 1811, is the original and largest teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School. The MGH Research Institute conducts the largest hospital-based research program in the nation, with an annual research budget of more than $1 billion and comprises more than 8,500 researchers working across more than 30 institutes, centers and departments. In August 2019 the MGH was named #6 in the nation by U.S. News & World Report in its list of "America's Best Hospitals."
TEL AVIV, Israel, Aug. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- MobileODT , the developer of the EVA System for cervical cancer screening, announced the completion of a $4 million series C fundraising round. The round will enable MobileODT to further develop an AI (Augmented Intelligence) clinical decision support technology for the evaluation of cervical cancer at the point of care. The round was led by OrbiMed Israel Partners, with participation from Tristel, Tara Health and Laerdal. To date, the company has raised $26 million.

As the second most common cancer among women, after breast cancer, cervical cancer causes 311,000 deaths annually worldwide[1]. The most tragic fact about cervical cancer is it can be easily treated if caught early. Globally, 932 million women require cervical cancer screening, yet almost 600 million women will never be tested[2] due to lack of access to healthcare. MobileODT's novel AI technology, VisualCheck, will automatically predict how a highly trained colposcopist may evaluate a cervix, to make quality screening more accessible.

This round was led by newly appointed CEO, Leon A. Boston. Mr. Boston's extensive experience leading medical technology companies through various stages comes at a critical time for MobileODT. "Launching VisualCheck to the world markets will be a game changer in women's health," said Boston. "We have a tremendous opportunity to close the gap between lack of access and lack of experts in the field of cervical cancer screening, and reduce the number of unnecessary deaths of women globally."

According to Boston, "There is a great deal of complexity in developing an AI product and the company has undergone major changes to get to this point. We now have the right team and technology to make VisualCheck a reality for women's health."

Recently, the company completed initial validation of its AI VisualCheck technology. Preliminary results show high agreement rates between the AI algorithm and leading experts in cervical cancer. VisualCheck is planned to be released later this year.

About MobileODT

MobileODT helps clinicians utilize the power of AI on its portable medical devices to enhance women's health. MobileODT's EVA System combines advanced imaging, data and software applications, to expand access to quality care in 30 countries and across more than 60 US health systems. The EVA System's smart mobile colposcope is used by clinicians worldwide for colposcopy, general gynecology, telegynecology, and forensic imaging. MobileODT is integrating its AI in approved markets to provide powerful clinical decision support to healthcare providers at the point-of-care. MobileODT is headquartered in Tel Aviv. The company raised $26 million to date from Orbimed, Tristel, Tara Health, Laerdal, DAI, private funds and investors.

[1] https://www.who.int/health-topics/cervical-cancer#tab=tab_1

[2] Data source: Country cervical cancer data

Contact:

Sara Vehling, MobileODT

[email protected]

SOURCE MobileODT
The Queen has approved the nation's highest military honour be posthumously awarded to war hero Edward "Teddy" Sheean for efforts in the Timor Sea in 1942.

Governor-General David Hurley on Wednesday announced Queen Elizabeth had given her approval for the award of the Victoria Cross for Australia to Sheean for his actions almost 78 years ago when he sacrificed his life to save his shipmates during the sinking of HMAS Armidale.

Governor-General David Hurley and Chief of Navy Vice Admiral Michael Noonan announcing the awarding of a Victoria Cross to Ordinary Seaman Edward "Teddy" Sheean. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

Sheean had previously been denied the honour but an expert panel's findings, released on Monday, found there was "maladministration" in the original decisions not to award him the medal.

The 18-year-old Tasmanian strapped himself to an anti-aircraft gun as the vessel went down and is credited with saving the lives of 49 crew during the height of World War II. He shot down at least one aircraft before dying at his gun.
The vaccine race comes at a time when Washington is already engaging in a new debate over how to recalibrate relations between the two powers after the election

American scientists hope this is one time that President Donald Trump really does believe it is all just a Russian hoax.

As President Vladimir Putin of Russia triumphantly declared on Tuesday that his country had produced the worlds first coronavirus vaccine, public health experts in the United States worried that Trump would feel compelled to compete in a pharmaceutical manhood contest by hastily rolling out his own vaccine even before it is fully tested.

I am sure that this will give him more impetus to push US R&D and FDA to move more quickly, Margaret Hamburg, a Food and Drug Administration commissioner under former president Barack Obama, said, referring to research and development. If he believes that testing causes cases, I suspect he may believe that if you dont test a vaccine or drug, they must be okay.

The announcement in Moscow roiled the international quest to stop the pandemic in what had already developed into a geopolitical race among the worlds biggest powers. The Russian vaccine, approved without the sort of extensive trials typically required in the West, may work, American scientists said. But if it does not, the rushed process could pose dangers not just for Russians but for many others if Trump seeks to match the supposed achievement prematurely.

The search for a vaccine has already been caught in a whirlwind of pressures as the Trump administration scrambles to develop a drug to combat a virus that has killed more than 164,000 Americans. Two pharmaceutical companies have moved to Phase 3 trials in the United States, the final stage of testing before a vaccine can be approved. But scientists have expressed concern that the trials would be short-circuited by Trumps desire for a political win before the General Election 3 November.

The White House has said that data, not politics, will govern the decision to approve a vaccine, although Trump has repeatedly linked his Operation Warp Speed to the campaign calendar. He has suggested that a vaccine could be rolled out by Election Day even though scientists said it would take until early next year to complete the trials.

Were doing very well in everything including corona, as you call it, Trump said in an interview Tuesday with radio host Hugh Hewitt. But let me just tell you, were getting to an end. Were getting to, and the vaccines are ready to rock. Were going to be very close to a vaccine. Were ready to distribute.

At a news briefing later in the day, the president offered no comment on Russias announcement but made a point of boasting about the tremendous progress on an American vaccine and asserted that were moving very close to that approval.

Operation Warp Speed is the largest and most advanced operation of its kind anywhere in the world and anywhere in history, said Trump, his competitive juices on display.

Putin saw no need to wait for more expansive testing in Russia, where the medical system is not considered as rigorous as in the United States, despite the prospect that it may not work as advertised or may even prove unsafe. But in doing so, he put Trump in an awkward position given the friendship between the two men.

The announcement immediately spurred suspicion among Trumps domestic opponents. This Putin vaccine thing is all about him giving the alleged science to Trump so the president can take personal credit for a vaccine ahead of the US elections, former Representative David Jolly of Florida, who left the Republican Party partly out of protest over Trump, wrote on Twitter.

David Kramer, a Russia scholar at Florida International University and a former assistant secretary of state under President George W Bush, said Trump should use the moment to put his desire for better relations with Russia to the test.

Aside from arms control, fighting the virus would be one issue where we and Russia should work together and not be another source of competition, he said. The speed with which the Russians have found a vaccine has to raise concerns, however, and risks exacerbating the level of distrust between our two sides if it does not work or even does harm.

The vaccine race comes at a time when Washington is already engaging in a new debate over how to recalibrate relations between the two powers after the election. A group of 103 former Cabinet secretaries, ambassadors and other officials from Democratic and Republican administrations published an open letter last week in Politico arguing for an effort to put the relationship on a more constructive path.

Another group of former officials, this one with 33, led by Kramer, published its response Tuesday rejecting a new reset and arguing that Putins regime poses a threat to American interests and values, requiring strong pushback.

The relationship has been dominated by the aftermath of the 2016 election, when Russia intervened in the American campaign to help Trump, according to intelligence agencies and a special counsel investigation. While no charges were brought alleging a criminal conspiracy, Trump has at times rejected even that Russia played a role, calling it a hoax.

Just last week, US intelligence agencies reported that Russia was still trying to intervene in American elections to help reelect Trump, a conclusion that the president likewise instantly rejected. I think that the last person Russia wants to see in office is Donald Trump because nobody has been tougher on Russia than I have, ever, he said at a briefing for reporters.

Told that was not what the intelligence agencies were finding, Trump snapped, Well, I dont care what anybody says.

He defended himself further on Tuesday when Hewitt asked who had been tougher on Russia, Trump or Obama. By a factor of 50, me, okay? Trump said, arguing that he built up the US military and sent weapons to Ukraine for its continuing conflict with Russia.

As he often does, however, Trump laced his answer with factual fallacies. He boasted that he sent Javelin anti-tank weapons to Ukraine when Obama would not, which is true. But what Trump did not say was that his administration barred the Ukrainians from actually using the Javelins and mandated that they be kept locked up far from the battlefront.

The president likewise boasted that I got NATO to pay $400 billion a year more to protect themselves against Russia. That is not true. NATO has projected that the allies will increase military spending by a cumulative $400 billion from 2016 to 2024, meaning over eight years, not each year. Similarly, Trump said he spent $2.5 trillion on the US military, but that credits him with every dollar spent on defence over three years and then some, not just the increases he helped push through.

It is true that his administration has taken aggressive action to counter Russia at times  including sanctions, diplomatic expulsions and modest troop deployments to Eastern Europe  but Trump has left the tough talk to his subordinates and rarely if ever has a word of criticism of Putin, whose leadership and strength he has publicly praised. Indeed, Trump has spoken repeatedly with Putin in recent months without once raising intelligence reports that Russia has paid bounties to Afghan fighters to kill US soldiers. Trump dismissed the reports from his own administration as fake news.

In a separate string of Twitter messages Tuesday, Trump disputed the notion that he trusted Putin more than US intelligence agencies, but he then proceeded to explain why he would doubt his own countrys security apparatus, pointing back to his first encounter with veteran intelligence officials that he later came to consider his enemies.

John Bolton, one of the dumbest people Ive met in government and sadly, Ive met plenty, states often that I respected, and even trusted, Vladimir Putin of Russia more than those in our Intelligence Agencies, Trump wrote, referring to his own former national security advisor.

While of course that is not true, he continued, if the first people you met from so called American Intelligence were Dirty Cops who have now proven to be sleazebags at the highest level like James Comey, proven liar James Clapper, & perhaps the lowest of them all, Wacko John Brennan who headed the CIA, you could perhaps understand my reluctance to embrace!

Peter Baker c.2020 The New York Times Company
Vidya Iyengar By

Express News Service

BENGALURU: Making people laugh out loud may seem to come naturally to Shankar Chugani, but there was a time the standup comedian feared facing crowds; he talks to City Express about revealing his insecure side in his latest video, Bheed

As the manager of front of house at Jagriti, Shankar Chugani, who shot to fame with Comicstaan, once came face to face with cops when a late-comer insisted upon being allowed to enter the theatre. During a visit to Jamaica to attend his cousins wedding, he almost missed his connecting flight from London as he got caught up helping a woman. All of these and more form an integral part of Chuganis performance material.

A popular standup comedian who watched the likes of Sundeep Rao and Kanan Gill perform and said to himself, I want to be there, Chugani had only imagined a life in the performance space as he grew up. However, he wasnt so sure whether he would be able to pull it off. Not because of anything, but his fear of crowds. In Bheed, a video he recently released on YouTube and Instagram, he narrates his anxiety upon facing large gatherings and the insecurity that followed. Its a poem I had written after finishing college when I was intimidated by large crowds. I would be nervous, and this explains how timid and insecure I used to be in a group. Although I had wanted to be an actor growing up, I hadnt imagined doing stand-up full time, says the 31-year-old who is currently in his hometown, Coonoor. Theatre and comedy, he has

found, calm him to a large extent.

I still remember the first time I went up on stage to do an open mic, and I threw up before the show. But a conversation with a popular comic who suggested that I should be myself on stage. That changed the way I looked at things, and soon I felt different when I heard the laughter, he says. The initial idea was to shoot a video in Mumbai, depicting the concept through a video, and he also shot some footage. But with the pandemic barring large crowds, he decided that a social media release would work better. Speaking of Mumbai, Chugani recalls how peers and mentors egged him to move from Bengaluru, although Chugani resisted it.

I was trying to do open mics in both cities, and make use of all the opportunities. That was my line of thought. In hindsight, not moving was a good decision. I would have struggled financially and also been stuck in the lockdown, says the comic who chose to shuttle between Bengaluru and Mumbai.Over the last one month, he has been doing a show called Chaar Log Hasenge (which allows only four audience members to join)  an attempt to get that feeling of going up on stage. I dont want online shows to be the future. However, at this point there might not be many options.

But there is a possibility to perform on different platforms. For instance, I requested a friend if I could perform at his house in Coonoor. It was done with all safety precautions in place. So we will have to figure out different methods to perform, he says. At other times, he does video calls involving friends to bounce off ideas, to hear organic laughter. Chugani doesnt switch off, and thinks of jokes all the time  while doing house chores, completing his daily target of 10,000 steps or his latest initiative of cleaning up the hill station. I cant imagine life without being a comic, he says.
Joe Biden's choice of Kamala Harris as his running mate was hailed on Tuesday as a historic first for women of color, but some warn her record as a tough prosecutor could dent her appeal with two key constituencies -- black voters and liberals.

Harris, the first woman and the first black attorney general in the history of the Golden State, portrayed herself as a progressive reformer during her own presidential bid, but some have cast doubts on that claim.

"Time after time, when progressives urged her to embrace criminal justice reforms as a district attorney and then the state's attorney general, Ms Harris opposed them or stayed silent," law professor Lara Bazelon wrote last year in an op-ed for The New York Times.

"Harris turned legal technicalities into weapons so she could cement injustices," added Bazelon, a former director of the Loyola Law School Project for the Innocent in Los Angeles.

Before serving as attorney general, the 55-year-old Harris was the district attorney in San Francisco. She was elected to the Senate in 2016.

"Kamala Harris had a reputation in California as a prosecutor and attorney general who waited rather than led, who moved on controversial issues only once she saw what was politically viable," the daily Sacramento Bee wrote in a June editorial.

As concerns police brutality -- a subject very much in the news following the death of George Floyd, a black man whose killing at the hands of police in May sparked nationwide protests -- Harris has also been criticized for failing to intervene in cases involving police violence.

While serving as attorney general in 2016, for example, she opposed a bill to investigate deadly police shootings following the death of a stabbing suspect -- shot 21 times by police -- that sparked huge protests.

Harris has in addition come under criticism for pushing legislation that would punish parents in California for their children's truancy.

But despite her controversial record on criminal justice, Harris has also been lauded for fighting for progressive change.

Her most successful program, called "Back on Track," called for non-violent first-time drug offenders to avoid jail by getting a high school diploma.

Just in the right place

She also initiated a project for anti-bias training for law enforcement agencies throughout California.

Arguably her biggest achievement in the eyes of civil rights activists was "Open Justice," an online portal that made a wide range of criminal justice data available to the public, including the number of deaths and injuries in police custody.

Many today reject claims that she did not go far enough in pushing for criminal justice reform, arguing she was being judged by unfair standards.

"I am a public defender, I work day and night fighting for justice in San Francisco ... and the fact is that she did implement very progressive programs, period, end of story," Niki Solis, who faced Harris many times in court when she was district attorney, told AFP.

Jack Pitney, a professor of American politics at Claremont McKenna College in California, stressed that in looking at Harris' tenure as attorney general, one should take into account that she was acting as a prosecutor applying the law, rather than a legislator.

"As attorney general of the state of California, she had to defend laws in court whether or not she agreed with them," Pitney said. "So to that extent, I think the criticism is misplaced."

He said that, if anything, Harris's justice record will be an asset as she takes on Republicans in the run-up to the November vote.

"Their criticism will enable her to say 'look at all these progressives, they are criticizing me for being too conservative. I must be just in the right place'," Pitney said.

Thad Kousser, a political science professor at the University of California, San Diego, said Harris's track record as a prosecutor will likely work in her favor but also against her.

"Her smart-on-crime moderate positions on crime and social justice will help her with moderates," Kousser told AFP. "But it could also demobilize some more young liberal voters."
A record 5,435,000 American college students begin fall classes this month. What will they learn of Christ?

The question motivates the rapidly expanding Campus Crusade movement, an Unusually ambitious effort to evangelize college students in North America and abroad. This fall, as part of a continuing Christian crash program, the organization is commissioning 151 new full-time staff members. They will be assigned to pioneer evangelistic efforts at such big-name campuses as Penn State, Purdue, and Arkansas. Even strategic Roman Catholic academic centers like Notre Dame and Georgetown may be visited.

Ours is a low-pressure approach, logical and practical, says Dr. William R. Bright, founder, president, and executive director of Campus Crusade for Christ International, Inc. The approach is based on the idea that college students have a basic spiritual hunger and will respond if the claims of Christ are communicated simply by a Spirit-controlled person.

Campus Crusade for Christ was founded in 1951, but not until a decade later did its rate of growth become extraordinary. Within four years the organization has (1) tripled its full-time staff to 451, (2) branched out into twelve countries, and (3) acquired a headquarters property at Arrowhead Springs. California, that is the envy of the evangelical world.

The Campus Crusade story is the lengthened shadow of a person, the dapper Dr. Bright, now 43. As a student leader at Northeastern State College in Oklahoma, he was a practical agnostic unconfronted by the claims of Christ. He did not meet Christ until, as a Los Angeles businessman, he attended a young-adult class taught by the late Miss Henrietta Mears in Hollywoods First Presbyterian Church. His fiancee, Vonette Zachary, ...

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People are drawn to cities because of the wide array of opportunities they offer, from employment to education to culture. The vast majority of Americans, approximately 84%, already live in urban areas and, before COVID-19, that percentage was expected to stretch to 89% by 2050.

But with the pressure points of current urban design painfully exposed during the pandemic and recent protests for racial justice, cities will need to transform into more livable, sustainable and affordable environments. If leaders want to build more equitable and just cities, an Urbanova/Gallup study reaffirms they will have to do one thing first: listen.

Current strategies to create "smart cities" that integrate technology into communities to improve wellbeing often ignore the voices of the residents in those communities. Smart city strategies usually start with technology solutions that target ambiguous challenges. These challenges are often identified with little community input, so strategies fail to include the needs of members of various communities, particularly those in underserved groups.

To address the gap between smart city strategies and community needs, Urbanova, a public-private partnership with a focus on midsize cities, created the Neighborhood Impact Initiative. This initiative listens to resident voices to help guide, implement and evaluate interventions to improve people's lives.

Urbanova worked with Gallup to survey residents of Spokane, Washington, where Urbanova is based. Urbanova wanted to pinpoint the relevant problems that residents experience to determine whether technology-based interventions could provide effective solutions to them. Gallup mailed surveys to all 4,366 households in the East Central neighborhood of Spokane to ensure all households were given a voice in identifying the community's biggest challenges and prioritizing them.

This approach provided rigorous measures within hyperlocal areas and provided a nuanced picture of the quality of life, including key outcomes such as resident wellbeing and perceptions of personal safety and environmental quality.

For instance, the official median household income in Census tracts 30 and 32, two geographic subdivisions of Spokane's East Central neighborhood, is roughly the same ($32,297 and $32,545, respectively), but the wellbeing outcomes are drastically different. In tract 32, slightly more than one in four residents (26%) were thriving in at least four of the five wellbeing categories -- purpose, social, financial, community and physical -- compared with just 7% of residents in tract 30.

When residents were asked to evaluate their lives today and in five years, there was also a significant range, confirming the extent of disproportionate outcomes for residents within Spokane's East Central neighborhood. Twenty-nine percent (29%) of residents in tract 145 rated their lives positively enough to be considered "thriving," compared with 51% in tract 31.

Map. This map shows the percentage of residents in the East Central neighborhood of Spokane, Washington, who rated their lives their lives positively enough to be considered thriving by Census tract.

East Central residents also viewed their personal safety and security differently. Overall, 37% of residents said they "strongly agree" or "agree" that they always feel safe and secure in the area where they live. However, there are stark differences underneath. In Census tracts 145 and 30, fewer than one in four residents said they feel safe and secure, while in other areas, such as Tract 31, 50% of residents said they "strongly agree" or "agree" that they are always safe and secure where they live.

Implications for the Future of Urban Planning

The Urbanova/Gallup study of the East Central neighborhood in Spokane illustrates the value of cities taking the time and effort to understand residents' experiences, to ensure smart city solutions will lead to building more just and equitable cities. The unique conditions of midsize cities create an environment conducive to implementing smart city solutions. Midsize cities are neither too small nor too large to conduct bold experiments that are both meaningful and applicable to smaller semiurban and suburban communities.

Midsize cities also represent a microcosm of the challenges facing all cities, such as affordable housing, public safety and income inequality. As midsize cities develop, they are able to learn from the failures of big cities and are in a position to pivot toward smarter and more equitable solutions.

The insights captured from Spokane's residents uncovered disparities that would not have been highlighted by existing datasets. Insights that dive into the hyperlocal situation are essential to prioritizing the allocation of resources to initiatives. They also show that broad-stroke solutions may not be relevant or effective for the acute disparities in smaller pockets within the same neighborhood.

Ultimately, the key is for public- and private-sector leaders to continuously engage with city residents to ensure equitable environments for all residents.
Pakistan Rangers accepted the body of an intruder (23), who was shot dead by Border Security Force (BSF) personnel on Friday night, on Tuesday evening after his identity was established.

The intruder got killed after he had crossed the Indo-Pak border near pillar number 919 that falls under the jurisdiction of Bakhasar police station in Barmer district.

Initially, Pakistan Rangers had denied any intrusion from Pakistani soil.

However, Pakistani Rangers agreed to accept the intruders body following at least three rounds of flag meetings with the BSF.

On Saturday noon, Pakistani Rangers produced an identity document of the intruder and his body was handed over on Tuesday at around 7 pm, BSF officials said.

The deceased has been identified as Bheru Ram, a resident of Dudharo village in Sindhs province Tharparkar district, Pakistan.

Tharparkar, the largest district in Sindh province, also has the highest Hindu population in Muslim-majority Pakistan.
Russias approval of a vaccine against the new coronavirus after less than two months of human testing has caused interest and concern around the world.

Russian officials said on Wednesday that the first supplies of the vaccine would be ready for some medical workers within two weeks. They also rejected safety concerns about the vaccine, calling them groundless.

Here are some of the reactions from around the world:

Countries that have shown interest

Israels health minister said his country will examine Russias COVID-19 vaccine and enter negotiations to buy it if it is found to be a serious product.

On Wednesday, scientists in the Philippines were to meet representatives of the Russian research facility that developed the vaccine. The scientists were to discuss possibly taking part in clinical tests and looking at its research information.

The governor of Brazils Parana state Ratinho Junior was expected to meet with the Russian ambassador to Brazil on Wednesday. The governor hoped to discuss the terms of an agreement to produce the vaccine.

Brazils health agency said it had not yet received a request to permit the Russian vaccine in the country. It also said it could not comment on the safety or effectiveness of it without receiving information from the Russian laboratory that developed the vaccine.

The Central Asian country of Kazakhstan plans to send government officials to Moscow later this month to discuss possibly receiving supplies of the preventive treatment.

Others showing concern

A World Health Organization (WHO) spokesman said Tuesday that Russian health officials are negotiating the process for possible WHO pre-qualification for the vaccine.

WHO spokesman Tarik Jaserevic talked to reporters in Geneva about clinical tests and what pre-qualification means. He said: Pre-qualification of any vaccine includes the rigorous review and assessment of all required safety and efficacy data.

Jarbas Barbosa is with the Pan American Health Organization, a part of the WHO. He was asked on Tuesday about possible production of the vaccine in Brazil. He said that should not be done until Phase 2 and Phase 3 tests are completed to guarantee its safety and effectiveness.

Dr. Anthony Fauci is the top infectious disease expert in the United States. During a health care discussion at National Geographic on Tuesday, he raised questions about the Russian announcement. Fauci said, "Having a vaccine and proving that a vaccine is safe and effective are two different things.

European health experts said that without full test information, the vaccine would be difficult to trust.

German Health Minister Jens Spahn said the vaccine had not been tested enough. He said the aim was to have a safe product rather than just being first to start vaccinating people.

Mexicos top coronavirus official is Deputy Health Minister Hugo Lopez-Gatell. He said he was surprised by the Russian announcement and he added that the government would wait for more information from Russia.

Im Mario Ritter, Jr.

Mario Ritter Jr. adapted the Reuters report for VOA Learning English. Hai Do was the editor.

_______________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

clinical adj. related to medical work that is done on real patients

rigorous adj. very strict and demanding

assessment n. the act of making a judgement about something

efficacy n. the power to produce the desired result or effect

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AMARILLO, Texas, Aug. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Paul E. Zorsky, MD, MS, is being recognized by Continental Who's Who as a Top Oncologist for his outstanding achievements in the field of Medicine and acknowledgment of his professional excellence with the Harrington Cancer Center.

An integral department of Baptist St. Anthony Hospital, Harrington Cancer Center is devoted to caring for the community by providing the most advanced cancer care and treatment in the Texas Panhandle region. The team of medical professionals provides a unique, team approach to provide consultation, evaluation, diagnosis, and comprehensive treatment of a wide range of oncology and hematology concerns.



As a seasoned and trusted oncologist, Dr. Zorsky has garnered more than 30 years of experience working in the Oncology and Hematology fields. He specializes in Hematology, specifically in benign and malignant tumors. He is revered as an expert in machine learning, which is an application of artificial intelligence (AI) that provides systems the ability to automatically learn and improve from experience. This type of study applies to medicine when utilizing X-rays and MRI Scans. To share his breadth of expertise, Dr. Zorsky is willing and available to speak further on machine learning. In addition to serving patients at Harrington Cancer Center, Dr. Zorsky is affiliated with Ardent Health.

A Connecticut native, Dr. Zorsky completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Connecticut, where he received his Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering. He went on to obtain his Master of Science Degree in Biochemistry and Doctor of Medicine Degree from the same institution. Subsequently, he completed his residency and fellowship in Oncology and Hematology at The George Washington University Medical Center in Washington, D.C. An academic scholar, Dr. Zorsky continues to take extensive online training courses.



Among his academic achievements, he is board-certified from the American Board of Internal Medicine Diplomat in Internal Medicine, American Board of Internal Medicine Diplomat in Hematology, and the American Board of Internal Medicine Diplomat in Oncology. He's also been awarded as a Top Doctor.



Remaining abreast of the latest industry developments, Dr. Zorsky remains an active member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics.



For further information, please visit http://www.harringtoncc.org/.

Contact: Katherine Green, 516-825-5634, [email protected]

SOURCE Continental Who's Who

Related Links

http://www.continentalwhoswho.com


WASHINGTON  Steven Mnuchin, the Treasury secretary, spoke on Wednesday with Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California to discuss a coronavirus relief package, though the conversation appeared to do little to resolve the standoff between the White House and top congressional Democrats over another economic stimulus measure.

It was the first contact between the two sides since talks collapsed late last week, but there was little sign of progress. Democrats said Mr. Mnuchin would not agree to a package larger than $1 trillion and Mr. Mnuchin accused Democrats of insisting on a $2 trillion threshold for any agreement, according to statements released by both sides.

Ms. Pelosi and Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the minority leader, who initially pushed for the $3.4 trillion measure House Democrats approved in May, have repeatedly said they would be willing to lower their overall price tag by $1 trillion, provided that the White House double the initial Republican offer of $1 trillion. Mr. Mnuchin, according to the two Democrats, was still refusing to budge from that level.

It is clear that the administration still does not grasp the magnitude of the problems that American families are facing, Ms. Pelosi and Mr. Schumer said in a joint statement. We have again made clear to the administration that we are willing to resume negotiations once they start to take this process seriously.




Haiti - Diplomacy : D-4, Jovenel Moise will be the investiture of the new Dominican President Luis Abinader





The next Dominican Chancellor Roberto Alvarez has confirmed that the Haitian President, Jovenel Moise and the Minister of Foreign Affairs Claude Joseph will be present on Sunday August 16 at the inauguration of the new Dominican President Luis Abinader.



The inauguration will include, among others : a large American delegation led by United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo; a delegation from Turkey led by Turkish Chancellor Mevlut Cavusoglu; another large delegation will be present headed by the Chancellor of the Kingdom of Spain, Maria Aranzazu Gonzalez Laya...



This year, the transfer of the presidential scarf will take place during a ceremony at the office of the President of the Senate which will be broadcasted live on television, where the outgoing President Danilo Medina will hand over to the President of the Senate, in his capacity as President of the National Assembly, the presidential scarf, symbol of executive power, in the presence of President-elect Luis Abinader.



Danilo Medina after this short ceremony will not attend the swearing-in of the new President of the Republic, putting an end to a 42-year-old tradition !



For his part, President-elect Luis Abinader and his Vice-President-elect Raquel Pena, as well as other members who make up the head table, will enter the Hall of the National Assembly for the taking of the constitutional oath and later the presidential scarf will be presented to the new President Luis Abinader.



In the Assembly Hall, senators, deputies, representatives of the judiciary, decentralized State bodies, heads of state and foreign missions and the accredited diplomatic corps, as well as special guests, representatives of the Catholic Church and of the country's public and private institutions will be present at this ceremony.



SL/ HaitiLibre


















12 August 2020

VOLTA FINANCE LIMITED (VTA / VTAS)

Notification of Transactions of Directors/Persons Discharging Managerial Responsibility and Connected Persons

On 12 August 2020, Mr Paul Meader, Director and Chairman of the Board of the Company, transferred 4,495 shares in the Company to his wife, Sarah Kingwell.

Following this transaction the total interests in the Company of Mr Meader (and his Closely Associated Persons) remain unchanged at 40,598 shares, representing 0.11% of the issued shares in the Company.

The below notification, made in accordance with the requirements of article 19.3 of the EU Market Abuse Regulation, gives further details:

1

Details of the person discharging managerial responsibilities / person closely associated

a)

Name

Paul Meader Sarah Kingwell

2

Reason for the notification

a)

Position/status

Director and Chairman PCA



b)

Initial notification /Amendment

Initial Notification

3

Details of the issuer, emission allowance market participant, auction platform, auctioneer or auction monitor

a)

Name

Volta Finance Limited

b)

LEI

2138004N6QDNAZ2V3W80

4

Details of the transaction(s): section to be repeated for (i) each type of instrument; (ii) each type of transaction; (iii) each date; and (iv) each place where transactions have been conducted

a)

Description of the financial instrument, type of instrument

Identification code

Ordinary Shares

ISIN: GB00B1GHHH78

b)

Nature of the transaction

Transfer from Paul Meader to Sarah Kingwell, spouse

c)

Price(s) and volume(s)

Price(s)



Volume(s) Nil 4,495





d)

Aggregated information

- Aggregated volume

- Price

4,495

Nil

e)

Date of the transaction

12 August 2020

f)

Place of the transaction

London

CONTACTS

For the Investment Manager

AXA Investment Managers Paris

Serge Demay

serge.demay@axa-im.com



+33 (0) 1 44 45 84 47

Company Secretary and Administrator

BNP Paribas Securities Services S.C.A, Guernsey Branch

guernsey.bp2s.volta.cosec@bnpparibas.com

+44 (0) 1481 750 853

Corporate Broker

Cenkos Securities plc

Andrew Worne

Daniel Balabanoff

Rob Naylor

+44 (0) 20 7397 8900

*****

ABOUT VOLTA FINANCE LIMITED

Volta Finance Limited is incorporated in Guernsey under The Companies (Guernsey) Law, 2008 (as amended) and listed on Euronext Amsterdam and the London Stock Exchange's Main Market for listed securities. Volta's home member state for the purposes of the EU Transparency Directive is the Netherlands. As such, Volta is subject to regulation and supervision by the AFM, being the regulator for financial markets in the Netherlands.

Volta's investment objectives are to preserve capital across the credit cycle and to provide a stable stream of income to its shareholders through dividends. Volta seeks to attain its investment objectives predominantly through diversified investments in structured finance assets. The assets that the Company may invest in either directly or indirectly include, but are not limited to: corporate credits; sovereign and quasi-sovereign debt; residential mortgage loans; and, automobile loans. The Company's approach to investment is through vehicles and arrangements that essentially provide leveraged exposure to portfolios of such underlying assets. The Company has appointed AXA Investment Managers Paris an investment management company with a division specialised in structured credit, for the investment management of all its assets.

*****

ABOUT AXA INVESTMENT MANAGERS

AXA Investment Managers (AXA IM) is a multi-expert asset management company within the AXA Group, a global leader in financial protection and wealth management. AXA IM is one of the largest European-based asset managers with 753 investment professionals and 801 billion in assets under management as of the end of April 2020.

*****

This press release is for information only and does not constitute an invitation or inducement to acquire shares in Volta Finance. Its circulation may be prohibited in certain jurisdictions and no recipient may circulate copies of this document in breach of such limitations or restrictions. This document is not an offer for sale of the securities referred to herein in the United States or to persons who are "U.S. persons" for purposes of Regulation S under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), or otherwise in circumstances where such offer would be restricted by applicable law. Such securities may not be sold in the United States absent registration or an exemption from registration from the Securities Act. The company does not intend to register any portion of the offer of such securities in the United States or to conduct a public offering of such securities in the United States.

*****

This communication is only being distributed to and is only directed at (i) persons who are outside the United Kingdom or (ii) investment professionals falling within Article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005 (the "Order") or (iii) high net worth companies, and other persons to whom it may lawfully be communicated, falling within Article 49(2)(a) to (d) of the Order (all such persons together being referred to as "relevant persons"). The securities referred to herein are only available to, and any invitation, offer or agreement to subscribe, purchase or otherwise acquire such securities will be engaged in only with, relevant persons. Any person who is not a relevant person should not act or rely on this document or any of its contents. Past performance cannot be relied on as a guide to future performance.

*****
The coming weeks will be a tightrope walk for Gehlot who has 100 loyalists MLAs waiting to be rewarded on one side and the dissidents who wanted to be rehabilitated on the other, observes Prakash Bhandari.

IMAGE: Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot addresses the media at his residence in Jaipur. Photograph: PTI Photo

The 19 dissidents led by Sachin Pilot, who rebelled against the Congress government, are unlikely to get ministerial berths or any plum assignments.

The 100 faithful MLAs, who sided with Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and stayed together have vehemently opposed their re-entry into the party fold.

On Tuesday, August 11, evening when the Congress Legislature Party met at a Jaisalmer hotel, the 100 odd legislators unanimously declared there should be no place for the rebels in the government or in the party organisation.

The rebels should be taught a lesson, the loyalists demanded, and a precedent should be set to avoid a recurrence of such revolts.

Gehlot, following the return of the rebels at the behest of Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, with an active role played by senior Congress functionaries Ahmed Patel and K C Venugopal, has saved his government.

He is indebted to the flock of 100 loyalists who were not lured by the lavish offers of money to switch sides.

Gehlot overwhelmingly thanked the loyalists at the CLP meeting even as the loyalist MLAs revealed their anger against the dissidents.

Sanyam Lodha -- an Independent MLA who supports the Congress government and was earlier a two-time Congress MLA -- was most vocal and so was senior minister Shanti Dhariwal.

The first task before Gehlot is to face the assembly session.

Thereafter, the dissidents will demand their pound of flesh that will be at the cost of the 100 loyal MLAs.

The big question is have the rebels returned to the Congress fold with some conditions?

If yes, what are the conditions and who will ensure that the conditions are fulfilled?

Gehlot was against any truce with the dissidents. He was sure of victory in the event of a floor test as he had secured the support of half a dozen dissidents. That was enough to save his government.

He was particularly against Pilot's return as the former deputy chief minister could remain a thorn in the chief minister's flesh.

The Gandhi brother and sister were firm that Pilot should return along with his dissidents and this proved that Pilot has a special place in their hearts.

There was no question of punishing Pilot and it took Ahmed Patel and Venugopal to convince Gehlot that Pilot would have to be accepted.

Gehlot had strong reason to prevent the re-entry of Pilot and his group as he wants to reward the long list of loyalists.

The return of the dissidents has jeopardised his plans to reward the loyalists.

The Gandhis, who wanted Pilot to return to the party fold, made the young politician agree that he will not stake a claim to the chief ministership.

Pilot, it is learnt, made Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi agree that two senior dissidents -- former minister and a former leader of the Opposition Hemaram Choudhry and former speaker Deependra Singh -- will be made deputy chief ministers.

Choudhry is a Jat and Deependra Singh, a Rajput.

But Gehlot wants to give these positions to the loyalists.

During his second term as chief minister between 2008 to 2013, Gehlot had two deputy chief ministers: Kamla, a Jat, and the late Banwari Lal Berwa, a scheduled caste.

Sonia Gandhi has set up a committee of three Congress leaders to hear the grievances of Pilot and the other dissidents.

Ahmed Patel and K C Venugopal are said to be its members, the third place going to Randeep Surjewala who was active during the entire Rajasthan crisis.

Gehlot has some breathing time till the committee submits its report to Sonia Gandhi, the interim Congress president.

Gehlot wants the issue of rehabilitation of the dissident and expansion of his ministry to be shelved for some time.

A delay would give Gehlot an opportunity to persuade some more MLAs from Pilot's camp to change sides.

The coming weeks will be a tightrope walk for Gehlot who has 100 loyalists MLAs waiting to be rewarded on one side and the dissidents who wanted to be rehabilitated on the other.

Gehlot will have to make cautious moves as any imbalance could lead to the formation of another dissident group and its number may be more than the number Pilot mustered.

Jadugar Gehlot will have to show his magical acumen to save his government from that fate.

Prakash Bhandari is a veteran political commentator based in Jaipur.

Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff.com
In the fall of 1840, eight decades before women won the right to vote, Elizabeth Clarkson climbed on her horse and led 400 women on horseback from Brookville, Ind., to a rally 75 miles away for presidential candidate William Henry "Old Tippecanoe" Harrison. At another meeting of 5,000 men, "Mother Clarkson" delivered a pro-Harrison speech while holding her infant son on one hip.

It marked the first time American women became openly involved in a presidential campaign, with Clarkson and her followers, backing the Whig Party ticket of Harrison and John Tyler against Democratic President Martin Van Buren.

In 1840, the idea of women taking part in the blood sport of politics was shocking to some men.

"Ladies are better mending their stockings or making puddings than becoming politicians," the New York Herald scolded.

That changed when the Whig Party decided to encourage female participation in the presidential campaign for "Tippecanoe and Tyler Too." Not that women could vote, of course. Who could imagine such a thing? But they could influence their husbands who would be casting ballots.

Some single Whig women teased their suitors that they wouldn't marry a man who wouldn't vote for Gen. Harrison, a hero of the War of 1812. In Tennessee, young women wore sashes embroidered with the words "WHIG HUSBANDS OR NONE." Some even carried out the threat. In Bristol, Maine, a young woman told her fiance, a local fisherman, that their wedding was off unless he agreed to vote for the Whig ticket. The young man swung to the Whigs, the Providence Journal reported.

Whig organizers sent "To the Ladies" invitations for wives to join their husbands at the big parades for Harrison's campaign. The Whigs brought wagonloads of women to rallies. In Bennington, Vt., it took 25 horses to pull one wagon filled with more than 100 women, the Harrison campaign newspaper reported.

The Whigs handed out handkerchiefs for women to wave, partly to draw the attention of the press. At a parade in Baltimore, windows were crowded with women who looked "with delight upon the scene to which their own presence with waving handkerchiefs and fluttering veils give a bright adornment," the Baltimore American reported. One woman reached out of a window and waved a bright red petticoat.

While marching in a Harrison rally in New York City, former New York mayor Philip Hone was struck by the flood of femininity along the route.

"The balconies and windows were filled with women, well-dressed, with bright eyes and bounding bosoms, waving handkerchiefs, exhibiting flags and garlands, and casting bouquets of flowers upon us," Hone wrote in his diary.

Women did more than wave hankies. Some, like Clarkson, gave speeches for Harrison. In Seneca Falls, N.Y., 22-year-old Amelia Bloomer helped her new husband, Dexter Bloomer, edit his pro-Whig newspaper, the Seneca Falls County Courier. In Springfield, Ill., 21-year-old Mary Todd attended local Whig meetings; she also began dating 31-year-old Abraham Lincoln, who gave campaign speeches for Harrison. They would marry in 1842.

While sitting in a train car in Baltimore in 1840, British writer James Silk Buckingham was shocked to see something he had never witnessed while touring the United States. A well-dressed woman, "with gay bonnet, veil and shawl," walked down the aisle and began handing out copies of a political pamphlet.

"It is a good Harrison paper," she explained.

"My first impression was that the woman was insane," Buckingham wrote.

The woman was Lucy Kenney, the first woman to write political pamphlets for a presidential campaign.

The "Lowell Mill girls" who worked in textile mills in Lowell, Mass., actively supported Harrison as a champion of the working poor. They typically earned $2 a week working from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. six days a week. Harriet Jane Hanson Robinson, who worked at one factory at age 15, later wrote that the women promoted Harrison "to show how wide-awake and up to date" they were.

"Harrison Women" were everywhere. They invaded the all-male Tippecanoe Clubs. They dubbed their bonnets "Tippecanoe Hats." They sewed banners to be carried in the big parades. They cooked food for the big gatherings.

"Women are the very life and soul of these movements of the People," proclaimed the Cincinnati Gazette.

Van Buren supporters frowned on these female intruders.

"We have been pained to see our fair countrywomen unsex themselves and stepping across the threshold to mingle in the fight," chided the North Carolina Standard.

When a wagonload of 50 women rolled by a saloon in a Whig parade in Buffalo, men pelted them with eggs. In a parade in Indianapolis, several women rode in a large canoe on wheels, setting off fistfights among some men in the crowd.

Van Buren's vice president, Richard Mentor Johnson, gave the Democratic view on the role of women. The rights of a woman, he said, were secured through the "coarser sex," her husband and brothers. "She does not appear at the polls to vote because she is privileged to be represented there by man."

Old Tippecanoe swept to victory in the election. He died after just one month in office, but "petticoat power" kept going. Many Harrison women attended the 1848 Seneca Falls Convention for women's rights, which, Amelia Bloomer wrote, marked the first time that women called for "the right to vote and hold office."

The next year, Bloomer began publishing "The Lily," a magazine that promoted temperance, abolition and female equality. She also promoted a new women's clothing item that gave her lasting fame: a loosefitting pantaloon that became known as "bloomers."
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Weve been humbled to see our hard work and passion for supporting small business owners be recognized every year since CardFlight first became eligible by a leading entrepreneur-focused publication like Inc. - Derek Webster, CardFlight Founder and CEO

CardFlight, the leading SaaS payment technology company, today announced its inclusion in the 2020 Inc. 5000 list. This year marks CardFlights third consecutive year on the list, an award program published by Inc. to acknowledge the 5,000 fastest-growing privately held companies in the United States. In making the 2020 list, CardFlight joins a select group of top private companies nationwide that have received the award three timesless than ten percent of companies who have made the Inc. 5000 since its inception in 1982 have been able to achieve sustainable enough growth to make the list thrice.

Were honored to be a part of the Inc. 5000 yet again. CardFlights inclusion for the third year in a row is due entirely to the commitment, ingenuity, and work ethic of our team, and the vigorous progress theyve driven across the board in our product development, revenue growth, and merchant count, said Derek Webster, CardFlight Founder and CEO. Weve been humbled to see our hard work and passion for supporting small business owners be recognized every year since CardFlight first became eligible by a leading entrepreneur-focused publication like Inc. We look forward to continuing to serve our customers and collaborate with our partners to grow small businesses across America.

From 2016 to 2019, CardFlight grew 162 percent, an accomplishment made possible by the companys industry-leading team and top-tier technology. The publication uses companies revenue growth over the prior three years to assess and rank applicants for each years listCardFlights inclusion on the 2020, 2019, and 2018 lists demonstrates its robust revenue and vigorous revenue growth rate from its first full year of business in 2014 to present. For the 2020 list, CardFlights strong three-year growth rate placed the company at number 2543 on the list.

As one of the first CardFlight employees hired in 2013, the past seven years spent growing this company have been an incredible journey, commented Paul Tower, Senior Director of Application Development at CardFlight. Im grateful to have been able to contribute to building CardFlight into what it is today, and I look forward to many more years of helping to develop simple-to-use payments technology for small business merchants.

With a mission of building the future of payments for small business owners nationwide, the CardFlight team has created cutting-edge solutions that make it easy and secure for merchants to accept payments on the go, in their stores, and at their computers using the companys signature SwipeSimple software. Developed specifically for CardFlights unique sales channel, SwipeSimples flexible model and user-friendly interface are designed precisely to allow small business owners to effortlessly make the transition from older, outdated payment terminals.

Being included on this list for the third year in a row is yet another sign of CardFlights sustained, stellar growtha feat that wouldnt have been possible without our great partners, said Natalia Leonardis, Vice President of Business Development at CardFlight who also has been with the company since 2013. We believe in the value of our channel and are grateful to our partners who have collaborated with us to bring innovative, reliable solutions to merchants everywhere.

SwipeSimple, the signature product built upon the CardFlight platform, is a SaaS application sold through merchant acquirers, financial institutions, and independent sales organizations -- including ten of the top 25 U.S. merchant acquirers. As the payments industry continues to adapt to reflect todays consumer needs and changing technology, CardFlight evolves SwipeSimple in tandem, so that the companys partners and their customers can continue to access the tools they need to build and grow small businesses nationwide.

Methodology

The 2020 Inc. 5000 is ranked according to percentage revenue growth when comparing 2016 and 2019. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2016. They had to be U.S.-based, privately held, for profit, and independentnot subsidiaries or divisions of other companiesas of December 31, 2019. (Since then, a number of companies on the list have gone public or been acquired.) The minimum revenue required for 2016 is $100,000; the minimum for 2019 is $2 million. As always, Inc. reserves the right to decline applicants for subjective reasons. Companies on the Inc. 500 are featured in Inc.s September issue. They represent the top tier of the Inc. 5000, which can be found at http://www.inc.com/inc5000.

About CardFlight

CardFlight is a leading SaaS payment technology company making payment acceptance effortless and simple, by creating cutting-edge solutions designed to help small businesses grow.

SwipeSimple, a signature CardFlight product, reaches businesses through a sales channel of financial institutions, independent sales organizations, and merchant service providers. Used by more than 65,000 small businesses in the U.S., across all 50 states, SwipeSimple empowers entrepreneurs to accept payments on the go, in their stores, and at their computers.

CardFlight takes pride in building forward-thinking solutions defined by reliability and driven with the end-users goals in mind. The company is headquartered in New York City, with additional offices in Lincoln, NE. For more information, visit http://www.cardflight.com.

About Inc. Media

The worlds most trusted business-media brand, Inc. offers entrepreneurs the knowledge, tools, connections, and community to build great companies. Its award-winning multiplatform content reaches more than 50 million people each month across a variety of channels including websites, newsletters, social media, podcasts, and print. Its prestigious Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to recognize the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. The global recognition that comes with inclusion in the 5000 gives the founders of the best businesses an opportunity to engage with an exclusive community of their peers, and the credibility that helps them drive sales and recruit talent. The associated Inc. 5000 Conference is part of a highly acclaimed portfolio of bespoke events produced by Inc. For more information, visit http://www.inc.com.

For more information on the Inc. 5000 Conference, visit http://conference.inc.com/.
A New Zealand man has revealed the reasons he thinks living in Australia is 'better' than his own country - including higher wages and a better party culture.

Ethan Wolland has been living in Melbourne, Victoria, for the past two years after moving from Wellington, the capital city of New Zealand, in 2018.

'I'm still seeing a debate that New Zealand is better than Australia. Coming from New Zealand, I moved here with no idea what this country was like,' Ethan said in a TikTok video.

'Let me tell you some reasons why living in Australia is a lot better than New Zealand from an actual Kiwi. Of course it has its flaws but honestly it's a lot more forward than what NZ ever could be.'

Ethan's reasons for why Australia is better than New Zealand 1. Free healthcare system 2. Higher wages 3. Cheaper petrol 4. Better party and drinking culture Advertisement

The young man credited the Australian government for providing free healthcare.

'First of all, Australia has government-subsidised, free healthcare,' he said.

'You can go the doctors as many times as you like in a week, it's completely bulk-billed, it's paid by taxpayer dollars. You don't have to pay a single cent like you do in New Zealand.'

Ethan - who works as a bar manager - said the minimum wage and cost of living in Australia are better than home.

'Secondly, the minimum wage is a lot higher and the cost of living is exactly the same as oppose to what it is in New Zealand,' he said.

'At my job [in Australia], the minimum you get is $22 an hour. I could be doing the same job in New Zealand and only getting paid $18.50. Any sort of weekend job you do, you get double and any sort of public holiday is triple.'

He pointed out the cost of living in Sydney is 'similar' to Auckland prices.

Ethan Wolland, from New Zealand, has revealed the surprising reasons he thinks living in Australia is 'better' than his own country - including the cost of living and drinking culture

Ethan said he noticed Australia's petrol costs less than half of New Zealand's prices.

'Petrol prices are a lot cheaper in Australia. In New Zealand, the average is $2.50 per litre but over in Australia, it's 95 cents to $1.10 at the most,' he said.

The young man also admitted the 'drinking and party culture' in Australia 'is so much better' than his homeland.

Ethan said he decided to make the video, which has since been viewed more than 64,000 times, to weigh in on the controversial debate.

Ethan Wolland has been living in Melbourne, Victoria, for the past two years after moving from Wellington, the capital city of New Zealand, in 2018

His post has since divided the internet, with most agreeing with his statements.

'Fact! I'm from New Zealand too living in Melbourne and can 100 per cent agree,' one Kiwi woman said, while another added: 'Kiwi who has been in Australia since 2013 and 100 per cent agree! Love NZ but Australia wins for the general lifestyle perks.'

Another Kiwi woman also agreed, saying: 'I live in Queensland. Moved here three years ago and could never afford to live back at home. Make $28.50 an hour here but back home, would make $18.'

However, some Australians said they couldn't get enough of New Zealand, with one woman saying: 'I'm blessed to live in Australia but New Zealand is a very beautiful country as well with an amazing Prime Minister.'
Locklan 'Locky' Gilbert claims to have found 'The One' on The Bachelor, which premieres tonight at 7:30pm on Channel 10.

And the former Australian Survivor star, 30, has confirmed that he bedded his winning contestant four weeks ago, right after filming the finale.

Speaking to The Kyle and Jackie O Show, Locky said the couple consummated their relationship during a 'secret rendezvous' away from the cameras.

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Locky got lucky! The Bachelor's Locklan Gilbert (pictured) has revealed that he consummated his relationship with the winner shortly after filming the finale four weeks ago

Locky strongly denied that anything sexual happened behind the scenes until after he'd declared his love for the winning contestant.

He joked that he would have been 'crucified' if he'd slept with any of the women before making his final decision.

Interestingly, Locky hasn't spent any time with his winner since production wrapped.

'Use your imagination. It's been a long year': Locky playfully hinted he and his 'winner' had sex more than once during their secret post-finale 'rendezvous'

'We had the rendezvous after the show, but because of COVID-19 and being locked up in a house in Perth, we haven't seen each other yet and it doesn't look likely to see each other until after the show,' he said.

Radio host Kyle Sandilands then asked: 'This rendezvous when you spent the night with each other, is that when you took it to the next level?'

Locky responded: 'Use your imagination, Kyle. It's been a long year.'

'I was paying a favorite for survivor on Sportsbet, and I clearly didn't win': Locky deflected suggestions that Isabella 'Bella' Varelis, 25,(pictured) is his 'winner' based on betting odds

Co-host Jackie 'O' Henderson then mentioned to Locky that Bella Varelis, 25, is the bookies' favourite to win his heart on the show.

But he deflected this by saying: 'I was paying a favourite for Survivor on Sportsbet, and I clearly didn't win. They don't know what they're talking about.'

Victorian nurse Irena Srbinovska, 31, is also a hot contender on the betting apps.

New couple alert? Victorian nurse Irena Srbinovska (pictured) is also a hot contender on the betting apps to win Locky's heart

From models and teachers, to actresses and mechanical engineers: The Bachelor Locklan 'Locky' Gilbert's 23 bachelorettes ahead of this Wednesday's premiere

All 23 of Locky's women were revealed on Monday, two days before the premiere.

From models and teachers to actresses and mechanical engineers, Locky certainly has plenty to choose from.

The Bachelor's eighth season debuts tonight at 7:30pm on Channel 10
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar was irked with his grandnephew Parth for demanding a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe in the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput and publicly ridiculed him. Parth is the son of his nephew and state deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar.

We give no importance to what my grand-nephew says. He is immature, Pawar told media persons at YB Chavan Centre on Wednesday.

Significantly, Pawar also said that he is not opposed to CBI probe in the matter, which has been demanded by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders. CBI has filed a case against Rhea Chakraborty and her family members after the Centre approved its probe in the matter.

Rajput was found dead at his Mumbai apartment on June 14. He allegedly committed suicide.

Responding to media queries on Wednesday, Pawar said farmers also commit suicide but media does not take note of that. The suicide by the actor is unfortunate, but the way it is being discussed in the media is surprising. In my district, 20 farmers have committed suicide but no media has taken note of it, he said.

Pawar said he has been watching the Mumbai Police for five decades and is confident that they would handle the probe well.

Maharashtra and Mumbai Police are capable and I have 100% faith in them. If someone still wants a probe by CBI or any other agency, then there is no reason to oppose it, he said, taking a cautious stand.

On July 27, Parth had met state home minister Anil Deshmukh and demanded a CBI investigation in the Rajput death case.

Parths demand was contrary to the stand taken by Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi coalition government, in which NCP is one of the partners along with the Shiv Sena and the Congress. The state government has been in favour of a probe by the Mumbai Police.

With the whole country, especially youth, seeking a proper investigation into the death of late Sushant Singh Rajput, I urged Anil Deshmukh to take national emotions into consideration and initiate a CBI investigation, Parth had tweeted, in which he had also tagged Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah.

Pawars statement, however, has sparked speculations about differences within the Pawar clan which had seen open a revolt by Ajit and a few other NCP lawmakers last November when they got together with the BJP to form a government. Former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis had sworn in as chief minister with Ajit Pawar as deputy chief minister. Ajit, however, returned to the party fold after the government lasted only 80 hours as most NCP legislators refused to side with the rebel faction. A month later, Ajit Pawar was sworn-in again on the same position in the Uddhav Thackeray-led MVA government.

Meanwhile, few hours after Pawars comment on Parth, Ajit reached Silver Oak, residence of the NCP chief in south Mumbai, and held a meeting where Supriya Sule, Pawars daughter and state NCP chief Jayant Patil were also present.

Patil, however, tried to downplay the matter and denied any differences in the Pawar family. He also refused having any discussion on Parths statements in the meeting.

It was a scheduled meeting. We had discussion on several issues. The party allows everyone to express their views. He (Parth) may have said something that Im not aware of. There was no discussion on Parths statements, also no clarification will be sought from him, Patil said while responding to the queries after the meeting.

NCP insiders said Parth had already met Pawar and Supriya Sule on Tuesday evening on the issue and tried to explain his side. But the NCP chief public comment indicates that things have not yet resolved, said a party insider.

Parth had contested last years Lok Sabha election from Maval constituency in Maharashtra against the wishes of the NCP chief, and lost to sitting Shiv Sena MP Shrirang Barne.

Recently, Parth also tweeted a letter saying that Shri Ram, who embodies the faith and cultural identity of India, will finally be home in peace on August 5, the day of the bhoomipujan of Ram Temple at Ayodhya took place.

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Bar Harbor Bankshares (NYSEMKT:BHB) stock is about to trade ex-dividend in four days. You will need to purchase shares before the 17th of August to receive the dividend, which will be paid on the 18th of September.

Bar Harbor Bankshares's upcoming dividend is US$0.22 a share, following on from the last 12 months, when the company distributed a total of US$0.88 per share to shareholders. Based on the last year's worth of payments, Bar Harbor Bankshares has a trailing yield of 4.1% on the current stock price of $21.63. We love seeing companies pay a dividend, but it's also important to be sure that laying the golden eggs isn't going to kill our golden goose! That's why we should always check whether the dividend payments appear sustainable, and if the company is growing.

View our latest analysis for Bar Harbor Bankshares

If a company pays out more in dividends than it earned, then the dividend might become unsustainable - hardly an ideal situation. Bar Harbor Bankshares paid out more than half (54%) of its earnings last year, which is a regular payout ratio for most companies.

Companies that pay out less in dividends than they earn in profits generally have more sustainable dividends. The lower the payout ratio, the more wiggle room the business has before it could be forced to cut the dividend.

Click here to see how much of its profit Bar Harbor Bankshares paid out over the last 12 months.

Have Earnings And Dividends Been Growing?

Companies that aren't growing their earnings can still be valuable, but it is even more important to assess the sustainability of the dividend if it looks like the company will struggle to grow. Investors love dividends, so if earnings fall and the dividend is reduced, expect a stock to be sold off heavily at the same time. With that in mind, we're not enthused to see that Bar Harbor Bankshares's earnings per share have remained effectively flat over the past five years. Better than seeing them fall off a cliff, for sure, but the best dividend stocks grow their earnings meaningfully over the long run.

Story continues

Many investors will assess a company's dividend performance by evaluating how much the dividend payments have changed over time. In the last 10 years, Bar Harbor Bankshares has lifted its dividend by approximately 6.6% a year on average.

Final Takeaway

Is Bar Harbor Bankshares an attractive dividend stock, or better left on the shelf? Bar Harbor Bankshares's earnings per share have been essentially flat, and the company is paying out more than half of its earnings as dividends to shareholders. All things considered, we're not optimistic about its dividend prospects, and would be inclined to leave it on the shelf for now.

Want to learn more about Bar Harbor Bankshares's dividend performance? Check out this visualisation of its historical revenue and earnings growth.

A common investment mistake is buying the first interesting stock you see. Here you can find a list of promising dividend stocks with a greater than 2% yield and an upcoming dividend.

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.
Police are increasingly concerned for the welfare of a 15-year-old girl who has been missing since Saturday.

Maisie Wheeler was reported missing from her home in Meopham in Kent.

The teenager was last seen on August 8 and is believed to be in the Bognor Regis area, or in London.

Maisie Wheeler was reported missing from her home in Meopham in Kent on Ausgut 8

Officers are appealing for the teenager, or anyone with information regarding her whereabouts, to get in touch.

She also has links to London and police said she may be using public transport to travel around.

Maisie is described as being white with fair skin, 5'5', with dark brown hair tied up where the underneath is slightly shaven.

She has a lip and nose piercing as well as several ear piercings.

The teenager was last seen wearing a vest top that is tied up at the front with light blue jeans with rips in them and white Nike trainers with bright yellow stripes.

A Sussex Police spokesman said: 'Anyone who sees Maisie or who has information on her whereabouts is asked to report online or call 101, quoting serial 1203 of 08/08.'
Dirty John: The Betty Broderick Story

Netflix

The first season of this true-crime anthology series was an engrossing affair with terrific performances from Connie Britton and Eric Bana. This new season, starring the underrated Amanda Peet and the rarely spotted Christian Slater, starts out looking like it's going to flip the script, as they say in Hollywood. It's the 1980s, and the first thing that leaps out about Peet is that she can really rock some big hair, some blue eyeshadow, and a mom jean. The second thing is that it's her character, California woman Betty Broderick, who looks like being the villain. Almost right away we see that Betty has become unhinged by the fact that her husband, lawyer Dan (Slater), has left her and taken the kids. She won't sign the divorce papers, even though her lawyer has flown down from LA to San Diego to drive her to Dan's lawyer's office to do so. Just minutes of TV time later, police are hauling Betty away in a straitjacket in front of her appalled children after she deliberately, if somewhat gingerly, crashed her car into Dan's new house.

Amanda Peet in Dirty John: The Betty Broderick Story.

Did police really carry straitjackets around in the boots of their cars in the '80s? If so, that's an interesting piece of period detail. And period detail is something in which this season's production and wardrobe designers really excel. The clothes, hair, make-up and furniture are exquisitely '80s, but in an unobtrusive way that doesn't cram Walkmans and leg warmers and MTV into every scene. The series also excels when it comes to filling in the sad back story that brought Betty to her breaking point. And for that, it could hardly have found a better fit than Peet, who never seems to land the roles that would make her a bigger name, but whose performance here is versatile, captivating and achingly vulnerable. Some of the back story, though, plays out in earlier decades, where Betty is played by Riverdale's Tiera Skovbye and the eminently detestable Dan by Chris Mason, decked out in the hair and glasses of a young Stephen King. The drama around the shocking crime at the centre of it all might have been enough to carry things on its own, but the series also gives viewers a lot more to chew over - not least the kinds of psychological abuse that never end up in a courtroom.

Jim Gaffigan: Pale Tourist

Amazon Prime Video
Harris has often been criticized at various stages in her career for being too cautious and deliberate. But those are just what a running mate should be. Harris is unlikely to make any big mistakes. And in the high-stakes moment that will count the most  her Oct. 7 debate with Vice President Pence in Salt Lake City  she can be relied upon to shine.
The legendary comedy club, The Laugh Factory, offered its parking lot billboard to five artists who painted a 148-foot-long mural in honor of the Black Lives Matter movement. The mural was captured in 3-D using drone photogrammetry. For the full augmented reality experience, click on the link above on an iPhone 8 or later with the latest version of iOS. (Produced by Nani Sahra Walker in partnership with the Yahoo News XR Partner Program)

Jamie Masada remembered the car ride he took 38 years ago when he decided to offer his vacant lot as the site for a Black Lives Matter mural.

Click here to view the murals in 3D.

The founder and owner of Hollywoods the Laugh Factory, Masada was cruising around L.A. in a flashy Mercedes-Benz with Black comic legends Richard Pryor and Shirley Hemphill. Paul Mooney was behind the wheel. Within minutes, Mooney was pulled over in Beverly Hills by police officers for allegedly swerving.

Before returning to the comedy club, Mooney was pulled over twice more. Each time, the cops said he had been swerving  something Masada said was not true. The final time they were stopped, a police officer called for backup and everyone was pulled out of the car and searched, Masada recalled.

"Today, today, I hear from Black comedians that they get stopped" around Los Angeles for "swerving," said Masada, 60.

Misteralek painted a mural of George Floyd to commemorate his life outside a Watts convenience store.

When George Floyd, a Black man, died in Minneapolis police custody in May, Masada thought: "I have to do something about it."

Next to his club, he had a billboard. He let five artists  Alexandra Allie Belisle, Amanda Ferrell Hale, Noah Humes, PeQue Brown and Shplinton  paint a 148-foot-long mural in honor of a movement reinvigorated by Floyd, who died May 25 after a Minneapolis officer, Derek Chauvin, pinned his knee on Floyd's neck for several minutes.

The death of Floyd, 46, transformed Black Lives Matter into a cultural and political phenomenon  inspiring cries for racial justice. And public art.

"Murals and public art are often the most powerful and the most misunderstood forms of creating and maintaining change," said Georgia Van Cuylenburg, founder and executive director of Arts Bridging the Gap, which organized the Laugh Factory mural. "Someone can get behind a movement and then something else happens, and they move on to that. Art doesn't let you forget, it brings people forward into a conversation."

Art, she said, can sustain a movement's momentum by constantly reminding people "of where we've been and where we don't want to go again."

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In many ways, L.A. is a natural for mural-gazing. Often traffic-choked, its slow-moving crawl can create a kind of art gallery for murals along busy streets.

Alfonso Garcia painted the names of victims of police brutality on North Fairfax Avenue in Hollywood.

"Once people in L.A. go back to their normal lives, they get so caught up in their day-to-day, but they spend so much time driving," seeing murals on freeways and streets that it sparks conversations, said Eric Bjorgum, president of the Mural Conservancy of Los Angeles.

Murals are like billboards with a social justice bent. Unlike billboards, the idea they're selling appeals to the conscience, not the wallet.

Public art "is something to remind people of stuff over and over again," Bjorgum said. "It preserves something and keeps it from being lost."

Yet time poses an existential threat to murals. The paint used, its exposure to exhaust and the sun, vandalism, whether the art is on private or public land, the controversy it arouses, the artist's renown  all of these things can factor into its life span, said Bjorgum.

Some of the oldest murals in L.A. are coming up on 40 or 50 years, but their average life is "usually two to five years before anything might happen. It really depends on what the public likes, too; what they want to preserve," he said.

Click here to view the murals in 3D.

Months ago, along the famed Abbott Kinney Boulevard in Venice, the streets were eerily quiet. Boarded up shops and restaurants bore portraits of Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Michael Brown and other Black people who died at the hands of law enforcement.

Jules Muck made street art in Venice to memorialize victims of police violence.

The portraits were the work of Jules Muck, a Venice-based artist known as MuckRock. Signs that read "Black owned" and "POC owned" were posted outside businesses to deter a small number of people among the mostly peaceful protesters from breaking in.

By mid-July, most of the portraits were gone. The signs were removed; a plywood board scrawled with Floyd's last words  "I can't breathe" among them  were stored in a basement. Most of the shops and restaurants had reopened.

"This phenomenon of massive public art that pops up really fast is pretty new," said Bjorgum. "I don't think that happened in the past. I would assume it's a proliferation of spray paint art and also graffiti culture being more accepted. It'll be interesting to see which ones last and which ones don't."

The killing of Taylor shook artist and teacher PeQue Brown, 54, who painted the slain woman's image in the Laugh Factory mural.

Taylor, a Black woman who worked as an emergency medical technician, was killed in March when Louisville police, executing a search warrant, broke down her apartments door and shot her eight times.

"I spent seven years as a healthcare professional, specifically as an EMT, so I recognize the grueling toll it can take on one's body and psyche," he said. It's an experience he relates to.

But Brown wanted to participate in the mural for other reasons, too. "I identify with the situation, being African American, and knowing all the trials and tribulations that people of color have gone through... so it was definitely something I thought was important for me to get involved in," he said.

Alexandra Allie Belisle painted part of the Hollywood mural dedicated to Black Lives Matter.

When Alexandra Allie Belisle, 22, was approached to contribute to the Black Lives Matter mural outside the comedy club, she also wanted to honor Black women like Taylor. Often, in conversations about injustice and racism, "Black women get overlooked," said Belisle, a student and artist who painted a masked protester holding up a sign that read: "Protect Black Women."

When violence related to law enforcement happens to women of color, "it doesn't get the same type of outrage and attention," she said. "It's hard enough to be a woman, but we're also Black and that's a whole other challenge in itself."

Belisle said art allows her to express these conflicts.

"It communicates how people are feeling... public art and murals are a way for people to take ownership of their communities," she said. "When they're removed, it takes away from the identity of an area."

For lettering artist Alfonso Garcia, his mural on North Fairfax Avenue in Hollywood was about supporting the movement and his Black friends.

Three days and about 40 hours later, Garcia, 27, had painted more than 500 names of victims of police brutality from 2016-20. "And I didn't even have enough space to continue" adding more, he said. On the wall are also the hashtags "Say their names" and "Black Lives Matter."

He wanted to elevate their message. "I wanted to grab people's attention and make them stop to look at the mural."

And that he did.

A woman was driving by and stopped when she saw Garcia painting the mural. "She's reading all these names and all of a sudden she starts tearing up... and she seems very happy," he recalled. She pointed to a name on the wall: Alton Sterling, her nephew. "She started telling us how he used to be a very good, genuine [person] who would sell CDs on a street corner" before his altercation with Louisiana police. On July 2016, two white police officers in Baton Rouge fatally shot Sterling, a 37-year-old Black man.

The woman's response and joy moved Garcia. "That alone is the reward," he said.

Artists memorialized George Floyd with murals and street art in the Melrose Avenue area.

Shane Grammer, a 48-year-old multidisciplinary artist, has been doing street graffiti since he was 19 years old. He knows his mural honoring Floyd on Melrose Avenue in Hollywood will eventually be removed.

"You just know that when you do a mural, you have to get video footage and you have to get your photos that day, as soon as you're done, because you just never know" what will happen to it, he said.

That was true even when he painted a series of murals to memorialize the more than 80 victims of the 2018 Camp fire in Paradise, Calif. On burnt cars, chimneys and what remained of people's homes, Grammer painted more than a dozen murals.

Grammer said some Paradise residents "identified those murals as a symbol of hope during such a devastating time," he said. "Those murals really helped people."

He said he hopes the mural he painted of Floyd has the same effect.

Click here to view the murals in 3D.
By PTI

GHAZIABAD: Congress leader and spokesperson Rajiv Tyagi passed away on Wednesday after a heart attack, the party said.

He was 52.

Tyagi suffered the attack soon after participating in a TV debate from his residence in Sector 16 of Vasundhara in Ghaziabad and fell unconscious, sources said.

He was immediately rushed to the Yashoda Hospital in Kaushambi, Ghaziabad, where doctors tried to revive him, but could not, the sources added.

Doctors said he probably breathed his last on the way to the hospital.

Tyagi was a regular Congress face in TV debates and his last tweet came around 3.40 pm Wednesday in which he said he was scheduled to take part in a debate at 5 PM.

After finishing the debate, Tyagi asked his domestic help to prepare tea for him and himself lay down on his bed, his family members said.

But when the house help brought the tea after a few minutes, he did not respond, they said.

His brother-in-law Deepak Tyagi told PTI that a nearby doctor was called for an emergency check-up, but after efforts to revive him failed, Tyagi was immediately rushed to the Yashoda hospital, where the doctors declared him "brought dead".

Tyagi is survived by his wife and two sons.

A host of Congress and BJP leaders, besides Union ministers Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and Ram Vilas Paswan expressed their condolences to the family.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi, and party leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra spoke to Tyagi's wife on phone and expressed their condolences while remembering his contribution to the party.

The Congress tweeted, "We are deeply saddened by the sudden demise of Shri Rajiv Tyagi. A staunch Congressman and a true patriot. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends in this time of grief."

In his condolence message, Rahul Gandhi said the Congress lost "one of its lions today".

"The inspiration of Rajiv Tyagi's love and struggle for the Congress will always be remembered. My heartfelt tribute to him and condolences to the family," he tweeted in Hindi.

In her tweet, Priyanka Gandhi said Tyagi's untimely demise is a big loss for all.

"The untimely death of Congress spokesman Rajiv Tyagi is a personal grief to me. It is an irreparable loss for all of us. Rajiv ji was an ideologically dedicated warrior. I expressed condolences to his family on behalf of the entire Uttar Pradesh Congress. May God give strength to his family to bear this loss," she said.

Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad said, "Deeply saddened to hear the shocking news of untimely death of young congress leader & spokesperson Rajiv Tyagi. My heartfelt condolences to the family to bear the irreparable loss."

AICC general secretary KC Venugopal said, "Saddened and shocked to hear about the sudden demise of our colleague and Congress national spokesperson Shri Rajiv Tyagi. My condolences to his family and friends in this time of grief. May his soul rest in peace."

Party chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said he was speechless on hearing about Tyagi's demise.

He said it is a personal loss for him.

"Saddened to know of untimely demise of INC national spokesperson, Sh. Rajiv Tyagi. He served the party dedicatedly. My heartfelt condolences to his family members & friends," tweeted Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot.

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel said Tyagi's death was an irreparable loss for the party.

BJP MP Anil Baluni, who also heads the party's media department, expressed his shock at the death of Tyagi, saying he was an affable and emotional person.

Several BJP spokespersons, who regularly debated with Tyagi in TV shows, expressed their sorrow at his demise.

BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra, who was on a TV debate with Tyagi just before his death, said, "I cannot believe that my friend Rajiv Tyagi is no more. We were together in a TV debate at 5 PM. Life is very uncertain. I don't have words to express. May God give Rajiv ji a place in his feet."

Tyagi will be cremated Thursday morning at Hindon crematorium, party sources said.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-13 01:48:15|Editor: huaxia

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BERLIN, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) became the first federal state in Germany to introduce compulsory use of face masks in classrooms with the re-start of schools after summer holidays from Wednesday.

All pupils from year 5 onwards had to wear face masks on the entire school premises and also during lessons until at least the end of August, according to the state government.

"We have to be particularly careful these days," said Minister President of NRW state Armin Laschet on Tuesday with regard to the COVID-19 infection numbers in Germany's most populous federal state which had recently increased significantly.

Last week, a grammar school and a primary school in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania where schools had already started had to be closed again because of COVID-19 infections.

At the end of the holiday season in NRW, there had been a "dynamic infection situation," NRW Minister of Labor, Health and Social Affairs Karl-Josef Laumann saidTuesday, appealing to citizens to follow health regulations.

The state of NRW now also classified the violation of mask obligation in public transport as an administrative offence. Such violations of current face mask regulations would be punished with 150 euros (176 U.S. dollars) on first instance, according to the state government. Enditem
BEIJING, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- It is necessary for the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC) to decide on the constitutional issues regarding the Legislative Council (LegCo) of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), a central government official said in a statement released Tuesday.

Xia Baolong, head of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, on Saturday explained the bill asking the NPC Standing Committee to make a decision for the sixth LegCo of the HKSAR to continue operation.

Lawmakers voted to adopt the decision on Tuesday.

Matters concerning the vacancy of the HKSAR LegCo due to the postponement of the seventh LegCo election can only be resolved by the NPC Standing Committee at the constitutional level, as the HKSAR Chief Executive only has the power to postpone the election under the applicable law in the HKSAR, said Xia.

The NPC Standing Committee has the power and duty to properly address constitutional issues arising from the implementation of the HKSAR Basic Law, according to Xia.

Chief Executive of the HKSAR Carrie Lam on July 31 announced the postponement of the LegCo election due to the current COVID-19 outbreak.

The bill suggested that the sixth LegCo should continue performing duties for no less than a year until the term of the seventh LegCo starts, which not only coordinates with the decision made by the HKSAR Chief Executive in Council to postpone the election for a year but also provides room for the HKSAR to postpone the election due to epidemic reasons and relevant working requirements, Xia said.

A new round of the COVID-19 epidemic broke out in the HKSAR since July, with a total of 3,938 confirmed cases, including 2,874 locally-transmitted cases reported by Aug. 7, Xia said.

Infections were reported in various areas and sectors, with unknown infection sources for nearly half of the cases, Xia said, noting that the new round of the outbreak has heavily impacted the LegCo election.

Many political groups, social organizations and public figures in the HKSAR have urged the postponement of the LegCo election, saying that if the election is held as scheduled, it will be difficult to ensure fairness and openness, and it would also increase the risks of COVID-19 infections and endanger the voters and the polling staff, according to Xia.

The State Council believes that the decision to postpone the election has a solid legal basis, and fits the current epidemic conditions in the HKSAR, Xia said, calling it necessary and appropriate.
Visitors to the largest theme park of Vietnam in Phu Quoc Island, Kien Giang province (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi - The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) is making preparations for the recovery of the tourism market amid a new COVID-19 outbreak.

Speaking at an online meeting last week, VNAT General Director Nguyen Trung Khanh said the agency was working with localities to rehabilitate the tourism industry as the new outbreak has hit businesses again after three months of no locally transmitted cases of COVID-19.

He noted that hotels, transport and other tourism services have a close mutual relationship.

Any disruption to the relationship greatly affects the overall operation of the tourism industry, he said.

Tourism has been one of the industries hardest hit globally by the pandemic, and Vietnam is no exception, with foreign tourist arrivals and tourism revenue falling by more than 50 percent in the first half of the year, according to Khanh.

After a brief recovery of domestic tourism thanks to many promotions, travel firms are now facing thousands of cancellation and refund requests.

Vo Anh Tai, deputy general director of Saigon Tourist Travel Service Company, said that most customers who want to cancel tours have requested a full refund of their payment.

This is a problem that enterprises cannot solve by themselves. When customers buy tours, the companies have to pay a part of that money to service providers such as airlines, restaurants, hotels and resorts, he said.

Nguyen Thi Hoat, executive director of Top Travel, said the firm is facing challenges related to cash flow.

Many customers are delaying their payment of the remaining amount that is due for their chosen tour. When making a contract, the travel company usually takes only 50-80 percent of the tour value.

Huynh Phan Phuong Hoang, deputy general director of Vietravel, said that as of August 5, more than 22,300 tourists had cancelled tours worth a total revenue of 102 billion VND (4.4 million USD). The number is expected to increase in the coming time.

Travel firms typically have to book services with service providers in advance. In force majeure events in previous outbreaks, only some service providers agreed to refund, while many others applied penalties when customers cancelled tours, Hoang said.

Khanh said the VNAT would continue to provide support to enterprises. However, many tourism businesses said they have been unable to receive government incentives since the first COVID-19 outbreak due to the complicated procedures they must follow.

Most travel businesses have requested a reduction of VAT as well as electricity and water bills. They also would like extension on rental payments and financial support for employees in the tourism sector.

Tour cancellations

Preliminary statistics from localities and businesses show that the number of tourists who have postponed or cancelled tours has reached hundreds of thousands across the country, significantly affecting tourism service providers.

The cancellation rate in localities is expected to be more than 90 percent by the end of the month. Major tourist hotpots in the country have confirmed that the cancellation rate of tourist bookings has reached more than 80 percent.

Some customers have agreed to postpone or adjust their travel times, but others have cancelled their tours and requested a full refund.

After social distancing measures were suspended in late April, the domestic tourism industry strongly revived between June and early July. According to the VNAT, hotel room occupancy in mid-June reached 60 percent by mid-week and up to 90 percent by the end of the week.

Across the nation, the number of domestic tourists in June was estimated at 7 million, twice the figure in May. In Da Nang, the city's tourism authority recorded more than 450,000 visitors in June, up 85 percent from May.

In response to the resurgence of COVID-19, Vietnam is taking serious measures to stop the virus from entering and spreading in the community, the VNAT said.
What should we feel now that the investigation into the murder of black teenager Stephen Lawrence 27 years ago has for all practical purposes been wound up?

Frustration, certainly. And sadness. Two of his murderers were finally brought to justice in 2012, and are serving time in prison, but no other suspects have ever been convicted.

So it is impossible not to feel that justice has in some way been cheated. Not all of Stephens killers have been made to pay the price they should have paid. Barring some extraordinary development in forensic science, or an even more extraordinary confession, they never will be.

Stephen Glover asks: 'What should we feel now that the investigation into the murder of black teenager Stephen Lawrence 27 years ago has for all practical purposes been wound up?'

Shameful

But if the Metropolitan Police have run out of leads, as seems to be the case, it is hard to know what else they could do. Despite having taken over 240 statements since the latest phase of the investigation into Stephens murder began in 2014, they have drawn a blank.

Stephens father, Neville, appears to have accepted that, for the moment at least, no more can be done. In a dignified statement yesterday, he said he was disappointed to hear this news but not surprised.

Doreen, Stephens mother, issued a similar statement in which she expressed her disappointment, but also her thanks to Clive Driscoll, the senior investigating officer who was responsible for the conviction of Gary Dobson and David Norris eight years ago.

What is noteworthy is that Stephens parents are only restrainedly criticising the police for having moved the case to an inactive phase. How striking  and significant  a difference to what took place in 1993!

For whereas in recent times the police have done their utmost to find those responsible, this was emphatically not the case after Stephens murder. Then investigating officers refused to accept the killers had been racially motivated.

'Stephens father, Neville, appears to have accepted that, for the moment at least, no more can be done,' says Stephen Glover

They appeared to disbelieve the testimony of Duwayne Brooks, Stephens black friend who was with him when he was stabbed by white youths at a bus stop in South-East London. Neville and Doreen, though obviously prostrate with grief, were repeatedly asked to give the names of Stephens black friends.

As for Duwayne, he felt that police were going out of their way to discredit him  casting doubt on his reliability as a witness after an identity parade, and arresting him on suspicion of causing criminal damage at an anti-racism protest.

Despite the almost immediate identification of five white suspects, police were unable  or perhaps simply unwilling  to bring a case. They were guilty, at the very least, of a shameful lack of imagination.

There the matter would probably have rested were it not for the role played by this newspaper four years later. After an inquest returned the verdict that Stephen had been unlawfully killed  though there was no apparent prospect of the police taking up the case again  the Mail accused the five suspects.

On its front page on February 14, 1997, the paper identified the five white youths under the headline MURDERERS. It invited Dobson and Norris and three others to sue if they believed they had been wrongly accused. They did not.

Stephen Glover says: 'As for Duwayne, he felt that police were going out of their way to discredit him.' Pictured: Duwayne Brooks, friend of Stephen Lawrence

Its easy to forget the outrage that followed the Mails publication. Lord Donaldson, a former Master of the Rolls, accused its editor of contempt of court, though the less hidebound judge Lord Denning described it as a marvellous piece of journalism.

Incidentally, I cant easily see our great liberal newspapers, who proclaim their sympathy for the underdog so loudly and persistently, risking so much in the cause of a relatively unknown black teenager.

It took another 15 years for Dobson and Norris to be convicted. But who can doubt that, if justice has been at least partly served, it is down to the determination and grit of Stephens grieving parents, given voice by this paper rallying to their cause?

All this is worth rehearsing because the murder of Stephen Lawrence, and the subsequently bungled investigation that seemed almost to resemble a cover-up, belong to another world which, thank God, has mostly passed away.

If the case had never been fully investigated, the racial assumptions of the police and wider society would never have been fully examined. Stephens murder was obviously a terrible wrong that could never be put right.

But because it was brought to the publics notice it has served to make the police re-examine their attitudes. Can we imagine they would turn a blind eye to the murder of a black 18-year-old today?

Gary Dobson (left) and David Norris (right) were convicted in January 2012 for the murder of Stephen Lawrence

Failings

As it happens, I had some difficulty with the conclusion of the 1999 Macpherson Report that the bungled investigation of Stephens murder showed that the Metropolitan Police were institutionally racist.

There was a danger, it seemed to me, that this judgment took responsibility away from the failings of individual officers and vested it in an organisation which could not be meaningfully described as racist because it was so large and diverse.

Nevertheless, that some  possibly many  officers held racist beliefs at that time is surely undeniable. If a light had never been shone on Stephens murder, a sense of complacency in the police, and among politicians, would have gone unchallenged.

I realise, of course, that some people maintain the police are still racist  or, at any rate, that many of their number are. Only the other day, Labour MP and Shadow Equalities Minister Dawn Butler, who is black, complained of racial profiling after she had been stopped by police when in a car.

Ive no idea whether Ms Butler was victimised as she alleges. But it would obviously be silly to pretend that BAME people are never targeted by individual officers, although of course the mere action of stopping and searching a person of colour is not proof of racism.

'Only the other day, Labour MP and Shadow Equalities Minister Dawn Butler, who is black, complained of racial profiling after she had been stopped by police when in a car,' says Stephen Glover

Burden

So we should not be so busy congratulating ourselves on more enlightened attitudes that we ignore examples of racism whenever they arise, as they undoubtedly do.

I naturally deplore the occasional acts of violence of Black Lives Matter, and greatly dislike the movements incoherent semi-Marxist views, but the core message is inarguable. Of course black lives matter, just as white ones do.

Notwithstanding instances of residual racism, Im convinced that the past quarter-century has seen a huge shift in the behaviour of the police, who in turn reflect the attitudes of wider society. And Ive little doubt that the tragic murder of Stephen Lawrence has played a part in this transformation.

In his eloquent statement yesterday, Neville Lawrence said he did not regret our fight for justice, although the burden has at times felt too heavy for a family to bear. In fact, I am immensely proud of everything that has been achieved along the way.

That murder of a talented young man with his life in front of him was a savage and mindless act. It is galling that not all of his killers have been brought to justice, and now very probably never will be.

But, though it may sound a paradoxical thing to say, by shining a light on our failings, a terrible killing has helped to make Britain a fairer country. Well never turn our backs on a Stephen Lawrence again.
Wynnstay Group Plc (LON:WYN), might not be a large cap stock, but it saw a significant share price rise of over 20% in the past couple of months on the AIM. As a small cap stock, hardly covered by any analysts, there is generally more of an opportunity for mispricing as there is less activity to push the stock closer to fair value. Is there still an opportunity here to buy? Lets examine Wynnstay Groups valuation and outlook in more detail to determine if theres still a bargain opportunity.

See our latest analysis for Wynnstay Group

Is Wynnstay Group still cheap?

The stock is currently trading at UK3.33 on the share market, which means it is overvalued by 25% compared to my intrinsic value of 2.66. This means that the buying opportunity has probably disappeared for now. In addition to this, it seems like Wynnstay Groups share price is quite stable, which could mean two things: firstly, it may take the share price a while to fall back down to an attractive buying range, and secondly, there may be less chances to buy low in the future once it reaches that value. This is because the stock is less volatile than the wider market given its low beta.

What kind of growth will Wynnstay Group generate?

Investors looking for growth in their portfolio may want to consider the prospects of a company before buying its shares. Buying a great company with a robust outlook at a cheap price is always a good investment, so lets also take a look at the company's future expectations. With profit expected to grow by a double-digit 10% over the next couple of years, the outlook is positive for Wynnstay Group. It looks like higher cash flow is on the cards for the stock, which should feed into a higher share valuation.

What this means for you:

Are you a shareholder? It seems like the market has well and truly priced in WYNs positive outlook, with shares trading above its fair value. At this current price, shareholders may be asking a different question  should I sell? If you believe WYN should trade below its current price, selling high and buying it back up again when its price falls towards its real value can be profitable. But before you make this decision, take a look at whether its fundamentals have changed.

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Are you a potential investor? If youve been keeping an eye on WYN for a while, now may not be the best time to enter into the stock. The price has surpassed its true value, which means theres no upside from mispricing. However, the optimistic prospect is encouraging for WYN, which means its worth diving deeper into other factors in order to take advantage of the next price drop.

So if you'd like to dive deeper into this stock, it's crucial to consider any risks it's facing. Case in point: We've spotted 2 warning signs for Wynnstay Group you should be aware of.

If you are no longer interested in Wynnstay Group, you can use our free platform to see our list of over 50 other stocks with a high growth potential.

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.
Indias interest in the United States presidential elections this November just got a little stronger, if only symbolically, thanks to the Democratic nominee Joe Biden picking as his running mate Kamala Harris, a US Senator with Indian heritage.

A dozen years ago, as a young African-American rose to prominence in the nations political firmament, a retinue of other minorities gained enhanced profiles in his wake. That young biracial person was a certain Barack Obama, then the junior Senator from Illinois, who by January 2009 became the first African-American President of the United States. Among his early champions was Harris, another fledgling politician of mixed Indian and Jamaican heritage, who emerged as an articulate proponent of Obamas positions on televised discussions, in a role described as that of a surrogate.

As Obama occupied the White House, there were rumours about Harris as a potential Attorney General. She had other ideas, and 12 years later, the course she opted for may have been correct: if Biden beats the incumbent Donald Trump, she will make history as the first African-American and first Indian-American, if not Asian-American, to become the US Vice-President.

If Biden is successful, she will also be the first woman ever to be part of a winning presidential ticket. If Democrat Hillary Clinton failed to win the presidency in 2016, Republican Sarah Palin tasted defeat on John McCains ticket, and Democrat Geraldine Ferraro was the running mate of Walter Mondale in 1984 in one of the most humiliating wipe-outs in recent American political history.

Harris political journey has been gradual, hardly one of meteoric proportions. She was elected San Franciscos District Attorney, and later Attorney General of California, and to the chagrin of the Left-wing in her party, was a strong proponent of law enforcement. In once describing her as by far the best-looking Attorney General in America, Obama faced accusations of ugly sexism. Not that it hurt Harris, who climbed another rung in the ladder as she was elected to the US Senate in 2017.

When Obama was the presumptive presidential nominee of the Democrats in 2008, Joe Biden became his running mate, as the former sought to add centrist cred to his platform. Biden, who has had two miserable campaigns in the past for the nomination, succeeded this time and among those he bested was Harris, who was among the early favourites. Now, months after she exited the contest, Biden has picked her to give some heft to his attempt to oust Trump. Harris could well be expected to appeal to the liberal wing of the party, and, more importantly, to its most loyal demographic, African-Americans.

However, while Harris does embrace many of the mainstream positions of the Democrats, she is hardly a raving leftist, a reality that makes this ticket moderate and not necessarily one that will excite the far Left. Her role in supporting the police and increasing conviction rates for violent crimes in San Francisco and thereafter California, already makes her suspect in their eyes even though she did try and cast herself as a progressive prosecutor.

Biden and Harris will have to walk a tightrope in the current environment where American cities are beset by Black Lives Matter protests as well as several incidents of looting, and Trump has staked out a position as a resolute defender of law and order.

Harris connection to India is well-established. She, along with her sister Maya, was raised by their mother Shyamala Gopalan, and often visited Chennai, where among their shopping destinations was the saree emporium Nallis. On her mothers death, she travelled to India for the immersion of her ashes.

Early in her career, Harris established contact with Indian-American lobbies and political action committees. While Harris stance on China, particularly condemnation of its human rights abuses, will gladden many in New Delhi, India should not expect her silence if it overreaches domestically, especially given its current dispensation.

The naming of Harris was possibly the worst kept secret of the Biden campaign. However, after four years of Trump, predictability may not necessarily be a negative for American voters.

With the casting call now complete, the ever-entertaining show that is the US presidential election is set to roll. Trump has never been known to watch his words while Biden has a longstanding reputation as a prolific gaffe generator. It could be up to their running mates  Vice President Mike Pence and Kamala Harris  to inject some gravitas into the coming race.
ROME (Reuters) - Italy ruled on Wednesday that people travelling from Croatia, Greece, Malta and Spain must be tested for the coronavirus on arrival, as new infections increase in the four countries which are popular holiday destinations for Italians.

Health Minister Roberto Speranza said on Facebook he had signed the new order, adding that anyone travelling from or through Colombia would not be allowed in Italy.

"We have to continue with a prudent approach to defend the results we've achieved thanks to the sacrifice we have all made in recent months," Speranza said.

Italy was the first country outside China to be badly hit by the disease, and has recorded more than 35,000 deaths since its outbreak came to light on Feb. 21.

The daily tally of new cases in Italy has accelerated over the last month, though less steeply than in numerous other European countries.

Some 481 new infections were registered on Wednesday, and 10 deaths, the Civil Protection Agency reported.

(Reporting By Gavin Jones; editing by Valentina Za)
Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic has locked us all into our homes, weve been dreaming of a day when everything will go back to normal and well finally get to step out without worrying about face masks and hand sanitizers and the constant fear of contracting the novel coronavirus.

And Bill Gates thinks that time will come very soon, and we'll see the end of COVID-19 pandemic as soon as next year in 2021.

Reuters

He revealed this in a recent interview with Wired, where he answered numerous questions surrounding COVID-19, and one of the questions was whether hes feeling optimistic for now, to which he agreed, talking about how this led to a massive push in innovation, stating, Yes. You have to admit theres been trillions of dollars of economic damage done and a lot of debts, but the innovation pipeline on scaling up diagnostics, on new therapeutics, on vaccines is actually quite impressive.

Bill Gates further stated what he feels could be the timeline for COVID-19 to slowly phase out from our lives, stating, And that makes me feel like, for the rich world, we should largely be able to end this thing by the end of 2021, and for the world at large by the end of 2022. That is only because of the scale of the innovation thats taking place.

He did, however, mention that this will come with catastrophic damage to economies around the world, stating, Now whenever we get this done, we will have lost many years in malaria and polio and HIV and the indebtedness of countries of all sizes and instability. Itll take you years beyond that before youd even get back to where you were at the start of 2020. Its not World War I or World War II, but it is in that order of magnitude as a negative shock to the system.

ALSO READ: Bill Gates Spending $150 Million To Cut COVID-19 Vaccine Price To $3 Per Dose

Reuters

Gates has been contributing a lot to ending the COVID-19 pandemic, since day one. Whether it is providing test kits to the people of Washington DC or transporting 15,000 medicinal molecules to be shipped to a lab in Belgium to test a potential cure to the novel coronavirus, he has left no stone unturned.

Just last week, he announced that he will be paying $150 million to Serum Institute India to manufacture 100 million COVID-19 vaccines and bring the cost down (when theyre clear for public use) to just $3 for developing nations to take control of the novel coronavirus.
Mumbai: Fuming over the Centre's decision to hand over the Sushant Singh Rajput death case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Shiv Sena has demanded that the deaths of BJP leader Gopinath Munde and judge BH Loya should also be investigated by the central agency.

Former Union minister and Sena leader Arvind Sawant said, Even we demand CBI inquiry into the death of Gopinath Munde and judge Loya. Let the truth come out in these cases.

Demand for CBI inquiry is not made very often. Its not right to conduct a probe just because someone has demanded it. There is some procedure, which needs to be followed for carrying out a CBI probe. But an attempt is being made to undermine the Constitution, which is based on the federal structure of governance, he said.

Mumbai police was investigating Sushant Singhs death case impartially. But the decision to hand over the case to CBI is an attempt to demoralise them, Sawant added.

Foul play was suspected in the death of Loya, who was hearing the Sohrabuddin Sheikh fake encounter case of Gujarat involving current Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Munde had died in a road accident in 2014, but a US hacker claimed he was murdered as he was aware of EVM hacking.

Meanwhile, Maharashtra BJP chief Chandrakant Patil has slammed the Shiv Sena saying its demand of a CBI probe into the deaths of Munde and Loya was due to its confused state.

There is no connection between the Sushant Singhs case and these two deaths. There is no point in again raking up the judge Loya issue, which is already over. The entire world knows that Munde had died in a road accident, he added.
England scrambles to avoid criticism over coronavirus-hit exam grades Sixth form students react as they receive their A-Level results at Stoke Newington School in London

By William James and Sarah Young

LONDON (Reuters) - England sought to defuse a looming row over the awarding of school qualifications during the pandemic by allowing students to use results of their earlier practice tests - a last-minute change designed to avoid a repeat of mistakes made in Scotland.

The coronavirus pandemic closed schools across Europe and meant that in some countries almost no examinations took place, leaving educators with a dilemma over how to award grades that affect students' job prospects and university places.

Scotland's devolved government was forced to reverse downgraded results on Tuesday after a moderation process led to 75,000 young people having their grades revised down, sparking dismay and protests.

Pupils in England, Wales and Northern Ireland will receive on Thursday the results of their A-levels - exams taken generally by 18-year-olds.

The results in England were due to be based on the predictions of a student's school and then moderated by exam boards.

But education minister Gavin Williamson said on Wednesday students would now have the "safety net" option of choosing between using their calculated grade, going with the result of 'mock' practice tests taken earlier this year, or sitting a new exam in the autumn.

"We are creating a triple-lock process to ensure confidence and fairness in the system," Williamson said in a statement.

While students in Germany were able to sit their exams this year, other countries across Europe have had to improvise.

France cancelled its school-leaving 'baccalaureat' exam but published methodology for awarding grades months in advance of results day. Students in Italy swapped written exams for hour-long oral tests, with past performance also taken into account.

The British approach was greeted with dismay by teaching unions, who said it was rushed and did not take into account that mock exams were not standardised across schools.

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"The idea of introducing at the 11h hour a system in which mock exam results trump calculated grades beggars belief," said Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders.

"This immediately creates the potential for massive inconsistency."

(Reporting by Sarah Young and William James in London, Richard Lough in Paris and James Mackenzie in Milan; Editing by Kate Holton and Gareth Jones)
The lines for voting were short and sweet Tuesday amid strict coronavirus protections, but local registrars of voters still faced the daunting task of counting the nearly 300,000 absentee ballots issued by the state for the nations last presidential primary of 2020.

Registrars were able to begin counting ballots when polls opened Tuesday morning, and many towns were able to post preliminary results shortly after polls closed Tuesday night. Even in the states large cities, where counting ballots was expected to be chaotic and rushed, things seemed to be progressing smoothly, albeit slowly.

The outcome at the top of the ballots was a given, of course, as President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden were declared by the Associated Press winners of the Republican and Democratic presidential primaries soon after the polls closed.

Despite a relatively glitch-free election, the question of whether the controversial expanded absentee ballot process could be scaled up for the November election hung over the day, into the night in town halls across Connecticut.

Only registered Democrats and Republicans could vote Tuesday and many sat it out, but on Nov. 3, the states largest voting bloc  unaffiliated voters  will be thrown into the mix. That, paired with a high stakes presidential election, rather than an already determined primary race, made Tuesdays trial run particularly important for state election officials.

In a small room at New Haven City Hall, a group of about 20, including tabulators and moderators, began counting ballots just after 9:30 p.m., said head moderator Kevin Arnold. They had about 1,100 ballots to get through Tuesday night. Those ballots were ones received between Saturday and voting day. About 1,200 ballots received prior to Friday were able to be counted earlier in the day, and Arnold said there are several hundred more that were received by the city on Tuesday.

The slowest part of the process, Arnold said, is checking to make sure anyone who turned in a ballot after Friday didnt also show up to the polls to vote in person.

Its taking awhile, but surprisingly, its going really well, Arnold said, noting he had expected the night to be chaotic and instead it was quieter than a normal election night, in part due to how few people are allowed to be present during counting due to COVID precautions.

In Greenwich, Republican Registrar of Voters Fred DeCaro III said, While we have had a lot thrown at us in terms of pandemic, tropical storms, and a series of rapidly changing directions from the State of Connecticut, we have been able to plan and train our poll workers such that everything under our control is running very smoothly.

Total absentee ballot voting was expected to be in the range of 40 percent to 60 percent, ten times the typical total, and counting will last through the end of the day on Thursday. Gov. Ned Lamont on Tuesday ordered municipalities to count any late absentee votes received by mail Wednesday or Thursday as long as they were post-marked Tuesday. Lamont based his decision, which will impact the delivery of results in some areas, on the disruption last weeks tropical storm may have had on mail delivery.

But as for in-person voting, said Mary Ann Doran, the Republican Registrar of Voters in Danbury, A lot of people say, Hey its over. Why are we voting? Why are we going to the polls? Why are we doing this? There is a lot of lack of interest or people not understanding why were doing it.

With Sanders still on the ballot despite ending his campaign, many liberal voters will send a message to Bidens campaign. The final results could be telling for Biden, who, on Tuesday afternoon, announced California Sen. Kamala Harris as his pick for vice president.

Gabe Rosenberg, spokesman for Secretary of the State Denise Merrill, could not provide an estimate for the number of in-person ballots expected, given the unusual nature of the primary. He also did not have a final tally on the number of absentee ballots that were ultimately sent out because the final batches were mailed by local officials rather than a state contractor.

But he estimated roughly 300,000 ballots will be cast by mail by the time counting ends on Thursday. By comparison, in the 2018 statewide primary, for governor and other state offices, Connecticut voters send in a total of 20,000 absentee ballots in an election with heavier turnout  an absentee tally of 5.5 percent.

Of those who requested ballots this year, Rosenberg said his agency had fielded a very small number of complaints. Its in the two digits, Rosenberg said.

Requests processed by July 27 were done by a mail-house based in Rhode Island, those after that date by local Town Clerks. Normally the Town Clerks would be in charge of all mail-in voting requests.

Anyone who didnt receive an absentee ballot, and applied early enough, reach out to our office, Rosenberg said. Give us your information so we can figure out exactly what happened. We have to do this again in November. If theres problems we want to know what they are.

Tony Barr, a Democratic activist challenging state. Rep. Charlie Stallworth, for his seat representing Bridgeport in the General Assembly, was driving back and forth between polling sites in the city Tuesday and said overall turnout was low.

You gotta respect that for what it is, Barr said, referring to the coronavirus pandemic.

But Councilwoman Rosalina Roman-Christy said there had been a steady flow at Wilbur Cross School in the North End of Bridgeport.

More people than I expected, Roman-Christy said.

She echoed a complaint candidates and some voters have aired over the last few days  that requests for mail-in absentee ballots were never answered. Roman-Christy, who was supporting the endorsed Democratic candidates, said her elderly mother did not receive hers and could not vote in person for fear of being exposed to the illness.

Her doctors did not want her out because of her age, Roman-Christy said.

Former state Sen. Ed Gomes, who is retired, said he never received his mail-in ballot. And Barr claimed neither did three of his relatives.

Some in Bridgeport like Gomes were blaming the state for late or missing mail-in votes.

We wont know who the hell is winning until days from now, Gomes complained.

Late Tuesday night, the ballots were still being counted in Bridgeport, with no end in sight.

I couldnt tell you with any kind of confidence when well have results, Ruben Felipe, father of incumbent state Rep. Antonio Felipe, D-130, who was facing a challenge from Kelvin Ayala, said late Tuesday.

With all the COVID-related absentee ballots that came in and because they were allowing folks to drop them off today, the counting is taking way longer, Felipe said. In my more than two decades of experience doing this, it is an incredibly unique experience.

Several towns reported anecdotally that Democrats voted more by absentee ballot than Republicans, who voted largely in person.

Linda Fiorito, 65, of Norwalk, for example, said she doesnt trust mail-in ballots.

Id much rather vote in person, Fiorito, a registered Republican, said. As a working nurse, Fiorito said she wasnt worried about increased exposure to COVID-19.

For others, the states ability to keep COVID infection rates low  new infections are running about one-eighth the national average  is what made them feel comfortable voting in person.

In Danbury, 2,703 absentee ballots were returned as of Monday night, while 5,328 were issued, Town Clerk Janice Giegler said. Of those, 2,084 came from Democrats, 604 came from Republicans and 15 were voided, she said. She expected to get some more in the mail and drop-off boxes through Thursday.

The Danbury registrars expected unofficial results to be available by 8:30 p.m. as in-person turn-out was low.

A group of two to three from each political party will later count ballots that come in Wednesday and Thursday. She anticipates only 100 or so. Generally a small number of ballots must be rejected for various issues like voters forgetting to sign them or sending two ballots in one envelope, Doran said. But she does not expect an increase in those issues this year.

Nearby, Bethel issued 2,014 absentee ballots and had received 1,340 back as of Tuesday. Of those, 1,037 were for Democrats and 306 were for Republicans. Poll workers counted absentee ballots as residents voted in a slow trickle.

What weve seen here today is a lot more Republicans coming in to vote in person, said Nancy Ryan, Democratic Registrar of Voters.

Ellen Gross, a 60-year-old from Norwalk, said she had her concerns about going into public, but she said the states handling of the virus so far made her feel much more comfortable going to vote in person.

Mike OReilly, a 52-year-old Republican, said he didnt even think twice about going to vote in person.

If youve been to deli, a supermarket or a gas station in the last four months then I think its safe to come here, OReilly said.

The virus seems like its under control right now, so I wasnt too worried, said Ellen Gross, a Democrat from Norwalk, who said that will be a determining factor for how she votes in November, too.

In West Haven, Republican Registrar JoAnn Callegari also said turnout was low. She said Gov. Ned Lamonts executive order extending he deadline to count absentee ballots until Thursday made the primary overwhelming.

We can't finish this election  it just goes on and on, Callegari said.

Editors note: A previous version of this story misspelled the last name of West Haven, Republican Registrar JoAnn Callegari.

Staff writers Pat Tomlinson, Julia Perkins, Pamela McLoughlin, Ken Borsuk and Brian Lockhart contributed to this story. kkrasselt@hearstmediact.com; 203-842-2563; @kaitlynkrasselt
GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- A special baby shower day is planned for guests of John Ball Zoo on Tuesday, Aug. 18.

The zoo has planned the event after welcoming numerous baby animals, including red pandas, a Canada lynx and a poison arrow frog, over the last six months. The triplet red panda cubs were born June 25 to parents Wyatt and Wasabi.

The baby shower day is planned for 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Aug. 18. During that time, guests can play baby shower bingo throughout the zoo.

Once a guest gets a bingo, the card can be redeemed for 15 percent off at the zoos food and beverage or gift shop locations.

Guests can learn about what goes into caring for animals from the zoos education and animal care staff throughout the day. One dollar of every souvenir cup purchased on Aug. 18 will benefit the animals care and conservation.

Animal lovers who cant make it to the zoo can also participate online. The zoo has created Amazon Wishlists and gift registries for each species who have recently given birth.

An online donation form is also available at the zoos website for financial contributions.

The zoo celebrates every animal birth because it represents hope for the future survival of that species, officials said in the release.

Guests may reserve admission tickets online at www.jbzoo.org/tickets.

Details on the zoos baby shower and links for the baby registries are available at www.jbzoo.org/babyshower.

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Copyright  2020 Albuquerque Journal

Countless people remember Ken Reiss.

The 50-year-old was part-owner at Carraros & Joes Place  a divey fixture in the University area  for decades.

Reiss could often be found tending bar, clad in jeans and heavy metal shirts, to a host of regulars as they debated Jeopardy! over drinks. Friends say Reiss went above and beyond for his patrons, ensuring they were safe and  to do that  even opening his home to them.

That all came to a screeching halt early Tuesday when Albuquerque police fatally shot Reiss near his home after he called to report that multiple people had broken in.

Police say Reiss fired at officers before they shot back and that nobody else was found in the area. However, neighbors say they heard a man and woman yelling get out of here before gunfire rang out  two shots at first and then a barrage that followed 10 minutes later when police arrived.

Joshua Rodgers, who lives across the street from where Reiss was killed, said his doorbell camera caught the entire thing.

In the video, he said, you see Reiss hide behind a vehicle moments before officers approach on foot.

He wasnt being aggressive, he was just cowering, Rodgers said. I dont fully believe he knew they were cops. I think he was just confused.

As the officers move past the vehicle, he said they spot Reiss behind it and all point their guns, saying show us your hands but never identifying themselves as officers.

Rodgers said they opened fire and then, as Reiss can be heard screaming, police yell drop it repeatedly.

Then four more shots  and no more screaming, Rodgers said.

Gilbert Gallegos, an Albuquerque police spokesman, said the officers who responded were in uniform and marked units.

I dont know the details of the encounter, including what they saw, other than what we said in the initial statement, he said. All of those details, including whether a gun was located, are part of the ongoing investigation.

Reiss had no known criminal history outside of a few traffic violations.

The incident was one of two fatal police shootings that happened in a five-hour period.

A search warrant affidavit left on Reiss couch, and found by friends who went to his home after he didnt show up to work, lays out the police account of the events.

It paints a hectic and confusing portrait of the incident.

According to the search warrant:

Reiss called 911 around 12:30 a.m. and said two people broke into his home in the 2700 block of Garfield SE, near Girard, and he had shot them both.

The caller (Ken) told dispatch that he still (had) his gun in his hand, and that there had been a fight over the previous weekend over a woman, the warrant states. Ken advised dispatch that the woman was still in his house.

The dispatcher then could hear Reiss talking to someone  saying by the car, get down and get behind the car right now, dont worry about that.

Around that time other 911 calls began rolling in, neighbors reporting hearing a man and woman yelling between the sound of gunshots.

Within minutes, an officer arrived and said someone was running south on Princeton from Garfield and someone was fleeing who was bleeding and firing shots.

When officers arrived, they didnt know who was firing. They saw Reiss running  and believed he was one of the described persons who were breaking into the callers house.

Additional shots were fired by this male subject toward officers. In response to being shot at, the officers returned fire, the warrant states. Reiss was taken to the hospital where he died.

Police found no one inside Reiss home and no one was found injured in the area, but there were bullet holes in the door, window and casings outside the home.

Kat Schroeder, a longtime friend of Reiss, said he was not the kind of person to shoot at police.

Ive never known him to carry a gun. We had lengthy conversations about violence and society and police  he was not a violent person, and would not jump to violence in any situation, she said. I watched him handle violent situations with a cool head.

Schroeder said police, whom Reiss called for protection, need to be held accountable for his death.

She said Reiss, who she met as a patron at Joes in 2010 and quickly befriended, was more than just a fixture at the bar. She said the part-owner worked his (expletive) off to keep the bar open and personally ran receipts every night in the upstairs office.

He did more there than anyone to keep it afloat, Schroeder said.

As a friend, she said Reiss was an incredibly kind man who was extremely well-read, loved heavy metal and valued intelligence.

Ken could compare and contrast books I had never even heard of, she said. I remember sitting with him for hours, discussing everything from the intricacies of American history, to what he wanted in a girlfriend, to psychology and the impact of Brexit.

Schroeder said Reiss always had a smile and a hug to give, no matter how bad a day he was having. More than anything, she will miss that smile at the end of the bar.

He was endlessly positive, she said.
Summer - a glorious time of sun-kissed beaches, supper under starry skies and that blissful release from the bonds of normal living. It is the season perfectly compressed in the words of Shakespeare: "Summer's lease hath all too short a date."

But this is no normal summer. While some of us gaily cavort in a glittering heat haze, others endure an imposed lockdown beneath darkened skies. Fortunate to have the wondrous freedom of the open road, it is perhaps a summer to contemplate different horizons.

Given the strange year that's in it, I'm staycationing in a different headspace, bypassing the beach for places of artistic inspiration, hoping the magic will rub off on me. Not this time the diddle-eye-do bar counters of my usual August revelry, 2020 deserves something more imaginative. Using author Charles Bowden's observation as my guide - "Summertime is always the best of what might be" - I'm pointing the motor west to walk in the famous footsteps of my heroes, hoping to be captivated by the same spell.

Ask any writers' group the book they'd give anything to have written and it's likely The Lord of the Rings would win half the vote. With this in mind, the first stop on my creative excursion is the Burren, the place that probably lit the fire of Middle Earth deep in the soul of JRR Tolkien. The Oxford professor was an external summer examiner at NUI Galway in the early 1950s, spending every spare moment walking that karst landscape of glacial-era cliffs, caves and rock formations. The area's topography bears a striking resemblance to the misty mountains of Middle Earth, added to by Poll na gColm cave - conjuring one of his most famous characters, Gollum. In that landscape shaped by geological forces 300 million years ago, I'll hike those same ancient stones, breathing in the possibilities all around me.

"The world is full of magic things, patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper." So said WB Yeats, as he walked the boundaries of Thoor Ballylee, the 14th- century tower near Gort that became his holiday home and inspired some of his greatest poetry - Meditations in Time of Civil War and Blood and the Moon.

Close to Lady Gregory's estate at Coole Park, it captivated his poetic senses: "Everything is so beautiful that to go elsewhere is to leave beauty behind." Seamus Heaney regarded Thoor Ballylee as "the most important public building in Ireland." Maybe my wanderings along the forest trails will give birth to lines that will be long remembered after I'm gone. Perhaps the same muse will send glorious words like: "But one man loved the pilgrim soul in you/And loved the sorrows of your changing face."

It's been a decade since my feet walked on Mayo soil, and so I will add to the prose and poetry of Tolkien and Yeats with a junket to the mist-shrouded hills that so inspired the paintings of Paul Henry. Legend has it he came to Achill Island for a two-week holiday and stayed for a decade. Scattering his return ticket upon the sea, he wrote: "As I wandered through Keel, looking down on Dooagh and the noble cliffs of Achill Head, I felt that here I must somehow stay. I would not go any further." This pandemic season seems the perfect time to witness the barren grandeur realised so well in The Turf Gatherers and The Potato Diggers. Nobody will ever see it, but I will paint a canvas somewhere on that magic island.

Turning the jalopy in south to the heart of the Rebel County, my pilgrimage will follow in the footsteps of a guitar genius who awakened a generation to the blues. Rory Gallagher, adopted son of Cork, remains Ireland's greatest exponent of that vivid symbol of youth rebellion.

When Rolling Stone magazine asked Jimi Hendrix what it was like to be the world's greatest guitar player, he replied: "I don't know, go ask Rory Gallagher." Though some of the places that inspired Rory are gone - Crowley's Music Shop, where he bought his famous Sunburst Fender Stratocaster, and Sir Henry's, site of his earliest gigs - it remains a city where young and old still tell tales of the boy they took to their hearts. I plan to sneak backstage at the Savoy Theatre where Taste played support to The Dubliners in 1967, and tread the boards at City Hall, where he regularly brought the house down. Rory paid his dues in classic rocker fashion: "When you leave Cork docks for Hamburg in a van that is literally held together with plastic bands, that, in all modesty, takes a lot of guts."

After caressing the bronze guitar sculpture on Rory Gallagher Place, I'll follow my feet at sunset to his grave at St Oliver's Cemetery - a shrine for visiting fans, just like Jim Morrison's tomb at Pere Lachaise cemetery in Paris.

Harbouring notions of one day writing the great novel, the final leg of my inspiration vacation will settle in the backyard of a writer still rattling the keyboard to global success.

"Memory fills my body as much as blood and bones," wrote Colm Toibin in The Testament of Mary - a sentiment that aptly describes the beauty of his literary recall. Like him, I'll seek inspiration upon the sands of Curracloe Strand, itself a character within the pages of Brooklyn. In that corner of the sunny south east, I'll bring the curtain down on my wild Atlantic adventure, hopeful that the summer of 2020 awakened something special in me.
Aged care operators have been left waiting for key parts of an $812.8 million federal plan to help deal with the coronavirus, sparking fears the help will come too late to save lives.

A wage bonus for aged care workers was not paid until last month and other measures may not be completed until June next year, under long time frames for the budget assistance.

The government has been accused of being too slow to distribute aged care funding assistance. Credit:Louise Kennerley

Concerns about the slow spending come as the aged care royal commission grills federal officials over whether they failed to develop a plan to protect aged care residents from the pandemic.

The federal government's budget update on July 23 included an aged care response package worth $812.8 million over two years, with $375.2 million meant to be paid in the 2019-20 financial year.
Cornwallville, N.Y. | $945,000

An 1830s farmhouse with four bedrooms, two bathrooms and several whimsical outbuildings, on a 19.16-acre lot

Known as Do-Nothing Farm, this property is in Greene County, nine miles northeast (downhill) of the Catskills ski town of Windham and 125 miles north of New York City.

For many years, starting in the mid-19th century, it was the country home of the Matthews family, whose patriarch, John Matthews, an immigrant from England, innovated carbonated water as well as the drugstore soda fountains that dispensed it. A 35-foot-tall monument to Mr. Matthews in Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn was carved by the sculptor Karl L.H. Muller; Mr. Muller, who married into the family, is also believed to have worked on an elaborately ornamented 19th-century addition to this house, described as the oak room.

Size: 3,500 square feet

Price per square foot: $270

Indoors: Deep porches supported by columns frame the front and side entrances. A large front room includes hardwood floors, leaded-glass windows and a stone fireplace with a wood-burning insert and an inglenook. An adjacent sitting room has a corner fireplace that was designed to burn coal and is no longer used. The den beyond this room also has a decorative fireplace, with a carved and mirrored overmantel. And there is a full bathroom with hexagonal floor tiles.

The updated kitchen has a commercial-grade range, an antique sink and a walk-in pantry. A large dining room, with built-in cabinets, pales in comparison to the banquet hall known as the oak room. This medieval-evoking storybook space is decorated with griffins, eagles and coats of arms. It has circular glass panes that appear to be derived from the bottoms of soda bottles; there are also custom porcelain fireplace tiles. (The slogan engraved on the mantel is Do as you please.)
On the occasion of Independence Day, OYO Hotels & Homes pledges to continue to support the quarantine, self-isolation & accommodation requirements of front-line workers and corporates under the OYO Care initiative. The hospitality chain has partnered with 24+ State Ministries as well as local authorities to offer some of its properties for pay per use quarantine, self-isolation facilities at affordable prices to minimise the possibility of infection and maximise social distancing and hygiene.

As part of the outreach, OYO is in touch with 50+ government and private hospitals to provide accommodation support to medical first responders at affordable prices. The efforts are in line with the advisories by WHO for doctor and paramedical staff treating COVID-19 patients to be isolated after their routine duty. The company has already provided 100K room nights as part of OYO Care initiative in the past four months. The hospitals which have been supported by OYO include - Safdarjung Hospital, Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital and Sakra Hospital. OYO LIFE, the co-living business of the company, is also offering long-term stay to the nurses and healthcare professionals through tie-ups with multiple hospitals. The company has also provided last-mile accommodation support to 500+ corporates including Ericsson, L&T, Omega Healthcare in July itself.

Commenting on the development, Rohit Kapoor, Chief Executive Officer, India & South Asia, OYO said, This Independence Day, I would like to laud the combined efforts of the government, India Inc and the citizens of the country who have contributed in the fight against the virus. We, at OYO pledge to continue supporting the nation with our resources, in every way possible, especially our frontline workers. Despite the uncertainty and restrictions as a result of COVID-19, it amazes me to share how the teams at OYO have come together, brainstormed and refocused our energies to help as many people as possible. Be it through our outreach to state governments, diplomatic missions, corporates and NGOs by offering self-isolation and quarantine facilities, or even free stays to first responders at select OYO Townhouse as part of our OYO Care initiative - we are are doing our best to fight this pandemic together. We are extremely grateful to our asset partners who have joined hands with us to cater to the growing needs of healthcare and the frontline workforce and are committed to providing a safe and comfortable stay to all our guests.

Commenting on the services offered by OYO, Bhawna Chauhan, Nursing officer from Kalawati Saran Children's Hospital said, We have set-up isolation wards in the hospital to treat COVID-19 patients. The doctors, nurses and paramedical staff deployed in the isolation wards are given accommodation at OYO tie-up hotels for self-isolation. The hospitality chain is providing us with food and taking care of all our day-to-day requirements making sure of a stress-free living experience during these challenging times. We are thankful for OYO to come forward to support us so that we could focus on caring for our patients without worrying about anything else.

OYOs asset owner, Mangesh, OYO Hotel Champion Inn, Bangalore said , We are very grateful and thankful for OYO to generate demand and serve quarantine guests. The company helped us in securing relevant permissions. Were witnessing an increase in demand even during this tough time. OYO along with the hospitals helped us to prepare and follow SOPs laid out to serve the guests. We applied thermal testing, deep cleaning techniques, wearing protective gear including masks, PPE Kits and used disposable cutlery to serve the guests in a safe and hygienic environment.

OYO Hotels & Homes and its asset partners are working hard to deliver a safe, secure, and comfortable experience for its guests. OYO has also facilitated accommodation support to international tourists, repatriated Indians as part of Vande Bharat Mission and engaged with multiple foreign embassies and diplomatic missions in India. The company is committed to adapt and retool with a new operating model focussed around safety & hygiene as part of its Sanitised Stays initiative.
Harris County schools should remain closed to in-person classes until the local spread of COVID-19 is significantly curbed and strict benchmarks are met, Judge Lina Hidalgo said Wednesday as she unveiled new recommendations for reopening campuses.

Nearly two weeks after Gov. Greg Abbott wrested power over school closures away from local government leaders, Hidalgo released metrics designed to help local superintendents and school boards decide when to resume face-to-face instruction. The benchmarks are more strict than those released by other local American governments and health organizations in the U.S., illustrating the countys frequently cautious approach to resuming normal activities amid the novel coronavirus pandemic.

We simply cannot responsibly reopen schools to in-person instruction right now, Hidalgo said, acknowledging the frustration of parents, teachers and others. But we can't ignore this. We can't tap our heels together and wish the current numbers away.

In their recommendations, Hidalgo and county health officials said schools should remain online-only as long as Harris County, across a 14-day span, records more than 400 new COVID-19 cases per day, remains above a 5 percent test positivity rate or continues to devote more than 15 percent of hospital beds to COVID-19 patients, among other metrics.

Harris County averaged about 1,100 new confirmed cases each day over the past week, while its test positivity rate hovered at about 15 percent. Nearly one-third of ICU beds held COVID-19 patients.

School districts are advised to reopen with reduced numbers  the lesser of 25 percent capacity or 500 students at first, then the lesser of 50 percent capacity or 1,000 students as the situation improves  once the county falls below those targets and maintains its progress.

The reopening of schools has turned into a political tug-of-war in recent weeks, highlighted in Texas by Abbott declaring local health authorities do not have the power to preemptively close campuses as a method of reducing COVID-19 spread. His decision came as Texas continued to battle one of the nations largest outbreaks, though case and hospitalization data suggest the state has made progress over the last few weeks.

While Hidalgo cannot keep campuses closed to start the 2020-21 school year, some local school leaders called for the county to issue clear COVID-19 outbreak benchmarks for when its safe to reopen schools.

The countys position sets the stage for a clash between Hidalgo and some local education leaders, who argue the benefits of resuming in-person classes outweigh the potential public health risks.

Humble ISD remains on track to begin hosting a limited number of students on Monday, Clear Creek ISD is scheduled to welcome back about one-quarter of students on Aug. 31 and several districts hope to bring back children after Labor Day.

The bad thing for us is were kind of caught between a state that wants us to open no matter what, and a county that wants us to close no matter what, said Cy-Fair ISD Superintendent Mark Henry, who leads the regions second-largest school district and remains committed to hosting in-person classes starting Sept. 8.

Harris County officials are recommending schools remain closed longer than some other states and prominent groups setting looser guidelines for reopening, reflected in Hidalgo declaring that it wont be safe any time in the near future to host in-person classes.

Researchers at Harvards Global Health Institute recommended that schools could begin to partially reopen once daily case counts total about 25 per 100,000 residents  nearly three times higher than Harris Countys metric of about 8.5 per 100,000  and other measurements are taken into account.

In Pennsylvania, which is led by a Democratic governor, state officials recommended partially reopening schools in areas that reported about a daily average of about 14 new cases per 100,000 people over a week-long stretch or a test positivity rate under 10 percent.

In San Antonio, the local health authority suggested in-person classes could partially resume once the region sees a two-week continuous decline in new cases and the test positivity rate dips below 10 percent.

Hidalgo and county health officials said their metrics will be presented using the countys existing COVID-19 threat level system  a color-coded mechanism the county is using to advise residents on the severity of the pandemic  and are based in part on models used in other states and countries.

Tying school reopenings to the countys threat-level system takes out the politics and focuses on the data, Hidalgo said.

It provides a common playbook that all schools in Harris County and everyone in our community can use," she said.

Harris County Public Health Executive Director Umair Shah said county officials based the guidance on information we have reviewed across the country and across the globe. Many countries that reopened schools in Europe and Asia following spring outbreaks had cut their daily new case counts below 1 per 100,000 residents  though the number of confirmed cases is partially dependent on testing rates.

Shah also cautioned against reopening prematurely, referring to reports of a school district in Georgia where more than 900 students and staff members have been ordered to quarantine and schools have re-shuttered after the district reopened and students swiftly began contracting the virus.

This info continues to evolve and we will continue to evolve with it, Shah said. As data changes, we may come back with evolving guidance.

Houston ISD Interim Superintendent Grenita Lathan, speaking Wednesday on 88.7-FM, said county officials consulted with superintendents across the region before releasing their guidance.

Looking at some of the possible metrics, it does give us a roadmap of where we should be headed and what we need to do to get students back face-to-face, said Lathan, who opted to keep students online-only through at least mid-October.

All public school families can choose to remain in virtual-only classes indefinitely. Districts can require staff members to return to work in-person, though employees can receive accommodations through the Americans with Disabilities Act and other workplace laws.

jasper.scherer@chron.com

jacob.carpenter@chron.com
Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - The Libyan minister of Interior of the Government of National Accord, Fathi Bachagha, Wednesday condemned the illegal trade in antiques as a threat to the countrys identity and ancient civilization
Dubai is seen as the safest location to host international exhibitions and conferences in the coming months, while trade fairs will play a critical role in a post-Covid restart, according to new research.

A recent market survey of more than 4,000 professionals from 130 countries explored the impact of Covid-19 on the global exhibitions industry, delving into key areas such as travel, budgets, and the importance of trade fairs in a post-pandemic world.

The study covered a wide range of industry sectors from the auto aftermarket and commercial security to beauty and cosmetics, showing that 77 per cent of respondents viewed Dubai as the safest destination to attend an exhibition post Covid-19, followed by Germany (41 per cent), Saudi Arabia (19 per cent), France (17 per cent), and Italy (15 per cent).

Nearly two-thirds (62 per cent) agreed that as the novel coronavirus recedes and a semblance of normality returns, exhibitions will be more important for business (31 per cent), or just as important (38 per cent), compared to the past. A further 64 per cent plan to attend exhibitions in the next eight months, while 36 per cent have been given the green light to do so before the end of this year.

The July 2020 Exhibitions post covid-19 survey was commissioned by Messe Frankfurt Middle East (MFME), one of the regions largest trade fair organisers with major events such as Automechanika Dubai, Intersec, and Beautyworld Middle East among its portfolio of more than 16 exhibitions and conferences.

It arrives as the UAE continues to inject confidence back into its economy; last month, international travellers were welcomed to the country for the first time in nearly four months, while on July 16, the Dubai World Trade Centre hosted the AI Everything conference, the first real life event at the venue since March.

As with many business sectors, the trade fair industry felt the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, particularly in Dubai, which has a thriving exhibition sector at the Dubai World Trade Centre, said Simon Mellor, Messe Frankfurt Middle Easts CEO.

The purpose of the Exhibitions post Covid-19 study was to investigate how this global virus affected businesses of MFME stakeholders, and how we can address their concerns collaboratively with our peers. We will continue to run the survey over the course of the year and look to engage more parties as it evolves over time.

The good news for the exhibitions industry is its still a critical component for business success, as this research has indicated. Clearly there is an appetite for the events sector to pick up in Dubai, with this evident during the AI Everything conference at DWTC, which marked the return of physical events in Dubai," Mellor added.

Globally, Messe Frankfurt has restarted exhibitions with the opening of Intertextile Shenzhen Apparel Fabrics on July 15 in China, and were on track to deliver two of our most important shows in Dubai. These will take place with stringent health and safety measures to help keep our attendees safe.

International travel dependent on lifting of restrictions

While 77 per cent of the survey respondents indicated they may travel abroad for business by the end of 2020, much of this figure (50 per cent) depends on the lifting of international travel restrictions. Half who said they could travel abroad before the end of the year, pending government rules and recommendations, said they would do so by airplane.

Encouragingly, nearly 62 per cent would attend exhibitions at their home country and abroad, however 25 per cent would only attend an event at home, perceiving reduced travel as better for their health and safety.

Messe Frankfurt Middle East (MFME), the Dubai-based subsidiary of Messe Frankfurt GmbH - the worlds third largest trade fair organiser - is also on schedule to open two of its most important events in Dubai toward the end of the year and early 2021.

Beautyworld Middle East 2020, the regions largest beauty and wellbeing exhibition, and Intersec 2021, the worlds foremost security, safety, and fire protection trade fair, will take place from November 23-25, 2020 and January 24-26, 2021 respectively at DWTC.

MFME has also backed a global campaign supporting the exhibitions and events industry, adopting the This Show Is Open (TSIO) slogan launched by Paris based UFI, the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry, and Atlanta based SISO, The Society of Independent Show Organizers.

It supports exhibition organisers around the world as they put the industrys full experience to the task of keeping events going wherever possible, in line with the guidance of health authorities and the interests of their customers.

Messe Frankfurt Middle East currently organises 16 trade fairs, 11 of which take place in Dubai, UAE, and five in Saudi Arabia. Its exhibitions in 2019 together featured 6,282 exhibitors from 68 countries, and attracted 150,545 visitors from 156 countries. The companys 12 conferences in the UAE, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia in 2019 also together hosted 321 speakers, and 3,668 delegates. - TradeArabia News Service
The housing finance major issued non-convertible debentures and warrants to raise another Rs 4,000.03 crore.

The country's largest mortgage lender HDFC Ltd on Tuesday announced raising more than Rs 14,000 crore through a qualified institutional placement (QIP) issue of equity shares, warrants and bonds.

The corporation in a release said it has raised Rs 10,000 crore through the issue and allotment of 5,68,18,181 equity shares of face value of Rs 2 each at a price of Rs 1,760 per equity share to qualified investors.

The issue price represents a discount of 1 per cent to the closing price of its equity shares on the BSE/NSE prior to the launch of the issue, HDFC said.

HDFC shares ended 1.48 per cent up at Rs 1,825.35 apiece on BSE on Tuesday.

The housing finance major issued non-convertible debentures and warrants to raise another Rs 4,000.03 crore.

"The issue has been oversubscribed overall.

The equity shares and warrants offered in the QIP have been subscribed to by 326 diverse marquee institutional funds," said the Housing Development Finance Corporation Ltd.

Government of Singapore and Invesco Oppenheimer Developing Markets Fund were allotted more than 5 per cent of the equity shares offered in the QIP.

Government of Singapore cornered 13.37 per cent (7,596,457 shares) and the latter 5.54 per cent (3,148,882 shares).

An amount of Rs 3,693 crore was raised through issue of redeemable non-convertible debentures (NCDs) at par, for a tenor of 3 years, carrying an annualised coupon rate of 5.40 per cent per annum, HDFC said.

It issued 36,930 secured redeemable NCDs of face value of Rs 10 lakh each due on August 11, 2023, carrying a coupon rate of 5.40 per cent payable annually.

Those who were allotted more than 5 per cent of the NCDs offered in the QIP were: Axis Bank, ICICI Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Morgan Stanley Asia (Singapore) PTE and JM Financial Products Ltd.

Besides, the corporation has received Rs 307.03 crore upfront through the issue and allotment of 1,70,57,400 warrants at an issue price of Rs 180 per warrant, HDFC said.

The warrant holders can exercise the right to convert these into shares at the warrant exercise price of Rs 2,165 until August 10, 2023.

Those who subscribed to the warrants included SBI Blue Chip Fund, ICICI Prudential Banking and Financial Services, Reliance Ventures Ltd, Kotak Balanced Advantage Fund.

"The warrant issue price with the warrant exercise price represents a premium of 32 per cent to the closing price of the Corporation's equity shares on BSE/NSE prior to the launch," it said.

Of the total equity shares and warrants allotted, 89 per cent were towards long-only funds and 30 per cent to domestic institutional investors, HDFC said.

"Assuming all the warrants are exercised by investors within the next 3 years, the Corporation would receive an additional Rs 3,690 crore by way of securities premium.

Accordingly, the maximum equity dilution possible under the issue would be up to 4.26 per cent of the enhanced equity share capital of the corporation," it added.

HDFC said the proceeds of the issue will be used towards general corporate purposes and financing organic and inorganic business opportunities that may arise.

It will be inclusive of funding expansion plans of subsidiary and associate cocmpanies of the corporation.

"Pursuant to the allotment of equity shares, the paid-up share capital of the Corporation stands increased to Rs 358,28,53,976 consisting of 179,14,26,988 equity shares of Rs 2 each," HDFC said.
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - August 12, 2020) - Osoyoos Cannabis Inc. (CSE: OSO) ("Osoyoos" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that the Company has retained Integrity Media Inc. ("Integrity Media") to manage the Company's Investor Relations and Corporate Communications.

Integrity Media has over two decades working in public markets and is highly experienced with cannabis and psychedelic-based public companies in the U.S., Canada, the Caribbean and South America. Integrity Media is led by Kurt Divich, a veteran author and public relations specialist. One of the premier financial copywriters in the industry, Divich is twice published in fiction and non-fiction and has been highly successful in securing company recognition in elite national financial media.

"Integrity Media is well-known for its exceptional communication and for its devotion to serving shareholders," stated Graham Simmonds, CEO of Osoyoos. "Mr. Divich has been an active consultant to Osoyoos since the very beginning and is ideally skilled to help us transition into our new business model. We are most pleased to have Integrity Media and Kurt on our team."

"It is a distinct pleasure to re-join Osoyoos and this fantastic team that Graham Simmonds has assembled," stated Kurt Divich, Founder and President of Integrity Media. "Osoyoos has entered an exciting and transformative phase as it pursues what I view as one of the greatest new market sectors in the industry armed with tremendous intellectual property via Osoyoos' wholly-owned subsidiary AI Pharma and its founder Dr. Stephen D. Barnhill. I've had the opportunity to listen to Dr. Barnhill share his vision for the Company and as it enters into this important, dynamic new phase, Integrity Media will effectively communicate its successes to the investing public, the brokerage community and the media."

About Osoyoos Cannabis Inc.

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Osoyoos Cannabis Inc. has a joint-venture agreement with a private, vertically-integrated licensed producer under the Cannabis Act (Canada) to offer contract tolling extraction services to third-party businesses. Additionally, the Company recently acquired 1196691 B.C. Ltd. d/b/a "PCAI Pharma" (www.pcai.ca) and its wholly-owned subsidiary AI Pharmaceuticals Jamaica Limited ("AI Pharma"), a private corporation incorporated and operating under the laws of Jamaica. The business of AI Pharma involves science, research, treatment, data mining and AI, focused on the development of combinatorial pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals and cosmeceuticals utilizing compounds from cannabis (cannabinoids), psychedelic mushrooms (psilocybin), fungi and other psychedelic formulations and their related medicinal global intellectual property protection.

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Osoyoos Cannabis Inc.

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(416) 843-2881

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WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 12th August, 2020) US Senator Chris Murphy in a statement on Tuesday called on the Senate to delay the confirmation of nominee Julie Fisher to be the US ambassador to Belarus due to the civil unrest in Minsk related to the the controversial presidential election.

"Trump wants to restore diplomatic relations with Belarus. The Ambassador nominee is pending in the Senate," Murphy said via Twitter. "Right now, this would be a huge mistake. It would look like an endorsement of [President Alexander] Lukashenko's crackdown. The Senate should set aside this nomination."

On Sunday, Belarus held its presidential election, which resulted in incumbent President Alexander Lukashenko winning 80.08 percent of the vote.

The runner-up candidate, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, won 10.9 percent.

The results have triggered widespread protests in the country, resulting in 3,000 arrests. A Sputnik correspondent in Minsk reported on Tuesday that the local police was preparing to restrict traffic on the streets of Minsk as the capital is bracing up for the third night of protests. Central streets of the city are being patrolled by reinforced police units.

Diplomatic relations between the United States and Belarus deteriorated in 2008 when both countries recalled their respective ambassadors. Recently, Minsk and Washington have made efforts to improve relations that culminated with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's visit to the Belarusian capital in February.
Angelina Jolie has called for improved training for teachers as she outlined how children are facing 'increased exposure to life-changing violence' while isolated at home during the coronavirus pandemic, placing their lives at risk.

In an op-ed published Wednesday by the Los Angeles Times, the 44-year-old actress and activist noted that there was a drastic decrease in the number of child abuse cases reported during April and May as result of school closures.

She add that a continued lack of action on 'preventable violence' could lead to 'frightening implications' for the safety of American children and their physical and mental health.

The humanitarian claimed that violence against children in the U.S. had been normalized to a scale that it wasn't considered an urgent problem, despite the millions of cases reported a year.

Actress Angelina Jolie has warned that teachers may require better training in recognizing signs of child abuse via their online classes as the coronavirus pandemic continues

Many child-welfare experts warned of a likely surge of child abuse as schools were forced to close across the United States in mid-March die to the coronavirus pandemic

'The long-term consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic for children wont be understood for years,' Jolie, a mother of six, claimed.

'But we can already see the heavy cost in missed schooling, lost opportunities, mental anguish and an increased exposure to life-changing violence. It is time to elevate childrens needs to the forefront of the discussion of how we build a better society.'

She stated that exposure to domestic violence can lead children to show signs of post-traumatic stress disorder that are similar to soldiers coming back from war and has concerning effects on their bodies, brains and immune systems.

Jolie urged that immediate action is needed in training teachers to recognize signs of domestic abuse via online classes and in increasing the number of house calls that can be made by social workers during the pandemic.

With school closures, teachers are no longer able to see the signs that their students may be suffering from violence and abuse, as they would when they are in the classroom.

Teachers previously accounted for one fifth of reports of child abuse made in a year.

'One analysis found that monthly state totals of child abuse reports were an average of 40.6% lower in April and 35.1% lower in May compared with reports in those same months in 2019,' Jolie wrote.

'If schools remain physically closed, teachers may need training and support in identifying signs of abuse online.'

She also urged family members and friends to learn to recognize when a child may be in danger.

'As hard as it is for anyone to accept that someone they know or love is abusive, friends and families must have the moral strength to identify abuse and put the health and safety of a child above all else,' she stated.

As reports of child abuse through teachers and schools have gone down in the last few months, calls regarding domestic violence at home have increased, the actress added.

She claimed this 'suggests heightened danger to children' as in many cases, when 'a woman is battered, children are also battered'.

In July, it was revealed that domestic violence cases had doubled in New York alone.

Sanctuary for Families, a not-for-profit in New York which helps abuse survivors, said they received between 70 and 100 calls in a typical month before the virus.

But in May this year they received 209 calls, while in June they had 259 - more than triple the number they received a year prior.

Jolie warned that 'at this rate' child abuse could 'cost the lives' of an increased number of children during the coronavirus pandemic as she urged for greater action to be taken

Jolie, pictured with her six children, voiced her concern Wednesday in the Los Angeles Times

'At this rate, by the time we emerge from the pandemic, preventable violence will have scarred the lives  and even cost the lives  of children in our state and country,' Jolie cautioned.

'Before the pandemic, an estimated 10 million children in America were exposed to domestic violence annually. This was already a child health emergency.

'That violence against children can be happening on such a scale without it being our most urgent priority reveals the extent to which it is normalized.'

She slammed the systems in place in many states across the U.S. which she alleges have a 'lack of specialized training for those entrusted with decisions about the welfare of children'.

'Fewer than half of child welfare agencies in America engage in universal screening for domestic violence in child abuse cases, and fewer than a quarter require caseworkers to receive domestic violence training or any formal training in working with perpetrators of violence,' she writes.

'And in the vast majority of states in America, judges handling domestic violence cases are not required to have training in domestic violence.

'What is at stake is the mental health, physical safety and, ultimately, the lives of children,' she concluded.

'Their needs in all these cases should be the central consideration  based on medical and trauma assessments, with appropriate screening for domestic violence specifically.'

This is the second op-ed the actress has penned on the subject of child abuse during the pandemic.

In April , she outlined how children are at risk of abuse while isolated at home during the pandemic in an article published by Time magazine.

She noted that children may be 'especially vulnerable' to the pandemic's 'secondary' effects, even though they're more resistant to its physical symptoms.

'Isolating a victim from family and friends is a well-known tactic of control by abusers, meaning that the social distancing that is necessary to stop COVID-19 is one that will inadvertently fuel a direct rise in trauma and suffering for vulnerable children,' wrote Jolie.

She also noted that 'lockdowns and stay at home orders have resulted in job losses and economic insecurity, increasing stress, pressure and uncertainty for many families,' and that 'stress at home increases the risk of domestic violence.'

Jolie has long used her fame to promote good causes. In March, she donated $1 million to No Kid Hungry to distribute food to children who previously depended on meals at school.

The mother of six is also working with UNESCO on efforts to make online learning more accessible for children quarantined across the globe.

Some experts believe the actual level of child abuse during the coronavirus pandemic is being hidden from view because many children are studying online, as pictured above

When the coronavirus pandemic took hold across the United States in mid-March, forcing schools to close and many children to be locked down in households buffeted by job losses and other forms of stress, many child-welfare experts warned of a likely surge of child abuse.

Fifteen weeks later, the worries persist.

Yet some experts on the front lines, including pediatricians who helped sound the alarm, say they have seen no evidence of a marked increase, according to the Associated Press.

Still, some experts believe the actual level of abuse during the pandemic is being hidden from view because many children are seeing neither teachers nor doctors, and many child-protection agencies have cut back on home visits by caseworkers.
Everyone who handled the goods is under quarantine and have tested negative for coronavirus, while the goods are sealed off, authorities say

Men riding scooters next to the still-closed Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market in Wuhan in Chinas central Hubei province. (AFP)

Beijing: Authorities in China have found the novel coronavirus on the packaging of imported frozen seafood that arrived from the port city of Dalian, which recently battled a surge of cases, a local government said on Tuesday. The virus was found on the outer packaging of frozen seafood bought by three companies in Yantai, a port city in eastern Shandong province.

The Yantai city government said in a statement the seafood was from an imported shipment that landed at Dalian but did not say where it originated.

In July, customs officers in Dalian, a major port in the northeastern province of Liaoning, found the coronavirus in the packaging of frozen shrimps imported from Ecuador, and China then suspended imports from three Ecuadorean shrimp producers.

The novel coronavirus is believed to have emerged in a market that sold seafood and wildlife in the central Chinese city of Wuhan late last year.

It has since spread around the world, with some new cases brought back into China from returning travellers.

Some of the seafood that the three Yantai companies bought had been processed for export, while the rest had been kept in cold storage and has not entered the market, the Yantai government said.

When asked if any of the processed seafood had been exported, a member of staff at a coronavirus outbreak response unit in Yantai declined to elaborate, referring Reuters to the Yantai city government statement.

Authorities had sealed off the goods, the city government said. Everyone who handled the goods was under quarantine and have tested negative for the coronavirus, it said.

The latest outbreak of coronavirus in Dalian city started in late July, with the first case working at a seafood processing company. By Aug. 9, Dalian has reported a total of 92 cases.
Philippine security personnel walk to the temporary headquarters of the armys 1st Brigade Combat Team, in Jolo, southern Philippines, to investigate the scene of a bomb blast, June 28, 2019.

Government forces captured five suspected Islamic State-linked militants working under Abu Sayyaf bomb expert Mundi Sawadjaan during an operation this week in southern Sulu province, Philippine military authorities reported.

Intelligence information placed Sawadjaan in a heavily populated area called Bus-bus near downtown Jolo, the provincial capital, on Tuesday. Troops from the 35th Infantry Battalion and local police were dispatched to capture him, but he slipped through the security cordon, said Maj. Gen. Corleto Vinluan, the local army task force commander.

Five supporters of Mundi Sawadjaan were captured, he said. Troops were acting on a report received about the presence of Sawadjaan roaming around in Bus-bus accompanied by an armed group.

Vinluan identified those captured as brothers Alsamer Kasim, 26, Sulmeser Kasim, 22, and Kasmer Kasim, 18, along with Kerwin Asjada, 25, and Denrasher Ahadan Avestruz, 18. The troops also seized high-caliber firearms.

Sawadjaan is a relative of senior Abu Sayyaf leader Hatib Hajan Sawadjaan, the acknowledged leader of the Islamic State in the Philippines. Authorities have said Hatib Sawadjaan was the mastermind of the bombing of a Catholic church in Jolo in January 2019 that left 23 dead, including two Indonesian suicide bombers.

Lt. Gen. Cirilito Sobejana, the chief of Western Mindanao Command, praised efforts by members of the Joint Task Force Sulu, the Metro Jolo Inter-Agency Task Group and residents for the capture, according to the state-run Philippine News Agency (PNA).

This is a clear manifestation that if we work together, we will surely reap better results. Rest assured that we will never stop supporting other law enforcement agencies in all their endeavors, Sobejana told PNA, adding the suspects were turned over to police in Jolo.

Previous attacks

The arrests follow clashes last month that killed five soldiers and at least 16 Abu Sayyaf militants in the southern region.

Members of the 32nd Infantry Battalion were on the trail of Abu Sayyaf members in a remote jungle on Sulu island on July 31 when they were attacked by other militants. Three soldiers and at least six Abu Sayyaf fighters were killed, but only three of the militants corpses were recovered after their comrades removed the others from the battle scene, Vinluan said.

Two days earlier, two soldiers and at least 10 suspected militants were killed during a gun battle in Maguindanao province, the southern Philippines, as troops hunted for a senior leader of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters, a different militant group linked to IS. At least 13 soldiers were injured.

Meanwhile, at least six suspected communist guerrillas, a government soldier and a bystander were killed during an Aug. 8 gun battle in the northern Philippines, according to military officials. In addition, five soldiers from the armys 702nd Infantry Brigade were injured in the clash with members of the New Peoples Army (NPA) on the main Philippine island of Luzon.

The clash was the deadliest between government forces and suspected members of the NPA  the military wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines  since June 18, when a military unit killed five guerrillas during a shootout on Negros Island in the central Philippines.
SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- LendingHome , one of the nation's largest financial lenders to real estate investors, today announced that Stephanie Casper is the company's new Vice President of Sales. As a member of LendingHome's executive team, Casper reports to Michael Bourque, LendingHome's Chief Operating and Financial Officer.

In this role, Casper leads a team devoted to new business development. She is also a key member of the cross-functional leadership team responsible for developing new products to meet the evolving needs of real estate investors.

Stephanie Casper, Vice President of Sales, LendingHome

Prior to joining LendingHome, Casper spent nearly five years at CoreVest Finance where she held multiple roles including Head of Bridge Lending and Vice President of Originations. Before CoreVest, Casper honed her operational, marketing, and sales management skills at Green Street Advisors, Marriott International, and GE respectively.

"LendingHome is very lucky to have someone with Stephanie's experience on our team," said Bourque, who joined LendingHome in August 2018. "In addition to being a natural-born sales leader, Stephanie has deep experience in the finance world from her time at CoreVest. Add to that the fact that she is a real estate investor with a small portfolio of single family rental properties. This depth and breadth of experience means Stephanie hit the ground running when she joined our executive team this year."

Casper said, "No one could have predicted a pandemic would hit the world in 2020, and I am so thankful to be part of the LendingHome team during this unprecedented time. Not only are they incredibly caring people, they are completely dedicated to the success of our borrowers, which is a value I have always tried to uphold. With that as our shared foundation, my team and I  as well as the company's cross-functional teams  are working hard to identify new products and processes to support real estate investors in this crucial time."

About LendingHome:

LendingHome's built-from-scratch technology simplifies every stage of the loan process, ensuring easy financing for both novice and experienced real estate investors. In 2014, the company started with short-term mortgage loans and, by 2018, became the nation's No. 1 lender to house flippers. In 2019, LendingHome started offering fixed- and adjustable-rate 30-year mortgages to landlords of single- and multi-family rental homes. The company is headquartered in San Francisco with an office in Pittsburgh, Pa., and has funded more than $5.5 billion in loans to date. To learn more, go to lendinghome.com/bridge-loans , lendinghome.com/rental , or www.lendinghome.com/careers . NMLS ID #1125207

Contact:

Nora Murray

419-250-0016

[email protected]

SOURCE LendingHome
Indonesia eyes production of 250 million doses a year of coronavirus vaccine View of Bio Farma office COVID-19 vaccine production in Bandung

JAKARTA (Reuters) - Indonesia will have capacity to produce 250 million doses a year of a coronavirus vaccine by the end of 2020 pending trials on humans, a minister said on Tuesday, as the country seeks to halt a wave of infections that has shown no sign of relent.

Indonesia has confirmed 115,056 cases of COVID-19 and 5,388 deaths since its first infections in March. It has been reporting more than 1,000 new cases on most days since the start of June.

State-run pharmaceutical firm Bio Farma will begin phase three of clinical trials in humans this week using a vaccine produced by China's Sinovac. If those are successful, Bio Farma has said would produce the vaccine itself.

The global pandemic has sparked a scramble to create a vaccine, with more than 100 in development and about a dozen already being tested on humans. There are concerns, however, about demand and developing countries' access to a future jab.

Erick Thohir, Indonesia's minister for state-owned enterprises, said Bio Farma would raise capacity in the coming months and by year-end would be ready to produce 250 million doses a year.

"Let's trust the capability of our country. Don't doubt Bio Farma which has been proven, either to produce vaccines that are produced with international partners or vaccines produced solely by (them)," Thohir said in a statement.

The Indonesian trials will be conducted in West Java involving about 1,600 volunteers, according to the website of the West Java government.

Sinovac did not immediately respond to a request for comment. It is also working with Bangladesh and Brazil for the clinical trials.

Bambang Heriyanto, corporate secretary at Bio Farma, told Reuters the targeted production capacity to 250 million doses was contingent on the vaccine passing the trial.

(Reporting by Stanley Widianto, Kate Lamb and Bernadette Christina; Editing by Martin Petty)
KARACHI, Pakistan (Reuters) - The days leading up to the Muslim feast of Eid al-Adha are busy for Uzair Dawood, the owner of a motorcycle wash in Pakistan's southern city of Karachi - not for fixing vehicles, but washing cattle.

Eid al-Adha falls on Saturday in the South Asian nation, and like Muslims across the world, Pakistanis purchase cattle to sacrifice on the occasion as a religious obligation.

"It is very busy day just a day before Eid and we don't have time for a bike wash," Dawood told Reuters as he busied himself lathering a cow with soap before using the pressure hose to clean the animal.

Sacrificial animals are treated with deference by Pakistanis, who often decorate the cattle they have purchased with colourful garlands.

"We bring these animals here because we want them neat and clean because it is an animal for sacrifice and we are happy to see it happy," one customer, Osama Haider Ali, told Reuters.

Dawood's shop is located in a densely populated district of Karachi, Pakistan's largest city, and is one of many vehicle service stations with customers queuing up with animals.

"Servicing" cattle is not as easy as motorcycles, says Dawood who charges 200 to 300 Pakistani rupees ($1.20 to $1.80) per wash, for which he uses shampoo, soap, brush and a hose.

"A vehicles remains in its place ... but washing an animal is risky. It can hit you, it can kick you. It can break the rope".

Eid al-Adha is observed by Muslims to commemorate their belief that prophet Abraham was willing to sacrifice his son as an act of obedience to God, before God replaced his son with a ram to be sacrificed instead.

Muslims who can afford it sacrifice cattle. But it can also be a camel, goat, sheep or ram, depending on the region.

The coronavirus has cast a shadow over this Eid, with fears of another spike in infections prompting authorities to warn people to minimise movement, avoid cattle markets and refrain from public gatherings to witness the slaughter of sacrificial animals.

Story continues

Eid al-Fitr, marked in May, was followed by a spike in COVID-19 infections with new daily cases hitting up to 7,000 in June. Daily infections have fallen to around 1,100 in Pakistan over the last few days of July.

Pakistan has recorded over 277,000 infections and close to 6,000 deaths from the disease.

While cattle markets across the country have seen reduced footfall, a sizeable number of people are still going to them to choose an animal.

($1 = 166.6500 Pakistani rupees)

(Reporting by Reuters TV in Karachi; Editing by Alexandra Hudson)
Newly released video of George Floyds fatal interaction with Minneapolis police shows that medical personnel waited nearly three minutes to perform chest compressions in an attempt to revive the handcuffed man who had been pinned down on a Minneapolis street until he lost consciousness in May.

The body camera footage captured by two of the four officers charged in Floyds May 25 death was released Monday by order of Hennepin County Judge Peter A. Cahill, who is overseeing the criminal case over Floyds death.

The Minneapolis Police Department had previously declined to release body camera footage from the officers, citing the ongoing investigation.2.

The two approximately 30-minute clips present an even more desperate scene than previously depicted in bystander and surveillance video of the deadly Memorial Day encounter, which has fueled widespread protests calling for police reform and transformed national conversations around race, social justice and police brutality.

The footage comes from body cameras worn by J. Alexander Kueng and Thomas K. Lane, the officers who were the first to encounter Floyd on a South Minneapolis street as they investigated a 911 complaint about a fake $20 bill passed at a convenience store.

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Shares of InterGlobe Aviation gained over 12% on Wednesday, following reports that the airline was in talks with two lessors to sell and lease back 12 of its ATR 72-600 aircraft and their engines.

As per media reports, the company said it was in discussion for sale and lease back of its unencumbered assets, which includes the 12 ATRs.

"We are working to close these transactions, but it will be difficult to give a specific timeframe for its completion, " the company added.

Share price of InterGlobe Aviation- the parent firm of India's largest airline by market share IndiGo- touched an intraday high of Rs 1056, rising 12.33% as against the earlier closing of Rs 940.05 on BSE. Stock price of InterGlobe Aviation also touched an intraday low of Rs 935.30, after opening at Rs 940.

InterGlobe Aviation stock has risen 6.7% in one week and 1.73% in one month. The stock has traded in a wide range of Rs 120.7.

The stock trades higher than 5, 20, 50 and 100-day but lower than 200-day moving averages. Market cap of the firm stood at Rs 39,812.95 crore as of today's closing.

Ronojoy Dutta, Chief executive officer of the airline had earlier said in an analyst call that the airline was working on sale and leaseback of their unencumbered assets which are in advanced stages of discussion. He had added,"We are also in discussions with export credit agencies for obtaining moratorium towards principal repayment for aircraft on finance leases."

In another update, InterGlobe Aviation's board approved to raise Rs 4,000 crore through sale of equity shares to institutional investors by way of a qualified institutions placement.

As per the company's management, the aircraft carrier also plans to generate Rs 2,000 crore of additional liquidity by sale and leaseback (SLB) of its owned aircraft.

IndiGo-the largest airline in the country with a fleet size of 274 aircraft had reported a weak set of numbers for this June quarter, due to halt of operations in the wake of Covid-19 pandemic. IndiGo registered a loss of Rs 2,844 crore and saw revenue decline of nearly 90% YoY.

Share of InterGlobe Aviation closed at Rs 1,034.65, rising 10.06% on BSE.

Share Market Highlights: Sensex ends 37 points lower, Nifty at 11,308; Dr Reddy, Sun Pharma top losers

Minda Industries share price climbs over 7% after board fixes price for rights issue
Houston added 8,000 jobs in the health care sector in June, recovering from major employment losses for the second month in a row. But analysts said its too early to know whether that trend will continue for the rest of the summer.

Job gains in health care across the country last month may be an indicator of whats to come for Houstons health care sector. Nationally, health care gained 126,000 jobs in July, primarily in dentist and physician offices, hospital systems and home health care, the Labor Department reported Friday.

The industry, however, still has 800,000 fewer jobs than in February, before the coronavirus began spreading rapidly in the United States.

Its counterintuitive, right? said Steven Scarborough, manager for strategic initiatives at the Center for Houstons Future, a local think tank. People would think during a pandemic, health care employment would be in higher demand than ever, but a lot of activity in that sector wasnt happening.

Employment has risen as stay-at-home requirements ease and more patients feel comfortable returning to doctors for routine visits. To allay patient fears of crowded waiting rooms and coming into contact with medical professionals who might treat COVID-19 victims, doctors have stocked up on personal protective equipment such as face shields and disposable gloves, limited the number of patients they see each day, and extended business hours.

Orders to halt elective procedures that earn hospitals much of their profits along with delays in federal loan disbursements led many to lay off or furlough workers, Scarborough said.

WHATS IN STORE: After months of economic woes in the Houston region, hints of a recovery

The health care sector was particularly hard hit in March and April, when an estimated 41,000 health care sector jobs disappeared in Houston, according to Patrick Jankowski, senior vice president of research for the Greater Houston Partnership. Health care regained 27,500 back from May to June,

Employment statistics include more than jobs in the Texas Medical Center, the largest medical complex in the world. The figures include private practices around the region, nursing homes, therapists and many others. Health care accounts for about one in 10 jobs in Houston, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas.

Until there is a vaccine and conditions return to normal, its hard to tell how long those employment gains will last, analysts said. So long as people across all industries are losing jobs and employer-sponsored insurance, hospitals and doctors may not see the same patient volumes they were before.

Other factors shaping the growth of the industry include the shift to telemedicine and the costs of health insurance plans to employers, which have in recent years pressured insurance companies to tamp down on prices.

The outlook for the rest of the year is highly uncertain, Jankowski said.

My concern is when we hit that steady state where we learn to live with the virus and work around it, Jankowski said. There can still be a lot of people out of work. And there are going to be whole sectors of the economy which dont function.

gwendolyn.wu@chron.com

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The management of First City Monument Bank (FCMB) has refuted stories in the media of alleged deposit of N573 million into the account of an associate of the suspended chairman of the EFCC, Ibrahim Magu.

Mr Magu was suspended last month by President Muhammadu Buhari who ordered investigation into his tenure as the acting chairman of the anti-corruption agency.

On Monday, some newspapers reported the FCMB managing director, Adam Nuru, allegedly telling the panel that N573 million was lodged into the account of Godwin Omale, a pastor, in error.

Mr Omale is an associate of Mr Magu and has publicly referred to the anti-graft chief has his spiritual son.

READ ALSO:

But in a statement released on Wednesday by FCMBs Group Head, Corporate Affairs, Diran Olojo, the bank said there was no such deposit at anytime into the said account.

The bank said what happened was a system error which reflected in the Nigeria Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) records but did not result into any credit into the account.

Our Managing Director clarified to the Presidential panel that the system generated report was incorrect and that there was no mistaken transfer of N573 million.

Read the full statement below:

Our attention has been drawn to widely circulating stories incorrectly stating that our Managing Director, during a recent presidential hearing in Abuja, testified that the bank mistakenly transferred N573m to the account of a church and the said error was not discovered for 4 years. We feel it is in the public interest to state emphatically that there was no transfer of N573m into this account, mistakenly or otherwise.

To provide further clarity, during a maintenance upgrade of our systems in 2016, a defective file led to the aggregation of multiple unrelated entries into a single balance under the affected customers name in one of our reports. This aggregation occurred only in the weekly automated report to the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit. It had no effect on any customer account balance or statements and therefore was not immediately identified. Our Managing Director clarified to the Presidential panel that the system generated report was incorrect and that there was no mistaken transfer of N573 million. He also submitted comprehensive documentary evidence to this effect.

We appreciate that comments may have been misconstrued and therefore believe it is important to emphatically clarify the position that there was no mistaken transfer whatsoever, as stated above. FCMB continues to fully cooperate with the panel, and has been entirely transparent in its reporting. We remain committed to ethical and professional conduct at all times.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-13 01:58:23|Editor: huaxia

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WASHINGTON, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- A helicopter of the U.S. Air Force was shot at while flying over the state of Virginia on Monday, injuring one of two pilots on board, multiple U.S. media have reported, citing air force officials. Enditem
Copyright  2020 Albuquerque Journal

SANTA FE  Hundreds of workers with the city of Santa Fe are calling for the removal of Mayor Alan Webber.

The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 3999 recently conducted a vote among its members for a resolution declaring no confidence in Webber, after a series of controversies surrounding his administration.

Due to the lack of responsible supervision at City Hall, we felt compelled to speak up, a release by the union says. We are at a point where we cannot tolerate Mayor Webbers inability to govern anymore.

Chris Armijo, a council representative organizer for AFSCME, told the Journal 240 members voted in favor of the resolution and 12 voting against it. Those who voted represent 36% of the unions 696 total membership.

The resolution lists a series of grievances against Webbers administration, which date back to 2018, when he assumed office.

Specifically, the union highlighted the citys decision to furlough more than 1,000 employees in April in response to economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The resolution says the furloughs unfairly impacted lower-wage workers, some of whom had their pay reduced by 40%.

The union also noted the city failed to make payments to the Public Employment Retirement Authority for 2 months, even after the money had already been deducted from the employees salaries. The city failed to submit contributions and reports on six occasions.

And a recent audit found the city had not followed general accounting procedures for funds it received from the federal government.

The resolution also calls on city councilors to suspend and remove Webber from office. However, the citys charter does not include a method for the council to remove the mayor from his position.

Armijo said if the council cannot remove the mayor, the union will seek a recall vote, meaning voters would have the opportunity to vote out Webber.

To make that happen, petitioner would have to collect valid signatures from at least 33.3% of the number of votes cast in the 2018 mayoral election, or about 6,800 signatures from eligible voters.

The mayor was attending a City Council meeting Wednesday night and he declined to comment, a spokesperson said.
A Sydney pub has been slapped with $10,000 in fines over a series of COVID-19 breaches.

The Garry Owen Hotel in Rozelle was labelled as 'the worst pub seen so far' by authorities after a compliance check this week.

The NSW Liquor and Gaming Authority said the pub showed a 'complete disregard for mandated COVID safety measures.'

A video captured by inspectors outside the venue shows a man downing a beer on the packed pub balcony as his friends cheer him on.

CCTV footage from inside the hotel shows several patrons completely ignore a sign-in sheet as they make a beeline for the bar.

The Garry Owen Hotel in Rozelle (pictured) was singled out by liquor authorities as 'the worst pub seen so far' after a compliance check uncovered a lack of safety measures

The pub has been warned it will be temporarily shut down if it fails to make changes to its operations under coronavirus health regulations.

Liquor & Gaming New South Wales Director of Compliance, Dimitri Argeres, blasted the pub on Wednesday.

'The list of breaches grew from there. In fact the venue was essentially being operated as though there were no restrictions in place,' Mr Argeres said.

Photographs taken inside the venue show a lack of physical distancing and strangers mingling and drinking together

'Now is not the time to be facilitating mingling among strangers, let alone allowing patrons to stand on your pub balcony sculling beers.

'The venue was letting down its workers, the community, and all the other businesses trying to do the right thing to keep their doors open.'

The litany of breaches included a lack of physical distancing, customers standing and mingling while drinking and a lack of hygiene processes.

The business wasn't registered as COVID safe, didn't have an up to date COVID-19 safety plan and sign in procedures weren't being enforced.

Mr Argeres said they won't be giving venues a second chance, and anyone caught flouting the rules will risk having to close their doors.

The pub was staffed by only three people despite dozens of patrons inside

'Hospitality venues cannot disregard these requirements. If we visit again and observe further breaches, at this premises or any others that have already been fined, they may be temporarily shut down,' he said.

'We've seen how easily and quickly COVID transmission occurs - there are no second chances with this virus.'

The following eight venues were fined in the past week across New South Wales for COVID-19 breaches, including non compliant record keeping, improper hygeine and a lack of physical distancing.

Garry Owen Hotel  Rozelle

Riverview Hotel  Balmain

Dry Dock Hotel  Balmain

Padstow Park Hotel  Padstow

Padstow Bowling Club  Padstow

Marrickville Ritz - Marrickville

Royal Hotel  Randwick

Yai Thai  Gosford

Mr Argeres said it's just as important for patrons to blacklist venues where they don't feel safe.

A patron breezes past a sign in sheet at the entry as he makes a beeline for the bar

Patrons close proximity and a lack of physical distancing were among the COVID-19 breaches

'If you want to continue operating, if you care about the health of your community, then take responsibility for safety in your space,' said Mr Argeres.

'This goes for customers too. If you visit a business, follow its rules. If it doesn't look like it has adequate COVID safety measures in place, avoid it.'

The hotel has already implemented new regulations, including the permanent installation of a COVID safety Marshall to oversee compliance.

Manager Vanessa Hardin unreservedly apologised.

'We're really sorry about it and we're embarrassed and we just implemented changes to fix it,' she told ABC news.

'We had done the wrong thing and the owners have got a lot more staff, we didn't have enough staff on that night, so that was one of the major things that let us down.

'It's completely different, it's completely safe and they will notice the changes we've enforced when they come in.'

Video shows a man sculling a beer on the pub balcony as his friends chant a well known drinking song

Daily Mail Australia contacted the Garry Owen Hotel but no-one was available for comment on Wednesday night.

Since pubs reopened a total of $152,500 in fines have been issued to 27 different venues across the state.

Liquor & Gaming, SafeWork and NSW Fair Trading will continue conducting uniformed and undercover inspections to ensure venues are being compliant with regulations.
The following list includes recent reports from the Midland County Sheriffs Office and the Midland Police Department. Compiled by reporter Mitchell Kukulka.

Sunday, Aug. 9

11:42 p.m.  Deputies responded to a Lee Township location for a report of gunshots heard in the area. The deputies checked the area and didn't hear any gunshots nor locate where they came from.

10:20 p.m.  A deputy was dispatched to a Lee Township residence for a 27-year-old woman who reported a 27-year-old man was in her driveway acting strange and said he was looking for someone. The man left the residence before the deputy arrived. The deputy checked the area and was unable to locate the man after attempts were made. The woman said she wanted the incident documented and would call back if the man came back.

5:01 p.m.  Deputies responded to a vehicle crash in Lee Township.

3:47 a.m.  Deputies were dispatched to a Greendale Township residence for a report of a domestic assault between a 43-year-old man and his 45-year-old live-in girlfriend. The 43-year-old also reportedly assaulted a 26-year-old woman at the residence. Both victims had minor injuries and refused treatment. The suspect fled the scene and was not located.

1:16 a.m.  A deputy assisted Coleman Police on a traffic stop with an intoxicated driver in Warren Township. Coleman Police arrested the suspect without incident.

Saturday, Aug. 8

11:48 p.m.  Deputies made contact with a 33-year-old woman at her Midland residence who reported she was pushed by her 33-year-old boyfriend at his residence. The deputies made contact with the man, who admitted to having a verbal argument with the caller, but denied an assault. There were no injuries and both subjects were separated for the night at their own homes. A report has been forwarded to the prosecuting attorney for review.

11:48 p.m.  A deputy was dispatched to a Lee Township residence in reference to a 20-year-old woman who said there was a video online of her 70-year-old male neighbor that was "alarming." The woman wanted the video brought to law enforcement's attention due to the man being a sex offender, and there being kids living in the area. The deputy reviewed the video and spoke with the 70-year-old about the video, which was filmed eight months prior. The man was told to act appropriately and to seek counseling if needed.

10:49 p.m.  Officers responded to a report of domestic violence in the 4300 block of Quincy Drive.

8:50 p.m.  Deputies responded to a car-deer crash in Mills Township.

5:29 p.m.  Officers responded to a vehicle crash in the area of West Wackerly Street and Eastman Avenue.

3:26 p.m.  A deputy was dispatched to a Hope Township area in reference to two shots fired quickly. A deputy made contact with a 43-year-old man who was sighting-in his rifle.

11:45 a.m.  Officers responded to a vehicle crash in the area of Rodd and East Buttles streets.

11:36 a.m.  A 23-year-old Lee Township woman called to report her two phones were stolen. It was discovered that she gave the phones to her roommate, who was on her phone plan since Christmas and is still making the payments.The deputy explained the phones were not stolen, and that she entered into a civil agreement and she needs to file a civil complaint in district court.

11:18 a.m.  A 58-year-old inmate had a verbal dispute with a 31-year-old inmate at the Midland County Jail. The inmates later had a physical altercation. Jail staff separated the inmates, and neither wished to pursue charges.

10:39 a.m.  A deputy was requested by Child Protective Services to make contact with a 6-year-old Larkin Township boy who made an allegation that his 16-year-old sister touched him sexually. The allegations came through CPS as third party information. After speaking with the 6-year-old and the 16-year-old, the deputy did not find the allegation to be legitimate.

6:19 a.m.  A 50-year-old man reported his pole barn was broken into sometime throughout the night. The building's side door was kicked in and the inside was ransacked. At the time of this report, the owner was still going through the barn to inventory what was missing. There are currently no suspects in this incident.

4:13 a.m.  A deputy was dispatched to an area in Sanford for a report of a strange light in the sky. A deputy searched the area and did not locate the light.

3:55 a.m.  A deputy was dispatched to a single-vehicle car-deer crash on a Lee Township roadway.

3:45 a.m.  Deputies assisted Midland Police with a pursuit. A Bay County man was arrested in the City of Saginaw and transported to the Midland County Jail, where he was turned over to Midland Police for questioning.
New Delhi:

The ITO-Kashmere Gate Heritage Corridor of Delhi Metro will be launched by the end of January, DMRC chief Mangu Singh has said, ruing the combined effect of construction ban and demonetisation behind the delay.

Singh termed as setback the double whammy of ban on construction activities in the wake of alarming pollution levels and the currency ban, saying the two decisions made the task of retaining labourers difficult.

It suffered a setback in the last one and a half months. Although it would be possible to present the line to the public by January end, Singh told PTI.

The 5.17-km-long section, an extension of the Faridabad-ITO corridor (Violet Line), was well on course for a launch this December otherwise, he said.

If you stop work for 10 days, labourers will not sit idle. Construction came to a halt and nobody knew when it will resume. People waited for one-two days and went away.

So remobilising was a difficult job and then this currency ban thing came. One must appreciate that labourers depend on daily wages for their sustenance. This has really affected work particularly towards the end, Singh said.

He said constructing this particular underground section, below the centuries-old walled city, was one of the most difficult projects undertaken by the metro with the need to bring in change in alignments being one of the factors.

Trial runs began in August on this section that will have three stations - Delhi Gate, Jama Masjid and Red Fort.

Singh, who took over as Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) chief in 2012 from E Shreedharan, is likely to serve for five more years with the Delhi government clearing a proposal in this regard.

The decision, however, will be put before the Urban Development Ministry as the ministry and the Delhi government have 50-50 partnership in DMRC.

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Slated for a Fall 2021 completion, the four-acre master-planned property -- just five minutes from downtown Austin (at the intersection of 51 st and Springdale Rd) -- will feature 10 "live/work" style condos and seven townhomes within the total residential mix (priced from the mid $200s to the high $400s), blending a contemporary urban style with relaxing comfort.

Amenities will include modern, high-end finishes, a spacious dog park and paw spa, Amazon storage lockers, walking trails, covered parking spaces, a swimming pool with tanning ledge, an outdoor fireplace and kitchen to cook al fresco, and an all-resident rooftop deck to relax and enjoy stunning views of Austin's downtown skyline. Gravity ATX is a less-than-five-minute drive from the renowned Mueller community (a new mixed-use urban village in the heart of Austin), 10 minutes from the University of Texas's Austin downtown campus and offers easy access via 183A and 130 to Austin's technology employers and Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.

"After seeing East Austin's rapid growth of luxury properties, we saw a unique opportunity to develop new market-rate attainable homes for first-time buyers, empty nesters, those looking to set up professional home offices and others tired of wasting money on high Austin rents," commented Legacy Communities Partner, Philip Jalufka, who's also president and CEO of Legacy International, an international sales and marketing firm of luxury, master-planned residential, resort communities with a current portfolio of over $1 billion in revenue. "We didn't let the Covid shutdown or pandemic hinder or stall our sales and marketing efforts to interest home buyers, which has resulted in $18,172,000 in pre-construction gross sales in just 30 days -- a remarkable achievement in my view."

Legacy Communities has solid experience as an innovative real estate multi-service firm in the Austin market with such residential communities as Westside Landing Rough Hollow, The Isabella, Cooper's Square and The Addie at Westlake. As it continues to expand its portfolio, Legacy has partnered for the first time to build Gravity ATX with Arizona-based Diamond Ventures, a leading real estate development and investment firm with residential, industrial, office, retail and build-to-suit projects in Arizona, Colorado and Texas.

About Legacy Communities

Funded by Legacy Performance Capital, Legacy Communities provides a suite of residential development services including development, design, construction and sales for active adult, luxury residential, resort and metropolitan master plan communities throughout Texas and beyond. From the original concept design to final build out, Legacy brings an unparalleled level of detail to every community. Through the joined forces of various industry-leading strategic partners, Legacy's team discovers the story behind each community and then crafts an exceptional product to complement the community vision. With a dedication to being stewards of the land, Legacy approaches every new development as an extraordinary opportunity to change the lives of the future residents, by listening, paying attention to details and offering high quality, energy efficient, sustainable development and construction. Legacy Communities is a brand umbrella dedicated to creating an incomparable real-estate experience for homeowners and future generations. For more information about Legacy Communities visit www.legacycommunities.com or call 512.894.8330.

About Diamond Ventures Inc.

Diamond Ventures, Inc. was founded in 1988 with a singular vision of becoming one of the leading real estate development and investment companies in Arizona. Over the years, the company has achieved its vision by assembling a quality portfolio of residential, industrial, office, retail and build-to-suit projects throughout Arizona, Colorado and Texas. With offices in Tucson and Denver, Colorado, the company also invests in a variety of independent businesses and projects across the Southwest. Diamond Ventures brings these strengths to every project: a motivated, disciplined team with diverse talents; financial strength; a vast inventory of land in desirable, fast-growing residential and business corridors; and a long history of successful collaboration with city, county, state and federal governments. Diamond Ventures' mission is to engage in high quality real estate investments and business ventures that create value for its partners and customers, with careful consideration for the community and the environment. For more information about Diamond Ventures visit www.diamondventures.com or call 520-577-0200.

SOURCE Legacy Communities

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https://www.legacycommunities.com


China: Churches forced to donate to Communist Party or stay shut

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State-sponsored churches in parts of China that were forced to close due to COVID-19 lockdowns are only permitted to reopen if they hand money over to the Chinese Communist Party, according to a new report.

A Three-Self church director from Heze, a prefecture-level city in the eastern province of Shandong, told Bitter Winter that state-run churches in the area have been ordered to collect money for coronavirus-affected areas. According to the director, officials from the local Religious Affairs Bureau threatened to shut down many churches if they did not donate.

Authorities in Zhangcun town issued donation quotas ranging from 4,000 to 10,000 RMB (between $560 and $1,400) to Three-Self churches, while Christians in Xianju were ordered to donate 100 RMB (about $14) to Wuhan, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak.

Churchgoers in Zhejiangs Hangzhou city were also forced to donate, according to a Three-Self church director. Some elderly congregation members live alone and have no sources of income, but are also forced to give money.

When Christians requested to give their money directly to victims of the pandemic instead of filtering it through the government, officials from religious affairs departments refused.

While the CCP has exploited places of worship amid the coronavirus pandemic, Christians are also targeted during regular times. Bitter Winter notes that last year, believers were forced to contribute to poverty alleviation or other governments charity projects.

Last year, the Religious Affairs Bureau demanded us to collect money to fix a slide on a kindergarten playground, a deacon from a Three-Self church in Henans Zhumadian city told Bitter Winter. Government departments ask us for charitable donations every year. If we refuse, our church will be closed.

The CCP has also targeted Buddhist temples, demanding they donate to the areas hit hard by the coronavirus outbreak or remain closed.

According to the China Religion Survey 2015, conducted by the Renmin University of China, clergy members of the five official religions in China  Buddhism, Taoism, Islam, Catholicism, and Protestantism  receive about $70 as a monthly salary, and 41% dont have old-age insurance.

Numerous reports have revealed how the coronavirus pandemic has presented an opportunity for the CCP to ramp up persecution of Christians.

An earlier report detailed how China's state-approved churches that were forced to close due to COVID-19 were permitted to reopen if they praised the Chinese Communist Party in sermons and extol President Xi Jinping.

Churches were also ordered to promote the four requirements, a nationwide campaign launched in 2018 to promote the sinicization of religion. The campaign involves requiring religious communities to ritually raise the national flag; promoting the Chinese Constitution and laws, core socialist values, and "Chinas excellent traditional culture.

It was also reported that amid the coronavirus outbreak, poor Christian villagers in several provinces were ordered to renounce their faith and replace displays of Jesus with portraits of Chairman Mao and President Xi or risk losing their welfare benefits.

Officials in Jiangsu province used the lockdown as an opportunity to demolish Xiangbaishu Church in Yixing city, according to a video shared by Bob Fu, the founder of China Aid.

Open Doors ranks China 23rd on its list of 50 countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian. The nonprofit notes that all churches are perceived as a threat if they become too large, too political, or invite foreign guests.
As the world's leading enterprise-friendly public blockchain platform and company, VeChain officially launches its market ready, blockchain-enabled food safety solution based on its one-stop data Blockchain-as-a-Service (BaaS) platform VeChain ToolChain.

The solution allows blockchain technology to be deployed in the food sector with the fastest lead time compared with any other platform in the industry. The VeChain ToolChain powered Food Safety Solution integrates VeChain's industry-leading technology and experience with business-ready technical features, solving the most urgent needs for the food industry in this new era.

Blockchainizing The Food Sector In The "New Normal"

Concerns about food safety have been brought to the forefront following the coronavirus outbreak. Consumer behavior changes due to COVID-19 have brought higher demands for safe and traceable food products. According to an IBM study , 71% of consumers are willing to pay an additional average premium of 37% for companies offering full transparency and traceability.

Blockchain technology is well positioned to tackle the current problems as it provides Immutable Trustworthy Data. Immutable trustworthy data is the critical component to allow for transparency, accountability and most importantly trust among all participants within the supply chain from the raw supplier to the end consumer.

Some examples where this can be applied would be in the event of food recall requiring strict data points for compliance or the need for a company to easier manage multiple suppliers through tamper resistant data gathering.

In addition, a recent report by Cointelegraph Consulting took a closer look on the transformation that is taking place in the food industry by governments and stakeholders and how "Blockchain + IoT" solutions could significantly lower the cost for the global food industry:

IoT & blockchain platforms can increase trust, transparency and coordination throughout the food supply chain, resulting in $155 billion per year in potential savings.

per year in potential savings. A better traceability will boost the international food trade by over $100 million per year.

per year. IoT & blockchain solutions can create up to $47 billion per year in revenue enhancement.

In short, together with the deployment of IoT devices to collect the data, blockchain technology can streamline business processes and enable companies to stand out in a crowded market while setting common standards that will shape the supply chains of the future.

VeChain ToolChain Enables Rapid Deployment Of Blockchain Technology For Enterprises

Although many businesses have been trying to implement blockchain technology into their current business, many barriers to entry hinder such implementation. For example, businesses are often forced to build their own blockchain applications from scratch and grapple with the complexities associated with the technology.

Most BaaS platforms and companies in the market provide only assistance for the companies of high level framework services (such as deployment of nodes). This massive barrier of entry hinders the adoption of blockchain in the food sector. With VeChain ToolChain, ready-to-use blockchain applications can be deployed and implemented quickly to solve real business needs.

VeChain positions itself as the enabler to drive technology implementation that would bring tangible business value for enterprises. By using built-in, ready-to-use templates modelled after countless already deployed solutions by enterprise clients, every food enterprise can achieve full lifecycle traceability for their supply chains, covering from farm to retail and the customer's hand. Traceability can start from cultivation, processing, packaging, logistics, to retail and more.

Value Proposition of VeChain ToolChain for Businesses

The VeChain ToolChain powered food safety solution is characterized by its high standardization, light cost and flexible payment in the market. Most importantly, VeChain ToolChainTM also offers customizable tools and whitelabel services, where consultant companies can obtain and implement the Food Safety Management Service for their own clients.

The main value proposition of VeChain ToolChain includes:

Value 1: Enable Enterprises To Introduce And Complete Blockchain Proof-of-concepts Efficiently.

The blockchain-enabled food safety solution powered by VeChain ToolChain can provide food industry enterprises with various traceability templates that have been effectively verified, including origin traceability, cross-border traceability, full-process traceability, and more.

The solution covers a wide variety of use cases and sub-sectors in the F&B industry, including fresh food, dairy products, alcohol and wine, imported food, FMCG for supermarkets and retail, and more. Companies can quickly carry out concept verification at little to no lead time and experience the full potential of blockchain technology for their respective sub-sectors.

Value 2: Facilitate Large-scale Blockchainization In A Fast And Cost-effective Way.

VeChain ToolChain provides easy-to-use customizable tools. Food companies can build their exclusive business process easily as "drag and drop", which greatly saves the development investment, shortens the project lead time and achieves scalability.

Value 3: Enhance Brand Image And Consumer Confidence On Food Products.

The blockchain-enabled food safety solution powered by VeChain ToolChain can improve communication and boost customer satisfaction. Retailers can choose to engage customers by providing access to related product and marketing information stored on the blockchain. This provides increased visibility into product origin, producer, quality, and the like, which in turn can build customer loyalty and contributes to a stronger business-customer relationship.

Value 4: Unleash New Business Value By Data On Blockchain Platform

The blockchain-enabled food safety solution powered by VeChain ToolChain can help food companies exploit value via data generated by their own business. The immutable data on the blockchain enables companies to increase the efficiency of compliance review, government supervision, logistics and supplier evaluation and more. Companies will also gain access to world leading third-party services through the VeChain global partner network, including DNV GL, PwC and Deloitte, and more, greatly reducing the cost of certification, audit, insurance or supply chain financial services.

As the world's leading enterprise-friendly public blockchain company and platform, VeChain now has specialization in F&B traceability based on accumulated know-how and refined technology. Joining hands with its strategic partners, PwC and DNV GL, VeChain aims to expand the business globally to address business needs of more enterprises in the food industry.

For more information or business inquiries, please contact: [email protected]

About VeChain

As a leading enterprise friendly public blockchain platform, VeChain began in 2015 and aims to connect blockchain technology to the real world by providing enterprises with blockchain solutions suitable for their business needs and to build a trust-free and distributed business ecosystem platform for business value. With VeChain ToolChain, a one-stop data BaaS platform, VeChain will continue to promote the large-scale application of blockchain technology, help enterprise clients in digitalization transformation, and eventually realize the long-term vision of enabling the real economy.

VeChain is the pioneer of real-world business applications, with international operations in Singapore, Luxembourg, Tokyo, Shanghai, Beijing, Paris, America, Italy and San Francisco. With strong independent development capabilities, and the professional compliance guidance of our strategic partners, PwC (one of the world's top four accounting firms) and DNV GL (a leading global assessment and certification society), VeChain has established partnerships with many leading enterprises in various industries, including Walmart China, Bayer China, BMW, BYD Auto, PICC, H&M, ENN, Shanghai Gas, LVMH, D.I.G, ASI etc.

For more information, please visit the official website www.vechain.com

SOURCE VeChain
Jacob Grohs believes that teachers and their school systems, universities, and companies are uniquely positioned to come together and create positive engineering experiences for students.

Through the Virginia Tech Partnering with Educators and Engineers in Rural Schools (VTPEERS) initiative, funded by the National Science Foundation, Grohs is working with teachers in rural middle schools and engineers in industries in their communities to create engineering learning experiences for students. This year, Grohs received a Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program award from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to take this work further.

Grohs' five-year project will contribute to knowledge on how students develop, maintain, or shift engineering interest pathways as they engage in sustained engineering activities, facilitated through collaborations between their schools and industries in their communities, in the classroom, and beyond.

The project will introduce young people in rural communities to locally available engineering careers -- educational experiences that seem to be limited at this time. It will involve collaborative partnerships between engineers in local manufacturing companies and school teachers, who will come together to co-develop innovative engineering learning experiences for more than 2,500 students from counties in Appalachia.

Grohs' research will determine whether and how different groups of rural youth develop and maintain interest in engineering career pathways from middle school through the period after high school graduation, using cluster analyses and qualitative methods. To accomplish this, the project will collaboratively engage with teachers and engineers to facilitate hands-on engineering activities, and have conversations with students to understand the factors that influence their career interests and decisions.

Engineers and formal and informal educators will plan and implement educational innovations that will facilitate opportunities for rural youth to use engineering and computer programming skills throughout their middle and high school years. "This project is about scaffolding opportunities where students explore ways their individual passions might align with engineering work and how those passions are both supported by and contribute to their home communities," Grohs said.

For Grohs, learning what works well for sustaining interest in engineering careers also means collectively understanding and dismantling systemic barriers to access. He said that for the VTPEERS team, "that effort starts by building long-term relationships with teachers and with regional industry and together investing our time over several years with these youth as they envision their future."

###

The NSF CAREER program is considered one of the most prestigious awards in support of early-career faculty who have the "potential to serve as academic role models in research and education and to lead advances in the mission of their department or organization," as stated in the program's description from the NSF.
Former Vice President and now Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden has announced that his vice presidential running mate for the 2020 election is California Sen. Kamala Harris. Harris is now the first Black woman and first Asian American person on a major party's presidential ticket.

First Black Woman as Vice President

Harris was Biden's opponent for the presidential nomination. She now brings the political prowess of winning a statewide election in California, which is the largest state in America, while also personifying the diversity that Democratic activists have said is important to building enthusiasm for the ticket.

Biden said the announced through his personal Twitter account, calling Harris a fearless fighter for "the little guy" and one of the country's finest public servants.

Despite the nationwide protest for racial justice and reform of policing, Harris was the attorney general in California for five years and as a prosecutor in San Francisco. In the Senate, Harris cemented her reputation as a debater and questioner of administration officials, including Attorney General William Barr.

Also Read: President Trump Escorted from COVID-19 Briefing As Shooting Happens Outside the White House

However, during a Democratic debate in June 2019, when Harris was still running for president, she challenged Biden over his remarks about segregation in the United States, stating that she was part of the second class to integrate her school as a child after the mandatory school busing, forcing Biden to apologize.

Harris announced that she ended her presidential bid in December 2019. That was when Biden said that he was considering Harris as a running mate, as reported by CNN.

Biden said shortly after Harris dropped out of the primary that the senator has the capacity to be anything she wants to be and that she is solid. Biden even stated that Harris can be the president someday.

Change of tune

At a news conference on July 28, Biden held a notecard about Harris, calling her talented and a great help to the campaign after reports of friction between them. Over the past few months, Harris has been vocal about her support for Biden.

In July, Harris participated in the virtual roundtable with North Carolina officials discussing the economic recovery proposal of Biden to help caregivers and with Minnesota officials discussing about Biden's infrastructure plans. Harris then joined Biden's wife, Jill, back in June to discuss healthcare with Wisconsin officials.

In March, Harris officially endorsed Biden before Super Tuesday, when Biden won 10 out of the 14 contests. Harris stated in a video that she has decided that she is going to endorse Joe Biden for president of the United States and that she believes in him and have known him for years.

Since Harris dropped out of the primary, Biden did not dismiss the talks about Harris being his vice president. He told Harris at a virtual fundraiser in April that he is lucky to have her as a part of the partnership, telling Harris that by working together they can make a great deal of progress.

According to a report from Politico, back in May, Harris became an early favorite among Biden aides, surrogates, and top donors. South Carolina Democrat Bakari Sellers stated that Harris deserves to be chosen, revealed that a lot of people are pushing for Harris and that she has a lot of support.

Related Article: US Presidential Race: Will Joe Biden Choose a Black Woman VP? Rep. Maxine Waters Believes So

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-12 16:03:17|Editor: huaxia

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TEHRAN, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Intelligence Ministry has disbanded five spying teams connected with foreign espionage services and arrested a number of people in this regard, Tasnim news agency reported on Wednesday.

The arrested people "had plans to spy on Iran's nuclear, political, economic, military and infrastructural projects for the U.S. CIA, Israeli Mossad, and the spying services of a number of European countries by employing complicated and diverse intelligence methods," Tasnim quoted an unnamed Iranian Intelligence Ministry official as saying.

Besides, they had plans to take acts of sabotage to damage the country's infrastructures and projects, he said.

"The desperate attempts by the spies were thwarted with the vigilance of the Iranian intelligence forces," he added.

In July, Iran executed a man convicted of spying for the CIA and the Mossad. Enditem
More than 1,000 protesters were arrested overnight after new clashes erupted in Belarus over the re-election of strongman leader Alexander Lukashenko in Sunday elections. Some 51 protesters and 14 police were injured in the unrest.

Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanouskaya said on Tuesday she had fled abroad for the sake of her children after strongman leader Alexander Lukashenko's claim of victory in Sunday's presidential election prompted bloody street protests.

Tikhanouskaya, a 37-year-old former English teacher who took her husband's place on the ballot after he was jailed, fled to neighbouring Lithuania. She urged her compatriots not to oppose the police and to avoid putting their lives in danger.

But unrest erupted for a third night in a row on Tuesday as security forces fired rubber bullets and stun grenades to disperse thousands of protesters who took to the streets accusing Lukashenko, in power since 1994, of swindling the vote.

A Reuters witness saw security forces detaining dozens of people and beating protesters in the street. Another saw security forces smashing car windows and dragging some people out of vehicles to attack them. A third saw at least two news photographers being attacked and their cameras damaged.

Car horns blared in solidarity with the opposition, and people marched, clapped and shouted "go away".

The European Union earlier accused Lukashenko's government of "disproportionate and unacceptable violence" and said it was reviewing its relations with Minsk.

Although Tikhanouskaya's husband Syarhei, an anti-government blogger, remains in jail in Belarus, she was reunited with her children in Lithuania. She had moved them earlier after receiving anonymous threats about their safety.

"You know, I thought that this whole campaign had really toughened me up and given me so much strength that I could handle anything," she said in an emotional video.

Story continues

"But, probably, I'm still the weak woman I was in the first place. I have made a very difficult decision for myself," she said, adding that the political tumult in Belarus was not worth anyone losing their life for.

"Children are the main thing in life," said Tikhanouskaya.

Flowers

The mood on the streets of Minsk had been calmer during the daytime on Tuesday, but a Reuters reporter saw riot police parked outside several factories in Minsk amid calls on anti-Lukashenko social media channels for a general strike.

People laid flowers at the site in central Minsk where a protester died in Monday's clashes.

Lukashenko has compared the protesters to criminal gangs and dangerous revolutionaries with shadowy foreign backers. State media on Tuesday showed detained young men with their hands behind their backs, calling them "Russian provocateurs".

Belarus has strained relations with Moscow, though President Vladimir Putin used a congratulatory telegram to nudge Lukashenko to accept closer ties. Lukashenko has long accused Russia of aiming to swallow up his nation of 9.5 million people.

Lithuanian Foreign Minister Linas Linkevicius said Tikhanouskaya had found herself in an impossible situation.

"She apparently faced certain pressure and did not have much choice but to leave the country," he told a news conference.

Belarusian authorities said she was not forced to leave but a separate video appearance, apparently filmed at the central election commission before she left Belarus, raised questions about her departure.

In it, she was seen reading from a piece of paper in stilted official language and reversed her earlier stance and asked supporters to accept the election's outcome and stop protesting in order to prevent bloodshed.

It was unclear if the video had been made under duress or as part of a deal allowing her to leave the country.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Belarus's election was "not free and fair" and condemned "ongoing violence against protesters and the detention of opposition supporters".

The European Union said its relationship with Belarus was under review, though it declined to comment on whether sanctions would be reimposed on the country.

Foreign observers have not judged an election to be free and fair in Belarus since 1995, and the run-up to this month's vote saw authorities jail Lukashenko's rivals and open criminal investigations of others who voiced opposition.

Tikhanouskaya's campaign rallies drew some of the biggest crowds since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991.

(REUTERS)
GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- The draft strategic plan for reforming the police department got little attention Tuesday during the Grand Rapids City Commissions virtual meeting, with most people calling to argue for or against defunding the department.

After nearly two hours of public comment and about 42 callers, only several people mentioned the draft plan presented.

The departments draft strategic plan outlines actions aimed at increasing community-policing efforts, building community trust and decreasing crime, as well as how to track those outcomes, over the next three years.

The plan drew praise from commissioners Tuesday morning when Police Chief Eric Payne presented it to them.

Related: Grand Rapids police release draft strategic plan aimed at community policing, crime reduction

Some of the dozens of actions proposed in Paynes plan include making every patrol officer a community policing specialist, piloting a co-response strategy with officers and mental health workers, creating a Real Time Crime Center monitoring public space video and potentially equipping the department with drones.

My impression from (the plan) is that everything they would need to do requires more funding and it will insert more police officers into situations theyre not equipped to handle, one resident told commissioners Tuesday, Aug. 11.

The strategic plan has completely ignored what everyone has been wanting to talk about over the past few months.

About three other residents took similar issue with the plan during public comment, saying the items would likely require more funding for the department at a time when they and some other residents are calling to reallocate funds away from the department.

Youre not listening. We want the police defunded, disarmed and dismantled, another person said. This strategic plan is basically the opposite of that.

Only one person spoke in favor of keeping the department at the current funding level of $55 million budget, or 38.6% of the citys general fund, mentioned the draft plan.

Our chief, Eric Payne, has given us a strategic plan to consider. Its inclusive. It has involved our community and promises to continue to do so, the person said.

The vision of this plan, developed in association with a great deal of community input ... we will become the safest mid-size city and most trusted police department in the United States. Safest and most trusted. Thats not looking to be mediocre or acceptable. Thats shooting for number one. Ok, lets go, chief, lets be No. 1. We can do that.

Residents can comment on the draft plan during commission meetings, as well as online via a brief, guided survey. Comments will be taken through Aug. 25 and may help shape Paynes final strategic plan to be presented the following month.

View: The Grand Rapids Police Departments draft strategic plan

Conversations around defunding the police department from 38.6% percent of the general fund to the city charter minimum of 32 percent have continued to be the focus of public comment periods during city commission meeting for the past several months.

Callers into the Tuesday night meeting were no exception, with roughly an even split of those for and against defunding the department.

The conversations around defunding a portion of police department budgets and reallocating those dollars into social services and programs and other methods of handling certain police calls, such as sending a mental health worker instead of an officer, gained national attention following the death of George Floyd.

Floyd, a Black man in Minnesota, died May 25 after a white Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes. His death sparked protests nationwide.

Under City Manager Mark Washingtons timeline, city commissioners will be able to discuss potentially reprioritizing funds for the current fiscal year in November, despite some commissioners attempting to discuss police department allocations earlier this year.

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State officials wary of slower-than-usual mail delivery are extending mail-in ballot deadlines and making backup plans to smooth early voting in the weeks before the November election, but experts warn tens of thousands of ballots might still be thrown out.

Amid a historic surge of interest in mail-in voting because of the coronavirus pandemic, a new postmaster general appointed by President Donald Trump has barred overtime and changed other policies that some complain are slowing mail delivery. And because ballots in most states must be in the hands of state officials on Election Day, delays could mean uncounted votes.

At stake is the credibility of the vote count in the more than 30 states, including battlegrounds Arizona and Michigan, which require ballots be received by the time polls close on Election Day or even earlier. The results from those states could be more than enough to tip the election. Democrats have already accused Trump of trying to muddy the results by claiming, without evidence, that vote by mail is ripe for fraud. Ballot delays and uncounted votes would only deepen any controversy.

The concern over the Postal Service during the 2020 election -- the first that will rely so heavily on absentee voting -- has led state and local election officials to change vote-by-mail procedures and implement backup plans to prevent slow mail delivery from creating election havoc.

In 2016, missing a deadline was the second-biggest reason a mail-in ballot was rejected, according to the U.S. Election Assistance Commission.

"It's definitely something we are concerned about and will be watching in November," said Gabe Rosenberg, a spokesman for the Connecticut secretary of state.

Legislators in Nevada and Mississippi have recently changed state laws to allow ballots to be counted as long as they are postmarked by Election Day even if they arrive much later. The governor of Connecticut, Ned Lamont, made a similar change Monday by executive order for the state's primary, while Minnesota agreed to set aside its deadline as part of a court settlement.

Voting rights groups are also asking judges to extend ballot deadlines, arguing that they disenfranchise voters who have done nothing wrong. Justin Levitt, a Loyola Marymount University professor tracking coronavirus-related elections lawsuits, said judges in Florida, Michigan, Pennsylvania and three other states have already declined to do so, but other cases are still pending.

"Things are, essentially, still in some flux," he said.

Elections officials are also looking at other changes.

One of them involves switching some ballots to first-class mail, which costs 55 cents but arrives within two to five days, from bulk mail, which can take 10 days.

Washington State Secretary of State Kim Wyman said that switching all ballots to first-class mail would add another $2 million to the cost of the election in her state, which conducts all-mail elections.

Other states are looking at less expensive workarounds. Michigan, Pennsylvania and Georgia, among others, have invested in ballot drop boxes, secure metal cabinets installed outside public buildings where voters can bring their ballots, no stamp needed.

Rosenberg said Connecticut spent $400,000 of its CARES Act stimulus funding to buy drop boxes for every town, which it tested during Tuesday's primary. He said if mail delivery times become a problem close to the election, they'll more heavily promote the drop boxes in October and November.

"Voters can deliver their ballot directly to the towns without having to worry about the Postal Service," he said.

Several states, including Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina and Pennsylvania, are also adding technology that would allow both elections directors and voters to track ballots as they move through the postal system, similar to the way consumers can track something they bought online before delivery.

Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, who was appointed by Trump, announced a reorganization last week that drew ire from Democrats who called for an investigation into whether the staffing and funding changes pose a threat to mail-in ballots for the November election. Also, additional money for the Post Office, which Republicans reject, has become one of several sticking points in negotiations between top congressional Democrats and the Trump administration over a coronavirus relief package.

U.S. Postal Service spokeswoman Marti Johnson said in a statement that the agency was working closely with elections officials to ensure that ballots are properly marked and sorted to ensure prompt delivery.

"The Postal Service has ample capacity to adjust our nationwide processing and delivery network to meet projected election and political mail volume, including any additional volume that may result as a response to the Covid-19 pandemic," she said.

Washington State's Wyman, a Republican, said she would be keeping a close eye on Postal Service funding and personnel over the coming weeks.

"If they are fully resourced, I'm not worried about it at all," she said. "If something were to happen to their resources, on a scale of 1 to 10 my concern level is probably a 12."

At the same time, the Trump campaign is fighting the states' changes. It sued in Nevada, arguing that the state's recently passed law is unconstitutional because a later deadline "effectively postpones and prolongs" the election past the date set by Congress -- even though that was already state law.

Trump has also argued that only votes that can be tallied on Election Day should count.

His campaign is also pushing back on drop boxes. In a lawsuit filed in Pennsylvania, campaign lawyers are seeking to limit the places where elections officials can place them, arguing that locations like shopping centers, retirement homes, college campuses and fire stations are not secure and do not meet the legal requirement for a polling place.
The most shocking aspect of shadow banking entities world over is that these are run and promoted by governments and government-run entities to the detriment of regulatory oversights evolved over time to ensure financial stability.

The shadow banking system "consists of financial institutions that look like banks, act like banks, and borrow and lend like banks, but - and here's the important part - are not regulated like banks". That is how Prof. Nouriel Roubini of the New York University described it in his book 2010 "Crisis Economics", co-authored with Prof. Stephen Mihm of the University of Georgia.

Prof. Roubini is also known as "Dr. Doom" for accurately predicting that the US housing bubble would burst, plunging the world economy into recession. Many other economists too had forewarned the same, but they were ignored, even ridiculed.

The centrality of shadow banking to the 2007-08 financial crisis is well documented. Prof. Roubini and co-author narrated how complex, dodgy, and risky housing mortgage-backed securities were bundled, sliced, and diced into different levels of credit risks and transmitted around the world, spreading toxic assets. They concluded, like many others: "It's little wonder that the shadow banking system was at the heart of what would become the mother of all bank runs."

Also Read: Rebooting Economy XV: Why shadow banking should worry policymakers in India and elsewhere

Economist Laura E Kodres of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) described shadow banking more colourfully, using the Duck Test, in her own analysis of shadow banking's central role in the 2007-08 crisis: "If it looks like a duck, quacks like a duck, and acts like a duck, then it is a duck - or so the saying goes. But what about an institution that looks like a bank and acts like a bank? Often it is not a bank - it is a shadow bank."

More than a decade later, nothing much has changed on the ground. Governments continue to promote them. Here are some examples, beginning with the US experience.

US's official shadow banks: Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac

In September 2008, the US government took over Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac - two giant shadow banking entities operating in the US housing mortgage market.

Both Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac went down under their own mountains of debts. At the time of their takeover, their combined debt stood at $5.4 trillion, which was "equal to the publicly held debt of the United States" and their market share in new mortgage stood at 80%, declared the official statement of the Federal Housing Finance Agency.

It was the US Congress that had created both Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to operate in the secondary housing mortgage market. They are also known as government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs).

Fannie Mae was set up in 1938 as a government entity and then handed over to the private sector in 1968. Freddie Mac was created in 1970 as a private entity to compete with Fannie Mae.

What does operating in secondary market mean?

It means Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac did not offer housing loans or keep housing mortgages (primary housing market) themselves. They bought housing mortgages from original lenders, packaged them into extremely complex securities, and sold them to pension funds, insurance companies, and hedge funds, thereby spreading the risks all around. All this happened completely outside the regulated banking system.

The official takeover statement mentioned "a significant supervisory concern" about Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, their "deteriorating credit mortgage environment" (little scope of mobilising credit or cash from market) and concluded that these two "cannot continue to operate safely and soundly and fulfill their public mission".

These two are classic examples of public sector building private sector as well as inefficiency of the latter.

Also Read: Rebooting Economy XIV: Debt vs equity; why businesses are debt-driven

Ironically, Fannie Mae was created during the 1929 Great Depression-era - which had also been triggered by collapse of the US housing finance sector and market was unwilling to lend. Fannie Mae was supposed to fill this gap.

Seventy years later, in 2008, Fannie Mae was at the core of engineering the 2007-08 financial crisis and found no source of funding, forcing the US government to bail it out. It was a highly successful government-run entity for 30 long years before being handed over to the private sector in 1968.

Freddie Mac, too, was set up by the US Congress, in 1970, to operate in the same secondary housing mortgage market outside banking oversight. But this was created as a private entity to compete with Fannie Mae. It collapsed too and found the market unwilling to bail it out or restore equilibrium. The US government then stepped in at the cost of taxpayers.

Who else is paying for the huge $5.4 trillion debt of these private sector shadow banks?

India's official shadow banks: IL&FS and PFC

India saw the collapse of its own leading shadow bank, Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services Limited (IL&FS) in September 2018. The banking regulator RBI took over and initiated bankruptcy proceedings. At the time of takeover, its outstanding debt stood at Rs 91,000 crore, out of which Rs 57,000 crore was from banks, posing a high risk to derail the conventional banking system.

Who runs IL&FS?

It is a public-private partnership (PPP) entity.

Here is a statement from its official website: "IL&FS was incorporated in 1987, initially promoted by the Central Bank of India (CBI), Housing Development Finance Corporation Limited (HDFC) and Unit Trust of India (UTI). Over the years, we have broad-based our shareholding and inducted institutional shareholders including State Bank of India (SBI), Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC), ORIX Corporation Japan, and Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA)."

Also Read: Rebooting Economy XIII: Why Indian corporates are debt-ridden

The official website also says that it is "one of India's leading infrastructure development and finance companies" and "pioneer of Public-Private Partnership (PPP) in India".

In 2019, the RBI found that IL&FS had not disclosed bad debts for four years until FY19 and that 70% of its total loans and advances by March 31, 2018, were non-performing assets (NPAs).

On May 30, 2019, the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) filed a charge sheet in a special court in Mumbai, blaming the RBI for inaction even when the banking regulator had detected financial frauds in IL&FS Financial Services Ltd (IFIN), a subsidiary of IL&FS in 2015, 2016 and 2017, but allowed it to continue to operate.

Subsequently, the RBI clarified that it had given IFIN time until 2019 to clean up its books.

On July 22, the National Financial Reporting Authority (NFRA), a new regulatory authority set up in 2018, debarred IFIN's auditor former Deloitte India CEO Udayan Sen, for seven years and imposed a penalty of Rs 25 lakh for financial fraud, concluding that he "had been totally compromised". (For more read ' Rebooting Economy XI: Why are private companies so prone to financial frauds? ')

Here is something interesting about IL&FS's organisational structure.

The government provided lists of IL&FS's group companies to the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT), which the latter reproduced in its interim order of March 12, 2020.

The government list named 302 IL&FS group entities - 169 incorporated in India and 133 outside India - a veritable industry of their own.

The government has not been found wanting to indirectly run shadow banking either.

One is the Power Finance Corporation (PFC), declared as "Navratna CPSE" by the government in 2007.

Its official website says: "Incorporated on July 16th, 1986, Power Finance Corporation Ltd. is a Schedule-A Navratna CPSE, and is a leading Non-Banking Financial Corporation (NBFC) in the Country... PFC is under the administrative control of the Ministry of Power... conferred the title of a 'Navratna CPSE' in June 2007 and was classified as an Infrastructure Finance Company by the RBI on 28th July 2010."

It tops the list of Indian companies in debts - Rs 5.25 lakh crore in FY19 - a 180% rise in five years.

Also Read: Rebooting Economy XII: Is private sector inherently more efficient than public sector?

At number 4 is its own subsidiary Regional Electrification Corporation (REC), also a PSU, with a 52.53% stake. REC has an outstanding debt of Rs 2.44 lakh crore in FY19 - a 69% rise in five years.

IL&FS and PFC are not the only examples. Dewan Housing Finance Corporation Ltd (DHFL), another NBFC, went down in 2019 under its mounting debts, defaulted, and was taken over by the RBI. The bankruptcy proceedings have also been initiated in this case.

Several other NBFCs were found to be in deep in 2019: Reliance ADAG Group companies like Home Finance and Reliance Commercial Finance; Indiabulls Housing Finance, Edelweiss Financial Services, Piramal Capital, Karvy Stock Broking Ltd (KSBL), etc. (For more read ' Reality Check: Stress in NBFCs shows no sign of abating ')

That NBFCs are vulnerable and pose a serious threat to the economy ever since IL&FS went down has been recognised by the RBI's latest Financial Stability Report released on July 24, 2020.

This report said: "In the aftermath of the IL&FS crisis, NBFCs have been facing differentiation in market access and financial conditions, with only the higher rated entities able to raise funds. They have also started maintaining liquidity cover of two to three months, despite the higher costs. In the context of COVID-19, however, risks to the sector and consequently, systemic risks can intensify."

RBI's superficial claims of NBFC oversight

The RBI claims that it regulates NBFCs and hence even though these are classified as shadow banking by the global watchdog Financial Stability Board (FSB) set up in 2011, these (NBFCs) are "distinctly different" from shadow banks. The RBI is very much a part of the FSB mechanism.

The RBI's October 2017 Bulletin, on which the FSB's January 2020 report relied to analyse India's shadow banking sector, says: "NBFCs are, however, distinctly different from shadow banking entities in other countries. They are regulated by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), with priority being assigned to calibrating regulations to harmonise them with those of the banking sector regulations to minimise the scope of regulatory arbitrage."

But the FSB's 2020 report made no such allowance or acknowledged it either. Its descriptions of the high-risk shadow banking segment, called Non-Banking Financial Intermediation (NBFI), perfectly matches the functioning of NBFCs as listed by the RBI itself in its December 2019 Report on Trends and Progress of Banking in India.

Also Read: Rebooting Economy X: COVID-19 puts question mark on private sector's efficiency in healthcare

Nor the RBI's claim is backed by evidence in the case of IL&FS (SFIO report nailed it as mentioned earlier) or DHFL.

In fact, RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das admitted in an interview in December 2019 that "NBFC regulation is not as strong as (in) banks". Addressing a bankers' convention on July 11, 2020, he further declared that the RBI would extend principles of good governance to "large-sized NBFCs in due course".

There is nothing new in such statements and the "due course" has been very long in coming.

In 2014 the RBI issued a statement precisely saying what Das had recently said: NBFCs are not subjected to tougher rules applicable to banks and that regulations on NBFCs would be tightened.
Dhaka, Aug 13 : A C-130J transport aircraft of Bangladesh Air Force -- carrying 71 repatriated Bangladeshi nationals from Lebanon -- returned home on Wednesday after handing over humanitarian and 'Goodwill Aid' of nine tonnes of food items, two tonnes of medicines & medical supplies as relief assistance to the victims of the horrific explosion in Beirut on August 4.

The mission consisting of a 12-member Bangladesh Air Force (BAF) crew, was led by Group Captain Santanu Chowdhury, ACSC, PSC, GD(P) of BAF. The mission was conducted under the guidance of Chief of Air Staff of BAF, Air Chief Marshal Masihuzzaman Serniabat, BBP, OSP, NDU, PSC, according to a press release of the Inter Services Public Relations Directorate (ISPR).

Bangladesh ambassador to Lebanon Major General Md Jahangir Al Mustahidur Rahman handed over the 'Goodwill aid' to the nominated local representative of the Lebanese government, said Bangladesh Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen to IANS .

The officials of Lebanese Defence Ministry, UNIFIL and Embassy officials were present.

The embassy also urged all to inform it through its hotline number if they come to know of any more casualties.

Around 1,50,000 B'desh nationals work in a number of sectors in Lebanon.

BAF has always been providing air transport services to carry relief and humanitarian assistance to the victims of any disaster in the friendly countries as per the guidance of the Government of Bangladesh on an emergency basis, the statement said.

In line with this, emergency relief and medical supplies, a physician and a technical team to assess the real scenario of the damaged Naval ship, were sent to Lebanon last Sunday as humanitarian assistance to help the affected Bangladeshi expats, local people of Lebanon and members of Bangladesh Navy deployed in UN peacekeeping operations in Beirut.
Egypt said an emergency shipment of 14 tons of flour arrived in Lebanon on Wednesday to help support the countrys strategic stockpile of grains after last weeks devastating explosion in the capital Beirut.

The plane is the fourth aid shipment to arrive in the Arab country from Cairo.

The Egyptian Embassy in Lebanon said the delivery was sent to strengthen Lebanons strategic reserves of wheat and to ensure the flow of bread to the public.

Lebanon's main grain silo was destroyed in the blast.

Egypt has taken several steps to provide assistance to Lebanon, including providing airlift and sealift to deliver medical aid, food, specialised medical teams, and construction materials.

Egyptian Ambassador to Lebanon Yasser Elwi told Ahram Online on Tuesday that the sealift includes a "giant vessel carrying a shipment of glass, aluminum and marble set to arrive in Beirut within days to help restore blast-damaged buildings."

The massive warehouse explosion in Beirut's port, the biggest in the city's history, killed at least 171 people, injured 6,000 and left as many as 300,000 homeless.

Egyptian foreign minister Sameh Shoukry said Cairo was looking forward to a "new phase" of political activity.

In comments to state-owned news agency MENA, Shoukry called for a new approach to deal with crises weighing down the country in a way that preserves its sovereignty and stability.

He stressed the importance of avoiding regional tensions that would further compound the countrys woes.

During his visit, Shoukry held a series of meetings with Lebanese President Michel Aoun, Lebanese political leaders representing different parties and factions, and Lebanese parliament speaker and leader of Shia Amal Movement Nabih Berry.

He also held talks With President of the Progressive Socialist Party Walid Jumblatt, and former prime ministers Saad Hariri, Fouad Seniora and Tammam Sallam.
It was the annual meeting within the framework of the ASEAN  Canada dialogue relations in order to discuss bilateral cooperation, global and regional issues of shared concern, and prepare for the ASEAN  Canada Foreign Ministerial Meeting slated for September.

The Vietnamese side affirmed that ASEAN has upheld the cohesive and responsive spirit and promoted solidarity to overcome difficulties caused by COVID-19.

At the event (Photo: VNA)



Vietnam suggested Canada support the blocs anti-pandemic initiatives such as the ASEAN Fund for COVID-19 Response and the regional emergency reserve of medical supplies, as well as continue helping ASEAN mitigate the pandemics socio-economic impacts and promote recovery.

The Vietnamese delegation stressed that amid difficulties, countries need to join hands to bolster partnerships, uphold international law and conduct standards, ensure peace and stability, and create an environment conductive to recovery and development.

Reiterating the ASEANs principle stance on the East Sea issue that was affirmed by ASEAN leaders at the 36th ASEAN Summit, Vietnam affirmed that ASEAN will continue fostering constructive collaboration with all partners, including Canada, promoting dialogues, building trust and maintaining regional peace and stability.

During the dialogue, both sides took note of the effective implementation of the ASEAN  Canada Plan of Action for 2016-2020 with all lines of action done. Two-way trade hit 17.1 billion USD and Canadas investment in the bloc reached 3.15 billion USD last year. The number of ASEAN students in Canada has soared 35 percent since 2017.

Amid the complicated developments of COVID-19, ASEAN member states hailed Canada for providing medical supplies worth 4.5 million CAD (3.38 million USD) to the bloc to fight COVID-19, and encouraging the country to contribute further to the ASEAN Fund for COVID-19 Response and the regional emergency reserve of medical supplies.

Canadian Assistant Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Paul Thoppil said Canada treasures cooperation with ASEAN, backs the bloc's central role in the regional architecture, and wants to participate deeper in regional cooperation mechanisms initiated and led by the grouping such as the East Asia Summit (EAS), the ASEAN Defence Ministers Meeting Plus (ADMM Plus) and the Expanded ASEAN Maritime Forum (EAMF).

He spoke highly of Vietnams role as Chair of ASEAN 2020 in coordinating the regions efforts, working closely with partners and the international community, and promptly coping with the pandemic.

Both sides agreed to work closely together to deal with COVID-19, stay ready to respond to new waves of infection, mitigate its socio-economic impacts and step up recovery.

They pledged to continue enhancing economic and trade links, maintain supply chain connectivity, support micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, diversify markets, explore the possibility of building a free trade agreement, further strengthen education and training cooperation and develop high-quality workforce via the Canada-ASEAN Scholarships and Educational Exchanges for Development (SEED).

ASEAN and Canada also committed to effectively cope with emerging challenges in the region such as climate change, disaster management, and promote innovations to tap opportunities offered by the fourth industrial revolution.

Canada affirmed its support to ASEAN in promoting cooperation and dialogue, building trust and rules-based order in the region, upholding international law, settling disputes through peaceful measures in line with international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), and completing the building of a Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC)./.
SAN FRANCISCOIn June, Laura Voisin George, a graduate student, was writing a scholarly article about a series of Works Progress Administration frescoes at the University of California, San Francisco.

The 10 panels of History of Medicine in California, completed in 1938 by Bernard Zakheim, a Polish-born muralist, show such scenes as Native Americans offering herbs to doctors and a trapper inoculating someone with the smallpox vaccine.

Voisin George recognized a central figure in one of the vivid social realist tableaus. Biddy Mason, a Black nurse, is depicted alongside a white doctor as they treat a malaria patient. Mason, a woman who was born into slavery in 1818, went on to become a midwife, a nurse, a philanthropist and a founder of the First African Methodist Episcopal Church in Los Angeles.

Voisin George, who studies history at the University of California, Santa Barbara, learned that the frescoes were about to be destroyed while she was researching. The Jewish News of Northern California reported the news. Her reaction, she said, was: What? How could this be?

The university had announced plans to demolish the building to make way for a state-of-the-art research centre. It had informed Zakheims son Nathan that if his family didnt retrieve the frescoes, which weigh as much as 1,110 kilograms, they would be destroyed.

Until Voisin George identified Mason, neither the artists family nor university officials knew about her presence in the frescoes. As news outlets have reported this discovery, Mason has become a star of the murals and their potential saviour. An assertion by the federal government that it owns the frescoes has further complicated matters.

Adam Gottstein, the artists grandson, said that the universitys placing responsibility on the family to save the artwork boiled my blood. It showed a complete lack of respect and concern for historical art. Masons presence, he said, adds considerable pressure to UCSF to do the right thing.

The frescoes were part of the WPAs Federal Art Project, which hired unemployed artists. Since their creation, the Zakheim murals have been praised, criticized and painted over because a professor said they distracted medical students attending lectures in the auditorium where they are on display. Because of concerns about earthquakes, that auditorium is no longer used.

In 2015, Polina Ilieva, UCSFs archivist, wrote that the murals remain the jewel of the universitys art collection.

Bernard Zakheim was one of the most prominent artists in Northern California with a national reputation, said Robert Cherny, a history professor retired from San Francisco State and an expert on New Deal art. These murals are his largest work, he said. Zakheim, who also created other Depression-era murals for the project, died in 1985.

Nathan Zakheim, the artists son, an art conservator who in 1976 restored the murals, said he was shocked when he and other heirs received a letter from UCSFs lawyers, dated June 4, giving them 90 days to produce a plan to remove the murals. If they failed to respond, the letter said, the university would presume it had their consent to proceed with destruction.

Nathan Zakheim told the university he could move the murals for less than $1 million (U.S.). There was one hitch: The family lacked the funds.

But the university said it would not spend public money on the move because money was tight during the pandemic. It described the murals as fragile, even though an analysis by Page & Turnbull, a historic preservation architecture firm the university hired, said they were structurally sound.

Then, June 18, the university received a letter from the General Services Administration stating that ownership of the murals resides with GSA, on behalf of the United States. The federal agency wanted the murals to be preserved.

We were surprised when the GSA said, We assert an ownership interest, said Brian Newman, UCSFs vice chancellor for real estate. The university said it rejects the GSAs ownership claim.

Putting further pressure on the university, the Los Angeles Times published an op-ed piece July 10 that was based in part on Voisin Georges research. Its headline read: A monument to Californias Black history  and a great work of art  may soon be destroyed.

Cheryl and Robynn Cox, sisters who are descendants of Biddy Mason, grew up knowing that their famous ancestor was painted on the frescoes, as had their mother and grandparents. She also was the subject of a 2015 young adult book illustrated with the mural.

Both women assumed the murals would always be available to the public, until they read the reports about plans to destroy them.

Its interesting, if you look through the lens of race and gender, this extraordinary Black woman and former slave is bringing attention to the destruction of these murals, but no one personally reached out to us, said Robynn Cox, an assistant professor of social work at the University of Southern California.

Across the country, everyone is talking about diversity, equity and inclusion, said Cheryl Cox, who works in philanthropy. To take down a mural of somebody who is showing diversity, equity and inclusion is kind of hard to swallow.

The mural shows a former slave who is on an equal footing, or maybe an even more than equal footing, with white men at a time in which there was still slavery in this country, she added. I dont know if theres anything like it.

The Cox sisters said they recently met over Zoom with UCSF officials, including a meeting Monday attended by the chancellor, Sam Hawgood.

Last week, the school announced it was seeking bids to remove the 10 frescoes and place them in storage, at a price not to exceed $1.8 million. We are hoping we can come up with a viable plan for the murals to preserve them, Newman, the vice chancellor, said.

The federal government response, in an email from Pamela Pennington, a GSA press secretary, said: Until a new location for the murals is determined, their removal, preservation and storage by UCSF is supported by GSA.

But the descendants of the artist and the famous nurse want the art to be seen.

Gottstein said, If they are in storage and never see the light of day, then we will have lost, after all.
While temperatures have risen to 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit) in a number of regions of Iraq, the water level in the Tigris and Euphrates rivers have declined recently, which instills a fear of depletion of these two rivers.

The significant drop in water levels of the two rivers is due to several reasons, including a lack of monsoon rains, failure to develop agricultural irrigation systems that consume large quantities of water and failure of the residents to rationalize water consumption in their daily habits.

However, external causes also stand behind the drought, on top of which are the construction of dams and canals in neighboring countries that affect Iraq's water quota.

Iraq secures its water need from the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, stemming from Turkey, which has been trying to use the rivers' water to generate electric power for years, and thus has built a number of dams.

Turkey started building Ilisu dam in 2006 and made it operational in 2018. The dam limited the flow of water to Iraq, which exacerbated fear in Mesopotamia of an acute water shortage and an incapacity to meet the populations daily and agricultural needs.

For years, Iraq has been registering a decline in water levels in the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Yet over the past years, successive Iraqi governments have failed to conclude any agreement with Turkey to regulate water quotas between the two countries.

The government of Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi is addressing the water issue with great attention, but it faces skepticism in its ability to conclude a water sharing agreement with Turkey.

Iraqi Minister of Water Resources Mahdi Rashid is betting on what he called strong trump cards that Iraq could use to pressure Turkey to sign an agreement with it to guarantee it a water quota in the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.

In a statement to semi-governmental media, Rashid spoke about a meeting that will bring the two sides  Turkey and Iraq  together to discuss the water issue. He expressed his full confidence in achieving positive results, after the matter fell into the hands of Kadhimi and not just the ministry.

In neighboring Turkey and Syria, the water issue is handled by the presidents. In Iran, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is on top of this vital issue. This makes the interest in this matter exceptional, Rashid noted.

He refused to openly talk about Iraqs trump cards against Turkey, but he seemed confident in achieving positive results through negotiations with Turkey.

Iraq does not have a water agreement with Turkey, but for decades Baghdad has signed a number of protocols on the flow of water to its territories.

The first protocol on water between Iraq, Turkey and Syria was signed in 1920, and stipulated as a condition for building dams or reservoirs or diverting the course of rivers, guaranteeing that no harm is caused to any of the signatories. In 1946, Iraq and Turkey included the water issue in the Treaty of Friendship and Good Neighborly Relations they signed.

In 1978, they signed the Economic and Technical Cooperation Protocol after Turkey's completion of the Keban Dam that affected Iraq's water share. However, Ankara kept building dams undermining Iraqs water share, including the Ataturk Dam that caused a water shortage in Iraq in the 1990s.

Turkey refuses to abide by the protocols signed with Iraq, and also refuses to abide by international treaties classifying the Tigris and Euphrates rivers as international cross-border rivers. Ankara rather acts as if these rivers were Turkish local rivers.

Meanwhile, a group of Iraqi parliamentary committees coordinate with the government and the Ministry of Water Resources to reach an agreement with Turkey regarding Iraq's water quota.

Abdul Amir Taiban, member of Iraqs federal parliament and rapporteur of the parliamentary Agriculture and Water Committee, said that the parliament supports the government's moves to conclude an agreement with Turkey. He told Al-Monitor, "The situation is no longer tolerable. Turkey is unfairly violating Iraq's water quotas.

Taiban, who keeps abreast of the impact of the water issue on agriculture, affirmed that this issue is a sovereign matter. Everyone supports any endeavors to find a solution to ensure Iraq's water share, he noted.

Abboud al-Issawi, head of the parliamentary Agriculture and Water Committee, also seemed optimistic about reaching a new agreement or protocol that would guarantee Iraq a stable share of water. But he told Al-Monitor that this issue cannot be resolved by a minister, noting, This is a major sovereign issue. The highest authorities in the state must be involved in the negotiations.

He added, "There is hope for a new agreement or protocol, because Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi is handling this matter.

Iraq has a number of trump cards it may use against Turkey, including the trade exchange between the two countries, which amounts to about $16 billion per annum. This is in addition to the fact that the Turkish outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) has fighters deployed on Iraqi soil.

Iraq, however, is not in control of these two issues. The country relies heavily on imported goods, mainly from Turkey, and it is not easy for it to import these goods from other countries.

Meanwhile, the issue of the PKK is a matter handled by the Kurdistan Regional Government, which has good relations with Turkey, to the extent that it allows the Turkish army to enter its territories to fight the PKK.

A source at the Ministry of Water Resources told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity that "reaching an agreement with Turkey requires an agreement among the president of the republic, the prime minister and parliament speaker. The crises hitting Iraq today are great, and the water issue is not a top priority for the three presidencies.

Turkey refuses even to hold meetings to discuss securing a share of water for Iraq, the source added.
GoProto - Quick Turn, On-Demand, Custom Manufacturing

Offering end-to-end solutions, from prototyping to production, for your product development and production needs.

Offering end-to-end solutions, from prototyping to production, for your product development and production needs.

SAN DIEGO, Aug. 12, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Inc. magazine today revealed that GoProto has been ranked #3 in the Manufacturing segment, and #57 overall, on its annual Inc. 5000 list with an impressive growth rate of 5366%.



The Inc. 5000 list is a prestigious ranking of the nations fastest-growing private companies, representing the most successful independent businesses within the United States. Intuit, Zappos, Under Armour, Microsoft, Patagonia, and many other well-known names gained their first national exposure as honorees on the Inc. 5000.

When asked, GoProto sites the following as key contributors to their fast growth:

An adaptive supply chain, which addresses on-demand manufacturing in today's ever-changing landscape.

The expertise to work across all manufacturing verticals with end-to-end solutions that address quick turn, on-demand, custom manufacturing of parts from prototype through production.

A massive customer base of blue chip and up and coming players.

A minimally-funded, privately owned business with growth that has built on customer successes, not massive VC investment.

Jesse Lea, President of GoProto, says:

"I am proudest that we are a private business with minimal funding and we were able to build GoProto on the manufacturing success of our amazing customers and the hard work of our fantastic team members."





ABOUT Inc. and the Inc. 5000

Not only have the companies on the 2020 Inc. 5000 been very competitive within their markets, but the list as a whole shows staggering growth compared with prior lists as well. The 2020 Inc. 5000 achieved an incredible three-year average growth of over 500 percent, and a median rate of 165 percent. The Inc. 5000s aggregate revenue was $209 billion in 2019, accounting for over 1 million jobs over the past three years.

Story continues

Complete results of the Inc. 5000, including company profiles and an interactive database that can be sorted by industry, region, and other criteria, can be found at www.inc.com/inc5000 . The top 500 companies are also being featured in the September issue of Inc., available on newsstands August 12.

The companies on this years Inc. 5000 come from nearly every realm of business, says Inc. editor-in-chief Scott Omelianuk. From health and software to media and hospitality, the 2020 list proves that no matter the sector, incredible growth is based on the foundations of tenacity and opportunism.

The annual Inc. 5000 event honoring the companies on the list will be held virtually from October 23 to 27, 2020. As always, speakers will include some of the greatest innovators and business leaders of our generation.

Methodology

The 2020 Inc. 5000 is ranked according to percentage revenue growth when comparing 2016 and 2019. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2016. They had to be U.S.-based, privately held, for profit, and independentnot subsidiaries or divisions of other companiesas of December 31, 2019. (Since then, a number of companies on the list have gone public or been acquired.) The minimum revenue required for 2016 is $100,000; the minimum for 2019 is $2 million. As always, Inc. reserves the right to decline applicants for subjective reasons. Companies on the Inc. 500 are featured in Inc.s September issue. They represent the top tier of the Inc. 5000, which can be found at http://www.inc.com/inc5000 .





About Inc. Media

The worlds most trusted business-media brand, Inc. offers entrepreneurs the knowledge, tools, connections, and community to build great companies. Its award-winning multiplatform content reaches more than 50 million people each month across a variety of channels including websites, newsletters, social media, podcasts, and print. Its prestigious Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to recognize the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. The global recognition that comes with inclusion in the 5000 gives the founders of the best businesses an opportunity to engage with an exclusive community of their peers, and the credibility that helps them drive sales and recruit talent. The associated Inc. 5000 Conference is part of a highly acclaimed portfolio of bespoke events produced by Inc. For more information, visit www.inc.com .

For more information on the Inc. 5000 Conference, visit http://conference.inc.com/ .

ABOUT GoProto

GoProto specializes in quick-turn, on-demand, custom manufacturing. Offering end-to-end solutions for 3D printing / additive manufacturing, CNC machining, sheet metal, cast urethane, injection molding, and finishing. They are a rapid manufacturing company with customer service at their core. They help manufacture parts for product development customers in medical, aerospace, industrial, automotive, and many other industries. They utilize cutting edge technologies, methods, and the very best professionals to deliver 3D printed and conventionally manufactured parts fast, with world-class quality, and at a great value. GoProtos manufacturing facilities are based in San Diego, California and Melbourne, Australia.





For more information

Please visit www.GoProto.com or our LinkedIn page at https://www.linkedin.com/company/goproto-inc.

Contact Information

For questions or more information on this release, please contact Kristin Mulherin at Kristin.Mulherin@GoProto.com or 503-705-7499.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/2f200f83-22d9-4df2-8ac9-e58271891e85




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Judge Sullivans lawyer, Beth Wilkinson, has argued that he has the authority to explore whether the proposed dismissal served due and legitimate prosecutorial interests or was instead contrary to the public interest, suggesting that he needed to examine the facts and circumstances. The Trump administration has reacted with alarm to the notion of an intrusive factual inquiry requiring it to show what went into Mr. Barrs move to dismiss the charge beyond the rationale it has cited in public filings.

On Tuesday, Jeff Wall, the acting solicitor general, urged the court to again order the case dismissed immediately. But even if the court instead lets the judge proceed, Mr. Wall said, it should instruct him not to pry into what was behind the statements the Justice Department made in its court filings because, he argued, the constitutional system of separation of powers is meant to guard against oversight and scrutiny of this core executive discretion.

But while also arguing that the Justice Department did not have to explain its thinking, Mr. Wall suggested that Mr. Barr might have had a secret reason for dismissing the case.

The attorney general, of course, sees this in a context of nonpublic information from other investigations, he said, adding: It may be possible that the attorney general had before him information that he was not able to share with the court. And so what we put in front of the court were the reasons we could, but may not be the whole picture available to the executive branch.

On behalf of Judge Sullivan, Ms. Wilkinson argued against imposing any restrictions or instructions on what kind of questions he could ask at the hearing, assuming he is allowed to hold one. Among other things, she noted that because the written briefs are not complete, it is not clear what all the issues are.

But she also repeatedly emphasized that to date he has not ordered any steps that would require the submission of internal Justice Department documents or sworn declarations. And she noted that if he asked about internal deliberations at the hearing and Justice Department lawyers declined to answer, he might choose not to pursue the matter.

Ms. Wilkinson also argued that orders like the one Ms. Powell has requested  a so-called writ of mandamus  are supposed to be for extraordinary situations in which there is no other remedy. Here, if the normal process plays out, Judge Sullivan might decide to dismiss the case, she noted  or, if he decides not to do so, that ruling could then be appealed.
National crises such as this one should be a time for all Americans to band together and work for the good of the country as a whole. Unfortunately, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) has clearly staked out a position of defending the interests of his home state at the cost of other Americans.

When the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) passed at the end of 2017, one of the provisions that provoked the most ire among high-tax states was the capping of the state and local tax (SALT) deduction at $10,000. Limiting the benefit taxpayers could receive from the SALT deduction primarily affected the wealthiest Americans  prior to the TCJA, 84 percent of the benefits of the deduction went to taxpayers with adjusted gross incomes above $100,000.

This policy represented a significant hit to high-tax states like New York. These states saw the SALT cap as a threat to their revenue streams, as their taxpayers could no longer offset as much of their high tax burdens through their federal taxes. Of course, the fact that the SALT deduction incentivized higher state taxes was a major reason for the cap in the first place.

These high-tax states have tried to reverse this change for some time, most notably through a specious lawsuit. Now, Senator Schumer is attempting to piggyback on Phase Four coronavirus relief efforts to quash the SALT cap. Ignored by the Senator is the fact that repealing the deduction would do nothing at all to aid Americans struggling with the economic effects of the pandemic  the bottom 80 percent of taxpayers would receive a measly 4 percent of the benefit should the SALT cap be repealed. A sales tax holiday on yacht purchases would be about as effective in terms of tax relief for average Americans.

At the same time, there is something easy that Congress can do to aid Americans affected by the pandemic. The pandemic and its associated lockdowns have led many Americans to shift from in-office work to remote work. Ensuring that these impromptu remote workers are not hit with surprise tax changes should be a matter of bipartisan agreement.

After all, the millions of Americans that are currently working remotely in a state other than their normal offices are technically incurring new tax liabilities. Absent Congressional intervention, these remote workers can face tax assessments that they are unprepared for, as well as potentially double-taxation.

The Senate Health, Economic Assistance, Liability Protection and Schools (HEALS) Act attempted to address this issue through legislation that would ensure that temporary, coronavirus-induced remote work would not incur new tax liabilities. Unfortunately, Senator Schumers home state has been a particularly bad actor in this regard, and the Senator has thus far been blocking Congressional relief efforts.

Most egregiously, New York repaid the generosity of American medical volunteers who risked a great deal to travel to New York City during its crisis period by hitting them with tax assessments due to time worked in the state. Governor Andrew Cuomoresponded to criticism of this policy by stating callously that he was not in a position to provide any subsidies right now.

New York also enforces a so-called convenience of the employer rule. This rule requires taxpayers previously working in a New York-based office that switch to remote work in a different state to pay New York state taxes so long as they could conceivably do that work in New York.

Not only is this rule illogical, it threatens to subject taxpayers to double taxation. For example, Connecticut provides a tax credit for taxes paid to other states, but only on income earned outside the state of Connecticut. When New York claims taxes from an employee working remotely in Connecticut, it is dooming that taxpayer to paying taxes on the same income to two states.

The HEALS Act includes provisions that would address both these problems, ensuring that states like New York cannot double-tax Americans or target volunteers with new burdens, while simplifying tax rules for remote-working taxpayers. Its common sense language that would save taxpayers headaches as a result of the simple act of complying with lockdowns and social-distancing guidelines. Common sense for anyone willing to put the interests of Americans writ large over the interests of a single state government, that is.
TAYLOR Its horrible. Not only does Reels fail in every way as a TikTok clone, but its confusing, frustrating and impossible to navigate. Its like Instagram took all the current functionality on Stories (a tool to publish montages of photos and videos with added filters, text and music clips), and jammed them into a separate, new complicated interface for no reason.

To me, its really unclear whom this feature is for.

BRIAN Lets walk through how to use Reels.

To open the feature, you tap the Explore button (the magnifying glass) and open someone elses reel before hitting the camera button to start creating your own reel.

So I have to watch someone elses video before creating my own? This is a waste of time, battery life and cell data.

TAYLOR You can also create a reel by swiping right in Instagram to enter the camera and then selecting Reels, a button next to Story. Which is confusing.

BRIAN Its totally undiscoverable without reading instructions. But OK, you find the button to create a reel. Then you can start recording videos or add videos youve already recorded. Then you can overlay music and some effects like emojis and color filters. Then you write a caption and publish.

How does this compare with TikTok?

TAYLOR TikTok is better in a million ways. The main one being that TikTok removes all of the friction that normally comes with trying to make a good video.

On TikTok, you can just grab a ton of videos (like, hit select on 17 different videos of all different lengths), and dump them all into the app and hit a button. TikTok will automatically select highlights from your videos and edit them in a way to match the beat of whatever sound you choose. This makes it so easy to create a really engaging, smooth video in under 10 seconds from a ton of footage.
By Allison Proffitt

August 12, 2020 | In a virtual symposium this weekrescheduled from a live event in Ugandathe National Institutes of Health launched a new program: Harnessing Data Science for Health Discovery and Innovation in Africa (DS-I Africa). The program will leverage data science technologies and prior NIH investments to develop solutions to the continents most pressing public health problems through a robust ecosystem of new partners from academic, government, and private sectors.

Im particularly excited about DS-I Africa because I think it comes at a particularly incredible time of growth and opportunity, said Francis Collins in a pre-recorded opening keynote video. Africa is very well situated to play an increasingly significant role in this area of scientific opportunity.

Africa carries unique populations, genes, and exposures, according to the program snapshot. Therefore, tools developed in high-income countries that are based on European populations data often cannot be applied in the African context. Though data science expertise exists in Africa, it is scarce and scattered throughout the continent. Health data scientists are needed to conduct policy analyses as Ethical, Legal, and Social Implications (ELSI) of data science research in Africa present challenges. There is a high need for clinical decision support due to a critical shortage in the medical workforce.

Collins pointed out several African organizations that are already leading the way on data science: the African Academy of Sciences, African Open Science Platform, and Data Science Africa. Data science, Collins pointed out, can be done without some of the large infrastructure investments required of other scientific disciplines. It requires talent; it requires some internet connection. And then a great deal of things can happen, he said. Among those great things, Collins highlighted data science exploration of genomics data and environmental exposure data as areas in which data are plentiful and well-trained data scientists could make significant progress.

The DS-I investment currently totals $58 million and comes from the NIH Common Fund, and is meant to particularly encourage public-private partnerships. This isnt a traditional NIH grant, Collins said. We want to see partnerships that go beyond the traditional academic research arenapartnerships that connect up with government, the private sectors, with NGO partners. And we want to be sure this is focused in a way that solves health challenges in Africa in a sustainable way. That probably cant be done by any single institution.

Collins encouraged buy in and investments from African governments. We want to move the way in which research is funded from what you might call donorship to something I would now call, ownership, Collins said, hoping this funding model will build the countries own economies and workforces.

Ten Year Plan

The DS-I Africa plan is currently calling for funding applications for at least four awards: an open data science platform and coordinating center; research hubs; research training programs; and ethical, legal and social implications (ELSI) research.

The applications can either be direct awards to African institutions or awards to U.S. institutions in partnership with African institutions. Regardless of the applicant organization, the training programs must focus on building institutional capacity at one or more African institutions and train African researchers. Applications are due November 24, 2020 with projects slated to begin in September 2021.

In all four areas, DS-I Africa aims to develop solutions to the continents most pressing health problems through a robust ecosystem of new partners. Data sciences hubs should be dedicated to research in key health programs. Data science training programs must focus on building institutional capacity at one or more African institutions and train African researchers. Third, the Ethical Legal and Social Implications of data science research in Africa will be explored, particularly around how artificial intelligence and machine learning could be applied to human health. Finally, an Open Data Science Platform & Coordination Center will, Collins says, pull the efforts together in what, he hopes, will be a trans-African network.

African Investment

The symposium announcing the new program included several speakers from organizations across Africa highlighting the importance of data science to Africa. Beatrice Murage, Philips Healthcare Africa, said data science offers the opportunity to leapfrog existing technologies and solutions. The African population is generally young, entrepreneurial, and tech-curious, Murage said, but there is a talent and leadership shortage. Were hoping to be able to use data science to gap these two challenges, she said.

In the past, there have been parallel initiatives from academia and industry, Murage said, training efforts that did not necessarily align with industry needs. By the time [newly trained data scientists] do get to industry, the industry feels that theyre not ready, or theyre not well-suited, she said. For instance, she hopes training will equip data scientists to have a customer focus so that they can build solutions well-tailored to specific pain points, and that they learn to prioritize business models and solutions that are sustainable and scalable.

But Murage is very hopeful that Africa will be able to build its own talent pool. We hope as we build the talent inside of Africa, we can get to a place where people outsource to us in terms of data science, she said. Philips is passionate about strengthening the entire ecosystem, she said, and is particularly concerned about leaderships, economics, and information. We are always aware that there is no silver bullet. When we are trying to address the challenges in the continent, we need to be able to partner together with other organizations be they academia, be they general corporate, be they government entities, or be they nonprofit organizations.

Government Buy-In

Collins emphasized that the DS-I Africa program should include significant investments and contributions from African governments so that the programs and outcomes are owned from within. Through his talk, David Moinina Sengeh, Minister of Basic and Senior Secondary Education and Chief Innovation Officer for Sierra Leone, argued that African country governments wont be opposed to investing in data science. Sierra Leone, he said, has already invested heavily in innovation and a national digital strategy.

The Sierra Leone government is committed to using data science for governance, Sengeh said. For example, Recently we worked with some partners to build models for a 100m by 100m grid population estimate informed by spatial satellite data, and the most recent household census. Sierra Leone was able to use that data to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. Sengeh called such efforts evidence-based policy making. Its quite common for people to make policies based on their gut feelings, or based on history, or based on perception. What we want to do, here in Sierra Leone and in government, is to use evidence-based policies, he said.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 12)  The Food and Drug Administration has approved a traditional Chinese medicine called Lianhua Qingwen, but not for COVID-19 treatment.

FDA Director General Eric Domingo told CNN Philippines on Wednesday that the drug should only be used as indicated in the Certificate of Product Registration, a copy of which was released by the Chinese Embassy in Manila.

It states that the Lianhua Qingwen capsule got the governments greenlight on August 7 as a traditionally used herbal product [that] helps remove heat-toxin invasion of the lungs, including symptoms such as fever, aversion to cold, muscle soreness, stuffy and runny nose.

In China, Lianhua Qingwen is used to treat mild to moderate cases of COVID-19.

It is our sincere hope that its entrance into the Philippine market will contribute to the fight against the spread of COVID-19 in this country and help the patients with mild and moderate symptoms recover, the Chinese Embassy said in its statement.

It also welcomed the FDAs move as an important progress in the entry of traditional Chinese medicines in the local market, noting that the Lianhua Qingwen is produced by one of its renowned manufacturers, Shijiazhuang Yiling Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd.

The embassy advised consumers to purchase products only from qualified pharmaceutical manufacturers.

The coronavirus disease originated in Wuhan, China in December 2019, but the East Asian country now has fewer infections than 29 other states, including the Philippines. China has recorded 89,020 COVID-19 cases while the Philippines has more than 143,000.
A man wears a hat signed by Ted Nugent as he joins thousands of bikers during the 80th Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in Sturgis, South Dakota, Aug. 10, 2020. Jim Urquhart for Insider

The small city of Sturgis, South Dakota, welcomes more than 700,000 bikers each year for its annual motorcycle rally.

This year, the 10-day event fell in the middle of a pandemic. While 60% of locals responded to a government survey indicating they didn't want the event to take place, health and city officials believed there was no way to keep visitors out.

Instead of attempting to cancel the event, they prepared by organizing grocery delivery services for at-risk residents, establishing hand-washing stations, and giving away free masks to those who wanted them, City Manager Daniel Ainslie told Insider

The city canceled nearly all of its daily events in an effort to prevent the dense crowds that normally gather at them.

Related video: Risk ranking of everyday activities for COVID-19

The hospital increased staffing among other extensive preparations, anticipating an increase in emergency room visits. By the time the rally started on August 7, the Meade County had only seen around 80 coronavirus cases.

Mark Schulte, president of the local Monument Health Sturgis Hospital, told Insider that if the event did turn out to cause a spike in cases, the providers were ready to offer care.

Outside of these efforts, Ainslie said the city's hands were tied in terms of putting mask or social distancing mandates in place. Those requirements must be ordered by South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem.

Noem, a Republican, has been vocally opposed to stay-at-home orders. As for masks, Noem discourages their use, even at schools which she has pushed to reopen.

As thousands poured into Sturgis over its opening weekend, few donned face masks.

Bars were packed and, for many, social distancing was not an apparent concern.

At the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, it is like the novel coronavirus  which has killed more than 744,000 people around the world  didn't exist.

Here are photos from this year's event.

This year's 80th anniversary event fell in the middle of a pandemic, but you might not be able to tell based on the crowds there alone.

Story continues

Jim Urquhart for Insider

Sturgis 2020, bikers, South Dakota

In an effort to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, The Cheyenne River Tribe began operating checkpoints at the reservation borders in May.

Jim Urquhart

Sturgis 2020

Despite concerns of the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic, thousands of bikers and tourists flocked to bars and shops along the city's main drag on Aug. 9, 2020.

Jim Urquhart

Sturgis 2020

Bikers greet each other on the city's busy streets.

Jim Urquhart for Insider

Sturgis Rally 2020

The local hospital prepared for an uptick in emergency room visits from bikers  an aging demographic  who might experience heat exhaustion, cardiac issues, or strokes.

Jim Urquhart for Insider.

Sturgis Rally 2020

Up to 20 percent of locals will rent out their homes or yards to the annual visitors. This year, some opted out, the city manager said.

Jim Urquhart/

Sturgis Rally 2020, South Dakota

It's not just humans who take in the sights at the Sturgis Rally.

Jim Urquhart for Business Insider

Sturgis Rally 2020

Trump 2020 swag and conservative t-shirts are hard to miss.

Jim Urquhart

Sturgis Rally 2020

Leather, body paint, and fishnet are popular attire at the annual event.

Jim Urquhart for Insider

Sturgis 2020

Real Pinard, who recovered from 15 days with the coronavirus, said many rally goers were of the belief that COVID-19 is a hoax in an effort to throw the re-election of Trump. He knows it's real.

Jim Urquhart for Insider

Sturgis Rally

Restaurants were filled with hungry patrons.

Jim Urquhart for Insider

Sturgis Rally 2020

Vendors come in from around the country to cater to the crowds.

Jim Urquhart/Insider

Sturgis Rally

Nobody was tearing these Confederate Flags down.

Jim Urquhart for Insider

Sturgis 2020

Coca-Cola, Harley-Davidson, Budweiser, and Rockstar Energy Drink are among the many sponsors.

Jim Urquhart/Insider

Sturgis Rally 2020

Locals were encouraged to stay home and avoid the dense crowds that invaded their city.

Jim Urquhart for Insider

Sturgis Rally 2020

Read the original article on Insider
ImmunoScape's immune profiling platform, which provides deep insights into the T-cells of the human immune system, is already intensely engaged in COVID-19 related programs on three continents.

"There is an urgent need to understand how the T-cell immune response contributes to COVID-19 immunity and can be leveraged for vaccine design," said ImmunoScape co-founder and Chief Operating Officer Dr. Alessandra Nardin. "In global collaborations with Massachusetts General Hospital, University of Parma (Italy), and Duke-NUS, we are evaluating COVID-19 patients and recovered individuals. We are building a large data set on human T-cell response to COVID-19, in an effort to develop new therapies and better vaccines with our partners."

ImmunoScape also has established collaborations with several vaccine development companies, including the San Diego-based Arcturus which is running clinical trials in Singapore.

"As a Singapore-based firm supported by the Agency for Science Technology and Research (A*STAR), our team has deep experience assessing T-cell immune response to dengue, hepatitis B, and other viruses. It was clear that we must provide deep support to COVID-19 vaccine development in this global crisis", said ImmunoScape co-founder and CEO Choon Peng Ng, formerly a senior executive at A*STAR.

The company also aspires to continue its core mission of enabling advanced immunotherapies for cancer, an area where its scientific track record is very strong. "In 2019 we co-authored a paper together with collaborators at Genentech illustrating the role of our technology in evaluating checkpoint blockade immunotherapies" said Dr. Nardin. "The interest in those insights attracted global attention and encouraged us to seek financing to expand further into the US market."

"To deliver on the promise of individualized medicine for cancer, the biopharma industry desperately needs more insight into every patient's unique immune system. ImmunoScape can deliver this, and we are delighted to support them," said David Michael, Managing Partner of Anzu Partners.

ImmunoScape's technology can guide the development of immunotherapies, as the company has shown in major scientific journals," said Dr. Naonori Kurokawa, Partner of UTEC. "Now they are bringing these insights and capabilities to major biopharma clients globally."

ImmunoScape's technology was based on work begun at Stanford University, and continued at A*STAR of Singapore, where the company was established in 2017. ImmunoScape has received support from A*STAR and its commercialization arm A*ccelerate, as well as Enterprise Singapore. Technical founder Dr. Evan Newell, PhD, previously an A*STAR Science Fellow, is now based at Seattle's Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.

For more information, please visit: https://ImmunoScape.com

About ImmunoScape

ImmunoScape specializes in deep profiling of immune cells and identification of antigen specific T cells, based on the high dimensional mass spectrometry methods developed by Dr. Evan Newell, the company's co-founder. ImmunoScape enables pharmaceutical and biotechnologies companies to gain valuable insights from clinical trial patient data and to develop more effective immunotherapies. For more information, please visit https://ImmunoScape.com.

About ANZU Partners

Anzu Partners is an investment firm that funds breakthrough industrial and life sciences technologies. Anzu teams with entrepreneurs to develop and commercialize technological innovations by providing capital and deep expertise in business development, market positioning, global connectivity, and operations. For more information, please visit https://anzupartners.com. On Twitter: @anzupartners.

About UTEC

UTEC is a seed/early stage technology focused venture capital firm associated with academic institutes such as The University of Tokyo. UTEC supports the creation and growth of start-ups that vigorously foster business globally through the use of superior science and technology, collaborating with universities, research institutes and investment partners in and out of Japan. For more information, please visit https://www.ut-ec.co.jp/english/.

CONTACT

Rob Haralson for ImmunoScape

+12026746679, [email protected]

[email protected]

SOURCE ImmunoScape

Related Links

https://ImmunoScape.com


New York City principals penned a letter to Bill de Blasio urging him to delay the reopening of schools for in-person learning in the fall, but the mayor has insisted that children will be safe while also admitting that there may be some cases of the coronavirus.

Mark Cannizzaro, president of the Council of School Supervisors and Administrators (CSA), said the New York City school principals represented by his union still have many unanswered questions about how schools can reopen safely.

'We believe that NYC school leaders do not yet have enough information and guidance from the (Department of Education) to reopen their buildings properly,' he said.

Cannizzaro penned a letter to de Blasio on behalf of New York City's 6,400 school leaders urging him to heed 'their dire warnings concerning the city's September 10 reopening plan'.

In the letter, which was obtained by the New York Post, Cannizzaro wrote: 'Given the lack of information and guidance available at this time, CSA believes that NYCDOE's decision to open for in-person learning on September 10th is in disregard of the well-being of our school communities.'

New York City principals penned a letter to Bill de Blasio urging him to delay the reopening of schools for in-person learning in the fall, but the mayor has insisted that children will be safe while also admitting that there may be some cases of the coronavirus

'The slow rollout of guidance has forced us to once again address an unfortunate truth: schools will not be ready to open for in-person instruction on September 10th. A more realistic, phased-in approach would instead welcome students for in-person learning toward the end of September, following a fully remote start to the year,' Cannizzaro continued.

During a press conference on Wednesday, de Blasio addressed the letter briefly, saying: 'I've talked this through with Mark Cannizzaro and I appreciate he's raising real concerns but I've also said to him we have been systematically addressing those concerns and we have a whole month until school opens and we're going to do a lot more.

'I hear their concerns but this ball game is far from over. We're going to make these schools safe.'

De Blasio then addressed a question regarding teachers and administrators who do not agree with students going back to school in the fall.

'Look, you're talking about professionals. Unions will always sounds various alarms and unions will say things sometimes in a very dramatic fashion.

'I spent a lot of time with educators over the years and they are in it to help kids. And right now the way to help kids is to get back in person with them and give them the support they need. Kids have been through so much,' de Blasio said. 'Teachers are going to show up and get the job done.'

De Blasio then admitted that some schools would likely eventually get cases of the coronavirus.

'There's been research that shows a lot of schools are not gonna have a case in the beginning; they'll maybe eventually have a case in the school. We'll deal with that.'

New York City has recorded more than 233,000 cases since the outbreak started in mid-March. More than 23,000 people have died in the city.

De Blasio then addressed a question regarding teachers and administrators who do not agree with students going back to school in the fall. 'Right now the way to help kids is to get back in person with them and give them the support they need,' de Blasio said

De Blasio then admitted that some schools (pictured Wednesday) would likely eventually get cases of the coronavirus. 'There's been research that shows a lot of schools are not gonna have a case in the beginning; they'll maybe eventually have a case in the school. We'll deal with that'

There are more than 5.1 million cases of the virus in the US with at least 165,510 deaths

Gov Andrew Cuomo announced on Friday that New York schools can bring children back to classrooms for the start of the school year, citing success in battling the coronavirus in the state that once was the US heart of the pandemic.

The Democratic governor's decision clears the way for schools to offer at least some days of in-person classes, alongside remote learning. Students will be required to wear masks throughout each school day.

'Everywhere in the state, every region is below the threshold that we established,' Cuomo told reporters. He said New York can revisit the issue if the infection rate spikes.

Many New York school districts have planned to start the year with students in school buildings only a few days a week, while learning at home the rest of the time.

The state has left tough decisions - on how to handle sick students, how much time children will spend in class, whether to delay in-person instruction - up to individual districts.

More than 1 million public school students in New York City - the largest district in the US - had their last day of in-class instruction on March 13, just as waves of sick people were beginning to hit city hospitals. All schools statewide were closed by March 18.

De Blasio has been saying since the spring that his goal was to bring students back in September, with as much classroom time as possible while still allowing for social distancing.

That plan has looked exceedingly ambitious as other large school systems back away from in-person instruction.

Gov Andrew Cuomo (pictured) announced on Friday that New York schools can bring children back to classrooms for the start of the school year, citing success in battling the coronavirus in the state that once was the US heart of the pandemic

A coalition of teachers, students, and families protest during a rally called National Day of Resistance Against Unsafe School Reopening Opening on Monday

NYC officials will door-knock or phone 38,000 households in Sunset Park after 'slight uptick' in COVID-19 cases New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio says officials will be door-knocking or phoning every single one of the 38,000 households in a Brooklyn neighborhood after a slight uptick in COVID-19 cases. De Blasio said on Wednesday that officials would be targeting Sunset Park after 228 positive cases were discovered from 3,300 tests in the past two weeks. It is not yet clear if the uptick in positive tests coming out of Sunset Park is a sign the neighborhood is becoming a hotspot of new cases for New York City. People line up outside a grocery store along the Fifth Avenue business district of the Sunset Park neighborhood in Brooklyn The Mayor said officials plan to 'saturate' the neighborhood from Wednesday to encourage as many residents as possible to get tested for COVID-19. There will be robocalls placed to every household over the next few days and officials will be on the ground door-knocking and canvassing the area. Multiple testing vans are also being dispatched to the area. 'You will see door-knocking, phone calls, lots of activity through local organizations,' de Blasio said. 'Our idea is to saturate Sunset Park over the next few days - literally reach every member of the community we possibly can, get as many people tested as quickly as possible.' De Blasio said the current response was a result of a 'warning light' and that increased testing will determine if it is an area the city needs to focus on to prevent an outbreak. Advertisement

Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami and Houston, among other places, all announced they would start the school year with students learning remotely.

'We will reopen safely,' de Blasio tweeted Friday. 'If COVID-19 positivity rate goes above 3 per cent, we will not open.'

He said a return to classroom instruction is vital to jump-starting the city's economy, now hobbled by parents being forced to stay home with their children.

'It will not be easy but I think most parents feel strongly that even some time in school is a lot better for their kids than none,' de Blasio said earlier Friday, at a separate briefing.

School districts, though, face enormous hurdles.

Cuomo warned New York's roughly 700 districts still need to address the safety fears of parents and teachers. He said districts must post remote learning plans online and hold public discussion sessions.

The outbreak, while reduced, is not over in New York. Around 10,000 New York City residents tested positive for the virus in July.

Teachers unions have demanded clearer health protocols and a rule that schools should shut down immediately for two weeks if any student or staff member contracts the virus.

'As Gov. Cuomo noted, parents and teachers must be confident that schools are safe before they can reopen,' United Federation of Teachers President Michael Mulgrew said Friday. 'In New York City that is still an open question.'

Teachers are prohibited from striking in New York state, but large numbers could still opt out of classroom instruction for medical reasons or simply refuse to work.

The governor said he doesn't want New York to get into a legal battle with teachers, adding: 'You can't order a teacher into a classroom.'

Parents, too, have struggled to decide whether to send their children to school or opt solely for online instruction.

Schools have spent the summer coming up with safety plans, securing protective gear and figuring out how to fit fewer students into classrooms and buses.

Cuomo required all school systems to submit reopening plans, saying New York would not allow any district with an unsafe plan to bring students back to classrooms.

The governor said the Department of Health will continue to go through plans. About 50 plans are still incomplete or deficient, he said.

Earlier this summer, Cuomo set a general metric to help measure when it was safe to bring students back, saying the state would allow a return in regions where fewer than 5 per cent of people tested for COVID-19 came back positive.

The entire state has been well under that threshold all summer.
MONTREAL, Aug. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ - Voxco survey software announced today the closing of a recent round of growth capital, which it will use to fund its growth strategy and product roadmap, focused on its Enterprise Feedback Management Platform, the Voxco Research Cloud.

Voxco is a global leader in cloud and on-premise omnichannel survey software. The company's integrated survey platform enables organizations to collect survey data through multiple channels that include web, offline, mobile, and phone surveys. With operations in North America, Europe and Australia, Voxco serves some of the largest corporate, social and market research organizations in the world.

The company's new funding comes from a current syndicate of Canadian and U.S. private equity investors in Pivoton Capital. "The board of directors and I are extremely excited to embark on this next phase of growth at Voxco" said Sumit Aneja, Voxco's CEO. "This new round of funding ensures Voxco will continue to accelerate its product roadmap and invest in expanding our offering to the Customer Experience Management marketplace in North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia Pacific."

About Voxco

Voxco is a global leader in omnichannel cloud and on-premise enterprise feedback management solutions. The company provides market research organizations, government & government agencies, universities and global corporations with a platform to collect data anytime and anywhere via online and mobile surveys, over-the-phone interviews, or face-to-face offline surveys. Founded over 45 years ago and with offices around the world, Voxco services more than 450 clients in over 40 countries.

SOURCE VOXCO

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Sri Lanka won't be allowed to be used for 'any activity' against India: President Rajapaksa

Sri Lankan human trafficking case: Victims were lured with promise of jobs in Canada

Modi congratulates Lankas Rajapaksas on poll win, expresses confidence on strengthening ties

International

pti-Deepika S

Colombo, Aug 12: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday congratulated Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and premier Mahinda Rajapaksa on their party's "resounding electoral success" and expressed confidence that bilateral ties will be further strengthened.

In a letter addressed to the two Rajapaksa brothers, Modi pointed out that he looks forward to working with them, including for the recovery and revitalisation of the bilateral economies in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

On Wednesday, Sri Lanka''s new Cabinet, including four members of the powerful Rajapaksa family, took oath with President Gotabaya retaining the key defence ministry while the finance portfolio went to newly-elected Prime Minister Mahinda after their party won a landslide victory in parliamentary elections last week.

The President administered the oath of office to the 28-member Cabinet.

Taking to Twitter, India's High Commission said: "Together for development! PM @narendramodi wrote to @GotabayaR & @PresRajapaksa. He congratulated them on resounding electoral success of @PodujanaParty. PM Shri Modi also congratulated @PresRajapaksa on being sworn in as PM of #SriLanka".

IAF writes to censor board over negative potrayal in Gunjan saxena | Oneindia News

"PM Shri Modi expressed confidence that #India-#SriLanka relationship will be further strengthened. He pointed out that he looks forward to working with @GotabayaR and @PresRajapaksa, including for recovery and revitalisation of our economies in the wake of #COVID19 pandemic," it said in another tweet.

Amid COVID-19 pandemic, Sri Lanka's new Parliament session to commence on August 20

The Mahinda Rajapaksa-led Sri Lanka People''s Party (SLPP) won a landslide victory in the parliamentary elections held last week that allowed the influential family to consolidate power for the next five years.

The SLPP won a record 145 seats in the 225-member Parliament.

Sri Lanka was one of the very few Asian countries apart from Singapore to hold general elections in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.
On Friday in these pages I wrote that community transmission would probably come back to New Zealand, but the country had learnt valuable lessons.

NZ PM Jacinda Ardern announcing the return to lockdowns from Wellington on Tuesday night. Credit:TVNZ

At that point, I was thinking it might come back next year, or at least some months in the future.

But here we are in Auckland: level three lockdown effective now until Friday midnight and in all likelihood much longer.

The lockdown was announced on Wednesday night as many of us sat lazily in front of the telly. I was watching an adorable showed called The Dog House. Just as I was about to find out if a stray dog would find her forever home (spoiler alert, she didnt), a red banner ran incongruously across the bottom of the screen: The Prime Minister would hold an emergency press conference at 9.15pm.
Peru will re-impose a ban on people leaving their homes on Sundays and outlaw family parties, authorities said Wednesday as the nation reported a record number of new coronavirus cases.

Since the government started lifting containment measures on July 1, the number of new cases per day has more than doubled.

On Wednesday the government reported 8,875 infections, which surpassed the previous record set at the end of May.

"We have to take a step back in the measures we were relaxing," President Martin Vizcarra said. "From this Sunday the mandatory curfew will return on a national level."

The president blamed family social gatherings for "generating this spike in infections" and said they are now banned.

The Sunday curfew was briefly applied in April, a few weeks after Peru declared a health emergency.

Only people with special passes, like hospital workers, will be allowed out of their homes.

It has been six weeks since Peru began easing lockdown restrictions in a bid to reactivate its economy.

But the government has now also expanded the obligatory quarantine that had been lifted in 20 out of 25 regions since July 1.

Peru is the third-worst affected country in Latin America -- after Brazil and Mexico -- by the coronavirus pandemic with nearly half a million cases and more than 21,500 deaths.

A nighttime curfew has been in place since March 16 while the borders are closed and school classes have been suspended for the rest of the year.

bur/jm/caw/
New Breed is a revenue management firm based in Burlington, Vermont. They help B2B companies worldwide generate demand and acquire customers using their technical expertise and data-driven, strategic insights.

New Breed saw a three-year revenue growth of 191% in 2020, an increase over last year's three-year growth of 158% when they ranked 2487 on the 2019 Inc. 5000 list.

The complete results of the Inc. 5000 can be found at www.inc.com/inc5000.

About New Breed

New Breed is a revenue management firm for the world's fastest-growing B2B companies. They align people, processes and platforms in order to drive success for their clients. As HubSpot's Top North American Partner, New Breed leverages the inbound methodology to help their clients and their own company grow.

For more information visit www.newbreedmarketing.com/blog/inc-5000-2020.

The Inc. 5000 Methodology

The 2020 Inc. 5000 is ranked according to percentage revenue growth when comparing 2016 and 2019. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2016. They had to be U.S.-based, privately held, for profit and independent  not subsidiaries or divisions of other companies  as of December 31, 2019. The minimum revenue required for 2016 is $100,000; the minimum for 2019 is $2 million. As always, Inc. reserves the right to decline applicants for subjective reasons.

About Inc. Media

The world's most trusted business-media brand, Inc. offers entrepreneurs the knowledge, tools, connections and community to build great companies. Its award-winning multiplatform content reaches more than 50 million people each month across a variety of channels including websites, newsletters, social media, podcasts and print. Its prestigious Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to recognize the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. For more information, visit www.inc.com.

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Wetherspoons boss Tim Martin has demanded scientists publish evidence of coronavirus transmission in pubs after an expert said drinking indoors in bars raised the risk of transmission.

Bacteria expert Professor Hugh Pennington said there has been a Covid-19 'outbreak associated with pubs' and for '90 per cent of cases, that was how they caught it.'

The Aberdeen University professor also told BBC Radio 5 last week that being indoors in a pub can increase the risk of infection as 'hot and steamy' environments helps the virus 'get about'.

His interview came the day after Aberdeen was put back into lockdown after more than 20 pubs and restaurants were involved in a cluster of coronavirus cases in the city.

Mr Martin said just five of his 43,000 members of staff tested positive for the virus by the time lockdown measures were announced on March 20 - when 'the virus was rampant in the country'.

Wetherspoons boss Tim Martin (pictured with Boris Johnson in 2019) has demanded scientists publish evidence of coronavirus transmission in pubs after an expert said drinking indoors in bars raised the risk of transmission

Bacteria expert Professor Hugh Pennington said there has been a Covid-19 'outbreak associated with pubs' and for '90 per cent of cases, that was how they caught it'

He said there have been a few cases in his pubs 'but nothing, it appears, which could be described as an outbreak' and has urged Professor Pennington to publish his findings.

He added in the statement, which appeared in The Morning Advertiser, that 'there have been high levels of transmission in hospitals, care homes, abattoirs and certain production facilities'.

Mr Martin highlighted that since pubs have reopened, the level of testing has 'dramatically increased'.

He added: 'There has been a handful of individual cases of positive tests for the virus in our pubs, but nothing, it appears, which could be described as an outbreak and there appears not to have been, up until now, a case of transmission from person to person among staff or from staff to customers or vice versa.

'Given the importance of the pub industry to its staff, customers and as a taxpayer to the Exchequer, it would be very useful if Pennington could publish the basis of his assumptions so they could be thoroughly analysed and peer reviewed.'

Wetherspoons reopened 750 of its pubs on July 4 while bringing in stringent safety measures (pictured) to stop the spread of coronavirus

Mr Martin said just five of his 43,000 members of staff tested positive for the virus by the time lockdown measures were announced on March 20 - when 'the virus was rampant in the country'. Pictured: A Wetherspoon pub in Rochdale, Greater Manchester, last month

Wetherspoons reopened 750 of its pubs on July 4 while bringing in stringent safety measures to stop the spread of coronavirus.

Wetherspoons customers must use one entrance with a separate exit door where possible.

Entry and exit are marked out by floor stickers and/or barriers and door security will monitor the numbers entering and leaving to prevent overcrowding.

All of its pubs have screens at the tills and screened-off seating areas where it is not possible to separate the tables by two metres.

Employees have their temperatures taken on arrival for their shifts too, among other measures.

But some vowed to boycott the company due to the way Mr Martin treated his staff during the lockdown.

The businessman had told his 43,000 workers they could get a job at a supermarket and they would not be paid until the Government's furlough scheme kicked in.

But the outspoken Brexiteer, 65, U-turned after pressure from a huge public backlash.

Social distancing signage is displayed at the Regal Moon - a Wetherspoon pub on - July 04 in Rochdale

It was last week revealed that Wetherspoon has written to its head office staff to say that nearly a third of staff risk losing their jobs amid a round of cuts at the pub chain.

The company said that 110 to 130 of the 417 roles in its head office could be axed as it scales back its expansion.

Chief executive John Hutson said that all head office staff, including those who are regionally based, will be affected.

Those in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland will escape the cuts.

'The decision is mainly a result of a downturn in trade in the pub and restaurant industry generally, a reduction in the company's rate of expansion and a reduction in the number of pubs operated from 955 in 2015 to 873 today,' he said in a statement on Thursday morning.

He said Wetherspoon would work with staff who want to take voluntary redundancy, early retirement, or reduce their working hours in order to reduce the number of people it has to fire.
The Derecho storm that hit the Midwest on Aug. 10 potentially impacted some 10 million acres (4 million hectares) of Iowa farmland and millions of bushels of grain storage in the top U.S. corn growing state, Iowa Agriculture Secretary Mike Naig said on Aug. 11.

Early estimates show that tens of millions of bushels worth of commercial grain storage  as well as millions of bushels of on-farm storage bins owned by producers  were either impacted, destroyed or severely damaged by the storm, Naig told a news conference.

Bin losses, ahead of this falls harvest, could leave some farmers scrambling to find storage for their crops, Naig said.

How much of the downed corn will be able to produce a viable crop this fall is unknown, and it is too early to put a total value on the damage to the crop and the states overall agricultural sector, Naig said.

But it is too late for farmers to try to replant, agronomists said, given that harvest typically begins in either September or October.

The storm packing hurricane-force winds tore across the U.S. Midwest on Aug. 10, causing widespread property damage in cities and rural towns. More than one million U.S. homes and businesses were still without power early on Aug. 11.

Global grain trader Archer Daniels Midland Co.s plants in Cedar Rapids and Des Moines, Iowa, are offline and being inspected for damage, according to a company spokeswoman and the companys Twitter account.

Corn is a staple of Iowas agricultural economy. The state produced about 2.58 billion bushels of corn in 2019  or about 19% of all corn grown in the United States, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture data.

This year, USDA reported that Iowa farmers planted 14 million corn acres  or more than half of all the farmland in the state growing grains, oilseeds and other crops.

(Reporting by P.J. Huffstutter in Chicago; Editing by Sandra Maler and Dan Grebler)

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Zamfara state Governor Bello Matawalle has alleged that some politicians has been exploiting insecurity for personal gains.

The Zamfara State Governor said this at the Special Army Super Camp 4 in Faskari town in Katsina state, saying also that those fueling insecurity are not interested in the well-being of the people.

Matawalle said;
Joe van Koeverden, a volunteer board member with the Peterborough Chapter of Parkinson Canada, is competing in the 1,000,000 Steps event to help 100,000 Canadians living with Parkinsons by supporting research and programs.

He has walked 830,000 steps for Parkinsons 1,000,000 Steps fundraiser. His goal is to raise $10,000.

His journey can be followed online at joewithpd.com

To donate visit donate.parkinson.ca/site/TR/SuperWalk2020/CNO superwalk?px-1211857&pg-personal&fr id-2448

The chapters team goal is to raise $50,000.

The National Virtual SuperWalks opening ceremony will be held on Sept. 12 at 11 a.m.

Parkinson Canada is the voice of Canadians living with Parkinsons disease and provides education and services to families and health teams online, by telephone and in person.

Parkinson Canada advocates with federal, provincial and territorial governments on issues that matter to the Parkinsons community in Canada.

The Parkinson Canada Research Program funds innovative research to search for better treatments and a cure.
U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Holly, and Republican challenger Paul Junge agreed to participate in three debates before the Nov. 3 election.

Both campaigns released statements this week announcing three debates, one in each county covered by Michigans 8th Congressional District. The exact date and location for debates in Ingham, Livingston and Oakland counties have not yet been determined.

Junge emerged from a four-way Republican primary on Aug. 4, securing 35% of the vote and winning the GOP nomination to challenge Slotkin by 5,679 votes. Slotkin did not face a Democratic primary challenger, but voters in the district cast more ballots for the Democratic candidate than all Republican candidates combined.

Slotkins campaign said voters will hear about her bipartisan work to respond to the COVID-19 crisis, lower the cost of healthcare and prescription drugs, protect our waters and bring civility and decency to Washington.

Voters should be able to hear Junge explain why he supports an administration trying to destroy protections for those with pre-existing conditions, why he helped downplay the threat of COVID-19 and why he opposes bipartisan legislation to extend unemployment benefits, provide direct financial support to working families, support small businesses and reduce our dependence on China and other offshore sources of critical medical supplies, Slotkin campaign manager Matt Hennessey said in a statement.

Junge said Slotkin hasnt lived up to her promise to be independent-minded and voters deserve an explanation for why her voting record closely aligns with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

I will share my plans to rebuild our economy and keep families safe, while Congresswoman Slotkin should justify her votes to hand out $1,200 checks to illegal immigrants, give subsidies to communist Chinese companies, and use American taxpayer dollars to pay for abortions in foreign countries, Junge said in a statement.

Slotkin flipped Michigans reliably Republican-voting 8th District in 2018. She is the first Democrat to represent the 8th District since now-U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow vacated the seat in 2001, though it was since redrawn to include more Democratic-leaning portion of Oakland County.

READ MORE ON MLIVE:

Paul Junge wins Republican nomination to face Slotkin in Michigans 8th Congressional District

Four Republicans clash in primary for chance to reclaim congressional swing district from Elissa Slotkin

Elissa Slotkin launches reelection bid promising solutions, decency and bipartisanship
CRASH ON POINT OF LANDING. The plane was on the point of landing when it crashed, about two miles from the Canberra aerodrome, and burst into flames The victims were: G. A. STREET, Minister for the Army.

J. V. FAIRBAIRN, Minister for Air.

SIR HENRY GULLETT, Vice-President of the Executive Council.

SIR BRUDENELL WHITE, Chief of the General Staff.

LIEUTENANT-COLONEL F. THORNTHWAITE, staff officer attached to the Chief of the General Staff.

R. E. ELFORD, secretary to Mr. Fairbairn.

FLIGHT-LIEUTENANT R. E. HITCHCOCK, who was piloting the plane

PILOT OFFICER F. WIESENER.

CORPORAL J. F. PALMER, wireless operator.

AIRCRAFTMAN C. J. CROSDALE, fitter. The whole ghastly business happened right before my eyes," said Mr. D. Lalor, of Girrahween Street, Braddon Canberra, manager for the Melbourne contracting firm of Simmie and Co., Ltd.

"I was driving back to the aerodrome," he said, "with Mr. J. Tillyard and was about a mile and a half from the scene of the crash. I noticed the plane because it was flying so low and seemed to be flying at an unusually low speed when so near the ground. Wreckage at the site of the plane crash. Credit:Dwyer collection, National Library of Australia Nearing a spur of the low range bordering the landing fields it appeared to bank sharply to the left. The left wing dipped alarmingly and the machine went into a spiral dive towards the ground at an extremely sharp angle. As the machine neared the ground in its final plunge it seemed that the pilot made a superhuman effort to right it. At any rate he managed to reduce the angle at which it was hurtling to earth and where a moment before it seemed certain to nose-dive by the time it struck the ground he had almost flattened it out. There was no sign of fire until the machine hit the ground but it burst into flames immediately on impact. There was no loud noise of a crash, neither was there any explosion as the machine burst into flames, but as Tillyard and I were rushing across the paddock towards the wreck, there was a loud explosion, followed by a fresh burst of flame.

"Nobody could do anything to help the men trapped in the blazing plane. The heat was so terrific that it was impossible to get nearer than 50 yards to the blazing wreckage, and even then my face was scorched." The crash was witnessed by Mr. F. A. Tetley, garage proprietor, of Queanbeyan, and by Lawrence O'Brien, one of his mechanics. O'Brien said: "I saw the plane, which I thought was stunting. I said to Mr. Tetley, 'That fellow's running a risk stunting so near the ground.' Then I realised that, the machine was in difficulties. I was under the impression that it had just taken off from the landing field, and was circling to gain height. The machine got into difficulties when about two-thirds of the circuit had been completed. WHEELS LOWERED TO LAND.

The scene of the crash is two miles north of Queanbeyan and two miles east of the Canberra Air Force station and aerodrome. The plane crashed on a spur of a chain of low hills bordering the aerodrome on the eastern side and overlooking the Sutton Valley. The hilly country, though sparsely timbered, offers no facilities for a forced landing. It is dotted with dead trees, logs, tree stumps, and large rocks, and in many places the hillsides have been scarred with deep gutters by flood waters. Watchers on the aerodrome saw the plane approach shortly before 11 a.m., make the usual circuit, and come in to land. It appeared as though the pilot had misjudged his height and decided not to land. The machine was trimmed for landing, with the wheels lowered in position and the flaps down. The machine gained height and commenced a second circuit. COLUMN OF SMOKE IN SKY. Eye-witnesses saw it swing to the east of the hills, and soon afterwards it disappeared from view, obviously in difficulties. A dense column of black smoke rose behind the hills, telling them that a disaster had occurred. The first arrivals saw a shocking sight. The machine was standing in an almost normal position, but was enveloped in flames. Powerless to approach because of the intense heat, they could see the occupants of the plane huddled in their seats but could do nothing to help them.

Every fire extinguisher from the tenders was brought into action, but it was not until the firefighters were reinforced by brigades from Canberra and Queanbeyan that the flames were brought under control. It was then possible to rescue the remains of the victims from the wreckage. Soon afterwards the Federal Treasurer, Mr. Spender, the Minister for Supply, Sir Frederick Stewart, and the Postmaster-General, Mr. Thorby, arrived. Later hundreds of people from Canberra and surrounding district visited the scene, walking almost a mile over rough hilly country to see the wreckage. By this time, however, the Air Force had placed a guard which kept them several hundred yards from the wreckage. All that remained of the bomber was the rear section of the fuselage and the tail plane. The engines were found among the wreckage melted into almost unrecognisable heaps of metal. CAUSE A MYSTERY.

Although it would appear from eye-witnesses' accounts collated by the police and officials that the pilot had control of the machine when starting his landing circle nobody has yet been able to determine the cause of the crash. When a "Herald" representative visited the wrecked plane just before sundown its position and evidence generally suggested that the impact had not been violent but a subsequent explosion followed by fire had caused the plane's destruction. It appeared as though the plane had landed on its undercarriage bending the propellers and snapping the wings off at the body. It tore across the top of the hill on which it landed and only small scraps of metal had been flung more than about 20 yards from the main wreckage while the plane's motors had neither been buried in the earth nor hurled away. The machine came to rest against a solid box log about two feet six inches in diameter and 15 feet long and some of the first to reach the scene formed the opinion that if the machine's landing wheels had not met this obstruction the pilot might have made a safe landing. News of the tragedy, which occurred shortly before 11 o'clock, deeply shocked Federal Ministers, who had assembled for a Cabinet meeting, and State Premiers and Treasurers who were attending a meeting of the Loan Council. PLANE ON TREE STUMP.
President Muhammadu Buhari and state governors, on Tuesday, ended their meeting on the state of the nations security with a call for a joint strategy to bring various conflicts to an end within time limits.

They also called on military field commanders to take measures to protect civilian communities as a confidence-building mechanism between the military and those communities.

The Presidents Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, in a statement in Abuja, said Mr Buhari and governors made their feelings known at the end of the virtual meeting coordinated from the State House, Abuja.

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He said the president and the governors believe that when the trust that has been lost between both parties is re-established, there would be improved cooperation in intelligence-gathering and sharing.

The presidential aide revealed that the meeting also agreed that poverty and youth unemployment were at the root of the nationwide security challenges, and needed to be addressed with greater vigour by all tiers of government.

Mr Shehu said the meeting also focused on the countrys security policies and approaches in tackling the internal security challenges with a charge that intelligence-gathering and sharing must be optimised.

The President used the opportunity to dispel commonly held assumptions that the terrorists in the Northeast had far more weapons and money than the government, stressing that what is left of them are mere scavengers desperate for food, raiding shops and markets, and killing innocent persons in the process.

Mr Buhari also expressed concern that in spite of the fact that borders with neighbouring countries had been shut, bandits and terrorists continued to have access to small weapons.

These terrorists are in the localities. How is it that they are not short of small arms? he queried the security and intelligence chiefs.

He said: We have said enough on the need for them to rejig their operations. I am glad that there is better synergy and cooperation which are very important.

I have directed the Service Chiefs to meet among themselves in-between the National Security Council meetings.

The services have resources; yes, they need more, and mobility, and are doing their best, but there is a need for better gathering and interpretation of intelligence. Our intelligence-gathering must be improved.

The president informed the governors of the imminent shipment of military weapons and aircraft from Jordan, China and the United States.

He, therefore, asked for patience on the part of the public because the new weapons and aircraft must be manned by trained fighters and pilots who must first receive appropriate training.

Mr Buhari also expressed satisfaction with the level of support from neighbouring countries in the war against terrorism.

They are cooperating with us. On Boko Haram, we are making progress with Benin, Niger, Chad and Cameroon, he said.

He, however, restated that intelligence-gathering must be improved to be able to track small arms in the Northwest, North Central and Northeast States.

The president also expressed satisfaction with the level of Naval activity in the Gulf of Guinea, using newly-acquired equipment.

The president, however, demanded that hard-to-reach areas of Lake Chad where Boko Haram terrorists have found new havens, as well as the forests now inhabited by bandits, must be accessed and rid of nefarious elements.

The Chief of Defence Staff has spoken about their study of the forests and their potential danger to security. We must make sure we follow the bandits and terrorists, but there must not be deforestation in view of the climate situation, said Mr Buhari.

In their submissions anchored by their Chairman, Nigerian Governors Forum, Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State, and Babagana Zulum of Borno, the governors highlighted the problems of poverty, unemployment, trust deficit between the military and civilian populations and the inflow of small arms into the country.

The governors also pointed to the problem of coordination among military and security chiefs and played up their own security roles which included one billion dollars they allowed the president to withdraw from the Excess Crude Account for weapons procurement two years ago.

They, therefore, urged the President to consider a bail out for security for the states in view of the enormity of the resources they now expend in support of the military and the police.

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The three-hour meeting was attended by the Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, heads of defence, security and intelligence agencies, and members of the Security Committee of the Nigerian Governors Forum represented by one governor from each of the six geo-political zones.

(NAN)
(CNN)  Namibia President Hage Geingob says his government has turned down Germany's offer of compensation for colonial-era killings, calling it "not acceptable."

Geingob said in a statement that Germany has continued to call efforts to seek redress with the government and those affected in the conflict "healing of wounds" instead of reparations.

German troops killed up to 80,000 of Herero and Nama people in the southern African country between 1904 and 1908 in response to an anti-colonial uprising, according to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.

According to historians, the bloody conflict happened when the Herero indigenous people revolted against colonial troops over land seizures. Germany, which today gives development aid to Namibia, offered its first formal apology for the conflict in 2004.

Both countries have been in talks since 2015 to negotiate compensation for the massacre by German colonial forces. So far, eight rounds of negotiations have taken place between the countries.

"The current offer for reparations made by the German Government remains an outstanding issue and is not acceptable to the Namibian Government," the president said in the statement on Tuesday.

He did not give details of the offer.

CNN reached out to Germany's Ministry for Foreign Affairs for comment but is yet to receive a response.

Descendants of the few survivors are still seeking $4 billion compensation from the German government for what they claim was an orchestrated campaign of extermination that preceded Germany's genocidal policies of World War II.

And for many years the Namibian government had asked Germany to call the war genocide and commit to reparations to the affected tribes.

While Germany has acknowledged and expressed regrets for its imperial troops' role in the conflict, it has refused to pay compensation.

In the statement on Tuesday, Geingob said both governments have agreed to a political settlement, and its representative will continue to negotiate a revised offer.

In 2019, Germany returned a stolen 15th century artifact it took from Namibia known as the Stone Cross. The gesture was described by Monika Gruetters, Germany's Minister of State for Media and Culture, as "a clear signal that we are committed to reappraising the colonial past."

This story was first published on CNN.com, "Nambia president says Germany's reparation offer for colonial-era mass killings 'not acceptable'"
Irans Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said the contentious US proposal to extend an arms embargo against Tehran will not be passed by the UN Security Council. The embargo is expected to expire in October under UN Resolution 2231 and the Iran nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

Surrounded by mask-clad reporters in Tehran, Zarif once again argued that the US proposal runs counter to international law and called the attempt to get it ratified at the council a mischievous plot that disrespects the other council members.

The United States has been facing an uphill battle at the council, facing resistance most notably from Russia and China, two permanent members that maintain closer ties with Tehran than the other JCPOA signatories. Tehran has clearly been hoping that the two allies will use their veto power at a vote expected to be held on Friday.

Earlier on Tuesday, US diplomats revised the proposal. The embargo shall continue to apply until the Security Council decides otherwise, according to the revised draft. Shortened to four paragraphs from an original 35, the new version has removed some provisions, including inspections on reasonable grounds of all Iranian cargo entering the territories of UN members states. It does, however, retain the basic argument that the extension is meant to prevent Iran from freely buying and selling conventional weapons.

Asked about unconfirmed reports that France and the United Kingdom are proposing to the United States a partial removal of sanctions against the Islamic Republic, Zarif said Iran had not been informed of such a move and that any such plan would not be welcome in Tehran if it introduces changes to the JCPOA. Irans top diplomat repeated the official rejection of offers to renegotiate the 2015 accord from US President Donald Trump, who withdrew the United States from it in May 2018.

He has been given wrong advice, Zarif said of the US leader, claiming that the Trump administrations maximum pressure policy has been the wrong path. They need to return to the deal, compensate the damage inflicted upon the Iranian nation and give up their malicious policies in the region, he said, enumerating Irans conditions for rapprochement with its arch-enemy.
WEST MELBOURNE, FL / ACCESSWIRE / August 12, 2020 / BK Technologies Corporation (NYSE American:BKTI), a holding company with an operating subsidiary that designs, manufactures and markets two-way radio communications equipment for public safety applications, today announced it has engaged Hayden IR, a highly recognized, national investor relations firm, to launch a comprehensive investor relations program.

John Struble, BK's Chairman of the Board commented, "We are focusing our attention on positioning BK as a growth company in the public safety markets. While we have grown revenue to over $40 million from less than $30 million only a few years ago, we are committed to pursuing further organic revenue growth while expanding our focus on strategic M&A opportunities outside of BK."

Tim Vitou, BK's President, commented "Over the past year, we have strengthened our finances and positioned BK Technologies for profitable growth. In Q2 alone we reported a reduction in total operating expenses by almost 25%; a savings of approximately $3.3 million. Furthermore, we recently completed the design of the first model in our new BKR family of products, which we anticipate will be available for sale during the second half of 2020. We believe it is an appropriate time to retain a national investor relations firm, to fully capitalize on these important milestones."

With offices in New York, Phoenix, Minneapolis, and San Diego, Hayden IR provides a comprehensive range of investor relations services to a growing list of clients. For more than two decades, Hayden IR has been a recognized leader in driving market recognition and creating sustainable competitive advantages for more than 150 micro- and small-cap companies. Hayden delivers expertise and professionalism in such areas as investor management, relationship building, awareness campaigns, online presence, and corporate identity.

James Carbonara, Partner of Hayden IR, commented, "BK Technologies represents an enduring, compelling, and scalable opportunity. They have been a leading nationwide provider of reliable public safety two-way radios for over 70 years. With new products launching, an overhauled and more efficient expense structure, and on the cusp of profitability, BK Technologies is poised to generate substantial shareholder value. Now is the time for a broader investor audience to take notice. The team at Hayden IR looks forward to significantly raising the visibility of this timely opportunity, with the professional investment community."
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 12)  The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) revealed that 100 percent of hospital costs in 2019 covered by its contested case rate system have either been underpaid or overpaid.

PhilHealth's case rate system means the payment for claims or costs for treating particular diseases, such as pneumonia, is fixed. In other words, if the illness is pneumonia, regardless of how much the patient accumulates in expenses for treatment, PhilHealth will only pay a fixed rate for it.

Israel Pargas, PhilHealth's senior vice president for the health financial policy sector, explained that overpayment means PhilHealth paid more than the actual cost based on the fixed rate, while underpayment means the agency paid less.

"For the overpayment in 2019, we have around 22%. For the underpayment... it is around 78 percent," said the PhilHealth vice president during a House Good Government and Public Accountability hearing on alleged corruption in the state-owned health insurer.

The overpaid amount is equivalent to P3 billion while the underpaid is P120 billion, Pargas later elaborated.

Marikina 2nd District Rep. Stella Quimbo said this means zero cases were computed correctly and the hospital either lost or gained profit from the system.

Pargas assured there is still a no-billing policy which means even if the claim is underpaid, the patient would not have to shoulder the remaining costs of the treatment.

However, Quimbo, who is also a health economist, countered, saying the burden will lie on the hospital to make up for the loss from the underpaid claims.

She also said that private hospitals do not have the no-billing policy, allowing them to ask patients to pay the balance. She argued that if the patient cannot pay, this becomes an "incentive" for hospitals to resort to fraudulent means to compensate for the losses.

"Kung 78% of the time lugi siya hindi ba maghahanap siya ng paraan para habulin 'yung kita?" she said. "And kapag ang hina ng control sa fraud ng PhilHealth, dito tayo nagkakaroon ng problema."

[Translation: If 78 percent of the time they incurred loss, won't they find ways to reach the profit? And if PhilHealth's control on fraud is weak, this is where we have a problem.]

The insurer's case rate packages have been a hot topic in previous Congress hearings as lawmakers pointed out that it could be the "root of corruption" due to "upcasing" or upgrading diagnoses of illnesses for patients to receive benefits.

BH Party-list Rep. Bernadette Herrera-Dy cited an instance where her cousin was allegedly asked to declare that he or she had COVID-19 despite not yet having a test result.

Pargas said claims usually undergo pre-payment review and medical post-audit, but he also acknowledged that there is still upcasing in facilities.

"I think it is still happening that's why there are still cases being heard and investigated right now by the corporation, 'yung tinatawag na [what we call] upcasing," said the agency's official.

Indisposed officials

Pargas answered most of the questions during the House hearing as PhilHealth's three top officials - Ricardo Morales, president and CEO; Arnel De Jesus, executive vice president and COO; and Rodolfo Del Rosario, senior vice president for the legal sector - were unavailable, citing health issues.

Morales and De Jesus stepped out during the probe while De Jesus was in the hospital, Pargas said.

Committee Chairman Mike Defensor said the committee will write show cause letters to the officials to ask for an explanation for their disappearance during the hearing.

Morales and De Jesus had earlier notified the Senate of their ailments, which allowed them to attend the sessions virtually.




Haiti - Diplomacy : 3 new accredited ambassadors





Tuesday August 11, 2020 at the National Palace, President Jovenel Moise received the credentials of Wen-jiann Ku, the new Ambassador of Taiwan (Republic of China). "During a brief interview, we reviewed the bilateral relations between the two countries, including the cooperation ties that have united us for ages," said Moise.



Subsequently, the Head of State received the letters of credence of two new ambassadors Jesus Valdes Pena (Mexico) and Ms. Yesim Kebapcio Kebapcioglu (Turkey) with whom the President discussed the prospects of strengthening bilateral relations between the two country.



The three new diplomats renewed the commitment of their respective countries to maintain close ties of friendship and strengthen cooperation between Haiti and their country.



The Head of State also reassured these ambassadors of his willingness to work together for the harmonious development of relations between Haiti and these three friendly countries.



After the delivery of their credentials, the three new diplomats made a floral offerings to the Haitian National Pantheon in homage to the Fathers of the Independence of Haiti. They were welcomed by Jean Claude Legagneur, the Director General of the Haitian National Pantheon Museum, who invited them to take a guided tour through the permanent and temporary exhibition rooms of the museum. It was for them the opportunity to discover the highlights of the history of Haiti.



HL/ HaitiLibre


















Mountainous towns and islands surrounded by turquoise oceans are where most travel-deprived holidaymakers would fly to if the coronavirus crisis ended tomorrow, a Twitter poll by TripAdvisor has revealed.

Australia's borders have been closed to non-residents since March 20, while Australian citizens and permanent residents are banned from travelling overseas unless they obtain an exemption from the Department of Home Affairs.

So it's no wonder that tropical and action-packed destinations dominated the list, with Iceland, Peru, Tahiti and Ireland's 'Wild Atlantic Way' which runs the length of its west coast coming out on top.

Italy emerged as the most popular country thanks to its unrivalled abundance of ancient history, world-class food and 'Instagram-able' beaches found everywhere from Sicily to the Amalfi Coast.

Europe emerged as the most-coveted continent, with dozens yearning for culturally rich cities like Paris, Athens and Bruges in northwest Belgium.

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A traveller sits above a lake in Cusco, Peru, one of the destinations people most want to visit once the coronavirus crisis has ended

Model and former Miss Universe Ireland Rozanna Purcell, 29, swims (left) and cycles (right) on Inis Mor, the largest of the remote Aran Islands off the country's west coast

Asia and Oceania's Top Spots

Tahiti, New Zealand's South Island and Kerala, on India's tropical Malabar Coast, are the locations grounded travellers most want to visit in Asia and Oceania.

The Whitsunday Islands off the coast of Queensland was the top-voted Australian destination with their dense rainforest, scenic hiking trails and white sand beaches.

One woman said: 'New Zealand - I went to the South Island last year and absolutely loved it - even if it was in their winter and it was sleeping in a hoodie!'

Tourists look out over Whitehaven Beach on the Whitsundays off the coast of Queensland

Europe's Top Spots

Sights and cities across western Ireland are top of people's minds, with the historic town of Galway, the Cliffs of Moher and the remote Aran Islands voted number one by dozens of eager travellers.

One woman said: 'It's got to be Ireland's Wild Atlantic Way  the longest coastal drive in the world!'

Almost every Italian region was named, with dozens lusting after Rome, the northern Lakes district of Garda and Como and the southern islands of Corsica and Sardinia.

One said: 'Got to be Rome, the Vatican and St Peters are amazing.'

A woman at a beach in Positano (left) and a city square in central Rome (right) in Italy, which emerged as the country most travellers plan to visit once the pandemic is over

A couple embrace in front of a waterfall near Reykjavik, Iceland, a top choice for dozens of TripAdvisor poll respondents

Elsewhere in Europe people long to return to the leafy canals of Amsterdam and Carcasonne in the south of France, which one man remembered as a 'fascinating and very beautiful place to be'.

Others are dreaming of Spanish cities like Seville and the icy landscapes of Scandinavia, with Bergen in western Norway and the Icelandic capital Reykjavik both featuring.

One said: 'Norway was one of my favourite trips. Bergen was great, but Flam is, unfortunately, a tourist town. We ended up in Aurland - much more authentic and better views of the fjord.'

The fairy tale streets of Bruges in northwest Belgium (left) and the romantic canals of Amsterdam, Netherlands (right), two top-ranking cities for post-COVID travel

South, Central and North America's Top Spots

Peru, Ecuador and Costa Rica are the first countries in South and Central America that people plan to visit after the pandemic, drawn to the great wealth of challenging mountain treks, lush green jungle and pristine beaches.

'My choice is Aruba,' one man said of the Dutch-governed island in the Caribbean which has been voted the 'best island vacation destination' on the planet.

Travellers are also researching adventurous North American outposts like Alaska, the Grand Canyon and Canada's western seaboard.

'To the wild west coast of Vancouver Island, Canada and Pacific Rim National Park,' one woman said.

Hawaii, Las Vegas and New York were other US cities top of people's lists.

The quirkiest most-wanted location One exceptionally adventurous traveller said he plans to visit Ashgabat, the capital of the secretive and infamously insular central Asian state of Turkmenistan, as soon as the pandemic is over. Famous for its opulent and expensive architecture, Ashgabat holds the world record for the highest density of white marble buildings  more than 500 in total - which dominate the city skyline. Although undoubtedly an impressive sight, it's one few international visitors have seen. Turkmenistan not only demands that foreigners obtain a visa to enter the country - they must be invited to do so by the country's shadowy Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Most travellers determined enough to visit book an organised trip with a reputable tour company, which is the easiest way to receive a letter of invitation. Three of Ashbagat's 500 white marble buildings which dominate the skyline of the cloistered Turkmenistani capital Advertisement

And with travel off-limits for the foreseeable future, many struggled to whittle it down to just one destination.

'Paris... No, Vancouver... No, all of Germany... Wow, this isn't easy!' one man said.

A second said: 'So tough, been to so many amazing places that hold such great memories. Havana or a Greek island.'

'Iceland... wait Croatia. So many amazing spots around the world that Ive seen but those are definitely two favourites!' added a third.

A fourth said: 'Lalibela in Ethiopia, but Tokyo too, both so different yet so amazing and memorable!'
Empire: The Arrow Group includes the Irish Dog Food factory which was closed after a coronavirus outbreak

Operating profits at the Queally family's Arrow meat processing, food and property group slumped by a third to 13m last year, despite turnover rising to 591.4m.

The Queally's sprawling business empire includes the Irish Dog Foods plant in Naas, Co Kildare which remains closed after a Covid-19 outbreak last month affecting 50 staff members.

The family also own a stake in Dawn Meats, one of its plants - in Kilbeggan, Co Westmeath - was temporarily shut in May "out of an abundance of caution" after four confirmed cases of coronavirus.

The wider Queally group is one of the Europe's biggest meat processors, with Queally brothers John and Peter having founded the Waterford-based group in 1974.

It also includes Dawn Foods, as well as bottled water and the pet food arm.

Being given a business award in Waterford earlier this year, the wider group was described as having turnover of 2.5bn.

It employs about 9,500 people, with 1,200 of those based around Waterford and the south-east of Ireland.

The latest set of accounts filed for the Arrow Group show that administrative expenses at the company jumped to 50m last year from 42.9m the year before.

However, the firm's Distribution costs fell by more than 1m.

The group had shareholder funds totalling 180.4m at the end of 2019, the accounts show.

Dividends totalling 1.85m were paid to shareholders last year, which was down significantly on the 7.5m that was paid the year before.

At the time the accounts were signed off in May, the directors noted that the most significant potential impact on the group's 2020 financial results and cashflow due to Covid-19 would be in relation to supply chain and customer orders.

"In terms of impact on cashflow, liquidity and credits risks the group has financial resources at its disposal, a large cash reserve and availability of bank facilities," the directors noted.

The directors said that 2019 had been a positive year for the group.

They added that turnover increased last year due to increased activity with new and existing customers, and new product lines across all its markets.

"This was offset somewhat by varied protein prices on world markets," they said. "Underlying profit was impacted by asset impairments in the year."
The usual hustle and bustle of devotees on the occasion of Janmashtami on Wednesday was missing in temples across Rajasthan this year as coronavirus-induced restrictions kept them confined to their homes.

However, administrations of some prominent temples took the digital route to allow devotees to witness the birthday celebrations of their beloved Lord Krishna from home.

The Govind Dev Ji temple in Jaipur was decked up like every year and the festivities were streamed online. Devotees could also witness tableaux depicting the life of Lord Krishna online.

Celebrations at ISKCON temple in Jagatpura and Mansarovar also took the virtual route.

Public Relations Officer of Shrinathji Temple in Nathdwara Girish Kumar said that the traditional tableau and jagran will be open from 9:30 PM to 11:30 PM but devotees will not be allowed to visit.

Continuing a 350-year-old tradition, a 21-gun salute will be presented to Lord Krishna in Rasala Chowk, he said.

The famous Khatu Shyam temple, however, remained closed after eight people in nearby areas tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday night, according to Khatushyam police station SHO Pooja Poonia.

The entry of people to nearby markets has been banned until further orders, she said.

Rajasthan Governor Kalraj Mishra and Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot extended Janmashtami greetings to the people of the state and appealed to them to celebrate the festival at home.

Mishra said Lord Krishna countered injustice and established the importance of eternal truth and deeds. Everyone should take inspiration from Lord Krishnas teachings.

Gehlot said Lord Krishna gave the world the message of knowledge, action and devotion.

The message that Lord Krishna gave through the Bhagavat Gita is a motivation for everyone to always work to counter injustice and for the welfare of destitute people, he said.
In Cameroon, there has been widespread condemnation of recent barbaric violence against civilians in the country's troubled western regions. In the past week, suspected separatists killed 13 civilians, including aid workers, with videos of beheaded women shared on social media.

In video circulated on social media in Cameroon, several men dressed in black order a young woman to lie down and then appear to behead her with a machete.

The killers describe the woman as a traitor, an indication that they are Anglophone separatists.

Cameroon authorities confirmed that a woman was beheaded on Tuesday in the southwestern town of Muyuka. It was the thirteenth such slaying in the last week in Cameroons restive English-speaking regions.

Last Friday, another woman was beheaded on video in the northwestern town of Bamenda. Her killers, seen in the video on social media, claim she was seen with a Cameroon military officer sent to fight the rebels.

Christopher Bela, of the Bamenda-based Cameroon Rights Group, says such barbaric killings are becoming more common in the separatist conflict.

"The people of the Northwest and Southwest have been hoping that someone will come in and solve the Anglophone problem [separatist crisis]. They are tired and they would like to have peace. Everyone wants peace. We are hoping that these killings left and right come to an end so that Cameroonians have peace," he said.

In Bamenda this week two teachers were also killed  one was shot and the other stabbed to death.

The rebels, who want independence from Cameroons French-speaking majority, see teachers as targets for pushing Francophone dominance on the English-speaking regions.

Cameroon authorities say the rebels are also targeting aid workers and have killed three in the past week.

On August 7, Tanjoh Christopher, a pastor and aid worker with Community Initiative for Sustainable Development, was killed in the northwestern town of Batibo. Country director for the foreign aid group Plan International Cameroon, Miriam Castaneda, condemned the attacks.

"We ascribe to the humanitarian principles of neutrality, impartiality and independence. So, it is sad and painful that these things happen, however, we need to continue to promote the humanitarian principles," she said. "The only thing that we can do is to continue to be optimistic that the situation will improve and continue to work with the people that need us so much."

FILE - Governor Deben Tchoffo visited the Presbyterian school where 80 students and their principal were kidnapped in Bafut, near Bamenda, Cameroon, Nov. 5, 2018.

Governor of the English-speaking Northwest region Deben Tchoffo says the rebels are attacking soft targets because they are getting weaker.

"Those who are trying to disrupt public order in the Northwest Region are going to face the might of our security forces [military]," said Tchoffo.

Separatists spokesperson Capo Daniel admits that some fighters have attacked civilians. But he claims most of the attacks are by government-created armed groups to give the rebels a bad image.

"In Bambili [town] where a human rights worker was arrested [abducted], we actually dismissed the soldier [fighter] and we made it public. But the population has to also understand that there are traitors who have received money from the Cameroon military to carry out atrocities," said Daniel, speaking in a message shared on social media.

Cameroons military has strongly denied any involvement in targeting civilians and aid workers.

FILE - Members of the Cameroonian Rapid Intervention Force patrol, March 21, 2019, on the outskirt of Mosogo in the far north region of the country where Boko Haram jihadist have been active since 2013.

The United States Embassy in Yaounde on Tuesday condemned the killing of aid workers and called for investigations to find and punish the guilty.

The United Nations says Cameroons four-year separatist conflict has left over 3,000 people dead and half a million displaced.
FILE PHOTO: Bourke Street mall is seen devoid of people after Melbourne re-entered lockdown to curb a resurgence of COVID-19

By Colin Packham

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia's second-most populous state reported only a small rise in new COVID-19 infections on Tuesday, boosting hopes that case numbers are stabilising after a second wave forced authorities to put the city of Melbourne back into lockdown.

Victoria state, which currently accounts for nearly all of Australia's new cases, detected 331 COVID-19 infections and 19 deaths in the past 24 hours, up from 322 infections and the same number of fatalities a day earlier, health officials said.

Daily infections in Victoria peaked at 725 on Aug. 5 and have been trending lower in recent days, following the imposition of a hard lockdown in Melbourne on July 19.

While the lockdown has caused significant economic harm, authorities said the restrictions that will run until September are bearing fruit.

"We continue to see numbers coming down. Exactly how long that takes and to what the lowest number is we can get to, only time will tell," Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews told reporters in Melbourne.

New South Wales state reported 22 new cases, the biggest one-day rise since April 17.

About a third of those cases were linked to an outbreak at a school in Sydney, the source of which remained unknown, NSW health officials said.

"It's not always possible to determine the source and that's what worries us most," NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard said.

No other cases were reported elsewhere in Australia. The country has confirmed almost 22,000 infections and 332 deaths from COVID-19, far fewer than many other developed nations.

Still, Australia was recording less than 20 new cases a day as recently as June, when lockdowns were eased.

Quarantine breaches in Victoria are believed to be the source of the state's second wave.

Victorian Premier Andrews appeared as a witness on Tuesday at an inquiry into the state's handling of the outbreak.

He said a lack of resources forced the state government to employ private security in hotels used to quarantine people returning to Australia from overseas.

Story continues

Victoria is cut off from the rest of Australia's states and territories, which have closed their borders to residents of places deemed to be virus hotspots.

The remote Northern Territory said it would keep its borders closed for at least 18 months.

(Reporting by Renju Jose and Colin Packham; Editing by Richard Pullin and Stephen Coates)
New Delhi:

JNU students on Sunday night took out a candlelight march on the campus in protest against alleged political shielding of students involved in a scuffle with missing M.Sc student Najeeb Ahmed.

The protest march is against shameless tokenism in the name of punishment against Najeebs assaulters, said JNU Students Union (JNUSU) president Mohit Pandey.

Four students involved in the scuffle at Mahi-Mandvi hostel of JNU on October 14 night, that allegedly led to the mysterious disappearance of Najeeb, have been identified and their immediate transfer from the hostel has been recommended in a Proctorial Board enquiry by the university administration.

What is more shameful and disgusting, that the JNU admin, after two months of Najeebs disappearance, has shown heights of tokenism in the name of punishment against Najeebs assaulters, JNUSU said in a statement.

The march by students started from Ganga dhaba. Najeeb had gone missing on October 15 following the scuffle allegedly with ABVP members the night before.

Delhi Police is trying to trace Najeeb but it has not been able to make any breakthrough even though a reward of Rs 10 lakh was announced by it for any information about him.

The case was initially handled by a special investigation team of south Delhi Police but later handed over to the forces Crime Branch. The mysterious disappearance and failure of police to trace him has led to protests by JNU students and various political outfits.

The mother and sister of the missing student also participated in these protests with several political leaders including Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal slamming police for not being able to trace him.

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SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Wonolo , the leading platform disrupting the temporary staffing industry, today released a survey showing that 61% of hourly workers will resume working if Congress doesn't extend the weekly $600 unemployment stimulus bonus.

The report, based on a survey of about 650 gig workers in early August, also shows that many hourly workers (32%) applied for unemployment benefits in the last month but only about half (17%) have actually received benefits.

What isn't clear is what hourly workers will do for childcare when they return to work. Most workers (60%) revealed they don't expect to send their children back to school/daycare until 2021. And 41% said they're spending more on childcare now than they were last year.

"As the government continues to debate economic relief options and states grapple with whether schools are safe to open, workers are left in limbo," said Yong Kim, Wonolo's Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder. "All this, at a time when many businesses including food-production companies, firms supplying grocery stores, and many other essential businesses want more workers and are willing to pay more to get them in the door. Flexible work options, such as those available through Wonolo, are critical right now because flexibility allows people to earn money on their own schedules while balancing childcare needs."

You can read more about the survey here .

Survey Methodology

Wonolo surveyed 649 workers active on Wonolo between Jul. 23 and Aug 6. We asked the workers a range of questions about COVID-19, their economic finances, and barriers to work. Wonolo regularly surveys workers across the country. To see some of our other surveys, please click here .

About Wonolo

Wonolo is an online platform that connects over 500,000 workers  or "Wonoloers"  to retail, e-commerce, distribution, fulfillment, and other types of blue collar, frontline jobs throughout the U.S and has done so since 2014. These "Work Now Locally" opportunities vary widely, from customer service, delivery, and event staffing to food production, warehousing, and manufacturing. Local jobs are broadcast to local Wonoloers via the app and they can start working as soon as the next day. At Wonolo, we are Making Work, WorkTM. Wonolo has more than 100 employees, including in their San Francisco and Nashville headquarters.

CONTACT

Jared Favole, Wonolo

[email protected]

SOURCE Wonolo Inc.

Related Links

wonolo.com


Abu Mohammed al-Golani, leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which is designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the United States, the United Nations and others, has recently made several media appearances in Syrias northwestern province of Idlib.

Since May, Golani has been seen in public places. He has been photographed alongside civilians, patients and tribal leaders, and has visited some residents of displaced camps in Sarmada and Harem.

Most recently, on the third day of Eid al-Adha, which fell on Aug. 2, Golani was seen serving food to customers in one of Idlibs popular restaurants.

The photo sparked controversy among activists of the Syrian revolution on social media. Some Syrian tweeters said Golani was trying to present himself as a leader, touring the markets and checking up on people. They believe the photo was an attempt to increase his popularity.

Some made derisive comments about the photograph, while others believe Golani is doing the right thing, as this will bring him closer to the local community.

Zein al-Hamawi, an activist from the northern Aleppo countryside who is opposed to HTS, said that since his first public appearance, Golani has been seeking power and authority without adhering to a clear or consistent approach.

Hamawi told Al-Monitor, This was evident since Golani split from the Islamic State (IS), pledging allegiance to al-Qaeda only to break from the latter to join a local faction until he merged with factions within HTS and imposed his control on all of them.

Golani had announced in April 2013 his split from IS and joined al-Qaeda, but in July 2016 he defected from al-Qaeda and formed Jabhat Fatah al-Sham before he established Hayat Tahrir al-Sham in 2017.

Following HTS control of Idlib, Golani began to assume the role of the leader of the governorate. In his frequent recent appearances, he tried to emulate the role of presidents and officials in their visits to their people, in a bid to present himself as an uncontested leader, Hamawi said.

HTS seized the province of Idlib in early 2019 after defeating the Nour al-din al-Zenki Movement. It consequently formed the Syrian Salvation Government and banned any faction from interfering in the management of Idlib.

HTS official media offices described Golani as leader in the pictures and video footage showing his tours. This is something new. He is trying to get closer to the community and change their hateful view of HTS, its security apparatus and leader, Hamawi said.

He added that the people of Idlib want to be freed from the HTS-affiliated government and security and viewed Golanis tours and public appearances with cynicism and sarcasm. HTS has been leading a campaign of arrests against anyone who opposes it, including activists and supporters of rival factions.

Khalil al-Muqdad, a Syrian researcher at the opposition Orient News website, told Al-Monitor, Golani wants to convey a message that he is a son of Syria and its revolution and that he does not fear to appear in public as HTS controls the area. He wants to show that he is following up on peoples hardships and concerns in the camps and cities and even with the tribes.

Muqdad said, HTS is not an oppressive faction. On the contrary, it is open to dialogue and to all parties. Golani also wants to convey that HTS enjoys the love and trust of the people who unanimously agree that it is capable of controlling the security situation and protecting the international highways, M4 and M5. These are messages to Turkey, Russia and Iran alike.

Joint Russian-Turkish patrols have been ongoing on the strategic M4 highway linking the country's east and west under a cease-fire reached in March. Muqdad believes the patrols are conducted in coordination with HTS, which prevents civilians and armed factions from undermining their operation.

According to Muqdad, Turkey seems very satisfied with HTS policy.

HTS was and is still in coordination with Turkey. In my opinion, the public relations campaign by Golani would not have taken place without the green light from Turkey, which is keen on keeping the de-escalation agreement in place and not disrupting traffic on the M4 and M5 highways, he said.

Muqdad noted, Golani is reassured that things are going the way he wants since the presence of jihadist groups in the area is a guarantee that he wont be targeted as he is the right man to take control of the situation and the thousands of fighters. Should this happen, international and regional agreements and understandings might collapse, especially with the proliferation of weapons and the possibility of opening new fronts against [President Bashar] al-Assads regime and Russia.

Mohammad al-Omar, a media activist close to HTS, told Al-Monitor, Golanis public appearances aim to reassure and get closer to the people and to prove to everyone that the people in Idlib are well and living normally. Golani presents himself as a strong leader and knows how to score points.

Ahmad Hassan, a journalist from Idlib currently residing in Turkey, told Al-Monitor, Golani believes that the next stage will be a shift from interim projects to stable projects, referring to Golanis ambition to lead a party that could play a role in Syrian politics in the future. This is why he is trying to promote himself as a man with significant local influence. He is trying to convey a message that HTS is undergoing changes in its political project and is no longer a jihadist faction but is heading toward the Syrian political sphere. This message is to be conveyed at home and abroad.

There are, however, doubts about HTS and Golanis ability to keep in check the fundamentalist factions within HTS and in line with his [political] project, Hassan said.

Of note, Jusoor for Studies, a Syrian independent institution based in Turkey, conducted a study on the reasons behind Golanis public appearances and concluded that HTS leader is trying to highlight his movements democratic characteristics.

HTS wants to present its leader in a different light  different from the claims that Golani wants to remain hidden from his people and that he does not care about their concerns. HTS wants to promote Golani as a leader in harmony with his people  a leader who visits camps and tries to offer help, guides and plays with children, and is close to the clans and tribes and is aware of their presence, the report said.
Ramada Hotel & Suites by Wyndham Dubai JBR has launched an unbeatable offer that lets families enjoy the rest of the summer holiday without breaking the bank.

Guests can enjoy a comfortable stay in a spacious deluxe room for as low as AED299/ ($81.3) per night inclusive of breakfast for two adults and two children below six years old. On top of a relaxing break, they will also receive free tickets for four people at Laguna Waterpark, The Green Planet, or Roxy Cinemas as part of the staycation package.

This offer can be availed by UAE residents until September 30. The tickets at the above mentioned attractions are valid for 14 days from the date of check-in.

The rate is inclusive of taxes; tourism dirham fee per room per night applies. Hotel terms and conditions apply. - TradeArabia News Service
ALTON  A landlord with a long history of brushes with housing officials has filed suit against Alton Director of Building, Housing and Zoning Terry Buhs, claiming Buhs is harassing him.

In the suit, Jim Bailey, who for years has owned several rental properties around Alton, claims Buhs falsely told a prospective tenant there were charges pending against Bailey for criminal housing management, which Bailey denies.

Buhs declined to comment.

The suit was filed on Baileys behalf by attorney Thomas G. Maag of Wood River. The suit is against Buhs individually and not in his official capacity.

Baileys suit states Buhs, a former police officer, carries a gun on his hip contrary to the Illinois Concealed Carry law. Bailey claims the gun is to harass and intimidate people, including the plaintiff.

In the suit, Bailey claims a subordinate of Buhs told a prospective tenant the house would not qualify for an occupancy permit becasue there were too many prospective tenants for the size of the house. He also allegedly told the prospective tenant that Bailey was charged with criminal housing management, which caused a breach in the rental agreement.

Bailey is asking for at least $50,000 in damages. He claims Buhs has said there was human waste flowing like a river in one of Baileys dwellings. That claim is false, Bailey charges.

Bailey has been cited for dozens of alleged code violations as far back as 1995. The citations are for such alleged violations as high weeds and brush, sagging roof, illegal occupancy and junk and trash. Many of the citations were dropped as Bailey complied with the ordinance.
The entry to Uber's current headquarters in downtown San Francisco. (Eric Risberg / Associated Press)

The ride-hailing service Uber seems determined to rewrite the dictionary definition of "bully" to read: "Uber."

That's the obvious conclusion to draw from its threat, made publicly by Chief Executive Dara Khosrowshahi and in state court by its lawyers on Wednesday, to shut down its operations in California for at least a few months and possibly for more than a year.

Uber's threat was provoked by a court ruling issued Monday by a San Francisco state judge, ordering the company to immediately classify its California drivers as employees, rather than independent contractors.

[Uber will] almost certainly have no choice but to shut down ... completely in California for a minimum of several months.

Uber court declaration

("Immediately" is a bit flexible here; the judge stayed his order to Uber and Lyft, another ride-hailing firm, for 10 days in case they wanted to appeal, which Uber has now done.)

In a response to the court order filed Wednesday, Uber says that reclassifying its drivers would "fundamentally restructure its business. And that cannot be done overnight." The company will "almost certainly have no choice but to shut down ... completely in California for a minimum of several months."

In a court declaration, one of Uber's top executives says the company is "is not set up to onboard and manage drivers as classified employees."

Lyft also has threatened to suspend operations in California if it doesn't obtain relief from the court order. The firm issued the threat during a conference call Wednesday on its second-quarter earnings, but hasn't backed it up with a court filing, as of this writing.

Uber made its claims as backup to a request to the San Francisco judge, Ethan P. Schulman, to stay his order indefinitely, or until an appeals court can consider the matter. So it's up to Schulman, for the moment.

Uber is asking for a Thursday hearing, but Schulman earlier considered a request from Uber to grant a longer stay, and rejected it.

Story continues

If Uber's threat were directed at, say Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra or the city attorneys of Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco who brought the lawsuit against Uber and Lyft that prompted the court order, however, we'd say that the regulators' response would be clear: Call Uber's bluff.

Is Uber really prepared to shut down its operations in California for any number of months? Possibly, but consider the impact on its business: Los Angeles and San Francisco are two of the five largest markets for the ride-hailing service, according to its financial disclosures.

The others are Chicago, New York and London; the five markets account for a total of 23% of its gross ride bookings, which totaled some $10.7 billion in 2019.

But a few other points need to be made about Uber's representations.

First, it should be remembered that the issue in the state lawsuit is whether Uber and Lyft should be required to comply with Assembly Bill 5, the 2019 law that requires that workers such as drivers for ride-hailing companies be brought on as employees and granted all the benefits that employees generally receive.

Those include a minimum wage, overtime pay, workers compensation, the right to form a union, and protection by antidiscrimination and paid sick leave laws, among other benefits. "Independent contractors" don't get any of that, and Uber drivers have to pay for their own fuel, auto maintenance, insurance and other expenses themselves.

Uber talks as though the court order was a bolt from the blue. The firm suggests that it will have to start just this minute to gin up all the technological and human-resources arrangements necessary to convert its drivers to employee status. Its "various steps ... will require at least several months and potentially up to a year to complete," according to its executive, Brad Rosenthal.

Is this plausible?

The prospect that Uber might have to reclassify its drivers as employees has been evident since April 30, 2018. That's the day the California Supreme Court issued standards for how to designate an employee rather than an independent contractor.

Although Uber and Lyft weren't parties to the case, the ruling made it crystal clear that their business model was at issue. AB 5 merely codified the Supreme Court ruling, but it was signed into law on Sept. 18, 2019, and made effective as of Jan. 1, 2020.

In other words, what was Uber waiting for? Did it really not lift a finger to prepare for the eventuality that its business model might change? This couldn't have been a surprise.

Indeed, in its very first annual report as a public company, issued in February, the company acknowledged that it "may not be successful in defending the classification of Drivers" as independent contractors, and that if it failed, the outcome "could be material to our business."

Failing to get ready for an adverse outcome bespeaks an amazing level of dereliction at the top. Uber says that classifying drivers as employees will require it "to build a human resource information system to track and manage drivers" and "hire hundreds of HR representatives, recruiters, finance and accounting staff, and management personnel to supervise drivers."

Then it will have to "train and orient" drivers, and "prepare, issue, and update employee handbooks, manuals, and required policies."

You mean Uber doesn't provide any training or policy directives to drivers now? Isn't that a danger to passengers?

In any case, Schulman, the San Francisco judge, felt that any expenses the companies incurred as a result of employee classification were either the justifiable costs of complying with state law, or their own fault.

Schulman accused the companies of a prolonged and brazen refusal to comply with California law," and stated, It is high time that they face up to their responsibilities to their workers and to the public.

One other thing. Rosenthal in his declaration tries to slip a fastball past the judge. He says Uber is "not set up to ... provide transportation services."

This is a reference to the company's position that it's not a "transportation" company, but merely a technology company whose drivers and passengers use its app to connect.

Schulman aptly called this claim "nonsense." He wrote, To state the obvious, drivers are central, not tangential, to Uber and Lyfts entire ride-hailing business. That's always been true, and still is.
A lovelorn American woman is desperate to find the 'one who got away' - a mystery Welshman she met in a bar.

Kate Lefler, 23, bumped into a man named Adam when her US Navy supply ship docked in Plymouth, Devon, in 2018.

Ms Lefler - who was with the US Coastguard - said 'sparks flew' between the pair - but she accidentally gave him the wrong number during their fleeting encounter.

Adam, who was in his 30s and said he was from Wales, had gone out to the Rust and Royal bar in the town while visiting his friend Mac.

Lovelorn American Kate Lefler, 23, (pictured) is desperate to find the 'one who got away' - a mystery Welshman she met in a bar

Ms Lefler believes Adam may have been part of the Royal Marines and she is desperate to find him.

Ms Lefler, who now lives in Maryland, said: 'He kissed me goodnight and we were planning on seeing each other the next day.

'When a text never came I started to realise I never put my area code in with my number in his phone.'

She has spent two years wondering about what might have been and is desperate to rekindle the relationship.

Her family and friends have encouraged her to continue the search for her potentially-perfect match.

Adam, who was in his 30s and said he was from Wales, had gone out to the Rust and Royal bar in the town while visiting his friend Mac. Pictured: Mac on the night Ms Lefler (right) met Adam

She said: 'I know there's a chance Adam may not be single anymore but I thought it's best that I at least try.

'We met April 6, 2018 at Rust and Royal, we stayed there for a while and then went to a club in the Barbican, and then a diner at the end of the night and parted ways.'

Ms Lefler has now created an Instagram account in a bid to identify Adam and track him down.

She also wrote to the bar online.

She said: 'My name is Kate and this is going to sound crazy, but I was at your bar about two years ago and I met two really fun guys named Mac and Adam.

'I was there with a group of friends on a Navy supply ship that was in port for a few days and we came to your bar the first night we were in Plymouth.

Ms Lefler also wrote to the bar (pictured) online. She said: 'My name is Kate and this is going to sound crazy, but I was at your bar about two years ago and I met two really fun guys named Mac and Adam'

Are you Adam from Wales? Email jemma.carr@mailonline.co.uk Advertisement

'We met Mac and Adam and Adam really fancied me. We instantly had sparks fly and enjoyed a few drinks at Rust &Royal. He was in town visiting his buddy Mac, who lived nearby.

'This may be a shot in the dark, but because I had a few drinks I failed to properly give my phone number to Adam. And unfortunately never saw him again.'

She continued: 'Like I said, this may sound crazy, but even after two years I can't but feel like he was the one who got away.

'And all I have if his first named, his friend Mac's name, a picture of Mac with my friend and I and the date we were there.

'Hopefully whoever sees this believes in fairy tales and love at first sight. And if not.. I can just be the crazy American girl trying to find Adam.'
The crime of capital murder is one of the most serious offences on the Irish statute books carrying a minimum sentence of 40 years imprisonment.

It legislates specifically for gardai, or prison officers, who are murdered in the course of their duty.

For a conviction under capital murder the intent of killing or causing serious harm must be proven as well as that the person knew, or was reckless to the fact, that the victim was a garda.

However, despite several officers being shot dead or killed in the course of their duty in recent decades, the last capital murder conviction was 35 years ago.

That case involved another man from the same small Armagh town on the Border as Aaron Brady.

Crossmaglen man Michael McHugh was one of two raiders involved in the cold-blooded murder of Sgt Patrick Morrisey near Tallanstown, Louth, on June 27, 1985.

The two men had just robbed a local labour exchange when they were being pursued by the unarmed garda sergeant.

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McHugh turned on Sgt Morrisey, shooting him in the leg and, while he lay injured on the ground, approached him and fired a fatal shot into his head.

The killer and his co-accused, Castleblayney man Noel Callan, were later sentenced to death by hanging but their sentences were later commuted to 40 years imprisonment without parole by President Patrick Hillery.

In 2013 they won a Supreme Court case entitling them to the standard 25pc remission afforded to other prisoners and they were released in 2015 after serving 30 years.

The mandatory sentencing for capital murder had been introduced as part of the Criminal Justice Act of 1990 by then Justice Minister Ray Burke. The act also abolished the death penalty which remained in place for capital crimes.

Ray Burke said that civilians may become a victim of murder for a myriad of reprehensible motives including passion, revenge and avarice.

He said the risk of this happening was relatively remote and a matter of fate.

The Justice Minister said, however, that gardai and prison officers are brought into frequent contact with violent people through their duty to protect the public and as a result cannot simply choose to avoid danger.

Mr Burke said this group deserve the utmost protection we can give them and that we must rely heavily on deterrence to protect them.

He acknowledged it was a harsh sentence but that he could not say a lesser sentence would be adequate, and that his primary responsibility was to provide the maximum protection for the lives of those who serve society and not for those who do mischief.

There was some opposition to the bill and Deputy Pat McCartan of the Workers Party, who later became a Circuit Court judge, said he was not happy at all with the mandatory sentence and that the 40-year sentence without remission is as barbaric as the penalty of death and far too severe.
Balbir Singh Sidhu

Chandigarh: In view of the rising cases of coronavirus in Punjab, Health & Family Welfare Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu has issued orders for complete ban on departmental transfers and leave till September 30, 2020 with immediate effect.

Balbir Singh Sidhu

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Giving information about this Balbir Singh Sidhu said that this decision has been taken keeping in view the present situation of Covid-19.

He said that it has been observed that all the officers/medical-staff/para-medical staff has to be remained present at their stations to deal with the fight against Corona in a more efficient manner.

CoronavirusNo leave will be given to any officer/employee during this period and leave will be given only in case of maternity leave and child care leave due to urgent reasons.

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Sidhu said that apart from the regular officers/employees, this order would be applicable to all the employees working on contract/outsourcing basis in various wings/institutions of Health and Family Welfare Department.
Officers linked to high-profile probes in the 2018 Elgar Parishad case, the 2020 Delhi riots case, the murder of rationalists in Maharashtra and Karnataka between 2013 and 2017 and the 2019 Muzaffarpur shelter home abuse case were among 121 recipients of the Union Home Ministers Medal for Excellence in Investigation for 2020 announced on Wednesday.

The officers include 15 people from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), 10 each from Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra, eight from Uttar Pradesh, and seven each from Kerala and West Bengal, a Union home ministry statement said. Rajnath Singh introduced the medal in 2018 when he was the Union home minister to promote professional standards in investigations and to recognise excellence by investigating officers.

CBI additional superintendent, Subhash Ramrup Singh, was awarded for his role in finding the pistol suspected to have been used in rationalist Narendra Dabholkars 2013 murder from the Arabian sea this year with the help of Norwegian divers. The ballistic report of the pistol is pending. Singh also investigated murders of writer MM Kalburgi (killed in 2015), journalist Gauri Lankesh (killed in 2017), and politician Govind Pansare (killed in 2015). Investigating agencies have claimed that all the murders were linked.

Delhi Police deputy commissioner, Rajesh Deo, who is investigating cases related to the Delhi riots in February, was another recipient. Among the cases he is handling is one involving Jawaharlal Nehru University student Sharjeel Imam, who is jail on sedition charges for allegedly inciting people at anti-Citizenship (Amendment) Act protests.

Deo was in the news before the 2020 Delhi assembly elections when the Election Commission (EC) barred him from poll duty after he was quoted in the media linking a riot accused to a political party. The EC called the comments uncalled for and said they have consequences for holding of free and fair elections. Deo is also investigating the fire at Delhis Anaj Mandi in December that left at least 45 people dead.

Pune assistant commissioner Shivaji Pawar was one of the awardees from Maharashtra. Pawar was the investigating officer in the Elgar Parishad case when the Pune (city) police was leading the probe into the violence that broke out in Bhima Koregaon village on January 1, 2018. Pawar led the team that carried out nationwide searches and arrested left-leaning activists, and filed charge sheets arguing that the activists were conspiring with Maoists to fuel violence. The probe is now being carried out by the National Investigation Agency.

Another CBI officer Vibha Kumari, who probed Bihars Muzaffarpur shelter home abuse scandal, was also among the awardees. The evidence Kumari gathered led to the conviction of the main accused in the case, Brajesh Thakur, and 11 others. All 12 were sentenced to life imprisonment in February this year.

CBIs superintendent Cephas Kalyan Pakerla from Hyderabad was awarded the medal for his investigation into the i-Monetary Advisory scam. As part of the scam, a large number of investors were allegedly duped in the name of higher returns using Islamic banking methods.
The principal and founder of an Islamic college synonymous with one of Melbournes largest COVID-19 outbreaks says references to an "Al-Taqwa cluster" are misleading, unfairly damage the school's reputation and fuel prejudice.

Al-Taqwa College, a large faith-based school in Truganina, a western suburb of Melbourne at the centre of Victoria's second wave of the pandemic, has been linked to 185 cases of coronavirus and closed to classroom teaching for nearly seven weeks.

Al-Taqwa college in Truganina. Credit:Joe Armao

Principal Omar Hallak said that despite Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews, government health officials and journalists repeatedly referring to an Al-Taqwa outbreak, relatively few cases appear to have been transmitted inside the school grounds.

"There is a lot of worry and fear in the Victorian community at the moment and we understand this," Mr Hallak told The Age. "Sadly, some people with extreme views have sent ugly messages to the college and posted on social media. Our families see these things and it gives them pain.
Joe Biden and Kamala Harris lauded each other on Tuesday as the presidential hopeful selected the California senator as his running mate, but their relationship has already been put to the test, especially during heated debates in 2019.

In choosing Harris, Biden is embracing a former rival from the Democratic primary who is familiar with the unique rigor of a national campaign.

Harris launched her presidential campaign in early 2019 with the slogan 'Kamala Harris For the People,' a reference to her courtroom work. She was one of the highest-profile contenders in a crowded Democratic primary and attracted 20,000 people to her first campaign rally in Oakland.

One standout moment of her presidential campaign came at the expense of Biden on June 27, 2019.

During the debate, she said Biden made 'very hurtful' comments about his past work with segregationist senators James Eastland and Herman Talmadge, and slammed his opposition to busing as schools began to integrate in the 1970s.

'I do not believe you are racist,' Harris told Biden at the time. 'But I also believe, and it is personal  it was hurtful to hear you talk about the reputations of two United States senators who built their reputations and careers on the segregation of race in this country.

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One standout moment of her presidential campaign came at the expense of Biden in 2019. During the debate, she said Biden made 'hurtful' comments about his work with segregationist senators and slammed his opposition to busing as schools began to integrate in the 1970s

Shaken by the attack, Biden called her comments 'a mischaracterization of my position'

'It is not only that, but you also worked with them to oppose busing,' she continued.

'There was a little girl in California who was a part of the second class to integrate her public schools, and she was bused to school every day,' she said. 'And that little girl was me.'

Shaken by the attack, Biden called her comments 'a mischaracterization of my position'.

The exchange resurfaced recently with a report that one of Biden's closest friends and a co-chair of his vice presidential vetting committee, former Connecticut Sen Chris Dodd, still harbors concerns about the debate and that Harris hadn't expressed regret.

The comments attributed to Dodd and first reported by Politico drew condemnation, especially from influential Democratic women who said Harris was being held to a standard that wouldn't apply to a man running for president.

Some Biden confidants said Harris' debate attack did irritate the former vice president, who had a friendly relationship with her.

Harris was also close with Biden's late son, Beau, who served as Delaware attorney general while she held the same post in California.

Eventually, the senator withdrew from the race in December 2019 because she struggled to land on a consistent message that resonated with voters.

Earlier that year, Harris also told reporters that she believed the women who came forward to say Biden made them uncomfortable with unwanted touching.

'I believe them, and I respect them being able to tell their story and having the courage to do it,' Harris said on April 3, 2019.

But Biden and Harris have since returned to a warm relationship.

Biden and Harris have since returned to a warm relationship. 'Joe has empathy, he has a proven track record of leadership and more than ever before we need a president of the United States who understands who the people are...,' Harris said at an event for Biden earlier this summer

She will appear with Biden for the first time as his running mate at an event Wednesday near his home in Wilmington, Delaware

'Joe has empathy, he has a proven track record of leadership and more than ever before we need a president of the United States who understands who the people are, sees them where they are, and has a genuine desire to help and knows how to fight to get us where we need to be,' Harris said at an event for Biden earlier this summer.

At the same event, she bluntly assailed President Donald Trump, labeling him a 'drug pusher' for his promotion of the unproven and much-questioned malaria drug hydroxychloroquine as a treatment for the coronavirus.

After Trump tweeted 'when the looting starts, the shooting starts' in response to protests about George Floyd, a Black man who died while in police custody, Harris said his remarks 'yet again show what racism looks like'.

The 55-year-old first-term senator, who is also of South Asian descent, is one of the party's most prominent figures. She quickly became a top contender for the No. 2 spot after her own White House campaign ended.

She will appear with Biden for the first time as his running mate at an event Wednesday near his home in Wilmington, Delaware.

In announcing the pick, Biden called Harris a 'fearless fighter for the little guy, and one of the country's finest public servants'.

Harris said Biden would 'unify the American people' and 'build an America that lives up to our ideals.'

Harris joins Biden at a moment of unprecedented national crisis. The coronavirus pandemic has claimed the lives of more than 160,000 people in the US, far more than the toll experienced in other countries.

Business closures and disruptions resulting from the pandemic have caused severe economic problems. Unrest, meanwhile, has emerged across the country as Americans protest racism and police brutality.

Trump's uneven handling of the crises has given Biden an opening, and he enters the fall campaign in a strong position against the president.

In adding Harris to the ticket, he can point to her relatively centrist record on issues such as health care and her background in law enforcement in the nation's largest state.

President Donald Trump told reporters on Tuesday he was 'a little surprised' that Biden picked Harris, pointing to their debate stage disputes during the primary. Trump, who has donated to her previous campaigns, argued she was 'about the most liberal person in the US Senate'

The president told reporters on Tuesday he was 'a little surprised' that Biden picked Harris, pointing to their debate stage disputes during the primary.

Trump, who has donated to her previous campaigns, argued she was 'about the most liberal person in the US Senate'.

'I would have thought that Biden would have tried to stay away from that a little bit,' he said.

Harris's record as California attorney general and district attorney in San Francisco was heavily scrutinized during the Democratic primary and turned away some liberals and younger Black voters who saw her as out of step on issues of racism in the legal system and police brutality.

She declared herself a 'progressive prosecutor' who backs law enforcement reforms.

Biden, who spent eight years as President Barack Obama's vice president, has spent months weighing who would fill that same role in his White House.

He pledged in March to select a woman as his vice president, easing frustration among Democrats that the presidential race would center on two white men in their 70s.

Biden's search was expansive, including Massachusetts Sen Elizabeth Warren, a leading progressive, Florida Rep Val Demings, whose impeachment criticism of Trump won party plaudits, California Rep Karen Bass, who leads the Congressional Black Caucus, former Obama national security adviser Susan Rice and Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, whose passionate response to unrest in her city garnered national attention.

A woman has never served as president or vice president in the United States. Hillary Clinton was the Democratic presidential nominee in 2016.

Two women have been nominated as running mates on major party tickets: Democrat Geraldine Ferraro in 1984 and Republican Sarah Palin in 2008. Their parties lost in the general election.

The vice presidential pick carries increased significance this year. If elected, Biden would be 78 when inaugurated in January, the oldest man to ever assume the presidency.

He's spoken of himself as a transitional figure and hasn't fully committed to seeking a second term in 2024.

Harris, born in 1964 to a Jamaican father and Indian mother, spent much of her formative years in Berkeley, California. She has often spoken of the deep bond she shared with her mother, whom she has called her single biggest influence.

Harris won her first election in 2003 when she became San Franciscos district attorney. In that post, she created a reentry program for low-level drug offenders and cracked down on student truancy.

She was elected California's attorney general in 2010, the first woman and Black person to hold the job, and focused on issues including the foreclosure crisis. She declined to defend the state's Proposition 8, which banned same-sex marriage and was later overturned by the US Supreme Court.

After being elected to the Senate in 2016, she quickly gained attention for her assertive questioning of Trump administration officials during congressional hearings.

Harris has taken a tougher stand on policing since Floyd's killing. She co-sponsored legislation in June that would ban police from using chokeholds and no-knock warrants, set a national use-of-force standard and create a national police misconduct registry, among other things.

It would also reform the qualified immunity system that shields officers from liability.

The list in the legislation included practices Harris did not vocally fight to reform while leading California's Department of Justice.

And while she now wants independent investigations of police shootings, she didn't support a 2015 California bill that would have required her office to take on such cases.

'We made progress, but clearly we are not at the place yet as a country where we need to be and California is no exception,' she told The Associated Press recently. The national focus on racial injustice now, she said, shows 'there's no reason that we have to continue to wait'.
Male of Thoropa taophora. Sununga beach, Ubatuba, SP, Brazil. Credit: Fabio de Sa

A species of frog from the Brazilian rainforest has become the first amphibian shown to live in a harem, where one male mates with two females who remain loyal to him.

So-called polygyny is thought to be the most common mating system among animals and has previously been found in bony fishes, reptiles, mammals, birds, and even some invertebrates, Fabio de Sa, a zoologist at Universidade Estadual de Campinas, told AFP.

De Sa was the first author of a new paper that appeared in Science Advances on Wednesday which now shows that polgyny is present in all tetrapods, or four-legged animals.

Animal mating systems exist on a continuum between polygamywhich is associated with an earlier stage in evolutionand monogamy, which arises when the young of a species require intense parental investment.

Polygyny tends to occur when males are forced to compete with one another for females and for patchy environmental resources such as water and food.

De Sa and colleagues decided to investigate whether Thoropa taophora, a species of frog found in Brazil's Atlantic rainforest that is known to be polygamous in areas of plenty, might exhibit polygny under the right circumstances.

Thumb combat

These frogs favor rocks and have a reddish-brown coloration that helps them blend in with their surroundings.

The males have long spines that are attached to their thumbs which they use in combat.

Paternal care on eggs in Thoropa taophora. Sununga beach, Ubatuba, SP, Brazil. Credit: Celio Haddad

The team recorded the frogs at rocky outcrops on the edge of the rainforest where there are relatively few freshwater breeding sites or "seeps" available to them and they are more exposed to the Sun.

Sure enough, the resource-poor setting had an impact.

Males patrolled their breeding sites and emitted aggressive calls to ward off intruders, and remained close to their eggs and tadpoles to protect them.

When other male invaders ignored their warnings, they pounced on them with jump attacks, kicks, and used their thumb spines to grapple and throw their opponents.

Long term relationship

The team found that the males bred with only two femalesmostly with one dominant but also with a secondary.

The dominant females would try to induce mating by responding to male courtships calls with their own vocalizations.

They would also approach males and position themselves under them, simulating amplexus or the mating position of frogs where the male grasps the female from behind.

While this was going on, secondary females stood aside motionless.

Juvenile, tadpole, and eggs of Thoropa taophora. Picinguaba beach, Ubatuba, SP, Brazil. Credit: Celio Haddad

Females sometimes also triggered mating by cannibalizing some of the male's eggs.

Most of the time the male would chase the female away to stop her, but sometimes, if she was a dominant female, he would also mate with her, which would lead to the creation of new eggs carrying her genes.

The team confirmed what they saw in the video by studying the genetic material from the seeps, finding that the tadpoles were all half-siblings from the same father and one of either two mothersthough the dominant females bred far more.

The presence of much older tadpoles from the same parents confirmed that the mating relationships were long term.

The arrangement seemed to have clear advantages for both sexes.

The males need to prevent other males from using their hard-to-come-by breeding sites, and it is advantageous to diversify the gene pool by having multiple mates.

"The advantage for the female is it's better to have a good quality male and a good quality breeding site sharing it with another femalerather than being exposed and not finding another frog or finding a lower quality frog," added De Sa.

The setting also elicited female-female competition, which is rare among frogs: the dominant females actually responded to male calls, and seemed to push out the secondary females during courtship.

Explore further Male treefrogs get the jump on rivals

More information: F.P. de Sa el al., "Unexpected reproductive fidelity in a polygynous frog," Science Advances (2020). Journal information: Science Advances F.P. de Sa el al., "Unexpected reproductive fidelity in a polygynous frog,"(2020). advances.sciencemag.org/lookup  .1126/sciadv.aay1539

 2020 AFP
Responding with scepticism to Russia's approval of a COVID-19 vaccine, several scientists around the world, including in India, suggest it hasn't been tested properly given the time constraint and there may not be enough evidence to prove its efficacy.

IMAGE: A scientist prepares samples during the research and development of a vaccine against the coronavirus disease at a laboratory in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Photograph: Anton Vaganov/Reuters

Announcing the "breakthrough" on Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin vouched for the safety and efficacy of the vaccine, named Sputnik V, and said one of his daughters has already received a shot.

While the country hopes to start mass-producing the vaccine by October and plans to offer the first doses to essential workers, many in the science community seem unimpressed.

The announcement should be taken "with a pinch of salt", said Indian immunologist Vineeta Bal.

"Unless some data are out in the open for people to see, including clinical trial phases and numbers, it is hard to believe that vaccine efficacy studies are successfully conducted between June 2020 and August 2020," said Bal, an immunologist from the Indian Institute of Science, Education and Research in Pune.

"Are they talking about controlled human challenge studies? If yes, that evidence is also useful to examine protective efficacy," she noted.

Florian Krammer, a professor at the US-based Mount Sinai's Icahn School of Medicine, questioned the safety of the vaccine.

"Not sure what Russia is up to, but I certainly would not take a vaccine that hasn't been tested in phase 3. Nobody knows if it's safe or if it works. They are putting health care workers and their population at risk," Krammer said on Twitter.

Indian immunologist Satyajit Rath agreed with Krammer.

Russian authorities seem to be depending on the generation of 'neutralising' antibodies in Phase 2 clinical trials for deciding that the vaccine candidate works, he said. A neutralising antibody defends a cell from an infectious particle by neutralising any effect it has biologically.



"While this is useful initial information, although even this is not really available in the public domain, it is not evidence of protective efficacy. So effectively they are bringing vaccine candidates into use without actual evidence of efficacy," said the immunologist from New Delhi's National Institute of Immunology.

Describing the vaccine announcement as worrisome, Rath said it may not provide protection and may interfere with subsequent vaccine responses while causing problems for the recipients.

Vaccine testing typically begins with lab and animal model studies before going on to different stages of human trials.

The human testing phase comprises many phases.

Phase 1 trials are small-scale, usually involving a few participants, to assess whether the vaccine is safe for humans.

Phase 2 trials often involve several hundred subjects, and mainly evaluate the efficacy of the vaccine against the disease.

The final, Phase 3, involves thousands of people to further assess the efficacy of the vaccine over a defined period of time, and can last several months.

According to virologist Upasana Ray, the World Health Organisation has asked vaccine developers to follow set guidelines.

"Efficacy is checked in Phase 2 but in a few hundred people or, in other words, in a small group. In Phase 3, this efficacy, safety etc, is checked in a larger group and monitored for infection possibilities. So, yes, finishing Phase 2 is possible but not Phase 3," Ray, a senior scientist at Kolkata's CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, noted.

Even after the vaccine is ready, there are a lot of challenges, including whether the vaccine is effective in all populations, and if it can be used for different strains of the novel coronavirus, which might start mutating as time passes, added E Sreekumar, chief scientific officer at Thiruvananthapuram's Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology.

Experts believe Phase 3 trials are where many promising vaccine candidates falter.

A 2016 study, published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine, that analysed 640 Phase 3 drug trials in the US found that 344, or over 50 per cent, failed.

Ray said Russian authorities might have Phase 1 and 2 results, but completing Phase 3 completion so fast will be hard to believe unless the data is publicly available.

"They started their trials in June. August is yet not even halfway through. How did they finish Phase 3? Maybe they just checked the efficacy i.e. Phase 2 and now starting Phase 3 simultaneously with the release of the vaccine," she said.

If that is the case, Ray said, people must be informed so that those who volunteer to get vaccinated know the facts.

"From Phase 1 to 3, the number of volunteers varies from tens to hundreds to thousands, hence, clearly Phase 3 remains a question mark for Russia's vaccine," said Ray.

According to the WHO, at least six other vaccine candidates -- made by Sinovac, Sinopharm, Pfizer and BioNTech, the University of Oxford with AstraZeneca, and Moderna -- have reached Phase 3 trials globally.

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.
Australians thought they had no hope of travelling abroad this year.

While the only way to leave Australia remains via a government exemption, Indonesias Co-ordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment, Luhut Pandjaitan, is fighting to help us visit Bali for pleasure sooner rather than later.

During an address to the Jakarta Foreign Correspondents Club on Monday, Pandjaitan said Indonesia is in negotiations with Canberra to create a travel bubble with Australia as soon as next month.

Comments made by the Australian government suggest this is absurdly optimistic.

That said: Indonesia is reopening its borders to international visitors in September, and is keen to include Australia  a relatively safe and profitable country to open up too  in the arrangement.

As The Sydney Morning Herald reports, in response to a question about the September plan, Pandjaitan said: Well, yes. I think I heard Australia has a plan to do so [open travel bubbles]. They especially love Bali. We can consider that one.

We negotiate with Australia, we will see what happens. I think what they need from us and what we need from them, we have to negotiate on that. Their standards have to be to the standard of here, because no one can claim they are better than others.

In relation to the floated bali bubble, Australian Tourism Minister Simon Birmingham has advised Australians not to get ahead of themselves.

There is still a way to go in opening up travel with New Zealand, which remains more likely than other countries, he said.

With our international borders expected to remain closed for the foreseeable future, our priority is getting Australians travelling to other parts of Australia, where it is safe to do so.

Especially given the recent COVID setbacks in Victoria and New Zealand, some argue the thought of a Bali bubble (right now) is laughable.

Not to mention: just because Bali may allow Australians entry, the plan would still hinge on the Australian government letting us leave for leisure  which is highly unlikely to be a credible option in September.

Australians were quick to point this out on Twitter, as news of Indonesias Co-ordinating Ministers comments broke.

While a few lusted after a Bali jaunt, many more expressed their contempt for both the Bali bubble idea, and the way it has been reported.

Totally inaccurate, not happening. Sep 11 start date was promoted by the Bali governor, who in scheme of things In international affairs is the equivalent of the Lord Mayor of Hobart. All decisions in Indonesia are made by the federal government in Jakarta.  Sean (@SeanNdutBali) August 12, 2020

Thats one def way to bring it back into australia with a vengeance! one wrote.

Given that youl have to pay for a two week stay in hotel room when you get back you may as well just book a two week stay in a hotel here and have the freedom to move around, commented another.

No way,

Kangaroo Island has more appeal, its pristine with much more to see with wildlife and untouched landscapes. Besides you will be supporting your own economy.  Michael Slattery (@SlatteryNetwork) August 11, 2020

That said, we shouldnt completely write off the plan. As Liam Hayes from the Indonesia-Australia Business Council recently told the Australian Financial Review, Bali (and by extension, Indonesia) is unlikely to give up, as getting Australians back is crucial to its future.

Until the Australian tourists return, Bali cannot be financially successful.

Indonesia has a population of about 270 million people and is believed to have one million cases of coronavirus  significantly higher than Australia, but much lower than America.

Watch this (air) space.

Read Next
iStock/simon2579(WASHINGTON, D.C.) -- Saying the point of creating a vaccine is not about being first, Russia made headlines on Tuesday by being the first country to officially register a COVID-19 vaccine, dubbed Sputnik V, that is reportedly ready for use. However, U.S. health officials are not too confident the vaccine is trustworthy.

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar noted that Russia has not released any scientific data from its early trials and also approved the vaccine before it completed Phase III testing.

Currently, the U.S. is studying six potential vaccines with two already moved on to Phase III -- which requires a large number of volunteers to prove the safety and effectiveness of the treatment, according to the American Cancer Society. Understandably, Phase III takes longer to complete than Phases I and II.

Speaking to Good Morning America Tuesday, Azar cautioned, "The point is not to be first with a vaccine; the point is to have a vaccine that is safe and effective for the American people and the people of the world."

When asked when America will feasibly have an approved vaccine ready to distribute, Azar estimated the country "could have FDA-authorized or approved vaccines by December."

"It will really depend on the speed at which the clinical trials enroll and people are vaccinated and then are exposed to the virus," he added.

In addition, Doctor Anthony Fauci, the nation's leading expert on infectious diseases, also has doubts over Russia's vaccine.

Speaking to ABC News, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases admitted he hopes "the Russians have actually, definitively proven that the vaccine is safe and effective" however "I seriously doubt that they've done that."

Fauci says that's due to Russia approving the vaccine after two months of trials and that Americans should be wary of vaccine news from Russia and China "because we have a way of doing things in this country that we care about safety."

COVID-19 has infected over 20 million people globally and killed nearly 740,000, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
As Dr Manmohan Singh, has always reiterated, the Asian ecosystem has ample space for India and China both to grow together

Workers hang dyed yarn for drying under the sun as seen on the National Handloom Day at a textile mill, in Guntur, Andhra Pradesh. PTI Photo

As Australia draws closer to the US in the name of national security and pursues trade diversification, it risks alienating China, its largest trading partner by far with a crucial role in its economic recovery.

Australia could be replaced by India in that sentence from a recent article in Hong Kongs South China Morning Post newspaper by Yuan Jiang, a Chinese Ph.D. student at Australias Queensland University of Technology. In neither case is there a lucid articulation of why precisely China is feared.

Some of Prime Minister Narendra Modis recent actions might suggest he would like to ban all business with China but lacks the confidence to do so. Restrictions on investment from neighbouring countries -- as if Pakistan would put money into India or Nepal has any to do so -- are too thinly veiled to fool anyone.

Exhorting Indian businessmen to take advantage of the Covid-19 pandemic to lure foreign investors away from China annoys Beijing while ignoring the reasons (weak infrastructure, poor work ethic, bureaucratic stranglehold and all-pervasive corruption) why investors shunned India in the first place.

At the same time, Modi glosses over Chinas territorial incursions in Ladakh for reasons that may not be very creditable.

Some of his critics suggest that China alone welcomed him when Britain and the United States refused him visas because they disapproved of his attitude to Muslims as the chief minister of Gujarat.

As the Congress Ahmed Patel remarked, Modi has paid nine official visits to China whereas no other Indian Prime Minister has gone there more than twice.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was even more cutting, and pointing to Modis obsession with the gigantic statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, he added: It will be the worlds tallest statue but it will be Made in China, like our shoes and shirts. It was an unkind cut for two reasons.

First, like Shelleys Ozymandias, Modi hankers to impress future generations with massive creations. Second, much to the embarrassment of all thinking Indians, the fetish has led him straight into Chinas embrace. Only Chinas Jiangxi Toqine Metal Crafts Corporation, allegedly the world's largest foundry, could produce the 7,000 or so bronze plates and panels that the $430-million, 600-ft figure needed.

The dependence is evident in other more vital spheres. As Chinas Global Times, a daily tabloid published under the Chinese Communist Partys auspices, noted smugly: Indias rapid progress in catching up with China when it comes to attracting foreign investment shows its potential to become a global economic powerhouse, but whether India will be the next China in terms of economic growth depends on many factors, and how much help and investment it gets from China may be one of the first and foremost.

The patronising tone is easily explained: leaving aside the 1962 border war, although both countries have roughly the same population, Indias GDP is only $2.5 trillion, compared with China's $12.2 trillion.

High mobile penetration among 1.3 billion Indians owes much to Chinese Internet platforms, which know from their domestic experience how to translate demographic dividends into consumption power to attract more foreign investment.

Among Chinese Internet companies active in India, Alibaba recently invested $45 million in Indias e-commerce platform Paytm.

As the former Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, has always reiterated, the Asian ecosystem has ample space for India and China both to grow together.

There are enough consumers and sources of raw material and investment capital for two burgeoning economies. There are also signs that the Indian tortoise may not be crawling too far behind the Chinese hare.

While foreign corporate launches, mergers and acquisitions in China amounted to nearly $41.6 billion last year, India did not do too badly, with $40.6 billion in foreign direct investment.

Walmarts $16 billion stake in Flipkart meant a 64 per cent year-on-year jump. Moreover, Indias $79 billion remittances from abroad exceeded the $67 billion that the overseas Chinese sent back.

As a result, while Indias GDP grew 8.2 per cent in the second quarter, Chinas economy grew 6.7 per cent.

However, one of the most important of the several factors that stand in the way of Indias robust growth is the obsession with spectacle instead of development.

Modi squanders money on architectural extravaganzas like the Ayodhya temple to Ram that is now being built, reinventing Delhi and gigantic statuary instead of investing in liveable housing, potable water and a creaky healthcare system that is incapable of coping with Covid-19.

China, meanwhile, never ceases to advertise itself as the only one among the worlds top five healthcare markets with double digit growth.

Another yardstick is that while India is inordinately proud of its nine Nobel laureates, their success is really happenstance. Chinas eight prize-winners are the products of the solid primary and secondary school system that has been built up throughout the country.

Standing up to China sounds undeniably patriotic. But we must know the threat in order to repulse it. If the goal had been conquest, China would not have walked away after Bomdila in 1962.

If it was economic domination, the Chinese would not have wanted to invest in infrastructure (highways, railways, ports and airports) as well as manufacturing to reduce Indias trade deficit and Mr Modi's Make in India dream.

Of course, the Chinese have a strategy and the purpose is to help China, not India. But the way to counter that is not empty bombast and blowing hot and cold, but to build up Indias own economic strength, bargain hard over trade terms to increase Indias exports, and to cooperate in economic and development projects that help both countries.

Like Australia, India too cannot contain China in the South China Sea. It would only diminish itself by becoming another Tibet, Xinjiang or now Hong Kong in Americas anti-China armoury.
Summer Getaway in a 2020 Chrysler Pacifica Review by Larry Nutson +VIDEO

Summer Getaway in a Chrysler Pacifica...Perhaps the Best Getaway Car

SEE ALSO: Com' On Ladies Isn't It Time A Minivan Turned You On?

By Larry Nutson

Executive Editor and Bureau Chief

Chicago Bureau

The Auto Channel

My wife and I recently did what many American families are doing this summer. We rented a vacation home together with some of our extended family and spent two weeks working from home (WFH) in a different place.

The awfulness of the Covid-19 pandemic that has brought about your home also being your office has the upside of allowing many to work from anywhere.

Yes, it was a vacation for the majority of the time. However, there were some hours here and there along with a couple days of both of us giving needed attention to business.

And like what many other Americans are doing this summer, we drove and did not fly to our getaway vacation home. For the six hour drive from our Chicago home to the northern reaches of Michigans lower peninsula a 2020 Chrysler Pacifica would be hauling us and our stuff.

I was particularly excited to be driving the Pacifica. Certainly a multitude of other car models would have gotten us and our stuff there. But, the Pacifica with its spacious rear cargo area (140.5 cu.ft.) would allow us to also bring our two bicycles.

The 2nd and 3rd-row Stow n Go seats, with the 3rd row being power operated, fold completely into the floor proving a huge flat floor cargo area. I got both our bikes in without needing to remove the front wheels with plenty of room remaining for luggage, garment bags, coolers, some groceries, some of our favorite wine along with various sundry items.

The hands free rear liftgate and two sliding side doors open with the push of a button on the key fob making for easy loading from both sides and the rear of the Pacifica. And heres a real plus compared to an SUV. The low load floor liftover height of 24.3 inches makes loading and unloading a dream. There is no high lifting as there is with an SUV.

Our loaded-up rear cargo area still allowed for a view out all of the windows. However, a 360-surround view camera, rear back-up camera, rear park assist as well as blind spot and rear-cross path detection helped make for very safe maneuvering and road driving.

The Pacifica has 287-HP 3.6-L V6 under the hood and a 9-speed automatic puts the power to the front wheels. Even with our vacation-load there was plenty of performance coming from this powertrain setup to move the Pacifica along the highway with plenty to spare.

I try to minimize stops on road trips, although a break is good from time to time. Moving along quickly is my goal and admit to not trying to squeeze every mile from a tank of fuel. My expectation was a need to refuel on our 380-mile trip. To my surprise the Pacifica matched the EPA highway rating of 28 MPG and with its 19-gallon fuel tank left me with plenty of reserve. Theoretically, the Pacifica has a driving range of over 500 miles.

Theres a bunch more Pacifica features that are getaway friendly.

Ventilated seats help to keep you cool when the hot summer sun beats directly on you.

The 8-way power front seats allow for mid-trip comfort adjustments and the inboard armrest is well located for a good steering wheel grip.

The seating position for the driver and front passenger is high and upright, affording excellent visibility down the road ahead.

Adaptive cruise control takes a bit of the stress out of long stretches of open road with light traffic.

The 4G LTE Wi-Fi hotspot allowed my wife to stay connected with her business needs.

Plus, the 115-Volt auxiliary power outlet kept her laptop running for the entire 6-hour trip.

In spite of the Pacificas cavernous interior the Active Noise-Control System made for comfortable mobile phone conversations.

The 20-speaker Harmon Kardon audio delivered some great road-trip sounds and made podcast listening quite nice.

The Stow n Vac integrated vacuum came in handy to clean up some beach sand.

And, those Stow n Go seats easily came back into place for people-transport during our stay.





Our getaway Pacifica was the top-line Limited model with a base price of $44,695. A number of option packages that included some of the equipment previously mentioned along with the stylish blacked-out look S Appearance Package brought the total price to $51,765.

The Pacifica is also offered in Touring, Touring L and Touring L Plus models. Theres also a Pacifica Hybrid to choose with an all-electric range of more than 30 miles. I drove the Pacifica Hybrid about a year ago and you can read about that here. https://www.theautochannel.com/news/2019/04/18/660768-2019-chrysler-pacifica-hybrid-review-by-larry-nutson.html

Recently, the Pacifica Hybrid earned first-place honors in the 2020 AAA Car Guide SUV/Minivan category, in addition to finishing in the top three in this years AAA Car Guide Top 10 overall vehicle ratings.

A lot of folks buy an SUV because they want all-wheel drive. Well, now on the 2021 Chrysler Pacifica youll be able to get an all-weather capable, seamless and fully automatic all-wheel-drive (AWD) system. Revealed in February at the 2020 Chicago Auto Show, Chrysler says the Pacifica will have the most advanced AWD system in its class and is the only vehicle to offer AWD along with Stow n Go seating.

For those who cant wait theres a 2020 Chrysler Pacifica AWD Launch Edition thats set to arrive in dealerships in the third quarter of 2020.

More info and specs on the entire Pacifica line-up can be found at www.chrysler.com.

Minivans have the reputation of being a family vehicle. Today, minivan buyers actually have a quite diverse demographic that spans age ranges and family makeup. With a median age of 54, the current market of new minivan owners is made up of nearly as many Baby Boomers as Gen Y and just as many families without children as families with children, according to AutoPacific.

Minivan owners drive more. According to AutoPacifics New Vehicle Satisfaction Survey data, 59% of minivan owners expect to drive more than 11,000 miles per year, compared to 51% of the remaining market. Additionally, 86% of minivan owners say that fuel economy is important to them.

Chrysler says that the Pacifica Hybrid buyer is youngest in the segment at 47 years old and tends to be families with young children -- 63 percent of Pacifica PHEV owners are Millenial/GenXers.

KBB.coms Light Vehicle Sales Report says that minivan sales for the first half of 2020 are off by about 42%. Like all vehicle sales, this is due to the pandemic. The Chrysler Pacifica has about 28% share of the current minivan market, which has only five entrees. One of these is the Dodge Grand Caravan selling to about 24% of buyers. As it goes, FCA has about 52% of the minivan market.

As I am sure you have surmised, I was quite pleased with my Pacifica getaway experience. Although we were only two people, if you happen to have more aboard for your trip, the roof rack allows for a car-top carrier. Trailer tow rating is 3600 lbs. and a bike carrier can easily be installed at the rear hatch.

Even for local driving, theres lots of pluses. Great ease of getting in and out is one. The sliding side doors are wonderful in parking lots that seem to have smaller and smaller space. Or, are there more large vehicles?

A word of thanks to Fiat Chrysler Automobiles for the loan of the 2020 Chrysler Pacifica that helped make for a great getaway.

 2020 Larry Nutson, the Chicago Car Guy
Prince Charles finally getting the crown may sound like a good news to him, but a royal author said that the heir to the throne will feel devastated once it happens.

The Prince of Wales is currently the longest-serving heir to the throne, and he has been preparing himself to be king by having at least 600 royal engagements per year.

Since Queen Elizabeth II pledged to serve the monarchy until the day she dies, the Prince of Wales has to wait for more years before becoming king.

However, when the happens, it will cause immense sadness to him despite finally taking over the throne.

Speaking to Channel 5 documentary "The Queen and Charles - Mother and Son," royal expert Penny Junor predicted that the succession to the throne will not be something to be celebrated about.

"Coming to the throne, of course, it's what he's been preparing for his whole life, but it will also be tinged with huge sadness. Because it will mean that his mother is dead," Junor explained.

Meanwhile, royal commentator Nick Bullen expressed the same sentiment when he explained why Prince William is in "no rush" to take on the role of king.

This came after the news about the Queen possibly setting Prince Charles aside to let Prince William be the next king emerged.

"William is in no rush to be the King. It is this weird thing you have with royals," Bullen said. "I spoke to the Prince of Wales about this - to get that top job, you are essentially wishing your parent or grandparent to be dead."

The immediate heirs to the throne reportedly believe that everything will happen in due course, and nobody is rushing for it since it would mean that Queen Elizabeth II is already dead.

Prince Charles 'The Most Prepared Heir'

Despite the heartbreaking warning, Junor referred to the Prince of Wales as one of the most-prepared heirs to the throne the U.K. has had in nearly a century.

Since King Edward VIII took over the title in 1910, Prince Charles is set to become the first Prince of Wales to be specially trained to be king.

His grandfather, King George VI, unexpectedly succeeded the throne after King Edward abdicated in order to marry his lover, Wallis Simpson, and relocate to the U.S.

Meanwhile, Queen Elizabeth II was only 10 when she became heir to the throne. She immediately became the monarch at the age of 25 when King George VI unexpectedly passed away due to cancer.

"He will be the most prepared monarch that this country has ever had," Junor commented. "He's an extraordinary force for good, not just in this country but around the world."

Royal author Ingrid Seward agreed to the statement and said: "Charles will come from a completely new perspective. There will be a smooth transition but it will be different."

Nobody knows when exactly Prince Charles will be king, but he has already prepared his plans for the monarchy and its people.

READ MORE: Prince Harry Heartbreak: Royal Prince Still FURIOUS Over Princess Diana's Death
MEXICO CITY - Mexicans were inundated by a slick, expensive ad campaign on behalf of front-running presidential candidate Enrique Pena Nieto for the 2012 election, but few then suspected who is now being alleged to have paid for it  Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht, which has admitted to involvement in widespread corruption in Latin America.

Mexican Attorney General Alejandro Gertz Manero Gertz said Wednesday that the case illustrates how the perfect dictatorship  a term used to describe Pena Nietos old ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party  was created to break the law, to loot and to enforce submission.

Few things could have been further from most peoples minds when the young, handsome Pena Nieto launched his slick presidential campaign in 2012, promising reform and modernization. But behind it all, he was allegedly using the corrupt old practices his party had perfected over seven decades in power.

This is the double language, where one can be corrupt but also good, where one can be positive and at the time loot the country, Gertz Manero said during a call-in forum. One can have five or ten masks, according to whatever serves your purpose, but in the end it only leads to the destruction of the country.

A day earlier, Gertz Manero said the former head of Mexicos state-run oil company has testified that Pena Nieto and the man who became the finance secretary, Luis Videgaray, instructed him to pay foreign campaign consultants in 2012 with more than $4 million in bribes received from Odebrecht.

Emilio Lozoya, the Pemex chief under Pena Nieto who has offered to co-operate with investigators in return for leniency in his own corruption case, has told prosecutors that he has proof, including receipts and video, of the bribes that Odebrecht paid in return for getting future public works contracts in Mexico. Lozoya was extradited from Spain last month after months on the run to avoid money laundering charges.

Gertz Manero defended the deal, which has allowed Lozoya to co-operate with investigations while under a form of house arrest, saying that it is giving us the results that I expected we would get.

Earlier Wednesday, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said prosecutors should make public as much about the alleged corruption as possible without jeopardizing the investigation. Some have suggested Lopez Obrador is revealing the investigation to discredit opposition parties ahead of the 2021 mid-term elections for congressional seats and governorships. Mexican law usually prohibits prosecutors from revealing details from ongoing cases.

Lopez Obrador defended his administrations actions.

You have to protect due process, but you also have to make it as transparent as you can, he said. I would say everything, that public life should be more public each day. Those named are going to be called in and they will have to give statements.

Pena Nieto and Videgaray did not comment on the accusations. Videgaray is currently a faculty member at the Massachusetts Institute of Technologys Sloan School of Management. He did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.

Gertz Manero has said that once investigators vet Lozoyas information he will call on Pena Nieto and Videgaray to give statements.

In 2012, supporters of Lopez Obrador  then making his second unsuccessful bid for the presidency  accused Pena Nietos campaign of employing about 20 foreign advisers, including some from South America, Spain and the United States. At the time, Pena Nietos party denied those people worked for his campaign, and prosecutors have not identified the campaign advisers who allegedly got the money.

When Pena Nietos ads started appearing on television in 2012, the production values and locations were far beyond the reach of Lopez Obrador, who could barely afford microphones for the small rallies he held in town squares. Pena Nieto appeared in a series of slick 30-second ads filmed in each of Mexicos 31 states, where the telegenic, neatly groomed candidate was shown hugging and shaking hands with people of each state.

Pena Nietos campaign was so carefully managed that the former soap opera star he married just before the campaign  and from whom he split just two months after leaving office  appeared to many Mexicans to be part of the election plan.

After winning, Pena Nieto introduced a series of historical reforms favouring the private sector, including an energy reform that opened the oil sector to foreign companies.

But the alleged bribes from Odebrecht didnt stop with the campaign, prosecutors said. Lozoya also alleges that Pena Nieto and Videgaray directed him to pay bribes to six federal lawmakers  one deputy and five senators  for their votes on controversial structural reforms in 2013 and 2014, Gertz Manero said.

In the regions largest graft scandal, Odebrecht has admitted to paying nearly $800 million in bribes, much of it to officials in Latin America who rewarded the company with construction contracts. The scandal has ended the careers of some of Latin Americas most prominent politicians and incited a regional reckoning on deeply entrenched corruption.

Gertz Manero said the investigation would go as high as needed, and could change the country.

I do not think it is fair that in the country, things dont go beyond scapegoats and low-level operators. That does not give us justice,  Gertz Manero said. So, no, this is about nothing more than getting to the bottom of things and finding out what really happened. And if what this man is saying is true, that there was a real plot and a conspiracy that originated in the government and from the seat of power, that has an importance for the country we cannot devalue.

___

Associated Press writer Carlos Rodriguez contributed to this report.

Read more about:
By PTI

DAMOH (MADHYA PRADESH): A 28-year-old man allegedly involved in ATM robberies escaped from a hospital where he was undergoing treatment for COVID-19 in Damoh district of Madhya Pradesh, police said on Tuesday.

Devendra Patel, a kingpin of a gang that looted Rs 46 lakh from ATMs, fled from the district hospital on the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday, Damoh superintendent of police Hemant Chauhan said.

Jail personnel were deployed at the hospital to guard the accused who had tested positive for the infection after his arrest last month, the official said, adding that a hunt has been launched to nab the escapee.

Patel, a civil engineering graduate, was the mastermind of the six-member gang that had robbed seven ATMs in Damoh, Panna, Jabalpur and Katni districts with the help of explosives.
Dilday, a member of a longtime Long Beach family, died unexpectedly of a heart attack in his sleep at his home Jan. 10, according to his wife, Diane.
And Im not concerned about numbers just for numbers sake. Remember that the numbers increasing actually represents people infected with this new virus. And those people infected with the new virus can go on to get sick, and those people who are sick can go on to be hospitalized, and those people who are hospitalized can go on to have very severe complications, including, and up to, death, she said.
The simplest way to invest in stocks is to buy exchange traded funds. But one can do better than that by picking better than average stocks (as part of a diversified portfolio). For example, the Domain Holdings Australia Limited (ASX:DHG) share price is up 19% in the last year, clearly besting the market decline of around 6.4% (not including dividends). That's a solid performance by our standards! Note that businesses generally develop over the long term, so the returns over the last year might not reflect a long term trend.

See our latest analysis for Domain Holdings Australia

In his essay The Superinvestors of Graham-and-Doddsville Warren Buffett described how share prices do not always rationally reflect the value of a business. By comparing earnings per share (EPS) and share price changes over time, we can get a feel for how investor attitudes to a company have morphed over time.

During the last year Domain Holdings Australia grew its earnings per share, moving from a loss to a profit.

When a company is just on the edge of profitability it can be well worth considering other metrics in order to more precisely gauge growth (and therefore understand share price movements).

We doubt the modest 1.7% dividend yield is doing much to support the share price. Unfortunately Domain Holdings Australia's fell 17% over twelve months. So the fundamental metrics don't provide an obvious explanation for the share price gain.

The graphic below depicts how earnings and revenue have changed over time (unveil the exact values by clicking on the image).

Domain Holdings Australia is well known by investors, and plenty of clever analysts have tried to predict the future profit levels. So we recommend checking out this free report showing consensus forecasts

What About Dividends?

It is important to consider the total shareholder return, as well as the share price return, for any given stock. Whereas the share price return only reflects the change in the share price, the TSR includes the value of dividends (assuming they were reinvested) and the benefit of any discounted capital raising or spin-off. It's fair to say that the TSR gives a more complete picture for stocks that pay a dividend. In the case of Domain Holdings Australia, it has a TSR of 21% for the last year. That exceeds its share price return that we previously mentioned. This is largely a result of its dividend payments!

Story continues

A Different Perspective

Domain Holdings Australia shareholders should be happy with the total gain of 21% over the last twelve months, including dividends. And the share price momentum remains respectable, with a gain of 29% in the last three months. This suggests the company is continuing to win over new investors. I find it very interesting to look at share price over the long term as a proxy for business performance. But to truly gain insight, we need to consider other information, too. To that end, you should be aware of the 1 warning sign we've spotted with Domain Holdings Australia .

For those who like to find winning investments this free list of growing companies with recent insider purchasing, could be just the ticket.

Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on AU exchanges.

This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.



Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com.
12.08.2020 LISTEN

The Strategic Youth Network for Development (SYND) in Ghana is calling on government to actively include the youth in its renewable energy development plan.

In a world where global warming has become a key issue of concern, Ghana just like any other country is working towards the use of renewable energy as part of a bigger plan to safeguard the planet.

To play its part in helping the West African country successively achieve its goals on the subject, SYND has initiated the Youth in Renewable Energy Movement campaign to build the capacity of young people as active agents in the sector and create the space for dialogues between the youth, state and non-state actors.

In a press statement from the group today, it noted that government and other world leaders must make it a point to involve the youth in the renewable energy development plan.

As a youth-led organization, the Strategic Youth Network for Development (SYND) in Ghana wishes to remind world leaders and governments to commit to ensuring active youth engagement in the decision-making processes, a portion of the SYND statement has said.

The group is confident that once this is done, it will feed into the on-going regional and global processes such as the Africa Agenda 2016, SDG 7 which focuses on Clean and Affordable Energy for all.

On the occasion of the International Youth Day, SYND stresses that there is a need for government of Ghana to be deliberate in involving the youth in the policy target of 10% renewable energy contribution into the country's energy mix by 2030.

It believes that access and affordable energy are critical towards attaining poverty reduction through industrialization and economic growth.

Read the full statement from the Strategic Youth Network for Development below:
Minnesota Democrat Ilhan Omar fended off a well-funded challenger in yesterday's primary election and is and is now all but certain to retain her seat in November's general. Antone Melton-Meaux raised millions in the 5th district race but conceded by 9 p.m. Tuesday after early results signaled a thrashing.

Omar was the first Somali-American and, with Rashida Tlaib, one of the first two Muslim women to enter Congress.

Omar rejected Melton-Meaux's attacks, saying they were funded by interests who wanted to get her out of Congress because she's effective. She also downplayed Melton-Meaux's prodigious fundraising before the vote, saying, "Organized people will always beat organized money." Democratic U.S. Sen. Tina Smith and Republican challenger Jason Lewis easily won their primaries in the only statewide races on the ballot. Elsewhere, in western Minnesota's conservative 7th District, former state Sen. Michelle Fischbach won a three-way Republican race for the right to challenge Democratic Rep. Collin Peterson. Peterson, chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, is one of the GOP's top targets to flip a House seat in November.
The News, August 6, 2020

Letter to PA on concerns regarding Tahaffuz-e-Bunyad-e-Islam Bill

LAHORE: Over 200 lawyers, activists, educationists, academics, journalists, doctors, architects, publishers, athletes, artists, philanthropists, community organizers/workers, historians, members of the business community, economists & members of the Punjab Assembly have submitted a letter to the Punjab Assembly, registering concerns regarding the Tahaffuz-e-Bunyad-e-Islam Bill 2020. This letter is now also open for public signatures. The letteras content is as follows:

aWe write to you today to express our grave concern over the passage of the ... Bill which empowers the Directorate General Public Relations (DGPR) to visit and inspect any printing press, publication house or book store and confiscate any book, before or after printing. The vesting of such immense arbitrary, unfettered and unilateral power in a single bureaucrat is in breach of even those reasonable restrictions that can be imposed on the right to freedom of expression under the Constitution of Pakistan, 1973.a

aAdditionally, the DGPR does not have the expertise to decide such matters. The function of the DGPR is the publicity of the government and handling of public relations of the government. There is no rational or legal basis for the DGPR to be granted competence by the legislature to make determinations on matters entrusted to the official under this bill. Further, under Section 8(4) of the bill, the books confiscated are to be presented to the Muttahida Ulema Board. The Bill neither defines the board nor does it shed light on its composition. There is also no rationale for assuming that the said board is competent to decide what is prejudicial to national interest and culture.a

aMoreover, due to the ambiguous wording of the bill, there are major problems with respect to its application, specifically relating to discriminatory application of this power, which will inevitably lead to violations of Article 25 of the Constitution. For example, the bill prohibits the printing and publication of aobjectionable materiala and prevents publishers, editors and translators from printing or publishing the said material, without defining what constitutes aobjectionable materiala. As such, there is no objective legal certainty through which citizens of Pakistan can definitively regulate their conduct in accordance with the provisions of this bill.a

There is a pressing need for this bill to be reviewed in its entirety, as it amounts to excessive delegation of powers to the executive. The courts in Pakistan have repeatedly struck down laws on the basis of the doctrine of excessive delegation. Our constitutional framework is based on trichotomy of powers. Although limited delegation of legislative powers is permissible, such unbridled power to determine what amounts to objectionable content essentially amounts to handing over power of the legislature to an executive official.a

aUnder Section 7(b) of the bill, the DGPR has been empowered to ainvestigatea any acts or omission involved in the matter. The bill additionally empowers the DGPR to refuse permission to import, print or publish a book aif it is prejudicial to the national interest, culture, religious and sectarian harmonya. These are not lawful restrictions on the right to freedom of expression under the Constitution. In fact, even if there were listed grounds contained in Article 19, restrictions on the right to expression must comply with the three-part test contained in Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which Pakistan has been a state party since 23 June, 2010.a

aThe onus is on the Punjab Assembly to establish that the interference resulting from the bill is legitimate under the legal standard of assessment provided in the ICCPR. The powers of confiscation provided for in the bill are violative of Article 10-A of the Constitution. The requirement of four gratis copies placed on publishers and printers, under Section 5 of the bill, is an impediment to the exercise of Article 18.a

aThis bill is also in breach of Article 19-A of the Constitution, which protects the right to access to information. The concepts of glory of Islam, national interest, culture and religious and sectarian harmony cannot be allowed to be misused and become a tool for whimsical, arbitrary, subjective, unstructured, dictatorial or unreasonable censorship and control of publications.a

aUltimately, we view the passage of this bill as a blatant attempt by the Punjab Assembly to circumvent the guarantees for fundamental rights contained in the Constitution. What is peculiar is why a democratic forum would behave in such a dictatorial manner, disrespecting the very Constitution that empowers it. The DGPR, as the sole regulator for publications across Punjab, cannot act in an unjust manner. Under the law and Constitution, the DGPR is not granted absolute discretion to act arbitrarily.a

aWe also fear that certain provisions of the proposed bill may fuel sectarian tensions in the province, which would have spillover effect(s) throughout the country. The Constitution does not allow legislators to have unbridled power to legislate, they must do so within the defined contours of the Constitution and the fundamental rights enshrined in it. Lastly, as citizens of Pakistan, we cherish the right to freedom of expression as one of the cornerstones of a democratic society. Moreover, the Punjab Assembly has been unable to highlight a pressing social need that required passage of this bill. Therefore, we register our opposition to this ... bill and urge reconsideration of the position adopted by the Punjab Assembly. We would also like to raise our concern with respect to the impact of this bill on domestic industry. Given the digital age we live in, such prohibitory legislation may end up encouraging citizens to get hold of online pirated versions of publications that they wish to read. This would consequently have an adverse impact on local publishers and distributors.a
UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in North Korea, Tomas Ojea Quintana attends a press conference after delivering his report before the Human Right Council, on March 9, 2020 in Geneva.

North Korean refugee-led civic groups in South Korea have become the target of sweeping government inspections as Seoul seeks to re-engage with Pyongyang, which says heightened tensions on the peninsula are the fault of activist groups who send anti-Pyongyang leaflets by balloon over the border. Inter-Korean tensions reached a crescendo in June when Pyongyang cut off all official communication with Seoul and blew up a landmark inter-Korean liaison office in the North Korean city of Kaesong.

Pyongyang has labeled the leaflet campaigns a violation of inter-Korean summit agreements and demanded that Seoul stop the balloon launches. Seoul has since requested that the groups stop sending leaflets, an activity they have been doing for decades. South Koreas Unification Ministry last month revoked the operation permits of two of the civic groups, making them ineligible for tax benefits, and hampering their ability to raise funds.

At that time the ministry announced it would investigate more civic groups. In response, a coalition of 21 Seoul-based NGOs petitioned the United Nations, asking for a review of the matter. The investigations into the business activities of the groups were launched this week to much criticism. Should they uncover any accounting irregularities, a similar crippling of financial resources could be in store for the groups being probed. Human Rights Watch and other rights groups asked Seoul to stop the audits, calling them a political crackdown.

In a July 30 meeting with the ministry, UN special rapporteur on North Korea's human rights situation, Tomas Ojea Quintana, expressed concern over the inspections, saying it should be carried out in a way that does not undermine efforts to improve the North's human rights situation. RFAs Korean Service interviewed Quintana Wednesday to discuss the takeaways from his meeting with the ministry, and how the United Nations plans to address the investigations. The interview has been edited for length and clarity.

RFA: During your meeting with the Ministry of Unification, you recommended that the South Korean government stop this investigation into defector-led civic groups, but after meeting with you they continued to move forward with the investigation. What is your reaction?

Quintana: Thats correct. The government said that they would extend the deadline, or [rather] they would allow the organizations to have more time to present reports and documents that the government requested, but you should know that the organizations requested the United Nations to issue a formal communication to the government on this issue and that communication is under my consideration and the consideration of other UN officials, and there is a chance that this communication will be formally issued to the government on this specific issue. So we are following the developments and the actions of the government on this specific issue, we are following also the litigation process that some of the organizations are pursuing. All those elements will inform us, the United Nations, with regards to this communication.

RFA: Regarding the meeting with the South Korean government on July 30, what was your impression?

Quintana: It was a good meeting where they shared technicalities about their decision. They explained the law and the domestic legislation they were applying I expressed my appreciation to the government for letting me know about what they are doing. It was a useful meeting But that was on the technical aspects of the situation, and thats why I later recommended to put a halt to the process, because in my view, beyond the technicalities and the domestic law application, there is a political decision from the government of South Korea that does not directly respond to the main concern, which is why and how these organizations are being targeted.

Why are only these organizations being targeted? The human rights organizations and the defectors organizations. Only these are being targeted in regards to reviewing their records, et cetera. So thats the main concern, the specific targeting of these organizations. Thats a political decision. Thats why I recommended to the vice minister to put a hold on this process and try to reach out to the organizations.

Also I recommended that the United Nations office in Seoul intermediate between the government and the organizations with regard to how to address what the government formally explains, which is they are concerned with the transparency of these organizations.

I am very sure that these organizations have nothing to hide and they would like to comply [with] transparency but the question is how to do that.

RFA: Its been reported that the South Korean government would not rule out actions against human rights groups broadcasting radio programs into North Korea, but the South Korean government has denied this potential measure. But several North Korean refugee-led groups expressed concert that it is likely that the South Korean government may restrict their broadcasting activities into North Korea. What is your opinion on this possibility?

The media is fundamental in any democratic society, and the freedom of expression, even across borders, is protected by international human rights law. So any attempt to exercise this fundamental freedom of expression by broadcasting into North Korea should be respected by the government of South Korea, and the government of South Korea should abide with international human rights law, that describes very specifically how and [under] what conditions restricting this freedom of expression [should be done].

RFA: Several North Korean defector-led groups have appealed to the UN to deal with the South Korean plans to investigate, which you said you would be following. Do you have any specific plan to address their concerns?

Quintana: The role of the human rights organizations working on the North Korean human rights and also the defectors organizations have been playing an important role in the human rights agenda of North Korea and I, the UN rapporteur on human rights value a lot, their work and therefore I think that the government of South Korea should consider the important role that these organizations play with regards to what is important for the United Nations, which is the living conditions of the people in North Korea. Thats one thing and thats why we are considering these communications and we are making public statements to remind the government of South Korea about their obligations in respect to freedom of expression, in respect to human rights defenders rights and in respect to the role of human rights organizations. Thats the situation at the moment.

RFA: Do you mean you are going to make a public statement to the South Korean government sometime in the future?

Quintana: I already made public statements. I talked to the media, and again, we are considering these communications and once and if these communications are issued, its going to be a public statement definitely.

Reported by Sangmin Lee for RFAs Korean Service.
ALTON  A heartfelt favorite organization brought its mobile unit to Metro East for a special public opportunity to honor Americas veterans.

Wreaths Across Americas (WAA) Mobile Education Exhibit visited Alton on Wednesday at Riverfront Park. According to Margaret Hopkins, the organizer of WAA in Alton, this was the first time the exhibit has come to Alton.

Im hoping that this will bring some attention to Wreaths Across America, she said.

The mobile exhibit was driven by Stephan Brann who has been working for the organization since January and his partner in crime Jennifer Merrill. Two years ago, the two visited the WAA headquarters in Columbia Falls, Maine.

We came away very moved by everything that we saw, Brann said. I love everything about Wreaths Across America: the program, the people, everything.

The exhibit itself goes through a history of how WAA got started. The tradition began in 1992 when founder Morrill Worcester, with the help of volunteers, layed out 5,000 wreaths at the Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. Over the years, the organization has grown into a nationwide project, including the Alton National Cemetery.

We couldnt do all of this without volunteers, Brann said.

Brann explained that to make the wreaths, the firs are harvested from a wooded area in Columbia Falls. The firs are then tipped when cut so the tree can still grow properly. It is done every year, according to Brann.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, precautions had to be taken. For example, because the exhibit is in a small enclosed space, the group only allowed 10 people at a time. In addition, vigorous cleaning was done after each presentation.

Despite this, Brann described the response Wednesday from the public as astounding.

Theyre very appreciative of what were doing, he said.

This year the WAA of Alton will lay the wreaths at Alton National Cemetery on Saturday, Dec. 19. Hopkins said it will be a little different this year because of COVID-19.

Well still continue to accomplish the mission  which is to remember, honor and teach, she said.
Staff at the Gamaleya Institute are the first to develop a Covid-19 vaccine - RDIF and Gamaleya Research Cente /TASS

The Russian coronavirus vaccine hailed by President Vladimir Putin is not certain to work and has side effects including swelling, fever and pain, according to scientists who developed the drug.

Mr Putin announced on Tuesday that Russia had approved the worlds first vaccine against the virus, saying his own daughter had taken part in clinical trials. Officials said the vaccine would be offered to medics as early as this month and rolled out to the general population from October.

But documents on an official Russian health ministry website said the vaccine had been tested on too few volunteers over too short a time to draw conclusions about its effectiveness, and described a number of side effects.

Adverse events...were met frequently or very frequently, according to the report from Moscows Gamaleya Institute, which developed the vaccine.

It is not possible to define the occurrence of adverse events more accurately because of the limited number of participants in the research. Thirty-eight volunteers took part in the trials over 42 days.

Side effects included swelling, hyperthermia, lethargy, headaches, itching at the vaccination site, decreased appetite, diarrhea and cold-like symptoms. Over the course of the trials, 144 adverse events were recorded, more than 30 of which were ongoing.

The vaccine was reportedly only trialled on 38 volunteers - RDIF and Gamaleya Research Cente /TASS

The report said the vaccine should not be administered to children, pensioners, or to people with a range of underlying health conditions.

No research was conducted into how it might react with other medicines, and nothing in the report backed up officials earlier claims that the drug would provide immunity for two years.

Mr Putin said his daughter had experienced a slight increase in body temperature after receiving the vaccine, but the next day was back to normal and had a high number of antibodies.

I know it works effectively, forms strong immunity, and has passed all the needed checks, the president said. Other officials announced there had been preliminary orders for more than a billion doses from 20 countries.

Story continues

Moscow hailed its speedy development as an example of its medical prowess, naming the vaccine Sputnik V in a nod to the Cold War space race. But scientists in Russia and abroad have criticised a lack of testing and transparency.

Scientists at the pharmaceutical factory Binnofarm have begun producing the vaccine but there is international scepticism about its efficacy - ALEXANDER NEMENOV /AFP

The World Health Organization remained sceptical about the Russian vaccine, saying on Wednesday it was not ready at the moment to say there is a vaccine that has undergone the experiments we request for the assessment that it is ready for use worldwide".

British researchers said the rush to roll out the vaccine was reckless and foolish, while the German government also raised doubts.

Others have highlighted that the vaccine has yet to pass Phase III clinical trials, which typically take months and involve thousands of people.

Such trials, which require a certain rate of participants catching the virus to observe the vaccine's effect, are normally considered essential precursors for a vaccine to receive regulatory approval.

More than 100 possible vaccines are being developed around the world to try to stop the Covid-19 pandemic. At least four are in final Phase III human trials, according to the WHO.

Russia has officially registered more than 900,000 infections and 15,000 deaths from coronavirus, a lower proportion than other badly hit nations. Officials have denied suggestions they are underreporting figures.
Some of the BJP panches and councillors who attended the meeting with Manoj Sinha said they were not impressed with what the new lieutenant governor told them.

David Devadas reports.

IMAGE: Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, centre. Photograph: Imran Nissar/ANI Photo

A divergence between the hopes and aspirations of the administration and of grassroots activists in Jammu and Kashmir became obvious at a function in Srinagar on Wednesday morning.

Most of the activists were panches, sarpanches, municipal councillors, block development councillors, and some unelected activists, mainly from the Bharatiya Janata Party. They were drawn from different parts of the Kashmir Valley, as well as other parts of the Union territory.

A very large number of them have been accommodated in various safe places over the past few days, following a series of militant attacks on grassroots workers and elected representatives such as them.

Obviously, they are very frightened. "Yahan dehshat ka mahaul hai (there is an atmosphere of terror here)" about their homes, their families, and even their futures, said one of them, speaking from the safe location to which he has been taken.

Most of those at the function were under the impression that they were going to interact with the new lieutenant governor, Manoj Sinha, and would be able to apprise him of their security concerns.

They were eager to talk to the head of the administration about their problems at these safe places and their concerns about their own future, that of the people they represent, and the entire Union territory.

They found instead that they were there as the audience for the release of a coffee table books on the achievements of each department and every district of the Union territory.

With all the top figures in the Union territory's administration present, the event was held at the plush Sher-e-Kashmir International Convention Centre on the Dal Lake.

Renewed promises

Some of the grassroots representatives were also given awards. Sinha told them he was sure that many more of them would win awards as they did even better work in their communities.

A few of them found this ironic at a time when they have been herded into safe places away from even their homes, leave alone their towns and villages.

Sinha told them he had heard what some of them had said about their security concerns when they were given an opportunity during the function, and would take up what could be done for them.

He told the representatives that he was convinced that his team of advisors and officers were totally committed to work for the poor, and that his doors were always open to the grassroots representatives.

Sinha held that Jammu and Kashmir had a better panchayati raj act than some other states, leading to speculation on whether the act of the erstwhile state was still being followed in the Union territory.

The lieutenant governor told his audience he would involve them in the running of the place. Further, he assured them that he would improve accounting systems and not allow one paisa of corruption in his administration.

Corruption has been a perennial issue in the place, and those who have ruled have often said they would root it out. Sinha also told his audience that the rich natural resources of their place was incomparable with any other state.

Series of attacks

Many of these points have often been repeated by leaders of Jammu and Kashmir, and some of the BJP panches and councillors who attended said they had not been impressed. Some of Sinha's points sounded ironic at a time when they live in fear for their lives, away from their homes, and sometimes their families.

Several grassroots political figures have been killed in the last month, beginning with the president of the BJP's Bandipora unit, Wasim Bari, who was killed on July 9 along with his father and brother.

As a result of the wave of violence, BJP grassroots representatives from the valley have been taken to secure locations since the beginning of this month.

Since last Friday, non-BJP grassroots representatives too have been taken to these locations, following a series of attacks last week on grassroots political workers, including at Ompura in Budgam district, Askhran near Qazigund, and at Vessoo in another part of Kulgam district.

Ironically, this larger number has been kept isolated from the very day on which Sinha took charge of the Union territory. The new head of the administration will have to sort out how to move forward from this emergency step.

The danger continues to lurk. For, even with such a large number transferred to safe places, a grenade was hurled at the house of a Sikh panch at Diver near Tral on Monday.

Extra security is normally in place around Independence Day in any case.

After August 15, Sinha will have to undertake a review to decide whether these security arrangements should be extended, or if stepped up security is to be provided in different villages across the valley instead.
- A huge explosion hit Lebanon's capital city Beirut leaving over 150 dead and thousands injured

- Protests were witnessed with the public blaming the government for the blast

- Kenyans stranded in the country also joined the demos demanding to be evacuated

Operations at Kenya's consulate in Beirut, Lebanon were brought to a standstill after hundreds of Kenyans held a protest demanding to be evacuated.

In a video that was shared by activist Boniface Mwangi, the demonstrators were seen carrying the Kenyan flag while singing "Haki yetu! We want to go home."

READ ALSO: Seneta Murkomen afichua mkewe ndiye alikuwa akimtumia nauli ya kuenda deti

Kenyans demonstrating outside consulate in Beirut, Lebanon, Photo: Screenshot from NTV

Source: UGC

READ ALSO: Kalonzo Musyoka drags man to court for abusing him on Whatsapp group

Interestingly, a majority of the demonstrators were women and one of them who talked on camera said they had requested the embassy to be evacuated but were turned down.

"We came here, we wanted to go home but our consul told us to go and do prostitution to buy air ticket back home," she said.

Some of them, who mostly work as domestic employees, claimed they had been kicked out of their jobs without pay and could not afford air tickets back home.

There have been anti-government protests in the country's capital, Beirut, following a devastating blast that injured thousands, killed over 150 and left thousands homeless.

READ ALSO: Senator Kipchumba Murkomen says wife used to send him fare when they were dating

Clashes between police and protesters were triggered by the catastrophic blast which plunged the country into a fresh political and economic turmoil at a time it is still reeling under the throes of the COVID-19 pandemic and recession.

The Middle East county was further thrown into a quagmire after Prime Minister Hassan Diab on Monday, August 10, announced the resignation of the entire Cabinet.

Lebanese President Michel Aoun accepted the resignation of the prime minister's government but asked the administration to stay in a caretaker capacity to pave the way for the formation of a new Cabinet.

Among those who resigned were Diab, Justice Minister Marie Claude Najm, Information Minister Manal Abdel Samad and Environment Minister Damianos Kattar.

Do you have a groundbreaking story you would like us to publish? Please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690. Contact Tuko.co.ke instantly.

Source: TUKO.co.ke
A white woman eating an apple walks into a subway car and sits near a Black man. She alternatively taunts and flirts with him and offers him one apple, then another. By the end of their conversation, the Black man is dead.

When the Black Arts poet, playwright and activist Amiri Baraka debuted his play Dutchman, a taut one-act allegory about the state of race in America, it was 1964, the height of the civil rights movement, a time of political upheaval not unlike the one were in now. Yet the playwright deployed one of the most tried-and-true metaphorical conceits  the biblical story of Adam and Eve, in which her eating a forbidden fruit causes the downfall of both, and ultimately all humanity.

Two recent digital productions of Barakas famous play, one by the Seeing Place Theater and a Play-PerView reunion reading of the 2007 Cherry Lane Theater cast, emphasized different aspects of the biblical story. One focused on the apple itself  the moment of temptation  while the other more subtly broke down the moments after those first bites, when Adam gains knowledge and understands the cost of it all.
United States Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and his recently chosen vice-presidential candidate Kamala Harris appeared together in their first in-person campaign event on Wednesday, delivering a one-two punch on the character and performance of President Donald Trump.

Biden, a 77-year-old white man, embraced the significance of naming the first Black woman to a major partys presidential ticket, but he also focused on other attributes Harris brings to the ticket.

Biden hailed the California senator, the 55-year-old former prosecutor who a year ago excoriated Biden on a primary debate stage, as the right woman to help him defeat Trump and then lead a nation facing crises in triplicate: a pandemic, wounded economy and long-simmering reckoning with racism.

Harris, Biden declared at a high school gymnasium in his hometown of Wilmington, Delaware, is smart, shes tough, shes experienced, shes a proven fighter for the backbone of this country.

Kamala knows how to govern. She knows how to make the hard calls. Shes ready to do this job on day one, he said.





Taking the stage after Biden, Harris flicked at some of the gender critiques she had faced throughout the Democratic primary, saying she was mindful of all the ambitious women before me, whose sacrifice, determination and resilience makes my presence here today even possible.

She then launched into an attack on Trump, lambasting him for a lack of leadership on the coronavirus pandemic.

This is a moment of real consequence for America. Everything we care about  our economy, our health, our children, the kind of country we live in  its all on the line, she said.

The understated campaign kick-off is particularly unique given Harriss historic significance.

The Biden campaign had said it hoped to create a first public appearance that blends the momentous nature of Harris selection with the realities of the 2020 campaign and the gravity of the nations circumstances.

After speaking, Biden and Harris hosted an online fundraiser designed to let small donors get a fresh glimpse of what the Democratic presidential ticket will look like in the lead-up to election day on November 3.

Heres a timeline of their campaign events on Wednesday:

23:00 GMT: Biden and Harris host an online fundraising event

Democratic presidential candidate, former Vice President Joe Biden, and his running mate, Harris, wrapped up their first campaign event on Wednesday by hosting a virtual grassroots fundraiser at the Hotel DuPont in Delaware [Carolyn Kaster/AP]

21:30 GMT: Harris blames Trump for coronavirus pandemic

Kamala Harris launched a pointed attack on President Donald Trumps handling of the coronavirus outbreak.

The virus has impacted almost every country. But theres a reason it has hit America worse than any other advanced nation, Harris said.

Its because of Trumps failure to take it seriously from the start. His refusal to get testing up and running. His flip-flopping on social distancing and wearing masks. His delusional belief that he knows better than the experts, she said.

The US has recorded 5.1 million cases of infection and more than 165 thousand deaths from the virus.

Kamala Harris speaking during her first joint appearance with US presidential candidate Joe Biden after being named as his running mate [Carlos Barria/Reuters]

21:25 GMT: This thing called justice

Harris talked about how her upbringing and her parents, Jamaican and Indian immigrants, who met while protesting for civil rights in Oakland back in the 1960s.

My mother and father, they came from opposite sides of the world to arrive in America. One from India and the other from Jamaica in search of a world-class education. But what brought them together was the civil rights movement of the 1960s, she said.

And thats how they met as students in the streets of Oakland marching and shouting for this thing called justice in a struggle that continues today.

Kamala Harris speaking at a campaign event, on her first joint appearance with presidential candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden after being named by Biden as his running mate [Carlos Barria/Reuters] [Daylife]

21:20 GMT: A moment of real consequence

Harris characterised 2020 as a moment of real consequence for America.

Everything we care about, our economy, our health, our children, the kind of country we live in, its all on the line. Were reeling from the worst public health crisis in a century. The Presidents mismanagement of the pandemic has plunging us into the worst economic crisis since the great depression, Harris said.

In a sharp criticism of President Donald Trump, America is crying out for leadership, she said. Yet we have a president that cares about himself more than the people who elected him, Harris said from the podium.

Speaking about Biden, she said: Hes someone who never asks, Why is this happening to me? and instead asks, What can I do to make life better for you? This empathy, compassion, this sense of duty to care for others, is why I am so proud to be on this ticket, she said.

21:13 GMT: Im ready to get to work

California Senator Kamala Harris began speaking during her first campaign appearance as Bidens pick for vice president. She spoke highly of Biden, mentioned the women who helped pave the way for her and acknowledged the work that remains to be done to curb the coronavirus pandemic.

After the most competitive primary in history, the country received a resounding message that Joe was the person to lead us forward and, Joe, Im so proud to stand with you. And I do so mindful of all the heroic and ambitious women before me whose sacrifice, determination and resilience makes my presence here today even possible, Harris said.

Harris said that she was incredibly honored by this responsibility and that she was ready to get to work. I am ready to get to work, she said.

Joe Biden speaking at the campaign event, his first joint appearance with vice presidential candidate Senator Kamala Harris in Wilmington, Delaware, US [Carlos Barria/Reuters] [Daylife]

21:12 GMT: Biden seeks to reduce angst

Joe Biden sought to speak to the angst Americans are feeling as the COVID-19 pandemic crushes the US economy and leaves millions of Americans out of work.

Americans are awake late at night, in their kitchens, worried, scared, uncertain about how they are going to take care of their families, about how they are going to pay the bills, about how they are going to make it, simply make it, Biden said.

Million of Americans are living that struggle right now as we speak, especially in this moment of crisis, especially with so many jobs lost, Biden said.

Itll be the work of our administration to make sure they get a fair shot. Working families need someone on their side in this nation because they certainly dont have one in the president, said.

21:11 GMT: Three main issues

Biden identified three main issues he said his administration would focus on upon taking office: recovering from the coronavirus pandemic, dealing with the climate crisis, and reckoning with racial injustice.

He said his administration would use clear science based guidance to turn the corner of the coronavirus, while scaling up testing and increasing funding local and state governments.

He said the country is facing a climate crisis that Donald trump refuses to even acknowledge.

Biden also noted that today is the third anniversary of the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, after which Trump famously declared there are very fine people on both sides.

The question is for all Americans  who are we as a nation, what do we stand for, and most importantly who do you want to be? he said.

Little girls woke up, especially little black and brown girls are so often feel overlooked and undervalued in their communities, he added. Today, today just maybe theyre seeing themselves for the first time in a new way.

21:10 GMT: Biden her story is Americas story

Joe Biden said of Kamala Harris her story is Americas story, referring to the senator upbringing as the daughter of two immigrants.

He described her as an intelligent fighter for the middle class who knows how to make the hard calls. Ready to do this job on day one.

He envisioned a Biden, Harris administration that will help families struggling economically from the coronavirus pandemic.

Kamala and I both know that all folks are looking for, as my dad would say, is an even shotit will be work the of our administration to make sure they get a fair shot, he said.

Kamala Harris has had your back, and now we need to have her back, he said.

20:55 GMT  Event begins

Joe Biden and Kamala Harris entered the gymnasium, both wearing blue suits.

Biden spoke first.

To me and Kamala this is an exciting day, its a great day for our campaign and a great day for America, he said.

He called it a life changing election for this nation.

The choice we make this November is going to decide the future of america for a very long time, he said.

I have no doubt that I picked the right person to join me as the next Vice president of the United States of America, he said.

20:30 GMT  Trump campaign distributes Harris talking points

Politico reporter Alex Isenstadt has reported that the campaign has distributed Kamala Harris talking points to Trump surrogates ahead of the campaign event which instruct how to portray Harris as radical.

The Trump campaign is distributing these Harris talking points to surrogates ahead of her appearance w/Biden (1/2) pic.twitter.com/S4sUzPPnCF  Alex Isenstadt (@politicoalex) August 12, 2020

20:15 GMT  Harris motorcade seen leaving leaving Joe Bidens home

Kamala Harriss motorcade was seen leaving Joe Bidens Delaware home shortly before the campaign event on Wednesday, which was held at a nearby high school that was not publicly disclosed.

Sen. @KamalaHarriss motorcade rolls out of @JoeBidens Delaware home ahead of their first appearance together after he announced her as his running mate. pic.twitter.com/97zUrXiu5G  Sarah Mucha (@sarahmucha) August 12, 2020

Nevertheless, a small crowd gathered at Alexis DuPont High School in Wilmington before the event began, according to US media.

Reporters, meanwhile, socially distanced awaiting the remarks in the schools gymnasium. Reporters had their temperatures taken before entering the gymnasium and wore masks.

19:45 GMT  High hopes for Harris

The Biden campaign hopes the California senators historic profile and confrontational style against Trump will boost Democrats efforts to oust the Republican president amid the countrys myriad crises.

Harris was considered a favourite throughout Bidens search, and she has been a regular surrogate campaigner and fundraiser for him since he became the presumptive nominee.

However, given pandemic restrictions, the 55-year-old former prosecutor will likely have to put her animated and no-nonsense public style  which often contrasts with the 77-year-old Bidens more folksy approach  to use in television and online streaming formats without voter interaction or feedback.

Supporters also hope she will excel during her only scheduled debate against Vice President Mike Pence on October 7 at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City.

So, my message to the Democratic candidate for vice president [is]: Congratulations, Ill see you in Salt Lake City!' Pence said on Wednesday.

19:30 GMT  Biden, Harris start day with tweets

On Wednesday, Biden and Harris started the day by tweeting about the newly formed team.

Biden wrote that if they win, Were going to inherit multiple crises, a nation divided, and a world in disarray Thats exactly why I picked her: Shes ready to lead on day one.

If @KamalaHarris and I are elected, were going to inherit multiple crises, a nation divided, and a world in disarray. We wont have a minute to waste. That's exactly why I picked her: She's ready to lead on day one.  Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) August 12, 2020

Harris, for her part, tweeted a video that showed Biden offering her the position.

We are in a battle for the soul of this nation. But together, its a battle we can win, she wrote.

We are in a battle for the soul of this nation. But together, it's a battle we can win.@JoeBidenI'm ready to get to work. pic.twitter.com/3PJcUTYBGU  Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) August 12, 2020

The duo will have to work through some differences exposed during the primary campaign, including Harriss initial support for a single-payer health insurance system and the Green New Deal, progressives most ambitious set of proposals to combat the climate crisis.

Harris no longer supports a single-payer health insurance system, aligning instead with Bidens proposal to add a public insurance option to compete alongside private plans. Harris has more broadly endorsed the Green New Deal.

There was also Harriss deeply personal debate-stage broadside against Biden over his opposition to federally mandated busing to integrate public schools in the 1970s.

19:15 GMT  Trump team begins Harris attack

Trump has already seized on those dynamics, tagging Harris as Phony Kamala and casting her as the latest evidence that Biden, a five-decade veteran of the Democratic establishment, is captive to the farther-left reaches of the party.

On Wednesday, White House adviser Kellyanne Conway on Wednesday insisted Harris is very much part of the radical left and suggested the senator will have a hard time not outshining Biden, whose age and fitness for office Conway frequently mocks.

Hes overshadowed basically by almost everyone he comes in contact with, she said.

Bidens campaign seemed prepared for the counteroffensive, noting that just weeks ago, Trump said Harris would be a fine choice. Meanwhile, campaign finance records show that Trump contributed as a private citizen to Harriss attorney general campaigns in California. Harris was elected to the Senate in 2016.
Limerick will play host to a redesigned and innovative Jazz Festival, in September 2020 as organisers have adapted the festival to comply with Covid-19 restrictions.

The ninth hosting of the annual festival will run for a week, from Monday September 21 to Sunday 27.

The festival has been redesigned in a very innovative way to respond to the restrictions imposed by the need to avoid the spread of Covid-19.

This years highlights include, the final of Young Irish Jazz Musician 2020 to be held in the University Concert Hall, on the evening of Saturday September 26.

While throughout the week, online, the Irish jazz community will host premieres of performances by leading musicians from across the island and abroad.

Performers will include: Lynley Hamilton (Belfast), Chris Guilfoyles Oxygen Thief (Dublin), Paul Dunlea (Cork), Matthew Berrill (Galway) , Eddie Lee (Sligo) , David ORourke (USA) and John Donegan (UK).

The final day, Sunday September 27, will play host to a great afternoon of live music featuring the Joe OCallaghan Trio, Michael Buckleys House of Horns, Christine Tobin and Phil Robson and a first Limerick Jazz Festival appearance for Mary Coughlan, all of which will be held at Dolans.

John Daly from the Limerick Jazz Festival said

We are delighted to announce this years festival. We have worked hard to develop a line-up that works in the unusual times we live in and hope that shows in the innovations we have made.

Young Irish Jazz Musician 2020 is a natural development of our long-term commitment to jazz education and are working on plans to develop this even more in the future.

For more see www.limerickjazzfestival.com
Portable oxygen concentrator manufacturers are largely concerned with the maintenance of inventories throughout the coronavirus crisis, with optimization of supply chains and distribution channels.

DUBAI, UAE / ACCESSWIRE / August 12, 2020 / Future Market Insights: The portable oxygen concentrators market is projected to reflect a highly promising 7.8% CAGR between the years of forecast from 2016 to 2026. The coronavirus outbreak is characterized by major respiratory symptoms owing to potentially low levels of oxygen in the patient's body. Oxygen therapy is a crucial aspect of Covid-19 treatments, which is expected to strongly support the demand for portable oxygen concentrators throughout the crisis period.

"Portable oxygen concentrators are easy to carry and a number of variants are also approved for applications in airplanes. Coupled with the growing geriatric population and incidences of respiratory disease, the demand for portable oxygen concentrators is likely to continue growing in years to come," states the FMI analyst.

For more insights into the Market, Request a Sample of this Report@ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-1061

Portable Oxygen Concentrators Market- Critical Takeaways

Pulse flow technologies in portable oxygen concentrators are witnessing increasing demand owing to superior efficacy in treating COPD and other breathing problems.

Home setting applications are contributing significantly to revenue, supported by owing to the trend of miniaturization and easy application of oxygen therapies.

North America remains a leading market for portable oxygen concentrators owing to favorable government initiatives and a vast and widespread geriatric population.

Portable Oxygen Concentrators Market- Drivers

Rising incidences of respiratory ailments such as COPD around the world supports market growth.

Government spending on healthcare infrastructure and geriatric care provides lucrative opportunities.

Portable Oxygen Concentrators Market- Restraints

Strict regulations associated with approval and use of portable oxygen concentrators hinder market growth.

Prohibitory costs of portable oxygen concentrators, and lack of awareness in rural areas restrain adoption rates.

Coronavirus Impact on Portable Oxygen Concentrators Market

With the rapid spread of the coronavirus pandemic, the demand for essential medical equipment has shot up. The potentially severe respiratory symptoms, from poor oxygen levels in the patient's bloodstream will bolster the demand for portable oxygen concentrators. Effective applications in home and hospital settings will contribute to adoption rates and revenue. Manufacturers will remain largely concerned with efforts to optimize supply and distribution channels to circumvent potential challenges from lockdown measures imposed in multiple countries.

For information on the Research Approach used in the Report, Request Methodology@ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/askus/rep-gb-1061

Competitive Landscape

GCE Group, Koninklijke Philips N.V., O2 Concepts LLC, Inogen Inc., Foshan Keyhub Electronic Industries Co. Ltd., Chart Industries Inc., Oxus America Inc., Resmed Inc., Besco Medical Co., Invacare Corp., Precision Medical Inc., and Drive DeVilbiss Healthcare are some of the leading players in the portable oxygen concentrators market.

Manufacturers in the portable oxygen concentrators market are largely displaying interest in the development and launch of new products to boost functionality and widen their portfolios.

For instance, CAIRE Inc. has unveiled a next generation Freestyle Comfort portable oxygen concentrator with proprietary, self-adjusting functionality. OxygenToGo LLC has entered into a deal to provide Virgin Atlantic with portable oxygen concentrators for use in aircrafts. Similarly, ResMed has unveiled Mobi, a portable oxygen concentrator for COPD patients in the United States.

Ask for Regional Data for the Portable Oxygen Concentrators Market@ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/ask-regional/rep-gb-1061

About the Study

The study offers readers a comprehensive assessment of the Portable oxygen concentrators market. Global, regional and national-level analysis of the latest trends influencing the portable oxygen concentrators market is covered in this FMI report. The study provides insights according to product (continuous flow portable oxygen concentrator, and pulse flow portable oxygen concentrator), and end user (hospitals, home care, ambulatory surgical center, and travel agents) in seven regions (North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia Pacific excluding Japan, Japan, and MEA).

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PRAGUE (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 12th August, 2020) Slovakia has sent humanitarian cargo worth about 60,000 Euros ($70,380) to Beirut to assist citizens affected by the recent massive explosion in the port of Beirut, Roman Mikulec, the Slovak interior minister, said on Tuesday.

"I am glad that today we can send our help to people in need in Beirut. This is a joint action of several ministries and departments, as well as a number of non-governmental organizations," Mikulec stated, adding that the cargo's weight was more than six tonnes.

The minister added that his country also provided the local authorities with 100,000 euros to deal with the aftermath of the blast.

According to Mikulex, humanitarian aid included medications and food sets for people who became homeless due to the explosion.

Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister of Armenia Tigran Avinyan announced that his country had sent the third plane with humanitarian aid to Lebanon, noting that the overall weight of the humanitarian cargo delivered to the country by Armenia was 36 tonnes.

A powerful explosion ripped through the Lebanese capital last Tuesday, leveling the port and killing about 200 people. According to the authorities, the blast was caused by 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate, confiscated by the customs services in 2014 and improperly stored since then.
The prison death of a Love/Hate actor might trigger a tougher drugs crackdown on inmates following calls from the jails watchdog for regular unannounced cell searches.

It comes after a review said 22 wraps of heroin were found in the cell of the drug-dealing model and actor Daniel 'Dano' Doyle (31), who appeared in the RTE hit drama.

The Ballymun father of two was found in an unresponsive state in Mountjoy Prison just over two years ago. He subsequently died in hospital.

A report by the Inspector of Prisons into the death of Doyle, who was not named, also criticised delays in fixing broken CCTV cameras in Mountjoy, which it claimed compromised the security of prisoners.

It revealed the total amount of heroin found in the prisoner's cell was 1.965 grams.

The inspector, Patricia Gilheaney, said Doyle, who was serving a 12-month sentence for drug-related offences, was found unresponsive in his cell at 8.05am on June 15, 2018.

'Dano', who was a protected prisoner because of his fear of fighting with other inmates, was provided with emergency medical attention before being brought by ambulance to the nearby Mater Hospital where he died 10 days later without regaining consciousness.

Safety

Ms Gilheaney was told cursory cell inspections were carried out daily but there was no record of a more detailed search of any cell on the prisoner's wing in Mountjoy in the first half of 2018.

"Searching, both routine and unannounced, is a fundamental safety requirements in prisons," said Ms Gilheany.

She said her investigation was unable to determine how the prisoner had come into the possession of drugs.

The report said no evidence was found to substantiate claims by Doyle's family that he had been poisoned by drugs which may have been provided by a prison officer.

He had denied having a history of drug use on his committal to prison and did not get any medical treatment for drug-related issues. However Doyle had been prescribed a range of medicines including anti-inflammatories, vitamin supplements and anti- depressants.

The report said nothing was found to back up the family's suggestion he was severely under the influence of drugs in the gym and prison yard on the evening before he was found in an unresponsive state.

However, Ms Gilheaney said it was "a very serious matter" that the CCTV system on the landing where the prisoner had been housed had not been working for a month.

She said CCTV failures compromised the security of protected prisoners on the wing.

Ms Gilheaney also said the failure of prison staff to notice that CCTV cameras were not working for 11 days was "difficult to understand".

Asked if staff in the control room should have noticed the camera failures, the inspector was informed by an IPS official they did not know the answer as they did not work there.

"This is an inadequate response," Ms Gilheaney said.

Doyle's family also complained they had heard he had died via Facebook on the morning he had been brought to hospital from the prison.

Ms Gilheaney said she had been informed by Mountjoy Prison's governor a number of prisoners may have put information out on social media as a result of the prevalence of illicit mobile phones in the jail. The Irish Prison Service was also criticised for a delay of five weeks in forwarding requested documentation to the Inspector of Prisons.

The IPS fully accepted 11 out of 12 recommendations made by the watchdog including the need to prioritise death in custody investigations and adhering to the protocol of providing all relevant material to the Inspector of Prisons within seven days of a prisoner's death.

In response to the recommendation to carry out regular routine and unannounced cell searches, the IPS said it carried out targeted and general searches "insofar as resources allow".

Protection

The IPS only partly accepted the recommendation that it should set a target for reducing the number of prisoners held in protection in Mountjoy as it claimed it would involve the removal of a prisoner's entitlement to seek protection.

Doyle was jailed for a year in February 2018 for possession of drugs for sale or supply at his home on November 12, 2014.

Gardai caught him with 446 small tablets and a money bag containing around 600. The tablets were MDMA.

Gardai also found drug paraphernalia, including syringes and weighing scales, in a safe in Doyle's bedroom.

Cash totalling 340 was also found in the bedroom and 2,800 was found elsewhere.

Doyle had 35 previous convictions including three previous for drug-dealing and convictions for unlawful possession of firearms in suspicious circumstances.

He also had two convictions for threatening to kill or cause serious harm and had links to a number of gangsters.

Doyle was jailed for two years in 2007 after he pleaded guilty to possession of cocaine and shotgun cartridges on two occasions at Glasnevin Avenue on January 20, 2006, and at his home on December 8 that year.
[shouting] We would call them bike hikes. We were just going out to go explore your world. It would be at least six, seven, eight of us. Our parents said as long as you were home before the streetlights came on, you stayed as a group, youre fine. It was a beautiful day, sunshine. The children in the neighborhood planned to go on a trip to McDonalds just to have some fun, something different to do. Rosedale we thought was a safe place. We all went down. We were riding our bikes. And then we saw down the block that there was this beautiful American flag flowing in the wind. We saw a group outside on the block. So we was like, Oh, this is a block party. The last thing that I remember was someone saying, Oh, a parade. And so we went down to go see the parade, and I laugh about it to this day because it was a parade to get the black people out of Rosedale. Crowd: White power  white resistance. Its the summer of 1975. White residents in Rosedale, Queens, are protesting black families moving into the neighborhood. [shouting] Crowd: Equal rights for whites. These are scenes from a documentary produced by journalist Bill Moyers. Does he have a right to live here? No. Why not? Because hes black. This was not the South. This was not Greenville, Miss., or Spartanburg, S.C., or Atlanta, Ga. This was right in the heart of the greatest metropolitan area in the country. The documentary was found nearly 45 years later by a graduate student who posted a short clip on the internet. It went viral on Twitter and Facebook. And the question people kept asking, where are the kids now? Hey, Rob, this is Whitney Hurst calling from The New York Times. My name is Whitney Hurst. Im a journalist  To answer that question, we called more than 90 people who had lived in Rosedale at that time. Im just trying to find anyone that might have known someone. We couldnt find any white residents who said theyd been there. Came out because it got a little bit crazy. But we spoke with several of the black children. We wanted to hear what happened to them that day to understand why their experience is resonating decades later. We went down to see what was going on. Probably in the middle of the block, thats when we figured out it was something else, and it was something that we definitely were not invited to. We noticed that they were running towards us. I was like, Wow. You know, like, Why are they rushing towards us, not thinking anything negative. And then we heard nigger. [crowd shouting racial slurs] Yeah, nigger! And they surrounded my best friend at the time, Lorena  one of the young men hit her, and they started calling us names. They started throwing rocks. Hearing the word, hearing it directed at me  Why are you calling me that? Thats not me. You know, Ive always been told thats not me. I didnt understand. I was like, Who do you think you are to say we cant come here? Like, how dare you? What happened to you? This little boy, he threw the rock. He tried to hit my sister, but he almost hit me. It was about that much away from me. And I sure wish he had hit me with that rock. I would pick up the rock right next to me and hit him right dead in his face. I was just kind of amazed to see that people can act like that, to tell you the truth. But that was like really the first when I was like, Wow, people do not like black people. They always do that. They always spit on us like we some dogs. They always  Spit back on them. Aint nothing going to change. I immediately was reminded of those programs my parents would have me watch with the dogs and the hoses, and people trying to vote and being killed and lynched. It just, it went right back to my history in this country. It just linked me immediately with that whole experience because I felt it. Do you forgive them? No. No. No. Cant take back no hurt. And I didnt know what to do with those feelings. I did not know what to do with those feelings. For Moyers, the video going viral shows how powerful images can be. He just tried to hit my sister, but  Because we were in their neighborhood. I mean, I do believe that television has been a great teacher. This country didnt really respond to what was going on in the South, although it was well known, until the sheriff in Birmingham turned the water hoses and the dogs on those young people who were demonstrating there. We knew about it. We heard about it. We were aware of it, but we didnt see it. We couldnt escape it once we saw it. As we filmed in Rosedale, a group of blacks from South Jamaica was coming through the neighborhood in a demonstration of support. Every time a group of blacks get together, they want to help Rosedale with their problems. We dont need any outsiders helping us with our problems, and well stay white, period. Crowd: Right on. Right on. All right, so guys, this next scene is very disturbing, all right? Its the one I was telling you about yesterday. I started a sociology elective in 2004-2005 school year, and my supervisor at the time said, Come up with something thats close to home that maybe you can relate to today. I grew up in Rosedale.  and think that I have a right  And I said, I want to do a unit on race in America. And that Rosedale video, weve been showing it for 15 years now, giving it to the kids and say, What do you think? Ive never seen racism on camera. That was full-on racism and just bullying. Crowd: Equal rights for whites. Equal rights for whites. Im glad that I saw it because it needs to be seen. I feel like everyone should see this. I think its come back up because of the fact that were going back kind of. Racism is still alive. Its still poisoning other minds. This is how it was back then. Lets not repeat it again. Emotionally, I think its connecting with kids more today. This generation is that I Generation. They can see it in a 10-second span, make a connection to it. Cant take back no hurt. The kids are never going to forget that. They cant unsee it, and its going to be with them forever. Rosedale, its turned predominately black now, so were welcomed there now. That day, the American flag was the image, the symbol that pulled us into that situation. We live in America. The American flag means good things. It means that we can go where we want to go. We can ride our bike down any street in America. But it really represented a symbol of do not enter. So they took that beautiful image and turned it into something ugly for me, and I want the flag back.
Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno has approved the appointment of Isa Marte, a professor, as his new Chief of Staff.

Isa Gusau, Special Assistant on Media and Strategy to the governor, made the announcement in a statement on Wednesday.

Mr Gusau said that Mr Marte, a serving Commissioner for Higher Education, since August 2019, was to replace Babagana Wakil, who passed on July 1, 2020, in Maiduguri after a protracted illness.

Prof Marte is to handover to Dr Babagana Mustapha Mallumbe, whose new ministry will be Higher Education, Science, Technology and Innovation. Merger of the two ministries is in line with the administrations public service reforms.

Marte, the incoming chief of staff, is a Professor of Pharmacology with specialty in cancer research and a fellow of the Nigerian Academy of Science.

Zulums choice of Prof. Isa Hussaini Marte is in recognition of his proven capacity, strong passion for development, unbending principles that align with the governors, and above all, his proven integrity, Mr Gusau said.

Mr Gusau said Mr Marte was expected to work efficiently to coordinate all affairs of the Government House to enable the full attainment of governor Zulums vision of a better state.

The governors media aide said Mr Marte would be sworn-in on Monday as the governor looks forward to working with him at a higher level.

(NAN)
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Linkedin Sausan Atika (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, August 12, 2020 10:46 525 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066d59270 1 National COVID-19,Greater-Jakarta,testing-capacity,discrepancy,laboratory,collaboration Free

Health authorities are demanding that Jakartas satellite cities follow the capitals lead in increasing the testing capacity, as the capital deals with more and more COVID-19 infections amid relaxed restrictions and rising mobility.

The number of new positive cases in Jakarta continued to exceed that of other provinces over the last few days with 462 new infections, 184 recoveries and 12 new deaths as of Tuesday.

In total, the capital has seen 26,624 confirmed infections, putting it ahead of second-placed East Java, which has logged 25,917 cases.

Read also: Highest daily spike sees Jakarta logging 658 new COVID-19 cases

Authorities claim the high figures are due to the massive scale of testing and aggressive contact tracing the city has undertaken since it began gradually reopening the economy.

Jakarta, a special administrative region, remains the only province to meet the World Health Organizations recommendation for the minimum testing rate of 1 test per 1,000 inhabitants per week, according to the latest WHO situation report.

Despite meeting the WHO benchmark, Jakarta Health Agency head Widyastuti said the city administrations efforts to curb the disease would not succeed unless its satellite cities put up a similar effort, given the high mobility of people within Greater Jakarta.

One obstacle we face is how to build synergy [with the satellite cities], because we cannot work alone. There is still a large [testing] gap between Jakarta and the other cities, Widyastuti said in a recent virtual discussion.

As people's mobility remains high, [the outbreak] wont end without support from the satellite cities.

Greater Jakarta includes the municipalities of South Tangerang and Tangerang as well as Tangerang regency in Banten, the Bogor municipality and the Bogor regency, Depok, as well as the Bekasi municipality and Bekasi regency (Bodebek) in West Java. It covers an area inhabited by nearly 35 million people, many of whom, under normal circumstances, commute for work or study to the capital.

Experts have urged from the outset that the government look to improving the countrys testing capacity, in the hope of immediately treating those infected to curb COVID-19 transmission.

However, the significant testing gap between regions across the country is a major stumbling block, as half of the laboratories that have the wherewithal to run polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests for diagnostic purposes are located on the island of Java.

Even within the island, disparity among provinces is very evident.

Jakarta, home to 10.5 million people, has tested 464,122 people as of Monday. Around 47,018 people were tested in the city in the past week alone, which is four times the minimum testing rate recommended by the WHO.

Meanwhile, the cumulative number of PCR tests undertaken in Jakartas satellite cities, which cover an area occupied by 24 million residents, amounts to less than 1 percent of its population so far, according to The Jakarta Posts calculations.

"As the economy reopens and the phenomenon of asymptomatic COVID-19 carriers emerges, people from satellite cities going to or coming from Jakarta [carry] a big potential risk of infection," the South Tangerang Health Agencys acting head, Deden Deni, said on Monday.

Read also: Indonesia to increase monthly production of test kits while vaccine under trial

But the testing capacity extending from Jakartas urban sprawl is still largely inadequate, with Deden admitting that his citys administration had yet to meet the WHOs testing benchmark.

South Tangerang has carried out just 12,000 PCR tests as of Monday.

Part of the problem stems from the fact that satellite city administrations rely on laboratories outside their administrative areas, mainly in Jakarta.

When the labs reduced their quotas for testing samples, the administrations had no other option, Deden said.

In an attempt to increase the number of PCR tests to at least 1 percent of its population, the South Tangerang administration has requested approval from the Health Ministry to run its own laboratory with an examination capacity of 200 specimens a day, he said.

Tangerang regency health agency head Desriana also said her regency had only tested around 12,000 of the 3.5 million population due to the limited testing quota of the three labs it had delivered its samples to.

The regency runs one other laboratory for this purpose, also with severe capacity constraints.

Unlike its two neighboring cities, Tangerang municipality has managed to perform 17,000 PCR tests for its 1.7 million residents. It was recently able to test up to 1,800 people per week, Tangerang Health Agency head Liza Puspadewi said on Tuesday.

This is because we decided to allocate more funds from our city budget and learn from the experiences of other places, such as West Sumatra, on how to examine samples more effectively, Liza said.

However, we are certainly not yet satisfied and will continue to increase [the number of PCR tests].

Read also: Indonesia's latest official COVID-19 figures

In West Java, home to 50 million people, the provincial government has only carried out a total of 180,731 PCR tests so far.

West Java Health Agency head Berli Hamdani acknowledged on Monday that the province, including the Bodebek agglomeration that makes up part of Greater Jakarta, had yet to meet the WHO recommendation despite the fact that 10 of its 25 labs were located in said urban areas.

However, he also noted that Jakarta has a much lower population and its labs are more accessible for diagnostic purposes.

To increase its testing capacity, the province is considering linking up with private laboratories, especially those located in the Bodebek area and its urban surroundings, Berli said.
Northern Ireland's largest teaching union has called on post-primary schools to follow the lead of a Belfast school which is to ban students from classrooms unless they wear face masks.

The NASUWT said Belfast Royal Academy's decision was welcome, and would "put the health and wellbeing of pupils, staff and school community first".

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"All post-primary schools should be following this good practice," NASUWT National Official Justin McCamphill said. "This has to be done to mitigate the removal of social distancing that has come about as a result of the Executive decision [to reopen all schools] last Thursday."

Belfast Royal Academy (BRA) announced the decision in a letter to parents, the BBC's Stephen Nolan Show reported.

"Due to our large pupil and staff population it will be extremely difficult to maintain strict social distancing requirements," the letter read.

"Therefore, in order to protect all members of the school community, including those who are vulnerable, all pupils, staff and visitors must wear a face covering within the school building."

"If a pupil arrives to school without a face mask, they will not be permitted to enter the classroom."

BRA principal Hilary Woods told the BBC it was about the "safe restart of the school".

Face coverings would only be worn by pupils and staff when in the school building, she said. It will not be a requirement for pupils to wear them "when exercising in the playground" or "when eating at break time and lunchtime".

Integrated Ballymena post-primary school Slemish College announced yesterday that it would also ask all members of the school community to wear masks inside the college building.

"As the NI Executive recently announced that face coverings should be worn in places where social distancing is difficult, we would ask everyone to wear face coverings when inside the College building," it said in a Twitter post. "Y14 students should ensure they have one for collecting their results on Thursday."

Mr McCamphill said the decision to enforce the wearing of masks will protect vulnerable teachers and pupils.

He added: "[We] call on the Executive to make the wearing of masks compulsory in all post-primary schools.

"We are aware that some students may not be able to wear masks for medical reasons, however, the fact that other pupils are wearing masks will also protect them."

SDLP MLA Daniel McCrossan, who sits on Stormont's education committee, also welcomed the decision from BRA, adding that it was in the "best interests" of those that attend school and the wider community.

He said there had been "a lack of leadership and guidance" from education authorities, as well as the Executive.

"This is an argument around face coverings which rumbled for weeks before a decision was made, he said. He said that while the SDLP was part of that Executive, "the shots are called by the DUP and Sinn Fein".

BRA said it made the decision after a meeting of the school's health committee and plans to provide washable face coverings to pupils in school colours.

The stance is in direct opposition to that of Education Minister Peter Weir, who has said imposing face coverings in schools is "not necessary or implementable" at this stage.

Northern Ireland's Chief Scientific Adviser Prof Ian Young later said he believed it would be of benefit for older children.

NI Children's Commissioner Koulla Yiasouma said her preference would be for face masks to be encouraged, not mandatory.

Mr McCrossan said there is concern around the reopening of schools. He added: "Teachers are worried about returning and being exposed to risk, children and their families are also very concerned.

"What is more concerning is we get closer to the reopening of schools and there is still no clear guidance from the department."

A Department of Education spokesperson said: "Any specific public health advice will be followed regarding the use of PPE and face coverings for teachers and pupils. Detailed guidance on the reopening of schools will be issued this week and will include advice on the use of PPE and face coverings."
Aaron Brady has been found guilty of the capital murder of Detective Garda Adrian Donohoe during an armed robbery seven years ago.

It was the prosecution's case that Brady (29) fired the fatal shot during the raid at Lordship credit union in Dundalk, Co Louth, on January 25, 2013.

He denied this and claimed he was moving laundered diesel waste cubes at a yard in south Armagh at the time.

However, following a 28-week trial, the jury of seven women and five men returned guilty verdicts on counts of capital murder and robbery.

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Top garda management have issued a direct statement to the raiders who were with Aaron Brady when they committed the robbery in which Adrian Donohoe was murdered - saying we will be knocking on your door.

At a press briefing at Garda HQ in the Phoenix Park, Deputy Commissioner for policing and security, John Twomey, issued the warning.

There were other people involved in this horrific crime, and you will be brought to justice and we will make every effort and leave no stone unturned, he said.

Expand Close Assistant Commissioner John Twomey and Chief Supt Christy Mangan outside Garda HQ after Aaron Brady was found guilty of the murder of Det Garda Adrian Donohoe. Picture: Gerry Mooney. / Facebook

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Whatsapp Assistant Commissioner John Twomey and Chief Supt Christy Mangan outside Garda HQ after Aaron Brady was found guilty of the murder of Det Garda Adrian Donohoe. Picture: Gerry Mooney.

I want to make an appeal to the people who committed the crime that we will be knocking on your door and we will make sure that you pay for this horrendous act, he added.

Today is a day of mixed emotions following the conviction earlier on. Our thoughts and our prayers are with the family of Adrian, with his wife Caroline and the extended family, and I want to take the opportunity here to thank the investigation team, the management standing behind me and the wider investigation team who are still working away, and I have a clear message that the investigation continues, said Dep Commissioner Twomey.

No society can tolerate crimes of this nature, and we as a law enforcement agency will do everything we can to work with the community to bring the perpetrators to justice, he added.

Expand Close Aaron Brady. Photo: Ciara Wilkinson / Facebook

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The wife of Adrian Donohoe thanked the jury for 'sticking with the trial'.

Speaking outside the Criminal Courts of Justice, Caroline said; "Ladies and gentlemen I would like to most sincerely thank the jury for sticking with this trial for so long and for my garda colleagues and the prosecution team, on behalf of Amy, Niall and myself.

Expand Close Caroline Donohoe outside the Criminal Courts of Justice after the jury found Aaron Brady guilty of the murder of her husband Adrian. Picture; Gerry Mooney. / Facebook

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Whatsapp Caroline Donohoe outside the Criminal Courts of Justice after the jury found Aaron Brady guilty of the murder of her husband Adrian. Picture; Gerry Mooney.

Justice Minister Helen McEntee commended the Gardai for their determined, persistent and painstaking investigation, noting also that there had been crucial cooperation from their colleagues in the PSNI and law enforcement partners in the United States.

The effort to apprehend those responsible had also been deeply supported by the local community in Co Louth, she said.

My hope, now that a person has been brought to justice for an unspeakably callous act committed against a decent and honourable Garda, working in the course of his duty to protect his community, is that this can bring some element of comfort to Detective Garda Adrian Donohoes wife and family, his many friends and loyal colleagues, the Minister said.

I know too that the investigation will continue relentlessly so that others responsible for the dreadful events that night may also be brought to justice.

The longest murder trial in the history of the State began on January 27 and sat for 118 days during which 139 witnesses were called to give evidence, including the accused.

The defence had made several applications to discharge the jury citing the delay over the Covid-19 pandemic and the interruption of a key witnesses' testimony, but these were refused by trial judge Mr Justice Michael White.

Aaron Brady, of New Road in Crossmaglen, Co Armagh, now faces the mandatory 40-year prison sentence after being convicted of capital murder.

Det Gda Adrian Donohoe (41), a married father-of-two, was on an armed cash escort when the convoy was ambushed by a five-man gang as they prepared to leave the credit union.

The detective had stepped out of his unmarked Toyota Avensis after the car park exit was blocked by a Volkswagen Passat when, without warning, he was shot in the head at point-blank range. He was the 87th member of An Garda Siochana to die in the course of duty.

The raid was carried out in 58 seconds and netted the gang 7,000 while 27,000 was left behind. The prosecution said the robbery must have been carried out by a local gang, who had Border accents and knowledge of the rural getaway roads used, and that they were motivated by money.

The prosecution had relied upon what they said was overwhelmingly circumstantial evidence, tied together with the admissions of the accused and wrapped in a litany of lies, to prove beyond reasonable doubt that Aaron Brady shot dead Det Gda Donohoe.

The Volkswagen Passat used in the robbery had been stolen from Clogherhead during a creeper burglary three nights before the murder. There was expert evidence given that a distinctive BMW 5 Series with a metallic rapped roof captured on CCTV close to the burglary that night was very similar to a BMW belonging to Brady's best friend, Suspect A.

The prosecution said there was a silent period on both of the men's phones at this time indicating that they were in each others company when the getaway car was stolen.

Mobile phones belonging to the accused and three other suspects were also inactive during the same period an hour before and after the murder, with prosecutor Lorcan Staines SC describing this as an extraordinary unusual and unlucky coincidence.

Aaron Brady was described as a skilled and practised liar who told lots of lies for his own personal advantage.

He admitted he lied when giving an account of his movements to Insp John Moroney the day after the murder, and again 10 days later when he made a voluntary statement to Det Gda Jim McGovern and Det Insp Mark Phillips. Brady had claimed he lied because he was trying to disguise the fact he was moving laundered diesel waste, but the prosecution said it was to hide his involvement in the murder.

They said these lies continued when Aaron Brady got into the witness box of the Central Criminal Court.

Over the course of five days he denied any involvement in the murder and described key prosecution witness Daniel Cahill as a psychopath and a pathological liar.

Expand Close Chief Supt Christy Mangan outside the Criminal Courts of Justice after the jury found Aaron Brady guilty of the murder of Det Garda Adrian Donohoe. Picture; Gerry Mooney. / Facebook

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Whatsapp Chief Supt Christy Mangan outside the Criminal Courts of Justice after the jury found Aaron Brady guilty of the murder of Det Garda Adrian Donohoe. Picture; Gerry Mooney.

Under cross-examination from lead prosecution counsel Brendan Grehan SC, Brady claimed he had been a victim of a campaign by gardai and the media.

The jury heard that within weeks of the robbery Brady and three other suspects all left Ireland and travelled to far flung corners of the world.

The accused settled in the Woodlawn area of the Bronx which he thought would be a safe haven, and where he wore the shooting of detective garda Adrian Donohoe like a badge of honour.

Expand Close Let Garda Colm Donhoe and his sister Mary outside the Criminal Courts of Justice after the jury found Aaron Brady guilty of the murder of their brother Adrian. Picture; Gerry Mooney. / Facebook

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Whatsapp Let Garda Colm Donhoe and his sister Mary outside the Criminal Courts of Justice after the jury found Aaron Brady guilty of the murder of their brother Adrian. Picture; Gerry Mooney.

There was damning evidence given by two witnesses living in the US who told the court that they heard Aaron Brady make admissions.

Molly Staunton, an American citizen, said she was in Aaron Brady's apartment when he was ranting about having murdered a cop in Ireland. While appearing via video link, her evidence was interrupted by her friend who told her to put a stop to it and no more testimony before the live feed cut off. Mr Justice Michael White gave the jury a warning about her evidence.

Daniel Cahill, a barman who worked in the Bronx, told the trial of three interactions he had with Brady during which the accused said he had shot a guard in Ireland.

One incident occurred after the accused was punched in a bar fight, another while he was drinking on his own in a pub saying he had nightmares about the shooting, and a third incident was in an apartment where Brady bragged about the murder.

Mr Cahill told the court that these admissions happened between 2015 and 2016 in the Bronx and that on each occasion Aaron Brady said he had shot a garda. During the trial the court heard Daniel Cahill was out of residency status in the US, and that he was waiting to apply for a green card having married an American citizen.

Homeland Security agent Mary Ann Wade, who detained the witness last year before he gave his statement to gardai, gave evidence that Mr Cahill was not made any offers for his cooperation. A letter of scope provided to her by her employer limited the evidence she could give in a foreign court.

The prosecution contended that, if all of the evidence against Aaron Brady was a lie, bad luck and strange circumstances, then it would be some string of unfortunate events for Aaron Brady.

It was the defence case that the accused was at a diesel-laundering yard 21km away from Lordship credit union at the time of the robbery.

Defence counsel Michael O'Higgins SC told the jury that the prosecution had come to court with a highly sculpted and editorialised case which he described as smoke and mirrors.

He criticised the Garda investigation and said it was beyond comprehension that aspects of his clients account were never followed up on.

Mr O'Higgins described the evidence of a silent period between the accused and other suspects around the time of the robbery as flawed and said that messaging services do not show up in data records. He also questioned why proceedings haven't commenced against two other named men, Suspect A and B, who the prosecution say were also involved but cannot be named for legal reasons.

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The jury were told that his client's lies did not amount to guilt and argued that people lie for a wide range of reasons.

Counsel said that key prosecution witness Daniel Cahill was not as he appeared and was a person with a lot to gain.

He said Molly Staunton's evidence swung from left to right like a pendulum and that she was not someone whose testimony could be relied upon.

Mr O'Higgins also described Agent Maryann Wade as an extremely difficult and evasive witness.

The senior counsel said that the prosecution had not proved their case against his client beyond reasonable doubt.

Expand Close Martin Donohoe outside the Criminal Courts of Justice after the jury found Aaron Brady guilty of the murder of his brother Adrian. Picture; Gerry Mooney. / Facebook

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Whatsapp Martin Donohoe outside the Criminal Courts of Justice after the jury found Aaron Brady guilty of the murder of his brother Adrian. Picture; Gerry Mooney.

However, the jury came to the conclusion that Aaron Brady was the masked raider who shot Adrian Donohoe dead during the credit union robbery.

The case began with an extended 15-person jury pool due to the length of time it was expected to take and three jurors were excused during the trial.

In February one juror had recognised a relative of Brady in court and asked to be excused, while in May another expressed concerns about coming to court during the Covid-19 pandemic and was discharged. In early August a third juror said that he had a commitment and, as there would still be 12 jurors remaining, asked to be excused.

After delivering their verdicts, the jury panel were thanked by Mr Justice Michael White for their patience over the past seven months before exempting them from jury service for life.
When I was a child I had a lot of questions, and my parents and grandparents always had the answers. Im nearing the end of eight decades on this earth and my parents and grandparents are no longer around. I honestly wonder how they would explain the following.

Oprah Winfrey heads a group opposing white supremacy and is presenting a list of demands. I always thought demands were presented in a hostage situation. White supremacy is being addressed by a Black woman who is one of the wealthiest people in America. Really?

I would ask if capitalism is so bad and socialism is so good, why arent the caravans headed to Venezuela?

If world leaders can control the climate with higher taxes, why cant they control this awful pandemic? If face masks really work, why didnt they just give masks to the violent prisoners instead of leaving them out of prison?

Why were pancake syrup, books, movies, logos and building names not racist when Obama was president?

Finally, I want to know why the government has Tomahawk cruise missiles and Apache, Blackhawk, Kiowa and Lakota helicopters, and used the code name Geronimo in the attack that killed Osama Bin Laden  but the Washington Redskins logo is racist and must be changed.

Im glad my parents and grandparents are no longer of this earth because they would undoubtedly have a blank stare on their faces, and I would lose faith in their infinite wisdom.

Barry Smith

Lower Saucon Township
Mike McWilliams, VP, Marketing & Client Strategy Mike has worked with some of the best known brands in the world on their B2B and B2C loyalty and incentive strategies, said Dave Dittman, President, Next Level Performance.

Next Level Performance, an industry leader in sales incentives, engagement and recognition programs, meetings and events, is pleased to announce the addition of Mike McWilliams as Vice President of Marketing and Client Strategy.

Mike has been in the incentive and events business for more than 25 years. He started his career as an ad copywriter and hes an award-winning creative director, loyalty strategist and marketer.

Mike brings a unique skillset to the business and a long history of client service, says Dave Dittman, President of Next Level Performance. He has worked with some of the best known brands in the world on their B2B and B2C loyalty and incentive strategies, and we are excited to tap his expertise as we build out new and innovative solutions for our clients.

Mike will lead Next Levels strategy, marketing and communications efforts, with a focus on expanding platform-based solutions to meet Next Levels growing list of clients and their incentive needs. Im excited to join Next Level Performance as Vice President of Marketing and Client Strategy, said McWilliams. For more than 40 years theyve been industry leaders, and Im very much looking forward to working alongside an energetic team with extraordinary expertise.

Mike most recently led strategy and marketing efforts for Aimias B2B loyalty arm in the US, and for the Minneapolis-based engagement firm MotivAction. He is currently Vice Chair of the Incentive Research Foundations Research Committee. Mike resides outside of Denver, Colorado.

About Next Level Performance

Next Level Performance has been an industry leader in the design and implementation of sales incentives, engagement and recognition programs, reward strategies, and meetings and event solutions since 1976. Our programs improve the performance of the employee groups, sales teams and channel partners that matter most to your business. Our solutions are grounded in strategic thinking, a full suite of customizable technology solutions, data-driven recommendations, and a passion for collaboration, accountability, respect, ethical behavior and exceptional client service. For more visit http://www.nxlperformance.com.
Tupelo, MS (38804)

Today

Rain showers early then thundershowers for the afternoon. High 62F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%..

Tonight

Rain early...then remaining cloudy with showers overnight. Thunder is possible early. Low 27F. Winds N at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 100%.
Former president Barack Obama joined top Democrats on Tuesday to praise Joe Biden's decision to select California Sen Kamala Harris as his running mate in the November election.

'Joe Biden nailed this decision. By choosing Senator Kamala Harris as America's next vice president he's underscored his own judgement and character,' Obama said in a statement.

'I've known Senator @KamalaHarris for a long time. She is more than prepared for the job. She's spent her career defending our Constitution and fighting for folks who need a fair shake. This is a good day for our country. Now let's go win this thing,' he added.

Hillary Clinton, the 2016 Democratic presidential candidate, chimed in, saying: 'I'm thrilled to welcome @KamalaHarris to a historic Democratic ticket.

'She's already proven herself to be an incredible public servant and leader. And I know shell be a strong partner to @JoeBiden. Please join me in having her back and getting her elected.'

Former president Barack Obama joined top Democrats on Tuesday to praise Joe Biden's decision to select California Sen Kamala Harris as his running mate in the November election

'Joe Biden nailed this decision. By choosing Senator Kamala Harris as America's next vice president he's underscored his own judgement and character,' Obama said in a statement

'I've known Senator @KamalaHarris for a long time. She is more than prepared for the job. She's spent her career defending our Constitution and fighting for folks who need a fair shake. This is a good day for our country. Now let's go win this thing,' Obama added

Vermont Sen Bernie Sanders, who had been one of Biden's rivals for the Democratic nomination, shared his sentiments on Twitter.

'Congratulations to @KamalaHarris, who will make history as our next Vice President. She understands what it takes to stand up for working people, fight for health care for all, and take down the most corrupt administration in history.'

Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, who was on Biden's list of potential running mates, wrote: 'Congratulations to @kamalaharris and @JoeBiden on a fantastic and historic ticket. Now, lets go win!'

US Representative Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas said: 'I have tears in my eyes but joy in my soul.

'I am so overwhelmed, as I know that women around the nation, women of color, and yes Black women can see their equal status in this nation finally. Thank you Vice President Biden ...'

Georgia political activist Stacey Abrams, who was also on Biden's list of potential running mates, shared: 'Thrilled to support @KamalaHarris as next VP. I was honored to speak with @JoeBiden at length over the weekend and again today.

'His focus on reaching out to every corner of our country speaks to how he will lead us.'

Minnesota Sen Amy Klobuchar, who also ran for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, tweeted: 'Filled with joy that Sen. @KamalaHarris is our Vice Presidential nominee!

'This is a historic moment, and I know that her leadership, experience, and character will help move our country forward when she and @JoeBiden take back the White House!

'Kamala is a good friend and incredibly strong public servant. Sometimes campaigns can tear friendships apart but we grew closer  and I know she has what it takes to lead side-by-side with @JoeBiden,' Klobuchar added.

On Tuesday evening, Biden tweeted out this image of him and Harris preparing to 'go win this' upcoming election

After the announcement, Harris tweeted that she is 'honored' to join Biden as the Democrat party's nominee for vice president

Senator Michael Bennet of Colorado, who had run for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, said in a statement: 'Kamala Harris has spent her career fighting for people who need it most - an essential quality for our Vice President as we face the coronavirus pandemic, economic turmoil, and our longstanding struggle for racial justice in America.

'She is a champion for middle-class families, and her leadership in the Senate on criminal justice reform has been vital.'

In an interview, NAACP President Derrick Johnson, said Harris will 'not only be able to speak to the moment, she understands the plight of Black women; therefore, she's up to the task'.

Aimee Allison, founder of She the People, a group that promotes women of color in politics, said in a phone interview: 'It's remarkable. Today is a spark of hope. It's a watershed moment for Black women, for women of color. It's nothing short of historic.'

Meanwhile, several Republicans had their own thoughts about Harris being Biden's running mate, with some calling it proof of 'just how radical and incompetent a Biden administration would be'.

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham shared: 'Senator @KamalaHarris will be a formidable opponent. She is smart, aggressive, and has fully bought in to the Democratic Party's very liberal agenda.'

Meanwhile, several Republicans had their own thoughts about Harris being Biden's running mate, with some calling it proof of 'just how radical and incompetent a Biden administration would be'

Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said in a statement: 'A hiding, diminished, and incoherent Joe Biden didn't just select a vice-presidential candidate, he chose the person who would actually be in charge the next four years if he is somehow able to win.

'Kamala Harris' extreme positions, from raising taxes to abolishing private health insurance to comparing law enforcement officials to the KKK, show that the left-wing mob is controlling Biden's candidacy, just like they would control him as president.

'These radical policies might be popular among liberals, but they are well outside the mainstream for most Americans.'

Republican Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas said in a statement.

'Kamala Harris supports Medicare for All, she implied that Joe Biden is racist, and she laughed at the idea that the Constitution would stop her from confiscating guns. Her presidential campaign was a mismanaged catastrophe that ended before any votes were cast.

'By selecting Kamala Harris, Joe Biden's staff have shown just how radical and incompetent a Biden administration would be.'
Leader of Communication and Community engagement for the National Covid-19 Response Team, Dr Aboagye Da Costa has revealed that there has been a sharp decline of the number of Covid-19 active cases in Ghana.



According to the Director of Health Promotion at the Ghana Health Service, the country can defeat coronavirus if the safety protocols are strictly followed by Ghanaians.



Speaking in an interview with JoyNews, Dr Da Costa said that the number of active cases have declined from 3,200 cases to 2,400 cases while following impressive recoveries and discharges.



Four out of the 16 regions; Savannah, Upper East, Upper West, and North East are without any case of Covid-19 while the other 12 regions have also seen significant decline in the active infection. So far, nearly 94 percent of persons who have contracted the virus have recovered, while 215 have unfortunately died, he revealed.



In spite of government easing the restrictions, Dr Aboagye Da Costa indicated that infection rates have declined due to measures put in place to check the spread.



He said that even though the news seems encouraging, the virus is still in the country, urging Ghanaians to continuously follow the preventive etiquettes as it is their believe that if everyone follows the preventive etiquettes, we will be able to reduce the infection to the barest minimal.



we have to learn how to leave with the virus and we instituted the protocols, we did a little bit of community engagement, stakeholder consultation, everyone is playing their part and so as people are playing their part, the leaders of organizations being churches, workplaces, team leaders and Covid-19 teams within various institutions should still make it a point to make sure that the protocols are adhere to strictly.



He again said that the participation of the government, the Ghana Health Service, the Ministry of Health and also the citizens in the fight against the deadly coronavirus has been very good. He added that scientists across the globe are studying the behaviour of the virus in various setting



The things that the government has put in place and that of the Ghana Health Service and the Ministry of Health seem to be the things actually helping in reducing this infection in the country, he mentioned.



He stressed that there could be other factors contributing to the declining rate of the infection and recoveries in the country which is not yet known.



Citing vitamin D which is normally obtain from the Sun as suggested by some people but yet to be confirmed by studies is believed to be a contributing factor to the declining rate of infection and rapid recoveries.



it is really encouraging but we should not lose our guard, we should make sure that we follow the preventive etiquettes strictly and I will dwell on that every day, every second for citizens to take it very serious; to wear their masks when they are stepping out, to make sure that they wash their hands with soap under running water and also to follow the other preventive etiquettes, he urged.



Boosting of immunities has become essential and so it is important that like the President has been calling for people to eat our local food. This is the time Ghanaians should patronize our own local foods such as the kontomire and the vegetables that we have because they contain some vitamins that will be able to help boost our immune systems, he encouraged.



Dr Aboagye Da Costa encouraged Ghanaians to continue to adhere to the safety protocols, believing that it will make headway in reducing the virus in the country as everyone is praying for.

Source: Daniel Adu Darko/Peacefmonline.com









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Companies are rushing to test what may be the next best thing: drugs that deliver antibodies to fight the virus right away, without having to train the immune system to make them. Antibodies are proteins the body makes when an infection occurs; they attach to a virus and help it be eliminated.

Vaccines work by tricking the body into thinking there's an infection so it makes antibodies and remembers how to do that if the real bug turns up. But it can take a month or two after vaccination or infection for the most effective antibodies to form. The experimental drugs shortcut that ...
A fifth person has been charged over the fatal stabbing of concreter Kevin Kourtis during a home invasion in Sydney's north-west this year.

Friends of Mr Kourtis, 39, say they are bamboozled by his death, allegedly at the hands of five males in their teens and 20s at his home in Riverstone in May.

Alleged murder victim Kevin Kourtis. Credit:Facebook

Two women were also at the home at the time of the stabbing. One escaped uninjured and the other was treated for minor injuries.

Brandon Shillingsworth, 21, was arrested at a home in St Clair on Wednesday morning and taken to Riverstone police station, where he was charged with murder and being an accessory after the fact of murder.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-12 14:31:42|Editor: huaxia

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Performers show signs of the China International Fair for Trade in Services in the Wangfujing pedestrian street in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 4, 2020. (Xinhua/Ren Chao)

BEIJING, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- While trade exchanges and cooperation among countries were hard hit by COVID-19, China, one of the countries taking the lead in the economic recovery, is set to open the first large-scale offline international trade fair in the country since the outbreak of the pandemic, reaffirming its commitment to wider opening up and offering a glance at global trade in the post-pandemic era.

As one of the world's largest comprehensive fairs for trade in services, the China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) is scheduled to be held in Beijing in early September and has prepared both online and offline events due to the global pandemic situation. As of last Tuesday, 141 international organizations, embassies in China, commerce associations and institutions were expected to participate in the event, in addition to over 2,000 Chinese and foreign enterprises.

At a time when uncertainties of the pandemic remain an overhang for the recovery of the world economy, organizing such a large-scale trade fair is yet another example of China's capability in controlling the spread of the virus and its resolution of sticking to the opening-up policy in the post-pandemic era.

It is not surprising though that some may question such a stance when global demand slumps due to the impact of COVID-19. When a recent political bureau meeting underscored a new development pattern known as dual circulation, which takes the domestic market as the mainstay while lets domestic and foreign markets boost each other, some misread it as a sign of less interaction with foreign markets.

In fact, together with two other major exhibition platforms for China's opening-up -- China Import and Export Fair (Canton Fair) and China International Import Expo (CIIE), the CIFTIS speaks for the strategy of the country.

Malaysian and Chinese participants attend a virtual signing ceremony in conjunction with the 127th China Import and Export Fair, or Canton Fair, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, June 17, 2020. (Xinhua/Zhu Wei)

China has deeply integrated itself into globalization. It cannot expand domestic demand without international cooperation and smooth operation of the global value chain. Expanding domestic demand, on the other hand, can tap the potential of the massive consumer market and at the same time benefit foreign businesses.

China remains one of the top three investment destinations for 63 percent of respondents in a survey conducted earlier this year by the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China and global consultancy firm Roland Berger.

It is a pity that while China steps up its efforts to reinvigorate international exchanges and cooperation, some U.S. politicians violate market principles and abuse national security concepts to wantonly suppress non-American businesses, clouding the outlook for the subdued world economy in dire need of the revival of trade activities. This is disruptive to the trust and norms the international community has built up over many years, and those politicians will never get their way.

China's rapid development over the decades benefited from interactions and cooperation with countries around the world and has in turn provided other countries with sustained growth impetus and important opportunities. The key to success lies in a true commitment to opening up, and such a commitment remains effective and will continue to benefit the world in the future. 
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-12 15:00:32|Editor: huaxia

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CANBERRA, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- Australia's national science agency has launched a series of large-scale major scientific research initiatives to help the nation recover from the coronavirus crisis.

Larry Marshall, the chief executive of the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), said on Wednesday that the program was an extension of the collaboration between governments, universities, industry and science stimulated by the response to COVID-19.

"While COVID-19 will undoubtedly continue to disrupt, Australia will come together through this crisis and build a strong future in the process. We are calling for partners to join this Team Australia approach to solving what seem like unsolvable problems," he said in a statement.

About 100 million Australian dollars (71.1 million U.S. dollars) will be directed per year to the missions, which will aim to achieve outcomes including increasing preparedness for future pandemics, mitigating the impacts of drought and bushfires, ending plastic waste and overcoming the growing resistance to antibiotics.

"Science and technology are our greatest tools when it comes to maximizing opportunities and addressing the challenges that face Australia at this time of great upheaval," Karen Andrews, minister for industry, science and technology, said in the statement.

"We need to make sure that our scientists and researchers are working collaboratively with industry to solve real world challenges for the benefit of everyday Australians."

The program was announced on the 100th anniversary of the CSIRO launching its first mission to eradicate the prickly pear in Australia.

"For over a century we have worked with scientists around the country to solve our greatest challenges, and find the opportunities that give Australia her competitive advantage," Marshall said. Enditem
The Prominent Civil Rights Advocacy group:- HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) has declared as deplorable the state of affairs at the National Biotechnology Development Agency(NABDA) with the management of this badly administered institution not willing to meet the payments obligations to cleaners and security staff working for the agency despite the continuous servicing by the Federal government of the budget lines meant to be used to pay the wage bills of this category of low level but critical staff. HURIWA accused the minister of Science and Technology Ogbonnaya Onu and the Permanent Secretary of dereliction of duty by not supervising the agency as much as they should thereby reducing the agency to a waste dump.

"HURIWA is worried that the refusal of the management to also provide the practical frameworks for the advancement of biotechnology in Nigeria will harm the Country's vision of joining the rest of the World to achieve remarkable success in the fields of science and technology. There is the urgent need for the agency to be compelled by the President Muhammadu Buhari to wake up from the doldrums of mismanagement and begin to discharge her statutory functions and mandates which are as follows: The Agency was established under the aegis of the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology to implement the policy that is aimed at promoting, coordinating, and setting research and development priority in biotechnology for Nigeria. The mandates are Research & Development: carry out well-focused research and development in biotechnology in priority areas of food and agriculture, health, industry, environment and other strategic sectors for national development and draw up programmes and policies for biotechnology utilization, research, and development in Nigeria. Promote: Promote sustenance in development and application of acceptable and profitable technologies through strategic investments in biotechnology research and development to support innovation and economic development; ensure Nigeria becomes self-reliant in the development and application of biotechnology-based products and services. Training: Initiate and encourage capacity building in all aspects of biotechnology required for the implementation of cutting edge biotechnology research and development activities in Nigeria. Coordinate:Promote, coordinate and deploy cutting edge biotechnology research and development activities in Nigeria. Publish: Publish and disseminate research findings and recommendations of the Agency on biotechnology. Funding: Ensure a sustainable mechanism for adequate funding of biotechnology activities through national and international funding agencies. Awareness: Create public awareness and participation in biotechnology development activities through strong advocacy programmes, seminars, conference, and workshop. Collaborate:Collaborate on biotechnology with international research centres, non-governmental organization, industries, and others. Private Sector: Encourage private sector participation in the biotechnology industry."

In a media Statement by the National Coordinator Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko and the National Media Affairs Director Miss Zainab Yusuf, the Rights group said it has been inundated by calls from within the agency that if emergency actions are not adopted, the staff and members of the public stand the risks of infections from Covid-19 disease in Nigeria because of the dirty environment caused by the failure of the acting Director General of the National Biotechnology Development Agency to provide visionary and pragmatic leadership to pilot the affairs of the critical Scientific institution with efficiency and effectiveness.

HURIWA affirmed that it has received a written petition in which many of the staff alleged thus: "All the acting DG (Akpa) does is to allegedly collect from 30 to 70% of project money and allegedly use it for bribe to ensure he is confirmed as our DG/CEO. He allegedly tells a lot of lies on national TV as achievements of NABDA when in essence nothing is going on."

HURIWA also asserted that staff had alleged that: "NABDA Biotech centres that collect money every year but no structure there and no staff on ground only bushes.

The recent talk of NABDA developing test kits for COVID19 is a lie, so alleges a staff with considerable experience of the workings of the office.

Disengaged cleaners owed 8 months salary by him have not still been paid. The newly employed cleaners have also not been paid since January 2020 to date.

NABDA BOARD meeting will be held today. We learnt members including the PS of FMST who is the Chairman have been allegedly bribed millions of naira to endorse him as DG/CEO. The EFCC should investigate these lines of allegations to verify the authentic or otherwise of these weighty allegations. The staff alleged that Alex Uwadiegwu Cashmire Akpa's professorship is allegedly questionable. He allegedly has no single publication of any article in any journal. So how was he made a professor? This man allegedly has nothing upstairs. He is allegedly fraudulent and highly corrupt. If this government has any credibility left, Akpa must not be confirmed by the presidency as the DG/CEO of the National Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA). The acting DG has however dismissed the allegations of misapplication of the institutional funds but the Rights group said President Muhammadu should investigate the allegations on their merits."

The Prominent Civil Rights Advocacy group HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) confirmed that it has on many occasions reached out to the acting DG with these plethora of complaints but stated that the Acting Director General attacked us on the phone and accused us of HARASSMENT only because we approached him to demand why the entire agency complex is like a waste dump and staff have low morale and the cleaners and security are owed accumulated wages despite the fact that the 2018 budget lines with the file number as 0228001001; and 2019 Appropriation law with number 0228001001 and 2020 Appropriation with same code show that CLEANERS AND SECURITY BUDGETS were serviced".

HURIWA in the media release also included photographic evidence of how the agency complex in Abuja has become unhealthy for the staff and the public as refuse dumps are littered all over the place thereby constituting terrible nuisance which must be abetted before it is too late.
Investigating a thermal challenge for MOFs

To the naked eye, metal organic frameworks (MOFs) look a little like sand. But if you zoom in, you will see that each grain looks and acts more like a sponge--and serves a similar purpose. MOFs are used to absorb and hold gases, which is useful when trying to filter toxic gases out of the air or as a way to store fuel for natural gas- or hydrogen gas-powered engines.

New research led by an interdisciplinary team across six universities examines heat transfer in MOFs and the role it plays when MOFs are used for storing fuel. Corresponding author Christopher Wilmer, William Kepler Whiteford Faculty Fellow and assistant professor of chemical and petroleum engineering at the University of Pittsburgh's Swanson School of Engineering, coauthored the work with researchers at Carnegie Mellon University, the University of Virginia, Old Dominion University, Northwestern University, and the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology in Karlsruhe, Germany. The findings were recently published in Nature Communications.

"One of the challenges with using MOFs for fuel tanks in cars is that you have to be able to fill up in a few minutes or less," explains Wilmer. "Unfortunately, when you quickly fill these MOF-based tanks with hydrogen or natural gas they get very hot. It's not so much a risk of explosion--though there is one--but the fact that they can't store much gas when they're hot. The whole premise of using them to store a lot of gaseous fuel only works at room temperature. For other industrial applications you face a similar problem - whenever gases are loaded quickly the MOFs become hot and no longer work effectively."

In other words, for MOFs to be useful for these applications, they would need to be kept cool. This research looked at thermal transport in MOFs, to explore how quickly they can shed excess heat, and the group found some surprising results.

"When you take these porous materials, which to begin with are thermally insulating, and you fill them with gas, it appears that they become even more insulating. This is surprising because usually, empty pockets like those in insulation or double-paned windows provide good thermal insulation," explains Wilmer. "By taking porous materials and filling them, thereby removing those gaps, you would expect the thermal transport to improve, making it more thermally conductive. The opposite happens; they become more insulating."

To reach their conclusion, researchers conducted two simultaneous experiments using two different methods and MOFs synthesized in two different labs. Both groups observed the same trend: that the MOFs become more insulated when filled with adsorbates. Their experimental findings were also validated by atomistic simulations at Pitt in collaboration with Carnegie Mellon University.

"Our work indicates potential challenges ahead for the use of MOFs outside of research labs, but that is a necessary step in the process," says Alan McGaughey, professor of mechanical engineering at Carnegie Mellon. "As these materials advance toward broad, real-world usage, researchers will need to continue investigating once-overlooked properties of these materials, like thermal transport, and find the best way to use them to fit our needs."

###

The paper, "Observation of Reduced Thermal Conductivity in a Metal-Organic Framework," (DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-17822-0) was published in Nature Communications. Coauthors include Hasan Babaei (Pitt), Mallory E. DeCoster (UVA), Minyoung Jeong (CMU), Zeinab M. Hassan (KIT), Timur Islamoglu (Northwestern), Helmut Baumgart (Old Dominion), Alan J. H. McGaughey (CMU), Redel Engelbert (KIT), Omar K. Farha (Northwestern), Patrick E. Hopkins (UVA), Jonathan A. Malen (CMU), and Christopher E. Wilmer.

Acknowledgements

H.B. and C.E.W. gratefully acknowledge support from the National Science Foundation (NSF), awards CBET-1804011 and OAC-1931436, and also thank the Center for Research Computing (CRC) at the University of Pittsburgh for providing computational resources. J.A.M. gratefully acknowledges support from the Army Research Office, grant W911NF-17-1-0397. A.J.H.M. gratefully acknowledges support from the NSF, award DMR-1507325. O.K.F. gratefully acknowledges support from the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, HDTRA1?18?1?0003. P.E.H. appreciates support from the Army Research Office, Grant. No. W911NF-16-1-0320. Financial support by Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) within the COORNET Priority Program (SPP 1928) is gratefully acknowledged by E.R. and He.B. (Helmut Baumgart). Z.M.H. acknowledges financial support from the Egyptian Mission Foundation. We would also like to thank Ran Cao for collecting additional PXRD data for this study.

This story has been published on: 2020-08-11. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Congress, troll, and Trump's tweets. Results of Bayesian inference for 50 random tweets. Credit: Monakhov, 2020 (PLOS ONE, CC BY)

Two algorithms that account for distinctive use of repeated words and word pairs require as few as 50 tweets to accurately distinguish deceptive "troll" messages from those posted by public figures. Sergei Monakhov of Friedrich Schiller University in Jena, Germany, presents these findings in the open-access journal PLOS ONE on August 12, 2020.

Troll internet messages aim to achieve a specific purpose, while also masking that purpose. For instance, in 2018, 13 Russian nationals were accused of using false personas to interfere with the 2016 U.S. presidential election via social media posts. While previous research has investigated distinguishing characteristics of troll tweetssuch as timing, hashtags, and geographical locationfew studies have examined linguistic features of the tweets themselves.

Monakhov took a sociolinguistic approach, focusing on the idea that trolls have a limited number of messages to convey, but must do so multiple times and with enough diversity of wording and topics to fool readers. Using a library of Russian troll tweets and genuine tweets from U.S. congresspeople, Monakhov showed that these troll-specific restrictions result in distinctive patterns of repeated words and word pairs that are different from patterns seen in genuine, non-troll tweets.

Then, Monakhov tested an algorithm that uses these distinctive patterns to distinguish between genuine tweets and troll tweets. He found that the algorithm required as few as 50 tweets for accurate identification of trolls versus congresspeople. He also found that the algorithm correctly distinguished troll tweets from tweets by Donald Trumpwhich although provocative and "potentially misleading," according to Twitter, are not crafted to hide his purpose.

This new strategy for quickly identifying troll tweets could help inform efforts to combat hybrid warfare while preserving freedom of speech. Further research will be needed to determine whether it can accurately distinguish troll tweets from other types of messages that are not posted by public figures.

Monakhov adds: "Though troll writing is usually thought of as being permeated with recurrent messages, its most characteristic trait is an anomalousdistribution of repeated words and word pairs. Using the ratio oftheir proportions as a quantitative measure, one needs as few as 50tweets for identifying internet troll accounts."

Explore further Twitter users may have changed their behavior after contact with Russian trolls

More information: Monakhov S (2020) Early detection of internet trolls: Introducing an algorithm based on word pairs / single words multiple repetition ratio. PLoS ONE 15(8): e0236832. Journal information: PLoS ONE Monakhov S (2020) Early detection of internet trolls: Introducing an algorithm based on word pairs / single words multiple repetition ratio.15(8): e0236832. doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0236832
Made in Italy was written and directed by English actor James DArcy, whose face you might recognise even if you cant pick where youve seen him. He turns up often on British TV, and is the kind of good-looking spare man often used to fill out a blockbuster cast, as in Dunkirk and Avengers: Endgame; he was also an excellent Anthony Perkins in the 2012 film Hitchcock.

Ive seen duller films this year than Made in Italy, but Im not sure Ive seen a less competent one. Almost certainly, this touristic tale of reconciliation between father and son would never have come into existence if the script hadnt been seized on by Liam Neeson as a chance to appear alongside his actual son Micheal Richardson. I can only hope this real-life bonding exercise was more satisfying than what appears on screen.

Liam Neeson championed the script as a chance to appear alongside his son. Credit:IFC Films

But as a filmmaker hes a beginner  and this inexperience is evident right from the opening scene between Jack, the London art dealer played by Richardson, and Ruth (Yolanda Kettle), the wife hes soon to divorce. This sets up the plot, in a rote way, but we learn so little then or later about what went wrong in the marriage we can hardly process the situation as anything but pure dramatic contrivance.

Jacks gallery is owned by Ruths family, meaning hes set to lose his job as well as his wife unless he can buy the business. As a last resort, he seeks out his estranged dad Robert (Neeson), a once-celebrated artist, and proposes selling the Tuscan villa where their family lived in happier days when Jacks Italian mother was still alive. So the bickering pair set off for Italy, where they spend much of the movie restoring this valuable but decaying property to a marketable state.

These are not so much First World problems as the problems of a particular subset of the First World confined to a handful of suburbs in London. In theory theres no reason we couldnt be made to care about such matters, but DArcy is ill-equipped to make the sale, even with our knowledge that the backstory of the script echoes the sudden death in 2009 of Natasha Richardson, Neesons wife and Richardsons mother.

This is one of those films that gives the strong impression of a director out of his depth while an experienced crew do their best to save appearances. Many scenes look to be pieced together from fragmentary material shot on different occasions, with post-dubbed dialogue used to smooth over the gaps. Father and son seem adrift from each other, often stranded in separate shots and seldom making eye contact  an effect that might be realistic but cant be viewed as wholly intentional.
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Refugees also affected by Beirut blast as UN relief efforts continue

11 August 2020 - Dozens of refugees were among the victims of the deadly explosions at Beirut's port a week ago that destroyed large areas of the Lebanese capital, the UN refugee agency, UNHCR reported on Tuesday.

So far, at least 34 refugees were among the more than 200 people reportedly killed in the blast, though the fear is that the number could rise further. Another 124 refugees were injured, 20 of them seriously, while seven are still missing.

Explosion affected everyone

"We continue to work with the rescue teams and other humanitarian partners to identify the victims and are extending support to the families who have lost their loved ones. This includes counseling, emergency cash and help with burial arrangements", said Babar Baloch, UNHCR Spokesperson in Geneva.

Lebanon hosts roughly 200,000 refugees, mainly Syrians and Palestinians.

Mr. Baloch told journalists that the catastrophe has affected everyone, regardless of their nationality or status.

Thousands now homeless

It is estimated that more than 5,000 people sustained injuries in the blast, while hundreds of thousands more have lost their homes.

The UN humanitarian affairs office, OCHA, reported that a rapid assessment of 55 primary healthcare centres found that nearly 40 per cent sustained moderate-to-serious damage, while less than half can still provide full routine health services.

"Thousands of affected people now, many of them are homeless, require food assistance after the explosion", said Jens Laerke, OCHA Deputy Spokesperson.

"And there is concern that the damage to the Beirut Port will exacerbate food insecurity, which was already growing due to the socio-economic crisis in Lebanon and compounded by COVID-19."

Support for mothers-to-be

An initial door-to-door assessment is currently underway in the most heavily affected neighbourhoods, and aid distributions have commenced as of Sunday.

Humanitarian partners also are working to identify households that require emergency weatherproofing against the elements, and to restore a level of safety, privacy and dignity.

Additional maternal health support will be necessary to ensure the safe delivery of some 400 babies who are due to be born in the coming month, OCHA's latest update on the crisis has revealed.

Children in the crisis

Although figures on child casualties are still being determined, at least three children were killed in the explosion and 31 required hospitalization, according to the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF).

Aid partners reported that some 1,000 children were among the wounded.

UNICEF is providing precautionary tetanus vaccination shots for the injured, and delivering water to port workers, first responders and victims, among other support.

Supplies of personal protective equipment (PPE), including millions of masks and gloves, are also on the way to Lebanon, with the first flight expected to arrive on Wednesday.

The UN agency has also mobilized more than 300 young volunteers who are helping to clean, cook, distribute food and water, and perform minor repairs on homes and shops. Some 4,000 households have been reached so far.

Ensuring 'learning never stops'

The devastation from the explosion also threatens to disrupt the start of the academic year, the UN educational and cultural organization, UNESCO, has warned. Around 70 public schools and 50 private schools in and around Beirut were either partially or totally damaged, impacting some 55,000 students.

UNESCO will rehabilitate damaged schools and coordinate rehabilitation efforts among partners. As some schools may opt for distance learning due to the crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic, the UN agency also will provide technical and financial support to the Ministry of Education to develop remote learning solutions.

"We stand ready to harness all our capacities to ensure that learning never stops and to guarantee all students' right to education", said Dr. Hamed Al Hamami, Director of the UNESCO Regional Bureau for Education in the Arab States.

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The logo of Chinese video app TikTok is seen on the side of the company's new office space at the C3 campus on August 11, 2020 in Culver City, in the westside of Los Angeles. (CHRIS DELMAS/AFP via Getty Images)

TikTok, WeChat Bans Aimed at Protecting Americans Data From Beijing, US Assistant AG Says

President Donald Trumps recent ban on Chinese social media apps TikTok and WeChat is aimed at blocking Beijings access to large volumes of U.S. personal data that could be used for operations to subvert the United States, a top Justice Department official said on Aug. 12.

Trump last week issued executive orders banning transactions with the Chinese owners of TikTok and WeChat apps, tech giants ByteDance and Tencent Holdings, respectively, on national security grounds. The ban is due to take effect in September.

Popular short-video app TikTok, which says it has 100 million users in the United States, has drawn intense scrutiny over data security and censorship concerns, owing to its parent companys ties with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

Were worried about  the Chinese governments access to the TikTok data under their national security laws, John C. Demers, assistant attorney general for national security, said during a discussion hosted by the Washington-based think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies.

TikTok has said it never handed data to the CCP and never would. Microsoft is currently in talks with ByteDance to buy the app, a deal Trump said must be completed by Sept. 15.

Demers said the CCP is collecting vast amounts of American personal data, as demonstrated by several massive Chinese hacks in recent years. These include intrusions on the U.S. governments personnel agency, credit reporting agency Equifax, and health insurer Anthem, which resulted in the theft of personal information of tens of millions of Americans.

Huge quantities of data are needed to perfect [Chinas] artificial intelligence tools algorithms, Demers said.

This data pool is also used for intelligence operations, he said. When the Chinese regime has identified an American target, such as a top government official or someone they wish to co-opt, they can mine those existing data sources to find out what that persons financial  life is like, what their health life is like, what their married life is like, Demers said.

They can use all that to paint a very effective picture of you, and to think about where your vulnerabilities might be, or even how best to approach you, he added.

The assistant attorney general said that WeChat, which is far less popular in the United States and primarily used by the Chinese-speaking community for purposes of communicating with people in mainland China, is used by the regime to influence and control Chinese expats in the country.

Its a method by the Chinese Communist Party to communicate with Chinese individuals here in the U.S., he said.

For instance, Demers said the regime uses WeChat to spread disinformation and propaganda about the United States to overseas Chinese, so that they are not polluted by ideas like liberal democracy or religious freedom.

IP Theft

Demers said more indictments against Chinese hackers will be made public in the coming months. Last month, the justice department announced an indictment against two Chinese hackers accused of a decade-long campaign to steal trade secrets from defense contractors and hundreds of firms around the worldmost recently in an attempt to acquire COVID-19-related research.

The assistant attorney general said federal authorities ordered the Chinese consulate in Houston to close last month because the diplomatic post was at the forefront of attempts to steal American intellectual property and carry out covert foreign influence campaigns.

Four Chinese researchers were also arrested around that time on suspicion of being undercover Chinese military officers. The Federal Bureau of Investigation has also interviewed other suspected undercover officers in 50 cities. Demers described this enforcement action as representing just a tenth of what was going on under the surface.

The consulate closure and recent arrests were attempts at disrupting Chinese activity that U.S. authorities had been tracking for quite some time, he said.
Sameer Gehlaut has stepped down as the executive chairman of Indiabulls Housing Finance, the company said on August 12 in an exchange filing. He has been re-designated as non-executive, non-independent director of the company. Gehlaut has taken up the position of Chief Executive Officer of Indiabulls Ventures Ltd, another listed company promoted by him.

Former RBI Deputy Governor Subhash Sheoratan Mundra has been appointed to the company's board as a non-executive chairman with immediate effect.

"Mr. Gehlaut proposed the name of Mr. Subhash Sheoratan Mundra (Ex-Deputy Governor of Reserve Bank of India and an Independent director on the Board of the Company) for the position of Non-Executive Chairman of the Company" Indiabulls Housing said in the filing.

Mundra has held various positions during his four-decade long career, including Chairman and Managing Director of Bank of Baroda, Executive Director of Union Bank of India, Chief Executive of Bank of Baroda (European Operations), amongst others. He was then appointed the deputy governor of RBI, an office he demitted in July 2017.
Bachelor in Paradise star Bill Goldsmith has confirmed he's in a relationship with stunning Adelaide stylist, Alexandra Schapel.

The reality star and the brunette beauty sparked rumours they were seeing each other after being caught cuddling in Instagram videos.

Bill confirmed the pair had found love with each other to Daily Mail Australia on Wednesday.

It's official! Former Bachelor in Paradise star Bill Goldsmith has confirmed his new romance with glamorous stylist Alexandra Schapel

Alexandra also confirmed the pair were an item.

The couple initially sparked relationship rumours after they were seen cuddling up to each other on Instagram.

'Hot': Bill has also been leaving a number of flirty messages under style snaps of the beauty lately

Bill has also been leaving a number of flirty messages under style snaps of the beauty lately.

Under a photo of Alexandra wearing just a pair of white bikini bottoms and a cropped singlet, posted on July 12, he wrote: 'How's the rig?'

Meanwhile, he commented 'Hot' and posted a flame emoji alongside a snap of Alexandra showing off her midriff in another revealing top and a pair of boyfriend jeans, also posted last month.

Compliments: Under a photo of Alexandra wearing just a pair of white bikini bottoms and a cropped singlet, posted on July 12, he wrote: 'How's the rig?'

Bill hit the headlines for a relationship other than his own earlier this week, after making sexist comments about Alisha Aitken-Radburn.

Alisha, 26, declared her love for Glenn Smith, 32, during Sunday night's finale of Paradise, which was filmed in December - but it's believed they subsequently split and 'hooked up' with other people, before deciding to get back together.

Taking to Instagram on Sunday, Bill shared a Daily Mail Australia article about the pair's brief break, and wrote: '"Hooked up" @DailyMailAU you are being too kind.'

Found love! Bill and Alexandra both confirmed they were in a relationship together

'Wait until you hear the full details hahaha,' he added, alongside the squirting water and eggplant emojis and the hashtag #SheWasThirsty.

Interestingly, Bill made no mention of the fact that Glenn had also hooked-up with Helena Sauzier during his break from dating Alisha.

During Friday's episode of the So Dramatic podcast, the host revealed that Glenn and Alisha had called it quits shortly after leaving Fiji and during this time they both 'hooked up' with different people.

Not happy: Bill hit the headlines earlier this week, after making sexist comments about Alisha Aitken-Radburn, following her split from Glenn Smith (both pictured)

Bill has only recently emerged back into the spotlight, following his own run on season two of Bachelor In Paradise.

The mechanical plumber had a short-lived romance with Alex Nation before the pair split after leaving Fiji.

He was later seen kissing a mystery brunette in his work van in Melbourne.
President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian today received board members of the Center for Coordination of Syrian-Armenians Issues NGO led by chairman of the board George Parseghian.

Parseghian presented the Centers activities, stated that the Center is currently working under the auspices of the Armenian General Benevolent Union and said the Center has been working with state institutions, philanthropic and charitable organizations for the past 18 years and considers it its duty to express gratitude to all those organizations and institutions.

Expressing gratitude to the President and the presidential institution for the attention towards and support to the Syrian-Armenians who settled in Armenia as a result of the Syrian crisis and their problems, the Centers representatives granted a letter of appreciation and a memento to President Sarkissian, who expressed gratitude for the attention.

Stating that repatriation is desired and pleasant, but can often also be a result of painful historical, political and military events, the President said Armenians repatriated during the short-lived First Republic of Armenia, the early years of Soviet Armenia and after WWII and brought with them culture and experiences. He added that whenever there is trouble in different parts of the Diaspora, all Armenians look towards Armenia and that in spite of the war that took many lives in Syria, today, the Syrian-Armenians have a homeland that they can always come to.

Sarkissian also stated that Armenia must never forget the way Syria has treated the Armenians, especially after the Armenian Genocide. We cant forget the culture, spiritual values, churches and centers that the Armenians created in Syria, as well as the way Syrians treated Armenians. The Armenians of Syria will always be a bridge between Armenia and Syria, he said.

Chairman of the board of the Center for Coordination of Syrian-Armenians Issues George Parseghian thankfully noted that, due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Yerevan My Love Foundation, the chairman of the board of trustees of which is Armen Sarkissian, has provided social support to 400 Syrian-Armenians families in need of assistance.
WASHINGTON  Democratic presidential hopeful Joe Biden named California Sen. Kamala Harris as his running mate Tuesday, adding an experienced campaigner with national star power to his ticket.

I have the great honor to announce that Ive picked @KamalaHarris  a fearless fighter for the little guy, and one of the countrys finest public servants  as my running mate, Biden tweeted.

Harris tweeted that Biden can unify the American people because hes spent his life fighting for us. And as president, he'll build an America that lives up to our ideals. Im honored to join him as our partys nominee for Vice President, and do what it takes to make him our Commander-in-Chief.

A barrier-breaking former California attorney general and San Francisco district attorney, Harris gives the Democratic presidential nominee-to-be a vice presidential candidate with long experience in executive and legislative roles, as well as a prosecutorial sharpness that she brought with her to the Senate. She will be the first woman of color to be put on a major partys ticket.

But Harris has been opposed by some progressives for her record in law enforcement and at times less-liberal positions. Her nearly 20 years in office in San Francisco, Sacramento and Washington, along with her criticisms of Biden during the Democratic presidential primary campaign, could also provide fodder for attacks from President Trump and other Republicans.

Sources close to Biden, a former vice president himself, said one of his biggest considerations in picking a running mate was finding someone with experience in the national spotlight. Bidens camp did not want a candidate who would stumble under scrutiny, with some pointing to former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palins performance as the GOP vice presidential nominee in 2008 as a cautionary tale.

Biden also was said to be searching for a relationship like the one he had with former President Barack Obama  a genuine rapport that allowed for free pushback and debate  as well as a person who would be a strong asset on whatever the campaign trail amounts to during the coronavirus pandemic.

Biden noted that Harris has known his family for years, tweeting about his longtime admiration for her.

Back when Kamala was Attorney General, she worked closely with Beau, Biden said, referring to his late son, who was attorney general of Delaware when Harris held the post in California. I watched as they took on the big banks, lifted up working people, and protected women and kids from abuse. I was proud then, and Im proud now to have her as my partner in this campaign.

Harris has won three statewide elections in California and gained nearly a year of national campaigning experience during her own presidential run, which she ended in December. She has a vibrant online presence, which could be of heightened importance in a mostly virtual campaign against a president with 84 million Twitter followers.

Harris was trailing in the polls and dropped her primary bid before any votes were cast, but for most of her presidential run she was considered to be in the top tier of Democratic candidates. Since arriving in Washington in 2017, she has regularly drawn national coverage with her sharp questioning of Trump administration officials and nominees.

Harris, 55, also brings a compelling biography to the race, one that could complement that of Biden, 77. She spent her formative years in Berkeley, where her parents  an Indian immigrant mother and Jamaican immigrant father  were active in the civil rights movement. She was the first woman of color to be elected San Francisco district attorney and California attorney general, and she is the second Black woman to win a seat in the U.S. Senate.

Oakland Rep. Barbara Lee, an early supporter of Harris, was on the phone with The Chronicle when the news broke. She called Harris well-prepared, smart and a phenomenal woman who I think is going to help bring the country together on so many fronts.

Now Playing: Democratic presidential hopeful Joe Biden has named California Sen. Kamala Harris as his running mate. The Oakland native is the first Black woman and first person of South Asian American descent to be nominated for national office by a major party. See highlights from her barrier-breaking career. Video: San Francisco Chronicle

Lee referred to Shirley Chisholm, the first Black woman elected to Congress and the first to run for a major party presidential nomination, when she mounted her 1972 Democratic campaign.

Shirley is smiling today, Lee said. Kamala Harris is certainly a catalyst for change, and I see the trajectory and the new lap of this race for justice. I see this as a major goal that Shirley Chisholm had. I think that this is a big deal.

Biden committed in March to picking a woman as his vice presidential candidate and soon faced pressure to name a woman of color  something that would both be a historic first and would recognize a demographic that is one of the most loyal bases of the Democratic Party.

Its not about getting those super-voters to the polls  those super-voters, theyre going to go the polls, Bakari Sellers, a former South Carolina legislator and Harris supporter, who is Black, said before Biden made his selection. But what you want my mama to do is, you want my mama to be on the phones, out in her community getting people to the polls, engaging her sorority. You want them to be active participants, and thats what Kamala brings.

Harris selection comes at a time of national unrest over racism and racial injustice, issues on which she has taken a lead in Washington. The high point of Harris presidential campaign came in a July debate in which she attacked Biden for opposing mandatory busing to achieve school integration in the 1970s and for speaking kindly about working with segregationists in the Senate on other issues during those years.

Biden was able to let that broadside go as politics as usual, though some in his orbit, including his wife, had a harder time, sources close to the campaign said.

Putting Harris on the ticket opens Biden to attack ads replaying that moment. But it could also increase his credibility with progressive voters who make racial justice a priority and who have been lukewarm on Biden.

Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images

I think that she will help bring a strong voice on issues of immigration and racial justice, said Rep. Ro Khanna, a Fremont Democrat who backed Harris opponent, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, in the primaries. Given her life story, to see someone like her selected ... it will be encouraging to so many young people of different backgrounds.

After George Floyds killing in Minneapolis police custody in May, Harris was one of the lead authors of congressional Democrats police reform legislation and became one of the partys key voices on the issue of racial justice, speaking from experience as a Black woman as well as longtime prosecutor.

Although her home state is already safely in the Democratic column, Harris can bring other assets to the Biden campaign. She has been a successful fundraiser and supporter list builder, and has a track record of stumping for candidates other than herself all over the country.

The pandemic-forced limits on traditional campaigning have played to Harris strengths. The senator has become an active user of Instagram Live to engage with the public from her home, offering what feels like a personal interaction.

Shes a fantastic political athlete, said Nathan Ballard, a Democratic strategist who worked for then-San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom when Harris was district attorney. You picture your assets in a campaign, and one of those assets is the capacity to go out there day after day. ... Even if its virtually, Kamala Harris is an Energizer bunny, that she can go out there and campaign for somebody else with even more enthusiasm than she campaigns for herself. And she would not diverge from Bidens message one inch.

Some supporters believe Harris uniquely confounds Trump and that her sharp questioning would stand up well in a debate with Vice President Mike Pence.

Trump, who is fond of labeling his opponents with demeaning nicknames, had little to say disparaging Harris before Biden picked her.

Asked about her last month, Trump said Harris would be a fine choice, prompting her former campaign spokesman Ian Sams to tweet: A truth about Trump that goes back to the beginning of 2019: he has absolutely no idea how to handle or brand @KamalaHarris. Never has. Hes flummoxed by strong women like her and, among other reasons, itd make her a really strong VP pick.

By Tuesday, however, Trump was voicing a different take on Harris, saying she had been extraordinarily nasty to Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh during Senate confirmation hearings and disrespectful to Biden in last years debate. Accusing her of being big into raising taxes and socialized medicine, Trump called her my No. 1 draft pick.

Harris presence on the ticket is not without risks for the Democrats. Several sources in Bidens orbit downplayed Harris chances in advance by telling reporters they had concerns lingering from that debate moment, questioning her loyalty and suggesting her main goal was her own advancement, though defenders noted that is rarely a demerit against male candidates. Biden was later photographed holding notes that emphasized he does not hold grudges against her.

Harris took more liberal positions than Biden on the campaign trail on a number of issues sure to draw Republican attack ads, including health care and immigration. During the primary debates, she raised her hand when moderators asked for a show of who would eliminate private health insurance and decriminalize crossing the border into the U.S. illegally. Harris walked back or explained both positions subsequently, but the Trump campaign could easily seize on the clips for commercials.

And while Harris has drawn from her prosecutorial and personal experience to speak on police reform, progressives have attacked that record as not living up to the values she speaks to today.

Theyve criticized her for actions she took as district attorney and attorney general, such as prosecuting marijuana offenses. They also criticize parts of her record on criminal justice issues, including a filing in a court case while she was attorney general that argued against releasing low-level offenders from prison because it would reduce the number of inmates available to fight wildfires. Harris later said she was unaware her offices lawyers had made the argument and asked them to stop.

Gabrielle Lurie / The Chronicle

All Im asking 4 in a VP 1) A woman of color 2) Has a modest amount of progressive bonafides 3) Isnt a Prosecutor, war monger, cop, or architect of mass incarceration (Biden already represents this spot on the ticket) 4) Will be accessible and engaged with voters & movements, Jennifer Epps-Addison, president of the progressive group Center for Popular Democracy tweeted in April, a sentiment she has echoed many times.

Lee, however, is one notable progressive who defends Harris. As district attorney and attorney general, Lee said, Harris worked more than most prosecutors to find alternatives to incarceration, took on big banks and promoted diversity among her staffs.

I think her record is very clear, and shes addressed her record in a very forthright manner, Lee said on The Chronicles Its All Political podcast in June. She knows the criminal justice system, and certainly she knows how it needs reforming, and she did quite a bit of that in California.

Tal Kopan is The San Francisco Chronicles Washington correspondent. Email: tal.kopan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @talkopan
The Shiv Sena alleged that the BJP is busy trying to destabilise governments in states not run by the party

An editorial in Shiv Sena mouthpiece 'Saamana' said Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot performed "an operation on 'Operation Lotus' and taught the BJP a lesson".

Mumbai: The Shiv Sena on Wednesday said failure of 'Operation Lotus' in Rajasthan was the defeat of "political perversity", days after a meeting between Congress leaders Sachin Pilot and Rahul Gandhi signalled an amicable resolution of the Rajasthan political crisis.

An editorial in Shiv Sena mouthpiece 'Saamana' said Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot performed "an operation on 'Operation Lotus' and taught the BJP a lesson".

'Operation Lotus' refers to the alleged attempts by the BJP to engineer defections from other parties.

"Even in Maharashtra, the early morning operation had failed. At least now, the BJP should learn a lesson. The new date of operation in Maharashtra by some fake doctors is September," the Sena said in sarcastic comments.

It was apparently referring to the hush hush early morning ceremony held last year at the Raj Bhavan where BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis was sworn in as chief minister after his party and the Shiv Sena fell out over the issue of sharing the chief ministerial post.

The Shiv Sena later tied-up with the NCP and Congress to form government in Maharashtra.

The Shiv Sena alleged that the BJP is busy trying to destabilise governments in states not run by the party, as if all other issues being faced the country do not exist.

"The coronavirus pandemic is showing no sign of going away, unemployment is growing and the economy is in shambles. Instead of reviving it, the BJP is busy toppling opposition governments. Isn't this a sign of political mental illness?" it sought to know.

"Like Gabbar Singh of (film) 'Sholay', a terror of 'Operation Lotus' has been created. But with the operation failing in Rajasthan, it is the defeat of political perversity," the Uddhav Thackeray-led party said.

With Congress leader Sachin Pilot agreeing to work in the party's interest after meeting Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Gehlot has saved his government after a month long impasse, the Shiv Sena said.

It further said Pilot proved to be a "weak player against Gehlot".

"Gehlotdid everything to save his government, he used all methods like the BJP when it works to topple other governments," the Marathi daily said.

Pilot on Tuesday said he has not demanded any post from the party and there should not be any vendetta politics, as he returned to Jaipur nearly a month after his revolt against Gehlot.
WATERFORD- Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor is calling for entries for its 15th Annual Erie Canalway photo contest.

Images, which should be postmarked by Aug. 28, should convey the unique character of New Yorks canals and canal communities. Winning photos will be featured in the 2021 Erie Canalway calendar.

Images will be judged in four contest categories: On the Water, Along the Trail, Canal Communities, and Classic Canal..

Judges will select first, second, and third place winning images in each category, as well as 12 honorable mentions.

Submitted images must be taken within the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor, which spans 524 miles across the full expanse of upstate New York. The canal system encompasses the Erie, Cayuga-Seneca, Oswego, and Champlain canals, Cayuga and Seneca Lakes, as well as more than 230 canal communities.

Download official contest rules and an entry form on the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor website.

MORE:

2019 winners of the Erie Canalway photo contest

After several months of delays, NYS Canal System will be completely opened Aug. 10
(CNN)  As US leaders work to control the spread of coronavirus, researchers across the globe are working to answer the mysteries that remain around infections.

One of those mysteries: why the experience can be so different from person to person. One expert says the answer may involve looking at previous vaccines individuals have had.

"When we looked in the setting of Covid disease, we found that people who had prior vaccinations with a variety of vaccines -- for pneumococcus, influenza, hepatitis and others -- appeared to have a lower risk of getting Covid disease," Dr. Andrew Badley, an infectious disease specialist at Mayo Clinic, told CNN's Anderson Cooper on Monday night.

It's what immunologists call immune training: how your immune system creates an effective response to fight off infections, Badley says.

"A good analogy is to think of your immune system as being a muscle," he said. "The more you exercise that muscle, the stronger it will be when you need it."

There's been no definitive evidence of any other vaccines boosting immunity against Covid-19. But some researchers have suggested it's possible.

In June, a team of researchers in the US proposed giving a booster dose of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine to people to see if it helps prevent the most severe effects of coronavirus infections. And last month, researchers found that countries where many people have been given the tuberculosis vaccine Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) had less mortality from coronavirus, a finding that fits with other research suggesting the vaccine can boost people's immunity in general.

But once you're infected, how much of the virus made it into your body could also have an impact on what your experience is, another expert told CNN on Monday.

Dr. Monica Gandhi, an infectious disease specialist at University of California, San Francisco, has been working with a team of researchers to understand how more people could go through their infections with minimal or no symptoms. About 40% of people infected with the virus don't have symptoms, according to an estimate last month by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Gandhi's team found masks make a difference.

"What the mask does is really reduce the amount of virus that you get in, if you do get infected," she said. "And by reducing that ... you have a lower dose, you're able to manage it, you're able to have a calm response and you have mild symptoms or no symptoms at all."

'We have nothing to celebrate' about current case levels, physician says

So far, more than 5 million Americans have tested positive for the virus and at least 164,000 have died, according to Johns Hopkins University data.

The average number of daily new cases in the US is more than 54,000, down from more than 65,000 per day in mid- to late-July.

Average daily Covid-19 deaths, however, have hovered above 1,000 for more than two weeks. The country had been below that level for seven consecutive weeks before that.

"We have nothing to celebrate (just) because we're going to 50,000 cases per day. We have a huge amount of morbidity and mortality at our feet right now and in the weeks ahead," Dr. Rochelle Walensky, chief of infectious diseases at Massachusetts General Hospital, said Tuesday.

"Even at 18,000 cases per day (as the US had) in mid-May, we were unable to really squelch this," Walensky said.

90% increase in child cases in a month

More research is also emerging around children and coronavirus amid the back-to-school season.

The number of coronavirus cases among children in the US rose by 90% over four weeks this summer, according to a report published Monday by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children's Hospital Association.

The report said 179,990 new Covid-19 cases were recorded among US children from July 9 to August 6.

More than 380,000 children had been infected as of August 6, according to the report, making up just over 9% of the total cases in states that report cases by age.

The report comes as recent studies suggest children could play an important role in transmission of the virus. One study said older children can transmit coronavirus just as much as adults, and another found children younger than 5 carried a higher load of the virus, which also raised questions about their role in its spread.

And while some US officials, including the President, have said the virus doesn't pose a big risk to children, experts say that's not the case.

"It's not fair to say that this virus is completely benign in children," Dr. Sean O'Leary, vice-chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Infectious Diseases, said Monday. "We've had 90 deaths in children in the US already, in just a few months. Every year we worry about influenza in children, and there are roughly around 100 deaths in children from influenza every year."

Still, many schools and universities across the country are moving forward with plans to begin in-person instruction, despite protests nationwide from teachers who say a return to class could be deadly.

In Georgia, multiple school districts have reported cases of the virus after reopening. In the Cherokee County School District, more than 800 students and more than 40 staff members have been quarantined since school began earlier this month, over concerns they may have been exposed to the virus.

The district, which has more than 42,000 students, reported at least seven positive cases among students and 10 cases among staff as of Friday.

In Mississippi, at least 22 schools across the state have reported positive cases, State Health Director Dr. Thomas Dobbs said this week. There have been 19 cases reported among students and 15 cases among staff.

These states require face masks

Cases spiked in nursing homes due to community spread, group says

Covid-19 cases rose rapidly in US nursing homes in July after a steady decline in June -- signaling a serious risk to an especially vulnerable group of people, a health organization said Tuesday.

The jump in nursing home cases was due to an overall jump in cases in the general population, and it should spur the US government to take steps to protect the homes, the American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living said.

"We need public health officials to focus on reducing spread within the larger community and prioritizing long term care for resources," including personal protective equipment, testing and staff support, Mark Parkinson, CEO of the AHCA/NCAL, wrote to CNN on Tuesday.

New weekly Covid-19 cases in nursing homes dropped from 9,072 at the end of May to 5,468 by June 21 -- but then rose to 8,628 for the week of July 19, the last week for which data is available, the group said. The group cited data collected by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

The report said this confirmed fears the group had: That cases would rise in nursing homes as they spiked in the wider community across the country from June to July.

Older adults and people with certain underlying medical conditions increase the risk of severe illness, the CDC says.

This story was first published on CNN.com Previous vaccines and masks may hold down Covid-19, some researchers say
At 20 she married Emil Andrew Brock, an accountant, and went to work for Good Housekeeping magazine as the hostess editor. Her son Brian said, Shed do a lot of entertaining for prominent people whod come to Good Housekeeping, including the publisher, William Randolph Hearst, and his powerful associates.

In addition to Mr. Brock, she is survived by another son, Craig. Her husband died in the 1990s.

Ms. Brock remained at Good Housekeeping for 23 years, was the food editor of Parents magazine for three years and moved to The Daily News in 1971. She wrote and edited articles about food for the newspaper for 15 years.

It was during this time  the mid-1970s, the heyday of second-wave feminism  that she formed Les Dames. I wouldnt call her a feminist, but as a founder of Les Dames she was instrumental in trying to achieve recognition for women in the field of food and wine, both professional and recreational, Florence Fabricant, a food writer for The New York Times, said in an email. Wine and food societies back then were old-boys networks, and she felt women deserved a seat at the table. (Ms. Fabricant was an early member but left, she said, to avoid journalistic conflicts of interest.)

Les Dames welcomed members from all corners of the food world: historians, wine professionals, cooks, journalists, restaurateurs. Members had to have at least 10 years of food experience, which  along with the $235 in annual dues (reduced to $160 this year because of the pandemic) and the high prices for many Les Dames events  closed the organization to newcomers, except as recipients of the groups annual scholarships.

When Ms. Brock asked Ms. Moulton to create a junior chapter for these less-experienced women, the board rejected the idea. She was more forward-thinking than the organization she founded, Ms. Moulton said.

It was Ms. Brock who pushed the organization to expand nationally, then internationally.
A unique new boat was launched Wednesday morning on Halifax's Northwest Arm, carrying with it a smudge blessing from a Mi'kmaw elder and the hope that it can help reduce the carbon footprint of the marine industry.

The Alutasi is the first lithium-ion-powered boat approved in Canada to carry more than 12 people.

The boat is owned by Halifax's Ambassatours and was converted from diesel to hybrid electric by Glas Ocean Electric.

"What's significant about this boat is this carries over 12 passengers, and that's a rating with Transport Canada that requires significantly more safety to be involved," said Sue Molloy, CEO of Glas Ocean.

Smaller recreational electric boats do exist in Canada, but Molloy is excited about the potential for this boat. It will be used for deep-sea fishing tours offered out of Halifax harbour.

Robert Short/CBC

Molloy's company chose to make the boat a hybrid with a backup diesel engine in order to balance the size and weight of the batteries with the need for space for passengers. She said the boat could be converted fully to electric if needed.

"The marine industry is risk-averse, which is understandable when you think about people going out in the ocean, and if something goes wrong," Molloy said.

"We decided to focus on day-trippers because day-trippers tend not to go in really extreme weather. And they're always planning to come home. So, by focusing on the day-trippers, I think it's given us a way into the industry, to show people what the options are."

In a partnership with Mi'kmaw artist Alan Syliboy, the boat is covered in colourful designs of ocean animals.

Alutasi, which signifies "fishing guide boat" in Mi'kmaq, received a smudge blessing from elder Dorene Bernard.

Robert Short/CBC

"Finally, we have something clean and quiet that's going into the water. It's almost like the canoes that have a very small footprint," Syliboy said.

The federal and provincial governments contributed a total of slightly under $500,000 to the project, with some of that money supporting a partnership between Glas Ocean, the NSCC and the Offshore Energy Research Association.
The government plans to select an information technology (IT) firm through a competitive bid to implement the digital interface of its single window system that will streamline regulatory approvals from multiple central and states agencies for the ease of doing business, two officials said.

While the basic blueprint of the system is ready, a seamless digital interface needs to be created for the smooth functioning of the single window platform. The commerce and industry ministry is expecting to invite a tender for the selection of an IT firm next month, they said requesting anonymity.

At a recent meeting with global investors, Union commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal said both central and state government agencies are already onboard on creation of a single window system.

The minister is keen to implement the system as soon as possible as ease of regulatory clearance is a prerequisite for those global firms that want to shift their bases from China to another country, one of the officials said.

Addressing the inaugural session of India Global week though video conference on July 9, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said, India is one of the most open economies in the world and is inviting all the multinational companies to set up their business in India. He described India as a land of many possibilities and opportunities.

Although India has made significant progress in the World Banks Ease of Doing Business ranking 2019 by reducing the number of steps in setting up a business down to 10, and it took about 16.5 days for a business to be up and running. However, contrast this with Singapore, which requires

only two procedures and 1.5 days to start a business, the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and the US India Business Council (USIBC) said in a joint report $500 billion in two-way trade.

A digitally maintained, true one-stop shop for all clearances and licenses for setting up a business in India would be a major incentive for U.S. companies that may be looking at alternative FDI [foreign direct investment] destinations beyond China, the report said. Indias ranking in the Ease of Doing Business jumped from 142 in the year 2014 to 63 in 2019.

The officials mentioned above said the government is working to further easing and speeding up the process of approvals for industry and investments. It has been decided to set up an empowered group of secretaries of key ministries under the Union cabinet secretary to expeditiously clear investment proposals.

Every key ministry has been asked to appoint a joint secretary-level nodal officer to coordinate and provide expeditious regulatory clearances to investors and industries. This coordination will also involve state governments, a second official said.

Nilaya Varma, co-founder and CEO of consultancy firm Primus Partners said a digital transformation is required for more accountability and transparency. A pan-India IT-enabled Single Window System is a welcoming step, which would further contribute to ease of doing business in the country, he said.

He said many states have already initiated Business Reform Action Plan (BRAP) and they are prepared to integrate their systems with the proposed platform, which will give investors a truly seamless and integrated experience.

Neeraj Mittal, CEO at Guidance, the investment promotion agency of the Tamil Nadu government, said, The state government has set up a single window facilitation mechanism under Guidance for pre-project clearances to avoid procedural delays.

DK Aggarwal, president, PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PHDCCI) said that a single window system is required for ease of doing business. However, there should be provision of time bound approval and in case the approval does not come within the specified timeframe then it should be taken as deemed approval.

He said the system will drastically reduce frequency of interaction between businesses and government agencies. The entrepreneur can use this time in his/her domain expertise than on routine compliances. The government should also encourage risk based self-regulation and third party certifications, he added.
Japan's atomic bomb survivors, known as hibakusha, have hit out their Prime Minister for allegedly delivering near-identical speeches at events commemorating the attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Shinzo Abe has been accused of making light of survivors' concerns after a plagarism app identified that the speeches delivered three days apart were 93 per cent identical.

In total there were 17 sentences with 12 being an exact match to each other.

According to the Guardian, the opening paragraph mentions each city's name, and continues: 'I reverently express my sincere condolences to the souls of the great number of atomic bomb victims.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe walks out of the venue after attending an official event at the Peace Park in Nagasaki where he is accused of using the same speech given in Hiroshima

'I also extend my heartfelt sympathy to those still suffering even now from the after-effects of the atomic bomb.'

The only difference between the two passages is the name of each respective ceremony.

The closing statements in each speech were exactly the same, with Abe stating: 'I pledge that Japan will make its utmost efforts for the realization of a world free of nuclear weapons and eternal peace.'

The two ceremonies were held on the 75th anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, and Nagasaki three days later which killed 140,000 people and 74,000 people respectively.

The similarity between the two speeches has angered many survivors, according to the Mainichi Shimbun, which adds that Abe's addresses at the two annual events were also almost identical in 2018 and 2019.

Koichi Kawano, the 80-year-old head of the Nagasaki Prefecture peace movement center's hibakusha liaison council, said: 'It's the same every year.

Abe makes a speech during the 75th anniversary of Hiroshima atomic bombing on August 6th

'He talks gibberish and leaves, as if to say, 'There you go. Goodbye.' He just swapped the word 'Hiroshima' to 'Nagasaki.' He's looking down on A-bomb survivors.'

Haruko Moritaki, the 81-year-old co-director of the Hiroshima Alliance for Nuclear Weapons Abolition, added: 'Prime Minister Abe says he will stay 'in tune with atomic bomb survivors, who are advancing in years,' but has not taken concrete action.

'He's all talk and no action, and that's showing in his addresses.'

The full Japanese text of Abe's statements and their English translations can be seen on the official website of the prime minister's office.
U.S. President Donald Trump boards Marine One to depart for travel to Texas from the South Lawn of the White House

By Michelle Nichols

NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump hopes to address the U.N. General Assembly in person in September, his U.N. envoy said on Thursday, while all other world leaders will send videos instead of traveling to New York amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The annual high-level gathering had been shaping up to be a weeklong celebration of the 75th anniversary of the world body, but U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres suggested in May that leaders send video statements due to likely travel issues.

The 193-member General Assembly agreed last week to the special measures, which allow one - possibly two - New York-based representatives for each country to be in the General Assembly hall for the speeches.

"We're hoping that President Trump will actually be speaking in person in the General Assembly. He will be the only world leader to be speaking in person," U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Kelly Craft told the Meridian International diplomacy think tank.

"Obviously we're going to be focused on human rights issues, on transparency, on accountability," she added.

The United States is traditionally the second country after Brazil to address the General Assembly, due to start this year on Sept. 22.

The coronavirus has infected at least 17.1 million people and there have been more than 668,000 known deaths worldwide, according to a Reuters tally. New York was an epicenter earlier this year for the virus, which emerged in China in December.

Germany's U.N. Ambassador Christoph Heusgen said there were no plans for German Chancellor Angela Merkel or Foreign Minister Heiko Maas to come the New York in September.

"We have to be careful, we must not endanger people by coming with a big delegation here, and therefore we agreed to the proposal to have the leaders present their speeches in a virtual way," Heusgen told a news conference to mark the end of Germany's July presidency of the U.N. Security Council.

(Reporting by Michelle Nichols; editing by Jonathan Oatis and David Gregorio)
BOSTON  Joe Kennedy was once thought to be such a lock to defeat Sen. Ed Markey that there was widespread speculation in Massachusetts that Markey might just retire to avoid a humbling end.

But Markey is piling up endorsements and closing in on the young congressman in the polls by running a policy-heavy campaign that seems tailored for the moment. There's growing sentiment that Kennedy underestimated the backlash he'd face for challenging the veteran incumbent, who has become beloved among progressives for his work on the Green New Deal.

"What Markey hadn't done in the past was flex his muscles, flex his policy muscles." said Suffolk University pollster David Paleologos. "Now he's doing that and I think Kennedy is realizing policy runs deep in Massachusetts. Personality and persona are important too, but in Massachusetts policy runs very deep.

Markeys once-lackluster approval rating and name ID helped explain why two lesser-known Democrats  Shannon Liss-Riordan and Steve Pemberton  launched primary challenges to the low-key incumbent. But they dropped out when Kennedy, the heir to the states best-known political dynasty, entered the contest in September. Right away, Kennedy bolted to an early lead: A Boston Globe/Suffolk University poll showed him with a 14-point lead over Markey even before he officially announced his campaign.

But authoring the Green New Deal earned Markey the very public support of New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez  the Democratic Party's leading millennial. Ocasio-Cortez cut a television ad for Markey at the end of July, and the campaign has spent more than $240,000 putting it on the air.

Markey also has the backing of another of the partys leading liberals, Sen. Elizabeth Warren  the policy wonk of the 2020 presidential primary. Warren, the states senior senator, has sent fundraising emails for Markey, but is close with Kennedy and has stayed relatively quiet over the course of the primary.

Story continues

Markey's campaign has made his policy record central to his bid. The lawmaker, who was first elected to the House in 1976 touts his work on the Telecommunications Act of 1996, the Waxman-Markey climate bill, which passed the House in 2009, and a host of other issues.

"I could keep going on and on, because I have more than 500 laws that are on the books," Markey said during a recent interview on the podcast "Lovett or Leave It."

Markey's decades long record has also presented an opportunity to his rival in the Sept. 1 primary. The Kennedy campaign has slammed Markey on his vote for the Iraq War, his vote for the 1994 crime bill and his past stance against abortion.

Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., arrives at the Capitol in Washington during the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, Friday, Jan. 24, 2020. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

More recently, Kennedy has hammered Markey for not doing more to support the family of Danroy DJ Henry Jr., an Easton, Mass., native who was killed by police in 2010. Henry's family is pushing the Department of Justice to reopen his case in the wake of George Floyd's death in Minneapolis.

Henry's father, Danroy Henry, released a video saying he felt dismissed by Markey when he asked for help after his son's death. Kennedy brought Henry's parents as his guests to the State of the Union in 2015.

But from the start, Kennedy failed to establish a clear reason for voters to unseat Markey, some Kennedy supporters concede.

After spending $2.4 million on TV ads this spring, the congressman quietly replaced his ad consultant with Tad Devine in July. Devine is a longtime Kennedy ally, known for producing award-winning television ads for the late Sen. Ted Kennedy, the congressmans great uncle.

Allies express concern that Kennedys campaign is getting worse  not better. Even after a strong debate performance last month, a series of campaign gaffes took the spotlight off Kennedy's message and placed it on his mistakes.

In the hours before the July debate, Kennedy's campaign tried to underscore its theme that Markey doesn't spend enough time in the state by sending a memo to reporters suggesting the senator was so out of touch that he was unfamiliar with the state map. But the Kennedy campaign made an embarrassing error: They blasted Markey for leaving three towns off his website without realizing that those towns had been flooded to create a reservoir in the 1930s. The map mistake went viral, and ended up on the front page of the Boston Herald.

The next day, the Boston Globe ran a story that showed, based on travel records, that Markey is in Massachusetts less than any member of the state's congressional delegation. But that report  which underscored a key Kennedy argument  was blunted when the Globes editorial board endorsed Markey in the same edition of the paper. The Kennedy campaign penned another memo, this time to campaign supporters, blasting the Globe for protecting the status quo for its "disproportionately white, well-off, well-educated readers."

Kennedy allies who spoke to POLITICO expressed frustration that the letter simply drew more attention to the Globe endorsement  and buried the Markey travel records story.

Kennedys campaign pushes back on claims that he's lost his wide polling margin. They contend early internal polling never showed him with such a wide lead over Markey.

Its hard to know who is ahead in the race  theres a public polling drought in Massachusetts, where the Globe and other outlets have pooled resources to poll issues related to Covid-19 and police brutality, rather than a Senate contest where the seat is all-but-certain to remain in Democratic hands in November.

A late July survey from Louisiana pollster JMC Analytics showed Markey with a lead within the margin of error; both campaigns acknowledge a tight race and give Kennedy the edge at the moment.

With voters already casting ballots for the Sept. 1 primary as part of the states coronavirus-inspired vote by mail program, both candidates have a limited amount of time to make their case.

There is one debate left on the calendar before the end of the month, but outside money might prove to be just as important as the face-to-face encounters.

Single-issue climate groups  including the Environment America Action Fund and another super PAC called United for Massachusetts  have spent nearly $3 million boosting Markeys campaign.

A pro-Kennedy group called New Leadership PAC has reserved $2.5 million in television ads, according to the Globe. Members of the Kennedy family are making fundraising calls for the endeavor, including his twin brother.

They wouldn't be doing that if they didn't in their own polling see the race was either flipping to Markey or within the margin of error, said Paleologos. "Kennedy's going to have to make the decision, 'Do I go negative on Markey?'"

And he has. The pro-Kennedy super PAC just began airing an attack ad against Markey, which points out votes he missed in the Senate. The Kennedy campaign has also put out an online-only ad featuring a union member who is dressed like Markey, walking around Markey's hometown of Malden and criticizing him for eliminating union jobs through the Telecommunications Act.

With the race in the home stretch, many in state political circles wonder whether Kennedy's father, former Rep. Joe Kennedy II, may shift the $2.8 million in his now-defunct campaign account to his son's Senate bid. The super PAC wont file another disclosure until after the primary.

"I'm sure your father's watching right now. Tell your father right now that you don't want money to go into a super PAC that runs negative ads," Markey said in their most recent debate. "Just tell your twin brother and tell your father you don't want any money to be spent on negative ads in Massachusetts."

"I've said that multiple times," Kennedy responded.

"Have you told your father that?" Markey hit back.

Even with an infusion of additional funds, Kennedy allies worry that time is running out for the congressman to sharpen his message.

All serious campaigns are about savoring the good days and surviving the bad, said political consultant Michael Goldman, who is neutral in the primary race but worked for Kennedys father. Anyone who didnt think this race would have its ups and downs doesnt understand the dynamics of Massachusetts politics.


Belarus security forces continued its crackdown on anti-government protesters after main opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya fled the country citing safety reasons. Riot police fired rubber bullets and stun grenades to disperse the protesters marching on the streets of Minsk to display their opposition to the contentious election result that declared Alexander Lukashenko as the winner.

The doubts over the accuracy of Belarus election results have intensified with several people questioning the accuracy of the poll results after authorities declared a massive win for authoritarian leader Lukashenko. According to a preliminary count from the presidential elections, Lukashenko won a sixth term with 80.23 per cent of the vote.

However, Lukashenko opponents and critics rejected the results and claimed that the elections were rigged. Tsikhanouskaya had disputed election results and demanded Lukashenko hand over the power. The accusations of poll rigging triggered protests and led to clashes between police and protesters. Citizens against Lukashenkos re-election took to streets, leading to clashes between protesters and riot police.

Lukashenko dismissed the concerns of protesters, calling them sheep" controlled from abroad. He claimed that the protesters received calls from Poland, Britain and the Czech Republic and were acting on their direction. He tried to justify the violent crackdown on protesters, saying he will not Belarus to be torn apart.

Earlier in a YouTube video, Tikhanovskaya said that she took the very difficult decision to ensure the safety of her children as President Lukashenko dismissed the protests as vested interests of foreign countries. Tsikhanouskaya said that she thought the whole campaign had really toughened her up and given the strength to handle anything. She added that, however, the political turmoil in Belarus was not worth anyone losing their life, calling it a very difficult decision to leave the country.

But, probably, Im still the weak woman I was in the first place. I have made a very difficult decision for myself...Children are the main thing in life, said Tikhanouskaya.

Read: EU To Review Ties With Belarus, Mulls Action Over Crackdown

Read: Belarus Opposition Leader Who Challenged Poll Results Flees To Lithuania Amid Protests

Reunites with children

Tikhanouskayas husband Syarhe remains in jail in Belarus as she was reunited with her children in Lithuania, whom she had moved earlier after receiving threats. Lithuanian Foreign Minister Linas Linkevicius told a news conference that Tikhanouskaya did not have much choice but to leave the country.

Earlier, EU chief Ursula von der Leyen had called on the Belarusian authorities to accurately count the votes and publish the result of elections held on August 9. Taking to Twitter, EU Commission President emphasised that there is no place for harassment of peaceful protesters in Europe.

Harassment & violent repression of peaceful protesters has no place in Europe.



Fundamental rights in #Belarus must be respected.



I call on the Belarusian authorities to ensure that the votes in yesterdays election are counted & published accurately.  Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) August 10, 2020

Read: Belarus Polls: Opposition Rejects Results After Lukashenko Secures Majority

Read: Poland Calls For Emergency European Union Summit After Clashes In Belarus

(Images: AP)
In 1924, the Grant Park Municipal Stadium opened and one year later was renamed Soldier Field at the request of the Chicago Gold Star Mothers. The stadium has hosted rodeos, music festivals, prep football games, the first Special Olympics and more before becoming the home of the Chicago Bears in 1971. It went through a major redesign in 2003.
(Newser)  Aerial footage out of Australia shows something bizarrewaterfalls pouring over cliff edges and flying back up from whence they came, LiveScience reports. In one magical case, a rainbow even forms amid the spray. There's an explanation, of course, which involves strong winds and heavy rains that have hammered Sydney and the nearby coast for days. Meteorologists tell Esquire that high winds off the ocean struck the cliffs with such power that the water flew back up. 7News notes that hundreds of New South Wales residents were told to evacuate their homes for three days amid the storm. Now the residents are back, and the waterfalls are flowing downward yet again. (In other odd news, a town's residents are being terrorized by ... mashed potatoes.)
The police in Bengaluru have arrested 149 people in connection with the violence in the city over a Facebook post. The death toll rose to three on Wednesday after one more injured person succumbed to injuries sustained in Tuesdays clashes.

Bengaluru police commissioner Kamal Pant said that 60 cops, including an Additional Commissioner of Police, were injured while trying to control the violence in the DJ Halli and KG Halli areas.

The police said they have arrested the man accused of sharing the controversial post which the protesters from the minority community say allegedly insulted a religious figure. News agency ANI quoted police commissioner Pant as saying that the accused has been identified as Naveen who is the nephew of Congress MLA R Akhanda Srinivas Murthy.

People familiar with the developments said that the youth has denied his role saying that his social media account was hacked.

Pant further appealed to everyone to cooperate with the force in order to maintain peace.

The clashes took place in Bengalurus Pulakeshi Nagar area on Tuesday night when he protesters, irked over the Facebok post, vandalised a police station and a Congress legislators residence. They hurled bottles and stones at the lawmakers house and the policemen.

Some of the vehicles parked near the MLAs house were also damaged.

Murthy later released a video message where he appealed to the protesters to not resort to violence. There is no need to fight. We all are brothers. We will get the person punished as per law. We will also be with you, he said in the video message.

Section 144 has been imposed across Bengaluru after the violence. State home minister B Bommai said that nobody will be allowed to take the law into their own hands. He also added that additional police forces have been deployed to maintain law and order. The situation in the city remains tense but police assured that matters have been brought under control.

Bommai will meet chief minister BS Yediyurappa to brief him about the situation.
Bridgeport Hospital / Contributed

BRIDGEPORT  Bridgeport Hospital will distribute bags of free food to the community from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, or until supplies run out.

The distribution will take place in the parking lot at the former School of Nursing building at 200 Mill Hill Ave. All participants are asked to wear a mask and maintain safe 6-foot social distancing.
YEREVAN.  The trial of the criminal case of the ten members of the Sasna Tsrer armed group has resumed Wednesday at a Yerevan court of first instance.

At this hearing, the indictment of the prosecution was made public.

Accordingly, the prosecution motioned the court to have the Sasna Tsrer members be imprisoned from 8 years and 6 months to life, and presented the criteria for imprisoning each of the defendants.

Currently, defendants Armen Bilyan and Smbat Barseghyan, who are charged with murdering police officers, are still in custody.

After the revolution in Armenia in 2018, and based on the personal pledges submitted by MPs, the pretrial measure of custody that was in force for seven other members was commuted and they were released, while Sasna Tsrer member Pavel Manukyan was set free on a 1mn-dram bail.

In protest of the then authorities, the Sasna Tsrer armed group took over a police patrol regiment building in Yerevan and held hostages, but later surrendered in July 2016. Three police officers, however, were killed during the two-week standoff.

Criminal charges have been brought against 32 people in connection with this incident and related developments.
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Linkedin Tri Indah Oktavianti (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Thu, August 13 2020

President Joko Jokowi Widodo on Tuesday voiced optimism about the COVID-19 candidate vaccine being developed in the country.

We have been developing our own vaccine for the past three months, specifically from the COVID-19 virus strain spread in Indonesia. Hopefully the vaccine will be ready soon and it [the vaccine development] is expected to be completed by mid-2021, he said Tuesday at a ceremony to launch late-stage human trials of the vaccine being developed by China's Sinovac Biotech Ltd with Indonesian state-owned peer Bio Farma at the Padjadjaran University (Unpad) School of Medicines hospital in Bandung, West Java.

Twenty registered volunteers were injected with the potential vaccine for the first time at the hospital of Unpads School of Medicine on Tuesday. The trial is expected to finish in six months at the earliest and will require a total of 1,620 volunteers.

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Bridges and expressways in downtown Chicago reopened on Tuesday after business owners and emergency workers headed back to the area after a night of violence and looting.

More than 100 people were arrested after vandals damaged businesses in the area which led to the entire neighborhood being placed on lockdown, even for those who live in the area.

Most of the trouble happened along the upscale Magnificent Mile section of the city, which is one of the most popular areas that tourists like to visit.

Workers at Rossi's clean up after a night of unrest & looting in downtown Chicago

Workers clean up broken glass at an Orvis store after violence broke out on Monday night

Community members clean up the area outside a looted Best Buy store in Chicago, Illinois

Bridges and expressways in downtown Chicago reopened on Tuesday after business owners and emergency workers headed back to the area after a night of violence and looting

On Tuesday evening, organizers from groups including Black Lives Matter and Good Kids Mad City planned a rally outside Englewood police station in Chicago to protest the police shooting of a man from the area.

Chicago Police officers were stationed all around the station with some officers keeping watch from up above.

Protesters from the organized groups claimed that they were standing in solidarity with the community but locals told the demonstrators to leave.

'A protest was scheduled, rumor has it they were going to bust out the police windows,' Daryl Smith said to WGN9.

'No matter what they were going to do, they're not going to antagonize our police and then go home to the North Side and Indiana. Our police are bitter and they're beating up our little black boys, so we're not going to have that.'

The half-hour-long rally featured dancing and chants disparaging Mayor Lori Lightfoot, the CPD and its budget.

Demonstrators protest outside the 7th District station of the Chicago Police Department

Chicago police stand guard as demonstrators protest outside the station

About 75 people joined the rally, which was organized by the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, Black Lives Matter, South Siders Organized for Unity and Liberation and Good Kids/Mad City

On Monday night, looters were caught on camera shoving shopping bags full of stolen goods and equipment into their cars.

Some ATM machines were also damaged and broken into, along with cash registers that were stolen. At least one bank had also been broken into.

Videos of the vandalism showed huge crowds of people smashing their way into businesses and streaming out of the broken windows and doors with clothes and other merchandise. They loaded up vehicles, some moving slowly and deliberately, apparently not worried about being caught by police or being recorded by scores of cellphone cameras.

Vehicles drove away slowly, some leaving behind boxes of rocks that they had apparently brought to shatter the windows.

The half-hour-long rally featured dancing and chants disparaging Mayor Lori Lightfoot, the CPD and its budget

The protest was held in response to the August 9 shooting and wounding of a 20-year-old man who allegedly fired at officers in the Englewood neighborhood

The protest was met with resistance from a small group of Englewood residents

Chicago Police stand guard Monday on the Magnificent Mile and the Michigan Avenue Bridge over the Chicago River is lifted after looting broke out overnight in the Loop and surrounding neighborhoods

People came together to help clean up the city after looting and vandalism earlier in the week

Workers at Dalal Food & Liquor clean up after looting earlier in the week

Stores miles from downtown were also ransacked, their parking lots littered with glass and boxes that once contained television sets and other electronics.

The civil unrest comes at the worst possible time as businesses struggle to get back on their feet after months of lockdown during the coronavirus pandemic followed by more looting earlier this summer during anti-racism and police brutality protests.

During Monday night's rioting, 13 police officers were injured. One sergeant was hurt after being attacked with a bottle.

Thirteen officers were injured, including a sergeant who was attacked with a bottle, and at least two civilians were shot during the unrest after midnight Sunday, as hundreds overran the city's upscale Magnificent Mile shopping district and surrounding areas with vandalism and violence, authorities said.

Hundreds overran the city's upscale Magnificent Mile shopping district and surrounding areas with vandalism and violence

Workers clean up the inside of the Saint Laurent store after it was looted on August 10

City officials say it is likely to be some time before things go back to normal as the cleanup continues.

On Monday night public transit was restricted in the downtown business district, stores closed, and bridges over the river were raised.

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot described the criminal behavior as 'an assault on our city' and nothing to do with any kind of 'organized' protest.

The mayor declined an offer for federal troops to be sent into the city.

'Again, no, we do not need federal troops in Chicago, period, full stop,' Lightfoot said during a press conference.

A Walgreens was also one of those stores that was ransacked during the night of violence

The Nordstrom's store was also ransacked during a night of anarchy

At the same news conference, Lightfoot addressed looters directly, telling them that police had collected a lot of surveillance video and other evidence that will be used to arrest and prosecute as many as possible.

'We saw you, and we will come after you,' she warned.

Black Lives Matter Chicago have said that those who were involved in the chaotic scenes on Monday night were protesting.

'The mayor clearly has not learned anything since May, and she would be wise to understand that the people will keep rising up until the Chicago Police Department is abolished and our Black communities are fully invested in,' BLM Chicago said in a statement.

'When protesters attack high-end retail stores that are owned by the wealthy and service the wealthy, that is not 'our' city and has never been meant for us.'

Staff board up Louis Vuitton on Magnificent Mile in Chicago on Monday afternoon

The Timberland store in Chicago was also hit by the angry crowds. Police are now trying to track them all down

Drawbridges leading in to Chicago were lifted on Monday evening to prevent a repeat of the violence of Sunday night
One hundred Australian Defence Force personnel were on standby to oversee Victoria's hotel quarantine program - but the state government hired private security firms instead of taking up the offer, bombshell documents reveal.

The Daniel Andrews government is facing mounting criticism over the bungled operation as the state's coronavirus crisis deepens, with 410 new cases identified on Wednesday and a further 21 deaths.

The hotel quarantine program - in which private contractors allegedly slept with infected travellers - is understood to be responsible for most, if not all cases recorded during Victoria's second wave.

While Mr Andrews has stood firm on his claims that ADF soldiers weren't offered to assist in the program, Defence Department records show 100 personnel were ready to enforce quarantine, but they were not utilised.

Documents show the offer was refused because Victoria Police were in the 'advanced planning stages' of a quarantine program at the time.

An ADF liaison officer told the federal government Victoria's quarantine plans 'do not presently include or require ADF involvement'.

Australian Defence Force personnel and policemen on patrol in Melbourne last week

Daniel Andrews' government is facing mounting criticism as the state's coronavirus crisis deepens, with 410 new cases identified on Wednesday and a further 21 deaths

The National Cabinet mandated hotel quarantine on March 26, and Emergency Management Victoria Commissioner Andrew Crisp chaired a meeting the following day when he called for private security firms to manage the program.

Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions secretary Simon Phemister told a parliamentary hearing on Wednesday the meeting was 'pivotal' in the decision to use security guards.

'We all put forward our views, deferred to the experts when it came to matters of security, when it came to matters of health protection and public health,' he said.

In the weeks to follow, Defence was 'repeatedly' told the hotel quarantine program was being well managed.

Both Queensland and New South Wales took up the ADF's offer, and neither have reported any major breaches in the mandatory quarantine program.

On April 2, five ADF staff were deployed to assist in Victoria's program without warning, but they were reportedly tasked with administration jobs.

Staff inside a hotel in Melbourne are seen moving luggage for guests in quarantine on June 25

Recently arrived overseas travellers get off their bus and wait inside to check in to their hotel quarantine

On June 24, amid mounting pressure and a public health crisis, Mr Crisp requested 850 ADF personnel to support and monitor at hotel quarantine going forward.

The request was almost immediately approved by the federal government, but Mr Crisp never followed through and withdrew the request the very next day.

Meanwhile Mr Andrews told a parliamentary inquiry into the bungled program that his government never rejected the help of ADF officers.

'ADF support has been provided in very limited circumstances in NSW, not to provide security, as such, but to provide transport from the airport to hotels,' he reasoned.

'It is fundamentally incorrect to assert that there were hundreds of ADF staff on offer and somehow, someone said no. That's just not, in my judgement, accurate.'

DANIEL ANDREWS DENIES ADF OFFERED HELP WITH HOTEL QUARANTINE Premier Daniel Andrews used his daily briefing on Wednesday to take a swipe at federal Defence Minister Linda Reynolds, who claimed Victoria knocked back an offer to have Australian Defence Force help with the state's hotel quarantine scheme. The premier told an inquiry on Tuesday the ADF never offered to guard the hotels. The botched program, which used private security companies, was the catalyst for Victoria's second wave. 'I don't know the federal defence minister. I don't deal with her. I deal with the prime minister,' Mr Andrews said. The retort came after the defence minister released a statement saying ADF support was offered to Victoria multiple times. 'The ADF was consistently advised that its assistance was not required for any ''public-facing roles'' in Victoria,' Senator Reynolds said. Advertisement

This image taken outside one of Melbourne's quarantine hotels appears to support the accounts of dozens of workers and returned travellers who say private security guards (pictured) failed to take the quarantine operation seriously before the virus escaped

Defence Minister Linda Reynolds released a damning statement saying repeated offers were snubbed.

She said in a statement: 'ADF officials asked whether Victorian authorities required assistance with its mandatory quarantine system on multiple occasions.

'No request for quarantine support was subsequently received from Victoria at that time.'

The statement also made clear that ADF troops were deployed in both Queensland and New South Wales to guard returned travellers as well as transport them.

Opposition leader Michael O'Brien said Daniel Andrews had been caught 'lying'.

A very quiet Bourke Street is seen on August 11 as Melbourne endures its second week of stage-four lockdown

Opposition leader Michael O'Brien said Daniel Andrews had been caught lying about his decision to use private security guards

'Andrews himself claimed ADF would be used from the very start of the program,' he wrote on Twitter.

Mr O'Brien shared an image of a statement released by the premier on 27 March - when quarantine program was announced - which said: 'It has also been agreed that the Australian Defence Force will be engaged to support the implementation of these arrangements.'

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Mr Andrews' office for comment.

During the inquiry, the premier was also asked whose idea it was to man hotel quarantine with private security guards instead of the police and army troops.

Mr Andrews said the Victorian government had already been using private security guards for quarantining health workers and vulnerable people before the nationwide quarantine program for returned travellers began.

'It was essentially an extension of a program that we had already stood up. Nothing more, nothing less,' he said.

The premier was asked if he regrets 'the decision to employ private security guards in hotel quarantine'.

He replied: 'No-one wanted a second wave of the virus. But none of us have the luxury of going back in time.'

Department of Defence hits back at Daniel Andrews: Full statement Below is the Department of Defence's full statement on ADF support: Throughout the pandemic the Australian Defence Force (ADF) has been postured to respond to requests for support from the states and territories at very short notice. From 21 March 2020, ADF planning teams were established in every state and territory to rapidly facilitate any requests for support. Following the Prime Minister's offer on 27 March 2020 for ADF support to states and territories with the new mandatory 14-day quarantine period for international arrivals, the ADF discussed requirements with relevant state and territory authorities. On 28 March 2020, Victorian authorities advised that Victoria was not seeking ADF assistance with mandatory quarantine arrangements. The ADF was consistently advised that its assistance was not required for any 'public facing roles' in Victoria. ADF officials asked whether Victorian authorities required assistance with its mandatory quarantine system on multiple occasions. No request for quarantine support was subsequently received from Victoria at that time. On 12 April 2020, Victorian authorities reaffirmed to ADF officials that all quarantine compliance monitoring operations were within Victorian authorities' capacity. Defence agreed to requests for support to quarantine compliance from Queensland and NSW on 28 March. In NSW, ADF personnel began supporting the reception of international arrivals at Sydney Airport and undertaking quarantine compliance monitoring at hotels the following day. In Queensland, ADF personnel began supporting reception of international arrivals at Brisbane airport the following day, and supported quarantine compliance monitoring at hotels from 31 March. On 14 April 2020, the ADF shared observations on best practice quarantine compliance monitoring operations with all state and territory police commissioners, including the success of interagency operations between the ADF and NSW Police. On 24 June 2020, Defence agreed to a Victorian Government request for 850 ADF personnel to assist with hotel quarantine compliance. The request was withdrawn by the Victorian Government the following day. The decision to withdraw the request is a matter for the Victorian Government. On 3 August 2020, the ADF agreed to provide up to 50 personnel to support Western Australian authorities with support to hotel quarantine. Under Defence Assistance to the Civil Community (DACC) arrangements, Defence provides assistance to states and territories when requested through Emergency Management Australia. DACC arrangements are predicated on states and territories requesting Defence assistance. Advertisement

Mr Andrews was the first witness called at the second sitting of the Victorian Public Accounts and Estimates Committee's COVID-19 Inquiry on Tuesday.

Victoria's Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton has previously said it is conceivable that all Victoria's second-wave cases arose from security employed at hotels unwittingly carrying the virus out of quarantine.

The debacle first came to public attention on May 27 when the infection of a security guard working at the Rydges on Swanston hotel in Carlton, inner-north Melbourne was announced.

The following week, on June 6, the spread of the deadly virus appeared under control as zero cases were recorded for the first time since March 5.

But on June 17 an outbreak erupted at the Stamford Plaza in Melbourne's CBD and 21 new cases were recorded across the state.

On Tuesday Victoria recorded 19 deaths and 331 cases of coronavirus, taking the state's COVID-19 death toll to 247 and the national figure to 332.

New daily case numbers have declined in Victoria since the peak of 725 on 5 August.

Of the state's 267 fatalities, all but 20 of which have occurred since July 5.

A person wearing a face mask is seen in Melbourne amid COVID-19 lockdown
The end of free TV licences for the over-75s has created a bonanza for fraudsters targeting the elderly, campaigners said last night.

Figures obtained by the Daily Mail reveal fraud has surged during lockdown as scammers trick victims into handing over bank details.

Some over-75s have already received scam letters, emails and texts ordering them to pay up within days of the free TV licence entitlement being scrapped on August 1.

Under BBC rules, only those over-75s who receive pension credit can still claim a free licence.

Some over-75s have already received scam letters, emails and texts ordering them to pay up within days of the free TV licence entitlement being scrapped on August 1. Pictured: Stock photo of an elderly man watching TV

Charities, campaigners and MPs warned that fraudsters will see the transition to the new rule as an opportunity to exploit vulnerable pensioners.

Fraud cases soared by 30 per cent in the build-up to millions of pensioners losing their free TV licences and being asked to pay the 157.50 annual fee.

Figures from Action Fraud reveal that TV licence scams against all age groups hit 1,017 between April and June this year, up from 772 in the same period in 2019.

Between April 2019 and June 2020 there were 3,735 reports of TV licence scams, with reported losses of nearly 3.3million.

Action Fraud said 636 of these targeted 70 to 99-year-olds. The true figure is likely to be even higher.

Pictured: Age UK charity director Caroline Abrahams

Jan Shortt, general secretary of the National Pensioners Convention, said: We have already spoken to members whove had letters saying something is wrong with their direct debit and they have to pay as a matter of urgency.

Others have had text messages to say if they cant afford to pay for a licence they should send on their bank details and they will get a free licence for a year  they are all scams.

Age UK said there were fears thousands of over-75s could fall prey to these scams in the coming months.

Charity director Caroline Abrahams said: Fraudsters are always searching for new opportunities to part us from our cash and it seems that the BBCs decision to make millions of older people pay for their TV licence could be a bonanza for them.

Tory MP Peter Bone, who is deeply critical of the new rule, said the simple solution is for the BBC to reverse its decision. It comes as older peoples group Silver Voices, which is mounting a civil disobedience campaign against TV Licensing over the change, said many hard-up pensioners were planning to use their winter fuel payment to pay the fee.

A TV Licensing spokesman said: We will be writing directly to over-75s customers through the post, not via email or text message, and advice on protecting against scams is contained within the letter.
These man-made fires in the Amazon were caught on video by Reuters video journalists as they were lit, the same day Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro blasted the surge in fires as quote "lies."

His comments come just over one year after he called devastating Amazonian wildfires last August the retaliatory work of non-governmental organizations after he cut their funding, without providing evidence.

Fires in Brazil's Amazon for the month of August hit a nine-year high in 2019 and this month so far looks even worse. More than 10,000 fires have been recorded in the first 10 days of August, up 17% from the same period a year ago, according to data from the country's national space research agency.

Experts say fires are not a natural phenomenon in the rainforest, but are usually man-made in order to clear land for pasture.

Reuters spoke with one of those farmers clearing brush for pasture, who wished to remain anonymous. He said it's not his intention to do harm, but it's a necessary step to make a living.

"We don't want fire to enter the part of the forest we have - because, how many lives are inside there? So, we don't want to destroy any lives. We're simply making a little clearing to be able to plant some fruit and some grass to raise cattle."

Bolsonaro has dispatched the military to fight fires and deforestation since May, with the armed forces working with an environmental agency to combat fires near Apui, where the fires were seen burning by Reuters..

"Our commitment towards fighting fires and deforestation is strong. As you can see, in July of this year when taking into account July of last year, we recorded a 28% decrease in deforestation or burning in the region. But, even then, we are criticized. At the end of the day, Brazil is a powerhouse in agribusiness. We have threats against us all the time and unfortunately a few Brazilians are working against us on this issue in the Amazon."

Foreign pressure is mounting on Brazil to protect the world's largest rainforest, an ecosystem vital to preserving climate change because of the vast amount of carbon dioxide that it absorbs. Activists want to avoid a repeat of the devastating fires that occurred last year.
Israel closes key Gaza crossing to 'all goods'

Iran Press TV

Tuesday, 11 August 2020 1:06 PM

Israel shuts down the Gaza Strip's border crossing that hosts most imports into the Tel Aviv-besieged territory as a punitive measure against alleged launches of "incendiary balloons" from the Palestinian enclave towards the occupied territories.

The Kerem Shalom Crossing was closed on Tuesday after at least four rounds of aerial and ground attacks against the territory under the same pretext.

Before closing the terminal, the regime claimed that more than 30 fires had erupted across Gaza's border with the occupied territories as a result of the alleged balloon launch, Reuters reported.

"Kerem Shalom Crossing will be closed for the passage of all goods, with the exception of the entry of essential humanitarian equipment and fuel," Israel's Ministry of Military Affairs said in a statement.

Palestinian officials said the closure in particular affected construction materials.

Tel Aviv besieged Gaza in 2007 after the Palestinian resistance movement of Hamas rose to power there. Ever since, the enclave has been receiving its bare essentials through Kerem Shalom as well as two other crossings, including one with Egypt, which is being strictly controlled by Cairo.

Last Monday, the regime launched a set of airstrikes on Gaza, accusing Hamas of flying fire balloons towards the occupied territories.

The regime repeated the strikes on Thursday and this Monday. The aerial bombardments were intervened by a round of tank fire targeting the territory on Sunday.

Hamas, which has been defending Gaza against such repeated incursions, has called the increase in Israeli violence "a message of escalation and aggression" and an attempt by the Israeli regime "to export its internal crises to the strip."

The escalation comes as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is entangled in a political and legitimacy crisis that boils down to his trial on charges bribery, fraud, and breach of trust.

Israelis regularly hold thousands-strong rallies outside his residence, asking him to step down.

In recent weeks, thousands of protesters have also rallied, mainly in Tel Aviv and the holy occupied city of Jerusalem al-Quds, against Netanyahu's mishandling of the COVID-19 outbreak.

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A statement by a top U.S. intelligence official indicated that China, Russia, and Iran are trying to meddle in U.S. presidential elections. William Evanina claimed that the Iranian regime "seeks to undermine U.S. democratic institutions, President Trump, and to divide the country in advance of the 2020 elections. Iran's efforts along these lines probably will focus on on-line influence, such as spreading disinformation on social media and recirculating anti-US content."

If there is one thing the Iranian regime has mastered in its 41-year existence, it is propaganda. The 1979 Islamic Revolution began with propaganda, and the ensuing regime was built and continues to thrive on it. The ideological rhetoric and disinformation were initially generated for domestic consumption. Once the mullahs realized that their survival is dependent upon international relations and global affairs, they decided to export their propaganda. Nowhere in the world they could find a more vulnerable and credulous audience than the U.S.

With attention focused on Russia's potential interference in the 2020 election, the American people are unaware of a devious wave of propaganda emanating from the Iranian regime and its surrogates. Unfortunately, there are media outlets in the U.S. that willingly amplify and disseminate this propaganda. Social media platforms provide an open, unbridled arena for promulgation of the regime's anti-American hogwash. For instance, on July 3, 2019, Hesameddin Ashena, an adviser to President Hassan Rouhani and the head of an Iranian think-tank on strategy, sent an ominous tweet saying, "We have unseated an American President in the past. We can do it again. Trump can listen to Pompeo and we'll make sure he stays a one-term President."

Other media outlets controlled by the regime use the open, uninhibited realm of social media and target American society, which remains uncomfortably susceptible. Iranian state-controlled Press TV, which is a subsidiary of the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), has a history of weighing in on U.S. elections and openly divulging who the regime's desired candidates are.

The mullahs are trying to influence voters by targeting vulnerabilities of American society. While this propaganda flows through social media and occupies the headlines of our Google searches, U.S.-based organizations sympathetic to the regime echo this rhetoric. Groups such as the National Iranian American Council (NIAC) replicate the regime's narrative verbatim, especially those expressed by Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, notorious for using his Twitter account to disparage Trump and his administration.

The Iranian regime's infiltration of the American society is mushrooming, and this is not limited to the mullahs' media campaigns of disinformation. In September 2019, a policy think-tank jointly funded by George Soros and Charles Koch was launched. On the pretense of promoting a non-interventional U.S. foreign policy approach, the Quincy Institute's intent is perhaps more pernicious. The testament to this is the appointment of Trita Parsi as the think-tank's executive vice president. Parsi, the founder of NIAC, has suspected ties to the Iranian regime. An outspoken opponent of Trump (and perhaps even Biden's), Parsi has admitted in the past that he is in intimate communication with Zarif.

In an effort to prevent contamination of the 2020 elections by malign elements of the Iranian regime, the U.S. can and must take some preemptive actions. Sanctions should be placed on IRIB (and its affiliate, Press TV) depriving it of satellite broadcasting services and capabilities. Social media platforms such as Twitter should be held accountable for allowing the dissemination of toxic propaganda that could influence our elections. American social media should refrain from furnishing agents of a hostile regime, such as Press TV and Ashena, a podium to transmit their nefarious rhetoric. Protecting our democracy from inimical intrusion is a serious matter. While the Russia probe and conspiracy theories about collusion continue to dominate our news headlines, we are ignoring  consciously or not  a more insidious undercurrent: the Iranian regime.

Reza Behrouz is a physician and medical researcher based in Texas. He is on the advisory board for Iranian Americans for Liberty. Shervan Fashandi is a banking expert and political analyst based in New York. He is the co-founder and vice president of Iranian Americans for Liberty.

Official website of Ali Khamenei
Pastor Jentezen Franklin calls for 21 days of fasting and prayer: 'Turn back to God'

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As the United States grapples with the coronavirus pandemic, one prominent pastor has called on Americans to join him for 21 days of fasting and prayer.

I believe the Lord spoke to me and said to make the month of August a season of  crying out and praying and fasting and turning back to God like never before, said Jentezen Franklin, senior pastor of Free Chapel Church in Gainesville, Georgia, and host of the weekly television program Kingdom Connection." Its time to fast and pray and break the back of COVID. We must see a divine reversal. We must see a turnaround.

The period of fasting and prayer began on Aug. 1. Rather than issuing specific guidelines, Franklin decided to leave the details of the fast up to participants. Its better to do what you can do and not break it, rather than shoot for the sky and shoot for the moon and  end up breaking the whole fast, he explained.

As Franklin lays out on his website, there are several different ways to fast. A full fast involves only drinking liquid. Those engaging in a Daniel Fast refrain from eating meats, sweets, and bread and only consume water, fruit, juice, and vegetables. A partial fast involves fasting between the hours of 6:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. or from sunrise to sunset.

While the pastor leads his congregation and viewers in fasting and prayer at the beginning of every calendar year, he urges them to commit to fasting, prayer and giving throughout the year.

When you combine the number of people worldwide through our television ministry with the number of people at our campuses and our online audience, there are well over one million people that participate in our 21-day fast each January, Franklin said in a statement to The Christian Post. Every year, we receive literally thousands upon thousands of testimonies from people of all walks of life that demonstrate miracle after miracle.

The pastor noted that he had never called two fasts in one year.

Adding this additional fast is different in that we are fasting for Gods intervention in a time of great upheaval and division, he told CP. It is a fast to refocus on the Gospel of Jesus Christ while also being a light in the darkness for these troubled times.

When asked how many people are participating in this additional fast, Franklin said that it was too early to know. It has gone out to the same audience that it goes out to every January and we are seeing tremendous traffic on our social media platforms, he added.

Franklin, who has written multiple books on the topic of fasting, has put together a Fasting 2020 Kit, which includes his New York Times best-selling book titled Fasting, another book titled Fasting: 101 Most Asked Questions, and a 21-day fasting devotional titled Open My Eyes.

Franklin is not the only person issuing a call to fasting and prayer with the hope of stopping the coronavirus. Last month, Gov. John Bel Edwards, D-La., called on the people of his state to engage in three days of fasting and prayer for those affected by coronavirus. He had previously called on Louisianans to join him in prayer and fasting for three days back in April, when the coronavirus pandemic first began to run rampant in the United States.

The Georgia pastor maintained that its never too late to jump in and fast with us. We need to see the Lord heal our land and we believe this process begins with His people, on their knees, in prayer and fasting for breakthroughs, cures, protection, and peace.
The UK economy has officially fallen into a recession after official figures showed it contracting by a record 20.4 per cent in the second quarter as a result of lockdown measures put in place to counter the coronavirus pandemic.

The slump recorded by the Office for National Statistics follows a 2.2 per cent quarterly contraction in the first three months of the year. As such, the UK economy is in a recession - commonly defined as two quarters of negative growth.

Unlike other countries, Britain's statistics agency provides monthly figures to accompany the quarterly numbers and these show some hope that the economy is healing in the wake of the easing of some lockdown restrictions.

In June, when shops selling non-essential goods were allowed to reopen, the British economy grew by a monthly rate of 8.7 per cent.

The economy began to bounce back in June with shops reopening, factories beginning to ramp up production and house-building continuing to recover," said statistician Jonathan Athow.

Despite this, he said the economy remains a sixth below its level in February, before the virus started to impact.

The British government hopes that the further easing of the economy over recent months, such as the reopening of the hospitality sector in July, will allow the economy to claw back further ground.

Also Read: 8 marquee funds among top 10 investors in HDFC's Rs 10,000 cr equity offering

Also Read: Coronavirus update: India records 60,963 new cases, 834 deaths; tally surges to 23,29,639
Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope on Tuesday said that soon notification will be issued by the State government for capping the prices of masks and sanitisers.

While addressing a press conference, Tope said, "We have reduced the cost of testing from Rs 2,200 to Rs 1,900. Initially, it was Rs 4,000. Soon we will be issuing notification for capping prices of masks and sanitisers. We have asked the Centre to put sanitisers and mask in the list of essential commodities."

"Now people should pay Rs 1,900 for visiting a lab. To pick up the swab there will be a different rate for that," he added.

The State Health Minister added that he conducted a meeting with the Indian Medical Association (IMA) and they have expressed their concern over violence against the doctors.

"I had a meeting with IMA and office-bearers. They are concerned about the attacks on doctors and their safety and security. I had assured them of that. Also, we have given them insurance cover under the Centre's scheme. They wanted the same kind of help from the state. Hence, they have come up with a proposal that state should pay 50 per cent amount for insurance (State government) and they are ready to pay 50 per cent amount," said Tope.

"Today we had a meeting with the Prime Minister along with the Chief Minister. It was a three-hour-long meeting. We expressed the desire to have specialised hospitals in the state to tackle COVID-19," he said.

"Also, we told the Prime Minister that in such a situation we should not conduct the exam and give aggregate marks to students based on their last exam performance," he added.

Maharashtra's positivity rate stands at 19 per cent, the Health Minister stated.

"Our positivity rate is 19 per cent which we need to bring down to 9-10 per cent. We have been given a target to get the death rate to 1 per cent. Right now our death rate is 3.42 per cent. The state government is working on this. We are still focusing on the early detection system," said Tope.

"The Centre will take a call about train services. We have informed them to start the train. Till the time local trains service resume, no private or government offices can work at 100 per cent," he added.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
(TNS) - Nearly three months after the Edenville Dam failure and catastrophic flooding in Midland County, a top official with the U.S. Department of Agriculture visited the community of Sanford on Wednesday to see what long-term help the department can offer.U.S. Rep. John Moolenaar, R-Midland, hosted a press conference on Wednesday, Aug. 12, in Sanford with Bette Brand, deputy undersecretary for rural development at the USDA. The event took place in front of shuttered storefronts on the still-closed West Saginaw Road in Sanford, which was previously under water.Its just hard to imagine how much devastation a flood could do, Brand told reporters after having the opportunity to tour the area. We can help consult the community to make sure that they get what they need, in the order that they need it.Moolenaar said Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, and the Small Business Administration have been working to aid in the communitys recovery and the USDA can help, too.The village hall floated from one end of town to the other and crashed into a building. When you consider that kind of a disaster, for a local community to recover after that, theyre going to need assistance and thats why were here to help, Moolenaar said.(Brand and I) are meeting with community leaders to talk about what the needs are, developing a list of priorities, whats the most urgent, what are the long-term needs, and doing everything we can to bring in federal resources, he continued. Already, throughout the region theres been $25 million of federal funds that have been invested in this recovery and rebuild, and we want to make sure we qualify for every possible dollar to help people rebuild their lives.Sanford Village President Dolores Porte thanked Moolenaar for inviting Brand to the area.Theres no better way to understand the impact a flood has on a community than to come and see it and live it, she said. Yesterday, we toured the area. Next we will be meeting with additional community leaders to discuss what types of funding the USDA can contribute.Brand talked about the difference between the help FEMA offers and the help USDA can offer. FEMA is the first on the ground and responds and helps to stabilize things immediately after a disaster, she said, while USDA can help with long-term recovery.USDA programs come in and help more with the recovery and with a vision of helping that town prosper, rather than simply rebuilding, she said. Many of our programs, our loan programs, can go 40 years or more and work with the community on repayment of the loans and the grant programs and stuff, really work with them for a long-term vision.Sept. 8 is the deadline to apply for FEMA assistanceFEMA has set up a Documentation Drop-off Center for survivors of the May 16-22 flooding and storms to submit any required supporting documents for their disaster assistance application, according to a Midland County flood update. The drop-off center, located at the Dow Diamond Outfield Ticket Office (back parking lot), 825 E. Main St. in Midland, will be open for a limited time and is staffed by FEMA personnel who can scan documents and quickly answer questions about disaster assistance programs.The center is open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday, and from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Wednesday and Saturday.Applicants may register in the following ways:by visiting DisasterAssistance.govby downloading the FEMA mobile app for smartphonesby calling 800-621-3362 (TTY: 800-462-7585) between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. ET, seven days a week. Multilingual operators are available.If an individual cannot register online or by phone, registration at the Documentation Drop-off Center is available.Residents seeking assistance must apply through FEMA before Tuesday, Sept. 8.Submit flood insurance claims nowMichiganders who have a policy with the National Flood Insurance Program, or NFIP, should submit their claims now for damage caused by the May storms and flooding, according to the Midland County flood update.Policyholders have just 60 days from the date damage occurred to file a flood insurance claim with their insurance agents. However, NFIP is urging residents to still submit claims as late claims may be considered on a case-by-case basis. Policyholders who dont know who their insurance agent is can call FEMA at 877-336-2627 for assistance.Policyholders who disagree with the resolution of their claims may ask for clarification on the adjusters figure(s) and can request an explanation of the policy if an item was excluded from coverage. If unsatisfied with a claim determination, policyholders can complete a no-cost appeals process offered by the NFIP online at www.floodsmart.gov/flood/appeal-your-claim-payment.For more information about the claims process, visit www.floodsmart.gov/start. To learn more about flood insurance coverage, visit FloodSmart.gov or call 877-336-2627.Read more on MLive:Independent investigation will look into what caused Michigan dams to failEdenville Dam owner files for bankruptcySanford residents seek $1.25 million from federal government following Michigan dam failurePretty phenomenal: How thousands evacuated before Midland-area dam burst with no lives lost2020 MLive.com, Walker, Mich.Visit MLive.com, Walker, Mich. at www.mlive.com.Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
The defusing of the rebellion within the Rajasthan Congress after former deputy CM Sachin Pilot met Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra in New Delhi Monday, days ahead of Fridays Assembly session, is welcome news for the party, which feared the loss of yet another state government due to the BJPs mischief.

But while the first signs of a possible rapprochement are evident, the rift between Mr Pilot and chief minister Ashok Gehlot is far from over, and the contours of a peace deal still need to be worked out, for which Congress president Sonia Gandhi has set up a three-member committee.

Mr Pilot is said to have demanded he be reinstated as state party chief and made chief minister in the last year of the current governments term.

That is extremely unlikely, given that a large majority of MLAs want Mr Gehlot as CM.

The chief minister, in turn, who is clearly not happy at these developments, has advised the Congress high command to accommodate Mr Pilot in a central role in New Delhi.

It was suggested he be made an AICC general secretary, but it doesnt seem this will be acceptable to Mr Pilot.

Mr Gehlot, who had an abrasive relationship with his former deputy all through their governments first 18 months, said Tuesday he would listen to the grievances of all party MLAs, including the rebels, and try to address them, but was opaque about whether he would try to repair ties with Mr Pilot, against whom he had used extremely harsh language in the past few weeks, calling him a nikamma, among other things.

And while the younger leader can be faulted for much of the friction between the two, the senior leader too should share some of the blame. Political differences, especially in the same party, cannot be resolved by bringing in the police.

That said, the CM may have been right to suspect the BJP of plotting with some Congress leaders to bring down his government, but that needed to be handled politically.

For the BJP, the developments in Rajasthan are a wake-up call -- that there are limits to its ability to bring down elected governments and come to power through the backdoor.

After its successful dislodging of the Kamal Nath government in Madhya Pradesh earlier this year, with the help of another Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia, and several other such instances in the past, the saffron party had hoped for a repeat in Rajasthan, cashing in on the rebellion by Sachin Pilot (who had always insisted, though, that he had no plans to join the BJP).

But Mr Pilot, who initially claimed that 30 Congress MLAs were backing him, finally saw he had no more than 18 legislators in his camp, which was insufficient to dislodge the Gehlot government.

State BJP leader and Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, who was allegedly caught on tape while conspiring to wean away MLAs, ended up with egg all over his face.

The role played by Rajasthans governor Kalraj Mishra in the whole affair including impeding the CMs bid to hold an Assembly session to prove his majority also clearly shows that the BJP has not given up trying to misuse the Raj Bhavans to further its political ends.

The Congress and other Opposition-led state governments need to watch out in the months ahead.
Racism is much stronger among Americas white Christians than among churchless whites  and it always has been. Thats the message of a new book by social analyst Robert Jones, head of the Public Religion Research Institute.

White Too Long: The Legacy of White Supremacy in American Christianity contends that white churches didnt merely adapt the nations surrounding racism  but actually fostered it, locking it into the culture. Today, white Christians display more prejudice than non-Christians.

Heres a sample: PRRI agents asked thousands of people whether police killings of unarmed black men are mere isolated incidents or if they reveal deep-rooted hostility to African Americans. Among white evangelicals  the heart of the Republican Party  71% chose isolated incidents. But just 38% of churchless whites agreed.

Another example: Some 86% of white evangelicals think the Confederate flag is more a symbol of Southern pride than of racism  but only 41% of unafilliated whites share that view.
Trout Unlimited (TU) and the Bridger-Teton National Forest (BTNF) announced today that Phase 2 of the Tribasin Fish Passage and Watershed Restoration Project is scheduled to begin during the summer of 2020. The project is a large-scale, multi-phased project initiated in 2018 to improve ecosystem function and reconnect stream habitat for cutthroat trout and other native fish species on BTNF lands. This years construction implementation includes replacing an undersized culvert on the Greys River, near the confluence of Shale Creek, with a newly constructed bridge, as well as replacing 3 undersized culverts on Mink Creek, Clear Creek, and the West Fork Greys River. Construction is scheduled to begin August 17, 2020 will last approximately 2 weeks. During this time, BTNF will temporarily close the Shale Creek Road (Forest Service Road 10126). The Shale Creek Road is located in the upper Greys River watershed. The closure will occur near the confluence of Shale Creek and the Greys River. The public should also be aware that construction could also slow traffic on the Greys River Road (Forest Service Road 10138) near where the Shale Creek Road joins the Greys River Road. The BTNF and TU would like to thank the public in advance for their cooperation during this important work.

This work is made possible through a unique collaboration between TU, BTNF, and other partners. The Tribasin Fish Passage and Watershed Restoration Project represents an opportunity to reconnect over 21 stream miles for native cutthroat trout and measurably improve water quality in the heart of Wyoming "CuttSlam" territory. The project seeks to protect, reconnect, and restore streams on BTNF lands associated with a commercial timber sale and its access routes. The Tribasin project area lies at the headwaters of three basins and encompasses three native cutthroat trout species distributions (Snake River, Bonneville, and Colorado River cutthroat).

The Tribasin area is a renowned destination for anglers seeking to complete the Wyoming Game and Fish Department's (WGFD) Wyoming Cutt-Slam, because of the three cutthroat trout species found in a relatively small area. The Greys River drainage, in the Snake River watershed, where the majority of the timber sale is proposed, is a heavily used, popular resource area for recreational activities such as fishing, ORV use, camping, hunting, and non- motorized recreation. The timber sales primary access route travels up the Smiths Fork drainage, in the Bear River watershed, as well as a short section in the LaBarge Creek drainage, in the Green River watershed.

As part of planning for the timber sale, which is anticipated to improve forest health and resilience while reducing wildfire risk, the BTNF has partnered with TU to dovetail watershed restoration and stream reconnection efforts with the preparation of access roads. The projects goals are to 1) reconnect and restore streams within the project area for the benefit of Snake River cutthroat trout by replacing undersized and damaged culverts; 2) improve watershed conditions and water quality by reducing sedimentation and erosion from roads into waterways for the benefit of Snake River, Bonneville, and Colorado cutthroat trout; and 3) reduce maintenance needs for Forest roads by replacing undersized culverts with structures that have a larger flow and sediment transport capacity and by improving drainage and low water crossings.

Together, these actions will measurably improve fish passage, water quality, stream function, and aquatic habitat in the Tribasin area. In addition to the Shale Creek culvert being replaced in 2020, three additional culverts (West Fork Greys, Mink Creek, Clear Creek) within the timber sale area identified by BTNF as current fish passage barriers are will be replaced in August 2020. Together, these four projects are reconnecting a total of 21.3 miles of habitat for Snake River cutthroat trout and other native fish in the upper Greys River and its tributaries. Other project activities initiated in 2018 included road improvements to reduce sedimentation and erosion. Total project costs are estimated at $375,000.

Partnerships have been a critical component of the project. To date, the Tribasin Fish Passage and Watershed Restoration Project has received funding as well as technical support from US Forest Service, US Fish and Wildlife Service Fish Passage Program, Wyoming Game and Fish Department, Jackson Hole Trout Unlimited, Patagonia World Trout, Star Valley Trout Unlimited, TU-Orvis Embrace A Stream Program and Challenge, Trout and Salmon Foundation, and Wyoming Wildlife and Natural Resources Trust Fund.

We are excited to embark on this project with the Bridger-Teton National Forest that will reconnect so much coldwater habitat for native trout in the headwaters of the Greys River. We are grateful to all of the partners that have supported this very timely opportunity to address fish migration barriers and stream health and look forward to the public being able to access and enjoy the results of our work, said Leslie Steen, TU NW Wyoming Program Director. The Tribasin Fish Passage and Watershed Restoration Project is a project of TUs Snake River Headwaters Home Rivers Initiative, an ambitious initiative to restore and protect the headwaters of the Snake River and its fishery, together with a diverse group of community, landowner, and agency partners.

About Trout Unlimited

Today, Trout Unlimited is a national organization with more than 155,000 volunteers organized into 400 chapters nationwide. These dedicated volunteers are paired with a respected staff of organizers, lawyers, policy experts and scientists, who work out of more than 30 offices. Our mission is to conserve, protect and restore North America's cold-water fisheries and their watersheds. Follow TU on Facebook and Twitter, and follow our blog for all the latest information on trout and salmon conservation.

About the Bridget-Teton National Forest

One of the original purposes of the Forest Service was to provide healthy watersheds and clean water. Forest Service lands are to be managed to provide the greatest good to the greatest numbers as we care for the land and serve the people. For more information, visit the Forest Website. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter or Flikr for the latest Forest information.
In September, President Donald Trump visited Houston for a massive rally with Indian Prime Minister Narenda Modi. With his signature directness, Trump made an appeal to Indian American voters broadly.

He had come, he told the audience, to "express my profound gratitude to the nearly 4 million amazing Indian Americans all across our country."

"You enrich our culture, you uphold our values, you uplift our communities, and you are truly proud to be American," he continued. "And we are proud to have you as Americans. We thank you. We love you. And I want you to know my administration is fighting for you each and every day."

Trump does this sort of thing, making sweeping claims about groups and describing in vague terms how he's helped them such as when he points to drops in unemployment (as he did in Houston). It's a new style of a standard tactic, reaching out to specific demographic communities with direct appeals.

In February, Trump's re-election campaign followed the event with a small advertising buy targeting Indian Americans. But even then, change was in the air. Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., once a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination, would soon endorse former Vice President Joe Biden, who went on to win the party's primaries in commanding fashion. On Tuesday, Biden named Harris as his running mate. With that, Trump's efforts to convince Indian American voters likely hit a significant roadblock.

While Harris is primarily identified as one of the country's leading Black politicians, given her father's background, she's also the daughter of Shyamala Gopalan, who immigrated to the United States from India as a young woman.

It's simplistic to assume that voters will necessarily support candidates who share their demographics, but there's certainly ample evidence that such similarity can play a role. In this case, there's an added reason to think that Indian Americans would likely support Harris: The population is heavily Democratic.

Data from L2, a political data firm, indicate that there are about 1.6 million voters in the United States who are likely Indian immigrants, or of Indian descent. (In most states, it's difficult to be precise. L2 uses state data where it's available and name-matching where it isn't.) Of that population, a plurality are Democrats. For every Republican L2 identifies as likely Indian American, there are three Democrats.

Many of those voters live in areas where the results of the November election aren't really in doubt: California, the Boston-to-D.C. corridor, and other large cities, for example.

As a percentage of the population in various designated market areas (which generally overlap with broad metropolitan areas), the distribution is more interesting, including disproportionately heavy representation in Texas and in California's Central Valley, both more conservative areas of the country.

This, of course, raises the question of how Harris' addition to the ticket might influence the election results in close states.

Again, it's hard to determine the extent to which voters will be influenced by shared demography. But there are some tantalizing hints in the L2 data. In addition to populations in Texas cities, there are larger Indian American voter populations in states which are expected to be close in 2020, including Minnesota, Georgia and Michigan.

Likely Indian American voters in Texas and Minnesota tend to skew more Republican than Democratic, though many are independent or third-party. But that's the point: If Harris can help bring over more moderate or even Republican votes, that helps the ticket significantly.

For the most part, the number of likely Indian American voters in states is fairly modest. But in a number of potential swing states, the population makes up a significant chunk of the 2016 margin between Trump and Hillary Clinton in the state.

Those numbers for Michigan and Pennsylvania are interesting, where the number of likely Indian American voters is larger than the 2016 margin. More interesting, though, are the ones for Florida, where the number of likely Indian American voters is two-thirds the 2016 margin. There are twice as many Democrats as Republicans, but convincing independent voters to vote Democratic instead of Republican could be significant.

As could increasing turnout. In 2016, more than 4 million people who'd voted for Barack Obama in 2012 didn't vote. Most were non-White. If Harris spurs infrequent Indian American voters to the polls, that benefits her ticket, too.

Of course, Democrats also clearly hope that she'll have a similar effect on Black voters, which could itself make a difference in close races in Michigan or Pennsylvania. Or Florida, or Georgia, or Texas. There's little indication that Trump's repeated citation of the once-historically low unemployment rates for Black Americans is winning him many votes.
A busy fair day at the Square in Listowel, Puck Fair in Killorglin, Portmagee fish curing and children gathered on a street in Cooperage, Killarney are just some of the photographs of Kerry digitised and freely available online from the National Library of Ireland (NLI).

As part of a new initiative entitled 'Around the Island', the Library is inviting Kerry people, and everyone with an interest in the county, to explore these images and others from home.

'Around the Island' encourages people across the island of Ireland to connect and reconnect with their counties and their history by accessing local photographs that are readily available through the Library's rich and varied online collections.

In 2007, the National Library initiated a major project to digitise its collections of glass plate negatives. Since then, more than 60,000 images of Ireland and Irish life have been made available online. With photographs drawn from a range of historic collections, the online catalogue offers viewers unique insights into life across the island of Ireland from the middle of the 19th century all the way up to the late 20th century.

Commenting on the initiative, Director of the NLI, Dr Sandra Collins said:

"As Ireland's memory-keeper, the National Library collects, preserves and shares the record of life in Ireland. This includes photographs of everyday local life just as much as major moments in our national history. Together, these images give a varied picture of Irish life through the last 170 years,"

"I hope that visitors to our online collections will find enjoyment in browsing local imagery from the past, while also learning something new about their county. I encourage Kerry people, and everyone with an interest in the county, to spread the word about the Library's online collections among family and friends - wherever they are - and to visit the catalogue," he said.
European banks committed to backing action on climate change face allegations of double standards from indigenous groups in Ecuador after a report named them as major players in the trade in oil from the Amazon rainforest. Stand.earth and Amazon Watch said ING, Credit Suisse, Natixis, BNP Paribas, UBS and Rabobank were the largest backers in the shipment of about $10 billion of dollars of Ecuadorian crude to US refineries over the last decade. Each of the banks identified, having reviewed the report referred to environmental commitments they had made, such as to back the 2015 Paris ...
The announcement on Tuesday by Russian president Vladimir Putin that his country was the first to approve a coronavirus vaccine has been met by doubts about the science and safety.

However, it has also underscored how the competition to have the first vaccine is about international rivalries as well as science.

The first nation to develop a way to defeat the novel coronavirus will achieve a moonshot victory and the global status that goes along with it.

That is valuable to Mr Putin, whose popularity at home has declined amid a stagnant economy and the ravages of the virus outbreak.

Russia is not alone in viewing a vaccine in this light.

China, where the virus first emerged, has also raced to make progress on a vaccine. A state-owned Chinese company is boasting that its employees, including top executives, received experimental shots even before the government approved testing in people.

And US president Donald Trump, whose handling of the coronavirus pandemic has put his political fate in grave jeopardy, is hoping to get credit for his government's aggressive push for a vaccine.

Yesterday it emerged that a coronavirus vaccine being worked on by American researchers induces a robust immune response in healthy adults, results from early phases of clinical trials suggest.

Scientists found that the RNA vaccine, called BNT162b1, was generally well-tolerated, although some participants experienced mild to moderate side-effects.

According to an interim report of a phase 1/2 clinical trial published in Nature, the vaccine, which is being developed by Pfizer, elicited a robust immune response in participants, which increased with dose level and with a second dose.

It is far from clear at this point whether Mr Putin has beaten Mr Trump to the medical milestone.

Read More Three men charged with threatening women in R Kelly abuse case

Mr Putin said the Health Ministry gave its approval after the vaccine underwent the necessary tests and said one of his two adult daughters had been inoculated.

"We should be grateful to those who have taken this first step, which is very important for our country and the whole world," he said.

No proof was offered and scientists in Russia warned that more testing would be necessary to prove it is safe and effective.

Nonetheless, officials said vaccination of doctors could start as early as this month and mass vaccination may begin as early as October.

Scientists around the world have been cautioning that even if vaccine candidates are proven to work, it will take even more time to tell how long the protection will last.

"It's a too early stage to truly assess whether it's going to be effective, whether it's going to work or not," said Dr Michael Head, senior research fellow in global health at the University of Southampton.

It was also too soon to dismiss the Russian claim out of hand.

The country, though economically dependent on the export of natural resources, does have a history of achievement in science, medicine, and aerospace  including becoming the first to put a person into space, in 1961.

"It is possible that they concentrated and could do this," said Daniel Fried, a retired senior US diplomat.

"I'm not scoffing at it, but it doesn't mean that the Russian economy is advanced."

A vaccine would be the kind of significant achievement that would elevate Mr Putin at home and in the international community.

It is also possible Russia had help.

The US, Britain, and Canada last month accused hackers working for Russian intelligence of trying to steal information about a coronavirus vaccine from academic and pharmaceutical research institutions.
FY20 Results

Sky Network Television Ltd (SKT) has delivered results in line with the FY20 guidance given on 21 May 2020, with unaudited Revenue, EBITDA, NPAT and CAPEX results all being achieved within the defined range (subject to the completion of year end audit processes and assessment of the carrying value of goodwill).

Sky will release its results for the year ended 30 June 2020 on Thursday 10 September 2020.

In doing so, Sky is relying on the class waiver from NZX Listing Rule 3.5.1 granted by NZX on 3 April 2020 and the class waiver from certain rules in Chapter 4 of the ASX Listing Rules granted by ASX on 7 May 2020. Sky also expects to release its 2020 annual report on Thursday 10 September 2020 and therefore shall not be relying upon the NZX and ASX class waivers in relation to the same.

Webcast and teleconference details will be made available shortly.

Successful completion of amended Banking Facility

Sky has successfully completed the negotiation and signing of the amended and restated $200 million Banking Facility, with increased flexibility, an extended term to July 2023 and no step-down in the Facility limit.

Sky has used the funds from the recent Capital Raise to pay down all bank debt and holds cash of $118 million as at 12 August 2020.

Covid-19 update

Sky notes the Governments announcement last evening of a brief return to Alert Level 3 in Auckland (and Alert Level 2 for the rest for the country) from 12-14 August. As an essential service, Sky confirms that it has robust plans in place to continue to deliver services to customers, with the majority of staff able to immediately work from home and essential crew operating safely from Sky sites.

Source: Sky Network Television Ltd (SKT)

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Armenia needs to wait and see what step Russia will take. This is what government officials told citizens wishing to depart for Russia today, adding that Armenia has opened the border and receives foreign citizens, but needs to wait until the Russian government lets citizens of Armenia leave for Russia as well.

One of the citizens who had participated in the conversation with government officials said Russia might make an announcement on acceptance of foreign citizens or not on August 15. We were told that the extension of the state of emergency has nothing to do with the opening of borders at all. Now we will go to the Embassy of the Russian Federation and submit our lists, one of the participants of the demonstration said, adding that they will wait a few more days and hope the Prime Minister will solve the issue.

The participants of the demonstration moved towards the Embassy of the Russian Federation to submit the list of enlisted citizens.
Police said Howard nearly backed over an officer attempting to stop him and sped south on Indianapolis Boulevard, almost hitting several other cars in rush hour traffic while being pursued by East Chicago police.

Three Hammond Police officers joined the high speed chase as it veered into that city and continued for several miles to the intersection of Gostlin and Columbia, where Howards vehicle ran a red light and struck the Whiting familys Chevrolet Equinox.

Howard and Pinchon suffered few injuries, but the impact killed Chambers and incapacitated Paramo, who was driving the Equinox.

Howard and Pinchon, who both have prior criminal histories, are each serving 15-year prison terms after pleading guilty to felony charges of resisting law enforcement. Both are appealing their sentences as unfairly long.

Attorneys for the Whiting family sued the two cities and several police officers involved in the car chase, alleging their pursuit of the shoplifters contributed to Chambers death and Paramos injuries.

State law permits private citizens to sue municipalities when law enforcement actions cause injuries and death. State law also limits the amount of money a citizen can recover from such litigation.
University students who fail half their subjects in their first year will lose access to government subsidies and loans under a crackdown on excessive enrolments and ballooning HELP debts that are not being repaid.

The measures to prevent people taking on study loads they cannot handle have been revealed in a newly released bill covering the government's sweeping overhaul of university funding.

University students over-enrolling in subjects, amassing major debts and consistently failing, face strict new requirements. Credit:Louise Kennerley

Under the changes, universities will face tougher requirements to verify people's academic suitability for their chosen courses and monitor their ongoing progress. Students will also be able to wipe their debts for subjects when their progress has been harmed by special circumstances.

"These measures will ensure students can't take on a study load they won't complete, leaving them without a qualification but a large debt," Education Minister Dan Tehan said.
About 386 Nigerians have been returned to the country from the United Arab Emirates and Lebanon as part of the governments efforts to assist stranded nationals abroad in the wake of COVID-19 travel restrictions.

The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), in a tweet via its official handle on Wednesday, said 292 Nigerians were evacuated from the UAE, taking the number of evacuees from the Arab country to 2,933 since it began evacuation in June.

According to NIDCOM, the evacuees arrived at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, at 02:30 p.m. on board an Emirates flight.

Also, 94 Nigerian girls, many of who are believed to have been trafficked to Lebanon and had appeared in a viral video asking for governments help, were among those evacuated on Wednesday.

They arrived at Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos from Lebanon.

EVACUATION UPDATE

94 out of 150 Stranded Nigeria Girls arrive Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos from Lebanon today Wednesday, 12th of August, 2020, NIDCOM tweeted.

EVACUATION UPDATE

94 out of 150 Stranded Nigeria Girls arrive Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos from Lebanon today Wednesday, 12th of August, 2020. pic.twitter.com/aE31qKI70f  Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (@nidcom_gov) August 12, 2020

The agency said while the evacuees had tested negative to COVID-19 before boarding the plane, they would be undergoing a mandatory 14-day self-isolation, in line with the guidelines issued by the federal government.

Receiving the stranded girls at the airport, the Chairman, NIDCOM, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, commended the efforts of actors that contributed to the successful repatriation of the girls.

On hand to welcome home 94 Nigerians stranded in Lebanon for months . A big thank you to the Lebaneese Amb to Nigeria, the Nigerian Mission in Lebanon, the Lebaneese Community in Nigeria for making this possible Nema is handling their logistics . More returning soon, Mrs Dabiri-Erewa said in a Twitter post.

On hand to welcome home 94 Nigerians stranded in Lebanon for months . A big thank you to the Lebaneese Amb to Nigeria, the Nigerian Mission in Lebanon, the Lebaneese Community in Nigeria for making this possible Nema is handling their logistics . More returning soon pic.twitter.com/L7dIadVnkJ  Abike Dabiri-Erewa (@abikedabiri) August 12, 2020

Evacuation efforts

As the COVID-19 pandemic held the world in a tailspin, Nigerias Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, asked Nigerians interested in returning to the country to buy into the evacuation idea and work with Nigerias embassies and high commissions across the world.

Nigerian airports have been closed to international flights since March, but essential flights are still allowed.

What is important to get out to all Nigerians is that their engagement and communication should be with the embassies, high commissions and not with any other parallel agency, department of government or anything like that, Mr Onyeama said in a briefing of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 in April.

Nigeria has since repatriated thousands of stranded nationals from countries like the United States, the United Kingdom, Egypt, Sudan, France, Ethiopia, and many others.

Meanwhile, the Nigerian government said it had spent N169 million on the evacuation of Nigerians from abroad.
An eleven-year-old girl has died from organ failure in Spain after suffering from a rare immune complication linked to the coronavirus, according to local media.

The child, who had no known underlying health conditions, passed away at the Joan XXIII University Hospital in Tarragona, Catalonia, yesterday after previously testing positive for Covid-19.

Catalonia's public health secretary claimed it was too early to say Covid-19 was definitely the cause of death, adding that it was 'a very sad case'.

But the girl's case had all of the hallmarks of the Covid-linked syndrome likened to Kawasaki disease, which has been dubbed Paediatric Inflammatory Multisystem Syndrome Temporally (PIMS-TS).

The condition appears to strike children around the age of 10, on average, typically causing stomach pains, vomiting, diarrhoea, fevers, rashes, red eyes and swollen feet.

Fatal complications of the illness appear to be related to the strain it puts on the heart - but the exact details of how the condition kills remain unclear.

Doctors are almost certain the illness is being caused by the coronavirus but they haven't yet been able to prove it yet.

Reports of children dying of the condition - or of Covid-19 at all - are rare, but at least two British children have died from PIMS-TS and hundreds have been hospitalised.

The child, who had no underlying health conditions, passed away at the Joan XXIII University Hospital of Tarragona in Catalonia (pictured) yesterday after testing positive for Covid-19

In the largest study of its kind yet, paediatricians detailed the course of the mystery inflammatory illness in 78 hospitalised youngsters. The most common symptoms were fever, shock, abdominal pain, vomiting and diarrhoea. Other reported symptoms by other doctors are a rash (see bottom right, in different skin colours), red eyes, a headache, swollen hands and feet and confusion

The Spanish girl was initially admitted to the Verge de la Cinta Hospital in Tortosa over the weekend, according to regional newspaper Diario de Tarragona.

It's unclear what her initial symptoms were, but her condition is said to have deteriorated rapidly.

The child was then transferred 50 miles to the Joan XXIII early on Monday morning when her organs started to fail.

Secretary General of Public Health, Mr Argimon, said the girl had been diagnosed with Covid-19, but, for the moment, it was not possible to know if the virus was the cause of the death.

'You have to differentiate the two things well,' said Mr Argimon. 'It it is a very sad case.'

WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT PIMS-TS? WHAT IS IT CALLED? The illness has been likened to Kawasaki disease, which mainly affects children under the age of five. But it has been named Paediatric Inflammatory Multisystem Syndrome Temporally (PIMS-TS) because it is new and distinct from Kawasaki. WHAT SYMPTOMS DOES IT CAUSE? The majority of the children being hospitalised with the condition have suffered from a high fever for a number of days, severe abdominal pain and diarrhoea. Some develop a rash and red eyes or red lips, while a very small group go into shock, in which the heart is affected and they may get cold hands and feet and have rapid breathing. The symptoms are similar to those caused by Kawasaki disease, a rare but treatable condition that affects around eight in every 100,000 children each year in the UK. WHO DOES IT AFFECT? PIMS-TS appears to be more likely to affect older children than Kawasaki disease (average nine years old versus four years old respectively), British researchers recently wrote in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Up to 80 per cent of affected children in a study of 78 children by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health were from black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds (BAME). Similarly, more than half (57 per cent) of 21 youngsters diagnosed in a Paris hospital were of African heritage, compared to 29 per cent of European descent. Dr Sara Hanna, medical director at Evelina London Children's Hospital, said 70 to 80 per cent of children seen in London hospitals have been BAME. WHEN DID OFFICIALS FIRST START TO SEE CASES? The NHS sent an alert to doctors on April 27, warning them to look out for signs of the syndrome. At the time they said cases had been appearing in tiny numbers in London for about three weeks. Since then they have spread further across the country. There have been less than 200 cases of PIMS-TS reported in England so far, according to researchers at the Imperial College Academic Health Science Centre. Figures for the UK are not clear. IS IT CAUSED BY SARS-COV-2, THE CORONAVIRUS? Doctors are almost certain the illness is being caused by the coronavirus but they haven't yet been able to prove it. Cases began appearing as the UK's coronavirus outbreak hit its peak and similar conditions have been reported in China and Italy during the pandemic. However, not all children with the Kawasaki-like syndrome test positive for the virus. Swab testing has suggested some of the children have not been infected with COVID-19 at the time they were ill. But all patients have tested positive for antibodies, doctors said, meaning they have had the coronavirus in the past. They said this suggests it is a 'post-infectious phenomenon' which is caused by a delayed overreaction of the immune system, which may happen weeks or even up to a month after the child was infected with Covid-19. IS IT TREATABLE? Yes. But there have been some reported deaths - at least two, according to the RCPCH. The only child known to have died with it, a 14-year-old boy, died of a stroke that was triggered by the life support machine he was on. Doctors are currently treating the condition by using medications to calm down the immune system and dampen the overreaction. Dr Liz Whittaker, a paediatrician at Imperial College Healthcare in London, said the sickest children are usually very ill for four to five days and begin to recover a couple of days after starting treatment. Advertisement

There have been fewer than 200 cases of PIMS-TS reported in England so far, with a range of symptoms and severity. Most children have already recovered.

Nearly 300 cases the life-threatening syndrome have been identified in the US, in two studies published in The New England Journal of Medicine.

The illness has been likened to Kawasaki disease, which mainly affects under-fives and causes blood vessels throughout the body to swell.

Children appear to fall sick with PIMS-TS several weeks after being infected by the coronavirus, called SARS-CoV-2.

In April, clinicians in the UK were alerted to a cluster of children with unexplained inflammation requiring admission to intensive care units.

A major study was carried out over 40 days and 78 cases of PIMS-TS were reported by 21 of 23 intensive care units in the UK. Two of the chidren died.

The full findings were published in the medical journal, The Lancet, last month.

The study said hospital admissions to paediatric intensive care between April 1 and May 10 was at least 11-fold higher than historical trends for similar inflammatory conditions.

Dr Patrick Davies, consultant paediatric intensive care specialist at Nottingham Children's Hospital, published the findings of 78 children across 21 of 23 UK paediatric intensive care units during that time period.

They each fulfilled the condition definition newly outlined by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health to help both doctors and parents spot the signs.

A fever was present in all cases studied, and children also suffered with shock, abdominal pain, diarrhoea and vomiting.

They received a varied range of treatments, and one child was given the antiviral remdesivir - which became the first medication to get approval for use on the NHS to treat Covid-19 in May.

A third of patients were found to have coronary artery abnormalities. These included coronary aneurysms - the abnormal dilation of a artery supplying the heart.

Four per cent of patients had significant blood clotting that was affecting the blood flow in vessels.

Doctors believe the survival rate is high because three per cent (two) of children in the study died.

Dr Padmanabhan Ramnarayan, senior author of the research, told MailOnline: 'While it is difficult to comment about the cause of death in individual cases, potential mechanisms for a poor outcome might include blood clots in the brain, excessive bleeding and severe heart failure.

'However, this study shows that the condition is rare and has affected few children overall, and that outcomes for those who have needed ICU care is generally very good.'

He added that PIMS-TS is an inflammatory condition and causes a similar phenomenon to the 'cytokine storm' described in adults with Covid-19.

A cytokine stormy, potentially fatal, is when the immune response goes into overdrive and immune cells start attacking healthy tissue as well.

Dr Ramnarayan, a consultant in paediatric intensive care retrieval at Great Ormond Street Hospital, said: '[It] may lead to multiple organs being affected, mainly the heart, kidneys and blood vessels.'

Academics did not reveal who the children who died in the study cohort were. It is not clear they are two previously reported UK fatalities linked to Kawasaki and Covid - a 14-year-old boy and an eight month old baby.

The death of the unnamed 14-year-old boy, treated at Evelina London Childrens Hospital in May, was reported on May 13. He had been part of a cluster of cases of PIMTS at the hospital.

The baby, Alexander Parsons, who had no underlying health conditions, passed away after being admitted to Plymouth's Derriford Hospital on April 6.

He had been diagnosed with Kawasaki disease the day of his death and suffered a ruptured aneurysm, but it is not clear if his case was linked with Covid-19, his parents said.

Dr Ramnarayan said clinicians across the world have already made tremendous progress in understanding PIMS-TS, The Sun reports.

'However, many aspects of the condition remain unclear, such as why it only affects some children or what the long-term implications of having this condition are,' he added.

Dr Barney Scholefield, senior author, said a wealth of information to help treat cases has been uncovered so far.

'A large group of children's intensive care clinicians from across the NHS have rapidly worked together to help understand this condition,' the paediatric intensive care consultant at Birmingham Women's and Children's NHS Foundation Trust and researcher at the University of Birmingham said.

Lead researcher on the paper and consultant paediatric intensive care specialist at Nottingham Children's Hospital, Dr Patrick Davies said the key to successful treatment is 'close collaboration with many specialists'.
The owner of a Jersey Shore beach bar and restaurant was cited over the weekend for not complying with the states social distancing orders meant to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

Tom Hughes, owner of the Sea Shell Resort & Beach Club in Beach Haven, was issued a summons for violating the governors executive order after authorities found large gatherings at an outdoor bar on Saturday, said Police Captain Tom Medel.

Medel said the police report didnt say how many people were at the bar.

Police were called to the oceanfront beach bar off Atlantic Avenue around 5:15 p.m. following a complaint to the local health department about customers not wearing face coverings or social distancing, Medel said. A detective who responded took photos of crowds at the bar and reported customers were not practicing social distancing or wearing masks.

The restaurant did not immediately return a request for comment.

Murphy threatened to shut down bars after an NJ Advance Media report from the weekend that showed numerous locations on the Shore where social distancing wasnt happening.

This is not a game, the governor said. Standing around maskless in a crowd outside a bar is just as big a knucklehead move as standing around maskless inside one.

Murphy said he would give everyone, from patrons to bars, the chance to do the right thing.

Medel said police issued a warning to the establishment earlier in the summer.

Hughes has a court appearance scheduled for September, Medel said.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.

Avalon Zoppo may be reached at azoppo2@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @AvalonZoppo.
If not for the coronavirus pandemic, a few San Antonio school districts would have opened their doors to students by Wednesday. Their campuses are still quiet  but the scene was different in Boerne, some 35 miles to the northwest.

Traffic backed up downtown after 7 a.m. as parents dropped off their backpack-toting children, who slipped on masks as they entered schools for the first time in five months. Of the 9,800 students in Boerne Independent School District, 77 percent are attending in person, said district spokesman Bryan Benway.

That number includes the five Thompson siblings, who woke up much earlier than they had for virtual learning in the spring, ate a breakfast of kolaches, muffins and orange juice and posed outside for masked photos.

Hopefully nothing happens, said Cooper, 12, before heading to his first day at Boerne Middle School North. Im not going back to virtual learning.

Youll show up even if they tell you not to? teased his father, Kevin Thompson. Youll bang down the door?

Ill unscrew the hinges, Cooper grumbled.

Lisa Krantz /Staff photographer

Kendall County had 3.5 coronavirus cases per 1,000 residents as of Tuesday, a fraction of the more than 16.8 per 1,000 in Bexar County, according to state data. Most Bexar County school districts, citing the ongoing risk of community transmission of the virus, wont hold in-person classes until after Labor Day at the earliest.

Boerne ISD parents said the low case numbers there, the school districts safety protocols and their childrens social isolation and struggles with distance learning convinced them to start the school year in classrooms.

In the spring, all five Thompson children needed their own computers for virtual learning  even the twins, Elizabeth and Tucker, who were in the same third-grade class, their mother Sarah Thompson said. The household lucked into extra computers from a company that was disposing of them.

The kids also needed multiple free rooms to Zoom, individually but simultaneously, with their teachers.

The twins, now 10 and in the fourth grade at Curington Elementary, are in dual language but didnt get as much Spanish practice in the spring as they would have in class. Tucker said it was sometimes hard to get ahold of their teacher for questions and he didnt want to be in front of a computer all day.

That would probably scrunch your brain up, Elizabeth said.

They also decided to go in person because of who their fourth-grade teacher would be  Gloria Palomo, who has decades of experience and helped start the schools dual language program.

She was awesome, Cooper said Wednesday morning to his younger siblings. Look how I turned out.

Had the twins signed up for e-learning, theyd have a different teacher. Boerne ISD currently offers two options to families: all-virtual learning or fully in person. Theres no hybrid option, though the district is considering it down the line for certain situations, Benway said.

Required Reading: Get San Antonio education news sent directly to your inbox

Lisa Krantz /Staff photographer

All staff and all students, from pre-kindergarten on up, must wear masks indoors. Shared tables and desks have Plexiglas dividers between students, Benway said. Lunch periods were extended to thin out crowds in the cafeteria, where students are being spaced at the ends of tables. Tucker knew his lunch table wouldnt even be in the cafeteria.

Its going to be weird eating in the gym, he said.

Boerne ISD asked parents to drop their children off as close to the bell as possible to minimize congregating before school. Buildings will be deep cleaned at the end of every day and teachers have sanitation kits to use as desired, Benway said.

Hallways and cafeterias have markings six feet apart for social distancing. Each school has temperature check stations and employees complete health self-assessments every morning, Benway said.

Boerne ISD is not allowing visitors, including news media, on campuses for at least the first six weeks of school.

Before they walked to school Wednesday, the Thompson twins grabbed their masks, which a friend had embroidered with Tuckers name and Elizabeths initials. They started to cut through their back yard before Sarah Thompson remembered her own mask and doubled back.

Truly Stickel, 7, also clutched a mask as she walked with her parents to her first day of second grade.

Im actually not excited to go to school, Truly said. I want to stay home.

Her mother, Janel Stickel, laughed. It has nothing to do with the pandemic.

Lisa Krantz /Staff photographer

Trulys father, Brian Stickel, didnt think she would learn on a computer all day, especially as a dual language student. And both parents trusted the schools safety protocols.

We feel like socially and emotionally and academically, its better to be at school, Janel Stickel said.

After dropping off the twins, Sarah Thompson walked back home, where Cooper was waiting for a ride to middle school. When we get there, do I have to go straight to class? he asked.

Yeah, you go straight to first period, Sarah Thompson said, then caught his annoyed look. You want to socialize?

Yeah, Cooper said, then paused thoughtfully. I feel like the vaccine will probably be here in November.

His older brothers, Preston, 16, and Lincoln, 14, came downstairs. Preston, a junior, had just bought a 1999 Toyota Land Cruiser with the wages he earned from the Tapatio Springs Hill Country Resort, where he worked all summer as a masked lifeguard. He now had his first parking space at Boerne High School, where he would drive himself and Lincoln, a freshman.

I havent gotten up this early in a long time, but Im still excited to see everyones face, Preston said.

Lincoln had imagined navigating crowded hallways to get to his first class of high school, but now he envisioned everyone moving slowly, trying to keep their distance.

Juniors and seniors are allowed to leave Boerne High for lunch this year, another change meant to discourage cafeteria crowding. Preston grabbed two sandwiches, apple slices and other snacks from his familys kitchen, but said he and his friends might go to Whataburger for milkshakes.

We seem so organized, Sarah Thompson marveled, then added, We had six months to prepare.

She worried Coopers backpack was too heavy, but he said, Oh, I want to carry my backpack all day.

Outside his middle school, police officers kept the car line moving, but some parents quickly snapped smartphone photos of their children before driving away. Eighth-grader David Ortega reported having typical first-day jitters. Another eighth-grader, Roger Donado, said he was looking forward to athletics.

Preston and Lincoln were excited theyd be playing basketball together. They had strength and conditioning camp over the summer with social distancing restrictions and practices are scheduled to begin in October.

Boerne High volleyball players Kendra Schwarz and Addison Amick, at a varsity game against Comfort High School the night before, said they werent worried about returning to campus.

As a student who doesnt like to go to school, Im so happy that were actually getting to have school because Ive missed it so much, Schwarz said.

At the game, Scott Clingman said he left the decision up to his daughter Ashley, a junior.

Her mom and myself encouraged her to go back to school as long as she was doing it right. We thought in-class learning was better than at home, distance learning, he said. Shes really engaged with her teachers and you cant do that when youre at home.

Staff writer David Hinojosa contributed to this report. Alia Malik covers several school districts and the University of Texas at San Antonio. To read more from Alia, become a subscriber. amalik@express-news.net | Twitter: @AliaAtSAEN
Social and emotional health have been big topics of discussion among both the CCS and KCS Boards of Education over the summer.

Students need interaction to develop academically and mentally, and interpersonal contact is key. For now, schools will do what they can to provide connections remotely, but returning students to school campuses is the priority.

Once the local systems are able to get back to school, though, whether in Plan A for KCS or Plan B for CCS, continuing to keep children and teachers safe from COVID-19 will be a priority as well, and schools may have to undergo further changes to ensure that.

Another thing thats a part of Vice President Bidens plan is to provide resources so that schools can be reconfigured to accommodate more social distancing, Atkinson said. So thats a really important component.

Not waiting for help

Both KCS and CCS worked non-stop this summer to prepare for the governor's recommendation for schools. KCS collected excessive amounts of PPE while reconfiguring classrooms and preparing teachers and staffers for what they might be facing when they did return.
12.08.2020 LISTEN

Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has urged African governments to invest in ICT infrastructure and digital data collection tools to help transform their respective national statistical offices and economies.

Speaking during the virtual launch of the Economic Commission for Africa's (ECA) Price Watch Centre for Africa, Dr. Bawumia stressed that relying on credible data from African economies will be key to realising the objectives of the Africa Price Watch Centre, which among other things, seeks to bring data on all African economies on one platform for comparative analysis on price movements and other economic indicators.

To be able to provide timely and accurate data to the platform, Dr. Bawumia, in his keynote address, told African finance ministers and other stakeholders who had converged online that, it is important for governments to invest in digital data gathering.

"Governments must invest in ICT infrastructure and the digital data collection tools," Dr. Bawumia said.

"I call upon the heads of national statistical office gathered through this virtual medium to work with ECA in transforming their national statistical systems."

The Vice President identified data gaps on many African economies and inconsistency in data definition and methodology as difficulties in making comparative analysis on African economies and

price movements of goods and services, which he hoped the initiative will help address.

"The availability of timely data from a single aggregator source should help us overcome data gaps, and the lack of consistency in data definition and methodology that often characterize African statistics."

"We need data on price movements to gauge how changes in consumer and factor prices alone may be affecting the trends in income redistribution, poverty levels and inequalities, especially among the army of those who live on retirement incomes."

"As we open the doors of continental free trade, price level data is important for cross country comparisons in understanding regional markets and the competitiveness of producers across the continent."

To enhance the value of continent wide price movement data, Dr. Bawumia called for data collection and approaches to data computation to be comparable and relevant.

"With Continental Free Trade and the march towards the Africa we want, more and more, there is the need to further streamline data collection on African economies for monitoring, evaluation and planning purposes. This underlines the urgent need for effective collaboration between the ECA, AfDB to building the vital socio-economic statistics for Africa."

"It is our hope that the ECA will work with national statistical institutions to overcome these disparities by agreeing on common methdological guidelines, benchmarks and capacity building," Dr. Bawumia added.

Following the successful launch of the Africa Price Water Watch Center and its platform (website), Vice President Bawumia expressed satisfaction and urged member states to cooperate with the ECA to provide timely data to the platform.

"It is a rich data portal that we have been presented with for analysis. We need to cooperate with ECAs so that we can present our data on a timely basis," he said.
In your evening news brief, From The Newsroom, Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced that his country has developed first vaccine that works quite effectively" and "forms a stable immunity" against Covid-19; Prime Minister Narendra Modi has set a 72-hour target to trace and test people who have come in contact with a Covid-19 infected person and BJP MP Anantkumar Hegde stirs up another controversy by calling BSNL employees 'traitors'.

Here are the top news of today, Tuesday: August 11, 2020:

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday announced that his country has developed the first vaccine that works quite effectively" and "forms a stable immunity" against COVID-19 as he disclosed that one of his daughters has already been vaccinated.

Putin made the claim during a government meeting where he described it as "a very important step for the world", the Sputniknews reported.

He said that one of his daughters took part in the experiment and she was vaccinated against the coronavirus.

"After the first vaccination, she had a body temperature of 38 degrees Celsius, while the following day it was slightly over 37 degrees Celsius, that's it. After the second injection, the second vaccination, her temperature also rose a little, and then everything cleared up, she feels good and the [antibody] titers are high, Putin said.

It works quite effectively" and "forms a stable immunity," he said.

Putin thanked everyone who worked on the first-ever vaccine against the coronavirus and hoped that Russia will be able to start mass production of this medication in the near future.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday set a 72-hour target to trace and test people who have come in contact with a Covid-19 infected person while emphasising that the country could emerge victorious in the fight against the pandemic if we could defeat the virus in 10 states that account for 80% of the cases.

Modi's comments came during his video conference with Chief Ministers from nine states -- Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Punjab, Bihar, Gujarat, Telangana, and Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka which was represented by Deputy Chief Minister Ashwath Narayan.

The Prime Minister noted that the number of daily tests, which has reached seven lakh now, is increasing continuously and this has helped in early identification and containment. He also noted that the percentage of active cases was reducing while the recovery rate is increasing.

"These steps have boosted the confidence of people. The target of bringing down the fatality rate below 1% can be achieved soon," he told the Chief Ministers even as he emphasised the "urgent" need to ramp up testing in Bihar Bihar, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Telangana.

Quoting experts, Modi said if the cases are identified in 72 hours, then the spread of the virus can be slowed down and emphasised the need to trace and test all those who had come in contact with an infected person within 72 hours.

Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has said that a 'deep and prolonged' economic slowdown in India due to the coronavirus pandemic is 'inevitable', and offered three steps to help fight the crisis, during an interview to the BBC.

In the interview, Manmohan Singh said the government should "ensure people's livelihoods are protected and they have spending power through a significant direct cash assistance". He also said that adequate capital should be made available for businesses through "government-backed credit guarantee programmes", and the financial sector should be fixed through "institutional autonomy and processes". These three steps, he said, would help bring normalcy to the country in the coming years.

"This economic slowdown is caused by a humanitarian crisis. It is important to see this from the prism of sentiments in our society and not mere economic numbers," Manmohan Singh said.

BJP MP Anantkumar Hegde stirred up another controversy, by calling BSNL employees 'traitors' who weren't willing to work to develop the beleaguered firm.

More than 88,000 employees will be fired from the public sector unit (PSU), as government will privatise the company, he said.

In a video of an event held Monday at Kumta in Uttara Kannada district, Hegde is heard saying, "BSNL has a system filled with traitors. I am using accurate words to describe them." He further says that even the Narendra Modi-led government was unable to address the problems faced by the PSU.

"The government has given money, people require services and there is infrastructure. Yet, they (BSNL employees) don't work. PM talks of Digital India, has provided funds and technology. Yet, they are not willing to work," he said, adding that the central government will repair the firm by privatising it.

BSNL has become a black mark for the entire country and we will finish it. The central government will introduce disinvestment policy and close BSNL and the space will be occupied by private parties in the coming days, he added.

The Centre has told the Supreme Court that high speed 4G internet services can be allowed on a trial basis in one district each of Jammu and Kashmir divisions after August 15.

Attorney General K K Venugopal submitted before a bench presided over by Justice N V Ramana that central committee would review the outcome of trial after two months period. The impact would also be examined by the state level committees periodically, at least once in seven working days.

He, however, clarified that any opening on the trial basis should not be in any area adjoining the international border or line of control.

"The area should have low intensity of terrorist activities and minimum spillover effect on neighbouring areas," he said.

Taking his submission into consideration, the bench closed a contempt petition against the top officials of the Union government and the Jammu and Kashmir administration.

Senior advocate Huzefa Ahmadi, appearing for NGO 'Foundation for Media Professionals' submitted that the decision is a step forward. He, however, insisted for making public decision of the review committee.

The court asked the Centre and the Jammu and Kashmir administration to file its reply within two weeks, including on a plea to review the decision every five days.
Presidential hopeful Joe Biden named Senator Kamala Harris, a former rival in the White House race, as his running mate Tuesday, marking a historic first for American women of color.

Harris, who at 55 is two decades Biden's junior, could appeal to younger voters and women, particularly those in the suburbs who have been fleeing Trump.

Read: Joe Biden picks Kamala Harris as his running mate

The former California attorney general is the first person of Indian descent in the running mate role and personifies the diversity seen as key to building enthusiasm for the Democratic ticket.

Kamala is bi-racial. She is of Afro-Jamaican and Tamil-Indian descent. Some have compared Harris mixed-race identity and her multicultural experience whilst growing up to that of President Obamas.

Indian Americans across the world have hailed this historic selection, and Harris herself has spoken proudly of her Indian heritage, reiterating the impact her mother and grandfather have had on her and her career.

Kamala Harris has said that her grandfather, an Indian civil servant was the one who sparked a passion for public services within her.

Also Read: How Kamala Harris found the political identity that had eluded her

Her maternal grandfather P V Gopalan was an Indian freedom fighter and former civil servant.

Gopalan was born in Painganadu near the Madras presidency in 1911. He later joined the Indian civil services. He also served in Zambia, where he was assigned to manage an influx of refugees.

Harris also spent her childhood in Lusaka, Zambia, where she grew up in her grandfather's home.

My grandfather was one of the original Independence fighters in India. Some of my fondest memories from childhood were walking along the beach with him after he retired and lived in Besant Nagar, in what was then called Madras, Harris said in an interview republished on CNN, speaking with fondness for her grandfather and his impact on her.

My grandfather was really one of my favorite people in my world, she added.

Gopalan had four children, out of which two went on to secure PhDs. One of them was Shyamala Gopalan, Kamala Harris's mother, who was a cancer researcher and a civil rights activist.

Also Read: Kamala Harris's aunt in Chennai recounts her childhood

Shyamala Gopalan Harris, migrated from Madras. A cancer researcher and a McGill fellow, she studied nutrition and endocrinology at UC Berkeley where she met her future husband, Professor Donald Harris, who would go on to teach at Stanford University. The couple divorced when Kamala Harris was seven years old.

Harris's maternal grandmother was also an activist. According to reports, she travelled across villages in India, educating women about birth control.

Reportedly Harris's family was initially skeptical of the career choice. While she acknowledged that prosecutors have historically earned a bad reputation, she said she wanted to change the system from the inside.

Read: How it happened - Inside Joe Biden's search for a running mate

"My mother was very proud of her Indian heritage and taught us, me and my sister Maya, to share in the pride about our culture. I am proud to be who I am, I am proud of the influences that my family have had on my life, that my community had on my life," Harris said in a 2009 interview.
A Florida sheriff has banned his employees from wearing face masks at work, despite the state seeing a record daily surge in coronavirus fatalities, and told visitors they must remove face coverings too.

Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods issued the surprising command via email on Tuesday, in spite of the fact the local government passed has mandated the use of face coverings inside businesses.

'My order will stand as is when you are on-duty/working as my employee and representing my Office  masks will not be worn,' Woods wrote in the email, which has been obtained by The Ocala Star Banner.

Officers will be able to ask for exemptions when attending court, jail, schools or hospitals.

Deputies should also wear masks if they have to respond to a nursing home, a known COVID-19 address, or a call that involves a high-risk elderly individual.

However, Woods expects his employees to go mask-free everywhere else.

'As for special details and/or any special events (paid or not), masks will not be worn,' he bluntly ordered.

Woods subsequently stated: 'This is no longer a debate nor is it up for discussion. Please keep in mind this entire pandemic is fluid and constantly changing the way things are done. However, my orders will be followed or my actions will be swift to address.'

Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods from wearing face masks at work, despite the local area seeing a record daily surge in coronavirus fatalities

According to The Ocala Star Banner, the Sheriff's Office employs around 900 people, including jailhouse workers.

At least five cops - including patrol officers - have contracted COVID-19. More than 30 jail employees have tested positive to the highly-contagious virus.

Meanwhile, members of the public who visit the Marion County Sheriff's Office will also be required to remove any face covering they may be wearing.

'Effective immediately, any individual walking in to any one of our lobbies (which includes the main office and all district offices) that is wearing a mask will be asked to remove it, 'Woods wrote.

'In light of the current events when it comes to the sentiment and/or hatred toward law enforcement in our country today, this is being done to ensure there is clear communication and for identification purposes of any individual walking into a lobby.'

'This is no longer a debate nor is it up for discussion': Woods issued the strict orders in an email sent out Tuesday

Studies have shown that wearing a mask can cut the risk transmitting the virus, as it blocks droplets of water from being spread while breathing, coughing and talking.

One peer-reviewed study in the Lancet showed wearing a mask cut the risk of transmission from 17% to 3%.

On April 3, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention put out an updated advisory on coronavirus transmission recommending that Americans wear masks.

But Woods added: 'We can debate and argue all day of why and why not. The fact is, the amount of professionals that give the reason why we should, I can find the exact same amount of professionals that say why we shouldn't.

The leaked email has sparked outrage among many community members.

Marion County - located in Central Florida - has reported more than 6,600 cases of COVID-19. At least 102 residents have died from the virus.

Woods' email was sent on the same day that Florida reported record high fatalities from the coronavirus.

Florida reported 276 new deaths on Tuesday, bringing the statewide death toll to just over 8,500. Healthcare workers are seen conducting coronavirus tests in Miami on Monday

Florida has been crippled by the coronavirus pandemic. Medics are seen transferring a coronavirus patient into an ambulance in Miami over the weekend

Florida reported 276 new deaths, bringing the statewide death toll to just over 8,500. The spike came after deaths in the hotspot state declined 10 percent last week compared to the previous seven days.

However, the number of cases in Florida continue to trend downwards following a huge summer spike across the south. The state reported 5,800 cases on Tuesday, down from the record 15,000 in mid-July.

More than 164,000 Americans have now died from COVID-19 and the average number of deaths has remained at just over 1,000 per day for two weeks.

While the average daily death toll is still high, it remains below levels seen in April when an average of 2,000 people a day were dying from the virus.

Cases, which have now surpassed 5.1 million, have been falling nationally for three straight weeks and the average daily infection toll remains steady at about 52,000.
The date of the summit of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council (P5) is yet to be set, preparations for the event are still under way, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said.



"We are currently working on aspects of the forthcoming event. There is no exact date so far," Lavrov said in an interview with the Argumenty i Fakty newspaper published on Wednesday.



According to the minister, Russia is determined to achieve practical results rather than hold the meeting as soon as possible.



"The summit - with a solid foundation of the UN Charter - will allow launching a serious and direct conversation of the leaders on principles of interaction in global affairs and ways to solve the humanitys most pressing problems, and move closer to agreeing common rules of conduct, including with an aim to preserve global peace and prevent a large-scale military confrontation," TASS cited him as saying.



Speaking at the World Holocaust Forum on January 23, Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested organizing a summit of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council in 2020. Russia suggests discussing collective principles in international affairs, arms control and other security issues as well as overcoming the consequences of the coronavirus pandemic.
The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Hajiya Sadiya Umar Farouq has disclosed that over five million candidates applied for third batch of the N-Power programme.

The Minister made the disclosure in a statement issued by her Special Assistant on Strategic Communication, Mrs Halima Oyelade, on Tuesday, August 11, 2020.

She said that the registration which commenced on the 26th of June 2020 was scheduled to end on the 26th of July but it was extended by two weeks.

Mrs Farouq said the online portal closed on Sunday 9th of August, 2020 with a total of 5,042,001 applications. However, only 400,000 applicants will be absorbed upon conclusion of the enrollment exercise.

The Minister stated that women and persons with disability will be prioritized during the selection process. She also re-assured Nigerians that due diligence will be applied during the next stage of selection to ensure that only duly qualified applicants are enrolled.

Mrs Farouq added that her Ministry will ensure that the applicants, as well as the general public, are kept fully informed on the progress of the scheme.

She also explained that the N-Power programme is aimed at providing Nigerian youths with opportunities to gain skills for employability and entrepreneurship which will also, go a long way in assisting the country towards the post-COVID-19 economic recovery.

The minister reiterated her Ministrys commitment to the vision of President Muhammadu Buhari to lift 100 million Nigerians out of Poverty in the next l0 years.

According to her, the N-power programme is one of the platforms that can assist in the realization of that vision.

KanyiDaily had reported how Mrs Farouq allocated about 50,000 N-Power slots to federal lawmakers and other politicians, ahead of ordinary citizens in the country.
Like most Canadians, Bob Jackson found out about the arrest of Jimmy Lai by Hong Kong police when he turned on the news Monday morning.

The news, which made international headlines and drew condemnation from the Canadian government, had a unique connection to Jackson, since Lai owns the Ontario hotel, restaurant and spa company that Jackson runs as chief executive officer.

Were praying for him here, said the CEO of Vintage Hotels, which includes 12 hotels and 20 to 25 restaurants and spas in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Jordan and outside Niagara.

With his situation, obviously we support him, but it doesnt have an impact on our business, Jackson added.

Lai has been an outspoken critic of the Chinese government and a pro-democracy voice within Hong Kong. The region is supposed to have a special status under the one country, two systems agreement made by the U.K. and China when the former handed over control of Hong Kong to the latter in 1997.

However, for the past year, the region has been rocked by protests and a crackdown by the Chinese government. A new security law passed June 30 by the Chinese government gives it broad powers to arrest and imprison for life those it convicts of secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces.

The law has been criticized by governments of the West and many international agencies.

These offences are so broadly defined they can easily become catch-all offences used in politically motivated prosecutions with potentially heavy penalties, wrote Amnesty International in a piece published July 17 explaining its concerns with the law.

It was under this new law that police arrested Lai.

The Associated Press reported that it appeared police removed boxes on Monday, of what they said was evidence, from Lais Next Digital headquarters.

Next Digital is the media company that operates the Apple Daily, a pro-democracy tabloid often critical of Chinas Communist Party.

Hes outspoken, and I think hes going to continue to be outspoken, said Jackson. He said Lai typically had been coming to Canada a couple of times a year to meet with senior staff like himself. In addition, the two corresponded by email occasionally.

Vintage Hotels remains a Canadian company governed by a board of directors. As such, Jackson said nothing changes. And while they stay out of politics, Jackson said they support the pro-democracy sentiment.

Given Lais vocal opposition Jackson said he wasnt terribly surprised to see the Chinese government go after him.

The extent they went maybe was (surprising), he said.

Canada condemned the arrests, which also included the arrest of pro-democracy activist Agnes Chow Ting.

In a tweet, Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs Francois-Philippe Champagne said Canada is deeply troubled by the arrest of (Lai and) others under Chinas National Security Law in Hong Kong. All human rights and fundamental freedoms, including media freedom and freedom of speech, must be upheld.

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-12 00:37:20|Editor: huaxia

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RABAT, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) on Tuesday granted Morocco a 40-million-euro loan to finance its small and medium-sized enterprises affected by the COVID-19 crisis, official news agency MAP reported.

The loan is provided for the local bank Credit Immobilier et Hotelier (CIH), MAP said.

The EBRD's funds also aim at improving the export and import transactions of the businesses of Moroccan small and medium-sized enterprises, it added.

Morocco is a founding member of the EBRD, which has invested about 2.4 billion euros in 65 projects across the North African country since 2012. Enditem
On Monday, June 1, the streets of Washington, as across the nation, were boiling over with angry protesters facing belligerent police and the military. Cameras were rolling. Never wanting to lose a campaign moment, President Donald Trump, fresh from days of embarrassing press coverage, decided that America needed to see him acting presidential. He grabbed a few of his posse and barged through the streets of Washington, his protectors knocking people to the ground. He strutted past the protesters, ignored the police and military, and then, holding someone elses bible, he walked to the front of someone elses church andposed. Thats it. The cameras rolled, waiting to see what he would say. But he said nothing. With all the anger and pain in the country, and a raging disease spreading everywhere, the President had no hopeful words at this painful turn in our history. Trump was only there to have his picture taken. Thats all. Nothing to say, just a picture, thanks.
WASHINGTON  President Donald Trump ramped up his warnings of a suburban "invasion" Wednesday in a tweet that critics described as both sexist and racist.

The president's missive, in which he suggested a Black senator from New Jersey would be in charge of overseeing an "invasion" of neighborhoods that would undermine the "safety" for "the suburban housewife," came a day after his rival in the November election made history by choosing a Black woman as his running mate.

In the tweet, he made reference to the policies of Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., who is Black. As a presidential candidate last year, Booker released a plan to make housing more affordable and get rid of housing discrimination.

"The 'suburban housewife' will be voting for me," Trump wrote. "They want safety & are thrilled that I ended the long running program where low income housing would invade their neighborhood. Biden would reinstall it, in a bigger form, with Corey Booker in charge!"

The tweet came a day after presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden chose Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., as his running mate, marking the first instance that a woman of color will run on a major presidential ticket in the U.S.

Trump has hammered on an Obama-era anti-discrimination housing regulation his administration recently ended as proof of his fealty to "suburban voters," which critics view as a code for "white voters." Trump has tweeted that suburbanites would experience lower crime rates and higher property values because he ended the rule.

More: Black and South Asian-American women embrace Joe Biden's choice of Kamala Harris as VP pick

More: Mike Pence vs. Kamala Harris: Here's where they might clash

Trump has characterized the rule as expanding low-income housing but it, in fact, is an attempt to address longstanding racial segregation in U.S. housing policy. The rule is tied to the 1968 federal Fair Housing Act, signed by President Lyndon Johnson.

Story continues

Jane McManus, director of the Center for Sports Communication at Marist College, tweeted a play on the term "dog whistle:"

"Is there such a thing as a dog scream?" she asked.

Joyce Vance, a former federal prosecutor and University of Alabama law professor, tweeted: "The morning after Joe Biden selects a Black, Asian woman as his VP, the only thing Trump brings is an explicit appeal to racism."

The Lincoln Project, an anti-Trump group of Republicans and former Republicans, tweeted: "You sad, racist old man."

Democrats slammed the tweet.

"Trump is racist and sexist and thinks he can use racism to motivate his supporters," said Josh Schwerin of Priorities USA Action, a political action committee that supports Democratic candidates. "Trumps racism is one of the big reasons voters, including those in the suburbs he thinks hes trying to appeal to here, are ready to get rid of him."

Former Bill Clinton press secretary Joe Lockhart called it "racism in its purist form."

President Donald Trump speaks at a news conference in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House, Monday, Aug. 10, 2020, in Washington. Trump briefly left because of a security incident outside the fence of the White House.

"It's what the Trump team thinks will get him re-elected," tweeted Lockhart, a prominent supporter of Biden. "They're counting on the silent racist majority. Let's prove them wrong once and for all."

Trump supporters said the president is raising a valid election issue: public safety.

"Trump is rightly demanding laws are enforced, property is defended and criminals are arrested," said Matt Mackowiak, a Republican strategist based in Texas. "It's a stark contrast with the Dems. Kamala Harris led the effort to bail out violent protesters during the Floyd protests."

Trump, who polls show is trailing in battleground states, has tried to frame Democrats as seeking to "abolish" the nation's suburbs, a key constituency for both parties.

Booker aides did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

More: Man shot by Secret Service charged with assault on police officer

More: Andrew Yang on Democratic National Convention: 'I kind of expected to speak'

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump critics see tweet about 'the suburban housewife' as sexist, racist
Vulnerable coronavirus patients are often better off being kept in isolation in aged care homes than being transferred to hospital which would risk them spreading COVID-19, a leading medical researcher has said.

Medical experts on Wednesday expressed outrage at revelations infected patients are being kept in care homes rather than being moved to hospital for treatment.

But Professor Henry Brodaty from the Dementia Centre for Research Collaboration and Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing at UNSW Sydney said nursing homes should have their own facilities capable of treating coronavirus-positive patients.

'Every nursing home should work out if there a section of the building where they can isolate infected patients,' he told Daily Mail Australia.

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An elderly patient is removed from an aged care facility in Melbourne on July 31. Vulnerable coronavirus patients are often better off being kept in isolation in aged care homes, an aged care expert has said

'It depends on the architecture of the nursing home but I think most can corral off a section for that purpose.'

He added infected cases could be effectively sealed off as long as staff also isolated themselves away from their colleagues for their entire shift.

'It requires the nurses to be isolated and have proper PPE  its quite difficult to do  staff cant go for tea or have lunch with others,' he said.

Doctors have criticised hospitals cancelling the transfer to hospital of elderly patients with coronavirus, but Professor Brodaty said often nursing home residents on palliative care wanted to end their lives in aged care facilities.

'The argument is they will be more comfortable and not distressed by going to a hospital. If someone is in palliative care and wants to stay in a nursing home then that should be respected,' he said.

'But if someone is very ill they need to be in hospital. The ratio of staff to patients is much lower in a nursing home.'

A medical worker enters an aged care facility on July 30. Professor Henry Brodaty said often nursing home residents on palliative care wanted to end their lives in aged care facilities

Medical experts have meanwhile told of patients who have conditions like dementia being kept bed-bound in care homes using morphine and the sleep-inducing drug midazolam.

University of Sydney Professor Vasikaran Naganathan from the Centre for Education and Research on Ageing said care providers faced a huge challenge preventing highly-mobile elderly residents from spreading the virus.

But he said there were other ways to stop patients moving around care homes - including having a better spread of infected residents within the facilities.

University of Sydney Professor Vasikaran Naganathan. He said sedating elderly patients with powerful drugs should not be considered even as a last resort

'Most people would agree you need to think about having the right layout  can you find somewhere where this person can wander around safely?' he told Daily Mail Australia.

'It's difficult to find a space like that though  can you find staff and can you find a layout? I've seen facilities with wings where they can move the person to and allow them to walk around.'

'Sedating patients should not even be a last resort though. You want to avoid it,' Professor Naganathan said.

Professor Brodaty agreed sedation was not the answer to dementia-suffering residents with coronavirus.

'The best answer is to have segregated areas within the facility for COVID positive residents,' he said.

'The major types of sedative medications used are benzodiazepines and anti-psychotics - both increase risk of increasing confusion and falls.'

Doctors have said sedating infected patients - which sources said included aged care home residents in only their 40s - was 'inhumane'.

'You can't imagine higher-priority patients. What's happening is they are wanting to keep beds free in case  but in case of what? This is the 'in case',' one source told The Australian.

One physician who works at the Glenlyn Aged Care Facility in the north Melbourne suburb of Glenroy, Robert Hoffman, said the Royal Melbourne Hospital had cancelled plans to move residents to hospital.

He said patients infected with coronavirus who were being prescribed for palliative care treatment - or who were prone to wandering - were being heavily sedated.

'One of my patients with no symptoms but is positive for COVID and can't be isolated was heavily sedated,' he said.

The wife of another Glenlyn resident Jose Silvera, 80, said she was concerned her husband was being sedated 'to keep him quiet in the nursing home'.

ADF personnel are seen at a care home in Melbourne on July 30. Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has cancelled the majority of elective surgeries so more hospital beds could re-allocated to the state's aged care sector

Monash University physician Joseph Ibrahim said the practice of sedation could leave elderly sufferers both scared and frightened.

'If we want to be humane we would look after them, reassure them and provide more support, we would not simply resort to sedating them,' he said.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted the Glenlyn aged care home and the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services for comment - which have both so far declined to speak on the matter.

The Royal Melbourne Hospital said sedatives were prescribed in residential aged care home but would not comment further.




Showa Denko K.K., IR Office, Finance & Accounting Department, Tel: 81-3-5470-3323

TOKYO, Aug 12, 2020 - (JCN Newswire) - Showa Denko (SDK; TSE:4004) has revised its forecast of consolidated performance for full-year 2020 as described below. (In our earlier news release of May 15, 2020, performance forecast was left "undecided."). The revision is based on SDK's actual business results for the first half of this year, recent economic trends, and forecast of the performance of our newly consolidated subsidiary Hitachi Chemical Company, Ltd. (Hitachi Chemical) for the July-December period.1. Revised forecast of consolidated business results(1) For full-year 2020 (Jan. 1 - Dec. 31, 2020)* See www.sdk.co.jp/assets/files/english/news/2020/20200812_sdknewsrelease_e.pdf(2) Reasons for the revisionFollowing the consolidation of Hitachi Chemical, we have worked out our full-year 2020 consolidated performance forecast, taking into account Hitachi Chemical's expected performance for the July-December period. This forecast reflects expenses related to the acquisition of Hitachi Chemical's shares; the fall in sales volumes of graphite electrodes due to lower demand; the influence of the fluctuations in naphtha prices on the Petrochemicals segment; and the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on respective business segments.Major assumptions are as follows:1) Recording of expenses related to the acquisition of shares in Hitachi ChemicalSDK will record expenses of 48.2 billion yen, consisting of 26.8 billion yen operating expenses and 21.4 billion yen non-operating expenses, in 2020 with regard to its acquisition of shares in Hitachi Chemical. "Advisory fee, attorney's fee, temporary expenses pertaining to fund-raising, and registration and license tax" are temporary expenses. "Post-merger integration (PMI) expenses, goodwill amortization expenses, and interest on borrowing related to share acquisition" represent expenses corresponding to the fiscal year 2020.- Advisory fee, attorney's fee, etc. 3.5 billion yen (Operating expenses)- Post-merger integration (PMI) expenses 4.6 billion yen (Operating expenses)- Goodwill amortization expenses 18.7 billion yen (Operating expenses)- Temporary expenses for fund-raising, registration tax, etc. 16.1 billion yen (Non-operating expenses)- Interest on borrowing related to share acquisition, etc. 5.3 billion yen (Non-operating expenses)----------Total: 48.2 billion yen2) Exchange rates and naphtha priceOur performance forecast for full-year 2020 is based on the assumption that the foreign exchange rates and naphtha price for the July-December period will be as follows:- Exchange rates: 105 yen to the US dollar; 115 yen to the Euro- Domestic naphtha price: 25,100/KL yenAs for the forecast of dividend payment at the end of the year, we would like to keep it "undecided" in view of the difficulty in predicting the time when the COVID-19 pandemic ends, and the continuation of many uncertain factors regarding our business environment in the second half of the year. As soon as it becomes possible to make a reasonable estimate of the business environment, we will announce a new dividend payment forecast.Note: The forecast in this document has been worked out based on information available as of today, and assumptions as of today about uncertain factors that can affect our future performance. Actual business results may differ materially from the above forecast due to a variety of risk factors, including, but not limited to, the impact of COVID-19 on the world economy, economic conditions, costs of naphtha and other raw materials, demand and market prices for graphite electrodes and other products, and foreign exchange rates.About Showa Denko K.K.Showa Denko K.K. (SDK; TSE:4004, ADR:SHWDY) is a major manufacturer of chemical products serving from heavy industry to computers and electronics. The Petrochemicals Sector provides cracker products such as ethylene and propylene, the Chemicals Sector provides industrial, high-performance and high-purity gases and chemicals for semicon and other industries, the Inorganics Sector provides ceramic products, such as alumina, abrasives, refractory/graphite electrodes and fine carbon products. The Aluminum Sector provides aluminum materials and high-value-added fabricated aluminum, the Electronics Sector provides HD media, compound semiconductors such as ultra high bright LEDs, and rare earth magnetic alloys, and the Advanced Battery Materials Department (ABM) provides lithium-ion battery components. For more information, please visit www.sdk.co.jp/english/.Source: Showa Denko K.K.Contact:Copyright 2020 JCN Newswire . All rights reserved.




Haiti - News : Zapping...





Ineffective members of the government will have to resign

On Tuesday on a radio station in the Capital, Prime Minister Joseph Jouthe reaffirmed his determination to obtain results from members of his Government, stressing that all those who will not be effective will have to resign.



Towards a patrimonial surveillance brigade

Earlier this week, Me. Hans Ludwig Joseph, the new Director General of the Anti-Corruption Unit (ULCC) chaired an important working meeting around the priority axes of his action plan. One of its flagship projects is the creation of a Heritage Surveillance Brigade to prevent and combat illicit enrichment.



42 million euros to fight hunger

An important meeting of the various sectors of the Multisectoral Program for Food and Nutrition Security (PMSAN) was held in Port-de-Paix, with the aim of monitoring the program actions on a quarterly basis. Recall that the PMSAN projects aim to contribute to the reduction of the proportion of the population which suffers from hunger and malnutrition in Haiti, cover 10 communes of the North-West department and 3 communes of Haut Artibonite and are financed by the European Union in the amount of 42 million euros over a period of 5 years (2017-2022).



ANAMAH supports the strike by Registrars and Bailiffs

The National Association of Haitian Magistrates (ANAMAH) provides full support to the demands of the Registrars and Bailiffs of the Republic for better salary treatment and the obtaining of debit cards for all.



3 new community restaurants

Canape-vert, La Saline, Sore (3rd District) these three neighborhoods of the commune of Port-au-Prince now each have a community restaurant thanks to the Director General of the Economic and Social Assistance Fund, Charles Ernest Chatelier who has honor its promises by accepting the request of community leaders in these areas. These three community restaurants were supplied with food items such as rice, beans, oil and salmon.



350 years of Cap-Haitien

The Notre Dame de l'Assomption Cathedral in Cap Haitien, a monument that has withstood time and inclement weather ! From August 13 to 16, 2020, come and visit Cap, its many historic buildings and various tourist sites. See also : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-31499-haiti-news-zapping.html



HL/ HaitiLibre


















The children being treated at Beiruts St. George Hospital built an extended family with each other, painting and dancing together when they had the energy and rubbing each others backs when they vomited after chemotherapy sessions.

Now, these cancer-stricken children are struggling to keep up with their treatment, and preserve the bonds they developed with each other over sometimes years of treatment, after a powerful blast ripped through Beirut last week and took their hospital  their home away from home  with it.

The blast destroyed four hospitals in Beirut, including St. George, one of the largest in the country, leaving many dozens of Lebanons youngest cancer patients with nowhere to go for care.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates: The Assam government announced new measures to relax lockdown in the state on Thursday.

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"This decision was taken by the state-appointed committee to regulate the COVID-19 testing charges so that patients do not face any financial burden," the minister said.

State Health Minister Rajesh Tope said this in a statement on Wednesday. "The maximum charges for testing now stand at Rs 1,900, Rs 2,200 and Rs 2,500. No laboratory can charge above these prescribed rates," he said.

The Maharashtra government has reduced by Rs 300 the rates of COVID-19 tests conducted by laboratories, bringing them in the range of Rs 1,900 to Rs 2,500.

The total number of coronavirus cases in the state now stands at 50,672, he said.

Odisha's COVID-19 tally on Wednesday crossed the 50,000-mark with the highest single-day spike of 1,876 fresh cases, while the death toll rose to 305 as nine more patients succumbed to the disease, a health department official said.

With 1,024 cases in Pimpri Chinchwad, the COVID-19 tally there rose to 31,643.

However, 1,449 patients were also discharged from the hospitals," the official said.

"Of 2,997 cases, 1,584 are from the Pune Municipal Corporation limits, which has recorded 69,235 patients.

Pune district reported 2,997 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, taking its case count to 1,15,128, a health official said on Wednesday. The toll in the district reached 2,619 with 67 patients succumbing to the infection.

"Pre-qualification of any vaccine includes the rigorous review and assessment of all the required safety and efficacy data," he told reporters in Geneva at an online press briefing.

"We are in close contact with the Russian health authorities and discussions are ongoing with respect to possible WHO pre-qualification of the vaccine," said the United Nations health agency's spokesman Tarik Jasarevic.

The World Health Organization said any WHO stamp of approval on a COVID-19 vaccine candidate would require a rigorous safety data review, after Russia announced Tuesday it had approved a vaccine, reports AFP.

The Chennai Police on Wednesday had issued a circular banning public gatherings, demonstrations, human chains and meetings for 15 days from 12 August to 27 August.

"Yet, regrettably, in many instances, the pandemic did not move the parties to suspend hostilities or agree to a permanent ceasefire, Guterres said.

The UN chief told a Security Council meeting on the challenge of sustaining peace during the pandemic that his 23 March call for an immediate cease-fire in conflicts around the world to tackle the coronavirus led a number of warring parties to take steps to de-escalate and stop fighting.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned Wednesday that the COVID-19 pandemic not only threatens gains in fighting global poverty and building peace but risks exacerbating existing conflicts and generating new ones.

The recovery rate of the country's financial capital is now 79 per cent, the civic body added.

At the same time, the number of recovered patients crossed the one lakh-mark and reached 1,00,070 after 923 patients were discharged from hospitals in the last 24 hours, it said.

With the single-day rise of 1,132 COVID-19 cases, the infection tally in Mumbai rose to 1,26,371 on Wednesday, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said. The death mounted to 6,940 with 50 new fatalities, it said.

The first meeting of the panel, headed by NITI Aayog member (health) VK Paul, also discussed the maintenance of a cold chain during distribution and storage to ensure vaccine viability, inventory, resource mobilisation, and ensuring equitable access.

According to a press release by the government , the National Expert Group on vaccine administration for Covid-19 on Wednesday decided the Centre would handle the procurement of the vaccines. The committee also advised all the states not to chart separate pathways of procurement, a statement by the health ministry says.

The condition of former President of India Pranab Mukherjee remains unchanged on Thursday morning, ANI reports, quoting the Army Research and Referral Hospital in Delhi. He is deeply comatose with stable vital parameters and continues to be on ventilatory support, the statement adds.

He assured the details would not be used for any other purpose and there would be no intrusion into the privacy of the patients.

COVID-19 patients' phone call detail records (CDRs) were being used by the police in Kerala as part of adopting innovative and scientific methods for effective contact tracing, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said on Wednesday.

India on Thursday reports a case count rises to 23,96,637 after 66,998 new cases were recorded. The toll rises by 942 to 47,033. The reported active COVID-19 cases in India now stand at 6,53,622, according to the Union Health Ministry.

With the death of 942 patients in the past 24 hours, the COVID-19 fatality count rose 47,033, the Union Health Ministry said.

India registered a recovery rate of 70.76 percent, with 16,95,982 people recovering in the country from the highly-contagious COVID-19, according to the Union health ministry on Thursday.

Of the total, there are 9,416 recoveries and 2,233 are active cases, said Maharashtra Police.

In the past 24 hours, at least 381 members of the Maharashtra Police personnel tested positive for the novel coronavirus, taking the total cases to 11,773 on Thursday. While three deaths in the police force took the COVID-19 toll to 124.

The imposition of Section 144 of Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) in areas under DJ halli and KG halli police station limits extended till 6 am on 15 August by the Bengaluru Commissioner of Police.

Of the total cases, there are 14,056 active cases and 41,819 recoveries.

With 608 fresh COVID-19 infections in Rajasthan, the total number of coronavirus cases rose to 56,708, said the state health department on Thursday. So far, the state registered 833 deaths.

He assured the details would not be used for any other purpose and there would be no intrusion into the privacy of the patients.

COVID-19 patients' phone call detail records (CDRs) were being used by the police in Kerala as part of adopting innovative and scientific methods for effective contact tracing, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said on Wednesday.

Agra's Chief Medical Officer and a team of doctors have arrived in Mathura for his treatment. Das had travelled to Mathura for organising the Krishna Janmashtami ceremonies.

Mahant Nritya Gopal Das, the chief of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, has tested positive for coronavirus on Thursday, reported News18. He complained of breathlessness following which he underwent a COVID-19 test.

Of the total cases, there are 15,808 active cases and 36,478 recoveries.

After 1,981 more people tested positive for the novel coronavirus in Odisha, the total number of cases rose to 52,653, said the state health department on Thursday.

Mahant Nritya Gopal Das attended the 'bhoomi pujan' ceremony of the Ram temple at Ayodhya which was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The Uttar Pradesh CMO has issued a statement in which it said, " Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has taken details of the health status on Mahant Nritya Gopal Das who has tested COVID19 positive. He has spoken to DM Mathura and to Dr Trehan of Medanta and requested for immediate medical attention for him at the hospital."

Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust chief Mahant Nritya Gopal Das has tested positive for the novel coronavirus.

Of the total cases, there are 22,736 active cases and 63,074 recoveries.

With 1,931 new COVID-19 positive cases in Telangana, the total increased to 86,475 on Thursday, said the state health department. Eleven more patients succumbed to contagious disease in the state, taking the COVID-19 toll to 665.

To curtail the fast-spreading coronavirus, the Tamil Nadu government advised people on Thursday to celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi on 22 August at their homes. "No installation of idols in public and no rallies to immerse idols in water bodies will be allowed," said the state government.

Indias COVID-19 toll grew to the fourth largest globally as the diseases spread continues to accelerate through the worlds second most populous country. India added 942 deaths from the novel coronavirus in the past 24 hours, topping the UK with a total of 47,033 fatalities.

With 3,906 fresh COVID-19 infections in Bihar, the total number of coronavirus cases climbed to 33,916, said the state health department on Thursday.

The International Film Festival of India 2020 will be held as per schedule in the last week of November this year. All SOPs and guidelines issued by Union Ministry for Information and Broadcasting will be followed, said Goa chief minister Pramod Sawant on Thursday.

Of the total, there are 1,257 active cases, 2,386 cured cases and 16 deaths till date, according to the health department.

After 51 more individuals tested positive for the novel coronavirus in Himachal Pradesh, the total number of cases rose to 3,687, said the state health department on Thursday.

While addressing a press conference at the party office, he said, "There used to be 3,000-3,500 COVID-19 cases when there 10,000 tests were being conducted. Now when the state is testing 75,000 samples for COVID-19 even then these numbers are restricted to 4,000. This means that the government is lying and manipulating. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is focusing on the increasing number of rapid Antigen testing to save his face."

Slamming the Bihar government, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav on Thursday accused it of "lying" and "manipulating" the COVID-19 numbers in the state.

"With this number, the total recovered COVID-19 patients have touched nearly 17 lakhs (16,95,982) on Thursday, according to the latest data released by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

India registered 56,383 COVID-19 recoveries in a single day, said the health ministry on Thursday, adding that the fatality rate has improved to 1.96 percent.

India posts highest-ever single day recoveries of 56,383 in a single day. With this number, the total recovered COVID-19 patients have touched nearly 17 lakhs (16,95,982) today. The case fatality rate has further improved to 1.96%: Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

"According to an order passed by Assam chief secretary Kumar Sanjay Krishna, inter-district movement of passenger vehicles is allowed between Monday to Friday, public transport like city buses are allowed to ply on 50 percent capacity and proper social distancing norms," The Indian Express reported.

The Assam government announced new measures to relax lockdown in the state on Thursday.

11,813 new Covid-19 cases, 9,115 recoveries and 413 deaths were reported in Maharashtra on Thursday, taking the total number of cases in the state to 5,60,126, including 1,49,798 active cases, 3,90,958 cured cases and 19,063 till date, the state health department said.

While addressing a press conference at the party office, he said, "There used to be 3,000-3,500 COVID-19 cases when there 10,000 tests were being conducted. Now when the state is testing 75,000 samples for COVID-19 even then these numbers are restricted to 4,000. This means that the government is lying and manipulating. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is focusing on the increasing number of rapid Antigen testing to save his face."

Slamming the Bihar government, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav on Thursday accused it of "lying" and "manipulating" the COVID-19 numbers in the state.

"With this number, the total recovered COVID-19 patients have touched nearly 17 lakhs (16,95,982) on Thursday, according to the latest data released by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

India registered 56,383 COVID-19 recoveries in a single day, said the health ministry on Thursday, adding that the fatality rate has improved to 1.96 percent.

Adityanath asked them to set up a COVID care centre in Lucknow Cancer Institute.

The chief minister directed the officials to deploy more doctors at COVID hospitals besides increasing the bed capacity in medical facilities in Kanpur Nagar, Lucknow and Varanasi.

He said contact tracing is crucial in fighting the pandemic and follow-up should be done properly as it helps in checking the spread of the infection.

In a meeting with senior officials to review the COVID-19 situation in the state, Adityanath said efforts should be made to ensure that all those living in containment zones are tested for COVID-19 to achieve the aim of setting up such zones.

Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday stressed on the need to increase coronavirus testing in containment zones.

India posts highest-ever single day recoveries of 56,383 in a single day. With this number, the total recovered COVID-19 patients have touched nearly 17 lakhs (16,95,982) today. The case fatality rate has further improved to 1.96%: Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

"We will not allow Kerala to be converted into a Police State and health workers should take the lead in the fight against COVID-19," he said.

Speaking to reporters here, he said the opposition will raise its voice against this and demand its immediate withdrawal.

"Police collecting phone details is an infringement on the privacy of an individual, which is against the Supreme Court's latest judgment in the K S Puttaswamy case," Leader of the Opposition in the state assembly Ramesh Chennithala said.

A controversy is brewing in Kerala over the decision to allow police to access phone call detail records of COVID-19 patients for effective contact tracing with opposition Congress on Thursday slamming the Left government, saying it is an "infringement" on the privacy of citizens.

As per the advice of the doctors, he will take rest at home for one week, it added.

Siddaramaiah has been discharged after the reports of second tests also came out negative, the statement said. It said Siddaramaiah was admitted to hospital on 3 August for urinary infection and subsequently he had tested positive for the coronavirus infection.

His son and Congress MLA from Varuna, Dr Yathindra Siddaramaiah, who had also tested positive on 7 August, has also been discharged from the hospital.

Former Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah who was undergoing treatment at a private hospital here for COVID-19 infection has been discharged after recovery, his office said in a statement on Thursday.

"According to an order passed by Assam chief secretary Kumar Sanjay Krishna, inter-district movement of passenger vehicles is allowed between Monday to Friday, public transport like city buses are allowed to ply on 50 percent capacity and proper social distancing norms," The Indian Express reported.

The Assam government announced new measures to relax lockdown in the state on Thursday.

Both the destinations will provide connections to New York JFK and will operate on 787-9 Dreamliner, it said. The flights to the two destinations in India from London are being resumed under the air bubble pact between the UK and Indian governments, it said.

Virgin Atlantic plans to operate three flights a week from Delhi to London Heathrow from 2 September, while Mumbai services are planned to re-commence from 17 September with four flights per week, the airline said in a release.

British premier carrier Virgin Atlantic on Thursday announced the resumption of its flight services to Delhi and Mumbai from London Heathrow, under the air bubble pact, starting 2 September.

The Minister had earlier said stringent action would be taken on private hospitals allegedly charging exorbitant prices from the virus patients. The government had also issued notices to errant hospitals.

The Health Minister Rajender conveyed his gratitude to the corporate hospitals which have agreed to allot 50 percent of their bed capacity to government referred patients," the release said. The allocation of the beds to the patients would be done by a special app, it said.

Corporate hospitals in Telangana have agreed to reserve 50 percent of their beds to patients referred by the state government for COVID-19 treatment. State Health Minister E Rajender, who held a meeting with representatives of the corporate hospitals, has instructed them to meet the director of Public Health to work out the modalities, an official press release said on Thursday.

11,813 new Covid-19 cases, 9,115 recoveries and 413 deaths were reported in Maharashtra on Thursday, taking the total number of cases in the state to 5,60,126, including 1,49,798 active cases, 3,90,958 cured cases and 19,063 till date, the state health department said.

Coronavirus LATEST Updates: The Assam government announced new measures to relax lockdown in the state on Thursday.

India registered a recovery rate of 70.76 percent, with 16,95,982 people recovering from the highly-contagious COVID-19, the health ministry said.

India added 942 deaths from the novel coronavirus in the past 24 hours, topping the UK with a total of 47,033 fatalities.

Mahant Nritya Gopal Das attended the 'bhoomi pujan' ceremony of the Ram temple at Ayodhya which was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Mahant Nritya Gopal Das, the chief of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, has tested positive for coronavirus on Thursday, reported News18.

Maharashtra continues to be the worst-affected state from COVID-19, followed by Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.

India reports coronavirus case count rises to 23,96,637 after 66,998 cases are recorded. The toll rises by 942 to 47,033.

India's tally of COVID-19 cases rose by 60,963 on Wednesday, and the recovery rate rose to 70.38 percent with the highest single-day number of recoveries recorded, the Union health ministry said.

The total count of coronavirus cases stands at 23,29,639. Of these, 6,43,948 are active cases, and 16,39,600 patients have been cured/discharged/migrated. 56,110 recoveries were reported in the last 24 hours.

A total of 834 patients succumbed to the virus in the last 24 hours, taking the cumulative toll to 46,091. The COVID-19 case fatality rate (CFR) stands at 1.98 percent, the ministry said.

The record number of recoveries "are the result of the successful implementation of effective containment strategy, aggressive and comprehensive testing coupled with standardised clinical management of the critical patients based on holistic standard of care approach", the ministry said.

The coordinated efforts of the Centre, state governments and UT governments have resulted in continuously increasing average daily recoveries, it said.

"In the first week of July, the daily average recovered cases were at 15,000 which jumped to more than 50,000 in the first week of August," the health ministry said.

"With more patients recovering and being discharged from hospitals and home isolation (in case of mild and moderate cases), the total recoveries have crossed the 16 lakh-mark and recovery rate has reached another high of 70.38 percent," it added.

There are 6,43,948 active cases of coronavirus which is "actual caseload" of COVID-19 in the country and currently comprise 27.64 percent of the total positive cases.

The health ministry added that "the testing lab network in the country is being continuously strengthened". Currently, it consists of 1,421 labs, with 944 labs in the government sector and 477 private labs.

According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), 7,33,439 samples were tested for COVID-19 on Tuesday. This is the highest single-day figure so far.

AYUSH minister tests COVID-19 positive

Union AYUSH minister Shripad Y Naik said he has tested positive for COVID-19 and advised all those who have come in contact with him in the last few days to get tested and take required precautions.

In a tweet, Naik said the test showed he was asymptomatic and that he has opted for home isolation. He also said that his vitals were normal.

"I underwent Covid-19 test today and it has turned out asymptomatically positive. My vitals are within normal limits and I have opted for home isolation. Those who have come in contact with me in last few days are advised to get tested and take required precautions," the minister said in a tweet.

Former Chhattisgarh chief minister Dr Raman Singh's wife Veena Singh also tested positive for COVID-19. Taking to Twitter, Singh said "that he along with his family are going to be self-islolated. He has also requested those who came in their contact in last few days to get themselves tested as a precautionary measure," News18 reported.

Pranab Mukherjee is "haemodynamically stable", says son

Former president Pranab Mukherjee, who is on ventilator support after surgery to remove a clot in his brain condition is now "haemodynamically stable", his son Abhijit Mukherjee said on Wednesday. The 84-year-old has also tested positive for coronavirus.

"With All Your Prayers, my father is haemodynamically stable now. I request everyone to continue with your prayers & good wishes for his speedy recovery. Thank You," tweeted Abhijit.

In a subsequent tweet he said: "Thank You for your good wishes."

On Monday, the former president tweeted, "On a visit to the hospital for a separate procedure, I have tested positive for COVID-19 today. I request the people who came in contact with me in the last week, to please self isolate and get tested for COVID-19."

Bengal govt changes August lockdown schedule for 5th time

The West Bengal government on Wednesday pared down the number of state-wide complete lockdown by one day, making it the fifth change to the shutdown schedule this month.

The lockdown on 28 August (Friday) has been done away with, keeping in mind the interest of banking and business operations, a state government order said.

The decision drew the ire of the opposition parties, which alleged that it was taken to facilitate a function marking the foundation day programme of Trinamool Chatra Parishad, the student wing of the ruling TMC. TMC denied the charge as "completely baseless".

According to the state government order signed by chief secretary Rajiva Sinha, the decision to withdraw the complete lockdown on 28 August was taken after several communications were received citing difficulties to conduct business and banking operations because of two days' lockdown on Thursday (27 August) and Friday (28 August) in the last week of the month followed by another the following Monday (31 August).

Complete lockdowns were slated to be held on the three dates as per the earlier decision of the government.

State-wise cases and deaths

Maharashtra continues to be the worst affected state from the infection with 5,48,313 cases, which include 1,47,513 active cases and 13,408 recoveries.

The state recorded 12,712 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday while the death toll stands at 18,650, said the state health department.

Meanwhile, nine new cases were reported in Mumbai's Dharavi area, the BMC said.

The second worst-affected state, Tamil Nadu, reported 5,871 new COVID-19 cases and 119 deaths, taking the total number of cases to 3,14,520. This includes 52,929 active cases, 2,56,313 patients discharged and 5,278 deaths, said the state health department.

Delhi reported 1,113 new COVID-19 cases, 1,021 recovered/discharged/migrated cases and 14 deaths on Wednesday. The total cases are now 1,48,504, including 1,33,405 recovered/discharged/migrated, 10,946 active cases and 4153 deaths, said the Delhi government.

Andhra Pradesh reported 9,597 new COVID-19 positive cases, 6,676 recoveries and 93 deaths on Wednesday, taking the total number of cases to 2,54,146, including 90,425 active cases, 1,61,425 recovered and 2,296 deaths, as per the state health department's bulletin.

Meanwhile, Karnataka reported 7,883 new COVID-19 cases, 7,034 recoveries and 113 deaths today, taking the total number of cases to 1,96,494, including 80,343 active cases, 1,12,633 recovered cases and 3,510 deaths till date. A total of 2,802 cases were reported in Bengaluru today, said the state health department.

Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Wednesday said that 1,212 more COVID-19 cases and five deaths were reported in the state. Of these new cases, 1,068 contracted the infection through local transmission, he said.

Rajasthan on Wednesday reported 595 new COVID-19 cases and 10 deaths till 10.30 am, the state health department said.

"595 new COVID19 positive cases and 10 deaths have been reported in Rajasthan till 10.30 am today. The total number of cases now at 55,482 including 14,103 active cases, 37,917 discharged cases and 821 deaths," it said.

Jammu and Kashmir reported 482 new COVID-19 cases (106 in Jammu & 376 in Kashmir), 544 recoveries and eight deaths in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of cases to 26,413 till date, including 7,392 active cases, 18,523 recovered cases and 498 deaths, stated the Jammu and Kashmir administration.

New Zealand records 4 new cases after 102 days

New Zealand recorded four new cases of coronavirus after reporting no community transmission for 102 days. The Washington Post quoted Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern as saying that Auckland will move to impose new restrictions from Wednesday afternoon through midnight Friday as officials assess the threat and asked residents to stay home and take precautions.

With the surfacing of new cases, the government has asked the citizens to wear masks while accessing essential services. The other citizens have been asked to wear face-covering in areas where social distancing is hard to practise.

The first new confirmed case is a person in their 50s who has no history of international travel, The Washington Post reported. After all members of the family were tested, three more were confirmed COVID-19 positive.

Following the confirmation of fresh cases, Ardern was quoted as saying at a press conference, "Act as if you have COVID, and as if the people around you have COVID."

With inputs from agencies
SPRINGFIELD  City officials announced Wednesday that, due to the coronavirus pandemic, they are delaying enforcement of the ban on single-use plastic bags until January.

The officials including Mayor Domenic J. Sarno said the city ordinance that bans the distribution of the plastic bags is being delayed to allow retailers and the public more time to accommodate the change and to avoid confusion.

Sarno said city officials are taking reasonable and sensible action for our residents and businesses by delaying the implementation of the single-use plastic bag ban until 2021.

The ordinance was originally set to go into effect on June 1 for large retailers and Dec. 1 for smaller retailers in an effort to reduce plastic waste, litter and pollution.

Gov. Charlie Baker had suspended such bans, but recently lifted that order.

Under the new implementation schedule, the plastic bag ban will go into effect for all retailers on Jan. 1, 2021. At that time retailers will need to either switch to recyclable paper bags, compostable and marine-degradable plastic bags, or reusable checkout bags as defined by the ordinance.

Until Jan. 1, retailers may continue to distribute single-use plastic bags at their discretion and on their own terms as per previous practice. During this time customers are able to use reusable bags at their discretion.

City Councilor Jesse Lederman, chairman of the City Council Committee on Sustainability and Environment, and Health and Human Services Commissioner Helen Caulton-Harris joined Sarno in announcing the ordinance delay.

Caulton-Harris said she is in complete agreement with the rollback.

Our response must be one of a measured approach that protects the environment and at the same time considers the burden COVID-19 has placed on every facet of our society, Caulton-Harris said.

Springfield is among more than 130 communities in Massachusetts that have approved plastic bag bans.

As a community we are committed to reducing plastic waste, litter, and pollution, but must also do so in a fair and even manner, Lederman said. We recognize that in the wake of the ongoing pandemic the focus of our businesses, residents, and government has understandably been elsewhere, and we are making this adjustment in line with what other communities across Massachusetts are doing to ease the transition to more sustainable practices.

Related Content:
Airtel has vehemently defended its premium Platinum offering, saying it was launched with the understanding that the regulator does not have concerns over such a service as no objection had been raised on a similar plan by Vodafone Idea for eight-nine months, according to a document. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) is currently probing Vodafone Idea's priority plan RedX and Bharti Airtel's Platinum offering to see if network preference to specific customers leads to deterioration of services for non-premium subscribers or violates norms.

The regulator had shot off questions to the two operators, asking them to explain their position on the controversial issue and provide relevant data to substantiate their claims.

In its presentation to regulator TRAI on August 10, Airtel said, it "launched the Platinum Offering with the bonafide understanding that TRAI does not have any issue or concern with such an offering as - no objection had been raised by TRAI while Vodafone Idea Limited (VIL) had been offering similar plan for last 8-9 months".

Bharti Airtel said that VIL launched RedX plan in November 2019 and that Airtel launched its Platinum plan on July 3, 2020.

Airtel said its offer was in complete compliance to TRAI's norms, and that nowhere did it promise or guarantee any minimum speed as the same is difficult to be ascertained in a wireless network.

PTI has seen a copy of the submission made by Airtel to TRAI.

Airtel did not respond to an e-mail query on the issue.

"Customer communication indicating 'Priority 4G Network' i.e. priority during scheduling on 4G network via network preference, is communicated in an unambiguous and transparent manner. The platinum plans are made available in a totally non-discriminatory manner to all the customers who want to subscribe to these plans," Airtel said in its submission.

No guaranteed speed has been promised to the customer, it added.

Platinum customers will only experience faster speeds in a congested site, Airtel said.

Airtel said its test results show that Platinum customers' experience can be improved without impacting the non-Platinum base. It further said operators often bundle their tariff plans and provide plan-linked benefits with regard to content, devices, and discounts for voice and data.

"...for example, Jio bundles its plans with free Hotstar OTT and also bundles JioPhone device with some of its plans only available on this phone...The offer by Airtel is no different from what was done by Vodafone Idea Limited in November 2019," Airtel said.

Such offers are also a standard norm in banking, airlines, hospitality, and other industries where customers are given a differential treatment for higher spends, Airtel said.

Speed will be a differentiator as India embraces new technologies such as 5G.

"Any bar on offering differentiated services to customers on the basis of speed would...Permanently impair the monetisation of 5G...take away the flexibility of operators to innovate and drive the Indian market," it said.

Meanwhile, Vodafone Idea -- whose priority offering too is under TRAI's lens -- has asserted that "a new tariff plan is not a new service".

In its submission to TRAI, VIL mentioned the financial stress being faced by operators like itself who have "been compelled to reduce prices and go below costs with a double whammy of making continuous investments in the networks to cater to an unprecedented increase in data usage arising out of below costs tariffs."

Vodafone Idea urged the regulator to consider periodic reporting on the service quality and other material provided by the company "to objectively arrive at its query/ conclusions".

An e-mail sent to VIL did not elicit a response.
YEREVAN.  As of yesterday, we have 201 new confirmed cases from 1,710 tests conducted, which is in line with the same trend we have been talking about in the last few weeks. Health minister Arsen Torosyan said this at Thursdays Cabinet meeting, and regarding the COVID-19 situation in Armenia.

"That is, the number of cases recorded daily each following week is approximately 50 to 100 lower than the cases recorded that day last week. The logic that we mention: we have a real opportunity to reduce these numbers, remains valid. As a result, we also have a fairly mild condition in the hospital system dealing with coronavirus disease. We have lower numbers in patients in severe and critical condition, which fluctuates within 300; this downward trend is also maintained," the minister added.

According to Torosyan, the stage of overcoming COVID-19 continues in Armenia, as the respective rules and efforts are paying off. "Of course, I do not think we should set a goal before us to approach zero [cases]. Keeping in the 50-100 range should also be acceptable for us, as it will be very difficult to reach zero by just keeping the rules," the minister said.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is urging the White House and Democrat leaders to resume the COVID-19 relief negotiations on Tuesday as talks about the COVID-19 relief collapsed last week.

McConnell said that everyone should get back to the table, although the senate leader gave no indication that he would reach out to Democratic leaders himself.

"The stalemate needs to be ended. It doesn't make any difference who says let's get together again, but we ought to get together again," McConnell was quoted in a report.

McConnell said there has not been a meeting of any consequences between the two parties since last Friday. He added that it has been too long and time to sit down and reach an agreement.

COVID-19 relief negotiations between House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Minority Charles Schumer, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, and White House chief of staff Mark Meadows was put into pause on Friday.

This after around two weeks of daily talks, which resulted in little progress.

Pelosi told reporters on Tuesday that she had not heard from Mnuchin or Meadows.

She added that their differences are vast.

When asked if there will be updates this week, Pelosi answered by saying that she hopes so and they will see.

Republican Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley said that they are "pessimistic about going back to negotiations."

The two parties have been passing the blame over for the past two days.

Schumer said that he made it clear that the reason talks have been postponed was because the White House made it clear that it would be their way.

They were unwilling to meet us in the middle. They said that in the room," Schumer said.

Schumer added that Democrats are willing to compromise. But the Republicans are being intransigent and will not move from their position.

Schumer also criticized the executive orders issued by Trump, saying that it was a bunch of unworkable orders.

Unemployment Benefit

The Congress did not pass a COVID-19 relief package last month before the expiration of the $600 per week enhanced federal unemployment benefit.

Democrats and Republicans have different views on how they want to spend to fight the pandemic.

Aside from unemployment benefits, they also failed to pass an aid for state and local governments, money to reopen schools, and funding for the U.S. Postal Service.

The two parties failed to provide a funding for the U.S. Postal Service during a time where Americans will cast their ballots through mail-in voting.

Stimulus Checks

There are several dates forecasted when the second round of stimulus checks would be released. All depends on the likelihood of the House and Senate on reaching an agreement.

Reports said that it could be passed by Aug. 7 or Aug. 10, which have now passed, if the House and Senate choose to extend their current session length.

However, if the Senate passes the bill on second stimulus checks on Sept. 8, this could be sent by the week of Sept. 21.

This considering the president has signed the passage on Sept. 10 or Sept. 11.

Asking if you are among the first people to receive the second stimulus check is a different story as it uses different calculations and tools for it.

The IRS uses a tool to track your stimulus check payment and sign ups for a direct deposit.

Check these out:

Travel During COVID-19 Pandemic: Can You Safely Travel Now?

Stimulus Package Updates: Everything Coming and Going in the New COVID-19 Relief Bill

US Senate Passes $480 Billion Relief Bill for Small Businesses and Hospitals, Expands COVID-19 Testing
Chicago P.D. is one of the highest-rated television shows on NBC. All the characters are engaging, and fans cant seem to get enough of them in the weekly crime drama series. Detective Sergeant Hank Voight captivates audiences with his no holds barred tactics when it comes to enforcing the law in the Windy City.

Fan-favorite, Desk Sergeant Trudy Platt keeps the unit on their toes and has taken on a motherly role as the show has progressed. Always having the best interest of her team in mind, she is the caring family member we all wish we had.

Amy Morton as Sgt. Trudy Platt | James Dimmock/Getty Images

Sergeant Trudy Platt

Amy Morton is the 62-year-old actor responsible for bringing the sarcastic Sergeant to life. She has been with the show since its early beginnings, appearing in 147 out of 151 episodes of the popular television series, according to IMDb.

A native of Oak Park, Illinois, Morton is very familiar with Chicago, spending a large portion of her career in the theater scene. She has also performed on Broadway and is a two-time Tony Award-nominee.

Before becoming the desk Sergeant for District 21, Morton worked alongside George Clooney on the film Up In the Air. With a full list of impressive credits to her name, in 2013, Platt assumed the role of Amanda Harris on the CBS crime drama Blue Bloods. A year later, she found herself working with Chicago P.D., and she has never looked back.

Chicago P.D.

Chicago P.D. is part of the successful Dick Wolf Trilogy that includes Chicago Fire and Chicago Med. The NBC police crime drama first aired in 2014 and is now entering its eighth season. The highly-acclaimed series has been renewed for three more years, leaving fans excited to see more of their favorite characters in action.

The successful show is one of the many television programs that focus on police and crime drama. Chicago P.D. follows the members of the elite Intelligence Unit of a busy Chicago precinct. Detective Sergeant Voight leads the cast of young, energetic officers that never stop pursuing justice.

Once a uniformed police officer herself, Platt is now the immediate supervisor of the patrol officers in the district. She spends most of her time behind the desk, but on occasion will go out into the field to assist the Intelligence Unit. The feisty Sergeant is married to Randy Mouch McHolland from Chicago Fire, making for the ultimate series crossover.

Fans love how Platt is always there to support her team

Platt is a hard-nosed, play it by the book kind of officer, that rarely smiles. At first look, she is intimidating, and even top cop Hank Voight appears to be a little scared of her. But, underneath that hardened exterior, the Sergeant has a tender heart and always looks after her own. Her sarcasm makes it appear that she doesnt care, but Platt is deeply connected to everyone in her unit. It is her job to make sure her team is taken care of, taking the time to listen to those in need.

Always coming to the rescue when things get tough, Twitter fans agree that Everyone needs their own Trudy in their life. Dependable to a fault, fans like to refer to Platt as the Mom or Mama Bear of the unit. While she is always compassionate, viewers say Sarge makes it clear not to mess with her cubs.

A fan of the show summed up the overall opinion of Platt on Twitter by saying, I love that shes such a (excuse my language) hard a** but when one of the officers is hurting, shes the first one to offer them support.

Another viewer claimed, She is the glue that holds the district together!
DUBLIN, Aug. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Enteral Feeding Devices Market By Type (Feeding Pump, Feeding Tube, Giving Set, Syringes), Age Group (Adult, Pediatric), Application (Oncology, Diabetes, Hypermetabolism), End User (Hospital, Home Care), COVID-19 Impact - Global Forecast To 2025" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The global enteral feeding devices market is estimated to be valued at USD 3.22 billion in 2020 and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 6.8% during the forecast period of 2020 to 2025.



Factors such as the various technological advancements, such as programming and safety features in feeding pumps as well as user-friendly and portable feeding pumps; rising healthcare costs; surge in the number of preterm births; growth in the aging population; rising prevalence of chronic diseases such as diabetes, cancer, gastrointestinal diseases, and neurological disorders; growing awareness of enteral nutrition; and rapid improvements in healthcare facilities in emerging countries are driving the growth of the market. However, patient safety risks; rising cases of feeding and medication errors; and the complications associated with enteral feeding tubes such as misconnections, tube dislodgement, and infections are restricting the growth of this market to a certain extent.



By type, the enteral feeding devices' tubes segment holds the highest market share during the forecast period.



Based on type, the enteral feeding devices market is segmented into enteral feeding tubes, administration sets, enteral syringes, enteral feeding pumps, and consumables.The enteral feeding tubes segment held the highest market share in 2019. The high market share of this segment can be attributed to the rising adoption of enteral feeding has resulted in an increase in the demand and uptake of enteral feeding tubes across the globe.



Based on age group, the adult segment is expected to register the highest CAGR during the forecast period.



Based on age group, the enteral feeding devices market is segmented into adults (18 years and over) and pediatrics (neonates under 1 month, infants between 1 month and 2 years of age, children between 2 and 12 years, and adolescents between 12 and 16 years). The pediatric segment is projected to register the highest CAGR during the forecast period. The significant growth in the pediatric segment is attributed to the high prevalence of preterm births.



By application, the oncology segment holds the highest market share during the forecast period.

Based on application, the enteral feeding devices market is segmented into by oncology, gastrointestinal diseases, neurological disorders, diabetes, hypermetabolism, and other applications.The oncology segment held the highest market share in 2019. The high market share of this segment can be attributed to the increase in the prevalence of various types of cancers, especially head and neck cancers, gastrointestinal cancer, lung cancer, and liver cancer, is expected to play a major role in the higher adoption of enteral feeding devices used to provide clinical nutrition to cancer patients.



By end-user, the hospital segment holds the highest market share during the forecast period.

Based on end-user, the enteral feeding devices market is segmented into hospitals, home care settings, and ambulatory care settings The hospital segment held the highest market share in 2019. The development of technologically advanced enteral feeding devices and the shift from parenteral nutrition to enteral nutrition are supporting the growth of the hospital segment.



By Region, The North America region holds the highest market share in 2019

North America holds the highest market share in 2019. The large share of North America can be attributed to the high adoption of enteral feeding devices among the aging population, increasing prevalence of chronic diseases, shift from parenteral to enteral feeding, and the development of innovative products.

Key Topics Covered:



1 Introduction



2 Research Methodology



3 Executive Summary



4 Premium Insights

4.1 Enteral Feeding Devices Market Overview

4.2 Asia Pacific: Enteral Feeding Devices Market, By Type

4.3 Enteral Feeding Devices Market: Geographic Growth Opportunities

4.4 Enteral Feeding Devices Market, By Region (2018-2025)

4.5 Enteral Feeding Devices Market: Developed Vs. Developing Markets



5 Market Overview

5.1 Introduction

5.2 Market Dynamics

5.2.1 Market Drivers

5.2.1.1 Shift From Parenteral to Enteral Nutrition

5.2.1.2 Increasing Incidence of Preterm Births

5.2.1.3 Growing Demand for Enteral Feeding in the Home Care Sector

5.2.1.4 Increasing Prevalence of Chronic Diseases

5.2.2 Market Restraints

5.2.2.1 Complications Associated With Enteral Feeding Devices

5.2.3 Market Opportunities

5.2.3.1 High Growth Opportunities in Emerging Countries

5.2.4 Market Challenges

5.2.4.1 Insufficient Reimbursement for Enteral Nutrition

5.2.4.2 Dearth of Skilled Professionals



6 Industry Insights

6.1 Introduction

6.2 Industry Trends

6.2.1 Growing Preference of Low-Profile Tubes

6.2.2 Shift of Healthcare Provision From Hospital to Community Settings

6.3 Regulatory Landscape

6.4 Reimbursement Scenario

6.5 Value Chain Analysis

6.6 Pricing Information

6.7 Impact of COVID-19 On the Enteral Feeding Devices Market



7 Enteral Feeding Devices Market, By Type

7.1 Introduction

7.2 COVID-19 Impact On the Enteral Feeding Devices Market, By Type

7.3 Enteral Feeding Tubes

7.3.1 Enterostomy Feeding Tubes

7.3.1.1 Standard Tubes

7.3.1.1.1 Standard Gastrostomy Tubes

7.3.1.1.1.1 Increasing Incidence of Neurological Disorders Will Drive the Adoption of These Tubes

7.3.1.1.2 Standard Jejunostomy Tubes

7.3.1.1.2.1 Minimally Invasive Nature of These Tubes is Driving Their Adoption in Home Care

7.3.1.1.3 Standard Gastrojejunostomy Tubes

7.3.1.1.3.1 Gj Tubes are Adopted By Patients With Poor Stomach Function Or Motility

7.3.1.2 Low-Profile Tubes

7.3.1.2.1 Low-Profile Gastrostomy Tubes

7.3.1.2.1.1 Low-Profile Gastrostomy Tubes Segment to Dominate the Low-Profile Tubes Market During the Forecast Period

7.3.1.2.2 Low-Profile Jejunostomy Tubes

7.3.1.2.2.1 The Demand for These Tubes is Growing in Hospitals As Well As Ambulatory Care Settings

7.3.1.2.3 Low-Profile Gastrojejunostomy Tubes

7.3.1.2.3.1 Increasing Demand for Button Gastrojejunostomy Tubes to Drive Market Growth

7.3.2 Nasoenteric Feeding Tubes

7.3.2.1 Nasogastric Feeding Tubes

7.3.2.1.1 Short-Term Feeding is a Major Application of These Tubes

7.3.2.2 Nasojejunal Feeding Tubes

7.3.2.2.1 Double-Lumen Tubes are Being Used for Critically Ill and Postoperative Patients and are Witnessing Wide Adoption in Hospitals

7.3.2.3 Nasoduodenal Feeding Tubes

7.3.2.3.1 Adoption of These Tubes in Hospitals and Clinics to Drive the Growth of This Segment in the Coming Years

7.3.3 Oroenteric Feeding Tubes

7.4 Enteral Feeding Pumps

7.5 Administration Sets

7.6 Enteral Syringes

7.7 Consumables



8 Enteral Feeding Devices Market, By Age Group

8.1 Introduction

8.2 Adults

8.2.1 Adults Segment Dominates the Market Due to the High Burden of Chronic Diseases Among This Population Segment

8.3 Pediatrics

8.3.1 Increasing Number of Preterm Births-The Major Factor Driving the Growth of the Pediatrics Segment



9 Enteral Feeding Devices Market, By Application

9.1 Introduction

9.2 Oncology

9.2.1 Head & Neck Cancers

9.2.1.1 10% of People Who Survive Head & Neck Cancers Require Permanent Enteral Feeding Because of Dysphagia

9.2.2 Stomach & Gastrointestinal Cancers

9.2.2.1 High Burden of Stomach & Gi Cancers to Support Market Growth

9.2.3 Liver Cancer

9.2.3.1 Patients With Liver Cancer are More Likely to Accept Nasogastric Tube Placement

9.2.4 Pancreatic Cancer

9.2.4.1 Nutrition Supplementation Plays An Integral Role in Pancreatic Cancer Surgery

9.2.5 Esophageal Cancer

9.2.5.1 Growing Prevalence of Esophageal Cancer to Support Market Growth

9.2.6 Other Cancers

9.3 Gastrointestinal Diseases

9.3.1 Increasing Incidence of Gastrointestinal Diseases to Drive the Adoption of Enteral Feeding Devices

9.4 Neurological Disorders

9.4.1 High Burden of Neurological Disorders to Fuel the Demand for Clinical Nutrition Therapies

9.5 Diabetes

9.5.1 Use of Enteral Feeding Systems in Diabetics Helps Prevent Hyperglycemia and Associated Complications

9.6 Hypermetabolism

9.6.1 Enteral Nutrition is the Most Widely Accepted Therapy to Keep Hypermetabolism Under Control

9.7 Other Applications



10 Enteral Feeding Devices Market, By End User

10.1 Introduction

10.2 COVID-19 Impact On the Enteral Feeding Devices Market, By End User

10.3 Hospitals

10.3.1 Hospitals are the Largest End Users of Enteral Feeding Devices

10.4 Home Care Settings

10.4.1 Increasing Need to Curtail Hospital Costs is Supporting the Growth of the Home Care Settings Segment

10.5 Ambulatory Care Settings

10.5.1 Shortage of Nursing Staff in Ambulatory Care Settings to Hamper Market Growth



11 Enteral Feeding Devices Market, By Region

11.1 Introduction

11.2 COVID-19 Impact On the Enteral Feeding Devices Market, By Region

11.3 North America

11.4 Europe

11.5 Asia Pacific

11.6 Latin America

11.7 Middle East and Africa



12 Competitive Landscape

12.1 Overview

12.2 Market Share Analysis

12.3 Competitive Leadership Mapping

12.3.1 Stars

12.3.2 Emerging Leaders

12.3.3 Pervasives

12.3.4 Emerging Companies

12.4 Competitive Situation and Trends

12.4.1 Product Launches and Enhancements

12.4.2 Expansions

12.4.3 Acquisitions

12.4.4 Other Strategies



13 Company Profiles

13.1 Fresenius Kabi

13.2 Nestl S.A.

13.3 Danone

13.4 B. Braun Melsungen Ag

13.5 Avanos Medical

13.6 Cardinal Health, Inc.

13.7 Moog, Inc.

13.8 Conmed Corporation

13.9 Cook Medical

13.10 Becton, Dickinson and Company

13.11 Abbott Laboratories

13.12 Boston Scientific

13.13 Vygon Group

13.14 Applied Medical Technology

13.15 Amsino International, Inc.

13.16 Other Companies

13.16.1 Fidmi Medical

13.16.2 Vesco Medical, Llc

13.16.3 Dynarex Corporation

13.16.4 Medela Inc.

13.16.5 Alcor Scientific



14 Adjacent/Related Markets

14.1 Introduction

14.2 Market Definition & Scope

14.3 Limitations

14.4 Market Overview

14.5 Infusion Pump Market, By Product

14.5.1 Accessories & Consumables

14.5.2 Devices

14.5.2.1 Devices Market, By Type

14.5.2.1.1 Traditional Infusion Pumps

14.5.2.1.2 Specialty Infusion Pumps

14.6 Infusion Pump Market, By End User

14.6.1 Hospitals

14.6.2 Home Care Settings

14.6.3 Ambulatory Care Settings

14.6.4 Academic & Research Institutes

14.7 Infusion Pump Market, By Region

14.7.1 North America

14.7.2 Europe

14.7.3 Asia Pacific

14.7.4 Latin America

14.7.5 Middle East and Africa



15 Appendix

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/7gkja0

Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research.

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The family of the late Detective Garda Adrian Donohoe have said that whilst justice has been done following the conviction of Aaron Brady, nothing will bring their brother back to his wife, children and colleagues.

Deputy Commissioner of An Garda Siochana John Twomey, addressing media at Garda Headquarters in the Phoenix Park following the verdict, warned Brady's accomplices that, "we will be knocking on your door and we will make sure that you pay for this horrendous act."

The deputy commissioner said the garda investigation is continuing and added: "There were other people involved in this horrific crime and you will be brought to justice and we will make every effort and leave no stone unturned."

He said that no society can tolerate crimes of this nature and, "we as a law enforcement agency will do everything we can to bring the perpetrators to justice."



The late detective's three siblings Colm, Mary and Martin Donohoe and his wife Caroline had earlier gathered outside the Criminal Courts of Justice building to extend their gratitude to all the parties involved in the case but pointed out that Aaron Brady was not alone at Lordship Credit Union on the night of January 25, 2013. "The quest for justice for Adrian will continue and we appeal to anyone, near or far, who has any information and who may assist in this investigation to come forward and do the right thing to bring those involved to justice," said Detective Garda Colm Donohoe.



Caroline Donohoe, thanked the 12 jurors for "sticking with the trial for so long". On behalf of herself and her two children, the widow also thanked her garda colleagues and the prosecution team.

Speaking on behalf of the Donohoe family with his sister Mary and brother Martin at either side, Det Gda Colm Donohoe thanked the prosecution team led by Brendan Grehan SC and Lorcan Staines SC as well as staff from the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, especially solicitors Susan Hudson and Nicole Muldoon, for their extraordinary dedication to the case. "There have been many many challenges throughout the case and keeping it on course has been a fantastic achievement in itself. Not only the length of the trial but the huge volume of work undertaken for well over 12 months to get it to this stage has been a significant achievement, and we thank them, " he said.

The brother of the late detective commended the jury of "15 ordinary people" who were sworn-in at the end of January. "We would like to thank each and every one of them. Their lives have been put on hold for the last six months and the commitment they have shown through these challenging times has been humbling," he added.

He also expressed his gratitude to the presiding judge Mr Justice Michael White for his hard work and dedication. He indicated that the judge often sat for long hours and worked weekends to keep the trial on track. "It has taken an enormous effort to do this and we thank him most sincerely." he said.

Det Gda Donohoe also acknowledged "each and every witness" who gave evidence for the prosecution of the case. "It is not an easy thing to come to court and we do not underestimate the stress that this causes people," he remarked.

We would like to express immense gratitude to Adrians colleagues in Dundalk who investigated this while trying to grieve for the loss of a colleague. This has been one of the most comprehensive investigations in the history of the State. The professionalism and the quality of this investigation has been borne out by the fact that it has been able to withstand the most robust and forensic examination by the defence in this case. It is a huge credit to each and every person involved in the investigation that we stand here today.

"It would be remiss of us not to acknowledge and thank the extraordinary help given to the investigation by law enforcement agencies around the world. I would like to thank them all, but a special word of thanks has to go to the US authorities and especially Homeland Security who took on the investigation as one of their own. The dedication of those agents, but especially Agents Matt Katske and Mary Ann Wade, has been instrumental in bringing this man to justice today," he highlighted.

Det Gda Donohoe stressed that Brady was not alone in Lordship on January 25, 2013. "The quest for justice for Adrian will continue and we appeal to anyone, near or far, who has any information and who may assist in this investigation to come forward and do the right thing to bring those involved to justice," he said.

In conclusion, the deceased's brother said that while justice had been done today, nothing would bring back Adrian to his wife, his two kids, his parents, his family, his colleagues and his friends.

Det Gda Donohoe said that it had been said at the trial that his brother Adrian was a good man and the very least he deserved was that justice be served. He finally acknowledged the media for the responsible reporting of the case throughout the trial. "Thank you for respecting our privacy, and we ask that you continue to do this," he concluded.

Chief Superintendent Christopher Mangan also made a statement saying that today was a very important day for the administration of justice in Ireland. "The jury have found Aaron Brady guilty of robbery and guilty of capital murder of our colleague Detective Garda Adrian Donohoe, who was murdered in the service of the State at Lordship Credit Union on January 25, 2013," he said.

The Chief Supt explained that a major murder investigation had been conducted by members of gardai based in Dundalk Garda Station over the past seven-and-a-half years in order to obtain the truth and justice for Det Gda Donohoe, his wife Caroline and their family. "It has taken a transnational, multi-agency murder investigation and this trial to uncover the truth of what actually happened at Lordship Credit Union on January 25, 2013," he added.

He stressed that this was "part one" of the investigation that has been completed. "I want to take the opportunity to thank the jury and the court staff for their time in such a very difficult time during the pandemic," he concluded.
Is the boom in carbon offsetting enough?

Carbon offsetting is booming. The global market for carbon offset sales grew by 34 percent in 2019, to 174m, a fivefold increase in two years. However, is it really an effective way of achieving the looming targets for net zero?





Here, Jeremy Whittingham, Head of Community and Content at Advanced Engineering UK, a UK engineering trade show, explains what the resurgence means and what manufacturers can do to make a difference.

Companies from EasyJet and British Airways to BP and Lyft are making commitments to going carbon neutral, with many of them investing in carbon offsetting as a means to achieve this.

Put simply, carbon offsetting is a trading scheme for carbon emissions. Businesses buy carbon credits from one of the many carbon offsetting companies, who in turn invest the money in environmental projects around the world to tackle climate change.

These projects can be wide and varied, but often fall into categories including renewable energy, methane abatement, energy efficiency, reforestation and fuel switching.

While the larger compliance market for carbon offsets in Europe places legally-binding caps on the likes of coal-fired power stations  and operates as part of the European Union Emissions Trading System (EU ETS)  the smaller voluntary market is open to businesses of all sizes.

Since their inception around 2005, carbon offsetting schemes have taken off around the world and have made a marked difference to reducing emissions. A recent study published in PNAS, the official journal of the National Academy of Sciences, found that, the EU ETS, which initially regulated roughly 50 percent of EU carbon emissions from mainly energy production and large industrial polluters, saved more than one billion tons of CO2 between 2008 and 2016. This translates to reductions of 3.8 percent of total EU-wide emissions compared to a world without the EU ETS.

Offsetting providers websites are filled with portfolios citing examples of projects that have done good  from tree planting in Brazil, fuel-efficient stoves in Darfur and borehole rehabilitation projects in Uganda, to water purifiers in Cambodia and wind farms in Mali.

However, although they were initially lauded as a crucial mechanism to tackle climate change, carbon offsetting has had its fair share of detractors. A lack of transparency and regulatory enforcement means that a small number of projects are either not completed, or actually cause more ecological harm than good to the environment and the communities.

Whats more, critics argue that, while carbon offsetting schemes go some way in helping the world reach net-zero carbon emissions, they dont actually go far enough to create a low-carbon or zero-carbon world.

So, while businesses, especially those in the industrial sector, should definitely invest in compliant and traceable carbon offsetting schemes, they have an opportunity to do more.

Manufacturers should review their plant machinery and upgrade to more efficient systems where possible. Businesses should install renewable generation assets on site or, if thats not feasible, renegotiate their energy contract. Choosing an energy supplier that is part of the Renewable Energy Guarantees Origin (REGO) scheme is a readily available, low-cost method that ensures a proportion of your energy comes from renewable sources. Renegotiating your energy contract also has the added benefit of saving you money.

Whatever method businesses choose, its clear that carbon offsetting alone is not enough and that there is no one-size-fits-all approach. Its up to manufacturers to choose the right blend of measures that work for them and, in turn, help tackle climate change.

To find out more about what industry is doing and to speak to like-minded businesses in the engineering sector, visit Advanced Engineering 2020, which will be held from November 4-5, at the NEC in Birmingham.

Given the current situation regarding COVID-19, and to ensure that the show remains a safe and welcoming event for visitors, the team at Advanced Engineering is investing in a wide range of solutions from increased hygiene procedures to technology to facilitate social distancing and an impeccable level of sanitation. To read more about this, visit the Advanced Engineering website.
BEIJING, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- Foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian on Wednesday said China firmly opposed any official interactions between the United States and Taiwan under any pretext.

"Those who play with fire will get burnt," Zhao said, urging certain American people not to have illusions about issues concerning China's core interests.

Zhao made the remarks at a press briefing when asked to make comment on U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, who said during his visit to Taiwan that China "chose not to" warn the world about COVID-19 and betrayed the cooperative spirit needed for global health.

Zhao said China had been containing the COVID-19 epidemic in an open, transparent and responsible manner, earnestly implementing its duties and obligations under the International Health Regulations, and actively carrying out international prevention and control cooperation.

Focusing on saving American people's lives, instead of political shows, is what American health officials should do now, Zhao said.
Latin companies are the biggest employers in Brazil, Mexico, Columbia, and Argentina. These countries are home to millions of Spanish-speaking Latinos who are known for their hard work and family dedication. Latin companies, like American, Canadian, and British companies, are burdened by some of the top corporate competitors in the world. And, this is not to mention the millions of online retailers. Whatever the case may be, advertising could never be easier with corporate gifts. How does this work? What are corporate gifts? Does this form of advertising work? Find the answers to these questions in the article below.

What Are Corporate Gifts?

Corporate gifts are non-monetary contributions from companies to their customers and employees. These gifts can range from a lanyard to a professional ink pen to a coffee mug. But, corporate gifts are much more than just customer contributions. They are also advertisements. What do you mean by advertisements? Well, corporate gifts are customized with a company's slogan and/or logo. When you hand out corporate gifts to your customers and employees, you are showing them how much they are appreciated by your company.

What Role Do Corporate Gifts Play Marketing Campaigns?

Marketing is one of the most expensive services companies have to worry about. This is especially true when working with a licensed marketing firm. Marketing and advertisements are necessities for all brands. With or without a lot of competitors, marketing is key to survival in all Latino business industries, including industrial, hospitality, marketing, real estate, tourist, travel, logistics, and retail. This still does not explain why corporate gifts are combined with brand marketing campaigns.

As mentioned above, corporate gifts are customized with a company's logo and/or slogan. When the recipients of these items, they are exposed to other consumers who hopefully will want to know more about your company. When your customers and workers wear your corporate gifts like t-shirts, lanyards, and caps, they are nothing less than walking, talking billboards.

Is Corporate Gifting Affordable?

Corporate gifting is very affordable compared to professional marketing services, which can run up into the thousands each year. Corporate gifting, on the other hand, is not expensive. In fact, you can purchase corporate lanyard Singapore in bulk for a fraction of your normal marketing expenses.

Corporate Gifting Marketing

Companies of all sizes can safely utilize corporate gifting as part of a marketing campaign. Going this route is one best decision you can make for your company because it offers two services for the price of one. First, it allows your company the opportunity to give back to your customers. You would be surprised at the large number of consumers who have never received thanks from the companies they do business with.

Corporate gifting will let you stand out among your biggest competitors. Your customers will remember your company as being charitable, grateful, and caring. Corporate gifts are tokens of gratitude and advertising, all wrapped into one.

Stay A Step Ahead Of Your Competitors

Corporate gifting will put you a step ahead of your competitors. Your biggest competitors work around the clock to find ways to attract consumers, which is a never-ending task for companies of all sizes. When you get tired of following, you may want to consider investing in corporate gifts. Utilize this opportunity to finally get one over on your competitors. No longer will your company be the last one to the table.

Offline Brand Awareness

A mistake many companies make is focusing only on online awareness. What is online awareness? Well, it is getting Internet users to recognize your brand as soon as they see it. Believe it or not, there are brands that are highly recognized online. These brands include Amazon, Google, Facebook, Broom, Yelp, Twitter, and Reddit.

E-commerce businesses and online retailers can afford to ignore offline brand awareness because they do not have land-based locations. But, companies that do business online and offline need complex marketing strategies that attract consumers online and offline.

Corporate gifting is one of the best marketing strategies for building offline brand awareness. Consumers who are unfamiliar with your brand will become to recognize it immediately after they are exposed to it through corporate gifts.

Think of it like this, the recipients of your company's corporate gifts are walking, talking billboards.
San Francisco District Attorney Kamala Harris said Tuesday she will not seek the death penalty against a man accused of killing a San Francisco police officer over the weekend, a decision that legal experts say is rare if not unprecedented in California.

Instead, Harris said she will charge David Hill, 21, with crimes that could send him to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Hill is suspected of killing Officer Isaac Espinoza, 29, with an assault weapon and wounding his partner, Officer Barry Parker, 38.

Police say Hill is a Bayview neighborhood gang member who fired on the officers because he didn't want to get caught carrying a semiautomatic rifle.

"Today I want to be very clear: in the city and county of San Francisco, anyone who murders a police officer engaged in his or her duties will be met with the most severe consequences," Harris said. The charges Hill will be arraigned on today -- including murder of a peace officer -- would make him eligible for the death penalty. It is extremely rare -- and possibly unprecedented -- for a district attorney to decide against pursuing that penalty for killing a cop.

The Chronicle reviewed hundreds of cases of peace officers slain in the line of duty posted online at the California Peace Officers Memorial Web site.

The death penalty was restored in California in 1978, but The Chronicle's review found only limited documentation about the outcome of cases before 1987.

Focusing on 90 cases since 1987, the newspaper found that prosecutors sought the death penalty in nearly every case in which a suspect was arrested.

The few exceptions were cases with unusual circumstances, such as one in which a man's weapon discharged accidentally, the bullet striking a police officer on the other side of a door.

The results of The Chronicle's review were supported by legal experts, who could not recall another California case in which prosecutors -- given the option of seeking capital punishment for an accused cop killer -- decided against seeking the death penalty.

"Generally speaking, I would think that was one of the type of cases where prosecutors would think the death penalty was appropriate," said Dane Gillette, who oversees death penalty cases for Attorney General Bill Lockyer.

Indeed, murder of a police officer was one of the special circumstances for which voters approved the death penalty in 1977, according to experts, and it is a circumstance that most states with a death penalty recognize as eligible for capital punishment.

But San Francisco is not most states, and Harris campaigned and won, in part, with her pledge not to seek capital punishment.

"I have been very clear about not seeking the death penalty," she said.

By rejecting the death penalty, Harris is not only standing by her pledge, but also being practical, in the opinion of Peter Keane, dean emeritus and professor of law at San Francisco's Golden Gate University School of Law.

"San Francisco juries just don't give the death penalty," he said. "San Francisco votes against the death penalty by about 70 percent to 30, which is different from the state itself."

The effect of that feeling is so profound, Keane said, that it can even make it more difficult to win the initial convictions in cases exposed to the death penalty -- even when the jury knows that it has the final decision over sentencing.

Gary Delagnes, president of the San Francisco Police Officers Association, said Tuesday that given the city's leanings, Harris is pursuing the proper course and understands the severity of the case.

"In most cities in America, this would be a death penalty case," he said, but "(life without possibility of parole) is as much as we can expect in this town."

Some California law enforcement representatives said they were not surprised by Harris's decision, given her campaign pledge, but were nevertheless disappointed.

"I'm sorry, I just think (this crime is) as bad as it gets and deserves the punishment as bad as it gets, and that's the death penalty," said CHP Commissioner Dwight "Spike" Helmick, current president of the California Peace Officers' Association.

But death penalty opponents said Harris is acting within her discretion and within the law, which gives prosecutors the power to decide whether a case should carry the death penalty.

Lance Lindsey, executive director of Death Penalty Focus, said he hopes Harris' decision will bring attention not only to San Francisco, but to the minority of states and majority of other countries that don't even have a death penalty on the books.

But Mike Nevin Jr., a San Francisco police officer and a regular contributor to a number of online conservative forums who has written about the death penalty, said that penalty is already reserved only for a tiny percentage of the most heinous crimes, and that killing a police officer should qualify.

"It's not about the person, the skin behind the badge, it's about the badge itself," he said. "You're talking about people that have absolutely no regard for the public, because if you're willing to kill a cop, you're willing to kill anybody."
The Somalian parliament is considering a bill that would allow child marriage once a girl's sexual organs mature.

The new Sexual Intercourse Related Crimes Bill would allow forced marriage as long as the family gives their consent.

It marks a dramatic reworking of years of efforts to give more protections to women in one of the world's most conservative countries.

The bill 'would represent a major setback in the fight against sexual violence in Somalia and across the globe', said the United Nations special representative on sexual violence in conflict.

The Somalian parliament parliament is considering the Sexual Intercourse Related Crimes Bill, which would allow forced marriage as long as the family gives their consent. Pictured: People wait as officials of Turkey Diyanet Foundation (TDV) distribute meat for needy people on the first day of Eid al-Adha in Mogadishu, Somalia on July 31

The bill will also allow child marriage once a girl's sexual organs mature. Pictured: Children play during the Muslim festival Eid Al-Adha, the Festival of Sacrifice, at a recreational park in Mogadishu, on July 31

Pramila Patten said it should be withdrawn 'immediately' in a statement on Tuesday, adding it also weakens protections for victims of sexual violence.

Already more than 45 per cent of young women in Somalia were married or 'in union' before age 18, according to a United Nations analysis in 2014-15.

Somalia in 2013 agreed with the U.N. to improve its sexual violence laws, and after five years of work a sexual offences bill was approved by the Council of Ministers and sent to parliament.

The United Nations special representative on sexual violence in conflict Pramila Patten said bill 'would represent a major setback in the fight against sexual violence in Somalia and across the globe'

But last year the speaker of the House of the People sent the bill back 'in a process that may have deviated from established law' asking for 'substantive amendments,' the U.N. special representative said.

The new bill 'risks legitimising child marriage, among other alarming practices, and must be prevented from passing into law,' U.N. human rights chief Michelle Bachelet said this week.

She warned that its passage would 'send a worrying signal to other states in the region.'

Thousands of people in Somalia are circulating a petition against the bill, including Ilwad Elman with the Mogadishu-based Elman Peace organization.

As Somalia prepared to mark International Youth Day on Wednesday, Elman tweeted this week: 'I don't wanna see any Somali officials participating online to celebrate ... when you're trying to steal their childhood away from them RIGHT NOW with the intercourse bill legalizing child marriage.'

The U.N. mission to Somalia in a separate statement has called the new bill 'deeply flawed' and urged parliament to re-introduce the original one.

That original bill 'will be vital in preventing and criminalizing all sexual offenses,' the Somalia representative for the U.N. Population Fund, Anders Thomsen, said.

'Big moment for MPs to decide Somalias future values,' the British ambassador to Somalia, Ben Fender, has tweeted.

The new bill 'risks legitimising child marriage, among other alarming practices, and must be prevented from passing into law,' U.N. human rights chief Michelle Bachelet said this week

The contentious new bill comes as women's rights groups openly worry that the coronavirus pandemic and related travel restrictions in Somalia have worsened violence against women and female genital mutilation.

Nearly all Somali women and girls have been subjected to that practice.

Some 68 per cent of more than 300 service providers across the country have reported an increase in gender-based violence, including rape, since the pandemic began, UNFPA said in a report last month.

Nearly a third of respondents, including more than 750 community members, said they believed child marriages had increased in part because of economic pressures and in part because schools have been disrupted.

And in some cases, health facilities have closed, limiting access to care.

severe flooding continues to displace thousands of people in Somalia. Pictured: Residents move through floodwaters on foot and using a donkey cart in Afgoye, Somalia Sunday

Rains in the highlands of neighbouring Ethiopia could lead to flash floods in towns such as Jowhar and Beledweyne

It comes as, severe flooding continues to displace thousands of people in Somalia.

The government in recent days issued new warnings to communities living along the Jubba and Shabelle rivers.

It said rains in the highlands of neighbouring Ethiopia could lead to flash floods in towns such as Jowhar and Beledweyne.

Residents have said several people have been swept away.

The government in recent days issued new warnings to communities living along the Jubba and Shabelle rivers

The United Nations has said at least four displaced people have died. More than 100,000 people have had to flee their homes since late June.

President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed has appealed for emergency relief for Afgoye town outside the capital, Mogadishu.

Afgoye has seen some of the worst flooding, with parts of town swept away and thousands of families left without power.
Hyderabad: Medtronic plc, the global leader in medical technology, has decided to invest Rs 1200 crores in scaling up and expanding the current R&D centre into a state-of-the-art engineering and innovation centre in Hyderabad.

Omar Ishrak, Executive Chairman and Chairman of the Board, Medtronic along with his team had a virtual meeting with IT and Industries Minister KT Rama Rao on Tuesday and announced that Medtronic company will work with the partnership of Telangana government.

During the virtual meeting, Rama Rao briefed the Medtronic leadership team on various initiatives taken by the Telangana Government to promote the Medical Devices sector and the developments over the last few years.

While recalling memories of his meeting with Omar Ishrak in the U.S., KTR congratulated him for taking over as the Executive Chairman of Medtronic and Chairman of the Board of Intel and congratulated Geoff Martha on his appointment as the new CEO of Medtronic.

Rama Rao said, We are delighted that Medtronic has chosen Hyderabad as its largest R&D base outside the U.S. and intends to create about 1000 jobs in the next few years. It is indeed a great honour for the city to host this center and it is a testimony to Hyderabads growing prowess in the medical devices sector."

He said the state government is committed to the growth of med-tech in the state and we see this partnership with Medtronic as a pivotal one. We will work with them to ensure this center will continue to contribute to their remarkable efforts to improve healthcare globally.

Making the announcement Omar Ishrak, said, Research and Development leads to innovation and innovation is crucial to our growth strategy.

Medtronics investment in India is a testament to our commitment to the region and we are proud to be collaborating with the Government of Telangana on this major investment in the country.

He said the expansion of MEIC will help us serve the Medtronic Mission to use medical technology to alleviate pain, restore health and extend life for patients around the world, which is also aligned with the governments vision to improve access to healthcare for patients in India.
With a coronavirus vaccine still months off, companies are rushing to test what may be the next best thing: drugs that deliver antibodies to fight the virus right away, without having to train the immune system to make them.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 12/8/2020 (525 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

In this May 2020 photo provided by Eli Lilly, researchers prepare cells to produce possible COVID-19 antibodies for testing in a laboratory in Indianapolis. Antibodies are proteins the body makes when an infection occurs; they attach to a virus and help it be eliminated. (David Morrison/Eli Lilly via AP)

With a coronavirus vaccine still months off, companies are rushing to test what may be the next best thing: drugs that deliver antibodies to fight the virus right away, without having to train the immune system to make them.

Antibodies are proteins the body makes when an infection occurs; they attach to a virus and help it be eliminated. Vaccines work by tricking the body into thinking theres an infection so it makes antibodies and remembers how to do that if the real bug turns up.

But it can take a month or two after vaccination or infection for the most effective antibodies to form. The experimental drugs shortcut that process by giving concentrated versions of specific ones that worked best against the coronavirus in lab and animal tests.

A vaccine takes time to work, to force the development of antibodies. But when you give an antibody, you get immediate protection, said University of North Carolina virologist Dr. Myron Cohen. If we can generate them in large concentrations, in big vats in an antibody factory ... we can kind of bypass the immune system.

These drugs, given through an IV, are believed to last for a month or more. They could give quick, temporary immunity to people at high risk of infection, such as health workers and housemates of someone with COVID-19. If they proved effective and if a vaccine doesn't materialize or protect as hoped, the drugs might eventually be considered for wider use, perhaps for teachers or other groups.

Theyre also being tested as treatments, to help the immune system and prevent severe symptoms or death.

The hope there is to target people who are in the first week of their illness and that we can treat them with the antibody and prevent them from getting sick, said Dr. Marshall Lyon, an infectious disease specialist helping to test one such drug at Emory University in Atlanta.

Having such a tool would be a really momentous thing in our fight against COVID, Cohen said.

Vaccines are seen as a key to controlling the virus, which has been confirmed to have infected more than 20 million people worldwide and killed more than 738,000. Several companies are racing to develop vaccines, but the results of the large final tests needed to evaluate them are months away. Russia on Tuesday approved a vaccine that hasn't undergone such a test, sparking international concern that it was cutting corners.

The antibody drugs are very promising and, in contrast, could be available fairly soon," said Dr. Janet Woodcock, a U.S. Food and Drug Administration official who is leading government efforts to speed COVID-19 therapies. Key studies are underway and some answers should come by early fall.

One company, Eli Lilly, has already started manufacturing its antibody drug, betting that studies now underway will give positive results.

Our goal is to get something out as soon as possible and to have hundreds of thousands of doses ready by fall, said Lillys chief scientific officer, Dr. Daniel Skovronsky.

Another company that developed an antibody drug cocktail against Ebola  Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc.  now is testing one for coronavirus.

The success with our Ebola program gives us some confidence that we can potentially do this again, said Christos Kyratsous, a Regeneron microbiologist who helped lead that work.

Regenerons drug uses two antibodies to enhance chances the drug will work even if the virus evolves to evade action by one.

Lilly is testing two different, single-antibody drugs  one with the Canadian company AbCellera and another with a Chinese company, Junshi Biosciences. In July, Junshi said no safety concerns emerged in 40 healthy people who tried it and that larger studies were getting underway.

Others working on antibody drugs include Amgen and Adaptive Biotechnologies. The Singapore biotech company Tychan Pte Ltd. also is testing an antibody drug and has similar products in development for Zika virus and yellow fever.

Im cautiously optimistic about the drugs, said the nation's top infectious diseases expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci. Im heartened by the experience that we had with Ebola, where the drugs proved effective.

What could go wrong?

 The antibodies may not reach all of the places in the body where they need to act, such as deep in the lungs. All the antibody drugs must make their way through the bloodstream to wherever theyre needed.

 The virus might mutate to avoid the antibody  the reason Regeneron is testing a two-antibody combo that binds to the virus in different places to help prevent its escape.

Skovronsky said Lilly stuck with one antibody because manufacturing capacity would essentially be cut in half to make two, and you will have less doses available. If a single antibody works, we can treat twice as many people, he said.

 The antibodies might not last long enough. If they fade within a month, its still OK for treatment since COVID-19 illness usually resolves in that time. But for prevention, it may not be practical to give infusions more often than every month or two.

A San Francisco company, Vir Biotechnology Inc., says it has engineered antibodies to last longer than they usually do to avoid this problem. GlaxoSmithKline has invested $250 million in Vir to test them.

Giving a higher dose also may help. If half of antibodies disappear after a month, if you give twice as much, you will have two months protection, Lillys Skovronsky said.

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 The big fear: Antibodies may do the opposite of whats hoped and actually enhance the viruss ability to get into cells or stimulate the immune system in a way that makes people sicker. Its a theoretical concern that hasnt been seen in testing so far, but large, definitive experiments are needed to prove safety.

As best as we can tell, the antibodies are helpful, Lyon said.

___

Marilynn Marchione can be followed on Twitter: @MMarchioneAP

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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, Aug.12

Trend:

Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov held a meeting with his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu in Turkey's capital Ankara, Trend reports referring to Azerbaijan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

According to the ministry, following the FMs' tet-a-tet meeting, an expanded meeting between the two countries' officials was held.

Minister Cavusoglu warmly greeted Bayramov and noted that he is pleased to receive him in Turkey.

The sides expressed satisfaction with the development of cooperation in various areas of the bilateral agenda, including political, economic, trade, humanitarian, cultural, education and etc. and discussed prospects for further expansion of these relations.

They expressed confidence that the existing cooperation between the two countries will continue to further develop in both bilateral and multilateral formats.

Speaking about the recent provocation committed by Armenia in the direction of the Tovuz district of the Azerbaijani-Armenian border, Minister Bayramov noted the support rendered by the state of Turkey to the just position of Azerbaijan.

The importance of the resolution of the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict on the basis of the norms and principles of international law, in particular, the respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan and inviolability of international borders was underlined.
David Rojas, Elizabeth Baggett

A police officer accused of molesting a womans corpse has been sued by her family for invading their privacy, inflicting emotional distress, and mishandling human remains.

A lawsuit filed on Tuesday August 11, in LA Superior Court by the deceaseds family identifies the officer, David Rojas, and accuses other unnamed LAPD employees of viewing and sharing bodycam footage of the alleged incident.

The lawsuit alleges that when Rojas was dispatched to 34-year-old Elizabeth Baggetts home in October 2019, he discovered that she had died of a drug overdose, and then, sexually molested the Decedent, including fondling the Decedents breasts and feeling her nipples.

The defendants bodycam recorded video of the Decedents naked form, including video of Defendants David Rojas engaging in sexual contact with Decedent, court documents obtained by The Sun said.



The defendants transmitted the video to others who subsequently viewed the video.



The lawsuit was filed by attorney Gloria Allred on behalf of the estate of the deceased woman and her family including Elizabeths mother Janet Baggett; son Preston Sertich; and the childs father, Michael Sertich.

They are alleging invasion of privacy, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligence, mishandling of human remains, violation a Civil Code which prohibits the distribution of such a video, intrusion into private affairs and violation of statutory duties.

We are seeking compensatory and punitive damages according to proof at trial, Ms. Allred said.

In a tearful statement on Tuesday, Elizabeths mother said: shock and disgust did not even come close to describing the horror of hearing that her daughters body had been interfered with.

I learned in the despair of losing Elizabeth that she was abused by the police officer sworn to protect her and all of us, she said.

I am infuriated that this man had so little respect for another human being, our Elizabeth, for not having the thought that she is someones daughter, granddaughter, and mother.

Janet said she wants justice for her daughter because of this horrible disgusting act that has left her and her family suffering from many sleepless nights.

I live in fear that the video will surface and another devastation will be added to what is already unbearable, she said.

I personally wake in sweats from the nightmares that haunt me about the events of Elizabeths death.

Days are not much better. They are often filled with tears and constant shock.

Elizabeths son Preston, 6, also released a statement under the guidance of his father, saying: That was my mother, someones daughter, someones sister, it read.

David Rojas behavior was vile, David Rojas does not deserve to be a police officer.

What has this officer gotten away with to believe this was even possible?

According to The Sun, Rojas, 27, was charged earlier this year with one felony count of having sexual contact with human remains without authority after the alleged incident on October 20. He has pleaded not guilty and is awaiting a date to be set for a preliminary hearing in the Los Angeles County Criminal Court.

The alleged incident was recorded on Rojas body camera when he and his partner responded to a call about a suspected drug overdose, Los Angeles District Attorney Jackie Lacey said.

Upon arriving at the address, the two officers discovered Elizabeths lifeless body. During their investigations, a second officer reportedly left to get paperwork from their patrol car leaving Rojas alone in a room with the victim.

While alone with the victim, Rojas allegedly turned off his body camera and groped the corpse, LAPD officials said earlier this year.

The authorities said a two-minute buffer on the camera captured the alleged incident even though Rojas had turned it off.

The Los Angeles police officials have since placed Rojas, a four-year veteran of the department, on leave after discovering the footage. He is free on $20,000 bail.

LAPD Chief Michel Moore said at the time of Rojas arrest: This incident is extremely disturbing and does not represent the values of the Los Angeles Police Department.

Rojas union, the Los Angeles Police Protective League, also added that: His alleged behavior is abhorrent and an affront to every law enforcement professional working the LAPD.

Rojas faces up to three years in state prison, if convicted, prosecutors said.

Gloria Allred, the Baggett familys attorney said in a statement: And learning that she and her remains have been so disrespected and violated has compounded the loss and inflicted horrific pain and suffering on her loved ones, she said in a press conference today.

Learning, too, that the video of her alleged sexual molestation has been viewed by others sickens them and is deeply disturbing.

So many women are sexually abused during their lifetime, and now we learn that some are even sexually victimized after their deaths.

To add insult to injury, the knowledge that a police officer, during the course of his investigation of the death of a young woman, would take advantage of his position of power and trust to allegedly sexually abuse the body of a deceased person is very upsetting.

It is not only against the law, but it is also against all sense of human decency.
BUDAPEST, Hungary Hungary signed a declaration of intent Wednesday to purchase air defense missiles from the United States for around $1 billion.

The agreement was signed by Hungarian Defense Minister Tibor Benko and David Cornstein, the U.S. ambassador to Hungary.

The U.S. Embassy described the deal as Hungarys largest-ever defense procurement from the United States.

According to the Hungarian Defense Ministry, it includes both air-to-air and land-to-air missiles.

Hungary has been a NATO member since 1999.

In revealing his governments plans to secure U.S.-made weapons, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said last year that the construction of the modern Hungarian army is happening now.

The Orban government has increased annual defense spending since around 2015 following deep cuts in the years following the 2008 financial crisis. NATO members agreed in 2014 to gradually raise national defense spending to 2% of GDP by 2024.

According to Hungarys 2021 budget plan, defense spending is projected to reach 778 billion forints ($2.25 billion) next year, or around 1.66% of GDP.

Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor
By naming Indian-origin Senator Kamala Harris as his Vice President running mate, Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden has surrendered to the radical mob with promises to raise taxes, cut police funding and appease socialist dictators, President Donald Trump campaign has alleged.

IMAGE: US Senator Kamala Harris in New Hampshire. Photograph: Brian Snyder/Reuters

Launching a scathing attack on Harris, the Trump campaign said the Americans will resoundingly reject the absymal failures of Biden and Harris.

'Joe Biden is no moderate, and with Harris as his 'political living will,' he is surrendering control of our nation to the radical mob with promises to raise taxes, cut police funding, kill energy jobs, open our borders, and appease socialist dictators,' Katrina Pierson, Trump 2020 campaign's senior advisor, said in a statement.

'At the ballot box, Americans will resoundingly reject the abysmal failures of Biden-Harris in favor of the America First strength of President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence,' Pierson said.

The comments came as Biden on Tuesday named Harris as his Vice-Presidential running mate, making history by selecting the first black woman to compete on a major party's presidential ticket.

Harris, has been one of those Democratic Senators who has been leading the party's charge against President Donald Trump, who is seeking his re-election from the Republican party.

'Not long ago, Harris called Joe Biden a racist and asked for an apology she never received. Clearly, Phony Kamala will abandon her own morals, as well as try to bury her record as a prosecutor, in order to appease the anti-police extremists controlling the Democrat Party,' Pierson said.

'In her failed attempt at running for president, Harris gleefully embraced the left's radical manifesto, calling for trillions of dollars in new taxes and backing Bernie Sanders' government takeover of healthcare. She is proof that Biden is an empty shell being filled with the extreme agenda of the radicals on the left,' Pierson said.

Republican National Committee (RNC) chairwoman Ronna McDaniel alleged that Harris' extreme positions, from raising taxes to abolishing private health insurance to comparing law enforcement officials, show that the left-wing mob is controlling Biden's candidacy, just like they would control him as president.

'These radical policies might be popular among liberals, but they are well outside the mainstream for most Americans,' she said.
SAN DIEGO, Aug. 12, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NEOVOLTA INC. (OTCQB: NEOV)  NeoVolta , manufacturer of the NV14 and NV24 home solar storage systems , announces an exclusive distribution agreement with Nevada-based PMP Energy . In exchange for making minimum purchases of up to $15 million, PMP Energy can secure specific geographic exclusivities for distribution over the three-year term of the agreement. Under the agreement, PMP Energy will provide dealers with training and certification to install NeoVolta systems in homes.



The PMP Energy certification program will provide dealers with the proper documentation to satisfy all permitting requirements for each state.

We spent more than a year in due diligence and selected NeoVolta, said Dan Briggs, PMP Energys President and CEO. We feel they provide the safest battery chemistry and a unique technology that makes them a leader in this vital space.

The NeoVolta NV14, named one of Solar Power Worlds  2019 Top Solar Storage Products , has a high storage capacity of 14.4 kilowatt-hours. This can be amplified to 24.0 kWh with the optional NV24 battery add-on, making it one of the highest-capacity systems in its classwithout the expense of adding a second inverter. The inverter can discharge 7.7 kilowatts of instantaneous power, more than most mainstream competitors. And NeoVoltas lithium iron phosphate chemistry is among the safest and longest-lasting solar battery technologies on the market.

Were very proud to be aligned with PMP Energy, said NeoVolta CEO Brent Willson. Through this strategic collaboration, PMP Energy will provide training to become a Certified NeoVolta Home Energy Storage System Installer. And many more homeowners will now be able to enjoy the superior utility savings and blackout protection of the NV14 and NV24 solar storage systems.

About NeoVolta - NeoVolta designs, develops and manufactures utility-bill reducing residential energy storage batteries capable of powering your home even when the grid goes down. With a focus on safer Lithium-Iron Phosphate chemistry, the NV14 is equipped with a solar rechargeable 14.4 kWh battery, a 7,680-Watt inverter and a web-based energy management system with 24/7 monitoring. By storing energy instead of sending it back to the grid, consumers can protect themselves against blackouts, avoid expensive peak demand electricity rates charged by utility companies when solar panels arent producing, and get one step closer to grid independence.

For more information visit: http://www.NeoVolta.com email us: IR@NeoVolta.com or call us: 858-239-2029

Forward-Looking Statements: Some of the statements in this release are forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which involve risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements in this press release include, without limitation, the future performance, reliability and safety of NeoVoltas NV14 storage system, and whether PMP Energy will make the minimum purchases under the agreement to obtain geographic exclusivities. Although NeoVolta believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable as of the date made, expectations may prove to have been materially different from the results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. NeoVolta has attempted to identify forward-looking statements by terminology including ''believes,'' ''estimates,'' ''anticipates,'' ''expects,'' ''plans,'' ''projects,'' ''intends,'' ''potential,'' ''may,'' ''could,'' ''might,'' ''will,'' ''should,'' ''approximately'' or other words that convey uncertainty of future events or outcomes to identify these forward-looking statements. These statements are only predictions and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors, including those discussed under the "Risk Factors" section of NeoVoltas Form 1-A filing filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") and updated from time to time in its other public filings with the SEC. Any forward-looking statements contained in this release speak only as of its date. NeoVolta undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this release to reflect events or circumstances occurring after its date or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.
Haleh Rabizadeh Resnick and her son Josh Resnick at a mural at a nearby school on Tuesday. Her other child declined to be in the photograph. Josh will be entering 7th grade with in person classes in the fall. Read more

An excruciating choice faces school communities: risk COVID-19 exposure by returning to classrooms, or court emotional and developmental harm, and child-care nightmares, with another season of virtual learning.

New data from two South Jersey counties provide a window into how much of a hazard COVID-19 could pose for reopening. Children and teenagers account for a growing share of coronavirus cases in Camden and Gloucester Counties, mirroring a national  and ominous  trend as young people rebel against social distancing rules, health experts say.

In those two counties, people under age 20 accounted for almost 13% of confirmed cases in the last month, compared with less than 2% in a four-week period this spring. Camden and Gloucester Counties officials have made public the age of every confirmed case. Thats a step no other county in the area has taken, so its not possible to compare them directly with the rest of the region. But experts say the lessons of the data are apparent.

I think its very clear we should expect there will be outbreaks among children and teenagers if schools open, said David Rubin, a pediatrician and director of PolicyLab at Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia. If the disease burden in the community is too high, the risk in schools is too high.

 READ MORE: Penn is shutting its dorms to most students and moving classes online for the fall

Many districts in Southeastern Pennsylvania are planning fully virtual starts to the year. State officials this week recommended that schools make reopening decisions based on rates of community spread  guidance that placed Philadelphia and its collar counties into a moderate transmission range, warranting either part-time in-person instruction or fully remote plans.

New Jerseys governor reversed course Wednesday on a mandate that schools offer some in-person classes, saying schools can shift entirely to virtual learning in the fall if they cant meet the states health and safety guidelines, including standards for ventilation, access to face masks, and training for staff on hybrid learning and cleaning.

We are fully committed to getting this right for students, our educators, our districts and every family, that everyone who enters one of our schools goes safely home at night, Gov. Phil Murphy said in a news conference.

The decision came in response to school district administrators who had informed state officials they would not be able to safely accommodate students by September. The majority of schools will be likely able to accommodate partial in-person classes, state officials said.

 READ MORE: School reopenings are a mess, home-schooling pods are coming, and they could make inequality even worse

Experts acknowledge that keeping kids out of school has significant consequences for their educational and social development, creates hardship for parents who struggle to balance child care and work, and disadvantages children who dont have access to technology.

The reality is, now we know about mental health and emotional health, these things have fallout, said Haleh Rabizadeh Resnick, a Cherry Hill mother with one child in public high school and the other in middle school. Even with Murphys change in direction, she hopes for some form of in-person classes, she said.

Our new reality is to live at a slightly higher danger level, she said.

Other parents, though, balk at sending their children to school.

Theres way too many variables, way too many unknowns at this time for me to feel comfortable sending my child out, said Elliott Castillo, also of Cherry Hill, who signed up for virtual learning for his daughters, ages 12 and 8.

 READ MORE: Wearing a neck gaiter to protect against the coronavirus might be worse than no mask at all, researchers find

Young peoples burden

Camden and Gloucester Counties had between 33% and 40% fewer cases among people of all ages in the last month than they did at the states peak in April, when almost 4,000 people were confirmed to be infected. There were 188 confirmed cases among those 19 and younger in the two counties over the last month.

But the burden of cases shouldered by children and teenagers is growing, a shift that cant be accounted for just by testing practices, said Caryelle Lasher, assistant public health coordinator for Camden Countys department of health and human services.

There are going to be a lot of variables at play that are going to make it very difficult for a lot of schools to achieve a safe classroom structure, she said.

In the last four weeks, 14% of Camden Countys cases have been 19 or younger. Through much of April, they accounted for just 2% of the countys confirmed cases. In Gloucester County, those under 20 accounted for 11% of cases in the last four weeks, compared with 1% during a four-week period from early April to early May.

The American Academy of Pediatrics reported that while children make up just 9% of the nations COVID-19 positive cases, there were 179,990 new cases among children from July 9 to Aug. 6, a 90% increase in a matter of a month.

With some rare and serious exceptions, children are mostly spared the worst health complications from COVID-19, yet they could spread the virus to more vulnerable family members.

 READ MORE: A growing number of Philly-area school districts are planning virtual openings, relieving some parents and frustrating others

If the question is, are kids able to transmit the virus to each other or to an adult, said Richard Malley, senior physician at Boston Childrens Hospitals division of infectious diseases and a professor at Harvard Medical School, the answer is unquestionably yes.

The dimensions of the risk, as with so much else about the new virus, are not clear.

What Im hearing is such a wide range, and a developing range, from epidemiologists, I cant put my  as a nonprofessional  finger on it, Lower Merion Superintendent Robert Copeland said during a school board meeting last week. He recommended that the district begin the year virtually.

Weighing risks

An article in the New England Journal of Medicine last month recommended that at least elementary schools reopen, and described a number of European and Asian nations that have safely restarted school. Yet unlike the United States, which is still producing record-setting numbers of cases, those countries had low transmission rates and kept kids safely apart from each other.

Another study released this month found minimal spread of the virus in 15 Australian schools and early child-care centers with reduced student populations despite some children and adults having attended with the virus.

A study released in July from South Korea indicated children 9 and younger were less likely to transmit the disease within a household, but that advantage vanished in older children and teenagers. The same study also anticipated higher rates of infection once the youngsters return to school.

Yet, recent studies from other researchers indicate children with symptoms of COVID-19 are more likely to spread it, according to a report in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Behavior as much as biology may matter to childhood spread. Kids may not wear masks properly or at all (though plenty of adults dont either), and young children are not known for frequent hand washing or social distancing, said Karen Ravin, chief of infectious diseases at Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children.

 READ MORE: Educating kids is first priority for Pa., Wolf says, and restrictions on eateries wont be relaxed soon

Rubin, of CHOP, said the Philadelphia region isnt ready to take on the risk of in-person education.

We havent gotten ourselves yet, in most areas of this country, where weve eliminated enough virus as possible so that these school plans have eliminated the likelihood of a presymptomatic or symptomatic kid bringing it into a classroom, he said.

Just a few infected children could spur a community outbreak. About 17% of the nations teachers are 55 or older, the New England Journal of Medicine reported, and more susceptible to serious symptoms from the virus. But younger teachers and parents with preexisting conditions as common as diabetes also are vulnerable.

Summer camps in Georgia and Missouri both saw COVID-19 cases spread rapidly. The New England Journal article noted that when Israel attempted to reopen schools without distancing and minimal precautions, cases spiked. The New York Times reported that without mandatory masks, social distancing and other measures, an outbreak at one high school in Jerusalem infected hundreds of faculty, students, and families.

An unenviable choice

Some Camden County communities have seen children and teens become the largest single age block with confirmed COVID-19 cases. Haddonfield, Camden County, has had just 14 cases in the past month, but half were in 10- to 19-year-olds. In Cherry Hill, just 3% of cases were under 20 years old during four weeks in early April to early May  compared with 29% of cases in the last four weeks.

House parties, swim clubs, and contact during sports all could be at work, Lasher said, noting that the virus spreads most efficiently indoors.

Were seeing a lot of sibling clusters, she said.

Health experts are eyeing Labor Day weekends celebrations and trips nervously. Rubin fears schools could incubate cases just as nursing homes did early in the pandemic.

Weve gone through multiple chapters of this story, and they all involve some level of gathering, said Rubin, who recommends that schools wait until closer to early October before physically reopening.

In Camden County, Lasher said, transmission most often seems to go from adult to child. Children who have tested positive while attending day care have largely not spread the virus to their peers, she said. But whether that experience translates to other ages and settings isnt known.

One reason for the uncertainty: Because of widespread stay-at-home orders in March, we do not know what will happen when many children are exposed.

The fact that every city, every county, every state is doing things a little bit differently, which is not ideal, it lends to confusion; at the same time it means theres a bit of a randomized clinical trial going on, Malley said. Im not saying its a good thing. Im saying its a reality.

Clearing the record: This story has been updated to correctly report David Rubins recommendations for when schools might reopen.
Filmmaker Subhash Ghai has reacted to actor Mahima Chaudhrys claim that he bullied her and asked all other producers not to work with her. While he confirmed that there was one such small conflict in a statement, he said Mahima had apologised to him for flouting a clause in the contract with his production house, and he had forgiven her. Mahima had made her Bollywood debut with Ghais directorial Pardes, opposite Shah Rukh Khan.

Claiming to be friends with Mahima even now, Ghai said in the statement, I am amused reading this news. . Mahima and I are very good friends till date and are still in touch through messages. She is a very nice and mature woman of today . She recently shared on how she gets welcomed at every event with a song from Pardes I love my India even after 23 years.

Talking about the contract in question, he said, Yes , there was a small conflict in 1997 post the release of Pardes , which became a big blockbuster and for which she even got the filmfare award for best actor. My company did send her a show cause notice for flouting a clause in our agreement. Media n industry reacted in a big way and so I withdrew n canceled her contract with Mukta . After 3 years she came to me with her family n apologised for her impulsive reaction. I forgave her n thereafter we became friends again.

He further said, She is jovial good person I trust. She must be right in feeling that she was bullied when asked by some one. Actually I admire her great gesture when she did a guest appearance in a song in my last film Kanchi in 2015. I guess we do get entertained with the smallest of an old tiff which is normal in course of life in showbiz.

Mahima had told Bollywood Hungama in a recent interview, I was bullied by Mr. Subhash Ghai. He even took me to the court and wanted me to cancel my first show. It was quite stressful. He sent a message to all the producers that nobody should work with me! If you pick up one of the issues of Trade Guide magazine in 1998 or 1999, there was an ad that he had given which stated that if anybody wanted to work with me, that person would have to contact him. Otherwise, it would be a breach of contract. However, there was no such contract which said that I had to seek his permission.

Also read: Mahima Chaudhry: Subhash Ghai bullied me and told producers not to cast me, only Salman Khan and Sanjay Dutt stood by me

She had said only four people: Salman Khan, Sanjay Dutt, David Dhawan and Rajkumar Santoshi stood by her during that time. She also revealed that she was signed for Ram Gopal Varmas 1998 film Satya but was replaced by Urmila Matondkar without even being informed by Varma.

Follow @htshowbiz for more
Support for Lebanon

Press release

The Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Defence, Simon Coveney, announced the provision of medical equipment to Lebanon, following the explosion which devastated Beirut.

Ireland sends its deepest sympathies to all of those affected by the terrible explosion in Beirut, particularly those who have lost loved ones.

Ireland enjoys strong relations with Lebanon  it is a country where our peacekeepers have served with distinction since 1978. At this time of need, we stand in solidarity with Lebanon, and I have approved today the dispatch of much needed medical equipment and personal protective equipment.

This material, provided by the HSE and transported by the Defence Forces on board an Air Corps Casa, will greatly assist the efforts of the WHO in Lebanon as they coordinate the international health response to this disaster, as well as the ongoing threat of COVID-19.

The operation represents a significant and rapid cross-Government response involving the Department of Foreign Affairs, the Department of Defence, the Defence Forces and the HSE.

Minister of State for Overseas Development and the Diaspora, Colm Brophy, added:

The explosion in Beirut comes on top of an existing economic and humanitarian crisis in Lebanon. In particular, Lebanon continues to generously host over 1.5 million Syrian refugees. Ireland has already provided over 3.5 million in humanitarian funding in 2020, part of which is now being repurposed to cope with the implications of the explosion. This is part of over 30 million in humanitarian funding provided to Lebanon since 2014.

As Beirut begins to rebuild and recover from this disaster, I want to assure the people of Lebanon of Irelands continued solidarity and support.

ENDS

Press Office

12 August 2020

Notes to Editors - The medical equipment and personal protective equipment is being provided by the HSE, and transported by the Defence Forces. It will be provided through the World Health Organisation in Lebanon, which is coordinating international health assistance to the country. - The HSE have carried out an assessment of available PPE stocks in Ireland, and concluded that the provision of this shipment to Lebanon would not create any supply difficulties in Ireland. - Lebanon hosts over 1.5 million Syrian refugees, as well as a population of Palestinian refugees. Ireland is providing 3.5 million in 2020 to the Lebanese Humanitarian fund, UNRWA and Irish NGOs (Concern and Trocaire). - Ireland also provides pre-positioned emergency funding to respond to sudden disasters. Ireland provided 10 million to the UNs Central Emergency Response Fund, and 1 million to the IFRCs Disaster Response Emergency Fund in 2020. The CERF has released 6 million to Lebanon, while the DREF has disbursed 700,000 to assist the response to the Beirut explosion. - As an EU member state, Ireland also contributes to the collective EU response. The EU has announced 33 million in additional funding for Lebanon, as well as the deployment of specialists to assist the immediate response.

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NEW YORK, Aug. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ --

Second Quarter 2020 Highlights:

Gross revenues of $17.1 million for the quarter, up 9% over the prior year quarter

Operating income of $4.8 million for the quarter, up 8% versus the prior year quarter

Net income of $4.2 million , up 19% versus the prior period, driving a 20% increase in GAAP diluted EPS to $0.36

Announcing second quarter 2020 dividend of $0.15 per share

Nine graduates to a national securities exchange during the quarter

In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, focused on safeguarding our colleagues, serving our clients and ensuring our short-term financial stability, while continuing to drive towards our long-term strategic goals

During the second quarter, hosted eight Virtual Investor Conferences, with 101 companies participating, reaching more than 8,000 investors

Announced Canadian Transfer Agents added to our Transfer Agent Verified Shares Program

Announced Enhancements to our Small Cap Listed Compliance File

Introduced Enhanced Data Availability related to U.S. Banks

OTC Markets Group Inc. (OTCQX: OTCM), operator of the OTCQX Best Market, the OTCQB Venture Market and the Pink Open Market for 11,000 U.S. and global securities, today announced its financial results for the second quarter of 2020.

"I want to recognize the commitment and dedication of my colleagues at OTC Markets," said R. Cromwell Coulson, President and Chief Executive Officer. "The team has remained focused on serving our subscriber base and keeping our markets open and operating efficiently through these unprecedented times, as we continue to prudently navigate the pandemic. Our results this quarter demonstrate the critical role we play in the capital markets landscape and the resilience of our business model, and underscore our ability to continue investing in our people and platform."

"We continue to evaluate the evolving challenges presented by the difficult macro-economic environment." said Bea Ordonez, Chief Financial Officer. "We remain focused on operating our core businesses, supporting our subscribers and providing the issuers we serve with public markets that efficiently serve their needs. We were pleased to deliver solid quarter over quarter revenue and earnings performance and remain confident that we are well positioned to deliver long-term value for our subscribers, customers and shareholders."

Second Quarter 2020 compared to Second Quarter 2019





Three Months Ended June 30,







(in thousands, except shares and per share data)

2020

2019

% change

$ change OTC Link

$ 3,659

$ 2,898

26%

761 Market data licensing

6,858

6,077

13%

781 Corporate services

6,582

6,695

(2%)

(113) Gross revenues

17,099

15,670

9%

1,429 Net revenues

16,393

15,033

9%

1,360 Revenues less transaction-based expenses

15,786

14,861

6%

925 Operating expenses

10,994

10,434

5%

560 Income from operations

4,792

4,427

8%

365 Operating profit margin

29.2%

29.4%







Income before provision for income taxes

4,802

4,450

8%

352 Net income

$ 4,231

$ 3,567

19%

664

















Diluted earnings per share

$ 0.36

$ 0.30

20%



Adjusted diluted earnings per share

$ 0.50

$ 0.46

9%



Weighted-average shares outstanding, diluted

11,587,268

11,678,560

(1%)





Financial Highlights

Gross revenues increased $1.4 million , or 9%, to $17.1 million .

, or 9%, to . OTC Link revenues increased $761 thousand , or 26%, with increased trading volumes across the U.S. equity market driving increases in transactional revenues on our OTC Link ECN and in revenues from messages on our OTC Link ATS.

, or 26%, with increased trading volumes across the U.S. equity market driving increases in transactional revenues on our OTC Link ECN and in revenues from messages on our OTC Link ATS. Market Data Licensing revenues grew $781 thousand , or 13%, with price increases for professional subscribers combined with growth in reported usage driving a 16% increase in related revenues. Growth in the number of users of our data file products, including our compliance data products, contributed to a 16% increase in related revenues. Price increases for broker-dealer enterprise licenses drove a 17% increase in related revenues.

, or 13%, with price increases for professional subscribers combined with growth in reported usage driving a 16% increase in related revenues. Growth in the number of users of our data file products, including our compliance data products, contributed to a 16% increase in related revenues. Price increases for broker-dealer enterprise licenses drove a 17% increase in related revenues. Corporate Services revenue decreased $113 thousand , or 2%, with revenues from our OTCQB market down 7% and revenues from our OTCQX market flat. On the OTCQB market, a drop in first quarter sales, combined with an uptick in voluntary non-renewal rates, contributed to contraction in the number of companies on the market.

, or 2%, with revenues from our OTCQB market down 7% and revenues from our OTCQX market flat. On the OTCQB market, a drop in first quarter sales, combined with an uptick in voluntary non-renewal rates, contributed to contraction in the number of companies on the market. Operating expenses increased $560 thousand , or 5%, primarily due to a $626 thousand , or 9%, increase in compensation and benefits costs, reflecting higher headcount, the impact of annual salary raises, an increase in incentive compensation accrued and increases in share based compensation expenses, partially offset by a drop in sales commissions.

, or 5%, primarily due to a , or 9%, increase in compensation and benefits costs, reflecting higher headcount, the impact of annual salary raises, an increase in incentive compensation accrued and increases in share based compensation expenses, partially offset by a drop in sales commissions. Net income increased 19% to $4.2 million , driven by an increase in operating income and a decrease in the company's effective tax rate for the quarter, from 19.8% to 11.9%, a result of the release in the current quarter of reserves established in relation to uncertain state tax liabilities.

, driven by an increase in operating income and a decrease in the company's effective tax rate for the quarter, from 19.8% to 11.9%, a result of the release in the current quarter of reserves established in relation to uncertain state tax liabilities. Adjusted EBITDA, which excludes non-cash stock-based compensation expense, increased 8%, to $5.9 million , or $0.50 per adjusted diluted share.

Business Developments and News

Considerable uncertainty still surrounds the likely trajectory of the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on the macroeconomic environment, and the full scope and extent of the potential impact to our business is dependent on a number of highly uncertain factors.

Our framework for managing through this challenging environment is grounded in four key principles: supporting our colleagues and prioritizing their safety and well-being; continuing to serve our subscribers and customers; ensuring that we take the measures necessary in the short-term to protect our current operations and remain financially strong; and remaining focused on the critical long-term strategic initiatives that position our business for future growth.

In early July 2020 , we permitted a very small number of employees to return to our offices on an entirely voluntary basis. We have implemented health and safety protocols at our offices, including ensuring reduced density is maintained, instituting temperature checks, and other policies. We have, and will continue to, evaluate the unfolding situation and plan to take a conservative and measured approach to returning to our offices that balances the health and safety of our colleagues, our operational effectiveness and our ability to serve our subscribers.

, we permitted a very small number of employees to return to our offices on an entirely voluntary basis. We have implemented health and safety protocols at our offices, including ensuring reduced density is maintained, instituting temperature checks, and other policies. We have, and will continue to, evaluate the unfolding situation and plan to take a conservative and measured approach to returning to our offices that balances the health and safety of our colleagues, our operational effectiveness and our ability to serve our subscribers. We have continued to operate our businesses remotely, including facilitating and supporting the trading of securities on our two ATSs. We continue to provide ongoing support to our broker-dealer community, to users of our market data and to the diverse community of U.S. and global issuers that we serve.

The COVID-19 pandemic did not materially adversely affect our financial results for the quarter ended June 30, 2020 , with strong growth in transaction based revenues in our OTC Link business and the impact of price increases and user growth in our Market Data Licensing business line, offsetting contraction in our Corporate Services business.

, with strong growth in transaction based revenues in our OTC Link business and the impact of price increases and user growth in our Market Data Licensing business line, offsetting contraction in our Corporate Services business. We expect that our financial results in future quarters are likely to be adversely impacted by the challenging macro-economic conditions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and related containment measures, perhaps materially so. Factors that could affect the scope and extent of the potential impact are discussed in more detail in the Risk Factors and Trends sections of our First Quarter Report.

and sections of our First Quarter Report. In March and April 2020 , we announced measures designed to provide temporary relief to issuers on our OTCQX and OTCQB markets from certain of our market standards and requirements through June 30, 2020 . We have continued to provide issuers on our OTCQB market with additional relief in the form of extended payment terms upon renewal.

, we announced measures designed to provide temporary relief to issuers on our OTCQX and OTCQB markets from certain of our market standards and requirements through . We have continued to provide issuers on our OTCQB market with additional relief in the form of extended payment terms upon renewal. In April 2020 , we announced that transfer agents in Canada are now participating in our Transfer Agent Verified Shares Program. As of August 1, 2020 , participating firms provide reliable and current share data on approximately 89% of the Canadian companies traded on our OTCQX and OTCQB markets. Participating transfer agents include Computershare Canada, AST Trust Company Canada and TSX Trust.

, we announced that transfer agents in are now participating in our Transfer Agent Verified Shares Program. As of , participating firms provide reliable and current share data on approximately 89% of the Canadian companies traded on our OTCQX and OTCQB markets. Participating transfer agents include Computershare Canada, AST Trust Company Canada and TSX Trust. In April 2020 , we introduced a "Hot Sector" designation assigned to companies engaged in activities connected to COVID-19. The new COVID-19 flag is included in our Compliance Analytics and Small Cap Listed Compliance Files.

, we introduced a "Hot Sector" designation assigned to companies engaged in activities connected to COVID-19. The new COVID-19 flag is included in our Compliance Analytics and Small Cap Listed Compliance Files. In April 2020 , we submitted our third comment letter in response to the SEC's Proposed Rule and Concept Release on Securities Exchange Act Rule 15c2-11, which governs the publication of quotes in interdealer quotation systems such as our OTC Link ATS. Our comment letter provides concrete solutions in line with recommendations in our prior comment letters. We continue to engage with the SEC regarding the Proposed Rule and its impact on our markets.

, we submitted our third comment letter in response to the SEC's Proposed Rule and Concept Release on Securities Exchange Act Rule 15c2-11, which governs the publication of quotes in interdealer quotation systems such as our OTC Link ATS. Our comment letter provides concrete solutions in line with recommendations in our prior comment letters. We continue to engage with the SEC regarding the Proposed Rule and its impact on our markets. In June and July 2020 , we submitted two comment letters on a proposal by the National Securities Clearing Corporation (NSCC), urging the SEC to disapprove the proposal and describing how an increase in the applicable clearing costs would disproportionately impact smaller broker-dealers and increase fees for investors seeking to settle and clear transactions in OTC securities as well as certain exchange traded securities.

, we submitted two comment letters on a proposal by the National Securities Clearing Corporation (NSCC), urging the SEC to disapprove the proposal and describing how an increase in the applicable clearing costs would disproportionately impact smaller broker-dealers and increase fees for investors seeking to settle and clear transactions in OTC securities as well as certain exchange traded securities. In June 2020 , we announced the introduction of "Risk Scoring" to our Small Cap Listed Compliance File. This enhancement provides users of this product with quantitative metrics to analyze the over 2,300 exchange listed securities with a market capitalization below $500 million .

, we announced the introduction of "Risk Scoring" to our Small Cap Listed Compliance File. This enhancement provides users of this product with quantitative metrics to analyze the over 2,300 exchange listed securities with a market capitalization below . In July 2020 , we made Bank Holding Company corporate data available on our website. This latest enhancement provides more robust financial data for the majority of the U.S. community banks traded on our markets.

, we made Bank Holding Company corporate data available on our website. This latest enhancement provides more robust financial data for the majority of the U.S. community banks traded on our markets. We have continued to devote internal resources to growing our Virtual Investor Conferences  business. Against the backdrop of restrictions on travel and a global business environment that continues to adopt online and virtual workflows, we see the VIC SM offering as an important tool for issuers to communicate and engage with their investor base. During the second quarter, we hosted eight Virtual Investor Conferences, with 101 companies participating, reaching more than 8,000 investors. Since the end of the reporting period we have hosted a further three events, including an OTCQB Venture Company event and have an additional seven events already scheduled through the rest of the year.

business. Against the backdrop of restrictions on travel and a global business environment that continues to adopt online and virtual workflows, we see the VIC offering as an important tool for issuers to communicate and engage with their investor base. During the second quarter, we hosted eight Virtual Investor Conferences, with 101 companies participating, reaching more than 8,000 investors. Since the end of the reporting period we have hosted a further three events, including an OTCQB Venture Company event and have an additional seven events already scheduled through the rest of the year. As of August 1, 2020 , the OTCQX market is exempt from state Blue Sky laws regarding secondary trading in 37 states and the OTCQB market is exempt in 33 states.

, the OTCQX market is exempt from state Blue Sky laws regarding secondary trading in 37 states and the OTCQB market is exempt in 33 states. As of August 1, 2020 , 44 subscribers use the company's compliance data products to enhance and automate their compliance processes in the OTC and the small-cap exchange listed space. Subscribers include many of the largest custodians, banks and broker-dealers in the US equities markets.

, 44 subscribers use the company's compliance data products to enhance and automate their compliance processes in the OTC and the small-cap exchange listed space. Subscribers include many of the largest custodians, banks and broker-dealers in the US equities markets. We have seen increased transactional volume on our OTC Link ECN, a result of the active market environment as well as continued growth in our subscriber base, with 65 subscribers connected to our ECN as of August 1, 2020 .

Dividend Declaration  Quarterly Cash Dividend

OTC Markets Group announced today that its Board of Directors authorized a quarterly cash dividend of $0.15 on its Class A common stock. The quarterly cash dividend is payable on September 25, 2020, to stockholders of record on September 11, 2020. The ex-dividend date is September 10, 2020.

Stock Buyback Program

The Company is authorized to purchase shares from time to time on the open market and through block trades, in compliance with applicable law. The Company did not repurchase any shares during the second quarter of 2020.

On March 4, 2020, the Board of Directors refreshed the Company's stock repurchase program, giving the Company authorization to repurchase up to 300,000 shares of the Company's Class A common stock. As of June 30, 2020, there are 300,000 shares remaining to be purchased under our plan.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

In addition to disclosing results prepared in accordance with GAAP, the Company also discloses certain non-GAAP results of operations, including adjusted EBITDA and adjusted diluted earnings per share that either exclude or include amounts that are described in the reconciliation table of GAAP to non-GAAP information provided at the end of this release. Non-GAAP financial measures do not replace and are not superior to the presentation of GAAP financial results, but are provided to improve overall understanding of the Company's current financial performance. Management believes that this non-GAAP information is useful to both management and investors regarding certain additional financial and business trends related to the operating results. Management uses this non-GAAP information, along with GAAP information, in evaluating its historical operating performance.

Second Quarter 2020 Conference Call

The Company will host a conference call and webcast on Thursday, August 13, 2020, at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time, during which management will discuss the financial results in further detail. The conference call and replay of the conference call may be accessed as follows:

Dial-in Numbers: 1-877-665-5564 (Domestic); 1-470-495-9522 (International); Conference ID: 9588469

Call Replay Dial-in Numbers (available until August 27, 2020): 1-855-859-2056 (Domestic);

1-404-537-3406 (International); Replay ID Number: 9588469

Participants can access the conference via webcast at the following link (replay available until August 12, 2021):

https://edge.media-server.com/mmc/p/ma5i2xso

The earnings release, transcript to the earnings call and presentation will also be available in the Investor Relations section of the corporate website at www.otcmarkets.com/investor-relations/overview.

About OTC Markets Group Inc.

OTC Markets Group Inc. (OTCQX: OTCM) operates the OTCQX Best Market, the OTCQB Venture Market and the Pink Open Market for 11,000 U.S. and global securities. Through OTC Link ATS and OTC Link ECN, we connect a diverse network of broker-dealers that provide liquidity and execution services. We enable investors to easily trade through the broker of their choice and empower companies to improve the quality of information available for investors.

To learn more about how we create better informed and more efficient financial markets, visit www.otcmarkets.com.

OTC Link ATS and OTC Link ECN are SEC regulated ATSs operated by OTC Link LLC, member FINRA/SIPC.

Subscribe to the OTC Markets RSS Feed

Investor Contact:

Bea Ordonez

Chief Financial Officer

Phone: 212-220-2215

Email: [email protected]

OTC MARKETS GROUP INC. CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME (in thousands, except share and per share information) (Unaudited)









Three Months Ended June 30,

2020

2019 OTC Link $ 3,659

$ 2,898 Market data licensing 6,858

6,077 Corporate services 6,582

6,695 Gross revenues 17,099

15,670 Redistribution fees and rebates (706)

(637) Net revenues 16,393

15,033 Transaction-based expenses (607)

(172) Revenues less transaction-based expenses 15,786

14,861 Operating expenses





Compensation and benefits 7,380

6,754 IT Infrastructure and information services 1,560

1,614 Professional and consulting fees 725

546 Marketing and advertising 167

242 Occupancy costs 534

605 Depreciation and amortization 415

380 General, administrative and other 213

293 Total operating expenses 10,994

10,434 Income from operations 4,792

4,427 Other income





Interest income 2

19 Other income, net 8

4 Income before provision for income taxes 4,802

4,450 Provision for income taxes 571

883 Net income $ 4,231

$ 3,567







Net income per share





Basic $ 0.36

$ 0.31 Diluted $ 0.36

$ 0.30







Basic weighted average shares outstanding 11,386,717

11,353,189 Diluted weighted average shares outstanding 11,587,268

11,678,560







Non-GAAP Reconciliation







Three Months Ended June 30,

2020

2019 Net Income $ 4,231

$ 3,567 Excluding:





Interest Income (2)

(19) Provision for income taxes 571

883 Depreciation and amortization 415

380 Stock-based compensation expense 718

660 Adjusted EBITDA $ 5,933

$ 5,471







Adjusted diluted earnings per share $ 0.50

$ 0.46







Note: We use non-GAAP financial measures of operating performance. Non-GAAP measures do not replace and are not superior to the presentation of our GAAP financial results, but are provided to improve overall understanding of the Company's current financial performance.

OTC MARKETS GROUP INC. CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (in thousands, except share information) (Unaudited)









June 30,

December 31,

2020

2019 Assets





Current assets





Cash $ 25,007

$ 28,217 Accounts receivable, net of allowance for doubtful accounts of $154 and $168 6,307

5,157 Prepaid income taxes 33

318 Prepaid expenses and other current assets 1,572

1,338 Total current assets 32,919

35,030 Property and equipment, net 5,716

6,418 Operating lease right-of-use assets 15,438

16,018 Deferred tax assets, net 273

771 Goodwill 251

251 Intangible assets, net 40

40 Long-term restricted cash 1,561

1,561 Other assets 467

266 Total Assets $ 56,665

$ 60,355







Liabilities and stockholders' equity





Current liabilities





Accounts payable $ 460

$ 321 Accrued expenses and other current liabilities 7,185

9,154 Income taxes payable 850

99 Deferred revenue 12,128

15,815 Total current liabilities 20,623

25,389 Income tax reserve 898

1,764 Operating lease liabilities 14,948

15,529 Total Liabilities 36,469

42,682 Commitments and contingencies





Stockholders' equity





Common stock - par value $0.01 per share





Class A - 14,000,000 authorized, 12,297,664 issued, 11,661,030 outstanding at





June 30, 2020; 12,189,022 issued, 11,655,326 outstanding at December 31, 2019 123

122 Additional paid-in capital 19,490

18,042 Retained earnings 12,700

8,106 Treasury stock - 636,634 shares at June 30, 2020 and 533,696 shares at December 31, 2019 (12,117)

(8,597) Total Stockholders' Equity 20,196

17,673 Total Liabilities and Stockholders' Equity $ 56,665

$ 60,355

SOURCE OTC Markets Group Inc.

Related Links

http://www.otcmarkets.com


(Natural News) New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is rejecting calls for an independent probe to be carried out into deaths of coronavirus patients in nursing homes across the state. He said that he believes the demands for the investigation are politically motivated.

The New York Department of Health reports that nearly 6,600 residents have died in the states nursing homes and adult facilities, although an analysis by the Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity believes the actual death toll could be 25 percent greater than the official tally.

At the heart of the controversy is an executive order signed by Cuomo on March 25 that essentially forced nursing homes to re-admit recovering coronavirus patients who were discharged from hospitals without testing them to make sure they were free of the virus.

Similar mandates were put in place in New Jersey, California and Massachusetts. The idea was to vacate hospital beds so that they would be available to sicker patients. However, those in the nursing home industry, along with workers and residents families, were furious about the mandate, especially in light of the fact that elderly people have a greater risk of contracting COVID-19.

The Executive Director of the Long-Term Care Community Coalition of New York, Richard Mollot, said the move put a lot of people in grave danger. He added: We know facilities have a lot of infection-control problems, we know that facilities have low staff, so what do you think was going to happen when the staff were further strained in caring for these patients?

The unpopular mandate was later reversed on May 10.

Calls for independent inquiry

A report released by the Cuomo administration found the policy was not at fault, citing spread by nursing home staff as the main factor. According to the Department of Health, 20,000 nursing home staffers were infected with the disease between late February and April. The report said that 80 percent of the states 310 nursing homes that took in coronavirus patients had already noted cases before the order.

However, some experts insist that an independent inquiry is needed to determine the cause of the deaths. Harvard Medical School Professor of Health Policy David Grabowski said that the policy probably did raise fatalities in the state, although he believes it may not be the main driver.

Cuomo said that youd have to be blind to think that the calls for further investigations arent political. He added: Just look at where it comes from, and look at the sources, and look at their political affiliations, and look at who wrote the letter in Congress, and look at what publications raise it and what media outward networks raise it.

Its worth noting, however, that state politicians on both sides of the aisle are calling for an investigation into the role of the executive order in the deaths. Representative Steve Scalise (R-La.), the head of the House Subcommittee on Coronavirus, wrote in a letter last month that the conclusion of the report was based on flawed methodology and expressed his disappointment that it placed the blame on nursing home workers.

Democrat State Assemblyman Ron Kim, meanwhile, said that having the health department investigating its own decisions is a conflict of interest. He called the notion of sending coronavirus patients from hospitals back into nursing homes ludicrous.

Any time thousands of people lose their lives, it is only natural for questions to arise about whether those deaths could have been prevented. It does not make a lot of sense to send people who had the virus back into nursing homes before they fully recovered and without testing them, even if New York was scrambling to find enough hospital beds to accommodate the huge influx of patients in the early days of the virus. With the huge emphasis being placed on wearing masks and social distancing to curb the spread of the disease, Cuomo shouldnt be surprised that so many questions are arising about the wisdom of his mandate.

Sources for this article include:

TheEpochTimes.com

Syracuse.com
The Israeli military said Wednesday it carried out overnight strikes on Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip after incendiary balloons were launched across the border from the Palestinian enclave.

The army said the strikes were "retaliation" for the launching of multiple balloons from the Hamas-run enclave in recent days.

Jets, attack helicopters and tanks struck a number of Hamas targets including "underground infrastructure and observation posts," a statement said.

Fire services in southern Israel said the balloons caused 60 fires on Tuesday alone but reported no casualties.

Explosives tied to balloons and kites first emerged as a weapon in Gaza during intense protests in 2018, when the makeshift devices drifted across the border daily, causing thousands of fires in Israeli farms and communities.

Israel has closed its Kerem Shalom goods crossing with the Gaza Strip in response to the recent balloon launches.

Hamas denounced the closure as an "aggressive" move that showed Israel's "insistence on laying siege" to Gaza, and warned it could cause further worsening of the humanitarian situation in the territory.

As the Kerem Shalom crossing closed, the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt opened Tuesday for the first time since April.

Traffic in both directions was to be permitted for three days, allowing Palestinians to leave the enclave for the first time since the start of the pandemic.

The Rafah crossing provides Gaza's sole access to the outside world not controlled by Israel.

The Palestinian territory has been under an Israeli blockade since 2007.

Hamas and Israel have fought three wars since 2008.

Despite a truce last year, backed by the UN, Egypt and Qatar, the two sides clash sporadically with rockets, mortar fire or incendiary balloons.

Palestinian analysts say cross-border fire from Gaza is often used as a bargaining tool to secure Israel's green light for the entry of Qatari financial aid into the territory.

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Scioto Biosciences, an Indianapolis, IN-based preclinical stage company, closed a strategic investment of up to $26.5M from Genome & Company and other investors to join in an upcoming tranche.

The deal gives Genome & Company, a microbiome company with headquarters in South Korea, a majority stake in Scioto and expands its presence into the US. Both companies have agreed to multilaterally cooperate on the research of new drug candidates.

The funding will continue to support clinical development of Sciotos lead drug candidate, SB-121, which targets disorders related to the gut-brain axis like Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) as well as disorders related to gut-injury such as Necrotizing Enterocolitis (NEC) which affects premature infants. SB-121 is built on Scioto Biosciences proprietary ABT (Activated Bacterial Therapeutics) Platform.

Led by Joe Trebley, CEO, Scioto Biosciences is primarily focused on developing new drugs targeting brain and bowel diseases, and has taken an exclusive global license of the ABT Platform which was invented by researchers at the Abigail Wexner Research Institute (AWRI) at the Nationwide Childrens Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. Through the deal, Genome & Company is adding a new clinical-stage drug candidate, SB-121, to its pipeline which will follow its leading clinical candidate GEN-001 (immune-oncology) which is currently undergoing clinical trials simultaneously in the US and Korea. Through Scioto Biosciences, Genome & Company expands its global presence, now including the US which will also support the company as a discovery center and facilitating communication with regulatory agencies such as the FDA for clinical studies.

FinSMEs

12/08/2020
A man walks past an advertisement for the WeChat social media platform, owned by China's Tencent, at Hong Kong International Airport on Aug. 21, 2017. (Richard A. Brooks/AFP/Getty Images

Trumps WeChat Ban a Warning Shot to Chinese Tech Firms: Expert

WeChat and TikTok will likely feel the brunt of more regulation after U.S. President Donald Trump signed off on two executive orders banning transactions with the Chinese-backed apps.

On Aug. 6, the president signed the two orders barring U.S. citizens and entities (government and businesses) from conducting commercial transactions with the parent companies of both apps, ByteDance and Tencent Holdings.

The bans will take effect 45 days from Aug. 6 and has already sent the share price of WeChats parent company Tencent on a downward trend.

Tencent is a major Shenzhen-based digital conglomerate with extensive ownership stakes in 480 different businesses and entities globally. It has stakes in well-known businesses including Epic Games, Activision Blizzard, Reddit, and Atomwise as well as Australian companies Afterpay, and Airwallex.

Game enthusiasts and industry personnel attend the Epic Games Fortnite E3 Tournament at the Banc of California Stadium on June 12, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

In recent times, Chinese-backed tech firms, including Tencent, Zoom, and Huawei, have come under increased scrutiny due to security and privacy concerns over their products.

These concerns stem from Beijings 2017 National Intelligence Law that compels China-based companies to share data with the regime if needed.

Michael Shoebridge of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute told The Epoch Times on Aug. 11 that the executive orders from Trump will heighten scrutiny around WeChat globally, but more importantly, is a sign that scepticism around Chinese-backed tech will continue to escalate.

This is a step on from the 5G debate, he said.

It may be the start of strategic competition coming to e-commerce, with a recognition by policymakers that the growth of particular digital platforms can provide a way for governments [such as Beijing] to obtain data and conduct cyber operations, he added.

Tencent booth at Sportel Asia Conference on March 15, 2016, in Singapore. (Sean Lee/Getty Images for Sportel)

The ubiquity of WeChats services and strong evidence of censorship on the platform, means the app remains a threat to national security:

WeChat is more than a social media messaging application, it is also a large e-commerce platform with reach not just in China, but into southeast Asia, and growing internationally, Shoebridge pointed out.

Chinese regulation of the platform and its operations inside China is strong, and it is hard to disentangle these operations from its global operations, he continued.

Matt Warren, professor of cybersecurity at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology told The Epoch Times on Aug. 11 that the ban would have a limited impact on WeChats current incarnation with most of its userbase located in Asia.

However, he believed it would impact any future plans of growing beyond their Chinese focus.

For example on June 29, the Indian government made headlines by outright banning 59 Chinese-backed apps from the country.

Members of the City Youth Organisation hold posters with the logos of Chinese apps in support of the Indian government for banning the wildly popular video-sharing Tik Tok app, in Hyderabad on June 30, 2020. (Noah Seelam/AFP via Getty Images)

The ban impacted 300 million Indian users who were using these Chinese apps including WeChat, Warren said noting that the ban effectively stymies WeChats ambitions in its largest overseas market.

It is likely that the United States will follow India with new regulations, and Australia will wait to see what happens before they take any action, he added.

Australia is estimated to have over three million individuals using WeChat, with 38 percent of users being non-Chinese language speakers.

The high proportion of non-Chinese speaking users is due to WeChat being a popular platform for local businesses to transact and market to Chinese customers and tourists.

For example, WeChat Pay is a service which allows individuals to make purchases by drawing funds from a bank account in China. Many Australian tourism operators or restauranteurs currently use the service to attract Chinese customers.

A group of Asian tourists arrive to have their photograph taken in front of the Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge, in this photo taken on May 8, 2012. (Greg Wood/AFP/GettyImages)

There are concerns the Trump administration will continue tightening regulation around Chinese apps, especially in light of the recent proposed ban on TikTok in the United States, and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeos clean network initiative.

A ban on WeChat would have ramifications for businesses and the Chinese-speaking diaspora, particularly if the Australian government decides to follow suit.

The banning of WeChat in Australia would have an impact on the estimated three million users of WeChat (more than TikTok with 1.6 million users) who use it to keep in contact with family and friends in China, Warren said.

Those users now have limited access to many western apps which are barred by the Chinese Fire Wall.
Why India investors should take a serious look at Andhra Pradeshs new industrial development policy.

The south eastern coastal Indian state of Andhra Pradesh rolled out its new Industrial Development Policy 2020-23 on August 10, which focuses on a sustainable model of growth, infrastructure development, and asset creation across 10 key sectors.

Key incentives are promised to micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and women entrepreneurs as well as firms generating local jobs.

The Industrial Development Policy 2020-23 aims to improve the ease of doing business and incentivize high-value addition industrial investments.

Another policy objective relates to skill development  about 70.9 percent of the Andhra Pradeshs population (in 2018) were in the working age. This is the second-highest working age cohort among Indias states.

Sectors promoted under Andhra Pradeshs Industrial Development Policy 2020-23

The Industrial Development Policy 2020-23 will promote the following thrust sectors:

Aerospace and defense;

Automobiles;

Electronics;

Food processing;

Footwear and leatherwear;

Machinery, precision equipment, and mineral-based industries;

Petrochemicals and allied industries;

Pharmaceuticals and biotechnology;

Textiles; and

Toys and furniture.

Important provisions under the policy

The new policy has promised it will extend customized incentives for mega projects and 10 thrust sectors.

Incentives for MSMEs, job creation

The industrial policy will facilitate plug and play units through ready-built, pre-cleared facilities at affordable rates, which will benefit MSMEs.

Other incentives for MSMEs include reimbursements of stamp duty and net state goods and service tax (SGST) for five years, INR 1/unit rebate on power consumption for a five-year period, and a 15 percent investment subsidy for up to INR 2 million (approx. US$26,758) along with a three percent interest subsidy for five years. The state could also reimburse a portion of land conversion charges for aspiring MSME entrepreneurs.

Net SGST reimbursement has been linked to the number of local jobs provided by the company in the case of medium, large, and projects. For companies employing 1,000 persons, a 50 percent net SGST can be reimbursed; 75 percent reimbursement is possible if the company employees between 1,000 and 2,000 persons, and a 100 percent reimbursement for employment above 2,000 persons.

Tailor-made incentives will be offered to megaprojects that create more than 2,000 jobs.

The state is also working on a digital platform to match company workforce requirements with locally available skilled labor. Late last year, Andhra Pradesh mandated industries based in the state to reserve 75 percent of their jobs for locals through the Andhra Pradesh Employment of Local Candidates in Industries/Factories Act, 2019 and the Andhra Pradesh Employment of Local Candidates in the Industries/Factories Rules, 2019.

Support for women entrepreneurs

Policy initiatives to boost women entrepreneurs belonging to scheduled caste, tribe backward caste, and minority communities include 100 percent reimbursement of stamp duty, 50 percent land rebate on land cost up to INR 2 million (approx. US$26,758) , 25 percent land conversion rate, etc. Further, SGST reimbursement, a power reimbursement of INR 1.25/unit, and subsidy of three percent on bank interest will also be offered for five years.

Skill development

Skill building in the state is envisaged through the establishment of 30 skill development centers and two skill development universities.

Ease of doing business reforms

Access to credit lines will be cleared up and a faster turnaround for investment proposals has been promised under the policy.

The policy could also replace the existing lease and buy options in the Andhra Pradesh Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (APIIC) land policy with a lease and buy model  companies pay a smaller amount upfront and have the option to buy the land after they complete 10 years of operations.

Finally, under the Industrial Development Policy 2020-23, the government of Andhra Pradesh is to set up YSR AP ONE, which will be a multifunctional business assistance center to provide end-to end handholding support and other services throughout the investment cycle; the center will enable investor outreach, market research, marketing and branding, sales support, incentive management, etc.

Industrial zoning and safety policy

A core objective of the Industrial Development Policy 2020-23 appears to be achieving a sustainable pattern of industrial development. The policy proposes a strategy of industrial zoning to establish a planned industrial development and thereby provide an investment-friendly environment.

What is the appeal of Andhra Pradesh for foreign investors?

Andhra Pradesh enjoys certain natural advantages, such as a long coastline, that makes it a competitive location to do business. While the state has a large agriculture sectors thanks to four major rivers, it has boasts of developed industrial, mining, and solar power sectors. Key areas include pharmaceuticals, automobiles, and textiles.

Sri City located in the Chittoor district is an integrated business city and is host to several multinational companies, including PepsiCo, Isuzu Motors, Cadbury India, Kelloggs, Colgate-Palmolive, and Kobelco. PepsiCo has set up its largest plant in India at Sri City. The state is also an important destination for the automobile industry: Ashok Leyland has set up operations in Krishna district, Hero Motors in Chittoor district, and Kia Motors in Anantapur district.

In terms of information technology and IT-enabled services, the state has developed its tier-2 and tier-3 cities like Vijayawada, Kakinada, and Tirupati.

Andhra Pradesh also has one of the countrys largest ports at Visakhapatnam in terms of cargo handling. Other important ports in the state are Krishnapatnam Port (Nellore), Gangavaram Port, and Kakinada Port. Gangavaram Port is a deep seaport that can accommodate ocean liners up to 200,000250,000 DWT. There are 14 notified non-major ports at Bheemunipatnam, S.Yanam, Machilipatnam, Nizampatnam, and Vadarevu.
Trump supporters will be working as hard as they can to ensure that the mighty coalition of women never gets off the ground. And when it does, they will spend the next three months doing everything in their power to tear it down.
ENOLA, Pa., Aug. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Post Acute Medical, LLC (PAM) announced today that it plans to construct a state-of-the-art, 42-bed inpatient rehabilitation hospital on a five-acre parcel of land on Curry Lane near Pinebrook Road, just off of I-75 in Venice, Florida.

Following necessary preparation of the land, PAM expects to break ground by the third quarter of 2021 and complete construction in 2022. When it opens, the hospital will be PAM's first inpatient rehabilitation hospital in Florida. PAM currently operates PAM Specialty Hospital of Sarasota, a long-term acute care hospital, at 6150 Edgelake Drive, Sarasota, approximately 20 minutes north of Venice.

"PAM is excited to bring comprehensive care for rehabilitation patients with complex conditions to the Venice community," says Anthony Misitano, Chairman and CEO. "Throughout all the communities we serve, we put the patient first and provide comprehensive, individualized treatment that fosters meaningful improvement and recovery for people with injuries, illnesses and disabilities."

Opening the inpatient rehabilitation hospital, which also will offer outpatient services, in close proximity to the specialty hospital is central to PAM's mission, according to Misitano.

"We are committed to being the most trusted source for post-acute services in every community we serve," he says. "By providing access to the full continuum of care, our patients achieve better outcomes and return home at a higher level of function."

PAM is collaborating on the new rehabilitation hospital with Catalyst Healthcare Real Estate, which is headquartered in Pensacola, Florida.

About Post Acute Medical, LLC

Post Acute Medical, LLC, (PAM) based in Enola, Pennsylvania, provides post-acute health care services through more than 40 long-term acute care hospitals and medical rehabilitation hospitals, as well as 18 outpatient physical therapy locations, in 12 states. PAM is committed to providing high-quality patient care and outstanding customer service, coupled with loyalty and dedication of highly trained staff, to be the most trusted source for post-acute services in every community it serves. Its mission is to serve people by providing compassionate, expert care and to support recovery through education and research. Learn more at www.postacutemedical.com.

SOURCE Post Acute Medical, LLC

Related Links

http://www.postacutemedical.com


Sixth in a Series (Part II)

In a campus atmosphere of many viewpoints, students easily become skeptical of theological truth as something beyond their reach; instead, considerations of professional status and ecumenical eligibility bulk large. Even if the diversity of faculty perspectives does not result in the systematic destruction of their faith, evangelical students still must struggle not to be drowned, because conservative scholarship on the Continent lacks dynamic centers for comprehensive propagation of its convictions.

Almost a century ago there was a great debate over whether evangelical isolationism rather than evangelical penetration would result from the participation of evangelicals in Free University, Amsterdam, the only Calvinistic university in the world. Today it is clear that in the seminaries at German universities no community of evangelical scholarship has arisen and that evangelical forces have been largely isolated from the ecumenical dialogue, which mainly reflects what is currently fashionable. While the traditional conservative scholars did not gain a large platform in Germany during the Barth-Bultmann era, it is noteworthy that Rengstorf, Michel, and Jeremias have been popular guest lecturers in Sweden. Discussion of demythology and of dialectical theology has been more marginal in Sweden than in Denmark, which has been aligned mainly on the Barthian side.

In the past century, as rationalistic liberalism began to pervade the seminaries, Bible institutes were established within the state church framework. Among these were Missionsbibelschule Liebenzell in the Black Forest, which now enrolls sixty students annually, and St. Chrischone near Basel, which has eighty students and became quite ...

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Wilmington, Del.

Joe Biden named California Sen. Kamala Harris as his running mate on Tuesday, making history by selecting the first Black woman to compete on a major party's presidential ticket and acknowledging the vital role Black voters will play in his bid to defeat President Donald Trump.

In choosing Harris, Biden is embracing a former rival from the Democratic primary who is familiar with the unique rigor of a national campaign. The 55-year-old first-term senator, who is also of South Asian descent, is one of the party's most prominent figures. She quickly became a top contender for the No. 2 spot after her own White House campaign ended.

She will appear with Biden for the first time as his running mate at an event Wednesday near his home in Wilmington, Delaware.

In announcing the pick, Biden called Harris a "fearless fighter for the little guy, and one of the country's finest public servants." She said Biden would "unify the American people" and "build an America that lives up to our ideals."

Harris joins Biden at a moment of unprecedented national crisis. The coronavirus pandemic has claimed the lives of more than 160,000 people in the U.S., far more than the toll experienced in other countries. Business closures and disruptions resulting from the pandemic have caused severe economic problems. Unrest, meanwhile, has emerged across the country as Americans protest racism and police brutality.

Trump's uneven handling of the crises has given Biden an opening, and he enters the fall campaign in strong position against the president. In adding Harris to the ticket, he can point to her relatively centrist record on issues such as health care and her background in law enforcement in the nation's largest state.

The president told reporters on Tuesday he was "a little surprised" that Biden picked Harris, pointing to their debate stage disputes during the primary. Trump, who has donated to her previous campaigns, argued she was "about the most liberal person in the U.S. Senate."

"I would have thought that Biden would have tried to stay away from that a little bit," he said.

Harris's record as California attorney general and district attorney in San Francisco was heavily scrutinized during the Democratic primary and turned away some liberals and younger Black voters who saw her as out of step on issues of racism in the legal system and police brutality. She declared herself a "progressive prosecutor" who backs law enforcement reforms.

Biden, who spent eight years as President Barack Obama's vice president, has spent months weighing who would fill that same role in his White House. He pledged in March to select a woman as his vice president, easing frustration among Democrats that the presidential race would center on two white men in their 70s.

Biden's search was expansive, including Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a leading progressive; Florida Rep. Val Demings, whose impeachment criticism of Trump won party plaudits; California Rep. Karen Bass, who leads the Congressional Black Caucus; former Obama national security adviser Susan Rice; and Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, whose passionate response to unrest in her city garnered national attention.

A woman has never served as president or vice president in the United States. Hillary Clinton was the Democratic presidential nominee in 2016. Two women have been nominated as running mates on major-party tickets: Democrat Geraldine Ferraro in 1984 and Republican Sarah Palin in 2008. Their parties lost in the general election.

The vice presidential pick carries increased significance this year. If elected, Biden would be 78 when inaugurated in January, the oldest man to ever assume the presidency. He's spoken of himself as a transitional figure and hasn't fully committed to seeking a second term in 2024.

Harris, born in 1964 to a Jamaican father and Indian mother, spent much of her formative years in Berkeley, California. She has often spoken of the deep bond she shared with her mother, whom she has called her biggest influence.

Harris won her first election in 2003 when she became San Francisco's district attorney. In that post, she created a reentry program for low-level drug offenders and cracked down on student truancy.

She was elected California's attorney general in 2010, the first woman and first Black person to hold that job.
NEW ORLEANS, Aug. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- As a follow up to previous successful real estate auctions conducted by the New Orleans Redevelopment Authority (NORA), the organization will be conducting its next online-only auction sale of 130 structures and vacant lots located throughout New Orleans. Properties are subject to a minimum bid price of $4,000 per property. Bidding for this online auction event will commence at 8:00 a.m. (CT) Tuesday, September 29, 2020 and conclude between 12:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, September 30, 2020. The auctioneer is Hilco Real Estate, LLC, in conjunction with licensed Louisiana broker and auctioneer Paul A. Lynn, CCIM.

"As with our previous auctions, we are continuing to receive hundreds of inquiries. We are excited to make available this next pool of properties through this online auction event," said Brenda Breaux, NORA's executive director. "During the previous auction events, savvy home buyers and investors were able to establish their own purchase price through the competitive bidding process. Buyers felt they were able to obtain properties in various neighborhoods throughout New Orleans at fair prices," stated Fernando Palacios, managing director at Hilco Real Estate.

The properties are being sold on an "as-is, where-is" basis. Winning bidders are required to complete rehabilitation or construction on the properties within 365 days from the date of closing and keep such properties code compliant immediately after closing through completion of the rehabilitation or construction. Bidders may use the property for green space if their property is directly adjacent to the property acquired at the auction. There are five structures that will be open before the auction for inspection on Friday, September 18, 2020. When inspecting the properties, prospective buyers should bring a flashlight and dress appropriately, anticipating a property that will not have any power and could be in poor physical condition.

Closing is required within 30 calendar days after the auction and financing will not be a contingency, so buyers will need to know they can close on their purchase within the required timeframe and have available pre-approval for their own personal financing. Buyers must obtain and maintain Flood Insurance for any structures, as a condition of closing. There will be a virtual Buyer's Seminar on Wednesday, September 16, 2020 with additional details to follow.

For more information about this NORA auction and to pre-register, please contact Fernando Palacios at (504) 233-0063 or visit www.hilcorealestate.com/NORA .

The terms and conditions set forth herein are for informational purposes only and shall not be deemed to be and are not intended to be a comprehensive or complete listing of the applicable terms and conditions. All potential buyers should read carefully the terms and conditions of the auction and sale set forth at www.hilcorealestate.com/NORA . The terms and conditions set forth at www.hilcorealestate.com/NORA shall govern and shall supersede any terms and conditions set forth herein.

About Hilco Real Estate:

Hilco Real Estate advises and executes strategies to help both healthy and distressed clients maximize the value of their real estate assets. HRE's extensive property valuation knowledge, lease renegotiation experience and innovative sales strategies are leveraged by substantial access to capital, a vast network of tenants/landlords and motivated buyers/sellers. Services include real estate lease repositioning and advisory solutions; extensive real estate disposition services through an expert brokerage team as well as high-performance accelerated property auctions-live, online, sealed bid; a sale/leaseback advisory practice with unique deal structuring; and, real estate investments including acquisition deals for vacant, value-add, or stable income-producing properties as well as joint venture transactions. Hilco Real Estate is part of Northbrook, Illinois based Hilco Global, the world's leading authority on maximizing the value of business assets by delivering valuation, monetization and advisory solutions to an international marketplace. Hilco Global operates more than twenty specialized business units offering services that include asset valuation and appraisal, retail and industrial inventory acquisition and disposition, real estate and strategic capital equity investments.

Follow Hilco Real Estate and Hilco Global on social media for the latest news & opportunities.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/hilco-real-estate

Twitter: https://twitter.com/hilcorealestate

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheHilcoOrganization

For media and Press:

Gary C. Epstein

EVP Chief Marketing Officer

Hilco Global

(847) 418-2712

SOURCE Hilco Real Estate
China and Nepal should firmly support each other's core interests and major concerns, a senior Chinese official said on Wednesday as the two countries held their annual diplomatic consultations.

The 13th round of diplomatic consultations between China's Vice Foreign Minister Luo Zhaohui and Nepal's Foreign Secretary Shanker Das Bairagi via video conferencing came amidst Beijing's deepening political and diplomatic influence in the Himalayan nation, including shoring-up support for pro-China Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli in the backdrop of intra-party feud in the ruling communist party.

Luo said that the two sides should focus on implementing the outcomes of last year's Nepal visit of President Xi Jinping, strengthening cooperation in fighting COVID-19 and jointly building the "One Belt One Road" initiative.

A pet project of Xi, the initiative focuses on improving connectivity and cooperation among Asian countries, Africa, China and Europe. The two sides should firmly support each other's core interests and major concerns, strengthen coordination in international and regional affairs, and promote greater development of bilateral relations in such areas as connectivity, development assistance, defence, law enforcement and security, and people-to-people and cultural exchanges, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

China's investments under its multibillion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) include the building of the Trans-Himalayan Multi-Dimensional Connectivity Network through Tibet.

China's high-profile projects include the construction of tunnels along the road from Jilong in Tibet to Kathmandu, establishment of a science and technology university in Nepal, development of the three North-South corridors in Nepal  Koshi, Gandaki and Karnali  and the Nepal-China electric power cooperation.

According to a recent article by Nepal's ambassador to China Mahendra Bahadur Pandey in Chinese official media, plans are afoot on some of the landmark projects in the areas of infrastructure, industry and education that were agreed to be initiated in Nepal during Xi's visit.

Last month for the first-time, China held its first foreign ministers level meeting with Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nepal during which they discussed cooperation to contain COVID-19, economic recovery and resumption of the BRI projects.

Bairagi said Nepal will continue to firmly adhere to the One-China' policy and support China's positions on issues concerning Taiwan, Tibet and Hong Kong, the statement added.
Chester Lee Hamilton, born in October of 1953 in Sugar Creek Missouri, passed away peacefully at his home in Grand Coulee, Washington on Tuesday, August 4, 2020.

Chester grew up in Buckner, Missouri, where he enjoyed his childhood on the farm with his brother, Chuck and parents Glenn and Delores. He went to college at University of Central Missouri where he achieved a bachelor's degree in Industrial Safety and made several life-long friends. After college he headed west and spent time in Colorado. Chester first moved to Washington in 1980 and made it his home for life. He worked many jobs but most recently was an independent contractor for Risk Management.

After meeting Lisa, the love of his life, in the year of 2001, he settled right into being a family man. In 2006 he became "Papa Chester." When his granddaughter, Madyson, needed someone to raise her, he stepped up to the plate without batting an eye. They were fishin' buddies, campin' buddies and best friends. He was the Papa all the grandkids needed and deserved. Chester never missed an opportunity to watch his grandchildren excel in sports, drama, singing and dancing.

Chester was a lifelong sportsman, never missing a chance to drop a line in the water or head up to Deer Camp. He had many wonderful memories at the family cabin at the Lake of the Ozarks and was able to be there with his parents before they passed away. Chester truly loved being out in nature. He called our home "God's Country". He always loved keeping in touch and meeting in Colorado with lifetime friends.

Survived by his loving wife Lisa Hamilton of Grand Coulee, Lisa's two children, Jennifer (Mark) Shelton and Daniel Voss, of Moses Lake, his bonus son, Dominic Bonomi of Cle Elum, his loving brother, Charles (Cynthia) Hamilton of Apple Valley, MN, his two endearing nieces: Charissa Dyer of Blue Springs, MO, Calie Hanuman of Brunsville, MN, and their families. Parents-in-law Kenny and Betty Kriete who loved him like a son. Too many lifetime friends to mention (he loved you all). His precious dogs Amy and Ginger truly lived up to "Man's Best Friend".

Most of all his beloved grandchildren: Madyson, Lily, Ava, Everett, Deryk, Devyn, Max, Hope, Liam, Hunter, Alex, and Kathryn. The Lights of His Life.

Chester was preceded in death by his parents, Glenn and Delores Hamilton of Apple Valley, MN.

Chester, Lisa and Madyson enjoyed a wonderful week in Long Beach, Washington, for a final family vacation in July. The sun shined and we were blessed. He proclaimed that vacation as his final decision to retire!

The family will be holding a small service in September and plan to have the grand party that Chester deserves next summer. Wear your favorite Hawaiian Shirt!

In lieu of flowers please donate to the Alzheimer's Association in his honor and in honor of his mother.

Strate Funeral Home, Grand Coulee assisting.

Please sign Chester's online Register book, http://www.stratefuneral.com
Two weeks ago, Colorado State Patrol troopers began clearing out nearly 200 residents from homeless encampments that surround the Colorado Capitol. The enforcement of city ordinances like camping bans, park curfews and obstructions of public passageways is lawful. But the increase in "tough love" and "quality of life" policing in cities around the U.S. undermine the sleeping patterns, physical safety, and mental health of people experiencing homelessness, according to a recent study from the University of Colorado Denver.

The study, done in collaboration with advocacy organization Denver Homeless Out Loud, was published in May in the Journal of Social Distress and Homelessness.

"These laws are enforced under the guise of 'tough love,' because municipalities want to push people into services," says Marisa Westbrook, doctoral student in health and behavioral sciences at CU Denver, who worked alongside Tony Robinson, PhD, associate professor of political science. "But we'd heard that this 'quality of life' policing is making sleeping on the street even more unhealthy, which is why we wanted to objectively document what those experiences looked like."

In surveys with 484 people experiencing homelessness across Denver, researchers found that 74% had been asked to "move along" by police. Forty-four percent had been ticketed or arrested after police contact for a 'quality of life' violation. These "move along" orders lead individuals to seek more hidden and isolated city locations to sleep--nearly a quarter sought out hidden river or creek beds, while another quarter chose to keep moving all night.

Without the well-lit areas of public parks or the security and resources of a group, reasons why people experiencing homelessness stay together, those who moved to avoid police contact were more than twice as likely to be physically assaulted and 39% more likely to be robbed than homeless persons who didn't move.

When police enforced camping or shelter bans, researchers found a 45% increase in the risk of weather-related health issues like frostbite, heatstroke, and dehydration.

Seventy percent report being woken often by police and 52% are constantly worried about police contact while sleeping. Those frequently woken by police sleep an average of two hours at a time and achieve less than four hours of sleep per night.

"You can imagine the impact on mental health," says Westbrook. "They're dealing with anxiety, stress, and depression, but staying in shelters is simply not an option for some people. During the pandemic, homeless shelters have had higher rates of coronavirus than outdoor encampments. Cities are clearing outside encampments, but there are not enough housing units or shelter resources for people to stay far enough apart at this time."

The situation will only get worse. Nearly 420,000 Coloradans risk evictions in the coming months, with the greatest increases beginning in August, according to the Bell Policy Center and COVID-19 Eviction Defense Project. In fact, with the eviction moratorium lifted and curbed unemployment benefits, almost 20 percent of the 110 million renters nationwide are looking at homelessness.

Across Colorado, there are only 26 affordable housing units available to every 100 very low-income households, according to National Low Income Housing Coalition. For Coloradans who make less than half of the median income, they've seen affordable housing choices decrease by 75% between 2010 and 2016--one of the steepest drops in the nation.

"A lot of folks are just hanging on month after month," says Westbrook. "They're hoping they won't be evicted or they're living out of their car. In 2019, Denver voters chose to maintain the camping ban, which is one of the cruelest things we could have done for the health and wellbeing of our community."

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PATNA: Bihar`s Director-General of Police (DGP) Gupteshwar Pandey on Wednesday said that Mumbai Police has not registered any case against any police officer from the state in connection with the ongoing investigation into Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajputs mystery-shrouded death.

The Bihar DGP took to Twitter and shared that he has been informed by the Mumbai Police Commissioner over the phone that no case has been lodged against any Bihar Police official in connection with their ongoing probe int the popular actors death.

DGP Pandey further said that the Mumbai Police chief told him that the reports about cases being filed against Bihar Police officials are nothing but rumours.

The Bihar DGP said that he had a very fruitful conversation with the Mumbai Police chief.

It may be noted that the Bihar DGP had earlier said that the states Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Bihar Police are being personally attacked in connection with actor Sushant Singh Rajput`s death case.

"We and Bihar Chief Minister are being attacked personally...cases are being registered against Bihar Police, IPS officer is being quarantined. This won`t lower the morale of the Bihar Police. I won`t stop, we just want justice for Sushant," Pandey had said earlier.

"Now the citizens also do not trust Mumbai Police so let CBI handle the case. What message are they conveying in the entire country?" he added.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has asked the Centre and the Maharashtra and Bihar governments, respondents in the petition filed by Rhea Chakraborty in connection with the Sushant Singh Rajput death case, to file a written note of all precedent judgments compiled before the court by August 13.

A single-judge bench of Justice Hrishikesh Roy, while hearing Rhea`s plea seeking to transfer the probe in the case registered against her in the matter from Patna to Mumbai, asked all parties to file a written note of all such precedent judgments by Thursday.

Former additional solicitor general Maninder Singh, appearing for the Bihar government, submitted that Bihar Chief Minister had not interfered in the case and added that the recommendation for a CBI probe was based on the advice of the concerned authorities.

Earlier, the top court had directed the Centre, Bihar and Maharashtra governments, Mumbai Police and the father of Sushant Singh Rajput to file their replies on actor Rhea Chakraborty`s plea in the matter.

The family of Sushant Singh Rajput has asserted that the actor was murdered, and alleged that they are getting threats as they continue their fight for justice.

The family has also criticised the ongoing campaign to slander their reputation, in a nine-page open letter. The letter, written in Hindi, comes after an editorial written by Shiv Sena`s Sanjay Raut in the party`s mouthpiece Saamna, where he questioned the relationship between the actor and his family.

The family said they were not even given time to mourn his death, with stories surfacing that he is mentally imbalanced, and photographs of his dead body going viral.

It termed the investigation by Mumbai Police as `only for optics`, saying that they only tried to implicate a "few rich privileged people". They also questioned why no steps were taken when the family approached them to take preventive action.

The family said that they are getting threats as a consequence of their fight for justice, and face everyday character assassination that blots the memory of Sushant.

It is to be noted that the Mumbai Police was earlier investigating Sushant's death case and also questioned several people, including his Rhea, family, friends, and a few Bollywood personalities. However, after the Patna FIR, the Bihar Police launched a parallel investigation. Later, after the Bihar government's recommendation, the CBI took over the probe.

Sushant was found dead at his apartment in Mumbai on June 14.

Meanwhile, the Enforcement Directorate has also recorded the statements of Rhea, her brother Showik, her father Indrajit, Sushant's Chartered Accountant Sandeep Sridhar, House Manager Samuel Miranda, flatmate Siddharth Pithani, Rhea's CA Ritesh Shah, and Sushant's sister Mitu Singh.
KV Navya By

Express News Service

CHENNAI: It has been four days since 32-year-old Victoriya Raj had anything to eat. Life has become hell for this single mother ever since she lost her telecaller job in a bank in April.

"I sent my daughter to my parents house and I have only been able to afford one proper meal every four days. Otherwise I have one tea or a bun per day. Since I am a single mother, people have realised my financial situation and are trying to take advantage by asking sexual favours. I am scared to even step out of my home," said Victoriya in a trembling voice.

The 32-year-old completed her BA in Economics and was working as an HR assistant before joining as telecaller in a private bank one year ago. Her husband abandoned the family when her daughter was two-years-old.

"My daughter is now in her seventh standard. She was attending her online classes but very recently, the school canceled her out saying she could only join if we pay for her books. I am now trying for some money to pay that amount so she can get back to her studies," she said.

Victoriya further added that she has been struggling to buy sanitary napkins for her daughter. "Being an educated woman, I know how harmful it is to use a cloth and how important sanitary napkins are. I have been requesting NGOs to send at least napkins for her if not rice and dal."

When asked why Victoria is not staying with her parents like her daughter, she said her sister is living in the house and she is scared nobody would marry her if a single mother lives in the same house.

Like most others, she is also unable to pay rent for her house and is being asked to move out. "Everyday has become uncertain and I'm just living for my daughter. I have tried in numerous places for a job and all people ask for is sexual favors. I have not even been able to mortgage a jewel because of this. Being a single mother is already very challenging and Covid made it all the more difficult," said Victoriya.
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Women talk to potential customers in the red light district of Angeles City, north of Manila, in a file photo.

Philippine police said Wednesday that they have arrested six Chinese nationals believed to be behind a criminal syndicate and rescued eight sex workers from China and Vietnam who were forced to work for them north of the capital Manila.

Police raided the Fontana Hotel and Villas inside the Clark Freeport Zone in Angeles City on Tuesday, rescuing the women and arresting the suspected members of the crime gang.

The raid was the latest operation by Philippine authorities in their bid to crack down on syndicates linked to mainland China.

They were arrested while in the act of maintaining and offering for prostitution the rescued women, the national polices Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) said in a statement. Seized during the rescue operation was marked money. The arrested persons, rescued women, and the confiscated evidence were brought to the CIDG office.

The suspects identified as Fu Yi Nei, 26; Luo Ying, 25; Hu Yu Lin, 30; Wang Ji Yi, 30; Lui Lin Feng, 34; and Qui Shi Kai, 30; face anti-trafficking charges, the CIDG said.

This was not the first time that Chinese syndicates were known to operate in Angeles. In June, police killed two Chinese nationals with alleged links to a kidnap gang that preyed on their compatriots.

Crackdowns

Across the nation, authorities have arrested and deported Chinese nationals following a series of raids on suspected syndicates involved in gambling and other illegal activities.

President Rodrigo Duterte has refused to ban the entry of Chinese nationals into the country despite requests from Beijing, where gambling is outlawed. The onslaught of the COVID-19 pandemic, however, had forced a stop to the mass migration.

Based on government data, about 200,000 Chinese nationals work in the country, mostly in the gaming industry.

In May, police said they apprehended as many as 90 Chinese nationals suspected of working for an illegal online casino in Metro Manila.

Two months earlier, the Senate carried out an investigation into the proliferation of undocumented Chinese workers in the country amid allegations that they were being used to carry out large-scale smuggling of foreign currencies. Working through a syndicate, the Chinese nationals allegedly bypassed immigration checks and were believed to have brought U.S. $167 million into the country in 2019.

In July 2017, Philippine police arrested 43 foreign suspects, mostly Chinese nationals, who allegedly were involved in the kidnap-for-ransom of a Singaporean woman who was rescued by authorities after she was abducted from a casino in Pasay City near Manila.

Reported by BenarNews, an RFA-affiliated online news service.
In this handout photo provided by Russian Direct Investment Fund, a new vaccine is on display at the Nikolai Gamaleya National Center of Epidemiology and Microbiology in Moscow, Russia (Alexander Zemlianichenko Jr/ Russian Direct Investment Fund via AP)

The announcement on Tuesday by Russian president Vladimir Putin that his country was the first to approve a coronavirus vaccine has been met by doubts about the science and safety.

But it also underscored how the competition to have the first vaccine is about international rivalries as well as science.

The first nation to develop a way to defeat the novel coronavirus will achieve a kind of moonshot victory and the global status that goes along with it.

That is valuable to Mr Putin, whose popularity at home has declined amid a stagnant economy and the ravages of the virus outbreak.

Expand Close Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the vaccine on Tuesday (Alexei Nikolsky, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP) / Facebook

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To be the first one out of the block with a coronavirus vaccine would be a real  pardon the pun  shot in the arm for the Kremlin, said Timothy Frye, a political science professor at Columbia University who specialises in post-Soviet politics.

Certainly, Russia is not alone in viewing a vaccine in this light.

China, where the virus first emerged, has also raced to make progress on a vaccine.

A state-owned Chinese company is boasting that its employees, including top executives, received experimental shots even before the government approved testing in people.

And president Donald Trump, whose handling of the coronavirus pandemic has put his political fate in grave jeopardy, is hoping to get credit for his governments aggressive push for a vaccine.

We should be grateful to those who have taken this first step, which is very important for our country and the whole world Vladimir Putin

It is far from clear at this point whether Mr Putin has beaten Mr Trump to this medical milestone.

Mr Putin said the Health Ministry gave its approval after the vaccine underwent the necessary tests and said one of his two adult daughters had been inoculated.

We should be grateful to those who have taken this first step, which is very important for our country and the whole world, he said.

No proof was offered and scientists in Russia warned that more testing would be necessary to prove it is safe and effective.

Nonetheless, officials said vaccination of doctors could start as early as this month and mass vaccination may begin as early as October.

Scientists around the world have been cautioning that even if vaccine candidates are proven to work, it will take even more time to tell how long the protection will last.

Its a too early stage to truly assess whether its going to be effective, whether its going to work or not, said Dr Michael Head, senior research fellow in global health at the University of Southampton.

Expand Close Cumulative cases of Covid-19 in the top four countries around the world (PA Graphics) / Facebook

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It was also too soon to dismiss the Russian claim out of hand.

The country, though economically dependent on the export of natural resources, does have a history of achievement in science, medicine and aerospace  including becoming the first to put a person into space, in 1961.

It is possible that they concentrated and could do this, said Daniel Fried, a retired senior US diplomat.

Im not scoffing at it, but it doesnt mean that the Russian economy is advanced.

A vaccine would be the kind of significant achievement that would elevate Mr Putin at home and in the international community.

It is also possible Russia had help.

The US, Britain and Canada last month accused hackers working for Russian intelligence of trying to steal information about a coronavirus vaccine from academic and pharmaceutical research institutions.
Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) speaks at a campaign rally for Joe Biden in March. Harris was picked Tuesday as Biden's running mate. Read more

Joe Biden on Tuesday named Kamala Harris as his running mate, making her the first woman of color on a major presidential ticket  and exciting many Democrats across Pennsylvania, who called the California senator a historic nominee who could inspire broad swaths of voters.

But some who had hoped for a more liberal candidate to balance Bidens relative centrism offered muted comments, focusing more on defeating President Donald Trump than on any enthusiasm for Harris.

Harris, whose father is from Jamaica and mother is from India, could be the first woman to serve as vice president. Her selection came after many Democrats urged Biden to pick a Black woman, arguing that the party needs a ticket that reflects its diversity and that of the country. Their imperative only grew in recent months as protests against systemic racism swept the country, drawing in people of all races.

Im so excited I can hardly talk, said Marian B. Tasco, a former member of Philadelphia City Council. For us to have an African American woman be a candidate for vice president, that is just so exciting for me, having worked so long in the political arena.

Tasco, a longtime leader of the Northwest Coalition political machine, is one of the most influential figures in Philadelphia politics and an expert on voter turnout. She said many Black women, including members of the national sororities Alpha Kappa Alpha and Delta Sigma Theta, will be energized to help the campaign. Harris joined AKA while at Howard University.

These women  the AKAs, the Deltas, and the other organizations  theyre so happy because they worked so hard to make a difference in this country for African American women and for Black families, Tasco said. And that is happening.

Rogette Harris, chair of the Dauphin County Democrats, said it was very important that Biden complete his ticket with a woman of color.

Number one, it was Black voters who pretty much gave him the nomination, and he did not ignore that, said Harris, referring to the South Carolina primary voters who helped revive Bidens candidacy in February. Its time that were not just seen, but were actually heard. And the only way to be heard is to be in positions of power.

Harris is also a groundbreaking pick for Asian Americans.

Kamala Harriss story is the story of a changing, inclusive America. At a time of rapid change, she ties all our national threads together, said a statement from Neil Makhija, a Philadelphia attorney who heads IMPACT, a political group that backs Indian American candidates. Harris represents the future and promise of this country. Her candidacy is historic and inspiring.

An estimated 1.3 million Indian Americans are expected to vote in this years election, including almost 200,000 in Pennsylvania, Makhija said.

Bidens choice had drawn outsize attention even for a normally significant political event. In part thats because of the stagnant nature of this presidential race, largely sidelined by the coronavirus. That left Bidens vice presidential pick as the last major decision he had to make before the campaigns homestretch. He had promised to select a woman, nodding to the partys disappointment after Hillary Clintons defeat in 2016  and the extent to which women have powered its political resurgence since.

But the choice carries added weight because of Bidens age, 77. If he wins, he would be the oldest president inaugurated to a first term. Even allies said he needed a vice president who appears capable of leading the country if he cant finish his term. And if Biden serves just one term, Harris, 55, would likely be the Democratic heir apparent in 2024.

At the end of the day, he picked what he viewed as the person who could take his place, said U.S. Rep. Dwight Evans of Philadelphia. I have full confidence in his judgment because he has been vice president, he knows what it means to be vice president.

Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey, a colleague of Harris and a onetime rival for the Democratic presidential nomination, said, This isnt the first time my friend and sister Kamala Harris has made history, and it wont be the last.

I cant wait to call her Madame Vice President, Booker added.

But some on the partys left wing were less celebratory. Harris has drawn criticism from liberals for her record as Californias attorney general  particularly as issues of race, policing, and criminal justice have come to the fore. Many of the partys most progressive voices had hoped Biden would choose Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D., Mass.) as an inspiring figure whose policy prescriptions, they argued, were needed during a period of economic devastation.

City Councilmember Kendra Brooks, who ran with the far-left Working Families Party last year and had endorsed Sen. Bernie Sanders, released a statement avoiding any mention of Harris.

Our movements are not dependent on whos in the White House  and we wont stop until working class Philadelphians thrive, Brooks said.

Another Sanders supporter, City Councilmember Helen Gym, said Bidens choice reflects these times.

We cant play games with this election, and we cant cry tears over the past, Gym said, so its time to move forward, and we have to do so understanding that there is a massive threat posed to all of us by Trump.

She said progressives should still feel hopeful about their movement at a grassroots level.

The Democratic Party is not just whos defined at the top, Gym said.

Trump and his campaign, meanwhile, foreshadowed the attacks theyll train on Harris after struggling to define Biden for months. Several statements labeled her Phony Kamala and prominently noted how she had sharply attacked Biden over his past stance on school busing during a Democratic primary debate last year.

Trump called her nasty, using the same phrase he hurled at Clinton in 2016.

She was very disrespectful to Joe Biden, and its hard to pick someone thats that disrespectful, Trump said at a White House news conference. He added that Harris was nasty toward Brett Kavanaugh during his contentious Supreme Court confirmation hearings.

Clearly, Phony Kamala will abandon her own morals, as well as try to bury her record as a prosecutor, in order to appease the anti-police extremists controlling the Democrat Party, the Trump campaign said in a statement.

Trump himself donated a total of $6,000 to Harris campaign for California attorney general in 2011 and 2013, according to the Sacramento Bee, while his daughter Ivanka gave her $2,000 in 2014.

Biden has a solid lead in Pennsylvania, according to public polling, and, with his Scranton roots and longtime ties to labor unions, has worked hard to win back the white working-class voters who abandoned the party to devastating effect in 2016. He already had huge support from Black voters.

But many strategists in the party argue that Democrats still need to stir excitement in cities like Philadelphia, Detroit, and Milwaukee  which serve as the partys foundations in key swing states.

Harris has struggled on the national stage, despite high expectations and a few standout moments. Her campaign folded in December, before the first votes were even cast.

She was still widely seen as the safest pick for a Biden campaign that already has a lead. She had more experience, as an attorney general and senator, than most of Bidens other options, and she had run for national office.

Some Pennsylvanians, while acknowledging that Warren would excite the left more, worried that she would make it easier for Trump to brand Democrats as radical  a charge that has so far failed to stick to Biden. Several Democrats noted Harris experience and predicted that the prosecutor would blister Vice President Mike Pence in their debate.

Cherelle L. Parker, the majority leader on City Council, said she was beaming with pride Tuesday.

Believe me, Parker said, there are little Black girls who are watching this and saying, Wow, I can be and do whatever I want in this nation, because now I have someone who is a reflection of me.
Wellington: New Zealand officials are investigating the possibility that its first COVID-19 cases in more than three months were infected by imported freight, as the country plunged back into lockdown on Wednesday.

The discovery of four infected family members in Auckland led Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to swiftly reimpose tight restrictions on movement in New Zealand's biggest city and travel limitations across the entire country.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced on Tuesday that authorities had found four cases of the coronavirus in one Auckland household from an unknown source. Credit:AP

Two members of the infected family had visited tourist sites in the town of Rotorua, about three hours' drive south of Auckland, while symptomatic, and a third had gone to work at a finance company in Auckland, also while symptomatic.

It is believed that four people who had contact with the family were considered likely cases. More than 200 people have been identified as contacts of the family and health officials were prepared to test tens of thousands of people in the coming days.
Regional

Manipur govt issues gag order on teachers of govt colleges

Correspondents IMPHAL, Aug 12 | Publish Date: 8/12/2020 1:21:17 PM IST

Teachers of government colleges in Manipur have been restricted from expressing their opinions against government policies and programmess.

An office memorandum issued by director Khumanthem Diana Devi of university and higher education of government of Manipur on Tuesday (August 10) imposed a restriction on government college teachers writing or expressing their views on government policies and programmes in the media.

Staffs working in the university and higher education department are also included in the restriction imposed under section 9 of CCC (CCA) Rules, 1965.

The memorandum observed that, on several instances, some government teachers have been writing or expressing their views on the government policies and programmes in the media.

It said that it is likely to promote defiance of authority or amounts to adverse criticism of the government of the government policies or programmes.

The memorandum informed government college teachers and other staff working under the department that due approval from the competent authority should be taken before publishing or making statements regarding any government policies or programmes in the media.

It warned that appropriate disciplinary action may be initiated against them as per the relevant provisions of CCC (CCA) Rules, 1965 in case they failed to comply.

The directorate reproduced section 9 of the Central Civil Services (Classification, Control and Appeal) Rules, 1965 in the memorandum.

The rule states, No government servant shall in (any radio broadcast, telecast through any electronic media) or any documents published in his own or anonymously, pseudonymously or in the name of any other person or in any communication to the press or in any public utterance, make any statement of fact or opinion:

(i) Which has the effect of an adverse criticism of any current policy or action of the Central government or a state government; provided that in the case of any government servant included in any category of government servant specified in the second provision to sub-rule (3) of Rule 1, nothing contained in this clause shall apply to bona fide expression of views by him as an office-bearer of a trade union or association of government servants for the purpose of safeguarding the condition of service of such government servants or for securing an improvement thereof; or

(ii) Which is capable of embarrassing the relations between the Central government and the government of any state; or

(iii) Which is capable of embarrassing the relations between the Central government and the government of any foreign state; provided that nothing in this rule shall apply to any statements made or views expressed by a government servant in his official capacity or in the due performance of the duties assigned to him;

Live discussion on government policies and programmes on local cable TV channels is a very popular programme in the state. In most of the programmes, teachers of government colleges and professors of university take part as experts.

Above all, many college teachers write articles on government policies and programmes in the local print media and in most of the cases, they pointed out flaws in policies and programmes.
Glen Wysk, 40, is wanted by police for allegedly stealing a car then carjacking another

Texas police are searching for a man accused of stealing a car, crashing into several others then hijacking a vehicle and holding a screwdriver to the 11-year-old passenger's throat while her grandfather drove.

Glen Wysk, 40, was named by Hempstead police as the suspected carjacker and kidnapper.

He took off on foot after the terrified grandfather dropped him off where he wanted.

The incident began around 10pm on Tuesday in Cypress, 30 miles north west of Houston, KHou reported.

An officer with Hempstead police spotted Wysk driving erratically, almost hitting several road workers on Highway 290.

The suspect also ignored the officer's traffic orders.

The deputy chased the suspect's vehicle, which was later confirmed to be stolen.

During the chase, deputies said Wysk hit another vehicle and continued to drive away.

Wysk then got out of the stolen car and jumped into another one, driven by a grandfather with his 11-year-old granddaughter as a passenger.

With the police having lost him, Wysk held a screwdriver at the girl's throat and ordered the grandfather to drive.

He got out the car near Hemwick Place in Cypress, then ran away.
NEW DELHI: Amid the prevailing border tension with China in Eastern Ladakh, two Light Combat Helicopters (LCH) developed by the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) have been deployed for operations at high altitude in Leh.

The two HAL choppers will support the Indian Air Force (IAF) in its high altitude missions.

HAL took to Twitter on Wednesday to share this information. HAL produced two Light Combat Helicopters (LCH) have been deployed for operations at high altitude (Leh sector) at short notice to support IAF missions, a tweet from its official handle said.

HAL produced two Light Combat Helicopters (LCH) have been deployed for operations at high altitude (Leh sector) at short notice to support IAF missions.@drajaykumar_ias @DefProdnIndia @SpokespersonMoD @PTI_News @gopalsutar pic.twitter.com/V3vLYVPFwR  HAL (@HALHQBLR) August 12, 2020

Meanwhile, R Madhavan, CMD, HAL, on Wednesday said, "It is the lightest attack helicopter in the world, designed and developed by HAL to meet the specific and unique requirements of the Indian Armed Forces, reflecting the crucial role of HAL in Atma Nirbhar Bharat."

The Vice Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Harjit Singh Arora took part in one such operation along with HAL test pilot, Wg Cdr (Retd), Subash P John recently by taking-off from high altitude location to a forward area for a simulated attack on a high altitude target.

This was followed by a landing at one of the most treacherous helipads in the region. The Light Combat Helicopters successfully demonstrated its quick deployment prowess to forward locations in extreme temperatures.

Light Combat Helicopters is a potent weapon platform because of its state-of-the-art systems and highly accurate weapons that are capable of hitting any type of target by day or night.

The other features of Light Combat Helicopters include its ability to operate in the complete `Area of Responsibility` (AOR) and altitudes. It has capability to carry adequate weapon load at high altitudes under varied conditions. All these characteristics make it most suitable for hot and high altitude operations.

The IAF and the Indian Army together need around 160 Light Combat Helicopters. The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) had approved the proposal for an initial batch of 15 Light Combat Helicopters. The IAF had issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) for 15 Limited Series Production (LSP) helicopters (10 for IAF and 5 for Army) and HAL had submitted its response.

Technical evaluation and the price negotiations have been concluded and HAL expects to deliver shortly. As a proactive measure HAL had already launched production of Limited Series Production in anticipation of the orders at its Bengaluru facility.
YEREVAN -- Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian is receiving criticism in his country for issuing "hasty" congratulations to Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka after the Central Election Commission (CEC) in Minsk announced he'd won a landslide reelection victory.

With widespread complaints of electoral fraud in Belarus, the preliminary official tally announced on August 10 by the CEC has spawned protests across Belarus that have been met by a harsh police crackdown.

Pashinian, in his message to Lukashenka on August 10, said he was confident that through our joint efforts we will continue to strengthen the friendship between our peoples, to expand mutually beneficial cooperation between our countries, both bilaterally and within the framework of international organizations and integration associations.

According to the CEC's preliminary official tally, Lukashenka won more than 80 percent of the vote, compared to less than 10 percent for his main rival, Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya.

Tsikhanouskaya, who drew tens of thousands of people to her campaign rallies, refused to recognize the CEC's results, saying that she considers herself the victor.

She has since left Belarus apparently under duress, with members of her campaign team saying she was forced out of the country by Belarusian law enforcement authorities after she visited the CEC headquarters in Minsk to file a formal complaint about the official vote count.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has condemned the violent crackdown against protesters in Belarus, calling on the Belarusian government to accurately count and publish the polls results.

In Yerevan, human rights activist Artur Sakunts said the Armenia prime minister's "hasty congratulatory message" to Lukashenka was "unacceptable" -- particularly from a leader like Pashinian who came to power as a result of widespread anti-government protests.

Sakunts, who heads the Vanadzor office of the Helsinki Citizens Assembly, drew parallels between current events in Belarus and Armenias postelection protests of 2008.

Armenia's former president, Robert Kocharian, is currently on trial in Yerevan over his alleged role in the deaths of 10 protesters during the 2008 crackdown against protesters by Armenian police.

In a message on Facebook, Sakunts wrote: How can a state whose prime minister congratulates dictator Lukashenka later prosecute Kocharian for the same? This is a complete anachronism of values and principles.... This is just absurd.

Sakunts said the leader of a democratic country should not send congratulatory messages to authoritarian dictators, at least until the final official results are published.

If he wants to show his attitude in any way, he should at least express his concern over the fact of human rights violations and call for the resolution of all issues within the framework of the rule of law, Sakunts said.

Opposition Bright Armenia party leader Edmon Marukian also says Pashinian was too quick to congratulate Lukashenka.

Marukian said he saw a conflict of values between the track record of Armenias current government and the prime ministers congratulatory message.

I would wait for the processes of disputing the election results by the opposition to go through at least internal instances and only then make a decision on that," Marukian said.

"In this regard, the prime minister took a hasty step, Marukian said. One protester already died [in Belarus in clashes with police]. More than 3,000 people have been detained. Opposition leaders are in jail, media leaders and journalists are in jail. And the prime minister is putting it all aside and hurrying to congratulate [Lukashenka].

Pashinian's spokesperson Mane Gevorkian refused to comment on the criticism but said she was aware of it.

Ruben Rubinian, a member of Pashinians My Step alliance and the head of the parliaments Foreign Relations Committee, dismissed the criticism.

Rubinian said he sees nothing unacceptable in Pashinian's congratulatory message to Lukashenka.

In general, international relations are different from domestic politics," Rubinian said. "International partnerships, relations between the heads of state, have a different level and have other components.

Armenia is a member of the Russian-led Eurasian Economic Union and Collective Security Treaty Organization, which both include Belarus.

Other leaders from those groups, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and Kazakhstans President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev, quickly sent congratulations to Lukashenka after preliminary official results were announced on August 10.

With reporting from Yerevan by Narine Ghalechian
ATLANTA - A suburban Atlanta school district temporarily stopped in-person instruction at a second of its six high schools on Wednesday, saying an increasing number of COVID-19 cases was forcing large numbers of Cherokee County students and teachers into quarantine.

Meanwhile, Georgias largest school district struggled to launch online learning for its 180,000 students, as parents complained that their students repeatedly tried and failed to log into Gwinnett Countys online system.

Cherokee County is the largest school district in Georgia thats currently offering face-to-face classes. But a rising number of infections is forcing large numbers of students and employees into quarantine. The district announced it would close Woodstock High School until Aug. 31, a day after it made the same announcement at Etowah High School. Each school has about 2,500 students.

As of this morning, the number of positive cases at the school had increased to a total of 14 with tests for another 15 student pending; and, as a result of the confirmed cases, 289 students and staff are under quarantine and, should the pending tests prove positive, the total would significantly increase, Cherokee County Superintendent Brian Hightower wrote in a message to parents.

Its unclear whether any students or employees were infected at school.

Statewide, Georgias seven-day average in deaths hit another new record, as officials continue to compile deaths from the COVID-19 spike that began in June. Total deaths rose to nearly 4,500 on Wednesday, with 67 deaths a day reported to the state on average in the past week. Some of those deaths occurred in July.

The total number of cases rose past 225,000, as close to 3,500 cases a day continue to be confirmed. The number of COVID-19 patients hospitalized continued to drift downward slowly. But critical care beds remain in short supply, with 87% filled statewide, and the number of people on a ventilator Wednesday rose to 1,272, the highest on record since the pandemic began. Not everyone in a critical care bed or on a ventilator is infected with the respiratory illness.

On Tuesday, Cherokee County listed at least 826 students had been quarantined but by Wednesday that number jumped to 1,156. With 37 staff members also on the quarantine list, there are almost 1,200 people isolating themselves to stop the spread of the virus, although its likely that many arent infected.

Cherokee County parent Miranda Wickert withdrew her two children to homeschool them this year in search of stability. She said the wave of quarantines are proving her fear correct that there would be waves of openings and closings.

I just dont know this is sustainable, she said. I dont know how this is equitable, this constant in and out of school.

The quarantines have affected more than 20 schools in the district. The district gave parents the option of sending their children to school or having them learn from home to start the year. Nearly a quarter chose to learn from home.

Etowah High School was among those that made headlines last week after a photo showed dozens of maskless students squeezed together for first-day-of-school senior photos.

Gwinnett County is among the large metro Atlanta districts that have chosen to offer virtual classes to all of its students at the beginning of the year. Like many schools nationwide this year, Gwinnett wants to offer much more real-time learning, instead of the work-at-your-own pace options that were the most common in the spring.

But technology troubles could make that difficult. A system test Monday had already produced widespread difficulties, when many students couldnt sign in. District officials pledged improvement, but Wednesday brought the same complaints.

Wednesday afternoon, the district asked parents to have students sign in as early as possible on future days, hoping to spread out the number of new users.

Although the district ran tests on its systems, we could not replicate having tens of thousands of students actually logging on at the same time, district spokesperson Bernard Watson said in a statement. Throughout the morning, our technology team worked diligently to identify the problems, take corrective action, and get more students online and into their digital classes faster. Ultimately, we succeeded in having approximately 150,000 users online and learning at 11 a.m. Our pledge is to do a better job tomorrow.

Individual schools also asked parents and students to keep trying, Some found no problems.

My kids were able to get logged in, they were fortunate, said Johnnie Dardar, whose 8th grade and 11th grade sons attend school in Dacula. He said they had struggled with the Monday test but things went off without a hitch on Wednesday.

___

Desiree Mathurin contributed to this report.

___

Follow APs pandemic coverage at http://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak
Addressing nearly 60 guests and representatives of the two countries businesses, Vietnamese Ambassador to Venezuela Le Viet Duyen said the Vietnamese Government and people always attach importance to enhancing the two countries friendship and cooperation, especially in the spheres both hold potential for.

Vietnam is ready to share its development experience with Venezuela, particularly amidst the COVID-19 pandemics serious impact on economy, society and food security around the world, he affirmed.

In terms of economy and trade, Venezuela is a potential destination for Vietnamese goods as it can help Vietnamese firms expand and diversify their markets, Duyen noted, adding that the countries now have opportunities to strengthen bilateral economic and trade ties, thus contributing to their comprehensive partnership.

Aside from trade, they also boast considerable potential for cooperation in such areas as energy, oil and gas, fisheries, consumer goods, healthcare, science  technology, and especially agriculture, according to him.

At the event, participating enterprises introduced their agro-forestry-fishery products, shared experience, and discussed business chances.

The South American nation holds huge potential for agricultural development, but this potential remains untapped. Its Government is ready to offer high-level incentives for Vietnamese investors in this sector.

Venezuela imports a large volume of food, including about 500,000 tonnes of rice each year, to serve domestic demand, the webinar heard.

Ambassador Duyen said this is a good chance for the two sides businesses to boost mutual understanding and seize trade opportunities, particularly in agriculture.
Sharad Pawar, the president of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), appears to be miffed with his grand-nephew Parth Pawar, the son of Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, as he described him immature.

The veteran politician was reacting to Parths demand for a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe in the death of actor Sushant Singh, who had died by suicide at his Bandra apartment on June 14.

His statement also sparked off speculations about differences within the Pawar clan, which had seen open revolt by Ajit and a few other NCP lawmakers last November.

They had got together with the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) and had hurriedly cobbled together a Maharashtra government that barely lasted for 80 hours, as most NCP legislators, who were loyal to the party chief, refused to side with the rebel faction.

I give no importance to what my grand-nephew says. He is immature. I have 100% trust in Maharashtra and Mumbai Police, Pawar told media persons at the YB Chavan Centre on Wednesday.

He, however, added that there is no reason to oppose the CBI investigation. But, if someone still wants a CBI probe, then there is no reason to oppose it, he said.

On July 27, Parth had met the state home minister, Anil Deshmukh, who is also from the NCP, and demanded a CBI investigation in the Rajput death case.

Parths demand was contrary to the stand taken by Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi coalition government, in which NCP is one of the partners along with the Shiv Sena and the Congress.

Earlier, the state government had handed over the probe to the Mumbai Police.

With the whole country, especially youth, seeking a proper investigation into the death of Sushant Singh Rajput, I urged Anil Deshmukh to take national emotions into consideration and initiate a CBI investigation, Parth had tweeted in which he had also tagged Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amir Shah.

Parth had contested last years Lok Sabha election from Maval constituency in Maharashtra against the wishes of the NCP chief.

However, he had lost the parliamentary election to a Shiv Sena-BJP candidate.

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BOCA RATON, Fla., Aug. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Even as older adults (ages 65+) generally face higher risk for severe illness and death from COVID-19, the pandemic is taking a much greater emotional toll on America's younger "Sandwich Generation," according to new research released today by MDVIP and Ipsos. The nationwide poll of Americans ages 35 and over found that six out of ten adults ages 35-49 are feeling more stressed, anxious and/or depressed during the COVID-19 pandemic (60% vs. 41% of adults 65+), and one in two say there have been times where they felt like they were losing their mind (49% vs. 15% of adults 65+).

Infographic: Nationwide survey from MDVIP shows how American adults across the generations are coping with stress, fears and other concerns due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Often caught in the middle of caring for both dependent children and aging parents, Americans in the so-called Sandwich Generation are experiencing more psychological distress due to the pandemic than older cohorts.

Nearly one in two adults ages 35-49 admit to developing unhealthy habits during the pandemic, such as overeating, drinking and not exercising (47%), compared to one in four adults 65+ (27%).

One in two adults ages 35-49 report that whenever they cough or have a headache, they worry that they have COVID-19 (49%), compared to 28% of those 65+.

Adults ages 35-49 are nearly twice as likely as the 65+ cohort to say they are not getting the recommended amount of sleep since the pandemic started (30% vs. 16%).

Delayed Medical Care

The MDVIP/Ipsos survey reveals other indicators of the pandemic's widespread impact on Americans, including how many struggled to receive, and in certain instances provide, medical care during the height of the crisis.

One in two Americans say they or someone in their household canceled/postponed an in-person doctor's appointment (48%); 10% say their doctor's office was closed when they tried to schedule an appointment.

Nearly one in four (23%) say they or someone in their household canceled/postponed an elective procedure/surgery (e.g. colonoscopy, knee surgery) or imaging test (e.g. X-ray, MRI, mammogram).

Only 14% received a personalized phone call or email from their doctor's office with COVID-19 information.

Nearly a third made a telehealth appointment to be treated by their doctor (30%).

Three out of four who identify as a caregiver to an adult family member/friend say the pandemic has made it more difficult for them to provide care (72%).

"Our latest research uncovers the many challenges and uncertainties that Americans are facing when it comes to their most familiar routines, from going to the supermarket to getting medical care when they need it," said Dr. Andrea Klemes, MDVIP Chief Medical Officer. "We're seeing a perfect storm of elevated stress levels, harmful lifestyle habits and disruptions in healthcare that has the potential to lead to more severe, long-term consequences. On the other hand, the pandemic is helping reinforce for many Americans the importance of maintaining a healthy routine and getting regular preventive care to not only mitigate their risk for COVID-19, but also to avoid other debilitating health conditions down the road."

Possible Silver Lining

One of the positive trends emerging from the pandemic is that Americans are taking stock of their own health.

Seven in ten adults say the pandemic has motivated them to get healthier (69%).

More than half say it's even more important now to get their body weight under control (52%), which is noteworthy given that obesity is a major risk factor for COVID-19 complications and mortality.

One in two say that getting an annual physical to stay on top of their health is now more important (49%).

When it comes to receiving health information about COVID-19, the survey shows Americans trust their primary care physician (91%) more than any other source. However, only 29% have actually turned to their doctor for information, with the majority saying they rely on local news media (51%) followed by national media (44%).

"As we've seen within our own network, primary care physicians have served many essential roles during the pandemic  as educator, counselor and a first line of defense," said MDVIP CEO Bret Jorgensen. "The MDVIP practice model enabled our doctors to be highly responsive, as they quickly pivoted to telehealth services to ensure patients continued receiving care at a time when many providers were scaling back or even temporarily shut down. Among the many lessons for Americans coming out of this pandemic is the value of having a primary care doctor who knows them and is available during a crisis."

About the MDVIP/Ipsos Survey

These are the findings from an Ipsos poll conducted July 9  14, 2020 on behalf of MDVIP. For the survey, a sample of 1,535 adults ages 35 and over from the continental U.S., Alaska and Hawaii was interviewed online, in English. The precision of Ipsos online polls is measured using a credibility interval. In this case, the poll has a credibility interval of 2.9 percentage points for all respondents.

About MDVIP

Based in Boca Raton, Florida, MDVIP leads the market in membership-based healthcare that goes far beyond concierge medicine services. With a national network of over 1,000 primary care physicians serving more than 340,000 patients, MDVIP is at the forefront of consumer-directed care. MDVIP-affiliated physicians limit the size of their practices, which affords them the time needed to provide patients with more individualized service and attention, including an annual, comprehensive preventive care program and customized wellness plan. Published research shows that the MDVIP primary care model identifies more patients at risk for cardiovascular disease, delivers more preventive health services, and saves the healthcare system millions of dollars through reduced hospitalizations and readmissions. In response to the growing consumer demand for a more personalized healthcare experience, hospital systems are incorporating the MDVIP model into their primary care offering. For more information, visit www.mdvip.com. Follow MDVIP on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

Media Contact:

Nancy Udell

MDVIP Media Relations

561.310.5455

[email protected]

SOURCE MDVIP

Related Links

http://www.mdvip.com


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In a written interview with Kyodo News, the former prime minister of Norway denounced US decisions to withdraw from the WHO and the Paris Agreement for tackling climate change, among other actions, with the pandemic testing international solidarity and responsibility.

TOKYOGro Harlem Brundtland, the former director general of the World Health Organization who oversaw the UN agencys response to the SARS crisis in 2002 and 2003, has criticized the United States for being counterproductive during the novel coronavirus pandemic and leading an assault on multilateralism.

Gro Harlem Brundtland, the former director general of the World Health Organization. / Photo courtesy of The Elders / Kyodo

Gro Harlem Brundtland, the former director general of the World Health Organization. / Photo courtesy of The Elders / Kyodo

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AUBURN, Calif., Aug. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- ClipperCreek, a leading manufacturer of residential and commercial electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE), just announced a 40 Amp dual electric vehicle (EV) charging station, available with either hardwired or plug-in options. The HCS-D50 is a 40 Amp level 2 station, installed onto a single dedicated 50A circuit, and can charge two vehicles simultaneously. The HCS-D50 automatically splits power between two vehicles based on the vehicles' requests for power, with up to 20 Amps of electricity each when both are charging and up to 40 Amps when one vehicle is charging. The HCS-D50 comes with ClipperCreek's best value features including 25 foot charging cables, a rugged, fully sealed NEMA 4 enclosure and ClipperCreek's best in class 3-year warranty and outstanding customer support. The HCS-D50 starts at $1,479 from ClipperCreek.

The HCS-D50 comes ready for wall mount installation and easily replaces an existing HCS-40P or HCS-50, allowing customers to avoid costly service upgrades and making it the perfect addition to ClipperCreek's Trade-UP! program." The Trade-UP! program allows prior ClipperCreek station owners to swap out their original stations with a dual charging station at a significant discount. The HCS-D50 automatically splits power between two vehicles based on the vehicles' requests for power, with up to 20 Amps of electricity each when both are charging and up to 40 Amps when one vehicle is charging. The HCS-D50 comes with ClipperCreek's best value features including 25 foot charging cables, a rugged, fully sealed NEMA 4 enclosure and ClipperCreek's best in class 3-year warranty and outstanding customer support.

"We launched the 32 Amp dual station several months ago and immediately began getting requests for a 40 Amp dual station," said Amanda Lance, Inside Sales Manager for ClipperCreek. "The HCS-D50 comes ready for wall mount installation and easily replaces an existing HCS-40P or HCS-50, allowing customers to avoid costly service upgrades and making it the perfect addition to ClipperCreek's Trade-UP! program." The Trade-UP! program allows prior ClipperCreek station owners to swap out their original stations with a dual charging station at a significant discount. The TradeUP! program is also available to commercial customers. More information can be found at: www.clippercreek.com/trade-up

"The HCS-D50 is an outstanding value for our residential and commercial customers. We often hear about customers who got by with Level 1 charging with their first plug-in electric vehicle, but now have two or three EVs and the dual station is perfect in that situation," said Jason France, owner and founder of ClipperCreek. "Commercial customers are looking to add more charging spots without increasing costs to upgrade electrical infrastructure. Because these stations are installed on a 50 AMP circuit and split power, they are very economical to businesses who want to offer more charging to their customers and employees."

Features of the HCS-D50 dual charging station include:

9.6kW of power to charge two electric vehicles quickly

40 Amp output station that installs onto a single dedicated 50A circuit

Hardwired or plug-in options available (NEMA 6-50 or NEMA 14-50 plug)

Charges two vehicles simultaneously, automatically splitting power with up to 20 Amps of electricity each when both are charging and up to 40 Amps when one vehicle is charging

Fully sealed, weatherproof NEMA 4 station enclosure for indoor or outdoor installation

Operating temperatures: -22F to 122F (-30C to 50C)

Integrated cable wrap making storing the cables simple and convenient

Includes two 25 foot charging cables for installation flexibility and superior vehicle reach

Includes two SAE-J1772 universal connectors, suitable for charging any electric vehicle in the US

Connectors accommodate a specially sized padlock for security (padlocks included)

Two SAE-J1772 connector holsters included

3-year warranty and support from the outstanding ClipperCreek customer service team

Optional Cable Cradle offered for flexible cable management for just $19

No assembly required

Made in America

Stations eligible for Trade-UP! include:

HCS-40

HCS-40R

HCS-40P

HCS-40PR

HCS-50

HCS-50P

The HCS-D50 is available for purchase immediately at ClipperCreek.com or by calling the ClipperCreek customer service center 877-694-4194. For more information about the Trade-UP! Program, including full terms and conditions please visit clippercreek.com/trade-up.

The ClipperCreek HCS-D50 Dual charging station qualifies for several popular rebate and incentive programs including Sacramento Municipal Utility District's (SMUD) Drive Electric and Save program, SRP Workplace Charging Rebate, Los Angeles Department of Water & Power (LADWP) Charge Up LA! program, and the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District Charge Up! program. For additional incentives in other areas please visit: https://www.clippercreek.com/evse-rebates-and-tax-credits-by-state/.

About ClipperCreek: Founded in 2006 by Jason France, ClipperCreek is a worldwide leader in Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE), and globally recognized for setting new standards in product design and performance. The company offers a wide range of products designed to be the safest, most reliable, and grid-ready EV charging stations on the market. ClipperCreek advances the plug-in vehicle market and broadens the acceptance of the most exciting vehicle revolution in a century. The industry pioneers at ClipperCreek build more than 26 years of real world EV charging expertise into every EVSE they manufacture. All ClipperCreek products are Made in America. For more information, dial (877) 694-4194 or visit www.clippercreek.com. Connect with ClipperCreek on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

Media Contact

Suzanne Guinn

530-537-2563

[email protected]

SOURCE ClipperCreek, Inc.

Related Links

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In our case, we prepared for a short list of four people internally, Ms. Lowenstein said of the 2016 Clinton effort. We printed four versions of signs. Our design team did four versions of the logo. We did four videos. We did four of everything.

After the announcement, the political battle to define the new pick begins nearly instantaneously online. Indeed, the Trump team was ready with a polished attack ad against Ms. Harris, labeling her as a member of the radical left. The Biden campaign sent out a lengthy fund-raising email from Mr. Biden, explaining in personal terms why he had selected Ms. Harris and calling her smart, tough, and ready to lead.

You have to focus on what are the three things you want someone to know about this person, said Ms. Lowenstein, who said that for Senator Tim Kaine, Mrs. Clintons choice, it had been his commitment to middle-class families, his Spanish skills and his history of service. We had this concrete list of things, because the public isnt going to absorb 20 facts about this guy, she said.

Finally, there is the transfer of digital assets. Most vice-presidential contenders will have their own websites, their own social media handles, their own email lists. These now must all be handed over to the campaign, for at least the remainder of the race, so it can leverage the running mates network.

How can fast are you going to get that to be a donate page for the campaign; how fast can you get them branded assets? Ms. Lowenstein said. Is there anything up there that needs to be not up there? And often these vice-presidential candidates have really small teams  they dont have a huge digital army that can switch a website and domain in five minutes. You have to get on the phone with people and get them to hand you keys really quickly.

Within minutes of todays announcement, kamalaharris.com redirected to joebiden.com.
An impromptu memorial for Dr. Walter Reynolds, who died after he was attacked in an examination room rests outside the Village Mall walk-in clinic in Red Deer, Alta., Aug. 11, 2020. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh)

I Dont Remember: Man Accused of Killing Alberta Doctor Makes Court Appearance

RED DEER, Alta.A man accused of killing a family doctor at a walk-in clinic in central Alberta appeared confused at his first court appearance Wednesday, telling a judge that he doesnt remember and is sick.

Deng Mabiour of Red Deer, Alta., is charged with first-degree murder in Mondays death of 45-year-old Dr. Walter Reynolds, as well as other offences.

The 54-year-old appeared via a video link but wasnt able to tell the judge if he understood the charges laid against him.

Listen to me. I dont remember anything because Im sick. I want a doctor, Mabiour, with a heavy accent, told provincial court Judge Bert Skinner.

Im telling you I didnt remember anything because I am sick.

Skinner ordered the duty counsel to speak with Mabiour by phone. The charges were then read a second time.

Did you understand the charges? asked the judge.

No, I didnt understand, Mabiour replied. Because I am sick. I lost memory. Listen to me, I dont remember. I want a doctor.

Mabiour continued talking as the judge and lawyers spoke.

Skinner said a first-degree murder charge that goes to trial is automatically put before a jury.

The case was put over to Sept. 9.

RCMP have said the attack was not random and the two men knew each other through the clinic. They have not said if Mabiour was a patient, citing confidentiality.

Officers received a 911 call reporting an assault in progress at the Village Mall Walk-in Clinic just after 11 a.m. Monday. Mounties arrived within minutes.

One witness told media that she heard cries for help and a man in the clinic had a hammer and a machete.

Mabiour was arrested at the scene. Reynolds was rushed to hospital, where he died.

In 27 years of policing, Ive never seen a doctor attacked like that, RCMP Supt. Gerald Grobmeier said at a news conference Tuesday.

Dr. Peter Bouch works at a different Red Deer clinic but said that both he and Reynolds had moved to Canada from South Africa. He said the death is a shock to many in the medical community.

A vigil for Reynolds has been planned for Friday night at city hall.

By Bill Graveland
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 12)  Philippine officials look forward to signing a confidentiality agreement with Moscow-based Gamaleya Institute before starting the Phase 3 clinical trials of the Russia-made coronavirus vaccine in the country.

Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Undersecretary Rowena Guevarra said that during a meeting today with representatives of Gamaleya Institute, it was found out that Sputnik-V vaccine has completed Phase 1 of the clinical trials and are almost done with Phase 2.

Guevarra explained that a confidentiality agreement between the Philippines and Gamelya Institute is needed so that the local vaccine panel can validate the results of the Russian manufacturers Phase 1 and 2 clinical trials.

After the vaccine panel has reviewed it, they can get a permit from the Philippine FDA (Food and Drug Administration) to do a clinical trial Phase 3 in the Philippines, she told CNN Philippines Rico Hizon on Wednesday night.

The DOST undersecretary added that the department is hoping to sign the confidentiality deal with Gamaleya by end of August, so the Phase 3 clinical trials of Sputnik-V can start in the fourth quarter of the year or by first quarter of 2021.

Officials from the DOST's Philippine Council for Health Research and Development met with Moscow-based Gamaleya Institute on Wednesday afternoon to discuss details on the procedure and scope of the research should Philippines decide to participate in the Phase 3 clinical trial of the Russian made vaccine.

Russia has approved and registered a vaccine for COVID-19, but it has yet to start with the essential Phase 3  the final stage before approval. This stage is critical as this is the part where thousands of patients have to be vaccinated to test its safety and efficacy.

Despite safety concerns, DOST-PCHRD Executive Director Dr. Jaime Montoya said it is beneficial for the Philippines to join the trial.

"May interes sila na gawin ang ilang clinical trials dito sa Philippines. The fact na tayo ay gumagawa ng Phase 3, that's already part of the safety measure... Mas maganda kung tayo ay magpa-participate sa Phase 3 trial dahil at least meron tayong experience o karanasan sa bakunang ito bago ito gamitin sa maramihan. We would actually know how Filipinos would respond to the said vaccine," he told CNN Philippines.

[Translation: They are interested to hold clinical trials here. The fact that we are conducting Phase 3, that is already part of the safety measure... It's better for us to participate in the Phase 3 because we will have the experience before this vaccine is carried out to the masses. We will know how Filipinos will respond.]

The vaccine experts panel from DOST and the Food and Drug Administration will assess and decide if they will allow the clinical trial to proceed in the country. They will also ask for copies of Russia's research protocol as there is only "limited information made available" to the public, Montoya said.

Although the vaccine was already validated by the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, the Department of Health said it still has to undergo regulatory procedures in the Philippines should the country decide to use it especially since there are a lot of questions on its safety and efficacy.

"Pagaaralan natin ang dossier nila. Makikita natin ang allegations kung talagang di ba dumaan sa Phase 1, Phase 2. Ano ba ang findings during these different phases sa trial," Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said.

[Translation: We will study their dossier, where we will find if the allegations it did not go through Phases 1 and 2 are true. We will find out their findings in these different phases.]

The Philippines' FDA said it will only approve the use of vaccines if it has been tested on a large group of patients and it has proven to be safe and effective in building a patient's immunity against the virus.

Related: Philippines studies 'accelerated' approval of Russia's coronavirus vaccine

President Rodrigo Duterte has accepted Russia's offer to provide their vaccines for Filipinos, even volunteering himself a the first one to be "experimented" on. But his spokesman later said the vaccine has to first undergo FDA approval.

Kirill Dmitriev, the CEO of the fund that bankrolled the development of the Russia vaccine, told CNN International that the Sputnik-V will be available to other countries around November. He said the vaccine will initially be provided to their frontliners and high-risk groups before Russia conducts its mass vaccination in October.

Meanwhile, another clinical trial for the anti-flu drug from Japan that can potentially cure COVID-19 is slated to start in the Philippines starting next week. The clinical trial on Avigan will start on August 17 and last for nine months.

The Department of Health said the 100 COVID-19 patients who will be part of the trial will come from Philippine General Hospital, Sta. Ana Hospital, Dr. Jose N. Rodriguez Memorial Hospital, and Quirino Memorial Medical Center

Related: PH to start Avigan clinical trial on August 17
Eight of 23 samples returned over 41 gold grains with pristine grains accounting for 78% to 99%.

One sample returned 457 gold grains per 10kg fraction with 95% of the grains being pristine.

KINGSTON, ON / ACCESSWIRE / August 12, 2020 / Delta Resources Limited ("Delta" or "The Company") (TSXV:DLTA) (OTC PINK:GOLHF)(Frankfurt:6G01) is pleased to announce results from a till sampling orientation survey at the Delta-1 Property, 50 kilometres west of Thunder Bay, Ontario.

Gold grains were recovered from every till sample of the survey with eight samples returning between 41 and 457 gold grains (on a normalized 10kg fraction-size sample). With pristine grains accounting for 78% to 99% of the total gold grains. The pristine character of the gold grains indicates that there has been very little transport and hence these samples are interpreted to be proximal to a bedrock source for the gold.

Andre Tessier, President and CEO commented as follows:

"These are exceptional till results considering the limited number of samples collected, suggesting a very proximal and rich bedrock source. Even more interesting, the glacial trend from this survey coupled with our 2019 drill campaign (approximately 1000 metres in 6 holes) point to the same source for gold mineralization. Delta will be returning to the Delta-1 property in September to follow up and to initiate a property-scale till survey."

The survey was carried-out to determine the effectiveness of till sampling to indicate bedrock sources of gold mineralization at the Delta-1 Project. A total of only 23 till samples were collected in the eastern part of the property to cover an area surrounding the Kasper, Matawin, and Eureka gold occurrences.

Till sample "G" was instrumental in determining the effectiveness of the method as it was collected 35 metres down-ice from the Kasper gold occurrence and was found to contain 209 gold grains /10kg with 99% of the grains being pristine.

Story continues

Sample A-10, for which the bedrock source is not known, returned 457 gold grains /10kg with 95% of the grains being pristine (see attached photo). Sample A-10, is located at the apex of a dispersion glacial trail (illustrated on the attached map) that points to a 700m long target area along a fault zone trending 080 azimuth located approximately 200m northwest of Delta's 2019 drill program which intersected up to 0.73 g/t gold over 22.0m in a broad zone of altered rocks grading 0.20 g/t gold over 137m (see Delta press release February 26, 2020). .

The complete table of results is as follows (see also the attached map):

Sample Total Grains Recovered Grain Morphology % Pristine

Grains Grains / 10kg

fraction < 1mm Pristine Modified Reshaped Till-A 18 13 3 2 72% 11.54 Till-B 6 4 2 0 67% 5.65 Till-C 10 3 5 2 30% 5.96 Till-D 4 1 3 0 25% 3.95 Till-E 8 5 3 0 63% 4.01 Till-F 19 11 5 3 58% 9.32 Till-G 223 221 2 0 99% 209.30 Till-H 4 2 1 1 50% 3.48 A1 6 2 3 1 33% 4.74 A2 44 37 7 0 84% 36.11 A3 40 36 4 0 90% 23.80 A4 73 64 8 1 88% 45.72 A5 43 36 6 1 84% 26.61 A6 46 45 1 0 98% 41.08 A7 11 9 1 1 82% 7.50 A8 38 33 4 1 87% 32.36 A9 116 100 15 1 86% 76.67 A10 418 397 21 0 95% 457.02 A11 12 12 0 0 100% 13.59 A12 7 5 2 0 71% 8.09 A13 58 45 10 3 78% 50.26 A14 107 105 1 1 98% 97.12 A15 115 98 16 1 85% 116.88

Geology map of the eastern part of the Delta-1 property showing the dispersion trail of high gold grain counts leading to a fault zone that is subsidiary to the Shebandowan Shear Zone..

SEM backscatter image Photo of gold grains from sample A-10 showing the pristine morphology of the grains.

The Delta-1 property is located in the Shebandowan Greenstone Belt and covers a 17km strike extent of the Shebandowan Structural Zone which also hosts the low-grade - high-tonnage Moss Lake gold deposit (Wesdome; WDO:TSX), 50 km to the west.

Sampling and Analytical Protocol

Till Sample Sites were selected based on availability of material and ease of access. Sample acquisition was facilitated by Excavator acquiring the most effective till horizon at or near bedrock interface (down-ice basal lodgement horizon of the oldest till deposit). Sample size varied between 11.6 and 22.5 kg. Samples were collected in new plastic pails, sealed, and shipped for analysis.

Till samples were analyzed by IOS Services Geoscientifiques of Chicoutimi, Quebec using the fully automated scanning electron microscope counting protocol Advanced Recovery Technology for Gold (ARTGold), an exclusive technology for the recovery of gold grains in till. ARTPhot procedure includes sieving (<1mm), concentration with fluidized bed, manual sorting for gold grain >50 microns, automated optical sorting for 20-50 micron and SEM validation of the grains.

All gold grains were extracted from the till samples, confirmed with a chemical analysis of each grain, their sizes were measured and each grain was classified by image analysis as "pristine", "modified" or "reshaped" to estimate the distance the gold grains were transported from their original bedrock source with pristine grains being the closest from the bedrock source.

QA/QC of the gold grain analysis is performed on 10% of the samples by reanalyzing fluidized rejects of the samples.

Qualified Person

Andre C. Tessier, P.Eng and P.Geo. President and CEO of Delta Resources Limited is a Qualified Persons as defined by NI-43-101 and is responsible for the technical information presented in this press release. Mr. Tessier has reviewed the drill core and the analytical results described herein.

About Delta Resources Limited

Delta Resources Limited is a Canadian mineral exploration company focused on growing shareholder value through the acquisition of high-potential gold and base-metal projects in Canada, exploring these projects with state-of-the-art methods, and potentially developing these projects into mines.

Delta is currently exploring its Eureka Gold Discovery in the Thunder Bay area (Delta-1) and its Delta-2 Gold-Polymetallic Property in the Chibougamau Mining District of Quebec.

Delta also owns a 100% interest in the Bellechasse-Timmins gold deposit in southeastern Quebec. On July 3rd, 2020, Delta announced the sale of the Bellechasse-Timmins project.

The Company continues to focus on building upon its strong portfolio of mineral exploration properties with a high potential for economic discoveries in Canada.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DELTA RESOURCES LIMITED.

Andre C. Tessier

President, CEO and Director

www.deltaresources.ca

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. The TSX Venture Exchange has not approved nor disapproved of the information contained herein.

For Further Information:

Delta Resources Limited

Frank Candido, Chairman, VP Corporate Communications

Tel : 514-969-5530

fcandido@deltaresources.ca

or

Andre Tessier, CEO and President

Tel: 613-328-1581

atessier@deltaresources.ca

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Information

Some statements contained in this news release are "forward looking information" within the meaning of Canadian securities laws. Forward looking information includes, but is not limited to, statements regarding: the samples may be proximal to a rich bedrock source for the gold; the possibility of the same source for gold mineralization; and the initiation of a property-scale till survey in September. Generally, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates", "believes" or variations of such words and phrases (including negative or grammatical variations) or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved" or the negative connotation thereof. Investors are cautioned that forward-looking information is inherently uncertain and involves risks, assumptions and uncertainties that could cause actual facts to differ materially. There can be no assurance that future developments affecting the Company will be those anticipated by management. The forward-looking information contained in this press release constitutes management's current estimates, as of the date of this press release, with respect to the matters covered thereby. We expect that these estimates will change as new information is received. While we may elect to update these estimates at any time, we do not undertake to update any estimate at any particular time or in response to any particular event.

SOURCE: Delta Resources Limited





View source version on accesswire.com:

https://www.accesswire.com/601275/Delta-Reports-High-Gold-Grain-Count-in-Till-Sample-at-Delta-1-Thunder-Bay-Ontario




Copyright  2020 Albuquerque Journal

SANTA FE  A statue of a Catholic priest, author and historian that stands outside the Museum of New Mexico and some of the walls of the museum in downtown Santa Fe were spray-painted with graffiti in an apparent act of defiance by Native American activists.

New Mexico State Police say they responded to a report of criminal damage to property at the museum Tuesday morning. The words Land Back and 1680 were painted on the adobe walls and doors of the museum. Red paint was also used to deface the statue of Fray Angelico Chavez, which stands outside the museums history library and photo archives named for him.

Its unclear when the vandalism took place, but it closely coincides with the 340th anniversary of the Pueblo Revolt on Monday.

The graffiti were removed by a state crew Tuesday morning.

It is the third monument in downtown Santa Fe desecrated in the past three months. In June, someone spray-painted Stolen Land on an obelisk dedicated to frontiersman Kit Carson outside the federal courthouse. Days later, another obelisk, the Soldiers Monument, at the center of the citys historic plaza, was defiled with the same message and 1680.

Plywood barriers now protect the obelisks.

No arrests have been made in any of the incidents.

The obelisks were vandalized around the same time statues of Spanish conquistador Juan de Onate in Albuquerque and Alcalde were removed under threat of being toppled by activists. At that time, Santa Fe Mayor Alan Webber issued an emergency proclamation that called for the removal of a statue of Diego de Vargas  who led the resettlement of northern New Mexico 12 years after the Pueblo Revolt chased the Spanish from the region  from Cathedral Park to protect it from possible vandalism.

The incidents occurred as statues of Confederate generals, Christopher Columbus and other historical figures who were slave owners or participated in the repression of minorities across the country were being torn down by protesters after the George Floyd killing by Minneapolis police.

Chavez, who died in 1996, spent much of his life ministering to people on pueblos in New Mexico.

Chavez developed theories about the origins of the Pueblo Revolt that some consider revisionist history.

An article by Melina Vizcaino-Aleman published on UNMs Digital Repository says that Chavezs Pueblo Revolt theory should be read as a sign of the friars political unconscious, and not necessarily as historical truth.

Editors Note: This story has been updated to include additional information from New Mexico State Police.
SECAUCUS, N.J., Aug. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE: DGX), the world's leading provider of diagnostic information services, today released its Annual Environmental, Social & Governance Report for 2019.

The report features business updates from 2019 and early 2020 as well as programs and partnerships that demonstrate the company's commitment to positively impacting its patients, clients, employees and the communities in which it operates.

"We are proud of what we have accomplished, and our impact on empowering better health," said Cecilia McKenney, Senior Vice President, Chief Human Resources Officer for Quest Diagnostics. "The report is brought to life every day by our 47,000 employees who help us promote a healthier world, create an inspiring workplace, and build value for our company."

The report features key achievements from 2019 and spotlights the company's role in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. These include:

Expanded reach to help even more consumers take informed actions for better health

Partnered with nonprofits to improve access to care in bold new ways

Donated money and research to close healthcare gaps

Took additional steps to reduce our environmental footprint

Invested in employees' health and career development

Received recognition for our diverse and inclusive workforce

Stepped up in a national health crisis to develop and implement COVID-19 testing

Click here to view the report on the Quest Diagnostics corporate website.

About Quest Diagnostics

Quest Diagnostics empowers people to take action to improve health outcomes. Derived from the world's largest database of clinical lab results, our diagnostic insights reveal new avenues to identify and treat disease, inspire healthy behaviors and improve health care management. Quest annually serves one in three adult Americans and half the physicians and hospitals in the United States, and our 47,000 employees understand that, in the right hands and with the right context, our diagnostic insights can inspire actions that transform lives. www.QuestDiagnostics.com .

SOURCE Quest Diagnostics

Related Links

http://www.questdiagnostics.com


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Linkedin Ardila Syakriah (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, August 12, 2020

Documenting 75 years of resilience is a series of special reports by The Jakarta Post to celebrate Indonesias Independence Day on Aug. 17, 1945.

From the Dutch colonial era policy of primarily covering civil servants and military personnel to present-day national coverage, Indonesias public health insurance and welfare program has reached some 221 million of its 271 million population, nearly 75 years after independence.

Said to be the world's largest single-payer national health insurance by targeted coverage, the National Health Insurance (JKN) was launched in 2014 a decade after the government adopted the program under the 2004 law on the national social security system (SJSN).

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Kamala Harris created history on Saturday as she became the first woman, the first black American and the first Asian American Vice President-elect of America.

Interestingly with Joe Biden, 77, winning a thriller of an election, much of the spotlight is on his running mate, Harris, who will immediately be in a strong position to run for President four years from now.

 Reuters

Biden is not expected to seek a second term so Kamala Harris, 56, would be an obvious candidate for the Democratic nomination in 2024.



When Biden announced this year that Senator Kamala Harris would be running as his Vice President for elections, her Indian roots left the desi community in a state of jubilation.

I have the great honor to announce that Ive picked @KamalaHarris  a fearless fighter for the little guy, and one of the countrys finest public servants  as my running mate.  Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) August 11, 2020

Who is Kamala Harris?

Harris is the first-ever black woman and the first Asian-American woman to be selected as the vice-presidential nominee of a major party in the US.

 Kamala Harris Campaign

Born in Oakland, California, Harris' mother is a Tamilian and her father is Jamaican.



She has always been vocal about her Indian roots which also includes her frequent visits to Chennai when she was young to spend summers with her grandfather who was a civil servant in the Indian government.

Heres what we know about the first woman Vice President of the USA:

1. Kamala Harris, 55, is the daughter of Indian and Jamaican immigrants. Her mother Shyamala Gopalan, was born in Chennai and immigrated to the US for a doctoral programme at UC Berkeley. Thats where she met Donald Harris, a Jamaican who was studying economics.

 Sharada Balachandran Orihuela

Like former US President Barack Obama, even Harris could easily connect across multiple identities as she comes from a mixed-race heritage.



Ive known Senator @KamalaHarris for a long time. She is more than prepared for the job. Shes spent her career defending our Constitution and fighting for folks who need a fair shake. This is a good day for our country. Now lets go win this thing. pic.twitter.com/duJhFhWp6g  Barack Obama (@BarackObama) August 11, 2020

2. Kamala has a sister, Maya Harris, who is also a political activist and has worked in the Hillary Clinton presidential campaign.

 Kamala Harris

The Harris sisters were brought up mostly by their mother as their parents divorced when Kamala was just seven years old. Their mother passed away in 2009.



3. Harris is the first South Asian-American woman and second Black woman in history to serve in the US Senate, reports CNBC. She is only the fourth woman in US history to be chosen for one of the presidential tickets.

.@JoeBiden can unify the American people because he's spent his life fighting for us. And as president, he'll build an America that lives up to our ideals.



I'm honored to join him as our party's nominee for Vice President, and do what it takes to make him our Commander-in-Chief.  Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) August 11, 2020

4. Elected to the Senate in 2016, Harris was the first black woman in the chamber in more than a decade.

 Reuters

During her relatively brief time as Californias junior senator, she has become known for her intensive interrogations of Trump administration officials and nominees, including Brett Kavanaugh during his Supreme Court confirmation hearing and Attorney General Jeff Sessions during a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing.



5. Interestingly, the decision to pick Harris as his running mate is a huge one for Joe Biden as he aims to build a broad coalition of voters to oust Donald Trump from the White House.

 Reuters

"I have the great honor to announce that I've picked @KamalaHarris -- a fearless fighter for the little guy, and one of the country's finest public servants -- as my running mate," Joe Biden, 77, said on Twitter.



6. My mother was very proud of her Indian heritage and taught us, me and my sister Maya, to share in the pride about our culture. We used to go back to India every couple of years. One of the most influential people in my life, in addition to my mother, was my grandfather P.V. Gopalan, who actually held a post in India that was like the secretary of state position in this country. My grandfather was one of the original Independence fighters in India, and some of my fondest memories from childhood were walking along the beach with him after he retired and lived in Besant Nagar, in what was then called Madras, Harris said in her interview with CNN.

 Kamala Harris Campaign

Taking to Twitter shortly after the announcement, Harris said she was "honored" to join Biden as nominee for vice president, and would "do what it takes to make him our Commander-in-Chief."



.@JoeBiden can unify the American people because he's spent his life fighting for us. And as president, he'll build an America that lives up to our ideals.



I'm honored to join him as our party's nominee for Vice President, and do what it takes to make him our Commander-in-Chief.  Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) August 11, 2020

Harris is married to attorney Douglas Emhoff, who has also accompanied her on the campaign trail. Their two children refer to her as "Momala."

 Instagtam

Douglas Emhoff also scripted history as he will be the first Second Gentleman - the first male spouse of a vice president in the US when she takes the oath of office in January.


New Zealanders on Wednesday scrambled to stock up on essentials as the countrys biggest city prepared to go into lockdown again.

This is following new cases of the coronavirus that ended a 102-day record run without any new infections.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced overnight that she was shutting down Auckland after four new cases of COVID-19 were discovered in the city from the same family.

The new discoveries were in spite of the closure of international borders against foreigners, and returning New Zealanders put in mandatory quarantine.

The government has said the source of the new infections was unknown so far.

Long queues were reported outside supermarkets in Auckland and across other parts of the country, as people raced to stock up on food and other essential items before the new restrictions took effect from noon.

New Zealands biggest city will move back into alert level-3 lockdown, which would mean people should stay away from work and school.

Gatherings of more than 10 people would again be restricted.

The restrictions will be in effect for three days, until Friday.

The rest of New Zealand will move into level 2, meaning social distancing measures would be applied and mass gatherings would be limited to 100 people.

Health Minister, Chris Hipkins, told Radio New Zealand on Wednesday that the government was considering making mask-wearing mandatory for Aucklanders.

New Zealands successful fight against COVID-19 was hailed globally and the Pacific island nation of five million was seen as one of the safest places, as the pandemic raged globally.

It marked 100 days without a domestic transmission of the coronavirus on Sunday but warned against complacency as countries like Vietnam and Australia, which once had the virus under control, now battle resurgences.

Calls have grown to postpone the national election scheduled for September 19 as political parties suspended campaigns due to the new restrictions.

Its going to be very difficult to have an election in mid-September when we are now mid-August, opposition National Party leader, Judith Collins, told Newshub.

Ardern, who is seen winning comfortably, according to opinion polls, has said she has not yet considered the impact of the new restrictions on the polls.

(Reuters/NAN)
Former Pakistan prime minister Nawaz Sharif's daughter Maryam is among over 300 Opposition PML-N leaders and workers who were booked by Lahore police on Wednesday for hooliganism and attacking law enforcement officers.

About 58 workers of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) were arrested and sent to jail for 14 days by a sessions court of Lahore.

Maryam, her husband Capt (Retired) Mohammad Safdar, and 35 lawmakers and senators of the Opposition party are among over 300 leaders and workers booked under different sections of the Pakistan Penal Code.

Violence erupted outside the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) office in Lahore on Tuesday as heavy police contingents and workers of the PML-N confronted each other shortly after the arrival of Maryam there to record her statement in a land acquisition case.

Several PML-N workers, cops and NAB officials suffered injuries during the clash. The anti-graft watchdog had summoned Maryam to record a statement in the investigation into the illegal acquisition of 3,500-kanal of land in Raiwind by her, her father, uncle Shahbaz Sharif and grandmother Shamim Akhtar.

The PML-N leader and workers were booked on the NAB complaint. In its statement on the incident, NAB said Maryam had been summoned in a "personal capacity" to record her statement but instead of appearing, "she displayed hooliganism in an organised manner through PML-N workers by pelting stones and creating disorder".

"Such an attitude has been seen against a constitutional and national institution for the first time in 20 years in which not only windows of the building were broken by throwing stones but employees were also injured," the Dawn quoted the statement as saying.

Later, the accountability bureau filed an application for registering a case against Maryam and other senior party leaders at the Chuhang Police Station.

PML-N information secretary Marriyum Aurangzeb said the Chuhang police were not entertaining their complaint regarding registration of an FIR against Prime Minister Imran Khan, NAB chairman Javed Iqbal, Prime Minister's adviser Shahzad Akbar and the Punjab government for "making an attempt on the life of Maryam Nawaz" by attacking her car.

She said the police attacked the PML-N workers at the behest of those named in the application.

"We will move the Lahore High Court (LHC) for the registration of FIR if the police do not file it. Had I not been in a bullet-proof car there could have been a loss of life. There was an organised conspiracy behind calling me to the NAB office. They wanted to cause harm to me," Maryam said.

She also posted the video of her damaged car on her Twitter account on Wednesday, saying it was attacked from all sides.

Punjab Law Minister Raja Basharat claimed that PML-N party workers threw stones to put pressure on the anti-graft watchdog, adding that it was not "appropriate" for Maryam to say that she was the one who was targeted when video footage showed the opposite.

"Action will be taken against those who can be identified through video footage," the minister told Geo News.

Pakistan Peoples Party Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari took to Twitter to denounce the incident. "Condemn the unnecessary use of force, teargas and stone-pelting on Maryam Nawaz and her party workers by police in Lahore today," he tweeted.

Earlier this month, NAB had issued a call notice to Maryam asking her to appear before a combined investigation team on August 11 and bring details of 1,400 kanals she allegedly acquired in Raiwind in 2013 in violation of rules/law.

"Provide details of the use of the land, whether it is being used for agriculture cultivation or for any other commercial activity," NAB said.
Billy Calzada, Staff / San Antonio Express-News

Three Texas soldiers  two stationed at Fort Hood and another at Fort Sam Houston were among the nine men arrested Saturday in a child prostitution sting, the Killeen Police Department said.

Spc. Anthony Xavier Antwon, 25, and Pfc. Timmy Jones Jr., 30, both stationed at Fort Hood, were arrested on suspicion of felony prostitution under the age of 18. Staff Sgt. Pierre Jean, 32, was arrested on suspicion of a misdemeanor prostitution charge. Jean is stationed at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, according to media reports.
Public health officials across the world now agree that wearing a face covering in public is crucial to slowing the spread of the virus. In the United States, many localities that initially resisted imposing mask mandates changed course after virus cases started to soar over the summer, and now require them.

But Sheriff Woods, a Republican who was elected in 2016 and participated in a phone call between law enforcement and President Trump on Tuesday, was not swayed by the scientific consensus.

We can debate and argue all day of why and why not, he wrote. The fact is, the amount of professionals that give the reason why we should, I can find the exact same amount of professionals that say why we shouldnt.

Marion County, a Central Florida county that is home to about 365,000 people, has not been hit as hard as some other places in the state, but has had 6,798 cases and 104 deaths since the start of the pandemic. The county added about 176 new cases and four new deaths per day, on average, in the seven days ending Tuesday.
WASHINGTON - The Latest on Tuesdays elections (all times local):

10:25 p.m.

Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota has survived a stiff Democratic primary challenge from a well-funded opponent who tried to make an issue of her national celebrity.

Omar defeated Antone Melton-Meaux, an attorney and mediator who raised millions of dollars. The victory means Omar is nearly certain to easily win a second term in November in her solidly liberal 5th Congressional District.

Omar in 2018 became one of the first two Muslim women elected to Congress, building on a national profile that started when the onetime refugee from Somalia was elected to the Minnesota Legislature just two years earlier.

Her aggressive advocacy on liberal issues, and her eagerness to take on Donald Trump, made her even more prominent. She is known as one of the four squad members of progressive first-term congresswomen of colour.

___

9:45 p.m.

Marjorie Taylor Greene has won the Republican nomination for Georgias 14th Congressional District.

Shes a businesswoman who has expressed support for the far-right conspiracy theory QAnon and has been criticized for a series of racist comments.

Greene beat neurosurgeon John Cowan in a primary runoff for the open seat on Tuesday.

Thats despite several GOP officials denouncing her campaign after videos surfaced in which she expresses racist, anti-Semitic and anti-Muslim views. She has responded to the criticism by blasting the fake news media and the DC swamp.

Her victory comes in a deep-red area in northwest Georgia.

Greene will face Democrat Kevin Van Ausdal in November. Republican Rep. Tom Graves, who did not seek reelection, last won the seat with over 76% of the vote in 2018.

___

9:37 p.m.

Former Rep. Jason Lewis has won Minnesotas five-way Republican primary for Senate.

Lewis, a one-term congressman and former conservative radio host, had the name recognition and money to easily beat several challengers on Tuesday. Lewis has spent months on a mostly virtual campaign aimed at taking down Democratic Sen. Tina Smith.

He has been an outspoken critic of the states coronavirus restrictions, and he has worked to tie Smith to what he calls heavy-handed lockdown measures.

Smith is seeking election to her first full term since being appointed to replace Al Franken after Franken was caught up in sexual misconduct allegations. She won the Democratic primary Tuesday.

The fall campaign is shaping up as a referendum on President Donald Trump, who came close to carrying Minnesota in 2016 and is making an extra push to win the state this time.

___

9:34 p.m.

Democratic Sen. Tina Smith has won the Democratic primary in Minnesota as she seeks to win her first full term in the seat once held by Al Franken.

Smith faced four little-known opponents on Tuesday. She was appointed to the seat in early 2018 after Franken resigned amid sexual misconduct allegations. She won an election later that year to finish the remainder of his term.

Smith is a former lieutenant governor. Jason Lewis, a one-term congressman and a former syndicated radio talk show host, was the favourite among Republicans seeking to challenge her in November. He is a staunch Trump supporter.

The fall campaign is shaping up as a referendum on President Donald Trump, who came close to carrying Minnesota in 2016 and is making an extra push to win the state this time.

Smith says she has a record of working across party lines to get things done despite being in the minority in the GOP-controlled Senate.

___

9:15 p.m.

Vermont Lt. Gov. David Zuckerman has won the states Democratic gubernatorial primary.

Zuckerman will go up against incumbent Republican Gov. Phil Scott in the November general election. On Tuesday, Zuckerman defeated former Vermont Education Secretary Rebecca Holcombe and two lesser-known candidates to win the partys gubernatorial nomination.

The 48-year-old Zuckerman, a Hinesburg farmer, says he was motivated to run by what he calls the imperative nature of the climate crisis. Zuckerman says he thinks Scott is a really admirable person, but he hasnt been really visionary on how to address these issues.

Scott cruised to the Republican Partys nomination to seek his third, two-year term as the states governor.

___

8:50 p.m.

Vermont Gov. Phil Scott has won the Republican nomination to seek his third, two-year term as the states top elected official.

Scott defeated four little-known Republican challengers on Tuesday to win his partys nomination to run in the November election.

He didnt hire staff or actively campaign during the primary, citing the coronavirus.

When announcing his reelection plans in May, Scott said, Facing, fighting and defeating this virus  and rebuilding a stronger, more resilient economy  are my top priorities.

On the Democratic side, theres a competitive race for the nomination between Lt. Gov. David Zuckerman and former Education Secretary Rebecca Holcombe, who has never run for office. There are also two lesser-known Democratic candidates.

Vermont and New Hampshire are the only two states in the country where governors serve two-year terms.

___

8:20 p.m.

Joe Biden has won Connecticuts Democratic presidential primary.

Biden defeated Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard on Tuesdays ballot. Sanders and Gabbard dropped out of the race months ago but didnt ask the secretary of the states office to remove their names from the ballot.

Biden visited Connecticut in October, when he appeared at a fundraiser hosted by Democratic Gov. Ned Lamont and his wife, Annie, at their home in Greenwich.

Biden was expected to visit the state in March for another fundraising event at a private home, but that was scrapped because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Biden is set to be formally nominated as the Democratic presidential nominee at next weeks Democratic National Convention. On Tuesday, he announced California Sen. Kamala Harris as his running mate.

In 2016, Connecticut went for Democrat Hillary Clinton over the Republican Trump by about 13 percentage points.

___

8:15 p.m.

President Donald Trump has won Connecticuts Republican presidential primary.

Trump on Tuesday defeated California real estate developer and perennial candidate Rocky De La Fuente. Former Massachusetts Gov. William Weld and former Illinois congressman Joe Walsh were also in the race at one point but later withdrew.

Connecticut Republican Party chair J.R. Romano had criticized Secretary of the State Denise Merrill for holding a GOP primary, saying it was a waste of money for communities because Trump faced no viable competition. Merrill argued that she was following state law.

De La Fuente was endorsed by the Alliance and Reform parties and has appeared on the ballot in at least a half dozen states as a Republican. He is the onetime owner of more than two dozen car dealerships.

In 2016, Connecticut went for Democrat Hillary Clinton over the Republican Trump by about 13 percentage points.

___

10:40 a.m.

A Republican congressional candidate in Connecticut has abruptly ended his campaign on the day of his primary election following his arrest on a domestic assault charge.

The state Republican Party says Thomas Gilmer was arrested late Monday and dropped out of the race because of the severity of the accusations. The party had endorsed Gilmer over his primary opponent.

Wethersfield police say Gilmer was charged on a warrant with first-degree unlawful restraint and second-degree strangulation and posted a $5,000 bond.

In a statement obtained by the Hartford Courant, Gilmer said, I cannot in good conscience move forward in this campaign while I am simultaneously forced to clear my name. And clear my name I will.

The 29-year-old Gilmer, of Madison, was competing against Justin Anderson, of East Haddam, a lieutenant colonel in the Connecticut Army National Guard who served two combat tours in Afghanistan. The winner of the race in November will face U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney, a Democrat who is favoured to win reelection to represent a district spanning eastern Connecticut.
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / August 10, 2020 / XPhyto Therapeutics Corp. (CSE:XPHY / OTC PINK:XPHYF / FSE:4XT) ("XPhyto" or the "Company"), a next generation bioscience company, is pleased to announce an update on its rapid COVID-19 (SARS-COV-2) screening test, near-term milestones and the pathway to commercialization.

XPhyto and its exclusive diagnostic partner, 3a-Diagnostics GmbH ("3a"), are developing a rapid, disposable, point-of-care lateral flow screening test to detect COVID-19 viral RNA from patient saliva and nasal and throat swabs (the "Test"). On July 6, 2020, the Company announced successful validation of its working prototype for concurrent and independent detection of both the COVID-19 virus and viruses in the broader coronavirus family. 3a's enhanced RNA probe system has demonstrated a detection limit capable of identifying viral RNA at concentrations found in the saliva of symptomatic, pre-symptomatic, and asymptomatic patients as observed and reported by clinicians and scientists in peer reviewed publications.[1][2][3]

Figure 1. A photograph of the Test prototype with a positive signal for both COVID-19 RNA (genome sequence specific to SARS-COV-2) and universal coronavirus RNA (genome sequence shared across the coronavirus family). From left to right: Signal 1: COVID-19 probe, Signal 2: universal coronavirus probe, and Signal 3: control. The above results were visually confirmed in less than 5 minutes.

Test development and optimization is proceeding on an expedited basis at 3a's research lab in Germany and in collaboration with third party contractors and academic partners. Subject to fast track certification by the German government, XPhyto and 3a are targeting Q1 2021 for European regulatory approval and commercial sales pursuant to the following estimated work schedule:

Development and commercialization milestones Start Date Finish Date Complete Product design and optimization 04/20 11/20 Preliminary prototype production 05/20 05/20 Yes Proof of concept (3a enhanced probes/synthetic RNA) 06/20 07/20 Yes Proof of concept (reference RNA) 07/20 08/20 Advanced prototype production (for usability testing) 10/20 11/20 On site usability testing 11/20 11/20 Product design freeze 11/20 11/20 ISO 13485 audit (ISO certification) 12/20 01/21 CE-IVD certification (CE mark commercial approval) 01/21 02/21 Commercial sales 02/21 -



Three potential risk factors have been identified that could negatively impact the estimated schedule of milestones: 1) general internal and/or third party delays; 2) delays related to adjustments for usability optimization; and 3) delays associated with the ISO 13485 audit. XPhyto and 3a are actively working to mitigate delay risks and accelerate the estimated schedule wherever possible. The Company will provide ongoing milestone updates, including regarding clinical evaluation, in due course and as appropriate.

Story continues

XPhyto and 3a are developing rapid screening tests for COVID-19 and other pandemic threats, including H1N1 (swine flu) and H5N1 (avian flu), with a specific focus on early pre-symptomatic stages of infection. Screening tests include later flow assay type tests as well as next-generation biosensors delivered via XPhyto's dissolvable oral drug delivery platform. The product pipeline is comprised exclusively of rapid, low-cost, easy-to-use, saliva-based screening tools that can be self-administered, making them ideal for decentralized population scale screening.

Please join us today, Monday, August 10, 2020, for a live presentation at 12:30 PM EST: https://www.wallstreetreporter.com/next-superstock-online-investor-conference/.

The Company is not making any express or implied claims that its product has the ability to eliminate, cure or contain the COVID-19 pandemic.

About XPhyto Therapeutics Corp.

XPhyto is a diversified bioscience company with strategic assets and investments in the field of next generation drug delivery and rapid pathogen screening systems, as well as medical cannabis opportunities focused on European markets. Through its 100% owned subsidiaries and exclusive collaboration agreements, XPhyto is pursuing clinical programs for the transdermal and dissolvable oral delivery of conventional and cannabis based narcotics for neurological applications, as well as rapid dissolvable oral biosensor and lateral flow assay-based screening tests for dental health applications and high-risk pandemic threats such as SARS-COV-2 (COVID-19), H1N1 (swine flu) and H5N1 (avian flu). XPhyto has two exclusive cannabis collaborations with the Technical University of Munich, and two exclusive 5-year engagements with the University of Alberta, Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences for cannabis extraction, isolation, formulation, and analytical testing.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

"Hugh Rogers"

Hugh Rogers, CEO and Director

Investor Inquiries:

Mr. Knox Henderson

Tel: 604-551-2360

info@xphyto.com

www.xphyto.com

Forward looking statements

This news release includes statements containing forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities law ("forward-looking statements"). Forward-looking statements are frequently characterized by words such as "develop", "plan", "continue", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate", "potential", "propose" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur, and in this release include the statement regarding the Company's goal of building a successful diagnostic, drug delivery, and medical cannabis company. Forward-looking statements are only predictions based on the opinions and estimates of management at the date the statements are made and are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements, including: that the Company may not succeed in developing a commercial product; that the sale of products may not be a viable business; that the Company may be unable to scale its business; product liability risks; product regulatory risk; general economic conditions; adverse industry events; future legislative and regulatory developments; inability to access sufficient capital from internal and external sources, and/or inability to access sufficient capital on favourable terms; currency risks; competition; international risks; and other risks beyond the Company's control. The Company is under no obligation, and expressly disclaims any intention or obligation, to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as expressly required by applicable law.

Neither the CSE nor its Market Regulator (as that term is defined in the policies of the CSE) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.

[1] Wolfel, R., Corman, V.M., Guggemos, W. et al. Virological assessment of hospitalized patients with COVID-2019. Nature 581, 465-469 (2020).

[2] He, X., Lau, E.H.Y., Wu, P. et al. Temporal dynamics in viral shedding and transmissibility of COVID-19. Nat Med 26, 672-675 (2020).

[3] To KK, Tsang OT, Leung WS, et al. Temporal profiles of viral load in posterior oropharyngeal saliva samples and serum antibody responses during infection by SARS-CoV-2: an observational cohort study. Lancet Infect Dis. 20(5), 565-574 (2020).

SOURCE: XPhyto Therapeutics Corp.





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Dawn, 8 Aug 2020

ON July 29, Narendra Modias government unveiled what it calls a groundbreaking new national education policy (NEP 2020). The 65-page documentas wide range a from primary to university a forces me to consider here just a single issue: To what extent does NEP reflect the BJP ideology of Hindi-Hindu-Hindustan? And how does it compare against Pakistanas newly declared single national curriculum with logo: one nation, one curriculum?

At face value NEP is innocuous, even charming. It speaks of Indiaas rich heritage, the ancient universities of Nalanda and Takshashila, mathematicians like Bhaskaracharya and Brahmagupta, jnan (knowledge) and satya (truth) etc. The goal of education is: acomplete realisation and liberation of the selfa . Who can possibly object? Still better: my computer word search yielded only two occurrences of the word areligiona, both times in the harmless context of NEPas purported inclusion of all religions.

NEP also engages our anti-colonial sensibilities: Indian children up to grade 6-7 can learn English if they want but, under its new three-language formula, states and regions can choose their languages provided at least two of the three are native to India. In principle Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, and Christian students will use the same books, study side by side in the same classrooms, and take the same exams. Wonderful!

But inside NEPas not-so-hidden agenda are the clear wishes of RSS, the BJPas ideological parent. RSS follows its guru, M.S. Golwalkar, who suggested India learn from Hitler in keeping races pure. In 1947, RSS wanted all Muslims remaining in India expelled to Pakistan. Then a minority, it now enjoys full state support.

India must look towards its glorious past, declares NEP, with that past exclusively Hindu. Although Sanskrit is a culturally dead language, NEP calls it the fount of all sacred and secular knowledge. Urdu, on the other hand, although spoken by tens of millions of Indians and once the language of the Bombay film industry, is absent from a list that includes Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Odia, Pali, Persian, and Prakrit.

India and Pakistanas new education policies will push their respective religious minorities into a corner

All education policies are cooking recipes; the final product depends upon ingredients. NEP hints at, but leaves unspecified, what textbooks will contain. Will history be dispassionately presented as a series of invasions which, layer by layer, built Indian culture over the millennia? Or are Muslims merely wicked temple-destroyers who shattered the seraphic heaven of Mother India? One worries because in BJP-ruled states, leaders have demanded removal of references to Mughal emperors Akbar and Aurangzeb to make space for Hindu kings like Maharana Pratap and Shivaji.

Interestingly, RSSas nativism appears driven more by its anti-Christian agenda than its anti-Muslim one. Since the days of Lord Macaulay, convents and other English-medium Christian missionary schools have been the mainstay of modern Indian education. But today, tens of thousands of RSS-associated vernacular language schools stand against them. These will gain from downgrading English.

RSS pracharaks are jubilant but Indians face a reality check. English-medium schools, not traditional patshalas and gurukuls, modernised India and gave it global clout. While India can name its satellite aAryabhattaa, Isaac Newtonas laws actually guided it into orbit. Even the BJP minister whose signature is on NEP, Prakash Javedekar, knows this. From Indian press reports I found that he, along with nine other BJP ministers, has also sent his children to study abroad.

NEP is a step backward for Indiaas national integration. In spite of 30 languages, 130 dialects, and well over a dozen faiths, India took barely 50 years to create a national identity after Jawaharlal Nehru set it on a secular track. Most Muslims, Sikhs and Christians were then proud to declare themselves Indian. But, as Indian secularism retreats, this is now disappearing.

Pakistanas new education policy, only parts of which are known so far, is much more upfront on creating a religion-based society. The goal is to put madressahs at the same level as all other kinds of schools. Henceforth, bearded men from the Ittehad Tanzimat-i-Madaris (Coalition of Madressah Organisers) will decide what Pakistani children will learn and will also scrutinise their textbooks.

Religious materials are mandatory from nursery classes onward. The new Class 1-5 curriculum is extremely detailed and reveals more religious content to be memorised than even madressahs require. Discrimination is automatic. Since non-Muslim students cannot be allowed to study from the Holy Book, they must be separated.

Major changes are afoot at higher levels as well. The governor of Punjab, Ghulam Sarwar, told me during an exclusive one-on-one meeting in his office on July 23 of his decision to make the award of all university degrees in Punjab contingent upon studying the Holy Quran together with translation. Doing so, he said, will ensure that our university students learn Arabic. He did not elaborate on how this would help make better doctors, economists, engineers, or scientists.

For building national identity Pakistan seeks to Arabicise and Islamise whereas India wants to indigenise and Hinduise. The BJPas way is more subtle than Pakistanas but cleverer because it understands the enormous power of culture. Programmes such as aAik Bharat Shreshtha Bharata aim at developing a multilingual, multicultural (but not multi-religious) Indian national identity.

Compare that with education policies in Pakistan where regional cultures and languages find only fleeting references. With no lessons learnt from 1971, Pakistan still assumes that solidifying its Islamic identity will somehow create national integration. Even something as mild as the 18th Amendment, which entrusts education to the provinces, has the sword of Damocles hanging over it.

The new education policies of India and Pakistan will further divide them, both from each other as well as within each country. Majoritarian consensus against their respective religious minorities will be hugely strengthened. The Indian policy is milder in tone than Pakistanas but is probably more dangerous simply because it is better thought out and professionally formulated, hence, likely to be more successful when implemented. On the other hand, the Pakistani policy document is half-baked, wrapped in multiple layers of confusion, and will almost certainly flounder. But if it is implemented, it will lead to fasaadi extremism of a kind that operations like Radul Fasaad cannot ever defeat.

The writer teaches physics in Lahore and Islamabad.
Pottsville, PA (17901)

Today

Sun and clouds mixed. High 42F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Cloudy this evening with periods of light rain and snow after midnight. Some sleet may mix in. Low around 30F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precip 80%. Snow accumulations less than one inch.
YEREVAN.  The Republic of Armenia (RA) citizens opportunity to enter other countries, including for tourism purposes, then the definition of such an opportunity is in the field of legal regulations of a particular country, and, as a rule, it depends on the dynamics of the spread of the COVID-19 infection and the epidemiological situation in other countries this; deputy prime minister Tigran Avinyan noted about at Wednesdays special sitting of the National Assembly, referring to the Armenian citizens who want to go abroad, but face certain respective problems due to the closed borders.

"Opening the borders is not only a matter for the decision of the RA government. Discussions are currently underway with the Russian Federation on the matter of air transportation of passengers. [But] there are no discussions yet, with either Georgia or Iran, on the matter of the opening of land the borders; the same [respective] regime and restrictions are still observed," added Avinyan, who is also commandant of the current state of emergency in Armenia due to the COVID-19 situation in the country.
Many of the top business leaders, according to Justin Menkes, the author of the book; Executive Intelligence, may have attended elite academic institutions, and this education can serve as a good foundation-[developing] the ability to think critically and understand concepts. So a doctorate can be an indication of intellectual horsepower. But in business setting you must be able to not only generate ideas but translate those ideas into results. That is the hardest thing and requires abilities that go beyond academic skills.

Each time I ponder over how Gbaramatu Voice, a monthly tabloid based in Warri, Delta, published by the Gbaramatu Publishing Company Limited, With dissemination of information as it pertains to the Niger Delta as its top priority, against all odds in August 2015, hit the newsstands in all the states within South South geopolitical zone, memories of Justin Menkes words come flooding.

Though Jacob Abai the publisher has always declared that leaders who scale in the industry did so regardless of background, skill and talent but because they were open to learning, took deliberate steps to confront their shortcoming and modeled their vision to that of great leaders that did not flounder in the industry but became the leaders that their organizations want them to be. A fact he added that informs his choice of the likes of Uncle Sam Amuka, the founder of the Vanguard Newspaper Limited, Mr. Mike Ibru of the Guardian Newspapers among others.

Such explanation notwithstanding, like every other media practitioner that understands the shaky nature of the industry, I have always asked whether Abai, actually; capped himself with a well formulated strategy/tactics for building a sustainable media organization in Nigeria. If as an entrepreneur, be bold enough to face the daily demands of such calling? Did he consider the geographical location, reach and environmental dynamics? What about its technological capabilities and other strategic considerations? How and what will help him attract people and resources? Did the companys strategy embody the vision of where the company is going instead of where it is? Or frame work for making the decisions and settling the policies that will take the company there?

Indeed, despite this catalogue of concerns, five years after that rough take off, it became clear to the vast majority of stakeholders that what made the survival possible was not its focus on mere information dissemination but how well Mr. Jacob Abai, ably supported by a dynamic management team and highly professional journalists understanding of the time honoured management principle that formulating a sound strategy is more basic to a young company than resolving hiring issues, designing control system, setting reporting relationship, or defining the founders role. Ventures based on a good strategy can survive confusion and poor leadership, but sophisticated control systems and organizational structures cannot compensate for an unsound strategy.

This understanding coupled with Gbaramatu Voice media practice of focusing on issues, not personalities, framing decisions as collaborations aimed at achieving the best possible solution, and establishing fairness and equity in the process has not only resulted in its capacity to carve a niche for itself in record time within its corporate existence-as it has become an authoritative gateway through which undiluted news about the Niger Delta is divulged to the world, but earnestly given the newspaper a quantum leap.

As an illustration, within this period, the newspaper has against permutation diversified to online news publishing. With dissemination of information as it pertains to the Niger Delta as its top priority, the GbaramatuVoice recently ventured into full-time electronic broadcasting with the establishment of the GbaramatuVoice Television that can be sourced online. These achievements however have earned the newspaper, The Ijaw National News of the Year 2017 awards. This was immediately followed by an international award given by the renowned Business Initiative Directions (BID) based in Germany. All these are for GbaramatuVoices quality news reportage, analysis and research.

But there is a more fundamental reason why the Gbaramatu Voice 5th anniversary must be considered as a celebration for all Niger Deltans and supported by the government-local, state(south south governors), the federal and of course the corporate bodies operating in the Niger Delta region particularly the International Oil Companies(IOCs). Such reason has to do with the restoration of peace in the region.

As captured by JAMES MOORE, in his forward in family of secrets, a book written by Russa Baker, the role of journalists in informing society about politicians. According to MOORE: When a governor or any state official seeks elective national office, his (or her) reputation and what the country knows about the candidates background is initially determined by the work of local and regional media. Generally, those journalists do a competent job of reporting on the prospects record.

In the case of the Niger Delta- a region characterized by perennial violence occasioned by mutual suspicion and hostilities between the IOCs and the Federal Government on one side and house communities on the other side, the advent of Gbaramatu Voice with a team of journalists that spend more time on the high seas and creeks than on the land has done one thing. Like a boil that can never be cured as long as it is covered up but must be opened with all its pus-flowing ugliness to the natural medicine of air and light, the Gbaramatu Voice has become reputed for bringing to the surface the hidden injustices and tensions that is always alive in the region to where it can be seen and treated.

This point becomes particularly appreciated when one remembers that before now reports from the region were always slanted by some media groups in such a way that are valid, but, prevents others from deciding for themselves whether the claim to validity is correct-by not including the data that others could use to decide for themselves whether the illustration was valid; And, by placing their conclusion in such that disguises their logical implications.

Today, an important distinction to make is that Gbaramatu Voice has become not just another platform for disseminating the truth and information that can be controlled at will. Rather, it is a platform for pursuing the truth, and the decentralized creation and distribution of ideas; in the same way, that government is a decentralized body for the promotion and protection of the peoples life chances. It is a platform, in other words, for development that the government must partner with.

Jerome-Mario Utomi is a Lagos-Based Media Consultant
Kamala Harris skewered President Donald Trump when she spoke in New Orleans last year and said it was time for the United States to make history by electing the California senator as its first Black female president.

While Harris ended her presidential campaign in December 2019, she still could make history after Joe Biden said Tuesday that she is his pick to be vice president as he takes on Trump in November.

Joe Biden selects Kamala Harris as running mate in historic presidential ticket decision WILMINGTON, Del. (AP)  Joe Biden named California Sen. Kamala Harris as his running mate on Tuesday, making history by selecting the first Bl

Harris will be the first woman of color on a major presidential ticket.

She excites people, she can bring people together and shes battle-tested. That makes her the perfect running mate, said Helena Moreno, a New Orleans City Council member at large who co-chaired Harris presidential campaign in Louisiana.

Harris sought to capitalize on her potentially trail-blazing role during three appearances in New Orleans last year when she spoke at conferences for Black women  the most loyal constituency in the Democratic Party  and to raise money for her campaign.

Join with me as we right what is wrong and write the next chapter in American history, Harris told the appreciative crowd at the annual Essence Festival in July. America has always been written by those who can see what can be unburdened by what has been.

Harris also spoke to the Power Rising conference in February 2019 and to a conference of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority in April of that year.

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Accompanying her was Moreno and state Rep. Ted James, D-Baton Rouge, the other Louisiana co-campaign chair.

Besides her fundraisers, Harris spoke to supporters at the Dooky Chase restaurant and at Sweet Lorraines Jazz Club.

She was the one who gave me the most excitement, James said Tuesday when asked why he supported Harris back then. She was the one who had the opportunity to bring in folks in the middle, independents and Republicans who are tired of Donald Trump and dont trust his leadership.

Harris spared no criticism of Trump when the Rev. Al Sharpton, who posed questions at the Essence Festival, called the president a villain and asked Harris if she was tough enough to challenge him.

I have taken on all kinds of predators, said Harris, noting her background as a prosecutor in San Francisco and as the attorney general of California. She said she went after big banks that preyed on lenders, pharmaceutical companies that cheated customers and transnational companies that engaged in corruption.

Im going to tell you, Harris said, we have a predator living in the White House. He has predator instincts.  It is their nature to pounce upon people they perceive to be weak  it is their nature to attack people who are desperate for help.  I know that kind of people.
The downtown Vancouver skyline on March 30, 2018. A 2019 analysis showed that around $75 billion worth of residential real estate in the Vancouver area had ties to foreign owners. (The Canadian Press/Darryl Dyck)

Housing Sales Down Amid Pandemic, While Residents Blame Foreign Ownership for High Prices

A recent survey done in British Columbia shows the frustration many are feeling over a lack of affordable housing in large urban cities like Vancouver and Toronto, and reflects the ongoing debate over what to do to mitigate the problem in the COVID-19 era.

The survey concluded that 78 percent of B.C. residents are supportive of an interventionist policy seeking to ban foreigners from buying real estate, which has been blamed in large part for driving up housing prices.

The younger generations between the ages of 35 and 54 are the most supportive of such policies, with 88 percent in favour. There was also majority support for various measures taken by B.C. and Ontario, including implementing and increasing a foreign buyers taxcurrently at 20 percent in both provincesto make housing more affordable for residents.

Analysts have long debated the question of foreign ownership in relation to free market principles and the need for foreign investment on the one hand, versus citizens who can no longer afford to live in cities like Vancouver and Toronto on the other.

Steve Lafleur, a senior policy analyst at the Fraser Institute, says focusing on foreign buyers is not the answer.

Some people assume that simply cracking down on foreign buyers will restore balance to housing markets, particularly in Vancouver, he said in an interview.

This is short-sighted. Suppose the government managed to solve the problem of foreign buyers. There are a number of ways in which governments could pressure foreign owners to either sell or rent out empty units, and to stop buying units in the future. That might result in a one-time influx of units, but at the expense of heightened uncertainty around housing investment.

The economic crisis caused by the pandemic has made politicians more worried about housing in Canada, particularly in the Vancouver and Toronto regions. In July, B.C. Finance Minister Carole James announced that housing sales had dropped by 45 percent, with prices falling by four percent between the months of February and May.

Toronto, Canadas largest housing market, also suffered a major decrease in sales in April, down by 69 percent, according to the Toronto Regional Real Estate Board. Attributing these developments to the measures taken to contain the spread of COVID-19, the board concluded that new listings had decreased by 63.7 percent, demonstrating that the pandemic has caused a failure to keep pace with demand.

Justifications for policies that target foreign buyers include the fact that foreign buyers pay little to no income tax, yet are in possession of a substantial amount of the local housing market. An analysis released in early 2019 by Andy Yan, director of the City Program at Simon Fraser University, showed that around $75 billion worth of residential real estate in the Vancouver area had ties to foreign owners. He also found that of newly built condos in the Richmond area, one-in-four was owned by a non-resident.

Yan said his analysis, which he had worked on for over a decade, is the first to show the breadth of foreign ownership of real estate in the Vancouver area.

Now that we know the extentor an extentof non-resident ownership in Vancouver, it does become a point of action, he told the Vancouver Sun.

There is this opportunity for action to understand how foreign capital is distorting our residential real estate markets and an ability and a challenge for various levels of government to engage this issue.

New Zealand, in an effort to rein in runaway housing prices also blamed on foreign ownership, enacted legislation in 2018 that bans foreigners from acquiring real estate, with some exceptions.

Retired University of Guelph professor Jane Londerville, an expert in housing policy, says its very frustrating for those trying to enter the housing market, particularly in Toronto and Vancouver. But she says the percentage of foreign buyers in the market is presently lower, possibly due to the foreign buyers tax.

One advantage of the foreign buyers tax is that it allows for tracking of the number of transactions done by non-Canadians, data that were not available previously. Whether because of the impact of the tax or not, the numbers are quite small, she says.

Foreign buyers accounted for less than 2 percent of total residential real estate sales in GTA between February 2018 and March 2019, and less than 3 percent of residential sales in Vancouver between January and November of 2018.

It seems unlikely that banning foreign buyers would have much impact on prices and could lead to retaliation against Canadians trying to buy property elsewhereFlorida for example, she said.

Lafleur says the government should focus more on increasing the supply.

The basic problem in housing markets experiencing decreases in affordability and availability of units is that demand has outstripped supply, he says.

In short, foreign buyers are largely a distraction from the core issue that some of Canadas most desirable cities arent able to build enough housing to accommodate demand, and that is due in part to regulatory barriers and political opposition.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 12)  The Department of Social Welfare and Development is inching closer to fully releasing the remaining cash aid for its target of 14.1 million beneficiary families during the first stretch of lockdowns.

DSWD Secretary Rolando Bautista said Wednesday that some 12.135 million families have so far received the second tranche of aid under the government's Social Amelioration Program, which is worth between 5,000 and 8,000 for each household.

The total releases amount to 73.07 billion as of August 12, representing 86 percent of the total. Among those who received the funds are those who remained under enhanced community quarantine in May  which was supposed to cover their basic needs at the time  as well as previously waitlisted beneficiaries.

READ: Less educated Filipinos got less cash aid from gov't  SWS

Bautista said direct payouts are still done in remote areas, while digital payments have been carried out elsewhere. He named e-wallets GCash, PayMaya, and Starpay as well as Union Bank of the Philippines, Robinsons Bank, and the Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation as the platforms for fund transfers.

Cash aid may also be withdrawn over the counter through conduits like M Lhuillier and Palawan Express, he added.

Bautista noted that the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases has allowed full operational workforce for these financial firms even in areas under modified enhanced community quarantine to process the remaining releases. DSWD earlier said that the reversal to MECQ hampered payouts of the remaining subsidies.

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said it is unlikely for a third wave of cash aid to be provided even if Metro Manila, Bulacan, Rizal, Laguna, and Cavite reverted to strict stay-at-home rules for two weeks this August.
NEW YORKA tabloid once famous for its bustling, big-city newsroom no longer has a newsroom.

In a move that was unthinkable before the coronavirus pandemic, Tribune Publishing said Wednesday that The Daily News, once the largest-circulation newspaper in the country, was permanently closing its newsroom at 4 New York Plaza in lower Manhattan.

With no clear path forward in terms of returning to work, and as the company evaluates its real estate needs in light of health and economic conditions brought about by the pandemic, we have made the difficult decision to permanently close the office, said Max Reinsdorf, a spokesperson for Tribune Publishing, the Chicago newspaper chain that has owned The Daily News since 2017.

The paper will continue to be published. The company made no promises about a future physical location. As we progress through the pandemic and as needs change, we will reconsider our need for physical offices, Reinsdorf said. We will keep employees informed of decisions as they are made.

Newsroom workers were given until Oct. 30 to collect any belongings they had left in the office.

The Daily News was not the only Tribune Publishing paper to lose its office space Wednesday. A Tribune Publishing spokesperson confirmed that the Annapolis, Md., newsroom of The Capital Gazette  that two years ago experienced tragedy when a gunman killed five staff members in the newsroom (which was in a different building)  would also be shutting down.

In its 20th-century heyday, The Daily News was a brawny tabloid that thrived when it dug into crime and corruption. It served as a model for The Daily Planet, the paper that counted Clark Kent and Lois Lane among its reporters, and for the tabloid depicted in the 1994 movie The Paper.

It has been in financial trouble for decades. Mortimer B. Zuckerman, the New York real estate developer and media mogul, bought the paper out of bankruptcy in 1993. He sold it to Tribune Publishing, then known as Tronc, in 2017 for $1 (U.S.). (That is not a misprint.)

Two years ago, the new owner slashed the newsroom staff in half and ousted its top editor, Jim Rich, who had reinvigorated the tabloid as an anti-Trump answer to The New York Post, the rival paper owned by Rupert Murdoch. The company replaced Rich with Robert York, a media executive who has spent most of his career in San Diego.

The longtime home of columnists Jimmy Breslin, Dick Young and Liz Smith, The Daily News revelled in its role as the voice of the average New Yorker. Etched into the stone above the entrance of its former home, the Daily News Building on East 42nd Street, is a phrase attributed to Abraham Lincoln: God must have loved the common man, he made so many of them.

The paper moved downtown in 2011. With fewer readers buying copies from newsstands, The Daily News, under Tribune Publishing, has emphasized its website. And now its New York Plaza office is up for grabs.

We have determined that we do not need to reopen this office in order to maintain our current operations, Toni Martinez, a human resources executive at Tribune Publishing, wrote in an email to the staff, which was reviewed by The New York Times.

With this announcement, we are also beginning to look at strategic opportunities and alternatives for future occupancy.
Paraguayan Ambassador to Korea Raul Silvero, third from left in the front row, poses with members of Paraguayan community here during a celebration for Friendship Day, July 31. / Courtesy of Embassy of Paraguay





By Raul Silvero







In this special moment of the year 2020, in which all the countries are facing the difficult circumstance of fighting against the spread of COVID-19, and the experience of the Republic of Korea in facing this disease in its territory, is one of the emblematic examples in the international community, It would be positive to mention one of the most important principles in the relationship among people and nations, which is Friendship, one of the most relevant human feelings in the search for development, well-being and peace in the world./



Raul Silvero





The Republic of Korea and the Republic of Paraguay have a long history of friendship relations.







Paraguay has shown its sincere and deep friendship to the Korean people, being by their side during difficult moments of history, such as the inter-Korean war, with medicines and financial cooperation, as a gesture that values the principles of peace and friendship, in order to have a better and fairer world. Likewise, Paraguay, located in the heart of South America, was one of the first Latin American countries to receive groups of Korean immigrants into the country.







Friendship's Day or Friend's Day is a very important date for many countries, including Paraguay. On May 3, 2011, thanks to the Paraguay's proposal and supported by many other countries, the United Nations General Assembly in Resolution 65/275 decides to designate July 30 as International Day of Friendship.







In that occasion the Paraguayan representative stated that "we wish to make a further declaration in support of peace and a decisive contribution to the noble aim of the United Nations and its Members by achieving broad and deep understanding among the various cultures. More than 50 years ago (1958), in a small town in Paraguay called Puerto Pinasco, situated far from the capital, a group of residents, headed by Dr. Artemio Bracho, developed the idea of celebrating a day devoted to friendship and decided to make 30 July that day. /



A poster of Paraguayan culture





Our world faces many challenges, crises and divisive forces poverty, violence, human rights violations that threaten peace, security, development and social harmony among the peoples of the world and within themselves. To tackle these problems, it is necessary to tackle the causes that provoke them, fostering and defending solidarity, which can manifest itself in many ways, such as friendship."







During this COVID-19 outbreak and spreading, the entire world is facing many challenges in the health system, the economic recovery and many other issues that need to be tackled in a cooperative scheme in the international community. Indeed, through friendship, cultivating the bonds of camaraderie and strengthening trust, we can contribute to the fundamental and necessary changes to achieve lasting stability, weave a social support network that protects us all and generate passion for a better world, all united for the common good.







The relationship between the Republic of Korea and the Republic of Paraguay is an example of this strong and lasting friendship. Although both countries are geographically distant and historically different, Paraguay and Korea share various commonalities. Solidarity has been a strong element in our relationship. In 1965, Paraguay opened its doors to thousands of Korean immigrants, who, in search of a new beginning, left from the Port of Busan towards the Land without Evil, Paraguay.







The Koreans departed on Feb. 27 of the same year from the port of Busan, Korea, on a Dutch ship called "Boissevain." The first Koreans when arriving in Paraguay had many difficulties due to the cultural and language differences, but they managed to overcome them with diligence and responsibility until they became consolidated in Paraguayan society. In addition, this year, 55 years since the arrival of the first group of Korean migrants to Paraguay, the Korean community, composed of approximately six thousand people, is an active part of Paraguayan society. As a tribute to that fact, every April 22, we commemorate the Day of Korea in my country.







In Paraguay, more than 6,000 Koreans live and are active in our society, and many of these families are made up of Paraguayan-Korean couples, who enrich and develop our country. The Korean school started in 1972, with some teachers who decided to teach the Korean language as well as culture and history to the children of immigrants. The Education and Culture Center that administers the Korean school offers scholarships collected by Korean residents each year to low-income Paraguayan students.







In this way, almost 50 years ago, it Korean schools were established, not only for Korean origin persons, but to Paraguayan as well. K-Pop, K-drama, halyu have strong followers in Paraguay, where you can taste, as well, not only kimchi (made in Paraguay), but also many dishes of Korean cuisine, such as bibimbab, and other delicious food in many Korean restaurants. It is good to mention, also, that in Korea, many Paraguayans are residing, including students, workers, people married to Koreans, and others. Although the history of the Korean diaspora in Latin America is traced from the beginning of the 20th century, it was not until the 1990s when its presence in several countries in Central and South America became more evident.











Currently, the Korean community in Paraguay is made up of around 6,000 people residing in the cities of Asuncion (capital city), Ciudad del Este, Encarnacion and Pedro Juan Caballero.







Its members are dedicated to primary production, manufacturing, trade and the provision of services. In the area of primary activities, among other items, Korean farmers satisfy 30 percent of the egg consumption market in Paraguay. In the manufacturing sector, clothing, towels, school supplies, food and non-alcoholic beverages stand out; also in the manufacture of plastics and in the paper industry (napkins, toilet paper). Likewise, they are the owners of pantries, bazaars and shops; various items explode: household appliances, footwear and clothing, to name a few. In addition, Korean professionals excel in the fields of medicine, law, journalism, and university teaching.







In 1992, a Korean college and high school was established in the country, the first in South and Central America. Its students are examples of a dynamic and successful process of assimilation of a double cultural identity: that of Korea and that of Paraguay. Currently, young people are educated and prepared for this advantageous insertion in the international market. The empowerment and maintenance of this educational center is the result of the joint and coordinated work between the Korean government and the eastern community based in Paraguay.







The Republic of Korea, for the past 58 years (of diplomatic relations) has been a nation close to the affections of the Paraguayan people and a strategic ally to achieve the desired development. The relations of friendship with the Republic of Korea have not only been strengthened over the past five decades, but have reached a point of maturity in its various manifestations.







In this regard, it is worth mentioning the permanent support that Paraguay has shown and demonstrated to the Republic of Korea in the different international forums, as a natural way of expression between two nations that share common values and interests and, very particularly, to be one of the most important strategic allies for Paraguay.







The Paraguayan government encourages the Korean companies, known for their passion in work ethics, to aggressively explore the Paraguayan market and invest in my country. The Korean companies have a great advantage when it comes to Paraguayan market because of the following: First, the Korean firms were involved in the Paraguayan market and have operational offices in Paraguay. Secondly, the Korean companies have a good reputation in Paraguay because they undertook infrastructure projects and other investments. Thirdly, Paraguay has a good image of Korean products since they are more advanced technologically.







There are many Korean investments in Paraguay like Samsung Electronics, THN Group, M View Global, Born Star de Donghwa Company, Shopping Paris, Las Tacuaras Group, Kim's Towels, FAOH Group and others. It can be mentioned that business cooperation between Korea and Paraguay is like a gold mine, and the sectors of infrastructure, building, food industry, logistics and services, textiles, clothing and garment production, auto parts and car accessories, and tourism as the main ways that both countries can work together.







And there is a friendly business environment in Paraguay, an investor-friendly legal framework and efforts to improve infrastructure are key to Paraguay's objectives to diversify its economy and within this context, the Korean companies will find a suitable environment for their business opportunities.







Paraguay sees Korea as strategic ally in the building of its own development. KOICA's cooperation to Paraguay is one of the best in the field of education, health, agriculture, air industry, vocational training of human resources, rural development, technology transfer, environment issues, e-government, planning and construction of infrastructures. Today, Paraguayan companies offer Korean consumers products of the rich Guarani land, such as stevia, a natural sweetener, mate tea, chia, sesame, beef, meat products, rice, corn, fruit juices, fruits, natural tea, soybeans and derivatives, leather, among other products. Paraguay, as a country member of MERCOSUR, is negotiating a trade agreement with Korea.







Paraguay is a bilingual country, unique in the world where a native language, the Guarani, is recognized as an official national language together with Spanish. This cultural blend is seen in Paraguay's forms of arts, crafts, music, festivals, literature, cinema, fashion and languages. And with the Korean presence in Paraguayan soil, this culture is even more enriched.







For these reasons, and many more, long live to the Friendship between the Republic of Korea and the Republic of Paraguay.







Raul Silvero is the ambassador of Paraguay to Korea.


Its like were dying a hundred deaths every day. Every day,  said one of the firefighters, who declined to give his name because of security concerns. Every time we extract one of our friends, we get sad all over again. Then we go to the funeral. Then we extract another friend. Then we go to another funeral. Its an indescribable feeling.
NFU Cymru has highlighted concerns over parts of the Welsh governments Clean Air Plan due to fears it takes an 'old-fashioned, bureaucratic approach'.

The plan sets out Welsh governments long-term ambition to improving air quality in Wales following consultation earlier this year.

It aims to improve air quality and reduce the impacts of air pollution on human health, biodiversity, the natural environment and the economy.

The plan includes a focus on strengthening the control of emissions in the agricultural sector, identifying that 85% of ammonia emissions are derived from farming.

This is to be achieved through a focus on advice and actions supported through the future Sustainable Farming Scheme and regulation.

Welsh government states it will introduce new law to tackle agricultural pollution, and also proposes to introduce National Minimum Standards based on the verifiable standards in Cross Compliance.

Responding to the Clean Air Plan, NFU Cymru Deputy president Aled Jones said farmers recognised the role they have to play in reducing ammonia emissions.

However, he said the pursuit of regulatory solutions as the default position of Welsh government would be concerning for farmers.

"The Clean Air Plan states it is Welsh governments intention to introduce new law to tackle agricultural pollution, this does not align to the ministers statement on this issue," he said.

"The minister has previously stated she will not make a decision on the introduction of measures to tackle agricultural pollution until after the coronavirus pandemic.

"It is also misleading to suggest that these regulations will replace NVZs when, in fact, the draft regulations published in April clearly apply the Nitrates Directive to the whole of Wales.

"Farmers will be angered that this old-fashioned, bureaucratic approach to addressing nitrates from agriculture is now being rehashed to address a broader range of issues when that was never its intention."

Mr Jones added that farmers would also be concerned over the proposal to incorporate the Cross Compliance Verifiable Standards into National Minimum Standards.

He said there was no consideration of whether the farming sector could absorb the costs if the Basic Payment Scheme is phased out.

The plan also includes a focus on woodlands to improve air quality and refers to the targets of 2,000 hectare per year rising to 4,000 as soon as possible, as well as the National Forest Programme.

NFU Cymru raised concerns over any large scale afforestation as there was still 'significant ambiguity' about what shape the National Forest would take.

Mr Jones said: "We are clear farmers are very much part of the climate change solution and enhancing levels of carbon sequestration on Welsh farms is one of three strands to the NFU Cymru Net Zero Ambition.

"With appropriate support, farmers across Wales would be keen to plant more trees on their farms. Integrated into farming systems, tree planting has the potential to deliver multiple benefits including air quality.
While most thyroid ultrasound orders are warranted, researchers say guidelines could be clearer to help reduce overdiagnosis of thyroid cancer

Some physicians are ordering thyroid tests for unsupported reasons While most thyroid ultrasound orders are warranted, researchers say guidelines could be clearer to help reduce overdiagnosis of thyroid cancer

ANN ARBOR, Michigan -- Up to one-third of physicians reported sending patients for a thyroid ultrasound for reasons not supported by clinical care guidelines, a new study led by University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center researchers finds.

Routine use of ultrasounds to detect cancerous thyroid nodules have led to a significant increase in thyroid cancer cases in recent years, although many are low-risk and unlikely to cause serious harm.

Researchers surveyed 610 surgeons, endocrinologists and primary care physicians who were involved in thyroid cancer care. Physicians were given different patient scenarios and asked when they would schedule a thyroid or neck ultrasound.

An overwhelming majority of physicians said they used ultrasound for reasons that are supported by clinical care guidelines, such as a large nodule that can be felt or one seen on another imaging test. But 33% said they ordered an ultrasound because the patient wanted it and 28% said abnormal thyroid function tests drove their decision - a factor the Choosing Wisely Campaign specifically advises against.

Results are published in JAMA Surgery.

"This study is the first to look at why physicians are using thyroid ultrasound for patients. While often it's for clinically relevant reasons, a substantial number of physicians are not ordering them for reasons that are clinically supported," says senior study author Megan R. Haymart, M.D., Nancy Wigginton Endocrinology Research Professor of Thyroid Cancer and professor of internal medicine at Michigan Medicine.

When asked what most influenced their decisions for patients with thyroid nodules, 69% cited recent clinical guidelines. Haymart says this shows the situation is malleable.

"We can change behavior and help physicians use thyroid ultrasound more appropriately, which will reduce the incidence of low-risk thyroid cancer," she says.

Organizations such as the National Comprehensive Cancer Network and the American Thyroid Association offer care guidelines based on data and outcomes from published studies. In addition, the Choosing Wisely campaign, which launched in 2012, identifies tests and procedures that should be discussed between patients and physicians to ensure appropriate and necessary treatment.

"There is not specifically a guideline for when to order a thyroid ultrasound. The guidelines start once you find a nodule," says study first author Debbie W. Chen, M.D., an endocrinology fellow at Michigan Medicine. "Our study suggests there is an opportunity when working on the next set of guidelines to look a little upstream, before a clinical diagnosis, and offer better guidance for when thyroid ultrasound is necessary."

The key, researchers say, is to identify those thyroid cancers that will require treatment but to avoid overdiagnosis by finding nodules that are slow-growing and may never need treatment.

The finding that physicians were ordering thyroid ultrasounds because patients asked for them suggests a need for more education and discussion, Haymart says.

"There's so much emphasis in medicine on patient satisfaction. You do want patients to be satisfied, but physicians also have to do what's medically appropriate," she says. "Developing decision aids could help patients understand and decide when thyroid ultrasound is appropriate and when it's not."

###

Additional authors: David Reyes-Gastelum, Archana Radhakrishnan, Ann S. Hamilton, Kevin C. Ward

Funding: National Cancer Institute grant R01 CA201198, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality grant R01 HS024512 and National Institutes of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases grant T32DK07245

Disclosure: None

Reference: JAMA Surgery, doi:10.1001/jamasurg.2020.2507, published Aug. 12, 2020

Resources: University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center, http://www.rogelcancercenter.org Michigan Health Lab, http://www.MichiganHealthLab.org Michigan Medicine Cancer AnswerLine, 800-865-1125
Under a document issued by the Da Nang City Peoples Committee on August 11, all agencies, organisations, and residents will have to observe COVID-19 prevention and control measures from midnight on August 12 until further notice. Such measures were imposed upon the Hoa Vang district at 1pm on August 11.

People are advised to stay home except for buying necessities like food and medicine, taking care of emergencies, or working at factories and production facilities deemed to be providing essential goods and services.

The local Health Department will continue to instruct the citys Centre for Disease Control to coordinate with relevant agencies and localities in tracing COVID-19 cases.

The document also highlighted testing, especially group testing, quarantine, and treatment to minimise fatalities from the pandemic.

COVID-19 prevention and control will be stepped up at markets and supermarkets, the document read, noting that apart from social distancing measures, plans on stockpiling goods are only needed in a case where the pandemic lasts for a long period.

Any violations of regulations must be strictly punished.

Vietnam had confirmed 847 COVID-19 cases as of the morning of August 11, of which 389 are linked to the outbreak in Da Nang that started around July 25.

As many as 399 patients, or 47.1 percent of cases, have recovered, but the country has also recorded 15 fatalities.

There are 165,983 people now under quarantine all of whom had close contact with confirmed cases or came from pandemic-hit areas.

* Patient 409 in Phu Quoc island district off the coast of the Mekong Delta province of Kien Giang was declared to have recovered from COVID-19 on August 11.

The patient is a Filipino citizen who arrived in Phu Quoc from the Republic of Korea on July 19. She was quarantined upon arrival and moved to the district medical centre after testing positive for the virus.

She is now in good health and has tested negative for the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 four times.

She is the only COVID-19 case recorded in Kien Giang to date.
India has expressed an interest in procuring Russia's COVID-19 vaccine Sputnik V, a Russian government statement said. Russia's sovereign wealth fund sees India along with other countries as a centre of mass production of the vaccine.

"Russia Development Investment Fund (RDIF) has seen strong global interest in the vaccine and plans to conduct Phase 3 clinical trials in different countries, including Saudi Arabia, UAE, Brazil, India and the Philippines, and start mass production in other countries in partnership with local sovereign wealth funds, including India, South Korea and Brazil, as well as, in Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Cuba," the statement added.

Earlier on August 11, Russia registered what it claims is the first coronavirus vaccine. The COVID-19 vaccine has been jointly developed by the Gamaleya Research Institute and Russias Defence Ministry and will be the first vaccine candidate against the novel coronavirus to get registered.

The vaccine is currently in its final stage (third stage) of testing.

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 statement said that mass production of the vaccine is set to start in September.
The stepmother of the white Atlanta police officer charged with shooting dead Rayshard Brooks was fired from her HR director job because she made racist comments and falsified her resume, a new lawsuit claims.

Melissa Rolfe was fired on June 18 as the HR director of the Atlanta-based Equity Prime Mortgage a week after her stepson Garrett Rolfe fatally shot Brooks, a 27-year-old black man, in a Wendy's parking lot.

Rolfe repeatedly said on national TV and in social media posts that she hadn't done anything to warrant the firing and that it was a result of being the officer's stepmom.

The company, however, filed a defamation lawsuit against her on Tuesday claiming she has created a smear campaign against them and that her claims are completely false.

They claim Rolfe conspired with far-right Republican congressional candidate Marjorie Taylor Greene, who repeatedly posted on social media in support of her, to create a conservative 'media firestorm'.

President Trump on Wednesday congratulated Greene for winning the primary in Georgia.

Melissa Rolfe was fired on June 18 as the HR director of the Atlanta-based Equity Prime Mortgage a week after her stepson Garrett Rolfe fatally shot Rashard Brooks in a Wendy's parking lot. She is pictured in a Fox News interview after being fired

Rolfe claimed repeatedly that she was fired because she was the stepmother of Garrett Rolfe (left), the Atlanta cop charged with murdering Rayshard Brooks in a Wendy's parking lot on June 13

In the lawsuit, Equity Prime Mortgage argues that Rolfe was actually under investigation for misconduct prior to her stepson shooting dead Brooks on June 13.

The company claims Rolfe, who only worked for EPM for five months, was the subject of repeated complaints from staff about her racist and offensive comments.

They also claim that an investigation, which carried on after the shooting, uncovered that Rolfe had lied about her experience to land the HR director job in the first place.

The lawsuit claims Rolfe was first reprimanded less than a month after starting because she joked about conducting rectal temperature checks in the office.

A month later she was reprimanded again for referring to employees as 'savages', the complaint alleges.

Two month after that, Rolfe was reported for allegedly calling two employees 'f**king b***es', saying an employee had only been hired because she had 'big boobs' and also making racist comments.

Those complaints prompted the company to launch an investigation, the lawsuit claims.

The day prior to Rolfe's stepson shooting dead Brooks, the filing says EPM CEO Eddy Perez met with Rolfe to notify her of the latest complaints that had been made against her.

Rolfe repeatedly said on national TV and in social media posts that she hadn't done anything to warrant the firing and that it was a result of being the officer's stepmom. The company, however, filed a defamation lawsuit against her on Tuesday claiming she has created a smear campaign against them and that her claims are completely false

At the time of her firing, EPM put out a statement saying Rolfe had been let go because she violated company policy and created an 'uncomfortable' and 'hostile' working environment as she was transitioning to a leave of absence granted by the firm

The complaint says Rolfe became 'enraged' and Perez opted to cut the meeting short, telling her he would follow up again after investigating further.

In the wake of the fatal shooting the next day, the lawsuit details that Rolfe asked to work from home the following Monday and then subsequently granted her eight weeks of paid leave in light of her family situation despite being under investigation for serious misconduct.

The lawsuit claims Rolfe was first reprimanded less than a month after starting because she joked about conducting rectal temperature checks in the office. A month later she was reprimanded again for referring to employees as 'savages', the complaint alleges

The company continued its investigation during this time and says a 'flood of employees came forward' with complaints about her 'wildly unprofessional and hostile conduct'.

Among the complaints were that she called an employee was a 'dumb b***h' who can only attract men because she 'must suck d**k really good'.

She also allegedly told a black woman who dates black men that she needed 'to get outside the box and upgrade [her] standards'.

The company says they also learned that Rolfe had lied on her resume to get the job and that she had never previously worked as a HR director like she had claimed.

The lawsuit says that after learning she had lied about her experience, Rolfe was fired on June 18.

'Notably, when Rolfe was informed that she was being terminated, she did not ask why; she knew that she had been repeatedly reprimanded and that - before her stepson shot Brooks - the company had begun an investigation into multiple complaints against her,' the lawsuit says.

The company claims Rolfe, with the help of Greene, immediately set out to defame EPM and peddle the false narrative that she had been wrongly terminated.

They claim Rolfe conspired with far-right Republican congressional candidate Marjorie Taylor Greene, who repeatedly posted on social media in support of her, to create a conservative 'media firestorm'

President Trump on Wednesday congratulated Greene for winning the primary in Georgia

Rolfe said repeatedly in interviews, including one with Fox News' Tucker Carlson, that she didn't know why she had been fired.

The company says the falsehoods resulted in a 'social media mob' making death threats and organizing a boycott of the mortgage company.

The lawsuit also says EPM was bombarded with 'furious messages from people who believed the lie'.

Perez reported the death threats to the FBI and hired a private security firm to protect people working in EPM's office, his family and himself, the lawsuit claims.

At the time of her firing, EPM put out a statement saying Rolfe had been let go because she violated company policy and created an 'uncomfortable' and 'hostile' working environment as she was transitioning to a leave of absence granted by the firm.

'Melissa Rolfe's termination was a direct result of her actions in the workplace and violation of company policy,' the company said.

Body camera video provided by the Atlanta Police Department shows Rayshard Brooks speaking with Officer Rolfe in the parking lot of a Wendy's restaurant on June 12 prior to the shooting

'While working with Melissa as she transitioned to a leave of absence granted by our organization, we discovered she violated company policy and created an uncomfortable working environment for many of our employees.

'As an HR director, she ultimately lost the confidence of her peers, leadership and many employees who no longer felt comfortable engaging with her.

'We value diversity of thought and respect Melissa's personal views and the views of all employees; however, when those views create a hostile working environment, we must make difficult decisions to part ways.'

The news of Rolfe's firing came just hours after her stepson was taken into custody after being charged with felony murder and a string of other charges over Brooks' shooting death in a Wendy's parking lot.

He was fired by the city's police department a day after the shooting.

Rolfe was charged with felony murder and 10 other counts after video showed him shooting Brooks twice in the back with his service handgun after a scuffle in which Brooks stole his taser.

A second officer on the scene, Devin Brosnan, did not discharge his weapon. He faces a handful of lesser charges, including aggravated assault and violation of his oath.

The killing of Brooks came amid a national wave of protests sparked by the May 25 death of George Floyd, a black man who died after a white Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes.
Andaman and Nicobar Islands: India plans Rs 10,000 crore transshipment port at Great Nicobar Island: PM Modi

August 12,2020 | Source: The Times of India

India is considering investing Rs 10,000 crore for building a transshipment port at Great Nicobar Island in the Bay of Bengal to provide shippers an alternative to similar ports in the region, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday as he inaugurated the first undersea optical fibre project to provide high-speed internet to Andaman and Nicobar Islands.



The 2,312-kilometer-long submarine optical fibre cable from Chennai to Andaman and Nicobar Islands, laid at a cost of Rs 1,224 crore, will provide "better and cheaper connectivity", he said. "There is a proposal to build a transshipment port at Great Nicobar at an estimated expenditure of about Rs 10,000 crore. Large ships can dock once this port is ready," he said at the inauguration ceremony held through video link. The dedicated container transshipment terminal at the strategic port locale in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands along the Bay of Bengal coastline offers two geographical advantages -- proximity to the busy east-west international shipping route that can facilitate shorter transits and greater economies of scale, and deep natural water depths that can accommodate the latest generation of mega-ships.



The transshipment port would enable big ships to anchor and raise India's share in maritime trade as well as create new job opportunities, he said. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands Administration had last year floated an expression of interest for the container transshipment terminal with the Free Trade Warehousing Zone in South Bay, Great Nicobar Island to provide Indian shippers an alternative to Colombo, Singapore and Port Klang (Malaysia) transshipment ports. The Prime Minister said Andaman & Nicobar will be developed as a hub of port-led development as it is at a competitive distance from many ports of the world. As India looks to establish itself as an important player in global supply and value chain, it is very important to strengthen the network of waterways and ports, he said adding legal bottlenecks in the development of port infrastructure are also being removed continuously.



The government's focus, he said, is also on promoting ease of business and simplifying maritime logistics. He referred to in-principal approval being given for building a deep draft greenfield seaport on the west coast and work starting on a deep draft inner harbour on the east coast. While blue economy like fisheries, aquaculture, and seaweed farming will accelerate the development of Andaman and Nicobar, the government is making efforts to have more facilities at the Islands. The undersea cable will help boost tourism as it will provide better mobile and internet connectivity on the Islands, he said.



"From Chennai to Port Blair, Port Blair to Little Andaman and Port Blair to Swaraj Dweep, this service has started in large part of Andaman Nicobar from today," Modi said adding it will boost 4G mobile services and digital services like tele-education, telehealth, e-governance services and tourism on the Islands.



Besides Port Blair, it will connect other islands namely Swaraj Dweep (Havlock), Long Island, Rangat, Little Andaman, Kamorta, Car Nicobar, and Greater Nicobar. According to official data, an internet speed of 400 gigabytes (Gb) per second will be provided at Port Blair and for other islands, it will be 200 Gb per second. Undersea cable linking the Andaman and Nocobar Islands with Chennai was laid before time despite the difficult situation, Modi said. The work of laying undersea cable has been executed by BSNL in a record time of less than 24 months. Besides mobile and internet connectivity, physical connectivity through road, air, and water is also being strengthened, he said referring to two big bridges and widening of National Highway No.4 being undertaken to improve road connectivity between North and Middle Andaman.



He said the Port Blair Airport is being enhanced to handle a capacity of 1,200 passengers. Along with this, the airports are ready for operations in Diglipur, Car Nicobar, and Campbell-Bay. Seaplane services will start once water aerodrome infrastructure including passenger terminal and floating jetty is ready at Swaraj Dweep, Shaheed Dweep, and Long Island, he said adding four ships being built at Kochi Shipyard shall be delivered soon to improve the water connectivity between the islands and the mainland. The Prime Minister said that when India is moving forward with the resolve of self-sufficiency and is establishing itself as an important player in the global supply and value chain, it is very important to strengthen our network of waterways and our ports.
That was precisely the role Harris auditioned for during her presidential campaign. She will now play it from the second spot rather than the first. Dont worry, Mr. President, Ill see you at your trial, Harris said in a Twitter exchange with Trump after she ended her presidential quest. She was talking about the impeachment trial, but the jury she will now address consists of the entire American electorate.
Odisha Plus 2 Science Result 2020 Declared: This year, 68,374 students have cleared the exam including 38,301 boys and 30,073 girls.

Odisha Plus 2 Science Result 2020 Declared: The pass percentage in the Odisha Class 12 Science stream exams is 70.21 percent this year. This year, 68,374 students have cleared the exam including 38,301 boys and 30,073 girls.

In the result declared for 97,546 students, 25,339 students stood in the first division. Meanwhile, 24,121 students secured the second division and 18,268 students secured the third division.

Nayagarh district registered the highest pass percentage of 86.51 while Jharsuguda fared the worst, with 40.71 percent students clearing the exams.

Moreover, all students passed in 20 schools, while in 15 schools, the pass percentage was at zero.

The Class 12 Science stream exam results were declared by the Odisha education board at 12.30 pm today (12 August, Wednesday). Students can check their scores on the official website  orissaresults.nic.in.

Follow LIVE updates on Odisha Class 12 results

In 2019, a total of 97,750 students had written the exams, of which 70,706 students had passed. The overall pass percentage was 72.33 percent, Jagran Josh reported.

Additionally, the pass percentage among boys was 75.02 percent, and the pass percentage among girls was 70.4 percent.

How to check Odisha Plus 2 Science result via SMS:

Type 'RESULT<space>OR12<space>ROLL NUMBER' and send it to 56263.

How to check Odisha Plus 2 Science results on official website:

Step 1: Log on the official website  orissaresults.nic.in

Step 2: Click on the link provided for the result

Step 3: Enter roll number and other details in the log in page

Step 4: Click submit and take a print of the result

The Odisha government had cancelled the pending examinations higher secondary classes which were initially scheduled between 23 and 28 March for Arts, Commerce, Science and Vocational Education due to COVID-19 pandemic.

At least 22 papers including biology, economics, logic, geography, computer application, cost accounting, statistics, anthropology, sociology, tourism and hospitality, agriculture, automotive, electronics & hardware and retail were postponed.

The CHSE has adopted the assessment scheme announced by the Supreme Court of India on the basis of the suggestion made by a committee of CBSE.
Cities they say are the mottos of civilisation. In this breadth, books are the melting pots of ideas and continuity of society. More so historical accounts. History, when recounted in the form of a memoir, presents to its varied readers the many shades of a rainbow preference of a reader's choice.

A few weeks ago, a leading Professor within the Ghanaian political landscape and a household name in the NDC politics Professor Kwamena Ahwoi, released a memoir of a sort, 'Working with Rawlings'. Like him or not, Rawlings exudes a larger than life persona something any serious philosophical nation will accord an 'ism'  'Rawlingsism', they will say. Over to you NDC!

Many pandits, attempting to pass as literary critics, who have barely read the book except for a glance at interesting pages, thanks to media serialisations and third party interpretation seem to have downplayed the importance of such publications and relevance to social discourse.

To add insult to injury, the appointment of Professor Naana Opoku Agyemang as running mate to President John Dramani Mahama, who happened to have written the forward to the book, seems to have generated unwarranted negative commentary as the political community in Ghana have decided to weaponise and stoke a political war with the book.

The plot being that Prof Opoku Agyemang endorsed an attack on President Rawlings by writing a forward to a book they believe denigrates him. Given that this is not a review of the book, but a dismissal of the rather toxic storm being brewed politically, it is vital we as youth regardless of our political colouration engage with this topic in a fashion that elevates our place within the Ghanaian society.

Let's for once reject the zombie autopilot political vendor machine splurge of unwise political merchandise and focus on prudent criticality to better appreciate and learn from such seminal works.

Before we delve into the what forwards of books are about, permit me to invite the read-shy detonators of bombastic political propaganda who reduce the entire book to just the forward, Prof Opoku-Agyemang's photograph, and the front hardcover page of the book as an indication of Prof's endorsement of purported attacks on President Rawlings.

That is a very pedestrian and unintellectual approach to review. Here is an opportunity to appreciate the content of the forward put together by Prof Opoku Agyemang for the book :

The twelve chapters and postscript that forms Working with Rawlings attempt to do those things that many biographies or memoirs or even autobiographies doThe distinctive feature here is that, unlike the usual biographical mode to the life of any individual, this text merely uses the biographical mode to focus tightly on a define space and time of a relationship with a particular collection of events.

These events revolve around the life of the writer and that of his boss [emphasis added], Jerry John Rawlings, a leader who has worn many hats including that of Chairman of the PNDC to that of founding President of the Fourth Republic, in both capacities as Head of State of Ghana.

What is evident from this extract, and indeed the entire forward, is an intellectual doing a matter of fact analysis devoid of sentiments  condemnation or praise.

By what stretch of vile propaganda could this pass for an endorsement of an attack on the persona of President Rawlings? Here is now an opportunity to go back and read the entire forward to the book and sincerely conclude for yourself what the forward to the book contained.

In brief, a forward  much as by its content could serve as an endorsement to a book  it primarily introduces readers to an author and his or her work. Exactly what Prof Opoku-Agyemang did while granting President Rawlings the greatest respect.

Given that she was not the commissioning editor to the book nor served with Professor Ahwoi, how was she to challenge the content of a book produced by a man who did not only serve as a key architect of the PNDC-NDC but spent all of his adult life working for the party and Mr Rawlings?

Let's now delve into the forwards and contents of a few similar works to aid our analysis. Achebe's globally acclaimed debut, Things Fall Apart, wove its plot around colonialism. Majority if not all of his works are based on anti-colonial discourses. Notwithstanding this, Achebe in 2008 wrote a forward to Richard Dowden's magnum opus, Africa: Altered States Ordinary Miracles.

A book that presents 21st Century Africa through the good, the bad and the ugly by the former BBC Journalist.

Would it be fair to say Achebe threw his ideals away by endorsing the work of a man whose ancestors were Achebe's colonial masters and contents of whose work does not paint a good picture of Africa? The answer is obvious: That will amount to poor judgement and an unfair conclusion.

Also, without an upfront defence for any of the Professors in this piece, let's take a tour into some memoirs of the leading figure. In Gordon Brown's memoirs: My life, Our Time, here is what he had to say about the former Italian leader Berlusconi [a]s our dinner ended, we joined, the guest from the other dinner for coffee.

Silvio Berlusconi could not stop himself from asking for Naomi Campbell's phone number. As if by some coordinated coincidence Brown's successor David Cameron in his 2019 memoir had the following to say about the same man Silvio Berlusconi, Italian politics was riddle to me. What did they see in a billionaire playboy with no filter on what he said or did?

He once interrupted a long night at an EU Council by pushing the button on his microphone and announcing to the other twenty-six leaders that if the meetings were going to run on like this, 'you should all do same as me and take a mistress in Brussels'.

To be fair he had great stuff attributed to him as well. These examples are no endorsement but to offer how straight-shooting and raw memoirs could be on content.

There are also some other concerns surrounding the book, Working with Rawlings. Such as the timing of its release and some issue on factual inaccuracies. But I leave that to the sages of the NDC to resolve.

Do I agree to all of its content? No. But that is not the theme of this piece. Regardless of our individual positions, this is what memoirs or political history do.

I would also be doing history a great disservice should I gloss over a similar dishonest serialisation of Arthur Kennedy's Chasing the Elephant into the bush: The politics of complacency.

That rather important political manual for all sides of the political divide ended up as political widget on the propaganda conveyor belt by political actors. The question remains, would we be fair to generations after us if this is how to treat literary and published account narratives?

Readers are leaders is an encouragement cliche to spur reading, but positive criticality, proper contextualisation, deweaponisation of intellectual works for decent social engagement remains the jewel on the crown.



The writer is an Assistant Professor of Accounting and Financial Management at the University of Sheffield Management, University of Sheffield. He serves as an Associate Editor of Qualitative Research in Financial Markets and is also a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, UK.
Born and raised in a sacred land with extraordinary people and indomitable tradition, comrade Le Kha Phieu was soon enlightened by the revolution and enthusiastically participated in local movements. He became a communist soldier when he was only 18 years old. Since then, his life was closely linked to the military and the cause of liberating the nation. The comrade fought in many fierce battlefields from north to south and throughout Indochina battlefields during both resistance wars against French colonialism and US imperialism, and in undertaking the international mission in Cambodia. The wars forged him into a political and military officer with extensive experience in organising and commanding combats, becoming a shining example of revolutionary morality.

During the period of national construction, as the Chairman of the General Political Bureau and Standing Member of the Central Military Commission, the comrade, along with other members of the Central Military Commission and Ministry of Defence, built a clean and strong military Party committee, while giving advice to the Party and the State in planning the military and defence guidelines. He also contributed to leading the construction of strong all-people defence and people's armed forces; improving the quality and efficiency of Party and political work and the building of a strong army in politics and organisation that would become the basis for enhancing the overall quality and combat strength of the army; and strengthening the Partys absolute and direct leadership of the army in all aspects.

He paid great attention to political education and fostering for officials and soldiers, especially the training of ethical qualitiesand etiquette while upholding heroic tradition and unceasingloyalty to the Party, State and people. The comrade sternly warned of the hostile forces peaceful evolution plots that aimed to undermine the Party's fighting capacity by firstly destroying and eroding the revolutionary nature of the army.

In the position of a General Secretary, comrade Le Kha Phieu, along with members of the Party Central Committee (PCC), Politburo and the Secretariat, led the whole Party, people and army in gaining many great achievements in the cause of national renewal, industrialisation, modernisation, construction and defence. He paid special attention to the Party building and rectification, notably promoting the democratic rights among the Party and people as well as the organisation and training of officials and talents. As a sharp and visionary leader, the comrade, together with the PCC, Politburo and the Secretariat, worked fiercely and urgently to clearly identify the degradation in political ideology, the corruption, bureaucracy and waste ofseveral officials and Party members that could affect the position and leadership of the Party. Accordingly, he issued the eighth PCCs Resolution 6 (second time) on some basic and urgent issues in the current Party building work.

The whole Party then conducted a campaign of Party building and reorganisation, focusing on criticism and self-criticismamong the Party committees and organisations at all levels as well as key cadres from the central to grassroots levels. The resolution was a breakthrough in Party building and rectification during the new period. It has created a new order in Party activities and contributed to the transformation of Party building work while raising political awareness among officials and Party members as well as preventing the degradation of morality and lifestyle of a number of Party members, thus enhancing the leadership and fighting strength of party organisations. The comrade showed his determination to the fight against corruption when he clearly identified the negative impacts of the market economy on the cadres. In addition to guiding the strict handle of violated and corrupted officials, he always emphasised the need to clean up the staff, build strong Party organisations, and consolidate the peoples confidence in the Party and regime.

With over 70 years of participation in the Communist Party of Vietnam, taking on many important position, and being trained in the military environment and arduous combats, comrade Le Kha Phieu was always absolutely loyal to the Party, the Fatherland and the people; steadfast in the Party's goals and ideals; and exemplary in preserving revolutionary morality and quality of a communist Party member. He also constantly studied, trained and strived to fulfil all assigned tasks. The dedication to work and closeness to the people were notable features in the working style of comrade Le Kha Phieu. Visiting and working with many localities and agencies, the late General Secretary continued to retain his military style, aggression, simplicity and close communications, leaving an unforgettable impression in the hearts of the people. He always showed his enthusiasm and contributed many positive opinions to the Party, State and army, despite his old age.

With great compassion for comrade Le Kha Phieus passing way, we will firmly step forward on the revolutionary path that the Party, Uncle Ho and the Vietnamese people have chosen,insisting on the ideals of national independence and socialism, to promote comprehensive reform and build a strong Party that can lead the countrys development in the new period.
GRAND RAPIDS, MI  A Democrat hasnt represented Grand Rapids in Congress since 1976, but the partys chance of winning Michigans 3rd Congressional District seat this November  while still an uphill battle  is improving, one political observer says.

Inside Elections, a Washington D.C.-based nonpartisan political newsletter, has changed its rating for the seat from Leans Republican to Tilts Republican.

Nathan Gonzales, the newsletters editor and publisher, said the adjustment was made not so much because of the strength or weakness of the candidates vying for the seat, Republican Peter Meijer and Democrat Hillary Scholten, but because of the man at the top of the ticket: President Donald Trump.

The 3rd District is vulnerable because of the broader national environment, he said.

President Trump is struggling to recapture his 2016 magic across the country, including Michigan. President Trump is underperforming in Michigan compared with four years ago, and that is making a large number of Republican-held districts more competitive than what we would have expected six months or a year ago.

The 3rd Congressional District encompasses the city of Grand Rapids, a large portion of Kent County, a small part of Montcalm County, as well as Ionia, Barry and Calhoun counties.

The seat is currently held by U.S. Rep. Justin Amash, L-Cascade Township. Amash was elected in 2010 as a Republican but left the party last year after feuding with Trump, and is now serving out the remainder of his term as a Libertarian. He has said he does not intend to run for reelection.

Democrats have long struggled in the 3rd.

In 2018, Amash  who at the time was a Republican  defeated Democrat Cathy Albro by 12 percentage points. Trump, meanwhile, won the district by 10 percentage points in 2016.

The last time a Democrat was elected to represent Grand Rapids in Congress was 1974. Attorney Richard Vander Veen was elected that year, in what was then the 5th Congressional District. He replaced U.S. Rep. Gerald Ford, who resigned from the seat to become vice president during Richard Nixons second term.

How the 3rd Congressional District race trends from now till Election Day will continue to depend in part on Trumps performance, Gonzales said.

If the presidents standing doesnt improve, this could end up being a toss up race by the time we get to Election Day, he said.

This is a competitive race, Gonzales said.

I think under normal circumstances the 3rd District would elect a Republican. Im not sure these are normal circumstances. Theres a president who is not only polarizing but unpopular and that is having an impact on Senate and House races on the ticket.

Gonzales said ticket-splitting, an occurrence where the winning presidential candidate and the winning congressional candidate represent different political parties, is becoming more and more rare.

Also giving Scholten, the Democratic candidate, a boost: She wont be competing against a well-known incumbent, Gonzales said.

Meijer, the Republican candidate whose family founded the Meijer supermarket chain, certainly has name recognition, and won a decisive victory in the August primary election against four rival candidates. He was also buoyed by strong fundraising, and significantly outspent his opponents on television advertising.

But Gonzales said he doesnt think Meijer has the same name ID as an incumbent.

I would guess that the Meijer name probably gets him a second look or kind of pique peoples interest, he said. But I dont know that it gives him a fundamental advantage in the race. I think his potential for spending personal money could be an asset.

Scholten, 38, ran unopposed in the Democratic primary.

An attorney from Grand Rapids who worked at the Justice Department during the Obama administration, Scholten has reported raising more than $1 million  significantly more than past Democratic 3rd Congressional District candidates. She has also received endorsements from an array of local, state and national Democrats, including Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren.

Meijer, 32, served in the Army Reserves for eight years, from 2008 to 2016, including a mid-college deployment to Iraq from 2010 to 2011.

After graduating college, he worked as a conflict analyst for a humanitarian organization from 2013 to 2015. He earned a masters degree in business administration from New York University in 2017. Most recently, from April 2018 to January 2019, he worked as an analyst at Olympia Development of Michigan.

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7-y-o boy with autism kicked out of sister's baptism by priest for being 'distraction'

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A New Jersey mom is demanding an apology after her son, who has autism and is nonverbal, was kicked out of a Catholic church by a priest for dropping a toy during a private baptism ceremony.

On Facebook, Julia Vicidomini said the Rev. Luke Duc Tran, the priest at Christ the King Church in Hillside, kicked her 7-year-old son, Nicky, out of her baby daughter Sophia's baptism.

According to Vicidomini, Nicky finds comfort in bringing toys to public places and was playing in a candle room adjacent to the baptism when he dropped a toy and it clattered on the floor.

"Out," the priest said, according to a video posted to Vicidomini's Facebook page. "This church is not for play."

"Yes, he was playing with a toy where he should not have been, however, the way the priest kicked him out of the church was completely rude and disrespectful," Vicidomini wrote in a caption accompanying the video.

"I was told it would, in fact, be a private celebration for just our family, no one else," Vicidomini explained. "With this information, I felt more comfortable taking Nicky as he doesnt do well with a full Mass and large group settings."

Vicidomini and her husband, Marc, have decided to leave the church where she grew up after discussing the incident with the priest and receiving an unsatisfactory response.

"My husband told him that he thought a priest, of all people, would be more sympathetic to a child with special needs, that he was completely unprofessional and ruined our celebration. He told him our family deserved an apology," Vicidomini wrote. "The priest came outside to speak to our family but instead of apologizing he began to try to justify the reason he kicked our child out, again saying he was distracting him."



Vicidomini told NBC that her son "thankfully" did not understand what was happening and left the church with her mother-in-law. Still, she said it was "painful" to witness the priest interact with her son that way, adding the incident shows there is still much to be done to educate others of those with disabilities."

The Archdiocese of Newark, in a public statement, apologized for the incident.

"On behalf of the parish and the Archdiocese of Newark, we offer our heartfelt apologies for the abrupt behavior demonstrated by one of our pastors on Saturday during a private family ceremony," read the statement obtained by WABC. "The pastor was unaware that the sibling playing in a nearby candle room during the ceremony has autism."

"The pastor did not understand the child's behavior, he felt unprepared to respond appropriately, and his reaction to the situation was not pastoral. He acknowledges and is regretful for the mistake," it continued.

The archdiocese also said that its Office for Pastoral Ministry with Persons with Disabilities is working with the Vicidomini family "to ensure that there is greater awareness in working with individuals with disabilities."

Vicidomini said she is still hoping for a personal apology from the priest.

"The Bible speaks of welcoming all Gods children, but there was no compassion in this instance," Vicidomini told NBC. "Since sharing our story, others have shared stories of their own family members with special needs being shunned from the church. We want to continue spreading awareness that this is just not right.

A similar incident occurred in February when an 8-year-old boy was denied First Communion by the Saint Aloysius Parish in Jackson, New Jersey, due to his autism.

A survey from Nashville-based LifeWay Research of 1,000 Protestant pastors and 1,002 American Protestant churchgoers found that nearly every pastor (99%) and churchgoer (97%) says someone with a disability would feel welcomed and included at their church.

However, just half of churches (50%) provide an additional teacher to aid a person with special needs in a class, and only 29% say their church provides classes or events specifically for people with disabilities.

Tim Lucas, the pastor of Liquid Church in Parsippany, New Jersey, told The Christian Post that in general, the Church is 30 years behind culture when it comes to special needs.

[Churches] dont have the manpower and muscle even if theyre passionate about it, he said, adding that it takes intentional effort to make families that have special needs feel at home.

Heather Avis, a mother to three adopted children  two of whom have Down syndrome  shared with CP simple, practical ways the Church can make room for those who typically dont have a seat at the table.

The thing with people with different abilities is that everyone is so different. Its about meeting the needs of the individual where theyre at, Avis said. Its as simple as asking parents, what does your kid need? thats huge.

I wish, she added, it was as simple as do these five steps to be more inclusive, but really thats not how this community works. Its about meeting people where they are, creating genuine relationships, and being willing to adjust for the one. Its the radical idea of, 100 of us are going to shift everything so one person can be a part of our church."
India's third Covid wave likely to peak on Jan 23, daily cases to stay below 4 lakh: IIT Kanpur scientist

Have to assess if Russias COVID-19 vaccine is safe and effective: AIIMS Director

India

oi-Briti Roy Barman

New Delhi, Aug 12: Russia became the first country after it announced on Tuesday that it has given statutory approval for the public use of COVID-19 vaccine.

Experts around the world have been startled after the announcement by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Director of All India Institutes of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Delhi, Dr Randeep Guleria on Tuesday said that there was a need to assess the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine developed by Russia.

Chinese firms raided | I-T dept raids Chinese companies & more news | Oneindia News

India among 20 countries interested in obtaining COVID-19 vaccine from Russia

"If Russia's vaccine is successful, then we will have to see critically whether it is safe and effective. There should not be any side effects of the vaccine and it should provide good immunity and protection. India has the capacity for mass production of vaccine," Dr Guleria said.

Putin said that the vaccine offers sustainable immunity against Covid-19 and claimed his daughters had received the inoculation and felt good afterwards.

Howerver, the vaccine, named a 'Sputnik V' in homage to the world's first satellite launched by the country, has not yet completed its final trials.

Top US infectious disease official Dr Anthony Fauci said he had not heard any evidence that the vaccine was ready for widespread use.

"I hope that the Russians have actually definitively proven that the vaccine is safe and effective. I seriously doubt that they've done that," Fauci said.
WASHINGTON  Forget Beto ORourke and Julian Castro. Texas Democrats say Kamala Harris was the best possible vice presidential pick for Joe Bidens chances in Texas.

They hope Harris  who is both the first African-American woman and the first Asian-American on a major partys presidential ticket  will be a cleanup hitter, especially in the increasingly diverse suburbs that represent the most likely path to flipping Texas for the first time in a generation.

For Texas, there is not a better pick, said Mustafa Tameez, a Democratic strategist in Houston.

She has a multicultural background, Tameez said. Having someone who can authentically speak to those populations in the suburbs is going to create momentum. Having somebody like that on the ticket automatically jump starts it.

Karen Warren, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer

Political scientists say Democrats are probably right about the boost Harris can provide in the suburbs, even though she may not excite progressives in the state who were crucial to elevating ORourkes 2018 campaign and mobilizing younger voters in general in Texas.

Harris, a California Senator who is the daughter of immigrants, could be especially effective in places like Fort Bend County, one of the biggest and fastest growing counties in the state, where more than 28 percent of the population is foreign-born and more than 20 percent are Asian-American.

FIRST REACTION: Texas Democrats applaud selection of Kamala Harris

By selecting someone who isnt overwhelmingly identified with the most progressive wing of the party, Bidens pick can technically appeal to both sets of voters  moderate whites and moderate white women who may be considering the Democratic party, and people of color in Texas, said Joshua Blank, research director at the University of Texas at Austins Texas Politics Project.

Harris also could appeal to minority voters who make up the bulk of the Democrats base in Texas  both the Asian-Americans who are driving much of the growth of the states suburbs, and the Black women who have been the base and buckle of the Democratic party, said Michael O. Adams, a political scientist at Texas Southern University

Theres a lot of energy there, Adams said.

Texas Republicans were quick to attack Harris as a liberal extremist.

U.S. Sen. John Cornyns campaign described her like this: She believes in RADICAL ideas like: Tearing down measures at the border that keep Texans SAFE and protect our communities from traffickers and drug smugglers, solely blaming President Trump while staying quiet on China for their lies about Coronavirus while it ravaged the GLOBE and killed MILLIONS, and promoting a single- payer health care plan that is even MORE radical than ObamaCare.

We cant afford her dangerous ideas anywhere NEAR the White House, the campaign wrote in an email to supporters.

GENDER DIVIDE: Trump-Biden race has big divide between Texas men and women, polling shows

Texas GOP Chairman Allen West said in a statement: Theres a reason why people are fleeing California, and other failed blue states, for the growth, opportunity, and promise of Texas.

The radical left demanded a Black female VP. For them its about identity politics, not character, West said. And Sen. Kamala Harris has done nothing to resolve the issues facing the American Black community or, for that matter, Americans period.

But while Harris is more progressive than Biden, shes not a pick aimed at bringing in votes from the left wing of the party, which lobbied for a more progressive pick such as U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts or U.S. Rep. Karen Bass of California.

Bidens choice comes as polls show him within a few percentage points of Trump in Texas, fueling hope that he could be the first Democrat to win the state since Jimmy Carter in 1976.

U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, a Houston Democrat, called the moment a significant, seismic change in the direction of America.

It finally means that a person of great talent and compassion  an African American woman, a Black woman, a woman of color  has climbed the mountaintop that Martin Luther King promised, she said. I believe that the unity ticket of Biden and Harris will be a ticket that allows everyone to have a sense that they have a seat at the table.

Outreach to a critical Democratic base

Harris addresses the biggest concern that Democrats had coming out of 2016, when a record 137.5 million Americans voted in the presidential election.

But data from the Pew Research Center shows that while almost every demographic group saw a corresponding boost in turnout, black turnout declined for the first time in 20 years, falling from 66.6 percent in 2012 to 59.6 percent in 2016.

In the battleground states of Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania there was a huge drop-off in turnout among women of color who previously voted for President Barack Obama, said Aimee Allison, founder of She The People, a California-based group that has been pushing Democrats to more genuinely address issues of importance to women of color. All three of those states wound up voting for Donald Trump, paving his way to the White House.

Karen Warren, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer

Allison said 2016 showed how women of color are one of the largest and most influential Democratic constituencies  and no candidate can win the nomination or the White House without appealing to them more broadly than the party did in 2016.

It makes a lot of sense that she was the one, Allison said of Harris. To me she can help unify the Democratic coalition we need to win.

In 2019, Allison organized the first She The People rally in Houston at Texas Southern University, an ode to former Houston Congresswoman Barbara Jordan. That event put Harris and other early Democratic contenders for the White House before an audience of mostly women of color in an early test of who could connect with that critical base of voters.

For Harris, it would be one of three stops at TSU while she tried to build momentum in Texas  a state where her campaign never gained traction despite those early forays into Houston.

Still, those trips illustrated Harriss ties to historically Black colleges and universities. Harris is a graduate of Howard University and a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., which has 300,000 members and more than 1,000 local chapters.

Were ecstatic and supporting her 100 percent, said Kristina Spencer, assistant secretary of the Alpha Kappa Alpha chapter in Spring. We were hoping this day would come. We were strongly hoping she would be Joe Bidens choice.

Spencer said Harris has a reputation for fighting for the underprivileged and she likes that Harris doesnt dodge tough questions.

She is very direct. She is going to get to the point and she is not going to waver, she said. Its whats appealing to me. I dont like for people to tell me one thing when I clearly know the other.

Adams at TSU said theres a chance Harris could generate energy down-ballot for MJ Hegar, a former Air Force pilot running against Cornyn, as well as Democrats who are trying to flip a handful of congressional seats in the suburbs.

Sri Kulkarni, a Democrat running in a competitive Fort Bend congressional district, cheered the pick.

This is for the South Asians who grew up seeing nobody that looked like them in government, he tweeted. Its for those who questioned whether they belonged and whether their voice mattered. This is historicAmerica is on its way to true representation.

Other Texas Democrats lament that Biden didnt go with a more progressive VP pick to balance out the ticket.

For Chris Chu de Leon, the former Texas Director for the Bernie Sander campaign, Harris doesnt bring much to the table to convince Sanders followers to get to the polls. He said a large faction of Sanders supporters are not happy with the pick.

The general consensus is while Kamala adds much-needed diversity and representation to the ticket, her past prosecutorial record disproportionately locked up and criminalized Black and brown folks, he said. Most Bernie folks wanted Karen Bass, of the VP candidates Biden was considering.

Sanders fell short in the Texas primary, but his influence on Texas politics was hard to miss. His advocacy for Medicare-for-all and college affordability didnt just bring legions of young people to his campaign, but helped influence ORourke and other 2018 candidates. ORourkes plans werent nearly as progressive as those of Sanders, but his movement brought legions of younger, energized voters to his campaign.

Democrats were hopeful Harris  and the historic moment her selection represents  will energize voters, as well.

At Biden and Harris first appearance together on Wednesday, Biden noted the historical significance of Harris on the ticket: This morning, all across the nation, little girls woke up, especially little Black and brown girls, who so often feel overlooked and undervalued in their communities.

But today just maybe theyre seeing themselves for the first time in a new way: as the stuff of president and vice presidents, he said.

U.S. Rep. Sylvia Garcia, a Houston Democrat, said Harris is a smart, forward-looking pick: I could not be more optimistic for the future than I am today because Joe's choice reminds us that in America, the future is female.
There are so many true crime shows that sometimes it's hard to know where to begin.

But one program that stands out from the rest is HBO's new six-part documentary I'll Be Gone in the Dark, according to television experts at The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.

The late crime writer Michelle McNamara. Credit:HBO

The show revolves around the late crime writer Michelle McNamara's hunt for the Golden State Killer and is the subject of this week's Televisonaries podcast. Host Louise Rugendyke says I'll Be Gone in the Dark is different from other true crime programs because how it is framed.

"It's less about the killer and more about the woman who pursued him," Rugendyke says. "In that sense, it's a story about obsession. It is Michelle McNamara's unceasing quest to identify the killer who had evaded police for more than 40 years. It's also about what that obsession cost her."
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-12 13:25:08|Editor: huaxia

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NEW DELHI, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- The total number of COVID-19 cases in India rose to 2,329,638 on Wednesday as the deaths crossed the 46,000 mark, reaching 46,091, said the data released by the federal health ministry.

Over the past 24 hours, as many as 60,963 new cases were recorded across the country, while 834 deaths due to the virus were registered.

There are a total of 643,948 active cases in India presently, and 1,639,599 people have been cured and discharged from hospitals.

Wednesday is the 13th consecutive day when over 50,000 COVID-19 cases have been recorded in India.

The recent surge in fresh cases is due to ramping of samples testing. Till Tuesday 26,015,297 samples were tested out of which 733,449 samples were tested on Tuesday alone.

According to the federal health ministry, the recovery rate amongst the COVID-19 patients has reached almost 70 percent, while the fatality rate presently stands at 2 percent and is steadily declining.

On Tuesday Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that there was an urgent need to increase testing of samples to curb COVID-19 in 10 states which account for nearly 80 percent of fresh cases across the country. These states are Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Punjab, Bihar, Gujarat, Telangana, and Uttar Pradesh.

Interacting with the chief ministers of all the 10 states through video-conferencing, Modi stated that if the virus was defeated in these states, the entire country would emerge victorious in the battle against COVID-19. Enditem
Small Landlord Emergency Grant Program

Program Overview

The SLEG Program provides financial support for small rental property owners (and, indirectly, to renters) who are struggling due to the COVID-19 emergency in the State of New Jersey. The Program will reimburse small landlords for rent payments that were missed or reduced in April, May, June, and/or July 2020. Only properties with low-to-moderate rent levels are eligible (see Eligibility Criteria below for more information). Please note: grantees must pass the benefit on to their tenants by forgiving outstanding back rent and late fees for COVID-impacted units for the April-July 2020 period.

Eligibility

To be eligible for the SLEG Program, the applicant and the applicants rental property have to meet the eligibility criteria. The applicant must: Be the Primary Property Owner of a residential rental property (i.e., not condominium or cooperative) property in New Jersey and registered as such with New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (NJDCA) on the Bureau of Housing Inspection Registration Inspection Management System (RIMS) database. You must be registered as of July 17, 2020.

NOT be a government entity or public housing authority.

be a government entity or public housing authority. Be current on all state and local tax obligations. The applicants property must: Contain at least 3 and no more than 10 total housing units.

NOT be a seasonal or vacation rental property.

be a seasonal or vacation rental property. Have a fire inspection certificate, current as of December 31, 2019, from the Local Enforcement Agency responsible for fire safety. Please note: NJHMFA reserves the right to screen the property for outstanding life safety code violations in NJDCAs RIMS database.

Contain at least one non-vacant COVID-impacted unit with a net rent deficit between April and July 2020. This means that the total rent due from the tenant in this four-month period exceeds the rent the landlord received during this period.

COVID-impacted unit with a net rent deficit between April and July 2020. This means that the total rent due from the tenant in this four-month period exceeds the rent the landlord received during this period. Rents charged to COVID-impacted unit(s) are no greater than the maximum rent thresholds listed in the table below. If a unit has an above-threshold rent for its bedroom size, that unit is ineligible for assistance. Maximum Rent Thresholds by Bedroom Size County of Rental Property Studio 1-Bedroom 2-Bedroom 3-Bedroom 4-Bedroom 5-Bedroom Atlantic County 1,182 1,266 1,518 1,754 1,956 2,159 Bergen County 1,504 1,611 1,932 2,232 2,490 2,748 Burlington County 1,354 1,450 1,740 2,010 2,242 2,474 Camden County 1,354 1,450 1,740 2,010 2,242 2,474 Cape May County 1,202 1,288 1,546 1,785 1,992 2,197 Cumberland County 1,028 1,102 1,322 1,527 1,704 1,880 Essex County 1,496 1,603 1,924 2,222 2,478 2,735 Gloucester County 1,354 1,450 1,740 2,010 2,242 2,474 Hudson County 1,382 1,480 1,776 2,051 2,288 2,525 Hunterdon County 1,674 1,793 2,152 2,486 2,774 3,060 Mercer County 1,564 1,676 2,012 2,324 2,592 2,861 Middlesex County 1,674 1,793 2,152 2,486 2,774 3,060 Monmouth County 1,532 1,642 1,970 2,276 2,540 2,802 Morris County 1,496 1,603 1,924 2,222 2,478 2,735 Ocean County 1,532 1,642 1,970 2,276 2,540 2,802 Passaic County 1,504 1,611 1,932 2,232 2,490 2,748 Salem County 1,354 1,450 1,740 2,010 2,242 2,474 Somerset County 1,674 1,793 2,152 2,486 2,774 3,060 Sussex County 1,496 1,603 1,924 2,222 2,478 2,735 Union County 1,496 1,603 1,924 2,222 2,478 2,735 Warren County 1,448 1,552 1,862 2,151 2,400 2,648

Grant Award Amounts

NJHMFA has been allocated a total of $25 million in federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act funding to administer the SLEG Program. There are no preset minimum or maximum award amounts for this program. The grant award amount will be calculated on the basis of the number of eligible, COVID-impacted units in the property and the net rent deficit for each eligible unit for the four-month period between April and July 2020. To ensure that the SLEG Program serves "mom-and-pop" property owners vulnerable to financial stress during COVID-19, at least one-third of program funds will be reserved for those applicants who are registered in the NJDCA RIMS database as individual or family owners.

Application Process
Vietnam confirms three more imported Covid-19 cases

Three people who recently returned from Japan have tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, raising the total number of Covid-19 patients in Vietnam to 866, the Ministry of Health reported on Wednesday morning.

A health worker in Hanoi takes sample for Covid-19 testing. Photo by Son Tung.



The new patients who have been quarantined upon arrival include two men, both aged 33, and a 36-year-old woman.

They boarded the Vietnam Airlines flight VN331 which landed at the Van Don International Airport in Quang Ninh Province on August 10. Their samples were taken for viral testing on August 11 and came out positive for SARS-CoV-2.

The three patients are now being treated at the Hanoi-based National Hospital for Tropical Diseases.

With these latest infection cases, Vietnam has reported a total of 321 of imported Covid-19 patients.

Meanwhile the number of Covid-19 patients related to Danang City has increased to 405 since July 25, the committee said.

As of Wednesday morning, a total of 399 patients have recovered and the country has reported 16 deaths.

At present, 134.248 people who had close contact with Covid-19 patients or returned from virus-hit areas are being monitored at hospitals, quarantine facilities, and at home.
ABU DHABI, UAE, Aug. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI), the first graduate-level, research-based artificial intelligence (AI) university in the world, has opened its admissions cycle, which will see accepted students begin their AI education journey at the state-of-the-art Abu Dhabi campus in Fall 2021.

MBZUAI has also recently extended admission offers to 100 students for the first academic year commencing in January 2021, with nearly 90 per cent of the admitted students having already accepted their offers. Students accepted into the first cohort were selected from a high caliber group of 2,223 applicants of 97 different nationalities. Admitted students come from 31 countries, with a majority hailing from outside the MENA region.

His Excellency Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, Chairman of the MBZUAI Board of Trustees and UAE's Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, said: "In line with the country's wise leadership vision, the Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence seeks to develop the necessary skills to achieve growth, progress and advancement. Technology, and artificial intelligence in particular, is the driving force of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and a core component of a sustainable and prosperous future. A degree from MBZUAI will provide graduates with the skills and competencies to deploy the full potential of artificial intelligence for the betterment of communities, society, and economies, in the UAE and beyond."

Since launching in October 2019, MBZUAI has achieved several important milestones, including the completion of its state-of-the-art campus and its first admissions cycle. In addition to appointing senior faculty members and leadership team made up of renowned experts, MBZUAI has received licensing and accreditation from the Commission for Academic Accreditation, and has launched a series of expert-led webinars to build awareness and understanding of AI amongst the global community.

Applications are being accepted for a Fall 2021 start in MBZUAI's MSc and PhD programs in Computer Vision and Machine Learning.

These programs will be taught by a world-class faculty, overseen by the University's Board of Trustees, which comprises internationally renowned experts in the field of AI.

Professor Sir Michael Brady, Interim President of MBZUAI, said: "We are thrilled that MBZUAI has received such an incredible response from graduate students around the world. Students in our first and second cohorts will be trailblazers, embarking upon an exciting educational journey that is entirely unique to our University. They will be provided with the opportunity to obtain a skillset that will set them apart in the world of AI."

Eligible students will have graduated with a Bachelor's degree in a relevant field in order to be considered for MBZUAI's MSc programs, and must hold a relevant Master's degree in order to be considered for the University's PhD programs. Full admissions requirements and application can be found on MBZUAI's website, mbzuai.ac.ae.

Admissions for the Fall 2021 cohort closes on April 15, 2021. Early admission by 15 January 2021 is recommended for international students.

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Several prominent Naga groups on Wednesday opposed the removal of Nagaland Governor RN Ravi as the interlocutor for the ongoing peace talks as sought by the Isak-Muivah faction of National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN-IM).

On Tuesday, the NSCN-IM accused Ravi of creating hurdles in the final agreement of the Naga political issue and sought his removal as interlocutor.

We find no logic to remove Ravi as the interlocutor at this point of time. The formal talks concluded on October 31 last year and we are all waiting for the signing of the final agreement. But NSCN-IM is indulging in delaying tactics now, said Alezo Venuh, coordinator of the working committee of Naga National Political Groups (NNPGs).

The NNPGs are a group of seven Naga outfits and organizations who along with NSCN-IM are also involved in talks with the Centre to sign a final agreement to the Naga issue.

There is no ground to remove Ravi. There is no point going back to square one. Whoever is asking for the interlocutors removal doesnt want a solution, but wants to continue the issue. The talks have been going on for 23 years, the Naga people now want a solution without delay, said Venuh.

In a statement issued on Tuesday NSCN-IM had said the peace process is in a state of simmering tension and reaching tipping point because of Ravis vitriolic attack on Naga issue.

The issue is now in the court of Government of India that should come out with an undertaking that Framework Agreement (signed in August 2015) is still alive in its original form and to be handled by somebody other than RN Ravi, the statement read.

The biggest and oldest of the Naga rebel outfits, NSCN-IM had been in peace talks with the central government since 1997 and signed a Framework Agreement (FA) in 2015, which was to be the basis for a final deal on the long pending Naga issue.

Though peace talks with NSCN-IM and other pro-talks rebel outfits (Naga National Political Groups-NNPGs) concluded In October, 2019 a formal deal to end the decades old Naga political problem is still awaited.

The NSCN-IMs accusations against Ravi comes at a time when another round of meetings to thrash out a final agreement is set to begin in New Delhi from next week in which senior NSCN-IM and NNPGs leaders are expected to take part.

However, the Apex Naga Tribal Hohos of Nagaland (ANTHN), an organization of the 14 major Naga tribes in the state, in a statement issued on Tuesday backed Ravis continuance as interlocutor.

The peace process is in the last leg, therefore demanding change of interlocutor at this stage is uncalled for. It is the Centres prerogative on who they want to represent it at the talks. We shouldnt have any problem with that and focus on putting our views across, said Theja Therieh, executive member of Naga Tribes Council (NTC).

Earlier several organizations like Lotha Hoho, Nagaland Gaon Bura Federation and Zeliangrong Baudi had also come out in support of Ravi and opposed demands for his removal as interlocutor.

We have no connection with NSCN-IMs statement and there is no question of favouring or not favouring removal of Ravi as interlocutor from our side, said HK Zhimomi, president of Naga Hoho, the apex tribal body of Nagas in Nagaland.
In 2018, in a speech at the Raisina Dialogue, the conference held by the ministry of external affairs and the Observer Research Foundation, the late foreign minister Sushma Swaraj, declared that the world was in transition there was now a departure from longstanding practices, a shift away from multilateralism and alliances, and a retreat from globalisation. While Swaraj was circumspect, many others have since been more candid. A few days ago, for example, former Australian prime minister Kevin Rudd argued that the global order was being reshaped by China. These statements articulate the prevalent anxiety behind a question that many have been grappling with  is the current international order in decline? In particular, is the United States (US)-led order under threat of revisionism by China and other actors? The answer to this question often relates to where one stands on the political spectrum, and consequently tends to fall into black-and-white categories of either singular affirmation or denial. In reality, however, the answer is complex because international order is complex. Disagreements between China and the US are not the same as disagreements between China and international order. To understand this, it is important to understand what international order is and what it implies.

Princeton professor G John Ikenberry has called international order the organising rules and institutions of world politicsthrough which [countries] do business. His work and that of many others imply four facts about the international order. First, order is not a passive outcome but an active creation by powerful countries. Second, it rests on shared ideas. Third, these ideas are shared across not one but many issues. Finally, participating countries need to be willing to buy into order. So if we argue that a country is revisionist of the international order, what we mean is that it is deliberately trying to reorganise these rules and institutions, trying to change the shared ideas that underpin order, that it is doing so across issues, and that it has the help of countries willing to buy into its proposed changes.

Which brings us to the current international order and how these implications play out. The international order today was created and led by the US and its allies after World War II, and its byword was multilateralism. The principles of the 1941 Atlantic Charter in which Franklin D Roosevelt and Winston Churchill declared a shared commitment to free trade and collective security were more formally enshrined during the Bretton Woods Conference of 1944  a new economic and security order with international institutions for multilateral cooperation emerged and thrived. But today, who is revising and who is accommodating these institutions that are the bedrock of the post-World War II international order does not play out along neat lines.

For example, Donald Trumps assertion of America First has led to a decline in long-standing collective security arrangements  last month, he withdrew 9,500 US troops from German soil undermining the US-German solidarity that was the foundation of the trans-Atlantic security cooperation and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato). Trump has also criticised multilateral agreements such as the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) and Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) that could restrain China  for example, by setting or preserving information and communication technology (ICT) standards that would impede China trying to set Chinese technology as the standard for the hard infrastructure of Internet connectivity.

China too has rejected or violated the shared ideas of some of the international institutions it has joined  it has not, for example, ratified the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (although neither has the US) and argues that it is compliant with international human rights norms. But as Columbia University professor, Andrew Nathan, points out, it has also partially or wholly complied with many other shared ideas, particularly because in many cases it has served its interests to do so. Its embrace of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), for example, has been highly selective and biased towards its own interests  in accordance with the norms of UNCLOS, it expects to dispatch spy ships into other countries exclusive economic zones to monitor both their economic (which is legal) and military activities (subject to interpretation) without incident but objects to and occasionally harasses other countries for allegedly violating its own space in the South China Sea.

Its embrace of the World Trade Organization (WTO) has been more wholehearted and straightforward where it has worked to make domestic changes in order to bring China into compliance with the WTOs accession agreement, leading one study to conclude that Beijing operates within the WTO system. And as its share of global investment has increased, many experts have found that Beijing has become a defender of the interests of capital, borrowing its norms directly from the West.

What we find from these examples is that countries that we expect to buy into the current order may revise aspects of it while countries we expect not to buy into the order may accommodate important parts of it, especially when it speaks to their interests. Nor can we assume that the builder of international order, in this case the US, will also be the upholder of it in every issue area. Finally, its worth remembering that since creating and sharing the norms of the international order rests on a concert of countries, this leaves room for multiple influential actors and not simply the most powerful ones.

Manjari Chatterjee Miller is associate professor of international relations, Frederick S Pardee School of Global Studies, Boston University, and a research associate at the Oxford School of Global and Area Studies, University of Oxford

The views expressed are personal
More Britons have been killed by flu and pneumonia than coronavirus for seven weeks in a row, new data has revealed.

Research published by the Office for National Statistics found influenza caused more deaths in the UK than Covid-19 between June 19 and July 31.

In the seven-week period, 6,626 Britons were killed by flu or pneumonia - compared to 2,992 coronavirus deaths.

At the end of last month, influenza killed almost five times as many people as Covid-19 - with 928 flu deaths recorded in the UK compared to 193 due to the pandemic.

The last time Covid-19 recorded more deaths than flu was in the week ending June 12, when it killed 1,114 people compared to 996.

More Britons have been killed by flu and pneumonia than coronavirus for seven weeks in a row, new data has revealed

For much of the worst days of the pandemic, Covid-19 deaths far outnumbered those linked to flu or pneumonia.

But the gap has narrowed, and flu and pneumonia became a more common cause of death for the first time since March in the week ending June 19.

There were 219 fewer Covid-19 deaths reported than flu/pneumonia deaths.

The two are grouped together to create an even figure for serious respiratory infections - flu season fluctuates wildly but there are other similar bugs that can affect people in similar ways.

Flu and pneumonia deaths have also been lower than average during Britain's epidemic, likely because people who would normally have died of those illnesses caught Covid-19 and succumbed to that instead.

It comes as the UK recorded its highest number of new coronavirus cases in seven weeks on Tuesday, with 1,148 infections and a further 102 deaths across the country.

The total number of cases reached 312,789 after the largest rise since June 21, when there were 1,221 new cases. The total number of deaths rose to 46,628.

The new rise in cases breaches the ceiling that the Government's Joint Biosecurity Centre said was acceptable to avoid 'flare-ups' of Covid-19, according to Sage documents.

Official figures have also revealed that the infection rate among all age groups under 65 has been rising since lockdown was eased earlier in the summer.

For much of the worst days of the outbreak, Covid-19 deaths far outstripped those linked to flu or pneumonia. Pictured: Passengers on the London Underground on Tuesday

Among those aged 15 to 44 in England, the rate has increased by 35 per cent since July 5 - a day after 'Super Saturday' when bars, restaurants and cinemas reopened and a large chunk of the workforce returned to work.

Public Health England's latest data also shows weekly infections have jumped by 40 per cent in infants during the same time period.

Meanwhile, officials have revealed they will start publishing three separate daily death tolls for Covid-19 amidst confusion over statistics pushed out by the Government.

The Department of Health will now release measures including its heavily criticised count which records deaths of everyone who has ever tested positive for the coronavirus - regardless of how they died.
Sumi Sukanya dutta By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: The Centre has called a crucial meeting on Wednesday to discuss the details of the Covid-19 vaccine procurement and distribution even as the clinical trials to assess the safety and efficacy of three vaccine candidates are ongoing in the country.

A key question to be discussed in the meeting, headed by Dr V K Paul, member (health) Niti Aayog, would be who gets the vaccine first, once its available. The Expert Committee on Vaccine Administration under the chairmanship of Dr V K Paul, NITI Aayog will meet on August 12 to consider logistics & ethical aspects of procurement & administration of #COVID19 vaccine, the Health Ministry tweeted on Wednesday.

The Committee will engage with all the stakeholders including state governments and vaccine manufacturers, it said in another tweet. Vaccine prioritisation remains a major issue in India, as reported by this newspaper earlier, and as per the initial estimation, about 30 per cent of the countrys population have been identified as the most susceptible to the infectious disease.

ALSO READ | Scientists, experts baffled as Russia registers world's first Covid-19 vaccine

As of now, there are three vaccine candidates which are in different stages of human trials in India. These include a vaccine candidate developed by Bharat Biotech, in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research-National Institute of Virology which is in phase 1 trial and a potential vaccine by Zydus Cadila that has now entered into phase 2 trial.

Also, an experimental vaccine developed by UKs Oxford Universityfor which the Serum Institute of Indiais a manufacturing partner, has been granted regulatory approvals to conduct phase 2 and 3 trials across 17 sites in the country. From pricing to procurement to distribution of the Covid-19 vaccinesthere are a lot of issues that need to be decided and this high-level meeting aims to deliberate on these, a senior health ministry official said.

India, at the government level has so far not declared its intent to join the World Health Organisations COVAX facility. The facility is trying to raise funds to support the rapid development of promising candidates, so that the vaccines once approved, could be produced on mass scale. COVAX aims to procure at least two billion doses of a novel Coronavirus vaccine by the end of next year, for deployment and distribution mainly in the low- and middle-income countries and under the pack countries will get vaccines for at least 20% of their population.

ALSO READ | Russia dubs new coronavirus vaccine 'Sputnik' after Soviet satellite

Last week, the Pune based SII had entered into an agreement with Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and international vaccine alliance GAVI under the COVAX mechanism and had said that it would provide about 100 million doses of vaccine to LMICs by mid-2021 at $3 per dose.

3 vaccines in India under trial

There are three vaccine candidates which are in different stages of human trials in India. These include a vaccine candidate developed by Bharat Biotech, in collaboration with the ICMR-National Institute of Virology and a potential vaccine by Zydus Cadila that has now entered into phase 2 trial.
Chinese people "very much shocked" by U.S. hostile moves: Chinese ambassador

People's Daily Online

(Xinhua) 13:48, August 11, 2020

The United States has to be aware that there is "a rising anger" among the Chinese public over Washington's hostile moves against China, Chinese Ambassador to the United States Cui Tiankai has said.

Cui made the remark when he attended the 2020 Aspen Security Forum on Aug. 4 and had an online interview with Nicholas Burns, executive director of the Aspen Strategy Group, and Andrea Mitchell, chief foreign affairs correspondent of NBC News, on issues related to China-U.S. relations.

"The Chinese people are also very much shocked. They feel very disappointed about what is happening in this country towards China," said Cui. "There's a rising anger among the Chinese public."

"You are asking us what we can do to make the relations better. And people in China are asking what the United States can do to make the relations better. For many of the issues, sometimes I just don't understand why misconceptions could continue and even spread," he said.

"I want to be very honest and frank with all of you, the real question for America is: Is the United States ready to live with another country with a different history, different culture, different system, but with no intention to compete for global dominance with the United States?" Cui asked. "Are you ready to live with us in peace? This is the fundamental question. Hopefully, politicians, diplomats, journalists, scholars here could think about this really seriously."

"With all due respect, I very often hear people in this country say this is something universal. But when they say universal, it's mainly the United States and a couple of European countries," said the ambassador, responding to another question about "an almost universally held criticism of China (on Xinjiang)."

"If you talk about anything universal, you have to consider China itself has 20 percent of the global population. If you count in countries like India, African and Latin American countries, the majority of the global population is very often not included in the so-called universality (that is often referred to in this country)," he said.

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(HealthDay)Regular testing to catch 'silent' COVID-19 spread among students will be key to safely reopening colleges this fall, campus infection control experts say.

Extensive modeling suggests that testing college students for COVID every two to three days using a low-cost, less accurate test would be the best strategy for campuses to safely reopen this fall, according to research led by David Paltiel, a professor of health policy at the Yale School of Public Health.

"What really is concerning me are the many schools out there that are considering the option of not doing any testing, but of simply monitoring students for symptoms of COVID and using those signs and symptoms of illness to trigger testing, isolation, contact tracing and quarantine," Paltiel said during a HD Live! interview.

"We explored thousands of scenarios in our simulation model, and we did not find even one plausible circumstance under which that strategy would be sufficient to contain an outbreak. You simply cannot catch up with this virus," Paltiel noted.

Most universities are considering less extensive COVID-control measures than those called for by Paltiel and his colleagues.

For example, University of California, San Diego plans to test students once a month, coupled with other monitoring methods designed to catch the coronavirus before an outbreak occurs, said Natasha Martin, an infectious disease modeler with the university.

"That was based on our simulations indicating that level of testing would allow us to identify outbreaks early. We want to detect outbreaks early, and we feel like we have the test capacity and the situation in place to do that," Martin said during the same HD Live! interview.

Despite their differences, both Paltiel and Martin agreed that some level of proactive testing is needed to stop the virus in its tracks and prevent a campus shutdown.

"If you're trying to understand why that might be, a lot of it has to do with the asymptomatic spread of the disease and the fact that it can be transmitted by asymptomatic so-called 'silent spreaders,'" Paltiel said. "It's very hard to play catch-up with this virus. You want to get out ahead of it, and the best way to do that is to screen with high frequency."

One innovative approach UC San Diego plans to use is to test the wastewater flowing from college dorms and residences for signs of COVID-19 coronavirus, Martin said.

The university hopes that wastewater monitoring "can give us an early signal in terms of if there's viral activity or infections within a specific dorm, and then we can go in and do more widespread testing to identify those infections and act on them," Martin explained.

Colleges need to plan for outbreaks, closures

Paltiel said his approach overlaps with Martin's in the "view that one has to hit this early, hit it hard, recognize the silent spreaders, test frequently, stop an outbreak in its tracks before it starts, recognize that nothing you do is going to be perfect and therefore you're going to have to both set aside sufficient isolation capacity and have an exit strategy.

"My difficulty is that many schools are planning as if everything that could possibly go wrong is going to go right," Paltiel said. "They aren't giving themselves enough wiggle room."

Both experts said it is inevitable that there will be COVID-19 infections on campus, so colleges have to be equipped with plans to control infections and, in the worst case, efficiently and safely shut down.

"I think every university needs to plan an exit strategy and have a criterion that says this is when we are out of control and we really need to move to a plan where we shut the school down," Paltiel said.

One potential positive is that an early pilot run of UC San Diego's plan found solid student buy-in for testing and COVID control, Martin said.

"One of the very strong messages we learned from them is they wanted to know this testing was part of a broader public health program, that it was something everybody was engaged with to keep the campus as safe as possible and to enable some amount of in-person activities on campus," Martin said. "They were less interested in the idea they would know their status or that they would be testing for themselves. They really wanted the message to be about the broader public good, which it is."

Given that student support, it's now the job of universities that are reopening to promote strategies and options that will keep students engaged on-campus in safe ways, Paltiel said.

"The schools can't just hand out a mask and a bottle of hand sanitizer and maybe a leaflet and wag their fingers at the students and say 'behave,'" Paltiel said. "That's just setting them up to fail. It's also setting them up to be scapegoated at the end if something does go awry.

"We're the grownups in the room," Paltiel continued. "We have a responsibility to provide them with resources and with imaginative, compassionate, realistic low-risk options to stay socially connected, to get the human interaction that they richly deserve and that they need, and to make the on-campus social event sufficiently attractive that it discourages them from wanting to head down the road to do Jell-O shots in the basement of the frat house, which is what I really want to avoid."

Colleges also need to pay attention to the surrounding community when managing their COVID-control strategies, Martin added.

Colleges "need to be thinking about what their capacity is on campus, but also what the situation is in their local community and really assessing it week by week to ensure they feel they are in the right position to reopen," Martin said.

Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak

More information: UC San Diego has more about UC San Diego has more about its campus reopening strategy

Copyright  2020 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Beirut: Cans of paint thinner and other combustible material may have been stored alongside highly explosive ammonium nitrate in a Beirut warehouse and caught fire, igniting the blast that devastated the city, according to a fire official at the port.

Investigations are not yet complete, but accounts of port workers suggest that a hazardous mix of materials was stored inside Warehouse 12, said Lieutenant Michel al-Murr, head of search and rescue for the Lebanese fire crew at the port.

A man poses with the Lebanese flag during an anti-government protest in Beirut on Tuesday. Credit:Getty Images

Vapour from paint thinners can ignite in the air and cause fires in unventilated, hot conditions. Fuel may also have been stored there. Murr said teams searching the site have also found evidence of fireworks and hydrocarbons, but there was no sign of munitions.

Other businessmen with knowledge of the port confirmed the warehouse was specifically used for storing hazardous flammable materials.
By Express News Service

CHITRADURGA: Five people were killed on the spot when a Bengaluru bound bus from Vijayapura caught fire at Kasturirangappanahalli village near Javanagondanahalli of Hiriyur taluk on Pune-Bengaluru national highway 48 on Wednesday.

The dead were identified as Sheela (33), Sparsha (8), Samrudha (5), Kavitha (29) and Nischitha (3). According to police, all victims were moving from Vijayapura to Bengaluru and the bus caught fire at 3: 45 AM. The exact cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained.

This is the third incident of a bus catching fire in Hiriyur taluk limits. The bus ferrying passengers regularly from Vijayapura set its journey at 9 PM and was supposed to reach Bengaluru at 6: 30 AM having 32 passengers on board. A passenger who survived the accident said that except for a small break at 11 PM, the bus was moving non-stop.

As the fire started near the engine, the driver of the bus along with the cleaner stopped the bus and jumped out. Basavaraj Kodihal a BMTC staff who was travelling back to Bengaluru for joining duty post-COVID-19 said that the thirst which occurred helped him to save a life.

"As I saw the fire engulfing the bus, I jumped out of the bus by breaking the glass and survived. I was also able to pull out the rear-seat occupant and saved him", he said.

Hearing the screams of fellow passengers, many jumped off the bus. Some of them suffered minor injuries in the process and are being treated at Hiriyur taluk hospital. Those who were in deep sleep and unable to come out of the bus died. Hiriyur rural police are investigating the incident. SP G Radhika visited the spot and took up rescue works.
Iran's Health Min urges collective measures in region to combat COVID-19

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Tehran, Aug 11, IRNA -- Iran's Minister of Health and Medical Education Saeed Namaki called on the regional countries to further cooperate in the fight against Coronavirus.

The health program of the states in the Mediterranean region during which Iran, Iraq, Pakistan as well as Afghanistan cooperate under the supervision of World Health Organization (WHO) should be expanded in various countries in the region, he further noted.

He expressed the hope that the countries would deal with the pandemic in upcoming autumn and winter appropriately.

7129**2050

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Leopard Solutions Surpassing 4,000 law firms is a significant milestone. Our goal is to continuously invest in the needs of our subscribers, to innovate, improve, and provide the most accurate and up-to-date information available now with data updates twice a week. Laura Leopard, CEO, Co-Founder

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North Carolinas COVID-19 restrictions keeping some businesses with higher risks for spreading the virus closed and mass gatherings severely limited will remain in place for another five weeks, Gov. Roy Cooper announced last week.

Coopers current executive order, which also mandates face coverings in public places statewide, expires on Friday. Now the restrictions will be extended until at least Sept. 11. A decision to maintain the status quo comes even as the governor and his top health official said case trends continue to stabilize, and even improve slightly in some areas, compared to a few weeks ago.

The new order means bars, gyms, movie theaters and amusement parks  places where people are usually in closer contact  will now be closed for nearly six straight months. Gatherings are still limited to 10 people indoors and 25 people outdoors, with some exceptions.

As many university campuses and K-12 public schools begin fall classes this month with some in-person instruction, Cooper said its important to keep the same social distancing restrictions in place. Retaining the other restrictions will help counterbalance the higher risk associated with bringing together students, the governor said.

There are key openings already occurring this month, Cooper said at a media briefing, and with the hustle and bustle of opening schools, people will move around more, and so will the virus.

North Carolinas day-over-day increase in new coronavirus cases was slowing as of last week.

Cooper last month told public schools that they could either hold in-person classes with social distancing restrictions and indoor face-mask mandates or conduct all remote learning when the year began Aug 17. Districts or charter schools that teach close to two-thirds of the states 1.5 mllion public school students have decided to conduct learning online to start the year, according to recent Department of Public Instruction data.

UNC-Chapel Hill, the university systems flagship campus, began welcoming students this week in advance of the first day classes this Monday. The school will have a mix of in-person and online classes. The health director in Orange County, which includes Chapel Hill, wrote school Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz last week asking him to consider online instruction only for at least the first five weeks of the semester.

Health and Human Services Secretary Mandy Cohen said her agency has been working for months with higher education leaders to implement best practices for responding to COVID-19 on campus so that positive cases wont spiral out of control.

These are not activities with no risk. There is risk. The virus is with us, its in our communities, Cohen said.

While most people who contract the coronavirus recover after suffering only mild to moderate symptoms, it can be deadly for older patients and those with other health problems.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics North Carolina
NEW HAVEN - Joshua Council received the maximum sentence of 70 years in prison Wednesday for the slaying of Kenneth Cooper and criminal possession of a firearm.

Superior Court Judge Elpedio N. Vitale cited evidence from the trial that Council shot Cooper multiple times outside a Westville convenience store Jan. 12, 2018, because the defendant considered Cooper to be a snitch who had cooperated with police.

The attack on Mr. Cooper was also an attack on the rule of law itself, Vitale declared.

Vitale noted that when Council, then 31, opened fire on Cooper, who was 35, Coopers girlfriend was in the passenger seat of Coopers car. Cooper was in the process of getting into the drivers seat. They had stopped to pick up a bottle of ginger ale at the store.

Mr. Cooper, mortally wounded, told her to run, Vitale said. She saw the defendant, who she knew, standing with a gun in his hand. She asked: Why did you shoot him? Why did you do this? What the (expletive) is wrong with you? She thought he was going to shoot her, too. But he fled in a waiting car.

Vitale noted Cooper died violently in a barrage of bullets while his girlfriend sat nearby. Its just luck that she was not killed or injured herself.

Vitale said Council had followed Cooper to the store at the corner of Whalley Avenue and Fitch Street and shot him there because Cooper had testified against Councils cousin during a criminal trial and Cooper also was helping police investigate separate allegations against Council.

Senior Assistant States Attorney Stacey Miranda, who prosecuted Council and convinced a jury to convict him last March, said Cooper died because he was cooperating with the police. He was trying to do the right thing.

She said this goes to the heart of our criminal justice system. We need people cooperating. He was brave enough to do the right thing. He helped keep our community safe.

Council was found guilty of murder and the firearm charge in March.

Council, who last lived on Quinnipiac Avenue, came to the courtroom attired in an orange prison jumpsuit and wearing a mask. Although defendants generally have not been transported to courtrooms recently because of concerns about COVID-19 in prisons and have instead appeared on video screens from those prisons, Vitale ordered the state judicial branch marshals to bring Council to court for his sentencing.

Council listened to the emotional statements by Coopers family but he declined to make a statement himself. A half-dozen of his own family members sat behind him but they did not make statements.

Coopers mother, Deborah Woods, had her statement read by Victim Services Advocate Christie Ciancola. Woods said Council caused the deepest heartbreak a mother can ever go through.

I can no longer enjoy my sons laughter, his smile, his conversation, hearing him say, I love you, mom.

She said Cooper brought joy to his own four children. He was always the life of the party. She added that at the time of his death, He was turning his life around. He was becoming a better man and a better father.

Coopers father, Kenneth Thomas, in a statement read by Ciancola, told Council: You took my sons life over a word used by many on the streets called a snitch. Im writing to inform you, not as a snitch, but as a concerned father to let you know that you not only took the life of a man whose children sadly have to grow up without the love and protection of their father, but you took that same privilege from the lives of your own children.

Its hard for me to look in the eyes of my grandchildren when theyre asking why did this have to happen, he added. I have no solid answer for them.

Thomas told Council he hopes youll give your life to the Lord so He can change you into the person He wants you to be. Please take this opportunity and learn a valuable lesson that life is precious and it is wrong for anyone to take the life of another.

Julise Penn, mother of Coopers youngest son, now 4, gave her statement with the boy in her lap. He asks me daily wheres his dad at. He was robbed. His kids have to go through life without their father. They have to visit a gravesite.

But defense attorney Thomas Farver asked Vitale to consider that Council is 33. Long term incarceration will basically be a death sentence. He has a 5-year-old child and is deeply involved in his childs upbringing. He tried to provide for his family.

Farver said Council was raised by a single mother and his older brother. His father was never in the picture.

Farver concluded by saying of Council: He is not someone who should be thrown out with the dirty water.

But Vitale said that in addition to considering the brazen nature of the crime, he took into consideration Councils criminal record: first-degree assault and domestic violence as well as a previous weapons conviction.

Rehabilitation may be unachievable, Vitale said.

Vitale asked Council to stand and then imposed a sentence of 60 years for murder and 10 years for criminal possession of a firearm.

As Council was being led away by judicial marshals, his supporters called out love you.

Contact Randall Beach at randall.beach@hearstmediact.com.
Northern Irelands exams qualifications body will allow mock test results to be used in appeals by pupils disputing their results this year.

As exams were cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic, calculated grades are being used to give pupils their A-level and GCSE results.

But there has been huge criticism of the methods used, which include a schools past performance as well as pupils individual assessment by teachers.

Read More

Late on Tuesday night the Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA) said a broader scope for appeals is being allowed following this years A-level and GCSE awards.

Challenges will be free this year in light of the exceptional circumstances.

CCEA chief executive Justin Edwards added: This year, due to the alternative arrangements it is not possible to ask for examination papers to be reviewed as would be normal.

We recognise that there is robust evidence available on student prior performance and that this could be considered within the appeals process.

The opportunity for schools and colleges to submit mock examination information and completed GCSE units provides a broader scope of evidence for appeal.

CCEA added in a statement: Schools and colleges may hold strong evidence of students prior performance from mock examinations and, for GCSE examinations, some completed units.

As part of the appeals process this year, CCEA will consider such evidence.

Education Minister Peter Weir welcomed the decision.

I have made it clear that I do not want to see any pupil disadvantaged as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. At the same time it is important that qualification standards are maintained, he said.

I hope that these steps will provide reassurance to those students who are awaiting their examination results and I want to thank CCEA for all their work on this issue.

Earlier TUV leader Jim Allister said there could be at least a sample legal challenge from angry parents after grades are issued tomorrow.

On Tuesday 75,000 pupils in Scotland had their results upgraded after Holyrood agreed to accept teacher estimates only in scores in this years Covid-19 affected exams.

The dramatic U-turn followed a public outcry after a moderation system  based on criteria that similarly included schools past performances  saw 125,000 estimated results being downgraded. These have now been withdrawn and replaced by the original estimates.

In a subsequent statement to the Belfast Telegraph, however, Mr Weir said there has been no change to the Departments guidance, adding that it is important we await the outcome of the current examination process.

But with Northern Ireland using a not dissimilar format to the one just abandoned by Scotland, the CCEA and Department of Education are bracing themselves for a backlash, which could ultimately involve legal action.

Mr Allister said that one of the most concerning things is that Mr Weir and the Executive took no involvement in this issue, merely handing it over to CCEA.

I dont think Peter Weir can wash his hands as lightly as that, said Mr Allister.

Hes the Minister of Education. If an outcome of this is that pupils get an unfair grade, then I dont think the minister who set up the system and handed it over to CCEA can say: Nothing to do with me. That certainly isnt whats happened in Scotland and I dont think it would be sustainable here.

In an earlier statement Mr Weir said: Following the cancellation of the summer 2020 examinations due to Covid-19, CCEA put in place a process to award GCSE, A-level and AS-level grades based on a combination of teacher professional judgment and statistical modelling.

A key element of the process is to ensure that qualifications standards are maintained this year. There has been no change in this guidance.

The statement added: Pupils in Scotland do not undertake GCSE and A-level examinations.

Janet Williamson, principal of Royal Belfast Academical Institution, said there is a collective concern among head teachers here about the use of a schools historic results to determine grades for individual pupils.

I agree with colleagues who have a concern that historical trajectories are being used, because each year group is an individual cohort with their own specific strengths and weaknesses, she said.

For example, at RBAI I have a Year 14 where our predicted grades are higher than in previous years because that reflects that particular set of pupils and subjects they have chosen.

I completely agree with colleagues that to not take into account the fact that each year group is different is a concern.

I have expressed that to CCEA through ASCL (the Association of School and College Leaders).

I have every confidence that the grades identified and verified by my heads of departments with their colleagues are accurate, robust and rigorous.

At this stage we do not know what percentage weighting will be given to this by CCEA, and so whilst I have no concerns regarding the reliability of my in-house data, like everybody else the uncertainty around what is going to happen with the Z score is causing a slight increase in the normal tension we would always have had about the results.

Mr Allister said he expected parents to react if they feel their child has been unfairly graded.

He also said its possible that solicitors will be inundated with calls from concerned parents come Thursday, but added: It will require the internal appeals system, flawed as it is, to be exhausted before theres recourse to the High Court.

Im quite sure, however, there will a judicial review challenge to the fact that theres procedural unfairness.

He added: It sounds as if were judging the school rather than the pupil and the whole essence of testing and exams is that you judge the pupil irrespective of where they are from or who they are.

Every one of these pupils has a right in public law to procedural fairness and a right to good administration, and if that is impacted by this system then its a fundamental flaw in the system, just as it was in Scotland.
Mark Batterson: God 'activating gifts of the Holy Spirit' in new ways amid COVID-19, racial tension

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According to Pastor Mark Batterson, God is activating the gifts of the Holy Spirit and working in an unprecedented way amid the challenges facing society today, from the coronavirus pandemic to racial tension.

The Spirit of God doesn't just want to fill you, but wants to stretch you and create new capacity within you, Batterson, lead pastor of National Community Church in Washington, D.C., said in a message delivered at the Promise Keepers 2020 Mens Conference last weekend.

Here's the catch. The Spirit of God can't fill you if you're full of yourself. You've got to humble yourself, you got to acknowledge your need, you have to extend the invitation, and it's as simple as three words: Come, Holy Spirit.

Batterson said hes never felt more dependent upon the Holy Spirit than he does amid the challenges of today. He cited the coronavirus pandemic, racial tensions, and political polarization.

One-third of Americans say they're either clinically depressed or have an anxiety disorder, 71% of Americans are angry, 66% of Americans are fearful, he said. I want you to hear me. Don't lose faith in the end of the story. His kingdom is going to come. His will is going to be done. God's got this. God's got you.

You are here for such a time as this; you are here for such a place as this. But come on, we need the Holy Spirit's help more than ever. I believe that God is activating the gifts of the Spirit and working in a way that we haven't seen anything yet.

When the Holy Spirit fills us, it catalyzes a lot of chain reactions, he said. The Holy Spirit is still healing and revealing and sealing; the Holy Spirit is still convicting and comforting and quickening; the Holy Spirit is still filling and leading and gifting and fruiting and paracleting.

"The Holy Spirit is our comforter, is our counselor. The Holy Spirit is interceding for you with groanings it can't even be put into words. That is where our holy confidence comes from, and I want you to know the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead dwells in you."

"Without the Holy Spirit, I'm below average. I am ordinary in every way. But I want to flip that coin. The Holy Spirit is the difference between the best you can do and the best God can do. With the help of the Holy Spirit, [there's] nothing that we cannot do.

If Christians stay humble and stay hungry, there is nothing that God cannot do in and through you, the pastor stressed.

In Acts 2:17, God promises to pour out His Spirit on all people, he continued, explaining that in that context, pour means to spill over.

[We will be] so full of God's Spirit that when people bump into us, the Spirit of God comes out of us, he said.

God's vision for your life is bigger than your vision, he declared. We need to be aware of the enemys schemes. Yes, we need to guard our hearts, for it is the wellspring of life. Yes, we need accountability structures in our lives, but the best defense is sometimes a good offense. We need a vision that is bigger and better than the temptations that we face as men of God. We need a vision that is bigger and better than our selfish ambition.

Batterson quoted Danish philosopher Sren Kierkegaard, who once stated that boredom is the root of all evil. The only way to overcome boredom is by getting a God-sized vision that keeps you on your toes and keeps you on your knees, and the only way to get such a vision is through the study of God's Word and continual prayer.

The answer to every prayer is more of the Holy Spirit, Batterson said. We need more of the Spirit, and it's the Spirit that then produces that fruit in our lives.

I don't care who you are. I don't care what you do. The Holy Spirit wants to help you do it. The Holy Spirit wants to anoint you. Its revelation beyond human knowledge, it's provision beyond human resource, it's gifting beyond ability, its power beyond human strength. Three words. Come, Holy Spirit.

The Promise Keepers 2020 Men's Conference - Virtual Event was held July 31-Aug. 1. Speakers included Pastors Tony Evens, Luis and Andrew Palau, John Gray, and others, with worship led by Phil Wickham, Danny Gokey, and Michael W. Smith. Topics included marriage and restoration, making disciples, seeking justice, building a legacy, and fatherhood.

Promise Keepers had originally planned to convene 80,000 people at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, for the official relaunch of the national mens gathering, which once saw hundreds of thousands from various denominational backgrounds gathered at its 1997 Stand in the Gap rally in Washington, D.C.

However, due to restrictions stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic, the organization opted to instead hold a free two-day virtual event, prerecorded mostly in Nashville, Tennessee.
Not to brag, but yes, I am bragging. I weighed the odds of Joe Biden choosing Kamala Harris as his vice presidential running mate against those of her two rivals, Rep. Karen Bass and former national security adviser Susan Rice, and argued that Joe was going to go for Kamala.

Writing at AT on Aug. 2:

My money's on his picking Harris in this situation based on who he is, but it's obvious he doesn't trust Harris, who has that lean and hungry look. No wonder nobody, including Joe Biden himself, knows who Joe Biden is going to pick.

Harris, as it happens, represents one of three wings of the increasingly fractious Democratic Party. She's the creature of the Hillary Clinton wing, which is the opportunistic center of the Democrats (important point), lost the last election, and continues to seethe. Joe's picked this group over the others.

The other hydra heads on this beast are the Bernie Sanders socialist wing, which is truly crazy, modeling itself on the ideas of Fidel Castro and Hugo Chavez, whether it admits it or not, and the former minions of the last winning Democratic White House, the Obama wing, which I guess represents the right (of the Democrats, not the country), given its pragmatic experience in governing, with an opposition, rather than in a truly socialist one-party-state vacuum. I argued this last August 2:

Whoever Biden picks is going to represent the triumph of the represented faction over the other rivals. If Biden goes for Bass, he wants to win the Bernie-ites. If Biden goes for Rice, it's back to Obamadom and being Obama's shadow. If Biden goes for Harris, it's the Hillaryworld hog wallow, which should provide for young Hunter Biden and the rest of the family, as well as bring in the California elites.

Biden's pick represents the triumph of the Hillary wing of the party. Not surprisingly, Hillary is thrilled:

I'm thrilled to welcome @KamalaHarris to a historic Democratic ticket. She's already proven herself to be an incredible public servant and leader. And I know shell be a strong partner to @JoeBiden. Please join me in having her back and getting her elected. pic.twitter.com/cmtOO8Gqqv  Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) August 11, 2020

There are also statements like this, from Hillary's loyal minions:

The Bernie-ites, for whom ideas matter, are enraged, calling it "a middle finger to the base" because Harris is a political opportunist who engaged in dirty-prosecutor behavior back when it was fashionable to be "smart on crime," as she put it. The Obamatons are saying polite things and holding their fire, sounding just a tad less than enthusiastic. "Now let's go win this thing," said Obama.

Harris herself represents that smug, smarmy, pantsuited suburban-woman base that originally drew to Hillary Clinton, with a side of hypocrisy. As I noted here on Jan. 27, 2019:

Kamala Harris, that vaunted self-righteous feminist candidate who's using her 'year of the woman' chops to challenge President Trump in 2020, has a little problem: She slept her way to the top.

Harris in fact is very close to Hillary Clinton, too, on the very important money front. Here's today's American Spectator, emphasis mine:

Then this Kamala Harris decided to force herself on the American people as a presidential candidate, in an effort that was a ghastly failure. Despite raising and spending a fortune thanks to her close connections with the Clintons and their fundraising machine, she crashed and burned in the early primaries and dropped out, but not before attacking eventual nominee Biden as a racist  which she prefaced by denying she was doing so, something the Biden shills at the Washington Post now say is proof that she never did it.

Her money is Clinton money.

And Clinton was all about lining her pockets with political patronage first, even above ideology. This explains the political opportunism, seen in both Kamala and Hillary. This explains the constant scandals, which plague both.

First, she was tough on crime when it was fashionable to be tough on crime, throwing more than a thousand petty marijuana-users in jail for the political applause, just as Hillary (and Biden) were in those plummy '90s.

She's also someone who laps up the perks, sometimes inventing some and getting away with it. Kamala bullyragged the Los Angeles Police Department to serve as her personal Praetorian guard, quite illegally, in exchange for not cracking down on the LAPD for racist or whatever offenses. That has a whiff of Hillary  taking perks and becoming the entrenched establishment, no grassrooty stuff for her. And yes, Kamala, like Hillary, bombed at the grassroots level in Iowa.

She's also, like Hillary, not above dirty tricks. Her curiously well timed legislation just ahead of the Jussie Smollett hoax in Chicago suggests that something was planned among the operatives. Later still, she was reportedly planting dirty stories about her rivals in the press (and like Hillary, the media were in her tree  remember the shopping excursion?) to persuade Biden to pick her. Again, very, very Hillary.

There are quite a few other examples of this kind of opportunism and patronage perks which so characterize the Hillary wing of the party. Hillary of course, turned her State department position into a pay to play money-making operation for the Clinton Foundation, the donations of which dried up when she lost the 2016 election.

What's vivid is that Joe Biden takes comfort in this patronage and scandal model, too, and Harris is the closest follower of it.

Considering the wings of his Democratic Party that he has to choose from - the Bernie crazies, the supposedly close Obamatons who in reality held him in contempt, or the comfortable finger-to-the-wind patronage and corruption-focused, Hillary faction, just right for getting Hunter Biden his money-making gigs, it's a natural for Biden to chose Harris.

After all, Biden has no accomplishments of any kind as a politician. Peter Schweizer has observed that Biden's political career has been intensely focused on enriching family members and Kamala's isn't all that different. While Harris is said to have that lean and hungry look as Biden slips into his dotage, it's also important that she will do and say anything to get the position she wants -- and if that means play-acting for awhile, well, she's good at play-acting, just ask Willie Brown. She'll fake it till she can make a killing.

Biden understand this, and is comfortable with it. It's kind of a conventional, recognizable way of being a Democrat to him.

Kamala with all her history of sucking up, is pretty much the same.

So here we are, a scandal-plagued administration in the making, which will be a Democrat hog-wallow with no consequences, moving with the lefty wind until the wind changes direction. No wonder the Bernie-ites hate them. This is Hillary redux and all we can hope is that it ends the same way it did in 2016.

Photo Illustration by Monica Showalter with use of screen shot from MSNBC via shareable YouTube, processed with FotoSketcher, and a Pixabay public domain image.
On August 12, Irans President and Foreign Minister lashed out at a revised proposal by the United States that would extend a United Nations arms embargo on Iran indefinitely. The arms embargo is Trump administrations maximum pressure policy against Iran.

The United States on August 11 circulated the revised draft at the United Nations, seeking to gain more support in the 15-member Security Council where veto-wielding Russia and China have voiced strong opposition. The revised draft, which eliminated some provisions from the earlier version that diplomats said went beyond the extension of the arms embargo, may be put to a vote as early as August 14.

Read: Six Gulf Arab Countries Back Extension Of UN Arms Embargo On Iran

Russia and China are sharply critical of the United States' effort to indefinitely extend the arms embargo, the two will likely use their veto powers even if the draft got the minimum nine yes votes in the council, which appears unlikely. The United States push to make the arms embargo permanent follows President Donald Trumps 2018 withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal between major world powers and Tehran, aimed at preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons. Tehran has repeatedly insisted it does not seek to produce a nuclear bomb.

Read: US Revises UN Resolution To Extend UN Arms Embargo On Iran

Rouhani lambasted the revised draft, saying its initiators will be responsible for the consequences if the Security Council adopts the new resolution. He did not elaborate on what steps Iran could take. The foreign minister of Iran Mohammad Javed Zarif said the U.S. draft was a very illegal resolution, and in fact, it uses the Security Council mechanisms to destroy the Security Council. 

The United Nations banned Iran from buying major foreign weapon systems in 2010 amid tensions over its nuclear program. That blocked Iran from replacing its aging military equipment, much of which had been purchased by the shah before the 1979 Islamic Revolution. An earlier embargo targeted Iranian arms exports.

Arab countries back extension

Just two months earlier, when arms embargo on Iran would come to an end, a new development took place. According to media reports, six Arab countries backed the United Nations' arms ban on Iran. The Gulf Cooperation Council said it in a letter to the United Nations Security Council backing an extension of an arms embargo that kept Iran from purchasing foreign-made weapons like fighter jets, tanks, and warships. The Gulf Cooperation Council comprises Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. The Gulf Cooperation Council accused Iran of not stopping or desisting from armed interventions in neighboring countries.

(With inputs from agency)

(Image Credit- AP)

Read: Iran Nuclear Deal May Get Terminated As UNSC Prepares To Vote On Arms Embargo

Read: Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei Creates Official Hindi Twitter Account
LONDON, Aug. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Sucden Financial, the global multi-asset execution, clearing and liquidity provider has become a Principal on the BierbaumPro trading platform, branded as NTpro in Russia.

BierbaumPro/NTPro's clients can now benefit from low latency access to Sucden Financial's unique and customisable liquidity streams. The integration utilises servers in LD4 and a new dedicated high-speed connection to DSP datacentre in Moscow, underlining Sucden Financial's long-standing commitment to the region.

Aleksei Suturin, Sucden Financial's Moscow representative said, "Our new BierbaumPro/NTPro integration allows us to grow our presence in the CIS and Europe, providing low latency streaming within a single eco-system. The new high-speed connection will also help us develop additional credit intermediation opportunities with institutional clients, both locally and internationally."

Vyacheslav Kashigin, CEO NTPro commented, "We are delighted to be working with Sucden Financial, one of the world's leading and most innovative FX providers. As a result of our cooperation, Sucden Financial will be able to offer technically advanced, efficient low latency trading services to its clients in the CIS and EU countries."

About Sucden Financial

With a history and heritage in commodity futures and options trading, Sucden Financial has evolved and diversified to become a leading global multi-asset execution, clearing and liquidity provider across FX, fixed income and commodities.

Sucden Financial has a proven track record of over 45 years in financial markets. Since its foundation in 1973, it has been supported by its parent, Sucden, one of the world's leading soft commodity trading organisations, while remaining fully independent in its day-to-day trading operations.

Sucden Financial has headquarters in London, with offices in Moscow and subsidiaries in Hong Kong and New York, providing a global reach and a local service to clients around the clock.

Sucden Financial Limited is authorised and regulated by Financial Conduct Authority.

About BierbaumPro/NTPro

BierbaumPro / NTPro is a fast, highly customisable and rapidly developing e-trading platform with modular structure designed for institutional market. It is an ultimate trading solution with a solid infrastructure and 24-hour support for making and taking liquidity. BierbaumPro/NTPro has its primary servers in LD4 and Moscow, designed to handle large amounts of data with low latency in automated trading process to meet demands of global eFX community.

https://www.sucdenfinancial.com/en

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Contact: Robert Cantle, press@sucfin.com
Mark Grenon and his son, Joseph Grenon, are arrested by Colombian law enforcement officials in Santa Marta, Colombia on August 11, 2020. Fisclia Colombia

Mark Grenon, self-styled archbishop in a Florida-based church, has been arrested in Colombia along with one of his sons.

Colombia's attorney general's office said in a series of tweets that Grenon was arrested over charges filed in the US that he marketed a "miracle potion" as a COVID-19 cure.

The substance, which advocates call "Miracle Mineral Solution" or MMS, is really a form of toxic bleach associated with seven deaths in the US, according to Colombian prosecutors.

Business Insider has previously reported how Grenon and others were marketing MMS as a remedy for an almost endless array of ailments.

In July, prosecutors in Florida charged Grenon and three of his sons with conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to violate the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, and criminal contempt.

Colombian authorities say that Grenon will be extradited to the US to face the charges.

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Mark Grenon, the self-styled leader of a fake church in Florida, has been arrested in Colombia for extradition to the US.

He is facing federal charges over allegations that he sold a type of toxic bleach as a "miracle potion" meant to cure COVID-19.

In a series of tweets Tuesday night, the office of Colombia's attorney general announced that officers in Santa Marta had arrested Grenon and his son, Joseph Timothy Graham.

The arrest was in response to charges filed in the US for "marketing in that country a supposed 'miracle potion' to treat Covid-19" and other diseases, the announcement said.

Business Insider has extensively reported how the substance  called Miracle Mineral Solution, or MMS  has been promoted as a cure for a range of illnesses.

Since the coronavirus pandemic began, advocates have also claimed it is effective against COVID-19.

According to the attorney general's office, Mark and Joseph Grenon "served as spiritual guides of an international religious congregation to sell their followers the 'miracle solution."

Story continues

It said that prosecutors believe the substance had a role in "the death of 7 American citizens."

Colombian authorities also accused Grenon of selling the substance locally, and arranging shipments from the Caribbean port of Santa Marta to parts of Europe and Africa.

A Food and Drugs Administration spokesman said the agency does not comment on ongoing investigations.

Grenon, along with Joseph Grenon and two of his other sons, was charged by prosecutors in Florida in July with conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to violate the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, and criminal contempt.

They are accused by US prosecutors of promoting and selling MMS as a miracle cure for illnesses including cancer, Alzheimer's, autism, multiple sclerosis, HIV/AIDS  and COVID-19.

The substance is really chlorine dioxide, a form of toxic bleach created by mixing sodium chlorite with a common acid or by drinking it neat.

The Food and Drugs Administration has issued a series of warnings against consuming MMS, saying it causes severe vomiting, diarrhea, and life-threatening low blood pressure, and in large doses can be fatal.

Grenon styled himself as the "archbishop" of the Florida-based Genesis II church, the central claim of which was was that the chlorine dioxide is a cure with miraculous healing powers.

According to court documents filed in Florida, Grenon admitted to investigators in the US in an interview that the church "has nothing to do with religion," and that it exists to "legalize the use of MMS" and avoid "going [ ] to jail."

The documents say that as the coronavirus began to spread earlier this year, Grenon's earnings from selling MMS increased from about $30,000 a month to around $120,000 as he began to promote it as a cure for the disease.

In recent years advocates of MMS have established a significant presence in Latin America.

To the horror of medical experts, Bolivia's Senate recently passed a bill legalizing MMS as a COVID-19 treatment after a misinformation campaign about its miraculous powers swept the country.

Business Insider has exposed Grenon's promotion of MMS on social media. In response to the investigation YouTube in 2019 removed a channel in which Grenon promoted MMS, and updated its policies to explicitly ban promoting it.

In Uganda, individuals connected to the Genesis II church were arrested last year for giving the substance to people in remote rural communities as a malaria treatment, including infants and young children. The arrests followed investigations by Business Insider and The Guardian.

Read the original article on Business Insider
The Jammu and Kashmir Police on Wednesday arrested three terrorist associates who were found involved in terror funding activities and were working with different terrorist outfits in northern districts of Kashmir.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Bandipora Rahul Malik said that they have busted a terror funding module in Bandipora.

"We have recovered at least Rs five lakh hard cash from their possession and also checked their accounts where police have recovered Rs 14 lakhs," said SSP Bandipora.

He also said that they have consumed Rs nine lakhs in terrorist activities in northern parts of Kashmir.

Besides a case under relevant sections of laws has been registered and the further investigation is going on.
LEHI, Utah, Aug. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Today Inc. Magazine announced that eAssist Dental Solutions placed as the 1677th fastest-growing private company in America on its 2020 list of the top 5000. The list represents a unique look at the most successful companies within the American economy's most dynamic segment -- its independent small businesses. eAssist is honored to rank alongside such great companies as Intuit, Zappos, Under Armour, Microsoft, Jamba Juice, Timberland, Clif Bar, Pandora, Patagonia, Oracle, and other notable alumni.

eAssist placed as the 1677th fastest-growing private company in America

With a growth rate of 256.59% over the last three years, this is a result most businesses only dream of during a stretch when the economy grew by just 15%. Not only have the companies on the 2020 Inc. 5000 been very competitive within their markets, but the list as a whole shows staggering growth compared with prior lists as well. The 2020 Inc. 5000 achieved an incredible three-year average growth of over 500%, and a median rate of 165%. The Inc. 5000's aggregate revenue was $209 billion in 2019, accounting for over 1 million jobs over the past three years.

Inclusion on this list is impressive even once, but five years in a row is an exceptional achievement. And, further solidifies eAssist's position and reputation as the nation's leading provider of virtual insurance billing services for dental offices.

eAssist was created in 2012 to solve a problem  to significantly improve dental practice profitability by maximizing insurance collections in a more effective and less stressful way. In short, to bring doctors peace of mind by collecting all that is rightfully owed to them by insurance companies, allowing them to focus more on their patients, and on growing their businesses.

"Since our inception, we've been listening to our clients and our people to stay abreast of systemic and emerging issues, and identifying innovative solutions that help practices become more efficient, profitable, and patient-focused. Our growth over the past five years in particular confirms that what we're doing is working for our clients, and positively impacting the dental industry as a whole," said CEO and Founder, Dr. James V. Anderson, DMD.

Dr. Anderson describes eAssist as a highly tech-enabled company, explaining, "Our constant investment in leading edge technology and programming is designed to benefit our billing consultants so they can do the work even more efficiently and effectively so as to collect even more, even faster for our clients. Continuously improving our capacity to equip consultants and clients with real-time business-building information is a win-win-win for the clients, the consultants and the company."

eAssist is unique in the billing industry in that its success and reputation depend on the caliber of its workforce, which currently comprises 850+ independent billing consultants, supported by a relatively small team of exceptionally talented employees. The company excels at selecting, developing and retaining the industry's top billing professionals, all while respecting them as individual entrepreneurs running their own businesses. In addition to keeping them connected to the offices with whom they work, eAssist leverages technology to keep their vastly distributed nationwide people network connected and communicating 24/7.

Dr. Anderson and his committed Servant Leadership Team have big plans for the future, endeavoring to grow eAssist into a billion dollar company over the next 10 years. They will do this by continuously improving service levels, building their client base, providing opportunities to hundreds more billing professionals, and broadening their scope and reach with innovative new products and services that benefit clients, and drive advancements in the dental billing industry overall.

About eAssist Dental Solutions

eAssist Dental Solutions is the nation's leading provider of virtual insurance billing services for dental offices. The company's end-to-end solution eases the burden on office staff, while optimizing the claims payment and appeals process. eAssist ultimately helps practices be more efficient, profitable and patient-focused.

Learn more at: https://dentalbilling.com/

For the complete Inc. 5000 list, and information on methodology and Inc. Magazine, visit: http://www.inc.com/inc5000/

Media Contact:

Jamie King

404.539.7684

[email protected]

SOURCE eAssist Dental Solutions
JOHANNESBURG (AP)  Mauritius says it is seeking compensation from the owners of a Japanese ship that spilled oil after it grounded in the shallow waters off the Indian Ocean island nation, while urgent efforts continue to pump out the remaining fuel.

The MV Wakashio has spilled 1,000 tons of its cargo of 4,000 tons of oil into the sea, fouling the coastline of Mauritius, including a protected wetlands area. That threatens 35 years of work to restore the area, environmental activists said Wednesday.

An estimated 2,500 tons of fuel has been pumped from the ship, stranded on a coral reef at Pointe dEsny, a sanctuary for rare wildlife. Workers are racing to empty the ship before it breaks up in heavy seas and further pollutes the shore.

Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth said Mauritius will seek compensation for the extensive environmental damage from the Wakashios owner, Nagashiki Shipping. He has declared the oil spill a national disaster.

Jugnauth's government is under pressure to explain why it did not take immediate action to empty the ship when it ran aground on July 25. Two weeks later, after pounding by waves, the ship cracked and began leaking.

Some of the turquoise waters surrounding Mauritius were stained a muddy black, fouling mangrove wetlands and drenching waterbirds and reptiles with sticky oil.

Thousands of Mauritians have been working for days to reduce the damage by making improvised booms from fabric and stuffed with straw and sugar cane leaves to try to contain the oil's spread. Others have scooped up oil from the shallow waters. It is estimated that nearly 400 tons that spilled have been removed from the sea.

France sent a naval ship, military aircraft and technical advisers from the nearby island of Reunion after Mauritius appealed for help last week. Japanese experts have arrived on the island and are assisting the effort. The United Nations is sending experts.

It's essential that the ship is emptied before it breaks up, said Jean Hugue Gardenne of the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation. Quite a lot of oil has been pumped out in the past few days, but we cannot let up. There is so much damage already.

The wildlife foundation is alarmed that the oil spill will ruin the work that it has done since 1985 to restore that area, Gardenne said.

We have planted about 200,000 indigenous trees to restore the coastal forest," he told The Associated Press. "We re-introduced endangered birds, including the pink pigeon, the olive white-eye and the critically endangered Mauritius fody to the Isle aux Aigrettes. Now all this is threatened as the oil is seeping into the soil and the coral reefs.
The Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) has called on the electoral commission, INEC, to adjust its timetable for Edo and Ondo governorship elections, following the Court of Appeal judgment that upturned the deregistration of 23 political parties.

The coalition in a statement by its Chairman, Media Committee, Chukwudi Ezeobika, said the adjustment was necessary following the unanimous decision of the panel of justices of the Court of Appeal, which declared the deregistration of political parties by INEC as illegal and unconstitutional.

INEC has said it would appeal the judgment at the Supreme Court.

But Mr Ezeobika said it would be a waste of efforts for INEC to proceed with the scheduled elections in the two states without giving opportunity to all necessary parties to field candidates for the elections.

The coalition demands immediate adjustment on the time and date of the affected governorship elections to avoid waste of taxpayers money.

It is also to avoid the court order bringing the whole exercise to nullity, Mr Ezeobika said.

INEC had earlier said that it would be approaching the Supreme Court on the Court of Appeal conflicting judgements over deregistration of political parties.

(NAN)
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-12 17:45:51|Editor: huaxia

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by Xinhua writers Zhang Zhongkai, Pan Ying and Su Chuanyi

URUMQI, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- After nearly 30 years, 68-year-old Arkinnisa Memetsali from northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region could still speak some dialect of Suzhou, an eastern Chinese city nearly 4,000 km away from her hometown Hotan Prefecture.

Arkinnisa called Suzhou her second hometown due to a life-changing experience.

Born into a relatively rich family, Arkinnisa became fond of silk in her childhood, as her father was a silk trader and Hotan's Jiya Town is a renowned production center of Atlas silk.

Famous for its rich and bright colors and distinctive changing zigzag patterns, Atlas silk has been used by Uygur women for clothing and interior design for centuries.

As folklore goes, during the Han Dynasty (202 BC-220 AD) a princess who came to the region for marriage brought a silkworm cocoon with her. Local residents have since begun to produce silkworms and weave silk.

Arkinnisa became a worker at a local silk plant in 1971. As exchanges between Xinjiang and textile hubs in China's inland grew to support the former's textile industrial development, she got an opportunity in 1977 to study in Suzhou, where some of the country's best and most beautiful silk products are made.

The silk engineering school, which later turned into the College of Textile and Clothing Engineering of Soochow University, started to offer professional support for Xinjiang's silk industry in the 1950s. It even set up specific classes to teach students from Xinjiang.

Arkinnisa, the only student from Xinjiang in her class, spent three years studying the production of different kinds of silk.

"The study experience has changed my life, not only improving professional knowledge and skills but also harvesting friendship with many classmates and locals," Arkinnisa said.

After three years of study, Arkinnisa went back to the silk company in Hotan and rose to be a senior textile engineer thanks to her expertise. Nearly 100 silk products were produced in the company's prime, she said.

In 1988, Arkinnisa took 40 Xinjiang students to the college to study for three years. "They later became the backbone of silk production in Hotan," she said.

Arkinnisa retired in 2007, and one year later, Atlas silk production became a national intangible cultural heritage.

The government's support for preserving and promoting the traditional silk production skills has encouraged Arkinnisa to do her part. She taught silk-making skills at some vocational schools and offered technical consultation to those in need.

Atlas silk production gathered pace after 2008. There are over 50 companies or cooperatives producing Atlas silk products in Jiya Town. Jiya Liren Atlas Silk Co., Ltd., the largest of its kind in Xinjiang, has become a national tourism destination by showcasing the whole traditional process of making Atlas silk.

Arkinnisa, who revisited her alma mater in 2015, plans to open a silk company in Hotan producing a variety of silk. "My bond with silk is long and solid. I'd like to keep the 'Silk Road' extending." Enditem
The Woodlands Township completed its week-long 2021 budget planning on Thursday, setting a slightly lower preliminary property tax rate than in 2020 as well as tentatively agreeing to a 2021 annual budget of more than $127 million.

Both the tax rate and budget require official approval at board meetings over the next six weeks.

The preliminary property tax rate was set at 22.31 cents per $100 of valuation, a slight decrease from the 2020 property tax rate of 22.4 cents per $100 valuation.

According to a budget document published by the township, the 2021 budget will maintain all current service levels in each township department as well as law enforcement services, allow for much-needed flexibility to cope with potential sales tax revenue losses that could continue into 2021 and potential temporary deferral of various capital improvement projects to a future date.

Related: Woodlands to kick off 2021 budget season in late July

Several directors and township officials said the budget week went better than would be expected in light of the econonic toll the novel coronavirus has taken on local sales tax revenue and hotel occupancy tax receipts, although the HOT taxes are used mainly for debt service as well as funding of Visit The Woodlands, the townships convention and tourism arm.

Township board Chairman Gordy Bunch said he was appreciative of the township staff as well as directors who worked hard the past four months to get ahead of issues that evolved from the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic.

The township has seen a 7.4 percent reduction in sales tax revenue collected through the end of June that what was predicted in 2019.

The tax rate was lowered to the effective tax rate. Many of our residents are dealing with layoffs, they may own businesses that are struggling, so trying to put an increased tax burden on them at this time doesnt make sense. We have the ability through the way we did our budget adjustments in 2020 to adopt the effective tax rate (this year) which allowed us to lower the rate slightly, Bunch said. All of our current levels of service are intact. We have increased our sales tax reserves that will be drawn down against future sales tax and hotel (occupancy) tax shortfalls. We know right now that nobody can predict future sales tax revenue in this COVID environment. The opening and closings and not knowing if a second (coronavirus) wave will occur. We funded our budget to continue the services our community is used to. we created that flexibility by creating a sales tax reserve.

Budget sessions

More Information: 2021 Budget Watch the week-long series of budget planning seasons online at https://www.thewoodlandstownship-tx.gov/778/Meeting-Videos And, the whole 2021 budget can be reviewed online at: https://www.thewoodlandstownship-tx.gov/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/10422 See More Collapse

In March, when the pandemic was beginning to become problematic and businesses were ordered closed, the township board began to host emergency pandemic planning meetings, one result of which was the formation of a special three-member COVID Budget Task Force comprised of directors Bruce Rieser, Bob Milner and John Anthony Brown.

The trio have extensive business experience and Milner teaches business at Sam Houston State University.

Related: Woodlands task force discusses spending cuts to plug budget holes caused by coronavirus

Monique Sharp, the townships assistant general manager for finance and administration, said the township benefited from three key factors that were unknown seven to eight months ago: the allocation of more than $7 million in CARES Act funds from the Federal Transit Authority that are solely set aside for transit expenses; the recapture from energy giant Occidental of more than $2.2 million in a tax abatement that was refunded to the township after Hackett Tower was vacated by Anadarko workers; and setting up a sales tax reserve fund of $4.5 million for 2021 to cover possible losses in that area next year.

Related: Woodlands board forms COVID-19 response group; cancels tax abatement with Anadarko

The total budget for 2021 (more than $127 million) is a $5.9 million decreasse from (2020) or a 4.5 percent decrease from (2020). The Budget Task Force was very helpful and provided valuable guidance to the staff in planning, Sharp said. The budget is my favorite thing to work on, and it is nice when it is done.

Brown said the CARES Act funds designated to the townships transit services was critical.

Once the pandemic hit in mid-March, an early casualty to the coronavirus shutdowns was The Woodlands Express commuter bus service to downtown, which saw the number of trips drastically reduced and a loss of ridership that continues this summer. The smaller, community-based Town Center Trolley service was also shuttered for months before reopening in June.

If we did not receive CARES Act funding for our transportation costs, our immediate and near-term future budget would be drastically reduced. Its possible we would have had to make some hard decisions on spending, Brown noted.

Directors pleased

Brown, who has been on the board since 2016 and has extensive business experience from his job as an executive at the Huntsman Corp., said he believed the budget planning sessions, went very well procedurally even with two new board members this year.

Milner and fellow director Shelley Sekula-Gibbs were taking part in their first township budget process since being elected in November 2019.

We remained focused and would have most likely been done a day earlier if we had the validated property tax information from the tax assessor. Not the countys fault as we typically do these workshops towards the end of the month.

Brown also said there were no, unusual changes, in the 2021 budget, but did note that the township, must remain diligent to the current and future financial climate. He, like other directors, said placing an increased tax burden on residents in the form of a property tax hike was not prudent and would be an issue for local families.

The effective tax rate came in lower and although our five-year outlook is not where we would like it to be, I dont think it would have been prudent not giving residents a tax break, albeit small, during these times, Brown said.

Rieser said minor reductions to the maintenance and operating budget as well as the potential deferral of a few, non-timely capital improvement projects helped allow flexibility, dent the impact of the (sales and hotel occupancy) tax collection shortfalls. The township will do some small capital improvement projects in 2021, but the possible repairs to Fire Station No. 5, which has suffered damage to its floor and may need to be torn down and rebuilt.

The tax rate for next year is the effective rate, which means that we will be keeping property taxes flat for our residents, Rieser added. No one on the board was interested in placing additional burdens on residents, many of whom have taken significant economic hits to their personal finances as the result of the COVID-19 ordered shutdowns. There were two other significant events that have allowed us to ride out the storm, the reclaiming of the tax abatement on the Hackett Tower and an unexpected shot of CARES Act transportation grant funding closed a significant portion of the projected deficit.

COVID work crucial

Rieser, Brown, Milner, Sharp and Bunch all agreed that the months of work and extra meetings  hosted online via Zoom from early April through the end of July  had a big impact on the 2021 budget plans and resulting decisions.

Milner also praised the staff of Visit The Woodlands, led by president Nick Wolda, and soon-to-be retired township General Manager Don Norrell for their work that helped the task force accomplish a lot in three months.

I believe the task force did a very good job of getting ahead of the challenging times and issues early. The board showed great foresight and responsibility by creating the task force early on in the covid crisis, Milner added. I would like to commend Nick Wolda and his team, Don Norrell and his township team for bringing all of their teams together and carefully reviewing every line item to find a proper balance that included some pretty significant cuts to expenses.

Brown said the work done by the Budget task force, in his opinion, reduced the time the full board needed to go through the plethora of detailed budgetary line items.

(The task force) was extremely helpful to streamline the budget workshops this year as compared to other years. The task force, led by (Bruce) Rieser, spent countless hours going through every aspect of the budget and coming up with solutions and options for the board to consider. Im glad Chairman Bunch acted to keep the task force assigned to try and stay ahead of our financial outlook., Brown added. As part of the COVID budget task force, it was very helpful to be able to foresee future options in our 2021 budget and beyond. Although we are weathering the slowness of our local economy due to very conservative budgeting and reserves, Im afraid that the next couple years will be critical to realize new future revenues against impending future expenses.

Bunch said the budget task force work from April through the end of July was huge in the planning for 2021. The three-member group ended its work on July 30.

That allowed us to come into our budget with 2020 being shored up, and if we had not had the budget task force, we would have had to do that work in arrears. They also were able to go through various revenue shortfall projections and that allowed us to look at various scenarios. The legwork they did was critical to having a balanced budget for 2021, Bunch added. We foresee business failures, layoffs and challenges in the hospitality arena (in 2021). We are still asking residents to support local businesses, we want these businesses to rebound. The only thing we cant say is when that rebound will occur.

jeff.forward@chron.com
STOCKBRIDGE, MI  Nine fire departments responded to a fire at an apartment complex in Stockbridge on Tuesday night.

Stockbridge Area Emergency Services Authority responded to the fire at 7:05 p.m., Aug. 11, at Lakewood Apartments, 833 S. Clinton St., in Ingham County, SAESA General Manager John Beck said.

The building had extensive damage, with eight to 16 units affected, Beck said.

Clinton Street between Main Street and Green Street was shut down for nearly five hours while crews responded to the fire, per the Michigan Department of Transportation.

The SAESA was on scene for about seven hours, Beck said.

There was concern that the fire would spread to Clinton West Senior Apartments, 839 S. Clinton St., which are behind Lakewood Apartments, Beck said.

All senior residents were brought into a conference room in the middle of the building with paramedics to keep people safe. Crews contained the fire and the senior apartments were not damaged, Beck said.

There were no injuries from the fire, he said. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Dansville Fire and Rescue, Leroy Township Fire Department, Henrietta Township Fire Department, Williamston Fire Department, Mason Fire Department, Chelsea Area Fire Authority and Unadilla Township Fire Department assisted at the scene.

Read more from the Jackson Citizen Patriot:

Man who fired gun outside Jackson party store sentenced

Man who ditched meth in Jackson High School parking lot after police chase sent to prison

Man accused of heroin death, raping witness sentenced for lesser charge

Jackson ax-throwing bar builds outdoor lanes for use during pandemic

Summer Pops concert canceled by Jackson Symphony Orchestra due to coronavirus concerns
The pandemic has fundamentally changed the in-person college experience and shattered previous transfer pattern trends. Having access to flexible options to meet students evolving needs is critical for their continued pursuit of higher education degrees, said Kerry Cooper, CEO, CollegeSource.

CollegeSource, the higher education industrys most trusted SaaS provider of transfer solutions and nationwide transfer data, today announced that its Transferology solution data shows a record high in U.S. higher education student transfer interest since COVID-19 began in the U.S. Nearly 400 colleges and universities nationwide subscribe to Transferology with an 11 percent jump in the subscriber base over the last year.

From March through July 2020, Transferology  the only nationwide open transfer network with comprehensive transfer data  experienced double-digit growth in student searches for transferring their credits to alternate institutions and for course replacements versus the same time in 2019 with an average of 124,105 new searches being performed each month. May 2020 Transferology usage was the highest ever since the application launched in 2014 with nearly 110,000 sessions  up 32 percent from May 2019. More than 1.5 million student accounts exist in Transferology, and over 105,000 new accounts were added during March through July 2020 alone. These findings were among the first wave of CollegeSources Semiannual Transfer Market Trends Report.

The pandemic has fundamentally changed the in-person college experience and has shattered the previously-held notions of transfer pattern trends. As students grapple with decisions around returning to their institutions amidst fluid reopening and in-person learning options, many are evaluating whether to return to their enrolled institution in the fall or transfer to an alternate college or university, said Kerry Cooper, CEO, CollegeSource. Having access to flexible options to meet students evolving needs is critical for enabling their continued pursuit of higher education credentials and degrees.

Comparing the March through July 2020 period with the same period in 2019, CollegeSource reported a 14.8 percent increase in overall searches, a 19.7 percent increase in replacement course searches (students looking for courses to transfer credit back to their home institution), and a 12.5 percent increase in transfer searches (looking to switch institutions). Another noteworthy trend was that Advanced Placement courses accounted for nine out of the 10 most popular courses searched during the last 90 days.

The average overall session time also increased by 15.7 percent, translating to students spending more than nine minutes engaging with the solution, and there are now more than 24 million course equivalencies recorded in Transferology due to a 17.4 percent jump. Additionally, April and May 2020 were record months for the number of student transfer-related inquiries coming from Transferology into individual institutions, topping 700 inquiries during each month.

Transferology is a cloud-based solution that provides student access to millions of course-to-course and program-to-program transfer equivalencies. This information helps assist college advisors, students and parents in making informed decisions when transferring higher education credit. Hundreds of institutions and hundreds of thousands of students across 140 countries use Transferology each year to empower more realistic decisions.

About CollegeSource

CollegeSource is the higher education industrys trusted SaaS provider of transfer and degree achievement solutions. For nearly 50 years, CollegeSource has led market-changing transformation by inventing and investing in technology solutions that aid the staff and students of higher education in their quest to plan and complete academic careers. As the archiver of the nations extensive higher education course catalogs, CollegeSources degree audit, academic planning, and transfer credit evaluation solutions are depended on by more than 2,000 institutions and millions of individuals worldwide. Founded and led by higher education and technology veterans, CollegeSource is a privately-held company based in San Diego with offices in Cincinnati, Ohio. For more information, please visit collegesource.com.


Carl Smith got a strange call from someone who rented a spot at his west Pearland horse barn on Sunday afternoon. The renter asked the retired Harris County Precinct 5 deputy constable if he had two of his horses with him. At home in Houston, Smith knew something was wrong.

Driving up the path to the barn, he didnt get his usual greeting from his four-legged children. Storm and Shorty were nowhere to be found. He called out to them. He looked for them in the shady spots. On the west side, the fence had been cut. It was strange, he thought, because the two werent close like that not after Storm had kicked Shortys eye out a few years ago while in heat. They wouldnt have run away together.

Smith traversed the property for hours before calling in Pearland police.

Around 5:30 p.m., Smith found his two beloved horses slaughtered in a wooded area half a mile from his main property. The horses had been stabbed in the chest, and their hindquarters and backstraps had been removed.

The two are the latest in a string of horse slaughters in the Pearland area since May and are thought to have been butchered for their meat, raising concerns from horse owners, police and the community. In at least three of the five killings, including Smiths equines, the horse was stabbed first and its hindquarters removed.

The killings began May 22 when a horse was found dead along the Sam Houston Tollway. On June 10, Pearland police found another butchered in the 14000 block of Kirby Drive, just east of Hooper Road. The horse had also been stabbed. On June 29, another horse was found along the toll road.

Jason Wells, who has been with the Pearland Police Department since 2002, said hes never seen anything like this. The departments public information officer said such slaughtering practices have apparently been an issue in Florida for years and have recently been used in New Mexico and now the Houston area.

Whoever killed Smiths horses clearly knew what they were doing and made very, very precise cuts, Wells said. The way the meat was removed  it was done with care.

Richard Kudo Couto has spent more than a decade working on this issue in Florida, and is one of the foremost experts on horse slaughter. He guesses that between 30,000 and 40,000 horses a year are funneled through the states black market meat trade.

Couto founded the Animal Recovery Mission and ARM Sanctuary and also works undercover to catch horse killers. Currently, the west coast of Florida is struggling with horses being stolen left and right, almost on a daily basis, he said.

Generally, the horses are stabbed in the heart rather than shot so as not to awake owners and neighbors, which means horses can take up to 20 minutes to die. But that also suggests the horses are still alive while theyre butchered, Couto explained.

Once the highly valuable meat is cut off, it is often sold for medicinal and magical purposes  as a cure for disease or even for libido problems.

Couto also suggested that its likely whoever killed the horses knew the property well  either because they cased it, or had worked on the land, or knew the owner. They know that there are horses on the property, they know where the stalls are, they know where the fences are to cut, he said. They know the property very well.

If this isnt a common crime in Houston, it may well be transplants from Florida, said Couto. He suggested a guard dog and good security lights for protection against horse thieves.

In Pearland, businesses are also concerned about the killings.

Were just aghast, appalled, said Debby Shawhan, owner of D&D Feed, an animal feed store in the Pearland area. Its disgusting.

She has many customers who are horse owners, but none who have been impacted by the recent killings.

Smith has no idea who killed his horses, but he does think they were slaughtered early Sunday, between 2 a.m. and 5 a.m. based on stool nearby. Their bodies are still where the killers left them. As Smith walked around the property Tuesday, he noticed a stench.

Smith loved his horses and knew them inside and out. But 18-year-old Storm, the baby was special. Smith helped deliver her. He named her moments after meeting her for the storm of light hair on her forehead.

Everybody knew me riding Storm, Smith said. She would walk up to you and kiss you and put her head on your shoulder.

And Shorty, who was 26, was his wifes favorite. She was the gentle one, the one Smith would put his elderly father, or young kids, on.

Since the early 2000s, hed visit his horses every day to take care of them. He talked about his horses like they were his children, noticing their distinctive personalities and details on their coats. He knew which one would be leading the pack when he drove up  Storm  and which one was the least amount of trouble  Shorty. We raise these horses and theyre just like family, Smith said.

Smith now joins three other horse owners in the area  Jason Bockel, Tina Amaya and Raymond Breaux  who have had their horses slaughtered in recent months.

Smith plans to put in metal fencing at the back of his property and might install cameras, too. He still has one horse, Shine, and four other horses whose owners rent spots at the barn to protect.

Im pretty much worried about all of them  everybodys horses  now, Smith said.

currie.engel@chron.com
Taniel Cole

Police are searching for a gunman after one man was wounded during an "active shooter" situation at a Louisiana hospital on Wednesday morning.

Shreveport Police confirmed they were searching for Taniel Cole, 41, after he allegedly shot a man in the leg at St Mary Medical Centre about 5.30 am.

Police released an image of Mr Cole, who is considered armed and dangerous, following the shooting in the Highland neighbourhood of Shreveport. It was unknown if Mr Cole remained at the scene of the shooting or was elsewhere in the neighbourhood.

We are on scene at St Mary's Place looking for a subject that shot a man earlier this morning. Please be on the lookout for Taniel Cole. pic.twitter.com/pOlqz0E61R  ShreveportPolice (@ShreveportPD) August 12, 2020

Swat and hostage negotiation teams rushed to the hospital after the shooting left one person injured, which police spokeswoman Angie Willhite said was not believed to be life-threatening, according to the Associated Press.

Residents were advised to remain inside and be on the lookout for Mr Cole, while nearby St John Berchmans Catholic School and Loyola College Prep schools cancelled classes, according to their Facebook pages.
Prince Harry and wife, Meghan Markle, are so ready to make their life in California more settled than it was for the past few months. Allegedly, they have secretly purchased a private family home in Santa Barbara. This is where they plan to raise their son baby Archie, after leaving the British royal family and their respective royal positions.

Page Six exclusively reported that it had been a month and two weeks since the Duke and Duchess of Sussex moved into their new home located in the upscale California community. It is also where Ellen DeGeneres and Oprah Winfrey live.

Apparently, as people and media speculate that soon they would buy a place, but a source told Page Six they already did way back. "Harry and Meghan have been quietly living in their own home in Santa Barbara since early July," the source said.

Lest rumors get out of hand, living in the same community does not mean they are Oprah Winfrey's, Ellen DeGeneres', and anyone else's houseguests. Back in the LA mansion they lived in, they were truly just houseguests. This time, they truly bought the piece of the property themselves. They could see themselves living here permanently, after leaving the UK.

What makes this purchase quite interesting is that this is the first home that either of them had the privilege to own. Moving in and living there for six weeks has been described as blissful for the small family because they have complete privacy.

As such, they truly see Archie growing up here. The source explained, "They intend to put down their roots in this house and the quiet community, which has considerable privacy. This is where they want to bring Archie up, where they hope he can have as normal a life as possible."

If people are wondering why not stay in LA and look for a place there instead, when they have spent quite some time in this city already, the source explained that Prince Harry and Magthena Markle truly did not have that intention right from the start. It was just a good stepping stone when they arrived in the US because it is close to Meghan Markle's mom's residence.

The home price cannot be revealed nor the house's structure and design for security concerns. But the source explained that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have poured in their time to research about this house first. Ultimately, they deemed it perfect for various reasons, one of which is that it can provide Archie a normal, happy life where they can play with other children his age. They can also see themselves having new friends of their own.

The two are a stickler for privacy. If one would think of their journey right from the time they started dating, to getting married, to having baby Archie and to MEgxit, it can be said that it was a whole journey of fighting media and rumors. One minute crying for privacy and then another, in the middle of some interview decrying they do not have privacy. It is indeed, a hard journey so far.

READ MORE: Baby Archie Night Shift Nanny Quest Leaves Prince Harry, Meghan Markle Traumatized
Congress leader and spokesperson Rajiv Tyagi passed away on Wednesday after a heart attack, the party said. He was 52.

IMAGE: Congress leader Rajiv Tyagi who passed away due to a cardiac arrest in New Delhi. Photograph: ANI Photo

Tyagi suffered the attack soon after participating in a TV debate from his residence in Sector 16 of Vasundhara in Ghaziabad and fell unconscious, sources said.



He was immediately rushed to the Yashoda Hospital in Kaushambi, Ghaziabad, where doctors tried to revive him, but could not, the sources added.

Doctors said he probably breathed his last on the way to the hospital.

Tyagi was a regular Congress face in TV debates and his last tweet came around 3.40 pm Wednesday in which he said he was scheduled to take part in a debate at 5 pm.

After finishing the debate, Tyagi asked his domestic help to prepare tea for him and himself lay down on his bed, his family members said.

But when the house help brought the tea after a few minutes, he did not respond, they said.

His brother-in-law Deepak Tyagi said that a nearby doctor was called for an emergency check-up, but after efforts to revive him failed, Tyagi was immediately rushed to the Yashoda hospital, where the doctors declared him "brought dead".

Tyagi is survived by his wife and two sons.

A host of Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party leaders, besides Union ministers Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and Ram Vilas Paswan expressed their condolences to the family.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi, and party leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra spoke to Tyagi's wife on phone and expressed their condolences while remembering his contribution to the party.

The Congress tweeted, "We are deeply saddened by the sudden demise of Shri Rajiv Tyagi. A staunch Congressman and a true patriot. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends in this time of grief."

In his condolence message, Rahul Gandhi said the Congress "lost one of its lions today".

"The inspiration of Rajiv Tyagi's love and struggle for the Congress will always be remembered. My heartfelt tribute to him and condolences to the family," he tweeted in Hindi.

In her tweet, Priyanka Gandhi said Tyagi's untimely demise is a big loss for all.

"The untimely death of Congress spokesman Rajiv Tyagi is a personal grief to me. It is an irreparable loss for all of us. Rajiv ji was an ideologically dedicated warrior. I expressed condolences to his family on behalf of the entire Uttar Pradesh Congress. May God give strength to his family to bear this loss," she said.

Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad said, "Deeply saddened to hear the shocking news of untimely death of young congress leader & spokesperson Rajiv Tyagi. My heartfelt condolences to the family to bear the irreparable loss."

AICC general secretary KC Venugopal said, "Saddened and shocked to hear about the sudden demise of our colleague and Congress national spokesperson Shri Rajiv Tyagi. My condolences to his family and friends in this time of grief. May his soul rest in peace."

Party chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said he was speechless on hearing about Tyagi's demise. He said it is a personal loss for him.

"Saddened to know of untimely demise of INC national spokesperson, Shri Rajiv Tyagi. He served the party dedicatedly. My heartfelt condolences to his family members & friends," tweeted Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot.

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel said Tyagi's death was an irreparable loss for the party.

BJP MP Anil Baluni, who also heads the party's media department, expressed his shock at the death of Tyagi, saying he was an affable and emotional person.

Several BJP spokespersons, who regularly debated with Tyagi in TV shows, expressed their sorrow at his demise.

BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra, who was on a TV debate with Tyagi just before his death, said, "I cannot believe that my friend Rajiv Tyagi is no more. We were together in a TV debate at 5 pm. Life is very uncertain. I don't have words to express. May God give Rajiv ji a place in his feet."

Tyagi will be cremated on Thursday morning at Hindon crematorium, party sources said.
OAKLAND, Calif., Aug. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Kaiser Permanente began participating in a phase 3 clinical trial to test an investigational vaccine against SARS-CoV-2, the virus causing the current COVID-19 global pandemic. Kaiser Permanente plans to enroll approximately 1,400 participants at 4 sites in California and Oregon. The goal for this trial is to enroll up to 30,000 participants at more than 120 sites around the world. The investigational vaccine being tested in this trial is BNT162b2, one of the vaccine candidates in development by Pfizer, Inc., and BioNTech, which are also the sponsors of the study.

The clinical trial is being conducted by investigators at the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research in Portland, Oregon; the Department of Research & Evaluation in Pasadena, California; and the Division of Research in Oakland, California.

"Kaiser Permanente is extremely well-positioned to address this public health emergency," said Nicola Klein, MD, PhD, director of the Kaiser Permanente Vaccine Study Center and principal investigator for the trial in Northern California. "We have been a leader in vaccine research for more than 30 years and have participated in clinical trials for almost every vaccine that has been licensed in the United States. We know we can meaningfully contribute to helping determine whether this vaccine is effective in preventing COVID-19 disease."

"Our researchers and physicians are eager to contribute to the independent science that will ultimately lead to the development of a vaccine for COVID-19," said Stephen Fortmann, MD, senior science director and principal investigator for the trial at the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research. "We are working in partnership with researchers globally to ensure timely, safe, and effective vaccines can be developed so that we can prevent illness and save lives."

"This virus is a tremendous health threat and has affected the world profoundly both economically and socially," said William J. Towner, MD, regional physician director, Division of Clinical Trials Research, and principal investigator for the trial at Kaiser Permanente's Department of Research & Evaluation. "It is imperative that we find a safe and effective vaccine as quickly as possible."

Kaiser Permanente clinical trial participants must be adult health plan members aged 18 to 85 years old who are not pregnant or planning to become pregnant during the trial.

The phase 3 trial is a randomized trial in which half of the participants will receive the vaccine and half will receive a placebo. Neither the participants nor the clinicians will know who is receiving the vaccine versus the placebo (known as a double-blind study). During this phase of the trial, data will be gathered about safety, immune response, and efficacy as required for regulatory review.

Kaiser Permanente also is playing an integral role in the development of another COVID-19 investigational vaccine, co-developed by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and Moderna, Inc. The Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute in Seattle was the first site to enroll participants in the phase 1 trial. The vaccine began phase 3 trials at the end of July.

Read more about Kaiser Permanente's role in research, including research developing treatments and vaccines, or learn more about this clinical trial.

About Kaiser Permanente

For 75 years, Kaiser Permanente has been committed to shaping the future of health and health care  and helping our members, patients, and communities experience more healthy years. We are recognized as one of America's leading health care providers and not-for-profit health plans. Since July 21, 1945, Kaiser Permanente's mission has been to provide high-quality, affordable health care services and to improve the health of our members and the communities we serve. We currently serve 12.4 million members in eight states and the District of Columbia. Care for members and patients is focused on their total health and guided by their personal Permanente Medical Group physicians, specialists, and team of caregivers. Our expert and caring medical teams are empowered and supported by industry-leading technology advances and tools for health promotion, disease prevention, state-of-the-art care delivery and world-class chronic disease management. Kaiser Permanente is dedicated to care innovations, clinical research, health education, and the support of community health. http://about.kp.org

For more information, contact:

[email protected], 510-318-1557

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SOURCE Kaiser Permanente

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Babcock Borsig Service Arabia has signed its first digitalisation contract with Saudi Tabreed Operations and Maintenance Company for analysis and optimisation of the operation of chiller modules with the help of Bilfinger Connected Asset Performance (BCAP).

The award is the first digitalisation project secured by Bilfinger Middle East in the region.

In Q4 2019, Babcock Borsig Service Arabia with the support of Bilfinger Digital Next, a corporate startup of leading industrial service provider Bilfinger, implemented a pilot project at a plant operated by Saudi Tabreed in Riyadh to evaluate the energy optimisation possibilities using the BCAP platform.

The insightful findings of this pilot project of more than one energy optimisation possibility build the confidence of Saudi Tabreeds management to proceed with signing this new contract.

With BCAP, Bilfinger Digital Next offers operators of industrial plants a modular digitisation solution to gain insights from its isolated data. At its core, all data from the areas of engineering, operation, and maintenance of a plant is connected, processed, analysed, and visualised on a cloud-based platform.

For the new project, Saudi Tabreed has chosen the model that connects and operates one module with two chillers using BCAP recommendations, while a second module with two chillers will be connected, operated in a normal way to compare it to the first module and gain insights into BCAP optimisation potential.

According to Franz Braun, Managing Director of Bilfinger Digital Next and Chief Digital Officer at Bilfinger: Driving operational excellence through digitalisation requires a deep understanding of the processed data and the potential of these insights. By analysing the data in BCAP, we are able to gain more insights and to create a real business case for STOM.

Meanwhile Jon Rokk, President and CEO, Bilfinger Middle East, stated: This is a significant milestone for Bilfinger in the Middle East. We are confident of Bilfingers wide portfolio and we continue to offer Bilfingers digital solutions to our clients and provide unmatched industry knowledge, client experiences and subject matter experts to accelerate digital growth with end to end solutions.

Also commenting was Adrian Duffy, Managing Director, Bilfinger KSA and Bahrain, who said: Babcock Borsig Service Arabia continues to expand its core competencies and tap into potential opportunities within the Bilfinger group to offer the Saudi Market. We are delighted to partner with Saudi Tabreed as our first client for our digital solutions services in the region. Once the proof of concept is delivered it will enable Saudi Tabreed to expand the program for their facilities and demonstrate the potential savings Bilfinger can deliver across many sectors for other clients in the near future.

With the results of this project, Babcock Borsig Service Arabia hopes to continue and pursue an increased scope of work with other Saudi Tabreed plants to enhance energy efficiency in line with the Kingdoms 2030 vision, said Saleh Sharaf, Country Director - Business Development, Babcock Borsig Service Arabia. --Tradearabia News Service
Dr. Anthony Fauci said that he had serious doubts that the Russian-made COVID-19 vaccine, touted by Russian President Vladmir Putin on Tuesday, was safe and effective.

The Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases spoke with National Geographic in a virtual panel discussion when he expressed his concerns.

'I hope that the Russians have actually, definitively proven that the vaccine is safe and effective,' Fauci said. 'I seriously doubt that they've done that.'

Dr. Anthony Fauci expressed concern about whether Russia's COVID-19 vaccine was proven to be 'safe and effective'

He continued: 'Having a vaccine, Deborah, and proving that a vaccine is safe and effective are two different things.'

Putin said on Tuesday that Russia had become the first country in the world to grant regulatory approval to a COVID-19 vaccine after less than two months of human testing, a move hailed by Moscow as evidence of its scientific prowess.

The development paves the way for the mass inoculation of the Russian population, even as the final stage of clinical trials to test safety and efficacy continue.

Putin said on Tuesday that Russia had become the first country in the world to grant regulatory approval to a COVID-19 vaccine after less than two months of human testing

The speed at which Russia is moving to roll out its vaccine highlights its determination to win the global race for an effective product, but has stirred concerns that it may be putting national prestige before sound science and safety.

Fauci said that the United States has already had several vaccines of its own.

'If we wanted to take the chance of hurting a lot of people, or giving them something that doesn't work, we could start doing this, you know, next week if we wanted to. But that's not the way it works,' he said.

Fauci stressed that Americans need to understand that 'announcements from the Chinese or the Russians that [they] have a vaccine' will differ from those made by the U.S. 'because we have a way of doing thing in this country that we care about safety.'

Fauci stressed that Americans need to understand that 'announcements from the Chinese or the Russians that [they] have a vaccine' will differ from those made by the U.S. 'because we have a way of doing thing in this country that we care about safety'

Speaking at a government meeting on state television, Putin said the vaccine, developed by Moscow's Gamaleya Institute, was safe and that it had even been administered to one of his daughters

The director also touched on the threats he and his family have received, ABC News reports.

'It seems inconceivable, if you just think about it,' Fauci continued, 'that when you're trying to promote public health principles to save people's lives and keep them healthy ... that that's interpreted to be so far from your own way of thinking that you actually want to threaten the person. That's just no way that our society can really function well and go along that way - we've got to get past that.'

Speaking at a government meeting on state television, Putin said the vaccine, developed by Moscow's Gamaleya Institute, was safe and that it had even been administered to one of his daughters.

'I know that it works quite effectively, forms strong immunity, and I repeat, it has passed all the needed checks,' said Putin.

He said he hoped the country would soon start mass producing the vaccine.

Its approval by the health ministry foreshadows the start of a larger trial involving thousands of participants, commonly known as a Phase III trial.

Such trials, which require a certain rate of participants catching the virus to observe the vaccine's effect, are normally considered essential precursors for a vaccine to receive regulatory approval.

Regulators around the world have insisted that the rush to develop COVID-19 vaccines will not compromise safety. But recent surveys show growing public distrust in governments' efforts to rapidly produce such a vaccine.

Russian health workers treating COVID-19 patients will be offered the chance of volunteering to be vaccinated soon after the vaccine's approval, a source told Reuters last month.

More than 100 possible vaccines are being developed around the world to try to stop the COVID-19 pandemic. At least four are in final Phase III human trials, according to WHO data.
Future of School (FoS), a national public charity focused on access to quality public education, today announced its 2020 Student Scholarship Program (SSP) winners. High school graduates from 23 states were awarded this competitive scholarship of up to $10,000 each. The financial award will support post-secondary education plans for nearly 40 students who are choosing to attend vocational, tech or trade programs, community colleges, or four-year universities

Since 2016, FoS has supported digital pioneersboth students and teachers alikewith the ultimate goal of demonstrating to all Americans the importance of transforming schools to include more innovative, tech-enabled teaching and learning opportunities. Student scholarship winners submit written essays and video testimonials focusing on the impact of digital education on their lives. Now more than ever, these success stories are important lessons for schools as they navigate plans for reopening amidst the pandemic.

In her video, 2020 SSP Scholar Alaina Smith stated, In these trying times its been so difficult for all of us. There hasnt been a single one of us that hasnt been affected by whats going on. However, I can say that my schooling was unaffected. Because I was already going to online school...I didnt miss a beat.

Our scholarship program is unique; it honors students who have pursued education opportunities designed to ensure their personal success after high school, said Amy Valentine, CEO of Future of School. Some recipients stayed enrolled in their local high school while taking online college courses, while others sought out blended learning programs with flexible designs. Whatever the program looked liked, the common thread among all winners was that their education program was the one aspect of their lives that remained constant and that they could rely on during the pandemic.

This Thursday, August 13 at 5 p.m. EDT, Future of School is hosting a webinar featuring scholarship winners who will share their perspectives on the benefits and advantages of blended and online learning. The second in the series titled, Moving from the Margins, this student-led panel is designed to empower, enlighten and inspire others as schools prepare to reopen this fall.

More information, including a link to register for the upcoming webinar, can be found on the Future of School webpage: http://futureof.school/fos-webinars

###

More About Future of School

In addition to providing scholarships to digital pioneers, Future of School also gives grants to teachers to transform their classrooms, publishes research insights on the field of digital education, and, most recently, amplifying voices through a creative program to support district/school transformation called the Resilient Schools Project.

Find out more at: http://futureof.school.
WASHINGTON, Aug. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- In Kansas City, 40% of public schools are within 1,000 feet  about two city blocks  of a tobacco retailer, according to a comprehensive new study mapping tobacco retailers in 30 major U.S. cities. The study was conducted by researchers from the Stanford University School of Medicine, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Washington University in St. Louis.

Other key findings for Kansas City include:

Tobacco retailers are concentrated in low-income areas. There are nearly 10 times more tobacco retailers per square mile in the lowest-income neighborhoods than in the highest-income neighborhoods, as defined by data from the U.S. Census.

Tobacco retailers are ubiquitous. There are 18 times more tobacco retailers than McDonald's restaurants and 15 times more than Starbucks.

restaurants and 15 times more than Starbucks. Tobacco retailers are easy to access. 43% of city residents live within a half mile, or about a ten-minute walk, of a tobacco retailer.

Across the 30 cities, the study found, on average, that 63% of public schools are located within 1,000 feet of a tobacco retailer, and the lowest-income neighborhoods have nearly five times more tobacco retailers than the highest-income neighborhoods. On average, 70% of residents across the 30 cities live within a half mile of a tobacco retailer.

"In city after city, this research shows just how pervasive tobacco retailers are in our neighborhoods and near our schools. Retailers give the tobacco industry a massive footprint where it spends nearly a million dollars every hour on retail advertising and discounts to appeal to youth and other price-sensitive customers," said Lisa Henriksen, PhD, senior research scientist at the Stanford University School of Medicine and lead researcher on the study.

"This study powerfully illustrates how the tobacco industry continues to target kids and vulnerable communities in Kansas City and across the nation," said Matthew L. Myers, President of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, which provided support for the release of the study. "The tobacco industry is hooking a new generation of kids by aggressively marketing its products, including flavored e-cigarettes and menthol cigarettes, in locations where kids are continually exposed and have easy access. Policymakers must take action to protect our kids and communities, starting with a ban on the sale of all flavored tobacco products."

Funded by the National Cancer Institute, the research was conducted by the Advancing Science and Practice in the Retail Environment (ASPiRE) Center, a collaborative that investigates how tobacco retailer density and innovative retail tobacco interventions impact people and communities. Using a wide range of data from state and local governments and other sources, the researchers mapped retailers that sell cigarettes, e-cigarettes and other tobacco products in 30 large cities across the United States, providing the most comprehensive study to date showing the ubiquity of tobacco retailers and their proximity to schools. Approximately 29 million adults and 8 million children (1 in 9 U.S. residents) live in these 30 cities.

According to the researchers, "Living in neighborhoods with a higher concentration of tobacco retailers makes youth more likely to start using tobacco and makes quitting more difficult. In addition, higher concentrations of tobacco retailers in disadvantaged neighborhoods contribute to health disparities."

Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable death in the United States, resulting in over 480,000 deaths and $170 billion in health care expenses each year.

While the U.S. has greatly reduced cigarette smoking, youth use of e-cigarettes has skyrocketed in recent years. According to the 2019 National Youth Tobacco Survey, e-cigarette use among high school students nationwide more than doubled between 2017 and 2019 (from 11.7% to 27.5%) and over 5.3 million U.S. kids now use e-cigarettes. Research shows that 97% of current youth e-cigarette users used a flavored product in the past month, and 80% of youth who had ever used tobacco started with a flavored product.

In Missouri, 9.2% of high school students smoke traditional cigarettes, while 10.9% use e-cigarettes. Tobacco use claims 11,000 lives in Missouri each year.

About the ASPiRE Center

Funded by the National Cancer Institute, Advancing Science and Practice in the Retail Environment (ASPiRE) Center is a collaborative that investigates how tobacco retailer density and innovative retail tobacco interventions impact people and communities. The Center's goal is to build a strong base of scientific evidence for effective retail policies to reduce tobacco use, tobacco-related disparities and the public health burden of tobacco. ASPiRE researchers from the Stanford University School of Medicine, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Washington University in St. Louis work in partnership with a Community Advisory Board (CAB) comprised of tobacco control program staff from 30 large U.S. cities, representatives from several tobacco control organizations and agencies, and legal experts.

About the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids

The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids is the leading advocacy organization working to reduce tobacco use and its deadly consequences in the United States and around the world. Through strategic communications and policy advocacy campaigns, Tobacco-Free Kids promotes the adoption of proven solutions that are most effective at reducing tobacco use and save the most lives. Tobacco-Free Kids works in partnership with the ASPiRE Center as a member of its Community Advisory Board (CAB).

SOURCE Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids

Related Links

http://www.tobaccofreekids.org


The top diplomat says if the issue fails to be resolved through talks, Ukraine will go to international courts.

Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba says Ukraine is making every effort to ensure that the process of Iran's compensation for the downing of a Boeing 737 passenger jet, operated by Ukraine International Airlines, near Tehran in January this year does not drag on for years.

"We are now making every effort to ensure that nothing drags on for years, while the best and shortest way to have compensation paid is through an agreement with Iran," Kuleba told Radio NV on Wednesday.

"If there's no agreement, we will go to courts, and the courts will also ensure a guaranteed result, but over a much longer period of time, so we are now focusing on negotiations with Iran," added Kuleba.

The minister was also asked to comment on the Iranian side's recent statement claiming Tehran would not be compensating to UIA the cost of the downed plane, since it had been insured by European firms.

Read alsoPS752 downing: Ukraine releases intercepted tower communications proving Iran was aware of missile launch all along

"We've worked with Iran throughout yesterday, and the position that you voiced, the one that was voiced from the Iranian side, is not the official position of the Iranian government and is not a negotiating position, therefore we pay no attention to that statement and continue to work with the Iranian side," said Kuleba.

The Foreign Minister stressed that Ukraine is very constructively disposed towards finding a solution, while also remaining tough, not intending to allow any attempts to avoid liability or avoid any kind of compensation payments.

"Everything will be paid in full. I also stress our strategy: we really close this page with Iran by having them admit their guilt and pay maximum compensation, turn [the page] over, and move on. I don't want this story to hang on both counties' neck as a heavy burden for years, of which I notified Iran," Kuleba said.

Read alsoUIA plane crash: Ukraine considering three scenarios if Iran refuses to cooperate

Ukraine is not looking for revenge, it is looking for justice.

PS752 downing in Iran: background
Under the political leadership of Home Secretary Priti Patel, British armed forces are being deployed against refugees crossing the Channel from France in rubber dinghies and small boats.

These inhumane, illegal, and xenophobic measures must be opposed. What is being legitimised is a further evisceration of the right to asylum and the use of the state to terrorise those displaced by hardship and persecution, including many who have fled wars in their homelands instigated or backed by the British ruling elite.

The Ministry of Defence has deployed RAF surveillance aircraft to assist the Border Patrol off the south coast. This has been described as an initial offer of assistance. A formal request has been made by the Home Secretary for the active intervention of the Royal Navy.

Patel has created a new position, the Clandestine Channel Threat Commander, whose role will be to work closely with the French state in policing the Channel against refugees. She has appointed Dan OMahoney, a former Royal Marine who served in Kosovo and Iraq. A government press release states that he will have the primary responsibility of making the Channel route unviable for small boat crossings.

The deployment of the Royal Navy to hound and drive back lightweight vessels, overcrowded, and unfit for sea crossing will result in disaster. It is a breach of maritime law, which stipulates that those at risk of drowning at sea must be rescued.

On Monday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson stated that current law was too restrictive over deportations and described the Channel crossings made by desperate refugees as "very bad and stupid and dangerous and criminal." This is a more appropriate description of Johnson and his government.

There is a large element of political distraction involved in the revival of anti-refugee witch hunting. The resort once again to stoking anti-migrant sentiment and xenophobia is dictated by the fact that the government is backed into a corner, faced with rising social anger over its incompetent and criminal handling of COVID-19.

The biggest threat to the British people is not the arrival of a few hundred refugees on the shorelines of its southern coast, but the present occupant of Number 10 Downing Street. The Johnson government has been responsible for turning the UK into the epicentre of the pandemic in Europe in terms of excess deaths and is plunging society headlong into a resurgence of the virus through its return to work policy and reopening of schools.

The number of those undertaking the Channel crossings has risen, but from a low baseline. In the year up to August 7, 4,000 refugees made landings on the UK coast on 300 boats. Last Thursday 235 people landed.

The hysteria mounted against the refugees is not solely the preserve of the right- wing media such as the Express, Telegraph and Daily Mail. The Independent writes in terms of a surge and the BBC adopts a shrill tone, describing a couple of a hundred people as record numbers.

This serves to create the impression that managing the inflow of refugees is an impossible task, while desensitising public opinion over their plight. The claims that the clampdown is motivated by a desire to prevent refugees from drowning and falling foul to criminal gangs are rank hypocrisy. The barriers which governments around the world have erected against the right to asylum have forced refugees into taking desperate action.

The Channel is one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world, with strong currents which makes undertaking the 20-mile crossing particularly hazardous. Those who undertake the Channel crossing are from the most impoverished and war-torn parts of the globe. According to the BBC, recent arrivals have included entire families from Yemen, Eritrea, Chad, Eqypt, Sudan, and Iraq.

Based on the overall figures for immigration last year to the UK, the number of unauthorised Channel arrivals does not even represent a percentage point. The UK also receives far fewer asylum seekers than other European Union (EU) countries such as Germany, France, and Spain. In 2019, there were 49,000 asylum applications in the UK, a third or just over a half of those for the EU countries cited.

Earlier in the year the government launched Operation Sillath to speed up the deportations of refugees back to France. This is conducted under the terms of the Dublin regulations of the EU on asylum, which make refugees the responsibility of the first country they reach. In May, the Guardian reported evidence compiled by human rights lawyers and campaigners that the government was denying asylum seekers the right to have their applications considered in the UK, deporting them back to France without any proof they had made an original claim there, or spent any time in that country.

Lily Parrott, a lawyer at Duncan Lewis solicitors stated, We feel that this is being done illegally and on the basis of a conflation between the Dublin convention and a UK-France treaty about border management. This would be an egregious breach of European Law that allowed many asylum-seekers to be wrongly removed from the UK.

Since 2019, the UK has deported 155 refugees back to France, around 3 percent of those that landed on the south coast.

The Johnson government takes its political cue from the far right of the political spectrum. For months, former Brexit leader Nigel Farage has mounted a media campaign vilifying the government for losing control of the UKs borders. This has included video footage of his boat patrols around the Channel and tours of southern ports in which he has portrayed himself as the single-handed champion of the national interest against an invasion. Video footage has included Farage identifying a distressed light-weight vessel in the Channel at risk of sinking. When they were rescued, he denounced the Border Patrol as an illegal migrant taxi service.

This virulent campaign is now being politically mainstreamed. The BBC primetime TV newscast Monday reported, On land, at seas and in the air. Today the government sought to assure its citizens that it can control its borders. The report cut to an aerial shot of the Home Secretary aboard a police patrol boat stating that Priti Patels involvement was to underline her determination against the breaching of UK sovereignty.

The harassment and vilification of refugees from the most oppressed and impoverished corners of the globe is in marked contrast to the Johnson governments official open door policy extended to 2.9 million Hong Kong citizens. The right to asylum applies only to the extent that it provides a fig-leaf for the British ruling class in its alliance with the US against China, and for stepped-up measures of trade war and military confrontation.

In the face of this witchhunt, there has been no principled opposition mounted by the Labour Party. Apart from occasional handwringing about the plight of refugees, the Labour Party has focused on complaints that Brexit will endanger continued cooperation between the British and French governments over efforts to clampdown on asylum seekers. Dianne Abbott, former shadow Home Secretary under Jeremy Corbyn, told the BBC, "These things were bound to get more difficult as we prepared to leave the EU. What I'm saying is in the medium term and the long term, there has to be better cooperation across the EU. That is the only solution, otherwise whenever the weather is better and the seas are calmer, you're going to have these desperate people trying to cross the Channel."

These comments were celebrated by the right-wing Express newspaper, which provided Abbott with prominent coverage.

The defence of open borders and the right to asylum is an integral part of the fight for democratic rights and against capitalism. The division of the world into rival nation-states dominated by the most powerful imperialist powers, who have driven millions from their homes through environmental disasters, famine and war, is the main barrier to human progress. It is the irrationality of this system and its subordination of technological progress to the extraction of wealth by an oligarchy that has prevented a socially progressive response to the pandemic and resulted in a humanitarian disaster.
Quantzig, a global data analytics and advisory firm that delivers actionable analytics solutions to resolve complex business problems, brings you comprehensive insights into the top challenges facing the global pharmaceutical industry in its recent article.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200812005291/en/

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The global and heterogeneous regulation is increasing and bringing more complexity in compliance in product supply infrastructures and operations. Talk to our analytics experts to learn more about the challenges in pharmaceutical industry.

The global pharmaceutical industry has been successful for decades by increasing its market expanse in both the developed world and the developing world. With data- and technology-driven changes transforming the industry, pharmaceutical companies, both big and small, are being forced to rethink their existing strategies. The emerging markets are becoming more complex for pharmaceutical companies, making the commercial atmosphere ruthless and harder for them to sustain. Amidst all the changes, one of the biggest challenges faced by pharmaceutical players is shifting from their traditional sales-based model to an access driven commercial model to keep up with their competition as well as customers.

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According to Quantzig's healthcare analytics experts, "There have been several speculations about the stationary growth of the pharmaceutical industry, but recent technological advancements are expected to encourage the growth of this industry in the years to come."

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1: Demand forecasting

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A recent analysis of the pharma industry shows that many big pharma players are witnessing tough times due to digitization, which is changing the market landscape constantly along with the trends in the pharmaceutical industry. This has paved the way for deriving proper techniques to analyze pricing structures because pricing is the key to boost profitability.

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About Quantzig

Quantzig is a global analytics and advisory firm with offices in the US, UK, Canada, China, and India. For more than 15 years, we have assisted our clients across the globe with end-to-end data modeling capabilities to leverage analytics for prudent decision making. Today, our firm consists of 120+ clients, including 55 Fortune 500 companies. For more information on our engagement policies and pricing plans, visit: https://www.quantzig.com/request-for-proposal

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President Donald Trump has signed an executive memorandum authorising an extra $400 in weekly unemployment insurance benefits.

The apparent lifeline, signed over the weekend, to those impacted by unemployment in the pandemic comes as the nation surpasses five million coronavirus cases and millions of Americans continue claiming unemployment benefits.

Mr Trumps efforts to partially restore the supplemental benefits for jobless workers, which expired late last month, come with a number of restrictions and requirements.

The president said he is directing the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to assist in providing benefits from the Disaster Relief Fund (DRF) and calling upon the States to use their Coronavirus Relief Fund allocation, to bring continued financial relief to Americans who are suffering from unemployment due to the Covid-19 outbreak.

What are the new temporary benefits and when and how could Americans expect to access them?

Who will qualify for the extra $400?

To be eligible for the extra insurance, claimants will need to receive, for the week lost wages assistance is sought, at least $100 per week of unemployment benefit.

It appears if you are getting state unemployment benefits that are at least $100, you should be able to get that $300 on top, even if your state cant put up the additional $100, Andrew Stettner, senior fellow at The Century Foundation, a progressive think tank, told CBS News.

This does mean that low-paid workers such as waiters and gig economy workers such as independent contractors and temporary workers might not qualify for higher unemployment payments.

Its affecting those at the bottom of the income spectrum, or in the gig economy, Mr Stettner said. They have the least to get by  and wont get anything.

When will I be able to receive them from?

Mr Trump says that to eligible claimants from the week of unemployment ending 1 August 2020.

However, because states need to build a new system to administer the money, experts have warned that workers may not see any money straight away and it could be September before certain areas can distribute funds.

Were lucky if anyone gets this money in August, Mr Stettner told the broadcaster. Its more likely to be in September at the earliest.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on Monday that he expects most states to administer the extra benefit by the end of August.

Within the next week or two, most will be able to execute, Mr Mnuchin said, during a White House press briefing.

How long will it last?

Mr Trumps order would utilise $44 billion from the nations DRF to provide the extra insurance.

Raymond James analyst Ed Mills told CBS News that this amount of money is expected to be enough to last four or five weeks.

What are the problems with funding?

The memorandum directs that the federal government will provide $300 in additional aid and the states will contribute another $100.

However, many state officials have already said that states cant afford to pay the extra 25 per cent of unemployment costs due to a loss of tax revenue as a result of the pandemic.

That is the tragedy  workers are expecting to get this because the president promised it to them, Michelle Evermore, senior policy analyst at the National Employment Law Project, an advocacy group, told the outlet.

Its going to be a real challenge for states to say they can get this up and running.

States reportedly have another option of counting their existing unemployment insurance (UI) weekly benefit payments from state funds towards their $100 contribution, a memo viewed by CBS MoneyWatch said.

We are concerned about the significant administrative burdens and costs this latest action would place on the states, New York governor Andrew Cuomo and Arkansas governor Asa Hutchinson, the chair and vice-chair of the National Governors Association, said in a statement on Monday.

Mr Cuomo also called the directive impossible in a tweet on Sunday.

Executive Orders cant replace legislative actions, he wrote. States cant pay 25 per cent of unemployment costs. Its simply impossible.

California governor Gavin Newsom echoed the same sentiments at a news conference on Monday saying there is no money sitting in the piggy bank for the state to put forward for the extra $100.

It simply does not make sense, he said.
9GO! comedy shorts Metro Sexual are set to screen in the US on free streaming service Crackle, and in Canada on LGBTQ+ platform OUTtv and Prime Channels.

The comedy follows the lives of doctors Stephanie Huddleston (Geraldine Hickey) and Langdon Marsh (Riley Nottingham), who work at Metropolitan Sexual Health and claims to be the first Australian sitcom with all LGBTIQ lead characters.

The 8 x 10-minute series reached close to 400,000 Australians on 9GO! last year. It was co-created, written and directed by Henry Boffin and co-created, written and edited by Nicholas Kraak, both partners in Brisbane and Melbourne-based production company, Humdrum with Riley Nottingham.

I am thrilled we are able to bring Metro Sexual to an American and Canadian audience and have found our home with Crackle and OUTtv. Its such a hoot to play in the wild world of sexual health and hopefully Steph, Langdon and their crazy clinic can bring some much-needed laughter to the world, said Nottingham.

We are proud to bring Metro Sexual to Crackle, said Philippe Guelton, President of Crackle Plus. This ground-breaking comedy is the rare combination of relevant and irreverent, examining a serious topic in a hilarious way.

Were thrilled to be welcoming Metro Sexual to our fall line-up on OUTtv, said Brad Danks, CEO of OUTtv . The show has received a great reception in its home country of Australia, especially for its all LGBTQ+ lead cast. The show is a perfect fit for our network  its a hilarious queer mockumentary series.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, Aug. 12

By Asif Mehman - Trend:

As the Azerbaijani side, we are supporters of a political settlement of the [Armenian-Azerbaijan's] Nagorno-Karabakh conflict through negotiations, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov said, Trend reports.

Bayramov made the statement during his interview to CNN Turk TV channel during his visit to Turkey.

The minister said that there is a sufficient international legal base for a political settlement of the conflict.

Bayramov reminded that back in 1993, four UN resolutions were adopted.

According to these four resolutions, the withdrawal of illegal military formations from the territories of Azerbaijan and the return of Azerbaijani internally displaced persons (IDPs) to these territories are required, said the foreign minister.

At the same time, a demand was put forward to restore the internationally recognized borders of Azerbaijan. The same requirements are reflected in documents, resolutions and decisions of various international organizations. In this case, the issue of settlement through political dialogue is obvious, Bayramov emphasized.

We believe that serious pressure should be exerted on the Armenian side by international organizations and states. Azerbaijan's position on this issue is changeless and unwavering. These resolutions must be fully implemented," said the minster.


BRUSSELS (dpa-AFX) - The pound came in mixed against its major trading partners in the European session on Wednesday, after a data showed that the U.K economy shrank less than forecast in the second quarter, as the government eased restrictions to tackle Covid-19.



While the currency rose against the yen and the greenback, it was lower against the euro and the franc.



Data from the Office for National Statistics showed that the UK economy contracted for the second straight time in the second quarter, but there was some pick up in June.



GDP plunged 21.7 percent on an annual basis in the second quarter, smaller than the economists' forecast of 22.4 percent.



In June, GDP growth accelerated to 8.7 percent from 2.4 percent in May.



Gross domestic product contracted by 20.4 percent sequentially in the second quarter, following a 2.2 percent drop in the first quarter. Economists had forecast a quarterly fall of 20.5 percent.



Nonetheless, the latest fall was the biggest contraction since the records began in 1955.



The pound spiked up to more than a 2-month high of 139.53 against the yen, after falling to 138.88 at 10:15 pm ET. The pound is seen finding resistance around the 141.00 mark.



The pound reversed from an early 5-day low of 1.3017 against the greenback, rising to 1.3068. Should the pound rises further, 1.34 is possibly seen as its next resistance level.



The U.K. currency dropped to a 2-day low of 0.9024 against the euro, down from a high of 0.8985 seen at 5:00 pm ET. The pound is likely to challenge support around the 0.92 level.



Data from Eurostat showed that Eurozone industrial production grew for the second straight month in June, following a marked relaxation of the coronavirus containment measures.



Industrial output grew 9.1 percent on month, slower than the 12.3 percent rise in May and the 10 percent rise economists' had forecast.



The GBP/CHF pair hit a 2-day low of 1.1916, after rising to 1.1998 in pre-European deals, which was its biggest level since August 4. The next possible support for the pound is seen around the 1.18 level.



Looking ahead, U.S. CPI and monthly budget statement for July are scheduled for release in the New York session.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

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OTTAWA - Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tried Tuesday to shut down speculation that hes about to fire his finance minister, saying he has full confidence in Bill Morneau and that any reports to the contrary are false.

Trudeaus office took the unusual step of issuing a statement in support of Morneau as rumours about the ministers imminent departure from the crucial finance post reached a fever pitch on Parliament Hill.

For several weeks, opposition parties have been calling for Morneaus resignation over allegations that he had a conflict of interest in the WE Charity affair. Morneau and Trudeau are both facing investigations by the federal ethics watchdog.

But news this week that Mark Carney, a former governor of both the Bank of Canada and Bank of England, is helping to advise Trudeau on the post-pandemic economic recovery fuelled speculation that Morneau is about to be replaced as finance minister.

In the statement Tuesday, the Prime Ministers Office praised Morneaus record, including his lead role in creating emergency aid programs to help individuals and businesses survive the economic shutdown triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Since we formed government, Minister Morneau has worked relentlessly with all his colleagues, and closely with the prime minister, to deliver critical support for Canadians to build a strong and resilient economy, it said.

In particular, Minister Morneau played a central role that saw Canada develop one of the best economies in the G7, a million new jobs over the first mandate, generational changes to the CPP, the lowest unemployment rate in Canadian history, and over a million Canadians lifted out of poverty.

The statement said Morneau is continuing his important work of helping Canadians survive the economic impact of the pandemic.

Of course the prime minister has full confidence in Minister Morneau and any statement to the contrary is false. The prime minister knows that Minister Morneau and the entire team of cabinet ministers will keep doing the work that Canadians rely on to get them through this pandemic.

Earlier Tuesday, Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer said it mattered little to him whether Morneau or someone else serves as finance minister under Trudeau.

It really doesnt matter, making a trade for Bill Morneau, when youve got a prime minister that has such a lack of ethics embroiled in so many scandals, Scheer told reporters at a news conference in Ottawa.

Trudeau and Morneau are both under investigation by the federal ethics commissioner for possible conflicts of interest arising from the governments decision to hand the administration of a student grant program to WE Charity.

Both have close family connections to the charity and have apologized for not recusing themselves from the decision. However, theyve also insisted that it was public servants who recommended WE Charity as the only organization capable of managing the program, which has since been abandoned due to the controversy.

The government had budgeted $912 million for the program, which was supposed to encourage students to sign up for volunteer work related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The agreement to have WE Charity administer the program was for $543 million.

WE Charity was to be paid up to $43.5 million under the agreement, which stipulated that the organization could not make money on the deal.

Trudeau has been a featured speaker at six WE Day events and his wife hosts a podcast for the group, for which they have not been paid. However, the charity has covered hundreds of thousands in expenses for Sophie Gregoire Trudeau as well as fees and expenses to Trudeaus mother and brother for speaking at numerous WE events over the years.

One of Morneaus daughters works for the organization, another has spoken at its events and his wife has donated $100,000. Morneau also revealed last month that he had repaid some $41,000 in expenses that WE had paid for him and his family in 2017 for trips to view two of its humanitarian projects in Ecuador and Kenya.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 11, 2020.

Read more about:
Taiwan official attacks China during US health secretary's provocative visit

Iran Press TV

Tuesday, 11 August 2020 2:58 PM

Taiwan's foreign minister says China seeks to turn the self-ruled island into "the next Hong Kong," amid a provocative visit by a high-level US official to the region.

Joseph Wu claimed during a meeting with US Health Secretary Alex Azar in Taipei on Tuesday that Taiwan lived under the threat of being turned into "the next Hong Kong."

"Our lives have become increasingly difficult as China continues to pressure Taiwan into accepting its political conditions, conditions that will turn Taiwan into the next Hong Kong," Wu claimed.

"The people of Taiwan are all too familiar with dealing with threats, be it military, diplomatic, or the threats of epidemics," he boasted.

The senior US official arrived in Taipei for a three-day visit, the highest-level trip since Washington cut formal ties with Taiwan in 1979 in favor of Beijing. The visit was billed as an attempt to acquire Taiwan's experiences in containing its coronavirus epidemic. And it came even though the United States has no diplomatic relations with Taipei by law.

China firmly opposes official exchanges between the US and Taiwan. Beijing views the self-ruled island as a breakaway province that should be reunited with the mainland under the internationally-recognized "One China" policy.

Tsai, who won a second term earlier this year, has rejected Beijing's stance that Taiwan is part of "One China" and instead views the island as "already independent."

The high-ranking US official's visit to Taiwan coincides with Western-backed unrest over the enforcement of a new national security law in the semi-autonomous Chinese city of Hong Kong.

The law sparked anti-government protests in Hong Kong, with the critics calling the measure a blow to the semi-autonomous region's powers and civil liberties. Beijing has, however, assured that the law targets a minority of troublemakers that disregard law and order in the Chinese financial hub.

The US, Britain, and other Western countries have openly criticized the Chinese law and voiced support for the anti-government riots in Hong Kong.

Beijing has slammed the UK and the US for their interference in the affairs of Hong Kong.

Relations between the US and China are already in tumult, with the two sides clashing over a wide range of issues, including trade and the coronavirus pandemic.

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New Delhi, Aug 12 : People closely associated with deceased actor Sushant Singh Rajput continue to come out with new revelations, nearly two months after his mysterious death.

Now, Ashok Kumar Khasu, who used to work as Sushant's cook, has said that he never heard of 'Bhaiyya' (Sushant) going into depression.

Ashok, a resident of Lumbini in Nepal, lived with Sushant for three years from 2016 to 2019. He remained Sushant's cook for five months after Rhea Chakraborty came into Sushant's life. Ashok lived with Sushant at Joggers Park in Little Heights Apartments and Capri Heights Apartments.

In a special conversation with IANS, Ashok said that a person like Sushant could never go into depression because he was quite relaxed and easy-going. Ashok said, "He could never go into depression. He was far removed from all this. And the matter of his going into depression is coming to the fore now. I have never heard of this. For three years I was like his shadow. We stayed together but I never felt anything like this. There is definitely something amiss." Ashok added that the actor had changed a lot after a tour of Europe. He said, "Bhaiyya and Rhea went on a Europe tour in the first week of October 2019. They returned on October 28. He had changed a lot after returning. I was not with him then but his caretaker Neeraj and the new cook Keshav (whom Rhea had hired) told me that 'Sahab' has changed a lot and is no longer a jolly person." Ashok also said that during this time he tried to contact Sushant several times over the phone but Sushant did not answer. Subsequently, in December 2019, Sushant refused to even meet his sisters Meetu and Priyanka when they came to his house with Ashok.

Ashok said, "It was very shocking. I was quite surprised considering the kind of relationship Sushant sir had with his sisters. Meetu Didi was crying. When Meetu Didi messaged Sushant sir that 'Bhai, we are in Mumbai and want to meet you', he simply replied in a message and said 'I am busy in a meeting right now and cannot come'. While at that time Sushant sir did not have any new project. 'Dil Bechara' had been completed and he had no other film." Ashok said that Priyanka had met Sushant in January as she used to stay with him for long periods whenever she was in Mumbai, but after Rhea came into his life, this too changed.

Ashok said that most of the people who are now giving statements to the media are lying. None of them know the truth and people who do know something are not telling anyone.

When asked if the Mumbai Police and Patna Police had recorded his statement, Ashok said, "Yes, I did give my statement. The Mumbai Police has recorded my statement twice and the Patna Police talked to me for 10 minutes. In fact, the Mumbai Police called me to get my statement again when I had already explained everything clearly."

Latest updates on Sushant Singh Rajput Death Mystery

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Though the mainstream media would have you believe otherwise, the President said Kamala Harris treatment of Justice Kavanaugh was nasty, which it was, Trump campaign spokeswoman Courtney Parella said in an emailed statement. The Democrats already tried using Hillary Clintons gender to shield her from criticism in 2016  it didnt work then, and it wont work now. Kamala Harris cannot claim sexism every time her liberal record or public statements are questioned, and protecting her from scrutiny does a disservice to American voters who deserve to know the truth about her radical record.
* Global diamond supply chains convulsed by pandemic * Diamond polishers in India switch to farming * Miners seek new supply deals to boost margins * Mines from Canada to Lesotho still shuttered By Helen Reid, Tanisha Heiberg and Rajendra Jadhav JOHANNESBURG/MUMBAI, Aug 12 - As the coronavirus pandemic upended the global diamond industry, shuttering mines from Lesotho to Canada and disrupting supply chains, Rajen Patel swapped diamond polishing for peanut farming. Patel, who worked for a decade in India's Surat where about 80% of the world's diamonds are polished, joined the exodus of gem workers leaving the city as cases of the virus shot up. After taking up farming in his home village, he has no plans to return in the coming months. "I won't earn as much I was earning in Surat, but I won't starve and there is no fear of getting infected with coronavirus," he said. Demand for diamonds has plummeted during the pandemic, freezing sales and squeezing prices. With temporary mine closures at risk of becoming permanent, diamond miners are seeking ways to extract more value from their stones. The lone bright spot has been steady demand for large, high-quality diamonds from affluent investors, according to financiers and sales data. "There are a lot more enquiries from people seeking to buy these luxury stones as a hedge," said Chris Del Gatto, CEO of the DelGatto Diamond Finance Fund, the largest non-bank lender to the diamond, jewellery and watch industries. Prices for high quality one-carat diamonds are rising steadily and are currently around 12% higher than at the start of the year, in contrast to still-depressed prices for lower-quality stones of the same size, data from trading platform RapNet shows. For an interactive graphic, click: https://tmsnrt.rs/2Pqtl74 "If you are in that top end, the demand is still there because the people who go for these type of goods feel the pressure of the market downturn less," said Gus Simbanegavi, CEO of Bluerock Diamonds. But only a few miners are lucky enough to have deposits of large, high-quality diamonds, leaving some producers at risk. GRIM YEAR COVID-19 has forced miners to cancel or delay sales, with major diamond shows scrapped due to health and travel restrictions. The few sales that have taken place showed rough diamond prices down between 15% and 27%. "What has happened in the second quarter, I have never seen in my life," De Beers Chief Executive Bruce Cleaver told Reuters. "There was no really properly functioning rough market." Indian imports of rough diamonds plunged from $1.5 billion in February to just $1 million in April, data from the Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council shows. For an interactive graphic click here: https://tmsnrt.rs/2XxZuhs Antwerp, another diamond hub, saw rough imports drop 20% year-on-year in the first half, according to data from Antwerp World Diamond Centre. The city's exports of polished diamonds fell 46%. https://tmsnrt.rs/2DEez9P REAL OPPORTUNITY In a bid to survive, some miners are trying to change the traditional pricing game by securing a cut of onward polished diamond sales, and miners may eventually have direct tie-ups with luxury jewellery brands, RCC Diamond Consultants managing director Richard Chetwode predicts. Australia's Lucapa Diamond Co inked a deal with an unnamed "high-end diamantaire" to sell some of its high-value diamonds from the Mothae mine in Lesotho for $505 per carat plus a 50% share of the margin on the future polished diamond sale. Lucara Diamond Corp,, which mines in Botswana, struck a deal in July with Antwerp manufacturer HB Group under which the miner's diamonds larger than 10.8 carats are sold for a portion of the estimated polished price. "There is real opportunity within the diamond business as a whole to modernise the sales system," said Lucara CEO Eira Thomas. Lucara has also set up an online diamond sales platform. In the meantime, miners are hoping production cuts will help prices recover. With Rio Tinto's massive Argyle diamond mine in Australia among those coming offstream soon, global diamond production will likely be reined in until 2025, independent analyst Paul Zimnisky forecasts. For an interactive graphic, click here: https://tmsnrt.rs/3icmNFm Several diamond mines shuttered due to the pandemic have also yet to reopen, including Stornoway Diamonds' Renard mine in Canada, Petra Diamonds' Williamson mine in Tanzania, and Firestone Diamonds' Liqhobong mine in Lesotho, which the company said would likely stay closed until April to preserve cash. Meanwhile, Africa-focused Petra Diamonds is in restructuring talks with creditors, while in Canada's Northwest Territories, Rio Tinto's Diavik mine partner has sought creditor protection, saying it cannot afford the miner's cash calls. Even De Beers is feeling the pain, saying job cuts are likely, as it remains unclear whether supply will shrink enough to meet plunging demand in the global diamond jewellery market, which Bain estimated was worth $80 billion in 2019. Industry hopes that the pandemic would boost sales of engagement rings as people reassessed life priorities and more made plans to get married have not borne out. In retailer Tiffany & Co's February-April quarter, engagement jewellery was the worst-performing category, with sales almost halving. Overall, fine jewellery sales are expected to drop 19% this year, compared to a 3% rise last year, according to Euromonitor. (Additional reporting by Zandi Shabalala in London; Jeff Lewis in Toronto, Silvia Aloisi in Milan, Melissa Fares in New York, Polina Devitt in Moscow, Sophie Yu in Beijing; Editing by Amran Abocar and Kirsten Donovan)
(Natural News) Missouri Senator Josh Hawley says he has no sympathy toward major pharmaceutical corporations that continue to charge Americans outrageous prices for essential medicines, adding that he is glad that President Donald Trump is finally standing up to them.

Hawley, a staunch Republican, made the remarks during his appearance on The Ingraham Angle over at Fox News.

I have no sympathy for big pharma whatsoever, Hawley said, after the shows host, conservative pundit Laura Ingraham, asked him about his thoughts on President Trumps recent executive orders demanding drug manufacturers lower their prices.

Ingraham, earlier in the segment, also aired a clip from Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla, who, in an earnings call, noted that he is disappointed at President Trumps newest executive orders.

Im disappointed by these executive orders. They pose enormous destruction at a time where the industry needs to be completely focused on developing a potential COVID-19 vaccine or treatment, Bourla said, adding that while Pfizer has current plans to invest in both research and development and manufacturing in the United States, the pharmaceutical giant will be forced to rethink those plans because of the new executive orders.

Hawley, however, was not moved.

In my home state of Missouri theyre charging people three, four and five times more than theyre charging folks in France and Germany and Canada and Im glad that the President is standing up to them, Hawley said.

The executive orders, which President Trump signed in late July, would allow certain drugs to be imported from Canada, as well as make changes to the way discounts negotiated by pharmacy benefit managers are passed on to Medicare patients.

The orders also require Medicare to pay the same price for some drugs  the ones patients receive in the hospital as part of Medicare Part B  that other countries pay.

This is a welcome development, Hawley said, noting that this could spell the end for the abusive policies that allow major pharmaceutical companies to gain profit by overcharging patients.

This Big Pharma-Big Government alliance has been great for Big Pharma, theyve made a killing, these past few years  really for decades  and its really time they started putting patients first, the senator stressed.

According to Hawley, however, one of the most important developments to be spurred by President Trumps new executive orders  aside from merely regulating the prices set by pharmaceutical companies  is that the United States is taking the first few steps to once again start to manufacture pharmaceutical products, in reference to the $765 million government loan offered to Kodak, which, under the Defense Production Act (DPA), will allow the company to expand into a new sector  in this case, the production of ingredients for generic drugs.

The deal with Kodak is now under review.

It is important that we manufacture as many pharmaceutical products as we can in this country, Hawley said, noting that this is a good step toward independence from foreign supply chains, particularly that of China. (Related: Trump signs executive order to bring pharmaceutical manufacturing back to the United States.)

We are deeply dependent on foreign supply chains so I think it is incumbent to look at all the options for bringing those supply chains back, for getting medical production back in this country, the senator added.

Earlier this year, Hawley introduced the Medical Supply Chain Security Act, which, according to his office, can help secure the U.S. medical product supply chain.

The medical supply chain act will work to require that manufacturers report imminent or foretasted shortages of life-saving or life-sustaining medical devices to the FDA just as they currently do for pharmaceutical drugs, Hawleys office said.

In addition, Hawley has also questioned the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) about their efforts to mitigate potential drug and medical device shortages in the United States.

WATCH:

Sources include:

Brighteon.com

NPR.org

NYPost.com

TheHill.com

Hawley.Senate.gov
Taoiseach Micheal Martin will meet Prime Minister Boris Johnson in Northern Ireland tomorrow for the first time.

The two leaders will meet in Hillsborough Castle in Co Down to discuss the Covid-19 pandemic, Brexit and other issues facing Ireland and Britain.

Mr Martin and Mr Johnson have spoken by phone since the Fianna Fail leader was elected Taoiseach but this will be first time they meet face-to-face.

Read More

The meeting was originally planned for last Tuesday but the meeting was rescheduled due to the passing of former SDLP leader John Hume.

The meeting comes as the EU and UK remain at loggerheads over striking a new trade deal ahead of the Brexit deadline on December 31. There are ongoing issues between negotiators over fishing rights and standards applied to goods traded between the regions.

Ireland and Northern Ireland are also seeking to align their responses to the coronavirus which will be discussed between the Taoiseach and the Prime Minister.

Last week, Mr Martin suggested Britain may become less committed to Northern Ireland and said his Share Ireland Unit in the Department of the Taoiseach as planning for this eventuality.

However, the UK governments Northern Ireland Office insisted Britain remains fully committed to Northern Ireland. DUP Leader Arlene Foster described Mr Martins comment as disappointing.

In a statement ahead of his visit, Mr Johnson said he will establish a centenary forum and centenary historical advisory panel to work alongside the Northern Assembly to mark 100 years since the creation of Northern Ireland.

As the country begins to get back on its feet in the wake of coronavirus, we cannot simply strive to rebuild, but we must commit to building back stronger than ever, Mr Johnson

I cannot overstate how important the close co-operation that we have seen between central and devolved government will continue to be to this. Together, we will make sure Northern Ireland is ready to take full advantage of the many opportunities that lie ahead and that no part of Northern Ireland is left behind.

As we mark 100 years since the creation of Northern Ireland, it is important that we celebrate its people, culture and traditions, along with its vital contribution to the United Kingdom, he added.
A Committee of seven judges, constituted by the Chief Justice of India, convened a meeting on Tuesday, and discussed several issues, including whether physical courts can start or not, the Supreme Court Advocates On Records Association (SCAORA) said.

The judges Committee is seriously considering to start at least 2-3 physical courts from the next week and in the meantime, the Registry would take necessary steps to prepare the courts for physical functioning, the SCAORA said in a statement.

The Presidents of SCBA (Supreme Court Bar Association), SCAORA and Bar Council of India (BCI) Chairman, had also attended the Committee meeting held yesterday.

SCAORA President Shivaji M Jadhav, and SCBA President and senior Supreme Court lawyer Dushyant Dave urged the judges to start physical courts at the earliest, after taking required measures suggested by medical experts, keeping in view the Covid-19 pandemic.

The SCAORA said that the physical courts, if possible to start, will be in addition to the now existing virtual courts and people would have the option to do virtual hearing as well.

Matters from the final hearing list published before the lockdown would be listed before the physical Courts. The final decision would be taken by the Judges committee in a day or two, the SCAORA said.

This comes as physical court hearings are halted in the Supreme Court in a bid to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
CHASING CHOPIN

A Musical Journey Across Three Centuries, Four Countries, and a Half-Dozen Revolutions

By Annik LaFarge

Like many people, I learned about Chopins Funeral March at an early age, on the family couch, watching Saturday morning cartoons. Cartoons, like fairy tales, often require death as a plot device, but they want it slightly defanged. Chopins march was a convenient, campy shorthand  foreboding but comic, no more serious than the words game over at the end of a video game. It is therefore almost impossible for me to imagine a world in which the piece is both fresh and tragic, where its death is real.

Annik LaFarges charming and loving new book, Chasing Chopin, attempts to recover this world. A combination of biography, cultural commentary and personal reflection, it radiates out from the Funeral March, the third movement of Chopins Piano Sonata No. 2, in many directions. Looking back in time, LaFarge describes the composers loves and pianos (often the same); she explores his handwriting, his fingerings, his Polish identity. But she also turns to the present day, consulting aspiring pianists, authorities in historical performance and Zibi, the creator of the video game Frederic: The Resurrection of Music. For a book about death, its bursting with life and lively research. LaFarge writes passionately about Bachs influence on Chopin, and the virtues of listening to period pianos to know what Chopin heard and imagined.

Chasing Chopin is only a partial biography, with much of its focus falling on the odd celebrity couple of Chopin and George Sand: tubercular composer, gender-bending author. Their relationship was a constantly revised arrangement, forged against norms  a precursor of pods and friends with benefits. LaFarge links this modern lifestyle to the revolutionary quality of their work. She charts the couples tumultuous beginnings, including an epic letter in which Sand outlines a vision of ideal love that eschews the bonds of everyday life and favors a true friendship based on chaste passion and gentle poetry. A week later Sand seemingly changes her mind  the relationship is consummated. After a year or so, she changes her mind again, and they become platonic lover-friends. Sands interactions with Chopin acquire aspects of mothering, enabling and nursing  not uncommon when you date an artist (ask any of my exes!). Eventually, they have a falling-out, and LaFarge makes you feel the decline of this ideally modern relationship, maybe even more than Chopins looming physical decline.
The coronavirus pandemic has severely affected the livelihoods of auto drivers as they struggle to keep afloat amidst weak demand and financial pressure. Given the outbreak, few are stepping out and availing their services.

The Indian Express

Even during the crippling financial crisis, a Hyderabad based auto-rickshaw driver kept his integrity by returning the passenger's bag full of cash. It was money that he could have easily used to pay rent and other commodities, but Mohammed Habeeb, a father of two, chose to stay honest.

Also Read: Manipur Woman Auto Driver Ferries Cured COVID-19 Patient At Night, Receives Rs 1.1 Lakh Reward



According to The Indian Express report, after dropping off two passengers, Habeeb reached to the back of the passenger seat for a water bottle, when he found a bag.

Fearful of what could be inside it, he rushed to his employer after returning to where he had dropped off the previous passengers and after opening it they found bundles of cash in it.

The report states that the passenger, Ayesha, had forgotten the bag in the vehicle and later approached the police before Habeeb reached the police station.



Also Read: This Pune Auto Driver Is Using Rs 2 Lakh Saved For His Wedding To Feed Hungry Migrant Workers

Image For Representation/Twitter

Like many other auto drivers in the city, Habeeb has been struggling to make ends meet. Speaking to The Indian Express he said, "We are also worried about our lives. I am out on the streets throughout the day and struggling to make Rs 200 or Rs 300 a day, after a daily rent of Rs 250.

As there was no point searching for the passenger, it was best to approach the local police station. There were no two opinions about it, Habeeb told The Indian Express .

The passengers forgot the bag, and the driver did not notice it. He went around searching for them and then came to us by around 4 pm. The woman who lost the bag also reached the police station by then, The Indian Express quoted the SHO as saying.

Also Read: Man's Stolen Wallet Found After 14 Years But He Can't Use The Cash Since It Includes Old Rs 500 Note

Image For Representation/Reuters

There was no complaint. Both identified each other and the bag full of cash was handed over.



As a token of appreciation and gratitude, Habeeb was awarded Rs 5,000 by the women. The SHO felicitated Habeeb with a shawl and garland. They were very happy to receive their money. They thanked me a lot. I am fortunate that I did not get a passenger on my return after dropping them off at Siddiamber Bazar, he said.






Eight villages in east China's Zhejiang Province are recruiting professional managers with annual performance bonuses of up to 1 million yuan (about 144,000 U.S. dollars).

The eight villages are in the Yuhang district of Hangzhou, the provincial capital of Zhejiang, and candidates with bachelor degrees or above across the country can sign up before Aug. 18, according to the district department of agriculture and rural affairs.

After the signing-up process is complete, the department will hold a written examination, as well as interviews for the candidates.

Each village plans to recruit one professional manager with a first employment term of two years, said Wang Xiaoying, an official with the department.

"This is the second year that we are recruiting rural managerial personnel," said Wang, adding that three villages took part in the recruitment last year, but two professional managers later left for higher pay, and only one stayed.

"We are offering higher salaries this year, increasing the annual base pay from 150,000 yuan to 180,000 yuan," said Wang. Two villages are even offering performance bonuses of up to 1 million yuan.

Agricultural management was among 13 new professions that China's human resources authorities released in April 2019 to keep pace with economic and technological development.

Thanks to the continuous attention the central authorities have been paying to agriculture and rural areas over the past years, new business models are mushrooming in the countryside, thus increasing demand for new managerial personnel, said Gu Yikang, chief expert with the Zhejiang rural vitalization research institute.

Zhejiang is among the leaders in the country's rural vitalization drive, with great efforts being made to protect the natural environment and traditional culture. As a result, local rural tourism is seeing rapid development.
The Israeli Ambassador to Ghana, Libreria and Sierra Leone, Ms Shani Cooper, has called on the government to speed up digitization after the COVID-19 pandemic.



She said because of the COVID-19 pandemic many countries, companies, institutions and Organisations had resorted to the use of digital systems for their operations.



The use of digital platforms, she said, would continue to be the trend after the Pandemic because it was a cost-effective and reliable system to operate.



Ms Cooper, who made the call in an interaction with some Journalists in the Western Region, as part of her working visit to the Region, said Ghanas investment in the digital system would help speed up the countrys development.



The Ambassador's visit to the Region also took her to the Takoradi Port, Takoradi Chamber of Commence, the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly and a meeting with some chiefs to ascertain potential investment opportunities in the Region.



She noted that Israel and Ghana have had a cordial and good relationship since 1958.



She said the two countries had a lot in common which could be harnessed to boost the development of the two countries, especially in the areas of Agriculture, innovation and entrepreneurship and Agro technology.



The Ambassador said although Israel is surrounded by a desert, it was very strong in innovation, entrepreneurship, agriculture especially in vegetables cultivation and Agro Technology which the Ghanaian government could tap into to develop its agricultural sector.



Ms Cooper said many Israeli companies were operating in Ghana, mainly based in Accra, noting that it was for this reason her outfit decided to collaborate with the Takoradi Chamber of Commerce to come up with sectors where Israeli companies could connect with local companies in Ghana, especially in the Western Region.



She said Israel had a lot to share with Ghana and that under one of its flagship programme about 130 Ghanaian students were currently doing 11 months on the job agro-studies training in Israel.



Ms Cooper said the launch of the Trade Mission in Ghana had seen many Israeli companies expressed interest to invest and to do business in Ghana, noting that many Israeli companies operating in Ghana in the scope of millions of dollars.



She said Israel had a comparative advantage in agro Technology which she pointed out could easily be replicated in Ghana, stressing that the vision of her outfit was to see a well-developed agribusiness in the Western Region.

Source: GNA









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Every week, roughly 100 Asian immigrants and refugees pull up to a health center in metro Atlanta to get tested for COVID-19. But the drive-through site, operated by a local nonprofit, provides more than just nasal swabs.

Since mid-June, when the number of cases in Georgia began to spike, testing requests have grown substantially, especially from low-income seniors with limited English skills and knowledge about the disease. At the Cosmo Health Center, operated by the nonprofit the Center for Pan Asian Community Services, they receive a one-page informational flyer, translated into their native language, on how to practice prevention and deal with symptoms. Bilingual health care providers, sometimes with help from interpreters, then walk clients through the testing process and conduct follow-up calls once the results are out.

The people we serve arent seeing PSAs on national media, Victoria Huynh, the vice president of CPACS, told NBC Asian America. So weve become interpreters and translators who help bridge immigrant communities to mainstream services.

Center for Pan Asian Community Services in Atlanta offers a drive-thru COVID-19 testing. (Center for Pan Asian Community Services)

The organization is representative of Asian American and Pacific Islander communities in the South that lack proper resources. Nearly 4 million AAPIs, roughly a quarter of the groups total population, live in the 16 Southern states, making them the fastest-growing Asian cohort anywhere in the country. But compared to residents of bigger, older enclaves in Los Angeles and New York, Southern Asians tend to be first-generation immigrants and refugees who face greater language and health care barriers. Due to a lack of media attention and political power, they are often neglected by elected officials, some of whom have churned out a steady stream of anti-immigration laws.

AAPI receiving the crumbs of funding in Georgia

The CPACS-run Cosmo Health Center is one of the only federally qualified clinics in the South focusing on underprivileged AAPI residents. In the area of mass-testing, it has filled a critical coverage gap: more than a third of Atlantas quarter-million Asian residents have low English proficiency. Many people, as a result, have no idea how widely the virus has spread, where to get tested or how much it would cost. CPACS conducts phone outreach to clients and advertises its free testing program in ethnic media, where older residents get their information.

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The immigrant and refugee community we serve are getting the crumbs of funding thats coming to Georgia, Huynh said. Cosmo Health Center could not scale testing capacity even as requests rose, she noted, because the state prioritizes supplying testing kits and personal protective gear to hospitals and bigger clinics over smaller ones based in AAPI neighborhoods.

Center for Pan Asian Community Services in Atlanta offers a food pantry service. (Center for Pan Asian Community Services)

For social services groups, combating anti-Asian hate and addressing language needs have become critical as coronavirus cases have exploded across the region. Because AAPIs are underrepresented and underheard, Southern states provide virtually no Asian-language assistance for public health, financial, and voting services.

In Gwinnett County, a region of Metro Atlanta thats home to Georgias largest AAPI population, the language barrier has also affected the small business owners that CPACS serves. Since April, the group has organized two webinars, with the Small Business Development Center, to help people navigate the labyrinthine Paycheck Protection Program. During the livestreams, which drew more than 250 AAPI business owners, consultants explained the loan application and forgiveness process, and answered questions in English while CPACS staff provided real-time translations in Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese.

Center for Pan Asian Community Services in Atlanta offers a food pantry service. (Center for Pan Asian Community Services)

Invisible and increasing poverty for Southeast Asian Americans in New Orleans

The share of AAPIs living in poverty has grown more quickly in the South than anywhere else in the country, according to a report from Asian American Advancing Justice. Part of this can be chalked up to the regions sizable refugee population from Southeast Asia.

Asians here are pretty invisible, and they stay to themselves, said Jacqueline Thanh, the executive director of Vietnamese-American Young Leaders Association of New Orleans. We have to band together to provide mutual aid.

Many of the Vietnamese refugees who arrived by boat in New Orleans in the 1970s are farmers and fishermen. As the pandemic devastated the food supply chain, VAYLA collaborated with the VEGGI Farmers Cooperative to deliver fresh produce directly from Vietnamese farms to homes in the Village de LEst neighborhood, a food desert where a large share of the citys 14,000 Vietnamese residents live.

The converging chaos of the pandemic and the mass protests against police brutality has put AAPI activists on the path to addressing both anti-Asian hate and anti-Black bias.

Like in much of the country, race relations in New Orleans can be perilously fraught. An undercurrent of distrust and xenophobia runs through the Black and Vietnamese communities, two indigent minority groups that have, for decades, competed for resources, Thanh said. In May, VAYLA launched a series of storytelling workshops to facilitate community healing at a time of immeasurable economic loss and racial strife, and to encourage younger Vietnamese Americans to interrogate the anti-Black narratives embedded in their history.

Combatting an increase in racial tension in Texas

In Texas, where 1.5 million Asian Americans live, there have been 63 reported incidents of anti-Asian hate from March to July, according to a report by the coalition Stop AAPI Hate. One assailant stabbed a family with two young children thinking they were carriers of the virus. Though the figure hasnt visibly accelerated since a tsunami of new COVID-19 cases slammed the state, AAPIs remain in a very vulnerable position, said Debbie Chen, executive director of the Houston chapter of OCA-Asian Pacific American Advocates.

Houston is experiencing an impact from COVID-19 in two ways, she said. Everyone is experiencing the business and restaurant shutdowns, but we also have the drop in oil prices. That creates an environment where people are frustrated and its easier to look for a scapegoat.

These compounding economic anxieties have contributed to a rise in racial tensions across industries. To protect Asian families and businesses against future attacks, OCA teamed up with various foundations and community leaders to launch 50 bystander intervention courses starting this month. The goal, Chen said, is to train 50,000 people, including college students, oil workers, corporate professionals and churchgoers.

At the same time, the organization wants to foster a greater understanding within the AAPI community about the intersectionality of racial justice and anti-Asian hate. Through next June, the group will be hosting virtual film screenings and panels every month to explore pivotal moments in U.S. civil rights history. Some chosen documentaries include The Chinese Exclusion Act; Delano Manongs, about labor organizer Larry Itliong and the Filipino farm workers who organized the Delano Grape Strike; and Freedom Summer, about the 1964 campaign to integrate Mississippis segregated political system.

We all carry these biases within ourselves, Chen said. We want to address colorism within our own community and spark a broader dialogue through art.

Follow NBC Asian America on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Energy Efficiency Services Ltd (EESL), the state-run firm that is implementing a nationwide smart meter programme, will encash the bank guarantee provided by Indonesias PT Hexing after cancelling a contract for 2 million smart meters over its failure to meet local manufacturing norms.

We will encash the Rs 25 crore bank guarantee submitted by PT Hexing. They failed to meet the tender conditions that made it mandatory to manufacture these smart meters in India, said Saurabh Kumar, executive vice-chairperson, EESL Group.

EESL has also returned 10,000 meters supplied by the firm, said to be owned by Hangzhou, China-based Hexing Electrical Co.

India has responded to the incursion by Chinese troops in Ladakh by gradually snapping economic ties with its largest trading partner. The steps include barring Chinese firms from state-run projects.

After PT Hexings disqualification and Indias new public procurement rules for compulsory purchase preference to local suppliers, the firms eligible to participate in the snap bid called by EESL for supplying 3 million meters include Genus Power Infrastructures Ltd, Larsen and Toubro and HPL Electric and Power Ltd. PT Hexing could not be contacted for comments.
Sales taxes revenue, from both for in-store and Internet retailers, are up 6 percent over the first six months of 2020 when compared to the same period last year.

The figures from the Alabama Department of Revenue reflect not only deep declines in revenue during March and April, due to the coronavirus pandemic, but significant gains in May and June.

Overall, revenue in Alabama is up almost 4 percent through the first half 2020, as the Alabama economy continues to snap back from the pandemic.

The Alabama Retail Association said the figures show that the states retailers and restaurants are leading our states recovery.

They continue to put people back to work, pivot to make their businesses safe for their customers and employees and innovate to serve customers however those customers prefer, President Rick Brown said.

According to state figures, sales tax collections were up almost 12 percent in June over last year, and up 1.61 percent for the first half of 2020. June sales tax collections showed the first double-digit growth over the same month in the previous year since April 2019. However, that number comes with an asterisk, as the state did allow some smaller retailers and restaurants to wait as late as June 1 to remit sales taxes without a penalty.

The Simplified Sellers Use Tax, which covers Internet sales, took in almost $37 million in June, meaning it grew 94.83 percent over what was collected a year ago. The jump reflects continued strong online commerce, which was evident during the lockdown in March and April. The SSUT was up 5.94 percent over 2019 levels from January through June.

We urge Alabamians to shop local, whether you shop in store or online, Brown said. When you shop local, your money remains in your community, it turns over numerous times and it keeps local businesses open and contributing to their communities.

Still, there are other revenue categories where the effects of the pandemic can be seen. Lodging taxes are down 16.44 percent over the first six months from 2019, reflected diminished travel nationwide.
U.S. Border Patrol agents assisted by the Federal Bureau of Investigations rescued a father and son who were kidnapped in Nuevo Laredo, authorities said.

Agents began working with the family of the victims to return them safely. Authorities learned that the family had been paying the kidnappers for the return of their relatives.
(Newser)  A US Air Force helicopter had to make an emergency landing after it was hit by ground fireover northern Virginia. The Air Force says the aircraft, which was on a training mission, was hit while flying at an altitude of 1,000 near Middleburg, around 10 miles northwest of Manassas, Monday, CNN reports. The gunfire injured one of the two pilots on board and damaged the UH-1N helicopter, assigned to Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, reports the Washington Post. The Air Force says the helicopter made an emergency landing at Manassas Regional Airport and the crew member was treated for a "nonthreating injury" at a hospital and released

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Officials at the Manassas airport say they were informed about 12:20pm Monday of "an onboard emergency on a military helicopter that was inbound." The UH-1N landed around 20 minutes later. The FBI says it is working with other agencies, including the Air Force Office of Special Investigations, "to determine the circumstances surrounding the incident," the AP reports. Investigators have confirmed that the helicopter was hit by a bullet, but it's not clear whether somebody was shooting at the aircraft or if it was hit by somebody randomly shooting into the air. (Read more US Air Force stories.)
MINNEAPOLIS - Prosecutors on Wednesday asked a judge to try four fired Minneapolis police officers jointly in George Floyds death.

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison filed a memo arguing that evidence against the four is similar and that a single trial would spare witnesses and family members from the trauma of multiple trials.

Holding one trial also would allow the community and the nation to absorb the impact of the verdicts for the four officers at once, instead of piecemeal, Ellison argued.

Forcing the community to endure four separate trials, with four separate verdicts at four different times, is likely to compound and prolong the trauma to the community, wrote Ellison, whose office is leading the prosecution.

Floyd, a Black man, was handcuffed and lying face-down when Officer Derek Chauvin, who is white, pressed his knee against Floyds neck for nearly eight minutes on May 25. Floyd repeatedly said he could not breathe and called out for his mother before passing out. He was pronounced dead at a hospital that evening. Floyds death sparked protests around the world.

Chauvin is charged with second-degree murder, third-degree murder and manslaughter. The other three officers, Thomas Lane, J. Kueng and Tou Thao, are charged with aiding and abetting both second-degree murder and manslaughter. All four officers were fired and are scheduled for trial in March.

Attorneys for Chauvin and Kueng declined comment on the prosecutions motion to hold a joint trial. Defence attorneys for Lane and Thao did not immediately reply to requests from The Associated Press for comment Wednesday.

In his memo, Ellison notes the charges against the four officers are similar, and that all of the charges stem from the same incident. Evidence also shows the four worked together to commit the crime, Ellison said, with Chauvin pressing his knee into Floyds neck, Kueng and Lane holding Floyd down and Thao preventing bystanders from intervening.

A single trial also would spare witnesses and Floyds family members from having to relive his death at multiple trials, Ellison argued.

Eyewitnesses who take the stand will be asked to recount the harrowing details of Floyds death, Ellison wrote.

The attorney general also cited the travel costs and lost wages of witnesses testifying at four separate trials, the risk of testifying in person during the coronavirus pandemic and the fact that several eyewitnesses are minors, including a 17-year-old girl who videotaped Floyds death.

The next court hearing for the four is scheduled for Sept. 11.
Both Projects are with Schools Where UGE will Develop, Build, and Finance

New York, New York--(Newsfile Corp. - August 12, 2020) - UGE International Ltd. (TSXV: UGE) (OTCQB: UGEIF) (the "Company" or "UGE"), a leader in commercial and community solar energy solutions, announces that it has signed agreements with two schools in Maine to develop, build, and finance rooftop solar projects that will provide the schools with cleaner more affordable energy.

The two projects are expected to have rated peak capacity of 1.0MW and 0.7MW. Collectively, the projects add US$2.4 million to the Company's project backlog.

"Maine represents a new and growing market for UGE; one that offers opportunity through its recent virtual net metering regulations, facilitating community solar projects," said UGE CEO Nick Blitterswyk. "We have already begun the design and submitted for utility interconnection approval, and we anticipate completing the development and installation of the projects over the next 12 months."

UGE has a long history of providing solar for schools, having built upwards of 50 school projects to date, across the US, Canada, and the Philippines. Solar provides an excellent opportunity for schools to leverage their typically flat, empty rooftops to host solar systems and lower their operating expenditures, while using them as an educational tool as well.

Maine has become an important market for UGE over the past year. UGE expects to continue to see success in this new market, and as such has opened an office in Central Maine, led by Tyler Adkins, who formerly built the Company's successful Philippines business.

About UGE

UGE delivers immediate savings to businesses through the low cost of solar energy. We help commercial and industrial clients become more competitive by providing low cost distributed renewable energy solutions at no upfront cost and maximum long-term benefit. With over 400MW of global experience, we work daily to power a more sustainable world. Visit us at www.ugei.com.

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Contact:

investors@ugei.com

917-720-5685

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/61545
Kansas City Cares About Cash

Kansas City receives $18 million from Jackson County in CARES Act funding, mayor says by: FOX 4 Newsroom Posted: / Updated: KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Mayor Quinton Lucas has announced that the city has received $18 million from Jackson County in funding from the federal CARES Act, which was given to support communities through the pandemic.

Gunfire Runaround Today

3 arrested following Kansas City shooting investigation that turned into chase KANSAS CITY, MO (KCTV) -- Three people are in custody following a shooting investigation that turned into a police chase. Police say they were investigating a shooting in the area of 43rd Street and Agnes Avenue. One person arrived at a hospital saying they had been shot.

KCK Moving Target Report

KCK police investigating after truck driver shot at Tuesday KANSAS CITY, KS (KCTV) - Police are investigating after a truck driver was shot at Tuesday morning. The Kansas City, Kansas Police Department said a suspect shot at a truck driver who had just exited off of Interstate 70 onto James Street around 11:50 a.m.

Show-Me Surge Fear

Coronavirus Surges Hit Missouri's Rural Counties But Experts Say They Still Aren't Ready At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, some studies showed that rural and small town hospitals could be overwhelmed in a surge and potentially unable to provide care to all who might need it.

Insta Influencer Reveals Assets

Demi Rose unleashes peachy bum as killer curves steal show in teeny thong bikini Instagram model Demi Rose Mawby certainly isn't shy when it comes to dishing out scantily-clad clad snaps on Instagram. In fact the 25-year-old babe often leaves jaws on the floor, parading every inch of her body in very risque attire. The brunette bombshell never fails to disappoint her entire legion of loyal fans with her heat soaring exposes.

INDIA LOVES KAMALA!!!

Kamala Harris Pick For V.P. Is Hailed As 'A Moment Of Pride' In India Many Indians are tweeting support Wednesday for Kamala Harris, celebrating their connection to the new presumptive Democratic nominee for vice president, whose mother was from India. Harris is not only the first woman of color to appear on a major U.S. presidential ticket. She's the first person of South Asian descent, too.

Karen Saves Prez Trump???

Trump says 'suburban housewife' will vote for him over Biden, cites low-income housing policies President Trump said Wednesday the "suburban housewife" will vote for him over his presumptive Democratic rival Joe Biden -- citing his. administration's efforts to roll back an Obama-era low-income housing regulation that he says Biden would "reinstall... in a bigger form."

No Deal In D.C.

No sign of stimulus deal in sight as Pelosi says Dems, White House are 'miles apart' Democrats and the Trump administration are "miles apart" on the next round of coronavirus relief, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Wednesday, as the impasse in Washington threatens to send millions into financial ruin. Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer have not met with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and White House chief of staff Mark Meadows to hash out a pandemic aid package since Friday.

Townies Have Another Reason To Hate College Students

College towns fear super-spreader semester as students descend Colleges and universities have long struggled to wrap their arms around the party culture off campus that has resulted in deaths from binge drinking, Greek life hazing and more. If getting students to abide by public health and safety rules when it comes to partying is difficult, getting them to abide by strict social distancing guidelines could prove to be an impossible challenge.

COVID Miracle Debate

'Archbishop' of Florida church selling bleach 'miracle cure' arrested with son The self-styled "archbishop" of a purported church in Florida that sells industrial bleach as a "miracle cure" for Covid-19 has been arrested with his son in Colombia and faces extradition to the US. Video footage posted to the Twitter feed of Colombia's top prosecutor showed Mark Grenon and his son Joseph Grenon, dressed in blue jump suits and masks, being led away by armed police.

Local Booze Game Stays Winning Amid Desperate Times

Tap List | Have Your Beer and Drink Too The so-called "last day of summer" is a little over a month away, and received wisdom would have us soon putting away our swimming trunks, deflating the inflatable pool and tucking away our favorite summer friendly brews. But why? Why conform to convention when you can have your beer and drink it too?

Cowtown Warmup Contd

Joe's Weather World: Summer just keeps moving along (WED-8/12) It's Wednesday and we're going through some rather typical summer weather around the region. Today though will be the 17th straight day we have average or below average highs. Today's average high is 88 and while close...I don't think we'll get there. We also saw some storms yesterday.

25-year-oldand her newsworthy trendsetting fashion hotness inspire this news roundup of pop culture, community news and top headlines . . .And this is thefor right now . . .
Francoise Brougher, Pinterest's former chief operating officer, published a 4,000-word blog post on Tuesday, accusing the company of having a discriminatory, misogynistic and hostile work environment that silences female executives.

Brougher, who was fired earlier this year, published the post shortly after the New York Times reported that she filed a lawsuit against the company for gender discrimination. While sexism, harassment and a lack of diversity are known problems in Silicon Valley, tech companies rarely face lawsuits from senior leaders.

"According to Pinterest, I was fired not for the results I achieved, but for not being 'collaborative,'" wrote Brougher, who was COO from March 2018 until April, and previously held executive positions at Square and Google. "I believe that I was fired for speaking out about the rampant discrimination, hostile work environment, and misogyny that permeates Pinterest."

Brougher did not mention the lawsuit in her blog post, but cataloged the many ways that she was allegedly mistreated and the times that her views were dismissed during her tenure. Specifically, Brougher says she was excluded from important meetings by Pinterest CEO Ben Silbermann after sounding the alarm about a key issue regarding the company's advertising systems and its impact on revenue.

"Ben, in addition to being CEO, was also head of product," she wrote. "Now suddenly I was disinvited from all the product team meetings."

Brougher also said her equity vested on a different schedule than Pinterest's other executives, which she realized after the company filed its IPO prospectus in 2019. She said that in her first year she vested just 37% of what her closest peer, CFO Todd Morgenfeld, vested in his first year at the company.

"Discovering that I was given a less favorable vesting schedule was upsetting, but what really bothered me was that I had been misled," she wrote.

Pinterest said in a preliminary earnings statement in April that Brougher was leaving effective immediately and that her responsibilities would be passed to Morgenfeld. In the statement, Silbermann thanked Brougher for her "substantial contributions" and said that, "as we continue to position the company for long-term growth, we believe consolidating our financial and COO organizations under one leader will accelerate our speed of execution."
NEW BRUNSWICK (dpa-AFX) - Moderna said Tuesday that it has reached an agreement with the U.S. to initially supply 100 million doses of its experimental vaccine for COVID-19, mRNA-1273. The U.S. government has awarded up to $1.525 billion for the vaccine. The U.S. will also have the option to purchase up to an additional 400 million doses of mRNA-1273 from Moderna. The U.S. government has already invested $955 million in the company's vaccine development, bringing its total investment up to $2.48 billion, Moderna said in a statement. The U.S. has also entered into a deal with Pfizer in July to secure 100 million doses of its vaccine BNT162. In August it has reached a deal to get 100 million doses of vaccine Ad26.COV2.S from Janssen Pharmaceutical. Similarly, the U.S has reached deals with GlaxoSmithKline, Sanofi, Novavax and AstraZeneca for their vaccines. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Aug. 12, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Apollo Gold Corp. TSX.V: APGO (Apollo or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has received a National Instrument 43-101 report (the Report) in respect of the Apolo and Sancarron concessions in Chile (collectively the Apollo Concessions or the Apollo Properties). The Report is in draft form due to COVID-19 travel restrictions prohibiting a site visit by the Report author. The Report, together with title opinion in respect of the Apollo Concessions, has been filed with the TSX Venture Exchange. As announced on April 2, 2020, the Company agreed to option the Apollo Concessions from Lithium Chile Inc. and Compania Minera Kairos Chile Limitada, a subsidiary of Lithium Chile, pursuant to an Option agreement dated 25 March, 2020 (the Option Agreement). The filing of the Report and title opinion fulfills the conditions of the TSXV in relation to the Option Agreement which is now unconditional.

As announced on April 2, 2020, Apollo can earn up to a 90% interest in the Apollo Concessions by making total payments to Lithium Chile of $1,350,000 and incurring an aggregate of $5,000,000 of expenditures over a maximum of 5 years.

The Apollo Properties consist of 5 exploration and 18 exploitation (right to mine) concessions totaling 5,329 hectares of highly prospective land in the heart of the El Indio Gold Belt in Chile. This district is dominated by major mining companies including Barrick Gold, Codelco and Antofagasta and hosts major mines and deposits such as Pascua Lama, El Indio and Alturas.

Lithium Chile has previously reported that the Apollo Properties host anomalous gold and silver bearing rock grab samples within areas of hydrothermal alteration (10.5 Kms2) bearing strong similarities to surrounding deposits. Rock grab samples contain 2.1 grams per tonne gold (g/t Au) to 97.48 g/t Au and 46.4 grams per tonne silver (g/t Ag) to 158.8 g/t Ag.

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With the Option Agreement now complete, and subject to any ongoing constraints relating to the global COVID-19 Pandemic, Apollo intends to launch an initial work program in November 2020 to coincide with Spring in Chile. This program will establish access and a camp at the Properties and will also test and expand the prior sampling programs undertaken on the Properties with a view to establishing key target areas for a more extensive program which will follow shortly after this initial program. The initial program will also enable the site visit required for finalization of the Report.

Simon Clarke, CEO of Apollo Gold stated, We are very pleased that the Option Agreement is now unconditional, and we can start to plan the launch of initial work programs on these highly prospective concessions. With the size and scale of the mines and deposits in the surrounding District, combined with the reports of historic work undertaken, we believe the Apollo Concessions present a great opportunity for Apollo Gold and we are excited to start work on the Properties.

Market Awareness Program

Pursuant to Apollo Golds plans to generate a greater following among United States investors, the Company has retained Promethean Marketing, of Annapolis, Maryland in the United States to provide ongoing marketing services including content distribution and advertising. Promethean has been paid USD$100,000 to develop required content and artwork and to launch its market awareness programs.

On behalf of the Board of Directors

APOLLO GOLD CORP.



Simon Clarke

Simon Clarke, Chief Executive Officer

About Apollo Gold Corp. (TSX.V: APGO)

Apollo Gold has assembled a team that is exploring for world class gold deposits in tier-one jurisdictions. Positioned for a prolonged gold cycle, the Companys initial 5,329-hectare project lies in the heart of the Republic of Chiles prolific El Indio Gold Belt surrounded by some of the largest gold companies/mines in the world. The Company is also focused on acquiring quality assets in Mexico and recently announced a letter of intent to enter into an option to acquire 5,240 hectares in a district with a history of gold and silver mining and with a number of deposits nearby. Apollos team offers global resource sector experience focused on exploration and development with a track-record in advancing projects and creating shareholder value.

The technical content of this news release has been reviewed and approved by Dean Besserer, P.Geol., Vice President Exploration of the Company and a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43- 101.

For further information, please contact

Apollo Gold Corp.

Simon Clarke

Tel: +1 (604) 551-9665

simonpclarke65@gmail.com

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information

Statements in this news release that are forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties concerning the specific factors disclosed here and elsewhere in the Companys periodic filings with Canadian securities regulators. When used in this news release, words such as will, could, plan, estimate, expect, intend, may, potential, appear, should, and similar expressions, are forward-looking statements.

Although Apollo Gold Corp. has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements, there can be other factors that cause results, performance or achievements not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate or that management's expectations or estimates of future developments, circumstances or results will materialize. As a result of these risks and uncertainties, the results or events predicted in these forward-looking statements may differ materially from actual results or events.

Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements in this news release are made as of the date of this news release, and the Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise such information, except as required by applicable law.




The worlds most valuable alcoholic drinks brands could lose up to US$33bn worth of brand value as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to brand valuation company Brand Finance.

The companys most recent report, launched in August 2020, also revealed that Corona is now the most valuable beer brand in the world while Chinese baijiu brands have dominated the spirits sector.

The research was collected by comparing the impact of COVID-19 on a brands enterprise value to what it was on January 1, 2020.

BEER

Corona topped Brand Finances beer ranking with a brand value of US$8.1bn despite sales in China declining in the first half of the year due to lockdown and the unfortunate name clash with the coronavirus.

Earlier in the year several reports claimed the brand was losing significant sales due to the breakout of the pandemic through global lockdown as well as communication issues with the brands name and the name of the virus.

SPIRITS

The report also shows that Chinese spirits brands continue to dominate the top positions in the spirits value ranking, with Moutai top (up 29% to US$39.3bn), Wuliangye second (up 30% to US$20.9bn) and Yanghe third (down 15% to US$7.7bn).

The spirits market in China is flourishing as disposable income and living standards continue to rise across the nation, the report read.

Consumers are now turning towards top quality and middle to high end premium baijiu brands. In this years ranking, Chinese spirits brand values increased by 14% on average, while non-Chinese spirits brands decreased by 0.1% on average.

Meanwhile Irish giant, Baileys, has been named the fastest growing spirits brand by value, recording a 105% growth to US$1.3bn.



The report says that Baileys has committed to its three-year long strategy of repositioning the brand to expand on the number of occasions it can be consumed.



This, paired with the exponential sales growth of the brand over the previous four years, has placed the spirits giant in a strong position, the report added.

WINE

Moet et Chandon (brand value US$1.4bn) claimed the top spot in the inaugural list of most valuable champagne & wine brands.



The report suggested that the brands success has been due to its focus on remaining accessible through charitable endeavours, sponsoring top events and most recently launching a social media campaign highlighting its sustainable ingredients and heritage.
Employment Minister Carla Qualtrough conceded the government "dropped the ball" on its student volunteer grant program, and said she makes "no excuse or justification" for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Finance Minister Bill Morneau's roles in the resulting WE Charity controversy.

Speaking at the House of Commons ethics committee Tuesday, Qualtrough said that, in the rush to help Canadians in a time of crisis, the government hurried programs with the understanding some mistakes would be made. She said she hopes the controversy engulfing the Liberal government won't distract from the good work done to support Canadians.

"It was a pandemic and things were crazy and we were going at break-neck speed. But we should have not dropped the ball on this," she said.

The committee is probing the details of the government's deal with WE to administer a $900-million Canada student service grant program. Both Trudeau and Morneau failed to recuse themselves from cabinet discussions on the WE agreement despite family ties to the organization, raising questions about potential conflict of interest.

"It's an unfortunate situation," Qualtrough said. "I don't think in any way it takes away from the other really important, and I would say, fantastic work that we've done for students and for Canadians writ large. But they should have recused themselves and they've apologized for not doing so, and I accept that apology and believe we've learned from this."

Qualtrough said the government was operating under the guiding principle of delivering supports "quickly and reliably" for Canadians.

WATCH | 'We should have not dropped the ball,' Qualtrough says:

"We knew from the start things would not be perfect, and we were prepared to have to course correct when we needed. There was no time to test or pilot the programs. We had to understand the limits of our existing system and work with them," she said.

Story continues

Earlier in the day, Canada's top bureaucrat told the committee the agreement with WE Charity was "typical" and would have gone through the routine checks and balances.

Clerk of the Privy Council Ian Shugart said officials with Employment and Social Development Canada were in charge of the file, and that he saw no red flags that warranted giving special advice to Trudeau.

"All I can say is that the contribution agreement in this case was typical of relationships between [a] government department and an entity, guided by principles of audit and due diligence with respect to interests of the Crown," he said. "This contribution agreement will bear scrutiny as typical of the mechanisms that have been approved by the Treasury Board and have been used in the government for a very, very long time."

Trudeau and his government have been under fire for awarding WE Charity the deal to manage the program despite ties between the charity and members of Trudeau's family. WE Charity subsequently withdrew from the agreement due to controversy.

Justin Tang/The Canadian Press

Trudeau has maintained that despite the fact his wife, mother and brother had received payments from WE, he did not place himself in a conflict of interest by taking part in cabinet talks around the program. He did, however, apologize for failing to recuse himself from those discussions.

WE Charity was selected to run the program and did not go through a competitive bidding process. Trudeau has maintained that senior government officials said the charity was the only organization able to deliver the program.

He has said he was surprised to see the agreement on the cabinet agenda on May 8, and that he asked for more due diligence to ensure WE was the best organization to deliver the program.

Shugart said he was "generally aware" that there was a desire for due diligence by the prime minister and his chief of staff, Katie Telford, but left that work to the officials handling the program.

"I was not personally involved in that due diligence. My opinion was not sought and I did not see anything at the time that required my giving the prime minister specific advice," he said.

"The followup to his request was being undertaken by officials, and it did not occur to me at the time, or indeed in retrospect as I've thought about this, there was anything in that circumstance that called for more than the followup that was being done by the officials."

Since the controversy erupted, issues around WE's financial situation and governance have been brought in to the spotlight.

Due diligence 'sufficient'

Shugart said he believed the due diligence was sufficient, but conceded that closer scrutiny could have been done and that lessons have been learned.

"I think knowing in retrospect what we know now, we probably would have inquired further. But I must also say that even looking back now, I have no evidence that the WE organization, had the program gone ahead, would not be able to deliver the program as set out in contribution agreement," he said.

The program, which never got off the ground, was designed to give students who couldn't find summer jobs a chance to earn a stipend for volunteer work in "national service" activities related to fighting the pandemic.

Chagger, who signed the agreement with WE, said there are always safeguards in place to ensure the integrity of such programs.

Clarifying her earlier statement that she had not had any conversations with WE about the student volunteer program, Chagger said she spoke at a WE Day event, and also spoke with WE Charity co-founder Craig Kielburger on April 17. She said the conversation focused on a separate youth entrepreneur initiative, which Kielburger was proposing, not the student volunteer program.

WATCH | Chagger pressed on WE contract:

Opposition MPs have asked why Chagger didn't report what could be considered a lobbying effort by Kielburger.

She told the committee on Tuesday it was not her responsibility to determine if someone has registered as a lobbyist.

"It is the responsibility of lobbyists to report their lobbying activities," she said.

She said she did not intend to pursue the "unsolicited" proposal for the entrepreneurship program.

Trudeau announced the broad strokes of the plan for the student volunteer program on April 22, and Chagger said she was not advised of that announcement ahead of time.

The minister repeated her assertion that it was the public service that advised the government that WE was the only organization that could run the program to the scale, scope and timeline required.

Morneau embroiled in controversy

Morneau is also facing criticism for not recusing himself from those cabinet talks because his daughter, Grace, works at WE in the travel department. His other daughter, Clare, has spoken at WE Day events.

Morneau revealed to the House of Commons finance committee on July 22 that WE Charity covered $41,000 in costs for him and his family in 2017 for trips to Ecuador and Kenya to view the organization's humanitarian work.

At the time, Morneau said he didn't realize he hadn't personally repaid WE for the trips, and that he repaid the costs that morning.

Ethics Commissioner Mario Dion is carrying out investigations on Trudeau and Morneau's actions.

His predecessor Mary Dawson also appeared as a committee witness on Tuesday, offering her expertise on the Conflict of Interest Act. She said while she is not in favour of the commissioner's office meting out hefty penalties for violations, she said there is an inherent understanding that public office holders will comply.

She pointed to section 19 of the act, which states compliance with it is "a condition of a person's appointment or employment as a public office holder."

"Ultimately there will probably be some effects of having contravened the act, whoever you are and whenever it occurs," she said.

During a news conference before the committee hearings, Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer said his MPs will continue to press for answers in the "scandal." He said the Liberal government is not being accountable for the controversy.

"We know that the prime minister isn't going to take responsibility, he never does. No member of cabinet or the prime minister's inner circle has been fired," he said. "In fact the Liberals seem to be desperately trying to pretend that there's nothing to see here. But no one is buying Justin Trudeau's latest excuses."
A Michelin starred restaurant boss has slammed the government's 'Eat Out to Help Out' scheme as it was today revealed that police officers are exploiting the scheme to tuck in to half-price meals at work canteens.

David Moore, owner of Pied a Terre in London, said the scheme should be for small restaurants and slammed the use of taxpayers money in private canteens as 'shocking'.

It comes as it was today revealed officers working for police forces in Hampshire and Surrey can enjoy 50 per cent off meals and drinks at their in-house canteens on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesday throughout August.

The private company supplying catering to the forces' largest bases signed up for the Eat Out to Help Out scheme - in which the government pays back the value of the discount from the public purse.

However the public cannot eat at the canteens, leading critics such as Mr Moore to slam the company's use of the scheme.

David Moore, owner of Pied a Terre in London, said the scheme should be for small restaurants and slammed the use of taxpayers money in private canteens as 'shocking'

Mr Moore argued that the government's scheme was designed to help struggling cafes and restaurants, which might otherwise close, attract diners back, not to be exploited by police canteens with a 'captive' audience who would eat there anyway.

The 56-year-old, who has worked alongside world-renowned chefs such as Raymond Blanc and who was forced to shut his restaurant due to coronavirus, said: 'It's shocking. It isn't right.

'It is definitely not what was meant by the Eat Out to Help Out scheme. There should have been some exceptions.

'It's for small restaurants. It's not meant to help Five Guys form a queue around the block or a police officer who should be eating in the community anyway and supporting the community.'

Mr Moore argues that whilst the scheme is a 'bright idea' there are loopholes which are being exploited.

He said: 'When you have a broad stroke initiative like this and the short time frame in which it's been put together I don't think there are the checks and balances in place to police it properly.

'That's where you get operators and institutions thinking that they can jump on the bandwagon as well.

'The money is going to the wrong people. I would never want to say the police are not deserving of a hand out or help, they are our great peacekeepers and do a fantastic job.

'But it does feel wrong. It's not the police, it's the companies who run these canteens who are taking advantage.

Mr Moore, 56, was forced to close his Michelin starred Pied a Terre in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic

'When you hear that the operators are already subsidised, it just seems ridiculous.'

Talking of police canteens already having a 'captive audience', he said: 'They are able to feed their staff - with food which is already subsidised - and then have the great British taxpayer help out.

'The captive audience doesn't seem right. There should have been a tick box - if you are feeding a captive audience then you shouldn't be able to do this because they are going to be there anyway.'

Mr Moore, who has run his restaurant for 29 years, added: 'I feel constantly let down, there is no one who listens to the small businessman. The little guy doesn't get helped out, that's the problem.'

His comments come after it was revealed five locations operated by Hampshire Constabulary are implementing the scheme, including its police training centre.

Surrey Police has also revealed the canteen at their headquarters in Guildford is taking part in the deal.

A spokeswoman for Hampshire Constabulary said: 'The PCC's [police and crime commissioner] office manages the police estate, including appointing the external suppliers for police canteens.

'These are located at the larger sites (Southampton Central, Northern and Eastern PICs, the Police and Fire HQ in Eastleigh, and the police training centre in Netley).

Hampshire Constabulary say the discounts are in place at Southampton Central Police Station (pictured), Northern and Eastern PICs, the Police and Fire HQ in Eastleigh and its police training centre in Netley

'One supplier is currently contracted to provide food and beverage services at those sites.

'These are not open to the public, only to police officers and staff (and the fire officers and staff in Eastleigh). That supplier has registered for the scheme, hence the locations being listed.'

A force spokesman also said: 'Members of the public cannot access [the canteens] and can't go in there to have a meal.

'It's not overly subsidised, it's fairly normal prices.'

A spokeswoman for Surrey Police said: 'The restaurant at our headquarters is taking part in the Government initiative 'Eat Out to Help Out'.'

Guidelines for the scheme on the government website say, 'the scheme discount can be applied to food and drink that is sold to employees or students for immediate consumption on premises'.

'Eat out to help out' applies to eat-in food and drink on Monday to Wednesdays at more than 72,000 venues.

The discount is capped at 10 per person and does not apply to alcohol.
The management of the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Akoka, has again changed the venue of its emergency governing council meeting to the conference room of the executive secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC) in Abuja, federal capital territory.

The three-day meeting, which is expected to begin at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, had earlier been scheduled to take place at Fraiser Suites on Plot 294, Leventis Close, central business district, Abuja.

An external member of the governing council, who does not want to be identified on the pages of the newspaper, confided in our reporter early this morning about the change of the venue.

The source said; I already got to Abuja planning to be at the hotel in the morning until another mail came in through the office of the registrar which announced the change of venue to the NUC headquarters.

The new notice was received at about 8 p.m. on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, a copy of the new notice, obtained exclusively by PREMIUM TIMES, and signed by the registrar, Oladejo Azeez, is entitled; Change of Venue of the Emergency Meeting of Council. The letter is referenced, AD/REG/CAU/38.

It reads in part; Please, take Notice (sic) that the Venue (sic) of the emergency meeting of council scheduled for Wednesday, August 12th to Friday, August 14th, 2020 has been moved to the executive secretarys conference room, 5th floor, National Universities Commission (NUC), Agunyi (sic) Ironsi Way, Maitama District, Abuja, FCT.

The memo added that the time, agenda and other arrangements relating to the emergency meeting remain the same. All inconveniences caused by this change of venue is regretted.

The decision to hold the council meeting outside the institution had received condemnation from some relevant stakeholders including alumni members and parents, who accused the university of wasteful spending.

Reacting to the development, a graduate of the universitys department of English, Bemigho Awala, urged all concerned parties to be focused on getting general academic activities off the ground by leveraging technology for growth and development.

Mr Awala, who belongs to the UNILAG Alumni Network WhatsApp group, said; Many private universities in Nigeria have embraced platforms like Zoom, Teams, Moodle to deliver courses to their students and have almost rounded off an academic session, while our public universities have remained in a limbo. This is unacceptable and as a nation, it doesnt bode well for our national aspirations.

PREMIUM TIMES had, on Tuesday, exclusively reported that the university would now be holding its governing council meeting in Abuja instead of its usual venue of the governing council chamber at the institutions main campus in Akoka, Lagos.

This latest development, PREMIUM TIMES is aware, may not be unconnected with the internal wrangling among concerned parties, especially the perennial conflicts between the chairman of the governing council, Wale Babalakin, and the leadership of the universitys chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).

Some of the issues listed on the agenda of the proposed meeting include the approval of the universitys 2020 budget estimates, advertisement for needs assessment intervention fund, universitys COVID-19 action plan, outstanding reports of council subcommittees, pending matters and requests, among many others.

Background

The crisis rocking the university over the perennial conflicts between the university management and its governing councils leadership had in March taken a new dimension when its 2020 convocation ceremony was abruptly cancelled after some activities scheduled to be part of the event had already started.

The cancellation, which was ordered by the National Universities Commission (NUC), Nigerian universities regulatory authority, was in response to a directive by the education minister, Adamu Adamu.

Adamu Adamu  Minister of Education

Mr Adamu had responded to a letter addressed to the vice-chancellor by the council chairman, accusing the vice-chancellor of failure to share important details of the ceremony with the council.

The development was condemned by relevant stakeholders including graduands, parents, alumni members and workers of the institution.

However, following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease in the country and the governments closure of all academic institutions, there had been no avenue for concerned parties to meet formally for resolution of the issues until the aborted council meeting was called in July.

But PREMIUM TIMES learnt the university has since mailed copies of notification of results electronically to the affected graduands ahead of the ceremony.
To raise the bar in the fight against insurgency, more weapons and fighter aircraft are being imported, President Muhammadu Buhari told governors on Tuesday.

According to him, the military hardware are being imported from the United States, China and Jordan.

But the President called on Nigerians to be patient before the new equipment could be deployed because of the need to train the pilots who will fly the fighter jets.

Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar gave a hint last week in Kainji, Niger State when he said 12 Super Tucano jets were coming from the United States to join the fleet of the Air Force.

President Buhari met with the Security Committee of the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) at the Villa Council Chambers. With him were Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and heads of security and intelligence agencies.

Six members of the NGF (one per geo-political zone) joined the meeting via zoom.

They are: Babajide Sanwo-Olu (Lagos), Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti), Yahaya Bello (Kogi), Babagana Zulum (Borno), David Umahi (Ebonyi) and Duoye Diri (Beyelsa).

President Buhari has been holding meetings on security since Sunday.

The President dispelled assumptions that the terrorists in the Northeast had better weapons and more money. He described what is left of them are mere scavengers desperate for food, raiding shops and markets, and killing innocent persons in the process.

Follow Us on Facebook  @LadunLiadi; Instagram  @LadunLiadi; Twitter  @LadunLiadi; Youtube  @LadunLiadiTV for updates
ALBANY  The state has agreed to settle a federal lawsuit filed by a Division of Criminal Justice Services manager who accused officials of ignoring sexual harassment complaints lodged against a former department director, and instead punishing her and a longtime attorney at the agency for their cooperation in an inspector general's investigation that sustained the harassment allegations.

The lawsuit filed by Kimberly Schiavone, a former forensic services manager who was transferred from her position against her wishes in 2017, is one of two federal complaints leveled against top DCJS officials in the case.

The second lawsuit, which is on track for trial after settlement negotiations fell apart, was filed by Gina L. Bianchi, a DCJS attorney who was terminated from her position due to her testimony in the sexual harassment investigation. Her lawsuit accuses the agency's leader, acting Commissioner Michael C. Green, of covering up the allegations against a former forensics director, Brian J. Gestring.

Both civil rights lawsuits also target several top-ranking officials in the state agency.

Stephen J. Rehfuss, Gestring's attorney, said Schiavone and her attorney have agreed to "dismiss with prejudice any claims against Brian. Brian is not contributing to the settlement in any manner."

3 1 of 3 Joe Putrock Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Joe Putrock Show More Show Less 3 of 3





"What these cases are about, really, is about retaliation for filing a complaint ... and how the state conducted themselves, rightfully or wrongfully, after (the women) filed their complaints," Rehfuss said. "It's all about retaliation."

John W. Bailey, an attorney for Schiavone and Bianchi, characterized Rehfuss' remarks as "not accurate" but said he is prohibited from commenting on the settlement discussions.

Schiavone has worked for the state since 1996 and at DCJS since 2005. Her complaint alleges she was sexually harassed and bullied for years by Gestring before the agency transferred her to a new job against her wishes and moved her into an office that was formerly a storage closet.

The lawsuit alleges DCJS officials took no action after Schiavone reported that she "was subjected to repeated sexual jokes, comments, threats of physical violence, threats of professional retribution, hostile behavior, taunts, racist comments, sexist comments, and demeaning comments by ... Gestring."

Gestring and DCJS, in court filings, have denied the allegations. Gestring was fired from his job in March 2018 for what the agency claimed was an unrelated workplace misconduct complaint that took place more than a year earlier. His abrupt termination came after a series of Times Union stories highlighting the alleged coverup of the workplace misconduct investigations.

Earlier: State agency brushed aside inspector general's finding of harassment

For sexual harassment witness, the fallout has been 'devastating'

Leak investigation exposes inspector general's selective public disclosure

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo has declined to comment on the case. The last time the Times Union asked him about it, he said he did not know enough of the details to comment. Spokespeople for the governor and DCJS did not immediately respond to requests for comment Wednesday.

In August 2018, the Times Union reported that Alphonso David, the governor's former chief counsel, met privately with state Inspector General Catherine Leahy Scott and two top officials for DCJS in December 2017, a week after Bianchi was terminated for her testimony in a sexual harassment investigation.

The disclosure of the meeting confirmed that the governor's office was quickly made aware of Green's decision to fire Bianchi but did not directly intervene. Instead, a spokesman for Cuomo had said, their office referred the matter to the Governor's Office of Employee Relations, which does not have investigative powers and took no action to undo Bianchi's termination.

Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years.

The cases of Bianchi and Schiavone underscore what their attorneys and public records indicate has been a pattern in state agencies of punishing accusers while high-ranking male employees accused of sexual harassment or other workplace misconduct have received private counseling memos or job transfers, but no formal discipline.

PAUL BUCKOWSKI

The women's cases received attention because the office of Leahy Scott  who left the inspector general's post in early 2019  turned over Bianchi's confidential testimony in the Gestring investigation to DCJS, which used it to interrogate Bianchi before she was fired from her senior-level position. Bianchi was able to fall back to a junior-level attorney position with the agency, but suffered a $44,000-a-year pay cut.

The agency never interviewed Schiavone about the complaint, her attorney said.

In a prior statement, DCJS said its decision in December 2017 to terminate Bianchi and transfer Schiavone were "appropriate actions ... to maintain the appropriate work environment at DCJS."

Twenty months ago, an acting state Supreme Court justice in Albany dismissed a petition by Gestring in which he sought a name-clearing hearing with DCJS. Gestring, a former New York Police Department scientist who was appointed director of DCJS's Office of Forensic Science in 2012, denied that he had harassed anyone and noted that DCJS conducted an independent investigation that had cleared him of wrongdoing.

Gestring described Schiavone as a "constant complainer" and alleged her job performance was problematic.
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

The bottom area of low oxygen in Louisiana coastal waters west of the Mississippi River, commonly known as the "Dead Zone," was mapped at a much smaller-than-average size this summer. The area was 2,117 square miles, which is larger than Rhode Island but smaller than Delaware, and well below the projected estimate of 7,769 square miles.

Mississippi River discharge and nitrogen loads were high in May, which led to a prediction of a large area of bottom-water hypoxia that was estimated at 17,500 to 20,000-square kilometers, if no storms occurred.

This summer's dead zone size was the third smallest area since mapping began in 1985. The average hypoxic zone size from 2015 to 2020 is 5,407 square miles, which is about three times the size of the Hypoxia Task Force five-year goal reduction of 1,930 square miles. This size of this summer's Dead Zone is close to the Task Force goal, but not because of a reduction in nitrogen loading, but because of weather conditions.

Tropical Storm/Hurricane Hanna moved from east to west across the central Gulf of Mexico and crossed the Texas shore as Hurricane Hanna on July 25, which was the beginning of the hypoxia cruise. The storm's high winds and waves affected all coastal Louisiana and disrupted hypoxia by mixing the water column from the surface down to about 65 feet. The persistent winds from the south generated downwelling favorable conditions pushing what remained of the hypoxic water mass into deeper, offshore waters.

The nitrogen loading of the Mississippi River to offshore remains high. There are efforts, however, for states along the mainstem and others in the watershed to reach lower loads of excess nutrient through the Mississippi River/Gulf of Mexico Hypoxia Task Force.

The science crew began measuring dissolved oxygen on July 25 as Tropical Storm Hanna was crossing the northern Gulf and impinging on the Louisiana shoreline. The strongest winds that day were among the highest in the two weeks prior to the cruise and during the cruise.

There were high winds and waves at the beginning of the cruise in the area west of the Mississippi River delta near Barataria Pass. This mixed oxygen into shallower waters and reduced the size of the hypoxic zone there. The winds calmed towards the end of the 8-day cruise. The small size in 2020 was, therefore, directly caused by Tropical Storm/Hurricane Hanna and not to any reduction of Mississippi nitrogen loading.

The scientists mapping the 2020 summer area of the dead zone returned to dock after measuring bottom-water dissolved oxygen levels less than 2 milligrams per liter at 18 out of 75 stations from the Mississippi River west along the Louisiana coast to Lake Calcasieu at the Louisiana-Texas border.

LSU Department of Oceanography & Coastal Sciences Assistant Professor Cassandra Glaspie served as the chief scientist with Professor and Shell Endowed Chair in Oceanography and Wetland Studies Nancy Rabalais attending virtually. There were only four other science crew members on board because of COVID-19 and the need for social distancing. The cruise on the Research Vessel Pelican was considered a low-risk operation because of the small science crew, closeness to a port and room for quarantining. The scientists plan to resume normal operations on next year's research cruise.

Other water quality and physical oceanographic data were collected along with the bottomwater dissolved oxygen values. The reduced flow of the Mississippi River at the time of the shelf-wide cruise and the deep mixing of the upper water column resulted in a fairly uniform salinity distribution at the surface and at depth. The lowest surface salinity values were nearest the Mississippi River delta.

Current models used to predict hypoxia in the northern Gulf of Mexico are robust for long-term management purposes, but they are not optimized to predict the area for years where short-term weather patterns move water masses or mix up the water column. Field measurements, therefore, remain a necessity to understand the dynamics of hypoxia and contribute to accurate modeling of a changing ocean.

This research was funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Center for Sponsored Coastal Ocean Research via the Northern Gulf Institute Cooperative Agreement, Mississippi State University.

More information: Gulf Hypoxia: Gulf Hypoxia: www.gulfhypoxia.net
A 30-year-old Montgomery County man dropped a plastic bag on Monday afternoon containing 33 grams of methamphetamine, a phone and a digital scale on the gaming floor of the Wind Creek Casino in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania State Police report.

Casino security notified Pennsylvania State Police, who have a bureau of gaming enforcement at Wind Creek, at 3:10 p.m. that the bag was found police said. A subsequent police field test of the drug came back positive for meth, court papers say.

Zachery Ian Winters, of East Greenville, was seen on casino surveillance losing the bag, police said. About 8 p.m., security notified state police that Winters was in the food court, and he was taken into custody about 15 minutes later, police said.

Winters was arraigned before District Judge Alan Mege on charges of possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia, records show. Winters was housed in Northampton County Prison in lieu of $50,000 bail, records show.

His preliminary hearing is tentatively scheduled 9 a.m. Aug. 24 in District Judge Nicholas Englessons court in Bethlehem.

Court papers do not list an attorney for Winters.

Tony Rhodin may be reached at arhodin@lehighvalleylive.com.

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In connection with the release of Golden Ocean's second quarter 2020 results in the morning (CET) of Tuesday, August 18, 2020, a teleconference/webcast will be held as described below:

Teleconference and webcast

A conference call will be held at 03:00 P.M. CET (09:00 A.M. New York Time) on Tuesday, August 18, 2020. The presentation will be available for download from the Investor Relations section at www.goldenocean.bm (under "Presentations") prior to the teleconference/webcast.

In order to listen to the presentation you may do one of the following:

a. Webcast

Click the "Webcast" link on www.goldenocean.bm

b. Conference Call

PARTICIPANTS DIAL IN TELEPHONE NUMBERS

International Dial In/UK Local #: +44 (0) 2071 928000 United Kingdom (toll free): +44 (0) 8003 767922 Norway Toll Free #: 800 518 74 USA #: +1 631-5107-495

Participants will be asked for their full name & Conference ID. The Conference ID is 9181665.

Please download the presentation material from www.goldenocean.bm in order to follow the presentation slides while listening to the conference.

REPLAY DETAILS (available for 7 days)

Replay Access Number: 9181665 International Dial In/UK Local #: +44 (0) 3333 009785 Norway #: +47 21 03 42 35 USA #: +1 917-677-7532

Participant list information required: Full Name & Company

August 12, 2020

Hamilton, Bermuda

This information is subject to the disclosure requirements of section 5-12 of the Norwegian Securities Trading Act.




Al Jazeera's Malaysian office raided over documentary Malaysian authorities were angered by an Al Jazeera documentary about the treatment of migrants during the coronavirus pandemic

Malaysian authorities raided Al Jazeera's Kuala Lumpur office Tuesday and seized computers as part of an investigation into a documentary about migrants that angered the government, drawing condemnation from the broadcaster.

Police launched the probe into the Qatar-based news network's programme last month, adding to concerns about worsening media freedom in Malaysia.

The documentary -- "Locked Up in Malaysia's Lockdown" -- looked at the detention of undocumented foreigners when strict coronavirus curbs were in place, as well as the plight of other migrants.

The broadcaster confirmed the raid in a statement and said two computers were seized.

"Conducting a raid on our office and seizing computers is a troubling escalation in the authorities' crackdown on media freedom," said Giles Trendle, managing director of Al Jazeera English.

"Al Jazeera calls upon the Malaysian authorities to cease this criminal investigation into our journalists."

Police and communications ministry officials took part in the raid, police official Mior Faridalathrash Wahid told Bernama news agency.

The government slammed the programme as misleading and inaccurate, and police are investigating the broadcaster for breaking laws against sedition, defamation and transmitting offensive content.

Seven Al Jazeera journalists, including five Australians, were called in for questioning last month while a Bangladeshi migrant worker interviewed in the programme has been arrested.

Police have insisted the investigation into the 25-minute documentary will be fair, and the journalists are being questioned as witnesses rather than suspects.

Authorities insist the arrests in May of undocumented migrants were necessary to protect the public, although rights groups raised concerns that placing them in detention centres could increase the risk of coronavirus infection.

Malaysia is home to large numbers of migrants from poorer countries -- including Indonesia, Bangladesh and Myanmar -- who work in industries ranging from manufacturing to agriculture.

Story continues

Concerns about a worsening media climate have been growing since a scandal-plagued party seized power as part of a coalition earlier this year following the collapse of a reformist administration.

Leading independent news portal Malaysiakini has also been taken to court for alleged contempt over readers' comments on its site critical of the judiciary.

sr/fox
Travis K. Brooks, 35, of Trappe, Maryland, was arrested Tuesday

A former Maryland hospital worker has been charged with sexually assaulting an unconscious patient.

Easton police said Travis K. Brooks, 35, of Trappe, Maryland, was arrested Tuesday on charges of second-degree rape, third- and fourth-degree sex offense, abuse of a vulnerable adult and second-degree assault.

Authorities began an investigation in April after Easton police were called to the University of Maryland Shore Medical Center for a theft report, news outlets reported.

Officers were told that a patient had money stolen from her wallet while having a procedure done.

Investigators identified Brooks as a suspect and subsequently learned he had been taking photos of patients credit cards, according to police.

After executing several search warrants, detectives found a video that police say was recorded by Brooks in December 2019 and shows him sexually assaulting a patient who was unconscious.

Detectives were able to identify the victim and confirm that Brooks carried out and recorded the assault, police said.

In addition to the sexual offenses, Brooks is also charged with misdemeanor drug possession and several counts of theft.

Brooks, who has a long arrest record and was charged with assault in July 2019 in a separate case, was being held without bond on the sex charges pending a hearing Wednesday afternoon.

It was not immediately clear whether he had an attorney who could comment on the charges.
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Linkedin Michael Mathes (Agence France-Presse) Washington, United States  Wed, August 12, 2020 07:32 525 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066d41306 2 World Barack-Obama,Michelle-Obama,Joe-Biden,democratic-primary,Democratic-National-Convention,US-presidential-election,US-presidential-race Free

Former US president Barack Obama and his wife Michelle will deliver keynote speeches during next week's Democratic National Convention when Joe Biden will be confirmed as the party's White House challenger in the November election.

The Democratic Party announced Tuesday that Obama will give a primetime address next Wednesday, the convention's penultimate evening, while former first lady Michelle Obama will address the convention on Monday, opening night.

The schedule details were released amid mounting anticipation over who Biden will choose as his running mate.

The 77-year-old Democratic veteran is expected to reveal his vice presidential pick this week, and he has pledged to choose a woman.

Biden served for eight years as Obama's vice president and will formally accept the Democratic nomination on the four-day convention's final day, August 20.

"Joe Biden will speak about his vision for uniting America to move us forward out of constant chaos and crisis, and for delivering on that promise for all," the party said in a statement.

Obama remains one of America's most popular politicians. He has campaigned virtually with Biden in recent months and has helped him raise millions of dollars in campaign cash.

The convention had been set for Milwaukee, in the battleground state of Wisconsin.

But the coronavirus pandemic has upended the plans of both parties, forcing them to convert the normally raucous in-person events into online affairs driven by video presentations and appearances.

The sudden shakeup has caused logistical challenges for both campaigns, but especially for Democrats who were hoping to use a boisterous, crowded live event as a launchpad for Biden's final sprint to the election on November 3.

Democrats have revealed what they hope will be an inspiring lineup of speakers, including standard-bearers of the progressive left like first-term congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

Senator Bernie Sanders, a two-time presidential hopeful whose liberal policies like universal health care and free college have pushed Biden leftward, has been given a Monday speaking slot, along with New York Governor Andrew Cuomo.

Primetime slot for Harris

The speaker's list includes many everyday Americans like emergency responders, teachers and factory workers.

But it is also a who's who of the party's elite, including several senators who challenged Biden for the nomination: Elizabeth Warren, Amy Klobuchar, Cory Booker and Kamala Harris.

Harris is widely considered a top potential running mate pick, and her slot on the convention schedule -- apparently the last speaker before the Bidens on the final night -- has fueled speculation about whether the 55-year-old black woman from California has earned the VP nod.

Three other women seen as potential vice presidential picks, Michigan Governor Meghan Whitmer, Senator Tammy Duckworth of Illinois and Warren of Massachusetts, are also on the schedule, while former national security advisor Susan Rice is not.

The Clintons -- 2016 nominee Hillary Clinton and her president husband Bill -- are set to speak too.

Also scheduled to address the Democrats is Ohio's former governor John Kasich, a Republican who has remained a steadfast opponent to President Donald Trump and will endorse Biden.

Trump had been adamant about delivering his own nomination acceptance speech at a crowded event in Jacksonville, Florida but he too has acknowledged he will have to deliver his remarks remotely.
The Delhi High Court has sought the police response on a plea by a member of Pinjra Tod, a womens collective, seeking bail in a case related to the communal violence in northeast Delhi during protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in February.

Justice Vibhu Bakhru issued notice to Delhi Police on the plea challenging a trial courts order which had dismissed the bail application of JNU student Natasha Narwal.

Issue notice. Amit Mahajan, Special PP accepts notice and seeks ten days time to file a status report. Let the same be filed within the said period with a copy to the counsel for the petitioner (Narwal), the court said and listed the matter for further hearing on August 26.

Narwal and another member of the group Devangana Kalita were arrested in the case in May this year by the Crime Branch of the Delhi Police and booked under various sections of the Indian Penal Code including rioting, unlawful assembly and attempt to murder.

They have also been booked under the stringent anti-terror law - Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in a separate case related to the communal violence, for allegedly being part of a premeditated conspiracy in the riots.

Communal clashes had broken out in northeast Delhi on February 24 after violence between citizenship law supporters and protesters spiralled out of control leaving at least 53 people dead and around 200 injured.

In all, four cases have been registered against Kalita, including in relation to the northeast Delhi riots earlier this year and violence in old Delhis Daryaganj area during protests against the CAA in December last year. Natasha is accused in three cases.

On June 14, a trial court had dismissed bail pleas of Natasha and Kalita on the ground that there was no merit in the applications and that it was amply clear from the charge sheet that the investigation was still pending and it has been filed against other accused persons also.

It had said that considering the investigation so far and the nature of the offence and the role being ascribed to the accused, there were no reasons at all to grant bail.

The trial court was informed that the charge sheet has been filed against 10 persons in the case and investigation qua the accused persons was still being done.

Kalita has also challenged the trial courts order denying her bail and the matter is listed for hearing on August 14.

Pinjra Tod (Break the Cage) was founded in 2015 to make hostels and paying guest accommodations less restrictive for women students.
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Challenges of Building Out eLearning

Sonic Foundry VP Customer Success Bill Cherne discusses the process of rapidly ramping up eLearning on college campuses in this clip from Streaming Media East Connect 2020.

Page 1

Watch the complete panel from Streaming Media East Connect, Education Video Takes Center Stage, on the Streaming Media YouTube channel.

Learn more about EDU streaming at Streaming Media West 2020.

Read the complete transcript of this clip:

Bill Cherne: We saw a lot of this starting with our customers in China when, towards the end of 2019, COVID was starting to become a thing, and a lot of them went on to the holiday break and Chinese New Year, and we were getting a few requests to help them plan for a spring semester or an extended winter semester that would be more remote. For our customers, there are really two aspects to it. We have customers that can purchase our server software and run it in the cloud. They didn't really have too much of a concern. China's a little bit of a different story because it has data centers and everything. But for a lot of customers that run media site on-prem or in their own hardware, they had to really look at it hard and say, "Well, we built this infrastructure to support a hundred concurrent users, maybe a few terabytes a year," and they had their set business use case and all of that's been thrown out the window. Then they said, "How do we support a few terabytes a week of data, and potentially, we're going from maybe supporting 50 or 100 classes to now, eventually having to conduct every class, somehow, using a web conferencing or on-demand videos and then stored for on-demand access."

So that was one part of the problem: How do you build up infrastructure quickly when nobody can get on campus? For our on-prem customers, we spent a lot of January, February, and March having those discussions and basically trying to run as fast as you can to buy hardware, buy networking gear, and tie in CDN providers if they wanted to go that approach. So that was one half of my team's headaches from the customer success perspective, just helping them get there. For the people that were in the cloud, we had to grow our cloud infrastructure to handle that as well. And I know other online vendors experienced similar growing pains--suddenly viewership has skyrocketed and the content being great has skyrocketed, and so infrastructure had to be expanded as well.

The other piece we saw--just like those of you who are in the trenches, dealing with instructors, dealing with students, dealing with the content creators--spreading to the U S quickly through February and March and into April, was an acceleration of plans that people had at some level for many, many years to get video online and make their courses online, or do blended learning, or whatever hot title you want to give this week to providing a different experience from a typical in-person classroom. So what a lot of our customers are faced with is, "We had this plan, we were going to do it over four years, but now we basically need to accelerate that and do it over four months. How the heck do we do that?" And some of them said, "Hey, I've never turned on the LMS. I never wanted to use that. What's Moodle? What's Canvas?" And that's the easy step of turning that on, because it doesn't require somebody to be in front of a camera and record themselves. And then, we hear a lot of times, "I hate how my voice sounds. I don't sound that way. Do I really sound that way?"

So it's really a three-pronged approach. Pillar number one is, "What do you do in the LMS?" Number two is, "How are you going to conduct class?" Is it purely on demand videos? Is it interactive stuff like you'd get in Zoom or GoToMeeting or WebEx? And number three is, "How are we going to store that content you're building?" Video is what all of us here probably love the most, but there's other stuff like documents and interactive tutorials and quizzes you need to build a great engagement.

So it's been a hard problem. It's been a lot of sleepless nights, just trying to keep up with the workload and trying to help everybody just figure out the best solution for them.

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New Delhi: Karnataka Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Wednesday (August 12) said the government will seize the properties of those indulged in Bengaluru violence on Tuesday night, in which at least three people were killed and scores of others were injured.

Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru, Bommai said: "We have come to a decision as per the Supreme Court order that when such riots take place and properties are damaged, the loss has to be recovered from those who have caused the damage."

"I have given orders to initiate all the measures to recover losses from those who have caused the damage," Bommai said, adding that buses, vehicles, and properties were burnt in DJ Halli and K G Halli police station limits.

"All those losses will be recovered from those who have done it," he said, adding "...There is media and CCTV footage."

On banning Popular Front of India (PFI), the Karnataka Home Minister said that during the Congress government they had shut many cases, but "we need to look into these cases and initiate the process."

Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya advised Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa saying "I request Yediyurappa to confiscate and attach the properties of the rioters and compensate the losses to public property in the same way as the Adityanath government did in Uttar Pradesh."

In a tweet, the BJP MP said, "I thank Sri @BSYBJP and Home Minister Sri @BSBommai for deciding to recover all losses to public property by attaching the private property of rioters. Thorough investigation into the conspiracy will shed light on role of various fundamentalist organisations."

Notably, at least three people were killed after police opened fire to quell a mob that went on a rampage, irked over a social media post allegedly put out by a Congress legislator's relative. Arson and violence were witnessed in the city injuring scores of persons, including around 50 policemen.

Congress MLA Srinivasamurthy's residence and a police station were among those targeted by the angry mob, prompting the government to issue a stern warning that rioting and law and order issues will not be tolerated.

As many as 110 people, allegedly involved in the violence, and the accused who posted the communal post have been arrested.
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Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Wednesday said he will order any kind of inquiry into the death of 11 members of a family of Pakistani Hindu migrants at a village in Jodhpur. Gehlot paid floral tributes to the deceased at Lodta village and offered his condolences.

BJP national vice president and in-charge of party affairs in Rajasthan Avinash Rai Khanna has written to the Ministry of Home Affairs and the National Human Rights Commission to investigate the case. He said the matter should be thoroughly investigated and if anyone is found guilty in the case, strict action should be taken.

Chief Minister Gehlot met the relatives of the deceased and assured them all possible assistance. "I am with you in this grief and understand your problems. I know you all have come here because it was difficult in Pakistan. I wish that you live here happily and flourish," he said.

"Police are investigating the case and the truth will come out. If you want any other kind of inquiry, it will be done," Gehlot added. He also interacted with president of Seemant Lok Sangthan Hindu Singh Sodha and discussed the problems of people residing in the area.

The 11 family members, including five children, were found dead on Sunday morning inside the hut they lived in at Lodta village of Dechu area. The autopsies indicated the consumption of a poisonous substance, police had said on Monday, pointing at the possibility of a mass suicide. A note found at the spot alleged threats from the relatives of the wives of two members of the family and harassment by police.

Kewal Ram, 35, told police that he spent the night in the fields, where he had gone to guard the crops, and came home in the morning to find everyone dead. Based on his complaint, police detained his wife and some other people for interrogation. A preliminary investigation indicated a dispute between the victims and the families of the wives of two brothers -- Kewal Ram and Ravi.

The family came from Pakistan's Sindh in 2015 on a long-term visa. For the past six months, the family members were living on the farm which they had hired for cultivation. Police had found chemicals and injection vials at the shack, leading to suspicion that some poisonous substance may have been administered to the family. Two of the victims, Laxmi and Priya, are said to be nurses, the police had said, adding that their signatures appear on the note.

The victims included Budharam Bhil (75), his wife Antara Devi, their son Ravi (31) and daughters Jiya (25) and Suman (22). Another 40-year-old woman and five children were also among the dead.

(This news piece may be triggering. If you or someone you know needs help, call any of these helplines: Aasra (Mumbai) 022-27546669, Sneha (Chennai) 044-24640050, Sumaitri (Delhi) 011-23389090, Cooj (Goa) 0832- 2252525, Jeevan (Jamshedpur) 065-76453841, Pratheeksha (Kochi) 048-42448830, Maithri (Kochi) 0484-2540530, Roshni (Hyderabad) 040-66202000, Lifeline 033-64643267 (Kolkata).)
OTTAWA  The beleaguered WE Charity says it has reimbursed about $22 million of the $30 million it received from Ottawa to mount the now-cancelled Canada Student Services Grant program.

And in a statement to the Star on Wednesday, the charity said it intends to pay back the rest of the money as soon as the federal government department that was responsible for the program can accept it.

Speaking on background, a government official said it is a complicated matter to disentangle all the agreements and other legal obligations that were associated with the doomed project while ensuring Canadians are protected, but that it is expected the money will be repaid in full.

WE Charity was contracted by the Liberal government to deliver one of its central supports for students  a program that budgeted up to $900 million to connect cash-strapped students with non-profit groups and pay them below minimum wage to do volunteer work.

Under a $544-million funding agreement with Ottawa, WE Charity says it received a transfer of funds into a protected account to pay eligible expenses. WE Charity never accessed those funds.

The organization added that it spent $5 million of its own money to set up technology and a call centre, and to make other connections to groups to help the deliver the program. It said it intends to absorb those costs and is in the process of returning all of the funds.

The statement from WE Charity was not attributed to any individual associated with the organization. It said has already returned $22 million of the $30 million it received, and has repeatedly communicated to (Employment and Social Development Canada) the desire to return the remaining funds as soon as the government is able to accept the transfer.

WE Charity says it transferred the technology systems, call centre, and coalition partners to the public service hoping that the program would continue, and incurred expenses of approximately $5 million dollars to build and launch the systems to deliver it.

WE Charity has elected to waive its right to repayment for eligible expenditures as per the contribution agreement, the statement said.

WE Charity co-founders Craig and Marc Kielburger testified last month that the non-profit organization  which had laid off hundreds of workers during the pandemic  was never going to benefit from the money or use it to pay themselves salaries. The Kielburgers said the funding agreement had specified money would only ever be spent on expenses for the program.

Marc Kielburger told MPs that the decision to absorb the $5 million that WE Charity had already spent on the program was a very painful, difficult decision, but we felt under the circumstances that it was the right thing to do.

Under the agreement, WE Charity would have been paid up to $43.5 million to cover administrative expenses of the student grant program.

The program was designed to pay students up to $5,000, depending on how many hours of volunteer service they did.

The Kielburgers said they expected the program would end up costing between $200 million and $300 million, based on the average number of hours they expected students to be engaged.

WE Charity withdrew from the program, and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Finance Minister Bill Morneau apologized for failing to recuse themselves from the May 22 cabinet decision to approve WEs involvement. While they insisted it was the recommendation of the public service to use WE Charity, both politicians had more extensive family ties to the organization than had been known publicly or even to fellow cabinet ministers when the government signed the deal.

Since 2015, WE Charity had paid about $500,000 on speaking fees and expenses for Trudeaus mother Margaret and brother Alexandre, and covered expenses for his wife Sophie for appearances at WE Charity events. Morneau, whose daughter works for WE Charity, paid the charity $41,000 last month for two trips he had taken in 2017 at the organizations expense.

In testimony at the House of Commons committee hearings this week, Employment Services Minister Carla Qualtrough acknowledged that the government had dropped the ball when it came to Trudeaus and Morneaus involvement. On Wednesday she told the finance committee she still did not have any details on how much WE Charity had repaid, but she lamented the loss of the program, saying it was part of a suite of measures to help students.

She insisted she still believes that WE Charity could have connected students with volunteer opportunities in both official languages across the country, in a way that the public service  which was stretched thin  never could have.

Asked by a Liberal MP what should now happen to the unspent funds, Qualtrough said many in the government are considering that question.

Appearing by video later Wednesday, Small Business, Export Promotion and International Trade Minister Mary Ng described how WE Charity had first pitched the Liberal government on a separate program this spring that involved support for young entrepreneurs. Ng said this first came up during a call with Craig Kielburger on April 7  a conversation that had been scheduled back in February  but was ultimately rejected by her office on April 22.

By that point, according to the testimony of several others at the committee in recent weeks, the public service was already considering outsourcing a different program the doomed Canada Student Service Grant to WE Charity.
The human rights watchdog was reacting to the Indian Armys statement that it has launched an inquiry

SRINAGAR: Amnesty International on Wednesday called for investigation and prosecution into the alleged extrajudicial execution of three labourers by the Indian Army troops in Jammu and Kashmir's Shopian district by independent civilian authorities, saying civilian investigations and trials offer a degree of transparency and independence that is missing from the military justice system.

The human rights watchdog was reacting to the Indian Armys statement that it has launched an inquiry into the reports that three labourers Imtiaz Ahmed, Abrar Ahmed Khan and Abrar Yusuf from frontier Rajouri district were killed in a fake encounter by the troops in Shopian on July 18, a day after the trio had arrived in the area to work in an apple orchard to earn their livelihood.

While the Army said on Monday that it is investigating the social media reports linking to the encounter, the local police on Tuesday said that taking the cognizance of the claim by the families and media reports, it "will examine the claimants and carry out DNA sampling for matching purpose besides identification."

The police authorities said that the families of the three youth filed a complaint with Rajouris Peeri police station on August 10, saying that their kin had gone to Shopian for labour work but they lost contact with them after they had made last phone calls to them after reaching Shopian on July 17. Meanwhile social media reported that the terrorists killed in an operation at Shopian on July 18 are reportedly their kin, the police said in a statement here.

It added, The police had provided sufficient time for identification of dead bodies at the Police Control Room Kashmir at Srinagar. However, the dead bodies could not be identified and they were buried in presence of a magistrate after conducting post-mortem and lifting DNA samples. The police said that besides carrying out DNA sampling and identification it will investigate all other aspects as per the law in due course of time.

The India Executive Director Avinash Kumar, however, asserted that civilian investigations and trials that offer a degree of transparency and independence that is missing from the military justice system.

A statement issued by the organisation said that the UN Human Rights Committee, which monitors the implementation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which India is a state party has stated that in cases of human rights violations by security forces, investigations should be carried out by civilian authorities in order to ensure independence. This has also been affirmed by the UN Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers. The Supreme Court of India has also criticised the military justice system and recommended reforms on a number of occasions. Military law experts in India have acknowledged inherent defects within the Indian military justice system, particularly its lack of independence, the statement said.

It further said that the organisation has previously documented the propensity of the Army authorities to almost categorically dismiss allegations of human rights violations against their personnel. In its latest situations update and analysis from Jammu and Kashmir, AI India has documented the closure of the State Human Rights Commission along with six other commissions, including the State Commission for Protection of Women and Child Rights, which has left the people of Jammu & Kashmir with absolutely no redressal for their human rights violations. This is a violation of their right to remedy as guaranteed by the ICCPR, it said.

Meanwhile, Farooq Khan, a former police officer who is presently serving as an advisor to J&Ks Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha, has termed the reports of the killing of three labourers in an alleged fake encounter in Shopian "just a rumour being spread by vested interests to vitiate peace" in the Union territory.

However, various political parties have and local human rights activists in J&K have demanded an impartial probe into the disappearance of three labourers and the allegation that they were killed by the Army in a staged encounter and then passed off as militants.
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, August 12, 2020 15:14 525 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066d788d4 1 National detainee,tortures,accusation,police,Batam,death Free

Family members of a detainee who reportedly died at the Balerang Police station in Batam, Riau Islands, on Saturday have accused officers of torturing him to death.

The accusation came to public attention after the detainee's nephew, Alfajar Madani, shared the chronology of his uncle's passing in Twitter.

Alfajar's tweets went viral, gaining more than 23,000 retweets and comments.

"I want to ask the readers [of this tweet] to voice [my demands for] justice for my deceased uncle, Hendri Alfred Bakarie. He was apprehended by police officers on Aug. 6 at around 3 p.m [...]. The officers did not bring any arrest warrant," Alfajar tweeted on Monday.

He said the following day several officers, who claimed to be from the Balerang Police, had brought Hendri to his house to search for evidence but had found nothing.

"On Aug. 8, at around 1 p.m. police officers came to my uncle's house to pick up his wife. They said she was allowed to visit him. So my uncle's wife, my aunts, my grandpa and grandma went to the Barelang Police station [...]. At the station, officers told them that my uncle had passed away at 7:13 a.m. that morning," he wrote.

Alfajar's family members then went to Budi Kemuliaan Hospital to take Hendri's body. However, they said they found bruises all over his body and his head was wrapped in a plastic bag.

According to Alfajar, police told the press that Hendri had died at the hospital after an asthma attack. Alfajar, however, said that his uncle had no history of asthma.

Balerang Police chief Sr. Comr. Purwadi Wahyu Anggoro refused to comment on the incident.

"I don't want to give any statement for now. We'll hand the case to doctors to determine his cause of death," he said on Tuesday as reported by tempo.co. (nal)

Topics : detainee tortures accusation police Batam death
Over 340 Vietnamese people from the US return home

More than 340 Vietnamese citizens from the US were brought home on a repatriation flight which landed at the Van Don International Airport in the northern province of Quang Ninh on August 11.





Passengers wait for the repatriation flight. Photo by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.





According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the flight was arranged by local authorities of the two countries and the national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines.

Passengers include children aged under 18, the elderly, the ill, workers with expired visas and labour contracts, students without accommodations, stranded tourists, and those in disadvantaged circumstances.





After landing safely at the airport, all passengers and crew members were given health check-ups and sent to quarantine areas in line with regulations.

Since April 10, some 90 repatriation flights have been arranged by Vietnamese authorities to help over 22,000 local people stranded abroad due to Covid-19 return home, the ministry said.
Loren Elliott/Getty Images

SpaceX, the American aerospace manufacturer and space transportation services company, is currently building its new passenger and cargo aircraft, Starship. According to the website, the aircraft will offer 'service to Earth orbit, Moon, Mars and beyond.'

The company has plans to chauffeur passengers to Mars in the near future, and part of this endeavor will include a luxury resort stay. The SpaceX site, in Boca Chica, Texas, is seeking a "Resort Development Manager" with the hopes that the city will become a 21st century Spaceport.
BRANFORD  Town and school officials will hold three forums for parents of public school students relating to the scheduled Sept. 9 hybrid reopening of schools, said Frank Twohill, chairman of the Representative Town Meetings Education Committee.

Parents and others with an interest are urged to save the dates  Aug. 19, Sept. 1 and Sept. 9  and plan to participate.

The forums will be as follows, Twohill said in an email:

August 19: Board of Education Chairwoman Shannen Sharkey and state Rep. Robin Comey, D-Branford, will moderate a remote Board of Education forum to answer all parents questions, with participants to include Superintendent of Schools Hamlet Hernandez. Further details, including the time and a link to watch and/or participate in the forum, will be forthcoming.

Sept. 1: The RTM Education Committee will hold a parents forum at 7 p.m. This will be a special RTM Education Committee meeting being held in person, with social distancing and with committee members in attendance. It will take place at Branford Fire Headquarters. The meeting also will be on BCTV Facebook live on the BCTV Facebook page. Parents comments will be heard and seen live via Zoom. The Zoom participation information will be released shortly.

This forum will be held to hear parents concerns regarding any new orders from Gov. Ned Lamont concerning school reopening and to ask follow-up questions to the Board of Education in advance of the Sept. 9 Branford Public Schools schools opening date.

Sept. 15: The RTM Education Committee, in place of its regular September meeting, will hold a special Zoom forum at 7 p.m. The Zoom link will be released shortly.

This meeting will take place after Branford public schools reopen Sept. 9 and is for parents to voice any new concerns and ask follow-up questions, Twohill said.

I hope that you can all participate in these three very important forums that are being held, Twohill said. Please inform your friends of the meeting dates and times.

mark.zaretsky@hearstmediact.com
A cop from Colorado Springs has been suspended after commenting 'KILL THEM ALL' on a video of Black Lives Matter protesters.

Sgt. Keith Wrede used the alias Steven Eric - complete with a profile picture of a #PoliceLivesMatter t-shirt - to post comments on the live stream video, which was shared on June 30 on Facebook.

Wrede was suspended for 40 hours and incurred a loss of around $2,000 in earnings, but the sergeant has been allowed to keep his job following an internal investigation.

CSPD chief Vince Niski said Wrede posted the comments 'out of frustration', but that he did not intend to cause physical harm to anyone.

Wrede was suspended for 40 hours and incurred a loss of around $2,000 in earnings, but the sergeant has been to keep his job following an internal investigation

Niski also asked the Colorado community to remember that officers are human and 'make mistakes', refusing to sack Wrede over what he described as an 'error in judgement'.

The protests being filmed had blocked traffic on Interstate 25 with around a dozen cars as part of a Black Lives Matter demonstration.

Demonstrators then left their vehicles and waved placards and signs in support of the movement for around an hour.

The majority of demonstrators left before CSPD responders arrived, CBSLocal reported.

The sergeant admitted to making the comments using the pseudonym Steven Eric. He claimed he uses a false name 'So nobody knows who I am. I mean, obviously I dont want people to know that - who I am - so that's the purpose behind that.'

Details of the internal investigation into Wrede's conduct were published on the Colorado Springs police website.

Wrede said that his 'KILL THEM ALL' comments made under the protest video had 'nothing to do with Black Lives Matter; nothing at all. And I just want to be very clear about that. This is not motivated by race or bias.'

When asked if he felt his comments could 'be to taken to be inciting people commit acts of violence against the protesters', Wrede responded with 'Unfortunately, yes'.

As the interview drew to a close, Wrede added: 'Again I just want to reiterate, during the protest, during work, my behavior as a leader I think is exceptional. I do the job.'

A photo of the June 30th protest on I-25 in Colorado Springs

Wrede's Facebook profile picture shows him wearing a top that says#PoliceLivesMatter.

He claimed he used the false name on Facebook 'So nobody knows who I am. I mean, obviously I dont want people to know that - who I am - so that's the purpose behind that.'

The cop has since been removed from his specialized unit and reassigned to a new role.

In an open letter Niski wrote: 'It was determined that the comments were made off-duty out of frustration and there was no indication of any physical action or intent to cause harm.

'I am in no way minimizing Sergeant Wredes words.

'His comments were unacceptable, have damaged our relationship with members of our community, and fell short of our standards.'

But despite acknowledging numerous calls for Wrede to be fired, Niski said: 'While his statements were harmful and reprehensible, I cannot deprive the community of a good police officer and his services because of an isolated incident of an error in judgment.'
Victorians are in the "second wave" of the worst health crisis in a century. The declaration of a state of disaster triggered further significant economic dislocation. We are on the edge of a depression not seen since the 1930s. Just as the Great Depression was the result of government policies  trying to deal with falling prices and the false idea that government debt was a problem  so is this crisis, which is based on the necessary idea that the economic cost of avoiding massive risk to life and health is worth it. As with the recovery from that depression, much will depend on what governments do.

The immediate hit to Victorias economy measured as GDP in the first month, will be around $6-7 billion dollars. The full effects of stage four restrictions on employment are not yet apparent. In addition to existing unemployment we can expect an additional 400,000 jobless. Up to 83,000 casual jobs in Victoria are at risk as many casual workers will not get JobKeeper. Other employers, such as Victorian universities and airlines, have laid off around 5000 casuals. Melbourne University retrenched 450 full-time staff and Virgin sacked 3000 workers. Like the 1930s depression, prices are collapsing. The ABS reports its cost-of-living indexes fell in July by 2.6 per cent, a drop we have not since 1930.

Quantitative easing can be used to inject money into the ecnomy. Credit:iStock

Victorias housing market is a powder keg. Housing debt increased mid-year as early easing of COVID-19 restrictions saw the value of new loans approved jump 6.2 per cent. Yet Melbourne's housing market took the biggest hit of any Australian capital city since May as values dropped by 3.8 per cent over the last quarter. More than 800,000 Australians accepted the banks offer to defer loan repayments - on housing, business and personal loans. Any extensions of the repayment holiday will only be considered in September and only on a case-by-case basis. Bankers now say some borrowers unable to meet their mortgage payments will need to consider selling their properties.

While September is the first month of spring, it will feel more like a winter storm. It will kickstart when JobKeeper, JobSeeker and Youth Allowance benefits are cut. Cuts to JobKeeper and JobSeeker allowances will only squeeze peoples capacity to pay mortgages. Insolvency firms predict up to 1500 businesses will become insolvent in September-October, further increasing jobless rates. The potent combination of unemployment, financial stress, debt-fuelled fire-sales of houses and falling house prices will rock Australias derivatives market, the market that triggered the 2008-9 global recession.
Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch, writing for the majority in the decision, said, "An employer who fires an individual for being homosexual or transgender fires that person for traits or actions it would not have questioned in members of a different sex. Sex plays a necessary and undisguisable role in the decision, exactly what Title VII forbids."

Clements said that distorted the original meaning of the 1964 law, which was really just dealing with males and females.

He also highlighted Gorsuch's statement that "it is impossible to discriminate against a person for being homosexual or transgender without discriminating against that individual based on sex."

Clements said that is not true, in his opinion, and the Legislature should not affirm the Supreme Court's 6-3 decision.

His concern is that it may conflict with the Nebraska Constitution section on religious freedom: "All persons have a natural and indefeasible right to worship Almighty God according to the dictates of their own consciences."

It's the duty of the Legislature to pass suitable laws to protect every religious denomination, and it would be appropriate to include that language in the resolution, Clements said.
Theres a bustle inside the store at 117 Post Street. Sharman Spector and her husband, attorney Gary Angel debate the height of the ceilings  is it 15 feet or 16 feet?  as they work out where to put thousands of yards of luxury fabric imported to San Francisco from Italy. Manager Dina Fayer minds other tasks as orders come in from the web store. A small pug scampers around, begging for Spectors attention as she turns on the speakerphone.

At Britex Fabrics, one of San Franciscos most iconic Union Square institutions, things seem rather busy. One could hardly tell from Spectors voice over the phone that anything was out of the ordinary, let alone that whats different is a global pandemic ravaging the viability of retail in the heart of the citys downtown.

Nope. Spector, the second-generation owner of the store, stays positive, even though she dearly misses her patrons, which have over the years included fashion designers, Hollywood producers and Project Runway alums. The coronavirus forced the shop to close to the public, so shes focusing her energy instead on the 68-year-old shops online presence.

Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE

Weve been overwhelmed actually at the success of the website, she tells SFGATE. Its really quadrupled [in sales] since the pandemic started. Weve been adding things every day so people can find something new to entice them. [It] has been going gangbusters, so thats great.

Part of that success is due to a quick pivot to curbside pick-up orders and a crafty new effort to utilize their proprietary, custom San Francisco-themed fabric by including them in $10 mask-making kits. The quirky fabric includes neighborhood names scattered among illustrations of the Golden Gate Bridge, fortune cookies, cable cars, peace signs and the stores iconic red sign.

Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE

Weve sold thousands of these kits, Spector says. Our manager [Fayer] likes to say you should have as many masks as jackets. Its really true  the mask thing is really the new fashion.

Fayer hollers from across the room. Its involuntary fashion! Spector laughs.

That being said, things aren't all rosy. Spector gets more serious when she says the current store model is not a sustainable one, even for a San Francisco classic. With the drop in tourism and passers-by, theyve lost all their foot traffic to the large three-story shop. No one can wander in through the Post Street entrance on their lunch break to peruse 16-foot-high columns of European imported textiles for fashion projects. No one can mosey through spools of ribbons and trim, or examine walls of ornate buttons for the perfect set. Those days may return next year, but for now those projects remain mostly unrealized.

Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE

Like most businesses in Union Square, Britex has experienced a precipitous drop in customers. According to the real estate firm Cushman & Wakefield, retail sales in San Francisco dipped 10.6% year over year in the second quarter of 2020. Vacancy rates in the city rose to 3.7%, but in Union Square the direct vacancy rate hit 8.7%, the highest that number has been in recent history, according to the company. Shuttered neighborhood businesses have thus far included the restaurants Hakkasan and the nearly 50-year-old Jeanne dArc Brook, as well as retail shops for Christian Louboutin, Brooks Brothers and Warby Parker.

We hate to lose any business here and we know its hard to survive without customers coming in your door, says Karin Flood, executive director of Visit Union Square. Were doing what we can to keep them here, she says, adding that stores like Britex make the area unique.

Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE

Angel and Spector have certainly noticed the empty storefronts downtown near Britex, but its hard for them to fault city officials and local policies for the revenue drop. They both praise Mayor London Breed for shutting down the city so early to avoid the first wave of infections, but theyre also concerned about what the city can and will do to ensure shoppers come back when its safe.

Angel suggests free and easier parking as one option, but he also notes that rent subsidies would help too. More than anything else, however, Britex  like other independent retailers  are depending on the loyalty of their customers.

There arent that many independent stores left, Angel explains. Its not just about Union Square, but everywhere in the country. If people want specialty, creative businesses to survive, people have to support those businesses. Were not going to survive unless people come out to support us.

Theyve had good luck so far.

Its amazing how many people will come to the door and say we love that youre still in business, he says. Theyll say youre the same people who served my grandmother 30 years ago, my mother 20 years ago.

Fayer, the manager, references the evidence for that claim. For decades, people have scoured the towers of fabric at Britex for custom garments and dresses for weddings, birthdays, parties and other important events. She has the proof.

Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE

We actually have a family album here, and we have wedding pictures from generations, photos people have sent us, multi-generational photos from their [special occasions], she says. Weve been very happy to be in the best parts of their lives.

Its likely that the shop wont receive any kind photos from clothiers whove crafted couture designs for nuptials or other events, at least for a while. The world is different now, and parties everywhere are on pause. But as for whats to come next, Spector isnt too worried.

Do I have concerns for the future? she asks aloud. No. Weve been doing this for decades.

Alyssa Pereira is a culture editor at SFGate. Email: alyssa.pereira@sfgate.com | Twitter: @alyspereira


A hit-and-run driver on Wednesday killed a woman who was crossing the expressway at Okpoko Junction Onitsha, on Onitsha-Awka Expressway.

Andrew Kumapayi, the Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in Anambra, confirmed the incident to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Awka.

According to eyewitnesses, the incident occurred around 8.00 a.m.

They said the vehicle was on top speed and fled after knocking the woman down.

The identity of the vehicle was, however, not noted.

The victim was rushed in a Tricycle to Toronto Hospital, Onitsha by her parents, before the arrival of the FRSC rescue team from the Upper Iweka Unit Command.

On arriving the hospital, the team gathered that doctors had confirmed her dead and her corpse was deposited at the morgue, in the same hospital, Kumapayi said.

Another road accident, involving a Toyota bus with registration number CAL-15-XJ and a tanker with registration number FGG-176-YU, occurred along Ihiala-Onitsha Expressway.

Mr Kumapayi said that the accident, which occurred at about 8.20 a.m. involved 15 persons.

READ ALSO:

No death was recorded but ten victims sustained varying degrees of injuries and were rushed to Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Ihiala by FRSC rescue team from the Ihiala Unit Command.

Obstructions have been cleared to ensure traffic flow, he said.

The sector commander warned motorists against speed limit violation.

He also advised pedestrians to be safety conscious when using the road and to always use the pedestrian bridges, where available to avoid accidents. (NAN)
Editor's note: During this challenging period, Vietnam has been a valuable partner and friend to Singapore  a testament to the close ties built over the years, Singapore Ambassador to Vietnam Catherine Wong told Tuoi Tre News.

On the occasion of Singapores 55th National Day and the 47th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Singapore and Vietnam, Ambassador Wong gave Tuoi Tre News an exclusive interview.

Considering the global health crisis sparked off by the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, Ambassador Wong shares her thoughts on the future of Singapore, the bilateral relationship between Singapore and Vietnam, as well as her own experience working in Vietnam.

As Vietnam and Singapore celebrate the 47th anniversary of diplomatic relations, what would be the top priority for the relationship this year and beyond? What are Singapores policy priorities for Vietnam?

Singapore and Vietnam are long-standing friends that enjoy a close and wide-ranging relationship. Our relations are underpinned by mutual trust, shared interests, and extensive bilateral and multilateral cooperation.

We have strong ties in many areas, including trade, defense, education, investment, finance, tourism and aviation. We want to deepen cooperation in these areas.

Economic cooperation is a key pillar of our bilateral relationship. Notwithstanding the global economic gloom, Vietnam remains an attractive market for Singapore.

We are Vietnams third-largest foreign investor, with cumulative investment of more than US$47 billion in more than 2,000 projects. Our bilateral trade has also steadily grown to reach $22.7 billion in 2019.

Moreover, Vietnams rapid development has provided new economic opportunities for Singapore companies in sectors such as infrastructure and urban solutions, innovation and startups, and e-commerce.

There is strong interest from the Singapore business community to expand their operations in Vietnam, and we are confident that our economic ties will continue their upward trajectory.

To position Singapore-Vietnam relations for the long term, I believe it is important to strengthen people-to-people ties, especially amongst our youth.

Many Vietnamese study in Singapore, and we continue to warmly welcome them. Student exchanges between our countries are increasing.

With government support, our Institutes of Higher Learning are sending students for internships, immersion and exchange programs, and service learning trips to Vietnam.

Singapore and Vietnamese schools are also organizing more exchange programs and study visits, during which Singaporean students can learn about Vietnams society, culture, and business environment. In addition to visiting big cities, they also visit places like Hue and Sa Pa.

Last year, Ngee Ann Polytechnic and Vietnam National University organized the Temasek Foundation Specialists Community Action and Leadership Exchange (TF-SCALE) Program, which brought Vietnamese students to Singapore and will bring Singapore students to Vietnam.

While COVID-19 has disrupted these plans, we hope to keep up these exchanges to expose our students to different cultures, broaden their horizons, and ultimately strengthen mutual understanding between our countries over the long term.

You have been an ambassador in Vietnam since 2016. There have been significant developments in the region over these years. Can you share your thoughts on your work in Vietnam, including some of the highlights and challenges?

It has been an exciting few years for Singapore and Vietnam. In 2016, shortly after I assumed the post, we celebrated the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the first Vietnam-Singapore Industrial Park (VSIP) in Binh Duong Province.

That was particularly significant because the VSIPs are an important component of Singapores economic engagement in Vietnam  altogether, they have attracted over $14 billion in investments, and created more than 250,000 jobs here.

I am glad that the Binh Duong and Bac Ninh VSIPs are expanding, reflecting the attractiveness of the Vietnamese economy and how the industrial parks can support this.

Over the past few years, there have also been several high-level visits of Singapore leaders to Vietnam. A highlight was Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loongs official visit to Vietnam in 2017, which included stops in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

Prime Minister Lee had fruitful meetings with top Vietnamese leaders to discuss ways to strengthen our bilateral cooperation and build on our Strategic Partnership established in 2013, and had the opportunity to meet the Singapore community in both cities.

Aside from our strong political and economic links, people-to-people relations between our countries have grown significantly.

Last year, we organized the inaugural Singapore Festival in Hanoi, featuring a host of activities such as fashion shows, art installations, music performances and street food. This event helped to bring Singapore closer to the people of Hanoi, and provided Vietnamese with a better understanding of Singaporean culture.

Of course, in any relationship, from time to time there will be disagreements between both sides.

However, the important thing is never to let any one issue affect the wider relationship, and to always keep channels of communication open so that we can resolve any problems calmly and amicably.

I am glad to say that we have this kind of positive relationship with Vietnam. Despite any differences we may have, both sides are focused on building a win-win relationship.

This file image shows Singapore Ambassador to Vietnam Catherine Wong. Photo: Quang Dinh / Tuoi Tre

Vietnams public opinion and experts/government often consider Singapore a model for Vietnamese development. What is the lesson Vietnam can learn from Singapore? Regarding the cooperation between the two nations, what is the most important advantage/lesson that Singapore can learn from Vietnam?

In my view, Singapore and Vietnam can learn many things from each other. Over the years, we have strongly supported Vietnam in the area of human resource development.

Since 1992, more than 18,000 Vietnamese officials have attended courses under the Singapore Cooperation Program, including scholarships and courses conducted at the Vietnam-Singapore Cooperation Center (VSCC).

Last year, we revamped the VSCC to provide capacity building training beyond classroom-based courses, in tandem with Vietnams growing development needs.

This is a concrete example of Singapores commitment to assist Vietnam with its evolving human resource needs, and we will continue to share our best practices and experiences with Vietnam in this area.

In addition, many Vietnamese delegations have made study visits to Singapore to discuss areas of common interest like smart cities and Industry 4.0. These are excellent opportunities for our officials to exchange views and share their knowledge in these areas.

Both sides have unique experiences, and it is important that we learn from each others best practices and challenges.

What do you think about Vietnams achievements in the fight against COVID-19 so far? Vietnam is ASEAN Chair this year. What is the role of ASEAN in combating the pandemic?

Vietnam has dealt with the COVID-19 pandemic decisively and effectively, at both national and regional levels.

As the virus does not respect national borders, cooperation within ASEAN is crucial to combat the pandemic.

As ASEAN Chair during this time of unprecedented challenges, Vietnams theme of Cohesive and Responsive is most fitting.

Singapore will continue our steadfast support for Vietnams ASEAN Chairmanship. We are confident that under Vietnams leadership, ASEAN will make further progress this year.

In particular, amidst the economic downturn, it is important for ASEAN to show the world that we are open for business, with a stable and integrated economy conducive to foreign investment.

We therefore hope that the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership will be signed this year. This will send a resounding message of ASEAN unity and centrality, while boosting confidence in the stability and integration of the regional economy.

Amid the COVID-19 crisis, how have Vietnam-Singapore relations proved important? How are both countries cooperating during the crisis?

During this challenging period, Vietnam has been a valuable partner and friend to Singapore  a testament to the close ties built over the years.

We are very grateful to the Vietnamese government agencies and private organizations that donated medical equipment to Singapore.

Despite the pandemic, we are continuing to strengthen the Vietnam-Singapore Strategic Partnership. For instance, we are actively collaborating to keep markets open and supply chains connected.

Agri-trade is increasing, with deepening cooperation on rice and other food products.

As I mentioned earlier, Singapore companies are keen to partner with Vietnam in new economic sectors.

To facilitate these growing trade and business links, Vietnam and Singapore are discussing how to reopen borders for essential business travel safely and gradually, when the time is right.

Having worked in Vietnam for four years, what do you think about the country? What was 'Vietnam' like in your mind the first time you heard about it and took the job? How has it changed after those four years?

Over the last four years, I have traveled to many localities in Vietnam, and have been impressed by the countrys dynamism and potential.

Vietnam is blessed with abundant land area, natural resources and a long coastline, which gives each of its cities and towns unique characteristics and advantages.

As a rapidly developing country, Vietnam has made great strides in recent years.

Like many countries around the world, Vietnam is also beginning to explore the idea of Smart Cities, with Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang coming on board the ASEAN Smart Cities Network.

We hope to continue partnering with Vietnam to make these cities smarter, greener, and more liveable, while still retaining their rich heritage and culture.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
At least three dead in tech hub during violence over a reported derogatory post about the Prophet Muhammad, police say.

At least three people have died in southern Indias Bengaluru city after protesters clashed with police over a provocative social media post about the Prophet Muhammad, police have told Reuters news agency.

The Facebook post offensive to Muslims sparked protests in Indias tech hub on Tuesday night in which a police station was attacked, and a politicians house and vehicles were torched.

The situation is under control, Bengaluru City Police said on Twitter, adding that police fired live ammunition to disperse the crowd after using tear gas and batons.

Despite elders of the community trying to pacify the crowd, the mob burnt vehicles on the road, they attacked the police station, Police Commissioner Kamal Pant said.

The Prophet (SAW) faced the vilest of abuses in his lifetime. Not once did he retaliate. Lets learn from his wisdom, patience & grace. Loving the Prophet (SAW) means following his ways.  Irena Akbar (@irenaakbar) August 12, 2020

The police had no escape and they had to resort to firing and three people died, Pant said, adding that 110 people had been arrested for alleged vandalism and attacking the police.

A police official said an emergency law prohibiting gatherings had been imposed in Bengaluru, a city of 12 million people best known as Indias Silicon Valley.

Al Jazeeras Elizabeth Puranam, reporting from New Delhi, said the protesters forced businesses to close.

.@INCIndia @INCKarnataka mla Akhanda Srinivas Murthy's house now after the mob torched and ransacked his house last night. pic.twitter.com/mLFTDIgbSA  Imran Khan (@keypadguerilla) August 12, 2020

Police say a very large group of people broke off into two groups and went around the neighbourhood forcing shopkeepers to close their stalls, damaging properties, setting vehicles on fire before going to two different police stations, Puranam said.

Person behind FB post arrested

Pant said the person responsible for the offensive post had been arrested. It gave the first name of the accused man as Naveen, and said he is the nephew of Congress politician R Akhanda Srinivasa Murthy, whose house was attacked and burned in the violence.

The post, which reportedly involved the Prophet Mohammed, has since been deleted. Facebook did not immediately comment on the issue.

Motorists ride past burned vehicles in Bengaluru after violence broke out overnight in Devara Jevana Halli area following a derogatory Facebook post [Manjunath Kiran/AFP]

TV channels showed a group of people gathered outside a police station and clashing with officers, burning several police vehicles. The videos showed the group later trying to force its way into the police station, and another group gathering outside the politicians house shouting, throwing stones, and setting fire to vehicles parked along the road.

Protesters blocked fire engines, and some media personnel were allegedly attacked, according to reports.

We are investigating the issue and will make use of the CCTV footages to see who is behind these violent acts, and will take stringent actions, Karnataka state Home Minister Basavraj Bommai told a local TV news channel.

That's the beauty of India Muslims created human chain to guard a Temple in #Bengaluru during violence. Stay calm make peace #BengaluruViolence pic.twitter.com/bHNXJQ9rPchttps://t.co/43VcdpfDjo   () (@iam_nuammir) August 11, 2020

Lets not fight were brothers

Muslim leaders and politicians urged people to refrain from violence.

There is a youth who is related to a local politician. He has posted that I am not secular and then also posted a derogatory post on social media against Prophet Muhammad, which angered people, Maulana Mohammed Maqsood Imran Rasheedi, a top Muslim religious leader in Bengaluru, told Anadolu Agency.

We have appealed to people to maintain peace and not to resort to any kind of violence, he added.

Mufti PM Muzammil of Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind appealed for calm, saying that police had taken action against the provocateur.

A senior leader from the opposition Congress party in the state, Dinesh Gundu Rao, also appealed to people not to take the law into their hands.

If anybody has written anything objectionable the law will take its course and there are so many ways in a democracy to fight for justice, he tweeted. But Violence is not the answer.

What was written about the Prophet is the working of a sick mind with an intention to create violence.

Murthy, a member of the state legislature, has also called for peace in a social media post.

 I request our Muslim friends, for the mistake of some miscreants, lets not fight. Whatever the fight, were brothers. I request our Muslim kin to please remain peaceful. I will also stand with you, he was quoted as saying by the newsminute.com website.

Meanwhile, R Ashoka, a state minister, told the same news channel that attacks on police and media would not be tolerated.

What kind of people attack the police? The media? The local police have been given a free hand to deal with the situation, he said.
Liaison office of China's central gov't in HKSAR voices support for counter-measure against so-called U.S. sanctions

People's Daily Online

(Xinhua) 08:30, August 11, 2020

The Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) voiced strong support on Monday for the counter-measure against the United States by the Chinese foreign ministry.

A spokesperson of the liaison office stressed that no concessions will be made on major issues concerning China's sovereignty, security and development interests, adding that the so-called sanctions against some Chinese officials by the U.S. Treasury Department are full of absurdity.

"The false claim that 'the United States stands with the people of Hong Kong' is a huge lie and joke," the spokesperson said. "The way out for Hong Kong lies in the correct implementation of 'one country, two systems'. Hong Kong's future lies in being with its strong motherland."

The spokesperson pointed out that after the announcement of the so-called sanctions, countless compatriots in the mainland and Hong Kong issued just calls against the United States, expressing strong condemnation and maximum contempt for its outrageous acts.

In the meantime, it has been noticed that a few representatives of the opposition in Hong Kong jump out eagerly, saying that the U.S. sanctions are "of great indicative significance," "champagne will be opened tonight to celebrate," or confidently announcing that "more sanctions will follow."

"These people, with their undisguised arrogance, have once again confessed that they are the agents of the United States in Hong Kong and the pawns of the United States in messing up Hong Kong. These people have completely deviated from their own country and are completely on the opposite side of the 1.4 billion Chinese people, including all Hong Kong compatriots. They are bound to be nailed to the pillar of shame in history," said the spokesperson.

The spokesperson said the clumsy performance jointly staged by the Hong Kong opposition and the anti-China forces in the United States has let more people recognize the deep connection between the anti-China forces in the United States and the chaos in Hong Kong after Hong Kong's return to the motherland, and see clearly that the Hong Kong opposition's purpose is to oppose China and create chaos in Hong Kong.

"People should really think about what attitude they should hold towards the interference of external forces in Hong Kong affairs. Hong Kong is a highly internationalized place with a special history, strong social tolerance, and rich and diverse cultures. However, this cannot be the reason why we blur the national boundaries or even stand on the wrong national position. We cannot be vague on the major issues of safeguarding national sovereignty, security and development interests," the spokesperson stressed.

The spokesperson said the facts have proved that the U.S. brazen imposition of the so-called economic and political sanctions on Hong Kong under the pretext of the national security legislation only aims to create more chaos in Hong Kong and instigate a "color revolution." For the United States, Hong Kong is "a beautiful sight to behold" only if it is plunged into long-term civil strife and turmoil in places like Ukraine, Iraq and Syria.

The spokesperson said that Hong Kong's fate has always been closely linked with the motherland, and the rapid progress of China has provided a strong support and a broad stage for Hong Kong's future development.

"As long as we make good use of the biggest advantage of 'one country, two systems', the biggest stage of the country's reform and opening up, and the new biggest opportunity brought by the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area development ... Hong Kong will surely be able to prevail over its current difficulties, and will surely prosper and develop together with the increasingly powerful motherland," the spokesperson added.

The spokesperson pointed out that the central government has always been concerned about Hong Kong and sincerely cares for Hong Kong compatriots.

"It is the guardian of Hong Kong's prosperity and stability, the defender of 'one country, two systems' and the driving force behind Hong Kong's historical turning point from chaos to governance. Hong Kong's future and destiny are bound to be with its motherland."

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In the run-up to August 15, the challenge to Indias territorial integrity and sovereignty has been foregrounded in a startling, but perhaps unsurprising, manner by the June 15 Galwan setback. Chinese troops intruded into areas along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Ladakh region where the Indian tactical presence was thin and there is an October 1962 sense of deja vu.

In a puzzling development, the ministry of defence (MoD) uploaded some details of the transgression by Chinas Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) troops in the Ladakh region on its website on August 4. Within two days, this was removed without ascribing any reason. This lack of consistency on a grave national security matter was avoidable.

But as per media reports, the gravity of the challenge posed by PLA and its transgression in Ladakh was formally conveyed to a committee of lawmakers by the Chief of Defence Staff General, Bipin Rawat, on August 10. Currently, there is a stalemate in the de-escalation process which has compelled the Indian Army to deploy heavily along LAC and the committee was informed that this may be a long-drawn process.

The Indian military will have to prepare for a long haul in manning LAC so that there are no more surprises in other sectors. The Pakistan factor remains a perennial operational concern. Thus, the robustness of the inventory and logistics-maintenance depth of the three armed forces will be a critical factor in the short-term, as India prepares to manage a post-Galwan bilateral relationship with China.

In this context, defence minister Rajnath Singh put out a series of tweets on August 9 that underlined the resolve of the Narendra Modi government to redress long-festering structural issues pertaining to defence imports. Over the last decade, India has been in the very top-tier of global arms importers and this blunts the claim to strategic autonomy and major power status that Delhi aspires for. The flip side is that, during this period, Beijing has emerged as a major arms exporter and a Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) study of January indicated that currently China is the second-largest arms producer in the world, behind the United States but ahead of Russia.

In the latest defence imports iteration, MoD listed 101 items as part of military platforms and equipment whose import would be embargoed progressively from now till 2025. This is a reiteration of a 2016 policy that the objective would be to encourage/compel the Indian armed forces to source these products from an indigenous manufacturer and thereby reduce import dependency. The list is large and varies from sniper rifles and self-propelled /towed artillery guns to different types of warships, combat aircraft and missiles.

This resolve to buy Indian-made military products is desirable and unexceptionable. A nation that imports a high percentage of its critical military remains vulnerable to the reliability of the supplier even while imposing high fiscal costs. However, the realisation of this objective  buy only make-in-India products  is predicated on a central assumption: That the domestic techno-industrial ecosystem has acquired the necessary competence to produce in a timely and cost-effective manner what the military needs, to acquire and sustain the optimum operational profile necessary to deal with the complex security challenges that are now more visible.

This proven competence level is yet to be arrived at. Consequently, while the intent is laudable, the wherewithal across the Indian military design, research and development (R&D) and manufacturing landscape need much greater infusion of resources  both material and human than what obtains now.

Successive governments have sought to prioritise the make-in-India objective but with limited success.

There is a paradox here, for India has attained a commendable degree of design-cum-manufacturing sufficiency based on the indigenous effort in certain strategic capabilities  viz nuclear weapons, satellites, missiles and nuclear propulsion (albeit with Russian assistance) but not in the conventional arms domain.

Yes, some major platforms are assembled or made in India such as fighter aircraft or tanks (MIG and T-72) but according to an imported design. The one area where there has been a commendable success is in warship design and building but even here, the equipment that accords the naval ship its war-fighting capability, the ordnance (guns-missiles) and the advanced surveillance are mostly imported.

Regrettably, there were a few design successes in the military domain. Though encouraging when they blossomed, they died a nascent death due to lack of strategic vision, political vacillation and institutional turf battles that turned venal. The story of the HF 24 fighter aircraft and the navys Advanced Panoramic Sonar Hull Mounted (APSOH) sonar is a case in point.

The bigger constraint in the Rajnath Singh announcement is that no additional funds are being earmarked to give a fillip to the new Make in India policy. Further, a pandemic-afflicted economy will have little to spare for the military-defence complex to nurture R&D and design skills across the board.

The R&D-cum-design shortcomings in India are endemic and best illustrated by the saga of the combat boots. As a former army commander lamented, India manufactures some of the best shoes in the world but the Indian army wears the worst combat boots in the world which has remained unchanged in design for 130 years.

C Uday Bhaskar is director, Society for Policy Studies, New Delhi

The views expressed are personal
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Lebanon's caretaker Health Minister Hamad Hassan announced on Tuesday that the death toll from Beirut's explosions has reached 171 while the number of the missing people ranges between 30 and 40, the National News Agency reported.

Hassan also noted that around 1,500 of the injured require accurate treatment while 120 others are still in the emergency rooms.

His remarks came during his meeting with Rick Brennan, regional emergency director for the World Health Organization, to discuss challenges faced by the health sector in Lebanon following the explosions at Port of Beirut.

Two huge explosions rocked Port of Beirut Aug. 4 at around 6:10 p.m. local time (1510 GMT), shaking buildings all over the Lebanese capital.

Multiple countries, including France, Russia, China, Kuwait, Qatar, Jordan, Egypt and Britain, have rushed to the aid of Lebanon after the disaster.
Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., will run for vice-president as part of Joe Biden's campaign for president.
They star together on the hit CW show Riverdale.

And Camila Mendes joined her costar Madelaine Petsch to run some off-screen errands on Tuesday.

The ladies both opted for casual street style looks for their Los Angeles outing, with Camila, 26, opting for an overall ensemble.

Off-screen friends: Camila Mendes joined her Riverdale costar Madelaine Petsch to run some off-screen errands on Tuesday in Los Angeles

The actress who plays Veronica Lodge on the show, wore black denim overalls, over a plain white tee.

For a pop of color, Camila opted for Converse sneakers, with one in orange and the other in a blue color.

She kept her accessories to a minimum donning small thick gold hoop earrings, and a black leather shoulder bag.

The Virginia native tied her raven locks up into an easy and relaxed bun as they headed back to the car.

Pop: Mendes wore black denim overalls, over a plain white tee. For a pop of color, Camila opted for Converse sneakers, with one in orange and the other in a blue color

Taut: Meanwhile, Madelaine, 26, flaunted her toned abs in high waist green sweats and a beige crop top

Camila carried a mustard cardigan on her arm and two glass wine glasses in her hand.

Meanwhile, Madelaine, 26, flaunted her toned abs in high waist green sweats and a beige crop top.

She added to her street-style look with white sneakers and black cat eye sunglasses, with white winged detailing on the top rim.

The actress who portrays Cheryl Blossom on the show tied her signature ginger hair up into a bun as well with small pieces framing her face.

On hold: The actresses have been on a long hiatus from Riverdale, since production shut down in March, amid the COVID-19 pandemic (Petsch (center), Mendes (right) with Vanessa Morgan in 2018)

She topped her look off with thick gold chain necklaces as she followed Camila.

Her hands were full with her iPhone, a coffee from Philz, and a pair of Doc Marten boots.

Madelaine also carried a black and beige Dior tote bag on her arm.

The actresses have been on a long hiatus from Riverdale, since production shut down in March, amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Coming back soon: Petsch told Yahoo : 'I imagine well probably go back soonish to start shooting. Hopefully soon. Its all so up in the air.I think people are really going to enjoy it, because were really going to focus on the relationships this year (with Luke Perry, Cole Sprouse, KJ Apa and Lili Reinhart in 2016)

Though they're preparing to go back to work on the show, as Hollywood continues to get back to business with new safety measures.

Petsch told Yahoo: 'I imagine well probably go back soonish to start shooting. Hopefully soon. Its all so up in the air.I think people are really going to enjoy it, because were really going to focus on the relationships this year.

'Theres going to be a lot of twists and turns and some things people may not like as much, but thats the whole point of the show  to keep people on their toes and entertain them.'
Chennai: Indias Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) rocket, is undoubtedly among the most successful and consistent rockets in the world among the sub-1.5ton payload to Low-earth orbit or polar orbits. But one lesser-known facet beyond the enviable success rate of this rocket is its second-stage engine - Vikas.

While Vikas translates to development or progress in Sanskrit, the scientist, Padma Bhushan Nambi Narayanan, who led a team to build the engine had secretly kept in mind that this name would be a tribute to ISROs founder, visionary scientist and industrialist Dr Vikram. A Sarabhai.

It was his way of offering a tribute to Dr Sarabhai, whom he considers his Guru and biggest influence in his life. August 12, 2020 also marks the 101st Anniversary of this legendary son of the soil--Dr Vikram A Sarabhai.

The story of the Vikas (Vikram A Sarabhai) Engine:

In its nascent stage, during the 1960s and 70s, ISROs scientists had a difference of opinion on technical grounds - whether to develop solid-fueled engines or liquid-fueled engines. A vast majority of the then Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) believed in focussing their energies and resources towards solid engines as the technologies linked to it were relatively more achievable. Whereas the pursuit of liquid-fueled engines were considered akin to chasing a chimaera.

Technically speaking, liquid-fueled engines are more fuel-efficient as they can be switched on and off, they can lift heavier payloads/satellites. Liquid engines also have lesser vibration and can burn for longer durations when compared to their solid counterparts. While a solid engine burns out after use, the liquid engine can be tested, re-used after cleaning and re-assembly. Most advanced rockets in the world are primarily dependent on liquid-fueled engines. If and when solids are used, they are only for the initial thrust (using boosters) at lift-off.

Eventually, it was Princeton-postgraduate ISRO scientist Nambi Narayanan(now regarded as the Father of Liquid Propulsion engine technology in India), who impressed upon the organization to consider diverting resources to urgently develop liquid-fueled engines, given how they were the future of rocketry and how advanced nations were achieving more with these engines.

Sarabhai had not only permitted the deputation of the young Nambi to Princeton while he was working at ISRO but also ensured that the bureaucratic rigmarole was cleared smoothly before he left. After Nambi Narayanan completed his course in record-time, when the Americans tried to poach Nambi, by coaxing and showing him the high-end American facilities, it was Sarabhai who advised Nambi. Leave the nasty guys and take the next flight Nambi recalls the Father of Indias Space programme having told him.

It was in 1973 that ISRO had launched an experimental rocket(LP-006) using a 600kg thrust liquid engine. The 600kg thrust engine was minuscule compared to the giant 60ton engines(clustered in four to obtain 240ton thrust) that the Americans and Russians were using. However, the success of this liquid engine in its test flight did steer ISRO in the right direction and led to a deal with the French to co-develop a 60-ton liquid-fuel engine(a 100-time jump when compared to ISROs 600kg engine). While the engine was not an all-new model, it was an improvised version of a smaller French engine in the Viking series.

The French had named their engine Viking, but the Indian-side, led by Nambi Narayanan, that negotiated the contract had decided on an Indian name - Vikas. Vikas means development in Sanskrit, but Nambi saw an adapted anagram - Vikram A Sarabhai. This secret was known only to the late TN Seshan, a top bureaucrat who had later served as the Chief Election Commissioner of India. Nambi kept the real-intended meaning of Vikas a secret, owing to the bureaucratic procedures and approvals that ISRO followed when naming a project or a facility.

From 1974 to 1980, a team of 100 Indian scientists(in different batches) had learnt to jointly develop the 60-ton thrust Viking-3 Engine, after which they returned to India. But that was just half the story. While the team had learnt how to make an engine, they didnt have the approval for one such project.

And the engine alone doesnt make the rocket what it is! Hence, on their own, the team had to master several other components, sub-components that went into a rocket. It would be 1982 before ISRO developed these engines and later got the approval for incorporating the engine into a project - the PSLV.

During the development of the PSLV in the late 80s, it was decided that the 60-ton thrust engine developed with the French would fit into the second stage. PSLV is a 4-stage rocket that is powered by solid-liquid-solid-liquid configuration.

Finally, it was in 1993 that the PSLV lifted off for the first time, but the mission was a failure, after it encountered an error mid-flight. However, most of the critical systems on-board the rocket were validated despite the failed mission. However, nearly a year later in October 1994, the PSLV lifted off majestically and had proven the rockets capability to lift 1000 kg to orbit.

Since then, the PSLV has flown 50 times. With only 2 missions failing. However, the obstinate Vikas Engine, which was developed by Nambi Narayanan and his team had flown flawlessly in all 50 flights. A fitting tribute to the great Indian visionary, scientist and industrialist it was named after!
For years the U.S. has made a simple request to the Peoples Republic of China to stop its criminal, coercive, and nefarious activities in the United States. And for years the Chinese government has refused to do so. In light of its intransigence, the U.S. State Department has shuttered the Chinese consulate in Houston, Texas, over alleged efforts to illegally transfer medical research from institutions in the area; to persuade more than 50 researchers, professors and academics in the area to turn over information to Chinese institutions; and to pressure Chinese citizens in the United States whom the Chinese government considers political rivals to return to their homeland.

The Houston consulates activities went well over the line of what the United States is willing to accept from the foreign diplomatic corps. The Administrations decision to order the closure of the PRC consulate in Houston was just the latest in a series of actions the United States has taken to rein in the aggressive behavior of the CCP.

For years Beijing has enjoyed free and open access to U.S. society while not offering reciprocal access to U.S. diplomats in China. This is unacceptable. But it isnt only in the United States where the Chinese missions abuse their welcome. Indeed, the theft of intellectual property and spying is a global threat. A recent 11-count indictment handed down by the U.S. Justice Department alleges that Li Xiaoyu and Dong Jiazhi conducted a hacking campaign lasting more than ten years to the present, targeting companies in countries with high technology industries, including the United States, Australia, Belgium, Germany, Japan, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Spain, South Korea, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.

Each new indictment exposes how the PRC has relied on illegal, covert, coercive, corrupt behavior to try to impose its will on the world to gain unfair advantage in its economic and diplomatic relationships.

The recent actions taken by the State Department vis-a-vis the PRC are an effort to place the U.S.-China relationship on the solid foundation of fairness, respect and reciprocity.

President Trump has said, Enough, to the CCPs unacceptable behavior in the United States. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made this point during his recent European travels: We are setting out clear expectations for how the Chinese Communist Party is going to behave, and when they dont, were going to take actions that protect the American people, protect our security, our national security, and also protect our economy and jobs.
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Linkedin Helene Colliopoulou (Agence France-Presse) Preveza, Greece  Wed, August 12, 2020 08:00 525 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066d43315 2 News greece,travel,tourism,destination Free

Yannis Yovanos scans the waters of the Ambracian Gulf with his binoculars for dolphins shooting into the air before curving back down into the sea.

His early warnings prompt just a dozen tourists on the deck of Yovanos' small boat to scramble for their smartphones, hoping to secure a snap of the aquatic mammals' aerial acrobatics.

Officials in his home town of Preveza hope that it's just this kind of small, family-run business that will help them overcome the coronavirus' impact on travel -- while sparing the region the environmental impact and economic distortions of the mass tourism more common on Crete or the Ionian islands.

"We don't want to stay all day on a beach, we're looking for a different experience," said Dutch tourist Frederika Janssen.

"The pandemic is an opportunity to promote alternative tourism, fishing tourism," as well as local life and culture "directly related to the natural resources that date from Antiquity," said Constantin Koutsikopoulos, who heads the agency charged with managing the Ambracian Gulf.

Inside the gulf is a protected wetlands park, some 400 square kilometres that is one of Europe's Natura 2000 wildlife diversity regions.

One hundred and fifty dolphins, Loggerhead sea turtles and 300 species of aquatic birds including the rare Dalmatian pelican live in the lagoons and reed beds of the gulf.

Nestled between green hills, the Ambracian Gulf is fed by rivers descending from the mountains of the Epirus region of northwestern Greece.

Yovanos' hometown guards the little strait that connects the gulf with the Ionian Sea.

Dolphin-watching trips like these mean "I am realizing my dream of living the life of a fisherman among our natural riches," said the 49-year-old from behind a greying beard.

Read also: Greece woos tourists with pledge of 'maximum' virus safety

No scramble for beach spots

For Greece as a whole, a gamble on reopening its borders to tourists as early as June appears to have paid off for now.

New coronavirus cases have appeared only slowly since then, with fewer than 6,000 cases and just over 200 deaths nationwide from the pandemic.

Although Preveza has opted for a slower, more family-oriented approach to travel compared to better-known Greek destinations, it hasn't renounced Mediterranean holiday cliches altogether.

With the sector suffering a big hit from the coronavirus epidemic, Preveza city officials launched a promotional campaign, securing the title of safest place for a European beach holiday from website European Best Destinations.

"Monolithi beach, the main beach of Preveza, is... the longest one in Europe... you won't have to struggle to get a nice spot, fix your beach umbrella and spend relaxing days in the sun," it wrote.

And new infrastructure in the shape of a marina has helped draw sailors away from packed ports on the islands.

"Preveza is the right place compared to Corfu which is a very nice island but very crowded," said Nick Ray, a British businessman, from the deck of his yacht that had put into the town's port.

With its fishing and fish farming, the Ambracian Gulf is already the region's economic motor.

Sustainable, environment-focused tourism should give the authorities even more reason to deal with the threats to the gulf such as pollution, poaching and illegal fishing.

There's even something for ancient history buffs in the ruins of Nicopolis, founded by Caesar Augustus in honor of his naval victory nearby in 31 BC, where some Roman mosaics are still preserved.

Benefiting local society

"The pandemic has shown us that we must respect nature and shift towards small-scale tourism, far from the classic slogan of 'sun and sea'," said Roula Trigou, an environmentalist and head of communications for Greece's ornithological society.

She believes the real challenge in developing travel is "making it benefit local society".

Elsewhere in Greece, the tourist trade has brought in money -- often at the expense of attention to environmental protection and maintaining the character of destinations.

A European Parliament commission report last year upbraided Greek authorities for allowing over-tourism on the island of Santorini, warning the flood of visitors threatened to distort the island's character and social fabric.

Gulf manager Koutsikopoulos said that "with proper planning, the development of tourism is a reliable ally for the protection of the gulf" which suffers from intense human activity.

For now officials are keeping things low-key, with plans to clear paths in the reed beds to attract bird watchers.

Topics : greece travel tourism destination
MTN Group has stated that its exit from the Middle East will be more gradual than imminent, adding that it will withdraw from Iran over the next three to five years.

Local media outlets had reported that MTN Irancell was set to suspend operations immediately, prompting the operator and its parent group to state that services would run as usual and that customers would continue to receive the great service they have come to expect.

MTN further clarified that it would begin its withdrawal process in Afghanistan, Syria and Yemen, stating that it would divest its Middle Eastern units in an orderly manner over the medium term.

South Africa headquartered MTN Group holds a 49% stake in MTN Irancell. Last week, the groups departing CEO Rob Shuter confirmed that it was set to focus on its core African markets, exiting the Middle East in the process.
The Hanoi Department of Health has issued an announcement in search of visitors to a beer shop in the capital city after the owners father tested positive for the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19.

The man is V.D.B., 63, who hails from Binh Giang District in the northern province of Hai Duong.

He started coughing and feeling fatigued on July 31.

On August 8, B. caught a taxi with his wife to 108 Military Central Hospital in Hanois Hai Ba Trung District for a check-up from 7:30 am to 11:00 am.

B. then went to his daughters house at TT3.13 in Tu Hiep Commune of Thanh Tri District, where the daughter runs a beer shop, named Loc Vung.

The 63-year-old man spent the night there before coming to Thanh Nhan Hospital in Hai Ba Trung District, where he was hospitalized with severe pneumonia on August 9.

On August 10, Thanh Nhan Hospital sent B.s sample to the Hanoi Center for Disease Control (HCDC) for COVID-19 testing, with the first result showing he was negative for the novel coronavirus.

However, another test conducted by Thanh Nhan Hospital showed that he was positive on Tuesday.

The second result released by the HCDC on the same day confirmed B. is positive for the virus.

The Hanoi health department on Wednesday morning requested that people who had visited the Loc Vung beer shop in the aforementioned time frame contact the nearest medical facility, or call 0969 082 115 or 0949 396 115 for health support.

The Ministry of Health has yet to confirm B. as a COVID-19 patient as of Wednesday afternoon.

If confirmed, this will be Hanois eighth local infection case since the detection of a 57-year-old male patient in the central city of Da Nang ended Vietnams streak of 99 days without local transmission on July 25.

A 29-year-old Vietnamese woman who flew from Hanoi to Japan tested positive for the coronavirus after landing on August 8.

As of Wednesday afternoon, Vietnams COVID-19 tally stood at 866, with 400 patients having recovered and 17 fatalities.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
Washington State Creates $40 Million Fund for Illegal Immigrants

Washington state officials this week announced a new fund of $40 million that will be dispersed to illegal immigrants who cant access federal stimulus programs because of their immigration status.

Aliens will need to submit an application. If approved, they can get $1,000, or up to $3,000 per family.

We have to ensure that no one in our state is left behind as we fight this pandemic, Gov. Jay Inslee, a Democrat, said in a statement. COVID-19 doesnt care what your immigration status is. We must support every family affected by the virus, especially those who lack the necessary means to quarantine or isolate and prevent further spread. This is the right thing for the well-being of individuals, the health of their colleagues and the safety of our communities.

COVID-19 is a disease caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus.

Inslees office said the governor and his aides worked with a coalition representing 430 organizations fighting for rights for immigrants and social service organizations on the fund.

Immigrant community members are facing some of the worst outcomes of this pandemic and have been systematically excluded from a social safety net for too long, Rich Stolz, executive director of OneAmerica, which bills itself as an immigrant advocacy group, said in a statement released by the governors office.

A coalition of immigrant organizations came together to develop this fund that recognizes the dignity of our undocumented community members and works to get some relief to their families during this difficult time.

According to the Migration Policy Institute, Washington state has some 229,000 illegal immigrants, primarily from Mexico. The Center for Migration Studies estimates the population is more than 271,000.

Border Patrol apprehends illegal aliens who have just crossed the Rio Grande from Mexico near McAllen, Texas, on April 18, 2019. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times)

Like many states, Washington is facing a budget shortfall of $8.8 billion through 2023 amid a sharp economic downturn caused by harsh restrictions imposed to try to curb the spread of the CCP virus. Inslee has tried to pressure the federal government to give more money to states in the stimulus package lawmakers are currently negotiating.

Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies, which is described as a nonpartisan research organization animated by a pro-immigrant, low-immigration vision, told The Epoch Times that Washington state taxpayers are free to subsidize illegal immigrants but should think twice before committing to actions like the fund.

Washington state taxpayers should be careful what they wish for, because this is the kind of thing that could incentivize even more poor illegal immigrants to move to Washington state, he said.

Why would you stop at COVID relief? Once people have been supported by the government, theyve been essentially subsidized by taxpayers in the state, theyre going to want other subsidies, even when the virus emergency passes.

A similar action was taken by California in May.

Under Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, state officials began distributing $500 per illegal immigrant, with a cap of $1,000 per household. Officials projected 150,000 illegal immigrants would receive assistance, which would amount to $75 million in funds distributed.

This is a state that steps up to help those in need, regardless of status, Newsom said at a press conference.

Illegal aliens are barred from tapping into federal funds granted through the CARES Act, a stimulus package passed by Congress and signed into law by President Donald Trump earlier this year.

Congressional Democrats have tried to alter those rules. The Democrat-controlled House voted against a motion in May that would have ensured illegal immigrants wouldnt receive stimulus funds.

Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) and 26 colleagues wrote to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on July 31, requesting him to let taxpaying immigrant families who have tax identification numbers access both CARES Act funds and any future CCP virus relief money.

No one should be denied critical economic relief benefits they would otherwise be entitled to simply because they are part of a mixed-status family, the senators wrote.
Gardai are appealing for information after a car was set on fire in Dublin yesterday.

Gardai received reports of a car on fire in in the Brenmore Court area of Balbriggan at approximately 5:55pm on Tuesday.

Dublin Fire Brigade attended the scene and the vehicle has since been removed from the scene for a technical examination.

No injuries occurred as a result of this incident.

Gardai are appealing for anyone with information, particularly anyone who was in the area between 5:45pm - 6:15pm, to contact them at Balbriggan Garda Station on 01 802 0510 or the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111.
70 Killed in South Sudan's Warrap State Inter-communal Fighting

By Manyang David Mayar August 11, 2020

More than 70 people were killed and dozens injured in clashes involving soldiers and civilians in South Sudan's Warrap state over the weekend, according to local and U.N. officials.

U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Tuesday that the U.N. Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) received the casualty reports from authorities in Tonj East County.

"The violence was sparked by a disagreement over a disarmament exercise being conducted in the area," he said. "During the fighting, the local market in [the town of] Romic was reportedly looted and some shops were burned to the ground. Many women and children fled in fear of their lives."

Dujarric said U.N. peacekeeping was on its way to the area to assess the security situation.

The executive director for Tonj East County, Makuei Mabior, told VOA's South Sudan in Focus that an argument erupted between a small group of youths and soldiers in the Romic market, after a soldier ordered a young man to remove a red piece of cloth from his head, a cloth commonly worn by cattle camp youth.

"A small fight started. Bystanders rushed in and convinced them to stop and take the youth to the police but soon after that the soldiers cocked their guns and started shooting, killing the youth and other civilians in the market," Mabior told VOA.

South Sudan Army spokesman Major General Lul Ruai Koang disputed that claim, saying the fighting was triggered by armed youths who attacked a police post in an attempt to free their detained relatives.

"On the night of August 8th, these armed civilians commonly known as Gelweng mobilized themselves in large numbers and in the morning attacked our defensive position at Romic, so that was the start of the fighting," Koang told the program.

Casualties were heavy on both sides, Mabior said.

"On the side of Gelweng youths, apart from those missing, we are getting 46 deaths, 93 wounded. The soldiers are 34," Mabior told VOA.

Major General Koang said soldiers have withdrawn from the area to end the fighting.

"To minimize further escalation our forces had to disengage, and they have pulled back to a place called Ngab-Agok," Koang told VOA.

Some local community leaders including Francis Aguek are calling on President Salva Kiir to punish "two generals who are carrying out the operation."

Last week, the South Sudan National Network on Small Arms criticized the government's handling of the disarmament campaign, saying it includes no plan to prevent clashes between armed youths and soldiers.

VOA's Margaret Besheer contributed to this report.

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South Africas ruling African National Congress (ANC) says there is a political crisis in Zimbabwe, which needs to be resolved by Africans through various processes, including attempts by President Cyril Ramaphosa, who recently sent envoys to the neighboring nation to assess difficulties faced by President Emmerson Mnangagwas government accused of human rights abuses.

In an interview, ANCs International Relations Committee chairperson Lindiwe Zulu said there is urgent need to resolve the political crisis in Zimbabwe.

We have already said it from an ANC point of view that there is a crisis in Zimbabwe that needs us from a party political angle as the liberation movement ANC plus Zanu PF liberation movement. Its important for us to engage each other and go back to what has been happening in the past and how we got to where we are right now and then be honest and frank about what we need to do to help the situation. Zimbabwe is our neighbor, we cannot close our ears and eyes to that  What we think should be done is for both parties to be frank with each other about what is happening in Zimbabwe and we take it from there.

Zulu said it is possible to resolve the crisis in Zimbabwe without the help of outsiders

 There can be never be a situation without a solution  This is Africa and we have always said as ANC that as Africans we must always find solutions to African problems and as a political party its our responsibility to continuously engage until we are comfortable with the situation there and feel that we are proud of what is happening, we are comfortable with what is happening. So, engagement is almost synonymous with that as South Africa. We have been there, we have gone through that, we are where we are today because we engaged until we got where we are, the same thing will happen about Zimbabwe. From the party political angle, we will engage but at the same time as we said so, we will respect the other processes of engagement by President Cyril Ramaphosa. He sent envoys there, the envoys will come back and report to him. We will leave that to the president to deal with when the envoys come back.

She said the Southern African Development Community and African Union are expected to play a key role in tackling the conflict in Zimbabwe.

This is our continent, we will sort out out things as Africans and I do believe that as Africans we have the capacity to be able to deal with our issues. Like any other, conflicts are dealt with in different ways even in the African continent we deal with conflicts in different ways and remember here that its not just about South Africa when it comes to such issues. Its about SADC, its about the African continent, and you know that the AU issued its own statement with regard to what is happening, so Im confident that a solution will be found because we have nowhere to go, because this is our continent. We have to work together and make sure that the people of Africa in general are proud of us as the leadership  They have mandated us and we just have to do the work.

On suggestions that Ramaphosas envoys only engaged Mnangagwa when they arrived in Zimbabwe and snubbed other stakeholders, Zulu said Baleka Mbete and Sydney Mufamadis terms of reference were coined by the South African president and as a result they will report back to him accordingly.

She noted that Ramaphosa and Mnangagwa are widely expected to map the way forward for Zimbabwe. Im sure they will engage each other and help us through to the next level.

She dismissed suggestions that the ANC cant deliver an outcome favorable to the opposition and others in Zimbabwe following the formation of a Government of National Unity in 2009, which the opposition MDC-T claimed mostly benefited the ruling Zanu PF party.

Our engagement with Zanu PF did not start yesterday. There is a history to where we are today and how we got to where we are today and so when we talk about sister parties we really mean it because we belong and decided we are sister parties of liberation movements whethere its Mozambique, Angola we have to talk to each other and find solutions to our challenges ...

Zulu said she is not disturbed by acting Zanu PF spokesperson, Patrick Chinamasa, who attacked her in public for criticizing Zimbabwes ruling party.

Quite frankly right now we have to a situation that needs us all to work and resolve, thats the bottomline.

President Mnangagwa has already said the current crackdown on dissent in Zimbabwe is directed at misguided people, who want to unconstitutionally remove him from office.

Independent human rights groups claim that at least 60 people have been arrested following an anti-corruption protest that was thwarted by state security agents on July 31.




On the second day of online counselling at Government College for Girls (GCG) on Wednesday, 36 seats out of 40 were filled in BBA-I course and 95 seats in BSc (medical)-I course against a total of 120 seats.

The cut-off percentage of the BBA course went higher by 5.6% from last years 89.4% in the general category. Total 456 students have applied for the course. In the scheduled castes (SC) category, the cut-off was 87.78% and in the other backward classes (OBC) category, it was 93.11%.

Sukhwinder Kaur, associate professor in commerce, said, Online counseling was held as per directions and committee members checked all documents submitted by the students. Total 36 seats have been filled; the four left will be filled before August 22.

Kritika Khosla, a student who scored 93% marks, said, In the general category, the last student who got a seat scored 95%. I was short of two marks due to which I was not able to get admission in BBA in a government college. I will now try to grab a seat in other girls colleges.

In BSc (medical), the cut-off in the general category is 90.22% as against last years 78.8%; in the SC category, it is 66.89%. A total of 240 candidates have applied for the course.

After document verification, a message was sent to the students giving them 48 hours to deposit the fee. After two days, the students will be contacted according to the rank list to fill the rest of the seats.

For admission in BSc (non-medical), the online counseling will be conducted on Thursday. The college offers 160 seats and 466 candidates have applied for the course.

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British and French ministers are meeting Tuesday in Paris for urgent talks on the growing migrant crisis in the English Channel. So far this year, over 4,000 migrants seeking asylum, mostly from Africa and the Middle East, have attempted the crossing from France to Britain in overloaded dinghies
The nation's top infectious disease expert, Anthony Fauci, said on Tuesday that he has serious doubts about Russia's COVID-19 vaccine, claiming that it is ready to be used for the coronavirus disease.

"Having a vaccine and proving that a vaccine is safe and effective are two different things," Fauci was quoted in a The Hill report.

This was after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that the country had become the first in the world to have regulatory approval for a COVID-19 vaccine.

The Russian president said that the vaccine went through clinical testing and was proven to give immunity from the coronavirus disease.

However, the Phase 3 trials for Russia's COVID-19 vaccine have been reportedly postponed after it sparks doubts from international health experts about its usefulness.

Fauci, who is also the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and a key member of the White House coronavirus task force, said that he had not seen evidence supporting Putin's claims.

Fauci said he hoped that the Russians have actually, definitively proven that the vaccine is safe and effective. However, he added he seriously doubts that.

Fauci added that Americans need to understand that the process of obtaining vaccine approval requires safety and efficacy.

COVID-19 Vaccine

Many are still in the race of developing a COVID-19 vaccine to fight the deadly disease.

Part of this is Moderna, which is in collaboration with the National Institutes of Health. It launched a Phase 3 trial for a vaccine in July, making the U.S. the first candidate to reach that phase.

Fauci said he is optimistic that the vaccine will be ready by the end of the year.

However, he said that there is never a guarantee that you will get a safe and effective vaccine.

Meanwhile, White House Counselor Kellyanne Conway also commented on Russia's COVID-19 vaccine, saying that the U.S. has superior safety standards.

"What I understand from the Russia announcement is, this is nowhere near where we are. Which is, we have six different vaccine candidates into Phase 3 [trials]," Conway was quoted in a Newsweek report.

Conway said that the Russians do not seem to be there yet.

Conway cited Fauci's concerns about the Chinese and Russian sped-up efforts to release a vaccine.

Mass Vaccination

According to a CNBC report, Russia is preparing to start a mass vaccination program against the coronavirus disease in October.

Health Minister Mikhail Murashko said that clinical trials for the vaccine, developed by the Moscow-based Gamaleya Institute, is already complete.

Moscow has claimed that test results showed an immune response in all subjects with no side-effects or complications.

The World Health Organization said that there are 26 candidate vaccines in clinical trials around the world. This includes the early-stage one from the Gamaleya Institute.

However, WHO has not listed any second or third-phase trials from the Moscow-based vaccine developer.

Murashko said the vaccine is now seeking regulatory approval for the drug. Once approved, doctors and teachers would be the ones first in line to be vaccinated.

Other biotechnology companies such as Moderna, American drugmaker Pfizer, and German biotech firm BioNTech have promising vaccine data.

Check these out:

Dr. Fauci Admits Not Confident in Having an Effective Vaccine in the Near Future

COVID-19 Vaccines Might Not be Effective to Obese People, Studies Claim

COVID-19 Search for a Cure: Roche Confirms Phase 3 of Drug Trials
TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / August 12, 2020 / Seven Aces Limited (the "Company" or "Seven Aces") (TSXV:ACES)(OTC PINK:ACEXF) is pleased to announce the successful completion of its previously announced go-private transaction pursuant to which an affiliate of Trive Capital Management LLC ("Trive Capital") acquired all of the issued and outstanding common shares of the Company (the "Common Shares") by way of a statutory plan of arrangement under the provisions of the Business Corporations Act (Ontario) (the "Arrangement"), other than the Common Shares owned by 2759536 Ontario Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ascendant Group Holdings Inc. (the "Rollover Shareholder"), a company controlled by Mr. Manu Sekhri (CEO of Seven Aces).

Conner Searcy, Managing Partner of Trive Capital, said: "We are excited to have closed this transaction with Seven Aces. We are grateful for the strong support of the Seven Aces shareholders and want to thank the Seven Aces' team for their hard work and support of this transaction. We look forward to the opportunity to partner, collaborate and grow the business with the Seven Aces management team in a private company context."

Mark Lerohl, member of the independent Special Committee of Seven Aces' Board of Directors, commented: "We are very pleased to have closed this transaction, which not only provides near-term liquidity at a significant premium for Seven Aces shareholders, but is also a great outcome for our employees and other stakeholders. We want to thank the many shareholders who have supported the growth and development of Seven Aces over the years and wish our management team all the best in their partnership with Trive Capital going forward."

Under the terms of the Arrangement, each former shareholder of Seven Aces (other than the Rollover Shareholder) is entitled to receive cash consideration of CDN $2.77 (the "Consideration") in exchange for each Common Share held in Seven Aces immediately prior to the effective time of the Arrangement.

To receive the Consideration, registered shareholders of Seven Aces must complete, sign, date and return the Letter of Transmittal that was mailed to each registered shareholder of Seven Aces. The Letter of Transmittal is also available (i) from Seven Aces' depositary, TSX Trust Company, that can be contacted by telephone at: 1-866-600-5869 (North American Toll Free) / 1 416-342-1091 (outside of North America) or by e-mail at: TMXEInvestorServices@tmx.com, or (ii) on SEDAR (www.sedar.com) under Seven Aces' issuer profile.

With the Arrangement now complete, the Common Shares will be delisted from the TSX Venture Exchange (expected on or about the close of markets on August 14, 2020), and application has been made to the applicable securities regulators for Seven Aces to cease to be a reporting issuer and to terminate its public reporting obligations.

Further details regarding the Arrangement are set out in the arrangement agreement among Seven Aces and affiliates of Trive Capital dated June 11, 2020, as amended July 30, 2020, as well as the management information circular of Seven Aces dated June 29, 2020, each of which are available on Seven Aces' website at www.sevenaces.com and on SEDAR (www.sedar.com) under Seven Aces' issuer profile.

Required Early Warning Report Information

Following completion of the Arrangement, Trive Capital and the Rollover Shareholder, and their respective affiliates and associates, collectively, have beneficial ownership and control over 100% of the issued and outstanding Common Shares. Prior to completion of the Arrangement, (a) an affiliate of Trive Capital sold all of the Common Shares it owned to an institutional investor by way of a private agreement, which Common Shares were subsequently acquired in the Arrangement, and (b) the Rollover Shareholder exercised all of the options to purchase Common Shares then held by it in accordance with their terms.

An amended early warning report will be filed by Trive Capital with applicable Canadian securities regulatory authorities. To obtain a copy, please contact Stephanie Lippa as indicated below. The head office of Trive Capital is located at 2021 McKinney Avenue, Suite 1200, Dallas, Texas, USA, 75201. The head office of 2759536 Ontario Inc. is located at 79 Wellington Street West, Suite 1630, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5K 1H1.

Seven Aces' head office is located at 79 Wellington Street West, Suite 1630, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5K 1H1.

About Seven Aces Limited

Seven Aces Limited is a gaming company, with a vision of building a diversified portfolio of world class gaming operations. The Company looks to enhance shareholder value by growing organically and through acquisitions. Currently, the Company is the largest route operator of skill-based gaming machines in the State of Georgia, United States of America.

More information about the Company is available on Seven Aces' website (www.sevenaces.com).

About Trive Capital

Trive Capital is a Dallas, Texas based private equity firm managing approximately US$2 billion in aggregate capital commitments. Trive Capital focuses on investing equity and debt in what it sees as strategically viable middle-market companies with the potential for transformational upside through operational improvement. Trive Capital seeks to maximize returns through a hands-on partnership that calls for identifying and implementing value creation ideas.

For further information about Seven Aces, please contact:

Ryan Bouskill

Chief Financial Officer

Tel. (647) 228-8668

ryan@sevenaces.com

Stephanie Lippa

Office Manager

Tel. (416) 477-3411

stephanie@sevenaces.com

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information

This news release may contain forward-looking statements or "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws ("forward-looking statements"). Often, forward-looking statements, which are based on current expectations, estimates and projections about the industry and markets in which Seven Aces operates, and beliefs of and assumptions made by Seven Aces' management, involve risks and uncertainties, which are difficult to predict and are not guarantees of future performance, that could significantly affect the financial results, performance or expectations of Seven Aces. In this news release, forward-looking statements relate to, among other things, statements regarding the benefits of the Arrangement to the shareholders of Seven Aces; the timing and ability of Trive Capital to cause the Common Shares to be delisted from the TSX Venture Exchange; the timing and ability of Seven Aces to obtain an order that it has ceased to be a reporting issuer and to terminate its public reporting requirements. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, that are presented herein, or in response to questions or otherwise, that address activities, events or developments that may occur in the future, (often, but not always, through the use of words or phrases, or the negative variations of those words or other comparable words of a future or forward- looking nature, including, but not limited to, "intends," "plans," "will likely," "unlikely," "believe," "expect," "seek," "anticipate," "estimate," "continue," "will," "shall," "should," "could," "may," "might," "predict," "project," "forecast," "target," "potential," "forecast," "goal," "objective," "guidance" and "outlook"), are forward-looking statements. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Although Seven Aces believes that in making any such forward-looking statement, Seven Aces' expectations are based on reasonable assumptions, any such forward-looking statement involves known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause results to differ materially from those projected in or implied by any such forward-looking statement, including but not limited to adverse changes in general economic or market conditions or changes in political conditions or federal, provincial or state laws and regulations. Any forward-looking statement speaks only at the date on which it is made, and except as may be required by law, Seven Aces does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect new events or circumstances after the date on which it is made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. New factors emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for Seven Aces to predict all of them, or assess the impact of each such factor or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement. Any forward-looking statement contained in this news release is expressly qualified in its entirety by this cautionary statement.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.

SOURCE: Seven Aces Limited

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/601317/Seven-Aces-Completes-Go-Private-Transaction-With-Trive-Capital
Smoke was seen billowing into the sky after a passenger train derailed Wednesday morning near the town of Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire, in eastern Scotland, leaving at least three dead and at least six others injured.

Officers with the British Transport Police stated that they responded to the incident at 9:43 a.m., local time Wednesday, adding that they would remain at the scene to assist paramedics and the fire brigade.

Around 30 emergency vehicles, including air ambulance support, were already at the accident site with more expected to arrive as smoke could be seen following reports of an engine fire.

BBC reported that heavy rainfall was possibly to blame for the train's derailment on Wednesday morning.

Transport Secretary of Scotland, Michael Matheson, told BBC on Thursday that the formal investigation was still underway.

"What we don't want to do at this particular point is to start to speculate about what actually caused it. What I think we can assess, though, is that weather has had an impact," Matheson said.

Matheson added that he's seen an increased level of localized intense weather events that are having an impact on the transport network.

The railway that owned the car, ScotRail confirmed on Thursday that they were continuing to see "major disruptions" in their network following the incident and were putting together an emergency plan, according to Glasgow Live.

Nicola Sturgeon, the First Minister of Scotland, described the event as an "extremely serious incident" and added that her thoughts are with those involved in the accident.

This is an extremely serious incident. I've had an initial report from Network Rail and the emergency services and am being kept updated. All my thoughts are with those involved. https://t.co/veKAgMwZ36  Nicola Sturgeon (@NicolaSturgeon) August 12, 2020

The incident occurred in Carmont, located to the west of Stonehaven, in an area that is "a very difficult location for emergency services to access," stated Sturgeon.

Story continues

United Kingdom Prime Minister Boris Johnson also shared his condolences. "I am saddened to learn of the very serious incident in Aberdeenshire and my thoughts are with all of those affected. My thanks to the emergency services at the scene," he said.

CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP

According to AccuWeather Meteorologist Tyler Roys, this area was hard-hit by a complex of thunderstorms that moved through late Tuesday night into Wednesday morning.

"Rain was reported at Stonehaven from 4 to 10 a.m., local time, with the heaviest falling around 7 a.m.," he added.

Around 54.6 mm (2.15 inches) of rain was reported at Stonehaven between Tuesday and Wednesday morning. The River Carron was reported to have burst its banks in the town center. Schools, which were set to open this week after shuttering earlier this year due to the pandemic, were closed due to flooding, reported The Guardian.

The BBC reported one train that was scheduled to leave from Aberdeen to Glasgow around 6:30 a.m. local time was initially "halted" due to flooding on the railway.

Network Rail Scotland shared pictures and videos of train lines impacted by flooding on Wednesday morning. Just minutes after officers began responding to the derailment, Network Rail tweeted a video of rails covered with flood water and debris from a landslide in Carmont.

At Carmont, we've had reports of a landslip, which means services can't operate between Dundee & Aberdeen. /2 pic.twitter.com/1E29tKHFhy  Network Rail Scotland (@NetworkRailSCOT) August 12, 2020

The track that runs through Carmont has been prone to landslides in the past. According to the BBC, the Aberdeen to Dundee line was closed due to a landslide at Carmont during torrential rain and gales on 22 October, 2002.

In addition, a Network Rail report from 2014 included Carmont in a "list of sites which in recent years have been greatly affected by earthslips".

Unsettled conditions have been building across the British Isles since Monday as a slow-moving storm system moved over the region.

Heavy thunderstorms developed across parts of the Midlands, southern England and Wales on Monday, producing torrential rain, gusty winds and isolated hail. Storms became more widespread on Tuesday and spread spread north into Scotland.

With several days of downpours set for the region, flooding will be a growing concern into the second half of the week, including in eastern Scotland as recovery efforts continue. Any location that receives more than 20 mm (0.79 of an inch) of rain in one day will be particularly susceptible to flash flooding when rain arrives the following day.

Water will first be most likely to pool in low-lying and poor-drainage areas. Some water could settle on roadways after heavy downpours and restrict visibility for drivers for a short time, so motorists should use caution driving through some of these thunderstorms.

Lingering heat over the eastern British Isles is helping to fuel these locally heavy thunderstorms. Last Friday, London recorded the hottest day for August since 2003 as the temperature climbed to 37 C (98 F) in the afternoon.

Stormy weather will also push into northern France into the middle of the week, bringing the threat for thunderstorms to Paris. Like London, Paris has had record-challenging temperatures on and off this summer and reached a sweltering 38.9 C (102 F) on Sunday afternoon.

Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
The U.S. economic slowdown is likely to continue as more restrictions are put in place to control the coronavirus epidemic, and Americans will have to learn to live with" the virus for the rest of the year, two Federal Reserve policymakers said on Wednesday.

Consumer spending will probably remain weak relative to the past as people avoid activities that require high levels of social interaction for health reasons, Boston Fed President Eric Rosengren said during an online event organized by the South Shore Chamber of Commerce in Massachusetts.

The forecast for the U.S. economy this fall is quite uncertain, but my view is that the recent slowdown in economic activity that we have seen in high-frequency data is likely to continue," Rosengren said.

With a vaccine unlikely to be ready in the immediate future, consumers and businesses need a plan to manage the risks of the virus throughout the fall and winter, Rosengren said.

Dallas Fed President Robert Kaplan voiced similar concerns, saying in a webcast event with the Lubbock Chamber of Commerce in Texas that Americans need to learn to live with" the virus, using safety measures such as masks so the economy can remain open.

Rosengren said the parts of the country that enacted longer shutdowns earlier in the crisis were now benefiting from better health outcomes and more robust spending. States that lifted restrictions too quickly saw a short-lived increase in economic activity, which became muted after a rise in infections, he said.

Limited or inconsistent efforts by states to control the virus based on public health guidance are not only placing citizens at unnecessary risk of severe illness and possible death  but are also likely to prolong the economic downturn," Rosengren said.

Kaplan said he expects the U.S. unemployment rate to remain elevated at 9% at the end of the year, but noted it could be lower if businesses and consumers take steps to control the virus. The unemployment rate in July was 10.2%.

If we dont follow that, while people may feel freer, the economy will grow slower," Kaplan said.

Referring to the Feds Main Street Lending Program, which is meant to carry small and medium-sized businesses through the crisis, Rosengren said that low early use of the program was not a sign of failure and that more businesses may turn to the facility in the fall if the economy worsens.

Asked about the rise in U.S. government debt, Rosengren said he supports strong fiscal stimulus but cautioned it must be paired with efforts to contain the virus.

If you want to actually make sure that the debt doesnt explode, you have to make sure that we get the pandemic under control," Rosengren said.

Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor
Head of house Erica talked about some of the challenges she faced in her first night in the Head of House lounge with fellow housemate Kiddwaya whom she choose as her Deputy Head of House.

In a conversation with Tolanibaj during their work-out session earlier today, Erica said that it was difficult not having se.x with Kiddwaya last night which was their first night in the lounge.

She further revealed that the physical attraction made it so difficult and she kept looking at the cameras to remind herself of where she was.

This is coming after Kiddwaya asked her why she thinks he doesnt have her back just like Laycon. Asides telling her that she is always going to be in his life, the Benue-born reality show star also told Erica that he cant imagine not caring about her whether they have a relationship or not.

Watch the video below;

ERICA to TBAJ: I think the physical attraction makes it hard. Last night, it was so difficult to not have se.x. I kept looking at the cameras to remind myself of where I ambut God help me this night! #BBNaija pic.twitter.com/6dr22bcKVD  DRACONIS (@la_ghivver) August 11, 2020
A Canadian dollar coin, commonly known as the "Loonie", is pictured in this illustration picture taken in Toronto

By Fergal Smith

TORONTO (Reuters) - The Canadian dollar strengthened against its U.S. counterpart on Tuesday, buoyed by rising investor sentiment and data showing an unexpected jump in housing starts, but the loonie gave back some of its gains as shares on Wall Street ended lower.

The loonie got a lift from "the general risk optimism in the market place," said Amo Sahota, director at Klarity FX in San Francisco.

The S&P 500 <.SPX> approached a record high before reversing course late in the session as comments by U.S. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell suggested a stalemate in talks over a fiscal stimulus deal.

Canada runs a current account deficit and is a major exporter of commodities, including oil, so the loonie tends to be sensitive to the global flow of trade and capital.

U.S. crude oil futures <CLc1> settled 0.8% lower at $41.61 a barrel, weighed by profit-taking ahead of weekly U.S. oil inventory data.

Canadian housing starts rose 15.8% to 245,604 units in July as the market continued to bounce back from the COVID-19 crisis. Economists had expected starts to dip to 210,000.

"Generally, economic data from Canada has been outperforming" in recent weeks and that has supported the loonie, Sahota said.

The Canadian dollar <CAD=> was trading 0.3% higher at 1.3307 to the greenback, or 75.15 U.S. cents. The currency, which last Wednesday notched a five-month high at 1.3229, traded in a range of 1.3270 to 1.3361.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he had "full confidence" in Finance Minister Bill Morneau amid reports of a clash over policy between the two men.

Ottawa is rolling out more than C$300 billion of economic support in response to the coronavirus crisis.

Canadian government bond yields were higher across a steeper curve in sympathy with U.S. Treasuries. The 10-year <CA10YT=RR> was up 7.1 basis points at 0.566%.

(Reporting by Fergal Smith; editing by Jonathan Oatis and Leslie Adler)
Most people want to make their proposals that special moment that they can make a fond memory of and cherish for a lifetime, the kind of story youll want to inspire other romantics with for years to come. US couple, John Nicotera and Erica Pendrak went a step ahead and solidified their relationship with a celestial event that happens once in 6,800 years!

The couple, along with their photographer friend Tim Leach headed to Old Forge, New York, to see this magnificent celestial event in July this year. Thats where Nicotera, who had been looking for a way to propose to his girlfriend of two years, quickly drew up a plan to make this proposal special. John went down on one knee and asked Erica to marry him while Tim Leach captured this special memory. Talk about being at the right place, right time.

ALSO READ: Planning to pop the question but not sure where? Here are some travel ideas to explore when you want to propose

My Modern Met reports that Nicotera had initially planned to propose to his girlfriend at Oregons Crater Lake, but Covid-19 outbreak foiled his plans earlier this year. As luck would have it, a once-in-6,800-years opportunity presented itself closer to home.

Nicotera is an astronomy fan and keeps himself updated about upcoming events.

This comet wont be back for 6,800 years, so its definitely more than a once-in-a-lifetime experienceits more like a once in 6,000 lifetimes. Once I decided and gave myself my pep talkOk John youre doing this, you cant dilly dally, its going to be gone by next weekI knew I had to do my homework, John Nicotera told My Modern Met.

Every single star was out... it was too special to let it go, Nicotera told CNN.

Post this romantic proposal, Nicotera tweeted photographs saying, Can I get a retweet for what I pulled off last night? We even saw the ISS pass by! @SpaceX @NASA @elonmusk @astro_g_dogg @Space_Station #NeowiseComet

The story of this proposal and the pictures have since gone viral and the couples photographer friend also posted them on his official Instagram handle. He captioned it, Had the opportunity to photograph one of my good friends propose to his girlfriend under Neowise. Last minute plan for a memory that will last a lifetime.

Even though the attention might seem daunting after a while, love is in the air, or maybe the solar system. Inspired yet?

Speaking of innovative proposals, remember how filmmaker Lee Loechler had proposed to his girlfriend Sthuthi David by creating an entire Disney-themed video for her? The filmmaker decided to rent an entire theatre and invited his friends and family over before playing the recreated animated version of Sleeping Beauty. The only difference, Loechler was Prince Charming and David was Aurora.

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How much is that doggie on the internet?

Twice what it cost before lockdown, a charity warns.

Popular breeds are up 50 to 90 per cent since March as Google searches for 'buy a puppy' have rocketed 166 per cent.

The Dogs Trust says buyers are being charged 'extortionate' record prices  its researchers found some English bulldogs on sale for 9,000.

The Dogs Trust has found that interest in popular breeds, such as Chow Chows, English Bulldogs and Dachshunds, has increased since March

Despite Covid-19 restrictions, puppies are still being smuggled into the UK.

The trust rescued 43 pups illegally imported from Central and Eastern Europe that would have sold for an estimated 80,000. It also saved 12 heavily pregnant dogs, who had 56 puppies.

Trust veterinary director Paula Boyden said: 'It's shocking to see how much dogs are being advertised for online and in particular how prices for some of the most popular smuggled breeds have increased during the coronavirus lockdown.

'While there are many responsible sellers out there, sadly there are plenty who are just looking to tug on the heartstrings and exploit the situation for their own profit.'
Nigerias Federal Executive Council (FEC) on Wednesday approved N8.49 billion for the purchase of items needed to test for COVID-19.

This was disclosed by the Minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire, after Wednesdays meeting presided by President Muhammadu Buhari.

Mr Ehanire said he presented a memo to FEC on the matter on behalf of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control.

The Minister of Health presented a memo on behalf of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control to procure materials for preparation for the COVID-19 pandemic, which is ravaging every part of the world including our country.

This is part of the preparedness for community transmission which is going on now and has affected over 586 Local Government Areas and we need the materials so as to be able to expand our testing and diagnostic capabilities.

This memo is as a result of the Presidential task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 and the Special Intervention Funds managed by the PTF, which allocated these resources for the NCDC preparedness, he said.

Mr Ehanire said materials to be procured include diagnostic kits used for COVID-19 testing and that efforts are on to ensure sample collection in all Nigerias 774 local governments.

We are procuring these materials to be able to respond properly to community transmission phase.

This is to ensure that persons in rural areas are not excluded and to ensure that not only the big cities or towns are attended to, he said.

Nigeria has tested less than 350,000 of its over 200 million people.

According to the NCDC, out of about 47,290 infected persons so far, more than 33,000 have recovered and have been discharged after treatment with less than 1,000 deaths recorded.
The Bachelor star Locklan 'Locky' Gilbert was left speechless after he encountered a very awkward moment with contestant Laura Calleri.

During Wednesday night's premiere, Laura, 24, asked the suitor if he'd court her with luxury goods.

After stepping out of the car, she introduced herself before pulling out a 'chatterbox' and asking Locky to choose a colour and number.

Meet your new Bachelor super villain: Locky Gilbert was left disgusted as he met Louis Vuitton-loving Laura Calleri (pictured) - the diva who hates Bali and demands pricey designer bags

Take your pick: After stepping out of the car, she introduced herself before pulling out a 'chatterbox' and asking Locky to choose a colour and number

She then opened up the question she'd written and asked him: 'When we're together, how much will you spend on my birthday present?'

Locky explained: 'I'm not massive on spending a heap of money on something. I like more doing a gesture or going and doing something like out in nature.'

'Why? What's the craziest gift you've been given?' he asked.

The price of love? During Wednesday night's premiere, Laura asked Locky (pictured) if he'd court her with luxury goods

Laura then revealed that she'd previously received a Louis Vuitton purse as a birthday gift, leaving the suitor shocked.

'Aren't they a couple grand?' he asked, before adding: 'That's a lot of plane flights.'

Locky then went on to say he regularly travels to Bali but Laura revealed she's never wanted to visit the island paradise.

Expensive taste! Laura then revealed that she'd previously received a Louis Vuitton purse as a birthday gift, leaving the suitor shocked

'I've actually never been. You can't go to Bali... You won't come home alive. It's so dangerous,' she said.

She added: ' You literally can't even brush your teeth with the water that comes out of the tap. Why would you want to live there, when you could live in Perth?'

'I can definitely get you a Louis "Vuiccon" bag in Bali, don't worry about that,' he later joked in a piece to camera about getting Laura a designer knock-off.

The Bachelor continues Thursday at 7.30pm on Channel Ten
The number of confirmed coronavirus cases worldwide has risen to more than 20 million, with more than half of them coming from just three countries - the US, India and Brazil.

Although countries in Europe and Asia have had success with containing Covid-19 in recent months, the pandemic is accelerating in other parts of the world where governments have been less willing to impose strict social distancing restrictions.

It took about six months to reach 10 million cases after the virus first appeared in central China late last year, but just over six weeks for that number to double.

An analysis of data by AP up to 9 August showed the US, India and Brazil together accounted for nearly two-thirds of all reported infections since the world hit 15 million coronavirus cases on 22 July.

Health officials have suggested the actual number of people infected with the virus is much higher than the confirmed tally, due to testing limitations and asymptomatic cases - which could be as many as 40 per cent of all infections.

Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the World Health Organisations director-general, said on Monday that the world was likely to reach 20 million registered cases and 750,000 deaths from Covid-19 this week.

However, the health chief noted there were green shoots of hope in the global fight against the pandemic, with a number of countries showing positive results with containing the virus.

I know many of you are grieving and that this is a difficult moment for the world, Dr Tedros said.

But I want to be clear, there are green shoots of hope and no matter where a country, a region, a city or a town is  its never too late to turn the outbreak around.

He noted New Zealand and Rwanda as two of the best performing countries during the pandemic, while also praising France and the UK, among others, for bringing major outbreaks of Covid-19 under control.

It came as Vladimir Putin, Russias president, said his country had become the first in the world to grant regulatory approval to a Covid-19 vaccine after less than two months of human testing.

Mr Putin said one of his two adult daughters had already been inoculated with the vaccine, which he described as effective, but experts urged caution over a lack of publicly-available evidence backing the approval.

Danny Altmann, a professor of immunology at Imperial College London, said there had been little detail so far about the Russian vaccine candidate.

The bar is necessarily set very high for criteria that must be satisfied for approval after Phase 3 clinical trials Mr Altmann said.

The collateral damage from release of any vaccine that was less than safe and effective would exacerbate our current problems insurmountably.

Additional reporting by agencies
The coming years could be exciting for Bandhan Bank, IDBI Bank, IDFC First Bank, Federal Bank, and CSB Bank, reports Hamsini Karthik.

Photograph: Rupak De Chowdhuri/Reuters

Apart from being mid-cap banking stocks, the common link between Bandhan Bank, IDBI Bank, IDFC First Bank, Federal Bank, and CSB Bank is that they have undergone a sea-change in the past two years.

While for IDBI Bank and IDFC First, their new managements have forced them to course correct, in the case of CSB, the need to reinvent may have been for existential reasons.

Notably, on a cumulative basis, slippages have come down for these banks in each of the last five quarters, and so have their non-performing assets (NPAs) ratio.

Also, in the wake of a steep fall in valuations, these stocks seem favourably positioned for investors having a three-five year horizon.

The caveat: Given economic uncertainty and lack of clarity on moratorium book for the banking industry, the next couple of quarters may be volatile, for both bank stocks and their financials.

Bandhan Bank

From a microfinance lender to a comprehensive bank, the acquisition of Gruh Finance has shortened the duration of Bandhan Bank's diversification exercise.

There's a scope for introducing more products and if the bank utilises the Covid-19 pandemic to its advantage in terms of reaching out to its customers in the hinterlands, steady year-on-year (YoY) growth of 30 per cent is achievable, according to analysts' consensus.

A note by foreign research house Bernstein says Bandhan is among the best in serving rural needs.

IDBI Bank

With two successive quarters of net profit and a provision converge ratio (PCR) of 94.71 per cent, legacy bad loans are gradually shrinking in its books.

Despite a 2.31 per cent YoY reduction in gross NPA ratio, at 26.81 per cent, the number is far from comforting.

However, the absolute net NPA figure has fallen from Rs 10,963 crore in June 2019 to Rs 4,474 crore in Q1FY21, and the net NPA ratio from 8.02 per cent to 3.55 per cent.

Placed under the prompt corrective action (PCA) framework, its lending activities remain restricted.

Hence, the NPA ratio may witness a material improvement only after PCA is lifted.

With the net interest margin (NIM) steadily improving (2.81 per cent in Q1FY21 versus 2.13 per cent a year ago) and deposits gaining traction, IDBI Bank, with Life Insurance Corporation of India as its promoter holding 51 per cent, appears attractive, provided it remains committed to the retailisation theme.

IDFC First Bank

True to its Managing Director & CEO V Vaidyanathan's commitment of repositioning the bank from a wholesale to retail lender, IDFC First Bank has been successful in shedding its legacy loans, recalibrating its deposits and loans to granular retail portfolios from wholesale ones.

Despite offering high interest on retail deposits, the bank is able to expand its profitability or NIM with each passing quarter.

Q1's 4.53 per cent, as against 3.01 per cent last year, suggests success in marrying its retail offerings under the erstwhile Capital First canvas into the banking fold, without compromising on the quality.

Analysts at ICICI Securities say the share of low-cost current account, savings account (CASA) and retail term deposits should account for 50 per cent of the bank's borrowings in the medium term.

Federal Bank

From being a south-centric bank, its gradual elevation as a pan-Indian outfit makes Federal Bank an exciting theme.

Some of its stronghold segments, such as gold financing and loans to small and medium enterprises (SME), are slowly gaining traction in the north Indian markets which should aid growth in the bank's expansion phase.

Entry into segments, such as vehicle loans and housing loans, is also positive.

Given the bank's past experiences in combating asset quality pressures, particularly in the SME space, and near-zero slippage in Q1 (barring Rs 190 crore set aside for a corporate loan account classified as fraud), analysts at Prabhudas Lilladher say the bank is building balance sheet strength.

CSB Bank

Trading way below its listing price of Rs 307 apiece, the stock may be best suited for those with a high-risk appetite.

With 30 per cent of the book originated by gold loans and over 60 per cent from Kerala, the bank has a long way to go in terms of geographic and product diversification.

Yet, Prem Watsa-backed Fairfax holding over 49 per cent stake in the bank and the recent induction of Mumbai-based banker, Pralay Mondal, to head its retail and SME operations instill hope.

The steady cleaning up of books and the net NPA ratio falling from 2.27 per cent in FY19 to 1.91 per cent in FY20 bodes well.

Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff.com
In this article we are going to estimate the intrinsic value of Dart Group PLC (LON:DTG) by taking the expected future cash flows and discounting them to their present value. We will use the Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model on this occasion. Models like these may appear beyond the comprehension of a lay person, but they're fairly easy to follow.

Companies can be valued in a lot of ways, so we would point out that a DCF is not perfect for every situation. Anyone interested in learning a bit more about intrinsic value should have a read of the Simply Wall St analysis model.

See our latest analysis for Dart Group

Is Dart Group fairly valued?

We use what is known as a 2-stage model, which simply means we have two different periods of growth rates for the company's cash flows. Generally the first stage is higher growth, and the second stage is a lower growth phase. To start off with, we need to estimate the next ten years of cash flows. Where possible we use analyst estimates, but when these aren't available we extrapolate the previous free cash flow (FCF) from the last estimate or reported value. We assume companies with shrinking free cash flow will slow their rate of shrinkage, and that companies with growing free cash flow will see their growth rate slow, over this period. We do this to reflect that growth tends to slow more in the early years than it does in later years.

Generally we assume that a dollar today is more valuable than a dollar in the future, and so the sum of these future cash flows is then discounted to today's value:

10-year free cash flow (FCF) forecast

2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 Levered FCF (, Millions) -UK430.6m -UK201.0m UK72.0m UK175.0m UK196.0m UK211.0m UK223.1m UK232.9m UK240.9m UK247.5m Growth Rate Estimate Source Analyst x2 Analyst x1 Analyst x1 Analyst x1 Analyst x1 Est @ 7.66% Est @ 5.73% Est @ 4.38% Est @ 3.43% Est @ 2.77% Present Value (, Millions) Discounted @ 8.5% -UK396.7 -UK170.6 UK56.3 UK126 UK130 UK129 UK126 UK121 UK115 UK109

("Est" = FCF growth rate estimated by Simply Wall St)

Present Value of 10-year Cash Flow (PVCF) = UK345m

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After calculating the present value of future cash flows in the initial 10-year period, we need to calculate the Terminal Value, which accounts for all future cash flows beyond the first stage. The Gordon Growth formula is used to calculate Terminal Value at a future annual growth rate equal to the 5-year average of the 10-year government bond yield of 1.2%. We discount the terminal cash flows to today's value at a cost of equity of 8.5%.

Terminal Value (TV)= FCF 2030  (1 + g)  (r  g) = UK248m (1 + 1.2%)  (8.5% 1.2%) = UK3.4b

Present Value of Terminal Value (PVTV)= TV / (1 + r)10= UK3.4b ( 1 + 8.5%)10= UK1.5b

The total value, or equity value, is then the sum of the present value of the future cash flows, which in this case is UK1.9b. In the final step we divide the equity value by the number of shares outstanding. Compared to the current share price of UK7.9, the company appears a touch undervalued at a 24% discount to where the stock price trades currently. Remember though, that this is just an approximate valuation, and like any complex formula - garbage in, garbage out.

dcf

The assumptions

We would point out that the most important inputs to a discounted cash flow are the discount rate and of course the actual cash flows. If you don't agree with these result, have a go at the calculation yourself and play with the assumptions. The DCF also does not consider the possible cyclicality of an industry, or a company's future capital requirements, so it does not give a full picture of a company's potential performance. Given that we are looking at Dart Group as potential shareholders, the cost of equity is used as the discount rate, rather than the cost of capital (or weighted average cost of capital, WACC) which accounts for debt. In this calculation we've used 8.5%, which is based on a levered beta of 1.057. Beta is a measure of a stock's volatility, compared to the market as a whole. We get our beta from the industry average beta of globally comparable companies, with an imposed limit between 0.8 and 2.0, which is a reasonable range for a stable business.

Looking Ahead:

Whilst important, the DCF calculation ideally won't be the sole piece of analysis you scrutinize for a company. DCF models are not the be-all and end-all of investment valuation. Preferably you'd apply different cases and assumptions and see how they would impact the company's valuation. For instance, if the terminal value growth rate is adjusted slightly, it can dramatically alter the overall result. Why is the intrinsic value higher than the current share price? For Dart Group, we've put together three additional items you should consider:

Risks: To that end, you should be aware of the 5 warning signs we've spotted with Dart Group . Management:Have insiders been ramping up their shares to take advantage of the market's sentiment for DTG's future outlook? Check out our management and board analysis with insights on CEO compensation and governance factors. Other Solid Businesses: Low debt, high returns on equity and good past performance are fundamental to a strong business. Why not explore our interactive list of stocks with solid business fundamentals to see if there are other companies you may not have considered!

PS. The Simply Wall St app conducts a discounted cash flow valuation for every stock on the AIM every day. If you want to find the calculation for other stocks just search here.

This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.



Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com.
Two days after California prison officials in late May shipped busloads of prisoners from a coronavirus hot spot in Chino to San Quentin State Prison, Marin Countys top public health officer issued urgent guidance to the prisons leadership.

Dr. Matthew Willis had learned that the 122 prisoners werent tested for weeks before they were transferred on May 30. Unless they were radically sequestered from the native population, Willis warned, the prison was setting the stage for a major outbreak.

This advice  given in a June 1 conference call with acting San Quentin Warden Ron Broomfield and other high-ranking prison staffers  was the first in a series of public health recommendations to be issued and ultimately dismissed by prison officials, Willis said in a letter to a Marin County Superior Court judge and in an interview Tuesday with The Chronicle.

In the weeks that followed, Californias oldest prison would emerge as an epicenter for one of the largest COVID-19 outbreaks in the U.S., as the virus would go on to infect more than 2,400 prisoners and staff. Twenty-six men have died as a result, including Sgt. Gilbert Bobby Polanco and 12 men on Death Row.

Its extremely frustrating to watch this unfold from the margins, Willis told The Chronicle. Especially when its in your own county, and especially when its clear that the decision-making is not well informed.

Willis, an epidemiologist and internal medicine physician, would remain sidelined for weeks, with no authority to enforce health and safety guidelines. This was apparently due to a new prison policy that said state prisons are exempt from local health officers orders.

The State is not an entity under local health officers jurisdictions, and thus local health officer orders are not valid against the State, Jennifer Neill, the prisons general counsel, wrote in a June 5 letter to the public health officer in Kings County, where another outbreak had raged through Avenal State Prison.

Prison officials later forwarded this same letter to Willis.

This stance was a reversal of previous protocol, Willis told The Chronicle. Marin County public health officials have historically had influence over San Quentins health responses: Theyve successfully issued past orders on flu vaccines, and in 2015 the county required the prison to shut off its water during a Legionnaires disease outbreak.

Willis recounted his interactions with prison leadership in an Aug. 10 letter to Marin County Superior Court Judge Geoffrey Howard, who is presiding over a case of 54 consolidated petitions to release incarcerated people from San Quentin in light of the outbreak.

Despite Willis advice to isolate the Chino transfers until they tested negative for the virus, prison officials placed them in the same South Block unit as existing San Quentin men, where the facilitys open-facing cells allowed air droplets to circulate. Twenty-five of the men coming over from Chino tested positive for the coronavirus immediately upon arrival.

Even after the first cluster of cases was confirmed in South Blocks Badger unit, Willis said, the prison failed to take decisive actions that could have blocked the spread.

Willis said county health officials recommended the prison require all those inside San Quentin to wear masks, and that staff movement be restricted between different housing units. But the prison told county officials the latter wasnt feasible, he said.

Within weeks, the virus had invaded every unit on San Quentins campus and infected about two-thirds of the 3,400 confined men.

Asked to respond to concerns raised by Willis, including his comments that prison leadership ignored his advice to isolate incoming prisoners from Chino, state prison officials on Tuesday issued a statement saying they have implemented unprecented measures to address the COVID-19 outbreak at San Quentin including setting up a Unified Command that involved infectious disease and emergency management experts from various state agencies. They said there were 127 active cases of COVID-19 as of Tuesday with more than 2,000 resolved.

Willis said that traditionally, prison officials definition of safety is to ensure certain prison groups dont mix with others and that no one can escape.

It becomes more and more complex when youre trying to organize a system (to separate) infected inmates with non-infected inmates, he said. Those policies and procedures historically end up trumping the more basic biological realities.

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.

On June 3, the county health department recommended San Quentins leadership establish an incident commander with expertise in outbreak management at the facility, Willis letter states. Others, including Assemblyman Marc Levine, pushed for a command center as well.

That command center wasnt put in place until a month later, and only after a June 24 appeal from the Marin County Board of Supervisors to Gov. Gavin Newsom. Willis became a member of the incident command team upon its creation on July 3.

Willis has since commended the subsequent collaborations between public health and prison officials, saying they helped to level off the outbreak.

However, he stressed in his letter, San Quentin isnt in the clear.

Willis warned that the remaining 1,200 incarcerated people who avoided infection remain at risk, particularly San Quentins large demographic of older and medically vulnerable patients. The prisons overcrowding and under-resourced system, Willis said, amounts to a breeding ground for communicable diseases. He also noted people who already have been infected or gotten sick could potentially still get reinfected after they recover.

Most of the ongoing risk is attributable to factors that can, with concerted effort and resources, be addressed over time, but cannot be corrected in the short term, Willis wrote.

Willis said he wrote to Judge Howard not only on behalf of incarcerated people, but for the safety of the correctional staff and their families.

Obviously, it has a lot of political implications, Willis said. My goal is to recognize it as simply a matter of communicable disease control.

Megan Cassidy is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: megan.cassidy@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @meganrcassidy
CHICAGO, Aug. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- With strong momentum in its growing portfolio of life science companies, Paragon Biosciences announced the appointment of Kerensa Jimenez as the new chief executive officer of its capital markets group, Paragon Health Capital (PHC), a registered broker-dealer. With deep experience and a proven track record, Ms. Jimenez will spearhead all financings, mergers and acquisitions (M&A) advisory services, and capital planning for Paragon Biosciences' portfolio of innovative life science companies.

"Since 2017, Paragon Biosciences and its partners have invested or committed to invest more than $1 billion to build life science companies, and we expect ongoing investment of up to $500 million per year," said Jeff Aronin, founder, chairman and chief executive officer of Paragon Biosciences. "We have had the privilege of working closely with Kerensa for many years and believe her M&A and capital markets expertise will further enhance our capabilities as we continue on our mission of solving complex human and societal challenges by accelerating development of novel therapies and life science breakthroughs."

Ms. Jimenez brings more than 15 years of experience advising clients on M&A and financing transactions. Prior to joining Paragon Health Capital, she served as managing director of Octagon Capital Group, a top-tier merchant bank that has led numerous transactions for Paragon portfolio companies over the past several years. Earlier in her career, Ms. Jimenez was a director at Farlie Turner, a middle market investment bank, where she provided M&A advisory services to private equity clients and business owners in the healthcare, consumer, energy, and business services sectors. She received a Bachelor of Science in economics from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School.

"Paragon Biosciences has an incredibly unique model to support focused, visionary companies with the long-term capital they need to further life science innovations including novel biopharmaceuticals, artificial intelligence-enabled life science products, and cutting-edge cell and gene therapies," said Ms. Jimenez. "I look forward to leading this important organization to support Paragon's rapid growth."

About Paragon Health Capital

Paragon Health Capital (PHC), a registered broker-dealer, raises long-term capital from best-in-class partners to advance life changing companies from Series A to pre-IPO. PHC also provides portfolio companies with buy-side and sell-side M&A advisory services. Paragon Health Capital is wholly owned by Paragon Biosciences.

About Paragon Biosciences

Paragon is a life science innovator that creates, invests in and builds life science companies in artificial intelligence, cell and gene therapy, synthetic biology and biopharmaceuticals. The company's current portfolio includes Castle Creek Biosciences, Emalex Biosciences, Evozyne, Harmony Biosciences, Qlarity Imaging, Skyline Biosciences, and a consistent flow of incubating companies created and supported by the replicable Paragon Innovation Capital model. Paragon stands at the intersection of human need, life science, and company creation. For more information, please visit https://paragonbiosci.com/.

Media Contacts:

Evelyn M. O'Connor

Paragon Biosciences

312-847-1335

[email protected]

Adam Daley

Berry & Company Public Relations

212-253-8881

[email protected]

SOURCE Paragon Biosciences

Related Links

https://paragonbiosci.com


Radio workers were unable to reach an agreement with the Ukrainian Music Alliance (UMA) on royalty tariffs for the use of music works and phonograms. Representatives of the Radio Committee note that tariffs must be based on economic justification and that the formula for calculating royalties proposed by the UMA is unacceptable - it does not take into account the criteria provided for by law.

"Furthermore, during the negotiations (with UMA  editors note) it was said that the tariffs will be revised every year. For the radio business, as for any business, predictability is important. And in this case, we cannot predict how tariffs will change," said Oleg Solimchuk, National Media Association (NAM) lawyer, Radio Committee partner.

During the quarantine, UMA sent letters to radio workers demanding to sign a contract with them by May 15. According to Oleg Solimchuk, the letters were written in the form of an ultimatum and contained several provisions that contradict the law or cannot be implemented. For example, UMA offers a monthly fee, but radio stations make annual reports and the monthly accounting is an additional burden on business. Several provisions of the document require an interference in commercial activity.

Interestingly, UMA requested information about all authors of all musical works that were used on the air, .Such information should be in an automated system, which should have been implemented by the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade of Ukraine, but has not yet done so. The system is still only on paper.

Earlier, the Consumer Electronics Committee of the European Business Association, which represents importers of equipment and electronics, noted that the increase of private copying levy offered by the Ukrainian Music Alliance will increase the cost of equipment for end-users and make the business of official importers even more non-competitive. "It is important to negotiate in a normal manner to find a fair and logical solution. After all, the format proposed earlier was not constructive and did not allow business representatives to fully participate in the negotiation process. It is not permissible to implement additional unjustified levies for manufacturers and consumers in a rush, especially during the current economic crisis and a sharp decrease in the purchasing power of Ukrainians, - the EBA commented on the format of negotiations with UMA amid lockdown.

The UMA collective management organization was established by phonogram producers and accredited by the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade of Ukraine to collect royalties from TV channels, radio, importers and electronics manufacturers. On July 30, 2020, the Sixth Administrative Court of Appeal declared illegal and revoked the decision of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine of August 14, 2019  696. This decision of the Cabinet of Ministers amended the previously adopted regulatory acts, which regulated the payment of royalties in various areas before enactment the Law of Ukraine "On effective management of property rights of copyright holders in the field of copyright and (or) related rights" and which were adopted in 2003.

"In fact, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine approved temporary tariffs, without making any calculations, in particular: economic justification of tariffs, their compliance with economic indicators in 2019 and the impact of such temporary tariffs on economic activities of business entities that fall under the regulatory influence of the contested decision." - it is said in the court decision.
Oman Ministry of Housing has transferred a total of 1,514 land plots and real estate properties in the name of its citizens over the last two years starting from November 2018 in different governorates across the sultanate, reported ONA.

The move comes ollowing a royal decree which bans non-Omanis' ownership of land plots and properties in certain areas.

As per the Housing Ministry data, the lion's share of the transferred land plots and properties (748) were in Al Buraimi Governorate, followed by 297 in ADhahira Governorate; 228 in North Al Batinah Governorate; 170 in Musandam Governorate; 67 in Al Wusta Governorate, 3 in Dhofar Governorate (excluding Salalah) and one in Masira Island, said the report.

The ministry has set November as the deadline for execution of legal action as per the two statutes on transfer of title deeds of properties to Omanis, it added.
Six student activists from Delhi University were booked for unlawful protests and not following social distancing norms on Wednesday by holding a demonstration at Delhi Universitys Faculty of Arts while demanding the release of DU professor Hany Babu who was arrested last month in the 2018 Bhima Koregaon violence case.

Babu, a 54-year-old associate professor of English, was arrested by the National Investigation Agency in Mumbai on July 28.

Students Federation of India (SFI) along with other progressive organisations protested at Arts Faculty, Delhi University demanding the release of Professor Hany Babu.The peaceful protest was met with severe hostility by Delhi Police. Students are being curbed from exercising their democratic right to protest, SFI said in a statement.

But police said around 10-12 students gathered at Arts Faculty on Wednesday afternoon to protest and were told that this was not allowed in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic and prohibitory orders under section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.

The students kept on protesting despite several requests and have been apprehended for violation of order under section 144 CrPC. A case under section 188 of Indian Penal Code, 3 Epidemic Disease Act and 51/57 DM Act is being registered against them, deputy commissioner of police (north) Monika Bhardwaj said.
He refuted the information that he had been served with charge papers.

Head of Kyiv's District Administrative Court (OASK) Pavlo Vovk has responded to reports that he has been put by the National Anti-corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) on the wanted list.

"I am in Ukraine, I am not hiding from anyone. I think NABU has not forgotten the court's address yet. (Of course, they have not forgotten, they visit us once a year)," he wrote on Facebook on August 12.

Vovk added he was ready to come for interrogation. He refuted the information that he had been served with charge papers.

"Neither I, nor my colleagues are suspects in the case, and the conduct of investigative actions with us in this status, as well as the use of any criminal procedural measures, obviously indicates violations of the law by NABU," he added.

Judge Vovk, OASK probe  background

On July 26, 2019, records of wiretapped communications were published on NABU's website, pointing to the unlawful interference of judges of Kyiv's District Administrative Court in the work of the High Qualification Commission of Judges. It included creating obstacles to the qualification assessment of judges of the said court for compliance with the position held. During the vetting, it is not only the level of professional skills that is checked, but also the origin of the judges' assets and their involvement in corruption scandals.

On the same day, NABU raided the court's premises. Serhiy Horbatiuk of the Prosecutor General's Office (PGO) said that the unlawful influence of the District Administrative Court of Kyiv was recorded on decision-making by the Constitutional Court, the High Qualification Commission of Judges, the High Council of Justice, as well as the impact on Ukraine's ministries, departments, and the State Bureau of Investigation.

Read alsoUkraine State Judicial Administration, Kyiv District Administrative Court's heads served with charge papers  NABU

On August 2, 2019, the PGO filed charges against Chair Pavlo Vovk, judges Yevhen Ablov and Ihor Pohribnychenko, as well as a judge of the Suvorov district court of Odesa, Ivan Shepitko, all of whom appear in the NABU wiretaps.

In November, the then Prosecutor General Ruslan Riaboshapka said the investigation targeting Vovk had been completed and the case had been forwarded to court.

However, the High Council of Justice dismissed the prosecutor general's motion to deprive Vovk of the functions of administering justice in connection with the ongoing criminal proceeding targeting him.

On January 21, 2020, Vovk was re-elected as Chairman of the District Administrative Court of Kyiv.

On July 17, 2020, searches were held at the OASK premises in Kyiv, as well as in the State Judicial Administration.

Later, NABU detectives pressed charges against OASK chief Pavlo Vovk, his deputy Yevhen Ablov, five judges, and head of the State Judicial Administration Zenoviy Kholodniuk.

NABU went on to report that charge papers were being drafted targeting another four individuals involved.

According to the Special Anti-corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO), the investigation targets a 12-strong criminal organization, led by the OASK chairman, who aimed to seize state power by establishing control over the High Qualification Commission of Judges of Ukraine, the High Council of Justice, and by creating artificial obstacles in their work.

SAPO claims that this criminal organization issued wrongful rulings serving the interests of its members, as well as in the interests of the political and business elite.

Later, Vovk and Kholodniuk claimed they had not received the charge papers.

On August 11, NABU put on the list of wanted persons seven defendants in the case of the alleged power seizure conspiracy by the leadership of Kyiv's District Administrative Court who the agency believes grabbed control of the High Qualification Commission of Judges.
AJ Cartas

Syzygy Social

Syzygy Social

Los Angeles, USA, Aug. 12, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Chinas population is vast, just short of 1.5 billion people. To put that in context, around 4  times bigger than that of the US. Their spending power as a country is tremendous, and every brand and marketer in the west would like to take advantage of that potential, but few understand how. One entrepreneur that has cracked the code is AJ Cartas.

Cartas is a first-generation immigrant from the Philippines, who moved to the US as a 7-year-old. He attended College of Lake County in Grayslake, Illinois, before moving to Carthage College in Kenosha, Wisconsin in 2015 to study Communications. Like many hi-tech movers and shakers, he dropped out of college and moved to Silicon Valley to begin his career in social media.

It didnt take long for him to find his feet in this fast-moving environment, and his social media skills and ability to spot and work with influencers soon became recognized. As he worked as the Director of Social Media for ByteDance, he noticed an increasing desire for Western brands to reach Chinese consumers. He is also bringing international brands to markets here in the US and educating them on how to create and launch impactful social media campaigns.

As you may imagine, the Chinese consumer economy is also bigger than the USs. In fact, while our Black Friday event brings in around $7 billion each year, the Chinese equivalent (known as Singles Day), produced over $40 billion in 2018. Cartas knew he had to be the man to bridge the gap.

Cartas founded Syzygy Social, an agency designed to aid Western brands in their efforts to mesh with Chinese consumers. Social media campaigns utilizing influencers, both aspects of which Cartas understands intuitively, are the most potent weapon in the agencys arsenal. Especially since he personally had over 1 million followers at the peak of his social media career.

Of course, Cartass success hasnt simply come from spotting the right opportunity at the right time, its also a result of a fundamental understanding of Chinese culture and the way they interact with social media. We all know that the way social media works in China is completely different to here in the west, so you need an expert on your side if youre going to see real results.

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So, if youre a Western brand looking to enter the Chinese market, Cartas and his team at Syzygy Social should be your first and only consideration. Cartas is currently leading social media and rebranding for Kuaishou, Zynns parent company.

Zynn is a California-based, short-form, video-sharing social networking platform, so the knowledge and expertise Cartas can bring to the table from this work cannot be underestimated. Zynn was launched on May 7, this year, and is likely to become a serious player as a Chinese social media platform.

Cartas is a young, passionate, and open entrepreneur that has a sense of humor that makes him magnetic to listen to. Of course, with all this experience he also has a substantial amount to bring to the table, and speaks with authority and proven knowledge. He knows what Western companies need to do to make their brands big in China and connect with that massive and still a largely untapped market globally.

AJ Cartas is an exceedingly inspirational college dropout-turned entrepreneur, and even if you dont yet have a brand big enough to need Syzygys services, hes certainly worth following.

You can find more from him on his Instagram @aj.cartas and is author of the binge-worthy read, Start-Ups & Downs, which you can get here. Of course, if youre ready to tackle the Chinese market, make sure you get in touch with Syzygy as soon as possible. Also, if youre looking to partner with a non-profit that advocates for equality, check out his non-profit, Our Damn Time.



Media Contact Information:

Name: AJ Cartas

Company Name: Syzygy Social

Website: https://www.syzygy.social/

Email: pr@syzygy.social





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NEW YORK/WASHINGTON President Donald Trumps executive order banning Chinas TikTok could prevent U.S. app stores from offering the popular short-video app and make advertising on the platform illegal, according to a White House document seen by Reuters.

Trump signed an order last week prohibiting transactions with TikTok if its parent ByteDance does not reach a deal to divest it in 45 days. It did not specify the scope of the ban, stating only that the U.S. Department of Commerce would define which transactions would be barred at the end of the 45-day period.

The White House document, sent out to supporters last week, provides insight into the Trump administrations thinking. It shows the U.S. government is considering disrupting key aspects of TikToks operations and funding, amid concerns over the safety of personal data that the app handles.

Prohibited transactions may include, for example, agreements to make the TikTok app available on app stores  purchasing advertising on TikTok, and accepting terms of service to download the TikTok app onto a user device," the document states.

A source familiar with the White House document verified its authenticity. TikTok did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Some technology industry experts said eliminating TikToks ability to be offered on Apple Inc and Google owner Alphabet Incs app stores, which in turn allow it to be downloaded on iPhone and Android smartphones, could cripple the apps growth.

That kills TikTok in the U.S," said James Lewis, a cyber security expert with the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies. If they want to grow, these rules are a huge obstacle."

He added, though, that the U.S. government may not be able to prevent Americans from downloading TikTok from foreign websites.

Apple and Alphabet did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Following Trumps executive order last week, TikTok told advertisers it would continue to honor planned ad campaigns, refund any that it cannot fulfill, and work with major influencers to migrate to other platforms in the event of a ban. Some advertisers told Reuters they were drafting contingency plans and considering other apps for their marketing.

It is not clear whether Trumps order will be implemented. Microsoft Corp has been leading negotiations to acquire the North America, Australia and New Zealand operations of TikTok under the supervision of the Trump administration. A successful deal would make banning transactions with TikTok moot.

The White House document seen by Reuters is not clear on whether the United States would implement a similar crackdown on WeChat, the social media app owned by Chinas Tencent Holdings Ltd that Trump also sought to ban in an executive order on last week.

TikTok, which has said is exploring legal challenges to Trumps order, has 100 million active users in the United States, and is especially popular with teenagers. It has said U.S. user data is safely stored in the United States and Singapore, and that it would not hand over such information to the Chinese government.

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Wrestler-turned-movie star Dwayne Johnson clung to the top slot on the list of the world's highest-paid male actors for a second straight year, according to an annual tally released by Forbes magazine on Tuesday.

Johnson, also known by his ring name 'The Rock', earned $87.5 million from June 1, 2019 to June 1, 2020, Forbes said, including $23.5 million from Netflix Inc to star in movie thriller "Red Notice." He also benefited from his 'Project Rock' fitness wear line for Under Armour Inc.

Ryan Reynolds, who co-stars with Johnson in "Red Notice," came in second in the Forbes ranking of male stars. He earned $20 million for that film, plus another $20 million for Netflix movie "Six Underground," the magazine said, part of his $71.5 million total for the one-year period.

Actor and producer Mark Wahlberg, star of Netflix action comedy "Spenser Confidential," finished third with $58 million. Next on the list were actors Ben Affleck with $55 million and Vin Diesel with $54 million.

Akshay Kumar, the only Bollywood star in the top 10, landed in sixth place with earnings of $48.5 million. Most of his income came from product endorsements, Forbes said.

Rounding out the list were "Hamilton" creator Lin-Manuel Miranda, actors Will Smith and Adam Sandler, and martial-arts star Jackie Chan.

The figures are pre-tax and do not include deductions for fees given to agents, managers and lawyers, Forbes said.

The magazine releases a separate list of highest-paid actresses.

Also Read: 8 marquee funds among top 10 investors in HDFC's Rs 10,000 cr equity offering

Also Read: Coronavirus update: India records 60,963 new cases, 834 deaths; tally surges to 23,29,639
HONG KONG, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- A total of 42 pro-establishment members of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Legislative Council (LegCo) issued a joint statement on Tuesday, supporting the decision of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC) for the sixth Legislative Council (LegCo) of the HKSAR to continue discharging duties.

The decision was passed on Tuesday at the 21st session of the Standing Committee of the 13th National People's Congress.

The decision has reflected NPC Standing Committee's full consideration of the current special situation of Hong Kong society and the respect for the opinions of the HKSAR government, said the joint statement.

This arrangement, which is legal and reasonable, is based entirely on the needs of epidemic prevention and will help Hong Kong society to decrease wrangling and concentrate on the anti-epidemic work, it added.

The statement also called for all members of the LegCo to put people's well-being first and ensure the effective operation of the LegCo, so as to help Hong Kong out of its predicament.
The People's National Congress (PNC), National Youth Organiser, Awudu Ishaq, has blamed the partys leader, Dr. Edward Mahama, for the perceived struggles in the party.

Speaking on Eyewitness News, Mr. Ishaq said the five-time flagbearers leadership has not translated into anything positive for the PNC.

What I know is that Dr. Mahama has not worked as the leader of this party to bring the party together.

He recalled that Mr. Mahama had fought for the current arrangement within the party that gave him leadership in the party, but only for his own interest.

When we were campaigning ahead of that particular congress [in 2016], that was the only thing Hassan Ayariga and Dr. Edward Mahama agreed on; that particular amendment [making flagbearer leader of the party]. They just wanted power unto themselves.

Since then, Mr. Ishaq says Dr. Mahama has been reneging on his duties as leader.

As I speak now, the party constitution mandates the national executive committee to meet at least twice in a year. That translates into every six months. We are in August [2020], we have not had a national executive committee meeting yet. Anytime proposals are made, anytime people make calls for him to call for a NEC meeting, he shoots it down and says he is not available, Mr. Ishaq claimed further.

The PNC executive further expressed regret for having backed Dr. Mahamas appointment as Ghanas Ambassador-at-Large under the Akufo-Addo administration.

Some of us supported him thinking that he could use that particular position to, as it were, push the agenda of the PNC forward.

As it stands, Mr. Ishaq said it is only the National Womens Organiser of the PNC who remains on good terms with Mr. Mahama.

Every other person has fallen out with him.

He is adamant that once Dr. Mahama is out of the way, the PNC would get united.

The PNC expects to go to congress sometime in September and a former Bolgatanaga East MP, David Apasara, an importer Samson Asaaki Awingobit and Rev Samuel Adjei Debrah, an economist, are running for the flagbearer position.

---citinewsroom
Edison, NJ -- (SBWIRE) -- 08/12/2020 -- The Latest research study released by HTF MI "Global Frozen Ready Meals Market" with 100+ pages of analysis on business Strategy taken up by key and emerging industry players and delivers know how of the current market development, landscape, technologies, drivers, opportunities, market viewpoint and status. Understanding the segments helps in identifying the importance of different factors that aid the market growth. Some of the Major Companies covered in this Research are ConAgra, Fleury Michon, Kraft Heinz, Nestle, Unilever, 2 Sisters Food Group, Ajinomoto, Amy's Kitchen, Europastry, Findus Group, Frosta, General Mills, Greencore Group, Iceland Foods, LDC Sable, Iglo Group, JBS, Kellogg, Kerry, Maple Leaf Foods, McCain, Nichirei Foods, Pinnacle Foods, Sanquan Food & The Schwan Food etc.



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The global impacts of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have significantly affecting the Infrastructure in overall market in 2020. The outbreak of COVID-19 has brought effects on many aspects, like flight cancellations; travel bans and quarantines; restaurants closed; all indoor events restricted; over forty countries state of emergency declared; massive slowing of the supply chain; stock market volatility; falling business confidence, growing panic among the population, and uncertainty about future. Know more with latest edition of Global Frozen Ready Meals Market Study; Early buyers will receive 20% customization free on report



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On the basis of report- titled segments and sub-segment of the market are highlighted below:

Global Frozen Ready Meals Market By Application/End-User (Value and Volume from 2019 to 2025) : Super Market, On-line Shop, Retail, Other



Market By Type (Value and Volume from 2019 to 2025) : , Beef meals, Chicken meals, Frozen pizza & Frozen vegetarian meals



Global Frozen Ready Meals Market by Key Players: ConAgra, Fleury Michon, Kraft Heinz, Nestle, Unilever, 2 Sisters Food Group, Ajinomoto, Amy's Kitchen, Europastry, Findus Group, Frosta, General Mills, Greencore Group, Iceland Foods, LDC Sable, Iglo Group, JBS, Kellogg, Kerry, Maple Leaf Foods, McCain, Nichirei Foods, Pinnacle Foods, Sanquan Food & The Schwan Food

Geographically, this report is segmented into some key Regions, with manufacture, depletion, revenue (million USD), and market share and growth rate of Frozen Ready Meals in these regions, from 2012 to 2022 (forecast), covering China, USA, Europe, Japan, Korea, India, Southeast Asia & South America and its Share (%) and CAGR for the forecasted period 2019 to 2025.



Informational Takeaways from the Market Study: The report Frozen Ready Meals matches the completely examined and evaluated data of the noticeable companies and their situation in the market considering impact of Coronavirus. The measured tools including SWOT analysis, Porter's five powers analysis, and assumption return debt were utilized while separating the improvement of the key players performing in the market.



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Some of the important question for stakeholders and business professional for expanding their position in the Global Frozen Ready Meals Market :

Q 1. Which Region offers the most rewarding open doors for the market Ahead of 2020?

Q 2. What are the business threats and Impact of COVID scenario Over the market Growth and Estimation?

Q 3. What are probably the most encouraging, high-development scenarios for Frozen Ready Meals movement showcase by applications, types and regions?

Q 4.What segments grab most noteworthy attention in Frozen Ready Meals Market in 2019 and beyond?

Q 5. Who are the significant players confronting and developing in Frozen Ready Meals Market?



For More Information Read Table of Content @: https://www.htfmarketreport.com/reports/2760726-2015-2025-global-frozen-ready-meals-market-research-by-type-end-use-and-region



Key poles of the TOC:

Chapter 1 Global Frozen Ready Meals Market Business Overview

Chapter 2 Major Breakdown by Type [, Beef meals, Chicken meals, Frozen pizza & Frozen vegetarian meals]

Chapter 3 Major Application Wise Breakdown (Revenue & Volume)

Chapter 4 Manufacture Market Breakdown

Chapter 5 Sales & Estimates Market Study

Chapter 6 Key Manufacturers Production and Sales Market Comparison Breakdown

..

Chapter 8 Manufacturers, Deals and Closings Market Evaluation & Aggressiveness

Chapter 9 Key Companies Breakdown by Overall Market Size & Revenue by Type

..

Chapter 11 Business / Industry Chain (Value & Supply Chain Analysis)

Chapter 12 Conclusions & Appendix



Thanks for reading this article; you can also get individual chapter wise section or region wise report version like North America, Europe or Asia.



About HTF Market Report

HTF Market Report is a wholly owned brand of HTF market Intelligence Consulting Private Limited. HTF Market Report global research and market intelligence consulting organization is uniquely positioned to not only identify growth opportunities but to also empower and inspire you to create visionary growth strategies for futures, enabled by our extraordinary depth and breadth of thought leadership, research, tools, events and experience that assist you for making goals into a reality. Our understanding of the interplay between industry convergence, Mega Trends, technologies and market trends provides our clients with new business models and expansion opportunities. We are focused on identifying the "Accurate Forecast" in every industry we cover so our clients can reap the benefits of being early market entrants and can accomplish their "Goals & Objectives".
The U.S. government has given the military permission to offer a big part of its airwaves to private companies to expand the countrys 5G wireless network system. Technology experts see the decision as an effort to keep up with other countries - notably China - in the race to deploy nationwide 5G.

5G is the next generation of high-speed wireless technology for the world. Experts say the system is expected to bring much higher internet speeds and reduce latency, or delays, in wireless processing operations.

Currently, 5G service remains limited in the United States. And most wireless devices now in use do not work with 5G. U.S. sales of 5G smartphones made up less than 1 percent of all devices in 2019, a report by market research company NPD estimated.

However, major U.S. wireless carriers are working to deploy the technology to as much of America as possible.

A June report by the Congressional Research Service noted that the U.S. had less available airwave capacity for 5G development as other countries. It said this is because the U.S. military controls so many of the usable frequencies necessary for 5G technology.

Mobile phones get signals from nearby radio transmitters that permit the devices to connect to frequencies to make calls and send data.

The 5G system will use three different forms, or bands, of what is called the electromagnetic spectrum. This spectrum is divided into high-band, mid-band and low-band.

Much of the 5G investment in the U.S. has centered on the high-band frequency  the one offering the fastest data speeds. But tests have shown that these high-band waves do not travel far and are blocked by physical barriers. This makes the high-band a poor choice for areas outside of big American cities.

China, by comparison, has been investing heavily in 5G networks using the less-costly middle and lower bands.

The Trump administration decision, announced Monday, permits frequencies on the militarys mid-band spectrum to be shared with telecommunication businesses.

The Federal Communications Commission, or FCC, will be able to auction 100 megahertz of this spectrum to major companies like Verizon, T-Mobile and AT&T, beginning in December 2021. The spectrum could be available for use as soon as mid-2022.

U.S. officials say the mid-band is good for 5G because the waves can travel long distances at fast speeds, possibly connecting more U.S. areas to 5G networks.

The mid-band spectrum currently supports important military operations such as air defense, missile and gunfire control, battlefield weapon locations and air traffic control, said Dana Deasy, chief information officer for the Department of Defense.

Deasy noted concerns about sharing the military spectrum with private companies. But, he said the Department of Defense was creating a spectrum changeover plan that would limit any effects on military operations.

Michael Kratsios is the Trump administrations chief technology officer. He told reporters the mid-band was identified because it can be made available without sacrificing our nations great military and national security capabilities.

Michael ORielly, an FCC commissioner, sent President Donald Trump a letter in April urging him to help persuade the military to free some of its frequencies.

ORielly wrote in the letter that the U.S. needed to act fast, especially when competitors such as China can move quickly to redirect frequencies using all the resources and power of its centralized, Communist system.

The president of wireless industry group CTIA, Meredith Attwell Baker, welcomed the announcement in a statement. Opening up the mid-band spectrum for private operations will enhance U.S. competitiveness in the build out of 5G technology, Baker said.

Im Bryan Lynn.

Bryan Lynn wrote this for VOA Learning English, based on reports from The Associated Press, Reuters and VOA News. Caty Weaver was the editor.

We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page.

Quiz - US Military Offers Airwaves for 5G Commercial Use Start the Quiz to find out Start Quiz

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Words in This Story

capacity  n. the ability to do something : a mental, emotional, or physical ability

frequency  n. the rate at which a sound or radio wave is repeated

transmitter  n. a piece of equipment used to send out radio signals

spectrum  n. the range of frequencies of electromagnetic waves

auction  n. a sale in which things are sold to the person who offers the most money

enhance  v. to increase or improve something
The National Weather Service issued a heat advisory for Bexar County and its surrounding counties Wednesday until 7 p.m.

The NWS predicts temperatures will reach 104 degrees with a heat index of 110 degrees.

For San Antonio, NWS meteorologist Monte Oaks said temperatures shouldn't be more than 105 degrees this week. He does, however, expect another heat advisory to be issued for the area Thursday.

FIND OUT FIRST: Get San Antonio breaking news directly to your inbox

Oaks predicts the triple-digit weather will last until Sunday and said there is a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms on Monday.

Oaks said temperatures between the 100 to 105 mark typically occur during this time every year. The highest temperature recorded so far this year in San Antonio was 107 on July 13, which broke the previous record high temperature for the month, which was 106 degrees recorded in 1894 and then again in 1989.

San Antonio also has the potential to break or to match records this week:

Wednesday, Aug. 12: the expected temperature is 104. The record for today is 104 set in 1969.

Thursday, Aug. 13: the expected temperature is 103. The record for that day is 106 set in 1962.

Friday, Aug. 14: the expected temperature is 103. The record for that day is 103 set in 2013.

Saturday, Aug. 15: the expected temperature is 103. The record for that day is 102 set in 2013.

Sunday, Aug. 16: the expected temperature is 102. The record for that day is 103 set in 1969.

Oaks added temperatures are likely to decline later this week in San Antonio.

The NWS encourages all to stay hydrated and to stay out of the sun if possible. The department also said to take extra precautions if you work outside.

Priscilla Aguirre is a general assignment reporter for MySA.com | priscilla.aguirre@express-news.net | @CillaAguirre
Rev. Carl Franklin Murphy Reverend Carl Franklin Murphy, passed away peacefully with family by his side on Friday, August 7, 2020 in Wagoner at the age of 92, and went directly to his eternal home. He was born on September 6, 1927 in Grove, Oklahoma to his parents Charlie and Issie (Boyd) Murphy. He attended and graduated high school in Jay, Oklahoma. He then enlisted in the United States Army, and was later honorably discharged. After the Army, he attended and graduated from Okmulgee Technical School with his associates. He was offered a job at the school as an instructor, but passed it up because he felt very strongly that he was called to minister. He then ministered for over 55 years. The last twenty years of his full time ministry, was at the Wagoner Church of God, where he retired in 1997. After retirement, he continued to minister at surrounding churches that were in need of an interim minister, visited the sick and performed countless funeral and wedding services. His greatest joy was to help others and lead them to Christ. He enjoyed spending time with friends and family, taking long walks, going on scenic drives, watching westerns and eating his sweethearts brown beans, fried potatoes and cornbread. Carl will always be remembered by his family and friends as an exemplary model of what walking with Christ looks like. Carl was preceded in death by his parents Charlie and Issie Murphy, and his only sibling Leslie Murphy, who died in the Korean War. He is survived by his wife of 65 years, Nora Louise Murphy; Daughter, Carla Waits and husband Rick of Hulbert; Son, Steve Murphy and wife Kathy of Muskogee; Daughter, Lisa Watkins and husband Bobby of Edmond, his grandchildren and many other family members who are all going to miss him very much. You are invited to join us in celebrating the life of this amazing man, on Saturday August 15, 2020, at 2 p.m., at the Wagoner Church of God. Viewing will be from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. Wednesday through Friday. Family and friends will gather Friday evening 5-7 p.m. for a visitation at Mallett Funeral Home and Crematory.
Mr Trump told reporters at a White House briefing the California senator was very disrespectful to Joe Biden during the Democratic primaries.

"Its hard to pick somebody thats that disrespectful, he stressed.

The current president also noted that Ms Harris did very poorly when she ran for the nomination before dropping out in December.

Thats like a poll, he said.

Last month Mr Trump said she would be a fine choice.

Mr Biden, who spent eight years as president Barack Obamas vice president, has spent months weighing up who should take up the roll in his own campaign.

He pledged in March to select a woman as his vice president, easing frustration among Democrats that the presidential race would centre on two white men in their 70s.

Mr Bidens search was extensive, including Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren and former national security adviser to Barack Obama, Susan Rice.

A woman has never served as president or vice president in the US.

Two women have been nominated as running mates on major party tickets: Democrat Geraldine Ferraro in 1984 and Republican Sarah Palin in 2008.

Their party lost in the general election.

The vice presidential pick carries increased significance this year.

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If elected, Mr Biden would be 78 when he is inaugurated in January, the oldest man to ever assume the presidency.
On Tuesday evening, Luxembourgish police have issued a call for witnesses following the disappearance of a 14-year old teenage girl.

The 14-year old Oberwampach resident was reported missing by Luxembourgish authorities on Tuesday evening.

Her name is Rihana Philipps Hermes, she is 1.65 m tall, of normal stature, and has brown hair reaching down to her shoulders.

The girl was last seen at the railway station in Wiltz on 5 August 2020 and was supposed to return to her home last weekend.

Police ask anybody with information relevant to the case to step forward.

Authorities can be contacted by calling the police station in Troisvierges under the number 24 48 71 000 or the police's emergency hotline 113.
MEXICO CITY Mexico aims to conduct late-stage clinical trials for COVID-19 vaccines in development by Johnson & Johnson and two Chinese companies within months, the foreign minister said on Tuesday, adding that the goal was to secure access to the drugs.

Mexico has signed memorandums of understanding with J&J and Chinese companies CanSino Biologics Inc and Walvax Biotechnology Co Ltd, Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said at news conference.

Ebrard said the trials would start between September and January, depending on approval from Mexicos food and drug agency.

More than 150 vaccines are being developed and tested around the world to stop the COVID-19 pandemic, with 25 in human clinical trials, according to the World Health Organization.

Russia is the first country to approve a COVID-19 vaccine, which it named Sputnik V" for foreign markets, an official said on Tuesday.

Ebrard said a goal of taking part in trials was to ensure that Mexico has access to treatments and vaccines, a reminder of the growing anxiety in developing countries that they could be left behind in initial distribution of such drugs.

This is what worries President (Andres Manuel) Lopez Obrador, that we have it on time," Ebrard said.

Several other emerging markets in Asia and the Middle East have followed a similar strategy of vaccine diplomacy," consultancy Oxford Business Group highlighted in a report on Tuesday.

Mexico has already lobbied in world forums, including at the G20 group of nations and the United Nations, to secure equitable access for an eventual vaccine.

Large-scale, phase three human testing for the J&J unit Janssen Pharmaceuticals candidate could start in the second half of September, the company has previously said.

Johnson & Johnson kicked off early U.S. human safety trials in July after releasing details of a study in monkeys that showed its best-performing vaccine candidate offered strong protection in a single dose.

Walvaxs experimental vaccine is currently under early testing at a Chinese military research institute.

CanSino Biologics vaccine candidate is already in clinical trials. The company is also collaborating with Canadas National Research Council to pave the way" for future trials in Canada, the research council in May.

Latin Americas second largest economy has suffered more than 50,000 deaths from COVID-19, according to official data, making it the third country with the most deaths globally.

It ranks 13th adjusted for deaths per capita, according to the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

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WILTON  Turnout was light across the seven towns that make up the 26th state Senate District as many voters opted to cast absentee ballots for Tuesdays presidential primary. Because those ballots will not be fully counted until Thursday, results from Tuesdays machine vote wereD incomplete.

In the primary to choose the Republican candidate who will challenge Democratic incumbent Will Haskell for state Senate in November, the candidates are Kim Healy, of Wilton, who won the nomination at the Republican convention in May, and Will Duff, of Bethel, who chose to mount a challenge.

After polls closed Tuesday evening, results were slow to come in. As of 9:30 p.m., Duff had 1,194 votes to Healeys 1,181

Andrea Chalon (203)918-5588 / A. Chalon

Partial numbers from Bethel showed Duff leading Healy 491 to 168.

In Ridgefield, Healy bested Duff in the machine vote 371 to 317.

Few Republican voters turned out in Weston, with 62 casting votes for Healy and 58 for Duff.

In New Canaan, Healy received 395 votes to 113 for Duff.

Tallies from Westport and Wilton were not available.

Voters who came out to cast ballots in Wilton saw no issues with voting in person.

One voter said she turned out because its what Ive done for many, many years. I knew I would be well protected.

At the polls in Wilton, plexiglass barriers separated poll checkers from voters and voting booths were spread far apart. There was also one-way foot traffic with separate entrance and exit doors. Each voter was offered plastic gloves and a fresh pen with which to mark their ballot.

Another voter shrugged when asked why he chose to vote in person. Its what I always do. It was fine. I do the shopping and I do the voting.

One woman said she wanted to make sure my vote counted. The president doesnt want absentee voting. Im just executing my rights.

Another woman felt very strongly about voting in person. You can go to Walmart and all these other places. You can come vote, she said.

The candidates will now wait for the official results.

Healy lives in Wilton and has a background in accounting. She says one of her priorities, if elected, is getting the states financial books in order, especially as they relate to unfunded pension liabilities. She also wants to keep zoning local and help businesses recover from the coronavirus pandemic.

Healy, who volunteers in a number o capacities in Wilton, described herself as a high-energy newcomers to the political stage from Fairfield County who could no longer sit on the sidelines.

Duff, who lives in Bethel, said he would his attention on local control of schools and zoning, and supporting law enforcement. A political veteran, he has served as a state representative, a member of the Board of Selectman and Board of Education, which gives him, he said, a much better understanding of the pressures exerted by Hartford on our towns and school districts.
Parents are facing back-to-school costs of up to 1,500 per child with more than a quarter falling into debt to pay the bills.

With parents still unsure whether their children will be able to return to school as normal due to Covid-19, the annual survey of back-to-school costs by the Irish League of Credit Unions (ILCU) has also found that 22% of parents are facing into the new term with reduced income due to the pandemic.

The ILCU found the overall spend on school items for primary school students now stands at 1,123, up 174 from last year. In secondary schools, parents' average spend is 1,467, up 68.

The survey found 27% of parents are getting into debt to cover the costs. While this figure is down from 36% in 2019, the average debt parents find themselves in has increased by 40 from 357 to 397. Of those falling into the red, more than 81% have debts of over 200 with more than a quarter of these having debts of over 500.

The top expense is after school care for parents of primary school children, which increased from 117 in 2019 to an average of 200 this year, and books for second-level parents at 196, down slightly from 220 last year.

Voluntary contributions for primary schools have increased by 25% to an average of 110 per child, with secondary school contributions remaining at an average of 140, the survey found.

Over two-thirds of parents use their general monthly income to meet back to school costs, while an increasing number one in five  reported using a credit card this year. A further third said they dipped into savings, while 6% took out a credit union loan, and 3% turned to moneylenders to find the funds.

Two-thirds of parents surveyed said covering back to school costs was a financial burden and schools do not do enough to help parents keep costs down.

The survey of 948 parents in June also highlighted Covid-19 concerns among parents, with 22% reporting a reduction in household income and 21% citing extra food costs when homeschooling as the biggest effect on household finances since the pandemic struck.

Almost half of parents said they would carefully consider what measures are in place before deciding whether to send their children back to school.

If schools do not reopen or only partially reopen, 38% said they do not have the necessary resources for homeschooling, such as educational resources and materials.

Director of the National Parents Council Post Primary, Sean ORiordan, said more parents were calling the council's helpline this year and Covid-19 is likely to increase the real cost of returning to school.

Mr O'Riordan also expects a higher percentage of parents  more than the 49% found in the survey  will be weighing up the risks of sending children back to school and that parents were facing a real dilemma.

Parents will be making life or death decisions about the risk of infection and also the potential financial implications of either sending children to school or keeping them at home.

There is a lot of uncertainty and confusion because all of the plans havent been worked out yet. The question for parents is do they send their child to school? Is it a safe place for them and for their family? he said.

It is a real dilemma for parents. When all of the questions are answered there will still be a big financial tag attached to whatever decision parents make. If you decide to stay at home and have to do homeschooling there is a price to be paid but there are also potential financial consequences if the virus is brought home and youre out of work, Mr ORiordan said.

I think it will come down to the wire, possibly the day before the schools are due to reopen. Its chaos really to a point. Obviously work is underway at Government level but there is a lot of uncertainty and the situation could change rapidly as we have seen in three counties in recent days, he said.
Two women talk with a riot police officer as police block a part of a street in the capital of Minsk - AP Photo/Sergei Grits

Hundreds of distraught parents have crowded outside a jail in the Belarusian capital Minsk looking for their children after several thousand people were detained during protests after Sunday's presidential election as reports about police brutality emerged.

At least 5,000 people have been detained in massive anti-government protests that engulfed the country on Sunday night after incumbent Alexander Lukashenko, who has ruled Belarus for 26 years, was announced the winner of the countrys hotly contested presidential election.

Tens of thousand peaceful protesters have been gathering on the streets of Minsk every night since Sunday only to meet a vicious police response for the mere fact of public gathering.

Riot police in full gear would snatch people from the streets for wearing a white wristband, a symbol of the protests, or for flashing a V-sign.

Hundreds of people have been gathering outside a detention facility in a residential neighbourhood in Minsk to try to find out what happened to their family members who disappeared on Sunday.

Relatives of protesters have massed outside the prison - Misha Friedman/Getty Images

Tatyana, who did not give her last name fearing reprisals, was standing in the yard near the jail, chain-smoking.

Her son Dmitry, 22, was walking home Sunday night from a birthday party after his mother failed to get him a cab because the internet had been cut off.

Forty-eight hours after he disappeared, Tatyana was told that her son was in custody but she still does not know his whereabouts or what he was charged with.

As soon as I get my kid out, Im coming out to protest, she said. They want to force us to love Lukashenko but hes been in power for 26 years, and we dont want this anymore.

Relatives of the people in custody huddled in groups, exchanging snippets of information about prison conditions.

When an ambulance drove out of the jail, several dozen people jumped on it and started banging on the vehicle, shouting to the driver and crew to show them the inmate or at least give their name.

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Dasha Andreyanova, an actress, said her fellow detainees were screaming all night after she was arrested on Sunday.

Police vans would arrive one after another all night. Truncheons sounded as loud as applause, and there were screams all around, she said. We couldnt sleep all night.

Ms Andreyanova was picked up by riot police that arrived at a polling station in Minsk and grabbed people at random.

Riot police detain protesters during a rally - SERGEI GAPON/AFP via Getty Images

Ms Andreyanova says detainees were brought in with the regularity of a conveyor belt. They were taken to the facility at the Okrestina street on Sunday night, all told to get undressed in front of an officer for a humiliating body check, she says.

After spending one night with 11 cellmates in a cell designed to hold eight people, Ms Andreyanova was moved to a cell with six bunk beds and 36 inmates.

We would start banging on the door, asking for fresh air, and they would open it and splash a bucket of water on us.

She says they were starved for two days before being given biscuits and yogurt donated by volunteers.

Ms Andreyanovas account was corroborated by another woman outside the jail where she was waiting for news about her son, who was detained with her on Sunday.

The woman, who asked to remain anonymous, said that she was jailed Sunday night along with her teenage son and was released on Tuesday.

She had her period when she was arrested, and was forced to use her socks to soak up the blood.

I couldnt use any pads and there was no toilet paper, so I had to wash my socks and use them.

Women dressed in white clothes hold hands as they protest against police violence - SERGEI GAPON/AFP via Getty Images

From the roof of the jail, two snipers in military fatigues were watching the crowd of distraught relatives, mostly middle-aged women with shopping bags full of toilet paper and groceries.

Earlier this week, evidence of inhumane treatment of those arrested began to emerge.

Videos taken over the fences of police stations show officers hitting detainees and forcing them to their knees, or making them lie face down outside in tightly packed rows.

Less than 24 hours after she was released on Tuesday night, Ms Andreyanova struggles to process the violence she saw behind bars.

They are enjoying it, its as if they were told that its okay now to beat people, she said. Our country is in the hands of a gang.

Authorities have refused to give any information about the detained people even to their lawyers. Several people have been put on trial inside the jail with judges coming in for closed-door sessions.

Attorney Mikhail Kirillyuk arrived at a police office in Minsk to get information about a man detained on his way home from work.

I was simply told to go away, Mr Kirillyuk said. Its a complete breakdown of the legal system, theres no other way to describe it.
Before COVID-19, consumer debt in Canada was near all-time high levels, yet national data shows insolvency is down across the board this June compared to last.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 11/8/2020 (525 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Before COVID-19, consumer debt in Canada was near all-time high levels, yet national data shows insolvency is down across the board this June compared to last.

It might seem counterintuitive, but Credit Canada CEO Keith Emery says its not entirely unpredictable: at the pandemics outset, consumers were granted temporary deferrals on payments and mortgages, while government assistance programs like the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) have given them a lifeline.

Emery says this has created within consumers and businesses an illusory confidence  a temporary reprieve from the realities of debt. But what happens when the lifelines are cut short and the debt holiday abruptly ends?

"I think theres a growing sentiment that well see a slingshot effect, when the CERB payments stop and payment deferrals do too," Emery said. "Some people are calling it a deferral cliff," he added, and many Canadians are approaching the edge.

Some people are calling it a deferral cliff.  Credit Canada CEO Keith Emery

While theres some speculation government assistance could continue beyond the fall, the CERB program is set to end in October, roughly around the same point many six-month deferrals are set to expire.

In Manitoba, data from the office of the Superintendent of Bankruptcy Canada show consumer insolvencies decreased 30 per cent this June compared to June 2019. The national decrease was even more precipitous at 42 per cent. At the same time, delinquency rates for credit decreased.

But, Emery says, there is an anticipation that after the dip will come a massive spike  with thousands of Canadians clamouring to deal with it at once as creditors resume normal activity and begin calling for payments, if they havent done so already.

He said that as "normal" business continues, consumers will have to prepare to pay, and creditors will have to be creative and flexible in their reintroduction to payments.

Theres been a temporary debt holiday, but thats going to end before COVID ends.  Credit Canada CEO Keith Emery

"Theres been a temporary debt holiday, but thats going to end before COVID ends," he said. "For creditors, policy-makers and consumers themselves, the impetus is there to figure out how we can manage consumer debt and keep a healthy consumer."

Credit Canada also recently conducted a financial poll of 1,500 Canadians to assess spending and credit habits, and Emery said, "What we found in terms of consumer sentiment told the story behind the drop in insolvency."

In Manitoba and Saskatchewan, results showed that only about one quarter of respondents felt paying debt was a priority. Instead, most consumers put an emphasis on other habits associated with what Emery called "survival mode": paying bills (48 per cent), reducing spending (40 per cent) and having a positive bank account balance at the end of the month (31 per cent) were more important to respondents.

While those tendencies make sense, Emery said its also imperative that those with debt understand payments will be required sooner rather than later, and with interest.

Its going to be a doublewhammy. Summer will end, and the debts will come.  Credit Canada CEO Keith Emery

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Before COVID, he said, the debt-to-income ratio hovered around 175 per cent, meaning consumers owed about $1.77 per dollar earned at that moment in time. The ratio is a measure that compares monthly debt payment allocation to monthly gross income.

"There is talk that when the dust settles, we could be looking at 220 per cent," he said.

A lot of that is mortgage debt, he said, but there is a good deal of high-interest consumer debt as well. It will be important that consumers tackle high-interest debt now, if they havent already done so.

Emery said that theres anticipation some deferrals will end in September.

"Its going to be a double-whammy," he said. "Summer will end, and the debts will come."

ben.waldman@freepress.mb.ca
The Institute of Contemporary Art has named a new director. Zoe Ryan, currently chair and curator of the architecture and design department at the Art Institute of Chicago, is slated to take over the museum at the University of Pennsylvania Nov. 5.

Ryan said she was looking forward to building on the history of the ICA.

The ICA is a place Ive long admired, and especially its commitment to interdisciplinary practice across art, design, and architecture. I am really interested in that intersection.

The ICA was previously headed by Amy Sadao, who announced last September that she was stepping down after more than seven years to pursue other opportunities.

The museum, founded in 1963, was an early presenter of Andy Warhol, and has hosted shows and appearances by Philip Glass, Christo, Louise Fishman, Robert Mapplethorpe, and other cutting-edge artists and musicians.

The London-born Ryan, 43, has been the architecture and design chair and curator at the Art Institute of Chicago since 2011, and was curator of design there from 2006 to 2010. Before that, she was a senior curator and editor for the Van Alen Institute in Brooklyn. She has a masters degree in art history from Hunter College of the City University of New York, and was also educated in Sussex and Amsterdam.

At the Art Institute of Chicago, she has managed a staff of eight full-time employees in a department that presents six temporary exhibitions and two collection rotations per year, plus 20 or more public programs. She has also been an active fund-raiser for exhibitions, acquisitions, and public programs at the museum, her resume notes.

For the ICA, which is part of Penn but also maintains its own board, Ryan said she is interested in thinking really critically with the community about what it takes to be an inclusive and expansive center at this moment, but also trying to be a responsive and good collaborator with the city, the community in which it is located, as well as the international community.

The museum, at 36th and Sansom Streets, has been shut down during the pandemic, but is slated to reopen Sept. 25 with an exhibition organized with Ars Nova Workshop on jazz percussionist and visual artist Milford Graves.
NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / August 12, 2020 / Labaton Sucharow, a leading investor rights law firm, is investigating possible breach of fiduciary duty claims on behalf of Eastman Kodak Company as well as securities litigation claims ("KODAK") (NYSE:KODK). The investigation arises, in part, from a disclosure made in a Form 4 filed with the Securities and Exchange Committee (the "SEC") (available at www.sec.gov) that KODAK's Chief Executive Officer had been granted stock options on Monday, July 27, 2020, immediately prior to the Company publicly disclosing that it had received a $765 million loan from the U.S. Department of Defense to produce drugs to treat COVID-19. The public disclosure of the Company's receipt of funds from the U.S. Department of Defense caused KODAK's stock price to rise considerably.

On August 10, 2020, shares of Eastman Kodak Co. KODK, -26.75% plummeted 45% in active premarket trading after reports the U.S. International Development Finance Corp. is withholding its planned $765 million loan after the deal came under regulatory scrutiny. The stock had rocketed 13-fold in two days, after it was announced on July 28 that the IDFC would provide Kodak a the loan to help produce the ingredients to maker generic drugs. Under question how Kodak controlled the disclosure of the loan, as the stock soared 25% in active trading the day before the news was reported, amid active stock option trading. Kodak disclosed on Friday that it appointed a special committee to oversee and internal review of recent activity by the company and related parties in connection with the announcement of the potential government loan. As of Friday's close of $14.88, the stock had pulled back 55% since July 29.

If you are a current or past shareholder, option or derivative holder of Kodak and wish to learn more or discuss the issues surrounding the investigation, please contact David J. Schwartz using the toll-free number (800) 321-0476 or via email at recover@labaton.com or at dschwartz@labaton.com .

Story continues

About the Firm

Labaton Sucharow LLP is one of the world's leading complex litigation firms representing clients in securities, antitrust, corporate governance and shareholder rights, and consumer cybersecurity and data privacy litigation. Labaton Sucharow has been recognized for its excellence by the courts and peers, and it is consistently ranked in leading industry publications. Offices are located in New York, NY, Wilmington, DE, and Washington, D.C. More information about Labaton Sucharow is available at http://www.labaton.com.

CONTACT:

David J. Schwartz

(800) 321-0476

dschwartz@labaton.com

SOURCE: Labaton Sucharow LLP





View source version on accesswire.com:

https://www.accesswire.com/601445/INVESTOR-ALERT-Labaton-Sucharow-Announces-Investigation-of-Eastman-Kodak-Company-NYSEKODK-for-Securities-Violations-and-Encourages-Investorswith-Losses-of-More-Than-100000to-Contact-the-Firm




No smart lighting solution is as elegant as having smart light switches and dimmers embedded in your walls. Sure, you could screw smart bulbs into your fixtures, or plug a couple of lamps into smart plugs and call it a day, but if the light fixture in question is controlled by a dumb switch, youll never be able to control that smart bulb if the switch is in the off position.

While they can be a pain to installhire an electrician if youre not comfortable doing it yourselfonce its installed, a smart light switch lets you turn your lights on and off according to a schedule, with a smartphone app, andwith the installation of accessoriesin response to voice commands, motion, or even your location (provided you have your smartphone with you).

Where a smart switch simply turns a connected light bulb or fixture on and off, a smart dimmer can also adjust the brightness of the bulbs in the fixtures it controls. Since a dimmer is essentially a switch with an added function, well use the terms interchangeably here, but our reviews focus primarily on dimmers. Well discuss the difference in more detail in the buyers guide on the next page.

The prices of smart switches and dimmers have come down a lot in the past year or two, although the fanciest and most powerful examples remain expensive. Youll encounter products from familiar names such as Leviton and Lutron, as well as a host of newcomers to this space, including Noon and Hogar. In most cases, replacing a dumb switch with a smart one is a relatively simple DIY project; but again, theres no shame in hiring an electrician to do the job.

Here are our top picks in smart dimmers, followed by a guide to the features and terminology youll encounter when you shop for one. You can also go straight to a list of our most recent smart-switch reviews.

Best smart dimmer overall

Lutrons Caseta ecosystem is much less open than the other big three smart lighting platforms: Wi-Fi, Z-Wave, and Zigbee. Lutron is the only source of dimmers and switches, but the company is great about supporting other classes of third-party products within the Caseta ecosystem. In addition to its own line of motorized smart shades, ceiling fan controllers, plug-in devices, occupancy sensors, and remote controls, you can also create time- and location-based smart home scenes incorporating any Caseta or Serena product along with Sonos speakers, several brands of smart thermostats, and Hunter ceiling fans. The Caseta Smart Bridge is Apple HomeKit compatible, too, and it can be integrated with a Samsung SmartThings hub.

The dimmer switches in the Lutron Caseta Smart Lighting Dimmer Switch Kit are elegantly designed with four plate-style buttons: On at the top, off at the bottom, and triangular brighten and dim buttons in the middle. A stack of LEDs on the left-hand side indicates the brightness level. The kit also comes with Lutrons Pico wireless remote controls, for those situations where you dont want to bark at a smart speaker to dim the lights. The Caseta dimmer is also ideal for installations where there is no neutral wire in the boxits one of the few smart switches that doesnt require one.

Best Wi-Fi smart dimmer

GE doesnt build the prettiest dimmer on the market, but its C-Start Smart Switch Motion Sensing+Dimmer switch sure packs the features. And if you happen to own C by GE smart bulbs, the switch can also control them even if theyre not wired to the dimmer. Being a Wi-Fi device, this dimmer switch doesnt require the presence of a smart home hub or any other bridge to your home network. An onboard motion sensor can turn the light switch on when the room is occupied, and an ambient light sensor will stop that from happening if theres enough daylight that the extra light isnt needed. Theres also night light in the form of a ring around the on/off button, but that can be turned off in the app if you find that adds to your indoor light pollution. Theres now also a 3-wire version of this product that doesnt require a neutral wire

Best Zigbee smart dimmer

If youve settled on Zigbee as your smart lighting protocol of choiceand its certainly not a bad one, considering the only other thing youll need is an Amazon Echo Plus smart speakerallow us to recommend Jascos Enbrighten Zigbee In-Wall Smart Dimmer. This in-wall dimmer not only has a slimline design that isnt tough to shove back into the box when you install it, it has enough onboard intelligence to distinguish the line wire from the load wire, so you dont need to worry about mixing them up if youre doing the work for yourself. This smart dimmer is affordably priced, too.

Best Z-Wave smart dimmer

Leviton Decora Z-Wave Plus dimmer (model DZ6HD) See it

Putting this roundup together exposed a hole in our editorial coverage. Ive had Levitons Decora Smart Z-Wave switches and dimmers (along with other brands of Z-Wave switches) installed in my own smart home for many years (we built the house in 2007), but weve never officially reviewed them. That said, Levitons Z-Wave lighting controls are among my favorites; so, while TechHive hasnt officially reviewed Levitons product, I have deep personal experience with it and recommend it strongly.

Most sophisticated smart dimmer

Unfortunately, our current favorite smart lighting system of all time is not only very expensive, its also now available only through professional installers after the company was acquired by Racepoint Energy. But if you can afford it, this is the most sophisticatedand the most beautifulin-wall lighting on the market. The system consists of a Room Director dimmer with a color OLED touchscreen display that replaces a primary switch in a room, and up to 10 slightly more ordinary-looking (they dont have displays) Extension switches. You can build multiple lighting scenes with this system that can turn on every light in the room at a preset brightness level based on the mood you wish to set. Read our in-depth review to learn more about this ultra-sophisticated home lighting solution.

Runner-up

Brilliant predated Noon in integrating a touch panel with a smart switch, and this smart dimmer has some very cool tricks up its sleeve, ranging from being able to stream video from a doorbell camera to controlling a Sonos multi-room audio system. Unlike Noon, a DIYer can buy Brilliants products direct, though we experienced a few installation headaches during our review (which, to be fair to Brilliant, involved pre-release hardware).

Best multi-function smart dimmer

Just how many features can you cram in a single-gang light switch? Leviton squeezes a Wi-Fi radio, a dimmer switch, and an entire Amazon Alexa-compatible smart speaker into its Decora Smart Voice Wi-Fi Dimmer with Alexa. Yes, Ecobee pulled off a similar trick earlier, but with an on/off switch, not a dimmer. Leviton also has deeper catalog of other Wi-Fi componentsswitches, dimmers, ceiling fan controllers, multi-button controllers, and moreto go with it.

Best budget-priced smart dimmer

Best known for building inexpensive routers, TP-Link has steadily increased its footprint in the smart home space with its Kasa Smart product line. Its model HS-220 in-wall smart dimmer connects directly to your Wi-Fi network, so you dont need a hub, and its currently street priced less than $20. One of the biggest downsides? You cant use it in a three-way configuration.

On the next page, well provide you with helpful tips to keep in mind when you shop for smart lighting controls. Or can you click here to see our latest smart dimmer reviews.

Smart dimmer shopping tips

Youll need to make a raft of decisions before you choose which smart switches to install in your home, and your choices will be influenced by everything from the type of wiring in your walls to what flavor of smart home system you have now or plan to install later. Heres what you need to know in roughly the order youll need to decide.

Neutral wire requirement: The vast majority of smart switches and dimmers require the presence of a neutral wirein addition to line (power from the circuit-breaker panel), load (power to the light to be controlled), and ground wiresin the electrical box inside the wall. Smart switches have radios that must be constantly powered, and the neutral wire is what supplies that juice. While all homes have neutral wires, many older homes dont have a neutral wire in every box. If youre not sure if theres a neutral wire at the location you want to install a smart switch, we have a how-to story here that will help you figure it out. If you dont have a neutral wire, Lutrons Caseta smart dimmer is one of the few that does not require one.

Ben Patterson/IDG Most smart switches depend on the presence of a neutral wire to supply energy to their radios, but many homes built prior to the 1980s dont have a neutral wire in every box. C by GE and Lutron Caseta are among the few smart switches that dont depend a neutral wire.

Single- or multi-pole: If the light you wish to control is connected to just one switch, then youll need to replace it with a single-pole smart switch. If more than one switch controls that loadswitches on opposite sides of a room, for examplethen youll need to replace it with a multi-pole smart switch. This typically means that youll also need to buy a companion switch or switches for the other end(s) of the circuit. There are a few exceptions to this rule, so check the documentation accompanying whichever smart switch you decide to buy before you install it.

Control protocol: Youll undoubtedly want to control your smart lighting with your smartphone or tablet, and most people will also want to turn lights on and off with voice commands spoken to a smart speaker, such as an Amazon Echo or a Google Home. But to do that, the smart switch you buy must have some way of connecting to your home network (which explains why Bluetooth smart switches cant talk to smart speakers).

Some smart switches connect directly to your Wi-Fi network, while others require a bridge to your router. If youve invested in a smart home systemSamsung SmartThings, Hubitat Elevation, Vivint Smart Home, or any other ecosystemyoull want to make sure that the smart switch you buy is compatible with it. These are the most common communication protocols youll encounter.

Bluetooth SIG

Bluetooth This type of smart switch is controlled directly by an app on your smartphone or tablet. Bluetooth smart lighting is simple, because you dont need a hub or a connection to your home network. That isolation also makes it secure, because you must be within about 30 feet of the switch to pair with it. On the other hand, authorized users also must be within 30 feet of a Bluetooth switch to control it, and you cant control the switch when youre away from home (although most Bluetooth switches can be controlled according to a pre-programmed schedule). The other major limitation of Bluetooth switches is that they cant be controlled by smart speakers or smart home hubs, which generally rely on one of the other wireless protocols described here.

Lutron

Lutron Clear Connect This is a proprietary wireless protocol used by Lutron Caseta Wireless smart home devices, including switches, dimmers, ceiling fan controllers, occupancy sensors, motorized shades, and battery-powered remote controls. You can also control a limited number of third-party devices with Lutrons appranging from thermostats to Wi-Fi speakersand incorporate them into smart home scenes. Clear Connect operates independently of your Wi-Fi network, but you must hardwire a Lutron Smart Bridge to your router to use it. You can control Lutron Caseta devices via Lutrons app, with voice commands spoken to smart speakers, and from mobile devices anywhere you have broadband access. Some smart home systems, including Samsung SmartThings, can also incorporate Lutrons smart home products.

Wi-Fi Alliance

Wi-Fi This is a relatively recent trend in smart switches, probably because Wi-Fi hasnt always been the best means of blanketing a home with connectivity. Mesh Wi-Fi routers, however, have gone a long way to remedying that problem. The attraction of Wi-Fi smart switches is that they dont require a hub or a bridge to connect to your router. Once installed, they can be controlled with smart speakers, the manufacturers own app, and many smart home systems (check compatibility before you buy).

Z-Wave Alliance

Z-Wave This is a wireless mesh network technology in which each node on the network is also a repeater that can forward commands on to other Z-Wave devices nearby. It operates in the unlicensed 800- to 900MHz radio spectrum (specifically, 908.42MHz in North America). Its low power requirement means it can be incorporated into battery-operated devices that cannot be plugged directly into an electrical circuit, including door/window sensors, smart locks, water leak detectors, and motion sensors in addition to smart dimmers and switches. Youll need a smart home hub, such as a Samsung SmartThings, to act as a bridge to your Wi-Fi network. Z-Wave is supported by a raft of smart home product developers, including Leviton, Jasco, Aeotec, and others.

Zigbee Alliance

Zigbee This wireless mesh network technology is very similar to Z-Wave, but it operates in the unlicensed 2.4GHz radio spectrum (same as single-band Wi-Fi). Like Z-Wave, Zigbee has a lower power requirement and can be incorporated into both battery and line-powered devices, ranging from sensors to smart switches. And as with Z-Wave, youll need a smart home hub or some other kind of bridge to connect Zigbee devices to your home network. This could be something as simple as an Amazon Echo Plus, which has an integrated Zigbee radio, or it could be on the order of a Samsung SmartThings hub, which has both Zigbee and Z-Wave radios onboard.

Lutron As you can see in this illustration, its not necessary to remove the cover plate to install the Aurora on the switch, but it only works with toggle switches.

Signifys Philips Hue bridge is another solution, but its generally limited to supporting Philips Hue smart bulbs and accessories. Zigbee is widely support among smart dimmer manufacturers, including Jasco, Sinope, and Sengled. Lutron also makes an ingenious Zigbee gadget for Philips Hue smart bulbsthe Lutron Aurorathat attaches to an old-fashioned toggle light switch and not only prevents the switch from being turned off (instantly rendering a Philips Hue smart bulb dumb), but it wirelessly controls all the Hub bulbs connected to that switchcomplete with a rotary knob for dimming and brightening those bulbs and turning them on or off.

Switch mechanism: Since most people control smart switches and dimmers with voice commands, they soon discover that they rarely physically interact with the devices in their walls. But youll want to consider the type of mechanism the smart switch uses if for no other reason than to ensure its aesthetic matches the rest of your home. These are the most common types youll encounter.

Michael Brown / IDG Relatively few manufacturers make smart switches that look like this type of old-fashioned toggle switch.

Rocker (aka paddle) This type of switch has a wide plastic panel that rocks back and forth when pressed to turn the controlled load on and off (one side of the switch raises when the other is depressed). These modern-looking switches hug the wall and are very easy to operate. Since a command issued over the air will override whatever physical state the switch is otherwise in, smart rocker switches typically dont physically flip, so theres no confusion when you see a lit bulb when the switch is ostensibly in the off position. A smart dimmer switch might have a secondary controla vertical slider or a horizontal rockerfor adjusting brightness

This type of switch has a wide plastic panel that rocks back and forth when pressed to turn the controlled load on and off (one side of the switch raises when the other is depressed). These modern-looking switches hug the wall and are very easy to operate. Since a command issued over the air will override whatever physical state the switch is otherwise in, smart rocker switches typically dont physically flip, so theres no confusion when you see a lit bulb when the switch is ostensibly in the off position. A smart dimmer switch might have a secondary controla vertical slider or a horizontal rockerfor adjusting brightness Toggle A toggle switch operates by moving a lever up and down (flipping the lever up turns the controlled light on, and flipping it down turns it off). These types of switches tend to look more old-fashioned than rocker switches, but you can find smart versions of them if you want something that looks like the other switches you have in your walls. As with smart rocker switches, they generally dont completely change physical appearance when switched on or off.

A toggle switch operates by moving a lever up and down (flipping the lever up turns the controlled light on, and flipping it down turns it off). These types of switches tend to look more old-fashioned than rocker switches, but you can find smart versions of them if you want something that looks like the other switches you have in your walls. As with smart rocker switches, they generally dont completely change physical appearance when switched on or off. Touch High-end smart switches and dimmers feature touch-sensitive surfaces. Typically made of glass, touch-sensitive smart switches and dimmers are typically backlit by one or more LEDs that can be multiple colors. The touch sensitivity can be as simple as touch to turn the switch on and touch again to turn it off, or they can be as complex as displaying a user interface that supports finger swipes for calling up different lighting scenes or control elements. Needless to say, these types of smart switches and dimmers cost considerably more than simple plastic devices.

Christopher Null Brilliants touchscreen panel lets you see and talk with a person at your door when a visitor activates your Ring Video Doorbell.

Wiring connections: Smart switches and dimmers tend to be larger than their dumb counterparts, so you should consider how the new switch will fit in your existing electrical box. This is particularly important if youre installing multiple smart switches next to each other in a single box. Remember that there will be at least four wires to deal withline, load, neutral, and groundand that there will also be a traveler wire if youre dealing with a multi-pole circuit. It can be challenging to stuff all those wires and the new switch back into the box. These are the most common types of electrical connections youll encounter in smart switches.

Backstabs These are holes in the back of the switch into which youll push (stab) the appropriate solid copper wires coming out of the wall.

These are holes in the back of the switch into which youll push (stab) the appropriate solid copper wires coming out of the wall. Pigtails Some switches have short electrical wires emerging from the back of the switch that youll attach to the wires coming out of the wall, using wire nuts to secure them. This is generally the easiest technique, but if the switch is deep, it can be a challenge to pack the extra wires and the wire nuts tightly enough into the box so that the switch mounts flush against the wall. It can be particularly difficult if the box has other devices in it.

Some switches have short electrical wires emerging from the back of the switch that youll attach to the wires coming out of the wall, using wire nuts to secure them. This is generally the easiest technique, but if the switch is deep, it can be a challenge to pack the extra wires and the wire nuts tightly enough into the box so that the switch mounts flush against the wall. It can be particularly difficult if the box has other devices in it. Terminals With this type of switch, youll wind the wires coming out of the wall around flat screws on the sides of the switch and then tighten the screws down. This technique presents less of a challenge when it comes to pushing the wires and the switch back into the box, but the wires can be stiff and youll need to be careful to ensure the stripped wire doesnt come into contact with stripped wires connected to adjacent switches in the box.

Christopher Null / IDG Pigtails and wire nuts are one common way to connect a smart switch to your existing in-wall wiring.

Our latest smart switch reviews
What made our visit especially fun was the staff encouraged us to try on some of the costumes! Several of the Fun Club gals donned Mary Poppins distinctive red coat and black hat with flowers. Our travelers posed for photos wearing that coat and hat as they held Mary Poppins unmistakable bird-handled umbrella.

There were plenty of props and costumes from The Lion King and the Fun Club travelers didnt hesitate to examine them. Many were surprised at the weight of the masks. The lion masks appear to be African hand-crafted wooden masks but they were actually made of lightweight carbon fiber which is the material used to build airplanes. Twenty years ago when the Lion King opened, this concept was a completely new idea. When the show started, many could not grasp how the largest lions masks, which look like carved hardwood, could go on someones head without breaking their neck. We were told these masks weighed less than a pound. The lioness masks, which were available for us to try on, weighed a mere 4 ounces.
OTTAWA - Canada must swiftly censure China's ruling Communist Party over its crackdown on democracy in Hong Kong, activists told MPs studying Ottawa's fractious relationship with Beijing.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 11/8/2020 (525 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Hong Kong media tycoon and newspaper founder Jimmy Lai, sits in a car as he leaves a police station after being bailed out in Hong Kong, Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2020. The rounding up of the papers founder Jimmy Lai, the previous day and a raid on its headquarters have reinforced fears that a new national security law will be used to suppress dissent in Hong Kong after months of anti-government protests. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

OTTAWA - Canada must swiftly censure China's ruling Communist Party over its crackdown on democracy in Hong Kong, activists told MPs studying Ottawa's fractious relationship with Beijing.

Canada should work with other countries to invoke sanctions against Chinese officials for human rights violations, said Cherie Wong, executive director of Alliance Canada Hong Kong.

Wong warned MPs on the House of Commons special committee on Canada-China relations Tuesday there is "a short window to act" before Beijing completely shuts down freedom of movement in Hong Kong.

Gloria Fung, president of Canada-Hong Kong Link, echoed the call to sanction Hong Kong and Chinese officials responsible for abuses, something the U.S. has already done.

She also urged Canada to initiate a "safe-harbour program" with an expedited process to grant permanent residence to people from Hong Kong at risk of political persecution.

"Canada needs to work with international allies to institute a strong policy toward China," Fung said. "It is way past time for Canada to show leadership on the world stage."

Canada has expressed deep concern about China's recent passage of national security legislation for Hong Kong, which critics say is being used to curb protest and free speech.

Ottawa says the legislation was enacted in a secretive process, without the participation of Hong Kong's legislature, judiciary or people, and in violation of international obligations.

The process demonstrated disregard for the high degree of autonomy promised for Hong Kong under the traditional "one country, two systems" framework, Canada said.

Aileen Calverley, co-founder of Hong Kong Watch, said the new security law, which took effect this summer, has been used to suppress freedom of expression and assembly on the streets and in the classroom.

Witnesses decried the arrest this week of Jimmy Lai, founder of the Apple Daily newspaper, as a blow to press freedom.

"If Canada, with its long history of defending human rights, is not willing to stand with likeminded partners in defence of Hong Kong's freedom, then those values that we believe in will be degraded, along with Canada's standing in the world," Calverley said.

"For Hong Kong it is five minutes to midnight."

Ottawa has suspended the Canada-Hong Kong extradition treaty and says it will not permit export of sensitive military items to Hong Kong.

The foreign ministers of Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States recently issued a joint statement denouncing what they called the Hong Kong government's unjust disqualification of candidates in legislative council elections.

Activists said Tuesday the Liberal government could do more to defend freedom in Hong Kong and protect protesters in Canada from Beijing's interference.

The Canadian Coalition on Human Rights in China said in a report released in May that activists in Canada increasingly face consequences for raising awareness of serious rights issues involving China.

The coalition, which includes Amnesty International Canada, said a number of protests organized by Hong Kong democracy supporters in Canada were met by pro-Beijing counter-protesters who used aggressive, confrontational tactics, and who expert observers believe may be directed or organized by Chinese state authorities.

Alex Neve, secretary general of Amnesty Canada, said Tuesday the new national security law in Hong Kong "has been abused from Day One."

"People have been arrested for possessing flags, stickers and banners with political slogans," he said. "Police and officials have claimed that slogans, T-shirts, songs and even holding up pieces of white paper endanger national security."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 11, 2020.
A court ruling sparked by the case of a man who spent five years behind bars awaiting deportation from Canada is being welcomed as a victory by advocates, who say it lays out new guidance for making sure immigration detainees rights are not violated.

The decision by the Federal Court of Canada stops short of setting time limits on how long immigration detention can last.

However, those involved in the case say it should lead to significant changes in the way Canadian officials conduct detention reviews and potentially more releases in instances when the governments obligations are not met.

The court is essentially telling Canada Border Services Agency and the Immigration Division (tribunal), heres how the detention regime needs to be interpreted and, if this is done, then its constitutionally compliant, said Ben Liston, lawyer for the Canadian Association of Refugee Lawyers and Canadian Centre for International Justice.

Thats significant. In different ways, the detention review process had not been playing out in consistent (ways) with how the court said it should be playing out. The courts guidance must be followed and is now binding on absolutely every CBSA officer and every tribunal member going forward.

The two organizations that Liston represented were intervenors in the case of former immigration detainee Alvin Brown, who spent five years in a maximum-security jail before the federal government was able to deport him to Jamaica in 2016.

Brown and the End Immigration Detention Network launched a constitutional challenge against the federal government, arguing indefinite detention infringed upon a detainees liberty. The Federal Court dismissed the case in 2017.

This week, the Federal Court of Appeal also sided with the government, but with caveats.

Although the appellants challenge to the validity of the (charter) sections fails, many of their arguments are vindicated by what is said in these reasons concerning what judges conducting detention reviews must consider, said the three-judge panel in its ruling.

In order for continued detention to be legal  there must be a nexus between detention and an immigration purpose. If that is missing, detention under (Immigration and Refugee Protection Act) is no longer possible.

Migrants are held in immigration holding centres and maximum security prisons if their identities cannot be confirmed, they are considered flight risks or pose danger to the public.

Detainees include failed refugees, non-status people and those who have been stripped of their permanent residence due to criminal convictions, while awaiting deportation.

They are afforded detention review hearings by the Immigration Division tribunal after being held for 48 hours, seven days and every 30 days afterwards to determine if they should be released. Critics have called it a rubber-stamping process.

Browns removal dragged on for almost five years because Jamaican officials refused to issue him travel documents.

In its ruling, the appeal court said the current immigration detention regime has all of the protections mandated to ensure extended periods of detention dont contravene the charter.

However, it said the public safety minister must bear the legal burden of establishing the grounds for detention and his representatives must give detainees advance disclosure of all evidence, even if the information is in favour of release.

It said adjudicators presiding over detention hearings are obligated to undertake their own independent assessment of the case for and the case against detention.

At a minimum, the duty of fairness requires that the affected person know the case they have to meet and have an adequate opportunity to respond. The need for detainees to know the case against them creates a disclosure obligation, the appeal court said.

Disclosure of evidence concerning the likelihood of removal is also central to the legality of a detention order. This in turn requires the (tribunal) to assess the ministers efforts respecting removal and the reasons for delay at each and every hearing.

Maureen Silcoff, co-chair of Canadian Association of Refugee Lawyers litigation committee, expressed disappointment that the court dismissed the case but said the decision sheds light on vital issues affecting immigration detainees who deserve fairness.

Thats a real game-changer for people who are detained, because it makes clear what Canada Border Services Agencys obligations are, and that would assure, hopefully, people will have a fair hearing, she said.

Liston agreed.

It is unambiguous now the CBSA needs not only to justify detention at every turn, at every review, but also needs to provide evidence of that justification, said Liston.

We anticipate that could lead to significantly more release orders where the (public safety) minister is unable to meet their onus of justification.

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Ark. laws banning sex-selective, dismemberment abortions can go into effect: appeals court

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A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit issued a ruling allowing Arkansas to implement a set of laws banning dismemberment and sex-selective abortions.

In 2017, Arkansas passed four pro-life laws that, among other things, ban second-trimester and third-trimester dismemberment abortions and sex-selective abortions carried out because the parents don't want the baby because of its sex, most often because it's a girl.

In a Per Curiam decision released Friday, the appeals panel vacated a preliminary injunction against the laws by a district court, remanding the case for reconsideration by the lower court and allowing the laws to take effect on Aug. 28.

The panel cited the opinion of U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, as given in last month's decision in June Medical Services L. L. C. v. Russo.

In June Medical Services, Roberts sided with the high courts four liberal justices, striking down a Louisiana state law that required abortion providers to have hospital admitting privileges.

Although Roberts had sided with the majority against the law, Roberts also wrote a concurring opinion taking issue with the courts determining whether courts could rule on certain abortion regulations.

 courts applying a balancing test would be asked in essence to weigh the States interests in protecting the potentiality of human life and the health of the woman, on the one hand, against the womans liberty interest in defining her own concept of existence, of meaning, of the universe, and of the mystery of human life on the other, wrote Roberts in his concurring opinion.

There is no plausible sense in which anyone, let alone this Court, could objectively assign weight to such imponderable values and no meaningful way to compare them if there were.

The Eighth Circuit panel stressed the point Roberts made about how a weighing of costs and benefits of an abortion regulation was not a job for the courts.

Chief Justice Roberts vote was necessary in holding unconstitutional Louisianas admitting-privileges law, so his separate opinion is controlling, reasoned the Per Curiam decision.

Chief Justice Roberts  emphasized the wide discretion that courts must afford to legislatures in areas of medical uncertainty.

Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge celebrated the decision, saying in a statement that Arkansas has taken a strong stance to protect the unborn from inhumane treatment.

As Arkansass chief legal officer, I have always advocated for the lives of unborn children and will continue to defend our states legal right to protect the unborn, said Rutledge, according to LifeNews.com.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Arkansas, which brought the litigation against the laws when they were first passed, denounced the panel's ruling, calling the laws onerous.

This ruling is a reminder that the fight against these extreme abortion restrictions is far from won, stated Holly Dickson, ACLU of Arkansas legal director.

We are evaluating our next steps and will continue to fight to ensure these harmful and unconstitutional laws do not take effect."
There's been plenty of drama on Channel Seven's Farmer Wants A Wife reboot in the past few weeks.

And Emily Rath, who is one of Farmer Sam Reitano's remaining ladies, claims there is a lot of chatter among the women behind the scenes.

Emily, 24, told Daily Mail Australia the cast have kept in close contact via private group messaging.

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Farmer Wants A Wife EXCLUSIVE: Emily Rath (pictured) has revealed what REALLY goes on inside the contestants' secret group chat

She said she keeps in touch with many of the girls from the program, and credits the group as being 'an incredible support throughout the show'.

'It's nice to still be able to keep in contact with them and use them as a support and talk about bits and pieces of the show,' Emily said.

'We go "oh, did that happen?" or "that's an interesting thing that person said".

'We talk about bits and pieces of the show': Emily said the ladies discuss moments they weren't aware of during filming interesting comments said by their co-stars or farmers

'It's nice to still be able to keep in contact with them': The 24-year-old said she credits her co-stars as being 'an incredible support throughout the show'. Pictured with Riley and Kristen

'There was a lot more drama than I thought there would be,' Emily added, saying that she understands why fans of the once wholesome show are now comparing it to Married At First Sight (MAFS).

'The show is just moving so quickly, we filmed a whole lot more than gets shown,' she noted, adding that several ladies had noticed some of the more wholesome moments never make it to air.

Emily believes all the women have been represented fairly, and the show hasn't created 'characters' out of contestants.

'There was a lot more drama than I thought there would be': Emily said the cast had noticed some of the more wholesome moments never make it to air

Breaking up: Farmer Sam Reitano (left) was left devastated on Monday's episode when his 'favourite' Emily (right) admitted she couldn't see their relationship turning 'romantic'

On Monday's episode, Emily admitted she couldn't see her relationship turning 'romantic' with Farmer Sam.

After earlier telling Riley he only saw her as a friend, the tables were turned on Sam, 28, when Emily told him she didn't have feelings for him.

Despite Emily's honest confession, Farmer Sam chose not to send her home.

Farmer Wants A Wife continues on Sunday from 7pm on Channel Seven
Kamala Harris is a lot of firsts.

Besides being the first Black woman on a major party's presidential ticket, she's also the first Indian-American. Her mother, Shyamala Gopalan, was born in Chennais Besant Nagar and immigrated to the US to attend a doctoral program at UC Berkeley. Like Barack Obama, a mixed-race heritage has allowed Harris to connect across identities and reach multiple audiences and voting blocs.

To understand what the announcement means to this community, I turned to the best source I know on Indian Americans and politics: Aziz Haniffa.

Haniffa was executive editor and a chief correspondent of India Abroad, an ethnic newspaper for our community that shuttered just a few months ago, due to advertising and Covid-19 strains.

He sent me an August 26, 2009, interview he did with Kamala Harris and gave me permission to excerpt portions. It's headlined: "Kamala Devi Harris: The 'female Obama' discusses her campaign for California attorney general."

The piece highlights the role of her Indian identity, sure to surface again in the coming months. Harris' rise as the daughter of immigrants -- one from Jamaica, one from India -- serves a powerful counter-narrative to President Donald Trump's anti-immigrant rhetoric and policies.

Aziz Haniffa: What did your mom instil in you, in terms of culture and heritage?

Kamala Harris: My mother was very proud of her Indian heritage and taught us, me and my sister Maya, to share in the pride about our culture. We used to go back to India every couple of years. One of the most influential people in my life, in addition to my mother, was my grandfather PV Gopalan, who actually held a post in India that was like the secretary of state position in this country. My grandfather was one of the original Independence fighters in India, and some of my fondest memories from childhood were walking along the beach with him after he retired and lived in Besant Nagar, in what was then called Madras.

He would take walks every morning along the beach with his buddies who were all retired government officials and they would talk about politics, about how corruption must be fought and about justice. They would laugh and voice opinions and argue, and those conversations, even more than their actions, had such a strong influence on me in terms in terms of learning to be responsible, to be honest, and to have integrity. When we think about it, India is the oldest democracy in the world -- so that is part of my background, and without question has had a great deal of influence on what I do today and who I am.

AH: Would it be true to say then that the roots of your civil rights activism began with those walks on the beach with your grandfather, as much as in your parents' involvement in the civil rights movement in the US during their student days at the University of California?

KH: It is important to not say one thing to the exclusion of the other, because I don't feel the need to do that. They are of equal weight in terms of who I am and the impact that they had on me growing up. My grandparents used to visit us in Berkeley all the time.

My grandfather and grandmother enjoyed the time they spent with people of all walks of life who were involved in the civil rights movement. I believe that one of the benefits of having travelled the world and having known different cultures is that you really understand and see very clearly that people, whoever they are, whatever language they speak, have so much more in common than they do differences.

AH: Some Indian-American politicians like Bobby Jindal have, after winning election campaigns in which they sought and received the support of the community, sought to distance themselves from their Indian-American heritage. What is your view on how the ethnicity factor plays out?

KH: I am proud to be who I am, I am proud of the influences that my family have had on my life, that my community had on my life, and similarly the influence of my mentors and colleagues and friends. One is not to the exclusion of the other -- I believe that point is at the heart of this matter. We have to stop seeing issues and people through a plate-glass window as though we were one-dimensional. Instead, we have to see that most people exist through a prism and they are a sum of many factors  everyone is that way, and that is just the reality of it.
Working together, researchers at McMaster University and the University of Waterloo are searching for how the SARS-CoV-2 virus infects the lungs - and they're challenging what has become an accepted truth about the virus.

Previously, scientists have determined that entry of SARS-CoV-2 into cells occurs through a receptor on the cell surface, known as ACE2. But the McMaster-Waterloo team has found that the ACE2 receptor is at very low levels in human lung tissue.

Our finding is somewhat controversial, as it suggests that there must be other ways, other receptors for the virus, that regulate its infection of the lungs. We were surprised that the fundamental characterization of the candidate receptors in human lung tissue had not yet been done in a systematic way with modern technologies." Jeremy Hirota, Assistant Professor, Medicine, McMaster University

Hirota is also a co-lead scientist, research institute, joe's hamilton

"Finding such low levels of ACE2 in lung tissue has important implications for how we think about this virus." said co-lead Andrew Doxey, Professor of Biology at the University of Waterloo. "ACE2 is not the full story and may be more relevant in other tissues such as the vascular system."

A paper on their findings has been published recently in the European Respiratory Journal. Their findings have been confirmed independently by other researchers in Molecular Systems Biology.

Now, to explore alternate additional infection pathways and different patient responses to infection, the team is using nasal swabs that were collected for clinical diagnoses of COVID-19. These samples offer the opportunity to determine which genes are expressed by patients' cells and associate this information with the development of the patients' disease.

The ongoing study will better identify and treat patients who are at risk of developing serious complications and provide predictive capacity for hospitals.

"It is clear that some individuals respond better than others to the same SARS-CoV-2 virus. The differential response to the same virus suggests that each individual patient, with their unique characteristics, heavily influences COVID-19 disease severity," said Hirota, who holds the Canada

Research Chair in Respiratory Mucosal Immunology at McMaster.

"We think it is the lung immune system that differs between COVID-19 patients, and by understanding which patients' lung immune systems are helpful and which are harmful, we may be able to help physicians pro-actively manage the most at risk-patients."

Researchers will correlate positive and negative COVID-19 cases with clinical outcomes, and ultimately use this data to generate predictive algorithms related to morbidity and mortality. The aim is to use this predictive information to optimize health care delivery.

The research has received grants from the Ontario COVID-19 Rapid Research Fund of the Ontario government, from the COVID-19 Innovation Challenge of Roche Canada and from FastGrants.org managed by the Thistledown Foundation in Canada.

"We're looking for additional partners to collaborate with us in moving this research forward, as we believe there is an opportunity to develop diagnostic devices with this information," said Hirota.
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Linkedin Editorial board (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Thu, August 13 2020

The ongoing trial of a vaccine developed by Chinese biopharmaceutical firm Sinovac Biotech and state-owned pharmaceutical company PT Bio Farma on more than 1,600 volunteers has been good news for the country amid its battle against the pandemic.

Other than that, however, things have been slowly getting worse, with little impact seen in the efforts to prevent the contagion from escalating.

Jakarta has once again become the major epicenter of the outbreak, with more than 26,000 infections. Reopening the economy and massive testing may have contributed to the high number of cases. The World Health Organization said the capital remained the only province in the country that met its standard of a minimum testing rate of 1 test per 1,000 inhabitants per week. In fact, Jakartas testing rate is four times the WHO standard.

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Update: The children are staying with grandmother, described as traumatized.

A 10-year-old child in Florida was attending the first day of online school when the childs mother was shot to death in the same room.

Martin County (Fla.) Sheriff William Snyder said in a news conference, One of the children, a 10-year-old, is online, getting ready to start the day, its early, I mean you know, 8 oclock, the teacher is online.

Ive never done a Zoom with children, I am picturing there is other children on and the teacher can see the children.

The teacher said she heard a commotion, heard profanity, realized there is some kind of domestic altercation, still can see the child online, the teacher said she mutes her button, then she sees the 10-year-old put her hands up to her ears.

"Almost immediately after the child put her hands up to her ears, the computer screen went blank. We know the computer screen was hit by a projectile.

According to CBS12, the sheriffs office said Maribel Rosado-Morales, 32, was killed by her ex-boyfriend, Donald J. Williams, 27, on Tuesday morning at the home in Indiantown and in front of six children. Williams was arrested.

CBS12 reported that Williams and Rosado-Morales were having an argument when Williams began shooting her. Rosado-Morales was shot multiple times in front of four of her children and two cousins. She died at a local hospital. Williams took off on a bicycle but was caught by police when he tried to get on a county bus.

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Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee for president, has named Kamala Harris, who is of mixed Indian and Black heritage, as his running mate in a much anticipated announcement that was described as historic and seismic by Democrats, including many ecstatic Indian-Americans and non-partisan observers. She is the first woman of color on a presidential ticket in the US.

Biden announced his pick for the vice presidents job in a tweet late Tuesday afternoon as speculation reached a fever pitch on all leading TV channels and social media.

I have the great honor to announce that Ive picked @KamalaHarris  a fearless fighter for the little guy, and one of the countrys finest public servants  as my running mate, the former US vice president wrote on Twitter.

His campaign followed up with a more expansive explanation of the pick. Joe knows more about the importance of the Vice Presidency than just about anyone, and he is confident that Kamala Harris will be the best partner for him to finally get the country back on track, it said in a statement, and added, Kamala will be ready to tackle the work that is needed to heal our country on Day One of the Biden-Harris Administration.

In her first public response to the announcement, Harris wrote on Twitter: @JoeBiden can unify the American people because hes spent his life fighting for us. And as president, hell build an America that lives up to our ideals. Im honored to join him as our partys nominee for Vice President, and do what it takes to make him our Commander-in-Chief.

A win in November will make Harris the first female vice president of the United States and set her up for the presidency in 2024, at the end of Bidens first term, or 2028. Most vice presidents have gone on to run for the top job themselves and win, with some exceptions such as Al Gore.

President Donald Trump, who had earlier called Harris a fine choice if picked by Biden, felt differently and accorded the announcement the full Trump treatment. He slammed her as nasty and the meanest, the most horrible, most disrespectful for her grilling of Brett Kavanaugh at his senate confirmation hearing for the Supreme Court. His campaign called her phony.

Harris was not a surprise pick as she had been on everyones shortlist of Bidens choices, which at some stage had 11 names. In recent days, the former vice president had been focussed on three  Harris, former national security adviser Susan Rice and Congresswoman Karen Baas. Some days ago, Biden may have tipped his hand inadvertently when notes he held during a press interaction showed several check-marks against her name.

The 55-year-old first-time senator from California is now the first American of Indian and Asian descent to run for vice president. She is also the first African-American of a major party and only the third woman yet to run for that office, after Democrat Geraldine Ferraro and Republican Sarah Palin. The US hasnt had a female vice-president, or president, yet.

Harriss mother Shyamala Gopalan (Harris by marriage) came to the US from Chennai. She was a cancer researcher, who raised Harris and the younger daughter Maya Harris, as a single mother mostly after early separation from Donald Harris, who had come to the US from Jamaica. Gopalan passed away in 2009.

Indian-Americans were ecstatic. Ramesh Kapur, a veteran Democrat who hosted a fundraiser for Harris at his home in Boston in 2016 during her Senate run, said he believed the Tuesday announcement was the start of a journey. Its the beginning of her becoming the first Indian-American president  this is a journey.

Moment of great pride for the Indian-American community, said Shekar Narasimhan, a top Democratic strategist and fundraiser. Its a first in so many ways and will help Joe Biden win the presidency which is the first priority. A seismic shift occurred today and its ramifications will be felt for many decades.

Harris was friends with Bidens elder son Beau Biden, who died of brain cancer. But her links to the family were said to have suffered a major blow after she attacked the former vice-presidents record on racism at one of the Democratic primaries. Biden is reported to have been hurt by Harriss attacks. But Biden made clear in recent days that he does not hold grudges as he considered Harris along with a long list of 10 other women for his vice-president pick.

The Trump re-election campaign picked on that debate exchange to attack Harris. Not long ago, Kamala Harris called Joe Biden a racist and asked for an apology she never received, Katrina Pierson, a Trump 2020 senior adviser, said in a statement, adding, Clearly, Phony Kamala will abandon her own morals, as well as try to bury her record as a prosecutor, in order to appease the anti-police extremists controlling the Democrat Party.

Harris became the first Indian-American woman to run for US president ever  from either party in 2019. The first from the tiny minority community of 4 million was Bobby Jindal, the Republican governor of Louisiana, who didnt last in the primaries that were eventually won by President Trump in 2016. Harris is also the first Indian-American Democrat  male or female  to try for the job; she failed, too.

Harris was only the second African-American woman of a major political party to run for the presidency. Shirley Chisholm, also a Democrat, was the first, making an unsuccessful bid in 1972. The list thus far, however, has been dominated by men, which includes, most famously, Barack Obama, who went on to win two terms. Also, Jesse Jackson, who ran twice, unsuccessfully.

Harris addressed her mixed heritage in her autobiography released 2010, The Truth We hold: An American Journey. Growing up, her mother and her relatives instilled pride in our South Asian roots. Our classical Indian names harked back to our Indian heritage and we were raised with a strong awareness of and appreciation for Indian culture. All my mothers words of affection or frustration came out in her mother tongue  which seems fitting to me, since the purity of those emotions is what I associated with my mother most of all.

She also wrote: My mother understood very well that she was raising two black daughters. She knew that her adopted homeland would see Maya and me as black girls and she was determined to make sure we would grow into confident, proud black women.

Harris was sworn in as a United States senator from California in 2016, only the second African-American woman and first South Asian-American senator in history. She served on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, the Select Committee on Intelligence, the Committee on the Judiciary, and the Committee on the Budget. And quickly earned a reputation for her hard-nosed prosecutorial manner of questioning of witnesses at hearings.

Her website says she has spent her entire life fighting for justice, as a passion that was first inspired by her mother, Shyamala, an Indian-American immigrant, activist, and breast cancer researcher.

Harris grew up in Oakland. After earning an undergraduate degree from Howard University in Washington DC, and a law degree from the University of California, Hastings, she began a career in law in the Alameda County District Attorneys Office. She became the district attorney of San Francisco in 2003. And after two terms as district attorney, she was elected Californias attorney general. (thats how she met Beau Biden, who was attorney general of Delaware).

Harris is married to Doug Emhoff and is stepmother to Ella and Cole Emhoff.
Senior Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut said on Wednesday his comments about the relationship between Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput and his family was based on the information he has, according to news agency ANI.

A cousin of Rajput, who was found dead in his apartment in Mumbais Bandra in June, has sent a legal notice to Raut. Neeraj Singh Babloo, who is also Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader in Bihar, had demanded a public apology from Raut on Monday within 48 hours, failing which he said he will take legal action against him.

If there has been any kind of miss on our part, we will think about it. But I will have to look into it. What I have said so far is based on the information I have, Sushants family is speaking on the basis of information they have, Sanjay Raut said, according to ANI.

Raut had claimed in his weekly column in the Sena mouthpiece Saamana that the actor didnt share good relations with his father KK Singh. I have received such information. How many times did Rajput visit his father in Patna in the last few years? Raut, who is Saamanas executive editor, asked.

Raut also said Bihars director general of police (DGP) Gupteshwar Pandey was working for a political party and alleged he tried to contest an election on a BJP ticket. What can you expect from such a police force? he asked.

Rajputs maternal uncle, RC Singh, said an attempt is being made to divert the direction of the probe being conducted by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Singh also said Rajput had a very good relationship with his father and his father had not remarried as alleged by Raut.

The 34-year-old was found dead in his home on June 14. The case was being investigated by the Mumbai Police but the Bihar Police launched a separate probe after the actors father filed a First Information Report (FIR) against his sons girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty and others in Patna, alleging abetment to suicide. After a turf war between the two police forces, the probe has now been taken over by the central agency.
Angolan billionaire Isabel dos Santos, who is facing a massive corruption investigation, stepped down from the board of the country's largest mobile phone operator Unitel on Tuesday, citing a "climate of permanent conflict" among administrators.

Described by Forbes magazine as the wealthiest woman in Africa, she is accused of diverting billions of dollars from state companies during her father Jose Eduardo dos Santos's nearly 40-year rule of the oil-rich southern African nation.

She owns a 25 percent stake in Unitel, which dominates Angola's telecoms industry with 80 percent of the market share.

"After 20 years dedicated to the creation, development and success of Unitel, I chose to leave the position of member of the company's board of directors," she said in statement on Tuesday.

Dos Santos, 47, said she was stepping down as it was "counterproductive and irresponsible to allow a climate of permanent conflict and systematic politicisation of the administrators".

Her assets were frozen by Angolan investigators in December last year as part of a corruption crackdown.

That set off a flurry of developments, including thousands of "Luanda Leaks" papers alleging she funnelled Angolan state funds to offshore assets.

Angola's former colonial ruler Portugal then froze her assets in that country, where she had invested mainly in the banking and telecommunications sectors.

In January she was accused of a long list of crimes in Angola, including mismanagement, embezzlement of funds, and money laundering during her stewardship of the state-run oil giant Sonangol.

She has vehemently denied the allegations and denounced Luanda's actions as a politically-motivated "witch-hunt".

After losing an appeal to unfreeze her assets, in June she said he had been "denied justice".

She was ousted as Sonangol chair just months after her father stepped down in 2017 and his hand-picked successor, Joao Lourenco, launched the corruption crackdown.
Benny Gantz has warned that a war between Hezbollah and Israel will be catastrophic and that they will not stop actions against Iran in Syria writes Al-Masdar.

Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz warned of, dangerous repercussions for any new war between Israel and the Lebanese Hezbollah, stressing that Israel will not hesitate to fight another battle in Lebanon if it is imposed on it.

During a session of the Israeli Parliamentary Foreign Affairs and Security Committee, Gantz said, as quoted by the Israeli Broadcasting Company (Makan), The Secretary-General of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, is a calamity for Lebanon, as we noted during the recent explosion at Beirut Port, adding that, if we have no choice but to fight, this may have repercussions.

He continued, Lebanons explosion could have been worse, because Hezbollah keeps explosives in civilian homes. The presence of homes in Lebanon with a room for guests and another for missiles would make the Lebanese community pay a heavy price.

The Israeli Defense Minister pointed out that, Iran is concerned with opening a terrorist front in Syria, and we must prevent this. We are working against the entrenchment of Iranian forces in Syria and elsewhere in the region, by all means. He said, The reality in the Middle East is an unstable reality, without the certainty and instability that has accompanied the region for a decade.

This article was edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
Karnataka Congress MLA Srinivasa Murthy says he had a miraculous escape from an angry mob wielding machetes, swords and petrol bombs that attacked his house on Tuesday night in Bengaluru and looted valuables while vandalizing his property.

The MLA claimed that the attack seemed to be well-planned and demanded a probe into the incident by either CBI or CB-CID after meeting state revenue minister R Ashoka at the Vidhan Soudha on Wednesday afternoon.

It is a miracle that I am alive When the incident happened I was outside. Some well wishers in the area called me and forewarned me and thus I managed to escape, otherwise I dont think I would be alive today, Srinivasa Murthy told reporters,

He said that it seems like the attack was planned well in advance adding that the mob wielding lathis, swords and machetes entered and vandalised his house, threw petrol bombs, and looted jewellery and other valuables.

If a MLA cannot get security then who can stay safe?, Murthy asked.

At least three people have been killed with more than 100 including 60 cops were injured following the mob violence over an objectionable Facebook post by Srinivasa Murthys nephew allegedly insulting the prophet of a community went viral in DJ Halli, and KJ Halli areas of the state capital in Pulakeshinagar locality.

Also Read: Bengaluru Police arrests accused of sharing derogatory social media post, 110 people for violence

The mob also attacked Murthys house, damaging it completely and looting valuables while setting several articles on fire. The Congress MLA says it could have been worse had the police not arrived on time.

Only timely arrival of police prevented them from setting the gas cylinder at my house ablaze but they had looted everything by then, Murthy said.

Section 144 of CRPC has been imposed across Bangalore and 169 people have been arrested for the violence. Police have also arrested MLAs relative Naveen, accused of posting religiously offensive material on Facebook.

Also Read: 3 die after violence erupts in Bengaluru over Facebook post

The Congress MLA said that he had fallen out with his nephew for the last 10 years and had nothing to do with his actions. He also alleged that the mob was made up of outsiders since different communities in his constituency have a history of living harmoniously.

Hindus and Muslims in my constituency have always had good relations with each other. We have lived there for more than 50 years and nothing of this sort has ever happened, he said, demanding a probe and action against the perpetrators of the violence.

Karnataka home minister Basvraj Bommai has announced a probe by the district magistrate into the entire incident.Decision was taken after a meeting chaired by chief minister BS Yediyurappa.

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It is unfair to lump in looters with peaceful protesters. It happens, though. You see it in the reactions of people on social media. Many described the people seen running in and out of stores along Michigan Avenue as protesters and demonstrators. They were not. Law-abiding citizens dont carry merchandise out of stores without paying for it.
SHERMAN  Following on the success of Junes sold-out pop up performance the Sherman Chamber Ensemble, under the artistic direction of Eliot Bailen, will present The Harps Delight, featuring works by impressionist composers Debussy and Ravel, plus compositions by Bach, Jongen and others.

Concerts begin at 5:30 p.m. Aug. 14 at the Kent Barns in Kent, and Aug. 15 at the Sherman IGA Plaza in Sherman. The rain date is Aug. 16.

The Saturday concert will honor long-time Ensemble supporter Hannah Schorr who passed away in July. In her 70s, Schorr began to learn to play the harp.

The outdoor events will follow CDC and State of Connecticut guidelines for social distancing and rules for events and programs. Face masks are required, and blankets must be spaced 15 feet apart.

The ensembles Artistic Director Eliot Bailen performs on cello, Susan Rotholz on flute and Stacey Shames on harp.

Shames has performed on the soundtracks to over 100 films, and appears on-camera in many films, as well as on the acclaimed series The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. She has appeared throughout the United States, Europe, Canada, and Asia as soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral principal, harpist. Recent concerto engagements include those with The Riverside Symphony at Lincoln Center, The Munich Chamber Orchestra, The New Jersey Symphony, The Saint Louis Symphony, and The National Chamber Orchestra.

General Admission tickets are $30; senior and students, $25, free to children 15 and under with a paying adult. Tickets may be purchased at SCEmusic.org or by calling 860-355-5930. Tickets may also be purchased at the door subject to availability.

Also on Labor Day weekend, the Sherman Chamber Ensembles Blue Grass Band will present its annual free Bluegrass Jamboree, at 1 p.m. Sept. 5 at the Sherman IGA Plaza, Sherman, and at 1 p.m Sept. 6 at the Kent Village Barns, Kent, CT.
- The CEO of Kantanka Automobile, Kwadwo Safo Junior, demonstrated how the new small cars being manufactured operate

- The vehicle is electric, which means for the first time in Ghana, many drivers won't have to worry about fuel prices or oil changes on their cars

- According to Safo, the Kantanka Amoanimah would be very useful for students and many taxi drivers

Kwadwo Safo Junior, the CEO of the Kantanka Group of Companies, has released a video demonstrating how its new brand of Uber-like cars actually work.

In a footage seen by TUKO.co.ke on the personal Twitter handle of Kwadwo Safo Junior, the CEO took a video inside the small cars that reportedly make little to no noise when in motion.

READ ALSO: COTU boss Atwoli asks William Ruto to resign after 'deep state' remarks

A sample Kantanka Amoamimah electric car. Photo: Kantanka Automibile.

Source: Facebook

READ ALSO: Chinese engineer who denied CAS Wavinya Ndeti access to Likoni footbridge project forced out

Once the car got started by one of the mechanics at the company named Sowa in the video, it simply started moving smoothly with no further manipulations with the hand.

Watch the video below:

READ ALSO: Mtangazaji Willis Raburu asema anazamia fani ya muziki

According to the renowned Ghanaian CEO, the cars are particularly useful for students and drivers who are badly affected by the price hikes in fuel and oils used in automobiles.

He also added the small brand of Kantanka cars would be perfect for those who like to sneak in and out of places because they produce very little sound.

Although the particular car that was used for the demonstration was yet to be finished, the video truly proves the vehicle will be very convenient for many Ghanaians.

READ ALSO: Mason Greenwood: Robin van Persie hails Man United youngster's hot form

In Kenya meanwhile, the country is expected to start mass production of locally made cars for both local and global markets after the government partnered with Sagak AutoTech.

The car company got the partnership through Kenya Export Promotion and government's branding agency whose mission is to brand Kenya, export Kenyan products and build Kenya.

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.

Follow up: Babies with Babies, the sad life of single teenage single mothers in Kenya | Tuko TV

Source: TUKO.co.ke
A Queensland man has handed himself into police after allegedly fleeing mandatory coronavirus hotel quarantine in a rural town.

Police began searching for the 25-year-old on Tuesday after he left a Toowoomba hotel on day nine of his two-week isolation period.

'That person has returned into quarantine ... Surrendered himself,' Deputy Commissioner Steve Gollschewski told reporters on Wednesday.

A Queensland man has handed himself into police after allegedly fleeing mandatory coronavirus hotel quarantine in a rural town. Deputy Commissioner Steve Gollschewski is pictured

The man had tested negative to COVID-19 after returning from a NSW hotspot and was not considered a high risk to the community.

Mr Gollschewski said the man would now be retested 'to make sure he remains COVID negative and give assurance to the community that whilst he was out there was no spread'.

The man has been charged with attempting to enter Queensland unlawfully and will appear in the Goondiwindi Magistrate's Court in September.

Mr Gollschewski said it was the first time a person had fled a police managed quarantine hotel while isolating, and an investigation was underway.

There were no new COVID-19 cases diagnosed in the state overnight, with 11 active cases remaining and 11 days since the state recorded a local infection.

The isolation breach comes as police and the NRL investigate a pub lunch allegedly attended by 10 Brisbane players last month.

The group gathered at the Everton Park Hotel on August 1 in potential violation of the NRL's strict coronavirus protocols.

The Broncos said on Wednesday the players were unaware they were breaking protocols under what were relaxed Project Apollo rules at the time.

These allow Queensland teams who haven't played a Sydney team in the past 14 days to dine at cafes and restaurants, but not attend pubs.

Mr Gollschewski said police and health officials were investigating whether there were breaches of health restrictions not covered by the NRL's protocols.

'We have no concerns around the hotel and how it has conducted itself,' he said.

'The issue is whether there is evidence of a breach by that group against the chief health officer's directions.'

Meanwhile, Queenslanders are set to have access to coronavirus testing from their local pharmacy as the state government urges more people to undergo the swab.

Health Minister Steven Miles says the trial will make testing more accessible.

'Community pharmacies are trusted places across Queensland,' he said.

'The pharmacy is often the first place we go when we have respiratory problems.'

More than 693,700 Queenslanders have been tested for the virus, with almost 9000 conducted in the previous 24 hours.

Dr Miles said Queensland would continue to rely on methods like testing until there was access to an approved vaccine.
On behalf of the Powers That Be (PTB), World War II was orchestrated by the circles of the City of London and of Wall Street to maneuver two great obstacles - Russia and Germany - to wage a war to the death against each other, in order that those Anglo-Saxon PTB could reorganize the world geopolitical chess board to their advantage. It largely succeeded, but for the small detail that after 1945, Wall Street and the Rockefeller brothers were determined that England play the junior partner to Washington. London and Washington then entered the period of their global domination known as the Cold War.

That Anglo-American global condominium ended, by design, in 1989 with the collapse of the Berlin Wall and the disintegration of the Soviet Union by 1991.

Around this time, with the onset of the Bill Clinton presidency in 1992, the next phase financial and industrial globalization was inaugurated. With that, began the hollowing out of the industrial base of not only the United States, but also of Germany and the EU. The cheap labor outsourcing enabled by the new WTO drove wages down and destroyed one industry after the next in the industrial West after the 1990s. It was a necessary step on the path to what G.H.W. Bush in 1990 called the New World Order. The next step would be destruction of national sovereignty everywhere. Here the USA was the major obstacle.

A little help from our friends

For the PTB, who owe no allegiance to nations, only to their power which is across borders, the birth of the World Trade Organization and their bringing China in as a full member in 2001 was intended as the key next step. At that point the PTB facilitated in China the greatest industrial growth by any nation in history, possibly excepting Germany from 1871-1914 and USA after 1866. WTO membership allowed Western multinationals from Apple to Nike to KFC to Ford and VW to pour billions into China to make their products at dirt-cheap wage levels for re-export to the West.

One of the great mysteries of that China growth is the fact that China was allowed to become the workshop of the world after 2001, first in lower-skill industries such as textiles or toys, later in pharmaceuticals and most recently in electronics assembly and production. The mystery clears up when we look at the idea that the PTB and their financial houses, using China, want to weaken strong industrial powers, especially the United States, to push their global agenda. Brzezinski often wrote that the nation state was to be eliminated, as did his patron, David Rockefeller. By allowing China to become a rival to Washington in economy and increasingly in technology, they created the means to destroy the superpower hegemony of the US.

By the onset of the Presidency of Xi Jinping in 2012, China was an economic colossus second in weight only to the United States. Clearly this could never have happened - not under the eye of the same Anglo-American old families who launched the Opium Wars after 1840 to bring China to heel and open their economy to Western financial looting - unless the Anglo-Americans had wanted it.

The same British-owned bank involved in the China opium trade, Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank (HSBC), founded by a Scotsman, Thomas Sutherland in 1865 in the then-British colony of Hong Kong, today is the largest non-Chinese bank in Hong Kong. HSBC has become so well-connected to China in recent years that it has since 2011 had as Board member and Deputy HSBC Chairman, Laura Cha. Cha was formerly Vice Chairman of the China Securities Regulatory Commission, being the first person outside mainland China to join the Beijing Central Government of the Peoples Republic of China at vice-ministerial rank. In other words the largest bank in the UK has a board member who was a member of the Chinese Communist Party and a China government official. China needed access to Western money and HSBC and other select banks such as JP MorganChase, Barclays, Goldman Sachs were clearly more than happy to assist.

Socialism with Xi Jinping Characteristics

All told until 2012 when Xi took charge of the CCP in Beijing, China seemed to be willing to be a globalist team player, though with Chinese characteristics.

However, in 2015 after little more than two years in office, Xi Jinping endorsed a comprehensive national industrial strategy, Made in China: 2025. China 2025 replaced an earlier Western globalist document that had been formulated with the World Bank and the USA, the China 2030 report under Robert Zoellick. That shift to a China strategy for global tech domination might well have triggered a decision by the globalist PTB that China could no longer be relied on to play by the rules of the globalists, but rather that the CCP under Xi were determined to make China the global leader in advanced industrial, AI and bio-technologies. A resurgent China nationalist global hegemony was not the idea of the New World Order gang.

China:2025 combined with Xis strong advocacy of the Belt Road Initiative for global infrastructure linking China by land and sea to all Eurasia and beyond, likely suggested to the globalists that the only solution to the prospect of their losing their power to a China global hegemon would ultimately be war, a war that would destroy both nationalist powers, USA AND China. This is my conclusion and there is much to suggest this is now taking place.

Tit for Tat

If so, it will most likely be far different from the military contest of World War II. The USA and most of the Western industrial economies have conveniently imposed the worst economic depression since the 1930s as a bizarre response to an alleged virus originating in Wuhan and spreading to the world. Despite the fact that the death toll, even with vastly inflated statistics, is at the level of a severe annual influenza, the insistence of politicians and the corrupt WHO to impose draconian lockdown and economic disruption has crippled the remaining industrial base in the US and most of the EU.

The eruption of well-organized riots and vandalism under the banner of racial protests across the USA has brought Americas cities to a state in many cases of war zones resembling the cities of the 2013 Matt Damon and Jodie Foster film, Elysium. In this context, anti-Washington rhetoric from Beijing has taken on a sharp tone in their use of so-called Wolf Diplomacy.

Now after Washington closed the China Consulate in Houston and China the US Consulate in Chengdu, both sides have stepped up rhetoric. High tech companies are being banned in the US, military displays of force from the US in the South China Sea and waters near Taiwan are increasing tensions and rhetoric on both sides. The White House accuses the WHO of being an agent of Beijing, while China accuses the US of deliberately creating a deadly virus and bringing it to Wuhan. Chinese state media supports the explosion of violent protests across America under the banner of Black Lives Matter. Step-wise events are escalating dramatically. Many of the US self-styled Marxists leading the protests across US cities have ties to Beijing such as the Maoist-origin Revolutionary Communist Party, USA of Bob Avakian.

Unrestricted Warfare

Under these conditions, what kind of escalation is likely? In 1999 two colonels in the China PLA, Qiao Liang and Wang Xiangsui, published a book with the PLA Press titled Unrestricted Warfare. Qiao Liang was promoted to Major General in the PLA Air Force and became deputy secretary-general of the Council for National Security Policy Studies. The two updated their work in 2016. It gives a window on high-level China military strategy.

Reviewing published US military doctrine in the aftermath of the 1991 US Operation Desert Storm war against Iraq, the Chinese authors point out what they see as US over-dependence on brute military force and conventional military doctrine. They claim,

Observing, considering, and resolving problems from the point of view of technology is typical American thinking. Its advantages and disadvantages are both very apparent, just like the characters of Americans.

They add,

military threats are already often no longer the major factors affecting national securitythese traditional factors are increasingly becoming more intertwined with grabbing resources, contending for markets, controlling capital, trade sanctions, and other economic factors, to the extent that they are even becoming secondary to these factors. They comprise a new pattern which threatens the political, economic and military security of a nation or nations "

The two authors define the new form of warfare as, encompassing the political, economic, diplomatic, cultural, and psychological spheres, in addition to the land, sea, air, space, and electronics spheres.

They suggest China could use hacking into websites, targeting financial institutions, terrorism, using the media, and conducting urban warfare among the methods proposed. Recent revelations that Chinese entities pay millions in ad revenues to the New York Times and other mainstream USA media to voice China-positive views is one example. Similarly, maneuvering a Chinese national to head the US largest public pension fund, CalPERS, which poured billions into risky China stocks, or persuading the New York Stock Exchange to list dozens of China companies without requiring adherence to US accounting transparency increase US financial vulnerability are others.

This all suggests the form that a war between China and the US could take. It can be termed asymmetrical warfare or unrestricted war, where nothing that disrupts the enemy is off limits. Qiao has that, the first rule of unrestricted warfare is that there are no rules, with nothing forbidden. There are no Geneva Conventions.

The two Beijing authors add this irregular warfare could include assaults on the political security, economic security, cultural security, and information security of the nation. The dependence of the US economy on China supply chains for everything from basic antibiotics to militarily-vital rare earth minerals is but one domain of vulnerability.

On its side, China is vulnerable to trade sanctions, financial disruption, bioterror attacks and oil embargoes to name a few. Some have suggested the recent locust plague and African Swine Fever devastation to Chinas core food supplies, was not merely an act of nature. If not, then we are likely deep into an undeclared form of US-China unrestricted warfare. Could it be that the recent extreme floods along the China Yangtze River that threaten the giant Three Gorges Dam and have flooded Wuhan and other major China cities and devastated millions of acres of key cropland was not entirely seasonal?

A full unrestricted war of China and the USA would be more than a tragedy. It could be the end of civilization as we know it.

Is this what characters such as Bill Gates and his superiors are trying to bring about?

Do they plan to introduce their draconian dystopian Reset on the ashes of such a conflict?
Over the past 15 years, we have taught tens of thousands of students the foundations of the culinary skills they will need to succeed in the food industry. We like to think of Rouxbe as a digital library that culinary students can use to enhance the actual physical act of learning to cook.

Rouxbe, the worlds leading online culinary school, announced today a partnership with the Bay Area Community College Consortium (BACCC), a group of 28 colleges surrounding the San Francisco and Monterey Bays. Seven member schools with culinary programs will be using the Culinary Arts Package provided by Rouxbe, in conjunction with college instructors, to teach the techniques and foundations needed to embark on a culinary arts career. This news comes as all California schools are instructed to be conducted online.

With the current situation around COVID-19, faculty are using Rouxbe in a creative way to move forward with a blended learning environment," said Scott Samuel, Vice President of Culinary, at Rouxbe. Over the past 15 years, we have taught tens of thousands of students the foundations of the culinary skills they will need to succeed in the food industry. We like to think of Rouxbe as a digital library that culinary students can use to enhance the actual physical act of learning to cook."

The Rouxbe learning platform allows for each college to manage a customized online culinary program for their students to ensure that they do not fall behind in their schooling plans. It is designed to be flexible depending on the needs of each institution, and the dozens of instructors teaching courses this fall. Teachers select specific units to assign based on their curriculum, and the courses are available online from any device, anywhere. The Culinary Arts Package includes:



High-definition instructional videos

Interactive activities and assessments

Ability to support 100% online as well as blended programs

Communication platform

Available curriculum includes: Culinary Foundations, Plant-Based Foundations, Seafood Literacy, James Beard Foundations Waste Not, and American Egg Boards EggPro Course

Once it was mandated that classes be taught online this fall, we realized that courses with lab requirements, like our culinary programs, would be especially hard to recreate and set out to find a solution, said Audrey Le Baudour, Regional Director - Employer Engagement for BACCC. By working with Rouxbe, we are able to teach and support our students effectively during these unprecedented times.

Including todays announcement, Rouxbe has now partnered with over 40 schools, including Washington State University, Miami Dade College and Montana State University.

For more information on Rouxbes Culinary Arts Package, please visit https://rouxbe.com/schools/.

About Rouxbe

Rouxbe, the world's leading online culinary school, was founded in 2005 to train people of all abilities to become better, more confident  even healthier  cooks in kitchens around the world. With high definition videos, world-class instructors, peer support and interactive assignments, Rouxbe has set the bar as the new standard in culinary education, providing certificate-level instruction not only to quality restaurants and hospitality organizations but also to serious home cooks and career changers. Rouxbe's revolutionary online platform delivers cutting edge e-learning solutions that drive and measure learning outcomes and engagement while providing effective, lower-cost alternatives for training professional cooks. Over 110 hours of foundational training are available in English, Spanish, French, Mandarin and Arabic to hundreds of thousands of cooks in 180 countries. Rouxbe programs are also recognized by both the American Culinary Federation Education Foundation and by WorldChefs as approved training programs.

For more information and the latest news about Rouxbe, please visit http://www.rouxbe.com.

About California Community Colleges

The California Community Colleges is the largest system of higher education in the nation, composed of 73 districts and 116 colleges serving 2.1 million students per year. California community colleges provide career education and workforce training; guaranteed transfer to four-year universities; degree and certificate pathways; and basic skills education in English and math. As the states engine for social and economic mobility, the California Community Colleges supports the Vision for Success, a strategic plan designed to improve student success outcomes, increase transfer rates and eliminate achievement gaps. For more information, please visit the California Community Colleges website or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
A former United States ambassador to Nigeria, Walter Carrington, is dead.

A family statement signed by his Nigerian wife, Arese Carrington, said Mr Carrington died on Tuesday. She did not state the cause of his death.

It is with a heavy and broken heart but with gratitude to God for his life of selfless humanity that I announce the passing of my beloved husband Walter Carrington, former U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria and Senegal.

He passed away peacefully, surrounded by loved ones at the age of 90 years old on Tuesday, August 11th, 2020. Further announcements will be made shortly, the statement read.

Mrs Carrington described the late diplomat as a loving husband, father, grandfather, cousin, uncle, friend and in-law.

Ralph Waldo Emerson saidIt is not the length of life but the depth of life.

Walter was fortunate, his life had both length and depth, she said in the statement.

About the late diplomat

Mr Carrington, who celebrated his 90th birthday a fortnight ago, served as the United States Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Senegal and Nigeria.

He served as the U.S. Ambassador to Senegal from 1980 to 1981 and was later appointed by former U.S. President, Bill Clinton, in 1993 as the ambassador to Nigeria, where he remained until 1997.

The diplomat has deep ties with Nigeria. He married into a Nigerian family and had lived in three Nigerian cities since the late 1960s.
In more than 50 years as a force in the media industry, Sumner M. Redstone clashed with his only son, his nephew, his wife, his romantic partners, his business rivals and the actor Tom Cruise.

In his most consequential battle, he took on his daughter, Shari E. Redstone.

On the surface, the two seemed unalike. Mr. Redstone, who died on Tuesday at 97, was an old-school, expletive-spraying mogul from a time when bosses asserted their power by screaming in the workplace. Ms. Redstone, 66, keeps a much lower profile.

Beneath the surface, they had a lot in common. Both were lawyers before they embarked on second careers in media, and their fine-print skills served them well as they worked out multibillion-dollar agreements on era-defining mergers and acquisitions. They also shared an iron will that helped Ms. Redstone to succeed her father as the leader of the family empire.

Their main sticking point was one that plagues many family businesses: succession. At the height of the conflict  when the patriarch was well into his 80s and still a Hollywood force  Mr. Redstone tried to buy out his daughter and publicly stated that she was not qualified to lead National Amusements, the parent company of Viacom and CBS, which he had inherited from his father and built into a giant.
A recommendation for a time-served sentence for a man with mental health issues, who committed multiple nuisance crimes over several months, rather than a jail term was rejected by a local judge, Wednesday.

People with mental health issues who are fit to stand trial and who are criminally responsible, notwithstanding their mental health deficits, do understand cause and effect, said Judge Joseph De Filippis.

I take no pleasure in saying any of thisbut my focus has to be on the protection of the public.

The judge made the comments in an Ontario Court of Justice in St. Catharines on Wednesday after John Grabenske pleaded guilty to a slew of charges which occurred between April and July.

The defendant has a terrible record, the judge said, before imposing a sentence of 40 days behind bars, which takes into account the time spent in presentence custody.

The offenders eight-page criminal record includes multiple convictions for causing a disturbance and failing to comply with court orders.

And, these offences show that he is a real nuisance to the community, the judge said.

The defendant was arrested in April in Welland after a witness called police to say a man was banging a piece of wood, with bolts sticking out of it, on the ground and swearing and screaming.

He claimed the item was a table leg and he was using it as a walking stick.

In another case, he was arrested after walking by a parked police cruiser in St. Catharines and, after bending on one knee and displaying both middle fingers, swearing at the officer inside.

He was arrested in July after he stole a cement cross from the courtyard at Holy Trinity Anglican Church in Welland. He smashed the $600 cross on the ground after being confronted by police.

Defence lawyer Scott Buchanan had asked the judge to consider a time-served sentence, citing his clients ongoing mental health issues.

He said the man had been receiving assistance from the Canadian Mental Health Association, however that interaction stopped in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

To follow up with CMHA after March of this year was extremely difficult.

He maintained jail is not the best place to address Mr. Grabenskes issues.

Until he actually gets proper treatment for his mental health hes going to continue to repeat these patterns, Buchanan said.
Iran convicts 2 men for spying in favor of UK, Germany, Zionist regime

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Tehran, August 11, IRNA -- Two men who had spied for Germany, the UK, and the Zionist regime have been sentenced to 10 years each in jail, Spokesman for the Judiciary Gholamhossein Esmaeili said on Tuesday.

Masoud Mossaheb had provided Germany and the Zionist regime with intelligence on Iran's missile, nuclear, and nanotechnology, as well as medical fields, he further noted.

Shahram Shirkhani is the second person who was involved in espionage activities and had provided the UK with classified information on Iranian banks, he pointed out.

7129**2050

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Amid a storm of family drama, Kim Kardashian enjoyed a lighter moment with her two-year-old daughter Chicago on Wednesday.

The 39-year-old reality shared a heartwarming Instagram photo of herself cradling her toddler, who was all dressed up as Elsa from Frozen.

'My baby Chi Chi likes to dress up like A princess every day,' wrote Kim, who shares her four children with her husband Kanye West.

'My baby Chi Chi': Amid a storm of family drama Kim Kardashian enjoyed a lighter moment with her two-year-old daughter Chicago on Wednesday

Kim was herself decked out in a typically fashionable ensemble of a glinting blue corset top and a pair of black leather trousers.

'Kimye' married in Florence six years ago and share four children - North, seven, Saint, four, Chicago, two, and Psalm, one.

Her latest post comes after she, Kanye and the children returned to the United States following a trip to the Caribbean that was allegedly to save the marriage.

'They had a good family week in the Dominican Republic,' an insider dished to People magazine over the weekend.

Record-breaker: Idina Menzel voiced Elsa in the 2013 Disney movie Frozen, which became the highest-grossing animated film of all time

As seen in 2018: Her latest post comes after she, Kanye and the children returned to the United States following a trip to the Caribbean that was allegedly to save the marriage

'Kim and Kanye are getting along. They both seem much happier,' continued the insider on Sunday, the day the family arrived in Miami.

A source shed light on Kim's state of mind: 'Between the kids, work, and dealing with Kanye's bipolar episodes, it's been hard for her to think clearly.'

Kanye praised Kim's mother Kris Jenner on Twitter this Tuesday just weeks after denouncing her on Twitter as 'Kris Jong-Un.'

'My mother in law Kris Jenner ... makes the best music playlist,' wrote Kanye, who slammed her multiple times on Twitter last month.

Family matters: 'Kimye' married in Florence six years ago and share four children - North, seven, Saint, four, Chicago, two, and Psalm, one

During the Caribbean trip a The Sun insider said Kim 'offered to fully support a 2024 run for president if he got help and listened to the political consultants they hired.'

However the source also claimed that he refuses to budge from the idea of running this year, saying: 'Kanye seems set on what he calls "God's plan" - that he becomes president. He's saying it's a higher calling.'

Kim flew to Wyoming on July 27 for marriage crisis talks with Kanye and then returned home to Los Angeles while he stayed put.

After his presidential campaign rally on July 19 in which he tearfully revealed he and Kim considered aborting North, he launched into a days-long string of Twitter rants denouncing his wife and his mother-in-law.

Plugging away: Kim recently made an appearance on her social media to get back to promoting her shapewear line SKIMS

He claimed Kim and Kris tried to have him committed and accused his wife of having an inappropriate relationship with the rapper Meek Mill.

Kanye, who called Kris a 'white supremacist' in one of his outbursts, also posted and deleted a tweet claiming he was 'trying to divorce' his wife.

Amid her husband's Twitter outbursts Kim, who was reportedly livid that he shared the abortion story publicly, made a statement saying the family was 'powerless' to intervene in Kanye's bipolar disorder issues inasmuch as he is an adult.

Kanye eventually suspended the tweet storms, apologizing to his wife 'for going public with something that was a private matter.'

Sister act: Earlier this week Kim fired up her Instagram page to wish a happy 23rd birthday to 'The funniest and most loyal person on the planet,' her half-sister Kylie Jenner

However a few days after his crisis talks with Kim he broke his silence on the social media platform to address the campaign rally.

'I cried at the thought of aborting my first born and everyone was so concerned about me... Im concerned for the world that feels you shouldnt cry about this subject,' wrote the Power rapper.

He followed that up with a Tweet that claimed: 'There is a tactic of 4 Ds Distract Discredit Dismiss To Destroy.'

Kanye continued in the same tweet: 'I am quite alright Take a second and think about what is being projected here.'
by Nirmala Carvalho

The nephew of a local politician posted an offensive comment on Facebook. A mob attacked the politicians home and a police station, injuring some 60 policemen. About 110 protesters and the posts author have been arrested. For the Archbishop of Bangalore, violence is never a solution; intercommunal dialogue is needed.

Bengaluru (AsiaNews)  Three people died last night in Bengaluru (Bangalore), Karnataka, and 60 policemen were injured after police used tear gas at an angry mob of Muslims protesting an offensive post on Facebook against the Prophet Mohammed.

It all started with a comment, later removed, posted on the well-known social networking service by a nephew of R Akhanda Srinivasmurthy, a member of Karnatakas Legislative Assembly.

Hundreds of people gathered in front of the politician's home throwing stones and carrying out acts of vandalism. They attacked policemen trying to quell the protest and set fire to about fifteen vehicles.

The mob also attacked a police station in KG Halli, the area where the riots broke out. Police arrested the author of the post and 110 people who participated in the twin attack.

Bengaluru Police Commissioner Kamal Pant justified the use of weapons, stressing that police agents had to use live ammunition to disperse the angry mob because the latter would not budge with tear gas and batons.

Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa slammed the incident and called on the States Home Affairs Minister Basavaraj Bommai to bring the situation under control.

For Archbishop Peter Machado of Bangalore, this is an unfortunate incident. The loss of [three] lives is most regrettable and lamented, he told AsiaNews.

The Church in Bengaluru appeals for peace, he said. Violence is never a solution. We must seek redress through dialogue, harmony and peaceful coexistence.

In fact, some people showed some interreligious solidarity. As violence raged in the eastern part of the city, a group of young Muslims rushed to protect a Hindu temple from possible assaults (video).
Spain's former king Juan Carlos, at the centre of an alleged $100-million corruption scandal, has reportedly fled to Portugal after a shock announcement he was going into exile.

The 82-year-old revealed Monday that he had decided to leave Spain to help his son, the current King Felipe VI, "exercise his responsibilities".

The letter, published by the royal palace, did not mention where he would go, nor when exactly he would leave.

Spanish media went into overdrive Tuesday about where Juan Carlos had fled as the palace refused to reveal further information.

Online newspaper El Confidencial said the former head of state was in Portugal, where he spent part of his youth, at the town of Azeitao, 30 kilometres (18 miles) south of the capital Lisbon.

He was "staying with the Brito e Cunha-Espirito Santo family that he has maintained friendly relations with" since his own family's exile during the Franco dictatorship.

"Until further notice, this will be his residence after he ruled out other more distant destinations such as the Dominican Republic or New Zealand," said El Confidencial.

Daily newspaper ABC had earlier reported that Juan Carlos left Spain on Sunday and flew to the Dominican Republic via Portugal.

Dominican television station Canal de Noticias even said the country was "carrying out preparations for his arrival".

However the Republic soon denied that the ex-king had entered the country. The foreign ministry told AFP it had "no information" about Juan Carlos eventually spending time there.

Im Madrid, a royal palace spokesman refused to reveal his whereabouts saying: "The only information we have is the information which was published on the website of the royal palace yesterday."

Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said he did not know where Juan Carlos had gone but suggested King Felipe had pressured his father to go abroad.

"The government and I completely respect the decision of the royal palace to distance itself from the questionable and reprehensible conduct" of a member of the royal family, Sanchez told a press conference.

Story continues

Former queen Sofia, who has lived separately from the ex-king for many years, is still in Spain, a source close the palace told AFP.

- Saudi funds -

Juan Carlos has been under a cloud since reports surfaced that he allegedly received funds from Saudi Arabia and probes are now under way in both Switzerland and Spain.

Spain's Supreme Court announced in June an investigation to determine his legal responsibility -- but only for acts committed after his abdication in 2014, because of the immunity he holds.

The suspicions centre on $100 million (85 million euros) allegedly paid secretly into a Swiss bank account in 2008.

An inquiry opened in Spain in September 2018 following the publication of records attributed to German businesswoman Corinna Larsen, a former mistress of Juan Carlos.

She claimed he had received a commission when a consortium of Spanish companies were awarded a high-speed railway contract to link the Muslim holy cities of Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia.

Larsen told Swiss investigators he had transferred to her nearly 65 million euros in the Bahamas, "not to get rid of the money", but "out of gratitude and out of love", according to El Pais daily.

- 'Distanced itself' -

Swiss media reported last March that Juan Carlos was paid $100 million into a Panamanian foundation's Swiss bank account by late Saudi king Abdullah in 2008. Britain's Daily Telegraph reported that Felipe VI was also a beneficiary of the foundation.

In response, the king withdrew from his father an annual royal stipend of nearly 200,000 euros and renounced his inheritance.

"The media have done their job in denouncing these alleged irregular practices, judges and prosecutors have taken action...and the Royal House has distanced itself from these alleged behaviours, and I stress alleged, which could be irregular," Sanchez said.

Juan Carlos ascended the throne in 1975 on the death of the fascist dictator Francisco Franco and ruled for 38 years before abdicating in favour of his son Felipe VI in June 2014.

He was a popular figure for decades, playing a key role in the democratic transition from the Franco dictatorship which ruled Spain from 1939-1975.

bur-ds/bp/ach
August 12, 2020, turned out to be the worst day for the people of Bangalore. The communal riots which took place yesterday night at KG Halli and DJ Halli police station division created a massive ruckus in the city. The videos of the riots went viral on the internet.

Actor Prakash Raj recently reacted to Bangalore riots and called it 'barbaric'. The actor strongly condemned the incident and tweeted, "#bangaloreriots is nothing but barbaric. ..I strongly condemn this Religious fanaticism .. the instigator and the goons who took law into their hands should be punished. We as a society can not accept this #JustAsking." (sic)

Prakash Raj has always been expressing his thoughts over the issues that happen in the society and his recent tweet proves it. As per a report published in a leading publication, the riots allegedly happened due to MLA Akhand Srinivas' relative Naveen's derogatory post against Muslim prophets. Showing anger over the post, the followers have attacked MLA's house and civilians in the KG Halli and DJ Halli area.

The angry mob has reportedly destroyed public properties in Bangalore. Three people have been killed and more than 60 cops got injured in the violence. Bangalore police have also arrested around 110 people in connection with the riots.

Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa has also condemned the attack on police and commoners. He has promised to take strict action against the perpetrators.

Talking about Prakash Raj's films, the actor will next be seen in Thalaivi starring Kangana Ranaut in the lead. The film is a biopic on legendary actress-politician late J Jayalalithaa aka Amma. Directed by AL Vijay, Prakash Raj is essaying the role of late M Karunanidhi in the film. Thalaivi will release in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu. Apart from this, the versatile actor will also be seen in Pushpa (Telugu), Vakeel Saab (Telugu), Yuvarathnaa (Kannada), Agni Siragugal (Tamil) and Annaatthe (Tamil).

Also Read : Prakash Raj Makes A SHOCKING Revelation About Mahesh Babu Starrer Sarileru Neekevvaru!

Also Read : Prakash Raj Calls His Defeat A Solid Slap On The Face! Awaits Trolls & Abuses, But Fans Support Him
In its probe against a Hawala racket being run by Chinese entities, Income Tax (I-T) Department officials have found that the suspect, Lou Sang, had changed his identity to Charlie Peng, an Indian national. He held an Indian passport and even an Aadhaar card and was married to a girl from Manipur. He got the passport issued from Manipur.

The Income Tax Department on Tuesday busted a Hawala racket perpetrated by a few Chinese individuals and their Indian associates. The initial probe revealed that Peng was representing many Chinese firms for hawala operations in India. With the help of some employees at Bandhan Bank and ICICI Bank, he was infusing around Rs 3 crore through Hawala daily. It was found that Sang operated over 40 bank accounts, created by various dummy entities, which received advances of thousands of crores from shell companies.

Meanwhile, department officials have also raided bank employees and premises of several Chinese companies, suspecting the scam to be well over Rs 1,000 crore.

The accused, who has been running this hawala racket for the past three years, kept on changing his addresses frequently. Earlier, he used to stay in Dwarka area of Delhi but his current address changed to DLF. His foreign hawala transactions also involve Hong Kong and US dollars.

The scam was unearthed after the I-T Department received credible information that a few Chinese individuals and their Indian associates were involved in money laundering and hawala transactions through a series of shell entities.

Following the tip-off, a search action was conducted at various premises of these Chinese entities, their close confederates, and a couple of bank employees. The I-T Department probe also found incriminating evidence against the active involvement of bank employees and chartered accountants. Further investigations are under progress. The accused was also arrested by Delhi Police in 2018 in connection with a hawala racket but was eventually let off by the court, India Today reported citing sources.

ALSO READ: BT Buzz: Why India is becoming main hub for smuggled gold

ALSO READ: I-T dept to share PAN, bank details with 10 intel agencies under NATGRID

ALSO READ: Indians' money parked in Swiss banks falls 6% to Rs 6,625 crore in 2019
Dr. Bronners, the Vista company famed for its peppermint liquid soap and all one God faith mantras printed on every bottle, has pledged $1 million toward an Oceanside autism learning center.

The family-owned natural soap company announced on Monday that it will donate $250,000 in each of the next four years to the Oceanside nonprofit TERI. The money will be used to expand TERIs Campus of Life, which serves children and adults with autism and special needs.

Michael Milam, chief operating officer of Dr. Bronners, said in a statement that he brought the idea of supporting TERI to the rest of the companys executive team after realizing how well TERIs mission fit with Dr. Bronners corporate philosophy.

The work that TERI does is so deep and powerful, one visit is really all you need to want to support their mission, Milam said.

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Company President Michael Bronner said TERI has the same life force and spirit as his late grandfather, company founder Emanuel Emil Bronner.

TERI isnt just an organization that helps people with special needs lead a better life, its a place that gives them a zest for life. Their advanced holistic programming for individuals and their families is effective, much-needed and life-affirming at the same time, Bronner said in a statement, adding that he hopes his companys donations will encourage other business leaders to step up.

The 20-acre Campus of Life will serve as a hub for TERI programs, specifically designed to advance the standard of care for children and adults. Specifically, the campus will offer career certification programs in fields such as culinary arts, food service, agriculture, sustainability and the arts.

TERI  an acronym for Training, Education, Research, Innovation  was founded in 1980. It serves more than 650 individuals and their families. The clients it serves have autism, intellectual disabilities, cerebral palsy, epilepsy, brain trauma, severe behavioral disorders, dual diagnoses, and learning disabilities. TERI also trains professionals and agencies in seven countries.

One in five children are born with developmental or learning disabilities, and there are families desperate for services to fill the gap in whats provided, says Cheryl Kilmer, chief executive officer for TERI. The Campus of Life will take our mission to the next level as we work to change the way the world views and helps children and adults touched by special needs.

Third-generation soapmaker Emil Bronner immigrated to the U.S. from his native Germany in 1929 to escape persecution for his strongly Zionist views. In 1948, he began hand-bottling his organic peppermint soap, which became famous for its label, which is covered in fine print with his personal and political philosophies. Bronner died in 1997. His grandsons Michael and David now lead the firm, which now makes a range of products including lip balm, lotions, toothpaste and hair products.

pam.kragen@sduniontribune.com
Applications range from sensors and batteries to fuel cells, among other technological possibilities. Achieving a deeper understanding and control of the processes involved is the goal of the Campinas Electrochemistry Group

Entirely novel materials and known materials alike can be produced by means of self-organization in chemical systems. Applications range from sensors and batteries to fuel cells, among other technological possibilities. Achieving a deeper understanding and control of the processes involved is the goal of the Campinas Electrochemistry Group (CampEG), affiliated with the University of Campinass Institute of Chemistry (IQ-UNICAMP) in the state of Sao Paulo, Brazil, and led by Raphael Nagao.

Some results of the research were published in a recent article in The Journal of Physical Chemistry (JPC). A review of the groups work as a whole is featured on the cover of ChemElectroChem.

FAPESP supports the group via several grants, especially a Young Investigator Grant to Nagao for the project Design and control of self-organized electrochemical patterns.

In a reactor with electrodes, the electrochemical process in itself creates self-organizing nanometric or micrometric metal structures. The material grows because of oscillations in the electric potential, Nagao told Agencia FAPESP. Energy conversion is one possible application of the resulting product  for example, as a catalyst of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) conversion into ethylene (C 2 H 4 ), which is a more significant molecule in terms of its potential applications.

A copper solution was used in the experiment reported in the JPC article. The electrochemical process produced a deposition on the electrode, detected by means of the variation in potential, Nagao said. Using two organic ligands to prevent precipitation of the copper, we were able to control two parameters: the electric oscillation amplitude, which can be correlated with the chemical composition of the resulting material, and the oscillation period, which correlates with the thickness of the layer. Advance knowledge of the structure of the ligands therefore enables growth of the deposit to be controlled.

Nagao added that the group now wants to achieve a detailed understanding of how these processes work from a basic science standpoint. Potential technological applications will be the next step. Self-organization in chemical systems can be used as a sophisticated molecular construction mechanism. Exploration of catalytic advantages in terms of the selectivity and efficiency of these materials holds considerable promise going forward, he said.

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About Sao Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP)

The Sao Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) is a public institution with the mission of supporting scientific research in all fields of knowledge by awarding scholarships, fellowships and grants to investigators linked with higher education and research institutions in the State of Sao Paulo, Brazil. FAPESP is aware that the very best research can only be done by working with the best researchers internationally. Therefore, it has established partnerships with funding agencies, higher education, private companies, and research organizations in other countries known for the quality of their research and has been encouraging scientists funded by its grants to further develop their international collaboration. You can learn more about FAPESP at http://www.fapesp.br/en and visit FAPESP news agency at http://www.agencia.fapesp.br/en to keep updated with the latest scientific breakthroughs FAPESP helps achieve through its many programs, awards and research centers. You may also subscribe to FAPESP news agency at http://agencia.fapesp.br/subscribe.
Tom Spadaro is an advocate not only for himself but for others in the disability community  and his persistence has helped dozens of his neighbors and may end up helping many more across the country.

The 52-year-old Toms River resident has been a quadriplegic since the age of 11, when a friend was showing him a gun and it accidentally discharged, shooting him in the head.

Spadaro says he has been fortunate to have been able to live at home for most of the time since the accident, but to do so, he is dependent on home health aides.

When the coronavirus pandemic hit, a health-care worker plus his wife, Ellen, were helping take care of him. But without the proper personal protective equipment (PPE) for the health aide entering their home, the full responsibility for Spadaros care  including help with eating and bathing  fell to his wife.

Things changed on July 20, when a face shield, 150 masks, and hand sanitizer were delivered to Spadaros house. He was among 42 Ocean County residents set to receive the packages. The shield was the most important piece of equipment because health aides have to work so closely with him.

It felt great when that shipment came, Spadaro said.

And it was the result of the work that Spadaro spearheaded, the culmination of a truly determined effort.

Making connections

First, Spadaro contacted U.S. Rep. Andy Kim (D., N.J.) for help. The two had met while Kim was campaigning before the November 2018 election. Kim went to Spadaros house, and they spent an hour discussing the needs of people with disabilities.

They stayed in touch, and when the pandemic arrived, Spadaro reached out to Kims office, explaining his communitys unique need for PPE. Kims district encompasses most of Burlington County and parts of Ocean County.

Spadaro also contacted Michael Blatt, a retired coordinator from the Ocean County Department of Human Services.

If you met with Tom, he is a tremendous advocate for people with disabilities, and his story is a powerful one about his life, Blatt said.

 READ MORE: Cupboards of Care gives seniors access to healthier food options

Before the pandemic, Spadaro was working in a disability-awareness program funded by the countys Department of Human Services, speaking to students about living with disabilities.

Hes an unbelievable speaker, Blatt said.

And a good organizer as well.

At Spadaros urging, people from Kims and Blatts offices collaborated in hopes of finding a way to get necessary PPE to those like Spadaro. They identified two nonprofits that could help: First Responders Childrens Foundation and Compass 82.

First Responders Childrens Foundation is a national organization based in New York that was formed in 2001 to help families who lost loved ones in 9/11. Compass 82, located in Toms River, specializes in disaster-recovery relief.

In answering Spadaros initial request, First Responders Childrens Foundation supplied six months of face shields, hand sanitizers, and surgical masks. Compass 82 began delivering them around Ocean County on July 20.

I am very grateful, Ellen Spadaro said. Now we can have an assistant come back in safely. And I will get a little break. It has been a long five months.

 READ MORE: She retired once. It didnt go well. So at 84, shes happily employed.

Tom Spadaro isnt stopping now that hes succeeded at getting PPE for himself and 41 other Ocean County residents. He is hoping that programs like this can be instituted throughout the country.

A survey by the University of Minnesotas Institute on Community Integration in 2017 found that an estimated 7.3 million people with intellectual or other developmental disabilities live in the United States, with the majority living in the family home and receiving support from a family member.

Kim, who is among 12 members of Congress serving on the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis, says he is exploring ways to get PPE to more people who need it the most.

I have been working very hard to make sure that we have the resources to produce the level of personal protective equipment that we need nationwide, to make sure that New Jersey is fully stocked up, Kim said in a phone interview. This is something we have to keep working on and building toward. We need to make sure that we have all that equipment that is there, that we dont have the shortages that we had earlier this year, which caused such chaos.

He said he is especially aware of the needs of those with disabilities.

When it comes to [that] community, when decisions are being made about where to send the personal protective equipment, they cant be left off the equation.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-12 21:39:48|Editor: huaxia

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-- For 14 years, a private company headquartered in Qinghai has been suspected of illegally mining more than 26 million tonnes of coal near a national nature reserve in northwest China, raking in more than 10 billion yuan, an investigation by Xinhua News Agency has found.

-- An expert said the reckless mining not only damaged the surrounding area but also caused grassland degradation and desertification, which will lead to the deterioration of the ecological environment in the upper reaches of the Yellow River and Qinghai Lake region.

-- The Xinhua investigation prompted authorities in Qinghai to launch an investigation into the incident. Two officials have been removed from office for dereliction and the chairman of the company has been put under criminal coercive measures by the police.





XINING, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- Years of exploitative illegal mining near a national nature reserve in northwest China has taken a toll on the alpine grassland and wetland, posing a threat to the environment of a key water conservation area, an investigation by Xinhua News Agency has found.

For 14 years, the Qinghai Xingqing Industry & Trade Engineering Group Corporation, a private enterprise headquartered in Qinghai, has been suspected of illegally mining more than 26 million tonnes of coal in the Juhugeng coal mine in the Muli mining area, raking in more than 10 billion yuan (about 1.43 billion U.S. dollars), according to the investigation.

The reckless mining continued for years despite two rounds of inspections by central authorities targeting environmental violations in the Qilian Mountains, and the banning of all mining activities in Muli by authorities in Qinghai Province, the investigation showed.

The investigation was conducted over a span of more than two years by Economic Information Daily, a newspaper affiliated with Xinhua. A Chinese-language report was published last week, prompting authorities in Qinghai to launch an investigation into the incident.

At a press conference on Sunday, Li Jiexiang, executive deputy governor of Qinghai, said preliminary investigations found that Xingqing is suspected of violating laws and regulations.

Two officials in Haixi Mongolian and Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Qinghai have been removed from office for dereliction. Ma Shaowei, chairman of Xingqing, has been put under criminal coercive measures by the police, according to the press conference.

Photo taken on Aug. 6, 2020 shows the mining site where the Qinghai Xingqing Industry & Trade Engineering Group Corporation has been suspected of illegally mining, in Muli mining area in Tianjun County, northwest China's Qinghai Province. (Xinhua/Li Zhanyi)

RAMPANT ILLEGAL MINING

Rich in charred coal, the Juhugeng coal mine is located at an altitude of 4,200 meters in Tianjun County in Qinghai, near the Qilian Mountains national nature reserve, which sits on the border of the provinces of Gansu and Qinghai. Among the seven mining fields of Juhugeng, the No. 1 field is the largest in size and reserves.

During an investigative trip to the mine in late July this year, a Xinhua reporter saw several excavators and loaders working at the site while trucks loaded with coal and muck crawled along roads in the mining area one after another.

Currently, Xingqing had four mining teams, 120 types of machinery and nearly 300 people working in the No. 5 well of the No.1 field in Juhugeng, an informant who declined to be named told Xinhua.

The open-pit mining site stretched for 5 km, forming a ravine about one km wide and 300 to 500 meters deep. The excavated underground frozen soil, rock and coal gangue was piled up 40 to 50 meters high near the mine, burying large areas of grassland.

Similar mining activities were seen during the reporter's previous trip to the mine on April 26, 2019. On another trip on July 8, 2019, the reporter found, in a little more than two hours, 75 trucks each loaded with at least 50 tonnes of coal left the mining area operated by Xingqing for a train station kilometers away.

BILLIONS IN REVENUE

Xingqing has been mining illegally in the Juhugeng coal mine for 14 years, after the company engaged in the operation of Juhugeng in 2005 and began mining a year later, according to the investigation.

Despite several rounds of corporate restructuring with other energy companies in Qinghai since 2005, Xingqing and its wholly-owned subsidiary Qinghai Xingqing Tianjun energy group Co., Ltd. have been the sole operators of the above-mentioned No. 5 well of the No.1 field in Juhugeng.

Neither Xingqing nor its subsidiary had ever obtained mining licenses for the No. 1 field, which makes their mining activities illegal, according to an official of Qinghai's provincial natural resources bureau.

In an earlier interview, Ma told Xinhua that the company was still in the process of corporate restructuring, insisting that Xingqing and its subsidiary "had ceased production to deal with the restructuring" and "had not been operational."

However, data from the provincial government shows that Xingqing paid a total of 333 million and 412 million yuan in taxes in 2011 and 2012, respectively. Based on the tax records, analysts estimated that the company had illegally mined over 20 million tonnes of high-quality charred coal from the No. 1 field of Juhugeng between the end of 2006 and June of 2014, making at least 11 billion yuan.

Xingqing's internal documents show that it mined a total of 20.5 million tonnes of coal from the No. 1 field, raking in total revenue of 11 billion yuan, corroborating the estimation.

Analysts also estimated that from 2015 to 2020, the company mined a total of over 5 million tonnes of coal and made about 4 billion yuan, bringing the 14-year total to 25 million tonnes of coal and 15 billion yuan.

Photo taken on Aug. 6, 2020 shows the mining site where the Qinghai Xingqing Industry & Trade Engineering Group Corporation has been suspected of illegally mining, in Muli mining area in Tianjun County, northwest China's Qinghai Province. (Xinhua/Li Zhanyi)

DODGING SUPERVISION

In the past, hundreds of mines and many construction projects in the Qilian Mountains nature reserve have taken a toll on the environment. In response, the central authorities launched inspections on environment protection in the area.

In August 2014, the provincial authorities in Qinghai ordered all coal mines in Muli to stop operation and take measures to recover the environmental damage.

An informant told Xinhua that the company has adopted the strategy of pretending to cooperate with environmental supervision while secretly continuing to mine illegally.

The company's documents show that in 2014 and 2016, despite severe crackdowns on illegal mining, Xingqing mined over 1 million tonnes of coal in both years.

"When officials came to inspect, Xingqing usually ceased mining for a day or two. To cover its mining activities, the company often hid away its machinery and blocked roads to the mining area," said an informant inside Xingqing, adding that the company usually mined at night or right after inspection teams left.

In the most recent case on July 28, Xingqing ceased mining for four days to cope with an inspection. At about 4 p.m. on July 31, just two hours after inspectors had left, the company ordered its staff to restart mining that night.

Xingqing's mining teams normally worked around the clock. During past inspections, Xingqing would often receive a tip in advance, which gave them time to cover evidence of mining activities, said an informant.

When asked about Xingqing's current mining activities, Ma told Xinhua over the phone, "operations in the coal mine have long been suspended."





ENVIRONMENTAL TOLL

Environmental experts have stressed the ecological importance of the Muli mining area, where there are large areas of frozen soil and wetland vegetation such as alpine meadows

The location of the Juhugeng coal mine is the source of the Datong River, a tributary of the Yellow River, the second-longest river in China, and the rivers running into the Qinghai Lake, said an expert from Qinghai University.

Extensive and reckless mining in Muli not only damaged the surrounding area but also caused grassland degradation and desertification, which will lead to the deterioration of the ecological environment in the upper reaches of the Yellow River and Qinghai Lake region, the expert said.

Zhang Hongfu, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, has expressed great distress over the "exploitative and destructive" mining activities by Xingqing.

"The local ecology of Muli is extremely sensitive and fragile," said Zhang. "Large-scale mining has damaged the permafrost, threatens water conservation and will lead to irreversible drought in a large area."

The authorities should conduct a thorough investigation into Xingqing, whose reckless mining operations have damaged the ecological system and non-renewable resources, he suggested.

(Reporting by Zhou Erjie, Wang Wenzhi; Video Reporters: Wu Gang, Li Zhanyi; Video Editor: Zhao Xiaoqing)
P97 Networks, Inc., has been selected by Mobil Oil New Zealand Limited, an affiliate of ExxonMobil Asia Pacific Pte Ltd, to enable mobile payments across its Mobil-branded retail network in New Zealand. ExxonMobil Asia Pacific is the downstream and chemical business hub for the region with over $15 billion of assets under affiliate management. Houston-based P97 Networks is a leader in cloud-based mobile commerce, in-vehicle payments, and frictionless digital marketing solutions. P97s integrated mobile commerce solution has been enabled at over 170 Mobil Service Stations in New Zealand, its first market for an ExxonMobil affiliate in Asia Pacific, with the platform encompassing secure cloud payments, the Mobil Smiles Driver Rewards program and digital marketing.

Shoppers around the world have quickly shifted towards the ease, convenience and safety of contactless mobile payments for all of their daily spend categories, says Paul Clausen, Card Loyalty Payments Manager at Mobil Oil New Zealand. As a global leader in energy, we looked for similar leadership in mobile commerce so that our customers realise the same benefits when purchasing fuel and in-store products. We chose P97 because they have proven their ability to deliver high levels of services at scale via their mobile commerce and digital marketing platform.

P97 provides a cloud-based mobile commerce and digital marketing platform that connects shoppers to retail fuel, convenience, quick-serve restaurants, and other merchants by enabling payments and omni-channel offers through any mobile device or connected car. By removing friction from the transaction and enabling merchants to focus on the shopper experience, retailers can increase sales, build greater loyalty, and lower operating costs. Mobile payments also offer greater security for fuel transactions, protecting sensitive cardholder data and avoiding specific forms of fraud.

We are honoured that ExxonMobil has selected P97 to manage mobile commerce across Mobil New Zealand Stations, says Brad Jones, Managing Director, Asia Pacific at P97. The explosive growth of the mobile payments market means consumers have an expectation for frictionless payments at the pump. By going mobile, ExxonMobil further strengthens its position in a highly competitive region and creates experiences that drive greater consumer loyalty.

About P97

P97 Networks provides secure, cloud-based mobile commerce, in-vehicle payments, and digital marketing solutions for the convenience retail, fuel, and vehicle manufacturing industries under the brand name PetroZone. P97s mCommerce solutions enhance the ability to attract and retain customers by securely connecting millions of individual mobile phones and connected cars with merchants using identity, geolocation-based software that creates a unique mobile consumer experience. For more information, follow us on Twitter @p97networks or visit www.p97.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200811005860/en/
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-12 22:07:54|Editor: huaxia

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HELSINKI, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- Finnish national carrier Finnair announced on Wednesday that it will reduce frequencies to European destinations in September, while flying more to Lapland and Kuusamo, popular tourist destinations in northern Finland.

Due to the deteriorating situation of the COVID-19 pandemic, many European countries have imposed travel restrictions once again in recent weeks, resulting in lower-than-expected demand, Finnair said in a press release, adding that some domestic destinations are also served at a lower frequency than before.

The airline thus plans to fly in September to almost all European destinations that were flown in August, but with fewer flights.

In September the airline will operate about 30 percent of the flights it flew one year earlier, said Mikko Turtiainen, head of global marketing communications at Finnair, in the press release.

But it will increase flights to Ivalo and Kittila in Lapland eight times a week respectively, and Kuusamo in the northeast of Finland nine times a week, in September, according to the press release.

Since June, Finland has gradually reopened its borders with many countries around the world as the situation of the COVID-19 epidemic had been assessed as stable. In line with the border reopening, Finnair has increased its traffic and has been serving more than 30 destinations in Europe and some Asian destinations, including Shanghai, Hong Kong of China, Tokyo of Japan, and Seoul of South Korea since July.

However, during the last two weeks, the Finnish government had decided to resume travel restrictions on Austria, Slovenia, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Belgium and Andorra, as the COVID-19 occurrence rate in those countries had started increasing and exceeded the Finnish criteria.

On Monday, Finland announced that it would start quarantining all people arriving from countries considered by Finland unsafe regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. People will be allowed to spend the 14-day quarantine time at home. Breaking the rules would constitute a criminal act and the maximum penalty for disobeying the quarantine order is currently three-month imprisonment or fine. Enditem
Locky Gilbert says that this season of The Bachelor will be 'pretty clean'.

Speaking to The Kyle and Jackie O Show on Wednesday, Locky denied bedding any of the women during filming.

When asked by host Kyle Sandilands if there was any 'rooting' in the mansion, the 30-year-old insisted that no funny business went down.

'Nothing like that!' The Bachelor's Locky Gilbert has denied bedding any of the women while filming the show

'Nah, nothing like that. We're not like America, we keep it all pretty clean,' he insisted.

'You'd get crucified if you did,' he continued.

'If you do it with one and then it comes out, and then you end up with another person you're just asking for trouble.'

'Clean': When asked by host Kyle Sandilands (pictured) if there was any 'rooting' in the mansion, the 30-year-old insisted that no funny business went down

However, the Australian Survivor hunk did confirm that he had consummated his relationship with the winner.

He said that the couple had consummated their relationship during a 'secret rendezvous' away from the cameras.

Interestingly, Locky hasn't spent any time with his winner since production wrapped.

Steamy: The Australian Survivor hunk did confirm that he had consummated his relationship with the winner after filming

'We had the rendezvous after the show, but because of COVID-19 and being locked up in a house in Perth, we haven't seen each other yet and it doesn't look likely to see each other until after the show,' he said.

Kyle then asked: 'This rendezvous when you spent the night with each other, is that when you took it to the next level?'

Locky responded: 'Use your imagination, Kyle. It's been a long year.'

Winner? Co-host Jackie 'O' Henderson then mentioned to Locky that Bella Varelis, 25, (pictured) is the bookies' favourite to win his heart on the show

Co-host Jackie 'O' Henderson then mentioned to Locky that Bella Varelis, 25, is the bookies' favourite to win his heart on the show.

But he deflected this by saying: 'I was paying a favourite for Survivor on Sportsbet, and I clearly didn't win. They don't know what they're talking about.'

Victorian nurse Irena Srbinovska, 31, is also a hot contender on the betting apps.
The presidential election in that country "wasn't held in a way that was free or fair", the Secretary of State added.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo during his Czech Republic visit on Wednesday called on Belarus government to protect protesters and ensure more political freedom for the country's citizens.

The statement came during Pompeo's joint press conference with Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis in Prague, The Wall Street Journal reports.

"We want the people in Belarus to have the freedoms that they're demanding," Pompeo said, adding that the presidential election in that country "wasn't held in a way that was free or fair."

EU reaction

The European Union is working on the response to repressions and arrests in Belarus following the presidential elections, that's per High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the European Commission Josep Borrell.

"Following closely the developments and working on EU response and EU 27 declaration with Foreign Affairs Council Ministers," Borrell wrote on Twitter on August 11, 2020.

Read alsoLukashenko labels protesters "people with a criminal record", "unemployed"

Violent repression and arrests of peaceful protesters in Belarus will have to stop, the official stressed. "Belarusian people have [the] right to democracy and free and fair elections," Borrell tweeted.

Belarus protests: background
@BuildnBlaze #Normal4Now Yes, misinformation and disinformation were around during the Spanish Flu. The difference with COVID-19 is that we are living in an era when exponential technologies have revolutionized the speed, distance and anonymity with which all information can travel.Radia Funna, founder, Build n Blaze

As the COVID-19 pandemic takes away lives and livelihoods, it has also opened up a new frontier of misinformation and disinformation that threatens to cause irreparable harm to us and our efforts to stop it. The organizational strategy firm Build n Blaze recently launched #Normal4Now on Build n Blaze TV, a social media campaign to address the reality of COVID-19 in all our lives by sharing facts and busting myths daily @BuildnBlaze or @BuildnBlazeTV on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

The campaigns primary goal is to tackle misinformation and disinformation by providing neutral and easy to digest information on topics including the symptoms and spread of COVID-19 or how to stay healthy and fit when facing stay-at-home restrictions. For instance, as disinformation about masks fuel an unexpected cultural divide; the program recently spent a week focusing on simple facts about masks: when and how to wear them.

Less than a year after we launched it as an experiment to bring the youth and those I often refer to as the unusual suspects to the world's most important gathering of global leaders, the United Nations General Assembly; COVID-19 has brought into sharp focus just how much value Build n Blaze TV can continue to provide by democratizing information that shape humanity's most important priorities.Radia Funna, founder, Build n Blaze

About Build n Blaze

Build n Blaze, LLC. is an organizational strategy firm dedicated to providing our clients with data-driven and evidence-based approaches to navigate disruptions (such as technologies of the fourth industrial revolution and socioeconomic shifts) and an ecosystem to achieve transformation. We have a long-term commitment to the future of work, education and parity as well as to the United Nations administered Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for a better world. Based in the Greater New York City Area, our work leverages theories by our founder, the futurist Radia Funna, including her theory of the "Exponential Human or "xHuman". https://www.buildnblaze.com/ #Normal4Now
Its Friday, July 31 and Spains regional leaders are gathering in San Millan de la Cogolla in La Rioja for the first face-to-face meeting with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez in 14 weeks  during the coronavirus lockdown, the weekly discussions had been held via video link.

Sanchez wants to put forward an image of cohesion and unity in the face of an economic crisis of historic proportions, and a growing number Covid-19 outbreaks that are threatening to unleash a second wave of the pandemic. Even Basque leader Inigo Urkullu  originally reticent to attend  is at the event, making Catalan premier Quim Torra the only absentee.

King Felipe VI, having just finished his tour of Spains 17 regions with a visit to Asturias the day before, is on hand to inaugurate the conference. The program has been worked out in meticulous detail, but at the last minute everything changes to accommodate a private meeting between the king and Sanchez. No one knows what it is about.

Less than 48 hours later, Spains emeritus king Juan Carlos I leaves the Zarzuela Palace, the seat of the royal household, which he has called home for the past 58 years. The following Monday, Juan Carlos leaves Spain altogether for an unknown destination and an unknown length of time. The decision had been taken toward the end of July, in the midst of a torrent of revelations regarding bank accounts the former monarch allegedly held in tax havens. A couple of loose ends remained and it was these that Felipe VI and the Socialist Party (PSOE) leader discussed together in La Rioja.

King Felipe VI (l) and Juan Carlos in 2019. Paolo Blocco (WireImage)

One of the details that still had to be decided upon was the exact wording that would be used in the statement to announce Juan Carlos Is exit from the palace on the afternoon of August 3. Every word was carefully measured, especially in the phrase: At this time, I am moving away from Spain.

Moving was the term used; not going into exile, not escaping, nor traveling, leaving or abandoning. To move is to change from one place to another. But for civil servants and those in the armed forces, which is the official profession of the former king, to move is to change ones purpose, often involving a change of location  and it can be voluntary or enforced.

As EL PAIS was first to report, the decision was finalized in a meeting between father and son, which took place in Felipes offices. The head of the royal household, Jaime Alfonsin, was also present, as reported by COPE journalist, Carlos Herrera. In the three-way conversations that took place during the month of July, the king mediated between his father and Sanchez, while Alfonsin kept deputy prime minister, Carmen Calvo, and Sanchezs chief of staff, Ivan Redondo, informed.

Sanchezs statements, describing Juan Carlos Is undeclared funds as worrying and disturbing, as well as the insistence of several government ministers that Felipe VI should distance himself from his father, put the Zarzuela Palace under the spotlight. But it wasnt alleged government pressure that pushed King Felipe to take action. Rather it was surveys, strictly for use by the royal household, that showed that respect for the monarchy was in freefall, particularly among Spaniards under the age of 45.

In his meetings with King Felipe, Sanchez expressed his alarm at the direction events were taking and stated the need to safeguard the monarchy at all costs by throwing up a firewall to protect it from scandal, though he did not indicate in detail how this should be done. According to government sources, Sanchez articulated the problem, but left the decision up to the king. In other words, Felipe VI would have the prime ministers full support whatever he decided, but the responsibility would lie with king; it was the Crowns credibility that was at stake.

It is one thing for Juan Carlos to agree to leave Spain, because he has been told to do so, and another to limit his freedom of movement Source close to the former king

During those weeks in July, a flurry of reports and legal advice went back and forth between La Moncloa, the seat of government, and the royal household in the Zarzuela Palace. All possible options were analyzed: from the waiving of Juan Carlos Is immunity while he was head of state, which was not legally feasible, to regulating the former kings tax affairs, which would be financially impossible if he wanted to pay back everything he owed to the Tax Agency  and not just the amount since 2014, when he abdicated the throne and lost his immunity.

The matter was handled with complete confidentiality. Deputy Prime Minister Carmen Calvo was the only member of the government kept abreast of developments aside from Sanchez himself. It wasnt only ministers from Unidas Podemos, the junior partner in Spains coalition government, who complained of being kept in the dark; most Socialist ministers did not know about the decision either.

Juan Carlos Is refusal to voluntarily renounce the honorary title of king emeritus, which was granted to him in June 2014 just days before his abdication, ruled out the simplest option, which would have entailed the straightforward modification of a royal decree. Felipe VI did not want to strip his father of the title against his will, as he did when he stripped his sister Cristina of her title as duchess of Palma  a decision which created a rift between them. Neither did he want to pare down the royal family, a step he had already taken after his coronation when he excluded his sisters and brothers-in-law from the royal household, confining it to his parents and children; to pare it down any further would have meant unjustly punishing his mother, Queen Sofia.

The remaining option was to put physical distance between the Crown and its previous custodian; in other words, the departure of Juan Carlos I from the Zarzuela Palace. At first, the former monarch wasnt keen on the idea. Not unlike the Botswana scandal in 2012, when he was found to be big game hunting with his former lover, Corinna Larsen, and subsequently refused to make a public apology, or in the months leading up to his abdication, the former monarch was plagued by doubts. Confined to the Zarzuela Palace from the beginning of the lockdown, his only contact with the outside world were chats with friends, some of whom encouraged him to resist any pressure on the grounds that he was being treated unfairly.

But, eventually, Juan Carlos gave in  a difficult step for him; in his official statement, Felipe VI indicated just how difficult, by expressing his sincere respect and gratitude for his decision, aware of the personal sacrifice involved.

Spanish Queen Sofia allowed herself to be photographed shopping in Mallorca last Wednesday, just days after Juan Carlos left Spain. GTRES

The final decision, however, involves a substantial change. Not only would Juan Carlos I leave the Zarzuela Palace, as the government advised, he would also the country. Sanchez saw downsides in this: he wanted the former king to stay in Spain. But the prime minister ended up giving his full support to the move, respecting the agreement between father and son.

The departure of Juan Carlos I has naturally led to further questions, such as where he will settle and the source of his income. Some have advised against London since it is the home of Larsen. And the Persian Gulf was also ruled out, as it would mean returning to the scene of the crime  an allusion to the $100 million donation (65 million at the exchange rate of the time) from the Saudi Royal House, currently being investigated by the Swiss prosecutors. But ultimately, no one has much say in the matter. It is one thing for him to agree to leave Spain, because he has been told to do so, and another to limit his freedom of movement, says a source close to him.

While his permanent place of residence is being decided, Juan Carlos has been visiting friends, first in Sanxenxo in Galicia, and then, according to various sources, in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates.

Fear of Covid-19

At 82, with 17 operations under his belt, including open-heart surgery last year, Juan Carlos Is biggest concern is the risk posed by Covid-19.

Meanwhile, the government has refrained from commenting on his whereabouts, leaving that task to the royal household, which has stated that the former monarch is making a private trip and is not duty-bound to reveal the destination. But the former head of state is no ordinary citizen; he holds the title of king emeritus, continues to be part of the royal family, enjoys a police escort, is aforado, meaning he has immunity from Spains lower courts, and has not renounced his dynastic rights over the Crown.

One of the outcomes of his departure has been to establish what has been an open secret for years  namely the former kings separation from Queen Sofia. The infanta traveled to Mallorca recently where she allowed herself to be photographed out shopping just as her husband was making a clandestine exit from Spain and hiding from photographers. The word that best defines his move, according to one of his friends, is estrangement  a mixture of voluntary exile, disbelief and longing.

English version by Heather Galloway.
The U.S. Department of the Treasury has decided to lift sanctions and other restrictions on Macao-based bank Banco Delta Asia SARL (BDA) 13 years after they were first imposed over the lenders alleged involvement in money laundering for the North Korean government.

The decision follows a lengthy legal battle by the bank to have the punishment rescinded and paves the way for BDA, which is based in the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR), to regain access to the U.S. banking system.

The repeal was announced Monday by the U.S. Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), a bureau under the Treasury Department that collects and analyzes information about financial transactions to combat domestic and international money laundering, terrorist financing and other financial crimes. The agency said it was withdrawing its finding, announced on Sept. 15, 2005, that BDA was a foreign financial institution of primary money laundering concern. It was also repealing whats known as the fifth special measure, introduced in March 2007, that prohibited U.S. financial institutions from doing business with the lender.

BDA was founded in 1935 by the father of Stanley Au, the current chairman of its parent company, Delta Asia Financial Group, and is one of 10 banks incorporated in the SAR. It runs a variety of financial businesses including commercial banking, investment banking and insurance.

In 2005 it was accused by the U.S. Treasury of providing services to government agencies and front companies of the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea (DPRK), which were engaged in illicit activities. Banco Delta Asia has tailored its services to the needs and demands of the DPRK with little oversight or control, according to a statement from the U.S. Treasury in September that year. In March 2007, FinCEN published its final rule and imposed sanctions that barred U.S. financial institutions from establishing, maintaining, administering or managing any correspondent account in the United States for or on behalf of Banco Delta Asia.

The U.S. sanctions triggered a run on the bank and that matter was frequently mentioned at regular news briefings given by Chinas foreign ministry.

BDA repeatedly argued that the banks operations were in compliance with regulations and complained to FinCEN that authorities allegations were not true. It agreed to two independent investigations but failed to persuade FinCEN to change the sanctions.

In 2013, the bank filed a lawsuit in the District Court of the District of Columbia challenging FinCENs designation and final rule. As part of a settlement agreement reached by the two sides during the judicial process, the U.S. agency agreed to lift the sanctions.

Au said Tuesday that the company welcomed the repeal and will seek to resume U.S. dollar business when the time is ripe.

However, FinCENs decision does not mean that the U.S. governments oversight of the bank is over. The agency said that it will now reassess whether BDA is still a financial institution of money laundering concern and whether any further rules against the lender are needed.

In his statement, Au said the bank will try to reassure the U.S. government that there is no need to take new measures and that he looked forward to coordinating with FinCEN to combat all forms of money laundering.

Contact reporter Guo Yingzhe (yingzheguo@caixin.com) and editor Nerys Avery (nerysavery@caixin.com)

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Behavior health services provide services to patients with mental health disorders, substance abuse disorders, and other mental disorders. Behavioral health includes conditions such as depression, anxiety, substance abuse, and others. Around 83% people in the US are suffering from behavioral health issues. According to Japanese study around 298 people were suffering from various behavioral disorders in 2018. The growth of the global behavioral health services market is driven by various factors such as an increasing global geriatric population, rising prevalence of the depressive disorder, and poor fitness levels. However, high costs of treatment are expected to curb the growth of the global behavioral health services market.

According to MRFR analysis, Behavioral Health Services Market is expected to register a CAGR of 3.4% during the forecast period of 2019 to 2025 and was valued at USD 146.3 Billion by 2025.

Segmentation

The Global Behavioral Health Services Market has been segmented based on services type, disorder type, and end user.

The market, based on services type, has been divided into inpatient hospital treatment, outpatient counseling, home-based treatment services, emergency mental health services, and others. The inpatient hospital treatment segment is likely to be the largest during the review period due to a growing aging population globally. Around 1.3 million Americans are diagnosed with various behavioral disorders every year. The outpatient counseling segment is predicted to be the fastest-growing due to the rising prevalence of the disorder in the elderly population.

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The global behavioral health services market has been segmented on the basis of disorder type, into anxiety disorder, bipolar disorders, depression, eating disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder (PSTD), substance abuse disorder, and others. The anxiety disorder segment is expected to hold the majority share of the market. Rising prevalence of anxiety disorder in most commonly seen in US. Around 40 million adults are diagnosed with anxiety disorder every year. The bipolar disorder segment is expected to be the fastest-growing due to its rising prevalence globally. It was estimated that around 7 million people in US were suffering through bipolar disorder in 2018.

The end user segments of the market are providers, patients, and others. The providers segment is expected to hold the largest share of the market as these centers are the primary locations for patients receiving treatment and services.

Key Players

Some of the key players in the global Behavioral Health Services market are Acadia Healthcare (US), National Mentor Holdings Inc (US), Behavioral Health Services Inc (US), Ocean Mental Health Services Inc (US), The MENTOR Network (US), Universal Health Services, Inc (US), Behavioral Health Network, Inc (US), CareTech Holdings PLC (UK), Strategic Behavioral Health (US), North Range Behavioral Health (US), Pyramid Healthcare (US), Promises Behavioral Health (US), and others.

Regional Analysis

The market has been divided, by region, into the Americas, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and the Middle East & Africa. The Americas is expected to be the largest market owing to the increasing prevalence of behavioral disorders and rising per capita healthcare expenditure. The behavioral health services market in the Americas has further been branched into North America and Latin America, with the North American market divided into the US and Canada. The European behavioral health services market has been categorized as Western Europe and Eastern Europe. The Western European market has further been classified as Germany, France, the UK, Italy, Spain, and the rest of Western Europe. The behavioral health services market in Asia-Pacific has been segmented into Japan, China, India, South Korea, Australia, and the rest of Asia-Pacific. Due to the increasing patient pool of depression disorder and raising awareness about the behavioral health services methods, the market in Asia-Pacific is expected to be the fastest-growing. The behavioral health services market in the Middle East & Africa has been divided into the Middle East and Africa.

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South Korean President Moon Jae-in visits a floating photovoltaic system plant in Gunsan, North Jeolla Province, in October 2018. The plant is part of the country's plan to turn the Saemangeum estuarine tidal flat into a renewable energy complex. Yonhap



By Ko Dong-hwan



Small- and medium-sized players in Korea's photovoltaic system (solar power) industry are experiencing hard times in the face of competition from large firms and plummeting profitability, leaving their outlook grim.



The problem affects over 43,000 small photovoltaic system operators with capacity under 100kW (kilowatts) and registered under the country's Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS).



Introduced in 2012, the RPS mandates power distributors with capacity over 500MW (megawatts) to provide a minimum proportion of their power using renewable energy resources.



Under the regulation, the country's 22 major power distributors this year must provide 7 percent of their output from these resources  which is equivalent to 31,402,000 RECs (renewable energy certificates). The distributors must purchase their mandatory RPS certificates from power producers that use renewable resources.



The industry's ecology has kept working against small players despite their significant share of the infrastructure in Korea. They account for 81 percent of the country's entire RPS-registered photovoltaic system units and 35 percent of the industry's overall power output  3,264MW.



Despite their significance, only large private firms and state enterprises are being embraced in the expansion of system projects. Examples include those planned in Yeongam and Saemangeum in the Jeolla provinces  with a capacity of 1.13GW (gigawatts) and 1.64GW, respectively  as part of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy's 4.7 trillion won ($3.9 billion) project announced earlier this year.



The problem has raised concerns among many small players and the Korea Solar Energy Development Association (KOSEDA) that advocates for their rights.



"We are not sure whether the central government wants to involve just large firms in realizing their plan to have 20 percent of the national energy pool based on renewable resources by 2030 [known as "Plan 3020"], or also include small- to medium-size companies for mutual growth," KOSEDA President Hong Ki-woong told The Korea Times.



"I asked officials from the energy ministry to clarify the government's position and they acknowledged our grassroots firms' pioneering roles in the industry's early days. But although they said the ministry is considering mutual growth, we haven't seen any change yet. The government must promise that a large-scale photovoltaic system expansion project guarantees 30 percent of its workload to minor operators and developers."





An 8MW photovoltaic system (solar power) farm over a 69,000-square-meter site was completed in Jeongseon County, Gangwon Province, in June. The 28.7 billion won ($23.9 million) project included E1, S-Energy, LS Electric and Samsung SDI. Korea Times file



Yoon In-taek, who analyzed the country's photovoltaic system industry and forecast an REC price in his book, said that as businesses get bigger, monopolization of the market by large and state firms is becoming "more visible" and minor firms' market share is expected to be "extremely limited."



The government's 2019 plan for the Saemangeum land photovoltaic system construction project practically accepted only large firms and public enterprises as participants, according to its eligibility conditions.



"We need a new business model where minor photovoltaic system developers, local residents, large firms and public firms can mutually participate," Yoon said.



He proposed that minor players receive a certain share of the work, alongside larger participants in a project, instead of becoming subcontractors.



The activities of small developers also hit a snag with the country's licensing policies as they lack coherence and often do not get passed by regional authorities.



"Even with city governments' licensing approval, in many cases development activities have been blocked by district offices," Lee Kyu, president of a solar power cooperative for Seoul residents, told The Korea Times.



The group owns three photovoltaic power plants in the city and, from 2014, has built 14,500 small photovoltaic system units on the roofs of public offices, schools and households in Seoul.









In 2019, the cooperative received a 10-year power generation business license from the Seoul city government for a solar panel installation project that utilizes a public parking zone next to Suseo subway station in Gangnam District.



But the Gangnam office, according to Lee, "deliberately delayed approving the project" because of "reported complaints" from local residents. The cooperative filed an administrative litigation suit against the authorities of Gangnam  the largest energy consumer of Seoul's 25 districts in 2018 with 4,669GWh (gigawatt hours).





The government's lowering of the weighting for photovoltaic system units built in forest lands from 1.2-0.7 to 0.7 in 2018 aroused the ire of small system operators and developers who took the brunt of the measure through plunging REC prices. Courtesy of Naver blog



REC's downfall



But the biggest problem behind the small players' predicament is the ravaged market value of the RECs that has smashed their profitability.



When the country's spot market for RECs kicked off in 2017, the initial value started at 118,874 won. But as the market's supply-and-demand balance went out of control early the following year, the value kept plunging. In March this year, the average REC trade value was 29,956 won, down 75 percent over three years.



The main reason behind the crash was oversupply. During 2012-19, annual demand increased by 1,057,846 RECs but supply was 2.73 times this. The gap kept widening, reducing the certificates' value. In November 2018, the accumulated supply of RECs surpassed that of demand.



Because of the reduced value, more people rushed to sell RECs. In November 2017, there were 130 times more certificates sold than purchased.



"The broken chain of supply and demand clearly derived from the country's erroneous policies," Hong said. He explained that in the current REC market at the Korea Power Exchange, the certificates' value can be influenced to fall by how the country's major power distributors purchase and trade them. He said it was urgent for the market be made more transparent.



"So many small photovoltaic system operators and developers have grown suspicious and wondered whether the central government has a shady deal with the power distributors to manipulate the REC value in their favor," Hong said. "They mistrust and condemn the government because they think the administration victimized its citizens who had believed in Plan 3020 and invested in it."



The value plunge particularly affected minor players because many took out mortgages to prepare seed money for their photovoltaic system units and are now under pressure to repay the interest.



The problem looms larger for those who were left out of government subsidy programs that cushion low REC values, such as the Korea Energy Agency's long-term fixed-price contract bidding (held twice a year) and the Seoul-type feed-in tariff.



"The recent long-term fixed-price contract bidding for first half of this year (for the pool of 1,200MW) had a one-to-4.89 competition rate and for those who dropped out of the bidding and were left with the only option to trade at the spot market with a low REC value, it takes at least 14 years to pay back their seed money," Hong said.



"Is this really the business the government had originally recommended to all? For now, the contract bidding pool must be expanded to 2,000MW for the second half of this year."



Yoon said: "The REC value plunge delivered a stronger blow to minor players than to larger players with 1MW-plus photovoltaic systems, because the former took heavier investment burdens. They now want to stop selling the certificates and wait for the value to rebound. But there has seldom been an upward momentum in this market."





Korea Solar Energy Development Association president Hong Ki-woong speaks at the National Assembly, Feb. 13, to raise awareness of how the country's photovoltaic system industry is putting small operators and developers at risk. Courtesy of Korea Solar Energy Development Association
Bennett Raglin/WireImage

Living music legends Willie Nelson and Paul Simon are railing against a new gas pipeline from an energy company that already poisoned water wells in the Texas Hill Country.

The duo  who both live in the Hill Country  penned the letter to the Houston Chronicle urging the public to speak out about Kinder Morgans Permian Highway Pipeline, which is currently about 65 percent done. It will span from southwest of Houston to the Waha Oil Field in West Texas.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-13 01:44:09|Editor: huaxia

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DAMASCUS, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said the Western sanctions on Syria have caused damage to the Syrian people, adding that the response should be increasing production.

Assad made the remarks in a speech addressing the newly-elected Syrian parliamentarians at the People's Presidential Palace in the capital Damascus on Wednesday.

Speaking about the recently-imposed Caesar sanctions by the United States, Assad said the new set of sanctions is the latest in a string of economic siege that has caused big damage to the Syrian people.

He said the Caesar sanctions have additional damage and lots of psychological war.

The response to the economic siege, Assad continued, comes through increasing the production process in all sectors. He said the Syrian government will work on removing obstacles in the face of investments.

He noted that small investments should be supported as they support the national economy in the face of the economic siege.

The industry must also be supported as it reduces the need to import, he added.

On top of the challenges Syria is facing, Assad said, are the livelihood of the people, the economic situation, and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Meanwhile, the president said that his government will continue to fight corruption, noting that fighting corruption has not stopped but increased in the latest few years.

During the one-hour-long speech, Assad took a pause for a few minutes as he suffered from a brief drop in blood pressure.

It's the first time for the 54-year-old president to have a mild health issue while delivering a speech. Enditem
Loma Negra sees 30% decline in revenue for 2Q20

12 August 2020

Argentinas Loma Negra has announced a 30.1 per cent YoY decline in net revenue to ARS7453m (US$104m) in the second quarter of 2020. Consolidated adjusted EBITDA was also down 24.6 per cent to ARS2077m, while the margin climbed from 25.8 to 27.9 per cent.



"Cement demand in Argentina in the second quarter contracted around 32 per cent YoY and around four per cent when compared sequentially with the previous quarter. Taking a closer look on the behaviour of our demand, we observed that the initial plummeting of sales in April was followed by a strong recovery since May in the bag segment across the country," said Sergio Faifman, CEO.



In the 1H20 revenue dropped 29.9 per cent YoY to ARS15.6bn from ARS22.29bn. The adjusted EBITDA declined 29.5 per cent to ARS4293m, against ARS6089m in the 1H19.



Sales volumes of cement, masonry and lime in Argentina during the 2Q20 declined 24.5 per cent to 1.01Mt, reflecting the full impact of the COVID-19 lockdown and the negative economic momentum in the country.



In Paraguay sales volumes in the second quarter edged up 0.8 per cent to reach 0.13Mt.

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The General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketia, says the book by former Local Government Minister, Prof Kwamena Ahwoi, which records his time working with ex-president Jerry John Rawlings, will not have any effect on the partys fortunes going into the general elections in December.

I dont see how what somebody has written as his personal account and experience with the founder of our party, would generate this amount of controversy. And even if that controversy is raging, I dont see how it comes to affect our elections. Who said people dont attack each other in all parties? If it is about issues relating to the party, fine. But if it is about personal issues, I dont see how it comes to affect our campaign at all, he said on Citi TVs Face to Face program.

In the book titled Working with Rawlings, Prof Ahwoi, among other things, chronicled his dealings with Rawlings who gained access to power through a coup but subsequently handed over power peacefully.

He also captured the ups and downs of the Rawlings government.

Ahwoi, in the book, also disclosed that he and other NDC members later groomed some young NDC communicators to tame Rawlings, who gave the late President John Atta Mills a tough time during his tenure as President, with his scathing attacks.

The recently published book has caused a lot of controversy among members of the opposition party, creating the notion among some sections that it was deliberately published to cause commotion within the NDC, with the 2020 elections just around the corner.

Mr. Asiedu Nketia, however, is opposed to this notion.

According to him, the contents of the book, which have caused a stir among members of the party, has nothing to do with the NDC as a whole, and hence, will in no way affect the campaign strategies of the party.

He stressed, Since the book is not authored or authorised by NDC, it doesnt mean that anybody who is in the NDC must have everything he does together with the timing and everything sanctioned by the party. So they are free to do what they choose to do outside the partys main strategy for elections. I dont want to the policeman in the affairs of everybody within the party because I cannot be that policeman.

Professor Kwamena Ahwoi on Thursday, July 30, 2020, launched his book which extensively presents insights about his working relationship with the Founder of the NDC and former president, Jerry John Rawlings.

But the ex-president, Rawlings has discredited the claims in the book, emphasizing that Ahwoi's claim is borne out of a desire to control the party.

A number of NDC loyalists, including former Deputy Education Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, former Deputy Communications Minister, Felix Kwakye Ofusu, former Communications Minister, Dr. Edward Omane Boamah and Chairman of the Volta Regional Council of Elders for the NDC, Dan Abodakpi have all issued disclaimers to what was captured about them in the book.

Smaller groups like the Volta Youth Forum and the Regional Youth Organizers of the NDC have also condemned the contents of the book which they claim directly attacks the NDC founder and destroys his legacy.

---citinewsroom
Astronomers have applied artificial intelligence (AI) to ultra-wide field-of-view images of the distant Universe captured by the Subaru Telescope, and have achieved a very high accuracy for finding and classifying spiral galaxies in those images.

This technique, in combination with citizen science, is expected to yield further discoveries in the future.

A research group, consisting of astronomers mainly from the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ), applied a deep-learning technique, a type of AI, to classify galaxies in a large dataset of images obtained with the Subaru Telescope. Thanks to its high sensitivity, as many as 560,000 galaxies have been detected in the images. It would be extremely difficult to visually process this large number of galaxies one by one with human eyes for morphological classification. The AI enabled the team to perform the processing without human intervention.

Automated processing techniques for extraction and judgment of features with deep-learning algorithms have been rapidly developed since 2012. Now they usually surpass humans in terms of accuracy and are used for autonomous vehicles, security cameras, and many other applications. Dr. Ken-ichi Tadaki, a Project Assistant Professor at NAOJ, came up with the idea that if AI can classify images of cats and dogs, it should be able to distinguish "galaxies with spiral patterns" from "galaxies without spiral patterns." Indeed, using training data prepared by humans, the AI successfully classified the galaxy morphologies with an accuracy of 97.5%. Then applying the trained AI to the full data set, it identified spirals in about 80,000 galaxies.

Now that this technique has been proven effective, it can be extended to classify galaxies into more detailed classes, by training the AI on the basis of a substantial number of galaxies classified by humans. NAOJ is now running a citizen-science project "GALAXY CRUISE," where citizens examine galaxy images taken with the Subaru Telescope to search for features suggesting that the galaxy is colliding or merging with another galaxy. The advisor of "GALAXY CRUISE," Associate Professor Masayuki Tanaka has high hopes for the study of galaxies using artificial intelligence and says, "The Subaru Strategic Program is serious Big Data containing an almost countless number of galaxies. Scientifically, it is very interesting to tackle such big data with a collaboration of citizen astronomers and machines. By employing deep-learning on top of the classifications made by citizen scientists in GALAXY CRUISE, chances are, we can find a great number of colliding and merging galaxies."



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SV Krishna Chaitanya By

Express News Service

CHENNAI: Operations at two critical infrastructure facilities handling the ambitious GSLV Mk-3 and Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) projects were suspended at Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC-Shar) on Tuesday, thanks to the spread of Covid-19.

The suspension of operations can create more trouble for contract employees, who are already facing massive lay-offs with many space missions put on the backburner. Several contract firms working for Indian Space Research Organisation have not paid salary to employees since May.

SDSC-Shar Controller V Kumbakarnan has suspended regular operations at Solid Propellant Rocket Booster Plant and Solid Propellant Plant (SPP) with three of its employees testing positive. Among them is an engineer from System Reliability (SR) team, who reportedly came into contact with many engineers in the past two days at both these plants.

We are carrying out contact tracing and testing is in progress. So, regular operations at both plants have been suspended till further communication, Controllers office said. An employee of Premier Explosives Limited (PEL) working on contract basis at SPP said the situation was worrisome.

The companies have not paid salary since May. Only half the salary is being paid to those who are allowed to attend to essential duties. Now, with operations suspended, the company will not make any payment, he rued.

A total of 552 personnel work at SPP, out of which 410 are contract employees. Of the contract staff, 394 are PEL employees. After Covid-19 crisis emerged, the total manpower was reduced to 254 and the number was further reduced to 200 following sudden spurt of cases inside Sriharikota and other ISRO residential colonies nearby. During the process, PEL employees suffered the most with only 106 being allotted work out of the total 394.

Meanwhile, M Prasad, General Secretary of Shar Employees Association, has written to Shar Director A Rajarajan asking for a complete lockdown of Shar Centre till all the contacts of infected persons are traced and tested. He has also objected to contract workers being allowed inside Shar. However, the contract employees have attributed the spurt in cases to negligence on part of Shar employees.


Description

GIS  12 August 2020: The Health Sector Strategic Plan (HSSP) 2020-2024 charts out the roadmap for health development and outlines actions that will address health challenges across the lifespan of citizens. It also identifies the processes that need to be reengineered and actions to be undertaken to revamp health service delivery in the country.

The Prime Minister, Mr Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, made this statement, today, at the launching of the HSSP at the Hennessy Park Hotel, in Ebene. A dissemination workshop to further elaborate on the strategic plan was also held. The Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr Kailesh Kumar Singh Jagutpal, and the World Health Organizations (WHO) Representative in Mauritius, Dr Laurent Musango, were present.

The HSSP, covering the period 2020 to 2024, has been prepared by the Ministry of Health and Wellness, under the guidance of the WHO and with the support of several stakeholders. It has been aligned with the Mauritius Vision 2030 and the Government Programme 2020-2024 to provide a clear direction for the health sector.

According to Mr Jugnauth, the HSSP 2020-2024 aims at turning into reality the vision of a nation where everyone has the opportunity to enjoy a healthy lifestyle.

The provision of free healthcare services for the past five decades has been beneficial for the population, the Prime Minister further pointed out. On this score, he underlined that Mauritius is performing well on three health indicators, namely an improved life expectancy at birth, currently at 74.4 years; a decline to 14.5 % in infant mortality rate; and a decrease in maternal mortality, per 100,000 live births which stands at 62 years.

With regard to the COVID-19, Prime Minister Jugnauth remarked that with the implementation of timely measures, including the lockdown, Mauritius has been able to manage the spread of the pandemic. To this end, he emphasised the need to rethink the countrys approach to pandemic preparedness and give new directions to the health systems response. Another public health issue that deserves focused attention, he said, is the prevalence of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) among the population. NCDs, he highlighted, account for 80% of the disease burden and 85% of mortality in the country.

Speaking on the implementation of the HSSP 2020-2024, the Prime Minister indicated that an estimated amount of Rs 67.7 billion will be required for the provision of healthcare services in the public sector. He added that the European Union, the WHO, the African Development Bank, the University of York and countries such as India have expressed their intention to financially and technically support the implementation of this plan.

For his part, Minister Jagutpal, stated that the HSSP 2020-2024 addresses the forthcoming challenges related to an ageing population, the accelerated use of new technologies in the dissemination of efficient medical care and the probability of a new disease outbreak. The Ministry, he added, will continue to pursue its efforts in modernising health infrastructure and providing improved health outcomes for the population.

In his address, Dr Musango , underscored that the HSSP 2020-2024 outlines strategic goals, objectives and directions to improve the health, well-being and quality of life of people in the Republic of Mauritius. He also called for the collaborative and coordinated effort from stakeholders for the implementation of the plan.
A Tennessee woman has been left stunned after she obtained a driver's license which featured a photograph of an empty chair where an image of her face was intended to be.

Jade Dodd, 25, renewed her license online, and she received the permit in the mail at her home in Bon Aqua Junction last week.

In an interview with WKRN on Wednesday, Dodd recalled looking at the botched license for the first time, stating: 'I was with my Mom and we were going to eat lunch and I said, 'you need to see this, this isn't right'.

Tennessee woman Jane Dodd has been left stunned after she obtained a driver's license which featured a photograph of an empty chair where an image of her face was intended to be

She quickly called up local authorities to ask why there was a photo of an empty chair on her license, before she received an unusual explanation.

A spokesperson The Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security told WKRN that when Dodd last visited the Driver Services Center several years ago, an an examiner 'made an error by capturing and saving the wrong photo (of an empty chair) to Dodd's profile.'

'When Dodd recently renewed her driver license online, she received an image of a chair because that was the last picture taken on file,' they explained.

While the motorist has since received a new license with an actual photograph of her face included, she couldn't help but share a snap of the incorrect I.D. on her Facebook page.

The photograph quickly went viral, racking up more than 7,000 shares and inspiring multiple memes.

Dodd (pictured) couldn't help but share a snap of the incorrect I.D. on her Facebook page. It quickly went viral

One Facebook user hilariously photoshopped the image of the chair onto a picture of a car so it looked as if the empty seat was driving the vehicle.

One Facebook user hilariously photoshopped the image of the chair onto a picture of a car so it looked as if the empty seat was driving the vehicle.

Another user shared a photo of the license wrote above: 'When Violet from The Incredibles (who can render herself invisible ) gets her driver's license...'

Others were left a little more concerned by the error.

'What the heck? Im not sure if I should laugh or what!?' one wrote.

However, The Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security told WKRN that the error was a first, and they hope never to dispatch a botched license again.

One Facebook user made a meme with the image of the license, by adding the text: 'When Violet from The Incredibles (who can render herself invisible ) gets her driver's license...'
Co Armagh man Aaron Brady has been found guilty of the capital murder of Detective Garda Adrian Donohoe during an armed robbery seven years ago.

It was the prosecution's case that Brady (29), of New Road in Crossmaglen, fired the fatal shot during the raid at Lordship credit union in Dundalk, Co Louth, on January 25, 2013.

He denied this and claimed he was moving laundered diesel waste cubes at a yard in south Armagh at the time.

However, following a 28-week trial, the jury of seven women and five men returned guilty verdicts on counts of capital murder and robbery.

The longest murder trial in the history of the Republic began on January 27 and sat for 118 days during which 139 witnesses were called to give evidence, including the accused.

The defence had made several applications to discharge the jury citing the delay over the Covid-19 pandemic and the interruption of a key witnesses' testimony, but these were refused by trial judge Mr Justice Michael White.

Brady now faces the mandatory 40-year prison sentence after being convicted of capital murder.

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Det Gda Adrian Donohoe (41), a married father-of-two, was on an armed cash escort when the convoy was ambushed by a five-man gang as they prepared to leave the credit union.

The detective had stepped out of his unmarked Toyota Avensis after the car park exit was blocked by a Volkswagen Passat when, without warning, he was shot in the head at point-blank range. He was the 87th member of An Garda Siochana to die in the course of duty.

The raid was carried out in 58 seconds and netted the gang 7,000 while 27,000 was left behind. The prosecution said the robbery must have been carried out by a local gang, who had border accents and knowledge of the rural getaway roads used, and that they were motivated by money.

The prosecution had relied upon what they said was overwhelmingly circumstantial evidence, tied together with the admissions of the accused and wrapped in a litany of lies, to prove beyond reasonable doubt that Aaron Brady shot dead Det Gda Donohoe.

The Volkswagen Passat used in the robbery had been stolen from Clogherhead during a creeper burglary three nights before the murder. There was expert evidence given that a distinctive BMW 5 Series with a metallic rapped roof captured on CCTV close to the burglary that night was very similar to a BMW belonging to Brady's best friend, Suspect A.

The prosecution said there was a silent period on both of the men's phones at this time indicating that they were in each others company when the getaway car was stolen.

Mobile phones belonging to the accused and three other suspects were also inactive during the same period an hour before and after the murder, with prosecutor Lorcan Staines SC describing this as an extraordinary unusual and unlucky coincidence.

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Aaron Brady was described as a skilled and practiced liar who told lots of lies for his own personal advantage.

He admitted he lied when giving an account of his movements to Insp John Moroney the day after the murder, and again 10 days later when he made a voluntary statement to Det Gda Jim McGovern and Det Insp Mark Phillips. Brady had claimed he lied because he was trying to disguise the fact he was moving laundered diesel waste, but the prosecution said it was to hide his involvement in the murder.

They said these lies continued when Aaron Brady got into the witness box of the Central Criminal Court.

Over the course of five days he denied any involvement in the murder and described key prosecution witness Daniel Cahill as a psychopath and a pathological liar.

Under cross-examination from lead prosecution counsel Brendan Grehan SC, Brady claimed he had been a victim of a campaign by gardai and the media.

The jury heard that within weeks of the robbery Brady and three other suspects all left Ireland and travelled to far flung corners of the world.

The accused settled in the Woodlawn area of the Bronx which he thought would be a safe haven, and where he wore the shooting of detective garda Adrian Donohoe like a badge of honour.

There was damning evidence given by two witnesses living in the US who told the court that they heard Aaron Brady make admissions.

Molly Staunton, an American citizen, said she was in Aaron Brady's apartment when he was ranting about having murdered a cop in Ireland. While appearing via video link, her evidence was interrupted by her friend who told her to put a stop to it and no more testimony before the live feed cut off. Mr Justice Michael White gave the jury a warning about her evidence.

Daniel Cahill, a barman who worked in the Bronx, told the trial of three interactions he had with Brady during which the accused said he had shot a guard in Ireland.

One incident occurred after the accused was punched in a bar fight, another while he was drinking on his own in a pub saying he had nightmares about the shooting, and a third incident was in an apartment where Brady bragged about the murder.

Mr Cahill told the court that these admissions happened between 2015 and 2016 in the Bronx and that on each occasion Aaron Brady said he had shot a garda. During the trial the court heard Daniel Cahill was out of residency status in the US, and that he was waiting to apply for a green card having married an American citizen.

Homeland Security agent Mary Ann Wade, who detained the witness last year before he gave his statement to gardai, gave evidence that Mr Cahill was not made any offers for his cooperation. A letter of scope provided to her by her employer limited the evidence she could give in a foreign court.

The prosecution contended that, if all of the evidence against Aaron Brady was a lie, bad luck and strange circumstances, then it would be some string of unfortunate events for Aaron Brady.

It was the defence case that the accused was at a diesel-laundering yard 21km away from Lordship credit union at the time of the robbery.

Defence counsel Michael O'Higgins SC told the jury that the prosecution had come to court with a highly sculpted and editorialised case which he described as smoke and mirrors.

He criticised the Garda investigation and said it was beyond comprehension that aspects of his clients account were never followed up on.

Mr O'Higgins described the evidence of a silent period between the accused and other suspects around the time of the robbery as flawed and said that messaging services do not show up in data records. He also questioned why proceedings haven't commenced against two other named men, Suspect A and B, who the prosecution say were also involved but cannot be named for legal reasons.

The jury were told that his client's lies did not amount to guilt and argued that people lie for a wide range of reasons.

Counsel said that key prosecution witness Daniel Cahill was not as he appeared and was a person with a lot to gain.

He said Molly Staunton's evidence swung from left to right like a pendulum and that she was not someone whose testimony could be relied upon.

Mr O'Higgins also described Agent Maryann Wade as an extremely difficult and evasive witness.

The senior counsel said that the prosecution had not proved their case against his client beyond reasonable doubt.

However, the jury came to the conclusion that Aaron Brady was the masked raider who shot Adrian Donohoe dead during the credit union robbery.

The case began with an extended 15-person jury pool due to the length of time it was expected to take and three jurors were excused during the trial.

In February one juror had recognised a relative of Brady in court and asked to be excused, while in May another expressed concerns about coming to court during the Covid-19 pandemic and was discharged. In early August a third juror said that he had a commitment and, as there would still be 12 jurors remaining, asked to be excused.

After delivering their verdicts, the jury panel were thanked by Mr Justice Michael White for their patience over the past seven months before exempting them from jury service for life.
michael barbaro

From The New York Times, Im Michael Barbaro. This is The Daily.

[music]

So far, the debate over school reopenings has been dominated by a president who is determined to send students back into classrooms 

archived recording (donald trump) We want to reopen the schools. Everybody wants it. The moms want it. The dads want it. The kids want it. Its time to do it.

michael barbaro

 and by local school officials, who are answering that call.

archived recording (donald trump) So were very much going to put pressure on governors and everybody else to open the schools.

michael barbaro

Today: My colleague Dana Goldstein on why teachers and their unions are defying those plans. Its Thursday, August 13.

archived recording (ron desantis) Good evening. I stand here tonight not only as governor of Florida, but as a husband, a father, a son and a friend to have a conversation about how we as Floridians approach these challenging times. As a parent of three, I know that my fellow parents here in Florida want nothing more than to provide a bright future for their children. And heres the hard truth. While the risks to students from in-person learning are low, the cost of keeping schools closed are enormous.

michael barbaro

Dana, tell me about this situation with schools in Florida.

dana goldstein

In early July, just as the Trump administration from Washington was pushing schools to reopen their physical campuses across the country, Florida was the state that really leaned heavily in that same direction under their Republican Governor Ron DeSantis.

archived recording (ron desantis) The important thing is that our parents have a meaningful choice when it comes to in-person education. Lets not let fear get the best of us and harm our children in the process.

dana goldstein

The state issued this executive order.

archived recording The state is announcing its requiring all schools to reopen for in-person classes next month, August.

dana goldstein

Telling schools that they had to reopen five days a week.

archived recording 1 So that announcement coming today, given where Florida is. Your analysis. archived recording 2 I mean my analysis is that that is insane

dana goldstein

And this was shocking to superintendents and school boards. You know, they had spent the months of May, June, into July mostly planning for a hybrid model of education. Kids would go to school two or three, or maybe even just one day a week in person, and be home learning online the rest of the time. School districts all of a sudden were being told you have to offer parents and families the option of five days a week in the building.

archived recording So we are not ready to open schools in four weeks. We need to slow down and take a pause and get this right around the state first.

michael barbaro

And what would happen if schools didnt physically reopen five days a week?

dana goldstein

You know, I think the kind of underlying threat was that you would lose state dollars if you dont provide families with this option for in-person learning. And this threat to them was quite scary. Because state funding for education is the main funding that funds our school system in the United States.

michael barbaro

And what was the state of the pandemic when the state of Florida makes this demand?

dana goldstein

So these numbers were so shocking to us when we did reporting on this that we actually fact checked them many, many times to make sure they were correct.

archived recording Florida shattering its daily record, recording more than 15,000 cases, accounting for a quarter of the total new daily cases in the United States.

dana goldstein

In some south Florida counties in the month of July 

archived recording South Floridas Miami-Dade has seen a staggering daily positivity rate of 33 percent.

dana goldstein

 between 20 and 30 percent of coronavirus tests were coming back positive. And the World Health Organization, the state of California, the state of New York have tended to use a range of about 5 percent to 10 percent test positivity rates as something to look at when deciding whether or not to open schools. So here you might see, you know, four times that number in a city like Miami.

archived recording Here in Miami-Dade, according to county data released yesterday, the goal for the county is not to exceed 10 percent. They have exceeded that for the past 14 days.

dana goldstein

A strong indication that the virus is completely unchecked in that region. In fact, it was one of the most dangerous cities for the virus in the United States.

michael barbaro

Right. So what was the reaction across Florida to this executive order?

dana goldstein

Anger.

archived recording If the governor wants to open schools publicly, how about we invite him to come and teach in the classroom? [CHEERING]

dana goldstein

A lot of teachers and educators were angry.

archived recording If he wants to open schools, how about he provide teachers with hazard pay? Because thats exactly what youre doing. Youre on the frontlines of a pandemic that you didnt start, you didnt call for and we dont have control for. [CHEERING]

dana goldstein

Because they felt that their safety and, in some respects, safety of the entire community from a public health perspective was nowhere in this conversation.

archived recording I teach my students the history of America, how this government has run, how it works. This is a democracy. Our voices need to be heard.

dana goldstein

And my inbox and social media were filled with messages from teachers.

archived recording So I want everyone to hear my voice that if I die from catching Covid-19 from being forced back into Pinellas County Schools, you can drop my dead body right here! Leave my body right here! [CHEERING]

[music]

dana goldstein

And it was just this sense that the question of whether we should go back did not pay enough attention to teachers health risks.

archived recording 1 Do you feel ready to return to your classroom? archived recording 2 I do not. I personally have lost sleep over it. Ive cried over it. I cry over it a lot. Its very, very scary. And the one thing Im going to say, I will say online learning is not ideal. But it will keep our children safe. archived recording Im a teacher. Ive been with Duval County for 23 years. I have a mother at home that is sick. And if I am to get the coronavirus, I dont want to bring it back to her.

dana goldstein

Yes, its really important that kids get educated. Its really important that parents be able to work during the day and children have the basic childcare that schools provide. However 

archived recording 1 We teachers love our students. And we agree that the best place for students is in school. But thats only if theyre safe. If going to school is more dangerous for students or for their families, then we should hold off and do some sort of distance learning or a hybrid model until its safe for them. archived recording 2 I think theres no way to social distance in our already crowded classrooms. There is not enough money to provide for the extra staff that we would need and the extra P.P.E. that we would need. I dont think that its worth the risk.

dana goldstein

We are used to going into schools that sometimes dont have soap in the bathrooms, that sometimes have broken windows that prevent us from circulating fresh air, that have dated heating and ventilation systems. And where is our health in this equation?

archived recording This is not how I want to go back. And I want to go back so bad. Because I love teaching. I miss my classroom. I miss my kids.

michael barbaro

So what did teachers in Florida do?

archived recording The largest teachers union in Florida is suing the state over its executive order mandating that schools reopen next month with in-person instruction.

dana goldstein

So a bunch of the local and national union groups that represent teachers came together and they sued the state of Florida.

archived recording In the lawsuit, the union says the state is unconstitutionally forcing millions of students and teachers into unsafe schools.

dana goldstein

Saying that this executive order requiring schools to reopen five days a week in person actually violated Floridas own state law that also calls for schools to be safe.

archived recording The suit says children are at risk of contracting and spreading the virus and of developing severe illness, resulting in death. And the state mandate to open schools is impossible to comply with C.D.C. guidelines on physical distancing, hygiene and sanitation if schools are operating at full capacity.

dana goldstein

Its really very simple what they were arguing, that going back five days a week is not safe and therefore, cannot be legal.

michael barbaro

Huh. I have to think that its a pretty unusual act, you know, teachers suing to stop their own schools from reopening.

dana goldstein

Yes. Its definitely unusual and notable. And interestingly, it paved the way for similar threats to sue across the country, including in northern cities like Chicago and New York. And shortly after this Florida suit came down 

archived recording The American Federation of Teachers has told its 1.7 million members that if they choose to strike, the union will have their back.

dana goldstein

The American Federation of Teachers, which is one of the two national unions, authorized any of their locals across the country to plan a strike in the event that safety precautions are not being met to reopen schools.

michael barbaro

Wow. So a national teachers union is saying, a grounds for striking  which traditionally weve always thought of as wages, health care, those kinds of issues  theyre now saying you may decide to strike over unsafe school conditions in the middle of this pandemic?

dana goldstein

Exactly. The threat to strike is very powerful and pragmatic. Because once teachers threaten to strike over the safety measures and questions of funding, it really puts pressure on the local school districts to give them a big seat at the table. And just the core decision, which is, are we even going to try to have in-person school this fall?

michael barbaro

Well be right back. So Dana, as teachers are seeking a place at the table and threatening to strike if they dont feel like schools are safe, what exactly are they asking for in order to feel ready to return to the classroom?

dana goldstein

Were seeing a very broad range of demands from teachers. And it runs the spectrum from very specific and achievable requests, to ones that are hugely ambitious, time consuming, expensive, or maybe even impossible to achieve while were still experiencing any transmission of Covid-19.

michael barbaro

What do you mean?

dana goldstein

So for example in Orlando, when I spoke to teachers there in July, the requests were really quite reasonable. They wanted face masks to be required. They wanted temperature checks in all school district buildings. And then, the American Federation of Teachers, the national union that authorized strikes, had a very specific set of demands that they were looking for nationally. They wanted to see test positivity rates for the virus below 5 percent, transmission rates below 1 percent, effective contact tracing for the entire region, the school to require masks, update ventilation systems, and put in place procedures to maintain six feet of distance.

michael barbaro

Wow.

dana goldstein

So very much sort of in line with C.D.C. guidelines for being as safe as possible.

michael barbaro

So the union is making demands of an entire community, and level of infection and transmission and contact tracing beyond the school?

dana goldstein

Exactly. Theyre expecting those things to work in the whole region before you sort of even get to the question of what sort of P.P.E. is available to teachers or something like that.

michael barbaro

What about less practical requests from teachers?

dana goldstein

So there you see this big movement bubbling up on social media under the hashtag #14daysnonewcases. And this is really quite a radical demand for schools not to reopen physically until there are no new cases in a region for 14 days. Now many nations have been able to reopen their schools safely without achieving that standard. And when Ive spoken to public health experts about this, what they say is, you know, 14 days no new cases is not just a controlled pandemic, its essentially the end of the pandemic in that region. And it might require a vaccine to get to that standard. Not just a vaccine that exists and works, but that has actually been deployed widely. When will that occur? Will that occur six months from now, 12 months from now, two years from now? We just dont know the answer to that. And those start to be very big numbers when youre thinking about children being out of school.

michael barbaro

I wonder what these demands from teachers look like to parents in this moment. I mean, Im mindful that many parents want their kids to return to school for a variety of very understandable reasons.

dana goldstein

Thats right. I mean, I think the really hard thing is that there is no consensus or even strong majority opinion among parents. One recent national poll found about 60 percent of parents at this moment believe its smarter to delay reopening physical schools until the virus subsides somewhat and there are more safety measures in place. But in some big cities, where the virus has been relatively well-controlled, like New York and Chicago, polls have found that a majority of families do have some willingness to send their kids back to school. And to add another layer of complication, it tends to be parents of color and low income parents that are the most scared of the health threats to their children of congregating in school buildings. But those families are also the most concerned about their kids falling back socially and academically because schools are closed. So there is just no consensus among parents as to what they feel is safe. It would in some ways be easier if American parents all agreed with each other about what was right here.

michael barbaro

Mhm. And of course in the absence of physically returning to schools, were left with online learning. And we have covered on the show the problems with how teachers and school districts are approaching that.

dana goldstein

Yeah. So in the spring, only a small segment of American school districts actually required teachers to teach live lessons over something like Zoom video. And here I think there is actually more risk of tension between parents and teachers. Because were starting to see from polls what parents are asking for in a situation of continued remote learning. They were not happy that in the spring, many of their kids did not see teachers live over video. Many teachers were interacting with their students primarily over email at sort of random times per day. And thats not what parents want. They want their students to log on at very specific times and be in something like an online class, where they would have small group breakout sessions and discussions and have the opportunity to ask the teacher questions and get individualized feedback. And teachers unions are still, in some cases, resisting some of these practices, including even showing their faces on live video.

michael barbaro

And Dana, why would that be? I guess Im confused. If teachers are deeply reluctant to return to schools for very understandable reasons that you just outlined, and they dont feel school districts are meeting them halfway, why would they simultaneously be resisting a more enriched online remote teaching experience?

dana goldstein

Well, some of them make the argument that its not fair to provide too much live instruction, because students who dont have an adult to supervise their online learning at home, say, at exactly 10:00 a.m., might just miss out on the live lesson. So they think that that mode of education is not effective. But Ive also heard some arguments much simpler than that, that they dont want their homes to be shown. Theyre not comfortable in that medium. And they believe its a violation of their own privacy to be shown from home in that way. So its a range of different arguments there.

michael barbaro

That would seem to raise a real crisis. I mean, teachers both not wanting to be in classrooms, but also not wanting to teach online the way parents want them to.

dana goldstein

Well, this has been the sort of crux of these very tense latest negotiations across the country between teachers and school district leaders.

michael barbaro

Dana, I know a bunch of school districts around the country have actually started classes in schools. And I wonder how that has played out.

dana goldstein

Well, there have been some horror stories, unfortunately.

archived recording In Georgia, this photo of a crowded hallway, no mask in sight, from North Paulding High School went viral after the school opened for in-person learning on August 3.

dana goldstein

You know, for one of the first school districts to reopen, which was in Georgia, hundreds of staff were told to stay home because of potential exposure to the virus.

archived recording Today the school remain closed, a week after that reopening.

dana goldstein

In Indiana 

archived recording One student at Greenfield Central Junior High tested positive on the very first day of school.

dana goldstein

 right away this junior high school was having to call teachers and call students families and ask them to stay home for two weeks.

archived recording Students at Elwood Junior Senior High now have to go remote after staff members there tested positive for Covid-19.

dana goldstein

Now thats extremely alarming. But I want to say that nobody whos a public health or education expert believes that were going to reopen schools without students and teachers showing up from time to time positive for Covid-19. Thats not a realistic expectation. But what we do need is procedures in place to deal with that when it happens. I mean, it needs to be clear who is getting told to stay home for two weeks. And, is their access to testing for anyone who came in contact with that positive individual? So in many ways, I think these anecdotes that were hearing of kind of first-day-back crises in towns and cities that are trying to reopen physically do show that many of the concerns that teachers have brought to the table here are quite legitimate.

michael barbaro

So those are a small number of districts that have already reopened. But of course, many of the nations largest school districts  Chicago, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., among others, are now firmly saying that they will not physically reopen schools at least initially. And that represents millions of students. So do teachers unions and teachers see that as a kind of victory?

dana goldstein

They do see it as a victory, absolutely. They believe that its not only whats necessary to protect their health but to prevent schools emerging as potential hot spots for spreading Covid-19. But I think within that victory, there is also a real tragedy for American children and actually for our country. Because to be in a place where the needs of public health and safety are really juxtaposed against our ability to fully educate our kids, is to be in a place that very few other developed nations are in right now. And it is because of our failure to control the pandemic itself. We are looking at the real likelihood that millions or tens of millions of children do not attend school for an entire year. A full year of no school. And we just know that its going to lead to big problems. Its going to make kids less likely to learn to read. Its going to probably lead to higher high school dropout rates. Its going to lead to students who dont have enough to eat, because school is where they are fed. And to students that dont have access to the mental health counseling and the special education services that they get at schools. So the fact that were having to choose between everything crucial that the physical school provides and public health, its stunning. Its stunning to me as a 15-year veteran on the education beat and just also as a parent. You know, my daughter is going to come through this pandemic just fine. She has access to a great childcare and we have a lot of resources in our home and family to bring her through this. But still, its really sad for our family that shes missing the preschool experience that we really wanted her to have. Its been months since she was with teachers and socializing with a group of students. And shes started even to become more timid around other kids, weve noticed when we do take those walks out to the playground. And you know, its sad for our family. And its just a tiny microcosm of how sad it is for our country.

michael barbaro

Dana, thank you very much.

dana goldstein

Thank you so much, Michael.

michael barbaro

Starting this week, several Florida school districts began holding in-person classes, even as the lawsuit filed by the states teachers union moves ahead. A court hearing in that case is scheduled for later today. Meanwhile, in New York City on Wednesday, the influential unions representing principals and teachers called on the city to delay starting in-person instruction by several weeks. In a statement, one of the unions leaders said that the city had failed to address teachers safety concerns and had failed to give them enough time to implement complicated safety protocols. Well be right back. Heres what else you need to know today.

archived recording (joe biden) Good afternoon, everyone. To me and to Kamala, this is an exciting day. Its a great day for our campaign and its a great day for America, in my view.

michael barbaro

During their first joint appearance as a ticket on Wednesday, Joe Biden praised Kamala Harris for her record as the attorney general of California and as a United States senator, calling her an unapologetic advocate for justice.

archived recording (kamala harris) Thank you, Joe. Thank you, Joe. As I said, Joe, when you called me, I am incredibly honored by this responsibility. And Im ready to get to work. I am ready to get to work.

michael barbaro

In her remarks, Harris immediately delivered a stinging indictment of President Trump as a self-absorbed leader who has repeatedly failed America, above all, during the pandemic.

archived recording (kamala harris) America is crying out for leadership. Yet we have a president who cares more about himself than the people who elected him. A president who is making every challenge we face even more difficult to solve. But heres the good news. We dont have to accept the failed government of Donald Trump and Mike Pence. In just 83 days, we have a chance to choose a better future.

michael barbaro

And 

archived recording (dr. anthony fauci) I hope that the Russians have actually definitively proven that the vaccine is safe and effective. I seriously doubt that theyve done that.

michael barbaro

The Trump administrations top adviser on the pandemic, Dr. Anthony Fauci, expressed deep doubts about Russias rushed plan to distribute a vaccine for the coronavirus. The vaccine, called Sputnik V, was approved by Russias government without evidence that the largest and most important phase of human testing had ever occurred.

archived recording (anthony fauci) So if we wanted to take the chance of hurting a lot of people or giving them something that doesnt work, we could start doing this, you know, next week if we wanted to. But thats not the way it works.

michael barbaro
" " A batch of 59 StarLink test satellites heading into space, stacked atop a Falcon 9 rocket. SpaceX/Wikimedia Commons

Star Wars is coming to life  and right now, the corporate Empire is winning the battle. We're referring, of course, to SpaceX's StarLink project, which plans to use a massive satellite array 340 miles (550 kilometers) above Earth to provide high-speed internet access to every corner of the planet. On August 7, 2020, a two-stage Falcon 9 rocket carrying 57 SpaceX Starlink satellites, along with two smaller BlackSky Global Earth-observation satellites, lifted off into space from NASA's Kennedy Space Center.

StarLink is a typically audacious project from Elon Musk's SpaceX, and it stands to benefit anyone who currently has an unsatisfactory internet service  or perhaps no service at all. Whether you're on a remote island or mountaintop, an Antarctic base or congested city, a pizza-box sized terminal will help you work or (watch cat videos) at lightning speed, via satellites  many, many satellites.

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Not Everyone Is Thrilled

Yet, everyone from astronomers to physicists to dark-sky lovers are skeptical  if not horrified  at the thought of tens of thousands of low-orbit satellites streaking across the night sky. Other companies, like Amazon and Telesat, are hoping to emulate StarLink's model, meaning there could be as many as 50,000 satellites mostly for the purpose of internet service.

That's roughly double the number of satellites launched by humans in the previous six decades.

Thousands of astronomers have signed a petition hoping to slow the rate of satellite deployment. They fear the satellites' low orbit, paired with their tendency to reflect sunlight at certain times, are 99 percent brighter than the other objects in the night sky, and likely to impede our ability to peer into the universe.

"The StarLink satellites are relatively close to the Earth (only a few hundred kilometers high) and thus as they reflect sunlight they can appear quite bright," says Paul A. Delaney, a professor at York University in Toronto, via email. "Not so bright that you can see them with the naked eye but telescopes can see to the edge of the universe, so satellites close by are very easily seen."

He says that the large number of satellites means they'll appear in long-exposure images made with ground-based telescopes, compromising the data that is collected from such images. That means wasted time, wasted money and less data for research related to our universe. With 50,000 satellites to work around, exasperated astronomers could find themselves going supernova as their work stalls.

That's particularly true for astronomers who are pushing the limits of technology. They need wide, clear views to conduct their research.

"Imaging the sky to detect faint and distant objects is the bread and butter of modern astronomy," says Delaney. "Pushing the limits of what we can see and detect is the calling of modern astronomy. Thousands of satellites passing through the fields of view of telescopes will reduce the efficiency and effectiveness of our observations."

Delaney likens StarLink to someone plopping a high-intensity light onto your front lawn. You'd probably feel like you should have some input into that process  that's how astronomers feel about StarLink. There was no real warning regarding the impact it could have on their work, he says, and that's a direct reflection on the lack of regulatory oversight regarding space-related projects.

StarLink's engineers (and marketing team) are sensitive to the negative press regarding the project. They've assured researchers that they'll work with them to reduce any impact of StarLink, perhaps by routing the satellites around certain observatories at specific times. Engineers also tried to apply a dark coating to one series of satellites to reduce the effects  unfortunately, it didn't work as well as hoped.

"It is a step in the right direction but a little bit like an oncoming car at night switching their high beams to low," says Delaney. "Less dazzling for you, but the car lights are still easily seen. The 'darker' satellites will still be easily detected by large telescopes."

Some StarLink proponents might argue that astronomers can simply take another picture once the array has passed their field of view. But timing is everything  what if asteroid hunters miss clues to a potentially dangerous rock hurtling toward Earth because too many Bruce Willis fans thought it was more important to stream "Armageddon"?

"No one knows in advance all the information available in any given image," says Delaney. "Working with communication providers before they launch such missions would be very helpful."

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Musk Hopes For a Multiplanetary Society

Astronomers have nothing against accessible high-speed internet. After all, it helps them conduct their research, share their results and advance collective human knowledge. They just don't want to sacrifice their insights to StarLink's commercial ambitions, even if Elon Musk is hoping it will help push humans toward a multiplanetary society.

They're also not the only ones concerned about StarLink. Anyone who has, or wants to put, a satellite in orbit now has to contend with the idea that Musk could have tens of thousands of his contraptions circling the Earth for years to come. It all sounds like something out of a sci-fi movie of the future  but it's happening right now, and it could impact generations of humans.

"Bottom line: An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure," says Delaney. "A lot of smart people can do great things if they work and plan together. Space is a part of our lives today so we need to use it smartly so everyone benefits."

NOW THAT'S INTERESTING StarLink will affect more than astronomy, it could also have major consequences with regard to geopolitical issues. To wit, how does an oppressive government clamp down on internet access if its citizens can snag a signal anywhere? It would have to outlaw the service, seize terminals and disrupt transmissions if it hoped to blind its citizens to global news and communications.

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Originally Published: Aug 12, 2020
They have spent the entirety of lockdown together.

Yet Kris Boyson, 31, and Bianca Gascoigne, 33, are showing no signs of boredom with one another as they have jetted to Croatia for their first holiday as a couple.

The Love Island beauty was showing off her sizzling curves in a sexy metallic bikini while Katie Price's ex looked incredibly hunky in tiny swimming trunks.

Hot stuff: Kris Boyson, 31, and Bianca Gascoigne, 33, are showing no signs of boredom with one another as they have jetted to Croatia for their first holiday as a couple

The couple could not take their hands off each other as they lived it up on holiday, with a dash to the pool ending in steamy kisses.

Bianca let her blonde locks fall in bouncy lengths while she wore heavy make-up in an apparent illustration that she didn't plan to get in the water.

Kris donned complementary khaki shorts, which perfectly off-set Bianca's green hued bikini as they made sure they were perfectly in sync.

He was as preened as his girlfriend as he slicked his hair to one side and boasted a dappling of designer, perfectly-trimmed facial hair.

Making a splash: The Love Island beauty was showing off her sizzling curves in a sexy metallic bikini while Katie Price's ex looked incredibly hunky in tiny swimming trunks

Tender moments: The couple could not resist packing on the PDA

Him and Her: Kris donned complementary khaki shorts, which perfectly off-set Bianca's green hued bikini as they made sure they were perfectly in sync

Wow! Kris was clearly appreciative of his girlfriend's stunning figure

It comes after Bianca and Kris revealed they moved in together after their first date in a new interview. The couple took their relationship to the next level as they spent the UK's nationwide lockdown together just weeks after embarking on a romance.

Despite dating for only five months, the reality stars admitted they'd definitely want to get married and start a family in the future as they 'completely trust' each other.

In their first joint interview together, the media personalities lifted the lid on the early stages of their fresh romance, which they decided to go public about months later.

The perfect couple: Despite dating for only five months, the reality stars admitted they'd definitely want to get married and start a family in the future as they 'completely trust' each other

Preened to perfection: Bianca let her blonde locks fall in bouncy lengths while she wore heavy make-up in an apparent illustration that she didn't plan to get in the water

Hold me close: The couple could not take their hands off each other as they lived it up on holiday, with a dash to the pool ending in steamy kisses

He said: 'We've spent every single day together practically since we met. You wouldn't lock down with someone for 100 days if it was a showmance.'

Bianca and Kris were introduced to each other three years ago when he provided her with healthy meals in preparation of a charity fight, which got cancelled when her opponent, his ex Katie Price, pulled out.

They lost contact for a while, before fitness enthusiast Kris slid into her Instagram DMs earlier this year. The couple currently reside in Kent and are renovating their pad with a cinema room and a new bar.

Closer than ever: It comes after Bianca and Kris revealed they moved in together after their first date in a new interview

Hopeful: When asked about the prospect of marriage and kids, influencer Bianca admitted their future looks 'very promising' and her mother Sheryl Gascoigne is 'desperate for grandchildren'

Good looking: 'We'd have good-looking kids one day. I can definitely see myself with this one', Kris enthused

When asked about the prospect of marriage and kids, influencer Bianca admitted their future looks 'very promising' and her mother Sheryl Gascoigne is 'desperate for grandchildren'.

'We'd have good-looking kids one day. I can definitely see myself with this one', Kris enthused. Their relationship was rocked when they reported his former girlfriend Katie, 42, to the police when she arrived at their home for a row in June.

The lovedbirds insisted working through the chaos proved they're 'stronger than ever' and 'nothing could affect us'.

Me and you forever: The lovedbirds insisted working through the chaos proved they're 'stronger than ever' and 'nothing could affect us'

A tender touch: Kris' tender nature was clear to see

Bianca explained: 'I've never trusted someone so much in all my life. My mum says that speaks volumes. I'm the happiest I've ever been.'

Last month, Kris, who was recently accused of messaging Katie when he first started dating Bianca, faced backlash as he shared a message about putting their past behind him in support of the mother-of-five's son Harvey, 18, during his ICU stint.

The former Page 3 star branded him a 'fame-hungry, wannabe t**t' in an explosive Instagram post.

Always here: The couple linked arms as they walked across the pool area

Support: Last month, Kris, who was recently accused of messaging Katie when he first started dating Bianca, faced backlash as he shared a message about putting their past behind him in support of the mother-of-five's son Harvey, 18, during his ICU stint
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has turned down a petition seeking its intervention in asking the Punjab government to consider converting the defunct Guru Nanak Dev Thermal Plant (GNDPT) in Bathinda into a biomass-fuelled facility.

Disposing of the petition filed by GNDTP retired deputy chief engineer Darshan Singh, the principal bench headed by chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel, the NGT said: The Punjab government may act in accordance with the law and if the power plant is to be converted from coal-fired to paddy straw fuelled, all norms should be complied with.

Justice SP Wangdi and an expert, Dr Nagin Nanda, were on the panel that decided the matter through a virtual hearing. The order was published on the NGTs website on Tuesday.

The tribunals decision was based on a report submitted by the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB).

WILL SOLVE STUBBLE PROBLEM: PETITIONER

In a petition on December 16, 2019, Darshan Singh claimed to have prepared a report for the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) on the possibility of converting Unit-IV of the thermal plant into a paddy straw fuelled unit.

The petitioner said switching from coal to crop waste-based fuel will help in providing a solution for the safe disposal of stubble of major kharif crops of Punjabs Malwa belt.

The petitioner contended that PSPCLs board of directors had put the proposal of converting the thermal power plant into a biomass facility before the Punjab government in November 2018. But the state government did not act on the proposal.

He said that the cost of upgrading the defunct plant into a stubble-based facility will be cheaper than building a new biomass unit. Thus, the cost of power generation will be lower in the biomass plant.

Besides bringing down air pollution during winter in Punjab and Delhi, conversion from conventional to paddy stubble-based fuel will add to the income of rice growers in the state, he said.

PROPOSAL AT PRELIMINARY STAGE: PPCB

In its report to the NGT after analysing Darshan Singhs representation, the PPCB said that the proposal to convert GNDTP into a stubble-fired power plant was only at the preliminary stage of consideration by the state government.

The PPCB said that its up to the PSPCL to comment on the technical and economic viability. However, the PPCB said that if the government finds the proposal viable, it will help in using the paddy residue.

While considering the implementation of the proposal to upgrade GNDTP, the state authorities have to set up an exhaustive mechanism and facilities for time-bound collection, storage and transportation of stubble generated during paddy harvesting to ensure the availability of fuel for the power plant throughout the year, the report said.

The power plant was decommissioned two years ago and the state government has already started the process to dismantle it. The Punjab government is keen to develop a pharmaceutical park on the land of the defunct power plant.
Gen Bipin Rawat, wife to be cremated in Delhi on Friday

IAF chopper crash: Probe report likely to be submitted to Air headquarters next week

IAF objects to negative portrayal of work culture in Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl

India

oi-Deepika S

New Delhi, Aug 12: The Indian Air Force (IAF) has objected to the portrayal of its work culture in the movie "Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl", which was released on streaming platform Netflix on Wednesday.

IAF writes to censor board over negative potrayal in Gunjan saxena | Oneindia News

The letter written by the IAF and accessed by ANI, read, "In the aim to glorify the screen character of ''Ex-Flt Lt Gunjan Saxena'', M/s Dharma Productions presented some situations that are misleading and portray an inappropriate work culture especially against women in the IAF."

It added IAF as a service has always ensured the organisation is gender neutral and provided equal opportunities to male and women personnel.

"However, the production house has not deleted the scenes but had proposed a media plan in the run up to the release and inserting a disclaimer in the movie," the letter said, adding IAF considers these measures inadequate.

Govt approves military procurement worth Rs 8,722 cr including 106 basic trainer aircraft for IAF

The film is based on the life of Gunjan Saxena, then a flying officer, who became the first woman combat aviator to fly into a war zone during the 1999 Kargil War.

Starring Jahnvi Kapoor, Ayesha Raza Mishra, Vineet Kumar Singh, Manav Vij and Angad Bedi, "Gunjan Saxena" will start streaming on Netflix from August 12.

The Defence Ministry had written to the CBFC last month raising strong objections to the depiction of armed forces personnel in some web series.

It had urged that production houses may be advised to obtain a no-objection certificate from the ministry before telecasting any film, documentary or web series on an Army theme, they added.

The ministry had received some complaints raising strong objections about the portrayal of Indian Army personnel and the military uniform in an "insulting manner", they said.
Geojit's report on Agri Picks

Malaysia's crude palm oil output fell 4.1% on month to around 1.8 mln tn in July, according to Malaysian Palm Oil Board. Total palm oil stocks were down 10.6% at nearly 1.7 mln tn. Malaysia's palm oil exports in July rose 4.2% at around 1.8 mln tn, and its biodiesel exports jumped to 38,947 tn against 16,022 tn in June. The implementation of a norm for rice export to some European countries has been deferred till Jan 1. Members of the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland had already implemented this norm in November. The oil ministry may seek the Cabinet's approval to increase the price offered by oil marketing companies to sugar mills that make ethanol from B-heavy and C-heavy molasses in 2020-21 (Dec-Nov), two sources close to the development said. The move may be aimed at addressing the glut in the domestic sugar market. The Cotton Corp of India has so far sold 3.2 mln bales (1 bale = 170 kg) of the fibre from its procured stocks, Chairman and Managing Director Pradeep Agarwal said. The National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India has procured over 435 tn of the ball and milling varieties of copra from farmers in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka as of Saturday, up nearly 39% on year, an agency official said today. The procurement is sharply higher than 313 tn in the yearago period, largely due to low prices of copra at wholesale markets. India yesterday received 8.9 mm rainfall, 6% above normal, the India Meteorological Department said. With rainfall above normal for the third consecutive day, overall rains so far this monsoon season remained at normal levels. Crude oil prices in India and abroad extended gains yesterday after Russia said it has developed the world's first COVID-19 vaccine, lifting demand prospects for the fuel.

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A judge has shot down Ghislaine Maxwell's latest attempt to delay the unsealing of potentially explosive documents on Wednesday after her legal team claimed they had discovered 'critical new information' that would impact both her criminal sex trafficking case and her civil defamation case.

New York judge Loretta Preska denied Maxwell's request, writing in a two-page order that Maxwell 'knows, her ipse dixit does not provide compelling grounds for relief', using the Latin term that means making an assertion without proof.

On Monday night, the former British socialite had attempted to delay the unsealing of documents pertaining to a defamation suit brought against her by Jeffrey Epstein's 'sex slave' Virginia Roberts Giuffre in 2015.

Her legal team did not go into detail about what they may have discovered - only disclosing they learned of the information last Friday and that it was subject to a court protective order.

Judge Preska had already ordered a trove of court papers unsealed last month and there will be more documents unsealed in the coming weeks as nonparties and parties in the papers are given due process to object to the unsealing.

The 58-year-old had fought tooth and nail to keep the recent documents under seal, especially her deposition and that of a Jane Doe's. In a flurry of last-minute filings, she managed to keep the bombshell depositions secret for a bit longer.

A judge has shot down Ghislaine Maxwell's latest attempt to delay the unsealing of potentially explosive documents on Wednesday after her legal team claimed they had discovered 'critical new information' that would impact both her criminal sex trafficking case and her civil defamation case

New York judge Loretta Preska denied Maxwell's request, writing in a two-page order Maxwell 'knows, her ipse dixit does not provide compelling grounds for relief', using the Latin term that means making an assertion without proof. Last month, Preska ordered a trove of documents unsealed pertaining to a defamation suit brought against Maxwell by Jeffrey Epstein's 'sex slave' Virginia Roberts Giuffre (right)

New York judge Loretta Preska denied Maxwell's request, writing in a two-page order that Maxwell 'knows, her ipse dixit does not provide compelling grounds for relief', using the Latin term that means making an assertion without proof

Maxwell's request came before her team complained about conditions inside the 'hell-hole' Brooklyn jail where she is being kept ahead of her trial next summer.

She was recently taken off suicide watch, but is being subjected to multiple searches each day and is under constant watch of the guards, her lawyers said in a separate filing on Monday night.

The searches and surveillance should be stopped, her lawyers said, while requesting that she be taken out of solitary confinement and placed in with other prisoners.

Her legal team say she is only being subjected to the 'onerous' conditions because her former boyfriend Epstein died while awaiting trial, in what was ruled a suicide.

They argue she 'has never been suicidal and was never diagnosed as exhibiting risk factors for suicide,' but is still woken up every few hours during the night and forced to wear special clothing.

She has also been forced to undergo body scans, lawyer Chris Everdell wrote in a letter to the judge and is observed even while calling her attorneys.

'Ms. Maxwell is being treated worse than other similarly situated pretrial detainees, which significantly impacts her ability to prepare a defense,' he said.

Maxwell's request came before her team complained about conditions inside the 'hell-hole' Brooklyn jail where she is being kept ahead of her trial next summer. Her legal team say she is only being subjected to the 'onerous' conditions because Epstein died while awaiting trial, in what was ruled a suicide

On Monday night, the former British socialite had attempted to delay the unsealing of documents pertaining to a defamation suit brought against Maxwell by Jeffrey Epstein 's 'sex slave' Virginia Roberts Giuffre in 2015

His letter asks that Maxwell 'be released to the general population and be granted the privileges given to other pretrial detainees'.

Everdell also requested for her to be given more computer time in order to review the reams of documents relating to her case.

Further, his team asked that she be given the names of three anonymous women who are accusing her of grooming and abusing them.

'Maxwell cannot prepare for or receive a fair trial without this information,' her lawyers argued.

Jeffrey Epstein was initially charged with sex trafficking in Florida in 2006, before being hit with a 53-page FBI indictment the following year.

In 2008, he was offered a controversial plea deal that saw him sentenced to 18 months in prison for soliciting underage prostitutes.

He was then rearrested in July 2019, charged with sex trafficking and moved to a maximum security jail in Manhattan.

On August 10 he was found unconscious in his cell with injuries to his neck and later died in what was officially ruled a suicide.

She was recently taken off suicide watch, but is being subjected to multiple searches each day and is under constant watch of the guards, her lawyers said in a separate filing on Monday night. Pictured: Brooklyn's MDC where Maxwell is being held

Epstein had been on suicide watch but was taken off just days before his death, on the condition that he be placed with a cellmate and constantly monitored.

But the day before his body was found his cellmate was moved out and not replaced, and guards failed to carry out checks on him.

Maxwell, who is accused of acting as Epstein's 'madam' by finding young women for him to abuse and then 'training' them to comply with his desires, was arrested on July 2 at a mansion she owned in New Hampshire.

The socialite - who once mixed with celebrities, presidents and royalty at high-class parties - was moved on July 6 to Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center, once described by a judge as 'like a third-world country'

Guards at the jail, which is different to the one where Jeffrey Epstein died last year, have been jailed for raping female prisoners, while the jail also lost power for an entire week during winter last year - leaving inmates locked in freezing, dark cells.

In total Maxwell is facing six counts - four relating to child sex trafficking, and two of perjury for lying under oath about the trafficking during a previous lawsuit.

If convicted on all charges, she is facing up to 35 years behind bars.
We are in a dictatorship, and we are in the streets because we want a return to democracy, Segundina Orellana, executive director of the group of coca leaf farmers, said from a roadblock in the central city of Cochabamba. Anez has used the pandemic as a pretext to cling to power. We want immediate elections. There is no trust anymore. We are the majority in this country, and we will not allow them to treat us like this.
Benbradagh Community Support have set up a uniform exchange to help families in the wider Dungiven area with the cost of returning to school.

Cllr Kathleen McGurk, who helped instigate the initiative, said the cost of school uniform can be a problem for some families.

I firmly believe uniforms are a hidden cost of education, she said.

Branded blazers and jumpers can be extremely expensive and beyond the reach of some families, but they are mandatory in most schools and that leaves parents in a difficult situation.

A survey completed by the Irish League of Credit Unions found that 73% of parents found school costs a financial burden.

It indicated 37% of parents get into debt for back to school costs, while 35% of those have used payday or doorstep loan providers.

Cllr McGurk added: This program aims to help local families reduce the cost of purchasing uniforms.

However, we are relying on the generosity of the local community to donate items of uniform which are in good condition and are no longer needed by their own family.

We would appeal to all families whose children have moved out of school, or outgrown items of uniform, to donate to the program at any on the drop off points advertised in social media.

Once items are received and sorted, families will have an opportunity to book an appointment to pick up items they need at Benbradagh Community Support or Hands That Talk.
India's third Covid wave likely to peak on Jan 23, daily cases to stay below 4 lakh: IIT Kanpur scientist

Rahul Gandhi slams Centre on country's decrease in GDP growth, says 'Modi hai toh mumkin hai'

India

oi-Ajay Joseph Raj P

New Delhi, Aug 12: Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday once again came back with a one-liner and took another swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over Infosys founder NR Narayana Murthy's warning that the country's GDP growth may touch its lowest since independence in the backdrop of a raging coronavirus pandemic.

Rahul Gandhi employed PM Modi's widely popular 2019 election campaign slogan to hit out at him, tweeting, "Modi hai toh mumkin hai (If Modi is there, everything is possible)".

The Congress leader also attached a screenshot of the report carrying the IT software icon's remark.

Rahul Gandhi suggests Centre to implement MGNREGA, NYAY to help poor

Chinese firms raided | I-T dept raids Chinese companies & more news | Oneindia News

Earlier, Murthy had flagged fears of the country's GDP (Gross Domestic Product) touching its lowest since 1947 and as a way out suggested developing a system that allows every player of all the sectors to operate at full steam.

In an online event, Murthy had said, "India's GDP is expected to shrink by at least five per cent. There is a fear that we may even reach the lowest GDP since Independence, since 1947."

Rajasthan Crisis: Priyanka Gandhi on Congress panel that will address Pilot's complaints

On the other side, it can be seen that Rahul Gandhi, through his tweets and video messages, has been attacking the government over a host of issues.

Recently, the Congress leader urged the Centre to implement the government's rural employment guarantee scheme and his party's 'Nyuntam Aay Yojana' (NYAY) as an economic measure for the poor in urban and rural areas of the country amid the ongoing crisis triggered by the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) outbreak.
A host of celebrities have congratulated Bindi Irwin and Chandler Powell on the happy news they are expecting their first child, amid the devastating coronavirus pandemic.

After the young couple announced the news on Instagram on Tuesday, a number of famous names sent their well wishes to the pair.

The likes of Millie Bobby Brown, Perez Hilton, Curtis Stone and Lisa Wilkinson gushed over the duo, while comedian and TV star Rove McManus thanked them for 'spreading the joy right when we need it.'

'You two keep spreading the joy right when we need it': Several celebrities have congratulated Bindi Irwin and Chandler Powell on their pregnancy news amid devastating COVID-19 pandemic

'You two just keep spreading joy right when we need it,' he wrote.

'This will no doubt be the perfect union of two of the most positive, inspiring, decent and caring people on the planet.

'I can't wait to meet the little one and swap khakis together. Congratulations and all the best for a safe and healthy next few months. Enormous amounts of love from the three of us.'

Trying times: TV star Rove McManus thanked the couple for 'spreading the joy right when we need it'

'This will no doubt be the perfect union of two of the most positive, inspiring, decent and caring people on the planet' he added

Meanwhile, The Project star Lisa Wilkinson, 60, said she had 'tears in her eyes' upon hearing the news.

'Oh this is just the most beautiful news guys,' Lisa wrote.

'I have tears in my eyes. What a lucky little one! All my love always. And Terri is going to be the BEST grandma!!!'

Meanwhile, Stranger Things star Millie Bobby Brown, 16, wrote under Bindi's Instagram post: 'Congratulations! So exciting, so happy for you both.'

American Blogger and media personality Perz Hilton gushed: 'Babies are magic and heal! So beautiful!!!'

And Australian chef Curtis Stone added: 'Amazing news!!! Congrats.'

So sweet: The likes of Millie Bobby Brown (pictured), Perez Hilton, Curtis Stone and Lisa Wilkinson gushed over the duo

Chiming in: The Project star Lisa Wilkinson, 60, said she had 'tears in her eyes' upon hearing the news

On Tuesday, Bindi, 22, announced she's expecting her first child with former wakeboarder Chandler, 23.

In an Instagram post, Bindi wrote: 'Baby Wildlife Warrior due 2021. Chandler and I are proud to announce that we're expecting!'

'It's an honour to share this special moment in our lives with you. Though I'm still in my first trimester, we really want you to be part of our journey from the beginning of this new life chapter.'

Baby joy: On Tuesday, Bindi, 22, announced she's expecting her first child with former wakeboarder Chandler, 23. The couple are pictured with Terri and Robert Irwin

'We couldn't wait to share the news as this beautiful little being has become the most important part of our lives. Your support means the world to us.'

'Please let me know your best advice and send good vibes & prayers to our little sweetheart. Love & light.'

In the accompanying photo, Bindi and Chandler, 23, posed side by side in their Australia Zoo uniforms, holding up a tiny version of the outfit for their little one.

The announcement comes a week after Bindi had her 22nd birthday at Australia Zoo - her last public appearance before she announced her pregnancy.

Bindi celebrated by feeding the crocodiles, alongside her husband Chandler, brother Robert Irwin and mother Terri Irwin.

The conservationist excitedly ran out and greeted awaiting crowds, ready to put on a death-defying show.

The couple were married less than five months ago on March 25, in a makeshift ceremony at Australia Zoo.

Newlyweds: The couple were married less than five months ago on March 25, in a makeshift ceremony at Australia Zoo

'Steve would be so proud': Meanwhile, shortly after Bindi and Chandler announced their baby news, her mother Terri Irwin shared a heartfelt message on Twitter

The pair had to rush their walk down the aisle, cancelling earlier, more elaborate wedding plans, due to COVID-19 restrictions.

Meanwhile, shortly after Bindi and Chandler announced their baby news, her mother Terri Irwin shared a heartfelt message on Twitter.

The Irwin matriarch, 56, posted a photo of the expectant couple holding up a tiny version of the Australia Zoo uniform, and also told her followers that the news was bittersweet following her husband Steve's death almost 14 years ago.

She began: 'This is the best day ever! I am over the moon to announce that @BindiIrwin and @chandlerpowell9 are going to have a baby!'

'Words cannot express the love that is filling my heart. While I wish that Steve was here to share this beautiful moment, I know that he would be so proud,' she added.

Steve, died tragically 14 years ago, when Bindi was eight years old. The Crocodile Hunter was pierced in the chest by a stingray barb in 2006.
Pronunciamiento del presidente @MartinVizcarraC luego de sesion del Consejo de Ministros #PrimeroMiSalud. En vivo: https://t.co/hl4SPyNcIH https://t.co/drSRBcSAPv
Three people died due to police firing in Bengaluru's Devarajeevanahalli (DJ Halli) and Kadugodanahalli (KG Halli) after violence and arson in the areas

Three people died late on Tuesday night due to police firing in Bengaluru's Devarajeevanahalli (DJ Halli) and Kadugodanahalli (KG Halli) after violence and arson in the areas.

On social media, right-wing activists are seeking to portray the incident as a communal clash. However, tensions had been rising throughout the past week over Facebook posts by Congress MLA from Pulakeshinagar R Akhanda Srinivasamurthy's nephew P Naveen.

The police firing took place after a mob vandalised public property and attacked Srinivasamurthy's house. The violence was said to have been sparked by an offensive Facebook post about Prophet Muhammad allegedly shared by the MLA's nephew.

In the past week, Srinivasamurthy's nephew P Naveen had put up a series of posts about the Ram Temple at Ayodhya. Subsequently, Naveen also allegedly put out an offensive post about Prophet Muhammad. According to an article in The Print, Naveen has claimed his account was hacked. However, some locals filed a complaint with the DJ Halli police over the Facebook post on Tuesday evening.

Political parties are indulging in a blame game over the violence. The BJP has accused the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) of instigating the violence and wants the outfit to be banned. The Congress has dubbed the violence as a political conspiracy and has stood by Srinivasamurthy.

BJPs national general secretary (Organisation) B L Santhosh tweeted:

After 14 hours @INCKarnataka wakes up to blame Naveen for face book post & Police for delay in taking action . One straight question .... Does your Party support riots like this ..? Why Cong hesitates to condemn riots by minority groups ..? #CongSupportsRiots  B L Santhosh (@blsanthosh) August 12, 2020

Congress corporator AR Zakir, who represents Pulakeshinagar, said that tension had started building up from Tuesday 5 pm, and this was brought to Srinivasamurthy's notice. "Subsequently, some locals went to the DJ Halli police station to file a complaint. They were told told that necessary action would be taken and asked to go home."

Zakir said that there was a 'delay' on the part of the police in responding to the matter, which angered the protesters.

People in the locality had alleged that Srinivasamurthy had not visited the area to inquire about the COVID-19 situation, which is also said to have angered locals.

Commenting on the violence, Irfan Sadiq, a resident of DJ Halli, said that the best recourse in the situation would have been filing an FIR against Naveen, rather than resorting to vandalism. "This step would have made even the judiciary look into the issue,'' he added.

However, Karnataka SDPI president Elyas Mohammed Tumbe, in a news conference, blamed the violence on the police's 'dereliction of duty.' He claimed that SDPI corporator Mujahid Pasha tried to pacify the crowd, but the police filed a complaint against him instead and took him into custody. Tumbe claimed that there is a disinformation campaign against the SDPI.

Political history of DJ Halli

DJ Halli, a densely populated locality in Bengaluru, has reported a large number of COVID-19 cases in the recent past. Several people here work as autorickshaw drivers and daily wage labourers. Many parts of this locality are slums, which lack basic civic infrastructure and have been neglected by elected representatives across all parties. This neglect is despite the fact that a Congress corporator from DJ Halli, R Sampat Raj, was the city's mayor for a year in 2017-18.

This political vacuum was filled by the SDPI, whose representatives urged locals not to depend on mainstream political parties for their welfare. In 2018, the SDPI won 19 seats in the Karnataka urban local body polls, the bulk of them in the saffron stronghold of Dakshina Kannada. However, the party's lone representative in the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike is A Mujahid Pasha, representing Siddapur ward in Chickpet assembly constituency.

Former Congress MLA R Roshan Baig foresaw the political ambitions of the SDPI and during the 2018 Assembly polls opposed the party having any tacit understanding with the outfit. The SDPI had fielded candidates in Dakshina Kannada for the Assembly elections, but later withdrew them. The BJP swept the polls in the coastal belt.
Xiaomi announced the rollout of MIUI 12 in India. MIUI 12 roll-out begins in August 2020, with the first update rolling out on Mi 10, Redmi Note 9/ Redmi Note 9 Pro, Redmi Note 8/ Redmi Note 8 Pro and Redmi Note 7/ Redmi Note 7 Pro.

Xiaomi held an online event to announce the rollout of MIUI 12 in India. The upgraded version of the popular user interface brings a new design and optimisations at the kernel level, and this is a big one. Xiaomi had deviated from the matching new features with a new Android version. The Android 10 update to MIUI 11 wasnt as significant in terms of new features added. MIUI 12, however, is different.

MIUI 12 Rollout Timeline: Mi 10, Redmi Note 9, Note 8, Note 7 series have first dibs

Before we get to the features, heres the good news. MIUI 12 has already started rolling out to Mi and Redmi smartphones in India. Some users have already reported receiving the update on the Poco X2, Redmi Note 9. Additionally, in the event Xiaomi said the Mi 10, Redmi Note 9, Note 8 and Note 7 series will receive the update to MIUI 12 in August.

Xiaomi will be notifying about MIUI 12 update to more devices via its social channels.To check if you have received the update to MIUI 12 on your Xiaomi smartphone, go to Settings  About Phone  System Update  Check for Update. Xiaomi will be rolling out the update in phases, so check back or wait for a notification.

MIUI 12 will likely come without the banned apps pre-installed

A few days before the official rollout, Manu Kumar Jain announced that Xiaomi is bringing a dedicated version of MIUI for Indian users which won't have the apps banned by the Indian Government. It's likely that this is what he was talking about, even though the topic was not touched upon during the event. New Xiaomi smartphones like the Redmi Note 9, Poco M2 Pro and the Redmi 9 Prime still come with some of the 59 banned Chinese apps, including some of Xiaomis own apps like Mi Community and Mi Video. We will report on it as and when we receive the MIUI 12 update on our review units.

MIUI 12: Top Features

MIUI 12, Xiaomi said, refreshes the UI from the ground up with a new animation rendering engine allowing system-wide fluid animation, and interestingly, an app drawer and more integrated Dark Mode which covers third party apps along with system apps.

MIUI 12 will also persistently show permissions being used by app as a status bar icon, notifying users when an app is using critical components like the camera, microphone, etc. in the background.

Theres also the expected bunch of new live wallpapers, AOD designs, floating windows, an ultra power saving mode a built-in sleep tracker.
The number of people allowed to attend the last rites was restricted in view of the Covid-19 outbreak

The mortal remains of captain Deepak Sathe was cremated with state honours at Tagore Nagar crematorium in Mumbai.  Photo by Rajesh Jadhav

Wing Commander Deepak Sathe (retd), pilot-in-command of the Air India Express plane that crashed at the Kozhikode airport in Kerala last week, was cremated on Tuesday with state honours. The last rites were performed at the Tagore Nagar electric crematorium in Vikhroli in the presence of his relatives, friends and the BMC mayor Kishori Pednekar.

The number of people allowed to attend the last rites was restricted in view of the Covid-19 outbreak.

Wing Commander Sathe (retd.) was showered with flowers and chants of Amar Rahe ahead of his cremation. The Maharashtra government had decided to accord a state funeral to the pilot and said his life shall inspire young pilots.

Wing Commander Sathe (retd.) lost his life in the ill-fated plane crash at Kozhikode last week. The flight from Dubai had 190 people, including a six-member crew, on board and amidst heavy rains the Boeing 737 failed to come to halt overshooting the tabletop runway and landing in a 35 feet deep ravine. The accident killed 18 people, including both the pilots.

The armed forces arranged for transfer of Wing Commander Sathe (retd.) mortal remains that was flown to Mumbai on Sunday. It was kept at the Air India facility near Terminal 2 of the Chhatrapati Shivaji international airport for some time before being taken to Bhabha Hospital in Bandra.

On Tuesday morning, the body was brought from the hospital to the family home in Chandivali. Residents of the housing complex paid tributes to the pilot. Some were seen saluting him from their balconies.

The pilots father, Colonel Vasant Sathe (Retd), 87 and mother Neela, 83, were present at their Chandivali residence. They reside in Nagpur and reached Mumbai on Monday.

The pilots US-based elder son Shantanu also reached Mumbai on Monday for the last rites along with his mother Sushma and younger brother Dhananjay. A wreath was placed on behalf of the Indian Air Force, where Sathe was a test pilot before joining Air India.
Villagers are flocking to gawp at a mutant baby cow born with two heads that is being hand-reared in Indonesia.

The female calf - which many of the locals believe will bring good luck - was delivered on a farm in Pondok Wuluh Village, in East Java, on Sunday night.

She suffers from polycephaly, with four functioning eyes and two separate mouths.

Despite her unusual appearance, the calf appears to be otherwise healthy, and has been able to drink bottled milk through each of her mouths.

This female calf, born with two heads, is being hand-reared on a farm in Pondok Wuluh Village, in East Java

The calf, which was born on Sunday night, is still unable to walk but officers from the local Animal Husbandry Department said it can sometimes take between three and five days before newborns can stand

Hariyanto Yanto, the owner's nephew, has been giving the animal vitamins to boost her health. Above, the calf is fed milk from a bottle - and is able to do so through both of her mouths

Villagers have been arriving over the last few days to look at the calf, which many locals believe will bring good luck

She can even clamber to her feet with help from the farmer.

Hariyanto Yanto, the owner's nephew, said they have been giving the animal vitamins to boost her health.

He said: 'We are all afraid that she will not be able to live long because of her condition, so we have been giving her milk and supplements.

'Nobody knows why she was born like this but we are all saying prayers for her.'

The calf is still unable to walk but officers from the local Animal Husbandry Department told them not to worry as it can sometimes take between three and five days before newborns can stand.

The animal suffers from polycephaly, with four functioning eyes and two separate mouths

'Nobody knows why she was born like this but we are all saying prayers for her,' said Hariyanto Yanto. Animals with polycephaly rarely live beyond a few months

The region's Livestock and Health Service Office head Yahyadi said they visited the calf to check on its condition.

Yahyadi said: 'We were told that while still in the womb, both the mother and calf were given vitamins.

'The baby is just unique because it has two heads that are close together. We do not know how long it will live for.'

To ensure its health, Yahyadi said they will send vets to help take care of the strange calf to conduct some research.

He said: 'We will supervise the care of the calf for research. We have assigned officers and veterinarians to help take care of it.'
Victorian premier Daniel Andrews speaks to the media in Melbourne, Australia on June 30, 2020. (Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)

Victorian Premier Urges Regional Travel Rethink

Premier Daniel Andrews is urging people to reconsider travelling to and from regional Victorian centres as coronavirus cases grow.

Geelong (179 active cases), Bendigo (53) and Ballarat (22) are an increasing worry to the state government despite their infection rates remaining relatively stable.

They are very low numbers but coming off such a low base, any additional cases are of concern to us, Andrews told reporters on Wednesday.

But even at low numbers, weve just got to have that vigilance across the board so we can keep them low and, indeed, drive them down even further.

There were another 21 deaths and 410 new cases in Victoria on Wednesday, taking the number of active cases in the state to 7877.

Metro Melbourne still makes up the bulk of them at 7144 cases, while regional local governments account for just 512.

Melbourne is in a stage-four lockdown, while the rest of the state remains under stage three provisions.

Under stage three restrictions, regional Victorians are only able to leave their homes to shop for food and essential items, to provide or receive care, for exercise, and for work or study if they cant from home.

Andrews said the vast majority of Victorias 1.5 million regional residents are following the rules.

We need to make sure that were not letting this virus win by us not following those rules and making choices that contribute to its spread, he said.

He asked people to rethink commuting to or from regional Victoria to metropolitan Melbourne.

If theres any sense that trip could be avoided, that travel could be limited, well then that is conducive with less movement, less cases and getting to the other side of this, he said.

This is really an endurance test.

All of us, whether we be in Melbourne or regional Victoria, need to apply ourselves to that task.

Other regional communities battling considerable active infections are Colac Otway Shire (74) to Geelongs west and Mitchell Shire (35) to Melbournes north.

REGIONAL LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREAS WITH DOUBLE-DIGIT CONFIRMED CASES

* Greater Geelong: 292 total, 179 active

* Colac Otway: 108 total, 74 active

* Greater Bendigo: 73 total, 53 active

* Ballarat: 53 total, 22 active

* Mitchell: 67 total, 35 active

* Macedon Ranges: 47 total, 27 active

* Latrobe: 42 total, 28 active

* Greater Shepparton: 32 total, 15 active

* Moorabool (near Ballarat): 26 total, 12 active

* Glenelg: 23 total, 11 active

* Golden Plains (near Ballarat and Geelong): 20 total, 11 active

By Callum Godde in Melbourne
A New Jersey mother says she is leaving her childhood church after the priest kicked out her seven-year-old son with autism during his own sister's private baptism.

The Vicidomini family held a private ceremony Saturday at Christ the King Church in Hillside for their daughter Sophia but were appalled when Priest Luke Duc Tran shouted at their non-verbal son Nicky for playing with a ball.

The shocking moment young Nicky was forced out of the ceremony by the priest was caught on camera in what should have been a special moment for the family.

The family sought an apology but say the priest doubled down and defended his actions, saying the young boy was distracting him.

The boy's mother Julia Vicidomini says she will now be seeking out a new church that is more understanding for people with special needs after she says she was repeatedly refused a personal apology from the priest.

Scroll down for video

The priest at Christ the King Church in Hillside, New Jersey, kicked seven-year-old Nicky Vicidomini, who has autism and is nonverbal, out of his sister's baptism on Saturday

The Vicidomini family held a private ceremony Saturday at Christ the King Church in Hillside for their daughter Sophia, pictured center being held by her father, but were appalled when Priest Priest Luke Duc Tran shouted at their non-verbal son Nicky, pictured standing front center

In footage from the ceremony, the young boy is seen playing with a ball to the side of the church being minded by his grandmother while his parents and sister stand with the priest in front of the altar.

The priest suddenly stops the ceremony and turns around to demand he leave.

'Take him out for me. Out. Out. Out,' he tells Nicky's grandmother. 'The church is not for play.'

Nicky with his younger sister Sophia

Nicky's parents then try to explain the situation but eventually continue on with the ceremony and decide to approach the priest again once they are ready to leave.

Julia told author Kerry Magro, who runs the blog Kerry's Autism Journey, that the family generally feel uncomfortable bring Nicky to the church as he doesn't do well with a full mass or the larger crowds.

Yet when she discovered the baptism would be a private ceremony, the family believed that he could be involved.

Julia has acknowledged that she should have told the priest beforehand that Nicky has autism, but that the manner in which he threw him out was still extremely disrespectful to the family.

'My mother in-law was staying close to our boy while we were front and center for the baptism. Yes, he was playing with a toy where he should not have been, however, the way the priest kicked him out of the church was completely rude and disrespectful,' she said.

'I tried to explain that Nicky has autism and doesn't understand.'

As the family went to leave, Nicky's father Marc went back to the priest and tried to get an apology for kicking their son out.

'Marc went back in to speak to the priest. He explained that our son has autism and he is non-verbal and doesn't understand. The priest then began to raise his voice and tell my husband that he should not have been playing in church and that it was a distraction to him trying to perform the baptismal ceremony,' Julia claimed in a Facebook post.

'My husband told him that he thought a priest, of all people, would be more sympathetic to a child with special needs, that he was completely unprofessional and ruined our celebration. He told him our family deserved an apology.

'The priest came outside to speak to our family but instead of apologizing he began to try to justify the reason he kicked our child out, again saying he was distracting him.'

Julia added that this is the third baptism they have held at the church, which she has attended since she was a child, but the first negative experience she has had there.

She continued to say that she regrets not walking out immediately when the incident happened and that she would be reporting the priest to the archdiocese.

Nicky was playing with his grandmother away from the altar in the section seen to the right

Marc and Julia Vicidomini say they will be leaving the church after the upsetting incident

'He needs to be more sensitive and respectful in addressing a child, especially one with special needs. We are our child's advocate. This behavior is completely unacceptable!' she wrote.

'Our biggest regret is not walking out in that moment. I think this is why this is weighing so heavy on me still the next day.'

The Archdiocese of Newark has since issued an apology to the family and said that he priest acknowledges and regrets his mistake.

'On behalf of the parish and the Archdiocese of Newark, we offer our heartfelt apologies for the abrupt behavior demonstrated by one of our pastors on Saturday during a private family ceremony,' read the statement obtained by ABC7NY.

'The pastor was unaware that the sibling playing in a nearby candle room during the ceremony has autism.

'The pastor did not understand the child's behavior, he felt unprepared to respond appropriately, and his reaction to the situation was not pastoral. He acknowledges and is regretful for the mistake,' the statement added.

'Our Archdiocesan Office for Pastoral Ministry with Persons with Disabilities is in touch with the family to support healing and moving forward together, and we are working with all to come to a pastoral resolution and to ensure that there is greater awareness in working with individuals with disabilities and their families.'

The family, however, has said they are still waiting for a personal apology from the priest for the upset caused.

'I intend to withdraw my friendship and find a church that is more accommodating to children with special needs,' Julia said.
There is no denying this countrys political structures were not designed with marginalized groups in mind, least of all those who sit at the intersection of two marginalized communities, as Black women do. Yet their consistent support for the Democratic Party has not come about blindly; they understand the political system and where they believe they have the highest likelihood of realizing political gains for the Black community.

Opinion Debate Will the Democrats face a midterm wipeout? Mark Penn and Andrew Stein write that "only a broader course correction to the center will give Democrats a fighting chance in 2022" and beyond.

write that "only a broader course correction to the center will give Democrats a fighting chance in 2022" and beyond. Matthew Continetti writes that time and again, the biggest obstacle to a red wave hasnt been the Democratic Party. Its been the Republican Party.

writes that time and again, the biggest obstacle to a red wave hasnt been the Democratic Party. Its been the Republican Party. Ezra Klein speaks to David Shor, who discusses his fear that Democrats face electoral catastrophe unless they shift their messaging.

speaks to David Shor, who discusses his fear that Democrats face electoral catastrophe unless they shift their messaging. Michelle Cottle examines two primary contests that will shake the parties well beyond the states in play.

It is Black women, more so than any other racial-gender pair, who have gotten behind efforts at more inclusive representation with their unquestionable support for the prospect of the first woman president in 2016 and the first Black president in 2008, as well as the re-election of the first Black president in 2012.

Further, they have never hesitated to critique and challenge the party to do better by its members and what the party stands for.

Ms. Harris herself provided a good example in the primary season, when she challenged Mr. Bidens record from the 1970s on busing. In 1964, Fannie Lou Hamer famously called out the party for its lack of inclusivity after an all-white Mississippi delegation was sent to the Democratic National Convention. Shirley Chisholm challenged the status quo of the party leadership with her 1972 presidential bid to the dismay of many Democrats.

Ms. Harris has risen to this position through her work in California, as attorney general, and in the Senate. Electorally, her appeal could motivate Black voters because, as one of their own, she offers a political lens that has a greater potential to focus the concerns for Black Americans.
I have been waiting for Joe Biden to stop wasting time and embrace the inevitable for months.

Following the nationwide protests against racism and police brutality in response to the killing George Floyd, there didnt appear to be any other better option for Joe Biden than Senator Kamala Harris as a running mate. When in the midst of a pandemic, economic depression, and potentially the largest social movement in US history, the public is distracted. Its much easier to introduce someone who requires less of an introduction. Kamala Harris campaign imploding notwithstanding, it did begin with great potential, and as a result of that, sparked real fears among GOP circles.

Some of us saw her appeal and likelihood of her selection long before summer, though.

As one Democratic strategist with ties to the Biden circle told Reuters in June: Its going to be Harris. It was always going to be Harris. It was going to be Harris even when Joe Biden didnt think it was going to be Harris. At some point, he was trying to convince himself black people like him so much that he could pick someone like Amy Klobuchar.

Amy Klobuchar herself chimed in a week after this article was published, telling MSNBC host Lawrence ODonnell that as a resident and representative of the state of Minnesota, where Floyd was killed: After what Ive seen in my state, what Ive seen across the country, this is a historic moment and America must seize on this moment. I truly believe, as I actually told the vice president last night when I called him, that I think this is a moment to put a woman of color on that ticket.

Of course, Biden had his right to consider other candidates, but while she won in the end, it does not absolve some of Bidens friends and colleagues of their efforts to sabotage her campaign.

Although Chris Dodd did not bash Harris directly to Politico, it was no less infuriating to read a recount of his lamenting that Harris dared to debate Biden at a presidential debate. For the record, when you launch an entire campaign based on the premise that Donald Trump and the hate that helped send him to the White House was an aberration that your would be administration would seek to restore, its not a good idea to boast about the good old days you worked with segregationists in a more civil era.

It was insulting and Biden needed to be called out on it. Have you since heard him shout out a segregationist? Kamala Harris did him a favor, but Dodd reportedly described seeing an ambush and professed a disgust for Harris not having remorse.

Worse was the efforts to pit Harris against Congresswoman Karen Bass. Bass, chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, was being touted as the anti Kamala in her VP consideration because she was viewed as more loyal given her lack of interest in running for president. Bass herself took to Twitter to diffuse the pitting of Black women against each other for VP.

I would never want to be labeled the anti-Kamala Harris, Bass tweeted. Were fortunate to have had her as attorney general and now as Senator. She would be an excellent VP and the same goes for anyone else on the list.

The news reports about Harris being criticized among some Biden supporters for being "too ambitious" for the job managed to enrage at a time when Biden needs to inspire.

"She would be running for president the day of the inauguration," Florida bundler John Morgan told CNBC. Harris herself seemed to address the remarks while speaking via live stream at the Black Girls Lead 2020 conference: "There will be a resistance to your ambition, there will be people who say to you, 'You are out of your lane.'"

We now see that Biden himself is not bothered by Harris ambition, declaring he is proud to have her on his ticket. Im glad that is the case, but I have a bit of advice: tell the dumb, old, sexist men around you to shut up.

 NBC unveils first 2020 election map showing resounding victory for Joe Biden

Days before Biden made his historic announcement that Harris, born to Black and South Asian parents, was his running mate, the Washington Post reported that the Biden campaign sent a warning that sexism will motivate the ugliest attacks against whichever woman Biden would pick. That will surely prove true given Bidens opponent is a man happy to denigrate women, but the Biden campaign and Democrats writ large were to lead by example.

Politically, Harris always made the most sense and given what shes accomplished in her career, her ambition should have always been perceived as an asset to any campaign. And yet, so many men within the Democratic Party went out of their way to assassinate her character for daring to be a woman standing up to a man at a debate.

Bidens choice stands against such pettiness, but now is the time for the men around him to fall in line and support both him and her.

For the rest of us, now we wait to watch Harris unleash on Mike Pence (he deserves it)
Help.org, a trusted online resource for individuals who struggle with addiction and their loved ones, has announced the Best Rehab Facilities in Erie, Pennsylvania for 2020. The informational guide recognizes the top 11 rehab facilities based on cost, treatment options, location, accompanying services and more.

According to recent studies, drug overdose is the leading cause of death among people under age 50. In Erie, deaths related to opioid abuse increased significantly from 2011 to 2015. Substance abuse among adolescents is also escalating in Erie with 55 percent of high school students reported using alcohol, 38 percent reported using marijuana, 8 percent reported using prescription drugs without a valid prescription, and 2 percent reported using heroin. With the growing need for accessible and high-quality rehab programs, Help.org has developed a unique ranking process to help connect individuals with treatment providers that meet their needs.

The Help.org research team analyzed thousands of facilities across the country and then identified the most cost-effective and highest rated programs in larger cities like Erie. Each facility was evaluated based on rehabilitation services, treatment approaches, cost, special programs for unique demographics and ancillary services. The website also provides information about drug use and side effects as well as educational articles. For a detailed listing of the Best Rehab Facilities in Erie, Pennsylvania please visit https://www.help.org/drug-and-alcohol-rehab-centers-in-erie-pa/

2020 Best Rehab Facilities in Erie, Pennsylvania (in alphabetical order)

Bucks County Counseling

127 South 5th Street, #110

Quakertown, PA 18952

215-529-9998

Esper Treatment Center

25 West 18th Street

Erie, PA 16501

814-459-0817

Gateway Rehab

311 Rouser Road

Moon Township, PA 15108

412-604-8900

Gaudenzia

414 West 5th Street

Erie, PA 16507

814-459-4775

Glenbeigh Center of Erie

4906 Richmond Street

Erie, PA 16509

814-864-4226

Huntington Creek Recovery Center

890 Bethel Hill Road

Shickshinny, PA 18655

888-606-8081

Just Believe Recovery Center

100 Lincoln Avenue

Carbondale, PA 18407

877-871-3356

Marworth

100 Lily Lake Road

Waverly, PA 18471

800-442-7722

Stairways Behavioral Health

2185 West 8th Street

Erie, PA 16505

814-453-5806

Steps to Recovery

1400 Veterans Highway

Levittown, PA 19056

866-488-8684

Turning Point Treatment Center

4849 US 322

Franklin, PA 16323

888-272-8922

ABOUT HELP.ORG

Help.org is an online resource for individuals who struggle with addiction and their loved ones. The website provides the latest research through scientifically proven methods, community recovery resources as well as information about local financial assistance. Help.orgs team of researchers, activists and writers work together with addiction counselors and other professionals to offer useful and accurate resources to help individuals seeking recovery. To learn more, visit https://www.help.org/.
The Bachelor's Locklan 'Locky' Gilbert journey to find love got off to a dramatic start as he met his stunning line-up of ladies.

On Wednesday night, the former Australian Survivor star, 30, was spoilt for choice as he met a bevvy of flirtatious beauties who pulled out the stops to impress him.

In the beginning of the episode, Locky couldn't contain his nerves as he told host Osher Gunsberg: 'Hopefully tonight I'll meet the girl I want to marry.'

Off to a great start: Locky Gilbert's journey to find love got off to a dramatic start as he met his stunning line-up of ladies on Wednesday night

And the hunk was spoilt for choice when fiery red-head Zoe-Clare, 23, admitted he gave her 'fanny flutters', Rosemary, 24, arrived in a penguin suit and stunning Leilani, 27, jokingly asked him if he wanted to 'get Lei'd.'

Things kicked off with stunning Steph, 26, who immediately enjoyed a playful debate on how spicy they like their burritos.

Locky's spice levels were put to the test as next contestant Izzy, 29, forced him to eat a chilli for her.

Hot tamale: Things kicked off with stunning Steph (pictured), who enjoyed a playful debate on how spicy they both like their burritos

Dinner time: Locky's spice levels were put to the test as next contestant Izzy (pictured) forced him to eat a chili for her

It was then time for professional dancer Nicole, 26, who looked incredible in a glamorous outfit as she asked Locky to do a dance with her.

'I suck at dancing,' Locky said, adding: I'm this big goofy guy!' However, he proved himself wrong as partook in a sweet little dance with Nicole.

The hunk was infatuated with contestant Irena, 31, as he told her: 'Wow, bombshell! That dress is amazing!'

Cha cha cha! It was then time for professional dancer Nicole who looked incredible in a glamorous outfit as she asked Locky to do a dance with her

The hunk was infatuated with contestant Irena, as he told her: 'Wow, bombshell! That dress is amazing!'

He then told the camera: 'There was something about her. I felt warm with her'

Addressing her job as a nurse, Locky cheekily admitted: 'She did get my pulse racing.'

Things took a dramatic turn as contestant Areeba, 25, exited the car. She confidently declared: 'I'm a boss at work, boss at home, and a boss in a relationship.'

Fiery: Things took a dramatic turn as contestant Areeba exited the car. She confidently declared: 'I'm a boss at work, boss at home, and a boss in a relationship.'

Areeba continued: 'I don't let anyone get in my way. I'm competitive, and my game is to win the guy and get the rose . I don't play games unless I know i'm going to win!'

'I tend to do whatever I want. I'm fun bossy, and everything you dream off,' she continued - while also executing the same assertive behaviour during her meeting with Locky.

Things loosened up as Rosemary arrived in a playful penguin costume, and was happy to bring a bit of light entertainment to proceedings.

Delightful! Contestant Rosemary (pictured) stepped out of the car in a penguin suit

Things took an interesting turn when Zoe-Clare arrived and offered the hunk a beverage. 'Do you want to have a drink?' she asked.

'100 per cent,' he replied. The fiery red-head then showed him how to open a beer bottle with her teeth.

It turned out to be a skill he was already well-versed in, and it pleased Zoe-Clare to no end.

Cheers! Things took an interesting turn when Zoe-Clare (pictured) arrived and offered the hunk a beverage. 'Do you want to have a drink?' she asked. '100 per cent,' he replied. The fiery red-head then showed him how to open a beer bottle with her teeth

'He can do what I can do,' she said in interview, before admitting she was experiencing 'fanny flutters'.

Contestant Laura, 24, didn't appear to get on Locky's good side as she said: 'I am a snob. I quite enjoy, you know, like, the Louis Vuitton handbag, nice Chanel earrings, like, a Porsche Cayenne Turbo.'

She confidently asked the hunk: 'When we're together, how much will you spend on my birthday present?'

Pricey: Contestant Laura didn't appear to get on Locky's good side as she said: ' I am a snob. I quite enjoy, you know, like, the Louis Vuitton handbag, nice Chanel earrings, like, a Porsche Cayenne Turbo.'

Taken off-guard Locky explained: 'I'm not massive on spending a heap of money on something.

'I like more doing a gesture or going out on in nature.'

Charley, 25, was the first contestant to recognise Locky for Australian Survivor, and the starstruck beauty couldn't help but let the other girls know who he was.

She's a fan! Charley was the first contestant to recognise Locky for Australian Survivor, and the starstruck beauty couldn't help but let the other girls know who he was

'I got lost in your eyes!' Meanwhile, Locky was mesmerised by the final woman, Bella

Meanwhile, Locky was mesmerised by the final woman, Bella.

'I got lost in your eyes there. I feel great that you're here!' he said, and later told producers she gave him 'weird little butterflies'.

The Bachelor continues Thursday at 7.30pm on Channel Ten
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

A team of researchers led by neuroscientists at Harvard Medical School has successfully used acupuncture to tame cytokine storm in mice with systemic inflammation.

In the study, published Aug. 12 in Neuron, acupuncture activated different signaling pathways that triggered either a pro-inflammatory or an anti-inflammatory response in animals with bacterially induced systemic inflammation.

Further, the team found that three factors determined how acupuncture affected response: site, intensity and timing of treatment. Where in the body the stimulation occurred, how strong it was and when the stimulation was administered yielded dramatically different effects on inflammatory markers and survival.

The team's experiments represent a critical step toward defining the neuroanatomical mechanisms underlying acupuncture and offer a roadmap for harnessing the approach for the treatment of inflammatory diseases.

The scientists caution, however, that before any therapeutic use, the observations must be confirmed in further researchin animals as well as in humansand the optimal parameters for acupuncture stimulation must be carefully defined.

"Our findings represent an important step in ongoing efforts not only to understand the neuroanatomy of acupuncture but to identify ways to incorporate it into the treatment arsenal of inflammatory diseases, including sepsis," said study principal investigator Qiufu Ma, professor of neurobiology in the Blavatnik Institute at Harvard Medical School and a researcher at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

In the study, acupuncture stimulation influenced how animals coped with cytokine stormthe rapid release of large amounts of cytokines, inflammation-fueling molecules. The phenomenon has gained mainstream attention as a complication of severe COVID-19, but this aberrant immune reaction can occur in the setting of any infection and has been long known to physicians as a hallmark of sepsis, an organ-damaging, often-fatal inflammatory response to infection. Sepsis is estimated to affect 1.7 million people in the United States and 30 million people worldwide each year.

Acupuncture, rooted in traditional Chinese medicine, has recently grown more integrated into Western medicine, particularly for the treatment of chronic pain and gastrointestinal disorders. The approach involves mechanical stimulation of certain points on the body's surfaceknown as acupoints. The stimulation purportedly triggers nerve signaling and remotely affects the function of internal organs corresponding to specific acupoints.

Yet, the basic mechanisms underlying acupuncture's action and effect have not been fully elucidated.

The new study is an important step in mapping the neuroanatomy of acupuncture, the research team said.

As a neurobiologist who studies the fundamental mechanisms of pain, Ma has been curious about the biology of acupuncture for years. He was intrigued by a 2014 paper which showed that using acupuncture in mice could alleviate systemic inflammation by stimulating the vagal-adrenal axisa signaling pathway in which the vagus nerve carries signals to the adrenal glandsto trigger the glands to release dopamine. Ma's curiosity was further intensified by work published in 2016 showing that vagus-nerve stimulation tamed the activity of inflammatory molecules and lessened symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis.

In the current study, researchers used electroacupuncturea modern version of the traditional manual approach that involves the insertion of ultra-thin needles just under the skin in various areas of the body. Instead of needles, electroacupuncture uses very thin electrodes inserted into the skin and into the connective tissue, offering better control of stimulation intensities.

Building on previous research pointing to neurotransmitters' role in inflammation regulation, the researchers focused on two specific cell types known to secrete themchromaffin cells that reside in the adrenal glands and noradrenergic neurons that are located in the peripheral nerve system and directly connected to the spleen through an abundance of nerve fibers. Chromaffin cells are the body's main producers of the stress hormones adrenaline and noradrenaline and of dopamine, while noradrenergic neurons release noradrenaline. In addition to their well-established functions, adrenaline, noradrenaline and dopamine, the researchers said, appear to play a role in inflammation responsean observation that's been borne out in previous research and is now reaffirmed in the experiments of the current study.

The team wanted to determine the precise role these nerve cells play in the inflammatory response. To do so, they used a novel genetic tool to ablate chromaffin cells or noradrenergic neurons. This allowed them to compare the response to inflammation in mice with and without these cells to determine just whether and how they were involved in modulating inflammation. The markedly different response in mice with and without such cells conclusively pinpointed these nerve cells as key regulators of inflammation.

In one set of experiments, researchers applied low-intensity electroacupuncture (0.5 milliamperes) to a specific point on the hind legs of mice with cytokine storm caused by a bacterial toxin. This stimulation activated the vagus-adrenal axis, inducing secretion of dopamine from the chromaffin cells of the adrenal glands. Animals treated this way had lower levels of three key types of inflammation-inducing cytokines and had greater survival than control mice60 percent of acupuncture-treated animals survived, compared with 20 percent of untreated animals. Intriguingly, the researchers observed, the vagus-adrenal axis could be activated through hindlimb electroacupuncture but not from abdominal acupointsa finding that shows the importance of acupoint selectivity in driving specific anti-inflammatory pathways.

In another experiment, the team delivered high-intensity electroacupuncture (3 milliamperes) to the same hindleg acupoint as well as to an acupoint on the abdomen of mice with sepsis. That stimulation activated noradrenergic nerve fibers in the spleen. The timing of treatment was critical, the researchers observed. High-intensity stimulation of the abdomen produced markedly different outcomes depending on when treatment occurred.

Animals treated with acupuncture immediately before they developed cytokine storm, experienced lower levels of inflammation during subsequent disease and fared better. This preventive measure of high-intensity stimulation increased survival from 20 to 80 percent. By contrast, animals that received acupuncture after disease onset and during the peak of cytokine storm experienced worse inflammation and more severe disease.

The findings demonstrate how the same stimulus could produce dramatically different results depending on location, timing and intensity.

"This observation underscores the idea that if practiced inappropriately, acupuncture could have detrimental results, which I don't think is something people necessarily appreciate," Ma said.

If borne out in further work, Ma added, the findings suggest the possibility that electroacupuncture could one day be used as a versatile treatment modalityfrom adjunct therapy for sepsis in the intensive care unit to more targeted treatment of site-specific inflammation, such as in inflammatory diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.

Another possible use, Ma said, would be to help modulate inflammation resulting from cancer immune therapy, which while lifesaving can sometimes trigger cytokine storm due to overstimulation of the immune system. Acupuncture is already used as part of integrative cancer treatment to help patients cope with side effects of chemotherapy and other cancer treatments.

Explore further Study suggests pathways to alleviating inflammation in disorders such as sepsis, arthritis

More information: Neuron, Liu et al.: "Somatotopic Organization and Intensity Dependence in Driving Distinct NPY-Expressing Sympathetic Pathways by Electroacupuncture" DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2020.07.015 Journal information: Neuron , Liu et al.: "Somatotopic Organization and Intensity Dependence in Driving Distinct NPY-Expressing Sympathetic Pathways by Electroacupuncture" www.cell.com/neuron/fulltext/S0896-6273(20)30532-8
(Natural News) A massive column of ash and smoke clouded the skies of north Sumatra, Indonesia, after Mount Sinabung erupted on Monday, 10:16 a.m. local time. The plume of smoke rose around 5,000 meters, or more than three miles, to the sky and plunged surrounding towns in darkness.

Ash and debris fall accumulated two inches on the volcanos slopes in already abandoned villages, according to Armen Putera, a local official with Indonesias Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG). Ballistic impacts and pyroclastic flow from the eruptions reached areas more than a mile from the main crater, as well as over three miles along the southeast and northeast flanks.

No fatality or injury was reported from the blast. However, authorities issued a warning for possible lava flows and more eruptions.

We ask residents and tourists to exercise caution, stay away from Mt. Sinabung. Keep your guard up, because a larger eruption could occur anytime, said M. Nurul Asrori, another PVMBG official stationed at the Sinabung observation post.

Mount Sinabung first erupted on Saturday, 1:58 a.m., its latest activity since reemerging as an active volcano in 2010.

Noon was as dark as night

The massive plume of smoke drowned the midday light, causing a lot of towns to go dark in the middle of the day. One town went completely dark in minutes.

It was like magic; when the ash came it went from being very bright to dark as night. The village went dark for about 20 minutes, said Rencana Sitepu, the head of Naman Teran, a district located around 3.2 miles from the volcano. He added that the communitys crops were affected as a result of the ashfall.

Putera said that the volcanic ash from Mondays eruption blanketed at least three districts and darkened the skies, particularly in Naman Teran. He added that more eruptions are expected in the following days due to increased tectonic earthquakes that rattled the volcano.

We have recorded increased tectonic earthquakes in Mount Sinabung over the past 12 hours. These are signs of eruptions, said Putera.

Residents were forced to halt their activities due to the thick ash. The pandemic made matters worse, as people scrambled without face masks and violated safety rules. (Related: A volcanic eruption in 1815 blocked the sun for a full year, causing global crop failures and famine and it could happen again.)

Sinabung eruptions in the past

Mount Sinabung was inactive for about 400 years until it roared back to life in 2010. After another period of inactivity, it erupted again in 2013 and remained active ever since. Recent eruptions of Sinabung were deadly, as in 2014 and 2016, where 16 and seven people died, respectively. Tens of thousands of people had to leave their homes over the past string of years.

For 14 months starting last year, however, residents enjoyed a period of inactivity  that is, until Saturday this past weekend. The volcano spouted an ash plume over 1.2 miles high, spreading as far as Berastagi  a town nearly 19 miles from the volcano. A second eruption occurred later in the afternoon and produced a column of ash over 3,000 feet high.

According to Asrori, the eruptions over the weekend clearly indicate that the volcano is once again active. He added that a bigger eruption is imminent but noted that PVMBG could not predict when this is going to happen.

Mount Sinabung is one of the more than 120 active volcanoes in Indonesia, which is prone to seismic disturbances due to its location on the Pacific Ring of Fire  the belt of volcanoes and fault lines around the Pacific basin.

Earlier on June 21, Mount Merapi in central Java also erupted and spewed more than six kilometers of ash and gas explosions. The volcano, which is one of the most active volcanoes in Indonesia, erupted twice on the same day, each lasting for seven minutes.

Disaster.news has more on recent volcanic eruptions.

Sources include:

StrangeSounds.org

TheJakartaPost.com 1

TheJakartaPost.com 2

ScienceTimes.com
Historic day for Indian community, Harriss uncle cheers from India as US Democrats make appeal to people of colour.

Kamala Harris is not just the first Black woman to be selected as a vice-presidential candidate in the United States.

A child of immigrants, Harris is the first woman of Indian and Jamaican descent to reach a position in US politics that has long been reserved for whites only.

Presumptive Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden is betting that, on balance, Harris will have broad appeal with Black women and other voters of colour and serve as an anchor for the Democratic Party  all while boosting turnout among white liberals and pulling support from independents and Republican-leaning white voters who have soured on President Donald Trump. Indeed, Harriss human life story stands in sharp political contrast to the severe anti-immigrant policies of Trump and his administration.

Our family feels happy and I feel happy that my sister, Shyamala, her mother, would have been very happy and proud of her daughter, Harriss maternal uncle Gopalan Balachandran told media outlets in India on Wednesday.

Its a historic day in number of ways for the Indian community for the first time getting into a high political position, Balachandran said, according to the Reuters news agency.

Gopalan Balachandran, maternal uncle of US Democratic vice-presidential candidate Kamala Harris, said her candidacy is historic for the Indian community [Adnan Abidi/Reuters]

Harris was born in Oakland, California in 1964 to a British Jamaican-born father, Donald Harris, and an Indian mother, Shyamala Gopalan Harris. She spent many of her formative years in nearby Berkeley.

On the campaign trail, Harris often speaks of the deep bond she shared with her mother, who she has called her single biggest influence.

My mother understood very well she as raising two Black daughters, Harris wrote in a 2018 autobiography.

She knew that her adopted homeland would see Maya and me as Black girls, and she was determined to make sure we would grow into confident Black women, she wrote. Their mother gave them Sanskrit names to carry their Indian identities.

Shyamala was born in 1938 in Chennai, formerly Madras in British India. She came to the US for graduate studies at the University of California, Berkeley, where she met her future husband, a doctoral student in economics in the early 1960s.

Kamala Harriss maternal grandparents lived in this apartment in Chennai, India, where Harris  now Joe Bidens pick to be the Democratic vice-presidential candidate  visited occasionally with her mother [P. Ravikumar/Reuters]

For two freethinking young people drawn to activism, they landed on campus from opposite sides of the world just as US protests exploded around civil rights, the Vietnam War and voting rights. Their paths crossed in those movements, and they fell in love, according to an Associated Press 2019 candidate profile of Harris.

At the heart of Harriss parents activism was a small group of students who met every Sunday to discuss the books of Black authors and grassroots activity around the world, from the anti-apartheid Black Consciousness Movement in South Africa to liberation movements in Latin America to the Black separatist preaching of Malcolm X in the US.

Harris says her mother gave her an early grounding in the civil rights movement and instilled in her a duty not to complain but rather to act.

Her mother died of cancer in 2009 at the age of 70.

Today, the senator finds herself asking her mother, spiritually, for advice or remembering one of her oft-repeated lines. Her mothers amethyst ring sparkles from her hand. She still uses pots and wooden spoons that belonged to her mother and says she thinks of her when she is home and able to cook.

She [Kamala Harris] likes South Indian food because when I used to go to her [place], my sister used to cook and she used to eat all of that, so, she likes Indian food, said Balachandran, Harriss uncle.

Yeah, she is Indian, she likes India but that doesnt mean anything that India says is right for her, good for her. She is also Jamaican. She is Afro-American. So, she uses her own judgement  she likes India, she likes Indian music, but she likes jazz music also, he said.

Harris (right) credits her mother, Dr Shyamala Gopalan (centre), with teaching her progressive values and conveying a fighting spirit [File: George Nikitin/AP Photo]

Almost immediately after the announcement of Harriss candidacy, Trump attacked Harris by reverting to stereotypes, calling her extraordinarily nasty, meanest, and most horrible during a White House news conference on Tuesday.

Karen Finney, a prominent Black strategist in the Democratic Party, pointed to immediate fundraising success as evidence that Bidens take on Harris is better than Trumps.

The Biden campaign hauled in almost $11m in the first four hours after Harris was announced as Bidens pick.

The Biden-Harris ticket makes clear that Biden is serious about having people who like the diversity of our country and our future at the highest decision-making tables. That gives people hope, Finney told the Associated Press.

Harriss father and her mother were separated when she was five years old. She writes of seeing him on weekends and over summers after he became a professor at Stanford University.

In a piece he wrote for the Jamaica Global website, Harris says he never gave up his love for his daughters, and the senator trumpeted her father as a superhero in her childrens book.

But their relationship had been on and off over the years. In February, when Harris jokingly linked her use of marijuana to her Jamaican heritage, her father labelled the comment a travesty and a shameful pursuit of identity politics.
The sign on the Field Park rotary explaining the 1753 House, seen in the distance.

Williamstown Panel Looks at Context of Historic Monuments



A sign erected by the Williamstown Historical Commission to recognize the site of the 18th Century West Hoosac Fort. WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass.  The town's newest committee Monday got down to the business of finding ways to talk about the truth of the Village Beautiful's founding.

The Diversity, Inclusion and Racial Equity Committee discussed two historical markers and whether they do more to sanitize that history and marginalize Native Americans than they do to educate the public.

Lauren Stevens of the 1753 House Committee told the DIRE Committee that his group has discussed how to properly contextualize one of the highest profile structures in town, a replica of an 18th-century dwelling built in 1953 with period-specific techniques to help celebrate the town's centennial.

"Bilal [Ansari] was talking at the Friday afternoon Black Lives Matter rally, and he mentioned in a passing reference to the 1753 House that there were, indeed, people in this area before those being honored by the settlement in 1753," Stevens said.

Stevens said he talked to organizers of Friday's Field Park rally and a professor of Native American studies at Williams College before ultimately contacting the Stockbridge-Munsee Community Band of Mohican Nations.

The plan by his committee is to add to the large signs on both sides of Field Park that explain the replica additional signage that reads "Mohican Homeland" in both English and the language of the Mohican tribe.

Since the current signs are designed to be legible to occupants of vehicles going around the rotary, the text size does not allow for much more in the way of information about the pre-European history of the region, Stevens said.

"But there's another opportunity to tell the story nearby," he said.

Across Main Street (Routes 2 and 7) from Field Park is an area on the lawn of the former Williams Inn where there are two markers dedicated to the colonists' settlement during the French and Indian War -- the conflict during which Williams College and town founder Ephraim Williams earned his fame.

"There's a recognition for a fort, actually a fortified block house, that appeared there," Stevens said. "The sign, unfortunately, is not very good about creating the context. It talks about soldiers being scalped but doesn't say much about what was happening to Native Americans at the time.

"We were thinking it's an opportunity to do something more in interpretation, to talk about what was going on in the days previous to the French and Indian War and the Revolutionary War."

Stevens said the latter project is beyond the purview of his committee, which is dedicated to preservation of the replica house. But he encouraged the DIRE Committee to work with the town and the college, which owns the property where the inn currently is being demolished, to think about how the space could be used.

Williams professor Christine DeLucia told the committee she is talking to the tribal historic preservation manager for the Stockbridge-Munsey group about how the town and college could better support the Native American group, in part because of "the Williams family's instrumental historical role in dispossessing the community."

"I appreciate the call to connect more directly with the college on the issue of historical markers, signage, markers, memory," DeLucia said. "There is a memorial terrain here that I think many of us know about that is challenging, troubling, exclusionary -- pick your word. This seems to be a vital moment for us, or an array of groups to reckon with those signs and those markers."

The DIRE Committee's Mohammed Memfis noted that the nation's treatment of Native Americans is rooted in events like the founding of Williamstown but by no means limited to that era.

"Even though this is a historical commemoration we're discussing, we should remember that our treatment of indigenous people has not gotten much better over the course of the last 200 years," Memfis said. "Federal policy toward them has been: If you don't see them, you won't hear their complaints."

Ansari added that white settlers' treatment of Native Americans was tied to how they treated Blacks.

"We cannot forget the Black peoples, the Negroes, that escaped from the plantations in New York and Virginia and made their way to Williamstown and found a haven and a refuge in these hills in the 18th century, before the 1753 House," Ansari said, adding how White Oaks had once been known by a racist moniker because of the many Black familes that had lived there. "That history needs to be told. That history needs to be honored.

"If you rebuild one house, rebuild those shanties."

Committee member Jeffrey Johnson agreed that new markers may not be enough.

"Why would one group get a sign and the other one get a house?" Johnson asked rhetorically. "Being someone who does have Native American ancestry . I see this as, are we going to support another slight or try to do something different.

"Why wouldn't we work with the college and try to build a house similar to what the Mohicans built in that time? Simultaneously, we could talk about the language and getting it right."

On Monday, the DIRE Committee took no steps beyond expressing its support for the efforts of the 1753 House Committee and asking DeLucia to keep the panel abreast of her conversations with the Stockbridge-Munsey group.

The committee also decided to craft and begin its meetings with a Land Acknowledgement, a formal statement recognizing the presence of indigenous peoples prior to the colonization that led to the town's incorporation.

In other business on Monday, the DIRE Committee tasked its engagement working group with starting to develop a procedure to recommend to the town that would allow residents to report incidents of "hate, exclusion or intolerance," and the committee voted unanimously to recommend Tuesday's town meeting's passage of two articles, Article 36 and 37, that seek to make the town more inclusive and welcoming to all people.
PHILIPSBURG:--- The Ministers of Education Rodolphe Samuel and Minister of VSA Richard Panneflek dispatched a letter to the private institutions Learning Unlimited (LU) and the Caribbean International Academy (CIA) informing them that they are to remain closed for onsite education and instead proceed with distant learning.

According to the letter sent to the two private institutions, based on Article 30 of the LB of onderwijs. Article 3 states funderend onderwijs schools also fall under MB 2020 1014, established by the Minister of VSA Richard Panneflek and the Minister of TEATT Ludmilla de Weever states that in light of current development and in line of the various approaches described in St. Maarten education continuity plan, amidst the COVID 19 pandemic which was shared with the schools. The decision made for all schools public or private to remain close for on-site education until for further notice

Learning Unlimited and CIA students are to continue receiving education via distance learning.

This decision is based on evidence provided by the St. Maarten Ministry of Public Health, clustered of cases, and extensive community transmission that currently exists. The Minister of Education and VSA have strongly warned all private educational institutions to comply with the decision communicated on July 31st, 2020 to avoid the Ministry of Public Health and Social Development and the Minister of Education to issue an instruction to cease operations at their schools. These decisions have not been taken lightly but are taken for the safety of the student's teachers and other educational staff.
Targus is already a global partner of the Samsung Mobile Accessory Partnership Program (SMAPP). This new partnership marks Targus as a global Tier 1 Partner, further strengthening the existing relationship between the companies and positioning Targus as valued partners in technology, innovation, and worldwide technical support.

As part of the partnership, Targus will offer products that are not only compatible with Samsung Mobile DeX devices but are also able to support any software updates made by Samsung, making it easier for Samsung users to extend the usefulness of their device. The partnership also ensures that Targus technology products included in the agreement will be recognized as original and authorized products by Samsung.

"As a global partner in the Samsung Mobile Accessory Partnership Program (SMAPP) and now a Tier 1 Partner, Targus has clearly proven itself as a trusted device accessory partner. We look forward to continuously providing Samsung users with key accessories to enhance their devices," says Andrew Corkill, Vice President of Global Marketing at Targus.

"Samsung is honored to have Targus as our newest partner in supporting the Samsung Desktop Experience with Samsung Mobile Devices (Phone & Tablets). Targus has a long history of providing unique and innovative accessories that support Samsung devices. We are happy to welcome Targus to this unique partnership to grow both our businesses," says James Park, Vice President at Samsung.

About Targus

Thirty-five years and a history of firsts, Targus has been revolutionizing mobile computing accessories for large enterprises and end-users alike  connecting people and technology in meaningful ways. From laptop bags to tablet cases to peripherals and universal docking stations, we persistently conceive, design, and produce innovative, productivity-boosting solutions that make the complex, simple; and help people pursue their passions and live their purpose  at work and in life. We cross categories, regions, industries, and lifestyles with a breadth and depth of products that seamlessly provide you with everything you need to live, dream, and do.

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The unlucky group of people left taking Louisianas bar exam in August and October can call off the cramming.

The Louisiana Supreme Court announced Wednesday that those registered for the August and October exams will have an open-book test that they can submit via email. After abruptly canceling the July bar exam amid coronavirus concerns, the high court agreed a few weeks ago to license hundreds of recent law school graduates as attorneys without making them pass the grueling bar exam.

A Supreme Court justice voted to let law grads forgo the bar exam. Among them: his daughter. When Louisiana Supreme Court Justice John Weimer cast the clinching vote last month to give this years crop of law school graduates a pass on

But nearly 300 people signed up for the August and October exams were left out. Among the people still required to take the bar: those who are licensed attorneys in other states and who are trying to become licensed in Louisiana, those who have taken the bar before and failed it and those who are sitting for any other states bar exam this year.

When the Supreme Court decided on a 4-3 vote to grant diploma privilege to only the recent graduates of the four Louisiana law schools, Justice Will Crain brought up the other test takers in his dissent. So far, 427 applicants have sought admission to the bar via diploma privilege, from both Louisiana and out-of-state law schools.

Why should a person who took the bar previously, but failed due to unfortunate events that undermined their preparation, now be denied a diploma privilege when we know at least 20% of these 2020 applicants would have also failed? Crain wrote. As applied, the order rendered by the majority is unfair and results in disparate and random treatment  the type of injustice the judicial system should seek to prevent and remedy.

Equity does not demand that a select few applicants be admitted, but that all be tested, he added.

Louisiana Supreme Court grants 'diploma privilege' to let recent grads practice without bar exam The Louisiana Supreme Court announced Wednesday that it will grant "diploma privilege" to recent law school graduates, allowing them to practi

In a July 31 letter to the Supreme Court, a group of Louisiana test takers who did not qualify for diploma privilege pleaded for a better system. They wrote that repeat test-takers have been continuously put last, despite the fact they would now be redoubling their time, financial, and intellectual commitments to join the same legal profession as those being granted diploma privilege.

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The announcement Wednesday about the open-book test did not include any dissents filed into the court record. The Supreme Courts decisions on the bar exam have come after administrative meetings of the high court behind closed doors, instead of through typical court hearings that would be open to the public.

Little about the Supreme Courts discussions on the bar exam has become known to the public. Its unclear, for example, whether Justice John Weimer told his fellow Supreme Court members that his daughter would benefit from the diploma privilege decision before he voted in favor of it. Legal experts say his lack of disclosure in the court record is problematic.

For those now taking the bar, the Louisiana Supreme Court Committee on Bar Admissions will send questions via email, and applicants will respond to them.

Louisiana bar exam canceled amid statewide coronavirus increases, law grads left reeling The Louisiana Supreme Court announced Wednesday that the states July 27 bar examination has been canceled amid climbing coronavirus cases, se

Those taking the test will have no live monitors or proctors watching them. They may use whatever outside materials they would like to take the test, but the Supreme Court said they are not allowed to get help from any other people during the exam. If the Supreme Court discovers that someone violated that rule, they'll automatically fail the exam and they'll be forbidden from taking another for five years.

The announcement comes after those signed up for the bar in Louisiana and in other states have raised concerns about the software for remote versions of the exam, as the software has crashed and had glitches when it's been used elsewhere.

Louisiana Chief Justice Bernette Johnson said in a statement that it wouldn't be feasible for people to take the bar exam using the available software.
During a news conference Thursday in Beaumont, Gov. Greg Abbott said bars are closed because many patrons do not follow proper safety protocols while drinking alcohol.

"They are structured for people to come together, close together without face masks in situations where people frequently become intoxicated, and when they become intoxicated, they lose the discipline they need to maintain the practices to prevent the spread of COVID-19," he said in the conference.

Abbott closed bars again on June 26 after COVID-19 cases began to surge in Texas. State officials first shut down bars in March as a way to help slow the spread of COVID-19. Abbott allowed bars to reopen at 50 percent capacity in June, per his "Open Texas" plan.

READ ALSO: Coronavirus updates: 205 more COVID-19 cases in Bexar County, 11 new deaths

During the conference, he said the uptick in coronavirus cases came after he expanded the capacity at bars and similar establishments, which led him to close the businesses again.

He did not give a date for when the businesses may reopen.

However, Abbott said bars could reopen if Texas can get to a positivity rate of below 10 percent and then maintain it for a long period. As of Monday, the positivity rate in Texas is more than 20 percent, according to the Texas Department of State Health. On Tuesday, the Lone Star State surpassed 500,000 coronavirus cases.

The governor said all Texans need to be vigilant and continue social distancing measures so that bars and other establishments can hopefully reopen soon.

"We want to assist them as much as possible," he said. "One of the things we can do to assist them is to try to bring their business back up and running. One of the best ways to achieve that is by everyone working collaboratively to slow the spread of COIVD-19."

Priscilla Aguirre is a general assignment reporter for MySA.com | priscilla.aguirre@express-news.net | @CillaAguirre
New Delhi, Aug 13 : Alleging corruption in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ruled Municipal Coropration of Delhi (MCD), the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has demanded an enquiry in the collapse of the illegal three-storeyed building here which caused the death ASI Zakir Hussain.

The issue turned into a political battle as the AAP said the "illegal building was being constructed on Ram Bagh Road of Ward No. 80 with the involvement of North MCD Mayor Jai Prakash." "I demand that immediate FIRs should be registered against North MCD Mayor Jai Prakash, thorough investigation of their involvement and immediate arrests. This criminal activity could not have happened without the involvement of Jai Prakash Ji," AAP leader Durgesh Pathak said.

"This is a murder and not an accident because the construction of a three-storeyed building was already going on in the area and this could not have been possible without the permission of Jai Prakash Ji," alleged the AAP leader.

Delhi police ASI succumbed to his injuries after the under construction third floor of a building had collapsed in Bara Hindu Rao area of North Delhi on Wednesday morning. ASI Hussain (49) was rushed to the hospital but was declared brought dead.

Another constable also suffered minor injuries in the accident. Police said that the two policemen were on a tenant verification drive in the area in the wake of forthcoming Independence Day when the accident took place.

"At about 10.20 a.m., they reached Gupta Building at Ram Bagh Road and while verifying the tenant, they noticed illegal construction going on at the third floor of the building. They went their to click the photographs, so that they could send it MCD, but suddenly the floor collapsed and fell down," DCP North Monika Bhardwaj said.
Riga City, Latvia -- (SBWIRE) -- 08/12/2020 -- Vidulum App is a web-based wallet with support for many crypto assets. The Vidulum App gives crypto users full ownership of their crypto as a non-custodial multi-asset wallet.



Users of the Vidulum App have full control of the private keys. To achieve this, the project creates private keys on the client-side and the keys are never sent back to Vidulum App's servers. The application also features V-staking and masternode monitoring. V staking is designed as a reward system, where users are paid to hold on to their crypto within the Vidulum app.



In short, the Vidulum app allows users to take control of their private keys and access them from any location. Here are some latest updates around the project.



Launch of V-Tip Bot



On July 18, 2020, the Vidulum team announced the launch of V-tip bot for the Vidulum and the crypto community in general. This is the first-ever non-custodial tip bot that anyone can invite into their discord server. All that one needs is a Vidulum account and some crypto inside the account.



The V-tip bot can be enabled in the settings page of the Vidulum app wallet. Once inside the page, users can follow the on-screen prompts and start tipping crypto. The Vidulum team is open to feedback on this latest development.



Once users click to activate the V-tip bot, they will be redirected to Discord, where the bot has to be authorized. With the bot, one can easily tip other users using crypto. For instance, if someone provides useful information about the Vidulum app, or in any discord, it is possible to tip them in crypto. Crypto will be sent directly to their respective Vidulum wallet.



The bot makes it possible to tip others while ensuring that one has full control of his private keys. The tips can be sent in RITO, DGB, VDL, ETH, BTC, XSG, VRSC, BAT, LRC, ZER, SAFE, KMD, GRS, BTCZ, ZEN, BCH, ZEL, ILC, XZC, DOGE, BZE, GNT, LINK, ENJ, and many others. The Vidulum app V-tip bot ensures that tipping the community is easier and safer than ever.



Crypto Giveaway Contest



On July 10, 2020, the Vidulum team announced a crypto giveaway of 1000 $VDL coins to one lucky winner. The rules were quite simple. All one had to do was  like the tweet, follow the Vidulum account on Twitter, and tweet an image of their BBQ with #CryptoCookOff. The goal of this contest was to spread the word about the Vidulum app online. This contest closed and a winner was announced on July 20, 2020. There will be many more opportunities to get VDL coin through twitter contests, and you can follow their handle, @VidulumApp to stay up to date.



iOS Support for the Vidulum App



The Vidulum app has been previously available to Android users of the Vidulum ecosystem. However, that changed on July 30, 2020, as the team announced the launch of the Vidulum iOS App. This app has the same functionality as the Android app and the Vidulum website. iOS users will now be able to access their crypto assets directly from their phones.



Besides adding iOS support, the Vidulum team also added support for several coins. These coins are $ZRX, $ENJ, $LRC, $GNT, and $LINK on June 27, 2020. On July 6, 2020, the team announced support for DigiByte.



The addition of DigiByte is an important milestone, as the project positions itself for major success with the growth and expansion in the decentralized finance sector. DigiByte is an open-sourced blockchain that incorporates smart contracts, DApps, and customized tokens. With the growth of use cases, people will look for a safe and efficient way to store and send their DigitByte coins. Vidulum offers the perfect solution for that.



Staking Vs Masternode



Vidulum users can earn a passive income through staking or by setting up a masternode. However, one will need at least 15,000 VDL to run a masternode.



The Vidulum team recently created a simple guide on how to set up a masternode using the Pecunia Platform. The cost of masternode hosting on Pecunia is only .99 cents a month. To get started, users need the Vidulum desktop wallet, called the control wallet, with at least 15,000 VDL coins that serve as collateral. The coins can be mined or purchased at an exchange. However, they will have to be sent in a single transaction to the wallet that supports masternode.



Active Social Media Team



Vidulum App has been growing steadily and the team plans to accomplish more in the days to come. The team has been busy and active on numerous social media platforms informing the community about development of the project.



The team has also created a secured wallet with numerous features for mass adoption.



Users can access the Vidulum app on multiple platforms. This ensures that no one is bound to any particular type of device. Besides that, the Vidulum platform allows users to earn passive income for HODLing.



It is possible to follow Vidulum on various social media platforms to keep updated with project growth and development.



About Cryptoshib

Criptoshib tries to keep crypto enthusiasts updated with the latest happenings and stories from the crypto world. We try to post stories about projects and people of the crypto and blockchain communities from around the world.



Media Contact



https://cryptoshib.com/recent-updates-vidulum-app/
For many people, the novel coronavirus pandemic has been a very difficult time and they might need a time of retreat to reflect on the past six months.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 12/8/2020 (525 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

For many people, the novel coronavirus pandemic has been a very difficult time and they might need a time of retreat to reflect on the past six months.

"Some people are reeling," said Nancy Phillips, a retired occupational nurse and spiritual director. "They need some time to process the things they have been experiencing."

Giving people a chance to pause and reflect on what theyve lost to the pandemic, and to think about the opportunities it is presenting, is the goal of From Yesterday to Tomorrow in a Time of Pandemic, a Sept. 11-12 retreat at St. Benedicts Monastery.

Led by Phillips, an Anglican who attends both All Saints and St. Benedicts Table in Winnipeg, and Julian Fredette, former director of pastoral services for the Archdiocese of St. Boniface, the retreat will find participants working through Christian themes of Good Friday, Easter, Ascension and Pentecost as it relates to the pandemic.

During the Good Friday portion, participants will reflect on and name things that have changed during the global health crisis. "Its a time to grieve what has been lost," said Phillips.

During the Easter portion, the retreat will focus on new opportunities from the pandemic and adjusting to the new reality. Ascension is about letting go  "Not clinging to the old, but letting it ascend," Phillips said.

In the Pentecost section, participants will think about ways they can "accept the spirit of new life and equip themselves to live in that new life," she added. Phillips acknowledged, "Its a lot to tackle, but hopefully we can give people a chance to begin that work."

Ready, Pet, Go! Leesa Dahl looks at everything to do with our furry, fuzzy, feathered, fishy (and more!) pet friends. Arrives in your inbox each Monday. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement.

For her, the pandemic has been an opportunity to be more contemplative and be grateful, and to make herself available to help people who are struggling during this time of crisis.

"I want to spend time being of assistance," she said, adding many are struggling with their mental and emotional health at this time. "This period of isolation has been hard for so many."

Through the retreat, Phillips hopes participants will come away with "new strength, an anchor and source of comfort during this time."

The retreat, which is open to all, starts the Friday evening (Sept. 11) at 7 p.m. and runs all day Saturday (Sept. 13). The cost is $170 with overnight accommodation, $120 for commuters. All meals are provided, and all safety, health and physical-distancing protocols and guidelines will be followed.

For more information, call 204-339-1705 or visit www.stbens.ca.

faith@freepress.mb.ca
Airlines are breaching promises they made to the aviation watchdog by continuing to deny holidaymakers hundreds of thousands of pounds in refunds.

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) last month revealed carriers had been brazenly breaking the law by forcing passengers to wait up to four months for their money back.

After the regulator's investigation, airlines promised to speed up their performance and said they would issue refunds within various agreed timeframes.

Airlines are breaching promises they made to the aviation watchdog by continuing to deny holidaymakers hundreds of thousands of pounds in refunds, says Which?

But a probe by consumer champions Which? has accused Ryanair, TUI and Virgin Atlantic of reneging on their promises by continuing to leave passengers out of pocket.

Following the review, Ryanair said they would clear all refund requests by July 31.

However, passengers have complained that they are still waiting for refunds from as long ago as March. Others have encountered difficulties swapping credit note vouchers for cash.

Virgin Atlantic told the CAA the maximum waiting time for refunds is 120 days. But Which? said some passengers have been waiting 130 days for flights cancelled four months ago.

TUI was rebuked for issuing vouchers before making customers wait 28 days for their money back.

The airline told the CAA they would process refunds within 14 days, on average, and would no longer automatically issue vouchers.

Following a CAA review, Ryanair said it would clear all refund requests by July 31. However, passengers have complained that they are still waiting for refunds from as long ago as March

But TUI's website still states that customers should wait for a voucher before they can claim a refund and one passenger told Which? they have yet to receive a credit note for a flight cancelled in April.

The findings will pile pressure on ministers to strengthen the powers of the CAA.

Rory Boland, editor of Which? Travel, said: 'Time after time, Which? has exposed airlines breaking the law on refunds for cancelled flights due to the pandemic and treating their passengers unfairly, and we're concerned that they now feel empowered to do as they please without fear of punishment.

'Passengers must be able to rely on a regulator that has effective powers to protect their rights - especially at a time of unprecedented turmoil. The government needs to step up and ensure the CAA has the tools it needs to hold airlines to account, or risk consumer trust in the travel industry being damaged beyond repair.'

TUI said: 'Customers with cancelled flight-only bookings which were due to depart before July 11 were issued refund credit vouchers, and could then apply for a cash refund via our online form. These refunds were processed within 28 days.

'Customers with cancelled flight-only bookings which were due to depart from July 11 onwards will automatically receive cash refunds. These refunds will be processed within 14 days.

The Which? findings will pile pressure on ministers to strengthen the powers of the CAA

'We're really sorry to any customers who may have experienced delays in receiving their refund.'

Virgin Atlantic said: 'The huge volume of refund requests we have received, combined with the constraints on our teams and systems during the pandemic, has meant that refunds have been taking longer than usual to process, and we sincerely apologise for this.'

Andrew McConnell, spokesperson for the UK Civil Aviation Authority, said: 'We thank Which for their continued engagement on this important matter. We will review any supplementary evidence that Which wish to provide to us beyond the 12,000 cases previously submitted during our review of airline refund policies and performance during the Covid-19 pandemic.

'While our initial review has concluded, we have been clear that we will continue to monitor performance closely and should any airline fall short of the commitments they have made to us, we will take further action as required.'

Ryanair did not respond to requests for comment.
Tourists gather to watch the sunset at Uluru in 2019

Indigenous residents forced the closure of Australia's famed Uluru national park Tuesday, after blocking tourists from accessing the sacred site amid fears over the spread of coronavirus.

About 30 members of the local community physically blocked dozens of tourists arriving from virus-hit eastern Australia from accessing the park entrance, said Glenn Irvine, manager of Mutitjulu Community Aboriginal Corporation, which handles local community issues.

Locals said they were blindsided by the arrival of 43 tourists on a flight from Brisbane, Queensland and decided to take action.

"We were of the understanding that the flight was cancelled," Irvine told AFP.

"We asked for the national park to be closed," he added. When that did not happen, "members of the community gathered at the park gate".

After crisis talks with local authorities Tuesday, the park remained closed.

Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park said in a statement: "We have the utmost respect for Uluru-Kata Tjuta's traditional owners and are continuing to work in good faith with them and all other parties to keep Mutitjulu residents safe."

More than 395,000 people visited the park in the 12 months to June 2019, according to Parks Australia.

Irvine said there was now tacit agreement that the tourists -- who remained nearby -- would be tested for the virus and no more groups would come from COVID-19 "hotspots".

Queensland has recorded just over 1,000 cases of the virus since the pandemic began and new cases have been relatively rare.

But even in areas where tourism is a mainstay of the local economy, many Aboriginal groups are fearful that any outbreak could badly hit remote Outback communities.

Travel to the Northern Territory, including Uluru -- once known as Ayer's Rock -- has been severely restricted since the pandemic began.

Those measures were recently eased, but visitors from Australia's COVID-19 hotpots are still required to quarantine for 14 days.

Story continues

Brisbane is currently included on that list.

Overseas travellers remain banned from entering Australia except for some very closely prescribed cases.

Australia recorded 453 new cases Tuesday, taking the total to 18,728 with 10,787 recoveries. The death toll is now 232, after 11 more fatalities.

arb/dm/leg
TikTok for Travel Brands - A White Paper Many people still think of TikTok as nothing more than an app where teenagers post dance videos. In reality, TikTok has evolved into a dynamic ecosystem where you can find content on just about any topic imaginable. And travel is one of the fastest-growing content categories.

TikTok travel creators Michelle Gonzalez (@LAXtoLuxury) and Carmen Sognonvi (@TopFlightFamily) today released the white paper TikTok for Travel Brands. The white paper demonstrates that despite the controversy currently surrounding the app, TikTok offers an unprecedented opportunity for travel brands not only to connect with Gen Z travelers, but also to nurture relationships with the many millennial and Gen X travelers who are avid TikTok users. The white paper is available for download at http://tiktokfortravelbrands.com.

Many people still think of TikTok as nothing more than an app where teenagers post dance videos, says Sognonvi. In reality, TikTok has evolved into a dynamic ecosystem where you can find content on just about any topic imaginable. And travel is one of the fastest-growing content categories. There's no better time than now for travel brands to start experimenting with this platform.

Here are just a few of the surprising statistics uncovered by this white paper:



The TikTok audience is largely exclusive. 72% of users are not on Twitter, 45% are not on Facebook and 43% are not on Instagram.

34% of TikTok users are 25 or older. That is to say, more than a third of the audience are millennial and Gen X users, and this percentage is on the rise.

The average TikTok user opens the app 16+ times a day and spends an average of 80+ minutes per day on the app. Contrast that with Instagram, where only 42% of users open the app more than once a day, and the average user spends only 27 minutes per day on the app.

Beyond its unduplicated audience, there are two other attributes that differentiate TikTok from other social media platforms: life of content and the potential for virality.

Unlike Instagram, where reach and engagement drop off after 48 hours, existing content on TikTok continues to be pushed out to new users, explains Gonzalez. TikTok content has the potential to experience delayed explosions, with videos often experiencing surges in viewership and reach weeks (or even months) after they were originally posted.

The democratization of virality is another important differentiator, says Sognonvi. On other platforms, its the already-popular creators who see the best results. But on TikTok, even creators with smaller audiences have a shot at virality and rapid growth when they produce authentic, well-received content. It levels the playing field.

For best results, Gonzalez and Sognonvi recommend that travel brands pursue three content strategies simultaneously:

1. Create their own branded TikTok account;

2. Partner with TikTok creators; and

3. Encourage travelers to create TikTok videos about the brand.

In terms of content, there are five tried-and-true formats that travel brands should focus on:

1. Room/property tours;

2. Informational videos;

3. Aesthetic scenes;

4. Q&A videos; and

5. Vlogs.

There are four primary ways travel brands can find relevant travel creators on TikTok:

1. Use the official TikTok Creator Marketplace to find creators with over 100K followers;

2. Search hashtags of comparable brands or destinations, such as #stregismaldives;

3. Explore whether travel bloggers, YouTubers or Instagram creators theyre already working with have crossed over to TikTok with success; and

4. Search niche travel hashtags relevant to their brand, such as #luxuryhotel, #familytravel or #adventuretravel.

When it comes to identifying quality partners, travel brands should look for travel creators who exhibit these four traits:

1. Use a variety of formats, instead of doing the same thing over and over again;

2. Adapt current TikTok trends for the travel niche;

3. Have an engagement rate of at least 5%, and a total likes count equal to at least 10 times their follower count; and

4. Actively reply to follower comments to encourage conversation.

Its no secret that TikTok has been embroiled in controversy of late. There have been widespread concerns about the data collected by TikTok and whether that data is being shared with the Chinese government. The Trump administration has threatened to ban the app in the U.S. unless Chinese-owned parent company ByteDance finds a U.S. buyer by September 15th. In turn, TikTok has threatened to sue the Trump administration in an attempt to contest the legality of the ban. Meanwhile, Instagram has released a new feature called Reels which aims to compete with TikTok. In this white paper, Gonzalez and Sognonvi analyze each of the factors that could jeopardize TikToks long-term feasibility and share their own predictions about the future of TikTok, enabling travel brands to make informed decisions about whether they should invest in marketing on TikTok.

Imagery and assets can be downloaded here:

http://www.tiktokfortravelbrands.com/assets

About Carmen Sognonvi

Carmen is a luxury family travel creator based in New York City. Her insights on travel have been featured in The Washington Post, INSIDER, and HuffPo. Her long-term brand partners include Delta Air Lines, American Express and Disney. She has done sponsored TikTok campaigns with Sonder, Visit Williamsburg and more. Her TikTok account is @TopFlightFamily.

About Michelle Gonzalez

Michelle is a Los Angeles-based luxury travel creator who prioritizes both the journey and the destination, sharing aspirational flights and properties alike. She is an authority on luxury travel on TikTok, gaining 320k+ followers, 70M+ views and 8.5M+ likes since making her social media debut in late December 2019. She was recently invited to join the official TikTok Creator Program. Her TikTok account is @LAXtoLuxury.
Scientists claim to be able to identify Twitter trolls in 50 tweets using algorithms to that can detect 'distinctive' patterns of word repetition.

The algorithms identify linguistic patterns in tweets in order to distinguish deceptive 'troll' messages  which aim to achieve a specific purpose while also masking that purpose  from those posted by 'normal' Twitter users.

Surprisingly, trolls start repeating words and word pairs later than normal users, due to their attempts to influence many different accounts at once.

While previous research has investigated distinguishing characteristics of troll tweets such as timing, hashtags, and geographical location, few studies have examined linguistic features of the tweets themselves.

Scroll down for video

Twitter has deleted 170,000 user accounts tied to a Beijing-backed influence operation to spread propaganda, as well as Turkish and Russian campaigns

'Though troll writing is usually thought of as being permeated with recurrent messages, its most characteristic trait is an anomalous distribution of repeated words and word pairs,' said study author Sergei Monakhov at Friedrich Schiller University in Germany.

'Using the ratio of their proportions as a quantitative measure, one needs as few as 50 tweets for identifying internet troll accounts.'

Troll internet messages aim to influence particular people, spread fake news or sow discord, while also masking what they're doing.

In one high profile example of trolling in February 2018, the US government indicted 13 Russian nationals for interfering with the 2016 US presidential election through social media.

These individuals were accused of using false American personas to operate social media pages and groups designed to attract American audiences and cause discord by disparaging Democrat candidate Hilary Clinton.

The repercussions of this were far-reaching, almost leading to the impeachment of Trump, damaging the Russian economy due to imposed US sanctions and almost ruining relations between the two nations.

Trolls have a limited number of messages to convey, but must do so multiple times and with enough diversity of wording and topics to fool readers

'Taking into account the global scale of this scandal and its ever-widening ramifications for society, one can only wonder why the phenomenon of troll writing has not received to date any substantial scientific attention,' Monakhov says in his research paper.

For his study, Monakhov used a collection of tweets connected to the Internet Research Agency, a Russian government-owned troll factory, as Monakhov calls it.

Affectionately known as the Trolls from Olgino, the Internet Research Agency is a Saint Petersburg-based company engaged in online influence operations on behalf of Russian businesses.

Monakhov combined this dataset with a sample of 'genuine' or non-toll tweets from US congresspeople  accredited accounts.

He identified distinctive patterns of repeated words and word pairs that are different from linguistic patterns in tweets from the normal accredited Twitter users.

Monakhov showed that these troll-specific restrictions result in distinctive patterns of repeated words and word pairs that are different from patterns seen in genuine, non-troll tweets.

Trolls have a limited number of messages to convey, but must do so multiple times and with enough diversity of wording and topics to fool readers.

'Understandably, they are afraid of being repetitive because that will inevitably lead to their identification as trolls,' Monakhov told MailOnline.

'Hence, their only possible strategy is to keep diluting their target message with ever-changing filler words  and that's exactly why we can so easily detect them.'

Probabilities of meeting any number of words that have already been used as the number of tweets continues (up to 100) for normal accounts and troll accounts

On that basis, with every new tweet from a genuine author, the probability of using a word that has already been used should increase, while for a troll account, the probability of using a word that has already been used should continuously decrease or stay constant.

Though troll writing is usually thought of as being permeated with recurrent messages, he showed that its defining characteristic is an irregular distribution of repeated words and word pairs.

Trolls also use formal jargon, which isn't seen as often in general digital communications between normal people.

Then, Monakhov tested an algorithm that uses these distinctive patterns to distinguish between genuine tweets and troll tweets.

He found that the algorithm required as few as 50 tweets for accurate identification of trolls versus congresspeople.

The algorithm also correctly distinguished troll tweets from tweets by US President Donald Trump, which have been deemed by Twitter as provocative and 'potentially misleading', but are not crafted to hide his purpose.

Trump cannot be called a troll, the scientists say, even though he 'repeats himself over and over again'

Trump therefore cannot be called a troll in Monakhov's sense of the word. even though he 'undoubtedly repeats himself over and over again'.

This new strategy for identifying troll tweets could help inform efforts to combat hybrid warfare while preserving freedom of speech.

Further research will be needed to determine whether it can accurately distinguish troll tweets from other types of messages that are not posted by public figures.

'Though troll writing is usually thought of as being permeated with recurrent messages, its most characteristic trait is an anomalous distribution of repeated words and word pairs,' Monakhov said.

'Using the ratio of their proportions as a quantitative measure, one needs as few as 50 tweets for identifying internet troll accounts.'

The study has been published in PLOS ONE.
Shuttle Discovery commander Mark Kelly, right, gestures as he walks with his twin brother, astronaut Scott Kelly: AP

Mark Kelly, a prominent Democratic senatorial candidate in Arizona, has spoken out against an advertising campaign he was a part of for a Swiss watchmaker after it was subsequently decried as a "sexist" marketing ploy.

The former NASA astronaut, who won his Democratic primary bid to take on Republican incumbent Martha McSally in the November election, distanced himself from his former role as a brand ambassador for Breitling in a statement through his campaign on Tuesday.

Mr Kellys role as a brand ambassador for the luxury watchmaker received renewed focus this week after a report in HuffPost explored his time serving as a face for Breitling, which included occasionally posing with scantily clad women in photos later described as shamelessly sexist.

Mark used their watches during his shuttle missions, and they worked well for him, which is why he decided to work with the company, Jacob Peters, spokesperson for the Kelly campaign, told the news outlet.

He thinks its right that they have changed their advertising practices, the campaign spokesperson added.

New: Mark Kelly participated in a sexist watch marketing campaign.



Kelly was an endorser of Breitling watches until he started running for Senate. The company admitted its ads do not reflect values of todays society in 2018.https://t.co/75fDfsFYc4  Kevin Robillard (@Robillard) August 11, 2020

The watchmakers marketing strategies transformed when the company brought in a new CEO in 2018. Mr Kellys role as an ambassador for the watchmaker ended before he launched his Senate campaign last year.

Still, the McSally campaign used the focus on Mr Kellys former agreement with Breitling as an opportunity to attack her Democratic opponent, who was ahead of her in the latest state polling.

Story continues

Caroline Anderegg, communications director for the McSally campaign, told HuffPost in a statement: Mark Kellys willing participation in this type of blatantly sexist marketing campaign is gross, and his refusal to apologise further proves he hasnt learned his lesson.

She added: Arizonans deserve a leader like Martha McSally who has been a pioneer for women and girls, not a sleezy salesman who enables the objectification of women and will do anything to make a quick buck.

As the news outlet noted, Ms McSally has been a staunch supporter of President Donald Trump, who has been accused of sexual harassment by multiple women.

Female pilots reportedly condemned the Breitling advertisements at the time. In some photos, Mr Kelly could be seen posing with women in short black dresses on either side of him in front of a plane.

Describing his decision to end the marketing campaign, Breitling CEO Georges Kern reportedly told a Swiss newspaper: I stopped them immediately.

Some customers thought they were funny, he added. But such clips were no longer suitable and do not reflect values of todays society.
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Photo provided by Magnusson Klemencic Associates [enlarge] Chase Center in San Francisco is accessible to visitors from every angle.





Chase Center in San Francisco has been honored by the Structural Engineers Association of Illinois.





. . .
Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia says the Akufo-Addo led Government has prioritized youth transformation and empowerment among its policies and will continue to create a conducive environment to improve their welfare.



To that end, he said, Government had secured US$ 200-million World Bank support to implement the Jobs and Skills Development programme, expected to be rolled out from now till the next five years, to improve the entrepreneurial skills and productivity of the Ghanaian youth.



He indicated that President Akufo-Addo had shown leadership over the past three-and-half years in office and fulfilled most of the 2016 electioneering promises.



However, Former President John Dramani Mahama, the National Democratic Congress flagbearer, failed to address the challenges facing the Ghanaian youth when he was in office, and yet continued to make promises.



"Promises are one thing and fulfilling them is another action speaks louder than words," he added.



Vice President Bawumia made these remarks at a forum organised by the National Youth Wing of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in Accra on Wednesday.



Some high profile personalities that graced the occasion included Madam Akosua Frema Osei Opare, Chief of Staff, Freddie Blay, National Chairman of the NPP, and Samuel Awuku, the NPPs National Organiser.



The forum coincided with the celebration of the International Youth Day held on August 12, to recognise the contributions of the youth towards national development to create awareness on their challenges with the ultimate objective of finding solutions to them.



The global theme for this year's celebration is "Youth Engagement for Global Action" with a local sub-theme; Promoting Youth Engagement in Mitigating the Impact of COVID-19: The Need for Youth Innovation and Creativity".



Vice President Bawumia enumerated a number of initiatives rolled out by the Akufo-Addo Government to formalise the economy including the National Digital Property Addressing System, issuance of the National Identification Cards (Ghana Card), Mobile Money Interoperability Payment System, integration of the databases of the NIA and Births and Death Registry, and other state agencies for easy accessibility of information.



Also, government, through the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), had started processes to convert National ID numbers into Tax Identification Numbers (TIN) for easy payment of taxes and increase the number of taxpayers from the less than three million to 16 million.



Mr Freddie Blay, on his part, urged the youth not be distracted by the "propaganda promises" of the NDC's flag bearer, but should remain focused and campaign vigorously across the nook and cranny of the country to retain the Party in power.



"Leverage on your energies, strengths and creativity by adopting innovative campaign strategies to win more votes for the Party," he advised.



Madam Akosua Osei Frema Opare entreated them to remain united and fight with a common front to retain power in the general election.



She acknowledged the hard work and enormous contributions of the Youth Wing over the past years and urged them not to rest on their oars but work even harder in this year's electioneering.



Mr Sammy Awuk urged them to widen the one million vote margin recorded in the 2016 Presidential Election by winning more votes for the Party.



Alhaji Abdul Aziz Haruna Futah, the NASARA Coordinator, enumerated a number of projects initiated in the Zongo communities by government to improve livelihoods and urged those communities to show appreciation by voting massively for the NPP in the December polls.



Mr Henry Nana Boakye, the NPP National Youth Organizer, acknowledged the efforts of the Party's leadership and government's contributions towards their activities and enhancing capacity.



He, however, called for more support to enhance their work, especially by using social media platforms to reach out to the grassroots.



He gave the assurance that the Youth Wing would mobilise and leverage on innovative strategies to garner more votes for the Party.

Source: GNA









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NASAs Juno space probe is on a multi-year mission to explore the origins and evolution of the gas giant Jupiterits serious science.

But Instagrammers have shared some rather unserious observations of Junos highly detailed infrared image posted on the space agencys Instagram page.

You could say their comments are way out to lunchbut way out for pizza would be more accurate.

The image shows in incredible detail the cyclones and anticyclones of Jupiters North Poletaken from Junos Infrared Auroral Mapper (which measures the thermal emissions from the Jovian cloud tops)and Instagrammers noted a striking resemblance to red, round pepperoni slices nestled in a gooey bed of melted mozzarella.

That would be one HUGE pizza, though.

The surveyed area (the pizza), just offset from Jupiters polar region, features a central cyclone surrounded by eight others, each ranging from 2,500 to 2,900 miles across. Each outer storm looks as if its blowing in tribute to the central storm. Their spiral arms smack together as they spin, but the storms dont merge, NASAs website says.

Here is the image taken by Juno:

This composite image, derived from data collected by the Jovian Infrared Auroral Mapper (JIRAM) instrument aboard NASAs Juno mission to Jupiter, shows the central cyclone at the planets North Pole and the eight cyclones that encircle it. (Courtesy of NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/ASI/INAF/JIRAM)

The pepperoni and cheese likeness was so strong that, judging from responses on Instagram, commenters couldnt think of much else besides. They dropped comments like: I thought this was a pepperoni pizza, and LOOKS LIKE A PIZZA, and Seems a burned pizza, as well as Pizza Planet .

One person even threw in an entirely different (but wholly appropriate) Forbidden cinnamon rolls comment.

And there were other, non-food comparisons. One person noted: For a moment I thought it was the Sun; while NASAs own caption shared something similar: The floor is lava! Oh wait, nevermind, thats just an infrared look at Jupiters North Pole .

This computer-generated image is based on an infrared image of Jupiters north polar region that was acquired on Feb. 2, 2017, by the Jovian Infrared Auroral Mapper (JIRAM) instrument aboard Juno during the spacecrafts fourth pass over Jupiter. (Courtesy of NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/ASI/INAF/JIRAM)

Lava, indeed.

The thermal image measures the temperature of Jupiters atmosphere, with warmer areas displayed in yellow (deeper into Jupiters atmosphere) (about -13C/ 9F) and cooler areas appearing darker (at higher altitude) (about -83C/ -117F). And the appearance does seem lava-like.

Yet, there is another purpose behind the infrared imaging: It allows Juno to map areas of the planet not illuminated by sunlight using the atmospheres own ambient radiation.

As for the Jovian South Pole, similar data shows a central polar cyclone with five circumpolar cyclones, which are slightly larger than their northern counterparts.

Like in the North, Jupiters south pole also contains a central cyclone, but it is surrounded by five cyclones with diameters ranging from 3,500 to 4,300 miles (5,600 to 7,000 kilometers) in diameter, NASAs website says.

This computer-generated image shows the structure of the cyclonic pattern observed over Jupiters south pole. (Courtesy of NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/ASI/INAF/JIRAM)

Alberto Adriani, Juno co-investigator from the Institute for Space Astrophysics and Planetology, explained on the space agencys website:

Prior to Juno we did not know what the weather was like near Jupiters poles. Now, we have been able to observe the polar weather up-close every two months.

Each one of the northern cyclones is almost as wide as the distance between Naples, Italy and New York Cityand the southern ones are even larger than that. They have very violent winds, reaching, in some cases, speeds as great as 220 mph (350 kph).

Finally, and perhaps most remarkably, they are very close together and enduring. There is nothing else like it that we know of in the solar system.

That might not be quite accurate, however, as we know of one Italian pie-shaped dish that bears a striking resemblance.

In this image provided by NASA, ESA, and the Hubble SM4 ERO Team, the planet Jupiter is pictured July 23, 2009, in space. (NASA, ESA, and the Hubble SM4 ERO Team via Getty Images)

We would love to hear your stories! You can share them with us at emg.inspired@epochtimes.nyc
The governing council of the University of Lagos (UNILAG) has removed Oluwatoyin Ogundipe as the vice-chancellor of the school.

Mr Ogundipe was removed at the councils meeting held Wednesday at the headquarters of the National Universities Commission, Abuja.

In attendance were at least 11 council members, the VC included, majority of whom voted for the removal of Mr Ogundipe.

Mr Ogundipe was accused of financial impropriety and gross misconduct.

Mikhail Mumuni, the media adviser to chairman of the governing council, Wale Babalakin, confirmed the development to PREMIUM TIMES.

He, however, declined further comments, saying only the registrar of the university can provide details of the development.

The conflict between the universitys governing council and the management reached a head in March when its week-long 2020 convocation was abruptly cancelled just before it started.

The cancellation, which was ordered by the NUC, Nigerian universities regulatory body, was in response to a directive by the education minister, Adamu Adamu.

Mr Adamu gave the directive in response to a letter written to the vice-chancellor by the council chairman, accusing Mr Ogundipe of failing to share important details about the ceremony with the council.

The exchanges between the two officials were condemned by relevant stakeholders, including graduands, parents, the alumni and staff.

READ ALSO:

Fresh plans were still being made to reconvene the ceremony when the Covid-19 pandemic arrived to further keep the annual programme in abeyance.

Meanwhile, PREMIUM TIMES gathered that the university has since mailed copies of notification of results electronically to the affected graduands in view of the ceremony.

DETAILS LATER..
PITTSFIELD, Mass.  The City Council denied a petition aimed to remove Ward 4 Councilor Christopher Connell by claiming he no longer lived in Pittsfield.

Late into the six-hour meeting Tuesday, councilors came to the agreement that although Connell is spending much of his time quarantining out of state, his primary residence is still in Pittsfield.

"I just want to thank you all for your kind support and thought and I will continue to do the best that I can for this council and this city," Connell said at the meeting's close around 1 in the morning.

Ward 4 resident Elizabeth Herland had submitted the petition and included a Facebook post Connell made in July as evidence that he no longer lived within the city limits.

The post indicated that Connell had vacated his Pomeroy Avenue home in March after COVID-19 hit and has been residing in his vacation condo in upstate New York.

In the copied post, Connell does note how difficult the past five months have been for him and that he had been caring for his sick mother. He wrote that for her safety, he decided to limit contact with her and only visit her periodically.

The decision to not remove Connell from the council was unanimous but not until after hours of discussion. The other councilors questioned their colleague and tried to navigate the vague city charter and what it means to be removed from the city.

City Solicitor Stephen Pagnotta first said he thought it was OK for Connell to participate in the debate but did not think it was appropriate for him to vote on the matter.

Pagnotta said it was not really about where Connell resides but where his "domicile" is located. He said they must determine if his domicile has changed and whether he has removed himself from the city without the intention of returning.

Any registered voter in the city is able to run for council in their ward or at large and they remain eligible as long as they are a voter. Once elected and to remain eligible, Pagnotta said they cannot remove themselves to another community and still remain a city councilor.

"It is your determination as to whether or not he is removed. If you accept his explanation then he has relocated without the intention to remove himself then he is eligible to remain on the City Council," he said. "If you determine that his decision to relocate is a removal because it is his intention to relocate on a permanent or quasi-permanent status, then he is not eligible."

He said various documents indicate that Connell lives in Pittsfield but that the council must determine if Connell's action qualifies as removal.

Connell said he sold his Dawes Avenue home in January before the pandemic hit. He moved in with his mother on Pomeroy Avenue, a house which he owns, to look after her. He said he plans to move into the second apartment in the Pomeroy Avenue home once it is available.

(The sale of Connell's house had raised questions on social media as to whether he was still living in Ward 4. He clarified at the time he was planning to move into the same house as his mother.)

He said because he is in contact with so many people and is a property owner and a city councilor, he did not want to endanger his mother. Also, his girlfriend works in the medical field.

"I am trying to balance safety, care, and everything else so I have had to make some very tough decisions," Connells said.

Connell said because all of his properties were occupied he decided to shelter in his condo that he would typically visit on the weekends.

"If I had any idea COVID-19 was going to happen I would have never sold my house or moved into one of my other properties," Connell said.

Councilors struggled to compare the situation to anything else. Ward 6 Councilor Dina Guiel Lampiasi tried to compare it to a college student who may live in a community but spends a majority of time in a dorm or apartment out of state.

Without any sort of metrics in the charter determining how long a councilor must be in the city, some councilors had a hard time differentiating Connell's situation from a vacation.

Ward 1 Councilor Helen Moon found a closer example and noted that former Ward 6 Councilor John Krol did not live full time in Pittsfield during his final months as a councilor but his family was still in the city. She said the council did not question this.

Moon chose to empathize with Connell and did not think it was right to question the decisions he has made to protect his family in such a strange time.

"I don't think we have the right to judge people on those decisions," she said. "... I am having a hard time with the timing of this right now. If he tells us it is his intention to move back I am going to trust him."

She did say if this went beyond the pandemic, she would be less understanding.

Connell said he has every desire to continue to care for his mother once the pandemic ends and that has always been his plan.

"I don't know what else you need to see. My dogs are there, my dogs' bowls are there, everything that I have is here," he said. "My doctor, my vet, my dentist, my plumber. I am working on the house so I can put up a fence so my dogs have a place to run."

Ward 3 Councilor Nicholas Caccamo also sympathized with Connell as did Ward 5 Councilor Patrick Kavey, who added that he thought with documentation clearly stating that Connell lives in Pittsfield it would be difficult to legally prove otherwise.

Ward 2 Councilor Kevin Morandi felt the petition was "petty." He added that he thought other councilors would make the same decision as Connell.

"This can happen to any of us. This can happen to our parents, it can happen you our spouses," he said. "... You have to make the best decision you can when it comes down to health and putting people at risk and I think you all would to do what councilor Connell did."

Some councilors said they had similar stories to Connell but decided to find a way to continue to safely stay in Pittsfield.

Councilor at Large Peter White said he had to be mindful of his own mother and has really only left his house to go to the store. He said he has been unable to meet with constituents or attend events or marches.

"I wish the charter was different and this is not something I would have put in it," White said. "But a ward resident asked us to make a decision tonight and I just have to think about how hard it has been in my situation."

Ward 7 Councilor Anthony Maffuccio said his family is at risk and he himself suffers from COPD but has managed to stay in Pittsfield.

"People may not know but I have COPD and I have to wear oxygen 24/7 even though I don't wear it on TV," he said. "I ... am the one person in the house who goes out and runs the errands and takes all the precautions that I have to ... unfortunately Councilor Connell admitted that he has been living in upstate New York for the last five months. That is over half of his new term. I am a straightforward person ... but there is nothing that says he cannot take precautionary measures and still live with his mother."

Questions continued and councilors asked how many nights Connell slept in Pittsfield or if he kept a journal and schedule. Lampiasi questioned the timeline and could not determine if something had been "uncovered" and Connell has been living in New York or if it was a genuinely difficult situation.

Councilor at Large Earl Persip was also looking for any kind of evidence and indicated that Connell was telling the truth. He said if he did not know Connell, he would think he lived near Lake George, N.Y., by looking at his Facebook.

He also called back to allegations from the election that Connell did not want to seek re-election and relayed a question from a constituent that he was only interested in hitting the 10-year mark as a city councilor to receive city insurance.

Persip did say he respected Connell as a councilor and rated him as one of the most responsive, however, he had to relay the questions that he was asked.

Connell said if he did not think he was able to totally commit to the council he would step away and that he did the job for his love of the city, not the insurance.

He reiterated his commitment to the city but said he almost did not run again because of his mother's failing health. He said she convinced him to run again and he affirmed he would continue to do this no matter where he is any given day during the pandemic.

"I continue to serve every single day and my phone is always on," he said. "... Pittsfield is my home."
(Photo : Ian Waldie/Getty Images) SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - APRIL 19: Female Fiordland Crested Penguin Chalky jumps through the air while swimming in her enclosure at Taronga Zoo April 19, 2007 in Sydney, Australia.

A team of US and New Zealand researchers have reported finding a 3.36 million-year-old fossil belonging to an ancient crested penguin.

The ancient penguin remains were found in New Zealand's North Island. Researchers published their findings in the latest Proceedings of the Royal Society B. The team believes that it might be connected to modern penguins.



Well-Preserved Crested Penguin from the Pliocene

The fossilized remains included the penguin's wing bones, leg, rib, and even feathers. It also included the creature's skull - including the jaw and beak. The remains were more than enough to confirm that the fossilized creature is actually a member of the genus Eudyptesbetter known as the crested penguin. The ancient penguin was named Eudyptes atatu, with "atatu" being the Maori word for "dawn."



RELATED: Why Researchers Have to Go In Disguise-The Penguin in the Room

Eudyptes atatu was aged at 3.36 million years old, placing it in the Pliocene epoch. Crested penguins derived their name from the hair-like growth that grows from the side of their heads. Modern crested penguins are mostly characterized by their black and white body, reddish eyes and bills, and prominent yellow crests. Crested penguins are often found in the southern hemisphere, especially in New Zealand and its neighboring islands.

A previous study conducted on their DNA suggests that they shared a common ancestry with their closest relatives, the yellow-eyed penguin. However, the species that would become the crested penguins split from this common ancestor sometime in the mid-Miocene, some 15 million years ago. This species later separated into other species some 8 million years ago.

From their evidence, they also reported that deep bills evolved in crested and stiff-tailed penguins at around the same time, during the Pliocene.

A group of local collectors first discovered the fossils embedded in a piece of rock along the coastline near the Taranaki region on the western part of New Zealand's North Island. These locals informed the workers at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, the South Pacific nation's national museum headquartered in Wellington.



An Ancestor to the Modern Crested Penguins of New Zealand

Based on the fossilized remains, the researchers believed that E. atatu had mostly the same features as its modern descendants - red bills and yellow crests. Moreover, they noted in the report that E. atatu had a slightly smaller bill compared to the modern crested penguins. This difference suggested that the earlier penguin had another primary food source compared to their modern counterparts.

RELATED: Penguins Can Shoot Their Poop Cannons with a Trajectory of Over Four Feet

They noted that New Zealand is widely considered as a global hotspot for seabird diversity. Owing to its abundant and varied food sources, the South Pacific nation attracts seabirds and migratory birds from different parts of the world. Researchers expressed hope that the Pliocene crested penguin will help define the timeframe of how crown penguins started existing in the New Zealand ecosystem.

Ancestral area reconstructions using BioGeoBEARS, BioGeography with Bayesian (and likelihood) Evolutionary in R Scripts, revealed that New Zealand is a feasible ancestral area for crested penguins, as well as total-group penguins and crown penguins.

See the modern crested penguin in action, from a video taken from the Snares Islands south of New Zealand:


(Newser)  A New Jersey gym that repeatedly opened its doors in defiance of state coronavirus restrictions won't get to do so again, at least as an official business. The Bellmawr Borough Council voted Tuesday to rescind the business license of Atilis Gym, reports NJ.com. Owners Ian Smith, 33, and Frank Trumbetti, 51, have long argued that the restrictions are unfair and a violation of their federal rights. They reopened the gym in May and were arrested July 27 on charges of contempt, obstruction, and violating the Disaster Control Act. Authorities then erected a wood barricade blocking access to the gym's front door. Days later, Smith and Trumbetti kicked down the barricade and welcomed as many as 50 members inside, reports the AP.

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The state Attorney Generals office responded by recommending fines of up to $10,000 per day and possible imprisonment. This "brazen conduct is abhorrent to an organized judicial system, jeopardizes the public health and the safety of New Jerseyans, and must not be tolerated," the office said. An attorney for Smith said the information presented at Tuesday's hearing was "something out of George Orwell." Later, Smith shared a video on the gym's Instagram account in which he claimed "zero evidence" had been presented to back up the idea that his gym was threatening public health. "Our fight does not stop here," he wrote. The ownerswho are living at the gym, per the Philadelphia Inquirerpreviously noted they were operating at 20% capacity with physical distancing and mask requirements as well as temperature checks. (Read more coronavirus stories.)
BERLIN, GERMANY, Aug 12, 2020 - (JCN Newswire) - Hitachi Rail SpA and Bombardier Transportation announced today that they have signed a contract with Italy's primary train operator Trenitalia to supply 23 Frecciarossa 1000 very high-speed (VHS) trains for the new Intermodalidad de Levante (ILSA) rail operation, a joint venture established by Trenitalia and Operador Ferroviario de Levante SL. The contract value is around 800 million euro (US$943 million) in a partnership involving company participation of approximately 60 percent and 40 percent respectively."The ETR1000 train, widely known commercially as the Frecciarossa 1000, has transformed passenger transport on high-speed lines in Italy, setting the standard and becoming the fastest and most admired train in Europe. It is a platform that we are very proud of and is proof of our continuous and positive collaboration with Trenitalia to the benefit of passengers and society in terms of comfort, sustainability, style, performance and low noise. We look forward to bringing the same advantages to Spain, and to contribute to the development program of high-speed railway services in this country with these new services," said Andrew Barr, Group CEO, Hitachi Rail."The Frecciarossa 1000 very high-speed train has been chosen for the new ILSA franchise in Spain to enrich the travel experience for passengers, thanks to its high levels of comfort and reliability. With cutting-edge train control and propulsion technologies deriving from the V300ZEFIRO platform, these fast and quiet trains are already very popular with long-distance travellers in Italy. The liberalization of Europe's railways enables ILSA to offer new rail services in Spain to encourage even more passengers to shift their journeys from cars and planes to trains, contributing towards global sustainability goals," added Franco Beretta, President and Managing Director of Bombardier Transportation Italy."Working together with Bombardier as trusted partners of Trenitalia for this new international project, renews and recognizes our valued experience in the high-speed rail sector. For Hitachi, a fully integrated, global provider of rail solutions, this is a further confirmation of our capability to contribute to society through the development of superior, original technology and products that deliver sustainable mobility," commented Christian Andi, Executive Officer, Region EMEA, Hitachi Rail Group."We are delighted that Trenitalia has put its confidence in Bombardier and Hitachi once again with this order for 23 trains based on Bombardier's V300ZEFIRO platform. This innovative, super-fast train is already extremely popular with passengers in Italy and we're looking forward to bringing this outstanding high-speed travel experience to millions of rail passengers in Spain," concluded Marco Biffoni, Head of Sales Italy for Bombardier Transportation.The Frecciarossa 1000 is the fastest and quietest very high-speed train in Europe. The 23 new trains for ILSA will be designed and built by Hitachi Rail and Bombardier in Italy. Each train will be approximately 200 metres long with capacity for around 460 passengers and capable of commercial speeds of up to 360 kph. State-of-the-art aerodynamics and energy saving technologies give the train unmatched operating efficiency. Once onboard, passengers will be able to enjoy WiFi, a bistro area and high levels of comfort in all classes. The trains are operable on high-speed rail networks equipped with multi-voltage technology fulfilling all TSI requirements. Since their introduction in Italy in 2015, the Frecciarossa 1000 very high-speed trains have set enviable standards of performance, operating efficiency and passenger comfort.ILSA has been selected by ADIF (the company who runs Spain's rail infrastructure) as the first private operator to be granted access to the Spanish rail market. From 2022, ILSA will run high-speed services on the Madrid-Barcelona, Madrid-Valencia/Alicante and Madrid-Seville/Malaga lines.About Hitachi RailHitachi Rail is a fully integrated, global provider of rail solutions across rolling stock, signalling, service & maintenance, digital technology and turnkey. With a presence in 38 countries, across three continents and over 12,000 employees, our mission is to contribute to society through the continuous development of superior rail transport solutions. Drawing on the wider Hitachi Group's market-leading technology and research-and-development capabilities, we strive for industry leading innovations and solutions that can deliver value for customers and sustainable railway systems that benefit wider society. For information about Hitachi Rail, visit www.hitachirail.com.About Bombardier TransportationBombardier Transportation is a global mobility solution provider leading the way with the rail industry's broadest portfolio. It covers the full spectrum of solutions, ranging from trains to sub-systems and signalling to complete turnkey transport systems, e-mobility technology and data-driven maintenance services. Combining technology and performance with empathy, Bombardier Transportation continuously breaks new ground in sustainable mobility by providing integrated solutions that create substantial benefits for operators, passengers and the environment. Headquartered in Berlin, Germany, Bombardier Transportation employs around 36,000 people and its products and services operate in over 60 countries.About BombardierWith nearly 60,000 employees across two business segments, Bombardier is a global leader in the transportation industry, creating innovative and game-changing planes and trains. Our products and services provide world-class transportation experiences that set new standards in passenger comfort, energy efficiency, reliability and safety.Headquartered in Montreal, Canada, Bombardier has production and engineering sites in over 25 countries across the segments of Aviation and Transportation. Bombardier shares are traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange (BBD). In the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019, Bombardier posted revenues of $15.8 billion. News and information are available at bombardier.com or follow us on Twitter @Bombardier.Bombardier and V300ZEFIRO are trademarks of Bombardier Inc. or its subsidiaries.Source: Hitachi, Ltd.Copyright 2020 JCN Newswire . All rights reserved.
The Oregon Judicial Department is nudging county courthouses across the state to develop more robust notification systems to ensure attorneys and court staff are informed if they are potentially exposed to the coronavirus.

The new protocols come in response to concerns voiced to the state judicial department by the Oregon Criminal Defense Lawyers Association that inconsistent health and safety precautions and a lack of notification protocols in courtrooms are placing people at risk.

State authorities organized an online meeting last month with presiding judges statewide to recommend each devise a system to meet local needs.

The idea for new procedures began after a July 13 incident in Washington County where attorneys and court staff said they were never notified that a defendant in a packed courtroom acknowledged testing positive for the coronavirus.

Although the person in fact tested negative, attorneys and court staff say the situation exemplified a larger pattern of prioritizing docket management over safety. Other concerns across the state include inadequate social distancing in courthouses and inconsistent requirements for wearing masks.

Some attorneys say the states guidance doesnt go far enough and have called for across-the-board mandates.

Some order needs to come down from the Chief Justice saying, You need to create a notification process. Here are the parameters, said Mae Lee Browning, the legislative director for the Oregon Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, which represents over 1,000 lawyers.

State officials say they are unlikely to issue a sweeping order mandating uniform notices. Instead, they want presiding judges in each county to figure out how to best handle notifications  and theres no timeline for action.

There are just so many decisions and fact patterns that, at this point at least, we dont see that a rule or requirement other than asking the courts to have that conversation is something necessary to alleviate some of these concerns, said Phillip Lemman, the deputy state court administrator.

Courtrooms across the country have struggled with similar challenges as they attempt to operate during the pandemic. In April, two New York City judges died following a jam-packed calendar call.

In Pittsburgh, five courtroom employees tested positive in early July, and seven others in the court system were also infected. Attorneys said they were never notified.

To prevent outbreaks in Oregons courtrooms, Chief Justice Martha Walters in March established rules that effectively canceled hearings such as arraignments for people who were not being held in jail. Over 25,000 hearings were postponed into early June, according to data from the state judicial department.

But many hearings resumed in June, with docket sizes in some counties spiking just as the number of coronavirus cases statewide surged.

Among the states five most populous counties, local presiding judges have implemented precautionary measures that include requirements for facial coverings, court administrators said. Signs are also posted throughout the courthouses requiring physical distancing and encouraging people to go home if they feel sick.

Though some courts are conducting occasional jury trials, most are held remotely or remain delayed. Attorneys also have the option to attend some hearings electronically, although they are often reluctant if their clients will attend in person.

When my clients are coming into court, theyre terrified of whats going to happen under normal circumstances, said Alex Spinks, a Washington County attorney. Having an attorney stand there with them provides a certain level of comfort. If you want your client to trust and believe in you, then thats very difficult to do just by phone.

Its unclear how many times people have appeared in Oregon courtrooms with the coronavirus. But administrators in at least seven different county courthouses told The Oregonian/OregonLive there have been instances where someone with a suspected infection has either attended court or tested positive soon after.

The Oregon Judicial Department said it does not receive information about confirmed or presumed coronavirus cases. That information is communicated between courts and public health departments.

The Oregon Health Authority has not reported any outbreaks linked to a courthouse, although the agency requires at least five confirmed or presumed infections before disclosing it publicly.

Marion County stands as an example of a courthouse that took steps to develop a notification system about exposure prior to being contacted by the Oregon Judicial Department.

The new procedures began after a defendant, who said he previously tested positive for coronavirus, arrived at court in early July saying he felt healthy enough to appear, said Jessica Kampfe, the executive director of Public Defender of Marion County.

Court staff scrambled to find a thermometer, which showed the person had a temperature above 100 degrees.

Kampfe immediately sent an email to the presiding judge voicing her concerns.

In response, attorneys and court staff developed a new system that would quickly disseminate basic information to the court in a kind of notification tree, one of the first of its kind in Oregon.

The idea is to cut down on rumors and facilitate and expedite information so that other people can make informed decisions, Kampfe said.

The system also stretches to the jail, as emails are sent out from the sheriffs office to attorneys, judges and court staff who notify others from there.

Thats the kind of notification process attorneys elsewhere, and particularly in Washington County, would like to see.

In the July 13 incident, around 40 attorneys, court staff and defendants sat in the crowded courthouse for over an hour as they waited for a judge to appear. Some defendants sat shoulder-to-shoulder on benches in a hallway.

Days later, rumors began circulating about the person who said they were COVID-positive. Few were notified by the court.

It made me feel really undervalued, that they clearly dont care about us, that they think were children and cant handle the truth, said a judicial assistant who requested anonymity out of fear of retaliation.

When attorney Amanda Thibeault heard the chatter, she said she sat in her car and cried.

Her husband is at high-risk for complications from the coronavirus, she said, and she worried it was inevitable she would catch the virus coming to court.

All I want is for them just to tell me, Thibeault said. Just tell me so that I can make informed decisions for my clients, for my family.

Richard Moellmer, the trial court administrator in Washington County, said he recognizes the court made mistakes when hearings resumed in June. Officials are continuing to try to reduce the number of people called to court in a way that will promote public safety, he said.

As for new notification procedures, Moellmer said that although divulging information about possible infections could spread rumors and present challenges for the county public health department, he feels it is necessary for the court to let people within the system know about potential exposure.

"I think it's important," Moellmer said. "I want to do it. If I weren't the court administrator, if I played a role in the local justice system and was present in a location where someone may have been COVID-positive, I would want to know quickly."

With Washington County already pledging improvement, state officials say they believe theyve adequately addressed concerns about notification and arent planning more action for now.

But theyve encouraged attorneys, staff or court visitors to contact them if notifications across the state dont improve.

If theyre not happy with how things are happening or not happening in their jurisdiction, then they can let us know, said Lemman, the deputy state court administrator, and we can revisit that.

-- Bryce Dole; bdole@oregonian.com; 541-660-9844; @DoleBryce
A section of a Camp Hill park will be renamed Hannah's Place in memory of Hannah Clarke and her three children, who were murdered by Ms Clarke's former partner in February.

The deaths triggered an outpouring from around Australia of grief, horror and sorrow that such an event could happen.

Hannah Clarke and her children Laianah, 4, Aaliyah, 6, and Trey, 3 were murdered in a petrol fire in their car on February 19.

In the aftermath, Ms Clarke's family has begun establishing a non-profit foundation, Small Steps 4 Hannah, in their memories.

Local councillor Fiona Cunningham, who joined the family in the funeral service for the four, said she had been working with the Clarke family since to create a public place of remembrance.
CLEVELAND, Ohio  United Airlines today announced a major increase in service to Florida from Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, including twice-a-day flights to Orlando, Fort Myers and Fort Lauderdale.

Although some flights are temporary, the route additions constitute the largest expansion by United in Cleveland since the carrier dismantled its hub at Hopkins in 2014.
Both Uber and Lyft would press pause on their California service if theyre forced to reclassify drivers as employees, the companies said Wednesday.

Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said in an interview on MSNBC that the ride-hailing service likely would temporarily halt California operations until at least November if its forced to reclassify drivers as employees.

Lyft President John Zimmer made similar remarks on Lyfts second-quarter earnings call.

San Francisco Superior Court Judge Ethan Schulman on Monday granted Californias request for a preliminary injunction saying that Uber and rival Lyft must make drivers employees rather than independent contractors. Schulman stayed that order for 10 days, giving the companies time to appeal, as both said they will.

Uber and Lyft hope an appellate court will stay the injunction while they battle California and three city attorneys in court over the classification issue related to AB5, the 2019 state bill that made it harder for companies to claim that workers are independent contractors. The state and cities sued Uber and Lyft in May, and had sought the injunction even before a trial in the case.

Khosrowshahi said that if the injunction stands, Uber likely would cease California service until November when voters weigh in on Proposition 22, a ballot initiative that would keep drivers as freelancers entitled to some benefits and earnings guarantees.

If the court doesnt reconsider, then in California, its hard to believe well be able to switch our model to full-time employment quickly, Khosrowshahi said in an interview on MSNBC.

Zimmer directly linked the suspension to the election.

If our efforts here are not successful, it would force us to suspend operations in California, Zimmer said, referring to Lyfts appeal seeking a stay of the injunction. Fortunately California voters can make their voices heard by voting Yes on Prop. 22 in November.

Pausing service  or raising the prospect of doing so  could be playing hardball to try to pass Prop. 22, said David McCuan, a political science professor at Sonoma State University.

They are using aggressive bullying tactics to get people to do what they want, he said.

But such tactics can be counterproductive, said McCuan, who studies California ballot measures.

Forcing voters into a corner causes voters to feel pressure, and often they backlash against that, he said. They want to be asked to dance, not bullied into it.

Uber and Lyft have each put up $30 million to push Prop. 22, with $50 million more coming from DoorDash, Instacart and Postmates.

Any business model that relies on shortchanging workers in order to make it probably shouldnt be anywhere, whether California or otherwise, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra told CNBC on Tuesday.

Pausing service now is not as drastic as it sounds, since both companies are operating at partial capacity.

Uber and Lyft have seen a massive drop in demand over the past six months, with businesses shuttered and consumers staying home during the coronavirus pandemic. Ride bookings revenue fell 73% to $3 billion in the second quarter compared to the previous year, Uber said last week. The company lost $1.8 billion during that time.

Lyft said Wednesday that its second-quarter revenues plunged 61% compared to the same time last year. It lost $437 million on revenues of $339 million from April to June. One potential harbinger of some recovery: Rides were up 78% in July compared to Aprils low.

California, the most populous state, and the first market and home for both Uber and Lyft, is a crucial market to them.

Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes

Lyft said, however, that the West Coast has been the slowest area to rebound. California now makes up about 16% of total rides, Lyft said. So far in August, the states share of the companys rides is down 5 full percentage points from a year ago, it said. In the most recent week, both San Francisco and San Jose were down 77% compared with the same period last year.

The companies have moved out elsewhere over regulatory issues. Uber and Lyft pulled out of Austin, Texas, in May 2016 to protest a city rule requiring them to fingerprint their drivers. They returned a year later after successfully lobbying for a statewide ride-hailing law that they found more favorable.

If Uber did pause in California, it would focus on cities after restoring service, Khosrowshahi said, meaning that suburbs and rural areas might have fewer rides available.

Similarly, Zimmer said that entire regions would lose access to Uber and Lyft services if drivers became employees.

Lyft cannot comply with the injunction at the flip of a switch, Zimmer said. Reclassifying tens of thousands of drivers would be difficult at normal times; during a pandemic, its nearly impossible, he said.

Uber likewise had already said that it could not possibly rehire all its California drivers as employees within a matter of days. It has more than 100,000 drivers in the state, but has also said that it likely would jettison 80% to 90% of them with an employment model, keeping those who put in full-time hours.

Khosrowshahi acknowledged that any disruption to operations would mean an earnings loss for drivers. The labor-backed No on Prop. 22 campaign was quick to seize on that.

Ubers threat to heap even more hardship on tens of thousands of employees rather than comply with the law is stunning, said Art Pulaski, executive secretary treasurer of the California Labor Federation.

Carolyn Said is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: csaid@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @csaid
Condolences to Vietnam over former Party leaders passing

VNA/VNP

Top leaders of China, Laos, Cambodia and Cuba have extended their profound condolences to Vietnamese Party and State leaders, people and family of former General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee Le Kha Phieu over his passing.In a message of condolences sent to Party General Secretary and President Nguyen Phu Trong on August 8, Chinese Party General Secretary and President Xi Jinping said comrade Le Kha Phieu was an eminent leader of the Vietnamese Party and State who led the Vietnamese people to great victories in the process of socialism building and renewal. He was also a close comrade and friend of the Chinese Party and people, contributing to the building of the China  Vietnam relationship under the motto friendly neighbourliness, comprehensive cooperation, long-term stability, and looking forward to the future.China attaches great importance to strengthening and upholding the bilateral traditional friendship, and stays ready to promote political trust and solidarity with Vietnam, as well as ties between the two Parties and nations and the socialism building cause of each country, he said.The Chinese leader believed that under the firm leadership of the CPV Central Committee led by Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, Vietnam will reap new achievements in the cause of socialism building.Earlier, on August 7, the Central Committee of the Lao Peoples Revolutionary Party, President, Government, National Assembly of Laos, and the Central Committee of the Lao Front for National Construction also conveyed messages of condolences to the CPV Central Committee, President, Government, National Assembly, and the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front and family of comrade Le Kha Phieu.They said the late leader made great contributions to the national liberation cause of Laos, stood side by side with the Lao peoples army in important campaigns to gain the final victory in 1975. He also dedicated to fostering the great friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between the two Parties, States and people over the past time.The same day, Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni; President of the Cambodian People's Party (CPP), Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen; President of the National Assembly Samdech Heng Samrin and President of the Senate Samdech Say Chhum also sent messages of condolences to Party General Secretary and President Nguyen Phu Trong, other senior leaders of Vietnam and the family of former Party General Secretary Le Kha Phieu.The Cambodian leaders said comrade Le Kha Phieus passing was a great loss of the Vietnamese Party, State and people, adding that Cambodia has also lost a good and long-time friend who contributed to enhancing solidarity, close cooperation and friendship between Cambodia and Vietnam.First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba Raul Castro and President of Cuba Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez also extended a condolence message to Party General Secretary and President Nguyen Phu Trong.The Cuban leaders said they will forever remember meaningful contributions of the late Vietnamese leader to strengthening and developing the historic relationship between the two nations./.
TSX ticker symbol; BKX

OTCQX ticker symbol; BNKPF

NEWBURY PARK, Calif., Aug. 11, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -

All amounts are in U.S. Dollars unless otherwise indicated:

SECOND QUARTER HIGHLIGHTS

Average production for the second quarter of 2020 was 1,163 BOEPD, a decrease of 15% compared to the second quarter of 2019 average production of 1,368 BOEPD due to the normal production decline of existing wells

The Company has commodity contracts in place for almost 80% of its existing 2020 oil production at an average price of $58.31 /barrel

/barrel General & administrative ("G&A") expense decreased by 23% in the second quarter of 2020 compared to the prior year quarter due to lower payroll and related costs due to management's continued efforts to reduce G&A costs throughout the Company including employee terminations at the end of 2019

Operating expense per barrel averaged $6.07 per BOE for the second quarter of 2020 compared to $7.59 per BOE for the same period in 2019, a decrease of 20%. The decrease was due to cost cutting measures taken in the field during the current year

per BOE for the second quarter of 2020 compared to per BOE for the same period in 2019, a decrease of 20%. The decrease was due to cost cutting measures taken in the field during the current year Interest expense decreased by 39% in the second quarter of 2020 compared to the same period in the prior year due to principal payments on the credit facility during 2019 and 2020 which reduced the outstanding loan balance

Average netback including commodity contracts for the second quarter of 2020 was $21.15 per barrel, a decrease of 21% from the prior year second quarter due to lower prices in 2020

per barrel, a decrease of 21% from the prior year second quarter due to lower prices in 2020 Adjusted funds flow was $1.6 million in the second quarter 2020 compared to $2.5 million in the second quarter of 2019. The decrease was mainly due to a 60% decrease in average oil prices and a decrease of 15% in production partially offset by realized gains from commodity contracts of $1.3 million

in the second quarter 2020 compared to in the second quarter of 2019. The decrease was mainly due to a 60% decrease in average oil prices and a decrease of 15% in production partially offset by realized gains from commodity contracts of Net loss for the second quarter of 2020 was $2.2 million compared to net income of $1.5 million for the second quarter of 2019 due to unrealized losses of $2.3 million from hedged commodity contracts in the second quarter of 2020 compared to an unrealized gain of $1.1 million in second quarter 2019. Without the unrealized hedging losses for the second quarter of 2020, the Company would have recognized positive net income

compared to net income of for the second quarter of 2019 due to unrealized losses of from hedged commodity contracts in the second quarter of 2020 compared to an unrealized gain of in second quarter 2019. Without the unrealized hedging losses for the second quarter of 2020, the Company would have recognized positive net income Revenue, net of royalties was $1.5 million in the second quarter of 2020 compared to $4.6 million for second quarter of 2019, a decrease of 66%, as prices decreased by 60% and production decreased by 15%

in the second quarter of 2020 compared to for second quarter of 2019, a decrease of 66%, as prices decreased by 60% and production decreased by 15% The Company has an outstanding balance of $23.0 million on its credit facility at June 30, 2020 after paying down $4.5 million during the first six months of 2020

on its credit facility at after paying down during the first six months of 2020 At June 30, 2020 , cash totaled $1.4 million

BNK's President and Chief Executive Officer, Wolf Regener commented:

"We are pleased that the Company was able to generate positive adjusted funds flow of $1.6 million during the second quarter of 2020 due to the Company's strong hedge position. For the second half of 2020, the Company has commodity contracts in place for almost 80% of its existing oil production at an average price of $58.31/barrel. The Company also has almost 40% of its 2021 existing oil production hedged at $52.66/barrel. We are also experiencing low decline rates in our field, with a year over year decline rate on existing wells of only 15%. Going forward, the Company expects its hedges and low decline rates to allow the Company to continue to generate positive cash flow from its operations. Without the unrealized loss from commodity hedges in the second quarter of 2020, the Company would have recognized positive net income.

The Company has continued to focus on cost reductions during 2020. Our G&A expense for the second quarter of 2020 decreased by 23% from the prior year quarter due to continued cost cutting including employee terminations. We also significantly reduced field operating costs which lowered our operating expense per barrel for the second quarter of 2020 to $6.07/barrel which was a 20% decrease from the prior year quarter. The Company has also made $4.5 million of principal debt repayments during 2020, which has lowered our interest expense by 39% in the second quarter of 2020 compared to the second quarter of 2019.

The Company's adjusted funds flow was $1.6 million for the second quarter of 2020 compared to $2.5 million in the second quarter of 2019. The decrease was mainly due to lower average prices and lower production partially offset by realized gains from commodity contracts.

Average production for the second quarter of 2020 was 1,163 BOEPD, a decrease of 15% compared to the second quarter of 2019 average production of 1,368 BOEPD. Average production for the six months ended June 30, 2020 was 1,194 BOEPD, a decrease of 17% from the average production of 1,440 BOEPD in the same period of 2019. The decrease was due to the normal production decline of the Company's existing wells.

Net revenue decreased by 66% in the second quarter of 2020 as average prices decreased by 60% and production decreased by 15% and compared to the prior year quarter.

Average netback including commodity contracts for the second quarter of 2020 was $21.15 per barrel, a decrease of 21% from the prior year second quarter, even though prices decreased by more than 60%, with the oil price averaging $23.35/barrel, in the second quarter. The Company's commodity contracts contributed an additional $12.75 per barrel to the second quarter 2020 netback including commodity contracts amount.

The Company incurred a net loss for the second quarter of 2020 of $2.2 million compared to net income of $1.5 million for the second quarter of 2019. This was due to unrealized losses of $2.3 million from hedged commodity contracts in the second quarter of 2020 compared to an unrealized gain of $1.1 million in second quarter 2019.



Second Quarter

First Six Months



2019 2018 % 2019 2018 %













Net Income (Loss):











$ Thousands $(2,224) $1,531 - $ (68,716) $ 54 - $ per common share $(0.01) $0.01 - $(0.30) $0.00 - assuming dilution

























Capital Expenditures (adjustments) $(110) $363 - $(111) $1,115 -













Average Production (Boepd) 1,163 1,368 (15%) 1,194 1,440 (17%) Average Price per Barrel $18.72 $47.19 (60%) $27.15 $44.88 (40%) Average Netback from operations per Barrel $8.41 $29.38 (71%) $14.75 $28.03 (47%) Average Netback including commodity contracts per Barrel $21.15 $26.93 (21%) $22.67 $26.20 (13%)















June

2020

March

2020

December

2019















Cash and Cash Equivalents $ 1,388

$ 3,745

$ 3,089

Working Capital $ (1,790)

$(1,572)

$ (2,482)



Second Quarter 2020 versus Second Quarter 2019

Oil and gas gross revenues totaled $1,981,000 in the quarter versus $5,875,000 in the second quarter of 2019. Oil revenues decreased $3,658,000 or 68% as oil production decreased by 21% to 804 boepd and average oil prices decreased by $34.70 per barrel or 60% to $23.35 per barrel. Natural gas revenues decreased $97,000 or 39% to $153,000 as natural gas production decreased 2% to 1,033 mcfpd and average natural gas prices decreased by $0.98/mcf or 38% to $1.63/mcf. Natural gas liquids (NGLs) revenues decreased $139,000 or 54% as average NGL prices decreased 56% to $7.00 which was partially offset by an NGL production increase of 6% to 187 boepd.

Average production for the second quarter of 2020 was 1,163 boepd, a decrease of 15% compared to the second quarter of 2019 average production of 1,368 boepd. The decrease was due to the normal production decline of the Company's existing wells.

Production and operating expenses decreased to $642,000 due to lower production and cost cutting. Production and operating expense per barrel averaged $6.07 per BOE for the second quarter of 2020 compared to $7.59 per BOE for the same period in 2019, a decrease of 20%. The decrease was due to cost cutting measures taken in the field during the current year.

Depletion and depreciation expense decreased $383,000 or 25% due to a decrease in production in the second quarter of 2020 and a lower PP&E balance due to the impairment.

General and administrative expenses decreased $194,000 or 23% due to lower payroll and related costs due to employee terminations at the end of 2019 and management's continued efforts to reduce G&A costs throughout the Company.

Finance income increased $0.2 million in the second quarter of 2020 compared to the prior year quarter due to unrealized gains on commodity contracts in the second quarter of 2020.

Finance expense increased $1.8 million in the second quarter of 2020 compared to the prior year quarter primarily due to an unrealized loss on commodity contracts of $2.3 million in the second quarter of 2020.

Capital expenditures adjustments reduced PP&E by $110,000 in the second quarter of 2020 relating to cost revisions on a non-operated well.

FIRST SIX MONTHS 2020 HIGHLIGHTS

Average production for the first six months of 2020 was 1,194 BOEPD, a decrease of 17% compared to the first six months of 2019 average production of 1,440 BOEPD due to the normal production decline of existing wells

The Company has commodity contracts in place for almost 80% of its existing 2020 oil production at an average price of $58.31 /barrel

/barrel G&A expense decreased by 20% in the first six months of 2020 compared to the prior year due to lower payroll and related costs due to employee terminations at the end of 2019 and management's continued efforts to reduce G&A costs throughout the Company

Operating expense per barrel averaged $6.44 per BOE for the first six months of 2020 compared to $7.19 per BOE for the same period in 2019, a decrease of 10%. The decrease was due to cost cutting measures taken in the field during the current year

per BOE for the first six months of 2020 compared to per BOE for the same period in 2019, a decrease of 10%. The decrease was due to cost cutting measures taken in the field during the current year Interest expense decreased by 27% in the first six months of 2020 compared to the same period in the prior year due to principal payments on the credit facility during 2019 and 2020 which reduced the outstanding loan balance

Average netback including commodity contracts for the first six months of 2020 was $22.67 per barrel, a decrease of 13% from the prior year period due to lower prices in 2020

per barrel, a decrease of 13% from the prior year period due to lower prices in 2020 Adjusted funds flow was $3.6 million in the first six months of 2020 compared to $5.1 million in the first six months of 2019. The decrease was mainly due to a 40% decrease in average oil prices and a decrease of 17% in production partially offset by realized gains from commodity contracts of $1.7 million

in the first six months of 2020 compared to in the first six months of 2019. The decrease was mainly due to a 40% decrease in average oil prices and a decrease of 17% in production partially offset by realized gains from commodity contracts of Due to the significant decline in commodity prices and the global impact on demand from the COVID-19 pandemic, the Company performed a PP&E impairment test in the first quarter of 2020. The impairment test resulted in an impairment of PP&E which totaled $71.9 million . In accordance with IFRS, an impairment loss can generally be reversed in future periods if there is an indication that a previously recognized impairment loss has reversed because of a change in the estimates used to determine the impairment loss and the recoverable amount of the impaired asset subsequently increases

. In accordance with IFRS, an impairment loss can generally be reversed in future periods if there is an indication that a previously recognized impairment loss has reversed because of a change in the estimates used to determine the impairment loss and the recoverable amount of the impaired asset subsequently increases Net loss for the first six months of 2020 was $68.7 million compared to net income of $54 thousand for the first six months of 2019 due to the PP&E impairment

compared to net income of for the first six months of 2019 due to the PP&E impairment Revenue, net of royalties was $4.6 million in the first six months of 2020 compared to $9.2 million for first six months of 2019, a decrease of 50%, as prices decreased by 40% and production decreased by 17%

First Six Months of 2020 versus First Six Months of 2019

Gross oil and gas revenues totaled $5,899,000 in the first six months of 2020 versus $11,698,000 in the first six months of 2019. Oil revenues were $5,150,000 in the first six months versus $10,637,000 in the same period of 2019, a decrease of 52% as average oil prices decreased 38% or $20.84 a barrel coupled by a decrease in oil production of 23%. Natural gas revenues decreased $213,000 or 38%, due to an average natural gas price decrease of 39% in the first six months of 2020 compared to the prior year period. NGL revenue decreased $99,000, or 20%, due to an average NGL price decrease of 18% and an NGL production decrease of 3% in the first six months of 2020.

Average production for the first six months of 2020 was 1,194 boepd, a decrease of 17% from the average production of 1,440 boepd in the same period of 2019. The decrease was due to the normal production decline of the Company's existing wells.

Production and operating expenses decreased to $1,400,000 due to lower production and cost cutting. Production and operating expense per barrel averaged $6.44 per BOE for the first six months of 2020 compared to $7.19 per BOE for the same period in 2019, a decrease of 10%. The decrease was due to cost cutting measures taken in the field during the current year.

Depletion and depreciation expense decreased $692,000 or 22% due to a decrease in production in the first six months of 2020 and a lower PP&E balance due to the impairment.

General and administrative expenses decreased $364,000 or 21% due to lower payroll and related costs due to employee terminations at the end of 2019 and management's continued efforts to reduce G&A costs throughout the Company.

Due to industry and market conditions, especially the significant decline in commodity prices and the global impact on demand from the COVID-19 pandemic, the Company performed a PP&E impairment test at March 31, 2020. The impairment test resulted in an impairment of PP&E which totaled $71.9 million for the first six months of 2020. In accordance with IFRS, an impairment loss can generally be reversed in future periods if there is an indication that a previously recognized impairment loss has reversed because of a change in the estimates used to determine the impairment loss and the recoverable amount of the impaired asset subsequently increases.

Finance income increased $4.6 million in the first six months of 2020 compared to the prior year period due to $2.9 million of unrealized gains on commodity contracts and $1.7 million of realized gains in the first six months of 2020.

Finance expense decreased $1.4 million in the first six months of 2020 compared to the prior year period due to an unrealized and realized losses on commodity contracts in the first six months of 2019 as well as lower interest expense in the first six months of 2020 compared to the prior year period.

Capital expenditures adjustments reduced PP&E by $111,000 in the first six months of 2020 relating to cost revisions on a non-operated well.

BNK PETROLEUM INC. CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF FINANCIAL POSITION (Unaudited, Expressed in Thousands of United States Dollars) ($000 except as noted)

June 30

December 31

2020

2019







Current Assets





Cash $1,388

$ 3,089 Trade and other receivables 1,357

2,198 Other current assets 330

513 Fair value of commodity contracts 2,184

-

5,259

5,800







Non-current assets





Property, plant and equipment 80,868

155,408 Fair value of commodity contracts 429

-

81,297

155,408







Total Assets $86,556

$161,208







Current Liabilities





Trade and other payables $5,022

$6,424 Current portion of loans and borrowings 2,000

1,500 Fair value of commodity contracts -

253 Lease payable 27

105

7,049

8,282







Non-current liabilities





Loans and borrowings 21,022

25,664 Asset retirement obligations 1,143

1,127 Fair value of commodity contracts -

97

22,165

26,888







Equity





Share capital 289,622

289,622 Contributed surplus 22,948

22,925 Deficit (255,228)

(186,512) Total Equity 57,342

126,035







Total Equity and Liabilities $86,556

$161,208

BNK PETROLEUM INC. CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS AND COMPREHENSIVE LOSS (Unaudited, expressed in Thousands of United States dollars, except per share amounts) ($000 except as noted)



Second Quarter

First Six Months



2020

2019

2020

2019

















Oil and natural gas revenue, net $ 1,532

4,601

4,603

9,178 Other income

-

1

1

2



1,532

4,602

4,604

9,180

















Production and operating expenses

642

945

1,400

1,874 Depletion and depreciation expense

1,148

1,531

2,508

3,200 General and administrative expenses

636

830

1,373

1,737 Stock based compensation

5

28

21

94 Impairment of PP&E

-

-

71,923

-



2,431

3,334

77,225

6,905

















Finance income

1,349

1,109

4,686

8 Finance expense

(2,674)

(846)

(781)

(2,229)

















Net income (loss)

(2,224)

1,531

(68,716)

54 Net income (loss) per share $ (0.01)

0.01

(0.30)

0.00

BNK PETROLEUM INC. SECOND QUARTER 2020 (Unaudited, expressed in Thousands of United States dollars, except as noted)









Second Quarter

First Six Months



2020 2019

2020 2019 Oil revenue before royalties $ 1,709 5,367

5,150 10,637 Gas revenue before royalties

153 250

342 555 NGL revenue before royalties

119 258

407 506 Oil and Gas revenue

1,981 5,875

5,899 11,698





Adjusted funds flow

1,601 2,525

3,553 5,099 Additions to property, plant & equipment

(110) 363

(111) 1,115











Statistics:









2nd Quarter

First Six Months



2020 2019

2020 2019 Average oil production (Bopd)

804 1,016

823 1,064 Average natural gas production (mcf/d)

1,033 1,052

1,050 1,046 Average NGL production (Boepd)

187 177

196 202 Average production (Boepd)

1,163 1,368

1,194 1,440 Average oil price ($/bbl)

$23.35 $58.05

$34.37 $55.21 Average natural gas price ($/mcf)

$1.63 $2.61

$1.79 $2.93 Average NGL price ($/bbl)

$7.00 $16.04

$11.41 $13.87





Average price (Boe)

$18.72 $47.19

$27.15 $44.88 Royalties (Boe)

4.24 10.22

5.96 9.66 Operating expenses (Boe)

6.07 7.59

6.44 7.19 Netback from operations (Boe)

$8.41 $29.38

$14.75 $28.03 Price adjustment from commodity contracts (Boe)

12.74 (2.45)

7.92 (1.83) Netback including commodity contracts (Boe)

$21.15 $26.93

$22.67 $26.20

The information outlined above is extracted from and should be read in conjunction with the Company's unaudited financial statements for the three and six months ended June 30, 2020 and the related management's discussion and analysis thereof, copies of which are available under the Company's profile at www.sedar.com.

NON-GAAP MEASURES

Netback from operations, netback including commodity contracts, net operating income and adjusted fund flow (collectively, the "Company's Non-GAAP Measures") are not measures recognized under Canadian generally accepted accounting principles ("GAAP") and do not have any standardized meanings prescribed by GAAP.

The Company's Non-GAAP Measures are described and reconciled to the GAAP measures in the management's discussion and analysis which are available under the Company's profile at www.sedar.com.

CAUTIONARY STATEMENTS

In this news release and the Company's other public disclosure:

(a) The Company's natural gas production is reported in thousands of cubic feet ("Mcfs"). The Company also uses references to barrels ("Bbls") and barrels of oil equivalent ("Boes") to reflect natural gas liquids and oil production and sales. Boes may be misleading, particularly if used in isolation. A Boe conversion ratio of 6 Mcf:1 Bbl is based on an energy equivalency conversion method primarily applicable at the burner tip and does not represent a value equivalency at the wellhead. Given that the value ratio based on the current price of crude oil as compared to natural gas is significantly different from the energy equivalency of 6:1, utilizing a conversion on a 6:1 basis may be misleading as an indication of value.



(b) Discounted and undiscounted net present value of future net revenues attributable to reserves do not represent fair market value.



(c) Possible reserves are those additional reserves that are less certain to be recovered than probable reserves. There is a 10% probability that the quantities actually recovered will equal or exceed the sum of proved plus probable plus possible reserves.



(d) The Company discloses peak and 30-day initial production rates and other short-term production rates. Readers are cautioned that such production rates are preliminary in nature and are not necessarily indicative of long-term performance or of ultimate recovery.

Caution Regarding Forward-Looking Information

This release contains forward-looking information including information regarding the proposed timing and expected results of exploratory and development work including production from the Company's Tishomingo field, Oklahoma acreage, availability of funds from the Company's reserves based loan facility, expected hedging levels and the Company's strategy and objectives. The use of any of the words "target", "plans", "anticipate", "continue", "estimate", "expect", "may", "will", "project", "should", "believe" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements.

Such forward-looking information is based on management's expectations and assumptions, including that the Company's geologic and reservoir models and analysis will be validated, that indications of early results are reasonably accurate predictors of the prospectiveness of the shale intervals, that previous exploration results are indicative of future results and success, that expected production from future wells can be achieved as modeled, declines will match the modeling, future well production rates will be improved over existing wells, that rates of return as modeled can be achieved, that recoveries are consistent with management's expectations, that additional wells are actually drilled and completed, that design and performance improvements will reduce development time and expense and improve productivity, that discoveries will prove to be economic, that anticipated results and estimated costs will be consistent with managements' expectations, that all required permits and approvals and the necessary labor and equipment will be obtained, provided or available, as applicable, on terms that are acceptable to the Company, when required, that no unforeseen delays, unexpected geological or other effects, equipment failures, permitting delays or labor or contract disputes are encountered, that the development plans of the Company and its co-venturers will not change, that the demand for oil and gas will be sustained, that the Company will continue to be able to access sufficient capital through financings, credit facilities, farm-ins or other participation arrangements to maintain its projects, that the Company will continue in compliance with the covenants under its reserves-based loan facility and that the borrowing base will not be reduced, that funds will be available from the Company's reserves based loan facility when required to fund planned operations, that the Company will not be adversely affected by changing government policies and regulations, social instability or other political, economic or diplomatic developments in the countries in which it operates and that global economic conditions will not deteriorate in a manner that has an adverse impact on the Company's business and its ability to advance its business strategy.

Forward looking information involves significant known and unknown risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated. These risks include, but are not limited to: any of the assumptions on which such forward looking information is based vary or prove to be invalid, including that the Company's geologic and reservoir models or analysis are not validated, anticipated results and estimated costs will not be consistent with managements' expectations, the risks associated with the oil and gas industry (e.g. operational risks in development, exploration and production; delays or changes in plans with respect to exploration and development projects or capital expenditures; the uncertainty of reserve and resource estimates and projections relating to production, costs and expenses, and health, safety and environmental risks including flooding and extended interruptions due to inclement or hazardous weather), the risk of commodity price and foreign exchange rate fluctuations, risks and uncertainties associated with securing the necessary regulatory approvals and financing to proceed with continued development of the Tishomingo Field, the Company or its subsidiaries is not able for any reason to obtain and provide the information necessary to secure required approvals or that required regulatory approvals are otherwise not available when required, that unexpected geological results are encountered, that completion techniques require further optimization, that production rates do not match the Company's assumptions, that very low or no production rates are achieved, that the Company will cease to be in compliance with the covenants under its reserves-based loan facility and be required to repay outstanding amounts or that the borrowing base will be reduced pursuant to a borrowing base re-determination and the Company will be required to repay the resulting shortfall, that the Company is unable to access required capital, that funding is not available from the Company's reserves based loan facility at the times or in the amounts required for planned operations, that occurrences such as those that are assumed will not occur, do in fact occur, and those conditions that are assumed will continue or improve, do not continue or improve and the other risks identified in the Company's most recent Annual Information Form under the "Risk Factors" section, the Company's most recent management's discussion and analysis and the Company's other public disclosure, available under the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

With respect to estimated reserves, the evaluation of the Company's reserves is based on a limited number of wells with limited production history and includes a number of assumptions relating to factors such as availability of capital to fund required infrastructure, commodity prices, production performance of the wells drilled, successful drilling of infill wells, the assumed effects of regulation by government agencies and future capital and operating costs. All of these estimates will vary from actual results. Estimates of the recoverable oil and natural gas reserves attributable to any particular group of properties, classifications of such reserves based on risk of recovery and estimates of future net revenues expected therefrom, may vary. The Company's actual production, revenues, taxes, development and operating expenditures with respect to its reserves will vary from such estimates, and such variances could be material. In addition to the foregoing, other significant factors or uncertainties that may affect either the Company's reserves or the future net revenue associated with such reserves include material changes to existing taxation or royalty rates and/or regulations, and changes to environmental laws and regulations.

Although the Company has attempted to take into account important factors that could cause actual costs or results to differ materially, there may be other factors that cause actual results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. The forward-looking information included in this release is expressly qualified in its entirety by this cautionary statement. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements, other than as required by applicable law.

About BNK Petroleum Inc.

BNK Petroleum Inc. is an international oil and gas exploration and production company focused on finding and exploiting large, predominately unconventional oil and gas resource plays. Through various affiliates and subsidiaries, the Company owns and operates shale gas properties and concessions in the United States. Additionally the Company is utilizing its technical and operational expertise to identify and acquire additional unconventional projects. The Company's shares are traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the stock symbol BKX and on the OTCQX under the stock symbol BNKPF.

SOURCE BNK Petroleum Inc.

Related Links

www.bnkpetroleum.com


Blueflame Medical will provide the school district with enough masks and Doc Hygiene hand sanitizer packets to outfit the District's students and staff so that the District is well prepared for the opening of school in the era of COVID-19. Masks will be provided to students and staff in a manner determined by District leadership and each classroom will be outfitted with Doc Hygiene hand sanitizer packets.

"We are proud to be adopting the DeKalb County Central United School District," said John Thomas, President of Blueflame Medical. "Nothing is more important to us than ensuring children and the heroes who teach them are safe as they return to school."

"DeKalb County Central United School District, along with school districts nationwide, have worked tirelessly to ensure a safe & healthy environment for the return of students into our buildings. Additional resources are necessary to comply with elevated health & safety requirements. Unfortunately, the added expenses come with only a small amount of additional state & federal revenue to support these necessary measures. That is why at this time, we are extremely grateful to be embarking on an exciting new partnership with Blueflame Medical. This partnership will go a long way to help offset some of the necessary supplies. "It is both the collaboration and generosity of partnerships such as this which help to make many initiatives possible in a public school system." said Chief Financial Officer Steve Snider. "We are exceedingly grateful for the partnership with Blueflame Medical and hope that our success with this program can foster future endeavors between private industry & public school districts."

The DeKalb Central Foundation is pleased to accept this generous donation on behalf of DeKalb Central Schools." said Foundation Board President Mike Watson. "The masks and hand sanitizer will help provide a safer environment as students return to classes. We're glad we could facilitate the partnership between Blueflame Medical and DeKalb Central Schools by providing the means for a tax deductible donation."

Over the next few months, Blueflame intends to work closely with DeKalb Central's leadership as well as county public health officials in the hopes of developing a set of best practices which the company hopes will be helpful to other school districts.

"Our hope is to create a public-private partnership that can be replicated in other school districts. In an era of chronically underfunded public schools, we hope to inspire other businesses to step up and help local school districts absorb the unexpected cost of providing PPE to students and staff," concluded Thomas.

About Blueflame Medical: Blueflame Medical is a medical supply and healthcare logistics company serving governments, private businesses and other entities worldwide. On the philanthropic side, the company regularly donates PPE including a recent donation of 100,000 N-95 Masks to the Chicago Police Department.

About Doc Hygiene: A new business unit of Blueflame Medical, Doc Hygiene offers premium hand sanitizer in convenieng, compact and portable single use packets. As COVID-19 continues, it's important that consumers choose the right hand sanitizer products. Doc Hygiene leads its competitors with a formula of 75% ethyl alcohol, vitamin E, and aloe vera. Doc Hygiene is ideally suited to the school setting. Each packet contains 3ml of sanitizer, the volume recommended by the American Council on Science and Health to clean both hands.

About DeKalb Central United Schools: Serving 3,660 students in northeastern Indiana, DeKalb Central United Schools seeks to develop socially responsible students who are literate, academically successful, engaged in all aspects of their education, and prepared for success in the 21st Century.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Jonathan Franks

[email protected]

310-713-4351



SOURCE Blue Flame Medical LLC
The COVID-19 pandemic could be eradicated if everyone adheres strictly to the health experts recommended preventive measures.



This is possible because some countries have been able to eradicate certain viral diseases, Professor Regina Appiah-Opong, Toxicologist, Clinical Pathology Department, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, stated in Accra.



Prof Appiah-Opong told the Ghana News Agency in an interview after leading a team from Ghana Science Association to donate 1,000 copies of the "Everyday Science for Schools" magazine to the Ghana Education Service.



She said the only way to eradicate COVID-19 was to take the necessary precautions.



She said COVID-19 was a new strain virus with the potential to spread at a very fast pace and therefore necessary to take all measures to halt its spread.



Prof. Appiah-Opong said while the Association was well set on its mandate to promote the learning and effective application of science towards national growth and prosperity, it had a few challenges.



She mentioned the non-payment of allowances of Council members, insufficient funds to run crucial programmes among others, as some of the challenges and urged the government to lend more assistance and support to the Association.



Prof. Kwesi Yankah, the Minister of State in charge of Tertiary Education, who received the books said effective teaching of science, technology, engineering and mathematics, was critical to the overall progress of the country.



Globally, science, technology, engineering and mathematics are acknowledged as the backbone for industrial advancement for economic development, Prof Yankah



Prof Yankah said science education was a key policy objective of the current government to encourage scientific and technical research, towards speeding the socio-economic development of Ghana.



Prof Yankah lauded the gesture by GSA and urged other stakeholders in the country's educational system to emulate the example and contribute towards a better educational system.



"I would like to assure you that the Magazines would be sent to our Senior High Schools and Colleges of Education, and they will be put to the right use," the Minister said.



Prof Mohammed Salifu, the Executive Secretary, National Council for Tertiary Education (NCTE), challenged the GSA to come up with well-tailored proposals with objectives that spelt out the role government could play towards getting the Association to deliver on its mandate.



He said the government was ever willing to support the GSA achieve its mandate, but there was the need for the objectives to be well spelt out concerning their intended purpose.



The Ghana Science Association traces its origin to the West African Science Association which was formed in 1953 at the then University of Gold Coast, to provide West African Scientists with a forum to advocate the importance of science and technology as a necessity and bedrock of national development.



The inauguration of the GSA in 1959, broadened its scope of activities from reading of scientific papers, to involvement in national and international affairs.



The GSA is mandated to promote, popularise and demystify science, and also improve science education.

Source: GNA









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Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar on Wednesday said that Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajputs death was an unfortunate event but it should not be discussed so much.

I dont think it is such a big issue. A farmer told me that over 20 farmers have died by suicide, nobody spoke about it, Pawar said.

Pawar refrained from making any comments on the investigation that is being going on in the case.

Ive seen Maharashtra & Mumbai police for the last 50 years and I trust them. I dont want to comment on what others have accused them of. If someone thinks that the CBI or any other agency should probe the matter then I wont oppose it, he stated.

Also read: Will look into it, says Sanjay Raut over apology demanded by Sushants family

It is unfortunate that a person died by suicide, but why is it being discussed so much? I don't think it is such a big issue. A farmer told me that over 20 farmers have died by suicide, nobody spoke about it: NCP chief Sharad Pawar #SushantSinghRajputDeathCase https://t.co/LsHJ8gaQwr  ANI (@ANI) August 12, 2020

Thirty-four-year-old actor died by suicide on June 14 and was found dead at his Mumbai residence. The governments of two states, Bihar and Maharashtra, have been in a tussle over the investigation of the actors death.

Maharashtra has been contending that Bihar had no jurisdiction in the matter since the death took place in Mumbai. Meanwhile, Mumbai Police have recorded statements of 56 people including Rajputs sisters, his friend and actress Rhea Chakraborty and some other film personalities in connection with his death.

Also read: Sushant Singh Rajputs family issues 9-page letter - You are not done killing Sushant

On July 25, Rajputs father KK Singh lodged a complaint with Patna police against actor Rhea Chakraborty and her family members, accusing them of abetting his sons suicide.

An FIR has been registered by Patna police against Chakraborty and others under various IPC sections.

Chakraborty, her family members, among others have been questioned by investigation agency the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on several counts in connection to the case.
The Standard: an in-depth narrative that imparts resounding insights on the ultimate purpose of Jesus Christs ministry and sacrifice according to the Fathers plan for the worlds deliverance from sin and hell. The Standard is the creation of published author Jeannine K. Carew, an intercessory prayer servant at a church in Redding, California.

Carew shares, When the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him. Jesus is the perfect standard. Many Christians can, no doubt, attest to that truth. They can acknowledge that He rescued them from transgression and eternal damnation. But is that the ultimate purpose for us? Are we only the lost ones whom He came to seek and save? Is there a greater goal that He has for us than the get out of hell free concept that some encourage? The aim of The Standard is to pull together the pieces that show that His purpose for us is far greater. It explores the dynamic that what humanity was created for and is being called into in renewed relationship with God is deep, rich, and impactful just like Jesus was when He walked the planet.

Published by Christian Faith Publishing, Jeannine K. Carews new book desires to reinforce the Christian believers knowledge of God and His design for life through compelling perspectives that teach the love and mercy of Jesus Christ that merited humanity His sacrifice.

This book is a potent devotional that assures a holistic transformation inspired by God.

View the synopsis of The Standard on YouTube.

Consumers can purchase The Standard at traditional brick-and-mortar bookstores or online at Amazon.com, Apple iTunes store, or Barnes and Noble.

For additional information or inquiries about The Standard, contact the Christian Faith Publishing media department at 866-554-0919.
Commitment is the top predictor of relationship satisfaction, new study finds

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A new study based on the compilation of 43 datasets that consist of more than 11,000 couples suggests that perceived partner commitment is the top predictor of relationship satisfaction.

The study  published July 24 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science  was led by Samantha Joel, a psychology professor at Canadas Western University; and Dr. Paul Eastwick, an associate professor at the University of California, Davis. They collaborated with seven dozen researchers.

The data for the study was collected longitudinally, meaning that researchers spoke to the same couples repeatedly at different points over time.

To determine the strongest predictors of relationship satisfaction, the researchers used machine learning, which the Massachusetts Institute of Technology defines as algorithms that use statistics to find patterns in massive amounts of data.

The study took into account several variables, including both partners perception of the relationship and both partners personality traits.

Scott Stanley, one of the collaborators on the study and research professor at the University of Denver, explained in a piece for the Institute for Family Studies that the study measured different variables such as affection, appreciation, conflict, empathy, aggression, sexual satisfaction and supportiveness.

The study also measured relationship characteristics such as whether or not couples live together, are married and how long they have been in a relationship among other characteristics.

Another category measured individual characteristics like anxiety, attachment, alcohol use, family history and demographic characteristics.

Perceived partner commitment was ranked as the top variable that explains the "variance for both present and future relationship satisfaction," according to Stanley.

According to a statement from Western University announcing the studys conclusion, relationship-specific predictors like perceived partner commitment, as well as appreciation and sexual satisfaction account for nearly half of variance in relationship quality."

Perceived partner satisfaction, conflict, intimacy, love, perceived partner responsiveness, investment and trust were also among the top 10 strongest relationship-specific predictors.

Individual characteristics, on the other hand, only explained 21% of the variance in relationship quality, according to the study. The top five strongest individual predictors were life satisfaction, negative affect, depression, attachment avoidance and attachment anxiety.

Once you have all the relationship-specific data in hand, the individual differences fade into the background, Joel said in a statement.

According to the statement, individual differences didnt seem to regulate or moderate the relationship-specific variables.

Who I am doesnt really matter once I know who I am when I am with you, Eastwick said in a statement.

In an interview with CNN, Joel explained that a relationship is more than the sum of its parts.

"It's that relationship dynamic itself, rather than the individuals who make up the relationship, that seems to be most important for relationship quality, Joel said.

The datasets for the study were sampled from Western countries like Canada, the United States, Israel, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and New Zealand. The researchers would like to collect data from countries in South America, Asia and Africa for future studies.

Joel and Eastwick previously published a study in 2017 titled: Is Romantic Desire Predictable? Machine Learning Applied to Initial Romantic Attraction. Eastwick is also the head of the Attraction and Relationships Research Laboratory, which studies the psychological processes involved in initiating and maintaining romantic relationships.
Following Prime Minister Narendra Modis call to 10 worst hit states to adopt National Capital Region (NCR) model in their fight against Covid-19, Punjab has decided to make antigen testing its key weapon in the coming days and make the contact tracing fool-proof.

The NCR, especially Delhi, used antigen testing as the key tool in bringing per day caseload and fatalities down, besides strengthening containment of the hotspots, an area where Punjab has fared poorly.

In Delhi, as per information procured from daily health bulletins of the Delhi government, it conducted 4,98,214 rapid antigen tests and 2,64,717 RT-PCR tests between June 30 and August 8, after a period when the capital witnessed maximum number of daily cases across the country. This plateaued the fresh infection graph in the national capital.

Punjab, on the other hand during the same period conducted 3,71,454 tests, including around 14,000 antigen.

Now, Punjab will go for mass rapid antigen test that gives result for the infection in half an hour, thus helping in early treatment and contact tracing. Till now, Punjabs focus has been on RT-PCR tests which take around 24 hours to get the result.

Antigen test is the key to controlling the virus and Delhi has emerged as a model in using this successfully to control the spread of the virus. Now, we have ordered 2 lakh antigen testing kits and our focus will be on achieving 30,000 tests per day by September first week, said Punjabs nodal officer for Covid-19 Dr Rajesh Bhaskar.

However, the only concern with antigen testing is that it can give a false negative report and a person has to go for the RT-PCR test if he/she develops symptom.

Punjab lags in contact tracing

In the NCR model, more focus was given on tracing all the contacts of a positive person within 72 hours.

As per a senior Punjab health department functionary, contact tracing has been poor in Punjab  six per positive person  as compared to ICMR recommendation of tracing at least 10 direct and indirect contacts of an infected person.

People lie or hide information during the contact tracing and the problem is more in villages. There have been instances of attack on teams going to take samples of the direct contacts. In past one week, we have focused more on containment strategy, said the nodal officer.

As per a senior doctor involved in Covid-19 duties in Patiala district, the stigma attached with Covid has been the biggest hurdle in contact tracing.

Close watch on hotspots

Punjab has also faltered on containment of Covid hotspots. Only last week, there were fresh instructions to fully lock the containment and micro-containment zones.

The nodal officer said the state was already following the NCR model and Punjab was the first state to demarcate containment and micro-containment zones on Delhi lines.

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Caretaker justice minister says mistrust in judiciary is warranted but dismisses calls for international investigation.

Beirut, Lebanon  Lebanons caretaker Justice Minister Marie-Claude Najem says there is ample reason to distrust Lebanons judiciary, but last weeks Beirut explosion is a chance for this vital institution to earn public trust by holding those responsible accountable.

Many have cast doubt on the ability of the countrys weak judicial authorities to carry out a full and transparent investigation into the devastating explosion that killed more than 170 people and wounded some 6,000 others. Dozens are still missing.

Much of the criticism is warranted due to the slow pace of work and some politicisation, but this case is a chance for the Lebanese judiciary to prove they can do their jobs and win back the confidence of the people, Najem told Al Jazeera.

Public pressure and the international coverage of the explosion would also likely push matters in the right direction, she said.

Its going to be hard for them to do things like they were done in the past.





The 2,750 tonnes of highly explosive ammonium nitrate that blew up on August 4 were kept at Beiruts port for nearly seven years with the eventual knowledge of many top political and security officials  yet nothing was done to prevent such a disaster from happening.

Those who have called for an international investigation include French President Emmanuel Macron and prominent rights groups, as well as many survivors and relatives of the victims.

Were not in a position today that allows us to give a chance to the judiciary, Lynn Maalouf, Amnesty Internationals Middle East director of research, told Al Jazeera.

When you look at the judiciarys track record in the past with regards to justice in general and all the grave violations the Lebanese people have endured, theres just no trust with something of this magnitude.

Najem countered: My starting point is always the Lebanese judiciary because I dont want to create a system where every time there is an important issue I go to the international. We can use international experts but my role is to try to improve the judiciary here.

Investigation already internationalised

Najem said the investigation had already brought in international experts, notably French police officers and forensic specialists, to investigate the site of the explosion.

Marie-Claude Najem [File: Reuters]

The involvement of the French public prosecution was due to the existence of French casualties, she said, giving the investigation an international angle. French Ambassador Bruno Foucher, in a tweet, went as far as calling the French involvement a guarantee of impartiality in the investigations and of speed.

Investigations initially proceeded under the military court, and 19 people were arrested including the current and former customs chiefs and the head of the Beirut port authority.

The judiciary is due to interrogate four former public works ministers  nominally in charge of overseeing the port  on Friday.

Debris and damaged vehicles are seen in the port area, after a blast in Beirut, Lebanon [Thaier Al-Sudani/Reuters]

In its last session before Prime Minister Hassan Diab announced its resignation on Monday, the cabinet referred the investigation to the judicial council.

The council is the highest court in Lebanon, reserved for cases deemed to affect national security, such as the assassination of former president-elect Bashir Gemayel during the countrys 1975-90 civil war.

Maalouf said the court lacks transparency and the ability to follow the judicial process.

While Najem had proposed a name for a judicial investigator at the council who would take over the investigation once appointed, the countrys Higher Defence Council turned down her choice on Wednesday, without publicly providing an explanation.

At the time of publishing, no investigator had yet been selected.

Allocating responsibility

Najem said there were two forms of responsibility in the case, political and legal.

We carried out our political responsibility by resigning, she said. The legal responsibility is to show who should have done something about it, who was supposed to stop it, rather than who knew about it.

Her ministry was informed of the presence of the ammonium nitrate stored at Beiruts port on July 27  just over a week before the explosion took place. But Najem said she was not responsible  her ministry was not concerned with the matter given that there was a case related to the dangerous cargo already in Lebanons courts.

It is not within my powers to interfere, she said.

Najem added that she understood that people wanted more than accountability; that they wanted revenge from top officials who knew the highly explosive material  used in bombs and fertilisers  was there for so many years but failed to act.

But she said energy should be focused on first holding people legally accountable, then changing the countrys byzantine bureaucracy, public administration  and eventually the political system that enables such disasters to occur.

To where this case will eventually go, no one can know, she said. The only thing I can say today, as minister of justice, is that I want justice to be done. I want the truth to be told to the Lebanese people and I want the people responsible to pay for it.

Not out of revenge, but legally speaking  just like in any other country in the world.
MAPLE HEIGHTS, Ohio -- The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiners Office has identified a 62-year-old man who died in a house fire Monday night.

Larry Wilkerson, 62, died at University Hospitals Bedford Medical Center after being pulled from the fire that broke out about 8:40 p.m. at the home on Maple Heights Boulevard near Clement Avenue, according to medical examiner records and Maple Heights police.

Officers tried to get into the home but could not reach Wilkerson, who was on the second floor, the release says.

Firefighters were able to get inside and found Wilkerson. They pulled him out of the home and drove him to the hospital. Medical staff pronounced him dead from his injuries.

Maple Heights police and the Ohio Fire Marshals are investigating the cause of the fire.

The Maple Heights Fire Department did not return a message seeking additional information.

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Woman wounded in face in East Cleveland shooting

7-year-old boy injured in accidental shooting at home in Clevelands Central neighborhood, police say

Burglar broke through wall, safe to steal medical marijuana from Painesville Township dispensary, sheriff says
J.B. Hunt Makes First Company Delivery Using the All-Electric Freightliner eCASCADIA

LOWELL, Ark.---J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc., one of the largest supply chain solutions companies in North America, announced today that its subsidiary, J.B. Hunt Transport, Inc., completed its first delivery using the Freightliner eCascadia, Daimler Trucks North Americas (DTNA) all-electric Class 8 truck.

The transport, a 120-mile intermodal haul for Walmart, kicks off a three-month testing phase in which J.B. Hunt will integrate the eCascadia with its day-to-day fleet operations in Los Angeles.

J.B. Hunt is continually exploring innovative solutions such as the eCascadia to improve the sustainability of our fleet and operations, said Craig Harper, executive vice president and chief operations officer at J.B. Hunt. We are excited to test this vehicle and gain more hands-on experience with all-electric tractors.

With zero tailpipe emissions, the eCascadia is an environmentally friendly vehicle that can greatly reduce a fleets carbon footprint. On a full charge, the series-produced eCascadia is expected to have a driving range of up to 250 miles, making it ideal for local and regional distribution and drayage. The all-electric tractor has a 525-horsepower engine and can recharge as much as 80 percent in just 90 minutes.

Together with our great customers, we are leading the way to a future of CO 2 -neutral commercial transportation, said Richard Howard, senior vice president, On-Highway sales and marketing, DTNA. The collaboration between vehicle manufacturer and transportation logistics experts is a necessity to develop these industry leading technologies, and were proud to share this journey with our important customers J.B. Hunt and Walmart.

Charging stations have been installed at the Los Angeles terminal, and drivers are being trained on an ongoing basis to operate the vehicle. The eCascadia that J.B. Hunt is testing is part of the Freightliner Customer Experience Fleet, an initiative to provide DTNA customers with first-hand experience implementing electric vehicles within their operations.

Walmart encourages and works with our suppliers to reduce their carbon footprint and improve their sustainability efforts, said Jane Ewing, senior vice president of Sustainability for Walmart. This new pilot is reflective of J.B. Hunts commitment to maximizing the sustainability of their fleet, and we look forward to learning more as the company tests new innovations to help meet the demands of business in a more sustainable way.

J.B. Hunt is an industry leader in sustainable transportation. For the past 10 consecutive years, J.B. Hunt has received the SmartWay Excellence Award from the Environmental Protection Agency, a distinction recognizing organizations operating with excellence in sustainability practices. In 2019, J.B. Hunt prevented nearly 3.2 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions from entering the atmosphere through OTR to intermodal conversion  the equivalent of removing more than 700,000 passenger vehicles from the road for a year. The companys current fleet includes five all-electric, medium-duty box trucks, which were added in 2018. More information on J.B. Hunts sustainability efforts is available on the companys website.

About J.B. Hunt

J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc., an S&P 500 company, provides innovative supply chain solutions for a variety of customers throughout North America. Utilizing an integrated, multimodal approach, the company applies technology-driven methods to create the best solution for each customer, adding efficiency, flexibility, and value to their operations. J.B. Hunt services include intermodal, dedicated, refrigerated, truckload, less-than-truckload, flatbed, single source, final mile, and more. J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. stock trades on NASDAQ under the ticker symbol JBHT and is a component of the Dow Jones Transportation Average. J.B. Hunt Transport, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of JBHT. For more information, visit www.jbhunt.com.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-12 14:57:36|Editor: huaxia

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BAGHDAD, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- The Iraqi Foreign Ministry on Wednesday cancelled a planned visit by the Turkish defense minister to Baghdad and summoned the Turkish ambassador to Iraq following a Turkish airstrike that killed two Iraqi officers and one soldier in Iraq's northern semi-autonomous region of Kurdistan.

A statement by the ministry said that it "announces the cancellation of the Turkish Defense Minister's visit to Iraq, slated for Thursday."

It also said the ministry "will summon the Turkish ambassador, Fatih Yildiz, to hand him a strongly worded letter of protest, and to express Iraq's rejection to his country's attacks and violations."

"Iraq categorically rejects, and strongly condemns the blatant attack carried out by a Turkish drone inside Iraqi territories in Sidekan area in Erbil province," the statement said.

Iraq also threatened to reconsider working with Turkey after it failed to respond to Iraq's demands to stop violating its sovereignty and to withdraw Turkish forces from their bases inside the Kurdish region, according to the statement.

On Tuesday, the Iraqi Joint Operations Command said that a Turkish drone bombed a military vehicle of border guards in the Sidekan area in Kurdistan region, killing the commander of the 2nd border guard brigade, commander of the brigade's 3rd regiment, and the driver."

Turkish forces frequently carry out ground operations, airstrikes and artillery bombardments against the positions of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militants in northern Iraq, especially the Qandil Mountains, the main PKK base.

The PKK is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States, and the European Union. Enditem
The body of a missing man has been recovered from the Ohio River in Owensboro, Kentucky.

Authorities had been searching since Monday after a boat that was traveling along the Ohio River in Owensboro took on water and began to sink around 1:53 a.m. that morning.

Four of the five individuals that were inside the boat were able to swim to shore safely, but the search for the boat's fifth occupant, a 20-year-old male, continued until Tuesday afternoon when the body was recovered at 12:38 p.m.

Owensboro Police, along with the Daviess County Fire Department, Daviess County Emergency Management, the Daviess County Sheriff's Office, and Henderson Fire Department were all involved in searching the river for the male.

Stay with 44News both on-air and online as we update this developing story.
At least three people have died in southern India's Bengaluru city after protesters clashed with police over a provocative social media post about the Prophet Muhammad, police have told Reuters news agency.



Violent protests gripped parts of India's tech hub late on Tuesday after thousands took to the streets over the controversial Facebook post by a relative of a local politician, local media reported.



"The situation is under control," Bengaluru City Police said on Twitter, adding that police fired live ammunition to disperse the crowd after using tear gas and batons.



TV channels showed a group of people gathered outside a police station and clashing with officers, burning several police vehicles. The videos showed the group later trying to force its way into the police station, and another group gathering outside the politician's house shouting, throwing stones, and setting fire to vehicles parked along the road.



Mufti PM Muzammil of Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind appealed for calm, saying that police had taken action against the provocateur.



Protesters blocked fire engines, and some media personnel were allegedly attacked, according to reports.



"Accused Naveen arrested for posting derogatory posts", Police Commissioner Kamal Pant said in a tweet, adding that 110 people had been arrested for arson, stone-throwing and assault on police. Several police officers were injured, he told TV reporters.



A curfew was imposed in the surrounding area to restrict movement, police said.



"We are investigating the issue and will make use of the CCTV footages to see who is behind these violent acts, and will take stringent actions," Karnataka state Home Minister Basavraj Bommai told a local TV news channel.



Srinivas Murthy, a member of the state legislature, whose relative reportedly posted the insulting remark, has called for peace in a social media post.









.@INCIndia @INCKarnataka mla Akhanda Srinivas Murthy's house now after the mob torched and ransacked his house last night. pic.twitter.com/mLFTDIgbSA

 Imran Khan (@keypadguerilla) August 12, 2020



That's the beauty of India



Muslims created human chain to guard a Temple in #Bengaluru during violence.



Stay calm make peace #BengaluruViolence



pic.twitter.com/bHNXJQ9rPchttps://t.co/43VcdpfDjo

    (  ) (@iam_nuammir) August 11, 2020

"... I request our Muslim friends, for the mistake of some miscreants, let's not fight. Whatever the fight, we're brothers.... I request our Muslim kin to please remain peaceful. I will also stand with you," he was quoted as saying by the newsminute.com website.Meanwhile, R Ashoka, a state minister, told the same news channel that attacks on police and media would not be tolerated."What kind of people attack the police? The media? The local police have been given a free hand to deal with the situation," he said.A senior leader from the opposition Congress party in the state, Dinesh Gundu Rao, also appealed to people not to take the law into their hands."If anybody has written anything objectionable the law will take its course and there are so many ways in a democracy to fight for justice," he tweeted. "But Violence is not the answer."

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.

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(Newser)  Joe Biden has chosen Sen. Kamala Harris as his running mate, making her the first Black woman to appear on a major-party presidential ticket. The former California attorney general was seen by the Democratic establishment as "one of the safest choices" for Biden's running mate and was long considered the leading candidate, the New York Times reports. But the Times notes that she wasn't always "a shoo-in" for the role: Some of his advisers were wary of her after she "ambushed" him during the first Democratic primary debate over his stance on issues including anti--segregation busing, though Biden evidently decided she would be better as an ally than a rival. More:

Trump slams "radical" Harris. President Trump tweeted a video Tuesday that portrayed Harris as part of the "radical left." At a White House briefing Tuesday, the president said he was "a little surprised" that Biden had picked somebody who was so "disrespectful" to him in the primaries, the AP reports. "She was my No. 1 draft pick and well see how she works out," Trump said.

President Trump tweeted a video Tuesday that portrayed Harris as part of the "radical left." At a White House briefing Tuesday, the president said he was "a little surprised" that Biden had picked somebody who was so "disrespectful" to him in the primaries, the AP reports. "She was my No. 1 draft pick and well see how she works out," Trump said. Obama: She's "more than prepared." Former President Obama tweeted in support of Biden's choice, saying he has known Harris for a long time and she is "more than prepared for the job." "Shes spent her career defending our Constitution and fighting for folks who need a fair shake," Obama said. "This is a good day for our country. Now lets go win this thing."

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"She worked closely with Beau. " In a tweet Tuesday, Biden noted that Harris had worked closely with his late son Beau Biden, who served as Delaware's attorney general. "I watched as they took on the big banks, lifted up working people, and protected women and kids from abuse," he said. "I was proud then, and I'm proud now to have her as my partner in this campaign."

" In a tweet Tuesday, Biden noted that Harris had worked closely with his late son Beau Biden, who served as Delaware's attorney general. "I watched as they took on the big banks, lifted up working people, and protected women and kids from abuse," he said. "I was proud then, and I'm proud now to have her as my partner in this campaign." Liberals have their doubts . The Washington Post notes that liberal Democrats concerned by Harris' record as a prosecutor "have criticized her past stances as too harsh and contend that her record does not meet a moment when police misconduct has rocketed into the national conversation." But she has also "been a forceful advocate for Black families" during the pandemic, "and she helped draft a bill ending qualified immunity for police," leading some skeptics to soften their stances.

. The Washington Post notes that liberal Democrats concerned by Harris' record as a prosecutor "have criticized her past stances as too harsh and contend that her record does not meet a moment when police misconduct has rocketed into the national conversation." But she has also "been a forceful advocate for Black families" during the pandemic, "and she helped draft a bill ending qualified immunity for police," leading some skeptics to soften their stances. Where she stands . Politico rounds up Harris' stances on key issues including policing, immigration, and health care. She supported "Medicare for All" during the Democratic primaries, but later backtracked.

. Politico rounds up Harris' stances on key issues including policing, immigration, and health care. She supported "Medicare for All" during the Democratic primaries, but later backtracked. Her background. The Washington Post looks at the early life of Harris, the daughter of a Jamaican father and an Indian mother. She grew up in a "mostly white world"until she attended a historically Black university in Washington, DC.

The looks at the early life of Harris, the daughter of a Jamaican father and an Indian mother. She grew up in a "mostly white world"until she attended a historically Black university in Washington, DC. Pence: "See you in Salt Lake City!" Mike Pence, who will debate Harris in Utah on Oct. 7, attacked her Tuesday for being part of the "radical left" that is calling for "higher taxes, open borders, socialized medicine, and abortion on demand." He added: "So my message to the Democratic nominee for vice president: Congratulations. Ill see you in Salt Lake City!"

Mike Pence, who will debate Harris in Utah on Oct. 7, attacked her Tuesday for being part of the "radical left" that is calling for "higher taxes, open borders, socialized medicine, and abortion on demand." He added: "So my message to the Democratic nominee for vice president: Congratulations. Ill see you in Salt Lake City!" Advice from Sarah Palin. Sarah Palin, John McCain's running mate in 2008, offered Harris some advice, the Hill reports. She urged Harris to connect with voters in "her own unique way" and not to "get muzzled." "So stay connected with America as you smile and ignore deceptive handlers trying to change you." Geraldine Ferraro, the only other woman to have been on a major-party presidential ticket, died in 2011.

(Read more Kamala Harris stories.)
Clark said she has long been interested in European street theater, but that the art form is difficult to finance in the United States. She encountered the work of the Spanish artists Itsaso Iribarren and German de la Riva at a street theater festival in Spain; last fall she matched them with a New York-based writer and director, Carin Jean White, and invited the three to create a work for the 150-acre state park where her nonprofit operates.

When the pandemic made in-person collaboration impossible, she wondered if it would be possible to continue, but the team forged a relationship online and created a script that combines poetry, music and physical theater.

This show, like most of these ventures, loses money  tickets are $15  and Clark, whose organization ordinarily has a $5.5 million annual budget, said we still have our challenges  its going to be rough. But, she said, responding to what is happening to us today, in this place, in this community, is the main point of what this is about.
OCALA, Fla.  As the city of Ocala wrestles with an ordinance requiring face coverings for people inside businesses, Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods told his employees they will not wear masks at work, and visitors to his office cant wear masks either.

Woods, in an email dated Aug. 11, said "my order will stand as is when you are on-duty/working as my employee and representing my Office  masks will not be worn."

Ocala City Council passed an emergency ordinance last week requiring people to wear masks inside businesses. Mayor Kent Guinn vetoed it Monday and the council will meet Wednesday to consider overriding the veto.

Marion County set a single-day record on Tuesday for the most deaths related to COVID-19, with 13 more deaths reported.

Ocala and other municipalities in Marion County also advise officers not to wear masks while on duty so their communication to people they encounter is clear. Nationally, there is no consistent approach. Officers have been disciplined for not following state directives to wear masks, but Florida does not have a state-wide order.

Fact check: Masks can keep out COVID-19 particles even though smaller than dry wall dust

More: World Mask Week movement launches to encourage use of face coverings to slow COVID-19 spread

Woods has made some exceptions for officers to wear masks while working at the courthouse, the jail, in public schools, in hospitals and in dealing with people suspected of being infected with COVID-19 or at high risk of complications from the disease.

"For all of these exceptions, the moment that enforcement action is to be taken and it requires you to give an individual orders/commands to comply, the mask will be immediately removed," Woods said.

The sheriff said if anyone confronts an employee about not wearing a mask, the employee should "politely and professionally tell them I am not required to wear a mask nor will I, per the Order of the Sheriff," and walk away.

Story continues

"From that point on it will be my burden and responsibility to take care of the person and answer their problem, complaint or their question," Woods said.

For those visiting aMarion County Sheriff's Office, Woods said: "effective immediately, any individual walking in to any one of our lobbies (which includes the main office and all district offices) that is wearing a mask will be asked to remove it."

He added, "in light of the current events when it comes to the sentiment and/or hatred toward law enforcement in our country today, this is being done to ensure there is clear communication and for identification purposes of any individual walking into a lobby."

Woods said sheriff's office lobbies have barriers that protect employees and visitors. "If a person does not wish to remove the mask they will be asked to leave," he said. "If the individual is not comfortable with standing and waiting in the lobby with other individuals, politely ask for their cell number and advise them to stand outside or sit in their vehicle and you will text or call them with their completed transaction."

Woods said the decision was not easy, and he pondered on it for the last two weeks.

However, public health officials at local, state and national levels consistently advise that there is clear and mounting evidence that face coverings properly used are among the best methods to reduce the spread of the coronavirus.

Woods said with 900 employees, "our number of cases so far has proven that the current way we are approaching the issue is working."

At least 36 employees at the Marion County Jail, and seven outside the jail  including patrol officers  have tested positive for COVID-19. More than 200 inmates have tested positive. An infected nurse at the jail recently died.

Woods ended with, "this is no longer a debate nor is it up for discussion. Please keep in mind this entire pandemic is fluid and constantly changing the way things are done. However, my orders will be followed or my actions will be swift to address."

Follow Austin L. Miller on Twitter @almillerosb.

This article originally appeared on Ocala Star-Banner: Florida sheriff forbids deputies from wearing face masks amid COVID-19
The Bureau of Public Safety has called for National Defense, which is responsible for monitoring Ghanas territorial borders, to take over investigations into the grenade explosion at South La Beach in Accra.



The Bureau in a statement said the upcoming election made issues concerning public safety more sensitive.



We are indeed worried over this development and its possible impact on public safety assurance, especially in the lead to Election 2020.



The explosion caused injuries to four children who were playing along the La Beach on August 5, 2020.







All four have so far been treated and discharged.



Some residents at South La have expressed fears about their safety.



The Greater Accra Regional Police Command has cautioned the public following the incident and is believed to be investigating the incident.



But the Bureau insists that more urgency should be attached to the incident.



We, therefore, call on the Government to escalate the investigation from the Police CID jurisdiction to the National Defense jurisdiction for swift and exhaustive investigations to be carried out to establish the likely motive and circumstances leading to military-grade grenades appearing on our shores with less than 4 months to a Presidential election.



Among the questions it had on the incident, the Bureau asked:



How did military-grade grenades arrive at our shores? How far can these grenades be traced? Were the grenades washed ashore or someone or a group of persons acting out just dumped the grenades at the beach? Could there be more of such mass-casualty ballistics within the jurisdiction in rogue hands?



In view of this, it said it was also imperative that National Defense deploy intelligence beyond these investigations to secure our territorial integrity and assure the public of its safety.

Source: citinewsroom.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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NORILSK, Russia -- Representatives of the indigenous peoples of Russia's far northern Taimyr Peninsula have marched against operations of the world's largest palladium and nickel producer -- Nornickel.

Dozens of members of the Nenets, Nganasans, Dolgans, and Enets communities marched in traditional dress across the industrial Arctic city of Norilsk on August 12, saying their rights are being violated by local officials and large businesses -- including Nornickel -- operating in the region.

The protest lasted for more than an hour with many residents of the city joining the protesters.

"August 9 was marked in the world as the Day of Indigenous Peoples, but we have nothing to celebrate. We are deprived of our rights to fish and hunt on the territories that we inherited from our ancestors and that are currently being exploited by companies that have enormous sums of money to win tenders on our lands," one of the leaders of the group, Valeria Bolgova, told RFE/RL.

The protesters also charge that the authorities have blocked indigenous people from areas that have been designated as industrial zones.

They also complain that industrial companies like Nornickel have fouled the local environment with their operations, impacting their traditional way of life.

Police briefly stopped the marchers on the grounds the event was not sanctioned but let them continue after deeming it to be peaceful and not an anti-government demonstration.

In early August, indigenous peoples of Russia's North, Siberia, and Far East wrote a letter to the founder of SpaceX, Elon Musk, urging him to postpone plans to purchase nickel from Nornickel until an environmental impact study of the companys activities on the local environment is published.

On May 29, some 21,000 tons of diesel fuel spilled into a river and Pyasino Lake near Norilsk from the reservoir of Nornickel's thermal power plant.

Russia's ecology watchdog, Rosprirodnadzor, has estimated the damage from the spill at $2 billion.

Last month, Nornickel reported that another 45 tons of fuel spilled into the local waters in the Arctic from its aviation fuel pipeline.
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Prince Harry and Meghan's 8million secret Santa Barbara house buy came under scrutiny today - after it emerged Prince Charles helped with funds and the couple are still paying off Frogmore Cottage's renovations.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex ditched Tyler Perry's 12-bedroom Beverly Hills mansion for the 'considerable privacy' of the new property.

They have been living in the upscale California community for six weeks since early July under the radar.

Their neighbours now include close friends Ellen DeGeneres, 62, as well as Oprah Winfrey, 66, who also have multi-million-pound properties there, as well as Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis.

But there were questions asked about the expense after the pair had agreed to pay 18,000 a month to repay 2.4million used to refurbish and renovate their previous Frogmore Cottage residence.

Royal expert Ingrid Seward told MailOnline she understood why people were asking about the price spent on the new home.

She said: 'I think people at this moment of time when Meghan and Harry do anything to do with money, it isn't going to be looked at very favourably.

'People will not like what they do when it involves a lot of money.'

Film directors and screenwriters are also known to favour their new community - nicknamed Beverly Hills North - due to its proximity to Hollywood and LA.

Santa Barbara also has a bi-weekly Woke Men groups for people to get in touch with their feelings.

Royal insiders said Prince Charles had contributed money to his son to help him secure the property for his family.

A source said: 'Charles had been keen to help out and put his hand in his own pocket to assist.

'He is devoted to both his sons and any time he can assist them he always will'. Clarence House declined to comment.

At their peak Harry and Meghan's combined wealth had been estimated to be worth around 33 million.

He was estimated to have earned as much as 700,000 to speak at a star-studded JP Morgan summit in Miami in February.

Papers for their now in liquidation Sussex Royal Foundation also showed it was owed 200,000 from an unknown source.

Prince Charles had contributed money to Prince to help him secure the property for his family in Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara is known as 'Beverly Hills North' and the 'American Riviera' and is hugely popular with the rich and famous

News of the couple's new home were revealed last night, surprising fans of the couple who had no idea they had left Beverly Hills.

It came hours after controversial new Harry and Meghan biography Finding Freedom was finally released.

A source said: 'Harry and Meghan have been quietly living in their own home in Santa Barbara since early July.

'They are not houseguests of Oprah or anyone else, they bought this home themselves. This is where they want to continue their lives after leaving the UK.

'This is the first home either of them has ever owned. It has been a very special time for them as a couple and as a family  to have complete privacy for six weeks since they moved in.

'They intend to put down their roots in this house and the quiet community, which has considerable privacy. This is where they want to bring Archie up, where they hope he can have as normal a life as possible.'

Harry and Meghan bought the new property to get more privacy for them and son Archie after moving from Beverly Hills

Their new home is a far cry from their previous Frogmore Cottage base, for which they are still paying 18,000 a month

The woke, star-filled Santa Barbara community dubbed by locals as 'Beverly Hills North' Santa Barbara  sometimes jokingly called Beverly Hills North - is well-known as a draw for the rich and famous and has seen huge celebrities set up home there. Most recent figures show it has a population of 92,101, with a rough 50/50 split of men and women  with an average age of 39-years-old. Its Montecito area is nicknamed the American Riviera due to its beauty and has the largest pull for famous names. Oprah Winfrey, Ellen DeGeneres , Gwyneth Paltrow, Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis The district is popular because it is near to LA and Hollywood, meaning that directors, screenwriters and producers live there. Santa Barbara also hosts a Woke Men meet-up twice every month for them to explore and explain their feelings. Mayor Cathy Murillo said in 2011: 'I consider all the residents of Santa Barbara my neighbors. 'I care about your family, your neighborhood, your prosperity, and your safety.' Advertisement

Little details are known about the home, but the source told Page Six the couple have vetted the property.

'They have thought about this carefully and researched it well. This is the place where they plan to be happy, make good friends and bring up Archie, giving him the chance to play with other children his age,' the insider added.

Most properties in Santa Barbara cost between 1.5million and 15million according to estate agents in the US.

Cristal Clarke, of Montecito Sothebys International Realty, told Mansion Global: 'Occasionally a house will sell for over $20million (15million).

'The most popular price bracket is $4million (3million) to $10million (7.6million) and buyers pay in excess of $5million (3.8million) for a home with a sea view.'

Oprahs property is worth $100million (76.6million) and has been nicknamed by her as her promised land, while Ellen and wife Portia de Rossis home is worth $27million (20.7million).

Star Wars creator and director George Lucas has a $28million (21.4million) house, while Gwyneth Paltrow bought there for $4.9million (3.8million).

Actor Rob Lowe has got a property in Santa Barbara worth $47million (36million), while Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis have got a $10million (7.6million) beach home in the area.

Harry and Meghan had been staying at Tyler Perry's $18million (13.8million), 12-bedroom, eight-bathroom Beverly Hills mansion for the last few months.

Perry is close friends with Oprah, who lives just a few miles away from where the couple now reside. He is also represented by some of the same people representing the couple.

'While it was a nice favor to them at a very difficult time, Tyler Perry's house with 18 bedrooms isn't Harry's style. Yes, he grew up in royalty and the halls of Buckingham Palace, but he prefers more intimate homes with character,' the source said.

Harry and Meghan had been staying at Tyler Perry's $18million, 12-bedroom, eight-bathroom Beverly Hills mansion

The couple have taken legal action against numerous paparazzi agencies after Archie was pictured with Meghan's mother Doria Ragland in a driveway at the house.

'Harry and Meghan are both very upset by this breach of privacy, but that wasn't the reason they left Los Angeles. They were already in the process of buying their home in Santa Barbara.

'Harry and Meghan never intended to make Los Angeles their home. It was a good place for them to be upon their arrival in the US to be close to Meghan's mother,' the source shared.

A spokesperson for the couple confirmed that they have moved to the new home.

'The Duke and Duchess of Sussex moved into their family home in July of this year. They have settled into the quiet privacy of their community since their arrival and hope that this will be respected for their neighbours, as well as for them as a family,' the source said.
Chandigarh, Aug 12 : Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Wednesday extended warm wishes to the people on the auspicious occasion of Janamashtami, saying teachings and philosophy of Lord Krishna are still relevant.

In a message, he said: "Lord Krishna said 'Karmanye Vadhikaraste Ma Phaleshu Kadachana', meaning 'You have the right to work only, but never to its fruits'.

"We must follow teachings and philosophy of Lord Krishna to live a successful life," he said.

Appealing to the public, the Chief Minister said amid Covid-19 pandemic everyone should celebrate the festivals and religious events while following social distancing norms.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Deputy of the My Step faction of the National Assembly of Armenia Mary Galstyan today posted the following on her Facebook page:

Dear citizens, last week, on August 6 and 7, my fellow deputies Maria Karapetyan, Hamazasp Danielyan, Sos Avetisyan and I had meetings with Minister of Environment Romanos Petrosyan, Vice-Chairman of the Investigative Committee Arsen Ayvazyan, Head of the Inspection Bodies Coordination Bureau Artur Asoyan and Representative of the Republic of Armenia before the European Court of Human Rights Yeghishe Kirakosyan and discussed the issue related to the Amulsar gold mine.

Like the several meetings held in the past, during these meetings, we also discussed the situation surrounding the Amulsar gold mine, including the legislation on nature protection and subsoil use and the actions completed and to be completed in order to improve the legislation. During a discussion with the vice-chairman of the Investigative Committee, we discussed the importance of making the investigation of the ongoing criminal case public, to the extent that it is allowed due to confidentiality of investigation.

In response to interested citizens questions regarding the developments unfolding in relation to the Amulsar gold mine issue, we deem it necessary to inform that we deputies picture our work through meetings and by following the processes. There have been and there may be meetings with the residents of the community and interested citizens.
The HBO series Lovecraft Country is filled with all sorts of memorable monsters and supernatural predicaments that not only make you jump, but think. The 10-episode series premieres 8 p.m. Sunday.

In Lovecraft Country, Misha Greens (Underground) vivid adaptation of Matt Ruffs dark 2016 novel, Jonathan Majors (When We Rise), plays Atticus, a Korean War vet, a voracious science fiction reader and the series introspective hero. Accompanied by his learned Uncle George (Courtney B. Vance) and adventurous friend Letitia (Jurnee Smollett), he embarks on a road trip to find his missing, estranged father.

Throughout their journey, they struggle to survive both the bigotry of the 1950s and the viscous, tentacled monsters that seem ripped from an H.P. Lovecraft paperback. Its notable that the trios trip takes them through Northern U.S. towns, rather than those of the South, although the latter may be more associated with racist behavior.

Jim Crow was everywhere at the time, Green emphasized. It was really important that it was clear for us that the show was taking place in the North, and that this was a problem all across America.

Two of Lovecrafts executive producers, Jordan Peele (Get Out) and J.J. Abrams (Lost), clearly know more than a little about thought-provoking fright and fantasy. Moreover, show runner Green said she adores monsters, and has been a passionate fan of the horror genre since childhood.

One hideously striking creature were introduced to early on is an enormous, slimy monstrosity covered with eyes and equipped with teeth that can rip a mans arm off in one blink. But its relief you feel when you see it, not shock or even fear, because it temporarily sidelines the true monster of the series: racism.

As the shows Black protagonists travel by car through 1950s Jim Crow America, theyre harassed, humiliated and terrorized by both gun-toting citizens and a famously racist sheriff. Between the wild animals and this guy, a relative warns, pointing to a photo of that lawman, I dont know who Id rather run into.

During a recent press session, the two young leads of Lovecraft werent hesitant to name their preference. With a monster, you just got to outrun it, Smollett (True Blood) said during online HBO interviews with TV critics.

Racism is even more of a threat, she continued, because it affects your livelihood, and it affects you on every single level: your pursuit of happiness, your pursuit of joy, the isolation, the loneliness, but also, the trauma that you experience on so many levels being Black and American. The displacement, when you realize that Americas not evolved a place for you.

Her co-star, Majors concurred. A monster is something that is driven by an inside system, right? And that system is to terrorize or destroy, and theres no compromising with it.

Thats interesting when its a feral dog, where the dog is being told by its internals to attack, bite, kill. Its quite different when that monster is disguised in the same body as you and the only thing thats different is the skin color.

Although the action is set in the 1950s, Smollett said it couldnt feel more relevant today.

Our heroes essentially are going on a quest to bring down white supremacy, and we are still on that quest today in 2020 as Black Americans because racism is such a demonic spirit, something that we are still fighting off, she said.

But dont get the idea that the series pervasive social commentary is at the expense of playfulness. Lovecraft Country also is full of entertaining humor, both silly and satirical.

After escaping a night of terror in the woods, Letitia and George luxuriate in the impressive shelter of the Ardham Lodge. She exuberantly tries on one expensive outfit after another; he happily combs through literary delights in polished bookcases. All is set to the Movin on Up theme from The Jeffersons.

Green said she loves using music to take kind of a period piece off the wall.

Its not a portrait anymore that youre stepping into. Youre kind of bringing it here to the ground with us today, and music is a great bridge of time ... Its just so fun to play some Cardi B in 1950 and have it resonate just as much as it does today.

Jeanne Jakle is a San Antonio freelance writer.
Press Release

12 August 2020

The program has provided places to stay at no cost to hundreds of 1199SEIU members serving on the frontlines of the COVID-19 crisis

Our commitment to 1199SEIU is part of $2 million pledge by Airbnb co-founder and CEO Brian Chesky to help support frontline workers in New York

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Airbnb and 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers Eastthe largest healthcare union in the nationannounced an extension of their partnership to help provide free housing to medical first responders as COVID-19 cases continue to surge across the country. This extension from Airbnb will also empower 1199SEIU to serve members in Florida, a state that continues to be hard hit by the pandemic.

The first phase of the program housed nearly 250 healthcare workers in New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Georgia. Of those, more than 80 percent were in the five boroughs of New York City. Airbnb provided funding for places to stay for 1199SEIU medical first responders so they could stay near where they worked and minimize the risk of exposing their families.

Earlier this year, Airbnb co-founder and CEO Brian Chesky committed $2 million of his personal funds to support frontline workers fighting the COVID-19 pandemic in New York, including 1199SEIU members.

"This partnership has provided hundreds of frontline 1199ers with access to no cost housing that allows them to safely distance from others, as they fight to protect their patients, their families, and themselves from this deadly pandemic. We are grateful to Airbnb for recognizing the dedication and sacrifice put forth by our members each and every day, and for extending this program during this critical time." - George Gresham, President of 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East.

"People across the nation owe their lives to frontline workers like the heroic members of 1199SEIU," said Brian Chesky, Airbnb co-founder and CEO. "Airbnb is proud to support first responders during this unprecedented crisis and grateful to our host community for their ongoing generosity in providing places to stay."

The partnership with 1199SEIU is part of Airbnb's Frontline stays program, which allows hosts to open their homes to those on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since March, hosts on Airbnb have offered more than 200,000 places to stay and have hosted over 100,000 nights for responders around the world.

Hosts interested in providing places to stay for first responders can sign up here. First responder organizations who have a need can visit here to learn more and sign up for support. If you yourself are a COVID-19 responder, get started here. And anyone who may not be able to open their home, but still would like to help, you can donate to help fund even more stays.
Australia's cheapest suburbs or towns to enter the property market have been revealed, with modern four-bedroom homes going for as little as $160,000.

Broken Hill in New South Wales and Maryborough in Queensland have been listed among the 10 most affordable places to live in Australia with median house prices starting at $150,000.

This is according to data from the latest quarterly Domain House Price Report, which also revealed 35 suburbs nationwide had a median price under $250,000.

Ray White agent Clifford Wren said investors were flocking to Broken Hill to buy homes cheaper than the $150,000 median and renovating them to make a profit.

'They will do them up, rent them out and get about 10 to 11 per cent yield  its a rental mecca town,' Mr Wren, who has worked in Broken Hill for 21 years, told Domain.

A four-bedroom home is on the market in the mining town for $150,000 at the moment.

Four-bedroom property at 325 Jones Street, Broken Hill (pictured), New South Wales, is on the market for $150,000

Three-bedroom property at 11 Wyland St, Maryborough (pictured), Queensland, is on the market for $139,000

'We get a lot of transient workers  firies, police, teachers  on two to three-year contracts. These people are looking to rent, and if theyre going to stay longer theyll buy,' Mr Wren told Domain.

'We do still have our local mum-and-dad buyers, but if theyre planning to stay theyll buy a quality home at around the $300,000 to $400,000 mark.'

Davoren Park in South Australia and George Town in Tasmania both have spacious family homes on the market for under $160,000.

For those looking to spend a little more for a 'modern', flashier residence, a four-bedroom property in Smithton, Tasmania, is on sale for $245,000.

Three-bedroom property at 24 Yarnbrook St, Davoren Park (pictured), South Australia, is on the market for $150,000

Tenanted three-bedroom property 23 Gordon Square, George Town (pictured), Tasmania, is on the market for 'over $159,000'

All of these suburbs or towns were listed in the report as having the cheapest median house prices in Australia at the moment.

Davoren Park in South Australia was the second most affordable place to buy a property, with a median house price of $187,250; followed by George Town in Tasmania and Elizabeth Downs in South Australia at $205,000 and $205,500 respectively, and Wellington in New South Wales at $208,000.

Maryborough in Queensland and Smithton in Tasmania had a median house price of $210,000, followed by Koongal in Queensland at $212,500 and Elizabeth Park in South Australia at $213,000.

Suburbs neighbouring Elizabeth Park, such as Elizabeth North, are also just as lucrative for home buyers, despite not being listed on the report.

10 cheapest median house prices Broken Hill, NSW - $150,000

Davoren Park, SA - $187,250

George Town, TAS - $205,000

Elizabeth Downs, SA - $205,500

Wellington, NSW - $208,000

Maryborough, QLD - $210,000

Smithton, TAS - $210,000

Koongal, QLD - $212,500

Elizabeth Park, SA - $213,000 Source: Domain House Price Report, June Quarter 2020 Advertisement

For those looking to spend a little more for a 'modern', flashier residence, the four-bedroom property at 43 Tier Hill Drive, Smithton (pictured), Tasmania, is on the market for $245,000.
U K and international investors are looking to pull the plug on the UK after the country entered its worst recession in history.

According to top fund managers, investors had been increasingly looking to move money overseas and this trend is now expected to increase.

Particularly concerning for investors is the depth of the recession, a 20% fall between April and June. This was much worse than other leading economies, including France and Italy.

Investors fear that the government has mishandled the economy in the same way it dealt with the health crisis.

Others worry about more local lockdowns and the unwinding of the furlough scheme which has protected so many jobs, while Brexit uncertainty also looms large over the economy.

Nigel Green, chief executive of deVere Group, which has $12 billion under advisement, said: "A growing number are looking to grow and safeguard their wealth by moving assets overseas.

The pace of this trend will increase over the next few months as the issues intensify.

UK and global investors will be becoming increasingly nervous of this worrying situation and can be expected to take precautionary measures to insulate themselves against a potential fall in the value of UK based financial assets."

Green also believes there will be tax hikes in the Autumn Budget, something that has spooked wealthy overseas investors in particular.

He added: It is highly likely taxes will rise. Possible targets for hikes could include income tax for higher earners, capital gains tax, inheritance tax, and VAT.

In addition, new wealth taxes may be brought in, which was something the Prime Minister was considering before the pandemic hit.

"These potential changes in the Budget can be expected to prompt those overseas with financial ties to the country, to look into the international options available to them."
Priti Patel has dragged Britain into a new cold war after going head to head with ice cream giant Ben & Jerrys.

The American companys British branch criticised the Home Secretarys call for the Navy to stop migrants crossing the Channel, but a Home Office source immediately hit back, saying Miss Pritis department did not care about angering a brand of over-priced junk food.

The spat began when Ben & Jerrys UK Twitter account posted: We think the real crisis is our lack of humanity for people fleeing war, climate change and torture.

Thumbs-up: Migrants arrive in Dover after crossing the Channel yesterday

It went on to say ministers should make it easier for refugees to reach the country: People wouldnt make dangerous journeys if they had any other choice. The UK hasnt resettled any refugees since March, but wars and violence continue. What we need is more safe and legal routes.

Ben & Jerrys then claimed people cannot be illegal and pointed to the 1951 Refugee Convention which states that entering a country illegally should not affect claims for asylum.

The string of tweets ended with: Lets remember were all human and have the same rights to life regardless of the country we happen to have been born in. And once more for the back: people cannot be illegal.

A Home Office source told the BBC: Priti is working day and night to bring an end to these small boat crossings, which are facilitated by international criminal gangs and are of serious concern.

In a Twitter thread, Ben & Jerry's UK said that '"stronger" borders aren't the answer' and that 'people cannot be illegal'

Ben & Jerry's British branch criticised the Home Secretarys call for the Navy to stop migrants crossing the Channel

If that means upsetting the social media team for a brand of overpriced junk food then so be it.

The row came as Miss Patel vowed to take much tougher action on migrants crossing the Channel.

She has asked officials to look into whether the Royal Navy could be used to turn back ships and has begun conversations with France on cutting the number of crossings, which Miss Patel has described as unacceptable.

However, critics say her proposals could be illegal.

There is also an expectation in maritime law that a captain of a ship will help any other vessel that is in danger, which covers many of the small boats carrying migrants in the Channel.
At least one soldier of the Indian Army and an unidentified terrorist were killed during a gunbattle in Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir, officials said on Wednesday morning.

Kashmir Zone police tweeted that the encounter took place in Kamrazipura of Pulwama. There was an exchange of fire when security forces approached an orchard in Kamrazipora early on Wednesday.

The soldier was injured in the initial exchange of firing and later succumbed. They added the search operation is on.

One AK 47 assault rifle along with grenades, pouches and other war like stores were recovered from the encounter site, an army spokesperson said.

On Tuesday, security forces arrested five people, including a Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist, recovered a large cache of weapons in the frontier district of Kupwara near Line of Control (LoC) in north Kashmir.
Sen. Kamala Harris hugs former Vice President Joe Biden at a March 9 campaign rally in Detroit. (Jeff Kowalsky / AFP)

To the editor: Joe Biden's selection of Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) for vice president is a fine and logical one. But let's not be naive here: The current resident of the White House and his minions are not about to lose this election.

Trump's attempt to thwart the voting process is only one of his brazen assaults on our liberty and we may well see strategies such as this reaping success in November.

There is a correlation between this president's behavior and that of autocrats such as Russian President Vladimir Putin, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko, who have, with enormous temerity, remained in office for years.

We must be ever-vigilant to prevent Trump from doing the same.

Anneke Mendiola, Santa Ana

..

To the editor: As a moderate Republican who does not support Trump, I was dismayed by Biden's selection of Harris as his running mate.

In order to beat Trump, Biden needs crossover Republican voters like me, and his VP choice should have been aimed at us. Harris is the antithesis of this  she has been an aggressive campaigner and the biggest critic of Biden in the Democratic primary.

As a Californian, I have not felt that Harris has placed the state's interests ahead of her own ambitions. This does not bode well for a Harris vice presidency or a stable Biden presidency. In my view, there were so many better choices available.

I wish Biden luck in his bid, but I am not as hopeful as I was a few days ago.

Vince Vassallo, Rolling Hills Estates

..

To the editor: Not surprisingly, Trump's first reaction to Harris' vice presidential candidacy was that she is "nasty" and "disrespectful." Those pejoratives boomerang to reveal his own personal traits.

Trump either exploits women or disparages and disrespects them. He treats people of color as inferior and immigrants as a danger to this country.

As the daughter of immigrants, I cheer Biden's choice of Harris, who is smart, passionate about justice and able to respond to barbs with dignity and self-assurance. She is a role model to girls and women who aspire to equal opportunity and treatment in this white male-dominated culture.

Story continues

Lenore Navarro Dowling, Los Angeles

..

To the editor: I am a lifetime Democrat who believes strongly in what the party stands for, and I am stunned by Biden's selection of Harris.

Did we learn nothing from 2016? Did we not understand that Trump's victory was a loud and clear message that the Democratic Party had neglected the middle of the country and lost touch with it? We are running two candidates from either coast and we somehow think that is a winning strategy?

Trump is a disaster, but he did provide a teachable moment. Issues facing the "red states" are real and need to be addressed by someone who understands and has skin in that game. We have failed at that.

Kathryn Russell, Long Beach

..

To the editor: Harris could shoot somebody on Fifth Avenue, and I would still vote for her and Biden.

Craig Zerouni, Los Angeles
WASHINGTON No, Russia is not having a Sputnik moment.

The announcement Tuesday by Russian President Vladimir Putin that his country was the first to approve a coronavirus vaccine did not provoke the awe and wonder of the Soviet Unions launch of the first satellite into orbit in 1957. Instead it was met by doubts about the science and safety.

But it also underscored how, like the space race, the competition to have the first vaccine is about international rivalries as well as science. The first nation to develop a way to defeat the novel coronavirus will achieve a kind of moonshot victory and the global status that goes along with it.

Thats valuable to Putin, whose popularity at home has declined amid a stagnant economy and the ravages of the virus outbreak.

To be the first one out of the block with a coronavirus vaccine would be a real pardon the pun shot in the arm for the Kremlin," said Timothy Frye, a political science professor at Columbia University who specializes in post-Soviet politics.

Certainly, Russia is not alone in viewing a vaccine in this light. China, where the virus first emerged, has also raced to make progress on a vaccine. A state-owned Chinese company is boasting that its employees, including top executives, received experimental shots even before the government approved testing in people.

And President Donald Trump, whose handling of the coronavirus pandemic has put his political fate in grave jeopardy, is hoping to get credit for his administrations aggressive push for a vaccine, ideally one that arrives before Election Day in November.

Its far from clear at this point whether Putin has beaten Trump to this medical milestone.

Putin said the Health Ministry gave its approval after the vaccine underwent the necessary tests and said one of his two adult daughters had been inoculated. We should be grateful to those who have taken this first step, which is very important for our country and the whole world, he said.

No proof was offered and scientists in Russia warned that more testing would be necessary to prove it is safe and effective. Nonetheless, officials said vaccination of doctors could start as early as this month and mass vaccination may begin as early as October.

Scientists around the world have been cautioning that even if vaccine candidates are proven to work, it will take even more time to tell how long the protection will last.

Its a too early stage to truly assess whether its going to be effective, whether its going to work or not, Dr. Michael Head, senior research fellow in global health at the University of Southampton.

It was also too soon to dismiss the Russian claim out of hand.

The country, though economically dependent on the export of natural resources, does have a history of achievement in science, medicine and aerospace including becoming the first to put a person into space, in 1961.

It is possible that they concentrated and could do this, said Daniel Fried, a retired senior U.S. diplomat. Im not scoffing at it, but it doesnt mean that the Russian economy is advanced.

A vaccine would be the kind of significant achievement that would elevate Putin at home and in the international community.

They would love to be able to claim credit because the first country to develop the vaccine will gain enormous prestige, said Fried, a former assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs who is now a distinguished fellow at the Atlantic Council.

Its also possible Russia had help. The U.S., Britain and Canada l ast month accused hackers working for Russian intelligence of trying to steal information about a coronavirus vaccine from academic and pharmaceutical research institutions.

In any case, the public is eager for a vaccine as global deaths from the virus surpass 730,000. Some say they would even welcome one from Russia, provided it passes muster with U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration.

I cant take it anymore. Im getting crazy, said Fernanda Henderson, as she strapped her infant into a car seat at a park in the Maryland suburbs of Washington for a break from quarantining at home. I dont think the CDC or the FDA would approve something that is not going to work.

But to Vesna Jezic, a 79-year-old native of Croatia and immunologist who was taking her grandchildren to the same park, the suspiciously fast progress on the vaccine announced by Putin was reason to be doubtful. You can imagine we dont trust anything that comes from Russia, she said.

The Russian president may face similar doubts at home. Frye noted a 2018 Gallup Poll that showed the former Soviet countries have some of the highest rates of anti-vaccination sentiment in the world.

If it turns out not to work, it would be a real black eye, he said.

___

Associated Press writes Michael Kunzelman in Wheaton, Maryland and Maria Cheng in London contributed to this report.

Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor
All dormitories cleared of COVID-19: Ministry of Manpower

Singapore's Ministry of Manpower (MOM) has declared all dormitories cleared of COVID-19 on Tuesday, August 11.

This is with the exception of 17 standalone blocks in six Purpose-Built Dormitories (PBDs) which serve as quarantine facilities.

In a press statement, MOM said this means that all workers living in dormitories have either recovered or have been tested to be free from the virus, except for 22,500 workers currently in isolation facilities.

Photo courtesy: Facebook/Lawrence Wong

Upon COVID-clearance, the dormitory residents will be able to resume work once the dormitory operators, employers and workers have made the necessary preparations to do so in a safe manner.

Majority (81 per cent) of foreign workers, including dormitory residents, are now able to resume work, MOM added.
A fitness influencer has been labelled 'self absorbed' and 'disrespectful' after she flagrantly breached Melbourne's lockdown laws and posted about it on social media.

Beck Lomas is an online celebrity who posts inspirational health and wellness advice to her army of over 166,000 followers on Instagram.

But the 25-year-old copped a wave of anger after she left her Prahran home more than once on Tuesday and went for a 15km, two and a half hour walk on Monday.

Fitness influencer Beck Lomas (pictured) has been labelled 'self absorbed' and 'disrespectful' after she flagrantly breached Melbourne's lockdown laws

Ms Lomas (pictured) is a social media celebrity, who posts inspirational health and wellness advice to her army of over 166,000 followers on Instagram

The 25-year-old copped a wave of anger after she left her Melbourne home more than once on Tuesday and went for a 15km, two and a half hour walk on Monday

Under Melbourne's Stage 4 coronavirus restrictions only one hour of exercise within a 5km radius of your home is permitted per day.

Anyone who breaks these directions can be fined $1,652 by police.

Victoria has been in the midst of a huge COVID-19 surge since July and there are now about 8,000 cases still active across the state.

One furious Instagram user told Ms Lomas: 'People behaving like you are the reason I can't see my grandmother, friends and family.'

The reason Ms Lomas ignored the strict lockdown rules was to beat her boyfriend Josh Klein in a sponsored FitBitANZ couple's challenge where participants try to outdo each other for the 'most active minutes' within six days.

The reason Ms Lomas (pictured) ignored the strict lockdown rules was to beat her boyfriend in a sponsored FitBitANZ couple's challenge

Ms Lomas and her boyfriend Josh Klein are pictured wearing FitBit watches in an Instagram post

The FitBitANZ couple's challenge encourages participants to try to outdo each other for the 'most active minutes' within six days

Videos and screenshots which have now been deleted show her posing outside in activewear without a face mask.

Face coverings are required by law in Melbourne under the direction of the Chief Health Officer.

'I kind of feel like going for a really big run  so I think I'm just going to set out and go for as long as I feel like to get my active minutes up,' the Adidas and YoPro yoghurt ambassador said on Tuesday.

Melburnians who've been following the rule of the draconian six-week shutdown took aim at the online star, calling her 'privileged' and 'shameless'.

'As a Melburnian you are breaking the rules and you should not be promoting such behaviour  walk around your home if you want to increase your steps,' one follower wrote.

Ms Lomas (pictured right) said she felt like going for a really big run to get her active minutes up, and beat her boyfriend Josh Klein (pictured left)

Ms Lomas is pictured in this Instagram following lockdown rules and wearing a face mask

In this Instagram post, she is pictured without a face mask in breach of COVID-19 rules

Another said: 'Your privilege and self absorption is showing, the fact they even think it's OK to publicly admit to such blatant disrespect of the rules shows who you really are.'

In the wake of the controversy, FitBitANZ announced they have now cancelled the couple's challenge.

'It has come to our attention that this week's couple's challenge participants may have breached COVID-19 restrictions by exercising out of their home for longer than one hour,' an Instagram post read.

'We take this matter very seriously and do not condone their behaviour in any way.'

One Wednesday, Ms Lomas said she was 'sorry' for what she had done and has been 'inundated with threats and abuse'.

'Im not going to make excuses for it or try to spin the situation to make it sound better than it was,' she said.

'Im a human and I made a mistake. I meant absolutely no harm to anyone however can now see the seriousness of the situation.

'I am taking this pandemic very seriously. I wear a mask, I work from home and I don't see my friends. I take full responsibility and I will absolutely never do it again.'

In the wake of the controversy, FitBitANZ announced they have now cancelled the couple's challenge
Ilhan Omar, the first Somali-American member of the US Congress, survived a stiff Democratic primary challenge from a well-funded opponent, who tried to make an issue of her national celebrity, the latest in a string of victories by a new generation of progressive legislators.

Omar, seeking her second term in November, easily defeated Antone Melton-Meaux, a lawyer and mediator who raised millions in anti-Omar money, and a third candidate.

She expanded her base by winning 57 percent of the vote against her two challengers during the election cycle, compared with her 48 percent victory in the 2018 primary.

In Minnesota, we know that organised people will always beat organised money, she wrote on social media following her win. Despite the attacks, our support has only grown.

Omars district is predominantly Democratic, and she is expected to win in November.

One of the first two Muslim women to be elected to Congress in 2018, Omar, 37, is well-known as a member of the Squad of four freshman liberal congresswomen.

Omar built on a national profile that started when the onetime refugee from Somalia was elected to the Minnesota Legislature in 2016. Her aggressive advocacy on liberal issues, and her eagerness to take on US President Donald Trump, made her even more prominent.





Omar and her allies gained confidence in her re-election chances after primary victories last week by fellow progressive members of Congress Rashida Tlaib in Michigan and by Cori Bush, a Black Lives Matter activist who removed a longtime St Louis-area congressman.

They also claimed momentum from the renewed focus on racial and economic justice after George Floyds death in the city of Minneapolis.

Our squad is big

After news reports projected Omar as the winner of the race, Tlaib congratulated her saying, Our squad is big! Omar and Tlaib became the first two Muslim women elected to Congress in 2018.

Omars opponent Melton-Meaux used the cash to paper the district and flood airwaves with his Focused on the Fifth message that portrayed Omar as out of touch with the heavily Democratic Minneapolis-area 5th District, which has not elected a Republican to Congress since 1960.

It has been the honor of my life to represent you in Congress and I look forward to continuing to serve the people of the 5th District in the years to come.  Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) August 12, 2020

He conceded defeat and acknowledged his efforts were not enough, while declining to speculate on why.

Omar rejected Melton-Meauxs attacks, saying they were funded by interests who wanted to get her out of Congress because shes effective.

Omars win in a Democratic stronghold means all four Squad members are likely to win re-election in November. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York dispatched a primary challenger in June, and the fourth Squad member, Representative Ayanna Pressley, is running unopposed in her primary in Massachusetts next month.

Minnesota, Wisconsin, Connecticut, Vermont and Georgia all held primary elections for Congress on Tuesday. The outcome will help set the stage for November elections to the House of Representatives and Senate that will determine the balance of power in Washington.





After entering Congress with fanfare, Omar hurt herself early with comments about Israel and money that even some fellow Democrats called anti-Semitic, and found herself apologising.

She also came under scrutiny when her marriage fell apart and she remarried her political consultant months after denying they had a relationship.

Republicans also raised questions about continuing payments to her new husbands firm, though experts said they are not necessarily improper.

In the wake of Floyds death, police reform also emerged as an issue. Omar supported a push by a majority of the Minneapolis City Council to replace the citys police department with something new.
NEW YORK, Aug. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Inc. magazine today revealed that Quontic is No. 4284 on its annual Inc. 5000 list, the most prestigious ranking of the nation's fastest-growing private companies. The list represents a unique look at the most successful companies within the American economy's most dynamic segmentits independent small businesses. Intuit, Zappos, Under Armour, Microsoft, Patagonia, and many other well-known names gained their first national exposure as honorees on the Inc. 5000.

"Quontic is grateful and honored to be included in Inc. 5000's Fastest Growing Companies in America list for the 2nd time," shares Steve Schnall, Founder and CEO at Quontic. "Our team is committed to disrupting traditional banking and on a mission to break the system and allow financial empowerment for all. We're looking forward to continuing to grow as a digital bank and change our customers' lives for the better.

Not only have the companies on the 2020 Inc. 5000 been very competitive within their markets, but the list as a whole shows staggering growth compared with prior lists as well. The 2020 Inc. 5000 achieved an incredible three-year average growth of over 500 percent, and a median rate of 165 percent. The Inc. 5000's aggregate revenue was $209 billion in 2019, accounting for over 1 million jobs over the past three years.

Complete results of the Inc. 5000, including company profiles and an interactive database that can be sorted by industry, region, and other criteria, can be found at www.inc.com/inc5000 . The top 500 companies are also being featured in the September issue of Inc., available on newsstands August 12.

"The companies on this year's Inc. 5000 come from nearly every realm of business," says Inc. editor-in-chief Scott Omelianuk. "From health and software to media and hospitality, the 2020 list proves that no matter the sector, incredible growth is based on the foundations of tenacity and opportunism."

The annual Inc. 5000 event honoring the companies on the list will be held virtually from October 23 to 27, 2020. As always, speakers will include some of the greatest innovators and business leaders of our generation.

About Quontic

Quontic is the adaptive digital bank, a community bank, that offers entrepreneurs, immigrants, millennials, low income, seniors, and other innovative banking products and services that embrace the diversity of circumstances that exist in its customers' lives while elevating their financial strength. Quontic gives its customers the underdog edge by offering unique products such as its Community Development Mortgage Loan and more. Quontic is a privately held company based in New York, New York. Follow and connect with Quontic on Facebook and Instagram .

More about Inc. and the Inc. 5000

Methodology

The 2020 Inc. 5000 is ranked according to percentage revenue growth when comparing 2016 and 2019. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2016. They had to be U.S.-based, privately held, for profit, and independentnot subsidiaries or divisions of other companiesas of December 31, 2019. (Since then, a number of companies on the list have gone public or been acquired.) The minimum revenue required for 2016 is $100,000; the minimum for 2019 is $2 million. As always, Inc. reserves the right to decline applicants for subjective reasons. Companies on the Inc. 500 are featured in Inc.'s September issue. They represent the top tier of the Inc. 5000, which can be found at http://www.inc.com/inc5000 .

About Inc. Media

The world's most trusted business-media brand, Inc. offers entrepreneurs the knowledge, tools, connections, and community to build great companies. Its award-winning multiplatform content reaches more than 50 million people each month across a variety of channels including websites, newsletters, social media, podcasts, and print. Its prestigious Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to recognize the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. The global recognition that comes with inclusion in the 5000 gives the founders of the best businesses an opportunity to engage with an exclusive community of their peers, and the credibility that helps them drive sales and recruit talent. The associated Inc. 5000 Conference is part of a highly acclaimed portfolio of bespoke events produced by Inc. For more information, visit www.inc.com .

For more information on the Inc. 5000 Conference, visit http://conference.inc.com/ .

PR Contact:

Lindsay Levitts

Kel & Partners

[email protected]

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The massive blast at Beirut port on August 4 caused more than $15 billion in damages, Lebanese President Michel Aoun said Wednesday.

"Preliminary estimates of the losses suffered following the port explosion top 15 billion dollars," he was quoted as telling Spain's King Felipe in a phone call, in a message on the presidency's Twitter account.

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U.S. Rep. Omar departs following a campaign event with Democratic 2020 U.S. presidential candidate Sanders in Manchester

By Susan Cornwell

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Representative Ilhan Omar held off a well-funded challenger Tuesday and won the Democratic primary in her congressional district, putting her on track for re-election in November along with other members of the "Squad" of four liberal freshmen.

Omar defeated attorney Antone Melton-Meaux, who had accused her of prioritizing her celebrity over her constituents, and several other challengers, the New York Times said.

One of the first two Muslim women to be elected to Congress in 2018, Omar won 57.2% of the vote Tuesday compared with 39.4% for Melton-Meaux in Minnesota's 5th district, the Times said. She is likely to win again in November in the solidly Democratic district.

"In Minnesota, we know that organized people will always beat organized money," Omar, 37, said in a statement. "Despite outside efforts to defeat us, we once again broke turnout records."

Progressive Democrats have generally done well this primary cycle. With Omar's victory, all four members of the liberal group of congresswomen nicknamed the "Squad" are expected to be re-elected in the autumn.

The best-known "Squad" member, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, dispatched a primary challenger in June. Last week Representative Rashida Tlaib won her primary, and the fourth Squad member, Representative Ayanna Pressley, is running unopposed in her primary in Massachusetts next month.

Minnesota, Wisconsin, Connecticut, Vermont and Georgia all held primary elections for Congress on Tuesday. The outcome will help set the stage for November elections to the House of Representatives and Senate that will determine the balance of power in Washington.

Melton-Meaux, an attorney, criticized Omar for her comments on Israel, some of which have been seen as anti-Semitic, as well as her failure to show up for some House votes. His campaign raised over $4 million and received support from pro-Israel groups.

Story continues

Omar has apologized for some of her statements about Israeli lobbying power, and her campaign said she had good reasons for missing some votes.

Police reforms were a top campaign issue in Omar's district, where George Floyd, a Black man, was killed in police custody in May, touching off nationwide protests. Omar called for restructuring the police department, while Melton-Meaux said the police function should be "more narrowly focused."

A refugee from Somalia, Omar quickly became a target of conservative critics after she was elected in 2018. Republicans rebuked her left-wing politics, and President Donald Trump has falsely accused her of supporting al Qaeda. Members of both parties chided her for her comments on Israel.

In Georgia, a Republican businesswoman who has made inflammatory comments about Muslims like Omar and expressed support for QAnon, Marjorie Taylor Greene, defeated neurosurgeon John Cowan in a primary runoff for an open House seat.

QAnon is a fringe belief propagated online that claims "deep-state" traitors are plotting against Trump.

In videos released in June by Politico, Greene suggested that Omar's election in 2018 was part of an Islamic invasion of our government." Republican leaders denounced the comments.

The Republican in the conservative district will likely be elected in November.

(Reporting by Susan Cornwell; Editing by Andy Sullivan, Tom Brown, Sonya Hepinstall and Gerry Doyle)
More pantomimes have been postponed as the impacts of the Covid pandemic are felt across the UK.

Royal and Derngate, Northampton and Mercury Theatre Colchester have both today revealed that their festive productions will not be going ahead  citing the fact that they are still uncertain if indoor shows without social distancing will be permitted by the end of the year.

Royal and Derngate's chief executive Jo Gordon said: "We are so sorry to make this announcement today and know that the news will come as a disappointment for many. While social distancing measures remain in place, performances of this scale and spectacle are simply not financially viable in our auditoriums as we wouldn't have anywhere near enough seats safely available to cover our costs."

The venue is having to enter into redundancy consultations, which will affect up to 20 per cent of the theatre's workforce. It is also cancelling its unannounced festive musical, which conventionally runs alongside the pantomime.

Mercury executive producer Tracey Childs said: "We are devastated not to be able to put on our annual Mercury pantomime this festive season. Like many other regional theatres, panto is not only our financial mainstay, but also an event that our whole community look forward to and enjoy. We love seeing our auditorium packed with smiling faces as families and friends enjoy this wonderful Christmas tradition together, but the safety of our audiences and staff, both on and off stage, must be our top priority.

"To open with social distancing measures in place would mean reducing our capacity to around 25 per cent. Unfortunately it is impossible to produce a show of the quality and standard that you have come to expect from the Mercury on a quarter of the income." Without the clear guidance our industry has been crying out for, this year, we are sorry to say the show cannot go on."

Last week, Qdos pantomimes revealed that it was in the process of postponing its shows (over 30 at locations across the country). Further Qdos pantomimes to have been delayed include pieces at Theatre Royal Concert Hall in Nottingham and Hull New Theatre.
A father who was left with horrific facial injuries after being bashed and robbed in his Queensland home was ambushed by his own son, police allege.

Jamie John Hewitt, 51, from Ambrose, west of Gladstone, was allegedly cable tied and beaten to a pulp by his son Zachariah, 30, and two other men on August 4.

Police allege the assault lasted two hours before the trio ransacked Mr Hewitt's home and fled in his ute.

The 51-year-old, who requires facial reconstruction surgery on both cheeks following the alleged attack, said the men made off with 'everything they could'.

Jamie John Hewitt (pictured with severe injuries) was allegedly cable tied and beaten to a pulp by his son Zachariah, 30, and two other men on August 4

Mr Hewitt's son Zachariah John Hewitt (pictured) was charged with a string of offences including deprivation of liberty, grievous bodily harm and armed robbery

'I was at home about 11 o'clock (am) and these three lads [allegedly] turned up and started talking to me... I'm pretty devastated about it,' Mr Hewitt said.

'They came in and they [allegedly] cable tied me, bashed me and ransacked the house. They [allegedly] stole my ute and wheels, and anything they could load into the back of it.'

His ute was found a short time later, but his custom painted Adela wheels, worth $600 each, haven't been recovered.

Zachariah was charged with deprivation of liberty, grievous bodily harm, armed robbery, unlawful use of a motor vehicle, enter dwelling with intent, and enter dwelling to commit an indictable offence.

He appeared before the Gladstone Magistrates Court on Wednesday.

Two men, 25 and 22, were also charged over the alleged incident.
The massive crowds of devotees in temples, elaborately decorated tableaus and Dahi Handi revelry were all missing this year on Janmashtami, the birthday of Lord Krishna, as celebrations were dampened by COVID-19 restrictions.

IMAGE: A child dressed like Lord Krishna at the Bhikham Das Thakurbari mandir on the occasion Krishna Janmashtami, in Patna. Photograph: ANI Photo

Amid blowing of conch shells and beating of drums, priests offered prayers since early morning in temples but there were no special religious discourses, 'Krishnalila' dance dramas and community kitchens as the entry of devotees had been either banned or restricted due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The rituals were, however, streamed online from some temples. In North India, families usually observe a day-long fast and hold special prayers at midnight.



Tight security arrangements were made outside the main temples to ensure that people followed social distancing.



The festivities were also relatively low-key in the main temples of Mathura, the birth place of Lord Krishna, Vrindavan, Nandgaon, Mahaban and Baldeo, which are usually visited by lakhs of pilgrims on the occasion.



Soaked in religious fervour, devotees would throng decked-up temples and take out colourful processions to mark the birth of Lord Krishna, but like other festivals in COVID-19 times, rituals have been restricted on Janmashtami too in the country.



Though the entry of devotees was banned, a large number of people assembled outside the Sri Krishna Janmasthan in Mathura and greeted each other with chants of Lord Krishna.
One of our favorite guilty pleasuresItalian foodis getting a healthy makeover at Baia, the new plant-based eatery that has quietly opened inside the legendary Hayes Valley space that was long home to Traci Des Jardins' Jardiniere.

From James Beard Awardnominated chef and prolific cookbook author Matthew Kenney, who helms a slew of vegetarian restaurants from Los Angeles to New Yorkincluding Plant Food + Wine in L.A. and Oliver's in MontecitoBaia, which means bay in Italian, is serving an all-vegetarian take on one of the world's most beloved cuisines.

Baia is at the corner of Grove and Franklin streets in the former Jardiniere space. Walk-up orders are welcome. (Sarah Chorey)

At first glance, the menu has all usual suspects: meatballs, caesar salads, pastas, thin-crust pizzas, and such classic entrees as lasagna and eggplant parm. But once we dug in, we found that Kenney has incorporated coy vegetarian ingredients into his highly nuanced fare.



Pizzas can be made with gluten-free crust; mozzarella and ricotta cheeses are actually dairy-free alternatives; and all instances of Bolognese, as well as the aforementioned balls, are made with Impossible "meat." Soy-free and nut-free annotations are also doable here, and dishes will rotate regularly. Baia also offers five large batch cocktail recipes along with a small selection of local beers and wines by the bottle. It's all available now for takeout and delivery in San Francisco.

Not feeling Italian? The Baia team is also running a Japanese-style pop-up, called Woodblock Sushi, out of its Civic Center kitchen. Yes, you can expect the same vegan cooking philosophy applied to fresh maki rolls, curry bowls, and veggie tempura.

Baia is co-owned by avid plant-based eaters and animal advocates Tracy and Kyle Vogt (cofounder and CTO of the self-driving car company Cruise), who met Kenney in L.A. This new restaurant is the manifestation of their shared love for vegan cooking.

(Photography by Sarah Chorey) Baia's "old school" garlic knots are dense-but-chewy carb-y morsels seasoned with Italian herbs and garlic.

// Baia, 300 Grove St. (Hayes Valley), is open for takeout daily. Call 415.861.0625 to order for pickup, or find delivery through all the major services; baiasf.com.
After long expectations, EU businesses now have unprecedented market access to Vietnams inland shipping services, which heralds a great deal more competition as well as mounting pressure on the local seaport infrastructure.

Illustration photo. Source: Shutterstock

International container shipping company Maersk Line, the largest subsidiary of Danish business conglomerate Maersk Group, can now expand their business activities in the Vietnamese maritime market on the back of the commitments in the landmark EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), which took effect on August 1.

Under the deal, Maersk Line and other businesses from the bloc are allowed to provide redistribution of empty containers and feeder transportation services initially on the Quy Nhon-Cai Mep Thi Vai routes before expanding to all shipping routes after the five-year enforcement in line with EVFTA commitments.

Arising prospects



Nguyen Tuong, deputy secretary general of the Vietnam Logistics Business Association, told VIR, This is a service line that EU companies have been expecting to enter for years. And the golden opportunity is now coming, adding that the race is beginning for both Vietnamese and EU companies, urging them to increase capacity to win customers.

Before the enforcement of the historic deal, the empty container and feeder transportation services had for years been restricted to Vietnamese companies, with shipping giant Vietnam Maritime Corporation (VIMC) being among the major domestic players. Evidently, along with shipping lines operating in Vietnam by Maersk Vietnam Ltd., those of APL-NOL (Vietnam) Ltd., MSC Vietnam Co., Ltd., and CMA CGM Vietnam JSC are now also able to go on the offensive in the playground.

With a huge sea network of 45 ports, 286 berths, and 18 anchorage and ship-to-ship transfer areas, Vietnams maritime market is a magnet to foreign players, including those from the EU. In the coverage, the Cai Mep-Thi Vai port area, which is home to seven ports, is among the most promising seaports in Vietnam. The port area boasts a total capacity of seven million TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) a year, with current capacity reaching 80 per cent, and is able to accommodate mainline vessels of 194,000 deadweight tonnage (DWT) connecting Vietnam with Europe, North America, and Asia.

Before the health crisis, groups have seen improvements in comparison with previous years thanks to a cargo volume increase.

These include SP-PSA, a joint venture between shipping giant Vietnam Maritime Corporation (VIMC) and Singaporean PSA; CMIT, backed by VIMC and Danish company APMT; and SSIT, backed by VIMC and US firm Carrix/SSA.

CMA CGM Vietnam JSC, which holds a 25 per cent stake in Gemalink Seaport, will also benefit. Gemalink Seaport is expected to come into operation in late 2020 with a total annual capacity of 8.5 million TEUs and handle 200,000 DWT or 23,000 TEUs, making it one of the top 20 seaports worldwide.

Christian Lamhien, director of Business Development at CMA CGM Vietnam, told VIR, We are also looking to invest in local inland container depots and depots in Southern Vietnam to get us closer to industrial parks. Then we will expand to other regions.

He elaborated, We also want to develop technology applications to fast-track procedures for cargo entry into Vietnam and to connect with Tan Cang ports and others. We might face difficulties this year due to COVID-19 but see great promise next year amid an investment shift in Vietnams manufacturing.

Looking forward, in addition to inland shipping services, many other maritime transport services are also open to EU firms to invest or do business, with passenger and cargo transportation services even being committed at a higher level than those in the World Trade Organization and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership. Moreover, bilateral trade is forecast to grow significantly, thus opening huge business opportunities in the months to come.

Vietnam is the EUs second-largest trading partner in the ASEAN after Singapore, with trade in goods worth 45.5 billion ($53.9 billion) in 2019. As forecast by the Ministry of Planning and Investment, the FTA is expected to help increase Vietnams GDP by 4.6 per cent and its exports to the EU by 42.7 per cent by 2025.

Future seaport pressures



Vietnams maritime transport system plays an important role in the countrys economy. Currently, up to 90 per cent of goods are transported by sea and, on average, the port system handles 550-570 million tonnes of cargo a year, with the figure forecast to rise further on the back of the EVFTA and new investment shifts.

According to the recent Drewry report of the investment research arm of global shipping consultancy Drewry, COVID-19 has strongly affected logistics businesses in Vietnam, especially marine container business which may lose 7-12 per cent volume throughput in 2020. However, marine transport is forecast to bounce back starting from 2021 when the pandemic is controlled and demand starts budding again.

Despite the opportunities, industry insiders warned about possible pressures on local seaport infrastructure due to a vessel upsizing tendency, as the majority of seaports in the country are unable to receive big vessels due to dredging problems, weak connection with other means of transport, and weak IT application.

According to the statistics of Alphaliner, which harbours a wealth of maritime industry information, container ships have increased in size over the years with the average vessel being 2.5 times higher than two decades ago. The trend in the near future is the proportion of newly-built vessels is mainly 37 per cent of super-sized ships (over 18,000 TEUs).

A representative of Saigon Newport Corporation, a market leader in seaport operation, said that the upsizing trend in a short time puts pressure on port operators and authorities. Ports need to have synchronised investment to avoid lagging and to meet shipping lines demands.

The investment should focus on dredging channels, building berths and equipment to receive mega ships, and increase productivity as mega ships carry large amounts of cargo. Unless productivity increases, increased port stay time will affect port productivity and put more pressure on peak time, he explained.

For instance, with upsized vessels, the -14m channel depth and equipment at the Cai Mep terminal make them less attractive than other ASEAN ones. In the future, even though cargo flow between Vietnam and the EU increases, the bigger vessels and maritime routes between the two sides would still focus at ports of Singapore, Malaysia, and others which are more suitable for vessels passing through the Suez Canal.

The Lach Huyen deep seaport complex is in a similar situation, showing that if planning and dredging does not keep up with the vessel upsizing trend, logistics cost to the EU will remain high, reducing the competitiveness of local ports. VIR

Bich Thuy

HCM City to collect infrastructure fees at seaports The Customs Bureau of HCM City has proposed that city authorities collect infrastructure fees at seaports to increase revenue for the city.
If you ask Patricia Harvey about the challenges she faced when learning how to use a computer, she laughs.

(I was) afraid of breaking the computer because I didnt know how to use it, she says.

But despite her hesitation, two years ago, the 92-year-old Beamsville resident joined Cyber-Seniors, an organization that encourages youth to teach seniors how to use technology. She figured computers were here to stay and thought she might as well figure them out.

I like to keep busy. Im not a knitter or crocheter, said Harvey about why she joined the group.

Technology has helped older adults stay safe, independent, and socially connected. During the pandemic though, its become an essential way to access basic necessities.

We started Cyber-Seniors as a fun way to get seniors connected on the internet, said group co-founder Kascha Cassaday. But when COVID hit  it was more about they need to be on the internet in order to get the basic necessities to survive this pandemic.

Cassaday helped start Cyber-Seniors in 2009 with her sister Macaulee Cassaday. Then in high school, the sisters from Toronto were originally trying to find a way to complete their community service hours. At the time, they were teaching their grandparents how to use Facebook to stay in touch with relatives and thought they could do the same for other older adults. They started holding sessions in local retirement homes, and eventually expanded across Ontario.

In March, when in-person gatherings became restricted, Cyber-Seniors moved their services online. Where hundreds of seniors were joining sessions before, Cassaday says now thousands are participating online from as far away as the United States.

Individuals can register for webinars on a different topic each day, or book a one-on-one call for help with a specific problem. Theres even a weekly Community Chat where participants can join just to talk.

Connor Uhrig is a 14-year-old volunteer with the group who joined during the pandemic. The student at Hamiltons Sherwood Secondary School says he signed up because he wanted to use his free time when schools were out to help others. In the process, he also completed  and far surpassed  his community service hour requirement.

I found that it was really rewarding to get to help seniors, he said. I was surprised how interested the seniors were in technology  and how much they had skills already that you can build on.

Cassaday says in the Hamilton area, more than 30 seniors are currently participating in Cyber-Seniors.

A survey done last year by AGE-WELL NCE, a Canadian network focused on technology and aging, found the majority of Canadians over age 65 are not only online daily, but believe technology can help keep them safe, stay at home longer, and live independently.

A large proportion, seven in 10, also believe technology can help reduce social isolation.

If people are socially isolated, then it becomes really important that these kinds of groups exist and that they are accessible and promoted, said Dr. Aki-Juhani Kyroelaeinen from McMasters department of linguistics and languages. His research focuses on language and technology.

We have a lot of technology available, but most of the technology is designed for the younger generation, he adds. For example, he says specific design elements such as contrasting colours can help make websites more accessible for individuals with a vision impairment.

As for Harvey, she says technology has been particularly helpful in connecting her with loved ones during the pandemic  to see and talk to them when they cant meet in person.

You dont feel quite so alone, she said.
Coronavirus has not left Beaumont, Port Arthur, greater Jefferson County or the state.

That was the message from Texas Gov. Greg Abbott Tuesday during a news conference in Beaumont. It was further underscored later in the day, when the area reported four coronavirus-related deaths - making Tuesday one of just two days since the pandemic began that the county has reported that many COVID-19 victims.

The decreasing average number of cases confirmed each day is evidence that Jefferson County is making progress in stopping the spread of the coronavirus. And Abbott commended residents across the region and the state overall for embracing the necessity of altering their daily life in some way to prevent the virus spread.

But now is not the time to let up on virus-related precautions.

Abbott delivered this message from the Jefferson County Courthouse Tuesday afternoon after a closed-door meeting with local elected officials and emergency management personnel to discuss the regions continued recovery.

He said he learned a lot talking with local leaders and is particularly impressed by a treatment being employed locally as part of a national study, using plasma from recovered individuals to treat those fighting the virus.

Related: Health department suggests at-home oxygen monitoring for coronavirus patients

As a result, he urged individuals who have tested positive and recovered to donate plasma.

Before the meeting, Dr. Qamar Arfeen, lead intensivist of Baptist Hospitals COVID-19 Unit, said the therapy has made a huge difference in a patients outcome when given to them at the right time. But medical professionals have had a challenge getting enough donors to meet the demand. As a result, he said, there currently are patients waiting to get plasma for treatment.

The way to reduce hospitalizations, Abbott said, is to reduce the number of people who test positive, which means continuing to wear masks, social distance and take other virus-related precautions.

After the meeting, Jefferson County Judge Jeff Branick said hes also hopeful about the number of treatments being used or researched to fight the virus. However, he also expressed concern about the number of people currently at local hospitals.

In addition to limiting the spread of coronavirus, Branick urged area residents with pre-existing conditions to take those medical issues seriously, utilizing telemedicine and other avenues to keep themselves out of hospitals.

We are hopeful we can persevere, he said. As the governor mentioned, the disease has not gone away.

Top hits: Get Beaumont Enterprise stories sent directly to your inbox

To help local governments, Abbott said, the state has provided thousands of masks and other personal protective equipment, as well as hand sanitizer, to area school districts looking to soon reopen. And he pledged that the state will continue to provide such resources until a vaccine or effective treatment is discovered.

And to improve testing, Abbott noted that the state is working with labs that test swabs taken from potentially-infected individuals to decrease wait times for results. It also will soon begin to work with local public health authorities and private providers to better categorize and report results from different kinds of coronavirus tests, such as the nasal swab and antigen test. That way, the state can provide a better picture of coronavirus across the region.

On Tuesday, the Beaumont Public Health Department reported 63 new cases of coronavirus confirmed across the northern part of the county. This is the largest number of cases confirmed in one day since a single-day spike on Aug. 4.

This brings Jefferson County to at least 4,584 cases of COVID-19. The Port Arthur Public Health Department did not provide updated case numbers before print deadline.

The four additional virus-related deaths reported Tuesday brings the county to a total of 80.

kaitlin.bain@beaumontenterprise.com

twitter.com/KaitlinBain
Heres how it worked: A group would go to the sidewalk in front of their house and flip a penny. They would see which way the head on the coin was facing, then pick it up and walk a block in that direction. At the end of the block, they would flip the penny again and go in the direction the head was facing.
Up to one-third of physicians reported sending patients for a thyroid ultrasound for reasons not supported by clinical care guidelines, a new study led by University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center researchers finds.

Routine use of ultrasounds to detect cancerous thyroid nodules have led to a significant increase in thyroid cancer cases in recent years, although many are low-risk and unlikely to cause serious harm.

Researchers surveyed 610 surgeons, endocrinologists and primary care physicians who were involved in thyroid cancer care. Physicians were given different patient scenarios and asked when they would schedule a thyroid or neck ultrasound.

An overwhelming majority of physicians said they used ultrasound for reasons that are supported by clinical care guidelines, such as a large nodule that can be felt or one seen on another imaging test. But 33% said they ordered an ultrasound because the patient wanted it and 28% said abnormal thyroid function tests drove their decision  a factor the Choosing Wisely Campaign specifically advises against.

Results are published in JAMA Surgery.

This study is the first to look at why physicians are using thyroid ultrasound for patients. While often it's for clinically relevant reasons, a substantial number of physicians are not ordering them for reasons that are clinically supported." Megan R. Haymart, M.D., senior study author, Nancy Wigginton Endocrinology Research Professor of Thyroid Cancer and professor of internal medicine at Michigan Medicine

When asked what most influenced their decisions for patients with thyroid nodules, 69% cited recent clinical guidelines. Haymart says this shows the situation is malleable.

"We can change behavior and help physicians use thyroid ultrasound more appropriately, which will reduce the incidence of low-risk thyroid cancer," she says.

Organizations such as the National Comprehensive Cancer Network and the American Thyroid Association offer care guidelines based on data and outcomes from published studies. In addition, the Choosing Wisely campaign, which launched in 2012, identifies tests and procedures that should be discussed between patients and physicians to ensure appropriate and necessary treatment.

"There is not specifically a guideline for when to order a thyroid ultrasound. The guidelines start once you find a nodule," says study first author Debbie W. Chen, M.D., an endocrinology fellow at Michigan Medicine. "Our study suggests there is an opportunity when working on the next set of guidelines to look a little upstream, before a clinical diagnosis, and offer better guidance for when thyroid ultrasound is necessary."

The key, researchers say, is to identify those thyroid cancers that will require treatment but to avoid overdiagnosis by finding nodules that are slow-growing and may never need treatment.

The finding that physicians were ordering thyroid ultrasounds because patients asked for them suggests a need for more education and discussion, Haymart says.

"There's so much emphasis in medicine on patient satisfaction. You do want patients to be satisfied, but physicians also have to do what's medically appropriate," she says. "Developing decision aids could help patients understand and decide when thyroid ultrasound is appropriate and when it's not."
President Muhammadu Buhari has appealed to Nigerians to be more patience in his administrations fight against insecurity.

President Buhari in a statement released on Monday August 10, disclosed that they are investing heavily in acquiring modern equipment. He added that when the equipment arrive, security operatives will undergo training ahead of deployment to the field.

Read the statement below;

We are working very hard to ensure the security situation in every part of Nigeria improves very soon. As part of our efforts, we are investing heavily in acquiring modern equipment. Some have arrived, some are being cleared at the Ports, and we have others still on their way.

Our government is doing its best on the question of equipment, and the military know. We understand the importance of properly equipping our personnel, so that they can deliver their best.

I ask for some patience with the acquisition of equipment, especially with the impact of Covid-19 on global supply chains. And then when the equipment arrive, we need to train personnel for their usage, ahead of deployment to the field.

I want all Nigerians to rest assured that we are doing our very best in this regard. You will see substantial improvements very soon. Security of the lives and property of all Nigerian people will continue to be a priority for us.
For almost two centuries, we have seen various attempts to overthrow the assumptions, beliefs, premises, and conclusions of Christian ethics, sometimes called Judeo-Christian ethics. The Christian worldview and its underlying belief system have been challenged by transcendentalism, Marxism, Darwinism, pragmatism, Freudianism, and existentialism.

These anti-Christian schools of thought in turn have spawned subcategories of "answers" [sic] to the human dilemma  namely, what is the purpose of life and how shall I live in order to fulfill that purpose? These subcategories advanced by that part of the political class known as Democrats include globalism (explicit and implicit rejection of Western civilization); embrace of non-binary sexuality (the nuclear family is an artificial construct); critical race theory calling for repudiation of "whiteness"; ecumenicalism in religion (i.e., we all worship the same god); and ownership of all means of production by the state (but the state is to be perceived as a global village  i.e., as an extended family, not as a people led by an elected government).

Let us now consider three of the above post-Christian philosophies and briefly view their application to the ideological program of the Mobocratic Party:

Transcendentalism  This 19th-century American philosophical movement whose leading spokesman was Harvard professor Ralph Waldo Emerson was itself sourced in three schools of thought. First, love of nature was adapted from the English Romantic poets. God's transcendence was dispensed with. Instead, the divine presence was mystically incorporated into nature itself. Nature itself was to be revered. The transcendence of the Godhead in Christianity was eliminated. Thus, God's immanence was retained, but His transcendence was dispensed with.

This view still finds acceptance. This writer was in a food store in Tampa, Florida a few years ago and purchased a bottle of orange juice (the best I ever tasted). The woman behind the register and I had a brief conversation, and she referred reverentially to "Mother Nature." Because of my pedantic inclinations, I noted, "Of course, Mother Nature is not an actual being, but that term is a metaphor for the nurturing and gifts provided to us by nature's provision of food and water, as well as nature's beauty." She frowned and said Mother Nature is indeed a type of being.

Emerson also sourced his Transcendentalism in Immanuel Kant's transcendental theory of knowledge expressed in his Critique of Pure Reason. For Kant, writing in the 18th century, there is an array of transcendental categories that describe the highest activities of our minds. Claims outside those categories like belief in a holy God are incompatible with reason. Kant thus dramatically severed the unity of reason with belief that had obtained since the writings of Aurelius Augustine in the late 4th and 5th centuries.

Lastly, Emerson also imported theosophy and Eastern mysticism onto the American continent. Spirituality through meditation and connecting with the "oversoul" was a path to enlightenment that does not posit a divine Creator, prophets, or a Savior. He embraced theosophy. The meditation craze of the 1960s carried the Emersonian ideal forward.

Marxism  In 1859, Karl Marx published his classic Das Kapital (tr. Capitalism). This work portrays the movement of history as a dialectic  Thesis (class) producing an Antithesis (another class), which challenges the Thesis for economic and political hegemony, and out of that challenge comes a Synthesis. Thus, the overthrow of feudalism gave birth to society ruled by the bourgeoisie, who in turn would be challenged by the working class (proletariat), and this challenge would give rise to communism (with dictatorship of the proletariat needed in the early stages to phase in full blown communism based on the principle "from each according to his ability, to each according to his needs." However, even a casual observer has noted in the years since Marx that societies that turn toward communism never seem to get past the dictatorship phase. This observation always comes as a surprise to the stupido class, which, while not noted by Marx, seems to exist in every stage of history.

Most importantly, religion is repudiated by Marxism as the "opiate of the people." It is reduced to being a tool of the ruling class to maintain its self-interested control over the masses, an instrument of exploitation and self-aggrandizement. Marxism shares a rejection of faith and Christianity with transcendentalism and rejects even the spirituality of immanence that we find in transcendentalism. Instead, it takes hold of a pure materialism without even a trace of attraction to love, mercy, nature, or beauty as aspirational values.

Existentialism  While it is not clear cut as to who should be called an existentialist, it is generally assumed that thinkers such as Sren Kirkegaard and Martin Buber can rightly be called religious existentialists. However, the anti-religious or atheistic existentialists have, I believe, had more far-reaching influence embracing Frederick Nietzsche and the political leftists Jean-Paul Sartre and Albert Camus. During the latter part of the 19th century, Nietzsche announced that "God is dead." Instead, just as humanity is part of an evolutionary process, humans are themselves evolving to a new, higher level. The human so-called of the future will be called the ubermensch or superman. This new species will not be distinguished by wearing a red cape and a giant letter "S" on its shirt. Rather, these supermen will express what Nietzsche calls the "transvaluation of values." They will reverse the pathetic Christian value system. Instead, what was considered bad will be considered good, and what was considered good will be bad. Although many Nietzsche fans consider it wrong to attribute Nazism to Nietzsche's writings (preferring to blame Nietzsche's sister), this writer is satisfied that Nietzsche's thought contributed significantly to the Hitlerian vision.

The three philosophical schools above laid the groundwork for the oppressive distortions now supported by many modern rioters as well as legitimately elected leaders of the Mobocrats. The onward and upward theme of Nietzsche and the Marxists, whereby the achievements of Western civilization are disparaged  including the rejection of the nation-state model  are embraced by the globalists. Society is evolving to a better way of seeing life divorced from anything resembling biblical values or John Locke's natural rights of man.

Nature becomes God and is glorified as in Transcendentalism via climate change advocacy. The class struggle and race-based themes merge as an updated Marxism, and anyone considered possessing goodness to any degree  such as white people  is to be de-legitimized and marginalized. For the terror-minded fanatics, even sex and gender are part of society's retarded caste system that must be smashed. Spirituality is a private affair  thus, if you need to be spiritual at all, then by all means meditate alone. Churches are part of the collective system of exploitation and false teachings. They use religion combined with social sanctions to reinforce thinking that, according to the left, is retrograde and bourgeois.

To the rascals and criminals who are now trying to take over our socio-political system, "faith of our fathers" is so much malarkey. "Don't you see the national and worldwide suffering?!" they shriek. But all this writer sees is their shrill and pathetic ignorance.

E. Jeffrey Ludwig teaches philosophy in New York City and is a regular contributor to conservative online publications. His latest book is entitled The Liberty Manifesto Vol. 1, and it's available here.
Secretary of Defense Mark Esper testifies to the Senate Armed Services Committee about the budget, on Capitol Hill in Washington on March 4, 2020. (Jacquelyn Martin/AP Photo)

Defense Secretary Esper Committed to Serving As Long As Wanted by President: Source

Following reports claiming that President Donald Trump is looking to remove Defense Secretary Mark Esper after the election, the White House didnt directly refute the allegations but said that it has no new announcements on personnel.

The reports alleged that Trump wasnt pleased with Espers response after the president sought to deploy military troops to quell mass unrest, violence, and riots earlier this summer.

President Trump has assembled an incredible team at the White House and across the federal government who have accomplished undeniable successes on behalf of the American people. We have no personnel announcements at this time nor would it be appropriate to speculate about changes after the election or in a second term, White House spokesman Judd Deere said in a statement on Wednesday.

A source close to Esper told The Epoch Times that he is committed to serving as long as the Commander in Chief wants him to.

Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman echoed the sources claim, saying its Espers highest honor and privilege to serve the nation in defense of our great country and he recognizes that he serves the nation and leads the men and women of this department as secretary of defense at the pleasure of the president.

The speculation about Espers job was triggered by a Bloomberg News report this week, which said that Trump wants to replace him for his reluctance to deploy U.S. military troops to quell violent unrest and riots in the wake of George Floyds death. The report cited anonymous sources and people close to the Pentagon chief.

In a June 3 briefing, Esper told reporters that on the day that Trump visited a Washington church that was vandalized following Black Lives Matter protests, he wasnt aware that the president would pose for a photo while holding a Bible.

President Donald Trump holds a Bible while visiting St. Johns Church across from the White House in Washington on June 1, 2020. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images)

I did know that following the presidents remarks on Monday evening that many of us were going to join President Trump and review the damage in Lafayette Park and at St Johns Episcopal Church, Esper said. What I was not aware of was exactly where we were going when I arrived at the church and what the plans were once we got there.

The church was damaged in a fire that was allegedly set by rioters the night before.

The Wall Street Journal, also citing anonymous sources, reported that Trump was considering firing Esper about a week after the incident in June.

Esper was named to the post in 2019 after former Defense Secretary James Mattis resigned after Trumps decision to withdraw from Syria.

Allen Zhong contributed to this report.
Hawaii is struggling to combat the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) as it becomes the highest rate of transmission in the United States, according to reports.

The Aloha State is currently seeing coronavirus cases spreading at a rate of 1.16 percent. This means that every person who gets sick spreads the virus to over one and a half other individuals on average.

Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell said this rate of transmission is "very high." The next worse states are South Dakota and Texas, with a percentage of 1.2 and 1.16, respectively.

According to a New York Post report, Dr. Scott Miscovich said it is just one example of how we need to be serious about this. Miscovich said that they need to wear masks and to practice social distancing.

Hawaii reinstated its 14-day interisland travel quarantine due to a new surge in coronavirus cases. It took effect on August 11. The state is regularly observing triple digits increase in COVID-19 infections.

"We have endured several months- all of us here, all across this state- of restrictions and had been successful in managing the virus and keeping the counts low. But as we reopened our community, people let their guard down," Hawaii Governor David Ige said in a report.

State Health Director Bruce Anderson said at least 53 percent of ICU beds were filled, as of last week. Hawaii had announced that it would not reopen for tourism for out-of-state visitors until September 1, and would continue to implement the 14-day quarantine for all out-of-state travelers.

As of Tuesday night, a total of 3,756 total coronavirus cases had been reported by the state's health department. Hawaii had already recorded 34 deaths from the virus, with 251 required hospitalization - an increase from last Thursday's 223.

Worsening Picture

Reports said Hawaii is painting a worsening picture when it comes to the COVID-19 crisis. The models obtained by Hawaii News Now showed that there could be 7,617 total cases of COVID-19 in Hawaii before the end of the month.

Currently, the state has 3,700 cases. The models also showed 34 deaths, with 385 hospitalizations.

Aside from that, a University of Hawaii (UH) System professor and three undergraduate students have created a separate forecast for Oahu.

By August 31, a total of 4,127 cases will be recorded in Oahu, according to their models. It could be worse with nearly 5,000 total cases.

"My reaction originally was like damn. It's like damn because we've already had a massive spike and 200 cases in a single day," UH research assistant Seth Colburn said in a report.

UH sophomore and research assistant Brenton Sasaoka said the youth think they are invincible to the virus.

Sasaoka noted that it is sad to see the situation as many of his friends are renting AirBNBs or visiting a relative's house and having weekend parties with all their friends.

He added that he goes to the gym and see people pulling down their mask and not taking the situation seriously.

Check these out:

Arizona Teacher Dies of COVID-19, 2 Co-Teachers Infected

Can COVID-19 Live on Food Packaging?

Scientists Warned The World About COVID-19 in 2007, Why Didn't We Listen?
In an official blog post, Google has unveiled that it is bringing some new features for Google Classroom and Meet. Moreover, these features are aimed to provide better control and improved interactivity for the users.

This COVID-19 era has given rise to the work-from-home or study-from-home culture. And for this, platforms like Zoom are at an all-time high in terms of usage.

Google also did not fall behind and it came with some impressive features for its already available platforms, Google Meet, and Google Classroom.

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Today, Google announced some new features for Google Classroom along with its future plans, which gives a preview of features that will come to Google Meet.

More interactivity features will make their way to Google Meet in the coming months

When it comes to the upcoming features on Google Meet, there are tons of them. Firstly by September, a new grid 77 to accommodate 49 students at once is on the list. Furthermore, a Jamboard in Meet will be added to let students share their ideas and views about lessons being taught.

In October, Google plans to bring a custom background feature to give more customization options to the users. However, this can be disabled by the admin at any time.

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The attendance tracking feature to track students attendance will be added. Another convenient feature for educators is the Breakout Room that will allow the teachers to split the classes into small group discussions.

Besides, later this year, Google plans to bring the hand-raising feature to help the student raise a query during the class. Q&A feature is also one thing that will benefit the students so they can clarify their doubts without disturbing the flow of the class by creating polls.

Google Classroom also gets a bunch of new features

Google Classroom is also not far behind in terms of features. To keep a track of the work or assignments, a to-do widget for students and a to-review widget for teachers will be added by Google.

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Moreover, teachers can send a link to their students to let them join the class from anywhere. Teachers can use this link-sharing platform with any of the messaging platforms like WhatsApp to let students connect to classes.

Google is increasing the limit of originality reports educators can use per-class from three to five. The G Suite Enterprise Education license using teachers will continue to get unlimited originality support.

Apparently, instructors with G Suite Enterprise Education licenses can check plagiarism between student and school.

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They will also be able to download, save, and share the reports with students, parents, and administrators as needed.

Besides, originality reports can also be run on Google Slides along with Google Docs. Soon multiple language support will also be included in the Classroom.

Additionally, Google will launch the Classroom in 10 languages which include Bengali, Telugu, Marathi, Tamil, and Urdu. To learn about Classroom features that will be added in the future, you can head here.
Five projects serving 51 communities in northern Canada have been awarded $72 million from the CRTC's Broadband Fund, a program that CRTC chairman Ian Scott says has become even more necessary due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 12/8/2020 (524 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Five projects serving 51 communities in northern Canada have been awarded $72 million from the CRTC's Broadband Fund, a program that CRTC chairman Ian Scott says has become even more necessary due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Most of the money, which is subject to various conditions, will flow to a subsidiary of Canada's largest telecommunications company and the remaining $9.9 million will go to a community-based service provider in northern Manitoba.

A CRTC logo is shown in Montreal on September 10, 2012. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes

In total, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission says the money will improve internet access services for more than 10,000 households in 51 communities, most of them Indigenous.

Scott said the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the critical need for reliable communications networks.

"We recognize ... this is really important, more important than ever in the current environment and we'll be working hard to get out decisions as fast as we can," Scott said in an interview.

Four of the projects that were announced Wednesday were proposed by Northwestel Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of BCE Inc.'s Bell Canada.

The Northwestel projects include: $4.1 million for eight satellite-dependent N.W.T. communities; up to $16.8 million to bring high-speed fibre connections to 18 N.W.T. communities; $2.86 million to improve satellite service in Old Crow, Yukon; and $38.5 million to improve fibre service to 19 communities in Yukon.

The fifth project, covering five communities in northern Manitoba, was proposed by Broadband Communications North, which is governed by representatives from tribal councils, regional political organizations and independent Indigenous communities.

The Broadband Fund is designed to help provide service in places where it would be unprofitable to build them without assistance.

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"If they are economically viable without our funding, we won't fund them," Scott said in an interview.

The announced projects are the first to receive a total of up to $750 million over five years. The CRTC is currently going through nearly 600 additional applications seeking a total of about $1.5 billion.

The fund  which is paid for by levies collected from Canada's communications carriers, not through the tax system  was created to help achieve the CRTC's mandate to establish basic broadband internet service throughout the country.

The CRTC announced in late 2016  about a year into the Trudeau government's first mandate and prior to Scott's appointment in 2018  that it would set up an independent body to distribute funding for broadband in underserved areas.

It began collecting applications last year and Scott said the timeline for the next round of decisions is uncertain, given the amount of work required to consider the applications.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 12, 2020
In 2018, Syrian-Armenian businessman Ara Dagesian decided to start a business in the agriculture sector in Armenia and purchased a 200-hectare land in Ferik village of Armavir Province, but faced unexpected obstacles. This is what Dagesians attorney Tigran Hayrapetyan told reporters today. According to Hayrapetyan, deputy of the ruling My Step faction of the National Assembly of Armenia Rustam Bakoyan was the one who created obstacles.

We are holding this news conference since we have used up all the possible resources and havent been able to do anything due to the inaction of police officers and the MPs interference, the attorney said, adding that the MP has incited massive disturbances.

We reported a crime, a criminal case was instituted, but investigative bodies didnt take any action. After many hardships, the court recently upheld our appeal and ruled that Mr. Dagesians rights had been violated, the attorney said.

The Syrian-Armenian businessman said he had moved to Armenia six years ago, but didnt want to do business since he saw that doing business in Armenia was rather difficult. After the revolution in Armenia, he changed his mind, purchased a land, and his attorney said everything was fine and there were no obstacles. He hadnt even started working on the land when the residents of Ferik village joined forces and tried to make the businessman leave the village.

The attorney added that the villagers had complained that the land used to be a grazing field and that they wanted it to be a grazing field now as well. Mr. Dagesian told the villagers he would give them 50 hectares of land and even promised to create jobs for them. Somebody provoked the villagers, and they disagreed, Hayrapetyan said, stating that the provoker is Rustam Bakoyan.
Edison, NJ -- (SBWIRE) -- 08/12/2020 -- A new business intelligence report released by HTF MI with title "COVID-19 Outbreak-Global Finance and Accounting BPO Industry Market Report-Development Trends, Threats, Opportunities and Competitive Landscape in 2020" is designed covering micro level of analysis by manufacturers and key business segments. The COVID-19 Outbreak-Global Finance and Accounting BPO Market survey analysis offers energetic visions to conclude and study market size, market hopes, and competitive surroundings. The research is derived through primary and secondary statistics sources and it comprises both qualitative and quantitative detailing. Some of the key players profiled in the study are Serco, IBM, Genpact, Cognizant, Neusoft, Accenture, Capgemini, WNS, HP, EXL Service, InfosysBPO, Xerox/ACS, Xchanging, Sutherland, Steria, Wipro & TCS Ltd..



What's keeping Serco, IBM, Genpact, Cognizant, Neusoft, Accenture, Capgemini, WNS, HP, EXL Service, InfosysBPO, Xerox/ACS, Xchanging, Sutherland, Steria, Wipro & TCS Ltd. Ahead in the Market? Benchmark yourself with the strategic moves and findings recently released by HTF MI



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Market Overview of COVID-19 Outbreak-Global Finance and Accounting BPO

If you are involved in the COVID-19 Outbreak-Global Finance and Accounting BPO industry or aim to be, then this study will provide you inclusive point of view. It's vital you keep your market knowledge up to date segmented by Applications [Banking & Insurance, Energy & Utilities, Manufacturing, Retail & Hospitality & Telecom], Product Types [, Multi-process F&A BPO, Order-to-Cash Outsourcing, Procure-to-Pay Outsourcing, Record-to-Report Outsourcing & Source-to-Pay Outsourcing] and major players. If you have a different set of players/manufacturers according to geography or needs regional or country segmented reports we can provide customization according to your requirement.



This study mainly helps understand which market segments or Region or Country they should focus in coming years to channelize their efforts and investments to maximize growth and profitability. The report presents the market competitive landscape and a consistent in depth analysis of the major vendor/key players in the market along with impact of economic slowdown due to COVID.



Furthermore, the years considered for the study are as follows:

Historical year  2014-2019

Base year  2019

Forecast period**  2020 to 2026 [** unless otherwise stated]



**Moreover, it will also include the opportunities available in micro markets for stakeholders to invest, detailed analysis of competitive landscape and product services of key players.



The titled segments and sub-section of the market are illuminated below:

The Study Explore the Product Types of COVID-19 Outbreak- Finance and Accounting BPO Market: , Multi-process F&A BPO, Order-to-Cash Outsourcing, Procure-to-Pay Outsourcing, Record-to-Report Outsourcing & Source-to-Pay Outsourcing



Key Applications/end-users of COVID-19 Outbreak-Global Finance and Accounting BPO Market: Banking & Insurance, Energy & Utilities, Manufacturing, Retail & Hospitality & Telecom



Top Players in the Market are: Serco, IBM, Genpact, Cognizant, Neusoft, Accenture, Capgemini, WNS, HP, EXL Service, InfosysBPO, Xerox/ACS, Xchanging, Sutherland, Steria, Wipro & TCS Ltd.



Region Included are: North America (Covered in Chapter 7 and 14), United States, Canada, Mexico, Europe (Covered in Chapter 8 and 14), Germany, UK, France, Italy, Spain, Russia, Others, Asia-Pacific (Covered in Chapter 9 and 14), China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, India, Southeast Asia, Others, Middle East and Africa (Covered in Chapter 10 and 14), Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria, South Africa, Others, South America (Covered in Chapter 11 and 14), Brazil, Argentina, Columbia, Chile & Others



Enquire for customization in Report @: https://www.htfmarketreport.com/enquiry-before-buy/2770733-covid-19-outbreak-global-finance-and-accounting-bpo-industry-market



Important Features that are under offering & key highlights of the report:

 Detailed overview of COVID-19 Outbreak- Finance and Accounting BPO market

 Changing market dynamics of the industry

 In-depth market segmentation by Type, Application etc

 Historical, current and projected market size in terms of volume and value

 Recent industry trends and developments

 Competitive landscape of COVID-19 Outbreak- Finance and Accounting BPO market

 Strategies of key players and product offerings

 Potential and niche segments/regions exhibiting promising growth

 A neutral perspective towards COVID-19 Outbreak- Finance and Accounting BPO market performance

 Market players information to sustain and enhance their footprint



Read Detailed Index of full Research Study at @ https://www.htfmarketreport.com/reports/2770733-covid-19-outbreak-global-finance-and-accounting-bpo-industry-market



Major Highlights of TOC:

Chapter One: COVID-19 Outbreak-Global Finance and Accounting BPO Market Industry Overview

1.1 COVID-19 Outbreak- Finance and Accounting BPO Industry

1.1.1 Overview

1.1.2 Products of Major Companies

1.2 COVID-19 Outbreak- Finance and Accounting BPO Market Segment

1.2.1 Industry Chain

1.2.2 Consumer Distribution

1.3 Price & Cost Overview



Chapter Two: COVID-19 Outbreak-Global Finance and Accounting BPO Market Demand

2.1 Segment Overview

2.1.1 APPLICATION 1

2.1.2 APPLICATION 2

2.1.3 Other

2.2 COVID-19 Outbreak-Global Finance and Accounting BPO Market Size by Demand

2.3 COVID-19 Outbreak-Global Finance and Accounting BPO Market Forecast by Demand



Chapter Three: COVID-19 Outbreak-Global Finance and Accounting BPO Market by Type

3.1 By Type

3.1.1 TYPE 1

3.1.2 TYPE 2

3.2 COVID-19 Outbreak- Finance and Accounting BPO Market Size by Type

3.3 COVID-19 Outbreak- Finance and Accounting BPO Market Forecast by Type



Chapter Four: Major Region of COVID-19 Outbreak- Finance and Accounting BPO Market

4.1 COVID-19 Outbreak-Global Finance and Accounting BPO Sales

4.2 COVID-19 Outbreak-Global Finance and Accounting BPO Revenue & market share



Chapter Five: Major Companies List



Chapter Six: Conclusion



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Key questions answered

- What impact does COVID-19 have made on COVID-19 Outbreak-Global Finance and Accounting BPO Market Growth & Sizing?

- Who are the Leading key players and what are their Key Business plans in the COVID-19 Outbreak-Global Finance and Accounting BPO market?

- What are the key concerns of the five forces analysis of the COVID-19 Outbreak-Global Finance and Accounting BPO market?

- What are different prospects and threats faced by the dealers in the COVID-19 Outbreak-Global Finance and Accounting BPO market?

- What are the strengths and weaknesses of the key vendors?



Thanks for reading this article; you can also get individual chapter wise section or region wise report version like North America, Europe or Asia.



About HTF Market Report

HTF Market Report is a wholly owned brand of HTF market Intelligence Consulting Private Limited. HTF Market Report global research and market intelligence consulting organization is uniquely positioned to not only identify growth opportunities but to also empower and inspire you to create visionary growth strategies for futures, enabled by our extraordinary depth and breadth of thought leadership, research, tools, events and experience that assist you for making goals into a reality. Our understanding of the interplay between industry convergence, Mega Trends, technologies and market trends provides our clients with new business models and expansion opportunities. We are focused on identifying the "Accurate Forecast" in every industry we cover so our clients can reap the benefits of being early market entrants and can accomplish their "Goals & Objectives".



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Last week, in a Q&A about covering losses in the journalism industry, Poynter reporter Kristen Hare observed that the newsroom mergers and consolidations that have resulted from the coronavirus pandemic often use terminology to obscure the full breadth of the loss. If you lose a newsroom, and everybody in that newsroom has lost their jobs, and that community no longer has a newsroom, its closed, Hare said. Its not a merger. Its a loss for the community.

In an ever-growing database tracking newsroom cutbacks, the Tow Center has recorded consolidations or mergers of more than thirty local journalism outletsmost owned by CNHI, a company based in Montgomery, Alabama. In Florida, CNHI-owned newspapers The Suwannee Democrat, The Jasper News and The Mayo Free Press announced the end of their print editions and digital content, noting that localized coverage would appear periodically in the Valdosta Daily Times. Local papers in Iowa, Alabama, Indiana, Oklahoma, and Texasall owned by CNHImade similar announcements. And in Kentucky, where The Morehead News, The Grayson Journal Times, and The Greenup County News-Times merged with The Daily Independentspreading local reporting across more than a hundred miles from one coverage area to anotherAl Cross from the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues reported on The Rural Blog that many dailies have swallowed up sister weeklies, but its unusual if not unprecedented for such a consolidation over such a distance.

In some cases, merger announcements didnt mention layoffs, but reporters nevertheless did lose jobs. In an update to Crosss blog entry, he linked to a July article in the Daily Yonder, reporting that laid-off journalists from several of the shuttered Kentucky papers had launched their own outlets. Why do these journalists think they can succeed in publishing a local newspaper when a large corporation like CNHI couldnt? Amanda Page asks. One reporter answers Pages question in an opinion piece for his new publication, The Carter County Times: We live here. We care about here.

While some announcements suggest that at least some newsroom staff are being retained, mergers and consolidations still signal an end to print editions and individualized coverage that is rooted in a particular place. As Iowas Keota Eagle announced in June, The final edition will be the end of a newspaper exclusively serving the Keota community.

As publishers like CNHI continue to make cuts, its important to take stock of the cost behind every decisionin individual jobs lost, public meetings left uncovered, newspapers disappearing from community doorsteps.

The Journalism Crisis Project aims to train our focus on the present crisis, tallying lost jobs and outlets and fostering a conversation about what comes next. We hope youll join us (click to subscribe).

Sign up for CJR 's daily email

CONTRIBUTE TO OUR DATABASE: If youre aware of a newsroom experiencing layoffs, cutbacks, furloughs, print reductions, or any fundamental change as a result of covid-19, let us know by submitting information here. (Personal information will be kept secure by the Tow Center and will not be shared.)

PARTICIPATE IN A SURVEY FOR LOCAL NEWSROOMS: Tow Center Fellow Damian Radcliffe has launched a new online survey exploring the impact of covid-19 on local newsrooms and examining other changes that are shaping what local newspapers do and how they do it. If you work in a newspaper with a print circulation of 50,000 or less, please take a few minutes to contribute, and encourage others to participate.

If youre interested in learning more about the survey and its intended goals, Radcliffe has more, on Medium. The Tow Center will share the surveys findings later this year.

Below, more on recent changes in newsrooms across the world:

JOURNALISM JOBS AND OPPORTUNITIES: MediaGazer has been maintaining a list of media companies that are currently hiring. You can find it here. The Deez Links newsletter, in partnership with Study Hall, offers media classifieds for both job seekers (at no cost) and job providers. The Ida B. Wells Society announced that its micro-loan program for journalists would no longer require recipients to repay their loansyou can apply here and donate here.

Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today

Lauren Harris is a freelance journalist. She writes CJR's weekly newsletter for the Journalism Crisis Project. Follow her on Twitter @LHarrisWrites.
This man earns Rs 16,000 a day by standing in line for rich people

UK falls into recession for first time in 11 years

India

oi-Briti Roy Barman

New Delhi, Aug 12: The UK economy officially fell into recession for the first time in 11 years due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) slumped by 20.4 per cent in the second quarter following a dip of 2.2 per cent in the first three months of 2020, official figures showed.

This is the largest quarterly contraction in the UK on record.

PM Modi holds meeting with top bankers; asks them to ensure stable credit growth

The data also showed the world's sixth-biggest economy entered a recession as it shrank for a second quarter consecutively.

Chinese firms raided | I-T dept raids Chinese companies & more news | Oneindia News

According to the Office for National Statistics, there were signs of a recovery in June alone when the GDP grew by 8.7 per cent from May.

"The recession brought on by the coronavirus pandemic has led to the biggest fall in quarterly GDP on record," Jonathan Athow of the Office for National Statistics said.

"The economy began to bounce back in June... Despite this, GDP in June still remains a sixth below its level in February, before the virus struck."

"Today's figures confirm that hard times are here," finance minister Rishi Sunak said. "Hundreds of thousands of people have already lost their jobs, and sadly in the coming months many more will."

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Wednesday, August 12, 2020, 13:24 [IST]
The tourism ministry, as part of its ongoing intiative Dekho Apna Desh hosted a webinar on Wednesday that chronicled the life of freedom fighters such as Vinayak Damodar Savarkar and Batukeshwar Dutt while they were imprisoned in the Kaala Paani prison or Cellular Jail in Andaman and Nicobar islands .

Dekho Apna Desh is the ministrys flagship initiative in which series of webinars highlighting the countrys main tourism attractions are conducted. The ministry has conducted over 40 webinars till date, five of which have been specially organised around the theme of Independence Day, 15 August.

According to the officials, the topics of the webinars are chosen to highlight the unique features of any given location. One can not have a conversation about Tourism in Andaman and Nicobar Islands without mentioning the Cellular Jail, said a ministry official. In the webinar on Kaala Paani or Cellular Jail in Andaman and Nicobar Islands where the British met out cruelest treatment to political prisoners, is right-wing icon Savarkar who features most prominently.

Savarkar was arrested by the British on the suspicion of being involved in a protest organised by his elder brother against the Indian Council Act, or the Minto Morley Reforms, the ministry states in the webinar.

According to historian Ramachandra Guha, while Savarkars views on Hindutva are reprehensible, one cannot forget that he was a heroic and brave freedom fighter. It is not easy to find a historical figure who is either completely good or completely bad, said Guha. Other freedom fighters to find mention include Bhagat Singhs accomplice Battukeshwar Dutt, Barindra Kumar Ghosh and Subhash Chandra Bose, among others.
Parth Pawar recently, demanded that the case of Rajput's death be handed over to the CBI or a SIT be formed with forensic experts to probe the case

NCP president Sharad Pawar on Wednesday said he gives "absolutely no importance to his grand-nephew Parth Pawars recent demand for a CBI probe into the case of actor Sushant Singh Rajput's death, and also termed the young leader as immature.

Sharad Pawar also said he has faith in the Mumbai Police, but added that he will not oppose if someone still wants the central agency's investigation into the case.

Rajput, 34, was found hanging at his apartment in suburban Bandra on 14 June.

"We attach absolutely no importance to what my grand-nephew says. He is immature...I have clearly said that I have 100 percent trust in the Maharashtra Police and Mumbai Police. But if someone still wants a CBI probe into it, then there is no reason to oppose that too," the NCP chief told reporters after a meeting with Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut.

He was asked about the demand for a CBI probe in the case being made some people, including by his grand-nephew Parth.

Pawar said he does not want to respond to the allegations being levelled against the Maharashtra government in connection with the case.

"We feel sad if any person commits suicide. But I feel a bit surprised at the way it is being discussed (in the media), he added. The NCP patriarch further said he had recently been to Satara where a farmer expressed surprise to him on the discussion in the media over Rajputs death.

"The farmer said he felt surprised at the way it (Rajputs death) is being discussed in the media. "He (the farmer) said 20 farmers committed suicide in Satara, but it was not even noted by media. So, I know what are the sentiments of the common people, Pawar added.

Parth, who lost the last year's Lok Sabha election from Maval seat in Maharashtra, is the son of the NCP president's nephew and state Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar.

On 27 July, Parth Pawar met state Home Minister Anil Deshmukh demanding that the case of Rajput's death be handed over to the CBI or a Special Investigation Team (SIT) be formed with forensic experts to probe the case.

Shiv Sena's Rajya Sabha member Raut on Sunday claimed "pressure tactics" were being used in the case of Rajput's death and the issue was being politicised as part of a conspiracy against Maharashtra.

It is wrong to see the unfortunate suicide of the actor from a political angle, Raut said in his weekly column 'Rokhthok' in the party mouthpiece 'Saamana'.

A tug of war has been going on between the governments of Bihar and Maharashtra over the Rajput death case. Maharashtra has been contending that Bihar had no jurisdiction in the matter since the death took place in Mumbai.

Meanwhile, after the nearly hour-long interaction with Pawar at the Y B Chavan Centre here, Raut told PTI it was a routine meeting where many issues were discussed.

He also posted a tweet, saying, "Yes, I met Sharad Pawar and discussed developments in the state and the country. There is no need for anybody to worry or have stomachache."

Raut in his column 'Rokhthok' on Sunday also mentioned about his telephonic conversation with Pawar on some TV news anchors referring to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray in first person.

"'The chief minister is not an individual but an institute. What is the government doing'?" Raut wrote in the column, quoting Pawar.

The NCP and the Congress are part of the Shiv Sena-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government in the state.
Former Vice President Joe Biden (L) and Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) take the stage at the Democratic Presidential Debate at the Fox Theatre in Detroit, Mich., on July 31, 2019. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Biden and New Running Mate Harris to Make First Campaign Appearance

Presumptive Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and his new running mate, Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), will make their first appearance as a ticket on Wednesday in Wilmington, Delaware.

The two are scheduled to deliver remarks just days before Biden is presumed to formally accept the Democratic nomination during the partys national convention, which will take place largely as a virtual event next week due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Republican convention, where President Donald Trump will be nominated for a second 4-year term, follows a week later and kicks off a 10-week sprint to the Nov. 3 election.

Harris, 55, the first Asian American to appear on a major-party presidential ticket, was announced as Bidens choice on Tuesday after a selection process that drew extra scrutiny thanks to Bidens age.

The 77-year-old would be the oldest president ever if he wins, raising speculation that he would not seek reelection in 2024.

Former Vice President Joe Biden (L) and Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) take the stage at the Democratic Presidential Debate at the Fox Theatre in Detroit, Mich., on July 31, 2019. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

In choosing Harris, Biden selected a former rival for the nomination whose most memorable campaign moment was when she criticized his past position on using busing to integrate schools during a televised debate.

But Harris was regarded as a relatively safe choice. She is a more dynamic campaigner than Biden and will be relied upon to help energize black voters, who represent a crucial constituency for Biden in key swing states.

In recent months, as unrest has convulsed U.S. cities following the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Harris has become a prominent voice calling for change. She has marched alongside protesters and pushed legislation to reform policing practices.

Biden, who had vowed to pick a female running mate, had come under increasing pressure to select a black woman.

As a former prosecutor and attorney general, Harris has shown herself to be a sharp questioner in Senate hearings and appears to be well suited to the traditional attack dog role that vice presidential candidates are often asked to assume.

By Joseph Ax

Epoch Times staff contributed to this report.
We all know that desi people have a tendency to latch on completely to something even remotely related to India in countries like the USA. So, it comes as no surprise that everyone is super ecstatic about an Indian-origin woman being US Presidential candidate Joe Biden's running mate.

Joe Biden announced last night that Senator Kamala Harris would be running as his Vice President for elections this year and well, her Indian roots have caused an uproar among the desi community.

 Reuters

Even though Kamala Harris is basically American, since she was born and brought up in that country, her mother is from Tamil Nadu and moved to the US back in the 60s. Yes, it's great to see someone like her as the VP candidate, even though a lot of Democratic Americans are less than thrilled about it, considering her previous actions.



But, for Indians, this is considered a win because a South Asian woman is in the running.

First Indian and Asian woman to get the nomination as official VP candidate. https://t.co/zrGa612Rio  Ram Madhav (@rammadhavbjp) August 12, 2020

Indian Americans have given her their unconditional support.

Growing up as an Indian-American, I often got told the only careers I should consider are becoming an engineer or doctor.



HOW ABOUT VICE PRESIDENT THO?!



As a South Asian, and Californian, I am excited to see Senator Harris become Vice President Harris. #BidenHarris2020 pic.twitter.com/VFFgRcy7Bi  Jas Sajjan (@JasSajjan) August 11, 2020

People are proud.

No, she's not Indian-American.

For god's sake stop calling @KamalaHarris an Indian-American. She is an American and she had said it herself. She has not done anything of note for India in her entire life. Don't take credit where it's not due.  Chaitanya Pathare (@MindBoggling) August 12, 2020

But still, people are happy and there's no harm in that.

The first Indian-American US senator is all set to become the first Indian-American Veep and possibly also the President of the USA.

Congratulations @KamalaHarris and thanks to @JoeBiden for recognising her hardwork & skills as a public servant.#KamalaHarris#JoeBiden2020  Prabhat Singh Tomar (@imsrkkk) August 12, 2020

That's big.

Harris is the first woman of color to run for either president or vice president on a major party ticket. Her election as vice president would make her the first Black American to serve in the role and the first woman or Indian-American to serve as either president or vp. pic.twitter.com/U0fQ7U8Vd2  KORIR, Isaac Kipkirui (@Korir_254) August 12, 2020

Is it, tho?

It's really a great moment for us also.

A Indian-american U.S. senator @KamalaHarris nominated for VP candidate for US presidential election from Democrats.We hope this will help in the diplomatic relationship of India with U.S. #KamalaHarrisForVP pic.twitter.com/3CARRjqlsl  Mahendra Kumar  (@Kumar_Mahendra3) August 12, 2020

Hmm.

#BREAKING: Joe Biden picks @KamalaHarris for VP an Indian - American couldn't be more excited about it.#BidenHarris2020 pic.twitter.com/PRCqXShEVm  Akshit Bisht AB (@AkshitB20) August 12, 2020

That's great!

As someone who also is Black and Indian American and a woman, it's rare to see yourself reflected in any way, let alone as a candidate for vice president. https://t.co/WWBAOIUGFp  Maya T. Prabhu (@MayaTPrabhu) August 11, 2020

Now, this kind of support and representation is important.

I wish my mother was alive to see this day.



An Indian-American woman on the Democratic Presidential ticket. My heart swells w/pride & gratitude.



Congratulations, @KamalaHarris! Millions of brown & black little girls have yet another dream to dream. #BidenHarris2020  pic.twitter.com/IawRiqTPHg  Dr. Hiral Tipirneni (@hiral4congress) August 11, 2020

This is pretty funny.

torn about kamala harris. as an american, i dont give a shit. but as an indian american? i also dont give a shit  rishi! (@rishipuff) August 11, 2020

Okay then.

I will say, I genuinely did not expect to see an Indian American major party candidate in my lifetime. Grateful for what that represents for a community that has too often told its young people to reject political activism or to avoid claiming power.  Anil Dash (@anildash) August 11, 2020

Big day?

An Indian American is on a presidential ticket. I didn't think I'd ever say that.  Hari Sevugan (@HariSevugan) August 11, 2020

That's a lot of firsts.

First Black woman on ticket

First Indian American

First HBCU grad

First Californian

First daughter of immigrants  Person Woman Man Camera TV (@ClaraJeffery) August 12, 2020

Wow.
By Trend

As many as 2,555 containers of the Azerbaijani ADY Container company transported goods between Kazakhstan and Turkey through Azerbaijan from January through May 2020, a source in the company told Trend.

"A great increase in cargo transportation in the direction of Kazakhstan - Turkey through Azerbaijan has been observed this year," the source added.

"The container shipping between Kazakhstan and Turkey through Azerbaijan increased by almost 3.4 times compared to the same period of last year," the source said.

From January through May 2019, 758 containers of ADY Container transported cargo between Kazakhstan and Turkey through Azerbaijan.

In total, the company exported 5,204 containers with cargo from January through May 2020, which is eight percent more compared to 4,825 containers last year.

Some 8,148 containers were transited from January through May 2020, which is by 24 percent more compared to 6,593 containers during the same period of last year.

The total cargo transportation growth amounted to 20 percent (20,477 containers) from January through May.

Despite the pandemic, ADY Containers import and export international (transit) cargo transportation is underway as usual.

In 1Q2020, 11,321 containers were transported via Azerbaijani railway.

ADY Container LLC has begun expanding cooperation, mainly with countries in the Far East region - China, Japan and South Korea, as well as with Ukraine, Turkey, Russia, Iran and India, in order to increase the volume of cargo transportation along the international East-West Transport Corridor, North-South Transport Corridor and Trans-Caspian International Transport Route.

ADY Container LLC is engaged in storage, maintenance and transportation of containers in compliance with international standards.

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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, August 12, 2020 15:11 525 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066d77406 1 National djoko-tjandra,AGO,Attorney-General-Office,prosecutors,graft,graft-allegation,graft-convict,graft-suspect,graft-fight-in-Indonesia,corruption,corruption-case,bribery,bribery-case,bribes Free

The Attorney Generals Office (AGO) has arrested prosecutor Pinangki Sirna Malasari for allegedly accepting bribes in connection with graft convict Djoko Tjandra, who was arrested late last month after being on the run for years.

Investigators at the AGOs junior attorney for special crimes (Jampidsus) made the arrest on Tuesday night after naming Pinangki a suspect in a bribery case. AGO spokesman Hari Setiyono said that Pinangki had allegedly accepted about US$500,000 in bribes, but did not specify who she got it from.

The AGOs supervisory unit previously said that Pinangki had committed an ethics violation by going on nine international trips to Singapore and Malaysia in 2019 without permission, allegedly to meet with Djoko, who was still at large at the time.

Hari said investigators arrested Pinangki at her residence and the suspect was cooperative during the arrest.

For the time being, she is being detained at the AGOs Salemba Detention Center. Later, she will be transferred to a womens detention center in Pondok Bambu [in East Jakarta], he said on Wednesday as quoted by kompas.com.

Read also: AGO looks into possible crimes in prosecutor's alleged meetings with Djoko Tjandra abroad

Deputy Attorney General Setia Untung Arimuladi had removed Pinangki from her post as an official in the planning bureau under the AGOs junior attorney general for development.

Djoko, a convict in the high-profile Bank Bali corruption case, was arrested in Malaysia on July 30 in a planned operation by the National Police.

He was previously at large for 11 years after fleeing Indonesia a day before the Supreme Court sentenced him to two years in prison and ordered him to pay Rp 546 billion (US$54 million) in restitution.

The National Police had also removed three high-ranking officials from their posts for aiding Djoko Tjandra while on the run, including Brig. Gen. Prasetyo Utomo for allegedly issuing a travel letter for Djoko.

Responding to Pinangkis arrest, Indonesian Anti-Corruption Community (MAKI) coordinator Boyamin Saiman said the case saddened him because as a law enforcement official, Pinangki did not set a good example to the public.

We hope the AGO can develop this case and find the parties who provided the funds and promises to Pinangki, Boyamin said in a video release. (syk)
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By West Kentucky Star Staff

Aug. 11, 2020 | WEST PADUCAH

By West Kentucky Star Staff Aug. 11, 2020 | 06:46 PM | WEST PADUCAH

Firefighters were called to a home on Cairo Road late Monday night and again early Tuesday morning.



Chief Bob McGowan of the Concord Fire Department says they responded at 10:57 pm Monday to 6740 Cairo Road, which is a home right next door to a Dollar General Store, between Gayle Lane and Ogden Landing Road. When they arrived, fire fighters saw flames and smoke coming from the attic of the home, and worked to extinguish the blaze. They left the scene at 12:41 am.



McGowan said at least two people were in the home. They were alerted by smoke detectors and evacuated themselves from the building.



McGowan said the fire appeared to have been caused by an electrical problem in the wall above the breaker box, which is near the meter base on the outside of the home. He said there were storms in the area Monday night, but he's unsure if lightning was involved.



Fire fighters were called back to the home at 4:12 am Tuesday, and found heavy flames and smoke. They worked to put out the fire and left the scene at 7:35 am.



Nobody was injured. Cairo Road was blocked both times the fire department responded.



McGowan said the residents were referred to the American Red Cross for temporary shelter and any other needs.




This article will reflect on the compensation paid to Brian Bickell who has served as CEO of Shaftesbury PLC (LON:SHB) since 2011. This analysis will also assess whether Shaftesbury pays its CEO appropriately, considering recent earnings growth and total shareholder returns.

Check out our latest analysis for Shaftesbury

Comparing Shaftesbury PLC's CEO Compensation With the industry

According to our data, Shaftesbury PLC has a market capitalization of UK1.8b, and paid its CEO total annual compensation worth UK1.1m over the year to September 2019. We note that's a decrease of 11% compared to last year. While this analysis focuses on total compensation, it's worth acknowledging that the salary portion is lower, valued at UK508k.

In comparison with other companies in the industry with market capitalizations ranging from UK764m to UK2.4b, the reported median CEO total compensation was UK1.3m. So it looks like Shaftesbury compensates Brian Bickell in line with the median for the industry. Moreover, Brian Bickell also holds UK7.4m worth of Shaftesbury stock directly under their own name, which reveals to us that they have a significant personal stake in the company.

Component 2019 2018 Proportion (2019) Salary UK508k UK498k 47% Other UK575k UK725k 53% Total Compensation UK1.1m UK1.2m 100%

On an industry level, roughly 38% of total compensation represents salary and 62% is other remuneration. It's interesting to note that Shaftesbury pays out a greater portion of remuneration through salary, compared to the industry. It's important to note that a slant towards non-salary compensation suggests that total pay is tied to the company's performance.

Shaftesbury PLC's Growth

Over the last three years, Shaftesbury PLC has shrunk its earnings per share by 80% per year. In the last year, its revenue changed by just 0.5%.

Few shareholders would be pleased to read that earnings have declined. And the flat revenue hardly impresses. It's hard to argue the company is firing on all cylinders, so shareholders might be averse to high CEO remuneration. Looking ahead, you might want to check this free visual report on analyst forecasts for the company's future earnings..

Story continues

Has Shaftesbury PLC Been A Good Investment?

Given the total shareholder loss of 39% over three years, many shareholders in Shaftesbury PLC are probably rather dissatisfied, to say the least. So shareholders would probably want the company to be lessto generous with CEO compensation.

In Summary...

As we touched on above, Shaftesbury PLC is currently paying a compensation that's close to the median pay for CEOs of companies belonging to the same industry and with similar market capitalizations. Meanwhile, earnings growth and shareholder returns have been in the red for the last three years. It's tough to call out the compensation as inappropriate, but shareholders might not favor a raise before company performance improves.

While it is important to pay attention to CEO remuneration, investors should also consider other elements of the business. We did our research and spotted 1 warning sign for Shaftesbury that investors should look into moving forward.

Switching gears from Shaftesbury, if you're hunting for a pristine balance sheet and premium returns, this free list of high return, low debt companies is a great place to look.

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.
Following an incident Tuesday morning that left a child shot and in critical condition, the president of Madisons City Council and community leaders gathered at Penn Park united in one message: Stop the violence.

President Sheri Carter called the press conference a day after the car-to-car shooting that injured the 11-year-old to say enough is enough. The shooting continues the increased trend of gun violence the Madison Police Department has responded to over the summer.

Today Im asking you, each of you, every one of you: Stand together in solidarity with me and the community that is standing behind me to end gun violence today, Carter said Wednesday at the south side park.

In a press conference Tuesday, Madison Police Department Acting Chief Vic Wahl called the increased gun activity in Madison this year staggering and the car-to-car shooting a new low for the city.

So far in 2020, there have been 143 incidents of gun violence, representing an 88% increase over the same period last year. In June, there were 29 reported incidents of shots fired, which was the highest monthly total since the MPD began tracking the data. A month later, that increased to 44 shootings.

Through the end of July, the MPD recovered 582 shell casings, 23% more than all of 2019 combined. Wahl said 28 people have been shot, including Tuesdays victim.

Theres a massive amount of gunfire thats going on in the streets, and its really something that none of us should find acceptable, Wahl said. This cant be OK. This cant be something that we as a city or community accept.

Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway said in a statement Tuesday that the senseless violence must stop. As the MPD investigates these incidents, she said she will advocate for common sense gun laws and her staff will build violence prevention strategies.

The acts of a few people trying to settle scores are wreaking havoc on our community and destroying lives, Rhodes-Conway said.

Speaking to young adults in the community, Carter said a path in life that includes gun violence will not end well. She said the City Council would support law enforcement to hold those involved in gun activity accountable.

We are not ignoring you. We care about your future, but the path that some of you are taking will lead you to death or prison, Carter said. This is a path that the community standing here today cannot accept for your future.

Carter was joined by several City Council members and community leaders representing Madison's south side neighborhoods, the Urban League of Greater Madison, Mt. Zion Baptist Church, Inspire Barber and Beauty Salon, Black Umbrella Global, JustDane and the Focused Interruption Coalition.

Community members called on local government to provide more and better resources, like jobs and housing, and create an environment where youth can envision their future. But they also called on one another to create solutions.

Anthony Cooper, CEO of the Focused Interruption Coalition, emphasized that there are community-based programs working in Madison and told the city of Madison and Dane County to either help us or move the hell out of the way. He said a focus on reducing gun violence needs to happen continually.

It takes all of us as a community to work together to get things done," Cooper said. Until that happens well continue to have the same issues time and time and time again.

Some spoke to the cycle of violence that stems from a systemic lack of support and resources, particularly for Black people and people of color. Shyelle Smith of Black Umbrella Global, a community service organization, said voices like hers are not being heard by elected officials whose work isnt helping those who need it most.

It has not been doing anything for our community because we still experience racial disparities and inequality, Smith said. Our children are still out here with no guidance, nowhere to go, nothing to do, no jobs, no hope, so that results in violence and crime.

Mattie Reese, a neighborhood-based advocate, isnt waiting for a solution. She is organizing an event on Sunday at Penn Park, 2101 Fisher St., to bring together people from across the city and neighboring areas to build their own solutions.

These are our streets, Reese said. (Elected officials) work for us, but we have to work for ourselves as well.

Share your opinion on this topic by sending a letter to the editor to tctvoice@madison.com. Include your full name, hometown and phone number. Your name and town will be published. The phone number is for verification purposes only. Please keep your letter to 250 words or less.

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Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 12)  Its just right for the Southern Philippines Medical Center (SMPC) to get the highest amount of cash advances for COVID-19, officials said as some lawmakers questioned why the Davao City hospital got more than any other health facility across the country.

The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation disclosed in a Senate hearing on Tuesday that the SPMC received the highest amount of compensation under its interim reimbursement mechanism fund at 326 million.

READ: Senators question PhilHealth's issuance of funds in January to hospitals intended for pandemic

During an inquiry at the House of Representatives on alleged PhilHealth anomalies on Wednesday, Minority Leader Benny Abante pointed out that the Philippine General Hospital got only 263 million, when its a COVID-19 referral hospital in Metro Manila, the region with the most number of coronavirus infections.

What is the preference all about? Abante asked.

PhilHealth Senior Vice President Israel Francis Pargas said the SPMC had the highest number of reimbursements and claims filed in 2019  the basis for the allotment it received this year.

Hindi po ang basis nito ay kung ilan ang na-admit na pasyente na may COVID (The basis is not how many COVID-19 patients were admitted) but the historical claims of 2019, Pargas said.

It had nothing to do with the SPMC being located in President Rodrigo Dutertes hometown, Malacanang made clear in a statement.

We find nothing irregular in the PhilHealth Interim Reimbursement Mechanism (IRM) allocation of Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC), Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said.

Historically, SPMC has had the biggest amount of claims due to its regular provision of healthcare services to patients all over Mindanao, he added.

Health Spokesperson Ma. Rosario Vergeire in a media briefing said the SPMC is the biggest hospital in the country with 1,500 beds, even catering to specialized cases.

They have high technology there kasi nga (because) we are trying to prime this hospital to be one of the leaders in Asia, Vergeire said.

According to the Palace, the SPMC had a total of 76,586 admissions and 586,278 outpatients last year, with an estimated income of 1.2 billion.
Tens of thousands of supporters of President Alexander Lukashenko's top election rival on Thursday rallied in the Belarusian capital Minsk despite an increasing crackdown on the opposition. The rally came as Belarus authorities accused top members of the opposition of collaborating with Russian fighters to destabilise the ex-Soviet country. Backers of political novice Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, a stay-at-home mother-of-two, packed a Minsk square in what appeared to be the largest opposition protest in the ex-Soviet country in a decade, an AFP journalist said. A sea of people waved flags and ballons emblazoned with the opposition's campaign symbols -- a victory sign, a clenched fist, and a heart. "Change!" read one of the placards. The human rights organisation Vyasna said at least 63,000 people had turned out. Earlier Thursday, Belarus investigators accused Tikhanovskaya's husband, blogger, Sergei Tikhanovsky, and another prominent critic, Mikola Statkevich, of working together with Russian mercenaries to plot mass unrest ahead of the August 9 election. Both Tikhanovsky and Statkevich were jailed in the run-up to the polls. The accusation that they were involved with Russian mercenaries was just the latest twist in an extraordinary election campaign in which the 65-year-old Lukashenko, who has dominated Belarus for nearly three decades, is seeking a sixth term in the face of rising anger over his rule. Belarusian authorities on Wednesday detained 33 Russian "militants" on a mission to destabilise the ex-Soviet country. The detentions sparked an apparent crisis in ties with ally Moscow which denied any involvement. Belarusian authorities say the detained men are members of the Wagner group, a shadowy military contractor reportedly controlled by an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin that promotes Moscow's interests in Syria, Libya and Ukraine. Addressing her supporters at the rally, Tikhanovskaya, 37, said authorities were "ruining" not only her husband's life but those of all political prisoners. "The situation involving the fighters is very scary," she said to shouts of "Freedom". - 'What revolution?' - She denied that the opposition was collaborating with the Russians to stage an uprising. "People, what revolution? We want honest elections," said Tikhanovskaya, who has emerged as Lukashenko's top rival after main would-be candidates were jailed. She questioned the timing of the arrests, saying Russian private contractors might have been transiting through Belarus for a long time. "I have a question: where was the security service before and why are they raising this issue right before the election?" Investigators opened a criminal case against "Tikhanovsky, Statkevich and 33 detained Russian citizens." "They acted together," spokesman Sergei Kabakovich told AFP. An Investigative Committee also said another criminal probe had been launched against Tikhanovsky for inciting "social hostility" and calling for violence against police. Tikhanovsky, 41, is a popular blogger, who has nicknamed Lukashenko the "cockroach". Statkevich, 63, challenged Lukashenko in a 2010 election and was sentenced to six years in prison afterwards. Lukashenko's top election rival, former banker Viktor Babaryko, has been accused of financial crimes and also jailed. Moscow denied any involvement. Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said claims that "organisations from Russia are sending some people to destabilise the situation in Belarus" were "nothing but insinuations". The Russian foreign ministry said its nationals were transiting through Belarus because they worked for a Belarus company, adding that they were en route to Istanbul. Minsk's version of events "does not hold water," the statement said. "An attempt to make what happened look like foreign interference in the republic's affairs causes bewilderment, to put it mildly," Moscow said. Russia urged a halt to the fanning of tensions ahead of the election. - 'Regime change' - Moscow is Minsk's closest political and economic ally but relations have been strained for years. Lukashenko has been under increasing pressure to move closer to Russia but the Belarus leader has rejected the idea of outright unification. Some analysts suggested the arrest of the Russians gave Lukashenko an excuse to crack down harder on the opposition while others said Moscow might indeed be considering some action. Russian political analyst Tatyana Stanovaya said the Kremlin had not apparently given up on its unification plans. Stanovaya quipped that the Russian fighters might have arrived in Minsk to "monitor" the election.
At least six cows died of suffocation and starvation on Tuesday after they were locked by some villagers in a room in an abandoned building for three days in a village in Madhya Pradeshs Shivpuri district - 312 km north of Bhopal, in Gwalior-Chambal region - said police.

An FIR has been registered against seven residents of Gochoni village of the district under MP Cow Progeny Slaughter Prevention Act and Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act. The accused include Asharam Lodhi, Brijesh Lodhi, Nathuram Lodhi and four others who are absconding, said police. Shivpuri collector Anugraha P ordered an inquiry in the matter.

Also read: Madhya Pradeshs Covid-19 recovery rate touches 75%, says CM Chouhan

Shivpuri superintendent of police (SP), Rajesh Chandel said, On Tuesday late evening, a watchman (chowkidar) of Gochoni village informed the police at Himmatpur outpost about a foul smell coming from a room in an abandoned building in the village. When the police personnel reached the place and broke open the room, as many as 12 cows were found in an unconscious state.

The police team called a team of veterinary doctors and they informed that six cows had died. The remaining six were moved to a veterinary hospital, he added.

In the investigation, it was found that Asharam Lodhi, Brijesh Lodhi and Nathuram Lodhi with four others locked the cows in the room which had no ventilation. They locked the cows animals on Sunday to protect their crops from the animals. They didnt even provide any food or water to the cows which resulted in the death of the six of them, he added.

Police are investigating the matter and trying to nab the accused, said the SP.
Prosecutors said Wednesday that they think a Mobile neurosurgeon was driving at more than 130 mph on a beltline service road when he had a crash that killed a medical student.

The revelation came during a bond hearing for Jonathan Nakhla, 36, charged with manslaughter in the aftermath of a wreck that happened about 12:30 a.m. the morning of Saturday, Aug. 1. Police found that a vehicle traveling south on West I-65 Service Road in front of the Econo Lodge Hotel had left the road before coming to rest in a ditch. A female passenger, 24-year-old Samantha Alison Thomas, died at the scene. The driver, later identified as Nakhla, was taken to a hospital for non-life-threatening injuries.

Bond has been set at $200,000. Dennis Knizley, one of several attorneys representing Nakhla, said following the conclusion of Wednesdays bond hearing that he expected his client to be released from Mobile County Metro Jail Wednesday afternoon. Nakhla had been there since his arrest on Monday.

One oddity of the case is that while James Barber, Mobiles executive director of public safety, has said alcohol was a factor, the manslaughter charge filed against Nakhla does not mention it. Its based on an affidavit from an investigator saying that Nakhla was driving at an extreme high rate of speed when he swerved to avoid another vehicle, ran off road and crashed, which resulted in the death of the victim.

Details revealed Wednesday included investigators finding that Nakhla had been going 138 mph in a 45 mph zone. Knizley suggested the fact that the high-performance Audi convertible had rolled over rendered data taken from it unreliable.

As yet, theres been no formal charge that Nakhla was driving under the influence. At this point in time we dont consider that a material aspect of the case, Knizley said. If that changes, well certainly address it.

A preliminary hearing has been set for Sept. 2. Well learn a lot more about the case at that time, said Knizley. If the court finds probable cause at the preliminary hearing, the case may go to a grand jury.

Knizley said he expects Nakhla to maintain a plea of not guilty through a jury trial sometime next year.

It was certainly a very unfortunate accident  [but] It was simply that, an accident, Knizley said. Hell be maintaining his innocence throughout the proceeding.
The United States is voicing hope that international support will remain for Venezuelan opposition leader and self-proclaimed acting president Juan Guaido, seen here delivering a press conference in June 2020 in Caracas

A US official voiced confidence Tuesday that key powers would keep recognizing opposition figure Juan Guaido as Venezuela's interim president even if he is sidelined in disputed elections.

The United States and most Western and Latin American nations no longer recognize leftist Nicolas Maduro as president due to wide allegations of fraud in 2018 elections but he remains in charge.

Guaido's claim to power rests on being parliament speaker, but the opposition fears that new legislative polls called for December 6 under a regime-led election body are a foregone conclusion.

Elliott Abrams, the pointman in President Donald Trump's push to remove Maduro, said the United States would back Guaido regardless of the election outcome -- and predicted that other countries felt the same.

"There are about 60 countries that have recognized Guaido and I do expect that all of them -- and we will be in touch with any we haven't been yet -- will continue to recognize him and will not recognize this fraudulent election," Abrams told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

"That corrupt election is not going to change Guaido's status and I don't think you'll find anybody in the opposition leadership who will claim otherwise," he said.

US lawmakers across party lines widely share opposition to Maduro, who presides over a crumbling economy from which millions have fled.

But Abrams faced sharp questions on strategy. Senator Chris Murphy, a Democrat, questioned why the United States has voiced skepticism over mediation efforts by Norway.

Murphy said the Trump administration could have tried either to work with or neutralize Russia and China, the main backers of Maduro, before recognizing Guaido in January 2019.

"We just have to be clear that our Venezuela policy over the last year and a half has been an unmitigated disaster and if we aren't honest about that, then we can't self-correct," Murphy told Abrams.

Story continues

"All we did was play all our cards on day one and it didn't work and it's just been an embarrassing mistake after mistake since."

But Abrams, responding to a question from Senator Ted Cruz, a hawkish Republican, renewed hope that Maduro will fall soon.

"We obviously hope he does not survive the year and we are working hard to make that happen," Abrams said.

sct/ft
Among the dead are 82 civilians and 45 soldiers, army spokesman Lul Ruai Koang said.

The death toll from clashes between South Sudan security forces and armed civilians in the north-central Warrap state has risen to 127.

At least 32 others were injured over the weekend when soldiers clashed with civilians refusing to be disarmed as part of a peace agreement.

Among the dead are 82 civilians and 45 soldiers, army spokesman Lul Ruai Koang said in a statement.

The death toll has risen sharply since Tuesday, when the United Nations placed the number of dead at about 70.

Clashes erupted on Sunday when soldiers of the South Sudan Peoples Defence Force tried to disarm civilians in the town of Tonj as part of a recent peace agreement, according to James Mabior, the towns councillor.

Some civilians refused to hand over their guns at a market, with a number of bystanders joining the fight that ensued, Mabior said.

The fighting quickly spread to nearby villages, with armed civilians attacking an army base in the nearby town of Romic on Monday morning, Koang said.

The disarmament of civilians is part of a peace agreement signed between South Sudanese President Salva Kiir and opposition leader Riek Machar in February after many months of negotiations.

Kiir and Machar agreed to form a government of national unity in which both hold key leadership positions.

So far, a partial unity government has been formed and state governors have been appointed

but parliament has yet to be reconstituted.
Last updated on August 11 at 12 p.m. EST.

It took a couple months and a few tweaks in the delivery system, but by June, most eligible Americans had received a one-time stimulus check from the Treasury Department of up to $1,200 to spend or save as they wished. What the current presidential administration didn't count on  despite weeks of warnings from public-health experts  was that a summer surge of coronavirus cases across the country would lead to renewed shutdowns in the lifestyle and hospitality sectors and overwhelming need for another round of relief.

FLORIDA MILLIONAIRE MYSTERY: $100K reward for info on 'Tiger King' star's former husband

So as $600-per-week in additional unemployment benefits expire on July 31 and the Paycheck Protection Program continues to come under scrutiny for failing to serve its stated purpose (i.e. bridging true small businesses through this time), Congress has set about finalizing a new $1 trillion sequel to its initial $2 trillion CARES Act. The details are being fine-tuned as we speak, but Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin  while insisting any extension of unemployment benefits will emphasize rewards for returning to work over payments that rival or exceed an average worker's wages  has pledged that another wave of no-strings-attached, one-time stimulus checks will make their way into millions of checking accounts. But when?

On HoustonChronicle.com: See if your Houston-area neighborhood is at risk of flooding

As of now, Mnuchin foresees the cash finding its way to folks' wallets very soon. As reported by AP, Mnuchin announced this past weekend, Well get the majority of them out in August and those will help people." That is, of course, predicated on the latest CARES package passing smoothly and expeditiously prior to the Senate's upcoming August recess.

But given the precarious state of the economy and the inevitability of more modest unemployment payments, it behooves everyone to ensure their up-to-date tax filings are on record with the IRS. You can do so via this online tool, and we will keep you posted as more information is made available.

Update: After this article went to press, Senator Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) shared the outline of his party's proposed $1 trillion HEALS Act. A key piece of it is Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley's (R-Iowa) American Workers, Employees, and Families Assistance Act, confirming a second round of checks and direct deposits  up to $1,200 for individuals and $2,400 households, with an additional $500 per eligible dependent  to American households. We will continue to update this story as specifics on delivery of payments becomes available.

Update: On August 8, President Trump signed executive orders detailing plans to extend unemployment benefits and eviction moratoriums, among other relief measures. While it remains unclear whether those orders will translate to concrete rule of law, they did not address assurances of a second round of $1,200 stimulus checks. That is because the original authorization for the first round of checks has long since expired, and entirely new legislation would need to be enacted by Congress to trigger a renewed one-time payment. Meanwhile, those anxious for clarity on the matter can at least brush up on whether they'd qualify for the $1,200 infusion.

Copyright 2020 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved



This article originally appeared on entrepreneur.com
While protests in Beirut have forced the Lebanese government to resign, pressure from the civil protest movement might not be enough to drive meaningful change, writes Amira Howeidy

The decade-old chant that has resonated across the region roared across central Beirut again this week: the people want the fall of the regime.

On Saturday 8 August, the Lebanese capital was beginning to recover from the shock of the massive explosions four days earlier at the port of Beirut. Calls for mass protests  the banners called it judgement day  at 6pm had been heeded, and tens of thousands had taken to the streets.

At least 220 people were killed, 6,000 injured, and 300,000 made homeless when 2,570 tons of ammonium nitrate stored unsafely in the port erupted on 4 August, tearing through Beirut, shattering windows and doors, and destroying 70,000 homes and entire streets a little after 6pm local time.

The explosion could be felt in Cyprus, 120 miles away.

The protesters on Saturday seized several ministries, government buildings and the countrys banking association before they were cleared by anti-riot police. They hung up nooses and effigies of political leaders, threw rocks at the parliament building and security forces, started fires and chanted angry anti-government slogans.

Footage of the Foreign Ministrys brief occupation by the protesters revealed a fully functioning building with round-the-clock air conditioning when the government provides only a few hours of electricity a day to the rest of the country, which also relies on generators.

A portrait of Lebanese President Michel Aoun found hanging on the ministrys walls was burnt. Hang up the nooses, the protesters chanted.

Witnesses in central Beirut said the evening protest, taking place amid the debris of the explosions, saw skirmishes between the protesters and riot police who used teargas and rubber bullets. The place resembled a war zone.

By the second day of the protests the first resignation of a cabinet minister was announced. On Monday, day three, a series of resignations was declared leading up to the stepping down of Prime Minister Hassan Diab, who had initially resisted resigning, at 7 pm.

Several MPs also resigned.

The rebuilding of Beirut after the explosions is expected to cost up to $15 billion in a country already reeling from an economic crisis that has been exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic. Lebanon is practically bankrupt, with banking system losses exceeding $100 billion.

An online international donors conference arranged by France held on Sunday pledged only $398.7 million in aid, and this was to be delivered directly to the Lebanese people, in the words of French President Emmanuel Macron.

The protesters accuse the government of corruption and incompetence, and Macrons statement was received as a nod to the protest movements rejection of any aid transfers to the government.

The resignation of Diabs cabinet only seven months after its formation is a victory for the protesters, observers say.

Although it had been demanded, the governments resignation was not met with celebrations, and clashes continued between the protesters and the security forces on Monday night.

The protesters want accountability for the explosion, a new electoral law before early elections and the dismantling of the power structure of the entire political system, which is designed to maintain the status quo and makes efforts for peaceful change futile.

Diabs is the second government to be brought down by protests in Lebanon in ten months. This weeks demonstrations were a continuation of the 17 October protest movement that was triggered by planned tax rises and the local currencys devaluation.

The movement quickly evolved into a popular uprising against sectarian rule in Lebanon and persisted for months until it was put on hold by the coronavirus.

Everyone must go, the protesters chanted for months in Beirut, in the Sunni heartland of Tripoli in the north of the country, in the southern Shiite strongholds of Tyre and Nabatieh, and in the Christian majority Keserwan district in northern Beirut.

Their motto of all of them means all of them is a rejection of Lebanons post-civil war (1975-1990) sectarian political order that still governs the country. It is also a statement against leader of the Shia group Hizbullah Hassan Nasrallah.

A chant designed for Nasrallah alone, rhyming in Arabic, delivered the message that even he, once a popular icon of Lebanons resistance to the Israeli occupation in Lebanon and much of the Arab world, must exit the scene.

The movement, also an extension of the 2015-2016 protests against the failure to clear Beirut of household waste, was against the countrys stagnant economy, high unemployment rates, public-sector corruption, absence of basic public services and laws that protect officials from accountability.

This weeks protests are a new wave of this leaderless but growing civil movement that until now has been limited to central Beirut.

Some observers say that such public pressure might not be enough to bring about real change, however. In the meantime, a Hizbullah-led governing alliance controls the presidency, government and parliament.

Despite a new election law in 2017, the Lebanese political system is based on consociational power-sharing based on sectarian identities that remain the key measure of political representation.

Sectarian quotas are assigned for top government posts, and political parties and movements are directly associated with a specific sect with their members almost entirely belonging to it.

The opposition cant push for change through state institutions, cant topple the government, and cant dissolve parliament, wrote Aljazeera English TV Lebanon correspondent Zeina Khodr on Twitter.

The security establishment is controlled by the parties, and they didnt shy away from using excessive force to disperse the protesters.

Critics argue that the absence of a leadership for the protest movement will also accelerate its demise. But the activists say forming a leadership could put their lives at risk.

This is a criminal regime, and we fear that named leaders will be the target of assassinations, said Halima Kaakour, an activist with the protests. Figures from the protest movement can always contest elections. But we want guarantees that the elections will not be conducted under the same system, she added.

The growing trans-sectarian sentiment in the streets was an important barometer for change in Lebanon, said political analyst Rabeha Seif Allam. It signals the real end to the civil war, she told Al-Ahram Weekly.

There was anger within all of Lebanons sects, she said. And with the explosions hitting Christian-majority districts, these too have joined the protest movement. They have experienced the level of destruction that Lebanons largely Shiite south has endured, she said.

During the 17 October uprising last year, the protesters addressed their demands to Aoun, who today is also under attack with his legitimacy as a representative of Lebanons Christians diminished.

We are seeing a new generation and new political realisations in Lebanon that did not exist before, Allam concluded.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 13 August, 2020 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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Saudi Arabia has reportedly ended a loan and oil supply to Pakistan after Islamabad criticised Riyadh-led Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) for not taking a stance against India over Kashmir issue. Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, in a warning tone, had asked OIC to convene a meeting of Council of Foreign Ministers to raise the issue.

If you cannot convene it, then Ill be compelled to ask Prime Minister Imran Khan to call a meeting of the Islamic countries that are ready to stand with us on the issue of Kashmir and support the oppressed Kashmiris, Qureshi had told local media.

Pakistan has also been made to repay a $1 billion Saudi loan which was part of a $6.2 billion package announced by Riyadh in November 2018. The deal, signed between the two countries during Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman visit to Pakistan in February 2019, included a total of $3 billion in loans and an oil credit facility amounting to $3.2 billion.

Read: UNICEF Resumes Polio Vaccination Campaigns In Afghanistan, Pakistan After Virus Disruption

Read: Pakistan Army Team Thrashed By Chinese Labourers At CPEC; Incident Brushed Under The Rug

'Total division'

Saudi Arabia has been working to expand its partnership with India and has been trying to avoid controversial issues that could jeopardise the relations with New Delhi. The OIC has been consistently denying Imran Khan's requests of holding a meeting over Kashmir, where the latter has been waging a proxy war against India through terrorism. Khan had earlier lamented the total division among OIC members after it failed to gather support on Kashmir issue.

"The reason is that we have no voice and there is a total division amongst (us). We cannot even come together as a whole on the OIC meeting on Kashmir," he had said.

This comes amid reports of Pakistan running to China requesting financial aid to avoid defaulting on its debt payments to Saudi Arabia. According to the Pakistani Ministry of Finance and the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), Pakistan has taken a loan of $1 billion from China to repay a $1 billion loan taken from Saudi Arabia.

Read: Pakistan Judges Thrown Horse-chariot Farewell Party With petal shower; Netizens Have Query

Read: Saudi Aramco Still Working On $15 Billion Reliance Investment; Half-year Profits Tank

(With ANI inputs)
When the American Bible Society was founded just over 150 years ago, the prospect of Protestant-Catholic cooperation for the printing and distribution of Scripture was rejectedby the Roman Catholic Church. In the early years four successive popes denounced the Bible societies, and numerous problems arose to bar participation.

Now times are changing. As an outgrowth of Vatican II, which encouraged Bible reading in the vernacular by laymen, Catholics now seek participation in Bible society activities and increasingly probe the possibility of efforts toward common Biblesin Dutch, French, Japanese, and other languages.

Last month cooperation passed another milestone. At the meeting of the ABS Advisory Council in New York City, delegates raised hands to recommend formulation of plans to include service to Roman Catholics and encouragement of Roman Catholic support of the existing Bible societies. Their action approved Catholic participation in translation committees and paved the way for a wider pooling of resources for the printing and distribution of the Word.

Last year the united Bible societies distributed nearly 90 million copies of the Scriptures, with the ABSs share amounting to seventy-one per cent. The strikingly successful common language New Testament Good News for Modern Man (first published in September, 1966) has already sold more than seven million copies. In the same year the ABS registered the largest single shipment of Bibles in its history520,250 Bibles and 45,500 New Testaments to Ghana for use in government schools.

The constitution of the Bible societies specifies that the Scriptures shall be distributed without notes or comments, and translations of the Old and New Testaments have always been based upon ...

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Vice President Joe Biden shakes hands with Sen.-elect Kamala Harris as her husband, Douglas Emhoff, looks on during her swearing-in in 2017. (Kevin Wolf / Associated Press)

Its fitting that California, arguably the nations most diverse state, would produce the first woman of color to be placed on a major party presidential ticket.

Were always ahead of the curve, right? At least thats what we tell ourselves. In this instance, we clearly are  a historic feat that deserves celebration by all Americans, regardless of their politics.

We shouldnt pat ourselves on the backs too enthusiastically, however. California, by far the nations most populous state, still has not elected a female governor. Many other states have. Neither have we elected a governor of color.

This is also a state of immigrants. And fittingly, Sen. Kamala Harris is the daughter of immigrant parents  a father from Jamaica, a mother from India. Harris is not only the first Black woman, but also the first Asian American person to be given a spot on a major presidential ticket.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Californias population is 39% Latino, 37% white, 15% Asian, 6% Black, 3% multiracial  like Harris  and fewer than 1% Native American or Pacific Islander.

That gives former prosecutor Harris a special license to articulate the case against President Trumps xenophobic, family-ripping immigration policies.

Her verbal fighting skills  in a debate, on the stump or in TV interviews  were obviously a key selling point to presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden. Shes very capable of drawing blood from an opponent.

Biden doesnt have to worry about Harris slacking off on the campaign trail  as some presidential candidates have had to in the past. Shes an eager brawler.

Joe has long been impressed by how tough Kamala is, the Biden campaign stated in announcing the selection of Harris.

It added: Kamala doesnt hesitate to take on powerful people and powerful interests and thats exactly the kind of leader Joe wants by his side to rebuild this country and restore the soul of the nation.

Well, thats a reach  that part about taking on powerful people and interests.

Story continues

Critics of Harris performances as California attorney general and San Francisco district attorney have cited her caution in taking on tough foes, especially if it would alienate her core constituency: law enforcement.

Now shes a loud advocate for police reform. But as attorney general she largely avoided intervening in cases involving questionable police killings.

Harris also declined to take positions on controversial ballot measures, including two to abolish the death penalty  a practice she claimed to abhor  and another to reduce prison sentences.

As a presidential candidate, Harris wavered on the hot issue of universal healthcare, flip-flopping on whether private insurance should play a role.

But none of that will matter this fall, except as attack fodder for Trump.

Therell be no agonizing by Harris over policy positions. Like all veep candidates  Biden included under Barack Obama  Harris positions will be decided by the presidential nominee.

Harris strength is in her prosecutorial skills, not her policy wisdom or tactical genius. And thats what Biden is counting on.

Another huge selling point for Harris, 55, was Bidens expected comfort level with her. Thats because of her close working relationship with Bidens son, Beau, when both were state attorneys general.

Back when Kamala was attorney general, she worked closely with Beau, Biden tweeted supporters Tuesday. I watched as they took on the big banks, lifted up working people and protected women and kids from abuse. I was proud then and Im proud now to have her as my partner in this campaign.

It seems Biden watched his son a lot more than Harris.

This was by far Bidens most important campaign decision and he deserves credit for following his gut. But we need to wait and see how this turns out  and whether Harris turns off suburban Republican women in key battleground states such as Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania.

Is Harris an asset, who will energize young people and women of color to vote in droves  or did Biden violate the Hippocratic oath about first doing no harm? We wont know until November.

Some insiders had warned Biden that Harris seemed too ambitious and could be disloyal. This was largely based on Harris attack against Biden on busing in an early debate.

But Biden made a point of showing he doesnt hold a grudge.

Another California VP prospect, Los Angeles Rep. Karen Bass, was apparently passed over for a few reasons:

She wasnt as experienced a campaigner as Harris. She hadnt even run a statewide campaign, let alone one nationally. Plus, she and Biden werent particularly close. She didnt come across as a fighter. And she praised Cuban leader Fidel Castro when he died, which could have cost Biden any chance of carrying Florida.

But Bass, who is Black, is a classy, nonpolarizing career-long fighter for civil rights. She chairs the Congressional Black Caucus and was Speaker of the California State Assembly. Shes a likable liberal who can deal with conservative Republicans.

Based on polls, the Biden-Harris ticket should win on Nov. 3. That will open up a Senate vacancy that Gov. Gavin Newsom legally can fill on his own  unfortunately  without a vote of the people.

Bass should top Newsoms list of potential new senators.

One bit of trivia: Harris will be the first major vice presidential candidate from California since Richard Nixon in the 1950s. Hopefully thats an irrelevant asterisk.

Harris selection is proof weve all grown a lot since then.
More than a million cats are killed in Vietnam for their meat every year in a secretive, brutal and growing trade that risks spreading diseases to humans, an undercover investigation has found.

Pets and strays are stolen from the streets and even from peoples homes, trafficked across the country without food or water, and slaughtered in unsanitary and agonising ways, according to campaigners.

Thieves have even clashed violently with cat owners, and in some cases have been reportedly killed in brawls.

The animals may be drowned, bludgeoned with a hammer, boiled alive or electrocuted, investigators for the Four Paws animal welfare organisation said. Their findings are based on months worth of surveillance of holding areas, traffickers and restaurants, and speaking to traders.

A live cat is sold for around 5 a kg, and 1kg of raw meat costs 6.50. Restaurants offer dishes prepared with cat meat for about 5, the research found.

In pictures: Yulin Dog Meat Festival 2016 Show all 10 1 /10 In pictures: Yulin Dog Meat Festival 2016 In pictures: Yulin Dog Meat Festival 2016 Dog meat market, Yulin In pictures: Yulin Dog Meat Festival 2016 Dogs in holding pen at slaughterhouse, Yulin In pictures: Yulin Dog Meat Festival 2016 Cats crammed in wire cage, delivered to slaughterhouse in Yulin In pictures: Yulin Dog Meat Festival 2016 Dogs held at slaughterhouse, Yulin In pictures: Yulin Dog Meat Festival 2016 Cat looks out from its crate as arrives at slaughterhouse, Yulin In pictures: Yulin Dog Meat Festival 2016 Dogs in blood-covered holding pen at slaughterhouse, Yulin In pictures: Yulin Dog Meat Festival 2016 Dogs at slaughterhouse, Yulin In pictures: Yulin Dog Meat Festival 2016 Dog meat market, Yulin In pictures: Yulin Dog Meat Festival 2016 Dog meat market, Yulin In pictures: Yulin Dog Meat Festival 2016 Cat slaughterhouse, Yulin

Black cats are worth even more: traders sell them alive for 6.50 a kg, and their meat can fetch 16.50 a kg.

Four Paws and the UK-based Change For Animals Foundation, which collaborated on the research, say cat meat dishes, known as Little Tiger, are growing in popularity despite increasing pet ownership in Vietnam.

In January, a ban on slaughtering cats was scrapped, leading to a surge in demand for cat meat. It is especially popular in the north but is spreading south, as far as Ho Chi Minh City, the investigation found.

Earlier this year The Independent revealed how sales of dog and cat meat had risen in Vietnam and Cambodia since the outbreak of the coronavirus, because people believe it has warming properties that head off flu viruses.

Some restaurants buy animals directly from thieves and slaughter them on site, but most buy from wholesalers or slaughterhouses, according to the researchers. They believe the coastal tourist resorts of Da Nang and Hoi An in central Vietnam are hot spots for cat thefts.

At the wholesalers we discovered many cats with collars  a clear sign that they were pets. During our research, we also met many pet owners who were desperately looking for their stolen cats, said Katherine Polak, a Four Paws expert and vet in Southeast Asia.

Authorities usually turn a blind eye because they are often involved in the trade, either profiting from bribes or are consumers themselves.

Lola Webber, co-founder of Change For Animals Foundation, said: In holding areas, wholesalers keep cats crammed into cages for days until they have enough to cover transport costs.

Over hundreds of kilometres the cats are transported without water, food and sufficient ventilation to slaughterhouses scattered throughout Vietnam. Some wholesalers even use luggage compartments on regular passenger buses for the trafficking.

Up to 200 cats have been seen in cages on buses.

Many cats die of exhaustion, heat stroke, dehydration or injuries caused by their capture and transportation. After they are inhumanely killed, their fur is removed and the skin burned, before the carcasses are gutted and frozen.

Slaughterhouses are a perfect breeding ground for new diseases to emerge that could infect humans, with potentially catastrophic results, the campaigners say.

Practices used in the cat meat trade could also potentially lead to the outbreak of zoonotic diseases, as we have seen with Covid-19, due to insanitary conditions, brutal and unhygienic treatment of animals, multi-species transport, holding and slaughtering facilities, and cross-border transportation and handling, said Dr Polak.

She said younger generations consider cat meat an exotic delicacy, but for older people, consumption is usually linked to customs, superstition and the lunar calendar. Some locals are convinced that eating cat meat repels bad luck. Others eat it, especially from black cats, because they believe it has healing effects, although there is no scientific evidence for this.

The investigations identified northerly Hanoi and the Thai Binh province, with high numbers of restaurants, as popular places for eating the meat.

We also know that many cats, often pre-killed and frozen, are coming in from Southern China as the cat population is decimated in Hanoi due to the trade, Dr Polak said.

While the consumption of dog meat in Asia is increasingly being discussed in public, the equally brutal cat meat trade is still relatively unknown.

Two months ago a couple accused of poisoning dozens of pet dogs and cats with cyanide so that they could be butchered were arrested and charged with theft.

Four Paws and Change For Animals are calling on the Vietnamese government to reinstate the ban and strengthen laws to stop pet thefts.
Ilhan Omar, a member of the progressive squad in Congress, breezed past a well-funded Antone Melton-Meaux campaign to clinch the Minnesota Democratic primary on Tuesday.

Ms Omar, who became one of the first two Muslim women to enter Congress after being elected in 2018, collected 57 per cent of the votes in the 5th congressional district contest, with Melton-Meaux, an attorney and mediator, gaining just under 40 per cent.

Ms Omar, 37, overcame attack lines by Mr Melton-Meaux that she had become out of touch with Minnesota residents, after rising to national attention with her 2018 victory.

With a substantial war chest of around $4.1m, Mr Melton-Meaux, a first-time candidate, plastered the districts walls with posters and filled the airwaves with the slogan Focused on the Fifth.

Tonight, our movement didnt just win, Ms Omar tweeted. We earned a mandate for change. Despite outside efforts to defeat us, we once again broke turnout records. Despite the attacks, our support has only grown.

Minnesotas Democrat-leaning 5th congressional district has not elected a Republican in decades, meaning that Ms Omars victory all but guarantees her a seat in Congress.

Her victory is the latest in a string of wins by a new generation of emboldened progressive lawmakers, known as the progressive squad, a group that entered the House in 2018 and includes New Yorks firebrand Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

Ms Omars camp grew in confidence after primary victories last week by fellow Squad member Rashida Tlaib in Michigan and by Cori Bush, a Black Lives Matter activist who ousted a longtime St. Louis-area congressman. AOC has also won her primary.

They also claimed momentum from the renewed focus on racial and economic justice after George Floyds death in Minneapolis.

Im also incredibly proud of the work that we did, that garnered at least over 60,000 votes from the district, from people who resonated with our message of effective leadership grounded in the district, and bringing people together to get things done, Mr Melton-Meaux added following Ms Omars win.

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Democratic US senator Tina Smith and Republican challenger Jason Lewis easily won their primaries in the only statewide races on the ballot.

Elsewhere, in western Minnesotas conservative 7th district, former state senator Michelle Fischbach won a three-way Republican race for the right to challenge Democrat Collin Peterson. Mr Peterson, chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, is one of the GOPs top targets to flip a House seat in November.

After entering Congress with fanfare, Ms Omar hurt herself early with comments about Israel and money that even some fellow Democrats called anti-Semitic, and found herself apologising. She also came under scrutiny when her marriage fell apart and she married her political consultant months after denying they were having an affair.

Republicans also raised questions about continuing payments to her new husbands firm, though experts said they arent necessarily improper.

In the wake of Mr Floyds death, police reform also emerged as an issue. Ms Omar supported a push by a majority of the Minneapolis City Council to replace the citys police department with something new.

Mr Melton-Meaux did not support that but did support shifting some funding away from police to more social service-oriented programmes. Both touched on the issue in personal ways, with Ms Omar saying she wanted her son to grow up safely.

Mr Melton-Meaux, who is also black, told a personal story of being detained while at the University of Virginia by police seeking an assault suspect reported to have run into his apartment building.

Wendy Helgeson, 57, a consultant, backed Ms Omar two years ago, even installing a lawn sign in her yard, and said she was awfully proud of her being the first black Muslim woman that we elected.

But she said she was concerned about campaign payments to Ms Omars husbands firm as well as her national presence and found it easy to vote for Mr Melton-Meaux, whom she said has been her friend for 12 years.

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I admire her as a woman, Ms Helgeson said of Omar. As a candidate, ehhh ... I have some reservations.

John Hildebrand, a 47-year-old teacher in Minneapolis who voted for Ms Omar, said her national profile is an advantage.

I think just her presence encourages other Muslims and Somalis to run for office and to seek to be represented, he said. I think she just engages people in the political system more and more.

Blake Smith, 23, a parks worker who is Black and described himself as a leftist, also backed Ms Omar. Hes concerned about climate change, Medicare for all and getting money out of politics, and he sees her as an ally.

Its more time for radical change than like small  I dont think we have time for incremental change anymore, Mr Smith said.

Associated Press contributed to this report
MADISON, Wisconsin Sixteen gallons of hand sanitizer sat in the foyer of the Alpha Epsilon Phi sorority house at the University of Wisconsin as house mother Karen Mullis reconfigured tables in the dining room to maintain social distancing.

Upstairs, the sorority has moved beds 6 feet (2 metres) apart and rooms in the basement will be used to quarantine any house members who test positive for the novel coronavirus, which has killed over 163,000 people in the United States, the most in the world.

Masks are mandatory and house guests prohibited.

We have all of these rules but it is dependent on these kids taking it seriously," Mullis said. If the girls are not responsible, then this is not going to work."

Only 17 of 38 members plan to live at the sorority house near the Madison, Wisconsin campus this fall. The rest will stay home or live in an apartment, Mullis said.

The chapter is one of hundreds of fraternities and sororities grappling with how to persuade hundreds of thousands of young adults to follow safety protocols when in-person learning resumes at many universities https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-universities/some-u-s-colleges-stick-to-in-person-reopening-in-pandemic-despite-doubts-pushback-idUSKCN2571HL in coming weeks.

Public health officials say the danger for students will come when an asymptomatic person transmits the virus to dozens of housemates, who then could carry it into classrooms. The virus could then spread to faculty, staff and the wider community.

The greatest governing engine on a college campus is not the administration, the police. Its student culture, its peer pressure," said Judson Horras, president of the American Interfraternity Conference, which represents 59 fraternities.

For many of the more than 700,000 fraternity and sorority members in the United States, college social life revolves around their chapter houses, where they live, eat and study in close quarters with fellow members.

The houses, emblazoned with each organizations Greek letters, are typically clustered in areas known as Greek row, which can be packed with students during raucous parties, after campus sporting events and in the week set aside for the recruitment of new chapter members.

Some university officials have banned fraternity and sorority chapters from throwing parties this year; others have ordered the chapters to take precautions such as mandating masks; and officials are broadly hopeful that with a number of students taking classes online, and staying off campus, the atmosphere will naturally be more subdued.

But the risks have already become apparent. At the University of Washington, dozens of students staying in fraternity and sorority houses over the summer break tested positive for COVID-19. Then, last week, a video went viral showing young people neither social distancing nor wearing masks at a crowded sorority party at the University of North Carolina.

For years, college fraternities have been under scrutiny and criticism for alcohol-fueled parties, sexual assaults and dangerous hazing of potential new members.

Three years after a student died following a hazing at Penn State, the schools interfraternity council president Nate Brodsky says the pandemic is an opportunity to change the perspective of the organizations.

He said Penn State chapters will be closely monitored.

We were hoping the virus didnt have to compromise our college experience, but it has," Brodsky said. The one thing that can stop people from partying is realizing they will be putting other peoples lives at risk."

WEAR A MASK, EAT IN YOUR ROOM

Many fraternity and sorority members will not be allowed to bring guests into their houses and will be required to social distance, wear a mask in common areas and take their own temperature each day, fraternity and sorority officials said.

Chapters will also require members to eat meals in their own rooms or in small groups, set strict cleaning protocols and designate quarantine areas.

Erik Johnson, interfraternity council president at the University of Washington, knows how quickly the virus can spread after a 155-case outbreak this summer on the campus Greek row.

We really need to look beyond the Greek community here and look beyond our members ," Johnson said.

My concern truly is that a member of our community takes this home, infects their parents  grandparents and then someone dies," he added.

At Wake Forest University in North Carolina, Zach Skubic joined Sigma Pi fraternity last year as a freshman to meet new people and have some fun. These days, he is willing to squash any plans of throwing or attending a party, he said.

Going to a party where people will not be able to maintain a six-foot distance is asking for trouble," said the 19-year-old. Its not safe."

Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor
New Zealand's looming election could be delayed as the government battles to contain its latest COVID-19 outbreak.

The country was forced back into lockdown on Wednesday after four new coronavirus cases were discovered, after 102 days without a single community transmission.

Auckland, the country's most populous city, was placed under Stage Three lockdown, forcing families to stay at home for 72 hours.

The rest of the country was placed under Stage Two restrictions - mandating social distancing and limits on the size of gatherings.

The move has thrown the general election, which is scheduled for September 19, into question, with several politicians calling for it to be delayed.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern (pictured on Wednesday) said no decision had been made on pushing the date back

Auckland, the city with the largest population, was placed under Stage Three lockdown on Wednesday (pictured, testing underway in the city)

Opposition leader Judith Collins, who earned the nickname 'Crusher' for an initiative to crush the cars of criminals while police minister, said the lockdown made running a proper election campaign difficult.

'It's going to be very difficult to have an election in mid-September when we are now mid-August. It is very little time,' she told the AM Show.

National MP Simon Bridges also expressed concern over the timing of the election.

'Let's be honest about how problematic a Sept 19 election in under 40 days is. I've just cancelled public meetings and a lot of volunteers doorknocking,' he said on Twitter.

'Meanwhile, Labour, while suspending campaigning, continues with all machinery of Govt and thus the power of the airwaves.'

Labour, National, the Greens, and NZ First have all suspended campaigning for now as contact tracing gets underway.

Opposition leader Judith Collins (pictured) said the lockdown made running a proper election campaign difficult

The country was forced back into lockdown on Wednesday after the four new coronavirus cases were discovered

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said no decision had been made on pushing the date back.

'We're seeking advice around the options of the issue of the election from the Electoral Commission, just so that we make sure we have all those options available to us.

She announced on Wednesday that parliament would not be dissolved until Monday to allow politicians to debate and deal with the crisis.

The dissolution of parliament is the first step towards holding the general election, which is scheduled for September 19.

Rotorua residents line up for a COVID-19 test at the clinic after a confirmed case visited the city over the weekend (pictured, a testing queue in Auckland)

Queues stretch for kilometers in and out of Auckland as police stop vehicles at a checkpoint on SH1 north of Wellsford after the lockdown was announced (pictured on Wednesday)

The government and cabinet could have continued without parliament sitting, but it would have no way to pass new legislation if needed.

'We're giving ourselves as much flexibility as possible to deal with what we learn over the next 72 hours,' Ms Ardern said.

'We've therefore decided it would be prudent to defer the dissolution of parliament by at least a few days to preserve all options for, if needed, reconvening parliament or ... the date of the general election.'

'No decisions have been made, we're obviously at the very early stages.'

Delaying the election by a few weeks would require consultation between the prime minister, the leader of the opposition and the chief electoral officer.

Police question drivers as they head in and out of Auckland on SH1 north of Wellsford on Wednesday (pictured)

Queues stretch for kilometers in and out of Auckland as police stop vehicles at a checkpoint on SH1 north of Wellsford on Wednesday (pictured)

However, delaying it by months would require an amendment to the Constitution Act to allow Parliament to sit for longer.

According to the latest public polls, Ms Ardern was firmly on track to win a second term as prime minister.

New Zealanders applauded Ms Ardern's lockdown back in autumn, sending Labour soaring in popularity.

It remains to be seen how Kiwis will see a second lockdown - they may see Ms Ardern's government as responsible for new cases, or reminded of Ms Ardern's impressive leadership during the initial crisis.
Technavio has been monitoring the airport smart baggage handling solutions market and it is poised to grow by USD 1.15 billion during 2020-2024, progressing at a CAGR of over 6% during the forecast period. The report offers an up-to-date analysis regarding the current market scenario, latest trends and drivers, and the overall market environment.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200812005011/en/

Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Airport Smart Baggage Handling Solutions Market 2020-2024 (Graphic: Business Wire)

Technavio suggests three forecast scenarios (optimistic, probable, and pessimistic) considering the impact of COVID-19. Please Request Free Sample Report on COVID-19 Impact

Frequently Asked Questions-

At what rate is the market projected to grow in the forecast period 2020-2024?

Growing at a CAGR of over 6%, the market growth will accelerate in the forecast period.

What is the key factor driving the market?

The development of smart airports is one of the key factors driving the market growth.

Who are the top players in the market?

Babcock International Group Plc, BEUMER Group GmbH Co. KG, CIMC Tianda Holdings Co. Ltd., Daifuku Co. Ltd., G&S Airport Conveyor, Leonardo Spa, Siemens AG, SITA, Vanderlande Industries BV, and WFS Global SAS. are some of the major market participants.

Which region is expected to hold the highest market share?

APAC

What is the year-over-year growth rate of the global market?

The year-over-year growth rate for 2020 is estimated at 4.75%.

The market is concentrated, and the degree of concentration will accelerate during the forecast period. Babcock International Group Plc, BEUMER Group GmbH Co. KG, CIMC Tianda Holdings Co. Ltd., Daifuku Co. Ltd., G&S Airport Conveyor, Leonardo Spa, Siemens AG, SITA, Vanderlande Industries BV, and WFS Global SAS are some of the major market participants. To make most of the opportunities, market vendors should focus more on the growth prospects in the fast-growing segments, while maintaining their positions in the slow-growing segments.

Airport Smart Baggage Handling Solutions Market 2020-2024: Segmentation

Airport Smart Baggage Handling Solutions Market is segmented as below:

Product Smart Baggage and Tracking Devices Smart Baggage Screening Devices

Geography APAC North America Europe MEA South America



To learn more about the global trends impacting the future of market research, download a free sample: https://www.technavio.com/talk-to-us?report=IRTNTR44059

Airport Smart Baggage Handling Solutions Market 2020-2024: Scope

Technavio presents a detailed picture of the market by the way of study, synthesis, and summation of data from multiple sources. Our airport smart baggage handling solutions market report covers the following areas:

Airport Smart Baggage Handling Solutions Market size

Airport Smart Baggage Handling Solutions Market trends

Airport Smart Baggage Handling Solutions Market analysis

This study identifies the emergence of robotic baggage handling systems as one of the prime reasons driving the airport smart baggage handling solutions market growth during the next few years.

Airport Smart Baggage Handling Solutions Market 2020-2024: Vendor Analysis

We provide a detailed analysis of vendors operating in the airport smart baggage handling solutions market, including some of the vendors such as Babcock International Group Plc, BEUMER Group GmbH Co. KG, CIMC Tianda Holdings Co. Ltd., Daifuku Co. Ltd., G&S Airport Conveyor, Leonardo Spa, Siemens AG, SITA, Vanderlande Industries BV, and WFS Global SAS. Backed with competitive intelligence and benchmarking, our research reports on the airport smart baggage handling solutions market are designed to provide entry support, customer profile and M&As as well as go-to-market strategy support.

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Airport Smart Baggage Handling Solutions Market 2020-2024: Key Highlights

CAGR of the market during the forecast period 2020-2024

Detailed information on factors that will assist airport smart baggage handling solutions market growth during the next five years

Estimation of the airport smart baggage handling solutions market size and its contribution to the parent market

Predictions on upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior

The growth of the airport smart baggage handling solutions market

Analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information on vendors

Comprehensive details of factors that will challenge the growth of airport smart baggage handling solutions market vendors

Table of Contents:

Executive Summary

Market Overview

Market Landscape

Market ecosystem

Value chain analysis

Market Sizing

Market definition

Market segment analysis

Market size 2019

Market outlook: Forecast for 2019 2024

Five Forces Analysis

Five forces summary

Bargaining power of buyers

Bargaining power of suppliers

Threat of new entrants

Threat of substitutes

Threat of rivalry

Market condition

Market Segmentation by Product

Market segments

Comparison by Product

Smart baggage and tracking devices Market size and forecast 2019-2024

Smart baggage screening devices Market size and forecast 2019-2024

Market opportunity by Product

Customer landscape

Overview

Geographic Landscape

Geographic segmentation

Geographic comparison

APAC Market size and forecast 2019-2024

North America Market size and forecast 2019-2024

Europe Market size and forecast 2019-2024

MEA Market size and forecast 2019-2024

South America Market size and forecast 2019-2024

Key leading countries

Market opportunity by geography

Market Drivers

Market Challenges

Market Trends

Vendor Landscape

Overview

Landscape disruption

Vendor Analysis

Vendors covered

Market positioning of vendors

Babcock International Group Plc

BEUMER Group GmbH Co. KG

CIMC Tianda Holdings Co. Ltd.

Daifuku Co. Ltd.

G&S Airport Conveyor

Leonardo Spa

Siemens AG

SITA

Vanderlande Industries BV

WFS Global SAS

Appendix

Scope of the report

Currency conversion rates for US$

Research methodology

List of abbreviations

About Us

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Sabal Trail Transmission, LLC v. 18.27 Acres of Land in Levy County, Florida We hope this helps others who follow after us . . . an owner should be able to testify as to the value of his land and the damages that result when a pipeline has been put through his land without his say so. Its the owner that has the most to gain or lose. - Ryan Thomas, Landowner/RBT Farms

Source: Brigham Property Rights Law Firm (http://www.propertyrights.com)

The Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals just affirmed two jury verdicts totaling over $1.3 million paid to landowners Lee and Ryan Thomas who had easement rights taken by Sabal Trail Transmission, LLC for which the pipeline company earlier argued compensation should only be $39,700.

Lee and Ryan were among Florida landowners who had to litigate with the pipeline company over the measure of compensation for a new 500-plus mile, 36-diameter, interstate pipeline which transmits 1 billion cu. ft. of gas per day to power plants owned by Florida Power & Light and Duke Energy.

Under the Natural Gas Act, Congress has authorized Sabal Trail to use the federal eminent domain power as a private licensee company. As such, court records show in March 2016 that Sabal Trail filed 263 condemnation cases in Floridas Northern and Middle District Courts. Once federal courts granted Sabal Trail immediate possession of the easements rights in June 2016, Sabal Trail completed its construction of its new pipeline by June 2017. While Sabal Trail was allowed to proceed with its project, landowners in the pipelines path had to continue to fight with the pipeline company over the measure of compensation which includes payment for both the property taken and also severance damages to the landowners remaining property on either side of the pipeline easements.

The appeal followed a five-day trial before U.S. District Court Judges Mark E. Walker and Paul C. Huck held in Gainesville, Florida back in November 2018. Court records confirm that this was one of only two jury trials regarding Sabal Trails project in Florida. At trial, Lee and Ryan Thomas were represented by a team of lawyers from Brigham Property Rights Law Firm [http://www.propertyrights.com . The firm devotes its practice to representing property and business owners in condemnation cases, not the government or private corporations who are condemnors.

Sabal Trails appeal to the Eleventh Circuit sought to overturn the jury verdicts in the both Lees and Ryans cases. On appeal, Lee and Ryan were represented by Andrew Prince Brigham of Brigham Property Rights Law Firm and Mark F. (Thor) Hearne of True North Law Firm [http://www.truenorthlawgroup.com .

Brigham, who served as lead trial counsel and made the oral argument on appeal, explained, It is rare that a landowners case proceeds to an appeal, let alone a jury trial, because the law determining the measure of compensation, more often than not, fails to include having the condemnor pay for the landowners attorneys fees and costs. Brigham added, Most landowners can ill afford to proceed to trial against a billion-dollar company. However, because Sabal Trail was proceeding as a private licensee company under the Natural Gas Act and because Sabal Trail is not the federal government condemning land, the federal court applied state law to determine the measure of compensation. In Florida, the state law measure of compensation in eminent domain cases requires that the condemnor pay for the landowners attorneys fees and costs. So, because of state law, Lee and Ryan had an equal footing to stand against Sabal Trail regarding the just and fair measure of compensation that should be paid for the easement takings.

Sabal Trail acquired a 100-ft. wide easement corridor through the 837-acre farm owned by a trust over which Lee was trustee and an adjacent 40-acre homestead owned by Ryan, Lees son, who farmed the land. Sabal Trails corridor ran for over a mile, splitting a grove of mature oak trees, locating its pipeline within 300-ft. of Ryans home, and cutting a diagonal path through several of the 837-acre farms fields.

At the jury trial, Sabal Trail contended that because its pipeline is buried underground, there were no damages. In support, Sabal Trails appraiser prepared a study comparing differences in sale prices between impact properties with pipelines and non-impact properties without pipelines. For the farm and adjacent homestead, Sabal Trails appraiser considered 2 such pairings to back his opinion of 0% damages. The landowners presented their own appraiser, Matthew Ray, MAI, who prepared his own study of 54 pairings upon which he based his opinion of 8% damages to the 837-acre farm and 45% damages to the 40-acre homestead. Lee and Ryan also testified. They considered their properties to be less valuable because of the resulting loss of privacy, removal of trees, the pipelines close proximity to Ryans house, and lower productivity in the farm fields. Accordingly, both landowners offered opinions of 12% damages to the 837-acre farm and 60% damages to the 40-acre homestead.

From the two jury verdicts totaling $1,324,703, the jury appeared to base their determination on 9% damages to the 837-acre farm and 50% damages to the 40-acre homestead.

On appeal, Sabal Trails chief complaint was that jurors improperly relied on the testimonies of the landowners because the amount of their verdicts exceeded the testimony of their own appraiser Ray. Sabal Trail further argued that their testimonies should have been excluded by the trial judges because they lacked a sufficiently strong foundation in that neither Lee nor Ryan had prior experience selling or buying properties encumbered with natural gas pipelines from which to quantify an opinion of severance damages. Because of this, the company argued their testimonies were speculative and purely conjectural and, as such, the trial judge abused his discretion by admitting their testimonies to the jury.

In deciding the two appeals, the Eleventh Circuit sided with the landowners Lee and Ryan Thomas. The panel, including Chief Judge William Pryor, Judge Robin Rosenbaum, and Judge K. Michael Moore (sitting by designation and is the Chief Judge of Floridas Southern District) rejected Sabal Trails argument holding instead that the trial judge did not abuse his discretion in allowing the jury to hear Lees and Ryans testimonies. The Courts per curiam opinion reads, while providing little explanation for the specific values they testified to, we cannot say that their testimony was purely speculative or that the district court abused its considerable discretion in admitting it. The opinion goes further explains the Courts reasoning: Lee and Ryan Thomas satisfied the low bar of providing some basis for their valuation testimony. Lee trained as a land appraiser early in his career. Both men bought and sold property in Levy County over the years and knew what prospective purchasers would be looking for in a piece of property. And they explained the negative impact of the pipeline on their farming operations and residential life.

Once informed that the Eleventh Circuit upheld the verdicts, Ryan Thomas was finally able to express both relief and satisfaction, saying, We hope this helps others who follow after us . . . an owner should be able to testify as to the value of his land and the damages that result when a pipeline has been put through his land without his say so. Its the owner that has the most to gain or lose.

Brigham gave the following statement as a final summary: The Eleventh Circuits opinion is a needed precedent confirming that an owner can testify as a lay witness without further qualification as an expert in a condemnation trial. The Court made it clear that owners can testify about how much their properties decline in value after a pipeline encumbers them even when they havent bought or sold other pipeline-encumbered property. Moreover, the Thomases show, once again, that ordinary property owners can stand up and be paid a full measure of compensation even when the eminent domain power is wielded by a private, billion-dollar, for-profit company like Sabal Trail.

The Eleventh Circuits opinion is cited under two cases: Sabal Trail Transmission, LLC v. +/- 18.27 Acres of Land, Lee A Thomas, Trustee, 11th Cir. Case No. 19-10705, D.C. Docket No: 1:16-cv-00093-MW-GRJ (11th Cir. Aug. 3, 2020) and Sabal Trail Transmission, LLC v. +/- 2.468 Acres of Land, Ryan B. Thomas, 11th Cir. Case No. 19-10722, D.C. Docket No. 1:16-cv-00095-MW-GRJ (11th Cir. Aug. 3, 2020). The two cases were also previewed in Natural Gas Pipeline Easements: An Overview of the Takings Jurisprudence Associated with the Acquisition of a Lineal Corridor When the Condemnor is a Private Licensee of the Eminent Domain Power Under the Natural Gas Act, Brigham-Kanner Property Rights Journal, Volume 8, August 2019, William & Mary Law School [https://scholarship.law.wm.edu/propertyjournal/8/ .
NAPA, Calif., Aug. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Fume Brands , a cannabis management and branding company, announced it has partnered with Last Prisoner Project (LPP) in support of their mission to get all nonviolent cannabis prisoners released and returned to their communities as thriving, contributing members. Since day one, fume has supported cannabis criminalization reform and fought for justice, and is committed to supporting organizations like Last Prisoner's Project until all are free.

Fume Brands

The Last Prisoner Project focuses on three key criminal justice reform initiatives: prisoner release, record clearing through clemency and expungement, and re-entry programs. Collectively these programs help cannabis prisoners become "fully free." As part of fume's partnership, the company will work with LPP to provide the support and resources needed to help these individuals get back into the job market and stay on track.

"To call the war on drugs and mass incarceration racist just scratches the surface of how immoral these policies were. They were a government-promoted, systematic continuation of the oppression of minoritiesespecially those of color that is an indelible stain on the fabric of our country's history," said Eric Sklar, CEO and co-founder of Fume Brands. "In particular, the harsh punishments for marijuana crimes are an obscene example of this oppression. Society can never fully return what was taken from these individuals and communities but we must try. The Last Prisoner Project is a shining example of the effort to begin to right these many wrongs."

Over the past decade, 15.7 million people have been arrested and 40,000 people are currently incarcerated in the United States for nonviolent cannabis offenses. This criminalization has disproportionately affected BIPOC communities and is a direct and significant contributor to the systemic racial injustices that have inspired today's nationwide protests.

"Last Prisoner Project is incredibly grateful for the support of Fume Brands. We are dedicated to releasing prisoners and helping them rebuild their lives and we depend on the financial support of our partners to do this impactful work," said Mary Bailey, Managing Director of Last Prisoner Project.

Fume Brands is committed to building a brighter future for the cannabis industry and is dedicated to leaving the world in a better place than they found it. A central part of fume's mission is to right the wrongs of the pasta past where cannabis was illegal and cannabis related activities were considered a crime. To that, fume Brands is an active Second Chance Employer and is proud to hire individuals with non-violent cannabis records, giving those individuals the opportunity to re-enter their communities with pride and helping them to provide for their families.

"We are passionate about supporting social justice reforms, including the expungement of criminal records for everyone who has served or is still serving time for an activity that is now legal and considered an essential business. The legal cannabis industry has an opportunity and a responsibility to do something about this travesty, and being a Second Chance Employer is just the first step," said Elissa Hambrecht, COO of Fume Brands.

To learn more about Last Prisoner's Project and others ways Fume Brands gives back to its community, please visit, https://www.lakegrade.com/last-prisoner-project/ .

About Fume Brands

Fume Brands is a cannabis management and branding company based in Napa, CA. The company's missionPlanting Trees for Future Generationscomes from its vision to plant seeds to grow a brighter future for cannabis by bringing the most innovative products and experiences to market. Fume's first brandLAKEGRADEentered the market in July 2019 and comes in two form factors - flower and prerolls. The proprietary strains are sun-grown, full-term on Fume's outdoor farm in Lake County, CA and produce big, stunning buds that are packed with high-THC levels. Fume will be launching their flagship brandfumein late 2020 and a line of experience-based vape cartridges next year. To learn more, visit https://www.fumebrands.com/ .

About Last Prisoner Project

The Last Prisoner Project (LPP) is a coalition of cannabis industry leaders, executives and artists dedicated to bringing restorative justice to the cannabis industry. LPP is dedicated to releasing cannabis prisoners and helping them rebuild their lives. As the United States moves away from the criminalization of cannabis, giving rise to a major new industry, there remains the fundamental injustice inflicted upon those who have suffered criminal convictions and the consequences of those convictions. Through intervention, advocacy and awareness campaigns, the forces behind the Last Prisoner Project will work to redress the past and continuing harms of these unjust laws and policies and are dedicated to making sure that every last victimless cannabis prisoner walks free. Visit www.LastPrisonerProject.org or text FREEDOM to 24365 to donate and learn more.

Media Contact:

Jenny Russo

650-269-8789

[email protected]

SOURCE Fume Brands

Related Links

https://www.fumebrands.com


The trials study will span several countries, including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, the Philippines and possibly Brazil, and involve "several thousand people," Dmitriev said. In the meantime, the vaccine will be offered to tens of thousands of people who volunteer to be vaccinated. Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova said the vaccination of doctors could start as early as this month. Russian authorities have said that medical workers, teachers and other risk groups will be the first to undergo vaccination. According to officials, large-scale production of the vaccine will start in September, and mass vaccination may begin as early as October. "We expect tens of thousands of volunteers to be vaccinated within the next months," Dmitriev said. "So people outside of clinical trials will have access to the vaccine in August, and some, already on the massive scale, in October."

The Gamaleya Institute's director, Alexander Gintsburg, said that initially there will be only enough doses to give the vaccine in 10 to 15 of Russia's 85 regions, according to the Interfax news agency. The Associated Press couldn't find documentation in the Russian Health Ministry's records indicating that permission to start the advanced trials was granted. The ministry has not responded to a request for comment. The World Health Organisation's list of vaccine candidates undergoing human testing still lists the Gamaleya product as in preliminary safety trials, which involve giving a low dose to a small number of people. President Putin said one of his daughters has received two shots of the vaccine. "She has taken part in the experiment," the Russian leader said, adding that she had minor side effects, such as slight fever, and is now "feeling well and has high number of antibodies". The Health Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday that the vaccine was expected to provide immunity from the coronavirus for up to two years, citing "(prior) experience of using vector vaccines with the two-shot scheme of administration".

However, as Russia has not yet published any scientific data from its first clinical trials, scientists both at home and abroad find these assurances hardly convincing. No vaccines have ever been developed for any coronavirus, including SARS and MERS, and new immunisations typically take years to develop. "The collateral damage from release of any vaccine that was less than safe and effective would exacerbate our current problems insurmountably," Imperial College London immunology professor Danny Altmann said in a statement on Tuesday. Russia has so far registered 897,599 coronavirus cases, including 15,131 deaths. When the pandemic struck Russia, Putin ordered state officials to shorten the time of clinical trials for potential coronavirus vaccines. Becoming the first country in the world to develop a vaccine was a matter of national prestige for the Kremlin as it tries to assert the image of Russia as a global power. State television stations and other media have praised scientists working on it and presented the work as the envy of other nations.

The Gamaleya Institute's Gintsburg raised eyebrows in May when he said that he and other researchers tried the vaccine on themselves before the start of human studies. Human trials started June 17 with 76 volunteers. Half were injected with a vaccine in liquid form and the other half with a vaccine that came as soluble powder. Some in the first half were recruited from the military, which raised concerns that servicemen may have been pressured to participate. Amid Russia's rush to become the first to create a vaccine, the US, Britain and Canada last month accused Russia of using hackers to steal vaccine research from Western labs. As the trials were declared completed earlier this month, questions arose about the vaccine's safety and effectiveness.

"It is not possible to know if the Russian vaccine has been shown to be effective without submission of scientific papers for analysis and then there may be problems on data quality," Keith Neal, emeritus professor of the epidemiology of infectious diseases of the University of Nottingham, said in a statement. The World Health Organisation said all vaccine candidates should go through full stages of testing before being rolled out. Experts have warned that vaccines that are not properly tested can cause harm in many ways  from a negative impact on health to creating a false sense of security or undermining trust in vaccinations. Cases rise in Lebanon after explosion Lebanon has registered a new record of coronavirus cases and deaths as the number of patients increase in the country that had a deadly explosion last week. Cases in Lebanon have been increasing since early July when Beirut's international airport was re-opened and a lockdown was eased.

Loading The health ministry on Tuesday say 307 people tested positive, raising the total registered cases to 7121 since the first case was reported in late February. The ministry reported seven new deaths, raising the confirmed total to 87. Dr Firas Abiad, director general of Rafik Hariri University Hospital, said last week that the number of cases is expected to rise in the coming days following the August 4, explosion that killed and wounded thousands of people. He says crowding in hospitals, where thousands of wounded were rushed would raise the numbers. UK reports highest daily total COVID cases since late June The United Kingdom reported 1148 confirmed new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, the highest daily total since June 21.

The cumulative total of UK cases stood at 312,789, government data showed. It was only the second time since June that the daily total of new confirmed cases topped the 1000 mark. The previous instance was on Sunday, when the daily figure was 1062. The UK authorities stopped publishing daily updates on the number of deaths from COVID-19 on July 17 due to a review of the way the statistics were being reported, which has yet to conclude. More than 46,000 people have died of the disease in the United Kingdom, the highest toll in Europe. Young fuel rise in cases in Spain The regional government in Spain's Canary Islands says more than 85 per cent of new coronavirus infections detected during the past week were among people under 30 years old.

Loading Regional health chief Blas Trujillo says the new COVID-19 cases resulted from leisure time and family get-togethers without social distancing. He says the constant appearance of new cases - 85 in the previous 24 hours - could bring a return to an economically damaging lockdown. Even though most young people were asymptomatic, contact tracing requirements overload the health system and the colleagues of those testing positive have to stay at home. 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.
At least two people died and 110 were arrested in connection with the violence that broke out in Bengaluru on Tuesday (August 11) over an alleged derogatory social media post by a Congress leader's relative.

It is learnt that two people died in police firing after angry mobs attacked the house of Pulakeshinagar MLA Akhanda Srinivas Murthy and violent clashes broke out in DJ Halli and KG Halli police station areas of Bengaluru.

"Around 60 police personnel including an Additional Commissioner of Police injured in clashes that broke out over an alleged inciting social media post, in DJ Halli & KG Halli police station areas," Bengaluru Police Commissioner Kamal Pant told ANI.

With regard to incidents in DJ Halli, accused Naveen arrested for posting derogatory posts.. also total 110 accused arrested for arson, stone pelting and assault on police. APPEAL TO ALL TO COOPERATE WITH POLICE TO MAINTAIN PEACE.  Kamal Pant, IPS (@CPBlr) August 11, 2020

He added that restrictions under CrPC Section 144 have been imposed in the city and curfew has been imposed in DJ Halli and KG Halli police station limits to keep the situation under control. Bengaluru Police Commissioner Pant said that accused Naveen has been arrested for sharing derogatory post on Facebook.

Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai condemned the incidents of violent clashes and has urged the people to maintain law and order.



According to sources, the angry mobs also pelted stones on cops guarding the MLA's residence. The MLA was reportedly not at his residence when the mobs came out to vent their anger against the derogatory posts shared by his relative.
With a few hundred customers still without power Wednesday, Eversource crews are working to restore outages from Tropical Storm Isaias.

Eversource said Wednesday afternoon that the remaining power outages would be restored in the hardest-hit western portion of the state by midnight Thursday.

As of 7:25 p.m., the utility company reported 259 outages remaining, representing 0.02 percent of its 1.3 million customers. On Tuesday night at midnight, Eversource successfully met its self-declared deadline to restore power to all but at most 1 percent of customers.

United Illuminating reported 232 customers without power around 7:25 p.m. Wednesday, up from the just 49 UI customers still without power earlier in the day. That increase to 232 included 190 in West Haven and 28 in New Haven.

Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton posted on Facebook Wednesday, Eversource doing a victory lap this morning is laughable. Its like setting fire to a barn, waiting 8 days to put the ashes out and then saying Look at me! Look how great I am. Some advice: Get the lights on, reimburse people for lost perishables, reimburse businesses for lost revenue, do not tack on the repair bill to future bills, speaking of bills, drop the new charges that have caused bills to skyrocket, cap CEO and executive compensation, then we can talk. Since you wont do those things, we need to break up a monopoly that doesnt work. Lets never forget.

Attorney General William Tong late Wednesday called for Eversource to reimburse customers for the cost of lost food and medicine  a move Consolidated Edison is doing in New York. Tong said he had not calculated the estimated value of the reimbursement.

More broadly, Tong and other elected officials  including Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., a former longtime state attorney general  have called on Eversource to agree to pay for the entire cost of the cleanup. Blumenthal also called for rebates to customers that lost power.

Con Ed agreed to pay up to $540 for spoiled food for households that lost power for at least 48 consecutive hours, and up to $10,700 for businesses, according to media reports including WPIX-TV Channel 11.

As for Eversource, Tong said, Im calling on them to do it voluntarily but were going to put everything on the table when we go to the hearing.

Eversource issued a statement Wednesday night, saying: We understand how difficult it is for our customers to be without power. As this was an act of nature we dont provide reimbursement, but we encourage our customers to reach out to their insurance carrier to see if its in their homeowners or renters policy.

Tong said he intends to argue before regulators at upcoming hearings on the storm, and at future electric rate hearings, that Eversource shareholders, not ratepayers, should shoulder the restoration cost  which has not been estimated publicly.

Its probably more than the $40 million they paid their executives last year, Tong said, referring to the publicly listed pay of the top five executives.

Speaking of CEO James Judge, he added, Judge can contribute three-quarters of the $20 million he made last year.

Eversource executives say for now, they are focused on completing the restoration. Craig Hallstrom, Eversources president of regional electric operations, said at this late point in the restoration efforts, final outages often call for time-consuming, extensive repairs.

For example, we can have five or more crews  which can be about 18 people  working most of the day to repair the damage at one location and that will bring power back to only one customer, Hallstorm said.

He said the damaged caused by Tropical Storm Isaias rivals  and in many cases surpasses  the destruction caused by other recent historic storms.

During Isaias, more than 20,000 spots across the state saw damage, compared with 16,101 during Tropical Storm Irene and 16,460 during Superstorm Sandy.

Eversource said it reached peak outages for Isaias  632,632 customers  3:30 p.m. Aug. 5, about 24 hours after the storm hit. Peak outages reached 671,000 Eversource customers during Irene, while less than 500,000 of the utility services customers were without power during Sandys peak, according to Eversource.

In all, about 800,000 Eversource customers lost power during the storm and recovery, the company said. The smaller number represents the largest number at one time.
Interplay Learning is the leading global provider of online and VR training for the essential skilled trades. It can be difficult to find industry-specific content for maintenance, explains Clara Abalos, Director of Learning & Development at Hunt. So when we started to see that Interplay Learning was expanding their catalog and growing more content in that direction, it became an exciting option for us.

This month, Hunt Military Communities is joining with Interplay Learning to provide digital skilled trade training for the companys 600 service technicians.

With around 52,000 homes on more than 40 military installations across the country, Hunt sees this as an opportunity to offer their service technicians industry-relevant training and create a skills-ladder career path. For several years Hunt has been focused on providing industry-leading learning and development for technicians. This partnership marks a decisive move towards a universal training standard and increased opportunities for advancement within the company.

Hunt will use Interplay Learning HVAC, plumbing, electrical, and appliance repair training as part of a two-year customized, learning plan for service technicians. It can be difficult to find industry-specific content for maintenance, explains Clara Abalos, Director of Learning & Development at Hunt. So when we started to see that Interplay Learning was expanding their catalog and growing more content in that direction, it became an exciting option for us. After a successful initial pilot, Hunt recognized that Interplays hands-on style of virtual training could continue to develop well-rounded skills for their technicians.

As Interplay Learning moves into the multi-family market, Doug Donovan, CEO of Interplay Learning, views the partnership with Hunt as a significant milestone. Were looking forward to seeing the results of standardized, job-relevant training on the companys technical workforce. We hope to see a higher employee retention rate and an overall increase in technical skills bring great value to Hunt, its tenants, and service technicians.

The key objective of this initiative is to provide service and quality maintenance to our residents as well as building human capital, Abalos says. This has been something near and dear to us, to develop and invest in our people. Giving them the tools to be empowered and successful is a top priority for us.

Training will be rolled out in September across all of Hunts military community locations and will be overseen by local maintenance directors. The two largest locations with the most technicians will be launching pilot programs featuring virtual reality training in a classroom setting. Hunt intends to bring VR training to most of its sites in 2021.

About Interplay Learning

Founded in 2016, Interplay Learning is the leading global provider of online and VR training for the essential skilled trades. The Austin, Texas-based firm develops and delivers scalable, highly effective digital learning simulations for the HVAC, Plumbing, Electrical, Solar and Facilities Maintenance workforce. Using the digital experiential learning platform, Interplay Learning allows its customers to practice hands-on learning and train to be job-ready in weeks, not years. The company was named to the 2019 Inc. 5000 list, won the AI Breakthrough Award for Best Use of Virtual Reality for Enterprise Applications, and is an AHR Expo  Innovations Awards 2020 Winner. Interplay Learning is building better training, better careers and better lives for its customers and their employees. Welcome to the next generation of the skilled labor workforce. Visit https://www.interplaylearning.com/ to learn more.

About Hunt Military Communities

Hunt Military Communities, the largest military housing owner, offers unsurpassed quality and service to more than 165,000 residents in approximately 52,000 homes on Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Army installations across the USA. We do this through our core values: safety, kindness, efficiency, enthusiasm and selflessness and our 5-Star Service commitment. With a 50-year legacy and a partnership with the Department of Defense, HMC strives to ensure the integrity of our military communities and the families who live there. For more information, visit https://www.huntmilitarycommunities.com/.

Media Contact

Ria Romano

786.290.6413

press (at) interplaylearning.com
BAKU, Azerbaijan, Aug. 12

Trend:

As a result of the intensive shelling of Azerbaijans Tovuz district by Armenian armed forces using large-caliber weapons and heavy artillery in July 2020, the civilian population and state property, including infrastructure, suffered serious damages, the press service of the Azerbaijani Ministry of Emergency Situations (MES) told Trend.

On August 6, the President of Azerbaijan signed a decree On additional measures to eliminate damage caused to the civilian population and state property including infrastructure objects as a result of the intensive shelling of Azerbaijans Tovuz district by the Armenian armed forces'.

According to the decree, in order to eliminate the damage caused to the civilian population in Tovuzs villages of Aghdam, Dondar Gushchu, Vahidli, Alibeyli, Yukhari Oysuzlu and Ashagi Oysuzlu by the intensive shelling by the Armenian armed forces, funds worth 1 million manat were allocated to the Ministry of Emergency Situations from the Reserve Fund of the President of Azerbaijan provided for in the state budget of Azerbaijan for 2020.

To address the issues arising from the decree, the Ministry of Emergency Situations immediately took appropriate measures. So, in the listed settlements, based on experts' conclusions, the demolition of houses, which had come to a critical condition, was started.

Furthermore, cleaning the territory for the smooth conduct of the operations as well as the repair and restoration works have begun. It is envisaged that the work will be completed in a short time, and with this purpose, sufficient equipment and manpower have been brought into the territory.

Residents of the villages express their gratitude to the head of state for the attention and care, the ministry stressed.
New Delhi, Aug 12 : Pakistan, in violation of international laws and defiance of its own Constitution, has given a free hand to Chinese mining companies to plunder natural resources in the occupied Gilgit Baltistan (GB) area. Not only that, Islamabad has also signed a multi-billion dollar contract with Beijing to build a mega dam in the Daimer division, an area that legally belongs to India.

Over 2,000 leases for mining of gold, uranium and molybdenum have been illegally awarded to Chinese firms by the Pakistan government in Gilgit and Baltistan, also known as Northern Areas.

The Imran Khan government has thrown environmental norms to the wind while allotting these illegal mining contracts revealed Nasir Aziz Khan, exiled leader and Chief Spokesperson of United Kashmir People's National Party (UKPNP), a prominent political outfit of GB area.

"We will expose Pakistan's conspiracy to plunder natural resources in the forthcoming convention of the United Nations in Geneva, next month," Aziz told IANS over phone.

Citing article 257 of the Constitution of Pakistan, Aziz said that the government in Islamabad has no right to plunder natural resources in GB.

"Rules are being blatantly flouted. The media cannot report. People who raise voice in GB are being punished. In such given circumstances when no one can oppose any decision, natural resources are being looted. Pakistan is playing into the hands of China," Aziz said.

"Local people are not consulted. Their interests have been totally ignored. The move to oblige China in the GB area also violates international laws," the UKPMP leader who lives in Geneva, Switzerland added.

In Northern Areas, which include three divisions, Gilgit, Baltistan and Diamer, the media is literally censored by the federal government. "In this part of the world (GB area), the press is controlled by the Pak government. A few local newspapers which are printed outside are checked and monitored by the agencies in Rawalpindi and Islamabad.

"Consequently huge dams are being blatantly constructed. Precious mines, minerals and other resources are being plundered. The entire area is under the influence of China. In lieu of giving military support to Pakistan, the Chinese are looting our land and its rich resources," said the exiled leader of UKPNP.

Recently a Rs 442-billion joint venture was inked between a Chinese state-run firm and a commercial wing of Pakistan's military to construct the mega Diamer Bhasha Dam.

While natural resources of GB would be used to generate 45,000 MW of electricity, the end users would be largely the people of Pakistan living outside Northern Areas.

Although there is a provincial assembly in GB, the government is virtually run by the Governor at the behest of Islamabad. Last year the leader of opposition in GB Assembly raised the issue of plundering of natural resources like uranium and gold by Chinese companies but such voices of dissent were silenced. The issue was given no coverage even in the national media.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
The Washington Post is providing this news free to all readers as a public service.

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The Governing Council of the University of Lagos today announced the sacking of its Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Olawatoyin Ogundipe.

The sack was announced at a meeting of the Governing Council of the UNILAG held at the National Universities Commission in Abuja

While seven members voted for the removal of Ogundipe, four voted against it; one of them voted that the VC should rather be placed on suspension.

The meeting was chaired by the UNILAG Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of its Governing Council, Dr. Wale Babalakin.

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A local lawyer has been banned from electronically communicating with female lawyers in the province except for work-related reasons.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 12/8/2020 (525 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

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A local lawyer has been banned from electronically communicating with female lawyers in the province except for work-related reasons.

The Law Society of Manitoba issued a notice of undertaking for Ryan William Fawcett, where he agrees not to contact other female lawyers by FaceTime, text message, email or other direct messaging or video apps, according to a post on the societys website.

"If he intends on communicating with a female lawyer of the Society for a non-work-related reason, in the manners described, he must first obtain the written authorization of the Society," the notice reads.

The notice was issued on Aug. 6.

When reached on Tuesday morning, Law Society of Manitoba director of regulations Leah Kosokowsky said she couldnt provide information on what led to the undertaking, but described it as a "solemn promise" to abide by its conditions.

She said the society receives undertakings from lawyers in a variety of circumstances and no disciplinary hearing has been scheduled.

If an undertaking is breached, Kosokowsky said it could result in an investigation and potential discipline.

The order will remain in place unless the law society changes it or the societys chief executive officer relieves Fawcett of it.

Fawcett currently practises in Brandon with Legal Aid Manitoba. He was called to the bar in 2001.

Fawcett could not be reached Tuesday for comment by the Sun, but told CBC News in an email the issue does not pertain to a disciplinary matter.

 dmay@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @DrewMay_
BAMYAN, Afghanistan -- Hamida, a young Afghan girl from the Yakawlang district of the central Afghan province of Bamyan, had pictured a bright future for herself. But at age 14, her dreams of finishing school and attending university met with the harsh reality facing so many girls in Afghanistan when her father married her off to an older cousin.

Hamidas childhood was taken away from her in the name of exploitative customs that are widespread in rural and remote areas of the country. Once she was married, she was expected to cook, clean, and look after her husband and in-laws, but after six years, she has had enough.

When I was in seventh grade, my father forced me to marry a man I did not love. My husband's family did not let me continue my education, said Hamida, now age 20. I finally divorced my husband, but my life is now a cycle of never-ending problems.

I have returned to my father's house, but my ex-husband has taken my [2-year-old] daughter away from me, she said. I am worried for my daughter's future. I don't want her to face a destiny similar to mine.

In a show of unity against the practice and in a pioneering move the first of its kind in Afghanistan, civil rights activists, religious clerics, and women in Bamyans Yakawlang district agreed to ban forced marriages. A number of the clerics suggested this type of union is unacceptable and actually forbidden in Islam.

Rauf Salehi, a leader of Yakawlangs clerics, tells Radio Free Afghanistan that after the decision to prohibit forced marriages was made a few months ago, the number of forced marriages in the district dropped by 50 percent.

When people come to religious imams or clerics, it is necessary for them to investigate the situation and ensure it is not a forced or underage marriage, Salehi says.

Either way, forced and underage marriages go against Islamic law, and girls who are in this type of situation cannot participate in decision-making for themselves. Therefore, a marriage of this fashion is invalid through the lens of Islam, he added.

The official legal marriage age in Afghanistan is 16 for girls and 18 for boys. Most marriages in Afghanistans segregated society are arranged by parents and family elders between consenting adults. But traditions involving bride price, dowries, and using marriages to settle disputes results have turned many arranged marriages into forced unions. Every year thousands of young girls like Hamida have their fate signed away by others, giving them little to no opportunity to have a say for themselves.

Some Afghans, mostly those who are poverty-stricken or uneducated, view marriage as transactional and therefore decide to wed their children for economic reasons, according to a UNICEF study, leaving them vulnerable to health risks and potential abuse.

Salehi says it is necessary to end the exploitative social customs that permit these types of marriages to take place in the first place. He has asked the government to take a strong stand on this issue.

Zakia Razia, head of Bamyans womens rights commission, commends the decision made by the religious leaders. She says she will continue to work with elders and religious figures in order to forbid forced child marriages throughout all districts of Bamyan.

Forced and underage marriages are a crime against women; therefore, we will make sure to get all of the religious leaders on our side, to rid the province of this undesirable practice, Razia said.

In many cases, women who marry under the legal age or against their will experience psychological traumas that can negatively impact their mental health in the long run, even if they are able to secure a divorce.

Nilly Kohzad wrote this story based on reporting by Radio Free Afghanistan correspondent Gulamaiz Sharifi from Bamyan, Afghanistan.
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COVID-19 Tests and Certificates for Travel

People who intend to travel, particularly during August, are urged to avoid those parts of the World with a high incidence of COVID-19.

The Government has said it is unwise to travel to places where the healthcare system may be under stress, where you may not be covered by insurance, and where you may bring infection back into your family and community in Gibraltar. It is also important to become familiar with the rules and regulations in your country of destination and, if applicable, of transit before departing Gibraltar.

Some jurisdictions now require certificated proof of a recent negative test showing no virus present. Further information can be obtained from the FCO Travel Advice website, but different countries have different requirements for the test and the time when those tests have to be taken. It is the travellers responsibility to ensure they meet those requirements.

In order to assist with those situations, Her Majestys Government of Gibraltar through Public Health Gibraltar has created a service that will enable both testing and certification to take place.

Travellers who require certificates after their test should contact the Public Health Department at least 96 hours (excluding weekends) before their date of travel. They should email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with the following information:

 Full Names (as printed on Passport)

 Passport Number

 Date of Birth

 Scanned Copy of GHA Card

 Contact Telephone Number

On receipt of above, an appointment will be made for testing which will be carried out at the Rooke Drive Through Facility (Monday to Saturday). The traveller should make sure that the timing and type of their test is valid for their country of travel.

There will be no cost for the first Private Travel Test for travellers holding a valid GHA card and thus only the cost of the certificate will be incurred which is 30. Any further tests required for Private Travel by the same person will be charged.

Travellers not holding a GHA Card, will be required to cover the cost of both the Test, which is 150, and the Certificate, which is 30.

Certificates will be issued electronically. Payment details will be provided in the response email to the initial application.

FCO Travel Advice: https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice
Over one million cats are killed for their meat every year as part of the cruel and hidden trade, FOUR PAWS and Change for Animals Foundation reports

An innocent victim of the trade looks out longingly for freedom. Copyright:  FOUR PAWS

An innocent victim of the trade looks out longingly for freedom. Copyright:  FOUR PAWS

Wholesalers keep the cats crammed into small cages for several days until they have collected enough animals to cover the costs of transport. Cats are transported over hundreds of miles without water, food, and sufficient ventilation to the slaughterhouses scattered throughout Vietnam. Copyright:  FOUR PAWS

Wholesalers keep the cats crammed into small cages for several days until they have collected enough animals to cover the costs of transport. Cats are transported over hundreds of miles without water, food, and sufficient ventilation to the slaughterhouses scattered throughout Vietnam. Copyright:  FOUR PAWS

Boston, MA, Aug. 12, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- While the trade and consumption of dog meat in Asia is increasingly being discussed in public, the brutal cat meat trade is still relatively unknown.

Global animal welfare organizations FOUR PAWS and Change For Animals Foundation have released the findings from their investigations into Vietnams illicit cat meat trade, exposing the true extent of the hidden trade.

In Vietnam alone, an estimated one million cats every year  including strays and pets  are stolen from the streets and peoples homes, trafficked across the country, and brutally slaughtered. Locally known as "Little Tiger" and once only found in Northern provinces, the dish is spreading in popularity nationwide despite increasing pet ownership.

The trade is not only a threat to animal welfare but to human health due to the risk of rabies and zoonotic diseases. FOUR PAWS and Change For Animals Foundation therefore calls on the Vietnamese government to reinstate laws that explicitly prohibit the cat meat trade, enforce and strengthen existing laws to safeguard human and animal health, and protect peoples companion animals from theft.

Theft, Transport, Slaughter: Animal Cruelty at All Stages

In contrast to the local dog meat trade, the hunting, slaughtering and consumption of cats was explicitly illegal in Vietnam until January 2020. However, the law has been revoked and there is now more demand than ever for cat meat. This is particularly true in the north of the country, but its popularity is also spreading to other parts of Vietnam as far south as Ho Chi Minh City.

Story continues

The investigations by FOUR PAWS and Change For Animals Foundation identified Hanoi and the Thai Binh province as Vietnam's cat meat hotspots, with their large networks of hundreds of restaurants, holding areas and slaughterhouses. To meet the increasing demand, free roaming stray and pet cats are captured and sold alive to wholesalers or directly to restaurants for slaughtering. According to the organizations, there are no farms in Vietnam where cats are bred specifically for the meat trade.

At the wholesalers, we discovered many cats with collars  a clear sign that they were pets. During our research we also met many pet owners who were desperately looking for their stolen cats. The authorities usually turn a blind eye to this because they are often involved in the cat meat trade, either profiting from bribes or are consumers themselves, says Dr. Katherine Polak, veterinarian and Head of FOUR PAWS Stray Animal Care in Southeast Asia.

Some restaurants purchase the animals directly from cat thieves and slaughter them themselves on their premises, but most operate with wholesalers and slaughterhouses.

According to the investigations, the coastal towns of Da Nang and Hoi An in central Vietnam  popular among national and international tourists  are considered crucial for the sourcing and distribution of stolen cats. In holding areas, the wholesalers keep the cats crammed into small cages for several days until they have collected enough animals to cover the costs of transport. Over hundreds of miles the cats are transported without water, food, and sufficient ventilation to the slaughterhouses scattered throughout Vietnam. Some wholesalers even use luggage compartments on regular passenger buses for the trafficking, says Lola Webber, Co-Founder and Programs Director of Change For Animals Foundation.

In the slaughterhouses, the cats are usually drowned, provided they have not died from exhaustion, heat stroke, or injuries caused by their brutal capture and transportation. FOUR PAWS and Change For Animals Foundation have also documented cats are sometimes bludgeoned to death with a hammer, boiled alive, or killed by electrocution. The fur is then stripped from the animals and the skin is burned. Only after that are the cats gutted and frozen for further transport.

Black Cats Seen as Premium Meat

The cat meat trade is a profitable business.

The prices for cats and cat meat are based on weight, with live cats going for $6.50 per 2.2. lbs and their raw meat going for $8.50 per 2.2 lbs. According to the latest research by FOUR PAWS and Change For Animals Foundation, black cats are worth even more.

Traders can sell live black cats for $8.50 per 2.2 lbs. and their raw meat can be sold for up to $21.50 per 2.2 lbs. These prices could be attributable to younger generations now considering cat meat an exotic delicacy. For older people, consumption is usually linked to customs, superstition, and the lunar calendar. Some locals are convinced that eating cat meat repels bad luck. Others eat the meat  especially from black cats  because they believe it has healing effects, although there is no scientific evidence for this.

Danger to Public Safety and Public Health

In recent years, cats have become popular pets in Vietnam despite the increasing demand for their meat. Ironically, the rise in pet ownership has simply supplied the cat meat trade with new victims since the demand for cats can no longer be met with capturing stray cats alone. Hence, cat thieves do not shy away from stealing pets. Violent clashes between cat thieves and pet owners have occurred frequently, some of which have also been known to end fatally.

The trade is not only a threat to animal welfare but also to human health with the threat of rabies (a particularly dangerous threat in Southeast Asia) and other diseases.

According to FOUR PAWS and Change For Animals Foundation, the practices used in the cat meat trade could potentially lead to the outbreak of zoonotic diseases in the future, as seen with COVID-19, due to unsanitary conditions, brutal and unhygienic treatment of animals, multi-species transport, holding areas and slaughtering facilities, and cross border transportation and handling. Without any controls, many of the animals  whether healthy or sick  are transported across the entire country.

The unsanitary conditions in holding areas and slaughterhouse facilities, often holding various species from numerous sources, facilitate the transmission of zoonotic diseases and provide the perfect breeding ground for the development of novel ones, with potentially catastrophic results.

FOUR PAWS Fight Against the Cat and Dog Meat Trade

In Vietnam, FOUR PAWS partners with Change For Animals Foundation, as well as local NGOs Vietnam Cat Welfare in Hoi An and Paws for Compassion in Da Nang to improve companion animal welfare. To put a sustainable lasting end to the brutal cat and dog meat trade in Southeast Asia, FOUR PAWS has launched a campaign on an international and national level in Vietnam, Cambodia, and Indonesia.

Through educational work and cooperation with the responsible authorities, local communities and the tourism industry, FOUR PAWS is calling upon Governments in Southeast Asia to introduce, strengthen and enforce animal protection laws, which will bring an end to the capture, slaughter and consumption of dogs and cats. This will not only protect animals  but also people as well from public health risks, says Dr Karanvir Kukreja, Project Manager for FOUR PAWS Ending the Dog and Cat Meat Trade Campaign.

Furthermore, FOUR PAWS supports local animal welfare organizations and communities with humane and sustainable stray animal care programs. FOUR PAWS is also part of the animal welfare coalitions DMFI (Dog Meat Free Indonesia) and ACPA (Asia Canine Protection Alliance), which lobby against the trade in Southeast Asia, as well as the Asia for Animals Coalition, which works to improve the welfare of animals across the region.

The support for an end to this cruel trade has gained global traction with the FOUR PAWS petition receiving over 840,000 signatures since it launched late last year: https://help.four-paws.org/en-US/end-dog-and-cat-meat-trade-southeast-asia

To download the cat meat trade report and learn more about our campaign to end the Dog and Cat Meat Trade in Southeast Asia, please visit https://dogcatmeat.four-paws.us/cat-report

ABOUT FOUR PAWS INTERNATIONAL

FOUR PAWS is an international animal welfare organization that has, for more than three decades, consistently and successfully focused on one goal: helping improve the lives of animals through sustainable campaigns and projects. We focus on animals that are directly under human influence: farm, wild and companion animals but also specifically bears, big cats, horses, primates and stray dogs and cats. Headquartered in Vienna, Austria, FOUR PAWS has offices 12 other countries including in Boston, MA.

Copyright:  FOUR PAWS

For direct questions and additional photo requests, please contact Melanie Lary at melanie.lary@four-paws.org.



Attachments

CONTACT: Melanie Lary FOUR PAWS International 6179421233 melanie.lary@four-paws.org




Russia has a coronavirus vaccine. Whether it works is anybodys guess.

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced Tuesday that Russia had approved a coronavirus vaccine, becoming the first country to do so. The news has been met with strong skepticism, with experts raising concerns that the experimental vaccine has yet to complete clinical trials designed to test its safety and effectiveness.

Putin promoted the new vaccine  which Russia dubbed Sputnik V  by saying it works effectively enough and was proven efficient. Yet by skipping Phase 3 trials, which are crucial to showing that a vaccine candidate can successfully prevent infections and not produce serious side effects, its too soon to know if this or any potential vaccine is ready to be rolled out.

The Russian vaccine gamble is reckless and foolish, whether it works or not, Francois Balloux, a systems biologist at University College Londons Genetics Institute in the U.K., wrote Tuesday on Twitter. (NBC News)

Featured stories

Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., speaks at George Washington University in Washington. Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden has chosen Harris as his running mate. (Sait Serkan Gurbuz, Associated Press file photo)AP

Sen. Kamala D. Harris named as Joe Bidens running mate (Washington Post)

Ohio politicians react to Joe Biden picking Kamala Harris as his running mate (cleveland.com)

Trump calls Harris nasty and disrespectful to Biden (CBS News)

Kamala Harris on the issues: Race, policing, health care and education (New York Times)

Sarah Palin offers advice and congratulations to Kamala Harris (CNN)

National news

White House clarifies limits of jobless aid plan as talks with Congress dim (Washington Post)

U.S. records more than 1,000 new deaths from COVID-19 (ABC News)

Florida breaks fatality record with 276 resident deaths, and adds more than 5,000 new cases (Miami Herald)

Reopening classrooms is an impossibility, N.J. school district says as 375 teachers refuse to return (nj.com)

North Carolina dog that died after acute illness tests positive for coronavirus (NBC News)

Police: Sesame Place employee assaulted over face mask (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar holds off well-funded Democratic primary challenger (NBC News)

QAnon supporter wins GOPs U.S. House runoff in N.W. Georgia (Atlanta Journal Constitution)

Postal workers decry changes and cost-cutting measures (NPR)

Federal appeals court skeptical of Michael Flynns effort to immediately dismiss criminal charge (Politico)

Derecho moves southeast after storms leave more than 1 million without power overnight (CNN)

Troopers announce theyve identified killer in 1996 Sitka cold case murder of teenage girl; Arkansas suspect kills himself (Anchorage Daily News)

World news

At Beiruts shattered port, a crater nearly 50 yards deep and small signs of previous lives (Washington Post)

We did the right thing: Sadness and uncertainty in Auckland as COVID-19 returns (The Guardian)

Belarus protesters and police clash for third night as EU threatens sanctions (The Guardian)

China increases military drills as tensions with U.S. heat up (CNN)

U.S. ban on Chinas TikTok could cut it off from app stores and advertisers, White House document shows (CNBC)

Israel closes Gaza crossing after Palestinians launch incendiary balloons (Reuters)

UK and France promise new migrant crossings plan, says minister (BBC)
Chinese version of book Normal People released at Shanghai Book fair

By:An Ranran, Luyukun | From:english.eastday.com | 2020-08-11 23:17









Last weekend, the Chinese version of Normal People, the second novel by young Irish writer Sally Rooney, was released at the 2020 Shanghai Book Fair. The book became a best-seller in the US, selling almost 64,000 copies in hardcover in its first four months of release. In April, a television adaptation first aired on BBC, gaining popularity with audiences all over the world.

The novel is about the complicated relationship between two teenagers, Connell and Marianne, who both attend the same secondary school in County Sligo and continue their studies at Trinity College in Dublin. Connell lives in a single-parent family, while Marianne has suffered from domestic violence since she was a child. Despite one being a social outcast and the other a sporting hero they begin a clandestine romance. The pair weave in and out of each other's lives, developing a strong bond that relieves their many deep-seated, unexpressed insecurities.

In the book, the author focuses on young love and complex relationships among modern people. The TV production has received praise for its realistic portrayal of intimate content. The NPR review said that among Rooney's abiding concerns are the fluctuating power dynamics in relationships. At 28, Sally Rooney has been called the voice of her generation, said The Washington Post.

Published by Shanghai Translation Publishing House, Normal People has both printed and digital editions. 

The outbreak of the epidemic has led to deeper awareness of the significance of reading. We have spent a lot of time in figuring out how publishers can transform and use new marketing strategies to influence more people with publisher brands and the value of reading, said Han Weidong, president of the Shanghai Translation Publishing House.



Besides Normal People, Machines Like Me, written by celebrated English novelist Ian McEwan, and The Testaments, the sequel to the best seller The Handmaid's Tale will also be released during the book fair. The ceremony will be broadcast live through online platforms including Bilibili, Dangdang and Jingdong.
The Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine (PGO) has appealed to the Prosecutor General's Office of Belarus with a request for extradition of 28 members of the Wagner Group, a Russian paramilitary organization, who were detained by Belarusian law enforcers on July 29.

"All 28 people, including nine citizens of Ukraine, were notified of suspicion of involvement in a terrorist organization (Part 1 of Article 258-3 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine). Kyiv's Shevchenkivsky District Court has selected a pre-trial restriction for the suspects in the form of detention," the press service of Ukraine's PGO said on its Facebook page on Wednesday.

According to the statement, the investigation discovered that these people "actively participated in military operations in the territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions in the composition of the terrorist organizations 'LPR' and 'DPR' [the so-called "Donetsk People's Republic" and "Luhansk People's Republic"]."
The vaccine is given in two doses and will help people develop immunity to the virus for at least two years.

It was just yesterday that the world's first vaccine registered by Russian authorities, and now the World Health Organisation has said it is in talks with Russia's health ministry for a thorough review of the safety and efficacy of the vaccine, called Sputnik V.

While there was no timeline given to how long this review process might take, in under 24 hours, the health minister Mikhail Murashko has announced that mass production of the vaccines has already begun.

According to a report by Sputnik News, the first batch of the Sputnik V vaccine will be produced in two weeks time, and delivered to Russian hospitals. Mass production has reportedly begun at the factory of Russian pharma company AFK Sistema's Binnopharm. A total of 500 million doses are expected to be made in the first 12 months of the production process.

Alexander Gintsburg, director of the Gamaleya Institute said, "Russia plans to be able to produce 5 million doses a month by December-January."

Earlier, Industry and Trade Minister Denis Manturov had said in an interview with TASS said that the Gamaleya Institute is working with three Russian companies  Generium, R-Pharm and Binnopharm  who have facilities in the Vladimir, Yaroslavl and Moscow regions. He also said production was to start in September with 'several thousands of doses' being produced each month in 2020 and 'several million' doses by 2021.

Murashko also said, "today, quality control tests are underway. Within two weeks, the first batch of the drug will be released and will be delivered for [vaccination of] medics in health risk groups".

Also Read: Germany, India, US, even fellow Russians sceptical of COVID-19 vaccine

The Sputnik V vaccine

The vaccine has been developed by the Gamaleya Institute along with Russias Defense Ministry uses a different virus - the common cold-causing adenovirus  thats been modified to carry genes for the spike protein that coats the coronavirus, as a way to prime the body to recognize if a real COVID-19 infection comes along.

The vaccine is similar to others being developed by Chinas CanSino Biologics and Britains Oxford University and AstraZeneca.

The vaccine is supposedly given in two doses, and will help people develop immunity to the virus for at least two years. For now, the vaccine being produced will be used to meet the demands in Russia. However, Murashko said he cannot rule out exporting the vaccine as yet. While many countries are sceptical of the vaccines, still others have begun talks with Russia to either get the vaccine or conduct human trials in their countries.

The vaccine will be given to people who volunteer for it including doctors. Previously, frontline works and teachers were said to be the first in line for the vaccine's initial doses and it would be administered free of charge.

Also Read: Russia launches worlds first registered COVID-19 vaccine 'Sputnik V' today: Here's all you need to know

Tracing app

A Sputnik News report also mentioned a 'tracing app' that is being developed that will 'allow Russian citizens to confirm the state of their health' and also allow scientists to 'monitor possible adverse effects of the drug for those who took the vaccine.'

Also Read:

Russia's 'Sputnik V' COVID-19 vaccine: WHO in close contact with Russian health ministry for 'rigorous review' of safety, efficacy data

Philippines to conduct human trials of Russia's COVID-19 vaccine; Prez claims he has 'huge trust' in the shot

Far from awe-inspiring Sputnik launch in 1957, Russia's COVID-19 vaccine met with concerns about science, safety
Beirut has been living with car bombs and air raids on a sporadic but continuing basis for so long that it would probably make sense to rebuild this time with shatterproof glass. The torrent of broken glass falling from a thousand shattered buildings probably accounted for half the 158 dead found so far in Beirut, and certainly for most of the 6,000 wounded.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 12/8/2020 (525 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Opinion

Beirut has been living with car bombs and air raids on a sporadic but continuing basis for so long that it would probably make sense to rebuild this time with shatterproof glass. The torrent of broken glass falling from a thousand shattered buildings probably accounted for half the 158 dead found so far in Beirut, and certainly for most of the 6,000 wounded.

The Beirutis were not expecting a giant exploding warehouse, of course, but Lebanon has been cursed in so many other ways that in retrospect it seems almost inevitable. Fifteen years of brutal civil war, followed by 30 years of corrupt rule by the very warlords who ruined the country, ended Beiruts claim to be the "Paris of the Middle East" a long time ago.

The sense that the countrys time was running out has taken different forms over the years, but it was always there. I even thought the end might be coming with Islamic State a few years ago, and took my wife there to see the old Lebanon (some of which still survived and was easy to love) before IS came over the mountains from Syria to destroy it all.

Another blow to my reputation as a prophet, and one I was happy to take. IS overreached itself, and is gone. What finally did it for Lebanon was more banal: the deliberate looting of the countrys entire fragile economy, and the concealment of the proceeds in obscure foreign banks, by the few thousand people whom ordinary Lebanese contemptuously call the "political class."

"Warlords" is the right name for them, although many are sectarian leaders whose pedigrees go back to Ottoman times. It is a country where old men and obsolete communal loyalties oppress the impoverished young. That is true of almost every country in the Arab world, of course, but in Lebanons case the only remaining route to a better future may lie through even greater violence.

Popular anger was great even before the 2.75-kiloton explosion last week. Garbage collection failed years ago, the only safe water comes in bottles, and there is still not reliable 24-hour electricity 30 years after the war. The currency has collapsed, most peoples savings have been wiped out, the country has defaulted on its debt, and there are no jobs for the young.

There were huge non-violent street demonstrations last October, and the multi-party coalition government was forced to resign. (The "parties" are really the old militias renamed.) "All of them means all of them," the demonstrators chanted  but all that really changed was the faces of the cabinet ministers. Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.

There is a lot of sympathy for the Lebanese, and foreign governments are willing to bail the country out of its troubles  but only on condition that the loans dont just get pocketed by the same thieves in silk ties, and that there is complete transparency in banking and in government financial transactions.

Those conditions were too tough for the "political class," since many of their past crimes would be exposed and future ones would become more difficult. So, incredibly, the Lebanese government refused the loans even as families went without food. Then came the explosion on the waterfront, which was clearly the result of official incompetence at the very least.

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An online summit of 15 countries hosted by French President Emanuel Macron on Sunday pledged a quarter-billion U.S. dollars for immediate humanitarian aid to Lebanon. However, Macron made it clear that a US$20-billion International Monetary Fund bailout will depend on real reforms, including an audit of the central bank and regulation of the countrys capital markets. That is unlikely to happen voluntarily.

The demonstrators came out on the streets in force last Saturday, and by Sunday the army was there as well, firing live rounds into the air. The militias are out, too, but so far they have left their weapons at home. The likelihood that this confrontation will be resolved peacefully? Worse than evens, certainly.

The crisis might have been delayed another year without the explosion, but not more. Even Hezbollah, once violent but relatively honest, now also has its hand in the till, and popular outrage is huge. This time, the protesters are building mock gallows in the street.

The oligarchs have their backs to the wall, but they know that popular rage can often be drowned in blood in the Arab world. In the past decade it has been done successfully in Syria, in Egypt, and in Bahrain, so why not in Lebanon too?

Heres why not: even if they win in the streets, the oligarchs still lose, because there is no economy left to plunder. And if they lose in the streets, they could easily end up on real gallows.

Gwynne Dyers latest book is Growing Pains: The Future of Democracy (and Work).
Rating Action: Moody's rates Occidental Petroleum notes issue Ba2

Global Credit Research - 12 Aug 2020

New York, August 12, 2020 -- Moody's Investors Service (Moody's) assigned a Ba2 rating to Occidental Petroleum Corporation's (OXY) proposed issuance of senior unsecured notes. OXY's existing ratings, including its Ba2 Corporate Family Rating (CFR) and Ba2 senior unsecured rating are not affected by this action. The Speculative Grade Liquidity rating is unchanged at SGL-3. The rating outlook is negative.

OXY will use the proceeds of the proposed notes offering to refinance upcoming debt maturities.

The Ba2 rating assigned to OXY's proposed unsecured notes issue is the same as OXY's Ba2 CFR, reflecting the company's unsecured capital structure.

"Occidental Petroleum's proposed notes offering is another step in addressing the company's sizable near-term debt maturities," commented Andrew Brooks, Moody's Vice President. "OXY's credit profile remains significantly weakened and its prospects for near-term improvement are uncertain."

Assignments:

..Issuer: Occidental Petroleum Corporation

....Senior Unsecured Notes, Assigned Ba2 (LGD4)

RATINGS RATIONALE

While OXY's acquisition of Anadarko Petroleum Corporation (Anadarko) afforded it strategic and cost benefits, it came at an excessive price which was largely debt-financed, and at the very high cost of a significantly eroded credit profile. The addition of Anadarko's sizable position in the Delaware Basin added meaningful production and proved reserves to OXY's core Permian Basin asset, with further development opportunities across an enlarged asset footprint. However, the full value of this significant acquisition has been compromised by 2020's collapse in crude oil prices.

The value accorded OXY's $100 billion asset base, its operating footprint that extends beyond North America and considerable EBITDA generated from non-E&P assets has been compromised by the drop in commodity prices and global demand stress. The stress imposed on OXY's credit metrics by approximately $40 billion of acquisition-related debt (OXY's September new issue notes and term loan, Anadarko's legacy debt which was exchanged into new OXY debt, proportionately consolidated Western Midstream debt and $10 billion preferred) has materially weakened OXY's leverage metrics. The challenges posed by its over-levered balance sheet have been further exacerbated by the drop in crude oil prices and commensurate reduction in cash flow. OXY has reacted to the currently challenged oil price environment with several recent defensive measures including the virtual elimination of its cash dividend, a reduction in 2020's capital spending of over 50%, operating cost reductions and the payment of its preferred stock dividend in OXY common shares, which together will reduce its annual cash outflow by almost $8 billion. However, without significant and immediate debt reduction beyond the $7 billion achieved in the latter half of 2019, on a run-rate basis Moody's estimates that OXY's retained cash flow (RCF) to debt metric will remain well under 15% and E&P debt on production over $30,000 per barrel of oil equivalent (Boe), both measures weak for the company's rating.

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The rapid spread of the coronavirus outbreak, deteriorating global economic outlook, low oil prices, and high asset price volatility have created an unprecedented credit shock across a range of sectors and regions. We regard the coronavirus outbreak as a social risk under our ESG framework, given the substantial implications for public health and safety. OXY's negative outlook, in part, reflects the impact on it of the deterioration in credit quality it has triggered, given its exposure to oil prices, which has left it vulnerable to shifts in market demand and sentiment in these unprecedented operating conditions.

From a governance perspective, the composition of OXY's 11-member Board of Directors was materially reconstituted in 2020 with the addition of six new Board members including a new Chairman. Moody's understands that the Board is highly focused on restoring OXY's financial strength through debt reduction. The Board has also adopted certain corporate governance-enhancing amendments to its a by-laws, and has created a new Oversight Committee that will work closely with company management to provide regular Board input.

Moody's regards OXY's near-term liquidity as adequate, comprised of $1.0 billion of balance sheet cash as of June 30 and an undrawn $5 billion revolving credit facility having a January 2023 scheduled maturity date. The company should retain full access to its revolver, which does not have a MAC clause, nor stringent covenant limitations. Moreover, the dividend and capital spending cuts will relieve stress on cash flow, enabling OXY to operate in a modestly free cash flow mode. Moody's expects that OXY will continue to prioritize debt reduction. With the market for commodity-exposed and related asset sales compromised by weak commodity prices, OXY's weakened financial condition leaves the company with limited options for further debt reduction as it confronts its near-term debt maturities, which in the aggregate total $10 billion through 2022, including its zero coupon notes which are puttable for $992 million in October 2020. OXY intends to use proceeds from its proposed notes issue, limited asset sale proceeds and free cash flow to address its near-term debt maturities.

The outlook is negative reflecting the challenges OXY confronts as it addresses its over-levered balance sheet in a weak oil and gas market.

FACTORS THAT COULD LEAD TO AN UPGRADE OR DOWNGRADE OF THE RATINGS

Prospects for a ratings upgrade over the near-term are limited by OXY's weak balance sheet. Debt reduction exceeding $10 billion, debt on production approaching $20,000 per Boe and RCF/debt over 25% could support a rating upgrade. An inability to maintain RCF/debt above 15% or a failure to achieve further debt reduction could lead to a rating downgrade, as would the resumption of a meaningful cash dividend or share buybacks.

Occidental Petroleum Corporation is a large, publicly traded independent exploration and production (E&P) with operations focused in the Permian Basin, Colorado's DJ Basin, the Middle East in Oman, Qatar and the UAE, Algeria and Ghana, and Colombia. It also has significant Midstream and Chemicals businesses. The company is headquartered in Houston, Texas.

The principal methodology used in these ratings was Independent Exploration and Production Industry published in May 2017 and available at https://www.moodys.com/researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx?docid=PBC_1056808. Alternatively, please see the Rating Methodologies page on www.moodys.com for a copy of this methodology.

REGULATORY DISCLOSURES

For further specification of Moody's key rating assumptions and sensitivity analysis, see the sections Methodology Assumptions and Sensitivity to Assumptions in the disclosure form. Moody's Rating Symbols and Definitions can be found at: https://www.moodys.com/researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx?docid=PBC_79004.

For ratings issued on a program, series, category/class of debt or security this announcement provides certain regulatory disclosures in relation to each rating of a subsequently issued bond or note of the same series, category/class of debt, security or pursuant to a program for which the ratings are derived exclusively from existing ratings in accordance with Moody's rating practices. For ratings issued on a support provider, this announcement provides certain regulatory disclosures in relation to the credit rating action on the support provider and in relation to each particular credit rating action for securities that derive their credit ratings from the support provider's credit rating. 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.

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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.

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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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Does the Government really want to get the economy moving again? Because if so, it is going about it in a funny way.

Today the Office for National Statistics is expected to announce that Britain's economy has officially entered a recession after shrinking by a record 20 per cent in the second quarter of this year.

And given that almost every business was forced by the draconian lockdown to grind to a halt, it's not hard to see why.

Even with the gradual easing of restrictions in recent weeks the raft of mixed messages coming out of Downing Street has only added to the chaos.

Sudden changes to quarantine rules, bizarre claims by Government scientists that if schools are to reopen pubs must close again, persistent talk of a 'second wave' and endless warnings about the possibility of new local lockdowns  all have done the very opposite of engendering confidence in British business.

Does the Government really want to get the economy moving again? Because if so, it is going about it in a funny way, writes Rocco Forte. Pictured: Rishi Sunak in Bute, Scotland

For small companies in particular  the backbone of Britain  which have spent the past months making extensive preparations to reopen their doors, last-minute changes may scupper any prospect of them reopening.

Of course, some businesses are seeing a return to normal life. In particular, Britain's restaurants and cafes have been buoyed by the Government's Eat Out to Help Out scheme.

Yesterday, Chancellor Rishi Sunak hailed as 'amazing' Treasury data that showed how diners used the discount system more than 10.5million times in its first week.

I agree that it has been a boon to the hospitality industry which, until the scheme was announced, was on the verge of collapse.

I suspect, too, that some benefits have been reaped by other nearby retailers as people are encouraged to return to city centres and high streets, the beating hearts of society in pre-pandemic times.

According to the retail analysts Springboard, last week footfall rose by almost 20 per cent after 6pm on UK high streets between Monday and Wednesday.

That's the good news. But rather than toasting Eat Out to Help Out as an 'amazing' feat, I fear that the success of the Government's restaurant rescue scheme has revealed a wholly unpalatable paradox at the heart of Britain's response to this pandemic.

I don't doubt that many people remain genuinely frightened by the Government's propaganda about the risks of coronavirus.

But many others who now appear more than happy to venture from their homes to enjoy a half-price pizza or curry at 'Dishy Rishi's' expense are seemingly resistant to leaving their homes to do the one thing that will actually fire up Britain's economy: get back into the workplace and revive our dead or dying city centres.

Even with the gradual easing of restrictions in recent weeks the raft of mixed messages coming out of Downing Street has only added to the chaos. Pictured: Boris Johnson in Hereford on Tuesday

Yesterday, Chancellor Rishi Sunak hailed as 'amazing' Treasury data that showed how diners used the Eat Out to Help Out discount system more than 10.5million times in its first week

If people are willing to travel into towns  quite possibly on public transport  to queue up outside a restaurant or cafe and spend two hours at the table in a safe and socially-distanced way, why won't they do the same at the office? And why are so many bosses facilitating this reluctance?

As a businessman who has run my own hotel chain for more than 20 years, I have watched in horror as a succession of large companies have made it clear that they are willing to put the economy at risk for the sake of placating out-of-date concerns about the lethality of Covid-19.

The simple truth is that this virus isn't as dangerous as it once was  and yet a recent audit by this paper of 30 of Britain's biggest firms, representing 320,000 employees, showed that just 17 per cent of workers planned to return their offices at the start of this month.

Meanwhile, business giants like NatWest have responded to the chaos by deciding to let many staff work from home till next year. As for the civil service, only a small minority are reportedly back at their workstations.

Where is the leadership we need to get Britain moving again? The Government's response is to continue to instil what is now misplaced fear in the population.

If ever there was a time for level heads and an appreciation of the facts it is now. The average age of those who have died from Covid-19 is 80 plus, while more than 90 per cent of victims had underlying health conditions.

Yes, each of those deaths is a tragedy, but at the risk of sounding callous, do they warrant the shut-down of an entire country? The vast majority of the population is in little danger of death by Covid.

In fact, according to Cambridge University statistician Sir David Spiegelhalter, Britons under the age of 50 are more likely to die in a car accident.

So as we move ahead, it's quite clear who in our population is vulnerable and should shield themselves.

Those that can't, such as those in care homes, must be protected. But the rest of us should be allowed to get on with our lives.

Yet the Prime Minister and his Cabinet prefer to bury their heads in the sand and ignore the economic havoc now gathering pace.

The Office for National Statistics has confirmed that 730,000 jobs have been lost from company payrolls since the start of the coronavirus pandemic in March.

Between April and June alone, the number in work plummeted by 220,000. That amounts to the largest quarterly fall in employment in over a decade  a statistic made even more staggering when you consider that it doesn't include the millions who are currently furloughed.

In my business, the hotel industry, which was not allowed to reopen till early July, the situation is dire.

The outlook for the rest of the year is so bleak that I've had little choice but to make 88 people redundant out of a total staff of 500 in my UK hotels.

If the Government wants to revive the economy, to prevent millions of lives being wrecked, it must announce a return to normal life that extends beyond offering people a discount at Nandos.

At the end of the day, there is no such thing as a free lunch.
Jim Parsons says a "moment of clarity" during a particularly chaotic summer forced him to realize it was time to leave "The Big Bang Theory."

The 47-year-old actor, who played Sheldon Cooper on the CBS sitcom, cried while opening up about his decision to exit the show after 12 seasons during a chat on "David Tennant Does a Podcast With ..."

The "Hollywood" star had "suspicion in my heart" that his two-year contract for seasons 11 and 12 of the show would turn out to be his last. "It was a complicated road, as you can imagine," he said of the decision.

But it was the "very intense summer" between the two seasons that led him to make up his mind for sure.

Just one day after wrapping season 11, Parsons flew to New York City to rehearse for his starring role in "Boys in the Band" on Broadway. The play went into previews less than a week later. The following Sunday, Parsons finally got a day off  but he was forced to spend it shooting a commercial.

"I had a contract with Intel and so I'd scheduled that," he said. "I was exhausted."

Image: The Re-Entry Minimization (Michael Yarish/Warner Bros.)

On top of his frantic work schedule, Parsons was devastated about the declining health of the 14-year-old dog he shared with husband Todd Spiewak.

"I'll never forget that walk around the park to let him go to the bathroom before we went to the commercial shoot," Parsons tearfully recalled. "He just looked so bad and I was so tired and Todd was like, 'We've got to go. We've scheduled this. They fit everything around your schedule.' And I just started crying."

"It makes me upset now. I was like, 'This dog's gonna die while I'm off working. I feel so bad,'" he added.

"So I went and did the commercial, I came back, and then Monday I went to do the play and (the dog) had a really bad seizure that night, so I knew that we had to make a decision," he said. The following day, he and and Spiewak made the difficult decision to euthanize their dog.

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"It really upset me. Still does," the actor shared, choking up again.

Parsons knew he had to get through six more Broadway performances before his next day off. "I kept thinking, 'I don't know how I'm going to get to the end of this performance.' I was just so beaten down," he said. "But I did."

Unfortunately, he experienced a painful mishap after the Saturday matinee. "I walked out for curtain call and I slipped and I broke my foot," he said.

"It was the scariest moment for the next couple of days because ... I felt like I was at the edge of a cliff and I was teetering and I saw something really dark below," he recalled.

The whirlwind of emotional events caused the actor to rethink the pace of his life.

"I had this moment of clarity  that I think you're very fortunate to get in a lot of ways  of going, 'Don't keep speeding by... Use this time to take a look around,'" he recalled, choking back tears again. "And I did. I was like, 'I gotta make a move.'"

He also thought of his late father, who died in his early 50s.

"My dad had passed years before, but he was 52. And I realized that at the end of season 12 I would be 46," he said. "I'm not superstitious or anything like that. It was just a context thing."

Once he returned to Los Angeles, Parsons told "Big Bang Theory" creator Chuck Lorre and writer Steve Molaro that the 12th season of the show would be his last.

"I said, 'If you told me that like my father I had six years left to live, I think there's other things I need to try and do. I don't know what they are, but I can tell that I need to try,'" said Parsons.
By Akbar Mammadov

Armenia poses a threat to regional security not only through its military provocations and policy of occupation but also with its outdated Metsamor nuclear power plant (NPP), which experts consider to be dangerous.

"Armenias Metsamor nuclear power plant, which is located in a seismic region, poses a threat to the region," Azerbaijani Ambassador to International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Galib Israfilov has said in an interview with the weekly edition of the Nuclear Intelligence Weekly of the energy company Energy Intelligence Group.

Israfilov said that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) does not have mechanisms to address these concerns as Armenia is unwilling to consider these issues.

Firstly, the Armenian government must demonstrate the political intention and will to be more transparent with its neighbours in the region, and also to be more forthcoming regarding concerns about the safety of the NPP, he said.

Israfilov also stressed that IAEA, which has only a bilateral agreement with Armenia, cannot trigger any mechanism to enforce Armenia to do it.

In the meantime, you cannot address the concerns regarding Metsamor outside the context of security in the region. And the security is seriously undermined by the Armenians armed aggression unleashed against Azerbaijan, and its continued occupation of our territories, said Israfilov.

Israfilov reiterated the position of the Azerbaijani side, emphasizing that the Azerbaijani Armed Forces do not target any civilian objects and infrastructure in Armenia. No such task has been set for the Azerbaijani Armed Forces, and all speculations on this issue are unfounded, he said.

Israfilov also spoke about Azerbaijans cooperation within the IAEA, mechanisms for controlling the peaceful use of nuclear energy by the international organization, opportunities for action in a multi-territorial framework and other topics.

In the meantime, despite Metsamor NPPs risk to the region, Armenia seeks to operate this nuclear plant until 2026. The Armenian government has agreed with Russian nuclear agency Rosatom to keep the plant running beyond its original closing date of 2016.

Experts have long been voicing concerns over Metsamor's danger to the region.

Antonia Wenisch of the Austrian Institute of Applied Ecology in Vienna has called Metsamor 'among the most dangerous' nuclear plants still in operation, saying that a rupture 'would almost certainly immediately and massively fail the confinement,' in an article published at National Geographic.

There is an open reactor building, a core with no water in it, and accident progression with no mitigation at all.

"It is in the midst of a strong seismic zone that stretches in a broad swath from Turkey to the Arabian Sea near India," the article said.

Polish politician and Member of the European Parliament Anna Fotyga also raised the questions about the possible threat of the nuclear power plant to the regional security in 2017.

Metsamor Nuclear Power Plant in Armenia is the last of its kind outside Russia that still uses an outdated model from the 1960s. The Soviet model of using a pressurised water reactor is often cited as the most dangerous kind of nuclear power plant, as it does not meet the minimum required safety standards. In addition, Metsamor is situated in an active earthquake zone just 30 km from Yerevan, and as such poses a potential threat to the Armenian capital and the whole South Caucasus region, Fotyga said.

MEP Fotyga noted that smuggling of nuclear and radioactive materials from Armenia was observed, thus Georgias security services could prevent a number of such cases such as smuggling of highly enriched uranium.

Metsamor, which was built in 1969 during the USSR and now is the only VVER 440, Model 230, operating outside of Russia, is still functioning.

It should be noted that the Metsamor nuclear plant does not have any containment vessel. Its VVER-440 reactor lacks a shell that would contain radiation in the event of an accident.

The US government has called the NPP ageing and dangerous, while the EU envoy had called Metsamor a danger to the entire region. Armenian expert on energy at the UNDP Ara Marjanyan told BBC that the design of our VVR-type reactors is rather old. For instance, they do not have concrete containment domes to contain possible explosion debris.

Five years ago, the Members of the EU Parliament Heidi Hautala and Ulrike Lunacek, who served as Vice President of the EUP as well, also questioned the threat and out-of-dated design of the Metsamor NPP in a parliament session and reminded that in 2012, the parliament adopted a resolution recommending the closure of the Metsamor plant before 2016.

---

Akbar Mammadov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AkbarMammadov97

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
A $400 boost to unemployment payments were part of President Trumps executive order but the question is  when will beneficiaries receive the money?

The unemployment benefits, officially called the Assistance Program for Lost Wages, will provide $400 per week to eligible unemployed people. Of the $400, $300 would come from the federal government, $100 would come from the states. The extra benefits would come on top of money paid already paid by the state (thats $275 a week in Alabama.)

Trumps order stipulates the benefits are retroactive to Aug. 1. Guidance from the states hasnt been issues, yet, however, meaning when beneficiaries will see the increased payments remains to be seen.

Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said in a briefing that states must make changes to their unemployment insurance systems and that can take time.

Within the next week or two, most of the states will be able to execute, Mnuchin said this week.

The $400 increased benefit is set to expire no later than Dec. 6.

Here are the latest coronavirus headlines:

More information released on 7-year-old Georgia boy with coronavirus

New information has been released on the 7-year-old Georgia boy who died after being diagnosed with COVID-19.

The boy drowned in a bathtub after having a seizure due to high fever, CNN reported. The child did not have any underlying health conditions. He was found unresponsive in the tub and pronounced dead at the hospital. The positive COVID-19 test was conducted postmortem.

The childs cause of death was listed as drowning secondary to seizure due to fever from COVID-19.

Seizures due to high fevers are common in children who have had coronavirus, health officials said.4

Man punches worker at Sesame Street park over mask order

A man allegedly punched a teenage park employee after being asked to wear a mask at Pennsylvanias Sesame Place theme park.

The teen workers said he had asked the unidentified man and woman to wear a mask while they were in the park. Later in the day, the man confronted the staffer outside Captain Cookies High Cs Adventure Ride and struck the employee. The man and woman later fled the scene and are being sought by authorities.

The worker suffered a cracked tooth and an injury to his jaw that required surgery.

Company charged over COVID claims

A Georgia man faces charges over claims he sold a drug claiming it could reduce a users risk of contracting COVID-19.

Matthew Ryncarz and his company, Fusion Health and Vitality, which operates under the name Pharm Origins, sold a product called The Immune Drug. Advertisements for the drugs claimed it could reduce the risk of coronavirus infection by 50%, The Hill reported.

Ryncarz and Fusion Health and Vitality said in a statement that some of the marketing statements for Immune Shot caused it to be a misbranded drug under the FDA law and rules, adding it will publish additional information soon to resolve this matter and to let the company continue its important work of providing safe and healthy products to its customers.

Florida sees new record daily death toll

Florida added 276 COVID fatalities on Monday, a new record daily death toll, officials said. The previous high was 257 deaths reported on July 31.

Florida has 542,000 diagnosed coronavirus cases, the second highest number of cases in the U.S. behind California. Florida has had at least 8,684 COVID-19 deaths.
Fans dancing at an electronic music festival, long lines at breakfast stands, gridlocked traffic -- the scenes in coronavirus ground zero Wuhan these days would have been unthinkable in January.

The central Chinese city's recovery after a 76-day lockdown was lifted in April has brought life back onto its streets.

The queues snaking outside breakfast stands are a far cry from the terrified crowds that lined up at the city's hospitals in the first weeks after the city was quarantined in January to curb the spread of COVID-19.

The hazmat suits and safety goggles that were once the norm have given way to umbrellas and sun hats as tourists shield themselves from the scorching summer sun, posing for photos in front of the city's historic Yellow Crane Tower.

But all is not back to normal.

Business remains slow in Wuhan, a city of 11 million people where the coronavirus was first detected late last year before it unleashed a global pandemic.

"In the first half of the year, we only opened some projects that had been decided before the outbreak," Hu Zeyu, an employee at a local real estate company, tells AFP.

"Business volume has been greatly reduced."

Food stall owner Yang Liankang says things are improving slowly, with sales growing from around 300 yuan ($28.72) a day a month ago to more than 1,000 yuan.

"It's not as good as my ideal," he says.

In some Wuhan neighbourhoods, plastic barriers ubiquitous during the lockdown continue to restrict traffic.

Many of the people first found to be infected worked at the Huanan Seafood Market, which was sealed off by the authorities.

It still stands empty behind blue barriers. Some vendors have reopened their stalls elsewhere.

Wuhan has also had time to look back on its trauma, though only some memories make it into the official narrative.

At a pandemic-themed exhibition, families peer through glass at autographed hazmat suits used by medical workers at the height of Wuhan's outbreak, in an attempt to document an unprecedented period in the city's history.

Story continues

China has largely brought its domestic epidemic under control, but sporadic outbreaks and a summer of severe flooding have exacerbated the economic fallout.

Despite fears of a resurgence, some Wuhan residents are keen to enjoy the city's recovery.

"Now I enjoy every day as if it were the last," says Hu Fenglian.

"I don't want to worry too much."

qy-tjx/rox/qan
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-12 14:43:28|Editor: huaxia

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PHNOM PENH, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- Implementing outcomes of the recently-concluded meeting of the Cambodia-China Intergovernmental Coordination Committee will promote Cambodia's development and inject new impetus to the community of shared future between the two countries, Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Hor Namhong said on Wednesday.

Held in mid-June via video conference, the fifth meeting of the Cambodia-China Intergovernmental Coordination Committee was co-chaired by Namhong and Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

Namhong said the meeting was very important during which both sides signed a memorandum of understanding on promoting the coordinating role of the Cambodia-China Intergovernmental Coordination Committee in implementing the plan of action for building the Cambodia-China community of shared future (2019-2023).

"We agreed on a To-Do-List of the 5th meeting in order to follow up effectively what we have agreed during the meeting, covering politics, economy, security, cultural and people-to-people exchange and multilateral cooperation," he told Xinhua.

On the economic front, the Cambodian deputy prime minister said many priority sectors had been agreed to be implemented and to be sped up in order to support Cambodia's economy during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

He said the two countries wrapped up their negotiations on the bilateral Free Trade Agreement (FTA) on July 20. "This FTA between Cambodia and China will increase notably trade between the two countries."

He added that China also pledged to continue supporting Cambodia's key infrastructure projects, including national roads, bridges, sewage treatment projects, rural power grids and irrigation systems, among others.

In agriculture, Namhong said both sides would expedite the recently-signed agreement on the export of Cambodian mangoes to China, and actively expand exports of Cambodian rice, bananas and other quality agricultural products to China.

He said China also pledged to assist Cambodia in formulating modern agricultural development plans, such as agro-industrial parks and the construction of rice storage system, and help Cambodia optimize its industrial structure and upgrade its level of industrialization.

The two sides also agreed to hold an event on trade and investment between the two countries in an appropriate time, he added.

"I think that speeding up the realization of these sectors would contribute to the socio-economic development of Cambodia during this difficult period caused by the COVID-19 pandemic," said Namhong. Enditem
By AFP

JUBA:Clashes between soldiers and civilians during a disarmament exercise in the central South Sudanese town of Tonj have left 127 dead, the army spokesman said Wednesday.

Major General Lul Ruai Koang told AFP that the fighting erupted on Saturday as security forces carried out an operation to disarm civilians in the area which has seen deadly inter-communal clashes.

More than six years after a civil war broke out in the country, and in the absence of a functioning government, many communities are flush with weapons, which they keep for protection or defence against cattle raids.

The violence in Tonj began after several armed youths got into a disagreement with soldiers. An initial armed confrontation was brought under control, but according to Koang the youths mobilised others for an attack on the army position.

"On the latest, the number of those killed, I can confirm to you that it rose to 127," Koang said, adding that 45 of those killed were security forces and 82 were youths from the area.

A further 32 soldiers were injured.

Koang said two military officers involved in "triggering the clashes" had been arrested, and that the situation in Tonj had calmed down.

South Sudan is emerging from a six-year civil war that left 380,000 dead and millions displaced, and disarmament is a major stumbling block.

Experts have warned against operations that coerce people to lay down their guns without proper planning, as some communities could find themselves unable to protect themselves after their weapons are removed.

"The clashes should be an opportunity to rethink the approach to disarmament. What is the point of removing guns without addressing what drives folks to arms themselves?" Geoffrey Duke, head of the South Sudan Action Network on Small Arms, said on Twitter.

"We can take guns away this week & they buy a new one next week (as) long as they still see the need to have (one)."
Germany's foreign minister landed in Beirut on Wednesday and is scheduled to tour the destroyed port and meet with members of local NGOs and the Lebanese president

Lebanon needs a ``strong reboot'' and far-reaching economic reforms to rebuild trust with its citizens, Germany's foreign minister said ahead of his trip Wednesday to Beirut, following last week's massive explosion at the city's port that killed at least 171 people and wounded thousands.

Heiko Maas said he was traveling to the Lebanese capital to ``find out about the situation and consequences of the explosion and express our condolences and support.'' He landed a few hours later in Beirut and was scheduled to tour the destroyed port and meet with members of local NGOs, as well as the country's president.

Germany has pledged 20 million euros (about 23 million dollars) in immediate help after the catastrophic Aug. 4 explosion that tore through the Lebanese capital with such intensity that it created a tremor felt in neighboring Cyprus. Thousands of buildings in the heart of the Beirut were destroyed and many more left homeless.

The explosion was the result of thousands of tons of ammonium nitrated that were stored in the city's port for more than six years, apparently with the knowledge of top political and security officials.

The explosion has fueled outrage and protests against top political leaders, and led to the resignation of the government on Monday. The Cabinet is now in a caretaker capacity.

Maas said he would hold talks in Beirut to see how the money can quickly get to the people who need it. He said he would also talk to the nation's political leaders and representatives of civil society about the future of Lebanon.

``The country now needs a strong reboot and far-reaching economic reforms. It's the only way Lebanon can create a good future for its youth. It's the only way to build the needed trust,'' he said.

Meanwhile, Lebanon's caretaker Economy Minister Raoul Nehme sought to calm nerves, saying that Lebanon is not facing a bread crisis after the country's only wheat silo was destroyed by the explosion. Speaking during a tour of the port Wednesday, he said Lebanon has enough flour stock sufficient for four months and that part of the port is ready to receive container ships.

The head of the U.N. food agency David Beasley said on Monday he's ``very, very concerned'' Lebanon could run out of bread in about 2 { weeks because 85% of the country's grain comes through Beirut's devastated port. He said, however, that he believes an area of the port can be made operational later this month.

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Walpole Island First Nation in southwestern Ontario is looking to have Ryan Reynolds and Paul McCartney removed as candidates for chief after members of the community nominated the two celebrities.

Under the Indian Act, First Nations can elect a non-Indigenous person as chief, though according to James Jenkins, Walpole Island's director of operations, it's quite rare.

Jenkins said he's not aware of non-Indigenous people, including celebrities, being elected in the past, but thinks there may have been other instances in Canadian Indigenous communities where a non-member has been on the ballot.

The exception would be in Walpole Island's first election back in 1868, he said, when a government bureaucrat filled the position.

The Indian Act, Jenkins said, has virtually no eligibility requirements for the position of chief, which allows anyone to be nominated and elected.

That's one of the reasons the people of Walpole Island are pursuing their own constitution so that they don't have to operate under the Indian Act and can more easily implement eligibility requirements for future chiefs.

'Some people are tickled by it'

Walpole Island council members are working to contact Reynolds and McCartney. If they can't by 4 p.m. on Thursday, both candidates will be removed as nominees, said Jenkins.

Indigenous Services Canada and the region's local electoral officer have been contacted to help, he said.

CBC News has reached out to Reynolds and McCartney but has not heard back.

Tahmina Aziz/CBC

"As a public servant to the organization, I withheld any judgment, but I'm trying to make sure that we're doing our best to provide good service for membership for the election," Jenkins said.

As for those in the community, he said opinions are varied.

"Some people are tickled by it and others probably feel like it may impact the sanctity of the electoral process," he said. "Many people do find the electoral process a very important component of governance in the First Nation, so we're trying to do our best to support the membership."

Jenkins said he's not sure if the nominations undermine the process, but thinks if a candidate isn't aware of their standing, their name should be removed from the process.

The Sept. 19 election currently has 12 chief nominees, including Reynolds and McCartney, and about 80 nominees for council.
South Africa: Conference puts spotlight on sustainable community media

Minister in the Presidency, Jackson Mthembu, will on Thursday officially open and deliver the keynote address at the Media Development and Diversity Agency (MDDA) Community Media Sustainability Consultative Conference.

Held virtually under the theme, 'Building a resilient and future-forward community media sector', the consultative conference is a pivotal milestone towards the development of a sustainability model for community media in South Africa.

It also comes as a result of findings and action plans from various engagements between government, the sector and relevant role players on challenges facing community and small commercial media in South Africa.

The two-day conference is expected to draw from both the local and international body of knowledge on sector sustainability strategies, and is expected to conclude with Terms of Reference for a research study that will profoundly seek to unearth the root causes for the lack of sustainability in the sector, build on its strengths and develop a responsive sustainability model.

It is envisaged that the sustainability model will categorise community media into its ability to self-sustain, partially self-sustain or not be self-sustainable at all.

Additionally, it should identify interventions such as funding, training, innovation and technology, community and government support, amongst others, to ensure the survival of the sector.

The model will be built in a way that it is embedded in and supports the District Development Model. It will, moreover, inform the MDDAs future funding and support processes.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2020-08-12. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
The former Deputy Chief Minister told the media here that it is his responsibility to "ensure participation of those who had worked hard and struggled for the party".Apparently referring to Gehlot, he said that the government cannot run by one man only.Pilot and MLAs loyal to him had been camping outside Rajasthan following differences with Gehlot."On the very first day, we said we want to put forth our views in the party. We never spoke or did anything against the party or party leadership. In fact, several people spread rumours and raised many questions but we remained on the stand that we took 30 days ago," he said.Pilot also talked about his meetings with party leaders Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and said they listened to their issues concerning development and equal participation of party workers."We also had a meeting with Venugopalji, Ahmed Patel and Priyanka Gandhi last evening in Delhi where we all presented our views," Pilot said and added a three-member committee will look into various issues."In the meeting, Priyanka Gandhi said we are a family," he said.Pilot said he conveyed that there should "be no political vendetta against the party workers who present their concerns and thoughts to the party."Pilot also referred to notice sent to him by state's SOG."A few weeks ago, I received a notice regarding sedation by SOG (Special Operation Group). We felt, the allegations of us being anti-national were not justified," he said.In a veiled attack on Gehlot, Pilot also referred to allegations and remarks made against him."A lot has been said about me. I understood that if you want to set an example in politics, you should not react to it. 'Maine Khoon ka ghoot pi liya' (I swallowed the insult) and did not respond to any of the allegations made. But this does not mean that we are not humans. Even after all this we decided to put forth our views in the party," he added.Pilot was apparently referring to remarks in which Gehlot had described him as "nikamma" (useless) and "nakara" (incompetent) and accused him of conspiring with the BJP for the past six months to topple the government in the state.Pilot said party leaders or workers should be able to present their views or highlight the shortcoming to the party and government."I do not have any personal issues against anyone. The government cannot be run by one person. I know how difficult it is to have the majority and form the government," he said."I have not made any demands with the party. I am an MLA and a Congress worker, I will do whatever party asks me to do. Like I said before the truth can be troubled and not defeated. We are standing by our concerns, which were made 30 days ago. There is no place for personal differences or malice in politics, " he added.Pilot said he was, is and will be on good terms with other leaders."I will continue raising issues in the party whenever required. As this is my 'karmabhoomi' (place of work) and I will ensure the people keep trusting us. I believe that the issues will be resolved through the recently formed committee," he added.The Congress on Monday signalled an end to the political crisis faced by its government in Rajasthan after Pilot met Rahul Gandhi.The party said Pilot had "committed to working in the interest of the Congress party and the Congress government in Rajasthan" and "a three-member committee" will be formed to address the issues raised by Pilot and "the aggrieved".Party leader KC Venugopal also said that both Pilot and Gehlot were happy.Pilot was last month removed as Deputy Chief Minister and state Congress chief after he and MLAs loyal to him did not attend the meeting of Congress legislature party.He and 18 other MLAs were issued disqualification notices by the assembly Speaker which they had challenged in court.
Craneware PLC - Edinburgh-based healthcare software firm - Cancels its proposed placing despite the successful launch of an accelerated bookbuild and an over-subscription for around GBP83 million at 1,550 pence per share. Says it cancelled the placing as its proposed acquisition target agreed acquisition terms with a third party, which means that certain conditions in the placing agreement can now not be satisfied.

On Tuesday, Craneware announced plans to raise GBP80 million through the placing if shares expected to total about 20% of its entire capital, adding that the funds would be used to fund potential acquisitions.

Current stock price: 1,725.00

Year-to-date change: down 33%

By Ife Taiwo; ifetaiwo@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2020 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
At least 60% of calls pledging donations and support for a proposed mosque complex outside Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh are from Hindus, the trust building the project said, holding out hope that communal amity can return to the city at the centre of decades of strife.

The five-acre site was handed over to the UP Sunni Central Waqf Board (UPSCWB) on August 2 in line with the Supreme Courts ruling last November on the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid title suit.

The ruling cleared the way for the construction of a Ram temple on the 2.77 acre disputed site in Ayodhya and awarded the Muslim parties an alternative site to rebuild the Babri mosque, demolished by a mob in December 1992.

We are overwhelmed by the response that we are receiving from all over the world. Sixty percent of the callers are Hindus, said Athar Hussain, spokesman for the Indo-Islamic Cultural Foundation, the 15-member trust formed by the Waqf Board for the development of the site.

According to him, the trust will have more than enough funds for the project. Besides a mosque, it plans to build a hospital, a community kitchen, and an educational centre on the site. The trust has already received a deluge of commitments, Hussain added.

It has opened an office in Lucknow, is working on procedures to receive foreign donations and on Tuesday, opened two bank accounts.

Members of the trust plan to visit Dhannipur, the village where the site for the mosque has been allotted, soon for the demarcation of the area, occupied currently by a small shrine and rice fields. A virtual conference of the trust, which has filled nine of its 15 proposed positions, to finalise the architect of the project is also on the agenda.

The pandemic has slowed our pace but soon we will be moving ahead, said Hussain, also a member of the trust. He expressed hope that a galaxy of political leaders will attend the inaugural ceremony of the complex. Under Islamic laws, a groundbreaking ceremony is not permitted for a mosque.

The developments come a week after Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the ceremonial cornerstone for the Ram temple at a grand ceremony in Ayodhya that was attended by chief minister Yogi Adityanath, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat and governor Anandiben Patel.

Also invited for the event were three Muslim individuals  title suit litigant Iqbal Ansari, Padma Shri awardee social worker Mohammad Sharif, and All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) secretary Zafaryab Jilani, also a party to the title suit. Temple trust chief Mahant Nritya Gopal Das announced that donations from Muslims were welcome after some Muslim leaders said they would like to contribute to the temple as a symbolic end to the dispute.

Soon after, a controversy broke out when the trust for the proposed mosque complex said it would like to invite the PM and CM for the groundbreaking ceremony of the Dhannipur complex. The office of the PM has not responded to the statement; the CMs office said it was premature to do so.

The trust has not revealed details of its plan for the site, but Hussain told HT that it was setting up an Indo-Islamic Research Centre, comprising a library, research centre and museum. The complex will depict the confluence of cultures and highlight the contribution of poets Kabir and Rahim, sites like Deoband, home to one of the worlds oldest Islamic theology schools, Firangi Mahal, an educational centre that was an important site of the independence movement, and the first war of Independence in 1857.

Who would not like to lay the foundation stone of a centre that would pitchfork Ayodhya as a city of communal harmony, Hussain said.

The trust faces significant opposition within the community. After the apex courts verdict last year, the AIMPLB and some other litigants urged the UP Waqf Board notto accept the land, and since then, other leaders have opposed the project because they say the 16th-century Babri Masjid was illegally demolished .

The latest to join the ranks of those not in favour of the complex was Urdu poet Munawwar Rana, who wrote to the PM on Monday and suggested the construction of a hospital on the allotted five-acre land.

In his two-page letter, the poet also offered to donate his ancestral land, measuring 5.5 acres, along the river Sai in Rae Bareli district for the construction of a mosque. His suggestion was dismissed by the trust, which said it would be a violation of the apex courts order.
Sheep producers are being urged to implement all the proven measures to control sheep lameness following research into practical management routines on farm.

The industry-accepted FAI Farms Five-Point Plan to reduce sheep lameness was launched nearly 10 years ago.

But disease management is being compromised where flocks are not adopting all five points rigorously, according to new research.

More than 530 sheep farmers recently completed an online survey organised by researchers at Harper Adams and Hartpury Universities, which examined the practical uptake of the Five-Point Plan.

The results of the survey suggest less focus on trying to achieve long-term rigorous disease control, said co-ordinator of the research Caroline Best.

The researchers were also surprised by the apparent attitude to disease prevention, using vaccination against footrot in particular.

Non-vaccinating farmers would only consider vaccinating when, on average, percentage lameness increased by 15.7%; suggesting farmers are vaccinating as a reaction to lameness and not using it as a preventative tool, said Ms Best.

She added that the farmers who did vaccinate were more likely to cull and quarantine, though less likely to treat affected sheep promptly, which is indicative of a preference for a whole flock management approach to tackling lameness problems.

However, overall, farmers were no more likely to adopt the remaining elements of the Five-Point Plan if they were vaccinating, despite industry recommendations that all five points should be implemented concurrently.

Another concern identified in the research is the extent to which UK sheep farmers continue to routinely trim feet, which has been demonstrated to be an unsuitable practice if you want to reduce lameness prevalence.

Ms Best said: We found that one in five (19.9%) farmers routinely foot trim and more than half (51.3%) foot trim animals that are lame. Just under 47% trim to correct misshapen claws without active signs of infection.

"Interestingly, whilst foot trimming has hitherto been a traditional practice of generations of sheep farmers, it surprised us that it was farmers aged 35 years or younger who were more likely to trim the feet of lame sheep."

What increases the risk of lameness?

In summary, eight key flock management factors were associated with a significantly higher risk of lameness in ewes:

 Short-term vaccination (over one year, but no more than two years) as a reaction to lameness rather than as an on-going disease prevention strategy

 Not treating individual lame sheep within three days

 Not carrying out measures to avoid lameness transmission

 Not quarantining bought-in stock

 Maintaining an open flock

 Routinely foot trimming

 Foot trimming lame sheep

 Foot trimming misshapen claws without active signs of infection
This should serve as a warning to other Chinese internet companies, especially those that rely inordinately on advertising. Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. has remained an investor favorite throughout the turmoil in the belief that its size gives it an advantage. That company was hit particularly hard in the first quarter, eking out growth in enterprise businesses such as cloud computing. Its likely that second-quarter figures will look better when it reports earnings Aug. 20, but investors will need to dig into the data to see the true source of growth.
Foreign markets such as Japan, Germany, and Taiwan (China) have moved to welcome Vietnamese workers yet again, according to the foreign labour management department at the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs.

browser not support iframe.

From late August to early September, the department will issue permits to over 200 trainee nurses to work and study in Japan under the two countries Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA). They were scheduled to head to Japan last May, but their departure was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Meanwhile, the German Embassy in Vietnam was recently allowed to grant visas to Vietnamese citizens taking up apprenticeships in the European country. The German side earlier granted visas to Vietnamese trainee nurses.

Taiwan (China) has already welcomed a number of Vietnamese workers who were granted visas prior to the pandemic.

The ministry requested that employers provide full information to workers on incentives and exchanges with foreign partners to ensure their legal entry and safety.

Vietnam aims to send 130,000 workers abroad this year but has sent only 33,500 to date due to the coronavirus. VNA

Guest workers scheduled to work abroad stuck at home Nguyen Canh Viet, 29, from Ha Tinh province, still cannot leave fir Japan to work despite the scheduled departure in early May.
A 2017 military operation drove 750,000 Rohingya out of the country into sprawling refugee camps in neighbouring Bangladesh

A Rohingya Muslim has been barred from standing in Myanmar's upcoming election, in a decision decried by rights groups as discriminatory and a symptom of the "ongoing genocide" against the persecuted minority.

A 2017 military operation drove 750,000 Rohingya out of the country into sprawling refugee camps in neighbouring Bangladesh, prompting genocide charges at the UN's top court.

Myanmar has denied the allegations and justified the military operations as a means of rooting out terrorists.

Another 600,000 Rohingya remain in Myanmar, but most are not regarded as citizens and will have no vote, living in what Amnesty International describes as "apartheid" conditions.

Three Rohingya-led parties had hoped to field at least a dozen candidates in November's vote, according to regional watchdog Fortify Rights.

But Abdul Rasheed, 58, a member of the Democracy and Human Rights Party, told AFP on Wednesday that his candidacy was rejected by the district election commission in Rakhine state capital Sittwe a day earlier.

The commission said this was because his parents were not Myanmar citizens when he was born, Rasheed said -- even though he had proof his parents and grandparents were granted citizenship in 1957, four years before his birth.

"This is not in line with the law," he said, adding he would appeal the decision.

"The Rohingya are being degraded so we cannot compete."

The Muslim minority has had citizenship and other rights eroded over decades.

Rasheed, who said his father worked as a Myanmar government civil servant for more than 30 years, also tried without success to stand in the country's landmark 2015 election.

"This rejection is discriminatory and not unrelated to the ongoing genocide of Rohingya," said Matthew Smith from Fortify Rights, a group for which Rasheed also consults.

"The government of Myanmar must end its mass disenfranchisement of Rohingya."

Story continues

The Rakhine State election commission in Sittwe denied any unfair treatment of Rasheed.

"He wasn't rejected because he is a Muslim but because his application was not in line with the electoral law," chairperson Tin Hlaing told AFP.

bur-rs/je
PRAGUE, Czech Republic - U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Wednesday called upon the young democracies of central and Eastern Europe to embrace their hard-won freedoms as they face threats from Russia, China and others while seeing backsliding closer to home, including in Belarus.

Stepping up the Trump administrations campaign to counter growing Russian and Chinese influence abroad, Americas top diplomat said the rise in authoritarianism was not just an abstract trend in far-away capitals such as Moscow and Beijing. In a speech in Prague, he said it also was apparent in Europe and its backyard, notably in Belarus, which has been wracked by unrest since its disputed presidential election Sunday.

We see that authoritarianism didnt die in 1989 or in 1991. The storm was still there. It was simply over the horizon. While we wrote the epitaph on those types of regimes, we now know that it was premature, Pompeo said in a speech to Czech lawmakers. He and Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis, at a separate event earlier, had denounced the postelection violence and repression in Belarus.

We will continue to speak about the risks to the Belarusian people, Pompeo said. We want them to have freedom in the same way that people do across the world. The Trump administration has been criticized for its own approach to human rights, but Pompeo said the United States would remain firm and constant in its support for the rule of law and fundamental freedoms.

The administration has sought to improve long-strained relations with Belarus, and when Pompeo visited the country in early February, he was the first secretary of state to do so in 26 years. The U.S. recently nominated the first ambassador to Minsk in a decade.

Taking a strong line, Babis said recent events in Belarus were unacceptable. It was shocking to see what has happened, he said. To see something like that happening in Europe is so shocking so close to us. It is scandalous.

Pompeos speech to the Czech Senate came on the second day of a four-nation tour of the region dominated by U.S. concerns about European energy dependence on Russia and about security in advanced Chinese-owned telecommunications networks. In his remarks, Pompeo took particularly hard aim at China, which he said was an even bigger threat to democracy than Russia.

Russia continues to seek to undermine your democracy, your security through disinformation campaigns and through cyberattacks, he said. Its even tried to rewrite your history.

I came here today just to remind the Czech people that we stand prepared to support you, he said. If those countries try to bully you, well be right there alongside of you because we know that when youre successful, when your democracy flourishes, the United States will benefit too from these truly close set of relationships we have built out over decades.

Pompeo, however, said that even more of a threat is the Chinese Communist Party and its campaigns of coercion and control. In your country alone, we see influence campaigns against your politicians and security forces, the theft of industrial data that you have created through your innovation and creativity, and weve seen the use of economic leverage to stifle freedom itself.

The CCP is already enmeshed in our economies, in our politics, in our societies in ways the Soviet Union never was, he said.

Pompeo told lawmakers that they are right to resist Chinese attempts to assert economic and political leverage over them. He noted several recent developments in which China has threatened Czech officials with retaliation for showing support for Taiwan, Tibet and Hong Kong.

The Czech Republics Senate president plans to visit Taipei later this month despite Chinas objections, a move that Pompeo applauded. Good on him, Pompeo said. Chinas world dominance is not inevitable.
NEW DELHI: Bulandshahr police on Wednesday seized 18 bullet (Royal Enfield motorcycle) motorcycles as it stepped up its probe into the tragic death of a 20-year-old girl Sudiksha Bhati, who was on a visit home from the US where she studied, in a road accident in Bulandshahr on Monday.

According to reports, the Aurangabad police is taking details of the registered bullet motorcycles across the district from the local RTO office so that it can zero in on the main accused in the case.It is to be noted that the girls family had alleged that the accident happened because two motorcycle-borne men chased her two-wheeler and harassed her.

The daughter of a tea-shop owner, Sudiksha Bhati died on Monday morning near Aurangabad when she was riding pillion on a motorcycle with her younger brother, a minor. The two were en route to their maternal uncle's home in Bulandshahr's Khanpur area from their house at Deri Scanar village in Gautam Buddh Nagar's Dadri tehsil, the police said.

The eldest among six siblings, Bhati had an envious academic record. "She got admitted in our school in 2011 in Class 6. In 2018, she scored 98 per cent marks in class 12 examination and topped the district," said Bishwajit Banerjee, the principal of Sikandrabad Vidyagyan School, Bulandshahr.

She then went onto win a Rs 3.8-crore scholarship from Babson College, Massachusetts (US), and was pursuing a graduation course in entrepreneurship, he said. Her family members said she had come to India due to the coronavirus pandemic and was scheduled to go back to the US on August 20.

They also alleged that while going to visit her maternal uncle on Monday, she was being harassed by the two unidentified persons during the ride which led to the accident.

Additional Superintendent of Police (City) Atul Kumar Srivastava said there was traffic on the route when the accident happened. "A Bullet (a Royal Enfield motorcycle) which was moving ahead of them suddenly stopped due to braking, and the two-wheeler of Sudiksha Bhati and her brother rammed into it from behind. She suffered injuries in the crash and was taken to a community health centre but she died," he said.

Uttar Pradesh Director General of Police HC Awasthy said, "There is definitely an accident. People will be questioned during probe, and the investigation will proceed according to what comes to light."

"A motorcycle was going ahead, and the accident happened after its brakes were applied. After the motorcycles collided, the girl fell down and got injured. She was taken to a hospital, where unfortunately she died, he said. He said it has come to light that the two were not wearing helmets.

The district police filed an FIR against two unidentified people on the basis of a complaint by Sudiksha's father Jitendra Bhati, officials said. The FIR has been lodged under IPC sections 279 (rash driving on a public way), 304A (causing death due to negligence), 184 (dangerous driving), 192 (fabricating false evidence), among others.

Political rivals Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and the Congress attacked the BJP-led UP government over the law and order situation in the state. By Tuesday evening, the Bulandshahr Senior Superintendent of Police constituted a three-member SIT, led by Circle Officer (city) Diksha Singh, to probe the matter.

The other two members of the teams are crime branch officials. The incident drew the attention of the National Commission for Women (NCW) and its chairperson Rekha Sharma wrote to the UP Police chief asking him to ensure a swift, fair and thorough investigation and submit an action taken report at the earliest.

"Considering the gravity of the matter, it is requested that CCTV footage may be checked," she said in the letter.

In a purported video that has surfaced on social media, Bhati's brother said, "We were on a motorcycle at a speed of 30 km per hour. The men on the Bullet were riding near us and applied brakes on their vehicle suddenly...The Bullet had 'Jat Boys' inscribed on its number plate and its number started with UP-13."

ASP Srivastava, however, said the woman's brother had not mentioned anything about harassment to the police at the time of the incident.

District Magistrate Ravindra Kumar said, "We are inquiring into the allegations of harassment. We'll record statements of people concerned and gather video footage. Arguments and counter-arguments will be taken into account and probe carried out as per evidence."

He also clarified that it was the younger brother of the woman and not the uncle, as being told by some people, who was riding the two-wheeler. The DM and the Superintendent of Police (city) also visited the accident site.

The victim`s father Jitendra Bhati, however, claimed that his daughter was being heckled by motorbike borne men that led to the accident.
Accounting, governance and integrated thinking

Special Report by the Wits School of Accounting on how companies should manage the Covid-19 pandemic.

Companies are faced with unprecedented challenges to their business models, governance systems and financial viability.

This report, titled: Accounting, governance and integrated thinking in context of Covid-19, is not a substitute for professional advice, says Professor Nirupa Padia, Head of the Wits School of Accountancy, but it outlines those areas which those charged with an organisations governance should be considering. These include:

business continuity

reassessments of strategy

balancing flexibility with monitoring and control

managing risks and opportunities

governing financial metrics and

ensuring active stakeholder engagement

READ THE FULL REPORT (.pdf)

According to Mervyn King, Honorary Professor at Wits, not since the emergence of democracy in the early 1990s have we seen anything close to the levels of economic, political and social uncertainty being faced by organisations, their employees and society in general.

This is not the first time that the world has been threatened by dangerous diseases. The archaeological evidence points to numerous outbreaks in the ancient world.

The Black Death claimed millions of lives in Medieval Europe. The Great Plagues of Marseille (1720s) and Russia (1770s), the Philadelphia Yellow Fever (1790s) and American Polio Epidemic (1910s) have been well documented. Spanish influenza is thought to have killed up to 500 million people in the early 20th century while, since its discovery in the 1980s, HIV continues to pose a severe health threat, especially in the developing world.

Fortunately, the fatality rate for Covid-19 is relatively low, but the impact which it has had on the health care system, the global economy and individual families is astounding. It is the most recent global health disaster in living memory and a stark reminder that we cannot continue with an attitude of business as usual, King says.

While governments enforce lockdowns and scientists grapple with the development of a vaccine, the business community must mobilise to accelerate progress on achieving the sustainable development goals outlined by the United Nations.

Covid-19 has confirmed the vulnerability of business models grounded in a short-term pursuit of financial gain. An integrated thinking mindset is required to balance economic, environmental, and social imperatives for the benefit of an organisation and its stakeholders - not only the providers of financial capital, King adds.

This report provides some interesting ideas to help companies with the application of integratedthinking. It touches on important areas on which those charged with an organisations governance should be focused. These include technical issues related to financial statements, assurance engagements and tax relief.

A brief and easy-to-understand explanation of integrated thinking is also provided with recommendations for boards of directors.
UPPER THUMB  During Thursdays 8 a.m. virtual meeting of the Tuscola County Board of Commissioners, the issue between the Michigan Institute of Forensic Science and Medicine and some of the county's funeral home directors is expected to be addressed again.

Some of the key areas of contention is MIFSMs organization structure and its increasing the cremation permit fee to $63 from $10 without notice to the funeral homes.
Some investors rely on dividends for growing their wealth, and if you're one of those dividend sleuths, you might be intrigued to know that Bar Harbor Bankshares (NYSEMKT:BHB) is about to go ex-dividend in just four days. Ex-dividend means that investors that purchase the stock on or after the 17th of August will not receive this dividend, which will be paid on the 18th of September.

Bar Harbor Bankshares's next dividend payment will be US$0.22 per share. Last year, in total, the company distributed US$0.88 to shareholders. Looking at the last 12 months of distributions, Bar Harbor Bankshares has a trailing yield of approximately 4.1% on its current stock price of $21.63. If you buy this business for its dividend, you should have an idea of whether Bar Harbor Bankshares's dividend is reliable and sustainable. We need to see whether the dividend is covered by earnings and if it's growing.

View our latest analysis for Bar Harbor Bankshares

Dividends are typically paid from company earnings. If a company pays more in dividends than it earned in profit, then the dividend could be unsustainable. Bar Harbor Bankshares paid out 54% of its earnings to investors last year, a normal payout level for most businesses.

When a company paid out less in dividends than it earned in profit, this generally suggests its dividend is affordable. The lower the % of its profit that it pays out, the greater the margin of safety for the dividend if the business enters a downturn.

Click here to see how much of its profit Bar Harbor Bankshares paid out over the last 12 months.

Have Earnings And Dividends Been Growing?

Companies that aren't growing their earnings can still be valuable, but it is even more important to assess the sustainability of the dividend if it looks like the company will struggle to grow. If business enters a downturn and the dividend is cut, the company could see its value fall precipitously. That explains why we're not overly excited about Bar Harbor Bankshares's flat earnings over the past five years. We'd take that over an earnings decline any day, but in the long run, the best dividend stocks all grow their earnings per share.

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The main way most investors will assess a company's dividend prospects is by checking the historical rate of dividend growth. In the last 10 years, Bar Harbor Bankshares has lifted its dividend by approximately 6.6% a year on average.

Final Takeaway

Is Bar Harbor Bankshares worth buying for its dividend? Earnings per share have not grown at all, and the company pays out a bit over half its profits to shareholders. These characteristics don't generally lead to outstanding dividend performance, and investors may not be happy with the results of owning this stock for its dividend.

Keen to explore more data on Bar Harbor Bankshares's financial performance? Check out our visualisation of its historical revenue and earnings growth.

We wouldn't recommend just buying the first dividend stock you see, though. Here's a list of interesting dividend stocks with a greater than 2% yield and an upcoming dividend.

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.
New Delhi: Former Pakistani Taliban spokesperson Ehsanullah Ehsan has said that Pakistani authorities had given him a hit list of people who they would like to be killed in the North-Western province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

In an audio, he claimed that after some time of his surrender he was given the list of prominent voices in order to facilitate Pakistan in eliminating rogue elements.

According to the audio Eshan said, "I was asked to lead a death squad.. and the list included people from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and they were Pashtuns from all walks of life including journalists. (Mujhe kaha gaya ki ap ik death squad ko lead karein..aur ap gadaron aur mulk key dushmanon key khilaf kam shuru karey..Jo list muje diya gaya usmai zyada tar afrad ka taluk Khyber Pakhtunkhwa se tha aur woh sab pashtun they jis mai zindgi key har shobey se talku rakhney waley afrad key name they, jin mai pashtun safee afrad key name bhi shamil they)."

In the audio, he talked about his conversations with military intelligence and the parleys that took place.

Ehsanullah Ehsan, spokesman Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) had escaped Pakistani custody earlier in 2020. Ehsan claimed the group was responsible for shooting Malala Yousafzai, 2014 Wagah border suicide attack and other terror attacks in the south Asian country.

The development comes even as more than 30 women journalists in Pakistan have in a joint statement highlighted the "vicious attacks" on them through social media.

The statement said, "The online attacks are instigated by government officials and then amplified by a large number of Twitter accounts, which declare their affiliation to the ruling party." It demanded, "Hold all such individuals within the government accountable and take action against them" and Standing Committees on Human Rights of the upper and lower house of parliament to take notice of these developments.

Women journalists include--Benazir Shah, Amber Shamsi, Munizae Jahangir, Gul Bukhari, Gulalai Ismail. In 2019, Arooj Iqbal, a 27-year-old women journalist was shot dead in Lahore. While the main suspect is her husband, Arooj's family told RSF (Reporters without Borders) that, "Arooj was clearly targeted because of her journalism work."

Pakistan is ranked 145th out of 180 countries and territories in RSF's 2020 World Press Freedom Index.
Nicholas Hunt/Getty for Fragrance Foundation

Leslie Wexner, the billionaire former owner of Victorias Secret, may be forced to reveal details of his secretive longtime association with Jeffrey Epstein amid a bitter legal battle between the pedophile billionaires former lawyer and one of his accusers.

On Monday, U.S. District Judge Loretta Preska ordered the unsealing of correspondence between Wexner and Harvard professor Alan Dershowitz, whos entangled in a defamation lawsuit with Epstein victim Virginia Roberts Giuffre. The new trove of court filings show the Victoria Secrets mogul has refused to testify or turn over documents requested by Dershowitz to support his countersuit claims that Giuffre wanted to extort Wexner.

Preska ruled she saw no reason for that correspondence to remain under seal, and scheduled an Aug. 17 hearing to decide whether Wexner will be forced to testify in the defamation case.

How We Got the Scoop on Jeffrey Epsteins Arrest

The records are among thousands of documents in the countersuit Dershowitz filed against Giuffre after she accused the Harvard professor of defamation.

While Giuffre has alleged that Epstein, a convicted sex offender, trafficked her to other menincluding Dershowitz and Prince Andrewthe lawyer has denied the claims. Hitting back, Dershowitz accused Giuffre of hatching a plan to falsely accuse him of sex trafficking in order to extort a settlement from another party, namely Wexner.

In a June 23 letter, Dershowitzs legal team noted they had served subpoenas to Wexner, an 82-year-old billionaire, and his attorney John Zeiger, and asked the judge to compel them to provide a small number of documents directly relevant to the central allegation in this case that Plaintiff [Giuffre] falsely accused Professor Dershowitz of sexual abuse as part of a scheme to extort Wexner.

With Wexner refusing to produce any documents or appear for a deposition, and Zeiger refusing to produce documents or provide testimony absent the entry of an onerous protective order which would severely hamper Professor Dershowitzs ability to use the discovery in this litigation, the parties are at an impasse, Dershowitzs attorney, Howard Cooper, wrote in the newly unsealed letter filed in Manhattan federal court. From the beginning of the parties negotiations, Wexner and Zeiger have taken an extreme view on confidentiality.

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In response, Giuffres attorneys slammed Dershowitzs efforts to put Mr. Wexner at the heart of false and defamatory claims against their clientbut agreed that he should have to testify.

Defendant has put Leslie Wexner at the heart of his false and defamatory claims that Plaintiff and her counsel were engaged in an extortion plot to extract money from wealthy associates of Jeffrey Epstein by allegedly falsely naming the Defendant, Charles J. Cooper, who represents Giuffre in the defamation case, wrote in a July 28 letter.

Epstein Accuser Says Bill Clinton Partied on Pedophile Island

Noting Dershowitzs plans to argue that Wexner was deliberately framed for financial reasons, Cooper added that for this reason Giuffre was likewise planning on seeking relevant documents and testimony from Mr. Wexner and Mr. Zeiger to prove his allegations to be false.

Wexner, who stepped down from his post earlier this year, has been notoriously secretive about his relationship with Epsteinwho used to manage the billionaires personal finances and those of his family charities. Cited as one of the main streams of revenue associated with Epsteins financial success, Wexner even installed Epstein as a trustee of his eponymous foundation in 1991 and at one point granted him power of attorney.

Wexner, whose fortune is associated with several retail brands, including The Limited and Victorias Secret, has said to have severed ties with Epstein in 2007the same year the disgraced financier pleaded guilty in state court to soliciting prostitution. Epstein was sentenced to 18 months behind bars as a result, serving 13 before he was released.

In July 2019, Epstein, 66, was arrested by federal authorities in New York and charged with sex trafficking crimes for allegedly luring girls with cash to his Manhattan mansion before sexually abusing them. A month later, Epstein died in a jailhouse suicide.

Ghislaine Maxwells Lawyers Claim She Was Never in Hiding, Hadnt Seen Epstein for a Decade

I would never have guessed that a person I employed more than a decade ago could have caused such pain to so many people. My heart goes out to each and every person who has been hurt, Wexner wrote to employees in a July email obtained by The Columbus Dispatch. I severed all ties with Mr. Epstein nearly 12 years ago. I would not have continued to work with any individual capable of such egregious, sickening behavior as has been reported about him.

In February, Wexner stepped down as CEO of Victorias Secret amid scrutiny about his relationship with Epstein. At the time, Wexer stressed he was unaware of any illegal activity by Epstein.

In the newly unsealed letters, Zeiger argued Wexner does not have any information that could be used in a trial. Those close to Wexner have previously denied Dershowitzs claims, with one insider telling The New York Times in 2015 that Wexner had never met Giuffre and that no extortion attempt was made.

Professor Dershowitz will address the admissibility of testimony obtained from Wexner at the appropriate time, upon a complete discovery record including being able to offer the Court Wexners actual testimony, as opposed to his lawyers self-serving characterization of what it will be, Cooper wrote in a July 31 letter.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his Saudi counterpart, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, pledged help on Wednesday to Lebanon following last week's devastating blast in Beirut port, the Russian foreign ministry said.

The two men also agreed during a telephone conversation on the importance of creating "beneficial external conditions" for the Lebanese people to form a new government based on dialogue between all ethnic and religious groups.

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With time more and more reports of incidents related to Unidentified Flying Objects (UFO) have been making their way on the internet. A glow of light just floating through the air, uncommon shapes gliding above the ground and alien vehicles flying in a definite pattern at night.

Just earlier this year, the US Military officially published three authentic UFO videos. India, on the other hand, has had its share of sightings of the extraterrestrial, reportedly.

Here are five places across India where UFO sightings have been reported:

Lagan Kher - Ladakh Kashmir

 iStock

On August 4, 2013, several officials of the Indian Army reportedly agreed to have seen a UFO in the Ladakh sector along the Line of Actual Control with China. According to the locals, over 100 sightings were reported at the time. This wasnt the first time Indian soldiers came forward with something like that.



In 2012, an ITBP unit based in Thakung, close to the Pangong Tso Lake also revealed that they had seen two yellowish spheres rise from the horizon on the Chinese side, hover in the sky for a couple of hours and then eventually disappear.

PMs Residence - Delhi

 iStock

On June 14, 2018, Hindustan Times reported that multiple individuals at Prime Minister Narendra Modis residence in Delhi saw a round UFO hovering above the estate. A quick but thorough search was done and the Delhi Air Traffic Control was also put on high alert. Once nothing threatening was found, the search was finally called off.



Special commissioner of police and Delhi police chief spokesperson Dependra Pathak confirmed these sightings but refused to give out details keeping security reasons in mind.

Pune - Maharashtra

 iStock

According to a 2014 Pune Mirror article, Jet Airways pilot Mahima Chaudhary was mid-flight when she called the Mumbai Air Traffic Control to report seeing a mysterious green and white object hovering over 26,300 feet in the sky near Pune around 12:45 PM. However, Mumbai ATC denied having any information on this.



Lucknow - Uttar Pradesh

 iStock

In 2014, Amit Tripathi, a Lucknow resident was sitting in his balcony trying to capture the beautiful sunset with his phones camera when he spotted a shiny object in the sky right next to the sun. According to India Today, Amit saw the object suddenly spinning and rising before it went straight up in the sky and disappeared within 40 seconds.



He did manage to click a photo of the object though.

 Amit Tripathi

Kannur - Kerala

 iStock

Divya Sebastian, wife of Major Sebastian Zachariah, an Army officer told The New Indian Express that her husband had accidentally caught the image of a UFO while checking out the features of the phone that he had bought recently. They even went to the phone companys customer service centre just to check whether the phones camera had malfunctioned and captured something faulty but nothing of that sort was found.



When Professor Jayant Murthy, of Indian Institute of Astrophysics in Bangalore was informed of this incident, he simply rejected the theory and said that it could have been an illusion as these are nothing real.
Thomas Gilmer in an arrest photograph on Aug. 10, 2020. (Wethersfield Police Department via AP)

Congressional Candidate Drops Out of Race Following Arrest

A Republican candidate for Congress quit the race on Tuesday after he was arrested on unlawful restraint and strangulation charges.

Thomas Gilmer, a building project manager, was running for the seat representing Connecticuts 2nd Congressional District.

Gilmer, 29, was arrested on Monday as a result of an investigation into a possible domestic assault, the Wethersfield Police Department said.

He was charged with second degree strangulation and first degree unlawful restraint and released on $5,000 bond.

Following the arrest, the candidate said he was dropping out of contention for the House seat and took down his campaign website and personal and campaign Facebook pages.

I find myself in a position where I must put my family and our shared Republican values before my own interests, Gilmer said in a statement to news outlets. I cannot in good conscience move forward in this campaign while I am simultaneously forced to clear my name. And clear my name I will.

The Connecticut Republican Party also said Tuesday that Gilmer was ending his campaign, citing the severity of the accusations.

An arrest warrant affidavit said police officials obtained video footage of the alleged assault from Justin Anderson, a Republican candidate for the same seat, The Associated Press reported.

The video shows Gilmer punch the victim in the face and jump on top of her as she falls to the ground, the affidavit states. Gilmer then attempts to choke the victim followed by multiple closed fist punches to the victims face.

The woman was struggling for her life after Gilmer placed her in a chokehold, the report stated.

Rep. Joe Courtney (D-Conn.) (C) speaks in Washington in 2012. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Gilmer was backed by the Republican Party and could win the primary.

Anderson, a military veteran, had called over the weekend for Gilmer to drop out of the race. He said he had evidence that Gilmer had committed domestic abuse, obtained from the victim earlier this year.

Instead of investigating the issues over the last 3 months, party leaders participated in cajoling, victim shaming, and shunning Mr. Anderson, questioning his integrity, Andersons campaign said in a statement.

It was Justins goal to deal with the allegations privately among leaders to protect the victim, however, party leaders brought this out publicly to discredit Mr. Anderson for standing up and bringing this to attention.

J.R. Romano, the state Republican Party chairman, told The Associated Press that party leaders were aware of the accusation and they advised taking the case to the proper authorities.

The state committee will decide who to replace Gilmer with should he win the primary, Romano added.

The Republican candidate will contend with Rep. Joe Courtney (D-Conn.), the incumbent.

As of early Tuesday, Gilmer was ahead by 78 votes.
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Linkedin Carl O'Donnell (Reuters)  Wed, August 12, 2020 09:48 525 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066d545e6 2 World coronavirus,COVID-19,COVID-19-vaccines,pandemic,SARS-CoV-2,virus-corona,novel-coronavirus Free

Around the world, politicians, drugmakers and regulators offer contradictory outlooks on when a COVID-19 vaccine will be ready. Much depends on what 'ready' means and for what group of people. Some key questions around the timeline are:

When will we know a vaccine works?

More than half a dozen drugmakers around the world are conducting advanced clinical trials, each with tens of thousands of participants, and several expect to know if their COVID-19 vaccines work and are safe by the end of this year.

The most optimistic timeline comes from AstraZeneca Plc , which is running a study in Britain that it says could be completed as early as August.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top US infectious diseases expert, told Reuters last week that a trial by Moderna Inc could produce decisive results by November or December. Others will come later, some much later.

Some experts are skeptical that the trials, which must study potential side effects on different types of people, can be completed that quickly. Peter Hotez, the dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine in Texas, says that collecting enough data to prove a vaccine is safe for the world could take until mid-2021.

When will the first shots be ready?

Several drugmakers are building manufacturing capacity so they can begin production as soon as vaccines are approved by regulators. Some efforts are backed by a US government program called 'Operation Warp Speed'.

Fauci told Reuters he expects "tens of millions" of doses to be available in early 2021, and that by the end of the year there could be more than a billion. That contrasts with more optimistic guidance from US President Donald Trump, who said a vaccine could be ready before the Nov. 3 presidential election, though he did not define 'ready'.

Several companies, including Moderna, AstraZeneca, and Pfizer Inc, say they each expect to make more than 1 billion doses next year. That could mean several billion available by the end of 2021.

When can I get it?

First supplies late this year or early next would likely go to those in rich nations who are deemed by governments to work in essential industries or who are at greatest risk from the virus. That is likely to include people with other issues such as diabetes, healthcare workers, and members of the military.

Countries including Canada, Japan, Britain, and the United States have locked in deals putting their citizens first in line for inoculations as they become broadly available during 2021.

Most vaccines are being tested as two shots given a month apart, giving full strength protection only after the second shot is administered.

When will the world be inoculated?

The wait time for COVID-19 vaccines will likely be longer for people in developing countries, which don't have early supply deals. Some may struggle to pay for vaccines that could cost upwards of $40 per person, said Hotez.

"I am worried that Operation Warp Speed vaccines will not reach developing countries any time soon," Hotez said.

Gavi, a vaccine alliance for developing countries, aims to secure 2 billion doses of vaccine in 2021, enough to inoculate the most vulnerable 20% of the population in poorer countries. Several manufacturers, including the Serum Institute of India, are preparing to manufacture for poor and middle-income countries.

Will I be able to get a Chinese vaccine?

The Chinese government has authorized some experimental vaccines to be used in select patients outside of clinical trials, making it the first country to have vaccines authorized for wider use.

But they are unlikely to be available in the West any time soon. Domestic regulators would need to approve them, and clinical trials by Chinese companies outside of China are still ongoing.

What about Russia?

President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that Russia had become the first country in the world to grant regulatory approval to a COVID-19 vaccine after less than two months of human testing.

The vaccine still has to complete final trials, raising concerns among some experts at the speed of its approval. Still, Russian business conglomerate Sistema has said it expects to put it into mass production by the end of the year.
Scientists have observed a rare type of earthquake in the ocean for the first time. Known as a boomerang, this quake could help scientists prepare early warning systems.

Scientists from the University of Southampton and Imperial College London carried out a study during which they examined the path one of these quakes under the Atlantic ocean.

They found out that in case of the boomerang earthquakes, the rupture initially travels away from the original break but returns at higher speeds.

Earthquakes usually occur when pressures build up between two pieces of Earths crust and it is released eventually. As a result of this, tremors are felt. If the intensity is high, the earthquakes can cause serious large scale damage.

A boomerang earthquake can do more damage than the normal quakes as the high speed of the returning wave increases the area of destruction. What happens is while coming back, the rupture the seismic sound barrier, and due to which it creates an ultra-fast earthquake.

Gathering more information about how boomerang earthquakes occur and the physics involved in it will help create better models to predict future earthquakes.

The study published in Nature Geoscience reveals that the team recorded a magnitude 7.1 earthquake in the Atlantic Ocean in 2016 and it could have been this rare type of quake. They detected it using underwater seismic sensors.

"Whilst scientists have found that such a reversing rupture mechanism is possible from theoretical models, our new study provides some of the clearest evidence for this enigmatic mechanism occurring in a real fault," said Stephen Hicks, first author of the study.
Gov. Phil Murphys decision to let New Jersey school districts opt for all-remote learning, subject to state approval, when classes return in the fall is prompting plenty of reaction.

In Jersey City, where the school board voted last week to begin the school year entirely with virtual instruction, Mayor Steve Fulop said that Murphy is making the right call in letting local districts choose a plan that fits their needs.

I see this article all over social media already. NJ folx, PLEASE do not celebrate this decision uncritically. Once again, the Governor (if true) decides to leave reopening decisions up to local districts, rather than making it a statewide mandate. https://t.co/SAu7G0ZOQj  mel katz (she/her) (@mel_katzz) August 12, 2020
(Bloomberg Opinion) -- The aftermath of last week's shattering explosions in Beirut shows that Lebanese civil society is not only alive and well, but dynamic and inspiring. It also reaffirms that the Lebanese power structure is broken, perhaps beyond repair. Yet the tragedy could force reforms on an entrenched oligarchy.

Beirut, which was devastated last Tuesday by an explosion of 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate, is beginning the slow process of cleaning up and rebuilding. But government agencies are virtually nowhere to be seen.

Instead, Lebanese civil society has once again risen to the occasion. Thousands of volunteers are hauling away the rubble, assessing the damage and beginning the process of restoring normal life. Some are organized, but many are simply citizens doing what's necessary because they know their government won't.

Public anger has become overwhelming. The government clearly knew about the vast stockpile of dangerous explosive chemicals being stored at a warehouse in the middle of the city. An internal government report was provided to President Michel Aoun and Prime Minister Hassan Diab in July, laying out this danger and predicting that much of the city would be destroyed in the event of an explosion.

On Monday, Diab and his entire cabinet quit. Thats the second government to fall due to public outrage since massive popular demonstrations for reforms began in the country last October.

Since then, Lebanon's economic crisis has become a Venezuela-like calamity, with the governing parties unable to adopt a unified stance on a much-needed $20 billion bailout from the International Monetary Fund. The coronavirus has continued to spread, and now much of the capital is damaged or destroyed.

The recent resignations won't fix things. After all, Diab will stay on as a caretaker, and most ministries either function  or, more typically, don't  no matter who is nominally in charge. But they do pave the way for the country to negotiate its next political chapter.

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The international community has been responsive to Lebanon's plight. A French-organized international aid conference on Sunday pledged $300 million in humanitarian support following the explosion, and the United Nations is sending a large shipment of flour for immediate food needs. The IMF is offering a partial bailout  funds in exchange for economic reforms  but Lebanese ruling circles are reluctant to accept even modest requests.

Many activists and commentators are insisting all aid be routed through NGOs so as not to reward the bad actors who dominate state institutions. This is a good short-term approach, since it would strengthen Lebanese civil society and maximize chances that donations actually help the needy.

But in the longer term, state institutions can't be avoided. No one else can negotiate with the IMF or manage crucial infrastructure such as electricity, sewage and roads.

Skeptics warn, however, that any support for the Lebanese state is de facto support for Hezbollah. Since October, the government, including both Aoun and Diab, has been entirely composed of allies of the Iran-backed militia group that maintains its own private army.

Still, only the Lebanese state provides a viable alternative to Hezbollahs domination of the whole country. And there is hope for one yet. By sparking popular outrage and commanding international attention, the tragedy has created an opportunity to form a new political system, which can serve and mobilize Lebanese society.

Ultimately that means elections or some other national forum to create a new compact  one that empowers the public rather than the nations corrupt leaders, strengthens direct rather than sectarian representation and holds groups such as Hezbollah accountable.

Such a compact could be based on unfulfilled Lebanese pacts such as the Taif Agreement, the Baabda Declaration and parts of the Constitution  all of which point to a more accountable, non-sectarian system that does not provide cover for armed gangs and foreign intrigues.

For all its impressive qualities, Lebanese civil society cant achieve such change on its own, since the status quo serves those with the money and the guns. The global community has to partner with them in forcing the country's ruling elite to accept the need for reforms.

Donors should condition additional aid on an international investigation into what happened at the port, why the ammonium nitrate was stored in the middle of a highly populated city and what triggered the blast.

The Hezbollah-backed government has refused other countries participation in the investigation. The group is known to dominate most of Lebanon's key access points, including the area of the port where the explosion took place. But for a series of complex reasons, including last weeks blast, it is increasingly vulnerable. That is likely to intensify when verdicts for the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafic Hariri are issued by an international tribunal on Aug. 18. Four of Hezbollahs cadres are likely to be convicted.

Between the economic bailout, aid and reconstruction following the explosions, fallout from any guilty verdicts in the Hariri killing, and, most importantly, sustained and widespread Lebanese public anger, its clear Lebanon needs a new national compact. Out of these tragedies, it could get one.

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

Hussein Ibish is a senior resident scholar at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington.

For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com/opinion

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A new colour-coded system for identifying different stages of Covid-19 outbreaks is being developed by public health experts.

The system for dealing with the virus over the coming months would have four phases - blue, yellow, orange and red.

Status blue would mean a vaccine or treatment had been found, while yellow would mean the rate of infection is stable and we can live with the virus.

In the yellow phase, most businesses would be open, as would schools.

Orange would signify local outbreaks in communities, rather than in specific settings, as is the case in the midland counties currently under lockdown.

An orange status outbreak would involve restrictions similar to those imposed on the people of Kildare, Offaly and Laois.

A status red outbreak would send the country back into lockdown. But another lockdown may not be as severe as the last quarantine, due to a better understanding of how the virus spreads.

The framework is being developed by the National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet).

Speaking about the new system on Morning Ireland, Health Minister Stephen Donnelly said; "NPHETs proposal essentially is a colour-coded system which we would all recognise and be familiar with from weather warnings.

"The idea is we have a yellow level which is where we could be at now in most of the country - but outside of the three counties obviously where theres restrictions in place," he explained.

There would be an orange level - which would be some version of what Laois, Offaly and Kildare have in place right now - a red level which would be across the whole country and which we have become very accustomed to, which is very much what the people of Auckland are dealing with at the moment, and then blue," he said.

Blue is the colour of vacccines in the medical world. And the idea of blue is we wouldnt be fully clear of this obviously until we have a vaccine and we can get back to our lives. "

Meanwhile, Taoiseach Micheal Martin has announced the Government is drafting a new long-term plan for living with the Covid-19.

Speaking after a meeting of the Cabinet sub-committee on Covid-19, Mr Martin said the plan was aimed at finding a way of keeping society opening while dealing with spikes in coronavirus cases.

"The Cabinet committee will meet again next week with a view to having an initial discussion on the medium-term plan to take us through Covid for the next six months to nine months," the Taoiseach said.

"We've opened up to a considerable degree of our economy and our society. Obviously, like other countries, there's been an increase in numbers so we've got to look and plan ahead in terms of potential scenarios that might emerge, but also how we maintain that level of economic activity," he added.

The plan will be developed in line with other EU countries where people are learning to live with the virus.

In some countries, schools and pubs have reopened and Covid-19 outbreaks are contained and traced.

Government sources insisted Ireland would not be seeking to follow the example of New Zealand where authorities have enforced strict restrictions aimed at eradicating the virus.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Arden announced a partial shutdown of Auckland yesterday after the discovery of four new cases among the members of one family.

In Dublin, it was also agreed that the Government will announce new financial supports before the end of the week for businesses affected by the localised lockdowns in Kildare, Offaly and Laois.

The Taoiseach said Tanaiste Leo Varadkar, Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe and Public Expenditure Minister Michael McGrath would draft supports for businesses affected by the midlands lockdown.

Mr Martin said he was concerned about the spike in cases in the midlands and the overall increase in new cases across the country.

However, he said acting chief medical officer Ronan Glynn believed community transmission of the virus remained stable.
(Newser)  A man and his metal detector have uncovered a 3,000-year-old hoard of Bronze Age goods, including a complete sword and horse harness, its leather and wood still preserved. "[I] felt from the very beginning that this might be something spectacular and I've just discovered a big part of Scottish history," Mariusz Stepien tells the BBC. He was right. Experts say the find, offering a first look at how Bronze Age horse harnesses were crafted, is of national significance. Stepien had been hunting for treasure with friends in a field near Peebles, Scotland, in June when he came upon a bronze object buried some 18 inches underground. "I thought 'I've never seen anything like this before,'" he tells the BBC, adding he was "actually shaking with happiness." The euphoria continued over the next 22 days as Stepien camped in the field, watching archaeologists investigate.

story continues below

They uncovered artifacts dating to around 1000 BC, including a sword in its sheath; wheel axle caps from a chariot or cart; the straps, buckles, and rings of the harness; and a rattle pendant believed to have hung from the harnessthe first such artifact to be found in Scotland. Only one other cache of Bronze Age goods has been found in the country, and that discovery occurred more than 150 years ago, per Smithsonian. Emily Freeman of the Crown Office's Treasure Trove Unit calls it "a nationally significant find," though "there is still a lot of work to be done to assess the artifacts and understand why they were deposited." Some items have yet to be excavated from the block of earth that archaeologists lifted from the ground; it has been transported to Edinburgh's National Museums Collection Center, per CNN. You can virtually explore it here. (A Bronze Age sword was found hiding in plain sight.)
Shares of Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) rallied as much as 5.8 per cent and hit fresh 52-week high of Rs 1,078 on the BSE on Wednesday after the Ministry of Defence (MoD) on Tuesday approved the acquisition of 'Make in India' equipment worth Rs 8,722 crore. Of this, bulk will go towards purchasing the first fixed wing aircraft that HAL has designed and developed in decades.

At 10:35 am, the stock was trading 4.8 per cent higher at Rs 1,068 on the BSE, as against 0.48 per cent decline in the S&P BSE Sensex. So far in the month of August, the stock of HAL has zoomed 14 per cent ...
Life was good for Aaron Brady in early 2013.

The young man from Crossmaglen was in a steady relationship with Jessica King, an attractive girl from Cullaville, and was renting his own property in Armagh. Every weekend after partying with his friends in Ridleys nightclub in Dundalk they would return to the prefab to continue their drinking sessions into the early hours of the morning. His father also had the prestigious role as chairman of Crossmaglen Rangers, one of the countrys most successful GAA clubs, where Brady played at underage level.

But despite all this, there were financial burdens hanging over him from a court case, and he needed to make quick, easy cash. This greed would have fatal consequences.

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Born to Tony and Caroline Brady on February 16, 1991 in Dundalk, Aaron Brady and his family lived in the Monaghan village of Inniskeen before relocating to Nottingham in England.

His parents would later have two daughters, Sonya and Laurene.

After the family settled in England, Tony Brady worked as a milkman while also studying to be a physiotherapist for four years. He would later take up work as a physio for various GAA teams when the family moved back to Ireland in the early 2000s.

After returning home when he was 11, Brady attended Abbey Grammar School in Newry before moving to St Joseph's High School in Crossmaglen a year later. It was here that he met his best friend  a man who would later become Lordship robbery Suspect A  and the two men would become inseparable.

At the age of 16, Brady finished school having completed his ordinary level GCSEs and took up work as an electrician, serving his apprenticeship in Cavan before moving on to do a FAS course in Sligo for six months.

Due to the economic downturn, work dried up and like many people his age Brady emigrated to Australia in his late teens and later to the US.

When he returned to Ireland in 2011 he worked in his father's advertising business selling ads locally along the Border. He was also regularly socialising with another Armagh man some years older than him- and who would later become Suspect B in the murder.

The men were suspected of regularly carrying out burglaries and car robberies together, as well as freelancing in diesel-waste dumping.

Aaron Brady was also building up minor criminal convictions for public order, driving a stolen car and other motoring offences on both sides of the Border.

His behaviour was becoming more erratic and he would come to further garda attention.

In the early hours of October 2, 2011, he led gardai on a chase around Dundalk town during which he rammed two taxis and a garda patrol van.

The chase caused thousands of euros worth of damage and he was later charged with dangerous driving, unauthorised taking of a vehicle and three counts of criminal damage.

The bail conditions and curfew imposed did little to stop him, and he was also left with a compensation bill to pay for the damage caused.

By January 2013 Aaron Brady, along with his group of fellow bandits, made a decision to rob the credit union at Lordship  the last stop for the cash collection on the Cooley peninsula every Friday night.

The robbery, on the last Friday of the month, netted the gang just 7,000 while a further 27,000 was left behind in a separate bag. The raid had also cost Detective Garda Adrian Donohoe his life.

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By the following day, during a chance encounter with gardai, suspicions were growing around Brady and his friends of their involvement in the Lordship robbery.

He walked into Dundalk garda station 10 days later to, by his own admission, clear his name of rumours around his local community linking him to the murder.

However, the compulsive liar did little to quell garda suspicions and their investigations into him would intensify after he spun a tissue of lies about his whereabouts that night.

The media speculation around his involvement increased, and one Sunday newspaper printed a pixelated image of him on their front page within weeks of the murder.

On April 8, the PSNI searched his home on behalf of gardai. The pressure got too much, and five days later he boarded an American Airlines flight from Belfast to Newark airport in New Jersey.

Coincidentally, his new British travel documents, which he had applied for after his Irish passport expired, had arrived days earlier.

First, he settled in Boston, working with his best-friend and fellow robbery suspect in tarmacadam and snow ploughing.

Within a year a major disagreement developed between the two men, which Brady said was because he had disappeared to New York.

In early 2014 he relocated to the Woodlawn area of the Bronx where he got accustomed to life within the Irish expat community.

He got a job in construction, played for a local GAA team, and would frequent the various pubs along Katonah Avenue every weekend.

Brady would tell the trial it was a home away from home and that many people he knew from Armagh had relocated in Woodlawn.

As time passed, Aaron Brady grew more confident. He was living openly among the community, using his given name and regularly updating his social media accounts on his new life in New York.

In time the fugitive would, in the words of prosecutor Lorcan Staines SC, start wearing the murder of Det Gda Adrian Donohoe as a badge of honour.

Detectives had even received information that he showed up to one Halloween party in the US dressed as a cop.

What began as confiding in only his close friends developed into more brazen admissions in one-off encounters with strangers or barmen.

Read More

Gardai obtained one statement from a witness who said he encountered Brady in the Tombstone Bar in the Bronx, in the summer of 2014 and, after being asked if he was the person on the run, he admitted to the shooting.

There was, the witness said, no bravado on this occasion and the man was surprised in the matter-of-fact way Aaron Brady had made the comment. At other times he was more boisterous about his involvement. Gardai received information from one man of how Brady was again in the Tombstone Bar on St Patrick's Day 2015 and openly bragged to his friends about what it was like to kill someone.

Aaron Brady's violent side came to the fore on this occasion as he assaulted the eavesdropper and threatened him to keep his mouth shut about what he had heard. The witness only identified Brady at a later stage after seeing a photo of a Crossmaglen Rangers team, but he refused to come to court.

The boasting by Brady extended beyond the Donohoe murder. Intelligence received by gardai in 2017 revealed he claimed to have worked for one of Ireland's most dangerous criminals back home. In one confidential report it was stated that Brady said he had laundered diesel for the Border Fox  the notorious paramilitary Dessie O'Hare.

By that time, it was common knowledge among the Irish community in Woodlawn that the Crossmaglen man was being blamed for the murder of a guard back in Ireland.

Key prosecution witnesses would tell the murder trial how Aaron Brady seemed to feed off this. Molly Staunton revealed how Brady and his friends said they were the most feared men in Ireland.

During the drunken rant he also expressed concern, albeit about his ability to provide for his unborn son rather than the murder.

Daniel Cahill, a barman who worked in one of the pubs Brady drank in, witnessed first-hand the murder suspects erratic behaviour. He told the trial of one fight in which Brady was punched in the face before threatening to kill the man who had assaulted him.

He recalled Brady shouting he was going to shoot the man who had punched him and that this wouldn't be the first person he'd shot and that he's no problem doing it again.

Other times he appeared more concerned about what happened, or at least the consequences he faced. Mr Cahill recalled an occasion in the bar where Aaron Brady was sitting at the counter nearly crying into his pint, saying he had nightmares about what happened. On a final meeting he would recall how Brady stopped him coming home from work one night and showed him a newspaper article of the Donohoe suspect living it up in New York. Brady menacingly told Daniel Cahill that the papers were writing about him, which the barman inferred as a threat to keep quiet.

Despite the numerous admissions during his time in the Bronx, Aaron Brady was confident they wouldn't come back to haunt him.

In late 2015 he had met Danielle Healy, a barmaid who worked in the Heritage Bar in nearby Yonkers where he regularly drank. By the following October the Kerry woman gave birth to the couple's baby boy. In April 2017 they got married and Brady applied for an American green card as Ms Healy was a US citizen. All seemed to be going well for Aaron Brady.

The fugitive believed his reputation in the Bronx was enough for people to maintain their silence, and that he was out of the reach of gardai in his new safe haven.

He was wrong. Shortly after 5am on May 18, 2017, his world came crashing in when Homeland Security agents detained him for being in the country illegally as he drove to work. Brady was deported the following week and sentenced to a years imprisonment over the Dundalk offence he was on bail for when he fled the country.

By March 2018, he had been arrested and charged with the fatal shooting of Adrian Donohoe and, following the longest murder trial in the history of the State, would be convicted.

He had built a new life in New York where he believed he was untouchable. But, for the next 40 years, Aaron Brady will simply be known as prisoner 74326.
Deputy Prosecutor General of Ukraine Giunduz Mamedov discussed with Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Ukraine Jennes de Mol further cooperation in the investigation into downing of MH17 flight.

As noted, the international Joint Investigation Team (JIT) is currently examining all the circumstances of the plane crash in the sky over the occupied part of Donbas.

The Ukrainian side coordinates its work with JIT partners. We are doing everything possible to identify all those involved in this crime. The purpose of further investigation is to identify the BUK system operators and high-ranking officials who gave orders to send the surface-to-air missile system to Ukraine," Giunduz Mamedov said, the press service of the Prosecutor General's Office informs.

In addition, the parties discussed the filing of the Netherlands lawsuit against Russia over the downing of the plane at the European Court of Human Rights. Ukraines Deputy Prosecutor General assured that if Ukraine decided to join the lawsuit, the Prosecutor Generals Office would provide all the necessary information.

The trial of four defendants in MH17 case is ongoing in the District Court of The Hague. The hearings will resume on August 31; the lawyers of victims' families will deliver speeches and the motions of lawyers of one defendant will be considered.

Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, was shot down over conflict-hit Donbas in July 2014. There were 283 passengers and 15 crew members on board. All of them died. The JIT reported that the plane had been shot down from a Buk missile system that belongs to the 53rd Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade of the Russian Armed Forces stationed in Kursk.

On June 19, 2019, the international Joint Investigation Team named four suspects believed to be involved in the transportation and combat use of the Buk missile system, from which MH17 flight had been downed. Three of them are Russians: Igor Girkin (Strelkov), former colonel in Russia's FSB intelligence service and former so-called defense minister of the so-called Donetsk Peoples Republic; Sergey Dubinskiy, general (at the time of downing  colonel) of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces and head of the so-called Main Intelligence Directorate of the Donetsk Peoples Republic and Oleg Pulatov, lieutenant colonel of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces. The fourth suspect is Leonid Kharchenko, a Ukrainian civilian, who fought on the side of the so-called Donetsk Peoples Republic.

In March this year, the District Court of The Hague began its consideration of the case of the downing of flight MH17 in the sky over Donbas.

On July 10, 2020, the Dutch government decided to bring Russia before the European Court of Human Rights for its role in the downing of flight MH17.

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Tuesdays four-hour hearing before the full D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals on whether District Judge Emmet Sullivan must grant the governments motion to dismiss Michael Flynns case certainly had all the trappings of a legal proceeding. There were judges asking questions and lawyers saying lawyerly things. However, it was, at bottom, a farce. It appears likely that the full circuit will rule that the case should be sent back to Sullivan for further proceedings, but then what? The way that Sullivans attorney presented his case made it clear that the judge and the judicial system are now uninterested in revealing to the public the behind-the-scenes manipulation and possibly outright corruption that went into securing the Department of Justices decision to let one of Donald Trumps closest former allies off of the hook.

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Because of this failure, the public may never learn the full extent of the stunningly irregular process through which the Justice Department intervened in the case. According to a New York Times report, it began last year after Flynns current lawyer, Sidney Powell, reached out directly to Attorney General William Barr and persuaded him to have someone review the case, notwithstanding Flynns guilty plea. Senior Justice Department officials later intervened to change Flynns sentencing recommendation, arguing that probation would be an acceptable sentence. In May, of course, the Justice Department moved to dismiss the charge claiming in a 20-page filing that as a result of the review that Barr had ordered at Powells request, the government did not believe it could establish his guilt because his misstatements to the FBI were not material to any properly predicated investigationan extremely questionable claim. Its worth remembering that Trump has been trying to get Flynn extricated from legal trouble for years, including when he asked former FBI Director James Comey in the early months of the administration to go easy on Flynn.

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In light of all this, a reasonable judge would have some questions about the governments motion to dismiss. But after Sullivan ordered additional briefing and scheduled an oral argument, the department joined a petition by Flynn to the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, arguing that Sullivan had no authority to do even thatand that the case should be immediately dismissed.

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While the full circuit appears poised to reject the motion, the decision on a practical level has little to do with the relevant legal standards and far more to do with whether the judge has to take the governments claims at face value. There has only ever been one real question at the heart of the dispute: Do you believe that the government is telling the truth? If you do, then the motion should be granted. Given everything that has transpired, though, why would you?

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For that reason, it was truly maddening to hear Sullivans lawyer Beth Wilkinson effectively back him into a corner on the critical issue of whether Sullivan is allowed to hold an evidentiary hearing or engage in fact-gathering before granting the motion or, instead, if he is confined to only hearing arguments from lawyers on the question. Wilkinson repeatedly sought to reassure the court that no fact-finding has been requested, that there may be little left to discuss at the hearing, and that the governments concern that Sullivan might scrutinize its motives for dismissal was mere speculation because he does not know what he will do and might must just end up listening to the arguments and granting the motion.

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To be sure, Wilkinson tried to hedge this in a way that seemed to preserve the possibility that Sullivan might do more. The idea, however, that Sullivan does not know what he would want to do at such a hearing if left to his own devices strains credulity. Having been cowed by a conservative political-legal-media complex into taking this silly position, anything more than a pro forma hearing appears unlikely, since it would be met with outrage among Flynns supporters and result in yet more appeal proceedings.

If this is what it ends up taking for Sullivan to win on appeal, you have to wonder what the point was. The end result will be vacuous legal proceduralism.

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As several of the judges pointed out on Tuesday in questioning the government, it is not at all unusual for courts to question the veracity or completeness of claims made by Justice Department lawyers, which made Wilkinsons reticence to engage with this notion all the more silly on the merits. In fact, it has been happening in parallel in a proceeding in the Southern District of New York involving a prosecution for violations of sanctions against Iran. In that case, the government obtained a conviction and then, months later, asked that the conviction be vacated as a result of disclosure-related issues (read: discovery violations) during the course of the prosecution. The judge eventually granted the motion, but not before asking a slew of pointed questions about what had actually transpired, including whether the government had made misrepresentations to her during the proceedings. The office promptly answered those questions, without objection, in a nearly 20-page, single-spaced letter following a review of documents and internal interviews that yielded several unpleasant disclosures.

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At this point, you would have to be almost comically credulous to take a claim from this Justice Department at face value if theres a meaningful chance that it could be false. To recall just a few data points: Barr himself was politely called a liar by a fellow judge in Sullivans court in March. In June, a former high-ranking Justice Department official in the George H.W. Bush administration testified before the House Judiciary Committee that Barr regularly lie[s], and his written testimony provided a robust case in support of the claim. Around the same time, the departments internal ethics watchdog took the position that there is nothing wrong with the Justice Department launching entirely pretextual investigations. Several months ago, lawyers from my old office took the transparently ridiculous positionin cases that I once worked on, and reluctantly got dragged back intothat they are free to file nakedly pretextual applications with courts in order to obtain more time to investigate cases. Weeks ago, four former presidents of the D.C. Bar Association signed a nearly 40-page, single-spaced letter calling for an investigation of Barr for violating ethical rules, including on the theory that he had repeatedly engaged in dishonest and deceitful conduct. And Barrs recent testimony before the House Judiciary Committee evinced, as one commentator correctly put it, a pattern of deception, evasion and misrepresentation. Finally, Chief Justice John Roberts has twice in the last 14 months rebuked the administration for presenting pretextual arguments for government actions in the census and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program cases.

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Had Sullivan acknowledged the ample reasons to be skeptical of the governments motives for dismissing the case and taken an affirmative interest in fact-gathering, it would have been totally reasonable. It also would not have forestalled a potential pardon by Trump, who has already commuted the sentence of ally Roger Stone, whose facts were far more egregious. But so what. At least doing this basic fact-finding would clarify the truth behind this case that is already so obviousthat the government reverse-engineered a rationale through an unprecedented process so that a presidential ally would be immune from scrutiny.

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Its miraculous Liban Randall even survived being shot multiple times while on the patio of Vaughans Cameo Lounge.

Randall, who performs as rapper Robin Banks, suffered wounds to his back, neck, chest, shoulder, wrist, groin, thigh and buttocks, with at least one bullet grazing his skull.

Despite this, he didnt give up and is now a paraplegic, rapping from his wheelchair.

The men who shot him have been jailed for their crimes.

Nicholas Rhoden, 29, was given a life sentence and his associate, Rushawn Anderson, 22, 16 years for attempted murder.

The Randall shooting came at the end of a violent summer month in 2017 in Vaughan, which witnessed three murders in quick succession, ending with the shooting at Cameo Lounge.

It occurred the night of April 3, 2017, when Rhoden and Anderson pulled up to the parking lot and waited in a darkened vehicle for about 50 minutes.

After Randall appeared on the patio, Rhoden and Anderson fired at close range, knocking him to the ground, according to Justice John McCarthys reasons. At least one bullet hit an innocent bystander, McCarthy added.

The injuries to Liban Randall proved to be catastrophic, wrote McCarthy. Its miraculous that he survived the ordeal. Nonetheless, he has been left in a pitiable and highly disabled state.

Soon after the shooting, Rhoden and Anderson were stopped by Toronto police. Eventually the pair was arrested by York Regional Police for the shooting.

The Crown argued for a life sentence in both cases, suggesting the moral blameworthiness was as high in this case, almost as if they had committed murder.

This was a targeted, planned and orchestrated event, a callous, vile, cold-blooded attempt to kill Liban Randall, the Crown explained to the court, McCarthy wrote. The contempt for life and the utter disregard for public safety exhibited by these two defendants was deplorable.

The Crown further urged McCarthy to jail the two men in response to notorious escalation in gun violence in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) in recent years.

Those who opt to practice gun violence must be left with no doubt that the sentences which await offenders will consistently be the harshest that the law permits, McCarthy wrote about the Crowns submissions to the court.

The defence argued that Anderson had a good chance at rehabilitation considering he did not have a criminal record prior to the incident and maintains familial and community support.

The defence for Rhoden  who has previously been convicted of armed robbery, pointing a firearm, possession of a firearm, attempted theft and assault  suggested the escalation in gun violence in the GTA is folk wisdom, insisting there is no reliable empirical evidence for the court to be guided by.

It further requested the court consider how history and colonialism had translated into socio-economic ills and higher levels of incarceration for African-Canadians in relation to Rhodens case.

During his sentencing reasons, McCarthy spoke briefly about the crime and just how horrific it was.

Its difficult to imagine a more brutal or cold-blooded assault on the integrity of a human being, he wrote, calling the images from the surveillance camera frightful and chilling.

That these two gunmen would set upon an unsuspecting and defenceless individual on the terrace of a suburban nightclub and riddle his body with bullets, leaving him bleeding, senseless and as near to dead as one can imagine is not something that any civilized society should have to tolerate.

He added that among the few mitigating factors was that Anderson was 19 at the time of the shooting, he has support of his family and upgraded educational courses during his time in jail.

As for the idea there might be a link between Rhodens background, his life experience, circumstances and the commission of this crime  McCarthy said without further evidence to back this up, he was unable to give the factors weight in sentencing.

McCarthy said that Rhoden showed no remorse and that there wasnt even the suggestion by his defence team that he would benefit from rehabilitation.

As for Anderson, despite the lower sentence, McCarthy said there could be an argument that given Andersons seemingly benign upbringing, his moral blameworthiness is higher.

Nevertheless, the case law makes it clear that the youthfulness of the offender, the support he enjoys  and the potential for rehabilitation  are deserving of considerable weight in sentencing, he wrote.

Rhoden and Anderson were both handed a concurrent sentence of 10 years for the aggravated assault on an innocent victim standing near Randall at the time of the shooting.

There was no word on a third victim mentioned by police following the attack in McCarthys sentencing on Oct. 25, 2019.

Randall did not reply requests for comment through his management company.
Gold Terra Appoints Hellen Siwanowicz to Board of Directors

Posted by Publisher Internet

Gold Terra Resource Corp. (TSX-V: YGT; Frankfurt: TX0; OTC Pink: TRXXF) (?Gold Terra? or the ?Company?  https://www.commodity-tv.com/ondemand/companies/profil/gold-terra-resource-corp/ ) is pleased to announce the appointment of Hellen Siwanowicz as a director of the Company. Hellen?s appointment brings the total number of directors serving on Gold Terra?s Board to seven, including four independent, non-executive directors.

Ms. Siwanowicz brings over 25 years of business law experience. From 1991 to 2016, Ms. Siwanowicz practiced law at McMillan LLP and its predecessor, Lang Michener LLP, with an emphasis on securities law. She has significant experience advising public companies on corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions, regulatory compliance and corporate governance matters.?

?On behalf of the Board of Directors, I would like to welcome Hellen to the Board,? said Gerald Panneton, Executive Chairman of Gold Terra.??Her level of experience and knowledge will further strengthen the Board?s skills as Gold Terra continues to advance exploration and realize the full value potential of its Yellowknife City Gold Project.???

About Gold Terra?s Yellowknife City Gold Project

The Yellowknife City Gold (?YCG?) project encompasses 790 sq. km of contiguous land immediately north, south and east of the City of Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories. Through a series of acquisitions, Gold Terra controls one of the six major high-grade gold camps in Canada. Being within 10 kilometres of the City of Yellowknife, the YCG is close to vital infrastructure, including all-season roads, air transportation, service providers, hydro-electric power and skilled tradespeople.

The YCG lies on the prolific Yellowknife greenstone belt, covering nearly 70 kilometres of strike length along the main mineralized shear system that host the former-producing high-grade Con and Giant gold mines. The Company\-\-s exploration programs have successfully identified significant zones of gold mineralization and multiple targets that remain to be tested which reinforces the Company\-\-s objective of re-establishing Yellowknife as one of the premier gold mining districts in Canada.

Visit our website at www.goldterracorp.com.

For more information, please contact:

David Suda, President and CEO

Phone: 604-928-3101 | Toll-Free: 1-855-737-2684

dsuda@goldterracorp.com

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

?
The recent lockdown was tough on everyone but it also provided an opportunity for people to be a hero for their family, friends or neighbours during this difficult time.

If you know someone who made your lockdown experience a little bit easier or who did something to lift your spirits, this is your chance to say thank you. It could be someone who phoned you every day to see if you were OK, who dropped off shopping to your cocooning parents or maybe just someone who made you smile.

The Care Trust has just launched a new online lottery called Fair Play To You and to celebrate the launch, theyre inviting you to nominate your lockdown hero for a chance to win them a whopping 1,000. Thats one way to say thanks and give a little something back to someone who really deserves it.

Make a difference and win a prize

Fair Play To You is the first online lottery from The Care Trust, a not-for-profit registered charity thats owned by CRC and Rehab. The Care Trust is all about giving its supporters a chance to win something while doing a good turn, and this competition is a natural extension of that approach.

The Care Trust has continuously operated charity lotteries since the 1950s and the money it raises supports the great work that is being done by CRC, Rehab and the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital. These charities provide essential support to people all over Ireland through their disability, educational and health services.

The Care Trust has won Good Governance Awards for the last two years running and its fundraising makes a huge difference to the people who use the services of CRC, Rehab and the Mater Hospital. Its lotteries offer the public a chance to contribute to these great causes and to potentially win big cash prizes in the process.

A new online lottery

Its latest fundraising initiative is Fair Play To You, which allows players to support worthwhile causes while giving themselves a chance to win up to 25,000. This is the first online lottery from The Care Trust and it couldnt be easier to enter.

Simply log on to the Fair Play To You website and you can buy a line for just 1, with the option to buy one or more lines at a time. Each unique line gives you three numbers. If your three numbers come up as the bonus numbers in the Lotto, Lotto Plus 1 and Lotto Plus 2 in the next draw, you could win the current jackpot of 5,000. If theres no winner, the jackpot can grow to as much as 25,000 so thats a pretty good return on your 1!

You can also get set up a monthly recurring payment of 9, which means that youll be entered in nine Fair Play To You draws every month. Its a simple way to make sure you never miss out while also contributing much-needed funds to three very deserving charities. Its just as easy to cancel your future monthly contributions if for any reason you change your mind.

For a limited time, you can also claim a free 2 play on Fair Play To You with the following promo code. Simply enter FREEPLAY2 on the payment page to activate your 2 free play. This offer is limited to the first 1,000 users and to one use per user. The offer is valid from August 12 to August 31, 2020, but make sure that you get in early to avoid missing out.

How to nominate your lockdown hero

To nominate your lockdown hero and give them a chance to win 1,000, you can visit the competition page and fill out the form before the closing date of August 31, 2020. All you have to do is say why you think they deserve the prize. Its a perfect way to say thank you to someone who lifted your spirits during the lockdown.

Its quick and easy to sign up to Fair Play To You. Go to Fair Play To You website now and sign up for your chance to win cash prizes while helping three great Irish charities - CRC, Rehab and the Mater.





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The head of Canada's national housing agency is asking banks and mortgage companies to stop offering higher-risk mortgages to over-leveraged first-time buyers, because they represent a threat to the economy.

In a letter to officials in the federal government and representatives of Canada's banking and credit union industry, Evan Siddall, the CEO of the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, asked lenders to be more strict about how much money they are willing to lend to fund home purchases, and more diligent about who they are lending to.

The letter was first reported on by financial news channel BNNBloomberg before Siddall released the letter publicly on social media.

"I am asking you to continue to support CMHC's mortgage insurance activity in preserving a healthy mortgage sector in Canada," Siddall wrote to the banks, credit unions and other mortgage lenders that make up his customer base.

While the CMHC does not directly loan out money to buy homes, it has a massive influence on Canada's housing market because it insures a big chunk of the loans that lenders give out.

By law, borrowers with down payments of less than 20 per cent must purchase mortgage insurance to cover potential losses if they default on their loans. Premiums that borrowers must pay for that insurance can add thousands of dollars to the cost of the loan.

CMHC recently raised its standards

Earlier this summer, the CMHC announced it would raise its standards for giving out such insurance by raising the minimum credit scores it will accept, putting a cap on the gross debt ratio for an approved borrower, and banning the use of borrowed money to come up with the down payment.

The goal was to make it harder to get an insured loan, in the hopes that borrowers already stretched thin would not be able to get one and thus not be able to get in even further over their heads by buying a house they may not be able to afford. But things didn't quite work out that way.

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Galit Rodan/Bloomberg

CMHC is the dominant mortgage insurer, but they do compete with private companies Genworth and Canada Guaranty for business. It's impossible to downplay CMHC's outsized impact on the market, however  as of the end of 2019, the crown corporation was on the hook for $429 billion worth of Canadian real estate, by insuring the mortgages on it.

The insurers often move in unison, so in the past any change at CMHC was quickly matched by the other two. But that didn't happen this time, which means the CMHC's moves had little impact beyond moving borrowers from CMHC to a competitor. Anyone who was locked out by the CMHC's higher standards simply got insurance elsewhere where the standards were lower.

In his letter, Siddall pleaded with lenders to work with CMHC to make sure lending standards don't become even more lax.

"There is no doubt that we have willingly chosen to forego some profitable business that our competitors would find appealing," Siddall said.

"While we would prefer that our competitors followed our lead for the good of our economy, they nevertheless remain free to offer insurance to those for whom we would not."

By not tightening lending standards, Siddall warned that the entire economy could be put at risk.

The Switzerland-based Bank of International Settlements, an industry group for central banks around the world, warns that as a rule of thumb, when households have debt loads above 80 per cent of their gross income, it's bad for the economy.

Canada's ratio on that front has blown past 100 per cent and is approaching 115 per cent, Siddall warns.

"Too much debt not only increases risk, it therefore slows economic growth."

CMHC expects house prices to fall

COVID-19 has walloped every facet of the Canadian economy, but broadly speaking, house prices have yet to fall in any meaningful way. Compared to last year, average prices were flat in March and April, before ticking higher, in May and into June.

But that is unlikely to continue forever, Siddall warns.

He suggests a big reason that prices are staying high is because massive government spending programs like CERB and CEWS have allowed people to keep their heads above water for now.

But those are set to expire in the coming months, as will the hundreds of thousands of mortgage interest deferrals that banks have doled out.

Once those programs end, bankruptcies and defaults may follow, and that is when prices may decline as new buyers are unable or unwilling to pay ever-higher prices, and sellers behind on their mortgages could become desperate to sell.

"The economic cost of COVID-19 has been postponed by effective government intervention," he said. "It has not been avoided."

House prices could fall by about 18 per cent and the impact of COVID-19 will be felt into 2022, the CMHC said recently.

Siddall said that under the current rules, there are loopholes that could allow people to buy houses with negative equity.

Although rare, mortgages for 95 per cent of the home's value are allowed, and that loan would come with a four per cent capitalized insurance fee. Even a tiny fall in the housing market for someone with that loan would be onerous to withstand, as the homeowner would owe far more on their home than it is worth in reality.

'Dark economic underbelly'

"In the midst of an economic calamity," Siddall said, "we risk exposing too many people to foreclosure. These are individual tragedies that also create conditions for exacerbating feedback loops and house price crashes."

Without naming names, Siddall accuses some in the industry of handing out too many risky loans while ignoring the long-term cost of doing so.

"Please put our country's long-term outlook ahead of short-term profitablility," he said.

"There is a dark economic underbelly to this business that I want to expose."
Ferrari's former president says he hopes the Maranello team is treating Sebastian Vettel fairly in 2020.

Unlike some others, Luca di Montezemolo does not think the driver he selected to replace Fernando Alonso from 2015 will leave Ferrari before the end of the year.

"It is a very delicate moment for him," the Italian said, "but Ferrari needs him, needs his points, needs Sebastian.

"I hope everyone on the team will help him, because he's a champion."

Montezemolo, who was ousted as president in 2014, has criticised the way Ferrari announced its 2021 lineup - with Carlos Sainz to replace Vettel - so far ahead of time.

It has clearly ramped up the tension to the point that Vettel at Silverstone answered "I don't know" when asked if he thinks his car is the same as Charles Leclerc's.

"I really don't know how everything is being handled at the moment," Montezemolo told RTL.

"I hope that both drivers will be treated equally," he added. "I don't see any reason to do it any other way.

"But again, I don't know, I'm really out of it with current events at Ferrari. If you go to the Ferrari museum, you will hardly see a photo of me."

(GMM)
Joe Biden introduces Kamala Harris as his running mate in Wilmington, Del. (Getty Images)

In picking Kamala Harris as his running mate, Joe Biden set a marker for how he believes Democrats can win  both in this election and in the future  with a multiracial coalition that can excite voters, but a center-left brand that steers clear of the most far-reaching progressive demands.

Harris, like Biden, but unlike some of the other women who were considered, has rebuffed some demands of the partys rising progressive wing. That's a profile that could help Biden appeal to moderate swing voters he needs to win in states like Michigan and Wisconsin.

The two emphasized those themes in their first joint appearance Wednesday in Wilmington, Del., with Biden and Harris each pointing to the historic nature of her presence on the ticket, while ticking through a set of policy proposals, such as expanding the Affordable Care Act and creating new jobs through investments in renewable energy, that have broad political acceptability.

That political stance at least in the early going, has complicated the Trump White House's efforts to portray the ticket as "dangerous radicals." On one hand, President Trump has portrayed Harris as a hard-left socialist; on the other hand, he's attacked her for her record as a prosecutor.

Ideological attacks by Republicans on the Biden-Harris ticket won't stick, predicted Susan Rice, the former Obama national security advisor who was one of the women Biden considered.

"They have been set up to position their assault on whoever was to be the vice president-elect as left and socialist. It's not true. That is not who Kamala Harris is. And its not who Joe Biden is, Rice said during an interview Wednesday on NBC's "Today" show.

Biden, who is 77, has said that he considers himself a transitional leader for the party. Harris, 55, represents what may be a long-overdue generational change for Democrats. In picking her, Biden is asserting his own influence on how that generational change will play out.

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The risk for Biden is that passing up more strongly progressive choices puts him further out of step with the political energy that has fueled street protests across the country. Energy on the left has played out in primary victories by people of color who have challenged establishment incumbents in several House races this year as well as in the campaign of Biden's most durable primary opponent, Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont.

Briahna Joy Gray, Sanders' former campaign press secretary, objected to the Harris pick on Twitter:

"We are in the midst of the largest protest movement in American history, the subject of which is excessive policing, and the Democratic Party chose a 'top cop' and the author of the Joe Biden crime bill to save us from Trump. The contempt for the base is, wow."

For Biden, however, the choice involves a calculated risk based on the belief that most of the partys progressive activists are so motivated to oust Trump that they will not flag in support for the ticket, even if he didnt reach for an ideological complement to his centrist brand like Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts.

So far, the early reactions suggest that bet is sound.

"We will all enthusiastically support Biden-Harris to beat Trump-Pence; there is no comparison," said Larry Cohen, chairman of the board of Our Revolution, a Sanders-affiliated political group.

If the Democrats win, Cohen added, they would be under heavy pressure to support progressive causes in Congress, including new limits on the Senate filibuster to curb GOP obstructionism.

Sanders himself put aside any policy differences with Harris to praise her selection: "She understands what it takes to stand up for working people, fight for health care for all, and take down the most corrupt administration in history. Lets get to work and win," he wrote on Twitter.

Like Biden, Harris has been viewed skeptically by some on the partys left because she has not given full-throated support to "Medicare for all," a litmus test issue for the Sanders camp. As a prosecutor in California, she drew criticism from Black activists who said she was too cautious on issues like police use of force. Leftist critics say she has been too easy on Wall Street and Silicon Valley, industries she has relied on for fundraising over the years.

During her own unsuccessful bid for the nomination, Harris broadly chose to define herself in non-ideological terms. Her agenda, she said, was not aimed at transforming society; she had the pragmatic goal of addressing more concrete voter anxieties.

"My campaign isnt about philosophical debates," she said on Twitter. "Its about what I call a '3 a.m. agenda': tangible solutions to the issues that wake us up in the middle of the night. On these issues, I wont just talk. Ill act."

In their joint appearance, Biden cited Harris' agenda approvingly and said he, with his working-class roots, was no stranger to middle-of-the-night anxieties.

I saw that struggle with my family as well, Biden said. Kamala saw with hers as well.

While Biden's strategists believe anti-Trump fervor will guarantee a large turnout among mostly white progressives, the Harris pick promises to solidify Bidens grip on the political base that has delivered him the partys nomination  moderates, Black people and college-educated women.

And he may have avoided what was likely the bigger political risk: that he would have faced political backlash within his own party if he had not chosen a Black woman.

It was a wise decision on the part of Vice President Biden, and it represents the future of the country, said Karen Finney, a former advisor to Hillary Clintons 2016 presidential campaign who helped organize a letter to Biden urging the selection of a Black woman.

It was becoming increasingly clear from the American people that the potential consequences of not selecting a Black woman were going to be insurmountable.

Bidens choice to go with a running mate who is in sync with him ideologically rather than a complement who would broaden the tickets appeal on the left was consistent with his repeated statement that he wanted a running mate who was simpatico with him personally and on policy.

It also largely matched the pattern of Democratic presidential candidates in recent years, who have tended not to go for ideological balance in choosing their running mates: Bill Clintons choice of Al Gore in 1992 was designed to reinforce his view that the party needed to tack to the center to win. Barack Obamas choice of Biden was perceived as bringing on a more centrist partner, but that was mostly because people believed Obama was more progressive than he turned out to be.

Where Harris did occasionally stake out ground to the left of Biden during her presidential campaign  such as her initial embrace of Medicare for all  the more notable thing was her lack of clarity. She eventually backtracked on her support for that approach to healthcare.

That ambiguity about where Harris stood, seen by some as a fatal weakness in her primary campaign, could prove to be an asset as she takes on her role as Bidens No. 2. It will make it easier for her to embrace the Biden message than someone like Warren, who would be pressed to explain how she could abandon her past more liberal views.

And Harris mixed messages seem to have made it harder for the Trump campaign to find a clean line of attack. For now, they seem to be settling on Phony Kamala.

The Biden campaign declined to say what nickname Harris predicted Trump would give her.
The medical contingent of the Chinese peacekeeping force to Lebanon take the Hippocratic Oath on May 8, 2020, the 73rd World Red Cross Day. (Photo by Huang Shifeng)

By Huang Shifeng

BEIRUT, Aug. 12 -- On August 10, the medical contingent of the 18th Chinese peacekeeping force to Lebanon donated a batch of medical supplies to the local government of Jdeidet Marjeyounwhere it is stationed.

Before the start of the donation ceremony that day, the head the municipality of Jdeidet Marjeyoun Mr. Amal Hourani led the main leaders of the municipal government to meet with Li Ruzhen, the Chinese medical team leader and his delegation in the city hall. Hourani thanked the Chinese government for its consistent support and assistance to Lebanon, and expressed his appreciation to the Chinese peacekeeping troops in Lebanon for their assistance to the local.

The citys Deputy Mayor also thanked the Chinese peacekeeping medical contingent for this donation, and said: "I know that you have carried out many free consultations and donation activities in the local before the COVID-19 pandemic, and sincerely thank you for your contributions. I hope you will have the opportunity to come to Lebanon again."

It is learned that the medical supplies donated by the Chinese peacekeeping medical team this time are mainly medicines for external use, preventive medicines and some medical apparatus and instruments, etc.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 12)  Officials of the embattled Philippine Health Insurance Corp. were asked on Wednesday to allow an anti-corruption body access to their bank records.

During the joint hearing of the House Committee on Public Accounts and Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability , Deputy Speaker Luis Ray "LRay" Villafuerte challenged the officials to sign a waiver allowing the Anti-Money Laundering Council to verify their bank records, following corruption allegations hounding the agency.

"If they are innocent and not hiding anything, are they willing to sign a document that the AMLC can check their bank deposits?" Villafuerte told the panel.

PhilHealth senior vice president and chief information officer Jovita Aragona, acting SVP Nerissa Santiago, SVP for health finance policy sector Israel Pargas, and SVP for fund management sector Renato Limsiaco, who were physically present during the deliberation, have agreed to the challenge.

Other Board members, regional officers, and executive committee members have also agreed to sign the waiver.

PhilHealth President and CEO Ricardo Morales, who was virtually present via Zoom, reportedly left the hearing as he was 'not feeling well.'

Anakalusugan Partylist Rep. Mike Defensor recommended that charges must be filed against officials involved in fraudulent schemes, noting the billions of pesos lost in the agency.

"I submit to the members of this committee, this, in fact, is plunder. Iyong bilyun-bilyong nawala ay plunder (billions of pesos which were lost is tantamount to plunder)."

Defensor, who is also the committee chairman, said the committee will also issue a subpoena on the statement of assets, liabilities and net worth of PhilHealth's board members, officials and officers.

Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra announced Wednesday that the Task Force PhilHealth will meet on Friday for a hybrid briefing with the agency's officials.

He earlier said that officials involved in the controversy due to alleged anomalies must have the initiative to file for a leave of absence amid corruption probes.
But now, it appears some of those small businesses can apply for financial assistance from the city. On Monday, Richmond City Council approved a $500,000 initiative to assist businesses, nonprofits and other commercial properties that sustained damages during the episodes of civil unrest.

Funded by repaid loans and interest as well as unspent money in the citys Commercial Area Revitalization Effort program, grants of up to $10,000 per property will be awarded. Guidelines and applications for the grants will be posted on the city of Richmonds website.

We are glad to learn of this program, as we have encouraged city officials to provide whatever help local businesses need during these uncertain times. And we applaud City Council for approving the measure, which Mayor Levar Stoneys administration proposed.

Yes, we do understand the concerns of Councilman Michael Jones, 9th District, who along with Councilwoman Ellen Robertson, 6th District, voted against the measure. Jones noted it was more important for the city to focus on helping families that are struggling to pay rent and buy food, the RTD reported.
The current government has allowed large-scale dilution of "go" and "no go" classification of coal block areas made jointly by the environment and coal ministries in 2009-10, heeding to the pressure and interests of corporates and the mining industry, said Jairam Ramesh, former Union Minister for Environment and Forests.

Nine major coal fields in Jharkhand, Chattisgarh and Orissa were classified into "Go" and "No Go" areas during the UPA-II government regime with a 70:30 ratio mix. Over the years, this was compromised and now the ratio has become 95:5 ratio, which shows the kind of dilution that has already happened in the country's ecologically sensitive areas, the Congress Rajya Sabha MP and Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Environment and Forests, told Business Today in an exclusive interaction on the draft of EIA 2020. Many officials, public sector companies and government agencies are also responsible like the corporate lobby to dilute the internment rules, he said.

"The job of the Union Minister for Environment and Forests is not that it clears as many industrial projects as possible. It is to ensure that forest land and the environment are protected and saved," he said.

The plan of allocating the Bander coal block near the Tadoba tiger reserve in Chandrapur district in Maharashtra had to be dropped recently due to opposition from the locals and the state government. The proposed changes in India's environment laws are just in the interest of 'ease of doing business'. "This has been in the works for over a year and is directly monitored by the Prime Minister's Office (PMO). I am not against development and industrialisation, but the industry also has to learn and obey the laws of the land for sustainable development and have a responsibility to protect the environment," he said.

One among the biggest concerns related to the proposed changes include the provision of allowing only government agencies to object on environmental grounds and not the affected communities. The proposal to create an ex-post-facto clearance route, in which large projects can be set up without environment clearance and pay a small fine later, is grossly detrimental to protecting the environment.

"If a steel plant gets clearance to set up one million tonne capacity refinery and is free to expand it to five million tonnes without further environment approvals, it is ridiculous. The ecological consequences are manifold," said Ramesh, who was the Union Minister for Environment and Forests from May 2009 to July 2011.

The corporates should view environment protection not as an obligation under the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) rules, but as a responsibility related to public health. Social forestry schemes, which mostly plant one or two types of trees, cannot be seen as a way to compensate and replace the loss of natural forest cover. The current proposals will cause large-scale environmental destruction and loss of quality forest cover, he said.

Also Read: Draft EIA 2020 an attempt to monetise environmental crimes: Congress

Also Read: Rebooting Economy IV: Is govt using environmental laws to protect polluting industries?

Also Read: Reliance Foundation's new partnership with W-GDP, USAID to bridge gender digital divide in India
Credit: Google

Google announced a boost to its Lookout app that will further assist visually impaired or blind users. Lookout allows users to point their camera at objects and then tell them what it sees. And it lets users scan text and have it read back to them.

The two new features are Scan Document and Food Labels.

Food Label allows users to quickly identify products on store shelves by reading text, identifying images and scanning barcodes. This means visually impaired shoppers can not only find what they are looking for more easily, but can obtain important details concerning nutritional contents, expiration dates, and other relevant notifications marked on product labels. The app will guide users to focus on the most relevant sections of the product, nudging them to change the camera angle if they zero in on the wrong spot.

Scan Document will make it easier to navigate documents such as letters and instructions. Paired with Talkback, Android's screen reader that provides spoken feedback as well as audible and vibration cues, users can now more easily scan long documents. Google provided more screen real estate for the camera view, thus allowing users to capture a greater document area with more ease.

Other changes include improvement to the app's layout. Navigation is now easier and quicker as users can scroll between modes at the bottom of the screen.

Other features make Lookout a must-have app for users with impaired vision. Quick Read will read back short snippets of text on signs or posters. The update makes Quick Read even quicker. The Currency option will detect the denomination of cash, even if the bill is folded. Currently, only American bills are recognized. And Explore will identify objects in a room as the user points the camera at them.

Credit: Google

The update to Lookout, an app introduced last year on all Pixel phones, broadens the range of phones that can utilize Lookout. All Android devices with at least 2 GB running Android 6.0 or higher can run the app.

The app also expanded the number of languages that can be used: In addition to English, Spanish, French, German, and Italian are now supported.

"Expanding this app to more people and devices is part of our commitment to make the world's information universally accessible and to build helpful products with and for people with disabilities," said Scott Adams, product manager for Google's Accessibility Engineering.

There are numerous other apps available for people requiring visual assistance. LookTel Money Reader identifies currency and speaks the denomination. It supports 21 currencies, requires no internet connection and is available on iOS devices. Ariadne GPS works with Google maps to provide talking maps that not only provide direction, but alert users to traffic signals and to approaching stops on trains and buses.

Dolphin Easy Reader for Android devices lets users browse and download from a massive collection of talking book and newspaper libraries. It will also read email and documents on the phone.

For help with identifying colors, Color ID for iOS will say the names of colors the camera is pointing at, even specific shades and hues.

 2020 Science X Network
We are so thrilled that RxAdvance has established itself as a transformative partner with whom entities across the healthcare industry can reduce healthcare costs and improve patient outcomes.

Inc. magazine today revealed that RxAdvance Corporation is No. 426 on its annual Inc. 5000 list, the most prestigious ranking of the nations fastest-growing private companies. The list represents a unique look at the most successful companies within the American economys most dynamic segmentits independent small businesses. Intuit, Zappos, Under Armour, Microsoft, Patagonia, and many other well-known names gained their first national exposure as honorees on the Inc. 5000.

RxAdvance is honored to be recognized by Inc. 5000 for our growth trajectory. In recent years, our industry has seen immense pressure to transform in a manner that leverages innovative technology and business & risk models to improve healthcare, said Ravi Ika, RxAdvance President & CEO. We are so thrilled that RxAdvance has established itself as a transformative partner with whom entities across the healthcare industry can reduce healthcare costs and improve patient outcomes.

Not only have the companies on the 2020 Inc. 5000 been very competitive within their markets, but the list as a whole shows staggering growth compared with prior lists as well. The 2020 Inc. 5000 achieved an incredible three-year average growth of over 500 percent, and a median rate of 165 percent. The Inc. 5000s aggregate revenue was $209 billion in 2019, accounting for over 1 million jobs over the past three years.

Complete results of the Inc. 5000, including company profiles and an interactive database that can be sorted by industry, region, and other criteria, can be found at http://www.inc.com/inc5000. The top 500 companies are also being featured in the September issue of Inc., available on newsstands August 12.

The companies on this years Inc. 5000 come from nearly every realm of business, says Inc. editor-in-chief Scott Omelianuk. From health and software to media and hospitality, the 2020 list proves that no matter the sector, incredible growth is based on the foundations of tenacity and opportunism.

The annual Inc. 5000 event honoring the companies on the list will be held virtually from October 23 to 27, 2020. As always, speakers will include some of the greatest innovators and business leaders of our generation.

RxAdvance, based in Southborough, MA, is a healthcare Platform, SaaS, and Cloud services company that reduces overall administrative, medical, and pharmacy costs. The company provides transformative solutions across both the payer and pharmacy benefit management (PBM) industries, which together are responsible for managing a majority of the $3.5 trillion annual U.S. healthcare spend. RxAdvance currently has 200+ employees, over 75% of whom are Generation Z and Millennials, and prides itself on its bustling culture and diverse workforce. RxAdvance has grown rapidly since the companys inception in 2013, with a current annual revenue of approximately $2 billion. The company expects to double its workforce by the middle of next year and is moving into a new 80,000 square foot campus in the Boston suburbs this fall to support such growth.

CONTACT: For additional information, contact Elizabeth Thomas, Director of Strategy, at elizabeth.thomas@rxadvance.com.

More about Inc. and the Inc. 5000

Methodology

The 2020 Inc. 5000 is ranked according to percentage revenue growth when comparing 2016 and 2019. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2016. They had to be U.S.-based, privately held, for profit, and independentnot subsidiaries or divisions of other companiesas of December 31, 2019. (Since then, a number of companies on the list have gone public or been acquired.) The minimum revenue required for 2016 is $100,000; the minimum for 2019 is $2 million. As always, Inc. reserves the right to decline applicants for subjective reasons. Companies on the Inc. 500 are featured in Inc.s September issue. They represent the top tier of the Inc. 5000, which can be found at http://www.inc.com/inc5000.

About Inc. Media

The worlds most trusted business-media brand, Inc. offers entrepreneurs the knowledge, tools, connections, and community to build great companies. Its award-winning multiplatform content reaches more than 50 million people each month across a variety of channels including websites, newsletters, social media, podcasts, and print. Its prestigious Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to recognize the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. The global recognition that comes with inclusion in the 5000 gives the founders of the best businesses an opportunity to engage with an exclusive community of their peers, and the credibility that helps them drive sales and recruit talent. The associated Inc. 5000 Conference is part of a highly acclaimed portfolio of bespoke events produced by Inc. For more information, visit http://www.inc.com.

For more information on the Inc. 5000 Conference, visit http://conference.inc.com/.
PREMIUM TIMES and its hosting provider, Quirium Media Foundation, on Wednesday said they have accepted the apology tendered by the student of the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), Afolabi Emmanuel, who tried to hack PREMIUM TIMES website in February.

The newspaper, in a letter to the universitys vice-chancellor, urged the school authority to do the same, while also learning from the episode.

Premium Times and its hosting provider, Qurium Media Foundation, urge authorities at FUTA to embrace Mr Emmanuel as a prodigal son and clear him to return to school to complete his degree, the letter read. We are hopeful that FUTA and the student have learnt valuable lessons from this episode.

Mr Emmanuel, a final year student of Food Science and Technology, had, between late February and early March launched massive cyberattacks from his school on PREMIUM TIMES website.

This happened days after the newspaper ran a series of stories detailing a power tussle between the National Security Adviser, Babagana Monguno, and the then chief of staff to the President, Abba Kyari.

The attackers repeated attempts failed as the efforts were blocked by the papers security experts as well as its hosting provider, Qurium Media Foundation.

In an apology letter he sent to the paper on August 8, Mr Emmanuel admitted attacking the papers website, but claimed his intention was to identify vulnerabilities with a view to reporting such.

He said he did not eventually make any report because he found no vulnerability on the platform.

His apology came after his university management had suspended him indefinitely, effective March 18, for committing an act that constitutes misconduct and misuse of University IT infrastructure.

But PREMIUM TIMES and its hosting provider, Qurium Media Foundation, said they do not seek revenge nor seek to ruin the students academic career and future.

We only seek attitudinal and generational change in our country. We also require full disclosure on Mr Emmanuels actions after the universitys authority completes its investigations on the matter, PREMIUM TIMES Editor-in-Chief, Musikilu Mojeed, and Quriums Chief Technical Officer, Tord Lundstrom, said in the letter.

Nonetheless, Messrs Mojeed and Lundstrom noted that the university needs to come out clear on what it meant earlier when it said Mr Emmanuel appeared to have acted based on external influences.

We believe that real justice starts by having a full picture of what happened with no desire to destroy a promising talent who, though studying food technology, appears to be working hard for a second career in cybersecurity, they said.

Our expectation is that the university will join forces with Premium Times for the entrenchment of a strong, plural, free, independent, and sustainable accountability journalism in our country.

We also hope that Mr Emmanuel will in future contribute to mitigating cyberattacks on independent media platforms working hard to make our world a better place.

SEE FULL LETTER BY PREMIUM TIMES AND QURIUM FOUNDATION TO FUTA VICE-CHANCELLOR BELOW

August 11, 2020

The Vice Chancellor ,

Federal University of Technology,

Akure, Nigeria

Dear Sir,

RE: STUDENT AFOLABI EMMANUEL AND THE ATTACK ON PREMIUM TIMES WEBSITE.

On August 9, we received an apology letter from Afolabi Emmanuel, a student of the Federal University of Technology, Akure, who attempted multiple times in February to hack our website.

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In his letter, Mr Emmanuel admitted attacking our website but claimed his intention was to identify vulnerabilities with a view to reporting such to us. He said he did not eventually contact us because he found no vulnerability on our platform.

From our side, we believe that FUTA and Mr Emmanuel have not obliged us with the full picture of what happened. The university said it suspected that the student acted based on some external influences. We are still not clear what these influences are just as we doubt Mr Emmanuels claim.

We note that the university has suspended Mr Emmanuel. We commend the university for acting on our complaint. But the outcome we seek is not to ruin the students academic career and future. We do not seek revenge. We only seek attitudinal and generation change in our country. We also require full disclosure on Mr Emmanuels actions after the universitys authority completes its investigations on the matter.

We believe that real justice starts by having a full picture of what happened with no desire to destroy a promising talent who, though studying food technology, appears to be working hard for a second career in cybersecurity.

Premium Times and its hosting provider, Qurium Media Foundation, urge authorities at FUTA to embrace Mr Emmanuel as a prodigal son and clear him to return to school to complete his degree. We are hopeful that FUTA and the student have learnt valuable lessons from this episode.

Our expectation is that the university will join forces with Premium Times for the entrenchment of a strong, plural, free, independent, and sustainable accountability journalism in our country. We also hope that Mr Emmanuel will in future contribute to mitigating cyberattacks on independent media platforms working hard to make our world a better place.

Musikilu Mojeed

Editor-in-Chief/Chief Operating Officer

Premium Times

Tord Lundstrom

Chief Technical Officer

Qurium Media Foundation
Reporter

Kareem Wilson covers health for the Georgetown and Myrtle Beach area for the Georgetown Times. He previously covered entertainment and community news for the Charlotte Post in Charlotte, NC.
Belarus on Wednesday confirmed the death of a jailed protester as demonstrators took to the streets for a fourth night of clashes with riot police over a disputed presidential election. Police on Thursday said they had detained 700 additional people.

Riot police have roughly detained thousands at street protests across the country after long-serving leader Alexander Lukashenko claimed a landslide victory in Sunday's poll.

The strongman's opponents accuse him of rigging the election against his main rival, massively popular opposition candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya.

Police detained 700 more people during the fourth day of protests "for participating in illegal mass events", the interior ministry said Thursday morning, bringing the total number of those detained to 6,700.

The Belarusian Investigative Committee said in a statement that a 25-year-old man died after he was detained on Sunday for taking part in illegal protests in the southeastern city of Gomel and sentenced to 10 days in prison.

Investigators said the cause of death was unclear, while Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty quoted the man's mother as saying he had heart problems and was held for hours in a police van.

She said her son, Alexander Vikhor, was not taking part in protests and had gone to meet his girlfriend.

Previously police said one protester died when an explosive device went off in his hand on Monday.

The latest death came as opposition protesters took to the streets to condemn police violence.

In the capital Minsk, several hundred women joined hands to form a human chain, many wearing white and holding flowers.

"The riot police are beating up people, brutally beating them, and all we can do is come out for such a peaceful protest," said 29-year-old protester Darya, who works in advertising.

'Leave before it's too late'

On Wednesday evening, Minsk saw scattered protests in suburbs, with flag-waving opposition supporters blocking roads. A tight police cordon surrounded the city centre while metro stations were closed.

Story continues

Riot police used rubber bullets and stun grenades to break up protests. They also patrolled residential areas, firing at vehicles and grabbing people hiding inside the entrances of blocks of flats, local media reported.

Belarusian writer Svetlana Alexievich, winner of the 2015 Nobel Literature Prize, condemned the police violence and urged Lukashenko to go peacefully in her first interview since the protests broke out.

"Leave before it's too late, before you've thrown people into a terrible abyss, into the abyss of civil war," she told her long-term foe in an interview with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.

Western governments also criticised the ongoing violence.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet accused Belarus of deploying "unnecessary and excessive force".

French President Emmanuel Macron said he was "very worried" while US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urged the European Union to "take action," saying: "We want the people of Belarus to have the freedoms that they are demanding."

EU foreign ministers are set to discuss Belarus at an extraordinary meeting on Friday.

Tikhanovskaya 'recovering'

The protests broke out after authorities said Lukashenko, who has been in power since 1994, won 80 percent of the vote in Sunday's election.

Protesters and witnesses say riot police have used indiscriminate force, firing stun grenades and rubber bullets.

State television aired footage of detained young protesters with bloodied and bruised faces being asked if they wanted a "revolution".

Lukashenko, 65, on Wednesday dismissed the demonstrators as "people with a criminal past who are now unemployed" and told them to get jobs.

Police acknowledged opening fire on demonstrators and wounding one in the southwestern city of Brest on the Polish border on Tuesday night.

They said the protesters were armed with metal bars and ignored warning shots.

The protest movement arose in support of Tikhanovskaya, a 37-year-old political novice who ran for president after potential opposition candidates including her husband were jailed.

The official results gave her 10 percent of the popular vote, but Tikhanovskaya said the election was rigged and claimed victory, demanding that Lukashenko hand over power.

She left Belarus for neighbouring Lithuania on Tuesday as allies said she came under official pressure.

Tikhanovskaya "is recovering from this stress... and feels better," Lithuanian Foreign Minister Linas Linkevicius told Russia's Echo of Moscow radio station.

"She herself will say what her future plans are."

(FRANCE 24 with AFP)
On August 12, Philippine scientists prepared to meet with the representatives of the Russian state research facility, Gamaleya, to secure the "complete dossier" on Russias coronavirus vaccine. Health Undersecretary Rosario Vergeire said in a statement that the teams would hold a discussion on clinical trials and research that went into the development of the COVID-19 vaccine "Sputnik V". Further, she stated that it would be made clear if the international concerns about not enough scientific evidence about Russias vaccine holds true, reports confirmed.

President of Phillippines, Rodrigo Duterte, lauded Russia for being the worlds first country to have found the vaccine against the malignant coronavirus. Further, he offered to be "injected in public" to alleviate any fears of side-effects, according to reports. Named after the Soviet Union's launch of the worlds first satellite, the vaccine is scheduled to launch on August 12. Having plans to conduct its own clinical trials of anti-flu drug Avigan for over nine months, and to the upsurge of cases in the recent past, Phillippines has had high expectations of the vaccine to be invented. According to several reports, the country had earlier urged China to have it participate as the island nation had the highest cases in Asia.

Read: COVID-19: Russia To Launch World's First Potential Vaccine On August 12

Read: Russia: Massive Explosion Rips Through Gas Station In Volgograd; Watch Video

'Vaccine safe and tested'

Earlier on August 6, Russian Defence Ministry, Deputy Health Minister Oleg Gridnev reportedly announced that the country will launch the worlds first clinically approved vaccine against the novel coronavirus manufactured by the Gamaleya Research Institute in collaboration with the Russian Defence Ministry. Moscow declared itself the front-runner in the search for a potential vaccine, claiming, that it began experimental COVID-19 shots less than two months ago and its vaccine was safe and tested, as per reports. Head of Russia's Direct Investment Fund, who initiated the effort, reportedly said that a vaccine developed by the Gamaleya research institute completed the phase III study. Its final stages involved tens of thousands of people, he added. The experimental vaccine is safe and really works, he was reported as saying by a news agency.

Read: 'Gaganyaan 2022': Indian Astronauts Complete Training In Russia

Read: Leaders Of Russia And Belarus Discuss Arrested Contractors
The carcass of a 20-foot-long dead female whale shark was caught by a fishing boat which was brought to Sassoon Dock in Colaba, on Wednesday morning. The shark was cut into pieces in an attempt to sell the protected species to a distributor. Two people have been detained in the matter and further investigation is underway by the fisheries and forest department.

Whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) are protected under Schedule 1 of the Wildlife Protection Act (WPA), 1972, and listed as endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). They are the largest species of any fish that can reach a maximum length of 40-feet.

On Wednesday morning, Sassoon Dock fishers informed the police about the presence of the whale shark, forest officers said. The fishermen who caught the protected species left it at the dock and fled, but as we were reaching the site for further investigation, a trader cut up the 20-foot marine animal into pieces, and intended to sell it, said Suresh Warak, range forest officer (mangrove cell).

By the time we reached the site, the trader had fled, but we managed to detain the buyer, Jan Bahadur Yadav, 50, and tempo driver, Sham Rajaram Dhar, 35, under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. Based on their statements, arrests will be made and they will be presented before a district court on Thursday, said Warak.

Warak said a punchnama had been filed. Interrogations are underway to identify the trader responsible for desecrating the shark, and further course of action will be taken including arrests for offences under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, he said.

Meanwhile, the fisheries department said they were investigating the boat responsible for catching the whale shark. With help from Mumbai Port Trust, we have got a list of boats that arrived at Sassoon Dock on Wednesday for landings, and have identified a few that could be responsible for this incident, said Sanjay Wategaonkar, assistant commissioner of fisheries. They have already been informed to report to us at the earliest. On completing our investigations, we will hand over our findings to the mangrove cell for further action. In the meantime, we will be cancelling the license of the boat under the Maharashtra Marine Fishing Regulation Act, 1981, responsible for this.

The incident comes eight days after the fisheries department initiated an investigation and called for action regarding unauthorised fishing practices affecting rare and endangered marine species along Maharashtra. An incident like this has not happened along the Mumbai coast wherein the body parts are cut up. The fishing community treats the whale shark as a god and are also aware that they are entitled to a compensation of up to Rs. 25,000 for safe rescue of protected marine species, said Rajendra Jadhav, joint commissioner (fisheries).

The remains of the shark were transported to Coastal and Marine Biodiversity Centre in Airoli on Wednesday evening. We will try to conduct a post mortem and the remains will be buried on Thursday after completing all formalities since it is a serious offence case, said Virendra Tiwari, additional principal chief conservator of forest (mangrove cell).

Recent report warned about unsustainable fishing practices

Marine biologists from the Mangrove Foundation, under the state mangrove cell, had recently documented unsustainable fishing practices, excessive juvenile bycatch and illegal shark fin trade across seven landing centres along the states coastline including Sassoon Dock. They found that rampant fishing practices were leading to a rapid decline of threatened, vulnerable, and critically endangered sharks and allied species, the report had pointed out. Besides whale sharks, tiger sharks, white sharks, and speartooth sharks; other elasmobranch species such as hammerhead sharks, pointed sawfish, largetooth sawfish, longcomb sawfish, and guitarfish are also protected under the WPA, 1972.

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Only natural for MLAs to be upset says Ashok Gehlot

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

Jaisalmer, Aug 12: Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Wednesday said resentment among the Congress MLAs lodged in hotels for a month since the crisis broke out was natural but he has exhorted the legislators to "bear it" to save democracy.

In an apparent reference to the return of Sachin Pilot and other rebel MLAs, the Chief Minister said that he told the MLAs on Tuesday night that they have to bear and work in the interest of people.

A meeting between Pilot and Rahul Gandhi on Monday signalled an "amicable resolution" of nearly a month-long Rajasthan crisis ahead of the crucial assembly session from August 14.

After the 'nikamma jibes, peace, brotherhood returns to Rajasthan Congress

Chinese firms raided | I-T dept raids Chinese companies & more news | Oneindia News

The Congress had said that the crisis in Rajasthan is a "closed chapter" and all legislators supporting its government will work towards strengthening Rajasthan and fighting COVID-19 and other economic calamities.

Before leaving for Jodhpur, Gehlot told reporters, "It is natural for them (MLAs) to be upset. The way this episode happened, they had to stay in hotels...so it was natural to be upset. I have exhorted them that in the interest of the country, state, people of the state and for saving democracy, sometimes we have to bear."

MLAs belonging to the Gehlot camp were lodged in hotels for close to a month as the political crisis in the state played out.

"We will work together and our colleagues who have gone have also returned and I hope that all, after settling the complaints and grievances, will work and fulfill our commitment to serve the state," he said, referring to the rebel MLAs.

The chief minister reiterated the allegation that the BJP was trying to topple the state government and said it was fully "exposed".

However, it could not succeed in its game...'Satyamev Jayate', Gehlot said.

The BJP has in the past denied the allegations levelled by Gehlot.

Don't know when Gehlot-Pilot 'drama' begins again: Mayawati

The chief minister said that he recently wrote a letter to all the MLAs asking them to listen to the voice of conscience and people to save democracy and stand with the truth.

"It was the impact of the letter that BJP booked three charter planes to take their MLAs to Gujarat but only one plane could go," he said.

Gehlot maintained that democracy was maintained in the country due to the contribution of Congress leaders and hoped that democracy is sustained in the country.
Early in the pandemic, health officials meet at city hall late into a Sunday night. (Photo: Samantha McCain/City of Hattiesburg)

First with Masks in Mississippi

In place of press conferences, Mayor Barker briefs citizens through Facebook Live broadcasts, scheduling them just before late night news. (Photo: Samantha McCain/City of Hattiesburg)

Boosting the Use of Technology

Black Lives Matter protesters followed a historic route used in 1964 during a Freedom Summer march for voting rights. (Photo: Samantha McCain/City of Hattiesburg)

A Legacy of Activism

Police recruits take part in an conversation about diversity, empathy and cultural sensitivity with the mayor (front center) and Eddie Holloway (front right) of The University of Southern Mississippi. (Photo: Samantha McCain/City of Hattiesburg)

A Different Conversation Around Policing

Mayor Barker and Councilman Jeffrey George (left) count supplies in preparation for a mask distribution event. (Photo: Samantha McCain/City of Hattiesburg)

Handling Frustrations

Mayor Barker returns to City Hall with City Clerk Kermas Eaton. (Photo: Samantha McCain/City of Hattiesburg)

Forecasting School and Health Care Concerns

Its never been easy to be a mayor. Lyndon Johnson once reflected that when he felt overburdened by his job as president, he reminded himself it could be worse. I could be a mayor, he joked.The job might be harder than ever for the men and women currently serving as mayors in American cities. They are swimming against a tsunami set in motion by a historic public health emergency, a severe economic downturn and the unleashing of tension and resentment built up over centuries of systemic racism.Toby Barker, the mayor of Hattiesburg, Miss., is a student of history. He acknowledges that theres no playbook for his towns current situation. I think you have to become familiar with existing in the uncomfortable, he says.Each day begins with waiting for the latest data on infection rates and hospitalization. Most days, thats not a fun process, says Barker. Weve dealt with some really awful moments.The city of Hattiesburg, population 46,000, has been hit hard by the pandemic. Low points to date include the loss of a city employee to COVID-19 and forced reductions in the city workforce due to revenue shortfalls. Two senior staff are currently out with COVID, and the mayors own son was tested for contagion.That was pretty rough, he says. Luckily it was negative, but it all became very personal.The city is also facing a lawsuit from an indoor recreation facility, a high-risk business that was shut down in compliance with an executive order from the governor.The pandemic is really messy, the mayor says. The big challenge is working out what it will take for his city and its residents to be better off on the other side of it.Before becoming the mayor of Hattiesburg, Barker was a member of the Mississippi House of Representatives for 10 years and served on public health and Medicaid committees. In addition to an MS in economic development from The University of Southern Mississippi, he has an MA in health-care leadership from Brown University. Relationships formed during his education proved to be invaluable as the virus spread across the country; classmates were now working as physicians and administrators in hard-hit areas of the Northeast.They gave me some really stark reality on what they were facing, says Barker. As a community that was maybe a month or two behind them, we were able to use this insight into what might be coming to make some preparations.One graduate school cohort helped the city acquire PPE, preventing a shortage before peak demand. I've been very fortunate to have resources to lean on, says Barker.Mississippi did not have statewide mask mandate until August , though Gov. Tate Reeves did order residents in some counties to wear them in July . Barker issued mask orders to Hattiesburg residents in April, beginning with employees at essential businesses allowed to remain open at that time.We were probably the first city in the state to issue mask orders and stick with them, he says. As has happened in cities across the country, some residents objected. This subsided over time, and Barker thinks that the early start may have helped ease acceptance of mask wearing.The mayor and his public health team have continued to communicate with officials in other towns and monitored their approach to COVID policy. He worked with the local library to learn what he could about how the city dealt with the Spanish flu in 1918, finding newspaper accounts of school and business closures.I saw the resolve from our city a century ago, he says, We can summon that again."Video meetings arent new, but the pandemic has forced families, businesses and government to explore their potential. In April, Zoom reported use of its platform since December increased from 10 million meeting participants a day to more than 300 million.Mayor Barker made his first Zoom appearance in the early days of the pandemic, joining a lunchtime meeting of young professionals to provide a keynote speech about the impact of the 2020 Census.Online video meetings and briefings are now the norm. His cabinet hasnt met in person since March. Theres a weekly stakeholder meeting with city and county officials, health-care providers, school districts, local universities and emergency response managers. Recently, residents learned about a new sewer project via Zoom.The mayor provides regular pandemic briefings to citizens using Facebook Live, with updates on metrics, such as the rate of new cases, ICU utilization and hospitalization. Each briefing reiterates three goals that guide the citys efforts: protecting vulnerable populations, preventing overrun in the health-care system and prioritizing public health while giving the private-sector space to operate creatively.How people interpret the information can be very different, but we just try to be transparent and put it out there, says Barker. If you can just ignore the comments, its usually a beneficial time for the public. This has been a learning curve, but its something that needed to happen anyway, he says.In 1964, hundreds of volunteers came to Mississippi for Freedom Summer, a voter registration campaign to overcome discrimination and intimidation of Black citizens. Hattiesburg resident Vernon Dahmer, president of the Forrest County chapter of the NAACP, organized the largest Freedom Summer Project in the state. In 1966, his home was firebombed by members of the Ku Klux Klan and he died from burns and smoke inhalation.A street and a park in Hattiesburg are named in Dahmers honor. In December 2019, a statue of him was installed in a new plaza at the county courthouse that recognizes him and other civil rights leaders.More than half of Hattiesburg residents are Black, and the death of George Floyd hit hard. Dahmers legacy was reflected in dozens of peaceful Black Lives Matter protests.Marching for a cause greater than yourself is built into fabric of many in our community, says Barker. One protest took the same route as a 1964 Freedom Summer march to the courthouse.Calls to confront systemic racism added heat to a long-standing controversy about the Mississippi state flag, which incorporates the Confederate battle flag. In July, the governor signed a bill to remove the Confederate emblem from flag, and ordered it to be taken down at state buildings within 15 days.Hattiesburg was prepared; the flag had not flown on city buildings, or the campus of Southern Mississippi University, since 2015.This summer, protestors in cities throughout the country, with support from allies in the nonprofit, academic and public sectors, have called for police departments to be defunded. To some, this means investing more in new approaches to public safety; to others, it means eliminating police altogether.Barker says that his communitys relationship with the police changed in 2015, when two officers were killed during a traffic stop. It was the first time any officer had been killed since 1984.This had the effect of rallying the community around the police department and the families of the officers, despite the national rise of Black Lives Matter protests at the time. We were still reeling, he says, Its very fresh for us still.Hattiesburg is not contemplating defunding, and Barker says there have been no credible calls to do so from the community. Instead, it is investing in things that it believes will help officers do their jobs better. The police department has a longer training program than others in the state, pays better and has agreements with local universities to allow officers to attend college at no cost. Some officers have been certified in crisis intervention.In recent months, city officials have been talking with officers and the community about establishing a community review board. The ultimate outcome of these discussions will be subject to what state law allows."These are proactive conversations, says Barker. Its very much possible we will be able to support and encourage our police while pushing the department to engage with the public.Hattiesburg is at the center of a large metropolitan area, and Mississippians from more than a dozen counties come there to work or shop. For now, restaurants operate at 50 percent capacity, and retail businesses are open, but are encouraged to limit occupancy.Barker is mostly satisfied at the publics willingness to endure small inconveniences to safeguard public health. He recognizes that people are frustrated, in various stages of grief, and unsure how long their lives will continue to be disrupted.Still, at times its necessary to deal with dissent from those determined to fend for themselves. I ask them to name people in their own lives that they might be willing to sacrifice in a futile attempt to get back to the way things were in February, he says. That helps.Barker is also working with community leaders to roll out a business-led mask campaign to increase usage and to prepare citizens for the possibility that restrictions could continue into the fall and winter.The city relies heavily on sales tax, and Barker finds himself holding his breath each month as he waits for the latest report. A military base, two hospitals, two universities and a strong manufacturing base have helped provide some stability, but even so hes had to let 22 full-time and six part-time city workers go.The city had a number of fiscal challenges that pre-dated COVID-19, he says. "This forces us to deal them faster, and affects every facet of how we do work.As Hattiesburg negotiates current challenges, it also has to look ahead. One of the most immediate problems facing the city is what to do about school reopening. Each district is grappling with its own plans.A lot of social damage can be done if we dont have something for our kids to do, but I dont think anyone can say with any degree of certainty that its safe to put 20 or 30 third-graders in a room together, he says. A lot of people are hoping that some hybrid model of traditional and virtual learning can work.More than 90 percent of public-school students in the city receive free or reduced lunch. Not only could they be undernourished if they cant come to school, they are not likely to have the technological resources to attend school from home.Whatever the plan is now, it will be totally obsolete three days from now, says Barker. As we work through these things, I hope people will recognize our teachers and educational leaders as heroes in the same way they have embraced our health-care workers.Another issue that looms large is the potential for Hattiesburgs hospitals to become overwhelmed if COVID cases surge. So far, they are at normal capacity, but theres no reason to be complacent.It wont be just our city that overwhelms the health system, says Barker. We serve 15 to 20 counties, and I believe this issue has to be addressed at least regionally, if not statewide.It can be hard for government to pivot when needs and resources are constantly shifting, but Hattiesburg has experience with resilience. Its been visited by Katrina, tornadoes and floods.This is a very different storm, because its not a one-event kind of thing where three weeks later youre back to normal, says Barker. The thing I worry about is knowing that we may be in this for another year.As his community faces the overwhelming and the unknown, Barker is convinced that healing can come from sharing even the smallest steps forward  a road paved, a sidewalk repaired, a new mural. When I do my regular briefing, it thrills me to have some non-COVID news to share, he says. These things matter to people right now.Barker also finds encouragement in the work that colleagues in other states are doing and from words of support that come when he least expects them, from citizens who send text messages or who stop him while hes walking his dog.We believe that this season will pass and that every dream that we have for our city is still very much possible, he says. I just want everybody to be OK.
TOKYO Oil prices moved higher on Wednesday after an industry report showed that U.S. inventories of crude fell more than analysts expected, bolstering hopes that fuel demand in the worlds biggest economy can weather the coronavirus pandemic.

Brent crude was up 52 cents, or 1.2%, at $45.02 a barrel by 0648 GMT, after falling around 1% on Tuesday.

West Texas Intermediate oil was up 49 cents, or 1.2%, at $42.10 a barrel, having dropped 0.8% in the previous session.

The American Petroleum Institute [API] said on Tuesday that crude stocks fell by 4 million barrels last week, more than analysts expectations of draw of 2.9 million barrels. Official government data is due later on Wednesday.

The fall in U.S. API crude inventories  the third sizeable weekly fall in a row, has supported prices today," said Jeffrey Halley, senior market analyst at OANDA.

Still, growing uncertainty over a stalemate in Washington in talks for a stimulus package to support recovery from the deepest impact of the pandemic may weigh on prices looking ahead.

In India, demand for fuel in July dropped 10.8% from a year earlier, the fifth month of year-on-year declines, government data showed on Tuesday as a rise in coronavirus cases and floods in many parts of the country restricted economic activity.

Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor
As former president Pranab Mukherjee's health remains critical, his daughter on Monday shared a post on Twitter recalling the time when he was awarded the Bharat Ratna and thanked everyone for their well wishes.

Congress member Sharmistha Mukherjee, the daughter of former president Pranab Mukherjee, on Monday shared her fathers health update. In her latest Twitter post, she recalled the time when he was awarded the Bharat Ratna, Indias highest civilian honour. Ms Mukherjee also expressed her gratitude to all those who wished a speedy recovery for her father.

She wrote that August 8 was one of the most joyous occasion for her as her father received the Bharat Ratna. And now, nearly a year later, he fell critically ill. She prayed to god to do whatever they deem best for him and give her the strength to accept both joys and sorrows of life with equal resilience. She then thanked everyone for their wishes.

Aged 84 years old, Pranab Mukherjees health is currently critical. He is on ventilator support at Delhis Army Hospital. In his latest health bulletin, the doctors shared that his health is extremely fragile. He was earlier diagnosed with coronavirus and then moved to the hospital on Monday. Post which, he also underwent a brain surgery.

Last year 8August was 1 of d happiest day 4 me as my dad received Bharat Ratna.Exactly a year later on 10Aug he fell critically ill. May God do whatever is best 4 him & give me strength 2 accept both joys & sorrows of life with equanimity. I sincerely thank all 4 their concerns  Sharmistha Mukherjee (@Sharmistha_GK) August 12, 2020

Also read: Modi hai to mumkin hai: Rahul Gandhis jibe at Centre over low GDP growth

Also read: Andhra Pradesh CM Jagan launched YSR Cheyutha to empower women

Mr Mukherjee wrote in a tweet on Monday that he had tested positive for coronavirus and urged people were recently in contact with him to remain in self-quarantine and get tested for coronavirus. Post which, several politicians extended well wishes to him on Twitter. President Ram Nath Kovind also spoke to his daughter Sharmistha on Monday.

Meanwhile, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh paid him a visit on Monday and sought insight about Mr Mukherjees medical status from doctors. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi also wished Mr Mukherjee a quick recovery.

A 72-hour yajna was also conducted on Tuesday in Pranab Mukherjees native place at West Bengals Birbhum district, wherein his family members of his family prayed for him.

Also read: PM to launch transparent taxation platform on Aug 13
As protests continue to erupt in the streets of Kenosha, Wisconsin, and across the world in outrage against the horrific shooting of Jacob Bla Read more
A lawsuit filed on behalf of those who were injured or who had property damaged in a fatal Kentucky pipeline explosion alleges the operator failed to maintain and repair the line.

The lawsuit filed July 30 by Danville attorney Ephraim W. Helton listed more than 80 people affected by the blast last August near Junction City, The Lexington Herald-Leader reported.

Lisa Denise Derringer, 58, died and at least five others were hospitalized following the explosion, according to a federal report.

The lawsuit accused operator Texas Eastern Transmission LP, a subsidiary of Canadian energy company Enbridge, and others of failing to properly build and maintain the line, failing to identify and correct hazardous conditions, operating the pipeline at a dangerously high pressure and not having an adequate emergency plan, among other allegations, the newspaper said, citing the lawsuit.

The 30-inch-wide (76-centimeter-wide) pipeline moved natural gas under such high pressure that the flames reached about 300 feet (91 meters) in the air and could be seen throughout the county, Kentucky State Police spokesman Robert Purdy said at the time.

The flames damaged or destroyed more than a dozen homes and scorched 30 acres (12 hectares) of land, according to authorities.

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating whether corrosion could have caused the blast, and the Pipeline Hazardous Materials Safety Administration announced in an April report that there were defects in the pipeline that the operator missed, the Herald-Leader said. The agency ordered the operator to review two decades worth of tests to determine whether there could be additional remaining defects in the line.

An Enbridge spokeswoman said the company had no comment on the lawsuit, according to the newspaper.

The investigation by federal authorities remains ongoing.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Lawsuits Kentucky
Extraction is an action thriller flick that features Chris Hemsworth in the lead role. The film is helmed by Sam Hargrave, which also marks his directorial debut. It is based on the graphic novel Ciudad by Ande Parks, Joe Russo, Anthony Russo, Fernando Leon Gonzalez, and Eric Skillman. Read further and check out Extraction shooting location.

Extraction shooting locations

Extraction shooting began in the year 2018. The film was mainly shot in three different countries, Bangladesh, Thailand, and India. However, most of the film is set in Dhaka, Bangladesh. It is one of the most densely populated cities in the world with around 20 million residents.

Also Read | Randeep Hooda admits being 'heartbroken' while filming for 'Extraction'; know why

Bangladesh

Maximum scenes of the action thriller were shot in Dhaka. However, some chaotic scenes were difficult for the team to film in a populated city like Dhaka. So, some real images of Dhaka were used in the film. Hargrave wandered around and took photos of the city for some of the movie's background shots.

Also Read | Randeep Hooda talks about 'Extraction'; says 'would like to do it again and again'

India

The film's initial shoot began in India. They shot some starting parts of the film in Ahmedabad and Mumbai in November 2018. The fight sequences that took in the middle of that busy market were filmed in the cities of Ahmedabad and Mumbai. In an interview with an American newspaper, director Sam Hargrave explained that filming in India was tough because not many action films are shot there and that became a problem. He further added that they had to shoot with a six-foot-four blonde guy with a machine gun, Chris Hemsworth and they needed a high level of control, which the Indian sets were not used to.

Also Read | Chris Hemsworth thanks fans for their "continued support" on 'Extraction'

Thailand

The introductory scene of Chris Hemsworth was shot in Thailand. The scene where Tyler falls off the bridge is the Lat Bua Khao Bridge in Thailand. As mentioned by Altas of Wonders, the production crew turned Tha Pha (a small town 50 miles west from Bangkok) into a huge set for the movie.

Also Read | Randeep Hooda's 'Extraction' breaks all records; Russo Bros congratulate the star

More about Extraction

Extraction cast also features Rudhraksh Jaiswal, Randeep Hooda, Golshifteh Farahani, Pankaj Tripathi and David Harbour. Extraction movie plot follows a black ops soldier who has to rescue an Indian drug lord's kidnapped son in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The film released on Netflix on April 24, 2020.

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Simone Beissel, city councillor for sport, said the City of Luxembourg was on the hunt for a prime location to build an open air swimming pool.

Beissel discussed the plans in an interview with Radio 100,7 on Monday.

The council initially considered working in tandem with developer Marc Giorgetti, who has planned the construction of a hotel on the Cloche d'Or site, but this project has since been rejected.

The city's authorities are now searching for a grassy location with space for several pools and access to parking.
South Africa: SA urged to reduce electricity consumption

Eskom has warned that its power system is severely constrained this afternoon as the return to service of five generation units is delayed, while two units have tripped.

We urge the people of South Africa to reduce electricity consumption in order to help us power the country through the evening peak, Eskom said.

According to the power utility, the return to service of two-generation units at the Tutuka power station has been delayed as well as a unit each at Duvha, Matimba and Kusile power stations.

An additional unit at Tutuka tripped this afternoon while Kusiles unit 1 has been shut down.

The Eskom team is working hard to return these units to service, the utility said.

These breakdowns have added to the approximately 5 500MW of capacity out on planned maintenance while unplanned maintenance has risen to almost 11 000MW, Eskom explained.

Eskom said the constrained system might persist for the rest of the week.

Eskom requests your assistance in using electricity sparingly so we may be able to supply the country through the evening peak demand period, Eskom added.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2020-08-12. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
The first call in early April was from the testing center, informing the nurse she was positive for COVID-19 and should quarantine for two weeks.

The second call, less than 20 minutes later, was from her employer, as the hospital informed her she could return to her job within two days.

"I slept 20 hours a day," said the nurse, who works at a hospital in New Jersey's Hackensack Meridian Health system and spoke on the condition of anonymity because she is fearful of retaliation by her employer. Though she didn't have a fever, "I was throwing up. I was coughing. I had all the G.I. symptoms you can get," referring to gastrointestinal COVID symptoms like diarrhea and nausea.

"You're telling me, because I don't have a fever, that you think it's safe for me to go take care of patients?" the nurse said. "And they told me yes."

Guidance from public health experts has evolved as they have learned more about the coronavirus, but one message has remained consistent: If you feel sick, stay home.

Yet hospitals, clinics and other health care facilities have flouted that simple guidance, pressuring workers who contract COVID-19 to return to work sooner than public health standards suggest it's safe for them, their colleagues or their patients. Some employers have failed to provide adequate paid leave, if any at all, so employees felt they had to return to work  even with coughs and possibly infectious  rather than forfeit the paycheck they need to feed their families.

Unprepared for the pandemic, many hospitals found themselves short-staffed, struggling to find enough caregivers to treat the onslaught of sick patients. That desperate need dovetailed with a deeply entrenched culture in medicine of "presenteeism." Front-line health care workers, in particular, follow a brutal ethos of being tough enough to work even when ill under the notion that other "people are sicker," said Andra Blomkalns, who chairs the emergency medicine department at Stanford University.

In a survey of nearly 1,200 health workers who are members of Health Professionals and Allied Employees Union, roughly a third of those who said they had gotten sick responded that they had to return to work while symptomatic.

That pressure not only stresses hospital employees as they are forced to choose between their paychecks and their health or that of their families. The consequences are starker still: An investigation by KHN and The Guardian has identified at least 875 front-line health workers who have died of COVID-19, likely exposed to the virus at work during the pandemic.

But the dilemma also strains health workers' sense of professional responsibility, knowing they may become vectors spreading infectious diseases to the patients they're meant to heal.

Under pressure

A database of COVID-related complaints made to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration this spring hints at the scope of the problem: a primary care facility in Illinois where symptomatic, COVID-positive employees were required to work; a respiratory clinic in North Carolina where COVID-positive employees were told they would be fired if they stayed home; a veterans hospital in Massachusetts where employees were returning to work sick because they weren't getting paid otherwise.

"What we learned in this pandemic was employees felt disposable," said Debbie White, a registered nurse and president of the Health Professionals and Allied Employees Union. "Employers didn't protect them, and they felt like a commodity."

Indeed, the pressure likely has been even worse than usual during the pandemic because hospitals have lacked backup staffing to deal with high rates of absenteeism caused by a highly infectious and serious virus. Hospitals do not staff for pandemics because in normal times "the cost of maintaining the personnel, the equipment, for something that may never happen" was hard to justify against more certain needs, said Dr. Marsha Rappley, who recently retired as chief executive of the Virginia Commonwealth University Health System in Richmond.

That has left many hospitals scrambling to find skilled staff to tend to waves of patients with COVID-19.

The nurse from Hackensack Meridian, the largest hospital chain in New Jersey, told the hospital's occupational health and safety office that she could not return to work, citing a doctor's instructions to isolate herself. No threat to fire her was made, she said.

But in daily calls from work, she was reminded her colleagues were short-staffed and "suffering."

She also discovered her employer had revoked most of the paid time off she believed she had accumulated.

White said Hackensack Meridian had conducted what it described as a "payroll adjustment" in March and taken leave from many of its employees without explaining its calculations.

A statement provided by a Hackensack Meridian spokesperson, Mary Jo Layton, said the system's occupational health office "has followed the CDC recommendations as it relates to the evaluation, testing and clearance of team members following infection with COVID-19."

Hackensack Meridian adjusted some employees' leave to correct a technical issue that prevented leave from being counted as it was taken, it said, adding workers were provided "an individual PTO reconciliation statement."

"No team members were shorted any PTO that they rightfully earned," Hackensack Meridian's statement said.

Federal officials acknowledge that staffing shortages may require sick health care workers to return to work before they recover from COVID-19. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention even has strategies for it.

The CDC website lists mitigation options for short-staffed facilities, some of which have been implemented widely, such as canceling elective procedures and offering housing to workers who live with high-risk individuals.

But it acknowledges these strategies may not be enough. When all other options are exhausted, the CDC website says, workers who are suspected or confirmed to have COVID-19 (and "who are well enough to work") can care for patients who are not severely immunocompromised  first for those who are also confirmed to have COVID-19, then those with suspected cases.

"As a last resort," the website says, health care workers confirmed to have COVID-19 may provide care to patients who do not have the virus.

Like soldiers on the battlefield, Rappley said, front-line workers have been absorbing the consequences of that lack of preparedness on an institutional and societal level.

"This will leave scars for many generations to come," she said.

Dr. Lauren Schleimer, a first-year resident at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, exhibited symptoms of the coronavirus after working in a COVID-only intensive care unit. She was instructed to stay home for seven days. She was never tested. Schleimer returned to the ICU symptom-free to treat patients fighting the same virus she suspects she had. (Shelby Knowles for KHN)

Personal choice or no choice?

Shenetta White-Ballard carried an oxygen canister in a backpack at work. A nurse at Legacy Nursing and Rehabilitation of Port Allen in Louisiana, she needed the help to breathe after battling a serious respiratory infection two years earlier.

When COVID-19 began to spread, she showed up for work. Her husband, Eddie Ballard, said his paycheck from Walmart was not enough to support their family.

"She kept bringing up, she gotta pay the bills," he said.

White-Ballard died May 1 at age 44.

Legacy Nursing and Rehabilitation did not respond to requests for comment.

Ballard said his wife's employer offered no support for him and their 14-year-old son after her sudden death. "Only thing they said was, 'Come pick up her last check,'" he said.

Liz Stokes, director of the American Nurses Association's Center for Ethics and Human Rights, said immunocompromised workers, in particular, have faced difficult decisions during the pandemic  sometimes made more difficult by pressure from employers.

Stokes recounted the experience of a surgical nurse in Washington with Crohn's disease who took a temporary leave at her doctor's recommendation but was pressured by her bosses and co-workers to return.

"She really expressed severe guilt because she felt like she was abandoning her duties as a nurse," she said. "She felt like she was abandoning her colleagues, her patients."

The right thing to do

Residents, or doctors in training, are among the most vulnerable, as they work on inflexible, tightly packed schedules often assisting in the front-line care of dozens of patients each day.

Not long after one of New York City's first confirmed COVID-19 patients was admitted to NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, Lauren Schleimer, a first-year surgical resident, reported she had developed a sore throat and a cough. Because she had not been exposed to that patient, she was told she could keep working and to wear a mask if she was coughing.

Her symptoms subsided. But a couple of weeks later, as cases surged and ventilators grew scarce, she was working in a COVID-only intensive care unit when her symptoms returned, worse than before.

The hospital instructed her to stay home for seven days, as health officials were recommending at the time. She was never tested.

A NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital spokesperson said of its front-line workers: "We have been constantly working to give them the support and resources they need to fight for every life while protecting their own health and safety, in accordance with New York State Department of Health and CDC guidelines."

Schleimer returned to the ICU symptom-free at the end of her quarantine, caring for patients fighting the same virus she suspects she had. While she never felt that sick, she worried she could infect someone else  an immunocompromised nurse, a doctor whose age put him at risk, a colleague with a new baby at home.

"This was not the kind of thing I would stay home for," Schleimer said. "But I definitely had some symptoms, and I was just trying to do the right thing."
A selection of artworks once on display at the Eighth Beijing International Art Biennale are touring to the City Art Museum of Yixing, Jiangsu province, enriching locals' vision of art and the world.



Launched in 2002 by the China Artists Association, Beijing International Art Biennale is an influential cultural event in the capital city, showcasing the latest developments in art and encouraging exchanges among artists from different continents.

Held at the National Art Museum of China late last year, the eighth edition of the exhibition displayed more than 600 artworks submitted from across the world that addressed the theme "a colorful world and a shared future," drawn from individual experiences of dealing with both different and common concerns of human society.

The works to be shown in Yixing were donated to the Beijing International Art Biennale's organizing committee. The exhibition will end on Aug 30, and will then tour to the Liaohe Art Museum in Panjin, Liaoning province.




By Trend

Over the past 24 hours, Armenian armed forces have violated the ceasefire along the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops 35 times, Trend reports referring to Azerbaijani Defense Ministry.

Armenian armed forces were using sniper rifles.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on the withdrawal of its armed forces from Nagorno Karabakh and the surrounding districts.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 12)  Former Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) anti-fraud officer Thorrsson Montes Keith revealed the state health insurers chief Ricardo Morales ordered him to fix the ghost dialysis scam that allegedly involved the Wellmed Dialysis Center in Novaliches, Quezon City.

During the Senate hearing on Tuesday, Keith said he was instructed to re-accredit former Wellmed physician Dr. Portia Natividad as a health care provider.

"Four or five days before I resigned he told me to fix also the WellMed case also. I can no longer handle the illegal orders from General Morales," said Keith, who accused key PhilHealth officials of stealing 15 billion from the agency using different fraudulent schemes. 

Keith found out from Morales former executive assistant Etrobal Laborte that Natividad was one of those charged by the National Bureau of Investigation over alleged fake claims for kidney treatments.

PhilHealth revoked the accreditation of Wellmed last year after filing alleged bogus claims using names of dead kidney dialysis patients. The supposed scheme involved WellMed filing for reimbursements for all allowable kidney dialysis sessions for its clients, even if the patients have not availed of dialysis treatments for their entire terms or have died without having the treatments.

In his defense, Morales denied Keiths allegations as he only ordered to clarify and not to fix Natividads papers after the doctor said her signature was forged in the claims.

I did not instruct him (Keith) to fix. I told him to resolve it if there is basis, if indeed the signature of Dr. Portia Natividad was forged as was her claim, said Morales, who was appointed by President Rodrigo Duterte as PhilHealth president on June 2019 to fix the agency hounded by corruption problems including the Wellmed ghost dialysis scam.

The former general said it was PhilHealth board member Marlene Padua, an acquaintance of Natividad, who brought up the doctors situation to his office.

I told him (Keith), if he could resolve the issue of the case of Dra. Natividad since her only source of income is practicing her profession. Many doctors only make their living by claiming from PhilHealth and if they are deprived of this living, they cannot support themselves, the embattled PhilHealth president explained.

Keith previously divulged that Morales also ordered him to fix the state health insurers overpriced COVID-19 testing package issue with the Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC).

The PhilHealth president refuted Keiths statement, saying his instruction was to only send clarifications to PACC that there is no overpricing in their COVID-19 test packages.

Yes, I asked him to liaise with PACC because at that time after the Senate hearing when the case rate of the COVID testing was brought up, we were charged that our testing rates were overpriced, which we maintain up to today were not overpriced. I thought that a simple clarification with PACC would resolve the matter. I did not tell him to massage it, I never used that word, Morales told the senators.

In his public address on Monday, Duterte warned that he would get rid of PhilHealth officials who would be found liable for acts of corruption. He also ordered the creation of an inter-agency task force to investigate the corruption issues in the state health insurance agency.

RELATED: Yayariin ko kayo: Duterte threatens corrupt PhilHealth officials
Saima Afreen By

Express News Service

HYDERABAD: Susan Shanthi, a passionate biker, is eagerly waiting, as is everybody, for the pandemic to end so that she can teach biking to more people, especially women. And no, she isnt just into biking. Shes a full time professional with two young girls whom shes raising as a single mother.

Her work isn't an usual desk job in a corporate office, the 35-year-old works as constable at Ramgopalpet PS, Hyderabad police. Does that curb her enthusiasm? No, I plan my duty hours beforehand to pursue bike riding. My colleagues are really supportive in that, she says.

She rides a Royal Enfield Classic 350 much to the awe of many women, who ride scooters, but dont fail to compliment Susan. She started learning riding under the guidance of her elder brother. She shares, I was in Class IX, Railway Girls School, Lalaguda, when I rode Hero Puch and by the time I was in Class X I learnt to ride a Bajaj Boxer. She has been teaching bike riding to her elder daughter.

She quite likes it. My husband taunted me when I gave birth to her. Situation worsened after the second baby girl was born. I decided to divorce him and be a single mother. Her husband had also put restrictions the way she dressed and even forbade her to ride the bike. She refused.

In 2015, she was introduced to the Bikerni group. Later, I introduced them to my colleagues. We also did a SHE Teams ride. Every Saturday, the group members used to teach bike riding to 250 women before the pandemic began. Now, there are some issues in the group and we are planning to form a new one once the pandemic gets over. she says.

She lives with her mother, who provides support in raising her children. Without my familys encouragement and help Id not have come this far, says the recipient of Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Excellence Award, 2019. She was given the Trishakti Award a year ago and many other small awards and honours followed later. So what does she want to do after a few years? I want to open a training school for ladies in honour of my sister, who passed away. Women can learn at any age and they need to know this, she signs off.
Superintendents and principals have received changing and conflicting guidance from Texas officials on reopening schools. As the school year approaches and COVID-19 continues to spread, school leaders need more time, flexibility, clarity and resources to safely reopen.

Early last month, state officials said opening schools on time for face-to-face instruction was mandatory, then changed course. Now districts can stay online longer if they request  and are granted  a waiver. Meanwhile, several local health authorities issued orders mandating that schools remain closed, which Attorney General Ken Paxton said were invalid.

These delayed and mixed messages have made it harder for school leaders to navigate COVID-related challenges. One significant challenge is staffing. As researchers who regularly speak with superintendents, we find that many are concerned that veteran teachers and principals will not return to work, or will quit, if transmission rates go up. A national survey from June, before cases increased in Texas, found 65 percent of educators think schools should stay closed and 20 percent are more likely to leave teaching due to the pandemic.

Social distancing will be nearly impossible if too many teachers decide to retire or not return. Schools will struggle to find substitutes as these positions are often filled by retirees who may not believe the job is worth the money or health risk.

A second challenge is establishing campus protocols to keep everyone safe. This means preventing students and staff from getting sick and then responding effectively when someone tests positive for COVID-19. Districts must quickly identify COVID-19 clusters and coordinate with local health agencies to ensure any exposed students or teachers are quarantined. Training and communicating clearly with staff, students and families will take time.

Another concern is curriculum and instruction. Teachers need to prepare to simultaneously teach online and in-person. At the high school level, teachers who teach dual credit classes must consider not only the high schools COVID policies but also those of the college.

School leaders cannot tackle these challenges without time and flexibility to consider their communitys needs and resources. Texas is the second-largest state geographically and has more than 1,100 school districts. Many of the 800 rural districts have minimal access to hospitals, local health agencies, community resources and, perhaps most important, the internet. In large cities, superintendents might be able to coordinate more easily with health agencies and hospitals, but they also have to monitor hundreds of campuses.

Districts also confront different rates of community transmission. Researchers at Georgia Tech released a planning tool that assesses the likelihood of one person having COVID-19 based on the size and location of an event. In Cameron County in South Texas, the risk that someone will have COVID-19 at a gathering of 25 people is greater than 99 percent. In Harris County, that risk is 68 percent, and it is 24 percent in Collin County.

These varying rates suggest many schools should remain closed beyond eight weeks, especially because some local health agencies may lack adequate staff and resources to work with each district. Student safety is a growing concern, too. Recent studies found that more than 380,000 U.S. children have tested positive for COVID-19.

Texas can adopt flexible policies from other states. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced schools could open if community infection rates remained low but that the states 700 school districts could decide when and how to reopen. In Washington, Gov. Jay Inslee encouraged distance learning where community transmission rates were high, but he allowed school districts to work with local health departments to determine when and how to reopen.

Local control in a large, diverse state like Texas should be obvious to state officials. Rather than issuing a one-size-fits-all timeline and forcing districts to ask for more flexibility, the state should make flexible reopenings the default. Let school leaders work with local health officials to make their classrooms safe for educators and students.

David DeMatthews is an associate professor of educational leadership and policy at the University of Texas at Austin. Julia Duncheon is an assistant professor of education policy at the University of Washington.
The Colorado state attorney general on Tuesday announced a sweeping investigation into whether a local Police Department being scrutinized in the death of a 23-year-old Black man last summer employed patterns and practices that may deprive people of their constitutional rights.

The attorney general, Phil Weiser, said in a statement that his offices investigation of the Aurora Police Department had been underway for several weeks now and is separate from its investigation of the department following the August 2019 death of Elijah McClain. Police officers had restrained Mr. McClain with a chokehold and paramedics injected him with ketamine.

The attorney generals investigation is the latest inquiry into the department. In June, Gov. Jared Polis appointed Mr. Weiser as a special prosecutor to determine if criminal charges should be filed as a result of Mr. McClains death. The City Council of Aurora voted last month for an independent investigation into the death. On Tuesday, the city announced a comprehensive review of the Police Department.

A patterns and practices investigation, according to the federal Department of Justice Civil Rights Division, is broad in scope, and may include an examination of a police departments record of not only arrests, but also stops, searches, and use of force. Investigators may interview local residents, officials and even conduct ride-alongs with officers in order to gather information, the department said.
University of Wollongong in Dubai (UOWD), the first international university and the highest-ranked Australian university in the UAE, has announced the launch of three cutting-edge degree programmes in Computer Science for the September 2020 intake.

The new programmes in thriving industry sectors including cybersecurity, big data and game and mobile development are set to cater to the growing local and international demand for professionals within these industries.

The new programmes aim to support the UAEs growing focus on artificial intelligence (AI), big data, cyber security and gaming, in a bid to further its development as a major technology hub. Recent events such as the Ai Everything x Restart Dubai Summer Conference showcased the countrys commitment to supporting technologies that can revolutionise its private sector and fast-track growth in the coming years.

According to Market Insights, a consulting firm specialising in the development of data-driven strategies, the cyber security market is predicted to grow at a CAGR of 1 per cent until 2026, with market valuation reaching $400 billion by that year. There is already a growing uptake for cyber security products and services today, with stricter requirements for the protection of personal and sensitive data.

MarketsandMarkets, a market research company and consulting firm, reported that careers in big data are among the fastest growing roles in 2020, with the global big data market forecasted to surge from a value of $138.9 billion in 2020 to $229.4 billion by 2025, at a CAGR of 10.6%. As per global media company Forbes, the roles of data scientists and data analysts are among the most in-demand ones at present, set to increase sharply by 28% by 2020.

Professor Mohammed Salem, President of UOWD, said: As the demand from the global workforce evolves to keep pace with the changing landscape, it is crucial for students to graduate with a technological mindset and competitive advantage. Our new Stem programmes are industry-specific and equip students with key knowledge and skills to pursue careers in technical fields such as cloud security engineering, data mining, software development and statistics, to name a few. Cyber security, big data and game development are industries that are booming and there is an increased demand for skilled professionals to take up roles in both the public and private sectors.

UOWDs three new programmes are set to plug the gap for critical skills in the advanced technology sectors. With businesses adopting security solutions to protect servers, data centres, and virtual information systems, the Bachelor of Computer Science in Cyber Security programme prepares students to become cyber security specialists such as network security engineers, forensic analysts or security architects, bringing to their roles problem-solving skills, technical aptitudes and a strong attention to detail.

Studies indicate that data-driven decisions are more effective and efficient than human-generated ones, and the Bachelor of Computer Science in Big Data degree enables students to explore the full potential of data in the digital age, a critical competency for several industries. Graduates can opt for careers as business intelligence engineers, data analysts, big data architects and machine learning engineers, among others.

Major players such as Tencent and Ubisoft have established their regional head offices in the UAE, a clear indication that the Mena region is a promising market for video game creators. The Bachelor of Computer Science in Game and Mobile Development programme will prepare graduates to pursue dynamic career paths within this growing sector as mobile app developers, video game designers, programmers, animators and more.

With a 27-year history of academic excellence in the UAE, UOWD is a pioneer in the regional higher education landscape. The university is set to welcome students to its new 200,000-square-foot Campus of the Future in Dubai Knowledge Park in September 2020 for its Autumn semester. Featuring innovative technologies, contemporary architecture, and a mix of traditional and creative learning spaces, the campus will provide students with an educational experience that enables them to meet tomorrows workplace demands. -- Tradearabia News Service
DALLAS - Aug. 12, 2020 - In an animal model of multiple sclerosis (MS), decreasing the amount of a protein made in the liver significantly protected against development of the disease's characteristic symptoms and promoted recovery in symptomatic animals, UTSW scientists report.

The findings, published online today by Science Translational Medicine, could lead to a new treatment strategy for this neurological disease and other conditions marked by chronic inflammation.

In 1997, researchers discovered a protein secreted in the brain called Reelin. Subsequent work showed that Reelin appears to help the brain organize itself during development and assist in forming connections between brain cells during adulthood. However, as researchers learned more about Reelin, they discovered that large amounts of it are produced in the liver and that cells lining blood vessels have receptors for this protein.

A 2016 study by Joachim Herz, M.D., director of the Center for Translational Neurodegeneration Research and professor in the departments of molecular genetics, neurology and neurotherapeutics, and neuroscience at UTSW, and his colleagues showed that depleting levels of circulating Reelin protected mice from atherosclerosis. Probing deeper into the mechanism behind this phenomenon, they found that Reelin appears to regulate the production of adhesion molecules on blood vessel walls that capture circulating monocytes, a type of inflammation-inducing immune cell. When the scientists decreased Reelin in animal models, levels of these adhesion molecules also declined, preventing them from capturing monocytes and causing inflammation.

Wondering if Reelin plays a similar role in other inflammatory diseases, Herz, along with Laurent Calvier, Ph.D., an instructor in the department of molecular genetics at UTSW, and their colleagues investigated this protein's role in MS, a neurodegenerative disease that affects an estimated 2.3 million people worldwide. They started by examining blood concentrations of Reelin in patients with relapsing-remitting MS, the most common form of the disease. They found that while Reelin concentrations were about the same in patients in remission as those without the disease, concentrations were elevated in patients during relapse. These findings suggest that circulating Reelin levels might correlate with MS severity and stages, and that lowering Reelin levels might be a novel way to treat MS.

Investigating further, Herz, Calvier, and their colleagues worked with mice affected by a disease called experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), a condition that mimics human MS. When these animals were genetically modified so that the researchers could control Reelin production, they found that eliminating this protein substantially mitigated the disease's typical paralysis or even eliminated it altogether, in contrast to mice with normal Reelin levels. These effects appeared to stem from the lack of monocyte adhesion on the altered animals' blood vessel walls, which prevented entry into the central nervous system.

The researchers had further success preventing paralysis when unaltered animals with EAE received antibodies that inactivated Reelin. This strategy was even effective in animals that already displayed symptoms of the disease - a situation that more closely mimics human patients diagnosed with MS - reducing paralysis severity and promoting healing.

Herz and Calvier suggest that reducing immune cells' ability to accumulate and cause inflammation by altering Reelin levels could represent a new strategy for treating patients with MS, a disease for which several effective drugs exist that nevertheless can have significant side effects. Additionally, they say, reducing Reelin could alter the course of several other conditions marked by chronic inflammation, including psoriasis, Crohn's disease, and rheumatoid arthritis.

"We think we can use this intervention for a wide range of inflammatory diseases that have been difficult to therapeutically address," Herz says. "We are now in the process of testing this in animal models for these human diseases. In preparation for future human clinical trials, we are also working at humanizing a monoclonal antibody that can clear Reelin from human blood."

Herz holds the Presbyterian Village North Foundation Distinguished Chair in Alzheimer's Disease Therapeutic Research and the Thomas O. and Cinda Hicks Family Distinguished Chair in Alzheimer's Disease Research.

###

Other current UTSW scientists who contributed to this study include Connie Wong, Anastasia Sacharidou, Chieko Mineo, Philip W. Shaul, Nancy L. Monson, and Olaf Stuve.

This research was supported by grants from DFG (CA 1303/1-1), National Institutes of Health (R01-HL131597 and R01-HL109604), Sanofi Genzyme, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (R37 HL063762), the National Institute on Aging (NIA) (RF AG053391), the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke and NIA (R01 NS093382), BrightFocus A2016396S, the Bluefield Project to Cure FTD, and a Harrington Scholar Innovator Award (2019).

Calvier and Herz are shareholders of Reelin Therapeutics Inc. of La Jolla, California, along with co-author Maria Z. Kounnas, Ph.D., who is affiliated with Reelin Therapeutics. Calvier and Herz are co-inventors of a patent related to anti-Reelin strategies (application number 15/763,047 (patent pending) and publication number 20180273637).

About UT Southwestern Medical Center

UT Southwestern, one of the premier academic medical centers in the nation, integrates pioneering biomedical research with exceptional clinical care and education. The institution's faculty has received six Nobel Prizes, and includes 24 members of the National Academy of Sciences, 16 members of the National Academy of Medicine, and 13 Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigators. The full-time faculty of more than 2,500 is responsible for groundbreaking medical advances and is committed to translating science-driven research quickly to new clinical treatments. UT Southwestern physicians provide care in about 80 specialties to more than 105,000 hospitalized patients, nearly 370,000 emergency room cases, and oversee approximately 3 million outpatient visits a year.
Justin Hartley's first ex wife Lindsay Korman-Hartley praised the actor amid ongoing revelations about his bitter breakup with Chrishell Stause.

The daytime TV star, 42, called her former love a 'solid man' who is a 'devoted father' in a Tuesday Instagram post which seemed to be directed at the Selling Sunset starlet.

Lindsay's defense of Justin, 43, comes after Chrishell, 39, liked a tweet that suggested the This Is Us actor could have been unfaithful.

On good terms: Justin Hartley's ex Lindsay Korman-Hartley (above 2016) praised her former spouse as a 'solid man' as he continues to face scrutiny amid revelations about his breakup from second wife Chrishelle Stuase

Cheating? Lindsay's defense of Justin comes after Chrishell liked a tweet that suggested the This Is Us actor could have been unfaithful. They're seen in 2017 together above

Lindsay, who was with Justin from 2003 to 2012 and shares a 16-year-old daughter with the actor, said she was embracing 'positivity' in the post, telling her 47.8k followers: 'In a day when social media should be used for positivity an inspiration towards movement in an honest and deserving way, I'd like to join, by highlighting my appreciation for my family.

'Today, I appreciate my ex-husband Justin for not only being [an] exemplification of a solid man but for being my dear friend and devoted father to our daughter. Simply put: for being family.'

It continued: 'We derive our own opinion of people by experiencing life and time together, and we do our best to hold dear the ones that maintain consistent kindness, love and generosity.'

Lindsay's message concluded: 'No matter what conflicts Justin and I had in the past, I appreciate what we have today and I am thankful for the family we have built.'

Positive spin: Lindsay said she was embracing 'positivity' as she shared the post with her 47.8k followers

Exes and ohs: Lindsay was with Justin from 2003 to 2012 and shares a 16-year-old daughter with the actor. They're seen in 2006 above

Hartley's defense of her ex comes while Justin and Chrishell's breakup continues to play out in public.

Stause recently liked several tweets that claimed Justin had cheated on her, allegedly with new girlfriend Sofia Pernas.

The most eyebrow-raising like was for a fan who wrote: '@justinhartley filmed a movie in Canada at the same time his new gf @SofiaPernas was filming the summer before they split. The timing seems like he probably cheated on @Chrishell7 and took a cowards way out to avoid spousal support and gaslight her.'

The reality star did not stop there as she also liked a tweet from the site Blind Gossip from December which included claims that a celebrity couple had recently split after he fell in love with another woman.

Interesting: Though she has not said it directly Chrishell, 39, has been liking tweets which hint that Justin, 43, was cheating including this one from a user named @Concernedsoap

Proof: Chrishell is seen under the list of likes

However there are two sides to every story as a source close to Hartley told Us Weekly on Wednesday that the accusations are not true and that he began dating 31-year-old actress and former friend to Chrishell, Sofia Pernas earlier this year as the divorce was filed in November 2019.

Their insider added: 'He didn't even start talking to Sofia until the spring of 2020.'

Back In May, Hartley and Pernas were photographed sharing a kiss in Los Angeles just six months after filing for divorce from his wife in November.

The new season of Stause's Selling Sunset has been peppered with revelations about her divorce.

Fans had gone wild watching the episode where Chrishell reveals to her costar Mary Fitzgerald that the Passions actor sent the bad news on text message, explaining: 'He text me that we were filed,' she said, adding: 'Forty-five minutes later, the world knew.'

Bad news: Stause tearfully revealed how she first found out that her husband Justin Hartley was filing for divorce, after he sent her the news via a text message on her hit reality show

Stause went on: 'I talked to him right after because I thought that must be a joke. But that was kind of the end of the communication.'

'When I found out, I was minutes before leaving the house for work so I immediately just grabbed a few things and I just got out of there as fast as I could," the former soap star said.

'I don't think I really knew where I was going or what I was going to do, but I just had to leave.'

'I'm just kind of in shock with it all,' the former daytime TV star added through tears.




Haiti - Education : Support for private schools, transfers have started (list)





In accordance with President Jovenel Moise's commitments to come to the aid of private schools in this difficult period of Covid-19, the Ministry of National Education and the Ministry of the Economy and Finance have worked hard to make it effective the transfer of funds promised.



Thus, after the establishment of procedures and mechanisms for the disbursement of funds delayed by license and Tax Identification Number (TIN) problems, schools began to receive their funds in several departments, confirmed the Minister of Education Pierre Josue Agenor Cadet.



The Minister explained that the delays were mainly caused by the NIF of school principals which had not been validated also, he invites all the Directors concerned to validate their NIF to avoid this problem, the main blocking factor in this file. While asking for the understanding of the beneficiaries for the delay in the transmission of funds, the Minister Cadet affirms that the necessary will be done as promised...



In the interests of transparency for the general public and the educational community, the Ministry has made public a partial list of schools in several departments as well as the amount of funds collected.



Partial list of private schools that have received funds : https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1D02EKf6yhyCHzFGmIU0D4kdZwlCzruq5?usp=sharing



HL/ HaitiLibre


















The real swerve this season (yet to come, but hinted at in Lifetimes promos) is that the couples will soon be facing the earliest days of the pandemic. This presumably adds another layer to their decision-making. Instead of asking Is this the person I want to spend the rest of my life with? the question becomes more urgent: Is this the only person I want to be around for this month, and the next, and the next, and the next, and so on? In the light of covid-19, forever takes on a whole new shape, not only by raising the shows stakes but by giving all its couch-bound fans a new perspective on the experiment. The provocative idea of marrying a complete stranger seems no more ludicrous than the ways weve already been conducting our relationships in the Internet age, swiping our way to permanent solitude.
The findings refute popular wisdom and may provide relief to parents and educators concerned with adolescents' heavy use of social media--particularly during the COVID crisis

Contrary to popular wisdom, daily social media use is not a strong or consistent risk factor for depressive symptoms among adolescents, according to a new study by Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health researchers. The results are published in the Journal of Adolescent Health.

"Increasingly, teenagers are active on social media, particularly during the pandemic, as they have to rely on Instagram, TikTok, and other platforms to stay in touch with friends," says first author Noah Kreski, MPH, who conducted the research as a practicum project as a Columbia Mailman School student and currently works as a data analyst in the Department of Epidemiology. "While some adults have voiced concerns over the potential mental health risks of this behavior, our research finds no compelling evidence to suggest that social media use meaningfully increases adolescents' risk of depressive symptoms."

The researchers analyzed survey data collected by Monitoring the Future, an ongoing study of the behaviors, attitudes, and values of Americans from adolescence through adulthood, representing 74,472 8th and 10th grade students between 2009 to 2017. They assessed depressive symptoms to establish underlying depression risk, which they controlled for in their analysis to understand how daily social media use might contribute to depression.

Daily social media use among 8th and 10th grade students increased from 61 percent to 89 percent among girls, and from 46 percent to 75 percent among boys, from 2009 to 2017. Daily social media use was not associated with depressive symptoms after accounting for the fact that the adolescents who frequently use social media have worse mental health to begin with. However, among girls who had the lowest risk for depressive symptoms, daily social media use was weakly associated with symptoms, though due to low risk, the overall prevalence of symptoms in that group was small. Among boys, daily social media use was not linked to increased depressive symptoms, and some evidence suggested that daily social media use may actually be protective against depression.

"Daily social media use does not capture the diverse ways in which adolescents use social media, which may be both positive and negative depending on the social context," says senior author Katherine Keyes, PhD, associate professor of epidemiology at Columbia Mailman School. "Future research could explore the specific behaviors and experiences of young people using social media, as well as more frequent engagement with the various platforms."

Background on Adolescent Depression and Social Media Use

After almost 50 years of stability, recent evidence has indicated unprecedented increases in adolescent depression, depressive symptoms, and suicidal behavior, particularly among girls. There has been widespread speculation that increasing use of smartphones and social media has contributed to these trends. Proponents of this hypothesis note that adolescents are increasingly isolated from face-to-face interaction, experience cyber-bullying, and face challenges to self-esteem and self-worth through curated online images of peers. On the other hand, social media is often a positive outlet, and its use may have positive effects on adolescent self-esteem. Social networking sites provide a space for content that is positive or humorous, particularly valuable to adolescents who are depressed. Many young people seek out support and advice on social media, particularly those with moderate to severe depressive symptoms.

###

Co-authors include Jonathan Platt, Caroline Rutherford, and Mark Olfson at Columbia Mailman School; Candice Odgers at the University of California, Irvine; and John Schulenberg at the University of Michigan. The Monitoring the Future study is supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (R01001411). Analyses were also funded by a grant to Keyes (DA048853).
Together the city of Chicago and the state of Illinois have 25,000 police officers, sheriffs and guardsmen available to quell any violence, they can do it very quickly, very easily, if allowed to do their jobs, Trump said at a news conference. Again, if allowed to do their jobs. Our police, our law enforcement is incredible, but they have to be allowed to do their jobs.
"The government thinks they are above the law because they know that whoever has the money makes the rules. That is why I am calling on Representatives Pressley and Amash to join the ticket as my VP and Chief of Staff, respectivelyto end qualified immunity and the Federal Reserve Bank. We're all Americanlet's team up for liberty."

Joe McHugh offers a clear plan to restore liberty in America:

Replace the Federal Reserve Bank with the Credit Union of the United States .

Get off of oil, out of oil-wars, invest in renewables and organics, and split the profits with the people instead of the banks. End Qualified Immunity and the War on Drugs.

Legalize cannabis and decriminalize all drugs to get people out of prison, off the pills, off the streets, back to work, and to reunite and strengthen families. Pass a Void for Vagueness Amendment.

Ensure that all laws are clear, objective, and easily understood by the average American. Declassify government to empower people with the same information as our representatives.

Liberty and justice for allDonate $4.20 at LibertyStrikesBack.com.

About the Candidate: Joe McHugh is a Marine Corps veteran, entrepreneur and author with a background in finance and economics. He has earned a BA of International Relations and Political Economics from Michigan State University and an MBA from Babson College, the #1 school in entrepreneurship worldwide. McHugh believes that a clean, green America is healthy, wealthy and free.

Contact: Joe McHugh

Joe McHugh for President

586-243-5797

[email protected]

IG, T, FB: @votejoemchugh

www.LibertyStrikesBack.com

SOURCE Joe McHugh for President

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Lemon Tree Hotels has opened a hotel in Dwarka, under the Company's brand 'Lemon Tree Premier'.

The hotel is situated adjacent to the Iskon gate, which is just a kilometre from the magnificent Dwarkadhish Temple.

The hotel features 109 well-appointed rooms and suites, a multi-cuisine vegetarian coffee shop-Citrus Caf banquet facilities, Conference facility Spa etc.

The hotel shall be managed by Carnation Hotels, a subsidiary and the hotel management arm of Lemon Tree Hotels.

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Not only President Donald Trump, but millions of people are witnessing, experiencing, and complaining about the left-wing political bias and tilt of Big Tech, which has appropriately been called Big Tech Tyranny. In recent days, President Trump has targeted two of the highest-profile and most successful Big Tech social media apps  TikTok and WeChat  both of them owned by companies in communist China.

TikTok, popular with smart phoneusers under 25, has 100 million users in the U.S. Since its introduction in app stores less than three years ago, TikTok has been one of the most downloaded apps on smartphones. On the cutting edge of addictive social media apps, TikTok allows its users to produce and share elaborate and funny music video productions as long as 15 seconds, which  if they go viral  can help to turbo-charge the user's career into the online stratosphere and put money in his pocket.

In both of his recent executive orders "addressing the threat posed" by TikTok and WeChat, the president named the International Emergency Economic Powers Act as his legal authority for the move, as well as the National Emergencies Act  effectively identifying TikTok's continued operation within the United States as a national emergency. The recent targeting of businesses based in China, especially in the tech sector, as a threat to national security, as the BBC reported on July 8, is based on "[t]he director of the FBI [saying] that acts of espionage and theft by China's government pose the 'greatest long-term threat' to the future of the US."

In recent years, meanwhile, Google and the other U.S.-based social media giants have amassed unprecedented power over information and its dissemination online. A growing number of observers think Google, the world's largest search engine (the most visited website in the world, which also owns YouTube), has its thumb on the scale, so to speak, which is critically important especially in this pivotal election year. Among the critics is Robert Epstein, Ph.D., senior research psychologist, American Institute for Behavioral Research and Technology. I interviewed Epstein two years ago, and he has since emerged as one of the major public opponents of Big Tech. In sworn testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee last year, Epstein said Google can influence and shift 15 million votes in the 2020 elections by stealthily manipulating its search algorithms.

In addition to the opaque actions of Google, social media giants Twitter and Facebook are, like Google, shadowbanning and outright banning thousands of conservative users. They censored the Frontline Doctors last month. They are censoring President Trump. They censored American Thinker. And they also have been messing with the online presence of little old me.



TikTok logo.

In the case of TikTok, the software, like a lot of popular apps today, has an intrusive backdoor that vacuums up a shocking amount of its users' personal data. TikTok's data collection "potentially allow[s] China to track the locations of federal employees and contractors, build dossiers of personal information for blackmail, and conduct corporate espionage," according to President Trump's Executive Order on TikTok. Appearing on Sunday Morning Futures on the Fox News Channel on August 9, Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) noted, "[B]ehind that [TikTok] app on your phone is a vacuum of data of everything on your device, contacts, e-mails, text messages, photographs, social media posts, even browser history, keystrokes, and location data."

In addition to TikTok accessing, archiving, and potentially sharing its users' data, the left-wing British newspaper the Guardian, in an article on September 25, 2019 that cited internal company documents it had obtained, reported that TikTok routinely censored videos for political purposes. The Guardian article mentioned videos of Tiananmen Square, Tibetan independence, and Falun Gong that were deleted. TikTok, it noted, "advances Chinese foreign policy aims abroad through its apps." Last year, ByteDance, the Chinese company that owns TikTok, was fined $5.7 million for illegally collecting personal information on children who are less than thirteen years of age.

The larger context of the subject of President Trump vs. Big Tech  and China  is this: after initially saying positive things about China when he took office, as a strategy to encourage a fairer trade deal with the country, Trump became very critical of China. The president's critique escalated after China misled the world including covering up the severity of COVID-19 in the critical early days of the pandemic. Recent polls reflect a profound change in the American public's attitudes towards China that are now more in sync with Trump's  that is, wary and increasingly concerned.

A Pew Research Center poll, published on April 21, 2020, for example, reported that Americans' attitudes toward China have taken a nosedive, especially in the wake of the spread of COVID-19. This year, only 26 percent of Americans have a favorable rating of China compared with 66 percent who hold an unfavorable view. In 2006, the reverse was true: 29 percent unfavorable to 52 percent favorable. The Pew report notes:

Roughly two-thirds now say they have an unfavorable view of China, the most negative rating for the country since the Center began asking the question in 2005, and up nearly 20 percentage points since the start of the Trump administration. Positive views of China's leader, President Xi Jinping, are also at historically low levels.

Readers may remember that on June 20, when President Trump's first rally after the COVID-19 lockdowns, in Tulsa, Okla., was perceived as not quite living up to its advanced hype, TikTok was blamed for allegedly having played a role in the less than full house turnout. That story came and went quickly in the news cycle within 24 hours.

The actual implementation of the president's August 6 Executive Order, which prohibits financial transactions in the U.S. with ByteDance and Tencent, the owners of TikTok and WeChat respectively, takes effect next month, 45 days after his order. It is, however, somewhat in doubt as the order will likely move to the courts where its legality has yet to be determined. Meanwhile, Microsoft has expressed an interest in acquiring TikTok. A recent article in Wired that traces Microsoft's and its founder and former head Bill Gates's close relationship with Communist China since 1998 does not inspire much confidence in that possible outcome.

In terms of what's ahead for Big Tech in general this year, all bets are off as the national elections in 83 days promises to be the most chaotic and unpredictable in recent American history  maybe since the first U.S. presidential election in 1788-'89 elevated George Washington to the office. Since Big Tech is such a big part of everything in the public sphere these days, scrutiny and criticism of it, in addition to demands for reform, may become a big factor in politics, including on the part of the party that loses the election.

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 contributor to BBC World News. Peter's website is http://peter.media. His YouTube channel is here. For updates on his work, follow Peter on Twitter at @pchowka.
Governor Kay Ivey on Tuesday awarded $7 million in Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) funds to support two programs of the Alabama Department of Mental Health (ADMH).

One million dollars will be used for the ADMHs Crisis and Recovery Services program, and $6 million is for the Community Provider Reimbursement program.

COVID-19 has taken a toll on Alabamians in many ways, and that certainly includes their mental health. Like people around the globe, the people of our state are suffering, and I remain committed to providing the necessary support to get our state and her people back on our feet, Governor Ivey said.

These funds will go to support important mental health services that Alabamians are seeking in these difficult times. I am pleased to see the CARES Act funds continually being put to work for the people of Alabama.
Turkey vowed to continue searching for oil and gas in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, Tuesday, saying it was set to issue new exploration licenses for the contested area despite international pressure over its escalating dispute with Greece over drilling rights.

In response, Greece's foreign minister called for an emergency meeting of the European Union's Foreign Affairs Council "on the subject of the growing Turkish provocation and delinquency."

Tensions have increased between Athens and Ankara this week after Turkey sent its Oruc Reis research vessel to carry out exploratory drilling in the contested waters in the eastern Mediterranean on Monday.

Ankara says the move was in response to a new deal between Greece and Egypt for the countries' exclusive economic zones for extraction rights in the disputed area. Both Athens and Ankara have sent warships to shadow the Turkish research vessel, risking a new military stand-off between the two NATO allies.

Turkey defiant

Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias on Tuesday called on Turkey "to immediately withdraw from the Greek continental shelf ... we make clear that Greece will defend its sovereignty and its sovereign rights."

Dendias said he had called for the EU's foreign ministers to meet "at a time when there is a clear Turkish threat to peace and security in the eastern Mediterranean, Greece and Cyprus."

Earlier in the day, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Ankara planned to conduct search operations "on the western edges" of Turkey's continental shelf.

"We are fully determined to continue our seismic research and drilling efforts," Cavusoglu said during a conference with his Azerbaijani counterpart in Turkey.

"We will defend to the end the rights of Turkey and of Turkish Cypriots in the eastern Mediterranean and in Cyprus, and we will make no concessions."

Renewed drilling

Athens has strongly condemned what they consider an incursion into their own waters, sending warships into the area to monitor Turkey's Oruc Reis exploratory vessel. /Turkish Defence Ministry/ Reuters

Turkey's Oruc Reis research vessel, escorted by Turkish warships, arrived in the Mediterranean Sea between Cyprus and Greece on Monday and is set to be in exploratory hydrocarbon operation until 23 August.

Athens has strongly condemned what they consider an incursion into their own waters and its exclusive economic zone, sending warships into the area to monitor the Oruc Reis, and putting the military on alert.

European Commission spokesman Peter Stano said from Brussels that member states would consider Greece's call for an extraordinary meeting of the EU's foreign ministers.

We agree that the situation in the eastern Mediterranean is extremely worrying and needs to be solved in dialogue and not in a series and sequence of steps that are increasing the escalation and the tension, Stano said.

Omer Celik, the spokesman for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's ruling party, hit out at Athens for the request.

As usual, Greece has called the European Union to a meeting to support its unfair, unlawful and aggressive policies," Celik said on Twitter.

"The European Union should not allow Greece to turn the whole of Europe into a Greek theater.

Historic divide

The recent flare-up follows last month's hiatus in Turkish exploratory drilling in the eastern Mediterranean, seen as a deescalation of the dispute between the two countries following two-and-a-half months of talks in Berlin.

However, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's spokesman, Ibrahim Kalin, said during a statement on CNN-Turk television, that "the moment the agreement with Egypt was announced, we received a clear instruction from our president: 'You are halting the talks. Inform the Germans and the Greeks, we are not pressing ahead with the negotiations.'"

There have been decades of differences between Ankara and Athens over maritime boundaries in the area, with the two nations coming to the brink of war three times since the mid-1970s. The discovery of natural gas in the eastern Mediterranean at the turn of the century has further stoked the flames between the NATO members.

Last year, Turkey signed a deal with the UN-backed Libyan government in Tripoli delineating an exclusive economic zone between their waters, which Greece, along with Cyprus and Egypt, criticized, saying it infringed on their economic rights in the waters.

However, the move from Ankara was seen, in part, as a last-ditch response to being cut out of the Eastern Mediterranean Gas Forum (EMGF), a body convened by Israel, Egypt, Greece, Jordan, the State of Palestine and Italy that was set up to make the states and nations the main providers of natural gas to Europe. Turkey was not given a seat at the table.

At the root of the dispute is how each country measures its continental shelf, and whether islands should be included in the calculation. Turkey, in contradiction to prevailing international consensus, argues they should not.

(AP)
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-12 04:58:21|Editor: huaxia

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BRUSSELS, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- The European Union (EU) has agreed Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) with eight non-EU partners to help their businesses limit the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic, the European Commission said on Tuesday.

As of Tuesday, MoU have already been agreed with Albania, Georgia, Jordan, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Ukraine, the Commission said in a press release. Four of them, namely Kosovo, Moldova, North Macedonia and Ukraine, have formally signed the documents.

The money for each partner is linked to specific actions, such as strengthening public finance and the resilience of the financial sector, improving governance and fighting corruption, enhancing social protection and addressing youth unemployment.

The Commission said the agreements were part of a package worth 3 billion euros (3.52 billion U.S. dollars), which is available to ten enlargement and neighborhood partners. Negotiations of MoU with the remaining two partners, Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) and Tunisia are underway.

"Supporting our neighbors is essential during this time of crisis to keep the entire region stable," said Valdis Dombrovskis, the Commission's executive vice president.

On April 22, when the EU member states were still fighting with the epidemic peaks, the Commission adopted a proposal for a 3 billion-euro macro-financial assistance package to the ten partners. The funds will be made available in the form of loans on highly favorable terms to help the partners cover their immediate, urgent financing needs. Enditem
A bus shelter designed to block people with fever amid a spread of the coronavirus, is installed at a bus stop in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Aug. 14, 2020. The glass panels-covered bus stops at a Seoul district, are equipped with thermal cameras that screen people for fevers and also automatic doors that doesnt let in any one with high temperatures. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

Since the coronavirus outbreak was identified at the end of 2019, more than 20 million cases have been confirmed globally.

The variation between countries is vast. The US has been the worst hit with more than 5 million incidences, compared with just 10 in Western Sahara.

South Korea was among the most affected nations at the start, but has since been hailed a model to emulate in fighting the pandemic.

Read more: Russia's coronavirus vaccine has 'rather little detail'

To better understand how it overcame the outbreak, a researcher from the University of Colorado Denver analysed the public health policies in place between January and April.

He concluded South Koreas national infectious disease plan, collaboration with the private sector, stringent contact tracing, adaptive healthcare system and government-driven communication were all critical to it flattening the curve without paralysing health and economic systems.

South Korea has had 14,660 confirmed cases since the outbreak came to light  considerably fewer than the UKs 313,393.

A woman wears a mask in Riau islands province, Indonesia. South Korea has been hailed a 'model to emulate in fighting the pandemic'. (Getty Images)

South Korea recorded its first coronavirus case on January 20, followed by the first patient death a month later.

As its incidence number surged to more than 3,000, the country had the highest number of cases outside of China until early March, before slowing the spread in a relatively short period.

Read more: Chronic fatigue emerging as coronavirus complication

The South Korean government shared its coronavirus response in the report Tackling COVID-19: Health, Quarantine and Economic Measures of South Korea, published 31 March. COVID-19 is the disease that can be caused by the coronavirus.

The report summarised South Koreas response as: speedy and swift action, 3T measures (testing, tracing and treating), and publicprivate cooperation and civic awareness.

Officials also labelled it the TRUST strategy  Transparency, Robust screening and quarantine, Unique but universally applicable testing, Strict control, and Treatment.

Story continues

South Korea addressed past mistakes

In January, South Korean health officials developed and evaluated a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) diagnostic test.

Later adopted by the UK, suspected patients have a nasal or deep throat swab. The sample is then sent off to a laboratory where any trace of a virus genetic material is amplified to reveal an infection.

By February, the diagnostic kit was authorised. As of 9 March, 15,971 kits had been produced, which were capable of testing 522,700 people.

As of 15 April, South Korea had tested 534,552 people for the coronavirus  10.4 in every one thousand of the population.

Read more: Harvard scientist calls for crappy coronavirus tests

It also set up 600 screening sites, 71 of which were drive-through.

When it came to contact tracing, something the UK government has being criticised for, South Korean officials carried out rigorous and extensive interviews with patients.

Perhaps controversially, this was backed by analysing medical records, and credit card and GPS data.

The South Korean government proactively found patients who contracted coronavirus, disclosed epidemiologic findings of confirmed patients to the public, and provided differentiated treatments based on the severity of symptoms, wrote study author Jongeun You in The American Review of Public Administration journal.

After a localised outbreak of the fellow-coronavirus strain Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (Mers) in 2015, the South Korean government expanded its legal and administrative boundaries for pandemic responses.

This enabled local authorities to make quick policy decisions at a regional level.

Financially, the South Korean government and national health insurance programme shouldered the full cost of coronavirus testing, quarantining, and treatment for both citizens and non-citizens.

On 17 March, the South Korean Legislature passed the supplementary budget of 11.7 trillion KRW ($10.1 billion/7.7 billion) in 12 days.

That same month, the Korean Ministry of Health and Welfares supplementary budget of 3.7 trillion KRW ($3.2 billion/2.4 billion) enabled it to increase prevention and treatment facilities, while supporting medical institutions and workers.

South Korea changed existing policies to address past mistakes, built capacity in advance and was prepared to respond to this unprecedented threat, wrote You.

A street artist wears a mask in Paris. Face coverings are enforced throughout Europe to stem the spread of the infection. (Getty Images)

Document successes and struggles

When it comes to what the world can learn from South Koreas approach, You said: There are many variables to consider when emulating policies from other countries.

South Korea's extensive surveillance and contact tracing using ICT (information and communications technology) may not be applicable at the federal level in the US due to different cultural norms.

Unlike other major nations, South Korea has a mostly homogenous cultural and institutional structure, which enabled the policies put in place by the government to become effective.

A 2020 survey found more than four in five (84%) South Koreans accept the loss of privacy as a necessary trade-off for public health security.

You added, however, the US could have adopted South Koreas ability to quickly ramp up testing.

Officials in the Asian country had this in place by the end of January after a fast review from the Korean Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

On 12 February, when public and private laboratories had not yet received approval from the US FDA for their own tests, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revealed a kit it designed contained a faulty reagent.

Finally, You recommends officials around the world meticulously  and quickly  document everything.

Though many solutions are emerging, I believe one essential solution for public administrators is to collect documentation about their successes and struggles, and what they hear from citizens and residents about policy implementation and communication, he said.
A 'disturbed' woman infected with coronavirus escaped hotel quarantine and travelled on a tram in yet another dangerous control breach in Melbourne.

The young woman had been in isolation at the Brady Hotel in the city's CBD on July 19, but left just seven hours after checking in.

A staff source claimed nurses pleaded for help from police and the Department of Health and Human Services to monitor the agitated guest, but both requests were denied.

They claimed the police and health department received prior briefing about the woman's acute mental health issues as a result of a recent assault, which required hospitalisation.

A source claims an infected guest in voluntary isolation left Melbourne's Brady Hotel hours after being checked in (pictured, healthcare workers at the Brady Hotel in July)

'The nurses end up monitoring the hall, working in twos for safety. As predicted, the guest leaves the hotel, without PPE, and jumps on a tram,' the source told The Australian.

'She does not receive a fine and is not detained, but arguably she is a significant risk to public health.

Melbourne's bungled hotel quarantine program was a major source of Victoria's second-wave coronavirus crisis, with lax quarantine measures allowing the virus to be carried into the community by supposedly isolate guests who were allowed out, and private security guards not taking full precautions.

The woman tested positive to coronavirus while recovering in Royal Melbourne Hospital from a recent assault.

Sources claim she was taken to another Melbourne CBD hotel days earlier where she left her room, roamed corridors and spat at staff, who were then forced into isolation.

The woman was taken back to the hospital before she was taken to the Brady Hotel.

Source claim the infected woman left the hotel and travelled on a tram seeking alternative accommodation (pictured, trams at a Melbourne intersection during Stage Four lockdown)

Melbourne CBD was busy with pedestrians on Wednesday as Victoria recorded its deadliest day of the pandemic with 21 deaths (pictured)

Victoria Police said the woman didn't breach health orders because she was in voluntary isolation.

The latest breach came after a health official was sacked amid complaints he was planning to make extra cash by selling booze to guests in quarantine hotels.

The DHHS confirmed earlier this week a formal investigation would be launched into the alleged misconduct of the official stationed at the Brady Hotel.

Meanwhile, Victoria recorded its deadliest day of the pandemic on Wednesday with 21 deaths and 410 new cases.

Photos taken on Wednesday showed a busy Melbourne CBD, despite the city being in the middle of a stage four lockdown and residents ordered to stay at home unless for essential reasons.

There was particular concern about the rise of cases in regional Victoria, where there are currently more than 500 active cases.

Hotspots include Geelong with 179 cases, Ballarat with 22 cases and Bendigo with 53 cases.

'They are stable and theyre very low numbers, but coming off such a low base, any additional cases are a concern to us,' Premier Daniel Andrews said.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-12 15:20:54|Editor: huaxia

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JERUSALEM, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- Israel's army said Wednesday it had attacked Hamas sites in the Gaza Strip after Palestinian militants launched incendiary balloons into southern Israel.

The military said in a statement that the attacks were a "response" to dozens of balloons attached with incendiary or explosive materials launched from the coastal enclave.

Fighter jets, attack helicopters and tanks struck "a number of sites" belonging to Hamas, an Islamist Palestinian movement that runs Gaza, including a military compound, underground infrastructures, and observation posts, according to the statement.

The army threatened that it will continue "operating as necessary against attempts to harm Israeli civilians."

Israel estimates that opposition groups in Gaza stand behind the explosive balloons but holds Hamas responsible for not stopping them.

The attack came amidst a new escalation in the region. On Tuesday, Israel closed the Kerem Shalom Crossing, Gaza's main goods crossing, saying the measure is a response to the balloons.

Defense Minister and Israel's Alternate Prime Minister Benny Gantz said that if the launching of the balloons will not be stopped, Israel "will need to respond, and forcefully."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated the threat. "Balloon terrorism will have a heavy price," he said.

During Tuesday, militants in Gaza have flown dozens of balloons attached with incendiary materials, sparking at least 60 fires in southern Israel, according to the Hebrew-language Ynet news site.

Commentators on Palestinian and Israeli media said the balloons often aim to pressure Israel to allow the transfer of Qatari money to Gaza amidst an escalating financial and humanitarian crisis in the besieged Palestinian enclave.

Israel and Hamas had fought three rounds of war with occasional bursts of violence between them. Over the past months, both sides kept an unofficial cease-fire. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-12 10:19:25|Editor: huaxia

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WASHINGTON/BEIRUT, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- United Nations (UN) Special Coordinator for Lebanon Jan Kubis on Tuesday called for early formation of a Lebanese government following the resignation of Prime Minister Hassan Diab and his cabinet.

Kubis, who briefed the Security Council in a closed session on Tuesday, emphasized the importance of avoiding a prolonged period of governmental vacuum.

He urged a rapid formation of a new government that meets the aspirations of the Lebanese people and enjoys their support, a government that can address the urgent and many challenges facing the country, break with the corrupt practices of the past, his office said in a press release after the briefing.

"There are immediate humanitarian needs that need to be addressed and necessary reforms that need to be undertaken without any delay to restore the trust of the Lebanese people, and of the international community in Lebanon," Kubis was quoted as saying.

The Lebanese government resigned on Monday amid protests after two huge explosions hit the Port of Beirut on Aug. 4, claiming at least 171 lives and injuring thousands.

The deadly blasts also caused massive economic losses worth 10 billion to 15 billion U.S. dollars, according to Beirut Governor Marwan Abboud.

"A rapid assessment of the 55 primary health centers in the blast areas shows that some 35 percent sustained moderate to severe damage," said Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

The UN Children's Fund reported that an education assessment shows some 20 technical schools have been damaged.

A dozen of countries and international organizations have expressed solidarity and sympathy with Lebanon over the deadly explosions, with emergency aid to the Middle East country.

Members of the Security Council reiterated their solidarity and strong support through urgent humanitarian assistance and commitment of the international community to Lebanon and its people, according to the press release.

The World Health Organization said that an 18-ton shipment of personal protective equipment landed in Beirut on Tuesday.

The World Food Programme is allocating 5,000 food parcels to affected families in Lebanon. Each package of basic food items such as rice, pasta, oil, sugar, salt and tomato paste is enough to feed five people for one month.

A fund-raising conference backed by UN and hosted by France on Sunday has so far received more than 290 million dollars in pledges.

Lebanon has in the past days received donations from multiple countries, including China, Russia, France, Qatar, Egypt, Jordan, Bahrain, Britain and many more.

UN Undersecretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix, who also briefed the Security Council, said the UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon, known as UNIFIL, continues to work in close coordination with the Lebanese armed forces. Enditem
After 99 days without any new cases of community transmission, a local infection was confirmed in Da Nang on July 25 and the virus has since spread around the country and caused 15 fatalities, greatly impacting economic activities.



According to many experts, the return of the virus will immediately eclipse the glimmer of hope for an early recovery for the tourism industry.

Dinh Trong Thinh, a lecturer of the Academy of Finance, said: If the pandemic is not well controlled this time, the economic impact will be very large due to the bigger scale.

Thinh added the local economy was under great pressure from weak demand for goods, products and services and it was facing the risk of interrupted production and service supply capacity.

The cost of fighting against the new wave of the pandemic and overcoming its influence will be much more expensive than the previous one. The most negative impacts will be seen on employment, production and business growth," he told local media.

Nguyen Dinh Cung, former director of Central Institute for Economic Management (CIEM) said the economy was now defined by being unstable, uncertain and insecure, with many forecasting a deteriorating direction.

All forecasts could be changed constantly in this situation so we must prepare for all scenarios. Local economic growth will definitely be low. It could be the lowest of 35 years," he said.

Cung said in the short term, people will limit travel and spending, causing a decrease in demand.

At the same time, a lot of public investment is still stagnant because the implementers are afraid of risks and dont decide to act or to strengthen them quickly as they should," he added.

To solve public investment issues, the CIEMs former director said: The capital allocation should be assigned more to the Government than the National Assembly. More decision-making power in public investment decisions should be given to leaders of provinces, cities and ministers.

Stefanie Stallmeister, acting director of the World Bank (WB) in Vietnam, also said the country was facing the biggest economic shock in the past 35 years.

She told local media though the country stood stable in the first half of the year, the economy only grew 1.8 percent, equivalent to a decrease of approximately five percentage points compared to the previous growth trajectory of the country.

Vietnam must be active in a world full of uncertainty both domestically and internationally. Therefore, we believe that policymakers will have to find alternative directions for the country's traditional growth drivers, including overseas demand and weakening domestic consumption," she said.

Stallmeister suggested three measures for Viet Nam. They were considering carefully removing international travel restrictions gradually, speeding up the implementation of public investment projects to increase domestic demand and supporting the private sector, especially in the most severely affected industries such as tourism, processing and manufacturing for export, with financial support and smart incentive policies.

With the pandemic's impacts growing, many businesses have said they have not received help from Government support packages.

The local business community has also been calling on banks to relax loan policies to give firms more time to adjust and seek new markets, said Nguyen Quang Vinh, CEO of a construction material company.

"We are doing our best to find new businesses and to make sure we don't have to lay off our workers," Vinh said.

Director of tour firm New World Travel Dang Thanh Trung said: "It will be very difficult for domestic travel to gain momentum, especially now everyone is anxiously watching how the second wave unfolds."

Most experts urged the Government to make it easier for businesses to access the support packages.

Cung said though the current support policies were basically sufficient, some policies such as policies to suspend, postpone, exempt taxes, should be extended to serve increasing difficulties from the new wave of the virus.

In late July, the World Bank forecast the country's GDP growth could reach 2.8 percent in 2020 and will recover to 6.7 percent in the next year. In the latest report, the bank forecast Vietnam to rank fifth in the global growth this year.
How did life on earth begin, and what does LUCA have to do with it? In their book The First Cell: The Mystery Surrounding the Beginning of Life, the geologist Ulrich C. Schreiber together with the physical chemist Christian Mayer trace the origin of life on earth and describe what it took for the first cell LUCA, the Last Universal Common Ancestor, to form.

The question of how life on earth originated has moved humanity and driven scientists for centuries. The book illustrates the process of chemical evolution under real-world conditions and takes the reader on a journey to solve the mystery surrounding the beginning of life. "On the basis of biochemical data, we have good reason to assume that all living beings on earth descend from just one ancestor", the authors state and support their hypothesis with several astonishing findings from laboratory experiments. They explain that for LUCA to form, there must have taken place a continuous production of molecules, which provided the necessary basic building blocks for life.

The First Cell is enriched with personal notes and experiences of the authors and includes many coloured illustrations and graphics that help readers to understand better this complex topic. The quest to find an answer to the question of the origin of life shows "that life, which in our view is so natural in its existence for us, is surprisingly difficult to define."

While the book offers a holistic theory of how life originated on earth, it requires some knowledge of biology, as the reader should be familiar with terms such as translation, nucleic acids or ribosome. The book is particularly suitable for readers who are fascinated by molecular scenarios of the evolution of life and constitutes an interesting contribution to the debate about the origin of life on earth.

###

About the authors

Both authors have been professors at the University of Duisburg-Essen since 1996. As a professor for Geology, Ulrich Schreiber did research on volcanism and tectonics, studies on gas permeable fault zones and hydrothermal systems. In 2003, he identified a connection between the locations of forest ant nests and gas permeable faults. The investigations of these faults ultimately led to a new model for the origin of life. The starting point here is supercritical CO2, which occurs in tectonic faults of the continental crust at depths of around 1000 m. Together with Christian Mayer, professor for Physical Chemistry, he conducted laboratory experiments that simulated the conditions of the continental crust. In the course of these experiments, Christian Mayer, for the first time, successfully demonstrated a chemical evolution of peptides in association with vesicles under real-world conditions. This in connection with the author's discoveries of organic chemical molecules in archaic hydrothermal quartz from Western Australia can be seen as evidence of complex prebiotic chemistry in the upper crust.

Ulrich C. Schreiber, Christian Mayer

The First Cell: The Mystery Surrounding the Beginning of Life

2020, 193 p. 48 illus., 47 illus. in colour

Hardcover 29,99  | 24.99 | $37.99

ISBN 978-3-030-45380-0

eISBN 978-3-030-45381-7
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-13 00:01:28|Editor: huaxia

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ADEN, Yemen, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- At least three pro-government Yemeni soldiers were killed on Wednesday in an explosion caused by a roadside bomb in the country's southwestern province of Taiz, a government official told Xinhua.

The local government source said on condition of anonymity that "an Improvised Explosive Device(IED) attached previously to a military vehicle exploded near the local authority building in Taiz province."

The IED explosion destroyed the military vehicle, leaving three soldiers killed and a number of others injured at the scene, the source said.

He confirmed that "initial investigations revealed that the IED explosion was apparently planned to target a senior official of Taiz's local authority."

No group has claimed responsibility for the roadside bombing yet, although the Yemeni government sources believed "elements linked to terror groups might be behind such attacks."

The Yemeni government forces, backed by the Saudi-led coalition, have been locked in clashes with the Iran-allied Houthi militia in the north, east and west parts of Taiz Province since April 2015.

Yemen has been mired into a civil war since late 2014, when Shiite Houthi militia overran much of the country and seized all northern provinces, including the capital Sanaa. Enditem
One of the seven exhibits included in this document

The good thing about recessions is that they will end and move into the next economic cycle, which economists often call the trough. The bad news is that no one knows when the COVID-19 downturn will level. If we use the Great Recession as an example, the recession will last a year and a half, almost half the time it took to get through the Great Depression of 1929-1933.

In Mercator Advisory Groups latest research report, Credit Cards in a Post COVID World: Seven Takeaways for the Next Business Cycle, readers will review the learnings that we have now which should go into the business models of credit managers as they start thinking about what credit card businesses will look like when we exit the COVID-19 pandemic.

"COVID-19 made an abrupt appearance, and the credit card industry, which thrives in a healthy economy, must contend with record unemployment, diminished GDP, and a loss in consumer confidence, comments Brian Riley, Director, Credit Advisory, at Mercator Advisory Group, and the author of the research note. Riley adds that "4Q20 and 1Q21 will likely be unprofitable for many credit card issuers as charge-offs peak."

Highlights of the research note include:



Once payment deferrals end, expect delinquency aging to skyrocket

Charge-offs beyond 6.54% will eliminate credit card industry profits

Credit card return on assets (ROA) will fall into negative territory in late 2020

Regulatory guardrails helped protect the industry; current expected credit loss (CECL) requirements and contingency planning proved their worth

Top banks, particularly those required to comply with stress testing and DFAST, were well prepared

Platform service providers played a significant role in providing options for the middle market.

This document contains 15 pages and 7 exhibits.

Companies mentioned in this research note include: ACI Worldwide, American Express, Bank of America, Capital One, Chase, Citi, Discover, FIS, FICO, Fiserv, Mastercard, TSYS, Visa

Members of Mercator Advisory Group's Credit Advisory Service have access to these reports as well as the upcoming research for the year ahead, presentations, analyst access, and other membership benefits.

For more information and media inquiries, please call Mercator Advisory Group's main line: (781) 419-1700 or send an email to media@mercatoradvisorygroup.com.

For free industry news, opinions, research, company information, and more, visit us at http://www.PaymentsJournal.com.

Follow us on Twitter @ http://twitter.com/MercatorAdvisor.

About Mercator Advisory Group

Mercator Advisory Group is the leading independent research and advisory services firm exclusively focused on the payments and banking industries. We deliver pragmatic and timely research and advice designed to help our clients uncover the most lucrative opportunities to maximize revenue growth and contain costs. Our clients range from the world's largest payment issuers, acquirers, processors, merchants and associations to leading technology providers and investors. Mercator Advisory Group is also the publisher of the online payments and banking news and information portal PaymentsJournal.com.
LAKEWOOD, Ohio -- After COVID-19 put a damper on her senior year at Lakewood High School, Class of 2020 graduate Kathryn Oleksa is starting off her college career on a high note.

The Ashland University history major was recently selected to be an Ashbrook Scholar. The top-rated academic program -- which focuses on politics, history and economics -- includes an annual scholarship.

The Ashbrook program was something I didnt know about initially until I toured the college, but when I learned about it (I) was like, Thats where I need to be, said Oleksa, 18, who will be moving into her dorm next week.

The highly competitive honors program is designed for Ashland undergraduates studying political science, history or political economy. Its application process is significantly more rigorous than the average college entrance process, targeting serious and motivated students.

When I interviewed Kathryn, it was clear that she is a serious student who would take full advantage of the program, which is rigorous, Ashbrook Scholar Program Director Christopher Burkett said.

Im confident that she will live up to my expectations, and Im really looking forward to working with her.

Administered by the Ashbrook Center, the university-affiliated nonprofit organization provides rigorous educational programs for high school students and undergraduate students, as well as high school civics, government and U.S. history teachers.

Ashbrook Scholars experience a learning environment removed from a standard college education.

While obtaining a traditional liberal arts education from the university, Ashbrook Scholars also engage in private conversations with distinguished visiting scholars and public figures, take part in seminars taught using the Socratic method, participate in internships tailored to their interests and write, present and defend a Statesmanship Thesis.

Furthermore, students in the program study the great works of Western Civilization. They read and discuss the works of the worlds greatest thinkers, speeches and writings of Americas noblest statesmen.

I really liked the way they go about learning history, Oleksa said. They dont just want you to spit back facts. They want you to understand and get into the mindset of these historical figures. Right now, our summer reading is Winston Churchills autobiography.

Its incredible. I feel like a lot of his story we forget about. We tend to idolize historical figures instead of seeing them as humans and seeing our own great potential from them.

Career-wise, Oleksa already plans on attending graduate school with the goal of one day working in museums and possibly writing books.

I definitely dont want to teach, Oleksa said.

In the meantime, considering the stay-at-home spring and summer, shes just happy to start off her college career.

Im super-excited to get out of the house and be around new people, Oleksa said.

Read more news from the Sun Post Herald.
An Allegheny County assistant district attorney has died after a battle with COVID-19, and his familys attorney says he was exposed to the coronavirus at the courthouse.

The district attorneys office announced the death of Russ Broman, 65, on Tuesday, saying he had tested positive for the coronavirus several weeks ago.

It is with profound sadness that our office reports the passing of SADA Russ Broman at the age of 65 after testing... Posted by Allegheny County District Attorney on Tuesday, August 11, 2020

Special Assistant District Attorney Russ Broman was a blue collar, roll up your shirt sleeves prosecutor who relished working in the service of the residents of Allegheny County and the citizens of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the district attorneys office said in a statement posted on Facebook. Being a prosecutor isnt easy and its often times hard to separate your personal feelings from the emotions of the job. Russ was always able to walk that line while being incredibly passionate about keeping our community safe, especially from those who choose to harm others through the illegal use of firearms and the trafficking and sale of narcotics.

In July, Broman had reached out to colleagues to express concerns about safety protocols in the courthouse, WTAE is reporting.

The familys attorney told WPXI Broman believed he was exposed to the coronavirus on June 30 while at the Allegheny County Courthouse.

He was hospitalized July 7 and was listed in critical condition July 14, reports indicate.

At least six coronavirus cases have been confirmed among attorneys and court employees, according to reports.

Days after Broman was hospitalized, defense attorney Joe Horowitz told WPIX he refuses to go into the courthouse, and last month defense attorney Frank Walker spoke out in a video on behalf of courthouse employees who had voiced their concerns about safety protocols there reports indicate.

And according to TribLive.com, fellow Assistant District Attorney Ted Dutkowski cannot walk a flight of stairs without struggling to breathe after his battle with COVID-19, which he believes he contracted at the courthouse.

Broman had worked in the district attorneys office since the 1980s, received endless accolades, and had argued twice before the Pennsylvania Supreme Court and multiple times in the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals, according to reports.

Perhaps more important than his work in the courtroom was the time that Russ spent during his career mentoring younger prosecutors and providing them with a daily example of what being a prosecutor means, the district attorneys office said in a statement. As with any workplace, the Allegheny County District Attorneys Office is a family, and this day is especially painful for our family.

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.
Pakistan wants to get off the task forces gray list, the color code for countries that are only partially fulfilling international rules for fighting terrorism financing and money laundering. It was placed on the list by the task force n 2012 after concluding that Pakistan was not fully compliant with the standards for effectively combating money-laundering and terror financing. The group removed Pakistan from the gray list in 2015 because of its improvement in complying. However, it was added to the list again in 2018.
Northern Ireland Leaders Says Chinese Consulate Misrepresented Their Comments on Hong Kong

The Chinese consulate in Belfast has amended an article that claimed the leaders of Northern Ireland said they understood and respected the National Security Law imposed on Hong Kong, after the two leaders said on Tuesday the article misrepresented their comments.

The first minister of Northern Ireland, Arlene Foster, and deputy first minister, Michelle ONeill, both denied that they endorsed the draconian National Security Law.

Foster wrote on Twitter that she was disappointed that what was said during a video call last month was misrepresented.

My position on Hong Kong is the same as that of HMG [Her Majestys Government]. The article in todays press misrepresents what was said at our meeting with the Chinese Consul General. I will be writing to Madame Zhang to underscore my disappointment, Foster wrote.

My position on Hong Kong is the same as that of HMG. The article in todays press misrepresents what was said at our meeting with the Chinese Consul General. I will be writing to Madame Zhang to underscore my disappointment.  Arlene Foster #WellMeetAgain (@DUPleader) August 11, 2020

Foster was referring to a report in The Irish News on Tuesday that translated an article on the Chinese consulate website containing the alleged statements.

I made it very clear that I supported the One Country, Two Systems international agreement, Michelle ONeill wrote on Twitter.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has condemned the National Security Law, saying it constitutes a clear and serious breach of the Sino-British Joint Declaration. The UK government has suspended its extradition treaty with Hong Kong and offered British National (Overseas) passport holders a path to citizenship in the UK in response to the law.

A riot police officer (R) detains a man (C) during a protest by district councillors at a mall in Yuen Long in Hong Kong on July 19, 2020, against a mob attack by suspected triad gang members inside the Yuen Long train station on July 21, 2019. (Isaac Lawrence/AFP via Getty Images)

The Deleted Comment

The Chinese report on a video call between the first minister, the deputy first minister, and the Chinese Consul General in Belfast Madame Zhang Meifang was first published on the Chinese consulate website on July 23.

Foster and ONeill expressed gratitude toward the precious support from China during the pandemic, and said that the government of Northern Ireland cherishes the friendship with China, understands and respects the national security legislation in Hong Kong, and sincerely wishes for more prosperity and stability in Hong Kong, the final paragraph read.

The paragraph has been deleted from the article on the Chinese consulate website, but so far remains in the version on the Chinese Foreign Ministry website.

In a statement to The Irish News on Tuesday, the Northern Ireland Executive Office said, The consulates report does not reflect ministers positions on Hong Kong security legislation, nor their comments at a recent courtesy meeting with the Chinese Consul General.

Media mogul Jimmy Lai Chee-ying, founder of Apple Daily is detained by the national security unit in Hong Kong, China, on Aug. 10, 2020. (Tyrone Siu TPX Images of the day/Reuters)

Reactions

Patrick Corrigan, Northern Ireland program director and head of nations and regions at Amnesty International UK, told The Irish News that he thought surely this cannot be true.

If this is an accurate report of the meeting, then the first and deputy first minister have let down the people of Northern Ireland and betrayed the people of Hong Kong and the Uighur community in China, he said.

He wanted to know if the ministers brought up human rights issues during the meeting, such as the disqualification of pro-democracy candidates, and the holding of Uighur Muslims in re-education camps.

Agnes Chow, Anthony Wong Yiu Ming, Tiffany Yuen Ka-wai, Denise Ho Wan See, Lester Shum, Eddie Chu, Joshua Wong, and Gregory Wong pose for photo at a campaigning during primary elections aimed for selecting democracy candidates in Hong Kong on July 11, 2020. (Tyrone Siu/Reuters)

If the first and deputy first minister did challenge these human rights abuses, given the official Chinese report, we now need clear evidence of that. The Northern Ireland Executive must urgently publish its note of the meeting, he said.

We cannot have our highest elected representatives tacitly going along with Chinas egregious human rights violations, whether in Hong Kong or mainland China.

Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong echoed Corrigans comments.

It will be unbelievably scandalous if it is really the case that the First Minister and Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland have said that they understand and respect Beijings human rights abuses under its sweeping national security law, he wrote on Twitter on Wednesday.

Agnes Chow speaks to reporters after appearing in court in Hong Kong, on July 6, 2020. (Song Bilung/The Epoch Times)

It will be more worrying if the Northern Ireland government chooses to turn a blind eye to the potential human rights concerns behind the law and bow down low to Beijing solely in exchange for more economic ties with China in business and education.

Therefore, we hope the Northern Ireland government can clarify its stance and stand up for the liberal values that the world cherishes.

Since the Chinese regime imposed the national security law on Hong Kong, several high-profile people have been arrested under the new law, including pro-democracy activist Agnes Chow, ITV News freelance journalist Wilson Li, and media tycoon Jimmy Lai.
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CALGARY, Alberta, Aug. 11, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- High Arctic Energy Services Inc. (TSX: HWO) "High Arctic" or the "Corporation will release its 2020 second quarter results on Thursday, August 13, 2020 after markets close.



Financial statements and Managements Discussion and Analysis will be posted to www.haes.ca and SEDAR after the results are released, after market, Thursday August 13, 2020. Note that no conference call is scheduled for this quarter.

About High Arctic

High Arctic is a publicly traded company listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol HWO. The Corporations principal focus is to provide drilling and specialized well completion services, equipment rentals and other services to the oil and gas industry.

High Arctic is a market leader providing drilling and specialized well completion services and supplies rig matting, camps and drilling support equipment on a rental basis in Papua New Guinea. The North American operations provide well servicing, well abandonment, snubbing and nitrogen services and equipment on a rental basis to a large number of oil and natural gas exploration and production companies operating in Western Canada and the United States.

For further information contact:

Michael J. Maguire

Chief Executive Officer

P: (587) 318-3826

E: mike.maguire@haes.ca Christopher Ames

VP Finance & Chief Financial Officer

P: 587-318-2218

E: chris.ames@haes.ca




As tensions rose between Azerbaijan and Armenia amid clashes at the border and military preparations, a Turkish scholar has said there is a likelihood for clashes to occur until the territorial conflict between the two countries is resolved. Armenia and Azerbaijan are ready to clash with one another at every chance possible, said Prof. Mitat Celikpala from Kadir Has University, specialized in Eurasian security and politics, in an online interview with Hurriyet Daily News.

We will face these clashes emerging when least expected until the territorial issue gets resolved between Azerbaijan and Armenia, Celikpala said. When asked if the latest clashes can open a new front in the decades-long conflict, Celikpala said he does not think that is going to be the case. I dont think so. We can understand this as such: The line where Upper Karabakh stands has been an engagement area nearly since the early 1990s. Both sides have strengthened their fortifications and have positions against each other, he said. Celikpala also underlined that the Upper Karabakh region is significant due to its location as it is near the energy transportation lines that Turkey established over Georgia and is also near the natural gas pipeline between Russia and Armenia. Before, both sides were able to carry out agricultural activities with various agreements made with each other. It was one of the regions both sides engaged with one another, which could have triggered sensitivity too, he said.

On a possible peaceful resolution to the conflict, Celikpala said that despite the efforts, no concrete solution emerged. But think of it like this: No matter what, this goes back to the historical process. In the modern worlds perspective, Upper Karabakh is within the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, but under the occupation of Armenia, he said. In my opinion, unless the international community finds a solution both sides can agree on, one of the sides will try to solve with clashes, the professor added.

Celikpala also conveyed Turkeys stance about the conflict, saying that Ankara has been overtly taking its position in support of Azerbaijan. Before, Turkey was standing by Azerbaijan but was in a more balanced position. As the protocols vetoed, Turkeys stance is clear: It is with Azerbaijan, he said. He also added that the recent military exercises, initiatives, military, and defense cooperation between Ankara and Baku are reflections of this proximity. As for Turkeys approach to the conflict and its expectations, Celikpala said, Turkey would not want a war between Azerbaijan and Armenia. Thats why there has always been an agreement with Russia, and the Upper Karabakh issue nearly froze for almost 30 years, he said.

The professor also underlined that both sides have been investing in their militaries and as Azerbaijan started to gain more revenue while energy prices were high, it spent almost as much as Armenias budget on its military. A huge infrastructure was built. Turkey and Israel are among the countries which Azerbaijan cooperates with, but Russia and China are among the top countries selling arms, he said.

When asked if it was possible for Ankara and Baku to build a joint army, as suggested by an Azerbaijani politician, Celikpala said that it would not be possible, and both sides would not want to do so. Because what Azerbaijan values is its independence, being an independent state. I think that being strategic partners is a discourse that would make Azerbaijan and Turkey happy, he said.



Concerning the other side of the conflict, the Armenian side, Celikpala said that the country has been getting more and more isolated from the rest of the world. [Armenian Prime Minister] Nikol Pashinyan, who the [Armenian public] supported started to fail the publics expectation from 2018 to 2020, he said. He also referred to the security doctrine Pashinyan announced just before the conflict, and that he did not bring any solution to the territorial conflict.

This Upper Karabakh issue started to pressure [Armenians] because it is being isolated. [While] for Azerbaijan, it is the opposite, Celikpala said. When asked if the internal pressures can shape Armenias foreign policy, Celikpala said that until this day, it had an impact but did not shape the politics.
As the states war against the coronavirus enters its fifth month, those on the frontlines of the pandemic continue to bear the brunt of its unprecedented tribulations, challenges and uncertainties.

Now, someones got their back  literally.
Technavio has been monitoring the automatic power factor controller market and it is poised to grow by 782.87 mn during 2020-2024, progressing at a CAGR of almost 4% during the forecast period. The report offers an up-to-date analysis regarding the current market scenario, latest trends and drivers, and the overall market environment.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200811005122/en/

Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Automatic Power Factor Controller Market 2020-2024

Technavio suggests three forecast scenarios (optimistic, probable, and pessimistic) considering the impact of COVID-19. Please Request Latest Free Sample Report on COVID-19 Impact

The market is fragmented, and the degree of fragmentation will accelerate during the forecast period. ABB Ltd., Eaton Corp. Plc, General Electric Co., Havells India Ltd., Mitsubishi Electric Corp., ON Semiconductor Corp., Schneider Electric SE, STMicroelectronics NV, Texas Instruments Inc., and WEG Equipamentos Eletricos SA are some of the major market participants. To make the most of the opportunities, market vendors should focus more on the growth prospects in the fast-growing segments, while maintaining their positions in the slow-growing segments.

Upgrading industrial facilities to improve energy efficiency has been instrumental in driving the growth of the market. However, the high cost of active and high voltage power factor controllers might hamper market growth.

Automatic Power Factor Controller Market 2020-2024: Segmentation

Automatic Power Factor Controller Market is segmented as below:

Product Active Power Factor Controller Passive Power Factor Controller

Geography APAC North America Europe South America MEA



To learn more about the global trends impacting the future of market research, download a free sample: https://www.technavio.com/talk-to-us?report=IRTNTR43932

Automatic Power Factor Controller Market 2020-2024: Scope

Technavio presents a detailed picture of the market by the way of study, synthesis, and summation of data from multiple sources. Our automatic power factor controller market report covers the following areas:

Automatic Power Factor Controller Market size

Automatic Power Factor Controller Market trends

Automatic Power Factor Controller Market industry analysis

This study identifies the increasing use of PIC microcontrollers in automatic power factor controllers as one of the prime reasons driving the automatic power factor controller market growth during the next few years.

Automatic Power Factor Controller Market 2020-2024: Vendor Analysis

We provide a detailed analysis of around 25 vendors operating in the automatic power factor controller market, including some of the vendors such as ABB Ltd., Eaton Corp. Plc, General Electric Co., Havells India Ltd., Mitsubishi Electric Corp., ON Semiconductor Corp., Schneider Electric SE, STMicroelectronics NV, Texas Instruments Inc., and WEG Equipamentos Eletricos SA. Backed with competitive intelligence and benchmarking, our research reports on the Automatic Power Factor Controller Market are designed to provide entry support, customer profile and M&As as well as go-to-market strategy support.

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Automatic Power Factor Controller Market 2020-2024: Key Highlights

CAGR of the market during the forecast period 2020-2024

Detailed information on factors that will assist automatic power factor controller market growth during the next five years

Estimation of the automatic power factor controller market size and its contribution to the parent market

Predictions on upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior

The growth of the automatic power factor controller market

Analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information on vendors

Comprehensive details of factors that will challenge the growth of automatic power factor controller market vendors

Table Of Contents :

Executive Summary

Market Landscape

Market ecosystem

Value chain analysis

Market Sizing

Market definition

Market segment analysis

Market size 2019

Market outlook: Forecast for 2019-2024

Five Forces Analysis

Five forces summary

Bargaining power of buyers

Bargaining power of suppliers

Threat of new entrants

Threat of substitutes

Threat of rivalry

Market condition

Market Segmentation by Product

Market segments

Comparison by Product

Active power factor controller Market size and forecast 2019-2024

Passive power factor controller Market size and forecast 2019-2024

Market opportunity by Product

Market Segmentation by End-user

Market segments

Comparison by End-user

Process industries Market size and forecast 2019-2024

Discrete industries Market size and forecast 2019-2024

Market opportunity by End-user

Customer Landscape

Geographic Landscape

Geographic segmentation

Geographic comparison

APAC Market size and forecast 2019-2024

North America Market size and forecast 2019-2024

Europe Market size and forecast 2019-2024

South America Market size and forecast 2019-2024

MEA Market size and forecast 2019-2024

Key leading countries

Market opportunity by geography

Volume Drivers Demand led growth

Market Challenges

Market Trends

Vendor Landscape

Overview

Vendor landscape

Landscape disruption

Vendor Analysis

Vendors covered

Market positioning of vendors

ABB Ltd.

Eaton Corp. Plc

General Electric Co.

Havells India Ltd.

Mitsubishi Electric Corp.

ON Semiconductor Corp.

Schneider Electric SE

STMicroelectronics NV

Texas Instruments Inc.

WEG Equipamentos Eletricos SA

Appendix

Scope of the report

Currency conversion rates for US$

Research methodology

List of abbreviations

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LGBTQ advocates on Wednesday joined a growing number of voices denouncing a controversy over Holyoke Mayor and congressional candidate Alex Morse fostering sexual relationships with students at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where Morse was once a lecturer.

Morse has been mayor since 2012, after winning an election as an openly gay 22-year-old in a historically parochial manufacturing city.

Last year, he announced a surprising challenge for the Massachusetts 1st Congressional District seat against incumbent U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal, among the most powerful Democrats in Washington as chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee. Morse is running as a progressive in a political era ripe for progressive upsets.

However, a controversy erupted last week when the College Democrats group at UMass sent Morse a letter disinviting him from their political events because members alleged he had inappropriate sexual relationships with students there.

Mayor Morse has made students uncomfortable and abused his power for sexual relationships, the group said.

Morse responded that all of his sexual relationships had been with adults and had been consensual, but apologized if he made anyone uncomfortable.

His supporters have accused the Neal camp of waging a political ambush weeks before the primary election. Representatives for Neal denied this.

Morse taught a political science course at UMass from 2014-19. During an interview with The Republican on Wednesday, he said none of his relationships were with students who had taken, were taking or went on to take the class.

"I have never abused my power as a mayor or as a guest lecturer at UMass," he said.

Morse said the men with whom he had been romantically involved have not approached him about internships or jobs. He would not say, however, if any of his sexual partners work on his campaign.

Im not going to go into every little detail, Morse said.

While some backers pulled endorsements for Morses campaign following the allegations, others have come out in his defense, including the LGBTQ Victory Fund, a national organization dedicated to electing LGBTQ leaders to public office. The fund released a statement Wednesday condemning a movement by Holyoke City Councilman Mike Sullivan to recall Morse as mayor.

Councilman Sullivans statement is a blatant attempt to mislead voters and appeal to homophobic stereotypes about gay men as pedophiles  and it must be retracted and condemned. He repeatedly refers to sexual activities with teenagers knowing full well the word teenagers evokes images of middle and high school students  not college students  and that there are no allegations from anyone underage, read a statement by Sean Meloy, senior political director for the LGBTQ Victory Fund.

Along with the national organization, state Sen. Julian Cyr, D-Truro, also sent a statement attributing the public outcry to LGBTQ bias.

As an out queer elected official who knows the sex lives of LGBTQ people are too often sensationalized in politics and in media, I find it extremely disappointing that vague and anonymous allegations have been levied against Holyoke Mayor and Congressional candidate Alex Morse without any on-the-record sourcing, Cyr wrote. Its alarming that these claims have attracted this level of attention with a swiftness I fear they would have not received if Alex was straight.

Cyr also noted Neals historic alliance with the LGBTQ community.

I urge Congressman Neal to discourage any unsubstantiated accusations that traffic in dangerous stereotypes about LGBTQ people, he wrote.

Neal has not commented on the Morse controversy, except to say neither he nor a surrogate was behind the College Democrats letter.

On the other side of the coin, Holyoke Ward 5 City Councilwoman Linda Vacon said publicly that sexuality has little to do with the controversy, in her opinion, and more about an abuse of power.

My perspective on this situation with Mayor (and School Committee Chairman) Morse is the same as it would be if the actions took place between a 31-year-old man and 18-year-old female students in the school where the person taught. He would be fired due to the unethical abuse of power that exists in a teacher-student relationship. So UMass has let him go as they should, said Vacon, a Republican.

A spokesman for the university said it has no plans to recall Morse as a guest lecturer and will launch an investigation into the allegations.

To be sure this is not about gay stereotypes, but is about age-old domination by those in power towards others who have little or none, Vacon continued.

The primary election is set for Sept. 1. Morse and Neal are scheduled to meet for their first public debate on Aug. 17.

Staff writer Jim Kinney contributed to this report.
More than 10 million acres of soybean and corn crops in Iowa are devastated after a powerful derecho storm swept through the state on Monday, the Washington Post reports.

Why it matters: Iowa is the top corn producer in the U.S. At least 43% of the state's cropland is damaged, per Radio Iowa.

Drive-through coronavirus testing sites in Davenport, Marshalltown and Cedar Rapids were closed on Monday and Tuesday following the storm, the Post reports.

sites in Davenport, Marshalltown and Cedar Rapids were closed on Monday and Tuesday following the storm, the Post reports. The amount impacted is like one purchase from China," Jan Dutton, chief executive of private forecasting group Prescient Weather, told the Post.

Details: NOAA's National Severe Storms Laboratory defines a derecho as "a widespread, long-lived wind storm that is associated with a band of rapidly moving showers or thunderstorms." Such a weather event can make its way through hundreds of miles in a matter of hours.

The state of play: More than 700 instances of damage or severe weather caused by the derecho were reported to the National Weather Service, per the Post. The storm left behind a trail of destruction of 700 miles long from Nebraska to Indiana.

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) issued a disaster proclamation for 20 counties.

Winds up to 112 mph were recorded in Midway, Iowa and 100-mph gusts were recorded in Hiawatha.

Damaged grain bins at the Heartland Co-Op grain elevator on August 11 in Luther, Iowa. Photo: Daniel Acker/Getty Images

A toppled grain bin in Gilman, Iowa on August 11. Photo: Daniel Acker/Getty Images

Damaged corn crop in Tama, Iowa on August 11. Photo: Daniel Acker/Getty Images

A worker stands on a collapsed 350,000-bushel grain bin in Malcom, Iowa. Photo: Daniel Acker/Getty Images

Damaged grain bins at the Key Cooperative grain elevator in Marshalltown, Iowa. Photo: Daniel Acker/Getty Images
If Claes Bang didnt exist so suavely before our eyes, youd say they dont make movie stars like him any more: debonair, mature but with sparky wit, and possessed of a flexible accent that is at once evasive and distinctly European. Since breaking out aged 50 in Rubin Ostlunds The Square, he could have exclusively cashed in his raised profile on the kind of generically foreign villain parts and Europudding filler that tend to await such actors these days, yet he seems to be finding throwback vehicles to match his elegantly out-of-time stardom. First came the slippery, well-dressed art-scene noir The Burnt Orange Heresy and World War 2 counterfeiting drama The Last Vermeer; now, in a comparably neo-Hitchcockian vein, comes The Bay of Silence, in which his coolly compelling man-adrift charisma  backed by sturdy support from Olga Kurylenko and Brian Cox  keeps a splintering mystery together.

If the latter aspect  addressed more frankly and empathetically than it would have been in the old-school potboilers emulated here  cant entirely fit into the scripts trim genre brief, the film benefits from the quiet human touch that Dutch helmer Paula van der Oest brings to its more expected thriller mechanics. Since her sprightly 2001 romantic comedy Zus & Zo landed her an Oscar nomination, van der Oest has moved fluidly between brisk genre pieces and deeper-feeling dramas; that ambidexterity comes into play here.

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Caroline Goodalls screenplay  the first by the veteran character actress, who also takes a producing credit and plays a modest supporting role  has a trickier time shuffling between hardboiled and heartsore modes as it unfolds, though its crisp and intriguing in the first half. Its adapted from a brief 1986 novel by British writer Lisa St. Aubin de Teran, which alternated in perspective between the two halves of a troubled married couple. Yet aside from a cryptic black-and-white prologue  centered on an emotionally distressed teenage girl as she stashes a briefcase in a coastal cave and flees  the film largely assumes the viewpoint of Will (Bang), a well-off London architect introduced on an amorous vacation with his even wealthier photographer girlfriend Rosalind (Kurylenko) in Italys Liguria region. They seem carefree enough, though the film none-too-subtly stresses the significance of the areas idyllic Bay of Silence, evidently swimming with unhappy secrets.

Story continues

In short order, they marry, conceive a child, and move into a rambling Victorian house with Rosalinds twin daughters (Lilibet and Litiana Biutanaseva) from a previous relationship. Yet an accident that triggers the premature birth of their baby son, Amedeo, also unlocks deep-seated mental health problems in Rosalind, linked to past trauma shed never shared with her bewildered husband. Soon enough, shes scratching at the walls, accusing others of abducting Amedeos non-existent twin, and one night disappears altogether, taking the children and their nanny Candy (Shalisha James-Davis) with her.

As Wills murky search for her  and the truth behind her breakdown  takes him from seedy London nightclubs to a sinister Normandy fishing village to a plush Swiss sanatorium, he learns more about his missing wife than he ever did in their time together. However, the caginess with which her mother Vivian (Alice Krige) and doting stepfather Milton (Brian Cox), a louche art dealer heavily invested in Rosalinds photographic prowess, meet his enquiries suggests theres more to know still.

Aided considerably by Bangs sleek, sympathetic resolve in the man-who-knew-too-little part, The Bay of Silence holds our attention throughout, yet the plots surfeit of red herrings pile up even after the nature of the mystery  and its thinly disguised villain  become clear, a shade too early, to the audience. Given Kurylenkos committed, feverish performance, one would perhaps like to unravel more of this through her eyes, rather than via her husbands piecing together of secondhand memory shards. When the film operates as a routine thriller, it runs effectively on the push-pull dynamic between Bangs bemused seeker and Coxs defensive guardian: The Succession star is in purring, quizzical mode as a man who protects truths and lies with equal caution.

Attractively shot on location in London, Liguria and craggy coastal Scotland  filling in for Normandy, and bringing a particular storm-blue menace to it  The Bay of Silence often indulges in an alluring travelogue look that plays into its old-fashioned genre surface. Things get more interesting, as they always do, when we delve into what lies beneath. The films pained, ugly revelations finally carry more weight than any amateur detective work leading up to them: a #MeToo reckoning hidden within a glinting, noir-esque hall of mirrors.

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As veterans of the Great Recession, we feel a strong sense of deja vu in the current economic crisis. While we didnt have to face the challenges of social distancing or rising death tolls in rebuilding the economy during the Great Recession, many other struggles are familiar, including record layoffs. The hardship is widespread, and millions have been pushed to food banks for the first time. Locally, the San Francisco-Marin Food Bank is now serving nearly double the number of households each week compared with before the pandemic.

Given the recurrence of these challenges, we hoped that policymakers would deploy some strategies proven effective during the last recession to stem the worst impacts of economic freefall  specifically, the increase of SNAP benefits (known as CalFresh in California) to put buying power in the hands of those in need and relieve the overwhelming burden on local food banks.

However, over the weekend the president issued several executive orders that contain nothing for food assistance and fall short of addressing deep and wide standing hardship. Earlier this month, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell unveiled a series of proposals that, taken together, also fail to meet the needs of millions of Californians who are still reeling from the economic effects of COVID-19. With so much uncertainty, we need our government to implement proven solutions to ensure our neighbors can continue to feed their families.

In late June, nearly 30% more adults living with children in California reported sometimes or often not having enough food in the past week compared to pre-COVID. The crisis is not going away. As the virus continues to spread, many businesses are forced to keep their doors closed. Unemployment levels will not return to normal anytime soon.

Take the case of Maria, who first came to the Food Bank in April after losing her job at a preschool. Being unable to work has left her struggling to afford enough food for her two teenage sons who eat even more now that they arent getting meals at school. Or Alex, who lost his job as a limo driver. He and his wife started coming to the Pop-up Pantry at Rosa Parks Elementary School near their home in the Fillmore because picking up a bag of groceries helps ensure they can still pay their other bills.

In dire times like these, our countrys most effective hunger fighting tool is SNAP. For every one meal food banks provide, SNAP provides 12. Demand for CalFresh has surged during the pandemic, with participation increasing by 19%. These increases are exceptional: during and after the Great Recession, participation rose by no more than 6% over any three-month period.

At an average of just $1.52 per meal per person, CalFresh benefits are extremely modest, but they help millions of Californians avoid hunger while also supporting local economies. Every $1 of federal spending on the program generates roughly $1.54 in economic activity. A 15% increase in CalFresh benefits would give California an estimated $467 million boost  $11 million in San Francisco  when people and our economy need it the most.

Boosting CalFresh must be a part of the next recovery package. But CalFresh isnt the only way to get resources to low-income households while stimulating the economy. The next package also should include funding for Pandemic-EBT, a strong example of what happens when government quickly responds to the needs of our community. Pandemic-EBT helped over 3.5 million California children get enough to eat when schools were forced to close. These benefits have been critical as California has the nations highest rate of child poverty, and more than 3.8 million children in the state are eligible for free or reduced-price meals.

As domestic workers, restaurant employees and others struggle to feed themselves and their families, food banks across the country are continuing the scramble to keep up with demand. But they cant do it alone. During the Great Recession, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called for increasing CalFresh benefits. In this crisis, she has once again made that call. The Heroes Act passed in May by the House would increase the CalFresh maximum benefit by 15% through 2021. Sen. McConnell should join the speaker in pushing for this vital economic stimulus. With the continued spread of the virus and the proven benefits of CalFresh to our economy, bipartisan action is needed now.

California bounced back from the Great Recession, and we can bounce back from this crisis. But food must once again be part of the solution.

Paul Ash is executive director of the San Francisco-Marin Food Bank. George Manalo-LeClair is executive director at California Food Policy Advocates.
The Liberal Party of Ghana (LPG) flagbearer, Kofi Akpaloo has argued that the fact that the largest opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) flagbearer is copying his ideas, shows that his promises if elected as President are not empty.



According to him, some promises he has made in his just-released manifesto have been stolen by John Dramani Mahama.



Kofi Akpaloo who was live on Facebook to address his supporters warned the former President to desist from the criminal act of stealing his juicy policies or face his wrath.



We [LPG] stated clearly in our manifesto build a 10-billion-dollar infrastructure promise. Since 2016, we have been selling to Ghanaians a promise of putting in place an infrastructure fund to help build Ghana, he said.



Adding that Now, Mahama who has nothing better to offer Ghanaians is going around with the same promise.



Mr. Akpaloo however challenged John Mahama to provide a blueprint of their 10 billion infrastructure promise if indeed the NDC is the originator of the idea.









Source: King Edward Ambrose Washman Addo/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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A mask objectors has been injured in a supermarket two police officers who wanted him to pay. The state protection because the is unique to 44-Year-old, according to the police, apparently, the rich citizens of the Milieu. He had filmed the Situation. The incident is strongly reminiscent of a similar case in Troisdorf, Germany in may.

the police announced on Wednesday, had created the man without a mouth-nose protection on Tuesday evening against 22 o'clock with the supermarket staff and employees with a shopping rammed the car. When the officers arrived, they observed numerous other customer Events. The 44-year-old man had been in the middle, and filmed. "The police officers, he explained that he was not obliged to wear a cover," said the officials. He had not then listed a series of paragraphs, "which are consistent with the laws of the Federal Republic of Germany".

As the police wanted to bring the 44-Year-old from the supermarket, he resisted so strongly, that two officers had been injured. They came to the hospital. Reinforcements had arrived, and the man overpowered and tied him up: "On the ride to the police custody, he tried in the patrol car, a police attack."

Updated Date: 12 August 2020, 14:20
FL Technics has renewed its GCAA Part 21 certificate. Image: FL Technics

The news come after a series of rigorous checks and audits performed by the GCAA of the UAE, prolonging FL Technics certification in UAE for the fourth year since 2017.

The Part21 certificate is of great importance for FL Technics, as the MRO provider aims to offer clients the widest possible service portfolio. The certificate enables the company to continue carrying out interior, avionics and passenger cabin modifications as well as providing materials required for the projects implementation. During the years, FL Technics has performed various projects for a number of carriers located in the Gulf region with the most recent works for Flydubai. The renewal of the certificate will also allow the company to keep supporting its long-term customer Wizz Air, with its newly established joint venture, Wizz Air Abu Dhabi.

Additionally the renewal will enable FL Technics to propose ideas and implement safety-oriented solutions related to the Covid-19 situation for all local operators to contribute to UAE airline market growth.

The renewal of the DOA GCAA certificate comes as pleasant news for the company and the whole group. Since its foundation, FL Technics has always been working on increasing the availability and quality of its services around the globe. Since 2017, we have been successfully offering our cabin and avionics modifications services in the UAE and have successfully completed numerous projects for the airlines based in the region. We are glad to be recognized by the GCAA and we look forward to continue serving the growing aviation market of the region, said Liudas Jurkonis head of engineering, design and technical trainings.
A man was shot in the arm after several people started fighting outside a Coursey Boulevard bar just after midnight Wednesday, according to the East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office.

Several men reportedly shot at one another during a fight in the parking lot of Tiger Paw Grill and Daiquiris, agency spokesperson Casey Rayborn Hicks said.

A short time later, one person arrived at the hospital with a gunshot wound that wasn't considered life-threatening.

Louisiana's current coronavirus restrictions have limited alcoholic beverage service and restaurant seating capacity. Gov. John Bel Edwards ordered bars to close last month, but establishments that also serve food can still operate.
Animated illustrations are used to explain the supernatural tales in the program, such as this one on The Woman in Green . [For China Daily]

The supernatural and literature have long had a close acquaintance both in the West and the East. Pardon the pun, but readers were never spooked by the appearance of a good ghost. Many people in China will recall the moral tales of Liaozhai Zhiyi (Strange Tales From a Lonely Studio) with its supernatural essence.

Written by Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) writer Pu Songling, the 18th-century classic collection of short stories has inspired many Chinese filmmakers not least like the 1987 A Chinese Ghost Story starring Leslie Cheung and the 2008 blockbuster Painted Skin.

A new program named Gushi Ganggang Hao (The Stories Are Just Right), created by streaming media platform Youku, tries to tell viewers that these household ghost stories cannot fully represent the panorama of the classic fiction's 496 short stories. But the realism hailed by the author may still be inspirational for today's young people.

The first season of the program  a 12-eposide package, named Strange Tales From a Lonely Studio  was premiered on July 15, with a new episode weekly, each lasting about 20 minutes.

The setting of the first season seems to give an air of "loneliness." In a simple studio against a white backdrop, only the host Zhang Shaogang is talking, while occasionally some animated illustrations are used as a complementary tool for explanation.

However, for Zhang, 48, a well-known TV host and a media professor at the Communication University of China, having such a show is a longtime dream. Four years ago during a coffee-time chat, he accidentally talked about his passion for the classic fiction with Wang Xiaonan, a producer of Youku, who showed interest, got an idea and it brewed. After years of preparation, the program was finally born.

"Many people have misunderstandings and stereotypes of the classic fiction, even before they read any story from it in its original context," Zhang says.

Although the book is about spirits, in his view, it's also written "about our emotions in daily life." "It's fascinating to see how the author reveals human nature through supernatural tales," he adds.

Zhang Shaogang [For China Daily]

In each episode of the program, Zhang reads a story, usually a lesser-known one from the book, and explains its original text of wenyanwen, the written form of classical Chinese  the literary language used in ancient China  into simpler colloquial expressions. He will then mix his insight into the story, put it into a modern context and see how it can inspire young people to handle difficulties in life.

For example, in the first episode The Woman in Green, which tells a story of how a young woman, who is actually a bee spirit, falls in love with a man but finally leaves him without hesitation. She feels unsafe after the man keeps praising her voice and urging her to sing.

"In a modern, urban romance, people often ask their partners to do something on the excuse of love despite the fact that their partners may not want to," Zhang says in the program. "This story may easily trigger people's emotional resonance."

When the woman flees as a bee, she only leaves a word of "thanks" to the man. Zhang explains: "She thanks the man for the beautiful days of love, and the chance for her to be her true self. How many people in life can break up with their partner in such a decisive but elegant way? When a modern couple attack each other upon breaking up, things can be really nasty."

In the last episode of the show, he tells the story of a man who goes through life doing little or no work after his father promises to bequeath him a vast fortune. However, when he finally gets the windfall, it is too late to enjoy his newfound wealth and he has wasted his life in pursuit of it. Zhang asks: "Why did he base his future on an unreliable promise instead of seizing the day and building a good life of his own?"

Zhang admits that he has read the book many times. "I began to love reading Liaozhai Zhiyi as a child, and as I age I read the stories again and again. Each time I've nurtured new feelings."

The program has so far achieved 8.4 points out of a total 10 on Douban, a leading film and TV review platform, but being highly acclaimed does not mean that there is an absence of criticism.

Although Zhang has referred to Ma Ruifang, a professor at Shandong University who is a top-level scholar specializing in the classic fiction, to avoid mistakes when he explains the original texts, many viewers left comments online voicing their different understandings of the stories' connotations.

They also corrected Zhang's pronunciation of certain words because a character often has different pronunciations based on the contexts in wenyanwen.

"I never expected my version to be regarded as the only true answer. It'll be great if people get inspired through the program and have their own ideas," Zhang says and smiles. He used to host a program on reading when he worked at China Central Television, but he recalls that the program met with a tepid response. Hardly surprising as it was broadcast at 3 am and was finally dropped because of low ratings.

One program may not lead to a revival of programs on reading, Zhang says, but "at least I think it's a great way to usher people to wenyanwen and to enjoy the beauty of words."

Upcoming seasons of the program may cover Shiji, the monumental historical recording written by historian Sima Qian during the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 24).

"Ancient authors can only tell stories based on the social atmosphere of their own time," Zhang says. "However, their inspiration can be everlasting because human nature largely remains unchanged."

(Source: China Daily)
Taiwan's 'Mr Democracy' Lee Teng-hui dies aged 97 in Taipei FILE PHOTO: Taiwanese former President Lee Teng-hui attends an event to campaign for Taiwan to be recognised as a participant in the United Nations and World Health Organization, in Taipei

TAIPEI (Reuters) - Former Taiwan President Lee Teng-hui, dubbed "Mr. Democracy" for burying autocratic rule in favour of freewheeling pluralism, died at the age of 97, the official Central News Agency reported on Thursday.

Lee became Taiwan's first democratically elected president in 1996, in a landslide victory that followed eight months of intimidating war games and missile tests by China in waters around Taiwan in an attempt to scare voters.

He thrived on defying China's drive to absorb the island it regards as a wayward province and hoped for Taiwan to be "a country of democracy, freedom, human rights and dignity."

(Reporting By Yimou Lee; editing by John Stonestreet)
As votes continue to trickle in via mail-in ballots, the two candidates in Tuesdays Democratic primary for the 22nd District in the State Senate are keeping their options open.

Unofficial results showed three-term incumbent Marilyn Moore of Bridgeport holding a lead of about 500 votes over Bridgeport City Councilman Marcus Brown. Brown had won the partys endorsement over Moore in May, but Moore received enough delegates to qualify for a primary.

Wednesday morning, Brown campaign manager Tom Gaudett said the campaign was unlikely to make any decisions before Thursday, the deadline for absentee ballots to be counted. But win or lose, he said the Brown camp had run a strong race.

Going up against a three-term incumbent who is coming off of almost becoming Bridgeport mayor, it was tough, he said. That kind of name recognition is something you just dont have as a city councilman where you only represent one part of the city.

The district includes all of Trumbull, most of western Bridgeport and a small portion of Monroe. Voting was close in all three communities, with Moore winning 175-172 in Monroe, and 1,164 to 1,116 in Trumbull, according to unofficials numbers provided by the towns. Bridgeports Election Day machine tally also favored Moore, 2,680 to 2,515

The race saw heavy use of mail-in balloting, although ballot distribution problems and last weeks tropical storm led Gov. Ned Lamont to issue an executive order directing that ballots postmarked by Tuesday be accepted until Thursday.

Absentee ballot counting was still ongoing, but Moore and Brown campaign officials agreed that those ballots had expanded Moores lead.

Reached by phone Wednesday afternoon, Moore was not quite ready to declare victory, but said she was confident the margin would hold up.

I just heard from the governor, and he said he doesnt think theres that many more ballots out there, Moore said. With this kind of lead, and this few ballots still out, I kind of thought I would hear from (Brown), but maybe they just want to sweat me for a little bit. Thats OK, Ive been doing this a long time.

In her three previous runs for the seat, Moore has twice won a primary against a party-backed opponent. She defeated incumbent Sen. Anthony Musto of Trumbull is 2014 and Tom McCarthy of Bridgeport in 2016.

Asked why the party continued to run primary opponents against her, Moore said she was not sure.

I dont know, I think Im a nice person, she said. It seems the party leaders and delegates never back me, but every time, the people do.

deng@trumbulltimes.com
The new species of worm is now one of six described species of Flabelligena, which are known mainly from the North Atlantic Ocean Credit: Naoto Jimi, National Institute of Polar Research, Japan

Earlier this year, a team from Japan's National Institute of Polar Research (NIPR), National Museum of Nature and Science (NMNS), and Kochi University (KU) set out to collect specimens of sea worm near the South Orkney Islands, a remote region of the Southern Ocean about 400 miles northeast of the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula.

The researchers collected material from the sea floor at depths of 2,036 to 2,479 meters, a segment that falls within what oceanographers call the bathyal zone (1,000 to 4,000 meters deep). Among the collected seafloor material, they observed a new Acrocirridae Banse, a family that now includes 43 species of worm, all but two of which are bottom dwelling. The team, led by Naoto Jimi, a postdoctoral fellow at NIPR, published their findings in Biodiversity Data Journal on June 8, 2020.

The team's process involved extracting rock and silt sediments using a sieve with seawater and fixing them in an ethanol solution. They observed a variety of captured specimens under a microscope and photographed them with a high-resolution digital SLR. The newly-identified worm is named Flabelligena Gillet, 2001.

Flabelligena Gillet, 2001 falls within the broad class of worms called polychaetes, which contains over 10,000 species. "Polychaetes are one of the most diverse groups in marine benthic animals and well-studied in the Southern Ocean," Jimi said. "Many researchers have investigated the Southern Ocean, but our knowledge of small deep-sea invertebrates is still quite limited."

Scanning electron micrographs of the new species of sea worm Flabelligena . Credit: Naoto Jimi, National Institute of Polar Research, Japan

Left: The image showed the collection gear after sampling off the South Orkney Island in the Southern Ocean. Right: Researchers collected samples to study the species Flabelligena in the Southern Ocean. Credit: Naoto Jimi, National Institute of Polar Research, Japan

Jimi and his NIPR, NMNS, and KU co-authors described the Flabelligena Gillet, 2001 as having a "minute" body, body papillae (small rounded protuberances), 1-3 pairs of branchiae (gill-like organs), and a pair of frontal palps (segmented appendages usually associated with touch or taste). Its body is about 1.8 centimeters long and 1 millimeter wide and rounded on both ends.

The new species of worm is now one of six described species of Flabelligena, which are known mainly from the North Atlantic Ocean. Three species of Flabelligena are from the Southwest Atlantic, Mediterranean, and South Indian Oceans. They all live in sandy mud areas, mainly in the bathyal to abyssal depths (1,000 meters and deeper). According to Jimi, the new species are the first records of Flabelligena found in the Southern Ocean. Their discovery will also contribute dramatically to the understanding of biodiversity of the Antarctic region.

Jimi and his team hope to discover more species and continue to learn more about the vast Southern Ocean. "This is just the first step in understanding the biodiversity of the Antarctic Ocean," Jimi said. "The next step is to understand the polychaete diversity around Syowa Station. Syowa Station is Japan's Antarctic research station located in East Ongul Island, Antarctica.

Explore further New species discovered in Antarctica

More information: Naoto Jimi et al, A new deep-sea species of Flabelligena from off the South Orkney Islands, the Southern Ocean, Biodiversity Data Journal (2020). Naoto Jimi et al, A new deep-sea species of Flabelligena from off the South Orkney Islands, the Southern Ocean,(2020). DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.8.e53312

Provided by Research Organization of Information and Systems
Many people choose to turn their chosen festive celebrations into a vacation. This can be a great idea as going away reduces the stress of hosting and can make the upcoming holiday feel even more exciting. Although there are plenty of brilliant holiday vacation spots to choose from all over the States and beyond, Florida has a lot to offer. If you're thinking about spending the next festive holiday away from home, here are 4 reasons why you should consider Florida for your trip.

1. Winter Sun

If you live in a state where the winter weather can be harsh and cold, you might be interested in soaking up some extra sunshine over the holiday season. Even if the holiday your celebrating doesn't take place over the colder seasons, enjoying the warm weather is always a big plus. Florida is nicknamed the 'Sunshine State' for a reason, and with plenty of parks and beaches to explore, it's the perfect place to enjoy the heat.

2. Great Resorts

As Florida is a relatively popular tourist destination, naturally, there are plenty of top-quality resorts to choose from. What's great is that a lot of them tend to cater to a variety of festive celebrations, and often there are events or special dinners available for guests to attend. The Villatel resort in Orlando offers members of the Jewish community a range of Kosher events to take part in, and are the top destination to celebrate Pesah Orlando.

3. Things to do with the Kids

As Orlando is home to many famous amusement parks such as Disneyland and Universal Studios, this certainly makes it a great destination for families. It can be a challenge to keep kids entertained, but to bring smiles to their faces and make some great memories during your festive trip, a visit to these places could be a great idea. However, there are plenty of other places in this state to see and loads of family-friendly activities to enjoy. The Everglades National Park is a great place to explore, and you can take an airboat tour through the beautiful mangroves. Or perhaps an educational trip to the Kennedy Space Centre? There is a long list of things to do with the kids and for adults, too.

4. Great Beaches

For those who are looking to bask in the sun over the festive period and relax, there are some great beaches to choose from. Sanibel Island is a great place to escape the hustle and bustle as it is one of the quieter beaches in the state. However, if you're looking for something a bit more atmospheric to get you in the festive spirit, Key West is the place to go. There are many beaches to choose from; therefore, finding something to suit your ideal holiday vacation vibe shouldn't be too hard to do.

Getting away for the holidays is a great way to relax and enjoy the festivities. Although there are many places to choose from, if you want to enjoy some sunshine and escape to the beach, choose Florida.
A Florida sheriff is telling his deputies and visitors to the sheriff's office that they are forbidden from wearing face masks.

Health officials across the world are encouraging the use of face masks to prevent the spread of coronavirus. Several states have statewide mask mandates in place, while numerous national retail chains have issued requirements for face mask use in stores.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (L) called for Belarusians to have 'the freedoms they are demanding' at a press conference with Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis in Prague

Belarusians should be given "the freedoms that they are demanding", US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Wednesday, urging authorities in the former Soviet republic not to harm protesters.

"We want the people of Belarus to have the freedoms that they are demanding, that they think are in their best interests," Pompeo said during a visit to Prague.

"We urge that the non-violent protesters be protected, not harmed. It's not in anyone's best interests to do that," Pompeo told reporters.

He was speaking alongside Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis, who called the events in Belarus "shocking" after a third night of protests following a disputed election in which President Alexander Lukashenko won a sixth term.

Babis said he expected the EU not only to make declarations, but to take action because Belarusians have the right to freedom and democracy.

"The local regime is unacceptable, what is happening in the streets is unacceptable, the course of the election was unacceptable and now the question is whether Europe will only rely on declarations or whether it will act," the billionaire politician said.

Pompeo was visiting Prague as part of a European tour that will also take him to Austria, Slovenia and Poland.

The agenda for the trip includes countering Chinese company Huawei's role in 5G network construction, as well as energy security and US troop deployments in the region.

frj/pma
(Bloomberg) -- Donald Trumps WeChat ban targets a celebrated Chinese innovation at the heart of the worlds largest mobile gaming and social media empire, threatening one of the more eye-catching stock rallies of 2020.

Its hard to overstate WeChats importance to Tencent Holdings Ltd. Its the means through which Tencent introduces a billion people to games and other online content, funneling trillions of dollars in annual payments to brands from Apple Inc. to Walmart Inc. WeChats reach underpinned Tencents $280 billion gain in market value since a March 18 Covid-19 trough -- equivalent to one Samsung Electronics Co. and the fifth biggest dollar-gain on the planet over that period.

Trump single-handedly stopped that rally cold. The U.S. President signed an executive order last week to ban U.S. entities from dealing with WeChat -- along with TikTok, ByteDance Ltd.s viral video platform -- in 45 days. Confusion and uncertainty reigned as investors grappled with the vague edict. Tencent shed $66 billion over two days before it partly bounced back.

Executives unfurling earnings Wednesday will seek to reassure the market it can withstand a White House campaign thats already ensnared Huawei Technologies Co. and dozens of Chinese up-and-comers. A U.S. official clarified the sanction involves only the app and not its owner. But the sweeping language of Trumps order -- which bars transactions with the Chinese company -- leaves the door open for the administration to extend it well beyond WeChat, dubbed Weixin locally.

Its really a gut punch to those companies when you look at their global expansion plans, Wedbush analyst Daniel Ives told Bloomberg Television. Tencents stock stood largely unchanged ahead of the results this afternoon.

Why Tencent and WeChat Are Such a Big Deal in China: QuickTake

The WeChat operator is doing well in the short run: analysts on average foresee a 27% rise in June-quarter revenue and a 13% spike in net income. But investors appear divided over the fate of Chinas second largest corporation. Options on the company -- contracts that let the holder buy or sell stock at a pre-agreed price -- suggest traders are bracing for a 5.7% swing in Tencents shares after it unveils earnings, or roughly four times the usual band.

Story continues

The three most popular options as of Wednesday included a bullish contract that projected a roughly 16% rise to HK$600 by Septembers end and a bearish one that suggested a 20% plunge, Bloomberg data showed. But the put-to-call ratio, or the number of traded sell options divided by the number of buy contracts, is near its lowest since May, suggesting more upbeat than bearish investors still.

The widening gulf reflects the central role WeChat plays in Tencents empire, and the outsized fallout now that its in Trumps cross-hairs. Started in 2011 as a WhatsApp clone, the service has become deeply ingrained in Chinese life, indispensable to the hordes who use it to chat, shop, watch videos, play games, flirt, order food and taxis. It pioneered the all-in-one or super-app concept by embedding lite apps or mini programs -- a model emulated by Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. as well as Facebook Inc. Its success sprang in part from the fact that China banned global services such as WhatsApp, Twitter and Instagram, allowing WeChat and a host of other Chinese equivalents to flourish in an alternate internet realm.

Today, if the Chinese company is a mashup of Facebook, Netflix, WhatsApp and Spotify, then WeChat is the smartphone and payments backbone that ties them all together.

The impact on valuation would be more severe if the implementation included banning all transactions of Chinese businesses of U.S. companies with Tencent as a whole, as this would also hurt Weixin, advertising in mainland China by U.S. affiliated firms, the international cloud business, the international gaming business, and so on, Morningstar analyst Chelsey Tam wrote this week.

At a minimum, Trumps order likely gets WeChat removed from Apple and Googles mobile stores, which in turn means suspending updates or even blacking out a service vital to communications on the factory floor, in households and the boardroom. And if American consumer giants like Starbucks Corp. and Walmart are prevented from doing business with WeChat in China, Tencent may also take a blow to advertising and e-commerce sales.

But the ban has wider implications. Even if the executive order doesnt cover WeChat China, it could hamstring Tencent in other ways. Take Tencents $15 billion cloud services and fintech division, a major driver of growth over past years. If American firms cant sell servers to support WeChat, that effectively means they cant sell to Tencent itself unless the messaging service can be completely ring-fenced. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo has already urged American companies to cut ties with Chinese cloud providers including Tencent and Alibaba, part of a clean internet campaign.

Read more: Trump Ban on Top Messaging App Risks Snarling Global Business

Then theres Tencents cash cow. Gamers the world over were among the fastest and loudest opponents of the action, going online to campaign to save titles like PUBG Mobile and Call of Duty Mobile. Tencent has some $22 billion of investments in U.S. gaming assets and companies from Activision Blizzard Inc. to Fortnite maker Epic Games Inc. and League of Legends developer Riot Games Inc.

What Bloomberg Intelligence Says

The spilling over of U.S.-China tension into the software realm, marked by President Donald Trumps executive orders against Tencent and ByteDance, could increase risks for global video-game makers if business operations are forced to decouple. Tencent has at least $22 billion of gaming investments in the U.S. that, if bans widen, may face forced divestment similar to ByteDances TikTok, while Activision Blizzard risks losing 10-20% of Blizzard revenue generated in China through its partnership with NetEase.

- Vey-Sern Ling and Matthew Kanterman, analysts

Click here for the research.

Tencent in recent years has searched for ways to extend its dominance of Chinas social media and gaming scenes internationally, with mixed success. Its smaller global exposure now becomes an edge over upstart ByteDance, whose TikTok is the first truly successful Chinese-made internet service.

Now its turning inward faster than before. On Monday, Tencent kicked off a deal to merge game-streaming platforms DouYu International Holdings Ltd. and Huya Inc. into a $10 billion local leader. Last month, it offered to buy out and take private domestic search engine Sogou Inc.

But Beijings own moves could complicate the matter. China has threatened to retaliate against what it perceives as rising U.S. aggression, but any attempt to undercut American operations in China could hurt Tencent and potentially complicate matters for non-U.S. players.

Uncertainties still exist for Tencent and other Chinese internet companies with business in the U.S., and Chinese pure-plays will be perceived as safer by investors, Bernstein analysts including David Dai wrote in a report.

(Updates with Tencents shares from the fifth paragraph)

For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com

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Kate Beckinsale, 47, has recently been getting more serious with her boyfriend Goody Grace, 23, during quarantine.

She cut a chic look in black and white Tuesday, as she enjoyed an outing with the Canadian pop artist in her upscale Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles.

Romantic outing: Kate Beckinsale, 47, cut a chic look in black and white Tuesday, as she enjoyed an outing with boyfriend Goody Grace, 23, in her upscale Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles

The British actress donned a slimming black jacket with an asymmetrical white top that draped down her legs.

It was paired with some skintight black leggings and a pair of black suede platform six-inch stilettos.

She finished the ensemble with a pair of black cat-eye sunglasses, layers of black and white costume beads and black leather purse.

Beckinsale was first romantically linked with Grace back in April, when they were spotted holding hands while out for a walk.

Chic display: The British actress donned a black jacket with an asymmetrical white top that draped down her legs

Sparks flying: Beckinsale was first romantically linked with Grace back in April, when they were spotted holding hands while out for a walk (pictured in May, 2020)

'L' bomb: They took a big step late last month, when they publicly dropped the 'L' bomb on her 47th birthday

A source told HollywoodLife in July: 'They actually have a lot in common. Kate is a free spirit and she appreciates that Goody is talented. Hes really mature, and they can have deep conversations but also can be really playful and goofy at the same time.

'She just enjoys being with him and she loves him for who he is. He treats her with complete respect and what else could a woman ask for in a partner.'

They took a big step late last month, when they publicly dropped the 'L' bomb on her 47th birthday.

'HAPPY BIRTHDAY I LOVE YOU,' he commented on her Instagram post, to which she responded: '@goodygrace I love you [kiss face emoji].'

Infamous ex: The Underworld star infamously had a brief post-Ariana romance with Pete Davidson, 26, early last year (pictured in March, 2019)

Troll slayer: She clapped back at a troll who criticized her relationships' age gaps in an Instagram comment earlier in the month

It came after she clapped back at a troll who criticized their age gap in an Instagram comment earlier in the month.

'Why do you keep dating guys that could be your children?' he asked, to which she quipped: 'Every relationship I have had has been solely to annoy you.'

The Underworld star infamously had a brief post-Ariana romance with Pete Davidson, 26, early last year.

Beckinsale told Women's Health UK for the June cover: 'It can feel like a little bit of a political act to be a woman over 32 whos having any fun at all.'
The data is stark  lockdown prevented COVID-19 among wealthy, white Torontonians, but failed to protect low-income and racialized households in the same way. Unfortunately, this comes as no surprise to us as doctors, since weve been caring for patients with COVID-19 since the pandemic arrived in our emergency departments.

Its clear that sound public health advice to stay home when sick is simply not enough. Workplaces were a major source of COVID-19 spread during the lockdown, because essential workers are denied essential protections, from personal support workers staffing long-term-care homes, to meat processing workers, grocery store workers and migrant farmworkers sustaining our food system. COVID-19 thrives where racialized workers are denied paid sick days, and where asymptomatic migrant workers are told to keep working even after testing positive for COVID-19. Now, as the economy reopens in the midst of the pandemic and in the lead up to flu season, the denial of paid sick days remains a public health threat, from nail salons to schools.

Prime Minister Trudeau recently announced a pan-Canadian sick leave program, which will provide income support to workers without paid sick days for up to 10 days of leave related to COVID-19. This temporary measure will help some workers stay home while sick with or caring for someone with COVID-19, but its not the paid sick-day policy our patients need. We are concerned it will fail to protect low-income and racialized workers, the very people who need paid sick days most.

Restricting paid sick leave to a temporary measure for reasons related to COVID-19 undermines its effectiveness. COVID-19 can present with atypical symptoms, and test results are neither immediate nor 100 per cent sensitive. In addition, COVID-19 is contagious early in the illness course. If those who develop COVID-19 symptoms continue to work while theyre awaiting test results or uncertain if the diagnosis will be considered related to COVID-19, the damage may already be done. This is not to mention how crucial paid sick days will be for the upcoming flu season and to prepare for future outbreaks. Paid sick days must be permanent and ensure workers can stay home at symptom onset, regardless of the ultimate diagnosis.

With 51 per cent of Torontonians affected by COVID-19 living below the low-income threshold, they simply cannot afford to lose any money off a paycheque. If there is no guarantee that sick-day pay will arrive in time to pay rent and buy groceries, workers may be forced to continue working while sick. Any administrative barrier to accessing paid sick days is a barrier to staying home when sick. In 2018, 82 per cent of Canadians said that they would go to work sick if their employer required a sick note. Paid sick days must be seamlessly accessible without an application process, waiting period or required sick note, and be paid by the employer on workers next paycheque.

The outbreak and deaths on Ontario farms have made it painfully clear that paid sick days will not protect against a pandemic if they are not available to all workers. But a patchwork of exclusions from employment standards deny many workers basic protections, including migrant farmworkers. Paid sick days must be available to all workers, regardless of employment or immigration status.

As emergency providers, we also know that crisis response must be linked to improving underlying conditions and closing long-standing gaps in protections for racialized, low-income workers. The benefits of paid sick days are clear: improved vaccination rates, reduced spread of infections in workplaces and schools, and reduced reliance on the emergency department. Medical professionals have been calling for seven paid sick days for several years to align public policy with medical evidence and public health recommendations. In light of the pandemic, it is now clear that an additional 14 days is necessary during outbreaks.

The health gaps due to COVID-19 are stark, but they are not inevitable. The Trudeau government has taken a first step in committing to a pan-Canadian paid sick-leave program. Its time to work with the provinces to ensure universal, permanent, and seamlessly accessible paid sick days are available to workers across Canada. We need policy change now. If we wait until COVID-19 cases are rising again, it will be too late.

Drs. Kate Hayman and Jesse McLaren are emergency physicians and assistant professors at the University of Toronto. They are steering committee members of the Decent Work and Health Network.
A woman accused of giving her six-year-old daughter a fatal dose of methadone allegedly dosed two other children with the drug to cover up her actions, a court has been told.

Julie Anne Austin, 46, is standing trial for manslaughter in the NSW Supreme Court over the 2005 methadone overdose of her daughter, Rose Villanueva-Austin.

Austin told police her daughter had been unwell for two days before she died, and she'd given her medicine just hours before she was discovered not breathing at her Cattai home, in Sydney's north-west.

"(Austin) claimed that it was possible that she'd accidentally given Rose Austin methadone when she believed that she was administering Dimetapp or Dymadon," said Crown Prosecutor John Pickering in his opening address.

In the following hours, another two children known to Austin were rushed to hospital suffering similar symptoms to Rose.
When her husband passed away early this year at the age of 92, Liu Yunshu, an 87-year-old woman living in Shanghai's Changning District, shut herself off.

Nearly half a year has passed, but she refuses to go out, not even when the city, following an effective containment of the COVID-19 pandemic, lowered the emergency response level from two to three in May.

In June, Changning Jinmei Elderly Nursing Center, the city's first rehabilitation center that was established to treat elderly people's cognitive problems resumed operation. It was there that the old couple received treatment together, during which Liu's husband Yu Jinliang told the care workers that he owed a life debt to his wife and his family.

By participating in China's highly confidential missions in developing atomic and hydrogen bombs, as well as its first satellite, Liu's husband worked with numerous scientists in a landlocked desert in the country's northwestern region that is thousands of miles away from home. He stayed there for five to six years, unable to contact his family.

Trying to persuade Liu to pull herself together from the grief, staff from the rehabilitation center made an album of the couple in reminiscence of the days they had spent together at the training sessions.

"We present the album as memorabilia," said Fei Chao, director of the nursing center.

Each session provided by the center lasts between 40 minutes and one hour once a week. It focuses on training the elderly suffering from impaired cognition by applying Kunqu Opera, a traditional Chinese genre that originated from Kunshan, Shanghai's neighboring Jiangsu province.

According to Fei, Kunqu Opera provides a window of opportunity for those who need to improve their cognitive abilities while growing senile. The elements involved are conducive to stimulating cognitive nerve.

Shanghai is China's first city with an aging society. As of the end of 2019, the city has more than 5.18 million registered elderly aged 60 and above, accounting for 35.2% of the local population living with registered permanent residences.

Addressing the aging population, Shanghai has rolled out a slew of programs, including full-time or part-time nursing, assistance to disabilities and healthcare services and consultations. These services are within a 15-minute walk from every urban community.

"The programs allow elderly people to enjoy amenities without leaving their familiar communities and neighbors," said Jiang Rui, deputy director-general of Shanghai Civil Affairs Bureau.

Meanwhile, the city, known as China's economic locomotive, also adopts smart technologies to improve the quality and efficiency of elderly nursing services.

"I don't feel like cooking today," said 79-year-old Cheng Wenhua, who lives in Changning District's Hongqiao community. "I will have lunch here, and it is very tasty."

However, the meal served to Cheng is not cooked by some veteran chef but rather a cooking machine. The two mobile canteens launched near Cheng's community can each produce 500 to 800 dishes a day through cold chain logistics and on-site cooking.

In addition, major districts in Shanghai have employed a portfolio of high-tech nursing services, such as mobile cloud terminal and data analysis, to ensure a comfortable and safe environment for elderly people.

Nevertheless, machines and people are of equal importance. Touched by the album from the rehabilitation center and frequent social worker visits, Liu is no longer a shut-in.

She restarts her training to counteract her cognitive problems just as she did with her husband.
As nations and NGOs around the world scramble to develop a safe and effective vaccine against the coronavirus, Russia claimed on Tuesday to already have one. "A vaccine against coronavirus has been registered for the first time in the world this morning," Russian President Vladimir Putin said on state TV during a press conference outside his residence. "I know that it works quite effectively, it forms a stable immunity."

He is reportedly so confident of the vaccines efficacy that he has already inoculated one of his children with it. "One of my own daughters has tested the vaccine," Putin continued. "All she experienced was a slightly elevated temperature and [she] feels just fine." However, the breakneck speed at which the formula was developed  not to mention the monumental stakes at hand  has many medical researchers questioning whether Russia cut any corners in its efforts to be the first country with a viable vaccine.

The formula, dubbed Sputnik-V in honor of the first satellite to reach space in 1957, was developed by Moscows Gamaleya Institute. However, the Institute has not released any developmental or scientific data relating to the vaccines creation, nor has it undergone peer review, so all we have to go on is what the Russians have publicly announced. Without that data, the World Health Organization cannot evaluate the vaccines safety or efficacy, Jarbas Barbosa, the assistant director of the WHOs regional branch, the Pan American Health Organization, explained to Al Jazeera.

Mikhail Japaridze via Getty Images

Russian health officials have already noted that medical workers, teachers and other front-line groups will be among the first to receive the treatment when production ramps up in September. Putin plans to have doses ready for the general public come January but they wont be the only ones to receive it. "We've seen considerable interest in the Russian vaccine developed by the Gamaleya Institute abroad. Moreover, we have received preliminary applications for over 1 billion doses of the vaccine from 20 countries," Kirill Dmitriev, head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), told CNN on Tuesday. A number of US companies are reportedly interested as well.

Now, while Putin said that the formula has been registered, that really only means that its gone through a bureaucratic process within the Russian Health Ministry -- akin to getting regulatory approval. What it has not completed is its Phase 3 clinical trial, a critical step in determining a drugs safety for the general populace.

Rigorous, clinical trials got their start in the 18th century when physician James Lind conducted a study into the cause of scurvy amongst sailors on long distance voyages. These trials grew into their modern form in the 1920s and 1930s with the introduction of randomization, replication, and blocking. Todays trials are typically conducted in a series of phases: Phase 0 involves around 10 - 15 people and is done to see the basic effects of the drug on the human body using very small doses of the formula. Phase 1 screens for safety with a group of around 20 - 80 people to ensure that the drug wont immediately kill or incapacitate anyone. Phase 2 determines the most effective dosages of the drug and the proper dosage range.

Phase 3 trials allow drug developers to test the formulas safety and efficacy, spot potential side effects or interactions with other common pharmaceuticals and compare it to existing treatments. They usually require months to complete, involve thousands to tens of thousands of people, and typically come before a drug gets registered. For example, Modernas mRNA-1273 Phase 3 trial, which began in July and which has just landed a major supply deal with the US government, will rely on as many as 30,000 volunteers.

Although face coverings, physical distancing and proper isolation and quarantine of infected individuals and contacts can help us mitigate SARS-CoV-2 spread, we urgently need a safe and effective preventive vaccine to ultimately control this pandemic, NIAID Director Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, said in a press release. Results from early-stage clinical testing indicate the investigational mRNA-1273 vaccine is safe and immunogenic, supporting the initiation of a Phase 3 clinical trial. This scientifically rigorous, randomized, placebo-controlled trial is designed to determine if the vaccine can prevent COVID-19 and for how long such protection may last.

Russias vaccine, on the other hand, is reportedly based on other members of the coronavirus family which can cause less severe colds and flus. Rather than wait for the results from tens of thousands of study cases, it appears that the Russians may have engaged in a form of intensive human challenge trial, starting with members of the research team themselves, then expanding to military service members and eventually the VIP cohort that Putins daughter was a part of.

Per the US National Library of Medicine, Sputnik-Vs Phase 1 and 2 trials involved a total of 76 people. Among the 38 who were administered either one or two doses of the actual vaccine, all produced antibodies. The effects of the vaccine were reportedly mild with elevated temperatures and headaches being the most reported symptoms.

I hope that the Russians have actually definitively proven that the vaccine is safe and effective, Fauci told ABC News correspondent Deborah Roberts this week, during the taping of an upcoming NatGeo keynote event. I seriously doubt that they've done that.

BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI via Getty Images

Human challenge trials are much more direct than the multiphase trials described above. These are trials in which participants are intentionally challenged (whether or not they have been vaccinated) with an infectious disease organism, the WHO explains in its 2016 publication, Human Challenge Trials for Vaccine Development: regulatory considerations. This challenge organism may be close to wild-type and pathogenic, adapted and/or attenuated from wild-type with less or no pathogenicity, or genetically modified in some manner.

The very first vaccine ever developed was done through a human challenge trial in 1796 when English physician Edward Jenner deliberately infected his son with cowpox, which causes a mild reaction in humans, to protect the boy from its much deadlier cousin, smallpox. The tradition continues today with organizations like 1DaySooner advocating for coronavirus human challenge trials. It has already signed up more than 25,000 volunteers. However this method is not without its dangers, especially in the case of COVID-19.

Human challenge studies are generally contemplated only when rescue with a lifesaving treatment or intervention is available should a vaccine candidate not protect a volunteer from the disease, Michael Rosenblatt, Chief Medical Officer for Flagship Pioneering, argues in a June StatNews op-ed. But there is no cure or treatment against the SARS-CoV-2 virus that can be deployed with confidence, making viral challenges particularly risky and ethically questionable.

He also points out that while vaccines for diseases like the measles and mumps are fully effective, some vaccines  especially for adults  can be only 70 to 80 percent effective and as little as nine percent. Imagine, for a moment, that a vaccine candidate undergoing testing turns out to generate immunity in 80 percent of those who receive it. Then 20 percent will become infected with Covid-19, he wrote.

Russias methodology has also drawn concern from the World Health Organization, which has requested that the Russian Federation adhere to international norms and regulations regarding vaccine development.

Its vital that we apply all public health measures that we know are working, and we need to continue to invest in and accelerate the development of safe and effective treatments and vaccines that will help us reduce disease transmission in the future, WHO spokesman Tarik Jasarevic said during a Tuesday press conference.

We are in close contact with the Russian health authorities, and discussions are going on with respect to possible pre-qualification of the vaccine," he continued. To date, the WHO lists 25 candidate vaccines in clinical evaluation and 139 in a pre-clinical evaluation.

The world passed 20 million global infections this week so if we have any hope of getting back to a pre-pandemic normal, were going to need at least a couple of those vaccine candidates to prove effective.
I have a friend who served in combat in Vietnam as a rifleman. We were both assistant scoutmasters at a campout and were discussing the war. As we looked at some scouts who were misbehaving, he quipped, I wonder what would be considered as acceptable losses? I responded that, as far as the moms were concerned, zero is what was expected.

Today we are fighting a war against COVID-19. We are about to send our children into crowded schools. I ask, What are considered acceptable losses?

Patrick McGinty,

Cleveland
Pennsylvania court officials Wednesday filed disciplinary action against a county judge accused of referring to a Black female juror as Aunt Jemima and making other racially insensitive remarks on and off the bench.

The target of the complaint by the Judicial Conduct Board is Judge Mark V. Tranquilli of Allegheny County. Tranquilli, who is white, is a former prosecutor who has been a judge since 2014.

According to the complaint, Tranquilli made his Aunt Jemima comment after a jury acquitted a man on drug delivery charges in January.

The judge questioned the prosecutor as to why he had allowed a knucklehead and the mother of a public defender to be seated on the jury. Tranquilli also asked the DA why he allowed Aunt Jemima, a Black woman who wore her hair in a kerchief, on the jury, the complaint states. Investigators claim the judge then told the DA he knew darn well when she goes home to her baby daddy, hes probably slinging heroin, too.

Tranquilli is accused of telling two Black parents during a custody hearing in 2015 that he would split (their) baby in half like Solomon and sleep like a baby that night. He told the couple he was only marking time in family court until he could be assigned to the criminal division, investigators claim.

They said when Tranquilli told the man and woman how he expected them to act during court proceedings he adopted a dialect described as ebonics and said, And when I say communication, I dont mean an den da bitch done dis, and den da bitch done dat.

Investigators cited two comments Tranquilli made during sentencing hearings as well. In one case in 2018, the judge supposedly told the defendant he should have spent three shiny quarters for contraception to avoid having children. Tranquilli told the same man that because he had once headed the DAs homicide division there is no milk of kindness left in these veins, investigators said.

They claim that during another sentencing in 2019, Tranquilli told the defendant that if he violated probation, Im going to cast you down amongst the Sodomites, all right, in state prison.

Tranquilli, who will now have a chance to contest the charges, is accused of violating the Code of Judicial Conduct, undermining confidence in the judiciary and displaying bias or prejudice that breaches the state court systems harassment policy.

The judge could request a public trial on the charges. A conviction could lead to penalties ranging from censure, suspension, fines or removal from office, said Richard W. Long, chief counsel for the Judicial Conduct Board.

The county court suspended Tranquilli in February over his Aunt Jemima comments. The county bar association demanded an investigation of his conduct and he was the target of a rally by local clergy and the NAACP.
A Maple Leaf Foods employee says he feels depressed and unsafe on the job, and is calling for the Brandon pork processing plant to shut down for two weeks and all its employees to be tested for COVID-19.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 11/8/2020 (525 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A Maple Leaf Foods employee says he feels "depressed and unsafe" on the job, and is calling for the Brandon pork processing plant to shut down for two weeks and all its employees to be tested for COVID-19.

The man, who did not want his name or department identified for fear of retribution, said Tuesday he and other employees are convinced there has been workplace transmission of the novel coronavirus  because at least one worker who tested positive had no outside contact with the other Maple Leaf cases.

Public health officials and the company say the Brandon plant has passed third-party inspections and there is no evidence of coronavirus spread in the workplace. A Maple Leaf spokeswoman confirmed Tuesday four more workers had tested positive for COVID-19.

SUPPLIED PHOTO "During the work, it's OK," said a worker concerned about catching COVID-19 at Maple Leaf  shown here with protection between workers. It's before and after and during breaks when there is a problem, he said  especially in the change room and washrooms during breaks.

"I feel very depressed and unsafe," the concerned employee said, through an interpreter. "At the factory, there are over 2,000 employees and we don't know (how many) contracted the virus."

On Tuesday, Maple Leaf Foods Inc. vice-president of communications and public affairs Janet Riley said a total of 26 Brandon workers have now tested positive for COVID-19. They're among a cluster of at least 64 active cases in the west Manitoba city.

Three of the four new coronavirus cases reported Tuesday in Manitoba were in Prairie Mountain Health region, which includes Brandon. Public health officials would not say if the three are part of the Brandon cluster or are workers at Maple Leaf.

Meanwhile, officials maintained the virus is not being spread at the plant, and have identified it only as a "business in Brandon," which they've praised for going beyond recommended guidelines and having more employees self-isolating than required.

"I feel very depressed and unsafe. At the factory, there are over 2,000 employees and we don't know (how many) contracted the virus."  Concerned employee

Shared Health didn't respond to the Maple Leaf worker's claim transmission of the virus has occurred in the workplace: "Case investigations are ongoing to determine possible COVID-19 exposures. When the investigations are completed, additional information will be provided as needed to inform people of any public health risks."

Despite Maple Leaf passing inspections and receiving praise from public health, the change room, washroom and break room can get so crowded safe physical distancing is impossible at times, the employee said, adding not all workers wear face masks when they should.

"During the work, it's OK," he said. It's before and after and during breaks when there is a problem.

"Many people are changing in there... some don't wear the mask and some take it off when they change clothes," said the man, who has worked at the plant for a decade.

The cafeteria is also an issue, he said. "There is no social distancing. Space is less than one metre... The distance is very close and we have to take our masks off to eat."

The company said Tuesday it has taken steps to prevent the spread of the virus, including requiring employees to wear face coverage during the commute to and from work, including in carpools, and "100 per cent face coverage in all areas of the plant." It has added new lunch rooms, including four trailers and "another incremental new space," installed dividers in all lunch rooms, are monitoring for compliance, and performing daily and periodic spot audits, Riley said in an email.

"Based on the independent, third-party validation of our practices at Brandon, and our own assessments, we are confident that the plant can continue to operate safely," Riley said.

SUPPLIED Workers temperatures are checked at the Maple Leaf foods plant in Brandon.

The long-time employee at the plant is not at all confident. For worker safety, he said, it should close for two weeks so everyone can get tested.

"I'm very worried about the virus," he said. "Right now, there are many new immigrants who came to the factory and they're always together, many with big families."

(Chief provincial public health officer Dr. Brent Roussin has stated many times testing people without symptoms isn't very useful  a person who tests negative one day could develop symptoms and test positive the next.)

Since it opened, Maple Leaf in Brandon has relied on workers recruited from abroad.

"They are in situations where workers live together, and where they live with their big family together," said the Maple Leaf worker, a former immigrant himself from China. "They worry about the safety of their families."

Stay informed The latest updates on the novel coronavirus and COVID-19 delivered to your inbox every weeknight. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement.

SUPPLIED Plexiglas installed at the tables in the cafeteria at Maple Leaf Foods in Brandon, one of several steps it says it has taken to prevent spread of the coronavirus.

However, he is not afraid of catching the virus at home or in the community.

"I'm not very worried about shopping or going out... I protect myself very well. I feel OK and I can control that. At work, I can't control that. I have to meet (in close quarters) with my colleagues," he said. "You don't know if they're carrying virus."

In the wake of the recent COVID-19 case totals, the man said he hasn't felt stigmatized as a Maple Leaf worker but knows others who have.

A coworker told him his wife's "colleagues asked her to get a COVID test."

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca
It is hard to imagine anything much more American than Boys State, the yearly week-long program run by the veterans association American Legion that selects groups of a thousand 17-year-old boys at a time to have a practice run at democracy.

At the beginning of the week they dont know each other; by the end, after a lot of campaigning by made-up parties and ambitious individuals, one will be elected governor. The program has been running since 1935; previous alumni include Dick Cheney and Bill Clinton. Its a serious business.

A scene from Boys State.

San Franciscan documentary filmmakers Jesse Moss and Amanda McBaine were first intrigued by the Boys State phenomenon when they read that the 2017 legislature in Texas had voted to secede from the Union.

It made us laugh, but also profoundly affected us, says McBaine. What was going on? Is this a reflection of the national mood or just silliness? Maybe it was a little bit of both, but we wanted to know what they would do next. They also wondered if it might afford some insight into why America elected Donald Trump.
Karnataka Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Wednesday said six companies of the Central Reserve Police Force are being dispatched to the violence-hit areas of Bengaluru.

Three companies from Hyderabad and three from Chennai will be deployed in DG Halli and K G Halli police station limits where disturbances occurred Tuesday night, after which three people died in police firing, he said in an interaction with reporters at Udupi before leaving for Bengaluru.

He said efforts to vitiate the atmosphere in society through hooliganism which will not be tolerated.

Restoration of peace is the priority of the government and strict action will be taken against such elements, he said.

Several police personnel were also injured in the clashes.

The minister said police had to resort to firing as a last resort.

A total of 110 people have been taken into custody in connection with the violence.

He said the situation is now under control and additional police forces are deployed in the area. Rapid action force and the 'Garuda' force are also being deployed, the minister added.
Ive reported to a lot of people. Its been a lot of hours, Ive missed two full days of work over it and still its not resolved, McWilliams said.

It took the CRA more than two weeks to get in touch with the Port Coquitlam single mom, freeze the account on her name, and begin talking about opening an investigation.

Thats money you count on every month, McWilliams said.

In the interim, McWilliams said that she has been passed back and forth between the Coquitlam RCMP and the Ontario Provincial Police. Her address was in the formers jurisdiction, while the new account to which the CERB checks were fraudulently deposited in the latters area.

The account was under TD Bank, and McWilliams said that she visited her local TD branch three times to report the incident. Late last week, a TD spokesperson told CBC that the bank had taken action on the fraud account, but did not elaborate further.
RICHMOND, Va., Aug. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ --

Kaleo, a privately-held pharmaceutical company, is teaming up with the food allergy advocacy community to elevate attention to the unique needs of children with food allergies returning to what could be a very different school environment due to COVID-19. Parents of children with food allergies, from daycare to high school students, need to ensure they are prepared for an allergic emergency. Two essential ways to prepare are to have an Anaphylaxis Emergency Plan and an epinephrine auto-injector on hand, in time for the upcoming school year, especially when faced with non-traditional classrooms and environments.

Each year, an estimated 56 million children go back to school to attend elementary, middle and high schools across the United States.1 Approximately 8% of children in the United States have a serious food allergy2 or 1 in 13 children, which is about two students per classroom.3 Back-to-school check-ups are often one of the few opportunities each year that children have with their pediatricians to get immunizations and refill epinephrine auto-injector prescriptions.4 However, due to COVID-19, pediatricians across the U.S. have seen a drop in the number of children coming in for appointments.5

"As an educator, I know first-hand how essential it is for children with food allergies to be prepared and control the environment, to the extent possible, and a newly-imagined classroom or school situation during COVID-19 shakes that up," said Allie Bahn, Global Outreach and Education Coordinator, Global Allergy & Airways Patient Platform. "One way I encourage parents of children with food allergies to prepare is to have an Anaphylaxis Emergency Plan and to speak with school staff about what to do in the case of an emergency, including how to quickly access their epinephrine auto-injector."

Due to COVID-19, several agencies have implemented new guidelines for students to safely re-enter schools. The CDC is recommending students bring their own meals as feasible and eat lunch in the classroom with desks socially distanced, while ensuring the safety of children with food allergies.6

"Parents should speak to their doctor about their children's annual epinephrine auto-injector refill," says Dr. Vivian Hernandez-Trujillo, Pediatric Allergist & Immunologist, Allergy & Immunology Care Center of South Florida and spokesperson for kaleo. "One treatment I prescribe to patients, AUVI-Q (epinephrine injection, USP) auto-injector, can be mailed directly to their homes, which is a great option for social distancing."

AUVI-Q is about the size of a credit card and thickness of a cell phone and fits in most pockets. AUVI-Q is available in three doses  AUVI-Q 0.3 mg for those weighing 66 pounds (30 kilograms) or more, AUVI-Q 0.15 mg for children weighing between 33 and 66 pounds (15 to 30 kilograms) and AUVI-q 0.1 mg for infants and toddlers weighing 16.5 to 33 pounds (7.5 to 15 kilograms). All doses of AUVI-Q are available through the Direct delivery service or at Walgreens locations nationwide. Eligible, commercially insured patients may pay as little as $0 for AUVI-Q. Through the Kaleo Cares Patient Assistance Program, patients who do not have commercial insurance and who are experiencing financial difficulties may be able to receive AUVI-Q at no cost. Please see additional information on patient eligibility and the terms and conditions at www.auvi-q.com/get-auvi-q/ .

"We are proud to be working with the food allergy community to raise awareness and support parents and caregivers as they prepare for this unprecedented and unpredictable school-year as anaphylaxis can happen anywhere and at any time," said Omar Khalil, General Manager, Allergy and Pediatrics, kaleo. "AUVI-Q has a voice instruction system that helps guide users step-by-step through the administration process and is pocket-sized so it's designed to be easy to carry."

AUVI-Q is a prescription medicine approved by the FDA to treat life-threatening allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis, in people who are at risk for or have a history of serious allergic reactions. Anaphylaxis is a serious allergic reaction that can happen quickly and may cause death.7 Anaphylaxis can occur from exposure to allergens including tree nuts, peanuts, milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, soy, wheat, insect bites, latex and medication, among other allergens.8,9,10 AUVI-Q does not take the place of emergency medical care. Patients need to seek immediate medical treatment after using AUVI-Q.

To learn more about AUVI-Q and to view resources on preparing for the back to school season, please visit www.auvi-q.com .

References

National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). Back to School Statistics. Retrieved July 13, 2020 , from https://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=372 Gupta RS, et al. The public health impact of parent-reported childhood food allergies in the united states. Pediatrics. 2018;142(6):e20181235. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Food Allergies. Retrieved July 29, 2020 , from https://www.cdc.gov/healthyschools/foodallergies/index.htm. American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). Back to School, Back to the Doctor. Retrieved July 29, 2020 , from https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/gradeschool/school/Pages/Back-to-School-Back-to-the-Doctor.aspx American Academy of Pediatrics. Survey: Pandemic disrupting practices, finances of early, midcareer pediatricians. Retrieved July 29, 2020 , from https://www.aappublications.org/news/2020/05/21/research052120 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Considerations for Schools. Retrieved July 29, 2020 , from https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/schools-childcare/schools.html Food Allergy Research and Education. Facts and Statistics. Retrieved July 29, 2020 , from https://www.foodallergy.org/life-with-food-allergies/food-allergy-101/facts-and-statistics. Gupta RS, Warren CM, Smith BM, et al. Prevalence and severity of food allergies among US adults. JAMA Netw Open. 2019 Jan 4;2(1):e185630. Golden D. Stinging insect allergy. Am Fam Physician. 2003;67(12):2541-2546. Kelly K, Kurup V, Reijula K. The diagnosis of natural rubber latex allergy. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 1994;93(5):813-816.

Indication

AUVI-Q (epinephrine injection, USP) is a prescription medicine used to treat allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis, in people who are at risk for or have a history of serious allergic reactions.

Important Safety Information

AUVI-Q is for immediate self (or caregiver) administration and does not take the place of emergency medical care. Seek immediate medical treatment after using AUVI-Q. Each AUVI-Q contains a single dose of epinephrine. AUVI-Q should only be injected into your outer thigh, through clothing if necessary. If you inject a young child or infant with AUVI-Q, hold their leg firmly in place before and during the injection to prevent injuries. Do not inject AUVI-Q into any other part of your body, such as into veins, buttocks, fingers, toes, hands, or feet. If this occurs, seek immediate medical treatment and make sure to inform the healthcare provider of the location of the accidental injection. Only a healthcare provider should give additional doses of epinephrine if more than two doses are necessary for a single allergic emergency.

Rarely, patients who use AUVI-Q may develop infections at the injection site within a few days of an injection. Some of these infections can be serious. Call your healthcare provider right away if you have any of the following symptoms at an injection site: redness that does not go away, swelling, tenderness, or the area feels warm to the touch.

If you have certain medical conditions, or take certain medicines, your condition may get worse or you may have more or longer lasting side effects when you use AUVI-Q. Be sure to tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take, especially medicines for asthma. Also tell your healthcare provider about all of your medical conditions, especially if you have asthma, a history of depression, thyroid problems, Parkinson's disease, diabetes, heart problems or high blood pressure, have any other medical conditions, are pregnant or plan to become pregnant, or are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. Epinephrine should be used with caution if you have heart disease or are taking certain medicines that can cause heart-related (cardiac) symptoms.

Common side effects include fast, irregular or 'pounding' heartbeat, sweating, shakiness, headache, paleness, feelings of over excitement, nervousness, or anxiety, weakness, dizziness, nausea and vomiting, or breathing problems. These side effects usually go away quickly, especially if you rest. Tell your healthcare provider if you have any side effect that bothers you or that does not go away.

Please see the full Prescribing Information and the Patient Information at www.auvi-q.com .

You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088.

About kaleo (kuh-LAY-oh)

Kaleo is a pharmaceutical company dedicated to building innovative solutions that can help empower patients with certain serious and life-threatening medical conditions. We believe patients and caregivers are the experts on how medical conditions impact their lives, and so we include them as an integral part of our development process and consider their needs foremost. Kaleo products combine established drugs with innovative delivery platforms. Kaleo is a privately-held company headquartered in Richmond, Virginia in the United States. For more information, visit www.kaleo.com.

About AUVI-Q (0.3 mg, 0.15 mg and 0.1 mg)

AUVI-Q (epinephrine injection, USP) Auto-injector is a prescription medicine used to treat emergency allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis, in people who are at risk for or who have a history of serious allergic reactions. AUVI-Q contains epinephrine, a first-line treatment for allergic reactions that occur as a result of exposure to allergens including food such as peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, dairy, eggs, soy and wheat; insect stings or bites; latex and medication, among other allergens and causes.

AUVI-Q is the only compact epinephrine auto-injector with a voice instruction system that helps guide patients and caregivers step-by-step through the injection process, and a needle that automatically retracts following administration. In anaphylaxis emergencies, it is often individuals without medical training who need to step in and deliver potentially life-saving epinephrine. AUVI-Q was designed through careful analysis of the situations where epinephrine auto-injectors are used and with significant input from the allergy community that relies on it, incorporating Human Factors Engineering (HFE). HFE is about designing products or systems that are easy to operate and, most importantly, support correct use, with the goal to remove the potential for error. For more information about AUVI-Q (0.3 mg, 0.15 mg and 0.1 mg) visit www.auvi-q.com .

SOURCE Kaleo

Related Links

http://www.kaleo.com


Hey, all you cool cats and kittens! If you spent time during your COVID-19 quarantine binge-watching Netflixs Tiger King" and piecing together the feud between Joe Exotic and Carole Baskin, this news may be of interest to you.

Don Lewis' daughters have filed a lawsuit against Texas native and Big Cat Rescue CEO Carole Baskin. The family is also offering a $100,000 reward for any information that will help solve his missing persons case.

Lewis, a Florida millionaire, was married to Baskin when he vanished in August 1997, just a day before he was supposed to go on a trip to Costa Rica. His body was never found, and he was legally declared dead on his disappearance date in 2002.

TEXAS TIES: 'Tiger King' rival Carole Baskin was born in San Antonio

Now, the family is suing Baskin, as well as "Tiger King" subject Kenny Farr, and Susan A. Bradshaw, who's listed as a witness on Lewis will.

But it's not money the family is suing for, according to the Tampa Bay Times, it's equity. Family attorney John M. Phillips announced Monday that he's filed a pure bill of discovery, which demands the defendants turn in any information they might have about Lewis' case that can possibly be used in later lawsuits.

Amazingly, our little family tragedy has become your tragedy," Lewis' daughter Gale Rathbone said at the press conference, referencing the hit Netflix series, as reported by the Associated Press. Our search for closure and truth has become your mission also, she said. We all know by now that (Lewis) was not a perfect man. But do only the perfect among us deserve justice?

Rathbone, who, along with her sisters, have expressed suspicion that Baskin was somehow involved in their father's disappearance, said hopefully one day everyone (the public and themselves) will know the truth.
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Linkedin Moch. Fiqih Prawira Adjie (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, August 12, 2020 16:21 525 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066d7cbf4 1 City COVID-19-lockdown,Law-and-Human-Rights-Ministry,building,lockdown,coronavirus,COVID-19,COVID-19-infection,pandemic,SARS-CoV-2,virus-corona,novel-coronavirus Free

The Law and Human Rights Ministry has closed one of its buildings at the ministerial compound in Setiabudi, South Jakarta, after several employees tested positive for COVID-19.

Law and Human Rights secretary-general Bambang Rantam Sariwanto stated in a letter that the Ex-Sentra Mulia building, that houses the Immigration Directorate General after several civil servants were found to have contracted the virus, would be locked down from Aug. 11 to Aug. 21, during which time the entire building would be sterilized and disinfected.

All high-ranking officials and civil servants who work in the Ex-Sentra Mulia building will continue to work from their respective homes or residences and shall stick to the WFH [work from home] procedures, he said in the letter issued on Tuesday.

Bambang added that he would confirm at a later date on when the building would reopen.

The Ex-Sentra Mulia is the 50th building in the capital to be temporarily closed due to confirmed infection among workers at the premises.

Jakarta Manpower, Transmigration and Energy Agency head Andri Tansyah previously said that the administration had closed 14 office buildings each in East Jakarta and West Jakarta, 12 in Central Jakarta, five in West Jakarta and four in North Jakarta.

The seven other buildings  four in South Jakarta and one each in Central Jakarta, West Jakarta and North Jakarta  were locked down for violating the health protocol despite several warnings.

As regards health protocol violations, the agency had also issued an initial warning to 389 businesses and a second warning 101 businesses on Tuesday.

For the time being, we cannot release the [companies' names], Andri said on Wednesday, as reported in kompas.com.

The nation's capital has seen a daily rise in COVID-19 cases since the Jakarta provincial administration started easing the large-scale social restrictions (PSBB) in early June, with the administration still struggling to prevent the emergence of transmission clusters at office buildings and houses of worship.

On Tuesday, Jakarta recorded 462 new cases of COVID-19 infection, bringing the cumulative tally to 26,624 with 944 COVID-19 deaths and 16,630 patients recovered. With 128,776 confirmed cases nationwide, Indonesia has the second highest tally among Southeast Asian countries after the Philippines, which has 139,538 cases.
Days after the release of hundreds of thousands of COVID-19 records by officials, the top public health official of California stepped down from office, Sunday.

Her resignation is followed by claims from the state's Governor Gavin Newsom on Monday that the said records were never reported to his office. However, during a news conference about the sudden resignation of California's Public Health Chief Dr. Sonia Angell, Newsom refused to answer if he asked her to quit her job.

Instead of answering the question directly, the governor only stated that everyone is accountable for the roles that they play amid this crisis. He stated that people consider the fact that he accepted the resignation.

According to NBC Bay Area, Angell did not state the reason for her immediate resignation. Angell was only placed into office less than a year ago.

However, many have linked her abrupt decision to leave her office to last week's disclosure of more than 300,000 COVID-19 records that were not processed. The records were revealed by Dr. Mark Ghaly, secretary of the California Health and Human Services. According to Ghaly, the failure of Angelle's office to disclose the records has left several county health officials without the correct data on the transmission of the virus.

In a report by CBS, Ghaly connected the problem on the data disclosure to an outage of a computer server that happened last month. He also added that the Department of Public Health was not able to renew a certificate for the commercial laboratory which tests for COVID-19, Quest Diagnostics. He also added that the governor has already ordered a full investigation on the matter.

In addition, Ghaly stated that the backlog would be available in the next few days as they were already processed over the weekend.

Meanwhile, Gov. Newsom expressed confidence that the backlogs will not affect the already downward trajectory of COVID-19 cases in the state. He also stated that the was already a 19% decline in hospitalizations and a 5% decline in ICU admissions over the past two weeks.

Read also: Wuhan Lab Welcomes US Reporters to Nullify Theories About Being Coronavirus Origin

Termination and Resignation of US Public Health Officials

The resignation of Angell was announced amid the widespread terminations and resignations of several public health officials across the US. In a review by the Associated Press, at least 49 officials have quit or have been fired from their posts from 23 states since April.

Based on the review, many of the departures were connected to shutdowns and mask orders, while others quit because of family matters or because they felt like they were being underpaid despite being overworked.

One of the officials who stepped down from office was Dr. Oxiris Barbot, the health commissioner of New York City. She resigned last week after Mayor Bill de Blasio's office diminished the role of her department. Like Angell, she also did not state why she resigned, however, Mark Levine, chairman of NYC's health committee stated that Bartbot's departure was a hard hit to the fight for public health in the city.



Related article: Donald Trump Says COVID-19 Vaccine Could Be Available Before November 3

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
If youve been waiting for a chance to see actor Walton Goggins get weird, you might be in luck: Hes the star of John Bronco, an upcoming mockumentary about a rodeo rider, off-road racing champ and pitchman who never existed.

Lets address the elephant in the room right up front: Ford is in the process of releasing an all-new Bronco and news about its rollout has been (a) the subject of massive coverage in the automotive press and (b) also the subject of a white-hot marketing effort. Those two things are not unrelated. So it seems a little convenient to have a mysterious short film titled John Bronco popping up right now to tell the story of a fictional John Bronco who raced Broncos in the late 60s and helped sell them for decades until Ford quit making them and he up and disappeared.

Is it possible this film was conceived and developed at least in part as a way to fire interest in Fords new Jeep-killer? Sure. But is it also possible its going to put Goggins at the center of a project as absurd as Spinal Tap or Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy? It appears likely -- In which case itll be a win for fans of Goggins, the Birmingham native whose star turn as the villainous Boyd Crowder in Justified has been followed by other notable project such as Vice Principals, Django Unchained and The Unicorn.

A trailer has been released, but its basically a collection of tantalizing glimpses, such as John Bronco making an entrance on Johnny Carsons Tonight Show. Aside from that, some key details remain vague -- including how and when the flick will be released.

Promotional materials portray Bronco as the greatest pitchman who ever lived and offer a whimsical story. In 1966, Ford tapped him to race their new prototype SUV at the Baja 500 in Mexico. Not only did he win, but he gave a rousing speech that rallied a nation. Legend has it that Ford named the new car Bronco after John, made him the face of their campaign and skyrocketed him to stardom. His commercials were on every channel and his jingle went triple-platinum. John launched his own cologne, breakfast cereal, video game, action figure, you name it. He was the very embodiment of the American dream, that is, until it all came crashing down.

Theres only one way to read that: Whatever this project is, it gives Goggins a lot of scenery to chew.

Some things we do know. It runs 37 minutes. Dennis Quaid narrates; the cast includes Bo Derek and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, appearing as themselves; Tim Meadows and Paul Rogan have roles; and the roster of characters listed on the Internet Movie Database include Icelandic Villagers and other Brad Pitt. The real Brad Pitt does not appear to be involved, but who knows?

Until more emerges, fans have the trailer -- and a website, www.johnbronco.com, that invites visitors to help solve the mystery, Where is John Bronco.
HOUSTON - (Aug. 12, 2020) - Rice University chemist Han Xiao and his team have successfully expanded the genetic code of Escherichia coli bacteria to produce a synthetic building block, a "noncanonical amino acid." The result is a living indicator for oxidative stress.

The work, they say, is a step toward technologies that will allow the generation of novel proteins and organisms with a variety of useful functions.

Their study appears in the Cell Press journal Chem.

Amino acids are the building blocks of DNA. In general, organisms need only 20 of them to program the entire set of proteins necessary for life. But Xiao, with the help of a $1.8 million National Institutes of Health grant, set out to see how a 21st amino acid would enable the design of "unnatural organisms" that serve specific purposes.

The new study does just that by engineering bacteria to produce the extra amino acid, called 5-hydroxyl-tryptophan (5HTP), which appears naturally in humans as a precursor to the neurotransmitter serotonin, but not in E. coli. The novel production of 5HTP prompts the bacteria to produce a protein that fluoresces when the organism is under metabolic stress.

"The process requires a lot of interdisciplinary techniques," Xiao said. "In this study, we combined synthetic chemistry, synthetic biology and metabolic engineering to create a strain that synthesizes and encodes a 21st noncanonical amino acid, and then uses it to produce the desired protein."

Xiao said programming the autonomous unnatural bacteria was a three-step process: First, the researchers led by graduate student Yuda Chen created bioorthogonal translational machinery for the amino acid, 5HTP. Second, they found and targeted a blank codon -- a sequence in DNA or RNA that doesn't produce a protein -- and genetically edited it to encode 5HTP. Third, by grafting enzyme clusters from other species into E. coli, they gave the bacteria the ability to produce 5HTP.

"These 5HTP-containing proteins, isolated from the programmed bacteria, can be further labeled with drugs or other molecules," Xiao said. "Here, we show the strain itself can serve as a living indicator for reactive oxygen species, and the detection limit is really low."

While researchers have reported the creation of more than 200 noncanonical amino acids to date, most of them cannot be synthesized by their host organisms. "This has been an ongoing field for decades, but previously people focused on the chemical part," Xiao said. "Our vision is to engineer whole cells with the 21st amino acid that will let us investigate biological or medical problems in living organisms, rather than just dealing with cells in the lab.

"Moving this technology to the host species eliminates the need to inject artificial building blocks into an organism, because they can synthesize and use it on their own," he said. "That allows us to study noncanonical amino acids at a higher, whole organism level."

Ultimately, the researchers hope customized building blocks will allow targeted cells, like those in tumors, to make their own therapeutic drugs. "That's an important future direction for my lab," Xiao said. "We want cells to detect disease, make better medicines and release them in real time. We don't think that's too far away."

Co-authors of the paper are Rice postdoctoral fellows Juan Tang, Lushun Wang and Zeru Tian, undergraduate student Adam Cardenas and visiting scholar Xinlei Fang, and Abhishek Chatterjee, an assistant professor of chemistry at Boston College. Xiao is the Norman Hackerman-Welch Young Investigator and an assistant professor of chemistry.

The Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas, the Robert A. Welch Foundation, a John S. Dunn Foundation Collaborative Research Award and a Hamill Innovation Award supported the research.

-30-

Read the abstract at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chempr.2020.07.013

This news release can be found online at https://news.rice.edu/2020/08/12/programmed-bacteria-have-something-extra/

Follow Rice News and Media Relations via Twitter @RiceUNews

Related materials:

Extra amino acid could work wonders: http://news.rice.edu/2019/09/27/extra-amino-acid-could-work-wonders-2/

Antibodies get easy upgrade with pClick: http://news.rice.edu/2018/11/05/antibodies-get-easy-upgrade-with-pclick-2/

Xiao Lab: https://xiao.rice.edu/index.html

Rice Department of Chemistry: https://chemistry.rice.edu

Wiess School of Natural Sciences: https://naturalsciences.rice.edu

Images for download:

https://news-network.rice.edu/news/files/2020/08/0817_STRESS-1-WEB.jpg Rice University researchers introduced noncanonical amino acid building blocks into proteins in living cells, pioneering a powerful tool for investigating and manipulating the structure and function of proteins. The resulting unnatural organism, a strain of Escherichia coli bacteria, is able to monitor low levels of oxidative stress. (Credit: Xiao Lab/Rice University)

https://news-network.rice.edu/news/files/2020/08/0817_STRESS-2-WEB.jpg CAPTION: Han Xiao. (Credit: Jeff Fitlow/Rice University)

Located on a 300-acre forested campus in Houston, Rice University is consistently ranked among the nation's top 20 universities by U.S. News & World Report. Rice has highly respected schools of Architecture, Business, Continuing Studies, Engineering, Humanities, Music, Natural Sciences and Social Sciences and is home to the Baker Institute for Public Policy. With 3,962 undergraduates and 3,027 graduate students, Rice's undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio is just under 6-to-1. Its residential college system builds close-knit communities and lifelong friendships, just one reason why Rice is ranked No. 1 for lots of race/class interaction and No. 4 for quality of life by the Princeton Review. Rice is also rated as a best value among private universities by Kiplinger's Personal Finance.

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Automobile producers are observing the complex changes of the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic to adjust their businesses.

An auto assembly line at a plant of Truong Hai Auto Corporation (THACO) in central province of Quang Nam. (Photo quangnam.tintuc.vn)

After the first half of the year facing sluggishness and stagnancy in production and business, domestic automobile manufacturers and assemblers were pleased the Government cut vehicle registration fees by 50% and is preparing to extend the deadline for paying special consumption tax.

However, with the new COVID-19 outbreak, automobile firms are expected to face new difficulties.

After the end of social distancing in April, most auto agents and businesses resumed operations. However, according to a survey conducted by the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT), auto production and assembly capacity stayed at a very low level due to high inventory of up to 122.5%. The main reason was automobile consumption is facing many difficulties due to the sharp decline in domestic purchasing power.

Nguyen Trung Hieu, head of the Policy Department at the Vietnam Automobile Manufacturers Association (VAMA), told Tien Phong (Vanguard) newspaper that COVID-19 had caused complicated changes, requiring auto producers to devise suitable plans.

Hieu said auto businesses in Da Nang and Quang Nam were affected first such as Truong Hai Auto Corporation (THACO) and Tan Chong Motor. THACO contributes up to 55 % of State budget contributions for Quang Nam province. It was the reason the provincial Peoples Committee said the province would not be able to contribute to the State budget this year.

Ford Vietnam was one of the firms most affected by the first wave of COVID-19 in the auto industry. Its plant in northern Hai Duong province was invested US$82 million for expansion at the beginning of this year and was expected to be complete in the middle of 2022. Due to the pandemic, since March 27, production activities had to be halted for social distancing. Many foreign experts have yet to come to Vietnam to work for the firm. After the pandemic subsided, the factory was back in operation in mid-July.

However, according to Ford's regulations in the US that apply globally, most office workers in Vietnam are working from home. The production, sales and service departments are still operating and must fully apply COVID-19 prevention regulations, ensuring safety for everyone.

Talking about the decision to reduce registration fees by half, a Ford representative said all the Government's support solutions are very precious to businesses. However, due to the global influence of the pandemic, the source of imported raw materials for production was interrupted while shopping demand had dropped sharply due to cautious sentiment.

Previously, Ford Vietnam also planned to assemble the Escape model after five years of absence from the market. However, the supply of raw materials has been difficult to import. This model may not be released in time this year to take advantages of the registration incentives.

According to a representative of Honda Vietnam, the COVID-19 pandemic has made the firm's business results in the financial year 2020 reduce by 8% from the same period last year.

However, due to the Government's support policies, on July 20, Honda Vietnam returned to assembly and released the CR-V 2020 model after about three years importing from Thailand for distribution.

Similarly, Mitsubishi Vietnam has returned to assemble at the factory in Binh Duong province and launched its best-selling model, the Xpander, after nearly two years of importing from Indonesia.

The moves showed auto firms have been expanding their production in the country while offering different types of vehicles. Moreover, local assembly would help customers save a lot of money from the policy of 50 percent reduction in registration fees.

Le Dang Doanh, former director of the Central Institute for Economic Management (CIEM), forecast that with the complex changes of COVID-19, sectors producing unnecessary goods would face difficulties.

People would be cautious, leading to a decline in some items such as clothing, furniture, cars and electronic equipment. The real estate market would also be affected, he said.

VAMA agreed, saying the automotive market would have negative growth of at least 15 percent in 2020. If the pandemic continues, car production and sales in Vietnam may hit the lowest level in the past 10 years.

The MoIT proposed approving the Governments resolution on solutions for the development of the support industry soon. Regulations on special consumption tax for locally produced auto could be revised to provide preferential treatment for high localisation rate. Meanwhile, the value-added tax may be refunded soon to help businesses accumulate more capital.

Statistics from VAMA showed that in May, the auto market recorded an increase of 62 % in sales compared to April. In June, the total sales of VAMAs members reached 24,002 vehicles, up 26% compared to May. In July when the Government's decision to slash registration fees in half started to take effect, auto sales improved slightly. VNA

Policies encourage automakers to assemble cars in Vietnam Several automakers are considering assembling their best-selling models in Viet Nam due to the Governments policy of zero import tariffs on components and a 50 per cent reduction in registration fees.
Charles' birthday, in 2018, was marked by the release of two images featuring the heir to the throne sitting on a bench with Prince George on his knee, and next to him was the Duchess of Cornwall and Princess Charlotte. Meghan Markle walks down the aisle with Prince Charles. Credit:Sky News Standing behind them were the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge with Prince Louis, alongside the Sussexes. "While Charles may be father to Harry, he's also their boss, and that makes the relationship complex for a number of reasons," a source states. "Charles is extremely focused on his public image, and there have been times Harry has felt that has taken precedence over everything else."

The Duchess of Sussex's relationship with her sister-in-law is presented as rather more fraught than that with her father-in-law. It is the Duchess of Cambridge, rather than her husband, who comes in for the most stinging criticism, after apparently being "indifferent" about meeting Meghan and then failing to extend a hand of friendship. "Despite the fact that Harry was a regular guest in her household, Kate had seemingly not shown much interest in finding out who this woman was who had made her brother-in-law so happy," the book states. However, it concedes that when the two women did meet, Kate told Meghan she was "always welcome to contact her if she needed anything". Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex attend the Christmas Day church service at Sandringham in 2018. Credit:Getty Princess Eugenie comes in for mild criticism, as the authors claim she expressed frustration with the Sussexes' decision to announce they were expecting a baby at the same time as her wedding. It was also said to be one of her members of staff who tipped off a journalist about their relationship, after they secretly went on double dates.

Archie Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, reads 'Duck! Rabbit!' to son Archie. He turned one in May. Credit:AP Fans starved of detail about Archie, the couple's son, will delight in the many snippets the book offers up about the youngest member of the royal family. Meghan described the moment she first held her son as "ecstasy... total bliss and contentment". The boy's birth was shrouded in secrecy, but the authors divulge that "Archie was alert as soon as he arrived - eyes wide open".

As a baby, he was "in the 90th percentile for height", the duchess boasted to friends. After his birth, the couple hired a night nanny "to establish a sleep schedule and be an extra pair of helping hands" but were forced to let her go in the middle of her second shift "for being unprofessional", the book claims. The couple hired a second night nurse but their experience with the first left lasting scars. Whatever had happened, they felt unable to fully relax at night without checking on their son and so eventually decided to take on the nights themselves, instead hiring a nanny to work weekdays. Early last summer, Archie started taking swimming lessons, but only after his nervous parents looked up YouTube videos about how babies hold their breath under water. The duchess sent videos of Archie to her husband to "lift his spirits" in January, while he was London thrashing out the terms of their exit deal with royal aides. The love story

Harry and Meghan "did their homework" and Googled each other before their first date, the book reveals. They need not have bothered, with the couple being "obsessed" with each other from the start, and the book documents many of their intimate moments together, including Meghan's first visit to Nottingham Cottage. Their third official date was a luxury trip to Botswana, of which almost every detail is pored over, from "cosy, hand-woven comforters" on the teak beds to their breakfast choices (bacon and eggs for him, fruit and yoghurt for her). He was "delightfully surprised by Meghan's down-to-earth attitude", the book notes, detailing how she cleaned her face with baby wipes and "happily wandered into the woodlands if she needed a bathroom break". One of its biggest revelations is that the couple secretly got engaged on a later trip to Botswana, several weeks before Harry officially popped the question over a roast chicken in London. He had earlier gone on a "secret diamond scouting" mission with a friend, who helped him source "the perfect conflict-free stone".

The book reveals that "prayer and conversations with God" play a significant role in their relationship and that they have "been on a journey of faith together". As a couple, they enjoyed curling up to watch box-sets such as Game of Thrones and Breaking Bad. The duchess "fell hard" after her first glimpse of how Prince Harry would be as a father, watching him win over her best friend Jessica Mulroney's children with ease, the book reveals. However, it is less than flattering about the duchess's first husband, the "brash" Trevor Engelson, who has never spoken publicly about their relationship. Mr Engelson is accused of failing to support Meghan's burgeoning acting career and preferring her to be dependent on him. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle smile as they pose for the media in the grounds of Kensington Palace to announce their engagement. Credit:AP The authors confirm that the couple were planning a move to the US ever since they decided to step away from royal life and carefully chose the words "North America" in their public statements to allow them the opportunity to relocate when the time was right.

Royal training Meghan was given training in everything from curtsying to surviving kidnapping attempts as royal aides prepared her for life in the Firm. Experts were employed to teach the American actress "how to most gracefully exit your chauffeured sedan while wearing a pencil skirt" and "when to curtsy to members of the family several rungs up the hierarchy from you". Like the Duchess of Cambridge before her, she also underwent a two-day security course with the SAS, when she was "bundled into the back of a car" by a "terrorist" and driven to a location before she was saved by officers. Private royal meetings

The book is brimming with extraordinary detail on the couple's private meetings with royal family members. When Meghan was first introduced to the Duke of Cambridge, he said he had been "looking forward to meeting the girl who has put that silly grin on my brother's face". The trio "walked straight past the drawing room, with its neutral colour palette accented by important antiques and artwork". Similarly, when she was introduced to the Queen, she took in the "maroon-and-cream Aubusson carpet accented with a floral-and-scroll pattern" as well as Old Master paintings hanging on eggshell-blue walls. The duchess appears to have been less impressed with Harry's "humble" Nottingham Cottage, where, later in their relationship, she filled an entire bedroom with her clothes.

Palace frustrations The duchess has made no secret of her frustrations with the sometimes archaic inner workings of Buckingham Palace. She was said to have become exasperated with aides "flip-flopping between decisions", not least as they agonised over when the couple should first be photographed together. "Heads nodded all around on one idea, only to have an aide at another household dismiss the entire plan as a bad idea the very next day," it states. Loading

On one occasion, a senior aide is said to have contacted Oprah Winfrey after she offered the duchess' mother her support, to ensure she was not using their friendship to get an interview. The book settles one or two scores with staff, the first being over the departure of Melissa Toubati, Meghan's personal assistant. " Despite the glowing press accounts, the couple had grown dissatisfied with Melissa's work and were not disappointed when she left," the authors claim. The book also documents in detail the visit the couple paid to Buckingham Palace to try on tiaras for the wedding and appears to confirm newspaper reports that the duchess initially wanted to wear one set with emeralds. Loading
The presidents recent executive action designed to bring economic relief to families struggling during the pandemic does not mean a new round of government checks are about to arrive in the mail.

Instead, Donald Trump's recent announcement about additional unemployment benefits intended for millions of Americans has more quickly produced confusion among some state officials about where a large portion of the money will be coming from and the financial burden each state may be expected to take on -- all amid mixed messages from the White House and scant federal guidance on how it all would actually work.

Officials in a handful of states told ABC News they planned to participate in the White House program, but a majority of states have made no such commitment, with two dozen state officials specifically saying this week they're waiting on further guidance from the federal government or are still reviewing the White House proposal. More than a dozen states said that if they end up having to pay for a portion of the relief, it would put a significant strain on state budgets that have already been steamrolled by the coronavirus pandemic.

Trump's action came after leaders in Congress failed last week to agree on a new, expansive coronavirus relief bill, and the White House has defended Trump's move as a way to fast track relief for Americans that continue to struggle financially.

MORE: Negotiations on brink of collapse with no clear path forward on coronavirus relief

PHOTO: President Donald Trump signs executive orders extending coronavirus economic relief, during a news conference in Bedminster, N.J., on Aug. 8, 2020. (Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images)

But on Monday, Maine Gov. Janet Mills, a Democrat, said the memorandum raised more questions than answers, and said the potential additional expense to the states themselves would threaten important programs and services.

With the myriad legal and logistical questions these orders and memoranda raise, the Presidents actions over the weekend appear to subordinate real relief for unemployed Americans to partisan gamesmanship, making Maine families a paw in a cruel political game, Mills wrote in a statement.

Story continues

The memo, then mixed messages from the White House

The states' questions revolve around a memorandum, signed by the president on Saturday, that was meant to provide $400 a week for additional unemployment insurance benefits for individuals on unemployment, with a $300 contribution from the federal government and the rest, $100 or 25%, from the states.

According to the memo, the unemployment benefits will be available until the Disaster Relief Fund (DRF) reaches $25 billion or for weeks of unemployment ending no later than December 6, whichever occurs first.

MORE: Another 1.4 million workers filed for unemployment insurance last week

But since the signing there have been questions about the states' portion of the payment, which for some is expected to reach into the hundreds of millions of dollars, and the different answers coming from those in government.

When asked by reporters about the states' obligations on Monday, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said states were "required by statute" to provide their portion of the funding to receive the other $300 in federal aid.

But early federal guidance from the U.S. Department of Labor provided to at least three states and obtained by ABC News described another option in which states could count existing state-funded unemployment insurance weekly benefits payments as their contribution.

That way, White House economic advisor Larry Kudlow explained most recently on Tuesday, all 50 states should qualify for the federal government's $300 aid without additional state funding. Officials in Ohio, New Hampshire and New Jersey told ABC News they were provided the federal guidance described above, but several other states did not respond to questions about it, and it remains unclear if it went to all 50 states.

MORE: Treasury secretary says new federal unemployment will be available from states 'within the next week or 2'

PHOTO: In this June 18, 2020, file photo, people line up outside a Kentucky Career Center hoping to find assistance with their unemployment claim in Frankfort, Ken. (Bryan Woolston/Reuters, FILE)

For his part, the president indicated the financial obligation could change state-to-state.

Yeah, we have a system where we can do 100% or we can do 75%, they'd pay 25%, and it'll depend on the state, and they'll make an application, we'll look at it and we'll make a decision, Trump told reporters on Sunday, without detailing how the decisions will be made. So it may be they'll pay nothing in some instances, it may be a little bit.

As many Americans struggle, some states push for clarity

In the wake of the original memo, the early guidance and the officials' statements, some state leaders and other officials said they still feel left in the dark, with a myriad of unresolved questions, and are waiting for additional details from the federal government before making a decision on how to proceed -- with their citizens waiting in the wings.

There are far more questions than answers, and there is currently almost no guidance from federal agencies about how either option might work, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, a Democrat and vocal Trump critic, wrote in a statement. The program appears woefully insufficient relative to the scale of the crisis, unworkable in its proposed form, and a bad deal for workers, employers, and states.

Richard Lavers, deputy commissioner of New Hampshires Employment Security, told ABC News while the new White House proposal offers new opportunities for the state, it would need to get additional guidance from the federal government on three key aspects of the new unemployment benefits before moving ahead: the sources of the state portion of funds, the level of collaboration in implementation that would be allowed with the states existing unemployment system, and any restrictions on who would be able to access the benefits.

MORE: 5 pandemic relief issues not addressed by Trump's executive actions

Lavers said he has seen some references to the potential waiver for the 25% match, but said the state has not been given enough guidance to make any decision yet.

Brooke Scheffler, the spokesperson for Utah's Republican Gov. Gary Herberts office, told ABC News that the state would consider pursuing the federal funds if the administration develops a way for the state to qualify for the $300 benefits without burdening our budget and the health response.

For some states, the White Houses language about the states' obligation in the memorandum set off alarms as they were already struggling with their budget amid a costly pandemic response.

PHOTO: In this July 9, 2020, file photo, California Gov. Gavin Newsom visits the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection's McClellan Reload Base in Sacramento, Calif. (Hector Amezcua/AP, FILE)

California Gov. Gavin Newsom in a scathing tweet on Sunday called the memorandum absurd, saying Americans need real help -- not false promises.

The Democratic governor said during his daily press conference on Monday that the White House proposal would cost California at least $700 million per week -- and possibly up to $2.8 billion a week -- and emphasized that the money simply does not exist" after all the state has spent on public services amid the pandemic.

MORE: How unemployment insurance uncertainty is hurting the economy

The rest of money simply does not exist, Newsom said, adding that the state would need the federal government to provide support for the 25%. There is no money sitting in the piggy bank of the previous [federal coronavirus relief] CARES Act to be reprioritized or reconstituted for this purpose. It simply does not exist.

Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont, D., said on CBS Face the Nation on Sunday that the plan would cost the state roughly $500 million through the end of the year, emphasizing the presidents plan is not a great idea. Similarly, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, also a Democrat, said that in his state, the cost would easily surpass Connecticuts number, saying Its just not workable.

In mid-July, Republican Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon announced more than $250 million in budget cuts, nearly 10% of the states general fund budget. But even with the deep budget cuts, the state is still predicting a budget shortfall of more than $600 million. Like some others, the state is waiting on additional guidance from the Department of Labor.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear expressed his frustration on a conference call with fellow Democrat New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Monday, saying the state is struggling enough as it is, currently seeing high short-term unemployment.

Beshear said the state would have to pay between $48 million to $60 million per month. But based on his calculations, Beshear said he is worried states might end up having to pay the full $400 if the federal funding cap is hit early.

But based on calculations as to how much money was set aside, the federal program might only last 5 weeks, meaning states would be left picking up that full $400, said Beshear. "Looking at the last three months to get through the year, we'd be looking at over $1.5 billion, something that's just not possible for the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

PHOTO: In this May 11, 2020, file photo, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear speaks during a news conference at the state Capitol in Frankfort, Ky. (Ryan C. Hermens/Lexington Herald-Leader via AP, FILE)

MORE: Mnuchin pushes back on Pelosi: We need 'balance' between debt, coronavirus relief

A few states jump on board White House plan

Still, officials in a few states -- all led by Republicans -- said they were eager to join the White House plan.

On Monday, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican, announced that his state has chosen to accept the $300 federal contribution at no state cost, based on the guidance his government received.

We plan on working with other states and with the federal government, Trump administration and the Department of Labor to hopefully ease any implementation concerns ahead of that, DeWines spokesperson Dan Tierney told ABC News. Obviously, the more uniform the benefit is, the easier it is to implement.

At least four other states have told ABC News that they will gladly participate in the new White House program. Arkansas and West Virginia have already announced that they will pay the 25% of the unemployment benefits, while states like Arizona and South Carolina have said theyre willing to participate without further detailing what it would look like.

Arkansas's Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson said the state has no budget shortfalls and has over $200 million in surplus or reserve funds they could use to meet the 25% share. But he said there would be delays in getting the funds out the door because it would require legislative approval.

PHOTO: This image provided by West Virginia governors office, Gov. Jim Justice holds a news conference regarding the COVID-19 epidemic, May 29, 2020 in Charleston, W.Va. (West Virginia Governors Office via AP, FILE)

MORE: COVID-19 relief bill: Negotiations reach breaking point, Trump plans executive order

In Arizona, Republican Gov. Doug Duceys spokesperson Patrick Ptak said the governors office is very thankful to President Trump for extending these critical benefits, and will be working diligently to apply these changes in Arizona. Another Republican governor, Henry McMaster of South Carolina, said during a press gathering that his state is moving forward with the White House proposal as well, though he didnt elaborate further on how the state would implement the plan.

In a press briefing on Monday, West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice said he will very willingly pay the 25% which would total about $26 million per week. The state would use $678 million from the CARES funding that was set aside early on.

Were hopeful that the federal government is going to reverse where the states dont have to pay the 25%, Justice said, but weve got the money set aside... because youve got people wondering how theyre gonna make a car payment.

What to know about coronavirus:





How it started and how to protect yourself: Coronavirus explained

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Tracking the spread in the U.S. and worldwide: Coronavirus map





As Americans await financial help, Trump's unemployment relief move confuses states originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
All airlines operating in Oman have been asked to settle ticket refund claims within a timeframe, said a report.

The Public Authority of Civil Aviation (PACA) has given all airlines a deadline, no later than November 2, to settle their financial positions, and to end all claims to refund the value of air tickets, considering the conditions worldwide for travel, said a report in Oman Daily Observer

The deadline for completing claims on tickets issued for Omani students studying abroad is no later than August 19.

For the conditions that the world is going through due to this pandemic, airlines are exempted from paying any compensation.

The airlines will coordinate with the travel and tourism offices regarding reservations, but the responsibility rests on the airline for canceling the confirmed travel tickets issued by them, the report said.

The PACA been issuing regular instructions since the outbreak of pandemic on giving the traveller the choice between issuing a ticket with a new date or issuing a voucher for the value of the travel ticket valid for a year without deduction of any fees declared in the conditions of the ticket, it said.




SOUTH Africas ambassador to Zimbabwe, Mphakama Mbete, has refuted claims that President Cyril Ramaphosas special envoys snubbed the countrys opposition and civil society organisations when they came to Harare on Monday.





Mbete told the Daily News yesterday that while the envoys had come to Zimbabwe with an open mind of engaging with other key local actors if the opportunity presented itself, their main mission on this visit was to meet with President Emmerson Mnangagwa.









This comes after the envoys  former South African vice president Baleka Mbete and ex-ministers Sydney Mufamadi and Ngoako Ramatlhodi  returned home soon after meeting Mnangagwa for more than two hours at State House.





This prompted some opposition parties and civil society groups to allege that the emissaries had been blocked from meeting them by Mnangagwa.





The envoys were in Harare to identify possible ways in which South Africa can assist Zimbabwe  amid rising tensions and allegations of gross human rights violations in the country.





The special envoys came to meet President Emmerson Mnangagwa and they were also open to meeting any other key actors, including members of the opposition and the civil society if the opportunity presented itself.





In this case, however, they met with the head of State of Zimbabwe and decided to go back to South Africa and brief President Ramaphosa on their meeting.





Their wish is to meet with other key actors in Zimbabwe and if an opportunity presents itself they will come back and meet them in future, Mbete told the Daily News.





The appointment of the envoys came after Zimbabwe had come under intense local, regional and international scrutiny over alleged human rights violations in the country  following the governments heavy deployment of police and soldiers ahead of the failed July 31 mass protests.





The special envoys are expected to engage the Government of Zimbabwe and relevant stakeholders to identify possible ways in which South Africa can assist Zimbabwe, Ramaphosa said last week when he announced their appointment.





Soon after, presidential spokesperson George Charamba told the Daily News that Ramaphosa had conferred with Mnangagwa about the special envoys.





The two leaders have been communicating and what you are seeing is a result of an agreement which they reached to send envoys into the country to discuss various issues.





That is how we do diplomacy. That is how it is done by following proper and clear channels.

You dont stand on top of a roof and shout whatever you want to see happen and expect to see things being done your way. That is not proper diplomacy, Charamba said.





So, the president is very much aware of the visit. The envoys are coming and we are going to engage them and be as open as possible to what they have to say, he added.





Following the meeting with Mnangagwa on Monday, Mufamadi revealed that the envoys had discussed with Mnangagwa the countrys situation, as well as the possible solutions to its problems  adding that the finer details of the meeting would be availed later.





Myself and two of my colleagues, Ms Baleka Mbete and Advocate Ngoako Ramatlhodi, we came here as envoys of the president of the Republic of South Africa.





We had an exchange with his counterpart. In other words we listened to the rhythm of the situation and what is being done and the intentions to do extra things and so on.





I know you will not ask us to report to our president through the media. We will be reporting to the president (Ramaphosa) who will then interact with the public, in part through you, in due course, Mufamadi said.





But the MDC Alliance claimed that Mnangagwa had blocked the envoys to meet with them, despite an earlier commitment to do so.





Alliance spokesperson Fadzayi Mahere said they had been formally requested to attend a meeting with the special envoys, but were surprised after being advised that the emissaries had departed without engaging with them.

We can only assume that the failure to meet the MDC Alliance delegation was as a result of demands made by the Zanu PF delegation.





We reiterate that Zimbabwe is in a state of crisis that has been characterised by a de facto state of emergency, a crackdown on citizens, abductions, arbitrary arrests of government critics and the political persecution of journalists, Mahere said.





On its part, the interim MDC leadership headed by Thokozani Khupe said its planned meeting with the envoys had been deferred to a future date.





As MDC-T we welcome this development (the envoys meeting with Mnangagwa) and remain positive that the two leaders in President Ramaphosa and President Mnangagwa will get to the bottom of the issues bedevilling our beautiful nation, and that Zimbabwe will once again experience unity, love and harmony, the party said.





Some civil society actors and churches expressed hope that the envoys would push the countrys major political players to engage in dialogue and work together to end the countrys mounting political and economic crises.





As the church, we have insisted that these issues need urgent attention.

We are convinced that a comprehensive national settlement to all these issues should emerge from a broad-based and comprehensive national dialogue, not only among political actors, but one that includes all sectors of society.





Our hope is that the South African envoys and the whole global solidarity will catalyse the beginning of such a truthful, loving and mutually inclusive national dialogue process.




'They (the government) want to tame everything.'

'The entire systems they are trying to change.'

IMAGE; Prime Minister Narendra Damodardas Modi and Home Minister Amit Anilchandra Shah. Photograph: Press Information Bureau

Telugu poet, activist, critic and teacher Pendyala Varavara Rao, 79, has a new advocate.

Sudeep Ratnamberdutt Pasbola, who has represented/represents accused like activist Arun Ferreira, politician Rahul Gandhi, gangster Abu Salem, HR consultant Indrani Mukerjea, gangster Arun Gawli, 1993 and 2006 Mumbai blast accused, amongst many others, took on Professor Rao's case in July.

The ailing writer-activist, who has been imprisoned for the past 750 odd days for his alleged role in the January 1, 2018 Bhima Koregaon violence following the Elgaar Parishad anniversary celebrations, contracted COVID-19 in Taloja jail, located in a satellite township north of Mumbai.

Given Professor Rao's age and his condition, he was first transferred to the Sir Jamsetjee Jeejebhoy Hospital (J J Hospital), south Mumbai, on the intervention of the National Human Rights Commission and when the state of his health worsened to the Dr Balabhai Nanavati Hospital, Santacruz, north west Mumbai.

An appeal against the special court's rejection of his interim bail came up on July 20 before Justices S S Shinde and S P Tavade of the Bombay high court.

Professor Rao's case -- he faces charges under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act for his alleged connections with Naxalite alleged to be behind the violence -- had been transferred to the National Investigation Agency in January from the Pune police.

The poet, who has been jailed multiple times in his life, is well known for his passionate anti-establishment writing, a body of literary work written while incarcerated and for lines like this: This is jail for the voice and the feet/But the hand hasn't stopped writing/The heart hasn't stopped throbbing.

The NIA declared earlier that Rao's bail request was a ruse and he was 'trying to take undue benefit under the garb of the current situation on account of global pandemic and his old age.'

Pasbola, one of Mumbai's busiest lawyers with an impressive courtroom track record, argued in court that Rao was 'almost on his deathbed' and even the NIA could not disagree with the fact that he was critical.

'His condition is very serious. He hit his head against the hospital bed while he was at the J J hospital and sustained severe injuries. Besides COVID-19, he suffers from several ailments, he is hallucinating and is delirious,' Pasbola told the court.

'His days are numbered and if he is to die, at least let him die in the presence of his family members,' Pasbola pleaded on behalf of Professor Rao's wife P Hemalatha and daughters Sahaja, Anala and Pavana, while seeking bail for his client.

Pasbola spoke to Rediff.com's Vaihayasi Pande Daniel about Professor Rao's case and why bail is no longer being granted by courts for certain types of accused.

How is Mr Varavara Rao?

About Mr Rao, I don't know.

I am told he is okay, but the only news I have is (from) when the family spoke with him -- the doctors are not sharing the medical conditions with them.

But when they spoke to Mr Varavara Rao, on video conference, he was not answering the (their) questions. He was just saying 'Ha'.

So he was disoriented, totally disoriented. That's all we know at the moment.

The rest I would know only when the (medical) report is opened in the court.

Why did you decide to take up the case of someone like Mr Varavara Rao? Do you believe in the essential innocence of all his activist endeavours?

I believe everybody to be innocent.

I don't judge anybody that way. Anybody comes with a matter I take it. I don't make judgements.

After 35 years only bad cases come to you! Whatever cases that come I take them. Not whether he is guilty or not guilty -- I don't judge.

Why did you take his case?

I took the case because it came to me through some advocate. I said, 'Alright'.

In your view, why is the NIA so adamant about opposing his bail?

I am really surprised.

This is no case, first of all. There is nothing in this. Absolutely nothing.

They wanted to book these people who are against the the present government.

They wanted to book these people (activists who were arrested along with Professor Rao -- Surendra Gadling, Sudhir Dhawale, Rona Wilson, Shoma Sen and Mahesh Raut, Sudha Bharadwaj, Arun Ferreira, Gautam Navlakha, Vernon Gonsalves).

So, they have created this (case) -- they don't have anything.

There's nothing in this case.

Absolutely nothing in the case except showing that they are somewhere connected with the CPI-ML (Communist Party of India-Marxist-Leninist).

Except that evidence, there is no violence, there is no offence committed, no person has died, no person has been injured.

Nothing. Nothing has been done.

All that they have is that they are connected -- somehow some connection is being shown to the CPI-ML. They may have some connection, that's (possible).

But beyond that, that they were actively involved in the activities of the CPI-ML, there is no evidence.

There is no evidence that these persons are concerned with any attack or propagating or supporting any attack by the CPI-ML or the Maoists. Nothing of that sort.

Unfortunately, the government is of the Right. These people are of the Left. They wanted to book them. This is part and parcel and this will happen. When they come to power, they are going to book them.

IMAGE: Professor Varavara Rao after he was produced in a Pune court in connection with the Bhima Koregaon case.

I know that he has spent long periods in jail before. But do you think that he is now being penalised more than ever before in his life?

I don't know about his previous cases.

I will tell you as far as this case (goes), for each and every one (who was arrested), the prosecution (of them) is only by way of vendetta.

They are just being judged so that they are kept inside, because they are the supporters of the Maoists. That's all.

For their politics, or their ideologies or whatever their (positions) are, they are being punished. Because of the government of today.

This is a more legal question. It's about the concept of bail. Whether it was Sudha Bhardwaj, Professor G N Saibaba...

Very unfortunate. Very unfortunate.

It was generally believed that bail is a given. Will the judiciary change its stand and give bail to these people?

I don't think that is going to happen.

Although as far as Mr Varavara Rao is concerned, and some other people (who were arrested with him for the Bhima Koregaon violence) their arrest is widely condemned all across the globe.

Literary figures, philosophers and ideologues and politicians have pleaded with the Government of India, for not only Mr Varavara Rao, but also for others.

But I don't think the government is going to give in.

The government is hellbent on punishing them, hellbent on punishing them for their ideology. So, they are going to suffer.

At the moment they are going to suffer.

IMAGE: Professor Varavara Rao, poet and activist.

So, you are saying that there is a change in the attitude to only these kinds of people.

The state government (Maharashtra government) wanted to release them, but they delayed it.

And they saw to it... it was also the police and the IPS officers lobby (in Maharashtra) who saw to it that the chief minister (Uddhav Thackeray) dilly-dallied.

At the same time, they (the police) were seeing to it that the NIA took the case.

The only way they could thwart the release of these persons was if the central government takes the case on.

So, the IPS lobby in the state of Maharashtra saw to it that the chief minister does not take a decision, though Mr Sharad Pawar and others had openly prayed or requested for the release of these persons.

At that time, they could have been released.

Then, unfortunately, the chief minister took time for the decision, as he does always, and in the meantime the central government had the time to take over the matter.

That is now sub-judice. We have challenged that order of the government of taking over the case under NIA.

Let us see what happens.

IMAGE: Advocate Sudeep Ratnamberdutt Pasbola. IMAGE: Advocate Sudeep Ratnamberdutt Pasbola.

The present-day government, they want to change the entire system.

They have worked (towards it). They have tamed everybody.

So, they (the government) want to tame everything. The entire systems they are trying to change.

When the system is going to change, everybody is going to change, then these people who are there on the opposite side of the system, they have to be (dealt with).

So as far as you are concerned, that is a sad situation, isn't it?

Sad, till the time the government of the day is there.

Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff.com
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-13 01:09:30|Editor: huaxia

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CAIRO, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- Egypt condemned on Wednesday the recent Turkish drone attack on an Iraqi border guard vehicle that left some Iraqi military personnel dead, said the Egyptian Foreign Ministry in a statement.

Egypt considered the attack "an unacceptable violation of the sovereignty of Iraq and an additional threat to regional security and stability," according to the statement.

It added that the Egyptian government and people stand in solidarity with their Iraqi counterparts "in confronting such provocative practices," stressing the need to respect Iraq's full sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity against any foreign intervention.

Earlier in the day, the Cairo-based Arab Parliament slammed the Turkish drone attack as "a dangerous encroachment on the sovereignty of the Iraq and a blatant violation of the international laws."

The Turkish drone attack that took place on Tuesday killed two Iraqi officers and one soldier in Iraq's northern semi-autonomous region of Kurdistan.

In response, the Iraqi Foreign Ministry cancelled on Wednesday a planned visit by the Turkish defense minister to Baghdad and summoned the Turkish ambassador to Iraq over the attack. Enditem
By PTI

NEW DELHI: Israel has shared its state-of-the-art artificial intelligence-based technologies and equipment with the AIIMS to assist the institute in its efforts to tackle COVID-19 more effectively and also enhance its overall healthcare facilities, the Israeli embassy said on Tuesday.

In a statement, the embassy said the technologies include contactless monitoring applications, advanced medical management systems, and AI-based solutions such as AI assistant robots that can help medical teams perform various tasks remotely.

"This noteworthy action further cements Israel's commitment towards assisting India in its efforts to tackle the ongoing pandemic," the statement said.

"The high-end equipment and technology solutions will not only assist AIIMS in its efforts to tackle COVID-19 more effectively, but also enhance its overall healthcare facilities," it said.

Following conversations between the Prime Ministers of both countries since the outbreak of the world pandemic in which they agreed to collaborate on fighting COVID-19, the statement said, Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs initiated a mission, and located the most advanced medical equipment that has been developed in Israel using cutting edge technologies to fight the disease.

"In coordination with the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), the most useful products were collected, some equipment was contributed, and some purchased with special funds allocated by Minister of Foreign Affairs, Gabi Ashkenazi," it added.

"We are pleased to share the best medical technology solutions from Israel with the most premier medical institute of India.

We are confident that these technologies will further bolster their capabilities to tackle COVID-19.

Through cooperation and the combination of India and Israel's medical prowess, we can find effective solutions that will help both countries, as well as the world," Israel's envoy to India Ron Malka said.

Randeep Guleria, Director AIIMS, noted that the pandemic has tested the resilience of all nations.

"COVID-19 pandemic has severely tested the resilience of all nations.

Both India and Israel are extending support to the international community by sharing their expertise, data, knowledge, medicines and collaborating in the areas of developing vaccine and research, thus leading by example and showing the true spirit of 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam' (whole world is one single family)," Guleria was quoted as saying in the statement.
Zelmins Minty Mouth "We wanted to reinvent the breath mint and develop a solution that gets to the root of the problem. Raissen said. Our clinically-tested formula uses parsley seed oil to help fight the odors that can cause bad breath from the foods we eat (especially garlic and onions)."

Theres the notion that Mother Nature has the cure for everything, and this includes bad breath. Remember that leaf of parsley on your dinner plate? It was actually meant to be eaten after all of the garlic and onion in the entree instead of left behind as a garnish.

Although this natural remedy is lost on most of us who would rather not chew and swallow a bunch of parsley after a meal, the concept helped innovate a breath mint that launched a family business.

Zelmins Minty Mouth takes a different approach to help combat your bad breath blues. After intensive research and testing, the company developed a gel capsule with a parsley seed oil core, coated with layers of powerful mint. According to Zelmins co-founder Jarred Raissen, this unique dual-action formula is what makes Zelmin's so effective.

"We wanted to reinvent the breath mint and develop a solution that gets to the root of the problem. That's why we took a scientific approach, Raissen said. Our clinically-tested formula uses parsley seed oil to help fight the odors that can cause bad breath from the foods we eat (especially garlic and onions)."

He adds that there is so much power behind this formulation that you would need to eat a mountain of parsley to come close to the instant freshness that Zelmin's provides. The potency makes the mints versatile as you can chew or swallow them, or savor them until they dissolve.

While disrupting the breath freshening market with a unique formula is certainly important, Zelmins Minty Mouth brand image is more people than product-centric. At a time when the breath mint industry addresses social distancing, Zelmins is overcoming this challenge thanks to social media.

Since June, the brand has been hosting an Instagram Live/TV series in a talk show format. The episodes cover various dating and relationship topics with fascinating, inspiring and often comical guests, but they place emphasis on a principal company value, having confidence. The concept is so important to the brand that it doesnt want its product to be known as packaged breath mints, but a fresh box of confidence.

With the realization that not everyone is involved in the dating game right now, the company additionally brings awareness to another social distancing aspect that many can relate to, mask breath. As Raissen points out, you need to wear your mask... not beware of your mask." For some, bad breath has never been apparent until emphasized under a face covering, which can also impact an individuals confidence.

"At Zelmin's, we want to give everyone the confidence to get closer, Raissen said. That's everything we stand forthe Zelmin's brand is about being your authentic self, no matter the situation, with confidence. So that no matter where you are (from meetings to first dates and everything in between), you know youll be fresh with Zelmins."

About: Zelmins Minty Mouth is a family-run business co-founded by a brother and sister team. Their goal: to create a range of breath fresheners that will disrupt the industry, and a brand that their friends and consumers around the world will resonate with. Together, they want to break down the taboos that exist around bad breath and change the conversation. That's why they harnessed the power of parsley seed oil and peppermint to create the ultimate dual-action breath mint.
- Russia's search for COVID-19 vaccine has become successful as the country registered a vaccine

- President Vladimir Putin, who made the disclosure, says his daughter took part in the vaccine experiment

- Russia hopes to mass-produce the vaccine which will offer "sustainable immunity" against the coronavirus

- Our manifesto: This is what YEN.com.gh believes in

President Vladimir Putin of Russia has announced that his country has developed the first vaccine offering "sustainable immunity" against the coronavirus.

In a televised video conference call with ministers, the president said the vaccine has been registered, NDTV reports.

YEN.com.gh notes that Putin said: "This morning, for the first time in the world, a vaccine against the new coronavirus was registered."

The president also said that one of his daughters was one of those used for the experiment of the vaccine, which Russia hopes to mass-produce within weeks.

Putin said: "One of my daughters had this vaccine. I think in this sense she took part in the experiment."

Comments flooded the comment section shortly after the Russian president made the disclosure on his Facebook page.

READ ALSO: Russia bypasses WHO, to launch Covid-19 vaccine on Tuesday, August 12

Vladimir Putin. Photo credit: Politico

Source: UGC

Boujeh Suveti Theodora Mihaela wrote: "All the respect, Mr. President! I hope that through you the entire population of the globe will return to normal life. Thank you for all your efforts."

Visakh VS wrote: "Let's hope this will be the end of COVID-19., Eagerly waiting for the day Corona meter come to zero. Love and Hugs from India."

Nwoha Raymond commented: "Well done to you Mr President, the medical scientists and the entire medical team in this innovation. Congratulations to the world for the new hope to living normal life."

Greg Linienko wrote: "Russia is in the debt of the World. I wonder will Russia be recognized or will it be just hidden again in the Media like all the good Russia has done in the World?"

READ ALSO: Bill Gates says the rich world will end COVID-19 pandemic in 2021

Another Facebook user named Kiron Chakma wrote: "Where is American Hollywood movies!!

"You are a great leader. Hoping for d best.."

YEN previously reported that it seems Russia planned to launch its COVID-19 vaccine on Wednesday, August 12, without the certification of the World Health Organisation.

The three phases of human trials by Russia have successfully been completed as the country plans to go into mass production.

Source: YEN.com.gh
A water polo referee from Sydney's affluent eastern suburbs has been found not guilty of raping a high school student and pushing her down a flight of stairs.

Matthew Emmanuel Goldman, 20, was charged with rape and sexual assault over four alleged incidents involving a teenage girl between January and November 2018.

He was 18 years old at the time, while his accuser, who cannot be identified, was 17.

The former St Andrew's Cathedral School student was cleared of all but one charge after successfully arguing the sex was consensual at the New South Wales District Court.

Matthew Emmanuel Goldman, 20 (pictured) was cleared over rape and sexual assault charges over four incidents involving a teenage girl between January and November 2018

The water polo referee from Sydney's affluent eastern suburbs was found not guilty of raping a high school student and pushing her down a flight of stairs

But he was found guilty of assault for choking the girl, failing to convince the jury the act was 'part and parcel' of their interactions.

The 20-year-old wiped his eyes with a tissue when the verdict was handed down after a three-week trial at the NSW District Court, reported news.com.au.

A jury of 12 men and women took a day and a half to come to agree on the verdict, which was read out on Wednesday.

Goldman was found not guilty on two counts of rape, one of indecent assault and one of assault causing actual bodily harm, which related to allegations he pushed the girl down a staircase.

During the trial the girl testified against Goldman via audiovisual link, insisting she had repeatedly told him 'no' before they engaged in a number of sexual acts.

But Goldman's barrister Anthony Ballanto QC was highly critical of the Crown's case in his closing statements on Friday.

Goldman (left) was found not guilty on two counts of rape, one of indecent assault and one of assault causing actual bodily harm

The 20-year-old was acquitted after his barrister convinced the jury the pair had been involved in consensual sex

He flagged concerns over inconsistencies with the accuser's statements, particularly that she had 'changed her story' as recently as two weeks ago.

He also took issue with the Crown changing the time frame of one alleged assault in the middle of the trial.

He urged the jury not to convict his client over 'this quality of evidence'.

'It's a Crown case that's crumbling,' Mr Bellanto said.

'It's the leaky boat scenario that's sinking when you're confronted with that type of change, or shift, in the evidence.'

The 20-year-old will be sentenced over the assault charge at a later date.

He remains on bail.
Launching the Punjab Smart Connect scheme in Mohali, cabinet minister Balbir Singh Sidhu on Wednesday handed over smartphones to fifteen Class XII students of government schools, in a programme organised at the District Administrative Complex here.

The minister informed that in the first phase of the scheme, nearly 1.75 lakh smartphones would be distributed to the eligible youth across the state, while 5,686 would get phones in Mohali. However, the number may increase as admissions are still taking place, he said.

Talking about the utility of smartphones, Sidhu said these will facilitate digital learning, whereby the students would be able to access relevant information about their course, in the difficult times of Covid-19. The youth shall have the means to avail citizen services online, besides access to employment opportunities, job fairs and recruitment drives under the governments flagship schemes, he said, adding that by virtue of improved digital literacy, the youth shall have access to digital payments, insurance, online banking etc.

It may be recalled that the state government had already received the first consignment of 50,000 smartphones and the remaining were in the pipeline. Coincidentally, August 12, which has been chosen as the day for commencement of distribution of phones, is also International Youth Day.

Not more than 15 students studying in each town/district were invited at the launch events at their respective locations and handed over the smartphones. Apps mSewa and Captain Connect shall be pre-installed on these mobile phones.
As a leading professional services provider, Cyclotron has achieved robust growth that has strengthened its position as one of the industry leaders.

Texas is one of the priority markets for Cyclotron due to its robust growth and varied industries around healthcare, oil and gas, semiconductors/tech, biomedical, aerospace and pharma. Drawing on resources and professional experience from its network, Cyclotron aims to assist companies in Houston and Austin in realizing their vision of business transformation and upgrade as well as contribute to improve the standards of modern service industry in this region. This is a strong testament of the firms commitment to prepare for its journey and support companies in Texas in their building of business eminence.

"As we continue our growth, we will remain true to establish a genuine, long-term relationships, with our new and existing customers said Steve Ellson, Director of Sales, Cyclotron Inc. The Texas market has been calling our name for a while. With all the available consulting talent and new client opportunities, plus a diverse marketplace, we expect Texas will be a strong addition to our organization.

About Cyclotron

Cyclotron is a Microsoft Managed Partner recently having won the 2020 Top US Partner for Microsoft 365 Teams and the 2020 MSUS Partner for Social Impact as well as being the finalist for the 2020 Partner of the Year for Social Impact.

Cyclotron was proudly founded in San Francisco with the sole intent of accelerating the success of our clients. We solve mission-critical business and technology challenges, through proven industry-specific frameworks. We are a trusted strategic partner to many innovative organizations in the financial, health and life sciences, public, retail, and technology sectors. Our solutions boost productivity, enhance collaboration, and integrate intelligence across your entire enterprise.

More information, please visit http://www.cyclotrongroup.com
The Indian market saw profit-booking at higher levels on August 12. The Nifty50 snapped a six-day winning streak but managed to close above 113,00 levels. The S&P BSE Sensex also closed with minor losses after four days of gains.

The S&P BSE Sensex ended at 38,369, 37 points lower, while the Nifty50 finished 14 points lower at 11,308.

Muted global markets and doubts about fresh US stimulus capped the upside. Mixed sentiment dragged on Asian stocks, as sniping continued between China and the United States, a Reuters report said.

On the domestic front, India's industrial output contracted to 16.6 percent in June as against a 1.3 percent growth year-on-year (YoY), as per the Index of Industrial Production (IIP) data released by the government on August 11.

"Indian benchmark indices closed out a volatile day flat, with a negative bias. Global cues added to the uncertainty with doubts emerging about the expected US stimulus measures and continuing US-China tensions, Vinod Nair, Head of Research at Geojit Financial Services told Moneycontrol.

Profit booking continued in the pharma sector. Markets reacted uncertainly to global cues and it was likely to continue, he said. "The downside looks limited but investors are advised to remain cautious, considering the valuations of some of the stocks, Nair said.

Sectorally, selling pressure was seen in healthcare, consumer durables, metal, and realty stocks, while some buying was seen in auto, public sector, and consumer discretionary stocks.

On the broader markets front, the S&P BSE Midcap index fell 0.26 percent and the S&P BSE Smallcap index was down 0.02 percent.

Top Nifty gainers included Tech Mahindra, SBI and HCL Technologies.

Top Nifty losers included BPCL, Hindalco, Britannia Industries and Kotak Bank.

Stocks & Sectors

Sectorally, action was seen in the S&P BSE Auto index that was up 1.9 percent. The S&P BSE Public Sector index that gained 0.9 percent and the S&P BSE Power index rose 0.6 percent.

Profit-taking was seen in the S&P BSE Healthcare index that was down 1.4 percent, S&P BSE Consumer Durables slipped 0.8 percent and the S&P BSE Metal index ended 0.8 percent lower.

Volume spike of more than 100 percent was seen in stocks like Canara Bank, SBI, PNB, Manappuram Finance, Bharat Forge and InterGlobe Aviation.

Long buildup was seen in stocks like Indigo, Bharat Forge, PVR and BHEL.

Short buildup was seen in stocks like Shriram Transport, Mannapuram Finance and Britannia Industries.

GMM Pfaudler, Vaibhav Global, VST Tillers and Orissa Minerals were among more than 100 BSE stocks that hit a 52-week high.

Stocks in news

Container Corporation of India stock shed over 3 percent after the company's consolidated profit tanked 75 percent to Rs 58.26 crore for the quarter ended on June 30, 2020.

Hindustan Aeronautics Limite dshare price spiked over 9 percent after the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) approved proposals of about Rs 8,772.38 crore for capital acquisition of various equipment and platforms, including that of 106 basic trainer aircraft from the company for IAF.

Lemon Tree Hotels stock surged 10 percent after the company said it opened a new property in Gujarat's Dwarka.

INOX Leisure share price jumped more than 7 percent after Inox Benefit Trust sold 4.32 percent stake in the multiplex chain operator for Rs 101 crore through open market transactions.

Punjab Chemicals stock surged over 18 percent after the company's Q1 consolidated net profit rose 80 percent YoY at Rs 11.2 crore versus Rs 6.2 crore.

JMC Projects share price jumped over 8 percent after the company secured orders worth Rs 1,363 crore.

Bharat Forge share price gained 5 percent after the company declared its June quarter results.

Technical View

The Nifty formed a small bullish candle on the daily charts

Buying was witnessed at lower levels but it traded in between 11,250 and 11,330 zones for the most part of the session.

The overall trend is positive to range-bound, with buy on dips strategy, say experts.

The Nifty has to continue to hold above 11,200 zones to witness an upmove towards 11,400 then 11,500 and higher zones, while on the downside, support exists at 11,200 then 11,150, Chandan Taparia of Motilal Oswal Financial Services Ltd said.

: The views and investment tips expressed by experts on Moneycontrol.com are their own and not those of the website or its management. Moneycontrol.com advises users to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions.
A French director of a non-profit organisation in Guatemala has been shot dead, according to the French embassy in the central American country.The international NGO has called for an open discussion on the status and protection of human rights workers, increasingly attacked around the world.

According to local media, Benoit Maria, was driving a truck on a road near the village of San Antonio Ilotenango, around 85 kilometres north-west of the capital Guatemala City, when he was shot and killed.

The motive of Monday's attack in the country's northeast has not yet been established.

Maria was the country director of the NGO Agronomes et veterinaires sans frontieres (AVSF)  an organisation set up to help local farmers, and had been living there for over twenty years.

Frederic Apollin, the managing director of AVSF said 55 year old Maria had probably been caught in an ambush.

"Even though work involving land in Guatemala is very sensitive, I wouldn't go as far as to speak of threats. Neither our organisation nor Benoit, were to my knowledge, the object of any threat. Benoit was clearly in the wrong place at the wrong time," he said.

"We denounce the murder of this human rights defender, Benoit Maria," said a statement on Twitter from Udefegua, a local human rights group, which has called for a high level government inquiry.

The French embassy in Guatemala published a communique, expressing "concern" over the attack and offered condoleances to the victim's family.

"Well known to the Embassy, Mr Maria worked hard to improve the lives of underprivileged people in the west of the country," said the statement on social media.

According to Jorge Santos, coordinator for Udefegua, Benoit Maria was also known for his work with the Ixil - the local indigenous mayas.

He helped set up the Ixil university in 2011, in the department of Quiche, a centre dedicated to the transfer of ancestral knowledge.

Humanitarian organisations are "more and more confronted by this kind of violence, crime and insecurity due to armed groups," Frederic Apollin said, indicating that AVSF also had a branch in Niger, where six French humanitarian workers from the group Acted were killed on Sunday.

Apollin called for a "collective consultation" on the status and protection for humanitarian workers based in unstable countries around the world.
Delhi health minister Satyendar Jain on Wednesday said the result of the second sero survey in Delhi is likely to be ready in another week.

The sample collection was done between August 1 and 7. We expect that the result will be ready in another week, Jain said.

On July 21, the first sero survey conducted by the Delhi government, conducted on Union home minister Amit Shahs recommendation, showed that 23% of the 21,387 samples collected between June 27 and July 10 had a prevalence of antibodies, suggesting the individuals had contracted the Sars-Cov-2 virus and recovered.

The next day, Jain announced that sero surveys would be conducted in Delhi on a monthly basis, with samples collected on the first five days of a month starting August.

Between August 1 and 7, teams of district health officials collected more than 15,000 samples for the second sero survey.

Sero survey is an epidemiological survey covering a representative population  the number of people, where they reside, their age and gender is meant to reflect the citys demographics and who the outbreak affects.

The highest number of samples for the second sero survey were collected from the north-west, west and central revenue districts in Delhi.

On Wednesday, Jain said nearly one-third beds in Covid hospitals in Delhi were presently occupied by patients from other states.

On June 7, when cases of Covid had started to peak in the Capital, the chief minister had issued an order, saying hospitals under the Delhi government as well as private ones should only be accessible to local residents until the situation subsided. The order was struck down by lieutenant-governor Anil Baijal the next day.
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Linkedin Yansen (The Jakarta Post) Bengkulu  Wed, August 12, 2020 10:03 525 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066d5680b 3 Opinion Environment-and-Forestry-Ministry,environment,conservation,deforestation,climate-change,COVID-19,pandemic Free

The current COVID-19 pandemic has forced us to rethink our relationship with nature. We humans are an integral part of nature and its inherent system. Nature is a space where biotic and abiotic factors interact. Human life will always be affected by the surrounding ecosystem, from the micro-organism to the macro-climate.

We could be destroyed by a biological entity, such as a fast spreading outbreak of disease with sudden impacts and huge casualties, as well as the long-term impacts of climate change. Therefore, it is now the right time to reflect on our approach to nature.

Aug. 10 has been established by the Environment and Forestry Ministry as National Nature Conservation Day. Its a day when we can reflect back on our efforts to conserve nature in Indonesia.

We are currently in a giant storm of the human journey on earth. For the last 12 months, we have been experiencing a series of very dramatic occurrences. We witnessed a parade of events such as forest and land fires in Australia, America and Indonesia, locust attacks in Africa and India and the most terrifying COVID-19 pandemic.

These events clearly illustrate our interdependence with the earth's web of life. We might arrive at a very existential question: what is the value of human beings on this planet?

As the most intelligent creature on earth and at the top level of the food chain, humans exploit nature and change every trace of the face of the earth. Industrialization and globalization have truly united us as a race for prosperity. However, globalization may also serve as a means of spreading and developing negative biological components (for humans). The COVID-19 pandemic is a real example.

Andrew Nikiforuk in Pandemonium says the invasion of infectious diseases on a global scale is due to three supporting factors: the global economy, population density (especially big cities) and high levels of human mobility.

On the other hand, as the population rapidly grows, the need for resources increases. More land, some of which is ecologically important, is converted. More natural resources, such oil and coal, are extracted to generate power for industries. The problem in many countries is that the financial benefits of conversion and extraction are the leading considered factors. Without proper planning and a lack of environmental considerations, we should not be surprised by the disastrous results.

We are seeing a decrease in consumption of resources during the COVID-19 pandemic due to the reduction in human movements and activities. This is ironically good for nature. However, once the pandemic is over, we might see an escalation in conflict over natural resources in fulfilling land claims for food, energy, housing, mining and industrialization needs.

If we analyze the situation more deeply to figure out the causes, we will see a tight connection between the current pandemic and ecological problems. Ecologically speaking, natural populations are regulated by density-dependent factors. Pressures on a population become stronger as it becomes denser. As the population booms, opportunities for infectious diseases to develop also increase. There have been indications the development of the coronavirus was closely connected to the unhealthy and crowded urban environment and unhealthy practices in wild animal consumption.

The paradigm of development has been very anthropocentric. The benefit for humans is a measure of goodness. The usefulness to the human species is considered the ultimate goal of civilization in the world. Is this ethical?

Max Horkheimer, a Frankfurt School figure, said that we commonly view reason as neutral. However, reasons could seem ethical, but at the same time be an instrument of capitalism. Sometimes ethical values are just an ethical veil, covering desires that are actually unethical. Humans might then use the justification that everything is done on an ethical basis. But, is it?

The history of colonialism and slavery are an example. These two tragedies in human civilization were once said to have an ethical basis. Charles O'Connor, a United States politician who ran for US President in 1872, once said that slavery was justice by its nature and had a philosophical basis. So, it was not only that they were not aware that they committed oppression, O'Connor even called it justice. What an irony!

The exploitation of nature may also be perceived by us to have a strong philosophical basis and reason, which is that it is for the sake of humankind. However, when an ecological disaster occurs, nature is said to be unfriendly. Although we are the ones who damaged it.

The competition among humans to extract natural resources actually shows that the reason and rationality backing the exploitation is the veil of capitalism. Yes, we need welfare and prosperity, but nature needs to be sustainable. Sustainability in the end also benefits humans.

Then, would life on earth be better without humans? The answer might be no. However, existential questions like that must be proposed to provide a wiser assessment of the value of human existence on earth. Therefore, we humans will have a moral foundation to decide the best approach to utilize our planet.

Our sense of consideration of nature must be raised. The foundation of development must be shifted from anthropocentric to ecocentric. Humans are only part of nature, and are not the only ones that must always be prioritized. Therefore, we really need to rethink our approach to nature.

The time of the COVID-19 pandemic may serve as a moment for global contemplation among humans. It is the time for nature.

***

The writer is a tropical ecologist at the University of Bengkulu and adjunct associate professor at University of New England Australia.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post.
GILBOA  Buildings at a summer camp were on fire Wednesday, the Schoharie County Sheriffs Office said.

Firefighters are at Camp Oorah on South Gilboa Road, about a 65-mile drive southwest of Albany, battling the blaze, the sheriffs office said. It began Wednesday afternoon.

Known as TheZone, the campgrounds are a Jewish sleepaway camp, according to the camp website. The camp is on the site of the former Golden Acres Resort.

Pictures provided by photographers Gross & Daley show at least one large building on fire.
During the pandemic, increasing numbers of people have pulled out their sewing machines and knitting needles and gotten to work.

Since the stay-at-home orders were issued and people were stuck at home, many who had sewn before pulled out their machines and started sewing again, Blaine Austin, CEO of SewingMachinesPlus.com, told the E-Commerce Times.

At the same time, the CDC announced that everyone should be wearing masks. Since there was a shortage in N95 masks, they asked people to make their own, [and] this caused a massive rush on sewing machines nationwide, he added.

There has been a massive resurgence in sewing and crafts, as makers around the world  including groups like DesignLabGive (pictured above) and NJ Masks  have been sewing masks and creating other much-needed items for themselves and others.

Health and Wellness Benefits

Weve seen an influx of inquiries to our customer service and website about sewing questions for many people who are getting back into sewing to help with the PPE shortage, Junichi Horie, vice president of Brother International Corporations home appliance division, told the E-Commerce Times.

Our network of Brother Dealers also experienced a big uptick in new purchase inquiries and service and repair for existing machines. Some individuals who were negatively impacted with furloughs have also started to look for ways to support themselves, Jorie continued. The maker community is getting larger, with many people using their sewing and crafting hobbies to start a small business.The practical need to make masks has been supplemented by the psychological benefits of making things during a stressful time.

Studies have shown that yarn crafts in particular also have numerous health and wellness benefits, Jenny Bessonette, executive director of the Craft Yarn Council, explained to the E-Commerce Times.

Through a survey that now has over 3,500 responses, weve found that 63 percent of respondents said current events are causing them stress. Eighty-five percent of the respondents said theyre currently creating with yarn to relieve stress. Ninety-four percent also said that knitting, crochet and other fiber crafts help them slow down from their daily routine and the things that are stressing them out, she added.

Digital Resources and Communities

The Internet has done much to facilitate the recent growth of interest in home crafting  with digital forums serving as a way for crafters to connect with each other, buy supplies, and sell their wares.

The Internet offers anyone wanting to learn a new sewing or crafting technique instant access to videos, tutorials, and online classes, Angela Wolf, ambassador for Brother International Corporation, told the E-Commerce Times. Even more importantly, people are gathering in online communities, connecting, sharing their projects, and making friends.

Information about sewing and crafts is readily available on the Internet, making it relatively easy to learn new skills and find supplies with which to work.

The Internet makes information available like never before, said Austin. With so many classes and DYI videos [available] online people can be more creative than ever and get help with just a click of the mouse. They are also able to see all the different type of equipment and related accessories that are available, [as opposed to being] limited to what the local retail store might have had in stock.

The Internet also offers a sense of community and connection via social media for crafters who might otherwise be stuck at home.

Many people are engaging with each other on social media to talk about news related to the pandemic and to talk about what theyre doing with their time, explained Bessonette. Weve found in our Stitch Away Stress survey this year that over half of knitters and crocheters are connecting to fellow crafters through social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram. Theyre also overwhelmingly using online and social media platforms to stay plugged into the yarn community to find inspiration and ideas for projects.

Business Opportunities

The Internet also offers a variety of possibilities for crafters to make some money  which can be particularly important during this time of widespread layoffs.

What was once primarily a hobby for yourself or gifts has evolved into a maker movement that is helping individuals to become entrepreneurs and business owners, said Horie. From women to men of all ages, sewing, crafting and even quilting are inclusive. Whether you are doing it just because you love it and share it with your family, or are turning embroidery into a small business, the communities are so supportive and strong, especially on social media.

For clothing designers and makers, in particular, digital forums allow customers to find and purchase their wares, creating an ever-growing market for independent fashion creators.

I believe consumers love more than ever unique designs, Javier Bello, marketing expert for Ueni, told the E-Commerce Times. Of course, consumers will continue buying big brands. However, exclusivity and innovation are two key aspects that are deeply attached to independent fashion designers.

Not Your Grandmas Sewing Machine

Because of new technologies and products, crafting and sewing in the 21st century offer unique opportunities for expanding ones creative reach.

Currently, some of the new machines out in the marketplace are far more advanced than any time in history, said SewingMachinesPlus.coms Austin.

We have sewing machines that not only sew; they also quilt and embroidery. They actually scan, digitize and resize designs right in the machine. There is WiFi and Bluetooth built right into some machines. This makes it easy to download and save designs right to the cloud and your home PC without the use of cables or USB sticks. Theres also a growth in trends like repurposing old clothing, Austin explained.

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

Repurposing old clothing and other fabrics has also become a significant trend thats likely to continue gaining traction in the future.

A lot of people, instead of throwing out old clothes or giving them away, are using them to create all kinds of things they can wear or use, explained Austin. The future of sewing is unlimited. With so many advancements each year, its opening up endless possibilities to the home sewist.

These sewing and crafting trends are likely to continue throughout the pandemic and beyond.

Sewing masks for medical and fashion purposes will be forefront for the next few months, said Brother Internationals Wolf. Zero waste, sustainable fashion, and repurposing have been trends for some time, and I see that only gaining momentum with this new creative boom.

With a low-cost entry point, sewing and crafting can be used for a purpose or self-expression. Adding a slogan to a T-shirt, customizing home decor with embroidery, designing a face mask to coordinate with your next outfit, altering garments to fit, or simply creating a custom card for a friend. The creative possibilities are endless.
Thomas Gilmer was arrested Monday night in connection with a possible domestic assault, the police said. He ended his campaign but could still win a spot on the November ballot.
" " Unfortunately, a gas mask won't do you much good in the event of a large-scale bioterrorist attack. Yoni Zonszein/ Getty Images

The attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, alerted the world to the realities of new terrorist threats. Startling images of the Twin Towers falling are indelible and may have overshadowed the events that occurred just a week later. From a public mailbox in New Jersey, letters that contained anthrax spores were mailed to two U.S. senators and several news media outlets. The attack killed five people and infected 18 more. Aside from this tragic loss of life, the attacks furthered the nation's fear and paranoia, and the total cleanup costs exceeded one billion dollars [source: Lengel].

Bioterrorism -- the purposeful release of bacteria, viruses or germs to cause injury, illness or death -- became a reality in the United States. The three ways a terrorist can release biological agents is through air, water or food. These agents are typically very difficult to detect and because the illnesses they cause are usually delayed, it makes bioterrorism a hard crime to investigate. In fact, the anthrax case of 2001 remains unsolved.

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Bioterrorism dates back to 1340, when diseased horse corpses were catapulted over castle walls in France. Human bodies infected with plague were also used as ammunition in central Europe during the 14th and 15th centuries. In 1763, a British army general ordered that blankets used on smallpox patients be sent to American Indian tribes. British Revolutionary War troops would also infect themselves with traces of smallpox, rendering themselves immune, in hopes of passing the disease along to the enemy.

During World War I, Germans infected livestock headed for the Allies with anthrax. Even though the attack proved to be unsuccessful, it led to the creation of the Geneva Protocol in 1925. This prohibited the use of biological and chemical agents during wartime, while allowing research and development of these agents to continue. The British and German armies may have dabbled in biological warfare, but the Japanese went full steam ahead in the years that preceded World War II. Hundreds of thousands of Chinese civilians were killed by biological means at the hands of the Japanese army. One of these attacks included dropping paper bags containing plague-infested fleas from low-flying airplanes.

In 1984, the first instance of bioterrorism occurred in the United States. Cult members in rural Oregon sprinkled salmonella on salad bars all around Wasco County, hoping to affect the outcome of a judicial vote. In the end, 750 cases of food poisoning were reported and 45 victims had to be hospitalized. Another cult killed 12 people and injured many more in Tokyo by releasing sarin gas into a crowded subway in 1995.

In this article, we'll learn all about bioterrorism -- the biological agents, the terrorists and the measures in place to combat these evildoers.
(L) President Donald Trump listens to Vice President Mike Pence speak at the daily coronavirus briefing at the White House in Washington on April 19, 2020. (Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images) (R) Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee former Vice President Joe Biden delivers a speech at the William Hicks Anderson Community Center in Wilmington, Dela. on July 28, 2020. (Mark Makela/Getty Images)

Trump, Biden Win Connecticut in Final Presidential Primaries of 2020

Connecticut voters on Aug. 11 rubber-stamped President Donald Trump and presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden in the states primary, which marked the final contest of the 2020 election season.

Biden won the state primary, securing about 84 percent of the vote with 23 percent of precincts reporting, in contrast to 12 percent for Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.). Trump, meanwhile, won the GOP primary with more than 86 of the vote based on initial results, the Associated Press reported.

State officials had anticipated a large number of absentee ballots and a drop in voter numbers for the Connecticut contest due to the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus pandemic. Before Tuesdays primary elections, it had been twice delayed because of the pandemic.

Chairman J.R. Romano of Connecticuts Republican party told the Epoch Times in April that Connecticut has complicated absentee ballot rules and no efficient mail-in ballot system to ensure voters can cast their vote in the elections.

Its a difficult process, with many steps for a voter to get an absentee ballot and as far as on-line ballot that can be downloadednot everyone has access to printers.

He continued, Without a doubt, there will be a massive drop in numbers of voters because our state does not have a no-excuse ballot option.

File photo of a voting booth in Lincoln, Neb., on April 14, 2020. (Nati Harnik/AP Photo)

There were about 300,000 requests for absentee ballots for Connecticuts primary, according to Secretary of the State Denise Merrill, who said the number is about 10 times the highest number absentee ballot requests for any election in the state.

Gov. Ned Lamont (D) on Monday signed an executive order giving election officials until Thursday to count absentee ballots, guaranteed that they are postmarked by Tuesday.

News that Biden won the state primary came just hours he announced he is selecting Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) as his vice presidential pick.

I have the great honor to announce that Ive picked [Harris]a fearless fighter for the little guy, and one of the countrys finest public servantsas my running mate, he wrote in an announcement on Tuesday.

Related Coverage Biden Selects Kamala Harris as Running Mate

Back when Kamala was Attorney General, she worked closely with Beau, his deceased son, Biden added. I watched as they took on the big banks, lifted up working people, and protected women and kids from abuse. I was proud then, and Im proud now to have her as my partner in this campaign.

With just six days until the nominating convention, Biden was expected to choose a vice president this week.

Bidens selection of Harris, 55, provides racial diversity and gender diversity in an attempt to appeal to a broader spectrum of the Democratic Party.

Harriss mother was a breast cancer researcher who immigrated to the United States from India in the 1960s, while her father, Donald Harris, originally from Jamaica, is an economist who worked for Stanford University in the Bay Area and a staunch Marxist. The two divorced when Kamala Harris was young.

If Biden, 77, suffers a health issue while in office, Harris would take over as president. Earlier this year, Biden told reporters that Im an old guy, and he would need someone who could immediately take over.

Jack Phillips, Masooma Haq and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Most Americans oppose religious exemptions from COVID-19 lockdown restrictions: Pew

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Most Americans oppose giving houses of worship religious exemptions from COVID-19 lockdown regulations, according to a new survey by Pew Research Center.

In findings released Friday, Pew found that 79% of respondents said religious institutions should be subject to the same social distancing guidelines as secular businesses and entities.

Respondents who identified as evangelical Protestant were more likely to support giving houses of worship more flexibility, nevertheless 62% of them also opposed exemptions.

Pew found a partisan divide, with 93% of Democrat and Democrat-leaning respondents opposing exemptions versus 65% of Republican and Republican-leaning respondents agreeing.

Pew based its findings off a survey taken July 13-19 among 10,211 adults in the United States, with a margin of error for the full sample being plus or minus 1.5 percentage points.

The survey also found that evangelical Protestants were less likely to believe that their churches should remain closed during the pandemic compared to other religious groups.

Eighteen percent of evangelical respondents said their churches should be closed, versus 27% of Catholics, 40% of mainline Protestants, and 41% of black Protestants.

 amid reports that some clusters of the virus have been tied to religious gatherings, many Americans who regularly attend religious services express support for instituting a variety of restrictions and modifications at their own places of worship, explained Pew.

At the time the survey was conducted (July 13-19), only 13% said their house of worship should be open to the public just as it was before the outbreak.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, many congregations in the U.S. opted to cancel in-person worship services and other gatherings.

However, some churches have argued that state orders demanding that they halt in-person gatherings and remain closed are unconstitutional and treat them unfairly compared to secular organizations.

For example, a church recently sued Nevada over a state order that required it to limit in-door service attendance numbers to 50 people while allowing casinos to have 50% capacity.

The church wanted to hold services for up to 90 members, 50% capacity, while fully complying with social-distancing rules and other required measures, but was denied.

Last month, the U.S. Supreme Court decided without comment to refuse to hear an appeal from the church, allowing the state order to remain in force.

Southern Baptist Convention President J.D. Greears church, The Summit Church of Durham, North Carolina, recently decided to cancel in-person worship services for the rest of the year. Instead, members will be gathering in small groups at people's homes.

In an interview with The Christian Post published Tuesday, Greear explained that his church wanted to follow state guidelines to inform our decisions in order to protect our congregation and the public at large.

The message we seek to send to our congregation and to our community is that, even when we are unable to gather as a large church on the weekend, the Summit Church is not 'closed' because the church exists everywhere the members of the church live, said Greear.

Jesus taught us to love our neighbors as ourselves and to love God with all of our being. He commanded us to make disciples.
Alex Azar, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, arrived in Taiwan on August 9 and began a 3-day-long visit. Such a move of the U.S. is a serious breach of its commitments pledged on the Taiwan question.

China is consistently and firmly opposed to the official interactions between the U.S. and Taiwan, and has lodged stern representations with the U.S. side.

It is only recently that the U.S. has announced that it would withdraw from the World Health Organization (WHO) and refused to do its part for global public health.

However, it now sends officials to Taiwan to discuss cooperation in combating the COVID-19 epidemic, which is merely another clumsy trick of the U.S. trying to politicize the pandemic.

The Taiwan question is the most important and sensitive issue in China-U.S. relations, and the one-China principle is the political foundation of the bilateral relationship.

In December 1978, the U.S. government accepted the three principles proposed by the Chinese government for the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, namely, the U.S. should sever diplomatic relations and abrogate the mutual defense treaty with the Taiwan authorities and withdraw U.S. military forces from Taiwan.

On this basis, the U.S. reached an agreement with China on properly handing Taiwan-related issues.

The United States of America recognizes the Government of the Peoples Republic of China as the sole legal government of China. Within this context, the people of the United States will maintain cultural, commercial and other unofficial relations with the people of Taiwan, as stated clearly in the Joint Communique on the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations issued by both countries on December 16, 1978.

On January 1, 1979, China and the U.S. formally established diplomatic relations. Normalization of China-U.S. relations was thus achieved.

China has repeatedly urged the U.S. to handle Taiwan-related issues prudently, stop any official exchanges and contact with Taiwan, and refrain from sending any wrong signal to separatist elements advocating Taiwan independence, so as not to disturb and damage the overall picture of China-U.S. relations.

It seems that the U.S. has recently launched repeated provocations against China on the Taiwan question and engaged in placing obstacles to China-U.S. relations.

In March, the U.S. signed into law the Taiwan Allies International Protection and Enhancement Initiative (TAIPEI) Act of 2019, a bill expressing Washingtons support for Taiwan in strengthening its relationships with countries around the world.

Amid the international cooperation in combating the epidemic, the U.S., however, has tried to play the Taiwan card to malign China.

It has also continuously strengthened its military ties with Taiwan, promoted arms sales to Taiwan and hyped U.S.-Taiwan joint military training.

Playing the Taiwan card is actually a risky act of some American politicians to achieve their own political interests. It does not conform to the fundamental interests of the Chinese and American people and will undermine China-U.S. relations as well as peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.

There is only one China in the world, and Taiwan is an inseparable part of the Chinese territorythe one-China principle is a common consensus of the international community.

The Taiwan question concerns Chinas sovereignty, territorial integrity and core interests.

The Chinese government and people are firm in their determination to safeguard Chinas national sovereignty and territorial integrity, to oppose any foreign meddling in Chinas internal affairs and to realize the reunification of the two sides across the Taiwan Strait.

China urges the U.S. side to abide by the one-China principle and the provisions of three China-U.S. joint communiques, stop official interactions and contact of all kinds as well as the upgrading of substantive relations with the island, and handle Taiwan-related issues in a prudent and proper manner.

It will take resolute and powerful countermeasures against the unrighteous actions of the U.S. Any attempt that denies and challenges the one-China principle is doomed to fail.

(Zhong Sheng is a pen name often used by Peoples Daily to express its views on foreign policy.)
SAN FRANCISCO (BCN)

San Francisco Mayor London Breed on Tuesday announced the creation of a new 24-hour Street Crisis Response Team that would be used to respond to behavioral health emergencies in the place of law enforcement.

Under the pilot program, the team would provide appropriate responses to 911 and 311 calls regarding people experiencing intoxication, psychosis, or any other mental health or substance abuse-related emergencies.

The effort aims to divert those individuals away from emergency rooms and jails and instead place them in behavioral health treatment facilities.

The response teams will be equipped with at least one paramedic from the Fire Department and a behavioral health clinician and behavioral health peer from the San Francisco Department of Public Health.

The program will be funded with $4 million from the city's general fund from the mayor's proposed 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 budget. In addition, if a business tax reform ballot measure is approved by voters in the upcoming November election, the program could receive up to $16.8 million over the next two years, expanding it.

In addition to the response team, Breed's budget proposal also includes the creation of the Office of Coordinated Care within the Department of Public Health, increasing behavioral health bed capacity, as well as expanded hours at the city's Behavioral Health Access Center.

"Often, calls to 911 or 311 about someone who appears to be having a behavioral health emergency don't actually need an armed police response. In fact, that type of response can sometimes makes things worse," Breed said in a statement. "With this pilot program, we're taking the first step toward redirecting non-violent calls from police to other resources, and are expanding behavioral health services in San Francisco."

The response team pilot program is part of Mental Health SF, the city's plan to improve behavioral health response for homeless San Franciscans, initially proposed by Supervisors Matt Haney and Hillary Ronen.

The response team program also fulfills Breed's intentions to divert non-violent calls from law enforcement. Back in June, amid nationwide protests denouncing the death of George Floyd by Minneapolis police, Breed called for ending the use of police officers as responders to non-violent calls, instead opting for community-based providers.

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Dubai will host virtually the first edition of Healthcare Future Summit, a conference dedicated to all medical professionals, ministries of health, government authorities, and academia.

Running under the theme "Bringing Healthcare Communities Together", the summit will take place from December 6 to 8, 2020, focusing on the increased demand and the significant social expectations in healthcare delivery due to the global pandemic that is threatening the whole world today, said a Wam news agency report.

The event will focus on eight main pillars: patient safety, future of healthcare, innovation & technology, healthcare finance, big data, pharma in healthcare and wellness & medical tourism.

Around 500 participants are expected to attend the conference that will be hosting more than 45 reputed regional and international speakers.

Dr Ramadan Alblooshi, Dubai Healthcare City Authority  Regulation, DHCR, & Head of the Scientific Committee of Healthcare Future Summit, said: "We are bringing healthcare communities together to deliver the best care to our patients. We aim to position healthcare at the lead of the global industry by introducing innovative regulations and providing platforms to share the best practices and to assess demands. Being one of the healthcare regulators in the region, we have a deep sense of responsibility to serve the people and look into the future by elevating the healthcare standards."

He added: "In line with Dubai Plan 2021, we share a unifying voice and continue to work closely with various authorities to help and execute a strong regulatory framework, which will build a more reliable healthcare industry in order to safeguard citizens, residents and visitors in the country. The well-founded infrastructure and the overwhelming government support make the UAE more equipped to compete with international standards and achieve high satisfaction in care delivery."

Anas Al Madani, Vice-Chairman and Group CEO of INDEX Holding, said: "I am looking forward to the Healthcare Future Summit to discuss with experts the future of the healthcare system in the post-coronavirus phase, which has a crucial impact on every aspect of our lives."
Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Wednesday said resentment among the Congress MLAs is natural after the return of dissident legislators to the party-fold but asked them to forgive, forget and

move on.

But with just two days to go before the assembly session, the party is taking no chances, deciding to keep them together at a resort in the state capital.



The MLAs in the Gehlot camp were on Wednesday flown back to Jaipur from Jaisalmer, where they were together at another hotel.



They were taken straight from the airport to the Fairmont hotel on the outskirts of the city, where they had stayed before being moved to Jaisalmer. The MLAs mostly from the Congress and some allies are expected to remain there till the assembly meets on August 14.

The Congress crisis in Rajasthan appears to have ended with the intervention of the top leadership of Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra who met rebel leader Sachin Pilot earlier this week



Pilot had openly rebelled against Gehlot last month along with 18 other Congress MLAs. He was then sacked as deputy chief minister and the party's Rajasthan chief.



Meeting reporters in Jaisalmer, Gehlot said he had urged the MLAs to bear with the develoipement, while acknowledging that it was 'natural' for them to be upset.



"Forget and forgive and move on in the interest of the country, the state, the people of the state and democracy. Democracy in under threat. This was a fight to save democracy, in which our MLAS gave their support," he said.



At earlier Congress Legislature Party meetings, the loyalist MLAs had called for disciplinary action against the dissidents who defied party whips while demanding a change in the leadership in the state.



Gehlot had himself called the now sacked PCC president 'useless', using the derogatory Hindi word 'nikamma' for Sachin Pilot.



"It is natural for them to be upset. The way this episode happened, they had to stay in hotels," he said Wednesday, in an apparent reference to the previous evening's Congress Legislature Party meeting in Jaisalmer.



"I have exhorted them that in the interest of the country, state, people of the state and for saving democracy, sometimes we have to bear this," he said.



He said that more than 100 MLAs stayed together for such a long time, which is a big thing in itself and had never happened in the history of the country.



The chief minister said all MLAs, including those who have returned now, will work together to fulfil the commitments made to the people of the state.



In Jaipur, as the loyalist MLAs headed to the Fairmont hotel, Transport Minister Pratap Singh Khachariyawas confirmed that they are not happy with the turn of events.



"Yes, several MLAs said they are upset and saying this is their right," he said, while reminding that a decision has already been taken by the party high command.



AICC general secretary Avinash Pande, who too came to Jaipur from Jaisalmer, said the MLAs remained united.



The Gehlot government will complete its five-year term, he said. "We will also win the next assembly elections in 2023."



Independent MLA Sanyam Lodha said the dissident MLAs have returned unconditionally. Congress deputy chief whip Mahendra Chaudhary called the events a victory of the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party's defeat.



The party had alleged that the BJP was trying to topple the Gehlot government by trying to lure away Congress MLAs.



The MLAs in the Ashok Gehlot camp had moved into the Fairmont hotel in Jaipur on July 13 and were shifted to Jaisalmer's Suryagarh hotel on August 31.



Till Wednesday evening, Gehlot and Pilot had not met since the dissident leader's return to Jaipur.



On Tuesday, Gehlot was in Jaisalmer with the MLAs there. He travelled to Jodhpur on Wednesday to condole the death of 11 Pakistani Hindu migrants who died there recently, allegedly after a suicide pact.
Regulatory News:

Pershing Square Holdings, Ltd. (LN:PSH) (LN:PSHD) (NA:PSH) today released its regular weekly Net Asset Value ("NAV") and performance returns on its website, https://www.pershingsquareholdings.com/company-reports/weekly-navs/. The NAV and returns were computed as of the close of business on Tuesday, 11 August 2020.

PSH NAV per share as of close of business on 11 August 2020 was 37.34 USD 28.62 GBP and year-to-date performance was 39.4%.

Weekly net asset value ("NAV") is calculated as of the close of business on each Tuesday and posted on the following business day. In the event that Tuesday is not a business day, the Company will calculate the close-of-business NAV as of the business day immediately preceding that Tuesday. The end-of-month NAV is calculated as of the close of business on the last day of the month and posted on the following business day. For weeks that include a month-end NAV report, PSH will provide only the month-end NAV and not report the Tuesday NAV. Monthly NAVs are published in accordance with the Decree on Conduct of Business Supervision of Financial Undertakings under the Wft (Besluit Gedragstoezicht financiele ondernemingen Wft).

Performance is presented on a net-of-fees basis and reflects the deduction of, among other expenses: management fees, brokerage commissions, administrative fees and accrued performance fees, if any. The performance figure includes the reinvestment of all dividends, interest and capital gains. Depending on the timing of a specific investment, net performance for an individual investor may vary from the net performance as stated herein. Net performance is a geometrically linked time weighted calculation.

Past performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. All investments involve risk including the loss of principal.

About Pershing Square Holdings, Ltd.

Pershing Square Holdings, Ltd. (LN:PSH) (LN:PSHD) (NA:PSH) is an investment holding company structured as a closed-ended fund that makes concentrated investments principally in North American companies.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200812005707/en/

Contacts:

Media

Camarco

Ed Gascoigne-Pees Hazel Stevenson +44 020 3757 4989, media-pershingsquareholdings@camarco.co.uk
Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) has said that it will observe the Independence Day of Pakistan, August 14, as a 'Black Day' to protest against the state brutalities against oppressed ethnicities and religious minorities.

Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) has announced that it will observe the Independence Day of Pakistan, August 14, as a Black Day to protest against the state brutalities against Mohajirs, Sindhis, Balochs, Pashtuns, other oppressed ethnicities and religious minorities. MQM says that oppressed ethnicities and religious minorities are being persecuted by the Pakistan Army, Para-Military Rangers, Frontier Constabulary and other security forces of Pakistan.

The MQM founded by Altaf Hussain will be holding car rallies in the UK, the USA, Canada, Germany, Australia and its other overseas units on the Black Day as a protest. The preparations for the protests by the MQM Overseas have already started. Meetings of Central Organising Committees were held and different committees have been constituted for the arrangements of Black Day.

Organisers of MQM Overseas chapters said that Mohajirs, Sindhis, Balochs, Pashtuns, other oppressed ethnicities and religious minorities are being persecuted by the Pakistan Army, Para-Military Rangers, Frontier Constabulary and other security forces of Pakistan.

Also read: Canada health officials say no to Russian Covid-19 vaccine

Also read: Trump escorted from briefing room due to firing outside White House

Besides, the extra-judicial killings, illegal arrests, detentions, enforced disappearances and other human rights violations have become a daily routine in the country. Protests against these state brutalities will continue, the MQM organisers added. Muttahida Qaumi Movement has issued a statement saying that they will observe August 14 as Black Day to protest against the brutalities against minorities.

Also read: US Presidential elections 2020: Biden picks Kamala Harris as his vice-presidential running mate
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-12 20:19:30|Editor: huaxia

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KUWAIT CITY, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- Kuwait celebrated on Wednesday International Youth Day to showcase the "substantial" role of the youths at the local, national, and global levels.

At a press statement, Mohammad Al-Jabri, Kuwaiti minister of information and minister of state for youth affairs, said that the Kuwaiti government pays special attention to youths and supports them in various fields and levels by adopting a number of projects.

Kuwaiti youths have played an important role in helping the most needed institutions in the country in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, he said.

Conrad Lesa, United Nations resident coordinator in Kuwait, said that the vast majority of pressing challenges such as the COVID-19 outbreak, wars, hunger, civil unrest, and climate change requires concerted global actions, meaningful engagement and participation of young people.

"The young population is pivotal in curbing the spread of infections by being disciplined and complying with the recommendations of WHO and government authorities," he noted. Enditem
Jose Roberto Alvarez is remembered for his spirit, his storytelling and his congeniality. (From the Alvarez family)

Alisha Alvarez's mind is filled with thoughts of her fathers happy spirit and the stories he told. Jose Roberto Alvarez, a man of medium stature with a thick mustache, was known for his work ethic and instilling in his children a love of others.

"It is so difficult to talk about him because I loved him so much," Alvarez said of her father, who died after contracting COVID-19. He worked at one of the three food distribution facilities that were briefly closed last month by Los Angeles County public health authorities after outbreaks of the disease were detected.

He was "very affectionate; he never left me without giving me a hug, a kiss," Alvarez said of the man known to some in his community as "Beto Mena."

As California saw a surge in coronavirus cases after partially reopening its economy this summer, essential workers, many of them Latinos in the food industry, have been hit hard.

Jose Roberto was from San Miguel, El Salvador, and came to the United States in the early 1980s. An engineer by profession, he had served for the past two years as head of maintenance at Mission Foods Corp. in Commerce.

At the beginning of the pandemic, in March, he was going to work every day. In May, the company sent a letter notifying employees that someone had fallen ill with coronavirus infection.

"My mom and dad went to do the test and they both didn't have it; they were negative," Alvarez said.

In the following weeks, there was no official communication from the company, a leading distributor of tortillas, chips and salsas, that more workers had gotten sick, Alvarez said. In June, however, word began circulating among employees that some workers had contracted COVID-19.

On June 22, the 67-year-old Jose Roberto Alvarez, who had diabetes and high blood pressure, began showing some COVID-19 symptoms.

"In this situation," Alvarez said, "he was afraid of saying that he couldn't come to work, because he believed that he would be fired."

Story continues

Los Angeles County Department of Public Health officials reported that at least 40 people tested positive for COVID-19 at Mission Foods Corp., while at least 60 were identified at S&S Foods Corp. in Azusa and at least 47 at Golden State Foods Corp. in Industry, according to the county.

Barbara Ferrer, county health director, said those three companies were closed at the end of July for failing to report their coronavirus outbreaks.

"Our inspector asked them to make some modifications to really improve their infection control protocols at all three sites," Ferrer said last week.

All three businesses have since reopened. In a statement, Mission Foods said it had stepped up measures to enhance worker safety in the face of the pandemic. The Times has reported that the county is examining the deaths of two employees at Mission Foods Corp.

In a written statement sent to The Times, Mission Foods said that it had taken appropriate measures to protect the health and safety of its nearly 600 employees at the Commerce facility and had "worked hard" to keep all employees informed about confirmed cases of coronavirus infection there.

We have also encouraged and allowed high-risk individuals who may be concerned about contracting COVID-19 to take leaves of absence. This includes at our Olympic facility where we have high-risk employees who have been given extended leave due to COVID-19, a spokesperson said, referring to Olympic Blvd. in Commerce.

On June 28, a week after Jose Roberto began having symptoms, he and his wife were tested again. This time both tested positive.

After his infection was diagnosed, Jose Roberto remained isolated at home. In addition to him and his wife, another daughter, who suffers from a chronic disease, also became infected.

Six days later, on July 4, he had trouble breathing and was taken to the hospital. The next day, he was admitted to the hospital's intensive care unit. He spent two weeks connected to a respirator and on July 20 he died.

"My dad has been a partner for 35 years to my mom," Alvarez said. "It is hard not to have him here. He was everything for us."

The family is working to create the Beto Mena Foundation, a nonprofit that serves the community, as a way to honor Jose Roberto. At the same time, by publicizing his case, they are trying to give a voice to the Latino community, many of whom are forced to go to workplaces where there is a risk of contagion.

According to Oscar Ramirez, a lawyer for the Alvarez family who is investigating the situation, Mission Foods did not reveal a massive outbreak to all the workers as was its obligation.

"If there is an outbreak of COVID-19 in a place of employment," said the lawyer, "they must disclose it to their workers so they know, and not intentionally hide it, which is what happened here."

Alvarez said her father's death could serve as an example to other workers, encouraging them to have strength and, perhaps, help other families avoid tragedy.

"There are other families who work there," she said, "and I want people who are in that situation to have a voice."
Quebec man, 43, demands to be rescued from the 'prison' that is a CHSLD

All Jonathan Marchand wants is to live at home  and to that end, he's demanding a meeting with Premier Francois Legault.

Marchand, 43, has lived in a long-term care home in Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupre since 2012, a place he likens to a prison, and says doesn't "feel safe" during a global pandemic.

He has muscular dystrophy and uses a wheelchair. He also needs round-the-clock help to monitor the ventilator he uses to breathe.

Until he's able to meet with the premier to discuss ways of allowing people to live at home instead of in CHSLDs, Marchand says he will stay in a makeshift cage outside the National Assembly.

"I have met with ministers, senior officials and deputy ministers with little result," wrote Marchand in a statement. "Our freedom cannot wait any longer."

He said he's willing to stay put "as long it takes."

"Days, week, whatever it takes," he told CBC's Breakaway.

At least half a dozen other people, also in wheelchairs, showed up Wednesday to show their support.

Marchand's setup includes a hospital bed and all the medical equipment he needs to survive.

He said living in a CHSLD during COVID-19 poses as great a risk to his health as "escaping" the home to protest in Old Quebec.

Marchand has a list of demands he hopes to discuss with the premier, including a project to investigate how people with disabilities can leave or avoid long-term care facilities.

Marie-Pier Bouchard/Radio-Canada

People with disabilities who are not seniors should be given the choice of how they want to live, instead of being forced into a facility, Marchand said.

"For us, it's not just about being kept alive. We want the tools to be included in society," he said. "For that, personal assistance is essential, as it exists elsewhere in Canada and around the world".

Marchand said he's tried in vain for years to convince the province to hire a caregiver for him, which he said would be more affordable than a room in a CHSLD.

Story continues

"It's cheaper and respects our rights and freedoms," he stated.

He said he does not have an illness, he has a disability, and should not be treated "like an object, warehoused into a building," being told when to wake up, eat, go to the bathroom, and go to sleep.

Marchand has been vocal about his desire to leave his CHSLD since April, telling Quebec AM the pandemic highlighted the shortcomings in the province's long-term care homes.

Marguerite Blais, the minister responsible for seniors and informal caregivers, visited Marchand Wednesday in front of the legislature.

"I know Mr. Marchand. He came to see me when I started my mandate," Blais said. "I would like for him to be home in the next two years, if not before. That needs to happen."

She said the government is investing in home care services.

But Marchand said Blais's plan maintains the current system of centralizing health care decisions, instead of empowering individuals to decide what kind of help they need.

Marie-Pier Bouchard/Radio-Canada

He is adamant only a visit with the premier will do and he plans to stay put until that happens.

"I'm not just doing this for myself, my goal is to open the cage door by creating a precedent," he stated. "Everyone is worth it and we must leave no one behind."

Marchand said he "cannot go home empty-handed," because he fears he will face repercussions from his long-term care facility for his stunt at the National Assembly.

"I can't live like that anymore," he said.

Legault spokesperson Nadia Talbot told Radio-Canada the premier's office is aware of Marchand's situation, but that a meeting is not possible at this time.
BEIRUT - Germany stands ready to help Lebanon with reconstruction and further investment after last weeks massive explosion, but any support will be linked to economic reforms and an end to pervasive corruption in Lebanon, Germanys foreign minister said Wednesday.

Heiko Maas spoke after a tour of Beiruts devastated port, where thousands of tons of ammonium nitrate exploded Aug. 4, obliterating the facility, killing at least 171 people and wounding thousands in the capital city.

It still was not known what caused the fire responsible for igniting the ammonium nitrate. But documents have emerged in the wake of the explosion that show the chemicals had been improperly stored in the citys port for more than six years, apparently with the knowledge of top political and security officials.

The dimension of devastation and destruction is almost inconceivable for people living in Germany, and therefore it was also so important for the German government to help quickly, Maas said.

He said he brought 4 million euros to the Red Cross and the United Nations because Germany wants the money to arrive where it is needed and not for it to disappear in dark channels of which there are unfortunately way too many in Lebanon.

Other than that we hope that the responsible politicians have understood the sign of the times. The rage of the people is understandable, Maas said.

The explosion has fueled outrage and protests against top political leaders and led to the resignation of the government Monday. The Cabinet is now in a caretaker capacity.

Ahead of his arrival in Beirut, Maas said Lebanon needs a strong reboot and far-reaching economic reforms to rebuild trust with its citizens.

Germany has pledged 20 million euros (about 23 million dollars) in immediate help after the explosion that tore through the Lebanese capital with such intensity that it created a tremor felt in neighbouring Cyprus. Thousands of buildings in the heart of the Beirut were destroyed and many more left homeless.

Maas said he would hold talks in Beirut to see how the money can quickly get to the people who need it. He said he would also talk to the nations political leaders and representatives of civil society about the future of Lebanon.

I think everyone in Lebanon has to recognize that things cannot continue like this, this country needs big reforms, he said.

Separately, Frances president spoke Wednesday to the leaders of Russia and Iran and urged them to co-operate with the rest of the international community to restore stability in Lebanon.

While Iran and Russia are important power players in the region and have offered Lebanon aid since last weeks devastating explosion, neither participated in an international donors conference Sunday organized by France and the U.N. to help rebuild Beirut.

Speaking with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, French President Emmanuel Macron said the regions major powers should avoid interfering or escalating tensions in Lebanon as it forms a new government, according to Macrons office.

The head of the U.N. food agency, David Beasley, announced Wednesday that the organization is bringing 17,500 metric tons of wheat flour and a three-month supply of wheat into Lebanon to help replenish the countrys food reserves. That is part of a rapid logistics operation that will also involve setting up warehouses and mobile grain storage units, according to U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric at Wednesdays U.N. briefing:.

Beasley said Monday hes very, very concerned Lebanon could run out of bread in about 2 1/2 weeks because 85% of the countrys grain comes through Beiruts devastated port. He said, however, that he believed an area of the port can be made operational later this month.

Meanwhile, Lebanons caretaker Economy Minister Raoul Nehme sought to calm nerves, saying that Lebanon is not facing a bread crisis after the countrys only wheat silo was destroyed by the explosion. Speaking during a tour of the port Wednesday, he said Lebanon has enough flour stock sufficient for four months and that part of the port is ready to receive container ships.

____

Associated Press writers Kirsten Grieshaber in Berlin, Angela Charlton in Paris and Edith M. Lederer in New York contributed to this report.
by Shafique Khokhar

Human rights activists hold a national convention to affirm democratic values. The Punjab Legislative Assembly approves a resolution to include Ali Jinnah's famous speech in school curricula. Last month, however, the same Assembly passed a law that protects the Islamic religion. The pluralist vision of the Father of the Nation has yet to materialise.

Lahore (AsiaNews)  A public meeting was held yesterday to mark Pakistans Minority Day. Participants agreed that religious intolerance is institutionalised and represents a threat to the democratic order of the country".

On 11 August 1947, three days before Pakistan's official birth, Quaid-e-Azam (Great Leader) Muhammad Ali Jinnah delivered a famous speech in favour of religious freedom and equality in what would be an overwhelmingly Muslim country.

In memory of the words of the Father of the Nation, the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) and other human rights organisations (including the National Commission for Justice and Peace) held a national convention to promote democratic values against the "tyranny of the majority".

The various speakers expressed concern at the escalation of violence against religious minorities in the country.

CSJ executive director Peter Jacob said that the protection of minority rights must be boosted and the government should make it a policy priority.

The authorities must take legal, political and administrative steps to address the challenge of including minorities, he said.

Punjab's Minister for Human Rights and Minority Affairs Ejaz Alam Augustine tried to defend the work of the provincial government, noting that it has adopted several measures in favour of minorities. However, the latter has sent mixed signals.

On the one hand, the Punjab Legislative Assembly passed a law to protect Islam and ban insults against the Prophet Muhammad. On the other, yesterday it took an exceptional step and unanimously passed a resolution, presented by Khalil Tahir Sandhu, that calls for the inclusion of Ali Jinnahs famous speech 73 years ago in educational curricula.

In that famous address, Ali Jinnah promised to build a country where all its citizens, regardless of their religion, would be equal in the eyes of the state and the law, and that each person would be free to profess and practise their religion.

For historian and political scientist Yaqoob Bangash, minorities have been waiting since then for Quaid-e-Azams vision to become reality, whereby all citizens in Pakistan are truly equal.
Getting tired of constantly purchasing new face masks or washing your reusable one?

Amazon is selling a 100-piece disposable face mask set for under $35 as part of its Big Summer Sale.

The highly rated set of face masks, which Amazon lists as a best-seller, are discounted about 25%, down to about $33 compared to the usual $45 price. They have three layers of sanitary filtering, according to the product description: A cotton inner layer, a filtering middle layer and a non-woven outer layer.

Duke University published a study this month that says the three most effective types of face masks to prevent the spread of the coronavirus are N95, three-layer disposable and cotton. There were 14 types of face masks used in the study.

Many major retailers are now selling face masks, which have become a part of everyday life.

If the disposable ones arent for you, there are plenty of other face mask options out there, from company-branded ones like Adidas and Under Armour to sports-themed ones that Fanatics sells. Some companies even let you put your face on a face mask.

As part of the Big Summer Sale, Amazon has slashed prices on many popular items in addition to face masks, such as Apples AirPods with a Wireless Charging Case for 15% off and various Shark vacuums for as high as 41% off.

RELATED STORIES ABOUT RETAIL AND SHOPPING:

Amazon launches Big Summer Sale, with discounts on electronics, kitchen items, home goods, face masks

What you can buy right now to prepare for the next major storm

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Andrew Leung Kwan-yuen, president of the Legislative Council in Hong Kong, meets media on Tuesday after China's top legislature decided to extend LegCo for one year. Photo: cnsphoto

The National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee voted unanimously on Tuesday to extend the sixth Hong Kong Legislative Council (LegCo) lawmakers' terms of office by at least one year until the new LegCo begins, in case the coronavirus outbreak remains uncontained within one year.

The decision didn't clarify whether the opposition lawmakers, who are disqualified from election for next term, could remain in the LegCo in the extended term. It is a matter that the HKSAR government has to decide, with experts saying this could avoid unnecessary political struggles, and showed great trust that the national legislature has on the HKSAR government. All attendees of the meeting consider that, as the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government and the Executive Council of the city have already decided to postpone the seventh LegCo election by one year, to ensure the normal operations of the HKSAR government and society, the decision made by the NPC standing committee conforms to the Chinese Constitution and the Basic Law of Hong Kong, and is necessary and appropriate, the Xinhua News Agency reported on Tuesday.

Whether the Hong Kong lawmaker candidates disqualified from running in the next LegCo election could stay in the legislature during the extended term is up to the HKSAR government's decision, Tam Yiu-chung, Hong Kong delegate to the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress told the Global Times on Tuesday after the vote. "Other questions were left for the HKSAR government to handle in accordance with the law," he said.

Handling the vacuum period in LegCo following the postponed election amid the resurgence of the COVID-19 has attracted public attention, which took center-stage at the four-day meeting of the NPC Standing Committee, which ended on Tuesday.

Li Xiaobing, a Hong Kong affairs legal expert at Nankai University in Tianjin, told the Global Times on Tuesday that the decision is appropriate because political issues like disqualifying opposition camp lawmakers are not the reason why the NPC Standing Committee made this decision.

"The decision is based on a public health crisis. The political problem of opposition politicians is a very detailed issue, so it should be handled by the HKSAR government," Li noted.

Lau Siu-kai, vice president of the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macao Studies, told the Global Times on Tuesday that the decision is the most convenient and simplest way to keep current LegCo operating amid the ongoing epidemic situation as well as to avoid political struggles so that the HKSAR government can focus on fighting the virus and handle the economic recovery.

Online debates focused on whether the extended terms of office would violate the Basic Law, as it states that each lawmaker should serve four years. Tam noted that the NPC Standing Committee has the right to supplement the law in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution, and to deal with problems arising from abnormal circumstances, which won't violate the Basic Law.

It also states that the term of the seventh LegCo is four years, which won't change the relevant regulations of the Basic Law.

'Behave yourself'

Former HKSAR chief executive Leung Chun-ying said in an interview with Hong Kong media on Friday that lawmakers who were disqualified from running in the next LegCo election should not be allowed to stay in the current LegCo in the extended term, because they are not even qualified to be a candidate. So no matter what will happen to the LegCo, these people should not stay in the city's legislature.

Tian Feilong, a legal expert on Hong Kong affairs at Beihang University in Beijing, told the Global Times on Tuesday that the HKSAR government will likely allow disqualified lawmakers to continue their service in the extended term. But these lawmakers "should behave themselves" because with the enactment of the national security law for Hong Kong, these lawmakers will violate the law if they continue their separatist stance and extreme activities, such as storming and paralyzing the LegCo, to challenge national security.

The NPC meeting decided that the term of the current LegCo should be extended by at least one year, because of concerns that there might be another outbreak, which would impede the voting process, Tam said. "At that time, there won't be any need to go through the NPC procedure, as the current LegCo will continue to perform its duties until the beginning of the seventh term of the LegCo," he noted.

"Opposition camp lawmakers should cooperate with the decision. The coming year would be extremely important to them. They need to decide whether to change their political stance and approach to achieve their political demands. If they can't, their careers in the Hong Kong political system could end anytime," Lau said.

Politicians from the opposition camp need to learn that after the enactment of the national security law for Hong Kong, they can only be "the opposition parties with loyalty," who are loyal to the "one country, two systems" principle and the HKSAR government, Lau stressed.

If they can't correct their extreme, radical and even separatist political stance, they would be replaced by "loyal opposition politicians" with a constructive stance, Lau noted.

Important term

In the extended term, which is an unusual period, the LegCo should explore how to operate under such a special situation, analysts said.

Junius Ho Kwan-yiu, a current LegCo lawmaker, told the Global Times that in the coming year, the pro-establishment camp should make full use of the time to try its best to win public support by making concrete contributions to fighting the epidemic situation, and to facilitating economic recovery.

Ho said, "More importantly, the HKSAR government and the LegCo should use the time to push the national security legislation under the Basic Law and to pass Article 23, because the national security law for Hong Kong has made it clear that this is a constitutional obligation of the HKSAR."

The national security law for Hong Kong states that the HKSAR shall complete, as early as possible, legislation for safeguarding national security as stipulated in the Basic Law of the HKSAR, and shall refine relevant laws.
There are more than 6,000 US Special Forces commandos actively operating in 22 African countries. None among the general public has ever known the purpose for the presence of massive US military in Africa, especially commandos. This has led many experts to question if the US Special Forces are indeed colonizing Africa.





A new report published in South African newspaper The Mail and Guardian brings up the issue of massive American military presence in Africa. Just last year, elite U.S. Special Operations forces were functional in 22 African countries. That translates to almost 14 percent of all American commandos deployed overseas.

Officially, the US isnt planning a war with any African nation. Hence, when U.S. operatives die in Africa, particularly in Niger, Mali or Somalia, the public, and even the media respond by asking why are American soldiers there in the first place?

None among the general public has ever known the purpose for the presence of US military, especially commandos. Neither Washington not the African governments publicly acknowledged it. US. Africa Command (AFRICOM) claims that special forces go no further than AAA (advise, assist and accompany) missions.





The United States has roughly 6,000 military personnel dispersed throughout the continent, with military attaches outnumbering diplomats in numerous embassies across Africa. The Intercept reported that the military operates 29 bases on the landmass. Among these are what The Hill calls the largest U.S. Air Force-led construction project of all time. The formation cost independently was over $100 million, with the operating costs expected to top $280 billion by 2024.

According to Washington the militarys fundamental role in the region is to suppress the rise of extremist troops, including Al-Shabaab, Boko Haram, and other al-Qaeda affiliated groups. But, much of the reason for their rise can be traced back to earlier American activities; these comprise the destabilization of Yemen, Somalia, and the overthrow of Colonel Gaddafi in Libya.

The United States also plays a pivotal role in educating and training the soldiers and security armies of many nations. The US pays Bancroft International, a private military contractor to train elite Somali units. According to The Mail and Guardian, these Somali fighters are also supported by the U.S. taxpayer.

Venezuelan intelligence has crushed a secret plot to overthrow President Nicolas Maduro funded by US billionaires and organised by the former security chief of British billionaire Richard Branson, an ex-Green Beret's private security firm Silvercorp USA.https://t.co/SElY6Y5FVE  GreatGameIndia (@GreatGameIndia) May 6, 2020

The U.S. government also depleted decades in educating tens of thousands of military and police to employ effective internal security at the popular School of the Americas at Fort Benning, GA.

On surface, the idea of training foreign armed forces in basic tactics doesnt seem fruitful. But such contractors come in handy when youre planning a coup followed by an invasion to topple the current regime and replace it with a candidate of yours. Such a plot was recently uncovered in Venezuela.

Venezuelan intelligence crushed a secret plot to overthrow President Nicolas Maduro funded by US billionaires and organised by the former security chief of British billionaire Richard Branson, an ex-Green Beret running the private security firm Silvercorp USA, in Florida.

The U.S. military also occupies the island of Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean, which was previously claimed by the island nation of Mauritius. During the 1960s and 1970s, the British government began expelling the entire local population and sent them in the slums in Mauritius. Surprisingly most of them still live there.

EXCLUSIVE Iranian Naval Forces to establish Naval Base in Indian Ocean by March 2021 to counter Anglo-American Diego Garcia Base  the key launchpad for western powers in case of an attack on Iran that is beyond the range of Iranian ballistic missiles.https://t.co/R8UamtBbtX  GreatGameIndia (@GreatGameIndia) June 23, 2020

The United States utilizes the island as its own military base and a station for nuclear weapons. The island has always been important to US, it served as a place critical to American military activities during both Iraq Wars. The Americans also used this Naval base at Diego Garcia to spy on Indias Mission Shakti.

Diego Garcia is the key launchpad for western powers in case of an attack on Iran. In the wake of the assassination of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani in a drone strike, Pentagon sent six B-52 strategic bombers to military base on Diego Garcia that is beyond the range of Irans ballistic missiles to prepare to hit Tehran if given the order. In response, Iran has announced its intention to establish a permanent Naval Base in the Indian Ocean by March next year to counter Anglo-American base of Diego Garcia.

We urge Indian patriots to find out what the Indian government is doing to get rid off foreign presence in the Indian Ocean, and specifically Diego Garcia. Let us know in the comments below. For those who believe foreign presence is required to protect India may reflect on the Monroe Doctrine.

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.

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.
Iraq rejects Turkish military action on its soil after commanders killed in a drone attack in northern Kurdish region.

Iraq cancelled a ministerial visit and summoned Turkeys ambassador on Wednesday as it blamed Ankara for a drone attack that killed two high-ranking Iraqi military officers.

Iraqi officials called the attack a blatant Turkish drone attack in the autonomous Kurdish region in northern Iraq, where Turkeys military has for weeks raided positions of fighters it considers terrorists.

Two border guard battalion commanders and the driver of their vehicle were killed on Tuesday, the army said in a statement, marking the first Iraqi troop deaths since Turkey launched the cross-border operation in mid-June against Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) rebels.

Iraqs foreign ministry  which already summoned the Turkish envoy twice over the military action on its soil  said the ambassador would this time be given a letter of protest with strong words rejecting the offensive.

The ministry also confirmed the Turkish defence minister would no longer be welcomed for a planned visit on Thursday.

Dangerous violation





Ihsan Chalabi, mayor of nearby Sidakan in the north of Erbil province, said the drone attack in the Pradost region targeted Iraqi border guard commanders while they were in meetings with PKK fighters.

Witnesses reported clashes earlier in the day between PKK and Iraqi forces, and local sources said the drone attack targeted an emergency meeting called to try to calm the tension.

The Iraqi presidency earlier denounced a dangerous violation of Iraqi sovereignty and called on Ankara to stop all its military operations in the region.

On Tuesday, the spokesperson of the Iraqi presidency called for an immediate end to such attacks, adding the two sides must resolve border issues.

This was echoed by the Kurdistan Regional Governments (KRG) ministry of interior, which called on Turkey and the PKK to take their fight outside of Iraq.

Violation of sovereignty

At least five civilians have been killed since the start of the Turkish campaign in June. Ankara said two of its soldiers were killed and the PKK and its allies have reported the deaths of 10 fighters.

The PKK, which is blacklisted as a terrorist group by Ankara and its Western allies, has waged an armed insurrection against the Turkish state since 1984, killing tens of thousands of people.

It has long used the rugged terrain of northern Iraq as a rear base to wage attacks on Turkey, which in turn set up military positions inside Iraqi territory to fight back.

The Kurdish authorities, dominated by the Democratic Party of Kurdistan (KDP), see the PKK as a rival but have never been able to uproot it from northern Iraqi bases.

Iraq sees Turkeys military presence in the Kurdish region as a violation of its sovereignty, but does not want to alienate Turkey, a major trading partner and regional heavyweight.
CHARLOTTE, North Carolina, Aug. 11, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- BNI (Business Network International), the world's largest and most successful business networking organization, is pleased to announce that Mark Clauss, a growth-oriented senior product executive, has joined BNI's Global Leadership Team as its first-ever Chief Product Officer (CPO). In this role, Clauss will lead significant research and innovation to help BNI Member-businesses continue growing in any business environment.

Responding to the current business environment, BNI has recently launched new technology, training, and process enhancements, including BNI Online in February. In the first seven months of 2020 alone, BNI's nearly 270,000 Member-businesses generated over $8.9 billion (USD) in closed business via 6.7 million referrals. BNI now sees a larger opportunity to transform the landscape of global business with its high-touch and high-tech approach. Adding a CPO will increase that momentum.

BNI's Chairman & CEO Graham Weihmiller shares, "Now, more than ever, BNI is investing in enhancements to help BNI Members continue growing in 2020 and beyond. I am thrilled to welcome Mark to the team. He is a thoughtful and talented leader and we are very happy to have him joining BNI's Global Leadership Team for the adventure ahead. We are 'all-in' on helping BNI Member-businesses succeed, and we are inspired by their successes thus far in 2020."



"I am honored and excited to be joining BNI," says Clauss. "I was looking for my next career challenge, and with the tremendous opportunity ahead for BNI, I'm confident this is the right next step. With so many expansion opportunities, my goal will be to focus BNI's talent and resources on the key strategies with the biggest impact for BNI Members. My thanks to the BNI team for their trust in me, I can't wait to accomplish big things together."

Clauss brings more than 20 years of senior-level experience in market research and product development. He was most recently the Managing Vice President of Product Development and Management at Gartner, a well-known global research and advisory firm. Previously, Clauss worked with Eizel Technologies, Broadpoint, CEB, and McKinsey & Company. Clauss holds an MBA from Cornell's Johnson Graduate School of Management where he graduated with Distinction. He also holds a Bachelor of Science from Cornell University where he focused on Operations Research and Industrial Engineering and graduated with Distinction.

About BNI:

BNI is the world's largest and most successful business networking organization. BNI has nearly 270,000 Members who attend over 9,700 weekly chapter meetings in 70 countries around the globe. BNI's proven business networking platform provides its Members the ideal environment, technology, training, and support to help them build strong businesses. BNI Online is its newest product, an advanced online platform that helps Members connect in structured virtual environment. In the first seven months of 2020 alone, BNI Members have already generated over $8.9 billion (USD) in closed business by providing high-quality new client referrals to one another.

To see the new look and learn more about BNI, go to www.bni.com.

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1177046/BNI_Logo.jpg

Related Links

http://bni.com



SOURCE BNI
'The Broken Contract: Making Our Democracies Accountable, Representative, and Less Wasteful' has debuted as a best-seller in an era of populist backlash and angst over COVID19. 'The Broken Contract' is currently Amazon Number One Best Seller in the Politics category and near the top in several other categories in Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States (Full-charts below).

The social contract between government and citizen is at risk argues the book's author, Dr Saqib Qureshi. While political parties have become experts at winning election campaigns, they have become progressively worse at governance.

The book provides novel suggestions to improve the bureaucracies on which democracies depend. His solutions are neither left nor right-leaning in their outlook.

"A deeply personal and passionately engaged contribution to an important debate, which speaks directly to many of the core moral and political problems presented by democratic backsliding today." Peter Frankopan, Oxford University professor and author of the bestseller 'The Silk Roads: A New History of the World'.

Author Biography:

Dr Saqib Qureshi a Fellow of the London School of Economics, where he completed his undergraduate and PhD degrees. He currently lives in the Toronto area where he is a well-respected entrepreneur. He has written for The Financial Times, The Wall Street Journal, and other publications. He previously authored 'Reconstructing Strategy: Dancing with the God of Objectivity' (2015). After decades of working in government, management consulting and investment banking he began a journey beyond the surface of our democracy  this book is the result.

The book can be purchased here from Amazon.

Amazon Store Rankings as of Friday, August 7th

Canada Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #1,017 Paid in Kindle Store #1 in Political Philosophy (Kindle Store), #1 in Democracy, #1 in Government (Kindle Store)

United Kingdom Rankings: #3 in Political Parties (Kindle Store), #8 in Civil Rights & Liberties (Kindle Store), #4 in Practical Politics (Kindle Store)

United States Rankings: #3 in Constitutions (Kindle Store), #3 in Public Affairs & Administration (Kindle Store), #2 in Philosophy Reference (Kindle Store)

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1227461/Broken_Contract.jpg

SOURCE Dr Saqib Qureshi
When you buy a stock there is always a possibility that it could drop 100%. But on the bright side, if you buy shares in a high quality company at the right price, you can gain well over 100%. For example, the PerkinElmer, Inc. (NYSE:PKI) share price has soared 136% in the last half decade. Most would be very happy with that. It's also good to see the share price up 28% over the last quarter. But this could be related to the strong market, which is up 20% in the last three months.

View our latest analysis for PerkinElmer

While the efficient markets hypothesis continues to be taught by some, it has been proven that markets are over-reactive dynamic systems, and investors are not always rational. By comparing earnings per share (EPS) and share price changes over time, we can get a feel for how investor attitudes to a company have morphed over time.

During five years of share price growth, PerkinElmer achieved compound earnings per share (EPS) growth of 13% per year. This EPS growth is slower than the share price growth of 19% per year, over the same period. This suggests that market participants hold the company in higher regard, these days. That's not necessarily surprising considering the five-year track record of earnings growth.

The graphic below depicts how EPS has changed over time (unveil the exact values by clicking on the image).

We're pleased to report that the CEO is remunerated more modestly than most CEOs at similarly capitalized companies. But while CEO remuneration is always worth checking, the really important question is whether the company can grow earnings going forward. It might be well worthwhile taking a look at our free report on PerkinElmer's earnings, revenue and cash flow.

What About Dividends?

When looking at investment returns, it is important to consider the difference between total shareholder return (TSR) and share price return. The TSR incorporates the value of any spin-offs or discounted capital raisings, along with any dividends, based on the assumption that the dividends are reinvested. So for companies that pay a generous dividend, the TSR is often a lot higher than the share price return. As it happens, PerkinElmer's TSR for the last 5 years was 141%, which exceeds the share price return mentioned earlier. This is largely a result of its dividend payments!

Story continues

A Different Perspective

It's good to see that PerkinElmer has rewarded shareholders with a total shareholder return of 49% in the last twelve months. And that does include the dividend. Since the one-year TSR is better than the five-year TSR (the latter coming in at 19% per year), it would seem that the stock's performance has improved in recent times. In the best case scenario, this may hint at some real business momentum, implying that now could be a great time to delve deeper. I find it very interesting to look at share price over the long term as a proxy for business performance. But to truly gain insight, we need to consider other information, too. Consider risks, for instance. Every company has them, and we've spotted 3 warning signs for PerkinElmer you should know about.

We will like PerkinElmer better if we see some big insider buys. While we wait, check out this free list of growing companies with considerable, recent, insider buying.

Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on US exchanges.

This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.



Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com.
ADRIAN, MI  Police are investigating what led to the shooting of three people attending a late-night house party in Adrian Tuesday.

Police were called shortly after 1 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 11, for a report of shots fired in the 200 block of S. McKenzie Road, according to the Adrian Police Department.

Officers arriving in the area found one gunshot victim along with several witness who stated there were two other victims who were already taken to Bixby Hospital in Adrian before officers arrived, police said.

Witnesses told investigators everyone was attending a small gathering at the home when someone began shooting into the house from the outside, hitting the three victims, police said.

Investigators collected evidence at the scene suggesting at least two people were involved in the shooting, police said.

One of the victims is still being treated at Bixby Hospital while the other two were transferred to Toledo Hospital in Ohio for further treatment. Their current conditions are unknown at this time, police said.

No arrests have been made and the shooting remains under investigation. Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact Det. Sgt. Lamar Rufner at 517-264-4808.

The Michigan State Police, Lenawee County Sheriffs Office, Madison Township Police Department and the Raisin Township Police Department assisted at the scene.

More from MLive:

One shot, one stabbed, one run over by car during family dispute in West Willow park, police say

University of Michigan stands to lose at least $56.6M from canceled fall sports, officials say

Man who fired gun outside Jackson party store sentenced

Man who ditched meth in Jackson High School parking lot after police chase sent to prison
FLUSHING, MI -- Flushing Community Schools Board of Education has voted to push the first day of school from Aug. 31 to Sept. 8 and delay in-person instruction until at least Oct. 5.

The decision was unanimous at a Tuesday, Aug. 11, board meeting.

In a letter to the board, Superintendent Matt Shanafelt said the change to the start-of-school plan would help assure the highest degree of staff, student and community safety.

Shanafelt has been looking to offer an option for in-person classes in a hybrid format that would allow the maximum amount of in-person instruction possible, while creating the necessary social distancing that is strongly recommended in the State of Michigans Return to School Roadmap.

Whitmer extends coronavirus state of emergency through Friday, Sept. 4

Recent guidance from the Genesee County Health Department has made the possibility of continuing with in-school education increasingly more difficult, as students and teachers will be bouncing back and forth from in-person to online learning on a regular basis based on either a positive test or symptoms of any kind, Shanafelt wrote.

Based on the most recent toolkit and guidance from the Genesee County Health Department, Shanafelt said the district now knows:

In the case of any COVID-19 positive student, the protocol calls for the classroom to be physically closed for five days, with the teacher and any students in that classroom quarantined outside of school for 14 days. At the secondary level, that one Covid-19 positive student will result in the quarantining of six teachers as well as six classrooms full of students.

Schools will be responsible for their own internal contact tracing regarding the students in-school activity.

In the case of any student with any symptom (cough, shortness of breath, fever, chills, muscle pain, severe headache, sore throat, diarrhea, vomiting, or abdominal pain), the student would be precluded from coming back into the school setting until they have a negative COVID-19 test or until 10 days had passed.

Based on the guidance, it is safe to assume that multiple positive students will result in the inevitable closing of buildings and a move to remote instruction for all students in the near term, the superintendent wrote. As we know, there has been an increased number of school-aged children being diagnosed with COVID-19 over the last month, despite social distancing practices being put into place. We have also seen firsthand that the districts that have started in-person instruction have seen an increase in cases.

It is clear that a return to any in-school learning at this time will exponentially increase the possibility of COVID-19 spread among students, families, staff and community members, Shanafelt said.

With the recommendation to start 100 percent online, Shanafelt said he can ensure the online product will be a more robust learning experience for student than they experienced last spring. Students will regularly spend time interacting with their classmates and teacher online in an live format, as well as completing assignments offline. More details will be shared as they are finalized.

We are very aware that this is difficult and imposes a large burden on our families regarding work schedules and childcare needs, Shanafelt wrote. This has been the most difficult situation that any of us in education have ever encountered. We simply want to get it right. This is not a decision that is entered into lightly, but rather one in which we have constantly weighed the need for normalcy, structure, childcare, and highly effective in-person instruction vs our ability to do it within the parameters laid out by the Genesee County Health Department, and our ability to do it safely for all of our students and staff members.

Flushing is not the only district in Genesee county pushing back its start date or considering online only. Grand Blanc Community Schools Board of Education will vote on the option for an entirely online start tonight. Davison Community Schools announced it will also push its start date to after Labor day.

To help you navigate this complicated fall, were pleased to offer you a simpler way to get all of your education news: Our new Michigan Schools: Education in the COVID Era newsletter delivered right to your inbox. To receive this newsletter, simply click here to sign up.

Read more:

Grand Blanc schools consider changing start of school to online-only

Davison schools push start date to after Labor day, had planned in-class instruction Aug. 17

Kearsley schools push back start date, offer hybrid, online learning options

Parents and staff express concerns over Bay City Public Schools pandemic reopening plan

First day of school looks different this year as Flint students start class online

Flint-area kindergarten teacher gets classroom makeover with coronavirus amenities
Building luxury condos in 5-star hotel properties has become popular around the world and is done by many famous brands such as Ritz-Carlton, Four Seasons, and Mandarin Oriental  and more and more developers are embracing this new trend in Vietnam, too.

A report by renowned real estate consultancy firm CBRE said that more and more Vietnamese property developers are offering hotel management services at their luxury residence projects to push up their value.

Novaland Groups The Grand Manhattan, a luxury apartment complex in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City is a shining example of this.

Last month, Novaland tied up with global hotel management group Minor for its first Avani-branded hotel in Ho Chi Minh City, Avani Saigon at The Grand Manhattan.

Avani Saigon Hotel will be designed and managed at 5-star standards by Minor Hotels with 217 rooms and classy amenities including a spa, a fitness centre, an infinity swimming pool, restaurant, and bar.

The 5-star Avani Saigon Hotel will take up floors 3 to 7 at The Grand Manhattan in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City

Novaland said that in addition to the amenities, the tie-up with Minor Hotels Group also aims to bring international 5-star hotel standards to residents.

Henry Pham, a businessman from Canada, said he travels a lot between cities in Asia. When in Vietnam, he often stays in 5-star hotels that can meet his requirements like full amenities, good service, room service, and food available around the clock.

Recently, he has developed a preference for luxury apartments, especially those in the same building as a hotel that are managed by professional international companies.

Living in these apartments, he can enjoy 5-star hotel services and amenities but also have a private space to live and invite business partners or friends, he said.

Luxury apartments in Ho Chi Minh City now have the same quality like the places I stay in Hong Kong or Singapore. The price, however, is much more reasonable. I plan to buy an apartment to stay when coming to Vietnam.

Leasing price up thanks to 5-star hotel standards

A report from Savills Vietnam said over 50,000 Grade A and B apartments have been handed over to buyers in 2018-2020, 30 per cent of which were bought for leasing out.

The rental yields in the first quarter were around 4 per cent for Grade A and 5.2 per cent for Grade B apartments, the company said.

From 2021, the yields in these two segments will increase due to the short supply while demand will recover after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Besides the high yields, the value of luxury apartments will increase in the future.

On average, the price of luxury apartments increases by 10 per cent a year. In the last quarter of 2019, prices stood at $6,308 per square metre.

The Grand Manhattan is expected to attract many renters thanks to 5-star hotel services and spectacular amenities

Compared to other cities in Southeast Asia and its neighbouring provinces, Ho Chi Minh Citys property market has remained attractive due to the short supply and imminent price hike. The inventory in the luxury apartment market in the city is now 700, compared to 30,000 in Bangkok and 8,300 in Singapore.

A report titled Hotel Recovery Guides by JLL said Ho Chi Minh City is amongst the first cities to emerge from the global pandemic.

Last year, Vietnams hotel transactions were worth $358 million, accounting for 17 per cent of all hotel transactions in Southeast Asia.

Last year, Vietnams hotel transactions were worth $358 million, accounting for 17 per cent of all hotel transactions in Southeast Asia.

JLL said 4- and 5-star hotels in Ho Chi Minh Citys central business district would attract foreign and domestic investment due to the lack of land in these areas.

Ho Chi Minh Citys hospitality industry has for years been a magnet for developers since the growth in tourist arrivals has been outpacing accommodation growth by 1.4 percentage point, JLL added.

The total supply of hotel rooms increased by 7.6 per cent during 2016-2019 while visitor arrivals saw a 9 per cent compounded annual growth rate.

While the city has the highest number of rooms in the whole country, its luxury rooms number only around 9 per cent of the country total.

Experts therefore predict that housing-hotel complexes will continue to attract both developers and buyers.
The industry understands that customer retention is a top company metric, so it is no surprise that we have been able to see this type of growth as the top-rated Customer Success solution provider.

ChurnZero, a real-time Customer Success platform has been recognized as one of the worlds fastest growing Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) companies, according to the 2020 edition of SaaS Mags acclaimed ranking, the SaaS 1000 List.

SaaS Mag ranked ChurnZero, No. 31 on the 2020 SaaS 1000 List. Other SaaS notables in the Top 50 of the SaaS 1000 include Sendoso, Sertifi, Front, and 15Five.

Their signature SaaS 1000 list features the fastest-growing SaaS companies in the world. It is the definitive ranking, based on a proprietary algorithm, of the organizations that are leading the market, from large enterprises to smaller startups, and shows how they rate against the competition.

It has been a tremendous year for ChurnZero, and the Customer Success industry as a whole, says You Mon Tsang, CEO and Founder of ChurnZero. The industry understands that customer retention is a top company metric, so it is no surprise that we have been able to see this type of growth as the top-rated Customer Success solution provider. We are dedicated and eager to build on this momentum and continue to serve our customers and drive their success.

Complete results of the SaaS 1000 can be found here- https://www.saasmag.com/saas-1000-2020/

About ChurnZero:

ChurnZero helps subscription businesses fight customer churn. Its software solutions allow businesses to understand how their customers use their product, asses their health and their likelihood to renew, and give businesses the means to personalize the customer experience through timely and relevant touchpoints. ChurnZero is headquartered in Washington, D.C. and is backed by leading angles and venture capital firms such as Baird Capital, Grotech Ventures and Middleland Capital. For more information, visit https://www.churnzero.net.

SaaS 1000 Methodology:

The 2020 SaaS 1000s updated list is a look at who is leading the market at the start of 2020 and how they stack up against their peers in the SaaS industry. They analyze who was adding to their teams, as well as scaling their revenue in this competitive market, while considering funding, age and several other factors for a complete picture of the most exceptional SaaS companies. Each company must have between 30 and 5,000 employees and must provide their statistics to SaaS Mag.

About SaaS Mag:

SaaS Mag, the worlds biggest quarterly SaaS publication to date, is for those working or interested in the industry. They speak directly to the biggest players in the SaaS space to gather key business and technical insights, as well as current market trends.

Born from SaaS M&A advisors who have had the privilege to encounter no shortage of brilliant SaaS founders, executives, and investors. Recognizing that the SaaS industry has expanded exponentially over the last decadeand its no wonder given the influence of technology on businessesthese advisors saw a need for a community to support enthusiasts of the dynamic SaaS industry.

Distributed to a network of tens of thousands of professionals in the SaaS space, offering expert techniques, advice and profiles from owners, advisors and leading commentators in SaaS.
Launched during COVID-19 with remote deployment, on time and on budget. The City will be implementing this project in multiple phases, prioritizing COVID-19 response. The first phase includes Emergency Communication and Citizen services and 311 office, Office of City Manager, and Communications. Incapsulate's 311 Capsule solution includes an enterprise CRM that provides public-facing self service solutions for web and mobile apps along with internal Capsule consoles specifically built to support the 311 Call Center staff.

"Our goal is to ensure citizens can easily connect to City services and information across multiple platforms," said Peter Wallace, the City's chief information officer. "Technology has quickly evolved into a critical tool during the COVID-19 pandemic. We are committed to improving key systems, such as 311, for the benefit of our residents."

The City of Virginia Beach, is the most populous city in Virginia and the 39th largest city in the United States, with approximately 450,000 residents. Virginia Beach is a vibrant East Coast city that nurtures a healthy mix of industry, attractions, and people. Going forward, the Incapsulate 311 solution will provide Virginia Beach with enhanced visibility into operations, improved service, and increased efficiencies via end-to-end digital service management. Designed to be configurable by business users, the Incapsulate 311 eliminates the need for custom development  accelerating time to implementation and lowering overall operating and maintenance.

About Incapsulate

Since 2008, Incapsulate has helped organizations realize true digital transformation and achieve lasting results. With expertise including cloud-based technologies, agile methodologies, digital analytics, and mobile solutions, we serve clients ranging from the Fortune 500 to state & local governments across the United States. We specialize in industry-focused solutions in areas such as Citizen Services Delivery and Financial Services. At present, more than 8 million individuals across North America can access our Citizen Engagement product suite (known as the 311 Capsule).

Headquartered in Washington DC, Incapsulate has additional offices in Boston, Toronto, Ahmedabad, and Hyderabad.

For more information please contact Incapsulate at [email protected]

SOURCE Incapsulate

Related Links

http://incapsulate.com


Dr. A. Wayne Johnson

Dr. Wayne Johnson, Past Federal Student Loan Chief Now U.S. Senate Candidate, Delivers Urgent Advice To Mitch McConnell and Chuck Schumer On What To Include In Stimulus Relief

Dr. Wayne Johnson, Past Federal Student Loan Chief Now U.S. Senate Candidate, Delivers Urgent Advice To Mitch McConnell and Chuck Schumer On What To Include In Stimulus Relief

Macon, Ga., Aug. 12, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NEWMEDIAWIRE -- In a letter delivered today to Senators Mitch McConnell, Chuck Schumer and all other members of the United States Senate, Dr. A. Wayne Johnson, candidate for the U.S. Senate in this Novembers Georgia Special Election to replace retired Senator Johnny Isakson, set forth the following:



TO SEE THE FULL VIDEO, CLICK HERE: https://youtu.be/ucxnJi4Yfus

1. All Student Loan Debt, both Federal and Private, should be dis-chargeable under bankruptcy, without condition of hardship, but with condition that the debt must be at least 10 years old.

2. All information with regard to Federal Student Loan Debt, both Federal direct and Federal guaranteed, should be removed from the credit bureau files of every individual. The unique conditions of student loan origination, unique loan repayment and deferment programs and student loan servicing practices and mistakes has created inaccurate and unfair credit bureau reporting. This area of student loan debt administration reform, which Dr. Johnson set forth in his letter to the Senate and which is often totally overlooked by Congress, would have an immediate and profound positive affect on peoples ability to borrow money at reasonable rates, and will even improve peoples ability to be employed. It is most absurd that even when people are performing as agreed on their Federal student loans under an Income Driven Repayment Plan that their credit bureau file is reporting information interpreted as being negative.

3. Requirements to make payments on Federal Student Loan Debt should be suspended through December 31, 2021. People need time to plan their lives, and Congress needs time to get Federal Higher Education Financing Reform in place. During this time collections on defaulted loans, garnishments and treasury offsets would also be suspended. And positive recognition of monthly tolling toward Public Service Loan Forgiveness would be recognized.

Story continues

4. Do not, at this time, in connection with current pending stimulus legislation enact any new legislation to cancel Federal Student Loan Debt, except the earlier described bankruptcy cancellation legislation. However, before December 31, 2021, Congress should enact law whereby up to $1 trillion of Federal Student Loan Debt is cancelled as part of a Grand Bargain that allows for cancellation of current Federal student debt along with abolishment of the current Federal Student Loan Program in favor of a new and enhanced Federal Student Scholarship Grant Program  An Opportunity Plus Plan for Higher Education.

5. That the way to pay for Federal student loan debt cancellation, as well as paying for a Go-Forward Opportunity Plus Scholarship Grant Program is to apply a 1% tax on the top-line revenue of all corporations in America; both for-profit and not-for-profit corporations, including colleges and their endowments. This tax would provide more than $225 billion per year in revenue; more than enough to fund post-secondary education programs AND provide funds to retire the existing $1.6 trillion of national debt associated with the current Federal Student Loan Program.

About Dr. A. Wayne Johnson

Dr. Johnson served as a senior executive within the Trump Administration overseeing the nations $1.6 trillion student loan program that affects 44 million Americans and their families, including 1.8 million citizens of Georgia. During his time in office he witnessed first-hand the devastating life impact that un-checked student loan debt is having on the very fabric of America. During his time working in the Executive Branch of the government he reached the conclusion that only changes in Federal Law would serve to correct the serious problems brought about by the current Federal Student Loan Program. Therefore, Dr. Johnson resigned his position with the government and now seeks election to the U.S. Senate for Georgia so that he can lead the charge to make the required changes to Federal higher education finance law. Johnson has put forth an Opportunity Plus Plan for Higher Education that can be reviewed on his website www.johnsonsenate.com. This plan would cancel more than $1 Trillion in student loan debt and would provide $50,000 to each high school graduate in order to fund these graduates as they undertake job skills training or academic pursuit. Dr. Johnson holds both an earned Doctorate in Higher Education Leadership and a Masters in Business Administration. He is also an accomplished and successful private sector executive. He considers his time working in Washington as highly challenging and professionally rewarding. Dr. Johnson is not a politician, and considers himself fortunate to have been allowed to be a public servant in the Federal Government of the United States of America. He is a U.S. Army veteran, an Eagle Scout and a product of Georgias education system. He makes his home in Macon, Georgia.

Website: www.johnsonsenate.com. Twitter: www.twitter.com/johnsonsenate Facebook: www.facebook.com/johnsonsenate

Paid for by Wayne Johnson for Wayne Johnson for Senate, Inc.

Davis Lundy

423-240-5749

Bryant Willis

770-639-1672

media@johnsonsenate.com

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Shoppers Drug Mart is getting into the medical clinic business.

The drugstore giant is officially opening its first Health Clinic by Shoppers on Wednesday at its Lawrence Avenue West and Dufferin Street retail location.

The clinic has five family physicians who are taking on new patients. Appointments can be booked online. Walk-ins will eventually be permitted, but due to COVID-19 restrictions, visits must be booked in advance for now. Patients can be seen either at the clinic or virtually.

So many people do not have access to a family physician, so this is what really drove us, and that of course became even more of an issue during COVID, said Theresa Firestone, senior vice-president of health and wellness at Shoppers Drug Mart, in an interview with the Star.

It just seemed a natural fit with all the other work were doing in the health and wellness space.

The Dufferin and Lawrence clinic location  partly chosen due to the increase in housing developments in the area  is the first of three clinics Shoppers plans to open in the next year in the Greater Toronto Area. Firestone said one of the other locations will be in the downtown core.

There are already clinics in Shoppers locations across the country, but those are all tenant clinics, with Shoppers basically acting as those clinics landlord, Firestone said.

This marks the first time that Shoppers will be managing its own clinic, Firestone said. The clinics staff will be Shoppers employees, aside from the physicians, who will be following the normal process of billing OHIP for services rendered to patients. Shoppers will also cover the administrative and supply costs of the clinic.

The focus has been getting people access to care in a really timely way, she said.

Firestone said Shoppers will also look into expanding its clinic model across the country in the future.

There are so many changes at the moment, COVID has presented opportunities and challenges for a model like this, so we will look at the success of the model and how best to expand, she said.

Asked whether clinics will always be placed next to a Shoppers in the hopes that patients will fill their new prescriptions with the chain, Firestone said it is not a strict requirement, however as we have a broad network of stores across Canada it is reasonable to expect that there will always be Shoppers nearby.

That said, patients will have the choice to fill out their prescription at any pharmacy.

Firestone said COVID-19 presented some unique challenges as the company was gearing up to open the first clinic. Changes that have been implemented include limiting the numbers of seats in the waiting room, and placing Plexiglas barriers between chairs.

The company also put together a team of experts and set up a physician advisory board to inform the design of the new clinic model.

Plans for the future include the potential addition of other clinic services, including physiotherapy and on-site laboratories.

Perhaps even more so because of COVID, its a challenge trying to get access to a family physician for those things that need to be seen in person or virtually, Firestone said.

The idea is that you have health care.

The clinics hours are Monday to Thursday, 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Fridays from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., with plans to add weekend hours in the fall.
Dubai-headquartered Oman Insurance Company announced it has posted a net profit of AED110.2 million ($30 million) in the first half of 2020, a four percent increase on the same period last year while having increased its solvency above 250 percent.



Total Gross Premium Written (GPW) at the end of H1 2020 is AED2.1 billion (+3 percent versus prior year) whilst the net investment income increased 5 percent to AED57.6 million, reported Emirates News Agency WAM, citing a company statement.



Jean-Louis Laurent Josi, CEO of Oman Insurance, said: "We have passed the first half of a very challenging year with robust financial strength and strong operating performance. Our current results clearly reflect our leading position as a primary insurer amongst listed companies in the UAE, which is in alignment with our strategy to better select risks and retain healthier risks on our balance sheet.



"We are also proud that, in the past months, we have accelerated payments to healthcare providers in order to support them during the peak of the pandemic while we also were the first to give discounts on motor insurance to take into account the decreased usage of cars during the confinement," he added.



In addition, the strength of Oman Insurances balance sheet was also reflected by rating agencies. The US-based credit rating agency AM Best has revised Oman Insurances outlook to stable from negative and affirmed its financial strength rating of A. The company is also rated A2 by Moodys and A- by Standard & Poors.
Like many Ontario parents, Brad Thorpe had never heard of learning pods  until the provincial government announced two weeks ago that students in the province would be heading back to school in September without reducing class sizes at the elementary level.

For many students, that would mean stepping foot inside a classroom with about 30 others  a big jump for those who have been quarantining and staying within small social bubbles since schools switched to online learning after March break.

Thorpe, like many other parents and teachers, believes the provincial governments plan to reopen schools is unsafe in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Thats why he sprang into action.

So far, Thorpe has secured 600-square-feet of space in midtown Toronto for the learning pod. It has a private entrance, a washroom fitted for people with disabilities, and a small kitchen area with a sink. He hired a Ontario Certified Teacher and already has a cleaning team who will sanitize the classroom daily.

Now, he is looking for seven girls to join his 11-year old daughter Ty in a Grade 6 learning pod for $1,200 per student, per month.

Were in an unprecedented time in history where the school board cant guarantee me my kid will be safe, said Thorpe.

He acknowledged he is able to do all this because he already has a business and space in the city  Thorpe along with his wife Colleen McCay own and run a gym in the Davisville area. The two entrepreneurs are turning a room normally used for spin classes into a classroom.

Yet the past week has been an emotional roller-coaster for his family.

Ive been called cheap. Ive been called privileged. Ive been called exploitive. Ive been called opportunistic, said Thorpe. Im stressed as it is. My business has been closed for five months.

Interest in so-called learning pods, where several families bring their children together and hire a private tutor for home-schooling, has exploded since the Ontario government announced a full-time return to school in September for students. But health experts warn pods are not necessarily safe while others worry about what an exodus of affluent parents from the public school system means for those left behind.

British Columbia faced a similar backlash from worried parents and on Tuesday that province announced it was backtracking on its decision to open schools full-time on Sept. 8, saying teachers need more time to prepare for a safe school year. The B.C. government has not specified a new start date.

But some parents in Ontario want to take their childrens schooling into their own hands.

One Facebook group dedicated to helping parents and teachers find each other to form learning pods has more than 5,000 members, mostly in Ontario. According to a survey conducted among members, motivations for forming a learning pod range from safety concerns about public schools to anti-masking sentiments.

Many families are looking to host pods in their own homes, according to posts in the Facebook group. Some parents are running the pods themselves, while others post in the group looking for a certified teacher.

Outside of the Facebook group, tutoring centres have also picked up on the demand for alternative schooling options and are now offering learning-pod style classes.

The Ministry of Education did not respond to the Stars questions about learning pods. An Ontario policy memo on home-schooling states parents who intend to home-school their children must notify their local school board before Sept. 1.

Creating a safe learning space during a pandemic is not as easy as you may think, said Courtney Raponi, a former Toronto teacher who has a decade of experience as a public health inspector with Toronto Public Health and other health authorities.

Families forming learning pods need to take necessary precautions, she said. Whereas schools are regulated by district and provincial guidelines, learning pods are essentially on their own, she said.

These pods are so new that theres a whole lot of stuff that may not be considered.

Families who form learning pods should set up policies and procedures just like a school would, said Raponi.

Will children stay home if they have a cough? Will they quarantine at home? If yes, for how long? Will children bring their own utensils to eat lunch? Will tables be sanitized after every use? Will children be wearing masks?

With flu season approaching, these are especially important questions to consider, said Raponi.

Ideally, the teacher and children should have easy access to a sink in order to encourage handwashing, said Raponi. Teachers should also have sanitizing products or alcohol wipes handy if children will be sharing learning materials, she added.

Raponi said she understands why some families want to take their children out of public schools.

Before COVID-19-related measures shut down many businesses, Raponi worked as a consultant, conducting infection-control training in a multitude of settings. Many of her clients were schools.

Given the current class sizes, going to public school is a big risk unless they have the proper protocols in place, she said.

Inevitably theres going to be an outbreak  thats a known. It just depends whether they are going to contain it and keep school running or if theyre going to shut it down.

Raponi inspected dozens of schools during her time as a public health inspector. Health officials generally visit a school twice a year to check record-keeping practices, health protocols and whether there were enough cleaning supplies, she said.

She recalls going into public school washrooms hundreds of times only to find the soap dispenser was empty.

Thats a big problem, she said. If you have students walking around and they try to wash their hands and they cant because theres no soap, it doesnt matter how many janitors are there cleaning the doorknobs.

Some people are laying the blame at the Ontario governments feet and say that learning pods will have long-term consequences for the public school system.

The flow of affluent families out of public schools means families in poorer neighbourhoods will bear the brunt of the risk, said Kelly Iggers, a teacher librarian with the Toronto District School Board. She started an online petition calling for reduced class sizes that garnered 100,000 signatures within days.

This change in demographics in the public school system is bad for the entire system, she said. Families that are able to will take their children out of the system and families that have no choice will remain.

Thats a really destructive thing to do, she said. When you prompt families with privilege to opt out, you remove a lot of really powerful voices with the ability to advocate.

Voices like Thorpes family.

Thorpe, who also runs a fitness-equipment company, and McCay, who ran a girls summer camp last year, have the business know-how to set up a learning pod in a week.

And its not cheap.

The pod, if they manage to recruit seven more students, will function as a non-profit. The teacher would be earning about $60,000 to teach five days a week, from September to June, according to Thorpe. The learning pod will pay $1,500 per month in rent to the gym. Hiring a lawyer to draw up contracts for parents and teachers to sign will cost a significant amount of money. Thorpe is also purchasing insurance for the learning pod.

We are prepared to do whatever we can do to provide a safer environment than what (the government) is providing, he said.

Thorpe said he wishes he could send his daughter back to public school, but that he does not feel it is safe to do so.

But putting your child in a learning pod is not necessarily safer than sending them to school, said Dr. Ronald Cohn, president and CEO of Sick Kids.

In an interview with the Star last week, Cohn a pediatrician, acknowledged that anxiety levels are high among parents, but urged caution to those considering creating learning pods. He said pods require the same public health measures as schools, such as masking, enhanced cleaning and physical distancing, to be safe.

Maybe you have 10 kids in a small room and theres no distancing  then its as bad as if you have 20 (kids), he said.

Cohn said parents and educators teaching in learning pods should know that Sick Kids guidelines apply to them too. The guidelines recommend two-metres of space  and a minimum of one metre  between children.

You need to make (pods) as safe as you make school safe, he said.

Thorpe said students in his pod will sit in desks at least two metres apart and will be asked to wear masks as much as possible.

Each desk will have a bottle of hand sanitizer on it. Because the classroom is normally used for exercise classes, it has significant ventilation. Thorpe is also considering mandatory temperature checks, where parents in the pod will be asked to check their childs temperature every morning before heading to class.

If this is what the scientific community is putting forth, if we need to implement that, then thats what we need to do, said Thorpe. If you dont like that, then dont join our pod.

With files from Rachel Mendleson and Megan Ogilvie
Late night hosts Trevor Noah, Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Fallon have reacted to Joe Bidens selection of Kamala Harris as his presidential running mate.

On Tuesday (11 August), presumptive Democratic nominee Biden announced that Harris would be running for vice president alongside him in Novembers election, making her the first black woman on a major political partys ticket.

Presenting The Daily Show, Trevor Noah seemed impressed with Bidens pick, joking: Say what you want about Joe, but the man went black and hes not going back.

With Harris having initially run for the Democratic nomination against Biden, the South African comedian said he was impressed that Obamas vice president had picked Harris after she destroyed him during one of the Democratic debates.

Noah added: Part of me thinks he only picked her so she could never dust his a** in public again. This isnt a VP pick, its an insurance policy.

Over on The Late Show, Stephen Colbert also suggested that Harris was a surprising choice, given her past evisceration of Biden during the televised debates.

Discussing just how hard she went after him, with hammer and tongs over issues of desegregation busing and racial equality, Colbert said: She hit him so hard, he was spitting teeth like Chiclets all over the stage.

Meanwhile, The Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon joked that as not only the first black woman to run for VP, but also the first woman of Indian descent, Harris was a horrifying prospect to Trump.

Kamala is the daughter of two immigrants, she went to Howard University, shes a Democratic senator from California, Fallon said. Its an inspiring story, unless youre Trump, then its a Stephen King novel.

Access unlimited streaming of movies and TV shows with Amazon Prime Video Sign up now for a 30-day free trial Sign up

Announcing Harris as his running mate, Biden tweeted: I have the great honour to announce that Ive picked @KamalaHarris  a fearless fighter for the little guy, and one of the countrys finest public servants  as my running mate.

The US elections will take place on 3 November, with Biden and Harris going head-to-head with current president Trump and his vice president, Mike Pence.
During a special session of the National Assembly of Armenia today, deputy of the Prosperous Armenia faction Naira Zohrabyan said the faction is against extension of the state of emergency.

According to her, the lifted restrictions that Commandant Tigran Avinyan presented to parliament could have been lifted by making only a few amendments to the Law on Protection of the Population in Emergency Situations, not by extending the state of emergency. Our faction believes there is no ground for extending the state of emergency. The Prosperous Armenia faction will obviously vote in favor of the draft decision of our colleagues (Bright Armenia faction) to be presented shortly, that is, the decision to not extend the state of emergency. When the authorities are asked if it is not possible to open the borders with EU member states, the authorities said it is the problem of those member states. The authorities are right because if Armenia is extending the state of emergency for the fifth time, it is the legitimate right of those member states to not open the aerial border with Armenia. Closed borders entails several issues. Citizens wishing to leave for work abroad were holding a protest with the demand to open the border with Russia, but Armenia is incapable of solving the problem concerning those citizens, she said.

Touching upon the fact that wearing face masks in open spaces is mandatory, Zohrabyan stated that just a few days ago, the World Health Organization reaffirmed its position that there is no evidence that wearing face masks in open spaces is effective for prevention of the spread of the coronavirus.
Media magnate Sumner Redstone arrives at the 2011 Vanity Fair Oscar party in West Hollywood, California, on Feb. 27, 2011. (Danny Moloshok/File Photo via Reuters)

Sumner Redstone, Billionaire Media Mogul, Dead at 97

Sumner Redstone, a media titan and billionaire who, as chairman of Viacom and National Amusements, drew headlines both for his deal-making as well as his turbulent personal life, died on Tuesday. He was 97.

At his peak, Redstones sprawling empire included CBS and Viacom, corporations that were the parents of a host of subsidiaries ranging from Paramount Pictures and MTV to Comedy Central and Spike TV.

But Redstones final years descended into controversy and legal battles, including court proceedings in which a former girlfriend described the media baron as a living ghost, and dueling lawsuits over his fortune built around proving his mental incompetence.

In the wake of those struggles, Redstones daughter, Shari, eventually emerged with control, and pushed for a merger that would reunite CBS and Viacom. Such a combination would undo her fathers impulsive decision to split the two companies in 2006.

The uncertainty regarding the media assets that Redstone built owes a good deal to the tumult that has surrounded him, and his loss of the once iron grip he held over his properties as he publicly descended in his later years.

The stakes included Redstones fortunewhich Forbes magazine put at $4.6 billion on its most recent listas well as the disposition of his media empire.

The extended battle over the moguls holdings messily spilled into court. Redstones ex-girlfriend, Manuela Herzer, sought to prove he was incompetentand under undue influence from Shari Redstonewhen he kicked her out of his mansion and revoked her authority to make healthcare decisions for him. Those lawsuits were settled in January 2019.

As part of the legal fight, then-Viacom CEO Philippe Dauman accused Herzerwho was roughly 40 years younger than Redstoneof being concerned only with his money. Soon after the competency test, Redstone resigned from his positions as executive chairman of both Viacom and CBS.

Chief Digital Officer, ViacomCBS, and CEO and President, CBS Interactive, Marc DeBoise speaks at the Langham Huntington Hotel in Pasadena, Calif., on Jan. 12, 2020. (Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP Photo)

Shari Redstone ultimately became her fathers health care proxy, and after further internal jockeying successfully ousted Dauman, who left the company in 2016, with a $72-million exit package.

Redstone was known for his brash and outspoken style. In a recent New York magazine profile of Shari, Dick Parsons, the former CEO of Time Warner, compared her to her father by saying, Sumner didnt care about other peoples feelings as far as I could tell. Sumner was very bright, very focusedSumner could even be ruthless. And Shari has some of those qualities.

In a famous and telling moment in his life, Redstone survived a 1979 Boston hotel fire by hanging from the ledge of his hotel-room window. The episode left his hand and legs seriously burned and required multiple surgeries, but it was frequently used as a sign of the moguls grit.

In a 1989 profile, media executive Barry Diller observed that Redstones sheer force of will is uncommonly strong.

Born in New England, Redstone attended Harvard and worked during World War II for a military intelligence unit assigned to decipher wartime codes.

Redstones name at the time of his birth in 1923 was Sumner Rothstein, but in 1940 he convinced his father to change the family name to Redstone, a literal translation of Rothstein.

His father operated a chain of movie theaters under a company called National Amusements. Redstone joined National Amusements in 1954 and became CEO in 1967. He is credited with coining the term multiplex.

Beginning in the 1980s, concerned that the movie-exhibition business was maturing, Redstone used his movie theater fortune to steadily amass marquee media properties.

In 1987 he took over Viacom Pictures and became chairman of the board. Seven years later he won a bidding war for Paramount Communications, the parent company of the Paramount movie studio.

Media mogul Sumner Redstone arrives at the 2013 MOCA Gala celebrating the opening of the Urs Fischer exhibition at MOCA, in Los Angeles, on April 20, 2013. (Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP)

Even after Redstone parlayed National Amusements into a conglomerate, he continued to run his empire almost like a family business. As he got older, Redstone dismissed talk of slowing down or ceding any of his responsibilities. I have no intention of ever retiring, or of dying, he said in a 2009 interview, at the age of 85.

With Redstone as CEO, Viacom bought CBS for $36 billion in 2000, in what was then the biggest media merger ever. CBS and Viacom operated as a single company under the Viacom name until he abruptly fired Viacoms CEO, Tom Freston, in 2006, less than a year after naming him to the post and split the combined assets into separate entities.

Under Moonves, CBS kept the CBS broadcast network as well as The CW network, the premium cable network Showtime, and publisher Simon & Schuster. Viacom got Paramount Pictures as well as regular cable networks including MTV, Comedy Central, Spike, and Nickelodeon. Redstone named separate CEOs of the two companies, but remained chairman of both.

Unlike some of his peers, such as Rupert Murdoch, Redstone controlled the majority of his media empires voting shares. Privately-held National Amusements owns nearly 80 percent of a special class of stock in each company. That stock controls most of the two companies voting shares.

Redstone was well paid by both companies. Filings show he received $125 million in compensation during his final 6 years as executive chairman of Viacom, and an additional $140 million from CBS.

(L-R) Sumner Redstone, Malia Andelin, and Scott Neeson attend An Evening for Cambodian Childrens Fund honoring Sumner Redstone at The Paley Center for Media in Beverly Hills, California, on April 17, 2012. (Joe Scarnici/Getty Images for Cambodian Childrens Fund)

When Redstone resigned from his position as executive chairman in 2016, his salary was slashed. He assumed the title of chairman emeritus of both corporations. Viacom stopped paying Redstone in May 2016.

The discord in Redstones personal life included being sued by his son Brent in 2006, who alleged governance abuses and self-dealing by his father. Redstone eventually settled by buying out his sons stake in National Amusements. He was estranged from Shari for many years before they reconciled.

Redstone was married to his first wife, Phyllis Raphael, for more than 50 years before divorcing her in 1999. He wedded Paula Fortunato 3 years later. Their marriage of 5 years ended in divorce in 2008.

Herzer subsequently became his longtime companion. She claimed in court papers that he once proposed to her and she turned him down, but they remained friends.

Relations became bitter when Redstone evicted both Herzer and Holland from his Los Angeles mansion, revoked Herzers authority to make healthcare decision on his behalf, and eliminated her $70 million inheritance.

Redstone received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2012.

CNN Wire and Epoch Times staff contributed to this report.
(Natural News) Back in May, The Washington Post published an article that asked the question: Why has the death toll from covid-19 apparently been lower in Asia than in Western Europe and North America? The answer, it would appear, is that Asian countries tend to drink more green tea than the rest of the world, as well as consume more zinc, both of these things being powerful antiviral nutrients.

Green tea contains a unique polyphenol known as epigallocatechin gallate, or EGCG, that research shows is a powerful zinc ionophore, meaning it helps zinc get into cells. Conversely, zinc helps to make EGCG more bioavailable, meaning the two nutrients work hand in hand to enhance each others therapeutic potential.

Zinc, as you may recall, is the nutrient that, taken alongside hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), a pharmaceutical zinc ionophore, is showing incredible promise in helping sick patients overcome the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19). But green tea and EGCG is an even better solution, and a natural one at that.

In Japan, where green tea consumption is the highest in the world, deaths from the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) have been minimal. The same is true for Vietnam and China, both of which rank second and third, respectively, for green tea consumption.

Correlation is obviously not causation, notes Zero Hedge. But  there is some evidence that these Asian countries green tea consumption may be part of what is helping to prevent higher mortality (as it may also be doing with cancer and heart disease).

Green tea, EGCG are powerful weapons against coronavirus

Besides not having a contentious election coming up that might be influencing the case numbers here in the United States, countries like Japan and China tend to consume more nutrient-dense foods in general. This is another potential factor influencing the case disparity domestically versus internationally.

Another thing to keep in mind about green tea and EGCG, which are heavily consumed throughout Asia, is that they are powerful Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) fighters in other ways. An Indian study found that EGCG has the ability to target numerous key structures inside the virus, disabling its functional capacity.

EGCG showed a very high binding affinity and a low inhibition constant among all the phytoconstituents screened, especially in the case of 6vw1, which is a potential target of SARS-CoV-2, the paper found.

EGCG exhibited better binding with the viral proteins and hence, is expected to show better antiviral activity than the reference drugs, remdesivir and chloroquine, it added.

Green tea also contains theanine, an amino acid that just so happens to target various coronavirus structural sites.

It is important to remember, though, that by itself, EGCG is both unstable and bio-unavailable unless coupled with nutrients like zinc that studies show help to maximize its transport into cells.

UV-VIS spectrometry revealed that the absorption of EGCG increased and its peak became large by adding zinc, one Japanese study found. Zinc enhances the hepatoprotective [i.e. liver-protecting] activity of EGCG.

Chinese scientists have also found that EGCG more easily permeates cells when in the presence of zinc. It is almost as if these two nutrients were made for one another, working synergistically to support a healthy immune system.

There is also evidence to suggest that zinc can help to reduce the oxidation of EGCG before it gets transported into cells. While more research is certainly needed to confirm all of this, it absolutely would not cause any harm to start incorporating this regimen into your daily routine for protection against the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19).

Quercetin is the nearest naturally occurring bioflavonoid to the HCQ complex, notes one Zero Hedge commenter. Its also in  green tea. Quercetin and zinc. There are even combo tabs already on the market.

More related news stories about the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) are available at Pandemic.news.

Sources for this article include:

ZeroHedge.com

NaturalNews.com
Rating Action: Moody's downgrades ratings on notes issued by Mountain Hawk III CLO, LTD; actions conclude review

Global Credit Research - 11 Aug 2020

New York, August 11, 2020 -- Moody's Investors Service ("Moody's") has downgraded the ratings on the following notes issued by Mountain Hawk III CLO, LTD (the "CLO" or "Issuer"):

U.S.$30,750,000 Class D Secured Deferrable Floating Rate Notes due 2025, Downgraded to Ba1 (sf); previously on June 3,2020 Baa3 (sf) Placed Under Review for Possible Downgrade

U.S.$24,500,00 Class E Secured Deferrable Floating Rate Notes due 2025 (current outstanding balance including deferred interest of $25,013,213), Downgraded to Caa3 (sf); previously on June 3, 2020 B1 (sf) Placed Under Review for Possible Downgrade

The Class D and Class E are referred to herein, collectively, as the "Downgraded Notes".

These actions conclude the reviews for downgrade initiated on June 3, 2020 on the Downgraded Notes issued by the CLO. The CLO, originally issued in April 2014 and partially refinanced in April 2017, is a managed cashflow CLO. The notes are collateralized primarily by a portfolio of broadly syndicated senior secured corporate loans. The transaction's reinvestment period ended in April 2018.

RATINGS RATIONALE

The downgrades on the Downgraded Notes reflect the risks posed by credit deterioration and loss of collateral coverage observed in the underlying CLO portfolio, which have been primarily prompted by economic shocks stemming from the coronavirus pandemic. Since the outbreak widened in March 2020, the decline in corporate credit has resulted in a significant number of downgrades, other negative rating actions, or defaults on the assets collateralizing the CLO. Consequently, the default risk of the CLO portfolio has increased, the credit enhancement available to the CLO notes has declined, and expected losses (ELs) on certain notes have increased. According to the July 2020 trustee report[1], the weighted average rating factor (WARF) was reported at 3823, compared to 3319 reported in the March 2020 trustee report[2]. Moody's calculation also showed the WARF was failing the test level of 2160 reported in the July 2020 trustee report[3]. Based on Moody's calculation, the proportion of obligors in the portfolio with Moody's corporate family or other equivalent ratings of Caa1 or lower (adjusted for negative outlook or watchlist for downgrade) was approximately 29% as of July 2020. Additionally, based on July 2020 trustee report[4], the over-collateralization (OC) tests for the Class D and Class E notes were reported at 107.34% and 96.55%, and failing their respective trigger levels of 107.80% and 103.90%.

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Moody's modeled the transaction using a cash flow model based on the Binomial Expansion Technique, as described in "Moody's Global Approach to Rating Collateralized Loan Obligations."

For modeling purposes, Moody's used the following base-case assumptions:

Performing par and principal proceeds balance: $226,659,854

Defaulted Securities: $15,438,743

Diversity Score: 39

Weighted Average Rating Factor (WARF): 3722

Weighted Average Life (WAL): 3.4 years

Weighted Average Spread (WAS): 3.28%

Weighted Average Coupon (WAC): 7.5%

Weighted Average Recovery Rate (WARR): 48.67%

Par haircut in OC tests: 4.56%

In consideration of the current high uncertainties around the global economy and the ultimate performance of the CLO portfolio, Moody's conducted a number of additional sensitivity analyses representing a range of outcomes that could diverge, both to the downside and the upside, from our base case. Some of the additional scenarios that Moody's considered in its analysis of the transaction include, among others: additional near-term defaults of companies facing liquidity pressure; additional OC par haircuts to account for potential future downgrades and defaults resulting in an increased likelihood of cash flow diversion to senior notes; and some improvement in WARF as the US economy gradually recovers in the second half of the year and corporate credit conditions generally stabilize. The rapid spread of the coronavirus outbreak, the government measures put in place to contain it and the deteriorating global economic outlook, have created a severe and extensive credit shock across sectors, regions and markets. Our analysis has considered the effect on the performance of corporate assets from the collapse in the US economic activity in the second quarter and a gradual recovery in the second half of the year. However, that outcome depends on whether governments can reopen their economies while also safeguarding public health and avoiding a further surge in infections. As a result, the degree of uncertainty around our forecasts is unusually high. We regard the coronavirus outbreak as a social risk under our ESG framework, given the substantial implications for public health and safety.

Factors that Would Lead to an Upgrade or Downgrade of the Ratings:

The performance of the rated notes is subject to uncertainty in the performance of the related CLO's underlying portfolio, which in turn depends on economic and credit conditions that may change. In particular, the length and severity of the economic and credit shock precipitated by the global coronavirus pandemic will have a significant impact on the performance of the securities. The CLO manager's investment decisions and management of the transaction will also affect the performance of the rated securities.

The principal methodology used in these ratings was "Moody's Global Approach to Rating Collateralized Loan Obligations" published in March 2019 and available at https://www.moodys.com/research/Moodys-Global-Approach-to-Rating-Collateralized-Loan-Obligations--PBS_1111156. Alternatively, please see the Rating Methodologies page on www.moodys.com for a copy of this methodology.

REGULATORY DISCLOSURES

For further specification of Moody's key rating assumptions and sensitivity analysis, see the sections Methodology Assumptions and Sensitivity to Assumptions in the disclosure form. Moody's Rating Symbols and Definitions can be found at: https://www.moodys.com/researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx?docid=PBC_79004. The analysis relies on an assessment of collateral characteristics to determine the collateral loss distribution, that is, the function that correlates to an assumption about the likelihood of occurrence to each level of possible losses in the collateral. As a second step, Moody's evaluates each possible collateral loss scenario using a model that replicates the relevant structural features to derive payments and therefore the ultimate potential losses for each rated instrument. The loss a rated instrument incurs in each collateral loss scenario, weighted by assumptions about the likelihood of events in that scenario occurring, results in the expected loss of the rated instrument. Moody's quantitative analysis entails an evaluation of scenarios that stress factors contributing to sensitivity of ratings and take into account the likelihood of severe collateral losses or impaired cash flows. Moody's weights the impact on the rated instruments based on its assumptions of the likelihood of the events in such scenarios occurring. 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. For any affected securities or rated entities receiving direct credit support from the primary entity(ies) of this credit rating action, and whose ratings may change as a result of this credit rating action, the associated regulatory disclosures will be those of the guarantor entity. Exceptions to this approach exist for the following disclosures, if applicable to jurisdiction: Ancillary Services, Disclosure to rated entity, Disclosure from rated entity.

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.

At least one ESG consideration was material to the credit rating action(s) announced and described above.

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.

REFERENCES/CITATIONS

[1] Trustee report 06-Jul-2020

[2] Trustee report 12-Mar-2020

[3] Trustee report 06-Jul-2020

[4] Trustee report 06-Jul-2020

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.

Haoning Ding Asst Vice President - Analyst Structured Finance Group Moody's Investors Service, Inc. 250 Greenwich Street New York, NY 10007 U.S.A. JOURNALISTS: 1 212 553 0376 Client Service: 1 212 553 1653 David Ham VP - Senior Credit Officer Structured Finance Group JOURNALISTS: 1 212 553 0376 Client Service: 1 212 553 1653 Releasing Office: Moody's Investors Service, Inc. 250 Greenwich Street New York, NY 10007 U.S.A. JOURNALISTS: 1 212 553 0376 Client Service: 1 212 553 1653

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As a service company in the sustainability and construction space, we are scaling at a rate that is extremely rare in our sector. We look forward to continuing to build and grow our team and our offerings, as well as our impact on the environment. -- Lawrence Lamondin, Co-Founder and Co-CEO.

Water and energy conservation firm is the fastest-growing in environmental services category

EcoSystems, a water and energy conservation company that designs and implements programs that have saved over 3 billion gallons of freshwater and more than 120 million kilowatt-hours in energy, is pleased to reveal its rank as Number 48 on the 2020 Inc. 5000 list, the most esteemed ranking of the nations fastest-growing private companies. Founded in 2012 with $5,000 and no outside funding, EcoSystems three-year revenue growth of 5890.9 percent places them as the fastest-growing company in the Environmental Services category. This is the second year in a row that the firm has ranked in the top 100 companies on the Inc. 5000, up 27 spots from the Number 75 rank it received in 2019.

We are honored to rank within the top 100 on the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing companies for the second year in a row, said Lawrence Lamondin, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of EcoSystems. As a service company in the sustainability and construction space, we are scaling at a rate that is extremely rare in our sector. We look forward to continuing to build and grow our team and our offerings, as well as our impact on the environment.

Notable efforts leading to EcoSystems placement on the 2020 Inc. 5000 list include the acquisition of a Denver-based sustainability firm and the launch of a new energy division. The firm also achieved notable savings for a Texas-based apartment communitysaving 36 million gallons of freshwater and more than $365,000 annually, resulting in an eight-month return on investment.

Were here for the environment first and foremost. Being recognized for exponential business growth means our environmental impact is accelerating and that conservation truly is good for business, shared Richard Lamondin Jr., Co-Founder and Co-CEO of EcoSystems.

Not only have the companies on the 2020 Inc. 5000 been very competitive within their markets, but the list as a whole shows staggering growth compared with prior lists as well. The 2020 Inc. 5000 achieved an incredible three-year average growth of over 500 percent and a median rate of 165 percent. The Inc. 5000s aggregate revenue was $209 billion in 2019, accounting for over 1 million jobs over the past three years.

The companies on this years Inc. 5000 come from nearly every realm of business, says Inc. editor-in-chief Scott Omelianuk. From health and software to media and hospitality, the 2020 list proves that no matter the sector, incredible growth is based on the foundations of tenacity and opportunism.

Complete results of the Inc. 5000, including company profiles and an interactive database that can be sorted by industry, region, and other criteria, can be found at http://www.inc.com/inc5000. The top 500 companies are also being featured in the September issue of Inc., available on newsstands August 12. The annual Inc. 5000 event honoring the companies on the list will be held virtually from October 23 to 27, 2020.

To learn more about EcoSystems and its mission, visit http://www.EcoSystems.com.

About EcoSystems

EcoSystems is a water and energy conservation company whose mission is to address the challenges of water security, housing affordability, climate change, and sea-level riseall while proving that conservation is good for business. The firm, founded by brothers Richard and Lawrence Lamondin, earned the rank of 48 on the 2020 Inc. 5000. Their programs have made a significant impact on more than 150,000 people across 28 states, saving more than 3 billion gallons of freshwater, more than 85,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide and more than 120 million kilowatt-hours in energy savings.

More about Inc. and the Inc. 5000 Methodology

The 2020 Inc. 5000 is ranked according to percentage revenue growth when comparing 2016 and 2019. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2016. They had to be U.S.-based, privately held, for profit, and independentnot subsidiaries or divisions of other companiesas of December 31, 2019. (Since then, a number of companies on the list have gone public or been acquired.) The minimum revenue required for 2016 is $100,000; the minimum for 2019 is $2 million. As always, Inc. reserves the right to decline applicants for subjective reasons. Companies on the Inc. 500 are featured in Inc.s September issue. They represent the top tier of the Inc. 5000, which can be found at http://www.inc.com/inc5000.

About Inc. Media

The worlds most trusted business-media brand, Inc. offers entrepreneurs the knowledge, tools, connections, and community to build great companies. Its award-winning multiplatform content reaches more than 50 million people each month across a variety of channels including websites, newsletters, social media, podcasts, and print. Its prestigious Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to recognize the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. The global recognition that comes with inclusion in the 5000 gives the founders of the best businesses an opportunity to engage with an exclusive community of their peers, and the credibility that helps them drive sales and recruit talent. The associated Inc. 5000 Conference is part of a highly acclaimed portfolio of bespoke events produced by Inc. For more information, visit http://www.inc.com.

For more information on the Inc. 5000 Conference, visit http://conference.inc.com/.
A report released by a high-powered group of U.S. regulators disclosed details of recent disagreements between the U.S. and China over proposed working plans for cross-border cooperation on audit inspection, underscoring rising geopolitical tensions between the worlds two largest economies.

The two countries have a longstanding dispute over U.S. regulators access to audits of U.S.-listed Chinese companies. The issue has come into the spotlight following this years high-profile accounting scandal at Luckin Coffee Inc., which was followed by further discussions over joint U.S.-China audit inspections.

Read more

Caixins coverage of the Luckin fraud scandal

The Presidents Working Group on Financial Markets in the U.S. on Thursday released a Report on Protecting United States Investors from Significant Risks from Chinese Companies, which contained an email from the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC), Chinas securities watchdog, and a letter from the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB), a U.S. audit regulator.

In the email sent by the CSRC to the PCAOB on April 3, the CSRC made multiple proposals regarding joint inspections with the PCAOB, and suggested both sides reach mutual agreement about the scope of inspection and mode of engagement before an inspection is carried out. The CSRC further said that audit firms could transfer working papers directly to the PCAOB with prior approval of Chinese regulators, and vice versa.

In addition, the CSRC proposed that both sides consult each other before reaching an inspection conclusion, and that each side shall give advance notice to the other party when publicly announcing any sanctions imposed on related entities.

The PCAOB said the proposal imposed critical limitations on its inspection ability, however, and [t]hat language is consistent with the position maintained by the Chinese side over the past decade, according to its letter disclosed in the report, which was sent to the Presidents Working Group on Financial Markets on July 10.

The PCAOB said Chinese regulators, for example, in October 2015 stated they must have veto power over its engagement selection. China noted in particular that Chinese state-owned enterprises (SOEs) as well as Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. and Baidu Inc., two of the largest U.S.-listed privately-owned Chinese companies, were off limits for U.S. inspection, the PCAOB said.

The CSRCs position subsequently softened with respect to privately owned companies, but their position on SOEs was reiterated in December 2017 and September 2019 when CSRC Vice Chair Fang Xinghai stated that the Chinese side is not prepared to facilitate PCAOB inspections of the audits of SOEs, the PCAOB said in the letter.

In May 2013, the two sides signed an enforcement-related memorandum to cooperate on potential auditing issues surrounding U.S.-listed Chinese companies. However, Chinese cooperation has not been sufficient for the PCAOB to obtain access to relevant documents and testimony. In many cases, the Chinese side has produced no documents at all, the PCAOB said in the letter.

In the limited instances where they have produced some documents, the productions have been so untimely and incomplete as to stifle meaningful progress on the investigations. We have not received any documents since 2015, the U.S. regulator said.

This contradicts a statement by CSRC Chairman Yi Huiman, who said in an interview with Caixin in June that the CSRC had provided the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB with audit working papers of 14 U.S.-listed Chinese companies by then, including three in 2019.

Read more

Cover Story: Cross-Border Cooperation Is Key to Fighting Securities Fraud, CSRC Chief Says

On Saturday, the CSRC said it had sent a revised proposal to the PCAOB based on the latters disagreements.

The CSRC said China has proposed joint accounting inspection plans repeatedly since 2019 and shown full sincerity for cooperation. The right way to improve cross-border cooperation on audit inspections is to have frank dialogue, it said.

Timmy Shen and Ling Huawei contributed to this report.

Additional reporting by Bloomberg

Contact reporter Tang Ziyi (ziyitang@caixin.com) and editor Gavin Cross (gavincross@caixin.com)

Download our app to receive breaking news alerts and read the news on the go.
ACC quizzes ex-DG of health services over graft charges

Abul Kalam Azad, the former DG of health services, has been interrogated by the Anti-Corruption Commission as part of an investigation into the allegations of graft levelled at the agency.

Azad arrived at the commissions headquarters in Dhaka's Segunbagicha at 10 am on Wednesday and was later quizzed by a team led by ACC Director Mir Md Joinul Abedin Shibli.

The ACC said it had received allegations that some officials and other employees of Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Directorate General of Health Services and Directorate General of Drug Administration, in collusion with each other, procured low-quality masks, PPE and other health gear and embezzled millions by supplying them to various hospitals.

The commission formed a four-member committee on Jun 15 to investigate the allegations.

As part of the investigation, three officials, including a deputy director of the Central Medical Stores Depot were questioned by the ACC on Jul 20.

Azad has been asked to appear at the commission's office again on Thursday.

Azad resigned as the chief of the Directorate General of Health Services, a key agency in the fight against the pandemic, on Jul 21 amid a series of scams related to COVID-19 tests.

He came under public scrutiny in March when COVID-19 struck Bangladesh and gave rise to the scandals in the health sector.

It began with the ordinary surgical masks passed as N95, a type of respirator that is crucial for health workers in the fight against COVID-19, at government hospitals before the fake coronavirus test scams involving Regent Hospital and JKG Health Care started to come out.

The deal with Regent Hospital was signed on Mar 21 in the presence of Health Minister Zahid Maleque, Azad and other high officials.

The authorities later sealed off the headquarters and two branches of Regent Hospital in Dhaka for issuing fake COVID-19 test reports and other irregularities.



Source: bdnews24.com




Press Release

August 12, 2020 Bong Go says institutional reforms necessary to cure PhilHealth of corruption; supports calls to impose preventive suspension on accused officials Senator and chair of the Senate Committee on Health and Demography Christopher "Bong" Go probed deeper into the allegations of widespread corruption within the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation during the second hearing of the Senate Committee of the Whole on Tuesday, August 11. Go emphasized that institutional reforms in the organization of PhilHealth are necessary to solve the problems plaguing the agency. He also proposed the preventive suspension of PhilHealth officials accused of committing fraud to protect the integrity of the investigation to be conducted by the Task Force led by the Department of Justice. "I think, ang problema dito, hindi makakagalaw ng maayos ang investigative bodies natin dahil nasa pwesto pa rin ang mga suspects pero hindi sila matatanggal at magkaroon ng preventive suspension," said Go. He also proposed studying existing policies and possibly amending the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees to allow preventive suspension prior to the start of an investigation in order to prevent any undue influence. When questioned by the Senator, PhilHealth president Ricardo Morales assured the agency's cooperation in assisting the Task Force's investigation and providing all relevant data and information needed in the Senate inquiry. Morales also expressed their openness to submit to lifestyle checks and other investigations of the government. "[President Morales], continue working and cooperate please with the investigation of the task force. Tulungan niyo po. I know you mean well. Nilagay kayo diyan ng Pangulo para linisin ang PhilHealth. Halos taon-taon tayong nag iimbestiga dito at wala pa rin pong nangyayari. Dapat talaga meron masuspende at ma-audit lahat," said Go. Last year, Go requested the Commission on Audit to conduct a special audit on PhilHealth's funds and submit their findings to the Office of the Ombudsman. Per COA chair Michael Aguinaldo, their efforts have been delayed by quarantine measures which prevented their auditors from accessing PhilHealth's offices. "We have about four or five ongoing. Two of them in combination with the [National Bureau of Investigation]. 'Yun po ang mg fraud and fictitious claims on audit. We have one with the Insurance Commission for actuarial life. We have one for the case rate system to determine bakit ba ginawa talaga 'yun and whether we should abrogate," updated Aguinaldo. "And we are also looking at their [information technology] systems because, previous to General Morales, we had encountered difficulty in accessing their IT database for various reasons. Although, recently nakaka-access na po kami," he added. The Senator asked the Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission to confirm the findings that the agency's "ineffective" legal sector had bolstered the spread of fraudulent activities. PACC Commissioner Greco Belgica said the bureaucratic red tape is creating opportunities for corruption within the agency. "Isang nakita naming finding na ang matagal na sistema ng PhilHealth is causing a lot of opportunity for corruption. Ang dami ng steps na dinadaanan at 'yung details na dinadaanan po n'yan are all opportunity for corruption," said Belgica. Turning back to Morales, Go asked for developments regarding the investigation of a regional vice president of the agency who is allegedly part of the PhilHealth mafia. He noted the non-rotation of RVPs may result in familiarity of an area which, in turn, could breed corruption. Ending his questioning, Go expressed his hopes for the Senate hearing to aid in crafting necessary legislation and also support the investigation being conducted by the newly formed task force. "Maraming mga issues na lumalabas sa mga pagdinig na ito at inaasahan natin na mas maraming gagawin na pagsilip ng buong task force and as legislators po. I hope this hearing is not only in exercise of our oversight function but also in aid of legislation," Go said. "Bigyan po natin ng pansin ang mga bagay na pwedeng makatulong sa atin as a guide sa paggawa at pag-amyenda ng batas," he added. In his opening statement during the inquiry, Go looked at systemic corruption as a sickness that needs to be addressed by both curative and preventive measures. "Hindi dapat natatapos dito sa paggamot ang gagawin natin. Kailangan na rin nating gumawa ng mga hakbang para magkaroon ng 'vaccine'. In other words, kailangan ng preventive measures para hindi na ito mangyari pang muli. Isa na nga po dito ang transition to e-governance to minimize red tape and eliminate corruption," Go said. Noting PhilHealth's proposed transition to e-governance by adopting information technology tools which seek to reduce bureaucratic delays, improve accuracy of its database and eliminate corruption in the agency, Go said that it must be ensured that the proposed shift and the procurement of such IT equipment will also be free from corruption. Meanwhile, Go said he was informed that the National Bureau of Investigation has submitted a report to the Office of the President on the various investigations conducted by the bureau on PhilHealth-related anomalies. The NBI has also created its own task force focused on PhilHealth that can assist the Task Force earlier created by the President.
World leaders 'mimicked each others' lockdowns', scientists claim, after finding 80 per cent of developed countries began restrictions in March despite having very different epidemics.

Swedish researchers - whose country never went into lockdown at all - examined when decisions such as school closures occurred in 36 countries, including the UK, US and New Zealand.

They found most countries jumped into a lockdown within the same two-week period in March, despite having different size outbreaks.

The researchers said their findings were 'striking' given the differences in the scale of the pandemic in each country.

They claimed snap decisions were not made based on the true threat of the virus or to prevent devastation.

Rather, the sudden closures of work places, schools and public transport were out of 'fear' and 'pressure from opponents who lambast inaction'.

The trend was most evident in countries with a strong democracy, which were also slower to react in the face of the pandemic compared with authoritarian countries.

But moving forward, any outbreaks should be tackled with a more tailored response, it was suggested.

This graph shows how 80 per cent of countries had implemented four of five restrictions within a two week period (March 10 to March 24)

The team, led by Abiel Sebhatu, a post-doctoral student at Linkoping University, analysed 36 countries in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

OECD countries have similarly advanced economies, healthcare systems and political set-ups for decision making.

WHEN DID EACH COUNTRY GO INTO LOCKDOWN? Data for some of the OECD nations studied: UK Lockdown imposed: March 24 Cases and deaths on lockdown: 6,650/335 Germany Lockdown imposed: March 22 Cases and deaths on lockdown: 21,463/67 Italy Lockdown imposed: March 11 Cases and deaths on lockdown: 10,149/631 Spain Lockdown imposed: March 14 Cases and deaths on lockdown: 4,231/120 Austria Lockdown imposed: March 16 Cases and deaths on lockdown: 959/1 France Lockdown imposed: March 17 Cases and deaths on lockdown: 6,573/148 Belgium Lockdown imposed: March 18 Cases and deaths on lockdown: 1,486/14 Denmark Lockdown imposed: March 18 Cases and deaths on lockdown: 977/4 Switzerland Lockdown imposed: March 20 Cases and deaths on lockdown: 3,863/33 Norway Lockdown imposed: March 24 Cases and deaths on lockdown: 2,371/8 Netherlands Lockdown imposed: March 15 Cases and deaths on lockdown: 959/12 New Zealand Lockdown imposed: March 23 Cases and deaths on lockdown: 102/0 Sweden Lockdown imposed: Hasnt imposed a lockdown Cases and deaths currently: 83,455/5,774 Japan Lockdown imposed: Hasn't imposed a lockdown Cases and deaths currently: 50,210/1,059 US Lockdown imposed: March 17 - April 2 depending on the state. Some states have not had a lockdown. Advertisement

The list spans all corners of the world, including countries Germany, Columbia, Japan, Denmark, Israel and Australia.

The team measured the timings of five measures in each country; school and workplace closures, cancellation of public events, mobility restrictions and public information campaigns.

They found that despite differences in the spread of the virus, eight in ten OECD nations implemented four of five measures all within the two weeks from March 10 to March 24. Only campaigns geared towards the public were steadily increased from February.

During this two week period, health officials in the UK went from telling the public to wash their hands more often to a full-scale lockdown.

It closely followed the actions of Spain and Italy which were in dire situations battling the worst epidemics the world had seen until that point.

Norway also jumped on the bandwagon and went into lockdown the same day as the UK, despite having 4,000 and 300 fewer cases and deaths respectively.

New Zealand also only had 102 cases and zero deaths when stay-at-home orders were given on March 23.

Author Professor Karl Wennberg said the researchers found decisions had very weak correlation the the number of cases, deaths and ICU capacity at the time they were made.

Research has shown decision makers usually benchmark with countries considered more relevant to them, such as who they share a border or main religion with.

The researchers proved their first hypotheses - that how quickly a country went into lockdown was largely dependent on what was happening in surrounding countries.

UK leaders were forced to recognise that Italy, Spain and France were dramatically shutting down around them in March. But they had made no indication they were concerned by lockdowns far away, in China and the rest of Asia.

The researchers said it was 'at best a partial answer' that countries copied each other because leaders felt under the same threat of coronavirus.

The phenomenon whereby political measures spread without further analysis is called 'diffusion'.

It usually appears when decisions are to be made in a highly uncertain environment, and the greater uncertainty, the greater the influence of earlier adoptions.

The authors wrote in their paper that 'mimicry is a common response among decision makers when the effect of a decision is uncertain'.

Adopting the decisions of others may shield policy makers from looking 'the laggard'that is, a country that is slow to act.

Policymakers 'feel pressure from opponents who lambast inaction' and lockdowns in one country 'creates pressure for taking similar measures elsewhere under fear of being accused of negligence'.

As a consequence, 'priorities can become irrational', the paper said.

Professor Wennberg told the PA news agency: 'Politicians are very much human, they react and observe and are influenced by what their fellow leaders in neighbouring countries do.'

The researchers said following the lead of other countries may have led to countries locking down either too early or too late.

This can be problematic because restrictions have heavy social and economic costs, and 'every extra day that a restriction remains in place imposes an additional burden on society', the researchers said.

A graph included in the paper shows a trend towards late closures of schools, workplaces, public events and travel depending on how high a country scores on an electoral democracy score

A separate paper by Imperial College London in April found that many countries in Europe started their lockdown measures at the same time despite vast differences in the severity of their outbreaks

The study proved the researchers second hypothesis - that countries with strong democracies are slower to implement restrictive policies than those with weaker elected democracies, but are more likely to mimic the actions of their neighbours.

A graph included in the paper shows a trend towards late closures of schools, workplaces, public events and travel depending on how high a country scores on an electoral democracy score.

Professor Wennberg explained strong democracies may have to take into consideration a variety of voices, including unions and corporate leaders as well as the public.

He added leaders of strong democracies may be less willing to impose strict measures such as curfews when compared to more authoritarian countries.

After all, one might expect democratic leaders are dependant on public approval to stay in power and will have concerns about how the public will react to restrictions on their personal freedom.

'Negative public perceptions jeopardize politicians hold on power in democracies, but far less so in autocracies,' the paper said.

Professor Wennberg said he hoped copy-cat behaviour would not be repeated with local peaks of the virus or a second wave to show leaders have learned.

He said: 'It's very natural for human beings to mimic each other in times of great uncertainty but now we know much more about the virus and how it spreads and how it's treated, my hope would be countries adopt much more precise and tailored measures for specific regions and cities.'

The research is published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (Pnas).
WASHINGTON - A new attempt to restart economic relief negotiations between the White House and Democrats ended minutes after it began on Wednesday, with President Trump appearing to cast doubt on the whole process by announcing a deal is "not going to happen."

A few days earlier, he had suggested that he was open to a new round of talks.

In declaring the whole process over, Trump used a news conference appearance to criticize Democrats' proposals for funding election preparations and the Postal Service as part of a broader spending measure. Those were among issues that divided the parties during two weeks of negotiations that initially collapsed Friday before being briefly revived Wednesday.

"The bill's not going to happen, because they don't even want to talk about it, because we can't give them the kind of ridiculous things that they want that have nothing to do with the China virus," Trump said at the White House during an evening news briefing.

His comments came hours after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin spoke for the first time since the talks fell apart last week. But their conversation did not break the impasse, instead leading to another round of finger-pointing.

Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., issued a statement after Pelosi's conversation with Mnuchin accusing the administration of "refusing to budge." That was followed by a statement from Mnuchin accusing Pelosi of mischaracterizing their conversation and proclaiming that the Democrats "have no interest in negotiating."

At the center of the relief negotiations was an effort to renew key parts of the $2 trillion Cares Act, which Congress passed in March. That law offered enhanced unemployment benefits to 30 million Americans, extended eviction protections, and a number of other provisions meant to soften the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic. The jobless aid and eviction protections expired at the end of July.

During his news conference, Trump touted executive actions that he took over the weekend, which he said would limit evictions, extended a new form of jobless aid and defer payroll taxes, among other things. Because these measures were done by executive action and without the approval of Congress, it's unclear how they will work.

In fact, Trump overstated how much his actions are expected to achieve, claiming, for example, that his executive action on unemployment would provide an additional $400 a week to individuals in enhanced benefits. In fact, the proposal provides an extra $300 weekly in federal benefits, while calling on states to chip in another $100 in benefits - or counting money states already are spending - to get to $400.

The provision on unemployment insurance is intended to partially replace the $600 weekly federal benefit that was approved by Congress in March. The new money would come from funds maintained by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, but could run out within weeks.

Trump also repeated his claim that deferring payroll taxes would be a great benefit for Americans, and that he would make the cut permanent if reelected. He insisted that his move would not damage the Social Security system even though payroll taxes go toward Medicare and Social Security trust funds.

"We're taking it out of the general fund," Trump said on how he would pay for Social Security if the payroll tax cut were paused.

Asked how that would work in light of the ballooning deficit, he replied: "We're going to have tremendous growth."

The deficit for this fiscal year is expected to breach $3 trillion, according to new figures issued Wednesday by the Treasury Department. That means the government will have spent $3 trillion more than it brought in through tax revenue, a dynamic that requires it to borrow more money by issuing debt.

Trump also claimed that the economy was rebounding tremendously, displaying some charts that purported to back up the assertion.

"It's coming back at a level that's far greater than anybody anticipated," Trump said.

Congress passed four bipartisan coronavirus relief bills in March and April, pumping about $3 trillion into the economy, but Democrats and many Republicans believed additional stimulus was necessary because of the economy's fragility.

But as they launched serious negotiations last month, the parties were far apart. Democrats backed a $3.4 trillion bill the House passed in May, while Senate Republicans eventually put forward a $1 trillion bill that even some in their own ranks opposed. A substantial group of Senate Republicans do not want to any more spending.

"Democrats have compromised. Repeatedly, we have made clear to the administration that we are willing to come down $1 trillion if they will come up $1 trillion," Pelosi and Schumer said in their statement Wednesday, after Pelosi's conversation with Mnuchin. "However, it is clear that the administration still does not grasp the magnitude of the problems that American families are facing."

In his own statement, Mnuchin disputed Democrats' version of the call but effectively confirmed that talks are dead.

"Earlier today, Speaker Pelosi and I spoke by phone," Mnuchin said. "Her statement is not an accurate reflection of our conversation. She made clear that she was unwilling to meet to continue negotiations unless we agreed in advance to her proposal, costing at least $2 trillion."

He added that "The [Trump] Administration is willing to move forward with legislation that allows for substantial funds for schools, child care, food, vaccines, hospitals, [aid] for small businesses, rental assistance, broadband, airports, state and local government assistance, and liability protection for universities, schools, and businesses."

He closed his statement by saying "The Democrats have no interest in negotiating."

The two parties are not in the same ballpark on the overall cost of the bill, which Democrats have said cannot be less than $2 trillion. Republicans including Mnuchin have said $2 trillion is too high.

The Senate has nominally been in session this week, after Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., delayed a planned August recess in hopes of voting on a coronavirus relief bill. But there are few senators in the Capitol, and no negotiations or votes have been taking place. The House is out of session.

The Senate appears likely to recess Thursday for the remainder of the month. And it looks increasingly possible that there will be no new deal on coronavirus legislation until sometime in September, when an Oct. 1 government shutdown deadline will force legislative action of some kind.

Asked Wednesday whether it was possible there would be no deal until that deadline approached, Pelosi said: "I hope not, no. People will die."
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Linkedin Stuart Graham and Charlotte Durand (Agence France-Presse) Edinburgh/London, United Kingdom  Wed, August 12, 2020 09:18 525 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066d4d810 2 World UK,Britain,United-Kingdom,school-reopening,coronavirus,COVID-19,COVID-19-infection,pandemic,SARS-CoV-2,virus-corona,novel-coronavirus Free

Scottish children went back to school for the first time in five months on Tuesday as leaders across Britain try to kickstart a return to education despite a resurgence in the number of coronavirus cases.

Scotland's devolved government has ordered pupils in different parts of the country to return gradually through this week, with all classes set to have resumed fully by next Tuesday.

In England, where plans to restart schooling in June had to be abandoned following opposition from teaching unions and some parents, the government is adamant that children will return in early September.

But the reopenings come as Britain, which has recorded the highest death toll in Europe from COVID-19 with more than 46,000 fatalities, could be witnessing the start of a resurgence.

On Sunday, officials recorded more than 1,000 new cases in 24 hours for the first time since June, as a months-long lockdown has been gradually eased.

Restrictions have recently been reimposed in some local areas in central and northern England, as well as in the Scottish city of Aberdeen last week, where pubs and restaurants had to close and travel restrictions were renewed.

'Impressed and reassured'

However, across Scotland, which has recorded more than 19,000 cases and 2,491 deaths, there have been no fatalities from the virus in more than three weeks.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said Monday it was "entirely understandable" for children, parents and teachers to have "nerves and anxiety" about the return.

But Sturgeon insisted she was "impressed and reassured" by the preparations schools were taking.

Students in the Scottish Borders region were the first to return Tuesday, alongside some in the Shetland Islands.

Pupils will not be required to wear face coverings or maintain social distancing -- sparking concern among some staff.

Last week, a survey of 24,000 educators by the Educational Institute of Scotland found that only 18 percent of respondents were confident that it was safe enough to return.

"Teachers want to see schools reopening... but they are very clear that this has to be done safely," institute general secretary Larry Flanagan said in a statement.

Risks 'very low'

Some experts in Britain are questioning whether other public spaces, such as pubs, ought to be closed again before schools can reopen.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who has responsibility for education in England only, insisted that "we will get schools back" and that he was "very impressed" by preparations to mitigate against the virus in the classroom.

"We have got to stick to our discipline -- so in schools, they have some very well thought through plans for how to manage it," he said, warning that further local outbreaks and counter-measures were inevitable.

The government is reportedly encouraged by a Public Health England study of 100 schools finding little evidence of the virus being transmitted in schools.

"The risks to children from COVID are very low and the risks of school closures we know are very serious," said Russell Viner, president of the Royal College of Pediatrics and Child Health and a member of a key government advisory group, told The Sunday Times in reference to the probe.

But The Times newspaper said Tuesday the as-yet unpublished research also showed older children may transmit the virus to adults.

The paper's front-page story said researchers were "unhappy with the way ministers have used the findings, which have not been fully analyzed".

The Association of School and College Leaders this week suggested schools could adopt a "week-on, week-off" model to mitigate the risks of a full return.

Meanwhile, the National Education Union has provided its 500,000 members with a list of 200 virus-related health measures for their schools and staff are being urged to "escalate" any complaints over non-compliance.

Conservative lawmaker Robert Halfon branded the criteria as "impossible" to meet.

"It is incredible not one of these 200 nitpicking questions asks the most important thing of all -- what's best for the kids?" he told the Sun on Sunday.
First-of-its-kind clinical trial in children and adolescents with fibrosing interstitial lung disease (ILD) initiated globally

This new study builds on the Phase III INBUILD trial and approval of Ofev in adult patients with fibrosing ILDs with a progressive phenotype 1,2,3

trial and approval of Ofev in adult patients with fibrosing ILDs with a progressive phenotype Global Phase III multicentre clinical trial is planned to be conducted in approximately 70 sites in 24 countries

Boehringer Ingelheim today announced that the first patient has enrolled in InPedILD, a global Phase III trial assessing the dosing and safety profile of nintedanib in children and adolescents between six and 17 years old with clinically significant fibrosing interstitial lung disease (ILD).

Childhood ILD (chILD) includes more than 200 rare respiratory disorders that can affect infants, children and adolescents, making it difficult for them to breathe. In some cases, fibrosis which involves scarring and damage to the lungs can develop. This can lead to a significant impact on the daily life of those affected, as well as their families, including high morbidity and mortality. There are currently no approved therapies available for the treatment of chILD.

"Some children with interstitial lung disease may develop serious fibrosis that progresses," said the coordinating investigator Prof. Robin Deterding, M.D., Director of the Breathing Institute, Children's Hospital Colorado. "Though the underlying causes of pulmonary fibrosis may be different in children, we're excited to determine if treating the mechanism of fibrosis improves children's lung fibrosis as it does in adults."

Nintedanib, which is marketed as Ofev, is currently approved in more than 80 countries for the treatment of people living with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF).4 It is also approved in more than 40 countries as the first and only therapy to slow the rate of decline in pulmonary function in patients with systemic sclerosis-associated ILD (SSc-ILD).5 Ofev recently also obtained approval in the USA, Canada, Japan, Brazil, Argentina and the EU, for a third indication, as the first and only treatment for patients living with chronic fibrosing ILDs with a progressive phenotype.2,3

"Boehringer Ingelheim is proud to start this trial to provide valuable insights as we evaluate this potential treatment for children and adolescents with these rare and heterogenous conditions for which there are currently no treatments with proven efficacy and no randomized controlled trials," said Dr Susanne Stowasser, Associate Head of Medicine Pulmonology at Boehringer Ingelheim. "This study represents our ongoing commitment to address unmet needs and advance research for adult and pediatric patients living with pulmonary fibrosis."

~ENDS~

For references and notes to editors, please visit: http://www.boehringer-ingelheim.com/press-release/inpedildtrialenrollment

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200812005420/en/

Contacts:

Boehringer Ingelheim

Corporate Communications

Media PR

Dr Ralph Warsinsky.

55216 Ingelheim/Germany

Phone +49 6132 77 7051

Mobile +49 178 290 8561

Email: press@boehringer-ingelheim.com
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

Nothing kills work-from-home motivation like slow internet. It's an issue some are facing for the first time as the COVID-19 pandemic sent them out of the office and into remote workspaces at home.

With many school districts opting for some degree of e-learning, a torrent of video calls and downloads from multiple family members could test the mettle of even the hardiest internet connections. And for families with limited income, it can seem like high-speed internet is out of reach financially.

For those looking for ways to improve their connection or get their homes hooked up for the first time, here's some advice.

Make sure your router is in the right place

Jack Segal, regional vice president of communications at Comcast, said your router's effectiveness relies on where it is in the home. Keeping the router in an open, central location can offer the best coverage so you don't lose connection throughout the house.

People may find their routers aren't placed well since they began working from home. "If you really want to work in your office in the basement, you can suddenly come to realize there's no connection," Segal said. "And so people will have to adjust."

Use a wired connection if you can

Wireless connections offer portability for devices like phones or laptops. But connecting to the router with an ethernet cable (and potentially needed adaptors for newer laptops) will ensure the best connection, said Ryan Johnston, DePaul University's associate director of infrastructure systems.

Make sure you have the right speed

Johnston recommends 50 megabits per second (mbps) as a reliable speed for most daily use. Nick Feamster, a computer science professor at the University of Chicago, agrees and said the range from 50 to 100 mbps should be more than enough for most households, especially if it's for one person, rather than a family or a group of roommates.

Last year, Feamster teamed up with The Wall Street Journal to test whether premium internet was worth the cost. The study found that, beyond 100 mbps, quality plateaued, and often the issue might be on the other end.

"The problem might actually be Netflix," Feamster said. "Upgrading to 200 megabits might not be that different of an experience."

Look out for bandwidth caps

Even if you have a decent speed, there may be limits to how much data your internet can handle. Johnston said most internet plans should have a reliable bandwidth, but still check to see if you have a bandwidth cap, which can become overwhelmed when the whole household is logging on for work and school at once. "You have to check, because then you'll realize maybe 15 to 20 megabits per second is your limit," said Johnston.

Mesh systems and Wi-Fi extenders can fill in areas where your connection may be weaker.

Internet may not stay strong throughout a residence. For people who want to work in any area of their home, Johnston said a mesh network can fill in gaps around the house, whether that be outside the apartment or just down a long hallway. Johnston recommends Google Nest or Netgear Orbi. "It can actually help you (physically) untether yourself from the better Wi-Fi spots around the house," Johnston said.

Know it's not always your internet at fault

If you notice Zoom calls or Netflix are pixelated or have a weak connection, the problem could be with the service itself. Media providers, such as YouTube or Netflix, can have their own connectivity issues, Feamster said.

"It's a logic problem," he said. "If Zoom isn't working well, but Skype is, Zoom could have trouble handling the capacity of users right now."

2020 Chicago Tribune

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
By William Skaff

Skaff is a retired director of policy analysis for a policy organization in Washington, D.C. He lives in Roanoke County.

Open Letter to the Virginia General Assembly:

I respectfully ask that you vote against prospective State of Virginia legislation that will (1) decrease state funding for local police departments and (2) substantially curtail the ability of police to do their job. The first will result in fewer police on the job or reductions in training and equipment and the second in limiting tactics and protections that will prevent police from engaging promptly and effectively. Both of these measures will put Commonwealth residents in greater danger, as we rely on the police for protection of our lives and property.

Some are proposing that police budgets should be reduced, transferring these funds to drug addiction education and rehabilitation, family counseling services, and student behavioral psychologists. While these are essential for long-term crime deterrence, they do not replace the immediate on-site crime prevention provided by the police. If I dial 911 because someone is breaking into my house, and a social worker shows up to intervene, asking if the perpetrator had a difficult childhood, the result will be one injured social worker, or worse. We need more funding for more police for this purpose, better equipped and better trained.

Likewise, many proposed so-called police reform measures are detrimental to officers performing their jobs. Reducing assault on a police officer from a felony to a misdemeanor simply means that they can be violently attacked with impunity, endangering their lives even more than ordinary citizens. Banning chokeholds when an officers life is threatened reduces an officers options to apprehend a perpetrator while preserving their own life. Banning the execution of search warrants without announcing police presence just helps perpetrators get away. Eliminating qualified immunity will understandably make police reluctant to take appropriate actions that will keep us safe. Releasing criminals early from prison puts more perpetrators on the street and eliminates the most effective deterrent to crime.

These measures that will make us considerably less safe should be contrasted with constructive measures that police departments themselves have proposed, such as a statewide officer accreditation program, an inter-agency officer decertification communications system, funding for more extensive training, and funding to retain dedicated officers.

Restrictive legislative measures proposed across the country are in response to the tragic death of George Floyd, a crime abhorrent to everyone, committed by several specific individuals, who were kneeling on his neck and chest, not using a chokehold. National Academy of Sciences and other studies demonstrate that police departments around the country are not systemically racist. Commendably, residents have used Black Lives Matter as a slogan under which to conduct community dialogues and build bridges where they might not otherwise have existed.

But Black Lives Matter is also a nationwide organization that started the defund the police movement, cloaking under the rubric of police reform the objective of eliminating or rendering ineffective police departments across the country. BLM has joined with the radical and violent Antifa to intimidate, influence, and gradually take over local governments in order to propagate socialism. As BLM co-founder Patrisse Cullors admits, We actually do have an ideological frame. We are trained Marxists.

Greater New York BLM president Hawk Newsome warns, We will burn down this system and replace it . . . by any means necessary. When people get aggressive and they escalate their protests, cops get fired. Nightly rioting in various parts of the country that began two months ago is still going on today in Portland, Chicago, and Albuquerque, among other places. Mayors and city councils sympathetic to socialism have ordered police not to use riot de-escalation tactics and protective gear, and to stand down as they are pummeled with bricks and concrete thrown by rioters who are wearing protective gear themselves. The policethe only means of stopping this violence that has claimed many lives and the destruction of numerous minority businesseshave, in effect, been eliminated.

The next BLM target is the Churches. BLM leader Shaun King uses racism as a smokescreen to hide a Marxist insurrection that seeks to eliminate Christianity. For Marxism to prevail, there can be no higher authority than the government: All murals and stained-glass windows of white Jesus and his European mother, and their white friends should also come down. They are a gross form of white supremacy.

BLM and Antifa are already active in Richmond, Roanoke, and elsewhere in Virginia. Your constituents of both political parties already know all of this. Any actions to curtail police protection and endanger lives in the Commonwealth will be judged accordingly.
An Atlanta-area couple has been sentenced to lengthy federal prison sentences after being convicted of bringing an underage victim to Chattanooga for prostitution.

Savannah Grissum, 22, of Douglasville, Ga., and Alonzo Dean Westmoreland, 31, of Kennesaw, Ga., were sentenced by the Judge Curtis L. Collier.

Both pled guilty in September 2019 to transporting in commerce an underage victim for the purpose of engaging in prostitution.

Ms. Grissum was sentenced to 78 months in prison, followed by six years supervised release; Westmoreland received 108 months in prison and six years of supervised release. Both will be required to register with the sex offender registry in any state in which they reside, work, or attend school, and comply with special sex offender conditions during the supervised release.

In June 2018, the Cobb County Police Department received a report of a runaway juvenile. The FBI from the Atlanta and Chattanooga divisions were informed that the juvenile was located in Chattanooga. Deputies from the Hamilton County Sheriffs Office and the FBI responded to a local motel, where they recovered the underage victim who had been prostituted in Chattanooga for approximately four days.

Ms. Grissum and Westmoreland used the proceeds from that illegal activity to pay for their hotel room and other expenses.

The prosecution was the result of a joint investigation led by FBI Special Agents Terrilynn James and Terri L. Green of the Chattanooga Division, and Nathan Whiteman of the Atlanta Division, Detective Robert Rush of the Hamilton County Sheriffs Office, with assistance from Detectives Hunter Llewellyn and Ray Drew with the Cobb County Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jay Woods represented the United States in court proceedings.
South Africa: DPE closer to implementing SAA rescue plan

With all the conditions for the implementation of the South African Airways (SAA) Business Rescue Plan met last week, the Department of Public Enterprises (DPE) and its stakeholders have been working around the clock to bring the process closer to finalisation.

The department said to complete the process, it is overseeing four phases, which include the restructuring of the airline (including the implementation of Voluntary Severance Packages (VSP) to employees); the appointment of non-executive directors and a new management team; the selection and appointment of Transaction Advisors, and the formation of a customer-centric airline designed to be lean, technology capable, digitally modernised and agile to service all market segments.

The department reported that the voluntary retrenchments provided in the business rescue plan will see the retrenchment of all employees, with only 1 000 employees remaining to start the new airline on different terms and conditions to those currently existing.

About 1 000 employees will be placed on a Social Plan  a temporary training lay-off scheme, so that they can be absorbed into the new airline, as and when new positions become available, the department said on Tuesday.

As the shareholder, on behalf of government, the department reported that it will soon appoint a smaller, effective, reinforced and empowered Board of Directors, who will then appoint the airlines new executive management, including Chief Risk Officer, Chief Information Officer and Chief Operating Officer.

The DPE has identified Transaction Advisors, whose mandate is to assist the department in transaction planning, feasibility analysis, procurement and implementation of transactions, and raising funds and investments for the new airline.

The advisors are also expected to assess unsolicited expressions of interests from private sector funders, private equity investors and partners for a future restructured SAA.

The department has also welcomed the attraction of a mix of local and international investor groups to provide the new airline with technical, financial, and operational expertise to ensure significant South African ownership, while diversifying the investor base.

New airline



The department said it is engaging constructively towards the national interest objective of a new airline, which will be run in a professional and sustainable manner to support key economic sectors, including tourism, and solidify South Africa as an African gateway to international markets.

While maintaining a certain level of presence in the ownership of the new carrier, the department said that government, through the DPE, would like to see the following characteristics of the new airline, as envisaged in the new Business Rescue Plan:

An efficient and modern aircraft fleet with hybrid density options, acquired at competitive rates, resulting in cost efficiency;

An offering with the right routes, at the right times and at competitive prices;

A network structure that allows for connectivity at hubs, while maintaining elevated aircraft utilisation;

Connecting Africa to world economic hubs, while maintaining diplomatic connectivity;

The right-sized and motivated workforce, and

A customer-centric airline designed to be lean, technology savvy, digitally native and agile to service all market segments.



The DPE believes that the restructuring contained in the Business Rescue Plan for SAA is fundamental and will create a solid base for the emergence of a competitive, viable and sustainable national airline for the Republic of South Africa, the department said.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2020-08-12. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
VSIP and the Association of Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin have been working together since 2019

VSIP JV is committed to donating VND1 billion ($43,480) to the Association of Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin since 2019. As of present, the firm has contributed VND400 million ($17,400) to the association to share the difficulties of AO/Dioxin victims and their families.

There is a wide range of support for disadvantaged victims like monthly allowances, organising events to grant presents for them on special holidays, building and renovating their houses, as well as offering cattle breeds and wheelchairs.

The support has improved the livelihoods of 2,500 AO/Dioxin victims and their families. In the coming time, VSIP JV will continue its efforts to work with the association to enhance the lives of more AO/Dioxin victims in Binh Duong.
Two foreign-controlled mobile companies could be fined Rs 1,000 crore for violating tax law: Govt

I-T department busts Chinese hawala racket worth Rs 1,000 crore in Delhi

India

pti-Deepika S

New Delhi, Aug 11: The Income Tax Department has conducted raids against some Chinese individuals and their local associates for allegedly indulging in a money laundering racket involving Rs 1,000 crore using shell or dubious firms, the CBDT said on Tuesday.

It said the "subsidiary of Chinese company and its related concerns have taken over Rs 100 crore bogus advances from shell entities for opening businesses of retail showrooms in India".

The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), that frames policy for the tax department, said the searches were launched basedA on credible inputs that a few Chinese individuals and their Indian associates were involved in money laundering and hawala transactions through a series of shell entities.

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Some bank officials were also raided, it said.

"Search action revealed that at the behest of Chinese individuals, more than 40 bank accounts were created in various dummy entities, entering into credits of more than Rs 1,000 crore over the period," it said in a statement without identifying the entities involved.

"Incriminating documents of hawala transactions and money laundering with active involvement of bank employees and Chartered Accountants have been found as a result of the search action," it said.

Evidences of foreign hawala transactions involving Hong Kong and US dollars have also been unearthed, the CBDT said.
Lavrov demands evidence of Russian government involvement, alleged by German prosecutors.

German authorities have sent a total of 17 inquiries to Russia in connection with the contract killing in Berlin of a Georgian citizen, ex-Chechen field commander Zelimkhan Khangoshvili, but to no avail, Germany's Foreign Minister Heiko Maas says.

Speaking at a joint press conference in Moscow with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov on August 11, Maas warned Russia of consequences if the court agreed with the prosecutor's conclusion that the murder had in fact been ordered by a Russian government agency, RFE/RL reported.

"It's up to the court to decide what the verdict will be. That will be the basis for our reaction," Maas said. If the court concurs with prosecutors, "further reactions are to be expected."

In turn, Lavrov claimed Moscow had provided Berlin with all the information available about the murder.

Read alsoDW: Germany proposes first-ever use of EU cyber sanctions over Russia hacking

The Russian Foreign Minister also said that Berlin should provide evidence, which confirms allegations of Russian government involvement.

Khangoshvili murder  background

Zelimkhan Khangoshvili, a Georgian national and former insurgent who had fought against Russian government forces in Chechnya, was shot dead in a Berlin park in broad daylight on August 23, 2019.

A Russian national suspected of committing the murder was detained in Berlin the same day and later indicted in the contract hit.

Germany's chief prosecutor's office suspects Russian intelligence to stand behind the assassination.

Read alsoGerman prosecutors accuse Russia of ordering murder of former Chechen rebel in Berlin  media

The hitman had traveled to Germany on a Russian passport issued in the name of Vadim Sokolov, but experts have questioned the authenticity of the document. According to a report by Der Spiegel, forensics experts identified the assassin as Vadim Krasikov, who had been sought over the murder of a Russian businessman in 2013.

According to research by investigative team Bellingcat, Krasikov's records were purged from Russian state databases.

Germany has expelled two Russian diplomats in connection with the murder, according to BBC. Russia went for a mirror action, also expelling two German diplomats.

Putin denied Russia's involvement in the assassination, saying that "this is a gangster environment, and anything can happen there."
Security forces in Mali fired tear gas against protesters in Bamako on Wednesday, in an attempt to try and disperse people who had camped overnight as part of a demonstration urging the presidents resignation.

Around 1,000 people stayed on the streets until Wednesday morning when they were dispersed by Malian security forces.

Demonstrators erected tents, others unfurled mats and duvets on the floor, while many of the leaders were seen seated on chairs.

The demonstrations was smaller than those before the truce announced by the opposition M5-RFP group, the 5 June Movement  Rally of Patriotic Forces (M5-RFP), a coalition of civil society and opposition groups.

Despite poor weather on Tuesday afternoon, protesters turned out to restart their calls for President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita (IBK) to step down, according to Bamako correspondent Coralie Pierret.

It's not good weather for the corrupt! Its not good weather for the incompetent! Its not good weather for the gravediggers! And it is not the good weather for IBK and his regime, said Adama Ben Diarra, one of the protest leaders, addressing the crowd, correspondent Pierret reported.

Influential imam Mahmoud Dicko also spoke during the protests, urging demonstrators to continue their fight, bringing back Malis dignity, its honour.

The opposition to Keita had declared a truce following mediation led by the Ecowas regional bloc so that people could celebrate Eid al-Adha.

New constitutional court judges were sworn-in on Monday, a key part of a plan by Ecowas mediation led by Nigerias former President Goodluck Jonathan to try and solve the ongoing political crisis.

Demonstrations in Mali had erupted over the countrys contentious elections and a move by the constitutional court to dismiss several MPs. The protest movement has channeled a broad range of concerns including perceived government corruption and ongoing insecurity in the country.

Crackdown on protests

Ecowas has urged the formation of a commission of inquiry into the violent crackdown on protests on 10, 11 and 12 July that left at least 14 people dead.

Story continues

The recent violence that rocked the capital left a terrible toll of dead and wounded in its wake, said Corinne Dufka, Sahel director at Human Rights Watch, a New York-based rights watchdog.

Malian security forces should ensure that they respond to violent protests with minimum force, while political parties should impose restraint on their members, Dufka added.

Authorities in Bamako deployed the countrys Antiterrorist Special Forces (FORSAT) in response to the demonstrations, while some protesters erected roadblocks and attacked public buildings.

FORSAT used live ammunition against protesters, according to several witnesses and human rights groups, RFI spoke to.
New Delhi, Aug 12 : Four days after writing to Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar demanding the extension of loan repayment by farmers from August this year to March 2021 in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, Kisan Congress Vice President Surendra Solanki on Wednesday threatened to protest outside the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) if the demands are not met.

Solanki said that if the demands are not met by August 16, on August 17 they will stage a protest outside the PMO.

He has written to Tomar that in July this year it was said that the farmers who are not able to repay this loan amount on the date of payment in the Kisan Credit Card (KCC) scheme will have to pay 3 per cent more interest.

The Kisan Congress leader has also pointed out that the farmers, who have taken a loan through the KCC, will only have to pay 4 per cent interest if they return the amount by August 31.

"And after this date, the loan repaying farmers will have to pay 7 per cent interest. But the situation has become more serious today, the epidemic is spreading and the farmers have not made much profit, nor is there any hope of the situation improving in the coming times," he said.

He also highlighted that in many areas of the country, farmers are facing the problem of floods and thus they will not be in a position to repay the loan.

"The Kisan Congress demands that you consider the farmers demand sympathetically that the loan of the farmers be forgiven. The date of repayment of this loan should be immediately extended to March 31, 2021 as farmers across the country are struggling more due to the outbreak of the epidemic," Solanki added.

He accused the government of being deaf and dumb towards the farmers' problems as it does not see the suffering of the farmers and nor does it want to take care of them.
TASHKENT -- Authorities in Uzbekistan's capital, Tashkent, have scrapped a controversial plan to merge some neighborhoods of the capital with the surrounding region after protests by residents who would have been pushed outside of the city limits.

Hasan Qalandarov, the head of the Orikzor neighborhood in the Uchtepa district of Tashkent, told local residents on August 11 that municipal authorities in Tashkent decided to cancel the plan after discussing the concerns and demands of residents.

Mirzohid Khidirov, the deputy governor of the Zangiota district in the Tashkent region, confirmed to RFE/RL, on August 11 that the redistricting plan has been dropped.

Hundreds of residents of several Tashkent neighborhoods had joined street protests against the plan since August 6.

RFE/RL's Uzbek Service covered those protests extensively while state media provided only limited information.

The protesters told RFE/RL they did not want to lose their status as Tashkent residents because it would cause problems for placing their children in better schools and for getting jobs that require employees to be residents of the city.

They also told RFE/RL the move would lead to changes in documents about the properties where they live, most likely causing property values to fall.

The protests began after a television report on August 5 said a plan to merge parts of Tashkent's Uchtepa district with the Tashkent region had been outlined in accordance with an order by Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoev.

Officials said the redistricting of neighborhoods was necessary "to eliminate disparities in administrative boundaries of the capital...and to improve infrastructure to make it more convenient for the population."

Protests against government decisions are rare in the tightly controlled Uzbekistan.

Mirziyoev has promised reforms and more freedoms for Uzbeks since he came to power following the death in 2016 of Uzbekistan's authoritarian President Islam Karimov.

His promises have included greater involvement of ordinary citizens in decisions about social, economic, and political developments in Uzbekistan.
Williamson, WV (25661)

Today

Cloudy with occasional rain during the afternoon. High 47F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%..

Tonight

Rain...changing to snow overnight. Low 27F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precip 100%. About one inch of snow expected.
Minsk: Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya says she had fled abroad for the sake of her children after strongman Alexander Lukashenko's claim of victory in Sunday's presidential election prompted another night of bloody street protests.

Tikhanovskaya, a 37-year-old former English teacher who took her husband's place on the ballot after he was jailed, fled to neighbouring Lithuania. She urged her compatriots not to oppose the police and to avoid putting their lives in danger.

Belarusian presidential candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya voting at a polling place in Minsk. She has now joined her children in Lithuania after becoming afraid for the family's safety. Credit:Getty Images

But unrest erupted for a third night in a row on Tuesday as security forces fired rubber bullets and stun grenades to disperse thousands of protesters who took to the streets accusing Lukashenko, in power since 1994, of swindling the vote.

A witness saw security forces detaining dozens of people and beating protesters in the street. Another saw security forces smashing car windows and dragging some people out of vehicles to attack them. A third saw at least two news photographers being attacked and their cameras damaged.
Leah Remini thinks Tom Cruise would have a plan to 'lure' daughter Suri into Scientology once she gets older.

The church member-turned-outspoken critic said that based on her experience with Scientology Cruise, 58, is likely waiting until the 15-year-old grows up to get her 'away from her mother' Katie Homes, 41, and into the religion.

'Scientology considers Katie a suppressive person which is an enemy and therefore Tom believes, like all Scientologists, that he can't be connected to Suri,' Remini, 50, explained to the New York Post.

'I'm sure his master plan is to wait until Suri gets older so that he can lure her into Scientology and away from her mother,' she claimed.

Waiting: Leah Remini thinks that Tom Cruise has a 'master plan' to 'lure' daughter Suri away from mother Katie Holmes and introduce her to Scientology once she is older. Katie and Suri, 15, are seen in January above

Off limits: 'Scientology considers Katie a suppressive person which is an enemy and therefore Tom believes, like all Scientologists, that he can't be connected to Suri,' Remini, 50, explained

It's been reported that Cruise has not seen Suri since she was just seven. The last time his was photographed with his daughter was in 2013.

Cruise has not made any statements indicating he plans to introduce Suri to Scientology. DailyMail.com reached out to Tom's team for comment.

Leah went on to say how surprised she was to see Holmes walk from the relationship in 2012.

'I knew Katie when she was in (Scientology) and she seemed very indoctrinated into Tom's world,' she said.

'But as time went on, and I understood why she did what she did to protect her daughter I'm only assuming that there's some type of agreement to protect her daughter.'

Planning: 'I'm sure his master plan is to wait until Suri gets older so that he can lure her into Scientology and away from her mother,' the former Scientologist said. She's seen in September 2019 above

Different times: Leah said she was surprised to see Katie leave Tom in 2012 but realizes 'she did what she did to protect her daughter.' Katie and Tom are seen in February 2012 above

Leah went on saying she was 'really proud' of Holmes 'for getting her daughter out of something that would have been potentially very toxic and dangerous for not only Suri but for their relationship.'

She then slammed Cruise, claiminig he is simply 'not a good person' and that he 'continues to sit by and watch people's lives get destroyed, including the disappearance of his best friend's wife, Shelly Miscavige, who has not been seen in public in 15 years.'

Shelly Miscavige, the wife of leader David Miscavige, has allegedly not been seen in years with many believing she was 'banished' in 2005, according to The Post. The church disputes those claims and says that she is alive and well.

Leah was raised as a Scientologist starting from age nine after her mother joined the organization. She left in 2013 and has since become a staunch critic of the church.

On the same page: While Suri and Tom are reported to have no relationship, Cruise is said to be close with older kids Isabella, 27, and Connor, 25, who are both practicing Scientologists. They're all seen in 2008 above

While Suri and Tom are reported to have no relationship, Cruise is said to be close with older kids Isabella, 27, and Connor, 25, who are both practicing Scientologists.

Their mother Nicole Kidman has remained quiet about what kind of relationship she has with her adult children, given their chosen faith.

'They are able to make their own decisions,' she told Australia's Who magazine in 2018.

'They have made choices to be Scientologists and as a mother, it's my job to love them. And I am an example of that tolerance, and that's what I believe  that no matter what your child does, the child has love and the child has to know there is available love and I'm open here.'
Sometimes the past explodes into the present. Such was the case when I reread a book my brother and I wrote two years ago about our ancestor, Matthew Lyon, a revolutionary war hero.

Lyon, a Vermont congressman and an early Republican leader was tossed into jail for criticizing then-President John Adams under the 1798 Alien and Sedition Act. He accused Adams of an unbounded thirst for ridiculous pomp  An Irish immigrant, Lyon was fearful of Adams assuming too much power, turning the presidency into what the revolution had fought again  a king.

As we neared completion of the manuscript, we wondered what Lyon might say to us today, over two hundred years in the future. Here are a few excerpts from the last chapter of our book: Resisting Tyranny, The Story of Matthew Lyon, Early American Patriot. Resource Publications, 2018. The book is available on Amazon or from the publisher.

Fellow Citizens:

I realize I am but an immigrant from Ireland brought here on a ship as an indentured servant, not knowing anyone and having been sold to a wealthy businessman to work off my indebtedness.

I was saddened and shocked to find that in 1798 the Congress passed the Alien and Sedition Act, part was which was directed toward limiting immigration into your country. That act added to the residency requirement so that the requirement for citizenship was increased from five to fourteen years and to make matters more ominous it established a federal registrar of all aliens, thus centralizing power at the federal level. The Alien Friends Act then gave the president to depart aliens he suspected of being dangerous, but only in times of war. This act was not invoked.

As a newspaper publisher myself I was afraid the President might limit the first amendment and seek to squelch free speech. So, I spoke loudly and clearly against Adams and went to jail for that reason. He wanted to stifle free speech, especially any words directed against him. You were created to think and act for yourselves, not be puppets for some supposedly small, elite group who prided themselves in putting you down and themselves up.

I took the oath of office to defend the constitution, I didnt think I would have to do so against the presidents desire to bypass it by leading the way in passing laws to control our criticisms of him. He might appear strong, but he was thin-skinned and egotistical, thinking he was more important than the people and constitution he had pledged to support. Thats when they become tyrants trying to get by force what they couldnt get by persuasion.

What would I advise you fellow citizens of the future?

First and foremost, protect and defend your first amendment. It is the very source of your freedom, and anyone who seeks to diminish the protections there is not a patriot. I remember what my friend and political ally Thomas Jefferson wrote: When the speech condemns a free press, you are listening to a tyrant.

Second, beware when too much power is invested in too few people. Too much power in too few hands can lead to tyranny and often to its abuse.

Third, beware of foreign alliances. How well I remember the words warning us against foreign alliances by our departing President George Washington. He didnt say we shouldnt have them; he just cautioned against finding our country taken over by another, as he might well have thought after fighting the British. Of course, in that same address, he warned against the divisions caused by political parties.

Fourth, protect and defend your republic, whether from without or within. I believe that the worst threats come from within, from those who would subvert the values we uphold such as life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

Here are some easy to read thoughts about protecting your republic;

Take being a citizen seriously.

Organize for good causes.

Work for leaders who support all the people not just a few of them.

Vote as if your life depended on it, because it does.

Speak out against oppression of all kinds.

Keep leaders under watch; the best form of leadership in a democracy is that of citizen patriots, not permanent office holders.

Seek truth.

Challenge lies.

And when the government seems is, it is your patriotic duty to change those who lead it as Jefferson told us.

This my sincere prayer for you.

M. LYON

(John C. Morgan is a writer and teacher. Quotes from the book are used by permission of Wipf and Stock Publishers, www.wipfandstock.com)
Before any of the facts of the shooting could be verified, the campaign began  as it always does  to paint the victim as a menace who deserved exactly what he got. We seemed to forget everything wed learned recently about the importance of looking at police shootings with skepticism and examining each with a critical eye.
Major global brands have raised serious concerns over Cambodias embrace of coal power plants, which they say is out of step with their environmental commitments and could risk future investments. The brands, who source garments and footwear from Cambodia, sent the letter to Economy Minister Aun Pornmoniroth on August 11, warning of Cambodias proposed increase in coal power generations, instead of asking the country to rethink its energy strategies to adopt renewable sources of energy. The six brands, H&M, Adidas, Puma and Gap, Nike, and Specialized, said they have committed to environmental commitments and that continued investment in coal energy could negatively impact Cambodias prospects of attracting future investment. Electricity decisions made today will lock Cambodia into a future that appears to be the opposite of global and regional trends and less attractive to our industry, read the letter.

Countries that today prioritize [renewable energy] and a green future will avoid wasting money on outdated technologies that will soon be obsolete and expensive.



The letter said recent legislation had punished early adopters of renewable energies, low projections for the future generation, and lack of innovation in grid technologies, pointing to countries like Vietnam which had more aggressively adopted solar energy.



Ulrika Isaksson, a spokesperson for H&M, said environmental sustainability was now a key requirement to continue as a core source of its products.



Following the same logic, sourcing countries that continue to see coal as a viable energy source going forward take the risk of losing out on future investments, she said in an email.



Additionally, she said the lack of initiatives in developing the garment sector in Cambodia and the loss of trade privileges to the European Union was problematic.



The letter comes amid the novel coronavirus pandemic which had severely hit the garment sector, where more than 150,000 workers have lost their jobs and hundreds of factories have shut down or suspended operations. Additionally, starting Thursday, Cambodia will face a partial suspension of trade privileges to the European Union, after a year-long investigation period from the EU Commission that determined the country had failed to address systemic rights violations.

Cambodia has three existing coal power plants in Sihanoukville. The government last week granted 169 hectares of land in the Botum Sakor National Park for developing a 700MW plant. Another 265 MW coal plant is under development in Oddar Meanchey province and is expected to be online by 2024, according to the Energy Ministry.

Energy Ministry statistics show that Cambodias annual energy output is 3,382MW: over 30 percent was generated from hydropower, some 30 percent from coal-fired plants, 25 percent in imports from Thailand, Vietnam, and Laos, seven percent from biomass and five percent with renewable energy.



The Ministry of Mines and Energy has said it wants to quadruple its current installed solar power output, but, at the same time has continued to seek investment in coal-fired plants and hydropower dams on smaller tributaries. The ministry has committed to not build dams along the mainstream of the Mekong River.



Victor Jona, a spokesperson at the Ministry of Mines and Energy, defended Cambodias attempt to diversify its energy sources, adding that the country was generating 180MW from solar power, around 5 percent of the total power mix, which was expected to rise by an additional 270MW in the future. An 80MW wind power plant was being considered at Bokor Mountain in Kampot province, he said.



He said the use of coal power plants was regulated and that the ministry would mitigate environmental damage.



All projects will have to be assessed for environmental impacts by the Environment Ministry. The pollution level from those plants is under set standards, he added.



The spokesman acknowledged the concerns of global brands, but questioned the potential for increasing solar and energy power.



We have sun during the day time, but not at night, right? There is a lot of wind in the rainy season, but less in the dry season. Therefore, we have to find stable energy [combination], he said.



Compared to ASEAN, our country has very little coal plant energy compared to other countries, he added.

In a press conference titled climate change and its impacts on Cambodia, Neth Pheaktra, a secretary of state at the Environment Ministry, said Cambodia sees coal plants as an economic benefit to ensure Cambodias energy security.
Over the weekend, President Donald Trump issued an executive order that would provide $400 weekly federal unemployment payments, but only if states picked up a quarter of that amount.

The legal footing for the order from Trump, a Republican, is unclear. And the U.S. Senate is still working toward some sort of deal to replace the previous $600 weekly benefits that expired at the end of July. But governors across the country on Monday said putting up the $100 would deplete their already-abysmal budget picture.

In Montana, the state is waiting to see how things play out.

"The Montana Department of Labor and Industry is awaiting guidance from the federal government on the process for distributing the unemployment benefits outlined in the presidents memorandum," Gov. Steve Bullock, a Democrat, said in a statement Tuesday. "Montanans ought to receive this extra support during these challenging times and my administration will be working to implement these changes once we know more from the federal government. While we work at the state level to support the Montanans who need it most, Congress needs to put politics aside and find a sustainable solution."

Federal benefits have made up about 78% of what Montanans have received in unemployment payments, or about $652.58 million out of the $837.62 million total.

The additional $600 weekly payments were $578.05 million, or nearly 70% of all payments made to Montanans, according to a document produced by the Legislative Fiscal Division covering the period from March to the end of July.

Montana had $234.88 million in its unemployment trust fund as of Aug. 9. The fund is replenished through state unemployment insurance contributions. For most employers, that's paid as a percentage of taxable wages.

Last week, after the $600 payments expired, the state paid out less than half of what it did the week prior in unemployment benefits, according to data from the state Department of Labor and Industry.

From Aug. 3-7, the state reported making $17.67 million over 35,696 payments to Montanans in benefits. The week prior the state reported $40.57 million over a total of 41,225 payments.

Payments don't necessarily equate to individuals as people could have two payments in the period or one payment for two weeks of benefits.

Last month was the first time unemployment payments dropped since the pandemic reached Montana in March, according to the Legislative Fiscal Division's document. But even with July's 26% decrease compared to June, the payments are at "historically high levels," according to the document.

The $600 federal payments expired as the Senate failed to reach agreement on the next round of coronavirus aid. Both Montana's senators, Democrat Jon Tester and Republican Steve Daines, decried the benefit ending with no replacement. A package passed the Democratic-controlled House but Republican leadership in the Senate wanted to reduce the weekly payments, among other changes.

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Togbe Afede XIV, President of the National House of Chiefs has bemoaned the effect of the border closure on indigenes of the Volta Region who he says could be trapped between the borderlines.



Ghanas borders were closed to human traffic because of the novel coronavirus pandemic.



Ahead of the voter registration exercise, military and immigration officers were also deployed to man the borders to support the fight against COVID-19.



But some observers have noted that the government did not take into account the Ghanaians who crossed between some of Ghanas borders on a daily basis for school and economic activities, among others.



In a statement, Togbe Afede recounted his tour of some parts of the region which informed some of his fears.



I am still haunted by the plight of those citizens of Leklebi-Kame who are trapped on the about 300-meter stretch of land between the Ghana Immigration Service barrier and the actual Ghana-Togo border.



He said they had not been able to register to vote during the Electoral Commissions mass registration exercise.



Aside from this, he also said their means of living and social activities had also been disrupted.



Despite creating awareness of such plights, Togbe Afede lamented that nothing has been done so far to solve their problem.



He thus made one more plea to the Ghana Immigration Service.



I would like to ask the Ghana Immigration Service to move these borders closer to the actual borers in order not to deny some citizens access to their own country in the future.



In the meantime, he also urged the authorities not to forget these people during future border closures.

Source: citinewsroom.com









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LAKEWOOD, Ohio -- Now that Lakewood City Schools has officially announced it will start the 2020-2021 school year remotely, Lakewood High School intervention specialist Corey A. Streets is making the most out of a trying situation.

Its called Mr. Streets Center for Remote Shed-ucation -- and its going to get the teacher out of his Sheffield Lake house and into his recently transformed outdoor shed.

Its been kind of crazy lately and a learn-as-you-go situation, Streets said. Last spring when we went to remote learning, I ran everything out of a guest room in our house. But were expecting a baby in October, so the guest room is in the process of becoming our nursery, which means I got evicted.

At that point, Streets turned his attention to an outdoor shed. After cleaning it out and having a yard sale, he created his own special remote-learning center for less than $100.

I have my desk set up with the MacBook where Ill do all of my live-streaming from, Streets said. I want to incorporate a lot more live classroom time this fall -- more so than I think we were prepared to do in the spring.

Behind me is a large monitor screen so I can put up visual examples or share them directly on the computer in our Zoom room. I have some counter space here. Hopefully, I can do some experiments that dont blow up my shed.

As far as heating and cooling, Streets said he has a fan that moves the air around inside the shed, which is located mostly in the shade. Come wintertime, if school is still in a distant-learning model, a space heater should do the trick.

Its just nice to have a central location that will help me get into a routine, Streets said. Theres not much fun about the whole pandemic situation, but I thought this could be a fun thing to do.

Also, once I get my Keurig (coffee) machine out here when school starts, itll be almost like Im going to real work -- except the commute is a lot better.

At Lakewood High School, the creative intervention specialist is known for his MILES (Moving to Independent Learning for Employment and Success) classroom featuring nine animals and two aquariums full of fish to teach his students life skills.

When its pointed out that Streets has his own She Shed of sorts, he says, Yeah, Ive heard that joke a couple of times.

Whenever this is all over -- and we can get consistently back in the school -- this will be an easy transition from office to man cave. Ill take down educational posters and put up some neon signs and call it a done day.

Read more news from the Sun Post Herald.
NEW YORK, Aug. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Tribeca Capital Group, LLC, a pioneer in pre-settlement litigation funding, announces that it is now advancing funds to claimants who have lost their livelihoods through wrongful termination, the employer's mishandling of wage and benefit claims, and other employment issues arising from the pandemic crisis.

"It wasn't long after the coronavirus reached our shores that we started hearing about mass layoffs and furloughs. Unemployment levels suddenly jumped to double digits, and over the course of weeks, Americans had filed more than 6 million unemployment claims. With so many losing their jobs, it was inevitable that we would discover some layoffs and furloughs were being conducted unlawfully," said Tribeca's founder, Rory Donadio.

Some companies affected by so-called shelter-in-place or lockdown orders laid off substantial numbers in their workforces without observing mandatory federal and state reduction in force rules. Other companies have fired employees for wanting to wear personal protective equipment or for calling out unsafe working conditions. Some have fired workers or denied them federally mandated sick leave for exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19 or for caring for a family member stricken with the virus. Still others have refused to pay back wages or compensate laid off employees for unused benefits.

"We've seen employers commit egregious acts like reducing an employee's wages by the amount of their stimulus checks or by denying them the severance guaranteed by their employment contracts," says Donadio. "There's no doubt that this pandemic is unprecedented and has stretched employers to the breaking point. Employers have a responsibility to their workforce, which a majority of employers take seriously even under the direst of circumstances. Unfortunately, not all employers share respect for federal and state laws and employment contracts that are designed to protect employees."

Wronged former employees are hit by a double whammy. Not only have they been personally wronged, they have lost their sources of income. Donadio explains, "The ex-employee files a lawsuit seeking compensation for the wrongs they endured and replacement wages to help them survive and provide for their families. In the meantime, they turn to litigation funding companies like Tribeca to fill in the gaps. Based on a thorough evaluation of the claim, Tribeca can often provide the plaintiff a one-time advance to get them over a hump or an ongoing payment to supplement unemployment benefits."

If you or a family member suffered a wrongful termination or reduction in wages, Tribeca may be able to help. Hundreds of plaintiffs have turned to Tribeca to convert their court cases into cash when they needed it most. If you need help funding your case, contact Rory Donadio, Tribeca Capital Group, LLC, at 866-388-2288 or visit our website for more information: tribecalawsuitloans.com

Source: Tribeca Capital Group, LLC

Contact: Rory Donadio, CEO

Email: [email protected]

Phone: 866-388-2288

SOURCE Tribeca Capital Group, LLC

Related Links

https://tribecalawsuitloans.com


Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that the COVID-19 vaccine 'Sputnik V' developed in his country is now registered for public use. The Sputnik V, which the country claims as to the world's first COVID-19 vaccine, was named in reference to a Soviet satellite launched in 1957, which opened space for exploration by mankind.

The Russian president has asked Health Minister Mikhail Murashko to keep him informed about the vaccine.

Russia's health ministry has given regulatory approval for a COVID-19 vaccine developed by Moscow's Gamaleya Institute after less than two months of testing on humans, said President Vladimir Putin.

Alexander Gintsburg, Director, Gamaleya National Research Centre, stated coronavirus particles used in the vaccine cannot harm the body as it uses inanimate particles created on the basis of adenovirus. "The particles and objects that can reproduce their own kind are the ones that are considered alive. The particles in question cannot multiply," Gintsburg said. The technology is a vector vaccine based on the DNA of a SARS-CoV-2 type adenovirus.

In Russia's COVID-19 vaccine, the genetic material from the coronavirus has been embedded into the carrier virus for delivering small parts of the pathogen into a human to stimulate an immune response. Gintsburg added some people might experience fever but that can be dealt with by taking paracetamol.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has also responded to the country's claim and said that a rigorous review of the vaccine's data needs to be submitted if Russia wants the WHO's stamp of approval. Tarik Jasarevic, a spokesperson for WHO, said, "Pre-qualification of any vaccine includes the rigorous review and assessment of all the required safety and efficacy data."

"We are in close contact with the Russian health authorities and discussions are ongoing with respect to possible WHO pre-qualification of the vaccine," he added.

One of the Russian Health Minister's deputies said the production of Russian COVID-19 vaccine will start in October. The Russian Defence Ministry said that the military volunteers completed the Phase 2 trials in July.

Russian government stated that Russia Development Investment Fund (RDIF) finances the production of the Sputnik V based on production capacities of its portfolio companies - R-Pharm and Binnopharm.

The statement said, "The RDIF (Russian Direct Investment Fund) has seen strong global interest in the vaccine and plans to conduct Phase 3 clinical trials in different countries, including Saudi Arabia, UAE, Brazil, India and Philippines, and start mass production in other countries in partnership with local sovereign wealth funds, including India, South Korea and Brazil, as well as, in Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Cuba."

Russia plans to ramp up the vaccine production to 200 million doses by end 2020.
WASHINGTON  Four years ago, Connecticut delegates had front row seats at the 2016 Republican National Convention. This year, the delegates wont be going to the convention at all.

As a result of the coronavirus pandemic, both the Republican and Democratic National Conventions have been retooled as largely virtual events that will have little to no in-person presence, even from the presidential nominees themselves. The conventions will still crown each partys nominee, but what are normally raucous once-every-four-years political jamborees with tens of thousands of people will be scaled back to televised speeches, caucus video-conferences and possible outdoor watch parties over the last two weeks in August.

This year a lot of the pomp and circumstance is going to be gone, said Jeffrey Santopietro, a leader of the Waterbury Republican Town Committee and President Donald Trumps reelection campaign coordinator in Connecticut.

Santopietro, who was a first-time delegate in 2016, fondly recalls taking photos with then-U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., and seeing in-person the politicians he knew from television at the Republican convention in Ohio.

It was kind of fun because I got to see Americas mayor Mayor [Rudy] Giuliani, [former] Gov. Chris Christie [of New Jersey], and the Trump family literally walked in front of us, Santopietro said, noting his disappointment that this year delegates like himself will be far from the (significantly limited) action.

Connecticut Republicans will send three Republican National Committee members to attend the convention in Charlotte, North Carolina in person and serve as proxies for the states 28 delegates. State GOP chairman J.R. Romano and Republicans John Frey of Ridgefield and Leora Levy of Greenwich will go to Charlotte, Romano said.

Democratic Party rules allow for virtual voting so the Connecticut Democratic Party will not be sending any of its 60 delegates to Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Am I disappointed? Absolutely, said state Democratic Party chairwoman Nancy DiNardo, whos attended at least six prior conventions. Conventions are fun, but not at the risk of people getting sick.

Both the Democratic and Republican National Conventions are still firming up their schedules. The Democratic Convention will be from Aug. 17 to 20 and will air for two hours each night from 9 to 11 p.m. Convention organizers have framed the event as a convention across the nation, with speakers appearing from locations around the country.

Indeed, former Vice President Joe Biden announced last week that he would not be traveling to Milwaukee for the convention, but instead would accept the nomination from Delaware, his home state. He acknowledged the change while holding a virtual fundraiser with Gov. Ned Lamont, First Lady Annie Lamont, Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz, U.S. Sens. Chris Murphy and Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., and Rep. Jim Himes, D-4.

The mayor has put in place a 225 person limit on people assembling in any one place. I think it's the right thing to do. I've wanted to set an example as to how we should respond individually to this crisis, Biden said, adding I think it's going to be an exciting convention."

In a normal year, the Connecticut Congressional delegation would be heading to the convention to support the nominee. In 2016, then-Gov. Dannel Malloy made a speech at the convention about the work of Democratic governors and his own personal experience overcoming a childhood learning disability.

But this year, neither the delegation nor Gov. Ned Lamont will attend the convention in person. Lamont will not speak at the convention, his spokesman said. Several Congressional delegation members are likely to speak to Connecticut delegates or Democrats in other states through online platforms, but those details are still being confirmed.

For the main event  Bidens acceptance of the nomination on Aug. 20  Connecticut Democrats may plan an outdoor, in-person watch party for delegates. But mostly, the experience for delegates will involve casting votes for Biden, enjoying some convention swag, joining online caucus discussions and watching the speeches from home.

With these challenges, it will be something different. I think there is some buzz about that as well, said Erick Russell of New Haven, vice chair of the state Democratic party, who would have attended his first convention this year. I still think there is a lot of momentum leading into this convention.

After the Democrats conclude their convention, Republicans will launch theirs in Charlotte. RNC members will conduct business, including voting to nominate the president over the weekend of Aug. 22 and 23.

The convention was originally scheduled to take place in Charlotte, then part of the festivities were relocated to Jacksonville the behest of Trump, who objected to the limitations the pandemic necessitated in Charlotte. But later, Jacksonville was scrapped too, as coronavirus cases spiked in Florida. Now, the convention has shifted fully back to Charlotte.

Trump accept the nomination on Aug. 27, but where he will do that is unknown. Its unclear if he will go to Charlotte at all. On Wednesday, Trump floated the idea of giving his speech from the White House, despite the legal precedent of refraining from campaign activities on U.S. government grounds.

It would be easiest from the standpoint of security, Trump said. We are thinking about doing it from the White House because there's no movement. It's easy, and I think it's a beautiful setting and we are thinking about that.

Connecticut Republicans are still crafting their convention plans, including a possible outdoor watch party with fewer than 100 people for the presidents speech.

Over 400 Connecticut residents expressed interested in being a GOP delegate this year, Romano said, even more than 2016. People are still calling him asking to go to the convention, Romano said. But social distancing requirements and travel restrictions mean only RNC members  about six per state  will head to Charlotte and only for a few days.

For years ago, I was [at the convention] for two weeks, Romano said. I was stuffing delegate bags, putting maps in, setting up late night bowling events. So thats not happening. Theres not going to be that delegate experience like there was four years ago.

Romano supported the RNCs decision to curtail the event for health reasons. For Romano, Frey and Leavy, the event will still mean travel and a large gathering, however.

I think any time you go anywhere, whether you stand in line at the grocery store or you go to this there is a risk involved, he said. You take precautions and dont be stupid.

emilie.munson@hearstdc.com; Twitter: @emiliemunson




NEW DELHI (PTI): Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat has told a parliamentary committee that the country's armed forces are prepared to deal with any eventualities along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh, and are ready for a long haul even during the harsh winter months, sources in the panel said on Tuesday.



Gen Rawat made the remarks when he along with top commanders of the Army appeared before the Parliament's Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on Monday on the issue of procurement of high-altitude clothing for the armed forces, they said.



During the interaction, several PAC members sought to know from Gen Rawat about the standoff between Indian and Chinese troops in the eastern Ladakh region to which the CDS responded that the armed forces are prepared for any eventualities, the sources said.



Gen Rawat appeared confident and clearly conveyed to the panel that the armed forces are prepared for a long haul in the region, they said. The PAC is headed by Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury.



India and China have been holding diplomatic and military talks on disengagement of troops from all friction points in eastern Ladakh.



At the latest round of military talks, the Indian side insisted forcefully on complete disengagement of Chinese troops at the earliest, and immediate restoration of status quo ante in all areas of eastern Ladakh prior to May 5 when the standoff began following a clash between the two armies in Pangong Tso.



The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) has pulled back from Galwan Valley and certain other friction points but the withdrawal of its troops has not moved forward from the Finger areas in Pangong Tso, Gogra and Depsang as demanded by India, according to sources.



India has been insisting that China must withdraw its forces from areas between Finger Four and Eight. The mountain spurs in the area are referred to as Fingers.



The formal process of disengagement of troops began on July 6, a day after a nearly two-hour telephonic conversation between National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on ways to bring down tensions in the area.



Considering the situation on the ground, the Indian Army and the IAF have decided to maintain a very high-level of operational readiness in all areas along the LAC in Ladakh, North Sikkim, Uttarakhand and Arunachal Pradesh till a "satisfactory" resolution to the border row with China is arrived at, military sources had said last week.



Chief of Army Staff Gen MM Naravane has already conveyed to all the senior commanders of the Army, overseeing operation of the frontline formations along the LAC, to maintain a significantly high state of alertness to deal with any Chinese "misadventure", they said.



The Indian army has already made elaborate plans to maintain the current strength of troops and weapons along the LAC during the harsh winter months in eastern Ladakh and all other sensitive areas along the LAC.



It is also in the process of procuring a number of weapons, ammunition and winter gears for the frontline troops. The temperature in some of the high-altitude areas along the LAC drops to minus 25 degree celsius in the winter months.


A major in the British Army accused of raping a female captain after a Burns night supper has been cleared today after telling a court martial that he could not remember having sex with her because he was so drunk.

Major Gregor Beaton, 33, had denied the charge and claimed he was the victim after he was arrested on suspicion of rape and quizzed by Royal Military Police.

After a panel of senior officers cleared the Afghanistan veteran today, Maj Beaton burst into tears, with Judge Advocate General Jeff Blackett saying Parliament should review the law around cases when neither party can remember what has happened.

The judge said: 'You have been found not guilty by this board. It is intolerable that this case has taken so long to get to court and that is unacceptable.

'This was an unusual case because neither party can remember having sex.'

He said that in his view 'Parliament should look again' at the area of law surrounding cases where neither party can remember what has happened.

Major Gregor Beaton, 33, claimed he was the actual victim after he was arrested on suspicion of rape and quizzed by Royal Military Police. The Afghanistan veteran was cleared today

Bulford Military Court in Wiltshire heard that when they woke up in bed together neither of the officers could recall having had sex. As the panel recorded their verdict, Maj Beaton, a Sandhurst graduate of the 14th Regiment, Royal Artillery, broke down in tears

'There must be a better way of dealing with these cases,' the judge added.

Bulford Military Court in Wiltshire heard that when they woke up in bed together neither of the officers could recall having had sex.

As the panel recorded their verdict, Maj Beaton, a Sandhurst graduate of the 14th Regiment, Royal Artillery, broke down in tears.

The three day trial heard the female officer had been so drunk during the Burns night supper on a military base that a female colleague had to put her to bed.

Why was Major Gregor Beaton's rape case not handled by the CPS? Military courts have been able to try rape and other serious offences since 2009, and an increasing number of rape and sexual offence cases are now being dealt with in the military system. Though civilian law should take precedence where alleged offences take place in the UK, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has reserved the right to try serious offence cases involving only military personnel. All this could change, however, following an official review of the Service Justice System was carried out by ex-senior Crown Court judge Shaun Lyons and Sir Jon Murphy, the ex-chief constable of Merseyside. They recommended 'the court martial jurisdiction should no longer include murder, manslaughter and rape when these offences are committed in the UK, except when the consent of the attorney general is given'. The MoD said that it 'believes that the service justice system is a system capable of dealing with the most serious offences and should be able to continue to do so'. Though the MoD said that 'some cases' are best dealt with by military police and courts and that 'the main principle in deciding who has primacy is whether the offence has any civilian context', Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has indicated that armed forces rape cases could be heard in civilian courts after agreeing to consider proposals following appeals. In a letter seen by the Telegraph, it is said Mr Wallace 'has decided to give fresh consideration' to a legal challenge brought by three women who claim they were victims of rape while serving in the Armed Forces. The women sought a judicial review after Mr Wallace announced in February that he would not act on the recommendation by Shaun Lyons in his Service Justice System Review, that cases involving rape, murder and manslaughter in the UK be tried by the Crown Prosecution Service. There are growing concerns that a rising number of rape cases are tried at court martials - and that the conviction rate is lower than in civilian courts. MoD figures show that 129 rape cases were heard at military court martials between 2014-19, 10 per cent of which resulted in conviction. CPS figures show up to 63 per cent of rape cases in 2014-19 resulted in conviction. Advertisement

The captain said she had been horrified when she then woke naked next to the Scot with 'absolutely no memory' of what had happened between them the night before.

She had been 'flirting' with another soldier throughout the evening and at first thought it was him, but when she saw it was Maj Beaton she panicked.

The court martial heard the female captain, who cannot be named for legal reasons, claimed she then had a 'flashback' of someone 'dragging her hips from behind'.

When she confronted Maj Beaton he told her he was '99 per cent sure' nothing had happened.

When the woman asked him again if he was sure they hadn't had sex and said she wasn't on any form of contraception, Maj Beaton offered to go into town with her to get her the morning after pill.

He told the court he had a daughter, who is now aged eight, through an unplanned pregnancy and he wanted to help the woman if she might be pregnant.

After being arrested, the father-of-one told investigators he was so drunk he could not recall what had taken place, adding: 'I did not want sexual contact. I did not initiate it.'

In his initial interviews, he also said: 'I do not remember having sex with her. You do not have sex with people who are that drunk.'

When told that his DNA had been found inside the woman, he suggested that meant he must have been forced into sex and should consider making a complaint himself.

During the police investigation his army lawyer advised him to give a 'no comment' interview but Beaton insisted he had nothing to hide.

Giving evidence, he told the court: 'I had nothing to hide, I had no reason to. I knew there hadn't [been a rape].'

Maj Beaton said he had simply chatted to the woman, who had wandered into his room after previously being put to bed by a friend because she was so drunk.

He told the court he then took her back to her own dorm and they chatted for a while about the soldier she had been 'flirting' with, before he fell asleep in an armchair.

Maj Beaton said he woke when the woman went into the bathroom, then sat on the end of her bed and wrapped himself in a blanket but accidentally fell asleep.

He told the court that the next day she quizzed him over what had happened during the night, saying: 'She kept asking and said 'are you positive?'

'I said I am 99 per cent sure we did not have sex.'

The court heard that during the Burns night celebrations Maj Beaton drank two highballs of beer, a few glasses of white wine and a small glass of port. As the evening went on he also drank Jager and at least five measures of whiskey.

The captain had drunk red wine, Jager, Prosecco and whiskey during the night.

A five-person board, made up of one woman and four men, took an hour and forty five minutes to clear Maj Beaton of a single count of rape, which he had denied.
Warning: graphic content



A missing port worker in Beirut has been found in the Mediterranean Sea following the explosion on Aug. 4. Injured but miraculously alive, the man survived in the water for nearly 30 hours after being thrown from the port by the force of the blast.

Amin al-Zahed was admitted to the Rafic Hariri University Hospital in Beirut after a sea rescue team found him and pulled him into their boat, Al Arabiya reported. Al-Zahed was weak and bloodied but still breathing. A photo of the rescue shows al-Zahed in blood-soaked, tattered clothing, being treated by a Lebanese soldier.

A Lebanese soldier tends to port worker Amin al-Zahed, having found the missing man 30 hours after the explosion at the port of Beirut on Aug. 4. (AFP via Getty Images)

Al-Zaheds picture was posted on an Instagram page for missing persons, allowing him to be identified. However, in an interview on Lebanese television following the mans rescue on Aug. 6, his family explained that they had been unable to find their loved one at the hospital, reports The Sun.

A Rafic Hariri University Hospital doctor told Al Arabiya: Were bringing the patients to the emergency building, and from there, were trying to send them to different hospitals because the urgent care is also full. What can we do?

It is unclear how the port worker managed to survive in the water for almost 30 hours, sustaining such serious injuries from the blast.

There were over 150 recorded fatalities and over 5,000 people injured by the blast so far. The powerful explosion has left approximately 300,000 people homeless, according to USA Today.

The scene of the large explosion that rocked the Lebanese capital of Beirut on Aug. 4 (ANWAR AMRO/AFP via Getty Images)

An aerial view captured on Aug. 5 shows the massive damage done to Beirut ports grain silos and the area around it after the explosion. (AFP via Getty Images)

A team from the University of Sheffield estimated that the blast intensity measured roughly one-tenth that of the Hiroshima nuclear bomb. Many of the victims were port and customs employees, local workers, and commuters driving through.

As for what caused the explosion, officials revealed that 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate seized from a ship in 2014 had been stored for six years at the port without proper safety measures in place.

A wounded man is checked by a fireman near the scene of the explosion in Beirut on Aug. 4. (ANWAR AMRO/AFP via Getty Images)

Lebanese and French rescuers search for victims or survivors amidst the rubble of a building in Beiruts Gemayzeh neighborhood on Aug. 6. (AFP via Getty Images)

It is negligence, a source told Reuters, yet nothing was done despite the matter being raised at committee meetings to have the dangerous material relocated or disposed of. A fire allegedly started at port warehouse 9 on Aug. 4, spreading to warehouse 12, where the ammonium nitrate was stored.

After the Lebanese Red Cross initiated a search-and-rescue mission, several miraculous rescue stories made headlines. Another encouraging survival story was that of a young girl found alive after being buried under rubble for 24 hours.

The Daily Mail shared footage of rescue workers locating the child under rubble of a fallen building.

President Michel Aoun announced that he would allocate $66 million of emergency funds toward rescue and relief efforts. The European Union also said it would send rescue teams, search dogs, and equipment to Beirut to search for survivors.

Firefighters evacuate a wounded man from the site of the explosion at the port in Beirut on Aug. 4. (ANWAR AMRO/AFP via Getty Images)

We would love to hear your stories! You can share them with us at emg.inspired@epochtimes.nyc
South Africa: SADC Council of Ministers to meet virtually

The Council of Ministers of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) will meet virtually on Thursday in preparation for the 40th Ordinary SADC Summit of Heads of State and Government.

During the meeting, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of the Republic of Mozambique Veronica Nataniel Macamo Dlhovo will take over the Chairpersonship of the SADC Council of Ministers from the Outgoing Chairperson, Professor Palamagamba John Kabudi, Minister of Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation of the United Republic of Tanzania," SADC said in a statement on Wednesday.

The Ministers will review implementation of the 39th SADC Summit, which took place under the theme: A Conducive Environment for Inclusive and Sustainable Industrial Development, Increased Intra-Regional Trade and Job Creation.

The summit will be held on Monday, 17 August 2020.

The Ministers will also recommend for approval, of the theme of the 40th Summit of Heads of State and Government: 40 Years Building Peace and Security, and Promoting Development and Resilience in the Face of Global Challenges.

The 40th SADC Summit Theme takes forward the implementation of the SADC Industrialisation Strategy and Roadmap by recognising the primacy of peace security and governance as a foundation, which ensures the preconditions, needed to achieve the other priorities of SADC regional integration.

The Ministers will also discuss the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the region.

As part of the regional response to COVID-19, the Ministers will discuss the socio-economic impact of COVID-19 and its implications on the SADC region. 

The Ministers will also consider the draft SADC Vision 2050 and the revised Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (RISDP) 2020-2030 and recommend the two strategic documents for approval by the 40th SADC Summit.

According to Article 11 of the SADC Treaty, the Council of Ministers is responsible for, among others, overseeing the functioning and development of SADC, approving policies, strategies and programmes of SADC as well as advising the Summit of Heads of State and Government on matters of overall policy.

The council consists of Ministers from each of the 16 Member States; usually from the Ministries responsible for Foreign Affairs and International Relations, Economic Planning or Finance.

The proceedings of the Opening and Closing Ceremony of the 40th SADC Summit will be broadcast live by Televisao de Mocambique (TVM), Channel 701 on DSTV from 10.am to 11.10am CAT and from 12.30 to 13.30pm respectively on Monday.

The ceremony will also be streamed live on the TVM Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/mocambique.tvm) and YouTube Channel (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfRoEW08udEmsPSIt_YDK_w )

More information can be found on the SADC website: https://www.sadc.int. -SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2020-08-12. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
The Horry County Schools Board of Education plans to have a public comment session during its upcoming meeting on Aug. 17  ending a four-month public-comment drought due to the board meeting virtually amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The school board held an in-person workshop session Aug. 4 where the board voted in favor of reopening schools. No public comment session was on the agenda because the board does not typically have public comment during workshop sessions, only during regular board meetings.

The law does not require a public comment session.

However, no public comment is a demonstration that there is no value assigned to the information that could come from the affected constituents, said South Carolina Press Association Attorney Jay Bender.

Its much easier to appear that you know what youre doing if you dont hear from anybody that disagrees with you, Bender said. I would think that this would be a time that the board would welcome comments from people who will be directly affected: the students, the parents, the staff, the teachers, the community. Theres a common misperception in South Carolina and probably elsewhere that when you get elected to a public position, youre a ruler and not a representative.

Board chairman Ken Richardson did confirm that public comment was on the agenda for Aug. 17.

Since March, the board met virtually nine times, according to HCS board agendas and minutes. During the April 27 meeting, the board voted to suspend public comment due to the coronavirus pandemic, said Lisa Bourcier, HCS spokesperson.

During this entire process which began in March, HCS has received and responded to numerous phone calls and emails from our stakeholders, Bourcier said in an email to the Post and Courier. All their thoughts, comments, feedback, and suggestions have been heard and taken into account when developing our re-opening plan for the 2020-21 school year, while still following the guidelines/recommendations set forth from the South Carolina Department of Education and the AccerleratED Task Force.

Parents and teachers were sent surveys to let HCS know how they prefer schools should reopen ahead of the vote.

Helen Smith, board member for District 6, and John Poston, vice chair, said they were both comfortable with their votes on the HCS reopening plans without public comment sessions.

Smith said she hopes the parents took advantage of the surveys sent out about their opinion on schools reopening.

We received just huge numbers of emails from parents, from teachers, Smith said, adding she shared information as she received questions.

Horry County Schools plans to begin the academic year Sept. 8 and will end the year June 16, 2021. The district will offer two options for returning to school. Instructional Option 1 includes in-person instruction based on the severity of the coronavirus in Horry County. HCS plans to determine if the first days of school will be virtual or in person based on the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Controls disease activity report Aug. 31.

Low spread will be five days a week of face-to-face instruction, medium spread is hybrid learning with three days of distance learning and two days of face-to-face learning, and high spread is five days of virtual learning. Decisions will be made as DHEC releases if the county is low, medium or high spread.

Instructional Optional 2 allows students to return to school exclusively online through HCS Virtual. The K-12 program requires a semester-long commitment.
An electronically connected crowd will attend Council Bluffs Community School Districts Virtual Academy this fall, registration numbers show.

More than 1,500 students  including 38 from other school districts  signed up for the online program in time for the Aug. 7 deadline, according to Diane Ostrowski, chief communications officer with the district. Enrollees include 17% of the districts resident students and open-enrolled students from as far away as Davenport.

We do have some on a waiting list, and well be seeing if we can get them in, she said.

The program was designed to provide another option for families who arent comfortable sending their children to school in person with the novel coronavirus still active. The district was one of six in the state accredited by the Iowa Department of Education to operate a virtual school open to students from other districts.

The Virtual Academy will operate even though the district plans to follow a hybrid model for most students, according to Corey Vorthmann, chief academic officer.

Regardless of the phase were in  on-site, hybrid or remote learning  the Virtual Academy is always available for families, he said during the board of educations July 28 meeting.

The academy will offer teacher-delivered, high-quality instruction, Vorthmann said.

Instruction will be a combination of livestreamed lessons accessed via Google Meet and recorded videos posted to Google Classroom, according to the districts website. Sessions that are livestreamed will also be recorded and posted to Google Classroom for later access by students. Teachers will use Owl videoconferencing cameras to capture interaction among students.

Students in the special education program will receive specially designed instruction with input from the students Individual Education Plan team appropriate for virtual instruction, according to the website. Students eligible for additional academic support (ESL, TAG, Reading Intervention) will be scheduled for direct or small-group instruction with the teacher.

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-12 22:28:51|Editor: huaxia

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JUBA, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- The UN humanitarian agency has strongly condemned brutal attacks on humanitarian aid workers in South Sudan's Central Equatoria, an area that has been ravaged by attacks on civilian vehicles in the past.

An international NGO convoy consisting of two vehicles was ambushed by an unknown armed group in Abegi on the Yei-Lasu road near Yei town on Monday.

The NGO, a UNHCR partner, were on their way to the Lasu settlement hosting refugees from DRC and Sudan to provide health, nutrition and hygiene services.

The UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said those responsible should be brought to justice, adding that the two vehicles, a van and an ambulance, were carrying 15 passengers, 11 staff and four patients, at the time of the attack.

"This is unacceptable. I strongly condemn the unprovoked ambush on a convoy with both vehicles clearly marked by the NGO logo on the van and a visible red cross on the ambulance," Olushayo Olu, acting humanitarian coordinator in South Sudan said in a statement issued in Juba on Tuesday evening.

The UN agency said the driver of the first vehicle was shot and injured yet managed to keep driving and escape while the second vehicle, an ambulance, was forced to stop and the passengers fled into nearby bush.

According to the UN agency, reaching the most in need has become significantly more challenging for humanitarians with the increase in sub-national violence in various areas across the country.

The NGO has been using the route regularly without incident and the ambush will adversely impact the delivery of much-needed services to refugees at the settlement. Enditem
Microsoft Surface Duo is launching on September 10. The ambitious Android-powered dual-screen foldable from Microsoft has been in the kitty for too long, awaiting a release date that will arrive next month. The Surface Duo costs $1,399 (roughly Rs 1.04 lakh) in the US and it is up for pre-order right away. The foldable is not coming to India, at least right now, since the specifications of the device make it a less tempting option in front of Samsung's and Motorola's foldables that already sell in India.

The Surface Duo specifications have also been revealed in their entirety, unlike the time when Microsoft dropped the bomb by announcing the foldable. The Surface Duo uses two 5.6-inch OLED displays with a resolution of 1800x1350 pixels and an aspect ratio of 4:3, both of which when combined form an 8.1-inch real estate with a total resolution of 1800x2700 pixels and an aspect ratio of 3:2. The two displays are hinged at the centre in a mechanism that Microsoft claims is quite robust. It is going as far as to provide a bumper case inside the retail box for added protection against regular wear and tear.

Under the hood is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 processor from the last year, which questions Microsoft's intentions with the Surface Duo, especially when it is out to counter Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 and Motorola's Moto Razr. There is 6GB of RAM, 256GB of storage, and a single 11-megapixel camera that does nearly all types of photography there is to expect from the foldable. Microsoft is packing features such as HDR, 4K 60fps, superzoom, and electronic image stabilisation (and not the optical one sadly). But the camera still feels short in the race to catch up with Galaxy Fold, which has a total of six cameras on it.

Microsoft has given a 3775mAh battery split into two halves under each display on the Surface Duo. The battery can provide, Microsoft claims, 10 days of standby time and 27 hours of talk time, which is somewhere less than what Samsung offers with the original Galaxy Fold.

Much like other foldables available in the market, the Microsoft Surface Duo will support Android apps because it is based on Android. Microsoft has optimised its Office and OneDrive apps accordingly while developers of other apps will be able to fully utilise the two displays efficiently. Microsoft is also enabling a seamless transition between various app sizes on multiple displays, in its attempt to allow PC-like productivity on Surface Duo.

For that, the company is using an algorithm that predicts the best use of the display for apps such as the email app. So when you are in the email app and click on a URL attached within a mail, the website will be opened on the same screen in a split manner to allow reading emails alongside website navigation. Microsoft has worked with Google on this aspect for a long time.
MOSCOW/KYIV (Reuters) - Russia has proposed to ditch technical talks on Ukraine regarding the level of political advisors in the so-called Normandy format, as it sees little progress in the negotiating process, a source in Moscow told Reuters on Thursday.

The Ukraine government later confirmed that it had received a letter from senior Kremlin official Dmitry Kozak proposing scrapping the talks in their current form, without withdrawing from the talks altogether.

Russia wants to end the technical talks between the foreign ministers and heads of states of Russia, Ukraine, France and Germany in the Normandy format, so named because the first talks took place in the French region of Normandy in 2014.

"The format of advisors is ineffective," a source in Moscow said about the letter, without elaborating. "There is little meaning in it".

The head of the Ukraine president's office, Andriy Yermak, who has been engaged in talks with Kozak, said the negotiation process "has not been easy".

"Mr. Kozak's letter, in my opinion, is more about a subtle diplomatic game, when one of the parties to the talks wants to strengthen its position and seize the initiative," he said in a statement. He did not say when the letter had been sent.

"However, it is clear that there is no point in talking about the termination of negotiations. The work is still ongoing."

Relations between Ukraine and Russia collapsed after Moscow's annexation of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, and over its backing for fighters in the Donbass region in a war that has killed more than 13,000 people and brought Western sanctions on Russia.

There have been some signs of a thaw in relations, including prisoner swaps. Last week, Ukrainian, Russian and OSCE negotiators agreed on a full ceasefire in eastern Ukraine from Monday, putting on hold the military conflict.

(Reporting by Vladimir Soldatkin in Moscow and Ilya Zhegulev in Kyiv; Editing by Susan Fenton)
Brides, grooms, their parents and banquet hall owners have spent the last two days trying to figure out what kind of wedding reception you can have in New York right now.

The confusion follows a federal judges rejection of Gov. Andrew Cuomos executive order that limits wedding receptions to just 50 people, part of the states strategy to restrict the spread of the coronavirus.
The government is set to introduce a new yearly allowance for teachers.



This new allowance is being called the Professional Teacher Allowance and will be a one-time payment yearly.



Professional teachers will receive GHS1,200 whilst non-professional teachers will receive GHS600.



In an address to Parliament, the Education Minister, Dr. Mathew Opoku Prempeh said this allowance will enable teachers to invest in improving and upgrading their skills and keeping abreast with modern trends to assist in improving learning outcomes.



Shedding more light on the allowance, the President of the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), Mr. Angel Carbonu, said the initiative has been captured in the upcoming conditions of service for teachers.



It is very welcome to us. It is part of the negotiated conditions of service that we are about to sign with the Ministry [of Education] and the Ghana Education Service, he said on Eyewitness News.



Commenting on the variance in the allowance for professional and non-professional teachers, Mr. Carbonu noted that the division was because the Service would no longer be recruiting non-professional services.



They took into consideration the professional requirements and expectations of a professional teacher in renewing your license. They took that into consideration to calculate how much each person will get, he explained further.



Mr. Carbonu also said teachers had put in place measures to ensure there is no disappointment from the government as has been seen over the years.



What we have insisted is that it should be paid through the Controller and Accountant General. It should not go through any regional or district office education. It should also not be sent to any school to be paid to the teacher.



The new conditions of service are expected to be signed within the next two weeks.

Source: citinewsroom.com









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TSX ticker symbol; BKX

OTCQX ticker symbol; BNKPF

NEWBURY PARK, California, Aug. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ --

All amounts are in U.S. Dollars unless otherwise indicated:

SECOND QUARTER HIGHLIGHTS

Average production for the second quarter of 2020 was 1,163 BOEPD, a decrease of 15% compared to the second quarter of 2019 average production of 1,368 BOEPD due to the normal production decline of existing wells

The Company has commodity contracts in place for almost 80% of its existing 2020 oil production at an average price of $58.31 /barrel

/barrel General & administrative ("G&A") expense decreased by 23% in the second quarter of 2020 compared to the prior year quarter due to lower payroll and related costs due to management's continued efforts to reduce G&A costs throughout the Company including employee terminations at the end of 2019

Operating expense per barrel averaged $6.07 per BOE for the second quarter of 2020 compared to $7.59 per BOE for the same period in 2019, a decrease of 20%. The decrease was due to cost cutting measures taken in the field during the current year

per BOE for the second quarter of 2020 compared to per BOE for the same period in 2019, a decrease of 20%. The decrease was due to cost cutting measures taken in the field during the current year Interest expense decreased by 39% in the second quarter of 2020 compared to the same period in the prior year due to principal payments on the credit facility during 2019 and 2020 which reduced the outstanding loan balance

Average netback including commodity contracts for the second quarter of 2020 was $21.15 per barrel, a decrease of 21% from the prior year second quarter due to lower prices in 2020

per barrel, a decrease of 21% from the prior year second quarter due to lower prices in 2020 Adjusted funds flow was $1.6 million in the second quarter 2020 compared to $2.5 million in the second quarter of 2019. The decrease was mainly due to a 60% decrease in average oil prices and a decrease of 15% in production partially offset by realized gains from commodity contracts of $1.3 million

in the second quarter 2020 compared to in the second quarter of 2019. The decrease was mainly due to a 60% decrease in average oil prices and a decrease of 15% in production partially offset by realized gains from commodity contracts of Net loss for the second quarter of 2020 was $2.2 million compared to net income of $1.5 million for the second quarter of 2019 due to unrealized losses of $2.3 million from hedged commodity contracts in the second quarter of 2020 compared to an unrealized gain of $1.1 million in second quarter 2019. Without the unrealized hedging losses for the second quarter of 2020, the Company would have recognized positive net income

compared to net income of for the second quarter of 2019 due to unrealized losses of from hedged commodity contracts in the second quarter of 2020 compared to an unrealized gain of in second quarter 2019. Without the unrealized hedging losses for the second quarter of 2020, the Company would have recognized positive net income Revenue, net of royalties was $1.5 million in the second quarter of 2020 compared to $4.6 million for second quarter of 2019, a decrease of 66%, as prices decreased by 60% and production decreased by 15%

in the second quarter of 2020 compared to for second quarter of 2019, a decrease of 66%, as prices decreased by 60% and production decreased by 15% The Company has an outstanding balance of $23.0 million on its credit facility at June 30, 2020 after paying down $4.5 million during the first six months of 2020

on its credit facility at after paying down during the first six months of 2020 At June 30, 2020 , cash totaled $1.4 million

BNK's President and Chief Executive Officer, Wolf Regener commented:

"We are pleased that the Company was able to generate positive adjusted funds flow of $1.6 million during the second quarter of 2020 due to the Company's strong hedge position. For the second half of 2020, the Company has commodity contracts in place for almost 80% of its existing oil production at an average price of $58.31/barrel. The Company also has almost 40% of its 2021 existing oil production hedged at $52.66/barrel. We are also experiencing low decline rates in our field, with a year over year decline rate on existing wells of only 15%. Going forward, the Company expects its hedges and low decline rates to allow the Company to continue to generate positive cash flow from its operations. Without the unrealized loss from commodity hedges in the second quarter of 2020, the Company would have recognized positive net income.

The Company has continued to focus on cost reductions during 2020. Our G&A expense for the second quarter of 2020 decreased by 23% from the prior year quarter due to continued cost cutting including employee terminations. We also significantly reduced field operating costs which lowered our operating expense per barrel for the second quarter of 2020 to $6.07/barrel which was a 20% decrease from the prior year quarter. The Company has also made $4.5 million of principal debt repayments during 2020, which has lowered our interest expense by 39% in the second quarter of 2020 compared to the second quarter of 2019.

The Company's adjusted funds flow was $1.6 million for the second quarter of 2020 compared to $2.5 million in the second quarter of 2019. The decrease was mainly due to lower average prices and lower production partially offset by realized gains from commodity contracts.

Average production for the second quarter of 2020 was 1,163 BOEPD, a decrease of 15% compared to the second quarter of 2019 average production of 1,368 BOEPD. Average production for the six months ended June 30, 2020 was 1,194 BOEPD, a decrease of 17% from the average production of 1,440 BOEPD in the same period of 2019. The decrease was due to the normal production decline of the Company's existing wells.

Net revenue decreased by 66% in the second quarter of 2020 as average prices decreased by 60% and production decreased by 15% and compared to the prior year quarter.

Average netback including commodity contracts for the second quarter of 2020 was $21.15 per barrel, a decrease of 21% from the prior year second quarter, even though prices decreased by more than 60%, with the oil price averaging $23.35/barrel, in the second quarter. The Company's commodity contracts contributed an additional $12.75 per barrel to the second quarter 2020 netback including commodity contracts amount.

The Company incurred a net loss for the second quarter of 2020 of $2.2 million compared to net income of $1.5 million for the second quarter of 2019. This was due to unrealized losses of $2.3 million from hedged commodity contracts in the second quarter of 2020 compared to an unrealized gain of $1.1 million in second quarter 2019.



Second Quarter

First Six Months



2019 2018 % 2019 2018 %













Net Income (Loss):











$ Thousands $(2,224) $1,531 - $ (68,716) $ 54 - $ per common share $(0.01) $0.01 - $(0.30) $0.00 - assuming dilution

























Capital Expenditures (adjustments) $(110) $363 - $(111) $1,115 -













Average Production (Boepd) 1,163 1,368 (15%) 1,194 1,440 (17%) Average Price per Barrel $18.72 $47.19 (60%) $27.15 $44.88 (40%) Average Netback from operations per Barrel $8.41 $29.38 (71%) $14.75 $28.03 (47%) Average Netback including commodity contracts per Barrel $21.15 $26.93 (21%) $22.67 $26.20 (13%)















June

2020

March

2020

December

2019















Cash and Cash Equivalents $ 1,388

$ 3,745

$ 3,089

Working Capital $ (1,790)

$(1,572)

$ (2,482)



Second Quarter 2020 versus Second Quarter 2019

Oil and gas gross revenues totaled $1,981,000 in the quarter versus $5,875,000 in the second quarter of 2019. Oil revenues decreased $3,658,000 or 68% as oil production decreased by 21% to 804 boepd and average oil prices decreased by $34.70 per barrel or 60% to $23.35 per barrel. Natural gas revenues decreased $97,000 or 39% to $153,000 as natural gas production decreased 2% to 1,033 mcfpd and average natural gas prices decreased by $0.98/mcf or 38% to $1.63/mcf. Natural gas liquids (NGLs) revenues decreased $139,000 or 54% as average NGL prices decreased 56% to $7.00 which was partially offset by an NGL production increase of 6% to 187 boepd.

Average production for the second quarter of 2020 was 1,163 boepd, a decrease of 15% compared to the second quarter of 2019 average production of 1,368 boepd. The decrease was due to the normal production decline of the Company's existing wells.

Production and operating expenses decreased to $642,000 due to lower production and cost cutting. Production and operating expense per barrel averaged $6.07 per BOE for the second quarter of 2020 compared to $7.59 per BOE for the same period in 2019, a decrease of 20%. The decrease was due to cost cutting measures taken in the field during the current year.

Depletion and depreciation expense decreased $383,000 or 25% due to a decrease in production in the second quarter of 2020 and a lower PP&E balance due to the impairment.

General and administrative expenses decreased $194,000 or 23% due to lower payroll and related costs due to employee terminations at the end of 2019 and management's continued efforts to reduce G&A costs throughout the Company.

Finance income increased $0.2 million in the second quarter of 2020 compared to the prior year quarter due to unrealized gains on commodity contracts in the second quarter of 2020.

Finance expense increased $1.8 million in the second quarter of 2020 compared to the prior year quarter primarily due to an unrealized loss on commodity contracts of $2.3 million in the second quarter of 2020.

Capital expenditures adjustments reduced PP&E by $110,000 in the second quarter of 2020 relating to cost revisions on a non-operated well.

FIRST SIX MONTHS 2020 HIGHLIGHTS

Average production for the first six months of 2020 was 1,194 BOEPD, a decrease of 17% compared to the first six months of 2019 average production of 1,440 BOEPD due to the normal production decline of existing wells

The Company has commodity contracts in place for almost 80% of its existing 2020 oil production at an average price of $58.31 /barrel

/barrel G&A expense decreased by 20% in the first six months of 2020 compared to the prior year due to lower payroll and related costs due to employee terminations at the end of 2019 and management's continued efforts to reduce G&A costs throughout the Company

Operating expense per barrel averaged $6.44 per BOE for the first six months of 2020 compared to $7.19 per BOE for the same period in 2019, a decrease of 10%. The decrease was due to cost cutting measures taken in the field during the current year

per BOE for the first six months of 2020 compared to per BOE for the same period in 2019, a decrease of 10%. The decrease was due to cost cutting measures taken in the field during the current year Interest expense decreased by 27% in the first six months of 2020 compared to the same period in the prior year due to principal payments on the credit facility during 2019 and 2020 which reduced the outstanding loan balance

Average netback including commodity contracts for the first six months of 2020 was $22.67 per barrel, a decrease of 13% from the prior year period due to lower prices in 2020

per barrel, a decrease of 13% from the prior year period due to lower prices in 2020 Adjusted funds flow was $3.6 million in the first six months of 2020 compared to $5.1 million in the first six months of 2019. The decrease was mainly due to a 40% decrease in average oil prices and a decrease of 17% in production partially offset by realized gains from commodity contracts of $1.7 million

in the first six months of 2020 compared to in the first six months of 2019. The decrease was mainly due to a 40% decrease in average oil prices and a decrease of 17% in production partially offset by realized gains from commodity contracts of Due to the significant decline in commodity prices and the global impact on demand from the COVID-19 pandemic, the Company performed a PP&E impairment test in the first quarter of 2020. The impairment test resulted in an impairment of PP&E which totaled $71.9 million . In accordance with IFRS, an impairment loss can generally be reversed in future periods if there is an indication that a previously recognized impairment loss has reversed because of a change in the estimates used to determine the impairment loss and the recoverable amount of the impaired asset subsequently increases

. In accordance with IFRS, an impairment loss can generally be reversed in future periods if there is an indication that a previously recognized impairment loss has reversed because of a change in the estimates used to determine the impairment loss and the recoverable amount of the impaired asset subsequently increases Net loss for the first six months of 2020 was $68.7 million compared to net income of $54 thousand for the first six months of 2019 due to the PP&E impairment

compared to net income of for the first six months of 2019 due to the PP&E impairment Revenue, net of royalties was $4.6 million in the first six months of 2020 compared to $9.2 million for first six months of 2019, a decrease of 50%, as prices decreased by 40% and production decreased by 17%

First Six Months of 2020 versus First Six Months of 2019

Gross oil and gas revenues totaled $5,899,000 in the first six months of 2020 versus $11,698,000 in the first six months of 2019. Oil revenues were $5,150,000 in the first six months versus $10,637,000 in the same period of 2019, a decrease of 52% as average oil prices decreased 38% or $20.84 a barrel coupled by a decrease in oil production of 23%. Natural gas revenues decreased $213,000 or 38%, due to an average natural gas price decrease of 39% in the first six months of 2020 compared to the prior year period. NGL revenue decreased $99,000, or 20%, due to an average NGL price decrease of 18% and an NGL production decrease of 3% in the first six months of 2020.

Average production for the first six months of 2020 was 1,194 boepd, a decrease of 17% from the average production of 1,440 boepd in the same period of 2019. The decrease was due to the normal production decline of the Company's existing wells.

Production and operating expenses decreased to $1,400,000 due to lower production and cost cutting. Production and operating expense per barrel averaged $6.44 per BOE for the first six months of 2020 compared to $7.19 per BOE for the same period in 2019, a decrease of 10%. The decrease was due to cost cutting measures taken in the field during the current year.

Depletion and depreciation expense decreased $692,000 or 22% due to a decrease in production in the first six months of 2020 and a lower PP&E balance due to the impairment.

General and administrative expenses decreased $364,000 or 21% due to lower payroll and related costs due to employee terminations at the end of 2019 and management's continued efforts to reduce G&A costs throughout the Company.

Due to industry and market conditions, especially the significant decline in commodity prices and the global impact on demand from the COVID-19 pandemic, the Company performed a PP&E impairment test at March 31, 2020. The impairment test resulted in an impairment of PP&E which totaled $71.9 million for the first six months of 2020. In accordance with IFRS, an impairment loss can generally be reversed in future periods if there is an indication that a previously recognized impairment loss has reversed because of a change in the estimates used to determine the impairment loss and the recoverable amount of the impaired asset subsequently increases.

Finance income increased $4.6 million in the first six months of 2020 compared to the prior year period due to $2.9 million of unrealized gains on commodity contracts and $1.7 million of realized gains in the first six months of 2020.

Finance expense decreased $1.4 million in the first six months of 2020 compared to the prior year period due to an unrealized and realized losses on commodity contracts in the first six months of 2019 as well as lower interest expense in the first six months of 2020 compared to the prior year period.

Capital expenditures adjustments reduced PP&E by $111,000 in the first six months of 2020 relating to cost revisions on a non-operated well.

BNK PETROLEUM INC. CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF FINANCIAL POSITION (Unaudited, Expressed in Thousands of United States Dollars) ($000 except as noted)

June 30

December 31

2020

2019







Current Assets





Cash $1,388

$ 3,089 Trade and other receivables 1,357

2,198 Other current assets 330

513 Fair value of commodity contracts 2,184

-

5,259

5,800







Non-current assets





Property, plant and equipment 80,868

155,408 Fair value of commodity contracts 429

-

81,297

155,408







Total Assets $86,556

$161,208







Current Liabilities





Trade and other payables $5,022

$6,424 Current portion of loans and borrowings 2,000

1,500 Fair value of commodity contracts -

253 Lease payable 27

105

7,049

8,282







Non-current liabilities





Loans and borrowings 21,022

25,664 Asset retirement obligations 1,143

1,127 Fair value of commodity contracts -

97

22,165

26,888







Equity





Share capital 289,622

289,622 Contributed surplus 22,948

22,925 Deficit (255,228)

(186,512) Total Equity 57,342

126,035







Total Equity and Liabilities $86,556

$161,208

BNK PETROLEUM INC. CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS AND COMPREHENSIVE LOSS (Unaudited, expressed in Thousands of United States dollars, except per share amounts) ($000 except as noted)



Second Quarter

First Six Months



2020

2019

2020

2019

















Oil and natural gas revenue, net $ 1,532

4,601

4,603

9,178 Other income

-

1

1

2



1,532

4,602

4,604

9,180

















Production and operating expenses

642

945

1,400

1,874 Depletion and depreciation expense

1,148

1,531

2,508

3,200 General and administrative expenses

636

830

1,373

1,737 Stock based compensation

5

28

21

94 Impairment of PP&E

-

-

71,923

-



2,431

3,334

77,225

6,905

















Finance income

1,349

1,109

4,686

8 Finance expense

(2,674)

(846)

(781)

(2,229)

















Net income (loss)

(2,224)

1,531

(68,716)

54 Net income (loss) per share $ (0.01)

0.01

(0.30)

0.00

BNK PETROLEUM INC. SECOND QUARTER 2020 (Unaudited, expressed in Thousands of United States dollars, except as noted)









Second Quarter

First Six Months



2020 2019

2020 2019 Oil revenue before royalties $ 1,709 5,367

5,150 10,637 Gas revenue before royalties

153 250

342 555 NGL revenue before royalties

119 258

407 506 Oil and Gas revenue

1,981 5,875

5,899 11,698





Adjusted funds flow

1,601 2,525

3,553 5,099 Additions to property, plant & equipment

(110) 363

(111) 1,115











Statistics:









2nd Quarter

First Six Months



2020 2019

2020 2019 Average oil production (Bopd)

804 1,016

823 1,064 Average natural gas production (mcf/d)

1,033 1,052

1,050 1,046 Average NGL production (Boepd)

187 177

196 202 Average production (Boepd)

1,163 1,368

1,194 1,440 Average oil price ($/bbl)

$23.35 $58.05

$34.37 $55.21 Average natural gas price ($/mcf)

$1.63 $2.61

$1.79 $2.93 Average NGL price ($/bbl)

$7.00 $16.04

$11.41 $13.87





Average price (Boe)

$18.72 $47.19

$27.15 $44.88 Royalties (Boe)

4.24 10.22

5.96 9.66 Operating expenses (Boe)

6.07 7.59

6.44 7.19 Netback from operations (Boe)

$8.41 $29.38

$14.75 $28.03 Price adjustment from commodity contracts (Boe)

12.74 (2.45)

7.92 (1.83) Netback including commodity contracts (Boe)

$21.15 $26.93

$22.67 $26.20

The information outlined above is extracted from and should be read in conjunction with the Company's unaudited financial statements for the three and six months ended June 30, 2020 and the related management's discussion and analysis thereof, copies of which are available under the Company's profile at www.sedar.com.

NON-GAAP MEASURES

Netback from operations, netback including commodity contracts, net operating income and adjusted fund flow (collectively, the "Company's Non-GAAP Measures") are not measures recognized under Canadian generally accepted accounting principles ("GAAP") and do not have any standardized meanings prescribed by GAAP.

The Company's Non-GAAP Measures are described and reconciled to the GAAP measures in the management's discussion and analysis which are available under the Company's profile at www.sedar.com.

CAUTIONARY STATEMENTS

In this news release and the Company's other public disclosure:

(a) The Company's natural gas production is reported in thousands of cubic feet ("Mcfs"). The Company also uses references to barrels ("Bbls") and barrels of oil equivalent ("Boes") to reflect natural gas liquids and oil production and sales. Boes may be misleading, particularly if used in isolation. A Boe conversion ratio of 6 Mcf:1 Bbl is based on an energy equivalency conversion method primarily applicable at the burner tip and does not represent a value equivalency at the wellhead. Given that the value ratio based on the current price of crude oil as compared to natural gas is significantly different from the energy equivalency of 6:1, utilizing a conversion on a 6:1 basis may be misleading as an indication of value.



(b) Discounted and undiscounted net present value of future net revenues attributable to reserves do not represent fair market value.



(c) Possible reserves are those additional reserves that are less certain to be recovered than probable reserves. There is a 10% probability that the quantities actually recovered will equal or exceed the sum of proved plus probable plus possible reserves.



(d) The Company discloses peak and 30-day initial production rates and other short-term production rates. Readers are cautioned that such production rates are preliminary in nature and are not necessarily indicative of long-term performance or of ultimate recovery.

Caution Regarding Forward-Looking Information

This release contains forward-looking information including information regarding the proposed timing and expected results of exploratory and development work including production from the Company's Tishomingo field, Oklahoma acreage, availability of funds from the Company's reserves based loan facility, expected hedging levels and the Company's strategy and objectives. The use of any of the words "target", "plans", "anticipate", "continue", "estimate", "expect", "may", "will", "project", "should", "believe" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements.

Such forward-looking information is based on management's expectations and assumptions, including that the Company's geologic and reservoir models and analysis will be validated, that indications of early results are reasonably accurate predictors of the prospectiveness of the shale intervals, that previous exploration results are indicative of future results and success, that expected production from future wells can be achieved as modeled, declines will match the modeling, future well production rates will be improved over existing wells, that rates of return as modeled can be achieved, that recoveries are consistent with management's expectations, that additional wells are actually drilled and completed, that design and performance improvements will reduce development time and expense and improve productivity, that discoveries will prove to be economic, that anticipated results and estimated costs will be consistent with managements' expectations, that all required permits and approvals and the necessary labor and equipment will be obtained, provided or available, as applicable, on terms that are acceptable to the Company, when required, that no unforeseen delays, unexpected geological or other effects, equipment failures, permitting delays or labor or contract disputes are encountered, that the development plans of the Company and its co-venturers will not change, that the demand for oil and gas will be sustained, that the Company will continue to be able to access sufficient capital through financings, credit facilities, farm-ins or other participation arrangements to maintain its projects, that the Company will continue in compliance with the covenants under its reserves-based loan facility and that the borrowing base will not be reduced, that funds will be available from the Company's reserves based loan facility when required to fund planned operations, that the Company will not be adversely affected by changing government policies and regulations, social instability or other political, economic or diplomatic developments in the countries in which it operates and that global economic conditions will not deteriorate in a manner that has an adverse impact on the Company's business and its ability to advance its business strategy.

Forward looking information involves significant known and unknown risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated. These risks include, but are not limited to: any of the assumptions on which such forward looking information is based vary or prove to be invalid, including that the Company's geologic and reservoir models or analysis are not validated, anticipated results and estimated costs will not be consistent with managements' expectations, the risks associated with the oil and gas industry (e.g. operational risks in development, exploration and production; delays or changes in plans with respect to exploration and development projects or capital expenditures; the uncertainty of reserve and resource estimates and projections relating to production, costs and expenses, and health, safety and environmental risks including flooding and extended interruptions due to inclement or hazardous weather), the risk of commodity price and foreign exchange rate fluctuations, risks and uncertainties associated with securing the necessary regulatory approvals and financing to proceed with continued development of the Tishomingo Field, the Company or its subsidiaries is not able for any reason to obtain and provide the information necessary to secure required approvals or that required regulatory approvals are otherwise not available when required, that unexpected geological results are encountered, that completion techniques require further optimization, that production rates do not match the Company's assumptions, that very low or no production rates are achieved, that the Company will cease to be in compliance with the covenants under its reserves-based loan facility and be required to repay outstanding amounts or that the borrowing base will be reduced pursuant to a borrowing base re-determination and the Company will be required to repay the resulting shortfall, that the Company is unable to access required capital, that funding is not available from the Company's reserves based loan facility at the times or in the amounts required for planned operations, that occurrences such as those that are assumed will not occur, do in fact occur, and those conditions that are assumed will continue or improve, do not continue or improve and the other risks identified in the Company's most recent Annual Information Form under the "Risk Factors" section, the Company's most recent management's discussion and analysis and the Company's other public disclosure, available under the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

With respect to estimated reserves, the evaluation of the Company's reserves is based on a limited number of wells with limited production history and includes a number of assumptions relating to factors such as availability of capital to fund required infrastructure, commodity prices, production performance of the wells drilled, successful drilling of infill wells, the assumed effects of regulation by government agencies and future capital and operating costs. All of these estimates will vary from actual results. Estimates of the recoverable oil and natural gas reserves attributable to any particular group of properties, classifications of such reserves based on risk of recovery and estimates of future net revenues expected therefrom, may vary. The Company's actual production, revenues, taxes, development and operating expenditures with respect to its reserves will vary from such estimates, and such variances could be material. In addition to the foregoing, other significant factors or uncertainties that may affect either the Company's reserves or the future net revenue associated with such reserves include material changes to existing taxation or royalty rates and/or regulations, and changes to environmental laws and regulations.

Although the Company has attempted to take into account important factors that could cause actual costs or results to differ materially, there may be other factors that cause actual results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. The forward-looking information included in this release is expressly qualified in its entirety by this cautionary statement. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements, other than as required by applicable law.

About BNK Petroleum Inc.

BNK Petroleum Inc. is an international oil and gas exploration and production company focused on finding and exploiting large, predominately unconventional oil and gas resource plays. Through various affiliates and subsidiaries, the Company owns and operates shale gas properties and concessions in the United States. Additionally the Company is utilizing its technical and operational expertise to identify and acquire additional unconventional projects. The Company's shares are traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the stock symbol BKX and on the OTCQX under the stock symbol BNKPF.

CONTACT: Wolf E. Regener, President and Chief Executive Officer +1 (805) 484-3613, Email: investorrelations@bnkpetroleum.com, Website: www.bnkpetroleum.com
They have sent tongues wagging after it was revealed that Justin Hartley had informed ex Chrishell Stause over a text message that he would be filing for divorce back in November last year.

And somehow the split is getting even messier.

Though she has not said it directly Chrishell, 39, has been liking tweets which hint that Justin, 43, was cheating.

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Getting messier: They have sent tongues wagging after it was revealed that Justin Hartley had informed ex Chrishell Stause over a text message that he would be filing for divorce back in November last year

The most eyebrow-raising like by the Selling Sunset star was from a fan who wrote: '@justinhartley filmed a movie in Canada at the same time his new gf @SofiaPernas was filming the summer before they split. The timing seems like he probably cheated on @Chrishell7 and took a cowards way out to avoid spousal support and gaslight her.'

The reality star did not stop there as she also liked a tweet from the site Blind Gossip from December which included claims that a celebrity couple had recently split after he fell in love with another woman.

However there are two sides to every story as a source close to Hartley told Us Weekly on Wednesday that the accusations are not true and that he began dating 31-year-old actress and former friend to Chrishell, Sofia Pernas earlier this year as the divorce was filed in November 2019.

Interesting: Though she has not said it directly Chrishell, 39, has been liking tweets which hint that Justin, 43, was cheating including this one from a user named @Concernedsoap

Proof: Chrishell is seen under the list of likes

Their insider added: 'He didn't even start talking to Sofia until the spring of 2020.'

Meanwhile Justin's previous ex wife Lindsay Korman-Hartley has defended him amid all the drama.

The 42-year-old actress took to her Instagram to share a lengthy message which read: 'In a day when social media should be used for positivity  an inspiration towards movement in an honest and deserving way, Id like to join, by highlighting my appreciation for my family.

'Today, I appreciate my ex-husband Justin for not only being [an] exemplification of a solid man but for being my dear friend and devoted father to our daughter. Simply put; for being family. We derive our own opinion of people by experiencing life and time together, and we do our best to hold dear the ones that maintain consistent kindness, love and generosity.

Taking a stand: Meanwhile Justin's previous ex wife Lindsay Korman-Hartley (seen in July 2017) has defended him amid all the drama

'Today, I appreciate my ex-husband Justin for not only being [an] exemplification of a solid man but for being my dear friend and devoted father to our daughter': The 42-year-old actress took to her Instagram to share a lengthy message

Justin and Lindsay met on the set of soap Passions and share a 16-year-old daughter named Isabella who also reposted the message on her Instagram Story.

They split after eight years of marriage in 2012 before Justin began dating Chrishell before they wed in 2017.

Lindsay's message concluded: 'No matter what conflicts Justin and I had in the past, I appreciate what we have today and I am thankful for the family we have built.'

Just days ago his new girlfriend Sofia Pernas, 31, seemingly confirmed their relationship on Sunday as she posted an image of the hunky This Is Us star leaning on a marble countertop and holding a cigar and iced beverage in his hand.

It's official: Justin Hartley and Sofia Pernas seemingly made it Instagram official

Messy: He has received his fair share of backlash following the discovery that he informed ex Stause over a text message that he would be filing for divorce back in November last year

Another indication that it was indeed Justin in the photo was a Chicago Bears hat in the background as Hartley is a noted devotee. She captioned the image 'Easy like Sunday mornin'.'

Justin also took to the social media to share a snap of himself cuddling up with his dog in the pool while wearing that same aforementioned Bears trucker cap and he shared the similar caption of: 'Paisley like Sunday mornin'.'

Back In May, Hartley and Pernas were photographed sharing a kiss in Los Angeles just six months after filing for divorce from his wife in November.

'Easy like Sunday mornin'': Pernas, 31, seemingly posted an image of the hunky This Is Us star leaning on a marble countertop and holding a cigar and iced beverage in his hand

'Paisley like Sunday mornin'.: Justin also took to the social media to share a snap of himself cuddling up with his dog in the pool while wearing a Chicago Bears trucker cap which could be seen in Sofia's post along with a similar caption

They not only had appeared on The Young And The Restless together from June 2015 to May 2016 but it has also been claimed that Hartley's new girlfriend Sofia was 'close friends' with his ex Chrishell.

Sofia and Chrishell, 38, met on soap opera The Young and the Restless in 2016 where they were also both introduced to Justin.

The two kept in touch with both actresses continuing to interact on social media with the latest correspondence taking place in February, just three months before Justin was caught kissing Sofia.

Tangled web: Justin and Sofia not only had appeared on The Young And The Restless together from June 2015 to May 2016 but it has also been claimed that Hartley's new girlfriend was 'close friends' with his ex Chrishell, Hartley and Stause are seen in July 2019

Interesting: Sofia and Chrishell, 38, met on soap opera The Young and the Restless in 2016 where they were also both introduced to Justin (seen in July 2016)

Sofia and Chrishell were said to have been 'close friends for years', according to The Sun.

And the two actresses appeared to have a good friendship on social media as they would regularly like or comment on each other's posts.

Meanwhile, as Hartley has been lambasted across social media over his 'divorce text' revelation, it seems Chrishell had mixed feelings about the support she received on Twitter after seemingly sticking up for her ex when she felt that Justin, 43, was starting to get 'bullied' on social media.

Close: The two actresses appeared to have a good friendship on social media as they would regularly like or comment on each other's posts (Sofia commenting on a video of Chrishell and Justin in 2018)

Gushing: In 2016, Chrishell flooded Sofia's Instagram with a collection of comments following their stint together on The Young and the Restless

Birthday love: On a birthday snap of Sofia in July 2016, Chrishell gushed: 'You are the absolute CUTEST!!!! Happy Birthdayyyyyyyyy!!!!!' followed by three heart emojis

Going WAY back: In February 2016, Sofia also shared a fun picture of herself with Justin at LA's CBS Television City

Latest one: The latest correspondence took place in February just weeks after Justin filed for divorce and three months before he was caught kissing Sofia. Chrishell had liked a photo of Sofia working out in Thailand with a sword

'I SO appreciate all the love you guys have given for #SellingSunset,' she tweeted over the weekend, adding: 'That being said, some of you are attacking a certain person in defending me. I appreciate the sentiment because certain things made me mad too. But I hate feeling like someone is getting bullied.'

Chrishell had originally responded to a slew of funny and supportive tweets over the weekend, including one that referred to her ex as 'Justin Fartley.'

'Someone is getting bullied': Chrishell Stause reacts to fans SLAMMING ex Justin Hartley on social media

Writer Ira Madison wrote 'This n**** Justin Hartley TEXTED Chrishell that he was divorcing her?!?' to which Chrishell responded: 'Me trying to keep it classy and not like your tweet.'

She also responded to a GIF that showed the iconic Sex and the City movie scene where Charlotte berates Mr. Big for ditching Carrie at the altar.

But it seems as though the reactions were getting too intense for the reality star as she then backtracked and asked fans of the show not to be nasty and to stop bullying.

Reaction: Chrishell stoked fans when she responded to this tweet in jest, which referred to her ex as 'Justin Fartley'

Walking back: Chrishell then tweeted that the reaction had gone too far, asking fans to play nice

Calming it down: It seemed Chrishell felt the reaction to Justin had gone too far

In happier times: Fans reacted in outrage over the weekend, after watching Selling Sunset where Chrishell revealed Justin told her about their divorce over text

Fans had gone wild watching the episode where Chrishell reveals to her costar Mary Fitzgerald that the This Is Us actor sent the bad news on text message, explaining: 'He text me that we were filed,' she said, adding: 'Forty-five minutes later, the world knew.'

Stause went on: 'I talked to him right after because I thought that must be a joke. But that was kind of the end of the communication.'

'When I found out, I was minutes before leaving the house for work so I immediately just grabbed a few things and I just got out of there as fast as I could," the former soap star said.

Bad news: Selling Sunset's Chrishell Stause has tearfully revealed how she first found out that her husband Justin Hartley was filing for divorce, after he sent her the news via a text message

'I don't think I really knew where I was going or what I was going to do, but I just had to leave.'

'I'm just kind of in shock with it all,' the former daytime TV star added through tears.

News of Stause and Hartley's divorce emerged last November, with the 43-year-old actor citing irreconcilable differences in his legal filings.

At the time sources say the split came as a complete surprise to Chrishell.

Split: News of Stause and Hartley's divorce emerged last November. The pair are seen inn January 2019 above

There is some dispute over the timeline of the breakup.

In divorce filings This Is Us star Justin listed the date of separation as July 8.' She claims November 22, the day he filed, was the actual date of separation, however.

Making things murkier, the pair made several public appearances together following Justin's claimed date of separation, seen together at the Emmy Awards in September 2019, the Veuve Clicquot Polo game in October 2019, and a Hollywood Reporter-hosted pre-Golden Globes bash in November of that year.
Philadelphia is seeking more than $100 million in reimbursements from the federal government for just four months of spending related to the coronavirus pandemic.

The request for $115.8 million, submitted to the U.S. Treasury last month, includes $21 million for public health expenses, $7.5 million for economic support such as grants for businesses, and almost $5 million to improve remote working capacity for city employees. All the costs were incurred from March through June.

But even that represents just a small portion of the impact the pandemic has had on Philadelphias budget.

The city is eligible for up to $276 million in federal reimbursements from the first coronavirus economic relief package, known as the CARES Act, which can be used for eligible expenses between March and December. In their report to the Treasury, city officials detailed the $115.8 million they believe is eligible for reimbursement for the first four months of the pandemic. The remaining amount, officials said, will be spent before the end of the year.

Philadelphia officials hope additional aid is still coming. But negotiations remain stalled in Washington over a second relief plan.

Mayor Jim Kenney said Tuesday that he is hopeful Congress will pass legislation with additional help for the city.

If we can get some flexibility on whatever money comes from the federal government in the future, that will hopefully help us get back to where we were, Kenney said.

 READ MORE: Gov. Wolf wants the feds to offer disaster loans to arson victims from Phillys George Floyd protests

A significant portion of the hit to the city budget is from lost tax revenue  which totals hundreds of millions of dollars and is not reimbursable under the CARES Act.

The budget City Council approved in June included layoffs and cuts to city services to account for a $750 million budget hole, mostly due to the shortfall in taxes. The Kenney administration estimated that just $30 million of that gap would be from added expenses due to the coronavirus pandemic.

While we are grateful for the assistance the federal government has provided, the funds cannot be used to help the city address the significant loss of tax revenue caused by the pandemic, city spokesperson Mike Dunn said.

Sen. Pat Toomey (R., Pa.), in response to calls for more federal aid for local governments, said Tuesday that interim reports submitted to the Treasury showed just 26.7% of CARES Act funds have been spent thus far by Pennsylvania and local governments. In Southeastern Pennsylvania, Chester County reported spending one-third of its grant amount, Delaware County reported spending 25%, Montgomery County spent just $4 million, or 3.3%, of its allotment, and Bucks County reported spending only one-tenth of 1% of its share.

Before Congress spends even more money it doesnt actually have, states and counties should allocate their existing allotments so we can thoughtfully determine what needs remain, Toomey said in a statement.

In addition to the $276 million the city expects to spend and be reimbursed for before December, the current budget includes $25 million for a recession reserve and reopening costs that are not covered by grant funds, Dunn said.

But the precise expense of battling the coronavirus in the months to come  and the impact on tax revenue  remains uncertain.

 READ MORE: Coronavirus could leave Phillys budget in the red next year, state board warns

The citys revenue losses in the next year could be about $90 million worse than anticipated, according to the Pennsylvania Intergovernmental Cooperation Authority (PICA), the state board that oversees city finances. PICA approved Philadelphias five-year spending plan last month on the condition that it gets monthly reports on expenses and revenues to ensure that the city avoids a deficit.

The bottom line is that we went from having one of the best fund balances weve ever had as a city ... and in two months or so we went into a $750 million hole, Kenney said.

Whats been spent so far

The $115 million the city has deemed as eligible for reimbursement under the CARES Act includes some new expenditures, but more than half of it  totaling $65 million  is payroll for public health and safety employees.

City Council approved transferring $85.4 million in March to spend on the coronavirus response. As of July 10, the Kenney administration reported that two-thirds of that amount was already spent or owed under contracts for purchases.

The $85 million figure was never intended to represent a cost estimate for pandemic response or represent the full cost of the citys response, Dunn said. That ordinance was transmitted to Council very early in the pandemic to ensure that enough additional appropriations were available to pay for unforeseen and previously unbudgeted expenses so the city could appropriately respond as the pandemic unfolded.

Itemized expenses in the administrations reports to City Council on the use of that money include:

$16.8 million for incentive pay. The city paid overtime rates to thousands of workers during the first two weeks of the shutdown through an agreement reached with labor unions.

$7.8 million for the purchase of N95 masks, protective gowns, and disposable respirators.

$1.95 million for the emergency food distribution program.

More than $1 million for COVID-19 testing.

$730,000 for health care for inmates in the citys prisons.

The city has also placed many orders for masks and other personal protective equipment that have fallen through or have been slow to arrive. Dunn said most supply-chain issues have been resolved, but disinfectant wipes remain very challenging to locate and procure.
Terming the violence in the city as a 'well planned act,' Karnataka Revenue Minister R Ashoka on Wednesday said the 'traitors,' who perpetrated the riots would be dealt with an iron hand and steps would be taken to ensure that such incidents do not recur.

IMAGE: Police and residents walk past charred remains of vehicles vandalised by a mob over a social media post, allegedly by a relative of a Congress MLA, in Bengaluru. Photograph: Shailendra Bhojak/PTI Photo

Speaking to reporters after meeting Congress MLA Akhanda Srinivasa Murthy at Vidhana Soudha, Ashoka said, "The manner in which the riots were perpetrated shows that it was a well planned act and was intended to spread to other parts of the city. These are traitors and we will subdue them."

As many as three people were killed in the police firing and scores other injured including 50 policemen in the violence that erupted on Tuesday night at D J Halli in Pulakeshinagar locality over an alleged social media post on a 'communally sensitive' issue posted by the MLA's relative.



The minister said the law maker's house was completely damaged and belongings including, sarees and jewels were looted while the rest was set on fire.



"It is clear from the intensity of vandalism that the intention was to attack and finish off Srinivasa Murthy.



It has to be investigated whether any anti-social elements from within the state and outside were involved," Ashoka said.



Claiming that the violence was planned to terrorise the people of Bengaluru, Ashoka said government will send across a strong message so that no one would ever dare to take law into their hands again.



He also said he met the chief minister and apprised him of the ground situation.



The minister added that steps would be taken to rein in anti-social elements as vandalism was carried out in a manner that communities were identified to target them.



"Whether Popular Front or Social Democratic Party of India is behind it, we will not bother. These people must be arrested. We will hunt them wherever they are holed up," Ashoka said.



Addressing the media after meeting the minister, Murthy said he wanted the government to provide him protection.



"We were not at home when nearly 3,000 people with petrol bombs, clubs, came and burnt the vehicles, damaged our house. I need protection from the government after this incident," a visibly shaken MLA said.



He said for the past 25 years he has been living with the Muslim brethren but never faced such a problem.



He demanded a CBI or CID inquiry into the matter to bring out the facts.



Asked about his relative Naveen, whose alleged social media post sparked violence, Murthy said, "Naveen is not my relative. For the past 10 years we have not been in touch with him."



Meanwhile, Bharatiya Janata Party leaders questioned the Congress as to why it hesitated to condemn the riots by "minority groups" on the residence of its own MLA.



The ruling party leaders in Karnataka projected the incident that led to violence in parts of the city as an attack on a Dalit MLA.



"Dead silence by @INCIndia @INCKarnataka even after their Dalit MLA Sri Akhanda Srinivasa Murthy was attacked, house ransacked yesterday in Bengaluru. Total support for RIGHT TO RIOT ...? For them appeasement is the only official party policy," BJP national General Secretary B L Santosh tweeted.



In another tweet, Santosh said, "After 14 hours @INCKarnataka wakes up to blame Naveen (MLAs nephew) for facebook post & Police for delay in taking action. One straight question .. Does your Party support riots like this? Why Cong hesitates to condemn riots by minority groups..?#CongSupportsRiots."



Demanding strict action against those involved in the incident, Karnataka Tourism Minister C T Ravi said some people feel that they are above the law. This is the result of seven decades of appeasement politics, he said.



Seeking to know if the "Lutyens and liberals" talk about this growing intolerance in a particular community in Bengaluru, BJP MP Shobha Karandlaje said this was nothing but the result of Congress' appeasement politics.



Karandlaje who visited Pulikeshi Nagara assembly constituency in a tweet said, "PFI-SDPI conspired this violence, they targeted only Hindu houses & burnt public properties. I strongly condemn this behaviour of a communal elements & urge @CMofKarnataka to take stringent actions against the culprits."
Photo provided by Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) shows a researcher working in a laboratory of the Gamaleya Scientific Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology in Moscow, Russia, Aug. 6, 2020. Russia has registered the world's first vaccine against the novel coronavirus, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday. (RDIF/Handout via Xinhua)

MOSCOW, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- Russia has registered the world's first vaccine against the novel coronavirus, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday.

"As far as I know, this morning, for the first time in the world, a vaccine against the new coronavirus infection has been registered," Putin said during an online meeting with the Russian government.

Russian Health Minister Mikhail Murashko confirmed at the meeting that the vaccine issued in Russia is the first in the world, while other countries are conducting clinical studies of vaccines under development.

Murashko said that the new vaccine, after passing all necessary checks, showed that it forms a stable immunity.

Putin said he hoped that the mass production of the vaccine registered in Russia should begin in the near future, and vaccination will be available to everyone in the country voluntarily.

"The main thing, of course, is that in the future we can ensure the unconditional safety of this vaccine and its effectiveness," Putin said, congratulating everyone who worked on the drug.

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova said at the meeting that she expected the production of the vaccine to start at the end of August or the beginning of September and health workers will be the first to be vaccinated.

Putin said one of his daughters had been vaccinated against the coronavirus was feeling well afterward.
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Linkedin News Desk (Agence France-Presse) Paris, France  Wed, August 12, 2020 08:56 525 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066d4b7ce 2 World Russia,coronavirus,COVID-19,COVID-19-vaccines,pandemic,SARS-CoV-2,virus-corona,novel-coronavirus,health-crisis Free

With Russia's announcement Tuesday that it had become the first country to approve a vaccine against COVID-19, here is a look at the more than two dozen other candidates currently in development.

'Sputnik'

Russian President Vladimir Putin shocked the international community by claiming the new vaccine -- dubbed "Sputnik V" after the Soviet satellite -- conferred "sustainable immunity" against the novel coronavirus.

He said that one of his daughters had been inoculated with the vaccine, developed by the Gamaleya research institute and the Russian defense ministry.

A vector vaccine -- meaning it employs another virus to carry the immune response into human cells -- Sputnik is based on similar technology to a Chinese prototype.

Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova said she hoped the vaccinations could begin within weeks, but details about the process were scant.

Last week the World Health Organization urged Moscow to follow established guidelines and "go through all the stages" needed to develop a safe vaccine.

Eleanor Riley, professor of Immunology and Infectious Disease at the University of Edinburgh, said larger, phase 3 trials were needed for Sputnik.

Phase 3 trials test the safety and efficacy of new medicines and can last several years.

"But there is a big difference between a large vaccine trial (with careful and frequent follow up of all vaccinated individuals) and deployment of a vaccine to the general public," said Riley.

Francois Balloux, professor of Computational Systems Biology at University College London went as far as to dub Russia's announcement "reckless and foolish".

Advanced trials

The WHO says there are 26 "vaccine candidates" currently undergoing clinical trials worldwide.

Several are in the final phase 3 stage, whereby developers -- testing on large cohorts, up to tens of thousands of people -- monitor for efficacy and potential toxicity prior to eventual submission for approval.

These include a European project being developed at Oxford University in tandem with AstraZeneca and a Chinese variant from biopharmaceutical company Sinovac in collaboration with Brazilian research institute Butantan.

The latter is being tested on 9,000 health professionals in Brazil.

A vaccine developed by Germany's BioNTech and US pharma giant Pfizer entered phase 3 last month, with the companies planning to test it on 30,000 young volunteers.

The American firm Moderna also says it plans to trial its vaccine among 30,000 people.

Since mid-July China's Sinopharm has begun testing its candidate on 15,000 people in the United Arab Emirates.

Dozens of candidates

Beyond the tests already under way, the WHO is monitoring a further 139 potential vaccines which are still at the pre-clinical evaluation stage, involving testing in the lab or on animals.

US biotech company Novavax said last week its experimental COVID-19 vaccine had elicited a robust immune response, producing more antibodies than are present in recovered patients.

It said the candidate vaccine was generally well tolerated among volunteers.

The final stage Phase 3 trial of the product, called NVX-CoV2373, is set to take place this autumn.

The European Union has ordered 300 million doses of potential vaccine from French drug producer Sanofi, and the US has said it will pay $2.1 billion for its development.

Britain has also ordered 60 million doses of the Sanofi vaccine, developed in conjunction with GSK.
Samsung's brand new Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G boasts the company's first variable refresh rate AMOLED panel so the company details some of the advantages of this panel compared to some of its competitors and the S20 Ultra's 120Hz Dynamic AMOLED 2X.

First and foremost, Samsung says that the panel can adjust its refresh rate in more than just 3 steps. The current 120Hz panels can either do 60, 90 or 120Hz while this one can go down to 30 and 10Hz and can do so dynamically. The S20 Ultra's display, for example, is fixed at static 120Hz no matter the content on the screen and that's that.

Samsung is doing so with the help of a new LTPO backplane technology for higher switching performance and lower consumption as well. The engineers say that this implementation saves you around 22% power in general use while the 10Hz mode saves up to 60% compared to current panels.

We are working on the full review of the Galaxy Note20 Ultra and have some interesting findings on the topic so stay tuned.

Source | Via
A dynamic graphic posted to Twitter by the Internet-freedom advocacy group NetBlocks.org paints a grim picture. It shows Internet traffic in Belarus on the morning of August 9, the date of the countrys bitterly disputed presidential election.

At approximately 8 a.m. local time, the bright lights indicating lively online traffic suddenly go dark.

Exactly how the Internet was blocked in Belarus remains unknown, said Mikhail Klimaryev, executive director of the Russian Internet Defense Society, an advocacy group. But we know that about 8 a.m. on Sunday, the connectivity of the Belarusian Internetfell to approximately one-fifth, from 100 percent to 20 percent. And this was caused by the disconnection of one of the main provider links between Belarus and foreign operators -- Beltelekom.

Internet access remained severely restricted throughout the country at least until early on August 12, three nights and days during which the country was gripped by mass demonstrations against alleged falsification of the election whose official results handed authoritarian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka a landslide win and a sixth term.

Despite this chokehold on the flow of information, the cloud-based instant-messaging service Telegram, which was developed in Russia and is now based in Dubai, has largely continued to function and has become an invaluable tool for an amorphous opposition and angry citizens seeking information and coordination.

To a considerable extent, [Telegram] channels are coordinating the actions of the people who are taking to the streets and public squares because they are the means by which information and action plans are distributed, Andrey Bastunets, deputy head of the Belarusian Association of Journalists, told Current Time, a Russian-language network led by RFE/RL in cooperation with VOA. In this sense, it is playing a coordinating role.

To be honest, [Telegram channels] have seized the initiative from the united opposition headquarters in terms of organizing protest actions, he added.

Journalists, observers, officials and others trying to follow the fast-paced and often harrowing events from outside Belarus, meanwhile, have turned to Telegram channels as a source of information -- often in the form of raw footage of the large, widespread protests and the violent crackdown by security forces. The government, too, has used Telegram channels to get its messages out at times.

Among the most prominent amid the protests has been the Warsaw-based NEXTA group of Telegram channels, which has seen its subscriber base balloon to more than 1.5 million since the postelection unrest began.

Planned Shutdown?

Although Lukashenka and other officials claimed the Internet outage was caused by distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks from foreign sources, experts at NetBlocks and elsewhere are certain it was the result of a long-planned effort by the authorities.

In 2018, the Belarusian government announced a $2.5 million tender to purchase equipment capable of carrying out deep packet inspection, a way of blocking unwanted Internet traffic that is used, for instance, in China and Iran. It is capable of identifying and rerouting or blocking specific packets of information. It has been described as being akin to opening an envelope and reading its contents.

WATCH: Police In Belarus Violently Crack Down On Postelection Protests For Third Night

The system may have been tested during the summer. On June 19, Belarusian users reported difficulty using several Internet services, including Telegram and Viber. On July 15-16, they were temporarily unable to access VPN servers. At the time, the government blamed the problems on technical difficulties in Russia and Poland.

Klimaryev said that by 10 a.m. on August 9, it was clear that virtually all Belaruss Internet traffic was being passed through the National Traffic-Exchange Center (NTsOT), which was the organization that issued the 2018 tender.

That was a serious sum of money for such equipment, he told RFE/RL. We are talking about a fairly small country and I think the government decided to send all traffic through this equipment in order to control it.

Belarus Votes For President Read our ongoing coverage as Belarusian strongman Alyaksandr Lukashenka continues his brutal crackdown on NGOs, activists, and independent media following the August 2020 presidential election, widely seen as fraudulent.



France-based Internet consultant Pavel Lunin told RFE/RL that the Belarusian government was forced to block virtually all secure or encrypted Internet traffic, biting off entire pieces of the Internet in order to shut down sites such as YouTube.

The problem is that it is not possible to partially block encrypted traffic and you have to block it in its entirety, he said.

The analysts at NetBlocks, however, believe that Minsk cast a wide net in its censorship intentionally, in order to make the action look more like an external attack. NetBlocks Director Alp Toker told Vice the Belarusian government is using a list of more than 10,000 keywords to block traffic from sites ranging from Facebook to Walmart.

Theyre using deep packet inspection to block any Internet domain that contains one of thousands of popular brand names, he was quoted as saying. This would give the impression of a malfunction.

The only reason you would do this is to simulate a technical failure, [but] it would have taken serious planning, he added.

'Very Important'

Telegram, however, has been largely successful in adopting its protocols to maintain its service during the Belarusian political crisis.

On August 10, Telegram co-creator and co-owner Pavel Durov posted on Twitter that we enabled our anti-censorship tool in Belarus so that Telegram remained available to most users there. He noted, though, that the connection is still very unstable.

RFE/RLs Belarus Service, which is a surrogate information source that is financed by a grant from the U.S. Congress, is one of the local media outlets that has been affected by the shutdown.

Telegram is practically the only means of communication in Belarus, said service Deputy Director Bohdan Andrusyshyn. We have been placing news items on our Telegram channel as quickly as we produced them.

Telegram channels are definitely a very important source of information, Bastunets said. Not always verified, but important nonetheless. It is much easier to get access to Telegram channels than to information provided by Belarusian or foreign websites.

Written by RFE/RL senior correspondent Robert Coalson with reporting by RFE/RL Russian Service correspondent Mark Krutov and Current Time correspondent Irina Romaliiskaya. RFE/RLs Belarus Service also contributed to this report.
Bala Chauhan and Manju Shettar By

Express News Service

BENGALURU: Three people were killed while few others sustained injuries after police opened fire at them in KG Halli in East Bengaluru in the violence that erupted over an offensive post on a social media platform. 110 people have been arrested after several policemen were injured as mobsters pelted stones at them. The city is put on high alert following the unrest.

Heavy police deployment has been made in KG Halli and DJ Halli following a violent mob attacked policemen and torched police and civilian vehicles. It all started over an offensive post put on a social media platform by one, P Naveen, purportedly a relative of Pulikeshinagar MLA Akhanda Srinivasa Murthy.

With regard to incidents in DJ Halli, accused Naveen arrested for posting derogatory posts.. also total 110 accused arrested for arson, stone pelting and assault on police. APPEAL TO ALL TO COOPERATE WITH POLICE TO MAINTAIN PEACE.  Kamal Pant, IPS (@CPBlr) August 11, 2020

Raged over the post, about 15-20 people attacked the residence of the MLA in Kaval Byrasandra on Tuesday night. While attempts to torch the house were thwarted by the police, hundreds of people gathered in front of KG Halli and DJ Halli police stations.

He and his family escaped unhurt, when the mob torched his house in Kavalbyrasandra in DJ Halli police station limits.

Follow @XpressBengaluru for ground report !



Riot at DJ halli on Tuesday night after mob vandalised MLA Akhanda Srinivas's house. Mob torched some vehicles. Police deployed.



Video by @vinodkumart5@NewIndianXpress @santwana99 @gsvasu_TNIE pic.twitter.com/y1UKvxzbOQ  TNIE Karnataka (@XpressBengaluru) August 11, 2020

Before the police could mobilise enough staff, the mob started pelting stones at police vehicles and torching vehicles. As many tried to set fire to police stations, the police resorted to lathi charge and lobbing tear gas shells.

Several policemen were injured while police vehicles were torched and vehicles of senior police officers were damaged. As the KSRP platoons, which were called in to contain the situation, advanced towards the rioters, they were pelted with stones from rooftops. At this juncture, the police had to lob tear gas shells.

Captured by TNIE cameras - Mob went on a rampage at DJ Halli last night angered by an inflammatory social media post by an alleged aide of INC MLA Akhanda Srinivasmurthy. 3 dead, 110 arrested so far.

VC: @vinodkumart5 @xpressbengaluru @NewIndianXpress @santwana99 @gsvasu_tnie pic.twitter.com/63VawNYzmN  TNIE Karnataka (@XpressBengaluru) August 12, 2020

When the mob did not budge and intensified their attack targeting police and their vehicles, the cops fired in the air as a warning shot. However, the mob was in mood to pay heed to the warnings.

Finally, the police had to resort to Golibar, killing one and leaving 3-4 others injured near KG Halli police station. The situation is still tense in the area and more police forces are being pressed into service.

Amidst violence, MLA Akhanda Srinivasa Murthy appealed to the people to maintain peace and legal action will be taken against the person, who allegedly posted the offensive post.

Following the incident, Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa spoke to Home Minister Basavaraja Bommai and instructed him to take all necessary steps to contain further spread of violence. Bommai, who confirmed a death in the police firing, said that people must maintain peace and those who resort to violence will be dealt with an iron fist.

Congress MLAs BZ Zameer Ahmad Khan, Rizwan Arshad and others visited the spot and appealed to the public to stay calm. Police Commissioner Kamal Pant and other senior officers have camped in the area.

A senior police official said that prohibitory orders as per section 144 of the CrPC was already in force across the city due to COVID-19 pandemic but decision will be taken for more stringent restrictions based on the situation.

Naveen, who allegedly posted the offensive post, stated that his Facebook account was hacked and also appeared before the police soon after violence broke out.

DJ Halli is Bengalurus communal nerve centre and is considered one of the most sensitive areas comprising of Tannery Road, Shampura; is adjacent to KJ Halli and connects to Nagwara on one hand and Davis Road, Frazer Town and Coles Park on the other end.

Before the lockdown, Bilal Bagh in DJ Halli had become the anti-CAA and NRC protest site on the lines of Shaheen Bagh in Delhi.

(This is a developing story)
EIJING, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- China's air travel demand has recovered significantly since June with a continuous increase in the volume of flights, according to the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC).

In June, China's civil aviation industry handled an average of 10,820 flights daily, up 14.1 percent from that in May, statistics from the CAAC showed.

In July, the industry handled a total of 370,000 flights, or an average of 11,941 flights daily. More than 36.99 million air passenger trips were made in July, a rise of 20.35 percent from June.

The civil aviation industry must put in place effective measures for regular epidemic prevention and control amid the current complicated and severe conditions, according to the CAAC.

Continuous efforts should be made in response to the epidemic situation in the coming autumn-winter season to prevent a resurgence of the epidemic, the CAAC said.

The CAAC will strictly enforce the reward and suspension mechanism and adjust flights in a scientific manner to prevent imported cases through the civil aviation sector.

The civil aviation regulator in early June adjusted policies for international passenger flights, allowing more foreign carriers to resume flights to China on a once-a-week basis starting from June 8.
Alicia Russell-Jenkins (center), her daughter, Dominique Jenkins (left), and granddaughter Malina Jenkins. Russell-Jenkins and her family believe the woman who killed her father in 1984 should not have been released from prison for health reasons. Read more

Jessie Alexander is just over 5 feet tall, frail, and suffers from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease that is expected to kill her within a year. To help with breathing, she uses an oxygen machine.

Since July, Alexander, 67, has been living with relatives and receiving home hospice care  and thats an outrage to Alicia Russell-Jenkins.

A Philadelphia jury found Alexander guilty of killing Russell-Jenkins father in 1984, and a judge sentenced her to life in prison with no chance for parole. When Alexander shot Willie Russell, she was already on probation for voluntary manslaughter after killing her brother-in-law in 1980.

Russell-Jenkins, 48, learned in May that Alexanders lawyer used the states compassionate release law to petition for her release to an East Falls hospice facility due to her failing health and that Philadelphia Common Pleas Court Judge Glenn Bronson granted her wish.

In July, Bronson approved another petition from Alexanders lawyer allowing her to be cared for by relatives at their home because Alexanders condition had improved.

Russell-Jenkins said she and her family had insufficient input in the process that freed Alexander. She believes the release of her fathers killer is a miscarriage of justice.

Were not talking about a drug dealer. Were not talking about misdemeanor cases, said Russell-Jenkins. Were talking about a sociopath, a live murderer. We dont feel safe knowing that shes out here somewhere.

 READ MORE: Can a change of address land you in state prison? If youre on parole in Pennsylvania, it can.

She was just 12 when Alexander killed her father, then 33, in his North Philadelphia home. He had ended an affair with Alexander and in a rage, she shot him in the head multiple times, mutilated his body with acid, and dumped it in a vacant lot in the 4300 block of Rising Sun Avenue. The damage to Russells body was so severe that the family had to have his body cremated.

Russell-Jenkins said her father was a custodian and doting parent whose death devastated her and her two younger brothers. She cant understand why his killer was freed.

If she murdered once, OK, maybe you can forgive her. But then she murdered my father, said Russell-Jenkins, a nurse and mother of four. Shes living in peace after committing two cold-blooded murders.

In a state prison system that houses just over 40,000 people, medical release is rare; the vast majority of terminally ill Pennsylvania prisoners die behind bars. But those who are not ambulatory and projected to live less than a year can apply.

Susan McNaughton, a Corrections Department spokesperson, said about a half dozen people are released in this way each year. Three released since 2019 had been convicted of murder, McNaughton said.

Alexanders lawyer, Samuel Stretton, represented her for free after learning of her case from the Pennsylvania Prison Society, a 200-year-old nonprofit that works to make prisons more humane. He said no objections were raised by the Philadelphia District Attorneys Office and the state Office of Victim Advocate.

Jane Roh, spokesperson for the District Attorneys Office, confirmed that the office did not oppose Alexanders release. Incarceration for elderly or frail people serves little public safety function, is costly to taxpayers, and harms families and communities, she said. Justice demands that we hold people who harm others accountable while treating them humanely.

She said the office had reached out to Russell-Jenkins family while weighing its position on the case, but did not hear back from them before the ruling.

Russell-Jenkins maintains her family did not hear from the D.A.s office or the advocates office until after Bronson had already granted the motion to release her to a care facility. She pointed to an April letter from the victims advocate office, which arrived in an envelope postmarked in May, after the ruling.

 READ MORE: Lenient sentences in Pennsylvania often have harsh consequences | The Probation Trap

Before Bronsons second ruling  allowing Alexander to move from the facility to a relatives home  Russell-Jenkins, her daughter, Dominique Jenkins, and her cousin, Leatrice Russell, sent him letters opposing her release. Bronson read the letters and noted how vehemently they opposed releasing Alexander, according to a letter Russell-Jenkins received from the District Attorneys Office, but their arguments didnt sway the judge.

Stretton, Alexanders lawyer, said the law was followed in seeking her release. He noted that Alexander must wear an electronic ankle monitor at all times.

Shes served a long time, since 1984 for serious crimes.  I dont quite understand why victims, after all these years, might not have a little bit of forgiveness, he said. It helps the healing to forgive. But thats neither here nor there. This is not a morality play. The statute allows it, and were trying to help prisoners who cant help themselves to die with a little more dignity and less pain.

Joan Porter, a Pennsylvania Prison Society volunteer who served 27 years on the nonprofits board, said prisoners, like others, change over time and should be given credit for that evolution. What she did was terrible, but shes not that person anymore, and even if she is that person, which I find very difficult to believe, keeping her in jail isnt going to bring the other families family back, she said.

Im sorry that theyre still so angry about it, and Im sorry that they dont have a little bit more compassion as many of the families that we deal with do, Porter added.

Jessie Alexander could not be reached for comment, but her daughter, Ingrid, spoke on her behalf.

Ingrid was 14 when her mother killed Willie Russell. Now 50, she lives in North Carolina but has been back and forth to visit her mother in Philadelphia since her release.

She said her mother has lived a hard life, which included losing a 13-year-old son to a drunk driver shortly after she killed Russell, and being in physically abusive relationships with both men that she killed.

My mother suffered a lot. She suffered black eyes. She suffered abuse. In my eyes, as a child, it was self-defense regardless of what she was convicted of, Ingrid Alexander said. I never thought that she would get some compassion, because people didnt see what we saw.
Defense Secretary Esper and chairman of the Joint Chiefs Mark Milley hold a news conference at Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia. Reuters

President Donald Trump has said privately that he would fire Defense Secretary Mark Esper and replace him following the 2020 US presidential election, according to Bloomberg News.

According to multiple news reports in recent weeks, Trump has been incensed by Esper.

Esper has also privately expressed interest in leaving the administration after the election if Trump wins, one person said to Bloomberg.

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

President Donald Trump privately said he would fire Defense Secretary Mark Esper and replace him following the 2020 US presidential election, according to Bloomberg News.

According to multiple news reports in recent weeks, Trump has been incensed by Esper, who was confirmed by the Senate in 2019. Trump was frustrated that the defense secretary did not back him up on major national-security developments, including the Russian bounty scandal, according to Bloomberg.

Esper's decisions this year have often been counter to the commander-in-chief wishes. In June, he said he did not agree with using active-duty service members to curb nationwide protests in response to the death of George Floyd, a Black man who was killed by police. That sentiment conflicted with Trump, who repeatedly threatened to deploy troops to American streets, rather than leaving the matter to state National Guard forces and police.

"I have always believed and continue to believe that the National Guard is best suited for performing domestic support to civil authorities in these situations in support of local law enforcement," Esper said on June 9.

"The option to use active-duty forces in a law-enforcement role should only be used as a matter of last resort and only in the most urgent and dire of situations," he said. "We are not in one of those situations now."

In a statement to Bloomberg, the Pentagon said Esper's "highest honor and privilege" was "to serve the Nation in defense of our great country."

Story continues

"He first swore an oath to the Constitution as a West Point cadet over 38 years ago, and has done so many times throughout his adult life, in both war and peace, in uniform and out of uniform," the statement added. "He continues that same commitment to duty, honor, and country today, recognizing that he serves the Nation and leads the men and women of this Department as Secretary of Defense at the pleasure of the president."

Esper has also privately expressed interest in leaving the administration after the election, if the results are in Trump's favor, one person told Bloomberg.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Iran's President Hassan Rouhani expressed "great hopes" Wednesday that a US bid to extend an arms embargo on his country will fail, warning of consequences if the UN Security Council backs it.

Rouhani's remarks came after Iran's ambassador to the United Nations said the US would have to redraft its proposed resolution on the issue after being "rebuffed" by Security Council members.

"We have great hopes that America will fail," Rouhani told a televised meeting of his cabinet.

The ban on selling weapons to Iran is set to be progressively eased from October under the terms of Resolution 2231, which blessed the Iran nuclear deal that world powers agreed in July 2015.

But a UN embargo on materials and technology that Iran could use for its ballistic missile programme is to remain in place until 2023.

The European Union has said it will continue to enforce its own embargo against Iran after the lifting of the first UN restrictions.

Under the accord officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, Iran committed to limiting its nuclear programme in exchange for sanctions relief.

The JCPOA has been on life-support since the US under President Donald Trump withdrew from it and reimposed unilateral sanctions in 2018.

Iran has since taken small but escalatory steps away from compliance with the agreement as it presses for the sanctions relief it was promised.

- 'Blatant violation' -

"We have great hopes that America will realise its failure and see its isolation," the Iranian president said.

"But our stance in any case is clear. If such a resolution comes to pass... it means a blatant violation of the JCPOA," he added, warning the "consequences will rest with the perpetrators of this act".

Iran's envoy to the UN, Majid Takht Ravanchi, said on Wednesday that the US "was forced to retreat" from its draft resolution after being "rebuffed by UNSC members" and had to propose a fresh version.

Story continues

"The new draft is similar -- in its NATURE and GOAL -- to the previous. Confident that the Council will -- again -- reject this move."

Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said earlier the new draft was a "five-page resolution reduced to five sentences", and added that by presenting it as new, the US was disrespecting Security Council members.

The original US text, seen by AFP in New York, effectively called for an indefinite extension of the arms embargo on Iran and used hawkish rhetoric.

- 'Unholy mess' -

A new US-drafted resolution also seen by AFP was slimmed down from that one, but it still calls for an indefinite extension.

With most European countries in the 15-member Council expected to abstain, the new text is unlikely to get the nine votes it needs to pass.

If it does, China and Russia intend to veto the resolution.

Richard Gowan, a New York-based UN expert at the International Crisis Group, said the US had "mishandled the diplomatic choreography over this resolution".

"They wanted to push their hardline draft and then make a show of compromising on a shorter text, which they hoped Estonia or Tunisia would introduce," he said.

"But the Estonians and Tunisians, like most other Council members, seem to have decided that they want as little to do with this unholy mess as possible.

"After talks on Monday, both turned down the opportunity to table the compromise text," he told AFP in New York.

"So now the US has had to do that itself. But the goal, which is to move towards snapback, remains the same."

European allies of the US -- Britain, Germany and France, who along with Russia and China, are parties to the JCPOA -- have voiced support for extending the conventional arms embargo but their priority is to preserve the nuclear deal.

Washington has threatened to use a contested argument that it remains a "participant" in the JCPOA -- despite its withdrawal -- and if UN sanctions are not extended, it can force their return if it sees Iran as being in violation of the accord's terms.

amh-pdh/dv/fz
We had an inkling that the Surface Duo would be coming soon, and  after letting things slip a little early  Microsoft just confirmed it. The dual-screen Android phone is officially arriving on September 10th, with a starting price of $1,399. Pre-orders begin today. Its rare to see a long-awaited device released earlier than expected, but it makes sense why Microsoft might be rushing things: Its aiming to launch right in the middle of peak iPhone season. Last years iPhone 11 launch event was also on September 10th, which is also close to previous debuts.

To recap, the Surface Duo features two screens connected by a 360-degree hinge. It's meant to be an adaptable device: You can fold it up to use it like a normal smartphone, hold it open like a booklet (similar to Microsoft's long-lost Courier project), or splay the two screens open like a tablet. And yes, you can even use one screen as a stand to prop it up on a table. Microsoft is taking the same approach with the slightly larger Surface Neo, a portable PC that'll run Windows apps (and is reportedly delayed until next year). But the Duo is the potentially more interesting device, since it marks Microsoft's return to smartphone hardware after Windows Phone fizzled so spectacularly.

Microsoft Surface Duo Microsoft Surface Duo

The Surface Duo features Qualcomms Snapdragon 855 processor, 6GB of RAM and starts with 128GB of storage (you can get a 256GB model for $1,500). Its two 5.6-inch AMOLED screens sport a resolution of 1,800 x 1,350 each  together they form a 8.1-inch display (with a hinge in the middle, of course). Microsoft says its the thinnest Surface device yet, measuring 4.8 millimeters when it's opened. At 0.55 pounds (250 grams), it's a touch heavier than the iPhone 11 Pro Max. But really, what else did you expect from a device that's wrapped in Gorilla Glass around two screens?

As Panos Panay, Microsoft's Chief Product Officer, demonstrated the Surface Duo in a media briefing, it was difficult to tell if the hardware changed much since it's debut last October. The software, on the other hand, seems far more polished for multi-tasking than any dual-screen or folding phone we've seen yet. If you're following a link from a text message or email, it'll pop open in a web browser on the other screen, so you won't be distracted. You can pair apps to open up together from together Android launcher (Panay says Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella is regularly using the Kindle app alongside a note-taking program).

Story continues

You can also drag over content easily between the screens  in the demo, Panay pulled over recipe ingredients from a website that instantly transformed into a bullet list in Microsoft's To Do app. That's something that would involve copying text, swapping apps, and pasting on a normal smartphone. Microsoft is clearly banking on the need for better multi-tasking in phones. Who wouldn't want an extra screen to browse the web without leaving a video call? Wouldn't email be easier to deal with if you could view all of your messages in one window, while reading them in another?

Microsoft Surface Duo

Still, as intrigued as I am, I can already see a few potential issues with the Surface Duo. For one, typing might be a bit annoying in certain orientations. If you click a text field on the left screen in booklet mode, you'll get a one-handed keyboard that's aligned to your left thumb. That seems like a good idea, but I can't imagine typing much with a single finger, and it seems too awkward to lean over with your right hand. Instead, you'll have to flip the Duo around into landscape mode to get a large keyboard suitable for both thumbs. You can also use any Surface Pen to jot down notes, but that's something you'll have to buy separately and carry around in your pocket, since there's no way to attach it to the Duo.

Microsoft is also going directly against the multi-camera smartphone trend. The Surface Duo just has a single 11-megapixel shooter located above its right screen. It looks a typical front-facing lens  to use it as a rear camera, you just have to fold the screen back. While Microsoft says the Duo has a portrait mode and can shoot multi-frame HDR photos, that's all software based. It won't be able to take advantage of different lens lengths like other premium smartphones. There's no mention of any night shooting mode either, so you can likely forget about decent low-light performance. While Microsoft could still end up surprising us with the camera, the specs don't give me much hope.

The Surface Duo might also seem a bit quaint now that Samsung has unveiled the Galaxy Z Fold 2, its third attempt at making flexible phones work. But Panay, ever the company man, thinks there's a very clear reason why Microsoft opted to build devices with two separate, hinge-connected displays. "I do believe in windows," he said. "I believe in windowing." The company has found that users multi-task differently when they can organize their work across two separate displays, instead of a single screen. And of course, it also helps that the Duo is much cheaper than the original Galaxy Z Fold, which cost well over $2,000 (we still don't know the pricing of the Z Fold 2). The $1,380 Galaxy Z Flip is a bit more reasonable, but it's smaller screen isn't nearly as useful as the Surface Duo's.

You can pre-order the Surface Duo at the Microsoft Store, AT&T and Best Buy. It'll also work on T-Mobile and Verizon's networks, if you nab an unlocked model.
Atlantic City could soon be a doggy doggy world: Snoop Dogg has plans to begin investing in real estate in the city, the rap mogul said on a phone call with the mayor.

BREAKING NEWS...SHARE The people who really know me...know how BIG this is for me...Today I had a chance to promote... Posted by Marty Small Sr. on Sunday, August 9, 2020

Im coming to the state, Im coming to the city, Im looking to invest in some real estate, do some big things, Snoop Dogg said on a Facetime call with Mayor Marty Small.

The conversation was facilitated by Cesar Pina of Flipping NJ, a regional real estate investor based in New Jersey.

In a Facebook post about the call, Small called Snoop Dogg his favorite rapper of all time.

You heard the legend himself ... hes coming to Atlantic City, we are going to make it happen, Small wrote.

Discussions between Snoop Dogg and the city will continue, Small told BreakingAC, which first reported on the rappers interest in the city. Small could not be reached for comment Monday afternoon.

Atlantic City real estate is not the first entrepreneurial venture by the rapper. Snoop Dogg owns the cannabis company Leafs by Snoop, and launched an e-sports gaming league that most definitely allows the use of cannabis.

During the Sunday call, Small also took the opportunity to bring up one of Snoop Doggs other passions: weed. Marijuana legalization will be on the ballot this November, something Snoop Dogg said he was looking forward to.

You know it, and when yall legalize, I will definitely be there to cut the ribbon, Snoop Dogg said.

The rapper lives in Inglewood, California, which is also governed by a Black mayor, and he suggested the two mayors should lead a national coalition of Black mayors.

Small is up for reelection in November, and Snoop Dogg offered preemptive congratulations.

Success on your new term because I know youre going to get it again, Snoop Dogg said.

Katie Kausch may be reached at kkausch@njadvancemedia.com.
This morning, presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden announced California's Senator Kamala Harris as his running mate, ending weeks of increasingly frenzied speculation.

If Biden defeats President Donald Trump on November 3, Harris would become the first female vice-president in US history.

In this episode, Sunday Age editor David King is joined by North America correspondent Matthew Knott to discuss what Harris' appointment means for the US election.

Our supporters power our newsrooms and are critical for the sustainability of news coverage.
David Dorsey grew up on a ranch in Rock County and always had an interest in that lifestyle along with Old West history.

It has been a main theme in his art career and in the works he produces in a basement studio at his ranch in Valentine.

The history is just what draws me in that direction, the 62-year-old artist said Wednesday.

His acrylic painting, New Friends on the Prairie, was selected as best in show out of the 125 paintings, photos and sculptures entered in this years Nebraskaland Days Open Art Show at the Prairie Arts Center.

The work depicts a Native American scout greeting two travelers in a covered wagon as they head down a trail.

Dorsey got the reference material for the painting from his time at the Artist Ride in Wall, South Dakota, an event where Western artists and Native American models gather at the Shearer Ranch along the Cheyenne River.

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Troopers tried to get it to stop as Alvarado continued in reverse, police said. He started driving forward the wrong way in the northbound lane. Troopers had to physically block him from going into traffic and hitting cars head-on, they said.
Rep. Leslie Herod (D-Colo.) (L) hugs Elijah McClain's mother, Sheneen McClain (R) as they stand with protesters as they rally outside the Aurora Police Department Headquarters to demand justice for McClain's son in Aurora, Colo., on June 27, 2020. (Photo by Michael Ciaglo/Getty Images)

Parents of Elijah McClain Sue Colorado City and Police Over His Death

The parents of Elijah McClain, a 23-year-old black man who died in police custody in Aurora, Colorado, last year, have sued the city and its police, accusing the department of a longstanding pattern of racism and brutality.

In the federal civil rights lawsuit filed on Aug. 11, parents Sheneen McClain and Lawayne Mosley said they were seeking both accountability for the loss of a beautiful soul and to send a message that racism and brutality have no place in American law enforcement.

McClain, a massage therapist, died in August 2019 after officers with the Aurora Police Department restrained him with a chokehold and paramedics injected him with 500 milligrams of the sedative ketamine, leaving him unconscious, according to the complaint. He suffered cardiac arrest, was later declared brain dead, and was taken off life support. He died in hospital days after the incident.

At the time of the incident, McClain was walking home alone wearing a ski mask with his headphones on, when three officers stopped him on a report that he was being suspicious. The complaint said he presented no physical threat.

Stop right there. Stop. Stop  I have a right to stop you because youre being suspicious, an officer can be heard saying on police body camera footage.

According to the complaint, I cant breathe. I cant breathe, please stop, were among the 23-year-olds final words.

His parents in their lawsuit allege that McClain was unlawfully stopped and that he had not committed any crime. The lawsuit cites previous incidents of black people being forcefully detained by Aurora police.

Aurora spokesperson Julie Patterson said the city attorney is reviewing the lawsuit but declined further comment.

String players perform during a violin vigil for Elijah McClain in Washington Square Park in New York City on June 29, 2020. (Byron Smith/Getty Images)

In a statement released by McClains parents, they said that their son was a peaceful man who played his violin for cats at animal shelters to ease their loneliness and would not harm a fly.

In a statement Tuesday, the Colorado Attorney Generals Office announced that it had launched a broad investigation of Aurora Police Department patterns and practices that might deprive individuals of their constitutional rights under state or federal law. It is also conducting a separate inquiry into McClains death, the office said.

Personnel from the Aurora Fire Rescue Department have also been named in the lawsuit as defendants. The complaint alleges that paramedics attending to McClain failed to care for him when they injected him with the sedative, which impaired his breathing. It said McClain showed no signs of resisting when medics administered the sedative. The 500 milligrams dose was also too much for someone weighing about 140 pounds (65 kilograms), the lawsuit states.

Last month, interim Aurora Police Chief Vanessa Wilson fired two police officersErica Marrero and Kyle Dittrichwho took smiling selfies at a memorial site for McClain. A third officer, Jaren Jones, resigned before he could be terminated, and a fourth, Jason Rosenblatt, who saw the picture and replied haha in a text message, also lost his job.

All four were found in violation of conduct unbecoming of an officer.

Wilson said at a press conference on July 3 that the photographs taken by the officers on Oct. 20, 2019, showed them smiling at McClains memorial. One showed them reenacting a chokehold that officers used on McClain.

I am disgusted to my core, the police chief said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
A look at the shareholders of Creo Medical Limited (LON:CREO) can tell us which group is most powerful. Institutions will often hold stock in bigger companies, and we expect to see insiders owning a noticeable percentage of the smaller ones. Companies that have been privatized tend to have low insider ownership.

With a market capitalization of UK290m, Creo Medical is a small cap stock, so it might not be well known by many institutional investors. Taking a look at our data on the ownership groups (below), it's seems that institutional investors have bought into the company. Let's take a closer look to see what the different types of shareholder can tell us about Creo Medical.

Check out our latest analysis for Creo Medical

What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Creo Medical?

Institutional investors commonly compare their own returns to the returns of a commonly followed index. So they generally do consider buying larger companies that are included in the relevant benchmark index.

Creo Medical already has institutions on the share registry. Indeed, they own a respectable stake in the company. This can indicate that the company has a certain degree of credibility in the investment community. However, it is best to be wary of relying on the supposed validation that comes with institutional investors. They too, get it wrong sometimes. When multiple institutions own a stock, there's always a risk that they are in a 'crowded trade'. When such a trade goes wrong, multiple parties may compete to sell stock fast. This risk is higher in a company without a history of growth. You can see Creo Medical's historic earnings and revenue, below, but keep in mind there's always more to the story.

Investors should note that institutions actually own more than half the company, so they can collectively wield significant power. Hedge funds don't have many shares in Creo Medical. Hargreave Hale Limited, Asset Management Arm is currently the company's largest shareholder with 13% of shares outstanding. With 8.4% and 8.1% of the shares outstanding respectively, Baillie Gifford & Co. and Development Bank of Wales Plc are the second and third largest shareholders.

Story continues

On further inspection, we found that more than half the company's shares are owned by the top 8 shareholders, suggesting that the interests of the larger shareholders are balanced out to an extent by the smaller ones.

While it makes sense to study institutional ownership data for a company, it also makes sense to study analyst sentiments to know which way the wind is blowing. As far I can tell there isn't analyst coverage of the company, so it is probably flying under the radar.

Insider Ownership Of Creo Medical

While the precise definition of an insider can be subjective, almost everyone considers board members to be insiders. The company management answer to the board; and the latter should represent the interests of shareholders. Notably, sometimes top-level managers are on the board, themselves.

Insider ownership is positive when it signals leadership are thinking like the true owners of the company. However, high insider ownership can also give immense power to a small group within the company. This can be negative in some circumstances.

Our most recent data indicates that insiders own some shares in Creo Medical Limited. It has a market capitalization of just UK290m, and insiders have UK10m worth of shares, in their own names. It is good to see some investment by insiders, but it might be worth checking if those insiders have been buying.

General Public Ownership

With a 11% ownership, the general public have some degree of sway over CREO. While this size of ownership may not be enough to sway a policy decision in their favour, they can still make a collective impact on company policies.

Private Equity Ownership

With a stake of 8.1%, private equity firms could influence the CREO board. Some investors might be encouraged by this, since private equity are sometimes able to encourage strategies that help the market see the value in the company. Alternatively, those holders might be exiting the investment after taking it public.

Public Company Ownership

Public companies currently own 3.0% of Creo Medical stock. It's hard to say for sure, but this suggests they have entwined business interests. This might be a strategic stake, so it's worth watching this space for changes in ownership.

Next Steps:

While it is well worth considering the different groups that own a company, there are other factors that are even more important. Be aware that Creo Medical is showing 4 warning signs in our investment analysis , and 2 of those shouldn't be ignored...

Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking elsewhere. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies.

NB: Figures in this article are calculated using data from the last twelve months, which refer to the 12-month period ending on the last date of the month the financial statement is dated. This may not be consistent with full year annual report figures.

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.
Three Chicago-area suspects accused in a series of Aug. 9 distraction burglaries in Lake County and elsewhere were arraigned on charges in Painesville Municipal Court Aug. 12.

Rudy Miller, 29, and Rocky Mason 28, are each facing second- and fourth-degree felony burglary charges stemming from the incidents. Miller is also facing a fourth-degree felony failure to comply with a police signal or order and misdemeanor charges of falsification, no operators license, and reckless operation. Apple Miller, 26, is facing second- and fourth-degree felony complicity to burglary charges.

On the day of the incidents, the Lake County Sheriffs Office first responded to a Concord Township home for a report of a distraction burglary. The 73-year-old homeowner told deputies that a black sedan, possibly a Dodge, pulled into the driveway as the resident was working in her yard, according to a sheriffs office news release. Two males exited the vehicle and claimed there had been a water main break in the area.

One of the men began talking to the resident while the other began walking to the door of the residence. Despite the residents verbal refusal to allow him into the residence, the man walking toward the door allegedly entered the home. Eventually the resident entered her home and found the man walking throughout the house. The men then left the area in the black sedan. The resident reported that a charm bracelet was missing from her jewelry box, according to the release.

Later the department responded to two separate distraction burglary calls in Leroy Township. Nothing was stolen in either incident, according to the news release.

Pennsylvania State Police also reported a similar distraction burglary with men fitting the description of the Lake County incidents and also driving a Dodge with an out-of-state temporary registration. In this case, the men allegedly talked their way into the home of an elderly resident and stole a floor safe containing nearly $10,000 in cash along with other items. The Ashtabula County Sheriffs Office reported a similar distraction burglary the same day with suspects fitting the same description in a black Dodge. In this incident, the men allegedly claimed to be from the water company and made entry into a home. Over $6,000 worth of jewelry was stolen from this home, according to the news release.

Shortly after the Ashtabula County incident, Madison Township police located the suspected vehicle, a black 2012 Dodge Challenger with an Indiana temporary registration. Madison Township police called for assistance and followed the car to a BP gas station on Vrooman Road.

Once the Lake County Sheriffs Office and Ohio State Highway Patrol arrived, the suspect vehicle allegedly fled, almost striking a sheriffs office cruiser. A pursuit ended westbound on Interstate 90. Mentor police deployed spikes near the Route 615 exit, according to the release. The suspect vehicle allegedly continued to flee at a high rate of speed and police lost sight of it near the Route 615 exit from Interstate 90.

A short time later, an Uber driver said he was called to pick up two men and a woman in Garfield Park in Mentor. The Uber driver arrived and picked the three up from a black Dodge Challenger, according to the release. The Uber driver had been scanning police channels and heard a pursuit involving a black Dodge. The driver took the three and dropped them off near a hotel on Route 306 after refusing their offer of $500 to drive them to Chicago. The Uber driver called 911.

All three occupants of the Dodge Challenger were detained and the car was impounded, according to the release. Evidence from several of the incidents was allegedly later located inside the vehicle, including the safe, money and jewelry.

Painesville Municipal Court Judge Paul R. Malchesky set bond for all three suspects at $1,000,000 with a 10 percent option.

The three suspects remain in the Lake County Jail in lieu of bond.
Montgomery County commissioners rescinded an amendment to a law enforcement transition agreement with The Woodlands Township on Tuesday after township officials accused the county of intentionally leaving part of the original agreement out of the amendment.

In a 3-2 vote, commissioners originally approved the amendment July 28 that would have added two years to the existing contract related to the potential incorporation of The Woodlands.

The agreement was set to expire Dec. 31. Precinct 1 Commissioner Mike Meador and Precinct 3 Commissioners James Noack were the nay votes.

The Woodlands Township Board of Directors Chairman Gordy Bunch spoke to commissioners during the courts July 28 explaining the township agreed put their plans to place incorporation on the November ballot on hold due to the current COVID-19 pandemic. That action prompted the township to request an extension from the county.

However, county officials balked at the accusation and said the township only requested the two-year extension reflected in the amendment and never addressed leaving in three one-year automatic renewals to the original contract for the transition following approval of incorporation by public vote.

What we were asked to do was to extend the term of the contract from 2020 to 2022, and that was what we did, said Assistant County Attorney Amy Dunham. It was never our intention to delete or remove anything and in fact, we didnt, all we did was change the effective date of the term.

Sheriff Rand Henderson said the transition agreement with The Woodlands Township was created with the plan for the township to place the incorporation item on the November ballot. Now that the township has decided not to place the item on the upcoming election ballot, Henderson said he wanted to renegotiate the terms of the proposed contract.

We have learned a lot since they brought in a consultant group to look at what law enforcement transition would look like. Because of that, we are better prepared to make some changes to what the county would provide the city of The Woodlands.

One area Henderson noted needed clarification was the drawdown of the employees.

It doesnt say who the personnel are so I would like to designate those personnel, Henderson said. I really what to be able to give a sense of stability to my employees especially during this defund the police movement thats going on. We have quite a bit at stake with this incorporation.

If (incorporation) is going to be pushed back two, three years, I think we need to look at this a little different.

Precinct 3 Commissioner James Noack noted the county needed to ensure it was protected to avoid having to fund more than 80 employees if the township becomes a city.

(The agreement) does nothing to provide certainty for law enforcement officers that are on contract with The Woodlands Township, Noack said. In order for us to provide certainty and peace of mind, we need the township to say hey, we understand this is a civil service issue for you and we are going to put into a pot for the county for a years worth of salary. Right now, the county is on the hook for every one of those deputies.

Noack said the county has every desire to work with the township on a contract that is fair and benefits both entities.

County Judge Mark Keough suggested the court table the issue and Henderson work with the township to renegotiate the contract for the transition period.

In May 2019, the township approved a series of agreements with Montgomery County that would ensure an orderly transition and continued law enforcement services and road maintenance services if the township board put the incorporation question to voters for possible approval to become a city and voters approved the issue.

Because the township is a special purpose district and not a municipality, it has no authority to operate or manage any level of law enforcement duties unless the community approves incorporation.

The Woodlands is patrolled by several outside law enforcement agencies, primarily the Montgomery County Sheriffs Office, which provides 88 total staff, including patrol deputies in The Woodlands Division, and the Harris County Precinct 4 Constable Office, which provides 11 patrol officers and one sergeant.

cdominguez@hcnonline.com
You can now have a sleepover at the very last Blockbuster store to exist!

Well when we say you can, we mean people living in Oregon, USA, where the last remaining store is.

Aaaaand, it's only open for three nights. But hey, still pretty cool!

Sandi Harding, the store manager, wanted to thank his loyal customers for their support over the years, and Oregon residents will soon be able to apply to book a reservation.

The listing on Airbnb states:

The store is all yours for the night! So let loose, blast the boombox and wear your favorite 90s denim so that you feel right at home in another era.

Whoever is lucky enough to get a reservation will be able to help themselves to the hundreds of DVDs and video games, as well as nerds, popcorn, and Pepsi.

They'll also be able to "cozy up with 'new releases' from the 90s" and will be able to take a trip down memory lane with a VCR.

Sandi will charge the lucky guests only $4 a night - as a thank you to the community.
When you are a traveller knowing the hot spots and local fishing spots can be a little tricky if you arent familiar with the area. We have been there and we are sure you have been too. So we thought we would put together a list of our top 5 fishing spots around Australia so next time you go on your adventure you will have some inside information!



CAIRNS - QUEENSLAND



Known for its tropical weather and beautiful beaches (that you cant swim in - croc alert!) Cairns has some of the best fishing spots in Australia! Daintree river, Palm Cove, Port Douglas and Captain Cook Highway are just a few to name! If you want to spoil yourself and head out on a fishing charter than we recommend taking a look at Paradise Sport Fishing Adventures - with a 4.5 start rating on TripAdvisor you can rest assured that you will enjoy your trip!



ILUKA - NSW



Around a 2 and a half hour drive north of Coffs Harbour Iluka is a hidden gem. You can snap up a beautiful riverside house through airbnb or head to one of the local caravan parks and book yourself in. Anywhere along the Iluka river is usually abundant with fishing spots. To get you started our favourites are Shark Bay, Iluka Bluff, Frazers Reef and Woody Head.



EXMOUTH - WA



Get your caravan sorted and your car serviced - if you are based on the East Coast of Australia its time to head over to the West. Not only are the beaches incredibly beautiful but the fishing in the Exmouth Region is one of the most popular spots in Australia. You wont get bored with all the local activities to do and the drive over itself is absolutely stunning. Dont get us wrong - there are parts of Australia that can be quite barron but you learn to love it in all its beauty. The best way to make sure you dont get bored on your trip over is to deck out your caravan with one of our Caravan TV ?s. Its perfect for your Caravan and we have them available in 12V TV. So when you need a rest from fishing you can watch your netflix, and chill!



DARWIN - NT



Rated one of the top 10 fishing spots in Australia and known to be a booming City full of FIFO workers you certainly wont regret the trip here. You can spend your time fishing around the many spots in Darwin such as Daly River, Darwin Harbour and The Roper River. Did someone say Barramundi for breakfast lunch and tea?



KANGAROO ISLAND - SA



If you are after some beautiful Blue King Tuna then you need to pack-up right now and head to the beautiful Kangaroo Island in South Australia. Surrounded by some of the most spectacular coastlines in Australia you could spend weeks, even months travelling around, fishing and enjoying the nomad life!



So what are you waiting for? If you didnt have an excuse to go on that fishing trip you have been waiting for then you sure do now!



Dont forget to checkout our online store for all of your 32 Inch TV or all Caravan Needs!



tvs for sale?
In the face of sexist and racist attacks, we unequivocally have Harriss back  and we have other women candidates backs, too. Through our We Have Her Back campaign, we are calling on the media to stamp out the kind of unfair coverage, double standards, and coded language that have held women  and especially women of color  from positions of power, across party lines, for far too long.
By PTI

WASHINGTON: The mainstream US media on Wednesday ran rare banner headlines -- similar to the ones when Barack Obama was declared presidential nominee in 2008 -- hailing the decision of Democratic Party presidential nominee Joe Biden to select Indian-origin Senator Kamala Harris as his running mate.

The Jamaican media too gave frontpage coverage to the selection of Harris, whose father is an African from Jamaica and mother an Indian, as the Democratic vice presidential nominee.

Biden, the 77-year-old former US vice president, will challenge incumbent Republican President Donald Trump, 74, in the November 3 election.

By naming the 55-year-old Harris, a lawyer and politician from California as his running mate on Tuesday, Biden made history by selecting the first Black woman to compete on a major party's presidential ticket.

Harris is currently the Senator from California and has been described as a trailblazer by former president Barack Obama.

"In historic move, Biden selects Harris for VP," The Washington Post said in a banner headline in its Wednesday's edition.

The decision elevates the first Black woman and first Asian-American woman to run for vice president on a major-party ticket at a moment when the country is grappling with its racial past and future, the leading daily reported.

The decision, it noted, is the most consequential of Biden's presidential campaign and has major implications not only for the November election but for the future of the Democratic Party.

Noting that Biden would be of 78 years by the Inauguration Day, and thus the oldest president ever, the newspaper said the choice places Harris, who was a more vibrant and energetic presence on the campaign trail but was also at times unsteady, at the forefront of the party's future as, potentially, the first female vice president.

Harris herself was a presidential aspirant until last year before she dropped out of the race because of lack of popular support.

The New York Times in its lead headline said, Biden's VP Pick is Kamala Harris, 1st Women of Color on Major Ticket.

 The daily noted that Harris is the first Black woman and the first person of Indian descent to be nominated for national office by a major party, and only the fourth woman in US history to be chosen for a presidential ticket.

"She brings to the race a far more vigorous campaign style than Mr Biden's, including a gift for capturing moments of raw political electricity on the debate stage and elsewhere, and a personal identity and family story that many find inspiring," it said.

Harris Named as Biden's Running Mate in Historic Vice-Presidential Choice, was the lead headline of The Wall Street Journal.

Daughter of Indian and Jamaican immigrants, Harris has been a rising star in the Democratic Party since being elected to the Senate in 2016, it said.

Given her own presidential campaign, she was better-known than many of the other women under consideration.

In addition to an established small-dollar donor list, she has ties to wealthy donors from industries including finance, media and law, The WSJ noted.

According to The Los Angeles Times, Kamala Harris is Joe Biden's history-making pick for vice president.

 In picking Harris, the daily in an editorial said, Biden has shown that "unlike the man currently holding the job he seeks, he's not afraid of strong women".

As Biden heads into the most consequential president election in modern history, he sees what we do: Harris has a lot to offer the campaign and the ticket beyond being a symbol, it said.

In another report, the newspaper said, Harris brings an unusual blend of social justice progressiveness and law-and-order conservatism.

She has a long career of fighting to protect the downtrodden and looking for ways to reform the criminal justice system while still locking up plenty of the proverbial bad guys.

She's gone after for-profit colleges and the mortgage industry when they preyed upon her constituents.

"She's outspoken (at least when she wants to be) on issues she cares about, will not be cowed by bullying, and is not afraid of being seen as overly aggressive, which can be a career killer for women.

Just ask Hillary Clinton, the daily said.

The Boston Globe in its lead headline noted, Biden's running mate is Kamala Harris, first woman of color on a major party's ticket.

 Only two other women have been major party vice presidential nominees, Geraldine Ferraro for the Democrats in 1984 and Sarah Palin for the Republicans in 2008, and neither won, the daily said.

Meanwhile, Jamaican Times in its lead headline said, "Biden Selects California Senator Kamala Harris as Running Mate".

In another front-page report it said, "While many will hail the choice of Kamala Harris as Joe Biden's running mate, the US senator from California has come under tough criticism - but also been praised - over her past work as a top prosecutor.

" The Jamaica Observer in its lead headline stated, "Trump says 'surprised' at Biden's pick of 'horrible' Harris".

PTI LKJ SCY SCY SCY 08121258 NNNN
Back in 2018, YouTube did something unimaginable. With its video titled 'YouTube Rewind 2018', the video-sharing website set a world record for being the most-disliked video on its own platform.

The video currently has 18 million dislikes on it. However, comparing the dislike ratio against the likes, YouTube stands at 86%, still faring better than the trailer of Mahesh Bhatt's upcoming movie Sadak 2 which released on Wednesday.

Since the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput, cries to boycott "star kids" have been louder than ever and their anger only amplified on Wednesday when a bulk of Singh "fans" headed to YouTube to express their feelings towards director Mahesh Bhatt's Sadak 2.

The film also marks Bhatt's directorial return after two decades.

Also Read: Sushant Singh's Fans Want to Make 'Sadak 2' Trailer Most Disliked YouTube Video Because of Nepo Kids

The movie which stars Alia Bhatt, Pooja Bhatt, Sanjay Dutt, and Aditya Roy Kapur has been heavily trolled ever since the first look was launched.

Within hours of its release on August 12, Sadak 2 managed to get downvoted 2.7 million times and the numbers are increasing with every refresh on it

At the time of writing this, the like-dislike ratio on Bhatt's trailer-video is approximately 95%. The video has 164K likes.

Also Read: Mahesh Bhatt's 'Sadak 2' Trailer Gets Brutally Trolled With Memes amid Nepotism Backlash

This puts the trailer right at the top of dislike ratio, with Swedish gamer PewDiePie's video "Can this video get 1 million dislikes?" coming close second with 93% dislikes at 4.88 million dislikes.

If the comments on Sadak 2 trailer are anything to go by, the video could very well become the most-disliked video in Indian YouTube circuit in days to come.

Here are some of them:

"Guys let's make this trailer the most disliked trailer in History of YouTube. Let's not support nepotism...!!" wrote one commenter.

"I want justice for SSR so I'm going to dislike whole movie..."

"I only here to dislike this trailer, (sic)."

"Anybody here just to dislike and didn't watch the trailer?"

"You can dislike and go ..do not increase it's views and do not watch movie at all."

"My finger automatically pressed on dislike button like my finger was being forced to dislike ..."

It is worth noting that the dislikes (and dislike ratio) on Bhatt's Sadak 2 are volatile and bound to change and so will the statistics on the video.
Interior designer Chad Dorseys website explains that he creates refined interiors that balance tailored style with the spirit of modern living. Nowhere is that more apparent than in STRIKE, the designers latest collection of luxurious stone fireplaces.

The

Though Dorseys eponymous studio is based in Dallas, Texas, he more recently opened up a Los Angeles outpost in hopes of broadening his horizons. These newfound coastal surroundings, as well as the anything is possible attitude so prominent in California, seem to have played a big role in shaping his new collection, whose diverse pieces are near-direct reflections of the states awe-inspiring topographies.

STRIKE offers us six bold sculptural designs  Calistoga, Laguna, Malibu, Ojai, Sausalito, and Sea Ranch  each available in nine types of marble and limestone: White, Poseidon, Pewter, Nero, Montclaire, Danby, Cream, Charcoal, and Breccia Nuvole. On top of that, each fireplace can be adorned with one of three types of finish. And while that may sound like a lot of options to choose from, you can rest assured that every piece in this collection is refreshingly textural, unapologetically modern, and undeniably thought-provoking.

The

The

The

A lot of traditional fireplaces are already available, but there were hardly any modern options at all, Dorsey explains. I started designing my own streamlined fireplaces for interiors projects and expanded upon that for the line.

People are more interested now in stones that have a lot more texture and movement of pattern, he adds. Breccia Nuvole gray marble is one of my favorites, because it looks like lava stone, especially when its given a rough finish.

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Hailing from Tennessee, Dorseys passion for architecture began early on, eventually leading him to pursue a degree in architecture and, after that, a career in hospitality design. Hes since overseen projects like clubs, hotels, airplane interiors, and luxury residences  all worth a collective $2 billion.

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The designers website notes that his aesthetic is best described as relaxed luxury, which is defined by a quiet palette, custom furnishings with handcrafted details, meaningful objects, and a true sense of the people who live there. He believes furnishings should be impactful without being overwhelming, and rooms should flow and transition seamlessly. This style is evident in Dorseys interiors projects, too, whether it be his ultra-beachy Surf Shack retreat in Dallas Forest Hills neighborhood, a super sophisticated, LA-inspired La La Land home, or a graphic wonderland of a Hamptons Showhouse.

Inside Chad Dorsey's bold, graphic

The Chad Dorsey-designed

Textural walls and furniture pieces make designer Chad Dorsey's Hamptons Showhouse a modern delight.

In a recent interview with California Home Design, Dorsey expounded further on his distinct brand of relaxed luxury, explaining that for him, relaxed luxury is the idea of living casually with things a person loves to touch and feel in a way that is approachable and not precious. Relaxed luxury is understated. Often quiet, it can go unnoticed, but the user with a discerning eye will appreciate the details and the soothing feeling. Relaxed luxury is achieved with custom furnishings incorporating handcrafted details, meaningful objects, and a true sense of the people who live there.
A prosecutor in a high-profile trial in Armenia has demanded lengthy prison terms for members of an armed group that seized a police base in capital Yerevan in 2016 and made political demands.

A majority of more than two dozen members of Sasna Tsrer, a fringe opposition group involving a number of prominent Karabakh war veterans, were set free pending the outcome of their ongoing trial after the change of government in Armenia in 2018. Many of them were released under personal guarantees of parliament members.

After seizing the police compound in Yerevans Erebuni district in July 2016 the gunmen led by retired army colonel Varuzhan Avetisian demanded that then President Serzh Sarkisian free jailed nationalist politician Zhirayr Sefilian and step down.

They laid down their weapons after a two-week standoff with security forces which left three police officers dead and was accompanied by hostage-taking.

In his closing arguments in court on Wednesday prosecuting attorney Artur Chakhoyan requested that Avetisian and another leader of the group, Pavel Manukian, be sentenced to 8 years and 9 months, and 9 years, respectively.

The prosecutor demanded life imprisonment and 21 years in jail for Sasna Tsrer members Smbat Barseghian and Armen Bilian, respectively, accusing them of committing the murders of police officers.

He sought between eight and a half and nine years in prison for other members of the group on trial.

During the trial Sasna Tsrer members have defied the case for the prosecution, claiming that they exercised their right to uprising against what they viewed as an oppressive regime.

A political party formed around the Sasna Tsrer movement and led by Avetisian took part in Armenias early parliamentary elections in December 2018. The party failed to clear the 5-percent threshold to enter the legislature by polling less than 2 percent of the vote.
(Newser)  Joe Biden and his newly chosen running mate Kamala Harris campaigned together for the first time Wednesday, as the former primary rivals sought to solidify their advantage over President Trump and secure their place in American history, the AP reports. Biden, a 77-year-old white man, embraced the significance of naming the first Black woman to a major party's presidential ticket, but he focused on other attributes Harris brings to the ticket. He hailed the California senator, the 55-year-old former prosecutor, as the right woman to help him defeat Trump and lead a nation facing a pandemic, a wounded economy, and long-simmering reckoning with systemic racism. Harris is "smart, she's tough, she's experienced, she's a proven fighter for the backbone of this country," he said.

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At a mostly empty high school gymnasium in his hometown of WIlmington, Delaware, Biden added that "Kamala knows how to govern." Biden spoke of her experience questioning Trump administration officials in the Senate, and highlighted the historic nature of her pick, noting she's the daughter of immigrants from India and Jamaica. Taking the stage after him, Harris said she was "mindful of all the ambitious women before me, whose sacrifice, determination, and resilience makes my presence here today even possible." She then launched into an attack on Trump's leadership on the coronavirus pandemic: "This is a moment of real consequence for America. Everything we care aboutour economy, our health, our children, the kind of country we live init's all on the line," she said.

(Read more Joe Biden 2020 stories.)
A coalition of more than two dozen business leaders from some of New York City's largest employers together are pledging to hire 100,000 Black, Latino, Asian and low-income workers over the next 10 years.

CEOs from 27 major businesses, including JPMorgan Chase and Google, announced the formation of the New York Jobs CEO Council on Tuesday to help meet the goal.

The initiative will be led by Dr. Gail Mellow, who previously worked as the president of LaGuardia Community College. It will work closely with the City University of New York system -- 75% of that student body is Black and Latinx, according to Mellow -- and other public education and community organizations.

"This is not about a press release, this is about a 10-year commitment on the part of these companies. This is long term, this is systemic," Mellow told ABC News. "These CEOs are metrics-driven. They don't want a good story, they want to see the numbers."

PHOTO: Gail Mellow, former president of LaGuardia Community College, poses for a photo in her office on the campus in the Queens borough of New York, June 19, 2017. (Sam Hodgson/The New York Times via Redux, FILE)

A diverse and inclusive workforce is "important for the country, and it's frankly important for their businesses," she added.

MORE: 'Extreme inequality was the preexisting condition': How COVID-19 widened America's wealth gap

The new program comes as the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated income inequality in the U.S. and hit communities of color especially hard.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said that the state is "confronting this injustice head on" and that the new initiative "will play an important role connecting underserved communities with career resources and access to New York's world-class educational institutions, helping ensure economic prosperity is a dream anyone can realize, no matter their ZIP code."

Joining the initiative are the chiefs of Amazon, Bank of America, Citi, Goldman Sachs, IBM and more. The proposed job types range widely by company, according to Mellow, but the goal is that all are well-paying, even at the entry level, and provide the potential for growth.

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PHOTO: People walk into Google's New York offices on March 5, 2018. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images, FILE)

"Many New Yorkers are stuck in low-paying jobs that could be lost in the future or are struggling to navigate the labor market as the COVID-19 crisis has further exacerbated the economic inequities in the city," Jamie Dimon, CEO and chairman of JPMorgan Chase and a co-chair on the council, said in a statement. The participating companies, including his, are using their "collective power to prepare the city's workforce with the skills of the future and helping New Yorkers who have been left behind get a foot in the door."

Arvind Krishna, CEO of IBM and another co-chair, added that the jobs council "will create much-needed economic opportunities for New Yorkers in diverse and underserved communities."

"This will not only help companies tap into fresh new talent but also ensure that people of all backgrounds can reap the fruits of the city's economic recovery and thrive in a fast-changing job market," Krishna added.

MORE: 'Heroes or hostages?': Communities of color bear the burden of essential work in coronavirus crisis

Mellow told ABC News that each company has been asked to provided a signed letter of intention. As part of the letter, the companies must pledge to work closely with the New York City public schools system and the City University program to create an increasing number of apprenticeships.

Mellow, a college president for two decades, told ABC News her goal has always been to propel students "out of poverty and into the middle class." She said that job opportunities, especially internships and apprenticeships, have been one of the biggest game changers for students from low-income communities entering the workforce.

"The world has been unfair to low-income communities, and that is exactly why we are doing this," she said. "We don't want people to stay low-income -- we want to help create the middle class in America again."

Coalition of major CEOs pledge to hire 100,000 Black, Latino, Asian workers in New York originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
Demonstrators spent the night at Bamako square demanding the resignation of President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita.

Malian security forces have fired tear gas and used water cannon to disperse protesters who camped out at a square in the capital, renewing calls for President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita to step down.

Thousands of people had gathered at Bamakos Independence Square on Tuesday after an opposition coalition resumed anti-government protests as talks mediated by regional leaders to resolve the weeks-long political crisis stalled.

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Clashes began about 06:00 GMT on Wednesday after police arrived at the square and fired several rounds of tear gas at hundreds of protesters who had remained there overnight.

There was panic. The demonstrators scrambled for safety. Some were trampled, Rokia Diarra, a local resident, told Reuters news agency.

Photos on social media showed the square hazy with tear gas.

This is a provocation from the regime, said Nouhou Sarr, from the so-called June 5 Movement, the opposition coalition behind the anti-government protests. Rounds of tear gas will not deter us.

Although dissatisfaction over Malis financial troubles, corruption and worsening security situation has been simmering for a while, the spark for the current crisis was a decision by the Constitutional Court in April to overturn the results of parliamentary polls for 31 seats, in a move that saw candidates with Keitas party get re-elected.

The Human Rights Watch said in a report on Wednesday that security forces have used excessive force against protesters. The rights group said at least 14 people were killed and more than 300 wounded, including demonstrators, bystanders and security personnel, during three days of unrest in July.

Anti-government protesters burn tires and barricade roads in the capital Bamako on July 10 [File: Baba Ahmed/AP]

The West African ECOWAS bloc stepped in last month to mediate, with its heads of government suggesting the formation of a new unity government to end the crisis while sticking by Keita.

But the June 5 Movement  a disparate alliance of political, social and civil-society groups  has repeatedly rejected the proposals, sticking to its core demand for Keitas departure.

On Monday, Keita, who first came to power in 2013, swore in nine new judges to the Constitutional Court, part of a suggestion by the 15-member ECOWAS for resolving the dispute.

Mali has struggled to regain stability since a 2012 uprising by Tuaregs in the north was hijacked by al-Qaeda-linked fighters.

The insecurity has spilled into neighbouring Burkina Faso and Niger, with groups exploiting the poverty of marginalised communities and inflaming tensions between ethnic groups.

The presence of thousands of foreign troops has failed to stem the violence, while allegations of abuse and extrajudicial killings by Malian forces have perpetuated deep-rooted mistrust and enmity in parts of the country with little government presence otherwise.








(Photo : REUTERS/Anton Vaganov/File Photo) A scientist prepares samples during the research and development of a vaccine against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) at a laboratory of BIOCAD biotechnology company in Saint Petersburg, Russia June 11, 2020. (Photo : REUTERS/Anton Vaganov/File Photo) A scientist prepares samples during the research and development of a vaccine against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) at a laboratory of BIOCAD biotechnology company in Saint Petersburg, Russia June 11, 2020.

Russia's coronavirus vaccine worries medical experts after Vladimir Putin announced on Tuesday, Aug. 11, that the country approved its large-scale use. Apparently, some countries think otherwise. Around 20 countries reportedly have already pre-ordered a billion dose of the controversial vaccine One of them is very vocal in its support, even volunteering to assist in local production

Also Read: Fusion Health and Vitality Accused of Falsely Claiming that "Immune Shot" Can Lower Virus Risk

Russia Confirmed that some countries already pre-ordered the vaccine

According to NDTV's latest report, Russia said a billion doses of its COVID-19 vaccine are already pre-ordered by 20 countries, including the Philippines which is very open to the public in its support to the controversial vaccine.

According to Russia's sovereign wealth fund head, Kirill Dmitriyev, the world's first COVID-19 vaccine will be called "Sputnik V," based on the countries Soviet satellite.

Rodrigo Duterte, president of the Philippines, has accepted Russia's offer of its vaccine, even volunteeered to take the first shot.

"When the vaccine arrives, I will have myself injected in public. Experiment on me first, that's fine with me". Duterte even added that Manila can assist Russia in clinical trials and local production.

"We've seen considerable interest in the Russian vaccine developed by the Gamaleya Institute from abroad," said Dmitriyev.

The head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund added that 20 countries already submitted preliminary applications for over one billion doses of the vaccine. He also said that Russia's foreign partners are ready to manufacture 500 million doses of vaccine every year in five countries.

Dmitriyev also argued that Russia's COVID-19 is being discredited by coordinated and carefully orchestrated media attacks.

"To enter into a constructive dialogue with us and provide their citizens in the near future with a high-quality and safe drug that actually saves lives and can halt the pandemic," he added.

Experts Cast Doubts

According to The New York Times' latest report, vaccines that could prevent diseases are among the safest medical products across the globe. However, experts explained that a vaccine could only be considered as safe if it went to clinical trials, which could test the medicine's safety and effectiveness. Medical experts said that they are worried since the Russia's vaccine has no evidence from large-scale clinical trials.

Also Read: Researchers Finally Discover How Our Genome Controls Organ Development That Could Help in the Medical Field

"I think it's really scary. It's really risky," said the director of the Institute for Vaccine Safety at Johns Hopkins University, Daniel Salmon. Other experts, including Daniel, explained that Russia's decision to jump ahead of its so-called Phase 3 trials is a dangerous step since it could determine if the country's vaccine is more effective than a placebo.

The Phase 3 trials are also essential because it can check if the vaccine will not harm people once it is injected. The report explained that compared with other experimental drugs, which are provided to the sick people, vaccines are given to the healthy ones. It means that vaccines must pass a high bar of safety standards. If the medicine has a rare side effect, it could crop up in thousands of people.

For more news update about Russia's coronavirus vaccine, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.

Also Read: Putin: Russia Will Register World's First COVID-19 Vaccine 'in a Few Days' Despite Experts Calling It a 'Pandora Box'

This article is owned by TechTimes,

Written by: Giuliano de Leon.

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Washington:

Bangladeshi Hindus have held a peaceful protest in front of the White House to urge outgoing US President Barack Obama to help protect and bring an end to the persecution of religious minorities in the Muslim-majority country.

We believe you are a person of great sensitivity and resolve, and would find the situation in Bangladesh with respect to the minority communities deplorable. We would like to request you, if it is possible, to convey our anxiety regarding Bangladesh to the next administration, said a memorandum submitted by protesters to Obama on Sunday.

Organised by Hindu Buddhist Christians Unity Council, USA dozens of protesters conveyed their deep concern regarding the allegedly passive role of the Bangladeshi government in coming to the rescue of the affected or in taking legal measures against the perpetrators.

The destruction of Hindu households and temples, the usurping of Hindu lands and occasional killing and rape have become a norm in the present day Bangladesh. In fact, in recent weeks, the news of two more premeditated attacks were documented during which the party in power was complicit, and no actions were taken by the authorities to assist or support the victims and their families, the memorandum said.

Last month, the same organisation had held a similar demonstration in front of the Trump Towers in New York.

President-elect Donald Trump had attended a charity event before the election to raise funds for the terrorism. Bangladeshi Hindus who are victims of terrorism. I am sure, he would take up our cause too, said protester Sitangshu Guha.

Protecting Bangladesh from falling into the lap of ISIS is the most pressing priorities, said Jay Kansara of the Hindu American Foundation.

Because if Bengal falls to extremism, then there would be no recourse to that, he said in his brief address to the protesters, which included women and children.

The memorandum alleged that the present Bangladeshi government occasionally spouted words of secularism, but in reality was following a path of ethnic cleansing that was instituted by Pakistan almost seventy years ago.

We would like to appeal to you to impress upon the Bangladesh government to consider the following pathways in order to end the minority cleansing and persecution in Bangladesh, the memorandum said.

Bangladesh was liberated from Pakistan with the great hope that there would be no communal feeing or communal force, but in the last seven years we see as many as 273 cases have been filed against the attack on minorities in Bangladesh, said Nabendu Bikash Dutta, president Hindu Buddhist Christians Unity Council, USA.

Bangladesh has been reeling under a wave of murders of secular, liberal activists and religious minorities.

Victims of the attacks by suspected Islamists have included secular bloggers, gay rights activists and followers of minority religions including Hindus, Christians and Muslim Sufis and Shiites.

In July, a Bangladeshi cafe was attacked by terrorists, killing 22 people including an Indian girl.

For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Harris has a long way to go before becoming the countrys leader, of course  Biden would have to win, and she would have to succeed him. Still, Biden is 77 and would be the oldest individual elected to the White House if he prevails. Many Democrats do not think he would seek a second term, potentially giving Harris an early advantage in 2024 whether Biden wins in November or not.
(Natural News) President Trump recently decided to rescind the Obama administrations Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) rule, which put pressure on suburbs to construct more low-income, high-density housing in their communities. Trumps decision met with a predictable outcry. Its not even a dog whistle anymore, Connecticut senator Chris Murphy tweeted. Our President is now a proud, vocal segregationist.

(Article by Rupert Darwall republished from RealClearPolicy.com)

Somehow, Democrats still see the suburbs as racially homogenized, lily-white enclaves  something they havent been for a long time. According to demographer Joel Kotkin and urban studies professor Alan Berger, 151 million Americans live in the suburbs and exurbs, compared with only 25 million in urban cores. A majority of African-Americans in the nations 100 largest metropolitan areas live in the suburbs. More Hispanics have been moving to the suburbs than whites, and the Asian population in suburban areas is growing nearly twice as fast as that of Asians living in inner-city cores.

Yet during the Obama years, the Democratic Party positioned itself on the wrong side of these realities. The days where were just building sprawl forever, those days are over, Barack Obama declared in February 2009, less than a month into his presidency. When it comes to development, its time to throw out old policies that encouraged sprawl, he told the U.S. Conference of Mayors in January 2010. Sprawl. Note the word. Thats how progressives chose to describe where most Americans live and many others aspire to live. Its the housing equivalent of Obamas clinging-to- guns-or-religion comment or Hillary Clintons basket of deplorables remark.

Its not racist to want to live in a single-family home on a quarter-acre plot; its more like wanting to live the American dream. And the increasing racial and ethnic diversity of the suburbs means, Kotkin argues, that the targets of these heavy-handed federal social-engineering efforts are not only whites but also many minorities who have worked hard to get where they are.

The AFFH rule, an addition to the 1968 Fair Housing Act, elevates the goal of expanding economic opportunity  but as Stanley Kurtz, the leading conservative critic of the AFFH, argues, that purpose has no basis in the 1968 law. Far from helping inner-city minorities to move out to quiet residential neighborhoods, restricting the supply of new single-plot housing in favor of high-density, subsidized municipal housing denies them the life they seek for their families. For suburbanites, the urbanization of their neighborhoods threatens the value of their principal asset their homes  as well as their quality of life.

Voters understand this, and they dont like it. A 2015 Rasmussen poll of likely voters found an astonishing 83% of respondents agreeing that its not the governments job to diversify neighborhoods so that people of different income levels live together.

Nonetheless, Joe Biden is running on a reinstated, beefed-up AFFH rule, incorporating New Jersey senator Cory Bookers proposal to make federal surface-transportation grants to communities contingent on their compliance with federal inclusive zoning mandates. Rather than race, the Biden campaign now makes environmental justice its justification for extending federal control over the suburbs. Reducing the climate impact of urban sprawl is one of the core components of Bidens net-zero climate plan. Under a Biden administration, federal housing policy will be a tool to alter local regulations in order to eliminate sprawl, prioritizing denser housing to shrink the countrys carbon footprint.

Bidens re-urbanization plan harmonizes with recent recommendations from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Effective urban planning can reduce GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions from urban transport between 20% and 50%, the IPCC says in its 2018 Net Zero report. Significant reductions in car use are associated with dense, pedestrianized cities and towns, its section on urban transport and planning states. The transition to net-zero emissions requires changes in urban design that encourage walkable cities, non-motorized transport and shorter commuter distances  everything the suburbs and exurbs are not.

Transforming the suburbs with large, publicly owned multi-dwelling units  with elevator shafts blasting viruses and microbes to every floor  and forcing people out of the safety of their automobiles onto mass transit looks especially reckless amid a global pandemic. Suburban living is cleaner, safer, and healthier. But progressives true target is the culture and values fostered by suburban living: family life, homeownership and independence from the state, and a sense of autonomy within stable, law-abiding communities. Bidens promise to revive the AFFH rule means that the survival of those values will be on the ballot on November 3. Democrats may regret putting them there.

Read more at: RealClearPolicy.com
A 98-year-old holocaust survivor has become the oldest person in Victoria to beat COVID-19.

Marianne Schwartz was diagnosed during the early stages of the state's second wave in July, but was declared virus free on Tuesday after a month in hospital.

'I'm very, very determined. I'm a survivor in many ways,' she told Sunrise.

Mrs Schwartz, originally from Vienna, is no stranger to defying the odds.

She survived being held in three concentration camps, including Auschwitz, during the Second World War.

Victorian woman and holocaust survivor Marianne Schwartz, 98, (pictured) has become the state's oldest COVID-19 survivor

Karin Zafir, Mrs Schwartz's niece, said her condition was improving before an additional diagnosis almost ended her life.

'She was on oxygen several times, she started to improve before feeling worse again, that is when they found out she had bacterial pneumonia,' she said.

When things looked there worst the holocaust survivor's condition began to improve until she was coronavirus and pneumonia free.

'It certainly was not my most difficult challenge but it was a big challenge,' she said.

After returning home on Tuesday she was gifted a belated 98th birthday celebration before vowing to spend more time with her loved ones.

Mrs Schwartz migrated to Australia in 1952 after marrying her husband Joschy Schwarz in Vienna in 1949.

In a 2018 interview with The Australian she said the adversity she endured at the hands of the Nazis changed her outlook forever.

Mrs Schwartz is no stranger to overcoming the odds after surviving three concentration camps, including Auschwitz (pictured), during the Second World War

'My experience in concentration camps taught me a lot of things, resilience, to take people the way they are, and my attitude to life and death is completely different,' she said.

She said her determination and willpower were what helped her survive the horrors she endured.

'Deep down, I felt they were not able to take away my identity. I still was the same person,' she said.

Mrs Schwartz said she still likes to dream of what life would be like if she had never been taken by the Nazis.

'I learnt to live with what happened to me. I dream occasionally but nobody dies in my dreams. I dont let them,' she said.

Her amazing recovery came as Victoria recorded 410 new COVID-19 cases and 21 deaths in the 24 hours to 3.10pm on Wednesday.
Heavy and medium-range goods carriers will not be allowed entry into Delhi via Noida from 11 pm on Wednesday till 11 am on Thursday and again on Friday and Saturday for the same time period, the Gautam Buddh Nagar police said.

The restrictions have been imposed in view of the full dress rehearsal on Thursday and the Independence Day parade on Friday in the national capital, the district traffic police said in an advisory.

Please use alternative routes to Delhi during the restricted period in order to avoid inconvenience, the police said.

The Delhi Police had earlier announced similar restrictions and diversions in view of the Independence Day programmes.
A state historical preservation agency is set to vote Friday on whether to back out of managing three historic sites in Arizona, including Flagstaff's Riordan Mansion State Park.

The Arizona Historical Society's executive committee recommended dissolving their ties to the locations after years of continued cuts to funding from the state and financial woes brought on by the coronavirus. The society will consider cutting its fiscal responsibilities to Flagstaff's Riordan Mansion State Park and Tucson's Historic Fort Lowell and Downtown Historic Museum.

Riordan Mansion is currently operated by the Arizona Historical Society and owned by Arizona State Parks and Trails through an intergovernmental agreement set up in 2010.

The three locations have been closed since the coronavirus pandemic began. They are not all owned by the Arizona Historical Society; that group has signed agreements with three separate agencies to operate the parks and museums without owning them.

Tawn Downs, vice president of marketing at the Arizona Historical Society, said the society has been honored to operate the museums in partnership with the agencies, and were grateful for the financial assistance provided by support groups over the years. In a statement sent to the Arizona Daily Sun, Downs explained that the support "has fallen short of operating costs."

"Like many institutions today, we are faced with extremely difficult decisions about our future," Downs said via email.

She emphasized that no decision has been made yet, and the board of directors will have the final vote on Friday.

The history

Joe Meehan, a former curator for 44 years at the Arizona Historical Society's Pioneer Museum in Flagstaff, called the news "upsetting." He did not want to see the Riordan Mansion close, and added that all three sites were important places for Arizona's history.

Meehan said Riordan Mansion was especially important to understanding Flagstaff's part in the state's history, but this is not the first time the park's future has been called into question.

In 2009, the Great Recession caused the state legislature to cut the parks budget, leading to park closures around the state. Public outcry led groups to search for other owners to preserve the park before it officially closed, Meehan explained. The Arizona Historic Society agreed to pick up operations in 2010 in an arrangement that allowed the state to continue ownership of the land.

The agreement signed between the two agencies allowed the society to maintain operations while the slightly more than 5-acre property, including the 13,000-square-foot structure, would remain owned by Arizona State Parks and Trails. Meehan said the agreement became a model for preservation efforts of historic sites around the state.

"[The mansion is] a major interpretive key to our past -- not only Flagstaff's past, but the state's past," Meehan said.

The mansion has a place in the story of why Flagstaff was settled and established, mainly lumber. The mansion was built for Tim and Michael Riordan who lived there and were a large piece of the lumber industry from 1885 to 1983, Meehan said. The mansion is also treasured for its American Arts and Crafts styled architecture.

The mansion was built in 1904, but it has become surrounded by modern life, including a Northern Arizona University-owned parking garage, downtown apartment complex and shopping center. The mansion was originally built on the Riordan's 54-acre parcel of land.

The society's agreement with the City of Tucson for Fort Lowell Park maintains a replica of adobe officer quarters from 1885 and chronicles army life during the Apache War. The society's agreement with Wells Fargo Bank allows the Downtown History Museum located in its building to feature historic artifacts and exhibits that tell the story of Tucson from its origins as a Spanish fort and mission to its modern incarnation.

The vote

The board of directors will vote on the executive committee's recommendation on whether to stay invested in the properties at their public meeting on Friday.

If the directors were to vote to dissolve the agreements, the society would then have to declare its formal 30-day notice to withdraw from the agreement, Downs said.

"I know this is a really emotional issue. There are a lot of people in Flagstaff that feel so strongly about Riordan Mansion, understandably so," Downs said. "It's a fantastic property, and it's important to a lot of people for a lot of really good reasons. It's completely understandable. At the same time, it's a difficult situation we find ourselves in."

If they withdraw from the agreement, Arizona State Park would become the sole owner responsible for managing the locations, Downs said. Meehan was worried about what that could mean for the future of the historic property.

"If state parks can take over running it again, that would be ideal. It would just stay open," Meehan said. "But just to drop it, it makes me nervous as to what would be the disposition of the park and the mansion  especially the mansion."

Arizona State Parks and Trails did not respond to two attempts by phone to comment on Tuesday.

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Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen delivers her inaugural address at the Taipei Guest House in Taipei, Taiwan, on May 20, 2020. (Wang Yu Ching/Taiwan Presidential Office/Handout via Reuters/File Photo)

Taiwans Tsai Welcomes Growing Support From United States

In a pre-recorded address to a Washington think tank on Aug. 12, Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen laid out a set of plans and principles to guide the future of Taiwan, its role as a leading democracy in the Indo-Pacific region, its relationship with the United States, and its support for the people of Hong Kong.

Tsai also spoke at length about Taiwans relationship with mainland China, where a one-party, authoritarian communist regime still reigns after nearly 71 years in power.

Growing Relationship With US

In remarks delivered to the Hudson Institute, Tsai said that Taiwans recent budget for defense represents 2.6 percent of GDP, and she expects that to grow.

But, she added, as effective as our military is, we cannot stand alone.  I am proud that the relationship between Taiwan and the U.S. has never been closer. Across the board, we share a high degree of mutual trust and a common strategic picture of how we can work together to protect and preserve a free and open Indo-Pacific.

The concept of maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific is a direct counter to the claims and behavior of an increasingly aggressive China in the South China Sea.

The U.S. State Department calls the strategy an ironclad and enduring commitment to a region that spans from the Pacific Ocean to the Indian subcontinent.

The American people and the whole world have a stake in the Indo-Pacifics peace and prosperity, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in 2018. Its why the Indo-Pacific must be free and open.

Tsai said that foremost among my priorities is to establish a constructive security relationship with the United States. We want to forge greater consensus on ways we can preserve the peace across the Taiwan Strait.

But economic linkages and supply-chain security for both Taiwan and the United States are also critical, she said.

Therefore, Taiwans second area of focus is to be begin negotiations toward an FTA, Tsai said, referring to a free trade agreement that she hopes can be implemented with the United States soon.

For too long, negotiations have been hindered by technicalities which are just a small fraction of two-way trade, she said.

Noting that recently, Google and Microsoft have increased their investments in Taiwan, Tsai said that we want to work together to solve these in a way that is safe for our consumers and also consistent with established scientific standards.

Tsai said she also has seen firsthand that the United States is actively making other countries around the world more aware of authoritarian actors, a phenomenon she witnessed at the Copenhagen Democracy Summit.

She hopes the United States will also support Taiwans increasing participation in international institutions.

Noting the strength of Taiwans democracy, Tsai said, Democracy is not a Western phenomenon or, as some people claim, incompatible with certain cultures.

A Call to Support Hong Kong

Tsai said the world is seeing a growing and ever more challenging threat to free and democratic societies, and she emphasized that nowhere is this more apparent than in Hong Kong.

She referred to the recently imposed national security law that the Chinese Communist Party forced upon Hong Kong on July 1, extinguishing the rights of Hong Kong citizens to free speech and freedom of assembly, both guaranteed under the Joint Declaration signed by China and Britain in 1984.

Noting that thousands of Hong Kong students studied in our universities, Tsai reminded listeners that we are the only two Chinese-speaking societies that commemorate June 4th and its profound significance for freedom and democracy.

We also see the international community as having an obligation to speak out against the demise of Hong Kongs freedoms, Tsai said, referring to the former British colony as a beacon of civil liberties.

Tsai applauded the actions taken by the UK and the United States in support of Hong Kong and other like-minded democracies and called upon other nations to do the same.

Britain suspended its extradition treaty with Hong Kong in a rebuke to the Chinese regime. It also intends to provide a path for Hong Kong citizens born under British rule to become British citizens.

The United States has revoked Hong Kongs preferential trading status.

Tsai also noted Taiwans swift response to the removal of Hong Kongs freedoms.

In May, I visited the reopened Causeway Bay Books in Taipei, which had long been a symbol of freedom of speech in Hong Kong.

The owner, Mr. Lam Wing-kee, was detained and interrogated after crossing the border to Shenzhen and came to Taiwan after fears that he would be extradited back to China, Tsai said.

Tsai has spurred Taiwan to broader action on behalf of Hong Kongs citizens as well.

Cases like Mr. Lam inspired us to quickly establish a new TaiwanHong Kong services and exchange office to provide humanitarian support and assist the people of Hong Kong in relocating to Taiwan, Tsai said.

Taiwan, Tsai said, is a bastion of freedom and democracy.
The heartbroken mother of a five-year-old boy shot dead on Sunday by a neighbor as he played on his bike in front of his fathers house in North Carolina has said that her sons alleged killer will 'rot in hell'.

Darius Sessoms, 25, was charged Monday with the murder of Cannon Hinnant after a 24-hour manhunt.

Sessoms, a next-door neighbor of Cannons father Austin, allegedly rushed up to the young boy and shot him point blank in the head in front of his seven-year-old and eight-year-old sisters before fleeing the scene at 5:30pm Sunday.

Hinnant's devastated family is now calling for justice as his mother Bonny Waddell reveals the incredible heartbreak her daughters are feeling having witnessed his death.

She said the girls lost a 'piece of their heart' with their brother's tragic killing.

Cannon Hinnant with his mother Bonny Waddell who said her son's killer will 'rot in hell'

Cannon Hinnant, 5, was riding his bike in front of his father's house in Wilson on Sunday when Sessoms approached and shot him in the head. The motive has not been released

Hinnant was playing in front of his father's house with his seven-year-old and eight-year-old sisters when he was shot in the head at point blank range on Sunday evening. The childrens' home is pictured, with the five-year-old's bike circled

I will burn this country down if its what itll take to see this man burn in hell. Im ready to flip this county upside down, Waddell wrote to Facebook Monday.

This was not because my baby was riding a bike.

We will get our justice and Im taking every damn body down right with him!

Please ride the roads, keep your eyes out. My other kids are in danger as threats were made, this scum bag is not far, she added, hours before Sessoms was arrested.

I want this man to be taken away from his child forever.

This man will answer to me, that man will see me and my son through my face! This sorry excuse as a human being will rot in hell, Waddell said in a separate post.

My heart has been taken from me.

She added that the suspect knew Hinnant and how loving he was.

My baby didnt see color, my baby made sure you knew he loved you even if he only knew you 5 minutes idc what damn color you were! she wrote.

Darius Sessoms, 25, was charged on Monday with the murder of five-year-old Cannon Hinnant in North Carolina

Cannon was always telling everyone he loved them. Ask the SOB who took my baby, he knew my child and just how sweet, innocent and loving he was too.

On Tuesday night, Waddell shared the distress of her young daughters, traumatized by the death of their brother.

Please everyone take a minute out of your night and pray really really hard for my girls, she wrote. Please, Im begging! They just lost a puzzle piece, their best friend, a piece of their heart and they know their mommy is not okay either.

Waddell also shared photos of herself and her son stating: One thing was for sure, he loves his mommy and he knew just how much mommy loved him.

Thats my heart man. I cant do this without you being the boss man,' she added.

Hinnant's grandmother Lori also hit out at the killer online, on Tuesday asking: 'When are we going to write Children's Lives Matter on Hollywood Boulevard?'

'A hard lesson God taught me just the other day, don't allow misunderstandings to make you bitter, communicate, be present and listen to what your loved ones have to say, one day all of this will fall away,' she added Wednesday.

The family has organized a vigil for the young boy on Friday at 8pm on the steps of Cannon Courthouse in Wilson. His funeral takes place Thursday.

Cannon Hinnant was set to start Kindergarten on Monday. The family is devastated by his death with some family saying they have known the suspect, a next-door neighbor, for years

His mother spoke out on Facebook about the heartbreak the family is facing

I want everyone to show up for my baby, if you love me and have any heart at all or loved my child please show up, Waddell urged. I will get justice for my baby.

Wilson's Mayor Carlton Stevens also urged local residents to attend.

'We stood together in solidarity for the senseless death of George Floyd, we need to stand together in solidarity for the senseless death of Cannon Hinnant. His life mattered,' he wrote to Facebook.

Sessoms was taken into custody by Wilson police around 24 hours after he allegedly approached Cannon in front of the young boy's father's house at 5:30pm and shot him in the head.

He lived next door to the family, and the killing is not believed to be random. Neighbors claim he had dinner with Hinnant's father Austin on Saturday and had been over at the house earlier on Sunday.

Waddell said her daughters are struggling after witnessing their brother's death

Hinnant's mother urged locals to attend a vigil on Friday

Wilson's mayor said that Hinnant should be given the same attention as George Floyd

The motive for the killing is still under investigation, but a GoFundMe established by a family member says that the young boy rode into Sessoms' yard.

'Sunday, August 9, 2020 a sweet soul named Cannon Hinnant was taken from this world over a senseless act,' it reads.

'A beautiful 5 year old baby boy riding his bicycle was shot by his neighbor point blank in Wilson NC. One minute he is enjoying his life, the next it all ends because he rode into his neighbors yard.'

Cannon Hinnant was due to start Kindergarten on Monday

The young boy was set to start Kindergarten on Monday and had just learned to write his name.

'He was just a loving kid,' Waddell previously told the Wilson Times. 'He had the biggest heart.'

'Its devastating. No one should ever have to bury their child. No mother should have to go through this.'

Hinnant's family said they have known the suspect for years and did not believe he could be capable of murder.

'We used to play together and I never thought hed kill someone. A mother now has to lay her son to rest at 5 years old which she should never have to do. Hell never be forgotten,' Rachel Pipkin, a cousin of Cannons mother told CBS.

Police were called to the scene on Archers Road at around 5.30pm Sunday where Hinnant was found with a gunshot wound.

The young boy's grandmother Lori Hinnant posted to Facebook straight after the shooting spreading the word and sharing an image from the scene.

'Ok y'all I am distraught...I took my daughter to my son's to play with her nieces and nephew and my grandson Cannon was shot by his neighbor in the head....the boy was about to shoot all the kids...All I am asking for right now is prayers y'all!!' she wrote.

The young boy's grandmother asked for prayers just after the shooting

She also posted a picture of the scene to Facebook on Sunday evening

Hinnant was said to have loved nature. His funeral takes place on Thursday

Emergency responders tried to save Hinnant and he was taken to the Wilson Medical Center but later died.

Sessoms was immediately identified as the suspect.

He fled the scene in a black 2019 Toyota Corolla and was later located by authorities in a residence in Goldsboro.

Police charged him with first degree murder on Monday, and he is being held with no bond.

He made his first ten-minute court appearance virtually from Wilson County Jail on Tuesday morning.

Wilson County District Court Judge John Britt read Sessoms his rights and the charge he is facing. The suspect said he would be seeking his own attorney to represent him.

He probable cause hearing was set for August 25.

Sessoms appearing in front of a judge via video link on Tuesday morning

Sessoms' parents live right next door and the families know each other

Sessoms fled in this car but was apprehended by authorities 24 hours later

According to the Wilson Times, Sessoms was previously convicted of felony larceny of firearms in Wilson County in March 2016, misdemeanor maintaining a place for a controlled substance in Wake County in April 2016 and felony marijuana possession in Nash County in November 2016.

Court records also show that Sessoms has two pending counts of felony maintaining a vehicle, dwelling or place for a controlled substance in Wilson County.

Goldsboro Police Department, Wayne County Sheriff's Office and the U.S. Marshals Service task force assisted in his arrest.

'The Wilson Police Department sends its sincerest condolences and prayers to the family of Cannon during this tragic time,' a police spokesperson said Monday.

Neighbor Doris Labrant witnessed the shooting through her window from across the street.

She told WRAL she saw Sessoms run up to the young boy, put the gun to his head and fire before running back to his own house.

'My first reaction was he's playing with the kids,' Labrant said. 'For a second, I thought, "That couldn't happen". People don't run across the street and kill kids.'

On seeing Hinnant's father's reaction, however, she realized that the shooting was real and ran to lock herself inside and call 911.

Police are still investigating to establish a motive for the murder

A GoFundMe established for the family claims the young boy rode into Sessoms' yard

'Austin ran out of that house screaming and picked him up. They'll never get over it,' she said.

'You don't expect to see somebody shoot someone.

'It's almost like seeing a movie and then all of a sudden it dawns on you it's not a movie.'

She added that Sessoms' parent lived on the street for about 28 years and that she had not previously heard any altercations between the families.

'There was no yelling, screaming,' she claimed.

Neighbors gathered around the scene on Sunday night, shocked that the killing happened in their quiet neighborhood.

Neighbors are shocked by Hinnant's death

'Its usually quiet here. You might hear cars kind of loud and stuff like that, but as far as this right here going on, no, you dont see nothing like this. Its sad, it hurts and justice needs to be served,' said neighbor Frank Harvey told CBS.

Speaking the WRAL, the boy's grandmother said that the family is happy to see Sessoms in custody but are devastated by the death.

They held a tribute Monday afternoon at his grandparents house in Black Creek in which they called for an end to violence against children.

'Really everybody just wants answers as to why this was done. There will be justice,' said Allan Wooten, the boy's uncle.

His family described Hinnant as a nature lover who would look after injured insects.

'He loved being outside,' his mother said. 'He always tried to save some creature. He loved any animal, any insect.'

She added that he loved his bikes and his two sisters and two brothers and that she had now nominated him for organ donation with the hope that he can live on through other children.

'He can live on through other kids,' she said. 'It was what he would have done if he was older. He would have saved anybody. He was the sweetest child.'

'He was one of a kind,' grandfather Greg Waddell told The Wilson Times. 'He loved to talk to everybody. He wasnt shy.'

'He always had a smile on his face,' grandmother Wendy added. 'I can see him right now. Beautiful soul. He wasnt scared of anything. He was very courageous.'

Monday's event was attended by Mayor Stevens who also paid tribute to the young boy.

'I have a child thats five years old. My heart broke right then. I went home right then and I took my baby and just hugged her,' he said.

If anyone has any information that could help, they are urged to contact Wilson Police at (252) 399-2323 or Crime Stoppers at (252) 243-2255.
Adalie Raymis, PA-C Adalie was one of the brightest PAs I had come across, so when the opportunity came about to bring on a new provider to the practice, I knew she would be the perfect fit, said Dr. Dale Schaefer.

Certified Physician Assistant Adalie Raymis has joined U.S. Dermatology Austin in the Spicewood Springs office.

Adalie Raymis grew up in Austin, Texas. After graduating on the Deans list from The University of Texas at Austin, Raymis pursued a career as a physician assistant. She earned her Master of Physician Assistant Studies degree from The University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston in 2016.

Before joining U.S. Dermatology Partners, Raymis practiced in orthopedics. She was drawn to dermatology because of her experience with acne and other skin conditions throughout her life. She underwent a three-month training program led by Board Certified Dermatologist Dale Schaefer, MD, who met Raymis when she did a rotation at the Austin office. Schaefer serves as a preceptor for the University of Texas Medical Branch Galvestons Physician Assistant training program. Peers have recognized him in the prestigious Texas Monthly Super Doctors award since the inception of the award. Adalie was one of the brightest PAs I had come across, so when the opportunity came about to bring on a new provider to the practice, I knew she would be the perfect fit, said Schaefer.

Adalies knowledge, empathy, and passion enable her to provide excellent care for her patients. Raymis offers general dermatology services such as acne treatment, psoriasis, rosacea, eczema, to name a few.

Adalie is certified by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants and is licensed by the Texas State of Physician Assistant Examiners. She is also a member of the Society of Dermatology Physician Assistants.

When she isnt at the office, you can find her spending time with her husband, exercising, discovering new restaurants, traveling, and playing with her two dogs, Leo and Sunny.

Raymis will join Board Certified Dermatologists Dr. Dale Schaefer, Dr. Margaret Hart, Dr. Tom Roark, and Certified-Physician Assistant, Rachel Miller.

To schedule an appointment, call 512-476-9195.

About U.S. Dermatology Partners

As one of the largest physician-owned dermatology practices in the country, U.S. Dermatology Partners patients not only have access to general medical, surgical, and cosmetic skin treatments through its coordinated care network, but also benefit from the practices strong dermatology subspecialty thought leaders and medical advisory board. To be the best partners to its patients, U.S. Dermatology Partners is fervently focused on providing the highest level of patient-first care, and its team, therefore, includes recognized national leaders in areas such as clinical research, psoriasis, and Mohs Surgery. To learn more, visit usdermatologypartners.com.
New Jersey schools will have the option of staying closed and teaching virtually if they meet a list of conditions, Gov. Phil Murphy announced Wednesday in a decision that could change back-to-school plans for many of the states 1.4 million public school students.

Murphys announcement means the states nearly 600 school districts, which were previously told they needed to hold at least some in-person classes to start the 2020-21 school year, have a few weeks to finalize their plans before the school year begins.

There is no one-size-fits-all plan for all of the states public school districts, Murphy said. The state will continue to allow local school boards to make their own decisions about whats best for their districts.

We recognize that for some districts, there are legitimate and documentable reasons why some of these core health and safety standards can not be met on Day One, Murphy said at his latest coronavirus briefing in Trenton. For these districts, today we are reaffirming our commitment to provide the flexibility for districts to do what is best for their school community.

Under the new revised plan:

 Both non-public and public schools must file a certification with the state Board of Education that they can meet the states health and safety rules, including social distancing guidelines, on the first day of in-person classes.

 Schools will need to complete a checklist on the state Department of Education website saying they can meet more than 40 guidelines for in-person classes. The items on the list include: social distancing in classrooms and on buses; safe school entry points; requiring masks; creating a contact tracing plan; setting up a safe way for students to eat meals; and a plan for recess and gym classes outside.

 If schools say they cant meet one or more of the guidelines, the districts can request to start start the year with all-remote learning.

 Districts that are granted permission to start the year all-remote will need to show they are trying to make changes to start in-person classes at a later date. Public school districts will need to spell out their plans for satisfying these unmet standards, and a date by which they anticipate the ability to resume in-person instruction, Murphy said.

 Additional new health guidelines for schools are being hammered out and will be available by Thursday at the latest, Murphy said.

MORE: 9 questions answered about N.J.s revised school reopening plan

State officials said they were unsure how many school districts have already asked to start the school all-remote, but said the vast majority of districts have created hybrid plans with some in-person classes.

Neely Hackett, the superintendent of Willingboro, said her district is among those requesting to start the school year all-remote because its schools are not prepared for in-person classes. The district wants to keep school buildings closed through the end of the first marking period in November.

We are simply not ready to move forward, Hackett said at the governors press conference.

Willingboro eventually wants to use a hybrid system with students going to class two days a week on a rotating basis and learning at home the remaining three days a week.

She listed several reasons Willingboro does not want to offer in-person classes including: inadequate ventilation systems and a lack of air conditioning; back-ordered masks and other personal protective equipment; a delay in the delivery of physical barriers that need to be installed in schools; additional time needed to buy computers; and more time needed to train teachers in how to simultaneously teach in the classroom and via video for students at home.

East Brunswicks superintendent also attended the press conference and said his district is ready to hold in-person classes and will not ask for permission to stay all remote.

The states nearly 600 school districts have already begun submitting their reopening plans to the state Department of Education for approval. Several districts  including Elizabeth, Jersey City, Bayonne  said they planned to turn in plans that included no in-person classes, going against the states earlier guidelines.

The governors decision to allow school districts more flexibility in how they reopen schools follows intense pressure from teachers who felt unsafe returning to class and a growing chorus of lawmakers and district leaders who wanted schools to remain closed.

It also comes as New Jerseys wider push to reopen during the coronavirus pandemic has has largely stalled due to rises in the infection rate, leaving the states economic recovery in limbo.

Murphy ordered all New Jersey schools to close beginning March 18. They remained closed through the end of the 2019-20 school year while students in thousands of public and private schools learned remotely.

The governors original school reopening plan, released in June, said public schools would be required to reopen at least partially. Some districts had planned to limit students in-person instruction to as little as one half-day a week, while a few said they would offer five days of classes. Most districts were planning hybrid plans, mixing in-person classes with several days of at-home learning a week.

As more parents demanded to keep their children at home, Murphy in July announced all families would also have an all-remote option for public school if they preferred it. But districts were still asked to come up with reopening plans with at least some in-class learning for all students.

Murphy had previously said he believed it was important for New Jersey to offer in-person classes because many low-income and working parents did not have the time, space or childcare options to continue teaching their kids at home.

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TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP)  Taiwan sent COVID-19 assistance to foreign countries surreptitiously to avoid protests from China, its foreign minister said Tuesday during a meeting with the highest-level American official to visit the island in four decades.

China claims Taiwan as its own territory and has sought to isolate it diplomatically, including barring its participation in forums such as the World Health Assembly.

The trip by U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar comes against the backdrop of a sharp downturn in relations between China and the U.S. and Azar said in his remarks that the U.S. supported Taiwans participation in international health forums.

China's attempts to isolated Taiwan has compelled the island at times to keep its donations of masks and personal protective equipment under the radar, Foreign Minister Joseph Wu said.

Truth is, we even had to deliver these supplies quietly in some occasions to keep the recipients free from trouble, trouble from Beijing," Wu said.

Taiwan has brought its virus outbreak under control, and Wu said the island has donated 51 million masks overseas, including 10 million to the U.S., along with other items of personal protective equipment. He did not name the other countries to which Taiwan has made quiet donations or give other details.

Just 15 countries maintain formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan, and China has sought to peel away its remaining allies.

Wu said Chinese pressure to accept political conditions for bringing Taiwan under Beijing's control has made life increasingly difficult."

However, acquiescence would merely turn Taiwan into another Hong Kong, Wu said, referring to recent arrests of media figures and pro-democracy activists under a new national security law being enforced in the semi-autonomous Chinese territory.

We know this is not just about Taiwan's status, but about sustaining democracy in the face of authoritarian aggression," Wu said.

Story continues

Azar described political bullying" over Taiwan's exclusion from the World Health Organization in 2018 that blocked a million-dollar Taiwanese contribution that would have helped combat an Ebola outbreak in Congo.

Especially during a pandemic, but at all times, international organizations should not be places to play politics," Azar said.

While the U.S. maintains only unofficial ties with Taiwan in deference to Beijing, it remains the island's most important ally and provider of defensive arms. A 2018 U.S. law urged Washington to send increasingly high-level officials to Taiwan in contrast to past years when such visits were extremely rare. Thus, Azar is the highest-level American official to visit Taiwan since their break in formal diplomatic ties in 1979.

Relations between China and the U.S. have deteriorated over issues ranging from the South China Sea to TikTok, Hong Kong and trade. In a throwback to the Cold War, the two recently ordered tit-for-tat closures of consulates in Houston and Chengdu and rhetorical sniping has become a daily occurrence.
Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) has invited online applications for the recruitment of lecturer in electrical engineering on its official website. The online registration process began on August 7, 2020.

The Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) has announced that online applications are open for the recruitment of 119 posts of lecturer in electrical engineering on its website. The online application process began on 7 August and candidates can apply by 4 September. The last date to pay the application fee is 28 August.

Applicants should hold a B.E/ B.Tech/ B.s/ B.sc (Engg.) in electrical engineering/ technology with first class or equivalent. The minimum age limit is 21 years as on 1 August 2020. There is no upper age limit for the post. The selection of candidates will be based on weightage in academic performance and research work, evaluation of work Knowledge and Teaching skill through written Test (objective), interview and for lecturer engaged on a contract basis.

The objective test consisting of 80 multiple-choice questions (MCQs) will test the applicants knowledge in the Engineering/Technology stream. The syllabus of Graduate Aptitude Test Engineering (GATE) will be applicable. The total duration of the exam is two hours.

Also Read: BSEB 10th, 12th Results 2020 declared: Steps to check and download marksheet

Also Read: UPSC NDA & NA 2020 Exam (1 & 2) Admit Card released: Know exam date, exam details and admit card rules here

How to apply:

Step 1: Visit the website  onlinebpsc.bihar.gov.in

Step 2: Scroll down and under the list of advertisement and post, click on apply now next to Lecturer, Electrical Engineering

Step 3: You will be directed to a new page

Step 4: Enter all the details

Step 5: submit the registration form.

Candidates who will be selected for the posts will be getting a starting salary of Rs 56,100. Candidates belonging to general category will have to pay an application fee of Rs 750. ST/ST/PWD and female applicants will have to pay Rs 200.

Also Read: CHSE Odisha +2 Science Result 2020 date, time: Odisha Board class 12th result tomorrow at 12:30 on orissaresults.nic.in
My point isnt that all is great with policing in America. But defund the police or abolish the police (slogans that got wide traction in the elite media for much of the summer, buoyed by polished academics and activists with ready-made talking points) was always an absurd idea, politically and practically  politically because even the most victimized populations dont want to get rid of the police, and practically because a police-free modern society is simply unworkable. (Just ask the former denizens of that autonomous zone in Seattle.)

The Gallup/Knight study found that nearly 8 in 10 Americans think the media is trying to convince people to adopt a certain opinion. Well, for much of this year, skepticism toward defund the police rhetoric has been quickly dismissed as just another manifestation of white privilege. Except, as the Gallup poll suggests, Black people dont view police the same way the activists and journalists who dominate the debate do.

According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, more than 50 million Americans have at least one interaction with police in a given year. Most of those were traffic stops of one kind or another. Eighty-five percent of Black people reported that traffic stops they were involved in were conducted properly.
There's a lot going wrong in the world but no one seems to have told the sharemarket.

Since early June, the benchmark S&P/ASX 200 Index has effectively traded sideways. During this period, we have had the COVID-19 crisis develop in Victoria and increasing rates of infections in the US. Not only that, we are entering what could be the worst earnings reporting season in a decade.

There's a lot going wrong in the world, but no one seems to have told the sharemarket. Credit:Jessica Hromas

In May, I wrote about the how the sharemarket is not the economy. It won't reflect what is happening today, but rather where we will likely be 12 months from now. Because of this, I anticipated that the S&P/ASX 200 would get back above 6000 pretty quickly from its lows. Now that it has done that, progress has stalled. However, this is actually a good sign for its future direction.

What we saw at the end of March was a strong bounce off an oversold position. Markets extend too far on the downside and upside all the time. This is because human emotions are involved.
Wednesday, August 12, 2020

If you haven't created a comprehensive disaster plan for your business, this is the year to do it !

Although Covid-19 has gotten everyone's attention this year, the truth is that small business owners have been susceptible to both man-made and natural disasters with increased frequency in recent years. Man-made disasters like as acts of terror, power outages, cyberattacks, major accidents and other pandemic outbreaks and natural disasters such as wildfires, floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, tornados, and blizzards, have made the headlines every year for a decade.

According to the Institute for Business and Home Safety, "about 25 percent of businesses don't reopen after a major disaster." Protecting your small business from this fate is easy but requires:

Educating yourself about the different disaster risks;

Creating a plan of action;

Sharing the plan with your employees; and

Periodically reviewing, testing & updating your plan, as needed.

A good disaster plan includes five steps: (i) prevention, (ii) protection, (iii) mitigation, (iv) response, and (v) recovery.

Prevention starts with financial planning, so working from a budget, knowing your break-even point (or how long you can last in the event of a catastrophe,) establishing a line of credit with your bank, and creating a cashflow forecast to manage your cash reserves.

Every business today should protect their business records by digitizing and backing-up its electronic financial & tax records to prevent their loss. This requires scanning key documents and storing a copy of your records either on the Cloud or in a different location that is safe from any disaster. If a business hasn't compiled a list of its assets, it should create a room-by-room list of its furniture & fixtures, business equipment and other business assets. If you have an asset list but it's outdated, taking pictures on your cell phone is quick and easy and can help you to both recall and prove the market value of items for insurance and casualty loss claims.

To mitigate any possible losses, business owners should have a conversation with their insurance agent about ways they can protect their business from disasters. For instance, businesses that use a payroll service will want to make sure that they have a "fiduciary bond" to ensure their payroll in the event of a disaster. Business owners should also have key-person life insurance in place, adequate protection of their physical assets, and a buy-sell in place, if there is more than one business owner. In addition, business owners should, furthermore, consider business interruption insurance.

The key to effectively responding to disasters is to have a good plan. Components of a good disaster plan include:

- Keeping your emergency contact information current;

- Setting up alerts on your cell phone;

- Installing surge protection, smoke detectors, security access and cameras in your building;

- Posting an evacuation plan in your building -- which is an OSHA requirement;

- Investing in and staying current with employee safety, CPR, and first aid training;

- Conducting employee disaster awareness training by discussing your community's warning systems, evacuation routes and where to seek shelter in the event of an emergency.

- Creating a safe room in your building, and/or safe area on your property;

- Determining team member roles in the event of a disaster;

- Deciding how you will communicate in the event of a disaster;

- Sharing your disaster plan with customers and suppliers;

- Coming up with a supply chain contingency plan;

- Assembling a "disaster kit"  which should include wireless cell phone chargers & boosters chargers that do not rely on electricity as a backup to communicate; storing food & water, which should be switched out every 6 months; purchasing batteries, emergency lighting, portable generator & first aid kits; and making sure that your phone system has PA capabilities.

- Having a cybersecurity plan, which I discussed in a previous article;

- Creating a "remote worker policy" and

- Reviewing, testing, and practicing your disaster plan annually with your employees.

During the recovery phase of a disaster, the business owner should establish a remote office, obtain access to its business records, restore its payroll and invoicing capabilities, implement its "employee/customer/supplier communications plan," and resume services once its local new sources has announced that it is safe to conduct business in the area(s) the business serves.

There are several government entities that offer disaster specific information on-line. For example, The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is a great resource for information about how to specifically prepare for different natural disasters, and it also has a detailed disaster preparedness checklist that can be downloaded from the Internet.

In the event of a loss from a disaster, business owners should download IRS Publication 584, Casualty, Disaster, and Theft Loss Workbook.

For more information about preserving your equipment and business records, business owners can reference the IRS' Guide on "Protecting Your Information Before An Emergency Strikes. "

Looking for more information about successfully navigating the Covid Crisis ?

Our Small Business Owner's Covid Survival Kit is available through our on-line store on my Square web site https://greater-prairie-business-consulting.square.site/.

It contains over two dozen files filled with a plethora of financial, tax, HR, safety, leadership, sales, marketing, and government information to help business owners survive the Covid Coronavirus Crisis.

We offer a 100% Money Back Guarantee if you are not completely satisfied, and free updates.
She recently said 'I love everything about me' and I'm '100% body confident' and Love Island's Malin Andersson headed outside in her bikini on Monday.

The 26-year-old stripped down to the Figleaves two-piece in London's heatwave to wash a car which is up for raffle with a percentage of funds going to charity.

Looking incredible, she showed off her golden tan and wore a big smile on her face as she tackled the car with a big sponge in hand.

Working it: Malin Andersson proudly showed off her curves as she stripped down to her bikini in the heatwave to wash a car ahead of a charity raffle on Monday

Confident: No doubt giving her neighbours quite the sight, Malin made sure the car was spotless - and all for a good cause

No doubt giving her neighbours quite the sight, Malin made sure the car was spotless - and all for a good cause.

The car is up for raffle with rafflemycar.com and for each car ticket sold, the company are donating 30p to support NHS staff and volunteers.

Speaking to New! magazine earlier this week, Malin insisted she has learned to love her body after battling with eating disorders in the past.

Helping out: The car is up for raffle with rafflemycar.com and for each car ticket sold, the company are donating 30p to support NHS staff and volunteers

Good for her: Malin recently said 'I love everything about me' and I'm '100% body confident' and her positivity shone through

She said: 'Oh, I'm 100 per cent body confident, but I never used to be. I used to suffer from eating disorders and I never liked how I looked. I battled that for six years and it's a long journey.

'I always say to my followers, there's a light at the end and you can get through it, just like anything else.'

Asked what her favourite part of her body is, Malin said: 'I love my bum! It's just a nice-shaped a**! And I love my tattoos too. I love everything about me - everything is equal'.

Malin recently said: 'Oh, I'm 100 per cent body confident, but I never used to be. I used to suffer from eating disorders and I never liked how I looked'

She continued: 'I battled that for six years and it's a long journey'

Malin said that her attitude towards her body changed when she became pregnant with her daughter Consy.

Sadly her daughter passed away in January 2019 after she was born seven weeks premature.

Malin explained that she learned to forget about her 'external' appearance and realised how beautiful people's bodies are.

A journey: Malin explained that she learned to forget about her 'external' appearance and realised how beautiful people's bodies are

Leading by example: No doubt Malin is helping others to follow her lead and learn to love their bodies
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Thousands of foreign currency exchange desks are still closed, leaving holiday-makers with little choice on the High Street.

Debenhams has not reinstated a single travel money desk in its 124 remaining stores.

Barclays is not exchanging cash in its branches but is asking customers to order foreign currency to their homes.

Thousands of foreign currency exchange desks are still closed

Sainsbury's has just 11 of its 250-plus travel bureaux now open, and Tesco has reinstated only 39 of its 300-plus.

Two-thirds of Asda's travel counters are still closed.

John Lewis has re-opened 32 of 34 of its bureaux de changes.

The Post Office and M&S have both reopened around one-third of their foreign exchange counters, but with both, customers can still order currency online and collect from branches.
WASHINGTON, Aug. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- In Detroit, 62% of public schools are within 1,000 feet  about two city blocks  of a tobacco retailer, according to a comprehensive new study mapping tobacco retailers in 30 major U.S. cities. The study was conducted by researchers from the Stanford University School of Medicine, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Washington University in St. Louis.

Other key findings for Detroit include:

Tobacco retailers are ubiquitous. There are 40 times more tobacco retailers than McDonald's restaurants and 90 times more than Starbucks.

Tobacco retailers are easy to access. 85% of city residents live within a half mile, or about a ten-minute walk, of a tobacco retailer.

Across the 30 cities, the study found, on average, that 63% of public schools are located within 1,000 feet of a tobacco retailer, and the lowest-income neighborhoods have nearly five times more tobacco retailers than the highest-income neighborhoods. On average, 70% of residents across the 30 cities live within a half mile of a tobacco retailer.

"In city after city, this research shows just how pervasive tobacco retailers are in our neighborhoods and near our schools. Retailers give the tobacco industry a massive footprint where it spends nearly a million dollars every hour on retail advertising and discounts to appeal to youth and other price-sensitive customers," said Lisa Henriksen, PhD, senior research scientist at the Stanford University School of Medicine and lead researcher on the study.

"This study powerfully illustrates how the tobacco industry continues to target kids in Detroit and across the nation," said Matthew L. Myers, President of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, which provided support for the release of the study. "The tobacco industry is hooking a new generation of kids by aggressively marketing its products, including flavored e-cigarettes and menthol cigarettes, in locations where kids are continually exposed and have easy access. Policymakers must take action to protect our kids and communities, starting with a ban on the sale of all flavored tobacco products."

"It's no secret that the youth tobacco epidemic in Michigan is far too high, and this study paints an alarming picture as to why combatting this issue is so difficult," said Dr. Sharon Swindell, President of the Michigan Chapter of American Academy of Pediatrics. "The accessibility of tobacco products to young people in the Detroit area must be addressed to keep our communities safe and protect the health of all residents."

Funded by the National Cancer Institute, the research was conducted by the Advancing Science and Practice in the Retail Environment (ASPiRE) Center, a collaborative that investigates how tobacco retailer density and innovative retail tobacco interventions impact people and communities. Using a wide range of data from state and local governments and other sources, the researchers mapped retailers that sell cigarettes, e-cigarettes and other tobacco products in 30 large cities across the United States, providing the most comprehensive study to date showing the ubiquity of tobacco retailers and their proximity to schools. Approximately 29 million adults and 8 million children (1 in 9 U.S. residents) live in these 30 cities.

According to the researchers, "Living in neighborhoods with a higher concentration of tobacco retailers makes youth more likely to start using tobacco and makes quitting more difficult. In addition, higher concentrations of tobacco retailers in disadvantaged neighborhoods contribute to health disparities."

Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable death in the United States, resulting in over 480,000 deaths and $170 billion in health care expenses each year.

While the U.S. has greatly reduced cigarette smoking, youth use of e-cigarettes has skyrocketed in recent years. According to the 2019 National Youth Tobacco Survey, e-cigarette use among high school students nationwide more than doubled between 2017 and 2019 (from 11.7% to 27.5%) and over 5.3 million U.S. kids now use e-cigarettes. Research shows that 97% of current youth e-cigarette users used a flavored product in the past month, and 80% of youth who had ever used tobacco started with a flavored product.

In Michigan, 10.5% of high school students smoke traditional cigarettes, while 14.8% use e-cigarettes. Tobacco use claims 16,200 lives in Michigan each year.

About the ASPiRE Center

Funded by the National Cancer Institute, Advancing Science and Practice in the Retail Environment (ASPiRE) Center is a collaborative that investigates how tobacco retailer density and innovative retail tobacco interventions impact people and communities. The Center's goal is to build a strong base of scientific evidence for effective retail policies to reduce tobacco use, tobacco-related disparities and the public health burden of tobacco. ASPiRE researchers from the Stanford University School of Medicine, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Washington University in St. Louis work in partnership with a Community Advisory Board (CAB) comprised of tobacco control program staff from 30 large U.S. cities, representatives from several tobacco control organizations and agencies, and legal experts.

About the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids

The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids is the leading advocacy organization working to reduce tobacco use and its deadly consequences in the United States and around the world. Through strategic communications and policy advocacy campaigns, Tobacco-Free Kids promotes the adoption of proven solutions that are most effective at reducing tobacco use and save the most lives. Tobacco-Free Kids works in partnership with the ASPiRE Center as a member of its Community Advisory Board (CAB).

SOURCE Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids

Related Links

https://www.tobaccofreekids.org/


By Philip Pullella

ROME (Reuters) - Italy's Senate lifted the immunity of former Interior Minister Matteo Salvini on Thursday, opening the way for a trial of the right-wing leader on charges of kidnapping over the detention of those on a migrant ship at sea last year.

The upper house voted along party lines and the result, 149 in favour versus 141 against, was widely expected. It is the second time Salvini has lost parliamentary immunity over a migration charge this year.

"It will be a joy for me to go to (court in) Sicily to defend my right to defend our beautiful country," Salvini, 47, told the Senate before the vote, knowing that it would go against him.

Magistrates in Sicily want to try Salvini for alleged abuse of office and illegally detaining the migrants, saying he acted independently of the government.

"This evening I will go home with my head high," he said. "This is a political trial and if anyone thinks they have weakened me, they are mistaken."

Salvini, head of the anti-immigrant League party, blocked the ship - which was carrying more than 100 migrants rescued at sea - from docking last August, while he was interior minister in the previous government.

A prosecutor eventually ordered the seizure and evacuation of the ship, operated by the Spanish group Open Arms.

There was no indication when a trial could be held. The indictment decision rests with a senior judge. Salvini could face up to 15 years in prison if found guilty at the end of a tortuous, three-stage judicial process. A definitive conviction could bar him from office, scuppering his ambition to lead a future government.

The Senate already lifted Salvini's immunity in February in a case involving another blocked ship and a preliminary hearing on that case is scheduled for Oct. 3 in Sicily.

As interior minister for 14 months, Salvini took a hard line against charity ships that rescued migrants at sea, accusing them of de facto collaboration with human traffickers.

"Those who support open ports have blood on their hands," Salvini said.

(Reporting by Philip Pullella; Additional reporting by Giuseppe Fonte and Angelo Amante in Rome and Wladimiro Pantaleone in Palermo; Editing by Alex Richardson)
BLOOMFIELD HILLS, Mich., Aug. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Agree Realty Corporation (NYSE: ADC) (the "Company") today announced that its operating partnership, Agree Limited Partnership (the "Operating Partnership"), priced a public offering of $350 million of 2.900% senior unsecured notes due 2030 (the "Notes"). The public offering price for the Notes was 99.927% of the principal amount for an effective yield to maturity of 2.908%. The Notes will be senior unsecured obligations of the Operating Partnership, guaranteed by the Company and certain of their subsidiary guarantors. This offering is expected to close on August 17, 2020, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions.

The Company expects to use the net proceeds to fund acquisition and development activity and for general working capital and other corporate purposes, including the reduction of the outstanding balance on the Company's revolving credit facility.

"The pricing of our inaugural issuance is a meaningful step in our continued growth while providing our Company with another source of efficient long-term capital," said Joey Agree, President and Chief Executive Officer. "This offering, in combination with common equity proceeds raised through June 30, 2020, represents year-to-date capital raised in excess of $1.15 billion, further positioning Agree Realty and our best-in-class balance sheet to capitalize on investment opportunities."

Citigroup, Wells Fargo Securities and Jefferies acted as joint book-running managers for the offering. Capital One Securities, J.P. Morgan, Mizuho Securities, Raymond James, Regions Securities LLC, Stifel, Truist Securities and US Bancorp served as co-managers for the offering.

A registration statement relating to the securities has been filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") and became automatically effective under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, upon filing with the SEC. Before you invest, you should read the prospectus in that registration statement and other documents the issuer has filed with the SEC for more complete information about the issuer and this offering. You may get these documents for free by visiting EDGAR on the SEC Web site at www.sec.gov, or by contacting: Citigroup Global Markets Inc., c/o Broadridge Financial Solutions, 1155 Long Island Avenue, Edgewood, NY 11717, at 800-831-9146 or email: [email protected]; or Wells Fargo Securities, LLC, Attention: WFS Customer Service, 608 2nd Avenue South, Suite 1000, Minneapolis, MN 55402, at 800-645-3751 or email: [email protected].

The offering of the securities was made only by means of a prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus, which are on file with the SEC. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such jurisdiction.

About Agree Realty Corporation

Agree Realty Corporation is a publicly traded real estate investment trust primarily engaged in the acquisition and development of properties net leased to industry leading retail tenants. As of June 30, 2020, the Company owned and operated a portfolio of 936 properties, located in 46 states and containing approximately 18.4 million square feet of gross leasable area. The Company's common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "ADC".

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws, including statements about the terms and size of the offering and the intended use of proceeds from the offering that represent the Company's expectations and projections for the future. No assurance can be given that the offering discussed above will be completed on the terms described or at all, or that the net proceeds of the offering will be used as indicated. Although these forward-looking statements are based on good faith beliefs, reasonable assumptions and the Company's best judgment reflecting current information, you should not rely on forward-looking statements since they involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which are, in some cases, beyond our control and which could materially affect the Company's results of operations, financial condition, cash flows, performance or future achievements or events. Currently, one of the most significant factors, however, is the potential adverse effect of the current pandemic of the novel coronavirus, or COVID-19, on the financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and performance of the Company and its tenants, the real estate market and the global economy and financial markets. The extent to which COVID-19 impacts the Company and its tenants will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted with confidence, including the scope, severity and duration of the pandemic, the actions taken to contain the pandemic or mitigate its impact, and the direct and indirect economic effects of the pandemic and containment measures, among others. Moreover, investors are cautioned to interpret many of the risks identified in the risk factors discussed in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019 and other SEC filings, as well as the risks set forth below, as being heightened as a result of the ongoing and numerous adverse impacts of COVID-19. Additional important factors, among others, that may cause the Company's actual results to vary include the general deterioration in national economic conditions, weakening of real estate markets, decreases in the availability of credit, increases in interest rates, adverse changes in the retail industry, the Company's continuing ability to qualify as a REIT and other factors discussed in the Company's reports filed with the SEC. Except as required by law, the Company assumes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements, even if new information becomes available in the future.

SOURCE Agree Realty Corporation

Related Links

http://www.agreerealty.com


Canadas overall COVID-19 numbers might be headed in the right direction  downward  but outside the nations borders, the virus continues to spread, in some places at an accelerated rate.

And recent local novel coronavirus cases highlight the dangers outside Canadas pandemic bubble, says Niagaras top public health official.

Both of the two new COVID-19 cases confirmed Wednesday are residents of other countries who came to Canada for work purposes, says Dr. Mustafa Hirji, Niagaras acting medical officer of health.

The pair have been in Canada for just over two weeks and were exposed to the virus in their home countries, Hirji said, although they did not exhibit symptoms until they arrived in Niagara. They are now in isolation after testing positive.

Last week a Niagara resident who took a vacation abroad, disregarding federal travel advisories, contracted the virus.

The cases are the most recent international travel cases in Niagara, which Hirji said shows how risky it currently is to venture beyond Canadas borders.

The federal government has put those advisories into place for a reason, said Hirji. In many countries, the numbers are rising and the risk is much higher than it is here in Canada.

Hirji said some people who are tired with pandemic restrictions are taking advantage of discounts offered by airlines hungry for customers to travel overseas. But with cases on the rise around the world, the risk of contracting the virus and bringing it home is far greater than vacationing in Canada.

While Canadas numbers are comparatively low, other nations are already seeing the start of the second wave of infections and, in some cases, it is worse than the initial wave that started four months ago.

Australia, for example, recorded the most COVID-19 related deaths in a single day Wednesday and is seeing a surge in cases and hospitalizations.

Israel, Hirji said, reopened its economy and social activity too fast and too broadly and is now in the midst of a second serious COVID-19 wave.

Spain, an early adaptor of mandatory face coverings in public spaces, is also suffering from a serious second round of infections.

The United States is not really in a second wave because they havent even got through their first wave yet, Hirji said.

In both Spain and Israel, people pounced on the relaxing of pandemic restrictions, flocking to nightclubs and beaches, triggering the greater spread of the virus.

Hirji said some people may have mistakenly believed that masks were enough to halt the spread of the virus and gave up on the two most effective ways to limit transmission  physical distancing and hand washing.

However, Hirji said a serious second wave in Niagara is not an inevitability. Aside from avoiding international travel, he said residents need to continue to distance, wash their hands and wear masks.

He also said Ontario is not as wide open as Israel or Spain. While Stage 3 has allowed more businesses to open, those that tend to attract crowds are closed for the foreseeable future.

Nightclubs and bars cannot open as nightclubs and bars because the province has determined the close contacts in those environments are too risky, he said. Those types of measures are putting us in a better position.

Wednesdays two cases brings Niagaras historical total of COVID-19 infections to 904, with 39 of them currently active. There is currently one person being treated for COVID-19 at the St. Catharines hospital. At least 64 Niagara residents with the virus have died since the pandemic began.
The BJP will lead the fight against the DMK in 2021 Tamil Nadu assembly elections, the partys state vice-president VP Duraisamy said on Wednesday. He claimed that the six-decade Dravidian battle in TN has turned into a BJP vs DMK contest, effectively writing off its own ally, the AIADMK.

Addressing a press conference, Duraisamy said the change in dynamics had become apparent after the recent meeting between DMK MLA Ku. Ka. Selvam and BJP national president JP Nadda. Selvam had praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP, and publicly questioned the DMK on not holding internal elections.

Political observers say Selvams actions were clearly anti-party by the standards of any Dravidian party. The DMK eventually suspended him from the party.

Duraisamy was the DMKs deputy general secretary as recently as May 2020. His exit from the party was eerily similar to that of Selvams. He walked out after being stripped off party posts for meeting BJP's Tamil Nadu president L Murugan.

Duraisamys statements are not likely to go down well with the ruling AIADMK, especially his categorical assertion that the BJP would lead the alliance in TN since it is a national party and in power at the Centre.

The party has also been largely missing from the debate around alleged Hindi imposition in the state after the new National Education Policy was announced. DMK MP Kanimozhis allegation that her Indian identity was questioned by a CISF officer over not knowing Hindi has also pitted the DMK directly against the BJP, not the AIADMK.

On the verge of being written off the race, the AIADMK is also fractured by factionalism that had emerged after J Jayalalithaas death in 2016. Shattering the fragile truce between CM Edappadi Palamiswami and deputy chief minister O Panneerselvam, state minister KT Rajenthra Bhalaji declared that it would be in the partys best interests to rally behind the former ahead of elections.

The factions led by Palaniswami and Panneerselvam joined hands in 2017 August after ousting Jayalalithaas aide VK Sasikala and her kin, including TTV

Dhinakaran, from the party.

Panneerelvam holds the numero uno position of coordinator in the party and Palaniswami is the co-coordinator, the second in command and all party decisions are taken jointly by them.

Next years election in the state will be keenly watched for more reason than one. This will be the first full-fledged assembly polls in the state after the death of M Karunanidhi and J Jayalalithaa, giving the BJP an opportunity to open its account in vacuum. While superstars Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan have not spelled out plans to contest despite entering politics two years ago, their moves will also influence the electorates mood.
Sturgis meet coronavirus shutdowns: the world's largest annual motorcycle rally in Sturgis, South Dakota has been source of immense controversy this year after health officials warned it could be a 'super-spreader event'.

Running from Aug. 7 to 16, it's expected to be the single largest gathering that's taken place since national virus-related shutdowns took effect earlier this year. Some 250,000 bikers are expected to descend on the town, which is still a much smaller number than recent years. 2015, for example, witnessed a record more than 700,000 people.

Sturgis rally, via Getty Images

With a reputation for attracting 'outlaw' biker types and gangs, the Sturgis rally goes back to 1938, but this year some angry locals have argued before the town council "it's a huge, foolish mistake" given current pandemic fears.

But the rally is already off to a wild start even with what's expected to be a smaller than average crowd, as CBS reports:

"The Department of Public Safety reported that police made 84 arrests for driving under the influence or drug-related offenses during a 24-hour period spanning from Saturday into Sunday morning. That's up from last year, when 76 people had been arrested in a similar time frame."

Police have also reported at least 18 crashes so far. It comes on the very week the US passed another grim milestone, surpassing five million confirmed COVID-19 cases, and as South Dakota may be witnessing a resurgence in cases similar to other states.

Regardless, as one person interviewed told CBS: "People are tired of being at home, you know. This is what this rally started about is freedom."

Via Medium.com

As expected, there's not much concern for social distancing either:

Attendees in Sturgis are being encouraged, but not required, to wear masks. Few appeared to be doing so. So far, as the town's Main Street fills with bikes and bars fill with bikers, there is scant evidence of social distancing. Visitors to this 80th edition of the cycle rally already greatly outnumber the 6,000 residents of Sturgis, wedged into the South Dakota hills.

A massive motorcycle rally drew thousands of maskless riders to the streets and bars of Sturgis, South Dakota, despite the rise in coronavirus cases throughout the U.S. https://t.co/vRTRM5wrV1 pic.twitter.com/lqSVvjuP3Z  CBS News (@CBSNews) August 10, 2020

While the majority of city residents, based on polls, are said to be against holding the rally this year, the city council approved by firm majority to move forward, given especially the event has generated some $800 million in total revenue in recent years, based on the state's Department of Tourism figures.
The Chinese embassy on Wednesday, reacting on Chinese nationals being involved in hawala transactions, said that foreign governments and relevant departments should enforce the law impartially to ensure the safety and legal rights of Chinese citizens.

This comes a day after the Income Tax Department on August 11 conducted searches in 21 locations in Delhi, Ghaziabad, and Gurugram after getting "credible information" of the Chinese involvement in money laundering. The search on the premises of Chinese entities took place after inputs that few Chinese individuals and their Indian associates were involved in money laundering and hawala transactions through series of shell entities, according to a CBDT statement.

In a statement, the Chinese embassy said, "The Chinese government has always required overseas Chinese citizens to abide by local laws and regulations. At the same time, we also require foreign governments and relevant departments to enforce the law impartially to ensure the safety and legal rights of Chinese citizens."

According to the CBDT, the Chinese nationals created more than 40 bank accounts and credited more than Rs. 1000 crores.

Further, incriminating documents related to hawala transactions and money laundering with "active involvement of bank employees and Chartered accountants" have also surfaced.

In this raid, the name of Chinese national Luo Sang, who took the fake identity 'Charlie Peng' emerged. According to the CBDT, he was using 8-10 bank accounts and represented fake Chinese companies in hawala operations worth Rs 300 crore. Sang, a Chinese national who was arrested on Tuesday night in a raid by the Income Tax department under charges of money laundering and representing fake Chinese companies in hawala transactions, was earlier arrested by Delhi Police on spying charges.

It has come to light that Luo Sang, who took a fake identity 'Charlie Peng' in India, had earlier been arrested by the Special Cell of the Delhi Police in September 2018, under charges of espionage. According to sources, the Delhi Police had alleged that 'Charlie Peng' was spying for China and also running money laundering and hawala transaction businesses.

Further, it has also come to light that this 'Charlie Peng' had married a Manipuri girl earlier to make the process of his acquiring an Indian passport, easier.

The Chinese national also allegedly provided 'money exchange' services as well. The police suspect that this 'Charlie Peng' also has links to other hawala transactions and money laundering criminal rings in India. Currently, the cops are attempting to dig out evidence in this regard.
There are 40 meat plant workers reportedly sharing accommodation in Offaly, an Oireachtas committee will be told tomorrow.

Siptu Divisional Organiser for the Manufacturing Industry, Greg Ennis, will appear before the Oireachtas Special Committee on Covid-19 as the recalled committee discusses the outbreaks in meat factories which have seen three counties returned to lockdown.

In Mr Ennis's opening statement, he outlines how the union has been warning since March that meat plants contain "unrivalled vectors for the transmission of Covid-19".

To the beginning of July, 1,115 workers in factories had contracted the virus across 20 clusters. In the most recent outbreaks, more than 300 staff have been confirmed to have caught Covid-19.

Mr Ennis will tell the committee that the conditions both in factories and in the employment of staff are creating issues.

He says: "These vectors include close proximity working, bottlenecks in canteens/toilets, noise pollution causing workers to shout to communicate, which create droplets with these droplets being circulated through the industrial air cooling systems, relatively low wages causing workers to car pool, share accommodation, and in many cases share rooms within that accommodation.

"It is notable that circa 90% of workers within the industry do not have sick pay, forcing vulnerable workers to go to work, even if they are feeling unwell with possible Covid symptoms."

Mr Ennis will also tell the committee that he has been told of one Offaly town where 40 staff are living together.

He says: "Should this prove to be the case, and if we are truly serious about defeating Covid transmission within the meat industry, this hot bedding of workers has to stop.

"Very recent commentary has emerged of workers being redeployed from one meat plant to another to finish production at weekends, causing so much concern about contagion, that existing regular employees refused to go back to work until their safety concerns were addressed."

A spokesperson for Meat Industry Ireland will "assure the Committee that the industry has worked diligently to protect employees throughout the course of this pandemic and continues to do so".

They say: "It took very extensive measures early in the crisis to protect workers and to ensure business continuity. It continues to update and enhance its protocols in line with all relevant public health guidance. Vigilance remains the priority."

The committee will hear from Health and Safety Authority CEO Dr Sharon McGuinness, who will tell the committee that it has carried out over 2,800 Covid-19 protocol inspections, including 34 inspections at meat plants as part of the national outbreak containment team.

She says: "Since March, our Workplace Contact Unit has dealt with over 8,000 contacts, 66% of which related to Covid-19. Among these were 21 complaints relating to meat processing or food processing plants, which involved 12 specific employers, and 15 requests for information related to meat processing plants."
University lecturer Ashley Lloyd Smith began chatting with 'Sophie' knowing she was under the age of 16, a court heard

A children's author has been jailed after sending explicit messages to an undercover police officer posing as a teenage girl.

University lecturer Ashley Lloyd Smith began chatting with 'Sophie' knowing she was under the age of 16, a court heard.

During the course of one online conversation the 45 year-old father asked her if he could show her his private parts and touch them so she could see.

It is understood Lloyd Smith self-published three children's novels and ran writing workshops in Derby for aspiring novelists.

But the academic, who describes himself on his website as 'an award-winning, writer, director and actor', had no idea he had been caught in a police sting.

Southern Derbyshire Magistrates' Court was told Smith contacted 'Sophie' on April 1, 2019.

Despite being told she was under 16 he asked if he could touch himself sexually while she watched.

Police confirmed that 'Sophie' was an undercover officer posing as a young teen to capture individuals carrying out vile offending.

Smith's online biography says he is 'a drama graduate of Aberystwyth University and post graduate of the University of Surrey', It also said he lectured at the University of Derby and other institutions.'

As well as a background in theatre, writing, directing and acting he has written 'a number of children's novels, based on stories 'he has told his son and friends'.

He 'co-founded Writing for Children Writers Group at Quad, Derby and claims to have been short-listed in a number of other literary prizes'.

In court pleaded guilty to one charge of intentionally communicating with a person under 16 for the purpose of obtaining sexual gratification.

Jailing him for 26 weeks, magistrates described his offending as 'disgusting, depraved and aggravated by the location of the offence and his concerted efforts to avoid detection'.

As well as the jail term he was ordered to pay a 122 victim surcharge and was placed on the sex offender register for seven years.

Lloyd-Smith has also written an adult novel 'Pizza with Jimbob & Twoforks' which he described as a black comedy about a Good Samaritan with a shady past.

After the case a spokesperson for the University of Derby said: 'The individual in question is no longer an employee of the University and this was the case before the outcome of the prosecution was known.

'The University takes a zero tolerance approach to behaviour such as this and any members of staff proven to be involved in conduct of this nature would be subject to the strongest possible disciplinary action.

Jailing him for 26 weeks, magistrates described his offending as 'disgusting, depraved and aggravated by the location of the offence and his concerted efforts to avoid detection'

'The University takes the health, safety and well being of its staff and students extremely seriously and has a number of safeguarding measures in place to help mitigate the risk against this sort of incident.'

A spokesman for Quad confirmed Smith ran a short course for adult writers in the past and that no children were present.

Following sentencing, a spokesman for the NSPCC said: 'Smith's actions highlight the lengths that predators will go to exploit and groom children online.

'The way they target potential victims for their own gratification is shocking - but this is happening all too often.

'It is vital that tech companies are forced to protect young people on their platforms, with tough consequences if they fail to do so.

'The NSPCC is urging the Government to press ahead with the Online Harms Bill that will put a legal Duty of Care on big tech to keep children safe online.'

Lloyd Smith had previously won the Greek International Novel of the Year in Athens for his novel Pizza with Jimbob & Twoforks.

The book is about a man who murders his wife and later regrets it and decides to seek salvation.

He also claimed to have almost completed his second novel which features 'a promiscuous Canadian stand-up comedienne and an English stay-at-home husband' on an American road trip.

He has also written three children's novels and was completing an MA in Creative Writing at the University of Leicester.
Realme To Launch C12 And C15 With 6,000mAh Battery On August 18 News oi-Priyanka Dua

Realme is quite aggressive in terms of bringing new smartphones in India. The company has recently announced the launch of a new variant of the 6 Pro, and now it is all set to bring two new devices on August 18, 2020, at 12:30 PM.

Realme has been teasing upcoming smartphones for very long, and today it has finally confirmed the launch date of the C12 and C15 handsets. The company will stream the launch on social media platforms, such as Twitter, YouTube, and Facebook.

Realme C12 And C15 Expected Price

The company has not informed about the pricing. We expect that the Realme C12 and C15 are likely to be priced under Rs. 10,000 as its CEO Madhav Sheth has confirmed earlier that both smartphones will be at affordable prices.

Realme C12 And C15 Expected Specifications

The Realme C12 has recently spotted on Geekbench listing, and it suggests that it will have Helio G35 processor, 3GB of RAM, and will run the Android 10 operating system. The smartphone scores 165 points on the single-core, while on multi-core it gets 972 points. The Realme C12 is likely to have a 6,000 mAh battery and will support a 10W charger. Further, the smartphone receives certification from Indonesia, Malaysia, China, and Thailand.

For the unaware, the Realme C15 is already available in Indonesia with the octa-core MediaTek Helio G35 processor. The smartphone comes with 4GB of RAM and 128GB of storage along with an expanded memory option. The Realme C15 will have a quad rear camera setup at the back. It has a 13 MP sensor, 8MP sensor, 2MP monochrome sensor. Then, there's an 8MP camera at the front for selfies.

Best Mobiles in India

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President Donald Trump speaks during a briefing with reporters in the James Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House in Washington on Aug. 4, 2020. (Alex Brandon/AP Photo)

Trump Says He Would Absolutely Fill a Potential Supreme Court Vacancy Before Election

President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he would fill a vacancy on the Supreme Court should the opportunity present itself before the election.

Absolutely, Id do it, Trump said on a radio interview on the Hugh Hewitt Show, when asked whether he would make a nomination to fill a vacancy on the nations top court during the last five months of his term.

If youre talking about if something would happen now, no, I would move quickly. Why not? I mean, they would. The Democrats would if they were in this position, the president adding that he had someone in mind, but did not name the contender.

None of the Supreme Court justices have announced any intentions of retiring, but speculations of a possible vacancy have swirled in the public consciousness in recent weeks following news that liberal Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg received treatment for her fifth bout of cancer. The 87-year-old justice has previously been treated for colorectal, pancreatic, and lung cancers, and has had other procedures earlier this year. But the liberal justice has been adamant that she would not retire.

I have often said I would remain a member of the Court as long as I can do the job full steam. I remain fully able to do that, she said in a statement in July.

Similarly last year, rumors that conservative Justice Clarence Thomas, the longest-tenured Associate Justice on the Court, might retire in order for Trump to nominate a like-minded, conservative justice. But he dispelled retirement speculations in several public comments he made in 2019.

Im not retiring, Thomas said in response to a hypothetical question when giving a talk at Pepperdine University Law School.

The prospect of filling a Supreme Court vacancy ahead of the November election is likely to spark controversy in the Senate. Republicans in that chamber have been grappling with the question of whether to adhere to their own Garland standard, which Senate Leader Mitch McConnell (R-K.Y.) set in 2016. McConnell famously declined to hold hearings for President Barrack Obamas Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland to replace the late Justice Antonin Scalia 11 months before the election, saying the seat should be opened for the new president to fill.

At the time McConnell said it was a matter of principle, calling it the Biden rule, referring to a 1992 speech when then-Sen. Joe Biden argued that during a political season action on a Supreme Court nomination must be put off until after the election campaign is over.

However, McConnell drew outrage in 2019 when he appeared to soften on his stance, saying that he would fill the vacancy if one came up. Democrats quickly accused him of being hypocritical, but, a spokesperson for McConnell said at the time the Kentucky senator was consistent with his 2016 comments because he had said that vacancies that occur when the White House and Senate are held by different parties should not be acted upon.

Youd have to go back to 1888 when Grover Cleveland was in the White House to find the last time a vacancy created in a presidential year was confirmed by the party opposite the occupant of the White House, McConnell said in March 2016.

Trump and Senate Republicans have made significant efforts to change the composition of the judiciary, by nominating and confirming younger conservative judges, in order to shape the long-term direction of the country. This move has drawn criticism from progressives in the country. Since taking office, the Senate has confirmed 203 federal judges nominated by Trump, including 53 appellate judges, and two Supreme Court justices.
The Karnataka government on Wednesday decided to conduct an inquiry into the violence in parts of the city on Tuesday night, in which at least three people were killed and scores of others were injured, through a district magistrate.

IMAGE: A policeman searches for documents inside a charred police vehicle vandalised by a mob over a social media post, allegedly by a relative of a Congress MLA, in Bengaluru. Photograph: Shailendra Bhojak/PTI Photo

The government also decided to recover the losses arising from damage to public property during the violence, from the rioters, Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai said.



"There are National Human Rights Commission guidelines for such a situation, as per which the inquiry will be conducted by the district executive magistrate.

This decision was taken at the meeting headed by the chief minister," Bommai said.



Speaking to reporters, he said Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa reviewed the complete situation and the action taken by police.



The CM, who was discharged from a hospital on Monday after undergoing treatment for COVID infection, is currently under self-quarantine at home.



Ahead of the meeting with him, Bommai said the government has decided to recover the loss arising out of damage to public property and vehicles during the violence, by making those involved in such acts pay for it.



"We have come to a decision as per the Supreme Court order that when such riots take place and properties are damaged, the loss has to be recovered from those who have caused the damage. I have given orders to initiate all the measures to recover losses from those who have caused the damage," Bommai said.

IMAGE: esidents gather outside the residence of a Congress MLA, vandalised by a mob over a social media post allegedly by a relative of the leader, in Bengaluru. Photograph: Shailendra Bhojak/PTI Photo

Speaking to reporters he said, buses, vehicles and properties were burnt In D J Halli and K G Halli police station limits. all those losses will be recovered from those who have done it.



"There is media and CCTV footage," he said.



At least three people were killed after police opened fire to quell a mob that went on a rampage, irked over a social media post allegedly put out by a Congress legislator's relative, as a city locality witnessed arson and violence.



Scores of persons, including around 50 policemen, were also injured in the violence that erupted on Tuesday night and continued till the wee hours of Wednesday, apparently prompted by the 'communally sensitive' online post.



Also, 110 people allegedly involved in the violence and the accused who posted the communal post have been arrested.



The Congress MLA's residence and a police station were among those targeted by the angry mob, prompting the government to issue a stern warning that rioting and law and order issues will not be tolerated.



An ATM was also destroyed in the violence.



Earlier in the day Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya wrote to Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa requesting him to confiscate the properties of rioters and recover losses caused to public property.



"I request Sri @BSYBJP to confiscate and attach properties of the rioters and compensate losses to public property in the same way as Sri @myogiadityanath govt did in UP. Bengaluru is known for its peace and harmonious society. We must protect this strength of our city at all costs," he tweeted.
Supporters of Bolivia's exiled ex-president Evo Morales blocking a road in protest at the latest delay to the general election originally due in May, 2020

Bolivian authorities denounced the actions of armed protesters as the country entered a 10th day of road blocks that have prevented vital medical supplies needed to fight the coronavirus pandemic from reaching hospitals.

Supporters of exiled former president Evo Morales have set up 142 road blocks throughout all nine Bolivian departments, Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Javier Issa said on Wednesday.

The demonstrators -- mostly indigenous people and farmers -- are angry that a general election has been delayed for a second time.

Fired up by Morales from his exile in Argentina, they're demanding it be restored to its previous September 6 date rather than October 18, as set by the Supreme Electoral Court.

On Tuesday, the United Nations, the European Union and the Catholic Church joined forces to call for a de-escalation of political tensions.

On Twitter, Morales backed the call but then accused his political opponents of "racism" and carrying out "massacres," charges he regularly levels at the government of interim President Jeanine Anez.

His supporters believe the election delay -- it was originally due to take place in May but was postponed due to the pandemic -- is aimed at preventing Luis Arce, who represents Morales's Movement for Socialism (MAS) party, from becoming president.

Arce has consistently led opinion polls since he was picked as the MAS candidate in January.

Experts, though, believe Bolivia's coronavirus spike will hit in early September.

- 'Undue pressure' -

The joint UN, EU and church statement did not single out MAS supporters but urged "the lifting of all undue pressure measures within the framework of a society that wants to live in peace and respect the rules of the democratic game."

The statement added that this was a time to work towards the common good and "not to put at risk the peaceful, democratic and institutional coexistence between all Bolivians."

Story continues

Interior Minister Arturo Murillo said the government supported the move to bring social movements and political parties to the negotiating table to avoid "a civil war."

Last week Murillo threatened to deploy police and military personnel to clear the road blocks.

On Monday, top military and police chiefs condemned the "terrorism" of armed people manning road blocks and called on political leaders to hold a "dialogue, avoiding confrontational action that could increase the levels of conflict."

Armed forces General Sergio Orellana and deputy police commander General Ronald Suarez warned against following in the footsteps of other countries in the region like Peru and Colombia that suffered from decades of internal strife.

"There are consultations, certain approaches have been made with one side and the other" to open discussions, said Ricardo Centellas, president of Bolivia's Bishops Conference.

The move from the Church, the UN and EU came after a mediation request from Anez, parliament and the Supreme Electoral Court, a Church source told AFP.

Centellas said the central theme of the dialogue should be confronting "altogether" the coronavirus pandemic that has infected more than 91,000 people and killed 3,700 amongst the population of 11 million.

- 'Terrorism and genocide' -

Authorities say the road blocks have severely limited the ability of trucks carrying oxygen to reach hospitals where coronavirus patients are in desperate need of treatment.

The health ministry said 31 people died this week from COVID-19 because of a lack of oxygen.

On Monday, the executive filed a complaint against Morales and Arce for "terrorism and genocide," accusing the pair of being behind the road blocks, which began on Monday of last week.

Bolivia has been in political crisis since an October 2019 election won by Morales was annulled after an Organization of American States audit found evidence of fraud.

Morales had been constitutionally barred from standing but was still seeking a fourth term in office.

His victory led to three weeks of protests before he resigned and fled the country after the OAS audit was published, leading to the military withdrawing its support for Morales.

The 60-year-old was his country's first ever indigenous president and ruled for 14 years.

He is barred from standing in the next election, even for the legislature.

jac/fj/bc/dw
Curfew has been imposed in Banaswadi Police Sub-Division, in Bengaluru after an irate mob on Tuesday night attacked the house of Congress MLA Akhanda Srinivasamurthy over a defamatory post against religion. Three persons died and two others were injured in the attack.

For latest updates on Bengaluru violence, click here

Many policemen have also been injured in the incident including a couple of senior officers. More than 7-8 vehicles have been set on fire. The mob comprising over 100 people also torched about 15 vehicles, besides pelting stones at the MLA's house and other adjoining houses in Kaval Byrasandra in North-East Bengaluru.

Situation in front of @Kghallips in #Bengaluru. Hundreds of people gather demanding justice. Police fire teargas shells to disperse the crowd. @DeccanHerald @PMOIndia pic.twitter.com/Y5q6oVJnvC  Niranjan Kaggere (@nkaggere) August 11, 2020

Armed with sticks, iron rods, sharp metal objects and other weapons, the protestors barged into the house of the MLA and pelted stones. The mob even attacked those who were capturing the violent incident on their phone cameras. The cameras and mobiles were snatched and were damaged completely according to eyewitnesses. Sources also revealed that the mob arranged vehicles in front of the DJ Halli police station and set them on fire, besides pelting stones at the station.

The protesters even attacked the vehicle of North-East Division Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Bheemashankar Guled. Trying to take control of the situation, the DCP visited the spot and he was stopped by the protesters in front of the police station gate and began pelting stones. Even as the police personnel were escorting the DCP to a safe location, the mob attacked the car and damaged it. They also assaulted the driver of the vehicle.

Sources close to the MLA revealed to DH that the mob was reportedly angered over a derogatory Facebook post on religion, alleged to have been posted by MLA's brother-in-law. A few others also revealed that the post was put up by the MLA's personal assistant. However, Bengaluru police revealed to DH that they are yet to verify these allegations. The mob took control of the area and sealed five to six crosses barring access to police personnel and fire and emergency service personnel.

Following the incident, over 600 people stormed the KG Halli police station venting their anger and demanding justice. The incident which occurred at around 9:00 pm went out of control in less than an hour after the mob began to torch the vehicles and vandalise the houses nearby. Gripped by panic, the residents staying in surrounding areas were seen leaving houses along with kids and women to other areas.

Trying to control the situation and disperse the crowd, the police fired in the air in front of the KG Halli police station. However, there was no sign of control as the mob continued with their violence protest. In the resulting violence, one person was found dead while the three others were injured severely. However, the police refused to confirm whether the person died in the firing, violence or stampede.

In the meantime, MLA Akhanda Srinivasamurthy released a video where he said, "I appeal to all my Muslim brethren to maintain peace and not to get carried away by the rumours and miscreants' words. Be it a Hindu or Muslim, we all are equal. Whoever it may be trying to disrupt the harmony, they will be dealt with seriously and will be punished by the police as per the law. But let us not resort to this violence and I request all of you to keep calm."

Following the violent protests, Chamarajpet MLA BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan also rushed to the spot and visited KG Halli police station. According to sources, Police Commissioner Kamal Pant also rushed to the spot.

"The government will take action against those who are responsible behind the attack. Resorting to violence, torching of vehicles is against the law and not a solution to any problem. Any issue can be legally pursued and taken to a logical end. I have already directed the police commissioner to visit the spot and take control of the situation," said Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai.

Bengaluru's Police Commissioner, Kamal Pant said the situation is under control in KG Halli and DJ Halli. "The mob started gathering and creating ruckus in small groups by 7.30 pm to 8 pm. But it came to limelight much later. We had to walk for more than 1.5 km to reach the incident spot, he said."
A Vancouver woman who worked as a registered nurse in Portland was sentenced Tuesday to eight months in federal prison for conspiring to sell drugs, according to federal prosecutors.

Rene Elene Griffin Nunn, 60, pleaded guilty to a one-count indictment charging her with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances.

In February 2018, Nunn was found driving from Vancouver to Portland with about 93 grams of heroin in her purse, according to federal prosecutors. She also was found talking with others by cellphone about the price and quantity of methamphetamine and heroin between September 2017 and January 2018, according to court records.

Nunn had worked as a registered nurse at Adventist Medical Center in Portland.

Her accomplice, Darlene Michelle Sturdevant, 62, also of Vancouver, was sentenced in January to 14 years in prison. She was found guilty of conspiring to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and heroin and possession with intent to distribute heroin.

--The Oregonian/OregonLive
Investors who take an interest in UGI Corporation (NYSE:UGI) should definitely note that the Independent Director, Theodore Dosch, recently paid US$33.76 per share to buy US$338k worth of the stock. That certainly has us anticipating the best, especially since they thusly increased their own holding by 500%, potentially signalling some real optimism.

Check out our latest analysis for UGI

The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At UGI

In the last twelve months, the biggest single purchase by an insider was when Independent Non-Executive Chairman Frank Hermance bought US$6.4m worth of shares at a price of US$43.06 per share. So it's clear an insider wanted to buy, even at a higher price than the current share price (being US$34.97). It's very possible they regret the purchase, but it's more likely they are bullish about the company. We always take careful note of the price insiders pay when purchasing shares. Generally speaking, it catches our eye when insiders have purchased shares at above current prices, as it suggests they believed the shares were worth buying, even at a higher price.

While UGI insiders bought shares during the last year, they didn't sell. The chart below shows insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last year. If you click on the chart, you can see all the individual transactions, including the share price, individual, and the date!

UGI 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.

Insider Ownership

Another way to test the alignment between the leaders of a company and other shareholders is to look at how many shares they own. A high insider ownership often makes company leadership more mindful of shareholder interests. It appears that UGI insiders own 0.7% of the company, worth about US$54m. While this is a strong but not outstanding level of insider ownership, it's enough to indicate some alignment between management and smaller shareholders.

Story continues

So What Does This Data Suggest About UGI Insiders?

It's certainly positive to see the recent insider purchases. And the longer term insider transactions also give us confidence. Insiders likely see value in UGI shares, given these transactions (along with notable insider ownership of the company). In addition to knowing about insider transactions going on, it's beneficial to identify the risks facing UGI. For example, UGI has 3 warning signs (and 1 which makes us a bit uncomfortable) we think you should know about.

If you would prefer to check out another company -- one with potentially superior financials -- then do not miss this free list of interesting companies, that have HIGH return on equity and low debt.

For the purposes of this article, insiders are those individuals who report their transactions to the relevant regulatory body. We currently account for open market transactions and private dispositions, but not derivative transactions.

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.
Strict personal privacy laws sparked fears in Government over the potential for meat-factory workers to hide positive Covid-19 test results from their employers.

A Cabinet subcommittee on the pandemic heard concerns about how data privacy legislation means employees are not required to alert employers to their test results.

Officials are now examining whether business owners can be told if their workforce have tested positive for the virus without being given the personal details of each individual who contracted the virus.

Data protection laws insist the details of anyone who tests negative or positive should not be passed on to a third party, including an employer. This means the onus is on the worker to alert their employer to their test results.

Read More

There has been concern among health officials and politicians that some workers, especially those working in meat factories, are not revealing when they have coronavirus symptoms.

Last week, Taoiseach Micheal Martin said some employees were afraid they would lose their income if they did not go to work, even though State supports are available to those who are financially affected by the virus.

At yesterday's Cabinet subcommittee meeting on Covid-19, the issue of workers' privacy rights was discussed as ministers agreed on a nationwide testing regime for meat-processing factories.

A source said the subcommittee was anxious to maintain the personal privacy rights of workers but was also keen to ensure employers knew how many of their staff had contracted the virus.

"What's being looked at is how test results can be shared on macro level," a Government source said.

The source said employers may be informed of the number or percentage of their workforce who tested positive or negative.

After the meeting, the Taoiseach said ministers signed off on a new testing regime for meat-processing factories, direct provision centres and nursing homes.

There will be systematic testing of workers in meat-processing factories every week to begin with and then every fortnight.

A similar testing regime will be introduced for direct provision centres and other congregated settings.

Weekly testing of staff in nursing homes will also resume following fears the virus could lead to more tragedies among older people.

"We have to stand back and look at the wider situation in terms of congregated settings and risks that they present and there will be discussions next week around that," Mr Martin said.

"We'll be looking at meat plants in general in terms of occupational health, in terms of making sure the workers are protected and that the conditions contained within those factories are assessed in terms of their capacity to be conducive to the spread of the virus," he added.

The move followed coronavirus outbreaks in four meat-processing factories which led to lockdown measures being imposed in counties Kildare, Offaly and Laois.

The Taoiseach held a teleconference call with Kildare Chamber of Commerce yesterday, which is led by Allan Shine.

At the meeting, Mr Shine outlined a series of supports he hoped the Government would introduce to help support businesses in the three affected counties.

Tanaiste Leo Varadkar held talks with the Chamber of Commerce on Monday.
Samsung Germany is announcing Enterprise Editions of the Samsung Galaxy Note20 and Galaxy Tab S7 series. These devices would be sold to businesses and are guaranteed four years of maintenance updates. This marks Samsungs second 5G device for the Enterprise program, and it marks the first Enterprise Edition tablet.

The Enterprise Edition devices will come with one year of Samsungs Knox Suite services for free. These services focus on security of the devices, as well as device management solutions. The ones included are: Knox Mobile Enrollment, Knox Manage, Knox Platform,a and Knox E-FOTA One. The S-Pen makes the Tab S and Note devices ideal for productivity work when mobile.

The Galaxy Note20 5G Enterprise Edition retails for 1059 while the Galaxy Tab S7 Enterprise Edition will retail for 809. Both will be available in Germany starting in September from authorized device retailers or a Knox Deployment Partner Program partner.

Source
"I am coming to you today with some big news: Im honored to join Joe Biden in the fight for the soul of our country as the Democratic Vice Presidential Nominee. Joe is a leader who can unify the American people, because he's spent his life fighting for the American people. And as president, he will build an America that lives up to our ideals.

"My mom and dad, like so many other immigrants, came to this country for an education. My mother from India and my dad from Jamaica. And the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s brought them together. Some of my earliest memories are from that time: My parents being attacked by police with hoses, fleeing for safety, with me strapped tightly in my stroller.

"That spirit of activism is why my mother, Shyamala, would always tell my sister and me, Dont just sit around and complain about things. Do something.

"Thats why I became a District Attorney and fought to fix a broken system from within. Why I served as Californias Attorney General. Why Im proud to represent my state as a U.S. Senator. And its why, today, Im humbled to be joining Joe Biden in the battle to defeat Donald Trump and build a country that lives up to our values of truth, equality, and justice.

"I know that winning this race will be tougher than anything Ive faced before, but Ive never been more ready to roll up my sleeves and get to work. Donald Trump thinks this country belongs to him. But Joe Biden knows it belongs to all of us. To the people.

"And together, the people are going to take it back."

Setting Aside Differences

Biden taps Kamala Harris as running mate, setting aside tensions from primary Kamala Harris, the politically shrewd California senator with a law enforcement background that has caused some tensions with the progressive left, was announced Tuesday as Joe Biden 's running mate. "I've decided that Kamala Harris is the best person to help me take this fight to Donald Trump and Mike Pence and then to lead this nation starting in January 2021," Biden said in an email to supporters.

Comic Relief

Exclusive: Maya Rudolph reacts to Kamala Harris VP pick: 'Oh s---' Rudolph said she is ready to return as Harris on Saturday Night Live. It's official: Joe Biden has selected Senator Kamala Harris as his running mate in the 2020 election. And Maya Rudolph, who played Harris during the Democratic Presidential debates on Saturday Night Live, has some thoughts.

Right-Wing Preview

Rush Limbaugh resurrects vile, sexist smear against Kamala Harris Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) is widely seen as a leading choice to be Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden's running mate. As Biden moves closer to announcing his running mate, Rush Limbaugh revived a smear against Harris that implies that she advanced her career by dating a prominent politician.

Civil Rights Celebration

NAACP | NAACP Recognizes Senator Kamala Harris's Appointment to Major Party Ticket as 'Defining Moment in U.S. History.' Derrick Johnson, president and CEO of the NAACP, released the following statement on the selection of Senator Kamala Harris as a candidate on the presidential ticket of a major political party: Throughout the history of this nation, Black women have been at the forefront of moving us toward a more representative and unified society.

History In The Making

In Historic Pick, Joe Biden Taps Kamala Harris To Be His Running Mate Former Vice President Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, has picked California Sen. Kamala Harris as his running mate. The selection will make Harris just the third woman - and first African American - to be nominated for vice president by a major political party.

Background For Veep

5 things to know about Kamala Harris, Biden's running mate Before she was elected to the Senate in 2016, Harris spent 26 years as a prosecutor in her home state of California, rising through the ranks to become district attorney in San Francisco before being elected state attorney general in 2010.

Pollsters Share Predictions

Kamala Harris Is Biden's VP Pick - Here's What It Means For The Election And Beyond Former Vice President and presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden announced Sen. Kamala Harris as his running mate today. Here's a look at what this choice means and ... what it doesn't. Harris is the first Asian American and the first Black woman in American history to be a general election candidate for president or vice president for either of the two major political parties.

Prez Trump Celebrates Veep Biden Ticket

Trump slams Kamala Harris after VP pick, claims 'she was my number one pick' President Trump, in his first on-camera remarks about the new Biden-Harris ticket, said he was "a little surprised" that Joe Biden chose Kamala Harris to be his running mate given her "very poor" primary performance, but said she was his "number one pick" to face off against.

A campaign 2020 decision resonates across the nation and we'd like to know TKC Reader opinions and insight before an "official" narrative has been crafted . . .######################MSM perspectives . . .You decide . . .
We are thrilled to be named to the 2020 Inc. 5000 list. This is a tremendous achievement, said Aaron Marshall, CEO and Co-Founder.

Keyrenter Property Management, a nationwide leader in residential property management, is ranked 1308 on the annual Inc. 5000 list, the most prestigious ranking of the nations fastest-growing private companies. The list represents a unique look at the most successful companies within the American economys most dynamic segment  its independent small businesses.

The Utah-based property management company experienced a three-year growth rate of 341 percent, thanks to an explosive surge in system-wide gross sales. Keyrenter anticipates growing to 130 franchise partners through 2022, representing more than a 200 percent increase in franchise partners over the next three years. The company expects to achieve $50 million in system-wide revenue by 2022.

We are thrilled to be named to the 2020 Inc. 5000 list. This is a tremendous achievement, said Aaron Marshall, CEO and Co-Founder. Keyrenter is experiencing rapid growth, and we look forward to creating an even bigger franchise footprint in the future as we create more entrepreneurs. We are incredibly grateful to our dedicated franchise owners and amazing corporate team for this achievement.

Keyrenter was founded in 2007 and began franchising in 2014 to help aspiring business owners and real estate brokers capitalize on the more than 43 million households occupied by renters throughout the United States. Keyrenter has quickly grown to 42 territories across 19 states. Thousands of client investors work with Keyrenter franchise partners from coast to coast to manage tens of thousands of properties in their portfolios.

The Keyrenter franchise offers a low-overhead, high-profit, technology-based business model that is proven to generate passive recurring monthly income in the booming residential property management industry. The companys systems allow franchise owners to manage more properties with fewer people while reducing work time, stress and the cost associated with doing business.

Not only have the companies on the 2020 Inc. 5000 been very competitive within their markets, but the list as a whole shows staggering growth compared with prior lists as well. Complete results of the Inc. 5000 can be found at http://www.inc.com/inc5000.

To learn more about Keyrenter Property Management, please visit https://keyrenter.com/.

To learn more about Keyrenter Franchise Opportunities, please visit https://keyrenter.com/franchise/.


A judge has ordered Uber and Lyft to treat their drivers as employees instead of freelancers after California sued the ride-sharing giants for violating state law.

The order came Monday when Judge Ethan Schulman of San Francisco Superior Court granted the state's request for a preliminary injunction blocking Uber and Lyft from classifying drivers as independent contractors rather than employees.

The ruling is a crushing defeat for the companies as they defend against a May 5 lawsuit by state Attorney General Xavier Becerra and the cities of Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco - where they are both based..

The suit accused Uber and Lyft of violating Assembly Bill 5 (AB5), a new state law requiring companies to classify workers as employees if they controlled how workers did their jobs, or the work was part of their normal business.

Uber and Lyft say their drivers prefer the flexibility of working as freelancers, while labor unions and elected officials argue that the designation deprives drivers of benefits like health insurance, sick leave and overtime.

Schulman's ruling came one day after Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi penned an op-ed in the New York Times calling for all gig economy companies to establish benefit funds for their workers.

A judge on Monday ordered Uber and Lyft to classify their drivers as employees instead of contractors after California sued the ride-sharing giants for violating state law (file photo)

Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi (pictured) penned an op-ed in the New York Times calling for all gig economy companies to establish benefit funds for their workers

Schulman delayed the order to reclassify by 10 days to allow time for appeal, which both Uber and Lyft promised to do.

In a 34-page decision faulting the money-losing companies' 'prolonged and brazen refusal' to comply with state law, Schulman said the plaintiffs showed an 'overwhelming likelihood' they could prove Uber and Lyft classified drivers illegally.

Labor advocates praised the ruling as a milestone in their fight to apply traditional worker protections to a fast-growing segment of the labor force.

'This is a resounding victory for thousands of Uber and Lyft drivers who are working hard - and, in this pandemic, incurring risk every day - to provide for their families,' Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer said in a statement.

But the companies - whose largest market is in California - criticized the decision, saying it threatens to shut them down during a pandemic-induced economic downturn where many people who have lost their jobs turn to the ride-hailing companies to make money.

'Our elected leaders should be focused on creating work, not trying to shut down an entire industry during an economic depression,' Uber spokesperson Davis White said.

Both Uber and Lyft have pledged to spend more than a hundred million dollars to support a November ballot measure, Proposition 22, that would exempt them from AB5.

'Drivers do not want to be employees,' Lyft said in a statement. 'Ultimately, we believe this issue will be decided by California voters and that they will side with drivers.'

Both Uber and Lyft have pledged to spend more than a hundred million dollars to support a November ballot measure, Proposition 22, that would exempt them from AB5. Pictured: Drivers protest the proposition on August 6 in Los Angeles

Several hundred thousand 'gig' workers, including many at ride-hailing companies and app-based food delivery services, are affected by AB5, which took effect on January 1 and had broad support from organized labor.

Lawyers for Uber and Lyft said they are not violating the law because drivers are not fundamental to the business, arguing the companies are 'multi-sided platforms' whose activities encompass much more than transportation.

But Schulman rejected that argument, writing that it 'flies in the face of economic reality and common sense'.

'To state the obvious, drivers are central, not tangential, to Uber and Lyft's entire ride-hailing business,' Schulman wrote.

He also said the public could face substantial harm if drivers were denied employee benefits such as minimum wage, paid sick and family leave, unemployment insurance and workers' compensation insurance.

'These harms are not mere abstractions; they represent real harms to real working people,' Schulman wrote.

The judge said Uber and Lyft had themselves to blame if their resisting state laws contributed to any 'far-reaching' effects an injunction might have.

'Defendants may not evade legislative mandates merely because their businesses are so large that they affect the lives of many thousands of people,' he wrote.

State officials have argued Uber and Lyft's behavior hurts more than just drivers, noting the companies don't pay into the state's unemployment insurance fund that covers benefits for people when they lose their jobs.

The state's fund was quickly depleted following huge job losses because of the pandemic, resulting in the state borrowing billions of dollars from the federal government.

'Our state and workers shouldn't have to foot the bill when big businesses try to skip out on their responsibilities,' Becerra, California's Democratic attorney general, said.

'We're going to keep working to make sure Uber and Lyft play by the rules.'

But ride-hailing companies have been hurt by the pandemic, too. Uber announced last week it lost $1.78billion in the past three months as millions of people stayed home during the pandemic.

Shares in both companies tumbled in early trading on Tuesday following the ruling.

California Attorney General Xavier Becerra (right) and Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer (left) are leading the state's lawsuit against Uber and Lyft. After their injunction was granted on Monday, Feuer said: 'This is a resounding victory for thousands of Uber and Lyft drivers who are working hard - and, in this pandemic, incurring risk every day - to provide for their families'

Hours before the ruling was handed down, Uber outlined proposals for a new type of relationship with gig workers, including its own drivers, that would allow them to keep their independence as freelancers while also receiving benefits.

The ride-hailing giant described 'a new model for independent platform work' in an 18-page document it hopes can be used as blueprint for Uber and similar firms relying on independent workers.

The company seeks 'to deliver certainty for millions of independent contractors who will increasingly rely on independent work to help them face the economic challenges that lie ahead,' Uber said in its document.

'The current health and economic crisis has brought into sharp focus the need for everyone, regardless of their employment status, to be able to find good quality, rewarding work; be able to work in the way they choose; and have access to adequate social protections and benefits.'

Uber proposed that gig economy companies be required to establish 'benefits funds', allowing gig workers to accrue and use the money for benefits or paid leave.

In his Times op-ed, Uber CEO Khosrowshahi said that the current employment system 'is outdated and unfair' and 'forces every worker to choose between being an employee with more benefits but less flexibility, or an independent contractor with more flexibility but almost no safety net'.

'Uber is ready, right now, to pay more to give drivers new benefits and protections,' Khosrowshahi wrote.

'But America needs to change the status quo to protect all workers, not just one type of work.'

Uber CEO Khosrowshahi (pictured) says that the current employment system 'is outdated and unfair' and 'forces every worker to choose between being an employee with more benefits but less flexibility, or an independent contractor with more flexibility but almost no safety net'

Khosrowshahi echoed the arguments Uber made in response to the California lawsuit, saying that the requirement to classify drivers as employees would leave fewer jobs and dramatically increase costs.

'Uber would not be as widely available to riders, and drivers would lose the flexibility they have today if they became employees,' Khosrowshahi wrote.

'The vast majority of drivers have said they don't want to be employees because of how much they value flexibility.'

He called the argument over flexibility and benefits a 'false choice', adding: 'As a start, all gig economy companies need to pay for benefits, should be more honest about the reality of the work and must strengthen the rights and voice of workers.'

Khosrowshahi said that if all 50 states required gig economy companies to establish benefits funds, Uber would have paid $655million into theirs last year.

'During this moment of crisis, I fundamentally believe platforms like Uber can fuel an economic recovery by quickly giving people flexible work to get back on their feet,' he wrote.

'But this opportunity will be lost if we ignore the obvious lessons of the pandemic and fail to ensure independent workers have a stronger safety net.

'This is the time for Uber to come together with government to raise the standard of work for all.'
A recent scientific breakthrough brings good news for people suffering from a particular type of skin cancer, malignant melanoma.

Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States, United Kingdom and worldwide. The success rate of the treatment is usually directly proportional to early detection and even then, the course of treatment requires a multi-directional approach as there is no single, effective treatment for it. This makes tracking the progression of the disease almost as important as the treatment itself; it helps the doctors to monitor the response of the patients body to the treatment.

A recent study brings good news for people suffering from a particular type of skin cancer, malignant melanoma.

Currently, for examining the progression of this disease, doctors need to perform invasive biopsies, where they remove a tiny piece of skin and examine it under a microscope. But a recent article, published in the journal Open Chemistry on 11th August 2020, stated that now doctors would be able to monitor the progression and treatment response in skin cancer patients by just examining a urine sample.

Malignant melanoma: a skin cancer

We all have moles on our body; most of them are harmless. In a few rare cases though, these moles can develop into malignant melanoma, an aggressive form of skin cancer. Malignant melanoma can occur due to continuous exposure of the skin to ultraviolet (UV) light from the sun. Any change in an existing mole or appearance of a new, different-looking mole could be a sign of malignant melanoma.

The urine test to track the progression of cancer

Malignant melanoma can be difficult to treat as it is highly aggressive and often spreads to other parts of the body. It is vital to monitor its progression and treatment response as it has high chances of recurrence.

Since the process of examining the progression of malignant melanoma can be painful and scary for the patient, scientists from the Pavol Jozef Safarik University found a way to examine the same with the help of a urine sample. They found that there are some fluorescent molecules produced during the growth and progression of skin cancer, which can be detected in the urine.

In the study, the scientists collected the urine samples of malignant melanoma patients and healthy people. These samples were tested for the presence of various biomarkers of cancer diseases with the help of fluorescence spectrophotometry, a simple and inexpensive test.

The scientists also performed genetic analysis of these patients to find out the genes involved in the progression of melanoma.

Conclusion of the study

The results of the test showed that the urine samples that were collected from the malignant melanoma patients had different levels of the metabolism-linked fluorescent markers as compared to the samples collected from healthy patients.

The scientists noted that the levels of the fluorescent molecules in the urine corresponded with the stage of melanoma. The fluorescent molecules further showed that there were specific genes which were linked to melanoma progression.

With this study, the scientists concluded that these waste metabolites could be an essential marker in easily monitoring the disease.

For more information, read our article on Skin cancer (Melanoma)

Health articles in Firstpost are written by myUpchar.com, Indias first and biggest resource for verified medical information. At myUpchar, researchers and journalists work with doctors to bring you information on all things health.


Bilal, the Mammootty starrer which is a sequel to the 2007 movie Big B, is one of the most-awaited upcoming projects of the Malayalam cinema. The Amal Neerad directorial is expected to start rolling once the lockdown ends. Recently, popular actor Jaffer Idukki confirmed that he has joined the star cast of the Mammootty starrer.

Jaffer Idukki, who played the character Shamsu, a dog seller in the first installment Big B, will be reprising his role along with the other popular faces from the original case, in Bilal. In the recent interview given to a popular Malayalam media, the senior actor also revealed that he has shot a few portions for the movie before the lockdown happened. The actor also revealed that his character Shamsu is no longer a dog seller, but will be seen involved with another business in Bilal.

To the unversed, Jaffer Idukki's character, Shamsu is highly popular for his witty oneliners. The dialogues mouthed by Mammootty in a scene that features his character Bilal John Kurissinkal and Jaffer's Shamsu in Big B, are still highly celebrated by the Malayalam movie audiences.

Even though Big B was not a major commercial success, the Amal Neerad directorial eventually earned cult status among the Malayalam cinema audiences. The Mammootty starrer has been considered as one of the finest action thrillers ever made in the Malayalam film industry.

Bilal is scripted by Unni R, the renowned writer who had penned the script for Big B. Mamta Mohandas, Manoj K Jayan, Lena, Vijayaraghavan, Maniyanpilla Raj, Bala, and so on, who played crucial roles in Big B, will reprise their respective roles in the sequel. Sreenath Bhasi and actor-director Lal Jr. are said to be the new additions to the star cast of Bilal, which is expected to hit the theaters in 2021.

Also Read:

Mohanlal Tests Negative For COVID-19: Resumes Shooting!

Mammootty's One Is Not Getting An OTT Release, Confirms Director Santhosh Viswanath


Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-12 09:11:50|Editor: huaxia

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PRAGUE, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- Top seed Simona Halep fought hard in the WTA Prague Open first round as she edged out Slovenia's Polona Hercog 6-1, 1-6, 7-6(3) on Tuesday.

Halep needed seven match points in the two-and-a-half hour match as both players fired 29 winners while Help made less mistakes, 39 against Hercog's 42.

"I knew it was going to be difficult," Romanian Halep told the WTA official website. "All our matches were very tough and very long. She knows me pretty well, we played in juniors. She changes the rhythm, she plays dropshots, a little bit softer then harder, so it was tougher for me to be in the point."

No.2 seed Petra Martic of Croatia bounced opened her Prague Open campaign with a 7-6 (2), 6-3 victory over Russian Varvara Gracheva.

Martic took a medical timeout between sets on Tuesday but eventually won the match.

"Not an easy one, especially the first set," Martic said. Enditem
Election 2020 Myanmars Ruling Party to Contest All Seats in Conflict-Torn Rakhine State in November Election

The NLD office in Taungup Township in Rakhine State / National League for Democracy - Rakhine State

SITTWE, Rakhine StateThe National League for Democracy (NLD) will contest all the seats up for grabs in Rakhine State in Novembers general election, according to party leaders.

Previously, it appeared the party would not be able to field candidates in some townships in northern Rakhine, but some party members put themselves forward at the last minute, so the party can now contest all the constituencies in the state, said U Soe Lay, vice chairman of the NLDs Rakhine chapter.

We have submitted candidacy applications to the election commission. We will field candidates for all 45 seats including ethnic minister posts, U Soe Lay told The Irrawaddy.

He declined to say how many seats the party thinks it will be able to secure in Rakhine State.

U Soe Lay admitted the party faces certain challenges, as local people have a negative view of the NLD government due to the ongoing conflict between government troops and the Arakan Army (AA), an ethnic rebel group that enjoys popular support among Rakhine people, especially in northern Rakhine.

In the 2015 general election, the NLD did not win a single seat in northern Rakhine, but it saw success in the southern part of the state, securing a seat in the Upper House, four seats in the Lower House and nine seats in the Rakhine State parliament, including the Chin ethnic affairs minister position.

The Arakan National Partythe result of a merger between the Arakan League for Democracy (ALD) and the Rakhine Nationalities Development Partywon the most seats in the last election. But this year, there will be at least three rival Rakhine parties, as a group left the ANP and re-established the ALD, and another group of ANP members left to form a new party known as the Arakan Front Party, which is led by the son of imprisoned politician Dr. Aye Maung.

NLD Central Information Unit secretary Monywa Aung Shin admitted that the party is unlikely to repeat its 2015 victory in Rakhine this time.

At first, the party considered not fielding candidates in some constituencies in Rakhine. Then we decided to run for all the seats. It is difficult to say how many seats we will win. It is likely we will have to struggle in all regions including Rakhine in this years election, he told The Irrawaddy.

Due to the current political landscape, public interest in the general election has declined, even in townships in southern Rakhine like Thandwe, Taungup and Gwa, according to local residents.

Public interest in the election is low. There is active fighting on the other side [in northern Rakhine], and there are people being detained on this side. So, people dont want to get involved in politics. Most of the people only care about their livelihoods, said Thandwe resident Daw Kay Zin Oo.

The Union Election Commission has said the general election will be held on Nov. 8, and has put initial voter lists on display in wards and villages. In northern Rakhine, however, voter lists still cannot be posted in many villages due to instability in those areas, while many locals have shown little interest in checking the voter lists.

A total of 386 candidates from 13 political parties as well as independent candidates have registered to run in the election in Rakhine.

The Rakhine State Election Sub-commission says it plans to open around 2,600 polling stations in Rakhine, which has some 1.64 million eligible voters.

Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko

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JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Aug. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Pontoon, a global leader in outsourced talent solutions and part of the Adecco Group, today announced the appointment of Christoph Niebel as President, reporting to Corinne Ripoche, CEO of Adecco Americas and Pontoon. Niebel joins Pontoon from LHH, the Group's talent development and career transition business, where he served as Executive Vice President and Chief Sales Officer.

"Christoph is a purpose-oriented leader with a passion for driving workforce transformation," said Ripoche. "During his time with the Group, he has built a strong reputation as a change agent who inspires teams to challenge the status quo, embrace disruptive technologies and deliver outstanding customer experiences. We live by these values at Pontoon and are delighted to welcome Christoph to the team."

A native of Germany, Niebel first joined the Group in 2009 as a business development manager for LHH in Sydney, Australia. He relocated to the U.S. in 2013, holding a number of sales leadership roles at LHH before joining its Executive Committee in 2018. Niebel has been instrumental in bringing a strategic, disciplined focus to LHH's business development efforts and value proposition.

"I am proud to join Pontoon at such a dynamic time. We have an enormous opportunity to support global economies with proven solutions for tackling the ebbs and flows of recovery," said Niebel. "I look forward to working with the Pontoon team to amplify the market leader status they are known for all over the world. Together we will continue to be game-changers for our customers and disruptors in our industry."

Niebel will transition over the coming weeks and officially begin his new role on September 1, 2020.

About Pontoon

The future of talent. We are the partner our customers need to lead them as they navigate a rapidly evolving market to ensure their continued growth. We lead the conversation. We use HR Tech to transform the talent industry and enhance the experience for candidates and clients and we work in partnership with our customers to help them drive their business forward. For more information on Pontoon's services, visit us at pontoonsolutions.com or email [email protected].

SOURCE Pontoon

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Maputo, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 12th Aug, 2020 ) :Islamist militants occupied a key port in gas-rich northern Mozambique on Wednesday following days of renewed attacks, a military source and local media said.

"The port of Mocimboa da Praia was captured by the terrorists at dawn," the Moz24Horas website reported Wednesday, while a military source told AFP that the port "has fallen".
Jake Paul was seen out for the first time since the FBI raided his home last week, as he walked his dog with his ex-girlfriend Tana Mongeau in Calabasas, California.

The 23-year-old YouTube personality donned a brown T-shirt with khaki shorts and beige Nike trainers, wearing a large face mask on the outing.

Mongeau, 22, kept warm in an oversize white sweatshirt with black and white trainers on the walk, with her blonde locks down and parted.

Out and about: Jake Paul, 23, was seen out for the first time since the FBI raided his home last week, as he walked his dog with his ex-girlfriend Tana Mongeau, 22, in Calabasas, California on Wednesday

The Las Vegas-born beauty, who parted ways romantically with Paul earlier this year, donned a standard medical face mask on the outdoor trek.

Jake, who's the younger brother of fellow social media star Logan Paul, made his first public appearance weeks after FBI and SWAT executed a search warrant at his $6.9 million Calabasas home in an August 5 raid in which they retrieved multiple firearms off the premises.

In a clip obtained by TMZ, Paul said he wanted 'to clarify things and set things straight' in regards to the incident.

'The FBI raid is entirely related to the Arizona looting situation that had happened, and it is an investigation,' the influencer said. 'There are rumors of it having to with so many other things that have nothing to do with me or my character, and the s*** that people are making up is absolutely absurd.

Details: Insiders close to Paul told DailyMail.com that the raid was focused on gathering evidence of looting this past May at a riot at the Fashion Square Mall in Scottsdale, Arizona

Legal issues: FBI and law enforcement officers raided YouTuber Jake Paul's Los Angeles mansion last week and were seen removing several firearms

Paul alluded to a problematic member of his inner circle in the statement.

'With that being said when I become aware of someone around me who is doing malicious things, they are immediately cut out of my life - I dont put up with bulls***, I dont surround myself with bad people, and if someone does something bad they will be removed from my life.'

Paul said he was focusing on music and boxing in the meantime.

Insiders close to Paul told DailyMail.com that the raid was focused on gathering evidence of looting this past May at a riot at the Fashion Square Mall in Scottsdale, Arizona.

The source also revealed that police searched other properties beyond the two mansions in the coordinated raid  though the FBI remained tight-lipped saying the case had been sealed.

Comeback: Jake, who's the younger brother of fellow social media star Logan Paul, made his first public appearance weeks after FBI and SWAT executed a search warrant

Casual: The YouTube personality donned a brown T-shirt with khaki shorts and beige Nike trainers, wearing a large face mask on the outing

Paul, 23, Izadi, 35, and a third YouTuber filmed themselves at a Scottsdale protest over the killing of George Floyd. They were arrested and charged with trespassing and unlawful assembly after looters ransacked and vandalized the Scottsdale Fashion Square mall.

As dozens of SWAT officers in armored vehicles hit the influencers' mansions around 6 a.m., Scottsdale Police Department announced the Arizona state charges against the three men had been temporarily dismissed while the case was handed over to federal investigators.

'It seems they wanted to get their hands on technology to review any footage that may not have been released,' the source told DailyMail.com. 'That is what seems to be out of control. Why is it so aggressive for just that?

DailyMail.com can reveal that agents were looking for evidence of the Arizona mall looting he is linked to

Multiple high powered weapons were seized at the $6.9million Calabasas mansion during the raid for video information

'It was a shock to everyone... You just don't see that every day, these huge SWAT teams. Everybody there was detained while they secured the property.

'They asked [Izadi] a lot of questions,' the source added. 'They were asking him things pertaining to why they were in Arizona. We don't fully understand how misdemeanor trespassing charges turned into a federal investigation.'

News choppers caught on camera federal officers carrying several rifles confiscated from Paul's mansion during the Calabasas search, setting social media ablaze with speculation over the reason for the raid.

Jake Paul was charged with two misdemeanor crimes after he was seen at an Arizona mall that was being looted in May. He was seen in video taken at the incident

Tana Mongeau, Arman Izadi and Jake Paul are seen at Paul and Mongeau's wedding. SWAT teams descended on Paul's home and the Las Vegas mansion of his graffiti artist co-star Arman Izadi

Paul released a statement that claimed he was not involved in any looting and was in the area for protests

A spokesperson at the FBI's Phoenix office confirmed the raids were connected to a federal investigation of the mall looting.

TIME OF JAKE PAUL'S ARREST AND RESULTING FBI RAID May 30: Looting at the Scottsdale Fashion Square mall, Arizona May 31: Paul tried to distance himself from the situation in a statement, saying he was in no way involved in any looting or vandalism June 4: Scottsdale, Arizona authorities charged the 23-year-old internet star with criminal trespass and unlawful assembly - both misdemeanors August 5: Paul's home in LA and Armani Izadi in Las Vegas are both raided by the FBI Charges are dropped against both men by Scottsdale police; they remain the subjects of a federal investigation Advertisement

Echoing a statement released by Paul in June, the source insisted they were not involved in any looting.

'This is definitely being trumped up,' the friend of the YouTube stars said. 'It was never anyone's intention to go down there and loot. I know that Mr. Izadi and Jake didn't loot anything. It's hard to say what was going on with all of the people around them.

'There's plenty of footage out there showing there were ignorant people around them that were encouraging bad behavior. There were people who they knew and didn't know who were doing things that weren't intelligent.

'But of course the only names getting dragged into the media are Jake's and Izadi's. That's always the position. Jake's insanely famous and Mr. Izadi's a good friend.'

The FBI said there were no arrests during the searches, and Paul's lawyer, Richard Schonfeld, said he was out of California at the time.

A staffer who helps run events at Izadi's house, dubbed Graffiti Mansion, told Fox 5 Las Vegas that officers burst onto the property with flash bang grenades.

'They got here about 6 am this morning. We opened the gate to let them come in. They woke the staff with a couple of flash bangs which was pretty exciting,' Richard Ochoa told the TV station.

Izadi later posted on, saying: 'A lot of people talking trash. A lot of people making up things online today. I'm not going to get into any details other than all they wanted to know about was Arizona.'

Footage showed what appeared to be a high-powered rifle resting against the star's hot tub in the backyard that appears in many of his recent YouTube videos

The FBI said no arrests were planned in the search. Sources say: 'We don't fully understand how misdemeanor trespassing charges turned into a federal investigation'

In a statement on Wednesday, the Phoenix FBI office said, 'The FBI is investigating allegations of criminal acts surrounding the incident at Scottsdale Fashion Square in May 2020.

'This morning the FBI executed federal search warrants in California and Las Vegas, Nevada in connection with this investigation. The search warrant affidavits are sealed and we are, therefore, prohibited from commenting further.'

Scottsdale Police said: 'Misdemeanor charges for Jake Paul, Arman Izadi and Andrew Leon related to their involvement in the May 30, 2020 Scottsdale Fashion Square riots are being dismissed without prejudice today.

'It is in the best interest of the community to dismiss misdemeanor charges without prejudice so that a federal criminal investigation can be completed. Scottsdale retains the option to refile charges depending on the outcome of the federal investigation.'
After almost 24 hours at levels 2 and 3, hospitality businesses are adapting to another stint of restricted trading.

Level 3 means all Auckland based hospitality businesses are closed to the public other than through contactless delivery and pickup.

For the rest of the country, level two means restaurants and cafes need to follow the three Ss where practicable -with diners seated, separated and served by a single server. There is also a limit of 100 guests.

This is of course a devastating blow for those businesses already struggling from the impact of the COVID-19 lock down and border closures, says Restaurant Association CEO, Marisa Bidois.

Putting in place the regulations is not the principle issue for our members given ours is an industry that already operates under rigorous food control plans. The cost of these regulations combined with the revenue losses are the main factors we are now battling with.

With the short notice period many restaurants have been left with hundreds of dollars of unsaleable perishable food. We are working with our members to help them redistribute this to food banks but as worthy as those organisations are this is lost revenue at a time when were already suffering sustained losses of income.

Putting on additional servers, maintaining distancing in restaurants at level 2 and closing on premise dining at level 3 means our businesses are once again managing diminishing returns.

Even for a relatively short period, Marisa says losses to the industry will be substantial.

We are calling on Kiwi diners to continue to support their favourite establishments. Grab a coffee from your local cafe and order a contactless takeout if youre in Auckland. Outside of Auckland, we would strongly encourage people to dine out in the knowledge that it is completely safe to do so.

We are also calling on government to deliver the additional fiscal relief weve been asking for since we came out of level 3 in May.

Among our Membership alone we have had more than 50 businesses close, which is around 1000 jobs losses, and we are anticipating more closures as the end of the wage subsidy draws near, so we need the next Government to know its priorities for hospitality early.

The single most important issue for the hospitality industry is the sectors recovery following the COVID-19 pandemic and we are calling on the next Government to work collaboratively to create a concise pathway for rebuilding and repositioning the sector for the future.

The hospitality industry contributes $11 billion to the economy, making it one of New Zealands largest industries. Despite being an enduring powerhouse of the New Zealand economy, policy made for the sector, in particular for hospitality, is fragmented, impractical and often devoid of the everyday realities of operations.

Despite the enormous contribution our industry makes to the economy we are still lacking our own dedicated ministry.

"For a sector that generated annual sales in excess of $11 billion and employed more than 133,000 people in 2019, to not have a dedicated Minister to call on for support, means that Government policy regularly misses the mark when considered against the realities of our sector.

"This became increasingly problematic throughout the COVID-19 pandemic response and something we urgently need addressed by the incoming government."
This is really key research for any company seeking to prioritize what is important to their customers right now, to understand what their competitors will be doing, and to understand how the post-COVID crisis will play out for eCommerce businesses.

Bloomreach, the leader in commerce experience, together with its implementation partner Gorilla Group, will host a live virtual event featuring guest speaker Joe Cicman, Forrester Senior Analyst Serving eBusiness & Strategy Professionals and Stacey Abler, VP of Digital Marketing, National Vision. The free virtual event, entitled The State of Commerce Experience: B2C in North America, will take place on August 20, 2020, from 9:00 am - 10:30 am PT / 11:00 am - 12:30pm CT. To register for the free webinar, visit here. .

Forresters Joe Cicman will share findings from the definitive research study conducted by Forrester Consulting, commissioned by Bloomreach, on The State of Commerce Experience. In this session, Cicman will share key insights from this research, with a lens on B2C commerce experience in North America.

This is really key research for any company seeking to prioritize what is important to their customers right now, to understand what their competitors will be doing, and to understand how the post-COVID crisis will play out for eCommerce businesses," said Brian Walker, Chief Strategy Officer at Bloomreach. He added, I strongly encourage you to get these key insights to plan and manage through this period and beyond.

The State of Commerce Experience research study from Forrester provides a sweeping view into the state of digital commerce across business-to-consumer and business-to-business market segments. This uniquely comprehensive study examines what is important to both customers and businesses across these segments both before and after the COVID-19 crisis began, enabling us to understand just how profoundly things have changed. This research is a must-read for any business navigating the changing market conditions and setting mid to long-term strategy and priorities in the current economic environment.

About our guest speaker, Joe Cicman, Forrester

Joe Cicman, Forrester Senior Analyst Serving eBusiness & Strategy Professionals, helps eBusiness professionals to assess, improve, and optimize B2B and B2B2C eCommerce technologies and strategies. As part of the digital transformation team at Forrester, Joe provides a proven practitioners lens for organizations to understand how to deploy the economics of digital commerce that unleash best-in-class outcomes. His research also supports technical teams by covering the tools and software suites for driving online channels, digitally enabled selling, and new direct-to-consumer (DTC) initiatives. Joe has worked in B2B eCommerce since the late 90s and lived through multiple technology cycles.

About our guest speaker, Stacey Abler, VP of Digital Marketing, National Vision

Stacey Abler is the Vice President of Digital Marketing for National Vision, where she is responsible for overseeing all aspects of digital marketing for the companys optical brands. Stacey is an experienced digital marketer who excels at driving strategy resulting in double digit YoY growth with a strong ROI. She thrives in an entrepreneurial culture where thinking outside the box is the norm and proven success is celebrated, yet also becomes the new benchmark upon which to compete against tomorrow.

National Vision Holdings, Inc. is one of the largest optical retail companies in the United States with over 1,100 stores in 44 states plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. With a mission of helping people by making quality eye care and eyewear more affordable and accessible, the company operates five retail brands: Americas Best Contacts & Eyeglasses, Eyeglass World, Vision Centers inside select Walmart stores, and Vista Optical inside Fred Meyer stores and on select military bases, offering a variety of products and services for customers eye care needs. For more information, please visit http://www.nationalvision.com.

About Gorilla Group

Gorilla Group is an award-winning commerce experience agency that provides end-to-end experience-driven commerce solutions and services. With a strong history in strategy, experience design, technology enablement, digital marketing, and managed services, Gorilla Group creates high-performing commerce solutions that enable B2B and direct-to-consumer clients to successfully evolve and compete in the digital economy. Gorilla Group is a Wunderman Thompson Company, part of WPP. For more information, please visit http://www.gorillagroup.com.

About Bloomreach

Bloomreach is the leader in commerce experience. Its flagship product, brX, is the only digital experience platform built specifically for brands, retailers and B2B companies who want to grow their revenue online while delivering each of their customers a premium, personalized experience. brX combines content management capabilities with market-leading, commerce-specific, AI-driven search, merchandising and personalization in one flexible, API-first next generation platform. Bloomreach serves over 500 global brands including Albertsons, Staples, Bosch, Puma, FC Bayern Munchen and Marks & Spencer. Bloomreach has a global ecosystem of certified partners and market-leading commerce platforms, including Accenture Interactive, BORN, commercetools, EPAM, IBM iX, Salesforce, SAP, valtech, and Wunderman Thompson Commerce. For more information, visit Bloomreach.com, follow us on Twitter @Bloomreach_tm, on LinkedIn at http://www.linkedin.com/company/bloomreach and register today for Bloomreach Connect 2020 Global Online Summit on October 6, 2020.


Lome, Togo (PANA) - Togo Tuesday recorded its 26th death linked to the coronavirus (COVID-19) and three new cases of infection, official sources told PANA here
Rajat Barmecha, who shot to fame with his debut film Udaan, has said that Kangana Ranaut has made the insider-outsider debate dirty. Kangana has been vocal about the existence of nepotism in Bollywood and has claimed that the movie mafia tried to destroy her career for speaking out against it.

In an interview with Navbharat Times, Rajat said that Kangana seemed to be fighting in her own team, instead of fighting for outsiders. Kangana, agar outsiders ke paksh mein lad rahi hai toh woh outsiders ke is debate mein ek outsider ko hi gaaliyaan de rahi hai. Yeh kaisi ladai hai? Aisa lagta hai, jaise aap (Kangana) apni hi team mein ladai kar rahi ho (If Kangana is fighting for outsiders, then she is abusing an outsider in this insider-outsider debate. What kind of a fight is this? It looks like Kangana is fighting in her own team), he said, referring to her attack on Taapsee Pannu.

Kangana referred to Taapsee and Swara Bhasker as needy outsiders who resorted to bootlicking Karan Johar. Kangana said that Taapsee and Swaras attempts to suck up to Karan failed and they remained B-grade actresses as he preferred the likes of Alia Bhatt and Ananya Panday over them.

Rajat said that Kangana should not be making this fight dirty but should fight with principles. Yeh basic cheez hai, in cheezon ko Kangana Ranaut ko dirty nahi karna chahiye. Agar woh lad bhi rahi hai toh unhe siddhanton ke saath ladai karni chahiye. Ladai ke dauraan aapsi respect ko khona nahi chahiye (These are basic things, Kangana Ranaut should not be making these things dirty. If she is fighting, she should fight with principles. During the fight, mutual respect should not be lost).

Calling Taapsee a brilliant actor, Rajat said that Kangana should fight with ethics. Kangana ka personally kisi ko target karna katai ethical nahi tha (Kanganas personal attacks were extremely unethical), he added. He also said that getting a change in Bollywood by fighting dirty is wrong and he would rather have a late change but one obtained through respect and ethics.

Also see: Sushant Singh Rajputs sister Shweta shares old video of him saying whatever I know, I have learnt is from my sisters

After Sushant Singh Rajputs death on June 14, Kangana claimed that the movie mafia tried to destroy his career and declare him a flop star. She said that she was sabotaged in a similar way for being an outsider in Bollywood. She also hit out at blind articles raising questions about his character.

However, Vikas Singh, the lawyer of Sushants family, said that nepotism had nothing to do with the actors death. If tomorrow, the Mumbai Police feel that any outsider or any person who comes from a small town to this industry needs protection and they feel like it is a cognisable offence, then they can go ahead and do that angle. In my legal mind, it really does not require the police to go into this matter. Maybe an actors association or producers association can take up this matter but I dont think that this case has anything to do with what Kangana has suggested or anybody else is talking about, he had earlier said.

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eye-on-india Business Insight | Implications of SC judgement on women's rights over real estate In this edition of Business Insight, find out what are the implications of the judgement by the apex court
MINNEAPOLIS, Aug. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Vireo Health International, Inc. ("Vireo" or the "Company") (CNSX: VREO, OTCQX: VREOF), the science-focused multi-state cannabis company with active operations in exclusively medical-only markets and licenses in nine states and the commonwealth of Puerto Rico, today announced that it will report financial results for its second quarter ended June 30, 2020 on Wednesday, August 26, 2020 before the market opens.

The Company will hold a conference call and webcast to discuss its business and financial results that same day at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time (7:30 a.m. Central Time). Interested parties may register to attend the conference call via the following link: http://www.directeventreg.com/registration/event/7027889. Upon registration, each participant will be provided with call details and a registrant ID for Vireo's conference ID number 7027889. A live audio webcast of the call will also be available in the Events & Presentations section of Vireo's website at https://investors.vireohealth.com/events-and-presentations/default.aspx. A webcast replay will be made available for one year on Vireo's website.

About Vireo Health International, Inc.

Vireo Health International, Inc. is a physician-led cannabis company focused on building long-term, sustainable value by bringing the best of medicine, science, and engineering to the cannabis industry. With operations strategically located in early-stage, limited-license medical markets, Vireo manufactures pharmaceutical-grade cannabis products in environmentally-friendly greenhouses and distributes its products through its growing network of Green Goods retail dispensaries and hundreds of third-party locations. Its current core medical markets of New York, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Arizona, New Mexico, and Maryland all have the potential to enact adult-use legalization in the next 24 months, and two additional markets in Puerto Rico and Massachusetts also have potential for commercialization. Combined with its teams' focus on driving scientific innovation within the industry and securing meaningful intellectual property, Vireo believes it is well positioned to become a global market leader in the cannabis industry. Today, eight of its 10 markets are operational with 13 of its 32 total retail dispensary licenses open for business. For more information about the company, please visit www.vireohealth.com.

Contact Information

Investor Inquiries

Sam Gibbons

Vice President, Investor Relations

[email protected]

(612) 314-8995

Media Inquiries

Albe Zakes

Vice President, Corporate Communications

[email protected]

(267) 221-4800

SOURCE Vireo Health International, Inc.

Related Links

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The People's Liberation Army Navy held exercises on the specific skills of carrier fighter jet training, as a prerequisite for aviators operating on maritime platforms like flat tops.

Chinese military specifically the PLA Navy conducted training that involves carrier-based fighter jets, with helicopters located in the Bohai Bay. According to sources, the training is needed to improve the skill of marine pilots who need the skills to operate in a maritime theatre. Using the full might of aircraft carriers needs flawless synergy of all units assigned to it. The Shandong, number two carrier after Liaoning has to pass the trials to become a fully-fledged operating unit, reported China Mil.

Somehow, the PLA dodged getting bogged down by the coronavirus and other naval forces like the US Navy and some cases in Taiwan. To a certain degree, the virus has set back planned US deployment in the Indo-Pacific. Unlike them, the PLA is continually training on their needs to improve as fighting a force.

One of the highlights of the training exercises is the buddy refueling system. Done by two J-15 carrier-based planes over Bohai bay, it was featured on CCTV last Sunday.

China has a limited capacity for aerial refueling, with few aerial tankers, ski amps burn more fuel unlike steam catapult equipped carriers of the Americans, which can launch a variety of aircraft off its deck. The PLAN developed the buddy refueling system that has one J-15 with a refueling to feed other J-15s. Despite the extra fuel from a pod, most Chinese J-15s are still short-range and carries a deficient weapon on their hardpoints. Most foreign navies do not use this method because they have aerial refueling.

Also read: Chinese Air Support Weakened by Only Three Aerial Tankers Compared to US in Taiwan Invasion

When the topping up of fuel tanks is finished, the J-15s will be two teams and practice mock dogfights, aerial interdictions, attacking sea targets, and last will be practice night sorties.

Major navies in the world have their carrier air wings as the main armament of offensive power, and the sole reason for the existence of aircraft carriers. Other weapons are available in the strike group, but carrying more planes makes a difference like American carriers versus Chinese. With that in mind, the PLAN needs fighters as its long or short distance hammer, mentioned Beijing-based naval expert Li Jie to Global Times.

In December 2019, the Shandong entered service with the PLAN as the second Chinese carrier. But more J-15s and pilots are needed to fill out its decks to fully utilize the combat flat top.

The predecessor of Shandong is called Liaoning as the first aircraft carrier in service with the PLAN. Last April 10, the ship held exercises in the South China Sea when it transited the Miyako Strait. Liaoning has another operation in progress, so the maritime jet training at Bohai is for the Shandong Group.

There are several other units like the PLA Eastern Theater Command that had live-fire practice located in the East China Sea. Included in these military exercises were several landing ships mention a state from the PLA last Sunday, cited Navy Recogntion.

Under the cover of COVID-19, Taiwan media charged that Beijing might invade Taiwan by force.

Despite claims that the PLAN is merely conducting carrier fighter jet training, Taiwanese have the Chinese threat foisted over their heads.

Related article: PLA Conducts Practice Assault Drills, Preparing for Possible Taiwan Invasion?

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Thanks for your company throughout the day. You can follow our live coverage on Friday here.

Here's is a wrap of today's major stories:-

- Epidemiologists are cautiously optimistic that Victorias epidemic has turned a corner after the state posted its lowest number of new infections in weeks, with 278 cases and eight deaths.

- NSW health has confirmed a third case of COVID-19 at Liverpool Hospital, with the contact tracing team working to identify how this person and one of the other two staff members acquired the virus.

- NSW Police are examining whether Tangara School for Girls breached COVID-19 protocols after a coronavirus cluster associated with the school expanded to 20 cases.

- Mounting evidence suggests the vast majority of COVID-19 cases may be spread by as little as 10 per cent or fewer of those infected.

- Victorian council elections are likely to be postponed for more than 4.5 million voters, with the state government preparing to delay polling amid tough COVID-19 restrictions.

- Tributes are flowing from friends and family of 80-year-old western Sydney woman Jamilie Joseph who passed away as a result of COVID-19.

- A Perth woman accused of sneaking into Western Australia inside a truck to avoid 14 days hotel quarantine will instead spend the next fortnight in jail.

- The Victorian government has paid out more than $5 million to Victorians who are self-isolating after getting tested for coronavirus, government data reveals.

- La Trobe University has opened up a second round of voluntary redundancies and Victoria University has revealed a plan to cut up to 190 jobs as the gutting of Victorias university workforce continues.

- Premier Daniel Andrews estimated 250,000 jobs would be lost in stage four restrictions, with 75,000 jobs to go from the retail sector alone.

- The Victorian government is responding to a "concerning" rise in cases of COVID-19 in regional areas with a targeted testing push, with 492 active cases in the regions.

- Meanwhile, federal Tourism Minister Simon Birmingham has warned state and territory leaders will need to rely on their own budgets to prop up businesses reliant on interstate travel should they keep borders closed for longer than necessary.

- The Philippines plans to launch clinical trials for a Russian coronavirus vaccine in October after Russia became the first country to grant regulatory approval for one.

- Britain's economy shrank by a record 20.4 per cent in the second quarter when the coronavirus lockdown was tightest, the most severe contraction reported by any major economy so far, with a wave of job losses set to hit later in 2020.
Graphene, an extremely thin two-dimensional layer of the graphite used in pencils, buckles when cooled while attached to a flat surface, resulting in beautiful pucker patterns that could benefit the search for novel quantum materials and superconductors, according to Rutgers-led research in the journal Nature.

Quantum materials host strongly interacting electrons with special properties, such as entangled trajectories, that could provide building blocks for super-fast quantum computers. They also can become superconductors that could slash energy consumption by making power transmission and electronic devices more efficient.

"The buckling we discovered in graphene mimics the effect of colossally large magnetic fields that are unattainable with today's magnet technologies, leading to dramatic changes in the material's electronic properties," said lead author Eva Y. Andrei, Board of Governors professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy in the School of Arts and Sciences at Rutgers University-New Brunswick. "Buckling of stiff thin films like graphene laminated on flexible materials is gaining ground as a platform for stretchable electronics with many important applications, including eye-like digital cameras, energy harvesting, skin sensors, health monitoring devices like tiny robots and intelligent surgical gloves. Our discovery opens the way to the development of devices for controlling nano-robots that may one day play a role in biological diagnostics and tissue repair."

The scientists studied buckled graphene crystals whose properties change radically when they're cooled, creating essentially new materials with electrons that slow down, become aware of each other and interact strongly, enabling the emergence of fascinating phenomena such as superconductivity and magnetism, according to Andrei.

Using high-tech imaging and computer simulations, the scientists showed that graphene placed on a flat surface made of niobium diselenide, buckles when cooled to 4 degrees above absolute zero. To the electrons in graphene, the mountain and valley landscape created by the buckling appears as gigantic magnetic fields. These pseudo-magnetic fields are an electronic illusion, but they act as real magnetic fields, according to Andrei.

"Our research demonstrates that buckling in 2D materials can dramatically alter their electronic properties," she said.

The next steps include developing ways to engineer buckled 2D materials with novel electronic and mechanical properties that could be beneficial in nano-robotics and quantum computing, according to Andrei.

###

The first author is Jinhai Mao, formerly a research associate in the Department of Physics and Astronomy and now a researcher at the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences. Rutgers co-authors include doctoral student Xinyuan Lai and a former post-doctoral associate, Yuhang Jiang, who is now a researcher at the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences. Slavisa Milovanovic, who led the theory effort, is a graduate student working with professors Lucian Covaci and Francois Peeters at the Universiteit Antwerpen. Scientists at the University of Manchester and the Institute of material Science in Tsukuba Japan contributed to the study.
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A U.S. judge decided last week that Grants Pass, Oregon, violated its homeless residents' Eighth Amendment rights by excluding them from parks without due process.



GRANTS PASS, Ore. (AP)  An Oregon city has joined Boise, Idaho, in eliciting a precedent-setting court ruling that could change how cities nationwide cite and fine people living outside.

A U.S. judge decided last week that Grants Pass, Oregon, violated its homeless residents' Eighth Amendment rights by excluding them from parks without due process and citing them for sleeping outside, The Oregonian/OregonLive reported.





. . .
A new campus initiative gives former UM-Dearborn students the opportunity to return to school and earn their diploma.

Aimed at returning students who have earned 90 or more credit hours, the Dearborn Comeback program provides individualized and targeted support for those wanting to finish an undergraduate degree.

We want to surround our Dearborn Comeback students with a full suite of wraparound services to get them to the finish line, Chancellor Domenico Grasso said. Thanks to the support from President Mark Schlissel, we will continue to create bold, innovative programs that support our students by addressing their needs. The Dearborn Comeback is one of several upcoming programs, funded through a $20 million campus investment recently made to improve recruitment, retention and graduation at UM-Dearborn and UM-Flint.

To assist Dearborn Comeback Wolverines in the return-to-school transition, campus staff will guide each student through a specialized readmission process. To keep the momentum toward graduation, a college academic adviser develops a comprehensive academic plan.

Federal aid, scholarships and grants opportunities will be identified and tailored for each student in the program.- Dearborn Comeback students will be eligible for up to $5,000 in grant funding to help them get to the finish line.

To be eligible for the program, a Dearborn Comeback student must meet the following criteria:

*Be an active undergraduate student at UM-Dearborn for at least one semester during the timeframe of Fall 2017 through the end of Fall 2019.

*Have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.4 at UM-Dearborn

*Have earned at least 90 credits total (30 of the 90 credits must have been earned at UM-Dearborn)

*Have not graduated from another four-year college or university since leaving UM-Dearborn

*Commit to completing a degree program over the next three years.

*The university hopes this initiative will not only help students fulfill their personal dreams, but also serve as an engine for the states economy.

Many in Michigan have taken college courses without completing a college degree. With a graduation rate average of 45 percent, the State of Michigan lags behind the national six-year graduation average of 62 percent.

Dearborn Comeback complements Michigans Sixty by 30 alliance and the Detroit Drives Degrees impact initiative, both of which aim to increase the postsecondary graduation rate to be at or better than the national average by 2030.

These students are so close to their higher education goals, at a time when there is also need in our state for an informed and talented 21st century workforce  this opens real opportunities on both sides, said Provost Sue Alcock. Whatever the obstacles encountered in earning their degree the first time round, we want to get these Wolverines back on track and let them know that we are dedicated to see them graduate and thrive and join our impressive and ever-growing alumni community network.

Source: UM-Dearborn
Attorneys for the three young men charged in the July Riverchase Galleria shootout that killed 8-year-old Royta Giles Jr. claimed each fired in self-defense  from each other. A Jefferson County judge rejected those claims and ruled there was enough evidence for the case to go to a grand jury.

During testimony throughout the hearing  which lasted more than 6  hours  it was stated at least 12 rounds were fired in just four seconds near the food court of the states largest mall during a dispute that possible started because of a previous beef over rap lyrics.

Additional testimony showed one of the defendants fired his AR-15 style pistol through a book bag. The gun jammed after the first round, but he had about 75 rounds of ammunition in the backpack  nearly 50 rounds were in two gun magazines and 24 were stuffed in a sock. Two other defendants, according to witnesses, raised their shirts to show they, too, had weapons shortly before the gunfight commenced.

Though all parties agreed no one went to the mall that day with the intent to kill, the resulting carnage happened because of their willingness and spoken or unspoken agreement to get in this gunfight, said Jefferson County Deputy District Attorney Shawn Allen.

When engaged in mutual combat, he said, all parties are criminally liable in the death and injuries that happened that day.

The three suspects charged with capital murder and second-degree assault in the July 3, 2020 shooting death of young Royta and the wounding of Walter Lee Rashad Hudson, Senia Escobar Fajardo and Chateria Brant appeared in a Jefferson County courtroom Tuesday.

Those charged are Montez Moses Miracle Coleman, 22, King Gary Williams, 19, and Demetrius Dewayne Jackson Jr., also 19.

The case is being prosecuted by Allen and Deputy District Attorney Julie McMakin. The attorneys for the defendants are: Coleman- Julian Hendrix; Jackson  Victor Revill, and King  John Lentine. Hoover police Sgt. Matt Savage is the lead detective on the case and was the sole investigator to testify Tuesday.

Testimony was set to begin at 9 a.m. but was delayed an hour because attorneys for Jackson and Williams had requested their clients appear in street clothes versus the orange jail jumpsuits. That didnt happen. Once they changed clothes, Judge William Bell ordered the media present not to show photos or video of them in their jail attire.

On July 3, Royta was killed when he, his mother, Jesslyn Layfield, stepfather Anthony Jones, and sisters Trinity, 5, and Marlee, 4, were waiting to go into the Childrens Place to buy new outfits for the Fourth of July.

Police said Coleman, Williams and Jackson exchanged gunfire and when the shooting stopped, Royta was motionless on the mall floor, surrounded by his family. He had been shot in the head and would be pronounced dead within hours. The other three victims survived.

Police say an ongoing feud between the young men came to a head when they encountered each other inside the mall.

Coleman, according to testimony, went to the mall that Friday to buy a new shirt for a party later that night. He met up with two of his friends, including Birmingham rapper Yaven Big Yavo Mauldin. Coleman, testimony indicated, was somewhat of a bodyguard or muscle for Mauldin. Mauldin has not been charged in any crime in connection to the shooting that day and, according to testimony, is the only person there that day that has not made himself available to speak with investigators.

Williams and Jackson, and a group of other men were at the mall independently. That group was coming down the escalator when the two groups encountered each other, but from there the stories began to differ.

Savage testified to the statements given by many of those involved, including Coleman, Jackson and King. Coleman, he said, was standing at a t-shirt kiosk when someone from the opposing group bumped into him and then Williams and some others looked at them in an aggressive manner and raised their shirts to show they had guns in their waistband.

That, Coleman said, is when he fired one shot and fled.

According to testimony, that one shot went above the heads of the other group and lodged in the wall above Starbucks, near the malls second story. Coleman was quickly taken into custody outside of the mall. His backpack had a hole in from where the shot was fired.

Williams, also a rapper, told police that his group was coming down the escalator when he spotted Mauldin. The two, police said, had a previous dispute about a rap video or rap lyrics, and Williams believed that a group called H2K, with which Mauldin is reportedly affiliated, had a bounty out on him. Williams said he saw Coleman raise his weapon, so he returned fire. He said he shot three to four times and then ran out of the mall.

From the Galleria, Williams went to an apartment in Tarrant where he dismantled the gun and gave it to a female to get rid of, Savage testified. That gun has never been recovered.

Jackson told police that after they got off the escalator, he heard someone having words, saw a flash of a gunshot and returned fire with a Glock. At one point, he told police he blanked out and didnt remember if he had fired any shots. After the shooting, he fled the mall. Jackson told police he had borrowed the Glock and returned it to its owner. That gun has never been recovered either.

Of the 12 rounds recovered at the mall, one was from Colemans assault-type pistol, five were from a .40-caliber pistol and six were from a .9mm handgun, according to testimony. Though authorities said they werent able to recover any bullets from the victims, all of the innocent bystanders who were shot were standing behind Coleman and were in the path of the bullets fired by Jackson and Williams.

Royta was struck in the head. Bryant was struck in the right leg. Fajardo, age 11, was struck in the face and the right leg. They were transported by ambulance from the Galleria to the hospital. Hudson was struck in the right arm. He fled the Galleria and drove to American Family Care where he was picked up by an ambulance and taken to the hospital.

In Tuesdays hearing, police played multiple videos taken from both the Galleria surveillance cameras as well as individual businesses.

Colemans camp claims Jackson and Williams started the incident that led to gunfire, while Jackson and Williams camps claim Coleman was the instigator. Police testified it appeared that Coleman did fire the first shot.

Under questioning by attorney Revill, Savage testified that Coleman was heard saying to the other group of men that day, On God, I will do it and Ill do it, Ill pull it.

Though attorneys for Jackson and Williams claimed their clients fired in self-defense, testimony showed that their weapons had to be already cocked and ready to fire because of the rapid succession with which the return shots were fired after Colemans initial shot.

Attorneys for Jackson and Williams argued that their clients were within their rights under Alabama law to defend themselves. The fault lays at the feet of Montez Coleman,' Revill said. If what Demetrius Jackson did was a crime, then no one can defend themselves. The only thing he did that day was try to live.

Lentine agreed. But for Mr. Coleman shooting first, none of this would have happened,' he said. What were they supposed to do? Wait until the next round to see if they were going to die?

In defending Coleman, his attorney, Hendrix, said Coleman was in fear for his own life. He did not intend to shoot anyone,' Hendrix said. He pointed it way above their heads. He definitely didnt intend to shoot the young boy or anyone else.

I think its obvious Montez Coleman saw their guns, perceived a threat and defended himself,' Hendrix said.

Bell said based on testimony and video evidence, there was enough evidence of capital murder and assault for the cases to be presented to a grand jury for indictment consideration. He also questioned why Jackson and Williams werent charged with attempted murder of Coleman, and vice versa.

Attorneys for Jackson and Williams argued that their clients should be released on bond. The prosecutor rejected those claims, pointing out that if convicted they face life in prison without parole or the death penalty. Additionally, Allen said, prosecutors obtained a jail phone records of Jackson stating to someone, Who snitched? When he gets out, hes going to pop that (expletive).

All remain held without bond.
Domain Holdings Australia Limited (ASX:DHG), might not be a large cap stock, but it saw a significant share price rise of over 20% in the past couple of months on the ASX. With many analysts covering the stock, we may expect any price-sensitive announcements have already been factored into the stocks share price. But what if there is still an opportunity to buy? Today I will analyse the most recent data on Domain Holdings Australias outlook and valuation to see if the opportunity still exists.

Check out our latest analysis for Domain Holdings Australia

What's the opportunity in Domain Holdings Australia?

According to my price multiple model, where I compare the company's price-to-earnings ratio to the industry average, the stock currently looks expensive. Ive used the price-to-earnings ratio in this instance because theres not enough visibility to forecast its cash flows. The stocks ratio of 54.36x is currently well-above the industry average of 34.27x, meaning that it is trading at a more expensive price relative to its peers. If you like the stock, you may want to keep an eye out for a potential price decline in the future. Given that Domain Holdings Australias share is fairly volatile (i.e. its price movements are magnified relative to the rest of the market) this could mean the price can sink lower, giving us another chance to buy in the future. This is based on its high beta, which is a good indicator for share price volatility.

Can we expect growth from Domain Holdings Australia?

Future outlook is an important aspect when youre looking at buying a stock, especially if you are an investor looking for growth in your portfolio. Although value investors would argue that its the intrinsic value relative to the price that matter the most, a more compelling investment thesis would be high growth potential at a cheap price. With profit expected to grow by 52% over the next couple of years, the future seems bright for Domain Holdings Australia. It looks like higher cash flow is on the cards for the stock, which should feed into a higher share valuation.

Story continues

What this means for you:

Are you a shareholder? DHGs optimistic future growth appears to have been factored into the current share price, with shares trading above industry price multiples. At this current price, shareholders may be asking a different question  should I sell? If you believe DHG should trade below its current price, selling high and buying it back up again when its price falls towards the industry PE ratio can be profitable. But before you make this decision, take a look at whether its fundamentals have changed.

Are you a potential investor? If youve been keeping tabs on DHG for some time, now may not be the best time to enter into the stock. The price has surpassed its industry peers, which means it is likely that there is no more upside from mispricing. However, the positive outlook is encouraging for DHG, which means its worth diving deeper into other factors in order to take advantage of the next price drop.

If you'd like to know more about Domain Holdings Australia as a business, it's important to be aware of any risks it's facing. Every company has risks, and we've spotted 1 warning sign for Domain Holdings Australia you should know about.

If you are no longer interested in Domain Holdings Australia, you can use our free platform to see our list of over 50 other stocks with a high growth potential.

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.
Brian Austin Green got down to business on Tuesday as he joined his business partner Jennifer Flynn in Calabasas.

Jennifer and Brian's company, called InteliQore, helps people combat cyber-crimes in real-time. They launched it after both experienced online bullying and harassment in their respective fields.

The duo also have an upcoming cybersecurity product, TRIPP, which Flynn's mother Jane Seymour is also a partner in.

Business meeting: Brian Austin Green got down to business on Tuesday as he joined his business partner Jennifer Flynn in Calabasas

While the duo looked cozy during their meeting, TMZ has confirmed that there is nothing romantic between them.

The 90210 actor looked casual in a plain black collard tee, dark wash denim pants and black sneakers.

He shielded his eyes from the bright sun in dark square shades and carried a black backpack.

Jennifer, who is the daughter of Jane and David Flynn, looked equally casual in dark grey cut-off jeans, and a black tee.

Relaxed: The 90210 actor looked casual in a plain black collard tee, dark wash denim pants and black sneakers

Partners: The two are partners in an upcoming cybersecurity product, TRIPP, which Flynn's mother Jane Seymour is also a partner in

The two are said to have met three years ago at a holiday party thrown by her mom.

Recently, Brian has been dealing with the emerging relationship between his ex Megan Fox and Machine Gun Kelly.

On May 18 amid rumors of her fling with Machine Gun Kelly, Brian emotionally revealed on an his podcast ...With Brian Austin Green that Megan had left him, after marrying in 2010.

Since the split went public Brian has been glimpsed out on dates with Maxim model Tina Louise and former 'child bride' Courtney Stodden.

He recently appeared on Hollywood Raw with Dax Holt and Adam Glyn and said 'I found out in my own way' about Megan and Machine Gun Kelly.

'And that's as much detail as I'll give you on that one. I didn't read about it or anything like that,' said the Beverly Hills 90210 hunk.
But Mr Andrews said the accuracy of modelling for that timeline would depend on the "millions of decisions" made by individual Victorians each day. The coronavirus death toll rose by 21 to 267 on Wednesday, and Victoria recorded another 410 new cases. The number of active COVID-19 cases dropped by three, bringing the total number to 7877 across the state. The last time active cases decreased in Victoria was on June 14, when the number reached 40, down from 47 the previous day. Every day since then the total number of active infections has risen.

Loading Regional Victoria returned to stage three lockdown rules last week as cases continued to rise. Health Department figures showed Greater Geelong had 179 active cases on Wednesday, with 53 in Bendigo and 22 in Ballarat. One week ago there were 132 active cases in Greater Geelong, 29 in Bendigo and 13 in Ballarat. Victorian Nationals leader Peter Walsh said too many Melburnians were still making unnecessary trips to regional Victoria. "There needs to be more done to stop the disaster that's happening in Melbourne from spreading into the regions," he said.

Mr Walsh said travellers on public transport were getting into regional Victoria too easily and were not facing the same checks as motorists. Bendigo Health set up a contact tracing hub to cover the Loddon Mallee region last week. The 12 contact tracers were notified of 42 cases within the team's first week, five of which were confirmed this Monday. The health unit was investigating 45 cases in the region on Wednesday. Bendigo Health chief executive Peter Faulkner said the hub was taking over from the states public health unit to trace close contacts in the region.

Loading "Information on how the positive cases acquired the illness and where it may have been passed on was work that was previously done by the state  now we will do this work for the Loddon Mallee region," Mr Faulkner said. The team has been following outbreaks at the St Josephs Primary School in Quarry Hill and at Hazeldenes Chicken Farm in Lockwood, which has now been connected to 21 cases according to figures from the Health Department. On Wednesday, the department also identified an outbreak at the Corio Village shopping centre, north of Geelong. A second resident has died this week at the Opal South Valley aged care home in Geelong, bringing the total death toll to three.

A long-term worker at the Golden Farms chicken abattoir who tested positive to coronavirus died on the weekend. Infections at the Bupa nursing home in Traralgon also increased to 16, with six residents, seven employees, two agency staff and a visiting health worker testing positive. There have been 957 cases identified in regional Victoria since the pandemic began. Mr Andrews said on Wednesday that he was increasingly concerned by case numbers in Geelong, Ballarat and Bendigo.

Loading "They're very low numbers, but coming off such a low base, any additional cases are of a concern to us," he said. "The point I would simply make to people right across regional Victoria, you've done a great job in following these rules right throughout the pandemic. But it's really important that each and every regional Victorian stays the course with this. "I know it's tough, I know it's challenging, I know that we would prefer to be in a different set of circumstances. But even at low numbers we've just got to have that vigilance across the board so we can keep them low, and indeed, drive them down even further." Late on Wednesday, the West Wimmera Advocate said its next edition would be its last as a result of the ongoing pandemic.

"After months of 'soldiering on' for the community with constantly changing restrictions and more and more rules in order to do business, the announcement by the SA government to impose a hard border is the final straw," the newspaper announced on its Facebook page. The paper covers communities between Goroke, Edenhope, Apsley, Harrow and the South Australian border. Of the 410 new cases reported on Wednesday, 72 cases have been linked to outbreaks, while 338 are under investigation. The number of "mystery cases" increased by 58, taking the number of community transmission cases to 2961. Sixteen of the 21 deaths reported on Wednesday have been linked to aged care, which recorded another 94 cases, bringing the total number of COVID-19 infections in the sector to 1932.
Belarusian authorities have for the first time admitted to using live rounds in clashes on a day that journalists corroborated a second protest fatality.

A statement released by the interior ministry on Wednesday said police opened fire on demonstrators in the western city of Brest, claiming they were armed with metal bars.

Warning shots did not stop them, the statement reads. To protect the lives and health of officers, firearms were employed. One of the assailants is injured.

The reported death of Alexander (Sasha) Vikhtor, 25, in Homel, eastern Ukraine, does not appear to be linked. In an interview with Radio Svoboda on Wednesday, his mother said he didnt even take part in the protest, but was arrested on Sunday night while on his way to see his girlfriend. He suffered from a heart condition, she said, and became ill while being held for several hours in extreme heat inside a police van.

They grabbed him somewhere in the centre, she said. He wrote to say that hed been caught ... and that was it. Ive looked for him all these days. Today, finally, they told me Sasha is in a morgue.

Authorities are yet to grant access to the body. According to the mother, this was likely because he had been badly beaten.

I ask anyone who was in the van with him to say what happened, she said. I want people to know that this odious government killed my son!

Overnight Tuesday to Wednesday saw Belarus witness a third episode of violent clashes following Sundays disputed presidential elections. According to the interior ministry, more than 1,000 were arrested overnight, taking the total to at least 4,000. The health ministry reported at least 50 new hospitalisations.

At least some of the arrested are being held in primitive conditions  with one video from a police station in Minsk depicting dozens lying face down on the floor in an open courtyard.

Amid an informational blackout  authorities switched off most of the internet early on Tuesday evening  sporadic reports suggested the regime had resolved to turn up the terror dial.

Most of Tuesday nights clashes were centred in the working-class suburbs of Minsk, but there were exchanges in towns and cities across the country too.

As before, police targeted demonstrators using stun grenades, teargas and rubber bullets. But on Tuesday they were also seen arresting children  in Minsk a 15-year-old boy was held down with a grenade close to his head. An order also seemed to be given out to specifically target journalists, with scores beaten up and disappearing. The local independent journalist union has reported a total of 17 cases of violent assault.

In a new turn, security officers switched focus to vehicles honking in support of the demonstrators, which has been an obvious source of irritation for the security forces. All throughout the day, officers were seen lashing out at wing mirrors and windscreens. During the night, they dragged passengers from their seats for summarily beatings; and they rammed cars with their own.

In Hrodna, western Belarus, a military vehicle collided with a car carrying a five-year-old girl. She was rushed to hospital with injuries above her right eye; she needed stitches. Police said the parents were to blame.

Alexander Lukashenko, the self-styled dictator who has ruled Belarus since 1994, is facing a fight to stay in power following a scarcely credible declared landslide election win.

On Tuesday, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, the rival who many believe actually won, left Belarus after what appeared to be direct threats to her family.
Former governor of Ekiti State, Ayo Fayose, has said that if he becomes President of Nigeria, he will send former President Olusegun Obasanjo back to prison.

Fayose who spoke during an interview with PlusTV, said he has never hidden his dislike for the former President, and that if he becomes President, he will ensure Obasanjo accounts for all the alleged financial impropriety perpetrated during his eight-year tenure as Nigerias president and face the full wrath of the law.
The first home to be designated historic in Chula Vista and built by one of the citys founders is up for sale for nearly $1 million.

The 5,900-square-foot house at 616 Second Ave., on the citys west side, was constructed by banker and civic leader Greg Rogers in 1910.

The Greg Rogers house before it was moved at 699 E Street. (Courtesy photo)

Called Bay Breeze, the craftsman-style home has five bedrooms, four bathrooms, roof-top decks, a full basement with a bank-style steel door, four-car garage, an elevator and a lot of nooks and crannies.

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Originally at 699 E St., (near Interstate 5), it was one of the most modern homes of the time with electricity, baths with indoor plumbing, and four fireplaces.

Its current owner, former Chula Vista Councilwoman Pamela Bensoussan, said she is selling the home to move closer to family.

The home is expected to be listed later this week as a residence and a bed and breakfast.

Bensoussan moved into the Rogers home 20 years ago when her two kids were in high school.

She said she stumbled along the property while looking for another home.

At the time I wasnt yet convinced to sell my house, she said. But when I saw that house on Second Avenue I had this (instant) attraction...I just fell in love with it.

When she moved in, she inherited from the previous owner the Rogers family photo album with copies of newspaper clippings that date back decades and tells the Rogers story.

Rogers moved his family from Cleveland to Chula Vista in 1909.

He became one of the citys first council members in 1911, the same year the city was incorporated.

Shortly after he co-founded the communitys first financial institution called the Peoples State Bank, which is known today as Bank of America.

Rogers was the first commodore of the original Chula Vista Yacht Club, a member of the chamber of commerce and rotary club and served on the Chula Vista School Board.

A city school and adjacent community park were later named in his honor.

In the late 70s, because of Rogers significance to the city, Chula Vista Mayor Will Hyde embarked to identify the home as a historical landmark in the city.

Other historic designations for houses and buildings followed.

The Greg Rogers House holds a dual designation: Historic Site No. 1 (1977), for its original location on E Street, and Historic Site No. 42, for its post-1985 home on Second Avenue.

In addition to being listed on the historic register, it also carries the historic permit, a higher level of designation.

Chula Vista realtor Richard Zogob purchased the house and land for just under $400,000 from Porter Yarbourgh, according to a May 22, 1977 article in The Star-News.

The mayor and City Council acquired title to the Greg Rogers House in 1984, saving it from impending demolition do to an incoming motel.

The 140-ton house was maneuvered one block down the street and into the city public works yard.

The same year the city transferred ownership of the home to Lee and Sonny Burch, who were issued a permit to move the house to a lot behind their craftsman-era Bungalow at 614 Second Ave.

Later that year the city issued a bill of sale to the Burches and contracted to have them restore the Rogers house, opening it once a year to benefit of the citys heritage program.

Bensoussan bought the home in 1996, and a year later a class from the Greg Rogers School began making annual field trips to tour the house as part of their introduction to civic history.

In 2001, Bensoussan began leading local historic homeowners in organizing the first Historic Home Tour, sponsored by Chula Vistas Heritage Museum.

She later hosted a series of annual workshops to educate the public about the benefits of historic designation and the Mills Act, a program that offers tax incentive legislation for owners of historic properties.

Bensoussan said the most interesting aspect of the house is the history of it.

I was not involved in city government until I owned that house, it just kind of drew me in ... Its a responsibility-you have to be able to be a steward of a house like that. You dont own it, it owns you.

Bev Ryan tours the home she used to play at as a young girl (John Gibbins)

Bev Ryan, granddaughter of Edwin Olie Olson who bought the Rogers home in 1942, recently toured the property for the first time in decades.

Ryan, 61, said she often visited the home that belonged to her grandparents as a little girl, traveling from Texas to Chula Vista with her parents.

Today she lives in Point Loma with her husband.

Ryan was 6 or 7 years old when shed play with about a dozen of her cousins there.

She recalled it used to be surrounded by lemon orchards and railroad tracks, two of the cities mainstays.

During a typical family gathering, about 20 people would be at the house. While the adults socialized and played poker, Ryan said the kids would run around and play hide-and-seek.

We played up and down the staircase and had fashion shows.

Bensoussan said selling the home and moving to Houston is bittersweet.

It becomes part of you, a house like that.
A regional council general manager has been fired after referring to a Maori contractor as a 'gorilla'.

Michael Kitzelmann was sacked from Balranald Shire Council, in southwest New South Wales, last week after two and a half years in the position.

Bayard Tokohihi Heke, a concrete contractor from Queensland, lodged a racial vilification complaint in February after a meeting with Mr Kitzelmann last November.

General manager of Balranald Shire Council Michael Kitzelmann (pictured above) was fired last week after calling Maori concrete contractor Bayard Tokohihi Heke a 'gorilla'

The New South Wales Office of Local Government, which manages misconduct complaints against councillors, confirmed Mr Kitzelmann had been dismissed.

'The administrator has informed the Minister for Local Government that he has exercised the council's right to terminate the employment of general manager Michael Kitzelmann.

'The administrator of Balranald Shire Council is responsible for appointing a general manager, for monitoring their general manager's performance and where necessary terminating their employment,' a spokesperson said.

Mr Tokohihi Heke made the complaint after attending a meeting with Mr Kitzelmann and several others to discuss the design of a new concreting project.

The father-of-nine said Mr Kitzelmann commented that he had a 'gorilla head' three times.

Mr Kitzelmann, an ex-Liberal Party candidate, denied the allegations of racism in a statement to Daily Mail Australia.

'The allegation of racial vilification against me is untrue, vile and vexatious.'

Mr Kitzelmann met with Mr Tokohihi Heke (pictured) last November and claimed his comments were 'a jocular exchange' with a coworker and were not aimed at the contractor

'It was a jocular exchange between myself and another council staff member and was not directed at Mr Heke,' he said.

Mr Kitzelmann has also claimed he was referring to himself when he made the comment.

'The remark was intended as jocular. I was referring to myself.

'I offered to apologise for any perceived offence and did so,' he told ABC News.

The council's administrator originally said the complaint about the issue had been dealt with after Mr Kitzelmann penned an apology letter.

However the state MP for Murray, Helen Dalton, then contacted the Human Rights Commission to further investigate the allegations.

'The community know Mr Kitzelmann wasn't the right man for the job,' she said.

'A lot of people have been very upset by what has gone on, we need to move on and get the council's books in shape.'

Peter Kozlowski, a former Wentworth Shire Council general manager, will temporarily step into the GM role at Balranald Shire Council.
F rance's prime minister has urged his people to "act collectively" to prevent a second wave of Covid-19.

Jean Castex warned the public that they were becoming careless following the easing of lockdown restrictions.

He added that France risked seeing another wave of the virus that would be be "hard to control".

His comments came shortly before French health authorities said new daily infections were up by 1,397 over 24 hours on Tuesday, almost twice as much as the day before.

French prime minister Jean Castex has warned of a second wave / AFP via Getty Images

"If we don't act collectively, we expose ourselves to the heightened risk that the rebound in the epidemic becomes hard to control," Mr Castex said during a visit to a hospital intensive care ward in southern France.

A health ministry statement also reported 15 new deaths in hospital due the disease, compared with an increase of 16 over a three-day period between Monday and Saturday, with the total death toll standing at 30,354.

France's seven-day moving average of new infections climbed to 1,691 on Tuesday from 1,056 on July 31. The seven-day measure reached a post lockdown low of 272 on May 27, a little over two weeks after France eased one of Europe's strictest lockdowns.

But as in most neighbouring European countries, new clusters have mushroomed as people let their hair down on holiday, families hold reunions and workers return to offices.

France is desperate to avoid another full-scale lockdown.

The UK has said it will not hesitate putting more countries on its quarantine list, including France, where hordes of Britons spend their summer vacations.

Earlier on Tuesday, President Emmanuel Macron held a video conference with top ministers from his Riviera summer retreat.

During the meeting, it was decided France would draw up new restrictions for the 20 largest cities to curb the rising infection rate and that a ban on gatherings of more than 5,000 people would be extended until October 31.

France has proposed restrictions on 20 cities / REUTERS

Some cities have already taken action. On Monday, Paris joined Toulouse, Lille, Biarritz and others in imposing a mandatory face mask order in crowded outdoor zones. They are already compulsory nationwide in shops and banks.

The prime minister said testing was "more than satisfactory", with over 600,000 tests being conducted weekly, but added more could still be done to target those with symptoms.

Talking of the risk of another lockdown, Mr Castex said: "No one wants to live through that again."

Later, on a visit to a Mediterranean seaside resort, Mr Castex said he had started talks with employers and unions with a view to making mask-wearing in workplaces as widespread as possible.

Hospitals are not at this stage overwhelmed by the uptick in the disease, as the number treated for the infection fell by 33, to 5,012, after rising on Monday for the first time in 10 weeks. The total of Covid-19 hospitalisations reached a peak of 32,292 on April 14.
The question of the responsibility of the Jewish people for the crucifixion of Christ may well become one of the major theological issues of the day. The traditional view has been that the Jews through their leaders were responsible for the death of Christ and had admitted this by crying, His blood be on us and on our children.

These words have been used as an excuse for the most revolting anti-Semitism. The treatment of the Jews by the medieval Church has well been called the shame of Christendom. Jews were shut up in the ghettos of medieval cities in conditions of indescribable squalor. They were forbidden to enter most of the professions and were thus compelled to engage in commerce if they were to exist at all. Prevented from owning land and in constant danger of expulsion, prosperous Jews hoarded their gold, thus earning a reputation for miserliness. At a time when canon law forbade members of the Church to lend to and borrow from one another on usury (interest), Christians resorted to the Jews as convenient money-lenders, and the legend of Shylock soon arose. No accusation was too vile to bring against a people who had murdered God. They were accused of poisoning the wells to cause the Black Death and of murdering Christian children to use their blood in the Passover feast. Children sometimes disappeared then, as they occasionally do today. But the disappearance of any Christian child at Easter time was enough to start a fresh accusation of ritual murder and trigger a pogrom. And this is not all ancient history. As late as the early days of the present century, there were horrible Easter pogroms at Kishineff in Russia, when worshipers went straight from their Easter ...

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-12 11:38:27|Editor: huaxia

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MUMBAI, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- At least five people were killed after a bus travelling to India's southern city of Bengaluru caught fire on a highway in the early hours of Wednesday.

The private bus, carrying around 32 passengers, caught fire after it developed a short circuit in the engine at KR Halli in Hiriyur sub-district, 161 km from Bengaluru, according to a local police official.

Among the dead were two children and a woman, and the injured have been shifted to the district hospital, the official said, adding that the driver of the bus abandoned the vehicle and escaped from the scene.

Investigations were underway. Enditem
Regarding States disturbing data meltdown  (Editorial, Aug. 10): The editorial says COVID-19s capacity to spread among those showing no signs of illness has defied easy detection. The obvious reason is there has been no concerted effort to detect asymptomatic people.

From the beginning, we only tested people who have symptoms, when we could easily conduct two types of surveys.

Recently, some testing of people without symptoms was done, but those people are all self-selected, when what we need is random testing. As it is, we are always behind the curve by several weeks because, after infection, it takes about a week or two before symptoms appear and then an additional delay before testing.

Random sampling is how polling is done and can produce valuable data about the true infection rate, and it gets us way ahead of the curve compared to testing symptomatic people. That is how we could discover and act on the hot spots much earlier.

Why not use county jury duty lists to select and test a truly random sample of people each week? Like jury duty, it should be a civic responsibility and they would have to show up only once.

Richard Matzinger, San Francisco

Disgraceful acts

Regarding Secrecy lets Vallejo police call the shots (Aug. 10): What a disgrace that we the people cannot discipline the police in Vallejo, who allegedly participated in a barbaric ritual. It is charged that whenever a Vallejo police officer killed a human being, that officer bent their badge as a sign of honor or accomplishment. We have government employees proud that they killed a person.

It feels as if we are living in a nightmare video game. However, the truth is that actual people are victims of this state-sanctioned violence. Supposedly, the legislature passed a one-year statute of limitations on reprimanding the police. The motivation was said to be speeding up investigations into police misconduct.

I do not believe that for a second. What it actually does is give the police a literal stay-out-of-jail pass and leaves the public at the mercy of an out-of-control police force.

Sherry Gendelman, San Francisco

Gov. Newsoms to blame

Concerning More than technical difficulties (Editorial, Aug. 11): Whether or not Gov. Gavin Newsom blames his public health officials for technical lapses, which left hundreds of thousands of reported coronavirus test results out of the states tally, Im blaming him for the recent resurgence of cases here in California.

When he decided to reopen the states economy in early June, why didnt Newsom mandate that citizens who refused to wear masks in public would be cited and fined by local law enforcement agencies? His failure to issue such a public warning might have kept the state on a downward trend in COVID-19 cases.

Instead, more businesses had to close again and most public school students will have to begin their new academic year the same way they finished the old one  with online instruction.

Newsom needs to be more assertive with coronavirus health directives so that California can move forward while this pandemic continues.

Josephine DiCostanzo, Burlingame

Consumer watchdog

We are in the middle of the worst economic crisis in living memory. The government should be doing everything in its power to protect consumers, but instead the Trump administration has gutted the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), leaving us vulnerable. Payday loan companies are viciously targeting desperate consumers, and yet the CFPB recently rolled back regulations on this predatory industry.

We need a strong consumer watchdog, but the federal government is not going to provide it. Its time for California to step up.

Thankfully, theres a clear solution: the governors proposal to create a mini-CFPB in California, called the Department of Financial Protection and Innovation (DFPI). The agency would protect consumers from aggressive debt collectors, loan sharks and scammers.

I urge our legislators to support creation of the DFPI.

Sadly, the economic hardships of the COVID-19 pandemic arent going away anytime soon  so our elected officials must ensure we have a strong consumer watchdog to protect us.

Claudia Deeg, Albany

Stop the division

We can all find something to back our beliefs. We can look back and say what this doctor said or that politician did. We can pick a side and pretend that were open to each others views. We can call our decisions freedom and our concerns sincere while our egos keep our feet and hearts unmovable as we judge each other from our side of the fence.

The reality is this: There should be no fence. We have not only casualties of body, but precious losses of mind and spirit. I once thought the virus was the poison targeting our weaknesses, but Ive come to realize that the real venom is in how weve become divided and the toxic way we treat one another. So how about we all put our pistol in the holster and our judgment in our back pocket and take a good look at ourselves.

We know what to do to heal our minds and bodies. What I do to keep myself safe is what I do to keep you safe. We are sharing the same air, the same planet, the same desire to be healthy and happy. Come on, human beings  we are better than this.

Jane White, Benicia

Balance screen time

After reading A 1st day of school  when its all on-screen (Front Page, Aug. 11), about the new school year in Oakland Unified beginning with kids at home and instruction (with some technology glitches) via Zoom, my questions are these: 1) How will younger students be able to stay focused and bond with new classmates and a new teacher, all of whom exist only in small boxes on a laptop screen?

2) How will older students be able to remain engaged in longer online lessons if they begin to experience screen fatigue?

A successful 2020-21 coronavirus-plagued academic year might depend on maintaining both sufficient Wi-Fi and student-teacher connectivity.
Air pollution continues to cut global life expectancy, despite efforts worldwide to improve air quality.

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates 4.2 million people die every year due to outdoor air pollution, making it a bigger threat to human health than cigarette smoking, AIDS and tuberculosis.

Particulate matter is a mixture of solid and liquid particles in the air created by traffic, construction sites, burning fossil fuels, and other sources.

For at least two decades, the Air Quality Life Index (AQLI) has found that particulate matter pollution has reduced life expectancy worldwide by almost two years, compared to what it would be if air quality met WHO's standards.



The Bangkok skyline on January 30, 2019. A new report indicates that despite efforts worldwide to improve air quality, pollution is responsible for shortening the global life expectancy by nearly two years

The problem is that progress made by concerned governments has been counterbalanced by worsening air pollution in other nations, according to economist Michael Greenstone, creator of the AQLI and director of the University of Chicago's Energy Policy Institute.

Since 2013, China has reduced particulate pollution by nearly 40 percent.

If it's efforts continue, Greenstone said, citizens could expect to live about two years longer.

But in Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Pakistan - which, combined, are home to a quarter of the world's population - pollution levels have risen 44 percent in the past 20 years.

Efforts made by some countries are being offset by worsening conditions in other places. While air pollution has declined in China 40 percent since 2013, it's increased 44 percent in Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Pakistan over the past two decades (Pictured: Factories near Tokyo)

Greenstone predicts residents of those countries could see their life expectancy decline by an average of five years.

Acknowledging the grave threat posed by COVID-19, he added that 'embracing the seriousness of air pollution with a similar vigor would allow billions of people around the world to lead longer and healthier lives.'

Instead global efforts to improve air quality are falling far short of the mark: More than half the world is being exposed to increasing amounts of air pollution, according to a recent report from the University of Exeter.

Researchers measured air quality trends worldwide between 2010 and 2016 and combined it with satellite imagery to provide annual air quality profiles for individual countries and regions.

In all, 55.3 percent of the world's population was exposed to increasing levels of air pollution over the six-year window.

Some regions are now five times above safety levels for particulate matter.

Coronavirus lockdowns have led to some improvements in air quality, but the impact on particulate matter and ozone, the two pollutants most harmful to humans, has been minimal.

And people living in areas with poor air quality may be at higher risk of contracting the coronavirus.

According to a report in Science of The Total Environment, particulate matter can 'carry' COVID-19 through the air.

It may also make lung cells more susceptible to the virus, increasing the chances of more severe symptoms.

Viruses absorbed by particulate matter can remain 'airborne for hours or days,' according to the study's authors.

In Italy, the areas hardest hit by COVID-19 also have significant air pollution. Lombardi and Emilia Romagna in northern Italy have heavy vehicle traffic, a lot of factories, and are surrounded by mountains that block adequate air flow.

Both regions also have higher mortality rates from COVID-19 than other parts of Italy, though scientists haven't ruled out other factors at play.
Mumbai, Aug 12 : The Reserve Bank has asked urban co-operative banks to implement system-based asset classification.

The move is expected to improve the efficiency, transparency and integrity of the current asset classification system in UCBs.

Accordingly, system-based asset classification is a better process to reflect a bank's actual financial health in its balance sheet.

The RBI on Wednesday said that UCBs having total assets of Rs 2,000 crore or above as on March 31, 2020 shall implement system-based asset classification with effect from June 30, 2021.

"UCBs having total assets of Rs 1,000 crore or above but less than Rs 2,000 crore as on March 31, 2020 and having self-assessed themselves as being under 'Level III or Level IV' ... on Comprehensive Cyber Security Framework for UCBs shall implement system-based asset classification with effect from September 30, 2021." As per RBI, for smooth implementation of the system: "All concerned UCBs may conduct pilot or parallel run and evaluate the results for accuracy or integrity of the asset classification in compliance with the applicable RBI instructions so as to ensure that they are ready for implementation of the system-based asset classification from the appointed date." "UCBs not meeting the above criteria are also encouraged to voluntarily implement the system-based asset classification in their own interest," RBI said.
Radhe Shyam looking to join Bachchan Pandey for a Holi release, Shamshera to bow out from the race?
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-12 22:44:11|Editor: huaxia

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KIEV, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- Ukraine and Moldova have agreed to strengthen bilateral defense cooperation following a telephone discussion between Ukrainian Defense Minister Andriy Taran and his Moldovan counterpart Alexandru Pinzari, the Ukrainian defense ministry's press service said Wednesday.

"During the talks, the heads of the defense departments discussed the development of regional security, (as well as) the importance of interaction with partners and international organizations, to ensure stability in southeastern Europe," the press service said in a statement.

In addition, the nations have agreed to strengthen military cooperation in such areas as joint participation in multinational exercises, the exchange of delegations between the military educational institutions of the two countries, and the exchange of experience on the implementation of NATO standards, according to the statement. Enditem
Oregon still hasnt decided whether to pay the $400 weekly unemployment bonus President Donald Trump authorized last week, awaiting more clarity from the federal government over how the program would work and how much the state would owe.

There are still a huge number of uncertainties about the program that was discussed in that executive order, David Gerstenfeld, interim head of the Oregon Employment Department, said in his weekly media call Wednesday.

Unemployed workers had been receiving an extra $600 in weekly federal funds since Congress approved a broad coronavirus aid package in March. But that money ran out in late July, sharply reducing benefits payments.

After congressional negotiations to extend the bonus benefits broke down, Trump redirected federal emergency relief funds to pay $300 weekly in additional benefits and asked states to chip in an extra $100 a week. Budget analysts say the federal program the president tapped has enough money to pay about five weeks of expanded benefits.

Questions remain, though, about the legality of the presidents order  the Constitution gives Congress authority over federal spending. And Gerstenfeld said Wednesday its unclear how much money the state would have to spend to administer the program, and how long it would take to adapt its computers to make the payments.

We dont know exactly what it would take to implement because we dont know what we would be implementing, Gerstenfeld said.

Oregon may be in a better position than most states, though, to afford its share of the weekly benefits. Gerstenfeld said the states unemployment insurance trust fund, which totaled about $5 billion when the pandemic shutdown hit in March, still has almost $4.5 billion in reserve.

Overwhelmed by the pandemic and hobbled by an obsolete computer system, Oregon has struggled for months to pay benefits to laid-off workers. The state has now paid $3.6 billion altogether but tens of thousands are still waiting, and some have been waiting for months.

The delays sparked a political contretemps this week as the Legislatures one-day special session rejected a bill that would have exempted some furloughed school employees from a legally mandated adjudication process, which can delay benefits for up to 16 weeks.

Gov. Kate Brown accused Republican opponents of the bill of standing in the way of benefits payments, while critics said it wasnt fair to prioritize school employees  most of whom work in the public sector  when thousands of others are waiting for benefits.

On Wednesday, Gerstenfeld said that bill came out of the governors office originally, not the employment department. And he reiterated that all workers awaiting adjudication would have benefitted because it would have freed up the departments adjudicators to work on other claims.

The bill would have impacted thousands of claims, Gerstenfeld said, including those from at least a small number school employees who wouldnt otherwise have been eligible for benefits. But he said it wouldnt have cleared the adjudication backlog without separate action from Congress.

The biggest assistance would be if there were some federal legislative changes, Gerstenfeld said.

-- Mike Rogoway | mrogoway@oregonian.com | twitter: @rogoway |

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Americans across the political spectrum support the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program and temporary restrictions to prevent the spread of COVID-19, but the nation remains divided when it comes to immigration enforcement, including President Donald Trump's push to expand the southern border wall, according to a national survey released Thursday.

The Public Agenda/USA TODAY/Ipsos poll also highlights a growing disconnect between Trump's hard-line immigration policies and the priorities of Republicans, who mostly support many of the immigration policies the president has tried to dismantle.

As the coronavirus continues to spread throughout the U.S., a large majority of Republicans (81%), a plurality of Democrats (49%) and a majority of independents (62%) said the U.S. government has done right by temporarily enacting immigration restrictions in an effort to slow the spread of the pandemic. The national survey was conducted in May, after the president issued travel restrictions against China, Europe, Mexico and Canada.

James Hollifield, a professor of political science and director of the Tower Center at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, said the broad support for closing the borders after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, show how Americans are willing to close ranks during tumultuous times.

"When you have these moments of national crisis, people suspend some of their skepticism about closing the borders," he said. "They're willing to do that."

Dulce Garcia, right, carries a cup of coffee as she crosses the border from Mexicali, Mexico, to Calexico, Calif., on July 22, 2020. Like many in Mexicali, Garcia lives in Mexico but works in Calexico. "Everybody's scared of the pandemic but we have to cross," Garcia said. "We have to survive."

In recent months, Customs and Border Protection has used emergency powers to turn back more than 100,000 migrants along the southern border, the State Department has suspended regular visa services at embassies and consulates around the world, and Trump signed an executive order suspending temporary visas for foreign guest workers.

The poll was conducted before The New York Times reported this week that the Trump administration is considering banning U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents from reentering the U.S. if they show symptoms of COVID-19. Hollifield said that would make the U.S. the only country in the world to take that step, and Trump would risk alienating many of his supporters if he follows through.

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"If you go that far, you really are attacking fundamental rights of American citizens," he said. "And once people start seeing how their rights are going to be affected, not just some asylum seeker at the border, I think youll start seeing a lot of people get really nervous about that."

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The poll echoed longstanding support among Republicans, Democrats and independents for certain aspects of immigration policy. All groups supported the general principle of securing the border, the value of immigrants who are doctors, engineers and scientists, and the idea that the U.S. government should humanely treat all immigrants who cross the border.

The poll also echoed longstanding divisions on other aspects of immigration policy. Republicans generally favor the expansion of the southern border wall, while Democrats oppose it. A majority of Republicans say immigrants are a "drain" on government resources and take away jobs from U.S. citizens, while Democrats disagree with both claims. And more Democrats than Republicans support immigrants who work in low-wage jobs.

The poll revealed a disconnect between Trump's harshest immigration policies and the Republican voters who are crucial to his reelection in November.

Trump has tried to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program that was created by President Barack Obama to protect undocumented immigrants brought to the country as children. The Supreme Court shot down the administration's attempt, but Trump said he will take another swing at ending the program. Yet 69% of Republicans in the poll said they not only support DACA, but they also support a path to citizenship for DACA recipients.

Trump has also dramatically cut back and, at times, completely suspended the refugee and asylum systems that allow those fleeing war, violence or persecution to seek safe haven in the U.S. But 60% of Republicans support asylum for people fleeing war and violence, and 59% of Republicans support asylum for those fleeing political and religious persecution.

Joe Jones, 79, a retired U.S. Postal Service employee who participated in the poll, said there should be no political divisions on the question of the U.S. being a safe harbor for people in need. Jones, who lives in Southaven, Mississippi, has traveled extensively throughout Latin America and said those programs are viewed as a defining element of the United States.

"America is looked upon as a beacon of light," said Jones, a registered independent who votes for Republican and Democratic candidates. "There are people being persecuted. If they can prove it, without a doubt, I would take some of them."

President Donald Trump participates in a ceremony commemorating the 200th mile of border wall at the international border with Mexico in San Luis, Arizona, June 23, 2020.

Many Republicans were also skeptical of the administration's family separation policy along the southern border, which was halted as a systemic policy by a federal judge but continues in more isolated cases. Only 43% of Republicans supported that practice, 37% opposed it and another 20% chose to skip that question.

"It's gut-wrenching," said Jennifer DAndrea, 43, an independent voter who works for a financial planning company in Columbia, Tennessee. "Nursing babies being taken from their mothers? Come on. No. It's just wrong."

David Schleifer, director of research for Public Agenda who co-authored the national survey, said one consistent lesson he took from the polls and focus groups conducted as part of the survey was that education on immigration was a determining factor as people made their conclusions.

For example, he said many people interviewed for the survey said that far more immigrants were illegally entering the country than the actual number of those crossing over. Once they were showed the data, he said many changed their tune.

"If you really think people are streaming across the border and you feel under siege, then maybe you think, 'OK, we need to take extreme measures,'" Schleifer said. "But the more people know, the more positively they see immigrants and the more skeptical they are of the wall.

"The better-informed they were, the more welcoming policies they favored."

The national survey of 1,054 adults was conducted May 15-24. The margin of error is +/- 3.3 percentage points.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Poll: Broad support for Trump's COVID-19 immigration restrictions
Kamala Harris makes history as US vice presidential candidate, but barriers remain for women in power around the world.

When Satsuki Katayama was appointed as the sole female minister in Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abes new cabinet in 2018, she immediately came face-to-face with the practical obstacles facing women in leadership positions.

Just before the declaration ceremony to mark the new government, Katayama was informed she was not dressed correctly for the occasion. Imperial Palace dress code stipulates that women must wear long dresses. So while the men spent the time before the ceremony relaxing and schmoozing with their fellow parliamentarians, Katayama hastily rushed out to find a more suitable outfit  just because she is a woman.

It is easy to dismiss such incidents as small annoyances, but when they occur on a daily basis they act as roadblocks and barriers to women assuming leadership positions. While women have made strides, particularly in advanced capitalist societies, this is still a new game for them  especially women of colour.

This week, US Democratic party presidential candidate Joe Biden announced that Senator Kamala Harris would be his running mate and future vice president if he wins the vote this November. This is frontier stuff  it is the first time a woman of colour has been given such a position on a major party ticket in the US. To some, this highlights how patriarchal the system remains as she had to have it bestowed upon her by a man  Biden. It remains to be seen if this is a real marker for progress, or a tokenistic effort on the part of the Democrats.

The fact is that the obstacles preventing most women from reaching positions of power remain firmly in place.

Dress codes, such as the one encountered by Katayama, are not the only thing to hamper women in parliaments around the world. Between 2004 and 2014, Silvana Koch-Mehrin served as a German Member of the European Parliament in Brussels. During that time, she became pregnant, gave birth and discovered that there were no facilities for women to care for babies, such as private areas where they might breastfeed or change nappies.

Unless they were happy to do these things on full display in meetings or in the chamber, women would be unable to carry out their parliamentary duties shortly after giving birth. It was one of those requirements which are just not on the horizons of men, she says now. I could have just used my office to breastfeed but it is a parliament with many people working there, not just MEPs. Not all of them have private offices.

In 2013, Italys Member of the European Parliament Licia Ronzulli took part in a voting session with her daughter [File: Reuters]

Thanks in part to her own campaign, these facilities have since been installed for women in the European Parliament, where female participation has slowly but steadily risen every year since its first elections in 1979.

During her time as a politician and in parliaments around the world, Koch-Mehrin observed many direct and indirect obstacles to true equal participation. The Italian Parliament, for example, only recently removed the privilege for male parliamentarians to receive free haircuts. It is a small symbolic element, she says. But it sums up some of the inequalities that women face. While men got their hair cut on the spot during working hours, women had to take time out of their parliamentary duties to visit a hair salon  a distraction from their work and, therefore, a disadvantage.

As a result of what she learned during her time as a female parliamentarian, Koch-Mehrin now heads up the Reykjavik-based Women Political Leaders (WPL) global network of female politicians. The independent organisation has a mission to increase the number and influence of women in political leadership positions, and over the past decade, its research has highlighted the many non-legal barriers women still face.

It is quite astonishing to see that more than 100 years after women were first given the right to vote (in Iceland), the first-ever elected woman president is still alive, says Koch-Mehrin.

She is speaking of Vigdis Finnbogadottir who won the 1980 Icelandic presidential election and became the longest-serving elected female head of state in history, with nearly 16 years in office.

Iceland is far from the norm, of course. Despite some countries having had female heads of state before Finnbogadottir came to office, and since, the number of nations that have broken through the gender barrier to elect a woman leader is markedly low. The US, for one, is still struggling to get there.

It is still a new phenomenon in political systems which have been set up and tailored to the needs of men for hundreds of years, says Koch-Mehrin. Women are still the new group trying to get in.

Silvana Koch-Mehrin at a session of the EU parliament in Strasbourg in 2009 [File: Reuters]

Women of colour

The climb to the top is even more fraught for women of colour, even in political systems which have made traction in the effort to ease the passage of women generally.

In strongly multicultural societies such as the US and the United Kingdom, the evidence of this is especially marked. Take, for example, the racial and misogynistic abuse suffered by female politicians of colour in the UK.

Diane Abbott is a former shadow Home Secretary in the UK. According to research by Amnesty International, she received nearly half  45 percent  of all the abusive tweets sent to female MPs in the run-up to the general election in June 2017.

Women of colour, and Black women in particular, have to work twice as hard to show they are qualified. Amanda Hunter

The Amnesty researcher, Azmina Dhrodia, said that deleted tweets could not be counted in this, so the true extent of the abuse was probably much worse. Even when Abbott was excluded from the total, Black and Asian female MPs were found to receive 35 percent more abusive tweets than their white peers.

Amanda Hunter is head of research at the Barbara Lee Family Foundation in Cambridge, Massachusetts, which campaigns to advance womens representation in US politics. She says: In addition to facing gender bias, women of colour have to contend with racial bias on the campaign trail.

Women candidates have to prove to voters they are up to the job. Women have to show they can get results, while men can simply release their resume.

Women of colour, and Black women in particular, have to work twice as hard to show they are qualified, particularly on issues like economic credentials. Women of colour also seem to face more electability doubts than their white male counterparts.

Former UK shadow Home Secretary Diane Abbott with then Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn in 2019 [Getty Images]

A systemic problem

It has been 100 years since some women first won the vote and it is approaching 100 years since the first woman was elected to the House of Commons in the United Kingdom. Yet women remain significantly underrepresented there, making up only 32 percent of all MPs.

While progress has been made, a significant amount of work is still needed to ensure that parliament reflects a diverse range of voices, says Sam Smethers, CEO of the Fawcett Society, a group which campaigns for womens greater participation in public and the workplace in the UK.

First, it is not true that legal barriers have been entirely removed for most women in most places, as the 2019 World Bank Business and Law report illustrates.

The report scrutinises laws and regulations which may hinder women entering the workplace or starting businesses in 187 countries around the world, giving each a score out of 100, with the average being 74.71. These regulations range from legal rights to societal regulations, such as women being allowed to leave home without the permission of a male relative. It is clear from this research that the situation is more dire for women in some countries than others.

It is quite amazing to me that only six countries are treating men and women equally in the law. Silvana Koch-Mehrin

Until last year, women in Saudi Arabia were subject to the countrys strict guardianship law, which required women to seek permission from a male relative in matters of work, leisure, finances, law and health. This was relaxed last year and women may now obtain a passport and travel without the permission of a male relative, and some workplace discrimination protections have been implemented. Still, Saudi remains at the bottom of the index with a score of just 25.63.

While the playing field remains far from even in sub-Saharan African countries and South-East Asia, these are in fact, where the greatest improvements have taken place over the past 10 years.

Sub-Saharan Africa had the third-highest increase in the average regional score, moving from 64.04 to 69.63 over the decade. South Asia was where the greatest regional rise was observed, moving from 50 to 58.36. This was followed by East Asia and the Pacific, which went from 64.8 to 70.73.

The report stated: Most top reformers introduced sexual harassment laws or mandated non-discrimination in access to credit. One-third of the top reforming economies removed job restrictions on night work or on certain job types.

Only six countries  Belgium, Denmark, France, Latvia, Luxembourg and Sweden  score the full 100 marks in the Women, Business and Law Index. None of them scored 100 10 years ago, however, indicating that there has been some progress at least.

France has made the most progress in this time, going from a score of 91.88 in the index in 2009 to 100 in 2019, by implementing domestic violence laws, providing criminal penalties for workplace sexual harassment and introducing paid parental leave.

It is quite amazing to me that only six countries are treating men and women equally in the law, says Koch-Mehrin. It is very much a systemic problem.

Sam Smethers heads a group that campaigns for womens greater participation in the workplace in the UK [Photo courtesy of the Fawcett Society]

Wifework

Practical issues like dress codes and a lack of facilities for mothers are elements that impede women.

The problem is the way the system works, says Smethers. If youve got a family and kids at school and you are juggling the commute to parliament, then women are less able to nurse a seat.

Much of this is down to the expectations placed on women by society generally  the phenomenon termed the Second Shift in the US and Wifework in the UK, after the books by the same names by Arlie Hochschild and Susan Maushart respectively.

Anthony Pahnke, an associate professor in international relations at San Francisco University, where he also focuses on political leaders in the US and Latin America, attributes this as the main issue facing women in advanced capitalist societies.

In the US workforce, women are immigrants. And politics remains a man's realm. Anthony Pahnke

Since women have entered the workforce, they have ended up having two jobs, he says. Womens roles have changed in the outside world, but they are still seen as being responsible for the home.

I always have students who say thats an old way of thinking, but its not. It shows up all the time in peoples opinions.

In the US workforce, women are immigrants. And politics remains a mans realm.

In 2014, WPL carried out a global study on the non-legal barriers that hamper the careers of women business and political leaders. We looked at why, despite companies giving the same particular rights to men and women, in the majority of countries we still dont get the same level of participation. It is the same throughout the world, Koch-Mehrin says.

The question is not exclusive to politics at all. It is a combination of having family and work and the assumption that it is for the woman to find the solutions. The question of managing home and work is not asked in any way of men.

Furthermore, she says, women have to gain the approval of their families before they can even begin to try juggling the two. Women are still seeking the consent and permission of their families. This is a question men do not have to worry about in most cases.

Former British Prime Minister Theresa May speaking in Parliament in London, in 2019 [Reuters]

In 2018, The Fawcett Society conducted research into how parliamentary candidates are selected by political parties in the UK. Overwhelmingly across the political parties, we found that those doing the selecting had a very rigid idea of an ideal candidate in their minds  and this was overwhelmingly a white, middle-class man, says Smethers. So, when they meet women candidates, they are already not what they had in mind.

We had lots of quotes from women about being asked about their childcare arrangements and who would look after the household. The idea that they might have a spouse who could accommodate that is just not entertained.

Men are just assumed to be qualified

Social stereotypes, therefore, are very much at play. Men are just assumed to be qualified, says Hunter. Women have to prove they are qualified over and over. So, it is important for them to showcase that they can get results and to highlight their successes.

Women have to be over-prepared. There is no room for mistakes. She believes this is the reason that several countries with women leaders have fared better with the coronavirus pandemic, for example, about which there has been a great deal of media attention. Women simply cannot afford to get it wrong.

Prime Minister of New Zealand Jacinda Ardern speaks at a summit at the United Nations in 2019 [Getty Images]

In New Zealand, for example, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has been praised for her sympathetic communications style and for the fact that the countrys coronavirus peak was in April while there have been only 22 deaths in a population of five million.

When women run for governor, in addition to running an election campaign, we have to run a campaign of belief. Men dont have to do that. It is because of the stereotype that women are not as qualified.

In 2018, WPL launched its Reykjavik Index of G7 and BRIC countries, examining the way that women are viewed and stereotyped when it comes to being chosen as political leaders. We found the stereotype is strongly that women are less suitable for positions of leadership. It is a combination of this and the unequal starting positions that means we are not there yet, Koch-Mehrin says.

Research undertaken by the Barbara Lee Family Foundation strongly supports this finding. When we researched this, the voters we talked to acknowledged that women were being held to a higher level of account, Hunter says.

For women, ambition is a four-letter word. It is very threatening to some people. Amanda Hunter

As a result, women candidates tend to hold themselves to a higher account as well. We researched candidates and found that although men and women reported consuming the same amount of media, women were still three times as likely to say they did not feel informed enough [to make executive leadership decisions about important issues].

For women, ambition is a four-letter word. It is very threatening to some people. But women are starting to stand up for each other and for themselves, she adds.

In his work on political leaders in the US and Latin America, Pahnke has found a common theme  the assumption that women cant do economics.

There has been a lot of research about the obstacles women face in politics both here and in Latin America that I have studied, he says. It seems that when politics becomes economics, women candidates do poorly.

There is a lot of inequality in the US and also in 2016 [at the time of the last presidential election], trade was a major issue. It was not just the connection between Hillary Clinton and NAFTA, but there was also the gender issue and this idea that women cant do economics.

He believes this is one of the reasons Elizabeth Warrens bid to be the Democratic presidential candidate was unsuccessful.

Elizabeth Warren speaking to reporters outside her house about the end of her 2020 campaign for US president in March [Reuters]

There is no issue with Elizabeth Warrens competence, he says. Her camp issued many policy statements on everything from agriculture to banking and asking people for ideas about food and farming. She would have been a great president.

Take the Medicare For All issue. Bernie [Sanders] gave no answers about this. Warren did give answers and dropped in the ratings, because there is a blindness about womens ability to manage the economy.

National politics a step too far

While people are far more accepting of women in local politics, says Smethers, there is also a blindness about their suitability for national leadership.

The public will vote for them at the local level, she says. There is data that shows the public say they want to see women in politics because they feel they will represent them better. But when it is higher up, they are more exposed and, if they dont look and sound like macho men, they arent taken as seriously.

This is compounded by the fact that women have limited access to finance and networks when it comes to promoting themselves for leadership positions. In the US, for example, the system is deeply patriarchal in the way it operates with family political dynasties and access to wealth, says Hunter.

A lot of the positions in Congress and the Senate have become family positions  and it is extremely important to have financial support.

Amanda Hunter campaigns to advance womens representation in US politics [Photo courtesy of the Barbara Lee Foundation]

Koch-Mehrin adds: We well know that women dont get the same access to and share of donors and finances for campaigns. Political parties give less to women candidates.

As a result of all these factors, women also face a lot more abuse when they do take public office  yet another deterrent to taking prominent positions in public life. The fact is that large sections of society remain vehemently opposed to women in public life.

According to figures from the United Nations and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), more than 80 percent of women parliamentarians report having been the target of online harassment and abuse. This ranges from quips about their attractiveness all the way to physical violence  sometimes fatal, as in the case of the UK MP Jo Cox who was shot and stabbed to death in 2016 by a far-right activist. In 2018, the Brazilian politician Marielle Franco was murdered in similar circumstances in her car. In that case, the two murder suspects had previously been photographed with the countrys president, Jair Bolsonaro. Both women had endured campaigns of online abuse as well.

Online harassment and abuse are so bad for women, with death threats and rape threats. This is a massive deterrent to women from taking part in politics, says Smethers.

Women have a very tough time in public life. Everything about them is micro-analysed  whether they are married, have children etc  and the scrutiny can be tiring and threatening, adds Koch-Mehrin.

Such scrutiny is also hugely distracting and time-wasting for women who should be free to direct their attention to their work and candidacies, says Hunter, setting them at yet another disadvantage not faced by their male peers.

When you look at women senators  this is a very good example of one of the obstacles that women face  they pay a much higher price if they make a mistake.

US vice presidential candidate Senator Kamala Harris speaking at a 2020 Democratic presidential debate [Saul Loeb/AFP]

Senator Kamala Harris, the California Democrat who announced she was running as a presidential candidate last year  and who is now running for vice president alongside Joe Biden  was roasted after saying in a light-hearted interview that she listened to rap artists like Tupac and Snoop Dogg while she smoked cannabis in college, when in fact, the albums she referred to were released after she had graduated.

She ended up having to defend that mistake for days afterwards, which distracts from her political aims, says Hunter. Men can just laugh off such gaffes, but women have to defend themselves.

Women are held to standards that men do not have to meet. In 2019, for example, Politico ran an article entitled Warren battles the ghosts of Hillary and tweeted it out with the comment: How does Elizabeth Warren avoid a Clinton redux  written off as too unlikeable before her campaign gets off the ground?

Asking whether she was likeable enough  there was a huge social media response of outrage driven by women to that, says Hunter. Women are totally fed up and just dont want to put up with this blatant sexism anymore  even just four years after 2016 [when Hillary Clinton lost the presidential vote to Donald Trump].

Smethers points to the way women are objectified in the media as well. You get the media talking about [First Minister of Scotland] Nicola Sturgeons legs and there is so much about what they wear.

The result is a very limited existence for women politicians unless they are brave enough to endure the abuse that results from putting their heads above the parapet, even just a little.

But  Margaret Thatcher

Many of those who dismiss the idea that women face tough obstacles to leadership positions point to the one notable exception  Margaret Thatcher, who served as prime minister of the UK from 1979 to 1990.

But, says Smethers and others who have studied her tenure, Thatcher achieved this by emulating a male style of leadership.

British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and Chinese Premier Zhao Ziyang in December 1984 [File: The Associated Press]

Margaret Thatcher had a very populist quality  council house sales, selling shares in British Gas. People felt they were on a journey of improving their lives. She played to the aspirations of people.

But she had to show the men she could cut it. She couldnt demonstrate any weakness. She was always across all the details  nothing ever got past her. Her power base was about her being the Iron Lady.

She didnt make it easy for women to follow her. She didnt address the systemic barriers. She just operated within them.

By contrast, says Koch-Mehrin, Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany, has not merely stepped into the male template for political leaders. Instead of ruling with an iron fist or taking charge with macho decisiveness, Merkel has built her position on consensus and acceptance.

Angela Merkel knows how the system works, says Koch-Mehrin. Women tend to have a much shorter time in politics than men because of informal rules and backroom deals. These are not part of the official rule book and they are not available to women.

Angela Merkel is different to this. She knows every single person in her party. She has worked with all the international leaders so she is acquainted with the unwritten rules.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel at the European Union leaders summit in February [Reuters]

But she has a very different style to the men in her speeches. She doesnt shout and take off her jacket to roll up her sleeves. She has a more analytical, less engaging way of speaking. She doesnt throw her fist on the table.

Her style is weighing options and building a solid ground of consensus, which takes time. She gets people on board and then makes the decision. She is better at building consensus and collaborating.

In the pictures of her at party congress, the media takes note of how many seats away from her people are placed. But she never says it herself.

Her personal credibility is that she wants to serve. She lives in a modest apartment and she doesnt go on billionaires yachts. She has a down-to-earth lifestyle unlike many male leaders.

Rejecting the male template

Is the answer, therefore, for women to stop just trying to emulate men in order to get into positions of power? After all, doing so only results in one-off successes such as Margaret Thatcher, solving none of the obstacles faced generally by women.

This is something which is finally starting to happen, says Hunter. With millennial women, you can really see a change there. They have been very motivated by the #MeToo movement. Women are stepping up more than ever now.

Instead of just stepping into a male template, more women are starting to present themselves as full human beings  taking the 360 degrees approach, as Hunter terms it.

Presidential elections can become referendums on masculinity. Anthony Pahnke

Hunter points to the example of Ayanna Pressley, the US Representative for Massachusetts Seventh Congressional district, and a woman of colour.

Ayanna Pressley is an example of a 360-degree candidate, as are many of the women who were elected to Congress in her class (post 2016). Instead of trying to fit into an outdated template that was created for a man, women are showing voters the whole of their human experience and how it will influence the way they lead.

For example, during her campaign, Pressley talked about having to work to pay for college as a way to show voters in her district she understood their financial challenges. She talked about being a survivor of sexual assault, and about having family members in the criminal justice system.

Hunter says another good example of this is Senator Tammy Baldwin who ran an advert during her campaign about her mothers addiction. Republican Senator Martha McSally is another woman who has talked about being a survivor of sexual assault.

By showing different sides of their lived experiences, women are demonstrating to voters they are in touch with the everyday challenges Americans face. We know from our research, that this is very important. We saw this during the 2020 cycle when Elizabeth Warren talked about facing pregnancy discrimination, and Senator Harris talked about being bussed to school as a child.

Ayanna Pressley, left, at a news conference with other Democratic representatives Ilhan Omar, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Rashida Tlaib in 2019 [Reuters/Erin Scott]

Smethers adds that women leaders are starting to allow themselves to demonstrate different characteristics from men, such as lack of complacency, which may go some way to explain why some women leaders seem to have managed their countries experience of the coronavirus pandemic better than their male peers.

Male leaders can use a very macho style and a big weakness is complacency. Boris Johnson going out and shaking hands with people at a hospital, for example, shows a very cavalier approach. A lot of our leaders just didnt take the pandemic seriously enough.

That is not a mistake most women leaders made  as can be seen by the way the pandemic was managed in New Zealand, Iceland, Germany and San Francisco among other places.

Second is the quality and style of communications, says Smethers. Women tend to be more open, more human and more reassuring. In New Zealand and Germany, you have got a different style of communicating with the country. It just feels like they care more.

Do some political systems work better for women?

Unsurprisingly, the countries leading the way with women leaders are frequently those which have granted more access to women systemically. Countries with women at the top have different systems, says Hunter. We have found that voters are open to supporting women to be part of a deliberative body. If that deliberative body then puts them into the leadership position and, once voters see them in that position, they are more likely to vote for them again.

According to Pahnke, parliamentary rather than presidential systems are more likely to facilitate this as well. Presidential elections can become referendums on masculinity.

In Germany and New Zealand, there are more opportunities for voters to express themselves through different party choices  there are more electoral choices, he says. For example, in Germany, there is a viable Green Party with parliamentary seats.

Parliamentary systems also give rise to leaders who can make compromises because they have to form coalitions by necessity or they cant run the government.

When you have more party choices, parties can focus more on one or two issues which may appeal particularly to women, and therefore to more women candidates.

We are seeing women engaged and active in a different way - it feels different. It feels like change is more possible than ever. Amanda Hunter

Similarly, when people are generally more open to progressive ideas, they will be more likely to accept women candidates, says Smethers. New Zealand is perhaps just more progressive generally. It was one of the first countries to give women the vote and they are much more active on human rights issues. One bit of progressive thinking opens the mind to others.

Koch-Mehrin believes that systems which have seen higher numbers of women in political power are the ones which have reformed the way they work  such as the changes made in the EU Parliament to accommodate mothers of babies.

But, mostly, it is a matter of building a history of more women in power to create a new normal which voters will start to accept without questioning.

In Finland, for the third time, we see a government that has more women ministers than men. So, its no longer big news in Finland.

This is a numbers game  just increasing the numbers of women in power is hugely important.

Finlands Prime Minister Sanna Marin, Minister of Education Li Andersson, Minister of Finance Katri Kulmuni and Minister of Interior Maria Ohisalo after the first government meeting in Helsinki, Finland on December 10, 2019 [Reuters]

Similarly, in the EU, the numbers of women in parliament have increased every year since the first elections in 1979  rising to nearly 40 percent now.

The fact that women have started to come out in much greater support of each other  sparked by the #MeToo campaign  is crucial, says Hunter.

After 2016, there was the womens march in 2017 and a record number of women were elected to office in the US. This last round of presidential nominations, we had six women on the presidential slate and much more diversity as well. So, there are people growing up now who wont remember a time that women werent up there on the candidacy lists.

This cycle has been so different to the run-up to 2016. Voters have been able to see women debating and supporting each other this time around. This is what will build a foundation for people to start to see voting for a woman as no big deal.

We are seeing women engaged and active in a different way  it feels different. It feels like change is more possible than ever.

Using quotas  men are not there on merit

If having more women in power is the key to more women becoming leaders, then, many argue, quotas are an essential tool to achieve this.

The idea of using quotas is hotly contested, however. As a result, WPL does not take a formal stance either way because the members of its network disagree about the usefulness of quotas.

However, Koch-Mehrin says: My personal view is, yes, we do need quotas in order to normalise the idea of women in power.

Quotas can, in fact, be used to motivate men to become more active in promoting female candidates, she says. The constitution of the German Green Party, for example, stipulates that there must be equal numbers of men and women candidates, which means that men simply cant run for office unless they ensure a woman is running as well.

If a party sets it up as a rule, then it becomes normal, says Koch-Mehrin.

You have to intervene. Around 80 percent of countries with more than 30 percent women MPs have used intervention to achieve that. If you just wait for it to drip through, it doesn't happen. Sam Smethers

In the US, where quotas for women are unpopular, it is clear that women are hampered from achieving the top positions. The Barbara Lee Family Foundation has conducted research which shows that to be a woman president, a woman will need to have a track record of holding mayorships and governorships, Hunter says. But, until parties start actively promoting women to winnable seats, this is unlikely to happen any time soon.

While the post-2016 backlash to the election of Donald Trump saw record numbers of women elected to positions of power in the US  a record-breaking 103 women were elected or re-elected to the House of Representatives  says Pahnke, female representation remains low in the US.

There has been talk about a surge in numbers, and there has been one, but it is still very low, he says. We have 23 percent women in the House of Representatives  that is very low. This is a major issue in the US because there is no institutional support for women candidates.

The US is really bad for this. Even where there are quotas for women, they dont allocate resources to make it work. There is nothing to do that in the US.

Hong Kongs Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor standing beside other officials [Reuters]

Smethers adds: Where we improve womens representation generally, there we get more women leaders.

In the UK, the left-wing parties, Labour and the Liberal Democrats, are progressive in regards to womens shortlists. The Conservative Party, however, says they want women to get there on merit. But the men are not there on merit.

As a result, only 24 percent of Conservative MPs in the UK are women, while 51 percent of Labour MPs and 66 percent of Lib Dem MPs are women.

Labour has taken 20 years to achieve this, but they have also got better at placing women into electable seats, says Smethers.

You have to intervene. Around 80 percent of countries with more than 30 percent women MPs have used intervention to achieve that. If you just wait for it to drip through, it doesnt happen.

Indeed, we may be in the centennial year for womens suffrage in the West, but it took more than 70 years for women to get the vote in the first place. Change is slow and, even if women do become more accepted as potential leaders, it will take time for this to become unexceptional.

When the Barbara Lee Family Foundation researched voters attitudes to the suitability of women to hold leadership positions, it found that voters frequently said they would vote for a qualified woman. Men are assumed to be qualified; women are not, says Hunter.

In a particularly grim moment, Helen Clark, the former prime minister of New Zealand, once said that the true measure of equality would arrive when there are as many mediocre women in positions of power as there are mediocre men. What a goal to strive for.
Independent TD Dr Cathal Berry believes that financial and medical measures should be part of any localised lockdown from the start.

He said: Lessons need to be learned from what happened here. If adequate inspections and testing was being carried out in meat factories, we could have avoided any form of localised lockdown.

Unfortunately by the time we got to the end of last week, these restrictions had become necessary.



Short term lockdown

But I have confidence that people will comply with these measures and hopefully this short term pain will lead to long term gain.

A two-week lockdown will be better than longer lockdowns other countries are seeing like Australia.

Dr Berry received a briefing about the restrictions from the Minister of Health Stephen Donnelly on Friday evening.

He said the minister showed a big acknowledge ment and appreciation of the frustration and disappointment of people living in the three counties.

It was also confirmed the restrictions will end at midnight on Sunday night, August 23.

Dr Berry added that any meat processing plant that saw workers test positive for Covid-19 or who are awaiting results should not be allowed to open until it is given the all clear.

Meanwhile Kildares Fianna Fail polticians said businesses losing out on vital staycation business during August must receive financial supports.

Deputy James Lawless and Senator Fiona OLoughlin said the loss to businesses and communities across Kildare must be recognised and mitigated.

A joint statement said: Between lost stock, lost revenue and the lost opportunity now of the staycation season, these businesses must be supported with a tailored package from Government to help survive this and restart again when it passes.

Having done all that was asked of them, the people of those counties are now suffering again, and we believe Government must show solidarity with them in the form of meaningful supports.

The politicians said they have made contact with the Taoiseach, the Minister for Health, Minister for Agriculture, and Minister for Public Expenditure on the issue of a stimulus package.



Minister McGrath told Mr Lawless and Senator OLoughlin that be discussed during the Covid-19 Cabinet sub-committee on Tuesday.

The politicians added: Its imperative an early commitment to support financially and otherwise the businesses and industries of Kildare is made.

Fine Gael TD for Kildare North, Bernard Durkan, said: Unfortunately, it will take two weeks to determine the full extent of the spread of the virus within the counties currently under lockdown.

It is indeed very sad that having made so many sacrifices, both the public and the business sectors must face this very serious situation now but failure to comply will only make the situation worse.

Meanwhile, Newbridge-Kildare Independent councillor Fiona McLoughlin Healy has been critical of the responses being received from Government regarding Kildares rise in cases in recent weeks.

She said: There have been warnings about the meat factories for months. And while the government fails to insist on unscheduled inspections which would protect vulnerable workers (and their communities), those dependent on precarious work at the factories or living in Direct Provision are the ones being stigmatised.

People of Kildare who have already sacrificed so much to keep the virus at bay deserve answers sooner rather than later.
According to Kravchuk, the state "which will come there" should invest money.

Head of the Ukrainian delegation to the Trilateral Contact Group (TCG) and first president of independent Ukraine Leonid Kravchuk has explained who should invest in Donbas.

In an interview to the Ukrainian-registered Apostrophe online media outlet, he said Ukraine must unite people in Donbas who had been divided economically, spiritually and socially.

Read alsoKravchuk to consider expediency of trip to occupied Donbas

According to Kravchuk, the state "which will come there" should invest money. Later, he clarified this is Ukraine.

"This is not only about the zone of uncontrolled territories, but about Donetsk and Luhansk regions as a whole," the official said.

Background
It is the moment everyone remembers, and it happened in the Democrats very first debate.

Around 60 minutes into the event last June in Miami, Kamala Harris said she wanted to make some comments on the issue of race. She then turned to Joe Biden, who had sparked outcry by defending relationships he had over the years in the Senate with Republicans, some of whom had toxic political views. Some had even supported segregation.

Harris also took issue with Bidens opposition to the forced integration of schools in the early 1970s, a process undertaken by the federal government and known as busing.

There was a little girl in California who was a part of the second class to integrate her public schools and she was bused to school every day, she said. And that little girl was me.

That flash of steel did several things. It projected the California senator to among the partys early frontrunners, and it earned her a Go easy on me, kid greeting from Biden when they met for the second debate.

It also underscored a recognition that were the party to pick Harris as either its presidential or vice presidential candidate, they would be walking into the embrace of history.

On this subject, she had said, it cannot be an intellectual debate among Democrats.

It is just 13 months since that night in Florida, and nine months since Harris ended her bid to be president, describing it as one of the hardest decisions of my life.

Yet, the nation into which she steps as the first woman of colour to be on the ticket of a major party, already feels very different. The coronavirus pandemic that has infected more than 5 million Americans and killed 160,000, has highlighted again the structural racism and discrimination that criss-crosses the nation.

Meanwhile, the protests for racial justice that erupted since the killing by police in Minneapolis of an unarmed black man, point to the hunger for change, the willingness to fight for it, and a belief it will come.

 Kamala Harris endorses Joe Biden for president

Joe Biden can unify the American people because hes spent his life fighting for us, Harris said in a statement on Tuesday, accepting his offer, her tone somewhat different from the night they clashed heads in Florida. And as president, hell build an America that lives up to our ideals.

When it comes to women candidates running for president, or else to be their running mate, Harris is not in a crowded room.

She was not the first black woman to do so when she announced her candidacy at the beginning of 2019, headquartering her campaign in Baltimore. That place in history goes to Democratic congresswoman Shirley Chisholm, the first woman of colour elected to Congress, and who ran for the White House in 1972.

Nor is Harris the first woman of colour to be nominated for the vice presidency. In 1996 and again in 2000, Winona LaDuke, an indigenous American, was running mate for Ralph Nader, when he sought the presidency for the Green Party.

This year, the Greens vice presidential candidate is Angela Walker, a 46-year-old African American activist from Milwaukee. (Suddenly, America has two black women running to be VP.)

And on the subject of glass ceilings being shattered or at least shaken, Hillary Clinton ran a hard and passionate campaign for the presidency four years ago. She defeated Donald Trump in the popular vote and lost out on the college votes that would have earned her the Oval Office by fewer than than 80,000 ballots.

(Clinton and Harris, the late Geraldine Ferraro, who was Walter Mondale's running mate in 1984, and Sarah Palin, who was John McCain's in 2008, represent the four women selected by a major party for one one its slots.)

The 55-year-old Harris is making history in another way: she is not only the first woman of colour on the ticket of a major party, but based on current polls, it seems she and Biden are going to win, something that was never likely for LaDuke, or Chisholm.

Bear in mind something else. While the pandemic and protests may have altered America, there is something that has not changed; Joe Bidens age or physical frailty.

Were Democrats not so desperate to see the end of Donald Trump, and accepted that Biden was the best way of achieving that, it is unlikely so many would have opted for a 77-year-old man who often appears to lose his train of thought. Many who vote for Biden in November will likely do so assuming he is only likely to serve one term. During the campaign, he noticeably refused to commit to serving two.

And as Biden himself made clear, the most important factor in selecting a running mate was to choose someone who could step into his shoes. From day one if necessary.

The most important thing is that it has to be someone who, the day after theyre picked, is prepared to be president of the United States of America if something happened, he said earlier this year.

Where does that leave us? It leaves us with a woman Biden believes is going have his back and who will help him defeat Trump. And in these times of uncertainty and anxiety, we are presented with a running mate who may be called upon to step up and take on the presidency sooner rather than later.

President Kamala Harris? That would certainly be historic.
LONDON, Aug. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- International Investor is proud to announce its recognition of excellence in all industries and at all levels, across the globe. The awards recognise the businesses that consistently delivered first-rate service, innovation, and performance, despite the many disruptions the world has faced this year. These are the qualities that clients look for more than ever and the latest award winners are the companies they trust.

Corner Bank (Overseas) Ltd's CEO, Christine Russell said, "I would like to thank the International Investor Awards, and the subscribers of International Investor magazine, for recognising Corner Bank's continued leadership and excellence. It's an honour and a privilege to accept this award on behalf of my organisation  but the true reward comes from knowing that we are making a real difference in the quality of our clients' investment options".

The following lists International Investor readers' choices of the organisations and people that are bringing better ways of doing business to the investment and finance community.

The Summer 2020 winners:

Access Bank Sustainable Bank in Year // Africa Arca Fondi Best Bank // Nigeria Digital Wealth Management Company Of The Year // Italy AvaTrade Best Affiliate Programme - AvaPartner // Europe Banco Internacional Bank of the Year // Chile Bank Nizwa Islamic Bank Of The Year // Oman Banner Asset Management Islamic CEO Of The Year // Oman Investment Management Company Of The Year (Real Estate) // Australia Corner Bank (Overseas) Ltd Community Partner Of The Year (Real Estate) // Australia Real Estate Investment Fund Of The Year // Australia Best Private Banking Services // The Bahamas ICU Asset Manager of the Year // CEE Private Wealth Systems Excellence in Corporate Governance // CEE Best Family Office Reporting Solutions // Global Taipei Fubon Bank Most Innovative Bank // Taiwan Tickmill Digital Banking Services of the Year // Taiwan Best Trading Conditions

About International Investor

International Investor provides insights, news and visual informative pieces with topics ranging from world markets and industry analysis to impact investing and so much more. All content is dedicated to the global investment community that wants to take a step ahead. Stay up to date and connect on Twitter and LinkedIn.

SOURCE International Investor Magazine
Bihar polls loom: Elections in Bihar are scheduled for later this year. But the corona-hit and flood-ravaged state may be forced to delay polls. Parties are already anxious about how a low voter turnout will swing the election.

The opposition is in disarray and according to Congressmen, Tejaswi as the inevitable face of the opposition campaign is something theyre not happy about. At an all-party meeting held in June, it was only RJD that raised the issue of polling schedule. The ruling JD(U), meanwhile, is not in a good position either. Nitish, in power for 15 years, is facing ...
After his surprise revelation at the end of July that he contracted COVID-19 and has already recovered, Bryan Cranston is opening up about the whole ordeal.

The 64-year-old actor appeared in a virtual interview segment on Live with Ryan and Kelly on Tuesday, where he said he and his wife Taylor Dearden caught COVID-19, 'very early on.'

He also revealed why he decided to stay quiet about contracting the deadly virus until just a few weeks ago.

Bryan opens up: After his surprise revelation at the end of July that he contracted COVID-19 and has already recovered, Bryan Cranston is opening up about the whole ordeal

Quiet: He also revealed why he decided to stay quiet about contracting the deadly virus until just a few weeks ago

'When my wife and I had it very early on  the very first week that everything had shut down  I didn't think that the world needed another celebrity saying, 'Hey, I had it!' so I just didn't say anything and went about my way,' Cranston began.

He added that him and his wife Dearden, who he's been married to since 1989, were 'very fortunate,' adding they had, 'mild symptoms.'

The actor said they experienced, 'a couple days of feeling achy' followed by, 'a week of severe lethargy.'

Early on: 'When my wife and I had it very early on  the very first week that everything had shut down  I didn't think that the world needed another celebrity saying, 'Hey, I had it!' so I just didn't say anything and went about my way,' Cranston began

'And then I lost my taste and sense of smell for a couple months, and that has since come back to about 75 percent,' he added.

"I count my blessings that that was the extent of my sacrifice," Cranston said. "I had the antibodies and [wasn't] infected anymore and so I thought now is the time to give plasma,' he added.

He added that he decided to 'record' the experience since he had never done it before, when his phlebotomist asked him to make a 'social post' since plasma donations had since dropped off, 'and this might encourage them to give more plasma.'

No smell: 'And then I lost my taste and sense of smell for a couple months, and that has since come back to about 75 percent,' he added

'I thought, "Okay, this is a good reason for me to now out myself and say I had COVID-19 and I was very fortunate' and maybe if you had it and are fine now, maybe you can give plasma to those people who are truly suffering,' Cranston said.

One of the first major celebrities to reveal they had contracted COVID-19 was Tom Hanks, who contracted it with his wife Rita Wilson while they were filming an Elvis Presley biopic in Australia.

Cranston revealed he did speak with Hanks and Wilson while they were still recovering in Australia.

Outing himself: 'I thought, "Okay, this is a good reason for me to now out myself and say I had COVID-19 and I was very fortunate' and maybe if you had it and are fine now, maybe you can give plasma to those people who are truly suffering,' Cranston said

Celebs: One of the first major celebrities to reveal they had contracted COVID-19 was Tom Hanks, who contracted it with his wife Rita Wilson while they were filming an Elvis Presley biopic in Australia

'We were talking with them when they were still in Australia and when they came back, we all had dinner together and we looked at each other and said, "I think we can do this," because we all had it, we're all not infected anymore,' he said.

He added that he has the antibodies so if it was proven true that he can get coronavirus again, he will 'fight it off.'

'My heart goes out to the people who have passed and their families and those who are suffering, so if any of you watching this now have had it and got through, I'm grateful and happy for you, and if you can consider giving plasma to your local blood bank, it will help many, many people who are really suffering,' he concluded.

Fight: He added that he has the antibodies so if it was proven true that he can get coronavirus again, he will 'fight it off'
Photos of Kamala Harris' grandparents, Rajam and P.V. Gopalan, on display in their son G. Balachandran's house in New Delhi. (Shashank Bengali / Los Angeles Times)

Atlanta lawyer Amol Naik was surprised by his emotional reaction to Joe Biden's selection of Kamala Harris as his running mate.

It's not that Harris will be the first Black woman to be a major party's vice presidential nominee; it's that she will be the first Indian American.

"I have just been moved by it in a way that I didn't expect," said Naik, whose parents immigrated from India to North Carolina. "It's just really a remarkable thing that this could happen. It gives you a lot of faith in the country."

The California senator's ascent to the top tier of American politics drew an outpouring of pride among Indian Americans, a growing force in Democratic politics. They could reward Biden and Harris with crucial votes in the handful of states that will decide the election, along with a surge of campaign donations.

"You're going to see a lot of that being uncorked in the next few months," said Karthick Ramakrishnan, a UC Riverside public policy professor.

Historic breakthroughs have been a constant in Harris' 17 years in politics. She was the first Black woman to hold every office she has won  San Francisco district attorney, state attorney general and U.S. senator from California. With the United States in the midst of a historic reckoning with systemic racism after George Floyd died when a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck, her status as the first Black woman tapped as a major vice presidential nominee has generated enormous media attention.

Less remarked upon has been Harris' distinction as the first Indian American to reach all of those positions. But Naik was one of many who saw Biden's choice of Harris as a watershed cultural moment for the nation's 4.5 million Indian Americans.

"It wasn't that long ago when Indian Americans were not at all part of the American mainstream," said Naik, who has worked in Georgia Democratic politics. "That's now happened. We have Sanjay Gupta on CNN. We have [comedian] Aziz Ansari  people everyone knows. That was not the case in the 1990s when I was growing up."

Story continues

Television director Kabir Akhtar wrote Tuesday on Twitter that it was "incredible to see an Indian American on the ticket. a whole generation of us felt like outsiders in our country growing up. so happy for all the young women and POC in our country who can see someone who looks like them on the presidential ticket."

Harris is the daughter of two immigrants, a key aspect of her biography as she and Biden work to unseat President Trump. A core part of Trump's political identity is his anti-immigrant agenda.

Harris rarely speaks publicly about her father, Donald Harris, a Jamaican-born economist who taught at Stanford University.

But she often talks about her late mother, breast cancer researcher Shyamala Gopalan, who moved from India to California in the late 1950s to study at UC Berkeley.

In an interview in June on a Los Angeles Times podcast, Asian Enough, Harris said her mother was conscious of race when raising her and her sister, Maya, in deeply segregated Berkeley in the 1960s and '70s.

She knew that in America, her daughters would be treated, for better or worse, as Black women and Black children, and she raised us with a sense of pride about who we were," Harris said. But it was "never to the exclusion of always being very proud and very active in terms of our Indian culture as well.

"We grew up in the Black community and learned that you could cook okra with mustard seeds  or with dried shrimp and spicy sausages, Harris said with a laugh.

During her campaign for president in the Democratic primaries, Harris released a video with Indian American actress Mindy Kaling showing the two cooking masala dosa, a savory crepe from south India.

The Harris sisters visited their grandparents in Chennai, in southeastern India, a number of times when they were growing up. The media in India covered Biden's selection of Harris widely on Wednesday. In a Times of India story headlined "One of Our Own," her uncle Gopalan Balachandran was quoted saying, She likes India, she likes Indian music, but she likes jazz.

A Hindustan Times editorial on Wednesday said Harris "represents the political pinnacle of the Indian-American communitys meteoric rise in the United States."

Also getting coverage in India was Fox News anchor Tucker Carlson losing his cool when a guest, Democratic lawyer Richard F. Goodstein, asked him to show Harris respect by pronouncing her first name correctly. Her name, which means "lotus" in Sanskrit, is pronounced "Comma-la," as Harris has explained.

So Im disrespecting her by mispronouncing her name unintentionally, Carlson snapped. So it begins. Youre not allowed to criticize ka-MAH-la Harris, or KAM-ah-la Harris, or whatever.

Republicans quickly sought to undercut Harris' support among Indian Americans. Harmeet Dhillon, a San Francisco lawyer who is national co-chair of Women for Trump, told Fox News that Harris was a "shape-shifter" who "doesn't have any true center or any true roots."

"This is going to be a little brutal, but the reputation she has among the Indian American community is she's Indian American at an Indian-American-thrown fundraiser, and that's it," said Dhillon, a Republican National Committee member for California. "She forgets her heritage in every other way."

If there's "money in the room," Dhillon said later by phone, "all of a sudden it's 'namaste.'"

Trump has made a play for Indian American votes, placing social-media ads touting his friendship with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and holding a Houston rally last year with the controversial leader that attracted tens of thousands.

But Indian Americans, who are among the nations most highly educated and affluent ethnic groups, lean strongly Democratic, UC Riverside's Ramakrishnan said. Surveys have found they tend to favor universal healthcare, gun control and higher taxes on the wealthy, he said, and they are turned off by Trumps nativist rhetoric.

Now that @KamalaHarris has been picked as Biden's VP running mate, here is this delightful "Asian Enough" podcast @latimes interview by @frankshyong & @jenyamato on Kamala Harris talking about growing up with Indian and Jamaican roots in California https://t.co/X0ZyfuTyDp  Ron Lin (@ronlin) August 11, 2020

Its the social exclusion that keeps them in the Democratic Party, he said. Theyre very sensitive to racial discrimination.

If the presidential election is close, Indian Americans could also be pivotal in states that will tip the election to Biden or Trump. There are roughly 87,000 eligible to vote in Florida, 61,000 in Pennsylvania, 57,000 in Georgia, 45,000 in Michigan and 36,000 in North Carolina.

Deepa Sharma, a Bay Area lawyer who did grass-roots organizing of South Asians for Hillary Clinton in 2016 and is doing the same now for Biden, said she was overwhelmed and overjoyed that he picked Harris.

Now that Kamala Harris is on the ticket, she said, I cant tell you how much that enthusiasm could be magnified.
West Australian Government Tries to Head Off $30 Billion Palmer Legal Action

Clive Palmer has threatened to take his near-$30 billion legal claim against the West Australian government all the way to the High Court after the state put up legislation to halt the suit.

Palmers Mineralogy company is pursuing WA for damages over a 2012 decision by the then-Liberal government to refuse to formally assess its proposed Balmoral South iron ore mine in the Pilbara.

Late on Aug. 11, WA Attorney-General John Quigley stood in the parliament and told MPs Palmer and his associated companies Mineralogy and International Minerals were claiming a total of $27.7 billion.

To put that in context, the total net debt of the state of Western Australia is in the order of $35 billion to $40 billion and the budget of the state of Western Australia is approximately $30 billion, Quigley said.

If the cost of MR Palmers claim was shared equally amongst all Western Australians, it would cost every man, woman, child and baby in Western Australia more than $12,000.

The attorney-general admitted the governments bill to stop Palmers legal action was unprecedented.

This bill will remove the capacity for Mr Palmer, Mineralogy and International Minerals to pursue litigation and damages claims, he said.

Palmer slammed the emergency legislation, saying Mineralogy had sent its dispute regarding the planned mine to an independent arbitrator, which ruled against the government.

The government must have determined that theyve got no defence in the claims and they will lose. This is why they seek emergency legislation, he said in a statement.

This emergency legislation is unconstitutional.

Ultimately this matter will end up in the High Court of Australia.

Palmer will hold a news conference in Brisbane at noon on Aug. 12.

Perth
ABN Amro is to end all trade and commodity financing after a string of losses, in a massive overhaul of its activities that will see the Dutch bank cut 800 jobs. Shares in ABN, which had lost almost half their value this year, were up 6.8 per cent at 0925 GMT after it said its corporate bank will retreat to northwest Europe, exiting the United States, Asia, Australia and Brazil, except for clearing operations. "We are over-exposed to global sectors and we had more than our fair share of exceptional client files", Robert Swaak, who became chief executive in April, told ...
An oncology and neurology pharmaceutical company from Japan said Tuesday it would relocate all of its New Jersey employees to the former Hoffman-La Roche site on the border of Essex and Passaic counties.

Eisai Inc., of Tokyo, plans to transfer up to 1,200 of its research and development employees from Woodcliff Lake in Bergen County to the 116-acre site on the Nutley-Clifton border in late 2021, according to an announcement on the companys website.

Hoffman-La Roche, the Swiss drugmaker best known for introducing benzodiazepines such as Valium, had employed 10,000 people at the campus before closing operations several years ago.

This (site) will bring the Eisai community together in one place and drive a culture of new scientific horizons and entrepreneurial innovation, Tatsuyuki Yasuno, president of Eisai Inc., said in a news release. We draw inspiration from our patients and passion from our people. We break barriers every day. Our workplace will too.

The sites real-estate developers, Eugene Diaz and Edwin Cohen of Prism Capital Partners, said Eisai will lease all of 200 Metro Blvd. and be headquartered in the flagship office tower.

Eisai brings exceptional scientific and business expertise to this ever-expanding center for New Jersey and global business in a lease that has brought the campus to 100% occupancy, Cohen said in a statement.

The company said it will work closely on the site with the Hackensack Meridian Health Center for Discovery and Innovation, the Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine, Seton Hall Universitys Graduate College of Nursing and School of Health and Medical Sciences, Quest Diagnostics, and others.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.

Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
All unemployed persons above the age of 18 could be paid GHS200 a month if Kofi Akpaloo of the Liberal Party of Ghana is elected president in December 2020.



This he says is part of his strategic plan to put monies directly into the pockets of Ghanaians to stimulate the economy.



LPG is going to introduce unemployment benefits. The unemployment benefits will help stimulate our economy because everybody above 18 years who is unemployed will receive money every month and this money will help businesses to grow.



He also said his government will generate demand activities to help the economy.



We believe that if people are getting money to spend in the economy, those who are receiving those monies will also pay taxes back and it will help them to create jobs and to create wealth, Mr Akpaloo added.



Kofi Akpaloo emerged on Ghanas political scene in 2012 but his forms were rejected by the Electoral Commission on grounds that they were incomplete at the time nominations closed.



The founder and flagbearer of the Independent Peoples Party was also among the 23 aspirants who picked forms to contest the 2016 presidential elections.



The Electoral Commission disqualified Kofi Akpaloo that year because individuals who signed his nomination forms had also endorsed the forms of another presidential candidate which was against EC regulations.



The then EC chairperson, Charlotte Oseis announcement ended Akpaloos aspiration of becoming president of Ghana in 2016



As a result, he declared support for the then-presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.



After the polls, Kofi Akpaloo renamed the independent Peoples Party to Liberal Party of Ghana in 2017.



As the 2020 election beckons, the Kofi Akpaloo is making another attempt at the countrys presidency.



Together with his running mate Margaret Obrian Sarfo, Mr. Akpaloo believes he can manage the country much better than previous governments.

Source: citinewsroom.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
If President Donald Trump really is planning to deliver his nomination acceptance speech at Gettysburg National Military Park, thats news to National Park Service folks who run the place.

Trump raised that possibility in a tweet he sent Monday. His address accepting the GOP nomination for a second term is scheduled for Aug. 27.

Yet as of Wednesday morning Park Service officials had received no notification from the Trump campaign of any such plan, park spokesman Jason Martz said.

You know as much as we do, Martz told a PennLive reporter. When that tweet came out that was our first and only notification.

Hosting a U.S. president is not a slap-dash affair, something that can be pulled together on short notice. The security arrangements that must be made by the Secret Service alone take a lot of preplanning.

And the nomination deadline is just 15 days away.

The tweet alone spurred a response from Gov. Tom Wolf. Right after it surfaced, the governor warned that a Trump appearance would likely violate the states COVID-19 restrictions by drawing a crowd of more than 250 people.

Gettysburg isnt the only locale mentioned in Trumps tweet. The president also said the White House might be the stage for his nomination speech.

We will announce the decision soon! he wrote.
By Eric M. Johnson and Ankit Ajmera (Reuters) - Boeing Co customers scrubbed more than 400 orders for the U.S. planemaker's grounded 737 MAX jets this year, while the company's overall aircraft deliveries slumped to only four in July, monthly numbers showed on Tuesday. Boeing said it lost another 43 orders for the 737 MAX jet in July, bringing the total number of canceled orders, including those where buyers converted a MAX to a different model, to 416 for this year. Based on a tighter accounting standard, Boeing said order cancellations and conversions now stand at ...
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-12 22:54:42|Editor: huaxia

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JERUSALEM, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- Israel has developed a new system for scanning the internet network and detecting sensitive databases exposed to cyberattacks, the Israel National Cyber Directorate (INCD) said on Wednesday.

Databases exposed on the network are at risk of leaking and trading sensitive information, disrupting and deleting it, or using it for industrial espionage and attacks against customers and other organizations.

Thus, the new system protects databases with sensitive personal or business information of citizens, customers and companies, including usernames, passwords and more.

According to the INCD, the new system has already located 145 databases that have been insecurely exposed in recent months, of which 16 contained sensitive business information.

The INCD contacted the bodies, including large companies, and warned them about the risks, along with recommendations for their security.

As a result, these databases are no longer exposed, and the system continues to alert as new databases at risk are detected.

The system was developed by the INCD following several attacks carried out against prominent databases this year in Israel, mainly on platforms set up in cloud environments.

Most of these databases are exposed due to mistakes by programmers and infrastructure builders, system weaknesses, incorrect settings and even unchanged default settings.

The INCD noted that the system can detect the exposed databases automatically, at any given time. Enditem
By Karen Lema

MANILA, Aug 12 (Reuters) - Philippine scientists were set on Wednesday to meet representatives of the Russian research facility that developed a coronavirus vaccine, to discuss possible participation in clinical trials and access to its research data.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has lauded the vaccine and offered to be "injected in public" with the Russian COVID-19 vaccine, to allay public fears about its safety.

Russia on Tuesday became the world's first country to grant regulatory approval for a COVID-19 vaccine, to be named "Sputnik V" in homage to the world's first satellite launched by the former Soviet Union.

Russia's decision to grant approval before completing trials has raised concerns among some experts, who fear it may be putting national prestige before safety.

Health Undersecretary Rosario Vergeire said Philippine experts would meet representatives of the state research facility Gamaleya to discuss trials and would request a "complete dossier" on the vaccine.

"We will see if the allegations are true," she told a regular briefing, referring to concerns that its approval was hasty.

"That is why were talking with them to understand this vaccine," Vergeire said, adding that local regulatory approval is required for trials to take place.

The Philippines has among Asia's highest coronavirus case numbers, which rose to 143,749 on Wednesday, two days after having hit a daily record of 6,958 infections. Areas in and around the capital have returned to a strict lockdown to contain the spread.

In July, Duterte made a plea to his Chinese counterpart to make the Philippines a priority if it develops a vaccine, amid concern in developing countries about availability.

More than half a dozen drugmakers globally are conducting large-scale, advanced human trials of their potential COVID-19 vaccines, each with tens of thousands of volunteers.

The Russian vaccine's approval comes before trials that would normally involve thousands of people, commonly known as a Phase III trial. Such trials are usually considered essential precursors for a vaccine's approval. (Editing by Martin Petty)
A video of police officers on an arrest in 2018 emerged as they tried to handcuff an 8-year-old boy at his elementary school.

Captured on a newly-revealed bodycam footage, the two cops from Key West was caught telling the boy who is sobbing at that time that he is going to jail. Meanwhile, the other officer ordered the child to put his hands up against a filing cabinet while frisking him.

Not caught by the camera, another cop makes a comment about the handcuffs that does not fit to the boy's wrists while the others agree. After that they ordered the 8-year-old boy to keep his hands in front they escort him going outside the school's premise.

Based on the arrest report obtained by the Miami Herald, a report of a child punching his teacher in the chest prompted the police officers to respond at the school, the Gerald Adams Elementary, on December 14 of 2018.

The report also includes the allegation of the educator, wherein the teacher stated that the boy repeatedly refused to sit properly after being asked in his cafeteria bench seat.

That was the reason why she asked him to take a walk with her but instead of listening to the teacher the boy allegedly struck her and stated "My mom is going to beat you're a-," based on the teachers' allegation.

Read also: Pretected Helps You Look For Insurance After an Accident \ DUI \ Multiple Tickets

The case's status is still unclear, but the officers arrested the 8-year-old boy who was not named in the arrest report for being minor and they charged him with felony battery.

Benjamin Crump, a civil rights attorney posted the video on social media and shared that he will be representing the mother of the boy in the upcoming federal lawsuit. The case will be filed against the school officials who reported the incident and allowed the act of the police's, the police officers who made the act, the Monroe County School District+, and the city of Key West, the New York Post reported.

It is still not clear how the civil rights attorney obtained and had the copy of the said video.

Crump shared that the 8-year-old boy has special needs but was placed with a substitute teacher.

The civil rights attorney also stated that the substitute teacher had no awareness or any concern about the boy's needs as she escalated that situation right away by using her hands to move the boy forcibly.

Crump also mentioned that when the boy acted out, the teachers immediately called the cops, and it is an example of how heartbreaking the educational and the police system is. Furtehr adding that they are training children to be criminals by treating them like criminals.

Crump shared in a statement that if the child will be convicted, he will be a convicted felon at the age of eight. This only means that this little boy was failed by everyone who played their part in this horrifying incident.

Police Chief of Key West Sean T. Brandenburg shared to the Herald that the cops did nothing wrong as it is just part of the standard operating procedures.

Unbelievable!! @KWPOLICE used scared straight tactics on 8yo boy with special needs. He's 3.5 ft tall and 64 lbs, but they thought it was appropriate to handcuff and transport him to an adult prison for processing!! He was so small the cuffs fell off his wrists! pic.twitter.com/iSTlXdKas6  Ben Crump (@AttorneyCrump) August 10, 2020

Related article: NYPD Cops Watched Idly as Five Girls Beat, Stun 11-Year-Old Teen

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Bengaluru: Congress MLA Srinivas Murthy on Wednesday (August 12) demanded police security after his house in Bengaluru was set on fire on Tuesday following an alleged controversial Facebook post by his nephew.

Congress MLA told ANI, "some unknown people set my house on fire, they hurled petrol bombs. Police should investigate and take action against culprits," adding "If this can happen to an MLA, what would happen to others?"

"I have spoken to Home Minister, police officials, and my party leaders over the incident. All those who did this are not from my constituency, they are outsiders," Srinivasamurthy added.

According to the police, Murthy`s residence was vandalised on Tuesday, allegedly after a social media post by his nephew on Facebook. The mob had set ablaze cars and were protesting in front of KG Halli police station.

Karnataka Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai today said that the government will seize the properties of those indulged in Bengaluru violence on Tuesday night, in which at least three people were killed and scores of others were injured.

Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru, he said, "We have come to a decision as per the Supreme Court order that when such riots take place and properties are damaged, the loss has to be recovered from those who have caused the damage."

"The issue will be probed but vandalism is not the solution. Additional forces have been deployed. Action will be taken against the miscreants," Bommai added

Meanwhile, Section 144 of Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) has been imposed in the city to prohibit the assembly of four or more persons in an area, while curfew has been imposed in DJ Halli and KG Halli police station limits.
Wes Clark can sympathize with what small-business owners are going through, particularly as an economist that knows what they and the entire Grand Strand workforce will face in the coming months.

It breaks my heart for people to scrape to stay in small business, said Clark, a professor of economics at Horry Georgetown Technical College. Ive had a couple small businesses and I know what its like to struggle month-to-month and week-to-week. Unfortunately, Ive never had a seasonal business, like a lot of people here do.

"If you dont get to December, what happens to next year? As you look at the labor force, whats that going to do to the labor force? Is that going to drive people out of the area looking for jobs? My gut feeling, and this is again looking from the outside, a lot of these small businesses will either have to become those entrepreneurs and rethink what theyre doing or theyll just have to close.

Another local economist is labeling the job market bleak as local prospective employees wobble through the final month of a weak Grand Strand summer. Meanwhile, local business owners are fighting to hold onto their businesses, trying to figure out the best ways to stay open during what may be a reduced-capacity off season in the hopes of making it to spring 2021.

Initial claims for unemployment insurance in South Carolina dropped by 3,285 for the week ending Aug. 1 compared to the week before, according to the S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce. Numbers by county will not be released until Aug. 21.

The latest figures for Georgetown County show initial claims remaining low, while Horry County has increased.

Often, the two coastal counties will buck statewide trends because a higher percentage of their job markets and economic activity circulate from tourism, said Robert Salvino, professor of economics at Coastal Carolina University.

As for the higher unemployment claims in July, what were dealing with is in South Carolina, and Horry County in particular, the crowds have been associated with higher numbers of positive cases for coronavirus, Salvino said. That has caused a number of businesses to either shutdown or limit their hours, and certainly need less staff. That could very well be related to the uptick in unemployment claims.

Salvino said retail sales are also a good indicator to show the stark contrast of Horry County from the state. According to the last figures available from the S.C. Department of Revenue, Horry County was down 52% year over year in net taxable sales when comparing April 2019 and April 2020.

That is a huge drop in business activity, Salvino said. The state, itself, was down 17%. When youre talking about the state and 46 counties, and Horry County was 52%, that tells you something about our job market tied to tourism."

Salvino pointed to people not going to restaurants or staying in hotels as key sectors that have hurt both Horry and Georgetown counties.

And with whats left of the weak summer winding down, the outlook for the nearly 15,000 seasonal hospitality industry workers along the Grand Strand is not looking good.

We know here, from the past, that certainly when August ends we have higher unemployment. Thats a given, he said. With coronavirus, certainly jobs that would be available, there are fewer. And not to mention the sales per restaurant are generally lower. When you have 50 percent occupancy requirements, you have to question how many restaurants are able to withstand that? Certainly its not a vast majority of them. So, there will be fewer businesses even available to hire workers.

As for Georgetown, where Liberty Steel Group laid off or redeployed 130 workers earlier this spring amid the coronavirus, the prospect for new jobs that would have been created is either delayed or eliminated.

Even shipments for containers, large ships that are withdrawing orders, port deepening for international trade is being halted, so were talking a major downward shift still in terms of economic activity that hasnt really been considered, in terms of the temporary things weve seen in coronavirus, Salvino said.

COVID-19 has drastically affected recent graduates of local colleges, as well.

The job market is bleak, Salvino said. Coastal has 10,000 students, and lets think about the ones who graduated in May. It is a rare event when a student tells me that he or she landed that job that they were really hoping to get when they were coming into their last year of studies. Its just not likely."

What April 2021 could look like

Clark points to what he calls a "ripple effect," indicating that many are looking at the short-term ramifications, when the long-term outlook is just as important.

"Even with the ending of these (federal) benefits, how many of these businesses are not going to make it until next year? And whats that going to do to the economy for the next 12 months? Clark asked. Even if tomorrow, all the restrictions went away, we still have to recover from whats already happened. Will that recovery include these new jobs for next year?

Salvino agrees, pointing to hotels and "condotels" that were down more than 50 percent in terms of revenue per available room due to a lack of tourists.

It is extremely likely that by April 2021 that it is not going to be as good as it was before the coronavirus hit, Salvino said. Thats to say nothing about the international traveler, which is basically non-existent. There are so many things pointing to a lower level of business that once this over, these businesses wont return.

"Youll see vacant spaces into 2021 without question.

Salvino said economists knew the nation was heading into a recession even before the coronavirus hit. Toss in a presidential election year and talks worldwide of postponing elections, and the word uncertainty starts brewing.

When investors are not confident to invest and households are not confident to go out and spend, you do not come out of a recession very, very quickly," Salvino explained.

Clark said theres also uncertainty when business owners are forced to reinvent.

I still whole-heartedly believe our area, our state, our country runs on small business and entrepreneurs, Clark said. Hopefully out of this, well see some very unique ideas and new ways of doing things. And that can open up a whole new can of worms that can lead to some interesting ideas in a different sector here in Myrtle Beach. The opportunities are there, the problem is weve got so much on us.

"Can we afford to take a hold of those opportunities?
OTTAWAThe federal government has announced an additional $305 million to help Indigenous Peoples combat COVID-19.

Indigenous Services Minister Marc Miller says the money is meant to help Indigenous communities prepare for emergencies and prevent the spread of the new coronavirus.

He says communities can also use the money for a variety of other measures, including helping elders and vulnerable people, food insecurity, educational and other supports for children and mental health assistance.

The new money will flow through the Indigenous community support fund, bringing the total amount to $685 million this year.

Some funding will also go to First Nations living off-reserve as well as Inuit and Metis people living in urban centres, distributed based on need through an application process.

Miller says Ottawa is committed to ensuring Indigenous leaders have the tools and support they need to implement the various aspects of their pandemic plans.

This funding will provide crucial support to key community initiatives that strive to prevent, prepare for and respond to COVID-19 in First Nations, Inuit and Metis communities, he said.

This approach aligns with our commitment to support Indigenous leaderships approaches to community wellness while providing the flexibility to respond to emerging needs, for example in response to an outbreak of COVID-19.

To date there have been 425 confirmed cases of COVID-19 on First Nations reserves, with 34 people hospitalized. Of these, 393 have recovered from the virus. There have also been 17 cases in the Nunavik region in northern Quebec. All have recovered.

The federal government has acknowledged that COVID-19 case counts among Indigenous Peoples do not reflect the true impact on Indigenous communities and individuals, as they only capture statistics from those living on reserves or in Inuit territories. The majority of Indigenous people in Canada live off reserve.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 12, 2020.
This month thousands of students return to the regions colleges and universities. Unlike previous summers, many of these students will start their first days on campus in quarantine as the country and our community still grapple with the unprecedented impacts of Covid-19.

The protocols students must adhere to are significant, and yet there remains a level of uncertainty about the potential health impacts their return could have on the community. While it is incumbent upon all of us to continue to do our part to mitigate and diminish the effects of the ongoing pandemic, we should not lose sight of the fact that these returning students are required to go through more rigorous testing and monitoring protocols than most of our colleagues, peers and neighbors.

Institutional leaders have taken substantial proactive steps to put controls in place to minimize infection, from stringent rules against gatherings and enforcement of social distancing, to meeting with neighborhood landlords and businesses to work in concert to address student behavior. For their part, many students are looking at alternative living arrangements to help reduce the spread of Covid-19, including taking up residency in local hotels, incidentally supporting one of the hardest hit sectors of our economy. In addition to a 14-day quarantine for students coming from hot spot locations, signing pledges to maintain social distance and following strict safety guidelines, they must also have a negative Covid-19 test. These measures help ensure that they can rejoin our community, without increasing the risk of infection to the community at large.

The tremendous work and detailed planning by leaders of these colleges and university to prepare for students return to campus is remarkable. They are also working collaboratively with their peer academic institutions and our leading health care institutions on preparedness plans, with the health and safety of their campus communities and neighboring local communities a driving force in the development of their safety guidelines.

As a community we have a role to play in offering our support as schools execute their plans and protocols. We have one of the highest per capita concentrations of colleges and universities anywhere in the country, while also having a Covid-19 infection rate of less than 1%. Which means that this region can become a national model for how it approaches balancing the health and safety of residents with a return to on-campus learning. If we can strictly adhere to our own guidelines and plans, we can not only ensure our communitys health is preserved, but we can also realize the full economic impact derived from academic institutions and their students.

After all, these institutions are among our largest employers and essential drivers of the local economy. They support hundreds of small businesses and employees across our region, particularly critical now as our county and local governments are experiencing significant tax revenue shortfalls. With 91% of Syracuse Universitys employees living in Central New York, much of its annual payroll expense stays in the region. Furthermore, the Universitys procurement activity generates revenue for small and large businesses across the region. For its part, Le Moyne College employs more than 750 people and drives $250 million a year in economic Impact. SUNY Upstate Medical University is directly and indirectly responsible for more than 18,321 jobs across New York. In Oswego County, SUNY Oswego is the countys largest public employer. Most importantly, these institutions, and the research that is going on within them, are our main lines of defense against this pandemic.

Our regions academic institutions are also an important driver of talent, attracting and educating nearly 200,000 students per year from around the world. These students are our regions future employees, including many who will take care of our health in the future - doctors, nurses, medical researchers, laboratory workers, EMTs and first responders. Furthermore, in a Census year, students are counted as part of our population, which is critical to maintaining congressional representation. We should not only welcome returning students now, but encourage them to stay and become vital contributors to our community well after they finish their degrees.

This region has long been home to some of the worlds premier academic institutions. The students that chose to come here for college did so knowing that they would receive a high-quality education in a safe and welcoming surrounding. While on campus they are contributing members of our community, bringing their diversity, creativity and talents that only make us stronger. This is our chance to show them and the rest of the country exactly why Central New York is a community on the rise.

Robert Simpson is the president of the CenterState Corporation for Economic Opportunity.

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Syracuse University reports 3 active coronavirus cases; 0 found during first freshman move-in day

Colleges set coronavirus rules: No parties, no outside guests, no kidding

Syracuse University quarantine: 23 hours in a dorm with no AC, card games with your family unit

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Kiehls Since 1851, the New York City-based apothecary and creator of fine quality skin and hair care has now reached your doorstep as it launches its first-ever E-Commerce website in India, kiehls.in. The website was launched in June with an aim to cater to all skin-care needs of the Indian consumer with effective and tested Dermatologist Solutions and Men's Grooming ranges in addition to the iconic formulas like Calendula Range, Clearly Corrective Range etc.

The new E-Boutique is intuitive, user-friendly and aspires to replicate the Kiehls experience digitally. With a sophisticated user-interface designed to make shopping online a fulfilling experience, the website is optimized for mobile phones and desktops.

With respect to the launch of the website, Shikhee Agrawal, AVP, Kiehls India said, We are ecstatic to bring finest apothecary skincare right at the doorstep as it is no surprise that skincare is self-care, thats why we bring you the opportunity to experience luxury skincare from the comfort of your house. India being a diverse country, we aim to cater to different skin types in varied weather conditions and skin concerns by providing efficacious solutions and customised regimes. As Kiehls recapitulates to connect generations through memories, tradition and skincare with its time-proven formula, we are indeed grateful to embark on this journey with you, digitally. Nothing says, 'I care', more than good skincare itself. Kiehls extends to its consumers the finest skincare apothecary and at the same time ensure that all safety guidelines are met as the brand launches its E-Boutique to refill ones skincare digitally through its newly launched E-Boutique.
By Express News Service

PUDUCHERRY: The biggest single-day spike of 481 COVID-19 cases and five deaths were reported in Puducherry UT in the last 24 hours, taking the total cases to 6381. As of Wednesday, there are 2616 active cases in Puducherry and 96 people have succumbed. Among the new cases, 413 cases are in Puducherry region, 67 in Yanam and one in Mahe.

Releasing the information on Wednesday, Minister for Health Malladi Krishna Rao said that while 1,093 COVID-positive patients are in home isolation, the remaining are in hospitals. He said that with new cases nearly doubling, Chief Minister at the meeting this evening will take some hard decisions.

Out of 2,616 persons undergoing treatment in hospitals, 2,274 are in Puducherry region, 161 in Karaikal GH, 181 in Yanam GH and four in Mahe.

As many as 3669 COVID -19 infected people have been treated and discharged including 138 on Wednesday. The infection rate has risen to 38.6 per cent with 481 testing positive out of 1123 samples, fatality rate 1.5 per cent and recovery rate 57.9 percent.

Till now 49,715 samples have been tested, of which 42,371 samples have been negative and the test results of 621 are awaited.
The U.S. reports its highest single-day virus death toll of the month.

Officials across the United States reported more than 1,470 deaths on Wednesday, the highest single-day total yet in August, according to a New York Times database, and a reflection of the continued toll of the early-summer case surge in Sun Belt states.

With the exception of three days this summer, Wednesdays death total was the countrys highest since late May. The figure was higher on each of those three days because a single state  New Jersey on the first day, followed by New York and Texas  reported large numbers of backlogged deaths from unspecified days.

For the last two weeks, the country has averaged more than 1,000 deaths per day, more than twice as many as in early July. Tuesdays death toll of 1,450 was also the highest since late May, excluding the three anomalous summer days.

The deaths reported on Wednesday were concentrated largely in Sun Belt states that saw the most dramatic case spikes in June and July. Even as case numbers have started to drop in some of those places, deaths have remained persistently high. More than 300 deaths were announced Wednesday in Texas, and more than 200 in Florida. Arizona, California and Georgia all reported more than 100 each.
The Accra Regional Police Command has arrested a 29-year-old notorious motorcycle robber who has been on police wanted list for many times.

Awowin Akonvu, was arrested on Saturday August 8, 2020, when he attempted to rob a motorcycle in Accra.

Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Effia Tenge, Head, Public Affairs Unit of the Command, told the Ghana News Agency.

DSP Tenge said Akonvu hired the services of the victim at the Accra Central Cocobod area and requested to be taken to a location close to Alisa Hotel to meet his brother Awuku Collins and a friend.

She said upon reaching a section of the road leading to the Ridge hospital in Accra, the suspect suddenly pulled out a knife at the victim and ordered him to stop the motorcycle.

"Out of nowhere, they were joined by suspects Awuku Collins and his friend (both at large) who forcibly took the victim's motorcycle and attempted to speed off," DSP Tenge said.

She said luck however eluded them when the victim managed to seize the engine of the motorcycle by pressing a remote mechanism.

A policeman on duty nearby upon seeing the happenings, quickly approached the scene, leading to the arrest of Akonvu.

Suspect Awuku and his friend, however managed to escape.

She said Akonvu would soon be arraigned after investigation.

---GNA
Hong Kong: 2nd catering business subsidy set

The Food & Environmental Hygiene Department announced today that it is preparing to disburse the second-tranche subsidy under the Catering Business (Social Distancing) Subsidy Scheme to successful applicants.

Before receiving the second-tranche subsidy, successful applicants who received subsidies under the first tranche shall submit a duly signed notification to the department.

This is to confirm that they have submitted the monthly certificates for May to July this year issued by a pracitising certified public accountant.

The certificates serve as proof that there were no staff redundancies and at least 80% of the subsidy released was used to pay for salaries of workers at the premises in those months.

From August 13, applicants can submit the completed and duly signed notification online. The department will arrange for prompt disbursement of the second-tranche subsidy after verifying the information.

The scheme provides subsidies ranging from $250,000 to $2.2 million to eligible licence holders of general restaurants, light refreshment restaurants, marine restaurants and factory canteens in operation, according to the premises licensed floor area.

It aims to support payment of employee salaries in a six-month period from May to October this year.

Disbursement of subsidies ranging from $125,000 to $1.1 million began in June.

This story has been published on: 2020-08-12. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-13 01:06:55|Editor: huaxia

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ADDIS ABABA, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- Ethiopia's confirmed COVID-19 cases reached 25,118 after 943 new COVID-19 positive cases were confirmed on Wednesday, the Ethiopian Ministry of Health said.

This is so far the highest daily increase in the Horn of Africa country.

The Ethiopian Ministry of Health, in a statement issued on Wednesday, revealed that from a total of 14, 540 medical tests that were conducted within the last 24 hours, some 943 of them tested positive for COVID-19, eventually bringing the total number of positive cases to 25,118. 23 more patients succumbed to illnesses related to the COVID-19 pandemic, bringing the total number of COVID-19 related deaths in the East African country to 463, according to the ministry.

The ministry further said 11,034 patients who tested positive for COVID-19 had so far recovered, including 338 in the last 24 hours period.

According to the Ethiopian Ministry of Health, a total of 13,619 COVID-19 patients are still undergoing medical treatment, out of which 178 are in severe condition.

Ethiopia, Africa's second most populous nation with about 107 million people, confirmed its first case of COVID-19 on March 13.

The East African country had so far conducted some 535,431 COVID-19 medical tests, according to the ministry.

Amid the rapid spread of the virus across the East African country, the Ethiopian government as well as healthcare experts and analysts mainly attribute the recent spike of COVID-19 pandemic to the unrest that affected the East African country earlier this month.

Amid Ethiopia's rapid COVID-19 infection rate in recent weeks, Ethiopia is intensifying its mass COVID-19 testing campaign.

Earlier this month, the East African country officially launched a nationwide month-long testing campaign, which the Ethiopian government said "will determine the next steps to undertake in the new year," which will start on September 11.

The Ethiopian government is currently mobilizing resources to ensure there's no shortage of laboratory materials and quarantine centers.

Ethiopia is also boosting its COVID-19 testing capacity at border points with neighboring countries. Enditem
Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot on Wednesday said that it is natural for MLAs to be upset and the way the chain of events took place in the past month. He said that those who had gone away from the party are finally back and he hopes to work together for the benefit of the state.

We will work together. Our friends who had gone away have now come back. I hope that we will do away with all our differences and fulfill our resolve to serve the state, Gehlot said.

Also read: CM talks peace a day after truce; Pilot back in Jaipur

We will work together. Our friends who had gone away have now come back. I hope that we will do away with all our differences and fulfill our resolve to serve the state: Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot https://t.co/6geXcb72wy  ANI (@ANI) August 12, 2020

Its natural for MLAs to be upset. The manner in which this episode occurred and the way in which they stayed for a month, it was natural. Ive explained to them that sometimes we need to be tolerant if we have to serve the nation, state, people and save the democracy, the chief minister added.

Gehlot said that the fight is to save the democracy and it will continue.

Also read: Rajasthan crisis - Relieved, Congress leaders credit Rahul Gandhi

The fight is to save democracy and it will continue. All our MLAs stayed together for such a long time. This is a victory of the people of Rajasthan. It is our duty to serve the people of the state: Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot in Jaisalmer pic.twitter.com/bqlU2zXlGw  ANI (@ANI) August 12, 2020

All our MLAs stayed together for such a long time. This is a victory of the people of Rajasthan, Gehlot added.

The Congress party is looking at a closed chapter to over a month-long political tussle in Rajasthan after former deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot met with party leadership on Monday night. Later, the MLAs met top Congress leaders and were assured that their grievances would be redressed in a time.

Senior leader and party spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said that Pilot and the supporting MLAs have resolved to work with the Congress government in Rajasthan and for strengthening the party in the state.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi also announced the formation of a three-member committee that would hear the grievances of rebel leaders.
BE THE FUTURE showcases a diverse range of young leaders from across the country who are creating positive societal transformations in their communities around sustainability, climate justice and activism. They show us the future is here. The activists include:

BE THE UNITER: Jerome Foster II (@jeromefosterii): 18-year-old climate activist, educator, uniter and founder of @OneMillionOfUs

(@jeromefosterii): 18-year-old climate activist, educator, uniter and founder of @OneMillionOfUs BE THE LEADER: Alexandria Villasenor (@alexandriav2005): 15-year-old climate activist, organizer and founder of @EarthUprising

(@alexandriav2005): 15-year-old climate activist, organizer and founder of @EarthUprising BE THE VOICE: Mari Copeny (@LittleMissFlint): 13-year-old youth activist and "future president"

(@LittleMissFlint): 13-year-old youth activist and "future president" BE THE ACTION: Levi Draheim (@connectwithlevi): 13-year-old climate activist and youngest plaintiff in the landmark climate law suit #youthvgov

Tapping into Gap's heritage of music and art, a BE THE FUTURE anthem kicks it off with an original piece written and performed by kid rock band, The Twits. The campaign features the climate activists in Gap's collection of sustainable Fall essentials, including the brand's new Teen Collection designed to help save water, reduce waste, and make the world a better place.

"Kids help unite us, fuel us and lead the way forward," says Mark Breitbard, Global Head of Gap Brand. "Changemakers like Jerome, Alexandria, Mari and Levi are bold leaders who prove that everyone has the ability to BE THE FUTURE."

To celebrate these catalysts of change, artist Tristan Eaton used denim as a blank canvas of self-expression to create layered portraits of each activist fighting to improve climate through their actions to BE THE UNITER, BE THE LEADER, BE THE VOICE and BE THE ACTION. On Friday, August 14, Gap will unite with the youth activists and Earth Uprising to rally for climate action. Everyone is invited to join the global virtual rally on @gapkids social channels by posting signs that include #BeTheFutureThatWill___, filling in the blank with a word or phrase that represents how you plan to take on the future. To amplify voices further, campaign GIPHY stickers launch on social as another means of self-expression.

Gap is also partnering with nonpartisan, non-profits, When We All Vote and Rock the Vote, to promote voter registration during this election year. Gap's voter registration page, provided by When We All Vote http://www.whenweallvote.org/gap, powered by Rock the Vote, goes live with the campaign today to ensure everyone has easy access to vote for the future. Rock the Vote will provide email and text election reminders to those who register to vote and voter education and mobilization tools to those preparing to vote, including absentee ballot requests and polling place look-up. To vocalize these efforts further during the COVID-19 landscape, Gap will be releasing a new series of reusable, non-medical grade cloth face masks with VOTE and BE THE FUTURE messaging in benefit to both organizations. 3-packs of the masks will be available in adult and kids (ages 4+) sizing on Gap.com and in Gap stores today.

"When We All Vote is on a mission to increase participation in every election, change the culture around voting and close the voting age and race gap," said Crystal Carson, Vice President of Culture, Communications and Media Partnerships, When We All Vote. "This partnership with Gap and GapKids  particularly this strong group of young activists  is the perfect platform to help reach new voices and the next generation of voters. We know that when young people vote in their first election, they are more likely to be lifelong voters, and we want to empower everyone, even those who aren't old enough to cast their ballot, to play a role in our democracy."

"Rock the Vote is built to maximize the power of young people," said Carolyn DeWitt, President of Rock the Vote. "The young people of America are speaking loud and clear right now. And, we are watching. For every elected official making decisions from climate action to justice policies  you will no longer operate in the dark. The young people of America are tuned in to BE THE FUTURE and are ready to take action in the streets in our communities and in national, state, and local elections across our country."

Follow along on @gapkids for activist content going live throughout the coming months. To further support, Gap encourages eligible customers to register to vote beginning August 12, and the entire community is invited to join the virtual rally for climate action on August 14, uniting together to create a better future for all.

About Gap, @gap and @gapkids

Gap is the authority on modern American style. Founded in San Francisco in 1969, Gap continues to build on its heritage  a market leader in denim, classic white shirts, khakis and must-have trends. Beginning with the first international store in London in 1987, Gap continues to connect with customers online and in company-operated and franchise retail locations globally. Gap includes Women's and Men's apparel and accessories, GapKids, babyGap, GapMaternity, GapBody and GapFit collections. The brand also serves value-conscious customers with exclusively designed collections for Gap Outlet and Gap Factory Stores. Gap is the namesake brand for leading global specialty retailer, Gap Inc. (NYSE: GPS) which includes Old Navy, Gap, Banana Republic, Athleta, Intermix, Janie and Jack and Hill City brands. For more information, please visit www.gapinc.com

About When We All Vote, @whenweallvote

When We All Vote is a national, nonpartisan nonprofit that brings together citizens, institutions, brands, and organizations to increase participation in every election. Launched by Michelle Obama, the organization is committed to closing the race and age voting gap and empowering all eligible voters to cast their ballot by harnessing grassroots energy, establishing strategic partnerships, and implementing digital organizing strategies, with the ultimate goal of changing the culture around voting.

Michelle Obama is joined in this effort by fellow Co-Chairs Tom Hanks, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Janelle Monae, Chris Paul, Faith Hill, Selena Gomez, Liza Koshy, Megan Rapinoe, Shonda Rhimes, Tracee Ellis Ross, Kerry Washington, and Rita Wilson.

In the leadup to the 2018 Midterm Elections, When We All Vote organized over 2,500 local voter registration events across the country, engaged 200 million Americans online about the significance of voting, and texted nearly four million voters the resources to register and get out to vote.

In 2020, When We All Vote is helping to lead in voter education, registration and volunteer engagement. In response to COVID-19, When We All Vote is leading the fight for fair and safe elections by supporting the expansion of access to vote-by-mail, early in-person voting and online voter registration so every American can make their voices heard on Election Day.

About Rock the Vote, @rockthevote

Rock the Vote is a nonpartisan nonprofit dedicated to building the political power of young people. For 30 years, Rock the Vote has revolutionized the way we use culture, music, art, and technology to engage young people in politicsregistering and turning out millions of young voters. Since its founding, Rock the Vote has processed over 12 million voter registrations. The organization consistently turns out its voters more than 30 points above the national youth average with approximately 60% voting for the first time. Rock the Vote fights for voting rights to ensure all eligible voters can exercise their right to vote and promotes civic education to ensure young voters have the resources and information they need to participate in our civic process. Learn more at rockthevote.org and follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram @rockthevote.

SOURCE Gap
Niagara Catholic School Board has been preparing for its back-to-school plan since early spring.

John Crocco, Niagara Catholics director of education, penned a letter to parents of students outlining the steps the board is taking to ensure a balance between health and education.

The Catholic board created a task force made up of students, staff, parents and other stakeholders, he wrote.

The Catholic board released its plan on July 14, before the Ontario government released its plan in late July. The Catholic board is now working to update its approach.

The key feature of our plan is that it is a working document, said Crocco. As information becomes available and as policy changes occur, so will our plan.

For elementary schools, the boards plan indicates students will attend school for a full regular school day, which includes five hours of learning a day, five days a week.

Crocco cautioned parents who decide to start at-home learning for their children.

Parents who choose to start at-home learning and then transition students back to school at a later time may have to wait for a revised start date for their child, he said.

Under the provincial back-to-school guidelines, the government is not implementing physical distancing requirements, and has said classes in elementary schools will remain the same size as previously. That means classes with 20 students from grades 1 to 3, and an average of 24 or 25 students in grades 4 to 8  though averages mean some classes are much larger than that.

Students in Grade 4 and up will be required to wear face masks throughout the school day, says the province.

The Catholic board will be opening its child care centres Sept. 1.

For high school, Niagara Catholic is one of the 24 school boards in Ontario designated to follow an adapted secondary school model.

The plan divides students into two cohorts. Students in cohort A will attend school Mondays, Tuesdays and alternating Wednesdays. Students in cohort B will attend school on Thursdays, Fridays and alternating Wednesdays.

Under this adaptive model, secondary students will return to school as cohorts, with a maximum of 15 students per classroom

Children that will be studying from home will spend 300 minutes in virtual classes Monday to Friday.

Beginning the week of Aug. 24 secondary principals and student support services staff will contact students regarding schedules and options within the adapted model.

Dr. Mustafa Hirji, Niagaras acting medical officer of health, said earlier this week that for school openings to be safe, the regions residents at large have to do everything they can to keep local spread of the virus in check.

Hirji pointed to school openings in other countries, such as Israel, which have been linked to renewed outbreaks of COVID-19.

However, he said Ontario has factors operating in its favour that may prevent similar local outbreaks.

Ontario has moved more slowly toward reopening, Hirji said, which has helped keep the overall case count relatively low. If cases in the general community remain low, the risk of a COVID-19 outbreak in a school is suppressed, he said.

He also said Ontarios overall plan is looking to countries with the best track records as examples, including Taiwan and South Korea, along with Norway and Denmark, which have been able to resume classes without significant surges in cases.

With files from Grant LaFleche

Sean Vanderklis is a Niagara Falls-based reporter for the Review, covering education. His reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative.
The Beirut blast video certainly shocked the entire world as soon as it surfaced on social media. The news spread like fire and the celebrities have been trying to help the victims of the blast. Similarly, former adult star Mia Khalifa happens to be one of the stars who took a step forward to help victims of Beirut blast. Read more to know how did Mia Khalifa help the victims.

Also Read | Mia Khalifa's Massive Net Worth Will Leave You Stunned; Details Inside

Also Read | Mia Khalifa Advises Young Girls Not To Make Adult Videos For Quick Cash

Mia Khalifa helps victims of the Beirut blast

Mia Khalifa decided to auction her infamous glasses and donate the money raised to the Lebanese Red Cross. Within six hours of the auction being announced, Khalifa managed to raise around $11,400 and by 11th, the bidding reached $100,000. She shared the information through her Instagram and wrote, The novelty glasses are the best prop. I will sign them (if you want), and take one last polaroid wearing them before sending them off to their new home!!!"

She also said that she will auction other items, including her retainer, a used sideburn razor, and a loofah in order to help the people of Lebanon. She also confirmed that all the money that is going to be raised will go to the Lebanese Red Cross.

Also Read | Mia Khalifa Has Hilarious Reaction To Her 'death Hoax' Spread By Twitter User; See Post

More about the Beirut blast

Beirut, the capital of Lebanon recently witnessed one of the most destructive explosions in history. A number of videos of the blast have been shared by Lebanese locals. All these videos show a huge mushroom cloud-shaped shockwave was released during the blast that flipped a number of cars in the surroundings and even damaged distant buildings. Reportedly, the blast has taken over 100 lives and injured more than 6,000 people.

A number of news houses have been saying that the blast was caused by a fire that was sparked by a welder. The fire reached 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate, an ingredient used to make fertilizer bombs that was illegally stored in the building. The explosion took around 135 lives and injured more than 6,000 others. The blast caused damage worth up to $ 5.2 billion. The people of Lebanon said that the explosion was so huge and loud that it could be heard 110 miles across the sea in Cyprus. It has been said that the explosion had one fifth the power of a nuclear bomb.

Also Read | Mia Khalifa's Premier League Dream Team Ft Aaron Mooy, Harry Redknapp And Left-back Rice

Also Read | Children In Beirut Suffer From Trauma After Deadly Blast

Get the latest entertainment news from India & around the world. Now follow your favourite television celebs and telly updates. Republic World is your one-stop destination for trending Bollywood news. Tune in today to stay updated with all the latest news and headlines from the world of entertainment.
(MARYVILLE, Mo.) Northwest Missouri State has one week left to finalize plans for the fall semester while incoming students prepare for the new college normal.

The faculty and staff in Maryville have been planning all summer and seem fairly confident in what lies ahead.

"It'll be a little weird, a little bit different," Northwest's vice president of student affairs, Matt Baker said. "But I don't think it's so drastic that we need to do anything largely different."

Classes are set to begin on Wednesday the 19th and will move virtually once Thanksgiving break begins. All finals will be taken online.

Northwest has a mitigation plan set in place for students, teachers and faculty to follow that will allow for a smooth and easy transition to start the school year.

Starting Thursday, August 13th, the freshmen will begin to move in. Typically incoming students move in on the Saturday before school starts, but this year they will move in sporadically over four days.

Northwest is still allowing students to have roommates in the dorms. They are also providing extra private rooms to allow students to spread out in the dorms need be.

Masks are required indefinitely on campus and in buildings, in accordance with the CDC recommendations and the Nodaway County mask ordinance that is in place until September 30th. The University has not made a decision on if they will require masks after the ordinance or not.

The classrooms will look slightly different. Those that have smaller class sizes that can easily social distance will do so. A few of the lecture courses have been moved to online only. Teachers have the option of teaching a blended course as well. They can go remotely during the semester if they feel the need to.

All professors are prepared to accommodate for students who are at risk of attracting the virus or test positive for COVID-19. This allows the students to go remote for a short period of time and can attend in-person classes when the student feels safe to do so.

When asked about available testing for students and staff, Baker said that the University has options. He added that Mosaic LifeCare has teamed up with Northwest and will test students that show symptoms. Those tests can be done at the campus clinic or at Mosaic LifeCare in Maryville. Baker also added that the Nodaway County Commission is offering funding for asymptomatic testing. That testing will be limited.

Campus organizations such as Greek life, leadership clubs, and other student organizations, are advised to meet virtually. Clubs that want to hold events in-person must follow the mitigation rules.

Matt Baker lastly added that, "We've never done this before. Everyone is making this up as they go."

Questions still loom over the University, but all faculty and staff feel confident that if everyone wears face coverings and social distances, then the semester will be fairly normal.

To check out the full COVID-19 recovery plan, click here.
A handout photo provided by the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) shows samples of a vaccine against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) developed by the Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology, in Moscow, Russia August 6, 2020. The Russian Direct Investment Fund | Reuters

Russia has rejected international criticism and skepticism toward its coronavirus vaccine, saying that it's safe and that it works. Russia announced Tuesday that its vaccine had been approved by its health regulators, making it the first coronavirus vaccine in the world to be registered. Full-scale production is due to start next month. Russian President Vladimir Putin insisted it was safe and effective and that one of his daughters had already received the vaccine. The news attracted widespread criticism and concern as to its safety and efficacy. It has only undergone rapid Phase 1 and 2 clinical trials on a small number of people and no data from these has yet been published. Phase 3 trials are to begin shortly yet Russia expects to start producing the vaccine in September.

Russian Health Minister Mikhail Murashko said Wednesday that allegations that the vaccine was unsafe were groundless and driven by competition, Interfax news agency reported. Kirill Dmitriev, the chief executive of Russia's sovereign wealth fund RDIF, which is backing the vaccine named "Sputnik V," said that Western  and specifically U.S.  criticism of the vaccine was biased. "It (the announcement) really divided the world into those countries that think it's great news ... and some of the U.S. media and some U.S. people who actually wage major information warfare on the Russian vaccine," he told CNBC's "Squawk Box Europe" Wednesday. "We were not expecting anything else, we are not trying to convince the U.S.," he added. "Our point to the world is that we have this technology, it can be available in your country in November/December if that works with your regulator ... (while) people who are very skeptical will not have this vaccine and we wish them good luck in developing theirs."

He conceded that Russia needed to share the data behind the vaccine, saying it was "valid criticism" that it had not yet done so. "We agree that nothing in detail has been published yet, we are just sending some information to some of our partners today on the results of the first phases of the clinical trials and it will all be published in August," he said.

Expert concern

Experts and public health officials have voiced concern over the vaccine, given the speed of its approval and lack of data. Danny Altmann, professor of Immunology at Imperial College London, told CNBC that there's "no way of knowing" yet if the virus is safe, and that it was "very, very unusual" that Russia had published no data around its initial clinical trials. "The phase 3 test is where you establish in thousands of people (taking part), whether something is safe and effective and this (vaccine) seems to have been through one of the smallest of all of the phase 2 tests of all of the dozens of vaccines being talked about around the world. So we've actually got no clue at the moment whether it's safe or protective," he told CNBC's "Squawk Box Europe."
This summer marks three years since the NotPetya malware attack, which has been called the most devastating cyber attack in history. While cyber experts say cybersecurity and prevention strategies have since evolved in many ways, they also warn another crippling attack is never far off.

Were always one attack away from another market-wide event, said Conan Ward, president of MGA/MGU Operations at QOMPLX, a Reston, Va.-based intelligence data analytics company that specializes in insurance and cybersecurity.

The NotPetya malware attack that began in Ukraine in June 2017 ultimately caused more than $10 billion in damage and wreaked havoc on major companies, including shipping company Maersk and pharmaceutical company Merck, which respectively lost up to $300 million and $870 million, according to reports.

What Cyber Insurance Industry Learned from 2017 Hacks Cyber experts say a lack of experience and data are behind the industrys under-preparedness in a constantly evolving cyber risk environment. Was It an Act of War? Thats Merck Cyber Attacks $1.3 Billion Insurance Question. Merck estimated initially that the malware did $870 million in damages. It was stunned when most of its 30 insurers and reinsurers denied coverage because the policies specifically excluded an act of war. U.S. Says Russia to Blame for NotPetya Cyber Attack The U.S. statement cane after the British government attributed the attack to Russia, a conclusion already reached by many private sector cyber security experts. Reinsurers Look at Cybers Massive Growth PossibilitiesWith Caution Reinsurers admit they are sometimes challenged to close the protection gap for new and emerging risks such as cyber.

The NotPetya attack dramatically highlighted the potential for systemic vulnerabilities, and how it can have a major financial impact on the global economy, said Oliver Brew, head of client services at cyber insurance analytics company, CyberCube.

Not only that, but the attack also illustrated ambiguities in cyber insurance policies, fueling the conversation around silent versus standalone cyber in a quest for greater clarity, according to Brew.

The attack acted as a catalyst for regulators to increase scrutiny on the issue, he said.

Silent cyber refers to potential cyber exposures contained within traditional property and liability insurance policies which may not implicitly include or exclude cyber risk, according to insurance broker Marshs website. This has led to a lack of clarity in some cases regarding how cyber events are covered under various insurance policies, such as property policies, cyber experts said.

Standalone cyber insurance, on the other hand, refers to a dedicated cyber insurance policy that can be purchased separately by insureds and has been touted by the insurance industry as a product providing greater coverage clarity.

There is a fundamental difference between dedicated cyber policies and this idea of either silent cyber or partial coverage grants, Ward said. What NotPetya really laid bare was this idea that if youre selling a half-baked cyber coverage grant inside of some other policy, youre playing with fire. And if youre an insured, youre not buying a product thats fit for purpose.

Ward said it is the responsibility of insureds to understand their cyber risk and purchase a product that best fits their needs.

What I think you saw with NotPetya is that people were not buying enough [dedicated cyber] because they had this sort of half-baked, silent cyber grant in other policies, he said. Buyers dont want to have to pay for dedicated cyber coverage, but at the same time, theyre not buying the right tool for the right job. A cyber grant inside of a property policy doesnt do the kinds of things you need it to do.

With this in mind, he added the onus is on buyers to buy an appropriate amount of limit in considering what an artisan level attack could do to their business.

Its not as simple as getting a cyber write-back in all of the policies you already buy, he said.

At the same time, he said its on the insurance industry to fully understand the cyber insurance market and the cyber products it is offering to clients.

I think the industry learned a valuable lesson [from NotPetya], which is, at least to a degree, dont cover something like cyber that you really dont understand, he said. I think we as an industry have a history of doing that. We want to provide super broad coverage thinking were helping, and the reality is, we dont always understand the ripple effects involved.

Acts of War and Standalone Cyber

In the case of Merck for example, most of its 30 insurers and reinsurers denied coverage under the companys property policies for damage resulting from NotPetya even though the policies provided $1.75 billion worth of coverage for catastrophic risks including the destruction of computer data, coding and software, Bloomberg reported. This is because Mercks property policies specifically excluded acts of war, Bloombergs report stated.

Everyone fundamentally understands why you would exclude war in a property policy, Ward said. Its a systemic risk that no company could hope to cover.

Fueled by the need for coverage limits that adequately cover increasingly sophisticated cyber incidents, such as NotPetya, the insurance market has since begun to shift toward standalone cyber policies, said Caroline Thompson, head of underwriting at cyber insurance provider Cowbell Cyber.

When cyber attacks started to evolve and use technology to execute an attack by a person or group that was associated with a government or organization, it created a need for cyber terrorism to be explicitly covered under a [standalone] cyber policy, she said, adding that at Cowbell Cyber, we strongly believe that only standalone cyber insurance can provide a detailed and precise definition of what the policy intends to cover, which ultimately results in higher policyholder satisfaction and a smoother claim process.

Pandemic Cyber Risk

With NotPetya still fresh in the insurance industrys rearview mirror, Brew agreed that cyber coverage is constantly evolving to keep pace with emerging areas of risk. He pointed to whats happening now with the COVID-19 crisis as one major example.

Indeed, in an interview for Insurance Journal TV, Scott Fouts, vice president of Hub Internationals Risk Services division, stated that with many companies employees working remotely due to the ongoing pandemic, the likelihood of having a cyber attack right now is pretty high.

He said companies can combat this heightened cyber risk by ensuring they have a good IT team in place, their technological infrastructure is set up correctly, and security measures are in place to educate employees and respond if an incident does occur.

I think theres probably a little bit of false security working from home, Fouts said.

This, coupled with the fact that attackers are using increasingly sophisticated methods, has created a greater risk environment for a large attack, Ward said.

The broad [attack] methods are largely the same, but the tools they use are changing all the time. Artisan-level malware is now in the hands of a ton of attackers, he said.

Brew said the insurance industry can prepare by supporting clients to improve proactive risk mitigation strategies, develop realistic disaster scenario frameworks to understand the implications and manage capital to address exposures and maintain a sustainable market.

Looking forward, Thompson added that cyber insurance offerings should be built using data, artificial intelligence and continuous underwriting that ingests new data in real time and rapidly responds to todays ever-changing threat landscape.

At this stage of maturity in the cyber insurance market, open communication and transparency are critical to support a healthy growth of the cyber insurance market, she added.

Most of all, she emphasized that it is important for insurers to understand the cyber risks related to their insureds.

Because, she said, there is always going to be another attack.

Topics Cyber Reinsurance Property Market
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Joe Biden named California Sen. Kamala Harris as his running mate yesterday. If elected, she would be the nations first female, first black, and first Asian American vice president.

Sen. Harris is a native of Oakland, California. Her father, who is Jamaican, taught at Stanford University. Her mother, the daughter of an Indian diplomat, was a cancer researcher. She served as attorney general for San Francisco and then the state of California before she was elected to the Senate in 2016.

She and Beau Biden, the presidential nominees late son, worked closely together when he was Delawares attorney general. She campaigned for the Democratic presidential nomination and, after leaving the race in December, gave her full support to Mr. Biden.

Numerous Democratic leaders tweeted their support yesterday for Sen. Harris. By contrast, the Trump campaign responded much more critically.

Your position regarding Mr. Bidens selection likely reflects your position regarding the election. Where we are in the world, both physically and ideologically, says a great deal about how we see the world.

If time is a line on a page, God is the page

Yesterday, we explored the first part of 1 Peter 1:1, where the Apostle addressed his letter to those who are elect exiles. We focused on our status as exiles, noting the importance of seeking the welfare of our society while we trust God with our future and seek his presence in the present.

Today, lets think about the rest of Peters introductory paragraph: of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood (vv. 1b2).

Dispersion (diaspora) refers to the scattering of Peters readers across modern-day Turkey. The locales he named comprise an area of nearly three hundred thousand square miles. I traveled through this part of Turkey some years ago when researching a book on the seven churches of Revelation; it is a beautiful region replete with artifacts of ancient towns and cultures.

Peters readers were exiled according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, a reminder that we must never forget that God never forgets us. He sees the future more clearly than we see the present. As C. S. Lewis noted, if we view time as a line on a page, God is the page.

Gods purpose for us is the sanctification of the Spirit that begins at our conversion. Our role in our spiritual growth is obedience to Jesus Christ, a life made possible by sprinkling with his blood, a reference to our Saviors atoning death.

How a Cuban pastor surprised me

Heres my point: if Peters readers in these far-flung Gentile lands and pagan cultures could be sanctified by the Spirit as they obeyed their Savior, so can we.

No society is so lost that it is beyond the reach of Gods redemptive grace (cf. Jonah 3:610). No presidential election or Supreme Court ruling can stop the providential purposes of our King.

In fact, we should reframe the unbiblical morality of our culture as an invitation and opportunity for the Gospel.

On my first visit to Cuba, I told one of the pastors that I was praying for persecution to lessen against his church. He asked me to stop. Noting my surprise, he explained that persecution was purifying his people and strengthening their witness.

Then he confided to me that he and many other Cuban believers were praying for persecution to increase in the United States for the same purpose.

What 'its overwhelming to consider'

If we respond to ungodliness with godliness and slander with grace (cf. Matthew 5:39), others will know that we have experienced the sanctifying grace of Jesus. He taught us to love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you for this purpose: so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven (Matthew 5:44, 45).

Wherever we are exiled today is our kingdom assignment for today. Wherever we go, our Lord goes with us (Matthew 28:20). Whatever we face, we face in his provision and power (Philippians 4:13).

And when we love those who do not love us, we draw them to the One who loves us all.

Leo Buscaglia was a professor of special education at the University of Southern California. Consider his reflection in light of our topic: The majority of us lead quiet, unheralded lives as we pass through this world. There will most likely be no ticker-tape parades for us, no monuments created in our honor. But that does not lessen our possible impact, for there are scores of people waiting for someone like us to come along; people who will appreciate our compassion, our unique talents. Someone who will live a happier life merely because we took the time to share what we had to give.

Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have a potential to turn a life around. Its overwhelming to consider the continuous opportunities there are to make our love felt.

Would you ask the One who is love (1 John 4:8) to make his love felt through you today?

Originally published at the Denison Forum
Peace of Mind: an edifying narrative filled with resounding teachings that pave a path for genuine peace and joy in ones self and in God. Peace of Mind is the creation of published author Brian Thomas, a dedicated writer and poet from Georgia.

Thomas shares, All of my life my heart has sought a thing I cannot name.

There is more to life than your own egotistical wants, needs, and desires. There is more to life than worldly things, possessions, and pleasures. There exists something meaningful and lasting, something that goes beyond ourselves and the physical. All of these are temporary, worthless, selfish, and unreal. That which you cannot see, feel, or touch is our spirit and God.

You can find a true connection between your spirit and God.

Only those who have felt the true joy of letting go of yourself and the world through unconditional love for everyone will find the true peace of mind which we all want and need.

The purpose of this little book is to help you find your way to true happiness and peace of mind. Such peace is the greatest gift you can give yourself.

Published by Christian Faith Publishing, Brian Thomass new book desires to fill the readers with wisdom that can bring them inner solace and bliss that will transform their lives to a positive light.

This book imparts powerful insights that serve as stepping stones toward a better perception of life and renewed faith and hope in God.

View the synopsis of Peace of Mind on YouTube.

Consumers can purchase Peace of Mind at traditional brick-and-mortar bookstores or online at Amazon.com, Apple iTunes store, or Barnes and Noble.

For additional information or inquiries about Peace of Mind, contact the Christian Faith Publishing media department at 866-554-0919.
More than half of young people have been praying online during the pandemic, new figures have revealed.

The poll showed that 'staggering' numbers of 18-24 year old's have been turning to god during the lockdown after places of worship were forced to close to help curb the pandemic.

Online services streamed on social media platforms such as YouTube have become normalised and are being increasingly utilised to help communities stay connected even if you can't meet up face-to-face.

Rev Dr Peter Phillips, director of the Centre for Digital Religion at Durham University, told a recent webinar he was 'shocked' by the high take-up of online services by young people.

A stock image of a young woman praying at her computer in a shop or cafe

The survey run by Savanta Comes showed that more than half of young people aged 18 to 24 were engaging in online worship, as reported by the Religion Media Centre.

Consultants asked the online panel asked members of an online panel what their experience was of online worship during lockdown and found that 45 per cent of 18 to 34-year-olds and 49 per cent of 25 to 34-year-olds prayed in July.

The survey interviewed 2,244 UK adults aged 18-plus online between July 31 and August 3.

Young people were also asked why the wanted to engage with online services and said it was to be 'closer to god.'

Rabbi Laura Janner-Klausner, senior rabbi to Reform Judaism, told the online webinar that the future of services in Judaism would be a dual experience.

A young woman is sitting in a kitchen by a table with a laptop and is praying

And Dr Abdul-Azim Ahmed of Cardiff University said that many muslims had already adapted well to utilising social media.

Meanwhile mosques have been using radio communication so people can hear the imam's call to prayer.

Dr Phillips added that a group of people not previously engaged with religion were now starting to take part in online religion.
Josie Peterson is a second-year student at the University of Alabama. She is studying economics and journalism.

Amidst a pandemic, there is an underlying problem within our nation. While there are many misconceptions about addiction, one issue stands alone: it is killing Americans every year.

Take Walker County, which remains 37th in the nation as most vulnerable for HIV and Hepatitis C outbreaks due to the opioid crisis. Walker County is in dire need of attention: the state of Alabama must fund updated addiction recovery centers in Walker County.

It is common in the state of Alabama to refuse to self report health problems including addiction. Compared to the national average of 12.9 per 100,000 persons dying from drug use, Walker County has a staggering average of 49.7 per 100,000 persons. Understanding this is critical to aid not only those afflicted in Alabama, but those in the country in the same position. Walker County can be a demonstration of what the power of the state government can do for the better in the country.

State sanctioned facilities would reduce the number of people suffering from addiction. According to the NIHDA, recovery centers and treatment of addiction are cost effective, being that it is much less expensive than its alternatives, such as incarcerating addicted persons.

Adding more recovery centers would increase the amount of opportunities for those affected. Currently, specialized centers for addiction include the Walker Recovery Center. There is also the Fritz Clinic, ROSS center and Rural Health Center and Bradford Health Services, which operate across locations in Alabama. This means there is only one wholly local resource for the estimated 31,189 people in Walker County battling addiction. [This paragraph was updated at 10:30 on Aug. 11, 2020, to identify other centers that are helping in Walker County]. Heres a map of resources from Health Action Partnership in Walker County.

Any additional recovery centers would allow for more people to come forward and receive the help they deserve and need to overcome addiction. With the recent national air of change, it is of the utmost importance to enact change in our communities.

Related: People here are dying: Walker County is epicenter of Alabamas opioid crisis
<! Ayo Adesanya >

Nigerian movie actress, entrepreneur, director and producer, popular for her Yoruba and English-language films Ayo Adesanya turned 51 recently.

Adesanya who hails from Ijagun, Ijebu, Ogun State southwestern Nigeria, attended St. Annes school Ibadan, and later proceeded to the University of Ibadan where she obtained a bachelors degree in Mass communication.

Ayo started acting in 1996 after completing the National Youth Service Scheme. Her television debut was on Tunji Bamishigbins soap opera titled Palace.

She later joined the Yoruba-language film industry, although she also appears in English-language films.

Sharing photos on social media, she penned the message: Its my day yooooo..and it gladden my heart ..thank you Lord

She has a son with ex husband Goriola Hassan.

Related
The Forbes list of 2020 has named Akshay Kumar as the sixth highest paid actor in the world. Continuing his streak of success, his earnings per year is a whopping $48.5 million, according to Forbes, which is still only a small fraction of his total net worth.

Being one of the highest tax payers of the nation, reportedly, Akshay Kumar's net worth is $150 million.

Whats more interesting is that he is the only Bollywood star to make it to the top 10.

Although, the 52-year-old actors rank dropped two notches from last year - on Forbes' 2019 list of Highest-Paid Actors, Akshay Kumar held the fourth spot.

Do you want to know who topped the list? It is none other than wrestler-turned-actor Dwayne Johnson with his earnings estimated to be $87.5 million. In fact, he also topped the list last year.

Deadpool star Ryan Reynolds holds the second spot with earnings of $71.5 million. Third, fourth and fifth spots have gone to actors Mark Wahlberg, Ben Affleck and Vin Diesel, respectively.

Quite interestingly, Akshay is followed by Hollywood actors like Hamilton star Lin-Manuel Miranda, Will Smith, Adam Sandler and Jackie Chan who hold the last four ranks on the list. .

[Fun fact: Akshay Kumar has featured on the Forbes list of highest paid actors for five consecutive years.]

Moreover Forbes clarified that the figures are pre-tax and do not include deductions for fees given to agents, managers and lawyers. Also, the magazine releases the list of highest-paid actresses separately.

Most of Akshays income came from product endorsements, Forbes said.

Heres how people on social media reacted to this news:

Ek Khiladi Sobpe Bhari #AkshayKumar  Sukanta Polley (Khiladi) (@polley_sukanta) August 12, 2020

KHILADI ruling  AKSHAY CRAZE (@AKSHAYCRAZE) August 12, 2020

Well deserving  JILKS (@iamjilks) August 12, 2020

Haters ki jal k rakh ho gyi hogi  Himansh (@AKs_Himansh) August 12, 2020

On the work front, Akshay Kumar recently took off with the team of his next film Bell Bottom to Scotland. He will also be next seen in much-awaited horror comedy Laxxmi Bomb, which is the official Hindi remake of hit Tamil film Kanchana. It is being helmed by Raghava Lawrence, who had also directed and starred in the original movie. It was set to release during Eid this year, but it got postponed owing to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
World Vision-Lebanon director talks impact of Beirut explosion: 'Everything is shattered'

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The blast in Beirut that killed some 150 people and injured over 5,000 has exacerbated preexisting economic conditions and reignited for many the trauma of Lebanons 15-year civil war.

Rami Shamma, field operations director for World Vision-Lebanon, felt the blast in a public place about 30 kilometers from Beirut. He told The Christian Post that it reminded people of the war, but without a political reason to blame.

Part of the port that was destroyed was the same part destroyed in the Lebanese civil war, Shamma said. Everything we see took us back 15 years to what took place ... We dont have bullets in the buildings, but everything is shattered and on the ground. The images were terrifying.

Beirut, a port city crucial to the economy and well-being of the country, saw hundreds of tons of ammonium nitrate become a deadly, powerful force on Tuesday. The cause of the blast was either negligence or "external action, with a missile or a bomb," Lebanese President Michel Aoun said Friday.

The agony is widespread, as the blast acts as only the latest detriment to the country this year, according to Shamma.

Due to the ports destruction, Lebanese people will face a higher cost on goods due to a lack of imports. The Lebanese pound has rapidly decreased in value ($0.0007 USD) and a lack of opportunities in the country already had many in poverty before the blast.

Syrian refugees will be hit the hardest, according to Hans Bederski, World Visions national director in Lebanon.

Everyone living in and around Beirut is affected, says Bederski. The port was the main point of entry for imported goods and supplies. Its destruction will have an immediate impact on cost of living for all people residing in Lebanon. Of course, the most vulnerable, including the refugee population, will get to feel more severely the increases in cost of produce.

Hospitals, already stressed by COVID-19 patients, have been overrun after the blast, according to Shamma. Injured people who go to the hospitals that are already weak experience long wait times. Four hospitals were also heavily damaged from the blast, causing capacity issues.

World Vision is assisting Lebanese people affected by the blast in various ways. Shamma said that basic needs such as food, water and shelter are the primary needs and focus in Lebanon, but emotional healthcare is also provided, which is crucial for Lebanese children.

They have either experienced it or seen it. People are talking about it, yelling about it, crying about it, he said. The trauma is stacked up and thus we support in psychological first aid and guiding parents for children living through this difficult time.

Shamma mentioned a point of positivity though. He said right after the blast, he saw people in the streets with brooms and cleaning supplies, working together to clean up the now-destroyed city. Hospitals were filled with citizens donating blood within minutes of the blast.

Seeing this type of togetherness and hope is why he is able to continue the strenuous work of a humanitarian.

The solidarity that we see ... its so powerful that it brings hope to people who have lost somebody or who have terribly seen their city collapsing and being destroyed, he said.

Anyone can assist the Lebanese people through online donations to World Vision-Lebanon, The Lebanese Red Cross, Save the Children-Lebanon and other organizations.
By Zhong Sheng

Alex Azar, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, arrived in Taiwan on August 9 and began a 3-day-long visit. Such a move of the U.S. is a serious breach of its commitments pledged on the Taiwan question.

China is consistently and firmly opposed to the official interactions between the U.S. and Taiwan, and has lodged stern representations with the U.S. side.

It is only recently that the U.S. has announced that it would withdraw from the World Health Organization (WHO) and refused to do its part for global public health.

However, it now sends officials to Taiwan to discuss cooperation in combating the COVID-19 epidemic, which is merely another clumsy trick of the U.S. trying to politicize the pandemic.

The Taiwan question is the most important and sensitive issue in China-U.S. relations, and the one-China principle is the political foundation of the bilateral relationship.

In December 1978, the U.S. government accepted the three principles proposed by the Chinese government for the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, namely, the U.S. should sever diplomatic relations and abrogate the mutual defense treaty with the Taiwan authorities and withdraw U.S. military forces from Taiwan.

On this basis, the U.S. reached an agreement with China on properly handing Taiwan-related issues.

The United States of America recognizes the Government of the Peoples Republic of China as the sole legal government of China. Within this context, the people of the United States will maintain cultural, commercial and other unofficial relations with the people of Taiwan, as stated clearly in the Joint Communique on the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations issued by both countries on December 16, 1978.

On January 1, 1979, China and the U.S. formally established diplomatic relations. Normalization of China-U.S. relations was thus achieved.

China has repeatedly urged the U.S. to handle Taiwan-related issues prudently, stop any official exchanges and contact with Taiwan, and refrain from sending any wrong signal to separatist elements advocating Taiwan independence, so as not to disturb and damage the overall picture of China-U.S. relations.

It seems that the U.S. has recently launched repeated provocations against China on the Taiwan question and engaged in placing obstacles to China-U.S. relations.

In March, the U.S. signed into law the Taiwan Allies International Protection and Enhancement Initiative (TAIPEI) Act of 2019, a bill expressing Washingtons support for Taiwan in strengthening its relationships with countries around the world.

Amid the international cooperation in combating the epidemic, the U.S., however, has tried to play the Taiwan card to malign China.

It has also continuously strengthened its military ties with Taiwan, promoted arms sales to Taiwan and hyped U.S.-Taiwan joint military training.

Playing the Taiwan card is actually a risky act of some American politicians to achieve their own political interests. It does not conform to the fundamental interests of the Chinese and American people and will undermine China-U.S. relations as well as peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.

There is only one China in the world, and Taiwan is an inseparable part of the Chinese territorythe one-China principle is a common consensus of the international community.

The Taiwan question concerns Chinas sovereignty, territorial integrity and core interests.

The Chinese government and people are firm in their determination to safeguard Chinas national sovereignty and territorial integrity, to oppose any foreign meddling in Chinas internal affairs and to realize the reunification of the two sides across the Taiwan Strait.

China urges the U.S. side to abide by the one-China principle and the provisions of three China-U.S. joint communiques, stop official interactions and contact of all kinds as well as the upgrading of substantive relations with the island, and handle Taiwan-related issues in a prudent and proper manner.

It will take resolute and powerful countermeasures against the unrighteous actions of the U.S. Any attempt that denies and challenges the one-China principle is doomed to fail.

(Zhong Sheng is a pen name often used by Peoples Daily to express its views on foreign policy.)
The enemy's losses included nine killed and 15 wounded.

The Ukrainian Joint Forces Operation Headquarters (JFO HQ) has disclosed the enemy death toll in Donbas, eastern Ukraine, since the start of the newly-agreed truce.

"According to the Joint Forces' intelligence data, over two and a half weeks of the truce, the enemy's irreplaceable losses totaled nine killed and 15 wounded as a result of careless handling of weapons, road accidents, stepping on improvised explosive devices," the JFO HQ wrote on Facebook on August 12, 2020.

Read alsoUkraine's JFO HQ reports enemy death toll in Donbas in July

Morale among the Russian Federation's occupying forces is very low, namely there are "suicides and desertions of personnel, the use of alcohol and drugs do not stop."

The Joint Forces Command emphasizes the military personnel of the Joint Forces will always give a worthy rebuff in case of a threat to the life and health of Ukrainian soldiers or attempts by the Russian Federation's armed formations to seize territories.

Background

Participants in the Trilateral Contact Group (Ukraine, Russia, and the OSCE) on the peace settlement in Donbas on July 22 agreed on a full and comprehensive ceasefire along the contact line from July 27.

The new ceasefire regime was enforced at 00:01 Kyiv time on July 27.
HOUSTON-(Aug. 12, 2020) - A preliminary analysis of an ongoing study of more than 300 COVID-19 patients treated with convalescent plasma therapy at Houston Methodist suggests the treatment is safe and effective. The results, which appear now in The American Journal of Pathology, represents one of the first peer-reviewed publications in the country assessing efficacy of convalescent plasma.

From March 28, when Houston Methodist became the first academic medical center in the nation to infuse critically ill COVID-19 patients with plasma donated from recovered patients, research physicians have used the treatment on 350 patients. The study tracked severely ill COVID-19 patients admitted to Houston Methodist's system of eight hospitals from March 28 through July 6.

These latest results from Houston Methodist that now measured medical effectiveness offer valuable scientific evidence that transfusing critically ill COVID-19 patients with high antibody plasma early in their illness - within 72 hours after hospitalization proving most effective - reduced the mortality rate.

The study, titled "Treatment of COVID-19 Patients with Convalescent Plasma Reveals a Signal of Significantly Decreased Mortality," was led by principal investigator Eric Salazar, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor of Pathology and Genomic Medicine with the Houston Methodist Hospital and Research Institute and corresponding author James M. Musser, M.D., Ph.D., chair of the Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine at Houston Methodist.

"Our studies to date show the treatment is safe and, in a promising number of patients, effective," Musser said. "While convalescent plasma therapy remains experimental and we have more research to do and data to collect, we now have more evidence than ever that this century-old plasma therapy has merit, is safe and can help reduce the death rate from this virus."

The research team found that those treated early in their illness with donated plasma that has the highest concentration of anti-COVID-19 antibodies are more likely to survive and recover than similar patients who were not treated with convalescent plasma. Patients with a history of severe reactions to blood transfusions, those with underlying uncompensated and untreatable end-stage disease and patients with fluid overload or other conditions that would increase the risk of plasma transfusion were excluded.

The patients were tracked for 28 days after plasma transfusion and compared to a control group of similar COVID-19 patients who did not receive convalescent plasma. An observational propensity score-matched analysis was used to balance the characteristics of participants and allow for an objective interpretation of the results at this stage.

Several studies have measured safety, showing that the more than 34,000 COVID-19 patients in the U.S. who have received plasma transfusions for COVID-19 experienced minimal adverse effects.

###

In addition to Musser and Salazar, other collaborators from Houston Methodist on this study were Paul A. Christensen, Edward A. Graviss, Duc T. Nguyen, Brian Castillo, Jian Chen, Bevin Valdez Lopez, Todd N. Eagar, Xin Yi, Picheng Zhao, John Rogers, Ahmed Shehabeldin, David Joseph, Christopher Leveque, Randall J. Olsen, David W. Bernard, and Jimmy Gollihar of the US Army Research Laboratory-South, University of Texas Austin.

This study was supported by funding from the Fondren Foundation, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston Methodist Research Institute and Houston Methodist Infectious Diseases Research Fund.

The American Journal of Pathology, an Elsevier journal, is the official journal of the American Society for Investigative Pathology and publishes high-quality original research reports, reviews and commentaries related to the molecular and cellular basis of disease.

For more information: Treatment of COVID-19 Patients with Convalescent Plasma Reveals a Signal of Significantly Decreased Mortality. The American Journal of Pathology. (online/in press Aug. 11, 2020) E. Salazar, P.A. Christensen, E.A. Graviss, D.T. Nguyen, B. Castillo, J. Chen, B.V. Lopez, T.N. Eagar, X. Yi, P. Zhao, J. Rogers, A. Shehabeldin, D. Joseph, C. Leveque, R.J. Olsen, D.W. Bernard, J. Gollihar and J.M. Musser. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajpath.2020.08.001 [This article appears in advance of The American Journal of Pathology, volume 190, Issue 11 (November 2020) published by Elsevier.]
Many women will agree with me when I say that, for a long time, I dreaded my monthly period. Who, after all, can say they really relish that time of the month?

But my feelings were rather more profound than annoyance at the discomfort and inconvenience of it all.

The cramps that always herald the onset of menstruation brought with them distressing flashbacks which would reel endlessly through my mind.

Precisely six years ago last week, aged 35, I miscarried my longed-for second child. And, for a long time afterwards, my period brought with it terrifying memories of my miscarriage, prompting tears and panic attacks.

Emily Cleary with her two children. She suffered two miscarriages which have haunted her in the years following

Even today  Im now 41  when I consider the worst of my trauma to be healed, my period is a mental reminder of the darkest of days.

Im far from alone: recent research has found that miscarriage can lead to long-term post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

According to figures published by Imperial College London and KU Leuven university in Belgium, 29 per cent of women questioned showed symptoms of PTSD one month after pregnancy loss, declining to 18 per cent after nine months.

Most had been through an early miscarriage before 12 weeks, while the rest had had an ectopic pregnancy.

Of course, everyone grieves the loss of a baby. But PTSD is very distinct from grief. PTSD can see women crumble at the mere mention of miscarriage. Brutally vivid flashbacks and daily panic attacks can consume them.

When we lost our baby we had already picked a double buggy for our son and his new sibling, and shortlisted names.

The mother said she was told she had a 'blighted ovum' during one of the miscarriages

Having arrived at our 12-week scan with our then one-year-old son, we were flatly told theres no heartbeat, before being ushered into a side room to discuss the next steps away from the gaze of other mothers-to-be for fear, the doctors said, of distressing them.

Medics said, and I quote, that what lay in my redundantly bloated belly was just a blighted ovum.

To us it was our second child.

Shocked and distressed, we were sent home to absorb the news with a view to returning two days later for a procedure called Evacuation of Retained Products of Conception (ERPC). Such a sterile phrase.

But nature wouldnt even allow me that. On the morning of the operation, I woke with cramps. As I bent forward to kiss my son, I felt searing pain. The next second was the most terrifying moment Ive ever experienced. Bloodied lumps began to fall from me, as my husband pulled my panicked toddler away.

Flashbacks of labour filled my head  the shudders through my body were all too familiar  but I knew that this time there would be no baby at the end of it.

For such a common condition, miscarriage is a taboo subject in a world where all other aspects of femininity are discussed. Yet more than one in four pregnancies end this way..

Ruth Bender-Atik, of the Miscarriage Association, says: PTSD can manifest as a result of many different factors. Loss, pre-existing trauma, mental health problems or vulnerabilities can make a woman more susceptible.

The physical trauma can itself be enough, or it can be a combination of that and the post- miscarriage care that a woman does or does not receive.

Medical staff must begin to identify those at risk so that they are in a position to be helped. We need more thinking about how and when we screen for PTSD, anxiety and depression, and plan tailored support and therapies.

Why, then, is this not happening? Perhaps because few admit miscarriage has happened to them, never mind discuss the raw physical reality of losing a child.

Emily says that people dismiss early miscarriage as not a 'real baby', with less sympathy given when the woman is in the first trimester despite it's lasting impact

Like many women in the first trimester, I hadnt told anyone I was pregnant apart from close family. When I miscarried, I had to relive the sadness over and over as I spoke to colleagues, friends, family to explain why I couldnt attend meetings and parties.

If you lose a child later down the line, people feel more naturally sympathetic. But when it happens at whats considered an early stage, you are much more likely to be subjected to the Well, at least it wasnt a real baby yet, or Better it happened now than later comments. Its as if you shouldnt mourn the loss, just be grateful it happened at that point.

For me, the miscarriage meant 12 of the most horrific hours of my life. Contractions wracked my body every half-hour as an involuntary flood poured from me.

Later, in hospital, I was told everything had passed, and was sent home the next day. But, after six more weeks of bleeding so profusely my iron level had reached the point where I might have needed a transfusion, I was finally sent for the ERPC procedure, to clear out the remaining parts of my miscarriage.

During those six weeks, the perpetual flow of blood and the agonising cramps induced flashbacks to the moment it all began. I suffered anxiety attacks; I cut contact with two pregnant friends and refused to take my son to baby groups. It was soul-destroying.

After my ERPC, I was able to start to look forward. But every time my period came, I felt a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. My GP suggested antidepressants. Determined to conceive again, I refused the prescription. But for other women it could be essential to accept it for the sake of their mental health.

Three months later and pregnant, I began bleeding again . . .

I had been lucky enough to conceive again very quickly  twins, an ultrasound revealed. But only one had a heartbeat; the bleeding was my body trying to push out the dead waste.

Over the next month, I had weekly scans to check whether the remaining foetus had survived. Throughout the pregnancy, I bled almost daily, causing huge worry. But, somehow, this strong little creature clung on.

The day my daughter was born was one of the happiest of my life. But the memory of the babies I lost, and how I lost them, will never leave me.

For more support and information, go to: miscarriageassociation.org.uk
Consider Connecticuts statewide party primaries Tuesday a trial run for the far larger Nov. 3 election.

While the winning presidential nominees on the ballot were a foregone conclusion, some districts had interesting state house or senate contests that matter. But the biggest takeaway from the exercise is what was learned about conducting an election during a pandemic with an unprecedented number (for Connecticut) of mail-in votes.

The result leads to cautious optimism.

First, the safety of in-person voting. Most local officials appear to have gotten this right, despite the extra efforts. Voters were directed to socially distance; masks were required. Self-standing units, some with Plexiglass sides, were spaced at least 6 feet apart. Pens used to mark ballots were disinfected between uses. Some, if not all, polling places recruited younger volunteers to assist voters, giving relief to the typically older poll workers now at risk for the coronavirus.

Second, the efficacy of widespread mail-in voting. This is new to Connecticut  though not most other states. Generally, by state statute, absentee ballots can be obtained for only a handful of specific reasons. But because of the pandemic, through executive order of Gov. Lamont for the primary, and approval by the General Assembly for the November election, anyone concerned about the health risk of voting in person can request a mail-in ballot.

Though controversial, this proved popular with primary voters with nearly 300,000 absentee ballots issued by the state  10 times the typical total. This is a high volume for election officials to count, but registrars were able to start while the polls were open  and lines were short  and have until Thursday (a deadline extended because of the effects of last weeks tropical storm) to report the results.

The ongoing controversy is whether the process can be conducted without fraud.

A possible glitch may have created the opposite. Some voters, in Bridgeport in particular, reported they hadnt received a mail-in ballot after returning an application from the state. The evidence so far is anecdotal and the numbers not known.

The mass mailings of applications and ballots was handled by a third-party mail house hired by Secretary of the State Denise Merrill. But state Senate Republican Leader Len Fasano said Wednesday town clerks are questioning the process and he requested state Attorney General William Tong investigate whether the proper labeling and security features were followed, and whether clerks received appropriate notice of who in their towns were receiving which applications.

This is a reasonable request and should be addressed so that either the process can be fixed or concerns can be allayed.

Further, Fasano is also concerned that pre-stamped envelopes containing ballots mailed on election day wont be postmarked and therefore counted. It would seem Lamont can give registrars leeway on the postmark if the envelopes are received by Thursday.

Overall, Tuesdays primaries show promise that voting in a pandemic can work, with fine-tuning, for the all-important Nov. 3 election that will attract a far greater volume.
Before the first oncogene mutations were discovered in human cancer in the early 1980s, the 1970s provided the first data suggesting alterations in the genetic material of tumors. In this context, the prestigious magazine "Nature" published in 1975 the existence of a specific alteration in the transformed cell: an RNA responsible for carrying an amino acid to build proteins (transfer RNA) was missing a piece, the enigmatic nucleotide "Y".

After that outstanding observation, the most absolute silence and ignorance has reigned for forty-five years on the causes and consequences of not having that correct base in that RNA.

In an article that was just published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) by the group of Dr. Manel Esteller, Director of the Josep Carreras Leukaemia Research Institute, ICREA Research Professor and Professor of Genetics at the University of Barcelona is solved this mystery by describing that in cancer cells the protein that generates the nucleotide "Y" is epigenetically inactivated, causing small but highly aggressive tumors.

Since the original discovery in 1975, there has been much biochemical work to characterize the enzymes involved in the different steps that lead to the desired nucleotide "Y", a hypermodified guanine, but without connecting this characterization with its defect in tumor biology. We have built the bridge between these two worlds by demonstrating that the epigenetic silencing of the TYW2 gene is the cause of the loss of the elusive nucleotide "Y", explains Dr. Esteller about the article in the PNAS journal and adds Epigenetic blockade TYW2 gene occurs mainly in colon, stomach and uterine cancer. And it has undesirable consequences for healthy cells: the postman (RNA) that sends the signal to produce the bricks of our body (proteins) begins to accumulate errors and the cell takes on a different appearance, far from the normal epithelium, which we call mesenchymal and which it is associated with the appearance of metastasis. In this regard, when we study patients with colon cancer in early stages, the epigenetic defect of TYW2 and the loss of the nucleotide "Y" is associated with those tumors that, although small in size, already lead to less survival of the person. We would like to explore now how to restore the activity of the TYW2 gene and restore the longed-for "Y" piece in cancer in order to close the cycle of this story that began so brilliantly in 1975, at the dawn of modern molecular biology, concludes the researcher.

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TORONTO, Canada, Aug. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- A chart-topping book released this summer makes a powerful evidence-backed argument for why western governments must improve their governance practices. The very future of liberal democracy itself is at stake.

'The Broken Contract: Making Our Democracies Accountable, Representative, and Less Wasteful' has debuted as a best-seller in an era of populist backlash and angst over COVID19. 'The Broken Contract' is currently Amazon Number One Best Seller in the Politics category and near the top in several other categories in Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States (Full-charts below).

The social contract between government and citizen is at risk argues the book's author, Dr Saqib Qureshi. While political parties have become experts at winning election campaigns, they have become progressively worse at governance.

The book provides novel suggestions to improve the bureaucracies on which democracies depend. His solutions are neither left nor right-leaning in their outlook.

"A deeply personal and passionately engaged contribution to an important debate, which speaks directly to many of the core moral and political problems presented by democratic backsliding today." Peter Frankopan, Oxford University professor and author of the bestseller 'The Silk Roads: A New History of the World'.

Author Biography:

Dr Saqib Qureshi a Fellow of the London School of Economics, where he completed his undergraduate and PhD degrees. He currently lives in the Toronto area where he is a well-respected entrepreneur. He has written for The Financial Times, The Wall Street Journal, and other publications. He previously authored 'Reconstructing Strategy: Dancing with the God of Objectivity' (2015). After decades of working in government, management consulting and investment banking he began a journey beyond the surface of our democracy - this book is the result.

The book can be purchased here from Amazon.

Amazon Store Rankings as of Friday, August 7th

Canada Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #1,017 Paid in Kindle Store #1 in Political Philosophy (Kindle Store), #1 in Democracy, #1 in Government (Kindle Store)

United Kingdom Rankings: #3 in Political Parties (Kindle Store), #8 in Civil Rights & Liberties (Kindle Store), #4 in Practical Politics (Kindle Store)

United States Rankings: #3 in Constitutions (Kindle Store), #3 in Public Affairs & Administration (Kindle Store), #2 in Philosophy Reference (Kindle Store)

Interview Requests:

For interviews with the author please contact saqibqureshica@gmail.com

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1227461/Broken_Contract.jpg
National party chairman Tom Perez told The Associated Press on Monday that he plans to use the remainder of his term to advocate for continued changes to the process by which the partys presidential nominees are selected.
I n her memoirs published last year  The Truths We Hold  Kamala Harris described the weight of responsibility now facing Americans: Years from now, our children and grandchildren will look up and lock eyes with us. They will ask where we were when the stakes were so high.

This was no rhetorical flourish. The outcome of the US presidential election on November 3 will have huge ramifications not only for America, but the rest of the world: in his first four years in the White House we have seen what Donald Trump is capable of; how scornful he is of the rule of law, how poisonously divisive, and how reckless with the international order. Should he secure a second term, the potential for harm at home and abroad is colossal.

Now, as Joe Bidens vice-presidential running mate, Senator Harris has a chance to help prevent that grisly outcome. Already, her achievement is historic: she is the first black and South Asian American woman to appear on a major partys ticket  having been the first woman and the first person of colour to become district attorney of San Francisco; the first woman and the first person of colour to be attorney general of California; and the first black woman to be elected by that state to the Senate (and only the second ever in US history).

John Nance Garner, Franklin D Roosevelts first vice-president, famously described the office as not worth a bucket of warm piss. This is funnier than it is true. As Dick Cheney showed during George W Bushs presidency, and Biden himself in his close partnership with Barack Obama, a vice-president, suitably empowered, can be an enormously significant figure in the White House.

Matthew d'Ancona

The electoral impact of vice-presidential nominees is much less clear. The extent to which Lyndon Johnson helped John F Kennedy win the South in 1960 is still contested. What is certain is that a poor choice can seriously harm a campaign: John McCains selection of Sarah Palin in 2008 was a disaster.

Though Harris was polling solidly as a potential running mate to Biden even before yesterdays announcement, he has not chosen her because of her appeal to a specific electoral demographic or association with a group of states. The signal he has sent is much more significant.

Harris is the most prominent senator supporting Black Lives Matter since the killing of George Floyd

If he is inaugurated as the 46th president on January 20, Biden will be, at 78, the oldest person to be sworn into that office. In March, he described himself as a bridge, an elder statesman who would hand over, by implication, to the younger generation after a single term in the White House. This means that, if Biden and Harris prevail in November, the latter will be the presumptive Democrat presidential nominee in 2024 which is to say that a decision taken in the heat of the 2020 campaign could conceivably have immense implications for US politics into the late 2020s and early 2030s.

But let us not get ahead of ourselves. The most important message of Bidens choice is that he intends  quite rightly  to make the election a referendum on Trump rather than a bid to unite the various wings of his own party by creating a balanced ticket. Yes, there are many of his fellow Democrats who still believe that the answer to the Right-wing populism of Donald Trump is the Left-wing populism of Bernie Sanders and his allies.

But Biden has shown that he is less interested in his partys factional sensitivities than in the urgent business of sacking Trump and governing once he is gone. If he and Harris enter the White House, they will inherit a country in terrible trouble: economically scarred, still suffering from Trumps appalling management of the pandemic, and horrendously divided. The remedial task facing them will be daunting.

In this respect, Harris has formidable potential. As a former prosecutor, she has a ferociously forensic and empirical style  as she showed during her cross-examination of the then attorney- general Jeff Sessions in 2017 (who complained she was making him nervous) and Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, the following year. She is also an unashamed pragmatist. As she told the New York Times in July 2019: Policy has to be relevant, Thats my guiding principle: Is it relevant? Not, Is it a beautiful sonnet?

In 2008, when Barack Obama ran for office, America was in the mood for a sonnet. Twelve years later, it badly needs a dose of firm practicality, capability, and focus.

Which is not to say that Harris is without principle. Though she has been criticised for some of her decisions as a prosecutor  Kamala the cop  she was not afraid to take on Biden in the Democratic presidential debates over his previous support for segregationist senators and opposition to mandatory bussing of school pupils to encourage racial integration.

At the time, Biden was shocked by her critique. In retrospect, it probably acted as a recommendation: she would not be reticent about speaking truth to power in the Oval Office. No senator has been as prominent in supporting Black Lives Matter and demanding police reform since the killing of George Floyd in May. As vice-president, Harris would have an essential role in addressing the racial injustices that still tear at Americas soul and social fabric.

The greatest peril facing Bidens campaign is that it has been a pudding without a theme. By picking Harris, he has shown that he grasps what Martin Luther King described as the fierce urgency of now and the overriding need to end what may well be remembered as the worst presidency in the history of the republic. This is not just another election. In its outcome, as she herself wrote, we all have a stake.
A lawsuit filed in California has accused Instagram of harvesting biometric data of users. Just last month, Facebook offered $650 million to settle a lawsuit that accused Facebook of illegally collecting biometric data by using a photo-tagging tool. This time around the lawsuit levies similar allegations against Facebook-owned Instagram.

The lawsuit accuses Instagram of harvesting biometric data of more than 100 million users without their consent. Furthermore, the lawsuit also claims Facebook is storing and profiting from the illegally harvested biometric data. Instagram has informed users about collecting biometric data early this year. However, it is alleged that Instagram was harvesting biometric data even before that.

As per the lawsuit, unauthorized collection of biometric data violates an Illinois privacy law. The company can be made to pay up to $1000 for each violation. If the company has acted recklessly or intentionally, the fine can go up to $5000 for each violation. Facebook is yet to comment on the allegations.

Our Take

Biometric data is any data that is created while authenticating the user via the biometric process. It can be fingerprints in case of Touch ID or facial patterns in the case of Face ID. Biometric data is used for monetization, and privacy advocates fear the potential for mass surveillance.

Facebook is often criticized due to the lack of privacy and the way user data is handled. Tag Suggestion, Facebooks photo-tagging tool used face-matching software to come up with names of people in the photo.

What do you think of Facebooks repeated lapse when it comes to user data privacy? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

[via Bloomberg
After new cases of COVID-19 were reported, breaking their 102-day COVID-free run, New Zealanders are scrambling to stock up on supplies as they prepare for their biggest city to once again go into lockdown, Wednesday.

New Zealand has been hailed globally after its success in battling COVID-19 and being able to go for more than 3 months without reporting new infections. The island nation that lies in the Pacific with a population of 5 million has also been dubbed as one of the safest places in the world as the coronavirus became a pandemic.

According to Ashley Bloomfield, New Zealand's Director General of Health stated that the four cases were reported from one family who are located in South Auckland.

She also added that one of the positive individuals is already in their 50s. The family has no reported history of traveling internationally. She also noted that contact tracing is already being performed and family members have already been tested.

Meanwhile, as news of the cases went out, people across the country began to panic. With businesses preparing to close down, people rushed to supermarkets to stock up on essential needs.

According to Inquirer.net, on Wednesday, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Adern stated that as a precautionary measure, Auckland would be placed under level 3 restriction. Level three means that large gatherings with more than 10 participants would be prohibited and people are also advised to stay away from work and school.

Moreover, she added that the restriction would go on for three days since it would be enough time to gather information, perform widespread contact tracing, and make an assessment in order to build a new strategy to mitigate the spread.

Adern also ensured the citizens that her government has prepared for the situation. However, she told people to be careful because as of the moment the source of the infections is still unknown.

Read also: United States to Acquire 100 Million Doses of Coronavirus Vaccine From Moderna

"Do not panic"

Meanwhile, Auckland's Mayor Phil Goff has advised his constituents to remain calm and not to panic while contact tracing is still being performed. He also urged them to come together just like what they have done before when they were able to stamp out community transmission of the virus, Reuters reported.

In addition, Adern has advised that travel to Auckland is restricted except for those who live there.

Moreover, she added that the entire New Zealand would be placed on an alert level two for three days. This means that social gatherings with more than 100 people would be prohibited and social distancing would again be imposed.

New Zealand last saw community transmission of the virus on May 1, after their first case was reported at the end of February.

Last Sunday, the country marked 100 days without any local cases, however, they were warned not to be complacent as other countries such as Australia and Vietnam had already seen a resurgence of the outbreak.

On top of this, Bloomfield stated that it is likely that more cases will be reported in the following days since the nature of the new cases remains unknown.



Related article: California's Public Health Chief Steps Down After Disclosure of Gigantic COVID-19 Records Backlog

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Mexican Ex-President Enrique Pena Nieto accused of corruption and bribery

BBC Online :

Prosecutors in Mexico have opened a corruption investigation against former President Enrique Pena Nieto.

It comes after Emilio Lozoya, the ex-head of the state energy firm, accused Mr Pena Nieto of taking millions of dollars in bribes and bribing MPs.

Mr Lozoya was extradited from Spain last month to stand trial on corruption charges linked to Brazil's construction giant Odebrecht.

Mr Pena Nieto, who was in office in 2012-18, has so far made no comments.

Last year, a witness testifying at a US trial of Mexico's drug cartel kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman said Mr Pena Nieto had accepted a $100m (77m) bribe from the mobster.

The ex-president also made no comments on that allegation, but he has previously rejected allegations of corruption.

Mr Lozoya was a former top official during Mr Pena Nieto's 2012 campaign, and head of the state-owned oil giant Pemex from 2012 to 2016.

Mr Lozoya said Mr Pena Nieto and former Finance Minister Luis Videgaray had ordered him to funnel more than $4m in bribes from Odebrecht into the 2012 presidential election campaign.

In a second allegation, Mr Lozoya said that once in power Mr Pena Nieto and Mr Videgaray used a similar amount to bribe lawmakers to ensure the passage of a crucial energy reform bill through parliament.

Mr Lozoya said he could bring in four witnesses, as well as video and other documents to back up his accusations.

Mr Lozoya was one of the most powerful figures in Mexico when he was the president's adviser.

Neither Mr Pena Nieto nor Mr Videgaray have commented on the specific allegations against them. They have not been charged with anything.

However, Mexican Attorney General Alejandro Gertz considered the testimony important enough to have launched an investigation into the matter.




Netflix's new space drama, 'Away', centring around an international crew's voyage to Mars looks set to pull on heartstrings when it debuts on September 4.

From Executive Producer Jason Katims, the Netflix series Away is a thrilling, emotional drama on an epic scale that celebrates the incredible advancements humans can achieve and the personal sacrifices they must make along the way.

As American astronaut Emma Green (Hilary Swank) prepares to lead an international crew on the first mission to Mars, she must reconcile her decision to leave behind her husband (Josh Charles) and teenage daughter (Talitha Bateman) when they need her the most.

As the crew's journey into space intensifies, their personal dynamics and the effects of being away from their loved ones back on Earth become increasingly complex. Away shows that sometimes to reach for the stars, we must leave home behind.

Created by Andrew Hinderaker, the series is executive produced by showrunner Jessica Goldberg, Jason Katims, Matt Reeves, Andrew Hinderaker, Edward Zwick, Hilary Swank, Adam Kassan and Jeni Mulein.

Cast & Character Information

Emma Green (Hilary Swank)

Emma Green is an American astronaut and former Navy pilot. She is the commander of the first mission to Mars. She is a headstrong, empathetic and highly intelligent astronaut and leader. She is married to Matt Logan, a chief engineer at NASA. Emma and Matt have a 15-year-old daughter, Lex.

Matt Logan (Josh Charles)

Matt Logan is a NASA engineer whose wife Emma Green is commanding the first mission to Mars. He faces the already enormous challenges of dealing with the mission from home, while trying to raise their teenage daughter on his own.

Alexis Lex Logan (Talitha Bateman)

15-years-old Lex is the daughter of astronauts Emma Green and Matt Logan. Like her father, Lex is supportive and proud of her mothers three-year mission. She struggles with coming of age while her mother is on the mission and her father faces his own struggles.

Misha Popov (Mark Ivanir)

Misha Popov is a Russian cosmonaut and engineer on the mission to Mars alongside Emma Green. The most experienced member of the crew, Misha doesnt lack for ego, but secretly struggles with the personal sacrifices he made to get to space.

Dr. Kwesi Weisberg - Abban (Ato Essandoh)

Kwesi Weisberg-Abban is a British citizen from Ghana. Kwesi (pronounced Kway-Si) is good-humoured, modest, and a man of deep faith. Hes a world-renowned botanist and carries with him the hope of growing life on Mars.

Ram Arya (Ray Panthaki)

Ram Arya is an Air Force fighter pilot from India. While the other astronauts are forced to reckon with their attachments to earth and their families, Ram is quite alone in the world.

Lu Wang (Vivian Wu)

Lu Wang is a chemist and astronaut representing China. She is intelligent and pragmatic but below her focused exterior, she has a complex personal life. She is married with a young son.

Melissa Ramirez (Monique Curnen)

Melissa Ramirez is a former astronaut who is Emmas Crew Support Astronaut. Her job is to be Emmas Liaison To Earth. Melissa gave up her own career as an astronaut to support her special needs child, but she is there for Emma and her family. She takes care of Lex in Matt and Emmas absence.
Teepolo Trademark Five top tips for making sure that your application is successful

Trademark applications are a tricky business. A lot of research goes into assessing if a trademark is available or whether it's going to infringe on someone elses trademark or brand. This will determine whether your application ultimately is going to be challenged.

After being challenged in 2016 by the UKIPO, Teepolo was registered as a Trademark in 2016 at the EUIPO without any further challenges. In 2020 products landed in the UK market and the growth journey has finally started. This is proof that even during COVID 19, when many large businesses are declining it is possible to create new opportunities.

I would like to share my five top tips for making sure that your application is a successful and seamless journey and avoiding those tricky situations where your application gets challenged . The important thing to remember is that your trademark is supposed to make you stand out. Although your ideas may be similar to established brands, you may see an opportunity to refresh an old band and bring some new ideas to the market. Your trademark has to reflect these new ideas that you want to bring into the world. There is a fine line between refreshing an established market and infringing on the trademarks of your competitors which is ultimately down to the opinion of the trademark registration body.

To help you on your journey of trademark registry, I present my top tips for registering a brand based on my experience of registering the trademark Teepolo with the EUIPO and Amazon.

1. Research Trademark Databases

The first step, before attempting to register trademark, is to research trademark databases across the world to make sure that your trademark has not been registered already. There are a number of important trademark registry websites that you will need to research such as the EUIPO.

Each country in the world usually has its own trademark registry database. Although they do research other databases when you apply for your trademark, they may not have flagged a trademark that could be closely related to yours on another trademark database which could lead to problems later in your business journey.

As soon as you file the application your trademark will be published. At that point your competitors have a set time, usually three months, to challenge your application. If an infringement is deemed to be found you could be fined by the trademark registration body and ordered to pay the costs of your competitor so do your homework to avoid getting into this sticky situation at all cost.

2. Carefully Select the Trademark Body

The trademark body that you register with needs to be linked closely to the market that you wish to access. This can be the country that you live in or the closest economic area where you can easily distribute the goods that you wish to sell. It is important to research previous applications and challenges as they are all published on these websites and available to anyone in the general public. If you can pre-empt the kinds of challenges that might come up you have a better chance of having a successful application the first time you apply.

3. Search Domain Names and Google

A good way to research whether trademarks are in use is to type it into your web browser and into the Google search bar. Just because someone has not registered the trademark it doesn't guarantee that the trademark is not already in use and making sales. If this is the case, you could land in hot water for trademark infringement. It is often easier to apply in an environment that you are already familiar with and where you can recognize brands easily. Once your trademark is registered with one intellectual property office it will generally be recognized by all other global trademark bodies.

4. Research Amazon Brands

Amazon is a great resource for brand name research. It is a collection of small and big businesses run by all sorts of entrepreneurs who develop their own brands and create an instant trademark on Amazons platform.

Not all the brands listed on Amazon are registered trademarks, but this does not necessarily mean that they are available for registration by a different seller. If you want to avoid getting any to any sort of difficulty it would be worth taking note if the trademark that you propose is already being used on Amazon.

Once your trademark is registered you can apply for brand registry with Amazon if you have a professional seller account. This will lead to Amazon actively protecting your brand and helping you on your brand building journey. Most small businesses who are trading and have not necessarily registered their trademarks have a presence on Amazon, Etsy or Shopify.

5. Be Unique. Be Yourself.

The best way to ensure that your trademark application is going to be successful is to be unique. The spirit in which trademark law is written is that a brand must stand out, be unique and not be in use or lead to consumer confusion. Ideas like common words are not going to be accepted as trademarks, so let your imagination run wild. Create your own brand-new word, design your own brand-new image and don't be afraid to be unique. Being uniquely you will be the best way to create a successful brand.

If you would like to see this journey in action look up Teepolo on the EUIPO and on Amazon.
Russian air defences have confronted and downed a drone over the city of Jableh, which was launched from the border of Lattakia and Idleb writes Al-Masdar.

Anti-aircraft missiles at the Hemeimeem Base shot down a drone in the Lattakia countryside.

The air defenses at the Hemeimeem Base confronted a drone in the airspace of the city of Jableh, which led to it being shot down by the Russian Armed Forces.

Report stated that there were no casualties at the crash site of the drone.

The Russian anti-aircraft missile system has thwarted, over recent months, dozens of attacks by drones launched by terrorist organizations aimed at Hemeimeem Airbase in the Lattakia countryside.

The Russian Ministry of Defense has yet to comment on the reports about their air defenses intercepting an enemy drone over the Hemeimeem Base in western Syria.

A local source said the incident occurred early on Monday and that the drone was launched from the administrative border of Lattakia and Idleb governorates.

This article was edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
Asylum-seekers preparing to make the treacherous journey across the Channel from France have warned they will attempt to drown themselves if the Navy attempts to intercept their boats.

More than 4,600 people have crossed the Dover Strait on small boats so far this year, with increased surveillance and coronavirus travel restrictions having effectively closed the previously more popular method of stowing away in vehicles.

With concern rising and inflamed rhetoric in the UK, immigration minister Chris Philp and and newly appointed clandestine channel threat commander Dan OMahoney travelled to Paris to hash out a new, comprehensive action plan to stem the crossings.

Meanwhile, Priti Patel has stepped up plans to use warships to intercept migrant vessels, which one Ministry of Defence official described as completely potty, inappropriate and disproportionate.

Its beyond absurd to think that we should be deploying multimillion-pound ships and elite soldiers to deal with desperate people barely staying afloat on rubber dinghies in the Channel, they told the Press Association. It could potentially put peoples lives at even greater risk.

Hundreds evicted from French refugee camp amid Channel crossings rise Show all 12 1 /12 Hundreds evicted from French refugee camp amid Channel crossings rise Hundreds evicted from French refugee camp amid Channel crossings rise French police officers and gendarmes stand by tents during the evacuation of the Grande Synthe migrant camp, northern France, on September 17, 2019. Francois Lo Presti/AFP/Getty Hundreds evicted from French refugee camp amid Channel crossings rise French gendarmes walk by tents during the evacuation of the Grande Synthe migrant camp, northern France, on September 17, 2019. Francois Lo Presti/AFP/Getty Hundreds evicted from French refugee camp amid Channel crossings rise French police officers move migrants on from a camp in Dunkirk, France, 17 September 2019. Care4Calais/PA Hundreds evicted from French refugee camp amid Channel crossings rise French police officers move migrants on from a camp in Dunkirk, France, 17 September 2019. Care4Calais/PA Hundreds evicted from French refugee camp amid Channel crossings rise A bulldozer at work as French police officers move migrants from a camp near Grande-Synthe, Dunkirk, 17 September 2019. Help Refugees/PA Hundreds evicted from French refugee camp amid Channel crossings rise Police officers moving migrants from a camp near Grande-Synthe, Dunkirk, France,17 September 2019. Help Refugees/PA Hundreds evicted from French refugee camp amid Channel crossings rise Migrants at the Espace Jeunes du Moulin gym in Dunkirk as people awaited eviction from the camp 12 September 2019. Steve Parsons/PA Hundreds evicted from French refugee camp amid Channel crossings rise Aran Quader, 6, and his sister Yaran, two, at the Espace Jeunes du Moulin gym in Dunkirk on 12 September 2019, days before refugees were evicted. Steve Parsons/PA Hundreds evicted from French refugee camp amid Channel crossings rise Hamdren Quader 32, with his wife Xalat, 26, and children Kajhan, 8, Aran, 6, and Yaran, two, at the Espace Jeunes du Moulin gym in Dunkirk, France, on 12 September before refugees were evicted from the camp days later. PA Hundreds evicted from French refugee camp amid Channel crossings rise A bulldozer at work as French police officers move migrants from a camp near Grande-Synthe, Dunkirk, 17 September 2019. Help Refugees/PA Hundreds evicted from French refugee camp amid Channel crossings rise Police officers moving migrants from a camp near Grande-Synthe, Dunkirk, France, 17 September 2019. Help Refugees/PA Hundreds evicted from French refugee camp amid Channel crossings rise Police officers moving migrants from a camp near Grande-Synthe, Dunkirk, France, 17 September 2019. Help Refugees/PA

Amid increasing desperation, and with the preservation of life deemed paramount under maritime law, some of those living in refugee camps in northern France have now threatened to jump overboard if their passage is blocked  which would require UK ships to withdraw.

The boat is our only chance for a new life in a safe country, Kamal Sadeghi, 39, a Christian convert from Iran, told The Times, who has been in Calais for 10 days with his 33-year-old wife, Niki Karimi, 33, and their daughter, Sava, whose first birthday is on Sunday.

I am too tired to carry on. If they try to stop us I will drown myself.

We have lost everything since we left Iran three years ago, he said, telling the paper that his family had been incarcerated along with 300 single men after seeking refuge in Slovenia, where their savings were lost to the mafia.

Ms Karimi, a lawyer who is now suffering with depression, added: We need just a normal life. We need to get on a boat. If they try to stop us I will kill myself. I would jump in the water.

For months now, security officials and their representatives have voiced fears that asylum-seekers may resort to jumping from their boats if intercepted by UK or French authorities attempting to stop their passage to Britain.

Yusshka Mir, 36, an Iranian clothes designer described an attempt two nights previously in a dinghy alongside 17 other men, who were rescued by French police after 12 hours at sea with a failed GPS system, bailing water from their boat with their hands.

I have no money, no food, no home, no reason to carry on living if they try to stop me getting to England, he told The Times. What Boris Johnson does not understand is that for us it is better to die if we cannot reach England. I would drown myself. We will all die.

While some in the UK have accused those seeking to cross to Britain of being economic migrants, asylum-seekers weekly allowance is less than 38 per week, with most forbidden from seeking employment.

The main reasons asylum-seekers come to the UK are that they speak English or have a family connection there, and because Britains family reunification programme is faster than other countries, Baraa Halabieh, a Syrian actor, campaigner and refugee living in the UK told the BBC on Tuesday.

Aziz Shojaei, a 27-year-old from Afghanistan wishes to join his three brothers in the UK and had paid 3,000 for passage in a small boat, which was intercepted by the French authorities within 10 minutes.

I would have drowned myself but the water was not deep enough, he told The Times. We were too close to France; if we had got to the English line [in the middle of the Channel] we would have been taken to England.

I must try again. I cannot remain here, if the police catch you they do violence, they will set dogs on you, he added. If I make asylum here they will not give us a house or money. No one cares here.

The UK offered asylum, resettlement or protection to 19,480 people in the year to September 2019  the highest number since 2003, according to Home Office statistics. It received significantly less applications than Germany, France, Spain and Greece.

On Tuesday, The Independent revealed that the government was warned nine months ago that its own policies were pushing migrants to take more dangerous routes across the English Channel in an official report by MPs on the Foreign Affairs Committee, among them Ms Patel.

The report called for the government to increase legal routes to seek asylum, improve dire conditions in French camps, and address the root causes of migration.

Responding to Ms Patels plan to employ the Navy, former home secretary Jack Straw said last week: I dont think that just trying to push these people back is going to work.

It will only take one of these dinghies to capsize and everybody to drown  which is perfectly feasible  for there to be a hullabaloo, including in the Conservative party, and for the policy to have to be reversed.
WINSTED  Allowing children to return to their classrooms in September, with a focus on their health at all times, is what Gov. Ned Lamont wants more than anything. That was the message he brought to Winsted Tuesday, during a roundtable discussion and press conference with school and town officials.

Lamont was joined at Pearson Middle School by state Education Commissioner Miguel Cardona, Winchester Public Schools Superintendent Melony Brady-Shanley, school Principal Barbara Silverio and Mayor Candy Perez, as well as state Rep. Jay Case and local public safety officials.

Lamont said Winsteds effort to bring students back to school in person for Aug. 31 was a great achievement.

I know we can (reopen the schools), Lamont said. Today is a testimony of that.

Noting Connecticuts success with reducing the number of COVID-19 cases during the coronavirus pandemic over other states, the governor added, If Connecticut cant get kids back in the classroom, no state can. Weve earned the right to reopen our schools.

In early July, CT Mirror reported that Connecticuts cases of COVID-19 were less than one percent. At that time, according to the report, Lamont said he was adamant about delaying a third phase of easing COVID-19 restrictions after seeing infection rates spike in other states and prompting governors to close bars, for example, that had just been allowed to reopen.

Meanwhile, school districts such as Brady-Shanleys are doing everything they can to ensure children are protected from the virus. Brady-Shanley said the reopening plan began this summer during the districts summer-school program, when children attending those sessions wore masks, washed their hands and understood the concept of social distancing while following a daily education routine. The district created a team to develop classroom safety protocols, remote learning plans, provision of cleaning supplies and personal protective equipment, and a safety plan for school buses and meal times.

To have a positive result on reopening, we needed a team approach, Brady-Shanley said. We set up classrooms, cleaned the buildings, addressed fears. ... Were communicating with families.

Children need the benefit of face-to-face interaction, she said. I stand here as a parent of a second-grader and a high school freshman, and I see how my own children miss their teachers and their friends. Kids want to be back in the classroom.

Brady-Shanley sought the publics opinion over the past month with an online survey and public online forum, and said Tuesday that 76 percent of the parents surveyed wanted their children to return to school in person, while the remaining 22 percent wanted to use the distance learning option, and 2 percent were planning to home-school.

The state required all public schools to develop three options for reopening: full in-person; full distance learning; and a hybrid of at-home instruction and classroom time. School districts have chosen various iterations of these options. In Torrington, for example, the district is using a hybrid plan in which 50 percent of the students will attend school in-person on Mondays and Tuesdays and the other 50 percent on Thursdays and Fridays, with the other days being at-home instruction. All students would work remotely on Wednesdays, allowing the district to clean the buildings.

Ultimately, public health is the most important thing, and its what we care about the most, Lamont said. We were one of the first states to close our schools, and if we have to, well close them again. I hope we wont.

Lamont was asked whether he thought waiting to reopen until concerns about a spike in virus cases, anticipated by some to come in fall or winter, according to CNN.com, was a good idea.

I dont know whats going to happen in a month, he said. Lets let them back in school, if we can do it safely.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-12 11:29:31|Editor: huaxia

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PHNOM PENH, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia confirmed two new imported COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 268, the Health Ministry said in a statement.

A new case was found on a 25-year-old American woman, who arrived in Phnom Penh, capital of Cambodia, on Monday from the United States with a connecting flight in South Korea, the statement said.

"The woman tested positive for the COVID-19 on Tuesday, and currently she has been admitted to the Khmer-Soviet Friendship Hospital in Phnom Penh for treatment," it said, adding that the remaining 24 passengers on the same flight have been placed under a 14-day mandatory quarantine.

While another case was detected on a 22-year-old Chinese man, who landed in the kingdom on Sunday from the Philippines via a direct flight, the statement said.

"The man's sample was tested for the second time and the result showed on Tuesday that he turned out to be positive for the COVID-19," it added.

The man is currently undergoing treatment at the Chak Angre Health Center in southern Phnom Penh, the statement said.

The Southeast Asian country has recorded a total of 268 confirmed COVID-19 cases to date, with 220 patients cured and 48 remained in hospital. Enditem
When Sturgill Simpson released the album Sound & Fury in 2019, it arrived with a companion anime film on Netflix. Colorful, intense, and wildly violent, the movie focused on a shadowy muscle-car driver and his bloody mission of vengeance. In November, Simpson and Z2 Comics will probe the drivers origin in Sound & Fury: The Graphic Novel, a prequel to the storyline of the film.

The novel comes in two formats, both 144 pages: a standard paperback version and a deluxe, oversize hardcover edition in a slipcase. Each is available for preorder. The project features the artwork of Rufus Dayglo, Deathburger, Rosi Kampe, Vasilis Lolos, and Takashi Okazaki.

More from Rolling Stone

The Sound & Fury album found Simpson diving headlong into hard rock, electro-boogie, and experimental blues in songs like Fastest Horse in Town, Sing Along, and Best Clockmaker on Mars. Each song received its own vignette in the Netflix anime film.

Earlier this summer, the Kentucky songwriter played a bluegrass livestream concert at Nashvilles Ryman Auditorium to raise money for MusiCares Covid-19 Relief, Equity Alliance Nashville Tornado Relief, and the Special Forces Foundation. He also shared that he was in the studio recording a new bluegrass album.

Simpsons A Good Lookn Tour with Tyler Childers hit the skids when the coronavirus pandemic took hold in the spring. The remaining shows have been canceled.

Sound & Fury: The Graphic Novel will be released November 17th.

See where your favorite artists and songs rank on the Rolling Stone Charts.



Sign up for Rolling Stones Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
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.
China has taken the lead in global 5G development, with nearly half of worldwide investment by the country this year, according to the latest reports.

A newly-launched report by market consultancy Gartner Inc said the country leads the world in 5G development and is expected to contribute 49.4 percent of 5G investment globally this year.

"Cost-effective infrastructure manufactured in China is paving the way for major communications service providers in the country to quickly build 5G coverage," said Kosei Takiishi, senior research director at Gartner.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, investment growth rates in 5G will be slightly lower worldwide this year but will rebound modestly next year, the report said.

" (The rebound next year comes) as communications service providers seek to capitalize on changed behaviors that are sparked by populations' elevated reliance on communication networks," it added.

The comments echo a recent survey by Swedish telecom equipment maker Ericsson which said that China's 5G development is speeding up this year, which was a contrast to the slowdown of 5G rollout and growing subscription rates in many markets.

Nearly 89 percent of Chinese consumers surveyed believe that 5G is set to play an increasingly bigger role in the future, while 59 percent showed willingness to buy 5G-related products and services, the survey said.

Currently, the country's three major telecommunications carriersChina Mobile, China Unicom and China Telecomare spending big and plan to invest more this year in 5G construction.

The total expenditure budget of the three major operators this year is 334.8 billion yuan ($48.1 billion). Of that amount, the 5G-related capital expenditure budget hit 180.3 billion yuan. The 5G expenditure accounted for 53.9 percent of the total budget and will be a 337.6 percent increase year-on-year.

"China has actively promoted 5G construction and local consumers are also holding an open mind to embrace the technology, which laid a relatively solid foundation for 5G development in the country," said Zhang Jin, a researcher from the China Center for International Economic Exchanges.

While China remains the world's largest 5G market, Zhang pointed out that the country's efforts in driving 5G-related industrial funds and industrial chain development have also boosted the nation's competitiveness in the sector.

A report by the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology pointed out that China's efforts in 5G commercialization will directly drive an investment of 900 billion yuan this year.

While total 5G investment will reach 1.5 trillion yuan over the next five years, it will help create more than 3.5 million jobs by then. By 2030, the superfast 5G will help create a total economic output of 6.3 trillion yuan, the report said.

To gear up new growth engines, China also called for new infrastructure construction including 5G, artificial intelligence and the industrial internet. Such efforts are in line with the nation's drive to ensure stability in domestic and foreign investment.

"New infrastructure comes with huge opportunities," said Kaifu Lee, a prominent AI expert who is chairman and CEO of venture capital firm Sinovation Ventures.

"During the process, AI, together with other core areas of new infrastructure such as 5G, big data and the industrial internet, will integrate much more closely with each other. This will take the digitalization of the nation's traditional industries to a new level," he said.
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews wears a face mask as he walks in to the daily briefing in Melbourne, Australia on July 19, 2020. (Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)

21 Deaths, 410 New COVID Cases in Victoria on Aug. 12

21 people have died and 410 Victorians have contracted coronavirus.

The record number of deaths, tweeted by the Department of Health and Human Services on Aug. 12, takes the state toll to 267 and the national toll to 352.

More information on those who succumbed to the virus will be given later on Wednesday.

Victorian authorities had warned deaths would continue to rise given the number of people in hospital with the virus.

As of Tuesday, 650 people were in hospital and 43 of those in intensive care.

There were 410 new cases of #coronavirus (#COVID19) detected in Victoria in the last 24 hours. We are sad to report that there have been 21 deaths.#Covid19VicData pic.twitter.com/ddHx2bCGmu  VicGovDHHS (@VicGovDHHS) August 11, 2020

More than 150 of Victorias overall deaths have been from aged care homes.

Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton told a parliamentary inquiry 20 deaths a day was relatively modest compared with what was happening in other parts of the world.

Wednesdays record number of deaths comes amid a war of words between the state and federal governments over Victorias botched hotel quarantine scheme.

Premier Daniel Andrews said the Australian Defence Force had not been on offer to guard the hotels when the scheme began.

But Defence Minister Linda Reynolds said ADF support had been offered to Victoria on multiple occasions.

Jobs Minister Martin Pakula, whose department co-ordinated the hotel quarantine scheme, is due to face the inquiry on Wednesday.

Melbourne
Three people were killed in violence that broke out in east Bengaluru on Tuesday night after a mob attacked a Congress MLA's house over a communally sensitive post put up on social media allegedly by the MLA's nephew.

The mob attacked Pulakeshinagar MLA Akhand Srinivasa Murthy's house. Rioters also gathered near the KG Halli police station in east Bengaluru, demanding a case be registered against the leader's nephew and vandalised police vehicles.

Tensions simmered over a Facebook post that made offensive remarks about a community. However, the MLA's nephew later posted that his account had been hacked and that he would file a complaint.

Restrictions under Section 144 of CrPC have been imposed in Bengaluru. Several platoons of the reserve police were rushed to the location. Community leaders were also called in to assuage the mob on Tuesday night.

RELATED NEWS As Mob Violence Burnt Bengaluru, Why it Took Karnataka Congress Nearly 12 Hours to React

SDPI leaders Mujamil Pasha and Ayaz have been arrested in connection with the violence.

Commissioner of Police, Bengaluru City Kamal Pant said that 110 people have been arrested, including Naveen, who shared the derogatory post.

"With regard to incidents in DJ Halli, accused Naveen arrested for posting derogatory posts.. also total 110 accused arrested for arson, stone pelting and assault on police. APPEAL TO ALL TO COOPERATE WITH POLICE TO MAINTAIN PEACE," Pant tweeted.

With regard to incidents in DJ Halli, accused Naveen arrested for posting derogatory posts.. also total 110 accused arrested for arson, stone pelting and assault on police. APPEAL TO ALL TO COOPERATE WITH POLICE TO MAINTAIN PEACE. Kamal Pant, IPS (@CPBlr) August 11, 2020

Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on Wednesday said that strict action would be taken against the perpetrators. "Directives issued against perpetrators and the government has taken all possible steps to curb the situation. Attack on journalists, police and public is unacceptable. The government won't tolerate such provocations and rumours. Strict action against perpetrators is certain," the chief minister said.

Murthy, too, put out an appeal on social media asking for calm.

"For the fault of some miscreants, let us not fight among ourselves. Whoever has done that, let police and government take action legally. I am also with you to see that whoever it is, is punished. Please maintain calm," he said.

Karnataka Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai said strong action will be taken against those taking the law into their own hands. "Looting, rioting, arson  all this is criminal. Whatever you want to do, what issues you want to take up, please take up issues legally. We have sent additional police force to the place to bring things under control. We have given complete powers to the police to take action. Whoever has gone against the law, we will take strict action. I want to warn the mobsters against taking the law into your own hands," he said in a statement issued on social media.

Senior Congress leader and former Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah condemned the violent incident and the social media post. "I condemn both violent incident that erupted in Kaval Byrsandra & also the social media post that instigated the mob. I humbly request both Hindus & Muslims of the area to stay calm, maintain peace & live in harmony," he wrote on Twitter.

I condemn both violent incident that erupted in Kaval Byrsandra & also the social media post that instigated the mob.I humbly request both Hindus & Muslims of the area to stay calm, maintain peace & live in harmony.1/3 Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) August 12, 2020

In a series of tweets he said that his party extends complete support to the state government. "I have spoken to Bengaluru Police Commissioner to immediately arrest all the culprits who were involved in the incident & also those instigated. We extend our complete support to Karnataka govt in establishing peace," Siddaramaiah said.

Karnataka Congress chief DK Shivakumar said that he has called a meeting of party legislators and added that the party condemned the incident.

"I have called a meeting of our legislators at 12 o'clock today. I have spoken to our CLP leader Siddaramaiah, we will give full support to the government to maintain peace and harmony....I strongly condemn the incident and our party also condemns whatever happened last night. It happened due to a person's post on social media. At this point, it is important to maintain peace," he was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

Meanwhile, Union Minister Suresh Angadi demanded stringent action against the rioters and said that a law similar to the one in place in Uttar Pradesh must be passed in the state to deal with such incidents of violence. He added that this was an attempt to malign the reputation of chief minister Yediyurappa.
Daisy Edgar-Jones has revealed that her boyfriend would 'rather not' watch the sex scenes with Paul Mescal in Normal People but found the hit series 'very beautiful'.

The actress, 22, told how her boyfriend and Game of Thrones actor Tom Varey, 29, expressed how the sex scenes in the BBC Three series were 'handled really well'.

However, despite being 'incredibly moved' by Sally Rooney's 2018 novel which follows the complicated romance of Marianne and Connell, Tom would prefer not to watch the intimate scenes.

Honest: Daisy Edgar-Jones, 22, told how her boyfriend and Game of Thrones actor Tom Varey, 29, expressed how the sex scenes in the BBC Three series were 'handled really well'

Daisy, who plays Marianne, explained how she was mindful of her loved ones seeing the passionate clips with her co-star Paul, 24, but described how her boyfriend is aware of such scenes as an actor.

She said: 'I made sure to send it to my mum before they watched it live, so that she knew exactly when to inform my grandparents to go and make a cup of tea.

She added: 'It was the exact same with Tom. Hes an actor  hes done those scenes before. He had read the book and was incredibly moved by it.'

Close: Daisy, who plays Marianne, explained how she was mindful of her loved ones seeing the passionate clips with her co-star Paul Mescal, 24

Speaking about her boyfriend watching her sex scenes with Paul, who portrayed Connell in the series, she added: 'Im sure hed rather not watch those scenes but, on the whole, he found the series very beautiful and he thought they were handled really well.'

Daisy, who was catapulted to fame while at home in lockdown, revealed how her experience of the success of the show has been 'mostly digital' and 'reaction on social media'.

She confessed how it has been 'hard to wrap [her] head around' being in the spotlight but added how she is 'relieved' to have done the book 'justice'.

'Rather not': Despite being 'incredibly moved' by Sally Rooney's 2018 novel which follows the complicated romance of Marianne and Connell, Tom would prefer not to watch the intimate scenes (above in December 2019)

Success: Daisy (pictured as Marianne), who was catapulted to fame while at home in lockdown, revealed how her experience of the success of the show has been 'mostly digital' and from 'online reactions'

Describing the passionate sex scenes, Daisy told how she initially thought they would be difficult to re-watch but described how the directors, Lenny Abrahamson and Hettie Macdonald, focused on the emotion.

The star, who is preparing for the next instalment of War Of The Worlds, explained how she hopes to take on another role in the future that is as 'deep and complex as Marianne'.

Asked about a second series, Daisy said the characters would need time 'to breathe' before they are revisited and likes the fact that she does not have to say 'goodbye' at the moment due to the lack of neat ending.

Tom and Daisy have been dating for two years after meeting on the set of the film Pond Life in 2018.

Intimate: She said: 'I made sure to send it to my mum before they watched it live, so that she knew exactly when to inform my grandparents to go and make a cup of tea'

In June, it was announced Normal People will return for two specials after series one broke BBC iPlayer records as fans still can't get enough of the hit show.

The drama, based on the novel of the same name by Sally Rooney, follows Irish students Connell (Paul Mescal) and Marianne (Daisy Edgar-Jones) as they navigate social and class dynamics from school to university.

The two specials will air on Friday June 26 on RTE Does Comic Relief in Ireland, with Paul and Daisy reprising their roles.

Daisy and Paul bonded during filming of the series with the actress recently calling him a 'friend for life'.

It comes after Normal People was revealed to be the most watched show on BBC Three ever.

The first episode of the drama has now been watched by 6.75 million devices just two months after it aired, making it the most popular programme on the channel ever.

Although Normal People was originally a BBC Three show, the programme was also shown weekly on BBC One. You can watch Normal People on Stan in Australia.
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Six out of 10 students are anxious about finding a job due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, says a survey carried out by Population Foundation of India.

The survey conducted in Bihar, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh looked into the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on young people in the age group of 15-24 years.

Out of 801 people surveyed, 460 identified themselves as those who were employed, unemployed but actively looking for a job, or about to enter the job market soon. When they were asked if their worries about getting a decent job had increased during the ongoing pandemic and lockdown, 51 (out of 460) answered in the affirmative.

Among these, 43 percent were those who were already employed and 31 percent were those who were unemployed and actively looking for employment.

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

Poonam Muttreja, executive director of PFI, said: "With young people making up almost one-fifth of our population it is imperative that we look closely at the implications of the COVID-19 pandemic and the lockdown on their health and wellbeing. Recommendations emerging from these studies will contribute to the development of more responsible and comprehensive policies, programmes and interventions for adolescent health in India.

Rise in workload at home

The survey showed that 42 percent respondents said their workload of domestic chores had increased during the lockdown. Overall, 51 percent females said they experienced an increase in their workload compared to 23 percent males.

There were regional variations. In Bihar, only 26 percent women said their workload had increased while in Uttar Pradesh, 96 percent female respondents reported an increase in their workload.

UNESCO estimates that nearly 158 million girls enrolled in schools or universities in India are currently out of school because of coronavirus-related closures.

Feelings of depression

The survey showed that a small cohort, about 179 out of 801 respondents, said they were experiencing feelings of depression.

Here, an even smaller cohort  53 out of 801 respondentssaid they were feeling irritable or frustrated due to lack of privacy at home during the lockdown. Among these, an equivalent number of males and females across the three states (overall, 22 percent females and 24 percent males) reported feelings of depression.

The highest was 29 percent males in Uttar Pradesh who responded saying they felt depressed during the lockdown. The study said when probed further, many feelings of anxiety or depression could be traced to economic uncertainty, the inability to move outside and socialise, and fears of the virus itself.

A curious coincidence was between those who reported feeling depressed and those who reported spending more time watching television. The study said 65 percent of those respondents who said they were feeling depressed, reported watching more television.

Also, 58 percent of those respondents who said they were feeling depressed, reported an increase in their social media use.

Lockdown leading to more fights at home

The study showed nearly one out of four respondents reported an increase in fights at home (total 187, or 23 percent).

Overall, more women (26 percent) than men (19 percent) said fights at home had increased during the lockdown.

In Uttar Pradesh, where an equal number of males and females (12 male and 13 female out of 255 respondents) reported an increase in fights at home. Both these figures, however, were equally low (10 percent each) compared to the three-state average mentioned above.

In Rajasthan, 38 percent women reported an increase in fights at home, presenting the highest figures across different social groups (of sex, age, education, social indices) in the three states.

With respect to COVID-19, the study showed young people were aware of the symptoms, care, and safety measures.

In Bihar, young boys could not be included in the survey. This is because the list provided by NGO partners, who had project interventions with them, only included girls.
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Linkedin Ivany Atina Arbi (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, August 12 2020

Two more victims of childhood sexual abuse at a Catholic school have spoken up following collaborative reports between The Jakarta Post and Tirto.id on abuse in the Catholic Church, as the Church continues to remain passive in dealing with sexual assault allegations.

Now grown women, the victims, Anna and Vivian, who chose pseudonyms to protect their privacy, said they read the reports of Sisca and Ellen, also pseudonyms, and found similarities between their experiences.

Anna and Vivian reached out to the collaboration team shortly after the reports were published last month in the hopes of bringing broader awareness to the case and "ending the perpetrator's years of lies".

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-12 13:13:14|Editor: huaxia

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ULAN BATOR, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- A 42-year-old man died of bubonic plague in Khovd province in western Mongolia on Tuesday night, the country's health ministry said Wednesday.

The man was found to have bought two dead marmots before his death, Dorj Narangerel, head of public relations and surveillance department at the ministry, told a press conference.

Narangerel urged citizens not to hunt marmots or eat marmot meat to prevent the spread of bubonic plague.

Although hunting marmots is illegal in Mongolia, many Mongolians regard the rodent as a delicacy and ignore the law.

Since the beginning of this year, 12 suspected cases of bubonic plague have been reported across the Asian country, four of which were confirmed by laboratory tests.

A 15-year-old boy died of bubonic plague in Govi-Altai province in western Mongolia in mid-July.

The country's National Center for Zoonotic Diseases said that 17 out of all 21 Mongolian provinces are now at risk of the bubonic plague.

The bubonic plague is a bacterial disease that can be spread by fleas living on wild rodents such as marmot and can kill an adult in less than 24 hours if not treated in time, according to the World Health Organization. Enditem
Dr Anthony Fauci says a new study could be the key to determining why some Americans survive infection with COVID-19 and others die.

This month, researchers from the La Jolla Institute for Immunology in California found that the immune systems of 50 percent of subjects appeared to remember past exposure to other coronaviruses, which helped them fight off the new virus.

The team says its findings could lead to developing a vaccine using immune system T-cells, which fight off foreign invaders, rather than using antibodies.

Now, the nation's top infectious disease expert says the results could also explain why some people who get the virus have mild cases and others end up on ventilators.

Dr Anthony Fauci said a new study, which found the immune systems of some people sickened with different coronaviruses recognized the new virus and fought it off, could be a key to explaining why some people get mild infections and others die of COVID-19. Pictured: Fauci, August 10

Fauci says it's feasible someone who fought off a cousin of the new virus no more than five years ago has immune system cells that recognize SARS-CoV-2. Pictured: Members of the medical staff treat a patient who is wearing helmet-based ventilator in the COVID-19 ICU at the United Memorial Medical Center in Houston, Texas, July 28

'One of the things that I don't think has been emphasized very much at all during the attempt to address, scientifically, the COVID-19 outbreak, and vaccine development and testing, is that we've been focusing very exclusively on the antibody test,' Fauci told McClatchy.

'There's another equally important component of the immune system.'

The new study was funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, which Fauci is the leader of.

It was also one of the first to see T cell 'cross reactivity' in people who have been exposed to other coronaviruses such as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) or Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS).

Cross reactivity occurs when proteins or antigens from one virus (in this case, SARS-Cov-2) are similar to those found from another virus.

Fauci says this is important for understanding how the body fights off the new coronavirus when it infects our cells.

'If you look at it metaphorically, as an army with different levels of defense, the antibodies prevent the virus from getting in,' he told McClatchy.

'So that's kind of like the first line of defense. For those viruses that do escape and infect some cells, the T cells come in and kill the cells that are infected or block them.'

He added that T cells - in someone who was exposed to a coronavirus strain decades ago - may not recognize the new virus.

However, it is possible for these white blood cells to recognize in the virus in someone who has had a more recent infection.

'It's conceivable that the T cells that you've made in response a couple of years ago...when you were exposed to a relatively benign coronavirus that causes the common cold, could actually hang around, and when you're exposed to the SARS-Coronavirus-2, could have some degree of protection,' he said.

It comes as Fauci called for every American to be wearing a face covering after photos went viral of a crowded school hallway in Georgia.

Nine people, including six students and three faculty members, have since tested positive for the coronavirus at North Paulding High School.

'When I see sights like that, it is disturbing to me...There should be universal wearing of masks,' he told ABC's World News Tonight on Monday.

'There should be [to] the extent possible social distancing, avoiding crowds. Outdoors [is] always better than indoors and [you should] be in a situation where you continually have the capability of washing your hands and cleaning up with sanitizers.'
Alexandre Quintella teaches a free Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu class to area police officers last month at his Quintella MMA studio in Folsom, Pa. Read more

Meet Alexandre Quintella, a fourth-degree black belt in Brazilian jiujitsu from Belem, Brazil, who offers free classes to law enforcement officers.

 Altering egos: Police officers have a lot of ego, so they first need to admit what they dont know and learn it.

 A river runs through him: The kids in America play with the PlayStation. When I was a boy, I played in the Amazon River.

As the dozen law enforcement officers  from borough cops to federal agents  learned the techniques Brazilian jiujitsu instructor Alexandre Quintella taught them in his Folsom studio last month, their faces filled with an unmistakable emotion, one that cops rarely express.

Wonder.

Wonder at all they didnt know. Wonder at all they could.

For years, Quintella, 49, has offered cops free Brazilian jiujitsu classes at his Quintella MMA studio in Delaware County, believing the martial art can save the lives of officers and the people they encounter.

But few officers took him up on his offer  until this year.

Now, they are interested, Quintella said.

As police officers have come under scrutiny after the killing of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police, individual cops, and some departments, are seeking out jiujitsu training for its restraint and submission tactics.

We dont teach officer to be a fighter, Quintella said. We teach them how to control people without hurting people.

While some Brazilian jiujitsu techniques involve choke holds, Quintella doesnt teach those to the officers in his class. Instead, he shows them how to fall backward and how to get up; how to block a kick; what to do when someone grabs your wrist (or your gun); how to tire out an opponent; and how to use pressure points to gain submission.

In Brazilian jiujitsu (which means gentle art in Japanese), much of the training is focused on grappling on the ground and using pressure points to make a person submit, no matter their size.

When the 5-foot-7, 175-pound Quintella put a 6-foot-2, 300-pound federal agent in his class in an Americana lock, forcing the agents arm into an L shape on the ground, the agent tapped out in seconds.

Im going to go cry in my car, he said. It was not clear if he was joking.

But more than physical skills, jiujitsu instills humility and confidence, Quintella said.

Police in America sometimes think they are Superman because they have the badge and the uniform, but you are not Superman if you dont have the knowledge, he said. Most police officers in America dont really know how to defend themselves.

 MORE WE THE PEOPLE: Welder Patrice Frazier is blazing a path forward in a trade dominated by white men

Prospect Park Police Chief Dave Madonna, who has trained with Quintella since 2018 and put several of his officers through the course, said theres zero doubt that hes less likely to reach for a weapon now that hes a blue belt in Brazilian jiujitsu.

You think youre a tough guy because you wear the badge and gun, but you quickly learn there are people who arent police officers that could easily take you down, Madonna, 54, said. As the training continues, you gain confidence, and that confidence is built from the humiliating experiences. It translates to life on the street.

Quintella, a black belt in Brazilian jiujitsu, Shotokan karate, and muay Thai, was the first civilian to train police special forces in his hometown of Belem, at the mouth of the Amazon River.

Back in the day, we had a lot of problems with police shooting people because they didnt know what to do, he said. So when someone would try to fight them, theyd shoot.

The connections he made through that training led the professional fighter to become a bodyguard for Brazilian politicians. Despite his success, Quintellas only dream was to come to America.

In 2008, with $400 in his pocket, Quintella came to the United States, first to California and then to Wilmington, Del. He began teaching martial arts at a Brandywine Valley academy, while also cleaning houses and working as a bar bouncer.

 MORE WE THE PEOPLE: After decades as a cop, John Wylie became a yoga teacher

For five years, Quintella worked those three jobs before he was able to open his first martial arts academy in 2013 in Norwood. He moved to his current location on MacDade Boulevard two years ago.

Quintella offers his free class to officers twice a month. Even though its the same class each time, many cops come more than once, and others have signed up for continued training with Quintella or at other area studios.

If you ask me, Why you do everything for free? For two reasons: One, because I am a smart man, he said. Two, because I want to give back to this country what this country gave to me.

Madonna, the Prospect Park chief whos turned many officers on to Quintellas class, said cops have to take it upon themselves to pursue additional training.

If you think youre going to win some type of deadly encounter on the street by what you learned in the academy, you are wrong, he said. You need to invest time and money in yourself, and you cant count on your police department to do it for you.

As Quintella wrapped up his class for officers, he reminded his students that a badge doesnt earn someones respect, a person does, and that they should always try to talk through a situation first.

Its smart versus strength, not strength versus strength, he said.

Want more We the People?

 An Airbnb stay in the Caribbean inspired Christa Barfield to create FarmerJawn CSA.

 BL Shirelle was in a shootout with a cop at 18. Now she runs a record label for current and former inmates.

 Check out the full We the People archive here.
Fake ID Seizures, Mostly From China, On the Rise

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has been seizing an increasing number of fake IDs, including drivers licenses, in recent years. Most come from China and are good enough to fool an average person, an agency official said.

In 2019, CBP seized more than 78,000 fake documents, an increase from almost 57,000 a year earlier, and some 26,000 in 2015. This year, the agency is on pace to intercept even more, with nearly 55,000 documents seized as of Aug. 10, according to data provided by CBP to The Epoch Times.

The vast majority of fake IDs we seize are coming from China, said CBP Memphis Port Director Michael Neipert in an emailed response. Our CBP officers are highly effective in detecting fraudulent documents, so for us, these are obvious fakes. I do consider these to be high-quality fake IDs because they can definitely fool the average person.

The majority are of an age range that indicate that they are using these IDs to drink underage, he said.

Of greater concern are the fake IDs that do not fall into this category. We do seize some fake IDs that are clearly not intended for underage drinking. Obviously, fake IDs could be used for a wide range of nefarious activities. This is why we make it a priority to intercept these licenses and work with our investigative partners to ensure these offenses are prosecuted.

At Chicagos OHare International Airport, CBP seized nearly 20,000 fake drivers licenses through June 30.

Take a look at these IDssame person, different bio info, CBP Chicago wrote on Twitter.

The IDs arrived from China, Hong Kong, the United Kingdom, and South Korea and were, in the majority of cases, headed for neighboring states, mainly for college-age students, the CBP stated.

One concern is that the bar code attached to the Michigan licenses actually worked.

The fraudulent identity documents can lead to identity theft and other issues, including fraud linked to immigration-related crimes such as human smuggling and human trafficking, the agency stated.

Fake IDs can also be used by individuals associated with terrorism to minimize scrutiny from travel screening measures.

In November 2019, the CBP said it intercepted more than 5,000 fake IDs, or the blank cards used to make them, in Louisville, Kentucky, sent from China. They were headed to various states nationwide, including New York.

One of the IDs was headed to a convicted child rapist located in New York. According to authorities, the individual entices minors with alcohol and counterfeit IDs before engaging in illicit activity.

Timothy Lemaux, CBP port director for Dallas-Fort Worth, warned people against seeking to obtain fraudulent identity documents overseas, as counterfeiters will access their personal information.

What is most disconcerting about these interceptions, besides the volume in which we are experiencing, is the ease in which so many young people freely share their personal information with counterfeiters abroad, Lemaux said in a statement, Fox News reported.

Well continue to collaborate with local law enforcement to educate the public, and anyone who is contemplating purchasing a counterfeit ID online, on the potential dangers of sharing your personal, identifiable information with a criminal element.
The NRAEF will work with four pilot states  Colorado, Delaware, Louisiana and Maryland  and link its ProStart and Restaurant Ready programs to the Youth Readiness Apprenticeship initiative. ProStart is a career and technical education program reaching 150,000 high school students pursuing careers in culinary arts and restaurant management. Restaurant Ready partners with community-based organizations (CBOs) to provide young adults, ages 16 through 24 who are out of school and out of work, with job skills training.

"The additional funding will help us grow our apprenticeship program and give young people the training and education they need to launch a successful career and build a better future for themselves," said Rob Gifford, president of the NRAEF. "Apprenticeship is a win-win for both employers and employees. Through apprenticeship programs, employees have a clear pathway to advancement and a higher income."

Joining the NRAEF in this work is a network of State Restaurant Associations (SRAs), education and training providers, State Apprenticeship Agencies and Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) service providers. Out of the 120 organizations that applied for a Youth Apprenticeship grant, only 14 were selected. Among the 14 organizations, the NRAEF was the only trade association foundation selected.

The Foundation's registered apprenticeship program has over 2,000 apprentices currently enrolled with a 90 percent retention rate. The program is now offered in 44 states at more than 300 apprenticeship sites.

The Restaurant Youth Registered Apprenticeship program is made possible through a grant from the U.S. Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration which is financing 77% of the total program costs, of $6.5 million, with industry leveraged resources of 23%.

To learn more about how you and/or your company can get involved with apprenticeship, visit ChooseRestaurants.org/Apprenticeship.

About the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation

As the philanthropic foundation of the National Restaurant Association, the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the industry's training and education, career development and community engagement efforts. The NRAEF and its programs work to Attract, Empower and Advance today's and tomorrow's restaurant and foodservice workforce. NRAEF programs include: ProStart  a high-school career and technical education program; Restaurant Ready  partnering with community based organizations to provide justice-involved youth with skills training and job opportunities; Military  helping military servicemen and women transition their skills to restaurant and foodservice careers; Scholarships  financial assistance for students pursuing restaurant, foodservice and hospitality degrees; and, the Hospitality Sector Registered Apprenticeship Project  a partnership with the American Hotel & Lodging Association providing a hospitality apprenticeship program for the industry. For more information on the NRAEF, visit ChooseRestaurants.org .

SOURCE National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-12 00:42:40|Editor: huaxia

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Chinese Ambassador to Brunei Yu Hong (1st L) and Haji Awang Badaruddin (2nd L), Brunei's Minister of Religious Affairs, attend a handover ceremony of medical material donations in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei, on Aug. 11, 2020. Brunei's Ministry of Religious Affairs received medical material donations from the Chinese Embassy in Brunei on Tuesday for the fight against the COVID-19 outbreak. (Photo by Jacky Law/Xinhua)

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- Brunei's Ministry of Religious Affairs received medical material donations from the Chinese embassy in Brunei on Tuesday for the fight against the COVID-19 outbreak.

The medical materials included disposable masks for both adults and children, and hand sanitizer.

Yu Hong, Chinese ambassador to Brunei, and Haji Awang Badaruddin, Brunei's Minister of Religious Affairs, attended the handover ceremony, as both sides exchanged views on strengthening cooperation in containing and responding to the COVID-19 outbreak.

Haji Awang Badaruddin praised the epidemic prevention and control efforts made by the Chinese government.

He expressed his gratitude to the Chinese embassy for the medical donations and hoped to continue promoting exchanges and cooperation between Brunei and China in more fields.

Since the outbreak of the epidemic, China and Brunei have helped each other and responded together, achieving positive results and deepening the friendship and strategic partnership, Yu said.

China appreciates the assistance and support provided by the Brunei side during the most difficult time for China and China firmly supports Brunei to prevent and control the epidemic, said Yu.

After the outbreak of COVID-19 in Brunei, the Chinese central government, the Chinese military, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region government and Nanjing municipal government have all donated anti-COVID-19 medical supplies to Brunei.

The Chinese embassy has also contributed to the Brunei COVID-19 Relief Fund. More than 12 Chinese companies and China-Brunei joint ventures including Zhejiang Hengyi Group, Bank of China Brunei Branch donated medical supplies and funds to Brunei with a value of over 1.3 million U.S. dollars.

Brunei reported no new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday with the national tally of cases standing at 142.

According to Brunei's Ministry of Health, no more recoveries were recorded on Tuesday, maintaining the total number of recovered cases at 138. There is one active case being treated at the National Isolation Center, who was recorded on August 7.

There have been three deaths from COVID-19 in Brunei. Enditem
Environment Canada has ended a severe thunderstorm warning for Prince County.

The weather service ended the warning at 7:12 p.m. AT.

Severe thunderstorm warnings are issued when imminent or occurring thunderstorms are likely to produce or are producing one or more of the following: large hail, damaging winds, torrential rainfall.

Heat warnings remain for all parts of P.E.I.

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Like the drama that played out when the current acting managing director (MD) of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) slumped at ...

Like the drama that played out when the current acting managing director (MD) of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) slumped at a house of representatives hearing, events at the commission 12 years ago also looked like a scripted Nollywood movie.

But it was indeed a true story.

In 2008, Sam Edem, then NDDC chairman, allegedly spent N1 billion on black magic popularly known as juju  to help him secure government contracts.

Edem was alleged to have diverted the money from government coffers to hire a sorcerer for rituals to aid his success in the contracts.

He was said to be pursuing the contracts from the Akwa Ibom state government at the time.

In addition to the N1 billion, the former NDDC boss also allegedly burnt N270 million in a ritual after which he rubbed the ash on his body.

The ritual, said to have taken place at a midnight ceremony in a Port Harcourt cemetery, was to help secure his position (at NDDC) and attract more patronage from the authorities.

According to the police, Perebakowe Ogah, the sorcerer who was reportedly contracted by Edem, said he was given money to cast a spell that would kill Timi Alaibe, Edems rival at the NDDC.

The police had said Ogah also confessed to performing the ritual at the Port Harcourt cemetery.

Although Edem denied the allegations, Umaru Musa YarAdua, president at the time, suspended him from office and ordered a full scale investigation into the allegations.

The police later arraigned him in court and said they believed that this is money from the Nigerian government, money that should have been used to develop the Niger Delta.

Twelve years down the line, allegations bordering on corruption and mismanagement of public funds are still rocking the NDDC.

Both chambers of the national assembly are currently probing the alleged mismanagement of N81 billion by the interim management committee (IMC) of the commission led by Kemebradikumo Pondei, NDDC acting managing director.
HONG KONG  Li Qianxin, the elder daughter of the Chinese Communist Partys No. 3 leader, has quietly crafted a life in Hong Kong that traverses the citys financial elite and the secretive world of Chinese politics.

For years, she has mingled with senior executives of state companies through Hong Kong and mainland professional clubs known for grooming the sons and daughters of officials. She has represented Hong Kong in Chinese provincial political advisory groups. She is the chairwoman of a state-owned investment bank based in Hong Kong that has long done business with the relatives of top Chinese officials.

Ms. Li, 38, also has deep financial roots in the city, having bought a $15 million, four-story townhouse perched high above a beach. Her partner owns a now-retired racehorse and spent hundreds of millions on a stake in the storied Peninsula Hotel that he later sold.

Ms. Li and other members of the Communist nobility are embedded in the fabric of Hong Kongs society and financial system, binding the former British colony closer to the mainland. By building alliances and putting their money into Hong Kongs real estate, Chinas top leaders have inextricably linked themselves to the fate of the city.
Korea faces a serious labor shortage in new industries despite record high youth unemployment, a survey suggests.

The Korea Economic Research Institute on Tuesday said it surveyed policymakers at nine high-tech institutions who focus on future technologies like software, blockchain, robotics and drones and believe that the manpower shortage rate in these areas is 29.4 percent.

The worst shortage is in the drone technology sector with 55 percent, followed by 3D printing and robotics with 35 percent each.

Respondents said the competitiveness of workers in the sectors also lags behind the country's rivals China, Germany, Japan and the U.S.

Assuming that Korea's competitiveness is 100, they put the U.S. at 123.3, followed by Germany (114.4), Japan (107.8) and China (106.7).


Police have arrested a grocer for allegedly raping an eight-year-old girl at his shop in Harkrishan Nagar, Seera Road, on Monday.

The accused, Baldev Singh, was arrested on the complaint of the childs grandmother.

The woman told the police that Singh lured her granddaughter into his shop with sweets and raped her. The girl screamed and ran back to her house bleeding. She narrated the incident to her parents, who raised the alarm and alerted the police.

Police arrested Singh on Tuesday. He was presented before a court that sent him to judicial custody.

The accused had been booked under Section 376 (rape) of the Indian Penal Code and Section 4 (penetrative sexual assault on a child below 16 years of age) of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, said investigating officer Kamaljeet Singh from Meharban police station.
All the women with a shot at becoming Joe Biden's running mate first had to face the same, sometimes jarring questions in an initial interview: What would your agenda be? What do you think Donald Trump's nickname for you would be?

It was the opening gantlet of an arduous voyage - interviews followed by interviews in some cases, a public scrutiny that surfaced old foes or embarrassing quotes in the media, and for the 11 finalists, a deep examination by an individualized panel of 12 to 15 lawyers that culminated in time with Biden himself.

The process was in many ways unlike any other vice-presidential search in memory - taking place under an unusual public glare fostered by Biden's early declaration that he would consider only women for the job, a decision that brought on fierce lobbying to further narrow the field by race. Hundreds of prominent Black activists, lawmakers and opinion leaders called on Biden to choose a Black woman, effectively putting him in a political bind as he mulled his most consequential decision as a presidential candidate.

Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., emerged on top in the end, winning over Biden and his immediate family, to become the first Black woman, the first Asian American, the first graduate of a historically Black college and the first Californian since Ronald Reagan to find a place on a major-party national ticket.

Interviews with people briefed on the Biden vice-presidential selection effort described a process Tuesday that was extensive and laborious, with no certainty of outcome, even though Biden eventually landed on the former primary rival many had predicted from the start.

"A lot of his thought process was who shared his values, who he could work with, who could help him win and who could be ready on Day 1," Biden campaign co-chair Cedric L. Richmond said in an interview after Harris's selection had been announced. "He was looking at data and looking at track records and looking at a whole bunch of things."

Race hovered over the interview process almost from the start.

As protests over racial justice swept the nation, one prominent White candidate, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., publicly withdrew from consideration, while another prominent Black candidate, Stacey Abrams, announced publicly that she thought a woman of color should be selected.

Abrams and Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., a disabled Iraq War veteran whose mother was of Thai and Chinese descent, were among the candidates who were interviewed over the weekend. They both received a call Tuesday telling them they did not get the job.

The initial vetting was conducted by a team of four co-chairs, former senator Chris Dodd, D-Conn., Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, former Biden adviser Cynthia Hogan and Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester, D-Del. They logged more than 120 hours meeting with party activists, interest groups and other stakeholders with designs on who could best serve the party and country, according to a person familiar with the process who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.

They also met, in pairs, with more than 20 initial candidates, who had been subjected to an initial public records review, and prepared a presentation for Biden and his wife, Jill, to narrow the field. Biden also met individually with each of the co-chairs to solicit additional recommendations.

"We are grateful to the incredibly talented and diverse field of women leaders for their time, commitment, and dedication, and to the hundreds of stakeholders whose valuable input was a critical part of this effort," the four co-chairs said in a joint statement after Harris was selected. "Vice President Biden's focus from the very start was on who would be the best governing partner to help him lead our country out of the chaos created by Donald Trump."

Harris performed well in that initial meeting with the co-chairs, according to a person familiar with how it went, who declined to disclose any of the candidates' answers to the initial interview questions. The co-chairs described her as having an impressive balance of the presence to take on Trump and knowledge of the issues. She also spoke in the meeting about her close relationship with Biden's late son Beau and her personal story of having immigrant parents, a mother from India and a father from Jamaica.

She also continued to work with interest groups outside of the process, courting Black activists during racial justice protests over the summer. Despite a leaked comment from Dodd questioning whether Harris had enough "remorse" for her attacks on Biden during the primary, Biden himself stayed true to his public statements behind the scenes, displaying no lingering grudge.

Long after Harris had accused Biden of offending her for praising segregationist senators and opposing forced busing, the two leaders had found a way to get along, meeting by chance on her husband's October 2019 birthday in a private airport terminal on the campaign trail. As Harris's husband, Doug Emhoff, shared cupcakes with the Biden team, the two candidates wandered away for a private conversation that helped solidify their bond, according to people who were familiar with the exchange.

Ultimately 11 women made it to the final phase of the process, far more than publicly reported, with Biden conducting one-on-one interviews with each over the last nine days, sometimes in person and some virtually. Celinda Lake, one of the Biden campaign's pollsters, did research on the best way to introduce each of the candidates personal stories, and the campaign prepared rollout strategies, including potential new campaign logos, for all of the finalists.

Each of them also was subjected to an extensive legal vetting, run by former White House counsel Bob Bauer, former Homeland Security adviser Lisa Monaco and former White House senior counsel Dana Remus, all veterans of the Obama administration.

They oversaw a team of 12 to 15 other attorneys for each candidate who scraped every part of their pasts, an invasive examination that typically involves questions about everything from personal finances to drug use and romantic affairs. Once the information was in, Biden consulted individually with his family, including his wife and his sister, Valerie Biden Owens, his longtime friend and adviser Ted Kaufman and his political strategist Mike Donilon.

Other teams of political researchers, meanwhile, began releasing information into the public in an effort to complicate their paths to the nomination. In an effort to help them respond, the Biden team tried to elevate all the women's profiles, fulfilling what staff described as a Biden promise to enhance each candidate's public profile. He hosted the candidates on his podcast, fundraisers and virtual town halls, while his staff helped place them on television news programs.

Through all of it, Biden faced enormous pressure to narrow his search by race. As far back as April, Abrams laid down a racial marker as well. "We need a ticket that reflects the diversity of America," she said on ABC's "The View."

Several other public and private efforts followed to persuade Biden to pick a Black woman, including at least one that involved former Democratic National Committee chairwoman Donna Brazile, which led to a meeting with Biden himself.

"My advice was sought," said Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., a powerful Biden ally who found out about the Harris pick Tuesday from Biden. "I talked to him [Biden] over the past several days more than I talked to him all year."

At another point in the day, Biden sat down before a laptop at a desk at his home in Wilmington. In front of him was a framed Hagar the Horrible comic strip that has long inspired him, with Hagar shouting up to the heavens, "Why me?!" and an answer coming from the clouds, "Why not?"

Biden had typed notes in front of him on a card of the things he wanted to convey.

"I'm calling you today because I've made that first Presidential decision," the note said. "I've decided I'd like you to join this effort to win back the soul of this country and be our nation's next Vice President."

In a photo of the moment captured by Adam Schultz, his campaign photographer, Harris appeared on the laptop from her condominium in Washington, smiling broadly.

- - -

The Washington Post's Sean Sullivan, Matt Viser, Annie Linskey and Jenna Johnson contributed to this report.




(Global Times) By giving no commitment to a preferential offering for the island of Taiwan on any future coronavirus vaccine, US Health Secretary Alex Azar's visit to the island has been ridiculed as "a trip of lip service" that fully exposed the US practice of using Taiwan as a pawn to contain China at no cost. However, the Taiwan authority still refuses to admit it, experts and netizens said.

Speaking to reporters on Monday, Azar made it clear that "our first priority of course is to develop and produce enough quantity of safe and effective FDA-approved vaccines and therapeutics for use in the United States," the UK-based Independentreported.

Azar also said that the US-developed vaccines would be available in the world community once the needs in the US are met.

The remarks were made after the US and the island of Taiwan signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on health cooperation. During a meeting before the signing, Taiwan leader Tsai Ing-wen expressed expectations that the two sides would make progress in combating the coronavirus, including on vaccine and drug research and production.

While the Democratic Progressive Party in the island hailed Azar's visit and the signing of the MOU as major political progresses, Azar's remarks, in which he did not even mention Taiwan by name, frustrated many people in Taiwan with some criticizing Tsai and her DPP for doing its utmost to cooperate with the US in a political drama but getting nothing good for the island of Taiwan.

As for the MOU, it was deemed as empty, without mentioning a coronavirus vaccine or drugs. "Taiwan-US joint epidemic prevention" is nothing more than the emperor's new clothes, Taiwan local media outlet chinanews.com reported on Tuesday.

Azar's "America First" remarks also further frustrated many in the island, including Su Ih-Jen, a scientist on infectious diseases and former director of the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control. A vaccine is what Taiwan needs most in terms of American assistance. Azar's visit was meaningless if the vaccine issue was not addressed, Taiwan news outlet udn.com quoted Su as saying.

Chen I-hsin, honorary professor at Taiwan's Tamkang University, told the Global Times on Tuesday that the Taiwan authority is doing its utmost to cooperate with the US in this political performance, which has turned out to be a total farce.

Which position will Taiwan be in, when the US' domestic needs are met? Chen said that may be after its Five Eyes allies, as well as Japan and South Korea - or even after that.

But the domestic need may also make this queue longer considering the severe epidemic in the US. According to data from the Johns Hopkins University, the US had 5,095,163 infections as of press time on Tuesday, topping the global confirmed list.

The US in early July announced it was buying nearly all of the next three months' projected production of COVID-19 treatment remdesivir from drug manufacturer Gilead, which was widely criticized as an action ignoring the common good and undermining international cooperation in fighting the coronavirus.

One Taiwan netizen commented, "It is just a political show. The US itself is in the abyss of an epidemic, why still dream of their help?"

Observers said that the deeds and remarks of Azar during the visit showed once again that the US is only using the island of Taiwan to provoke China as well as helping US President Donald Trump's reelection. It has no intention to help the island of Taiwan to solve any problems, while Tsai and other separatists refuse to admit the fact.
Most are going to lose. But a few, Ms. Greene foremost among them, have managed to win. Declaring victory on Tuesday night, she said she was just as fed up with what Ive seen from spineless Republicans as she was with Democrats.

The Republican establishment was against me, Ms. Greene said. The D.C. swamp is against me. And the lying fake news media hates my guts. Its a badge of honor. Its not about me winning. This is a referendum on every single one of us, on our beliefs.

On Wednesday morning, Mr. Trump tweeted: Congratulations to future Republican Star Marjorie Taylor Greene on a big Congressional primary win in Georgia against a very tough and smart opponent. Marjorie is strong on everything and never gives up  a real WINNER!

During his campaign, Mr. Cowan had adopted a slogan that summed up the predicament that Ms. Greene posed for Republicans: All of the conservative, none of the embarrassment.

She is not conservative  shes crazy, Mr. Cowan told Politico before the runoff. She deserves a YouTube channel, not a seat in Congress. Shes a circus act.

Mr. Cowan was not alone in his assessment of Ms. Greene, who runs a construction company with her husband. She earned a rebuke from Republican congressional leaders this year after Facebook videos showed her making offensive remarks about Black people, Jews and Muslims. Representative Steve Scalise of Louisiana, the House minority whip, publicly campaigned for Mr. Cowan and helped him raise money.

The Republican Party, though, was hardly uniform in its opposition to Ms. Greenes candidacy. The leadership officially remained neutral, and Mr. Trumps only comment on the race came in the form of a congratulatory tweet after her strong showing in the first-round primary in June, when she nearly doubled Mr. Cowans vote total.
Elizabeth Folwells audio version of Short Carries: Essays from Adirondack Life may be just the antidote we need now. Ive been listening on my evening walks, and the stories transport me to the 6 million-acre park. Sometimes I play the beautifully spoken audiobook, read by Linda Jones, as I drift off to sleep, dreaming about life within the blue line.

Short Carries, a nod to carrying a canoe a short distance between bodies of water, is also the name of her longstanding column in Adirondack Life magazine. The book version of Short Carries was published in 2009. Folwell, known as Betsy, also took the opportunity to add pieces, like the poignant final one titled Looking for Daniel, about searching for a lost hiker.

Folwell called the audiobook her pandemic project and a way to allow others to experience her work. Not much of my writing is accessible to people who cant read in a conventional way. So I started thinking it seems kind of ironic that Im visually impaired and what Im doing is for people who are fully visual so lets see if we can make my work more accessible. With the help of the Adirondack Center for Writings Nathalie Thill, Folwell turned the collection into spoken words through Audible.

Folwell began losing her sight in 2001 and has since been diagnosed with non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION). Im not totally blind, which I am eternally grateful for, she said. Folwell paddles with friends and uses two poles when she hikes, avoiding rocky trails. Im happy that there are a lot of bird songs this year, she said in a phone interview. Some years there are not. Boy, Im hearing a lot of thrushes and broad-wing hawks. Out on the lake you hear loons. And this summers been especially fragrant.

Like everyone else who ends up in the Adirondacks, Folwell, 67, became entranced. She came in 1976, coming for a position with the Adirondack Museum. She also worked at Traveler's Aid and the 1980 Olympics before landing at Adirondack Life.

She is such a force. So deeply ingrained in this place that its almost easy to overlook her single greatest talent: her own writing. What a pleasure to have this book so we can renew our appreciation of it regularly, said Bill McKibben in the introduction of Short Carries.

The Adirondack experience of the books narrator was limited to what she saw from the train heading to Montreal.

I loved these pieces, said the narrator Jones. And I particularly loved that she added a few new ones to an already remarkable collection. Her piece, Looking for Daniel, was very moving, a testament to the power of nature and the danger of underestimating it. A number of pieces deal with being quite human in the face of a vast natural wilderness, and the wonder and awe that can inspire.

"She describes the natural world with such precision and clarity (and frankly humor and groundedness) that the reader cant help but be welcomed into it," Jones continued. "Seeing in the Dark, was another particular favorite, for words like this describing an aurora: Around any bend of an Adirondack river may be a glimpse of terrestrial grandeur, and we may be lucky enough to have looked down on the clouds from a mountaintop, but looking up on a frosty night is a lesson in humility. In our urgency to love a piece of land, we forget the sky from which we fell." Jones has also read work from the book on Voices of Calm, a pandemic-related series on YouTube; Folwells work proved perfect for the series.

Sign up for The Knick  Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter.

The audiobook runs 8 hours and 16 minutes. Most of the 60 essays are short, between 5 and 10 minutes. Short Carries is divided into two sections: Shades of Blue and Shades of Green. The first section contains many essays about small-town, Adirondack life, especially in Blue Mountain Lake, where Folwell lives. Theres often a dash of humor, like in Why We Bagged It, about her brief turn as a grocer. In Wild Life Refuge, Folwell talks about some of the folks whove fled to the Adirondacks, both rumored and confirmed, for the splendid isolation. Those luminaries include Albert Einsteins companion, a Russian spy; gangster Dutch Schultz, Richard Nixon and Monica Lewinsky. I cant respond to that sorry saga, but I do salute her alleged choice for refuge. Our North Country is about as far from the seat of political power as an American can get without crossing the border, Folwell wrote.

And now, the Adirondacks have drawn crowds seeking refuge from the stress and anxiety of coronavirus. This is a place of both dismal exile and safe haven, Folwell wrote.

In the Shades of Green section, the focus is on nature, and includes a story about a hummingbird, fishing and the light of the Adirondacks. Asked what she wanted people to take away from the book, Folwell said, I hope respect for wilderness, wild creatures, respect for small towns and the way people live in small towns. Right now, the Adirondacks is inundated with people who dont really have an agenda. People who are kind of wandering.

Donna Liquori is a frequent contributor to the Times Union, and writes the Bibliofiles books column in Unwind.
China on Wednesday officially declined to react to US Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden's move to pick Indian-origin Senator Kamala Harris as his running mate but the official media here said that her nomination will add fuel to fire to the current conflict between the two sides given her strong stand on human rights issues relating to Xinjiang and Hong Kong.

Biden on Tuesday picked Harris as his running mate, recognising the crucial role Black voters and Indian-Americans could play in his bid to defeat Trump in the US presidential election in November.

Harris in the past called for increasing pressure on China for human rights violations against Uygur Muslims of Xinjiang and the crackdown against the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong.

But she also rejected President Donald Trump's tariff war on China, saying that it would hurt the business of California for which she was the Senator and increase the prices of consumer goods.

Asked for his reaction at a media briefing here on Wednesday to Biden nominating Harris to be his vice-presidential nominee, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian declined to comment.

"The Presidential election in the US is an internal affair. We don't have the interest to interfere, he said, apparently referring to US official's allegations that China, Russia and Iran may try to influence the US Presidential poll in November this year.

William Evanina, head of the National Counterintelligence and Security Centre (NCSC), in a statement last week said China "prefers that President Trump - whom Beijing sees as unpredictable - does not win re-election" and has been "expanding its influence efforts" ahead of the vote.

While Zhao was guarded in his reaction, state-run Global Times quoted Chinese observers as saying that Harris' nomination won't help end the two parties' playing of the China card.

Harris once gave herself a Chinese name, He Jinli, which translates to "intricate and beautiful," while the surname means "celebrate," according to the Global Times report.

But this should not be misinterpreted as goodwill toward China. The senator has been vocal in her criticisms of China on multiple issues, including Xinjiang and Hong Kong, it said.

She criticised China last year for the mass detention camps of Uygur Muslims in Xinjiang and said Beijing failed to respect the rights and autonomy of Hong Kong's people.

She jointly launched the Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act in 2019, and urged several US investigation agencies to probe China's "suppression" of the Uygurs.

In October 2019, she announced her support for the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act.

"Harris' nomination will only add fuel to the fire of the two parties' competitive playing of the China card, and to acting tough on China during their election campaign," Zhang Tengjun, assistant research fellow at the China Institute of International Studies, told the paper.

He said that based on the positive response to Biden's decision, team Trump may escalate its "irrational" antagonism against China for the next few months, just to win more attention and attempt to salvage its declining campaign.
August 12 : Aamir Khan and Kareena Kapoor Khan starrer film Laal Singh Chaddhas shooting was stalled in March this year due to coronavirus pandemic. Currently, Aamir reached Turkey to resume the shooting of the film.

Since the actor landed in Turkey he has been mobbed by his fans everywhere he is spotted. The Dangal actors fan clubs are actively sharing videos and pictures of the actor posing for photos with his fans. In the pictures and videos, the bespectacled actor can be seen sporting a salt-and-pepper look.

In one of the viral videos, the Taare Zameen Par actor is seen getting mobbed by his fans who want to click selfies with their favourite actor. Aamir is patiently obliging his fans and posing for a photo with them. In the video, the actor is seen wearing a white T-shirt and jeans along with a pair of gold-framed glasses. He has also sported a mask, but social distancing norm was broken as he was mobbed by the people.

Laal Singh Chaddha is the second film to be shot at an overseas location. The first was Akshay Kumars Bell Bottom. Last week, Akshay Kuar along with his wife Twinkle Khanna, and kids Nitara and Aarav and other actors of the film flew to London for the shooting of the film.

Helmed by Advait Chandan, Laal Singh Chaddha also features Vijay Sethupathi in pivotal role. The film, an adaptation of the 1994 Hollywood film Forrest Gump, will now hit the theatres during Christmas 2021.
Representative image

Americans are renouncing US citizenship in record numbers. According to research, 5,816 people gave up their US citizenship just in the first half of 2020. This is an increase of 1210 percent over the previous six months up to December 2019 when only 444 Americans relinquished their passports.

In 2019, 2,072 Americans gave up US citizenship, according to the report by Bambridge Accountants, a New York-based firm specialising in US expat tax, UK expats, actors and other creatives in the US and the UK.

The firm examined public data, published by the US government every three months, of the names of all Americans who give up their citizenship.

But why are they ditching US citizenship?

According to the firm, the reason behind the record number of people renouncing their US citizenship could be that the COVID-19 pandemic has motivated US expats to cut ties and avoid the current political climate and onerous tax reporting.

The huge increase in US expats renouncing from our experience is that the current pandemic has allowed individuals the time to review their ties to the US and decide that the current political climate and annual US tax reporting is just too much to bear, explained Alistair Bambridge, partner at Bambridge Accountants New York.

US citizens living abroad are required to file US tax returns each year, potentially pay US tax and report all their foreign bank accounts, investments and pensions held outside the US, as per the report.

For many Americans, this intrusion is too complicated, and they make the serious step of renouncing their citizenship as they do not plan to return to live in the US. Said Alistair.

Americans must pay a $2,350 government fee to renounce their citizenship. Those based overseas must do so in person at the US Embassy in their country.

There are an estimated nine million US expats, said the report.
This is the moment a farmer was pictured in a Tesco branch where he is accused of planting a jar of Heinz baby food laced with fragments of metal as part of a plot to blackmail the supermarket chain for 1.4 million in bitcoin.

Two mothers spotted sharp fragments while feeding their infants after Nigel Wright, 45, planted tampered jars of Heinz and Cow & Gate in branches across the UK, jurors heard.

The married father-of-two allegedly threatened to poison tins of food with cyanide and salmonella unless the supermarket giant sent him 1.5m via bitcoin.

The court was shown CCTV footage of Nigel Wright in a Tesco branch in Lockerbie, the same branch one mother purchased Heinz baby food and found metal fragments inside

Nigel Wright, 45, is on trial at the Old Bailey for allegedly trying to extort nearly 1.5 million in bitcoin from the supermarket chain because he was angry at being underpaid for milk

Mother felt sick after finding a craft knife blade in baby food jar during feed, court told Morven Smith, from Lockerbie, had already fed a few spoonfuls of Heinz sweet and sour chicken to her baby when she spotted the shard of metal in the bowl in December 2019. In a statement, Mrs Smith said she had microwaved half of the jar of baby food in a bowl and put the rest of the jar back in the fridge. 'I took the bowl out of the microwave - I gave my son a couple of spoonfuls and noticed something shiny - I pulled it out with my fingers at that point. 'It was horrendous. I felt sick I was so shocked.' Mrs Smith said her husband found a second blade stuck at the bottom of the jar. She said at first she had only planned to contact Heinz and Tesco, saying: 'I didn't think someone might have done this on purpose.' It was only when she was wrapping the jar and the blades in a freezer bag that she noticed someone had drawn a circle with a cross through it on the bottom of the product. 'I felt sick when I first saw this,' she said. 'I knew at this point the jar had been marked and someone had done it on purpose.' Tesco issued a national product recall of all its Heinz baby food and emailed all its Clubcard customers warning them of the risk. Advertisement

He sent a chain of menacing emails to an undercover policeman who he believed to be a company employee demanding a 'test deposit,' it was said.

The officer posed as a worker named Sam Scott and transferred Wright one unit of the cryptocurrency - approximately 8,804 - into an online bank account, jurors heard.

The force had sent him a total of 100,000 worth of bitcoin by the end of their undercover operation, jurors heard.

He claimed to have left six contaminated jars of Cow & Gate on the shelves prompting a nationwide recall and the removal of 140,000 products from stores, it was said.

Prosecutor Julian Christopher QC told the Old Bailey today: 'Just over one bitcoin was sent to the address [he set up] on 20 January.'

Reading excerpts of emails allegedly sent by Wright, the prosecutor said: 'Dear Sam, we have been polite and courteous as we recognise you're just an employee who goes home at the end of the day* We say you pay us then we will email you.

'It appears we both failed to do what we said we would. If you set up a bank account you can purchase bitcoin and transfer them into our account.

'As a goodwill gesture we will tell you you have eight jars of Cow & Gate baby food left on your supermarket shelves on Tuesday 21 and Wednesday 22 [January] there were only six jars left so only six potential dead babies.'

Mr Christopher said: 'One bitcoin was transferred on 20 January.

'It appears Mr Wright is not aware at this moment that one bitcoin had been transferred.

'As a result of that email Tesco removed 140,000 jars of Cow & Gate baby food from its shelves and put out a full product recall.'

The undercover officer, posing as an employee, allegedly replied: 'I'm desperately worried about what you've done. Please extend your goodwill and tell me where you have placed those jars so we can stop anybody getting hurt.

'I put a test deposit in your account.'

The court has heard Wright had claimed to be one of a group of dairy farmers calling themselves 'Guy Brush and the Dairy Pirates + Tinkerbell the naughty fairy' who felt they had been underpaid by Tesco.

He told the company he would reveal the location of the deadly jars in exchange for 1.5m in the cryptocurrency, jurors heard.

The farmer accepts he had sent the threats but claimed he did so under duress from travellers who visited his caravan and told him they would kill his children and rape his wife.

Nigel Wright, 45, in a Tesco store in Lockerbie where he is accused of planting a jar of Heinz baby food laced with fragments of a craft knife as part of a plot to blackmail the company

Wright, from Market Rasen, Lincolnshire, denies four counts of blackmail and two counts of contaminating goods at the Old Bailey where a trial is expected to last three weeks

MOTHER ALMOST FED NINE-MONTH-OLD BABY SHARDS OF METAL, COURT TOLD A mother wept as she told the court how she found shredded chippings of metal in a can of Heinz baby food she was about to feed her infant daughter. Harpreet Kaur Singh, from Rochdale, appeared via video-link today and explained how she discovered the fragments in products at some point before 16 December last year. The mother said she had been preparing a can of Heinz Sunday Chicken Dinner for her nine-month-old baby girl when she spotted shards inside it and threw it in the bin. She contacted Tesco after receiving a letter from them warning customers that a contaminated product had been found in one of their stores. The nationwide recall rang alarm bells with Ms Kaur Singh after she found metal in yet another tin of Heinz baby food a few days later, it was said. Giving evidence at Nigel Wrights blackmail trial, Ms Kaur Singh wiped away tears with a tissue as she relived the traumatic experience. Did that letter ring any alarm bells with you? Mr Christopher asked. Yes it did, Ms Kaur Singh said. Just before that I opened a jar of Heinz food, Chicken Sunday Dinner, for my little daughter. I put it into a bowl and when I went to microwave it there was a metal chipping in there and at first I didnt think anything of it. I binned it. But then [on a separate occasion] I opened a second jar, Heinz Cheese and Tomato Pasta Stars. Again I saw the metal chippings inside it. I called my husband and said can you come and have a look at this and he said its metal chippings, bin it all, so I binned all the food.' Asked when she found the first contaminated tin, Ms Kaur Singh said: Before 16 December 2019 because on 16 December my son passed away. After that date we didnt eat meat in the house out of respect for my sons death. So this being the Sunday Chicken Dinner, it must have been some time before 16 December? Mr Christopher asked. Yes, the mother replied. Advertisement

Metal was discovered in cans of Heinz baby food sold at stores in Lockerbie and Rochdale in November and December 2019, it was said.

Wright told officers upon arrest that he had been held at knife-point by travellers threatening to rape his wife and kill his children unless he paid them 1m, it was said.

He accepted sending blackmail letters to Tesco in his police interview after he was traced back to his caravan and stopped at a nearby Toyota garage on 25 February.

The farmer claimed he had been visited by a group of travellers who held a blade to his throat and ordered him to pay them money, jurors heard.

But prosecutor Julian Christopher QC said his story failed to explain the apparent 'delight' he took in drafting the horrific letters.

The court heard officers found Wright in possession of papers linked to the bitcoin account which police used to recover all 13.9 bitcoin transferred by the undercover officer, worth approximately 100,000

Police also found the Toyota laptop and phone which had been used to view Sam Scott's final email and which had been used to take a screenshot of the bitcoin wallet.

There was also a part used pack of envelopes which matched many of those used to send blackmail letters to the various Tesco stores, the court heard.

Wright allegedly complained that he had been subjected to a 'horrendous' ordeal by travellers demanding money from him, it was said.

Mr Christopher said: 'In summary, his account was as follows: he accepted that prior to the interview he had told officers 'I've been threatened and my family for a year', and 'It's horrendous what's been going on, I've hated it'.

The prosecutor said Wright described reporting an incident where the travellers pulled him over on the A46 but didn't take it further out of fear of reprisals.

He continued: 'Thereafter some travellers had come to his farm and told him that because he had caused them trouble he had to get them half a million pounds.'

Wright told officers he was given the laptop and an email address to contact Tesco an threaten to contaminate baby food.

Mr Christopher said: 'Without giving specifics of individual occasions, he said that he had been threatened with a hunting knife, and the men had threatened to rape his wife and kill him and his children; they had increased the amount of money they were demanding to 1million, and he had been acting in fear for his life.

'The prosecution allege that the entire account of being compelled to commit these offences because he was being threatened by travellers is untrue, and that the reason that the details have changed is because the fiction has had to be adapted to fit the evidence as it emerges.'

Wright, of Market Rasen, Lincolnshire, denies four counts of blackmail and two counts of contaminating goods.

In a separate charge of blackmail Wright is accused of demanding 150,000 worth of bitcoin from a driver with whom he had a road rage altercation.

The trial, which is expected to last for three weeks, continues.
Crew Member Injured After Air Force Helicopter Shot at Over Virginia: FBI

A U.S. Air Force crew member was injured after a military helicopter was shot at over Virginia on Wednesday, said officials.

On Monday, August 10, at approximately 12:00 p.m., the FBI Washington Field Office (WFO) dispatched Special Agents and its Evidence Response Team to the Manassas Airport after receiving reports that a helicopter was shot at from the ground nearby, the FBI Washington Field Office said in a statement on Wednesday.

The FBI said that one person in the helicopter sustained a non-life-threatening injury. Its not clear if the crew member was shot, but the person was treated and released from a nearby hospital, according to the federal law enforcement agency.

The FBI added that its currently investigating the incident along with the Air Force Office of Special Investigations.

The U.S. Air Forces 316th wing confirmed an incident occurred but made no mention of the shooting.

A UH-1N Huey helicopter assigned to the 1st Helicopter Squadron at Joint Base Andrews conducted an emergency landing at 12:43 pm on August 10th in Manassas, Va during a routine training mission, the statement read, adding that it is investigating along with the FBI.

The Air Force said it takes threats to our Airmen and our resources very seriously. As this is an ongoing investigation, no further investigative details can be released at this time.

Its not clear if the helicopter sustained any damage in the shooting.

Officials at Joint Base Andrews did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

People who live near the area who have information should contact the FBI at 202-278-2000.


Christina Rolle B. G., Opalesque Geneva: The Bahamas has been busy modernising its financial regulatory system of late and here is a recent update, fresh from Opalesque's Bahamas Roundtable 2020. Of note is the country's agile approach to regulation, whereas the financial industry constantly collaborates with the government to refine the legislation to make sure that they are consistent with international best practices and ensure that the regulatory requirements are clear. Investment Funds Act, 2019 The Investment Funds Act, 2019 was created to modernise the regulatory framework for investment funds in The Bahamas in order to achieve international standards and best practices of the investment funds industry, and to enhance the provisions of the Securities Industry Act, 2011 in order to maintain the status of The Bahamas as a reputable international financial centre (see related Opalesque report here). In February this year, amendments were enacted. Minister of Financial Services, Trade Industry and Immigration Elsworth Johnson said that amendments to the Investment Funds Act will address concerns by the European Union (EU) on how the determination of a professional investor is made, according to EWNews. The Investment Act came into force in September 2019, said Christina Rolle, executive director at the Securities Commission of The Bahamas, and "we are still in a transition period with that Act, but certainly there are some new features. One is that the administrator can now be anywhere in the world. The investment fund manager can either go through a registration or licensing process in The Bahamas: (1) for managers who are only managing professional funds, they only go through a very simple registration process; (2) for those who would be managing retail funds, they go through a licensing process. "We also rationalize in the legislation the concept of fiduciary responsibility and where that fiduciary responsibility should lie," she added. Securities Industry (Contracts For Differences) Rules, 2020 The Securities Commission of The Bahamas is to implement a range of new regulations, including leverage restrictions. The new regulation was proposed by the Government of The Bahamas on 27th May 2020, reports Finance Magnate. The regulator will be implementing leverage restrictions of 200:1, ban binary options trading, and impose marketing restrictions. "For the past three years, The Bahamas has seen some growth in this type of activity," Rolle said. "We have some broker-dealers who have been moving to The Bahamas to take advantage of the fact that our regulation was not as robust as other jurisdictions. And while The Bahamas had very strong securities legislation, we didn't zero in on this space because it was just not an activity we had to pay attention to in the past. "Seeing this trend, The Bahamas determined that we were going to regulate this space. We didn't want to fall into a scenario like what happened in other jurisdictions where this activity really damaged the reputation of a southern European jurisdiction. So, what we did was conduct extensive benchmarking and engaged other regulators as well as locals, in order to identify the real issues in the space and to develop a regulatory framework." "We were happy to be one of the first brokers here to be a part of the conversation and to be consulted on this," said Brendan Davis, business development manager at ActivTrades Corp. "And it just affirms our thoughts in the beginning that The Bahamas has a growing international reputation for transparency." Earlier updates "We also have recently updated our AML/CFT legislation to ensure that we remain compliant with the ever-evolving international standards," said John Delaney Q.C., senior partner at commercial law firm Delaney Partners. The Bahamian Government sought to improve the AML/CFT regime in The Bahamas through the enactment of the Financial Transactions Reporting Act, 2018 (FTRA). The FTRA, which came into force on 25th May 2018, repeals and replaces the Financial Transactions Reporting Act of 2000 and provides enhanced provisions to address the gaps identified in the CFATF's Mutual Evaluation Report. "In relation to matters around tax, we have implemented the substance requirements regime which is comparable to that transpiring or required around the world for responsible international financial institutions," he continued. The Commercial Entities (Substance Requirements) Act, 2018 (CESRA), entered into force in the Bahamas on 1 January 2019. CESRA requires commercial entities engaged in certain relevant activities to have economic substance in the Bahamas. In addition, he added, the country has recently implemented the Beneficial Ownership Register, which goes towards ensuring that it is compliant with requirements anticipated for financial centres. "There has been work done by the government in conjunction with industry to refine the substance legislation," said Christel Sands-Feaste, partner at law firm Higgs & Johnson. "In addition, notwithstanding COVID, there was recently tabled in the House of Assembly a new Banks and Trust Companies Regulation Act and Central Bank of the Bahamas Act to reflect that there is a constant focus on refining the scope of the legislation and sharpening our pencil to demonstrate to the world that we are best in class in this area." "For the companies themselves, we offer the opportunity to create substance because we do have premises available for leasing, for rent, or to purchase," said Linda Beidler-D'Aguilar, partner at law firm Glinton Sweeting O'Brien. "There are physical premises available for people to purchase to reside in and so it makes it much simpler in The Bahamas to be compliant with the substance requirements because the infrastructure is in place, there is the availability of appropriate property and personnel."

Related article:

7 August 2020 - Opalesque Roundtable: The Bahamas emerges as a pandemic safe jurisdiction for family offices

You can read the full roundtable discussion here:
Durham is an unincorporated community in Walker County, Ga., that is probably unknown to the majority of the public except for descendants of the miners and families that worked in the mines. Durham was first called Pittsburgh like so many other towns that intended to simulate the big steel metropolis in Pennsylvania. The name of the community changed to Durham after the mining area on Lookout Mountain was purchased by the Durham Iron and Coal Company.

Originally the Cherokee Indians lived in this area but were driven out on the Trail of Tears in the late 1830's. This allowed industrialists to come into the rich coal mining region and to develop the resources. Black convicts provided much of the labor to extract the coal from the mines that had begun operating before the Civil War. When the mines were opened in 1891 foremen were hired to oversee the convicts. The prisoners lived in barracks and were kept under heavy guard night and day.

The first load of coal from the Durham mines went on exhibition at the Georgia Avenue depot yard in Chattanooga on January 5, 1892. Originally the coal was hauled from the mines by mule-driven wagons to a winding precarious railroad constructed in that time frame. The Durham line crossed the Chattanooga Southern Railroad that went to Gadsden, Ala., and on to Chickamauga, Ga., where the Central of Georgia Railroad passed through. The coal was examined by coal dealers and manufacturers before it was transported by rail to Coalburn, Alabama, where it could be made into coke.

With the discovery of vast deposits of bituminous coal, Durham eventually evolved into Durham Coal and Coke Company, a town with the company providing housing, company store, and company-built churches. By 1910 Durham had a butcher shop, a movie theatre, gambling hall, pool hall, barber shop, ice house and three boarding houses for the miners. Business was so brisk that newcomers had to wait six months for a company house to become vacant. The Durham post office was listed as Pittsburgh, Georgia and was in operation from 1900 until 1946.

After the first shipment was made in 1892, the mining of coal continued on and off until the 1940s. The Chickamauga Coke Ovens are still present today just north of downtown Chickamauga on Georgia Highway 341. Twice a day trips were made hauling coal by the trains to the ovens where it would be burned at high temperatures without any oxygen present to remove the impurities from the coal.

In order to make iron and steel, coke is necessary because it burns longer, hotter and steadier than coal and this was what the foundries needed in the Chattanooga market. By 1904 the Durham mines were producing 700 to 1,000 tons of Coke in the Chickamauga ovens every day with approximately one-fifth of the ore being manufactured into coke. This process continued operation into the Great Depression years when the large seam of coal eventually ran out.

The railroad was abandoned in 1951 and the narrow iron rails on the Chickamauga and Durham line were taken up and the wooden trestles rotted. During the coal boom of the 1970s the ugly practice of strip mining was extracted from the area. While the rails were removed in 1952 a majority of the former right-of-way can still be traced although some of it has been encroached on and part of it goes through a private nature preserve. Eventually the right of way was given to Walker County but plans to build a walking trail from Chickamauga to Lula Falls were withdrawn because of opposition from land owners along the property.

A one day trip to visit the Town of Chickamauga and the coke ovens can be an interesting and historical journey.

* * *

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
DUBLIN, Aug. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Global Managed Detection and Response Market, Forecast to 2024" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The managed detection and response (MDR) market generated $893.8 million in 2019; it is set to grow at a CAGR of 16.4% and reach $1,907.9 million by 2024.

With the increasing number and complexity of threats, the internal management of information security has become increasingly laborious and costly. In this context, outsourcing should be viewed as a strategic ally for securely managing IT environments in line with companies' business strategies.

The challenges and the complexities that security brings to companies are increasing. Sophisticated cyber threats are targeting a broader cross-section of the companies. Inadequate security practices in some organizations are resulting in increasingly negative consequences for revenue streams and profitability. DMR is, therefore, a necessary extra layer of defense that will combat these threats.

MDR providers mix and match proprietary and best-of-breed tools to create an integrated cyber defense platform. MDR also includes the response process and not just the suggested remediation steps. Importantly, providers of MDR will offer a service-level response (SLR) which defines delivery windows for reporting incidents and initiating a response.

Proactive monitoring of the customer security environment by third-party security professionals, providing 24/7 threat detection, in addition to orchestration and automation, will help mitigate security breaches.

Highly skilled security professionals taking care of the environment play a key role in identifying attacks and mitigating threats before they impact infrastructure. Interactions between the customer and service provider are either on the phone or through email. It is not necessary to open a support ticket and be attended to through a portal. There is also the option of having a personal security professional who is familiar with the client's business and its unique security requirements.

DMR will investigate and confirm known and unknown threats, using behavioral analytics to catch abnormalities before any damage is caused. Through the use of predictive models, security analysts can identify unusual traffic on the network, analyze new malware through its behavior, and stop attacks before they start.

The process of SOC outsourcing is called SOC-as-a-Service (SOCaaS). MDR providers will deliver the technology, process, and people for organizations that cannot build or staff on their own. This allows companies to rent these capabilities which will keep their business safe. MDR providers must demonstrate trustworthiness in remediation without interrupting a customer's business operations. They must adapt themselves to the customer's needs and budget, understanding the vertical they are in, and providing detection-and-response solutions in the shortest period of time.

Key Topics Covered:



1. Executive Summary

Key Findings

Market Engineering Measurements

CEO's Perspective

2. Market Overview

Market Definitions

Key Questions this Study will Answer

Market Distribution Channels

Differences between MSSP and MDR Providers

3. Drivers and Restraints - Total Market

Market Drivers

Drivers Explained

Market Restraints

Restraints Explained

4. Forecasts and Trends - Total Market

Forecast Assumptions

Revenue Forecast

Revenue Forecast Discussion

Total Managed Detection and Response Market-Percent Revenue Forecast by Region

Regional Revenue Forecast Discussion

Total Managed Detection and Response Market-Revenue Forecast by Vertical Market

Vertical Market Revenue Forecast Discussion

Total Managed Detection and Response Market-Revenue Forecast by Size of Business

Size of Business Revenue Forecast Discussion

5. Competitive Analysis - Total Market

Competitive Factors and Assessment

Competitive Environment

6. Growth Opportunities and Companies to Action

Growth Opportunity - Geographical Expansion

Growth Opportunity - Digital Transformation

Strategic Imperatives for Success and Growth

7. Strategic Insights for CISOs

8. The Last Word

Conclusion

Recommendations

9. Appendix

Market Engineering Methodology

Market Engineering Measurements

List of Companies Interviewed

Learn More-Next Steps

List of Exhibits

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/i3v036

About ResearchAndMarkets.com

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Chandigarh: Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Wednesday (August 12, 2020) launched a state-wide Rs 92 crore `Punjab Smart Connect Scheme that aims at providing more than 1.74 lakh class XII students with smartphones by November 2020.

CM Amarinder personally handed over smartphones to six Class XII students in a symbolic gesture. He said that people believe in the promises listed in the election manifesto and it was his duty to ensure the implementation of each one of them.

The scheme will benefit a total of 1,74,015 Class XII students of government schools in the first phase. Of these, 87,395 are boys and 86,620 girls, with the majority in the OBC and SC/ST categories.

While 36,555 beneficiaries are OBC students, there are 94,832 SC students and 13 ST students. The bulk of the students  1,11,857, are from rural areas, and the remaining in urban government schools.

CM Amarinder expressed, "When the Congress listed Smart Phones as a poll promise, it was to provide global connectivity and empower the poor youth who could not afford them."

He added that in the present pandemic situation, these phones had assumed bigger importance as they had become a necessity for education continuity.

Chief Minister @capt_amarinder Singh at the state wide launch of #PunjabSmartConnect scheme to distribute smartphones to government school students to provide access to online education in this hour of need during #COVID19 pandemic. pic.twitter.com/IQgqSbIJsr  CMO Punjab (@CMOPb) August 12, 2020

CM said that it was the money of the people of Punjab which his government was spending on the advancement of the youth, adding that the phones were planned to be distributed in March but the process got delayed due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

The Chief Minister also expressed that he wanted Punjabs students to be abreast with the latest technology which they can use effectively for their education.

Gone are the days of chalks and boards, he said, adding that the Government schools, which had seen a major transformation over the past couple of years, needed to be supported through technological initiatives by the state government.

As per the official statement by State Government, distribution of phones was done at 26 places by various ministers, MLAs and others across the state to kickstart the scheme.
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Cratering job quality and weak wage growth in the U.S. have typically been attributed to a combination of technological change, waning worker bargaining power and increased pressures from trade and financial markets. But according to research co-written by a University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign expert who studies economic sociology, increased industry concentration also has dire consequences for workers' wages and job quality.

Dominant firms in concentrated industries can effectively constrain downstream economic opportunities for buyers and suppliers because their transaction partners lack alternatives, thereby making profits for workers to bargain over all the more scarce, said Richard Benton, a professor of labor and employment relations at Illinois.

"When we think about wage stagnation, wage inequality and job quality in the U.S., we don't often think about the role firms play in the marketplace - both on the input side and on the output side," he said. "When you have a supply chain that's dominated by a very powerful firm, or you have entire industries or markets that are dominated by very powerful firms, that makes it more difficult for smaller firms that do business with them to be successful and turn a profit. And that, in turn, shrinks the economic surplus available for workers."

Benton and co-author Ki-Jung Kim, a U. of I. graduate student, calculated market-constraint measures for recent years - 1997, 2002, 2007 and 2012 - in the U.S. using data on interindustry transactions and linking them with data from the Current Population Survey on individuals' wages and employment benefits.

Market constraint captures the extent to which firms in an industry are heavily dependent on powerful suppliers and buyers in upstream or downstream industries, according to the paper.

"With this approach, we were able to identify the market-constraint effect using individuals' movement between more- and less-constrained industries," Benton said.

The analysis reveals that workers in more buyer-constrained industries - that is, industries at the mercy of the financial decisions of powerful buyers - experience lower wages and benefits. The paper also shows that market constraints reduce the economic surplus available for union bargaining, suggesting that industry concentration curbs wages and harms overall job quality, the researchers say.

"When you're in a market that's not dominated by a singular powerbroker, it's a lot easier for firms to generate profits," Benton said. "But over the last 20 years, we've seen dramatic growth in corporate profits, and part of the reason why is because when you're the singular behemoth in the market, you're in a position to dominate your supply chain. That's one of the reasons why big-box retail stores, for example, turn such a huge profit. It's not just because they control the retail industry. It's because they can exercise that power over their suppliers and effectively dictate their terms to ensure that their prices are as low as they can get it.

"That's great for consumers, but if you couple that with decreased unionization, you have a recipe for declining job quality and wage erosion for people who work at those supplier firms."

Since the 1960s, federal antitrust regulation and enforcement have overwhelmingly focused on protecting consumers against monopolistic practices from suppliers. However, courts have been more forgiving of "monopsonistic conduct" - when buyers engage in anticompetitive behavior and accumulate market power that disadvantages tangential businesses, Benton said.

"Federal antitrust regulation and enforcement have proved particularly ineffective at addressing dependency structures in economic value chains. As a result, concentrated power, particularly buyer power, has generally gone uncontested in the current regulatory framework," he said. "More broadly, our results strongly suggest that policymakers should consider labor market and inequality consequences of antitrust legislation and enforcement, not just the benefits to consumers."

The findings have important implications for policymakers, pointing to labor unions as "instrumental" to ensuring that profits are shared with workers, Kim said.

"When workers are in an industry that's dominated by very powerful buyers on the output side of the market, it reduces wages and employment benefits such as pensions and health care that would otherwise go to workers," he said. "They're more likely to be captured as profits that are returned to owners or shareholders than they are to workers."

"We need strong unions to make sure that workers are able to bargain for a slice of the pie - and also, perhaps, by focusing on antitrust efforts and competitive supply chains, to grow the pie itself," Benton said. "It's imperative that policymakers strengthen unions and pay attention to this other dimension of antitrust practices."

###

The study was published in the journal ILR Review.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 12) - The Quezon City Police District (QCPD) said it will return the remains of Randall "Randy" Echanis to his family after finally acknowledging on Wednesday that the body belongs to the Anakpawis Partylist leader and National Democratic Front of the Philippines peace consultant.

The police was able to confirm Echanis' identity after conducting a fingerprint test.

They also confirmed that Echanis and Manuel Santiago are one and the same, based on the identification card found with the body.

QCPD chief Brigadier General Ronnie Montejo told a press conference that the fingerprint found on the ID with Echanis name was identical with the fingerprint in the postmortem chart of the body identified as Santiago.

Echanis, 72, and a neighbor were killed inside a rented house in Novaliches, Quezon City last August 10.

Montejo said investigators are looking into different angles on the cause of deaths, including robbery and the possibility that someone might have a personal grudge against the victim.

Echanis' body bore "torture marks, multiple stab wounds and gunshot wounds," according to his wife, Erlinda.

Before the QCPD made the acknowledgement on the bodys identity, Erlinda said in an ambush interview that she was also able to confirm that it was indeed her spouse in the photo shown to her.

Meanwhile, QCPD Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit head Major Elmer Monsalve said that Echanis' wife was able to present their marriage contract to prove their relationship, but the police unit is still for waiting Erlinda's statement before they can turn over the body to her.

The body of Echanis will be transferred to the Philippine General Hospital for autopsy.
Jordan will close its border with Syria this week following increases in COVID-19 infections in Syria and at the border crossing itself.

The state-funded Al-Mamlaka TV reported today that the Jaber crossing will close on Thursday for one week. The Ministry of Interior made the decision following an increase in the number of coronavirus cases at the center.

Al-Mamlaka also reported that the prime minister ordered a review of health measures at Jordan's other border crossings.

Jordan closed its land borders to travelers in March at the start of the pandemic, allowing only trade. The Jaber border will now be completely closed for the stated period. Jordan reopened its international airport to passenger flights from select countries this month.

The closure follows an increase in coronavirus cases in Syria. The country registered 67 new cases on Monday, bringing the total to 1,255, according to the state-run SANA media outlet.

The Syrian government does not control all of the country, though, and the quality of health care and virus testing is weak in many parts of Syria.

The Syrian population continues to be considered at high risk, particularly when combined with relatively low levels of testing, recent relaxation of precautionary measures, the accelerating spread of COVID-19 in neighboring countries, reported infections of several health workers and the debilitated state of the health system, the United Nations reported last month.

Jordan, on the other hand, has fared relatively much better in fighting the virus than its neighbors. Most businesses are now open throughout the country. Last month, domestic flights also resumed.
Vacancy rates in Australia's city skyscrapers have close to doubled as they sit devoid of office workers, and things could get worse as experts warn normal conditions may not return for another two years.

The data from the latest Property Council of Australia's Office Market Report, for the six months to the end of July, reveals the damage wreaked by the global pandemic with Sydney's vacancy rate almost doubling from 3.9 per cent to 5.6 per cent.

Meanwhile, Melbourne's CBD vacancy rate, which was also impacted by a 4.6 per cent increase in additional office supply, jumped from 3.2 per cent to 5.9 per cent.

CBD offices are standing half empty as staff opt to work from home through the COVID-19 crisis. Credit:James Brickwood

But major landlords, such as GPT and Dexus Property, say the death of the office has been exaggerated. The companies predict that people will opt for a more flexible working week once COVID-19 is contained, with some days spent in the office.
TikTok collected user data from millions of smartphones using a tactic banned by Google and without notifying users for over a year before the Chinese video-sharing app ended the practice last year.

TikTok tracked the unique MAC (media access control) addresses of Androids, which are often used for advertising purposes, and concealed its activity with an extra layer of encryption, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis.

The data collection was not disclosed to users and appears to flout Google privacy policies.

The video-sharing app persisted in collecting the unique user identifiers for at least 15 months before stopping the tactic in November amid new scrutiny by the U.S. over the apps security issues.

The current version of TikTok does not collect MAC addresses, the company said in a statement to the Journal.

TikToks Chinese owner ByteDance is currently under pressure from Washington to sell TikTok or face being potentially blacklisted in America.

Microsoft has reportedly been in talks to acquire the video-sharing platforms U.S. operations. Senator Josh Hawley on Wednesday demanded that Microsoft assure that TikTok has severed all ties with the Chinese Communist Party as a prerequisite of any potential acquisition of the social media platform.

The Missouri Republican argued that if TikTok is allowed to preserve ties with its parent company or the Chinese government, vulnerabilities in the app could allow the Chinese Communist Party to collect the data of Americans.

Last week, Hawleys bill banning the video-sharing app on government-issued devices passed the Senate.

President Trump said last week that TikTok has until September 15 to find an American buyer for the app, and if they fail to secure a purchaser he will shut down the app in the U.S.

More from National Review
Representative Ilhan Omar defeated a well-funded challenger in the Minnesota Democratic primary on Tuesday to informally secure a second term as congresswoman to Minnesotas historically Democratic-run 5th district.

Omar beat out Antone Melton-Meaux, an attorney who had out-fundraised her during the campaign, the Associated Press projected.

Omars victory is the latest in a string of wins for the progressive Squad which includes Representative Alexandria Ocasio Cortez (D., N.Y.) and Representative Rashida Tlaib (D., Mich.)  both of whom won their own primaries in past weeks  and Representative Ayanna Pressley (D., Mass.). Omar, a former refugee, made history in 2018 as the first Somali-American elected to Congress and, along with Tlaib, became one of the first two Muslim women elected to Congress.

While Melton-Meaux said he had supported Omars first run for Congress, in an interview with the Associated Press he criticized the first-term congresswoman for being divisive and focused on her celebrity.

He also argued that Omar had lost the trust of the Jewish community by her insensitive and harmful tropes. She had come under fire for inflammatory comments about Israel last year, one in a series of controversies, including her decision to vote present on a resolution condemning the Armenian genocide. She has also drawn scrutiny for giving $1.65 million in campaign funds to her husbands political consulting firm for digital and radio advertising, Business Insider reported.

The Star Tribune, Minneapolis largest newspaper, endorsed Melton-Meaux, writing, Whether its health care, criminal justice or affordable housing, Melton-Meaux appears progressive, but pragmatic. While Omar wants to lead a movement, Melton-Meaux seeks to serve the Fifth District.

Still, the former state representative has maintained the support of prominent Democrats including House speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senator Elizabeth Warren (D., Mass.) and Senator Bernie Sanders (D., V.T.).

Story continues

Melton-Meaux had fundraised $3.2 million from April to June, while Omar had raised nearly $500,000 in that same time, Fox News reported. While Melton-Meaux reportedly had $2 million in campaign cash at the end of June, Omar had only $1.1 million.

Omar will compete in the November general election for a second term representing Minnesotas 5th Congressional District, which covers much of the city of Minneapolis that has experienced violent, widespread protests and unrest after the death of George Floyd at the hands of city police.

More from National Review
Were at that point where were kind of bursting at the seams, Travonee Simelton says. It was either take the jump now or  Or, I guess there wasnt anything else.

For eight years, Simelton's cupcake baking business has been a home-based venture. Starting off in the small apartment he lived at in Appleton, Wisc. Then after moving to Huntsville in 2015 because that's where his mom and other family were residing, Simelton's Regale Cupcakery became a mobile vendor here. Regale has been a fixture at Huntsville food truck rallies, farmers markets and the like ever since.

Now, after selling cupcakes from underneath a 10-foot-by-10-foot tent at local events for half a decade or so, Simelton is finally getting his own shop.

Regale Cupcakery's brick-and-mortar location will be at 4925 University Drive. It's a space, number 114, in the same shopping plaza home to Bumpers Billiards, Cicis Pizza and Newk's Eatery. Right across the street from Rooms To Go Furniture.

Regale Cupcakery owner Travonee Simelton. (Courtesy photo)

Simelton says the weird/myriad challenges of launching amid coronavirus are worth Regale finally having a physical spot. The one question we get probably at least three, four times a week is the where are we located question, Simelton says. Now were finally able to tell somebody where were located.

Regale's 1,600-square-foot space in currently under construction. The hope is to have the place open my mid-September or late-October. The plan is to employ a staff of around six.

Simelton says Regale's most popular cupcake is the Caramel Delight, which he describes as "a Girl Scout Samoas cookie in cupcake form." Their Lemon Berry flavor is another top seller. The proprietor's personal go-to however is their Tomato Soup cupcake, "which is our version of a carrot cake or a spice cake. It actually uses a can of tomato soup in the batter, but it has all the flavors of carrot cake without the actual carrots."

The interior at Regales will exude a coffee shop feel, Simelton says. There will be couches and tables for customers to sit, eat and sip at. (A full coffee menu is also in the cards there.) Each day, he plans on offering seven different cupcake flavors, at $4 each. Everything in the shop with be frosted to order, Simelton says. That includes a $4.50 create your own cupcake option, where customers can mix and match cakes, icings and toppings. The shops color scheme and branding will feature lots of purple and gold. In Italian the word regale means kingly, and Simelton picked that for a business name because he wanted to be the king of cupcakes.

Cupcakes from Regale Cupcakery. (Courtesy photo)

Simelton grew up in Green Bay, Wisc. As a tween, his family would often purchase boxed cake mixes from Walmart, and he became obsessed with decorating those cakes once the cakes were baked. Anytime someone in their household had a birthday, young Simelton was in charge of decorating the birthday cake. He also spent a lot of time watching Food Network, "and just trying to learn by watching how different chefs create different things."

He'd go on attend culinary school at Appleton's Fox Valley Technical College. After he'd moved off to school, his family relocated to Huntsville. After he finished at Fox Valley with an advanced baking certificate, he wasn't sure where he'd live next. He came to Huntsville thinking he'd only be here six months or so. "And that was seven years ago," Simelton says, punctuating the statement with one of his frequent laughs.

As a baker, he relishes taking the vibe from other kinds of desserts and manifesting them in Regale's two-inch by one-and-three-quarter inch cupcakes. In addition to Girl School cookies, he derives cupcake inspiration from everything from cotton-candy to cinnamon rolls to croissants.

Up to this point in Huntsville, Regale has been operating under Alabama Cottage Food Law, which allows that certain kinds of foods, including cupcakes, can be sold directly to customers, as long as sales do not exceed $20,000 per year. Other requirements include passing an Alabama Department of Public Health food safety course every five years. There are labeling requirements too.

After the pandemic halted Huntsville events local mobile food vendors frequently worked, Regale teamed with meal-oriented food trucks, like Tex-Mex/brisket truck Fire & Spice, and go directly to neighborhoods. Over the years, Simelton formed a friendship with Andrew and Lee Judge, owners of Sugar Belle, another local cupcake business that started mobile before ascending to brick-and-mortar. Unfortunately, Sugar Belle permanently shuttered this June after a seven-year run.

We worked pretty close together the last few years, so it was very sad to see them go, Simelton says. He purchased an oven, espresso machine and tables from Sugar Belle for Regale, and wants to keep some of the memory of Sugar Belle alive while trying to create and build our business as well.

Between coronavirus, social unrest and caustic politics, its universally agreed 2020 has sucked. On the other hand, cupcakes are often-celebratory, a treat that puts most humans who consume them in a good mood. So maybe whats needed to turn 2020 around is more cupcakes? Were here to help bring joy, Simelton says. Joy that tastes good. More info at facebook.com/RegaleCupcakery.

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The U.S. Justice Department on Tuesday urged Congress to revise a 74-year-law that is central to how the government sets regulatory policy.

Deputy Attorney General Jeff Rosen told Reuters the department wanted to work with Congress to modernize the 1946 Administrative Procedure Act (APA), adding the law no longer reflects how the regulatory process actually works.

Rosen wants Congress to enshrine some existing practices into law, adopt new transparency measures and take steps to improve the economic efficiency of regulations.

The big important thing is for Congress to take this up, Rosen said.

In a report on Tuesday, the Justice Department argued the need for reform was urgent as the regulatory state has grown ever larger.

It cited studies estimating the aggregate total cost of federal regulations to fall between $1.75 and $2 trillion per year.

White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) Administrator Paul Ray said in a statement the report will aid in the dialog about how to make the American administrative system less burdensome.

Congress is unlikely to reform the regulatory process before the November presidential election.

Rosen at a summit in December noted that between 1995 and 2017, agencies issued 92,000 rules, compared to 4,400 new laws by Congress.

In short, for decades, every administration has recognized that we need a better regulatory process, he said.

President Donald Trump has made deregulation a key part of his agenda, arguing it boosts economic growth, while critics say he has not done enough to protect health, safety and the environment. Democrats have opposed the rollback of many regulations under Trump.

In some cases, courts have halted actions by the Trump administration for not following APA requirements.

In June, the Supreme Court blocked Trumps bid to end a program that protects from deportation hundreds of thousands of immigrants, The administrations actions, the justices ruled, were arbitrary and capricious under the APA.

(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Bernadette Baum)

Topics Legislation
The ABC failed to disclose the activist past of a 13-year-old girl who appeared in a documentary as a supposedly ordinary person on the street who wanted to ban coal.

Izzy Raj-Seppings appeared in Fight for Planet A, which screened on Tuesday, as a random Australian in the mall being asked in a 'vox pop' about global carbon dioxide emissions.

'We can't keep using coal because that is going to kill our planet. We cannot do it anymore,' she told former Chaser comedian Craig Reucassel as he held a Chinese flag.

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The ABC failed to tell viewers about the activist past of a 13-year-old girl who appeared in a documentary as an ordinary person on the street who wanted to ban coal. Izzy Raj-Seppings appeared in the Fight for Planet A program as a random Australian in the mall being asked about global carbon emissions

She then declared she wanted to replace Scott Morrison as Prime Minister, as her parents stood next to her at Chatswood on Sydney's upmarket North Shore.

'I'm coming for your job, Scomo,' she said.

The ABC made no mention of how Izzy created headlines last year when she was threatened with arrest outside Kirribilli House as she picketed Mr Morrison's official residence in a protest over climate change policies.

An ABC spokesman told Daily Mail Australia on Wednesday the 'random' vox pop was filmed in November 2019 - a month before the protest at Kirribilli House - but the documentary was edited afterwards when the decision was made to include her.

'The segment was filmed more than a month before the protest to which you refer took place and featured multiple random passersby, none of whom were known to the producers,' he said.

The segment in the documentary gave viewers the impression Izzy was just another person on the street being asked to guess which nation - Australia, China, the United States, the UK or Indonesia - had the highest per capita carbon emissions.

She was the only supposedly random person on the street who correctly guessed Australia had the highest pollution levels by placing flags in the hands of people holding black balloons.

The ABC made no mention of how Izzy was last year threatened with arrest outside Kirribilli House on Sydney Harbour, as she picketed Mr Morrison's official residence over climate change with her father

Reucassel had even suggested Izzy 'could you possibly run our country for us?'.

'You're already a lot smarter than our Parliament,' he said.

Izzy was last year dubbed Australia's Greta Thunberg when she stood next to her father and held up a sign at the Kirribilli House protest which said: 'Look at what you've left us. Watch us fight it. Watch us win.'

The New South Wales Police Force was criticised in December 2019 for over-reacting by threatening the teenager with arrest, though her father was alongside her as the officer calmly laid out the risk of arrest.

The protest was held outside the Prime Minister's residence when he was controversially holidaying in Hawaii during the bushfire crisis.

A month later, she spoke out against the way police had 'humiliated' her as she gave morale support at Manly Local Court to state Greens MP David Shoebridge, who was charged with failing to obey a police direction to move on.

In January, Izzy spoke out against the way police had 'humiliated' her as she gave morale support at Manly Local Court to state Greens MP David Shoebridge (left), who was charged with failing to obey a police direction to move on

'I felt like I had done something wrong, I felt like I was a criminal but I was one of the lucky ones,' she said.

The ABC documentary told viewers each Australian produced the equivalent of 104 balloons of carbon dioxide per person per hour, compared with 89 ballooons for every American, 41 balloons for each Chinese, 33 balloons for every UK resident and 11 balloons for every Indonesian.

After iron ore, coal is Australia's biggest export with Australia's biggest trading partner China last year buying $10billion worth of metallurgical coal and another $7billion worth of thermal coal.
Almost one in four Australian scientists believe pandemic-induced mental stress and anxiety is affecting their work.

A union-commissioned survey of 1,467 scientists found a lack of job security was a key source of stress and a drain on mental wellbeing.

Professional Scientists Australia chief executive Gordon Brock said coronavirus had intensified pressure on scientists.

Almost one in four Australian scientists believe pandemic-induced mental stress and anxiety is affecting their work (file picture)

'As Australians look to their scientists to protect them in the battle against COVID-19, our scientists are struggling with challenges on multiple fronts,' he said on Wednesday.

'Not only were the nation's scientists dealing with the stress and responsibility of confronting the COVID-19 pandemic, they were having to deal with multiple economic and personal issues as well.'

About one in five said caring for children or homeschooling had reduced their ability to work.

More than five per cent took a pay cut, with those working in metals the hardest hit, while hours were reduced for 10 per cent.

Casual workers and self-employed scientists dominated the reduction in hours.

Just over 15 per cent had their role and responsibilities changed.

Almost 30 per cent reported physical distancing limiting their work, while 27.7 per cent opted to work from home.

More than two thirds were directed to work from home, while others reported not being allowed to stay away from the workplace despite it being feasible.

Almost three in five respondents believed Australians placed a greater value on science because of the coronavirus pandemic.

CSIRO chief executive Larry Marshall will outline his perspective on the critical role of science and technology in driving Australia's COVID-19 recovery efforts to the National Press Club on Wednesday.

The speech in Canberra will also emphasise the power of bold, visionary collaboration to build future resilience and solve major challenges.

Mr Brock said there was a strong case for major strategic investment in science and technology to drive economic reconstruction.

'We call on the government, business and the education sector to take up this opportunity.'
Guest Commentary

By Joseph Quesnel

Canadians have seen the harm the COVID-19 pandemic is doing to Native American communities in the United States, knowing it could happen to Indigenous peoples here. The infection and death rates for many Native American communities is much higher than mainstream communities. The American Indian Studies Center at the University of California published a graphic that shows the huge disparities in infection and death rates affecting these U.S. communities.

For instance, Native Americans across New Mexico, the vast majority of whom live on remote tribal lands, are dying of COVID-19 at rates 19 times that of all other populations combined, according to data provided by that states Department of Health. They represent only 11 per cent of New Mexicos population but account for 57 per cent of the states COVID-19 cases.

The Navajo Nation  which has populations in a few states  made headlines in the United States because, at one point, their COVID-19 infection rate surpassed that of hard-hit New York State.

Many smaller tribes  such as the White Mountain Apache and the Pueblo of Zia  also experienced much higher infection rates.

Just as in Canada, Indigenous peoples in the United States have all the risk factors that make them especially vulnerable in the face of pandemics. Like First Nations in Canada, Native Americans continue to have lower life expectancy rates than other communities in the U.S.

Epidemiologists are reminding Americans that in 2009 during the H1N1 influenza, Native Americans died at rates four times higher than other racial and ethnic groups.

Medical experts also note that a lack of running water on many Indian reservations is contributing to the high infection rates because people arent able to wash their hands as often as they should. This lack of water on reservations should sound familiar to Canadians.

In the case of the Navajo, theres also concern that small, crowded housing increases the likelihood of infection. That should also be familiar to Canadians.

Like Canadian First Nations, many Native American reservations shut their borders to control the rate of infection. But COVID-19 had already arrived in many communities.

The good news is that many Native American communities report that theyve gained control over exploding infection rates and are talking about having flattened the curve.

It seems the extreme isolation of many Canadian First Nations and quick closure of territories helped keep COVID-19 away. Otherwise, these communities could not have handled it any better than in the U.S.

American Indian communities also struggle to ensure they have enough personal protection equipment (PPE) to deal with the crisis. In one case, a Seattle-based Native American health centre requested PPE and test kits from the local, state and federal government. They were sent body bags instead.

Canadians may recall a similarly eerie situation at a Manitoba First Nation in 2009 during the swine flu epidemic, when Health Canada sent body bags instead of medical equipment.

This should be a reminder to Indigenous communities on both sides of the border that they cant rely on federal officials to respond to the crises in their communities. The reliance many First Nations have on Health Canada and other federal agencies leaves them vulnerable.

First Nations and Native American communities know their people best. Indigenous governments and Indigenous entrepreneurs are best equipped to help, with appropriate resources from other governments.

The terrible COVID-19 experience of Native American communities clearly carries lessons for Canadas First Nations and Canadians in general.

Joseph Quesnel is a research associate with the Frontier Centre for Public Policy.


(Screen shot from video)

The screen shot from video (above), just as the gate is being opened by lead agitators of the mob of protestors. In this screen shot , the gate is about a foot open, likely no more than a half second after the latch was jimmied.

Christine Byers of KSDK in Missouri has uncovered evidence of prosecutorial misconduct by St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner's office. Kim is one of the radical prosecutors who has been elected with money from George Soros linked radical leftist "Justice & Public Safety" political action committee.

Gardner has drawn national attention with her decision to prosecute a St Louis couple for defending their home against an angry mob of Black Lives Matter agitators.

The document obtained by 5 On Your Side (KDSK) show pressure was applied by Gardner's office to structure the police report, so as to alter the evidence to justify a warrant, and then, criminal charges.

Gardner's Assistant Circuit Attorney, Chris Hinckley, had pushed the lead investigator, Sgt. Curtis Burgdorf, into signing a charging document that Hinckley wrote.

Burgdorf was unwilling to sign onto a document he disagreed with, but finally signed off, after revisions, under the political pressure from Hinckley. Here are the findings by KDSK: .....
<! Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt >

American actress, Angelina Jolie has requested for the removal of the private judge presiding over her divorce from Brad Pitt over claims he has business dealings with her ex-husbands attorney.

In a filing made in Los Angeles Superior Court on Monday (10 August), Jolie requested that Judge John W Ouderkirk be disqualified from the case four years after she first filed for divorce in 2016.

The Salt actress claims that Ouderkirk had failed to disclose the cases that demonstrated the current, ongoing, repeat-customer relationship he had with Anne C Kiley, one of Pitts attorneys who he has worked with on multiple cases.

The document also states that Kiley had actively advocated for Judge Ouderkirks financial interests in moving  over the opposing partys opposition  to have his appointment (and his ability to continue to receive fees) extended in a high profile case.

So far, Ouderkirk and Kiley have not passed any comment regarding the issue.

Arguing that private judges should be bound by the same rules as other judges when it comes to impartiality, the document states: It doesnt matter if Judge Ouderkirk is actually biased  all my client is asking for is a fair trial based on facts, with no special favours extended to either side.

Jolie and Pitt were together for fourteen years, two of which they spent married, before the Maleficent actress filed for divorce in 2016.

The couple have six children together.

Related
British and European luxury brands  hoping to duck out of the crossfire of the Airbus-Boeing trade fight  were waiting for the next shoe to drop Wednesday as the Trump administration was due to possibly adjust the 25 percent tariffs set on many luxury goods imported to the U.S.

Washington raised the import tariff on certain high-end goods from Europe to 25 percent, hitting cashmere knitwear, merino wool and Savile Row suits hard and in retaliation for subsidies paid to manufacture the Airbus fleet of planes.

The move was sanctioned by the World Trade Organization and the U.S. has the right to review and tweak the tariffs, which could go as high as 100 percent, every 180 days.

That set Wednesday as decision day for any new tariffs that could go into force next month. Airbus recently promised to stop accepting the subsidies, but the tit-for-tat tariffs could continue.

The EU, which has accused the U.S. of aiding Airbus competitor Boeing, might also retaliate with tariffs of its own on U.S. made goods.

Beth Hughes, vice president of trade and customs policy at the American Apparel & Footwear Association, in official comments on the matter to the U.S. government, said: The apparel and footwear industry has become collateral damage in trade disputes negatively affecting the entire supply chain.This dispute has already caused a negative impact on the industry. For example, our members employ American workers who use textiles from Europe to make clothes in the United States. Other American workers design, develop, market, and sell the clothes and handbags their companies import from Europe. This retaliation only hurts those American workers by raising costs, costs which are passed on to U.S. consumers in the form of higher prices, which, in turn, lowers sales.

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Theres no denying that Kamala Harris selection as Joe Bidens running mate for the 2020 presidential nomination is historic. She is the first Black woman and the first Asian American woman to share a major-party presidential ticket. In the political positions she held in California, Harris often carried the significance of being both the first Black woman and South Asian American woman to have served those roles. In a country that has historically treated Black women horribly, hers is no small feateven as Harris prosecutorial background has led to criticism that shes played a role in that system. To many progressives of color, including Black women, her rise has evoked complicated feelings.

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In a much different way, her relationship with Indian Americans is also complex; even at this late date, some might be surprised to discover that Harris is half-Indian (as has often happened in previous times). Kamala Devi Harris shares her first name with an Indian-beloved flower, a Hindu deity, and a Bihari river. Her middle name literally means goddess in Hindi. She has spoken and written proudly of her mother, Shyamala Gopalan, an Indian-born doctor and activist, and of her grandfather, an Indian civil servant and high-ranking diplomat. (In her memoirs Harris has referred to her grandfather as a fighter for Indian independence from British rule, something family members have disputed.) She was raised primarily by Gopalan, who divorced her father, the Jamaica-born economist and activist Donald Harris, when she was a child. As Kamala wrote in her memoir, her mother was her biggest influence; the family often visited India when she was younger, and Gopalans family instilled us with pride in our South Asian roots. But also, Harris mother understood very well that she was raising two black daughters. She knew that her adopted homeland would see Maya and me as black girls, and she was determined to make sure we would grow into confident, proud black women.

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When she was running in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary, Harris was rarely the one reporters referred to as the Asian American candidate. (That honor went to Andrew Yang, who persevered until February, while Harris stepped down in December.) She wasnt even the Hindu candidate onstagethat was Tulsi Gabbard, an American of Samoan descent with family ties to a bizarre, cultish sect. Harris was, thankfully, never privy to the Indian stereotypes that have followed me all my life, from the mysticism to the marriage systems to our career pathseven New Ager Marianne Williamson was far closer spiritually to the more astrologically minded Indians Ive known.

Come what may, Indian Americans will see in Harris what they wish to see in her.

That Harris hasnt seemed to run on her Indianness historically can make some political sense. Indian Americans are not exactly a major voting bloc: As of 2017, there are over 4 million people of Indian origin in the U.S., making up a little over 1 percent of the population. Nevertheless, Indians have occupied a unique place in Americas politics, being embraced by all sides of the political spectrum as hardworking immigrants who assimilate well and epitomize the melting pot, the American dream. As voters we are primarily Democratic, even though until very recently the most prominent Indian American politicians were conservativeslike Bobby Jindal and Nikki Haleywho downplayed their Indian roots instead of embracing them. There are conservative Indians who vote right for cultural or Islamophobic reasons, and many desis, even liberals, tend to be blind to their own relative privilege. But no matter the breathless reporting, the Hindus for Trump coalition has never been as strong as Republicans might have hoped.

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All that means that left-leaning Indian Americans during my lifetime have been starved for representation. Which has long made me wonder: Why hasnt Harris made a bigger deal of her Indian roots? When asked about her identity, she tends to call herself American and doesnt delve too deeply into any specifics regarding her Indianness. Shes married to a white man, Douglas Emhoff (to the woe of traditional Indian aunties who would have preferred she marry a nice desi boy, Im sure, though she did incorporate some Indian wedding traditions in her nuptials). She has long claimed to be proud of who she is when asked about her South Indian and Tamil roots, yet besides the occasional photo, speech, or Mindy Kaling video, Harris Indian background doesnt seem to play too heavily in her political life, to the consternation of Indian voters who have expected more direct outreach and ended up disappointed. In fact, comparatively more Indian American donors gravitated to Gabbard (notably, many of these were people who liked Gabbards sympathetic stances toward demagogic Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Hindu nationalism), while other polls showed more aggregate support from such groups for Bernie Sanders or Elizabeth Warren in the primary. This is all the more stark considering California also has the largest Indian American population in the country. Its possible that, now that Harris has become an indisputable political heavyweight, she may discuss this part of her heritage in more depth: Ive seen firsthand more discussion about her Indian identity from the punditry in the hours following Bidens announcement than I have since she leaped onto the national scene.

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To witness Harris rapid rise now feels  odd. On the one hand, this is a big moment hardly imaginable to most Indian Americans not too long ago. It was bizarre to grow up as an Indian immigrant in the 2000s, when the infuriating Islamophobic fervor that followed 9/11 expanded to anyone with brown skin, dark facial hair, and a funny-sounding name. Bobby Jindal joined the House in 2004, and Nikki Haley became South Carolinas governor in 2010. (And Dinesh DSouza had been trolling forever.) The Hindu nationalist right was also ascending in India at the time. In the U.S., antiSouth Asian hate crimes and attacks increased during the war on terror and lately have not abated. But now, there are actually more desi politicians on the national stage to legitimately admire. So I felt a small bit of gratification yesterday, even though I am a far bigger fan of Pramila Jayapal than I am of Harris.

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But to be clear, thats not because of the way Harris treats her Indian roots. One can be hard on her for many things, but I dont think the way shes perceived as treating her heritage is one of them. Identity is not a competition, but its not inaccurate to say the Indian experience is nowhere near as central to American politics and to American life and history as is the Black experience. Much of the racist treatment Harris has faced throughout her life is due to her Blackness, including but not limited to the continued accusations of her not being Black enough. Its her experience as a Black woman that has most prominently shaped her political career. Theres no way to overstate the value and import of that.

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I can hear my erstwhile therapist, who spent hours helping me unpack my own struggles with identity, asking how Harris new anointment makes me feel. I cannot speak for any Indian or Asian American besides myself; I will admit to a befuddling crush of emotions. On the one hand, this is undeniably a landmark moment for the South Asian diaspora. No matter how you spin it, it is progress, a bold assertion of the United States multiculturalism as countermajoritarian institutions attempt to entrench white power. But I also cant cheer that loudly. I do not vote based on my identity. Harris was not my first choice either for president or veep. I was bothered by many things about her, including her punitive prosecutorial record and her waffling on issues like health care. Yet there are also some things Ive admittedly respected, including her mic-drop debate moments, her (mostly) progressive congressional voting record, and her professed love for Bay Area rapper Too Short. (Sen. Harris, if youre reading this, what is your favorite album? I have Short Dogs in the House on vinyl.)

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Come what may, Indian Americans will see in Harris what they wish to see in her: Her presence on the national soapbox alone has already inspired some Indian American progressives, even as it has repelled others for myriad reasons. Though my personal enthusiasm for her is muted, I do hope more than anything that we have Vice President Kamala Harris come January. But ultimately, if Harris candidacy shines a brighter light for left-leaning Indians who want to follow her path, that is what will excite me most about this moment.

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Security forces have gunned down alleged four members of the outlawed Communist Party of India (CPI)-Maoist at Jagargunda in Chhattisgarhs Sukma district in the Bastar region during a brief encounter on Wednesday morning.

The bodies of the Maoist rebels are yet to be identified and combing operation is still in progress, the police said.

Inspector-general of Police (IGP), Bastar range, Chhattisgarh Police, Sunderraj P, said the joint operation was launched by District Reserve Guard (DRG) and Central Reserve Police Forces (CRPF) Commando Battalions for Resolute Action (CoBRA) troops in Nilagod jungle based on an intelligence input about the presence of the Maoist cadres, who owed their allegiance to Jagargunda Area Committee.

At around, 9:30 am on Wednesday, there was an exchange of heavy fire between the troops and Maoists near Pulamphar jungle under the jurisdiction of Jagargunda police station in the Sukma district. The firing lasted for about 20 minutes. We have recovered male bodies of four Maoists, whose identity is yet to be ascertained, Sunderraj said.

A .303 rifle and a cache of country-made weapons, explosive and camping materials have been recovered from the encounter site, he added.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR Ritesh Mishra State Correspondent for Chhattisgarh. Reports Maoism, Politics, Mining and important developments from the state. Covered all sorts of extremism in Central India. Reported from Madhya Pradesh for eight years. ...view detail
Nasas new car-sized robotic spacecraft is on its way to Mars in a mission to search for evidence of ancient life.

The Perseverance rover successfully blasted off from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on Thursday at 12.50pm UK time on board a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket  despite a 4.2-magnitude earthquake that shook southern California just 20 minutes before departure.

Nasa launch manager Omar Baez said: We are on our way to Mars, there is no going back.

It is the third mission heading to the Red Planet this month after launches by the UAE and China.

The six-wheeled rover will now travel 314 million miles over a period of nearly seven months before attempting to land on a 31-mile crater named Jezero.

Landing on Mars is notoriously difficult because of its thin and dynamic atmosphere and dust storms that rage on its surface  a feat that has been described as seven minutes of terror.

Nasa has succeeded in getting only a handful of functioning probes and rovers on to the Martian surface and more than half of all spacecraft sent there have either blown up or crashed.

Just before lift-off, Nasa administrator Jim Bridenstine said: Theres a reason we call the robot Perseverance  because going to Mars is hard.

Hello from space.  Im in communication with my team at @NASAJPL, who will keep me company for the long trip. #CountdownToMars pic.twitter.com/W8hKaHSqfU  NASA's Perseverance Mars Rover (@NASAPersevere) July 30, 2020

It is always hard. Its never been easy. In this case, its harder than ever before because were doing it in the midst of a pandemic.

Story continues

Satellite images suggest Jezero, located on the western edge of Isidis Planitia  a giant impact basin just north of the Martian equator, may have been a lake more than 3.5 billion years ago, when Mars was warmer and wetter.

Scientists believe evidence of microbial life could be preserved in the clay and muddy rocks in the crater, if it ever existed on the planet.

Along with several sophisticated instruments that will gather information about Mars geology, atmosphere, and environmental conditions, the rover is also carrying a small 1.8kg helicopter.

Called Ingenuity, the copter will fly short distances and will mark the first attempt at powered, controlled flight on another planet.

(PA Graphics)

If successful, it could lead to more flying probes on other planets.

Perseverance will also trial technologies to help astronauts make future expeditions to Mars.

One such device includes an instrument, called Moxie, that will practise making oxygen from the planets atmosphere which is mostly made up of carbon dioxide.

Thomas Zurbuchen, Nasas science mission chief, described the Perseverance mission as humanitys first round trip to another planet.

The rover will package rock and soil samples in small containers that will be retrieved during future missions sometime in 2031.

Scientists in the UK will help Perseverance select the Martian samples to be brought back to Earth.

An artists impression of the Perseverance rover and Ingenuity helicopter (NASA/JPL-Caltech/PA)

Researchers at Imperial College London and the Natural History Museum will identify samples that could contain evidence of past life and study the mineralogy and geochemistry of the different rocks found in the crater.

Professor Mark Sephton, an astrobiologist at Imperial, said: I hope that the samples we select and return will help current and future generations of scientists answer the question of whether there was ever life on the Red Planet.

With one carefully chosen sample from Mars, we could discover that the history of life on the Earth is not unique in the Universe.

Sue Horne, head of space exploration at the UK Space Agency, told the PA news agency: We will continue to explore the heavens so long as the Moon, Mars and the myriad celestial bodies beyond spark fires in our curiosity, and if Perseverance helps us find life on Mars, it will be a defining moment for humankind.

The UK Space Agency is supporting these endeavours to explore our solar system with leading-edge robotics, and it is a credit to our expertise in the UK that researchers from both Imperial College London and the Natural History Museum are part of the international crack team working on this Nasa mission.

UKs Science Minister Amanda Solloway said: Nasas Perseverance rover could help us answer the age-old question of whether life ever existed on Mars, and it is a credit to British scientists and their expertise that they are such a central part of these efforts.

We will be paying close attention to the missions progress on Mars and looking forward to the launch of our own UK-built Rosalind Franklin rover in 2022, which will push the boundaries of space exploration once again.

It is a busy week for Nasa, as the US space agency gears up to welcome two astronauts home as they attempt a splashdown off the Florida coast on Sunday.

Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley will arrive in the Crew Dragon spacecraft, called Endeavour, which was designed and built by SpaceX.

The duo will close out a mission that was designed to test SpaceXs human spaceflight system, including launch, docking, splashdown, and recovery operations, Nasa said.
San Franciscos west side will get its biggest influx of housing in several decades, after the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved more than 1,000 new units on the Balboa Reservoir site.

The board voted to rezone the 17-acre property off Ocean Avenue. The agreement allows the developers Bridge Housing, AvalonBay and Mission Housing  to build 1,100 units of housing, 550 of them affordable, on the lot. The property now is used as a parking lot for City College of San Francisco students.

This has been a long time coming, said Board of Supervisors President Norman Yee, who spearheaded the project at the board. The site is in his district. We want to be building complete diverse neighborhoods, not just boxes for people to sleep. What I see here is an addition to our vibrant community.

Of the 550 affordable units, 150 will be set aside for City College teachers and staff. The project will also include a community center, 4 acres of open space, a 100-slot child care center  50% of those would be set aside for low-income families  and $10 million in fees for transit and infrastructure improvements.

Tuesdays approval caps off a decades-long effort that began in the 1960s to turn the empty lot into housing. San Francisco mayors Dianne Feinstein and Art Agnos were stymied by neighborhood opposition and resistance from City College staff and students looking to preserve the land for future expansion.

Before the board approved the project, dozens of City College faculty leaders and students spoke out against the project, both at a Monday news conference and at Tuesdays board meeting. Some called for 100% affordable housing on the site or, at the very least, more than the 150 units currently allotted for City College teachers and staff.

Others also said the Environmental Impact Report failed to consider how the coronavirus pandemic has impacted the citys public transportation system. As more people opt for private cars over trains and buses, they said students who cant park at the school simply wont show up.

We cannot continue on with plans from pre-COVID-19 and build luxury housing when there are so many people on the streets, Jess Nguyen, a student activist, said at Tuesdays meeting. We need to be anti-racist and build 100% affordable housing and prioritize Black and brown students.

Supervisor Gordon Mar voted with the rest of the board to approve the development agreement, but said he could not vote for the land sale as he does not believe it is a good enough deal for our city given the immense importance of this prime publicly owned site. The sale price was $11.4 million.

Unfortunately, I do not believe the Balboa Reservoir project is the highest and best use of our public land, he said in prepared remarks. I believe, with the will of the community, a better alternative is possible and achievable.

While Yee said he would have liked to see a higher rate of affordable housing in the project, he said it was not financially feasible. He said the citys need for housing was too important to delay or shoot down the vote.

I understand the desire for a 100% affordable project, he said. On the level of principle, I dont think anyone in the board would disagree. But in evaluating all of the circumstances ... it would not work for this particular project. We would have had to deplete the entire $600 million affordable housing bond that was just passed last year, and further resources.

He also said he would have preferred a project that was less dense. But, he said, in this case the public benefits outweigh the impacts.

I do not believe we will ever be satisfied. There will always be a reason to reject a proposal, he said. If we wait for the perfect project, there will not be one in the foreseeable future. And that would be a shame.

Chronicle staff writer Nanette Asimov contributed to this report.

Trisha Thadani is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: tthadani@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @TrishaThadani
WASHINGTON  Former Rep. Katie Hill, who resigned last year amid an ethics probe over an alleged sexual relationship with a congressional aide, says the woman Joe Biden picks as his running mate will be subject to a higher level of scrutiny than if he had chosen a man.

"We still have so much more work to do and one of the things that we see the most is the double standard to which women are held, and we're seeing this play out perfectly in the VP process," the California Democrat said on MSNBC.

The sentiment is one Hill says she understands better than most and a concept she chronicles in her new memoir, "She Will Rise," that tells the story of her stint in Congress, from flipping a Republican-held House seat for Democrats to the scandal that nearly caused her to take her own life several times. In it, Hill says she also focuses on the need for more women in office and the changes needed in society, according to a summary of the book on Amazon.

The promising Democratic recruit's future on Capitol Hill was halted in October after a right-wing website posted nude photos of her along with claims she was having a sexual relationship with an aide. She denied the claim but admitted to having a relationship with a campaign staffer. Two weeks after the photos and claims surfaced, Hill resigned.

Hill, 32, has repeatedly acknowledged her relationship with a staffer was inappropriate and says in the excerpt she doesn't regret stepping down from Congress, but has argued many men have dealt with similar scandals and didn't see their careers derailed.

"I'm leaving, but we have men who have been credibly accused of intentional acts of sexual violence and remain in boardrooms, on the Supreme Court, in this very body, and worst of all, in the Oval Office," she said in her final floor speech in October.

She writes in her book, according to a excerpt published in Los Angeles Magazine, about the marriage to her estranged husband. She also details the moment she found out about the nude photos being published and the loneliness she felt as she wrestled with the embarrassment, threats and her future.

Story continues

Hill's husband has remained fairly quiet about the scandal but has denied, through family statements, having played a part in the leaking of the photographs, according to Buzzfeed News. The pair was going through a divorce at the time.

FILE - OCTOBER 27, 2019: According to reports, Rep. Katie Hill (D-CA) will resign from Congress after an investigation by the House Ethics Committee was opened into allegations of the congresswomans sexual relationships with her staff. WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 09: Rep. Katie Hill (D-CA) speaks during a news conference on April 9, 2019 in Washington, DC. House Democrats unveiled new letters to the Attorney General, HHS Secretary, and the White House demanding the production of documents related to Americans health care in the Texas v. United States lawsuit. (Photo by Zach Gibson/Getty Images) ORG XMIT: 775326111 ORIG FILE ID: 1135977221

"I didnt quite accept it until a few days later, but the future I had imagined as a leader in Congress, the job I was good at and loved and knew I was making a difference by doing, was over," Hill writes, adding in vivid detail the one evening she sat in a tub and contemplated taking her own life. "How could I ever face anyone again, knowing what theyd seen? What they knew?"

More: Katie Hill's resignation is about much more than an alleged affair and explicit photos

More: Coronavirus, police reform create hurdles in race for control of House

On MSNBC Monday, Hill noted the level of scrutiny Biden's vice presidential nominee finalists have already received. She said there was a "real reconciliation that we have to have" with how the country talks about women and noting that while there had been progress, a lot more needed to happen.

"This is now a time where we realize, you know, such gains are fragile, and we saw that with my own case," she said. "It can be taken away in a moment's notice because of the misogyny and double standards that are at play."

She continued, saying "We have to have that same realization when it comes to the vice presidential nominee and I'm concerned about the way they've already treated that process and certainly the way that it's going to be used moving forward."

Some have attacked critiques of Biden's potential vice presidential picks as sexist or demeaning.

A former Democratic party chair was quoted in The Washington Post noting former National Security Advisor Susan Rice doesn't smile much and when she did, it was "charming." A headline in Bloomberg recently asked: "Is Kamala Harris Too Ambitious to Be Vice President?"

Since her departure from the House in the fall  less than a year after coming to Congress and departing amid an ethics probe into her relationship with the staffer  Hill started a Political Action Committee dubbed, "HerTime," that is dedicated to helping elect women to office in hopes of achieving parity for women.

But the scandal has continued to follow Hill with Republicans denouncing her and her relationship with the staffer. Conservative commentators Ben Shapiro attacked Hill and press coverage of her new book on Twitter, saying, "Hey look another puff piece from a major media outlet on a Congresswoman who had to step down because she was nailing the staff."

Hill's seat was filled by Republican Mike Garcia in a May special election, a blow to Democrats seeking to expand their House majority but a race that Republicans have pointed to that could be a signal of how November could shape up. Garcia's term expires in January.

Her last speech: California Rep. Katie Hill gives final speech in Congress: 'I'm leaving now because of a double standard'

More: Democratic Rep. Katie Hill announces resignation amid allegations of relationship with staff member

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Katie Hill notes 'misogyny'' in scrutiny of Joe Biden's VP pick
Donald Trump congratulated QAnon believer Marjorie Taylor Greene on Wednesday morning for winning her Republican primary runoff race in Georgia's 14th congressional district - despite other senior party members previously condemning her.

'Congratulations to future Republican Star Marjorie Taylor Greene on a big Congressional primary win in Georgia against a very tough and smart opponent,' Trump tweeted.

'Marjorie is strong on everything and never gives up - a real WINNER!' he praised.

Immediately following her victory Tuesday night Greene took aim at House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, calling her 'anti-American' and a 'b***h' during her victory speech, which was shared on Facebook.

'I just wanna say to Nancy Pelosi. She's a hypocrite. She's anti-American. And we're going to kick that b***h out of Congress,' Greene said.

Her remarks were met with loud cheers from her audience.

Greene reposted a 28-second clip of that part of her remarks on Twitter, and copied that language along with some other points into the text of a post.

'Nancy Pelosi impeached @realDonaldTrump. She put our country through hell with the Russian collusion conspiracy,' the GOP candidate tweeted.

'She's a hypocrite. She's anti American & we're going to kick that b****h out of Congress,' she reiterated, adding in the tweet a link to her WinRed campaign account.

When Pelosi was asked Wednesday about Greene winning and her remarks about her, the California Democrat insinuated Republicans are OK with her comments.

'They seem to be comfortable with it,' Pelosi said.

The GOP candidate has garnered national attention after expressing her support for the far-right conspiracy theory QAnon.

On Twitter Wednesday, she retweeted a post from a QAnon believer showing his support for her candidacy.

'You speak my kind of language! This ole Georgia boy salutes you!' the user, Jeff M, wrote and Greene posted to her page.

On his Twitter account, Jeff M or JMalphus as his handle reads, includes the acronym 'WWG1WGA,' which is shorthand for what has become the QAnon battlecry of 'Where we go one, we go all.'

Greene has also faced widespread criticism for a series of racist comments - with Steve Scalise, the number two House Republican backing her opponent and condemning her.

Donald Trump issued praise Wednesday morning for QAnon believer Marjorie Taylor Greene for winning the Republican primary election in Georgia's 14th district Tuesday night

Greene (pictured center) beat neurosurgeon John Cowan in a primary runoff for the open seat in northwest Georgia. During her victory speech, which was shared on Facebook, Greene calls Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi a 'b***h'

'I just wanna say to Nancy Pelosi. She's a hypocrite. She's anti-American. And we're going to kick that b***h out of Congress,' Greene said

Greene also posted the same sentiment in a tweet Wednesday along with a video of her speech

She defended herself against these attacks in a tweet Wednesday.

'The media calls me an anti semite for calling out Soros,' she began in reference to Jewish Democratic mega-donor and billionaire Goerge Soros.

'The media calls me racist for saying that often times gangs hold back the youth in minority communities,' Greene continued in her tweet. 'The media calls me islamaphobic for saying that Sharia Law is bad.'

She concluded: 'I call fake news the enemy of the people.'

Trump's campaign team appears to believe or play into some conspiracies pushed by QAnon.

Democratic Representative Adam Kinzinger of Illinois tweeted Wednesday morning about the anonymous online conspiracy figure.

'Qanon is a fabrication. This 'insider' has predicted so much incorrectly (but people don't remember PAST predictions) so now has switched to vague generalities,' Kinzinger posted. 'Could be Russian propaganda or a basement dweller. Regardless, no place in Congress for these conspiracies.'

Greene included share a link to WinRed, the Republican donation platform, where she is fundraising off of her criticism of Pelosi claiming 'she put our country through hell'

Matt Wolking, the Trump campaign's deputy director of communications, shot back at the Illinois congressman.

'When will @RepKinzinger condemn the Steele Dossier fabrications and conspiracy theories pushed by Democrats? That actually WAS Russian propaganda,' Wolking tweeted.

Greene also incited Pelosi to try and raise money on her fundraising page with the Republican donating processing platform WinRed.

'Nancy Pelosi impeached our President. She put our country through hell with her 'Russian collusion' witch hunt. And she ripped this nation apart,' the page read.

'Now it's time to kick her to the curb! DONATE TO HELP ME DRAIN THE SWAMP!' Greene pleaded.

After Greene issued her harsh words toward Pelosi Tuesday night, she delved into an attack on progressive New York City Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

'And we are not going to ever allow AOC's Green New Deal to be passed to destroy our economy and our energy industry,' Greene said.

She then blasted the Black Lives Matter movement.

'We are not going to allow them to tear our country down, burn our cities, riot and loot. We won't have that here in northwest Georgia. We don't play those games here.

'And we're going to take that message all the way across America because it needs to stop now,' she added.

Greene beat neurosurgeon John Cowan in the Republican primary runoff for the open seat on Tuesday in the deep-red district in northwest Georgia.

Current Congressman Tom Graves, who has represented the district since 2013, did not run for reelection.

Donald Trump's campaign Deputy Director of Communications appeared to back a QAnon conspiracy by bashing Democratic Rep. Adam Kinzinger for saying there is 'no place in Congress for these conspiracies'

Greene emerged victorious even after several GOP officials denounced her campaign after videos surfaced in which she expressed racist, anti-Semitic and anti-Muslim sentiments.

'WE WON! Thank you for your support! Save America. Stop Socialism,' Greene tweeted late Tuesday.

A video posted to her Twitter account of her victory party showed a room full of supporters gathered closely together. Few, if any, wore face masks to protect themselves against the coronavirus.

In another clip of her victory speech posted to social media, Greene said she decided to enter politics because the country is heading in the wrong direction.

'So the Republican establishment was against me. The DC swamp has been against me. And the lying fake news media hates my guts,' she said. 'Yep, it's a badge of honor.'

Greene has amassed tens of thousands of followers on social media, where she often posts videos of herself speaking directly to the camera.

Those videos have helped propel her popularity with her base, while also drawing strong condemnation from some future would-be colleagues in Congress.

On social media, Greene claimed the 'GOP establishment, the media, & the radical left, spent months & millions of dollars attacking me'

Several high-profile Republicans spoke out against Greene, including House Minority Whip Steve Scalise of Louisiana and Rep Jody Hice of Georgia, who rescinded an endorsement of Greene

In a series of videos unearthed just after Greene placed first in the initial June 9 Republican primary, she complains of an 'Islamic invasion' into government offices, claims Black and Hispanic men are held back by 'gangs and dealing drugs,' and pushes an anti-Semitic conspiracy theory that billionaire philanthropist George Soros, who is Jewish, collaborated with the Nazis.

Several high-profile Republicans then spoke out against her. House Minority Whip Steve Scalise of Louisiana quickly threw his support behind Cowan, while Rep Jody Hice of Georgia rescinded an endorsement of Greene.

Greene also addressed criticism of her comments on Twitter.

'The Fake News Media, the DC Swamp, and their radical leftist allies see me as a very serious threat. I will not let them whip me into submission,' she said, without distancing herself from her earlier remarks.

Greene is also part of a growing list of candidates who have expressed support for QAnon, the far-right US conspiracy theory popular among some supporters of President Donald Trump.

She has positioned herself as a staunch Trump supporter and emphasizes a strongly pro-gun, pro-border wall and anti-abortion message. She has also connected with voters through an intensive effort to travel the district and meet people on the ground.

Larry Silker, a 72-year-old retiree, cast a ballot for Greene last week at an early voting location in Dallas, Georgia.

'She seems to be a go-getter, you know. She's out seeing everybody that she can, and I think that's nice,' Silker said.

Asked whether he had seen criticism of Greene's remarks, Silker said: 'Well yeah, you know, you see it. But do you put faith in it? You just have to weigh it out.'

Republican Representative Tom Graves did not run for reelection, but solidly won his last race in 2018 with 76 per cent of the vote

Voter Pamela Reardon said she supports Greene because she connects with people, and she's anti-abortion, a defender of the Second Amendment and 'a true Christian'.

'I got behind her because of her honesty,' she said. 'She's not going to be bought by anybody. I could tell that her heart was pure.'

Reardon is familiar with criticism of Greene's social media posts and videos but says 'she's never said anything racist like they say she has,' and blamed attacks by her opponent's campaign.

Georgia's 14th district stretches from the outskirts of metro Atlanta to the largely rural northwest corner of the state  and by all previous indicators, there's almost no chance it will swing blue in November.

Rep. Graves won his latest reelection in 2018 with 76 per cent of the vote.

Greene came in first place with 40.3 per cent of the vote in the original primary election in June, but did not earn a high enough threshold to outright earn the nomination.

She will face Democrat Kevin Van Ausdal in November.
According to the Indian Council of Medical Research, three Indian COVID-19 vaccines are in different phases of clinical testing at present

New Delhi: The Expert Committee on vaccine administration under the chairmanship of NITI Aayog member Dr VK Paul will meet on Wednesday to consider the logistics and ethical aspects of procurement and administration of COVID-19 vaccine, said the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

The Committee will engage with all the stakeholders including state governments and vaccine manufacturers.

"The Expert Committee on Vaccine Administration under the chairmanship of Dr VK Paul, NITI Aayog will meet on 12 August to consider logistics and ethical aspects of procurement and administration of COVID-19 vaccine," the Ministry tweeted.

"The Committee will engage with all the stakeholders including State governments and vaccine manufacturers," it said in another tweet.

According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), three Indian COVID-19 vaccines are in different phases of clinical testing at present.

"At the present moment, we have three Indian vaccines that are in different phases of clinical testing. The two vaccines - Bharat Biotech vaccine and DNA vaccine of Zydus Cadila have completed phase 1 and will begin phase 2 while third is Oxford vaccine," said top ICMR scientist Professor Balram Bhargava.

"Oxford vaccine, being manufactured by Serum Institute of India (SII) got approval for phase 2 and 3 clinical trials, which are starting within a week at 17 sites," he added.

India's COVID-19 cases has crossed 22 lakh including 6,34,945 active cases, 15,35,744 cured/discharged/migrated while the toll reached 44,386.

However, the health ministry has pointed out that the infection is now concentrated in 10 states that contribute more than 80 percent of the new cases.
A former Co Longford superintendent who was the chief investigating officer in the Adrian Donohoe murder trial has said justice has been served after Aaron Brady was today convicted of the late detective garda's capital murder.

Brian Mohan, who served as Granard superintendent for almost three years before retiring in January 2019, was one of three chief investigating officers on a case which turned out to be the longest trial in the State's history.

"It was without doubt one of the most difficult murder investigations I have ever been involved in," said Mr Mohan in an interview with the Leader this afternoon after the jury reached a majority verdict of 11 to 1 in favour of guilty after 20 hours of deliberations.

A skilled and vastly experienced officer in his own right, Mr Mohan told of how he had been assigned the onerous task of leading the hunt for Det Garda Donohoe's killer in October 2013 and only a matter of months after his own promotion to the rank of Inspector in Drogheda.

The Monaghan native told of how Brady, a 29-year-old criminal from Crossmaglen, Co Armagh, quickly became a person of interest barely hours after the fatal shooting of the father of two outside Lordship Credit Union in Co Louth in January 2013.

Mr Mohan said officers and close colleagues of his even called to Brady's home and other close associates who had been linked to a series of burglaries on both sides of the border in the lead up to the shooting.

"On the night of it (shooting) they were called on to see if they were at home," said Mr Mohan, who himself had already been involved in over 30 murder investigations prior to the Lordship Credit Union incident.

But this, unlike all those before was on a whole different scale, as the former Granard Garda chief alluded to.

"In a normal murder investigation, if there is such a thing, there would be anything between 300 to 500 lines of inquiry.

"With this there over 5,000 lines of inquiry, there were over 2,000 reports, there were years of CCTV to be reviewed, confidential reports, 3,000 witness statements and 1,200 exhibits."

Three months after the shooting, Brady boarded an American Airlines flight from Belfast to Newark airport in New Jersey as the pressure from an unrelenting garda investigation into the murder became too much.

In December, Mr Mohan together with other senior officers travelled to the US and quickly established links with both the New York Police Deparment and Homeland Security to "keep tabs" on Brady after it emerged the Armagh native was living in the Woodlawn area of the city.

"He was the prime suspect and that's what brought us out there," he said.

As events transpired, Mr Mohan's expertise and renown as a garda of indelible repute ultimately took him away from the case in 2016 after he was promoted to superintenent in Granard.

Had he remained on in the role, the former St McCartan's College graduate was in no doubt as to how the investigation would have unfolded.

"If I had have been there for a few more months I would have been able to complete the investigation," he said.

His take on the man now facing up to the next 40 years behind bars is as explicit as it is damning.

"I just think he (Brady) is a persistent liar who couldn't tell the truth and who clearly felt his lies were sufficient enough to get him off even in the face of all the evidence," he said.

But as has been his candour throughout his career, Mr Mohan was never one for rancour or lamentation and instead praised the "massive team effort" which brought about today's conviction.

"Nothing will bring Adrian back," he said. "But justice has been served and great credit must go to Caroline Donohoe, her children and the extended Donohoe family for their patience and understanding through all of this."

A sentence hearing will be held on 14 October when victim impact statements will be heard and where it is expected Brady will be sentenced to life in prison with a minimum tariff of 40 years.
After Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker unveiled a new color-coded map tracking coronavirus spread in towns and cities on Tuesday, state education officials issued new guidance on back-to-school reopening plans.

In a letter to school superintendents, Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education Jeffrey C. Riley said the states color-coded metric for tracking possible spikes in COVID cases should inform classroom models.

It is our expectation that districts learning models will follow this color-coded metric unless there are extenuating circumstances identified after consultation with local boards of health, Riley said. This includes reviewing additional metrics, such as whether cases are increasing or decreasing, the local test positivity rate, and other contextual factors.

Districts, which were tasked with creating three plans for remote, hybrid and in-person learning models, are facing a Friday deadline to turn in final plans to the state.

Such metrics should serve as a guide as to whether schools should open using full-time in-person, hybrid, or remote models, and will also support future decision-making if the impact of COVID-19 requires us to switch between educational models throughout the school year, the guidance from DESE, issued Tuesday, reads.

In the guidance, Riley noted that some districts have already finalized plans for the year.

He said during a call with the Massachusetts Association of School Committees and Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents that he would support whatever decision districts make.

The states map tracks the average daily case rate per 100,000 residents over a two-week period, with colors representing:

Red: more than eight cases per 100,000 residents

Yellow: four to eight cases per 100,000 residents

Green: fewer than four cases per 100,000 residents

White: fewer than five reported cases in two weeks

Corresponding to those metrics, districts coded red should use remote learning; districts coded yellow should utilize a hybrid model, or remote if extenuating circumstances; and districts shaded green or white should return to school full-time in-person or hybrid if extenuating circumstances, according to the guidance.

In the map released Tuesday, more than 300 Massachusetts communities are at or below targets for new COVID-19 case numbers.

The vast majority of communities in Massachusetts are experiencing low COVID case numbers, Baker noted, citing 318 with low numbers of new cases.

Tuesdays map highlights four extremely high risk red communities with more than 8 cases per 100,000: Chelsea, Everett, Lynn and Revere.

Three Central Massachusetts communities were categorized as yellow: Worcester, Auburn and Charlton.

In Western Massachusetts, seven communities were colored yellow: Belchertown, Chicopee, Granby, Holyoke, Longmeadow, Northampton and Springfield.

The list will be updated weekly and shared with the public on Wednesdays.

Thomas Scott, the executive director of the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents, said the guidance would have been much more helpful several weeks ago as districts were still in the process of creating plans.

iI might be very useful as [districts] continue their conversations about when they come back, Scott said of the guidance. Unfortunately, it is something that people been looking for some time ago to help them make these decisions.

DESE plans to issue additional guidance for regional districts that draw from several communities.

While average daily cases per 100,000 over a two-week period is the metric that determines the color-coding for each community, districts and schools should also monitor whether cases are increasing or decreasing as compared to the prior period, the guidance reads. The local test positivity rate also remains an important metric to monitor. In consultation with local boards of health, districts should consider whether these additional metrics and underlying data may indicate other concerning trends.

Boston and Worcester are both mulling plans for the fall, with options for remote and hybrid learning. Springfield has planned a virtual start to the school year.

Read the guidance below

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That takes nothing away from Harris  or for that matter from many of the others who were under serious consideration. Harris has the advantage of being a national figure and, not incidentally, someone who went through a presidential campaign and, though she fell well short, experienced the political combat that goes with running for the highest office in the land. More important, she is likely to be seen as someone who meets Bidens first criterion, which is a vice president who is prepared to be president.
Coconino County jail authorities have identified the man who died in custody in late July as 32-year-old David Depue, though they do not have the man's last known address.

Depue was arrested by the Arizona Department of Public Safety at Marble Canyon Lodge in Marble Canyon, Ariz. He was placed in custody on a $50,000 bond for multiple felonies including four counts of theft, criminal trespassing, burglary, driving with a suspended license and driving with fictitious plates. The autopsy and death results are still pending, and a criminal investigation is still underway.

Matthew Figueroa, Coconino County jail commander, told the Arizona Daily Sun that Depues family was reached before Aug. 5.

Jail authorities corrected two prior statements from previous media releases, saying that the man had in fact answered some screening questions and did not undergo surgery as was previously reported.

Page holding facility

Depue was originally arrested on July 29 and taken to the Coconino County Sheriffs Offices Temporary Holding Facility in Page.

Initial reports from the jail said the man had refused to answer any medical questions; however, jail authorities clarified that the inmate had answered questions about COVID-19 contact and filled out their medical pre-screening form. Figueroa added the man answered some yes or no questions on both forms, but the mans answers did not indicate any pressing medical issues.

When officers noticed a previously unreported laceration on the mans finger, Depue said he was aware of the cut, believed the cut was infected and said he treated his own wounds.

Medical staff at the jail refused to accept Depue into the holding facility until he was medically cleared for the cut on his finger by a medical facility.

Figueroa previously told the Arizona Daily Sun that jail staff can decline to accept arrestees if staff do not believe the jail has the proper resources to care for them. The arrestee is then taken to a nearby hospital where they can be cared for and eventually cleared to return to the jail.

Arresting agencies are responsible for the care of the arrestee until they are booked into a facility, at which point the inmate is the jails responsibility.

Jail staff said Depue refused to be treated while at the Page hospital. When he was later accepted into the Page holding facility, Depue continued to refuse checks to his vital signs or answer questions about his health history.

On July 30, the inmate advised officers he was not feeling well two different times. Jail authorities then said when officers asked Depue, he refused to answer questions and the vital check, saying he was fine.

On July 31, officers noticed Depue was having anxiety or panic while transporting him from Page to the jail in Flagstaff. Officers advised Depue to take deep breaths and try to relax.

Shortly after, transporters stopped the vehicle on Highway 89 outside of Flagstaff and notified dispatch and asked for medics to respond. When an officer went around to open the door, Depue appeared to be having a seizure, jail authorities said. As the officer attempted to find a pulse, medics arrived and advised that Depue was not breathing.

After attempting CPR, the inmate was transported to the Flagstaff Medical Center.

Prior media releases stated that the inmate had undergone surgery, but now jail authorities believe he was immediately taken into a room where medical staff continued life-saving measures for approximately an hour after speaking further with medical staff. Jail authorities said the mistake was the result of an officer standing outside the room believing medical staff were starting surgery, but was incorrect.

At 1:35 p.m., medical staff advised the officer that the inmate appeared to be stabilized and would be moved to the intensive care unit. At 2:11 p.m., Depue was pronounced dead by medical staff.

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Its followers have committed serious crimes, and its online vigilantes have made a sport of harassing and doxing their perceived enemies. The FBI has cited QAnon as a potential domestic terror threat, and social networks have begun trying to pull QAnon groups off their platforms. Dozens of QAnon-affiliated candidates are running for office this year. One of them, Marjorie Taylor Greene, won a primary runoff on Tuesday for a House seat in Georgia, drawing a congratulatory tweet from Trump. Loading Like any movement, QAnon needs to win over new members. And its most recent growth strategy involves piggybacking on the anti-human-trafficking movement. The idea, in a nutshell, is to create a groundswell of concern by flooding social media with posts about human trafficking, joining parenting Facebook groups and glomming onto hashtag campaigns like #SaveTheChildren, which began as a legitimate fundraising campaign for the Save the Children charity.

Then followers can shift the conversation to baseless theories about who they believe is doing the trafficking: a cabal of nefarious elites that includes Tom Hanks, Oprah Winfrey and Pope Francis. Part of the strategy's perverse brilliance is that child sex trafficking is a real, horrible thing, and some politically connected people, including financier Jeffrey Epstein, have been credibly accused of exploiting underage girls. And speaking out against child exploitation, no matter your politics, is far from an objectionable stance. QAnon followers believe Q is an intelligence or military insider and Donald Trump is working tirelessly to thwart evil. Credit:NYT "It's probably one of the key things that's attractive about QAnon," said Marc-Andre Argentino, a doctoral student at Concordia University who studies QAnon's social media presence. "Everyone agrees that child trafficking is very bad, and the argument QAnon makes is, 'If you're against us talking about this, you're in favour of child trafficking.'"

Sometimes, QAnon followers spin factual information in a way that serves their aims. Last week, an Associated Press article about a $US35 million ($48 million) Trump administration grant to organisations that house trafficking survivors became one of the most shared stories on Facebook after QAnon groups picked it up and cited it as evidence that Trump's secret crusade against elite paedophiles was underway. Other times, the strategy involves latching onto conspiracy theories and inserting QAnon talking points. Weeks ago, influences on TikTok and Instagram began speculating about baseless allegations that Wayfair, an online furniture site, was trafficking children under the guise of selling expensive cabinets. Jeffrey Epstein, who really did prey on underage girls. Credit:AP The conspiracy theory went viral, and QAnon believers began sprinkling in their own supposedly incriminating details. They claimed, falsely, that a Wayfair employee had once been photographed with Ghislaine Maxwell, who has been charged with recruiting underage girls for Epstein. These allegations merged in the popular imagination, and soon unsuspecting people were sharing wild conspiracy theories that came straight from QAnon orthodoxy.

"With Wayfair, both accounts on the left and right were amplifying the content," Argentino said. "A lot of the yoga moms and juice cleanse-type circles were sharing it." The strategy of seeding QAnon talking points with different audiences appears to be working. In recent weeks, Facebook engagement on human-trafficking-related content has surged, according to an analysis of data from CrowdTangle, a Facebook-owned data platform. (Interactions on posts with the #SaveTheChildren hashtag, for example, have grown more than 500 per cent since early July.) Prominent "mommy bloggers" and Instagram fitness influencers have begun posting anti-trafficking memes to their millions of followers. Even the Trump campaign has begun sharing more anti-trafficking content to its millions of Facebook and Twitter followers. The QAnon strategy of pushing some unobjectionable, often factual content about human trafficking in addition to wild conspiracy theories has blurred the lines between legitimate anti-trafficking activism and partisan conspiracy-mongering.

Recently, some activists have marched in cities around the country demanding an end to child exploitation. Among them were QAnon believers, toting signs with messages like "Hollywood Eats Babies." For established anti-trafficking groups, the surge of support from internet conspiracy theorists has been a mixed blessing. Some activists, such as Tim Ballard, founder of the anti-trafficking group Operation Underground Railroad, see an opportunity to reach a new, hyperengaged online audience. "Some of these theories have allowed people to open their eyes," Ballard said. "So now it's our job to flood the space with real information so the facts can be shared." Others worry that QAnon will divert valuable resources from legitimate groups trying to stop trafficking. After the Wayfair incident, the Polaris Project, a nonprofit organisation that runs the National Human Trafficking Hotline, issued a news release saying its hotline had been overwhelmed with false reports. It later published a blog post warning that "unsubstantiated claims and accusations about child sex trafficking can spin out of control and mislead well-meaning people into doing more harm than good."

I spoke to a number of longtime anti-trafficking activists who were alarmed by QAnon's recent incursion onto their turf. They had worked for years to expose facts about child trafficking, only to see them distorted and misused by partisan opportunists. And they worried that in addition to clogging hotlines, QAnon believers could undermine the movement's bipartisan credibility. Erin Williamson, the U.S. programs director for Love146, an anti-trafficking group, said that in the weeks after the Wayfair incident, the group's social media traffic had spiked by 30 per cent and that new donations had come in. But it had also been forced to spend time debunking online rumours and myths. "It's great that we have an increase in donations," Williamson said. "But we don't want to exploit disinformation for fundraising purposes." The truth about child sex trafficking, these experts told me, is much less salacious than QAnon would have you believe. Many victims are trafficked by relatives, teachers or other people they know. Trafficking usually doesn't involve kidnapping or physically forcing minors into sex. "This is not happening in some secret cabal. It's happening in every single community," said Lori Cohen, executive director of ECPAT-USA, an anti-trafficking organisation. "But it's easier to focus on public figures than to think about the reality that trafficking is happening in our midst, among people we know, to children we know."
Photos posted online show the back of the vehicle went through the sitting room wall.

Four fire engines from Tallaght were involved in tackling the blaze and stopping it from spreading to adjoining homes.

The fire brigade said no one was injured from the incident.

At midnight, 4 fire engines and an emergency ambulance from Tallaght fire station were called to a house fire after reports of a jeep crashing into the building. No one was injured and firefighters prevented the fire from spreading to adjoining properties #Dublin #fire pic.twitter.com/SEMe2WIRPR  Dublin Fire Brigade (@DubFireBrigade) August 12, 2020
President Moon Jae-in pointed out in a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday that Korea's economy is expected to rank first in the OECD due to the government's "swift" pump-priming and his vague "Korean New Deal" initiatives. Just recently, Moon said Korea's economy is performing "miraculously." But while Korea is doing better than some other countries, all this means is that its economy is not expected to shrink as much as others since it was already in the doldrums. The OECD did adjust Korea's economic growth forecast for this year from -1.2 percent to -0.8 percent, compared to over -6 percent down for some powerhouses like Germany.

The public winces every time the president pats himself on the back. Export-dependent Korea's shipments have plummeted 23.6 percent so far this month compared to the same period of 2019. And the outlook for the second half of this year remains dire as the coronavirus epidemic shows little signs of abating. Over the last five months alone, 10,000 people have lost their jobs with the top 500 companies in Korea, resulting in the worst unemployment rate since the global financial crisis. Warning signs are appearing left and right, so this is no time for the president to be praising economic feats that were only achieved by getting deeper into debt.

Earlier this week, Moon claimed that the government has come up with an "all-encompassing" policy to address housing shortage concerns as apartment prices continue to soar. He claimed the real-estate market, which is in complete turmoil, was "calming" due to the effects of the government's endless string of ever more draconian policies. Nobody else has noticed the calm. No fewer than 23 separate real-estate policies have been announced so far, but median apartment prices have surged 52 percent, leading to increasing deposit leases. In the first week of August, deposit leases reached the highest level in 34 months, since not a lot of apartments are available on those terms any more. Angry citizens are protesting in the streets, but the president consoles himself that at least the real-estate market of his imagination is calming.

This is not the first time that he has appeared to live in a parallel reality. As the economy plummeted amid a clear manufacturing slump, Moon rallied the public to "strike while the iron is hot." Private spending has virtually ground to a halt due to the government's massive minimum-wage hike, but Moon claimed "90 percent" of the effects were positive and that the quality of employment was improving, even though most of the newly created jobs were part-time sinecures for the elderly paid for by the taxpayer. The charitable view might be that his toadying aides are feeding him distorted stories, but that is also serious problem. His failure to grasp reality is resulting in a vicious cycle of missteps.


Russias confirmed coronavirus case tally, the fourth largest in the world, rose to 902,701 after officials reported 5,102 new infections.

The WHO has not received enough information on the Russian COVID-19 vaccine to evaluate it, according to Jarbas Barbosa, assistant director of its Americas branch, the PAHO.

President Vladimir Putin says Russia has developed the first vaccine offering sustainable immunity against the coronavirus.

Worldwide coronavirus cases have surpassed 20 million, with Brazil and Mexico reporting a combined 27,000 infections in just one day. More than 12.4 million have recovered, and more than 744,000 have died, according to Johns Hopkins University.

Here are the latest updates:

Wednesday, August 12

23:56 GMT  Top Democrats dismiss White House overture for virus talks

The two top Democrats in the US Congress said the White House sought a new meeting on stalled coronavirus aid talks but showed no sign of moving away from the positions it held when negotiations broke down last week.

In a joint statement, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin made the overture to meet, but he made clear that  the White House is not budging from their position concerning the size and scope of a legislative package.

Democrats have compromised, they said, noting that they dropped their initial $3.5 trillion proposal by $1 trillion and expect President Donald Trumps team to raise its $1 trillion offer by a similar amount to $2 trillion.





Sticking points include the size of an extended unemployment benefit, aid to state and local governments, money for schools to reopen and other issues.

Congress has already approved about $3 trillion in assistance for families, hospitals, healthcare workers, state and local governments, vaccine research and testing.

A Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Wednesday found that Americans divide blame pretty evenly between Democrats and Republicans.

23:33 GMT  Germany adds Bucharest to virus-risk list

Germany added Bucharest and 10 other areas of Romania  including Brasov, Gorj, Prahova and Vrancea  to a list of places considered a high risk for coronavirus infections.

This means that travellers entering Germany after visiting these sites must take a compulsory coronavirus test and go into quarantine if it comes back positive.

German Labour Minister Hubertus Heil announced late on Wednesday that he was cancelling Thursdays planned visit to Bucharest, where he was due to meet Romanian Prime Minister Ludovic Orban, Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu and Labour Minister Violeta Alexandru.

The visit was meant to discuss the plight of Romanians working on farms and in slaughterhouses in Germany, after a spate of coronavirus clusters threw a spotlight on their often-dire working conditions.

20:49 GMT  Will the Russian COVID-19 vaccine work?





20:15 GMT  Italy orders tests on travellers from Greece, Spain, Croatia, Malta

A passenger wearing a protective face mask walks at Fiumicino Airport in Rome [File: Guglielmo Mangiapane/Reuters]

Travellers arriving in Italy from Croatia, Greece, Malta and Spain will have to be tested, while Colombia has been added to a list of countries under a complete travel ban.

The move came as the country reported nearly 500 new cases and 10 deaths over the last 24 hours, twice the levels regularly seen in June.

We must continue on a path of caution to defend the results we have obtained over the past months through sacrifices by everyone, Health Minister Roberto Speranza said on Facebook.

19:46 GMT  Brazils Parana state agrees to produce Russian vaccine

The Brazilian state of Parana reached an agreement with Russia to produce a COVID-19 vaccine that Moscow has touted as ready to be brought to market, the states press office said.

The Russian vaccine has grabbed headlines for going to market prompting scepticism by other countries as its final trials have yet to be completed.





19:23 GMT  Surge in Spains cases prompts regional smoking ban, field hospital

Coronavirus cases in Spain jumped by nearly 1,700 as part of a surge that has prompted the construction of a military field hospital in the hard-hit Aragon region and led authorities in Galicia to practically ban smoking in public places.

Since lifting its strict lockdown around six weeks ago, Spain has struggled to keep a lid on new infections, with average daily cases rising from less than 150 in June to more than 1,500 in the first 12 days of August.









18:56 GMT  Turkish board proposes schools stay closed longer

Turkeys science board recommended that education in schools should not begin for at least one more month, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said, after the board met to discuss measures to curb the spread of coronavirus.

In a written statement following the meeting, Koca said that face-to-face education will begin gradually and that online education will be conducted if necessary.

A 16-year old high school student, watches a history lesson on television as part of homeschooling during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Diyarbakir, Turkey [File: Sertac Kayar/Reuters]

18:22 GMT  UK held first socially distanced gig

The UK held its first concert in Newcastle set to maintain social distancing. Organisers placed 500 separate metal platforms, each accommodating up to five people from the same household.

The UK's first socially distanced gig happened in Newcastle last night. 500 separate raised metal platforms, each accommodating up to five people from the same family/household. Hand sanitizer station and mini fridge included. Singing allowed too! pic.twitter.com/49pp1EnVFj  Ian Dempsey (@IanDempsey) August 12, 2020

18:11 GMT  Russia says medics to get vaccine shots in two weeks

Russia said that the first batch of the worlds COVID-19 vaccine would be rolled out within two weeks and rejected as groundless safety concerns aired by some experts over Moscows rapid approval of the drug.

It seems our foreign colleagues are sensing the specific competitive advantages of the Russian drug and are trying to express opinions that in our opinion are completely groundless, Health Minister Mikhail Murashko said the day after President Vladimir Putin announced it had won regulatory approval.





17:45 GMT  Greece records highest daily tally

With 262 new cases, Greece reported its highest daily tally since the start of the outbreak in the country.

The latest jump in cases brings the total number of infections in the country to 6,177 since its first infection surfaced in late February. There have been 216 deaths recorded.

The increase in infections in recent weeks has prompted authorities to gradually introduce more restrictions during the peak of the tourism season.

People wearing protective face masks take a selfie as they wait for the start of an ancient Greek drama at the ancient amphitheatre of Epidaurus, Greece [File: Costas Baltas/Reuters]

17:32 GMT  Venezuela oil minister recovered from COVID-19

Venezuelan oil minister Tareck El Aissami said he had recovered from the novel coronavirus after 33 days he had been struggling with the disease.

Thanks to President Nicolas Maduro and [first lady] Cilia Flores for all their support and strong prayers, El Aissami, who is also the OPEC nations economic vice president, said on Twitter. We have overcome.





17:11 GMT  UKs official death toll lowered after methodology change

As the UK government adopted a new way of counting fatalities following concerns over its previous method, the UKs official death toll was lowered by over 5,000  from 46,706 to 41,329.

The UK government and the devolved regional administrations agreed to publish the number of deaths that occurred within 28 days of a positive, lab-confirmed COVID-19 test result on a daily basis, the Department of Health said. Previously, there was no cut-off time for deaths after a positive test.

16:38 GMT  France: new post-lockdown daily record

Tourists in protective masks stand by a masked statue that reads, Lets protect ourselves in Nice as France reinforces mask-wearing as part of efforts to curb a resurgence of COVID-19 across the country [Eric Gaillard/Reuters]

France reported 2,524 new cases over the past 24 hours, marking a new post-lockdown daily high and taking the countrys cumulative total of cases to 206,696.

The seven-day moving average of new infections, which averages out weekly data reporting irregularities, increased to 1,810, the highest level since April 24, when the epidemic was in full swing.

15:47 GMT  Democrats, White House miles apart: Pelosi





United States House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Democrats and the Trump administration remained far apart regarding any agreement over further economic aid amid the pandemic.

Were miles apart, Pelosi told MSNBC in an interview, citing education funding in particular, among other needs. Its a chasm  but as a practical matter, theyre going to have to come to the table.

15:15 GMT  UK reports 1,009 new cases

The United Kingdom reported 1,009 new cases in the past 24 hours, marking the third time in a month that the number of daily infections has surpassed 1,000. However, todays figure was down from 1,148 the previous day.





14:37 GMT  Uzbekistan to lift lockdown

After a month-long lockdown, Uzbekistan said it would remove most restrictions starting from Saturday.

People will be allowed to drive their cars again and hold ceremonies such as weddings for up to 30 guests at their homes. Businesses such as hotels, barbershops and outdoor cafes will also be able to reopen and air and rail traffic will resume, President Shavkat Mirziyoyevs office said in a statement.

The government reintroduced a lockdown last month after lifting restrictions in June led to a surge in new cases, leaving hospitals struggling to cope.

People wearing protective face masks line up at a safe social distance outside the grocery store amid the coronavirus disease outbreak in Tashkent, Uzbekistan [File: Mukhammadsharif Mamatkulov/Reuters]

14:04 GMT  New Zealands largest city back into lockdown

After more than 100 days without a local case, New Zealand has enforced a lockdown around its largest city Auckland.

As authorities reported four new cases within the same family, for three days Auckland residents will be asked to stay home, large gatherings will be banned, non-essential businesses will be shut, and some social-distancing restrictions will be reintroduced in the rest of the country.

Motorists queue at a COVID-19 coronavirus testing centre in the suburb of Northcote in Auckland following a stay-at-home lockdown order for the countrys largest city [David Rowland/AFP]

13:33 GMT  Concerns grow over rising cases in Germany





The number of infections in Germany hit a three-month high as the government urged citizens to keep their guard up and stick to public health guidelines.

The countrys disease control authority reported 1,226 new infections, the highest number since early May, although the figure has topped 1,000 in several days recently.

This is worrying, without doubt, Health Minister Jens Spahn told a local radio programme. And it can naturally lead to a new dynamic, if we dont all now exercise caution, he said adding that smaller and mid-sized outbreaks have occurred in almost all regions, largely driven by travellers returning from abroad and people partying or having family gatherings.

Hi, this is Virginia Pietromarchi taking over the coronavirus liveblog from my colleague Arwa Ibrahim in Doha, Qatar.





12:48 GMT  Jordan to close border with Syria after spike in COVID-19 cases

Jordan will close for a week its only land trade border crossing with Syria after a spike in COVID-19 cases coming from its northern neighbour, officials said.

They said the interior ministers decision to close the main Jaber border crossing would come into effect on Thursday morning.

12:31 GMT  For the art collector with everything, the $1.5 million COVID mask

Art rather than ostentation is the rationale behind the worlds most expensive coronavirus mask, say the Israeli jewellers who are crafting the $1.5mn object for an unnamed US-based client.

Made from 18-carat gold and studded with 3,600 black and white diamonds, the mask will be fitted with an N99 filter to offer a high level of protection, said Isaac Levy, owner of the Yvel jewellery brand.

I dont think [the customer is] going to use it going to the supermarket but he is going to use it here and there, Im sure, said Levy.

He described the client as a Chinese art collector living in the United States.

12:13 GMT  Norway to quarantine more travellers as COVID-19 rises

Norway is reimposing quarantine on more travellers from foreign countries, the government said, and reiterated its advice that Norwegians should avoid travelling abroad amid a jump in the number of new coronavirus cases.

Were doing this now so that everyone as soon as possible will be able to live their lives as freely as possible, Prime Minister Erna Solberg told a news conference.

All foreign travel is associated with a risk of infection, Solberg said.

The country will now reimpose 10-day quarantines from Saturday for all travellers from Poland, Malta, Iceland, Cyprus and the Netherlands, as well as the Faroe Islands and some Danish and Swedish regions.

11:25 GMT  Vietnam PM says next 10 days critical in virus fight

Vietnams prime minister said that the next 10 days would be critical in the Southeast Asian countrys fight against a new coronavirus outbreak, which resurfaced late last month after three months of no domestic cases.

Note that the period from this week to the middle of next week is critical, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said, according to a government statement.

Which measures should we continue to implement to win against the virus? Which lessons have we learnt from this current outbreak? said Phuc.

Vietnam reported three new coronavirus infections, raising the number of cases in the country to 866, with 17 deaths. All fatalities stemmed from the new outbreak.

10:53 GMT  Sharp rise in cyberattacks amid COVID-19

Global distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks tripled in the second quarter of 2020, said a report by global cybersecurity firm Kaspersky.

Kaspersky experts believe that behind the increasing malicious activity is the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

During the second quarter of 2020, DDoS attacks jumped 217 percent year-on-year, up 30 percent from the first quarter.

The DDoS attack will send multiple requests to the attacked web resource  with the aim of exceeding the websites capacity to handle multiple requests, and prevent the website from functioning correctly, Kasperskys website said.

10:31 GMT  Philippines talking to Russian vaccine maker on trials, seeks complete dossier

Philippine scientists were set to meet representatives of the Russian state research facility that developed a coronavirus vaccine, to discuss participation in clinical trials and access to its research data.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has lauded the Russian vaccine and offered to be injected in public, to allay public fears about its safety.

Health Undersecretary Rosario Vergeire said Philippine experts would meet representatives of research facility Gamaleya to discuss trials and would request a complete dossier on the vaccine.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has lauded the Russian vaccine and offered to be injected in public [File: Ace Morandante/AP]

09:59 GMT  Bus stop newest front in South Koreas coronavirus battle

South Korea has opened a high-tech new front in the battle against coronavirus, fortifying bus shelters with temperature-checking doors and ultraviolet disinfection lamps.

Ten advanced facilities have been installed in a northeastern district of Seoul, offering protection from monsoon rains, summer heat and the novel coronavirus.

To enter, passengers must stand in front of an automated thermal-imaging camera, and the door will only slide open if their temperature is below 37.5 degrees Celsius (99.5 Fahrenheit).

A separate camera is installed lower down to test children.

Inside the glass-walled booths  which cost about 100 million won ($84,000) each  the air-conditioning systems have ultraviolet lamps installed to kill viruses at the same time as cooling the air.

09:35 GMT  France to ramp up police checks to ensure masks are worn

France will gradually ramp up police checks to ensure people wear face masks where it is mandatory and respect social distancing amidst a new surge of COVID-19 infections, the governments spokesman said.

Were at a tipping point  Were going to mobilise polices forces to make checks, BFM TV showed Gabriel Attal telling journalists while visiting the Mediterranean island of Corsica.

But its not the police people should be afraid of  they should fear the virus that lurks and contaminates, he said.

09:18 GMT  Hong Kong reports 62 new coronavirus cases

Hong Kong reported 62 new coronavirus cases, as authorities cautioned that the global financial hub still faced a critical period to contain further transmissions of the virus and warned residents to stay vigilant at social distancing.

Authorities said 61 of the 62 cases were locally transmitted.

Since late January, around 4200 people have been infected in Hong Kong, 63 of whom have died.

09:01 GMT  Indonesia reports 1,942 new coronavirus cases, 79 deaths

Indonesia reported 1,942 new coronavirus cases, bringing the total number of confirmed infections in the country to 130,718, data from the governments health ministry website showed.

The Southeast Asian country also added 79 new deaths, taking the total number to 5,903, the highest COVID-19 death toll in Southeast Asia.

08:46 GMT  Brussels makes face masks compulsory in all public spaces as COVID-19 cases spike

Wearing a face mask became compulsory in all public places in Brussels as the number of COVID-19 infections rose to a government alert level that puts the city among the worst affected in Europe.

The Belgian capital, which hosts the headquarters of the European Union and NATO, recorded on average 50 cases per 100,000 inhabitants daily over the last week.

Everybody in the city, which has a population of 1.2 million, now has to wear a face mask when in parks, on streets or in any other public sites, as well as in private space accessible to the public, the regional government said.

People wearing masks walk along a street as the tally for novel coronavirus cases passes 73,000 in Belgium [File: Anadolu]

08:23 GMT  Singapore reports lowest daily count of coronavirus cases in 4.5 months

Singapore reported 42 new COVID-19 cases, its lowest daily count in about four and a half months.

The city-state went into a lockdown in mid-April after mass outbreaks in cramped migrant worker dormitories pushed its caseload to one of the highest in Asia.

Last week, it said it had cleared infections from all of the dormitories  housing around 300,000 workers  barring some blocks which continue to serve as isolation zones.

Of Wednesdays cases  its lowest tally since March 29  the majority were among those remaining workers serving quarantine.

08:10 GMT  Russia says allegations COVID-19 vaccine is unsafe are groundless

Russian Health Minister Mikhail Murashko said allegations that Russias COVID-19 vaccine was unsafe were groundless and driven by competition, the Interfax news agency reported.

Moscows decision to grant it approval has raised concerns among some experts. Only about 10 percent of clinical trials are successful and some scientists fear Moscow may be putting national prestige before safety.

07:56 GMT  Last-minute change to English exam grading after COVID controversy

England sought to defuse a looming row over the awarding of school qualifications during the pandemic by allowing students to use the results of earlier tests, in a last-minute change following an outcry in Scotland.

The coronavirus pandemic has meant that almost no examinations took place in the UK. Pupils in England are set to receive marks for their A levels on Thursday, exams that are taken generally by 18-year-olds to gain a place at university.

Results were due to be based on the judgement of a students school and then moderated by exam boards.

But education minister Gavin Williamson said that students would now have the option of choosing between using their calculated grade, or deciding to go with their mock result, or sit a new exam in the autumn.

07:44 GMT  Russias coronavirus case tally passes 900,000

Russias confirmed coronavirus case tally, the fourth-largest in the world, rose to 902,701 after officials reported 5,102 new infections.

Authorities said 129 people had died in the last 24 hours, pushing the official death toll to 15,260.

Russias has the fourth-largest number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the world [File: Pavel Golovkin/The Associated Press]

07:17 GMT  Chinas Jingzhou city says woman tests positive for coronavirus again after recovering

Jingzhou city in Chinas central province of Hubei reported a coronavirus case where the person turned positive again after recovering months ago, the Jingzhou government said.

The 68-year-old woman, who had tested positive for coronavirus on February 8 but recovered a few months ago, tested positive again on August 9, the government said.

She is now under quarantine and treatment, and people who have contacted her have tested negative for the coronavirus, it said.

There is no evidence of a risk of transmission from relapsed cases, it added.

06:57 GMT  German health minister says he is sceptical about Russian COVID-19 vaccine

German Health Minister Jens Spahn said he was sceptical about Russia becoming the first country to grant regulatory approval to a COVID-19 vaccine, saying it was key to have a safe, tested product rather than just being first.

Russias vaccine, which will be called Sputnik V in homage to the worlds first satellite launched by the Soviet Union, has not yet completed its final trials. Its regulatory approval came after less than two months of human testing.

Its not about being first somehow  its about having an effective, tested and therefore safe vaccine, Spahn told Deutschlandfunk radio.

In order to have trust in such a vaccine, I think it is very, very important, even during a pandemic, to properly do studies, the relevant tests and especially to make them public. The problem is that we know very little about it as the Russian authorities are not being very transparent, he said.

06:39 GMT  Facebook removes seven million posts spreading coronavirus misinformation

Facebook removed more than seven million posts in the second quarter containing coronavirus misinformation that could potentially harm peoples health, the social media giant said.

The company also placed warning labels on some 98 million pieces of dubious, but less-dangerous content on the virus, Facebooks vice president of integrity Guy Rosen said.

While our technology for identifying and removing violating content is improving, there will continue to be areas where we rely on people to both review content and train our technology, Facebook said in a blog post.

Facebook has been under pressure to reduce false information on its platform and has taken a tougher stance on policing content in recent months [File: Dado Ruvic/Reuters]

06:24 GMT  New Zealand to make decision on coronavirus restrictions Friday

New Zealands Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said her cabinet will decide on Friday on the next steps regarding new restrictions placed across the country, as it reported four new probable cases of coronavirus in the community.

Of the four new probable cases, two are work colleagues of a man who tested positive, and two are related to the household that one of the cases stayed at.

05:41 GMT  Former Indian president critical after surgery, positive virus test

Former Indian president, Pranab Mukherjee, who has coronavirus, is in a critical condition following surgery to remove a blood clot in his brain, an official broadcaster reported.

Mukherjee, 84, was on ventilator support at the Army Research and Referral Hospital in New Delhi, state-run All India Radio said.

He was admitted to the hospital on Monday, when tests revealed a large brain clot for which he underwent emergency life-saving surgery.

Mukherjee on Monday tweeted that he had also tested positive for coronavirus after arriving at the hospital and urged those who had come in contact with him to self-isolate and get tested.



Hello, this is Arwa Ibrahim in Doha, taking over from my colleague Zaheena Rasheed.



04:53 GMT  Cathay Pacific reports first-half loss of $1.27 bn

Hong Kong carrier Cathay Pacific said it lost 9.9 billion Hong Kong dollars ($1.27bn) in the first half of this year after border closures triggered by the pandemic grounded its fleets.

The first six months of 2020 were the most challenging that the Cathay Pacific Group has faced in its more than 70-year history, chairman Patrick Healy said in a stark statement.

The global health crisis has decimated the travel industry, and the future remains highly uncertain, he added.

03:55 GMT  Chinas community cases hit single digits

Chinas newly confirmed community transmitted cases of coronavirus fell into the single digits on Wednesday, while Hong Kong saw another 33 cases of infection.

The National Health Commission said all nine new cases had been found in the northwestern region of Xinjiang, whose capital Urumqi has been at the centre of Chinas latest major outbreak.

Another 25 cases were brought by Chinese travellers arriving from abroad.

03:18 GMT  New Zealand considers freight as possible source of new cluster

New Zealand officials are investigating the possibility that its first COVID-19 cases in more than three months were imported by freight.

Ashley Bloomfield, director-general of health, said health officials are working hard to put together pieces of the puzzle on how the four members of one family got infected in Auckland.

Investigations were zeroing in on the potential the virus was imported by freight and Bloomfield said surface testing was under way in an Auckland cool store where a man from the infected family worked.





02:45 GMT  S Korea, US to hold smaller military drills

South Korea and the US will kick off their annual joint military drills this week but without mobilising US-based troops after scaling back the programme due to coronavirus concerns, according to South Korean media.

The Yonhap news agency said exercises will be held from August 16-28 but on a reduced scale, though the timeframe was extended by a few days to keep participants spread out and minimise night activities.

The exercises usually begin in August and involve tens of thousands of soldiers from both sides.

01:48 GMT  Argentina death toll tops 5,000

Argentinas death toll from the coronavirus reached 5,004 on Tuesday amid a surge in cases despite months of lockdown since March 20.

Officials had previously relaxed restrictions in many parts of Argentine, a move blamed for the recent spike.

The country recorded 7,043 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, pushing the total confirmed infections to 260,911, surpassing the total caseload in Italy.

Argentinian dentists work as volunteers to detect cases of COVID-19 in La Boca neighbourhood, Buenos Aires [Ronaldo Schemidt/ AFP]

01:01 GMT  Mexico sees near-record deaths

Mexico reported a near-record 926 confirmed COVID-19 deaths on Tuesday, bringing the countrys accumulated total to 53,929.

The Health Department reported 6,686 new coronavirus infections, bringing the countrys total confirmed cases so far to 492,522.

00:28 GMT  New Zealand defers dissolution of parliament

New Zealands Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern deferred the dissolution of parliament to make way for a general election until Monday, following the latest outbreak of COVID-19 in the country.

Parliament was due to be dissolved on Wednesday morning  the first step towards holding the general election scheduled for September 19.

Ardern said no decision had been made yet on postponing the election.





00:19 GMT  Australias Victoria logs deadliest day of pandemic

Australias second-most populous state of Victoria reported its deadliest day of the coronavirus pandemic with 21 fatalities in the last 24 hours and 410 new cases.

The state reported 19 deaths from the coronavirus, its previous one-day high in casualties, on Tuesday and Monday. It logged 331 cases a day earlier.

Victoria last week imposed a night curfew, tightened restrictions on peoples daily movements and ordered large parts of the local economy to close to slow the spread of coronavirus.

00:04 GMT  US inks $1.5bn vaccine deal with Moderna

The US entered an agreement with drugmaker Moderna Inc to acquire 100 million doses of its potential COVID-19 vaccine for approximately $1.5bn, the company and the White House said.

Modernas price comes out to about $30.50 per person for a two-dose regimen, its vaccine candidate, mRNA-1273, is one of the few that have already advanced to final-stage testing.

The US government has allocated a total of at least $10.9bn for the development and manufacturing of a coronavirus vaccine and has already ordered 100 million vaccine doses from Johnson & Johnson, Novavax, Pfizer and Sanofi and 300 million from AstraZeneca.





Hello and welcome to Al Jazeeras continuing coverage of the coronavirus pandemic. Im Zaheena Rasheed in Male, Maldives.

For all the key developments from yesterday, August 11, go here.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Wednesday said he warned his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov that there would be "an enormous price to pay" if Moscow is offering bounties to kill U.S. soldiers or other Western troops in Afghanistan.

The New York Times in June reported that a Russian military intelligence unit secretly offered bounties to Taliban-linked militants for killing coalition forces in Afghanistan  including American troops, citing U.S. intelligence officials.

President Donald Trump said he was not told about the information because many U.S. intelligence officials doubted its veracity, although several U.S. and European sources contradicted his comments.

In an interview with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Pompeo declined to say whether he believed the intelligence was credible or if he thought Trump should have been briefed, but said Washington would not put up with such behavior.

"If the Russians are offering money to kill Americans, or for that matter other Westerns as well, there will be an enormous price to pay. That's what I shared with foreign minister Lavrov," Pompeo said in the interview, conducted during his official visit to the Czech Republic.

"I know our military has talked to their senior leaders as well. We won't brook that, we won't tolerate," Pompeo said.

Last month, U.S. and European sources familiar with intelligence reporting said that the United States had acquired fresh reporting backing up the allegations that Russia had encouraged Taliban-affiliated militants to kill U.S. and allied soldiers in Afghanistan.

The intelligence reporting comes as the United States has been engaged in negotiating with the Taliban as well as the Afghan government to get a stalled peace agreement, struck in February for the withdrawal of U.S. troops, moving.

(Reporting by Humeyra Pamuk; Editing by Leslie Adler)
It is a sultry day with a hot breeze spinning little dust whirls down the winding road by the Sea of Galilee.

There is an air of expectancy everywhere. We hear voices, raised to an excited pitch as friend calls a greeting to friend. Down every trail leading to Galilee little clusters of people make their way. Word has spread abroad that Jesus is returning to Galilee.

Thronging multitudes

Suddenly He and His little band of followers come over the brow of a little hill on the Capernaum road. Following close behind swarms a vast multitude of people from Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and beyond Jordan.

Quickly the word passes from mouth to mouth, Jesus is coming. Crowds from Bethsaida and Capernaum soon appear and join the others. Together they follow the little band of thirteen men, simply dressed in flowing robes. As they reach the summit of the hill, where gentle winds afford relief from the heat, Jesus stops and motions for all to sit down and rest.

The authoritative teacher

The air is tense. It is a moment to be captured and held for eternity. The crowd hushes as Jesus mounts a large rock and sits down. Quiet falls upon the multitude, their faces turned expectantly toward Jesus. Then He moves His lips and begins to speak. What He was saying there, on that Mount of Beatitudes in faraway Palestine, was to illuminate the pages of history. The most profound, the most sublime words ever uttered were spoken there that day. In simple words, Jesus revealed to His dumfounded hearers the inner depth of Gods commandments and a new way of life!

No one who once heard Jesus could ever again be the same. What was the secret of this Master Teacher? How did He hold those crowds spellbound? And it came to pass, when Jesus ...

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Michigan scientists have spent years monitoring beach safety by testing the water for pathogens. But now, amid a global pandemic, some researchers are using those same techniques to tack rates of COVID-19 infection. And instead of wading into lake waters, theyre sifting through human waste to find the novel coronavirus.

Thankfully I have two, wonderful, 20-year-old male students who have no problem working with it, said Tami Sivy, chemistry professor at Saginaw Valley.
The significant concentrations of virus found in hospital aerosols highlight the need to follow precautions like improved ventilation, experts said.

Sceptics of the notion that the coronavirus spreads through the air  including many expert advisers to the World Health Organization  have held out for one missing piece of evidence: proof that floating respiratory droplets called aerosols contain live virus and not just fragments of genetic material.

Now a team of virologists and aerosol scientists has produced exactly that: confirmation of infectious virus in the air.

This is what people have been clamoring for, said Linsey Marr, an expert in airborne spread of viruses who was not involved in the work. Its unambiguous evidence that there is infectious virus in aerosols.

A research team at the University of Florida succeeded in isolating live virus from aerosols collected at a distance of seven to 16 feet (4.9 metres) from patients hospitalized with COVID-19  farther than the 6 feet (1.83 m) recommended in social distancing guidelines.

The findings, posted online last week, have not yet been vetted by peer review but have already caused something of a stir among scientists. If this isnt a smoking gun, then I dont know what is, Marr tweeted last week.

But some experts said it still was not clear that the amount of virus recovered was sufficient to cause infection.

The research was exacting. Aerosols are minute by definition, measuring only up to 5 micrometers across; evaporation can make them even smaller. Attempts to capture these delicate droplets usually damage the virus they contain.

Its very hard to sample biological material from the air and have it be viable, said Shelly Miller, an environmental engineer at the University of Colorado Boulder who studies air quality and airborne diseases.

We have to be clever about sampling biological material so that it is more similar to how you might inhale it.

Previous attempts were stymied at one step or another in the process. For example, one team tried using a rotating drum to suspend aerosols and showed that the virus remained infectious for up to three hours. But critics argued that those conditions were experimental and unrealistic.

Other scientists used gelatin filters or plastic or glass tubes to collect aerosols over time. But the force of the air shrank the aerosols and sheared the virus. Another group succeeded in isolating live virus but did not show that the isolated virus could infect cells.

In the new study, researchers devised a sampler that uses pure water vapour to enlarge the aerosols enough that they can be collected easily from the air. Rather than leave these aerosols sitting, the equipment immediately transfers them into a liquid rich with salts, sugar and protein, which preserves the pathogen.

Im impressed, said Robyn Schofield, an atmospheric chemist at Melbourne University in Australia, who measures aerosols over the ocean. Its a very clever measurement technique.

The researchers had previously used this method to sample air from hospital rooms. But in those attempts, other floating respiratory viruses grew faster, making it difficult to isolate the coronavirus.

This time, the team collected air samples from a room in a ward dedicated to COVID-19 patients at the University of Florida Health Shands Hospital. Neither patient in the room was subject to medical procedures known to generate aerosols, which the WHO and others have contended are the primary source of airborne virus in a hospital setting.

The team used two samplers, one about 7 feet (2.13 m) from the patients and the other about 16 feet (4.88 metres) from them. The scientists were able to collect virus at both distances and then to show that the virus they had plucked from the air could infect cells in a lab dish.

The genome sequence of the isolated virus was identical to that from a swab of a newly admitted symptomatic patient in the room.

The room had six air changes per hour and was fitted with efficient filters, ultraviolet irradiation and other safety measures to inactivate the virus before the air was reintroduced into the room.

That may explain why the researchers found only 74 virus particles per litre of air, said John Lednicky, the teams lead virologist at the University of Florida. Indoor spaces without good ventilation  such as schools  might accumulate much more airborne virus, he said.

But other experts said it was difficult to extrapolate from the findings to estimate an individuals infection risk.

Im just not sure that these numbers are high enough to cause an infection in somebody, said Angela Rasmussen, a virologist at Columbia University in New York.

The only conclusion I can take from this paper is you can culture viable virus out of the air, she said. But thats not a small thing.

Several experts noted that the distance at which the team found virus is much farther than the 6 feet (1.83 m) recommended for physical distancing.

We know that indoors, those distance rules dont matter anymore, Schofield said. It takes about five minutes for small aerosols to traverse the room even in still air, she added.

The 6-foot minimum is misleading, because people think they are protected indoors, and theyre really not, she said.

That recommendation was based on the notion that large ballistic cannonball-type droplets were the only vehicles for the virus, Marr said. The more distance people can maintain, the better, she added.

The findings should also push people to heed precautions for airborne transmission like improved ventilation, said Seema Lakdawala, a respiratory virus expert at the University of Pittsburgh.

We all know that this virus can transmit by all these modes, but were only focusing on a small subset, Lakdawala said.

She and other experts noted one strange aspect of the new study. The team reported finding just as much viral RNA as they did infectious virus, but other methods generally found about 100-fold more genetic matter.

When you do nasal swabs or clinical samples, there is a lot more RNA than infectious virus, Lakdawala said.

Lednicky has received emails and phone calls from researchers worldwide asking about that finding. He said he would check his numbers again to be sure.

But ultimately, he added, the exact figures may not matter. We can grow the virus from air  I think that should be the important take-home lesson, he said.

Apoorva Mandavilli. c.2020 The New York Times Company
GUELPH  Guelph police are defending their decision to not immediately tell the media about the arrest of an MP.

Marwan Tabbara, who was a Liberal Party member until his arrest was made public, currently holds the seat for Kitchener South-Hespeler as an independent. He was arrested on April 9, 2020, and charged with breaking and entering, criminal harassment and two counts of assault.

Those charges didnt come to light until June 5 when reporters started asking questions.

According to Guelph police, the decision to withhold the arrest of the MP from news outlets falls under their standard practice.

Standard practice for the GPS is not to release names of charged individuals and media releases do NOT reflect the entirety of calls for service/charges, says the response to a Freedom of Information request by the Guelph Mercury Tribune.

Particular care is taken NOT to issue media releases in the case of Mental Health, Domestic and/or Suicidal situations to protect the identity of victims and other family members given the sensitive nature of those calls for service.

In the Freedom of Information response, police also shared emails from Const. Meghan Hern, who initially notified Const. Kyle Grant, Guelph police media officer at the time, of Tabbaras arrest on April 10.

This contradicts a statement on June 11, when Guelph police said the daily media releases do not capture a comprehensive summary of all calls attended to by our members, and that the arrest of Tabbara was not brought to the attention of the media officer.

In the April 10 email, Hern wrote: Hey Kyle, Forgot to send media email last night although not sure if it will be able to be released. Just want you to have a heads-up the accused ... is a federal MP so when and if it hits the news there could be a bit of a media frenzy.

Grant then asks if its from a 933, meaning domestic dispute, and Hern says yes domestic.

The Freedom of Information response also says Chief Gordon Cobey was not made aware of the arrest at that time.

After the initial email to Grant, the subject of Tabbaras arrest appears to go quiet until June 5, when an unidentified reporter starts asking questions.

By that time, Grant was on parental leave, and replaced by Const. Brian Murphy, who spent much of his career in the traffic division.

The emails, which have been redacted, show that Murphy was first contacted by a reporter at 9:48 a.m. on June 5.

It has come to our attention that Member of Parliament Marwan Tabbara was arrested in Guelph in the last couple of months ... I believe this is of public interest, and Im hoping to get some information from GPS regarding this given that he is an elected official and leader in the community, says the reporters email to Murphy.

Murphy explains the situation to his boss, Insp. Andrea Ninacs, in an email later that day.

I will go back through media releases from April to see if Kyle made mention of it in any way but I am certain he did NOT as it is his practice to NOT report on 933s, he wrote.

(Redacted) believes that because he is a Public figure details should be released. Not sure I would agree and since it has been standard practice that we do not report on 993s in general I am not sure we would be obligated to here. Please advise.

Another email came in at 12:25 p.m. on June 5, with a reporter saying they were urgently trying to reach a Guelph police media person. Murphy asks Ninacs what to do, and her reply says to please follow up. But remember their urgency is not ours.

Global News broke the story around 1:30 p.m. that day.

An email sent on June 11 asks Murphy about the decision not to tell the public about Tabbaras charges. Murphy forwards this to Ninacs and she replies: FYI  We can discuss in our meeting.

A statement from police was released later that day, explaining their position on naming those charged with offences.

Guelph police have not released the names of those they charge with crimes after they falsely accused a man with special needs of child pornography-related charges. In that case, police reported to the media that the man was facing several charges after he was arrested near the city hall splash pad for taking pictures of children. No evidence was actually found to support those charges, and the charges were never filed.

Guelph police issued a court-ordered public apology in January 2020, four years after the initial incident. They were also ordered to pay an undisclosed amount of money. However, they did not release details on the financial impact this had on the service.

In the Freedom of Information response, police say the release of identification is undertaken only in cases of public safety such as: danger to a group (children/youth) and a person is in a position of authority, or where we are seeking other victims in a case.

According to a CBC report from June 19, the Liberal Party of Canada allowed Tabbara to run in 2019, despite an internal party investigation into allegations of sexual assault against a female staffer, dating back to the 2015 election.

Tabbara is next scheduled to appear in court on Aug. 28.
Luxembourg City's traditional street market will take place as scheduled on 31 August. A variety of measures have been put into place in regard to the ongoing struggle against the coronavirus.

While many classic summer activities were outright canceled, others had to adjust their organisation.

After street animations and mini fairs to replace the Schueberfouer, it is now the capital's traditional street market that has to adapt its concept to the pandemic.

The first measure which will affect everyone: It will be mandatory to wear a face mask, both for the employees of the shops and for visitors. Merchants participating in the "Stater Braderie" will also have to ensure that sanitary measures are respected within their establishments.

The sale of alcoholic beverages in the public space will be prohibited on Monday, 31 August and food stands will not be authorised in shopping streets. However, merchants will be able to offer food to-go within the area of the "food village" on Place Guillaume II and Rue Origer.

While previous editions of the street market also allowed shops located outside of Luxembourg City to rent spaces, the 2020 edition will be limited to shops located in the capital itself.

A number of streets will be closed to traffic to ensure a smooth running of the street market: Rue Origer as well as Avenue de la Liberte on the section between Place de Paris and Place de la Gare (diversions will be set up).
Slate is making its essential coronavirus coverage free for all readers. Subscribe to support our journalism.

Six months into the pandemic, what have we learned? For one, a lot about the coronavirus itself, from how it transmits to the best way to shield oneself against it. But it took us many, many tragedies before we got here, and theres so much we wish we could have known earlier. The problem is COVID-19 required an urgent response, but science tends to move slowly and carefully. And once certain beliefs get cemented in place, it can be hard to change them. So for Wednesdays episode of What Next, I spoke with Apoorva Mandavilli, a science writer over at the New York Times, to recount what weve learned about COVID, what we really should have known sooner, and why we didnt know it then. Our conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity.

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Mary Harris: You did a deep dive into the debate over whether the virus is airborne. I wonder if we can talk about it in depth, because it was really interesting to look at your reporting and think about all the reasons why we seemed to miss this possibility in the beginning. Some people still seem to be missing it. How did you first get interested in the idea of why the virus being airborne was something people werent picking up on or talking about as much?

Apoorva Mandavilli: One of my colleagues and dear friends, Roxanne Khamsi, actually first broke the story in Wired. She wrote about how among aerosol scientists, there was a pretty clear sense that this virus is, in fact, airborne, but there was a lot of resistance to the idea. So she dug a lot more into the historic studies that show how this has been true for the flu and other viruses.

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I remember her article because it came with this graphic of two people talking at each other and you could see the bubbles of particles and air intermixing in front of them. And you realized how the virus could be suspended and exchanged pretty easily.

It makes sense, right? That was really the first inkling that there wasnt enough conversation about this. I started asking people whenever I was interviewing them for other stories about where they stood on this and what they thought about the evidence. And I started to hear that it was pretty firmly divided into two camps: people who understand how aerobiology works and how viruses move through the air, and people who are from this mindset of droplets and coughing and sneezing and surfaces being the main source of transmission.

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Some people want to see a lot of evidence before they change course. They take the science-moves-slowly thing very seriously.  Apoorva Mandavilli

The conversation kept coming back to the World Health Organization being the driving force of resistance to the idea. So I concentrated all my focus on that because WHO is hugely influential and its been front and center in this epidemic. It had daily briefings at the time, and everything it said was being reported widely. As these stories often end up, its about a few opinionated people who really hold up the progress. I ended up hearing that in the internal committee meetings, there were a few people who really, really believed in hand-washing, and in the idea that bigger droplets from coughing and sneezing are the only way somebody can get sick, and that aerosols, which can travel farther and stay in the air, dont really matter. It seemed like the conversation stopped there.

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I think whats happening is some of those people really want to see a lot of evidence before they change course. They take the science-moves-slowly thing very seriously. They want to see a full randomized clinical trialwhich is the best way you can do a clinical trial with all of the evidence being irrefutableand then change their mind. So they were just setting the bar for when science will correct things a little too high.

For a long time, WHO really was against people wearing masks. Also for a long time, it had a real reticence to talk about asymptomatic spread. So when you look at that, I wonder if you think its a WHO problem or more of a scientific problem.

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Its a little bit of both. Its the kind of scientific expertise that WHO specializes in: certain kinds of scientists who are cautious and slow to move. I think, in this pandemic, that has not served them well. I dont want to take away from all the great work they have done, but youre right that they were a little hard to understand on the masks issue and on asymptomatic transmission.

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I dont have conclusive proof of any of this, but this is what Ive heard: The masks issue came back to this idea of hand-washing. There were people who thought, if you tell people to both wear a mask and wash your hands, they wont be able to prioritize both. Also, I think they were worried about the availability of masks. They think about all of these low- and middle-income countries all over Africa and Latin America and Asia, and they did not want to have a run on supplies of that kind.

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People are trying to act fast to avoid a disaster, and theyre looking to scientists. Then, the scientists move slowly. But thats kind of their whole thing: Dont get out in front of the data.

Its a completely natural conflict. But I think we have to find out how to resolve it because this isnt going to be our last pandemic. When the dust settles, we may really need to think hard as a society about how we process this kind of information and make decisions quickly.

On the mask issue, for example, the idea that you wouldnt recommend them because the evidence for them isnt very strong just doesnt make a lot of sense. Masks are inexpensive. Theyre easy to produce and wear. And even if it just reduces the risk, its worth doing.

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Overall, we also really needed to have been thinking about the bigger picture, not just bars and restaurants and shopping malls and motorcycle rallies, but prioritizing schools. Who do you hold accountable for that?

I think governments at every level. One of the only examples Ive seen of that kind of thinking came from Seattle, where they did a modeling study and estimated that their activity in the communityshopping, going to church, all of those thingswould need to be at about 70 percent of the pre-pandemic levels in order to do other things. This ideal of a risk budget, if you will, where you take X amount of money or risk in this case from one pile and put it into the other. So if schools have this much percent, we should be bringing that down. Risk budgets will probably look different for each community or school district. But I think they could use a lot of help from state governments and from the federal government to have access to the right experts and to at least get some top-level priorities that theyre working with.

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A few months ago, we did a show about our pandemic summer and how it was going to be so strange. But I wonder if, now that were in the heat of summer, people like you are thinking about our pandemic winter, what that will look like, and whether we know if theres a way to control that at all now.

Its a really good question, and a really sad and scary one. I dont think weve learned the lessons we needed to learn to face the coming seasons with any feeling of security. I think weve squandered a lot of time in getting ready and keeping things under control.

Having said all that, though, I do think its also important for us to give ourselves a mental and physical break. When things are nice outside in summer, when its possible to be outdoors. I have been telling friends and family to get outside and enjoy it as much as they can, to have physically distanced social gatherings in parks or wherever, because come fall and come winter, its going to be like the spring again, where we may have to spend weeks at a time without seeing other people.

Listen to the full episode using the player below, or subscribe to What Next on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts.
YEREVAN.  Last month, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan promised us that the state of emergency in the country would be extended for the last time; this was stated Wednesday in front of the main building of the government of Armenia by a protester, who, along with a number of others, either lived in Russia or went there for work abroad before the coronavirus-related state of emergency was declared in Armenia. They are protesting against the Armenian government's decision Wednesday to extend the state of emergency for another month and not to reopen the borders.

They want to meet with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, or deputy prime minister and state of emergency commandant Tigran Avinyan.

"We neither want money nor anything from the [Armenian] state. Just that they create a way for the citizens who want to leave the country to go to their work, to be able to find a livelihood," said another protester.
Upon expanding in to South County, St. Louis, Sivia Law has welcomed a new attorney to the team.

Jeff Wagener has been a practicing attorney for 30 years. He offers clients, in both Illinois and Missouri, experience in a broad range of legal areas. Wagener joins Sivia Law with a strong service commitment and a record of unblemished personal integrity spanning legal, public service, business and academic environments.

We are excited that we are continuing to grow and that we have the ability to hire great attorneys like Jeff, stated owner of Sivia Law, Todd Sivia. Jeffs personal and professional experience make him a great fit for the Sivia Law family.

Wagener will focus on business, real estate, special needs, and elder law.

I have been interested in working with a growing, mid-size firm, Wagener said. When I learned of Sivia Laws value of putting family first, I was sold. I am excited for what this new opportunity has in store for me.

Wagener prides himself on his ability to form productive relationships with his clients based on sincerity, credibility and trust.

Sivia Law has grown since its founding in 2006. In addition to the South County location, the firm has added an office in East Alton. The new office is located at 10024 Office Center Ave. Suite 202 in St. Louis MO, 63128.

For more information, call the South County office at 314-782-4499 or the Edwardsville office at 618-659-4499. Sivia Law can also be reached by sending an email to info@sivialaw.com
Kevin Rector, Los Angeles Times (TNS)

The family of a woman whose breasts were allegedly fondled by an on-duty L.A. police officer who found her dead last fall is suing the officer and the city of L.A.

The family of Elizabeth Baggett notes that LAPD Officer David Rojas already has been charged criminally in the case, and that his own body-camera footage allegedly captured him in the act of molesting her.

They allege a slate of offenses in the incident that occurred last fall, including negligence, invasion of privacy, mishandling of human remains, and the intentional infliction of emotional distress.

"I am infuriated that this man had so little respect for another human being, our Elizabeth, for not having the thought that she is someone's daughter, granddaughter and mother," said an emotional Janet Baggett, Elizabeth Baggett's mother, at a news conference announcing the lawsuit at the L.A. offices of attorney Gloria Allred.

"We, her family, have sleepless nights, if we are able to sleep. I personally wake in sweats from the nightmares that haunt me about the events of Elizabeth's death," Baggett said. "Days are not much better."

Allred, who represents the family, said Rojas' alleged actions were not just against the law, but also went against "all sense of human decency."

The incident allegedly occurred Oct. 20 after Rojas and his partner went to a home where there was a report of a dead body. After finding the body of 34-year-old Elizabeth Baggett, Rojas' partner returned to the patrol car to retrieve something. It was then that Rojas turned off his body camera and allegedly fondled her breasts.

Officers' cameras retain a two-minute buffer period of footage after officers deactivate their cameras.

After the body-camera footage was discovered by a detective investigating Baggett's death and reported, Rojas was placed on leave, which the Los Angeles Times first reported in early December. He was subsequently arrested and charged with a felony violation of the state safety codes covering sexual actions with human remains.

Rojas pleaded not guilty to the charges in January and was released on $20,000 bail pending trial. His attorney, Robert Ernenwein, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the new lawsuit Tuesday.

Rojas had been on the force for four years.

NEW: Last December, a Los Angeles cop was arrested after his own body camera captured him fondling a dead woman during a call to her residence.



Now the womans family is suing. https://t.co/mJrQTAxu6I  The Daily Beast (@thedailybeast) August 11, 2020

Josh Rubenstein, an LAPD spokesman, said the department could not comment on pending litigation. City Atty. Mike Feuer's office, which represents the city in legal matters, said it would review the complaint but otherwise declined to comment.

Allred said the city never responded to a notice of the family's claims that she filed with the city months ago, as required before litigation.

Janet Baggett said she was first informed of the allegations against Rojas by LAPD internal affairs officers in late 2019, and that she and the rest of her daughter's family  including her daughter's 15-year-old son, Preston Sertich  had struggled to wrap their heads around Rojas' alleged actions ever since.

In his own statement, which was read by Allred on Tuesday, Preston said he used to want to be a police officer but had since lost all trust in police.

"What has this officer gotten away with to believe this was even possible?" the boy asked in his statement. "Is there a pattern of behavior against women, arrestees or decedents? How could you employ this man and let him represent your City?"

Rojas criminal trial has been postponed multiple times due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Allred said the delays had caused added heartache for the family.
New Mexicos two largest newspaper companies have announced a partnership that allows the two companies to print their publications from a single location.

Beginning on Oct. 12, the Albuquerque Journal and The Santa Fe New Mexican will print their newspapers at The New Mexicans production facility.

Robin Martin, president of The New Mexican, and William P. Lang, president of the Journal, said printing both newspapers at a single facility is much more efficient, according to a joint news release from the two companies.

We have been discussing this possibility for many years and are proud of this arrangement because it strengthens both family newspapers ability to continue to report and print the important news of New Mexico, Lang said.

As part of the consolidation, Lang said up to 70 employees in the Journals printing operation will be laid off. Layoff packages will include a severance with health care benefits. The New Mexican is expected to offer some positions to Journal workers who qualify.

We have been in this plant for 38 years and it has served us well, but as an aging plant it has become more and more expensive to operate, Lang said.

This change will not affect the size or content of either newspaper, and subscribers and advertisers should not be impacted. The two newsrooms will remain separate and independent, and both Lang and Martin will remain in their current roles.

The Journals sister newspapers  the Rio Rancho Observer, El Defensor Chieftain and Valencia County News-Bulletin  also will be printed at the Santa Fe plant.

Consolidation of newspaper printing facilities is nothing new, particularly among large chains that include multiple publications. However, the New Mexico partnership is unique in that two family-run news organizations are forming a partnership, according to the release.

Martin said her father, Robert McKinney, formed a friendship with Langs father, C.T. Lang.

That was rare in the days when most newspapers were family-owned and neighboring publications were often fierce rivals, Martin said. I am sure our two fathers would be happy that their children are working together to keep their publications family-owned and dedicated to their communities.
Discussions between the tech companies and government agencies have occurred periodically over the past four years. While some of the companies have made a practice of sharing leads about disinformation campaigns and other election threats, the efforts have been haphazard. The effort has broadened as the November election approaches, and the tech companies and agencies have tried to coordinate more frequently.

In preparation for the upcoming election, we regularly meet to discuss trends with U.S. government agencies tasked with protecting the integrity of the election, a spokesman for the group said in a statement. For the past several years, we have worked closely to counter information operations across our platforms.

The group emerged from meetings that began between the tech companies and government agencies last fall. The companies have since taken action to ward off threats in elections around the world. Facebook, for instance, has monitored election behavior in Brazil, Mexico, Germany and France. Last year, the social network said it was strengthening how it verified which groups and people placed political advertising on its site.

At Wednesdays meeting, the group and agencies updated one another on the behavior and illicit activities that the companies were seeing on their platforms.

We discussed preparations for the upcoming conventions and scenario planning related to election results, the groups spokesman said. We will continue to stay vigilant on these issues and meet regularly ahead of the November election.
The Nigerian government is developing a gender-based plan that aims to address the vulnerability of Nigerian women to climate change, the Minister of Environment, Mohammad Mahmood, has said.

Mr Mahmood spoke on Wednesday at the 11th virtual meeting of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari.

Climate change, which is a global concern, refers to the increasing changes in the measures of climate over a long period of time  including precipitation, temperature, and wind patterns.

The major driver of climate change is global warming- the rise in global temperatures due mainly to the increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

Speaking to journalists at the meeting where he presented a memo on National Gender Action Plan and Planet Change, Mr Mahmood said, planet change will not affect everybody across the world just as here in Nigeria.

It affects men, women and children but we have found out that women bear most of the brunt of planet change, Mr Mahmood said planet change will not affect everybody across the world just as here in Nigeria.

It affects men, women and children but we have found out that women bear most of the brunt of planet change and the purpose of the policy is to mainstream gender within the planet change action plan.

According to the minister, there is a need for particular steps to involve women in planet action activities right from inception, design, development, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of projects.

We will also involve women in the process of decision making. Also, we will make sure that women are carried along in planet change issues and also in areas where women are predominantly involved, like in agricultural activities.

Noting that 70 per cent of agricultural activities in Nigeria involves women, he added that some of the priority areas in the gender action plan are agriculture, forestry, health, water and sanitation, energy, transportation.

Through these sectors, we can reduce the emissions in Nigeria, thereby meeting our indices as we committed ourselves during the Paris Agreement, he said.

Commitment to reducing emissions

The minister also announced that Nigerias commitment to reducing emissions by 20 per cent this year, in lieu of the Paris Agreement, has been achieved.

Also, in the same agreement, Nigeria has committed itself to 45 per cent reduction of emissions by the Year 2030.

But this time around, Nigeria will need the assistance of international organisations or the international community in general to be able to achieve this commitment, Mr Mahmood said.
The Thai king has been seen in public for the first time since some of his subjects took to the streets to protest against the playboy royal.

King Maha Vajiralongkorn was pictured alongside his wife, Queen Suthida, as they greeted well-wishers after a ceremony to celebrate the birthday of Queen Mother Sirikit.

It comes after protesters risked arrest and 15 years in prison by voicing rare public criticism of the country's normally unassailable monarchy.

Around 4,000 protesters listened in Bangkok this week as organisers read out a list of demands for the royal family, including reform of the 'lese majeste' law which protects the King from criticism.

Activists also called for frank discussion about the super-rich King Maha Vajiralongkorn, who has taken personal control of royal assets and has spent much of his time in Germany.

Protesters have previously made veiled references to the King, asking about the weather in Germany and holding up pictures of Harry Potter villain Lord Voldemort, also known as He Who Must Not Be Named.

But the latest protests have featured more direct criticism - prompting a rebuke from prime minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha who said the demonstrators had gone too far.

Thai protesters are risking arrest and 15 years in prison by voicing rare public criticism of the country's normally unassailable monarchy. King Maha Vajiralongkorn is pictured with Queen Suthida at a ceremony to celebrate the birthday of Thai Queen Sirikit, the Queen Mother, near the Grand Palace in Bangkok today

Reports in Germany earlier this year claimed the King (pictured today) was staying at a four-star hotel with a 'harem' of women who were assigned military titles

Palace officials declined to comment on the student protests or on any criticism of the monarchy. The King is pictured with his wife today

Protesters attend an anti-government rally at Thammasat University in Thailand on Monday night, where some demonstrators made demands to reform the monarchy

A pro-democracy protester dressed as a wizard holds up a picture of Lord Voldemort, the Harry Potter villain also known as He Who Must Not Be Named, at a protest last week

Thailand's strict 'lese majeste' law protecting the monarchy from criticism Thailand's royal defamation law is among the toughest in the world, setting jail terms of three to 15 years for anyone who 'defames, insults or threatens' the King, Queen, heir apparent or regent. The law is written in Section 112 of the country's Penal Code and is widely known as the 'lese majeste' law, meaning 'to do wrong to majesty' in French. The law against royal insults has been present in Thai criminal codes since early 1900s, when Thailand was known as Siam, and has been strengthened over the years by successive military rulers. The prison term was raised to 15 years after 1976 student protests at Thammasat University were crushed. The King is described in Thailand's constitution as 'enthroned in a position of revered worship'. Thai royalist traditionalists see the monarchy as a sacred institution. Past convictions have included of a Swiss man jailed for 10 years for defacing pictures of the King, and a French businessman arrested for insulting the monarchy during a Thai Airways flight from London with two Thai royals on board. However, there were only occasional prosecutions before 2014, when current Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha took power in a coup, according to Thai Lawyers for Human Rights. Many of those convicted at the time were pardoned by the current king's late father, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who was widely revered during a 70-year reign until his death in 2016. But between the 2014 coup and early 2018, at least 98 lese majeste charges were filed, according to a legal database by Thai watchdog iLaw. Advertisement

Thousands of protesters chanted 'long live democracy' during a protest on a Bangkok university campus on Monday night.

Protesters from a student pro-democracy group made a 10-point call for monarchy reform while others called for the PM's resignation.

The students' demands included the reversal of a 2019 order that transferred two army units to the King's personal command, and a 2017 law that gave him full control of the crown's extensive property holdings.

Estimates of Vajiralongkorn's personal wealth start at $30billion and he has spent much of his time in Europe, including during the coronavirus lockdown.

Reports in Germany earlier this year claimed the King was staying at a four-star hotel with a 'harem' of women who were assigned military titles.

Palace officials declined to comment on the student protests or on any criticism of the monarchy.

Prayuth, a former chief of the armed forces, told reporters he had watched the protests and was very concerned.

'There are a lot of people in trouble waiting for their problems to get fixed, not just the young people. So is doing all of this appropriate?'

'It really went too far,' Prayuth said, without directly commenting on the demands on for royal reform.

Monday's protest prompted a public statement by Thammasat University apologising for the event.

It said that while the university supported free expression, it did not condone 'some references on the monarchy that impact people's feelings'.

Students have previously staged Harry Potter-themed protests and mentioned He Who Must Not Be Named in a veiled reference to the King.

Last week, human rights lawyer Anon Nampa took the stage at Bangkok's Democracy Monument and openly called for the palace's powers to be curbed.

'No other democratic countries allow the king to have this much power over the military,' he told about 200 protesters, with police standing by as he spoke.

'This increases the risk that a monarchy in a democracy could become an absolute monarchy.'

Anon was not arrested under the lese majeste law, but was detained and charged with sedition and breaking coronavirus rules by taking part in the protest.

However, he was released on bail and took part in another pro-democracy protest at the weekend.

Some Thai activits have called for frank discussion about the super-rich King Maha Vajiralongkorn (pictured at his wedding to Queen Suthida in 2019)

Approximately 3,000 anti-government protesters attended a rally in Bangkok on Monday night, the latest in a string of daily protests started by students in late July

Some protesters have worn face masks emblazoned with messages calling for the end of Section 112, the part of the Thai penal code which protects the monarchy from criticism.

While the country has been roiled by decades of political turmoil, the constitution says the monarchy must be held 'in a position of revered worship.'

Any form of challenge to the monarchy was extremely rare under Vajiralongkorn's father, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who died in 2016 after 70 years on the throne.

The monarchy is also backed by the arch-royalist military, which has staged more than a dozen coups since the end of absolutism in 1932.

Protesters are also calling for a rewrite of the constitution and the dissolution of parliament.

'We're partly inspired by the Hong Kong protests,' said activist Tattep Ruangprapaikitseree, referring to the months-long unrest in the Chinese-run city.

'We have no real leaders or organisers - people just come out by themselves.'

The coronavirus pandemic sent Thailand's economy into freefall, focusing already simmering discontent against the government's handling of the crisis.

Pro-democracy protesters dressed as wizards attend a Harry Potter-themed protest demanding the resignation of Thailand's Prime Minister

Many protesters support the opposition Future Forward Party, whose leaders were banned in February from politics for a decade over electoral breaches.

FFP's mainly young supporters saw this as more evidence that the system was stacked against them.

Royalists have held counter-rallies, though with smaller numbers.

Even though King Vajiralongkorn spends much of his time in Germany, his image is pervasive in Thailan, where gold-framed royal portraits look down on city streets.

Cinemas play a royal anthem at which audiences are traditionally expected to stand, and conservatives say the monarchy is a guarantee of stability.

Some analysts say the military uses its close association with the monarchy to justify its prominent role in Thai politics.

Meanwhile, the king has strengthened his constitutional powers since he took the throne in 2016.

So far, only a handful of the dozens of student protest groups have openly criticised the monarchy, but they are united in demanding change to Thai politics.
Health authorities in New Zealand were scrambling on Wednesday to trace the source of a new outbreak of the coronavirus as the nations largest city went back into lockdown.

Authorities had confirmed four cases of the virus in one Auckland household from an unknown source and were awaiting the test results of four more people they suspect have infections  two work colleagues and two relatives of those in the house.

The cases this week were the first known local transmission of the virus in New Zealand in 102 days.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said more than 200 people with connections to those in the house were contacted on Wednesday.

Our plan of mass testing, rapid contact tracing and, of course, our restrictions to stop the chain of transmission has been in full swing in Auckland today, Ms Ardern said.

Auckland will move to Alert Level 3 from midday Wednesday 11 August. The rest of New Zealand will move to Level 2. Read more about Alert Levels 3 and 2 at https://t.co/9KOHDHHUR3 pic.twitter.com/19cE66dVjW  New Zealand Labour (@nzlabour) August 11, 2020

Director-general of health Ashley Bloomfield said one of the people who tested positive works at an Americold food cold-storage facility in Auckland, which was being swabbed to check if it was a possible source of the infections.

We do know from studies overseas that actually, the virus can survive in some refrigerated environments for quite some time, he said.

The cluster came as an unpleasant surprise to many and raised questions about whether the nations general election would go ahead as planned next month.

Mr Bloomfield said two of the people who had tested positive had travelled to the city of Rotorua while suffering symptoms over recent days and had visited several tourist attractions.

People in Rotorua and indeed around the country should be vigilant about their health and seek advice if they have symptoms, he said.

Auckland was moved to Alert Level 3 at midday on Wednesday, a designation initially set to continue through midnight on Friday. That means that non-essential workers are required to stay home, while bars, restaurants and most businesses will be closed.

The rest of the country was moved to Alert Level 2, meaning that mass gatherings are limited to 100 attendees and people are required to socially distance themselves.

Mr Bloomfield said they would use genome sequencing as part of their effort to find the source of the new outbreak.

Ms Ardern said she had worked quickly to impose the Auckland lockdown measures after first learning about the cases on Tuesday afternoon.

She said Aucklanders were also strongly encouraged but not mandated to wear masks, and that authorities were releasing five million masks from a central supply.

Expand Close The cases are the first known local transmission of the virus in New Zealand in 102 days (TVNZ via AP) / Facebook

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Whatsapp The cases are the first known local transmission of the virus in New Zealand in 102 days (TVNZ via AP)

New Zealanders have not widely worn masks before, although authorities have been urging people to buy them or fashion them from scarves or bandannas just in case.

The nations parliament was due to be dissolved on Wednesday ahead of a general election on September 19 as politicians hit the campaign trail.

But Ms Ardern said she was delaying the dissolution until at least Monday in case politicians needed to meet at short notice.

She said she was also seeking advice about options for the election.

Under New Zealand law, the government could delay the election for up to about two months. The main candidates have already cancelled most of their planned upcoming campaign events.

The outbreak was found after a man in his 50s went to his doctor on Monday with symptoms and was swabbed twice, testing positive both times. Three more people in his household tested positive later.

The case has health authorities scratching their heads, as the man had not recently travelled overseas and had no immediately apparent connection with infections contained at the border.

Until Tuesday, the only known cases of the virus in New Zealand were 22 travellers held in quarantine after returning from abroad.

New Zealand has been praised globally for its virus response and had just celebrated reaching 100 days without any known community transmission.

The South Pacific nation of five million initially got rid of the virus by imposing a strict lockdown in late March when only about 100 people had tested positive for the disease, stopping its spread.

Life had returned to normal for many people as they attended rugby games at packed stadiums and sat down in bars and restaurants without fear of getting infected. But some had warned that the country had become complacent.
The man accused of raping a six-year-old girl in Uttar Pradesh's Hapur was reportedly spotted by local residents with country-made liquor on the outskirts of his native village in Amroha. However, the accused was able to escape yet again.

According to a report in The Times of India, Hapur police had roped in their Amroha counterparts after they identified the suspect as Dalpat, a resident of Mahmoodpur village in Amroha's Gajraula area.

Several police teams have been combing the forested areas near Garh in Hapur and Gajraula in Amroha for the past six days, but the accused, who was spotted by local residents on Monday, continues to be on the run, the report stated.

The incident occurred on Thursday while the girl was playing outside her house. The bike-borne accused picked her up and forcibly took her on his two-wheeler. The girl was later left in a grievous condition in a field.

The condition of the victim, who is undergoing treatment in a Meerut hospital, is said to be "extremely critical" as she sustained severe injuries in her private parts causing excessive blood loss. A doctor said that the girl is conscious, but is very scared.

The superintendent of police said that five teams are looking for the accused. Search has also been intensified in nearby villages and at the borders, while CCTV footage of the surrounding areas is being examined, he added. The police had released three sketches of the accused based on description by eyewitnesses.
Maritime ports asked to hoist signal no. 3

UNB, Dhaka :

Maritime ports of Chattogram, Cox's Bazar, Mongla and Payra have been advised to keep hoisted local cautionary signal number three following the influence of strong monsoon and steep pressure gradient over the North Bay. Squally weather may affect maritime ports, North Bay and adjacent coastal areas of Bangladesh, the Met Office said in a special bulletin on Wednesday.

All fishing boats and trawlers over the North Bay have been advised to remain close to the coast and proceed with caution till further notice.

The Met Office said monsoon is fairly active over Bangladesh and strong over the North Bay.

Light to moderate rain of thunder showers accompanied by temporary gusty wind is likely to occur at most places over Rangpur, Barishal and Chattogram divisions.

Many places over Mymensingh, Khulna and Sylhet divisions and at a few places over Rajshahi and Dhaka divisions may see moderately heavy to very heavy falls in the next 24 hours, the weather office said.
Launches Work in Residence with on-demand services at participating properties worldwide



With Ascotts Work in Residence, guests, corporates and students seeking alternative location to work-from-home or study can easily book its spacious, conducive and self-contained work suites across over 60 participating properties in more than 30 cities and over 10 countries. Ascotts Work in Residence offers flexibility, convenience and value through its fully-furnished and well-equipped work suites that enable guests to just check-in and start work with minimal disruptions, enabling them to stay productive and connected. Larger apartments with separate living and dining areas, kitchen and individual bedrooms are ideal for project groups.

Guests have the flexibility to choose either daily, weekly or monthly packages. Depending on the length of use and location, the work suites come with a dedicated workstation, regular housekeeping, complimentary coffee and tea or complimentary parking at selected serviced residences. Nespresso coffee machines are also available in selected apartments.
Kelly Ripa wasted no time in clapping back at a troll for making a snide comment about her lack of personal grooming.

Ripa, 49, who has been on a hiatus from Live With Ryan and Kelly for the past few weeks, shared a promo for the new season of the hit show, debuting September 7.

The promo brought out a comment from an Instagram user, ironically, named @thethingsthatbringmejoy, who bashed the hosts 'lack of personal grooming.

Clapping back: Kelly Ripa wasted no time in clapping back at a troll for making a snide comment about her lack of personal grooming

'The only issue I have with this show (and I watch daily since I am at home nowadays) is the lack of personal grooming. I mean its a nationally televised show. And I have to get dressed for every Zoom work call so why cant you guys,' the commenter said.

Ripa responded with a joke, stating, 'we are dressed. FCC rules, not mine,' though he responded, 'properly dressed' with a laughing emoji.

'I'll bring it up at the next meeting,' Ripa responded, while a number of her fans came to Kelly and Ryan's defense, like @chefpeppermint.

Issue: 'The only issue I have with this show (and I watch daily since I am at home nowadays) is the lack of personal grooming. I mean its a nationally televised show. And I have to get dressed for every Zoom work call so why cant you guys,' the commenter said.

Meeting: 'I'll bring it up at the next meeting,' Ripa responded, while a number of her fans came to Kelly and Ryan's defense, like @chefpeppermint

'I've been watching since the quarrantine & haven't found anything they've been wearing unprofessional at all,' the Instagram user began.

'Just like all of us they are making the best of their situation with what they have at home. For quite some time no one ead able to get hair cuts due to salons being closed so you can't fault them for that. Cut them some slack. They're doing their best,' @chefpeppermint concluded.

The promo features side-by-side shots of both Ripa and Seacrest going through their morning routine, including brushing their teeth.

Professional: 'I've been watching since the quarrentine & haven't found anything they've been wearing unprofessional at all,' the Instagram user began

Brushing: The promo features side-by-side shots of both Ripa and Seacrest going through their morning routine, including brushing their teeth

Ripa even mentioned in her post, 'I swear I dont actually brush my teeth like that' indicating it was only for the promo.

While the new season returns on September 7, there has been no confirmation if the hosts will actually be returning to the studio, or if they will continue to film from home.

It's possible that Live With Kelly and Ryan could return to the studio soon, since others are following suit.

New season: While the new season returns on September 7, there has been no confirmation if the hosts will actually be returning to the studio, or if they will continue to film from home

The Wendy Williams Show recently announced it will be returning to its studio home this fall, while a number of late night talk shows have already returned.

Jimmy Fallon has returned to his New York City set on The Tonight Show, while Conan has been filming episodes from Largo at The Coronet in Los Angeles.

Stephen Colbert also confirmed on Monday that he was returning to his New York City office for The Late Show, after filming from his South Carolina home since March.
LACCD Semester Begins August 31, Open Enrollment in Full Swing

Special online open enrollment fairs hosted by the nine colleges of the Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD). See list below for online links per college.

If youre planning to go to college this fall, do yourselfand your budgeta huge favor by enrolling at the affordable Colleges of Los Angeles with flexible class schedules and guaranteed admission. All applicants are welcome!

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Qualifying first-time, full-time students can also receive two years of free tuition, plus a free Chromebook, as part of the many benefits of the Districts L.A College Promise Program. Read the L.A. College Promise Programs digital Welcome Kit by clicking here. Additional information is on the programs special website. Promise Program contacts per college are listed too.

Open Enrollment for the Fall 2020 Semester continues until August 31, 2020 when the semester begins. New applicants can go to either http://lacolleges.net/ or http://www.lacollegepromise.org/ for application and registration information. Existing students within the LACCD system can enroll in classes via the student portal, Mycollege.laccd.edu, with their student email and password. Current LACCD students who needs help accessing the student portal can contact the Portal Help Desk, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, at (844) 695-2223 or email, [email protected]. The Help Desk is for portal access issues only, not enrollment. Use the links below for enrollment help tomorrow!

Just like nearly all colleges and universities, LACCDs Fall Semester will be primarily conducted in a remote learning environment online due to the ongoing COVID-19 public health emergency. However, many classes that support careers and education for the states essential services workforce infrastructuresuch as healthcare, construction/utility and mechanicalwill have limited on-campus instruction to complete fall term classes. Those limited on-campus classes are now listed in the Fall enrollment catalog. Enrollment Registration links per college are:

East Los Angeles College  https://bit.ly/2Xzixb0

https://laccd.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJwqd-GrpjMiHNLWRCXTXUVpvfwon12m3N7N

Los Angeles City College  https://bit.ly/33IszdM

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https://cccconfer.zoom.us/j/2826082608

Los Angeles Harbor College  https://bit.ly/31HIMx8

https://laccd.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJUvfuCppz0oEtAJdsHt8SsIviPzGYJk9h-8

Los Angeles Mission College (Special Time of 11 a.m,. to 3 p.m., Aug. 12)

https://bit.ly/30EXiGX http://lamission.edu/news/newsitem.aspx?id=491

Los Angeles Pierce College.  https://bit.ly/3imyAAW

https://laccd.zoom.us/j/96990391169?pwd=WCtDLzN6MWx6WEc2WXpMcDBIQ213QT09

Los Angeles Southwest College  https://bit.ly/3kGxKkG

http://tinyurl.com/RegisteratLASC2020

Los Angeles Trade-Technical College  https://bit.ly/3gLwoT9

https://laccd.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJUtcOuqpjkiHtR4audR88IysnmbZMwTOHjk

Los Angeles Valley College  https://bit.ly/30LWKPz

https://laccd.zoom.us/j/92288140709

West Los Angeles College  https://bit.ly/2DxX0bZ

https://laccd.zoom.us/j/92399034501

About the Los Angeles Community College District

We are the Colleges of Los Angeles! LACCD (www.laccd.edu) is the nations largest community college district, educating about 250,000 students annually at its nine colleges that serve the residents of more than 36 cities and communities from 900 square miles of Los Angeles County. Since 1969, the District has been providing an important learning pathway for students seeking transfer to four-year colleges or universities while also offering two-year degrees and certificated training programs to Southern Californias diverse workforce in many specialized trades and professions. Follow us on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/LACCD, @LACCD, and on Twitter, https://twitter.com/laccd @laccd and Instagram, https://www.instagram.com/laccd_edu/ @laccd_edu.

Members of the Board

Andra Hoffman, President | Steven F. Veres, Vice President | Gabriel Buelna, Ph.D., Second Vice President

Mike Fong | Ernest H. Moreno | Scott J. Svonkin | David Vela | Elias Geronimo, Student Trustee
Major/Minor:

Biology

Classification:

Junior

Hometown:

Fayetteville, North Carolina

Hobbies/Interests:

Playing basketball, running, meeting new people, traveling, cooking.

Dream Job:

Pediatrician

Campus Events You Enjoyed Participating In and The Reason(s):

Homecoming and Viking Fest. The events get students in touch with alumni and the wisdom they have to share with them.

Plans After Graduating From ECSU:

Becoming an officer in the military and pursuing graduate degrees at an HBCU.

Plans For the Future:

Earn a bachelor's and a master's degree in biology and graduate with the highest honors.

Your words to live by:

Hold on to your dreams of a better life and stay committed to striving to realize it.  Earl G. Graves, Sr.

Advice for Younger Students



Have a plan and stick to it. College is going to be fun and interesting. You might have easy nights when its a few things to get done and you have long nights where it runs into the next day, but its how you finish. College is like a marathon. If you start strong, you should finish strong. Never give up.

What would you tell rising freshmen about attending ECSU? What advice would you give them?



I would say that college is what you make of it. The experience that you choose will determine the rest of your years.

Favorite Place on Campus

The gym.
By Express News Service

NEW DELHI: Indias first plasma bank was opened on July 2 at the national capitals Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences (ILBS) Hospital and since then, according to the Delhi government, the bank has so far received 921 convalescent plasma donations from recovered coronavirus patients. As per the state government, plasma therapy has helped in saving numerous lives of patients in critical condition, ranging from as young as an 18-year-old to the oldest patient being a 94-year-old.

Until now, around 710 units of convalescent plasma have been provided, enabling recovery of patients across hospitals in Delhi. Amongst those who donated plasma include 209 entrepreneurs, 86 healthcare workers, 28 police officials, eight media personnel, 50 students, 32 government officials, and 508 other recovered people including servicemen, self-employed professionals, non-residents of Delhi.

Around 14 recovered patients have donated their plasma more than once for the benefit of others. The convalescent plasma has been provided to patients of all blood groups, including the rare blood group type AB for which 90 units of plasma have been issued. Apart from this, 171 units of A blood group plasma, 180 units of O blood group plasma, and 269 units of B blood group plasma have also been issued for the recovery of ailing COVID-19 patients in the city.

Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal had said that plasma therapy has shown encouraging results in the recovery of critically ill patients. To date, 388 units of convalescent plasma have been issued to patients below 60 years of age and 322 units have been issued to patients above 60 years of age, who were at a higher risk of falling critically ill due to the virus. Around 522 males and 188 female patients have been administered plasma therapy.

Since then, two other plasma banks have been started by the Delhi government in LNJP and GTB Hospitals which are providing free of cost convalescent plasma to all hospitals, including those run by the central government, state government, MCDs and even private entities in Delhi. There though still are doubts as to how effective the treatment method is as AIIMS director Randeep Guleria said that no clear mortality benefit of convalescent plasma therapy was seen during a trial conducted among 30 COVID-19 patients.
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, August 12, 2020 08:50 525 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066d49fbb 1 Books poem,Sapardi-Djoko-Damono,#Indonesia75 Free

A book consisting of 80 poems written by the late celebrated poet Sapardi Djoko Damono for his wife Sonya Sondakh was officially launched by publisher Gramedia Pustaka Utama (GPU) on Monday.

Sapardi spent two years preparing the book, which he titled mBoel, Sonya's nickname, and planned for its release on her birthday in August before he passed away in July, according to a statement received by The Jakarta Post.

He planned all of it himself, said Sonya. It was a part of his entire plan for 2020.

Made as a tribute to Sapardi's wife for being his lifetime friend, mBoel was launched at their residence in South Tangerang and streamed on Instagram Live.

The book was supposed to start with his four poems Hujan Bulan Juni (Rain in June), Aku Ingin (I Want), Di Restoran (At the Restaurant) and Ketika Kau Tak Ada (When You're Not There), which were published in a newspaper in 1989 and which he photocopied and sent to Sonya who was studying in Paris at the time. The poems have become so renowned after being published in other books and turned into songs that Sapardi eventually only chose to include Ketika Kau Tak Ada in mBoel.

His last work is for the one he most loved, said GPU's head of literature, Mirna Yulistianti. Eighty of Sapardi's last works have been recorded in this book.

Filled with Sapardi's never-before-seen works, mBoel will be sold in stores in hardcover format starting Aug. 17.

Born on March 20, 1940, in Surakarta, Central Java, Sapardi is among the most revered figures in the history of Indonesian literature.

He graduated from Gadjah Mada Universitys School of Literature and Culture in the 1960s and later studied humanities at the University of Hawaii in the United States from 1970 to 1971.

Sapardi, who served as a dean of University of Indonesia's School of Literature from 1999 to 2004, rose to prominence for his celebrated poetry collections, such as Perahu Kertas (1983), Hujan Bulan Juni (1994) and Arloji (2002).

Aside from his reputation as a famed poet, Sapardi was also considered a highly influential scholar who contributed to a thriving artistic ecosystem.

He passed away on July 19 due to a decline in organ function. (car/kes)
In this sense, the Head of State affirmed that the corresponding Supreme Decree will be published in the official gazette El Peruano on Thursday. It will prohibit family and friend gatherings that usually take place on the seventh day of the week.





"Starting this Sunday, we are going to return to mandatory immobilization on Sundays. We think that it is preferable to take a step back, only on Sundays, in order to generate a sense of responsibility for all and then regain the conditions that we all would like to have," he expressed.





In this sense, the top official specified that the Supreme Decree approved by the Council of Ministers establishes mandatory curfew nationwide.













Mr. Vizcarra assured that the latest measure is taken based on the evaluation which determined that the main contagion no longer occurs in places where biosafety measures are now respected, but that citizens become infected by meeting in person with people they know.













Finally, he called on citizens to put aside the hosting of such events, where there is even consumption of alcoholic beverages.





Remarks were made in a televised address to the nation from the Government Palace in Lima. President Vizcarra was joined by State ministers on the occasion.




A shocking photo of maskless, jam-packed commuters has been posted online as Premier Gladys Berejiklian warns of harsher restrictions for NSW.

The picture was taken by a passenger on board the M52 bus at Ermington in Sydney's north during the morning peak hour rush.

The woman who posted the image said 'social distancing' was impossible on the crowded commute.

This photo shows maskless, jam-packed commuters on board the M52 bus at Ermington in Sydney's north

'There wasn't any social distancing at all, the majority of people weren't wearing masks. It was shocking,' Hanna told 9News.

Under coronavirus protocols, a total of 24 passengers is the guideline for a two-door Sydney bus.

But Hanna said there were at least 35 people on the bus when she got on.

'I get it when they say don't take the bus if it's too full but I need to get to work,' Hanna said.

'There is only one bus that goes to my area so if I don't take this bus then the next one is in 15 minutes away and there is no guarantee it won't be as crowded.'

NSW recorded 18 new COVID-19 cases in the past 24-hours including two more infections linked to the Tangara School for Girls in Cherrybrook.

The origin of the cluster has now grown to 19 cases and the source of the outbreak still remains under unknown.

There are reports a student retreat was responsible for an outbreak at the school, which has grown to 19 cases (pictured)

Premier Berejiklian said the mystery transmission means the state will remain on 'high alert'.

Sydney's COVID-19 clusters:  116 cases linked to Thai Rock Wetherill Park cluster  68 cases linked to the funeral events in Bankstown and surrounding suburbs cluster  11 cases linked to the Batemans Bay Soldiers Club.  19 cases linked to the Tangara School Cherrybrook cluster Advertisement

'We know the rules we have put in place, the advice we have provided works so long as it is applied across the board,' she said.

'Whether it is a school extracurricular activity, which shouldn't occur, whether it's the recommendation for people to wear masks when they can't guarantee social distancing on public transport or in supermarkets, or whether it's the way in which we've asked businesses to approach a COVID-safe environment, compliance is absolutely critical.'

The Premier said although there had been an increase in the uptake of compliance including the wearing of masks, she warned there still needs to be even more.

'If we don't see a greater uptake in the next little while, we will consider further measures,' she said.

'While numbers have remained stable in NSW we can't be assured of that moving forward.'

Health Minister Brad Hazzard reiterated the Premier's comments on Wednesday.

'The bottom line is: masks,' he said.

'We all need to be reminded that this virus has not gone away ... Treat yourself and treat everybody else as if you have got the virus.'
An Indian Army soldier on Wednesday received injuries as terrorists attacked Army vehicles on the Srinagar-Baramulla highway in Jammu and Kashmir.

The attack took place when the Army vehicles were moving from Baramulla to Srinagar in Hygam area of Sopore town in Baramulla district.

The security forces have cordoned off the area. A search operation has been launched to nab the terrorists.

This is a developing story. More details are awaited.
By Associated Press

BALTIMORE: Two people are now confirmed dead following a natural gas explosion that destroyed three row houses in Baltimore and sent seven people to the hospital, authorities said Tuesday.

Baltimore Fire Department spokeswoman Blair Adams said at a 9 a.m. news conference that a man was pulled from the debris shortly before 1 a.m.

A woman had been pronounced dead at the scene shortly after Monday morning's explosion.

Seven others were hospitalized, five in critical condition, Adams said.

The conditions of the other two were still being determined, she said.

More than 200 people in the neighborhood were affected by the blast, and about 30 have utilized temporary shelter since the explosion, she said.

The natural gas explosion Monday morning leveled three row houses and ripped open a fourth, trapping people in the debris and scattering shards of glass and other rubble over the northwest Baltimore neighborhood of Reisterstown Station.

Dozens of firefighters converged on the scene to free the injured.

"It's a disaster. It's a mess. It's unbelievable," said Diane Glover, who lives across the street.

Her windows where shattered and her front door was blown open.

"I'm still shaken up," she said hours later.

The exact cause remains unknown, and the Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. appealed for patience as they investigate.

No gas odors were reported before the explosion, and BGE did not receive any recent gas odor calls from the block of homes that were damaged, the utility said in a statement late Monday.

BGE also said it last inspected the area's gas mains and services in June and July of 2019 and no leaks were found.

The utility statement said it's "committed to fully understanding the cause of this incident and will inspect all BGE equipment once rescue efforts are complete. This is an active investigation and we cannot speculate on the possible causes."

The Baltimore Sun reported last year that dangerous gas leaks have become much more frequent, with nearly two dozen discovered each day on average, according to the utility's reports to federal authorities.

BGE has said it has thousands of miles of obsolete pipes that need to be replaced, an effort that would cost nearly $1 billion and take two decades, the newspaper said.

Glover, 56, and her 77-year-old father, Moses Glover, were at home when the massive explosion shook their house, knocking over a fan and some of her DVDs.

"It sounded like a bomb went off," she said.

Dean Jones, 36, who lives nearby, ran to the scene.

He said he saw a mess of bricks, glass and cinder blocks and also a box of pancakes.

"You could tell this was a house that people lived in," he said.

Jones said he and others began calling out for survivors and located an older woman who was eventually pulled out by firefighters.

Kevin Matthews, who lives on the block, told The Sun that he could hear trapped children shouting: "Come get us! We're stuck!" Barry Leventhal, whose warehouse equipment business near the blast site, said the explosion shook his building, damaging lights and a concrete wall.

Fortunately, none of the company's 10 employees was injured.

"We thought a plane crashed or something," said Leventhal.

BGE asked the Maryland Public Service Commission to approve a new gas system infrastructure and a cost recovery mechanism in late 2017 to pay for upgrades.

"Founded in 1816, BGE is the oldest gas distribution company in the nation. Like many older gas systems, a larger portion of its gas main and services infrastructure consists of cast iron and bare steel materials that are obsolete and susceptible to failure with age," the PSC wrote in a 2018 order approving a modernization plan.

This area's gas infrastructure was installed in the early 1960s.

When aging pipes fail, they tend to make headlines.

Last year, a gas explosion ripped the facade off a Maryland office complex in Columbia, affecting more than 20 businesses.

No one was injured in the explosion early on a Sunday morning.

In 2016, a gas main break forced the evacuation of the Baltimore County Circuit Courthouse.

Under Armour Inc. had to evacuate its Baltimore office after a gas main break in 2012.

Baltimore City Council President Brandon Scott said he needs "the entire city of Baltimore right now to focus on hopeful prayers for those individuals that have been impacted by this."

"I want everybody in the city really to rally around those individuals that are still fighting for their lives," he said at a news conference.
Leading economic and energy policy experts have called for the need to deepen private sector participation as a means of addressing some of the challenges bedevilling the Nigerian oil and gas sector.

The experts spoke at a webinar put together to address new governance models in the downstream sector of Nigerias oil and gas industry.

The programme, sponsored by the Premium Times Centre for Investigative Journalism, held on Wednesday.

In his submission at the webinar, Doyin Salami, Chairman of Nigerias Economic Advisory Council and former member of the Central Bank of Nigerias Monetary Policy Committee, called for a conscious effort to develop private sector participation across the value chain.

Mr Salami, a professor, noted that Nigeria operates an economy that is defined by public ownership and operation of key infrastructure.

We have spent too much time being dependent on the government, Mr Salami said, adding that Nigeria must improve on the role of the private sector across the entire value chain.

Speaking on fundamental issues necessary to drive reforms within the sector, Mr Salami said there must be focus on efficient access to and use of resources.

On that particular issue, the role of private capital is very important, he explained.

The economist provided historical insights into the dynamics around private sector and government ownership and operation of key infrastructure in the country, noting that early enough, as far back as the 1970s, the government had money generated through oil revenues, which placed it in charge of the provision of key infrastructure.

When the private sector came of age, he explained, the government had no such financial wherewithal yet there were reservations around pricing, monopoly and other key issues associated with private sector participation.

He added, however, that fundamentals like technology, models and other key determining factors have changed, which incentivize the private sector.

Markets do fail, he said, but when markets fail or can be seen on the way to failure, then the government is expected to come in. He also debunked a number of myths surrounding private sector participation in key economic activities.

Today, we now see major road networks across the globe being built by the private sector, he said. There must be a philosophical framework about what the role of government should be. This should be about whether government or the private sector is well placed to do it.

He explained further that the role of government is about providing a level playing field in terms of regulation.

On concerns raised about pricing in an industry driven by deep private sector participation, Mr Salami said Nigeria needs data to ascertain and address the possible concerns.

Fuel comes at a cost, which may be higher or lower, he said. We need data that is cost reflective of Nigerias reality.

He added, however, that the numbers in which the industry presently operates on are not numbers that would make the private sector thrive. He noted that there could be regulatory mechanisms put in place to check price issues, adding that what is fundamental is that it must be run as a business.

It (the industry) should run as a business, which is what makes it sustainable, he said.

PTCIJ Report

The webinar also presented an occasion to deliberate on a proposed document about the downstream sector of the oil and gas industry, being put together by the PTCIJ.

Toyin Aina, Group Head, Energy and International Oil Trading at First Bank of Nigeria Limited noted that the new research report is still in draft form.

In her review of the 42-page report, Ms Aina revealed that the publication covers governance and transparency in the oil sector.

According to her, the first part looked at the governance of the Nigerian oil and gas sector, with a focus on the vulnerability of the Nigerian economy, Nigerias place within the OPEC cartel, the Dutch disease, the monetization of Nigerias crude oil, and what goes into the nations foreign reserves and sovereign wealth funds.

She noted that Nigerian production cost is considered quite higher, compared to other oil producers, adding that the report shows how Nigerias choices make the nation vulnerable.

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Ms Aina said it looked into what she called Nigerias dysfunctional downstream sector, which starts from the point of refining until it gets to the end user via the filling station.

About 90 per cent of the oil consumed is imported while only 10 per cent can be handled by the nations refineries, she noted, adding that the report also looked into the attempts to refurbish the refineries.

The report also looked into the overlapping roles of the various agencies in the value chain, as well as those of the security agencies. There was also focus on the subsidy regime during the Goodluck Jonathan administration, the civil unrest, the subsidy probe and the subsequent revelations.

Ms Aina noted that the NNPC needs to be more decentralized so it can pay more of oversight roles in the ecosystem.

Publisher, PREMIUM TIMES, Mr Dapo Olorunyomi

Earlier in his opening remarks, Dapo Olorunyomi, the Publisher of PREMIUM TIMES and Executive Director at PTCIJ, noted that the organisation chose to look into technical areas of the economy like the oil and gas sector in order to deepen the conversation and elevate discourses on transparency and regulatory issues.

He said there are significant challenges in the oil sector, like the subsidy scheme, which the PTCIJ seeks to look into and proffer solutions to with its research report.

In his goodwill message, Kole Shettima of the MacArthur Foundation, which provides support to PTCIJ and others, said the organisation has come a long way since it opened its office in 1994. He explained that MacArthur Foundation considered the issue of accountability and anti-corruption key to national development and it has continued to support initiatives in that area.

All the work that we are doing, the bottom line is to improve the quality of lives of the people, he said. That is what is really driving us in the works we do around investigative journalism.

Speaking on the focus of the webinar, he noted that the governance of the oil sector is very important because that is where Nigeria generates revenue. This is key to ensuring that ordinary Nigerians enjoy the benefits of the resources the nation is endowed with, he added. For those working in the area of accountability and open governance, Mr Shettima advised that consistency is key to getting the desired result.

We should always remember that some of the things that may have consequences may not happen today, but may happen tomorrow, he said.

He added that there is need to pay attention to sustainability in media operations, adding that stakeholders in the private sector should be carried along to support the media.

In his submission, an official of the NNPC, Inuwa Waya, lamented incidents of pipeline sabotage across the country.

NNPC Towers

He said: There is a lot of sabotage along the line. Today, it has become expensive for the NNPC and the entire country to maintain the pipeline along the line.

Who will come and invest in the pipeline system? he said, adding that investors only invest where they can recoup their investment.

The society has a greater role to play in the ecosystem, he explained.

Wilson Opuwei, chief executive of Dateline Energy Services Limited, a member of the Association of International Petroleum Negotiators (AIPN) and the Association of Private Refinery Owners of Nigeria (APRON), decried what he called the politicization of the sector.

The earlier we are able to play less politics it will help us move forward, he noted. Mr Opuwei also called for more private-sector participation in the oil industry value chain, adding that there are series of legislative frameworks put in place to address issues in the sector.

First, we need to have the conversation to see the sector as a business, he said, noting that private sector participants should not be distant to the regulator while policies should not be too stringent for the players.

When issues were thrown up for discussion, Ms Aina called for full deregulation of the sector. On his part, Mr Opuwei said the industry should be made easy for private sectors to operate, adding that Nigeria needs to deepen commercialization of the oil and gas sector.

Oluwatosin Alagbe

In her closing remarks, Tosin Alagbe, Programme Director at PTCIJ, said the new report will look into the concerns raised by stakeholders during the webinar. She added that it will also harmonize the recommendations and reviews thrown up to drive reform in the downstream oil sector.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-12 22:49:43|Editor: huaxia

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People walk on the street in Baghdad, Iraq, Aug. 12, 2020. The Iraqi Health Ministry reported 3,441 new cases on Wednesday, bringing the total nationwide infections to 160,436. (Photo by Khalil Dawood/Xinhua)

BAGHDAD, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- The Iraqi Health Ministry on Wednesday said it is ready to face a new wave of COVID-19 as it is increasing the capacity of hospitals, while the ministry reported 3,441 new cases in the day, bringing the total nationwide infections to 160,436.

"The work is underway to add more than 2,000 beds in hospitals, and now we have wards equipped with all the necessary devices to receive COVID-19 patients," the Deputy Health Minister Hazim al-Jumaili told the official Iraqi News Agency (INA).

Iraq is still within the first wave of the virus due to the early measures taken by the ministry, al-Jumaili said, adding that the noncompliance by the citizens during the holidays of Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha caused the recent increase of infections.

Al-Jumaili concluded that the ministry of health is ready to face the second wave of the disease due to its experience gained by the previous period of work against the pandemic.

Meanwhile, a ministry statement said that its health teams and institutions have used 19,933 testing kits across the country during the day, raising the total testing kits used so far to 1,203,883.

It also reported 57 fatalities during the day, raising the death toll to 5,588, while 2,439 more patients recovered, bringing the total number of recoveries to 114,541.

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 Iraq's capital Baghdad.

Since March 7, China has also sent three batches of medical aid to Iraq.
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.
An Illinois school district is banning students from wearing pajamas during remote schooling -- a move making some parents unhappy.

The specific guidance comes from Springfield School District's 2020-2021 student and family handbook. The handbook states that pajama pants are not allowed in school and extended the policy to remote learning.

Director of school support Jason Wind told members of the Springfield Public Schools Board of Education, "We don't need students in pajamas and all those other things while on their Zoom conferences," during a recorded Zoom meeting.

"Everyone in the committee felt that was an important portion to this to make a change and state that very specifically," he said.

As fall classes are slated to begin Aug. 31, some parents have spoken out about their concerns over the dress code policy.

PHOTO: A teenage girl works on her laptop at home. (Solstock/Getty Images, Stock)

Emily Parkinson, a fourth grade special education teacher based in Chicago tweeted, "This makes me angry. There's a global pandemic, many parents have lost jobs, kids are doing the best they can to cope ... and they're going to be disciplined for what they wear ... in their own home? Come on, Illinois."

This makes me angry. Theres a global pandemic, many parents have lost jobs, kids are doing the best they can to cope...and theyre going to be disciplined for what they wear..in their own home? Come on, Illinois. https://t.co/XEiDMjN90E  Ms. Parkinson (@EmilyMParkinson) August 9, 2020

A woman from Arizona tweeted, "Why are schools so hell-bent on telling kids what to wear then swear up and down they can't make kids wear masks on campus?" Her tweet received over 10,000 likes and more than 500 retweets.

On Facebook, there were a few parents who weren't completely opposed to the pajama ban.

"I think it's a good idea to get up and dressed and ready for school," Kathy Ward wrote. "I guess excused if they have no clothes that fit that day. If they love PJs they could maybe earn a PJ day.My kids had school clothes and play clothes. Just like we had work clothes but not everyone can do that I know."

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Springfield Public School District 186 coordinator of public relations and marketing Bree Hankins told "Good Morning America" in a statement, "Our handbook and updated guidelines for remote learning were developed collaboratively with administrators, teachers, and parents, with the best of intentions to provide a framework to navigate this new educational landscape."

The statement continued, "Our hope is that students approach remote learning as they would in a classroom setting, to the extent possible given each student's individual circumstances. However, we understand the interpretation of the dress code in a remote learning environment will differ from a normal school setting. It is understandable that during remote learning our dress code will be flexible."

MORE: Distance learning tips: Affordable online tutoring services and ways to boost your Wi-Fi signal

The district has affirmed that it does not intend to be punitive or to prescribe what students wear at home during remote learning during such uncertain times.

Hankins' statement also points out that the district is appreciative of the input and attention that has been given to their handbook, and they are open to making the guideline more supportive and inclusive.

The Springfield School District has about 14,000 students and plans to kick the school year off with a hybrid program in which students will attend in-person classes two days a week.

School district bans pajamas for students learning remotely from home originally appeared on goodmorningamerica.com
BRIDGEPORT  State Rep. Charlie Stallworth was feeling pretty good about retiring on his own terms Tuesday night.

Democrat Stallworth, who recently said if he is elected for a twelfth two-year stint in November it will be his last, believed he had beaten activist Tony Barr in their primary contest.

While mail-in or absentee votes were still being counted, Stallworth said he was roughly 500 votes ahead of Barr on the machines at the 126th House Districts handful of polling sites.

Im confident the numbers are going to continue to trend the way they are. We put together a great absentee ballot operation. No reason to expect anything different than what weve seen at the polls, Stallworth said. The people spoke.

Barr in an interview acknowledged, Hes up on the machines. Barr believed Stallworth without mail-in ballots was leading 843 to 401. And Barr did not expect his campaign to make up the difference with absentee votes.

Impossible, he said.

Stallworth has been an on-again, off-again ally of Mayor Joe Ganims. He helped elect Ganim in 2015, only to briefly try to run against him in 2019. But the mayor recently contributed financially to Stallworths re-election.

Stallworths match with Barr was one of three primaries for state House of Representatives seats in Connecticuts largest municipality.

State Rep. Antonio Felipe of the 130th District faced downtown businessman Kelvin Ayala and George Borges, the Republican Town Committees choice to take on Democratic State Rep. Chris Rosario in the 128th House District, was challenged by Ethan Book.

The results of the Felipe and Ayala contest were not yet known as of 10 p.m. Felipe, 24, won last years special election to replace the late Ezequiel Santiago, who died suddenly in March 2019. Ayala, 46, a business consultant and owner of Moes Burger Joint, has argued Felipe is not experienced enough to serve.

Felipes father, Ruben, who was an aide to former Mayor Bill Finch and been involved in several campaigns, anticipated it would be a while before the results were tallied. He cited the increased use of absentee ballots due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Voters were allowed to cite fear of the deadly illness as a reason for not wanting to go to the polls and rather than require all mail-in ballots be in hand by Tuesday, Gov. Ned Lamont extended the date they must be received to Thursday.

The counting is taking way longer, Ruben Felipe said Tuesday night. But, he added, We feel very good and very confident.

Ayala on Tuesday believed he won on the voting machines, but not by much.

Eight or nine votes. Its not a big margin, thats for sure, he said.

So might he pull out a win with write-in votes?

Based on their absentee and my absentee operation, I think we went toe to toe, Ayala said. Its too close to call.

Meanwhile Book declared victory over Borges. Republicans are sorely outnumbered in Bridgeport, and that was reflected in the turnout for their race. Book said 46 votes were cast at the polling places, and he received 32 of those. He did not anticipate the final mail-in vote tally to change the outcome.

Borges did not argue with Books conclusions.

Thats the way it goes, he said. I think hes probably correct.

Book will now face Rosario for the fourth time.

The fourth is the charm, he claimed.
LISTENING ANXIETY: Struggling With An Overwhelming Flood Of New Music

With an estimated 40,000 tracks uploaded to Spotify every single day, its impossible to keep up. Will this glut of new music along with access to a massive catalog of familiar tracks lead listeners to stop trying to discover new music altogether?

By Keith Jopling of MIDiA from the Music By Clio blog

In a fascinating article for Pitchfork earlier this year, Jeremy D. Larson posed an excellent question for the streaming era:

Why do we even listen to new music?

Listening to new music is hard, he writes. Not hard compared to going to space or war, but hard compared to listening to music we already know.

The context for this article wasnt just the streaming era, but the pandemic, locked-down streaming era in which catalog music began to grow its share of listeningproviding, as it does, all the comfort, joy and relief of familiarity.

Recently, I had a bad case of listening anxiety.

I had a short break on the Cornish coast, and was particularly looking forward to some quality music time. It just so happened that week was the one in which we were beginning to emerge from lockdown (in the U.K., at least), and perhaps for that reason, a bunch of new album releases arrived on the marketnew records from My Morning Jacket, the Pretenders, Jarvis Cocker (old favorites), along with Jessie Ware, Rufus Wainwright, Dream Wife, HAIM, Lianna La Havas, Margo Price (all highly acclaimed by reviewers and not yet familiar to me).

On top of that, I try to pay attention to brand-new music from artists entirely new to me, and so add to that list new albums by Suzanne Vallie, the Blinders and Protomartyr.

You can already recognize my problem, perhaps, but on top of these, I still hadnt quite spent enough time listening to recent releases by Nadine Shah, Pearl Jam, Paul Weller, Ron Sexsmith, Rumer, SAULT and Tim Burgess.

I am constantly toggling between checking out something new and spending time becoming more familiar with a record.

As a music fanatic, I am constantly toggling between checking out something new and spending time becoming more familiar with a record. Im always balancing the time spent listening to new music and classic catalogthe buzz of the new versus those favorites that come with a guarantee to lift the mood.

But Im also a fan of active, deep listening, as opposed to background or casual listening, so I consider music listening time to be a valuable commodity. As if that werent enough, Im also filtering hundreds of new songs for my playlist site, too. Since I launched The Song Sommelier, Ive enjoyed music differentlymore songs from more artists in more genres, and fewer albums by artists I already know. Thats by choice, of course, but sometimes feels like a sacrifice as well.

Anyhow, all this led to problems during my week off. I couldnt quite land on what I really wanted to listen to. I ended up flitting between this and that and even skipping trackswhich to me is a crime against music. I dont know what the solution is, other than to really tap into the context youre in at that particular moment you want to listen.

In the end, I spent a lot of time on my holiday choosing to listen to an album by Goldfrapp from 2014Tales of Uswhich Id remembered I enjoyed so much when by the beach. I listened three times through the whole thing, and its truly wonderful. Its slow, melancholic and beautiful and doesnt contain a weak track. An underappreciated classic, I feel. For the remaining time, I focused on the recent catalog of My Morning Jacket (also well timed for beach, which you may read here).

However, this means much of the original anticipated listening, as listed above, was postponed. And you just cant postpone music these dayschances are youll never get to it. New stuff flows to you thick and fast. Release Radar will constantly remind you of all the stuff you like thats new. And there will be a bunch more new album releases. And therell be all those pandemic-delayed releases coming next, too, and so it goes, on and on.

As for stopping to spend time obsessing over just one artist (which might be another solution), well, just think of all the stuff you might be missing in the meantime. One habit I do miss from the old days is checking out the back catalog of artists newly discovered to me, but I hardly ever do this now. My favorite record of the year so far is Nadine Shahs Kitchen Sink. But will I get to those previous three Nadine Shah albums? I doubt it.

I often get the feeling that what Im listening to might not be what I could be listening to.

Music cataloguing blog Discogs has published that new music releases would reach 200,000 this year. But dwarfing that, in April 2019, Spotify founder Daniel Ek told investors that close to 40,000 tracks are uploaded to the Spotify platform daily. In album equivalents (admittedly less relevant to streaming, but clearly still the artists primary unit of supply), thats roughly 23,000 albums per week. This is adding to the 50-plus million songs already to choose from on Spotify. Of course, in the on-demand era, our choice isnt just whats new, or what we own, or even whats presented to us in personalized menus, but all the music that ever existed (give or take). Its little wonder I often get the feeling that what Im listening to might not be what I could be listening to.

Now I realize, especially in the current times were living through, there are far worse forms of anxiety than fretting over which pop songs to listen to. But that doesnt mean it isnt a thing, and an important one to solve for music fans, musicians and the gatekeepers, curators and distributors that sit between them.

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(Bloomberg) -- Apple Inc. spent years building China into a $44 billion growth driver. Then the U.S. president last week cast all that in doubt.

IPhone loyalists across China are now reconsidering their attachment to the device after Donald Trump issued an executive order last week barring U.S. companies from doing business with WeChat, the super-app that has become integral to everyday life in the country. Scheduled to come into effect in roughly five weeks, the ban threatens to turn iPhones into expensive electronic trash, said Hong Kong resident Kenny Ou, who sees WeChat as one of the most essential software on his handset.

On Wednesday, Tencent executives on a post-earnings conference call stressed they believed the ban applied only to WeChat in the U.S. and shouldnt affect its Chinese cousin, known as Weixin. But they added that they themselves were still seeking clarity, and the sweeping language of Trumps order means it could still spell trouble for Apple.

The U.S. company has just come off a strong quarter in China, its most important international market and where it is facing intensifying competition from local Android rivals like Huawei Technologies Co. -- which, unlike Apple and its locked-down app stores, are free to either offer WeChat directly or allow their users access to download it themselves. The Cupertino companys strategy of tapping first-time buyers and wooing back consumers with cheaper devices like the iPhone SE could be entirely derailed if it cant offer WeChat and U.S.-China trade tensions continue to worsen.

Tencent Holdings Ltd.s flagship app connects a billion users globally and is used for everything from chatting with friends to shopping for movie and train tickets to paying restaurant and utility bills. While questions remain on how Trumps orders will be implemented, any ban on the use of WeChat threatens to cut off a key communication link between China and the rest of the world and prevent U.S. companies like Starbucks Corp. and WalMart Inc. from reaching consumers in the worlds second-largest economy.

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If Apple was forced to remove the service from its global app stores, iPhone annual shipments will decline 25% to 30% while other hardware, including AirPods, iPad, Apple Watch and Mac computers, may fall 15%-25%, TF International Securities analyst Kuo Ming-chi estimated in a research note. Apple didnt immediately respond to Bloomberg News requests for comment.

A survey on the twitter-like Weibo service asking consumers to choose between WeChat and their iPhones has drawn more than 1.2 million responses so far, with roughly 95% of participants saying they would rather give up their devices. The ban will force a lot of Chinese users to switch from Apple to other brands because WeChat is really important for us, said Sky Ding, who works in fintech in Hong Kong and originally hails from Xian. My family in China are all used to WeChat and all our communication is on the platform.

Read more: Apple Faces IPhone Sales Risk in China From Trumps WeChat Ban

Apples iPhones were first launched in China in 2009, two years after sales began in the U.S., and the company has shipped more than 210 million units in the country over the past five years, according to Bloomberg calculations based on IDC data. More than a fifth of all smartphone users in China used an iPhone as of June, second only to Huawei at 26%, according to researcher QuestMobile. The company has 42 stores in the country that also hosts most of the worlds iPhone manufacturing. And at its peak, Greater China accounted for 25% of Apples revenue though that share slipped to 17% in the last fiscal year, with sales in the region amounting to roughly $43.7 billion.

Apple had been counting on the next generation of its flagship handset -- expected to be launched in October and the first in the series to feature 5G -- to woo potential customers like Vincent Han, a Shanghai-based commodities trader who had been planning to replace his Huawei handset with an iPhone. Hes since nixed those plans and is considering alternatives including Samsung Electronics Co.

Im worried that WeChat will be banned on the iPhone. This will affect my work to a large extent, as 90% of my clients and colleagues communicate via WeChat, said Han. Still, even Samsungs Android operating system is developed by Google and Im concerned the Android platform will also bar WeChat.

Ready to fill the iPhone void will be a legion of high-spec, high-value 5G devices from local brands Xiaomi Corp., Oppo and Vivo as well as market leader Huawei. Xiaomi just announced the Mi 10 Ultra flagship, destined solely for China, and it has a full portfolio of devices to replace Apples range, including fitness-tracking watches, wireless earphones, tablets and laptops.

Ou, an engineering student, is one of the millions of die-hard Apple fans in China who may need to make a difficult choice between his beloved iPhone and the ubiquitous app. All my products are from Apple -- my Macbook, iPad, iPhone and even AirPods, he said in an interview from his hometown of Shanghai. Apple has created a robust linkage of their products and made me heavily reliant on their brand. It would be a tremendous disaster to my studies and work if such a ban was imposed.

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Toronto police have charged a resident of a midtown Toronto homeless shelter with multiple firearm charges, adding fuel to a series of incidents that have stoked neighbourhood concerns.

The incident played out shortly after 2:45 a.m. on Tuesday, police said, when they received a call about a man in possession of a handgun. Officers arrived on scene and arrested a 25-year-old, who the city has since identified as a resident of the temporary shelter.

Officers said they located a modified pellet gun containing ammunition in the area. Demarcis Townsend is facing nine firearms charges.

The incident comes one week after a staff member at the temporary shelter on Broadway Avenue was stabbed, by an individual the city and police say was living at the site. The facility has been in use as a temporary shelter since April, as the city scrambled to house its homeless population during the pandemic. The plan is to move all the current residents out of the leased facility by the end of this month, as the pair of adjoining buildings have been marked for demolition.

But in recent weeks, concerns about the site  as well as another homeless shelter at the nearby Roehampton Hotel  have grown louder from some neighbouring residents, business owners and politicians. Mayor John Tory has defended the shelters as a necessity during the pandemic, but also noted that residents concerns about their safety must be heeded.

Councillor Josh Matlow, speaking to the Star shortly after the arrest on Tuesday was made public, said he was deeply upset to hear about the latest incident. This isnt just about a shelter. We have to address the roots of violence in our city, we have to address mental health, we have to address addiction, we have to address the housing crisis  and we have to address community safety concerns that often come as a result of all these crises happening simultaneously, Matlow said.

Community concerns about the shelter site have ranged from abandoned needles to fears about break-ins. Outreach worker Doug Johnson Hatlem, who works with clients at the Broadway Avenue shelter, said it was a facility that aimed to be low-barrier  an effort he applauded, but one that he said came with difficulties. I will acknowledge that there are very hard people to house here, Johnson Hatlem said on Tuesday evening.

Following the stabbing last week, one shelter resident told The Stars Donovan Vincent that she was saddened to hear some community members wanted them gone. Theres already so much shame when youre poor  No one wants you. You dont deserve the basic necessities.

Neighbourhood resident Pui-Wah Yip meanwhile charged that the city had been ineffective in response to issues, and that things were worsening daily. The slow actions from the city and lack of results will endanger nearby seniors and the children as they start school, Yip said.

Matlow, on Tuesday evening, denounced individuals who turned to hateful rhetoric. Ive heard people refer to the homeless people as junk, and want them to just die, Matlow said.

When people suggest that we, as a society, need to address the housing and opioid crises, thats not being a social justice warrior, thats being a caring human being, he said. But when people are saying in our neighbourhoods that they expect to be safe, thats not NIMBYism, thats a very reasonable request.

Last Friday, the city addressed the concerns raised about the Yonge and Eglinton area shelters in a news release, acknowledging the public attention that came along with the stabbing, a recent fire, and a publicized overdose death. The city recognizes that these incidents, along with other unacceptable incidents in the community, are upsetting to residents and businesses.

The rapid nature of the citys COVID-19 response did not allow for the same engagement process with the local community as other shelter openings, city officials acknowledged. The fast pace of establishing this site has led to frustration for some residents and the city is actively working to address concerns raised by the community to ensure the safety of residents, clients and staff at the sites, it continued. Toronto police say theyve increased their presence in neighbourhoods with increased calls, in response to community concerns.

The city is due to hold an online town hall about the shelter concerns next week.

With files from Donovan Vincent, Ted Fraser and Jennifer Pagliaro
Ondo State Governor Rotimi Akeredolu on Tuesday inaugurated the Western Nigeria Security Network, WNSN, codenamed Operation Amotekun meaning leopard in English language.

Akeredolu inaugurated the pioneer Amotekun corps officers during their passing out parade in the Ondo State capital, Akure.

He said, These fine young men and women have gone through intensive training and will be complimenting the efforts of our security agencies in addressing our security challenges. Congratulations to our officers.

Ondo State is first State to display the Amotekun ceremonial uniform as Governor Rotimi Akeredolu attends passing out parade adorned in full Amotekun uniform.

Following the incessant attacks by fulani herdsmen and kidnappers in the South Western region of the country some governors in the region had come together to form the Amotekun security outfit to help curtail the activities of these criminals in the region .

Photos from the events
Photo credit: Lianne Nixon

From ELLE Decoration

Lianne Nixon

Most of the furniture and objects I love, I cant afford. Thats why I started drawing them, explains Lianne, who works from the studio at her home in Haarlem, Netherlands.

Her illustrations, which are drawn by hand using acrylic marker pens and then tweaked in Photoshop, are full of the mid-century modern classics she covets. Along with Dutch designers Martin Visser and Cees Braakman, she cites Charles and Ray Eames as a big influence on her work and their designs make regular appearances.

Lianne treats her interiors as still-life drawings, where it looks, she says, as if someone has just left the room. By combining a range of furniture and accessories  the things that make a house a home  she creates an imaginary space that people want to inhabit.

As a kid, she says, I loved playing The Sims  I still do! Theres something about creating a space for people to live in that I enjoy. liannenixon.nl



Photo credit: Jonathan Chapline





Jonathan Chapline

Ever since Americas 2008 housing crisis, Ive been fascinated with how home is represented and what that idea means to society, explains Jonathan, whose paintings have been exhibited around the world.

That 1950s dream of the white picket fence, where people wrapped their identity around their house, was lost a bit during the crash. Painting interiors was a way to get my head around what was going on.

Jonathan first sketches his compositions before creating a 3D digital space that he applies to a canvas, using it as a framework for his pictures. The recent lockdown has given him cause to reflect.

Where you live is a big part of who you are, and with us all forced to be home, were confronting that. When I first moved to New York, I was living in a basement studio and just painting windows. I think I often paint the thing I want more of. Maybe I want more space right now? I think we all do. jonathanchapline.com



Photo credit: Lida Ziruffo





Lida Ziruffo

I like to observe windows and the way light enters homes, says graphic designer and illustrator Lida, whose hometown of Orvieto in Italy is blessed with plenty of sunshine.

Story continues

The sun-dappled rooms she creates are as much about whats outside as whats inside, with the small figures that occupy them often dwarfed by the views, but there is still a cosiness to her spaces.

She finds inspiration for her digital creations from the whole gamut of art history, but its her penchant for taking snaps of windows overgrown with greenery and discovering images of houseplants in old magazines that is perhaps the easiest to spot in her work.

The recent lockdown, for her, has been a time to think and create. Its been, she explains, like an observational experience  watching the changes that happen in nature. Much like the figures in her illustrations, shes been busy gazing out of the window. lidaziruffo.com





This article first appeared in ELLE Decoration August 2020



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Karnataka CM BS Yediyurappa has assured that his govt will take strict action against the accused in Bangaluru violence that was incited by a social media post, he has appealed citizens to maintain peace. Congress MLA Srinivas Murthy's nephew was arrested for allegedly sharing a derogatory post on social media that triggered violence in the city last night.

Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on Wednesday informed that directives have been issued to take strict action against accused of Bengaluru violence and asserted that the government has taken all possible steps to curb the situation. While appealing people to maintain peace, he also said that violence against journalists, police and people last night was unacceptable.

He wrote in his tweet that the miscreants in the DJ Halli police station have led to the assault and rioting at MLA Akhand Srinivasas house and police station. He added that already, directives have been issued against the perpetrators and the government has taken all possible steps to curb the situation.

In one other tweet, he said that the attack on journalists, the police and the public in the riot last night was unacceptable. He wrote that the government will not tolerate such provocations and rumours, strict action against perpetrators is certain. He said that he appeals to people to maintain peace and act with restraint and without panic.

Also read: PM Modi to CMs: If Covid-19 is defeated in 10 worst-affected states, country will win

Also read: After Rajasthan, BJP wants to eject Thackeray govt: Shiv Sena

Congress MLA Srinivas Murthys nephew was arrested for allegedly sharing a derogatory post on social media that triggered violence in the city last night in which two persons died and around 60 police personnel sustained injuries. 110 accused of arson, stone-pelting, and assault on the police have been arrested in connection with the violence.

The police said that accused Naveen has been arrested allegedly for posting derogatory posts. Murthys house was also vandalised by miscreants following the social media post by his nephew Naveen. Residence of Congress MLA Akhanda Srinivasamurthy was also attacked after the violence broke out.

Section 144 has been imposed in the entire Bangalore city while curfew has been imposed in DJ Halli and KG Halli police station limits.

Also read: Sanjay Dutt diagnosed with stage 3 lung cancer: Reports
While many will hail the choice of Kamala Harris as Joe Biden's running mate, the US senator from California has come under tough criticism -- but also been praised -- over her past work as a top prosecutor.

Harris, the first woman and the first black attorney general in the history of the Golden State as well as the first woman of color on a major US presidential ticket, portrayed herself as a progressive reformer during her own presidential bid, but some have cast doubts on that claim.

'Time after time, when progressives urged her to embrace criminal justice reforms as a district attorney and then the state's attorney general, Ms Harris opposed them or stayed silent,' law professor Lara Bazelon wrote last year.

'Harris turned legal technicalities into weapons so she could cement injustices,' Bazelon, a former director of the Loyola Law School Project for the Innocent in Los Angeles, wrote in an op-ed for The New York Times.

Before serving as attorney general, the 55-year-old Harris was the district attorney in San Francisco. She was elected to the Senate in 2016.

'Kamala Harris had a reputation in California as a prosecutor and attorney general who waited rather than led, who moved on controversial issues only once she saw what was politically viable,' the daily Sacramento Bee wrote in a June editorial.

Border visit: In 2011, Kamala Harris was California attorney general and visited the fence making the border between the state and Mexico to announce action against cross-border drugs gangs

Prosecutor: Kamala Harris was elected as San Francisco district attorney after being a career prosecutor. Her years in law enforcement are now in the spotlight

California figure: Kamala Harris was San Francisco district attorney at the same time as now California governor Gavin Newsom was the city's mayor. They took part in an MLK Day march in 2004

As concerns police brutality -- a subject very much in the news following the death of George Floyd, a black man whose killing at the hands of police in May sparked nationwide protests -- Harris has also been criticized for largely failing to intervene in cases involving police violence.

While serving as attorney general in 2016, for example, she opposed a bill to investigate deadly police shootings following the death of a stabbing suspect -- shot 21 times by police -- that sparked huge protests.

Harris, who is the daughter of an Indian mother and Jamaican father, has also come under fierce criticism for pushing legislation that would punish parents in California for their children's truancy.

But despite her controversial record on criminal justice, Harris has also been lauded for fighting for progressive change.

Her most successful program, called 'Back on Track,' called for non-violent first-time drug offenders to avoid jail by getting a high school diploma.

She also initiated a project for anti-bias training for law enforcement agencies throughout California.

But arguably her biggest achievement in the eyes of civil rights activists and also police, was Open Justice, an online portal that made a wide range of criminal justice data available to the public, including the number of deaths and injuries in police custody.

Many today are pushing back against claims that she did not go far enough in pushing for criminal justice reform, arguing she was being judged by unfair standards.

'I am a public defender, I work day and night fighting for justice in San Francisco ... and the fact is that she did implement very progressive programs, period, end of story,' said Niki Solis, who faced Harris many times in court when she was district attorney.

Solis told AFP that harsh criticism of Harris to the effect that marijuana prosecutions under her tenure were too harsh was also absurd, considering the statistical data that speaks otherwise.

'She had very liberal, progressive policies regarding marijuana, everybody knows it,' she said.

Jack Pitney, a professor of American politics at Claremont McKenna College in California, stressed that in looking at Harris' tenure as attorney general, one must take into account that she was a prosecutor applying the law, rather than a legislator.

'As attorney general of the state of California, she had to defend laws in court whether or not she agreed with them,' Pitney said. 'So to that extent, I think the criticism is misplaced.'

He said that, if anything, Harris's justice record should serve her well as the vice presidential pick.

'By the standards of California progressives, pretty much nobody can be progressive enough and if progressives are criticizing her for not being overly liberal as a prosecutor, that's an asset in a general election campaign,' he said.

Pitney added that in the run-up to the November vote, conservatives will likely hit out at her as being too liberal.

'Their criticism will enable her to say 'look at all these progressives, they are criticizing me for being too conservative. I must be just in the right place.''
UPPER UWCHLAN  Many of almost 100 demonstrators took to the water and paddled the spoiled waters of Marsh Creek Lake, Wednesday morning, to protest this weeks spill of drilling mud at the popular state park.

Unconfirmed estimates project that 10,000 gallons of pollutants at a Sunoco Mariner East pipeline construction site were released into a marsh area of the lake this week. The spill created a gray plume that stretched into the source of drinking water for many Chester County and state of Delaware residents.

Drilling was halted at a portion of the 350-mile pipeline that might carry volatile liquids/gases from Marcellus shale deposits in western Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia to the refinery in Marcus Hook, Delaware County. Those by-products from fracking will be used to make plastics for overseas markets.

Downingtown Area School Board Director Becky Britton talked about what she said is an unusually sensitive area.

This is a place to be celebrated, Britton said. Were supposed to be protecting ground water and were not doing that.

State Rep. Danielle Friel Otten, D-155th, of Uwchlan, said the states Constitution guarantees clean air and pure water.

Pennsylvania has a history of pay to pollute polices, she said. Who is our government working for?

We need to demand they work for us.

State Sen. Katie Muth, D-44th, of Royersford told the demonstrators that the pipeline project should have never been approved in the first place and the spill is a public health issue.

State Sen. Andy Dinniman, D-19th, of West Whiteland, noted that dozens of pipeline related frac-outs have occurred in Chester and Delaware counties. He compared those disturbances to watching the movie Groundhog Day, which depicts the same events reoccurring day after day.

For the first time, Dinniman publicly called for a full shutdown of pipeline construction.

Government has completely failed, the senator said. This is an example of why citizens are so frustrated.

James Wassell is the Marsh Creek State Park Manager and told those assembled that rangers care just as much about the park as they do.

He said the drilling mud is being removed with good old elbow grease and a bucket brigade. He said that a rain could wash mud further into the lake if storms arrive as predicted.

Lisa Coleman, Energy Transfer spokesperson, said via email on Wednesday, We have deployed a number of crews including environmental specialists, professional geologists, operations and construction specialists, along with cleanup machinery such as pumps, vac trucks, tanker trucks, boats, sand bags and turbidity curtains to remediate and restore the area.

The efforts focused on the creek are nearly complete as of today. Cleanup will be ongoing as we conduct assessments, clean and restore the impacted area.

Uwchlan Township resident Laura Obenski promoted a call to action and for people to reach out.

This needs to be an issue that is too hot for people to ignore anymore, Obenski said. This has been foreshadowed for years  we knew this was going to happen and its heartbreaking.

West Whiteland resident Ginny Kerslake visits the lake often.

Every sunrise and sunset is a little escape from this crazy world, Kerslake said.
The Congress party has condemned the violence at their legislator R Akhanda Srinivas Murthys house in Bengaluru.

DK Shivakumar, the president of the Karnataka unit of Congress, also criticised the Facebook post which led to the clashes, calling it derogatory.

Completely condemn the violence unleashed on our party legislators house as well as on the police. Equally condemn the derogatory Facebook post. Nobody should indulge in violence, Shivakumar said.

I condemn the violence that has happened in Bengaluru. No one must take law into their own hands.



The Government must take strict and exemplary action against the person who made the derogatory social media post as well as those who indulged in rioting and arson. pic.twitter.com/Adhl152LPt  DK Shivakumar (@DKShivakumar) August 12, 2020

He also said that a meeting of all Congresss Bengaluru MLAs has been conveyed at 12 noon at the party office to discuss the matter.

Responding to a tweet by BL Santhosh, the national organisation secretary of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Shivakumar said, Let them (BJP) play politics even in such an unfortunate incident. We will address the situation as required.

Santhosh had tweeted, Dead silence by @INCIndia @INCKarnataka even after their Dalit MLA Sri Akhanda Srinivas Murthy was attacked, house ransacked yesterday in Bengaluru. Total support for Right to riot? For them appeasement in the only official party policy.

Three people were killed in the violence in DJ Halli and KG Halli areas of Bengaluru on Tuesday night. While two of those killed in the incident have been identified, the police are trying to ascertain the identity of the third person. the police have imposed curfew in the affected areas.

More than 160 people have been arrested in connection with the violence in which 60 police personnel were also injured.

Bengaluru police commissioner Kamal Pant has appealed for calm. Additional police force is being deployed across Bengaluru where Section 144 has been imposed. Leaves of all police personnel have been cancelled to ensure adequate security on ground, the police sources said.

Chief minister BS Yediyurappa condemned the violence on Twitter, saying ruthless action will be taken against those who are found taking law into their hands.

He also said that those who attacked police, media and the public will not be spared. He appealed for calm.

The police have arrested the youth accused of posting the message which irked the minority community members. The police have claimed that the youth Naveen is a relative of MLA Murthy. Naveen has however claimed that his account was hacked.

Meanwhile, Murthy is scheduled to meet revenue minister R Ashoka and seek protection for himself and his family after part of his residence was burnt down by the protesters who threw stones and bottles at the building. Some vehicles parked outside the house were also damaged.
The study of children's interactions with robots was carried out at the Norwegian research fair held in every major city. It is an annual national event where children gain insight into science and what researchers do.

Roger A. Sraa and his research team at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology's (NTNU) Department of Neuromedicine and Movement Science set up three different robots. Sraa studies people's relationship and interaction with robots. Children ages 6-13 participated in the study.

Several countries - in particular Japan where Sraa has had research stays - are looking at how robots can be helpful in elderly care, including helping patients with dementia with certain tasks and remembering things.

As the current discourse on social robots relates strongly to elderly care, it's interesting to learn what young people think about robots taking care of the elderly, especially in the context of their own older family members." Roger A. Sraa, Norwegian University of Science and Technology's (NTNU) Department of Neuromedicine and Movement Science

The researchers recently published the article "Children's Perceptions of Social Robots: a study of the robots Pepper, AV1 and Tessa at Norwegian research fairs" in the journal AI & Society.

Three completely different robots

The children at the research fair got to meet three different robots. One was the robot Pepper, which is a human-like figure that is 120 cm tall and that can do many different tasks.

The autonomous humanoid robot Pepper is an advanced social robot designed primarily as a personal assistant.

Pepper can talk and carry on simple conversations, but in Norway it has challenges with the country's many different dialects, which make it harder for Pepper to learn the Norwegian language.

But it can move around and dance, and can be trained to perceive when someone falls and notify an alarm system, for example. It can provide safety for elderly persons who live alone and who are a bit frail.

Tessa the flower pot

Another robot is simply designed as a flowerpot with eyes. It's called Tessa. How on earth can a flower pot contribute to the care of the elderly?

Tessa is a physical avatar for a home sensor system and dedicated to people with dementia who live alone.

For example, Tessa can learn to recognize the habits of the person it resides with. Through sensors in the refrigerator it could learn that the person in question usually opens the refrigerator door and eats breakfast at 9 a.m. every day. If the fridge is not opened at the usual time, Tessa can remind the person that it is now time to have breakfast. For people with dementia who forget and get confused about time, getting a reminder can be helpful.

"We're now testing this in a dementia project at NTNU, and we're observing that the robot quickly becomes part of the home, along with the normal flower pots. However, the sensor systems are what the relatives appreciate most," says Sraa.

The third robot, AV1, is aimed at children who cannot attend regular school because they are physically unable to, for example because they are sick. The school robot AV1 is shaped like a head with eyes that follow the classroom instruction, and a student can control the robot from home and follow what's going on in class using a mobile app.

Sceptical of Pepper

"Our analysis is based on quantitative survey data from the children about the robots and on qualitative discussions with them at the research fair. By comparing three different types of social robots, we found that their presence can be understood differently based on their function, design and 'aliveness,'" says Sraa.

Pepper was the robot that the kids were most sceptical towards.

"The children's attitudes towards robots were relatively positive, curious and exploratory, but they thought Pepper was a little scary. It probably partly has to do with Pepper being quite big and the same height as some of the kids," Sraa says.

"When the robots have a clear task, like Tessa the flower pot robot and AV1 the teaching robot, they become less intimidating and easier to relate to since we can more readily understand what their task is. Research has also shown that the more a robot looks like a human, the more frightening it becomes," says Sraa. He says the phenomenon can be explained by the Uncanny Valley hypothesis.

The Uncanny Valley phenomenon suggests that acceptance of robots declines the more humanlike they become. We can feel "fooled" when we realize the robot is not a human being, but some other creature.

But in Japan the public is more accepting of humanlike robots.

Tessa best for grandparents

The children were generally positive towards robots as a help with different tasks for older people. But when asked if their own grandparents could benefit from robots, they were more doubtful. Whereas 76 per cent agreed that Pepper could help the elderly, only 60 per cent thought their own grandparents would benefit from Pepper's help.

"This difference could potentially be explained by how the children perceive their own grandparents as relatively fit," Sraa says.

A quote from one of the children was,"I think they [robots] could help my great-grandfather because he is quite forgetful and he lives alone."

"This child thinks that the great-grandparents, but not the grandparents, could benefit from the robot, and it indicates that the child thinks the grandparents are too active to need robot help," says Sraa.

It turned out that the children were most positive about the flower pot robot Tessa as a helpful tool. More than 97 per cent agreed that Tessa could help the elderly and 86 per cent thought that Tessa would be a useful feature in their own grandparents' house as well.

The children liked the idea of a talking flower pot or robotic plant that had the specific task of reminding the elderly of meals and other activities.
German lender Deutsche Bank on Wednesday announced a capital infusion of 2,700 crore into its India operations for expansion across segments.

This is the second time in less than two years that the bank has infused money into local operations consisting of 17 branches, after the 3,800 crore investment in early 2019.

Banks have to set aside capital for every new loan that they make and also when the loan slips into non-performing territory.

A bank statement said the fresh capital will be used to support further expansion of Deutsche Bank India across all of its businesses, including corporate banking, investment banking, and international private banking that have been consistently growing over the years.

Its chief country officer Kaushik Shaparia said the incremental capital injection should be seen as a strong validation of the lender's confidence in the business model and potential in India.

It is also demonstrative of our intent to further deepen our presence here", he said, adding that the recent months have thrown up opportunities to work ever more closely with clients and support them with services and advice in steering through the tough environment.

The capital adequacy ratio for the bank, which has been present in India since 1980, stood at 14.93% as of March 31, 2020, which will go up post the infusion.

Total capital deployed by Deutsche Bank in its India branches has now increased to 18,200 crore and the overall assets stood at 1.2 lakh crore as of March 31, 2020, the statement said.

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Tamil Nadu: 10 Chennai fishermen go missing

August 12,2020 | Source: The Times of India

A group of 10 fishermen from Chennai, who ventured into the Bay of Bengal for deep sea fishing on July 23, went missing. The boat, which was last spotted near Krishnapatnam in Andhra Pradesh two weeks ago, could have faced an engine failure, say authorities. A Tamil Nadu fisheries department official said Coast Guard vessels from four states (AP, TN, Odisha and Puducherry), a Dornier plane and helicopter were deployed to search the missing boat.



"So far we haven't received signals from any of the tracking equipment fit in their boats. They may be switched off after their batteries got drained," the official added, requesting anonymity. Equipment included a very high frequency (VHF) phone, GPS tracking device, Echo sounder and transponder. Balaji, the owner of the missing boat, said his regular crew members from AP were unable to make it to TN because e-pass was denied and local men were deployed. He said that he was not satisfied with Coast Guard's efforts and has sought help from Chinese firms to track the boat.



B Muthukumar, secretary of Chennai Deep Sea Boat Owners Association, said that only 10% of boats in Chennai ventured into sea after a four-month break. So there was very little chance that the missing crew could have sought help from nearby boats using satellite phones. If they were able to communicate, other boats would help them in fixing engine faults or tow them back to shore.
B Anbuselvan By

Express News Service

CHENNAI: BJP secretary H Raja has stirred a row alleging a political motive behind DMK MP Kanimozhi's recent complaint against security personnel at the Chennai airport.

On his Twitter handle, Raja claimed that Kanimozhi who could converse in Hindi was lying with a political motive. To prove his claims, Raja said Kanimozhi translated the speech of former Deputy Prime Minister Chaudhary Devi Lal from Hindi to Tamil in 1989.

Speaking to reporters at the Chennai Airport on Wednesday, Kanimozhi denied she had translated the speech of any leader from Hindi to Tamil. "I only learned Tamil and English. Regardless of whether I know Hindi or not, equating the ability to speak Hindi with one's national identity is a great insult," she said.

Meanwhile, the issue took a new turn with a retired IAS officer joining the fray. M G Devasagayam, a retired IAS officer of the Haryana cadre, denied Raja's claim and said it was he who translated the former Deputy Prime Minister's remarks.

ALSO READ: Hindi row: HDK bats for Kanimozhi, says south leaders an ignored lot

Devasagayam, a native of Nagercoil, held various positions in the Haryana government when Devi Lal was the Chief Minister of the state.

Devasagam said Devi Lal took over as Deputy Prime Minister in the first week of December 1989 and came to Tamil Nadu in the third week of the month.

"He came to participate in a farmer's rally near Coimbatore to commemorate the death anniversary of farmer leader Narayanasami Naidu and discuss with then Chief Minister Karunanidhi the matter of additional allotment of foodgrains to the state on an urgent basis. Since I was living in Chennai at that time after taking voluntary retirement, Devi Lal requested me to accompany him to his meetings and functions. I translated his Hindi speeches heavily tinged with Urdu into Tamil," recalled the retired officer.

After attending the rally followed by a public meeting at Coimbatore, Devi Lal came to Chennai and participated in a press conference.

However, when The New Indian Express contacted H Raja, he reiterated that Kanimozhi indeed translated the speech of Devi Lal in a press conference held in Chennai. "My allegation does not pertain to any public meeting or rally that happened at that time. I'm referring to a press conference that took place in a hall in Chennai in which Kanimozhi translated the answers of the former Deputy Prime Minister," he said.

In response, Devasagayam said Kanimozhi had not entered politics when this incident took place and in no way could she be linked to this. "I sat next to Devi Lal in a press meet and translated his responses," said Devasagayam.

The recent row over alleged Hindi imposition started on Monday when Thoothukudi MP Kanimozhi said a CISF officer at Chennai airport asked if she was an Indian after she said she didn't know Hindi and asked the officer to speak in Tamil or English. This attracted widespread criticism from various quarters including political leaders from the state and outside.

Linguistic activist Aazhi Senthil Nathan said its immaterial whether Kanimozhi can converse in Hindi or not and she has every right to speak in the language she wishes. Can anyone lose his or her citizenship status for not speaking a language?" he asked.
Rogers celebrates Ted Rogers Scholarship Class of 2020 on International Youth Day

Celebrating the Ted Rogers Scholarships Class of 2020

Celebrating the Ted Rogers Scholarships Class of 2020

Empowering youth through education, more than 400 scholarships for fall 2020



$6.5 million in scholarships awarded to 1,400 Canadian students since 2017

TORONTO, Aug. 12, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, as the United Nations marks International Youth Day 2020 and the power of engaging young people to make a difference, Rogers Communications celebrates the Ted Rogers Scholarship Class of 2020. More than 400 students will begin their post-secondary studies with the scholarship program this fall. Building on the legacy of Rogers founder Ted Rogers, these scholarships help aspiring young leaders overcome barriers to accessing post-secondary education.

In a year where Canadian high school graduations were marked with yard signs and virtual proms instead of commencement speeches and cap-and-gown celebrations, the rite of passage for this years class is unlike anything weve seen before  and their back-to-school experience may look different, too. And yet, for these future scientists and nurses, teachers and lawyers, engineers and artists, their commitment to a better path ahead is unwavering. These scholarships are a meaningful way to help young Canadians discover their potential, strengthen our communities, and build a brighter future.

Our founder, Ted Rogers, believed deeply that one of the best ways to strengthen Canada was to create opportunities to empower young people. To this day, it remains true that few things have the power to change the trajectory of ones life like education, said Joe Natale, President and CEO, Rogers Communications. I am inspired by the optimism and value of community service inherent in this years Class of 2020 Ted Rogers Scholarship recipients. We at Rogers are honoured to play a small role in helping this group of rising Canadian leaders fulfill their post-secondary goals, and cant wait to see how they leave their mark as they shape our collective future.

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Ted Rogers Scholarships provide $2,500 renewable scholarships for up to four years or $10,000 to recognize young leaders across Canada who are giving back to their communities in a meaningful way, all nominated by our 17 national partnership organizations including Big Brothers Big Sisters Canada, Boys & Girls Clubs Canada, YMCA Canada, Right to Play, Indspire, and Pflag Canada. Entrance scholarships of $2,500 are also provided to Rogers employees or their children. Collectively, this years class represents 10 provinces, 82 cities or towns, with 75% of community recipients as members of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour) communities. Some of this years phenomenal recipients are featured in this video.

Now in its fourth year, Ted Rogers Scholarships has awarded $6.5 million in scholarships to recognize the incredible achievements of 1,400 young Canadians who have given back to their communities and as they embark on post-secondary studies. These recipients represent the best of what Canada is today, and more importantly, what our country will look like tomorrow.

This year we celebrate the Ted Rogers Scholarship recipients as part of The 60 Project, a year-long initiative to mark Rogers 60th anniversary by giving back and building a stronger Canada  from volunteering, monetary donations, and fundraising support; to investing in Canada and the networks that keep Canadians connected.

We are bringing this commitment to life by partnering with community organizations like Food Banks Canada, Womens Shelters Canada, Big Brothers Big Sisters Canada, and Pflag Canada; providing Ted Rogers Community Grants to support organizations that help youth succeed inside and outside the classroom; investing in a 100% Canadian-based customer service team and in our networks to help Canadas economy thrive and grow; and connecting the next generation to education and the support they need to build a bright future. The 60 Project is about making hope possible, right here, in the Canadian communities we call home.

About Rogers

Rogers is a proud Canadian company dedicated to making more possible for Canadians each and every day. Our founder, Ted Rogers, purchased his first radio station, CHFI, in 1960. We have grown to become a leading technology and media company that strives to provide the very best in wireless, residential, sports, and media to Canadians and Canadian businesses. Our shares are publicly traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: RCI.A and RCI.B) and on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: RCI). If you want to find out more about us, visit about.rogers.com.

For more information:

Rogers, media@rci.rogers.com , 647-747-5118

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/8f89cfcd-63f0-4e98-810d-ae4bdbd77683




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Indian Hotels Company (IHCL) intends to bring in a partner to invest in a new hotel that will rise on the Sea Rock land in Mumbai. The Tata Group firm will assume charge of the property under a management contract signed with the partner.

In July, IHCL, which runs luxury properties under the Taj and Vivanta brands, signed a binding agreement for the acquisition of a 14.28 percent stake from ELEL Hotels, paving the way for 100 percent ownership of the holding company, which has a 60-year lease on the Sea Rock land.

IHCL owns the Sea Rock leasehold till 2069, as per a disclosure by the company in its Q1FY21 presentation. Considering it will require at least a year to seek all the required clearances and another 3-4 years to build the property, one-fourth of the lease period, which commenced in 2009, would be lost.

IHCLs strategy

Speaking to analysts after IHCL declared its June quarter results, Puneet Chhatwal, Managing Director and CEO of IHCL, said: The Sea Rock and the Lands End (across the road from Sea Rock) will be the next icons for Mumbai, just like the Taj Mahal Colaba. The only question which we would debate or which would not be our choice at this point in time is to use our own capital,

Our strategy will be to use some partner to help us build it and we will manage it. Thats what we have been doing. A majority of our hotels in the pipeline are based on that model. We will set the design and planning of it in the foreseeable future  and I mean 12-18 months. We can break ground and start rolling after getting all the permissions, added Chhatwal.

Given the uncertainty caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, IHCL wants to avoid burdening its balance sheet further. At a consolidated level, the chains net debt had jumped 22 percent to Rs 2,328 crore by the end of the June quarter as against Rs 1,915 crore at the end of the March quarter.

During Q1 IHCL raised Rs 500 crore of long-term debt.

Tough quarter

IHCL posted a net loss of Rs 313 crore for the quarter ended June as against a profit of Rs 5 crore in the same period last year. In all, 14,000 rooms of the company had become operational and about 5,000-6,000 remained shut by the end of July, as per company disclosures.

Occupancy rates across India by the end of June settled at 21 percent, which is a 67 percent decline from last June. Revenue per available room (RevPar) was down 81 percent to Rs 652, as per data shared by HVS Anarock Hotels & Hospitality Review.

IHCL did not disclose the acquisition price for the 14.28 percent stake held by the Nanda family-controlled ELEL Hotels in the Sea Rock holding company. However, a disclosure in the hotel chains 2019-20 annual report said that it would pay Rs 250 crore for the deal.

This values the property at over Rs 1,666 crore, which is more than double the Rs 800-crore valuation it got in 2009 when IHCL bought the initial stake.

The Mumbai-headquartered company is also fighting a public interest litigation (PIL) over the use of floor space index (FSI) for the Sea Rock property. Environmental clearance is also awaited for the project.

The combined inventory strength (Taj Lands End + the new hotel on Sea Rock land) would be at least 1,000 rooms, multiple ballrooms, event spaces and convention centres.

Chequered history

Sea Rock, originally built by the Luthria brothers through ELEL Hotels and Investment Limited (EHIL), opened in 1978 in collaboration with the Welcomegroup of the ITC chain. In the 1980s, it tied up with the prestigious Sheraton and was known as the Welcomegroup SeaRock Sheraton.

It was the favourite haunt of film stars and airline crew. A banquet hall, business centre and executive lounge gave it the tag of a business hotel, as well.

On March 12, 1993, the hotels destiny changed as serial blasts ripped through multiple landmarks in Mumbai, including the Sea Rock. The hotel was damaged and its renovation plans led to a 14-year legal battle between EHIL and ITC Welcomgroup. The dispute was finally settled out of court.

IHCL acquired Sea Rock in 2009, and planned to build a landmark as iconic as the Taj Mahal Palace in Colaba. More than a decade on, this is its latest attempt to raise a property on the Sea Rock land.
T iger King star Carole Baskin has been sued by the family of her ex-husband who disappeared more than 20 years ago.

Don Lewis's family are also offering a $100,000 (76,300) reward for information about what happened to him when he vanished in 1997.

The lawsuit, filed by Mr Lewiss three surviving daughters, is an attempt to force Baskin to submit evidence on the record.

Mr Lewis disappeared a day before he was scheduled to travel to Costa Rica. He was declared legally dead in 2002.

Netflix: Tiger King - In pictures 1 /22 Netflix: Tiger King - In pictures Netflix Netflix Netflix netfliix Netflix Netflix Netflix Netflix Netflix Netflix Netflix JoeExoticTV/YouTube Netflix Netflix TigerKingTV/YouTube Netflix Netflix

Baskin, 59, set up an animal sanctuary with her then-husband in Tampa, Florida.

It later became the Big Cat Rescue sanctuary which, in turn, gained worldwide renown through the hit Netflix series about private zoo operator Joe Exotic.

Conspiracy theories surrounding Mr Lewiss fate featured prominently in the documentary, including suggestions that Baskin  who received the bulk of his of his 4.5 million estate  was responsible for his disappearance.

She and Mr Lewis were married at the time of his disappearance, but he had filed for a restraining order against her two months earlier.

She has categorically denied any involvement in his presumed death. No-one has ever been arrested over his disappearance.

Speaking at a press conference on Monday, Mr Lewis's youngest daughter Gale Rathbone said Tiger King had revived interest in the case.

"Amazingly, our little family tragedy has become your tragedy," she said. "Our search for closure and truth has become your mission also.

Baskin told The Associated Press: "It's been my policy not to discuss pending litigation until it's been resolved.

"I had told some news outlets that I thought the press conference on August 10 was just a publicity stunt, but at that time was not aware there would be pending litigation."
NIAMEY (Reuters) - Niger's government has extended a state of emergency to the entire region that surrounds the capital Niamey and suspended access to a giraffe reserve where six French aid workers and two Nigeriens were shot dead.

NIAMEY (Reuters) - Niger's government has extended a state of emergency to the entire region that surrounds the capital Niamey and suspended access to a giraffe reserve where six French aid workers and two Nigeriens were shot dead.

Attackers on motorbikes ambushed the group on Sunday while they were driving through the reserve, a popular destination for expatriates southeast of Niamey in the Tillabery region.

French President Emmanuel Macron tweeted on Tuesday that France would bolster security measures to protect its nationals in West Africa's Sahel region, without providing any details.

France has 5,100 troops deployed in the arid region south of the Sahara desert, but violence by jihadists linked to Islamic State and al Qaeda continues to rise.

A state of emergency had already been in place in parts of Tillabery to the north and west of Niamey, near the borders with Mali and Burkina Faso.

An affiliate of Islamic State has repeatedly carried out attacks in that zone, including one that killed four U.S. soldiers in 2017.

Niger's national security council announced late on Monday that it was extending the state of emergency to all of Tillabery, which extends more than 350 km (217 miles) south from the Malian border to the frontier with Benin.

The state of emergency empowers the government to impose security restrictions such as curfews and bans on the circulation of motorcyles, the jihadists' most common means of transport.

Niamey, which lies roughly in the middle of Tillabery, is an autonomous region and is not affected by the state of emergency.

The national security council also suspended access to the Koure reserve, home to West Africa's last sizeable population of giraffes in the wild, while an investigation proceeds.

No one has yet claimed responsibility for the attack. France's anti-terrorism prosecutor has also launched an investigation.

French charity ACTED, which employed the aid workers, said on Tuesday it had temporarily suspended its activities in Niger.

(Reporting by Boureima Balima; Additional reporting by Richard Lough and Paris Bureau; Writing by Aaron Ross; Editing by Bate Felix, Barbara Lewis, William Maclean)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
A federal judge in Mississippi has issued a sharply worded ruling that calls on the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn the principle of qualified immunity, which protects law enforcement officers from being sued for some of their actions.

U.S. District Judge Carlton Reeves on Aug. 4 dismissed a lawsuit that Clarence Jamison, a Black resident of Neeses, South Carolina, filed against a white Mississippi police officer, Nick McClendon. The lawsuit said McClendon used Jamisons race as a motivating factor for pulling McClendon over in traffic and searching his car.

In dismissing the case, Reeves cited court precedents on qualified immunity, but he wrote that the principle has shielded officers who violate peoples constitutional rights.

The Constitution says everyone is entitled to equal protection of the law  even at the hands of law enforcement, Reeves wrote. Over the decades, however, judges have invented a legal doctrine to protect law enforcement officers from having to face any consequences for wrongdoing. The doctrine is called qualified immunity. In real life it operates like absolute immunity.

Reeves, who is African American, was nominated to the federal bench by President Barack Obama for a district that covers the southern half of Mississippi. Reeves started his Tuesday ruling with a recitation of police harm to African Americans, including the killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Rayshard Brooks and Sandra Bland.

Just as the Supreme Court swept away the mistaken doctrine of `separate but equal, so too should it eliminate the doctrine of qualified immunity.  Let us waste no time in righting this wrong, Reeves wrote.

Jamisons lawsuit, filed in 2016, said he was driving his Mercedes on July 29, 2013, when McClendon pulled him over on Interstate 20 in Pelahatchie, which is about 25 miles (40 kilometers) east of Mississippis capital city of Jackson.

McClendon was an officer for the nearby town of Richland and was working near Pelahatchie under a local agreement. Jamison was returning to South Carolina from a vacation in the western U.S.

Jamison was pulled over and subjected to one hundred and ten minutes of an armed police officer badgering him, pressuring him, lying to him, and then searching his car top-to-bottom for drugs, Reeves wrote. Nothing was found. Jamison isnt a drug courier. Hes a welder.

The lawsuit said Jamisons car was damaged during the searches and he was left by the side of the interstate after dark.

Thankfully, Jamison left the stop with his life, Reeves wrote. Too many others have not.

Reeves wrote that the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals  which hears cases from Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia  recently wrote in a qualified immunity case: Although we recognize that our police officers are often asked to make split-second decisions, we expect them to do so with respect for the dignity and worth of black lives.

This Court agrees, Reeves wrote. Tragically, thousands have died at the hands of law enforcement over the years, and the death toll continues to rise.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Legislation USA Law Enforcement Mississippi South Carolina
Armenias Ucom has filed a lawsuit against Team LLCs acquisition of Beeline, the local unit of Veon.

Local news source ITEL reports that according to the Datalex judicial information system, Ucom is calling for Team LLC to be prevented from entering into negotiations for the acquisition of VEON Armenia shares and the deal on acquisition of the shares.

The report goes on to claim that Ucom has offered Veon the option of becoming a third party in the lawsuit, which according to CommsUpdate was accepted by the Yerevan Court of General Jurisdiction at the end of July 2020.

Team LLC is a new venture founded in April 2020 by Ucom founders and former executives Hayk and Aleksandr Yesayan. In July, its proposed acquisition of Veon  which Ucom argues would lead to unfair competition  was cleared to proceed by the State Commission for the Protection of Economic Competition (SCPEC) and the Public Services Regulatory Commission (PSRC).
Stacker compiled a history of U.S. military aircraft using government sites, military news reports, and manufacturing company data. Stackers gallery touches on the conflicts where the aircraft saw combat, the companies that designed them, and all their notable trailblazing specifications.
NCP president on



Wednesday said he gives "absolutely no importance to his grand-nephew Parth Pawars recent demand for a CBI probe into the case of actor Sushant Singh Rajput's death, and also termed the young leader as immature.

also said he has faith in the Mumbai Police, but added that he will not oppose if someone still wants the central agencys investigation into the case.

Rajput, 34, was found hanging at his apartment in suburban Bandra on June 14.

"We attach absolutely no importance to what my grand- nephew says. He is immature...I have clearly said that I have 100 per cent trust in the Maharashtra Police and Mumbai Police. But if someone still wants a CBI probe into it, then there is no reason to oppose that too," the NCP chief told reporters here after a meeting with Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut.

He was asked about the demand for a CBI probe in the case being made some people, including by his grand-nephew Parth Pawar.

said he does not want to respond to the allegations being levelled against the Maharashtra government in connection with the case.

"We feel sad if any person commits suicide. But I feel a bit surprised at the way it is being discussed (in the media), he added.

The NCP patriarch further said he had recently been to Satara where a farmer expressed surprise to him on the discussion in the media over Rajputs death.

"The farmer said he felt surprised at the way it (Rajputs death) is being discussed in the media. "He (the farmer) said 20 farmers committed suicide in Satara, but it was not even noted by media. So, I know what are the sentiments of the common people, Pawar added.

Parth Pawar, who lost the last year's Lok Sabha election from Maval seat in Maharashtra, is the son of the NCP president's nephew and state Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar.

On July 27, Parth Pawar met state Home Minister Anil Deshmukh demanding that the case of Rajput's death be handed over to the CBI or a Special Investigation Team (SIT) be formed with forensic experts to probe the case.

Shiv Sena's Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Raut on Sunday claimed "pressure tactics" were being used in the case of Rajput's death and the issue was being politicised as part of a conspiracy against Maharashtra.

It is wrong to see the unfortunate suicide of the actor from a political angle, Raut said in his weekly column 'Rokhthok' in the party mouthpiece 'Saamana'.

A tug of war has been going on between the governments of Bihar and Maharashtra over the Rajput death case. Maharashtra has been contending that Bihar had no jurisdiction in the matter since the death took place in Mumbai.

Meanwhile, after the nearly hour-long interaction with Pawar at the Y B Chavan Centre here, Raut told PTI it was a routine meeting where many issues were discussed.

He also posted a tweet, saying, "Yes, I met Sharad Pawar and discussed developments in the state and the country. There is no need for anybody to worry or have stomachache."



Raut in his column 'Rokhthok' on Sunday also mentioned about his telephonic conversation with Pawar on some TV news anchors referring to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray in first person.

"'The chief minister is not an individual but an institute. What is the government doing'?" Raut wrote in the column, quoting Pawar.

The NCP and the Congress are part of the Shiv Sena-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government in the state.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Sure, the Trump campaign will start out, as it did moments after Bidens announcement of his vice presidential pick Tuesday, with attempts to smear Harris for having embraced the lefts radical manifesto (speaking of which, someone send me the manifesto, I didnt get it) and suggesting she will help Biden surrender control of our nation to the radical mob and open our borders and appease socialist dictators.
Trump had 4 years for diplomacy with Iran, but opted to make worst mistakes: Govt. spox

Iran Press TV

Tuesday, 11 August 2020 10:07 AM

Tehran says US President Donald Trump had four years' time during his tenure to initiate diplomacy with Iran, but he failed to grasp the opportunity and instead directed the White House to make "the worst of mistakes" in dealing with the Islamic Republic.

Ali Rabiei, the spokesman of Iran's administration, made the remarks on Tuesday in response to Trump, who recently told his supporters at a campaign fundraiser that he would reach a deal with Iran "within four weeks" if he is re-elected in November's election.

The Iranian official dismissed Trump's claims as a mere ploy to draw more votes, adding that the US president, if re-elected, "will not succeed in striking an agreement as long as he continues the policy of pressure against Iran."

"Mr. Trump had four years' time to start successful diplomacy with Iran by choosing the right, agreed and legal path. Not only he failed to do so, but he also made the worst mistakes of America in decades," Rabiei told reporters.

Washington's Iran policy took a highly belligerent turn under Trump, who has overseen a campaign of "maximum" economic pressure accompanied by military provocations.

The US unleashed the "toughest ever" sanctions against Iran in 2018, when the Trump administration scrapped the 2015 nuclear agreement.

Trump also pushed Tehran and Washington to the brink of an all-out war by ordering the assassination of Iran's top anti-terror commander Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani during an official visit to Iraq in January.

Rabiei further said Iran stands ready to keep up "maximum resistance" for as long as necessary if the US refuses to stop its hostilities.

The Iranian government spokesman was also asked about the recent US push to extend a UN arms embargo on Iran that is due to expire on October 18. The lifting of the ban is part of the JCPOA, which was endorsed by UN Security Council Resolution 2231.

Rabiei warned that the US is exploiting the UNSC mechanism to undermine multilateralism and international institutions.

He voiced Iran's readiness to "deliver a proportionate and decisive response to any provocative and illegal action. Any resolution in violation of UNSC Resolution 2231 is unacceptable and is a mockery of international law," he said.

The spokesman further emphasized that Washington had forfeited its right to have a say in the JCPOA.

"The US has withdrawn from the JCPOA and has no right either to the text of the agreement or the UNSC Resolution until it fully returns to it (the deal) and fulfills all its obligations," he pointed out.

"The US regime is well aware that this destructive, law-breaking and malicious attempt will turn into another catastrophic and isolating failure," the official warned.

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From the moment Bernie Sanders exited the presidential race in early April, many activists, organizers, progressive groups and elected officials had held out hope that Joseph R. Biden Jr. would elevate one of their ideological allies to the vice presidency  someone like Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts or Representative Karen Bass of California. Kamala Harris, an establishment-friendly senator from California and more of a moderate, was near the bottom of their list.

So when Mr. Biden announced on Tuesday that he had selected Ms. Harris to serve as his running mate, his choice reaffirmed what many progressives had long feared: that any potential Biden administration would govern as the former vice president had spent most of his career  firmly rooted in Democratic establishment politics.

But rather than revolt, many progressive activists and elected officials immediately snuffed out their criticisms and instead proclaimed their support, applauding the selection and reiterating that removing President Trump from office was their electoral priority. Even those prone to denouncing Mr. Biden and other moderates largely tried to make peace.

At the end of the day, this isnt some democratic decision, said Evan Weber, the political director for the Sunrise Movement, the climate advocacy group, which endorsed Mr. Sanders in the primary. This was always going to be a decision that was up to the vice president and a personal one of his.
Clashes between soldiers and civilians during a disarmament exercise in the central South Sudanese town of Tonj have left 127 dead, the army spokesman said Wednesday.

Major General Lul Ruai Koang told AFP that the fighting erupted on Saturday as security forces carried out an operation to disarm civilians in the area which has seen deadly inter-communal clashes.

More than six years after a civil war broke out in the country, and in the absence of a functioning government, many communities are flush with weapons, which they keep for protection or defence against cattle raids.

The violence in Tonj began after several armed youths got into a disagreement with soldiers. An initial armed confrontation was brought under control, but according to Koang the youths mobilised others for an attack on the army position.

"On the latest, the number of those killed, I can confirm to you that it rose to 127," Koang said, adding that 45 of those killed were security forces and 82 were youths from the area.

A further 32 soldiers were injured.

Koang said two military officers involved in "triggering the clashes" had been arrested, and that the situation in Tonj had calmed down.

South Sudan is emerging from a six-year civil war that left 380,000 dead and millions displaced, and disarmament is a major stumbling block.

Experts have warned against operations that coerce people to lay down their guns without proper planning, as some communities could find themselves unable to protect themselves after their weapons are removed.

"The clashes should be an opportunity to rethink the approach to disarmament. What is the point of removing guns without addressing what drives folks to arms themselves?" Geoffrey Duke, head of the South Sudan Action Network on Small Arms, said on Twitter.

"We can take guns away this week & they buy a new one next week (as) long as they still see the need to have (one)."

str-fb/rcb/ri
European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell on Tuesday decried Belarus' presidential election as "neither free nor fair".

In a tweet, Borrell said the EU would be reviewing its relations with Minsk amid a police crackdown on protests following Sunday's vote which returned longtime President Alexander Lukashenko with an overwhelming majority.

He called on Belarusian authorities to stop the "unacceptable" violence, and restrictions on "freedoms of assembly, media and expression".

Anti-government demonstrators still turned out on Tuesday for a third straight night to protest the vote results which Lukashenko winning a sixth term with a landslide 80% of the vote.

On Monday, a protester died amid clashes in Minsk and scores were injured as police used tear gas, flash-bang grenades and rubber bullets to disperse them.

Belarus health officials said over 200 people have been hospitalized with injuries following the protests, and some underwent surgery.

The authoritarian Lukashenko, who has ruled the ex-Soviet nation of 9.5 million with an iron fist since 1994, has derided the opposition as sheep manipulated by foreign masters and vowed to continue taking a tough position on protests despite Western rebukes over the election.

In 2016, the EU lifted most of the sanctions it slapped on Belarus in 2004 after the president, dubbed Europe's last dictator in the West, freed political prisoners and allowed protests.
Trump Administration Offers Zero Payment Option for Unemployment Plan

Governors said states couldn't afford the president's proposal

President Donald Trumps administration has given at least one governor the option of paying no money for his new unemployment plan in a bid to ease concerns about how to afford the proposed 7525 percent split.

Governors across the country expressed concern over affordability after Trump on Aug. 8 signed an executive order resuming additional payments for the unemployed, but mandated that states provide a quarter of the funds.

A White House official sent a message to Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican, about an option that would see the state pay no extra money but still get an enhanced unemployment benefit.

States can choose to allocate funds to satisfy the 25 percent requirement, and unemployment claimants would get an extra $400 a week. Or states can count their existing unemployment insurance benefit payments as the cost share requirement, but claimants would only get an extra $300 a week, according to the message, which was obtained by The Epoch Times.

The second option requires no new expenditures, a White House official told DeWines office.

Ohios governor chose the second option.

Mississippi Republican Gov. Tate Reeves delivers a televised address in Jackson, Miss., on June 30, 2020. (Rogelio V. Solis/AFP via Getty Images)

The new option, which was also outlined in a memo from the Department of Labor, came after the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, which says its a nonpartisan research and policy institute, alleged in a statement over the weekend that Trumps plan will force states to choose between letting the federal supplemental unemployment benefits end entirely and slashing other parts of their budgets.

A number of governors, both Republicans and Democrats, said this week that their states cannot afford the 7525 percent split.

GOP Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves, for instance, told reporters during an Aug. 10 press conference that the states unemployment fund has $489 million left. The state would approximately double its current $22 million per week outlay if it followed Trumps plan, effectively draining it in 10 weeks.

Reeves praised Trump and called on Congress to fund an enhanced unemployment payment.

The president has done his part. Now I hope the Congress will do theirs, he said.

Congress is locked in a stalemate on a new stimulus package, with Democrats refusing to go beneath $2 trillion and Republicans declining to go above approximately $1 trillion.

Another administration official said on Fox News Sunday that states could pay for the responsibility outlined in Trumps order with stimulus money from the CARES Act, the package approved earlier this year.

On the 25 percent, thats coming from money we already gave the states. So this is effectively 100 percent paid for by the federal government, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said.

Republican Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Democratic New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, and Democratic Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear are among the other state leaders who have expressed concerns about the money required to meet the 25 percent state responsibility.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) center, accompanied by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), speak to reporters following a meeting with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows as they continue to negotiate a CCP virus relief package on Capitol Hill in Washington on Aug. 7, 2020. (Andrew Harnik/AP Photo)

DeSantis told reporters on Aug. 11 that the state has obligated or spent all the stimulus money. The only other option is borrowing from the Department of Labor, which could bring legal challenges.

I want make sure that theres no legal risk for us. If someone were to challenge this, then wed be left on the hook, DeSantis said.

Several governors have said Trumps plan is fine with them.

West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice, a Republican, told reporters Aug. 10 that the state would step up and meet the 25 percent responsibility, using the $687 million in stimulus funds he set aside.

Hands down, period, West Virginia is going to pay it. We do so very willingly, he said.

I believe that the federal government will eventually reverse their stance on that and that they will pay the full 100 percent in the end, he added. But weve got the money set aside to make it work either way.

West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice (L), attends a roundtable with First Lady Melania Trump in Huntington, W.Va., on July 8, 2019. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)

Trump told reporters on Aug. 9 that some states may pay nothing. Each state will make an application, and each application will be dealt with in turn by administration officials.

Theyll pay nothing in some instances or maybe theylla little bit like the National Guard, as you know. Sometimes well pay all of it, depending on the tragedy, or whatever it may be, the disaster. Sometimes the state will pay 40 percent, 25 percent, 10 percent or nothingdepending on how it works out, he said.

Democrats were pointed in their criticism of Trumps executive action. Cuomo called the state funding requirement simply impossible. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said in a statement that Trump is requiring states that are facing severe holes in our budgets to provide 25% of the funding. Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker described what Trump did as legally questionable theatrics.

The White House didnt respond to a request for comment. Administration officials say all four orders were legal, citing specific laws or authorizations for each one.

Cuomo and Hutchinson, who helm the National Governors Association, this week in a statement called on Congress and the Trump administration to come up with a workable solution, including some $500 billion in aid to states.

The article Trump Administration Offers Zero Payment Option for Unemployment Plan, published on Aug. 13, gave an incorrect date for President Donald Trumps comments to reporters about some states not having to pay for a stimulus. The president spoke to the reporters on Aug. 9. The Epoch Times regrets the error.
President of the Association of Affected Customers of Savings and Loans institutions, Mr Ezekiel Annor has debunked the claims of President Nana Akufo-Addo paying 98 percent of microfinance depositors.



According to him, the Bank of Ghana after revoking the licenses of these financial institutions made the Association aware that about 3.3 million people had been affected by the situation.



In an interview on Joy FMs Midday News, Mr Annor indicated that less than 10 percent constituting 297, 000 people out of the 3.3 million of the depositors have received their monies.



President Akufo-Addo in a radio conversation on Koforidua-based Sunrise FM disclosed that 98 percent of the depositors at the microfinance and savings and loans have been paid; assuring to pay the rest of the depositors by the end of August 2020.



The affected people upon the news from the President submitted their claims but Mr Ezekiel Annor said that they were told during the validation that their names could not be found in the system.



We sense a deliberate attempt that about 87% of our people are going to be denied payments, he stated.



Minority Leader in Parliament however is demanding an audit of the payment of money to depositors of the collapsed financial institutions as the same depositors are questioning the 98 percent being paid.



They are simply not being transparent. We heard the president say that 96% of depositors have been paid an irony, why are the same depositors questioning it? Haruna Iddrisu quizzed.



He explained that the audit will put to light whether the claims by the President are reliable.





Source: Daniel Adu Darko/Peacefmonline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Indore, Aug 12 : In a rare example of communal harmony, Aziz Khan, a Muslim living in Madhya Pradesh's Indore, gave a Hindu name to his son about 12 years ago.

The child, born on the day of Janmashtami, was named Krishna.

Khan said that initially his family members protested against the name, but later they agreed to it.

Talking to IANS, Khan said: "About 12 years ago on August 23, 2008, my wife conceived a baby boy, The doctor Praveen Jadia then asked for the baby's name to be filled in for the form. I immediately named our boy as Krishna, as the day was Janmashtami".

"Although the doctors and other family members objected to it, but I told them that a father has the right to give any name to his child." Khan added that his mother Yaniki had suggested another name 'Kafir', but he did not change it.

Janmashtami is an annual Hindu festival that celebrates the birth of Lord Krishna.

(Sundeep Pouranik can be contacted at sundeep.p@ians.in)
ATLANTA, Aug. 12, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Inc. magazine today revealed that ImagineX Consulting is No. 776 on its annual Inc. 5000 list, the most prestigious ranking of the nations fastest-growing private companies. The list represents a unique look at the most successful companies within the American economys most dynamic segmentits independent small businesses. Intuit, Zappos, Under Armour, Microsoft, Patagonia, and many other well-known names gained their first national exposure as honorees on the Inc. 5000.

As a young boutique cybersecurity data insights and modern software engineering consulting firm, being recognized as an Inc. 5000 Fastest-Growing Private Company is a huge honor, says ImagineX CEO, Shaun Bank. To be in the top 20 percent is even more impressive.

Not only have the companies on the 2020 Inc. 5000 been very competitive within their markets, but the list as a whole shows staggering growth compared with prior lists as well. The 2020 Inc. 5000 achieved an incredible three-year average growth of over 500 percent, and a median rate of 165 percent. The Inc. 5000s aggregate revenue was $209 billion in 2019, accounting for over 1 million jobs over the past three years.

Our recognized growth has only been made possible by the passion and drive of our consultants in the relentless pursuit to help our clients simply be better, says Bank. The world changed this year and ImagineX has reinvented how we engage with our customers, but our value has never wavered. Thats important.

ImagineX Consulting is a technology consulting firm whose mission is to deliver value to clients through a unique blend of modern capabilities powered by progressive methods and old-fashioned work ethic. Their modern technology practice areas focus on Cybersecurity, Software Engineering and Cloud, DevOps and Automation, Data Insights and Technology Consulting. The true exponential power of these capabilities exists at the intersection of practices - namely DevSecOps  a common need across industries. When combined with our pragmatic and adaptive methods, our seasoned technology consultants deliver unprecedented value to the Digital Enterprise on the cutting edge of todays technology frontier, says Bank. ImagineX Consulting is headquartered within the nations first 5G Innovation Hub in Atlanta, GA and is supported by offices in Northern Virginia, Raleigh, New York, Denver and Toronto.

This is truly an honor that entrepreneurs dream about and I am so thankful to share it with my Co-Founders, colleagues and our families, says Bank. We hope that ImagineX Consulting will remain on this distinguished list for many years to come.

Complete results of the Inc. 5000, including company profiles and an interactive database that can be sorted by industry, region, and other criteria, can be found at www.inc.com/inc5000. The top 500 companies are also being featured in the September issue of Inc., available on newsstands today.

For more information or media inquiries, please contact:

Brittany K. Patten

Client Success + Marketing Director

703-728-4556

Brittany.Patten@imaginexconsulting.com

------------------------------------------------

More about Inc. and the Inc. 5000

Methodology

The 2020 Inc. 5000 is ranked according to percentage revenue growth when comparing 2016 and 2019. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2016. They had to be U.S.-based, privately held, for profit, and independentnot subsidiaries or divisions of other companiesas of December 31, 2019. (Since then, a number of companies on the list have gone public or been acquired.) The minimum revenue required for 2016 is $100,000; the minimum for 2019 is $2 million. As always, Inc. reserves the right to decline applicants for subjective reasons. Companies on the Inc. 500 are featured in Inc.s September issue. They represent the top tier of the Inc. 5000, which can be found at http://www.inc.com/inc5000.

About Inc. Media

The worlds most trusted business-media brand, Inc. offers entrepreneurs the knowledge, tools, connections, and community to build great companies. Its award-winning multiplatform content reaches more than 50 million people each month across a variety of channels including websites, newsletters, social media, podcasts, and print. Its prestigious Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to recognize the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. The global recognition that comes with inclusion in the 5000 gives the founders of the best businesses an opportunity to engage with an exclusive community of their peers, and the credibility that helps them drive sales and recruit talent. The associated Inc. 5000 Conference is part of a highly acclaimed portfolio of bespoke events produced by Inc. For more information, visit www.inc.com.

For more information on the Inc. 5000 Conference, visit http://conference.inc.com/.
The identity and affiliation of the militant is yet to be ascertained. An AK-47 rifle and grenades were recovered from the encounter site

Srinagar: An unidentified militant and a soldier were killed, while another jawan was injured in a gunfight in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district on Wednesday, officials said.

Security forces launched a search operation in an orchard in Kamrazipora village of Pulwama in the early hours of the day on receiving information about the presence of militants there, they said.

The officials said the search operation turned into an encounter after the militants opened fire, injuring two soldiers.

The injured security personnel were rushed to an Army hospital, where one of them succumbed, they said.

One militant was also killed in the gunfight, the officials said, adding that an AK rifle and a few grenades were recovered from the encounter site.

The identity and affiliation of the slain militant are being ascertained, they added.
Many states like are embracing the new reforms but unfortunately, some states are encouraging the farmers to protest against the changes, Niti Ayog Member Ramesh Chand said on Wednesday.

There are also some states that are following a "wait and watch" approach but with the passage of time, they will realise themistake, he said.

Chand, also a member of the 15th Finance Commission, said the government is planning to come out with an attractive package to incentivise states for accelerating changes in

Recently, the government brought two Ordinances in to allow farmers to sell their produce outside mandi and enter into agreement with private players for sale of their produce. The government has also proposed amendments to the Essential Commodities Act to deregulate food items.

"The reforms have gone beyond what experts had suggested... Many experts are stupefied, not able to digest and absorb it. Therefore, you find a lot of confused reactions in response to these reforms," Chand said while addressing a webinar organised by the PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

All government institutions are "aggressively promoting" these reforms as they have realised they are the need of the hour. "They find that agriculture has to play a larger role in future, even in employment and many other areas," he said.

On how soon these reforms will transform the current agri-market scenario, Chand said it will depend on the speedy response of state governments and investors.

"Right now, if I look at the states, I put them in three categories. There are states like that are enthusiastically embracing the reforms," he said.

There is a second category of states that are adopting the "wait and watch" approach, while there is a third category of states "unfortunately, where even governments are encouraging farmers to protest against reforms. I think with passage of time, they will realise the mistake", he said.

Chand said one state will attract investment, the other state will desist from investment and the third state will just wait.

"India is a big country. It is all nice to talk about the new-age agri-market at the national level. But, we need to go state by state and see how the new-age market will shape each state," he said adding that most of the goals will be achieved through "competition" like in aviation and telecom sectors.

Clearing "misperception" about closing of APMC (Agriculture Produce Marketing Committees) mandis in the wake of recent reforms, the member said: "The APMC markets will exist but they will have to become more competitive. If they do not exist, the situation will tilt into another direction and will defeat the purpose of reforms."



On the opportunities the reforms will provide for investors, he said they should meet the rising commercialisation of agriculture and rising aspirations of farmers.

The new-age agri-market is expected to transmit demand signals into production, re-orient production scenarios as per the consumers' demand in India and abroad, encourage investment in agri-trading platform, and link from production to processing, among others, he said.

There will be a market for exportable produce. In addition to whatever the country is exporting now, India will be required to export one-third of the increase in total agri production every year, he said.

"Otherwise, there will be chaos and the domestic market cannot absorb the kind of growth we have in agriculture. we will have a market for exportable produce. More people should invest in this area," he added.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Asheville is a one-of-a-kind place and Im extremely proud that Isas French Bistro is one of the many reasons travelers from around the globe choose to vacation in Asheville.

Earlier this week, Isas French Bistro of downtown Asheville was named a Travelers Choice 2020 Winner. Trip Advisors Travelers Choice awards are given to restaurants with exceptional reviews and ratings from Trip Advisors loyal reviewers.

Isas French Bistro is known for providing a menu that celebrates the freshness of the Western North Carolinas seasonal harvest with fresh, local produce. Executive Chef, Peter Crockett, provides imaginative dishes that are seasonally inspired. Diners are encouraged to check back often to take advantage of the latest culinary offerings.

Recently, Isas French Bistro has expanded their offerings to provide breakfast to hungry customers. A diverse menu ensures everyone can eat well whether they are enjoying a Vegan Breakfast Bowl or some North Carolina Chicken and French Toast.

Crockett is extremely proud of the Travelers Choice 2020 award because the honor is a direct reflection of the experience of the diners. Crockett explains saying, Asheville is a one-of-a-kind place and Im extremely proud that Isas French Bistro is one of the many reasons travelers from around the globe choose to vacation in Asheville.

Crockett continued, We will continue to provide meals that engage the senses and help create lifelasting memories for those who dine with Isas French Bistro.

Those looking to read some of the many reviews that helped earn Isas French Bistro the award can visit the Trip Advisor page here. If youre looking for more details on the menu as well as how to host your next event at Isas French Bistro, please visit the restauarants official page.

About Isas French Bistro:

Isas French Bistro is located in the heart of downtown Asheville at One Battery Park Avenue. The recently renovated dining room is complimented by a wine cellar event space that can accommodate from 10-120 guests. Isas French Bistro also boasts a lively sidewalk patio on one of Ashevilles most interesting intersections. Complimentary valet parking can be enjoyed by all guests.


Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-11 23:48:54|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- China's national observatory on Tuesday renewed a yellow alert for rainstorms in several provinces and regions over the next 24 hours.

From 8 p.m. Tuesday to 8 p.m. Wednesday, torrential rains and rainstorms are expected to lash parts of Inner Mongolia, Ningxia, Gansu, Shaanxi, Fujian, Jiangxi, Hebei, Beijing, Tianjin, Shandong, Henan, Taiwan and the Sichuan Basin, the National Meteorological Center (NMC) said.

According to the forecast, some regions are likely to see over 100 mm of hourly precipitation, accompanied by thunderstorms and strong winds.

The center warned that some areas in Hebei, Beijing and the Sichuan Basin will experience downpours.

The Ministry of Water Resources and the NMC issued a red alert on Tuesday for possible heavy floods in parts of Sichuan and Gansu provinces.

Local authorities are advised to stay vigilant for possible flooding, landslides and mudslides, and halt outdoor activities in disaster-prone areas.

China has a four-tier, color-coded weather warning system, with red representing the most severe, followed by orange, yellow, and blue. Enditem
YEREVAN.  The ban on foreign citizens entering Armenia by air has been lifted, but the respective restriction on the land border continues; deputy prime minister Tigran Avinyan noted about this at Wednesdays special session of the National Assembly.

"The option of obtaining an entry visa at the border checkpoints [of Armenia] has been temporarily lifted for foreign citizens, and they can [now] enter Armenia only on the basis of a visa or an electronic visa issued by our diplomatic missions or consulates abroad; with this regulation, the goal is to increase the manageability and predictability of the influx of people [into Armenia]," added Avinyan, who is also commandant of the current state of emergency in Armenia due to the COVID-19 situation in the country, noting that changes have been made also in the self-isolation procedures for people coming to the country from abroad.

In particular, he said that according to a preliminary decision, foreigners with the coronavirus will also be treated free of charge in Armenia.

From now on, if a person entering Armenia has not been hospitalized, he can either self-isolate by his choice or undergo a PCR test during self-isolation; and in case of a negative result of this test, he can come out of self-isolation.
The mom of two Georgia students has pleaded with officials not to mandate mask-wearing at schools in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, claiming that they would not stop the spread and could be used as weapons.

Jennifer Whitlock addressed a Paulding County School District Board of Education meeting on Wednesday night, saying there was not enough evidence to support claims that face coverings stop the spread of the virus among children.

'I have always thought my children are safe. The threat of this virus isn't any different than other illnesses schools deal with on a daily basis - strep, flu, pink eye, croup, worms,' Whitlock told the Board.

'All of those are prevalent in children. Is the China virus prevalent in children?' she asked.

Whitlock went on to argue that masks may be detrimental to a student's communication skills, and could adversely impact their cognitive development.

She also added that face covering could be turned into 'weapons' in the classrooms - including slingshot and blindfolds.

Jennifer Whitlock urged officials not to mandate mask-wearing at schools in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. She is pictured speaking at a Paulding County School District Board of Education meeting on Wednesday night

'As much as we're fearful of the unknown, the one thing I know is God is in control,' she stated, before receiving a rapturous round of applause at the end of her speech.

Whitlock's plea to officials comes despite studies that have shown that wearing a mask can cut the risk transmitting the virus, as it blocks droplets of water from being spread while breathing, coughing and talking.

One peer-reviewed study in the Lancet showed wearing a mask cut the risk of transmission from 17 percent to 3 percent.

On April 3, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention put out an updated advisory on coronavirus transmission recommending that Americans wear masks.

President Trump has even back-flipped on his anti-mask stance, recently donning a face covering.

Whitlock spoke as one school in her district remained closed for a third day, following confirmed cases of COVID-19.

At least three staff members and six students from North Paulding High School have tested positive for the virus, forcing the school to shut.

Last week, a photo of students crammed into hallways without face coverings at the school went viral on social media.

At least three staff members and six students from North Paulding High School tested positive to the virus, forcing the school to shutter. Last week, a photo of students crammed into hallways without face coverings at the school went viral on social media

Meanwhile, at least 1,000 students from a school district in neighboring Cherokee County are now in quarantine following the resumption of in-person classes last week.

The 42,000-student district, which is just outside Atlanta, said on Monday that 38 students and 12 teachers had tested positive for the virus in the week that in-person classes resumed.

Those who have been asked to quarantine were identified as part of the district's contact tracing efforts as people who may have come into close contact with an infected student or teacher.

The school district drew national attention last week when a photo of students at Etowah High School squeezed together for first-day-of-school senior photos without wearing masks.

Schools in Georgia's Cherokee County district have asked more than 1,000 students to quarantine for 14 days due to possible coronavirus exposure. District drew national attention last week when a photo of students at Etowah High School squeezed together for first-day-of-school senior photos without masks

Cherokee County Schools Superintendent Brian Hightower sent a letter home to parents saying that many of the seniors in those photos 'wear masks routinely' even though the school doesn't require them to.

The school district is posting information about all confirmed infections and quarantines on its website in a bid to be transparent.

'As made clear in our reopening of school plan, we anticipated positive tests among students and staff could occur, which is why we put a system into place to quickly contact trace, mandate quarantines, notify parents and report cases and quarantines to the entire community,' Cherokee spokeswoman Barbara Jacoby said.

'We are not hesitating to quarantine students and staff who have had possible exposure - even if the positive test was prompted by possible exposure rather than symptoms.'

No statewide mask mandate is currently in place in Georgia but the Cherokee County school district has encouraged students to wear them.

It comes as Georgia's governor Brian Kemp said on Monday that the reopening of some of the state's schools amid the pandemic outbreak had gone well - except for the widely shared photos of students crowded together without masks.
New York Giants co-owner Steve Tisch's daughter, Hilary Tisch, has passed away after a suicide attempt over the weekend.

According to TMZ, the jewelry designer was pronounced dead in the hospital on Monday. she was 36 years old at the time of her death.

In an official statement, the Tisch family expressed how "utterly heartbroken" they are with the saddening incident. They are mourning and have asked the public for "privacy during this very difficult time."

Hilary Tisch Suffered From Depression for Years Before Attempted Suicide

The family described Hilary as a "kind, caring, and beautiful person" who bravely faced her depression.

"Her mother, sisters, brothers, and I are devastated by her passing. It leaves a hole in our hearts and our lives. She, like so many others, bravely fought the disease of depression for as long as she could. We love and will miss her dearly. Our family is utterly heartbroken and is mourning its tragic loss."

Althoug the family did not disclose the specific cause of her death, it has been reported that she had been suffering from depression for years.

Giants Co-Owner John Mara Releases Statement About Hilary Tisch

Meanwhile, president, CEO, and Giants co-owner John Mara released a statement and expressed his condolences for the passing of Steve Tisch's daughter.

"On behalf of the Mara family and the rest of the Giants organization, I want to express our deepest sympathy to Steve and his family. Our hearts are heavy for their loss of Hilary. We pray for their peace and comfort."

Who Is Hilary Tisch?

Born on November 1, 1983, Hilary is known for being passionate about the arts and antique jewelry. She was also a gemologist and one of the founding partners and creative consultant of the Los Angeles-based fashion brand Doen.

According to her biography for the company, she split her time between Los Angeles and Aspen, Colorado with her dog Pearl.

In addition, she was also said to love "discovering and collecting vintage" pieces whether it is furniture or clothing.

"My first real love is antique jewelry and I also do work as a geologist," she wrote. My other passion is discovering and collecting vintage furniture, objects, and beautiful clothing, both old and new. I am usually drawn to unique and special pieces that appear modern despite their age," her company biography stated.

Aside from her business, Hilary also devoted her time to charities, including volunteering to Operation Smile alongside with her father and siblings.

Founded in 1982 and headquartered in Virginia Beach, the non-profit medical service organization aims to provide free services and surgeries to those kids and young adults around the world who were born with cleft palates, cleft lips and other facial deformities.

The jewelry designer is survived by her mother, Patsy Tisch, and her siblings Will Tisch and his wife Grace, Holden Tisch, Elizabeth Tisch and Zachary Tisch.

READ MORE: Simon Cowell Sends Public Warning After Bike Accident and Emergency Surgery
Much of his work over the past 30 years was based on meticulous observations of changing conditions in Greenland, where in 1990 he established a research station known as Swiss Camp. A charismatic figure who began his studies in the Arctic in the 1970s, the Swiss-born Dr. Steffen organized graduate students for annual treks to Greenland. He set up a network of 20 weather stations, drilled thousands of feet deep into the core of the ice cap covering the island and documented other phenomena through satellite technology.
K'tan wants Rantau Panjang to be a district to improve tourism

The Kelantan government is looking to turn Rantau Panjang into a new distinct as part of efforts to improve the area and to increase its tourism appeal.

"The state government is trying to make Rantau Panjang a new district. If we cant, then at least a sub-district like Lojing would be okay," said Deputy Menteri Besar Mohd Amar Nik Abdullah.

"Now, Rantau Panjang is under the Pasir Mas district. But it (Rantau Panjang) can be separated, as that town (Pasir Mas) is already developed and is a tourist point," he added.

Mohd Amar said the previous request for the area, which is by the Thai border, to be made a district of its own was rejected.

"We will reapply," he said when answering an additional question by Abd Rahman Yunus (PAS-Pasir Tumboh) during the state assembly session in Kota Bharu today.

Elaborating, Mohd Amar (PAS-Panchor) also called on traders in Rantau Panjang to diversify the products being sold so as to attract more tourists.

He explained that they could start to introduce branded ware, instead of merely relying on sales of goods obtained from Thailand or Cambodia.

At the moment, those who wish to go to Rantau Panjang only want to purchase cheap goods, he said.

The border town of Rantau Panjang is separated from Sungai Kolok in Narathiwat Thailand by the Golok river.

It is popular as a duty-free shopping zone for locals looking to score cheap buys, including clothes and food items. It even attracts tourists from neighbouring Thailand.
Stacks of empty aluminum cans sit on a pallet before being filled with beer at Devil's Canyon Brewery in San Carlos, California in a file photo. New tariffs imposed by the United States on aluminum from Canada could cause the price of canned beer and soft drinks to rise. Canada is taking decisive action to counter the 10 percent tariff. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Aluminum Tariffs Tit-for-Tat a Far Cry From Canadas Timid Response to Beijings Aggression

Ottawa needs to manage relations better with White House, head of think tank says

News Analysis

Canadas swift retaliation against U.S. tariffs on aluminum imports shows it is willing to stand up to a much bigger country.

However, Ottawas reaction toward its most important ally raises the question as to why it doesnt do at least the same, if not more, against Beijingclearly a hostile regime that has done far worse than slapping tariffs on aluminum.

Brian Lee Crowley says the reason is fear.

Our representatives are literally terrified of doing anything that might displease China, Crowley, the managing director of the Macdonald-Laurier Institute, told The Epoch Times.

Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland called it unwarranted and unacceptable to levy the tariffs over national security concerns. Canada and its aluminum producers have denied allegations that they flooded the U.S. market with aluminum.

The feds will hit back with $3.6 billion in tariffs to match dollar-for-dollar the impact of the U.S. tariffs, which start on Aug. 16. Freeland said the goal is to have the strongest possible impact on the United States with the retaliatory tariffs.

But Crowley says Canadians would do well to reflect on why their government feels it can go head-to-head with its largest trading partner, with whom it has far more at stake than it does with China.

He says Ottawa thinks its safe to push back against the United States since it knows there are limits on what will be returned, but its a different story with China. We have no confidence that China will not go well beyond what was justified, [knowing] that they are completely unrestrained by the law, by tradition, by the standards of the international community.

Beijing has arbitrarily detained Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor for two years now and has sentenced four Canadians to death, in moves widely viewed as retaliation for the arrest of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou in December 2018. In addition, the communist regime has blocked canola shipments by two Canadian exporters since March 2019, and other exports such as pork and soybeans also faced restrictions.

That doesnt include Beijings antagonistic moves like coercion and influence operations in Canada. These operations aim to silence criticism of the regime and have Canadian politicians and business leaders adopt more favorable stances toward its ambitions, such as installing Huawei 5G equipment in national telecommunications networks.

Proper Perspective

Crowley says Canada needs to keep its relationships with the United States and China in proper perspective. What Canada sells to China is a small fraction of what it sells south of the border.

Canada is part of an integrated North American economy thats largely driven by the United States. Thus, adeptly managing the relationship with Washington is the single most important job for Ottawa, Crowley says.

Ottawa has to be, in effect, the voice that speaks for us as if we were represented in Congress to protect our economic interest, he said.

David Mulroney, a former Canadian ambassador to China, wrote on Twitter that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Freeland show as much contempt for POTUS [U.S. President Donald Trump] as they can get away with.



Trudeau and Freeland are counting on U.S. voters to solve their foreign policy problem in D.C., he wrote.

Mulroney contrasted this tack with the one adopted toward China, where he said there is no similar solution available to deal with Beijing.

But with China, a real menace, its flattery, silence or the weakest criticism they can get away with, he wrote.

The reality is that Canada has what China needs, Mulroney told the parliamentary Special Committee Canada-China Relations on Aug. 6. Chinas environmental destruction has damaged a lot of its productive capacity and Beijing is hungry for agricultural products and natural resourcesCanadas forte.

Distinguishing Friend From Foe

Old approaches die hard. Its not clear that the government has completely given up the fiction that China is our friend, Mulroney said in his opening remarks to parliamentarians. Nor has it consistently summoned the courage to speak and act with integrity. Powerfully placed Canadians continue to argue that if we appease China just one more time, all will be well.

It wasnt until months after the announcement of the canola trade restrictions that Canada requested World Trade Organization (WTO) dispute consultations with China.

Other more punitive measures havent been undertaken. One is cutting funding to the Beijing-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, to which Ottawa committed $256 million over five years. Another is using Magnitsky Act sanctions against rights-abusing Chinese officials. Canada has already imposed these sanctions against officials of Russia, Venezuela, Saudi Arabia, and South Sudan, for example.

An even tougher stance against the Beijing regime would be to decouple, suggests Brian Giesbrecht, senior fellow for the Frontier Centre for Public Policy.

Bidding farewell to cheap Chinese goods is a small price to pay to preserve our freedoms, he wrote in an op-ed for The Epoch Times.

Cause for Reflection

Without doubt, the timing of the 10 percent U.S. tariff on Canadian aluminum is bothersome. It was imposed shortly after the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreementthe updated North American Free Trade Agreementcame into effect on July 1, 2020. About 76 percent of Canadas primary aluminum production is exported to the United States.

There will be a little bit of back-and-forth and some political point-scoring, and thats the end of it, Crowley said. We dont have anything like that kind of confidence in our relationship with China.

In 2018, the United States hit Canadian steel imports with a 25 percent tariff and aluminum with a 10 percent tariff. Those tariffs were removed a year later.

Tariffs raise the cost for manufacturers, which in turn increases the cost for consumers. The widely used metals are found in cars, appliances, and cans.

Many economists and policy analysts have said that Canada is doing the right thing in hitting back at the United States. Ninety percent of Canadians who took part in a web survey objected to the White Houses tariff, and 70 percent said Ottawa should fight back by imposing its own tariffs on U.S. products.

However, dollar-for-dollar tariffs against an economy roughly 10 times Canadas size will be nothing more than an annoyance, BMO strategist Benjamin Reitzes said in a note. U.S. aluminum exports to Canada are about a third as large as what Canada sends south of the border.

Donald Trump has been very provocative  and I think weve often made the situation worse than better. I think Ottawa needs to reflect a little bit on that, Crowley said.
A new report from the State Department's federal watchdog found that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was within his legal authority to bypass Congress and approve $8.1 billion of arms sales, but it is not the "full" vindication that the top U.S. diplomat says it is.

The report from the State Department's beleaguered Office of the Inspector General (OIG) has been highly anticipated, as the investigation may be one of the reasons why Pompeo had former inspector general Steve Linick fired in May.

At the request of Democratic lawmakers, the OIG probed Pompeo's use of an emergency authority in May 2019 to sell weapons, ammunition and training to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, who are fighting rebels in neighboring Yemen, even after members of Congress had objected to them and placed holds on their approval.

MORE: In another shake-up, State Dept.'s acting inspector general resigns amid Pompeo probes

The State Department took the rare step of briefing journalists Monday the day before the report was released to the public. A senior State Department official said the report found "the department acted in complete accordance of the law and found no wrongdoing in the administration's exercise of the emergency authorities."

PHOTO: Secretary of State Mike Pompeo testifies during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on the State Department's 2021 budget, in the Dirksen Senate Office Building, in Washington, July 30, 2020. (Greg Nash/Pool via Reuters)

But that's not entirely true. The report said Pompeo's "emergency certification was executed in accordance with the requirements of the" law, but it faulted the department for not meeting its requirement to "fully assess risks and implement mitigation measures to reduce civilian casualties."

It also made clear that the OIG was not rendering a judgment on whether there was an "emergency" dire enough to legitimize the use of this special authority, which is relatively rare.

MORE: Whistleblower files complaint about Pompeo's 'questionable activities,' senior staff's push to block questions

"No one ever doubted that the law provides for the authority to expedite the sale of weapons in the case of an emergency. The question was always, 'Did the administration abuse that authority in order to ram through more than $8 billion in sales to Gulf countries?'" said House Foreign Affairs Committee chair Rep Eliot Engel, D-NY, after the report's release Tuesday. "This report tells us everything we suspected: The emergency was a sham. It was cooked up to get around congressional review of a bad policy choice."

Story continues

The department's justification to Congress last year was the pressing threat of Iranian attacks and weapons in the region, particularly in Yemen, where it backs the Houthi rebels against the Yemeni government propped up by the Saudi coalition. That May, Iranian vessels attacked oil tankers in the Persian Gulf with mines, according to the U.S., amid Houthi rocket and drone attacks into Saudi territory.

MORE: Fired IG confirms to Congress his office was investigating Pompeo, staff in multiple probes

But the department began work on an emergency certification in early April, according to an un-redacted version of the unclassified report, which was transmitted to Congress but not shared publicly. The OIG said redactions in the unclassified report were made at the State Department's insistence, citing classified information and, in the case of the classified version that was sent to Congress, executive privilege.

Democratic lawmakers like Engel have also seized on the report's finding that only four of 22 packages Pompeo authorized had been delivered by the time the report was concluded in December 2019.

PHOTO: This photo taken Dec. 13, 2017 during a Defense Department press event at Joint Base Bolling Anacostia shows a rebuilt Qiam 1 short range ballistic missile the U.S. says is manufactured only by Iran. (ABC News)

In a statement to the OIG included in its report, R. Clarke Cooper, the top State Department official for arms sales, said, "The most critical deliveries... occurred in the near-immediate aftermath of the certification," but he didn't provide an update on how many packages had been delivered since then.

Cooper also pushed back on the OIG's main concern -- that the department didn't properly take into account its obligation to ensure U.S.-sold weapons didn't kill or injure civilians. The Saudi-led coalition's airstrikes have caused the majority of civilian casualties, according to the United Nations, and many of those weapons, particularly precision-guided munitions or "smart bombs," are American-provided.

MORE: Trump denies he asked US ambassador, an ally, to get UK to help his Scotland golf course

Beyond the $8.1 billion of emergency arms, the Trump administration has also authorized since January 2017 $11.2 billion of arms in smaller packages that did not require congressional approval -- bypassing possible obstruction through another technically legal process, including with more smart bombs.

"The department carried out, and continues to carry out, due diligence on all sales to the standards required by law" and acted within its authority on the smaller transfers, Cooper told the OIG.

MORE: Senate hearing puts Mike Pompeo's defense of President Trump in sharp contrast

Cooper has played a central role in the fight, testifying before the House last June, and Democrats attacked him Tuesday, accused him personally of lying.

"This report confirms what we already know: This Administration has no qualms about lying to the American people. Rarely, however, are those lies so blatant and so dangerous as this one," said Rep. Andy Levin, D-Mich., who questioned Cooper during that hearing last year.

PHOTO: Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper meets with U.S. Army Patriot missile specialists during a visit to Prince Sultan Air Base in Al Kharj, Saudi Arabia, Oct. 22, 2019. (Office of the Secretary of Defense)

In the face of Democrats' outrage Tuesday, Pompeo again said the report had "fully vindicated" him and his staff, turning as he has repeatedly to attack Democratic lawmakers: "I'm sorry that @RepEliotEngel and @SenatorMenendez misuse their committees for political games," he tweeted.

Pompeo declined to be interviewed for the report, citing his travel schedule, according to the OIG. While its investigation wrapped in December, it did not release the report as it sought that interview and then because of restrictions on personnel due to COVID-19.

MORE: Cleared of wrongdoing for Kansas trips, Pompeo turns to attack Dem requesting probe

Pompeo, who later submitted answers in writing to the OIG, had President Donald Trump fire the inspector general under whom the investigation began, Steve Linick. Calling him a "bad actor," Pompeo at one point seemed to cite the OIG probe of the emergency arms sales for his ouster.

"He was investigating policies he simply didn't like. That's not the role of an inspector general. This didn't have anything to do with retaliation. This was about an IG who was attempting to undermine the mission of the United States Department of State," Pompeo told Fox News on May 28.

MORE: Pompeo refuses to explain why he recommended inspector general's firing

After Linick was fired, Trump tapped a Stephen Akard, a longtime aide to Vice President Mike Pence, to fill in as acting inspector general. But Akard, who also retained his title as director of the State Department's Office of Foreign Missions, resigned from both positions last week after less than three months on the job.

Akard had recused himself from this probe, with Diana Shaw, his former deputy and the new acting inspector general, signing off on the final report.

Pompeo says 'full' vindication, but watchdog report finds fault with emergency Saudi arms sales originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
A former Camas mayor and executive director of the Camas-Washougal Economic Development Association has been charged with first-degree theft for allegedly using the associations funds for personal expenses.

Paul Dennis, 51, of Camas appeared, out of custody, on the charge Tuesday via Zoom in Clark County Superior Court. He entered a not-guilty plea, and his trial was set for Nov. 23.

Dennis is accused of stealing nearly $15,000 from the association over a seven-year period, court records show. However, findings released in May by the Office of the Washington State Auditor allege that Dennis misappropriated $19,311 between Feb. 15, 2013, and Feb. 12, 2019, and that another $45,029 in expenses, spent between April 30, 2012, and March 1, 2019, remained in question.

He resigned from the organization May 31, 2019, and the association has since been administratively dissolved. (The boards decision to dissolve was unrelated to the audit and what the state auditors office described as a fraud investigation.)

The Clark County Prosecuting Attorneys Office filed the charge against Dennis on July 15, after reviewing the findings from the Camas Police Department, as well as the state auditors office.

Dennis previously told The Columbian that the situation stems from a civil dispute over pay and said hes still owed $10,000 by the association. On Tuesday, his Vancouver attorney, Jon McMullen, also characterized the case as a civil dispute.

The association was founded in 2011 by the Port of Camas-Washougal and the two cities, and it was headed by Dennis. The agencys mission was to help existing businesses succeed and bring new businesses and jobs to the area. It operated as a private organization until early 2018, when officials acknowledged it should be considered a public entity that made it subject to an audit by the state.

According to investigative documents provided by the Camas Police Department, Washougal Financial Director Jennifer Forsberg was assigned to complete the local audit, and she had a difficult time receiving any documents from Paul, and had to go to the bank and get them herself.

Dennis was responsible for the associations checkbook and was being paid $9,700 a month during his yearslong tenure as chief administrative officer, the police report and probable cause affidavit say.

Forsberg told police in March 2019 that she discovered Dennis had made many personal purchases with the associations money at several businesses, including Les Schwab, The Palace San Francisco, Northwest Auto Paint, PetSmart and GameStop, for a total of $14,916.94. His bookkeeper had entered Cascade Planning, Dennis company, as the vendor in QuickBooks for the personal purchases, the affidavit states.

Forsberg gave a copy of her audit to the state auditors office and Camas and Washougal police departments. The state auditors office conducted its investigation before the criminal investigation, according to the affidavit.

In January, Dennis was interviewed by the state auditors office. Paul claimed little to no recollection of any of these purchases but confessed they should accrue to him, the officer wrote in the affidavit.

The state auditors office reportedly told local authorities that it concluded Dennis misappropriated more than $20,000 from the association, which included a $4,000 Apple purchase that was not included in the local audit, the affidavit says.

Police interviewed Dennis and the associations board members, and the board members agreed that the purchases in the suspected loss column had nothing to do with the associations spending. They concluded that if Dennis made the purchases, he should have reimbursed the organization, the affidavit states.

Dennis told police he was keeping a running tally of money owed to him by the organization and was balancing it as he went along. He said he would pay himself less if he made a personal purchase, according to the affidavit.

This statement was not true as when large personal purchases were made (e.g. $1,400 at Les Schwab in February 2013) there was no balance made in the following months of Pauls paycheck, the affidavit reads.

Dennis also reportedly told the board in 2019 that he still needed to settle up for a personal trip he took to San Francisco in 2013, paid for with association funds. He also could not recall making a $3,600 PayPal purchase in November 2016, but he said the purchase should accrue to him, the affidavit says.

 Jessica Prokop, The Columbian
MIGA, a member of the World Bank Group, has issued guarantees of up to US$235 million to a wholly-owned subsidiary of South Africas FirstRand group, for a period of up to 15 years, covering the subsidiaries mandatory reserves held as per regulatory requirements in Botswana, Eswatini, Ghana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Nigeria, and Zambia.

The guarantees will help unlock funding and liquidity, and support the economies of the host countries, which are being severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly in the commodities markets.

Nearly 60 percent of the support provided by the MIGA guarantees will be directed to low-income IDA countries, and twelve percent will go to Mozambique, a country recently affected by conflict.

The global outlook remains weak due to the COVID-19 crisis. Economic growth is projected to contract in all of the host countries, with five of the seven (excluding Ghana and Mozambique) entering negative growth in 2020. Banks are facing increased pressure to optimize capital allocation and reduce risk exposures.

Our support for a key regional bank that is helping weather the fallout from the global pandemic across seven countries in Sub-Saharan Africa is timely and essential, said MIGA Executive Vice President Hiroshi Matano. MIGA guarantees will help build resilience within the countries through the continued supply of credit. For the longer term, our support will help lay the foundations for credit growth and employment.

MIGAs capital optimization product reduces the risk-weighting of the subsidiaries mandatory minimum reserves on FirstRands balance sheet. FirstRand will use the freed-up capital to sustain the lending activities of its subsidiaries.

MIGAs capital optimization product is particularly important now, given the stresses in many of the economies in which we operate on the African continent. In particular, it enables the availability of capital to support these economies through continued lending, said Andries du Toit, FirstRand Group Treasurer.

MIGAs support also entails providing assistance to the subsidiaries through the implementation of

FirstRands updated Environmental and Social Management Systems (ESMS) and other policies related to MIGAs Performance Standards. This will improve the subsidiaries current environmental and social risk management practices.

MIGA was created in 1988 as a member of the World Bank Group to promote foreign direct investment in emerging economies by helping mitigate the risks of restrictions on currency conversion and transfer, breach of contract by governments, expropriation, and war & civil disturbance; and offering credit enhancement to private investors and lenders.

Since its creation, MIGA has issued over $59 billion in guarantees across 118 developing countries.

The World Bank Group , one of the largest sources of funding and knowledge for developing countries, is taking broad, fast action to help developing countries strengthen their pandemic response. We are supporting public health interventions, working to ensure the flow of critical supplies and equipment, and helping the private sector continue to operate and sustain jobs. We will be deploying up to $160 billion in financial support over 15 months to help more than 100 countries protect the poor and vulnerable, support businesses, and bolster economic recovery. This includes $50 billion of new IDA resources through grants and highly concessional loans.
A Northern Ireland woman living in Beirut has praised rescue workers as the city marked one week since a devastating explosion.

AnnaSophia Gallagher (31) grew up in Glenavy but has lived in the Lebanese capital for the last two years.

Last Tuesday, she was sitting outside a restaurant with a friend around a mile away from the port where the huge blast took place.

She said the heroic efforts of volunteers since then stand in stark contrast to shocking neglect by the authorities, with an angry backlash forcing the government to resign on Monday.

It's believed that over 200 people died in the explosion - caused by 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate being stored unsafely in a warehouse for six years - with thousands more injured and displaced from their homes while the threat of coronavirus remains.

Speaking to the Belfast Telegraph shortly before a minute's silence was held across Lebanon, AnnaSophia recalled the terrifying moment of "absolute, total destruction".

"I was sitting outside a restaurant with a friend who had just arrived. I was facing towards the port and it felt like slow motion," she said.

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"We felt the earth move like it was an earthquake and then I saw this huge gust of hot air coming towards us.

"The buildings seemed to inhale and almost exhale and just spat out all of the contents, all of the glass just fell out onto the street."

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The sounds of cars screeching to a halt and screaming soon followed in the confusion.

AnnaSophia had been sitting beside a concrete wall, saving her from the shards of glass that fell over others.

She quickly contacted her family and co-workers across the city, who initially believed there had been multiple explosions due to the sheer scale of the blast.

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"A close friend of mine in Lebanon called me in panic, there were dead bodies where she was. She had fallen over at work and there was walking wounded in the street, people deeply injured," she said.

"Her whole apartment had been blown up, her dog had run away. She's beside one of the main hospitals that was dealing with the Covid crisis."

A nearby hospital soon became overwhelmed, with doctors treating patients in car parks and those with first aid trying to help.

"It was a complete disaster zone. The clean-up is just ongoing and the local solidarity is just amazing."

She said faith in the authorities was now at "rock bottom" after the government stepped down.

"There's yet to be a very clear government speech outlining the relief plan, the investigation, any clear factual help or response.

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"So everything has been done by civil society and ordinary individuals. Obviously the international community has sent almost $300m, and they are here supporting civil society, and the UN are trying to coordinate that effort."

She said the fact that the relief funds had not been channelled through the government spoke volumes.

"The absence of the state is remarkable. The international attention is very important to maintain the pressure to reform - whether or not those reforms will come and when and how is the bigger question."

She said the arrival of foreign aid and finding her neighbour's traumatised dog hiding under a bed in a different building had been among many emotional moments in the last week.

"One of the most poignant things was the night of the blast when I was sitting down having a short break.

"There was a man standing beside me and I asked him if he needed anything. He said, 'I'm Syrian, we're used to this' and my heart just broke like that. What world do we live in where someone is used to that?"

She added: "Everyone is really taking care of each other and the solidarity among the people here is truly remarkable in the absence of any government solidarity with them."

AnnaSophia works for a Northern Irish/Lebanese company, Siren Associates, which works to make public institutions more accountable. Now working from home, she said the most pressing need is access to accommodation, healthcare and clean water.

Meanwhile, work is continuing behind the scenes to form a new government after Prime Minister Hassan Diab resigned.

Some of the main demands emerging in Lebanon are for an independent cabinet not backed by any political parties, and for an independent investigation into the port explosion.
MEXICO CITY  A gray Suzuki stopped outside the General Hospital of Mexico and deposited a heaving Victor Bailon at the entrance. He had refused to come to the hospital for days, convinced that doctors were killing coronavirus patients. By the time he hobbled into the triage area and collapsed on the floor, it was too late.

Papito, breathe! his wife screamed. Please breathe.

Within an hour, Bailon was dead.

Mexico is battling one of the worst coronavirus outbreaks in the world, with more than 52,000 confirmed deaths, the third-highest toll of the pandemic. And its struggle has been made even harder by a pervasive phenomenon: a deeply rooted fear of hospitals.

The problem has long plagued nations overwhelmed by unfamiliar diseases. During the Ebola epidemic in 2014, many in Sierra Leone believed that hospitals had become hopeless death traps, leading sick people to stay home and inadvertently spread the disease to their families and neighbors.

Here in Mexico, a similar vicious cycle is taking place. As the pandemic crushes an already weak health care system, with bodies piling up in refrigerated trucks, many Mexicans see the COVID ward as a place where only death awaits  to be avoided at all cost.

The consequences, doctors, nurses and health ministers say, are severe. Mexicans are waiting to seek medical care until their cases are so bad that doctors can do little to help them. Thousands are dying before ever seeing the inside of a hospital, government data show, succumbing to the virus in taxis on the way there or in sickbeds at home.

Fighting infections at home may not only spread the disease more widely, epidemiologists say, but it also hides the true toll of the epidemic because an untold number of people die without ever being tested  and officially counted  as coronavirus victims.

Many Mexicans say they have good reason to be wary of hospitals: Nearly 40% of people hospitalized with confirmed cases of the virus in Mexico City, the epicenter of the nations outbreak, end up dying, government data show, a high mortality rate even when compared with some of the worst coronavirus hot spots worldwide. During the peak of the pandemic in New York City, less than 25% of coronavirus patients died in hospitals, studies have estimated.

While the statistic may be imprecise because of limited testing, doctors and researchers confirmed that a startling number of people are dying in Mexicos hospitals.

During a surge of cases in May, almost half of all COVID-19 deaths in Mexico City hospitals occurred within 12 hours of the patients being admitted, said Dr. Oliva Lopez Arellano, Mexico Citys health minister.

In the United States, people who died typically made it five days in the hospital.

Doctors say more patients would survive if they sought help earlier. Delaying treatment, they argue, simply leads to more deaths in hospitals  which then generates even more fear of hospitals.

The distrust is so pronounced that relatives of patients in Ecatepec, a municipality outside of Mexico City, stormed a hospital in May, attacking its employees, filming themselves next to bags of corpses and telling reporters that the institution was killing their loved ones.

After seeing videos of what happens to people inside hospitals, screw that, said Bailons brother, Jose Eduardo, who had recently spent 60 days at home recovering from his own bout with what he believes was the coronavirus. Id rather stay home and die there.

But many people who die at home in Mexico  or even on the way to the hospital  are never tested for the virus, so they are not counted as coronavirus victims. Instead, they fall into a statistical black hole of fatalities that are not officially tied to the pandemic.

Even by the official count, Mexico has already suffered more coronavirus deaths than any other nation but the United States and Brazil. And the government said recently that during a period of over three months this spring, there were 71,000 more deaths than expected, compared with previous years  an indication that the virus has claimed many more lives than the official tally suggests.

Adding to the confusion, political leaders here, as in many countries, have sown doubts about the virus and the need to seek medical care. The hugely popular president, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, said he uses religious amulets and his clean conscience to protect against the coronavirus, and he has advocated fighting the pandemic at home, with the help of families, rather than in hospitals.

Nearly 70% of Mexicans said they would feel unsafe taking their loved ones to the hospital during the pandemic, in a survey published last month. A third said they would prefer to care for their relatives themselves.

Now the nations top health officials have begun pleading with Mexicans to stop resisting medical care.

Its very important that late care doesnt contribute to death, Hugo Lopez-Gatell, the health official leading the countrys response to the virus, said at a news conference last month. Please, go to hospitals early, especially people who are most at risk.

Many are wary of the costs that come with a hospital stay. And in a country plagued by rampant government corruption, the fundamental distrust of authorities often extends to doctors and nurses in public hospitals.

At the General Hospital in Mexico City, where Bailon died, suspicion was running high. No one had wanted to come to the hospital, a place that seemed to swallow their loved ones and leave them outside, with few updates to calm the nerves. Everyone had a theory about the real cause of the virus and the destruction it had unleashed.

Modesto Gomez, whose wife was inside, heard the government was letting elderly people die of the virus because they had expensive pensions. Hector Mauricio Ortega, whose father was intubated there with a COVID infection, said he believed doctors were purposely infecting people with the virus because countries have a quota of people who need to die every year.

Raul Perez woke up in a panic on the benches outside the entrance. It was his 16th day sleeping there after his sister went in for brain surgery.

He said he had met seven families of patients who had come in for another illness and then died of the coronavirus.

People think maybe theyre injecting them with something or killing them in there, he said.

Perez did not believe the rumors at first, but then doctors told him that his sister, who was still intubated after her brain surgery, had tested positive for coronavirus. Now he was frantic, calling all his relatives, telling them the hospital wanted his sister dead.

They are letting people get infected, he said. They just want to get rid of one more patient.

Lopez, Mexico Citys health minister, said that rumors of malicious medical practices had been widespread. Doctors were supposedly stealing the fluid from peoples knees, or trading their fingerprint data gleaned from oximeter readings.

There was a big fake news campaign spreading rumors that health workers were attacking people inside hospitals, profiting from their death, she said.

Dr. Ernesto Nepomuceno said that in his clinic in Iztapalapa, a poor neighborhood in Mexico City, doctors perform oximeter readings on themselves to show patients that they are measuring oxygen levels, not recording personal data.

We have to make great efforts to put people at ease, Nepomuceno said.

Two days before Bailon was wheeled into the General Hospitals intensive care unit, he visited a doctor in his tiny hometown an hour outside of the capital. His oxygen levels were low, but he begged his wife, Fabiola Palma Rodriguez, not to drive him to the hospital.

Please dont take me there, I dont want to die, she recalled him telling her. By the time Bailon relented, he was already ravaged by the disease.

After a local hospital turned him away, he made the trip to Mexico City. He died on a stretcher in the General Hospital, Palma said, before doctors could intubate him.

I would have taken him earlier, but we were both too scared, Palma said. It is so unfair. I took him there alive and brought him back home dead the same day.

Aurora Arzate Nieves died on the same day as Bailon, in the same hospital, about 30 hours after being admitted. The matriarch of a tightly knit Mexican family, Arzate, 83, was known for her green mole dish and strong will. Her sons practically had to drag her to the hospital.

That decision was tormenting Eduardo Gutierrez Arzate as he said a final goodbye to his mother, who was zipped into a bag inside a Ford minivan converted into a hearse by a funeral company near the hospital.

Pawing at the window, Gutierrez begged his mother to wake up.

I felt really guilty when I saw her, he said, standing outside the crematory, black smoke billowing overhead. She was scared of everything having to do with the coronavirus and of hospitals, where she would be surrounded by depressed people instead of her family.

I asked her in that moment to forgive me, he said. I asked her to forgive me for taking her to the hospital.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
Patapaas father, Kwesi Amoah, has opened up in an exclusive interview with Adomonline.com following reports that his son has been poisoned.



A video showing his sick son is already making rounds on social media. The video has the One Corner hitmaker on a hospital bed receiving medications.



A colleague musician, Bow Tyre, who confirmed this to Adom News on Monday, said they went out with some friends and Patapaa later complained of stomach pains.



He said they rushed him to a local clinic at Agona-Swedru where it was confirmed he had been poisoned. But, in an interview with his father, he said his son wasnt poisoned but confirmed he had been sick for weeks now.



It is not poison, he is sick. It is not confirmed but he is not well for almost two weeks now. He was even supposed to be in Accra.

Source: adomonline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Msurshima Andrew, Makurdi

The Peoples Democratic Party PDP, Benue State Chapter, has re-elected Mr John Ngbede alongside other officials to man the affairs of the party for a second tenure.

The Chairman, John Ngbede, his deputy, Isaac Mffo, Secretary, Mr Joseph Nyam, Publicity Secretary, Bemgba Iortyom and treasurer, Mr Philip Gbe, State Woman Leder, Mrs Abeje Egwa, among others were all reelected at the Saturday state elective Congress which held in Makurdi, the state capital.

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Accepting his reelection, Mr Ngbede thanked the Party members for honouring them justa as he warned the opposition to desist from peddling false rumours of decamping against members of the party saying that can not happen.

He was reacting to a statement credited to the state Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abba Yaro, which allegedly inferred that the state Governor, Samuel Ortom may dump the PDP for the APC.

Ngbede in his acceptance speech said, I want to warn and caution members of the opposition that they should stop peddling rumours of defection of our party members to their party.

He reminded that the task ahead of the new EXCO is a daunting one, especially the coming general elections and called on all to work in harmony.

This mandate give us is a green light to promote inclusiveness in the party and we are determined to do more as we bring the party to better heights in the interest of the state.

Governor Ortoms re-election and victory is a confirmation of how deeply rooted the PDP is in the hearts and minds of the overwhelming majority of the Benue people.

You have given us a fair mandate to build a better and strong party that will bring about a common development of our state., he pointed out.

Ngbede thanked party delegates for the vote of confidence given to them pledging that his leadership will ensure that those elected at all levels would carry members and stakeholders of the party along, especially at the grassroots.

Meanwhile, two former Senate Presidents, Senator Iorchia Ayu and Senator David Mark as well as the immediate past Governor of Benue state, Senator Gabriel Suswam, Benue North-East has pledged to support Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue state to enable him succeed.

Speaking at the PDP Congress in Makurdi, Senator Ayu advised Governor Ortom not to lose sleep over politicians that were jumping from one party to another, in the name of decamping.

We remain as the rock of Gibraltar and are not moved by the things they do, Ayu said adding that he and other elders of the party would

not interfere in the running of the Governor Ortom led administration but will support him and the party to succeed.

Also former Senate President, David Mark, applauded the Governor for his leadership style as well facilitating a peaceful Congress, which was a reflection of equity, fairness and justice.

He also advised the Governor to be in the vanguard of bringing the whole of the Middle Belt zone back to PDP in 2023.

On his part, Senator Gabriel Suswam, representing Benue North-East, informed Congress that Benue state would be favoured when the Federal Government begins the implementation of the revised 2020 Budget.

He pointed out that the presence of the two former Senate Presidents at the occasion was an indication that the governor was operating an all-inclusive government.

Suswam further pledged the support of the people of Benue North-East senatorial district to the Governor, stating that they would stand by him through thick and thin.

Earlier, the Secretary of the PDP in the state, Mr. Joseph Nyam, who enumerated achievements of the PDP led administration in Benue also moved for a vote of confidence to be passed on Governor Ortom
The work has started on the Katra-Delhi Express road corridor and once completed it will reduce the travel time between the two destinations to around six and half hours, Union minister said Wednesday.

He said the project will be completed by 2023, and when it is operational people will prefer to travel from Katra, the town that houses the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi shrine, to the national capital by road rather than by train or air.

The hallmark of this road corridor is that it will connect the holy cities of Katra and Amritsar, and at the same time offer connectivity for some other major important religious shrines between the two destinations, said Singh, the Minister of State for Personnel.

The work has started on the first-of-its- kind Katra-Delhi express road corridor which will be ready by 2023 and when it becomes functional, the travel time from Katra to Delhi will get reduced to around six and half hours, and from Jammu to Delhi to just about six hours, the minister said.

Singh said that after completion of the survey by M/s Feedback Consultants Ltd, the process of acquisition of land is nearly complete and the work on the ground has started, according to a statement issued by the Personnel Ministry.

The project is estimated to cost over Rs 35,000 crore, he said, adding the important cities through which this corridor will pass include Jammu and Kathua in J&K, and Jalandhar, Amritsar, Kapurthala and Ludhiana in Punjab.

Singh said, simultaneous widening of the National Highway between Pathankot and Jammu is also being undertaken, to upgrade it from 4-lane to 6-lane.

It will also prove to be a great boon for the commuters between Jammu, Kathua and Pathankot, he said.

Scheduled to be completed within a timeline of three years, he said, the road corridor will prove to be a path-breaking revolution in promoting industry and investments in the entire region.

It will also pave the way for the growth of economic hubs in cities like Kathua and Jammu, Singh added.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Terming the violence in the city as a well planned act, Karnataka Revenue Minister R Ashoka on Wednesday said the traitors, who perpetrated the riots would be dealt with an iron hand and steps would be taken to ensure that such incidents do not recur.

Speaking to reporters after meeting Congress MLA Akhanda Srinivasa Murthy at Vidhana Soudha here, Ashoka said, The manner in which the riots were perpetrated shows that it was a well planned act and was intended to spread to other parts of the city. These are traitors and we will subdue them.

Also read: 5 charred to death after private bus catches fire in Karnatakas Chitradurga

As many as three people were killed in the police firing and scores other injured including 50 policemen in the violence that erupted on Tuesday night at D J Halli in Pulakeshinagar locality over an alleged social media post on a communally sensitive issue posted by the MLAs relative.

The Minister said the law makers house was completely damaged and belongings including, sarees and jewels were looted while the rest was set on fire.

It is clear from the intensity of vandalism that the intention was to attack and finish off Srinivasa Murthy. It has to be investigated whether any anti-social elements from within the state and outside were involved, Ashoka said.

Claiming that the violence was planned to terrorise the people of Bengaluru, Ashoka said government will send across a strong message so that no one would ever dare to take law into their hands again.

He also said he met the Chief Minister and apprised him of the ground situation.

The Minister added that steps would be taken to rein in anti-social elements as vandalism was carried out in a manner that communities were identified to target them.

Also read: Miracle that am alive: Karnataka Congress MLA describes attack, his escape

Whether Popular Front or SDPI is behind it, we will not bother. These people must be arrested. We will hunt them wherever they are holed up, Ashoka said.

Addressing the media after meeting the minister, Murthy said he wanted the government to provide him protection.

We were not at home when nearly 3,000 people with petrol bombs, clubs, came and burnt the vehicles, damaged our house.

I need protection from the government after this incident, a visibly shaken MLA said.

He said for the past 25 years he has been living with the Muslim brethren but never faced such a problem. He demanded a CBI or CID inquiry into the matter to bring out the facts.

Asked about his relative Naveen, whose alleged social media post sparked violence, Murthy said, Naveen is not my relative. For the past 10 years we have not been in touch with him. Meanwhile, BJP leaders questioned the Congress as to why it hesitated to condemn the riots by minority groups on the residence of its own MLA.

The ruling party leaders in Karnataka projected the incident that led to violence in parts of the city as an attack on a Dalit MLA.

Dead silence by @INCIndia @INCKarnataka even after their Dalit MLA Sri Akhanda Srinivasa Murthy was attacked , house ransacked yesterday in Bengaluru. Total support for RIGHT TO RIOT ...? For them appeasement is the only official party policy, BJP national General Secretary B L Santosh tweeted.

In another tweet, Santosh said, After 14 hours @INCKarnataka wakes up to blame Naveen (MLAs nephew) for facebook post & Police for delay in taking action . One straight question .. Does your Party support riots like this .? Why Cong hesitates to condemn riots by minority groups ..? #CongSupportsRiots. Demanding strict action against those involved in the incident, Karnataka Tourism Minister C T Ravi said some people feel that they are above the law. This is the result of seven decades of appeasement politics, he said.

Seeking to know if the Lutyens and liberals talk about this growing intolerance in a particular community in Bengaluru, BJP MP Shobha Karandlaje said this was nothing but the result of Congress appeasement politics.

Karandlaje who visited Pulikeshi Nagara assembly constituency in a tweet said, PFI-SDPI conspired this violence, they targeted only Hindu houses & burnt public properties.

I strongly condemn this behaviour of a communal elements & urge @CMofKarnataka to take stringent actions against the culprits.

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TikTok circumvented a privacy safeguard in Google's Android operating system to gather unique identifiers from millions of mobile devices. The Chinese video-sharing app collected data that let it trail users online without allowing them to opt-out.

TikTok had been gathering users' Media Access Control (MAC) addresses for 18 months in contravention withthe platform rules, a Wall Street Journal (WSJ) investigation discovered, reported The Verge, an American technology news website.

In the wake of heightened security concerns against the Chinese app, this violates Google's policies. MAC addresses serve as unique identifiers for each users' device, thereby making them useful for both advertising and intrusive forms of tracking. As a matter of policy, both iOS' App Store and the Google Play had prohibited the collection of MAC addresses in 2015.

Also Read: How US thinks China uses TikTok, WeChat against Americans

Despite the ban, TikTok was able to secure the identifier through a loophole, the investigation stated further.

But TikTok is not the only app in violation of Android policies, the WSJ study noted that around 350 apps on the Google Play Store cashed in on a similar loophole, broadly for ad-targeting purposes. However, amid mounting political pressure from the US government, the ByteDance-owned app stopped the practice in November 2019, says the report.

The discovery comes at a sensitive time for TikTok, which is already facing tough questions from the White House over its Chinese parent company ByteDance's level of access to the US users' data.

The Trump administration had last week issued an executive order to sever all US transactions with the company, beginning September 20, if it is unable to conclude a sale of its US operations by that time.

Also Read: TikTok to sue US government over President Donald Trump's executive order

ByteDance is presently holding talks with Microsoft for the potential sale but the deal might take longer than anticipated, adding further to the frustration of the Trump administration.

WSJ's findings go against TikTok's contention that the system doesn't gather any more data than a standard mobile app. Meanwhile, it told the news website that it had discontinued the practice of collecting MAC addresses, as it constantly updates the app "to keep up with evolving security challenges" and that its current version "doesn't collect MAC addresses".
Here are todays top news, analysis and opinion. Know all about the latest news and other news updates from Hindustan Times.

BJPs horse-trading politics defeated in Rajasthan, says Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury

Two days after the Congress high command brokered peace between Sachin Pilot and Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot, the partys leader in the Lok Sabha, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said Wednesday that the horse-trading politics of BJP has been defeated. Read more

In haste to launch new projects: Tejashwi Yadavs dig at CM over another bridge fiasco

Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav on Wednesday slammed chief minister Nitish Kumar over the collapse of the approach path to the newly inaugurated Bangra Ghat Mahasetu bridge in Gopalganj. Read more

Two HAL light combat choppers deployed in Ladakh

Two light combat helicopters, produced by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, have been deployed in the Ladakh sector to support the Indian Air Force at short notice amid the border row with China along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), HAL said in a statement on Wednesday. Read more

Rajasthan peace deal done, 4 big reasons why Congress brought Sachin Pilot back into the fold

The breakthrough came after Pilot met with the Congress top brass, including former party president Rahul Gandhi and his sister and general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. Read more

Hes off my Christmas list: Stuart Broad reacts after father and match referee Chris Broad slaps fine for code of conduct breach

After Englands Barmy Army supporters group tweeted the news of his sanction on Tuesday, Stuart Broad said of his father Chris: Hes off the Christmas card & present list. Read more

Sanjay Dutts wife Maanayata on his cancer diagnosis: God has yet again chosen to test us

Sanjay Dutts wife, Maanayata Dutt, has issued a statement after it was revealed that he was diagnosed with lung cancer on Tuesday. She said that the family has faced testing times in the past as well, and that she is confident that this too shall pass. Read more

Everything new thats coming to Google Meet, Classroom to make online learning better

Since the pandemic started and all classes were canceled, students and teachers have come up with innovative ways of using Google tools to optimise online learning. Google is now adding more features to make things better for them. Read more

Vikram Sarabhai birth anniversary: Remembering Father of the Indian Space Program and ISROs founder on his 101st birthday

Tripura CM Biplab Kumar Deb remembers ISRO founder Vikram Sarabhai on his 101st birth anniversary; Skyroot Aerospace celebrates by successful test firing of upper stage rocket engine. Read more
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The Easthampton High School graduation, which was postponed from earlier this year due to the coronavirus pandemic, has officially been canceled.

It has been canceled because of the uptick in health metrics and the recent changes on phases from Governor Bakers office, Susan Welson, assistant principal at Easthampton High School told MassLive.

The graduation had been rescheduled for Thursday, Aug. 13, which was planned in addition a drive-up graduation ceremony that was held and filmed in June. Instead of the August graduation, the seniors will be celebrating through a virtual ceremony.

Earlier this week Baker added new restrictions to Phase 3, which impacted indoor and outdoor gatherings.

One of the new restrictions sliced the number of those allowed at an outdoor gather in half, restricting it to no more than 50 people. Although the order also exempts some workplaces, facilities and organizations, including public schools.

But Baker also spoke out against continuing to host graduations during a press conference.

Speaking as a parent of three, Baker said he knows the importance of celebrating such moments as graduation but said too many people are letting their guard down. He urged residents, Dont spread this virus to your family.

A color-coded map tracking COVID-19 in communities across state was also released this week. The map included seven communities in Western Massachusetts that were deemed yellow or moderate-risk but Easthampton was not listed among those.

The communities included Belchertown, Chicopee, Granby, Holyoke, Longmeadow, Northampton and Springfield.

Graduations have been tricky for schools over the past month, which were allowed to start happening July 19.

Earlier this month, Cohasset High Schools graduation was canceled due to a prom-like party with high schoolers and parents. Maynard High School had to cancel its graduation ceremony that was set to take place July 24 after someone tested positive for COVID-19. Falmouth High School also canceled its in-person graduation and a parent who attended the Quincy High School graduation on July 25 tested positive for coronavirus, Interim Superintendent of Schools Kevin Mulvey said.

Schools are also trying to decide on the best course of action for fall classes. The deadline to turn in final plans to the state was extended to Friday.

State education officials issued new guidance on back-to-school reopening plans along with the color coded map tracking COVID-19 cases.

Corresponding to the metrics on the map, districts coded red should use remote learning; districts coded yellow should utilize a hybrid model, or remote if extenuating circumstances; and districts shaded green or white should return to school full-time in-person or hybrid if extenuating circumstances, according to the guidance.

Related Content:
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

Argentina surpassed 5,000 deaths from the novel coronavirus on Wednesday after registering a record 325 new fatalities over the last 24 hours, the health ministry said.

The South American country of 44 million has also recorded more than 260,000 infections.

More than 90 percent of those have been in the greater Buenos Aires area, where intensive care units (ITC) are running at more than 68 percent occupancy.

Other focal points are in Jujuy in the north and Tierra del Fuego in the far south.

ITC beds throughout the country are running at 58 percent occupancy.

"No-one is in a position to handle an increase in cases," warned Nicolas Kreplak, the deputy health minister for Buenos Aires province.

"We need to reduce the number of cases and we have to take measures for this. There's been no other measure to reduce cases than a strict lockdown," Kreplak told El Destape Radio station.

President Alberto Fernandez began slowing the gradual reopening of the Buenos Aires metropolitan area in late July as cases started increasing again.

However, he has stopped short of reimposing quarantine rules as Argentina's economy has suffered badly from the pandemic.

"I understand that people are bored of being locked up but I'm relying on each one's sense of reflection," Fernandez said on Tuesday, when admitting Argentina was going through its toughest period during the pandemic.

"The longer we spend isolated and away from each other, our risk is minimized."

Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak

 2020 AFP
The search for this years Top Brokerages will conclude this Friday, August 14.

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Ask youth what they would do with an extra $2,000 a month and the answers might surprise you.

Young people disproportionately struggle with mental health issues and undertake increasing student debts, all while facing a daunting post-pandemic-era job market at a time when many jobs are precarious, underpaid, or part of the gig economy.

In a recent webinar series held by the Ontario Council for International Cooperations Youth Policy-Makers Hub (OCICs YPH,) 92 per cent of respondents said they would support a guaranteed livable income (GLI) in Canada and most participants answered that $2,000 a month would give them better educational, health, and housing options.

Now, as CERB and CESB comes to an end amid the various ongoing socio-economic challenges that young people face, a guaranteed livable offers a permanent solution and is a policy tool that can help better support youth and many other communities.

There are results. Previous domestic and international basic income pilot projects have demonstrated positive socio-economic and educational impacts on people across all social strata. For example, the Ontario basic income pilot in 2018 resulted in an improved standard of living for the vast majority of participants.

This will support youth to overcome the high cost of living and give them the ability to make life choices based on whats best for them rather than based on what they can afford. Given that youth aged 18-35 years will have lived through two major recessions (2008-2009 and the looming post-pandemic recession) by the end of this year alone, it is only rational that financial security, stability, and opportunity are concerns of both Millennials and Zoomers.

As Aug. 12 is the United Nations International Youth Day, the OCICs YPH, the Canadian Council of Young Feminists/Conseil Canadien de Jeunes Feministes, and the Basic Income Canada Youth Network, have organized a national day of action to send letters to MPs and cabinet ministers in order to advocate for GLI. Recently, 50 Canadian senators released a public letter calling for a GLI in Canada. Their support reinforces the growing national support for GLI.

Building Back Better is a commonly used phrase that refers to the process of creating and rebuilding futures that are even better than our pre-coronavirus pandemic normal. Youth are the future of our country and we will be inheriting many of our societys contemporary problems. Our meaningful participation in public policy debates is critical and many of us believe GLI will support Canada to build back better.

Additionally, a guaranteed livable income will not only be beneficial to youth. It will also support the most marginalized communities in Canada, including BIPOC and LGBTQ2S+ communities. Recent data collected by Toronto Public Health revealed that the coronavirus pandemic is disproportionately impacting racialized and lower income communities. A guaranteed livable income could be one way to support such communities who are most vulnerable to the many impacts of the pandemic.

A recent op-ed by the Executive Director of FoodShare Paul Taylor analyzed that cost is the biggest barrier to accessing good food, and food charity cannot solve poverty. To end food insecurity, we need good-paying jobs, livable wages, an adequate income floor and job stability. A guaranteed livable income is one way to overcome the barrier of cost and better support those living with food insecurity as well as those living in unsafe and precarious housing conditions, facing mental health conditions, single income families, people with disabilities, seniors, and other Canadians.

Youth have a substantial stake in building back better, but we also need to be better supported to be able to sustain our contributions. We call on youth and youth allies to join us today in our day of action and call on our MPs and cabinet ministers to support placing a GLI on the federal policy agenda, a motion that will benefit all Canadians.
As the coronavirus pandemic upended the global diamond industry, shuttering mines from Lesotho to Canada and disrupting supply chains, Rajen Patel swapped diamond polishing for peanut farming.

Patel, who worked for a decade in India's Surat where about 80 percent of the world's diamonds are polished, joined the exodus of gem workers leaving the city as cases of the virus shot up. After taking up farming in his home village, he has no plans to return in the coming months.

"I won't earn as much I was earning in Surat, but I won't starve and there is no fear of getting infected with coronavirus," he said.

Demand for diamonds has plummeted during the pandemic, freezing sales and squeezing prices. With temporary mine closures at risk of becoming permanent, diamond miners are seeking ways to extract more value from their stones.

The lone bright spot has been steady demand for large, high-quality diamonds from affluent investors, according to financiers and sales data.

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

"There are a lot more enquiries from people seeking to buy these luxury stones as a hedge," said Chris Del Gatto, CEO of the DelGatto Diamond Finance Fund, the largest non-bank lender to the diamond, jewellery and watch industries.

Prices for high quality one-carat diamonds are rising steadily and are currently around 12 percent higher than at the start of the year, in contrast to still-depressed prices for lower-quality stones of the same size, data from trading platform RapNet shows.

"If you are in that top end, the demand is still there because the people who go for these type of goods feel the pressure of the market downturn less," said Gus Simbanegavi, CEO of Bluerock Diamonds .

But only a few miners are lucky enough to have deposits of large, high-quality diamonds, leaving some producers at risk.

GRIM YEAR

COVID-19 has forced miners to cancel or delay sales, with major diamond shows scrapped due to health and travel restrictions. The few sales that have taken place showed rough diamond prices down between 15 percent and 27 percent.

"What has happened in the second quarter, I have never seen in my life," De Beers Chief Executive Bruce Cleaver told Reuters. "There was no really properly functioning rough market." Indian imports of rough diamonds plunged from $1.5 billion in February to just $1 million in April, data from the Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council shows.

Antwerp, another diamond hub, saw rough imports drop 20 percent YoY in the first half, according to data from Antwerp World Diamond Centre. The city's exports of polished diamonds fell 46 percent.

REAL OPPORTUNITY

In a bid to survive, some miners are trying to change the traditional pricing game by securing a cut of onward polished diamond sales, and miners may eventually have direct tie-ups with luxury jewellery brands, RCC Diamond Consultants managing director Richard Chetwode predicts.

Australia's Lucapa Diamond Co inked a deal with an unnamed "high-end diamantaire" to sell some of its high-value diamonds from the Mothae mine in Lesotho for $505 per carat plus a 50 percent share of the margin on the future polished diamond sale.

Lucara Diamond Corp, , which mines in Botswana, struck a deal in July with Antwerp manufacturer HB Group under which the miner's diamonds larger than 10.8 carats are sold for a portion of the estimated polished price. "There is real opportunity within the diamond business as a whole to modernise the sales system," said Lucara CEO Eira Thomas. Lucara has also set up an online diamond sales platform.

In the meantime, miners are hoping production cuts will help prices recover. With Rio Tinto's massive Argyle diamond mine in Australia among those coming offstream soon, global diamond production will likely be reined in until 2025, independent analyst Paul Zimnisky forecasts.

Several diamond mines shuttered due to the pandemic have also yet to reopen, including Stornoway Diamonds' Renard mine in Canada, Petra Diamonds' Williamson mine in Tanzania, and Firestone Diamonds' Liqhobong mine in Lesotho, which the company said would likely stay closed until April to preserve cash.

Meanwhile, Africa-focused Petra Diamonds is in restructuring talks with creditors, while in Canada's Northwest Territories, Rio Tinto's Diavik mine partner has sought creditor protection, saying it cannot afford the miner's cash calls.

Even De Beers is feeling the pain, saying job cuts are likely, as it remains unclear whether supply will shrink enough to meet plunging demand in the global diamond jewellery market, which Bain estimated was worth $80 billion in 2019.

Industry hopes that the pandemic would boost sales of engagement rings as people reassessed life priorities and more made plans to get married have not borne out.

In retailer Tiffany & Co's February-April quarter, engagement jewellery was the worst-performing category, with sales almost halving.

Overall, fine jewellery sales are expected to drop 19 percent this year, compared to a 3 percent rise last year, according to Euromonitor.

Follow our full coverage of the coronavirus pandemic here
Premier Gladys Berejiklian has vowed to ignore the lockdown system used by Victoria if coronavirus cases in New South Wales get out of control.

Ms Berejiklian said NSW remained on 'high alert' after recording 18 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday.

While the infection rate in NSW has remained stable in the past month 'we can't be assured of that moving forward', and if the state is sent into lockdown it would be very different to what Melbourne is currently enduring.

'We have watched closely what has happened in New Zealand and Victoria,' the premier said.

'I also want to commend the police for leading a number of scenarios where we have desktopped what might happen if we have to go down that path.'

Premier Gladys Berejiklian (pictured) has vowed to ignore the lockdown system used by Victoria if coronavirus cases in New South Wales get out of control

Ms Berejiklian said NSW remained on 'high alert' after recording 18 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday (A woman pictured in Sydney's CBD)

While the infection rate in NSW has remained stable in the past month 'we can't be assured of that moving forward', and if the state is sent into lockdown it would be very different to what Melbourne is currently enduring

Ms Berejiklian said if the time does come then she would not send postcodes or government areas into lockdown.

'Without passing any judgement or commentary, and I think about the Premier of Victoria every day, the pressure they are under, but it seems apparent that any future scenario would involve cities rather than postcodes or local government areas,' she said.

The rise in mystery infections is causing particular concern for the premier, who has continuously said the state is 'on a knife's edge'.

Victoria entered a State of Disaster on August 2 after an outbreak of cases in Melbourne, with the city under a police enforceable curfew of 8pm until 5am until at least September 13 as part of the Stage 4 lockdown.

Melburnians can only leave their homes between these hours for work, care-giving, medical reasons or on compassionate grounds.

The city's 4.9million residents have also been banned from travelling more than 5km from home to do their shopping - and only one person from each household can leave at any time.

Ms Berejiklian issued her strongest plea yet for people to wear masks in public and for businesses to comply with COVID-19 regulations.

'We need to go further. Because our concern is those cumulative accumulation of those unknown sources,' she said.

She stressed that people must wear masks when they can't guarantee social distancing on public transport, at religious services or in supermarkets.

Victoria entered a State of Disaster on August 2 after an outbreak of cases in Melbourne, with the city under a police enforceable curfew of 8pm until 5am until at least September 13

Melburnians can only leave their homes between these hours for work, care-giving, medical reasons or on compassionate grounds

She also warned businesses to register a COVID safe plan, especially hospitality venues, otherwise it would be assumed they had none.

'I want to see a greater uptake on all those categories and if we don't see a greater uptake in the next little while, we will consider further measures,' she said.

Sydney's COVID-19 clusters:  116 cases linked to Thai Rock Wetherill Park cluster  68 cases linked to the funeral events in Bankstown and surrounding suburbs cluster  11 cases linked to the Batemans Bay Soldiers Club.  19 cases linked to the Tangara School Cherrybrook cluster Advertisement

'Compliance is absolutely critical.'

NSW recorded 18 new cases of COVID19 in the 24 hours to 8pm on Tuesday, from 20,104 tests, with most from known local clusters.

Health Minister Brad Hazzard warned NSW that authorities are strongly encouraging people to wear masks in certain settings although it is not mandatory.

'The bottom line here is, masks,' Mr Hazzard said.

'If you're on public transport, you really should be wearing a mask. We're not making it mandatory at this stage but we're certainly saying to the community, wear a mask.

'If you're in the shopping centres wear a mask. If you go to church, or a place of worship, wear a mask.

'It's not a matter of actually asking whether it's ok to do it, it's a case of just do it.'

NSW Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant said two new cases had been linked to Cherrybrook's Tangara School for Girls, bringing the total to 19 with the original source still unknown.

The outbreak has been associated with the nearby Catholic Opus Dei study centre for girls Eremeran, which has closed for cleaning after recently hosting five senior schoolgirls at a religious retreat.

'At the moment my guidance is that we would request all direct schools to not have activities that involve overnight stays or camps,' Dr Chant said.

A male airline passenger wears a face shield off a Qantas flight from Melbourne as he waits in line to be checked off by New South Wales police at Sydney International Airport

'We need to minimise those activities that are associated with transmission.'

The premier also announced that NSW residents returning from Victoria would have their hotel quarantine fee waived for the next month to ease the financial burden on returnees.

The charge will be waived retrospectively and apply to NSW residents already in hotel quarantine after travelling from Victoria until September 11.

Dr Chant said the vast majority of the 18 new cases were from clusters within the state.

Thirteen of the cases were locally acquired and linked to known cases, one was a returned traveller from overseas, two were locally acquired without a known source, and two were acquired in Victoria.

One case was a staff member at the emergency department in Hornsby Hospital who did not work while infectious, so there had been no impact on services.

Health Minister Brad Hazzard warned NSW that authorities are strongly encouraging people to wear masks in certain settings although it is not mandatory

Anyone who visited Parramatta Westfield (pictured) on August 5 has been asked to monitor for symptoms after a previous confirmed cases visited the locations while infectious

There was also a third confirmed case identified at Our Lady of Mercy College, Parramatta, which will remain closed until August 24 to allow for contact tracing. Staff and students there have been told to isolate and get tested.

Parramatta Public School was also closed on Wednesday after a student tested positive.

Dr Chant said she was most concerned about a number of cases in the past six weeks where the source was unknown, predominantly occurring in southwest and western Sydney.

'I do urge those members of the community in southwestern Sydney and western Sydney to particularly come forward for testing, should they have what is the most minimal of symptoms,' she said.

Meanwhile, Huskisson restaurant Wildginger is also closed after two patrons from Sydney who dined there on Saturday evening received positive test results for COVID-19.

Patrons and staff who were at the venue have been advised to self-isolate for 14 days and get tested for COVID-19.
By Tova Cohen and Steven Scheer

TEL AVIV (Reuters) - For two months, many Israeli television viewers watched nightly as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued warnings and updates about the novel coronavirus and imposed lockdowns.

When infections fell, he went on television on May 26 to boast of his success. "Have a beer. Enjoy yourselves," he said. Many Israelis did just that.

But infections later surged, and opinions polls showed confidence in Netanyahu was falling. He now faces nationwide protests over the state of the economy, hit by the coronavirus.

Waving banners outside the prime minister's Jerusalem residence, the demonstrators are led by young people who scarcely remember any other leader -- Netanyahu has been prime minister since 2009 -- but want him to resign.

"We are a generation who have lost complete faith in the system. People are fighting for their livelihood," said Costa Black, 30, who was arrested during the protests and lost his restaurant job because of the pandemic's impact on the economy. "Our leaders stopped serving us, they dont care about us."

A July 12 poll by the Israel Democracy Institute found 29.5% trust the 70-year-old leader's handling of the crisis, down from 57.5% in April and 47% in June.

Netanyahu has rebuked the protesters, tweeting: "Don't drag the country towards anarchy, violence and attacks against the police."

But critics say Netanyahu -- who normally receives high marks for his economic policies -- appeared to lose interest in managing the crisis and failed to prepare a clear exit strategy after the first lockdown.

Promised financial aid has been slow to arrive, and has been dogged by bureaucracy, businesses say.

Some Israelis believe Netanyahu was distracted by plans to annex parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Others say his attention turned to a corruption case against him, in which he denies wrongdoing.

Netanyahu dismisses the criticism. Addressing the delays in providing financial aid, he wrote on Facebook this week: "The money is on its way. We will continue to take care of all Israeli citizens and we will bring more plans soon."

Story continues

BIGGEST CRISIS

With a population of 9 million, Israel has recorded 68,000 coronavirus infections, of which 75% occurred post-lockdown, and 497 fatalities. It is now on a "Red List" of countries whose citizens are barred from the European Union.

Many restrictions have been lifted to revive business activity, but unemployment hovers at 21.5% and the economy is expected to contract by 6% in 2020. A Central Bureau of Statistics survey showed 55% of Israelis fear they will have difficulty paying bills, up from 46% during lockdown.

"Israelis understood in March-April that the situation is difficult and were willing to accept it because they felt the government was doing the utmost," Israeli Democracy Institute President Yohanan Plesner said.

"Now the sense is the government is no longer managing, from both an economic standpoint and a health standpoint."

Plesner said the long-term implications for Netanyahu remain unclear. But the latest poll would give his Likud Party just 31 of the parliament's 120 seats, down five. Other right-wing parties would improve their standing.

"The government has broken the contract with its citizens, that in a time of crisis it will take care of them," said Oren Elgar, 27, a computer mapper protesting in Jerusalem.

Though protests have not reached the levels of 2011, when high living costs brought hundreds of thousands of people onto the streets, they are growing.

"Those who grew up under Netanyahu ...(wonder) why there is no money to take care of our economy right now when it's the biggest crisis we've known," said former member of parliament Stav Shaffir, a protest leader in 2011.

(Additional reporting by Maayan Lubell, Dedi Hayun and Jeffrey Heller, Editing by Timothy Heritage)
The Delhi Police has registered a case against members of Left-affiliated AISA and other organisations for flouting prohibitory orders while protesting the arrest of Delhi University professor Hany Babu by the NIA in the Bhima Koregaon-Elgar Parishad case, officials said on Wednesday.

The All India Students' Association (AISA) said its member Abhigyan and some students from other organisations and Bhagat Singh Ekta Manch were detained and later an FIR was filed against them while protesting the arrest of professor Hany Babu, arrested last month, at the Delhi University's Arts faculty.

The Delhi Police said an FIR has been registered against Abhigyan (20), Sushil (30), Salman (20), Sangita (26), Rajbir Kaur (25) and Navdeep Kaur (24).

The student's body said, "From charging students under fabricated cases to even booking them under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), the government has left no stone unturned to turn this pandemic to bring an onslaught on all dissenting voices."

"AISA resolves to fight against these injustices and continue to raise its voice by all democratic means against this silencing of dissent."

The NIA has accused Hany Babu Musaliyarveettil Tharayil (54), an associate professor in the Department of English, of propagating Naxal activities and Maoist ideology and being a "co-conspirator" in the Elgar Parishad case.

The case relates to an Elgar Parishad event of December 31, 2017, organised by the Kabir Kala Manch at Shaniwarwada in Pune, where alleged provocative speeches were made, promoting enmity between various caste groups and leading to violence resulting in loss of life and property and statewide agitation in Maharashtra, an NIA official had earlier said.

The Pune Police had in September last year conducted a raid on Babu's house and seized his laptop and some books. The National Investigation Agency later took up the probe in the case.

A senior police official of the Delhi Police said, "On Wednesday, 10-12 students of AISA, Bhagat Singh Ekta Munch and other groups started protesting the arrest of professor Hany Babu by the NIA, Mumbai wing behind the Arts Faculty of Delhi University.

"They were apprised that in the view of Covid-19 pandemic and its guidelines, gathering is not allowed and prohibitory orders under section 144 CrPC has been issued. "However, the students kept on protesting despite several request and have been apprehended for violation of order and a case under sections 188 IPC, 3 Epidemic Disease Act and 51/57 DM Act has been registered against them," the officer said.
President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has made fighting corruption a hallmark of his administration, which began in December 2018. Analysts noted that the former oil chiefs testimony was likely to help the current president as he faces the most difficult moments of his term. More than 50,000 people have died so far in the coronavirus epidemic, and the economy is expected to shrink about 10 percent this year, the severest contraction in decades.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala., Aug. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Jack's Family Restaurants celebrates teachers as they head back to school  whether virtually or in-person  with free coffee at all Jack's locations Aug. 1721, no purchase necessary.

All teachers can receive their free coffee from Jack's, in the drive-thru or in the restaurant, Monday through Friday until 9 a.m. with a valid school ID. Teachers can choose between a free hot or iced regular-sized coffee, limit one per guest.

"Being a good neighbor and supporting the communities we serve is part of the Jack's DNA," said Jack's CEO Todd Bartmess. "Offering free coffee to our hardworking teachers as they kick off an unusual school year is a small way we hope to say 'thank you' for everything they do."

Throughout its 60-year history, Jack's Family Restaurants has supported its local communities by giving back, whether by donating food to local schools, hosting fundraisers through the Jack's Family Fund or offering deals to those who serve the community.

To learn more about Jack's, please visit https://www.eatatjacks.com/.

About Jack's Family Restaurant

Founded in 1960 in Homewood, Alabama, Jack's Family Restaurants started as Jack's Hamburgers in a walk-up hamburger stand that served burgers, fries, sodas and shakes and has now grown to almost 200 locations in four states in the south. Jack's serves its guests quality food, with an emphasis on community involvement and charitable giving. For more information, visit eatatjacks.com or follow them on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.

Media Contact:

Callie Head

[email protected]

817-329-3257

SOURCE Jacks Family Restaurants

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Zimbabwe Opposition Criticizes Snub by South African Envoys to Investigate Rights Abuses

By Columbus Mavhunga August 11, 2020

Zimbabwe's opposition and rights groups have criticized what they call a "snub" by South African envoys sent to investigate human rights abuses. South Africa sent the delegation after Zimbabwean security forces arrested government critics and shut down a planned anti-government protest. But the envoys met with Zimbabwe's president Monday, then left without meeting the opposition or rights activists.

A three-member delegation including South African Minister of Safety and Security Sydney Mufamadi met with Zimbabwe's president, Emmerson Mnangagwa, on Monday at the State House.

Mufamadi spoke to reporters after the meeting with Mnangagwa.

"We came here as envoys of the president of the Republic of South Africa. We had an exchange with his counterpart," said Mufamadi. "In other words we were listening to the reason of the situation and what is being done. Or intentions to do extra things and so on. And I know you will note to ask us to report to our president through the media. We will be reporting to the President, who will then interact with the public in part through your good selves in due course."

South Africa, which is the current chair of the African Union, had said the envoys would engage with both the government of Zimbabwe and relevant stakeholders, to "identify possible ways in which South Africa can assist Zimbabwe."

However, the three men left Zimbabwe without meeting any opposition figures or human rights activists.

That resulted in an outcry on social media.

Luke Tamborinyoka, a spokesman of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change, says the party does not blame the trio for not meeting other stakeholders before leaving the country.

"We put the blame on Mr. Mnangagwa himself who, obviously had a meeting with them, made sure the envoys were blocked from meeting with other relevant stakeholders so that they would not fully appreciate the crisis in Zimbabwe," said Tamborinyoka. "But we applaud President Ramaphosa, as the AU chair in his effort to try and understand the situation in Zimbabwe. The mere deployment of an envoy is an appreciation that there is a crisis in Zimbabwe."

Monica Mutsvangwa, Zimbabwe's information minister, declined to comment on the MDC's accusation, saying the government was waiting for President Ramaphosa to issue a statement after being briefed by his envoys.

Last week the Zimbabwe government dismissed claims that it was using COVID-19 restrictions to suppress citizens' rights.

Rights groups say there has been a spate of intimidation and arrests of government critics. On July 31, security forces halted a planned anti-government protest in Harare, and since then a number of activists have remained in hiding, saying they fear arrest.

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Hong Kong: 2 COVID-19 deaths recorded

The Hospital Authority today announced that two COVID-19 patients have passed away, taking the number of such patients who died in public hospitals to 61.

A 79-year-old male patient, admitted to Caritas Medical Centre on August 3 due to fever and subsequently transferred to Yan Chai Hospital on August 6, succumbed at 1.04am this morning.

A 91-year-old female patient, admitted to Alice Ho Miu Ling Nethersole Hospital on July 23 due to fever, succumbed at 1.40am.

Both of them had chronic diseases and their conditions deteriorated after being hospitalised.

The hospitals concerned will offer necessary assistance to the deceased patients families.

This story has been published on: 2020-08-12. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Researchers have developed a simplified process that could enhance personalization of cancer therapy based on a single nuclear medicine scan.

The novel method uses a follow-up single photon emission computed tomography/computed tomography (SPECT/CT) scan to obtain reliable radiation dose estimates to tumors and at-risk organs. The study is published in The Journal of Nuclear Medicine.

"In most radionuclide therapies, a fixed amount of radionuclide is administered, which does not take into account individual patient variability in tumor and normal tissue uptake, and hence absorbed dose," said John Violet, BSc, MBBS, MRCP, FRCR, PhD, FRANZCR, radiation oncologist at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in Melbourne, Australia.

'Dosimetry-led' administration, on the other hand, where administered activity is adjusted based upon predictable tumor and normal tissue absorbed doses, has the potential to greatly improve therapeutic outcomes. As dosimetry requires multiple SPECT/CT scans post-therapy, however, it is rarely performed outside clinical trials." John Violet, BSc, MBBS, MRCP, FRCR, PhD, FRANZCR, Radiation Oncologist, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre

Rather than rely on multiple SPECT/CT scans to calculate dosimetry, researchers sought to develop a dose-response estimation from a single post-treatment scan. The study presented a simplified dosimetry method and applied it to the assessment of 177Lu-PSMA-617 therapy for metastatic prostate cancer.

177Lu-PSMA-617 therapy is known to be a highly active therapy for PSMA-expressing metastatic prostate cancers, but currently there is no standardization of how treatment is given.

In the study, 29 patients receiving 177Lu-PSMA-617 were imaged with SPECT/CT at four, 24 and 96 hours to characterize tracer pharmacokinetics in tumors and in normal tissues of interest.

To evaluate serial measurements, three-dimensional volumes of interest were defined on the first image volume and a method was developed to automatically align each contoured subregion and assess pharmacokinetics. This data was used to develop a population PSMA clearance model for tumor and healthy organs.

By applying a generic pharmacokinetic model for PSMA retention, it is possible to estimate radiation absorbed dose with a single image measurement. The range of added uncertainty can be appreciated based on the variability in population curves when normalized to the single time point.

Tumor dose estimates were most accurate using delayed scanning at times beyond 72 hours. Dose to healthy tissues was best characterized by scanning patients in the first two days of treatment because of the larger degree of tracer clearance in this early phase.

"This work shows for the first time that following Lu-PSMA administration, it is possible to determine a good estimate of activity and absorbed dose with just a single measurement," noted Violet.

"Simplification of dosimetry methods to make them a routine application would greatly assist in developing radiobiological models specific to Lu-PSMA, and other radionuclide therapies, allowing optimization of therapy for individual patients that are maximally effective and safe."

Improved understanding of radiation dose-response to radionuclide therapy may provide a rationale for moving away from fixed activity prescriptions. This would allow clinicians to tailor treatments based on an individual patient's physiology so successive treatment cycles could be adjusted to yield improved treatment outcomes.

"The routine application of radiation dosimetry would be an important step in achieving the goal of 'dosimetry-led' treatment, providing significant improvements in both the safety and efficacy of treatment," explained Violet.

"The adoption of routine dosimetry across molecular imaging and nuclear medicine in general would be a major advance in the field for both the clinical application of established therapies and the optimization of novel treatments."
Rajesh Asnani By

Express News Service

Days after the Congress High Commands intervention led to Sachin Pilots homecoming, which implied an end to the crisis over the Ashok Gehlot-led government, Pilots difficulties dont seem to be ending.

With the pro-Gehlot Congress MLAs opposing the return of the rebel Pilot camp at a meeting on Tuesday night in Jaisalmer, even CM Gehlot has claimed that loyal Congress MLAs were only "naturally upset" at the truce and the tough time the party had to face over the past month due to the rebel Pilot camp.

Talking to media persons while boarding a flight for Jodhpur from Jaisalmer on Wednesday, CM Gehlot said, it's natural for MLAs to be upset. The manner in which this episode happened and the way in which they were forced to stay in hotels for a month, it was natural.

The Chief Minister further added I have told them that sometimes we need to be tolerant if we have to serve the nation, state, people and save democracy.

CM Gehlot has reportedly advised everyone to move on. "Forget and forgive, and move on," the Chief Minister remarked.

The CM added that the grievances of the all MLAs will be addressed and the matter will be resolved.

He further remarked, we will work together. Our friends who had gone away have now come back. I hope that we will do away with all our differences and fulfill our resolve to serve the state.

According to sources, at the legislative party meeting in Jaisalmer on Tuesday night, the pro-Gehlot MLAs had expressed displeasure with the high command's generosity towards Sachin Pilot and his loyal MLAs.

Some MLAs expressed reservations at the truce worked out between Pilot and Priyanka Gandhi.

Sources say over a dozen MLAs spoke against Sachin Pilot at the legislature party meeting and many said that even if Pilot and his group are not punished, they should not be rewarded.

Many MLAs clearly demanded that the rebel MLAs should not be accommodated either in the Gehlot ministry or on major positions in the party organisation.

Besides slogans in favour of Ashok Gehlot, many prominent MLAs like minister Parsadi Lal Meena, Ashok Chandana, Saleh Mohammed, Rajendra Pareek remarked about how the rebel pilot camp had caused lots of embarrassment to the party over the past month.

There was a lot of noise and commotion in the meeting and eventually central leaders like Avinash Pandey, Ajay Maken and Randeep Surjewala had to pacify the MLAs in the name of party unity.

The exact formula worked out between Pilot and Priyanka Gandhi is still not clear and is likely to become publically known once the expected Cabinet reshuffle and in the party organisation is finalized.

During their revolt, Sachin Pilot lost his two posts. While ministers Vishwendra Singh and Ramesh Meena were dropped from the Gehlot cabinet, some Pilot loyalists lost their positions in the state Congress unit.

The buzz is that the same faces will not be re-inducted but some other Pilot loyalists may be accommodated in the Gehlot ministry and in the PCC.

Meanwhile, the pro-Gehlot MLAs returned to Jaipur from Jaisalmer on Wednesday afternoon.

They will continue to stay at Hotel Fairmont in Jaipur where they had stayed for over a fortnight before they were shifted to Jaisalmer.

The herding of MLAs is likely to continue till the Assembly session begins on August 14.

However, MLAs of the Pilot camp have reportedly not been asked to come to the Fairmont Hotel. But an MLA of the Pilot group, G L Khatana remarked, "the High Command has assured us that there will be no discrimination towards us.

If there is any CLP meeting and the party's Chief Whip asks us to come, we will defintely attend the meeting."
Another Oakland County school system has opted to start the 2020-21 school year with students attending class remotely to avoid continued spread of the coronavirus.

The board for the Farmington Public Schools voted 5-2 on Tuesday night to follow the recommendations of the districts administration to start the year with online learning instead of in-class education.

The Farmington and Farmington Hills area were one of the harder hit areas in Oakland County in terms of the number of COVID-19 cases from early in the pandemics arrival in Michigan.

While Southfield and Oak Park saw the highest levels of cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, the four zip codes covering the communities of Farmington and Farmington Hills had the next highest levels of COVID-19, more than Royal Oak and Pontiac. Neighboring West Bloomfield Township also had high levels, and in recent weeks has seen an uptick in cases as well.

For students at Farmington Public Schools, the school year starts fully remote with all K-12 students in the districts Learning at a Distance plan, which will be in place until at least Oct. 30.

The districts K-5 Virtual Learning Path (VLP) is paused during this time, the district reported on its Facebook page.

The Farmington Voice reports that one of the no votes came from Board Vice President Terry Johnson, who said in-person learning is best, especially for special needs students and for all students mental health.

Farmington school leaders said planning will continue for a phase-in of in-person learning for certain populations after Oct. 30, as appropriate.

Other districts to start the year virtually include Rochester, Royal Oak, Berkley, Clarkston, Walled Lake, Waterford, Bloomfield Hills, and Avondale.

While Michigan, a state to be hit hard early on in the pandemic, has not seen the level of outbreak this summer as seen in Florida, Texas, Arizona, or California, the number of cases of COVID-19 in Michigan has increased throughout July and early August, compared to the downturn in cases in late May and June.
Royal biographies are ten-a-penny these days, but the latest release has been particularly hotly anticipated. It is Finding Freedom, published this week and written by journalists Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand, who aim to provide "the definitive story of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex", or Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to the rest of us.

The official line from the couple is that Finding Freedom is not an "authorised book" and that they were not interviewed on or off the record.

The most they will venture to say, via a spokesperson, is that they were "relaxed" about the authors' access to their inner circle. And yet, royal watchers remain unconvinced.

The level of innocuous detail is extraordinary, on everything from Prince Harry's favourite emoji (the ghost, for reasons unknown) to Meghan's preferred shade of lowlights and her pregnancy cravings.

Read More

Readers learn the closely guarded secret of their dog's name (Pula, a Setswana word meaning rain). But those eager to hear what the couple think about Prince Andrew's relationship with Jeffrey Epstein or the speculation surrounding Prince William, Kate Middleton and her rumoured "rural rival" will be left wanting.

That being said, there are some intriguing takeaways from the book.

Harry and Meghan fell for each other fast

After their first date, a friend notes they were "almost obsessed with each other", and by the next night, "Harry knew they would be together".

The authors note that Harry was particularly "sensitive to even the slightest hint of prejudice" and when asked whether Meghan was suitable, he wondered: "Is this about race? Is it snobbery?"

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Harry fell out with friends

He reportedly cut ties with an old friend who made "disparaging remarks" about Meghan's Hollywood background, and relations cooled with his childhood pal Tom 'Skippy' Inskip, who warned Harry about "rushing into things". So hurt was the prince that, although Mr Inskip was invited to the wedding, he was left off the list for the evening reception.

Mr Inskip is said to have told friends: "Meghan had changed Harry too much. We've lost him." However, by the time of Archie's birth, the two were back on friendly terms.

The unwanted publicity

There are "steamy" unpublished paparazzi photos that have never been published. Finding Freedom claims that Harry frequently reads stories about himself, including online comment sections, though Meghan tries to avoid her press.

The authors suggest it is Harry leading the war against tabloids and that, before he put out his first statement defending her in 2016, Meghan was reluctant, asking him: "Shouldn't we just ignore it?" Yet Harry, the book states, had made up his mind.

Things worsened during a trip to Jamaica in 2017, when a photographer captured pictures of the couple "in a steamy embrace on their private balcony", which sent Harry "apoplectic" with rage. The palace ensured the photos never saw the light of day.

Meghan was told off for wearing an initial necklace

Early in the relationship, Meghan was papped wearing a necklace bearing the initials H and M on a trip to the florist. A couple of days later, she received a call from a Kensington Palace aide scolding her for "encouraging" the photographers.

Meghan was reportedly "distraught" that someone from her boyfriend's office would tell her what jewellery to wear.

"I can't win," she told a friend. "It was only yesterday people online were saying I look miserable in pictures, because I was trying to just ignore the photographer."

Meghan and Kate Middleton were never close

According to the book, Meghan made efforts to break the ice on her first meeting with the Duchess of Cambridge, by bringing a leather notebook as a gift and cooing over Princess Charlotte.

The pair spent only a handful of times together before the wedding and though not "the best of friends", the book acknowledges there were no blazing catfights. The authors also debunk the story that Meghan "made Kate cry" after a bridesmaid's dress fitting, which sources dismiss as "ridiculous and so false".

There were awkward moments, such as when they were both going to the same street to do some shopping and Kate didn't offer Meghan a lift. However, a source says they had "a wonderful time" at Wimbledon together.

The brothers barely speak

The larger issue, the book posits, was the rift between the brothers.

It was partly down to how William responded to Meghan - referring to her dismissively as "this girl" and cautioning his brother not to be "blindsided by lust". But it was also a result of Harry growing tired of being a third wheel to his brother and sister-in-law.

Much of the tension, according to staffers, was due to money, and Harry having to ask his father for funding for work projects and being told William was "always the priority".

Finding Freedom reports Harry felt frustrated over the royal family's "no comment" policy, believing the palace was willing to bend the rules for higher-ranking members, such as when a spokesman denied Kate had Botox. A friend of Harry's also says he thinks his brother is "too concerned with press coverage".

Harry and Meghan shared pregnancy news at Princess Eugenie's wedding

Three days before announcing the news publicly, the authors claim the couple told family members they were expecting their first child at the wedding of Harry's cousin, Princess Eugenie.

According to the book, "it did not go down particularly well with Eugenie, who a source said told friends she felt the couple should have waited to share the news".

They fired a nanny in the middle of the night

The book states they were "forced to let go (a night nurse) in the middle of her second night of work for being unprofessional and irresponsible". There is no further explanation, though the incident reportedly left the couple uncomfortable sleeping through the night without checking on their son regularly, so they ended up letting go the second nurse they hired and taking on a weekday nanny instead.

Thomas Markle is no longer part of Meghan's life

Finding Freedom chronicles the collapse of Meghan's relationship with her father in the run-up to her wedding in heart-rending detail. Now, the authors write, Meghan no longer recognises Thomas Markle as "the man who raised her". She did, however, ask her mother Doria Ragland to text her ex-husband to share the news of Archie's birth.

Meghan, the book reports, "did not want him to find out after the rest of the world. But she didn't want to know whether her father replied to her mother's text".

Harry fought with Queen Elizabeth's dresser over Meghan's tiara

The book sets the record straight on a number of 'bridezilla' tales from Meghan's wedding, including that she demanded a different tiara from the queen.

The authors claim that the "dust-up" was between Harry and Angela Kelly, the queen's dresser. Meghan "loved" the tiara the queen chose for her, and made repeated requests to Angela Kelly, who handles the jewels, to borrow it for a hair trial ahead of the big day.

Weeks passed with no response, but Harry "didn't believe Angela was truly unavailable". There followed a "heated exchange", during which he accused her of "purposefully ignoring Meghan", the authors report.

Harry wanted to leave before he met Meghan

Though the book points out that the courtiers, and some family members, blame Meghan for their departure, it is clear throughout that Harry was leading the way.

He reportedly hated the public scrutiny, the press attention, and his position as the "spare". A source says: "Harry wanted out. Deep down, he was always struggling within that world. She's opened the door for him on that."

The couple published their exit plans without approval from the queen

The launch of SussexRoyal.com, the website outlining the couple's roadmap for their new life, took the family by surprise. According to Finding Freedom, Harry had been trying to discuss his plans with his father Prince Charles and the queen for weeks, but felt he was being "blocked".

When their plans leaked to The Sun, the couple decided to launch the site. The palace was stunned: aides had initially been presented with the "simple idea of spending more time abroad", and were now scrambling to sort through issues around funding, security and tax implications.

The "most painful" part of the exit agreement, Meghan told a friend, was Harry being stripped of his honorary military appointments, which she said was "so unnecessary".

However, the book notes, the frosty reception from the family at their final appearance in the UK, the Commonwealth Day service, confirmed that stepping away from the institution was "the right move".

They're taking a pause before their next steps

The couple were preparing to set up their new non-profit, Archewell, this summer. But, with a pandemic putting a halt to their plans, readers may have less sympathy for Harry and Meghan, holed up in a Beverly Hills mansion.

But after a whirlwind few months - and years - the admittedly "impulsive" couple are taking things slowly, the book states, and will launch Archewell only "when the time is right".

Finding Freedom: Harry and Meghan and the Making of a Modern Royal Family, by Omid Scobie and Carolyn Duran (17, HQ), is out now.
America can be proud of many things: our innovation, generosity and entrepreneurial spirit are unsurpassed. Yet when it comes to our nation understanding one of the greatest gifts ever given to humanitythe Biblewe're moving from dumb to dumber, and it's no laughing matter.
GERMANY

In Germany, schools are run by the 16 states which are re-opening classrooms on different timescales and with different rules.

In Schleswig-Holstein, where schools returned on Monday, pupils aged 11 and over are encouraged to wear masks in class, although it is not compulsory.

By contrast, in Berlin - which also went back this week - masks are compulsory in corridors and other communal rooms but not in playgrounds or during lessons.

The eastern state of Mecklenburg-West Pomerania became the first to reopen full-time after the break last week, but two schools have already had to close.

Some 800 students were forced to head home from the Goethe Gymnasium in Ludwigslust after a teacher tested positive for Covid-19.

Separately, 100 pupils from a primary school in Rostock have been placed under quarantine for two weeks after a pupil was confirmed infected.

Germany's most populous state of North Rhine-Westphalia went back today, with provisions for entire schools to be tested if an outbreak is detected.

In Bavaria, which has the highest death toll in Germany, schools are not going back until September 8.

State education ministers had agreed in July that schools will be back full-time operation in autumn, after offering only partial hours as the lockdown was eased.

But critics have questioned whether this will be realistic because infection rates are rising again across Germany.

Pupils wearing masks gather in a sports hall on the first day back at school in Duisburg in western Germany today

FRANCE

French schools are due to return on September 1 across the country, with no regional differences except for holiday dates later in the year.

Pupils older than 11 will be required to wear a mask in spaces where a one-metre distance cannot be guaranteed, including in classrooms.

Some masks will be handed out, but parents are generally expected to provide face coverings for their children.

Parents are also given the task of ensuring that their children do not attend school if they have a high temperature.

Younger pupils are generally not expected to wear masks, but they will be made available for any children who develop symptoms and are waiting to be picked up.

Teachers and pupils must wash their hands when they arrive at school, before they eat lunch and before they go home.

However, social distancing may be set aside in classrooms, libraries and canteens if it is 'not physically possible' or if some pupils would be excluded as a result.

In addition, restrictions have been lifted on different classes and year groups mixing with each other.

ROMANIA

Romanian PM Ludovic Orban pledged today schools would re-open in September under strict hygiene rules despite a spike in virus cases.

'Our decision is clear, schools will start on September 14', Orban said during a speech in parliament.

However, local authorities could decide to keep some schools shut if there were more then three new infections per 1,000 inhabitants in a particular area.

In that scenario students would then have to attend lessons online from home - but Orban has admitted that hundreds of thousands of Romanian children do not have access to a computer.

The government has promised to buy 250,000 tablets for students who can't afford one and need it for online lessons, but this may not be enough to meet demand.

The PM said students, teachers and other school staff will have to wear masks and that disinfectants should be available at all times.

Romania closed schools, kindergartens and universities in March and decided to keep them shut for the rest of the academic year.

NETHERLANDS

Dutch schools are due to start returning later this month, with some regions starting as soon as next Monday and others on August 23 or August 30.

Schools were only fully closed for a few weeks in the Netherlands, which started re-opening primary schools as early as May 11.

Secondary schools opened in part in June and are expected to resume their full teaching programme later this month.

The Dutch public health institute says that 'children play a minor role in the spread of the novel coronavirus', meaning restrictions are less strict than for adults.

The very youngest children in nurseries and kindergartens can even show up with a runny nose, as long as they are not showing signs of fever.

Older children should stay away from school if they have cold-like symptoms and should arrange a test to see if they have coronavirus.

Primary school children up to 12 years of age do not have to keep the usual 1.5m apart from each other and from adults, including in kindergartens.

Secondary school pupils do not have to keep apart from each other, but teachers are expected to observe the safety distance.

DENMARK

Denmark was the first country to re-open schools, sending the youngest children back to daycare centres as early as April 15.

Health authorities said there were no signs of a rebound in cases as a result - and many schools are opening again for the autumn term this month.

Education officials say pupils will be returning to a 'more normal everyday life', with the one-metre safety distance not necessary in the classroom.

However, the one-metre distance will still apply when children are mingling with people in other classes.

If a pupil tests positive, staff are expected to notify all the parents and children connected with the school by email or on their website.

Schools may shut down if this happens although they will have to justify their actions to the Danish Agency for Education and on their website.

SWITZERLAND

Schools are re-opening this month in Switzerland, with Basel returning earlier this week and Zurich on August 17.

Authorities in Basel said 26,000 children had returned to school on Monday, with pupils and teachers expected to keep their distance from each other.

Officials say hundreds of classrooms have been reconfigured over the holidays with unnecessary furniture removed to make more space for children to sit.

In Zurich, there is no mandatory safety distance for pupils in the three youngest year groups, while older children are expected to keep 1.5m apart.

Pupils are required to wear masks when they pass through the school buildings, but not during lessons or in the playground.

However, masks will be handed out by schools in Zurich so that pupils can wear them on public transport when they travel to school.

Some regions of Switzerland have imposed mask-wearing rules, including in Zurich where pupils are expected to cover their faces outside the classroom.

School trips are also allowed as long as staff draw up specific hygiene plans that conform with government requirements.

AUSTRIA

Schools in Austria - which has been praised for keeping its death toll relatively low during the pandemic - will return in early September.

Vienna has abolished the compulsory face-mask rule which was in place when pupils first went back before the summer holidays.

However, pupils will still have to wear masks when they travel to school on public transport under Austrian government rules.

Sports lessons have been allowed since early June, with individual schools left to decide on appropriate health measures.

Singing and after-school activities are also allowed - with up to 250 children allowed to gather indoors and 500 outdoors.

However, most children are expected to observe a one-metre safety distance, including with floor markings and one-way systems if necessary.

Austrian authorities have drawn up diagrams of how classrooms should be laid out so that children can sit one metre apart during lessons.

ITALY

Italian schools have been shut nationwide since March 5 after Italy became the first European country to suffer a major coronavirus outbreak.

However, the country's education minister announced in May that all schools would re-open in September, with distance learning continuing only for 'emergency reasons'.

In the hardest-hit region of Lombardy, kindergartens will re-open on September 7 and older children will return to classrooms on September 14.

The government has not yet decided whether pupils will be required to wear masks, although children aged six and under will not.

Officials say it is impractical to test everyone's temperature when they arrive at school, but children with a fever are required to stay away.

Lunch hours will be staggered so that children can still eat together, although they may have to do this in their classroom if the canteen is not properly equipped.
How the sub-regions of Margaret River could be split. Credit:Flametree Wines That process has since begun, with Wilyabrup wineries including the famed Cullen Wines and Fraser Gallop Estate applying for the area to become a registered geographical indication within Margaret River; just as Albany, Denmark and others did within the Great Southern wine region. But the bid has been halted in its tracks. On Wednesday last week, the Geographical Indications Committee decided not to make a final determination on Wilyabrup. Presiding member Dennis Mutton said part of the reason was there was still no agreement on the exact boundaries, or attributes, of the proposed region.

He also referenced the ongoing Margaret River Wine Association project, which involved the CSIRO, soil scientists, climate analysts, academics and experienced viticulturists and winemakers. "The project could potentially identify discrete viticultural areas within that GI that may meet the criteria for determination as separate GIs," Mr Mutton said. "It will also include trained panel sensory analysis to identify areas which are distinct in climate or soil characteristics that could set them apart from the remainder of the Margaret River region." Long-time Howard Park owner Jeff Burch has been in Margaret River almost as long as anyone and owns vineyards in Wilyabrup and other sub-regions of the South West wine mecca. He said Wilyabrup's push was a bit premature, given Margaret River was only 50 years old and the Margaret River Region Project study to evaluate links between landscape, climates, soil types and other variations with wine produced in the region was ongoing.

"I don't think they have gone about it the right way," Mr Burch said. Pioneering Margaret River wineries Vasse Felix and Leeuwin Estate were not consulted or engaged about the possibility of official geographical indication changes in the formal 2017 application to Wine Australia from Cullen Wines, Fraser Gallop, Lenton Brae, Moss Wood and Woodlands Wines. Marketing is a major sticking point for the region's industry, with some arguing sub-regions would help promote brands globally, like Moss Wood's Keith Mugford, whose family-run Wilyabrup winery has consistently produced some of Australia's most exceptional cabernet. "One of the issues we find with international consumers interested in those sorts of things is they don't have the clarity," Mr Mugford said. But Mr Burch, whose winery has been operating in Margaret River since 1986, said the region was still comparatively young on the international wine scene.

"I'm not opposed to [geographical indication] but for marketing reasons we are only 50 years old globally ... Burgundy is 1000 years old," he said. "You're destroying 50 years of work to build up the Margaret River name ... no one's even heard of Wilyabrup. "If you're going to do it, do it properly, and gather all the scientific data, which is what the project is currently trying to gather." It should be done for everyone, all the sub-regions, or we're creating elitism ... when it's about individuality. Margaret River winemaker Ryan Walsh MRWA chief executive Amanda Whiteland said the region was not yet able to scientifically validate where, or to what extent, uniqueness or uniformity occurred.

"It is with much relief the GIC has reached this decision," she said. "It gives us time to complete the necessary scientific work and for any GIs within Margaret River to be granted on a thorough scientific basis." For a region to earn its own geographical indication, it must produce at least 500 tonnes of grapes per year and include at least five vineyards that are not of common ownership. A wine that claims to be from Wilyabrup would also need to be made from at least 85 per cent of grapes grown in that region. Wine producers in Wilyabrup can continue to label their wines with 'Wilyabrup', provided the origin of the wine is not misleading.

Local winemakers Ryan and Freya Walsh's label Walsh & Sons produces wine from vineyards in Wallcliffe in two locations, Burnside and Osmington, which are kilometres apart. Loading "Much is yet to be discovered in style and soil, so we label our wines on their locality as opposed to the generalised sub-regions," Mr Walsh said. "We much prefer local names as they better represent the small communities that exist within Margaret River. "How do you decide on boundaries? In Wallcliffe, for example, you can be 2 kilometres from the coast, or 22 kilometres."
The selection of Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee for vice president  a senator from perhaps the most solidly Democratic state in the union  marks the latest evidence that gender and race have now surpassed geographic balance when it comes to building a ticket for the White House.

By selecting the junior senator from California, a state that Democrats have captured in every presidential election since 1992, Biden embraced the modern imperatives of Democratic coalition-building that have made the days of choosing running mates who could deliver their home states a relic of the past.

Harris, who is half Black and half Indian American, is not expected to scramble the electoral map nor was the Biden campaign looking to do so. The former vice president leads in polls of most of the crucial battlegrounds.

Instead, since Black voters resurrected his primary candidacy in South Carolina, Biden and his campaign team have made the pursuit of Black voters in November a centerpiece of his bid for the White House. And he had said from the start of the process that he would choose a woman as his running mate.

She is going to be a great motivator for this ticket, declared Rep. James Clyburn of South Carolina, a key Biden endorser.

If Harris does not put any particular new state into play, Democratic strategists and Biden allies were hoping her spot on the ticket could increase turnout and Bidens margins across the map and strengthen his position in states that Hillary Clinton lost in 2016, in no small part because of a drop in votes in African American communities.

That includes big cities in industrial states that President Donald Trump carried in 2016  Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin  where Democrats did not turn out at the same levels as they did for former President Barack Obama, as well as more Republican-leaning states with sizable Black populations, like North Carolina and Georgia, that the Democratic Party has poured resources into in 2020.

This is 1,000% a demographic selection, said Theodore R. Johnson, a senior fellow at the Brennan Center for Justice, who studies voting behavior among Black voters. He predicted that Harris would increase Black turnout.

In truth, for all the talk about geographic balance in presidential tickets, it has been decades since that was on the top of the punch list for presidential candidates looking for a running mate. Bidens list of finalists this year was evidence of that: Gretchen Whitmer, the governor of Michigan, was one of the few who fit that old model.

Geography died a long time ago as a decisive factor, Anita Dunn, a top Biden adviser, said of running mates in presidential elections.

In 2000, Al Gore lost his home state of Tennessee at the top of the ticket. In 2004, John Kerry picked a Southern running mate, John Edwards, who lost his home state of North Carolina. And in 2012, Paul Ryan did not help Mitt Romney in Wisconsin.

Geographic balance seems to be a thing of the political past with our 24/7 media cycle, said Scott Reed, who was the campaign manager for Bob Doles 1996 bid for president. Dole chose Jack Kemp of New York as his running mate; they lost New York to Bill Clinton.

Patrick Murray, director of the Monmouth University Polling Institute, said historical patterns had become increasingly clear. A vice president doesnt bring you states, he said. The last vice president who brought a state was Lyndon Johnson in 1960.

Gender and race are another matter, especially in todays political environment as Democrats seek to prevent Trump from winning a second term. Biden had said late in the primary season that he would select a woman as his running mate, and he had been lobbied aggressively for months to select a Black woman.

Many Democrats celebrated the history-making choice Tuesday. Not only has no Black woman ever been nominated for vice president or president; a Black woman has never served as governor of any state.

This has sent a lightning bolt of electricity across a base that has been watching and waiting and looking for a reason to be excited about this race, said Matt Morrison, executive director of Working America, a labor-backed political group with 3 million members. I have a Black mother who is literally through the roof, and she is emblematic of the visceral excitement of the base that drove Barack Obama to the White House.

The Biden campaign announced that the hour of Harris selection was the single best hour of the campaign in terms of fundraising. ActBlue, the partys main online donation-processing site, collected nearly $9 million between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m.

The praise for Harris potential impact came despite the fact that she failed, in her own 2020 presidential bid, to gain much traction among African American voters, who supported Biden over both her and the other Black candidates in the contest, Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey and Deval Patrick, the former governor of Massachusetts. And polling suggests that for all the pressure on Biden from African American leaders to pick a Black running mate, Black voters were far less likely to consider that a priority in the selection.

What weve been hearing even before today is theres a strong sense of urgency just to come out, said Angela Lang, executive director of Black Leaders Organizing for Community in Milwaukee. I think in some cases this will excite people, and I think it is also going to disappoint some people. But people arent going to sit out because of a VP pick.

Robert Shrum, director of the Center for the Political Future at the University of Southern California, said more than anything the choice of Harris should address one of the reasons Clinton lost to Trump so narrowly in 2016.

One of the problems in 2016 was a fall-off in the African American vote in Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania, he said.

Democrats also hope that the choice of Harris will also attract moderates in swing states, particularly in suburban areas where they are counting on increased support from suburban women.

Almost since the start of the 2020 contest, voters and pundits alike have floated that Harris might be destined to fill the No. 2 slot this year. She was pressed about this so often during her own presidential bid  sometimes to her visible irritation  that she once half-jokingly told reporters that Joe Biden would be a great running mate as her vice president.

Trump himself called Harris his No. 1 draft pick in a news conference Tuesday.

Terrie Rizzo, chair of the Florida Democratic Party, said the fact that Harris was the daughter of immigrants would be far more significant in helping the Biden ticket there than where she was from.

Geography matters less than it used to in the general scheme of things, Rizzo said. She is the daughter of immigrants. Florida is a state of immigrants.

Lis Smith, a Democratic strategist who was a top adviser to Pete Buttigieg for his presidential campaign, said that the notion that the selection would affect the electoral map was the biggest myth of the veepstakes.

It doesnt, she said. It hasnt in my entire lifetime.

But she said the choice of Harris was still politically potent. With all the issues around systemic racism, its really important symbolically to have a Black woman on the ticket, Smith said. Its about understanding the moment that were in.

c.2020 The New York Times Company
HOUSTON, Aug. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Service Corporation International (NYSE: SCI), the largest provider of deathcare products and services in North America, today announced that its Board of Directors has approved a quarterly cash dividend of nineteen cents per share of common stock. The quarterly cash dividend announced today is payable on September 30, 2020 to shareholders of record at the close of business on September 15, 2020. While the Company intends to pay regular quarterly cash dividends for the foreseeable future, all subsequent dividends, and the establishment of record and payment dates, are subject to final determination by the Board of Directors each quarter after its review of the Company's financial performance.

The Company also announced that its Board of Directors has increased the authorized level of repurchases of its common stock by approximately $431 million. When combined with approximately $69 million of authority remaining under the existing program, this represents a total of $500 million of current share repurchase authority effective today.

Cautionary Statement on Forward-Looking Statements

The statements in this press release that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements have been made in reliance on the "safe harbor" protections provided under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements may be accompanied by words such as "believe," "estimate," "project," "expect," "anticipate," or "predict," that convey the uncertainty of future events or outcomes. These statements are based on assumptions that we believe are reasonable; however, many important factors could cause our actual results in the future to differ materially from the forward-looking statements made herein and in any other documents or oral presentations made by, or on behalf of us. There can be no assurance that future dividends will be declared. The actual declaration of future dividends, and the establishment of record and payment dates, is subject to final determination by our Board of Directors each quarter after its review of our financial performance. Important factors which could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include, among others, restrictions on the payment of dividends under existing or future credit agreements or other financing arrangements; changes in tax laws relating to corporate dividends; a determination by the Board of Directors that the declaration of a dividend is not in the best interests of the Company and its shareholders; an increase in our cash needs or a decrease in available cash; or a deterioration in our financial condition or results. For further information on these and other risks and uncertainties, see our Securities and Exchange Commission filings, including our 2019 Annual Report on Form 10-K. Copies of this document as well as other SEC filings can be obtained from our website at http://www.sci-corp.com. We assume no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements made herein or any other forward-looking statements made by us, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

About Service Corporation International

Service Corporation International (NYSE: SCI), headquartered in Houston, Texas, is North America's leading provider of deathcare products and services. At June 30, 2020, we owned and operated 1,472 funeral service locations and 483 cemeteries (of which 296 are combination locations) in 44 states, eight Canadian provinces, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. Through our businesses, we market the Dignity Memorial brand which offers assurance of quality, value, caring service, and exceptional customer satisfaction. For more information about Service Corporation International, please visit our website at www.sci-corp.com . For more information about Dignity Memorial, please visit www.dignitymemorial.com .

For additional information contact:

Investors: Debbie Young - Director / Investor Relations, (713) 525-9088

Media: Jay Andrew - Director / Corporate Communications, (713) 525-5235

SOURCE Service Corporation International
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Kirill Dmitriev, the head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund which finances the vaccine project, said that he is confident the vaccine works quite effectively and forms a stable immunity.The Phase 3 trials are expected to start very soon. Industrial production of the vaccine is expected from September, and 20 countries including India, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, Philippines and UAE, have pre-ordered more than a billion doses.Putin said,during a televised video conference call with government ministers. He added that it is a very important step for the world and hopes to start mass production of the vaccine very soon.Putin added.On receiving the first vaccine injection, President Putin's daughter had a temperature of 38 degrees Celsius (100.4 Fahrenheit) which dropped to just over 37 degrees (98.6 Fahrenheit) on the following day.Putin added.Russia's first coronavirus vaccine is developed jointly by Gamaleya Research Institute and the Russian Defence Ministry. Health Minister Mikhail Murashko said that the vaccine will be produced at two sites, the Gamaleya Research Institute and the company Binnopharm., the Health Ministry said.WHO spokesman Tarik Jasarevic told a U.N. briefing in Geneva, referring to clinical trials, according to Reuters.Clinical trials of the vaccine began on June 18 and included 38 volunteers. All of the participants developed immunity. The first group was discharged on July 15 and the second group on July 20.In their final check-up all volunteers showed immunity, the Russian Defence Ministry said.Alexander Gintsburg, director of the Gamaleya National Research Centre, said that vaccine used inanimate particles created on the basis of adenovirus.He said there are no concerns that the vaccine could potentially cause harm to a person's health, addingThe healthcare workers and teachers are to be vaccinated initially and Russia hopes to vaccinate up to 60% of its population.Dr Anthony Fauci, the top US infectious disease specialist, questioned the fast-track approach last week.he said.According to WHO, more than one hundred vaccines are being developed around the world and at least four are in their Phase 3 human trail. WHO had earlier said all vaccine candidates should go through full stages of testing before being rolled out.Source: Medindia
PM Narendra Modi (File image)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi could soon announce the next set of the reforms, this time to rebuild the economy reeling under the impact of the coronavirus and consequent lockdown.

This time the focus could be on reorienting the tax system to make it more digitally focussed, defence procurements, and fast-tracking pending infrastructure projects, according to a report by The Economic Times. The steps might be unveiled as soon as August 13.

Moneycontrol could not independently verify the story.

Since the beginning of the lockdown, the government has initiated two schemes - Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana and Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan - to help citizens and the economy during the pandemic.

Also read: Mission Aatmanirbhar Bharat | COVID-19 crisis shows that Indian medical devices sector can rise to the challenge

The next set of measures might focus on rebuilding the domestic industry and making it more competitive, and might be included in the Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan, the report said.

"The first two sets of measures were to provide cushion to industry against the COVID shock," an official told the publication.

The measures will focus on manufacturing to boost the domestic industry and simultaneously make it more attractive for global companies to set up manufacturing units in India, the report said.
San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera introduced legislation this week to broaden the citys authority to restrict businesses from getting city contracts if theyve been charged with civil, criminal or administrative offenses.

Introduced in the aftermath of the City Hall corruption scandal touched off by the arrest of ex-Public Works Director Mohammed Nuru earlier this year, Herreras legislation would make several changes to city law designed to keep public money out of the hands of bad actors.

Federal officials charged Nuru with fraud over an alleged scheme to bribe an airport commissioner in exchange for help approving a lease for a chicken restaurant at San Francisco International Airport owned by Nick Bovis, who was arrested along with Nuru. Bovis has since agreed to cooperate with the U.S. attorneys office.

But the federal investigation into Nuru and an internal corruption probe led by Herreras office have revealed instances in which companies angling for city business allegedly provided Nuru with gifts in exchange for inside information and favoritism on city contracts.

We need to ensure that our laws provide robust protections that empower the city to block contractors engaged in misconduct from receiving taxpayer dollars, Herrera said in a statement.

This legislation gives San Francisco another tool to keep local government clean. Its our job to make sure that contractors have a level playing field to compete on and that those who cheat the system dont benefit, he said.

San Francisco can currently ban a business from contracting with the city for five years if officials can prove the business engaged in willful misconduct, including conviction of a crime or colluding to obtain the contract in the first place.

One part of Herreras proposed ordinance would allow the city to take the pre-emptive step of suspending business with contractors whove been indicted or charged with a civil or criminal offense, prior to any conviction.

Last month, Herreras office took the aggressive step of starting the process of barring AzulWorks, a company tied to the Nuru scandal, from bidding on or receiving city work for five years.

Federal officials filed criminal charges in June against the firms CEO, Balmore Hernandez  a former Public Works employee  for allegedly supplying Nuru with $250,000 worth of building materials for his vacation home in Stonyford (Colusa County) from late 2016 to 2018 in exchange for inside information and favored treatment on city contracts.

Jeff Chiu / Associated Press

Hernandez has not been convicted  the usual standard for cutting ties with a contractor. But Herreras office was able to independently confirm that Hernandez and AzulWorks gave Nuru more than $20,000 in unlawful labor and material for construction work, the main reason he was able to make a move before waiting for a conviction.

If there is enough evidence to charge someone in a criminal, civil or administrative matter, they should not be receiving city grants or contracts while the case is being decided, Herrera said.

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

The ordinance would also make it possible for the city to initiate a ban on a business if theyve provided money or gifts to public officials legally barred from receiving them from contractors.

It would also broaden the definition of contractor to include people who receive or apply for city grants, not just contracts for goods or services.

The city must be able to prohibit somebody who bribes an official from doing business with the city, period, Herrera said.

Herrera sent the proposed ordinance to the Board of Supervisors on Monday. His office is permitted to introduce legislation, but its not a common occurrence.

Dominic Fracassa is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: dfracassa@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @dominicfracassa
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-12 21:11:01|Editor: huaxia

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LUSAKA, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- The Zambian government has commended China for the support rendered over the years to help the southern African nation's development agenda.

Emmanuel Mwamba, Zambia Ambassador to Ethiopia and Permanent Representative to the African Union (AU) said Zambia will remain grateful to China for the financial, technical and material support that has been given over the years and for the support recently given in the form of medical equipment and supplies to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Zambian envoy, in remarks delivered at a high-level China-Africa joint response virtual meeting against COVID-19 pandemic in the Ethiopian capital called on China and other partners to support Zambia with the procurement of diagnostic, testing and other equipment urgently required for the fight.

He further called for support in securing anti-viral medicines and vaccines when they are developed and approved and called for the standardization and deployment of common technology platforms and support towards the pandemic.

He noted that this was key in achieving COVID-19 transmission reductions and prevention of deaths.

According to him, the Zambian government has demonstrated high-level political commitment in the fight against the pandemic, adding that the government has so far implemented effective preparedness and response to the pandemic, according to a release. Enditem
About 100 of our citizens are returning to Armenia on board the planes that delivered aid from Armenia to Lebanon. Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia (RA), Nikol Pashinyan, noted this in a Facebook post.

"Two of the planes have already arrived, and the third arrived a few hours ago.

The RA relevant structures are collecting data on the RA citizens who have become homeless and expressed a wish to return to Armenia. I have mentioned in one of my speeches that we must be able to quickly assess the needs of our citizens returning to the RA, so that the latter [the citizens] can establish their stay in the homeland without much difficulty.

Welcome to Armenia, dear compatriots. We are glad to receive all of you, and we are doing everything possible to organize the return of citizens wishing to return to the RA," Pashinyan added.
Mosio COVID-19 Use Case Workflow Most public health officials contacting us now are doing so because making voice phone calls are creating time and resource strains on their departments and staff.

Mosio recently announced its newly updated text message-based COVID-19 tracking and monitoring systems that are ideal for public health agencies of all sizes. With a focus on tracking symptoms and monitoring outbreaks as well as containing contagious diseases and helping at-risk individuals find appropriate health care, Mosio helps public health departments automate communications and provide more personalized care and resources for the individuals they serve.

Mosio has been working with public health departments across the United States to manage and control the spread of COVID-19 with text messaging-based tracking solutions since March 2020. It has now expanded the solution to provide more customization and flexibility, including the ability to communicate with multiple members in a household through a single mobile number.

Mosios solutions can be used in numerous ways, including pinpointing at-risk individuals and tracking daily symptoms. Automated daily messages give participants a way to alert public health departments to concerning symptoms, letting professionals gather real-time data in their communities while watching for potential outbreaks.

Two-way texting solutions also let health departments easily refer individuals for immediate health care, pointing them to testing facilities and health care facilities in their own communities. Through contact tracing and containment interventions via text, public health departments can use Mosios intelligence system to support the public health initiatives that are unique to their neighborhoods. Agencies can give participants the support that they need, arm them with the newest information so that they can stay safe and educate residents about COVID-19 and how they can care for their health through simple, automated communication channels.

Mosio has focused on real-time solutions for clinical research, public health, wellness helplines and much more since its establishment. The company understands how the needs of the healthcare and research industries are constantly changing and ensures that it continues to provide helpful and easy-to-use communication techniques that are designed to meet the unique needs of clients in the space.

Noel Chandler, Mosio CEO, states, Text messaging is the perfect technology to help public health agencies communicate efficiently with their communities, especially during a pandemic. Most public health officials contacting us now are doing so because making voice phone calls are creating time and resource strains on their departments and staff. They need a more efficient way to communicate.

Whether through notifications and alerts or for data collection, our system improves communications on mobile phones, the device people always have with them. We're proud to be able to offer Mosio to public health and research teams, helping them track and manage COVID-19 and other outbreaks on mobile's most popular channel, Chandler added.

Mosio offers a wide range of solutions that can be tailored to the needs of any public health department. Symptom-reporting hotlines, TextChat features for socially distanced communication and automated educational texts and reminders helps agencies reach even more people in their communities than ever before.

Click here for more information on Mosios COVID-19 tracking solutions.

About Mosio

Mosio enables public health agencies and clinical researchers to improve engagement, adherence, communications, and data collection on mobiles most popular channel: text messaging. Its secure, web-based software makes clients more efficient in how they communicate with patients through messaging automation and interactive elements delivered to user mobile phones.

https://www.mosio.com
Scientists have found that pasteurisation inactivates the novel in human milk, an advance that could help inform guidelines around safe expressing and storing of milk from COVID-19-infected mothers.

However, the study, published in the Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health, noted that breastfeeding is still safe for mothers with COVID-19, adding that there is no evidence to suggest the novel SARS-CoV-2 can be transmitted via breastmilk.

According to the scientists, including those from the University of New South Wales (UNSW) in Australia, the country has five human milk banks which screen donors for diseases, test the milk, and pasteurise it to ensure it is safe for medically fragile babies.

"While there is no evidence that the virus can be transmitted through breast milk, there is always a theoretical risk," said Greg Walker, lead author of the study from UNSW.

"We've seen in previous pandemics that pasteurised donor human milk (PDHM) supplies may be interrupted because of safety considerations, so that's why we wanted to show that PDHM remains safe," Walker said.

In the study, the scientists experimentally infected small amounts of frozen and freshly expressed breast milk from healthy donors.

"We then heated the milk samples -- now infected with SARS-CoV-2 - to 63 degree Celsius for 30 minutes to simulate the pasteurisation process that occurs in milk banks, and found that after this process, they did not contain any infectious, live virus," Walker said.

"Our findings demonstrate that the SARS-CoV-2 virus can be effectively inactivated by pasteurisation," he added.

According to the researchers, the experiments simulated a theoretical worst-case scenario.

"The amount of virus we use in the lab is a lot higher than what would be found in breast milk from women who have COVID-19 -- so we can be really confident in these findings," Walker added.

Laura Klein, a senior study author, said the purpose of the research was to provide evidence behind what people already expected.

"Pasteurisation is well known to inactivate many viruses, including the coronaviruses that cause SARS and MERS. These findings are also consistent with a recent study that reported SARS-CoV-2 is inactivated by heat treatment in some contexts," she said.

The researchers also tested if storing SARS-CoV-2 in human milk at 4 or -30 degree Celsius would inactivate the virus, which they said is the first time a study has assessed the stability of experimentally infected SARS-CoV-2 in human milk under common storage conditions.

"We found that cold storage did not significantly impact infectious viral load over a 48-hour period," Walker said.

"While freezing the milk resulted in a slight reduction in the virus present, we still recovered viable virus after 48 hours of storage," he added.

The researchers believe the fact that SARS-CoV-2 was stable in refrigerated or frozen human milk could help inform guidelines around safe expressing and storing of milk from COVID-19 infected mothers.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Residents returning to New South Wales from Victoria no longer have to pay $3,000 for hotel quarantine.

Anyone who has returned from Victoria and already paid for their two weeks in quarantine will get their money back.

The fees will restart on September 11, giving residents a month to get home without having to pay.

'We have listened to the concerns of NSW residents who say they cannot afford to come home to NSW and will now give them more time to return, Premier Gladys Berejiklian said.

Residents returning to New South Wales from Victoria no longer have to pay $3,000 for hotel quarantine. Pictured: ADF troops helping with quarantine in Sydney

'We are asking any NSW residents who are in Victoria and want to come home to make their way back to NSW before Friday, 11 September if they want to avoid paying for hotel quarantine.'

Health Minister Brad Hazzard said several of NSW residents wanting to come home are experiencing hardship.

'We understand the cost associated with hotel quarantine has made it difficult for NSW residents to return home from Victoria  that is why we have waived that cost for the next month,' Mr Hazzard said.

'These changes are also retrospective and will apply to NSW residents who have travelled from Victoria and are already in hotel quarantine.'

Hotel quarantine for people returning from Victoria has been in place since August 7.

The moratorium on the hotel quarantine charge will expire at 12:01am on September 11.
Election 2020 Myanmar Authorities Say Election Boycott Campaign May Face Legal Action

A No Vote page on social media. / Myo Min Soe / The Irrawaddy

YANGONMyanmars Union Election Commission (UEC) has said that any attempt to call for a boycott of the countrys November election violates election law, according to commission member U Myint Naing.

Some Myanmar voters have recently called on their fellow citizens not to vote in the general election, which is scheduled for Nov. 8, complaining that the National League for Democracy (NLD) government has been unable to fulfill the expectations of voters who supported the party in the 2015 general election.

In recent weeks, the calls have gradually grown into a No Vote campaign, prompting a debate on social media over the legality of urging people not to cast votes in the election.

According to Article 2 (n) of the Election Law, the right to vote is defined as the right of a person to vote or to refrain from voting in the election. But according to the UEC, encouraging others not to vote in the election violates Articles 57, 58 (b) and (d), 60 and 61 (b) and (c) of the Election Law.

To vote or not to vote is the right of an individual, but encouraging others not to vote violates those articles, said U Myint Naing.

Article 57 criminalizes the use of violence, threats, undue influence, cheating and taking or giving of bribes to prevent a person from exercising the right to vote or run in an election. Article 58 (b) criminalizes threatening a candidate or a voter to prevent them from freely exercising their voting rights.

Article 60 criminalizes disturbing any eligible voter so as to prevent them from casting a vote on election day. Article 61 (b) bars soliciting a voter to vote or exhorting and inducing them not to vote for a Parliament candidate. Article 61 (c) bars exhorting and inducing someone to vote or not vote in the election.

All the articles carry a possible sentence of one year in prison and a fine of 100,000 kyats (US$72.90).

U Myint Naing said that complaints regarding these electoral offences can be filed with the police.

Article 65 (b) of the Election Law says voters, candidates, election agents and members of election sub-commissions and polling stations can file complaints with credible evidence about electoral offenses before or during the election and within 15 days after election day.

When asked if election authorities will take action against the No Vote campaign, U Myint Naing said, We will act in line with the law. There are legal provisions. Thats all I want to say.

According to the UEC, some 37 million people are eligible to cast votes in the November election.

Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko.

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(TNS)  The trend toward robots and computers taking jobs people have held is getting a big push from COVID-19.A human face behind the counter is traditionally a welcome sight, but now people are warier of close contact with strangers. That opens the door to robots taking orders, flipping burgers, even delivering room service meals."This was an issue for germaphobes, and now everybody is going to be a germaphobe. The future started in March," said Johannes Moenius, a University of Redlands business professor.Adding some robots can help factories keep up production when they must limit the number of human workers for safety's sake. Robots can even do now-dangerous hospital jobs such as cleaning rooms and allowing doctors and nurses to communicate remotely with patients to minimize staff exposure.In a June survey, 44% of corporate financial officers said they were considering more automation in response to coronavirus issues.Experts and advocates say states and cities must help workers displaced by automation, though most agencies are overwhelmed with a backlog of unemployment claims they must clear first.Employers adopting automation usually stress that workers may find it more fulfilling to do more involved tasks while robots do the grueling jobs.Fast food chain White Castle plans to start using a robot fryer named Flippy this fall in Chicago, a measure to minimize human contact with food. The company said workers should be able to help more customers while Flippy does its "time-consuming and dangerous" job over a vat of hot oil.A skilled welder is "a happier employee" doing complex welds while a robot does the routine stuff, according to a welding company that started using robots in Bloomer, Wisconsin, in March.Robot welders have been popular because of pandemic worker safety issues, and because more companies are bringing back work to the United States from overseas to avoid pandemic supply chain issues. Companies also find welding robots easier to train with new phone apps, said Rob Goldiez, CEO of Nashville, Tennessee-based Hirebotics, which rents them by the month.Meat processing plants are critical to the food supply and have stayed open, but virus outbreaks have been common in the noisy, crowded plants that often depend on shouted communication, which can spread the virus.Tyson Foods, which already was experimenting with automation, sped up work on a robot chicken butcher in recent months, citing increased urgency because of the pandemic.Jobs also could be automated for better-educated knowledge workers, including some computer programmers, medical assistants and sales professionals. For example, some convention planners and IT workers depend on conventions, large meetings and office computer systems endangered by new work-at-home policies and travel bans."The new generation is now more adept and amenable to meetings being held online and distance learning. They now realize you don't have to travel to a convention in Las Vegas or Orlando or New Orleans," said John Restrepo, a Las Vegas-based economic consultant. "This is going to have a permanent effect."Before the pandemic, Moenis, the University of Redlands professor, predicted the largest share of jobs at risk were in Sun Belt migration magnets, such as Orlando, Florida, inland California and Las Vegas. COVID-19 threatens more of those jobs, even the customer service jobs once deemed safe.Those areas have drawn flocks of new residents looking for warm weather, recreation and a low cost of living. But the resulting jobs are low-wage gigs in stores and restaurants that cater to tourists and retirees, the kind of jobs now threatened by robot workers.Parts of North and South Carolina, Texas, Kentucky and Indiana also are particularly vulnerable, according to Moenius' 2017 study, because of low-skill jobs in mining or factories that can be performed by machines.States and cities have a responsibility to help workers displaced by automation, since employees who lose their job to automation often turn to lower-paying service jobs, Brookings Institution experts argued in a report last year. Such workers need financial help and training to adjust to new jobs, the report concluded.But the pandemic likely will delay such plans, said Mark Muro, an author of the report and a policy director at Brookings, because state labor agencies are buried under unemployment claims."After that, the first thing is to support creation of jobs. I think virtually all states understand that," Muro said. "With this extraordinary unemployment, you have to match people to available jobs when automation is quietly chipping away at them."Rural areas, where companies have built many factories because of lower labor costs, are particularly vulnerable to "task replacement" by robots and other machinery, according to the Brookings report.Moenius agreed that helping workers acquire skills will improve their job security."We have to have a skills offensive, in terms of pushing and appealing and squeezing and whatever we can to support workers stepping up the ladder and acquiring more skills," Moenius said.But some workers may not make that transition from factory work to fixing and programming robots and computers."Not everybody is going to learn to code," said Patrick Dicks, who spent time last year talking to factory workers in rural South Carolina for his doctoral dissertation at Robert Morris University in Pennsylvania. He's since heard from some workers worried about coronavirus outbreaks in factories such as one in a Bridgestone Tire plant in Aiken County.Factory jobs are especially important in South Carolina, where 19 of 46 county economies are dependent on manufacturing, according to the Economic Research Service at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, a rate behind only Indiana and similar to Ohio and Wisconsin."If they lose the job they're in, they may be completely lost," Dicks said. "These are people who just want to work with their hands, to make something. I don't think they know what's coming."Even those predicting vast workplace changes over the next 20 years, like Moenius, were surprised at how coronavirus fears have moved automation to center stage.An Oxford University study in 2017 found that 86% of restaurant jobs, 85% of manual labor and 92% of retail sales jobs could be automated. Moenius said he initially thought it would happen by 2035 but the pandemic has pushed that timeline up as much as five years.Now, fast food venues everywhere are adding kiosks for contact-free ordering, department stores are dropping off automated orders at the curb, and robots are delivering towels and room service at Hilton and Marriott hotels."Two years ago, I was saying that customer interaction was something people value, that you would always need people in that role," Moenius said. "The pandemic has pushed everything forward."
By Express News Service

The Royal College of Art (RCA) has opened its muchtalked about graduate show to the world online; featuring 850 exemplary students from around the world. It kickstarted the careers of famous creatives such as artist David Hockney, industrial designer Sir James Dyson, and the well known art critic, historian and curator, Geeta Kapur, from the Indian turf.

The Morning Standard spoke to a few Delhi-based artists showcasing their artworks at the show.

Deepak Kathait has artworks with a work-in-progress theme that explores the spiritual, metaphysics and nature themes. He experiments with various materials, techniques across mediums such as photography, drawing, painting, print and digital media, and combines abstraction and minimalism. Kathait has shown his works at the Gujral Foundation, Lalit Kala Academy, India Habitat Centre, All India Fine Art and Craft Society. Ravista Mehra has a BFA in Graphic Design and Comparative Literature and Creative Writing from the Rhode Island School of Design.

She views her role of a designer being equivalent to that of a storyteller. That is what I am. A bilingual storyteller and visual communicator from New Delhi. As a designer, my practice lies in the interdisciplinary fields of graphic design, photography, filmmaking, writing and research. The world is built around misconceptions, and to me design is one of the lenses that allows clarifications.

She aims to decolonise the world and appreciate the others stories.

The framework I am leaving RCA with is one of questioning, dismantling and rebuilding. Decolonising yourself is the first step. I will attempt to unlearn and relearn for the rest of my life, in my personal and professional life, she says. Architect Aarushi Kalra aims to be methodical in her work.

I like design to be curious, introspective and inquisitive, that delves into an idea bigger than just spatial experience. My projects have explored boundaries between architecture, interiors and other fields of art and design, opening my mind to infinite possibilities.

In relation to India, she strives to strike a balance between tradition and modernity. I enjoy making spaces that are complex in conception but are easy to experience and engage with, she says. Siddhi Gupta  an illustrator working with education, culture and communication  incorporates notes, words, visuals, workshops and rarely performances in her work. Passionate about the application of art and design in education, Siddhi wants to facilitate engagement with her work.
The Oa Giants  BIll Donnelly, Keith Garry, John McElroy, Dominic Mudge, Colin Lindsay and Chris Judge after becoming the first to complete the challenging swim from the Isle of Islay in Scotland to the Giants Causeway in Northern Ireland (Karen Brown/PA)

A group of swimmers from Northern Ireland have conquered one of the most challenging stretches of water in the British Isles.

The Oa Giants became the first to complete the swim between Islay in Scotland and the Giants Causeway in Northern Ireland at the weekend, after setting a new record for the North Channel the previous weekend.

Padraig Mallon, a director of Infinity Channel Swimming, who steered the pilot boat, told the PA news agency that the six men are the first to have completed the Oa Channel.

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He said the channel is so challenging because of strong currents where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Irish Sea and the sea from the Scottish islands, as well as swirling eddies around Rathlin Island.

Its a mixture of everything and the open Atlantic coming with large swell going one direction, waves going a different direction and then wind going a different direction  you are really out in the open ocean and that is probably why it has taken so long to achieve, he said.

Jacqueline McClelland, also a director of Infinity, said the swim has been planned since 2014, but it took years for the right conditions of weather, tides and a strong enough group of swimmers to come together.

The successful team, now dubbed the Oa Giants  Keith Garry, Dominic Mudge, Bill Donnelly, Chris Judge, Colin Lindsay and John McElroy  broke the North Channel relay record time on their practice swim.

The record, set from the Gobbins in Co Antrim to Portpatrick, Scotland, on Sunday August 2, took nine hours, two minutes and 41 seconds, as verified by the Guinness Book of Records.

The OA GIANTS Officially Guinness World Records holders for their North Channel one way relay crossing... Posted by infinity Channel Swimming on Monday, August 10, 2020

Mr Judge, from Portadown, Co Armagh, was first in the water on the Oa swim and described it as a real mental battle.

I dove in and hit two lions mane jellyfish straight away, one up the face, then had to navigate through them to land  the videos at the start look beautiful and picturesque but people dont realise what you are seeing in that water, he said.

They took turns to swim through the night, starting at 8pm on Saturday evening.

Mr Judge, who previously completed the North Channel swim solo, described his stints as three of the toughest swims he had ever done.

At times morale was really down on the boat. We had six quality swimmers  four of us can knock out 5kph  we were getting in, knocking our pan in, getting out to find we had only 2km done, and sometimes maybe sideways, he said.

Swimming through the night can be traumatising  you just follow the light. Someone blew a whistle when there were jellyfish, and when you hear that whistle when you are in the water it is not nice, and that whistle didnt stop right through the night.

The last two hours you really saw the whole boat, whole crew coming to life and roaring the swimmers in the water home.

Expand Close Portadown man Chris Judge touches land at Portpatrick in Scotland as his relay team sets a new record for a North Channel swim earlier this month. (Chis Lindsay/PA) / Facebook

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Whatsapp Portadown man Chris Judge touches land at Portpatrick in Scotland as his relay team sets a new record for a North Channel swim earlier this month. (Chis Lindsay/PA)

At 38, Mr Judge was the youngest in the team, and said he felt you need to be older to complete such challenging swims.

I couldnt have done these sorts of swims at a younger age. I think when you get a bit older you gain a bit of weight, which helps, but also you need a few things to have happened in your life, maybe bad things, to know how to dig in, he said.

Eighty per cent of it is mental, when you have went through a few things in your life, it definitely helps you in that channel.

While most of the sea life they saw were jellyfish and seals, the North Channel swim saw a mother and infant dolphin join Mr Donnelly in the water.

Expand Close A team of swimmers from Northern Ireland, dubbed the Oa Giants, supported by Infinity Channel Swimming became the first to conquer the Oa Channel from Islay in Scotland to the Giants Causeway in Northern Ireland last weekend. (Chris Lindsay/PA) / Facebook

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Whatsapp A team of swimmers from Northern Ireland, dubbed the Oa Giants, supported by Infinity Channel Swimming became the first to conquer the Oa Channel from Islay in Scotland to the Giants Causeway in Northern Ireland last weekend. (Chris Lindsay/PA)

There are limited windows of opportunity each year to swim the North Channel when the water temperatures and weather are milder, and during a neap tide.

Three people had attempted the swim by Wednesday but had not been successful, with five more to try in the coming weeks.

Mr Mallon said several swims have been delayed until next year after the closing of pools due to the coronavirus pandemic interrupted training.
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Lai Xiaomin, former board chairman of China Huarong Asset Management Co., Ltd., pled guilty to charges of taking bribes, embezzlement, and bigamy during an open trial at the Second Municipal Intermediate People's Court of Tianjin on Tuesday.

Lai was accused of taking advantage of his various posts or the convenience associated with his status to seek illegitimate benefits for others between 2008 and 2018, according to an indictment .

In return, he accepted money and gifts worth approximately 1.79 billion yuan (over 256 million U.S. dollars), of which more than 104 million yuan was never received.

From the end of 2009 to January 2018, Lai took advantage of his positions to illegally seize public funds of more than 25.13 million yuan, in collusion with others, said the indictment.

Lai was also charged with bigamous violations of his legal marriage, including fathering two illegitimate children, according to the indictment.

During the trial, prosecutors presented evidence, which the defendant and his lawyers examined in turn. Both sides gave their full accounts of events.

In his final statement, Lai pled guilty and expressed remorse.

The trial was open to the public and was attended by legislators, political advisors, the press and members of the public.

The sentence will be announced at a later date.
Chocolate Market Research Report by Type (Couverture Chocolate, Dark Chocolate, Handcrafted Gourmet Chocolates, Milk Chocolate, and Regular Chocolate), by Distribution Channel (Convenience Stores, Departmental Stores, Specialist Retailers, and Supermarkets and Hypermarkets) - Global Forecast to 2025 - Cumulative Impact of COVID-19

New York, Aug. 11, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Chocolate Market Research Report by Type, by Distribution Channel - Global Forecast to 2025 - Cumulative Impact of COVID-19" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p05913821/?utm_source=GNW



The Global Chocolate Market is expected to grow from USD 87,982.09 Million in 2019 to USD 127,534.02 Million by the end of 2025 at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 6.38%.



Market Segmentation & Coverage:

This research report categorizes the Chocolate to forecast the revenues and analyze the trends in each of the following sub-markets:



Based on Type, the Chocolate Market studied across Couverture Chocolate, Dark Chocolate, Handcrafted Gourmet Chocolates, Milk Chocolate, Regular Chocolate, and White Chocolate.



Based on Distribution Channel, the Chocolate Market studied across Convenience Stores, Departmental Stores, Specialist Retailers, and Supermarkets and Hypermarkets.



Based on Geography, the Chocolate Market studied across Americas, Asia-Pacific, and Europe, Middle East & Africa. The Americas region surveyed across Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, and United States. The Asia-Pacific region surveyed across Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, South Korea, and Thailand. The Europe, Middle East & Africa region surveyed 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 Chocolate Market including Arcor, August Storck KG, Ezaki Glico Co. Ltd, Fererro Group, Ghirardelli Chocolate Co., Hershey Foods Corporation, Kraft Foods, Mars Inc, Meiji Co Ltd, Mondelez International, Moonstruck Chocolatier Co., and Nestle SA.



FPNV Positioning Matrix:

The FPNV Positioning Matrix evaluates and categorizes the vendors in the Chocolate 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 the market 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 Chocolate Market?

2. What are the inhibiting factors and impact of COVID-19 shaping the Global Chocolate Market during the forecast period?

3. Which are the products/segments/applications/areas to invest in over the forecast period in the Global Chocolate Market?

4. What is the competitive strategic window for opportunities in the Global Chocolate Market?

5. What are the technology trends and regulatory frameworks in the Global Chocolate Market?

6. What are the modes and strategic moves considered suitable for entering the Global Chocolate Market?

Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05913821/?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.



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Chevrons interest in the giant offshore Leviathan gas field in the Mediterranean is the starting point for what ended as a $5-billion acquisition of Noble Energy, Reuters reports, citing a regulatory filing.

The filing reveals that Chevron initially planned to take a 50-percent stake in the Israeli field that Noble Energy is developing in partnership with local Delek. The fields development will cost billions of dollars, so Noble was on the prowl for a partner to shoulder part of the burden.

But things worsened.

As the oil industry collapsed this year and Noble swung into a loss of as much as $4 billion, the companys board decided to sell the whole company. To pick the best suitor, Noble invited eight energy companies to share whether they would be interested in its Leviathan stake and then negotiated with six of these. Chevron was the final pick as the rest were eventually determined to be either high-risk or unable to deliver any real benefit to the company.

Chevron said last month that it had entered a definitive agreement to acquire Noble Energy in an all-stock transaction valuing the company at close to $5 billion. Chevron and Noble Energys boards unanimously approved the deal, which is expected to close in Q4 2020, subject to the approval of Noble Energy shareholders, regulatory approvals, and other customary closing conditions.

Commenting on the deal, the chief executive of Leviathan partner Delek Drilling said the acquisition could place the gas field on the world energy stage and turn it into a global supplier of LNG. This would be in line with Israels plans to gain more clout on international gas markets, but it may take a while given the current oversupply on said markets.

We dont have in our group the LNG capabilities, Yossi Abu said as quoted by Reuters. Chevron brings a significant LNG capability into the Leviathan project, and Im sure that they will enhance our capabilities to take Leviathan from local and regional to a global supplier of gas.

By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Local and statewide Democratic leaders are praising Kamala Harris historic selection as Joe Bidens running mate in the upcoming presidential election.

The choice makes Harris, a first-term California senator, the first Black woman and the first person of Indian descent to compete on a major party's presidential ticket.

Houston NAACP President James Douglas said Harris brings a unique understanding of working-class Americans  something that he said has been missing from the White House in recent years.

If you look at the last few elections, with the exception of Trump, the White House has basically been an Ivy League White House, he said. So we had a lot people controlling this country who werent really middle Americans, and didnt understand the plight of middle Americans. I think shell bring middle America to the White House.

Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis said he first met Harris more than 30 years ago, when she and his wife were classmates at Howard University. He said he watched her career since law school, and he is not surprised to see her making history as the Democratic vice presidential nominee.

Throughout her career, she has been a champion for the people, fighting for economic equity, justice, and opportunity for everyone, he said. She helped tackle the ban on marriage equality, won $20 billion for families back from big banks that were foreclosing on their homes, and always ensures that we do not forget when issues disproportionately impact communities of color.

Harris spoke in Houston last year at the African American Mayors Association Conference, hosted by Mayor Sylvester Turner. In a phone interview, Turner lauded her easygoing personality and ability to relate to people with diverse backgrounds.

(Her selection) says that a kid that grew up as she did, as a product of busing, can land as the vice president of the United States, and on the United States Senate  only the second African American woman to serve, he said.

The Texas Democratic Party said it was thrilled with the choice, adding that the Biden/Harris ticket will be the biggest coordinated campaign in Texas Democratic Party history.

Whether its fighting to lower mortality rates for Black women, ensuring that Americans struggling from COVID - 19 are getting the support they need, working inside of our criminal justice system to reform it, or holding the Trump Administration accountable on the crucial Senate Intelligence and Judiciary Committees, simply put Kamala Harris leads, according to the partys statement. She and Vice President Biden are the right team to lead America out of the dark era of Trumpism and into our next generation.

Texas GOP Party Chairman Allen West also issued a statement saying the selection was based on identity politics, not character.

In Texas we do not want the failed economic policies of California  nor its far left progressive socialism  in the Lone Star State, West said. Theres a reason why people are fleeing California, and other failed blue states, for the growth, opportunity, and promise of Texas.

Democratic State Rep. Senfronia Thompson, whose district covers Humble and other parts of north Harris County, said Harris will help restore integrity and decency in the White House.

Senator Kamala Harris is an outstanding, reputable leader who is bound to make history not only as the first Black Woman Vice President, but as an unprecedented fighter for Americans all across our country, she said.

julian.gill@chron.com
Minneapolis: State prosecutors have rejected an argument by a fired Minneapolis police officer charged in George Floyds death that he was just a rookie overridden by a senior officer at the scene.

Prosecutors on Monday opposed the fired officers motion to be dismissed from the case. Thomas Lane is charged with aiding and abetting both second-degree murder and manslaughter in Floyd's death.

Former police officer Thomas Lane walks through security as he arrived for a hearing at the Hennepin County Government Centre in Minneapolis. Credit:AP

The defence contends that Lane, 37, was only on the job four days when Floyd died after veteran Officer Derek Chauvin pressed his knee against the handcuffed Black mans neck for nearly eight minutes on May 25 as Floyd repeatedly said he could not breathe.

In the prosecution's motion, Minnesota Attorney-General Keith Ellison argued there is no free pass under state law for rookies who choose to disregard their training at the suggestion of a senior officer," and that Lane ignored Minneapolis Police Department policy that requires officers to try to stop another officer who is inappropriately applying physical force.
China has eased entry restrictions for nationals from 36 European countries, months after thousands were left stranded when the country closed its borders and slashed flights to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

Almost all foreign nationals were forbidden from entering the country when Beijing imposed the measures in March, even those with Chinese work or residence permits or family living in the country.

But this week China said it would relax some of the bureaucratic requirements for Europeans hoping to re-enter.

The new rules will allow European passport holders from 36 countries - including France, Germany and the UK - with a valid residence permit to apply for a Chinese visa without an invitation letter, according to a notice by the Chinese embassy in Berlin published Wednesday.

Everyone returning to China has to reapply for their visa, since travel documents issued before the pandemic have been nullified.

Previously, China had allowed only a small number of skilled foreign workers to return with special official invitation letters -- a process which proved slow.

China's foreign ministry said in a statement published Monday that European passport holders who qualify will now be allowed to "apply for a Chinese visa free of charge".

Anyone coming from abroad is still subject to COVID-19 tests and a 14-day quarantine -- and will still have to find a plane ticket, after Beijing ordered a drastic reduction in international air links at the end of March, and prices soared.

Some of these strict flight quotas are also being lifted, with Air France allowed to operate three weekly flights between China and France from the end of August.

China has largely brought the spread of COVID-19 under control after the disease first emerged there late last year, but there has been a series of local clusters in recent months.

bar-prw/rox/leg
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-13 00:01:59|Editor: huaxia

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UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday called for a comprehensive approach to peacebuilding and sustaining peace amid challenges posed by the pandemic.

"More than ever, multidimensional, coordinated and conflict-sensitive responses and whole-of-society approaches are crucial. They are key to ensuring that peacebuilding and sustaining peace initiatives go hand-in-hand with inclusive and sustainable development, anchored in the protection and promotion of human rights, gender equality, and the commitment to leave no one behind," he told the Security Council.

"COVID-19 is a human tragedy. But we can mitigate the impacts by the choices we make."

First, responses to the pandemic must be conflict-sensitive, starting with a multidimensional analysis that looks at how the pandemic affects underlying risks that drive conflict, he told an open debate of the Security Council on pandemics and the challenges of sustaining peace.

Second, inclusion is critical in the design of humanitarian and development responses to pandemics. Dialogues, especially with communities and marginalized groups, help rebuild trust and enhance social cohesion.

Third, sustaining peace requires an integrated and coherent approach through strong collaboration across humanitarian, development and peace actors.

Fourth, there is a need for flexibility and a tailored approach to peacebuilding needs in the context of the pandemic, he said. Enditem
MINSK, Belarus - Thousands of protesters rallied in Belarus capital and other cities for a fourth straight night Wednesday, decrying an election they say was rigged to extend the 26-year rule of the countrys authoritarian leader and the crackdown on subsequent demonstrations.

In several parts of Minsk, groups of hundreds of people formed human chains. Motorists blared horns in support and, in some areas, slowed to a crawl to block police vehicles. On one avenue, people stood on balconies, clapping in an expression of support. Riot police fired rubber bullets at them.

Similar protests were held in at least five other cities, according to the Viasna rights group, to contest the official election results, which show President Alexander Lukashenko won a sixth term with 80% of Sundays vote and the main opposition challenger garnered 10%. Crowds have taken to the streets every night since to demand a recount.

Earlier in the day, groups of hundreds of women formed human chains in several districts of Minsk, chanting Shame! and calling for an end to the crackdown on the demonstrations. Hesitant to use force against all-women rallies, police dispersed them without violence.

But in recent nights, authorities have responded with a level of brutality remarkable even during Lukashenkos rule. Police have dispersed protesters with tear gas, stun grenades, water cannons and rubber bullets and severely beat them with truncheons. Black-uniformed officers chased protesters into residential buildings and deliberately targeted journalists, beating many and breaking their cameras.

We stand for a peaceful protest, said Ksenia Ilyashevich, a 23-year-old IT specialist who joined other women at a Minsk protest earlier Wednesday. We worked up the courage and came out to rally. We stand here for all.

In three previous nights of protests, at least 6,000 people have been detained and hundreds injured, according to the official count, but even that high toll appeared to downplay the scope. Anguished relatives were besieging prisons across Belarus trying to find their missing relatives.

Even those who were loyal saw the real face of this government during the past three days, said 63-year-old Galina Vitushko, who stood outside a jail in Minsk, trying to find her son, a 43-year old doctor. She said that she desperately needs to give him insulin since he has diabetes.

How can you treat your own people like that? she asked, breaking into tears. The real winners dont behave like that.

The 65-year-old Lukashenko has led the former Soviet state of 9.5 million people since 1994, relentlessly stifling dissent and winning the nickname Europes last dictator in the West.

This year, the economic damage caused by the coronavirus and the presidents swaggering response to the pandemic, which he airily dismissed as psychosis, has fueled broad anger, helping swell the opposition ranks  but Lukashenko has dismissed them.

The core of these so-called protesters are people with a criminal past and (those who are) currently unemployed, Lukashenko said during a Wednesday meeting with security officials.

His top challenger, a 37-year-old former teacher and political novice Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, managed to unite fractured opposition groups and draw tens of thousands to her campaign rallies after two top potential challengers were barred from the race. She entered the race to replace her husband, an opposition blogger who aspired to run but has been in jail since his arrest in May.

But she left for neighbouring Lithuania on Tuesday in an abrupt about-face, hours after submitting a formal request for a recount. In a video recorded before departure that her associates said was filmed under pressure from law enforcement officials, she urged her supporters to end protests.

Protesters have not heeded her call, and Maria Kolesnikova, a top figure in Tsikhanouskayas campaign, urged the government Wednesday to stop waging a war against its own people and begin a dialogue.

On Tuesday in Brest, near the border with Poland, police shot at protesters who attacked them with metal rods, wounding one person, the Interior Ministry said. One demonstrator died Monday in Minsk, when an explosive device he attempted to throw at police exploded in his hands, according to the ministry.

Journalists, in particular, have been targeted. Boris Goretsky, vice-president of the Belarusian Association of Journalists, said more than 20 reporters are currently in custody, waiting to see a judge, and several more have already been sentenced to jail terms ranging from 10 to 15 days.

A deliberate hunt for journalists with independent Belarusian and foreign media has begun, said Goretsky.

Reporters from several Belarusian and international outlets were beaten up Tuesday in Minsk. Officers seized memory cards from a group of photographers, including one for the AP.

On Wednesday, Vital Tsyhankou, a journalist for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, was severely beaten by police and detained along with two reporters from an independent Belarusian TV station after covering a protest against police violence.

The Viasna rights group said many injured protesters were afraid to seek medical help, fearing prosecution for participating in the rallies.

Eduard Kukhterin, a 56-year-old publisher, was injured by rubber bullets overnight but decided not to go to a hospital. Medical workers report such injuries to the law enforcement, Kukhterin told the AP.

The crackdown has drawn harsh criticism from abroad.

Speaking during a trip to the Czech Republic on Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the Belarusian vote was neither free nor fair. We want the people of Belarus to have the freedoms that theyre demanding, he said.

The European Union foreign ministers scheduled a meeting on Friday to discuss the crackdown.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell called the meeting a day after saying that the 27-nation bloc could impose sanctions against those responsible for the observed violence, unjustified arrests, and falsification of election results.

In 2016, the European Union lifted most of the sanctions it slapped on Belarus after Lukashenko freed political prisoners and allowed protests.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet on Wednesday condemned the crackdown, urging Belarusian authorities to immediately release all those unlawfully detained and investigate rights abuses.

___

Daria Litvinova and Vladimir Isachenkov in Moscow and Matthew Lee in Prague and Frank Jordans in Berlin contributed to this report.
SANTIAGO, Aug 11 (Reuters) - Chiles Senate approved late on Tuesday a free trade agreement with Brazil, cementing the South American nations long-standing relationship with its top trade partner in Latin America.

The agreement, which builds on rules facilitating commerce already in effect between Chile and Mercosur bloc nations Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay, is likely to boost thriving trade between the two nations.

Chile shipped more than $3 billion worth of goods to Brazil in 2019, representing nearly 30% of its total exports to Latin America, Foreign Ministry data shows.

"Today more than ever it is essential to strengthen our commercial alliances to give a boost to the economic recovery," Chiles foreign minister, Andres Allamand, said following the agreements approval.

Both Chile and Brazil have been particularly hard hit by the coronavirus outbreak, with dire economic prospects weighing on their futures.

The agreement will help regulate and boost trade in several key areas, the ministry said. Chile supplies Brazil with such products as copper cathodes, salmon and wine, while Brazil ships to Chile meat, vehicle bodies and manufactured iron and steel products.

Chile, the world's top copper producer, has long welcomed free and open trade. The country has signed 30 commercial agreements with 65 global markets, the Foreign Ministry said. (Reporting by Dave Sherwood; Editing by Leslie Adler)
Gov. John Bel Edwards on Tuesday expressed concern that as many as 200,000 jobless Louisiana residents, representing nearly half of those receiving unemployment benefits, could be excluded from enhanced payments issued by President Donald Trump, if the state cant find a workaround to pay for its share of the costs.

UPDATE: After the Trump administration changed its policy on who qualifies, Gov. John Bel Edwards said Thursday that all 454,000 people receiving benefits in Louisiana will qualify for the $300 in extra payments. Story here:

Edwards and other state officials continued to seek answers to several vexing questions regarding the enhanced benefits of $300 a week since Trump issued the executive order on Saturday. Chief among them was how to pay for costs that could run into the hundreds of millions, Edwards said.

Trump seeks to renew federal unemployment benefits, but can Louisiana afford to pay it? President Donald Trumps executive order Saturday to renew federal unemployment benefits left Louisiana officials with more questions than ans

The confusion over Trumps order comes after an historic number of laid-off Louisianans lost an extra $600 a week in benefits at the end of July, and as Congress remains deadlocked over another deal. Meanwhile, Edwards reinstated a requirement that jobless workers apply for jobs each week to continue receiving benefits, which in Louisiana are among the lowest in the U.S.

This underscores the need of Congress to come to a compromise, Edwards, a Democrat who is friendly with the Trump administration, said Tuesday.

Were seeing enough challenges figuring out the new unemployment system, Edwards said, that youre going to continue to see a big push to say this is just not an acceptable alternative to the pandemic unemployment benefits weve been paying.

Among the questions Edwards and other state officials are trying to answer are how Louisiana will be able to pay for its portion of the costs, when the benefits could start flowing and how much in extra benefits Louisiana workers will actually receive. All remained unclear Tuesday, though Edwards said he expected to have answers in the coming days.

Trump's executive order aimed to deliver an extra $400 in unemployment to laid-off workers, which represents a cut in benefits from the previous $600-a-week checks workers were getting. But the order sends only $300 per worker in federal funds each week and relies on cash-strapped states to come up with the rest. That comes on top of whatever benefit states provide, which in Louisiana is a maximum of $247 a week.

Restaurants, oil and gas, chemical and more: What we learned in our Louisiana economic summit The Advocate hosted an economic outlook summit on Friday morning, focusing on the state of the Louisiana economy and how coronavirus has impacted it.

Because Trump is taking the money from a fund for disaster response, states have to pony up 25% of the costs. Edwards said Tuesday that could add up to hundreds of millions of dollars for Louisiana. The U.S. Department of Labor told states on Sunday that they can pay the 25% outright, using previous coronavirus relief or another source, or use existing benefits to count toward the total, thereby dropping the benefit amount from $400 to $300 per week per worker.

Gov. Edwards wouldn't say Tuesday whether workers here will get $300 a week or $400. But it appears more likely workers will get less. That's because the most likely source for the state to pony up the extra $100, a pot of funds delivered from a previous aid bill, has already been appropriated in Louisiana.

Perhaps more worrisome is whether all jobless workers will qualify. The U.S. Department of Labor in the memo to states said workers must receive at least $100 in some type of unemployment benefits to qualify. Edwards said about 200,000 Louisianans currently receive less than that amount. About 204,000 workers receive more than $100, he said.

I really dont know yet whether were going to be able to find a way to do the $400 or do the $300, Edwards said at a press conference. My bigger concern right now quite frankly isnt just over the $100 difference. Its over the universe of workers that were going to be able to cover. Because early indications are that any worker in Louisiana who isnt getting $100 in state benefits wont be able to get the $300.

U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy, a Republican, said Tuesday the White House told him if states only do what they are already doing, theyll pull down the extra $300 the president proposes.

As explained by Secretary Mnuchin and Mark Meadows, if a state is currently giving a $100 benefit to unemployed Americans, then the federal government will add $300 to that, Cassidy said in a statement, referring to the Treasury Secretary and Trump's chief of staff. The $100 can be money the state is already giving under an existing benefit structure.

Cassidy spokesman said if some workers receive less than $100, they could still receive three times that amount as a prorated amount. The state would have to come up with additional funds to make up the difference in order to pull down the entire $300 extra benefit.

The scoop on state politics in your inbox Get the Louisiana politics insider details once a week from us. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up

Adding to the worries about the unemployment system is the dire situation of Louisianas unemployment trust fund, which is where the state benefit payments come from. On March 1, the trust fund sat at a robust more than $1 billion.

On Tuesday, it was at just $254 million, Edwards said, and is certain to run out soon without an infusion of cash from the federal government.

Jan Moller, head of the Louisiana Budget Project, which advocates for low-income residents, called Trumps order legally dubious, unworkable for Louisiana and no substitute for an aid bill by Congress.

Moller also expressed worry about the new benefits excluding people who receive less than $100 in benefits. In the original pandemic unemployment program that delivered $600-a-week payments, workers could receive the money even if they made just $1 in state unemployment benefits.

Report shows 'working poor' households increasing in Louisiana as low-wage jobs grow More than half of Louisiana households are operating either below federal poverty standards or in the realm of working poor families as defi

The new policy means that the lowest-wage workers, who are disproportionately women and people of color, wouldnt get benefits, Moller said.

The executive order is not nearly enough to address the economic crisis facing hundreds of thousands of Louisianans who've lost their jobs through no fault of their own, Moller said. Even under the best-case scenario, it would only provide short-term, inadequate relief to some workers, while leaving out those who need it most.

Brett Axelroth, who was laid off from Peche Seafood Grill in New Orleans in March, expressed skepticism that hell receive more money from Trumps announcement.

Im not sure through an executive order is a decision he can make by himself, Axelroth said. A lot of people are just confused."

He would welcome any extra money. Through July 31, Axelroth had been receiving the maximum state unemployment benefit of $247 per week plus the $600 weekly payment from the federal government, for a total of $847.

The $600 helped with rent and basic necessities, Axelroth said. I probably would have had to leave the city altogether if it hadnt kicked in. I know a lot of people well into their 30s who have moved back in with their parents."

Stephanie Grace: Trump unemployment order just adds to the uncertainty When youre living with the cosmic level of uncertainty facing the hundreds of thousands of Louisianans whove lost their livelihoods to the c

Now hes receiving just the $247, which is actually $222 per week once federal taxes are deducted.

He and a roommate share costs.

Were able to pay our rent and bills, but theres not a lot of lagniappe, Axelroth said. Its hard to put away anything.

Staff writers Tyler Bridges and Bryn Stole contributed to this story.
Gold Coast theme parks Dreamworld and WhiteWater World will re-emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic before the September holidays, after closing their gates in March.

The parks will also shave $40 off the price of an annual pass to entice people back, as parent company Ardent Leisure faces up to $4.5 million in fines after pleading guilty to charges over the 2016 Thunder River Rapids Ride tragedy.

Guests return to Dreamworld in late 2016 after the park closed following the ride tragedy. Credit:Tammy Law

Dreamworld's gates will swing open from 10am on September 16, with those of its sister park doing so one hour later. Most other major competitors have been welcoming visitors since restrictions wound back in July.

After a review of operations, the move will also see a number of changes including the ongoing or permanent closure of a number of areas and attractions at Dreamworld. Park capacity will be reduced under a COVID-safe plan.


By Kwack Eun-kyoung





Diplomatic tension between Korea and Japan is once again escalating. On Aug. 4, a public announcement by the Korean judiciary was made regarding the effectuation of a seizure order regarding the assets of Nippon Steel. In response, the Japanese steelmaker appealed the order.



About a year ago, the Supreme Court here ruled that Nippon Steel should compensate surviving Korean workers for their forced labor before and during World War II. Various legal disputes arose, and Nippon Steel refused to accept the decision. Now, the Korean judiciary is moving forward with the ruling by seizing the assets of the company on Korean soil.



The Japanese government insists that the right to claim reparations was ended with the 1965 treaty normalizing diplomatic relations between the two countries. Although there are several legal issues that need to be addressed, the problem at hand is way more complicated than just a ruling and an appeal.



The ruling saw the Japanese government withdraw preferential treatment for Korean companies buying key raw materials for semiconductor production. Korean consumers boycotted Japanese products in return. This conflict later went on to become a so-called "trade war" between Korea and Japan.



Matters of national pride often put a country's economy at stake. The current saga happening in Northeast Asia is not any different. Japan's decision to take Korea off its "White List" only seems to have backfired for both Seoul and Tokyo.



The export of raw materials for semiconductor production from Japan to Korea dropped by 27.9 percent. Korea struggled to find a replacement for the regulated Japanese items such as hydrogen fluoride, and the opportunity cost spent to overcome the risk has been vast.



It is too apparent that there has been no winner in this trade war, and it is easy to forecast that there will be none in the future. Both Korea and Japan are biting the bullet, the former clinging to revenge for the past and the latter stubbornly sticking to its guns.



Korea's economy depends heavily on global trade. More than 60 percent of its GDP comes from international trade. Its market, therefore, is very much affected by the tides of diplomacy. Many enterprises suffered from a Chinese whim concerning the deployment of a U.S. anti-missile system called THAAD on Korean soil.



The peninsula has also become a pig in the middle of the chaos of the fierce trade war between the U.S. and China. Its stock market fluctuates depending on how foreign investors make up their minds. The minimization of liability is crucial to induce economic growth and attract overseas funds. There should not be any room for national pride when the interests of a country's people are at stake.



Japan also cannot escape heavy criticism for its decision in a similar context. It has been well-known that ever since his inauguration, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his cabinet have brought old reasons for conflict with Korea into the public realm for their political advantage.



Nationalism has been a useful agenda for the conservative administration to draw polls and votes. Apart from the stability of the regime, the losses and damage done to private enterprises and the people have been left for them to take care of.



In both countries, decisions were made by governments, but it was up to the market and its participants  their very own people  to make amends and recover. Whom are they to hold responsible for all these lost benefits, and the opportunity costs?



In a free-market economy, there are only winners. Both the seller and the buyer acquire satisfaction for their individual needs. It is only mere intuition that Japan will be jeopardized by the boycotting of Japanese goods here. The boycotting of a product leads to the boycotting of its buyer's needs and satisfaction.



Korean businesses' long hard strides to find an alternative source for hydrogen fluoride and a drastic increase in online purchases for Japanese clothing brands such as SPA and UNIQLO are good examples of such phenomena. Trade is performed under the spirit of mutual benefit, and it is the same for relations between nations.



Therefore, diplomatic matters should be resolved under the spirit of mutual amicability and respect for the people of both countries. Only when we place priority on the utility of people, can both countries then turn their heads to the future. The longer this conflict continues, the more significant the burden is to the market, and the more the people in it have to suffer.



For many of the "good years," Korea and Japan had been sharing the common value of free democracy and the free market, putting the tragic past behind them. The intertwined value chains they created were far greater than many could possibly imagine.



A brand-new attitude is of absolute necessity, not only to resolve the conflict, but mainly for the benefit of their people and their economies. Far beyond the battle for pride between nations  and the redemption of old rights  awaits a mutual economic bond of two Eastern powers.





Kwack Eun-kyoung (rollypop55@gmail.com) is secretary general of the Center for Free Enterprise (CFE). The views expressed in the above article are the author's own and do not reflect the editorial direction of The Korea Times.


OECD forecast not cause for complacency

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) provided an upbeat projection for Korea Inc. for 2020, revising its economic forecast upward to a 0.8 percent contraction from the 1.2 percent shrinkage it predicted in June. With that Korea became the first country among the 37 member nations to have its economic outlook upgraded by the OECD since the COVID-19 pandemic took hold. Albeit conditional on a premise that a second wave of infections does not occur in the second half, it is a small ray of sunlight to spark hope for a weary nation.



The rich nations' club assessed Tuesday that Korea's management of the pandemic without a lockdown minimized the economic fallout. In addition, Korea' s "New Deal" programs that will inject 114 trillion won ($96 billion) into the economy through 2025, was assessed positively as a measure to support sustainable and inclusive economic growth.



Set against the average 7.5 percent contraction expected for member nations, the figure bodes well for Korea. Korea's 3.3 percent contraction recorded in the second quarter was cited as one of the reasons for the upgrade, the same reason the government is expecting a rebound in the second half. But stacked against a mix of external elements including the growing tension between China and the United States, and declining domestic economic indices, we should caution against too-rosy an outlook.



In the same survey, the OECD forecast the Korean economy to grow 3. 1 percent in 2021, which would render Korea to the 34th among 37 member countries.



Domestic figures out since Tuesday have all been dismal. The finance ministry said that Korea suffered a record budget deficit of 111 trillion won ($93.6 billion) in the first half of the year, because of a fall in tax revenue and hikes in government spending.



Exports fell by 23.6 percent in the first 10 days of August over the same period a year ago. The jobless rate for July, released Wednesday, stood at 4 percent.



With the pandemic showing no signs of abating, pessimistic figures are likely to be brought forward in the days ahead. Positive sentiment is critical for the economy. But policymakers' words and perception should be in step with the economic data. The government should bear in mind the OECD also recommended that it continue to support households and businesses until a full recovery, and to ensure it maintained long-term fiscal sustainability.


Reese Witherspoon celebrated the historic vice-presidential nomination of Kamala Harris with an inspiring Instagram Wednesday.

The actress/producer/entrepreneur, 44, talked about the power of women while sharing a vintage photo of herself along with an insightful anecdote from her grade school days.

Witherspoon declared her support for the presumptive Democratic VP while recalling how she once had presidential aspirations.

Girl power! Reese Witherspoon shared an inspiring story from her childhood while voicing her support for Democratic vice presidential candidate Kamala Harris via his Instagram Wednesday

The Big Little Lies actress looked darling in the school photo, where she donned a cute white blouse and smiled so hard her eyes were squinted.

'Woke up this morning thinking about a moment from my childhood,' she shared. 'In the 3rd grade our teacher asked us what we wanted to be when we grew up, I raised my hand and said, "I want to be the first female President of the United States of America."

'Some of the kids laughed, but my teacher looked me in the eye and said, "I will be the first person to vote for you, Reese."

Reese, a staunch supporter of women's rights and the Democratic party, then pivoted to the bigger picture.

Dream big: Reese wrote about how she once dreamed to be President as a young girl and how empowered she feels by Harris' historic nomination

The Veep: Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden announced Senator Kamala Harris as his running mate on Tuesday. She's seen in 2019 above

'My thoughts today are with woman in our country, especially the young Black and Brown girls of our nation. Who have watched their mothers hold up their families, their communities, their cities, their states,' she explained.

'Now you know that YOU too can work hard, dedicate your life to service and show up every day to help others, and YOU can RISE to become a Vice Presidential nominee in the United States of America. Today is a truly historic day! #KamalaHarris #WeHaveHerBack'

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden announced Senator Kamala Harris as his running mate on Tuesday.

Senator Harris is the first Black woman and first woman of Asian descent to be put on a presidential ticket. She is the third ever woman to be nominated for the VP role.

Political pairing: Biden and Harris appeared together for the first time as running mates Wednesday afternoon in Delaware, above

Biden and Harris appeared together for the first time as running mates Wednesday afternoon in Delaware.

'I have no doubt that I picked the right person to join me as the next vice president of the United States,' Biden said. 'She's smart, she's tough, she's experienced, she's a proven fighter.'

The Democratic National Convention kicks off Monday but has been converted into a virtual format when the party deemed it was too dangerous to have the party's stars travel to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the planned host city.

Harris will address the convention Wednesday night and formally accept the party's nomination. Biden will speak Thursday night.

Harris is slated to debate Vice President Mike Pence on October 7 in Salt Lake City, Utah.
United Airlines is making a play for Florida this fall and winter, a bet that sun-seekers from northern states will become a bright spot for the carrier as it faces a bleak outlook for international and corporate travel because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Chicago-based airline said Wednesday that it plans to add up to 28 nonstop flights to the Sunshine State from northern cities to four Florida airports. Flights from New York's LaGuardia Airport, Boston and Cleveland to Florida cities Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Orlando and Tampa are scheduled to start Nov. 6. United said that in December it will add nonstop flights to Fort Meyers and Tampa from Columbus, Ohio, Indianapolis, Milwaukee and Pittsburgh.

The new flights are a strategy shift for United. The airline and large competitors have long relied on a model that routes flights through large hub airports. United's Florida initiative is its biggest increase in nonhub flights, according to vice president of domestic network planning, Ankit Gupta. Such point-to-point flying is used more by discount airlines like Florida-based Spirit. The state is also a major market for competitors JetBlue, Delta and American, which operates a Miami hub.

New York was the top source of visitors to Florida last year, according to Visit Florida, the state's tourism company.

Airlines are looking for green shoots of demand as the pandemic keeps many travelers at home. The average number of daily screenings by the Transportation Security Administration at U.S. airports is down more than 70% from a year ago this summer, normally the busiest time of year for air travel.

While demand overall remains far off 2019 levels, Gupta told CNBC in an interview that the airline is taking a "surgical" approach to adding capacity. United's planning team noticed an uptick in searches for flights to Florida.

Gupta acknowledged the recent surge in coronavirus cases in Florida and said the airline will stay flexible to add or remove flights depending on demand trends.

"We'll adjust our capacity when needed," he said.

United in late July said it plans to fly about 37% of its 2019 capacity next month. Demand for end-of-year holidays has started to show up but it remains much weaker than last year and some travelers might prefer to wait before buying tickets, Gupta said.

"The nature of booking has changed," he said.
We go through about 275 gallons a week. That will go up when school opens.

To date, the county has purchased 14 sprayers and foggers for the courthouse, county jail, each road district and emergency management along with one big cart sprayer. The price tag was $12,000.

The county clerk said the sheriffs office is expected to request additional radios and body cams for deputies as many of them share the equipment they have now. This would eliminate the need for additional exposure between deputies who must return to the courthouse to exchange them.

As for the municipalities, Wagoner Mayor Albert Jones said the City of Wagoner has not turned in any reimbursements at this time. He said expenses early on were covered by Wagoner County Emergency Management.

We are thoroughly reviewing our time back to the start of COVID-19 to make sure any expenses we have are qualified, Jones said. We are still looking into what we are able to file for that is or will be reimbursable.

Coweta City Manager Roger Kolman said he is currently working on a list of potentially reimbursable expenses related to the pandemic for submission.

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There are two sets of people who nobody has really wanted to challenge. Jewish and KKK  Red Necks are the KKK and Jewish people are the Law  Work that out.

This was one of the weirder recent tweets from the grime artist Wiley which caused outrage and resulted in a Twitter boycott by many Jewish users and their supporters. Wiley has subsequently been deleted from Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and dropped by his management.

But what is going on here? We certainly do need to work out why such bizarre antisemitism seems to be the soundtrack of our abnormal times, from the 2008 recession and subsequent austerity to COVID-19. This is not simply about Wiley having a meltdown in the twilight of his career.

Antisemitism is never just about individuals (however obnoxious). That lets the wider culture off the hook. Wileys conspiracy theory is his alone but is no more unusual than those who believe that Jewish people caused COVID-19 or were responsible for 9/11  not to mention the police treatment of African-Americans and the global recession. The more common version of Wileys conspiracy, by white supremacists, is that Jews are the hidden hand causing people of colour to immigrate and adulterate the white race. Such thinking led to the 2018 attack on a Synagogue in Pittsburgh where 11 congregants were shot dead and six were severely injured.

Antisemitism and anti-racism

But Wiley is an anti-racist black-British activist. How is it possible to speak of him in the same breath as the Pittsburgh shooter? One other tweet by Wiley gives us a hint:

I dont care about Hitler, I care about black people.

The idea that the second world war was white on white violence and had nothing to do with black people has long since been debunked. Hitlers racism obviously encompassed people of colour and many people of colour from the colonies fought against Nazism  most famously the anti-colonial leader, Frantz Fanon. Hitlers outlook was imperial as well as antisemitic as he wanted to colonise the European continent so that large parts of the continent would be used for slave labour.

Story continues

The main reason why antisemitism is so insidious is that it encompasses all political persuasions and can assume a mild or extreme form and all varieties in between. It is a racial rhetoric that brings together black radicals and white supremacists as well as the left of left-wing parties and the right of right-wing parties.

In short, if you believe that mainstream liberal democracy (or neo-liberalism if you are left wing) has failed society, then the Jews become an easy target. Since the Holocaust, Jewish communities have, for the most part, thrived in western Europe and the United States. Their numbers might be tiny (0.2% of the global population) but a regional power, the State of Israel, claims their adherence. If you are against colonialism and/or banking monopolies, then evoking the Jews  international zionism or George Soros or the Rothschilds  is a handy dog whistle to indicate how radical you are. Naming Jews as a symbol of the broken mainstream indicates that you intend to challenge conventional liberalism in the name of revolutionary socialism or laissez-faire capitalism.

Debates about whether ethno-racial minorities will harm or help the nation-state are, above all, political. Jews have been conventionally perceived in Britain as both a bastion of empire and one of the main threats to empire; as prefiguring a socialist world order and as a key force preventing its development; as the ideal economic man and the degenerate plutocrat.

Such debates about whether ambivalent Jews are good or bad are centuries old. Since the Holocaust, when more than a third of all Jews were murdered, Jews have become widely accepted as the world historical victim. But many of those who want a monument to slavery in Britain, the historical centre of the slave trade, do not understand why a Holocaust memorial is currently the governments first priority. It is as if Jewish victimhood is being used to write out black victimhood closer to home. That is why Wiley does not care about Hitler and why there was once a perverse competition in Jeremy Corbyns Labour Party between different histories of oppression. Many Corbyn supporters see Jews as too powerful or too white to be victims so dont see antisemitism as racism. Diaspora Jewish victimhood, in this narrative, was deemed to write out the history of Palestinian suffering.

All anti-racist activists want to make connections between victimised groups. The history of Jews becoming white and good citizens is a bittersweet process that Muslims in Europe and the United States are currently going through. Impoverished African-American ghettos speak to the singular experience of white ethnics (Jewish, Irish, Italian, Hispanic) who, unlike their black counterparts, were allowed to leave their ghettos for the suburbs. The reason that we should all care about Hitler is that anti-racism is indivisible. Wileys rant demonstrates that focusing only on one history of oppression, at the expense of another, counts for nothing.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

The Conversation

Bryan Cheyette does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Florida Sheriff Orders Employees Not to Wear Masks

A Florida sheriff barred employees from wearing masks in certain places amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

My order will stand as is when you are on-duty/working as my employee and representing my Officemasks will not be worn, Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods told employees in an email published by the Ocala Star-Banner.

If workers are confronted, the employee should politely and professionally tell them I am not required to wear a mask nor will I, per the Order of the Sheriff, and walk away, the sheriff wrote, adding: From that point on it will be my burden and responsibility to take care of the person and answer their problem, complaint or their question.

Exceptions to the policy include officers working at the courthouse, the jail, in schools, and in hospitals, though they are required to remove masks when taking an enforcement action that needs an order or command.

An assistant to Woods didnt answer the phone on Wednesday and her voicemail was full.

The Ocala City Council passed an ordinance last week requiring people to wear masks but Mayor Kent Guinn, a Republican, vetoed it on Monday.

The council was holding an emergency meeting this week to consider overriding the veto.

Guinn reportedly took the action because he said it was too hard for law enforcement officials to enforce.

My chief and I have talked about it. We will never write a fine. Were just not going to do it, Guinn told Sky 97.3 FM, according to the Star-Banner.

Woods said in a recent interview with the same station that one of the reasons for the new ban was anti-police sentiment and concerns people could enter the sheriffs office while obscuring their identity.

I have no way of identifying them. Justice will not be served, he said.

Some health experts say wearing a mask can help prevent transmission of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, which causes the COVID-19 disease. Others are unsure, pointing to the dearth of studies proving the masks stop transmission of the new virus.

Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis has opted not to issue a statewide mask mandate but has encouraged people to don face coverings when out in public.
Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian's Regular Press Conference on August 12, 2020

2020/08/12

CCTV: The 21st session of the Standing Committee of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) on August 11 passed the decision of the Standing Committee of NPC for the sixth Legislative Council (LegCo) of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) to continue to discharge duties. It clearly stipulates that the sixth LegCo of the HKSAR will continue to discharge its duties for no less than one year until the commencement of the seventh LegCo. Do you have any comment?

Zhao Lijian: The NPC Standing Committee, in accordance with the Constitution and the Basic Law, has decided that the sixth Legislative Council will continue to discharge duties. It provides solid legal foundation for the LegCo to continue performing its duties and is conducive to upholding constitutional and legal order in the HKSAR, the administering by the HKSAR government and the normal operation of the society. The Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council and the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR expressed staunch support in their respect statements.

I want to stress that Hong Kong is a special administrative region of China and the LegCo election is China's sub-national election. Hong Kong affairs are China's internal affairs and there's no place for interference from foreign government, organization or individual.

China Daily: US Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said in a speech at National Taiwan University on August 11: "The Chinese Communist Party had the chance to warn the world and work with the world on battling the virus. But they chose not to...the People's Republic of China did not live up to the binding obligations it had under the International Health Regulations, betraying the cooperative spirit we need for global health...if this virus had emerged in a place like Taiwan or the United States, it might have been snuffed out easily". I wonder if China has any comment on this?

Zhao Lijian: We must repeat this solemn message to the US side again that China firmly opposes official exchanges between the US and Taiwan under whatever pretext. On issues concerning China's core interests, certain individuals in the US must not have any illusions or imagine they can get away with inappropriate behaviors. Those playing with fire will end up burning themselves badly.

We also remind the DPP authorities in Taiwan to stop pursuing its misguided course. A dead end will meet them if they so willingly choose to act like self-important puppets with strings in foreign hands and seriously believe that they have a chance at independence by taking advantage of the epidemic.

With regard to COVID-19, we've released the timeline showing clearly China's effective response. Since the very beginning of the outbreak, China has been acting in an open, transparent, and responsible manner and earnestly fulfilling its duties and obligations under the International Health Regulations. With the most comprehensive, stringent, and thorough measures, we contained the spread of the virus while engaging in international cooperation in prevention and control. Putting people and life front and center, the Chinese government's epidemic response can stand the test of time and history. China's tremendous sacrifice for and contribution to the global fight has been witnessed by all.

Turning to the US, confirmed cases passed five million and deaths over 160,000. In the face of such a grave situation, the principal US health official, instead of manning the front-line and devoting himself entirely to bringing the virus under control, has walked out on the millions of people suffering at home, all for a political posturing faraway in Taiwan. I wonder if this official knew that during his three-day visit, more than 150,000 new cases were confirmed in the US and over 2,000 lives lost. Their ridiculous stunts this time just make us more convinced that for them, American people's lives are nothing compared with their selfish political gains.

Secretary Azar, I'm afraid, is directly responsible for the unchecked spreading of the epidemic in the US. We wonder why he is so blatant to even speak ill of China's anti-epidemic efforts. If he entered a world competition of "who performed the worst in managing this epidemic", he will almost surely come out on top. He lashed out against China because he wanted to make China a scapegoat to cover for US officials' incompetence. Stopping these political shows and focusing on saving American lives, this is what he should do as the health secretary. Azar claimed that if this virus had emerged in a place like the United States, it might have been snuffed out easily. We can't wait to see him working wonders and bringing the epidemic situation at home under control as soon as possible.

Bloomberg: Two questions relating to the China-US phase one trade deal. First, reports say that Beijing will push for measures related to TikTok to be included on the agenda. I'd like you to confirm this if possible. The second part of my question is about White House top adviser Larry Kudlow, who said the trade deal is fine. I'd just like to know if you have some comments on Mr. Kudlow's remarks.

Zhao Lijian: China's position on the trade deal is clear and consistent. As for the specific details, I would refer you to the competent authorities.

I want to add a few words on TikTok. It is simply a platform for the American public to showcase their talent and spread joy. It has nothing to do with national security. Without any solid evidence, some people in the US have been abusing the concept of national security to suppress non-American enterprises. These US moves are "utterly disgraceful".

In the era of globalization, all parties should flourish together through scientific and technological exchanges and cooperation. It shall never be the case that whoever excels will be terminated. Some self-serving people in the US prefer to wield their sticks of sanctions to hit others, which will inevitably end up hurting themselves.

Phoenix TV: President Trump said in an interview that he hasn't spoken to the Chinese leader in a long time since the epidemic broke out. Do you have any comment?

Zhao Lijian: The novel coronavirus is the common enemy of mankind. China believes that countries should join hands to fight the virus instead of politicizing and pinning a label to the virus. Shifting the blame to China can never drive away the virus or cure the sick.

China and the US can and do have communications at various levels and in many fields based on mutual respect.

Reuters: Senator Kamala Harris was named as Joe Biden's running mate ahead of the upcoming US election. She's called for increased pressure on China over human rights but has rejected Trump's tariffs on China. Does the ministry have any comment on her new position?

Zhao Lijian: As we said many times, the election is US internal affair and we are not interested in commenting.

On the specific matters mentioned by the relevant person, China's position is consistent and clear.

Reuters: Indian tax authorities raided the premises of some Chinese entities and their associates as part of a money laundering investigation. The authorities said this in a statement on Tuesday. It said that they were involved in money laundering. What is the ministry's comment on it?

Zhao Lijian: I am not aware of the situation. What I can tell you is that the Chinese government always requires Chinese enterprises to abide by international rules and local laws and regulations when conducting cooperation with foreign countries. At the same time, the Chinese government is committed to safeguarding the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises and citizens. We hope the Indian side will provide a fair, just and non-discriminatory environment for Chinese enterprises' operations in India.

Bloomberg: A question regarding the proposed visit by the mayor of Prague to Taiwan. He will be joined by the Czech senate president. Do you have any comment on the proposed visit?

Zhao Lijian: China consistently opposes official exchanges between Taiwan and countries that have diplomatic relations with China.

I also want to stress that the renewal and reunification of the Chinese nation is an unstoppable trend. Anyone who attempts to resist this trend and to split China is doomed to fail and their names will go down in history as anathema.

AFP: A question regarding some reports. China and the US will have a meeting soon to see how the implementation of the phase one trade deal is going. Can you confirm this?

Zhao Lijian: I just responded to a relevant question. You need to ask the competent authorities regarding the details of the China-US trade deal.
New York, Aug 12 : Democratic Party presidential candidate Joe Biden has selected Kamala Devi Harris as the nominee for vice president in a historic move that marks a breakthrough for Indian Americans in US politics.

"I have the great honour to announce that I've picked @KamalaHarris - a fearless fighter for the little guy, and one of the country's finest public servants - as my running mate," Biden tweeted Tuesday afternoon, ending weeks of speculation.

Harris highlights the quintessential American immigrant story as the daughter of Shyamala Gopalan, a cancer researcher from India, and Donald Harris, an African Jamaican economics professor.

Her grandfather P V Gopalan was an Indian freedom-fighter, who became a civil servant and was assigned by the Indian government to help Zambia deal with its refugee problem in the late 1960s.

The post of vice president is described as "heartbeat away" from the presidency and she is the first non-White candidate for the job and the third woman from a major party.

If elected, at 78 years Biden would be the oldest to assumes the office in 2018 while Harris would be only 55.

Besides being "simpatico" to Biden, one of the criteria for the Democrat vice president slot was the ability to step into the top job at a moment's notice.

Harris is a senator a former attorney general of California.

She has domestic experience as the top law official of California, the largest US state, and a national senator, and gained foreign policy expertise working on the senate's Select Committee on Intelligence and the Homeland Security Committee.

Harris ran for the Democratic presidential nomination herself against Biden - and nearly a score of others - in the initial phase of the race.

In a debate of Democratic candidates she lanced into Biden bringing up his record on racism because of his old history of supporting racial school segregation. That performance initially led to her surge in the polls and a slump for Biden.

But her jump in the polls was short-lived and she dropped out of the race for the Democratic presidential nomination. Some months later, she endorsed Biden.

Despite her mixed parentage, Harris is presented as an African American, meeting the current party sentiment driven by the movement against discrimination against African Americans and police brutality. Several African American leaders, representing the most important party bloc, had insisted that Biden, who had pledged to have a woman as his running mate, select a Black woman.

Harris embraces the African American identity as her primary one, writing in her memoir "The Truths We Hold" that her mother "knew that her adopted homeland would see (sister) Maya and me as Black girls and she was determined to make sure we would grow into confident, proud black women." Her parents divorced when she was seven years old and she and her younger sister were raised by their mother.

She wrote in her memoir that they were also "raised with a strong awareness of and appreciation for Indian culture," crediting her grandparents from Chennai and aunts and uncle for it.

While she was running for the presidential nomination, she made a video on cooking masala dosai with Indian American actor-director Mindy Kaling highlighting the other side of her genetic heritage.

Explaining his pick, Biden refers to her association with his late son Beau, who was the attorney general of Delaware state.

He tweeted, "Back when Kamala was Attorney General, she worked closely with Beau. I watched as they took on the big banks, lifted up working people, and protected women and kids from abuse. I was proud then, and I'm proud now to have her as my partner in this campaign." With her prosecutorial background, Harris would be a formidable debater, which would fill out a weak point for Biden, and be able to take on US President Donald Trump and overwhelm his mild-mannered Vice President Mike Pence.

She has put Trump administration officials and other witnesses on the spot while grilling them like a prosecutor during senate hearings.

A contribution to the Democratic campaign - even at the risk of antagonising the ascendant left in the party - is her strong stand on law and order, but combined with racial empathy for Blacks.

She said that Black communities wanted policing, but not police brutality.

That is important as it will be an antidote to Trump's campaign highlighting the upsurge of crime and attacks on police following the Democratic Party members' efforts to cut funding for police and even shutting down police departments.

As California attorney general and before that the top prosecutor for San Francisco, Harris had a reputation of being tough on crime, while also introducing some reforms.

US President Donald Trump's campaign immediately launched an attack on her labelling her "phony Kamala," a monicker he will likely repeat in a demeaning way.

The tweet carried on Trump's account said that Biden was describing himself as a "transition candidate" and that he was "handing over the reins to Kamala Harris while they jointly embrace the radical left." At a news conference on Tuesday, he said said that she had been "nasty" to Biden and denounced her as a "tax-raiser" who will slash the budget for the military.

But when he was still a real estate businessman, Trump had donated a total of $6,000 in 2011 and 2013 to Harris's campaign for California attorney general.

She also got an unusual endorsement from Trump, who told reporters when speculation mounted on her candidacy, "I think she'd be a fine choice." Former President Barack Obama said that his vice president Biden "nailed it" by picking Harris.

She is the "ideal partner to help him tackle the very real challenges America faces right now and in the years ahead," he said.

A tipoff that she may be the vice president candidate came on Tuesday morning in the Democratic Party National Convention schedule that listed her as the speaker in the last session just before the Biden family and his acceptance speech.

The two other slates on which women were vice presidential candidates - Democrat Geraldine Ferraro in 1984 and Republican Sarah Palin in 2008 - were both defeated.

Harris is married to Douglas Emhoff, a lawyer, and a step-mother to his two children from his previous marriage.

(Arul Louis can be reached at arul.l@ians.in and followed on Twitter at @arulouis)

-- Except for the title, this story has not been edited by Prokerala team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed
Exemptions for elite sport don't apply for players not in European competitions

Premier League players have been warned to dodge social media while holidaying abroad to avoid quarantine questions on their return.

Some top-flight clubs are due to begin training for the new campaign next week, with a collection of stars still away during their downtime between seasons.

Sportsmail understands players have been told by representatives not to post on platforms such as Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat while out of the country.

Premier League players have been told to stop posting holiday pictures on social media

Aston Villa's Jack Grealish (second-left) is one Premier League star currently away on holiday

That move is thought to have been driven by a desire to not alert the general public of their whereabouts and subsequent questions surrounding quarantine rules.

Ibiza and Marbella are regular haunts for players. Tourists are instructed to isolate for 14 days on their return, with the Foreign & Commonwealth Office advising against non-essential trips.

Exemptions for elite sport do not apply to players not involved in European competition ahead of the Premier Leagues resumption on September 12.

League chiefs have alerted clubs to Government guidance and expect players to be in acceptable shape to kick-off the 2020-21 season.

Manchester United midfielder Nemanja Matic flew abroad to take a break late last month

Sportsmail revealed on Wednesday that Southamptons new signing, Mohammed Salisu, is spending a fortnight in a south coast hotel before completing his 10.9million switch from Real Valladolid. Saints begin pre-season training on Monday and Salisus isolation is thought to end before then.

The case of Boli Bolingoli in Scotland has brought a sharp focus on the need to follow Government guidelines.

The left back did not isolate after spending a day in Malaga with his partner without notifying Celtic before briefly featuring during Sundays 1-1 draw with Kilmarnock.

Bolingolis future at Celtic Park is in serious doubt after the SPFL postponed the clubs next two matches.
More than two years after President Donald Trump quit the multinational nuclear deal with Iran, his administration is risking a crisis at the United Nations by threatening to reimpose international sanctions that were eased under that accord.

It's a threat that could produce an outcome that once was unthinkable: pushing allies such as Germany and France to side with Russia and China in the U.N. Security Council, leaving the U.S. isolated.

The conflict may begin with a vote in the council this week on a U.S. resolution to make permanent an international ban on arms deals with Iran that's due to expire in October. If the U.N. fails to act, Secretary of State Michael Pompeo said in a tweet on Sunday, it "will make a mockery of its mission to maintain 'international peace and security."

At an Iranian cabinet meeting on Wednesday, President Hassan Rouhani said U.S. policy toward Iran had failed and warned of "consequences" for Washington and its allies should the gambit succeed, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported.

Russia and China have threatened to exercise their veto power to kill the resolution. Diplomats say they don't expect the U.S. will even muster the required nine votes in the 15-member council that would force them to do so.

"One way or the other, we won't let the arms embargo expire," U.S. Ambassador Kelly Craft said on a call with reporters last week. "Russia and China have a decision to make. They can be cosponsors of the No. 1 sponsor of terrorism, or they can do the right thing."

People familiar with the matter, who asked not to be identified discussing private deliberations, said Security Council members still hoped to forestall a crisis through a compromise.

On Tuesday afternoon, the U.S. circulated a revised resolution that would still extend the arms embargo indefinitely but was stripped of rhetoric condemning Iran and calling for the interdiction of cargo violating the ban.

"The draft we have put forward today takes Council views into account and simply does what everyone knows should be done - extend the arms embargo to prevent Iran from freely buying and selling conventional weapons," Craft said in a statement.

The real flash point will come if efforts at compromise fail: Pompeo and Craft have said the U.S. can -- and will -- invoke a provision in the Iran accord that lets participants "snap back" U.N. sanctions that were eased in return for constraints on Iran's nuclear program.

The result would be a significant expansion of the crippling sanctions on Iran that the U.S. already has imposed under the administration's "maximum pressure" campaign. Less than three months before the U.S. presidential election, it would be a major escalation of U.S. pressure on Iran, much like the increasingly sharp measures the Trump administration has been taking against China.

"If the Trump administration takes this action and everyone else is on the other side of table, then the administration has once again isolated itself and it will fail," said Wendy Sherman, who was lead negotiator on the Iran accord as undersecretary of state for political affairs under President Barack Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said in a posting on Medium on Tuesday that "this deeply malicious U.S. behavior is evident throughout the UN, where it seeks to use the UN itself to effectively destroy the world body."

When the accord between Iran, the U.S. and five other nations was announced in Geneva in 2013, Kerry emphasized the snapback as a safety net for the U.S. if Iran failed to keep its end of the agreement. It was offered as an assurance to members of the U.S. Congress skeptical that Iran would keep its end of the deal.

But Sherman says the U.S. gave up its right to trigger the mechanism when Trump quit what he's called "the worst deal ever." Trump has said the accord's provisions intended to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon expire too soon and the agreement fails to stop Iran's development of ballistic missiles or its support for groups like Hezbollah.

The prospect of the U.S. being isolated in the Security Council was laid bare when Pompeo made an online appearance in June to lobby member nations to support the U.S. move to extend the embargo on Iranian arms purchases and sales. While European countries agreed it's problematic to let the embargo expire, they rejected the American snapback threat.

Europe will not "support unilateral proposals leading to the return of sanctions," French Ambassador Nicolas de Riviere said during the meeting. "They would only deepen divisions in the Security Council and beyond and would not be likely to improve the situation on the ground of nuclear nonproliferation."

The U.S. has done "a poor job concealing its intention to capitalize on the arms embargo expiration to dismantle" what remains of the nuclear deal, said Ashish Pradhan, a senior U.N. analyst at the International Crisis Group. "While several other members have attempted to find compromise options, the lack of appetite from Washington to entertain anything short of its maximalist proposals means the prospects of an alternate solution are slim."

One question is whether a U.S. snapback would prompt Iran to take further action to reject the terms of the nuclear deal. After initially staying within constraints of the accord despite the U.S. withdrawal, Iran has been revving up its nuclear program as European leaders proved unable to deliver on pledges to find ways to work around U.S. sanctions.

"By the time November elections come around, we could be dealing with a crisis" at the U.N., said Ellie Geranmayeh, an Iran expert with the European Council on Foreign Relations. "We are going to be in a very, very perilous moment for the nuclear program."

Iran's leaders may wait to see whether Democrat Joe Biden defeats Trump in November's election. Biden has signaled he'd open talks with Iran's leaders.

"Iran would love to see me not be president," Trump said at a news conference on Friday. But he predicted "if and when we win, we will make deals with Iran very quickly."

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's supreme leader, last year ruled out talks, saying "negotiations are like a poison as long as the U.S. remains the same way it is."
Last month, "The Kissing Booth 2" hit Netflix and was warmly received by viewers, especially after introducing the new third wheel character, Marco Valentin Pena, played by Taylor Zakhar Perez.

Taylor played the role of an exchange student at Elle Evans' (played by Joey King) school and became an instant heartthrob because of his looks and jaw-dropping physique. Marco eventually became Elle's dance partner for a contest that she needed to win for her college funds.

After spending much time with Elle, Marco felt a connection and fall in love with Elle. However, he was rejected epically as Elle still choose Noah Flynn (played by Jacob Elordi).

Dating Rumors

Taylor's portrayal was so compelling that made fans speculate that he and lead lady actress Joey King are already dating.

The dating rumor sparked after the 21-year-old actress uploaded an Instagram Story entry of her and Taylor celebrating the release of "The Kissing Booth 2."

Joey King revealed that she even got tested for COVID-19 so she could hug her 28-year-old co-star. In the photo, Joey and Taylor are wrapping arms on each other while surrounded by flowers and cakes as they enjoy a home viewing of their film together.

Because of this, fans are quick to speculate that Taylor is now Joey King's latest rebound after a failed romance with Jacob Elordi.

The Truth

In a recent interview, Taylor addressed the fan theories about him and Joey continuing the romance off-screen.

Speaking to Barstool Sports' "Chicks In The Office" podcast, Taylor first explained the story behind the viral photo of him and Joey.

"We were quarantine buddies, so I would see [King] all the time because we lived five minutes away from each other," Taylor said.

"We know what our relationship is, we love each other dearly," he added.

When asked about taking their friendship to the next level, Taylor set the record straight and confessed that he would love to date Joey in real life.

"It's been interesting how everyone has been trying to make something out of it, but it's fine. I mean, hey, I would love to be dating Joey King, she's dope," Taylor continued.

The Mexican-American actor explained that he likes the idea of dating a friend or someone you can already trust.

"For me, non-sexual intimacy is so much more important to me at first. I'm all about the sensitive stuff," he added.

Taylor explained that he values the time he spent with someone else and would not waste his energy on something that will not develop into something deeper.

"If I'm investing this much time into someone I'm gonna be dating. I'm gonna make sure this is more than a three-month thing. I'm more into long-term goal wise when it comes to work and relationships and everything," he said.

The actor said that he is more turned on with emotional intimacy than sexual intimacy, so he makes sure to spend his time with the people he loves investing his time and emotion with.

READ MORE: Kylie Vs. Kim? Kylie Kardashian Spill the Tea on Business Rivalry With Elder Sister
Residents urged to stay indoors after chemical spill



The incident happened on Ballafletcher Road earlier

Douglas residents are being urged to stay indoors following a chemical spill earlier today.

The incident took place on Ballafletcher Road by the Vehicle Testing Centre with the road now closed off between Tromode Road and Braddan Road.

Police are now working with the Isle of Man Fire and Rescue Service and are urging all residents in the vicinity to stay inside as a precautionary measure.

In a post on Facebook, the Isle of Man Constabulary said: "Isle of Man Constabulary Roads Policing Unit and Isle of Man Fire and Rescue Service are currently dealing with an incident on Ballafletcher Road with the junction of the Vehicle Testing Centre due to a chemical spill, as a precautionary measure we are asking all residents in the area to go indoors, closing all windows and doors. We must stress this is a precautionary measure."
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to launch the platform for "Transparent Taxation - Honoring the Honest" via video conferencing on August 13, 2020.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch the platform for Transparent Taxation  Honoring the Honest via video conferencing on August 13, 2020. The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has carried out several major tax reforms in direct taxes in recent years. Last year, the Corporate Tax rates were reduced from 30 per cent to 22 per cent and for new manufacturing units, the rates were reduced to 15 per cent.

Dividend distribution tax was also abolished. The focus of the tax reforms has been on reduction in tax rates and on simplification of direct tax laws. Several initiatives have been taken by the CBDT for bringing in efficiency and transparency in the functioning of the IT Department.

This includes bringing more transparency in official communication through the newly introduced Document Identification Number (DIN) wherein every communication of the Department would carry a computer generated unique document identification number. Similarly, to increase the ease of compliance for taxpayers, IT Department has moved forward with prefilling of income tax returns to make compliance more convenient for individual taxpayers. Compliance norms for startups have also been simplified.

Also read: With over 60K cases, Indias Covid-19 tally reaches 2.32 million

Also read: Bengaluru Violence: Karnataka CM assures action against accused, calls for peace

With a view to providing for resolution of pending tax disputes, the IT Department also brought out the Direct Tax Vivad se Vishwas Act, 2020 under which declarations for settling disputes are being filed currently. To effectively reduce taxpayer grievances/litigation, the monetary thresholds for filing of departmental appeals in various appellate Courts have been raised.

Several measures have been taken to promote digital transactions and electronic modes of payment. The IT department is committed to taking the initiatives forward and has also made efforts to ease compliances for taxpayers during the Covid times by extending statutory timeliness for filing returns as also releasing refunds expeditiously to increase liquidity in the hands of taxpayers.

The upcoming launch of the platform for  Transparent Taxation  Honoring the Honest  by the Prime Minister will further carry forward the journey of direct tax reforms.

The event will be witnessed by various Chambers of Commerce, Trade Associations, Chartered Accountants associations and also eminent taxpayers, apart from the officers and officials of Income Tax Department. Union Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs Nirmala Sitharaman and Minister of State for Finance and Corporate Affairs Anurag Singh Thakur will also present on the occasion.

Also read: After Rajasthan, BJP wants to eject Thackeray govt: Shiv Sena
Authorities on both sides of the Canada-U.S. border are warning people not to participate in an annual tubing party this Sunday on the river that separates Sarnia, Ont., from Port Huron, Mich.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 11/8/2020 (525 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Authorities on both sides of the Canada-U.S. border are warning people not to participate in an annual tubing party this Sunday on the river that separates Sarnia, Ont., from Port Huron, Mich.

The so-called Float Down, which is more than 30 years old, sees thousands of people float on inner tubes and rafts down the St. Clair River. Participants in the unsanctioned event enter the river near Port Huron, then float downstream for several kilometres.

In a joint statement, the U.S. and Canadian coast guards have warned of the serious legal repercussions of crossing the border, which has been closed to non-essential travel since March due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sarnia Mayor Mike Bradley said he'd like to take a similar hard-line approach.

"Any Canadian coming back into the country has to go into 14 days of isolation. My own view is: why are we treating these people differently? Put them in 14 days of isolation at their cost and then send them back," said Bradley on Tuesday.

"I can also see the other side of the argument: detain them and get them out of here as quickly as possible with the proper protection and testing."

RCMP Sgt. Penny Hermann said that the two countries' border agencies and coast guards as well as Ontario's provincial police and the Sarnia Police Service would be joining the RCMP in monitoring the Float Down.

"Law enforcement on both sides of the border will be providing proactive patrols and responding to calls for service during the Float Down to ensure compliance with border restrictions to non-essential travellers as per the Quarantine Act and to ensure participants are travelling safely on the river," she said in a written statement.

Hermann also noted that crossing the marine border into Canada for optional or discretionary purposes such as touring, sightseeing and recreational fishing may result in fines of up to $750,000 or imprisonment of up to six months.

Bradley said he's concerned that people in Michigan have been disregarding safety precautions during the pandemic and that they're not likely to put public health first during the Float Down.

"You ask reasonable people not to do this but given what we've seen in Michigan..." said Bradley, trailing off. "They're not listening to their own authorities, why would they listen to a small-town Ontario mayor?"

Michigan reported 557 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, bringing the total number of cases in the state up to 97,442. Port Huron is the county seat for St. Clair County, which has had a total of 824 COVID-19 cases.

Ontario reported 33 new cases of the novel coronavirus on Tuesday, bringing its total up to 40,194. Lambton Public Health Unit, where Sarnia is located, has a total of 327 COVID-19 cases but when that county's numbers were updated on Tuesday only 12 were considered active.

Even before COVID-19 closed the Canadian-U.S. border, authorities tried to discourage people from participating in the Float Down. Bradley noted that the two coast guards issue a warning every year, but it's disregarded.

"It's a dangerous river, it's cold," said Bradley. "I believe that's part of the attraction of the Float Down."

In 2014, 19-year-old Brady Morton went swimming in the St. Clair River during the Float Down and never resurfaced.

Two years later, adverse weather blew nearly 1,600 Americans ashore in Sarnia and the city had to use public transit buses to ferry them back across the border.

"Some of the people that they pulled out at that point had hypothermia," said Bradley, recalling the 2016 Float Down. "It's just that indifference. It's like people who don't wear masks. They're playing Russian roulette."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 11, 2020.
Parliamentarians will gather on Independence Day.

The Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's parliament, plans to hold two meetings this month, on August 24 and August 25.

"The approved dates for the Verkhovna Rada's next meetings are August 24 when a ceremonial meeting [will be held] on Independence Day and August 25 when a special session of the Verkhovna Rada [is scheduled]," Member of Parliament from the Servant of the People ruling faction Oleksndr Kachura said on Telegram.

Read alsoChallenges of 2020: Verkhovna Rada as detonator of unification or split

Special session
WASHINGTON - Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden on Tuesday picked Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., as his running mate, a historic decision that elevates the first Black woman and first Asian American woman to run for vice president on a major-party ticket at a moment when the country is grappling with its racial past and future.

Biden's announcement, made in a text and tweet, aligns him with a former presidential rival whose most electric campaign performance came when she criticized his record on school integration during a debate.

The decision is the most consequential of Biden's presidential campaign and has major implications not only for the November election but for the future of the Democratic Party. Biden, 78 years old by Inauguration Day, would be the oldest president ever and has said he considers himself "a transition candidate." The choice places Harris, who was a more vibrant and energetic presence on the campaign trail but was also at times unsteady,at the forefront of the party's future as, potentially, the first woman vice president.

Harris will now become a vessel for Democratic hopes for a diverse party empowered by women, as well as for Republican attempts to funnel a barrage of attacks that have so far been largely unsuccessful when waged against Biden alone.

Harris, 55, is the daughter of Indian and Jamaican immigrants. The first-term senator previously served as San Francisco district attorney and California attorney general. She developed a close friendship with Biden's late son Beau, a relationship that Biden said he reflected upon in making his decision.

The move puts Biden, who served as vice president to the nation's first Black president, in a history-making role in naming Harris as the first woman of color nominated for the position. He also has pledged, if elected, to name a Black woman to the Supreme Court.

While Harris, who dropped out of the Democratic presidential primary in December, was an early front-runner in the vice-presidential sweepstakes, there were still lingering concerns about the sting of the debate moment on her chances - until Tuesday afternoon.

Washington Post photo by Melina Mara

"Joe Biden here. Big news: I've chosen Kamala Harris as my running mate," Biden wrote in an email to supporters. "Together, with you, we're going to beat Trump."

The pick followed a final public push from Black activists, athletes and actors who urged Biden to pick a Black woman - and threatened that his candidacy would be doomed if he didn't.

"My advice was sought," said Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C., a top Biden ally who had urged him to pick a Black woman and said that Biden called him Tuesday morning to inform him of the decision.

"I talked to him [Biden] over the past several days more than I talked to him all year," he said.

The months-long process before the decision included vetting nearly a dozen women as potential nominees. Biden on Tuesday informed some of the others that they were not chosen.

Former Obama national security adviser Susan Rice, who was among the finalists, quickly put out a statement congratulating Harris.

"Senator Harris is a tenacious and trailblazing leader who will make a great partner on the campaign trail," Rice wrote. "I am confident that Biden-Harris will prove to be a winning ticket."

Rep. Val Demings, D-Fla., who was also under serious consideration, reflected on the historic nature of the pick.

"To see a Black woman nominated for the first time reaffirms my faith that in America, there is a place for every person to succeed no matter who they are or where they come from," she said.

Top party leaders, including the 2016 nominee Hillary Clinton and former president Barack Obama, publicly rallied around the new Biden-Harris ticket - Obama with a seeming dig at President Donald Trump.

"Joe Biden nailed this decision," Obama said in a statement. "By choosing Senator Kamala Harris as America's next vice president, he's underscored his own judgment and character. Reality shows us that these attributes are not optional in a president."

Harris's prosecutorial record has drawn attacks from party liberals, who have criticized her past stances as too harsh and contend that her record does not meet a moment when police misconduct has rocketed into the national conversation.

But Harris also has built a reputation in Washington as a sharp questioner in Senate hearings, particularly of Trump administration nominees. She has been a forceful advocate for Black families during the novel coronavirus pandemic, and she helped draft a bill ending qualified immunity for police. Some of those who were skeptical of her during her campaign have softened their views of her in recent months.

Harris kicked off her presidential campaign little more than two years after joining the Senate, with an electrifying Oakland, Calif., rally that drew more than 22,000 supporters. But she struggled to define herself to voters, shifting from one message to the next. She failed to take off in the polls and dropped out in early December, citing financial problems.

Harris and Biden have known each other for several years, and as the former vice president noted in his announcement, Harris worked closely with Beau Biden when both served as attorneys general.

That made it all the more shocking to Biden and his team when, at the first Democratic primary debate last year, Harris went after Biden for his nostalgic talk about working with two segregationist senators.

"It was hurtful to hear you talk about the reputations of two United States senators who built their reputations and career on the segregation of race in this country," Harris said during the debate. She also took Biden to task for his opposition to mandatory busing.

On the debate stage, she described a little girl who had benefited from her city's busing program. "And that little girl was me," she said. Within hours, her campaign was selling shirts emblazoned with the words and a childhood picture of Harris.

Biden's wife, Jill, has described that moment as being "like a punch to the gut." But Biden prides himself on not carrying and grudge and since then, the two have publicly made up, with Harris acting as a surrogate for Biden and appearing with him and his wife in campaign events.

In a June appearance on "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert," Harris jokingly defended her performance, saying: "It was a debate! The whole reason - literally, it was a debate. It was called a debate."

"I'd be honored, if asked, and I'm honored to be a part of the conversation," Harris told Colbert about the then-hypothetical vice-presidential nomination. "Honestly, let me just tell you something: I will do everything in my power, wherever I am, to help Joe Biden win."

In late July, Biden was photographed with notes he had written to himself about Harris on his personal stationery. Included were: "talented," "great help to campaign" and "do not hold grudges."

Trump, in the aftermath of Harris's presidential candidacy announcement, was said to be impressed with the size of the crowd she attracted (Trump and his daughter Ivanka also donated a combined $8,000 to Harris's 2014 campaign for attorney general, according to California campaign finance records).

But within 30 minutes of the announcement of her selection Tuesday, the president tweeted a 30-second ad created by his campaign that criticized Harris for some of her more liberal positions, including a willingness to embrace Medicare-for-all. (She later came under pressure from liberal Democrats for adopting a more moderate definition of the health-care plan.)

"Voters rejected Harris. They smartly spotted a phony - but not Joe Biden, he's not that smart," the narrator on the ad says. "Biden calls himself a transition candidate. He is handing over the reins to Kamala while they jointly embrace the radical left. Slow Joe and Phony Kamala."

During a White House briefing, Trump used a word he often does to refer to women with whom he disagrees, saying that Harris was "nasty" during the Supreme Court confirmation hearings for Brett Kavanaugh.

"She was nasty to a level that was just a horrible thing, the way she was," Trump said. "I won't forget that soon."

Biden said July 28 that he would name his running mate by the end of the first week of August, after extending his initial pledge to name the pick around Aug. 1. Aides then said it had slipped further.

He had promised months ago to pick a woman, reflecting the dominance of female voters in the party and his effort to make a historic choice.

The selection process has been a mix of transparency and secrecy. While Biden held his thoughts closely, with many allies saying he had been deliberately vague about his preferences, the parade of prospective candidates played out publicly.

The candidates have appeared at video-recorded events with Biden or his wife and helped host online fundraisers benefiting his campaign. They have been among his highest-profile surrogates in a campaign whose contours have been dramatically reshaped by the coronavirus pandemic.

Several broke with past practice and acknowledged an interest in the job; others, such as Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., took themselves out of the mix in a similarly public way.

Biden sought the same kind of "simpatico" relationship with his pick that he shared with Obama, in which he served as the last adviser on big administration decisions. He also has put a high premium on loyalty, according to those familiar with the search.

He has spoken openly about his age, saying that it was also important that his pick have the ability to serve as president from "Day 1." That requirement enhanced the desire for candidates who had a deep well of experience and could more easily been seen by voters as president.

But his choice was also affected by events coursing across the nation.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., once looked like a front-runner, but the killing of George Floyd and other unarmed Black people put a spotlight on her record as a prosecutor, which has drawn criticism from Black activists. Klobuchar eventually removed herself from the running, saying that Biden should pick a woman of color for the ticket.

Biden also faced pressure to delay the pick until closer to the Democratic convention, which begins Monday , to build a sense of momentum for an event that will largely be virtual, lacking the balloon-and-bunting atmosphere of the traditional convention celebrations.

In normal times, the two running mates would barnstorm around the country after the announcement, trying to lift the enthusiasm level of their own partisans and potentially attract new supporters. But Biden has held no large events since March, and has none planned.

Harriswill formally be nominated at the national party convention. She is then scheduled to debate Vice President Pence on Oct. 7 in Utah.

One aim for the Biden campaign has been to unite the various factions of the party, something they hope to do during next week's Democratic convention. On Tuesday, his pick was quickly praised by Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., who often clashed with Biden and was his last remaining primary rival, although they have worked in lockstep since then.

Rep. Ro Khanna, who co-chaired Sanders's campaign and leads the California delegation to the convention, said in an interview that Harris would win over the Vermont senator's supporters despite her disagreements with him on issues like Medicare-for-all. Having co-sponsored Sanders's legislation in 2017, her eventual alternate plan did not phase out private insurance so quickly.

"She was on Bernie's bill, so I think she's open to it, and we need to continue to build a grass-roots movement on Medicare-for-all," Khanna said. "She's been very progressive on immigration issues. She wants to expand health care. She's a strong voice on labor rights. And she represents a multiracial, multicultural future for the country."

- - -

The Washington Post's Annie Linskey, Michael Scherer, David Weigel and Jenna Johnson contributed to this report.
Trumps executive actions appeared to provide a temporary reprieve, offering $300 in jobless benefits and some other aid. But it could take weeks for those programs to ramp up, and the help is far slimmer than what Congress was considering. More than 20 million Americans risk evictions, and more are out of work.
Paris: France will increase its military presence in the eastern Mediterranean, President Emmanuel Macron said on Wednesday, calling on Turkey to halt the oil and gas exploration that has heightened tensions with Greece.

The French leader voiced concern over unilateral exploration by Turkey in a call with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Macron's office said. It added that prospecting should "cease in order to allow a peaceful dialogue" between the neighbouring NATO members.

Turkey's research vessel, Oruc Reis, in red and white, is surrounded by Turkish navy vessels in the Mediterranean. Credit:AP

The stand-off deepened this week with the arrival of Turkish seismic research vessel Oruc Reis  accompanied by warships  in a disputed area of the Mediterranean days after Greece signed a maritime deal with Egypt.

France would temporarily reinforce its military presence, Macron's statement said, to "monitor the situation in the region and mark its determination to uphold international law."
It is, however, possible that the district delays the start of in-person learning and begins the year remotely, as proposed last week by the Buffalo Parent-Teacher Organization, a parent group. The district wants to hear feedback from the community on that and other alternatives.

A decision probably wouldnt come until after Aug. 21.

Q: Can parents choose whether they want remote or in-person instruction for their child this year?

A: Yes. Cash has said he wants to give parents the option of remote instruction or the combination of remote and in-person learning. He also indicated some students may be able to attend school in-person five days a week. That, specifically, would apply to students with special needs, who are already in small, self-contained classrooms.

But the district would want parents to commit to that model of learning for at least the first semester, Brown-Hall said.

The district is in the process of polling parents to get a better idea of how many would choose what format of instruction.

Beginning next week, the district hopes to have a mechanism in place for parents to inform the district of their decision.
Roanokes school division has been an outlier among Virginias larger cities throughout the school reopening process.

Superintendent Verletta White in mid-July proposed to send students of all grades to the classroom four full days per week, more classroom days than any other surrounding division at the time. Now, Roanoke has made a 180-degree turn: Most students will spend the first nine weeks fully virtual.

The plan the school board settled upon Tuesday night more closely resembles those of schools in Northern Virginia, Richmond and Hampton Roads rather than Southwest Virginia, though virtual plans have begun to pick up toward the western part of the state. Lynchburg, Danville, Martinsville and Henry County also will start the year with online classes.

Roanoke, Southwest Virginias largest school division, has received praise for the change, including from the Roanoke Education Association and Mayor Sherman Lea. Others, including school board member Laura Rottenborn, criticized the plan for further widening inequities by keeping students out of the classroom.

The Roanoke School Board voted 6-1 late Tuesday to approve the districts recommended phased reopening plan, following a four-hour meeting that included two hours of rigorous questioning and discussion. Rottenborn cast the dissenting vote.

Ahead of Tuesdays vote, parents made an eleventh-hour attempt to sway the school board toward an in-person plan.

Given that a percentage of teachers and staff are willing and able to be present in the school building, we should attempt to at least send a proportionate share of children to school, Dr. Elizabeth Martin said, adding that keeping students out of school is as much a public health emergency as the threat posed by the virus itself.

Martin also said the goal of preventive measures in the spring was to flatten the curve, not prevent transmission altogether. Others echoed Martins comments, saying the risks of remaining out of the classroom outweighed the risks of going back.

James Madison Middle School PTA President Hunter Durham advocated for using science to guide common-sense decisions, which he believed should allow for a choice.

Fear can help us from making rash decisions, but it cannot define us because it will destroy our American culture, economy and child development systems, he said.

The Roanoke Education Association, the local chapter of the Virginia Education Association, previously asked for a scaled back start to the year.

We were pleased when they changed their mind and went virtual, President Bettye Bell said Wednesday. If the numbers change, then we will willingly go back into the classroom.

Lea, a school board member before being elected to Roanokes city council and then mayor, praised the move.

I think this is the best decision that could be made, Lea said. He wants Roanoke County and Salem to transition to an all-virtual start, too. Why take the risk? he asked. The Salem School Board voted Tuesday to scale back its plan to one day per week of in-person instruction for the first two weeks.

White explained Tuesday that the city is in a substantial range of community transmission, which created challenges in bringing so many students back to the classroom while maintaining 6 feet of physical distancing.

Rottenborn pushed back, claiming the Virginia Department of Health didnt publicly state the substantial metric.

I absolutely agree that if VDH tells us that, then we need to listen, she said. Where I feel frustrated and where Im confused is why VDH isnt publicly stating that.

Dr. Molly ODell, who is leading the pandemic response for the Roanoke and Alleghany Health Districts, holds a weekly press briefing about the virus locally, and meets weekly with school superintendents so they have up-to-date data to inform their planning.

Last week she began sharing new information that the state is providing the local health districts through a pandemic metrics dashboard. The program looks at the burden of the disease, such as infection rates per 100,000 people, availability of testing, masks and other protective equipment, infections in health care workers, and the trend of the disease  whether the rate of new cases is going up, down or holding steady. She said it then uses those measurements to arrive at a rate of transmission of the virus and categorizes it as none, low, moderate, approaching substantial and substantial.

The near Southwest Virginia regions seven-day average is moderate burden, an increasing trend and approaching substantial community transmission. ODell said on Wednesday that Roanokes rate is higher, at the substantial level, but that it is better to look at the region and travel patterns.

Rottenborn also said the health department links to Harvards Global Health Institute as a source of assessing disease in the community, which she said differs from what the health department has shared with the school system.

ODell said the department does not link to Harvards website, but the institute does use the states data to form its assessment. She said she has referred others to the Harvard site as its especially useful for business owners developing travel policies.

The states website can lag behind in reporting cases and testing that already have been reported to the local health districts. The data consistently has been behind for Roanoke throughout the pandemic, and as of Wednesday, the states count is about 100 cases behind the local count.

Rottenborn referred to Harvards website repeatedly and said it classified Roanoke as having a moderate level of transmission. The website does not use that terminology. Globalepidemics.org does use a color-coded system. On Wednesday, it classified Roanoke at an orange level, which the center defines as accelerated spread and advises stay-at-home orders and/or rigorous test and trace programs.

Rottenborn later spent 13 minutes explaining why she couldnt vote to approve the plan, which included what she considers to be threats to students beyond COVID-19.

For me, the biggest weight on the scale is that our solution, to me, does not feel equitable, she said, feeling guilt-ridden that she can sign her children up for popular learning pods even though other families cant afford that.

I think our solution punishes our most vulnerable population and our minority population, she said.

But other school board members noted that those same populations are also the ones affected by health disparities.

Chair Lutheria Smith and members Joyce Watkins and Natasha Saunders  the boards three Black members  each mentioned concerns about people of color and older family members being disproportionately affected. Smith shared research that Black and Hispanic children are more likely to be hospitalized for complications.

I, for one, am not willing to risk one life to premature death, Watkins said.

The boards broad approval to start the school year online didnt preclude members from thinking ahead to the second nine weeks, when they hope to get students back into the classroom.

Staff writer Luanne Rife contributed to this report.

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When two strangers walking by accused James Jaime Juanillo of damaging private property, the California man quickly began recording the incident. A short time later, he put the video on social media. Since then the video has gone viral, with people watching it more than 23 million times.

Juanillo told VOA he thought the two strangers were going to accuse him of a crime.

I came up recording not because I thought there was a potential for a viral video, he said, but because I believed that I was going to need to prove my innocence.

His crime was chalking a Black Lives Matter message on the wall in front of his home in the Pacific Heights neighborhood of San Francisco. The 50-year-old Filipino American shares the home with his husband and some friends.

In the video, a woman and her male partner, both white, walk toward Juanillo and ask whether he lives at the property. They then say they know he does not live there and suggest he is breaking the law.

The woman is identified as Lisa Alexander.

In the video, Juanillo is heard calmly refusing to answer any questions. He told VOA that what he experienced is an everyday form of racism that demands your acceptance of their superiority and their supremacy. The people making the accusations believe they have the right to whatever answers [to questions] that they feel like asking any person of color in any situation.

Alexander, the woman in the video, has been called a Karen. The term is used to describe an entitled white woman who tries to use her position in society to make demands or threats without concern for the effect on others.

Where the term Karen first came from is unclear. Some say it comes from the 2004 movie Mean Girls. Others say it came from humorist Dane Cook, who did a short piece about a friend nobody likes, a girl named Karen.

Wherever it came from, the term has changed over time, says Matt Schimkowitz. He works for Know Your Meme, a website that documents popular social media terms, viral videos and internet celebrities.

I think that the term took on a more serious meaning in the past year, he told VOA. He said it has become a white cop-caller nickname. In other words, it is for white people, usually women, calling the police on people of color for just usually living their lives or doing their jobs.

The turning point for the term, Schimkowitz says, came in May. That is when a white woman called police after a Black birdwatcher in New Yorks Central Park asked her to leash her dog. In that area of the park, known as The Ramble, dogs are required to wear leashes.

The man, a 57-year-old Harvard-educated science editor, was Christian Cooper. He recorded the incident. In the video, the woman threatens to tell police there is an African American man threatening my life.

Just who a Karen is continues to change with the times. The term is also now used for a white woman who tries to cough on people because she thinks the coronavirus is not real. Other people have used the term for a white woman reacting angrily in a store after being asked to wear a face mask.

No male comparison to the term Karen has grown popular yet. This leads many people to debate the sexist meanings of Karen, and why we use it, Schimkowitz says.

But he thinks the word has become such a part of American culture that its use will likely continue. It can describe a specific kind of person in just one word, he notes, and these days most people would rather read something short.

Back in San Francisco, the police who took the call about Jaime Juanillo recognized him as a neighborhood resident and left without incident. Alexander and her partner released a public apology after the video went viral.

Juanillo told VOA that racism doesn't only mean being executed on the streets of America. Sometimes it means being questioned for why you exist and where you exist. Someone can call the police, who carry guns, on you for innocent actions, like making chalk art, on property that is not theirs, that they have no connection to, he said.

Im Alice Bryant.



Dora Mekouar reported this story for VOA News. Alice Bryant adapted it for Learning English. George Grow was the editor.

________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

viral - adj. spreading very quickly to many people especially through the Internet

potential - n. a chance or possibility that something will happen

chalking - v. writing or drawing something with a type of soft, light-colored rock

superior - adj. better than other people

supremacy - n. the quality or state of having more power, authority, or status than anyone else

entitled - adj. believing oneself to be inherently deserving of privileges or special treatment

cop - n. a police officer

nickname - n. a name that is different from your real name but that people call you when they are talking to you or about you

leash - v. to attach a a long, thin piece of rope or chain to a dog or other animal

cough - n. to force air through your throat with a short, loud noise often because you are sick
Bette Brand traveled to mid-Michigan this week to deliver a message: The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is available to help the rural communities devastated by the flooding in May.

"When rural America thrives, all of America thrives," Brand, the USDA Deputy Undersecretary for Rural Development, said during an outdoor news conference Wednesday morning attended by about 40 people in downtown Sanford, probably the most intense area of flood destruction in the five-county declared major disaster area. "This disaster was particularly devastating. When something like this happens, rural communities come to a screeching halt."

Brand, who previously spent more than 35 years with Farm Credit of Virginias, was joined by U.S. Rep. John Moolenaar, R-Midland, and several other local officials to promote awareness of what USDA can do for rural areas, particularly in the wake of the flood.

"We are uniquely positioned to help," Brand said. "We have the resources to help rebuild infrastructure. We can help with schools, hospitals, safe affordable housing. ... The USDA is committed to being a strong partner to rural communities."

In terms of responding to a flood, Brand said the USDA is distinguished from FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) by being a longer-term partner.

"FEMA is the first (agency) on the ground after a disaster. It is a stabilizing (force)," Brand explained.

FEMA officials often refer to the agency's guiding principles of making sure residents' homes are "safe, sound and sanitary" by providing grants to address short-term needs such as restoration of electricity and plumbing.

USDA, on the other hand, is available to communities for the long haul, Brand said.

"Our loan programs can go for 40 years or more," she said.

A section in the Flood Resource Guide on Moolenaar's legislative website reads: "USDA Rural Development helps rural communities grow by increasing economic development and improving the quality of life in rural and small towns. Rural Development provides loans, grants, and assistance to eligible areas in order to build critical infrastructure to expand access to electricity and transportation infrastructure and to support businesses, education, housing, and other resources essential to communities."

USDA Rural Development offers more than 40 programs through low-interest loans, grants and assistance.

To apply for assistance through Rural Development programs, visit rd.usda.gov to find out your eligibility. Most of these resources are not dependent on disasters or emergency circumstances, so your eligibility can be determined at any time. Most Rural Development programs are income-based.

Those who have a Rural Development Single Family Housing Direct Loan and were impacted by the flooding, either due to damage expenses or loss of a job, could be eligible for a loan payment moratorium of up to 180 days.

Contact Rural Development at 800-414-1226 or 800-438-1832 from 8 a.m to 6 p.m. Eastern time, Monday through Friday; or email rdquestion@stl.usda.gov.

Moolenaar thanked the USDA for its support after the flooding.

"I can't thank my friends at the USDA enough for being here right from the start (in May)," said Moolenaar, who serves on the House Appropriations Committee, which oversees the USDA.

Sanford Village President Dolores Porte said she was excited about the potential for the village to partner with the USDA on various improvement projects.

"The community is ready to partner with the USDA," Porte said.

Porte has talked with both FEMA and USDA officials, she told the Daily News.

"They each asked me, 'What is it you want to accomplish? Put a list together.' So, part of it now is just (a matter of) applying with the right organization and following each of their processes."

Porte noted that the new Jerome Township fire station, which recently broke ground, is an example of a USDA project that was actually approved prior to the flooding.

Most USDA and FEMA community grants require some kind of financial contribution from the community, Porte said. But she noted that in many cases, the volunteer hours donated by community members for clean-up and restoration work after the flooding can be considered "in-kind" contributions.

Also at the news conference, a local resident asked the legislators present for help in getting insurance companies to pay for damage due to the disaster in May. He asserted the event wasn't actually a flood, but rather a man-made disaster due to mismanagement that led to the failure of the Edenville and Sanford dams.

"This was not a flood. This was human error," he said, and concluded that therefore insurance companies should have to pay for any damage that resulted from the failure of the dams.

State Rep. Annette Glenn, R-Midland, who was also present at the news conference, said she would follow up on this resident's concerns, and she met with him afterward.

"We're continuing to dig in and ask questions (about the disaster in May)," Glenn said.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, Aug.12

Trend:

Turkish Minister of National Defense Hulusi Akar and Chief of the General Staff of the Turkish Armed Forces, Army General Yashar Guler, commanders of troops and other high-ranked officers arrive with a visit in Azerbaijan on August 12, Trend reports.

The enlarged Turkish military delegation will watch the final episode of the first stage of the Azerbaijani-Turkish Live-Fire Joint Tactical and Flight-Tactical Exercises of the Land and Air Forces within the framework of the Day of High-Level Observers.
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., Aug. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- CarePredict continues to be the preferred technology partner for senior living communities across the U.S. as Aravilla Clearwater Memory Care becomes the eighth senior living community to sign a multi-year agreement with the digital health company in the last 30 days.

"At Aravilla Clearwater, we strive to raise the bar for excellence in memory care using evidence-based care and innovations," said Robert Ross, Chief Development Officer, Aravilla Memory Care Clearwater. "When it came to choosing a technology that would help meet our goals, CarePredict's multifaceted solution with AI-powered wellness insights, two-way voice communication, wander management capabilities, and workforce productivity tools was the clear winner."

CarePredict was the first-to-market with a solution that observes a resident's daily activity and behavior patterns for changes that precede health declines. In senior living facilities, this ability to detect the early signs of concerns allows the staff to intervene in a timely manner, enabling preventive care and improving the residents' overall well-being and quality of life. CarePredict's system uses a smart wearable, Tempo , artificial intelligence, and sophisticated gesture recognition to continuously observe residents' activity and behaviors.

For memory care facilities, CarePredict's precise indoor location technology enables geofence alerts that minimize the risk of wandering while allowing increased independence for residents. Additionally, location insights enable faster staff response times and improved care coordination. To facilitate a rapid response to control and stop the spread of infections, CarePredict includes PinPoint , a groundbreaking automated digital contact tracing system, specifically designed for senior living environments.

CarePredict's Tempo is packed with features that improve the resident experience, including keyless door access, a concierge services button, and two-way voice communication that allows residents to speak to staff and receive timely assistance and reassurance.

"CarePredict has been responsive to the unique needs of the senior care industry and has consistently innovated to enable quality care that seniors need and deserve," said Satish Movva, CEO & Founder, CarePredict. "We are humbled and thrilled to have the trust of an increasing number of senior care operators in keeping their residents safe and healthy."

To learn more about CarePredict's market-leading digital health products for your senior living, visit www.carepredict.com, or email [email protected].

About CarePredict

CarePredict's mission is to help caregivers take timely action by detecting a senior's activity and behavior patterns that are precursors to health declines. Based on the science that shows changes in daily activity behaviors precede health issues in seniors, CarePredict's award-winning smart wearable, Tempo autonomously observes these activity patterns, and the system alerts professional and family caregivers on changes before something happens.

CarePredict's latest offering, PinPoint, the automatic contact tracing solution for senior care, helps facilities stop the spread of infections by quickly identifying all the people and places exposed to an infected person.

CarePredict is located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and Menlo Park, CA.

For more information, visit www.carepredict.com, email [email protected].

Media Contact:

CarePredict

Subhashree Sukhu

Marketing Director, CarePredict

[email protected]

+1 800-608-7188 ext 526

SOURCE CarePredict

Related Links

http://www.carepredict.com


Taiheiyo Cement's operating profit rises 17% YoY

12 August 2020

Japans Taiheiyo Cement announced a 41.8 per cent YoY decline in net profit to JPY3.2bn (US$29.96m) for the quarter ending June 2020.



However, operating profit advanced 17.1 per cent YoY to JPY7bn while sales edged downwards by three per cent to JPY200.5bn.

The cement sales volumes for its China business decreased due to the impact of COVID-19.

Published under
In July 2020 it was revealed that in 2018 the U.S. president secretly gave the CIA permission to take more aggressive action against hacker groups that have been responsible for attacks on the United States. This explained several mysterious incidents were anti-American hacker groups had details of their group and its membership revealed. Then there were incidents were these anti-American hackers had their operations sabotaged or otherwise disrupted. There were also cases where anti-American hackers had their identities and much personal information made public. For a while the victims didnt realize they were under attack by a Cyber War opponent.

The CIA, NSA and Department of Defense had long been asking for this authority. Granting it to the CIA allowed the CIA to bring in NSA and Department of Defense experts for joint operations. Russian hackers have been responsible for a lot of the successful hacking operations inside the United States. Chinese, North Korean and Iranian hackers have also been very active and they are also on the CIA target list. The exact composition of the target list is secret as are the attack operations carried out against the major hacking groups.

Hacking has been around since the 1980s and with the growth of the Internet became big business. Hacking went from masses of individuals or small groups to larger, professional and longer-lasting groups. These came to be called APTs (Advanced Persistent Threat) organizations. APTs are well organized and very active hacker groups that are sometimes created and often sustained by governments or major criminal gangs. APTs exist all over the world, especially in larger nations that have large numbers of well-educated but unemployed technical people.

All APTs are given a number, as in APT23 or APT34, and often a name as well. Many APTs stick with criminal activities over a long period, concentrating on stealing money, or information they can sell. In some cases, APTs get involved in national rivalries that have already been going on for a long time. An example of this decades old online conflict between India and Pakistan. This conflict is unique and deemed a Cyber War for several reasons. First, it has involved numerous attacks on military and government networks to steal information or plant malware that can later be activated to crash the network temporarily. Many other attacks are against media to sway public opinion over issues like Pakistani efforts (since the late 1940s) to annex Indian Kashmir or accuse the other side of promoting terror and disorder. As the number of damaging incidents grew the victims began to notice they had something in common.

All this reflects trends in computer hacking, which have gone pro since the late 1990s. One side effect is the creation of many tools and techniques hackers created to carry out these Cyber War attacks. What this all means is that nations see Cyber War weapons as major components of their military power because the Cyber War weapons available keep getting more effective. This evolution came into focus since the Internet and the World Wide Web became widely used and truly international after 2000. Within a decade, researchers began to encounter major APTs. Since then the APTs have become scarier. Consider TajMahal and the White Company. These major malware producers and users came to be called APTs and that said it all. The White Company was discovered in 2017 by computer security companies as this new APT quietly tried to hack its way into Pakistani Air Force networks. White Company was deliberate, effective and discreet. It was called the white company because the group placed a premium on concealing its operations as well as its origins. This sort of thing was first noted in 2010 when Stuxnet was discovered and attributed to an Israeli-American state-level effort that produced a very elaborate, professional and stealthy bit of malware that did major damage to the Iranian nuclear program. In 2018 Iran was hit with a similar attack but this Stuxnet-like malware was even more elaborate, its source is still unknown and the Iranians would rather not talk about it. In 2020 there was another well publicized series of Cyber War battles between Israel and Iran.

Israel, like many other advanced tech nations, has the equivalent of APTs on the government payroll. As government employees these civil service hackers must be careful when working with black hats (criminal APTs) but sometimes such cooperation is the way to go. This tends to be classified top secret and rarely makes the news. In some countries government use of APTs is more frequent and open. Such use of gangsters by government is an ancient practice. The ancient Romans were quite adept at it and even the United States often does it, and not just to the extent of having CIs (Confidential Informants) within criminal organizations. In some countries, like Russia and China, the relationship between government and APTs is more open and formalized. Typically, the APT will make itself available to their government as needed and also give preference to their own government when seeking a buyer for some valuable commercial data they have stolen.

Western democracies must be more discreet about this sort of thing but there is an international market for items stolen and offered for sale by APTs. All major nations participate, for they cannot afford not to. Cryptocurrencies like bitcoin have made it easier for APTs and governments to do business with each other. Intelligence agencies often participate, not only to purchase choice items, but also to collect information about what is being offered and by whom for whom. Intel agencies eventually get enough experience monitoring these transactions, and the Cyber War activities of other nations, to develop a good sense of who is selling what and who is buying.

Sometimes the secrecy is surprisingly effective. Such was the case with North Korea, which slowly developed state run APTs during the 1990s and quietly unleashed them on their enemies or any vulnerable victims. By 2017 it was clear that North Korean APTs were becoming a major threat. The North Koreans do it mainly for the money because North Korea is always broke and run by a ruthless but economically inept dictator. The North Korean Cyber War threat has been one of the many revelations in the last decade. Long believed to be nonexistent, North Korean cyberwarriors did exist. North Korea has had personnel working on Internet issues since the early 1990s, and their Mirim College program quietly trained a growing number of Internet engineers and hackers. North Korea has a unit devoted to Internet-based warfare and this unit is increasingly active. North Korea is now considered a major player and it not only maintains some major APTs but often hires foreign ones, usually Chinese.

China is a major user of APTs for economic, industrial and military espionage. This was a direct threat to India and an inspiration for Pakistan. Both these South Asian nations were slow to get into large scale and APT grade hacking but now they are both at it, mainly against each other. Both nations have a lot of local talent (software engineers and proficient amateurs) and for a long time, the attacks were unorganized and mostly directed at low-level activities like defacing websites and engaging in opinion manipulation on a larger and larger scale. Meanwhile, India was subject to more professional attacks by Chinese and North Korean APTs that led to the Indians mobilizing their own APTs, mainly to deal with Pakistan and, to a lesser extent, China. India sees China as the major threat and Pakistan as more a nuisance, but one with nuclear weapons.

India and Pakistan also noted that what most of these APT level efforts had in common was the exploitation of human error. A case in point is the continued success of attacks via the Internet against specific civilian, military, and government individuals using psychology, rather than just technology. This sort of thing is often carried out in the form of official looking email, with a file attached, sent to people at a specific military or government organization. It is usually an email they weren't expecting but from someone they recognize. This is known in the trade as "spearfishing" (or "phishing"), which is a Cyber War technique that sends official looking email to specific individuals with an attachment which, if opened, secretly installs a program that sends files and information from the email recipient's PC to the spear fisher's computer. For the last few years an increasing number of military, government, and contractor personnel have received these official-looking emails with a PDF document attached and asking for prompt attention. This is what the White Company used on a large, and detailed, scale against the Pakistani Air Force. Since India and Pakistan share a similar culture and languages, it is easier for both nations to create compelling spearfishing attacks using convincing cover letters.

China has been a major user of spearfishing, and apparently the Chinese government and independent Chinese hackers have been a major force in coming up with new spearfishing payloads. This has led to China becoming the home of nearly half the APTs known to exist. The methods, and source, of many spearfishing attacks, have been traced back to China. In 2010, Internet security researchers discovered a China-based espionage group, called the Shadow Network, which had hacked into PCs used by military and civilian personnel working for the Indian armed forces and made off with huge quantities of data. Examination of the viruses and related bits of computer code indicated that most of this stuff was created by Chinese speaking programmers while all movement of command and stolen data led back to servers in China.

China's Cyber War hackers have become easier to identify because they have been getting cocky and careless. Internet security researchers have found identical bits of code (the human-readable text that programmers create and then turn into smaller binary code for computers to use), and techniques for using it, in hacking software used against Tibetan independence groups and commercial software sold by some firms in China and known to work for the Chinese military. Similar patterns have been found in hacker code left behind during attacks on American military and corporate networks. The best hackers hide their tracks better than this. The White Company is a good example of that.

It's also been noted that Chinese behavior is distinctly different from that encountered among East European hacking operations. The East European hackers are more disciplined and go in like commandos and get out quickly once they have what they were looking for. The Chinese go after more targets with less skillful attacks and stick around longer than they should. That's how so many hackers are tracked back to China, often to specific servers known to be owned by the Chinese military or government research institutes.

The East Europeans have been at this longer and most of the hackers work for criminal gangs, who enforce discipline, select targets, and protect their hackers from local and foreign police. The East European hacker groups are harder to detect when they are breaking in, and much more difficult to track down. Because of these characteristics the East Europeans go after more difficult (and lucrative) targets. Chinese hackers are a more diverse group. Some work for the government, many more are contractors, and even more are independents who often slip over to the dark side and scam Chinese. This is forbidden by the government and these hackers are sometimes caught and punished, or simply disappear. The Chinese hackers are, compared to the East Europeans, less skilled and disciplined. There are some very, very good Chinese hackers but they often lack adult supervision or some Ukrainian gangster ready to put a bullet in their head if they don't follow orders exactly.

For Chinese hackers that behave (don't do cyber crimes against Chinese targets) the rewards are great. Large bounties are paid for sensitive military and government data taken from the West. This encourages some unqualified hackers to take on targets they can't handle. This was seen recently when a group of hackers were caught trying to get into a high-security network in the White House, the one dealing with emergency communications with the military and nuclear forces. Such amateurs are often caught and prosecuted. But the pros tend to leave nothing behind but hints that can be teased out of heavy use of data mining and pattern analysis.

India, which has always been a democracy since independence in 1948, cannot be as ruthless as dictatorships like China, Iran and North Korea. All the democracies are in the same situation although none have such dedicated and openly hostile foes like India and Israel do. The United States has a lot of enemies and was the largest user of the Internet in the world, although is being overtaken by China in that department. While much is heard about Chinese hackers and APTs plundering the U.S. via the Internet, less is publicized about who is doing what to China via the Internet. China is suffering losses but, as a police state, can keep a lot of the details out of the global mass media.

It is believed that the CIAs new authority to carry out offensive Cyber War operations includes going into Chinese networks to find out how much China has stolen, who uses the stolen data and how it was stolen. This sort of thing involves major hacks against the Chinese, who are known to be more vulnerable than many Western nations. It was because of all this that the CIA, NSA and Department of Defense were long asking for permission to fight, or hack back. Now they have it, or at least the CIA does. That makes sense because the CIA is in charge of overseas espionage while the NSA is more about security. The FBI, in cooperation with NSA, handles detecting and dealing with domestic threats. The Department of Defense is mainly about military threats but that now includes offensive and defensive Cyber War capabilities. The CIA has long handled peacetime paramilitary operations against American enemies, with the Department of Defense providing support and taking notes. Now those paramilitary operations include Cyber War operations, both to collect information as well as inflicting some pain and humiliation.
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

Nearly 500,000 people in the U.S. during the past 20 years have died from an opioid overdose. Millions of othersmany of them parentsare using, incarcerated or in drug rehabilitation programs. While the drug crisis has had profound impacts on adults, there has been relatively little research into its effects on the children of drug users. A recent study by University of Notre Dame economists Kasey Buckles, William Evans and Ethan Lieber is one of the first to examine these impacts.

In their study, released by the National Bureau of Economic Research, the professorsall affiliated with Notre Dame's Wilson Sheehan Lab for Economic Opportunities (LEO)show that greater exposure to the opioid crisis increases the chance that a child's mother or father is absent from the household and increases the likelihood that he or she lives in a household headed by a grandparent. The authors estimate that in 2015 1.5 million children (up to 16 years old) were living apart from at least one biological parent, 300,000 were living away from both parents and roughly half a million were living in a household headed by a grandparent as a result of the crisis.

"These are staggering numbers," said Buckles, associate professor of economics. "We know that millions of adults have been affected by the crisis; our study shows that it is likely to have huge impacts on the next generation as well."

The authors examined the changes in the living arrangements of children over time and across states using government data from the Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC) section of the Current Population Survey (CPS), a nationally representative survey of about 60,000 households conducted each month. They paired that with estimates of children's exposure to the crisis that are constructed from the Multiple Cause of Death Data, an annual census of death records in the U.S.

Cohorts that are more recent have much greater exposure to the crisis at every age. By age 16, those born in 1998 have experienced about three times more deaths among likely parents than those experienced by the 1978 birth cohort. States such as Ohio and West Virginia are epicenters of the drug crisis and the death rates of likely parents for 10-year-olds increased in these two states by 691 and 1,436 percent respectively between 1990 and 2015. The increase was more modest in states such as California and Illinois.

The authors also document that the advertising practices of Purdue Pharma, makers of OxyContin (a drug at the center of the opioid crisis), were pivotal in fostering these devastating consequences. Documents released during the discovery process in court cases against Purdue Pharma note that the drug maker avoided advertising in states with triplicate prescription pads. These programs required prescribers to use a special, serialized pad to prescribe a Schedule II opioid such as OxyContin, with the prescriber, pharmacist and the state each retaining a copy. Triplicate pads allowed states to more easily monitor the prescribing practices of physicians. The pre-launch adverting plans for OxyContin noted that Purdue Pharma felt there was little market for OxyContin in triplicate states and hence, they did not plan to advertise as aggressively in those areas. Prior to the launch of OxyContin in 1996, triplicate states actually had higher drug death rates than non-triplicate states. After 1996, drug deaths increased much more dramatically in non-triplicate states where Purdue Pharma advertised OxyContin more aggressively. The authors' research shows that a 16-year-old in a non-triplicate state after 2012 was exposed to a cumulative death rate of likely parents that was twice the rate of a 16-year-old in a triplicate state.

The long-term effects of family separation are, as previous studies have shown, psychologically devastating. Buckles, Evans and Lieber show that the economic consequences of the drug crisis are also significant for children. Their estimates suggest that, because of the drug crisis, almost 700,000 more children are living in poverty, 785,000 are participating in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program ("food stamps") and 340,000 are without health insurance.

Specific effects for the nearly half a million children living in a household headed by a grandparent will depend on the extent to which grandparents are able to provide resources and support. Little research attention has been given to the causal impact of living with a grandparent on children's well-being.

Drawing on these and other studies, the authors "conclude that the existing evidence suggests that there will likely be a great number of children whose outcomes are worsened by this crisis."

Explore further US states sue OxyContin maker over opioid crisis

More information: Kasey Buckles et al. The Drug Crisis and the Living Arrangements of Children, NBER (2020). Kasey Buckles et al. The Drug Crisis and the Living Arrangements of Children,(2020). DOI: 10.3386/w27633
American Medical Association

American Medical Association

CHICAGO, Aug. 12, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The American Medical Association (AMA) and SNOMED International announced a concrete demonstration of how Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) and SNOMED CT work together to enable better outcomes and enhanced resource utilization throughout the health ecosystem.

The AMA-SNOMED International demonstration project underscores the power of the two terminologies together  providing a clear path from clinical documentation to resource utilization insights. The demonstration tool will highlight how health care administrators can leverage both code sets to align resources to population needs in complex clinical areas such as breast cancer diagnosis and treatment.

Both serving a specific purpose, the AMAs CPT codes are vital to health care administration and classification in the United States, while SNOMED CT serves as the global standard for clinical terminology. At a broad level, the AMA-SNOMED International collaboration aims to improve integration between the CPT and SNOMED CT terminologies, by producing tools for physician practices, hospitals, payers, and other stakeholders to better organize healthcare data.

The goal of this joint initiative is to provide opportunities for health care stakeholders to explore additional scenarios, capture new insights, and evaluate how the combined terminologies can be used to strengthen care in their health care systems. To this end, the AMA and SNOMED International have engaged in this joint initiative to explore creating a demonstration space, or sandbox, where clinical analytics scenarios can be demonstrated and, in the future, run securely.

The AMA is focused on improving access to data for solutions to the challenges of an aging population that is growing, a rise in chronic conditions and co-morbidities, and an increasingly burdened healthcare workforce, said AMA Executive Vice President and CEO James Madara, M.D. The AMAs collaboration with SNOMED International supports the shift to digitization and will help the health care industry optimize resources and increase efficiencies as it works towards achieving better patient outcomes, improved access and lower costs.

Story continues

The American Medical Association is a valued partner and I am pleased that we have continued to evolve our relationship since our first collaboration was signed in 2016 offered SNOMED CT CEO, Don Sweete. Our next chapter will focus on demonstrating the clinical analytics benefit from using data coded with SNOMED CT, as well as how integration between SNOMED CT and CPT provide key information to support the efficient and cost-effective management of healthcare organizations.

A committed supporter and participant of the SNOMED CT Expo, the AMA continues to bring its focus on data driven solutions through thought leadership at the conference. Over the course of this years Expo, taking place October 8-9, the AMA will share how to leverage SNOMED CT Encoded Data to Design, Implement and Track Remote Monitoring Programs through a CPT Code Set Use Case as well as the approach to Aligning Clinician Priorities with Terminology and Standards Development. Matt Menning, director of engagement for the AMAs Integrated Health Model Initiative, along with other key AMA ambassadors will lead the community through these sessions.

Both organizations are dedicated to the pursuit of unambiguous exchange of clinical information. Together they seek to address the health systems emerging need for greater integration in support of interoperability as well as health and resource data analytics.

About SNOMED International

SNOMED International is a not-for-profit organization that owns and develops SNOMED CT, the world's most comprehensive healthcare terminology product. We play an essential role in improving the health of humankind by determining standards for a codified language that represents groups of clinical terms. This enables healthcare information to be exchanged globally for the benefit of patients and other stakeholders. We are committed to the rigorous evolution of our products and services, to deliver continuous innovation for the global healthcare community. SNOMED International is the trading name of the International Health Terminology Standards Development Organisation. www.snomed.org

About the American Medical Association

The American Medical Association is the physicians powerful ally in patient care. As the only medical association that convenes 190+ state and specialty medical societies and other critical stakeholders, the AMA represents physicians with a unified voice to all key players in health care. The AMA leverages its strength by removing the obstacles that interfere with patient care, leading the charge to prevent chronic disease and confront public health crises and, driving the future of medicine to tackle the biggest challenges in health care.

Attachment

CONTACT: Kelly Kuru SNOMED International +1 416 566 8725 kku@snomed.org Robert J. Mills American Medical Association +1 312 464 5970 robert.mills@ama-assn.org




Editor's Note: As a Chinese proverb goes, "give a person a fish, they will have a meal; teach them to fish, they will have food." Promotion of education plays an important role in China's battle against poverty and calls for lots of concern and unremitting efforts. In China, there is a group of women who have devoted their all to China's rural education, and their stories have touched the heart of each Chinese person.

Zhang Guimei, a 63-year-old teacher at the Huaping Senior High School for Girls in Lijiang City, Southwest China's Yunnan Province, accompanies a group of children at a children's welfare home in Huaping County. [For Women of China]

There is a group of Chinese women who love to contribute to China's rural education. They give lessons in classrooms, the crop fields or the mountains, illuminating impoverished children's future.

Zhang Guimei, 63, principal of the Huaping High School for Girls in Lijiang City, Southwest China's Yunnan Province, has been advocating education for needy girls for years.

Zhang founded the country's first all-girls public high school that does not charge tuition fees, and helped more than 1,600 students realize their dreams of attending university.

She has spent over a million yuan (US $142,594.36), part of which was for medical treatment to enable her to run the school in the mountains, and stuck to her position even when she was under the weather.

In addition to the next generation's education, Zhang also cared for their lives. As president of a children's welfare home in Huaping for two decades, she has shown concern to 130 unaccompanied children and helped them grow up.

Yao Qingyue, a primary school teacher in Xixia County, Nanyang City, Central China's Henan Province, teaches a class. [For Women of China/Yao Qingyue]

Yao Qingyue is a volunteer teacher dedicated to rural education of Xixia County, Nanyang City, Central China's Henan Province. As the only teacher in the local school, Yao made a clean sweep of nearly all the work, including teaching, cooking and purchasing school supplies.

Yao has stayed in the mountains for more than 30 years trying her best to guarantee the children's nine-year compulsory education. According to her, it is very important to enhance basic education, not only for imparting knowledge, but also for cultivating talents.

With a passion for her career, Yao has introduced many children into the hall of knowledge and to a broader world full of hope.

Mose Xiaolan, a teacher of Yi ethnic group in Yuexi County, Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Southwest China's Sichuan Province, poses for a group photo with children receiving schoolbags from donators. [For Women of China/Mose Xiaolan]

Mose Xiaolan is a village-stationed official and teacher in Yuexi County, Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Southwest China's Sichuan Province. She joined the anti-poverty battle out of a strong sense of mission, as she herself received help to finish school and now wishes to give back to society.

In the past 10 years, she has traveled all over the county at the cost of three electromotor cars, helping 351 impoverished children get pairing-up support, raising more than 1.7 million yuan (US $242,602), and distributing donated materials to over 2,500 people.

Gesangdeji, a Tibetan teacher from Motuo County, Nyingchi City, Southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, poses for a group photo with her students. [XZRTV/Suolangzhaxi]

Gesangdeji, whose life was changed by education, is another woman hoping to help more children who are sharing the same experiences as her.

Gesangdeji was born in Motuo County, Nyingchi City, Southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region. Motuo was once an "isolated island" on the plateau, and the last county to have a highway.

After graduating in 2001, Kelsang returned to her hometown without hesitation, deciding to devote herself to local children's education.

The villagers called Gesangdeji "dream protector" since she has raised the hopes of many families over the past two decades. With the continuous improvement of educational conditions, more and more children of Monba ethnic group have walked out of the mountains and changed their destinies through education.

Xu Dongmei, associate professor at a college in Hefei City, East China's Anhui Province, gives suggestions on agricultural products to the local villagers during her visit to a field in East China's Anhui Province. [For Women of China/Zhou Qiao and Gao Bin]

Xu Dongmei, associate professor at a college in Hefei City, East China's Anhui Province, is a teacher studying agriculture. She took the initiative to go to rural areas, hoping to use her knowledge and ideas to help farmers increase income and become prosperous.

Xu stuck to her post, shuttling between fields, poverty-alleviation workshops and residents' houses to provide guidance and training to villagers who were making modified products based on superior traditional ones.

With Xu's leadership and unremitting efforts, 379 villagers from 178 households had been lifted out poverty by the end of 2017.

But unfortunately, Xu was diagnosed with a malignant tumor just when she was working hard for the local people with ambition and enthusiasm.

After retreating from the front line of the battle against poverty, Xu returned to her former position in the college. What she had experienced encouraged her students and more young people to pursue their dreams. "It's a pity that I can't go back to the front line of the battle against poverty, but I am still ready to contribute to the rural revitalization as much as I can," Xu said.

(Women of China)
New Delhi:

High alert has been sounded and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams have been pre positioned as severe cyclonic storm Vardah will make a landfall between north Tamil Nadu and south Andra Pradesh on Monday.

The alert has been sounded across Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu along the coast of Bay of Bengal, official sources said.

One team of NDRF comprising around 40 personnel has been pre-positioned in Andhra Pradeshs Nellore, one in Tada, one in Salurupeta, one in Oongle, and one in Chitpore district.

In addition, another team is moving to Salurupeta while teams are on standby in Guntur and Hyderabad.

Three NDRF teams were pre-positioned in Chennai, two in Tamil Nadus in Tiruvalur, one in Mahabalipuram.Sources said another team is on its way to Chennai while one team has been out on stand by at Arakkonam.

The Regional Meteorological Centre in Chennai said Vardah lay centred at 330 km east of Chennai at 1430 hours on Sunday and would move westwards before making landfall between north Tamil Nadu and south Andhra Pradesh coasts tomorrow afternoon.

Under its impact, rains will start tonight and gradually increase tomorrow in the northern districts of Chennai, Tiruvallur and Kancheepuram, S Balachandran, Director, Area Cyclone Warning Centre, said.

On December 12, heavy to very heavy rains were likely in some places in these districts, he said, adding, strong winds could gust upto 80-90 kph. The sea would be rough, he said and asked fishermen to not to venture into the sea for the next 48 hours.

Chief Minister O Panneerselvam held a meeting of the Tamil Nadu State Disaster Management Authority which also asked the armed forces to be on standby.

The Tamil Nadu government has also declared holiday for educational institutions in Chennai, Kancheepuram and Tiruvallur, besides coastal taluks of Villupuram.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu reviewed the situation through a teleconference with Collectors and top officials this evening. He directed them to be alert and undertake necessary rescue and relief efforts in view of the cyclone threat.

Food and other essential commodities should be kept ready in adequate quantities, he said. Take all steps to prevent loss of lives and to minimise damages to crops and properties, Naidu told the officials.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Iraq cancelled a 13 August visit by the Turkish Defence Minister, Hulusi Akar, to the country, following condemnation of a Turkish drone strike in the Erbil province that killed two Iraqi border guards, according to an Iraqi Foreign Ministry statement.



The Turkish ambassador in Iraq has been summoned to Baghdad after the Turkish drone attack.



"We are announcing the cancellation of the visit by the Turkish defense minister to Iraq, scheduled for Thursday. The Foreign Ministry will summon the Turkish ambassador and hand him a note of protest in connection with the attack", Sputnik cited the Iraqi Foreign Ministry as saying.

Earlier on Tuesday the Iraqi government reported that at least two servicemen had been killed in a drone strike against a military vehicle in the Sidekan area. According to the Al-Sumaria TV channel, five Iraqi servicemen were killed, along with ten members of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). Iraq condemned the attack, denouncing "repeated military violations" by Turkey as "dangerous violation of Iraqi sovereignty, international law and the UN Charter".
Here are todays top stories.

Putin says Russia has approved world first Covid-19 vaccine. But questions over its safety remain Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the approval of a coronavirus vaccine for use on Tuesday, claiming it as a world first, amid continued concern and unanswered questions over its safety and effectiveness.

New Zealand reinstates coronavirus restrictions after first locally-transmitted case in 102 days New Zealand has reintroduced coronavirus restrictions in parts of the country after new locally transmitted cases broke the 102-day streak the country had gone without recording a local infection.

Previous vaccines and masks may hold down Covid-19, some researchers say As US leaders work to control the spread of coronavirus, researchers across the country  and globe  are working to answer the mysteries that remain around infections.

Analysis: Hong Kongs security law is transforming the city even faster than expected Its been less than six weeks since a security law banning secession, subversion and collusion came into force in Hong Kong. But its already having a dramatic effect on the citys political, media and online spheres.

How one man and his cellphone in Canada rescued a group of Africans stuck in China because of the coronavirus pandemic Johannesburg (CNN)  Even for 2020, with its once-in-a-generation global pandemic and the countless travel bans that have followed, this rescue mission seems a bit far-fetched.

Trump postpones G7 summit until after US election President Donald Trump said Monday that he will look to postpone the G7 meeting until after the election in November, after a previous delay due to Covid concerns.

Analysis: How Donald Trump has already handed Joe Biden a debate win President Donald Trump has made his view of Joe Bidens mental state and capacity very, very clear.

After nine years as CEO of Apple, Tim Cook is now a billionaire Apple CEO Tim Cook has become a billionaire as he nears a decade at the helm of the worlds most valuable company.

The earth was once home to terror crocodiles nearly the size of city buses A new study has shed more light on gigantic terror crocodiles, that once roamed the world and preyed on dinosaurs with teeth the size of bananas.

Beirut protests continue despite PMs resignation Protests have taken place for a third consecutive night in Lebanons capital, Beirut, amid mounting anger over the devastating explosion a week ago that reportedly killed more than 200 people. Clashes broke out near the parliament building, with demonstrators throwing fireworks and police firing tear gas. Hours earlier, the Lebanese cabinet submitted its resignation.

Putin: Russias Covid-19 vaccine approved for use Russian President Vladimir Putin has said a locally developed vaccine for Covid-19 has been given regulatory approval after less than two months of testing on humans. Mr Putin said the vaccine had passed all the required checks, adding that his daughter had already been given it.

UK employment falls by biggest amount in a decade Employment in the UK fell by the largest amount in over a decade between May and July, official figures show. Employment decreased by 220,000 on the quarter, said the Office for National Statistics. This was the largest quarterly decrease since May to July 2009, it added.

Uber and Lyft drivers are employees, says US judge Ride-hailing companies Uber and Lyft must classify their drivers as employees rather than freelancers, a judge in California has ruled. The firms have 10 days to appeal against a preliminary injunction. The work status is controversial. Gig economy firms say it means drivers can work on their own terms, while critics say they have no protection.

The city that became an open-air cafe Its the fourth morning in a row that Im cleaning and collecting hundreds of scattered outdoor tables into a pile, complains Asta Baskauskaite as she cleans up the square near Hales Market in the Old Town area of the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius.

Google Pixel 4a review: A worthy Android alternative to the iPhone SE All products featured here are independently selected by our editors and writers.If you buy something through links on our site, Mashable may earn an affiliate commission. Mashable Choice is a badge of honor, reserved for the absolute best stuff you can see, use, or do. If its Choice, its worth your time.

Remember voice tweets? Lmao. Back in the day, and by the day I mean June 2020, Twitter launched a new feature that allows people to record and tweet audio clips of their own voices. For a day or two, my timeline was flooded with annoying and painfully unfunny audio bits.

Trevor Noah says we should *actually* put Trump on Mount Rushmore On Aug. 9, Donald Trump tweeted that he thought it would be a good idea to add his face to Mount Rushmore in South Dakota, alongside the heads of former presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln.

Twitter is testing a new Quotes counter Twitter might make it easier for users to view quote retweets. The social network confirmed to The Verge over the weekend that its testing a new feature. For some people, quote retweets now appear as Quotes under tweets, with their own counter, similar to how the number of retweets and likes are displayed.

Facebook internal investigation finds millions of members in QAnon groups Facebook officially has a QAnon problem. An internal investigation carried out by the social networking giant found that Facebook groups related to the far-right conspiracy theory QAnon are racking up millions of members on the platform. According to documents provided to by a Facebook employee, the companys investigation discovered thousands of QAnon pages and groups on the site.

Twitter is apparently interested in buying TikTok, too The race to buy the U.S. side of TikTok before the app is banned in the states has an interesting new competitor: Twitter. Reuters reported on Saturday that the popular microblogging platform has spoken to TikToks parent company ByteDance about a possible sale. ByteDance has 43 days to agree to sell the U.S.
The spot on the Whiterock Road where the fatal collision happened

Kay Conlon with her grandchildren at the spot on the Whiterock Road in west Belfast where her husband was killed

The daughter of a west Belfast pensioner who was knocked down and killed outside a cemetery, said her family cannot forgive the driver who turned their lives "upside down" for ever.

Geraldine Conlon was speaking after Michael Loughran (33) pleaded guilty to being the driver of a stolen car which was involved in the fatal collision which took her father's life on the Whiterock Road last August.

Seamus Conlon died after he was struck by a silver Vauxhall. The 70-year-old great-grandfather had just attended a funeral at the City Cemetery when the fatal incident occurred.

Speaking to the Belfast Telegraph after Loughran was remanded into custody at Belfast Crown Court until he is sentenced this autumn, Geraldine said the court hearing had been very painful for the family.

Loughran, whose address was give as Maghaberry Prison, yesterday admitted stealing the car and causing Mr Conlon's death by dangerous driving.

Appearing via videolink from Maghaberry, he also pleaded guilty to the offences of aggravated vehicle taking causing death, driving without insurance causing Mr Conlon's death and driving whilst unfit through drink or drugs.

Geraldine revealed she and her family watched proceedings unfold remotely from the family home where her father should be - just days after they marked the first anniversary of the devoted family man's death.

She said it had been difficult for them all watching via videolink.

"It was the first anniversary of his death last Monday. It was very hard, especially the first year. The way he was taken from us... going to a funeral and coming back in a box. It's just been hard," she explained.

During the hearing Loughran offered his "deep regret" to Mr Conlon's family via his barrister, Gavan Duffy, "for the consequences of his actions and the death of their loved one."

Mr Duffy told Judge Geoffrey Miller QC: "I appreciate that what I'm saying probably will have little or no consolation to the Conlon family and I understand the very tangible anger and loss they must feel... but I wanted to indicate on his (Loughran's) behalf his deep regret for what has happened and what he has done."

Geraldine said she cannot forgive Loughran for what he did that day - even if he did decide to admit his guilt.

"We don't forgive him at all," she said.

"Even when he came in saying he was sorry for what he'd done... no, just no, because he took the biggest part of our family away, which was my daddy."

She stressed the family's overriding feeling is one of anger.

"I know he's pleaded guilty but it's not going to bring my daddy back," she said.

"He has turned our lives upside down."

Geraldine also revealed she has a precious final photograph taken of her father as he attended the funeral, just before his death.

She said the loss of her father, who has eight grandchildren and one great-granddaughter, had left a deep void in them all.

Mr Conlon had only welcomed the birth of his great-granddaughter, Riona, a month before he was killed.

"My daddy was one of the best," she continued.

"He would've done anything for anybody, for both sides of the community and the Travelling community.

"He was well known everywhere, no matter where he went into, he was well known everywhere."

The mother of three explained the past year had passed "like a blink of an eye.. too quickly" and the first anniversary had been marked with the laying of flowers at the scene of his death.

Geraldine said the sad occasion had been particularly hard for her mum, Kay, who had been unable to visit the scene until last Monday.

"It's just been really hard," continued Geraldine.

"And it's even worse for my mum, because those two were 15 when they started going out together. Last year they both hit 70 years of age and it's killing her."

She said her mother lives round the corner from where the incident happened "and it's all too close for her".

"With me, I drive up the road and go to my own house, it's too close to home for mummy," she said.

"It took a full year and she went up there on the anniversary.

"She came up with us all to put flowers there, and that was the first time she had been to where it happened, even though it's only around the corner."

Geraldine said her father had been well known in the area, and loved his horses, taking to one at Christmas time dressed as Santa Claus to entertain children in Ballymurphy and throughout west Belfast.

The pensioner also loved fishing and travelling to Stoneyford, which Geraldine said was "his second home".

"He's missed by everybody, all the neighbours and friends from both sides of the community still come and see my mummy," she explained.

"I was out at the Park Centre and one of the workers actually called me over, who does fishing. And he told me that all of the fishermen had a wee whiskey in Stoneyford on August 3, and said to me 'can you let your mummy know'.

"They always said that you could hear my daddy arrive in Stoneyford before you saw him. He loved his fishing in Stoneyford. That was his second home when he wasn't running after everybody else."

Describing her father as an "outgoing family and community man", who would have done anything for his loved ones, Geraldine added that his grandchildren and great-grandchild have been left "devastated" by his death.

"They have been since day one. Anything they wanted, Granda ran and jumped," said Geraldine.

"Granda would have run to the end of the earth and back again for them. He was even like that with me and (my brother) Seamus when we were growing up too.

"He was well-respected. He brought us all up properly. He's so badly missed."

Yesterday Judge Miller heard Mr Conlon's family had requested that some relatives be allowed to physically attend court for Loughran's sentence, which is expected to take place in late September or October.

The Conlon family are also preparing reports ahead of sentencing, outlining the impact Mr Conlon's death has had on them.

Geraldine said that while they are relieved Loughran has pleaded guilty, they were not accepting his regret.

"He's essentially ruined all of our lives. It's bad enough to have someone close dying but for them to be taken like that from us... daddy's just missed," she explained.

"We got a bit of justice today, but it will never bring my daddy back. The way he was taken from us was just horrendous.

"This has been going on for a year. He was caught at the scene. We thought it would have been done and dusted before now. We've not been able to grieve properly because this has been hanging over our heads."

Loughran denied a further two charges - driving with no insurance and possessing the Class A drug cocaine. However, the Judge was told this may not require a trial and should not stand in the way of sentencing.

The case was listed for mention on August 21.

Loughran was remanded back into custody.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-12 21:35:50|Editor: huaxia

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ISLAMABAD, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- Pakistan's army said on Wednesday that Pakistani intelligence agencies have "identified a major cyber-attack by Indian intelligence agencies involving a range of cybercrimes including deceitful fabrication by hacking personal mobiles and technical gadgets of government officials and military personnel."

An army statement said various targets of the hostile intelligence agencies are being investigated.

The statement from the army's media wing, the Inter-Services Public Relations, said that Pakistan's army has further enhanced necessary measures to thwart such activities including action against violators of standing operating procedures on cyber security.

An advisory is also being sent to all government departments and institutions for identifying lapses and enhancing respective cyber security measures, the statement said. Enditem
Norwich chiefs were reportedly left feeling disrespected by Liverpool over their low-ball attempt to sign Jamal Lewis.

Liverpool expressed an interest in Lewis but were only prepared to pay half of Norwich's valuation of the player and submitted a bid worth just 8million - which was immediately rejected.

According to Eastern Daily Press, the Canaries were willing to negotiate a deal and expected to receive an improved bid only for Liverpool to instead announce the signing of Kostas Tsimikas from Olympiacos just days later.

Norwich were left feeling disrespected by Liverpool after they offered 8m for Jamal Lewis

Liverpool signed Kostas Tsimikas just days after Norwich rejected their first bid for Lewis

Norwich told clubs they would not sell players on the cheap following their relegation

Tsimikas suggested his move was already in full swing by the time his former club crashed out of the Europe League against Wolves - just 24 hours after Liverpool had made contact with Norwich about Lewis.

Norwich had made it clear they would not be selling their top talent on the cheap following their relegation from the Premier League and stuck to their guns despite the player being desperate to join Jurgen Klopp's side.

Lewis reportedly even returned home early from a holiday in hope of sealing his 'dream' move to Anfield.

The same report states that Lewis and his agent were surprised by Liverpool's modest offer for him and subsequent failure to make a second bid.

Lewis was keen to move to Liverpool and even reportedly returned from holiday early to sign

Jurgen Klopp had identified the 22-year-old as a good option to cover for Andy Robertson

Norwich share a good relationship with Liverpool with their sporting director Stuart Webber and fellow executive committee member Zoe Ward previously working on Merseyside and so were disappointed by the way things panned out.

Norwich's top brass were mindful of Lewis becoming unsettled from his failed transfer and have already moved to limit any repercussions.

It is understood that Lewis is still happy at the club and will not hand in a transfer request.

The 22-year-old has developed into a fine player under Daniel Farke and Klopp was keen to bring him to Anfield to provide cover for Andy Robertson.

Tsimikas, however, was signed instead for a fee just shy of 12m after Liverpool beat a number of Premier League rivals to his signature.
Most Reverend Professor Emmanuel Asante, the Chairman of the National Peace Council (NPC), has said mistrust among political actors in state institutions is contributing to electoral violence in the country.



He said there was a trust deficit in Ghana's electoral processes, especially on the part of political parties and this was giving room for holding on to political vigilantism to protect their interests.



Most Rev. Asante observed that the situation where the Electoral Commission (EC) and the Police were always perceived to be in bed with the ruling party while working against the interest of the opposition was not helpful.



Most Rev. Asante, who was addressing an advocacy workshop on Vigilantism and Related Offences Act at Akyawkrom in the Ejisu Municipality, underlined the need for ruling parties to ensure the independence of state institutions to avert needless suspicions when in opposition.



The workshop which was organized by the Ashanti Regional Peace Council with funding from the Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA) was to sensitize participants on the Act which has outlawed political vigilantism.



It was attended by representatives from political parties, clergy, Muslim leaders, EC, Police, National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) and the media drawn from the Ejisu Municipality, Juaben and Effiduase Asokore Districts.



Most Rev. Asante said it was time for political parties to work together for sustainable peace in the country, adding that the very people whose mandate they sought would suffer the consequences of electoral violence.



As key stakeholders competing to lead the development of the country, politicians owe Ghanaians the duty to prioritize national interest ahead of that of their parties, he said.



"Political parties should begin to engage each other beyond elections at the local and national levels for the collective development of Ghana", he counselled politicians.



He said the quest for peace should be paramount for all Ghanaians and urged the participants to influence their respective organizations in the fight against political violence.



Rev. Anthony Naah, a Member of the Ashanti Regional Peace Council, in a welcome address, said the Region remained vulnerable to intermittent communal violence, chieftaincy disputes and electoral violence.



He said such disturbances often escalated during elections and called for collective efforts from stakeholders to protect the peace in the region and Ghana as a whole.

Source: GNA









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Keep a clean driving record . Insurance companies reward drivers that are not involved in accidents and do not receive tickets. To qualify for a safe driver discount, a person must keep his record clean for a period ranging from three to five years, depending on the insurer. In most cases, insurance companies will lower your policy with 10 to 20 percent.

Keep a good credit score. The lower the credit score a person has, the higher is the chance for that person to fill a damage claim. Keep a good credit score or even improve it to excellent. Do not be afraid to consult a financial expert and ask about any good strategy for improving the credit score.

Buy a safe car. Cars that are cheap to repair or replace have lower premiums. Try to purchase a vehicle that is slightly used, but has all of the major safety devices installed. Also, check the NHTSA safety ratings before buying a car.

Consider dropping collision and comprehensive coverages. If the car depreciated to a certain value, consider dropping collision and comprehensive coverages. If the car's value is less than 10 times the full coverage premium, consider dropping the coverage.

Pay premiums in advance. The policyholder will no longer pay for monthly administration fees, and he can save 5 to 10 percent of the price of the policy. It is a simple, but effective way to save money on the long term.

Check the available discounts . Insurance companies offer multiple discounts to their clients. Contact the insurance provider and see which ones are available and what are the requirements for being eligible.

Periodically shop for online quotes. Check the market at least 2 times a year. Many personal and professional details can change for six months. Events like getting married, moving to a better neighborhood, credit score improving, have a significant impact on car insurance rates. Get quotes and see which company offers better prices.

Story continues

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Staff of 7A Military Hospital conducts SARS-CoV-2 tests. (Photo: SGGP)

More than 3 weeks after Vietnams report of the first case in the community in Da Nang, the number of patients has increased dramatically, at 866 as of 6a.m on August 12, according to statistics from the National Steering Committee on COVID-19 Prevention and Control. To deal with the complicated situation and high infections in the community, the Ministry of Health (MoH) has identified that heightening capacity and speeding up of SARS-CoV-2 virus testing is the top priority to promptly detect outbreaks, thus quickly implementing pandemic control measures.



To improve COVID-19 testing capacity, the MoH has recently coordinated with the Vietnam Social Insurance to issue guidelines on testing, with an aim to expand testing for medical facilities with social insurance and health insurance contracts, as there are 2,500 facilities of this kind in the country.

We want the testing to be done in all medical facilities to create favorable conditions for people, said Nguyen Thanh Long, MoH Acting Minister. High-risk people will be tested in these facilities with fees paid by health insurance.

He added that since the first case of infection in the community in Da Nang, the MoH has used all plans to improve testing capacity. As a result, the testing speed has been raised nearly three times higher than during the peak of the pandemic in April.

In Hanoi, Nguyen Khac Hien, Director of the city Health Department, said that the city has 4 machines for RT-PCR with the capacity of 1,000 samples per day. Meanwhile, 11 hospitals can conduct the tests with some 2,500 samples per day.

Hanoi has received 30,00 test kits and other materials for tests from sponsors. In addition, the Hanoi Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has worked with the Military Academy and the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology to satisfy the demand of material for tests, striving to test 70,000 people in Hanoi coming from Da Nang.

In Ho Chi Minh city, according to doctor Phan Thanh Tam, Deputy Director of the city CDC, each day, 25-30 doctors and technicians conduct the tests around the clock. As of August 10th, the city reported 51,664 people coming from Da Nang with health declarations to 24 districts. Over 47,200 peoples samples have been taken, with 45,390 tested negative for the virus, 6 positive being treated at hospitals. Some 4,000 remaining peoples samples are being taken for tests./.
Solid operational results from achieving scale of cultivation and store footprint, provides industry leading free cash flow this quarter

TALLAHASSEE, Fla., Aug. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ - Trulieve Cannabis Corp. ("Trulieve" or the "Company") (CSE: TRUL) (OTCQX: TCNNF), a leading and top-performing cannabis company in the United States, today announced its second quarter of 2020 ended June 30, 2020. Unless otherwise stated, all currency is expressed in U.S. dollars.

Second Quarter 2020 Financial & Operational Highlights

Achieved record revenue of $120.8 million , an increase of 26% on a sequential quarter-to-quarter basis

, an increase of 26% on a sequential quarter-to-quarter basis Adjusted EBITDA 1,2,3 was $60.5 million , or 50% of revenue, representing the 10 th quarter of consecutive growth and profitability

was , or 50% of revenue, representing the 10 quarter of consecutive growth and profitability Achieved free cash flow of $39.6 million

Sustained strong cash position with cash and cash equivalents of $150.3 million at June 30, 2020

at Achieved GAAP adjusted margin 4 of 75%

of 75% Announcement of transitioning to a U.S. domestic issuer subject to SEC reporting requirements as of January 2021

Opened five new stores in Florida , ending the second quarter with 52 stores nationwide

, ending the second quarter with 52 stores nationwide Continued to implement best-in-class, industry leading health and safety protocols in response to COVID

Recent Highlights & Developments

Company provides updated 2020 financial guidance

"Once again our financial results reflect our exceptional ability to grow our business quarter over quarter, through continued organic expansion of our retail footprint, while maintaining industry leading profitability. We are pleased to be able to demonstrate strong financial performance in revenue, adjusted EBITDA and free cash flow while pivoting our business to meet the changing behaviors and needs due to COVID," stated Kim Rivers, Trulieve CEO. "Looking ahead, we are excited about the second half of the year and will continue focusing on execution and expansion. We anticipate exceeding our goal of 68 stores and will continue our strong growth in Florida. Massachusetts is getting closer to completion and we are excited to enter that market in 2021. And, we believe the M&A pipeline and application processes underway will present new opportunities for expansion. Lastly, we are moving quickly down the path toward registering with the SEC and SOX compliances. This is a great start on our next level of strategic growth."

2020 Quarterly Financial Highlights

Results of operations For the three months ended For the three months ended

June 30 (Figures in millions and % change

based on these figures) June 30 2020 Mar. 31,

2020 % change 2020 2019 % change Total Revenue $120.8 $96.1 26% $120.8 $57.9 109% Revenue less production expenses

and cost of goods purchased2 $91.1 $67.1 36% $91.1 $37.6 143% Revenue less production expenses

and cost of goods purchased % 75% 70% - 75% 65% - Operating Expenses $33.1 $28.3 17% $33.1 $14.8 124% Operating Expenses % 27% 29% - 27% 26% - Adjusted EBITDA1,2,3 $60.5 $49.4 23% $60.5 $31.6 92%

Reconciliation of Non-IFRS

Adjusted EBITDA (Figures in millions) For the three months ended

June 30, 2020 Net Income (IFRS) $6.6 Add (Deduct) Impact of Net Effect

of Change in Fair Value of

Biologicals $16.8 Grow Cost adjustment for

Biological Assets & Unsold

Inventory $(1.1) Share-Based Compensation $0.5 Interest Expense, Net $6.8 Depreciation and Amortization $3.7 Depreciation included in Cost of

Goods Sold $3.1 Provision for Income Taxes $19.2 Other Income, Net $5.0 Total Adjustments $54.0 Adjusted EBITDA1,2,3 $60.5

1 Adjusted EBITDA is a non-IFRS financial measure. See Non-IFRS Measures section of this news release. 2 Adjusted EBITDA and Revenue less production expenses and cost of goods from third party suppliers do not include the net effect of changes in the fair value of biological assets. 3 Please refer to "RECONCILIATIONS OF NON-IFRS FINANCIAL AND PERFORMANCE MEASURES" of the Company's Q2 2020 MD&A for Adjusted EBITDA calculations. 4 Our revenue less production expense and cost of goods sold from third party suppliers was $91.1 million, or a 75% margin. Our Q2 2020 GAAP adjusted margin, a non-IFRS financial measure, calculated by adding back grow costs expensed to revenue less production expense and cost of goods sold from third party suppliers, would be 75%. Please refer to "REVENUE LESS PRODUCTION EXPENSE AND COST OF GOODS SOLD FROM THIRD PARTY SUPPLIERS" in the Company's Q2 2020 MD&A.

The Management Discussion and Analysis for the period and the accompanying financial statements and notes are available under the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and on its website at https://www.trulieve.com/investors.

This news release is not in any way a substitute for reading those financial statements, including the notes to the financial statements.

Updated Financial Guidance

Given Trulieve's strong financial performance in the first half of 2020, the Company expects full year 2020 financial results to materially exceed previously issued revenue and adjusted EBITDA guidance ranges, driven principally by continued market share gains and operating leverage. The Company is raising its guidance as follows:

In millions Previous Guidance Updated Guidance Revenue $380.0 - $400.0 $465.0 - $485.0 Adjusted EBITDA $140.0 - $160.0 $205.0 - $225.0

Conference Call

The Company will host a conference call and live audio webcast on, August 12, 2020 at 8:30 A.M. Eastern time, to discuss its second quarter 2020 financial results.

All interested parties can join the conference call by dialing 1-888-231-8191 or 1-647-427-7450, conference ID: 4364705. Please dial in 15 minutes prior to the call to secure a line. The conference call will be archived for replay until August 19, 2020 at midnight, ET. To access the archived conference call, please dial 1-855-859-2056 and enter the encore code 3582877.

A live audio webcast of the conference call will be available at:

https://produceredition.webcasts.com/starthere.jsp?ei=1343087&tp_key=9a0059bf7b

Please connect at least 15 minutes prior to the conference call to ensure adequate time for any software download that may be required to join the webcast. An archived replay of the webcast will be available for 90 days by clicking the link above.

Non-IFRS Measures

Adjusted EBITDA is not a recognized performance measure under IFRS, does not have a standardized meaning and therefore may not be comparable to similar measures presented by other issuers. Adjusted EBITDA is included as a supplemental disclosure because Management believes that such measurement provides a better assessment of the Company's operations on a continuing basis by eliminating certain material non-cash items and certain other adjustments Management believes are not reflective of the Company's ongoing operations and performance. Adjusted EBITDA has limitations as an analytical tool as it excludes from net income as reported interest, tax, depreciation, non-cash expenses, RTO expense, other income, grow cost expensed for biological assets and unsold inventory, and the non-cash fair value effects of accounting for biological assets and inventories. Because of these limitations, Adjusted EBITDA should not be considered as the sole measure of the Company's performance and should not be considered in isolation from, or as a substitute for, analysis of the Company's results as reported under IFRS. The most directly comparable measure to Adjusted EBITDA calculated in accordance with IFRS is operating income (loss). See "Reconciliation of non-IFRS measures" in the Company's Management's Discussion and Analysis for the quarter ended March 31, 2020 for additional information.

About Trulieve

Trulieve is a vertically integrated "seed-to-sale" company and is the first and largest fully licensed medical cannabis company in the State of Florida. Trulieve cultivates and produces all of its products in-house and distributes those products to Trulieve-branded stores (dispensaries) throughout the State of Florida, as well as directly to patients via home delivery. Trulieve also has operations in California, Massachusetts and Connecticut. Trulieve is listed on the Canadian Securities Exchange under the symbol TRUL and trades on the OTCQX Best Market under the symbol TCNNF.

This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of any of the securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act"), or the securities laws of any state of the United States and may not be offered or sold within the United States (as defined in Regulation S under the U.S. Securities Act) unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or pursuant to an exemption from such registration requirements.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release includes forward-looking information and statements, which may include, but are not limited to, information and statements regarding or inferring the future business, operations, financial performance, prospects, and other plans, intentions, expectations, estimates, and beliefs of the Company. Such statements include statements regarding the future demand for the Company's products, the financial performance of the Company, potential acquisitions and expansion of the Company's operations. Words such as "expects", "continue", "will", "anticipates" and "intends" or similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based on the Company's current projections and expectations about future events and financial trends that management believes might affect its financial condition, results of operations, business strategy and financial needs, and on certain assumptions and analysis made by the Company in light of the experience and perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments and other factors management believes are appropriate. Forward-looking information and statements involve and are subject to assumptions and known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause actual events, results, performance, or achievements of the Company to be materially different from future events, results, performance, and achievements expressed or implied by forward-looking information and statements herein, including, without limitation, the risk factors discussed in the Company's filings on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Although the Company believes that any forward-looking information and statements herein are reasonable, in light of the use of assumptions and the significant risks and uncertainties inherent in such information and statements, there can be no assurance that any such forward-looking information and statements will prove to be accurate, and accordingly readers are advised to rely on their own evaluation of such risks and uncertainties and should not place undue reliance upon such forward-looking information and statements. Any forward-looking information and statements herein are made as of the date hereof, and except as required by applicable laws, the Company assumes no obligation and disclaims any intention to update or revise any forward-looking information and statements herein or to update the reasons that actual events or results could or do differ from those projected in any forward looking information and statements herein, whether as a result of new information, future events or results, or otherwise, except as required by applicable laws.

To learn more about Trulieve, visit www.Trulieve.com.

The Canadian Securities Exchange has not reviewed, approved or disapproved the content of this news release.

SOURCE Trulieve Cannabis Corp.
While Disney has been pushing most of its movies since a vast majority of theaters across North America remain closed due to COVID-19, the studio is apparently still planning on releasing New Mutants in theaters in just two weeks.

Disney had set an August 28 release date back in May, though while the studio has either pushed its movies into 2021 or slated them for release on the Disney Plus streaming service, a new report from Variety reveals a theatrical release is still happening on that date, despite most theaters remaining closed.

The report reveals that Disney sent out an email to theater chains outlining a detailed release plan, which revealed they could start selling tickets on August 18.

Theaters: While Disney has been pushing most of its movies since a vast majority of theaters across North America remain closed due to COVID-19, the studio is apparently still planning on releasing New Mutants in theaters in just two weeks

One exhibitor told the site, 'It's for sure opening August 28!,' which would make New Mutants the first major studio theatrical release since March.

MGM's Bill and Ted Face the Music is also being slated for release on August 28, with Warner Bros. opening Christopher Nolan's Tenet arriving domestically on September 3, ahead of its international release on August 26.

Newcomer Solstice Studios will release their film Unhinged on August 21, starring Russell Crowe, with several other films from indie studios opening in theaters soon.

Exhibitor: One exhibitor told the site, 'It's for sure opening August 28!,' which would make New Mutants the first major studio theatrical release since March

ComScore reports that just 1,309 theaters have opened in the United States, out of 6,021 total venues.

Movie theaters in the two largest markets in the country, Los Angeles and New York have still not opened and there is no word on when they may re-open.

While many fans and analysts expected the movie to be shunted to Disney Plus or the Disney-owned Hulu, director Josh Boone explained in July why it's still arriving in theaters, in a new interview with Collider.

Theaters: ComScore reports that just 1,309 theaters have opened in the United States, out of 6,021 total venues

'With most movies, you sign contracts that guarantee a theatrical release, so it needs to open to ever go digital in the first place,' he began.

'We just, too, would like to see people to see it in the theater. But it needs to obviously be at the right time when its safe to go back,' he added.

The film was originally slated for release on April 13, 2018, before it was pushed several times due to various reasons.

Theatrical: 'With most movies, you sign contracts that guarantee a theatrical release, so it needs to open to ever go digital in the first place,' he began

New Mutants follows a group of mutants in the X-Men universe who are just discovering their special powers.

They are held at a government facility and held against their will as they band together to fight off their captors.

The film stars Maisie Williams (Wolfsbane), Anya Taylor-Joy (Magik), Charlie Heaton (Cannonball), Blu Hunt (Mirage) and Henry Zaga (Sunspot), with Alice Braga playing their mentor Cecilia Reyes.
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia - A construction crane in Cambodias northwestern city of Poipet on the border with Thailand collapsed Wednesday, killing at least five people and injuring four others.

The crane was being operated on ground made wet by rain, rendering it unstable, said Ath Khem, chief of the Banteay Meanchey provincial police. He said the crane fell as it was lifting heavy concrete blocks, and described the accident as resulting from carelessness.

The crane fell on houses next to the construction site, killing the victims. No one involved in the construction work was hurt, he said.

Poipet, a major trading post, is a boom town with many casinos patronized by foreigners, including many from Thailand. It has a reputation as a sin city.

In recent years, a fast-growing economy fueled a construction spree in Cambodia. But the building boom has suffered from a number of fatal accidents, the result of shoddy construction practices and poor enforcement of safety standards.

In January, at least 36 people were killed in the collapse of a building under construction in the southern city of Kep, with 23 others rescued alive. Women and children were among the victims, since it is not unusual in Southeast Asia for the families of construction workers to live at the work site.
The American press has a long history of sanitizing radical leftist movements. These days the main beneficiary of the presss airbrush is Black Lives Matter, a racist, Marxist organization that sponsors, in reporters words, mostly peaceful riots. As with other far-left groups, BLM does not hide its true colors. It just relies on the press to misreport them.

Last nights looting in Chicago was horrific. No respectable organization could defend such rampant criminality. But Black Lives Matter Chicago advocates looting and more looting, as the Chicago Sun-Times reports:

The mayor clearly has not learned anything since May, and she would be wise to understand that the people will keep rising up until the [Chicago Police Department] is abolished and our Black communities are fully invested in, [Black Lives Matter Chicago] said in a statement.

***

On Monday morning, CPD Supt. David Brown said the shooting led to a wave of overnight looting downtown and on the Near North Side that resulted in two people being shot, over 100 arrests and 13 injuries to officers. Though Brown characterized the looting as pure criminality, Black Lives Matter Chicago said those involved were actually protesting. Over the past few months, too many people  disproportionately Black and Brown  have lost their jobs, lost their income, lost their homes, and lost their lives as the city has done nothing and the Chicago elite have profited, the groups statement reads. When protesters attack high-end retail stores that are owned by the wealthy and service the wealthy, that is not our city and has never been meant for us.

BLM made its advocacy of looting explicit with this banner at the groups demonstration yesterday:

Thousands of criminals followed Black Lives Matters advice last night, with consequences that will reverberate for years to come. Keep that in mind next time you read a press account that attempts to portray Black Lives Matter as somehow a benign force.


There is a Chinese saying that is literally translated as Above there is heaven, down here there are Su and Hang", praising the legendary beauty of the cities of Suzhou and Hangzhou in east Chinas Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces.

The old saying has been proven right time and time again throughout history as their beauty continues to lure tourists from all over the world.

Zhenze town, located in Suzhou's Wujiang district, lies between the cities of Suzhou and Hangzhou. The town is home to important waterfront architecture and has built a reputation for its fish, rice and silk industries over the past 1,200 years.

Silk is a gift to the world from Zhenze ancient town, the birthplace of sericulture. Every year, a silkworm festival is held here to wish for a good silkworm cocoon harvest and promote the development of local sericulture.

Cocoons ready to be harvested (photo/ provided by Taihu Snow Silk Cultural Park)

Zhenze town has ramped up efforts to boost the integrated development of sericulture, the silk textile industry and cultural tourism, and is working to explore new approaches to promote its high-quality development.

Zhenze has launched a new all-in-one tour route which offers a unique culture and local life experience. Tourists can experience the handicraft of tie-dyeing, make bookmarks out of mulberry leaves at the Taihu Snow Silk Culture Park in the morning and then take a small train to enjoy the idyllic scenery of the ancient town in the afternoon.

Taihu Snow Silk Cultural Park, located in Zhenze, is Chinas first characteristic industrial park built on the theme of sericulture culture, integrating agricultural demonstration, sericulture research, cultural leisure, popular science displays and eco-tourism.

At this cultural park, visitors can see the entire process of creating silk products, which starts at the Silkworm Breeding Demonstration Room. In this area, silkworms, which mainly feed on mulberry leaves, are separated according to their stage of development, starting from newborns, those that have changed their skin and the adult stages, when they start to build their cocoon.

Harvesting of silk begins at the stage when the worm starts pupating in its cocoon. If the worm is left to survive after spinning its cocoon, the enzymes produced could destroy the silk and cause the fiber to break down.

For 1 kg of silk to be produced, around 3,000 to 3,500 cocoons are needed with approximately 70 kg of mulberry leaves needed to feed to silkworms.

Since the 1980s, the benefits derived from mulberry planting and sericulture have declined, prompting silkworm farmers to seek other jobs. However, for ten years, local government has been working hard to create a New Silk Road, integrating sericulture, home silk textile production and cultural tourism related to sericulture. In 2019, Zhenzes silk industry sales reached 1.6 billion yuan.
Congress MLA Akhanda Srinivasa Murthy, whose house was burnt down by a mob angry over a controversial Facebook post by one of his relatives, checked into a hotel on Wednesday along with his family . The Dalit Congress MLA representing Pulkeshi Nagar spoke to media at Vidhana Soudha after meeting revenue minister R Ashoka and requesting for security to himself and his family.

Shocked at the scale of violence unleashed by the mob, Murthy said, My family wasnt present when last night a mob of 3,000-4,000 people assembled in front of my house in my constituency and later barged in, poured petrol and set things afire. They were wielding lathis, machetes and swords, they threw petrol bombs. My constituency has one of the highest concentrations of minority population (in the state). We have always lived like brothers.

Seeking government help, he said, I appeal to CM Yediyurappa, Ashoka (revenue minister), D K Shivakumar (KPCC president) and leader of opposition Siddaramanna to provide me protection...We have lived in that house for 50 years...Where can I go? Murthy said that the mob also looted money, jewellery and clothes from his house.

He admitted that Naveen, the man whose social media post allegedly led to the violence, was a relative. He is my elder sisters son. But we have been estranged for over 10 years....

He said he was about 10 minutes away when police called him and escorted him to safety. It is a miracle that I am alive, he said.
At Christian colleges across the country, incoming students pledge to comply with biblical standards for belief and behavior. This year, the appeals to love your neighbor and advance Gods mission have been applied to public health guidelines too, as schools ask students to promise to disinfect their dorm rooms, limit social interactions, and wear masks to class.

While all colleges reopening for in-person classes have issued new policies around the coronavirus, and several Ivy League institutions have similarly developed social contracts, the standard health precautions take on a spiritual significance at evangelical schools. The now-familiar instructions are framed by Christian values and lines from Scripture.

Were going to return in a way that Christians understand, but the secular world does not. Were going to return in a covenant together, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary president Al Mohler said in a video introducing the document to be signed by faculty, staff, and students returning to the Louisville, Kentucky, campus this week and next.

Most evangelical schools list the common coronavirus dos and donts: handwashing, keeping a six-foot social distance, wearing masks in class and inside, and monitoring for symptoms. But unlike the straightforward recommendations coming from government officials or medical professionals, the colleges policies say that complying is a Christian obligation.

This is more than just a great idea (for health and safety), its something that should resonate deep within us, said Robert Taylor, dean of students at Dordt University. The topic will also come up in chapel sessions. We think its a great opportunity and teachable moment to help our students develop a mindset of stewardship and creation care and loving their neighbor.

In some cases, the spiritual and moral framing justify pandemic precautions that go beyond the norm.

At Messiah University and several others, community members are asked to do a daily health check-in to report their temperature to an app each morning, so school nurses can track symptoms and test before they spread. At Grove City College, students will use a contact tracing app that tracks anyone whos been close to you for more than 15 minutes and notifies people of possible COVID-19 exposure.

In many cases, schools are explicitly requiring students to get a flu shot. A few reference the possibility of requiring a future vaccine for the virus.

In 20-plus evangelical college COVID-19 pledges reviewed by CT, the most common references were to love of neighbor and the importance of community. As some leaders pointed out, following the guidelines enables the schools to continue classes in-person.

A pandemic promise from Johnson University opened with the line: Being part of the uncommon Johnson University community means that each of us will act in love toward one another by caring for one another, protecting one another, and taking care that our own actions do not harm others.

Our ability to remain on campus, living and learning TOGETHER, depends on YOU, wrote Northwestern College in Iowa.

Certain evangelical schools tied the commitments directly to the mission of the institution. Southern notes that failure to comply, can lead to the illness of others, risking lives and health and jeopardizing the ability to fulfill our mission together on this campus and beyond.

Grace College and Seminary referenced Hebrews 10:23 in a section about attitudes toward the pandemic: I will remain hopeful and prayerful that these temporary methods will allow us to accomplish our longstanding mission and carry out our ways of Grace.

At Gordon College in Massachusetts, though, administrators consulted with student leaders and decided to differentiate between its community responsibility statement and schools foundational covenants (a faith statement and code of conduct).

This statement is not intended to be the equivalent of a moral contract, said spokesman Rick Sweeney. Its a commonsense commitment, and that framing was strongly advocated by the [student leadership] team.

Administrators say students are excited to return to campus, but they also know how the changes and risks of illness may disrupt campus life.

The Kings College in New York City told students, As we return to campus, we face an unprecedented semester where every member of our community must take extraordinary steps to stay healthy and continually sacrifice for the well-being of one another. The statement cited Philippians 2:4: Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others (ESV).

Trinity Evangelical Divinity Schools commitment references Romans 13:10 and 1 Corinthians 10:2324 as Pauls encouragement to seek the good of others rather than simply seeking their own rights and Romans 13:1 teaching to submit to governing authorities.

On some campuses, students will face strict social limitations, such as only eating alongside roommates or hallmates, who have been deemed a campus family and are exempt from social distancing requirements. Northwesterns Responsible Raider pledge concludes with a promise to care for others by noticing, encouraging, praying for and selflessly serving any member of my Raider family who needs support.

Despite concerns that the pandemic would lead freshman to defer a year, many evangelical campuses arent going to feel empty this fall. Dordt and Milligan University told CT enrollment is at or above average, and Grace in Indiana is welcoming a record-breaking freshman class.

A majority of evangelical schools belonging to the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities are reopening for on-campus classes starting this month. But in late July, a number of California schools joined Fuller Theological Seminary in going online-only for the fall, due in part to the state requirements around in-person gatherings. Biola University, Pepperdine University, Azusa Pacific University, Point Loma Nazarene University, and Cal Baptist called off plans to return to campus.

Heading into the new semester, Christian colleges with plans to reopen have high expectations of their student body and campus community. Their safeguards are not optional or merely recommendations, but in many cases sent out with orientation materials as a requirement to learn and work on campus.

A New York Times op-ed published today critiqued colleges reopening plans that urge students to report their peers when they violate the rules. In contrast, Christian administrators are hopeful that drawing on their shared faith and existing sense of community will bolster their efforts.

The new pledges are not meant as a disciplinary threatnot intended to be a punitive document, said Sweeney at Gordonbut rather a reminder of the special obligations among brothers and sisters in Christ.

Yet, even sincere commitments to prayers and precautions cannot do away with the possibility of an outbreak. Covenants contain caveats about requirements changing as public health recommendations shift, and even disclaimers acknowledging the personal risk of participating in campus life.

One of our concerns is that national news reports indicate students think returning to campus means a return to normalcy, said Jennifer Johnson, chief communications officer for Johnson University, whose plan includes temporarily returning to remote instruction should an outbreak occur. We have a good plan, but we are all going to have to diligently work together to be successful.
Aug 12 (Reuters) - Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and his new running mate, Senator Kamala Harris, will make their first appearance as a ticket on Wednesday in Wilmington, Delaware, as the campaign for the White House enters a more frenetic phase.

The two are scheduled to deliver remarks just days before Biden formally accepts the Democratic nomination during the party's national convention, which will take place largely as a virtual event next week due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The Republican convention, where President Donald Trump will be nominated for a second four-year term, follows a week later and kicks off a 10-week sprint to the Nov. 3 election.

Harris, 55, the first Black woman and the first Asian American to appear on a major-party presidential ticket, was announced as Biden's choice on Tuesday after a selection process that drew extra scrutiny thanks to Biden's age.

I think it was a smart choice. The biggest thing she brings is high name recognition by virtue of her running for president, the nation got to know her well last year and even her performance in some Senate confirmation hearings elevated her profile, said Ted Johnson, senior fellow at the Brennan Center for Justice. She inspires the Democratic base.

Biden, 77, would be the oldest president ever if he wins, raising speculation that he would not seek re-election in 2024.

Wednesday's event in Biden's hometown will take place on the third anniversary of the "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, where violent clashes erupted as white supremacists and neo-Nazis descended on the town.

Biden has said Trump's comment after the clashes that there were "very fine people on both sides", which drew widespread criticism, convinced him to run for president.

In choosing Harris, Biden selected a former rival for the nomination whose most memorable campaign moment was when she criticized his past position on using busing to integrate schools during a televised debate.

But Harris was regarded as a relatively safe choice. She is a more dynamic campaigner than Biden and will be relied upon to help energize Black voters, who represent a crucial constituency for Biden in key swing states.

Story continues

Black voters voted for the Democratic nominee upwards of 90% for the last five decades, the question is not about the share but the level of Black turnout the ticket will inspire, said Johnson. I think Kamala Harris sort of had the collection of qualities from experience to inspiration and name recognition that will allow her to help Biden increase Black turnout and give that ticket a pretty good shot at winning the White House this November.

Johnson thinks that if Harris can get Black voter turnout in Milwaukee, Detroit and Philadelphia back to the level where it was in 2004 and 2008, then the votes in the cities respective states could flip to the Democratic candidate. Hillary Clinton lost in those three cities, as well as states like North Carolina, Georgia and Florida, in the 2016 presidential election.

Biden has a good change to flip one or two of those six states with Harris, according to Johnson, adding that if he can flip half of those states Biden will have an advantage in the electoral college.

But he notes that Harris being Black aint enough. She has to go to these cities and camp out in Detroit, Philadelphia, Milwaukee and North Caroline, Florida and Georgia in order to get the turnout to increase. Moreover, shes going to have to lobby the Democratic party and the Biden campaign hard to expend resources in the areas to fund grassroots organizations that are going to be the real engine of Black mobilization in those strategic areas they need.

In recent months, as unrest has convulsed U.S. cities following the police killing of George Floyd, a Black man in Minneapolis, Harris has become a prominent voice calling for change. She has marched alongside protesters and pushed legislation to reform policing practices.

Biden, who had vowed to pick a female running mate, had come under increasing pressure to select a Black woman.

As a former prosecutor and attorney general, Harris has shown herself to be a sharp questioner in Senate hearings and appears to be well suited to the traditional "attack dog" role that vice presidential candidates are often asked to assume.

The Trump campaign wasted little time on Tuesday attacking Harris as a "radical" who would drag Biden to the left. But it remains unclear whether the broadsides will be effective. (Reporting by Joseph Ax;Editing by Michael Perry)

NOTE: This article was lightly edited by Yahoo Finance to include expert quotes.
RICHMOND, Va., Aug. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- When hard times come someone's way, it can be difficult to keep up on bills, especially mortgage payments. Financial hardship can cause stress, anxiety, and strain on relationships. Virginia Mortgage Relief has a Mortgage Relief Program for Virginia Residents that offer help in times of uncertainty.

"We are facing the most uncertain times in almost all of our lives. It's adding stress on family's that shouldn't be there. If someone is trying to sell their house, but they've perhaps missed some payments due to COVID-19, before the home sells, those payments must be caught up. That's a situation where we can jump in to help," Laura Patterson, founder of Virginia Mortgage Relief, said.

Virginia Mortgage Relief has been providing homeowners with financial relief for over 25 years. The process is simple. Virginia Mortgage Relief offers homeowners financial relief in four easy steps.

The first step is to provide the company with some information about your home. This information will give them an accurate picture of the home's condition, location, and updates. These three factors play a huge role in determining the solution.

The second step is scheduling a quick appointment. After the company reviews the information you sent in, they will contact you to set up an appointment. The appointment is short and simple.

After the appointment, Virginia Mortgage Relief will offer the solution that best fits the home-owner's need. This is a no-obligation offer.

If the homeowner decides the offer is acceptable, there is one final step. A representative from Virginia Mortgage Relief will meet them at a local and reputable title company to close on the home.

Virginia Mortgage relief is able to take over mortgage payments, catch up past due balances, catch up back taxes and, overall, relieve the homeowner from the stresses of home ownership.

Virginia Mortgage Relief

(757) 294-8359

https://www.takeovermymortgage.com/

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SOURCE Virginia Mortgage Relief

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http://www.takeovermymortgage.com


This years pilot, delayed by the coronavirus pandemic, allows each company to distribute 3,333 scooters each in Chicago, four times as many scooters as in last years program. Riders can use the scooters from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. each day at speeds up to 15 mph.
Bengaluru violence: SDPI leader Muzamil Pasha arrested

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

Bengaluru, Aug 12: Muzamil Pasha, an Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) leader has been arrested by Police in connection with DJ Halli police station limits violence in Bengaluru. At least three people were killed after police opened fire to quell a mob that went on a rampage irked over a social media post allegedly put out by a Congress legislator's relative, as a city locality witnessed arson and violence.

Bengaluru violence over Facebook post | Stone pelting & arson in city | Oneindia News

"Three people have died (in police firing)," Bengaluru Police Commissioner Kamal Pant told PTI. Further, 110 people have been arrested in connection with the incident at Pulakeshi Nagar here. Scores of persons, including around 50 policemen, were injured in the violence that erupted on Tuesday night and continued till the wee hours of Wednesday, apparently prompted by the 'communally sensitive' online post.

Bengaluru violence: Congress condemns, CM Yediyurappa promises 'ruthless action against culprits

The Congress MLA's residence and a police station were among those targeted by the angry mob, prompting the government to issue a stern warning that rioting and law and order issues will not be tolerated.

Pant said Naveen, who allegedly posted the social media post has been arrested and appealed for peace.

Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa said the "attack on the residence of MLA Akhanda Srinivasa Murthy and the DJ Halli police station and riot are condemnable." "Already given directions to initiate stringent action against the criminals (and) the government has initiated all the measures to contain violence," he said. The attack on police, media persons and common citizens was unpardonable. The government will not tolerate such instigation and mischief, he added.

On Tuesday night, irked by the social media post, hundreds of people went on a rampage and set DJ Halli police station on fire. They torched many police and private vehicles, smashed the belongings of MLA Murthy and those of his sister. An ATM was smashed into pieces.

To disperse the mob, police resorted to lathi charge, lobbed tear gas shells and later opened fire, killing three people. One of the victims has been identified as Yasin Pasha.

Watch: Irate mob goes on a rampage in Bengaluru

The victim's father Afzal told reporters that his son was 'innocent.' "My son operated a meat shop in the area and had gone for dinner when the police opened fire and he died. He is innocent and was not involved in any arson," he said.

He claimed that some outsiders, who came in hordes and damaged property, were responsible for the violence. Meanwhile, curfew has been imposed in the affected areas in and around DJ Halli and KG Halli. Legislator Murthy appealed against violence.

"I appeal to my Muslim brethren that we should not resort to violence for the fault committed by some miscreants. There is no need to fight. We all are brothers. We will get the person punished as per law. We will also be with you. I appeal to the Muslim friends to be calm," he said in a video message last night. Congress MLA and former minister B Z Zameer Ahmed Khan termed the violence as 'unfortunate.'

"I am hopeful police will take action against all those who are responsible for this. I also request everyone to stay calm and maintain peace in the area," Khan tweeted. Shivaji Nagar Congress MLA Rizwan Arshad too appealed to the people to maintain peace and harmony.
Australian Defence Force officials were sent to Victoria to help plan the emergency response to the COVID pandemic  including the quarantining of returned travellers  a week before the hotel regime was approved by the national cabinet.

A timeline of ADF communications reveals that top brass repeatedly made it clear that help was available to all states, but the Andrews government and Victorias emergency agencies chose not to call on defence personnel to strengthen the state's quarantine arrangements.

Premier Daniel Andrews is standing by his statement that the Defence Force did not offer help with the quarantine of returned overseas travellers. Credit:Joe Armao

On March 27, the day Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced that all returned travellers would spend two weeks in mandatory quarantine, Chief of Defence Angus Campbell instructed his Victorian-based liaison team to make up to 100 personnel available to respond to any requests from the state.

The following day, an ADF liaison officer reported back to Canberra that Victoria Police was "well advanced" in its planning and preparation for quarantine and this plan does not presently include or require ADF involvement".
Despite rising coronavirus cases, many educators are bringing children back to the classroom rather than using online technology.

Schools throughout the United States are starting to reopen.

And despite rising coronavirus cases, many educators are bringing children back to the classroom rather than using online technology.

That choice, as Al Jazeeras Patty Culhane reports, has become a major political battle between the White House and the states, and the students are caught in the middle.
An expert panel on Wednesday advised states against making independent efforts to procure vaccines against Covid-19, saying it planned to leverage the countrys manufacturing facilities for early deliveries in India and other low and middle income countries.

Read: India to tread cautiously on cooperation with Russia over new Covid-19 vaccine

The National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration (NEGVA), chaired by V K Paul, member Niti Ayog, held its first meeting here and discussed procurement mechanisms for Covid-19 vaccine, both indigenous and international, along with guiding principles for prioritisation of population groups for vaccination.

The group also advised all the states not to chart separate pathways of procurement, a Health Ministry statement said.

The expert group discussed that India will leverage domestic vaccine manufacturing capacity and will also engage with all international players for early delivery of vaccines not only in India but also in low and middle income countries, it added.

Also Read: Who should get Covid-19 vaccine first? Panel of health experts to meet

Indian vaccine manufacturers account for more than 60% of the global vaccine supplies at an affordable price.

The group also deliberated on conceptualisation and implementation mechanisms for creation of digital infrastructure for inventory management and delivery mechanism for the vaccine, including tracking the immunization process with particular focus on last-mile delivery.

The expert group discussed the financial resources required for procurement of Covid-19 vaccine and various options of financing the same.

Also Read: Asymptomatic patients may be key to vaccine development and therapies for Covid-19, say researchers

Available options in terms of delivery platforms, cold chain and associated infrastructure for roll out of Covid-19 vaccination also came up for deliberation.

Further, strategy and follow-up action on all possible scenarios to ensure equitable and transparent delivery of vaccine was deliberated upon. Issues related to vaccine safety and surveillance were taken up and strategies for community involvement through transparent information and awareness creation were discussed, the statement said.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo released the latest numbers for coronavirus in New York state on Wednesday.

Seven deaths from Covid-19 were reported statewide yesterday, Cuomo said, and total hospitalizations are at 558. New York state has reported 25,211 total deaths from coronavirus. Hospitalizations have been below 1,000 since June 24 and mostly flat after reaching a peak of 18,825 in April.

Of 87,776 tests reported Tuesday, 700 were positive (0.79% of total) across NYS, down from 0.88% a day earlier. New York set a new daily record Tuesday for the number of people tested.

In Onondaga County, 4,122 tests were reported Tuesday; 17 were positive, according to the NYS DOH Covid-19 tracker. Thats a return rate of 0.4%, the lowest in a week thats seen numbers bounce between 0.5% and 1%, and well below the rate of 5% or less that Cuomo said a region must maintain for schools to reopen this fall.

Of the seven deaths reported Tuesday, two were in Erie County, two in Queens, and one each in Manhattan, Kings and the Bronx.

Heres a look at the latest statewide numbers:

Patient Hospitalizations 558 (+18)

Patients Newly Admitted 89

Number ICU 123 (+3)

Number in ICU with Intubation 62 (+2)

Total Discharges 73,842 (+63)

Cuomo added more states to New Yorks coronavirus quarantine list Tuesday, and removed five others. People traveling from Hawaii, South Dakota and the U.S. Virgin Islands will now be required to self-quarantine for 14 days, while travelers from Alaska, New Mexico, Ohio, Rhode Island and Washington are no longer required to do the same.

Today's update on the numbers:



Of the 87,776 tests reported yesterday, 700 were positive (0.79% of total).



Total hospitalizations are at 558.



Sadly, there were 7 COVID fatalities yesterday. pic.twitter.com/bpY2VWAn8A  Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) August 12, 2020

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Coronavirus in NY: Cases, maps, charts and resources

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Complete coronavirus coverage on syracuse.com
This is the terrifying moment a Chinese road collapsed as a parked lorry was instantly swallowed by devastating floods below.

Footage shows the street alongside a riverbank suddenly ripped in half as the large vehicle being dropped and washed away by raging floodwaters.

No casualties have been reported from the incident that occurred today in Chinas south-western province Sichuan, said Chinese media.

Footage shows the street alongside a riverbank suddenly ripped in half as the large vehicle being dropped and washed away by raging floodwaters on Wednesday in Sichuan, China

It comes after torrential rains has been battering the city of Yaan in Sichuan province since Monday, causing at least six deaths and five people missing, according to local authorities.

The video released by local police captures the terrifying moment the road with several parked vehicles collapsing as onlookers cried in shock.

A red lorry is seen falling into the swollen river below the street before being swallowed by the waters and floating away like a paper boat, says Pear Video.

No passengers were in the lorry at the time of the incident, a traffic police officer told Chinese media.

No casualties have been reported from the incident that occurred today in the city of Ya'an

The road has been sealed off with no vehicles allowed to pass through, said Yaan police.

The collapse is believed to be triggered by the heavy rains in the region, reported Chinese media.

Regions across China have been hit by torrential downpours since the flood season began in June.

Another video saw a giant sinkhole suddenly opening up on a street, swallowing two pedestrians in the city of Chongqing, neighbouring Sichuan province.

Dramatic footage shows the two female residents walking on the footpath next to a main road before tumbling into the deep pit as the pavement ripped in half on July 27.

Officials believed that the collapse was caused by a landslide due to recent heavy rain in the region, reported Chinese media.
Would it be rude to remain seated while she talks to me, so that we're on a similar eye level, or should I keep with the protocol of standing while addressed? Of course, I could always stand up to greet her and then sit back down, if that would be better.
Blue Ocean Global Group, a Dubai-based diversified business conglomerate that represents some of the worlds best-performing telecom, electronics and small domestic appliances as master distributors, announces the acquisition of three international brands to its growing portfolio of brands.

The company has also witnessed a 50% jump in online distribution business that offsets a decline in the physical distribution segment.

These are Fanvil, a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) telephone brand, Honeywell Evaporative Air Cooler and Aeris Air Purifiers. These products join a number of popular brands in the companys growing distribution portfolio.

An established VoIP desktop phone developer and manufacturer, Fanvil has grown into one of the largest and most popular VoIP phones around the world after recognising the global demand for VoIP based telecommunication solutions.

Fanvil produces devices for small and medium sized businesses, as well as large mission-critical enterprise environments. It is set to become a leading global IP voice and video terminal manufacturer, by providing cost efficient and innovative IP voice and video products. Fanvil VoIP devices encompass quality, style and value for money.

The global mobile VoIP market size was estimated at $57.5 billion (AED211 billion) in 2019 and is expected to reach $69.3 billion (AED254.33 billion) in 2020, according to a report.

Shahzad Ahmed, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Blue Ocean Group, said: The acquisition of three new global brands within our growing network will help us strengthen our position as a key player in the wholesale and distribution business in the region, despite the challenging economic situation.

We are introducing three new distinct products, especially Honeywell Air Coolers and Aeris Air Purifiers to this market at a time when the world is reeling from the Covid-19 virus pandemic that focuses on the air quality and calls for cleaner in-house air circulation for healthy life. I am pleased to announce that these products fulfil certain gaps and needs in our day-to-day life and due to these important factors they are spreading their market share globally like anything!

Among new products, Honeywell Evaporative Air Coolers are an environment-friendly and cost-friendly cooling option for home or office. Much like a breeze flowing across a lake or the refreshing cool air one feels near a waterfall, air coolers produce a comfortable, cool breeze with the natural process of water evaporation.

Swiss brand Aeris launched their first purifier in China in 2017. It instantly became a hit, as it was one of the few purifiers that could deal with the heavy pollution in the country. People were reporting that their respiratory problems were finally being addressed, and others reported feeling more energised than they had in years.

Both the products are currently in high demand due to Covid-19 crisis and the demand is expected to grow further.

The global air purifier market size is growing at 10.8% and expected to reach $18.21 billion (AED66.83 billion) by 2027, according to a new report published by Grand View Research. Factors, such as the rising air pollution along with awareness pertaining to the benefits associated with air purifier are expected to fuel the growth.

Rising concern for airborne diseases is driving the air purifiers market, according to market research reports. An increase in health issues such as asthma, allergies and other breathing disorders due to airborne diseases encourages the consumers to invest in air purifiers at commercial and residential locations.

For instance, in 2018, as per the estimates of the World Health Organisation (WHO), 90% of people across the globe breathe air containing high levels of pollutants. According to the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2018, 19.2 million adults in the USA aged 18 and above had asthma.

As a futuristic business organisation, we are always on the lookout for innovative products to introduce in the countries where we operate and distribute goods. The acquisition of Fanvil VoIP phones, Honeywell Air Coolers and Aeris Air Purifiers are all very significant products that are in serious need, Shahzad Ahmed says.

Air circulation and air quality has become a cause for concern for all of us. Many families have started installing air coolers and air purifiers at home to deal with the rising threat of air pollution, germs and viruses. The new products are going to address these concerns and we are very proud to have introduced them at the right time in the market. Despite the challenges, we as a business remain positive and the new acquisitions reflect our inherent corporate strength and speak a lot about our ability to navigate out of the rough weather.

Blue Ocean Global Group, the Dubai-headquartered distributor of consumer electronics, telecom and small domestic appliances set up its UK operations last year with a registered office at Bathroad, Heathrow. This is a strategic move by the Blue Ocean Global Group to tap the growing opportunities in the United Kingdom as it leaves the European Union this year.

It has also recently appointed a British online logistics partner to sell and distribute to the British consumers. Blue Ocean Global Group exports products to more than 40 countries with a team of more than 60 professionals.

The group is managed by a professional team, having extensive regional experience in the field of technology and communication. Technology is ever changing. The company ensures that it keeps updating products portfolio to make sure that the clients get the best brands and the latest technologies. The company has partnered with some of the world's best names that allow it to offer a wide range of products portfolio at the best possible value.

With a mantra  collaborate and create  the group is a diversified medium enterprise consisting of six companies representing a number of business verticals.-- Tradearabia News Servicew
(Natural News) Californias public health director recently resigned after it came to light that the Golden States official Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) numbers, which she was in charge of managing, were wildly inaccurate due to an alleged computer system failure.

Dr. Sonia Angell, who had been in her position for less than a year, admitted in an email to the California Health and Human Services Agency that the number of coronavirus cases throughout the state may have been grossly undercounted due to incomplete data. Because of this, mortality rates are probably also skewed.

Our department has been front and center in what has become an all-of-government response of unprecedented proportions to COVID-19, Angells resignation letter reads. In the final calculation, all of our work, in aggregate, makes the difference.

In a statement, Gov. Gavin Newsom offered his thanks to Angell for her service to the state and her work to help steer our public health system during this global pandemic, while never losing sight of the importance of health equity.

What we know is that as many as 300,000 infectious disease testing records were never logged into state databases. Even though not all of these records involve coronavirus cases, many of them do, meaning the state has been making decisions about what to reopen and when based on flawed information.

Bottom line, our data systems failed, stated Mark Ghaly, the secretary of Californias HHS, who told the Los Angeles Times that he became aware of the magnitude of the data backlog in the late afternoon on Monday and alerted the governor and his senior staff shortly thereafter.

Did California get shut down for nothing?

Californians deserve much more than an apology for this monumental error, the flawed data from which has been used as justification for keeping things closed throughout the state  except for Gov. Newsoms PlumpJack winery, of course, where business is booming.

For months, Californians have been told that early efforts to flatten the curve had failed, and that the mortality rate from rising infections was too high to reopen the state economy. It is now apparent, however, that the mortality rate is likely far lower than what government officials have been claiming, meaning it was all for naught.

School-age children in California were also recently told that they cannot return to the classroom this fall based on the conclusions that were made from this same flawed data. So will the Newsom administration revisit the situation now that the truth has come out, or will California remain closed regardless?

As explained by Zero Hedge and others, if the official coronavirus case count was massively understated, then the states official mortality and positivity rates could be, and likely are, conversely overstated.

This means that businesses, churches, schools, and other institutions that were forced to shut down have all been unjustly punished based on lies and misinformation. Perhaps this is why many now refer to this crisis as a plandemic rather than a pandemic.

Government officials dont quite their jobs over computer errors, noted one commenter. Either shes being told to scam the numbers higher than ever and her ethics wont let her or something even more sinister is at play.

Doctors in Sweden say the covid mortality rate is .12 percent and Bill Gates yesterday said .14 percent, wrote another. Those numbers are almost identical to the average seasonal influenza. The hoax is falling apart and could be over after the election.

For more related news on the fraud surrounding the coronavirus plandemic, be sure to check out Pandemic.news.

Sources for this article include:

ZeroHedge.com

NaturalNews.com
Russia's federal space corporation, Roscosmos, has the capacity to carry out a manned space flight to Mars should there be a national interest and adequate funding, Roscosmos Director General Dmitry Rogozin said on Monday

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 10th August, 2020) Russia's Federal space corporation, Roscosmos, has the capacity to carry out a manned space flight to Mars should there be a national interest and adequate funding, Roscosmos Director General Dmitry Rogozin said on Monday.

"The issue is that it will be very expensive.

If the country is ready to fund this program and if the nation says it needs it, the Roscosmos specialists will provide this program, I guarantee," Rogozin told Russian journalist Yury Kostin on his YouTube channel.

The official's estimate is that Roscosmos will acquire the technical means to ensure the necessary gravitational maneuvers and landing on Mars "in eight to ten years."

Russia is now developing a new generation aircraft for deep-space missions, named Orel (Eagle), that developers say will be able to fly not only to the Moon but also to Mars.
Three 'ignorant' and 'shameful' Chinese students have been hit with $5,000 in fines after vlogging a late night trip to a Melbourne branch of McDonald's in breach of the COVID-19 curfew.

The trio embarked on their illegal outing to the restaurant on Elizabeth Street in the city's CBD on Sunday at 2.30am.

In a five-minute long video uploaded to the Chinese social media app WeChat, the trio are seen running through alleys while the James Bond theme song plays in the background.

Upon their arrival at McDonald's the students are seen dancing in the restaurant before returning to their apartment to celebrate with their meals.

The trio's actions were condemned by fellow members of the Chinese community and each student received a $1,652 fine from Victoria Police.

A trio of Chinese international students in Melbourne uploaded a video of themselves breaching curfew to buy McDonald's

The footage which has been deleted was viewed thousands of times within hours and shows the trio saying they feel 'confident'.

'Who does late-night McDonald's serve?' one of the students asks.

'It serves us, the heroic people,' another replies.

'McDonald's is a reward for the brave.'

Upon their return to their apartment, one of the students said: 'This is why Melbourne's restrictions are like a fart'.

Other Chinese residents living in Melbourne were outraged by their behaviour after the video surfaced online, saying it put the Chinese community in Australia to 'shame'.

'Don't show off risking other people's lives, even if you don't care about your own safety,' another commented.

But after facing backlash the students admitted they were just 'seeking attention' and issued an apology.

The students are seen dancing in the Melbourne McDonald's after breaching coronavirus restrictions

'Our so-called 'courage' is very naive before the law. We were a group of shameful jokers, and ignorant people seeking attention,' they told the ABC.

The trio said they 'confessed' all details to police.

'We accept all criticism, which is the punishment we deserve,' they said.

'We have shamed Chinese people in Melbourne, and caused extremely negative consequences for them.'

Melbourne is currently in the midst of a stage four lockdown with a curfew enforced between 8pm and 5am.

Residents can only leave their homes during these times for medical reasons, work or to provide care, with some businesses like McDonald's open through the curfew hours to cater to those with exemptions.

Police issued 202 fines to Victorians breaching public health orders within the last 24 hours - including one man who left his house to get away from his room mates who were too 'loud' in the bedroom.

The coronavirus-hit state recorded 410 new infections on Wednesday and 21 deaths.
The City of Lafayette, Colorado, USA, has been forced to pay $45,000 because they were unable to restore necessary files from backup.

On July 27th, the systems at the City of Lafayette, Colorado, were infected with ransomware, the malicious code impacted phone services, email, and online payment reservation systems.

The City did not immediately disclose the cause of the outage of its systems and invited the citizens to use 911 or an alternate number for emergency services.

Now the City of Lafayette admitted they were a victim of a ransomware attack that encrypted its systems and confirmed that opted to pay a $45,000 ransom to receive a decryption tool to recover its files.

After a thorough examination of the situation and cost scenarios, and considering the potential for lengthy inconvenient service outages for residents, we determined that obtaining the decryption tool far outweighed the cost and time to rebuild data and systems, City of Lafayette Mayor Jamie Harkins explained in a video.

The City did not disclose technical details of the hack either the family of ransomware that infected its systems, it only stated that it does not believe any data was stolen. The City also added that credit card data was not stored on its systems, anyway it invited residents and employees to monitor their bank accounts for suspicious activity.

Financial data appears to be recoverable from unaffected backups. Personal credit card information was not compromised, as the City uses external PCI-certified payment gateways. reads the announcement published by the City. There is no evidence to suggest personal data was compromised, but out of an abundance of caution, residents and employees are advised to be vigilant to monitor accounts for suspicious activity.

The City is going to notify individuals who have personal information stored on the Citys network.

The small amount of money requested by the attackers suggests that the attackers are not one of the major ransomware gangs, like Maze, REvil, or Clop, that usually asks for a higher ransom.

Pierluigi Paganini

(SecurityAffairs  hacking, City of Lafayette)
Supreme Court Blocks Lower Court Order Easing Oregon Signature-Gathering Requirements

The Supreme Court temporarily blocked a lower court ruling Aug. 11 that would have made it easier for a group that advocates for redistricting reform in Oregon to collect signatures during the current pandemic.

Its the latest emergency order by the high court that declined to temporarily ease election law requirements in the age of the CCP virus, a novel coronavirus that causes the disease COVID-19. A panel of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals previously denied the states motion to stay the lower court order.

The high court blocked a judges order July 30 that relaxed election rules to give an Idaho activist group additional time to gather signatures for a ballot initiative.

Reclaim Idaho, a political action committee that proposes a boost in funding in kindergarten through 12th-grade education by increasing Idahos corporate tax rate and taxes on individuals earning $250,000 or more annually, put its efforts on hold after the group decided it didnt want to gather signatures during the pandemic.

Before that, the Supreme Court refused to bend Ohio election rules to accommodate marijuana decriminalization advocates who failed to gather enough in-person petition signatures to get their referendum question on the Nov. 3 ballot in several cities. The emergency application to stop the Buckeye State from enforcing its ballot-access rules was denied by the high court on June 25.

The ruling in the new case, cited as Clarno v. People Not Politicians Oregon, was issued on Aug. 11. Beverly A. Clarno is Oregons secretary of state and the sole Republican holding statewide office in the Beaver State.

People Not Politicians supports Initiative Petition 57 (IP 57), which the group says would reform that process and create a fairer, more transparent system, by creating an independent citizen redistricting commission comprised of Oregonians.

The effort is endorsed by a litany of left-leaning groups, including the Progressive Party of Oregon and the Oregon State Public Interest Research Group. The League of Women Voters of Oregon, Common Cause, and NAACP of Eugene/Springfield were listed as respondents in the emergency application to the Supreme Court.

The proposal would have amended the state constitution and allowed for a citizen-based redistricting commission to draw congressional and state legislative lines every 10 years. The group said it had to rely on no-contact methods of signature gathering in order to comply with Democratic Gov. Kate Browns stay-at-home orders and blamed the restrictions for falling short of the required number of signatures.

In the application to the Supreme Court, Oregon Attorney General Ellen F. Rosenblum, a Democrat, wrote that People Not Politicians had, by its own count, obtained only about 64,000 unverified signatures by the July 2nd deadline, falling short of the 149,360 valid signatures reportedly needed to get a constitutional amendment on the November ballot.

Oregon-based U.S. District Judge Michael McShane, an Obama appointee, ruled July 10 that People Not Politicians had exercised reasonable diligence in trying to qualify for the ballot during the pandemic.

McShane presented two choices to Clarno, who administers elections. Clarno could accept the signatures submitted July 2 and allow the referendum to proceed or extend the time for gathering signatures to Aug. 17.

Clarno agreed to the extension but Rosenblum, whose office represents the secretary of state and all other state agencies in court, took the matter out of Clarnos hands and decided to appeal the decision.

The judges ruling encroaches on the states sovereign authority to determine for itself the process by which its own constitution can be amended, Rosenblum wrote in the application to the Supreme Court. Changing the rules for initiatives by judicial fiat, this late in the election cycle only for one privileged measure, is legally unsupportable and fundamentally unfair.

IP 57 campaign chairman Norman Turrill of People Not Politicians told The Epoch Times that the campaign, which he said is committed to putting Oregonians, not public officials with a clear conflict of interest, at the center of the next redistricting process, would continue.

People Not Politicians prevailed in federal district court and we will be defending Oregonian voters first amendment rights during our scheduled oral argument in the 9th Circuit on August 13, Turrill said.

Our coalition will continue doing everything in our power to put this vital democracy reform on the ballot in November and ensure there is a path for redistricting reform in Oregon in 2021.

The emergency application was first referred to Justice Elena Kagan, who is the sitting circuit justice on the high court responsible for hearing emergency applications originating within the geographical boundaries of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.

The court, in line with custom, didnt provide a rationale for the order, and it was unclear how the justices voted on the emergency application. There is no indication in the order about how Kagan voted. For the stay to be approved, five of the nine justices would have had to vote for it.

Two liberal justices, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor, dissented from the grant of stay. They didnt explain why.
International

Iran to hold run-off parliamentary polls on Sept 11

TEHRAN, AUG 12 (IANS) | Publish Date: 8/12/2020 1:26:21 PM IST

The Iranian governments spokesman said on Tuesday that the run-off parliamentary elections will be held on September 11, Tasnim news agency reported.

This final round of voting will be preceded by a week-long campaign without public gatherings to comply with health protocols, said Ali Rabiee, Xinhua news agency reported.

In the capital Tehran and two other cities, representatives in Parliament will be elected next year along with the nationwide presidential and city council elections, the spokesman added. The first round of the parliamentary elections was held on February 21, and the runoff should have been held on April 17 but was delayed because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-12 05:37:50|Editor: huaxia

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PRAGUE, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- The Czech Republic is not planning to sign a new memorandum with the United States on the new nuclear unit in Dukovany, south Moravia, Foreign Minister Tomas Petricek said on Tuesday after talking with visiting U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

This might harm the notification process with the European Commission, the Czech News Agency (CTK) quoted Petricek as saying.

Cooperation with the Czech Republic in the fields of nuclear energy is one of the major topics during Pompeo's trip to Prague. The U.S.-based Westinghouse Electric Company is one of the bidders for the construction of the new unit in Dukovany.

At the end of July, the Czech government and the national energy utility company CEZ signed agreements on the planned new nuclear unit.

Under the plan, the investor will have to select the main supplier of the new nuclear power plant in Dukovany and negotiate a contract. CEZ will put up the tender this December. The unit construction is scheduled to begin in 2029 and the new power plant unit is planned to be put into operation in 2036.

"As the investor, CEZ will be selecting the future supplier in an open competition. Such a memorandum with one of the potential suppliers could send a bad signal to the European Commission and the market," CTK quoted Industry and Trade Minister Karel Havlicek as saying.

Pompeo will hold talks with Czech President Milos Zeman and Prime Minister Andrej Babis on Wednesday. He arrived in Prague on Tuesday as part of a European visit that will also take him to Slovenia, Austria and Poland. Enditem
The New York Times reported on 15 July 2020: "The U.S. Weighs Sweeping Travel Ban on Chinese Communist Party Members. The presidential order under consideration would be based on the same statute in the Immigration and Nationality Act used in a 2017 travel ban on several predominantly Muslim countries."

Taking this illogical and purely theoretical approach, the U.S. may not be aware of the exact number of CPC (Communist Party of China) members, or their nature. There are almost 92 million CPC members, and if family members are included, the figure could be three times that number. It is the largest, most well-organized, best trained, and most disciplined political party in the world. It has a history of almost one century. Banning the CPC means banning the government of China. Does the U.S. also understand the legal and political percussions of this move?

Practically, is it possible for the U.S. to know if someone is a CPC member? Is there any verification method available to the U.S? The U.S. had better think twice before making such a decision. It is not a practical approach.

The U.S. has a history of banning certain groups, nationalities, or individuals, which is certainly possible. But banning the entire CPC may not be practical, or even possible.

Four decades ago, when China and the US established diplomatic relations, during President Nixon's visit to China in 1972, Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai said that China and the U.S. needed to be clear about our differences and find common ground, so that both sides could reach a new starting point in bilateral ties. President Nixon responded that while our two countries have many differences, what brings us together is that we have common interests that transcend those differences. The Shanghai Communique issued by the two countries encapsulated this consensus of mutual respect and seeking common ground while setting aside differences.

Forty years on, while China and the U.S. are quite different in terms of their social systems and many other aspects, such differences have not affected the peaceful coexistence and cooperation between the two countries, and they should not affect their bilateral ties in the future. It is neither necessary nor possible for the two sides to change each other. Instead, we should respect the choices that have been independently made by the people on both sides. Four decades of Sino-US relations have resulted in a number of achievements and mutual benefits. The U.S. understood clearly that the CPC ruled China, and yet was willing to establish diplomatic relations, which means recognition of the CPC.

China is firmly committed to pursuing development and progress to meet the wishes of its people and make new, even more significant contributions to humankind, through Socialism with Chinese characteristics, and under the great leadership of the CPC. Anyone who attempts to derail this process faces certain failure. China respects other countries, nations, and their political systems, and hopes for reciprocal treatment from others. China does not interfere in other countries domestic affairs and will not allow anyone to interfere in Chinese local politics.

If this is nothing more than a political slogan aimed at gaining anti-China votes in the presidential elections to be held in November this year, it is a wrong strategy. If this is to put pressure on and coerce China, then it should be noted that China has already gone beyond the point where any country is able to compel it. China is more than capable of protecting its sovereignty.

The U.S. has put restrictions on Chinese students and is now repenting, as they formed the single largest foreign student body and were a significant source of income for American universities, not to mention intellectual contribution. Banning Huawei has also impacted the U.S. adversely, while the reduced number of Chinese tourists has affected the US tourism industry. Any further ban on the CPC may harm the U.S. even more and make the U.S. repent, while it should also be prepared for an appropriate Chinese reciprocal action.

The opinions expressed in this article belong solely to the author, and not necessarily to People's Daily Online.

Zamir Ahmed Awan is a senior fellow with the Center for China and Globalization (CCG) and a sinologist at the National University of Sciences and Technology in Pakistan. E-mail: [email protected]
DENVER, Aug. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Redwood Green Corp. (the "Company") (OTCQB: RDGC) today announced changes to its Board of Directors, reflecting an anticipated change in corporate strategy. The Company intends to withdraw from the cannabis industry and to examine opportunities that may be available to it in responsible gold exploration in newly accessible areas of Colombia, subject to securing necessary funding.

At their meeting on August 11, 2020, the Company's Board of Directors unanimously adopted a resolution providing for the Company to withdraw from the cannabis industry. Reasons the Board considered in reaching its decision included:

difficulties the Company's earlier acquisition strategy has encountered at the Company's recent low stock prices

prolonged uncertainty about the timing of federal legalization of cannabis

overcrowding of the cannabis industry by large numbers of competitors.

Under the resolution, the Company will seek a buyer, at an appropriate price, for its Good Meds division. The Directors emphasized that the Good Meds division will continue to operate and contribute to the Company's earnings until a sale under suitable terms is completed.

Two Directors, Mr. John Scharffenberger and Mr. Steven Hilton, have resigned from the Board. Each indicated a continuing interest in participating in consumer goods industries. Upon accepting the resignations, the continuing Directors thanked the gentlemen for their valuable contributions to the Company.

The Board of Directors appointed Mr. Carlos Andres Hernandez and Mr. Gary Artmont to be Directors of the Company. In welcoming the two incoming Directors, the Board noted their country and/or industry-specific experience applicable to the Company's contemplated direction. The Board also noted that the incoming Directors committed to presenting specific Colombian exploration opportunities for the Board's review.

At its meeting, the Board also considered:

the extensive business and professional associations the Company has developed in Colombia

Colombia's long and productive history in the gold-mining industry

long and productive history in the gold-mining industry the recent re-opening of historic gold-producing districts in Colombia that had been effectively closed by civil strife for 50 years

that had been effectively closed by civil strife for 50 years the advances in exploration technology that occurred during that 50-year hiatus and that can now be applied to Colombia's known gold-producing districts

known gold-producing districts the commitment of the Colombian government to environmentally prudent exploration practices.

About Carlos Andres Hernandez

Carlos Andres Hernandez is a mining industry professional who worked for eight years for Drummond Ltd., the Colombian subsidiary of Alabama-based Drummond Company, Inc. In that capacity Mr. Hernandez focused primarily on acquisitions and contract negotiations for Drummond's El Descanso open-pit coal mine, a Colombian facility that produces low-sulphur, low-ash bituminous coal for export. After leaving Drummond, Mr. Hernandez served as a political adviser to Jose Gabriel Amar Sepulveda, a member of Colombia's Congress.

Mr. Hernandez holds a degree in International Business from the Universidad del Norte in Barranquilla and speaks Spanish, English and French.

About Gary Artmont

With an exploration career spanning five decades and 21 countries, Mr. Artmont is experienced in all aspects of mineral exploration, from grass-root assessment to project pre-feasibility studies. Over the last 46 years, Mr. Artmont worked as a geologist and project manager for prominent mining-related firms, including Geostar Consulting, Rio Tinto, PT Pelsart Indonesia, PT Freeport Indonesia and Ivanhoe Mining China. He is a Fellow of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy and is qualified to issue National Instrument 43-101 Competent Person reports and Joint Ore Reserves Committee Code (JORC) Competent Person reports required by public stock exchanges.

Mr. Artmont holds a degree in Geological Sciences from Waterloo University, Ontario, Canada, and speaks English and Spanish.

For additional information, please contact the Company's Investor Relations department by email at [email protected] or by telephone at +1 303 222 8092.

The Company's common stock trades on the OTCQB Venture Market with the symbol RDGC.

This press release is not an offer of securities, or a solicitation for purchase, subscription or sale of securities in the United States of America or in any other jurisdiction in which it would be unlawful to do so.

Investor inquiries:

[email protected]

+1 303 222 8092

Media inquiries:

[email protected]

Forward-looking Statements

This message may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, that involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, including risk factors identified in the Company's SEC filings, and which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, changes in the regulatory environment affecting the sale and use of cannabis or hemp products and of other, potential lines of businesses that the Company will consider entering at a given time, demand for the Company's products, internal funding and the financial condition of the Company, product roll-out, competition, our dependence upon our commercial partners, variations in the global commodities markets and other commercial matters involving the Company, its products and the markets in which the Company operates or seeks to enter, as well as general economic conditions. The forward-looking statements in this press release are made only as of the date hereof, and unless otherwise required by applicable securities laws, the Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Caution Regarding Cannabis Operations in the United States

Investors should note that there are significant legal restrictions and regulations that govern the cannabis industry in the United States. Marijuana, as defined in the U.S. Controlled Substances Act, remains a Schedule I drug under the respective act, making it illegal under federal law in the U.S. to, among other things, cultivate, distribute or possess cannabis. Financial transactions involving proceeds generated by, or intended to promote, cannabis-related business activities in the U.S. may form the basis for prosecution under applicable U.S. federal money laundering legislation. Please carefully review the Company's SEC filings with respect to related risk factors.

SOURCE Redwood Green Corp.

Related Links

redwoodgreencorp.com


U.S. health secretary lauds Lee Teng-hui for role in march to democracy

ROC Central News Agency

08/11/2020 08:07 PM

Taipei, Aug. 11 (CNA) United States Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar on Tuesday praised Taiwan's former President Lee Teng-hui () as a great man in the global march to democracy.

During his address at National Taiwan University's (NTU) Public Health College, Azar said he would like to acknowledge the loss of Lee, who passed away on July 30 at the age of 97, as one of Taiwan's great heroes who laid the groundwork for many of Taiwan's successes.

"President Lee is not only one of the great men in Taiwan's history, but in the broader history of Asia and the world's march toward democracy," Azar said.

Lee, who held a doctorate degree from Cornell University, had great love for the United States, he continued.

Lee's legacy goes beyond political freedom as it has had a tangible effect on the lives of people in Taiwan and around the world today, Azar said.

"The democratic legacy he built has made Taiwan a leader not only in freedom and economic growth, but also in global health,"he said.

Speaking to the media prior to his address at NTU, Azar said he plans to pay his respects to Lee at the memorial at Taipei Guest House during his stay in Taiwan.

Meanwhile, in his speech on Tuesday, Azar reiterated U.S. praise for Taiwan's success in combating the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Taiwan's approach to combating the virus through openness, transparency, and cooperation stands in stark contrast to the country where the virus began," he said, referring to China.

"The Chinese Communist Party had the chance to warn the world and work with the world on battling the virus. But they chose not to, and the costs of that choice mount higher every day," he pointed out.

"I believe it is no exaggeration to say that, if this virus emerged in a place like Taiwan or the United States, it might have been snuffed out easily: rapidly reported to public health authorities, who would have shared what they knew with health professionals and with the general public," Azar said.

Instead, Beijing appears to have "resisted information-sharing, muzzling doctors who spoke out and hobbling the world's ability to respond."

Azar said the world has now experienced two serious viruses that have emerged from China in the past two decades, namely, the SARS outbreak in 2003 and COVID-19.

"The issue is not which country is the source; the issue is how that country responds. There is very little about diplomacy that is simple. But when it comes to health, the expectations of the world community are quite commonsense: You can't get anywhere without transparency," he said.

"How can the world possibly work together to prevent, contain, and combat viruses unless we're willing to share information about these threats with each other?" he said.

In sharp contrast to China, he said he would like to thank Taiwan for setting "a positive example and for choosing, enthusiastically, to be a part of the global health community."

"In these trying times, the United States knows that we will always have a friend in Taiwan and we will not shy away from telling the rest of the world that they can rely on Taiwan too," he concluded.

Azar and his delegation arrived in Taiwan on Sunday. The visit is the first trip to Taiwan made by a U.S. Cabinet-level official since 2014.

Azar met with President Tsai Ing-wen and Health Minister Chen Shih-chung () on Monday and with Foreign Minister Joseph Wu () earlier Tuesday, before attending a banquet hosted by Vice President Lai Ching-te () at noon.

The AIT has not made public Azar's full itinerary nor has it disclosed when the delegation will leave Taiwan.

His visit is also being billed as the highest-level visit by an American Cabinet official since the break in formal diplomatic relations between Washington and Taipei in 1979, when the U.S. officially recognized the People's Republic of China, because of the health secretary's rank in the order of succession to the U.S. presidency.

The health secretary is 12th in the order of succession. The highest ranking visit by a Cabinet official previously was by a transportation secretary, ranked 14th in the order of succession, in 2000.

Environmental Protection Agency administrator Gina McCarthy visited Taiwan in 2014.

(By Chen Yun-yu and Joseph Yeh)

Enditem/AW

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Australian beauty giant Mecca has revealed the best products to use to protect, nourish and moisturise dry hands.

As people continuously wash and sanitise their hands to minimise the spread of COVID-19, many are noticing increased skin irritation and dehydration.

To keep their skin in healthy condition, the cosmetic experts have rounded up their top picks of hand creams, sanitisers and washes to help soften and soothe skin.

'Right now, we are all striving to be as squeaky clean as can be, and as many of us have learnt, that has come with the cost of dry, rough hands,' the Mecca experts said in The Memo.

'A little extra care can go a long way, so we're sharing the hand care favourites.'

Mecca has revealed the best products to use to protect, nourish and moisturise dry hands

HAND SANITISER

Perfect for your pocket or handbag, Australians can sanitise their hands with the $5 Merci Handy Namaste cleaning gel

Perfect for your pocket or handbag, Australians can sanitise their hands wherever they go with the $5 Merci Handy Namaste cleaning gel.

The travel-friendly product is packed with aloe vera that works to nourish dry and dehydrates skin, leaving hands smooth, soft and 'super sweet scented'.

'This product is perfect to have in your bag and on the go. It leaves your hands feeling soft and hydrated whilst having a great scent to it,' one fan said.

The beauty experts can't get enough of the $10 Mecca-ssentials rinse-free hand cleansing gel, enriched with soothing, healing and hydrating ingredients.

The $10 Mecca-ssentials rinse-free hand cleansing gel is enriched with soothing, healing and hydrating ingredients

Described as a 'no ordinary hand sanitiser', the gel sanitises hands in an instant, leaving skin soft, nourished and and protected from 99.9 per cent of bad bacteria.

'Not too harsh on hands and a great size for your handbag,' one shopper said.

One essential retail worker revealed how her hands were left 'extremely comfortably dry' after using the hand sanitisers that were provided at work.

'No amount of hand cream seem to help. Since purchasing the [Mecca cleansing gel], I have not had any issues with dryness... It literally changed the hand sanitising game for me,' she said.

HAND CREAM

Perfect for hydrating and healing, beauty fans will not be disappointed with the $26 Mecca Cosmetica nourishing hand cream

Perfect for hydrating and healing, beauty fans will not be disappointed with the $26 Mecca Cosmetica nourishing hand cream.

The product has an abundance of skin benefits such as moisture-replenishing avocado oil and hyaluronic acid, which works to reduce inflammation, prevent water loss and boost skin's elasticity.

'Lovely hand cream, well priced and best of all it looks gorgeous on my coffee table next to my candle. With all this washing of the hands, I need a hand cream in every room and this one looks very stylish in my lounge room,' one fan said.

Another added: 'I love this cream, and so does everyone I give it to. It's the right consistency, stays light on the skin, so nourishing, and smells amazing! Also - the hand wash is excellent.'

HAND WASH

For a gentle cleanse that won't overstrip the skin, the beauty experts recommended the $53 Bastide Figue d'Ete Artisanal liquid hand wash (pictured)

Health authorities have strongly advised everyone to practise simple hygiene by washing hands regularly with soap for at least 20 seconds.

'Rather than it being thoughtless task, we've been using longer, more regular hand washes as moments of mindfulness: taking a deep breath, feeling every nook of your hands and the velvetiness of the lather,' the beauty experts said.

For a gentle cleanse that won't overstrip the skin, the cosmetic experts recommended the $53 Bastide Figue d'Ete Artisanal liquid hand wash.

The silky formula creates a soft lather, then rinses away to leave skin soft with 'no harm, only a gentle fig fragrance'.
Ten persons including a female who trooped onto the streets of Teshie apparently to celebrate Kpanshimo, a form of carnival, as part of the Homowo celebration have appeared before an Accra Circuit Court.



The ten accused have been variously charged with failing to comply with restrictions imposed to contain covid 18, rioting with offensive weapons, possession of offensive weapons and assault on a police officer.



The accused pleaded not guilty and the court presided over by Mrs Evelyn Asamoah admitted them to bail in the sum of GH15,000.00 each with two sureties each, one of whom is to be a public servant.



They are expected to reappear on August 31 and the prosecution has been ordered by the court to file their disclosures.



The accused who are all unemployed are: Akweley Armah, Desmond Maamah Martey, Thomas Adjei, Issac Mensah, Christopher Mensah, John Odoi Laryea, Emmanuel Adjetey, Julius Maamah, Matthew Amartey and Frank Nmabiue.



Mr Cecil Mettle Nunoo, represented six of the accused persons.



Prosecuting, Chief Inspector Emmanuel Haligah, told the court that on July 22, 2020, the Teshie Traditional Council engaged stakeholders including the Kpanshimo group  a youth group that usually engages in organizing street carnivals during the celebration of the Teshie Homowo Festival.



He said the council in a letter to the group stated that due to the imposition of the restrictions order to contain the spread of COVID-19 pandemic, the traditional council was not going to celebrate the 2020 Teshie Homowo Festival in a grand style.



Prosecution said the council further directed that all ritual practices should be restricted to the various clans in their various homes with strict observation of the COVID-19 protocols.



Prosecution said on August 11, 2020 at about 0200 hours, the accused and other 300 accomplices, now at large, defied the restriction orders in force, trooped onto the major streets in Teshie to celebrate Kpanshimo, a significant activity of the Homowo festival.



Chief Inspector Haligah said most of the accused were armed with offensive weapons such as stones, bottles, cutlasses, and knives attacking people and obstructing road users.



He said on seeing the Police, the accused and their accomplices resorted to pelting the Police with stones and bottles.



The Prosecution said the rampaging youth burnt tyres in the middle of the road thereby preventing road users and police from dispersing the riotous crowd.



Prosecution said the Kpeshie Divisional Police Command called for re-enforcement and in the process the accused were arrested.



The Police retrieved butchers knife from John Odai Laryea and Matthew Amartey.

Source: GNA









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Featured Video
Conservationists say countrys lockdown has helped reduce the death toll from clashes between elephants and humans.

Sri Lankas coronavirus lockdown has helped reduce the death toll from clashes between elephants and humans, conservationists have said.

Sumith Pilapitiya, a conservationist and former director-general of the governments wildlife department, estimated that the number of elephant deaths decreased by 40 percent during the coronavirus lockdown, which started in March and officially ended in June.

A record 405 elephants were killed by humans in the country last year, up from about 360 in 2018. A total of 121 people were killed by elephants, up from 96 the year before, according to government data.

Speaking ahead of World Elephant Day on Wednesday, Jayantha Jayewardene, a leading international expert on elephants, told AFP: We can say that the human-elephant conflict eased during curfews.

But this is a temporary situation. Farmers will start defending their crops and the killings will resume.

Most of the killed elephants are shot dead or poisoned by farmers trying to keep them off their land. The animals are considered sacred on the majority-Buddhist island and are protected, but prosecutions are rare.

Most of the humans are killed by elephants who have seen their habitat drastically reduced, rampaging in villages looking for food.





Pilapitiya said an average of 240 elephants were killed annually between 2010 and 2017 and the rate had accelerated since.

The Asian elephant is classified as endangered, so we cannot afford to lose elephants at that rate, he told AFP.

Pilapitiya expressed hope that a significant reduction during the shutdown  which included nationwide stay-at-home orders, with people only allowed out to buy essentials  would bring down the overall toll for the year.

Sri Lankas elephant population has declined to about 7,000 according to the latest census, down from 12,000 in the early 1900s.

World Elephant Day

Pilapitiya said a new panel of experts on measures to reduce human-elephant conflicts in the country would have its first meeting on World Elephant Day.

200604101245365

This may be an auspicious beginning and hopefully the government will implement the recommendations of this committee, he said.

During the shutdown, Pilapitiya accompanied wildlife trackers who reported spotting baby elephant twins at the Minneriya sanctuary northeast of Colombo, the first pair seen in the wild in Sri Lanka and a rare sight anywhere.

But the shutdown of wildlife parks during the pandemic saw an increase in poaching and illegal hunting of all wild animals, prompting the government to order a crackdown in July.

A mahout or elephant keeper sprays water over elephants during their daily bath in a river at the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage in Pinnawala, about 90 km from Colombo [Lakruwan Wanniarachchi/AFP]

Environmental lawyer Jagath Gunawardena said law enforcement authorities were preoccupied with the coronavirus, which made poaching easier.

Incidents of elephant-human clashes were few, but there was an increase in killing animals for their flesh, he said.

While the lockdown officially ended on June 28, Sri Lankas borders remain closed to foreign tourists. And that has badly hit some residents who rely on the countrys elephants for their income.

The Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage closed during the lockdown, fearing the animals might contract the virus. It opened again last month, but its 84 elephants are mostly undisturbed by visitors.

Hardly anyone visits here during the week, said Suneth Sanjeeva, who operates a shop outside the elephant orphanage, 80 kilometres (50 miles) east of Colombo.

A restaurant owner nearby said she served about 200 guests before the pandemic, but now she hardly has any customers.
The School Committee votes to start school with remote learning. Those plans are subject to change. PreviousNext

North Adams School Committee Votes for Remote Learning



NORTH ADAMS, Mass.  The School Committee on Tuesday rejected a hybrid school reopening model to vote 3-2 to go full remote.

The decision to start school with the remote option was apparently influenced by a letter the School Committee members received from the North Adams Teachers Association expressing concern over re-entering the schools because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Committee member Tara Jacobs said she was not comfortable potentially exposing staff to the novel coronavirus in motioning to go with the remote option to start and later transition to a hybrid model.

"There's no good scenario but the decision to open the school and have someone dying or having health conditions for the rest of their life ... ," she said, motioning to start the school year remotely.

Jacobs found support from committee members James Holmes, a former teacher, and Ian Bergeron.

"We are operating here pre-negotiations, labor has spoken. They feel remote is the safe path," Bergeron said. "I don't think we can ignore that. I'm surprised and overjoyed to find there is support for remote."

Superintendent Barbara Malkas last week had presented a detailed hybrid option , along with in-person and remote, based on data and capabilities of the school system. (Students and teachers who did not want to attend in person would have the option to do remote.)

She cautioned that the district's Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund monies could be affected if the protective gear, cleaning solutions, masks and other related equipment weren't needed. Positions were also brought back in June's level-funded budget based on the assumption that more teaching assistants and cafeteria workers would be neeed within the schools.

"The budget reflects the staffing for in-person," Malkas said. "We would have to take a long hard look at the positions we put back in, we'd have to look at the ESSER money."

She pointed to the new metrics announced by Gov. Charlie Baker and Education Commissioner Jeffrey Riley on Tuesday. The state is using the number of new positive cases per 100,000 population to measure the prevalence of the disease. More than 318 communities have fewer than four average daily cases per 100,000 and almost all Berkshire County communities have had less than five cases total over the past two weeks.

That puts it in the "unshaded," or white, designation with an expectation by DESE of using a full in-person or, if extenuating circumstances, a hybrid model.

"All of Berkshire County is considered unshaded ... according to the commissioner, because we are in this area, because of this infection rate, we should be considering full in-person or hybrid," Malkas said.

That was stressed by Baker as well during his daily briefing on Tuesday.

"If you're in a green or a white community I can't imagine a good reason not to go back full time or in some sort of hybrid because for intents and purposes you meet all the marks that are being used across the country and across New England to make decisions about whether it's safe to go to school," the governor had said, adding that guidance was coming from the Department of Public Health and the American Academy of Pediatrics.

The superintendent said she has been in close touch with the city's Director of Health Michale Moore on understanding the best ways to provide safe learning. North Adams has a COVID-19 rate of 0.6, well below the 5 percent that had originally been the state goal. That's compared to Georgia at 10.9 and the state of Florida at 17.2.

Jacobs said the commissioner told the Massachusetts Association of School Committees that he would support the decisions made by local school districts. Bernard said he had also been on that call and one with the Massachusetts Municipal Association but "no one would define extenuating circumstance or expectations."

Malkas said one extenuating circumstance could be the 6-foot distancing, which the district had agreed to with teachers' union, although the state was setting the minimum at 3 feet. A 6-foot social distance was not possible with the full in-school model.

In the hybrid form, the student body would be separated into A and B cohorts with each spending four half days in class, switching between morning and afternoon and doing remote on Wednesdays. This would allow for a deep cleaning with a fogger twice a week. With fewer students, they would be able to maintain a 6-foot distance and efforts are being put in place to ensure that the schools could switch to remote. School officials are anticipating that remote learning may happen if cases of COVID-19 begin to rise.

The superintendent said starting school with the hybrid model might be the only opportunity to get children into the classroom because once the windows were closed and the cold sets in, there would likely be a level contagion that will mean shifting to remote.

Bernard, in summing up last week's discussion, reminded the committee that voting on the intended reopening plan came with the "understanding that intended does not mean that we do not have the ability to adjust and adapt, going forward, and understanding that everything that we do will also be subject to negotiation with the North Adams Teachers Association."

The committee last week had held off on voting so as to get feedback from two parent presentations and because the state had extended the deadline from Aug. 11 to Aug. 14.

Malkas said there was a "very high level of participation" in the presentations and that a FAQ had been posted on the district's website to answer questions the staff couldn't get to during those sessions.

The district had also put out another survey and, by 11 a.m. on Tuesday, had received 1,036 responses representing the same number of students. Total enrollment is 1,423.

Those responses showed a preference for a hybrid model, with 63 percent choosing that option and 37 selecting remote. In answer to questions, Malkas said it appeared that the parents were more likely to select classroom settings for younger students and remote for high school, and that that seems to be the norm across that state.

About half of those responding said they had a device for remote learning, almost 20 percent said they were using one loaned by the school system in the spring and 30 percent, or about 300 students, did not have a device. Malkas said the school district has purchased 400 Chromebooks using grants and emergency funding as well as purchasing hotspots and boosting the wifi signals at the schools. Only one student could not be served because the student's location in Southern Vermont could not support a signal.

The highest responses came from Drury High and the lowest from Brayton Elementary. The superintendent said the administration is following up with phone calls to those who have not yet responded.

Malkas also shared some comments from parents saying they couldn't teach their children math at home, "We are terrified with either choice," and one that their student "desperately needs the social connection and the direction that only comes from the school environment ... this past spring was a disaster."

Committee members were concerned that even with the individual option for remote, it wouldn't help the support staff who would have no option but to be in the schools.

Municipal buildings are still closed, noted member Heather Boulger, yet they were asking staff and students to return to school. "This is just an impossible situation."

Malkas said she was aware of the letter from NATA but said the union had applauded the idea of in-person instruction earlier.

"I serve the will of the committee," she said, but added, "my recommendation is you become cognizant of who you serve."

Two-thirds of the families  their constituents  had indicated they preferred at least some in-person learning, the superintendent reminded them.

Bernard, chairman of the committee, said he was guided by the voice of their constituents and while some wished to be fully remote there was a "countervailing force" that is ramping up for school reopening.

"This is a highly charged issue, this is a highly emotional issue," he said, offering the suggestion of postponing the vote until Friday morning.

Bergeron said he wasn't comfortable with a three-member majority making the decision. Member Karen Bond was not able to attend and the committee has a vacancy that won't be filled until next week.

"We're putting our kids at risk until it becomes too risky," he then said. "As long as the committee is meeting remotely, how can we say it's safe for our children?"

Jacobs was asked if she wanted to rescind her motion to delay the vote; she declined. Holmes and Bergeron joined her in voting yeah; Bernard and Boulger voted against.

The committee also voted unanimously to submit reopening plans for full in-person, remote and hybrid version of both to the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, as required. DESE has already previewed the options developed by the school administration and had not raised any questions, Malkas said.
The opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), has warned of its intentions to probe the activities of the Electoral Commission (EC) should the party win the 2020 presidential elections.



General Secretary of the NDC, Johnson Asiedu Nketia also hinted of a possible prosecution of the Commissioners should findings prove enough grounds for illegal acts such as procurement irregularities.



Mr. Johnson Asiedu Nketia said on Citi TV that the Chairperson of the EC, Madam Jean Mensa, her deputies and other officials of the Commission will definitely be investigated for their administrative tenure.



We will investigate everything that they have done. If there are sufficient reasons for them to be changed, why not? It will be in the service of the nation. Previously, we were of the opinion that procurement breaches cant be a basis for Electoral Commission members to be changed. Now the court has established that procurement breaches can be used for change of membership. If Procurement breaches are found to have implicated any other persons who had otherwise been protected under the constitution, that person cannot have protection again.



For the NDCs chief scribe, the governing New Patriotic Partys (NPP) deliberate attempt to remove former EC Chair, Charlotte Osei is a clear precedent that the NDC can also lean on to do same.



The reasons based on which the previous commissioners were changed, we still believe that they are not very good enough reasons for the commissioners to be changed. Now it has been established as a precedent so it will be easier for subsequent government to also begin to change.





Source: citinewsroom.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Michigan supporters of Kamala Harris popped bottles of wine and champagne to celebrate her selection to join Joe Biden on the presidential ticket in November.

The California senator was in Detroit last year for her first Michigan visit as a primary contender when Harris said political calculations about defeating President Donald Trump often leave Black voters out of the conversation. More than a year later, Harris is the first woman of color nominated for national office by a major political party, and Michigan Democrats said her selection will drive enthusiasm among voters Biden needs to win this critical swing state.
One family could not sign its patriarchs death certificate since all members either had Covid-19 or were in quarantine.

Lan, her husband and their two children have been quarantined at a healthcare center in central Hoi An Town since July 30.

While her nine-year-old daughter coped well, their two-month-old son kept crying all day and night, leaving the couple tired.

Lan asked authorities if she could isolate herself at home, but they advised her to stay, saying her neighborhood was locked down.

To calm her, nurses showed her how to comfort the crying baby and put him into sleep.

The family stayed put inside a cramped 20-square-meter room since they did not dare go out. The couple kept a close eye on their phones for news about the Covid-19 outbreak in their hometown and keep in touch with other members of their family.

The clinic where Lan and her family are quarantined. Photo courtesy of Lan.

Five people in the family are in hospital after testing positive for the novel coronavirus: her father-in-law, aunt, two uncles, and grandmother. Twenty other relatives are in quarantine.

A sixth infected person, her grandfather, 70, was hospitalized at the Da Nang Hospital on July 9 after he complained of chest pain and tiredness. On July 27 he was diagnosed with Covid-19 and isolated.

On July 30 his condition worsened, and he was taken to the Hue General Hospital in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue.

A day later they learned he had passed away. He was the first Covid-19 patient to die in Vietnam.

"All my family members were sad when they told us to go to the Hue Central Hospital to sign the death certificate, but no one could go," Lan said, bursting into tears.

The family, unable to organize a funeral for the grandfather because all of them were in quarantine or hospital, had to ask local authorities to take his body to Da Nang for cremation.

Pandemic woes

The family has suffered for months since the pandemic kept away tourists and its small shop at the Nguyen Hoang Night Market had almost no patrons. Like many others in the ancient town of Hoi An, Lan had to close her shop in March.

In early June, when the pandemic seemed to be under control and domestic tourists started to come, she reopened, but still did not get customers.

Hoi An Town went into a semi-lockdown on July 31 after the fresh outbreak in neighboring Da Nang.

Since the coronavirus resurfaced in Da Nang late last month there have been 419 cases in 14 cities and provinces, including Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Seventeen patients have died.

Hoang Van Thu Street in Hoi An Town on the first day of the social distancing campaign on April 1, 2020. Photo by VnExpress/Huynh Phuong.

Lan and her husband did not have time to prepare for their quarantine, and only brought some clothes and other things for their infant.

The living conditions are not very good but, worried for her children's health, she encourages everyone to adapt and overcome the ordeal.

"I hope the 14 days go quickly, and I will not receive any news about my loved ones testing positive for Covid-19 or becoming too weak," she said, adding she and the husband have tried to lift their children's mood by organizing games and talking to them.

The nine-year-old does not miss home any more, and the baby does not cry, but they all yearn for normalcy.

"I hope the pandemic will be over soon and my family can reunite. Then we will go to Da Nang to pick up my grandfather's ashes."

*Names have been changed to protect identities.
The EVFTA is now laying a clear pathway for improvement of everything from sustainable development to social security in Vietnam, Photo: Le Toan

As soon as the historic EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) took effect on August 1, the government has been pressing ministries, central agencies, and localities to make preparations for enterprises, organisations, and individuals to benefit from the hallmark deal.

One of the biggest moves was last weeks government-led conference on the action plan to carry out the EVFTA, joined by leaders of ministries, all localities, and major enterprises in Vietnam.

The EVFTA is like an expressway closely connecting the Vietnam and the EU. Vietnam is accepting a new set of more stringent rules in order to lift itself into the higher value and supply chains of the bloc and the wider world, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc stated. We must change and improve policies. Executing trade cooperation with developed countries and competing with giants in the EU is a good chance for local enterprises and the whole economy to improve and evolve.

Over the past few years, economist Tran Hoang Ngan has spent a lot of time studying the agreement, which he believes will help Vietnam change its policies in line with international practices.

The EVFTA will help push the country to boost its reforms and improve competitiveness while creating a fairer investment climate for European investors, said Ngan, who is also a National Assembly deputy representing Ho Chi Minh City where thousands of foreign businesses are headquartered.

The introduction of the EVFTA is expected to bring more investors into Vietnam both from Europe and from the rest of the world. As the flow of foreign investment increases, so does the number of commercial grievances. So it is necessary for Vietnam to accelerate the development of a systemic investment response mechanism to settle disputes between investors and the state, he said.

Meanwhile, chairman of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry Vu Tien Loc also likened the EVFTA to a highway on which Vietnam must pay fees. The deals entry into force means the opening of the highway, but for the whole economy and enterprises to run smoothly, much remains to be done, including improving the quality of laws, Loc said. It is necessary to enact related laws and guiding documents so that the economy and enterprises can benefit from the new deal.

He suggested that the country bolsters three main pillars  institutional and infrastructural frameworks, as well as human resources  to be ready for the EVFTA and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership.

Shaking hands with giants will generate a lot of opportunities. However, sustainable development is the only way to enter the EUs market. Ultimately, the EVFTAs performance is calculated by the number of firms from both sides that will do business and trade with each other, said Loc.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade has drafted key contents of the governments action plan on implementing the EVFTA. The plan defines goals and key tasks, namely information diffusion; law building; improvement of competitiveness and human resources development; policies for trade unions and labourers organisations in enterprises; and policies on social security welfare, environmental protection, and sustainable development.

The Vietnamese business community sees numerous prospects in working with EU partners. For example, Le Tien Truong, CEO of Vietnam National Textile and Garment Group confirmed that the EVFTA is a good chance for Vietnams textile and garment sector to gain more market share.

In the next five years, the export value is expected to increase by an additional $10 billion to $15-20 billion, from $5.5 billion last year, thanks to the EVFTA. Currently, Vietnams textiles and garments occupy 6 per cent of the global market, but capture only 2.2 per cent of the EUs. However, only 3 per cent of all businesses in this sector have registered a chartered capital higher than VND500 billion ($21.7 million).

That capital is not enough to produce materials, one of the most important requirements for local businesses to enjoy tariff incentives when exporting to the EU. Thereby, we should lure more foreign-invested projects into this sector and build up some industrial zones specialising in material production and developing supporting industries, Truong said.

Echoing this view, chairwoman of BRG Group Nguyen Thi Nga proposed the government to support enterprises to develop material areas and guide businesses in terms of the EVFTAs content, advantages, and conditions.

Nguyen Hoai Nam, deputy general secretary of the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), also said that in 1999 when Vietnam was allowed to export aquatic products into Europe, there were only 19 enterprises and the export value was $129 million. Now, the sum is $1.3 billion, ranking Vietnam the fourth among countries exporting seafood to the EU. We hope the EVFTA will become the second expressway for seafood enterprises to multiply the exporting value, asserted Nam.

The EVFTA provides for the almost complete elimination of customs duties between Vietnam and the EU. Some 65 per cent of duties on EU exports to Vietnam will disappear as soon as the FTA enters into force, while the remainder will be phased out gradually over a period of up to 10 years.

Meanwhile, 71 per cent of duties for Vietnamese exports to the EU will disappear upon entry into force, with the remainder being phased out over a period of up to seven years.
Photo: (Photo : Photo by Cristian Dina from Pexels)

A baby shower is not just all gifts and parties, moms also love reading baby shower cards.

That is why thinking of what to write in a baby shower card can sometimes be challenging for friends and family.

We compiled some of the adorable and cute messages so that looking for what to write in a baby shower card will be easier:

What to write in a baby shower card if it is a baby boy?

What to write in a baby shower card if it is a baby girl?

READ ALSO: A Unique Baby Shower Idea in Mexico Uses Glass-Sided Trucks

What to write in a baby shower card if you want to give a message to the parents?

READ ALSO: Gender Reveal Party Gone Wrong: Dad Leaves After Knowing He's Having Another Daughter

What to write in a baby shower card if you want to make it cute?

READ ALSO: 5 baby shower ideas for moms-to-be [that are different from the last one you attended]

What to write in a baby shower card if you want to make it funny?

READ ALSO: Social Distancing Practice: Drive-Thru Baby Shower

A baby shower is a special occasion for both the mother and the boy. The mother values the blessings of her family and friends during this period. Plan ahead of time if you're running a company that handles these types of events or if you're doing anything for a family member. At Template.net they have various baby shower templates which include planners, checklists, invitation card frames, etc. All their templates are easily editable and printable for your quick and convenient use.
China on Wednesday officially declined to react to US Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden's move to pick Indian-origin Senator Kamala Harris as his running mate but the official media here said that her nomination will add "fuel to fire" to the current conflict between the two sides given her strong stand on human rights issues relating to Xinjiang and Hong Kong.

Biden on Tuesday picked Harris as his running mate, recognising the crucial role Black voters and Indian-Americans could play in his bid to defeat Trump in the US presidential election in November.

Harris in the past called for increasing pressure on China for human rights violations against Uygur Muslims of Xinjiang and the crackdown against the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong.

But she also rejected President Donald Trump's tariff war on China, saying that it would hurt the business of California for which she was the Senator and increase the prices of consumer goods.

Asked for his reaction at a media briefing here on Wednesday to Biden nominating Harris to be his vice-presidential nominee, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian declined to comment.

"The Presidential election in the US is an internal affair. We don't have the interest to interfere," he said, apparently referring to US official's allegations that China, Russia and Iran may try to influence the US Presidential poll in November this year.

William Evanina, head of the National Counterintelligence and Security Centre (NCSC), in a statement last week said China "prefers that President Trump - whom Beijing sees as unpredictable - does not win re-election" and has been "expanding its influence efforts" ahead of the vote.

While Zhao was guarded in his reaction, state-run Global Times quoted Chinese observers as saying that Harris' nomination won't help end the two parties' playing of the China card.

Harris once gave herself a Chinese name, He Jinli, which translates to "intricate and beautiful," while the surname means "celebrate," according to the Global Times report.

But this should not be misinterpreted as goodwill toward China. The senator has been vocal in her criticisms of China on multiple issues, including Xinjiang and Hong Kong, it said.

She criticised China last year for the mass detention camps of Uygur Muslims in Xinjiang and said Beijing failed to respect the rights and autonomy of Hong Kong's people.

She jointly launched the Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act in 2019, and urged several US investigation agencies to probe China's "suppression" of the Uygurs.

In October 2019, she announced her support for the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act.

"Harris' nomination will only add fuel to the fire of the two parties' competitive playing of the China card, and to acting tough on China during their election campaign," Zhang Tengjun, assistant research fellow at the China Institute of International Studies, told the paper.

He said that based on the positive response to Biden's decision, team Trump may escalate its "irrational" antagonism against China for the next few months, just to win more attention and attempt to salvage its declining campaign.

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Officials said on Wednesday they have recovered the carcass of a young tigress from the buffer zone of the Dudhwa National Park in Uttar Pradeshs Lakhimpur district on Tuesday.

Dr Anil Kumar Patel, deputy director of the Dudhwa buffer zone, said the carcass of the big cat was recovered from a forest area under Jatpura beat of Mailani range on Tuesday morning. Patel said the tigress was around four to five years old.

No injury marks were detected on the body while all the organs of the big cat were found intact, he said and added that the conditions indicated the tigress seemed to have died a few days back.

However, a nylon rope piece was found tied around the tigress neck causing abrasion marks round the neck, which raised doubts of some foul play, he added.

Patel said a thorough probe into the tigress death would be conducted and an autopsy will be carried out according to the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) guidelines to ascertain the exact cause of death, Patel said. He added a report in this connection would be lodged under wildlife protection act.

Reports said a farmer from the neighbouring Hardua village had gone to the fields to collect grass when a big cat hiding in the bushes charged upon him. He raised an alarm following which fellow villagers rushed to the spot and the big cat ran back into the neighbouring forests.

The villagers later found the dead body of the tigress lying in the bushes and called the forest authorities.Patel along with his team rushed the spot and carried out preliminary investigations.
Women take part in a demonstration against police violence during the recent rallies of opposition supporters following the presidential election in Minsk, Belarus, on Aug. 12, 2020. (Vasily Fedosenko/Reuters)

Belarus Police Fire Live Rounds at Protesters, Arrest Over 1,000

MINSKBelarus said on Wednesday that police had fired live rounds at protesters in the city of Brest and arrested more than 1,000 people nationwide, intensifying a crackdown that has prompted the European Union to weigh new sanctions on Minsk.

Security forces have clashed with protesters for three consecutive nights after strongman President Alexander Lukashenko claimed a landslide re-election victory in a vote on Sunday that his opponents say was rigged.

Hundreds of protesters took to the streets again on Wednesday. Women dressed in white formed a human chain outside a covered food market in the capital Minsk, while a crowd also gathered outside a prison where protesters were being kept.

Lukashenko has sought better ties with the West amid strained relations with traditional ally Russia. Brussels lifted sanctions, imposed over Lukashenkos human rights record, in 2016 but will consider new measures this week.

A former Soviet collective farm manager, the 65-year-old Lukashenko has ruled Belarus for more than a quarter of a century but faces anger over his handling of the coronavirus pandemic, a sluggish economy and human rights.

I have to come today to support those who go out at night, said Elena, a protester speaking outside the covered market. Its not only my vote that was stolen from me, but 20 years of my life. The authorities must go.

A woman fights with a police officer as the other police officers detain an opposition supporter protesting the election results as protesters encounter aggressive police tactics in the capital of Minsk, Belarus, on Aug. 11, 2020. (AP Photo)

Police detain an opposition supporter protesting the election results as protesters encounter aggressive police tactics in the capital of Minsk, Belarus, on Aug. 11, 2020. (AP Photo)

Clashes

The Belarusian interior ministry said 51 protesters and 14 police officers had been injured in clashes on Tuesday night.

In Brest, a city in southwestern Belarus on the Polish border, police fired live rounds after some protesters it said were armed with metal bars ignored warning shots fired in the air, the ministry said. One person was injured.

Lukashenko has accused the protesters of being in cahoots with foreign backers from Russia and elsewhere.

Belarusian state media this week broadcast footage of a van in Minsk with Russian number plates saying it was packed with ammunition and tents.

Tracked down by Reuters, Valdemar Grubov, the vans owner, said he was a film producer and that the vehicle contained only his own personal effects.

He said he had been unable to retrieve the van due to COVID-19 restrictions and was not involved in any foreign plot.

Lukashenkos rival in Sundays vote, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, a 37-year-old former English teacher, has fled to neighboring Lithuania to join her children there. She urged her compatriots not to oppose the police and to avoid putting their lives in danger.

By Andrei Makhovsky
Joe Bidens selection of Senator Kamala Harris as his running mate provides a brand-new target for President Donald Trumps re-election campaign that has struggled to find an effective line of attack against his Democratic rival.

But going after Harris comes with its own risks and challenges.

Within minutes of Bidens announcement on Tuesday, Trump had called Harris nasty, horrible and disrespectful," while his campaign painted her as an extremist who would yank the moderate Biden to the left.

But there is little evidence at the moment that suggests that the public views Harris, a former California prosecutor and attorney general with strong ties to the Democratic establishment, as a radical.

In fact, she's more liked by Republicans than Biden, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted on Aug. 10-11, just before she was announced as Biden's pick. The poll showed 21 percent of registered Republican voters have a favorable impression of Harris, compared with 13 percent who had a similarly favorable view of Biden.

More concerning for Trump: Attacks that could appear sexist or racist against the first Black woman on a major party ticket in US history could complicate his campaign's effort to shore up his standing among suburban women, a critical voting bloc he must win back in order to get re-elected, strategists on both sides say.

Already, leading Democratic women warned against a replay of Trumps match-up in 2016 with then Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, who was subject to gender-based critiques as the first female presidential candidate. Trump has also called Clinton "nasty" and accused her of playing the "woman's card."

If he wants to use misogynistic tropes against Kamala Harris, I think that is deeply challenging for him," said Neera Tanden, a top aide to Clinton during her presidential bid. He has no room for error with suburban women.

According to the latest Reuters/Ipsos poll, Biden had an advantage of 10 percentage points among women and a 6-point lead among those who live in the suburbs. Overall, Biden leads Trump by 11 points, less than three months to go before the November 3 vote.

Sarah Longwell, a Republican pollster, said Trump's advisers would likely want the president, known for fiery and bombastic rhetoric against his political rivals, to be more cautious about attacking Harris unless they had reason to believe suburban women distrusted or disliked her.

"But there's no evidence yet that they do dislike or distrust her," Longwell said. "In fact, my guess is that she'll play pretty well with suburban women."

LOOKING FOR AN EDGE

Trump's standing with the public has faded badly amid the coronavirus pandemic, the economic downturn and nationwide protests over police brutality and racial injustice.

Scrambling for something to alter the trajectory of the race, Trump and his Republican allies quickly launched a fusillade of attacks at Harris moments after the pick was announced.

The campaign hosted a conference call with reporters to assail her early stances during her own White House bid, when she supported progressive policy proposals such as the Green New Deal, a sweeping clean energy plan, and Medicare for All, a single-payer, government sponsored healthcare plan. Biden has not backed either proposal.

Harris shifted several of her policy stances in the course of the campaign in a bid to move toward the center. But the Trump campaign made clear it will attempt to paint her as an unrepentant leftist, while suggesting that the 77-year-old Biden could soon be out of office and replaced by her.

At the same time, the campaign said it will also seek to highlight criticism of Harris from the African-American community over her criminal justice record, hoping to drive a wedge between her and the Democratic Party's most loyal constituency.

Privately, however, Trump's aides acknowledged Harris would be a formidable adversary. One senior White House official said that the Harris pick means Vice President Mike Pence would have a tough debate in October.

Trump, in his White House news conference, acknowledged Harris' aggressive questioning of then-Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh at his 2018 confirmation hearing.

"She was nasty to a level that was just a horrible thing the way she treated now-Justice Kavanaugh, and I wont forget that soon," Trump said.

Harris and Bidens immediate challenge, in fact, will be to stamp out any brush fires among progressives who had urged Biden to choose a more overtly progressive candidate, such Senator Elizabeth Warren, Democratic activists say.

During her presidential bid, Harris was fiercely criticized by progressives who viewed her prosecutorial record as overly supportive of law enforcement. She has since become a vocal supporter of progressive criminal-justice reforms.

Rashad Robinson, executive director of Color of Change, an advocacy group that has worked with Harris on police reform efforts, said the nominee will have to engage her progressive critics to win them over.

These are questions she has to answer head-on, Robinson said. She has to answer questions about her evolution. Talk about the challenges that she has and talk about where she has moved."
This spring, in an area north of Toronto that had previously burned in a wildfire, drones hovered over fields, firing seed pods into the ground, planting native pine and spruce trees to help restore habitat for birds.

According to a report by Fast Company, Flash Forest, the Canadian startup behind the project, plans to use its technology to plant, in one month, 40,000 trees in the area. As it expands to other regions, by the end of the year it will plant hundreds of thousands of trees. The startups goal is to have planted a full 1 billion trees by 2028.

The company, and other start-ups like it, believe the use of tree-planting drones is how the world can reach ambitious goals to restore forests to stem biodiversity loss and fight climate change, the report said.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change says that to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, its necessary to plant 1 billion hectares of trees - a forest roughly the size of the entire United States, the report cited.

While new trees are planted, existing forests need to be protected, but right now, that isnt working well, the report said. There are a lot of different attempts to tackle reforestation, says Flash Forest cofounder and Chief Strategy Officer Angelique Ahlstrom. But despite all of them, theyre still failing, with a net loss of 7 billion trees every year.

Since older trees can store much more carbon, deforestation is arguably an even more critical issue than planting trees, the report said, and drones cant address that problem. However, when it comes to restoring forests that have already been lost, the drones can work more quickly and cheaply than humans planting with shovels.

According to the report, with Flash Forests tech, currently 10,000 to 20,000 seed pods can be planted per day, and as technology advances, a pair of pilots will be able to plant 100,000 trees in a day. In comparison, someone working by hand might typically be able to plant around 1,500 trees in a day, Ahlstrom says. The report said the company aims to bring the cost down to 50 cents per tree, or around a fourth of the cost of some other tree restoration efforts.

How is the seeding accomplished?

When it begins work at a site, the report said the startup first sends mapping drones to survey the area, using software to identify the best places to plant based on the soil and existing plants. Next, a swarm of drones begins precisely dropping seed pods, packed in a proprietary mix that the company says encourages the seeds to germinate weeks before they otherwise would have. The seed pods are also designed to store moisture, so the seedlings can survive even with months of drought. Drones use a pneumatic firing device in some areas, such as hilly terrain or in mangrove forests, that shoots seed pods deeper into the soil. It allows you to get into trickier areas that human planters cant, Ahlstrom says.

What happens after an area is seeded?

After planting, the company returns to track the progress of the seedlings, the report said. Depending on the project, well go back two months after, and then a year or two after, and then three to five years after to make sure the trees are actually sequestering as much carbon as they planned, Ahlstrom said. If we fall under a threshold plant goal of a certain number of trees, well go back and ensure that we are hitting our goal. According to the report, the process doesnt typically require work from humans to keep the seedlings alive, since the company chooses native species and its seed pods protect the seeds from drought. Instead, the strategy is to plant a large number of trees and let some naturally survive.

What determines the kind of species that are planted?

Each planting is using about four species, with a goal of eight. We very much prioritize biodiversity, so we try to plant species that are native to the land as opposed to monocultures, Ahlstrom said. We work with local seed banks and also take into account that the different changes that climate change brings with temperature rise, anticipating what the climate will be like in five to eight years when these trees are much older and have grown to a more mature stage, and how that will affect them.

After the current planting near Toronto and another in British Columbia, the company, which was launched in early 2019, will begin a restoration project in Hawaii later in the year, with plans to plant 300,000 trees there, and is also planning tree-planting pilots in Australia, Colombia, and Malaysia, the report said.

Where does funding come from?

According to the report, funding may come from forestry companies, government contracts, or mining companies that are required to replant trees. Or, in some cases the startup plants trees for companies that offer tree-planting as a donation with the sale of products, or for landowners who can get a tax break, in some areas, for planting trees. Theres a lot of philanthropy around it, and then also just a solid business model with a desperate need and demand to plant trees, Ahlstrom said.

What is the ultimate goal?

Around a trillion trees - thats a goal that some researchers have estimated could store more than 200 gigatons of carbon. But to reach that goal, Flash Forest argues that new technology is needed. In North America, trees need to grow 10-20 years before they efficiently store carbon, the report said, so to address climate change by midcentury, trees need to begin growing as quickly as possible now.

I think that drones are absolutely necessary to hit the kind of targets that were saying are necessary to achieve some of our carbon sequestration goals as a global society, Ahlstrom said. When you look at the potential for drones, we plant 10 times faster than humans.

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We have arrived, said Ramesh Kapur, an Indian American Democratic operative, about Kamala Harris joining Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee for vice-president.

The Tuesday announcement sent a wave of excitement coursing through the small Indian American community of about 4 million people. There was a sense, cutting across party lines, that Harriss name on the presidential ticket was a badge of recognition for the entire community.

Kapur, a veteran Democratic fundraiser, insists that the Biden-Harris ticket, as the team will be called now and until the November 3 elections and beyond, should be called, instead, the Biden-Kamala ticket.

The Biden-Kamala name, said Kapur, who had hosted a fundraiser for Harris at his home in Boston in 2016 during her senate race, had a better Indian ring to it.

No American of India descent has ever made it on to a presidential ticket. Bobby Jindal, a former governor of Louisiana, was the first of Indian-descent to run for president. But he lost in the Republican primaries to Donald Trump, who went on to win the White House in 2016.

Harris became the second Indian American to try, in 2019. But her run for the Democratic ticket did not last long either, to the disappointment of the community, many of whom were girding up for a long run. including Kapur, who had held some fund-raisers.

Her return to the fray Tuesday, rekindled that optimism and re-energized the community.

Moment of great pride for the Indian American community, said Shekar Narasimhan, chairman of Victory Fund, a Democratic party-affiliate focussed on Asian Americans. Its a first in so many ways and will help Joe Biden win the presidency which is the first priority. A seismic shift occurred today and its ramifications will be felt for many decades.

Frank Islam, a major Indian American fundraiser for Democrats, said, This is a historical day for America, especially for the African American and Indian American communities.

Since Dalip Singh Saund entered the US Congress in 1957 against all odds, the community has made tremendous strides in politics, he added, referring to the first Indian American elected to US congress. This unquestionably trumps every milestone. Vice presidency is generally referred to as a position that is a heartbeat away from presidency.

Most vice-presidents go on to run for the top job, with the rare exception in recent years of Dick Cheney, vice-president to President George W Bush. And most of them win, against with the rare exception in recent years of Al Gore, vice-president to President Bill Clinton. And former Vice-President Biden is himself in the fray, continuing the tradition.

The nomination sets up Harris for another presidential run, according to experts. It could be in 2024, if Biden, should he win this time in 2020, doesnt want to continue, which is a widely considered possibility given his age (he is 77 now); or in 2028 at the end of the full two-term Biden presidency.

Its the beginning of her becoming the first Indian American president, Kapur said of the Tuesday announcement.
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar was irked with his grandnephew Parth for demanding a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe in the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput and publicly ridiculed him. Parth is the son of his nephew and state deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar.

Describing Parth as immature, Pawar said he doesnt give importance to what the latter says. Significantly, Pawar said that he is not opposed to CBI probe, which has been demanded by BJP leaders. CBI has filed a case against Rhea Chakraborty and her family after the Centre approved its probe. Rajput was found dead at his Mumbai apartment on June 14. He allegedly died by suicide. Responding to media queries on Wednesday, Pawar said farmers also die by suicide but media does not take note of that. The suicide by the actor is unfortunate, but the way it is being discussed in the media is surprising. In my district, 20 farmers have died by suicide but no media has taken note of it, he said.

Pawar said he has been watching the Mumbai Police for five decades and is confident that they would handle the probe well. Maharashtra and Mumbai Police are capable and I have 100% faith in them. If someone still wants a probe by CBI or any other agency, then there is no reason to oppose it, he said, taking a cautious stand.

On July 27, Parth had met state home minister Anil Deshmukh and demanded a CBI investigation in the actors death. Parths demand was contrary to the stand taken by Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi coalition government, in which NCP is one of the partners along with the Shiv Sena and the Congress. The state government has been in favour of a probe by the Mumbai Police. Pawars statement has sparked speculations about differences within his clan which had seen an open revolt by Ajit and a few other NCP MLAs last November.

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At Kinder Morgan, our 11,000 hard-working colleagues are dedicated to keeping homes cool, water hot and the lights on as we continue to work through this pandemic. We never shut down, keeping factories, power plants, homes and businesses supplied with affordable and reliable energy.

Pipelines are the safest way of transporting the energy we all need to sustain our economy and way of life. Unlike roads, rail lines and power lines, pipelines move this energy underground with the ground above restored following construction. The 810 miles of pipelines already operating in the Hill Country today include Kinder Morgans Hill Country Pipeline, which has operated safely for decades. Actually, wed argue that the pipelines in the Hill Country are safer than some of the roads Texans travel routinely.

The Permian Highway Pipeline has provided more than 2,000 well-paying jobs. It will reduce wasteful and environmentally destructive flaring in West Texas and will benefit countless people in Texas and elsewhere. We have chosen the route carefully and paid landowners handsomely for the easements. We will restore the land when construction is complete and have secured significant additional lands for endangered species habitat. Shutting down the pipeline, as some have demanded, denies these benefits and sends over 2,000 workers home months ahead of the projects anticipated completion early next year.

Putting all of these benefits aside for a moment, let me shed some light on the event that is the basis of much recent criticism about our project. At the end of March, the Permian Highway Project experienced an underground drilling fluid loss during a drilling operation in Blanco County, Texas. We deeply regret that this happened, and we started working to make it right with the affected community immediately after it occurred. Drilling activities at the river have been permanently canceled.

Testing shows there is no well-water contamination today from the drilling fluid used by PHP. Thats not surprising, given that the drilling fluid is certified for use in drilling water wells by the international standards authority NSF International.

We have conducted extensive outreach, which included five public meetings to discuss the project as well as hundreds of additional meetings with individual landowners. We made over 150 individual adjustments to our proposed route based on feedback from landowners and the community, as well as to avoid sensitive environmental and geological features.

Moreover, we have worked directly with the handful of landowners impacted by the Blanco River incident. We provided bottled water, fulfilled individual food orders, delivered cleaning supplies and offered alternative housing accommodations. We also provided funds to pay for additional items like 2,500-gallon temporary water tanks, potable water deliveries, plumbing and well repairs. All of our actions to date demonstrate our commitment to making it right. We will continue to work until this goal is achieved.

To that end, we are making further adjustments as we finish constructing this project. In consultation with local officials, the U.S. Army Corps, and the Texas Railroad Commission, we carefully evaluated several alternative construction methods for crossing the Blanco River. We have decided that rerouting around the Blanco River is the best option.

This reroute will result in two additional miles of pipeline and does not include any deep drilling. Especially in times like these, it is important to focus on facts and not fear. Those facts bear out what we all know: landowners in Texas and across America have long lived in safe proximity to pipelines, enjoying the benefits of both affordable energy and a clean environment.

Kean is the CEO of Kinder Morgan.
DALLAS, Aug. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- OutMatch, a leading SaaS-based talent intelligence platform, announced today that it was ranked No. 4678 on Inc. Magazine's annual 5000 list. This is the first year that OutMatch has been recognized for this prestigious award, which identifies the fastest-growing privately held U.S companies. OutMatch achieves growth through its best-in-class talent intelligence and digital hiring platform. With over 100 million assessments completed, OutMatch generates unparalleled data-driven insights, allowing many of the world's largest companies, including major hospitality brands, airlines, banking institutions, and professional services firms, to maximize the lifetime value of their employee-base.

"We are extremely honored to be named on the Inc. 5000 list," said OutMatch CEO Greg Moran. "Our mission is to 'match people with purpose' and accomplishing this mission starts with our team of OutMatchers and our amazing group of clients. Together, we are driving better outcomes for candidates, and employees alike."

The 39th annual Inc. 5000 represents a vast look at the most successful, privately held companies across the U.S., all of which have driven exceptional growth through a robust company culture, deep employee engagement, and exceptional customer results. This year's list revealed staggering growth compared with prior lists. Companies that made the list achieved an incredible three-year average growth of over 500 percent, and a median rate of 165 percent. The Inc. 5000's aggregate revenue was $209 billion in 2019, accounting for over 1 million jobs over the past three years.

"Our goal at OutMatch is to build products and deliver a solution that is simple, smart, and human," says OutMatch Chief Solutions Officer Robin Stenzel. "It's an honor to be recognized for the hard work everyone at OutMatch does. We see this recognition as confirmation that our mission is needed and necessary in this new world."

Tapping into an unrivaled data set, OutMatch works with large, decentralized organizations with high-volume hiring needs across all industries, to provide the measurement, insight, and impact needed to make better hires and develop great employees.

Complete results of the Inc. 5000 can be found at www.inc.com/inc5000.

About OutMatch

The OutMatch Talent Intelligence Platform brings clarity to talent decisions by gathering the right data and putting the insights companies need at their fingertips. We help the world's biggest brands to select and develop great people, maximizing the employee life cycle. Nearly 100 million candidates and employees have used OutMatch technology, with over 10 million flowing through per year. This volume of data gives OutMatch unique insight into the workforce and prepares OutMatch clients for the future of work. OutMatch was recently named to Inc magazine's annual list of the Best Workplaces for 2020.

More about Inc. and the Inc. 5000

Methodology

The 2020 Inc. 5000 is ranked according to percentage revenue growth when comparing 2016 and 2019. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2016. They had to be U.S.-based, privately held, for profit, and independentnot subsidiaries or divisions of other companiesas of December 31, 2019. (Since then, a number of companies on the list have gone public or been acquired.) The minimum revenue required for 2016 is $100,000; the minimum for 2019 is $2 million. As always, Inc. reserves the right to decline applicants for subjective reasons. Companies on the Inc. 500 are featured in Inc.'s September issue. They represent the top tier of the Inc. 5000, which can be found at http://www.inc.com/inc5000.

About Inc. Media

The world's most trusted business-media brand, Inc. offers entrepreneurs the knowledge, tools, connections, and community to build great companies. Its award-winning multiplatform content reaches more than 50 million people each month across a variety of channels including websites, newsletters, social media, podcasts, and print. Its prestigious Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to recognize the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. The global recognition that comes with inclusion in the 5000 gives the founders of the best businesses an opportunity to engage with an exclusive community of their peers, and the credibility that helps them drive sales and recruit talent. The associated Inc. 5000 Conference is part of a highly acclaimed portfolio of bespoke events produced by Inc. For more information, visit www.inc.com.

For more information on the Inc. 5000 Conference, visit http://conference.inc.com/.

SOURCE OutMatch

Related Links

outmatch.com


ATLANTA, Aug. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Inc. magazine today released its annual Inc. 500, the most prestigious ranking of the nation's fastest growing private companies, with OneTrust at the #1 spot. The Inc. 500's in-depth and audited review of company growth and financials the puts OneTrust at the top of the list with three-year growth at over 48,000%.

OneTrust helps companies be more trusted with technology to build out their privacy, security, and data governance programs. By using OneTrust, organizations can turn trust into a key competitive advantage. Today, more than 6,000 customers, including more than half of the Fortune 500, use OneTrust to operationalize compliance with the GPDR, CCPA, LGPD, ISO 27001, and hundreds of the world's privacy, security, and compliance frameworks. OneTrust's team includes 1,500 employees across 12 worldwide offices.

"OneTrust is leading the market outright and showing no signs of slowing down or stopping," said Ryan O'Leary, senior research analyst, Legal, Risk, and Compliance at IDC in the report: Market Share Worldwide Data Privacy Management Software Market Shares, 2019: OneTrust Dominates the Competition.

OneTrust's key product offerings include:

"Our mission is to build technology that helps organizations be more trusted. This mission has led us to pioneer an entirely new category of software that makes trust a competitive advantage for organizations, and I am proud to see the work that we do translate into this memorable milestone," said Kabir Barday, OneTrust CEO and Fellow of Information Privacy (FIP). "We realize at OneTrust that we are just at the beginning of a long journey. Trust and privacy are existential issues that are impacting businesses, governments, and consumers alike. With the tremendous support of our customers, partners, and investors, we are committed to continuing our trajectory of innovation."

Complete results of the Inc. 5000, including company profiles and an interactive database that can be sorted by industry, region, and other criteria, can be found at www.inc.com/inc5000. A feature of OneTrust and CEO Kabir Bardy will be featured in the September issue of Inc., available on newsstands August 12 and online today.

To learn about what's next for OneTrust, register for the webinar on Thursday, August 20 at 11:00 am EDT / 4:00 pm BST. To learn more about how OneTrust can power privacy, security, and governance programs, visit our website or to request a demo today.

About OneTrust

OneTrust is the #1 most widely used technology platform to help organizations be more trusted, and operationalize privacy, security, data governance, and compliance programs. More than 6,000 customers, including more than half of the Fortune 500, use OneTrust to build integrated programs that comply with the CCPA, GDPR, LGPD, PDPA, ISO27001, and hundreds of the world's privacy, security, and compliance frameworks.

The OneTrust platform is powered by the OneTrust Athena AI and robotic automation engine, and our offerings include:

OneTrust Privacy - Privacy Management Software

OneTrust PreferenceChoice - Consent and Preference Management Software

OneTrust Vendorpedia - Third-Party Risk Exchange

OneTrust GRC - Integrated Risk Management Software

OneTrust DataDiscovery - AI-Powered Discovery and Classification

OneTrust DataGovernance - Governance and Metadata Management

OneTrust Ethics - Compliance and Ethics Software

OneTrust DataGuidance - Regulatory Research Software

To learn more, visit OneTrust.com or connect on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook.

More about Inc. and the Inc. 5000

Methodology

The 2020 Inc. 5000 is ranked according to percentage revenue growth when comparing 2016 and 2019. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2016. They had to be U.S.-based, privately held, for profit, and independentnot subsidiaries or divisions of other companiesas of December 31, 2019. (Since then, a number of companies on the list have gone public or been acquired.) The minimum revenue required for 2016 is $100,000; the minimum for 2019 is $2 million. As always, Inc. reserves the right to decline applicants for subjective reasons. Companies on the Inc. 500 are featured in Inc.'s September issue. They represent the top tier of the Inc. 5000, which can be found at http://www.inc.com/inc5000.

About Inc. Media

The world's most trusted business-media brand, Inc. offers entrepreneurs the knowledge, tools, connections, and community to build great companies. Its award-winning multiplatform content reaches more than 50 million people each month across a variety of channels including websites, newsletters, social media, podcasts, and print. Its prestigious Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to recognize the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. The global recognition that comes with inclusion in the 5000 gives the founders of the best businesses an opportunity to engage with an exclusive community of their peers, and the credibility that helps them drive sales and recruit talent. The associated Inc. 5000 Conference is part of a highly acclaimed portfolio of bespoke events produced by Inc. For more information, visit www.inc.com.

For more information on the Inc. 5000 Conference, visit http://conference.inc.com/.

Contact: Gabrielle Ferree, [email protected], +1-770-294-4668

SOURCE OneTrust

Related Links

http://www.onetrust.com


Cartamundi, Latin for Cards for the World', announced on Wednesday that it will be hiring 100 new employees for full-time and temporary positions at its East Longmeadow plant in preparation for an increase of demand for the upcoming holiday season.

We are committed to investing in our employees with entry-level through advanced skills training programs, said Sandi Mauro, vice president of human resources at Cartamundi. As production at our East Longmeadow factory gears up to meet the increased demand during the upcoming holiday season, we are immediately looking to add 100 new team members to our production team.

Cartamundi is the manufacturer of many well known board games including Monopoly, Trivial Pursuit and Magic: The Gathering and is a long-time partner with companies like Hasbro.

In response to COVID-19, Cartamundi put in place specific protection measures for all its workers on their production lines. This includes the Cartamundi East Longmeadow factory where they have introduced plexiglass screens and appropriate social distancing measures.

The factory had previously been converted to manufacture personal protection equipment, producing 50,000 plastic face shields per week to donate to local hospitals during the pandemic.

The openings available range from entry level to skilled worker opportunities.

The Cartamundi factory was built in 1965 by the former Milton Bradley Co. and later sold to Rhode Island-based Hasbro to Belgian game and card manufacturer Cartamundi in 2015.

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.

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'This is a rejected violation of Iraqs sovereignty and a new threat to regional security and stability,' the foreign ministry statement said

Egypt condemned on Wednesday the Turkish drone attack on an Iraqi border patrol on Tuesday in northern Iraq.

The attack led to the killing of a number of Iraqi military, the Egyptian foreign ministry said.

This is a rejected violation of Iraqs sovereignty and a new threat to regional security and stability, the statement said, adding that Egypt offered its deepest condolences to the families of the Iraqi army victims and the Iraqi army.

Egypt as a government and people stands in solidarity with the Iraqi government and people against those provoking practices and it asserts the necessity of respecting Iraqi sovereignty and the unity of territories against any foreign intervention, the statement added.

The Iraqi armed forces announced on Tuesday the death of three personnel, including two commanders in a Turkish drone strike near the border between the two countries as part of Turkeys operations against Kurdish militias without the permission of the Iraqi government.

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Scientists propose method for eliminating damaging heat bursts in fusion device

Picture an airplane that can only climb to one or two altitudes after taking off. That limitation would be similar to the plight facing scientists who seek to avoid instabilities that restrict the path to clean, safe and abundant fusion energy in doughnut-shaped tokamak facilities. Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) and General Atomics (GA) have now published a breakthrough explanation of this tokamak restriction and how it may be overcome.

Toroidal, or doughnut-shaped, tokamaks are prone to intense bursts of heat and particles, called edge localized modes (ELMs). These ELMs can damage the reactor walls and must be controlled to develop reliable fusion power. Fortunately, scientists have learned to tame these ELMs by applying spiraling rippled magnetic fields to the surface of the plasma that fuels fusion reactions. However, the taming of ELMs requires very specific conditions that limit the operational flexibility of tokamak reactors.

ELM suppression

Now, researchers at PPPL and GA have developed a model that, for the first time, accurately reproduces the conditions for ELM suppression in the DIII-D National Fusion Facility that GA operates for DOE. The model predicts the conditions under which ELM suppression should extend over a wider range of operating conditions in the tokamak than previously thought possible. The work presents important predictions for how to optimize the effectiveness of ELM suppression in ITER, the massive international fusion device under construction in the south of France to demonstrate the feasibility of fusion power.

Fusion, the power that drives the sun and stars, combines light elements in the form of plasma -- the hot, charged state of matter composed of free electrons and atomic nuclei that makes up 99 percent of the visible universe -- to generate massive amounts of energy. Tokamaks are the most widely used devices by scientists seeking to replicate fusion as a renewable, carbon-free source of virtually limitless energy for generating electricity.

PPPL physicists Qiming Hu and Raffi Nazikian are the lead authors of a paper describing the model in Physical Review Letters. They note that under normal conditions the rippled magnetic field can only suppress ELMs for very precise values of the plasma current that produces the magnetic fields that confine the plasma. This creates a problem because tokamak reactors must operate over a wide range of plasma current to explore and optimize the conditions required to generate fusion power.

Modifying magnetic ripples

The authors show how, by modifying the structure of the helical magnetic ripples applied to the plasma, ELMs should be eliminated over a wider range of plasma current with improved generation of fusion power. Hu said he believes the findings could provide ITER with the wide operational flexibility it will need to demonstrate the practicality of fusion energy. "This model could have significant implications for suppressing ELMs in ITER," he said.

Indeed, "What we have done is to accurately predict when we can achieve ELM suppression over wider ranges of the plasma current," said Nazikian, who oversees PPPL research on tokamaks. "By trying to understand some strange results we saw on DIII-D, we figured out the key physics that controls the range of ELM suppression that can be achieved using these helically rippled magnetic fields. We then went back and figured out a method that could produce wider operational windows of ELM suppression more routinely in DIII-D and ITER."

Enhanced tokamak operation

The findings open the door to enhanced tokamak operation. "This work describes a path to expand the operational space for controlling edge instability in tokamaks by modifying the structure of the ripples," said Carlos Paz-Soldan, a GA scientist and a co-author of the paper. "We look forward to testing these predictions with our upgraded field coils that are planned for DIII-D in a few years' time."

Returning to the aircraft analogy, "If you could fly at only one or two different altitudes, travel would be very limited," said PPPL physicist Brian Grierson, a co-author of the paper. "Fixing the restriction would enable the plane to fly over a wide range of altitudes in order to optimize its flight path and fulfill its mission." In the same way, the present paper lays out an approach that is predicted to expand the capabilities of fusion reactors to operate free from ELMs that can damage the facilities and hinder the development of tokamaks for fusion energy.

###

Support for this research comes from the DOE Office of Science. Collaborators include researchers at the University of California, San Diego, and the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics. Part of the data analysis was performed using the OMFIT integrated modeling framework developed by GA scientists.

About the DIII-D National Fusion Facility. DIII-D is the largest magnetic fusion research facility in the U.S. and has been the site of numerous pioneering contributions to the development of fusion energy science. DIII-D continues the drive toward practical fusion energy with critical research conducted in collaboration with more than 600 scientists representing over 100 institutions worldwide. For more information, visit https:/ / www. ga. com/ magnetic-fusion/ diii-d

PPPL, on Princeton University's Forrestal Campus in Plainsboro, N.J., is devoted to creating new knowledge about the physics of plasmas -- ultra-hot, charged gases -- and to developing practical solutions for the creation of fusion energy. The Laboratory is managed by the University for the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science, which is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, visit energy.gov/science.

This story has been published on: 2020-08-12. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
The coronavirus might have been stamped out more quickly had it emerged in democratic Taiwan instead of autocratic China, the US health secretary said Tuesday during a historic diplomatic trip to Taipei.

Alex Azar's renewed criticism of China's handling of the pandemic is likely to further stoke already fiery tensions between the United States and China, where the disease first appeared late last year.

The two powers are clashing over a wide range of trade, military and security issues, as well as the pandemic.

"The Chinese Communist Party had the chance to warn the world and work with the world on battling the virus. But they chose not to, and the costs of that choice mount higher every day," Azar said in a speech at a public health college.

"I believe it is no exaggeration to say that, if this virus had emerged in a place like Taiwan or the United States, it might have been snuffled out easily," he added.

"Instead, Beijing appears to have resisted information-sharing, muzzling doctors who spoke out and hobbling the world's ability to respond."

Azar's three-day trip is billed as the highest-level visit from the United States since it switched diplomatic recognition from the island to China in 1979.

Earlier Tuesday, he held a rare meeting with Taiwan's Foreign Minister Joseph Wu, who said Taiwan lives under the constant threat of having its freedoms taken away by China.

"Our life has become increasingly difficult as China continues to pressure Taiwan into accepting its political conditions, conditions that will turn Taiwan into the next Hong Kong," Wu said.

A crackdown on dissent in Hong Kong has gathered pace since China imposed a sweeping security law on the financial hub in June, with opposition politicians disqualified and activists arrested.

That has caused alarm in Taiwan -- a self-ruled island of 23 million people that Beijing claims as its own territory and has vowed to one day seize, by force if necessary.

Story continues

- 'Familiar' threats -

"The people of Taiwan are all too familiar with dealing with threats, be it military, diplomatic or the threats of epidemics," Wu said.

Beijing has ramped up diplomatic, military and economic pressure on Taiwan since the 2016 election of President Tsai Ing-wen, who won a second term earlier this year with a landslide.

She rejects Beijing's stance that Taiwan is part of "one China" and instead views the island as "already independent".

China has suggested Taiwan could be granted a version of the "one country, two systems" model it uses for Hong Kong, which supposedly guarantees certain liberties and autonomy from the authoritarian mainland.

All mainstream political parties in Taiwan have rejected the proposal.

And what little enthusiasm there was for the idea has all but evaporated as China cracks down on Hong Kong's democracy movement.

On Monday, Taiwan said China sent fighter jets over a de facto border separating the two rivals in the Taiwan Strait shortly before Azar met President Tsai.

Taiwan, which has fewer than 500 confirmed COVID-19 cases including seven deaths, has been able to contain the virus because of its democracy and transparency, Wu said.

"In contrast to an authoritarian model where the authority is too crippled to disclose fact, in the transparent Taiwan Model, we simply can't afford to lie or conceal."

China has also managed to get its outbreak largely under control, with sweeping lockdowns and travel restrictions.

In contrast, the United States has the highest death toll in the world with more than 160,000 fatalities.

US President Donald Trump has been accused by critics of taking a harder stance towards China to distract from his coronavirus response as he seeks re-election in November.

aw/jta/kaf/qan
If the Pallister government's handling of COVID-19 among workers at Maple Leaf Foods in Brandon was a test for how it will cope with the coronavirus when schools reopen, then it has failed, the Opposition says.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 12/8/2020 (524 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

If the Pallister government's handling of COVID-19 among workers at Maple Leaf Foods in Brandon was a test for how it will cope with the coronavirus when schools reopen, then it has failed, the Opposition says.

The province cant, or won't, ramp up COVID-19 testing to allay the fears of workers at the Brandon hog plant where at least 26 employees have the virus so far, and that doesn't bode well for the reopening of Manitoba schools, NDP leader Wab Kinew said Wednesday.

He called for the provincial government to "dramatically" increase testing capacity for the coronavirus in Manitoba. The cluster of cases in Brandon, including workers at the Maple Leaf plant there, show there is an urgent need to increase testing capacity in that city and western Manitoba, Kinew said at a hastily-called press conference.

Wab Kinew, Leader of the Official Opposition, is calling on the province to dramatically increase Manitoba's testing capacity for COVID-19. (Ruth Bonneville / Winnipeg Free Press files)

"We should be looking at this, as Manitobans, as an important test in advance of the back- to-school time of year," he told reporters outside the legislature.

Worried workers and the union representing 2,000 employees at Maple Leaf have called for the plant to close temporarily and for all workers to be tested for COVID-19. The province has not done so, saying public health officials have ruled out the plant as a source of the spread of the virus in Brandon, which has a cluster of at least 64 cases.

"The only rationale that has been provided is that it would strain the testing capacity in the region and across the system if suddenly 2,000 employees were to be tested very quickly and a further 600 employees in the region would be tested on an ongoing, rotating basis," Kinew said. That is a concern with Manitoba schools reopening in less than four weeks, he said.

"If we're not able to test 2,000 Maple Leaf employees right now when there's concern about an outbreak in that part of the province, what's going to happen when we go back to school? Presumably, once children are back in school, there's sniffles and colds and other things that cause parents concern and there will be an increased demand on the coronavirus testing capabilities here in Manitoba," said Kinew.

"If we're not able to test 2,000 Maple Leaf employees right now when there's concern about an outbreak in that part of the province, what's going to happen when we go back to school?"  Manitoba NDP leader Wab Kinew

Premier Brian Pallister, who was in Brandon for a caucus meeting Wednesday, said Kinew's comments are "misguided and reveal a willingness to make observations that aren't science based."

The Progressive Conservative government is following the advice of chief provincial public health officer Dr. Brent Roussin, and so should Kinew, Pallister told reporters in Brandon.

"Dr. Roussin has been very, very clear that there's very questionable benefit to a non-symptomatic person being tested -- that simply creates a longer line for someone who has symptoms," the premier said. "Really, what good is it to go and get tested when you're not symptomatic then go back three days later when you have sniffles and get tested again?"

RUTH BONNEVILLE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister

The NDP Opposition leader should be listening to experts, not acting like one, Pallister said.

"He is making an assertion that is dangerous and misguided and I would urge him to listen more appropriately to those who are experts in this area, which he is not."

Kinew tweeted later in the day Wednesday that a document called National laboratory testing indication guidance for COVID-19 prescribes asymptomatic testing at workplaces where physical distancing cannot be maintained, such as meat processing plants. That guidance, however, calls for asymptomatic testing for those with "known exposure to a confirmed case," which is being done at Maple Leaf.

The document also says to consider "the opportunity costs associated with the deployment of resources to test individuals who are asymptomatic and unlikely to be infected." It should be considered "only when testing for individuals who are symptomatic is routinely available."

"Dr. Roussin has been very, very clear that there's very questionable benefit to a non-symptomatic person being tested  that simply creates a longer line for someone who has symptoms."  Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister

In Brandon, the province added a second testing site this week to alleviate the long lines of people waiting for COVID-19 tests in recent days.

Increasing testing sites is not enough to deal with surges in demand for COVID-19 tests, said Kinew.

"They're only as good as the capacity to process the test on the back end -- that seems to be where the real issue lies right now." The province needs to invest in expanding the Cadham Provincial Laboratory but is lacking the political will, Kinew said.

The province has performed an average of 1,300 tests a day lately. Earlier in the pandemic, Pallister said he expected the testing capacity to reach 3,000 tests a day by fall. On Friday, 2,062 tests were performed but the goal of 3,000 tests hasn't been met.

Stay informed The latest updates on the novel coronavirus and COVID-19 delivered to your inbox every weeknight. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement.

"If the province is going to struggle to meet the request for 2,000 tests in Brandon right now, that highlights that we have a lot of work to do to be ready for the back-to-school season when many Manitoba parents, families and kids are probably going to want to be tested, too, to provide them with peace of mind," Kinew said.

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca
by Vladimir Rozanskij

The Belarusian authorities allegedly forced her to leave as a condition to free some of her staff members from prison. According to the KGB, she suffered threats and an attempted attack, in search of a "sacrificial victim". Lukashenko blessed by Patriarch Kirill. But Orthodox and Catholic priests are together with the demonstrators. Risk of another Majdan.

Moscow (AsiaNews) - Svetlana Tikhanovskaja, the opposition candidate in the presidential elections in Belarus, officially won by the "eternal" president Aleksandr Lukashenko, has been forced to leave the country and seems to have taken refuge in Lithuania. On her husband Sergej Tikhanovski's YouTube channel, she read an obviously imposed message (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9DzisJ388Xs&feature=youtu.be ), in which she states that " I thought that this whole campaign had hardened me and given me so much strength that I could hold up against anything, but Im probably still the weak woman I was at the start nor I husband Sergej have had any influence .

Tikhanovskaja would have decided to leave Belarus because no life is worth what is happening. Children are the most important thing in our life. Her collaborator Olga Kovalkova said that it was the Belarusian authorities who forced Tikhanovskaya to leave, as a condition of freeing one of her staff chiefs, Maria Moroz, from prison. Both Tikhanovskaja and Moroz would be in Lithuania. According to Kovalkova, Tikhanovskaja would be left with no other choice: "She is alive and free today, but a large part of her team continues to be held hostage," she told the Tut.by agency.

Kovalkova added that the main commitment of the supporters of Tikhanovskaya is the defense of freedom of choice, together with the cessation of bloodshed: "Now the situation is critical, and however difficult it is for us, we must in every way reject the violence and defend our victory legally, in peaceful ways. We call upon all democratic forces and the advocates of change to come together. Starting today, we will hold extraordinary consultations to understand how to best act .

The head of the KGB of Belarus, Valerij Vakulchuk, said that the security services (which have not changed their initials since Soviet times) have foiled an alert against Svetlana Tikhanovskaja, according to information from her own staff, who spoke of the "need for a sacrificial victim in favor of the revolutionary uprisings.

There was a second night of street riots following the August 9 elections, in which another demonstrator allegedly lost his life. The processions moved following surprise itineraries, to confuse the police. The center of Minsk remained under police control, while unrest increased in suburban neighborhoods, where Molotov cocktails were also reported. One of these would have exploded in the hands of one of the demonstrators, who later died. The special forces would have chased various groups of demonstrators with explosives and grenades, and also reportedly shooting at point blank range. There were widespread reports of damage in various parts of the capital. Journalist Natalia Lubnevskaya, from Nasha Niva, was injured in the knee with a rubber bullet. The protests continued until 4 am.

It is highly possible that the conflict will degenerate. Moreover, the demonstrations could continue in the next few days until a possible general strike, already announced by several supporters of Tikhanovskaja, thus Belarus could repeat the Ukrainian experience of the 2013 Majdan uprising.

Several priests, both Orthodox and Catholic, were also seen in the squares. in support of the demonstrators, even if the leaders of the Churches have so far not taken an official position on the post-electoral chaos. Moscow Patriarch Kirill (Gundjaev) was alone in his congratulation of Lukashenko on his victory in the elections.

Lukashenko seems aware of the fact that everything is at stake; if he were to step down, he would end up in court facing a very long list of charges. The fear is that he could seek military help from Putin, in a scenario that would belong to the past century; It is no coincidence that demonstrations in support of the Belarusian protests were held in various cities of Russia. Several European countries (Germany, Lithuania, Latvia, Czech Republic and Poland) have declared the elections in Belarus "undemocratic" and are calling for an emergency meeting of the European Council.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, Aug. 12

By Ilkin Seyfaddini - Trend:

Uzbekistan will invest $659.3 million in the modernization of the country's agriculture in the period from 2020 through 2026, Trend reports with reference to information-legal portal Norma.uz.

As reported, a corresponding presidential resolution was adopted on measures to modernize Uzbekistan's agriculture with the participation of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the International Development Association (IDA).

On March 20, 2020, to finance the project on modernization of Uzbekistan's agriculture, the World Bank's Board of Directors approved a loan of $181 million by the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), including a 10-year grace period; and a loan of $100 million by the IDA, including a 10-year grace period, as well as a preferential loan of $219 million with a 5-year grace period.

The total value of the project is $659.3 million, of which Uzbekistan's share is equivalent to $159.3 million.

The project is being implemented in all regions of the country. Timely and full implementation as well as its effectiveness shall be ensured by the Ministry of Agriculture. The executive body responsible for timely and full implementation, management, monitoring and reporting of the Project during its implementation is the Agency for the Implementation of Projects in the Field of the Agro-Industrial Complex and Food Supply.

Savings resulting from these benefits are considered as Uzbekistan's contribution to the project implementation.

---

Follow author on Twitter: @seyfaddini
An Israeli military vehicle patrols near the location where the army said it killed four men laying explosives at a security fence along the Israeli-occupied sector of the Golan Heights, adjacent to Syrian-controlled territory An Israeli military vehicle patrols near the location where the army said it killed four men laying explosives at a security fence along the Israeli-occupied sector of the Golan Heights, adjacent to Syrian-controlled territory (AFP Photo/JALAA MAREY)

Jerusalem (AFP) - Israel launched air strikes on Syrian military targets in southern Syria late Monday, after thwarting an attack near the Israeli-occupied sector of the Golan Heights.

In Damascus, the state-run news agency Sana said Israeli helicopters rocketed Syrian army positions near Quneitra in the south but caused only material damage. It also said air defences had gone into action near the Syrian capital.

The Israeli army said its fighters jets, attack helicopters and other warplanes struck Syrian army positions in retaliation for the attempt to lay explosives in the Golan Heights.

"The targets struck include observation posts and intelligence collection systems, anti-aircraft artillery facilities and command and control systems in SAF (Syrian Armed Forces) bases," the army said in statement.

"The IDF holds the Syrian government responsible for all activities on Syrian soil, and will continue operating with determination against any violation of Israeli sovereignty," it said.

Tensions are already high between bitter rivals Israel and Syria.

Last month, Israeli army helicopters struck military targets in southern Syria in retaliation for earlier "munitions" fire towards Israel.

Israel did not directly blame Syrian forces for the munitions fire, but said it held the Damascus government responsible.

And earlier Monday, the Israeli army said it had killed four men laying explosives near the Israeli-occupied sector of the Golan Heights.

- 'Inside Israeli territory' -

"They were inside Israeli territory but beyond the fence," military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Conricus told journalists in a telephone briefing.

He said an Israeli commando unit lying in wait attacked the intruders shortly after 11 pm Sunday (2000 GMT) with assault rifles and sniper fire backed by air strikes.

"Our estimate is that all four were killed," Conricus said in English, adding that there were no Israeli casualties.

Story continues

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement Monday that "the army thwarted an attempted attack on the Syrian front".

"We don't let our guard down," he said, recalling an incident at the Lebanese border last week that prompted Israeli artillery fire across the frontier, as well as rocket fire Sunday evening from the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip which led to retaliatory Israeli air strikes.

Israel will "strike anyone who attacks us or tries to attack us", he added.

- Possible Hezbollah links -

Several Israeli media outlets reported that Monday's actions were in response to an increased threat from the Iran-backed Lebanese Shiite group Hezbollah, which has a significant presence in Syria.

Last month, five Iran-backed fighters were killed in an Israeli missile strike south of Damascus, according to Britain-based monitoring group the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Then last Monday, Israel said it had thwarted an infiltration attempt from Lebanon by up to five Hezbollah gunmen, a claim denied by the Iran-backed group.

Israel reported an exchange of fire that forced the "terrorists" back into Lebanon. It said it fired artillery across the heavily guarded border for "defensive" purposes.

"We do not know at this stage and we cannot confirm a link between this terrorist squad and Hezbollah or Iranians," Conricus said.

"We know that there are many different factions operating on Syrian soil."

The Syrian Observatory said it was likely, but could not be confirmed, that the attackers were from the Syrian Resistance to Liberate the Golan.

The Hezbollah-linked group was formed more than six years ago to launch attacks in the Israeli-occupied zone.

The Syrian Observatory said late Monday there were Israeli air raids on the southern province of Quneitra and on Boukamal city, near the Iraqi border in the northeast.

Conricus said that Israel's Maglan commando unit had been deployed at the attack site for several days.

"We spotted irregular night-time activity in this specific location for the past week and we had a commando unit deployed in the area," he said.

Since 2011, Israel has launched hundreds of strikes in Syria, targeting government troops and allied Iranian and Hezbollah forces and vowing to end Iran's military presence in Syria.
President Moon Jae-in consoles a bereaved family member of a 1980 Gwangju pro-democracy movement victim during a ceremony commemorating the movement at the May 18th National Cemetery, Gwangju, in this May 18, 2017 photo. Yonhap



By Kim Rahn




NEW YORK CITY (dpa-AFX) - Goldman Sachs Group Inc. is reportedly seeking to buy the credit-card business of General Motors Co. (GM). According to WSJ, citing people familiar with the matter, Goldman Sachs is among a small number of bidders for the auto giant's credit-card business, which has about $3 billion in outstanding balances. Goldman currently holds $2.3bn in credit card loans, up from $1.9bn at the start of the year. Last year, Goldman had launched a credit card with Apple Inc. (AAPL) synced to iPhone users' Apple Wallet. Since taking over Goldman Sachs, Chief Executive David Solomon has been increasing the company's consumer franchise as the bank's core trading and investment banking businesses continues to weaken. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
Spain's Aragon region grapples with coronavirus 'fire' Authorities in Spain's northeastern Aragon region are scrambling to control a surge in COVID-19 infections

In Spain's Aragon region, one of Europe's worst-affected areas by the pandemic, health centres are packed and a field hospital is being set up as authorities scramble to control a surge in infections.

The spike in COVID-19 cases started with outbreaks in households in an impoverished working-class neighbourhood of Zaragoza, the capital of Aragon, said Jose Ramon Pano, an infectious disease specialist at the city's University Hospital Clinic.

"This is an environment that is conducive to transmission" of the disease, he added, citing cramped living conditions and the presence of a large number of immigrants who don't speak Spanish, as factors that favour infections.

These "initial sparks" were fanned at places that can aid the virus' "super-transmission", such as family gatherings, bars and nightclubs, he went on.

Then the "fire" spread to workplaces and retirement homes in the city of around 675,000 people, putting its healthcare system "under pressure," Pano said.

During the last seven days, the northeastern region, which is locked in on all sides by mountains, recorded Spain's highest infection rate -- 270 cases per 100,000 people -- as well as 32 deaths and 242 hospitalisations from the disease.

To help Aragon deal with the surge in cases, soldiers on Wednesday began assembling a 400-square-metre (4,300- square-foot) field hospital in the car park of a Zaragoza hospital.

- More testing -

Tourists are scarce at Zaragoza's famous domed basilica and the city's river aquarium, one of the world's largest, closed its doors again on July 27 to prevent infections after being open for a month and a half.

But the streets of Spain's fifth-largest city are far from empty.

In the working-class neighbourhood of Delicias, which has the city's highest infection rate, elderly couples could be seen taking a stroll and people sat in outdoor cafe terraces.

Story continues

Some locals, however, such 74-year-old Dolores Valencia Gomez, said that they had been staying home out of fear for the virus.

"I only stepped out to get lottery tickets," she said.

While people waited outside shops, adhering to a limit on the number permitted inside at a time, queues formed at health centres.

At the La Jota health centre, patients entered one by one into a room where a nurse, wearing two protective gowns, a face shield and mask, inserted a swab into their noses to test if they have the virus.

During the first week of August, Aragon -- a region of around 1.3 million people -- carried out at least 3,500-4,000 tests per day.

When an infection is detected, a contact tracer identifies who may have been exposed by that person so they can also be tested.

- 'Perfect storm' -

Many of the tests are carried out on asymptomatic people, who may test positive because they had the disease months ago and are no longer contagious, said Luis Miguel Garcia, head of the Aragon association of family and community medicine.

Aragon's high proportion of elderly should also be taken into account when tallying the region's COVID-19 death toll, he added.

"If an 85-year-old patient of mine with prostate cancer dies, did he die of coronavirus or with coronavirus?" he asked.

Javier Lamban, head of Aragon's regional government, has blamed youths out having fun without respecting social distancing rules and the presence of many seasonal agricultural workers, many of them illegal migrants who live in crowded housing, for the spike in infections.

"There is a kind of perfect storm here," he said earlier this month.

Lamban has promised to deploy police, social workers and health care workers to check that people diagnosed with the virus and their close contacts respect quarantine orders and stay home.

The visits will begin in the coming days, a regional government source said.

Some people in the region have called for the government and police to take a harder line against people who do not respect social distancing rules.

During the first week of August alone, Zaragoza police said they broke up 75 gatherings of youths which broke the rules.

mig/ds/kjm
The new Business Jet Interiors Zone will showcase the best of the business jet interiors industry. Image: Reed Exhibitions

In a statement Reed Exhibitions said: As the aviation industry cautiously looks towards green shoots of recovery, the business aviation sector has been credited for its ability to quickly adapt and return to the skies as people look for bespoke travel options as a short-term reaction to COVID-19. With long term growth noted and continued efforts by the sector to adopt new cabin technologies, Aircraft Interiors Expo (AIX) has announced the launch of a dedicated Business Jet Interiors Zone, which will debut when the exhibition returns to Hamburg from 13-15 April 2021.

Features will include:

A one-stop area for everyone in the bizjet sector

Launching following extensive consultation with key suppliers and AIX attendees, the new Business Jet Interiors Zone will offer the sectors buyers a more tailored experience, with the full spectrum of aircraft interiors represented at the show. The new zone will feature the latest seating, furnishings and IFEC solutions, as well as in-flight systems, avionics, galley equipment and other products and services required to make discerning business aviation cabins.

New opportunities for suppliers

Current AIX exhibitors already include key players in this sector including Lufthansa Technik and JCB/AMAC. Manufacturers exhibiting at AIX 2021 will have an opportunity to reach both the Business Jet and Commercial markets at the largest marketplace for cabin interior products that attracts 16,000 attendees, including 1,300 aircraft interiors buyers. The worlds most important aircraft interiors event will deliver exhibitors and visitors with opportunities to connect with new business contacts.

Driving networking opportunities

Exhibitors and attendees can take advantage of dedicated business networking opportunities, as well as the chance to discuss topical issues and innovations with the industrys foremost experts in the AIX CabinSpace Live theatre. And, exhibitors have the opportunity to secure meetings ahead of time using the AIX Connect platform  a buyer programme designed to help qualified buyers from OEMs, airlines and tier 1 suppliers from around the world meet, build business relationships and engage in future projects.

Polly Magraw, event director, said: As we look forward to 2021, were delighted to announce the launch of the new dedicated Business Jet Interiors Zone at Aircraft Interiors Expo. The exhibition is recognised as the premier marketplace for the full aircraft interior supply chain to come together to network and do business. Today, the launch of the Business Jet Interiors Zone marks the expansion of this proposition, enabling interior suppliers to reach both the business and commercial markets. We hope this launch will help our existing and new exhibitors to diversify their offering and source new business opportunities to grow and expand while offering new commercial offshoots to overcome the challenges of COVID-19.
Dutch police have discovered what they say is the biggest cocaine laboratory ever found in the Netherlands, hidden in a former riding school.

Officials dismantled the lab and arrested at least 17 people from Colombia, Turkey, and the Netherlands on Friday.

Police said in a statement Tuesday that they discovered tens of thousands of liters of chemicals and 220 pounds of crack cocaine when they raided the riding school last week.

Dutch police have discovered what they say is the biggest cocaine laboratory ever found in the Netherlands, hidden in a former riding school.

Police video showed equipment and supplies including plastic barrels and vats of chemicals

Sleeping quarters for the staff were found in the building in Nijeveen on Friday

They also found sleeping quarters for staff in the building in Nijeveen, 75 miles northeast of Amsterdam.

Andre van Rijn, chief inspector at the police organization that dismantles such production facilities, said the lab was equipped to produce 150-200 kilograms (330-440 pounds) of cocaine a day, with a street value of 4.5-8 million euros.

The estimate was based on 'the number of people who worked there, the installation, the size, the layout and the equipment', according to Mr van Rijn.

The lab was equipped to produce 150-200 kilograms (330-440 pounds) of cocaine a day

The estimate was based on 'the number of people who worked there, the installation, the size, the layout and the equipment', according to Mr van Rijn

Police said that the majority of the suspects in custody are Colombian passport holder

Police video showed equipment and supplies including plastic barrels and vats of chemicals and a row of five red cement mixers that were used to extract cocaine from products like clothing that are impregnated with the drug before being exported to the Netherlands.

Police said that the majority of the suspects in custody are Colombian passport holders and one suspect has dual Dutch and Colombian nationality.

They are due to appear before an investigating magistrate on Wednesday and Thursday.
By accounting for distinctive patterns of repetition, as few as 50 tweets are needed for detection

Two algorithms that account for distinctive use of repeated words and word pairs require as few as 50 tweets to accurately distinguish deceptive "troll" messages from those posted by public figures. Sergei Monakhov of Friedrich Schiller University in Jena, Germany, presents these findings in the open-access journal PLOS ONE on August 12, 2020.

Troll internet messages aim to achieve a specific purpose, while also masking that purpose. For instance, in 2018, 13 Russian nationals were accused of using false personas to interfere with the 2016 U.S. presidential election via social media posts. While previous research has investigated distinguishing characteristics of troll tweets--such as timing, hashtags, and geographical location--few studies have examined linguistic features of the tweets themselves.

Monakhov took a sociolinguistic approach, focusing on the idea that trolls have a limited number of messages to convey, but must do so multiple times and with enough diversity of wording and topics to fool readers. Using a library of Russian troll tweets and genuine tweets from U.S. congresspeople, Monakhov showed that these troll-specific restrictions result in distinctive patterns of repeated words and word pairs that are different from patterns seen in genuine, non-troll tweets.

Then, Monakhov tested an algorithm that uses these distinctive patterns to distinguish between genuine tweets and troll tweets. He found that the algorithm required as few as 50 tweets for accurate identification of trolls versus congresspeople. He also found that the algorithm correctly distinguished troll tweets from tweets by Donald Trump--which although provocative and "potentially misleading," according to Twitter, are not crafted to hide his purpose.

This new strategy for quickly identifying troll tweets could help inform efforts to combat hybrid warfare while preserving freedom of speech. Further research will be needed to determine whether it can accurately distinguish troll tweets from other types of messages that are not posted by public figures.

Monakhov adds: "Though troll writing is usually thought of as being permeated with recurrent messages, its most characteristic trait is an anomalous distribution of repeated words and word pairs. Using the ratio of their proportions as a quantitative measure, one needs as few as 50 tweets for identifying internet troll accounts."

###

Citation: Monakhov S (2020) Early detection of internet trolls: Introducing an algorithm based on word pairs / single words multiple repetition ratio. PLoS ONE 15(8): e0236832. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0236832

Funding: The author(s) received no specific funding for this work.

Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

In your coverage please use this URL to provide access to the freely available article in PLOS ONE: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0236832
NASHVILLE, Tenn., Aug. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Inova Payroll, a leading provider of payroll and human resource technology and services, announced it has been named to the 2020 Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing companies in the United States for the fifth consecutive year. The company also announced the expansion of operations into Arizona and Florida to better meet the needs of their growing client base.

"The decision to expand our presence into Florida and Arizona supports our vision for strategic growth and our commitment to deliver exceptional service to employers," said Farsheed Ferdowsi, Inova Payroll founder, president, and CEO. "Our new Florida office gives us an operations and sales presence in a leading state in terms of number of private employers, and our Arizona office provides an operations center in the western U.S. as well as a sales presence in the Phoenix area."

With a steadfast focus on solving employer problems, Inova has maintained steady growth since its founding in 2011. Ferdowsi contributes part of that success to strong partnerships with CPAs, banks, and technology providers.

"From the beginning, Inova forged mutually beneficial partnerships with other companies providing professional services to employers," said Ferdowsi. "And while we've just entered the Arizona and Florida markets, we've already received interest in our partnership program from multiple companies. We look forward to working with them and becoming part of the local communities."

The addition of the new offices adds to Inova's seven other offices in Georgia, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Texas. Subsequent to opening the new offices, the company moved its Pennsylvania office in Lancaster, increasing its office space in that market by more than 50 percent.

For more information about Inova's payroll and human capital management solutions, visit inovapayroll.com.

For more information about the Inc. 5000, a registered trademark of Mansueto Ventures LLC, visit https://www.inc.com/inc5000.

About Inova Payroll

Combining a dedication to employer success with innovative service and technology, Inova Payroll provides smart payroll, HR, and benefits solutions to employers across the United States. The company's services range from simple payroll for businesses with a few employees to robust human capital management solutions for those with 1,000+ employees. For the past five years, Inova Payroll earned a spot on the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing companies. Founded in 2011, Inova Payroll is headquartered in Nashville with eight additional offices in Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Texas. For more company information, call (888) 244-6106 or visit inovapayroll.com.

SOURCE Inova Payroll

Related Links

http://www.inovapayroll.com


Jacinda Ardern delays dissolution of Parliament, but says there is no decision yet to postpone September 19 election

New Zealands Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has delayed the dissolution of Parliament  a key step towards the Pacific nations upcoming general election  after the discovery of locally transmitted COVID-19 cases forced the country back into lockdown.

Arderns announcement on Wednesday came as health officials said they were investigating the possibility that the countrys first infections in more than three months may be linked to items imported by freight.

The outbreak in Auckland prompted authorities to reimpose tight restrictions on movement in New Zealands biggest city and limit travel across the entire country.

Speaking at a televised media conference, Ardern said she was suspending the dissolution of Parliament, which was intended to make way for an election scheduled for September 19, until next Monday.

No decision had yet been made on delaying the actual poll, she added.

Were seeking advice around the options of the issue of the election from the Electoral Commission, just so that we make sure we have all those options available to us, she told reporters.

Its too early to make decisions, but there is a bit of flexibility to move the election date if required, she said, adding that any date before November 21 can be chosen for the election.

On Wednesday, Auckland shifted to level 3 restrictions at midday (00:00 GMT), requiring people to stay at home except for essential trips [David Rowland/AFP]

Appealing to the public to stay kind, looking after one another, she said the search for the source of the infection was ongoing.

We know that although we are primarily looking for human-to-human transmission, we do need to check whether or not it had something to do with freight, she said.

The source of the latest outbreak has baffled health officials, who said they were confident there were had been no local transmission of the virus in New Zealand in the last three months.

The four new cases of COVID-19 were all within one family in Auckland who authorities said had not travelled overseas.

Race on to find source

Director General of Health Ashley Bloomfield said the infected family was in strict isolation at home, but one woman had travelled to tourist spots in Rotorua while she was symptomatic.

Health officials were urgently tracing her activities and were prepared to test tens of thousands of people in the coming days, Bloomfield said.

Investigations were now zeroing in on the theory that the virus had come in on freight shipments, he said, adding that surface testing was under way in a climate-controlled storage facility in Auckland where a man from the infected family worked.

We know the virus can survive within refrigerated environments for quite some time, Bloomfield said.





In China, the city government of Yantai, a port city in eastern Shandong province, said on Tuesday it had found the virus on the packaging of frozen seafood that had arrived from the port city of Dalian, which recently battled a surge of cases.

Siouxsie Wiles, microbiologist and associate professor at the University of Auckland, said lockdown measures were the best option to stamp out the virus. She warned restrictions would likely be extended if officials could not trace the source within three days.

The race is on to find the source of the cases and break any chains of transmission, she said.

Meanwhile, Auckland shifted to level-three restrictions at midday on Wednesday (00:00 GMT), requiring people to stay at home except for essential trips. The rest of the country was placed back into slightly looser level-two restrictions. The restrictions will initially remain in place until Friday.

Police were setting up roadblocks around the city and supermarkets began rationing the sale of some staple products amid a rush to the shelves.

Elder care facilities were also to close their doors to everyone but staff and essential deliveries from midday.
(Natural News) A large, planet-sized mass inhabits our solar system, and its large elliptical orbit around the sun brings it across Earths orbital plane every 3,600 years or so, wreaking havoc on our planet due to strong gravity effects. The U.S. government has been aware of the approach of Planet X for over forty years, warns John Moore The Liberty Man, in a jaw-dropping new interview on Brighteon Conversations. (See below.)

While Planet X wont strike the Earth, its nearby approach will unleash cataclysmic consequences across our planet that may bring an end to human civilization as we know it, Moore explains in the interview. Those effects may include a global pole shift, which means the Earths crust slips to a new orientation, unleashing extreme winds, volcanoes, earthquakes, flooding, tidal waves and more.

Every structure on the surface of the Earth would be destroyed, explains Moore, who reveals the governments of the world are frantically constructing more underground bunkers in anticipation of catastrophic events.

John Moore is a former U.S. Army intelligence analyst and took part in 57 air combat missions over Vietnam and Cambodia. He later become a homicide detective for the state of Missouri. As a long-time radio host, Moore has developed a long list of sources inside government and the U.S. military. He hosts a radio show each weekday from 8  10 am central time, via Republic Broadcasting. Learn all the details at TheLibertyMan.com

As Moore explains in the video below, the pole shift would place North America closer to the equator than its current position, and the bulge of ocean water at the equator (due to centrifugal forces of the rotating planet) would raise the level of the ocean by hundreds of feet compared to the continental United States. John Moores website  TheLibertyMan.com  hosts this map of anticipated changes. Note that Florida and much of the Eastern seaboard are under water in this depiction:

In the video below, John Moore explains how people living in other areas of the world can easily determine whether their current locations will be inundated with higher relative ocean levels.

The Planet X fly-by would likely also bring asteroid impacts to planet Earth, causing global chaos and mass destruction as large space rocks impact the planet at extreme relative velocities. A recent study found that just one such impact in any ocean would unleash 400-foot ocean waves that would devastate coastal cities around the world (and flood coastlines for potentially a hundred miles inland).

Asteroids that impact the land could unleash large volumes of particulate matter into the stratosphere that would block sunlight from reaching food crops, leading to mass famine and the collapse of human civilization. If large volcanoes also erupt due to the destabilization of the Earths crust, the amount of participate matter circling the globe could block out the sun and absolutely devastate nearly all plant life on Earth for several years. (Plants depend on photosynthesis via sunlight and carbon dioxide for energy, a fact that 99% of todays climate scientists still refuse to acknowledge because they are scientifically illiterate brainwashed zombies.)

The United States government is fully aware of the approach of Planet X but has chosen to withhold this information from the American people for the simple fact that theres nothing the masses can do to survive the anticipated events.

Moore recommends people move inland and get above 500 feet in elevation in order to survive the ocean inundation of North America.

See the full interview here:

Direct Brighteon.com link:

Brighteon.com/c0fdc799-ac8c-42a9-9447-69f3735e1147

Censorship-resistant link (for sharing on social media):

Brlghteon.com/c0fdc799-ac8c-42a9-9447-69f3735e1147

As far as the timing of the return of Planet X, Moore explains that people who keep asking about the timing are those who refuse to prepare. Since the public isnt being told about the timing, by the time you see the asteroids streaking across the sky, its too late to move to high ground and shore up your preparedness efforts.

Any who hope to survive the return of Planet X, whenever it occurs, must move away from coastal areas and construct Earth-bermed or underground structures, then stock them with survival supplies and prepare for a global food wipeout lasting 1-2 years. You wont even be able to grow food, since the sunlight will be blocked by particulate dust in the atmosphere.

Needless to say, in this scenario Bitcoin will be worthless, as will all fiat currencies. The only things that have value from that day forward are gold, silver, firearms, ammunition, food, fuel, first aid, land and other real items.

The Book of Revelation openly warns humanity about a fiery mountain falling out of the sky and impacting the ocean, devastating the planet and destroying a third of the worlds ships. To follow this rabbit hole, research the terms Wormwood or Nibiru.

Note that the areas of America which will be flooded first tend to cover the anti-God Leftists who mass murder babies, sexually assault children and worship Satan. Many people have speculated that God will judge Americas sins by unleashing catastrophic events against this nation, similar to the fiery events described in relation to Sodom and Gomorrah but on a much larger scale.

Other guests weve interviewed say that America must repent for its sins, beg God for forgiveness and unleash a national revival in order to avoid Gods wrath.

There are many videos on this topic at Brighteon.com, the free speech alternative to YouTube.
The Prime Minister has approved a plan to implement the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA).

Illustrative image

The plan aims to assign tasks and responsibilities to agencies and organisations to decide on measures to implement the agreement.

To achieve this, in addition to regular tasks, ministries, governmental agencies and the People's Committees of centrally-run provinces and cities need to concretise and organise the implementation of basic tasks such as communicating information about EVFTA and markets of EU countries; building laws, institutions; and improving competitiveness and developing human resources.

They must also promote trade and investment promotion programmes in EU countries to inform business communities of other countries about the opportunities and advantages of Vietnamese business and investment environment and attract foreign investment in key areas.

Along with that comes building programmes to support and improve competitiveness for industries and businesses, while preparing solutions for industries and commodities greatly affected by the agreement and helping Vietnamese enterprises participate in regional and global production networks, value chains and supply chains.

In addition, they must focus on industrial restructuring, creating a foundation for industrialisation and modernisation; accelerating restructuring agriculture and rural economy; strengthening measures and mechanisms to encourage and orient foreign-invested enterprises to connect with domestic enterprises, contributing to the formation and development of supply chains.  VNS

Reform urgently needed for Vietnam to make use of EVFTA Vietnam needs to reform its trade mechanisms while local businesses are advised to be more proactive to take advantage of the European Union - Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA).
New Jersey's top court has ruled that police can compel suspects to give up their phone passcodes, and does not violate the Fifth Amendment.

The Fifth Amendment protects Americans from self-incrimination, including the well-known right to remain silent.

But the courts remain split on whether this applies to device passcodes. Both Indiana and Pennsylvania have ruled compelling a suspect to turn over their device's passcode would violate the Fifth Amendment.

New Jersey's Supreme Court thinks differently. In this week's ruling, the court said the Fifth Amendment protects only against self-incriminating testimony  as in speech  and not the production of incriminating information.

Much of the legal debate is not about the passcodes, rather the information contained on the devices. Courts like Indiana found that compelling a suspect to turn over their passcode can give the government unfettered access to the suspect's device, which may contain potentially incriminating information that the government might not have been aware of. The courts have likened this to a fishing expedition and ruled it unconstitutional.

But in the New Jersey case, the court said it's a "foregone conclusion" that the phone's data wouldn't reveal anything the government didn't already know.

Law enforcement have spent years trying to break into suspects' phones, either using phone hacking technology with mixed results, or  in the case of modern phones  by using a suspect's fingerprint or face to unlock their devices.

With courts divided on the matter, the final arbiter on the legality of whether police can compel a suspect to turn over their password will fall to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Send tips securely over Signal and WhatsApp to +1 646-755-8849 or send an encrypted email to: zack.whittaker@protonmail.com
As the two latest flagship products of GAC MOTOR, the GS5 and GN6 bring together the latest achievements in brand research, development and global innovation. Localized to Bahrain's unique tropical desert climate and harsh desert terrain, GAC MOTOR combines the daily travel needs of the people of Bahrain by introducing a new generation of pioneer SUV model GS5. The latest GS5, now available in Bahrain, comes equipped with multi-terrain driving mode and master-level tuning chassis, which greatly improves the ride comfort and vehicle handling, and provides considerate and efficient driving protection for Bahraini consumers.

The GN6, another versatile MPV model, has also been carefully crafted by the GAC's R&D team over the years, which is specifically designed for pragmatic and enterprising people who are also looking to enjoy life. Living a diverse life and enjoying a wide range of activities and social networks, they expect to take care of their families while also indulging in full enjoyment. And GN6 will be a perfect interpretation of home and commercial use with its multi-functional and large space. This listing will announce the official launch of GS5 and GN6 in the Bahrain market. It is believed that with their excellent product quality and brand reputation, they will surely become a strong brand of best-selling models in the Bahrain market.

It is understood that GAC MOTOR officially entered the Bahrain market in 2015. Its sales have been rising steadily. It has ranked No. 1 among Chinese brands in imports and terminal sales for four consecutive years. And the market share is more than 2%, which is very popular among local consumers. The introduction of the vehicle series will once again complete the Bahrain market, which not only reflects the important position of Bahrain and the Middle East market in the GAC MOTOR international strategic map but also provides a solid guarantee for GAC MOTOR to further develop and deepen the Middle East market.

Nowadays, with the rapid growth of the national economy, the consumption level of Bahraini people has been continuously upgraded and expectations for vehicle quality have also increased. GAC MOTOR is fully in touch with the development on the ground and the trends of user needs with its fashion and cutting-edge products, excellent taste and services. GAC serves the travel and life of the Bahraini people, allowing Bahraini consumers to recognize the first-class benefits and strength of GAC products so as to experience the energy and flexibility brought by the new vehicles. The future is now, and already is here in Bahrain. GAC MOTOR will continue to impress consumers around the world with its high-end manufacturing strength and quality.

SOURCE GAC MOTOR
Georgia Police Chief Who Was Investigated for Saying He Didnt Support Black Lives Matter Resigns

A Georgia police chief resigned Tuesday after being investigated for saying he didnt support Black Lives Matter (BLM) in a June Facebook post.

Former Johns Creek Police Chief Chris Byers reached a confidential settlement agreement, according to a Monday announcement. Local officials placed Byers on leave and investigated his conduct after he wrote a June Facebook post criticizing the BLM movement amid nationwide unrest following George Floyds death.

Based on extensive and careful consideration of everything that has occurred within our city over the past few months, we have come to the conclusion that it is in the citys best interests to part ways with our Police Chief, Johns Creek Mayor Mike Bodker said in the Monday announcement.

The investigation into the officer reportedly also focused on issues unrelated to the former officers post, according to statements from the city manager given to the Associated Press.

I do not support the Black Lives Matter as a movement as it seems to glorify the killing of my brothers and sisters, Byers wrote. It is not what you pastors and religious leaders think it isStop trying to be relevant and look deeper into what you are saying, posting, and tagging before you do it.

I have also been asked if I will take a knee at these protests, he continued. I take a knee of surrender to my Lord and Savior alone. I will however stand with you and protect your rights to protest and have your voices heard. And I will bow down to pray with you.

An interim police chief will occupy Byers role until a suitable alternative is found, the announcement said.

By Jake Dima



From The Daily Caller News Foundation

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American companies are promising jobs for minority communities  but some say they are the ones perpetuating racial inequality.

Some big US companies are pledging to hire tens of thousands of workers from low-income and minority communities in New York City.

They say the initiative, to be implemented over the next 10 years, is in response to Black Lives Matter protests.

But activists have accused some of the companies involved of being drivers of racial inequality in the United States.

Al Jazeeras Shihab Rattansi reports.
WASHINGTON  In the hours since Sen. Kamala Harris joined the Democratic presidential ticket, President Donald Trump has responded by sorting women into two categories: the good suburban housewife he believes will vote for him, and nasty women who have not shown him or his political allies a sufficient amount of respect.

After Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee, announced Tuesday that Harris would be his running mate, Trump wasted no time sorting her into the nasty camp, a category occupied by the last woman to run against him on a Democratic ticket.

She was extraordinarily nasty to Brett Kavanaugh  Judge Kavanaugh then, now Justice Kavanaugh, Trump said of Harris, using nasty or some version of the word no fewer than four times as he referred to Senate confirmation hearings held in 2018. At the time, Kavanaugh, angrily seeking to rebut emotional testimony from Christine Blasey Ford, a professor who accused him of sexually assaulting her at a party in 1982, found himself on the receiving end of questions from Harris, a former prosecutor.

At one point, Harris asked the Supreme Court nominee whether he could think of any existing laws that govern the male body. Kavanaugh could not.

She was nasty to a level that was just a horrible thing, Trump said Tuesday. And I wont forget that soon.

Race-based attacks soon followed. On Wednesday morning, after his allies on Fox News had spent the evening comparing Harris, who is of Jamaican and Indian descent, to racist tropes including timeshare salesmen and payday lenders, Trump crowed that the American suburban housewife  a racist euphemism for white women wary of minorities moving into their neighborhoods  would be on his side in November.

They want safety, Trump wrote on Twitter, adding that they are thrilled that I ended the long running program where low income housing would invade their neighborhood, referring to an Obama-era effort that encouraged diversification of U.S. communities.

On matters of race and gender, Trump has always believed that indulging his instincts has elevated his political brand. But just as public attitudes on racism have shifted, threatening to turn Trump and his embrace of the Confederacy into a living relic, his views on American women  particularly the suburban ones  are similarly anachronistic.

According to data compiled by Lyman Stone, a research fellow at the Institute for Family Studies who studies population, suburban stay-at-home wives make up only about 4% of the U.S. population.

In a more detailed look at the data, the Bureau of Labor reported in 2019 that the labor force participation rate for women with children under the age of 6 was 66%. For mothers with children ages 6 to 17, the labor force participation rate was 77%.

Pollsters, referencing the presidents problem with alienating some supporters with his comments on race and gender, have long said that Trump cant afford to lose the key group of largely white and largely suburban women who helped him win the presidency in 2016. But in June, an NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll showed that 66% of suburban women disapproved of the job Trump is doing.

Celinda Lake, a veteran Democratic pollster, said in an interview Wednesday that the picture has darkened even further for the president among white suburban women as the coronavirus pandemic drags on, throwing more of them into uncertainty over the economy and forcing them to choose between sending children back to school or keeping them home.

If hes relying on that group to save him, he better get a life jacket, Lake said of white suburban women. They like safety, they like security, but they think that Trumps lack of a plan, poor leadership, of not listening to experts have made things more dangerous for their families.

She added, Even the white non-college-educated suburban woman are turning against him, and these are some of the women who are put under the most pressure when it comes to his mishandling of the coronavirus response.

As Trump insulted Harris on Tuesday, he peppered his usual misogynistic nasty trope with more name-calling, referring to her as the meanest, most horrible, most disrespectful member of the U.S. Senate.

With that, Harris joins a group of women Trump feels have not been adequately compliant.

He used the nasty insult most infamously with his former Democratic rival for the presidency, Hillary Clinton: Such a nasty woman, he muttered from across the stage as the two were engaged in a presidential debate. Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, a former Democratic presidential hopeful and vocal critic, was deemed to have a nasty mouth. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi? Shes a nasty, vindictive, horrible person.

Even Meghan Markle, the American-born Duchess of Sussex, was deemed nasty for not supporting his 2016 candidacy.

What can I say? Trump told a British tabloid last year, just before a visit to the United Kingdom, where he was hosted by the royal family. I didnt know that she was nasty.

That time, in an Orwellian twist, Trump tried to walk back those comments, which were caught on tape, by telling the public not to believe what they had just heard.

I never called Meghan Markle nasty, Trump said on Twitter. Made up by the Fake News Media, and they got caught cold!

Trumps attacks on Harris have been mild compared with name-calling and insults he has used against other opponents, including Clinton and Warren. Trump has instead at times treated the junior senator as a newcomer, even praising Harris ability to draw large crowds.

Too bad. We will miss you Kamala! Trump said on Twitter in December after she ended her own presidential campaign.

Dont worry, Mr. President, Ill see you at your trial, Harris retorted.

When Harris role was announced Tuesday, both the president and his campaign seemed uncoordinated and unclear about how best to attack her record effectively. But uglier insults made by Trumps closest allies may foreshadow what is to come: Last year, Trumps son Donald Trump Jr. questioned on Twitter whether Harris, who is of Jamaican and Indian descent, was Black enough to be addressing issues faced by Black Americans.

He eventually deleted the tweet.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
An American man who lived in the Northern Territory has listed the 'shocking' differences he noticed during his stay - from free BBQs 'everywhere' to small portion sizes and better shopping centres.

The traveller from Utah spoke on the Lifey YouTube channel about his unique endeavours abroad including encountering 'dive-bombing' birds to not being able to get free drink refills wherever he ate.

While he remains nameless for the video, the man does earn respect from the Australian viewers, who say he spoke about their country 'realistically' and 'positively'.

An American man (pictured) who lived in Australia's Top End has revealed what the country is really like

1. Be educated about the wildlife

On his first day in Australia the man was staying in Darwin, in the Northern Territory, and preparing for a day of exploring.

'We were walking through the middle of this field and all of a sudden my companion just dropped to the ground and I look up and there are these birds just hovering over us,' he said.

While he wasn't initially alarmed by the swarming animals, panic set in when they started to 'dive-bomb' the group of two.

'We got our backpacks and we're swinging them over our head and running... we didn't even know what was happening and there are a couple of locals that were just sort of laughing at us.'

The Australians told them the birds were called plovers (pictured) and they were only reacting because the pair had walked through their nest area

The Australians told them the birds were called plovers and they were only reacting because the pair had walked through their nest area.

'The birds have these little spikes on their wings and so they come down and they can spike you in the back of the head so it was a pretty dangerous situation but I had no idea,' he said.

'So do your research... don't let it scare you, just be educated.'

2. Australians love the American accent

Poll What is one of the best things about Australia? Free BBQs are at parks and beaches The people are hilarious The shopping centres are easy to navigate The chocolate and ice cream is delicious The accent What is one of the best things about Australia? Free BBQs are at parks and beaches 135 votes

The people are hilarious 85 votes

The shopping centres are easy to navigate 25 votes

The chocolate and ice cream is delicious 39 votes

The accent 58 votes Now share your opinion





The man said he encountered Australians who were very fond of his American drawl.

'They love the American accent, they just think we have the coolest accent and we think they have the coolest accent... but it's a really hard accent to pick up,' he said.

'I came home speaking just like I do now.'

He'd heard before arriving that Australian people were very funny and 'witty', which he found to be true.

'Holy cow almost all of them are just super witty and they're not afraid to say something that might offend you and they're going to crack jokes and I remember laughing a lot over there,' he said.

The man said he encountered Australians who were very fond of his American drawl

3. Food portion sizes are very small

Compared to what he was eating in America, the man was shocked to find Australians eat far less.

'When I first got to Adelaide I went to Subway and just ordered a typical sandwich and a drink... I finished my drink I got back up to refill it and the lady asked if I was going to pay for it,' he said.

'I said I was getting a refill and she's like "uh-huh you need to pay for that". They don't do free refills, you have to pay for every single drink which is probably a good thing because I honestly lost a little bit of weight out there.'

He found the difference 'beneficial' but it took some time to get used to.

On top of that he argued that Australian ice cream and chocolate tastes 'better' than it does in the States.

4. Barbecue 'pits' are everywhere

Many of Australia's major parks have free barbecues for people to cook their lunch or dinner on, which excited the American.

'Parks and beaches have them... and you just go and hit a button and it turns on. You've probably heard of putting "shrimp on the barbie" but I never had that,' he said.

Instead they would heat up sausages or hot dogs and eat them in the tranquil surrounds, which is something he misses about his time in Australia.

5. Australia feels really safe

Compared to the gun violence in America the storyteller said he felt generally 'pretty safe' when he was touring Down Under.

'A lot of their crimes are typical robberies and stuff like that but in general I felt really, really safe,' he said.

'We did have one break in though. I was with my companion and I'm a very deep sleeper so I slept through the whole thing but someone did break into our apartment.

'There was a whole bunch of chaos but nothing bad happened thank goodness... but just keep your doors locked you know.'

According to the American man his hometown 'shopping malls' are different to the Westfield (pictured) and Stockland shopping centres Australians are used to

6. Shopping centres have everything you need all in the one place

According to the American man his hometown 'shopping malls' are different to the Westfield and Stockland shopping centres Australians are used to.

'Imagine our shopping mall but having a Walmart attached to it or a Target attached to it,' he said.

'So you go to one place and can get everything done, which is really nice.'
Minister for Education guarantees that a learners final A Level grade cannot be lower than their AS grade

This article is old - Published: Wednesday, Aug 12th, 2020

Students in Wales can be assured that their A Level grades reflect their work and externally assessed exams, Education Minister Kirsty Williams has said this afternoon.

The Minister has also said that,  all appeals will be free for Welsh students, to ensure there is no financial barrier to ensure learners feel their exam grades are fair.

Students across Wales are set to receive their A-level and AS results tomorrow.

Exams were cancelled due to the pandemic so grades will be based on how teachers believe a student would have performed, as well as a formula applied by the exam board.

Regulatory body Qualifications Wales has already indicated many estimated results are likely to be lowered after describing them as generous and highlighting inconsistencies.

Concerns have been voiced that it will result in a repeat of what happened in Scotland, where many pupils were unhappy that they had been awarded lower grades than they had been predicted.

In England, A-level and GCSE students are being promised their final results will be no lower than their mock exams.

In a statement related this afternoon, Kirsty Williams said:
Sushant Singh Rajputs cousin, BJP MLA Neeraj Singh Bablu, has sent a legal notice to Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut. Times Now reports that in his notice, Bablu has demanded a public apology from Raut within 48 hours, failing which legal action will be taken against him.

Recently, Raut made some unsavoury comments about Sushants family in the partys newspaper Saamana, of which he is the executive editor. Raut claimed that Sushant had a strained relationship with his father KK Singh, over the latters second marriage. The family has called these comments defamatory and denied the news of Singh remarrying after the death of Sushants mother.

Earlier this week, Bablu slammed Rauts allegations and told mediapersons in Patna, How can you make such a comment in such a sensitive case without knowing the facts? If need be, I will file a defamation case.

Also read: Udaan actor Rajat Barmecha feels Kangana Ranaut is fighting dirty, says her personal attack on Taapsee Pannu was unethical

Sushants uncle, RC Singh, had told Navbharat Times, Sanjay Raut has given a wrong statement at the behest of Uddhav Thackeray and Aaditya Thackeray. Sanjay Raut is trying to tarnish his image by saying such a thing. It is not a good thing to spoil someones image by saying such a thing.

It is true, how many times did Sushant go to Patna to meet his father? I have sympathy for his father but there are many things that will come to surface, Raut had written in Saamana.

Sushant was found dead at his Mumbai home on June 14. The case was being investigated by the Mumbai Police but the Bihar Police launched a separate probe after Singh filed an FIR against Sushants girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty and others in Patna, alleging abetment to suicide. After a turf war between the two police forces, the probe has now been taken over by the Central Bureau of Investigation.

If you need support or know someone who does, please reach out to your nearest mental health specialist. Helplines: Aasra: 022 2754 6669; Sneha India Foundation: +914424640050 and Sanjivini: 011-24311918

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French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday warned Iran against any interference in Lebanon after the gigantic blast last week that has prompted a political crisis in the country.

In telephone talks with President Hassan Rouhani, Macron emphasised the "necessity for all the powers concerned... to avoid any outside interference and to support the putting in place of a government which can manage the emergency," the Elysee said.

Lebanon's government under Prime Minister Hassan Diab resigned this week following days of demonstrations demanding accountability over the explosion at the Beirut port last week that devastated entire neighbourhoods of the city.

Iran wields huge influence in Lebanon through the Shiite group Hezbollah which was strongly represented in the outgoing government and has an alliance with the faction of President Michel Aoun.

The explosion on August 4, which left 171 people dead, has been blamed on a vast stock of ammonium nitrate allowed to rot for years at the port despite repeated warnings.

Macron, who was the first world leader to visit Beirut after the explosion, has taken the lead role in coordinating the international response and at the weekend chaired a virtual aid conference that drummed up more than 250 million euros ($295 million) in pledges.

- 'Avoid escalation' -

The French president has also sought to play a lead role in efforts to keep alive the 2015 deal by world powers on the Iranian nuclear programme, after US President Donald Trump in 2018 walked out of the accord.

Analysts say that the deal has essentially been on life support since Trump's move, with Iran taking escalatory measures in retaliation by ramping up its nuclear programme.

Macron told Rouhani he wanted to "preserve the framework" of the accord and work towards calming tensions in the region.

"In this regard, he called on Iran to take the necessary steps to avoid any escalation of tensions," the Elysee said.

Story continues

Their talks came as the UN Security Council is set in the coming days to roundly reject a US resolution to extend a UN arms embargo on Iran, due to opposition from veto-wielding China and Russia.

France and its European allies themselves also back an extension of the embargo but Iran has angrily countered that the move is a key part of the nuclear deal.

The ban on selling weapons to Iran is set to be progressively eased from October under the terms of Resolution 2231, which blessed the Iranian nuclear deal.

In June, Britain, France and Germany said they opposed lifting the UN arms embargo, arguing it would "have major implications for regional security and stability."
Survivors of the notorious Brothers Home call for members of the family who ran it to be extradited to face questioning.
Vietnam may break a 10-year trend by not increasing regional minimum wages for private businesses in 2021 to help ease the financial burden on those ailing from the pandemic.

A higher minimum wage could increase costs for businesses. Photo: Le Toan

With nine of the 13 members voting in favour, the National Wage Council will propose the government not to increase the regional minimum wage in 2021, with the opinion of the representative of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour attached. The final decision will depend on the pandemic situation and socioeconomic development.

The proposal has received the thumbs-up from the business community which is currently struggling to deal with COVID-19 impacts. After being forced to reduce production capacity, numerous companies such as Panasonic are still hard-pressed to maintain their facilities operations.

According to Morita Ken, director of HR, Planning, Legal, Corporate Communication, and IT at Panasonic Vietnam, the business community welcomed the possible plan on halting the pay rise, adding that consecutive annual raises in past years have been tormenting many of them.

Compliance with local regulations, including the minimum wage, is our first priority when doing business in Vietnam. However, companies are facing plenty of problems due to the pandemic including shrinking sales as orders drop, mounting inventories, bank interests, and storage costs. More importantly, none of us know when the situation will improve. Panasonic is not an exception to this situation, Ken told VIR.

Simply keeping employment and wages steady is already a great effort for employers  a higher minimum wage would increase fixed costs and make it even harder on companies, he added.

When talking about Panasonics woes, Ken gave voice to the general concerns of Japanese-invested enterprises in Vietnam, which are not eager to see yet another rise in regional minimum wages.

Dao Thu Huyen, representative of the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Vietnam, said that numerous Japanese-invested enterprises have had to reduce operations as the majority of their manufacturing and trade depends on exports. In addition, they are concerned about new waves of the pandemic, which will only exacerbate their current difficulties.

According to Huyen, minimum wages and related adjustments aim to guarantee a minimum quality of life for local employees. Wage increases in recent years, however, have put a burden on both employers and employees. In the context of growing difficulties, not even salary hikes can help employees sustain their living standards and only places more burdens on employers. Ultimately, enterprises cannot realise the purpose of benefiting employees by this salary increase.

According to Ken, in the case of Panasonics employees, after the deduction of standard living expenses, Panasonic expects that its employees can still put some of their earnings away as savings or investment.

Currently, we raise salaries on an annual basis but due to a rise in prices, the increase evaporates and does not help to improve our employees lives. Meanwhile, our fixed costs have increased a lot, which had a distinct negative impact on our business, Ken said.

A survey implemented by the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry in April showed that 82 per cent of questioned businesses were concerned about a plunge in revenues compared to 2019. Some 30 per cent of surveyed businesses forecast that in 2020 their revenues will decline by 30-50 per cent on year, while 22 per cent said the decrease would be over 50 per cent.

Many are running out of money to pay employees. As of June 10, the National Public Service Portal  the electronic platform connecting the government with individuals and enterprises  received over 660 dossiers from 227 enterprises applying for interest-free loans to pay wages for employees who had to stop working due to the pandemic. However, only nine of the dossiers were approved.

Truong Van Cam, vice chairman of the Vietnam Textile and Apparel Association, also said that without exception, all garment and textile enterprises have been impacted by the pandemic. In the first five months of this year, companies reported average negative growth due to a lack of materials, as well as a plunge in the demand of large markets. VIR

Kim Oanh

Pay rises hinging on recovery policy If adopted, an increase in the region-based minimum wage for non-state employees next year will further pressurise local businesses, almost all of which are making efforts to deal with the aftermath of the global health crisis.
Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], Aug 12 (ANI/BusinessWire India): The 'AatmaNirbhar Bharat App Innovation Challenge' supported by the Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY)'s Niti Aayog along with the Atal Innovation Mission, which was launched on July 4 saw participation from more than 6,940 tech entrepreneurs and startups across the country, and saw 24 winners in nine categories.

In others category, MapMyIndia, Ask Sarkar and MyITreturn are the top three winners.

Years ago, it took days to get hands on essential government documents. A person would call someone who could send them to requested documents, hope they would follow through and then wait for the postal service to do its job. When they did not arrive in a week or so, the process is repeated.

These days, government websites are relied upon for information about the Government Schemes, Policies, Benefits, Scholarships, Jobs, reports, budgets and more that central, state and local governments post on their websites.

When citizens make contact with their governments, whether to seek services or information, their experience is often frustrating. While a small minority of citizens may find that their government offers the requested services or information in a timely and helpful manner, the vast majority do not. The constituent experience, when interacting with their government, can shape their assessment of, attitude toward, and trust in government.

The purpose of government posting any update on online channels is for the citizens will be able to locate and find information. The current experience, on the other hand, often leave users more frustrated than grateful. Many of us feel that this promised land of facts is more of a mirage than an informational oasis. Such behaviour is not limited to the one branch. This problem is pervasive across all arms of the government, including the executive, legislature, judiciary and spans every hierarchy - from central to the state to the district to the town to the village levels.

Particularly annoying are prominent websites that promise to link users to valuable data, but lead to sites with very little information. Sometimes the data and reports available online are five to ten years old. Spot check of the data in AskSarkar shows that more recent reports exist, but these are hidden in meaningless layers of website organisation.

Search engines and social media don't even claim they provide authenticated information from the official sources. But, AskSarkar does!

In other cases, the links are broken. A lot of government websites report -"not found" message. Thankfully Search Engines sometimes do a better job of revealing such information than the government sites. One of the issues with any search indexer like Google tends to be, they favour sites, that are optimised for their business. There is a private cottage industry built around servicing citizens; such companies game the results in their favour.

This behaviour further frustrates the citizens who are looking for authentic government data, and they are taken for a ride in a private entity site, with a commercial agenda. This misaligned incentive results, user feeling that government not caring for them. Say, if one searches for PAN card, they may not get the authentic/official website of PAN, and would get the search result of an agent or private company. Similarly, for scholarship, there is scholarship portal from Government of India, which would not be the top result when someone searches for Scholarships.

Here is where AskSarkar (https://asksarkar.com) comes in. AskSarkar wants to give authentic information to the users, that takes away the pain of searching and testing the navigation skills of the citizens of India. AskSarkar helps collate and index the most popular questions that the citizens of India to ask when they look at central government websites.

CoRover has simplified the access to all these sites by proving a simple interface to ask such questions. All people can now ask questions using their natural conversations. AskSarkar using AI, ML & NLP recognises the intent of what users ask and gives the relevant and authenticated information that will not frustrate you. This App supports 12 plus Indian/Vernacular languages in both text, audio and video.

"The content and accuracy of AskSarkar will keep improving as the usage further increases. This is still a baby bot, which can grow and learn better with the questions users raise. So, ask more to make it better," said Founder and CEO of CoRover.

Co-Founders, Manav Gandotra and Kunal Bhakhri, and CoRover's Investor and Advisor, R P Singh have congratulated the entire CoRover team to make such an innovative and valuable app for Bharat, which will soon be used by the global audience.

This story is provided by BusinessWire India. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/BusinessWire India)

DISCLAIMER

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Also based in London, 10-year-old Prospect Insurance Brokers specializes in binding authority, reinsurance, and alternative risk transfer business placed into Lloyds, European, and international company markets. The independent Lloyds broker has worked on cyber, cryptocurrency, gig economy, drones, and parametric structures.

Costero Brokers, meanwhile, initially provided a property line-slip for habitational and commercial real estate when it came to life in 2017. Now it offers cyber, professional, and financial lines and is looking to expand further into other specialist areas through acquisitions and hiring additional colleagues and teams.

Commenting on the merger, Webb stated: We are very excited to be a part of the Heffernan and Costero family. The decision was easy as we are culturally aligned as an independent, family-owned business with a strong focus on innovation and attracting the best talent in the market.

In addition, we are delighted to benefit from the West Coast super-regional retail presence Heffernan brings, the wholesale distribution, and the MGA (managing general agent) distribution through Tangram within the group giving us a full array of distribution possibilities.

For investor John Tallarida, who is executive vice president at Heffernan Insurance Brokers, the snapped up company fits perfectly into their plan of building an independent Lloyds broker. The organization brings important capabilities and excellent talent to complement our Costero team, he noted.

Murrell added that the combined specialist business features an experienced roster of market professionals in multi-lines at a time of mega broker consolidation, offering assurances that they will be there to provide the individual service clients are now seeking globally.
VTS Is the Only PropTech Company to Be Recognized Amongst New York Commercial Real Estates Most Powerful Players

VTS, the commercial real estate industry's leading leasing and asset management platform, today announced that its CEO and Co-Founder, Nick Romito has been named to the Commercial Observers annual The Power 100 list. The list honors the most prominent real estate players of the year throughout the industry, including developers, investors, brokers, tenants, architects, and more. This recognition underscores the growing importance of the PropTech industry and VTS role as the premier leasing and asset management solution used by 10 of the top 10 office landlords (by square footage) in Manhattan.

Its a true honor to be recognized by Commercial Observer on this years The Power 100 list, stated Romito. This year has brought unprecedented challenges to commercial real estate. Im proud of what VTS has been able to accomplish for the industry and am humbled to be named amongst some of the most notable and accomplished names in New Yorks real estate community. Furthermore, as the leader of the only PropTech company acknowledged on the list, this represents the rise in importance of technology as critical for operating a commercial portfolio.

Romito was recognized for leading VTS through an outstanding year, most notably with the launch of VTS Market, the commercial real estate industrys first integrated, online marketing platform that enables landlords and their agency teams to market and lease their available spaces remotely for the first time. With VTS Market, landlords finally have a fully-digital, data-driven way to market and lease their spaces onlineall from within the VTS platform they use to manage their leasing and asset management activities today. With the majority of the markets largest owners onboard since its official launch this June, such as Tishman Speyer, SL Green, Brookfield Properties, Empire State Realty Trust, Hines, Oxford Properties Group, and RXR, VTS Market has become the most rapidly adopted product in Proptech history.

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Since its founding in 2012, VTS has revolutionized commercial real estate  an industry valued at more than $16 trillion and one of the worlds largest and least tech-enabled asset classes. VTS established the technology category of leasing and asset management and enables landlords and brokers to manage the end-to-end leasing process and tenants from any device. VTS offers solutions for owners of office, retail, and industrial space, and is driving the industry-wide shift towards using real-time data to make portfolio decisions.

Today, more than 12 billion square feet of commercial real estatean amount equivalent to roughly 20 New York Cities in sizeis managed on VTS, including one in every three office buildings in the U.S. More than 45,000 users across more than 35 countries use VTS to convert leads to leases 41-percent faster and build data-led asset strategies, transforming their leasing and asset management processes. VTS has eight out of 10 of the worlds largest property owners as clients, boasting an impressive roster of global leaders including Blackstone, Brookfield, LaSalle Investment Management, Hines, Boston Properties, Oxford Properties Group, JLL, and CBRE.

About VTS:

VTS is commercial real estates leading leasing, marketing and asset management platform where the industry comes to make deals happen and real-time data come to life. VTS is powered by the largest single source data network in the industry, which delivers real-time data and insights that fuel faster, more informed decision making and connections throughout the deal lifecycle. Our MarketView offering, the industrys first market benchmarking product, and VTS Market and Marketplace, the industrys first integrated online marketing solution, gives landlords, brokers, and tenants unparalleled visibility into real-time market information and the direct connectivity to execute deals with greater speed and intelligence at every point in the planning, marketing, leasing, and asset management cycle.

More than 60% of Class A commercial space in the US and 12B square feet of commercial real estate globally is managed on the VTS platform. Our user base includes over 45,000 CRE professionals including respected industry leaders like Blackstone, Brookfield Properties, LaSalle Investment Management, Hines, Boston Properties, Oxford Properties, JLL, and CBRE. To learn more about VTS, and to see our open roles, visit www.vts.com.

Contact Details

Elise Szwajkowski

+1 212-402-3495

eszwajkowski@marinopr.com

Company Website

https://www.vts.com/
BAKU, Azerbaijan, Aug.12

By Leman Zeynalova  Trend:

Intensive discussions are underway for the solar photovoltaic (PV) project of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Masdar company in Azerbaijan, Mohamed Alqubaisi, Ambassador of the United United Arab Emirates in Azerbaijan, told Trend.

He was commenting on Masdars agreement with the Ministry of Energy of Azerbaijan to design, finance, build and operate a 200-megawatt utility-scale solar photovoltaic project.

First of all, I would like to stress the significance of this agreement. Masdar Company is one of the worlds leading renewable energy companies. And Azerbaijans renewable energy sector is a very promising area. From this aspect, the Agreement is a great success opening up new perspectives for the progressive cooperation between our countries. Under the agreement, Masdar will develop, build and operate the 200MW solar PV project, said the ambassador.

As for the process of the projects implementation, Alqubaisi noted that the intensive communication and discussions are held despite the difficulties of the pandemic.

The esteemed Ministry of Energy of the Republic of Azerbaijan and UAE Masdar Company are both committed to this Project and we hope that soon both of our brotherly countries will enjoy the productive results of the Project, he said.

Alqubaisi went on to add that the diversification of energy sources and energy production is one of the main priorities for countries.

 Azerbaijan is no doubt modernizing her energy policy being responsive to the world economics. The esteemed Azerbaijani governments focus on the potential of renewable energy in the country, in its turn, demonstrates the favourable investment opportunities for foreign countries, including the UAE. The agreement mentioned above can be considered as an opening page in the contribution to the development of the cooperation between the United Arab Emirates and Azerbaijan in this field of the economy, he said.

The envoy recalled that during the 7th session of the Joint Intergovernmental Commission on Economic, Trade and Technical Cooperation between the government of the United Arab Emirates and the government of the Republic of Azerbaijan held in Baku last November, the delegations expressed their interest in strengthening the bilateral cooperation in the fields of energy, renewable energy and energy efficiency.

Together we explored the new perspectives of cooperation in this area such as cooperation in experience exchange regarding the application of modern technologies in the field of energy efficiency, other joint projects in power sector, etc., he added.

He said that the United Arab Emirates targets to increase mutual investments with Azerbaijan in new areas of economy.

Both the United Arab Emirates and Azerbaijan are very well known for their hydrocarbon reserves. Both have vast successful experience in this sphere. I suppose, we need to focus on the areas, which can give opportunities for new experiences such as agriculture or innovative technologies. As esteemed Minister of Economy of the Republic of Azerbaijan underlined in his speech at the UAE National Day event last year, the UAE invested 2.2 billion USD into Azerbaijans economy and Azerbaijan invested 347 million USD into the UAE economy. So, we target to increase these figures in new areas of economy for the benefit of our friendly nations, said the envoy.

He noted that Azerbaijan is a rapidly developing country with a favorable business environment.

It is a country, where a number of international mega-projects are implemented. Its location effectively makes Baku the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industrys gateway to other countries that are found in the Region such as CIS countries, Central Asia as well as to some European countries. Additionally the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and industry has made it possible for Azerbaijani businessmen and establishments to easily access economic prospects that are available in the United Arab Emirates as well as in the Middle East and North Africa. We are successfully developing the mutual tourism and services. Moreover, we are seeking for new efforts and activities of the business communities. Based on that in order to find untapped potential, I, as the Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates to Azerbaijan, initiated an annual productive platform of meetings and networking named the UAE-Azerbaijan Trade Majlis, said Alqubaisi.

He pointed out that the Embassy is committed to create necessary conditions to assist the businessmen from both sides to meet and explore the opportunities aiming to buttress and boost the cooperation between the two countries.

And the Embassy thanks His Highness President Ilham Aliyev for His support to us in this area, also we express our gratitude to the Azerbaijani Government and all relevant authorities, Alqubaisi said.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @Lyaman_Zeyn
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-12 23:20:23|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- The following are the updates on the global fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

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BAGHDAD -- The Iraqi Health Ministry on Wednesday said it is ready to face a new wave of COVID-19 as it is increasing the capacity of hospitals, while the ministry reported 3,441 new cases in the day, bringing the total nationwide infections to 160,436.

"The work is underway to add more than 2,000 beds in hospitals, and now we have wards equipped with all the necessary devices to receive COVID-19 patients," the Deputy Health Minister Hazim al-Jumaili told the official Iraqi News Agency.

- - - -

KUWAIT CITY -- Kuwait on Wednesday reported 717 new COVID-19 cases and three more deaths, raising the tally of infections to 73,785 and the death toll to 489, the Health Ministry said in a statement.

Currently, 7,845 patients are receiving treatment, including 117 in ICU, the statement added.

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KATHMANDU -- The Nepali government on Wednesday confirmed the record-high single day fatality of eight deaths due to COVID-19, bringing the death toll to 91.

Eight people, aged between 32 to 78, died from COVID-19, Jageshwor Gautam, spokesperson at the Ministry of Health and Population, said at a regular press briefing on Wednesday. "Among them, six are males and two are females."

Meanwhile, the Nepali government reported 484 new COVID-19 cases, taking the total cases to 24,432.

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WINDHOEK -- Namibia has reverted to level three of lockdown following rising cases of COVID-19 which are now above 3,000, President Hage Geingob said on Wednesday.

The migration to level three lockdown is effective from midnight of Aug. 12.

- - - -

NEW DELHI -- India's federal junior minister for indigenous alternative medicine systems Shripad Y Naik on Wednesday tested positive for COVID-19.

The announcement was made by Naik himself with a request to people who were in close contact with him to undergo a test for COVID-19 and take precautions.

- - - -

NAIROBI -- Kenya's total number of COVID-9 cases surpassed 28,000 on Wednesday amid steady increase in the number of recoveries, the Ministry of Health said.

Mercy Mwangangi, chief administrative secretary in the Ministry of Health, confirmed 679 new infections across the country in the last 24 hours, bringing the total caseload to 28,104.

- - - -

GUANGZHOU -- Five Philippine crew members of a ship have tested positive for COVID-19 in south China's Guangdong Province, local authorities said Wednesday.

Customs authorities in the city of Zhuhai conducted nucleic acid tests on 20 crew members of a Hong Kong-registered ship docked at a container port in Zhuhai on Sunday, said the city's COVID-19 epidemic prevention and control headquarters.

- - - -

MOSCOW -- Russia will start the production of its COVID-19 vaccine within two weeks, the country's health minister Mikhail Murashko said Wednesday.

"First of all, the production facilities in Russia will be oriented towards the domestic market, to meet the need of our citizens," Murashko said during a news conference. Enditem
Business rates revaluation in Wales taking effect in 2023 in sync with England as government explore more fundamental reforms to system

This article is old - Published: Wednesday, Aug 12th, 2020

There is to be a delay in the revaluation of business rates in Wales, with a planned refresh next year postponed until 2023, with the synchronisation with England meaning ratepayers in Wales are not placed at a disadvantage compared to those elsewhere say Welsh Government.

Contrary to the everlasting belief of some on social media Wrexham Council do not set business rates, but do collect them. Welsh Government sets the business rates multiplier, and have offered several relief packages for some business rate payers over the years as it determines national business rates policy. Business rates (sometimes known as non-domestic rates or NDR) have been fully devolved to Wales since April 1st 2015.

The Valuation Office Agency (VOA), a UK Government body, assesses the rateable value of all non-domestic properties in Wales and England.

Back in May we asked the Rebecca Evans MS, Minister for Finance and Trefnydd about the new rating list date, when it was announced UK Government were postponing the revaluation to 2023. At the time the Minister said, We welcomed the bringing forward of the planned revaluation to 2021 because we think thats important because it does give businesses the most accurate reflection of a rateable value of their property. So it ensures that businesses are paying the correct amount for the property in which they are operating from adding the UK Government delay was disappointing but completely understandable given the legislative challenges that UK Government is facing at the moment. Clearly, we will just have to work to a refreshed timetable in due course.

Welsh Government have now confirmed the new refreshed timetable with the next non-domestic rates revaluation in Wales will take effect in 2023 and will be based on property values as at 1 April 2021.

The Minister for Finance said yesterday, Postponing the revaluation to 2023 will mean that the rateable values on which rates bills are based will better reflect the impact of COVID-19. The change will also mean that the next revaluation in Wales takes effect at the same time as that in England, ensuring businesses and other ratepayers in Wales are not placed at a disadvantage compared to those elsewhere.

The Welsh Government have indicated there could be future changes to the entire system with the Minister adding, The Welsh Government continues to explore more fundamental reforms to the local taxation system. I have previously outlined our approach to reforming local taxes  council tax and nondomestic rates  as an integral part of the wider local government finance system. I published an update on progress last November.

In reforming the local taxation system, our aim is to provide greater resilience for local authorities; fairness for citizens and businesses, and ensure there is sustainable funding for vital local services.

We have already achieved our short-term goals for the nondomestic rates system in Wales and we are now considering wider and longer-term questions. These include looking at different approaches to property valuation and whether they are viable; whether they would be fairer; and whether there would be benefits for public services and the economy in Wales. We are also looking at potential alternatives for raising revenue from non-domestic property in the longer term.

The Minister said the government intend to publish the results from their programme of work in the autumn, to inform the debate about local government finance ahead of the next Senedd term.
Evan Agostini/Invision/AP/Shutterstock Nev Schulman

Catfish host Nev Schulman brightened the day of a pregnant waitress when he left her with a very generous and thoughtful tip.

Earlier this month, Zulia Reyes was working at Smash Burger at the Denver International Airport in Colorado when she saw a familiar face.

"I'm like, 'Why do you look so familiar?' " Reyes recalled in an interview with Denver 7 News. "That looks like the guy from Catfish."

Reyes shared that Schulman, 35, was very kind when she waited on his table and even asked her about her baby on the way.

RELATED: It's a Boy! Catfish's Nev Schulman and Wife Laura Perlongo Welcome Son Beau Bobby Bruce

"He's like, 'When are you do?' " Reyes told the news outlet. "I told him, 'Sept. 26' and he's like, 'That's my birthday!' "

Touched by the connection, Schulman made sure to incorporate the date into Reyes' tip.

"This can't be happening! This can't be true. The tip was $926 for my due date, which is Sept. 26," Reyes said in the news clip, fighting back tears.

Schulman also signed the receipt, writing, "Congrats on your baby girl!"

"It means the world to my baby and my family ... we never expected that ever to happen to us," Reyes said.

RELATED: Celebs Who've Branched Out of Their Careers to Give Back in Beautiful Ways

Schulman's gift couldn't have come at a better time for Reyes, who explained to Denver 7 News that she's been having a rough time and her husband is currently out of work. Reyes herself had also been laid off for a month earlier this year and was forced to return pregnant, only adding to her stress.

"It means rent, or it means at least her crib or her stroller is paid for," Reyes said. "It makes me so emotional that something like that is taken care of and I don't have to worry about it."

On Monday, Schulman shared the news clip, simply tweeting a smiley face emoji alongside the video.
NDCs Communicator, Mohammed Naziru says the US government was left shell-shocked and stupefied by certain revelations following its earlier threat to sanction Ghana over the termination of the controversial Power Distribution Services (PDS) Ghana Limited deal with the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG).



He claims in an interview with NEAT FMs morning show Ghana Montie that the fraudulent deal has exposed the Nana Addo-led government to the world.



According to Naziru, the US government is no more interested in the deal  but he failed to give details to back his claims.



He, however, maintained that all persons who directly or indirectly played a role in the PDS scam will surely face judgment as promised by his party when elected into power.





The US government threatened sanctions against Ghana over the termination of the controversial Power Distribution Services (PDS) Ghana Limited deal with the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG).Government in a letter dated October 18, 2019 to the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) announced the termination of the agreement which came into effect on March 1, 2019 and saw PDS take over Ghanas major power distribution company, ECG.The decision, government explained, was prompted by some breaches of the agreement by PDS.According to the Ghana government, PDS failed to fulfill the necessary condition precedent in the agreement, which borders on-demand guarantee.But Ghanas decision upsets the US government which gave the Ghana government October 30 to reverse the decision or face the consequences of the decision, which will be to lose 190 million dollars under the MCC Compact II.

Source: King Edward Ambrose Washman Addo/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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A natural gas explosion destroyed three row houses in Baltimore on Monday morning, killing a woman and trapping other people in the debris. At least seven people were seriously injured, and firefighters were searching for more survivors.

Dozens of firefighters converged on the piles of rubble. A fourth house in the row was ripped open, and windows were shattered in nearby homes, leaving the northwest Baltimore neighborhood of Reisterstown Station strewn with glass and other rubble.

Its a disaster. Its a mess. Its unbelievable, said Diane Glover, who lives across the street. Her windows where shattered and her front door was blown open. Im still shaken up, she said hours later.

Seven people were hospitalized, while a woman was pronounced dead at the scene, The Baltimore City Fire Department said on its Twitter page. One person transported to the University of Maryland Medical Center is in critical condition, the Baltimore Sun reported. Rescuers were painstakingly going through the rubble by hand, prepared to work into the night.

Were trying to make sure that we comb through every area to determine if there are any victims inside, Baltimore Fire Department spokeswoman Blair Adams said at an afternoon news conference.

While the cause wasnt immediately clear, The Sun reported last year that dangerous gas leaks have become much more frequent, with nearly two dozen discovered each day on average, according to the utilitys reports to federal authorities. The Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. has thousands of miles of obsolete pipes that need to be replaced, an effort that would cost nearly $1 billion and take two decades, the newspaper said.

No gas odors were reported prior to this mornings event and BGE did not receive any recent gas odor calls from the block of homes that were damaged, it said in a statement late Monday.

BGE said it responded to the scene at the fire departments request to shut off all gas and electric service to make the scene safe. BGE has canvassed the area and found no current readings of gas. A statement from the utility said it will conduct an investigation of its equipment in the area.

Area inspections will encompass homes and gas equipment in a wide area to ensure there is no additional damage, the statement said. In addition, BGE is reviewing records for this area, including any reported gas odors, recent inspection results and repairs.

Glover, 56, and her 77-year-old father, Moses Glover, were at home when the massive explosion shook their house, knocking over a fan and some of her DVDs.

I jumped up to see what was going on. I looked out the bathroom window and there was a house on the ground, she said. It sounded like a bomb went off.

Dean Jones, 36, who lives nearby, ran to the scene. He said he saw a mess of bricks, glass and cinder blocks  and also a box of pancakes.

You could tell this was a house that people lived in, he said.

Jones said he and others began calling out for survivors and located an older woman who was eventually pulled out by firefighters. Kevin Matthews, who lives on the block, told The Baltimore Sun that he could hear trapped children shouting: Come get us! Were stuck!

Barry Leventhal, whose warehouse equipment business is about 150 feet from the blast site, said he was in his warehouse when the explosion erupted and shook his building, damaging lights and a concrete wall.

Fortunately, none of the companys 10 employees was injured.

We thought a plane crashed or something. We couldnt figure it out, said Leventhal, the owner of Everything Warehouse.

BGE asked the Maryland Public Service Commission to approve a new gas system infrastructure and a cost recovery mechanism in late 2017 to pay for upgrades.

Founded in 1816, BGE is the oldest gas distribution company in the nation. Like many older gas systems, a larger portion of its gas main and services infrastructure consists of cast iron and bare steel  materials that are obsolete and susceptible to failure with age, the PSC wrote in a 2018 order approving a modernization plan.

This areas gas infrastructure was installed in the early 1960s. When aging pipes fail, they tend to make headlines. Last year, a gas explosion ripped the facade off a Maryland office complex in Columbia, affecting more than 20 businesses. No one was injured in the explosion early on a Sunday morning. In 2016, a gas main break forced the evacuation of the Baltimore County Circuit Courthouse. Under Armour Inc. had to evacuate its Baltimore office after a gas main break in 2012.

BGE said in a statement late Monday that its most recent inspection of the gas mains and services in the area occurred in June and July of 2019 and did not identify any leaks.

Baltimore City Council President Brandon Scott said he needs the entire city of Baltimore right now to focus on hopeful prayers for those individuals that have been impacted by this.

I want everybody in the city really to rally around those individuals that are still fighting for their lives, he said at a news conference.

Associated Press contributors include Mike Kunzelman in Silver Spring, Brian Witte in Annapolis, and Ben Finley in Norfolk, Virginia.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Homeowners Numbers Maryland
A man has been attacked on Wednesday afternoon in the Parc de Choisy in Paris, four officials with an iron rod. Three of the four participating in the operation, police officers were injured, one of them seriously, as the French news site "Actu17" reported. Accordingly, one of the police officers opened fire on the alleged attacker. This was in a critical condition and will notarztlich treated, reported the news site.

According to a police officials had been called initially because of a suspicious Person in the Park and masturbated. When the police arrived, hid the alleged perpetrator in a business. Subsequently, the police will have officers trying to gain access to the business, and were attacked by the man with an iron bar or a crowbar, as it says in the police report.

The Paris Prosecutor's office has launched an investigation for attempted murder. With further investigation, the criminal investigation Department was commissioned. The incident occurred at about 15:30 in a Park in the 13th century. This hotel is located in the South of Paris, in the vicinity of two large children's playgrounds.

Updated Date: 12 August 2020, 13:19
(Newser)  Scientific support for the widely debated theory that the coronavirus spreads through the air has emerged. University of Florida researchers said they've shown that there's live virus in floating respiratory droplets, the New York Times reports. "This is what people have been clamoring for," said Linsey Marr, a Virginia Tech expert who was not involved in the work. "It's unambiguous evidence that there is infectious virus in aerosols." The researchers reported isolating live virus from aerosols they collected 7 to 16 feet from hospitalized patients. Other teams had run into obstacles. The Florida researchers came up with a sampler that uses pure water vapor to enlarge the aerosols for collection from the air. The pathogen was preserved by putting the aerosols in a liquid heavy on salts, sugar, and protein. "I'm impressed," an Australian researcher said. "It's a very clever measurement technique."

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The findings, which have not undergone peer review yet, could mean that 6 feet of social distance isn't enough. That guideline is misleading, another expert said, "because people think they are protected indoors, and theyre really not." Even in stagnant air, she said, small aerosols can cross a room in about 5 minutes. And they can remain afloat in the air for hours, Marr said. Some scientists cautioned that it's not known whether the virus researchers recovered was enough to cause infections. But Marr is among those who said the issue is settled. "If this isn't a smoking gun, then I dont know what is," she tweeted. The findings could make clear what work needs to be done next. "Once we acknowledge that virus is transmitting through aerosols," Marr said, per CBS, "we can then take steps to address that and to reduce that risk." (Read more coronavirus stories.)
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - le 12 aout/August 2020) - The common shares of Pike Mountain Minerals Inc. (the "Issuer") will be delisted at the market close Thursday, August 13th, 2020.

Further to the Issuer's news release on August 7, 2020, the CSE has objected to the transaction proposed by the Issuer and will not permit the transaction to be completed as a Fundamental Change of a CSE Listed Company as described by CSE Policy. It is the position of the Exchange that an issuer that has applied and been granted a listing based on the disclosure in a prospectus should diligently pursue or engage in the business activities described in that prospectus before considering any proposed transaction that may be considered a fundamental change.

Upon the Issuer's announcement of a non-binding letter of intent on June 26th, the Exchange informed the Issuer that it would object to the transaction, and if the Issuer were to pursue the transaction instead of its stated business objectives, it would be delisted from the Exchange.

The Issuer applied to the CSE as, and qualified for listing as a resource issuer. It is the position of the CSE that the Issuer has not adequately pursued the business objectives as described in a prospectus and listing documentation, and on which the Exchange's listing approval was granted.

_________________________________

Suite au communique de presse de l'emetteur du 7 aout 2020, le CSE s'est oppose a une transaction proposee par l'emetteur et n'autorisera pas la realisation de la transaction en tant que changement fondamental d'une societe cotee par le CSE tel que decrit par la politique du CSE. La position de la Bourse est qu'un emetteur qui a demande et obtenu une cotation sur la base de la divulgation dans un prospectus devrait exercer avec diligence ou s'engager dans les activites commerciales decrites dans ce document avant d'envisager toute transaction proposee qui pourrait etre consideree comme un changement fondamental .

Des l'annonce par l'emetteur d'une lettre d'intention non contraignante le 26 juin, la Bourse a informe l'emetteur qu'elle s'opposerait a la transaction, et si l'emetteur devait poursuivre la transaction au lieu de ses objectifs commerciaux declares, il serait radie de la cote. l'echange.

L'emetteur s'est adresse au CSE en tant qu'emetteur de ressources et a ete qualifie pour etre liste comme emetteur de ressources. Le CSE est d'avis que l'emetteur n'a pas suffisamment poursuivi les objectifs commerciaux decrits dans un prospectus et dans la documentation de cotation, et sur lesquels l'approbation de cotation de la Bourse a ete accordee.

Date: Market Close/Cloture du marches le 13 aout/August 2020 Symbol(s)/Symbole(s): PIKE.X

If you have any questions or require further information please contact Listings at (416) 367-7340 or E-mail: Listings@thecse.com.

Pour toute question, pour obtenir de l'information supplementaire veuillez communiquer avec le service des inscriptions au 416 367-7340 ou par courriel a l'adresse: Listings@thecse.com.
Eleven hundred Asians from twenty-four countries gathered in steamy Singapore November 513 under the banner Christ Seeks Asia. Their congress, sponsored by the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, was an outgrowth of the 1966 World Congress on Evangelism in Berlin.

The Asian Congress met to implement Berlin proposals, define biblical evangelism, stress the urgency of proclamation to Asias two billion people, assess the obstacles to evangelism in Asia, develop effective techniques, evaluate evangelism programs in the light of changing conditions, and challenge churches and Christian organizations to a bold and cooperative program.

Unlike the World Council of Churches conclave at Uppsala last August, which devoted itself mainly to social, political, and economic issues, the Asia-South Pacific Congress concentrated on winning men to personal faith in Christ. While some attention was paid to the theology of evangelism, the delegates spent most of their time devising strategy.

From the outset, the Asians said plainly that they wanted to stand on their own feet and be independent of the West. While grateful to Graham for making the congress possible, they wanted it known that it was an Asian congress run by Asians. Some delegates said there was too much western involvement. But the Asians had problems of their own: Chinese from Singapore complained they had inadequate representation.

Asians have grave doubts about the theological stability of the West. Dr. Jong Sung Rhee of Korea charged that. Western Christianity has been infiltrated by humanism, liberalism, syncretism, and universalism. Spontaneous and prolonged applause greeted his statement:

If our guilt-conscious western friends cannot stand firm against the danger of religious ...

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Taxi

A new regulation to be implemented in late August by the Lagos State Government may bring an end to many businesses including ride-hailing services like Uber, Taxify and others.

According to Guardian, under the new regulations, which were earlier scheduled to take effect in March, third-party operators like Uber and Bolt that have over 1000 drivers on their platforms will pay 25 million licencing fee and 10 million annual renewal fee.

Those that have less than 1000 drivers will pay a licensing fee of 10 million and an annual renewal fee of 5 million if they have less than 1000 drivers.

Operators who directly own their cars and employ their drivers will pay only the license fee of 5 million if such operators have below 50 drivers. Those who have over 50 drivers will pay 10 million for the operating license.

E-hailing operators are also to pay 10 per cent service tax on each transaction paid by the passengers and are mandated to renew their licenses three months before the expiration of the current licence.

The president of the National Union of Professional App-Based Workers Ayoade Ibrahim told The Guardian on Monday that the new regulations put a heavy burden on the drivers and expose them to the whims of ride-hailing companies.

The spokesperson for Lagos State Ministry of Transport Bolanle Ogunlola confirmed that the new regulations will start on August 20. She said the enforcement of the guidelines will not start until after a stakeholder meeting is held.

Ibrahim insisted members of the union are not against the government properly regulating the industry in the state as they have agreed to pay taxes on their income to the government.

A similar arrangement, he said, is in place for the unregulated yellow cab drivers.

But the problem is more than the payment of taxes. The interpretation of the provision of who pays the 10 per cent commission on each trip to the Lagos State Government is also contentious.

Section 4.1 (v) of the new guidelines says: All operators of e-Hailing Taxi Services must pay the State Government 10% Service tax on each transaction paid by the passengers to the operators.

Although according to Ibrahim, state officials said the service tax will be deducted from the commission collected by ride-hailing companies, the section does not specify if the tax will be made on the total amount paid by the passengers or the commission paid deducted from such payment by the ride-hailing companies.

The union feared drivers will still, directly or indirectly, pay the service tax even if the deduction is made on commissions payable to the ride-hailing companies.

If they start collecting the 10 per cent and Uber increases its commission from 25 per cent to 35 per cent can [the] government stop them, Ibrahim asked.

[The government] must listen to driver-partners. We are talking of price mechanism, security, and policies that will leverage competition.

Ibrahim accused Bolt and Uber of shunning, at least, five meetings the drivers union had with the state government, the latest of which held last Thursday.

None of the operators, he said, have registered with the government, putting the operations of the drivers at risk. He said Uber and Bolt have told the government that they only provide the technology to connect drivers to riders.

[Government officials] told us on Thursday that we should tell Uber to come and register with the government, Ibrahim said.

I told them I am not in a position to go and tell Uber to come and pay 25 million to the government.

But Ogunlola disputed claims that Uber and Bolt have shunned the meetings. She said representatives of the two companies have met with the state officials.

When The Guardian reached out to the spokesperson for Uber in West Africa, Efosa Aiyevbomwan, he said he cannot comment on the issue and directed our reporter to his colleague Lorraine Onduru. An email sent to Onduru was not immediately replied.

The regional manager (West Africa) of Bolt, Uche Okafor, was also not reachable on phone and an email sent to him was not replied.

In an email sent to The Guardian in February, the Uber spokesperson referred to the Nigerian drivers on the companys platform as independent.

Uber has long maintained that position to avoid paying taxes, charges and other possible payments to drivers. That stance was dealt a blow in March in France after the French Court of Cassation ruled that Uber BV was an employer of a former driver who sued the ride-hailing giant.

The driver sued after his account was deactivated, depriving him of the possibility to get new reservations.

A similar order was given against Uber in June by the California Public Utilities Commission. For now, TNC drivers are presumed to be employees, and the commission must ensure that TNCs comply with those requirements that are applicable to the employees of an entity subject to the Commissions jurisdiction, the commission wrote in its order that also affected Lyft and other Transportation Network Companies (TNC).

Uber drivers are also classified as employees of the company in the United Kingdom. The company is challenging that in the UKs highest court while Bolt is facing litigation that may classify its drivers as employees.

Ibrahim also told The Guardian that the government threatened to force the drivers off the roads using officers of the notorious Vehicle Inspection Services, also known as VIO, until the operators on whose platforms they operate pay the fees.

Ibrahim said the threats were unfair to him and his colleagues.

Four other drivers who spoke to The Guardian on the matter said the governments threat of clamping down on them for the sins of the ride-hailing companies is unjust.

The drivers said they will resist any attempt to clamp down on their operations.
$10.95.,1945-6 Decker Boulevard. 803-834-3941. fusioncocinalatina.com.

The stakes were high. A Saturday morning, no food in our stomachs yet, delays aplenty. Conversation was short, tense. Food was needed and the 15-minute drive to get it was doing us no favors.

A week ago, I received a text from a farmer who told me to look into Fusion Cocina Latina on Decker Boulevard. The reason for the unsolicited recommendation was its Cuban sandwich. He texted me adoringly, Never had anything close to that Cuban sandwich.

My reaction was similar, yet more animalistic.

Oh f#!k, I exclaimed when I first bit into Fusion Cocina Latinas iteration.

It was a much-needed victory. Tempers may have boiled over without one.

The grilled bread crunched before giving way to the two layers of pork, ham and roasted pork, and pickles and mustard. Fusions Cuban melds together succulent fatty pork with sharp pickles and lively mustard. The opposing and complementary mix of flavors dance on your palate. A mess of sweet potato fries were the sandwichs companion, and they were excellent as well.

Earlier that morning I had asked what my partners favorite hot sandwich growing up was. She told me hers was a hot ham and cheese, and I quickly concurred. After that day, we both agreed that the Cuban was better and may have taken the mantle.
New Delhi: Bollywood superstar Sanjay Dutt has been diagnosed with stage 3 lung cancer and will reportedly fly off to the US for his immediate medication. The news broke a million hearts and social media was abuzz with messages showering Dutt with 'get well soon Munna Bhai' posts.

His celebrity friends too are heartbroken and extended support to the actor and his family in this hour of the health crisis. Many even took to Twitter and wrote:

You are, have and always will be a fighter @duttsanjay. I know the pain it causes but I also know you are strong and will see this tough phase through. My prayers and best wishes for your speedy recovery.  Yuvraj Singh (@YUVSTRONG12) August 11, 2020

You will fight this too Tiger !! With you ! @duttsanjay  rahul dholakia (@rahuldholakia) August 11, 2020

Get well soon sir @duttsanjay  Neha Dhupia (@NehaDhupia) August 11, 2020

Initial reports suggested that Dutt will be leaving for the States as early as on Wednesday. He was diagnosed with the deadly 'c' word and the news came out on August 11, Tuesday. He was recently admitted to Mumbai's Lilavati Hospital after complaining for breathlessness and after two days got discharged. He had tested negative for coronavirus.

He even took to social media and without disclosing the illness, shared with fans that he will be taking a short break from home and will be back soon. He insisted, his fans and well-wishers not to worry and avoid speculations.

On the work front, Sanjay Dutt, will be next seen in 'Sadak 2', featuring Pooja Bhatt, Alia Bhatt, Aditya Roy Kapur. It is the sequel to the 1991 hit of the same name and is helmed by Mahesh Bhatt.

'Sadak 2' is streaming on Disney+Hotstar on August 28, 2020.
Hong Kong: DH nurse initially tests positive

The Department of Health today announced that a nurse of its Office for Regulation of Private Healthcare Facilities Licensing Division has preliminarily tested positive for COVID-19.

The nurse is responsible for processing licence applications for private healthcare facilities. The offices in Wan Chai and Taikoo Shing where she worked were closed immediately for thorough cleaning and disinfection until further notice.

She had no recent travel history and last performed duties on August 11. In the evening of the same day, she was notified of the preliminary positive result by the Centre for Health Protection (CHP).

Her body temperature was normal before commencing duty and she wore a mask and followed relevant disease prevention measures at work.

In the past 14 days of her duty, she mainly stayed in the office without any contact with the public and did not take part in inspections of private healthcare facilities.

The department said epidemiological investigations and relevant contact tracing by the CHP are ongoing.

One staff member has been listed as a close contact so far and will be quarantined, while virus testing has been arranged for other colleagues who worked with the nurse.

During the closure of the offices concerned, members of the public may submit licence applications via the e-Licensing system or by post.

Call 3107 8451 for enquiries.

This story has been published on: 2020-08-12. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Ecuador expects a quick resolution to a trade dispute with China over traces of coronavirus in a container of exported shrimp that led Beijing to suspend imports from three companies, Ecuadors production and trade minister said on Tuesday.

Chinese officials last month said they found six positive results in tests for coronavirus in the walls of a container carrying frozen Ecuadorean shrimp, even through the shrimp and inner packaging tested negative.

China has given the green light for one of the three companies to resume exports after Ecuador agreed to improve shipping protocols, Ivan Ontaneda said in an interview, adding that the other two should be approved soon.

We are in the final stretch for the other two establishments to also overcome the impasse, said Ontaneda, who oversees the countrys fishing industry.

The virtual inspections were completed to (their) satisfaction, with positive feedback on quality standards.

One of the three companies, Industrial Pesquera Santa Priscila SA, sent Reuters a June 10 letter to clients in which it said it had received authorization from China to resume exports.

The other two companies, Empacreci SA and Empacadora Del Pacifico SA, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

An oil-producing nation, Ecuador exported nearly $4 billion of shrimp in 2019, 55% of which went to China, according to official data.

But shrimp sales have dropped in the last two months due to the economic effects of the coronavirus, as have remittances from emigrees, which are historically an important source of foreign exchange for Ecuador.

Today were relying on income from non-oil exports, this income must be increased, said Ontaneda.

Social distancing measures meant to control the pandemic cost the economy some $7 billion between mid-March and August due to declines in industrial and commercial activity.

The government needs about $4 billion to reactivate idled businesses, he added.

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Former Vice President Joe Biden on Tuesday announced that he has selected Sen. Kamala Harris as his running mate, fulfilling the hopes of her supporters who have long boosted her as a dream addition to an eventual Biden ticket.

But the pick doesnt come without baggage. The pairs brutal clash over Bidens record on race during the first Democratic debate last summer has left some of his key advisers still smarting over what they describe as a lack of remorse for the sharp attack. Harris has also faced criticism for her record on criminal justice, and she has been admonished by some as too politically ambitious, a label some have decried as sexist.

Here are five things to know about the woman who could become vice president.

Her prosecutorial background has been a flashpoint

Then-Attorney General Kamala Harris hold a news conference at the Capitol in Sacramento in July 2012.

Before she was elected to the Senate in 2016, Harris spent 26 years as a prosecutor in her home state of California, rising through the ranks to become district attorney in San Francisco before being elected state attorney general in 2010.

But her lengthy prosecutorial record is both one of her most prominent credentials and the source of distrust among liberals who scoffed at Harris identifying herself as a progressive prosecutor.

Since the campaign, however, Harris has emerged as one of the leading voices in Congress on criminal justice reform, co-authoring Democrats sweeping police reform legislation earlier this summer in the wake of national protests over police brutality.

Harris selection marks a rebound after a stinging debate attack

Harris lobbed one of the most forceful attacks of the primary at Biden when she went after his record on school desegregation and busing, as well as his warm words for segregationists in Congress.

In the immediate aftermath of the viral exchange, it appeared to propel Harris to the front of the crowded primary field, though the political boost was ultimately short-lived when Harris acknowledged she had essentially held the same view on busing as he did. The attack also made her the target of backlash from Bidens allies  and as recently as March, Bidens wife Jill described the moment as a punch to the gut.

Story continues

But Harris has been a loyal Biden surrogate since she endorsed him back in March, hosting fundraisers and roundtables with the vice president and his wife and defending him on television.

She was close with Bidens late son

Thinking of @JoeBiden, @DrBiden and the entire Biden family today. Beau Biden was my friend. We were AGs together, and you couldnt find a person who cared more deeply for his family, the nation he served, and the state of Delaware. Four years after his passing, I still miss him. pic.twitter.com/b7lP3TwxYq  Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) May 30, 2019

The senator formed a close relationship with Bidens late son, Beau, when he served as the Delaware attorney general while Harris was attorney general of California. In her 2019 memoir, Harris called Beau Biden, who died of brain cancer in 2015, an "incredible friend and colleague," and wrote that she sometimes spoke with the younger Biden as many as multiple times a day in difficult moments.

Biden and his allies have cited Harris friendship with Beau as a key reason her debate broadside stung as much as it did.

I wasnt prepared for the person coming after me the way she came after me. She knew Beau, she knows me, Biden told CNN last year.

Our son, Beau, spoke so highly of her and you know, and how great she was, Jill Biden said at the same fundraiser where she lamented Harris debate blow.

Not long before the debate moment, Harris had marked the fourth anniversary of Beaus death on Twitter, writing: I still miss him.

Harris is the daughter of immigrants

From left, then-California Supreme Court Chief Justice Ronald M. George administers the oath of office to then-San Francisco District Attorney Kamala Harris as her mother, Dr. Shyamala Gopalan, holds a copy of the Bill of Rights.

Her mother Shyamala was the daughter of an Indian diplomat and worked as a cancer researcher, while Harris father Donald was born in Jamaica and taught economics at Stanford. The pair met during civil rights protests at UC Berkeley in the 1960s. They divorced when Harris was 7, and Harris and her sister Maya were raised by their mother, whom the senator has cited as a foundational influence in her life.

She made a name for herself with relentless cross examinations of Trump officials

Once she arrived in the Senate in 2017, Harris wasted no time raising her national profile, going viral for her grillings of White House appointees from former Attorney General Jeff Sessions, to Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh and Attorney General William Barr, to CIA Director Gina Haspel.

In May, Harris campaign surrogate Bakari Sellers posited that Harris elite interrogation skills would be put to good use on a Biden ticket.

What I would take from that for choosing a vice president is shes a really skilled debater, he said of her debate confrontation with Biden, and shed kick Mike Pences ass.


A Queensland man who was found to have escaped from mandatory quarantine on Tuesday has returned to the hotel he disappeared from and surrendered to police.

The escape has sparked an independent police investigation into the 25-year-old's disappearance and the police service's hotel quarantine procedures to identify any loopholes.

Deputy Commissioner Steve Gollschewski said the escapee was a Toowoomba local who allegedly tried to cross the border unlawfully. Credit:Matt Dennien

The man fled from a Toowoomba hotel, west of Brisbane, and was believed to have been originally intercepted at the Goondiwindi border crossing checkpoint in southern Queensland.

Police Minister Mark Ryan told State Parliament earlier on Wednesday the man was nine days into his mandatory 14-day quarantine period when he disappeared.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-12 20:47:57|Editor: huaxia

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BLANTYRE, Malawi, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- As the world commemorates the International Youth Day, youths in Malawi have pledged to support the health sector through different life-changing actions.

According to the Ministry of Health in Malawi, the health services have been interrupted heavily due to COVID-19.

For instance, Malawi Blood Transfusion Service (MBTS) recently hinted that blood supply in hospitals has gone down because many of its supplies are closed.

For days, Anita Kautsi, 45, has been moving around Blantyre hospitals in search of blood for her anaemic child. According to her, the situation was hectic. For MBTS, this is one of the biggest challenges that the institution is facing during this time.

In trying to reverse the situation, the youth in Malawi have pledged to devote themselves in blood donation and raising awareness on COVID-19.

Thompson Simwaka, 22, has been donating blood to MBTS for three years. According to him, it's very important for the youth to be on the forefront in helping the health sector due to challenges it is facing.

"I urge my fellow youth to voluntarily go and donate blood. As youths, we have a big role to serve in our societies with our full potential," he said.

Similarly, Milcaf Yelesani, a student at the University of Malawi, has urged the youth across the country regardless of their background to come together in finding solutions to global problems.

"The world is looking forward to us, the youth, to become more proactive, whilst we are still young, we should do everything possible in efforts of bringing tangible solutions," he said.

This year, youth across the world are celebrating the international youth day under a theme "Youth Engagement for Global Action", however, due to COVID-19 restrictions, youth in Malawi are celebrating at their homes. Enditem
* Euro zone periphery govt bond yields tmsnrt.rs/2ii2Bqr (Updates throughout, adds commentary and chart) By Elizabeth Howcroft LONDON, Aug 12 (Reuters) - Euro zone government bonds sold off on Wednesday before the largest-ever 10-year U.S. Treasury auction, with the German 30-year bond yield turning briefly positive, even after euro zone industrial output showed the economic recovery was slowing. The Treasury will sell a record $38 billion in 10-year notes on Wednesday and $26 billion in 30-year bonds on Thursday. Core euro zone bonds sold off, with most yields up 3 to 4 basis points. Southern European bonds also sold off, with spreads narrowing. The 10-year U.S. Treasury yield rose the most in two months on Tuesday, extending gains on Wednesday to reach a five-week high of 0.68%. It started off as a technical move because of the issuance that we have from the U.S. later today, said Antoine Bouvet, rates strategist at ING. But the real reason is that stocks are strong and theres momentum in the market. We are cautious because we are quite bearish about the global economy and the U.S. in particular. The moves come after the benchmark 10-year Bund had its biggest daily spike in a month on Tuesday as Wall Street rebounded towards pre-pandemic highs. ADVERTISEMENT Germanys 10-year Bund yield rose 4 bps to a 23-day high of -0.430% at around 1026 GMT. Frances 10-year yield rose as high as -0.152%, its highest in 16 days. Spains 10-year yield rose 4 bps to 0.326%. Italys was at 1.048%, up 3 bps on the day. Belgian, Dutch, Finnish and Irish bond yields also jumped. Risk-on in recent days is taking its toll, but also the U.S. supply avalanche were seeing this week requires some concessions, said Christoph Rieger, head of rates and credit research at Commerzbank. But Commerzbank wrote in a note to clients that the sell-off was premature. Fundamentally nothing has changed, Rieger said. The coronavirus situation has not improved, the macro situation has not changed, if anything the political risk from U.S.-China has increased. Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that Russia had become the first country to grant regulatory approval to a COVID-19 vaccine after less than two months of human testing. But the announcement was met with scepticism and had limited market impact. ADVERTISEMENT German Health Minister Jens Spahn said on Wednesday that the vaccine had not been tested enough. Eurozone industrial production data showed that, although output increased in June, the rebound from March and Aprils record lows was below expectations for a second month in a row, and slower than May. Reporting by Elizabeth Howcroft, additional reporting by Abhinav Ramnarayan, editing by Larry King

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and may not reflect those of Kitco Metals Inc. The author has made every effort to ensure accuracy of information provided; however, neither Kitco Metals Inc. nor the author can guarantee such accuracy. This article is strictly for informational purposes only. It is not a solicitation to make any exchange in commodities, securities or other financial instruments. Kitco Metals Inc. and the author of this article do not accept culpability for losses and/ or damages arising from the use of this publication.
Technavio has been monitoring the refractory materials market for steel industry and it is poised to grow by 5.20 mn tons during 2020-2024, progressing at a CAGR of over 3% during the forecast period. The report offers an up-to-date analysis regarding the current market scenario, latest trends and drivers, and the overall market environment.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200812005327/en/

Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Refractory Materials Market for Steel Industry 2020-2024 (Graphic: Business Wire)

Technavio suggests three forecast scenarios (optimistic, probable, and pessimistic) considering the impact of COVID-19. Please Request Latest Free Sample Report on COVID-19 Impact

The market is fragmented, and the degree of fragmentation will accelerate during the forecast period. CALDERYS France SAS, CoorsTek Inc., HarbisonWalker International Inc., Krosaki Harima Corp., Magnezit Group, Morgan Advanced Materials Plc, Refratechnik Holding GmbH, RHI Magnesita GmbH, Compagnie de Saint-Gobain SA, and Vesuvius Plc are some of the major market participants. To make the most of the opportunities, market vendors should focus more on the growth prospects in the fast-growing segments, while maintaining their positions in the slow-growing segments.

Increasing demand for steel from various sectors has been instrumental in driving the growth of the market. However, fluctuation in the cost of refractory raw materials and high energy consumption might hamper the market growth.

Refractory Materials Market for Steel Industry 2020-2024: Segmentation

Refractory Materials Market for Steel Industry is segmented as below:

Type Brick Monolithic

Geography APAC Europe North America South America MEA



To learn more about the global trends impacting the future of market research, download a free sample: https://www.technavio.com/talk-to-us?report=IRTNTR43670

Refractory Materials Market for Steel Industry 2020-2024: Scope

Technavio presents a detailed picture of the market by the way of study, synthesis, and summation of data from multiple sources. Our refractory materials market for steel industry report covers the following areas:

Refractory Materials Market for Steel Industry size

Refractory Materials Market for Steel Industry trends

Refractory Materials Market for Steel Industry industry analysis

This study identifies increasing capacity developments in the steel industry as one of the prime reasons driving the growth of the refractory materials market for the steel industry during the next few years.

Refractory Materials Market for Steel Industry 2020-2024: Vendor Analysis

We provide a detailed analysis of around 25 vendors operating in the refractory materials market for steel industry, including some of the vendors such as CALDERYS France SAS, CoorsTek Inc., HarbisonWalker International Inc., Krosaki Harima Corp., Magnezit Group, Morgan Advanced Materials Plc, Refratechnik Holding GmbH, RHI Magnesita GmbH, Compagnie de Saint-Gobain SA, and Vesuvius Plc. Backed with competitive intelligence and benchmarking, our research reports on the refractory materials market for steel industry are designed to provide entry support, customer profile and M&As as well as go-to-market strategy support.

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Refractory Materials Market for Steel Industry 2020-2024: Key Highlights

CAGR of the market during the forecast period 2020-2024

Detailed information on factors that will assist the growth of refractory materials market for steel industry during the next five years

Estimation of the size of refractory materials market for the steel industry and its contribution to the parent market

Predictions on upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior

The growth of the refractory materials market for steel industry

Analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information on vendors

Comprehensive details of factors that will challenge the growth of refractory materials market vendors fin steel industry vendors

Table Of Contents :

Executive Summary

Market Landscape

Market ecosystem

Market characteristics

Value chain analysis

Market Sizing

Market definition

Market segment analysis

Market size 2019

Market outlook: Forecast for 2019 2024

Five Forces Analysis

Five forces summary

Bargaining power of buyers

Bargaining power of suppliers

Threat of new entrants

Threat of substitutes

Threat of rivalry

Market condition

Market Segmentation by Type by Volume

Market segments

Comparison by Type volume chart

Brick Market size and forecast 2019-2024

Monolithic Market size and forecast 2019-2024

Market opportunity by Type volume chart

Customer Landscape

Overview

Geographic Landscape

Geographic segmentation

Geographic comparison

APAC Market size and forecast 2019-2024

Europe Market size and forecast 2019-2024

North America Market size and forecast 2019-2024

South America Market size and forecast 2019-2024

MEA Market size and forecast 2019-2024

Key leading countries

Market opportunity by geography

Market Drivers

Market Challenges

Market Trends

Vendor Landscape

Overview

Landscape disruption

Vendor Analysis

Vendors covered

Market positioning of vendors

CALDERYS France SAS

CoorsTek Inc.

HarbisonWalker International Inc.

Krosaki Harima Corp.

Magnezit Group

Morgan Advanced Materials Plc

Refratechnik Holding GmbH

RHI Magnesita GmbH

Compagnie de Saint-Gobain SA

Vesuvius Plc

Appendix

Scope of the report

Currency conversion rates for US$

Research methodology

List of abbreviations

About Us

Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focuses on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios.

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By Brian Benza

GABORONE (Reuters) - Preliminary tests to explain the reason for hundreds of mysterious elephant deaths in Botswana point to a naturally occurring toxin as a probable cause, a senior wildlife official told Reuters.

It was highly unlikely that an infectious disease was behind the shocking deaths of at least 281 elephants, added Cyril Taolo, acting director of the Department of Wildlife and National Parks.

Officials had been struggling to establish the cause of death more than two months after the first carcasses were spotted in the Okavango Panhandle region.

Initial investigations appeared to rule out common causes like poaching and anthrax.

"We have received more test results from other countries including the United States, and so far the results show that it's highly unlikely that the cause could be an infectious pathogen," Taolo said.

"Our main attention ... is now on investigating broader environmental factors such as naturally produced toxins from bacteria that are found in the environment, such as water bodies."

The government has sent samples to laboratories in Botswana, South Africa, Zimbabwe and the United States for tests.

As of last week it had received results from bacterial detection and toxicology tests in Botswana, histopathology tests in South Africa, and bacterial detection and histopathology tests in Zimbabwe.

Taolo said toxicology results were expected from South Africa soon.

"It's a game of elimination where we start testing the most common causes and then move on to the less common ones. We then have to verify and corroborate these results from different laboratory tests. We are hoping to provide a more concrete update tomorrow," he said.

The elephant deaths have concerned some conservationists, who fear deaths could spiral out of control if a cause cannot be established quickly.

Africa's overall elephant population is declining due to poaching but Botswana, home to almost a third of the continent's elephants, has seen numbers grow to around 130,000.

(Reporting by Brian Benza; Editing by Alexander Winning and Alexandra Hudson)
More than 10,000 baby turtles were released into the sea off the Indonesian island of Bali as part of conservationists attempts to boost the population of a vulnerable species and promote environmental protection.

Reuters

The Olive Ridley turtles are among the most abundant sea turtles, but are still considered vulnerable because there are few places where they nest.

The turtles, which can grow to more than a metre (three feet) in length and weigh upwards of 300 kilograms (700 pounds), are under threat due to poaching and habitat destruction.

Also Read: 15,000 Endangered Turtles Were Smuggled To China, 260 Died Until Mexico Seized Shipment



According to Reuters, their eggs are considered a delicacy and they are also slaughtered for their meat, skin and shells.

Conservation groups carried crates each full of dozens of tiny turtles to the Indonesian islands Gianyar beach and encouraged local people and volunteers to line up on the sand and release the hatchlings together.



Also Read: 20 Turtles Dead, Dozens Trapped In Plastic Waste On World's Longest Beach

Reuters

Its really exciting to see all of these turtles being released into the wild, said American volunteer Jessica Lieberman, adding she hoped they would survive.



Flavianus Erwin Putranto, a conservation volunteer, said turtle eggs were appearing in fewer places on Bali than before, but programmes to help protect them were seeing success.



We are able to collect and save them. Hopefully we can hatch more turtles and release them back into the ocean, he said.



Also Read: A Never-Seen-Before Yellow Turtle In Odisha Has Been Rescued & Has Become An Instant Favourite

Bali authorities released 25 of the larger green turtles into the sea on Wednesday after their rescue last month, during a raid on illegal traffickers. Marine officials carefully guided the giant reptiles as they thrashed their flippers in the sand to propel themselves toward the water.

AFP

"Hopefully these 25 turtles will survive so that they can lay their eggs again," said Bali conservation agency chief, Agus Budi Santosa, adding that 11 others rescued at the time would be freed later.



Agus Budi Santoso, head of the Bali Natural Resources and Conservation Center, recommended creating a green zone of designated beaches for turtles to lay eggs safely, away from hotels and construction sites.

ALL INPUTS REUTERS
Oregon Gov. Kate Browns office made no announcements Tuesday about potential travel restrictions following a week of uncertainty about whether the state might require quarantines or other measures to slow coronavirus spread.

Browns legislative director told lawmakers during a private call Aug. 4 that restrictions were under consideration and to expect more info within a week. But Browns office told lawmakers Tuesday that restrictions are not imminent, according to notes of the call reviewed by The Oregonian/OregonLive.

Charles Boyle, a spokesman for Brown, said conversations remain ongoing. Travel restrictions would be complex to implement and enforce, he said, and legislators were told that Browns office had no update to share.

This is a subject that requires thoughtful consideration, Boyle said in a statement. We are discussing issuing safe travel guidelines with other western states so travelers across our region are receiving the same information.

Brown has asked the Oregon Health Authority and the governors medical advisory panel for data on links between travel and coronavirus spread before making any decisions on possible travel restrictions. Oregon has lower coronavirus case and death rates than Washington, Idaho, Nevada and California.

Several states across the country have established quarantine periods for travelers or residents upon arrival.

Since March, Hawaii has required people who travel to the islands to quarantine for 14 days. Massachusetts this month began requiring travelers to quarantine for two weeks if they cant produce a negative coronavirus test, and Alaska now has similar requirements for negative tests.

But courts have found that restrictions on interstate travel need to be narrowly applied to protect individual rights. A federal judge in May shot down travel restrictions imposed by Kentuckys governor, saying they did not pass constitutional muster.

Oregon Sen. Dennis Linthicum, R-Klamath Falls, issued a statement Tuesday calling any potential travel restrictions unjustified.

A travel ban would crush any bit of remaining life out of rural Oregon, he said. If travel has been such a danger to the lives of Oregonians, why did Governor Brown wait until now?

-- Brad Schmidt; bschmidt@oregonian.com; 503-294-7628; @_brad_schmidt

Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories.




August 12, 2020  release at 7:30 am

Sophia Antipolis, France



Nicox SA (Euronext Paris: FR0013018124, COX), an international ophthalmology company, today announced the signature of an exclusive license agreement with ITROM Pharmaceutical Group for the registration and commercialization of ZERVIATETM (cetirizine ophthalmic solution), 0.24% for the treatment of ocular itching associated with allergic conjunctivitis in Gulf and Arab markets including the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar. ITROM is a regional, Dubai-based, internationally recognized pharmaceutical marketing and distribution group of companies specializing in the introduction and representation of breakthrough ophthalmology products since 1999.



Gavin Spencer, Chief Business Officer of Nicox, said: We are pleased to welcome ITROM as a partner for ZERVIATE as we continue to expand our collaborations globally and increase the value of the ZERVIATE franchise. ITROM has a strong focus in ophthalmology and has successfully brought other partnered products to the market in the region. They will be able to rely on the U.S. NDA to support their regulatory submission for ZERVIATE and are expected to obtain approvals without the need for further clinical studies. Their broad reach and commercial infrastructure in the region make them an excellent partner for Nicox.



ITROM is granted exclusive rights to develop and commercialize ZERVIATE in Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Oman, Qatar, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen. Nicox is eligible to receive 15% royalties on net sales of ZERVIATE in certain key countries, and 10% in other countries. Nicox will also receive a license fee on signature and may receive a future milestone payment upon product launch. ITROM will be responsible, at its own cost, for development and commercialization of ZERVIATE in the countries of the agreement. ZERVIATE is expected to require only the existing approved U.S. New Drug Application (NDA) package to support approval.



About ZERVIATE



ZERVIATETM (cetirizine ophthalmic solution), 0.24% is a novel formulation of cetirizine developed and approved for the first time for topical application in the eye for the treatment of ocular itching associated with allergic conjunctivitis. Cetirizine, the active ingredient in ZYRTEC, is a second-generation antihistamine (H1 receptor antagonist) that binds competitively to histamine receptor sites. Cetirizine, in approved oral formulations, has a well-characterized systemic efficacy and safety profile with worldwide exposure resulting from 20 years of oral use. ZERVIATE was developed by Nicox as the first and only formulation of cetirizine for topical application in the eye.



ZERVIATE, launched in the United States in March 2020 by Eyevance Pharmaceuticals, Nicoxs exclusive U.S. licensee, is also licensed exclusively to Ocumension Therapeutics in the Chinese and Southeast Asian markets and to Samil Pharmaceutical in South Korea.



About Allergic Conjunctivitis



Allergic conjunctivitis occurs when an allergic reaction causes conjunctivitis. Conjunctivitis is an inflammation of the thin layer of tissue that lines the outside of the white surface of the eye and the inner surface of the eyelids. It may affect one or both eyes. The signs and symptoms may include eye redness, excessive watering, itchy burning eyes, discharge, blurred vision and increased sensitivity to light.
VICTORIA - Children in British Columbia will return to classrooms two days later than originally planned as part of a gradual restart to schooling, the education minister says.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 12/8/2020 (524 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

B.C. Minister of Education Rob Fleming walks past a white board at Monterey Middle School following an update on part-time return to classes in Victoria, B.C., on June 2, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad Hipolito

VICTORIA - Children in British Columbia will return to classrooms two days later than originally planned as part of a gradual restart to schooling, the education minister says.

Rob Fleming said earlier this week that students wouldn't be expected back on the original date of Sept. 8 to help give administrators and teachers more time to prepare amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Staff will now meet on Sept. 8, while students will be welcomed in classrooms by Sept. 10.

"We arrived at the two days after discussions with all the leaders of all the major partner groups in B.C.," Fleming said on Wednesday. "This is the best scenario, I think, to continue to build the confidence and familiarity with the protocols that are in place."

He said outdoor education will play a large role in the first two months of classes and emphasized the importance of students returning to schools to continue their education.

"We can't sacrifice 18 months of education, we have to learn how to do things safely during this pandemic. That's why we've developed and evolved the guidelines to maximize the return to in-class instruction," Fleming said.

He acknowledged that some parents will not feel comfortable sending their kids back to school and the province's distributed learning centres would help those who have concerns.

School districts will individually set the hours of the first two days back in school, Fleming added.

Premier John Horgan said he understands parents and families are concerned about the circumstances, but added that schools are fundamental in a return to normalcy.

"We're working everyday, diligently, to try and ease those concerns to make it as safe as we possibly can," Horgan said.

"I think parents understand that, educators understand that, and the kids, of course, they just want to get back to school."

He said the government will be flexible over how schools operate and Fleming demonstrated that by delaying the school year for students by a few days.

"This is an extraordinary time, our children are going to be extraordinary because of this time that we're living in," said Horgan.

A government steering committee, established to help schools plan their restart, will issue operational guidelines next week on issues ranging from health and safety protocols to supporting the mental health of students.

The B.C. branch of the Canadian Union of Public Employees and Canadian Union of Public Employees K-12 Presidents Council said in a statement that it supports the gradual restart plan.

"The details announced this morning will help ensure that all K-12 workers will understand how schools will operate in the 'new normal,' " said Paul Faoro, the president of the B.C. union branch. "All stakeholders generally support this phased-in approach."

BC Teachers' Federation president Teri Mooring said she is pleased by the new return dates.

"I do applaud government for making the announcement today. I think it's important that families know when their children start school and I know that there's a lot of angst out there," she said.

"I do think it was important to get this information out."

More decisions will need to be made, but this is a step in the right direction to help teachers and students, Mooring added.

The government is spending $45.6 million on safety measures, including increased cleaning of high-contact surfaces, an increased number of hand-hygiene stations and boosting the availability of masks.

Students will be organized into learning groups to reduce the number of people they come in contact with, cutting the risk of transmitting the novel coronavirus.

Children in elementary and middle schools will have their learning groups capped at 60, while students in secondary schools will have a cap of 120.

 By Nick Wells in Vancouver.

This report was first published by The Canadian Press on Aug. 12, 2020.
Grammy Award-winning country musician Jason Isbell will be performing in Harrisburg in 2021 - provided it is safe to do so by then.

Harrisburg University has announced that Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit are planned to perform in the citys Riverfront Park on May 29, 2021.

Isbell has won four Grammy Awards: in 2016, he took home the awards for Best American Roots Song for 24 Frames and Best Americana Album for Something More Than Free; he took the same awards in 2018 with the song If We Were Vampires and the album The Nashville Sound.

The concert is the latest that Harrisburg University has planned for Harrisburgs Riverfront Park, though several that were planned for 2020 have been postponed until 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic. In the announcement for the Jason Isbell concert, the university stated that it will only take place if gathering is deemed safe according to the CDC pandemic guidelines by then.

Tickets will go on sale for $47 starting August 18, and will be found at the Harrisburg University Concert Series website or through Ticketmaster.

This story has been edited to clarify that the Harrisburg University concerts planned for 2020 have been postponed, not canceled.
The US State Department found at least two ways to skirt Congress freeze on $8.1 billion in arms sales to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, both of them legal, according to an inquiry report released just days after the departments inspector general resigned.

The State Department inspector general report submitted Monday says Secretary of State Mike Pompeo acted in accordance with US law when he issued an emergency certification in May 2019 to bypass Congress order to halt controversial arms sales to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. A redacted, unclassified version of the report was released today.

Lawmakers from both parties ordered a hold on arms transfers in response to the Saudi-led coalitions repeated bombing of civilians in Yemens civil war. Some in Congress further justified the freeze after the Saudi government was implicated in brutally murdering Washington Post columnist and US resident Jamal Khashoggi.

Pompeo cited threats to US partners in the Gulf by Iran when he issued the emergency exception in May 2019. This week's report did not assess whether Irans activities justified Pompeos use of the emergency option, noting that the law does not define emergency.

The report also found the State Department continued selling some of the same weapons components, including precision-guided munitions, to Saudi Arabia and the UAE in smaller amounts, under the cost threshold that would legally obligate the department to notify Congress.

It furthermore concluded the State Department did not implement measures to reduce civilian casualties and legal concerns that had arisen from the potential sale of the weapons.

A senior State Department official on Monday night sought to get ahead of the reports release, hosting an anonymous briefing call with reporters to highlight Pompeos vindication.

The department did its job, the official said. The office of the inspector general determined that the secretary used his authorities in accordance with the law.

A press release by the State Department on Monday night hailed the report but made no mention of the criticisms included in it.

The timing of the briefing prompted rebuke from House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Eliot Engel, D-N.Y., who described the call as an obvious pre-spin of the findings which he said reeks of an attempt to distract and mislead.

Engels statement outed the anonymous official on the call, naming him as R. Clarke Cooper, the State Departments assistant secretary for political-military affairs.

The release of the inquiry report came a week after State Department Inspector General Stephen J. Akard resigned his position.

Akard, who was appointed by President Donald Trump in May after the president fired his predecessor Steve Linick, had recused himself from the inquiry, which was released under the departments deputy inspector general, Diana Shaw.

Trump said he fired Linick at Pompeos request. Linicks office at the time was investigating whether Pompeo had acted legally in issuing the emergency certification, and was also separately looking into allegations that Pompeo and his wife, Susan, had inappropriately used taxpayer dollars by instructing paid staffers to run household errands.

Pompeo later described Linick as a bad actor who was undermining the work of the State Department.

Pompeo also accused Linick of leaking an inquiry into the State Departments former head of Iran policy, Brian Hook, after his office reassigned a staffer of Iranian familial background after the Conservative Review ran an article questioning her loyalty to the administration.

The secretary refused interview requests by Linick as part of the inspector generals inquiry, submitting a written statement instead in February and citing his busy travel schedule.

Linick told Congress in June that Mike Bulatao, a senior department official close to Pompeo, had "tried to bully him into halting his investigation.

The redactions in this week's report were made at the State Departments request.

According to the report, the department asked that the documents classified annex be withheld from Congress, citing executive branch confidentiality interests, including executive privilege.

The inspector general report notes that a version of the classified annex will be given to Congress after it is redacted by the State Department.

US government policy forbids the State Department to transfer weapons to foreign governments in cases when the United States is aware they will be used to deliberately harm civilians.

After Pompeo issued the emergency certification last year, Congress attempted to halt the sales with three separate bills, all of which were vetoed by Trump.

The New York Times reported in June that the Trump administration was exploring whether it could end requirements that Congress approve foreign arms sales.

The inspector general report is not the final word on the controversy around the Saudi arms deals. Congressional committees have also been looking into whether Pompeo violated the law in issuing the emergency declaration, and whether Pompeo requested that Trump fire Linick.

Cooper did not answer a reporters question whether State Department officials subpoenaed by Congress would cooperate with the orders.

In May, it was reported that the administration was pushing ahead anyway with new arms sales to Saudi Arabia, despite the investigation.
The government is introducing a Professional Teacher Allowance (PTA) of GHc1,200 per year for professional teachers and GHc600 per year for non-professional teachers to deepen their commitment and spur professional growth, the Minister of Education, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, has announced.



He said the move would enable teachers to invest in improving and upgrading their skills and keeping abreast of modern trends to assist in improving learning outcomes.



Dr Prempeh stated this when he presented a statement on education and teacher reforms in Parliament yesterday.



Government motivated



The minister said with teachers at the centre of the education system, the government was motivated to initiate several reforms in the education space.

Such initiatives focused on positioning teachers to acquire the right set of skills to deliver quality learning outcomes for pupils and students.



He said for years, pupils and students in basic school - from kindergarten, primary to junior high school (JHS) - were taught by teachers whose initial training had consistently been a source of worry.



Qualifications



Beta Malt - Accra Breweries

Dr Prempeh noted that the minimum teaching qualification for basic school teachers used to be Diploma in Basic Education (DBE) from colleges of education while their counterparts in second cycle schools was a bachelors degree from the universities.



To address the challenge, he reiterated that the minimum qualification for teaching at basic schools was now a first degree, in addition to other regulatory requirements of the National Teaching Council.



Working in close collaboration with, and the support of the T-TEL programme, our aim is to upgrade capacity and improve upon the quality of teacher education to position our teachers to be able to respond to our current and future challenges in education, he said.



Licensure programme



Touching on other reforms, the minister said the Education Act (Act 778), passed by Parliament in 2008, led to the setting up of the National Teaching Council (NTC) with responsibility for setting professional standards, registering and licensing teachers.



Since 2018, he said, the government had supported the NTC to successfully put in place the mechanisms for the conduct of a rigorous and credible teacher licensure examination as provided by law under the Education Act.



The aim of the teacher licensure regime is primarily to enable qualified teachers to acquire a professional licence and prepare them to meet the demands of the National Teaching Standards as well as Global Standards of minimum knowledge, skills, values and attitudes necessary to deliver effectively in schools, he said.



Book/research allowance



Dr Prempeh noted that the Book and Research Allowance which was abolished by the previous government had been restored by the current administration, which had also approved a 200 per cent increase in the allowance from the GHc500 to GHc1,500.



Further to that, he said the government had laid before Parliament the Ghana National Research Fund Bill to provide for funds and to support national research in tertiary and research institutions.



Support for upgrade



Dr Prempeh indicated that through the GETFund, the government was providing support for university teachers who wanted to upgrade themselves.



He added that staff who fell short of the minimum qualifications required to teach in technical universities and colleges of education had up to two.

Source: graphiconline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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A GOP candidate who expressed support for the far-right conspiracy theory QAnon and been criticized for a series of racist comments, has won the Republican nomination for Georgia's 14th Congressional District and slammed Nancy Pelosi as 'anti-American' during her victory speech.

Marjorie Taylor Greene beat neurosurgeon John Cowan in a primary runoff for the open seat on Tuesday in the deep-red district in northwest Georgia.

During her victory speech, which was shared on Facebook, Greene is heard calling Democratic House Speaker Pelosi a 'b***h'.

'I just wanna say to Nancy Pelosi. Shes a hypocrite. Shes anti-American. And were going to kick that b***h out of Congress,' Greene said.

Her remarks were met with loud cheers from her audience before she took aim at Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

'And we are not going to ever allow AOC's Green New Deal to be passed to destroy our economy and our energy industry,' Greene said.

Marjorie Taylor Greene (pictured center) beat neurosurgeon John Cowan in a primary runoff for the open seat on Tuesday in northwest Georgia. During her victory speech, which was shared on Facebook, Greene is heard calling Democratic House Speaker Pelosi a 'b***h'

'I just wanna say to Nancy Pelosi. Shes a hypocrite. Shes anti-American. And were going to kick that b***h out of Congress,' Greene said.

She then blasted the Black Lives Matter movement.

'We are not going to allow them to tear our country down, burn our cities, riot and loot. We won't have that here in northwest Georgia. We don't play those games here.

'And we're going to take that message all the way across America because it needs to stop now,' she added.

Greene won the seat despite several GOP officials denouncing her campaign after videos surfaced in which she expressed racist, anti-Semitic and anti-Muslim views.

'WE WON! Thank you for your support! Save America. Stop Socialism,' Greene tweeted late Tuesday.

A video posted to her Twitter account of her victory party showed a room full of supporters gathered closely together. Few, if any, wore face masks to protect themselves against the coronavirus.

In another clip of her victory speech posted to social media, Greene said she decided to enter politics because the country is heading in the wrong direction.

'So the Republican establishment was against me. The DC swamp has been against me. And the lying fake news media hates my guts,' she said. 'Yep, it's a badge of honor.'

Greene has amassed tens of thousands of followers on social media, where she often posts videos of herself speaking directly to the camera.

Those videos have helped propel her popularity with her base, while also drawing strong condemnation from some future would-be colleagues in Congress.

On social media, Greene claimed the 'GOP establishment, the media, & the radical left, spent months & millions of dollars attacking me'

Several high-profile Republicans spoke out against Greene, including House Minority Whip Steve Scalise of Louisiana and Rep Jody Hice of Georgia, who rescinded an endorsement of Greene

In a series of videos unearthed just after Greene placed first in the initial June 9 Republican primary, she complains of an 'Islamic invasion' into government offices, claims Black and Hispanic men are held back by 'gangs and dealing drugs,' and pushes an anti-Semitic conspiracy theory that billionaire philanthropist George Soros, who is Jewish, collaborated with the Nazis.

Several high-profile Republicans then spoke out against her. House Minority Whip Steve Scalise of Louisiana quickly threw his support behind Cowan, while Rep Jody Hice of Georgia rescinded an endorsement of Greene.

Greene also addressed criticism of her comments on Twitter.

'The Fake News Media, the DC Swamp, and their radical leftist allies see me as a very serious threat. I will not let them whip me into submission,' she said, without distancing herself from her earlier remarks.

Greene is also part of a growing list of candidates who have expressed support for QAnon, the far-right US conspiracy theory popular among some supporters of President Donald Trump.

She has positioned herself as a staunch Trump supporter and emphasizes a strongly pro-gun, pro-border wall and anti-abortion message. She has also connected with voters through an intensive effort to travel the district and meet people on the ground.

Larry Silker, a 72-year-old retiree, cast a ballot for Greene last week at an early voting location in Dallas, Georgia.

'She seems to be a go-getter, you know. She's out seeing everybody that she can, and I think that's nice,' Silker said.

Asked whether he had seen criticism of Greene's remarks, Silker said: 'Well yeah, you know, you see it. But do you put faith in it? You just have to weigh it out.'

Voter Pamela Reardon said she supports Greene because she connects with people, and she's anti-abortion, a defender of the Second Amendment and 'a true Christian'.

'I got behind her because of her honesty,' she said. 'She's not going to be bought by anybody. I could tell that her heart was pure.'

Reardon is familiar with criticism of Greene's social media posts and videos but says 'she's never said anything racist like they say she has,' and blamed attacks by her opponent's campaign.

The district stretches from the outskirts of metro Atlanta to the largely rural northwest corner of the state.

Greene will face Democrat Kevin Van Ausdal in November. Republican Rep Tom Graves, who did not seek reelection, last won the seat with over 76 per cent of the vote in 2018.
PARMA HEIGHTS, Ohio -- A donation of land isnt as simple as it may seem. Thats what Parma Heights officials have learned the hard way.

For nearly a year and a half, the city has been trying to address area flooding by building a retention basin at Nathan Hale Park, which in 1971 was donated from the National Park Service to Parma Heights.

However, this was more than just a run-of-the-mill deed transfer.

Because the government gave the 24-acre park to Parma Heights for recreational use, the city needs federal approval to move forward with its proposed construction of a retention basin on the site.

Mayor Michael P. Byrne is finally confident that the city will soon receive approval, after last week submitting two massive binders of requested information to National Park Service officials.

Its been a long time coming, and I feel very optimistic, Byrne said. We really dug deep with a lot of time and energy spent by numerous entities, including Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District (NEORSD), the City of Parma and Tri-C.

We all worked together for a comprehensive application that Im hopeful meets all of the requirements and is in the best interest of the community of Parma Heights.

Throughout the process, the city completed soil tests, worked with a consultant and addressed National Park Service concerns about recreational amenities in the area. The mayor said there were quite a few surveys that needed to be completed, regarding not only the history of the property but also involving Parma Heights itself.

At one time in the 1970s, when the park was deeded over for recreational uses, the government anticipated the population of Parma Heights would grow to 35,000 residents, which well never reach, Byrne said. Weve maintained around 20,000 people.

The impetus behind installing the proposed roughly 6-acre retention basin is to provide flooding relief for more than 400 homeowners located on Maplewood Road, Oakwood Road, Meadowbrook Drive, Greenleaf Avenue, Beresford Avenue, Oakdale Drive and Parma Park Boulevard.

If approved, the retention project will divert 250 acres of the upstream drainage area into the basin, which has been sized to provide storage for 11 million gallons of stormwater designed to be slowly released back into the citys storm sewer system over an extended period of time.

Roughly estimated at $1.4 million, the retention basin will be paid for using a $1 million NEORSD grant, which covers 75 percent of the project. The city also plans to use its NEORSD Community Cost-Share Program funds to cover the $299,300 balance, as well as the $52,000 design cost.

Regarding the excess dirt removed to create the basin, the mayor said the city has three options, including paying to move it, as well as currently having both a company and subdivision interested in the soil.

The project, which with approval could start later this year or in early 2021, also includes the addition of a walking path, benches, wetland plants and vegetation.

Its not your regular basin, Byrne said. Its going to have amenities that are going to really overall enhance the park-like setting thats over there. Its a win-win for the community overall.

Read more news from the Parma Sun Post.
By Azernews





By Akbar Mammadov

Azerbaijans Interior Minister Vilayat Eyvazov and the visiting Serbian counterpart Nebojsa Stefanovic have discussed cooperation in fight against transnational organized crime, the ministry reported on August 11.

During the meeting, Eyvazov emphasized with satisfaction that Azerbaijan and Serb0ia are strategic partners, and noted the important role of mutual visits of the two countries' leaders, negotiations and signed documents in reaching such a level of relations between our countries.

Touching upon existing problems, the Azerbaijani minister also spoke about the transnational organized crime.

During the meeting, Eyvazov said that only join efforts can effectively combat this type of crimes. In his words, the fight against drug trafficking, international terrorism, human trafficking, illegal migration and cyber-crime, which are the main types of transnational organized crime, is in the spotlight.

Furthermore, Eyvazov informed his Serbian counterpart about the reforms implemented in the law enforcement agencies, reminding that Azerbaijan has adopted new laws regulating the activities of the police, based on democratic principles.

Thus, the minister added that the implementation of these laws is of special importance. Eyvazov, also highlighted that one of the important changes in this direction is to advance the activities in accordance with the best world practices.

Over the past 10 years, about 8,000 employees and servicemen have been involved in numerous pieces of training and exercises through a number of international organizations.

Eyvazov said that these training and exercises have a positive effect on the improvement of the professionalism and training level of staff. He also noted that the most modern information technologies are widely used in terms of taking urgent measures against illegal actions to which citizens are exposed.

In turn, expressing gratitude for the warm reception, Stefanovic said that relations between the two countries had expanded and deepened in recent years.

The two countries suffering from similar conflicts take the same position on a number of issues at the international level, said the Serbian minister. He also underlined that his country is interested in the further development of cooperation with the Interior Ministry of Azerbaijan that is considered a close friend for Serbia.

A number of other issues of mutual interest were also discussed at the meeting.

Stefanovic is also Serbias deputy prime minister and Secretary of the National Security Council.

It should be noted that on 13 May 2010, Azerbaijan and Serbia signed the agreement on cooperation in the fight against crime. Moreover, the Interior Ministries of both countries signed memorandum of understanding between the police training institutions of Azerbaijan and Serbia.

Before the meeting with the Azerbaijani Interior Minister, the Serbian delegation also met with senior Azerbaijani officials - Secretary of the Security Council under the President of Azerbaijan Ramil Usubov, Presidential Aide and Head of the Foreign Policy Department of the Presidential Administration Hikmet Hajiyev, Deputy Foreign Minister Araz Azimov and Azerbaijani Ambassador to Serbia Eldar Hasanov.

Thus, during the meeting, Serbia and Azerbaijan discussed security cooperation and reached an agreement in expanding cooperation in the exchange of sensitive information, counter-terrorism and other significant fields.

The Serbian delegations visit to Baku follows the phone conversation held between President Ilham Aliyev and Serbian President Alexandar Vu?i? on August 7. During the phone call, Vu?i? said that a high-level Serbian delegation would be sent to Azerbaijan in the near future to investigate Armenias use of Serbian-made weapons during the recent cross-border clash with Azerbaijan.

President Ilham Aliyev noted that Armenias use of Serbian-made ammunition in shelling Azerbaijani military and civilian positions that killed servicemen and a civilian has caused concern among the Azerbaijani public.

Earlier, on July 20, Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry summoned Serbia's Charge d'Affaires Danica Veinovic over the delivery of a large amount of military ammunition and mortar from Serbia to Armenia.

The cross-border clashes between Azerbaijan and Armenia started on July 12 noon after Armenian troops fired artillery at Azerbaijani military post in Tovuz region.

Azerbaijani armed forces retaliated destroying a stronghold, bombshells, vehicles and servicemen on the territory of Armenias military unit by using artillery, mortars and tanks. Azerbaijan has also downed six Armenian UAVs.

Azerbaijan lost 12 servicemen, including an army general, during cross-border clashes from July 12 till July 16. Armenian forces have also been shelling civilians in villages in
Weeks after the Worcester Police Chief Steven Sargent filed a report on the pilot program involving officers wearing body cameras, it finally made it was to the Committee on Public Safety on Tuesday night.

While the department provided details on the six-month pilot program, which began in May of 2019, the committee delayed public comments until Monday due to time constraints.

During the departments presentation, Sargent called the program a great program and one that protects both police officers and the community, despite its cost of about $11 million over five years.

While public comments were temporary held on Tuesday, residents spoke on the program during a city council meeting on July 21. For an hour during the July meeting, they made the case against implementing a body camera program and the council eventually voted to have further discussion on the item.

Anyone watching the Public Safety Subcommittee tonight could be excused for wondering what the purpose of a democratic government is if elected officials ignore research, hours of public comment, hundreds of letters, emails and phone calls from constituents and their established rules of order, Defund WPD said in a statement regarding Tuesdays meeting.

Councilor-at-Large Donna Colorio directly responded to criticism of the program by clarifying with Sargent that the program was initially introduced not to change the police department but to provide better transparency.

Sargent concurred saying the program wasnt to alter their practices.

The majority of the police officers in Worcester are doing a great job, Colorio said. In any profession youve got one or two people that shouldnt be in the profession, but on the whole, the Worcester police has done a great job and [Chief Sargent] has done a great job. This was to help the community and the transparency issue.

Sargent said he continues to remain proud of his department even amid times where it is difficult to be a police officer.

Were in some trying times now, Sargent said. Its a tough time to be a police officer but the men and women of the Worcester Police Department, they go out every single day and do their job. They work hard. They want to engage the community, they want to be a part of the community. Its trying times. Its a difficult time in policing but moral is good.

Tuesday night, the Worcester Police Department largely supported the program. The most underrated aspect of the program, the department said, was the use in training. The presence of the cameras also occasionally calmed citizens, which helped in deescalating situations, police said. The cameras can be used to resolve citizen complaints, but the department said they didnt receive any complaints during the program.

The pilot program in Worcester launched in May 2019 and involved 20 officers, including 16 from the Operations Division, two from the Traffic Division and two from the Neighborhood Response Team. The officers volunteered to wear the cameras for their shifts. Two lieutenants and four officers were assigned to oversee the program and assess the performance of the cameras.

Axon provided body cameras to the department, which the department called the gold standard in the industry. The department said Axon provides body cameras to about 70% of the departments in the country that use the technology.

Worcester police also discussed several negatives associated with program, but Lt. Sean Murtha said none were issues that would prevent it from moving forward.

The program would lead to more public records. The videos would have to be edited for public consumption, taking more time and cost.

Officers in the pilot program felt less able to use discretion at times and felt more robotic and unable to joke around and have fun while doing their jobs, the report said.

Officers felt pressure to have the demeanor as if they were testifying in court, which has the potential to hurt the ability for officers to enjoy working and reduce community engagement, the department said.

A handful of videos from the pilot program, obtained by MassLive via a public records request last year, offered a glimpse into police interactions with the public.

Related Content:
It has been revealed that Princess Eugenie and Prince Harry have always been close ever since they were young, according to his and Meghan Markle's biography "Finding Freedom."

Princess Eugenie is one of the people he trusts implicitly.

The tell-all bombshell written by royal reporters and Sussex fans Carolyn Durand and Omid Scobie reveals why Meghan Markle and Prince Harry exited the royal family. It would also talk about the relationships they have with other royal family members.

The book was released on Tuesday, and the authors wrote how Prince Harry and Princess Eugenie are more than just cousins but also "closest of friends."

The authors discussed, "Out of all the Queen's grandchildren, Harry and Eugenie have one of the most natural connections."

"Like Harry, Eugenie is loyal, honest, and great fun. The two had many nights out together in London."

The book also claimed that the Duke of Sussex had always confided in the York Princess about the many women he dated in his life.

Durand and Scobie wrote, "Not only did he trust her implicitly, but friends say that she gives great advice and has always been 'beyond wise' for her years."

The 30-year-old Princess was reportedly even the first to know about Prince Harry's relationship with then-actress Meghan Markle.

According to "Finding Freedom," Princess Eugenie thinks the California-native was "just the tonic" for her red-headed cousin.

The youngest daughter of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson was even "nothing but encouraging about his new relationship," telling some of her friends that she loved the former "Suits" star.

Their strong relationship surely is a take of Prince Harry's late mom Princess Diana and Fergie's friendship. It also brought their children closer than ever.

"Like Harry, Eugenie also struggled to carve out his own identity growing up."

"Not being a senior role meant that she had to go out into the world and find her path, which she has done."

But something changed within Prince Harry and Princess Eugenie's dynamics.

It was claimed in the book that Princess Eugenie was upset after Meghan Markle broke the news that she was pregnant at her wedding.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex reportedly told friends and family that they were pregnant on Princess Eugenie's big day at St. George's Chapel at Windsor in 2018.

"A source said Princess Eugenie told friends that she felt the couple should have waited to share the news," Durand and Scobie claimed.

Even her mom tried to do damage control by tweeting out congratulatory messages to Princess Eugenie, just 40 minutes after Kensington Palace shared the Sussexes were expecting.

In fact, early this year, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle took a dig at Princess Eugenie and her sister, Princess Beatrice, when they announced they were quitting the royal family.

In a released statement by Meghan and Prince Harry, "While there is precedent for other titled members of the royal family to seek employment outside of the institution, for The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, a 12-month review period has been put in place."

READ MORE: Hailey Bieber Revelation: Why She and Justin Bieber Are Not Going to Have Babies Anytime Soon
Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister CN Ashwathnarayan on Wednesday slammed the Congress over the Bengaluru riots calling the violence a direct fallout of the appeasement politics of Congress and internal squabbles of the party. Taking to micro-blogging site Twitter, Ashwathnarayan said that the "scale and organized nature of the violence confirm that it was entirely orchestrated by these jihadi elements".

At least 145 people were reportedly arrested a day after three people died in police firing when violence erupted in Bengaluru on August 11 over an alleged derogatory social media post by a Congress leader's relative.

Ashwathnarayan also warned the vandals saying that every rioter and arsonist "involved in any way...will be hunted down...no matter where they hide". He also said that the incident created fear among innocent citizens and caused damage to property.

EVERY rioter and arsonist involved in any way in last night's disturbances will be hunted down by our government no matter where they hide. The scale and organized nature of the violence confirms that it was entirely orchestrated by these jihadi elements. 1/3 pic.twitter.com/1KL79xFdHg  Dr. Ashwathnarayan C. N. (@drashwathcn) August 12, 2020

"EVERY rioter and arsonist involved in any way in last night's disturbances will be hunted down by our government no matter where they hide. The scale and organized nature of the violence confirms that it was entirely orchestrated by these jihadi elements," he tweeted.

"This violence is a direct fallout of the INC's appeasement politics as well as the internal squabbles of their own party. Shockingly, the person who posted the incendiary content was an INC party worker himself. This incident created fear among law abiding innocent citizens and has caused immense damage to public & private property," the Deputy Chief Minister further tweeted.

On August 11, the police opened fire after angry mobs attacked the house of Pulakeshinagar MLA Akhanda Srinivas Murthy and went berserk in DJ Halli and KG Halli police station areas of Bengaluru. Sources said that over 50 people have got injured in the violent clashes.

Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on Wednesday said that he has ordered the concerned authorities to take strict action against those involved in the incident. CM Yediyurappa noted that all possible steps have been taken by the government to maintain law and order in the city. The Karnataka CM appealed to people to maintain peace and asserted that violence against journalists, police and people was unacceptable.

"The miscreants in the DJ Halli police station has led to the assault and rioting at MLA Akhand Srinivasa`s house and police station. Already, directives have been issued against the perpetrators and the government has taken all possible steps to curb the situation," he said.

"The attack on journalists, the police and the public in the riot last night was unacceptable. The government will not tolerate such provocations and rumours. Strict action against perpetrators is certain. I appeal to people to maintain peace and act with restraint and without panic," added CM Yediyurappa.

Karnataka Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Wednesday said the government will seize the properties of those involved in the violence. Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru, Bommai said, "We have come to a decision as per the Supreme Court order that when such riots take place and properties are damaged, the loss has to be recovered from those who have caused the damage."

"I have given orders to initiate all the measures to recover losses from those who have caused the damage," Bommai said, adding that buses, vehicles, and properties were burnt in DJ Halli and K G Halli police station limits.

"All those losses will be recovered from those who have done it," he said, adding "...There is media and CCTV footage."

On banning Popular Front of India (PFI), the Karnataka Home Minister said that during the Congress government they had shut many cases, but "we need to look into these cases and initiate the process."

Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya advised Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa saying "I request Yediyurappa to confiscate and attach the properties of the rioters and compensate the losses to public property in the same way as the Adityanath government did in Uttar Pradesh."

In a tweet, the BJP MP said, "I thank Sri @BSYBJP and Home Minister Sri @BSBommai for deciding to recover all losses to public property by attaching the private property of rioters. Thorough investigation into the conspiracy will shed light on role of various fundamentalist organisations."

According to sources in the Bengaluru police, DJ Halli cops have arrested a political activist belonging to SDPI. He has been identified as Muzzamil Pasha. The accused had also contested BBMP (Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike) election from Sagayapura ward unsuccessfully.

Besides Muzamil, another SDPI activist Ayaz has also provoked the rioters to vandalise the two police stations at DJ Halli and KG Halli area in East Bengaluru. It is alleged that the violence was fully pre-planned and police will investigate it from all angles.

Bengaluru Police Commissioner Kamal Pant said that restrictions under CrPC Section 144 have been imposed in the city and curfew has been imposed in DJ Halli and KG Halli police station limits to keep the situation under control. He added that accused Naveen has been arrested for sharing a derogatory post on Facebook.

The angry mobs also pelted stones on cops guarding the MLA's residence. The MLA was reportedly not at his residence when the mobs came out to vent their anger against the derogatory posts shared by his relative.
It seems that most people we encounter, who do not believe in Christ, do not believe in a God at all. Whether they are open to hearing more or exist more in the closed atheism sphere (not open to receiving the word of the Gospel), we may turn to Scripture to see examples of how people dialogued with those who do not believe in Jesus.

But we usually find the opposite case in Scripture. Most of the time, in the Old and New Testament, we meet people or groups of people who worship a pantheon of gods. It seems a great portion of Pauls ministry to the Gentiles involves him talking about the one true God opposed to the many deities that a group of people worshipped (Acts 17:23).

So, does Scripture remain silent when it comes to atheism? Do we have any examples of how to dialogue well with someone who may not be open to hearing the word of God and who does not believe in God?

Well address these questions and more in this article.

What Is Atheism?

The term seems simple enough at its roots. A- comes from the Greek form of without and theism (from theos) means God. A belief without God.

But as Christians we often, haphazardly, lump all atheists in a group together. In the same way that people will put Mormonism, Jehovahs Witnesses, and Christianity in the same grouping (we dont have much time, or article space, to discuss why these are not the same, but for some good articles on this I suggest reading this and this article).

Atheism, in some ways, is a religion, and like most religions, has several different branches, deviations, or denominations.

Although we cant dive into every variant of atheism, we will highlight a few below.

First, we have those on the border of atheism known as agnostics. These people dont really know if God does or doesnt exist. Some are more open to the idea than others.

Then we have gnostic atheists who, beyond a certainty of a doubt, believe no god(s) exist.

Most people who fall into these camps have adopted a type of casual atheism. They may not give much thought to theological matters. Some have analyzed philosophical arguments to form their worldview. Others believe in a religion that doesnt require a deity, such as Buddhism.

We also have some branches of dogmatic atheism. Yes, even atheists have evangelical branches.

The first of these categories, as listed in an article from the Human Truth Foundation, is anti-theists. These atheists have a particular distaste for religion and religious organizations, including atheist religious organizations.

Then we have the evangelical atheists, who try to evangelize their message of atheism and convince others to convert to their beliefs. I had a history teacher who, before he converted to Christianity, would call himself the Christian killer. He would ardently try to argue people out of their religion and into atheism.

And then we have one of the most extreme branches: militant atheism. These people actively try to tear down religious organizations, especially religious organizations with the belief in God.

So, when we encounter an atheist friend, we need to figure out which denomination they belong to before beginning a conversation with them about theological matters.

Photo Credit: GettyImages/CreativaImages

Does the Bible Address Atheism?

The Bible may not contain many stories about people who have no belief in God, since many people believed in a higher power during the Old and New Testament times, but we do have some verses that discuss atheism.

For instance, Psalm 14:1 says, The fools say in their heart, There is no God. That means sometimes during the reign of David individuals did exist who didnt believe in a deity.

We have evidence from Plato that atheism was alive and well in the fourth century BC when the Greeks had plenty of gods to choose from to worship.

We also see a warning about how to approach philosophic dogma, a hallmark of atheism, in Colossians 2:8.

Atheism didnt just spontaneously come into being during the Enlightenment. Whether someone was a nominal polytheist who worshipped the gods as part of their culture or, as a more contemporary example, when someone attends church because it's something their family always did despite not believing in God, atheism has persisted throughout the centuries.

We also have to bear in mind the Bible doesnt say, When you walk up to a Buddhist, heres what you should say to them, or Use these arguments when you meet an atheist.

That defeats the purpose of Scripture. Scripture sheds light on the good news of Christ and encourages us to speak the truth in gentleness and respect (1 Peter 3:15).

What the Bible does address is people who have lost their way from the narrow path (such as Saul/Paul, for instance) and how God redeems them. God doesnt need us to fight his battles for him, but he does need us to know our Scripture and be prepared to speak about it.

How Do I Talk with an Atheist about God?

Again, one section of one article does not nearly cover the breadth of this topic. I first suggest you feel out which denomination your friend ascribes to. This will determine your actions going forward. Do they have a more open/agnostic view of God, or do they swing to the other extreme where they want to see churches burn?

Trust God can open the eyes and the hearts of any man.

Continue to pray for your friend and keep the dialogue as open as possible. Show you respect their views and listen as much as you speak.

Also, prepare yourself for some of the most common arguments against Christianity. Many atheists will have these at the ready. And many atheists believe that Christians dont really know their stuff when it comes to apologetic matters. So dont go into the conversation ready to convert if you dont know the basic foundation for the faith that you have.

And know that sometimes God uses us to plant a seed. Maybe you are not the one to convince them about the case of Christianity, but you may open their mind to the possibilities of the existence of a good and powerful God.

Whenever you go to speak with an atheist, pray that God seasons your words with salt and that you carry yourself with the utmost gentleness and respect.

Photo courtesy: Getty Images/Josu Ozkaritz

Hope Bolinger is a multi-published novelist and a graduate of Taylor University's professional writing program. More than 1,200 of her works have been featured in various publications ranging from Writer's Digest to Keys for Kids. She has worked for various publishing companies, magazines, newspapers, and literary agencies and has edited the work of authors such as Jerry B. Jenkins and Michelle Medlock Adams. Her modern-day Daniel trilogy is out with IlluminateYA. She is also the co-author of the Dear Hero duology, which was published by INtense Publications. And her inspirational adult romance Picture Imperfect releases in November of 2021. Find out more about her at her website.
Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 1 anno fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili.

Global Natural and Manufactured Sand Market is expected to reach US$ 198Bn by 2026 from US$ 84Bn in 2017 at CAGR of 11.3%.

Global Natural and Manufactured Sand Market

Global Natural and Manufactured Sand Market is segmented by product, application and region. Product are split into natural and manufacturing. Application are classified into residential, commercial, industrial and infrastructure. Region-wise divided into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa, and Latin America.

Request for Report Sample: https://www.trendsmarketresearch.com/report/sample/11368

Natural sand has an ideal shape for use as the fine collective in concrete. The natural sand particles are well-rounded and are usually almost spherical. Spherical particles reduction the percentage of voids within the concrete mixture so no additional paste is required to fill these voids. Manufactured sand or manufactured fine aggregate (MFA) is produced by reducing bigger pieces of aggregate into sand-sized aggregate particles.

Manufactured sands tend to be used in mixtures in areas where natural sand is unavailable or not cost-effective to be hauled to the needed location. The natural and manufactured sand is the main product used in mortar and cement concrete. That mixture is used for construction. Natural and Manufactured Sand Market covers all the products and application with the goal to improve the quality and productivity of the construction.

Based on the application, Infrastructure was the largest application segment of the Natural and Manufactured Sand Market in 2017. Rising disposable incomes of the worlds middle-class population are also working in favour of the global natural and manufactured sand market due to the increased demand for offices, malls, residential complexes, and other infrastructural elements across the globe.

On the basis of product, manufacturing sand is widely used rather than natural sand. As of manufacturing sand can be produced in the area closer to construct sites, taking down the cost of transportation and providing an assurance of consistent supply. Manufacturing sand is more cost effective than the natural sand. Due to the increasing, the population of the word construction of the building are growing day by day so its need lots of material which is not easily available by nature so its required lots of manufactured sand.

In terms of region, Asia Pacific led the Natural and Manufactured Sand Market during the forecast period. The major drivers for the growth of Natural and Manufactured Sand Market in Asia Pacific region are growing in the application of infrastructure, and residential projects, urbanization and growth of the middle-class population in emerging economies. Moreover, government and regulatory bodies in this region are having high investment for infrastructure and commercial sector. North America is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of 8.9% during the forecast period due to the growth in the residential and industrial application of natural and manufactured sand market.

The key players in the global natural and manufacturing sand market are Metso Corporation, CDE, Holcim, McLanahan, Hutcheson Sand & Mixes, Johnston North America, Duo PLC, DSMAC, Vulcan Materials Company, LafargeHolcim Group, CEMEX S.A.B. de C.V., ADELAIDE BRIGHTON LTD, CRH Plc, HeidelbergCement AG, and Opta Minerals, Inc.

The Scope of the global Natural and Manufactured Sand Market,

Global Natural and Manufactured Sand Market, By Product

 Natural

 Manufacturing

Global Natural and Manufactured Sand Market, By Application

 Residential

 Commercial

 Industrial

 Infrastructure

Global Natural and Manufactured Sand Market, By Region

 North America

 Europe

 Asia Pacific

 Middle East and Africa

 Latin America

Key Players Operating on the Global Natural and Manufactured Sand Market,

 Metso Corporation

 CDE

 Holcim

 McLanahanHutcheson Sand & Mixes

 Johnston North America

 Duo PLC

 DSMAC

 Vulcan Materials Company

 LafargeHolcim Group

 CEMEX S.A.B. de C.V.

 ADELAIDE BRIGHTON LTD

 CRH Plc

 HeidelbergCement AG

 Opta Minerals, Inc.

More Info of Impact Covid19@ https://www.trendsmarketresearch.com/report/covid-19-analysis/11368
Crackdowns against pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong took a very public turn this week. Authorities arrested a tabloid owner, marching him in front of cameras through the newspapers printing operation in what has been widely decried as a blow to free speech. VOAs Arash Arabasadi has more.
Daniel Andrews has been branded a 'failure' after his government blamed Emergency Management Commissioner Andrew Crisp for the decision to use security guards to man hotel quarantine.

Victoria's deadly second wave of coronavirus was sparked after guards enforcing the quarantine program caught the illness in late May.

It later emerged guards had breached social distancing rules and some were accused of allowing separate families to play cards and even having sex with returned travellers.

Daniel Andrews (pictured today) has been branded a 'failure' after his government said Emergency Management Commissioner Andrew Crisp was behind the decision to use security guards to man hotel quarantine

The Andrews government is facing heavy criticism for not enforcing quarantine with police or the army like New South Wales and Queensland.

In a parliamentary inquiry on Wednesday it emerged the decision to use private guards was made in an Emergency Management Victoria meeting at 4.30pm on 27 March.

The state government agency, established in 2014, is led by top cop Andrew Crisp.

Victorian jobs department secretary Simon Phemister said his team was told to hire security firms to run the quarantine operation after that meeting.

Jobs minister Martin Paukula said his department was not responsible for the decision and questions about it need to be directed to Commissioner Crisp.

'I know that Mr Crisp will be appearing before this committee later in the month and I think you'll need to put that question to him,' he said.

Liberal backbencher James Newbury said the Andrews government was failing to take responsibility and using the commissioner as a 'fall guy'.

'Daniel Andrews has pushed Emergency Management Commissioner Andrew Crisp out as the fall guy for his failure in keeping Victoria's quarantine door open,' he told Daily Mail Australia.

'Whilst the Labor Government plays their petty blame games, Victorians are tragically dying and thousands are sick.

'Daniel Andrews has lost control, failed as Premier, and Victorians have lost faith in him.'

In a press conference after Victoria suffered 21 deaths and 410 new cases, Premier Andrews was asked if Commissioner Crisp's decision to use private security was a mistake.

He replied: 'No, but I have nothing but respect for Commissioner Crisp.

'Can't find a better professional, can't find somebody who works harder. He is an outstanding member of the broader team.'

Australian Defense Force personnel and policemen on patrol in Melbourne last week

This image taken outside one of Melbourne's quarantine hotels appears to support the accounts of dozens of workers and returned travellers who say private security guards (pictured) failed to take the quarantine operation seriously before the virus escaped

In a statement on Tuesday night, Commissioner Crisp said ADF representatives were did not offer help for the quarantine program at the meeting on 27 March.

That statement was at odds with Defence Minister Linda Reynolds who said support was offered and turned down on 'multiple occasions'.

In an inquiry on Tuesday morning, Premier Daniel Andrews was asked why he chose not to use the police or the ADF to enforce the quarantine program.

Emergency Management Commissioner Andrew Crisp

He said: 'I don't believe ADF support was on offer. It's been provided in limited circumstances in New South Wales, not to provide security as such but to provide transportation from the airport to hotels.

'I think it is fundamentally incorrect to assert that there was hundreds of ADF staff on offer and somehow someone said no. That's not, in my judgement, accurate.'

But Senator Reynolds said her department offered support 'multiple times' and was repeatedly turned down.

She said in a statement: 'ADF officials asked whether Victorian authorities required assistance with its mandatory quarantine system on multiple occasions.

'No request for quarantine support was subsequently received from Victoria at that time.'

The statement also made clear that ADF troops were deployed in both Queensland and New South Wales to guard returned travellers as well as transport them.

The only request for ADF support for quarantine from the Victorian government came on 24 June, Senator Reynolds said.

On that day Victoria's Emergency Management Commissioner Andrew Crisp requested 850 troops to help with hotel quarantine compliance - but the request was withdrawn the next day.

Asked why it was withdrawn, Mr Andrews said: 'The question you're referring to, you'd need to speak to the person who made that request because it was not made by anybody in a position of authority.'

Statement from the Victorian Emergency Management Commissioner I can confirm that the Australian Defence Force (ADF) were involved in the initial planning of the hotel quarantine program. Representatives of the ADF participated in the Operation Soteria planning and coordination meetings on 27 and 28 March 2020. During these discussions I did not seek nor did representatives of the ADF offer assistance as part of the hotel quarantine program. Subsequent communications with the ADF on the 12th and 15th of April did not relate to ADF assistance as part of the program. As the Victorian Emergency Management Commissioner I am enormously grateful for all of the assistance our colleagues in the Australian Defence Force have provided as we have responded together to the coronavirus pandemic. Advertisement

A very quiet Bourke Street is seen on August 11 as Melbourne endures its second week of stage-four lockdown

Opposition leader Michael O'Brien said Daniel Andrews had been caught lying about his decision to use private security guards
As Japan marks 75 years since the devastating attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the last generation of nuclear bomb survivors are working to ensure their message lives on after them.

The "hibakusha" -- literally "person affected by the bomb" -- have for decades been a powerful voice calling for the abolition of nuclear weapons.

There are an estimated 136,700 left, many of whom were infants or unborn children at the time of the attacks.

The average age of a survivor now is a little over 83, according to Japan's health ministry, lending an urgency as they share their testimonies and call for a ban on nuclear weapons.

"What we hibakusha are saying is we can't repeat (a nuclear attack)," 88-year-old Terumi Tanaka, who survived the Nagasaki bombing, told AFP ahead of the anniversaries.

"To this end, we have to let people know what we experienced, for them to hear the facts."

Tanaka was 13 when the bomb hit his hometown. The attack on Nagasaki killed 74,000 people and came three days after a first bomb devastated the city of Hiroshima, killing 140,000.

He has spent much of his life sharing his experience, hoping that explaining the horrors of nuclear weapons will convince people to support a ban.

But he recognises that the community of those who lived through the attacks is shrinking, and their message will have to be passed on by others in the decades to come.

"We will all pass away, eventually," he said.

"We set up a group called No More Hibakusha Project, which works on preserving records as archives, including what we've written... so that (the next generation) can use them in their campaigns."

- Nuclear ban -

Tanaka worries at times that interest is fading, acknowledging that speeches by hibakusha often attract no more than a handful of people.

"We do our best," he said. "But if no one comes, it's a swing and a miss."

At 74, Jiro Hamasumi is among the youngest survivors of the attacks. His mother was pregnant with him in Hiroshima when the bomb struck.

Story continues

It killed his father, most likely instantaneously, and claimed several other relatives in the aftermath.

"Not a day goes by when I don't think about my father," he told AFP.

His knowledge of the attack comes from the accounts of his siblings, who described the dizzying flash and ear-splitting roar that formed the first indication the bomb known as Little Boy had detonated.

His father was at work when the bomb hit, just a few hundred metres from the epicentre. Hamasumi's mother and siblings tried to reach his office the day after but were forced back by the "heat and smell of burned flesh".

When they finally reached his father's office, they found only "something resembling his body". All they could retrieve were a few metal items that survived the flames -- a belt buckle, a key and part of his wallet.

Born in February 1946, Hamasumi escaped the physical effects experienced by many children exposed to radiation in the womb.

But the attack has defined his life, and he has spent decades campaigning against nuclear weapons.

"To me, the nuclear umbrella only means the mushroom cloud," Hamasumi said.

"Hibakusha want the United States to apologise to us, but the proof of the apology is nuclear abolition, we're not after vengeance."

- Fading from memory -

As the hibakusha age, they are passing the baton to young activists, many from Hiroshima and Nagasaki, who have grown up steeped in the memories of survivors.

Mitsuhiro Hayashida, 28, is the grandchild of a Nagasaki hibakusha and organises events for survivors to share their stories.

He also helps oversee an international online petition for a ban on nuclear weapons, which has garnered more than 11 million signatures.

But he too worries that the attacks are fading from collective memory.

"Today, the children and grandchildren of survivors, like me, are campaigning, but the weight of our words is probably less than half of the testimonies of survivors," he told AFP.

"We really need the world to move towards nuclear abolition while atomic bomb survivors are alive."

That desire is what animates Keiko Ogura, who turns 83 this week and was just eight when the bomb struck Hiroshima.

"We are ageing and don't know when our time will come," she told journalists last month.

"We old hibakusha want to see nuclear abolition as soon as possible, because we want to report it to those who died when we see them (in the afterlife)."

kh/sah/axn/leg
NAPA, Calif., Aug. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Telemedicine use skyrocketed during COVID-19by the end of April, visits in the U.S. had risen to nearly one million per week. While telemedicine can provide sweeping benefits, healthcare providers must also be aware of existing and emerging risks to protect themselves and their patients. The Doctors Company addresses these risks and how to mitigate them in a new white paper, Your Patient Is Logging on Now: The Risks and Benefits of Telehealth in the Future of Healthcare.

While medical malpractice claims involving telemedicine have been minimal in the past, these claims may increase as telehealthwhich includes telemedicine, remote monitoring, asynchronous data collection, and a variety of other incorporations of technology into nonclinical patient and professional health-related areascontinues to gain popularity. The white paper examines foreseeable future risks such as:

Missed diagnoses, particularly of cancer.

Increased cyberattacks.

Breaches to patients' privacy.

Decreased access to care for some patients without access to internet, with language barriers, or a lack of technological savvy.

Uncertainty around the future of reimbursement.

Lack of proper licensure as physicians perform state-to-state care.

"This white paper reflects our mission to advance the practice of good medicine and our commitment to serve healthcare providers so they can help others during the pandemic," said David L. Feldman, MD, MBA, FACS, chief medical officer of The Doctors Company Group. "For example, during the pandemic, telemedicine patients may refuse to come into the medical practice for further evaluation. We advise physicians on how to be prepared for such incidences so they can focus on caring for those who need it the most."

"We also invited experts to contribute advice on reducing risks so providers and patients can take advantage of telehealth's many benefits such as increased access to care for most patients, enhanced ability to manage chronic conditions, and reduction of infection risks," Dr. Feldman added.

The paper includes commentary from Til Jolly, MD, FACEP, chief medical officer of Aveshka and senior consultant for emergency care to the assistant secretary for preparedness and response at the Department of Health and Human Services; Michael Leitman, MD, dean for graduate medical education, designated institutional official, professor of surgery, and professor of medical education, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York; Ashish Atreja, MD, MPH, chief innovation officer of medicine and head of Mount Sinai's AppLab; and Milton Chen, PhD, who has worked with many small practices and large systems to implement telehealth and telemedicine services.

About The Doctors Company

Founded and led by physicians, The Doctors Company (thedoctors.com) is relentlessly committed to advancing, protecting, and rewarding the practice of good medicine. The Doctors Company takes the mal out of malpractice insurance by helping hospitals and practices of all sizes manage the complexities of today's healthcare environmentwith expert guidance, resources, and coverage. The Doctors Company is the nation's largest physician-owned medical malpractice insurer, with 80,000 members and $5.9 billion in assets, and is rated A by A.M. Best Company and Fitch Ratings. To learn more about data-driven insights and to stay up to date on industry trends, follow and subscribe to The Doctors Company on Twitter (@doctorscompany), YouTube, LinkedIn, and Facebook.

SOURCE The Doctors Company

Related Links

http://thedoctors.com


Beyond Bultmann And Rome

Heil als Geschichte, by Oscar Cullmann (J. C. B. Mohr [Tubingen, Germany], 1965, 313 pp., DM. 31; an English translation is to be published in the United States by Harper and Row and in Britain by SCM Press), is reviewed by James M. Boice, graduate student. University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.

With the decline of the Bultmannian influence upon European theology, debate between exponents of historical and existential revelation has attained a significance for New Testament studies and for dogmatics that was impossible in Europe a dozen years ago. When Oscar Cullmanns early sketch of his heilsgeschichtliche theology, Christ and Time, appeared in German bookstores in 1946, one critical review by Bultmann in the well-read Theologische Literaturzeitung was sufficient to cause many scholars to pass it by. Today Bultmann is no longer king. There is therefore no reason why Cullmanns latest and most mature work, Heil als Geschichte (Salvation as History), should not capture a commanding position in the New Testament field in Germany and abroad.

No one is more aware of the marked breakup of fixed theological positions in Europe than Cullmann himself, who writes in Heil als Geschichte with deliberate attention to the rising theological banners. Cullmann regards the reaction of the Pannenburg scholars to Bultmann as a healthy one, although their renewed emphasis upon historical revelation (Offenbarung als Geschichte, Vandenhoeck and Ruprecht, 1961) does not sufficiently delineate the relationship between revelation, sin, and salvation within general history. Similarly, according to Cullmann, the new quest for the historical Jesus (Kasemann, Fuchs, Bornkamm, Conzelmann, J. M. Robinson) shows promise ...

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The boy was shot in the right leg, police said. Around 5 a.m., he was reported as being in good condition.
How far off is Parker-Hannifin Corporation (NYSE:PH) from its intrinsic value? Using the most recent financial data, we'll take a look at whether the stock is fairly priced by taking the expected future cash flows and discounting them to their present value. We will take advantage of the Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model for this purpose. Don't get put off by the jargon, the math behind it is actually quite straightforward.

Remember though, that there are many ways to estimate a company's value, and a DCF is just one method. Anyone interested in learning a bit more about intrinsic value should have a read of the Simply Wall St analysis model.

See our latest analysis for Parker-Hannifin

Crunching the numbers

We use what is known as a 2-stage model, which simply means we have two different periods of growth rates for the company's cash flows. Generally the first stage is higher growth, and the second stage is a lower growth phase. In the first stage we need to estimate the cash flows to the business over the next ten years. Where possible we use analyst estimates, but when these aren't available we extrapolate the previous free cash flow (FCF) from the last estimate or reported value. We assume companies with shrinking free cash flow will slow their rate of shrinkage, and that companies with growing free cash flow will see their growth rate slow, over this period. We do this to reflect that growth tends to slow more in the early years than it does in later years.

Generally we assume that a dollar today is more valuable than a dollar in the future, so we discount the value of these future cash flows to their estimated value in today's dollars:

10-year free cash flow (FCF) forecast

2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 Levered FCF ($, Millions) US$1.65b US$1.69b US$1.91b US$2.26b US$2.45b US$2.61b US$2.75b US$2.87b US$2.97b US$3.07b Growth Rate Estimate Source Analyst x8 Analyst x8 Analyst x6 Analyst x1 Est @ 8.36% Est @ 6.52% Est @ 5.23% Est @ 4.33% Est @ 3.69% Est @ 3.25% Present Value ($, Millions) Discounted @ 9.3% US$1.5k US$1.4k US$1.5k US$1.6k US$1.6k US$1.5k US$1.5k US$1.4k US$1.3k US$1.3k

("Est" = FCF growth rate estimated by Simply Wall St)

Present Value of 10-year Cash Flow (PVCF) = US$15b

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We now need to calculate the Terminal Value, which accounts for all the future cash flows after this ten year period. For a number of reasons a very conservative growth rate is used that cannot exceed that of a country's GDP growth. In this case we have used the 5-year average of the 10-year government bond yield (2.2%) to estimate future growth. In the same way as with the 10-year 'growth' period, we discount future cash flows to today's value, using a cost of equity of 9.3%.

Terminal Value (TV)= FCF 2030  (1 + g)  (r  g) = US$3.1b (1 + 2.2%)  (9.3% 2.2%) = US$44b

Present Value of Terminal Value (PVTV)= TV / (1 + r)10= US$44b ( 1 + 9.3%)10= US$18b

The total value is the sum of cash flows for the next ten years plus the discounted terminal value, which results in the Total Equity Value, which in this case is US$33b. To get the intrinsic value per share, we divide this by the total number of shares outstanding. Relative to the current share price of US$209, the company appears about fair value at a 19% discount to where the stock price trades currently. The assumptions in any calculation have a big impact on the valuation, so it is better to view this as a rough estimate, not precise down to the last cent.

dcf

The assumptions

We would point out that the most important inputs to a discounted cash flow are the discount rate and of course the actual cash flows. You don't have to agree with these inputs, I recommend redoing the calculations yourself and playing with them. The DCF also does not consider the possible cyclicality of an industry, or a company's future capital requirements, so it does not give a full picture of a company's potential performance. Given that we are looking at Parker-Hannifin as potential shareholders, the cost of equity is used as the discount rate, rather than the cost of capital (or weighted average cost of capital, WACC) which accounts for debt. In this calculation we've used 9.3%, which is based on a levered beta of 1.177. Beta is a measure of a stock's volatility, compared to the market as a whole. We get our beta from the industry average beta of globally comparable companies, with an imposed limit between 0.8 and 2.0, which is a reasonable range for a stable business.

Looking Ahead:

Valuation is only one side of the coin in terms of building your investment thesis, and it ideally won't be the sole piece of analysis you scrutinize for a company. DCF models are not the be-all and end-all of investment valuation. Instead the best use for a DCF model is to test certain assumptions and theories to see if they would lead to the company being undervalued or overvalued. For instance, if the terminal value growth rate is adjusted slightly, it can dramatically alter the overall result. For Parker-Hannifin, we've compiled three relevant aspects you should assess:

Risks: For example, we've discovered 3 warning signs for Parker-Hannifin that you should be aware of before investing here. Management:Have insiders been ramping up their shares to take advantage of the market's sentiment for PH's future outlook? Check out our management and board analysis with insights on CEO compensation and governance factors. Other High Quality Alternatives: Do you like a good all-rounder? Explore our interactive list of high quality stocks to get an idea of what else is out there you may be missing!

PS. Simply Wall St updates its DCF calculation for every American stock every day, so if you want to find the intrinsic value of any other stock just search here.

This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.



Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com.
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Linkedin Tri Indah Oktavianti (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, August 12, 2020 08:48 525 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066d49f15 1 National Veronica-Koman,Papua,Australia,LPDP-scholarship,Sri-Mulyani,finance-ministry Free

With accusations mounting against her, Indonesian human rights lawyer Veronica Koman has said she is being forced to return hundreds of millions of rupiah of government-sponsored scholarship in what she claims is a move to financially punish her as she pleads for Finance Minister Sri Mulyani's impartiality in handling her case.

Veronica, who is currently residing in Australia, said she was forced to return scholarship money totaling Rp 773.8 million (US$52,760) from the Endowment Fund for Education (LPDP) that she received in September 2016.

The Indonesian government has imposed a financial punishment as its latest effort to pressure me to stop advocating human rights issues in Papua, Veronica said in a statement obtained by The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.

The public lawyer was a recipient of a scholarship program run under the Finance Ministry that supported her to pursue a master's of law at the Australian National University.

She said the request was made by the LPDP due to her failure to return home to Indonesia after her studies. A claim she said was baseless as she returned home in September 2018 after completing her masters degree.

Read also: Rights activist urges Australia to raise Papua rights violations during Jokowi visit

She explained that in October 2018, she joined the Jayapura-based Human Rights Lawyers Association for Papua (PAHAM Papua), in which she carried out advocacy for human rights issues in the countrys easternmost province. Veronica also said she went to Switzerland to attend an agenda with the United Nations in March and returned to Indonesia right after.

Furthermore, the former public attorney for the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute (LBH Jakarta) said she gave a pro-bono legal service to Papuan activists in three separate trials in Timika, Papua from April to May 2019.

She then traveled back to Australia on a three-month visa to attend her graduation ceremony in July 2019. A month later, she was alerted that she had been summoned by the National Police and put on their wanted list.

The ministry has ignored the fact that I have returned to Indonesia and dismissed my willingness to return home if I had never received any threats that could endanger my safety, Veronica said.

She called for Finance Minister Sri Mulyani to be impartial in dealing with the issue.

So that [the ministry] does not become a state institution that wants to punish me due to my capacity as a public lawyer that defends human rights in Papua, she said.

Read also: She tweeted about the attack on Papuan students. Now, she is state enemy No. 1

The LPDPs executive director Rionald Silaban, however, defended the programs decision claiming that Veronika had refused to go back to Indonesia after finishing her study even after the committee had asked her to do so.

It is true that we have demanded that Veronica Koman Liau return all the scholarship money that we granted to her because it was written in the contract that the scholarship grantee studying abroad must return to Indonesia soon after the study is finished, he told the Post.

Veronica, who is a lawyer for the National Committee for West Papua (KNPB), was named a suspect by the East Java Police in September for allegedly violating four different laws, including the 2008 Electronic Information and Transactions (ITE) Law, by reportedly encouraging Papuans and West Papuans to riot.

She was one of the activists that had been vocal in expressing disagreement against the governments decision to temporarily shut down internet service in the restive region amid a string of protests and riots following the racially charged incident in Surabaya. Her tweets had been the only source of information regarding the protests that broke out in Papua and West Papua during the internet blackout.

During that time, she said that not only did she receive death and rape threats, but she also became a target for online disinformation.
Online shoppers in Vietnam can now earn up to 25 percent cashback from ShopBack Vietnams roster of over 150 merchants. These include international and regional brands like Lazada, Shopee, Watsons, Booking.com, Klook and 7-Eleven, as well as local brands Tiki, Sendo, Juno, G Kitchen, Vascara, and Fahasa.

Founded in 2014, ShopBack, a leading rewards and discovery platform, now serves over 20 million users in nine markets across Asia Pacific. Besides Vietnam, it is also present in Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia, Taiwan, Thailand, Australia, and South Korea.

ShopBack rewards users with cashback across a wide range of categories including general merchandise, travel bookings, fashion, health and beauty, groceries, and food delivery.

ShopBack launches cashback reward platform in Vietnam.

"At ShopBack, one of our six core values is 'Never Ending Customer Obsession, and we hope to bring the high-quality ShopBack experience that our users know and love to consumers in Vietnam," said Josephine Chow, head of expansion at ShopBack.

Chow added that the increasing number of internet users, rising internet penetration, and steady increase of the e-commerce share of total retail sales in Vietnam make it a core and high-potential market for the company.

ShopBack Vietnam was launched in Beta at the end of 2019, and since has acquired over 150 merchants and around 800,000 users. The firm has seen consistent month-on-month growth of over 150 percent in sales and over 150 percent in orders this year. To date, VND4 billion ($172 million) has been given out to ShopBack users in Vietnam.

Jacky Ha, commercial director, ShopBack Vietnam, said: "With a strong and clear value proposition - to simplify the shopping experience and help users save time and money - ShopBack is well positioned to attract consumers in Vietnam, especially those looking to cut costs and maximize savings during this challenging period."

Ha cited a survey conducted by McKinsey that stated Vietnamese are feeling the impact of Covid-19 on their livelihoods, with some 70 percent expecting to be more careful with their spending going forward.

"In fact, ShopBack Vietnam has been very well received since its beta launch late last year. We are thrilled to be officially launching ShopBack Vietnam and excited for whats in store next," Ha added.

As part of its 8.8 launch campaign on August 8, 2020, ShopBack Vietnam will be teaming up with selected merchant partners like Lazada, G-kitchen, Watsons, Shopee, Booking.com, and Klook etc. to offer deals exclusive to ShopBack users.

During the campaign, ShopBack users can earn up to 100 percent cashback during two flash sales. In line with the official launch, ShopBack Vietnam has rolled out new features including a new 'Coupon' icon on its homepage, whereby users can click to view a consolidated list of promo codes.
The Race Track Industry Program has announced the addition of Phil OHara to its faculty at the University of Arizona.

Phil, an RTIP alum, is incredibly well-versed in all areas of racing and brings a wealth of knowledge to the students," said Wendy Davis, director of the Race Track Industry Program. "We could not be more pleased to welcome him back to the program."

OHara is currently the president of P.T. OHara, Jr. Services, Inc., a consulting, strategic planning, and project management organization. Previous positions held include president and CEO of Equibase and executive vice president, Pari-Mutuel Operations for Penn National Gaming, Inc.

Im really excited to be returning to the U of A where my dreams of a career in the racing industry began," said OHara. "I look forward to assisting the next generation of racings leaders pursue theirs."

Students will be welcomed back August 24 with a combination of online and in-person courses.

(RTIP)
NEW YORK, Aug. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Inc. magazine revealed that Smart Wires is number 614 on its annual Inc. 5000 list. Smart Wires earned this ranking with a three-year revenue growth rate of 762 percent.

This list of America's most successful private companies first debuted in 1982 and has since become a symbol of entrepreneurial success. Microsoft, Dell, LinkedIn, Yelp, Zillow, Patagonia and many other well-known names gained early exposure as honorees on the Inc. 5000.

"We are honored to be included on the Inc. 5000 List," said Gregg Rotenberg, Smart Wires CEO. "Our rapid growth is attributed to global leaders in the electric sector embracing our technology to quickly unlock gigawatts of new capacity on their existing grids, by intelligently routing power to travel across underutilized transmission lines."

"We are proud to partner with electric utilities to accelerate a low-cost path to global decarbonization by dramatically increasing the delivery of electricity through today's existing power grids."

"We have lined up over a billion dollars of project opportunities over the next several years where our technology will enable many gigawatts of new renewable energy projects to reach the grid."

Smart Wires develops and implements innovative technologies that advance the delivery of electricity. With these solutions, electric utilities can maximize transfer capacity on their grids. This is necessary for rapid decarbonization at the lowest cost with the least disruption to communities and the environment.

In addition to being acknowledged by Inc. 5000, the World Economic Forum recognized Smart Wires as a 2020 Technology Pioneer and SmartValveTM technology as one of the energy sector's most influential innovations of the last decade.

Further Information

The companies on the 2020 Inc. 5000 have been very competitive within their markets, and the list as a whole shows staggering growth compared with prior lists. The 2020 Inc. 5000 achieved an incredible three-year average growth of over 500 percent, and a median rate of 165 percent. The Inc. 5000's aggregate revenue was $209 billion in 2019, accounting for over 1 million jobs over the past three years.

Complete results of the Inc. 5000, including company profiles and an interactive database that can be sorted by industry, region, and other criteria, can be found at www.inc.com/inc5000 .

About Inc. Media

The world's most trusted business-media brand, Inc. offers entrepreneurs the knowledge, tools, connections, and community to build great companies. Its award-winning multiplatform content reaches more than 50 million people each month across a variety of channels including websites, newsletters, social media, podcasts, and print. Its prestigious Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to recognize the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. The global recognition that comes with inclusion in the 5000 gives the founders of the best businesses an opportunity to engage with an exclusive community of their peers, and the credibility that helps them drive sales and recruit talent. The associated Inc. 5000 Conference is part of a highly acclaimed portfolio of bespoke events produced by Inc. For more information, visit www.inc.com .

About Smart Wires

Smart Wires develops and implements innovative technologies that advance the delivery of electricity. With our technology, electric utilities can maximize transfer capacity on their grids. This means more renewables, improved flexibility and stability, and less constraints, costs, community and environmental impact. With our next generation SmartValve technology, alongside our advanced analytics and consulting services, we are built to assist utilities solve problems and evolve the grid. Smart Wires is US-company, based in Silicon Valley, with European headquarters in Dublin and a global workforce. For more information, visit www.smartwires.com.

Contact: [email protected]

SOURCE Smart Wires

Related Links

https://www.smartwires.com


Re: After-hours club crackdown

During prohibition those who were in the know would enter a shop or cafe, speak a phrase and then be escorted to a back door that would open up to a bar and gaming house offering up all sorts of unregulated sins.These were known as speakeasies and they existed because the government provided both a demand and an incentive.

People will do what people will do. We all have free will. It is the essence of the human experience. That is not to say there are no consequences to ones choices, but it is up to each individual to weight the potential consequences and make their own choice. The government will try to remove ignorance in making these choices through advertising, they will try to incentivize people to make "the right" choice through legislation and policies. But ultimately, we all have free will and we will all do what we believe is "right" or simply just what we want. This is the reality, it is human nature.

Under the current governments' COVID policies, all legitimate businesses have implemented what might be perceived by some people as "no fun" rules. Those individuals will then seek something that is fun, where they can hang out with their peers, party, dance, and yes maybe even "speak moistly" into each other's faces.

This is the demand, and it is very real.

Seeing this newly created demand for the modern speakeasy, enterprising and maybe nefarious people with the means, seeing the potential for profit will make a business decision. Being that they are not a legit business with huge demand nonetheless, there are all kinds of rules they will choose to ignore. I am sure that some of the more conscientious will still ensure the safety and fair treatment of staff and guests alike while I have no doubt others would not care in the slightest. But not even the most caring and conscientious person embarking on such an enterprise would give a second thought to paying staff under the table and not paying taxes. They couldn't, for it would give them away. So huge demand, big money, no taxes, no regulation. This is the incentive.

It is hard to fathom the depths of mindlessness that goes into these decisions. For not considering the individual's right to choose, "they" have incentivized criminal behaviour. For making something so benign as holding a large gathering of humans illegal, criminal behaviour has been normalized and becomes much more dangerous for the individual party goer. Once you make a business illegal, only the criminals will partake. Meaning, Joe BC will not start up an illegal speakeasy but has no qualms attending. Only the people who are ok with getting arrested and going to jail would enter into such a business.

This is the exact argument made for Cannabis. We finally figure that out, then we do this?

Jeff Frank, Kelowna
New Franchise Director Gregory Detiveaux spent 25 years as an entrepreneurial leader in the energy business. He is ready to grow his own business in the home care industry. New Griswold Home Care Director Gregory Detiveaux said, As we contemplated being in the home care business, it was important to us to be aligned with a company like Griswold Home Care whose values and corporate culture were aligned with our own personal values.

Greg and Cindy Detiveaux are the new owners of a Griswold Home Care franchise in Texas. The husband and wife team acquired the North Houston territory, according to Michael Slupecki, Griswold Home Cares Chief Executive Officer.

Griswold Home Care was one of the first franchise companies in the United States to offer in-home care to seniors and adults with disabilities, illnesses, and injuries. The company is passionately dedicated to helping adults maintain quality of life through services including companion care, home services, personal care, and respite care. Thats what attracted the Detiveauxs to Griswold Home Care.

Our interest in senior home care began with our own concerns and considerations for how we might help support our parents now that they are in their most senior years, said Cindy Detiveaux. Then, our interest in senior home care grew beyond our own family requirements to an interest in potentially helping others facing the same needs for themselves or their families.

Greg Detiveaux explained further, As we contemplated being in the home care business, it was important to us to be aligned with a company like Griswold Home Care whose values and corporate culture were aligned with our own personal values, as well as, the corporate culture and management style we would desire in running our own business.

Griswold Home Care is one of Americas top home care companies and franchise development will continue to be a priority for us this year, Slupecki said. Our purpose is our motto: We give people the help they need to live in the place they love. There has never been a better time to build a bright future as a franchisee by taking care of those who need you the most.

About Griswold Home Care

With 200 locations in 30 states, Griswold Home Care is one of the countrys top home care companies, delivering compassionate care 24/7 to its clients. Its purpose is to give people the help they need to live in the place they love. Through this purpose, Griswold Home Care helps adults maintain quality of life despite advanced age or onset of illness through services including companion care, home services, personal care, and respite care. Founded by the late Jean Griswold in 1982, the company has maintained its founders profound sense of empathy for older and disabled adults and those living with chronic conditions. For more information, visit http://www.griswoldhomecare.com or call 215.402.0200.
A garrulous, self-effacing performer with a powerful voice, he would often regale gatherings with anecdotes from his Indore childhood  the idiosyncrasies of Indori diction, plus the signature hyperbolic Indori storytelling style informed his work.

The Urdu poet, professor and Bollywood lyricist Rahat Indori died on Tuesday after a heart attack. Indori, who was 70, had tested positive for coronavirus the day before (Monday, 10 August) and had been admitted to Indores Aurobindo hospital, where he breathed his last. For over four decades, Indori had been performing at mushairas (as well as more formal settings) across India and elsewhere. A garrulous, self-effacing performer with a powerful voice, he would often regale gatherings with anecdotes from his Indore childhood  the idiosyncrasies of Indori diction, plus the signature hyperbolic Indori storytelling style informed his work. Later on in his career, mostly between 1995-2005, he was also a regular feature in mainstream Bollywood, writing lyrics for films like Mission Kashmir and Munnabhai MBBS, writing the latters title song, for example.

Before all of that, however, came the poetry. Thanks to the current political moment in India and the algorithms of social media, tributes to Indori have mostly focused on one particular ghazal, Agar khilaf hain, hone do, which contains the undeniably tweet-worthy line, Kisi ke baap ka Hindustaan thode hi hai. If youre unfamiliar with Indoris work, you might be fooled into thinking that he was known for this kind of thing, ie rousing, combative poetry with patriotic elements, like a lot of names from previous eras.

Nothing could be further from the truth. Indoris work had true range  he had a ghazal for every mood, every occasion. He could craft a typically pithy Urdu couplet about love and pining for the beloved (Main lakh keh doon ki aakash hoon, zameen hoon main/ Magar use toh khabar hai ki kuch nahi hoon main). But he could also warn you about the perils of overdoing devotion  in life, in love (Mere bete tu kisi se bhi dil lagaa, lekin hadh se guzar jaane ka nai). He could do pathos, he could do irony, he could and often did tweak a few lines from old poems so that they alluded to current headlines. He was also remarkably generous with younger audiences  at Delhis Jashn-i-Rekhta a couple of years ago, he interrupted his performance to deliver a mini-treatise on the decline of Urdu and how he didnt blame younger generations for it (he then proceeded to explain the meaning of a couple of Urdu words he had just used).

Yesterday, Indoris son Satlaj revealed his fathers final sher, which ended with these poignant lines about death and acceptance.

Khaamoshi odh ke baithi hain masjidein saari

Kisi ki maut ka ailaan bhi nahi hotaa

Wabaa ne kaash hamein bhi bulaa liya Hotaa

Toh hum par maut ka ehsaan bhi nahi Hotaa

His Bollywood work reinforced Indoris strengths as a popular poet, most notably his ability to express philosophical sentiments in fairly simple language. Like the song Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlaata Hai from Meenaxi (featuring Tabu and Kunal Kapoor), which talks about the transcendental effect the beloved has on the poet  but also about the effect Art has on people. It remains one of AR Rahmans most unusual, haunting compositions. During a live Facebook video tribute last night, lyricist and storyteller Neelesh Misra noted that unlike a lot of other poets, Indoris work lost none of its keenness because of his Bollywood forays.

During the same radio-style tribute, Misra also read out the messages left by Indoris fans, communicating what the late poets work means to them. This exercise by itself told us a lot about the man, the sheer range of his work. There were so many lovers. There were so many who reckoned Indoris poems were their first expressions of political dissent. The most touching tribute came from a man who said that on the brink of suicide, he had listened to an Indori poem and had been persuaded to hang on.

One of my favourite Indori poems, canny and preternaturally insightful, asks us to lead our lives with a variety of modes or life-tools at our disposal. It is a typically broad, generous Rahat poem, asking us to expand our horizons. The aankh mein paani ie tears stands for empathy while hothon pe chingaari ie fiery words stands for the spirit of protest and independent thought.

Aankh mein paani rakho hothon pe chingaari rakho

Zindaa rehnaa hai toh tarkeebein kai saari rakho

Raah ke patthar se badh kar kuch nahi hai manzilein

Raaste aawaaz dete hain safar zaari rakho

One could do a lot worse than live by these words  rest in peace, Rahat sahab. Youll be missed.

 Featured image via Facebook/@rahatindoriofficial
Jr Arimboanga, an ethnic studies teacher, shows students a video about racism at John O'Connell High School in San Francisco on Jan. 22, 2018. (Josh Edelson / For The Times )

Gone is the cisheteropatriarchy and the hxrstory. A year after producing a bloated, jargon-laden model curriculum for a high school ethnic studies course, a California committee of teachers and academics has put forth a more coherent and flexible document that drops the previous overload of topics, ditches the assertion that capitalism is on par with white supremacy and racism as a form of power and oppression and provides less politically slanted suggestions for lessons.

The new draft, which was prompted by the stiff blowback the initial proposal drew from state officials and some educators, will get its first review from the state Board of Education Thursday. The boards goal is to have a model curriculum adopted by March so that state high schools could use it in the next school year.

In the year since the first draft was released, weve witnessed the death of George Floyd under a police officers knee and endured a pandemic that has exposed inherent  and lethal  racial and ethnic inequities in the healthcare and education systems. There has been a new awakening to direct and systemic racism in our society, which serves as a jolting reminder of how badly high schools need a strong ethnic studies course.

So the most important improvement in the new draft is particularly fitting: It hews more closely to a more traditional definition of ethnic studies, which generally refers to the struggles of Black, Latino, Asian and Native Americans against various forms of racism. The original version tried to cover such a broad spectrum of intolerance that it over-emphasized some groups at the expense of others and skimmed the surface of all of them.

The earlier version incurred the harshest criticism for various perceived slights against Jews, including recommending a song with an anti-Semitic trope and singling out one foreign country, Israel, for criticism. The Legislative Jewish Caucus sent a sharp letter of protest; among those signing was Assemblyman Jose Medina (D-Riverside), author of a bill that would have required California high schools students to take an ethnic studies course in order to graduate. Medina put the bill on hold until, as he put it, we get the curriculum right.

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Getting it right required changes on several fronts. The original curriculum barely gave credence to the idea that reasonable people can hold differing opinions on a whole range of topics.

Of course, an ethnic studies curriculum cant be totally objective. No one should want it to be. The whole point is to foster greater understanding and push back against intolerance. The most basic theme of such a course is that racism is a flat-out evil. That, at least, should be inarguable in our society.

But last years curriculum seemed designed more to indoctrinate than to increase knowledge and generate thoughtfulness. Its use of jargon was off-putting and sometimes divisive.

The new draft tones down the rhetoric significantly and brings more generally agreed-upon values into its sample lesson plans.

Instead of delving into the issues affecting a multitude of groups, the new curriculum mentions various groups in larger contexts  such as migration to the United States  and leaves room for schools to design their curriculum around their student populations. Its a good plan, up to a point. There is no way to provide a worthwhile education on each of the many groups, including Muslims, Jews, Hindus, Armenians, women and LGBTQ people, that have suffered intolerance or have had to fight over and over again for basic rights.

Individual school districts are under no obligation to follow the model curriculum in any case; its more a set of suggestions, lesson plans and resources that schools can use or not. Themed lessons allow additional groups to be added without shifting the focus away from the four main ones. But schools still should emphasize the four groups that have been the chief targets of racism in this country.

Some sloppily worded or biased statements remain in the new draft, such as Similarly, interpersonal sexism is what men do to women  as though this is what all men do to all women (and no women do to men). But most of these should involve relatively minor fixes, not an overhaul.

Its particularly good to see these studies tied to rigorous suggested coursework involving deep research, writing, critical thinking and comparative literature. The exercises that would have divided students have been swapped in favor of work that seeks to have them understand themselves and each other better and find areas of commonality.
The Christopher Nolan directed film Tenet is finally going to be released in cinemas. The anticipation for the film was intense and people were eager to watch the film as soon as possible. However, due to the pandemic, the release of several films, like Tenet, was pushed ahead.

However, UK cinema-goers can now purchase the tickets to watch Tenet which will release on August 26 in the UK, according to a report by Variety. Several online stores have opened up and the sale for the tickets have begun. Several cinema houses have tweeted and posted announcements of the tickets being sold. Other cinema houses are yet to begin their sale for Tenet which is expected to come anytime soon during this week.

Tenet cinema tickets to be on sale soon

Also Read | When Tenet's Release Was Postponed, Seth Rogen Joked How Nolan Wanted To 'kill His Fans'

Cinemas in England were allowed to function from July 4; however, several theatres delayed their opening process till July 10. Theatres are still being cautious and some theatres in the UK have planned to reopen in August.

The release of Tenet was originally planned as a worldwide release. However, due to the pandemic, the plan had to be halted due to safety concerns. However, the global release will take place regardless and thus Variety has reported the entire global release plan.

Good news, movie fans! #TENET is going on sale tomorrow!



While we wait, (re)discover 6 brilliantly clever Christopher Nolan movie twists that took our breath away >> https://t.co/bWMMQSAP7o pic.twitter.com/4mXHqNqKh1  Cineworld Cinemas (@cineworld) August 11, 2020

Christopher Nolan's Tenet opens here on Wednesday 26th August. Tickets go on sale tomorrow.



From Wednesday, why not whet your appetite with the 10th anniversary re-issue of Nolan's Inception, featuring an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at Tenet. https://t.co/RRzo8NFYUm pic.twitter.com/RkvPc7SRKJ  Clapham Picturehouse (@ClaphamPH) August 11, 2020

Also Read | Christopher Nolan's 'Tenet' Secures Early September Release Date In China

On Wednesday, August 26, Tenet will release in Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Denmark, Egypt, Estonia, Finland, France, Holland, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, Italy, Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, Portugal, Serbia, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine and the United Kingdom.

The next schedule goes on to Thursday, August 27, when Tenet will release in Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Canada, Czech Republic, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Israel, Lebanon, Malaysia, Middle East, New Zealand, Poland, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and the United Arab Emirates.

Further, on Friday, August 28, the film will release in East Africa, Ghana, Nigeria, Norway, Romania, Slovenia, Spain and Vietnam, according to the report.

Also Read | 'Tenet' Actor Himesh Patel Says Its Scale Is "incomprehensible", Praises Christopher Nolan

The release schedule then moves on to September 3 where Tenet will be released in the United States, Kuwait and Qatar. After which, on Thursday, the film will release in Azerbaijan, CIS Others, Kazakhstan and Russia. On September 17, Cyprus will witness the release of Tenet and on Friday, September 18, Tenet will be released in Japan as well. The release dates for several countries including India are yet to be announced as fans eagerly wait for the film, according to the report.

Also Read | Christopher Nolan's Fans 'not Okay' As 'Tenet' Gets Delayed Indefinitely
The family of a woman who died in October is suing a Los Angeles police officer accused of fondling her body and sharing camera footage with others.

The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in Los Angeles Superior Court, alleges that Officer David Rojas sexually molested Elizabeth Baggett. The lawsuit also alleges invasion of privacy, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligence, mishandling of human remains and other offenses.

Gloria Allred, the attorney representing the Baggett family, called Rojas' alleged behavior "mean, vile, base and contemptible."

"The unexpected loss of Elizabeth has been devastating for this family, and learning that she and her remains have been so disrespected and violated has compounded the loss and inflicted horrific pain and suffering on her loved ones," Allred said in a statement. "So many women are sexually abused during their lifetime, and now we learn that some are even sexually victimized after their deaths."

Baggett was 34 at the time of her death and had one son, according to an online obituary.

Rojas remains employed by the Los Angeles Police Department but is not on active duty, a spokesman said. His lawyer, Robert Ernenwein, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Baggett's family filed the lawsuit against the city, Rojas and several unnamed parties. They are seeking unspecified damages and a jury trial.

The lawsuit does not name the Los Angeles Police Department as a defendant.

"Shock and disgust does not even come close to describing the horror of hearing this news," the woman's mother, Janet Baggett, said in a statement Tuesday. "We, her family, have sleepless nights, if we are able to sleep. I personally wake in sweats from the nightmares that haunt me about the events of Elizabeths death. Days are not much better."

Rojas allegedly touched Baggett while he was alone with her corpse on Oct. 20 after he and his partner responded to the home where she died.

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Her manner of death was ruled an accidental overdose, according to the medical examiner's office.

Image: Elizabeth Baggett (Courtesy Allred, Maroko & Goldberg)

After Rojas and his partner determined the woman was dead, the partner left the room and Rojas turned off his body-worn camera, but the camera caught the alleged fondling in the moments before the officer turned it back on because the devices have two-minute buffering periods to capture what happens right before they are activated, The Associated Press has previously reported.

Elizabeth Baggett's 15-year-old son, Preston Sertich, said he had wanted to work in law enforcement until learning about the allegations.

"To David Rojas: After losing my Mom and processing what you did to her in her time of need, I can't sleep. All I can think is, 'Why?!' How could you do something like that?" Sertich said in a statement. "You had to know what you were doing was undeniably wrong and immoral."

Rojas was charged in December with one count of having sexual contact with human remains. He pleaded not guilty and was released on $20,000 bail, according to jail records.

Rojas' criminal trial has been postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Los Angeles Times reported. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for September, according to online court records.

"This incident is extremely disturbing and does not represent the values of the Los Angeles Police Department," LAPD Chief Michel Moore said at the time.
Papuan activist Agus Kossay (left) is joined by his sister and lawyer in front of the Balikpapan Detention Center, in East Kalimantan, Indonesia, following his release on his treason conviction over 2019 anti-Jakarta protests in Papua, Aug. 12, 2020.

The last of seven Papuan activists was released from a detention center in Indonesian Borneo on Wednesday after serving a sentence on charges of treason for taking part in anti-Jakarta protests last year.

Agus Kossay said jail was like a free hotel that would not discourage him from carrying on with the separatist campaign for the Papua region.

I will continue to fight for the freedom of all Papuan people, Agus told BenarNews in front of the Balikpapan Detention Center in East Kalimantan after being released on Wednesday.

In June, the Balikpapan District Court sentenced Agus and six other pro-independence activists and students to 10 to 11 months in prison for treason linked to organizing and taking part in anti-Jakarta protests in Papua last year. All seven were credited for the nine months they had already spent behind bars.

The defendants were proven to have committed treason with others, the judges ruled in their verdicts.

The four students  Ferry Kombo, Hengki Hilapok, Irwanus Uropmabin and Alexander Gobai  were sentenced to 10 months and released in early July.

Co-defendants Stevanus Itlay and Buchtar Tabuni, who also were sentenced to 11 months, were released last week.

Agus said he and other activists were willing to risk imprisonment in their efforts for Papuan independence.

For me, prison is like a free hotel. It will not discourage our fight, said Agus, the chairman of the pro-independence West Papua National Committee (KNPB).

He said the Papua region, located at the far eastern end of the Indonesian archipelago, had abundant wealth in natural resources to allow people to determine their own future.

We have gold, forests, others. We will able to stand alone, he said.

2019 protests

More than 40 people were killed in August and September 2019 after anti-government protests turned violent in Papua and West Papua provinces, which make up the Indonesian half of New Guinea Island.

The unrest was sparked by perceived heavy-handed and racist treatment of Papuan students by security personnel on Java Island. It prompted the government to send as many as 3,000 police and military troops to the Papua region, according to rights activists, and to block the internet for three weeks.

Officials said at the time that the blackout was intended to curb the spread of misinformation after protesters torched government buildings during the anti-government demonstrations.

The central government in Jakarta blamed the separatist United Liberation Movement of West Papua and the West Papua National Committee  Aguss group  for the uprising, during which thousands of people joined protests calling for a vote on self-determination for the mainly Melanesian Papuan region.

On Wednesday, Agus urged the government to withdraw those additional officers sent to the region last year, saying there could be violence if they did not leave.

We are not against the Indonesian government, only against the system that curbs Papuan freedom, he said.

The activist admitted that his efforts were not universally backed in Papua.

There are people in Papua who are not supportive, but it is our duty to make them understand, he said.

The seven are not the only Papua activists to serve time behind bars.

In April, Jakarta District Court sentenced six others to prison after finding them guilty of treason for demanding a Papua referendum and waving separatist Morning Star flags in front of the presidential palace in Jakarta. The six, who had been in custody since August 2019, were freed a month later.

The Papua region was incorporated into Indonesia in 1969 after a United Nations-administered ballot known as the Act of Free Choice. Many Papuans and rights groups said the vote was a sham because it involved only about 1,000 people.

Scholarship issue

Meanwhile, Veronica Koman, a human rights lawyer focusing on alleged abuses in Papua, asked Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati to be impartial in handling her case in which, Koman alleged, she was being forced to return hundreds of millions of rupiah of government-sponsored scholarships.

Koman said she had been ordered to return money granted by the Endowment Fund for Education (LPDP), a scholarship program managed by the Finance Ministry, totaling 773.8 million Rupiah (U.S $52,400), for failing to return to Indonesia after studying abroad.

However I did return to Indonesia in September 2018 after completing a masters of law program at the Australian National University, said Koman, who lives in Australia.

In a statement to the media, she said that a month after returned to Indonesia, she joined the Jayapura-based Human Rights Lawyers Association for Papua.

In March 2019, she went to Switzerland to attend a U.N. event before returning to Indonesia.

I provided pro-bono legal representation in court for West Papuan activists in three separate court proceedings in Timika, West Papua from April to May 2019. I then visited Australia on a three-month visa for a graduation ceremony held in July 2019, she said.

While there, Koman said she was alerted that she had been summoned by the National Police for alleged incitement of violence over releasing information about unrest in Papua.

I hereby call on the Indonesian Ministry of Finance led by world-renowned Sri Mulyani to not join a list of government institutions that persecute human rights defenders and to acknowledge my post-study return to Indonesia, she said.

LPDP Director Rionald Silaban confirmed the order to return the funding, but declined to say if it was related to Komans activities related to Papua.

Veronica is one of four scholarship recipients whom we asked for a refund, Rionald told Tirto.id, an Indonesian news website.

He said Koman should have stayed and worked in Indonesia for a minimum of five years after completing her scholarship.

It is in the contract. All the overseas scholarship recipients must return and serve in Indonesia, he said. Our policy is that you go home to help Indonesia, thats the purpose.




August 12, 2020 - release at 7:30 am

Sophia Antipolis, France



Nicox SA (Euronext Paris: FR0013018124, COX), an international ophthalmology company, today announced the signature of an exclusive license agreement with ITROM Pharmaceutical Group for the registration and commercialization of ZERVIATETM (cetirizine ophthalmic solution), 0.24% for the treatment of ocular itching associated with allergic conjunctivitis in Gulf and Arab markets including the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar. ITROM is a regional, Dubai-based, internationally recognized pharmaceutical marketing and distribution group of companies specializing in the introduction and representation of breakthrough ophthalmology products since 1999.



Gavin Spencer, Chief Business Officer of Nicox, said: "We are pleased to welcome ITROM as a partner for ZERVIATE as we continue to expand our collaborations globally and increase the value of the ZERVIATE franchise. ITROM has a strong focus in ophthalmology and has successfully brought other partnered products to the market in the region. They will be able to rely on the U.S. NDA to support their regulatory submission for ZERVIATE and are expected to obtain approvals without the need for further clinical studies. Their broad reach and commercial infrastructure in the region make them an excellent partner for Nicox."



ITROM is granted exclusive rights to develop and commercialize ZERVIATE in Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Oman, Qatar, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen. Nicox is eligible to receive 15% royalties on net sales of ZERVIATE in certain key countries, and 10% in other countries. Nicox will also receive a license fee on signature and may receive a future milestone payment upon product launch. ITROM will be responsible, at its own cost, for development and commercialization of ZERVIATE in the countries of the agreement. ZERVIATE is expected to require only the existing approved U.S. New Drug Application (NDA) package to support approval.



About ZERVIATE



ZERVIATETM (cetirizine ophthalmic solution), 0.24% is a novel formulation of cetirizine developed and approved for the first time for topical application in the eye for the treatment of ocular itching associated with allergic conjunctivitis. Cetirizine, the active ingredient in ZYRTEC, is a second-generation antihistamine (H1 receptor antagonist) that binds competitively to histamine receptor sites. Cetirizine, in approved oral formulations, has a well-characterized systemic efficacy and safety profile with worldwide exposure resulting from 20 years of oral use. ZERVIATE was developed by Nicox as the first and only formulation of cetirizine for topical application in the eye.



ZERVIATE, launched in the United States in March 2020 by Eyevance Pharmaceuticals, Nicox's exclusive U.S. licensee, is also licensed exclusively to Ocumension Therapeutics in the Chinese and Southeast Asian markets and to Samil Pharmaceutical in South Korea.



About Allergic Conjunctivitis



Allergic conjunctivitis occurs when an allergic reaction causes conjunctivitis. Conjunctivitis is an inflammation of the thin layer of tissue that lines the outside of the white surface of the eye and the inner surface of the eyelids. It may affect one or both eyes. The signs and symptoms may include eye redness, excessive watering, itchy burning eyes, discharge, blurred vision and increased sensitivity to light.
SYDNEY Australian police have arrested two men on suspicion of moving tens of millions of dollars of illicit drug money through a Sydney-based daigou", a surrogate shopping business popular with Chinese.

Investigators are looking into whether the daigou operators were aware that they might have been helping money-laundering organisations move dirty money" offshore, the Australian Federal Police said in a statement on Wednesday.

There are tens of thousands of daigou in Australia that use social media and mobile payment apps to buy goods on behalf of customers in China.

While daigou first made waves in the West shipping luxuries from Europe like Gucci handbags, the Australia operators mostly deal in white gold" - baby milk formula - and other consumer staples.

So popular is the trend that a specialist daigou retailer, AuMake, listed on the Australian stock exchange about three years ago.

Police did not identify any businesses in their statement.

Daigou are cash-intensive export driven businesses, making them an easy target for money-laundering operations and allowing criminals to transfer dirty proceeds offshore without using Australian bank accounts, police said.

Police said they suspected the two Sydney men had funnelled millions of dollars from the sale of drugs through the daigou business on behalf of their criminal clients.

Police arrested one of the men, 37, on Monday as he delivered A$1 million in cash in cooler bags to the daigou business in the western suburb of Auburn.

The second man, 40, is allegedly the Sydney-based coordinator" of the overseas money-laundering enterprise.

The pair have been charged with dealing with proceeds of crime, which carry a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison.

Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor
The son of a police officer who killed himself after disappearing on duty has launched a petition to overhaul 'discriminatory rules' which keep his father off the Queensland Police Honour Roll.

Ayr Police Senior Sergeant Michael Isles disappeared while on duty in 2009, with a coroner ruling three years later he had taken his own life.

Current rules prevent him and 13 other officers being included on the honour roll, which recognises cops for their service, because of the way they died.

Ayr Police Senior Sergeant Michael Isles (pictured) disappeared while on duty in 2009. In 2012 it was ruled by a coroner that Senior Sergeant Isles had died by suicide

His son Steven Isles, along with the help of Hinchinbrook MP Nick Dametto, has launched an online petition that will be tabled in parliament in September.

Mr Isles said the petition came about after his family submitted a complaint in September 2018, raising concerns about the 'prohibitive clause' in the criteria.

The ombudsman returned their findings in July 2020 and recommended Queensland Police Commissioner Katarina Carrol remove the clause and include Mr Isles' father on the list.

But after a month, nothing had been done, so he contacted Mr Dametto, his local MP, for help.

'This is certainly something that has morphed into a cause,' he told Seven News.

'This is something that is done for the greater good of mental health across Australia and for policing across Australia.'

Mr Isles (pictured) said the petition came about after his family submitted a complaint in September 2018 raising concern about the 'prohibitive clause' in the criteria

He said the 'discriminatory' clause was inconsistent across Australia and that mental health injuries should be recognised the same as physical ones.

'There are so many people on the wall already who have died by suicide so it is bizarre that all of a sudden stopped recognising mental health injuries and charged ahead to exclude them,' Mr Isles said.

He said if the petition fails, there are a number of other avenues to pursue.

Mr Isles urged Commissioner Carrol, who he recognises is new to the role, to reach out to his family.

Mr Isles said his family want Senior Sergeant Isles recognised on Police Remembrance Day next month.

Mr Dametto told The Townsville Bulletin he was sponsoring the petition because: 'It pains me to think why someone who has lost their life while on duty isnt on the roll.'

Mr Isles has launched a petition (pictured) in parliament, sponsored by Hinchinbrook MP Nick Dametto, to have his father recognised

Mr Isles said his father served on the force for 36 years and it would 'mean a lot' to have his name on the wall in Brisbane as they currently have nothing to commemorate him.

A Queensland Police spokesman told Daily Mail Australia that the body is currently considering the recommendations of the ombudsman.

'A review of the current QPS Honours and Awards Policy has commenced with a view to being more inclusive,' the spokesman said.

'It is expected this review will be completed within the next few months.

'This remains a complex and important issue and one that commissioners across Australian jurisdictions are aware of.

'Queensland currently follow guidelines that are consistent with the National Police Memorial guidelines and as such it is appropriate to continue consultations across jurisdictions.'

For confidential support call the Lifeline 24-hour crisis support on 13 11 14 or Mensline 1300 789 978.
The funding will help us strengthen our organizational capacity and further engage critical stakeholders as we stand with families to return Americas Stolen Children home.

The Raymond B. Preston Family Foundation has awarded iStand Parent Network, Inc. a three-year grant totaling $95,000 to help families recover children who are victims of international parental abductions. The grant follows a $10,000 award from the foundation in 2019 and will help boost the non-profit's service and advocacy efforts.

Founded in 2014, iStand is a national resource and support network for parents impacted by International Parental Child Abductions (IPCA). Each year, 800-1,000 children are victims of IPCA, a federal crime prevalent in part because there are no controls at airports and borders to prevent parents from taking children out of the country, often in defiance of court orders and custodial agreements. The COVID-19 pandemic has created additional challenges for parents seeking the return of their children as many foreign courts and governments have shut down or have limited operations.

Dr. Noelle Hunter, the co-founder of iStand, successfully fought to bring her daughter back home to Kentucky after she was taken by her father to Mali, Africa in 2014. Hunter and a team of volunteers now use their experience with navigating federal and international red tape to help other families and have assisted with the reunification of 47 children. The foundations latest contribution is earmarked to hire a part-time parent advocate to meet increased demand for assistance, enhance technology for more efficient operations and support iStand's annual conference, to be held this fall in Washington, DC.

The Raymond B. Preston Family Foundation has provided more than $12 million in support of education, arts and community initiatives, primarily in Western Kentucky, since 1989. Bart Critser, who serves on the foundation board of directors, is an IPCA survivor. He worked closely with iStand for the return of his daughters after their abduction to Denmark.

This grant is a very special gift from a family who knows the pain of international parental child abduction all too well, and is just the boost we need to help us become more viable and help more families, Hunter said. The funding will help us strengthen our organizational capacity and further engage critical stakeholders as we stand with families to return Americas Stolen Children home.

The 7th Annual International Parents Conference and Embassy Walk, to be held Sept. 30-Oct. 2, is iStands premier advocacy and education event and has more than quadrupled in attendance in recent years.

About iStand Parent Network, Inc.

iStand Parent Network, Inc. empowers parents to recover their children from international parental child abduction and wrongful retention and advocates for domestic and international policy reform that returns children home.
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The case

(TNS)  New Jerseys highest court ruled Monday that authorities can compel defendants to turn over their phone passcodes in order for them to retrieve information from the device through a search warrant.The state Supreme Courts 4-3 ruling was a result of the case of Robert Andrews, a former Essex County Sheriffs officer, who alleged it was unconstitutional to make him provide his cell phone passcode to authorities as they investigated him for aiding a man who was under investigation for drug trafficking. Authorities executed a search warrant on Andrews phones, but were not able to access information without the passcodes.The majority of the state Supreme Court concurred with Justice Lee Solomons opinion that found neither federal nor state protections against compelled disclosure shield Andrewss passcodes.The opinion says that the lawfully issued search warrants, which Andrews did not challenge, gives the state the right to the cellphones purportedly incriminating contents.The ruling now sets a precedent across the state that authorities have the ability to compel criminal defendants to disclose their cell phone passcodes in order to retrieve information from the device they were seeking to obtain with a search warrant, legal experts say.Attorneys and advocates who argued forcing the disclosure of a defendants passcode was unconstitutional said they view the ruling as a blow to privacy and a defendants constitutional right to remain silent and not self-incriminate.(The ruling) is taking a stick of dynamite to that fundamental right and imploding it from within, said Matt Adams, vice president of Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers of New Jersey.In the dissenting opinion, authored by Justice Jaynee LaVecchia, the justice raises concerns that this an example of citizens right to privacy constantly shrinking and a direct violation of (Andrews) right not to testify against himself.We are at a crossroads in our law, she wrote. Will we allow law enforcement  and our courts as their collaborators  to compel a defendant to disgorge undisclosed private thoughts  presumably memorized numbers or letters  so that the government can obtain access to encrypted smartphones?Charles J. Sciarra, Andrews attorney, said in a statement that the decision is a major defeat to the United States Constitution when it is already under substantial attack.'Its time to rethink whether you should keep anything simply private or personal on a personal electronic device because if the government wants it they can now get it, Sciarra said.A number of organizations, including the Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers of New Jersey, New Jersey State Bar Association, and the American Civil Liberties Union, all argued that criminal defendants should be shielded from disclosing information that exists only in their mind, like a phone passcode.Adams, who argued the case on behalf of the Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers of New Jersey, said he hopes the U.S. Supreme Court takes on the case and reverses the decision.This is a fundamental matter of individual rights that should not have been decided this way, he said.Brandon Minde, the chair of the New Jersey State Bar Associations Criminal Law Section, said the organization agrees with the dissenting opinion and will continue to monitor how this decision affects privacy concerns for New Jersey residents.In a world where right to privacy is constantly shrinking, our Constitutional rights must not, Minde said.Justice LaVecchia wrote that forcing Andrews to turn over his passcode raises Constitutional issues because Andrews is being asked to essentially turn over what is presumed to be incriminating information, in direct violation of his right not to testify against himself.But, according to the majority opinion, Andrews is not protected against self-incrimination because the search warrants had enough evidence to provide ample support to compel Andrews to turn over his passcode.This was no fishing expedition, the majority opinion says.As authorities were conducting a narcotics investigation into Quincy Lowery in 2015, Lowery provided investigators with information: he told detectives that Andrews was providing him information about their investigation and advice to avoid criminal exposure, according to court documents.Lowery allegedly told authorities that he and Andrews were members of the same motorcycle club, and the two regularly talked on FaceTime, according to the opinion. During one of those calls, Lowery said Andrews told him to get rid of his cell phones because law enforcement was doing wiretaps.Lowery said Andrews also provided information on law enforcement officers who were following Lowery as a part of their investigation and to check if his car was being tracked, according to the opinion.According to the opinion, the state obtained communication data warrants for cellphone numbers belonging to Andrews and the man under investigation. The warrants revealed 114 cellphone calls and text messages between them over a six-week period.Andrews was indicted in 2016 for official misconduct, hindering and obstruction.Lowery said much of what he told investigators could be confirmed by contents of phone communications with Andrews, however, neither state or federal authorities were able to to search Andrewss two iPhones without his passcode because they had an operating system that makes them extremely difficult to access without the passcodes, according to the opinion. (Lowery said communications were gone from his phone after resetting it.)Prosecutors asked the court to require Andrews to provide his passcodes so the phones could be searched.Andrews opposed the motion, claiming that disclosure of his passcodes violates the protections against self-incrimination.However, the trial court ordered Andrews do so, but limited the search of his phone and ordered that when conducted, the search be performed by the State, in camera, in the presence of Andrewss defense counsel.Andrews appealed the order, but the states Appellate Divisions 2018 ruled against Andrews. The court found that using self-incrimination as a defense to not turn over a cell phone passcode would essentially preclude the State from obtaining the contents of any passcode-restricted device as part of a criminal investigation.After the state Supreme Courts ruling Monday, Andrews criminal case, which is still in the pretrial phase due to the legal battle, will move forward. He must turn over his passcodes so that the Essex County Prosecutors Office can execute the warrants on his phones, a spokeswoman for the prosecutors office said.Sciarra, Andrews attorney, did not respond to multiple requests for comment on if he plans to appeal the decision to the U.S. Supreme Court or if Andrews will oblige with the order to turn over his passcodes.Chief Justice Stuart Rabner and Justices Anne M. Patterson and Faustino J. Fernandez-Vina joined the majority opinion, while Justices Barry T. Albin and Walter F. Timpone joined the dissenting opinion.
While YouTube is readily available in most countries, this is not always the case. A report prepared by NordVPN researchers using Google's search analytical tools found that the sites people most wanted to unblock was YouTube globally.

According to a report by PhoneWorld, 82.7 percent of those seeking to unblock online platforms sought to access YouTube. Within 30 days there were 137,000 unblock searches worldwide, of which YouTube constitutes the majority of those searches, followed by Facebook (6.22 percent), Google (5.21 percent), Instagram (1.76 percent), and Reddit (1.46 percent).

India is the second country to look for 'unblock YouTube', as it contributes 6.46 percent of the searches. United States leads with the largest contribution to these searches at 7.7 percent.

In India, 94.93 percent of unblock searches belong to the term 'unblock YouTube', which is followed by unblock Google (1.95 percent), unblock Instagram (1.17 percent), unblock Facebook (0.78 percent) and unblock Gmail (0.52).

Speaking to Mashable, Daniel Markusson, a digital privacy expert at NordVPN, said, As peculiar as it sounds, people are 'googling' how to unblock Google. The motive is to look for and access information without the fear of punishment, especially in countries where internet censorship is part of the governments agenda." He added that since some content is not available in a country, this makes people look for workarounds.

The Mashable report stated that YouTube, when compared to other platforms, has a much more robust copyright system to identify videos.
Early schooling in a child's mother tongue, as recommended in the new National Education Policy, can improve learning, increase student participation and reduce the number of dropouts, according to an IndiaSpend analysis of evidence from around the world. However, this would need new books, fresh teacher training and more funding, experts said.

Also, given the multiplicity of languages and dialects in India, it is difficult to home in on the one that can be used as the medium of instruction in an area. The National Education Policy (NEP) approved by the Union Cabinet on July 29, 2020, ...
The Customs department on Wednesday asked the Kerala protocol officer to furnish details of diplomatic consignments that arrived at the Thiruvananthapuram international airport in the last few months as part of the probe into the gold smuggling case.

Speculation is also rife that state higher education minister K T Jaleel may be grilled to clear the air on the import of holy books.

As a local arrangement in Kerala, exemption certificates for diplomatic bags are issued by the state protocol officer after obtaining details like weight and country of origin, people aware of the ongoing probe into the gold smuggling case said.

After the gold smuggling racket was busted with the seizure of 30 kg of the yellow metal on July 5 from a bag that came in the name of an employee of the United Arab Emirates consulate, Jaleel claimed that the consulate had donated copies of Quran and he took them to his constituency for distribution.

But former diplomats and others said no country exports religious books and special permission was needed for such imports also. Religious books are not imported. If at all it happens, special permission is needed for this, said former diplomat T P Sreenivasan.

Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan also said no such permission was sought.

A senior officer of the Customs said a heavy consignment came on March 4 in 30 bags weighing more than 4,000 kg and they were taken to Malappuram in a government vehicle. We have got some definite information. We are really intrigued about the contents. Investigation is going on the right track, he said.

Jaleels number figured prominently in the call lists of the main accused in the smuggling case Swapna Suresh. The minister then addressed a press conference in Malappuram saying he had interacted with her for distribution of Ramzan kits offered by the UAE consulate. He also said he was in touch with her as a diplomatic staff but he did not mention the consignment he took to Malappuram.

It came to light a week after when Customs and NIA officials questioned employees and a driver of the C-Apt (Kerala Centre for Advanced Printing and Training), a government body under Jaleels ministry. After this, the minister admitted he took holy books to his constituency and he was ready for any punishment for this. He also took a swipe at journalists saying these holy books were not made in gold.

But BJP state president K Surendran said the minister dragged religion into the issue after his alleged role came to light. His lies are falling one by one. We have information these consignments were unloaded in three places including Bengaluru, he said. When contacted the minister refused any comments saying he stands by what he had said earlier.

Meanwhile Kerala police chief Loknath Behra has directed the state cyber wing to probe bullying of senior Malayalam electronic media journalists including women scribes and submit a report in 24 hours.

The Kerala Union of Working Journalists (KUWJ) had petitioned chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan saying these journalists were targeted and attacked on social media citing their personal life and other details for taking proactive stand on several issues including the sensational gold smuggling case.

Shockingly, the CMs Press secretary also posted some comments against electronic media journalists, which many senior journalists alleged triggered such an intense cyber bullying against scribes. When asked about this, the CM evaded a direct reply saying the law was applicable to all.
Black women with natural hairstyles were perceived as less professional, less likely to get interviews

New research suggests Black women with natural hairstyles, such as curly afros, braids or twists, are often perceived as less professional than Black women with straightened hair, particularly in industries where norms dictate a more conservative appearance.

The findings, published in the journal Social Psychological and Personality Science, offer empirical evidence that societal bias against natural Black hairstyles infiltrates the workplace and perpetuates race discrimination, said Ashleigh Shelby Rosette, a management professor and a senior associate dean who conducted the research at Duke University's Fuqua School of Business.

The impact of a woman's hairstyle may seem minute, Rosette said, "but for Black women, it's a serious consideration and may contribute to the lack of representation for Blacks in some organizational settings. In the aftermath of the George Floyd murder and the corresponding protests, many organizations have rightly focused on tactics to help eradicate racism at systemic and structural levels. But our individually held biases often precede the type of racist practices that become embedded and normalized within organizations."

To detect bias against Black women with natural hair, the researchers recruited participants of different races and asked them to assume the role of recruiters screening job candidates.

Participants were given profiles of Black and white female job candidates and asked to rate them on professionalism, competence and other factors. Black women with natural hairstyles received lower scores on professionalism and competence and were not recommended as frequently for interviews compared with three other types of candidates: Black women with straightened hair and white women with curly or straight hair, the researchers found.

"In many Western societies, whites have historically been the dominant social group and, as a result, the standard for professional appearance is often based on the physical appearance of whites. For women's hair, that benchmark is having straightened hair," said Rosette, who collaborated with Christy Zhou Koval, a Fuqua alumna and assistant professor at Michigan State University.

Some straightening processes can cost hundreds to thousands of dollars and can cause hair breakage, scalp disease and other health complications, Rosette noted.

"When a Black woman chooses to straighten her hair, it should be a personal preference, not a burden to conform to a set of criteria for which there could be adverse consequences," she said.

In one experiment, two groups of participants evaluated the exact same job candidate, who was a Black woman. One group saw a photo of the candidate with natural hair while the other group saw her with straight hair. The group who saw a candidate with straight hair rated her as more professional -- defined as more polished, refined and respectable -- and they more strongly recommended her for an interview.

The fictional job candidates with natural hair were subject to discrimination when they were being evaluated for jobs in consulting, an industry with conservative dress norms.

However, when participants considered profiles of women who wanted to work at an ad agency, the candidate's hair texture didn't affect perceptions of professionalism or whether they were recommended for interviews. This may be because advertising is viewed as a more creative industry than consulting with less rigid dress norms, the authors posited.

"Some organizations strip away biographical information such as a person's name and other clues about gender or race from application materials. This procedure is known as blinding and has been shown to reduce similar types of bias as what we found in our research," she said. "But there fundamentally has to be a level of awareness that the natural hair bias exists. If you don't know that it exists, you can't know its influence on your decision-making processes."

It was only three years ago that the U.S. Army eased restrictions on natural hairstyles for Black soldiers, Rosette noted. In recent months, several cities and states have passed laws prohibiting discrimination against natural hairstyles for Black people at work and public school. Federal legislators have drafted similar bills to ban hair-based race discrimination under U.S. law.

"Although there have been some policy changes protecting Black people from discrimination based on their natural hair, these changes are fairly recent and not as widely implemented as they should be," Rosette said. "This work illustrates that racial discrimination based on hair can occur, and we hope it can inform new policies and practices for firms to ensure they're considering candidates equally, and furthermore, aren't missing out on top talent."

###
Progressive's voluntary benefit offering is its latest collaboration with Pets Best pet health insurance. Progressive and Pets Best have worked together since 2009, offering Pets Best pet health insurance plans to dog and cat owners across the U.S.

According to the American Pet Product Association (APPA), approximately 85 million households in the U.S. spent a combined $29.3 billion on veterinary care.

"Pet ownership in this country is at an all-time high, and costs for veterinary care continue to rise as we see more sophisticated medical technologies and improved treatment options. To help address this challenge, many pet owners are turning to pet insurance for protection," said Chris Middleton, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Pets Best. "This expanded product offering with Progressive allows us to reach even more business owners, HR managers, brokers and decision makers who turn to Progressive for their commercial insurance needs."

"We understand that employers are looking for ways to create more comprehensive and competitive benefits packages," said Drew Purcell, Business Development Leader at Progressive. "Employees are placing increased importance on work perks that complement their lifestyles and recognize what's important to them. By offering pet insurance as a voluntary benefit, employers can tap into the strong bond that many people have with their pets."

Progressive Pet Insurance by Pets Best provides employers and their employees flexibility. The pet health benefit is easy to implement and has the technical capability of integrating on any benefit enrollment platform. Enrollees can select the amount of coverage that best fits their needs and have access to a free 24/7 Pet Helpline to address any pet wellness questions or concerns.

There's no cost to employers to add Progressive Pet Insurance by Pets Best as a voluntary benefit. The pet insurance benefit is available to companies of any size and can be added at any time throughout the year. Employers have the option to pay for part or all of the pet insurance, or companies can choose to have their employees pay the premiums directly. Payroll deduction is also available to companies with at least 250 employees.

Companies interested in offering pet health insurance as a voluntary benefit can learn more by visiting http://progressivecommercial.com/petbenefits/ or by calling 1-833-449-7450.

About Progressive

The Progressive Group of Insurance Companies makes it easy to understand, buy and use auto insurance. Progressive offers choices so consumers can reach us whenever, wherever and however it's most convenient - online at progressive.com, by phone at 1-800-PROGRESSIVE, on a mobile device or in-person with a local agent.

Progressive provides insurance for personal autos and commercial autos and trucks, motorcycles, boats, recreational vehicles, and homes. Home insurance is underwritten by select carriers, including our majority owned subsidiaries, American Strategic Insurance Corp. and its affiliates (ASI).

Progressive is the third largest auto insurer in the country; a leading seller of motorcycle and commercial auto insurance; and through ASI, one of the top 15 homeowners insurance carriers.

Founded in 1937, Progressive continues its long history of offering shopping tools and services that save customers time and money, like Name Your Price, Snapshot and HomeQuote Explorer.

The Common Shares of The Progressive Corporation, the Mayfield Village, Ohio-based holding company, trade publicly atNYSE:PGR.

About Pets Best

Pets Best was founded in 2005 by veterinarian Dr. Jack Stephens with a mission to provide access to comprehensive animal healthcare at an affordable price. Dr. Stephens' passion for saving pets is what brought him to start pet insurance in the U.S. in 1980. Pets Best offers pet insurance and wellness plans for dogs and cats in every state and has paid more than $250 million in claims to their customers.

In 2019 the company was acquired by Synchrony (NYSE: SYF). Pets Best is part of CareCredit, a Synchrony Solution and offers flexible coverage, fast claims, and excellent customer service. Pets Best is highly rated by independent review sites and is recommended by veterinarians across the nation. Pets Best offers pet insurance for multiple fortune 500 companies through leading partner connectivity and technology.

Pets Best is a founding member of NAPHIA, an organization that has established high standards and transparency for the pet insurance industry. Visit www.PetsBest.com for more information.

Pet Insurance underwritten by American Pet Insurance Company, a New York insurance company. Please visit www.AmericanPetInsurance.com to review all available pet health insurance products.

SOURCE Progressive Insurance
Meanwhile, international law bans conscription to armies of occupying forces.

Kremlin-controlled "courts" in the Russian-occupied Crimea in July 2020 handed down nine guilty verdicts in cases targeting local men evading conscription for military service with the Russian army, a rights watchdog reports.

Another eight criminal investigations were opened on similar charges, according to the Crimea Human Rights Protection Group.

Read alsoUkraine suspends crossing checkpoints with occupied Crimea over coronavirus

A total of 125 criminal indictments for draft evasion, forwarded to courts, have been reported as of late July.

Military draft in Crimea: reactions
US Officials Sanctioned by China Denounce Measures as Distraction

By VOA News August 11, 2020

The 11 U.S. lawmakers and nonprofit leaders sanctioned Monday by China are speaking out, with one spokesperson characterizing the new measures as "not credible" and others as an attempt to "distract" from China's crackdown in Hong Kong.

White House spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany said China's new sanctions are "symbolic and ineffectual," but she would not say if the U.S. government would respond.

China announced sanctions on prominent Republican Sens. Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio, along with four other Republican lawmakers, though China did not target any Trump administration officials. Five individuals at non-profit and rights groups, including Kenneth Roth, executive director of the advocacy group Human Rights Watch, also were named.

The announcement was a direct response to sanctions the U.S. imposed three days earlier on Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam and 10 other officials in the special administrative region, including the current and former police chiefs.

"In response to those wrong U.S. behaviors, China has decided to impose sanctions on individuals who have behaved egregiously on Hong Kong-related issues," said Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian at a press briefing Monday. Zhao did not say what exactly the sanctions would include.

China already announced sanctions against Rubio, Cruz and Rep. Chris Smith last month, after the U.S. criticized China and imposed sanctions for the country's treatment of its Uighur ethnic minority. The three lawmakers were banned from traveling to China.

"The Chinese Communist Party thinks that it can distract from its crackdown on Hong Kong, including the arrest of freedom fighter Jimmy Lai, by re-announcing sanctions against Sen. Cruz that were already not credible to begin with, said Lauren Blair Aronson, a spokesperson for Cruz, in an email to VOA. "It won't work."

Cruz himself joked Monday on Twitter that he was "starting to think they [China] don't like me."

China views as outside interference U.S. outrage and policy regarding its often violent approach to Hong Kong and the Uighur ethnic minority.

"I want to reiterate that Hong Kong is China's Hong Kong and Hong Kong affairs are China's internal affairs that no external forces can interfere in," said Lijian, the foreign ministry spokesman. "China urges the US to recognize the situation and correct its wrongdoings, and not to go further and further on the wrong path."

China's sanctions came the same day as a high-profile arrest of Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai under its new national security law there. More than 100 police officers raided the headquarters of the democracy advocate's Next Digital company, which the newspaper livestreamed.

"From jailing newspaper publishers, to rigging elections, to dramatically expanding surveillance of Hong Kongers, the recent actions of China's communist leaders prove just how determined they are to stamp out democracy and fundamental freedoms in Hong Kong," said Sen. Pat Toomey, one of the sanctioned lawmakers, in a statement.

"Now China's communist leaders are sanctioning American lawmakers who have the audacity to point out their egregious violations of longstanding commitments made to the people of Hong Kong in the Basic Law. My response to being sanctioned is simple: I stand with the people of Hong Kong."

Toomey, along with Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen, introduced legislation in May that would authorize sanctions on the Chinese banks that allow China to enforce its Hong Kong national security law. Their Hong Kong Autonomy Act became law in July.

Hollen was not named in the sanctions, which targeted Republican lawmakers. He said in a statement, "China's decision to impose sanctions on U.S. officials will not deter us from taking strong action in response to China's crackdown on basic human freedoms. I urge the Administration to continue using its full authority under the Hong Kong Autonomy Act to implement wide-ranging consequences on the government and other officials for their acts of repression."

Rep. Smith, another of the sanctioned Republican lawmakers, also advocated for legislation he helped introduce in June, which would grant Hong Kongers priority status for refugee consideration.

"These attacks on freedom of the press in Hong Kong are deeply concerning and must not go unanswered," said Smith. "These arrests under the National Security Law prove the need for the Hong Kong Safe Harbor Act. The U.S. must respond quickly in a unified voice and provide safe harbor to Hong Kongers."

Roth, the Human Rights Watch chief, called the sanctions against him a "mere footnote," writing that China's actions were "little more than an effort to distract attention from its wholesale assault on the rights of the people of Hong Kong."

Also included on China's list of sanctioned individuals were Sen. Tom Cotton, National Endowment for Democracy President Carl Gershman, and Michael Abramowitz, the president of Freedom House.

VOA's Mandarin Service and Leslie Bonilla contributed to this story.

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Disabled Gaza couple make dolls to give their children 'decent life' Nihad and his wife Zeinab generate a modest income by selling the dolls and by sending costumed performers to nurseries and schools

With skilled fingers, disabled Gazan couple Nihad and Zeinab Jarboa have supported themselves by sewing finely detailed dolls and costumes, but coronavirus has hurt their already meagre income.

Making a living is a challenge for all residents of the Israeli-blockaded Palestinian territory, which is ruled by the Islamist movement Hamas and where the poverty rate exceeds 50 percent.

But the Jarboas face added adversity.

Nihad, 37, has been physically disabled since childhood while Zeinab, 35, had both feet amputated after contracting a rare disease while giving birth to her second child.

Both use wheelchairs, further limiting their work options in the Gaza Strip, where the unemployment rate is above 50 percent, according to official statistics.

The Jarboas have perfected a craft of making dolls and costumes inspired by cartoon characters.

They generate a modest income by selling the dolls and by sending costumed performers to nurseries and schools.

Before the pandemic, "we sold around 20 to 30 dolls a month at 10 ($2.90 dollars) shekels a piece", Nihad told AFP.

They also charged about 20 shekels (around $6) each to send actors to perform at events.

"But everything stopped with the pandemic," he said.

Access to Gaza was already tightly controlled by Israel and Egypt before the virus, which has left 78 confirmed infections and one dead in Gaza.

Hamas has imposed lockdown restrictions since March, including bans on gatherings and the closure of schools and mosques.

- Won't 'give up' -

Maher al-Tabaa, an economist at Gaza's chamber of commerce, said COVID-19 has further weakened Gaza's fragile economy.

"Unemployment and poverty rates are expected to increase," Tabaa told AFP, adding that 80 percent of the population was already dependent on food aid.

Even though some restrictions have been lifted, the Jarboas said they have only received two requests for shows while doll sales are down 75 percent.

Story continues

"We won't give up, even if it's hard," said Zeinab as she prepared tea on a stove in their one-bedroom apartment in Rafah refugee camp of southern Gaza.

"Things are harder with coronavirus (but) I am strong enough," she said, her hair covered with a pink scarf.

"I want to raise my children so they have a decent life."

Like nearly 50 percent of Gaza residents, the Jarboas receive food aid from the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA).

Over 700,000 Palestinians fled or were expelled from their land at Israel's creation in 1948. Survivors and descendants are considered refugees by the UN.

But UNRWA's support is "not enough to buy food", said Zeinab as she sewed a brightly coloured costume inspired by Donald Duck.

az-cgo/bs/hc
Norman Cousins said recently in an editorial in the Saturday Review that there are no insoluble problems on earth. Dr. Henry Pitney Van Dusen, president emeritus of Union Theological seminary in New York, took issue with him. I know no one, he said, who faces the facts and has taken accurate measure of the manifold symptoms of profound, perhaps mortal, sicknesses in American society and still clings to such illusions.

The American people have been sold a number of illusions that have no biblical foundation. I want to mention three of them. You might not agree with me, and thats your privilege. I once heard Walter Reuther speak in Toronto just after he had called a strike of the United Auto Workers throughout Canada. He was addressing the Empire Club, and the leaders of the industry were there. What a cold reception he got! But he laid it on the line, even going so far as to name the salaries of some of the men who were sitting in front of him. I dont think a man in the room agreed with him, but when he was finished, they gave him a standing ovationbecause he had the guts and the courage to tell it like it was.

The first illusion I find prevalent in America today is that permanent peace is a reality apart from the intervention of God.

A few weeks ago it was my privilege to see Mrs. Golda Meier during her trip to the United States. While I was waiting to be taken to her room, one of her aides told me that a man in New York had said to her: Madam Prime Minister, why dont you Jews and Arabs sit down and settle your problems like Christians? And I said: Like in northern Ireland.

Jesus predicted many centuries ago that we would have wars and rumors ...

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He said that under Japans labour law, foreign interns are the equal of Japanese workers and pay premiums so also benefit from unemployment insurance.

If Vietnamese interns are unable to continue their job, the Japanese Government will provide support to them, he said, noting that his ministry has carried out a number of measures to assist interns recently made jobless by COVID-19, such as setting up the Organisation for Technical Intern Training and an advisory hotline in the Vietnamese language.

To enhance coordination between the two countries agencies in managing and supporting Vietnamese interns, Kato suggested a hotline be established between his ministry and the Vietnamese Embassy.

For his part, Nam agreed with his host about the hotline and expressed a willingness to cooperate with the ministry to address any issues relating to Vietnamese interns in a timely manner.

He also thanked the Japanese Government and the ministry for assisting Vietnamese people in the country amid the COVID-19 outbreak, by providing aid in cash to Vietnamese workers, supporting the treatment of Vietnamese infected with COVID-19, and allowing interns with expired labour contracts to continue working pending repatriation flights.

The Vietnamese Embassy is operating four hotlines around the clock to receive information and help any Vietnamese citizens affected by the pandemic, the diplomat added.

Data from the ministry in October 2019 showed that there were over 401,300 Vietnamese working in the country, accounting for 24.2% of all foreign workers and making Vietnam the second-largest source of foreign labour. About half were technical interns.
B arack Obama has praised his former vice presidents own choice of running mate saying Joe Biden nailed this decision.

Mr Obama shared a statement on Twitter just minutes after Mr Biden named California Senator Kamala Harris as his prospective VP.

By choosing Senator Kamala Harris as Americas next vice president, hes underscored his own judgment and character, Mr Obama wrote.

Donald Trumps predecessor in the White House called Ms Harris an ideal partner to help him (BIden) tackle the very real challenges America faces right now and in the years ahead.

The choice has sealed Ms Harriss place in the history books, as she becomes the first black woman to compete on a major partys presidential ticket.

The 55-year-old first-term senator is also one of the partys most prominent figures and quickly became a top contender for the number two spot after her own White House campaign ended.

Meanwhile, climate activist and former Vice President Al Gore also praised the choice as a victory for those who care about combating the climate crisis.

The 72-year-old tweeted that Ms Harris has made climate and environmental justice a top priority in her political career, and he said she would be a strong advocate in the White House.

Mr Gore is former vice president to Bill Clinton and a 2000 Democratic presidential nominee.

He once served as a Tennessee senator alongside Mr Biden. and has since worked with him on his climate plans.

Georgia voting rights advocate Stacey Abrams congratulated the Democratic vice presidential candidate after Mr Bidens announcement.

Ms Abrams tweeted that she spoke at length with the 77-year-old over the weekend and again on Tuesday.

The presumptive presidential nominee called several women he considered for the ticket to let them know they were not his final choice.

Ms Abrams praised Mr Bidens focus on reaching out to every corner of our country and pledged to work for Team #BidenHarris through November.

House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn said Mr Bidens selection will energise voters ahead of the general election fight against President Donald Trump.

This is everything that we need to get people to turn out the vote, Mr Clyburn told MSNBC Tuesday.

Mr Clyburns backing helped boost Mr Biden across the South Carolina primary finish line, propelling him into victories in later nominating contests.

And Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti praised his dear friend and fellow Californian for her selection as running mate.

Mr Garcetti is one of Mr Bidens campaign co-chairs and helped him navigate his options for VP.

The mayor noted in a statement that he and Ms Harris have been friends for many years, recalling their work together on then-Sen Barack Obamas presidential campaign in 2008.

Mr Garcetti called Ms Harris a true ally for people who have needed a voice within the corridors of power.
ALBANY  Gov. Andrew Cuomo has earned praise during the pandemic for his skill at discussing coronavirus numbers and details.

Yet there is one statistic the governor and state Health Commissioner Howard Zucker refuse to disclose: The number of New York nursing home residents who died from COVID-19.

It's an important statistic, obviously. We can't fully understand the pandemic's devastating toll on the state's nursing homes without it. We can't know the scope of the tragedy that befell some of the most vulnerable New Yorkers.

But Cuomo and Zucker are keeping us in the dark.

According to the state's official count, roughly 6,600 nursing home residents died from COVID-19  the highest total of any state. Everybody knows that's an undercount, however, because the number doesn't include nursing home residents who were transferred to hospitals before they died.

Other states don't tally COVID-19 deaths that way, and neither did New York - at first.

But in April, just as the number of nursing home fatalities from COVID-19 started to spike, the state suddenly decided not to count residents who died in hospitals as nursing home deaths. The state said it feared some deaths would be counted twice.

That's the official explanation, anyway. But you don't have to be a wild-eyed conspiracy theorist to suspect the change had something to do with the state's controversial mandate requiring nursing homes to accept COVID-19 patients.

If the number of deaths tied to nursing homes is artificially low, the mandate might not look so bad. Provide New Yorkers with the truthful number, however, and the policy would be revealed as disastrous.

Meanwhile, as a ProPublica investigation published in Wednesday's Times Union detailed, there's evidence New York's unusual method of counting COVID-19 deaths led at least one nursing home to "dump" dying residents into hospitals, sometimes with do-not-resuscitate orders.

While the Department of Health said it "will hold accountable to the fullest extent of the law any nursing home that engaged in wrongdoing," it's horrifying that dying New Yorkers would be treated that way. So again, how many nursing home residents died of COVID-19 in hospitals?

We don't know. Cuomo and Zucker won't tell us.

Reporters and state lawmakers have asked for the number repeatedly. There's always an excuse for why it isn't available.

On Tuesday, the Associated Press reported that it filed a public records request for the data three months ago, but the health department has refused to release it. The AP story, which estimates that an accurate count would add thousands of deaths to the official total, is headlined, "New York's true nursing home death toll cloaked in secrecy."

Indeed, it is.

Last week, lawmakers pressed Zucker for the number when he testified at a legislative hearing on nursing homes. While Zucker acknowledged the state counts nursing home residents who die of COVID-19 at hospitals, he declined to provide lawmakers with even an estimate of the total tally.

It seems to me that the definition that you are insisting on keeping on the books is one that no other state utilizes and it makes you look better than what yall did," said state Sen. Gustavo Rivera, a Democrat from the Bronx who chairs the Health Committee. "That's a problem, bro."

On Wednesday, a full eight days later, Zucker again testified before the committee  and still didn't have an answer. The hubris is stunning.

Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years.

"We continue to work on it," Department of Health spokesperson Jill Montag told me later in the day.

I emailed Cuomo spokesman Rich Azzopardi to ask how it is possible that the administration has not provided the number, given the importance of the statistic and the state's ability to determine it.

I mean, it's not like we're asking for the number of pebbles on Pluto. This is data that, by Zucker's own admission, the state can access. And yet we haven't been allowed to see it.

Azzopardi didn't respond. Instead, I received a canned statement from Montag saying "New York was an early leader in providing daily facility-specific information" and no state "has been clearer in personalizing the human cost of the pandemic."

That's not entirely wrong. New York has been good about releasing COVID-19 data, which makes the secrecy around nursing home deaths all the more confounding. It leads to an obvious conclusion: Cuomo doesn't want the data released because it would look terrible.

It would reveal the calamitous cost of the mandate forcing nursing homes to accept COVID-19 patients. It would show that the Cuomo administration made a costly and tragic decision.

As the Associated Press noted, Cuomo has often used New York's flawed undercount to defend the mandate, contending the state's percentage of nursing home fatalities out of its overall COVID-19 death toll is low compared to other states.

The undercount was also the basis of a health department study that claimed the mandate wasn't responsible for nursing home deaths and instead blamed employees of the facilities.

But that report was a sham. And the truth about nursing homes and COVID-19, I'm sorry to say, isn't what Cuomo wants us to know.

cchurchill@timesunion.com  518-454-5442  @chris_churchill
Gunmen on Sunday killed the proprietor of Winners Comprehensive High School Jalingo, Mr. Danlami Shamaki.

An eyewitness told The Nation the late Shamaki was returning from Abuja in his Toyota Jeep at about 5pm with three other people when they ran into a group of armed men between Danacha and Sabongida village in Gassol local government area of Taraba state.

It was gathered the gunmen, on sighting the vehicle, suddenly pushed a wheelbarrow to slow down the vehicle before opening fire.

According to the eyewitness, the gunmen shot the late proprietor, who was sitting on the front seat on the forehead while the driver managed to escape with the other three passengers unhurt.

Shamaki was said to have died instantly.

It was further gathered his remains were taken to Jalingo and deposited at the Federal Medical Centre mortuary.

The Police Public Relations Officer of Taraba Police Command, DSP David Misal could not pick his phone to confirm the incident.

But the deceaseds wife, Juliana, simply replied in tears they have killed my husband,  when The Nation visited their home in Jalingo on Monday morning.

Follow Us on Facebook  @LadunLiadi; Instagram  @LadunLiadi; Twitter  @LadunLiadi; Youtube  @LadunLiadiTV for updates
Lebanese gov't resigns after deadly Beirut blast

People's Daily Online

(Xinhua) 08:32, August 11, 2020

Lebanon's prime minister announces resignation of his government following deadly explosions in capital Beirut which have triggered anti-government protests.

Lebanon's Prime Minister Hassan Diab on Monday announced the resignation of his government, after deadly explosions in capital Beirut that have triggered anti-government protests.

Diab said he refuses to be held accountable for the corrupt practices adopted by previous governments.

"Weeks after the formation of our government, some political parties tried to hold us accountable for corruption, public debt, and economic collapse," Diab said, adding that every minister in this cabinet has exerted great efforts in contributing to the roadmap to save the country.

"We are keen about this country, its future and the future of our children. we do not have personal interests. We want the good for this country, but we refuse to be dragged to useless arguments. Unfortunately, we could not stop some political parties from inciting people against us," he said.

Diab said the government has decided to resign to be able to stand by the people who are demanding for a real change.

Beirut was rocked last week by two huge explosions that have claimed at least 158 lives and injured 6,000 others.

The ruling political class came under heavy criticism by the Lebanese people who accused them of negligence and recklessness by storing a big volume of ammonium nitrate at Port of Beirut which may have caused the huge explosions.

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New Delhi: The travel time from Katra to Delhi will now be reduced to around six and half hours and from Jammu to Delhi to just about six hours, said Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh, disclosing that the work has started on the first of its kind Katra (Jammu and Kashmir)- Delhi Express Road Corridor which will be ready by 2023.

According to Dr Jitendra Singh, once this Express Road Corridor becomes functional, people will prefer to travel to Delhi by road instead of undertaking a journey by train or by Air.

"The hallmark of this road corridor is that it will connect the holy cities of Katra and Amritsar, and at the same time offer connectivity for some other major important religious shrines between the two destinations," he said.

The Union Minister further informed that after completion of the survey by M/s Feedback Consultants Ltd, the process of acquisition of land is nearly complete and the work on the ground has started.

Estimated to cost over Rs 35,000 crores, this Expressway Corridor will pass through important cities including Jammu and Kathua in Jammu and Kashmir, and Jalandhar, Amritsar, Kapurthala and Ludhiana in Punjab.

Dr Jitendra Singh said, "simultaneous widening of the National Highway between Pathankot and Jammu is also being undertaken, to upgrade it from 4 - lane to 6 - lane, which will also prove to be a great boon for the commuters between Jammu, Kathua, and Pathankot."

Scheduled to be completed within a timeline of three years, the road corridor will prove to be a path-breaking revolution in promoting industry and investments in the entire region as it will also pave the way for the growth of economic hubs in cities like Kathua and Jammu, he added.

Dr Jitendra Singh, representing Katra Vaishno Devi Lok Sabha seat, had been pursuing this project since 2015 and had for the first time about three and half years ago announced during a programme at Katra that he had submitted a proposal to this effect which had been accepted by Union Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari.

He also thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for liberal Central funding to build a series of roads and bridges in the region during the last six years.

Jitendra Singh recalled that some of the monumental works include the state-of-the-art Chenani-Nashri tunnel, which was inaugurated by PM Modi and which is the first to be named after Dr Shyama Prasad Mookerjee.
UPDATE: N.J. schools can start all-remote in major reversal of reopening plan, report says

The coronavirus be damned, Robert Zywicki told himself. Mount Olive schools were going to reopen in September.
- Governor Mike Sonko and NMS boss Mohammed Badi have been at loggerheads with the county boss accusing the latter of overstepping his mandate

- The two met at KICC on Wednesday, August 12, during the International Youths Day celebrations where they agreed to work together

- President Uhuru Kenyatta asked Sonko to stop politics and focus on delivering for Nairobians

- The governor apologised to Badi and blamed political inciters for being behind their misunderstandings

President Uhuru Kenyatta has finally managed to broker a truce between Governor Mike Sonko and Nairobi Metropolitan Service (NMS) Director-General Mohammed Badi.

The two leaders who have been at loggerheads after the county boss came out accusing Badi of overstepping his mandate met at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) on Wednesday, August 12.

READ ALSO: Senator Kipchumba Murkomen says wife used to send him fare when they were dating

President Uhuru Kenyatta, Transport CS James Macharia, NMS boss Mohammed Badi and Governor Mike Sonko outside KICC. Photo: John Papanoo

Source: Original

READ ALSO: Kenyans stranded in Lebanon demonstrate outside consulate seeking to be evacuated

Addressing members of the press after the meeting, Sonko apologised to Badi saying he was sorry for badmouthing the NMS boss.

"And all the negative things I have said about my friend Badi, I want to say I am sorry and going forward we shall work together," he said.

Sonko blamed political disruptors for being responsible for the bad blood between him and Badi saying his main interest was service to Kenyans.

On his side, the NMS boss thanked the governor saying he was ready to work with him going forward without any commotion between them.

General Mohammed Badi Governor Mike Sonko during a joint press conference at KICC on Wednesday, August 12. Photo: John Papanoo

Source: Original

READ ALSO: Boda Boda rider over the moon after marrying woman he believed was above his class

"I want to thank the governor, and as you have heard the hatred that was between me and governor is now over, we have agreed to work together and our main agenda is to serve Nairobians," said Badi.

Uhuru's hand in Nairobi leadership

President Uhuru Kenyatta who was attending the International Youth Day at KICC told Sonko to stop playing politics at the expense of Nairobi and asked the two to work together to serve the residents.

The truce came barely a day after Nairobi County Assembly Speaker Beatrice Elachi resigned from her position amid an impending impeachment motion against her.

Elachi was forced to resign after a meeting with the head of state and Nairobi county MCAs at State House in which the leaders were asked to work together.

READ ALSO: Lady who met man at a bar refuses to leave his house: "I don't want to go"

Details of the meeting indicated all the county leaders who were present blamed Elachi for the chaos that was witnessed at the assembly forcing the president to ask her to resign.

Addressing members of the press after Elachi's resignation, Sonko said she was the one responsible for the misunderstandings between him and Badi.

Badi and Sonko have been at loggerheads and recently they were fighting over the county leader's official residence with each one of them claiming they are the ones legally mandated to occupy the house.

Do you have an inspirational story you would like us to publish? Please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690. Follow us on Telegram: Tuko news

Source: TUKO.co.ke
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday congratulated Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and premier Mahinda Rajapaksa on their party's "resounding electoral success" and expressed confidence that bilateral ties will be further strengthened.

In a letter addressed to the two Rajapaksa brothers, Modi pointed out that he looks forward to working with them, including for the recovery and revitalisation of the bilateral economies in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

On Wednesday, Sri Lanka's new Cabinet, including four members of the powerful Rajapaksa family, took oath with President Gotabaya retaining the key defence ministry while the finance portfolio went to newly-elected Prime Minister Mahinda after their party won a landslide victory in parliamentary elections last week.

The President administered the oath of office to the 28-member Cabinet.

Taking to Twitter, India's High Commission said: "Together for development! PM Narendra Modi wrote to Gota bayaR & Pres Rajapaksa. He congratulated them on resounding electoral success of Podujana Party. PM Shri Modi also congratulated Pres Rajapaksa on being sworn in as PM of SriLanka."

"PM Shri Modi expressed confidence that India-SriLanka relationship will be further strengthened. He pointed out that he looks forward to working with Gotabaya R and Pres Rajapaksa, including for recovery and revitalisation of our economies in the wake of COVID19 pandemic," it said in another tweet.

The Mahinda Rajapaksa-led Sri Lanka People's Party (SLPP) won a landslide victory in the parliamentary elections held last week that allowed the influential family to consolidate power for the next five years.

The SLPP won a record 145 seats in the 225-member Parliament.

Sri Lanka was one of the very few Asian countries apart from Singapore to hold general elections in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.
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Linkedin Apriadi Gunawan (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, August 12, 2020 13:53 525 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066d6b22f 1 Business Telkomsel,sumatra,fire-accidents Free

Mobile network operator Telkomsel announced on Wednesday that its island-wide network on Sumatra was restored after a fire erupted on Tuesday afternoon at its offices in Pekanbaru, the capital of Riau province.

[The network] has been restored 100 percent," Telkomsel vice president of corporate communications Denny Abidin said on Wednesday as quoted by kompas.com, and that customers could access all services as usual.

"We apologize to customers for this inconvenience. We appreciate our loyal customers for continuing to use our services, he added.

A fire broke out on Tuesday afternoon at the Telkom building on Jl Jenderal Sudirman in Pekanbaru, damaging the automated telephone center (STO) and disrupting the services of both Telkom and parent company Telkom in certain areas of the province.

The outage affected Telkomsel customers in Sumatra who reported that the company's telephone, SMS and internet services, including Telkoms IndiHome wireless service, became unavailable as a result of the fire.

Rozi Syahputera, a customer in Medan, told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday evening that he had no mobile signal since the afternoon, disgruntled that it was taking Telkomsel so long to restore the connection.

"I am disappointed. No phone calls or the internet since this afternoon. We do not know how long it will take [to restore access], Rozi said.

He added that he had been forced to switch temporarily to another provider to regain access to the internet.

Iyan, an ojol (ride-hailing motorcycle taxi driver), said he was severely affected by the network outage that had disrupted his ability to deliver food.

A customer ordered [food] when the network was still fine, but I couldn't contact the person [later] when the network was [down]. I couldnt deliver the order, he said.
EyeControl, a leading supplier of assistive communication devices for ventilated and locked-in patients, today announced it has closed a Series A round of funding and has won the Enhanced European Innovation Councils (EIC) COVID-19 Pilot Program, securing over $10M in combined funding.

EyeControl becomes the first Israeli company to be awarded both the European Commissions (EC) Horizon 2020 SME instrument phase 2 program and the EIC Accelerator. The new funding will allow the company to grow by expanding its hospital activity and enhancing strategic partnerships. EyeControl also announced that digital health entrepreneur Avner Halperin has been appointed as chairman of its newly expanded board of directors.

I am very excited and proud to take part in EyeControls mission to improve communication for ventilated patients, said Halperin. Management has led the company to great achievements, including the recent EIC win. The EC recognizes that EyeControl is solving a critical issue with tremendous global impact. This funding will assist the company in accelerating growth and strategic partnerships worldwide.

The companys latest investment round, led by Connecticut Innovations, includes Benslie International Ltd, Clive Barret and Menomadin Foundation with participation from existing investors, including Benny Levin (founder and former CEO of NICE), Itsik Danziger (former president of Comverse), Jim Elkind (private healthcare investor), Avi Kornreich (former CEO of Agentek), Zora Ventures, Impact First and Rimonci Capital.

The combined support of the new board members joining as part of this funding round, as well as the continued support of the EC, paves the way for EyeControls future success, said Matt Bloom, investments director at Connecticut Innovations and EyeControl board member. With its innovative technology and bright team, we strongly believe this company will stand out and is well positioned for success.

EyeControls funding milestones have been achieved against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, which fueled the preexisting need for an innovative communication solution for ventilated patients in a medical facility environment. The company is piloting its medical device at hospitals treating patients with COVID-19, helping preserve lines of communication between ventilated patients and nurse stations outside quarantine.

We are very thankful to our new and existing investors for their trust and financial support as well as the access we have to their expertise and professional networks, says Or Retzkin, EyeControls CEO and co-founder. The appointment of Avner Halperin as chairman of the board will accelerate the companys growth potential. His extensive experience will play a crucial role in bringing our disruptive technology to the forefront of global healthcare.

About EyeControl:

EyeControl is an Israeli startup established in 2016 by three entrepreneurs who share unique personal connections to locked-in individuals; they joined forces to create innovative solutions for the communication needs of these patients.

The EyeControl is the first wearable, screenless assistive communication device. AI-powered eye-tracking technology enables remote communication between ventilated ICU patients, their families and medical care teams. The EyeControl also improves quality of life for ventilated and locked-in home care patients, by providing round-the-clock communication with family members and caregivers. The EyeControl is CE marked, FDA listed and ISO certified. It is reimbursed by the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, UK National Health Service and the Israeli Ministry of Health.


UOB launches the UOB Finance Academy to develop Singapores finance leaders of the future

United Overseas Bank (UOB) on Aug 3 announced that it has launched the UOB Finance Academy, a dedicated training and development programme in Singapore focused on equipping all employees in the Banks Finance function with the soft and technical skills required to become future leaders in their field.

UOB Finance Academy

Image credit: Harshil Shah (no changes were made to original image)

UOB is a leading bank in Asia with a global network of more than 500 offices in 19 countries and territories in Asia Pacific, Europe and North America. Since its incorporation in 1935, UOB has grown organically and through a series of strategic acquisitions. UOB is rated among the worlds top banks: Aa1 by Moodys Investors Service and AA- by both S&P Global Ratings and Fitch Ratings. In Asia, UOB operates through its head office in Singapore and banking subsidiaries in China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam, as well as branches and representative offices across the region.

UOB says it believes in being a responsible financial services provider and that they are committed to making a difference in the lives of their stakeholders and in the communities in which they operate. Just as they are dedicated to helping their customers manage their finances wisely and to grow their businesses.

The UOB Finance Academy, which was designed in-house, builds on Better U, the Banks award-winning Group-wide flagship learning and development programme accredited by the Institute of Banking and Finance Singapore (IBF).

Better U helps UOB employees build five core competencies which the Bank has identified as essential for its people to remain relevant in the digital future. These competencies are having a growth mindset and complex problem solving skills, as well as skills in the areas of digital innovation, human-centred design and data storytelling.

Once members of the Banks Finance team have completed Better U, they are then able to progress through the UOB Finance Academys structured three-month learning programme which is designed to equip them with the skillsets and tools to help them advance in their careers.

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The UOB Finance Academy enables participants to deepen their knowledge of banking especially in areas such as risk management, regulation and liquidity management. Participants will also sharpen their financial acumen through modules that encourage an analytical approach to evaluating strategies and risks, as well as accounting and bank financial analysis. Through the UOB Finance Academy, participants can also choose to develop specialised skills in areas such as asset and liability management and project management.

Mr Lee Wai Fai, Group Chief Financial Officer, UOB, said, As with so many jobs, the role of a finance professional is changing as digital innovation impacts more areas of work. At UOB, we want to ensure that our people are equipped and ready to take on the opportunities that will come with ongoing transformation and change. The UOB Finance Academy charts clear and achievable milestones for our people in UOBs Finance function to develop the necessary knowledge, mindset and skillsets to progress towards leadership roles in the finance industry.

Given the rapid digital transformation of the financial industry, the finance leaders of tomorrow will need to be technologically adept and be able to drive data-driven business intelligence. To enable UOBs finance professionals to grow into these roles, the UOB Finance Academy will also arm participants with technical skills such as advanced data analytics to reinforce their analytical skills in evaluating commercial and business strategies.

In addition to technical skills, participants will be able to cultivate soft skills necessary for them to communicate more effectively and to build stronger relationships with their stakeholders. As the breadth of their roles expand and their careers progress, participants will undergo a combination of in-house leadership programmes and a selection of external modules led by executive education provider Duke Corporate Education to develop their leadership skills. These skills will complement their strong foundational knowledge of finance in banking and technical skills and enable them to be proficient and sought-after project leads, managers and eventually leaders in executive roles.

The inaugural cohort of the UOB Finance Academy will include all 230 employees in the Banks Finance function in Singapore. At the end of their training, participants will receive a certificate jointly issued by UOB and the IBF to recognise the skills gained through the UOB Finance Academy. The training is approved under Workforce Singapores Professional Conversion Programme (PCP).

Ms Lydia Wee, Deputy CEO, IBF said, IBF is delighted to support UOBs plan to transform its workforce in Group Finance. Through this initiative, employees will be empowered with future-relevant skills and positioned to take on new opportunities. This is timely, given the accelerating pace of digitalisation and change in the industry.

Ms Liew Mei Moi, a finance professional with seven years of experience at UOB and who is one of the participants of the UOB Finance Academy, said, Having seen the UOB Finance Academy roadmap, I can see how to progress in my career and I am thankful and excited for this opportunity to grow. While I have specialised skills in my current role in Financial Information Management, the value of developing a broad base of foundational skills in finance and expanding my technical and digital expertise and leadership qualities will enable me to be ready and confident to move into other roles and future opportunities at UOB.

UOB will launch the UOB Finance Academy progressively for all finance professionals across the Banks global network from August this year.

The post UOB Finance Academy launched by UOB to provide dedicated training appeared first on iCompareLoan Resources.
Actor Abhishek Bachchan shared a beautiful, vintage picture of his grandmother Teji Bachchan on Instagram on Wednesday. Abhishek celebrated his grandmas birthday with the picture and said that he missed her.

Happy Birthday Dadi. I miss you, he captioned the post. The sepia toned photo showed Teji in a sari with a sleeveless blouse. She had her hair tied in the back and wore large, chandelier earrings. Abhisheks followers were taken by his grandmas beauty. Beautiful. A calmness on her face, wrote one in the comment. Senior bachchan sir looks like his mother so beautiful, wrote another.

Teji Bachchans impeccable style inspired Neena Gupta as well. She commented, Lovely I love d blouse design am going to copy. Neenas fans loved her comment. Neena Ji being Neena ji Love you, wrote one. In fact, you resemble her a lot, wrote another.

Teji was the mother of Amitabh Bachchan and wife of acclaimed poet, Harisvansh Rai Bachchan. She was a social activist and died in 2007.

Abhishek recently returned home from hospital after getting treated for Covid-19. The actor, along with dad Amitabh, wife Aishwarya Rai and daughter Aaradhya, was diagnosed with coronavirus last month. While Aishwarya and Aaradhya stayed at the hospital for a week, Abhishek was admitted for 28 days.

Also read: Mahima Chaudhry: Subhash Ghai bullied me and told producers not to cast me, only Salman Khan and Sanjay Dutt stood by me

The Guru actor shared the good news of his recovery on his Twitter handle. He expressed his gratitude and thankfulness to everyone for their prayers and wishes. A promise is a promise! This afternoon I tested Covid-19 NEGATIVE!!! I told you guys Id beat this. Thank you all for your prayers for me and my family. My eternal gratitude to the doctors and nursing staff at Nanavati hospital for all that they have done. THANK YOU! the tweet read.

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LONDON (Reuters) - Prime Minister Boris Johnson will visit Northern Ireland on Thursday to talk up the strength of union between Britain's constituent nations and promise a strong rebound from the coronavirus crisis.

Johnson will also meet Ireland's new prime minister Micheal Martin for the first time since the formation of a new Irish coalition government in June.

On his first visit to Northern Ireland since the COVID-19 pandemic, Johnson wants to firm up ties badly strained by several years of acrimonious Brexit negotiations.

"As the country begins to get back on its feet in the wake of coronavirus, we cannot simply strive to rebuild, but we must commit to building back stronger than ever," he said in a statement.

His message echoes that made on a similar trip to Scotland, where polls show support for independence now outstrips that for remaining part of the union.

Northern Ireland's views on leaving the United Kingdom are still largely split along sectarian lines with many Catholics favouring the creation of a united Ireland while pro-British Protestants favour the status quo.

The dispute fuelled three decades of bloodshed that largely ended with a 1998 peace deal.

Northern Ireland voted 56 to 44% to remain in the European Union in a 2016 Brexit referendum, when the United Kingdom as a whole voted 52 to 48 to leave.

That angered Irish nationalists, who feared they would be cut off from friends and relatives in the Republic of Ireland, one of the EUs most enthusiastic members - prompting some to call for a referendum on leaving the United Kingdom.

The subsequent Brexit negotiations in turn angered pro-British unionists who were outraged at Johnsons decision to agree a Brexit deal that will see EU customs rates and regulations remain in place Northern Ireland while the rest of Britain goes its own way.

(Reporting by William James in London and Conor Humphries in Dublin; editing by Stephen Addison)
Alamo Plaza has reopened to visitors, but the Alamo buildings and grounds will stay closed for the time being.

The private nonprofit Alamo Trust, which manages daily operations and staff at the historic site, could not say how soon the remaining areas will be accessible to the public. The trust is working with the states General Land Office and the City of San Antonio on those plans.

While we wish we could provide a specific date for when this will happen, COVID-19 has taught all businesses and industries that even the best plans can change in an instant, Alamo Trust officials said in a statement released late Tuesday. We will continue to review reopening the Alamo on a daily basis and hope to have some news to share about it soon.

Josie Norris /Staff Photographer

The Alamo shut down in March to help protect visitors and employees as the coronavirus started to spread across San Antonio. The historic site does attract a lot of people and it becomes very difficult to manage that many folks in a very, very tight space, said District 1 City Councilman Roberto Trevino, who chairs the Alamos management committee and is a tri-chair of the Alamos citizens advisory committee.

The iconic sites outdoor plaza closed June 1 because of safety concerns sparked by daily downtown protests for racial justice. Fences and barriers were reinforced for several days by state troopers and, briefly, Texas National Guard soldiers after nearby incidents of vandalism and clashes with police marred the otherwise peaceful demonstrations.

Ken Branca

On ExpressNews.com: Alamo launches search for new leader as CEO decides not to renew contract

That outdoor plaza reopened on Friday now that more robust security protocols are in place, Alamo Trust officials said.

Tom Reel, San Antonio Express-News / Staff photographer

Alamo Trust and the states General Land Office are considering reopening the buildings and grounds in phases, Trevino said. The city doesnt manage the historic sites chapel or grounds.

This is done with a lot of caution, the city councilman said Tuesday. We dont want to create a problem for our community or visitors and certainly dont want to put any employees at the Alamo at risk.

Most of the fencing and large yellow barriers installed around the outdoor plaza are still standing, but an opening has been created on the Alamo Street side, which allows visitors to enter the outdoor plaza and take pictures in front of the Alamo and next to the Cenotaph.

Billy Calzada /San Antonio Express-News

The dismantling of remaining barriers and fencing could be fairly soon, Trevino said.

On ExpressNews.com: Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick escalates Alamo clash with George P. Bush

A full reopening will follow best practices (and) make sure that we dont exacerbate an already difficult situation. We know that our hospitals are completely overwhelmed. And the last thing we want to do is contribute to any of that.

The Alamos multimillion dollar renovation has not been on hold, officials said. The city submitted a permit request to the Texas Historical Commission in December seeking permission to move the Cenotaph. The state commission has delayed voting on the issue, but is expected to consider the permit request at its Sept. 22 meeting in Austin, Trevino said.

The Alamo Church and Long Barrack restoration projects have continued moving forward, Alamo Trust officials said.

Peggy OHare covers demographics, the census and occasionally crime and general assignment stories in the San Antonio and Bexar County area. To read more from Peggy, become a subscriber. pohare@express-news.net | Twitter: @Peggy_OHare
A United Airlines Airbus A319 airplane waits to take off alongside private jets at John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana, Calif., on Feb. 16, 2012. (Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images)

OC Board Votes for New Service Companies at John Wayne Airport

The Orange County Board of Supervisors voted Aug. 11 to authorize three companies to provide services for private jets and airplanes flying in and out of the California countys John Wayne Airport.

The board voted 3-2 for Clay Lacy Aviation Inc. to be the full-service fixed-based operator (FBO) on the northwest side of the airport, and 4-1 for ACI Jet to be the full-service northeast-side FBO. Jays Aircraft Maintenance Inc. was unanimously chosen as the limited service FBO.

Each company will be given the right to negotiate 35-year land leases with county officials, taking the place of long-standing Atlantic Aviation. The companies will provide services including fuel, parking, hangar space, repair and maintenance, charter flights, and aircraft washing facilities to incoming private jets, planes, and helicopters.

Community members and pilots had advocated for the airport to maintain its current balance of hangars on the field, hoping to limit an increase in the number of larger international private planes. Board Chairwoman Michelle Steel fought to establish a green area for light, general aviation aircraft in an effort to maintain the balance.

Fred Fourcher, founder of the SoCal Pilots Association, told The Epoch Times that his association is very happy with the boards decision, and that the language of the leases will govern whether or not jet traffic increases over time.

If the lease  has language that specifies the entire green area will be built out with maximum number of individual hangars in the sizes and ratios that are on the field today, then you will see the same mix of small planes and jets for the next 35 years, Fourcher said.

Nearby residents had voiced concern over a possible expansion of the airport and increased noise levels following the switch, but Fourcher said thats not possible.

The airport cannot expand in size because there is simply no more room, Fourcher said. The airport is actually contracting, not expanding, he said, due to new Federal Aviation Administration requirements.

John Wayne Airport Director Barry Rondinella said prior to the vote that the airport would look forward to doing business with whomever the board selected, but that incumbent Atlantic Aviation was the only company that had a true network across the country offering multiple locations.

However, Scott Cutshall, senior vice president of Clay Lacy Aviation, said his company is a member of two of the worlds largest networks of independent FBO operators. These networks serve 167 locations in 33 countries and six continents, he said, whereas Atlantic Aviation serves only 70 locations inside the United States.

Supervisor Donald Wagner, who voted against Clay Lacy Aviation, said making the switch to a new aviation company in the middle of a pandemic would result in the loss of many existing jobs, causing enormous disruption.

In a time of 14 percent unemployment in the state of California, we are threatening with this move to dump a number of Atlantic employees out of their jobs, or at least out of their homes, for a reason that doesnt strike me as sufficiently great to warrant that move, Wagner said.

Supervisor Doug Chaffee also supported Atlantic Aviation, and voted against both Clay Lacy Aviation and ACI Jet.

The new leases must be approved by at least a 4-1 board vote to go into effect. The board is expected to vote on the leases in September or October.
Who is eligible for the PCAFC?

Caregivers of veterans who served during the Vietnam War and earlier and those who were severely injured on or after Sept. 11, 2001, are eligible for a monthly payment provided by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

In October 2022 the program is expected to extend to veterans injured between May 7, 1975, and Sept. 10, 2001.

Legislation called Maintaining Internal Systems and Strengthening Integrated Outside Networks (MISSION) Act, signed into law in June 2018, prompted the benefit's expansion to Vietnam-era vets. When the law took effect in June 2019, caregivers were not able to access it because of problems with VA's information technology (IT) system. However, veterans were given additional private health care options, another piece of the legislation.

This new version of the program broadened eligibility by expanding what is considered a serious injury to include illness and disease. Veterans are required to have a single or combined service-connected disability rating of 70 percent and require personal care for a minimum of six continuous months to qualify. Here are the detailed eligibility requirements.

Disability ratings are assigned by the VA based on the severity of an illness and how much it decreases a veteran's overall health and ability to function.

Monthly payments are set by a federal rate assigned to where a veteran lives. For example, a primary family caregiver of a veteran in Dallas who is unable to perform daily living activities or requires continuous supervision would receive approximately $2,800 a month. If the veteran is able to perform daily living activities, the caregiver would receive about $1,750 a month.

How to apply to the PCAFC

The caregiver and service member need to fill out a joint application, which asks for contact information and the VA medical center where the veteran receives or will receive care. Applications may be completed online, or forms and supporting documents may be provided in person to any VA medical center's caregiver support coordinator or be mailed to:

Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers

Health Eligibility Center

2957 Clairmont Road NE, Suite 200

Atlanta, GA 30329-1647
Though Brad Pitt shows tremendous emotional range in his plethora of starring roles, the Oscar winner previously revealed that hes not one to get teary-eyed. Apparently his feelings got the best of him when he watched a film while battling a common stomach illness.

Brad Pitt | VALERIE MACON/AFP via Getty Images

Fight Club star chats with Anthony Hopkins

In a conversation with former Legends of the Fall co-star Anthony Hopkins, Pitt told the actor that he seldom gets choked up even when tears would be considered appropriate.

I am quite famously a not-crier, Pitt said, according to Interview. Is that a term? I hadnt cried in, like, 20 years.

Now a father of six kids with ex-wife Angelina Jolie, the Moneyball star has discovered his sensitive side.

RELATED: Why Brad Pitt Dropped Out of Mr. & Mrs. Smith, and Why He Returned

I find myself, at this latter stage, much more movedmoved by my kids, moved by friends, moved by the news, Pitt told Hopkins. Just moved. I think its a good sign. I dont know where its going, but I think its a good sign.

California Dreamin evokes emotion from Brad Pitt

Winning an Academy Award for his role as Cliff Booth in Quentin Tarantinos Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Pitt found himself getting nostalgic on the set of the retro film.

You know, when I first moved out here, it was the summer of 86 and I didnt know [expletive]-all about Los Angeles, the Ad Astra star shared in January 2020, according to the Los Angeles Times. I landed in Burbank at a house I could crash at for a month or so.  Man, I was just so up for the adventure, and so excited when Id drive by a studio where they make movies. It meant the world to me.

During production of the 2019 film, Pitt recalled Tarantino playing a Jose Feliciano cover of the classic song California Dreamin, which prompted an emotional response.

RELATED: Brad Pitt Says This Quality Has Always Gotten Me in Trouble

I swear to God, I had to hide a tear, the A-lister admitted. Look, Im not ashamed to say it. I got a little misty.

Maybe it was due to that nasty stomach issue

Speaking with W Magazine in 2013, Pitt referred to his lack of tears when watching the big screen but recalled a film that turned on the water works.

Im not much of a crier at films. Ill tear up every now and then but Im not much of a crier, Pitt said. This was a time when I actually wept at a film. I was coming back from Cabo and I had to go to  I think Montreal. Im not really sure where I was.

Pitt then revealed that he came down with a dreaded case of travelers diarrhea. I could not keep anything down. I was stuck in this hotel room wiht no windows, the Se7en star shared. It was on day two of this extremely painful episode and this film came on.

RELATED: Brad Pitt Had 2 Conditions Before Agreeing to Star in Se7en

Though he couldnt remember the title, Pitt was referencing 2001s Life as a House, starring Kevin Kline.

Hes an architect and hes terminal, and he decides hes going to finish this house and reconcile  hes estranged from his son, his teenage son, the actor explained. I dont know if it would still hit me the same way. But you know, on my 27th hour of just pure wretchedness, this movie crushed me, just crushed me, what he was saying to his son.

Pitt considered viewing the film again to find out if hed need tissues the second time around, saying, I should see it again to see if it has the same effect.
How many days a month have you missed work or requested a day off for stomach pains and cramps because of menstruation?

This is the question one of Indias largest food-delivery firms, Zomato, put to its 4,000 employees, 35 per cent of whom are women, in announcing a new paid period leave policy for employees on Saturday. The policy, not common among large global companies, allows up to 10 days of period leave a year and applies to transgender employees.

The policy is considered a bold move in tackling an age-old taboo in India, where 71 per cent of young women remain unaware of menstruation until their first cycle, according to UNICEF.

The companys founder and chief executive officer, Deepinder Goyal, said in a statement to his employees: There shouldnt be any shame or stigma attached to applying for a period leave. You should feel free to tell people on internal groups, or emails that you are on your period leave for the day.

He added, This is a part of life.

Zomatos period leave drew headlines around the world and kudos from social media users and womens rights advocates.

Its a really progressive move; its long overdue, said independent journalist and columnist Rituparna Chatterjee, who is also the communications director at Ungender Legal Advisory, an Indian organization whose goal is to help companies achieve gender inclusion. It gives the option  what we didnt have was the option to rest if when in pain, she said, adding, Now at least employees working for Zomato have that.

For decades, menstruation has been a barrier to womens equality. The monthly menstruation cycle can cause a variety of painful symptoms that continue with each cycle until menopause, typically occurring between the ages of 45 and 55.

Menstrual cycle symptoms can include pelvic and lower back pain, headaches, fatigue and mood swings caused by a fluctuation in hormonal levels. Period-related pain, also referred to as dysmenorrhea, is common worldwide. It often affects school and workplace performance, and can grow worse with age. Painful periods interfere with 20 per cent of womens daily activities, according to a 2012 study.

In some parts of the world, women face discrimination, are forced to suffer menstrual pain in silence in the workplace or lose pay by staying home. In Nepal, girls are banished to period huts during their cycle because they are considered polluted, even toxic. The practice has had deadly consequences: In 2017, a teenager in western Nepal was bitten and killed by a poisonous snake.

In India, viewing menstruation as taboo causes real harm, author Rose George notes in The Taboo of Menstruation. Women face discrimination and superstition, sanitary supplies remain unavailable or unaffordable, and access to safe and clean toilet facilities serve as barriers in managing menstrual hygiene.

Countries have made strides in addressing the issues surrounding periods, such as tackling the tampon tax. The Scottish Parliament this year passed a bill to make pads and tampons free across the board. But Zomatos policy is the latest move to try to dismantle wider outdated workplace policies. In Japan, for example, Yumi Ishikawa, a model, actor and temporary worker, gathered 18,000 signatures for a petition to end employer dress codes that force women to wear heels.

Zomato isnt the first Indian company to introduce period leave. The state of Bihar has had two extra days of casual leave for government employees to take time off for periods since 1992. In 2017, the digital media company Culture Machine, which has offices in five cities in India, put in place a menstrual leave policy independent of vacation and sick days. There are also forms of menstrual leave policies in Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Zambia.

But while advocates say the policies should be widely expanded, others contend that the additional days off could hinder womens progress in the workplace and be used to justify lower salaries and a hiring bias against women.

But Zomato  a food aggregator that in 12 years has grown to become one of the largest food firms in the world, acquiring Ubers food-delivery business in India this year and maintaining a presence in 24 countries and over 10,000 cities  is forging ahead.

Company employees can apply for period leave through a human resources portal, its statement said, and a sexual harassment team will be in place to respond to any employees facing harassment for taking the time off.

Zomatos chief executive officer, Goyal, said in his statement, It is our job to make sure that we make room for our biological needs while not lowering the bar for the quality of our work and the impact that we create.

The companys categorization of paid period leave is important, Chatterjee said. It distinguishes it from a few additional days of casual leave and can drive the national conversation.

There are an enormous number of menstruators who work in the unorganized labour sector as domestic workers, and no houses give them a day off when they have their periods, Chatterjee said.

This conversation should happen so this gets normalized.

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The United States is trying to leverage the Internet exclusively to their advantage, which is deplorable, Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev said Wednesday at a meeting on establishing an equal rights regime of Internet management, TASS reports.

"Not surprisingly, a number of countries, primarily the US, are seeking to use the Internet as their fiefdom and as a tool to ensure their interests are met exclusively," he said, recalling that the US controls a system of domain names and IP addresses.

"Simply and directly put, it shouldnt be like that," Medvedev stressed.

He recalled the US administrations decision regarding owners of such social networks as WeChat (belongs to Chinese Internet giant Tencent) and apps linked to it. According to the deputy security council chairman, it shows that the US aims to continue pursuing its policy in the Internet, while interpreting decisions of certain companies or countries solely through the prism of national interests and disregarding any international competition or rules existing today.

"This behavior of the US and some of their partners proves that neither internet users nor businesses nor states can be sure that their interests will be duly protected in these conditions," he underlined.
GRAND RAPIDS, MI  Officers responded to Adams Park Apartments on the citys southeast side early Wednesday morning on the report of a stabbing.

A woman was taken to an area hospital with multiple lacerations as a result of the incident, Grand Rapids Police spokesperson Raul Alvarez told MLive.

The incident occurred at the apartment complex, located at 1440 Fuller Avenue SE, at about 4:30 a.m., Aug. 12, Alvarez said.

No arrests have been made in the incident.

A half hour earlier, officers responded to calls of shots in the area of Lookout Park at 801 Fairview Avenue NE, Alvarez said. A car was heard fleeing the area and casings were recovered on scene, he said.

No suspects or victims have been identified, but the detective bureau is investigating, Alvarez said.

Police ask that anyone with information contact detectives at 616-456-3380 or Silent Observer at 616-774-2345. Information can also be sent by Facebook messenger or www.silentobserver.org.

Also on MLive:

Grand Rapids man who fatally stabbed friend in argument over rapper gets long prison term

Police departments strategic plan largely overlooked by public amid defunding arguments

Grand Rapids leaders praise police departments strategic plan

New Michigan COVID-19 webpage shows which activities are prohibited where  including schools
A failed plan and a little luck led Damiana Lopez to her dream.

On Aug. 5, Lopez and her girlfriend, Suleyka Martinez, opened Danias Kitchen, a small takeout spot at 316 N. Second St. in Harrisburg dishing out bold, flavorful Spanish food. Puerto Rican and Dominican specialities such as mofongo, empanadas and fried platters of meats and seafood dominate the menu.

Its surreal for me, said Martinez, who is of Puerto Rican descent. We have been so busy we havent even had time to process it.

For Lopez, opening a restaurant was a dream, one she never thought she could afford.

Originally, she planned on catering from her Harrisburg home after losing a job this spring at Cidras Cabana Restaurant in Harrisburg after it temporarily closed because of the coronavirus pandemic. A nurse by training, Lopez has worked at several restaurants including MamaJuana Lounge & Restaurant in Lebanon.

In May she constructed a professional kitchen in her home and prepared her native Dominican foods and Puerto Rican dishes for friends and family. But when it came time to apply for a food license, Lopez said the city told her she couldnt operate in the home due to zoning.

READ MORE: UrTurn Cafe opens with wall of board games, takeout food and coffee bar

So the couple reverted to Plan B and searched for a vacant spot with a kitchen. They returned to the former 2nd Street Shawarma, where earlier they had purchased a cooler from owner Mustafa Thabata. (He has since relocated the Mediterranean restaurant two blocks down Second Street.)

To their surprise, the landlord made an offer they couldnt refuse.

He believed in her and what she can do, Martinez said.

Now, more than a week after opening, the partners are busy accepting orders and preparing food. During peak times, Martinez and Lopez said customers wait up to two hours for orders with no complaints.

The menu is written in Spanish but employees are more than willing to help translate. Pictures of the foods are posted on a wall and provide an easy-to-navigate guide.

All of the food is made to order, including mofongo, a traditional Puerto Rican dish built from fried and mashed plantains with choice of meats such as fried pork, chicken breast or skirt steak. Loaded french fries or papas fritas sell with options for chicken, pulled pork, ground beef, ham, bacon or skirt steak loaded with toppings like plantains, queso, corn, sour cream and more.

There are several variations of empanadas such as a shrimp and mixed seafood along with more than a dozen entrees such as pasta alfredo with seafood, seafood with fried plantains, roast chicken with french fries and tilapia, steak or pulled pork with rice and beans.

Prices range from $8 for loaded fries to about $10-$12 for most entrees. Single empanadas are priced $2-$4.

Danias Kitchen also offers delivery and catering.

Hours are 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday-Wednesday, 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Thursday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday, noon-10 p.m. Saturday and noon-8 p.m. Sunday. Phone is 717-695-0006.

Thanks for visiting PennLive. Quality local journalism has never been more important. We need your support. Not a subscriber yet? Please consider supporting our work.
A collaboration between the Medical and Dental Council (MDC) and the police has led to the arrest of two persons who were illegally practicing as physician assistants.



They were identified as Abdulai Abubakar Sadik, who is the clinical care coordinator of the Tamale Technical University Hospital in the Northern Region, and Richard Dzomeku, the proprietor of the Good Morning Clinic, located at Adentan New Site, in the Greater Accra Region.



They were arrested while working at the two facilities during a regulatory operation undertaken by the council between July 27 and August 7, 2020.

Sadik is said to have been practising at the Tamale Technical University Hospital for the past five years while Dzomeku has been attending to patients who patronise his clinic for the past three years.



On their arrest, Sadik claimed he has a BSc Certificate in Physician Assistantship from the Central University College, in Accra, while Dzomeku said he was a trained nurse who was undertaking a course in physician assistantship.



Operation



Briefing the Daily Graphic yesterday, the acting Registrar of the Council, Dr Divine N. Banyubala, said the exercise was in line with routine quality assurance monitoring operations conducted by the council to ascertain the registration status of practitioners and the standard of practice in various health institutions across the country.



He said on Monday July 27, 2020, during a visit to the Tamale Technical University Hospital, it was found that Sadik had not been trained and licensed to practise as a physician assistant.



Sadik was subsequently arrested with the assistance of the Northern Regional Police Command.



Dr Banyubala said Sadik's certificate had been forwarded to the Central University College for verification.



He explained that Sadik could not practise as a physician assistant because he had not taken the licentiate examination conducted by the council.



Dzomekus arrest



Referring to Dzomeku, Dr Banyubala said he was arrested on Friday, August, 7, 2020, when the team visited the Good Morning Clinic located at Adentan New Site.



Dzomeku was seen busily attending to patients but preliminary investigations conducted established that he was not a registered physician assistant.



Dzomeku confirmed that he was still schooling and was yet to pass out as a physician assistant.



At the time of the arrest, Dr Banyubala said there were two patients on admission in the female ward of the clinic.



The council ensured the evacuation of the two patients to the Madina Polyclinic.



The team, with the support of the Adentan Divisional Police Command, arrested Dzomeku.

Source: Graphiconline.com









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WASHINGTON - Before he entered politics, President Donald Trump donated $6,000 to Kamala Harris's reelection campaigns while she was California attorney general, campaign-finance records show.

Trump gave $5,000 to Harris's campaign in September 2011 and $1,000 in February 2013. His daughter Ivanka Trump gave Harris's campaign $2,000 in 2014, records show.

In 2015, the year Trump began his campaign for president, Harris said she gave his donations to charity.

Harris, a Democrat, served as California's attorney general from 2011 to 2016, before she was elected to the U.S. Senate. In her 2016 Senate race, Harris's Democratic opponent Loretta Sanchez had criticized her for accepting the contributions, noting that Harris's office had investigated Trump University - the future president's for-profit real estate school - but did not take legal action against the school.

On Tuesday, presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden chose Harris as his running mate. The Biden campaign did not respond to questions about the donations on Wednesday. In 2016, Harris's Senate campaign defended her by pointing to other cases in which she had investigated for-profit colleges as attorney general.

At the time of Trump's donations to Harris, Trump University had already shut down its classes.

But it was facing a class-action lawsuit from former students in California, and an investigation by then-New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, a Democrat who later filed a lawsuit against Trump University.

The lawsuits alleged that Trump's school had duped students into paying thousands of dollars for seminars and mentorships that offered little value.

In 2016, Harris's office told The Wall Street Journal that it had also investigated Trump University.

But it is unclear when that California investigation actually began or what became of it. The office of the current California attorney general, Democrat Xavier Becerra, did not respond to questions about Trump University on Wednesday.

In 2013, Trump gave $25,000 to then-Florida Attorney General Pamela Bondi around the time that her office was considering joining a lawsuit against Trump University. Bondi's office did not join the lawsuit, but Bondi, a Republican, has said that decision was not influenced by Trump's gift.

In late 2016, after Trump won the presidential election, Trump University agreed to pay $25 million to settle the lawsuits filed by Schneiderman and the class-action plaintiffs.

At one time, it was not unusual for Trump to donate to Democratic candidates. As a businessman in New York, he had donated to both of the Democrats he would later face in presidential elections: Hillary Clinton and Biden. The gift to Biden's campaign was in 2001, for $1,000.

But after about 2010, campaign finance records show, Trump began donating almost exclusively to Republicans. That coincided with Trump's rise in GOP politics as a leading booster of the false conspiracy theory that President Barack Obama was not born in the United States.

So why did Trump give to Harris when he had largely stopped giving to other Democrats?

In the past, Trump has said he viewed the contribution to Harris as a favor for Schneiderman. In a 2013 affidavit, Trump said a political figure close to Schneiderman "asked my daughter Ivanka if she would arrange for me to make a contribution to a fundraising event sponsored by Schneiderman for newly elected California Attorney General Kamala D. Harris."

Trump said he made a $5,000 donation. He did not attend the event, but Ivanka Trump and other Trump Organization executives did, he said in the affidavit. Trump later submitted the affidavit in a court filing.

Schneiderman resigned in 2018 after reports that he had physically abused women. He declined to comment through a spokeswoman on Wednesday.

A spokeswoman for Trump's 2020 campaign, Katrina Pierson, said in an interview with PBS that Trump's donation to Harris - whose parents were immigrants from India and Jamaica - shows the president is not racist.

"I will note that Kamala Harris is a black woman & he donated to her campaign so I hope we can squash this racism argument now," Pierson said, according to a tweet from PBS NewsHour correspondent Yamiche Alcindor.
By PTI

WASHINGTON: "Don't sit around and complain about things, do something". This was the mantra given to Kamala Harris by her mother, Shyamala Gopalan, who was born in Chennai and immigrated to the US to attend a doctoral programme at UC Berkeley.

And today the 55-year-old Indian-origin Senator from California who on Tuesday became the running mate of Democratic Party's presidential nominee Joe Biden, says, her mother's advice is what drives her every single day.

Her father, Donald Harris, a retired professor of Stanford University, immigrated to the US from Jamaica to study economics.

Her mother told her growing up, "Don't sit around and complain about things, do something," which is what drives Kamala every single day, according to the Biden-Harris joint campaign website.

"The first Black and Indian-American woman to represent California in the United States Senate, Kamala Harris grew up believing in the promise of America and fighting to make sure that promise is fulfilled for all Americans," it says.

She graduated from Howard University and earned a law degree from the University of California, Hastings College of Law.

Kamala has been married to her husband Douglas Emhoff, a lawyer, for the past six years.

She is the stepmother of two children, Ella and Cole who are her "endless source of love and pure joy," the website says.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, Aug. 12

Trend:

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan Rashid Meredov held talks with the Acting Chairman of the Central Bank of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Ajmal Ahmadi on August 12, 2020.

The meeting was held by means of video conferencing, Trend reports with reference to the Turkmen ministry.

On the agenda of the talks was the expansion and strengthening of mutually beneficial relations in all areas of cooperation of reciprocal interest. Having especially noted the effectiveness and timeliness of the previous meetings of the delegations of the two countries at various venues, the parties confirmed their mutual readiness to continue to actively develop an effective partnership between Turkmenistan and Afghanistan.

In particular, the interlocutors focused on the need to intensify the implementation of multilateral and bilateral projects aimed at the comprehensive integration of neighboring Afghanistan into the architecture of world stability.

In this context, the parties also exchanged views on the construction of the TAPI gas pipeline and the TAP power transmission line, as well as the implementation of the Lapis Lazuli corridor and other projects. As is known, these regional projects open up wide opportunities for exporting electricity to South Asian countries in transit through Afghanistan, expanding transport and transit hubs connected by a single logistics center.

The participants of the meeting stated that the successful implementation of these projects will give a powerful impetus to the sustainable economic development of the entire region and contribute to solving social and humanitarian issues, strengthening peace and security, the ministry said.

In particular, it will be possible to increase the level of employment of the population in connection with the emergence of new jobs, as well as to create an appropriate infrastructure for energy, transport-communication and transit-logistics areas.
Instagram introduced Instagram Reels in India right after the Government banned over 100 Chinese apps, including TikTok. Facebook-owned Instagram Reels has similar features to TikTok, which also allow users to create short videos and share it with their followers.

It may be recalled that in 2018, Facebook had launched a TikTok clone, called Lasso, which didnt work well and was shut down earlier this year. Instagram Reels was first introduced in Brazil in the year 2019, where it was called Cenas. The purpose to launch Reels was to understand how Instagram users would respond to a different sort of mobile video experience. Instagram already had a long video format named IGTV, where users were able to upload long videos.

Also read: Zee Music Co. integrates Shakuntala Devi on Instagram Reels

Now, Instagram Reels is launching globally and is available in over 50 countries such as India, Brazil, France, Germany, the U.K., Japan, Australia, Spain, Mexico, and Argentina, among several others.

Adgully spoke to a cross-section of digital experts on the adoption of Instagram Reels in India.

Agencies like So Cheers and Brand Visage believe that Instagram Reels can be popular in Tier 2 and Tier 3 markets if they facilitate features and are able to catch up with the penetration of TikTok, whereas some agencies feel that Instagram Reels has a long way ahead and many things to do to become popular.

TikTok was very popular in the Tier 2 and 3 markets before the ban; to replace TikTok or to gain that audience and reach, Facebook will have to spend aggressively. Along with spending aggressively, Instagram Reels needs to focus on getting creators on board, besides reinventing its features for stickiness. According to Sudish Balan, Chief Business Officer, Tonic Worldwide, Its not about just spending aggressively. They will have to go about it strategically. If Reels has to acquire users, it first needs to gain creators who are well versed with the 15-second magic that they created on the earlier platform. Who then will go ahead and create content which will appeal to this audience. Instagram has already started acquiring these creators and you can see some glimpses of them on Reels. The other challenge is that the users of the original app had it easy for them in terms of UX as it was a standalone app. Instagram has Feed, Stories, IGTV and now Reels. For the masses, it is like walking into a store with too many options and coming out buying nothing because they are confused. So, Facebook needs to simplify the user journey.

Before introducing Reels, Instagram already had a long video format option, IGTV, which is quite popular among the masses and is used by a lot of users. Reels, being a competition to TikTok, the advertisements on Reels have to be strategically planned and will have to emulate the same format and create native ads to become as effective as TikTok was. Reels will help influencers catch the attention of people generating greater visibility, which can lead to winning more followers and potential customers for the brands. The added advantage of Instagram Reels is that it allows adding of filters and placing music without any copyright restrictions. Thus, I see it as a great platform to advertise, which should start soon, opines Siddharth Khanna, Co-Founder & CEO, Brand Visage Communications.

While TikTok was known as a user-friendly platform, the question is can Instagram be as user friendly as TikTok? While So Cheers and Brand Visage believe that Instagram can be a user friendly language app, Tonic Worldwides Balan feels Instagram isnt a user friendly language app because it does not offer regional languages like TikTok.

Meanwhile, though a late entrant in the Indian market, Instagram Reels has been able to create a place for itself in a short period and is today one of the most used apps. A lot of content creators and influencers have created their presence and built an audience on Instagram Reels. Before Reels, they were active users of IGTV features, but because of the ban on TikTok and with Reels offering similar features, influencers and content creators started to veer towards this app. Reels will definitely aid this movement as well, asserts Balan.

Commenting on this, Rajni Daswani, Director - Brand Experience & Employee Engagement, So Cheers, says, Majority of the top creators had their presence on the platform and they were updating content on IGTV, which were being made on other social platforms. Reels has definitely motivated the creators to create and post content on IGTV. We are seeing great creators surge on IGTV and Reels, which is also driving user growth. Instagram is also pushing Reels through their Explore feed.

Because of the ban on TikTok, many of its users are shifting to apps with similar features. There are several homegrown apps as well which offer similar features are looking to capitalising on this gap in the market. However, these homegrown apps are not as popular as Instagram, which has a sizeable presence of influencers and content creators on the platform. This move gave the right stickiness to the platform at the right time. We at Brand Visage have already started conceptualising campaigns for our clients to get the best traction, says Siddharth from Brand Visage. Reels will gain more creators, which will lead to more content and audience, besides the time spent on instagram by the users will also increase.
A top Metropolitan Police official has defended officers who stopped a car in which Labour MP Dawn Butler was travelling.

The former shadow equalities minister accused officers of racial profiling and said the force was "institutionally racist" after she and her friend were pulled over in Hackney, east London, on Sunday .

The MP for Brent Central, who recorded a video of the incident which was later shared widely on social media, claimed they had been pulled over by officers simply for "being black and driving a nice car".

But Scotland Yard's deputy commissioner Sir Steve House has defended the officers' conduct after reviewing the incident, saying they acted "professionally and politely".

The former shadow equalities minister has accused the Met of being institutionally racist (Photo: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images) / Getty Images

He also said it was wrong that officers were facing "trial by social media".

Sir Steve said in a statement: "The officers in this case came into work on Sunday to keep Londoners safe.

"Officers expect to be scrutinised and there are existing, appropriate and proportionate processes for making complaints and for facts to be established, and on the occasions where there is fault - unlike this case - for consequences to follow.

"The increasingly routine trial by social media is unfair and damaging to individual officers and has the potential to undermine the role our communities need us to do to protect them and keep them safe from violence."

After the incident, Scotland Yard said the stop was a result of an officer having "incorrectly entered" the car's registration plate into a computer and wrongly identifying it as a vehicle registered to Yorkshire. The force said that, once the mistake was realised, the officer explained the situation and let the pair go.

Labour leader Keir Starmer has said allegations of racial profiling must be taken seriously / Getty Images

Sir Steve said the officers "acted professionally and politely, explaining why the stop was made and, when realising there was a mistake, explaining this and continuing to answer the occupants' questions".

Criminals often use vehicles to travel in and to commit crime, therefore officers will often check cars to see if there is anything that requires them to stop it and do further checks, Sir Steve said.

The officers ran a number plate check on the vehicle. At this stage, the officers still didnt know who the occupants of the car were, including their ethnicity because the car windows were tinted.

He also condemned abuse directed towards Ms Butler, including conspiracy theories suggesting the driver of the car was white, after the footage was shared.

He said: "It is unwarranted and unacceptable and we are working to support her.

Boris Johnson responds to Dawn Butler's 'racial profiling' in car stop

He also made clear that he had spoken with the Labour MP about her concerns over why the stop was made.

Sir Steve's comments echoed those of Metropolitan Police Federation chairman Ken Marsh, who urged force officials to release body-worn camera footage from the officers involved, saying: "We've got nothing to hide".

The Met has come under pressure in recent months over a series of incidents that have led to racial profiling accusations.

The most high profile was a stop involving Team GB athlete Bianca Williams and her partner, who were asked to get out of their car while their small child sat on the back seat, which has been referred to police watchdog, the Independent Office for Police Conduct.

Dame Cressida Dick has defended the force / PA

Sir Keir Starmer has said the Met Police must take allegations of racial profiling extremely seriously, and that the black community must have trust and confidence in the police following the incident on Sunday. Boris Johnson also said officers must treat people "fairly" but denied that the force was "institutionally racist".

Met Police commissioner, Dame Cressida Dick, has also rejected those allegations.

Dawn Butler: Cressida Dick needs to admit 'institutional racism'

This week Ms Butler was named by Vogue magazine as one of the 25 most influential women shaping 2020 for her support of Black Lives Matter protests .

She described her backing of the anti-racism movement as having led to threats of attack on her office and staff having drastically escalated.

Agencies contributed to this report
(Reuters) - Goldman Sachs Group Inc (GS.N) is looking to buy General Motors Cos (GM.N) credit card unit as it looks to double down on its consumer banking arm, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the matter.

Barclays (BARC.L) is also among a small number of bidders for the automakers credit card business, which has about $3 billion in outstanding balances, the report said, adding that a decision is expected in the next few weeks.

Goldman currently has a much smaller presence in consumer banking, unlike larger peers such as JPMorgan Chase & Co (JPM.N) and Citigroup Inc (C.N), and it is an area Chief Executive Officer David Solomon has been aggressively looking to strengthen.

As part of its consumer push, Goldman has been offering personal loans and savings accounts through its online bank Marcus, which has grown quickly since its 2016 launch.

Goldman launched a credit card with Apple Inc (AAPL.O) last year that is synched with iPhone users Apple Wallet and can be used to buy Apple products at a discount.

GM and Barclays did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment, while Goldman declined to comment.
Three summers ago in Austin, a thousand or so rising high school seniors participating in a mock legislature for youth leaders made national headlines, voting to secede from the Union. It was, of course, a toothless vote, made during an annual gathering known as Boys State, one of many such programs for precocious male adolescents run by the American Legion in nearly every state, along with its sister organization Girls State.

Nevertheless, documentarians Amanda McBaine and Jesse Moss thought that development - entirely theoretical but perhaps telling about some disturbance in the zeitgeist - was interesting. The very next year, they arranged to make a fly-on-the-wall documentary, "Boys State," about the 2018 Texas assembly. Centering on the campaigns of two fake political parties, Federalists and Nationalists, and the subsequent, culminating election, the film presents a camplike atmosphere that turns out to be, in some ways, not that different from what you might expect: a bit of rowdiness/silliness - someone floats an abortive party platform banning cargo shorts - mostly conservative, lots of talk about gun rights, and an overlay of nerdy intensity that swings between endearing and grating.

But the quartet of boys upon whom McBaine and Moss have focused bring some nuance and surprise to this fascinating look at leadership-in-training, whose past participants have included former president Bill Clinton, former vice president Dick Cheney and Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J. There's Ben Feinstein, a bilateral amputee on prosthetic legs who is a model of perseverance, good cheer and slick demagoguery; the liberal, fish-out-of-water transplant from Chicago, Rene Otero; and Robert MacDougall, whose honesty about his own embrace of political expediency - another word for lying to get elected - is less refreshing than alarming.

But the film really revolves around Steve Garza, the Nationalist candidate for "governor" who bucks the teen gathering's conservative leaning with a platform of universal background checks for gun purchases and other leftie planks. Garza's earnest, heartfelt approach to politics - even one that is wholly make-believe - provides the film's heart and soul.

Whether he wins is hardly the point of the film, although the ultimate results of the election, presented with all the suspense of a real election-night nail-biter, deliver the documentary's most powerful emotional punch. For some, it will be cause for despair; for others, hope.

It seems clear which side McBaine and Moss fall on.

"Boys State" shows us where some future politicos learn the dirty tricks, mudslinging and opportunism that we will likely continue to see in civic discourse and politicking - or perhaps it simply shows us how well that lesson has already been drummed into our youth, even before they get to a place like Boys State. But it also reveals the potential and the appeal of someone who chooses not to adopt those tactics. Garza is going places, it seems clear, and many may find themselves hoping to see him pursue some form of public service.

What is the appropriate response to this fascinating look at the next generation of civic engagement - which explores how polarization has trickled down to those who are not even old enough to vote? Arguably, it is neither hope nor despair. Rather, it seems that a realistic balance between the two is in order. "Boys State" is a portrait of the country in microcosm: divided, but not yet irredeemably lost.

- - -

Three and one-half stars. Rated PG-13. Available on Apple TV+. Contains some strong language and mature thematic elements. 109 minutes.

Ratings Guide: Four stars masterpiece, three stars very good, two stars OK, one star poor, no stars waste of time.
Photograph: Leah Millis/Reuters

A huge wave of evictions is gathering pace across the US, with tens of millions of people facing the looming prospect of being ejected from their homes with the expiry of federal government protections.

A moratorium on evictions from most federally backed housing, along with a $600-a-week unemployment benefit, helped ensure many Americans avoided being made homeless from an economic crash sparked by the coronavirus pandemic.

Related: California landlords are locking out struggling tenants. A 'tsunami of evictions' may be next

But these protections expired at the end of July and a slew of evictions are starting to unfurl across the country, while party leaders are at an impasse over further economic relief and a slew of stopgap measures from Donald Trump are on an uncertain path.

A picture shared widely on the internet described eviction cairns in New Orleans, showing belongings heaped beside the road, reportedly from a family of six that had been evicted from their home after being unable to pay rent.

According to the Aspen Institute, a non-profit thinktank, at least 30 million Americans out of the 110 million who live in rental housing are at risk of eviction by the end of September.

The organization warned the Covid-19 crisis will cause long-term harm to renter families and individuals, disruption of the affordable housing market and destabilization of communities across the United States.

The lapsing of eviction protections means that many people, unable to afford rent or mortgages, have been plunged into a precariously vulnerable situation. Theres tremendous urgency, Diane Yentel, president of the National Low Income Housing Coalition, told NPR. There are millions of renters who cant sleep at night because they dont know what theyre going to do if they become homeless.

The fresh disaster to stem from the pandemic is set to reach all corners of the US. A study by UCLA found that as many as 120,000 households in Los Angeles county, including up to 184,000 children, will probably become homeless when evictions resume.

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Meanwhile, in South Carolina, 52% of renters cannot afford their rent and risk eviction, with about 185,000 evictions possible across the state by the end of the year, according to Stout Risius Ross, a consultancy firm.

A lot of the safety net things that people relied on are gone, said John Pollock, coordinator of the National Coalition for a Civil Right to Counsel. Stripped of federal assistance, and with many states also scaling back help, many people are having to rely upon savings or credit in order to retain their homes.

On Saturday, Trump signed an executive order on evictions that the White House said would address the situation. In the action, the president vowed to defer payroll taxes, waive student loan payments and secure unemployment benefits, albeit at a lower rate of $400 a week. The order also pledged to help renters facing eviction, although all of the measures were provisional on other actions or studies, and sowed confusion and controversy about certainty and timescale.

Im protecting people from eviction, Trump said on Saturday. Youve been hearing a lot about eviction, and the Democrats dont want to do anything having to do with protecting people from eviction.

However, the order doesnt actually extend the moratorium on evictions, nor provide any rental assistance to those unable to pay. Instead, it orders federal agencies, such as the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, to look at options for protecting renters. Housing advocates attacked the order as a toothless gesture.

The president alluded to stopping evictions, but the executive order fails to provide any meaningful relief to the millions of renters who are at risk of losing their homes, Yentel said. President Trump failed even to use his existing authority to reinstate the limited federal eviction moratorium that expired on July 24, which covered 30% of renters nationwide.

Deferring evictions is only one part of the action required, advocates argue. Even though many landlords have been barred from removing renters unable to pay until now, the owed amount of rent has continued to accumulate, meaning that tenants will face a huge bill once protections are lifted. About half of landlords are small, family-run operations, meaning that they, along with renters, may require substantial financial assistance to avoid ruin.
LONDON, Aug. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Several airlines are providing services to the Commonwealth of Dominica since the country reopened its borders to nationals on July 15th. As of August 7th, Dominica also welcomes tourists. During a press briefing on Monday, the Deputy Coordinator for the reopening of borders and Tourism Director, Colin Piper, said that more airlines would be operating in Dominica from August 11th. The total number of COVID-19 cases remains at 18 on the island with no related deaths.

According to Mr Piper, Silver Airways will operate in the country on Thursday and Saturday from San Juan, and Air Antilles will fly daily from Barbados with a connection from St Lucia to Dominica. Air Antilles will also serve from Point-a-Pitre to Dominica.

Mr Piper also added that "thirteen properties have been issued [a] COVID-19 certificate of approval." He confirmed that two hotels approved for Citizenship by Investment (CBI) Programme  Cabrits Resort and Spa Kempinski Dominica and Secret Bay  are already on the list. Mr Piper explained that there are currently 415 COVID-certified rooms on the island, with more to follow shortly.

Dominica's emerging ecotourism sector keeps garnering prestigious accolades. In December 2019, the five-star Cabrits Resort and Spa Kempinski Dominica won the 'New Hotel of the Year' award as part of the 2020 Caribbean Travel Awards. This year, the prestigious Travel + Leisure magazine named Secret Bay as the best resort in the Caribbean, Bermuda and the Bahamas, in 2020's World's Best Awards.

As per the country's protocols, all visitors entering Dominica must complete a health questionnaire and to undertake a PCR test within three days before their arrival date. Travellers must upload a negative PCR result to receive a health approval notification and submit a copy to Dominica's port health officer upon arrival.

Dominica's CBI Programme, established in 1993, is one of the oldest and best in the world. Applicants must first undergo a thorough due diligence investigation. Once passed, they can either contribute to a government fund or invest in pre-approved real estate. When the requirements are satisfied, investors can obtain second citizenship for themselves and their eligible dependants. Economic citizens become entitled to the benefits associated with Dominican citizenship, including visa-free and visa-on-arrival travel to 140 destinations and the right to live, work and study in Dominica.

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Roberto Gomez, 14, moved with his family to San Antonio from Mexico less than two years ago. He's been working hard to learn English since then  a task made even more difficult now that all of his classes are taught virtually.

Roberto is one of more than 5 million students in the United States learning English as a second language, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Now with many schools relying on remote learning to prevent the spread of the coronavirus in schools, the ability to stay on top of classes has become even more difficult for those without fluent English speakers in their household.

Roberto's mother says hes been losing some of the English hes already learned since the pandemic. It's difficult to find ways to practice, he told NBC News and Telemundo.

Previously a star student, Roberto has been struggling since classes went all online last semester. He said it is difficult not having direct contact with the teachers. Not being able to see friends also means he can't practice English with them or get their help with schoolwork.

Karla Padilla and her husband, Roberto. (Aaron Franco / NBC News)

To add to his challenges, Roberto said he usually does his homework on his phone because the family of five shares one laptop.

Parents, like Roberto's mother, Karla Padilla, were unexpectedly forced to oversee their children's educations  all in a language they may be struggling with themselves.

I would help him with his activities, I would help them a bit with what I could to do their work, but it really isnt sufficient, Padilla said in Spanish.

Its also a challenge for Robertos teacher, McKenna Potter.

Our school systems aren't really set up to support migrant families to begin with, she said. And now with remote learning, that's just carrying over into that.

"I think the students who are learning English, they need extra support, they need visuals, they need to be able to see the way pronunciation happens, see the way the mouth moves," Potter said. "So it is extra important for them to be in class in real life."

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The situation is even more complex for the approximately 700,000 students with special needs in the United States who are also English-language learners. It has left many immigrant parents having to provide speech, occupational and behavioral therapy at home.

Soledad Picero and her 6-year-old twins Rocio and Emma. Emma has autism and has had a difficult time with distance learning because of her disability. (Soledad Picero)

Soledad Picero's 6-year-old twins, Emma and Rocio, do everything together. But when it comes to learning, the two have different needs because Emma has autism and is nonverbal.

Picero said the transition from school was a major stress factor because autistic children need a schedule. She said being patient is crucial.

I didn't have much patience before, but I had to develop that part of me, she said.

At school, Emma met with a teacher and seven different therapists every week, roles that her mother had to take on overnight.

I have to run from one side of the house to the other side of the house so they concentrate on their stuff, she said.

Adding to the challenge for Latino parents of special needs children is the lack of information in Spanish. Picero created a website with information to try to help others in similar situations.

That's what moms do: Be there for your children, she said.
As details about the divorce of This is Us actor Justin Hartley and Selling Sunset reality star Chrishell Stause continue to make headlines, Hartleys first wife, actor Lindsay Korman-Hartley, has weighed in.

Korman-Hartley posted a note on her Instagram account Tuesday, writing that social media should be used for positivity.

2005 NBC Network All Star Celebration - Arrivals (John Sciulli / WireImage)

"Today, I appreciate my ex-husband Justin for not only being (an) exemplification of a solid man but for being my dear friend and devoted father to our daughter," she wrote in part. "Simply put; for being family. We derive our own opinion of people by experiencing life and time together, and we do our best to hold dear the ones that maintain consistent kindness, love and generosity."

Hartley and Korman-Hartley were married from 2004 to 2012 and met while starring on the soap opera "Passions." They have one child together, 16-year-old Isabella.

She added she was thankful for the family they built despite their past conflicts.

Related: In "Selling Sunset" season three, Stause provides details around her divorce from the "This Is Us" star.

Hartley's second wife, Stause, is a cast member on the Netflix reality series "Selling Sunset," which features several real estate agents working for The Oppenheim Group to sell glamorous homes in the Hollywood area.

selling sunset season 3 chrishell stause divorce justin hartley (Getty Images / Getty Images)

The show's third season, which debuted Aug. 7, thrust Hartley and Stause's 2019 divorce back into the spotlight. One memorable scene involves Stause sharing that Hartley texted her to inform her he had filed for divorce and "45 minutes later, the world knew."

The 39-year-old actress said on the show, "If that's really what you wanted, there are better ways to go about it."

Stause and Hartley, 43, were married on Oct. 28, 2017. Hartley filed for divorce in November 2019, though he listed the actual date of separation as July 8. Stause later filed for dissolution of the marriage in December.
Do you want to see more of the handsome Hallyu star Ji Chang Wook? Well, who doesn't? Since the drama "Backstreet Rookie" has finally come to an end, we know for sure that fans who fell in love with actor are now on a mission to search for more Korean dramas which he starred in.

Lucky for us, this Hallyu star had already built his career with numerous dramas before starring in "Backstreet Rookie," so it is quite easy to look for projects that is starred by him. From being the lead cast in crime thrillers, historical dramas, to fantasy rom-coms, the famous actor Ji Chang Wook has done it all! The best part of this is that his shows are all available to watch online!

Find Out 5 Dramas Starring Ji Chang Wook That You Must Watch To Cure The "Backstreet Rookie" Hangover

1. Empress Ki (2013)

Available to watch on Netflix and Viu.

This is the drama that put Chang Wook's name on the map. It's a hit historical drama that centers its story on Empress Ki who was once an ordinary and nameless woman that rose into higher social ranks after she was abducted. She eventually ended up being the wife of the Yuan dynasty emperor Ta Hwan, who is portrayed by Chang Wook, making her an empress. Also starring in this drama are Ha Ji Won, Joo Jin Mo, and Kim Ji Han.

2. Healer (2014)

Available to watch on Netflix and Viu.

In this drama, Ji Chang Wook portrays the character of Seo Jung-hoo, who works as an illegal night courier called by his clients as the "Healer." He makes money through his illegal underground business by executing his customer's request for the right price as long he doesn't kill or murder anybody. Through this business, he meets a tabloid writer and a famous reporter who both share a complicated past that puts them all in danger.

Also starring in this drama are Park Min Young and Yoo Ji Tae.

3. The K2 (2016)

Available to watch on Netflix and Viu.

In this drama, Ji Chang Wook portrays the role of soldier Kim Je-ha, a mercenary who came back to Korea from Iraq after being framed for his girlfriend's death. He is on a mission to find and seek revenge on the man who he firmly believes murdered his lover.

To be able to push through his mission, he agrees to work as the bodyguard of a high profile person Choi Yoo-jin, a company owner and the wife of presidential candidate Jang Se-joon. Things got even more complicated when Je-ha was given the assignment to protect Se-joon's illegitimate daughter Go An-na whom he ended up falling in love with.

Also, starring in this drama are Im YoonA, Song Yoon Ah, and Jo Sung Ha.

4. Suspicious Partner (2017)

Available to watch on Viu.

In "Suspicious Partner," Ji Chang Wook plays the character of Noh Ji who is a prosecutor. The story started when he was accused of being a molester by a prosecutor trainee Eun Bong-hee. Soon, both characters try to resolve their misunderstanding and find themselves working together to catch a psychopathic murderer on the loose.

Also starring in this drama are Nam Ji Hyun, Cho Tae Joon, and Kwon Nara.

5. Melting Me Softly (2019)

Available to watch on Viu.

Melting Me Softly is a romantic-comedy drama with a twist. It tells the story of the lives of a man and a woman who participated in a 24-Hour Frozen Human Project for a variety show. However, instead of waking up after 24 hours, they ended up waking 20 years later. As they're appearance didn't change while the people around them aged, the two are forced to discover and adjust to the new world they are in.
(TNS) - City officials, growing increasingly frustrated as Laredos positivity rate and death rate continue to rise, are mulling changing their tune from COVID-19 education to enforcement.Because weve been saying the same thing since March  weve been saying The. Same. Thing. Since. March.  its probably not a lack of education at this point, said City Manager Robert Eads. Its a refusal to do the right thing.The city needs to change their tactic from carrots to sticks, he said. This likely means tightening their emergency order, or sending code enforcement and police into neighborhoods and bars, Eads said.But the city cannot enforce penalties stricter than what the state allows, noted Mayor Pete Saenz.At the end of July, two weeks after Laredo City Council approved an emergency order to close restaurant dining rooms, bingos, maquinitas and ban social gatherings, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott only gave his approval for half of the request. He stopped short of approving the citys ban on gatherings or the closure of restaurant dining rooms.Saenz also worried about Laredos public health as other cities in Texas, operating under the same set of rules, are in a recovery stage.Im taken aback in the way that other communities have succeeded but we havent yet, Saenz said. And its the same tools that we have. Theyve been able to bring down the level of positivity rate in their cities, but we havent yet. In fact were going the opposite. And its very, very troubling.He said Laredo needs to do something different, and that he was open to suggestions.City officials have been speaking with stakeholders about why their message has not been getting through to people.Its just too many fatalities, said Interim Fire Chief and Emergency Management Coordinator Ramiro Elizondo. Its getting out of hand.LPD Investigator Joe E. Baeza, interim public information officer for the city, said the police department is citing and enforcing the current city and state orders. And theyve noticed some businesses are being too lax in their practices.Theres no difference in activity, and it seems to be business as usual. These numbers are alarming and surprising, and we need to stop these rates from going up, he said.He asked the community to report anonymous tips through the Laredo Police Department app.If you work in a place thats unsafe, we want to know about it. If youre in a location where theres a gathering, we want to know about it, Baeza said.Julia Wallace may be reached at 956-728-2543 or jwallace@lmtonline.com2020 the Laredo Morning Times (Laredo, Texas)Visit the Laredo Morning Times (Laredo, Texas) at www.lmtonline.comDistributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
SAN FRANCISCO  In April, Francoise Brougher, the chief operating officer of Pinterest and its top female executive, abruptly left the company with little explanation.

In a lawsuit filed on Tuesday, Ms. Brougher accused the $21 billion company, which makes virtual pinboards, of firing her after she complained about sexist treatment. In her suit, which was filed in San Francisco Superior Court, Ms. Brougher said she had been left out of important meetings, was given gendered feedback, was paid less than her male peers when she joined the company, and ultimately was let go for speaking up about it.

Gender discrimination at the C-level suite may be a little more subtle, but its very insidious and real, Ms. Brougher, 54, said in an interview. When men speak out, they get rewarded. When women speak out, they get fired.

Pinterest was reviewing the lawsuit, a company spokeswoman said. Our employees are incredibly important to us, she said, adding that the company was committed to advancing its culture so all of our employees feel included and supported. Pinterest is conducting an independent review regarding its culture, policies and practices, she added.
A Sesame Place employee trying to remind a couple to wear masks was assaulted over the weekend at the park, but police say they have a lead on who the attackers were, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported.

Surveillance video and other records helped police get a tentative identity, the outlet reported. If that identity is confirmed, warrants will need to be approved by the Bucks County District Attorneys office.

Police previously said that the 17-year-old employee was attacked at the park around 5 p.m. Sunday when the man and woman punched the employee after he reminded them to wear a mask.

The couple ran away from the park and left in a vehicle with New York plates, police said.

The teen required treatment for injuries to his jaw and tooth, police said.

Sesame Place said it was cooperating with police on the investigation, adding that the health and safety of our guests and team members is our top priority, and violence of any kind is unacceptable and not tolerated at our park.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-12 17:22:33|Editor: huaxia

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SOFIA, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- Bulgaria's exports to and imports from non-European Union countries from January to June decreased by 10.5 percent and 11 percent year-on-year respectively, official statistics revealed on Wednesday.

In the first half of this year, the country's exports to non-EU countries amounted to 8.9 billion BGN (5.3 billion U.S. dollars), according to preliminary national statistics.

Bulgaria's main trading partners were Turkey, China, Britain, the United States, Serbia, Russia and North Macedonia, which accounted for 54 percent of the exports to non-EU countries, it said.

Meanwhile, Bulgarian imports from non-EU countries amounted to 10.9 billion BGN, with the largest amounts reported for the goods imported from Russia, Turkey, China and Serbia, the country's national statistics agency said. Enditem
With schools weighing risks and benefits of students returning to campuses amid the continuing pandemic, Lutheran South Academy has opted to give parents and students a choice.

The private school in South Belt is scheduled to start in-person classes Aug. 19 with parents having the option of virtual learning for the first nine weeks, or if they eventually choose, for the entire year.

Im confident that weve done everything we can to make school safe for our students, said Sheila Psencik, the schools head.

Like similar institutions such as St. Thomas the Apostle Episcopal School in Nassau Bay, Lutheran South, which serves grades prekindergarten through 12, sees its autonomy as a private school a plus.

Enrollment is normally 750, and according to Psencik, only a small percentage of parents have chosen the virtual learning option.

Modifications have been made to meet Centers for Disease Control guidelines. LSAs back-to-school plan is available on its website.

Weve added some classrooms to accommodate our attendance, but with a percentage of students staying home, we have plenty of space, Psencik said. Weve capped our class size depending on the square footage in classrooms and rearranged things to make sure our kids have appropriate distancing between them to make sure were providing a safe environment.

Students in pre-K through grade 5 will remain in one classroom throughout the day with teachers coming to them for different subjects. Older students will change classes. At lunchtime, grades pre-K through 5 will eat in the classroom so that those in grades 6-12 can be spread apart in the cafeteria.

The school will conduct temperature checks, and face masks will be required for all students over age 10. Staff members will be supplied with face shields for when they interact directly with students.

More Information Lutheran South Academy Where: 12555 Ryewater Drive, Houston Enrollment: 750 Information:www.lutheransouth.org; 281-464-8299 See More Collapse

Im confident (we can open successfully), but with that being said, things change daily, Psencik said. Were prepared for anything. Im sure there are going to be many adjustments along the way, but were going to do our best to provide the best education we can. I think everyone agrees that the best thing for kids to be back at school, but we want to make sure were doing it safely.

Through feedback, parents have expressed enthusiasm for students return and trust in the school to maintain safety, according to Psencik.

I think most people are just excited that were going to go back to school, she said.

The teaching staff, said Psencik, has also committed to a return to in-person classroom learning.

All 80 of our teachers are on board, we havent had any teachers saying they wont come, she said.

Lutheran South was established as a faith-based private institution in 1949 in Houston and moved to 12555 Ryewater Drive in 1998. Psencik said the plan is to remain open for as long as it is safe.

People are anxious to keep moving forward because were living with the pandemic, and we have to figure out a way to live with it and do it safely for our students and staff, Psencik said. The virus is going to be around throughout the school year; so we have to figure this out. What everybody did in the spring (by studying virtually) was a good Band-Aid, but thats not a good long-term plan for kids.

With 85 percent of students choosing to return to the campus, Psencik said the Lutheran South community is sending a message that it is eager to return to some kind of consistency. The school has a detailed plan to use if a COVID outbreak occurs.

I think were all eager to get back to normal even though its going to be different, but its going to be more normal than staying home all the time, she said. Im confident, but realistic. We dont know what tomorrow brings but I know with what weve done here were ready for our students to come back. Were going to make adjustments along the way just like everybody is, but were going to do our best to keep providing a great education.

yorozco@hcnonline.com
Chemical Tankers Market Research Report by Product Type (Inorganic Chemicals, Organic Chemicals, and Vegetable Oils & Fats), by Fleet Type (IMO Type 1, IMO Type 2, and IMO Type 3), by Fleet Size - Global Forecast to 2025 - Cumulative Impact of COVID-19

New York, Aug. 11, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Chemical Tankers Market Research Report by Product Type, by Fleet Type, by Fleet Size - Global Forecast to 2025 - Cumulative Impact of COVID-19" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p05913813/?utm_source=GNW



The Global Chemical Tankers Market is expected to grow from USD 26,935.84 Million in 2019 to USD 36,349.62 Million by the end of 2025 at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 5.12%.



Market Segmentation & Coverage:

This research report categorizes the Chemical Tankers to forecast the revenues and analyze the trends in each of the following sub-markets:



Based on Product Type, the Chemical Tankers Market studied across Inorganic Chemicals, Organic Chemicals, and Vegetable Oils & Fats.



Based on Fleet Type, the Chemical Tankers Market studied across IMO Type 1, IMO Type 2, and IMO Type 3.



Based on Fleet Size, the Chemical Tankers Market studied across Coastal, Deep-Sea, and Inland.



Based on Geography, the Chemical Tankers Market studied across Americas, Asia-Pacific, and Europe, Middle East & Africa. The Americas region surveyed across Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, and United States. The Asia-Pacific region surveyed across Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, South Korea, and Thailand. The Europe, Middle East & Africa region surveyed 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 Chemical Tankers Market including Bahri, Iino Kaiun Kaisha, Ltd., MISC Berhad, Mol Chemical Tankers Pte. Ltd., Navig8 Group, Nordic Tankers A/S, Stolt-Nielsen Limited, and Wilmar International Ltd..



FPNV Positioning Matrix:

The FPNV Positioning Matrix evaluates and categorizes the vendors in the Chemical Tankers 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 the market 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 Chemical Tankers Market?

2. What are the inhibiting factors and impact of COVID-19 shaping the Global Chemical Tankers Market during the forecast period?

3. Which are the products/segments/applications/areas to invest in over the forecast period in the Global Chemical Tankers Market?

4. What is the competitive strategic window for opportunities in the Global Chemical Tankers Market?

5. What are the technology trends and regulatory frameworks in the Global Chemical Tankers Market?

6. What are the modes and strategic moves considered suitable for entering the Global Chemical Tankers Market?

Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05913813/?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.



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CONTACT: Clare: clare@reportlinker.com US: (339)-368-6001 Intl: +1 339-368-6001




Portland voters elected Dan Ryan on Tuesday to complete the City Council term of late Commissioner Nick Fish.

Ryan led Loretta Smith by 51.1% to 47.9% as of 1 a.m. Wednesday with more than 95% of the vote tallied.

This years campaign marked Ryans first attempt to be elected to the Portland City Council.

A former Portland school board member and former CEO of All Hands Raised, Ryan is the third openly LGBTQ+ commissioner in Portlands history. He will also be the first commissioner openly living with HIV.

When he is seated on the council alongside Commissioner Chloe Eudaly next month, it will mark the first time more than one LGBTQ+ person has held a seat on the council at the same time.

Ryan in a statement Wednesday said he was honored to have been selected by voters, thanked Smith and said that he was grateful for the spirited debate we participated in throughout the campaign.

This campaign was about bringing Portlanders together to address the issues we all face, Ryan said. Our city is in crisis, and I am eager to jump in and get to work.

Among his campaign promises were championing the ballot measure to create a new Portland police oversight system, increasing support services for the citys homeless population, and helping create more affordable housing for Portlanders. Ryan cast himself to voters as a bridge-builder who can draw on his past as a non-career politician to bring consensus on the city council and the city.

He led by more than 5,000 votes after Multnomah County elections officials stayed up past midnight to tally more than 170,000 ballots.

Tuesday marked the end of Smiths second bid for a seat on the City Council. She lost to Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty in the November 2018 general election. A former two-term Multnomah County commissioner, Smith touted her extensive knowledge about how local government works and her contacts locally and in Congress, having worked two decades on the staff of U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, and her lived experience as a Black woman and parent as necessary tools to help Portland move forward.

When reached by The Oregonian/OregonLive Wednesday morning, Smith said she hadnt yet seen the latest vote tally and had not officially conceded. She said she was proud of her campaign and that it touched on many issues facing the city, such as public safety and police accountability reform.

Im really happy that we were able to get our message out, Smith said.

Fish, whod been on the council since winning the citys last special election for a seat in 2008, died in January from cancer. The council has operated with four members for the last seven months.

Loretta Smith and Dan Ryan were the top two voter-getters in the May election to succeed Nick Fish on the Portland City Council. (Smith photo by Brooke Herbert; Ryan photo by Beth Nakamura, both of The Oregonian)

Ryan and Smith emerged from a field of 18 people as the top vote-getters in the May primary.

Ryan, 58, has spent more than three decades mostly in the nonprofit sector. He worked as development director at Portland State University and the Oregon Ballet Theater. He served three years as a member and chair of the Portland school board until 2008, then went on to become CEO of All Hands Raised, a nonprofit which works to improve racial equity in education in Multnomah County, for 11 years before stepping down in 2019.

Ryans endorsements include Hardesty, U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer, Multnomah County Commissioner Susheela Jayapal, former Govs. Barbara Roberts and Ted Kulongoski and Oregon House Speaker Tina Kotek, as well as the Oregon Progressive Party.

Hardesty has also endorsed Eudaly and Mayor Ted Wheeler, who face election challenges of their own in November. Sarah Iannarone forced Wheeler into a runoff in the mayoral race and Mingus Mapps did the same against Eudaly. Carmen Rubio won the primary election to succeed Commissioner Amanda Fritz, who opted not to run for reelection.

The terms of Rubio and the winners of the mayoral and commissioner race will begin in January.

Both Ryan and Smith used the citys new public finance option to fuel their campaigns. According to city and state campaign finance records, Ryan has raised nearly $362,000 in cash and another $6,300 in in-kind help. He received close to $300,000 in matching funds through the public campaign financing program. Smith has raised more than $257,000 in cash this year and another $37,000 in in-kind help. She received more than $155,000 in matching funds through the public campaign financing program.

City officials say Ryan will likely be seated on the council in September. His term would end Dec. 31, 2022.

-- Everton Bailey Jr; ebailey@oregonian.com | 503-221-8343 | @EvertonBailey

Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories.
California Sen. Kamala Harris embraces presidential candidate Joe Biden after she endorsed him at a rally March 9. If they win election in November, will they produce a new New Deal? (AFP via Getty Images)

No one who follows economic affairs could miss the signals that the U.S. economy has long been built on a foundation of quicksand.

Income and wealth inequality has been soaring as rank-and-file workers have lost the power to organize for workplace rights and corporations increasingly have funneled profits to shareholders.

The biggest financial bailout of recent years, the tax cut enacted by Republicans in December 2017, went almost entirely to corporations and the wealthy. The working class got crumbs.

Regardless of COVID, the economy has been working best for the wealthy and white Americans.

Julie Margetta Morgan, Roosevelt Institute

The federal minimum wage, which would be $24 an hour had it kept pace with worker productivity since the 1970s, is mired at $7.25.

Even states and localities that have been in the forefront of the living wage movement tend to aim at a target of only about $15. Women and Black workers bear the brunt of these inequalities.

The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the fragility of the American system. The working class, especially Black and Latino workers, are becoming sickened and dying at higher rates than whites. In part that's because they're overrepresented among "essential" workers or those with few options to work from home.

Even the pandemic relief measures undertaken in Washington have favored the rich. The Federal Reserve's backstopping of securities trades serves the investor class, and congressional subsidies provided billions to business owners. But Republicans in Congress have blocked the extension of enhanced unemployment benefits for the working class that expired last month.

Plainly, America is ready for a reset of its economic principles akin to what happened after the last great economic crisis, the Great Depression. That crisis produced the New Deal.

This one has produced a blueprint for the next New Deal. It comes from the Roosevelt Institute, a think tank affiliated with the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library, and is titled "A True New Deal: Building an Inclusive Economy in the COVID-19 Era."

Story continues

"We think the New Deal provides inspiration and in some ways a model for what ought to be done now, particularly in terms of the mix of immediate relief for families and structural changes to the ways our economy and society operate," says Julie Margetta Morgan, the institute's vice president for research and the organizer of the report.

The report outlines several "essential policies." These include cancellation of student, housing and medical debt; creation of a federal jobs guarantee and universal childcare guarantees; the federalization and expansion of unemployment coverage; strengthening of collective bargaining rights; and re-invigoration of antitrust enforcement to produce "real trust-busting."

The program would bring about reforms relevant to the lives of the working class and minorities, not merely produce short-term relief to families affected by the pandemic.

What's most interesting about the proposals is that they try to address the manifest flaws in the New Deal as a model. "You can't look at the New Deal without seeing how it failed to change power structures in many key ways and actually reinforced the powerlessness of people of color and women," Morgan told me.

Especially at first, President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal was a halting, ad hoc effort. It reflected an outlook FDR had expressed in a speech at Georgia's Oglethorpe University in May 1932, effectively kicking off his presidential campaign.

In that speech, he promised "bold, persistent experimentation" and continued: "It is common sense to take a method and try it: If it fails, admit it frankly and try another. But above all, try something."

In the New Deal, Roosevelt tried plenty and discarded plenty. He shut down the entire banking system to give it time to respond to the dire financial crisis of early 1933. He sharply cut the federal payroll (then restored much of the cutback under political pressure). He imposed strict regimentation on industry, which failed, and on agriculture, which sort of worked until the Supreme Court overturned it.

He created a jobs program that built parks and playgrounds, another that built airports and school buildings, and a third that unapologetically paid for "make-work" jobs just to keep Americans fed, clothed and housed. He imposed disclosure rules on stock issuers, turned the Federal Reserve into a functional monetary regulator and created Social Security.

The breadth of FDR's pledge  and let's be candid, its vagueness  showed that he and his brain trust had no historical model to guide them. As a result, though some of its individual elements became landmarks of progressive policy, its general approach to social change was more conservative. The treatment of Black workers and families is a good example.

Unemployed Black workers faced stringent quotas on New Deal work relief programs, and those who obtained jobs were shortchanged in wages by New Deal pay policies. Black families consistently were barred from New Deal residential communities, some of which were built on land from which they had been evicted.

New Deal programs crafted in Washington were turned over to local administrators, who flagrantly discriminated against Black workers, especially in the South; in Mississippi, where Black residents were 50% of the population, only 46 Black youths were admitted into the government's first jobs program, the Civilian Conservation Corps, where they comprised 1.7% of the recruits.

Even Social Security at first excluded farm and domestic workers, trades that employed 65% of Black workers. Domestic workers wouldn't be added to the Social Security rolls until 1950, and farm workers not until 1954.

The Roosevelt Institute blueprint is determinedly inclusive. Rather than merely augment means-tested subsidies for low-income college students, which allow the inequities of the existing educational system to be perpetuated (and generally fail to cover student living expenses, an obstacle to low-income families), the institute calls for funding tuition-free public institutions.

That means shoring up the funding for community colleges, the entry point into higher education for a large percentage of low-income and minority students. "Community colleges are often the ones whose funding is the first to get cut and are expected to do more with less," Morgan observes, "even though they educate a broader swath of the population."

A federal jobs guarantee would offer federal funds to state and local governments for jobs that would provide a minimum salary and benefits, as well as unionization rights and the right of workers to sue over alleged discrimination.

As the institute notes, a guaranteed jobs program would "offer a clear entry point to the labor market for those who have struggled to reenter, like formerly incarcerated people" and disabled people. Moreover, by guaranteeing wages and benefits and eliminating the prospect of unemployment, it would give workers more bargaining power in the private employment market.

Perhaps most important in the current context, it would help bring about the "mass mobilization necessary to serve our country's larger economic and social needs," such as coronavirus testers and contact tracers, and construction workers to rebuild public buildings to be energy-efficient.

There may be no better moment in recent history for this broad rethinking of the American economy. As Greg Sargent of the Washington Post observes, the current crisis provides an opening for Joe Biden, should he win election in November, to act boldly, for market rules "that we created and that we can change" are at the heart of the inequities in our economic system.

"Regardless of COVID," Morgan says, "the economy has been working best for the wealthy and white Americans. Pre-pandemic, we were in the midst of a crisis of worker power. Right now, employers hold all the power about whether and how employees come back to work across the economy."

We may be at a historic inflection point. "What gives us hope is that the protests we've seen over the last several months have had a cross-racial and cross-income solidarity that are at the core of progressive policy-making," Morgan says. The challenge for progressive policy members will be to craft policies that both address immediate needs and ensure that we emerge from the pandemic crisis with "a stronger, more inclusive economy."
SHANGHAI and MELBOURNE, Australia, Aug. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Antengene Corporation, a leading innovative hematology and oncology-focused biopharmaceutical company, announced today the authorization of the first-in-human trial of ATG-017 (ERASER trial) by the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA). ATG-017 is a potent and selective small molecule extracellular signalregulated kinases 1 and 2 (ERK1/2) inhibitor. The study will enroll patients with advanced solid tumors and hematological malignancies. Today's milestone marks the first TGA trial authorization for Antengene and is the first clinical trial for ATG-017 globally.

ATG-017 is an oral, potent and highly selective inhibitor of ERK1/2, which are related protein-serine/ threonine kinases that function as the terminal kinases in the RAS-RAF-MEK-ERK signal transduction cascade. This pathway participates in the control of numerous processes which include apoptosis, cell proliferation, and cellular immune response. In preclinical studies, ATG-017 has proven to regulate a large variety of cellular processes by targeting ERK1/2 and has shown to be effective in inhibiting the viability of tumor cell lines in vitro as well as the tumor growth in vivo.

"This first human trial for ATG-017 in Australia is a significant step for our company's global clinical strategy and we will initiate overseas trials continuously for a number of novel drugs in our pipeline in the near future," said Dr. Jay Mei, M.D., Ph.D., Founder, Chairman and CEO of Antengene. "Our vision is to treat patients beyond borders. For Australian patients with life-threatening diseases and patients around the world, we are passionately working to continue to develop and commercialize more novel therapies to make a difference in patient lives."

"Aberrations in the MAPK pathway are amongst the most common in malignant cancer, so developing effective drugs targeting this pathway remains a high priority. We are excited to begin this trial with the ERK-targeting agent ATG-017, and bring together our group of highly experienced Australian investigators and sites to begin this collaboration with Antengene," said Associate Professor Jayesh Desai, Head of the Phase I/ Early Drug Development Program at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre.

"The RAS-MAPK pathway is a major player in a range of largely incurable hematological malignancies, so the potential to effectively target it with ATG-017 represents an exciting opportunity for Australian cancer patients. We very much look forward to collaborating with Antengene on this new trial," said Professor Andrew Spencer, Head of the Malignant Haematology and Stem Cell Transplantation Service at the Alfred Hospital, Melbourne.

In November 2019, Antengene entered into a licensing agreement with AstraZeneca (LSE/STO/NYSE: AZN) under which Antengene has been granted the exclusive global rights to further develop, manufacture and commercialize AZD0364 (ATG-017). ATG-017 is currently being studied in clinical trials for the treatment of various solid tumors and hematological malignancies.

About ATG-017

ATG-017 is a potent and selective small molecule extracellular signalregulated kinases 1 and 2 (ERK1/2) inhibitor in clinical development for the treatment of various solid tumors, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and multiple myeloma.

About Antengene

Antengene is a biopharmaceutical company with integrated drug discovery, clinical development, manufacturing and commercialization anchored in the Asia Pacific region and with a global layout, aiming to provide the most advanced first-in-class/best-in-class anti-cancer drugs and other treatments for patients in China, the rest of Asia and around the world. In April 2017, Celgene (now Bristol-Myers Squibb), a global leading innovative biopharmaceutical company became a founding partner and obtained an equity position as an investor in Antengene. Antengene has built a product pipeline of 12 clinical and pre-clinical stage programs, obtained 9 IND approvals with 9 ongoing cross-regional clinical trials in the Asia Pacific region. The vision of Antengene, "Treating Patients Beyond Borders", is to meet the unmet medical needs of patients in the Asia Pacific region and around the world through our research & development and commercialization of first-in-class/best-in-class cancer medicines. For more information, please visit www.antengene.com.

Forward-looking Statement

The forward-looking statements made in this article relate only to the events or information as of the date on which the statements are made in this article. Except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, after the date on which the statements are made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. You should read this article completely and with the understanding that our actual future results or performance may be materially different from what we expect. In this article, statements of, or references to, our intentions or those of any of our Directors or our Company are made as of the date of this article. Any of these intentions may alter in light of future development.

SOURCE Antengene Corporation

Related Links

http://www.antengene.com


Beacon provides everything needed to prepare for and conduct KOL virtual meetings effectively and efficiently, with a clean, logical, and well-organized layout, said Nika Sajed, PharmD, a principal medical scientist and Alucio advisory board member.

As expected, the growth in usage of video conferencing technology during the COVID-19 pandemic has been dramatic. For example, a popular video conferencing service recently reported a 30x increase in usage of its platform in April 2020 as compared to the prior month.

Physician Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs) are also embracing the technology as a way to stay engaged in scientific exchange with life science companies. In fact, a recent study published by The Medical Science Liaisons Society and H1 found that 77% of KOLs were somewhat to very receptive to engaging with Medical Science Liaisons (MSLs) virtually. Moreover, the same study also found that 66% were interested in continuing to meet virtually with MSLs beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.

Alucio, a fast-growing provider of cloud-based software for the life sciences industry, is working to help MSLs stay connected with KOLs and other healthcare professionals during these challenging times. Alucios flagship product, Beacon, features a fully-integrated and secure video conferencing module that enables users to take control of their virtual meetings and make them much more effective.

The product streamlines interactions by enabling presenters to quickly find and organize the content they need both before and during a virtual engagement to respond to questions without leaving the application. Additionally, the solution is very user friendly for participants since it does not require them to download any software.

Beacon provides everything needed to prepare for and conduct KOL virtual meetings effectively and efficiently, with a clean, logical, and well-organized layout, said Nika Sajed, PharmD, a principal medical scientist and Alucio advisory board member.

In addition to its virtual meeting capability, Beacon includes a host of other well thought out features for MSLs and other field medical professionals. These include the rapid publishing and synching of medical and scientific content via the cloud to various devices, and flexible and smart file management, with powerful search and filtering capability. Built-in version control also ensures that users access the correct documents and remain compliant from a regulatory standpoint.

Jessica Wong, Alucios VP - Product Management & Strategy, commented MSLs clearly tell us that they want to be able to conduct better virtual meetings with their KOLs. Beacon enables them to make their virtual engagements much more seamless and effective. Were pleased to be able to support these users now and into the future.

To learn more about Beacon and to schedule a product demonstration, please contact the company at sales@alucio.io.

About Alucio:

Alucio is dedicated to the development of innovative software applications specifically for the life sciences industry. Alucios flagship product, Beacon, is a cloud-based content management and presentation platform that enhances scientific exchange between life science companies and healthcare professionals. For more information, please visit the companys website http://www.alucio.io or contact: Lisa Amin Gulezian lgulezian@alucio.io (925) 788-3533.

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1 Zoom Sees Sales Boom Amid Pandemic, Natalie Sherman, BBC News, June 2, 2020

2,3 How KOLs Prefer to Engage with MSLs During the COVID-19 Pandemic, Medical Science Liaison Society & H1, June 30, 2020
ONTARIO -- Tomas and Jodi Elizondo had COVID-19.

Tomas was one of four officers in the Ontario Police Department who fell sick at the end of June.

Were in the public so much, its just so hard to say where we got it, he said. He was wearing a mask on patrol, using hand sanitizer, and doing everything were supposed to be doing, said Tomas.

But on June 29, he felt feverish, even though he wasnt breaking a fever.

He had a dry cough, which persisted for three days.

The next day, he got tested, and his temperature went to 101.4.

Jodi, the Ontario High School principal, began feeling a fever too.

She had severe body aches and lost her sense of smell. The health department presumed her a COVID-19 case as well, and the couple stayed home from work for the next month.

The experience of the Elizondos illustrates the price local people can pay when they contract the virus. Malheur County has one of the highest infection rates in Oregon as health authorities say too many local residents arent seriously following recommendations to stem the pandemic.

On social media, some commenters contend the virus is no worse than the flu, that the recovery rate is high and that public authorities have dramatized the infection.

The Elizondos discussed their bout with COVID-19 to share what the virus is like and to urge people to take the coronavirus seriously.

In the weeks that the couple was quarantined and off work, they mostly slept. Tomas body aches would be dulled by aspirin, but would never go away. When he wasnt sleeping, he would sit on his deck, to fight the body chills he constantly felt.

His fever was gone after three days, but then he felt short of breath, and lost his appetite.

They stopped cooking meals. Nothing appealed to them.

You just dont eat. Without a sense of smell, nothing appeals to you. You cant smell, cant taste. Doesnt matter if its steak or cardboard to us, said Jodi.

Canned soups and Gatorade became their go-to, dropped off by relatives. Their family couldnt help cook, keep them hydrated or nurse them for risk of infection.

They felt isolated.

No one could come by and help us, said Jodi.

Jodi developed a lung infection within a week of her test. She couldnt breathe. Tomas drove her to St. Lukes Hospital in Fruitland, but Tomas couldnt come inside with her for risk of spreading the virus. He sat in his car in the parking lot for three hours, not knowing what the doctors were doing, not knowing what tests they were doing, not knowing whats going on. That lack of knowledge was scary, said Tomas.

Jodi said it felt like somebody was sitting on her chest. At the hospital, nurses and doctors came and went dressed in what looked like hazmat gear.

She went home with an inhaler and a prescription, but still sick.

We didnt get dressed, said Jodi. Youre in bed, and you sleep all the time, you dont eat. We lost a significant amount of weight.

Jodi lost 15 pounds in two weeks. Tomas lost 25.

They missed their vacation. Jodi had planned a seven-day trip to Seal Rock, on the coast, with her kids in July.

When the couple began to get better, Jodi worried about infecting her family when they came to see her. She was worried that, even if she waited longer than instructed in quarantine, she might infect them.

Now, the Elizondos are recovered and returned to work. Hes back to street patrol and shes working on a virtual return to education, but they still feel weak, and Jodis cough hasnt gone away.

They decided to share their account so that people will wear masks.

I wear a mask to protect other people, Tomas said, who wears a neck gaiter when out on patrol. Youre helping people.

Tomas said he wouldnt wish COVID-19 on anyone. Jodi said she can see how people could die from the disease.

If sharing our personal story gets people to wear a mask, just wearing a mask, its worth it, said Jodi. We got a kind of sick that we havent experienced before.
Michigan Senators Urge Federal Agencies to Stop Unsolicited Seed From Entering the U.S.

U.S. Sens. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) and Gary Peters (D-Mich.), are calling for a coordinated federal effort to immediately detect unsolicited seeds and prevent them from entering the United States.

Stabenow, the Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, and Peters, the Ranking Member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, urged federal officials from U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the U.S. Postal Service, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to coordinate their efforts to prevent any harm to U.S. food supplies and agriculture.

All 50 U.S. states have issued warnings about unsolicited packages containing unknown seeds sent to random U.S. households from China.

According to various photos shared by the state departments, people across the country have received packages that appear to have been processed by China Post, which operates the official postal service of China. Labels on the packages indicate there is jewelry inside, only to reveal clear packets of seeds.

We are concerned that these mysterious seeds could potentially harbor foreign invasive species, plant pathogens, or insects that can pose a grave threat to our agricultural economy and the environment. It is vitally important that we prevent any harm to our food supply and agricultural economy, the Senators wrote.

At the end of July, The U.S Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that its Animal and Plant Health Inspection Services (APHIS) agency is working with the Department of Homeland Securitys Customs and Border Protection, other federal agencies, and state departments of agriculture, to investigate the situation.

An investigation into mysterious Chinese seed packages sent to thousands of U.S. households has identified them as 14 varieties of herbs, fruits, ornamental flowers, vegetables, and weeds, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) stated.

The known species include morning glory, cabbage, mustard, mint, sage, rosemary, lavender, hibiscus, and rose, although deputy administrator of the USDAs Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service Osama El-Lissy noted this is just a subset of the samples weve collected so far.

It is alarming that the seeds were able to enter the country in the first place, and we urge U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the U.S. Postal Service, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to work together to quickly detect these unsolicited seeds and prevent them from entering the United States.

In the letter, the lawmakers posed a host of questions to the federal officials, ranging from how many U.S. citizens have gotten these types of seeds in the mail, to if any dangerous substances been detected on the seeds, and how the various departments will work together to prevent these seed packages from entering the country. The senators want answers to the series of questions by Aug. 25.

U.S. residents have been advised to immediately report the unsolicited packages to their local agriculture departments and not dispose of or plant the seeds, over concerns that the packages containing invasive or harmful pests and weeds.

Please hold onto the seeds and packaging, including the mailing label, until someone from your state department of agriculture or APHIS contacts you with further instructions. Do not plant seeds from unknown origins, the USDA advised.

Mimi Nguyen Ly contributed to this report.
Harris, 55, will be the first Black woman and the first person of Indian descent to be nominated for vice president by a major party. She is a former prosecutor, and her handling of cases involving police shootings of civilians while she was Californias attorney general drew criticism from activists on the left, who argued that she was not aggressive enough in stepping in to overhaul rogue police departments and that she sided too frequently with police unions.
A soldier of the Indian Army and a militant were killed in a gun battle at southern district of Pulwama in Jammu and Kashmir, while another soldier was injured, officials said on Wednesday.

The encounter started on Tuesday night when security forces were searching the Kamrazipora area of Pulwama based on inputs about the presence of militants there.

The officials said that Sowar Jilajeet Singh Yadav received injuries in an exchange of fire with militants near an orchard in Kamrazipora and later succumbed. A militant was also killed in the encounter.

A terrorist killed and a soldier laid down his life in the line of duty. One AK rifle along with grenades, pouches and other war like stores were recovered. Search operation is in progress, said Indian Armys Srinagar based PRO, Colonel Rajesh Kalia.

A police spokesman said the militants were given an opportunity to surrender, however, they fired indiscriminately upon the joint search party, which retaliated leading to an encounter.

The slain militant has been identified as Azaad Lalhari, a resident of Pulwama. As per police record, Azaad was affiliated with proscribed terror outfit Hizbul Mujahideen and had a history of terror crime.

Also Read: Medical professionals from Pakistan occupied territory cant practice in India: MCI

He was involved in planning and executing several terror attacks in the area. Several terror crime cases were registered against him including one pertaining to the killing of HC Anoop Singh at Prichoo in Pulwama, the spokesperson said.

Local reports said that another militant managed to flee during the search operation, however, the claim was not corroborated by the security agencies.

An army spokesman later said that Sowar Jilajeet Singh Yadav was leading the security team when it ran into the terrorists during the operation.

In the ensuing firefight, one terrorist was eliminated and Sowar Jilajeet Singh Yadav received gunshot wounds. Despite being grievously injured, he continued to fight. He was subsequently evacuated to 92 Base Hospital, Srinagar where he eventually succumbed to his injuries, the spokesman said.

Also Read: Chhattisgarh: Four Maoists killed in encounter with security forces

Army offered tributes to Yadav in a solemn ceremony at Badami Bagh Cantonment where Lt Gen BS Raju, Chinar Corps Commander and all ranks were present to pay their homage.

Yadav was 25 years old and had joined the Army on March 18, 2014. He belonged to Village Ijari of Sadar Tehsil, Jaunpur District in Uttar Pradesh and is survived by his wife. Yadavs mortal remains were taken to his native place, where he would be cremated with full military honors.

Soldier fired upon at Srinagar National Highway

Meanwhile, one soldier was injured in a separate incident in North Kashmir where militants fired upon a quick reaction team of army on Srinagar-Baramulla National Highway.

Terrorists fired at a Quick Reaction Team (QRT) of Indian Army today. The QRT was moving from Baramulla towards Gulmarg on the Srinagar-Baramulla National Highway near Trumgund Hygam crossing. One Army soldier was injured. Search operation is in progress, Colonel Kalia said.

Militant arrested in Bandipora

Security forces arrested an active militant of proscribed outfit Lashkar e Taiba from Hajin area of north Kashmirs Bandipora and recovered arms & ammunition from his possession.

Based on credible information, Handwara Police along with Bandipora Police, 13RR, 32RR & 92BN CRPF have arrested one active terrorist identified as Aquib Ahmad Rather alias Jana, a resident of Sahipora, Handwara from Hajin area of Bandipora, a police spokesman said.

Incriminating materials including arms and ammunition were recovered from his possession. As per police records he was linked with proscribed outfit LeT.
The Los Angeles Police Department is investigating a possible prank call that led to a heavily armed SWAT team descending on the home of a prominent Black Lives Matter activist while she and her children were inside.

Melina Abdullah, co-founder of BLM-LA, began streaming live on Instagram Wednesday morning showing armed officers outside her home near the intersection of Crenshaw and West Washington boulevards.

I dont know why they are here, Abdullah said to the camera, adding that the officers were pointing guns at her house, according to the LA Times.

The video feed reportedly showed officers dressed in tactical gear screaming orders at her as she went outside to speak with them. At least one of the officers in the clip was carrying a semi-automatic rifle.

Melina Abdullah, co-founder of BLM-LA, began streaming live on Instagram Wednesday morning showing armed officers outside of her home near the intersection of Crenshaw and West Washington boulevards

WHAT IS SWATTING? Swatting is a criminal harassment tactic of deceiving an emergency service into sending heavily armed police and other emergency service response teams to another persons address without actual cause. This is often triggered by falsely reporting a serious emergency, such as a bomb threat, hostage situation, murder, or a mental health emergency. Making false reports to emergency services is a criminal offense in many countries, punishable by fines and imprisonment. In March 2019, a California man was sentenced to 20 years in prison for carrying out a fatal 2017 swatting, in which 28-year-old Andrew Finch was shot dead by police as he left his home. Advertisement

During a conversation with the assembled officers, one of them tells Abdullah that they received a call saying that someone was holding her and her family hostage, LAist reported.

The officer said dispatchers were told the purported culprit wanted one million dollars in ransom or he would kill Abdullah and her children within the hour.

The police left after Abdullah explained that there was no hostage situation taking place.

No one was injured in the incident, though Abdullah repeatedly voiced fears that officers would attempt to escalate the situation.

The activist said she was also concerned about the safety of her children, who were inside the home at the time heavily-armed officers arrived

LAPD spokesman Josh Rubenstein told the Times the departments Major Crimes Division is now investigating incident, in what is said to most likely be a swatting.

Swatting refers to a prank 911 call made to attract a large armed law enforcement presence to a specific address without actual cause. Considering the potential confusion it causes among all parties, and the history of tactical teams using deadly force, the act of swatting is considered incredibly dangerous.

In California, swatters bear the 'full cost' of the response which can lead to fines up to $10,000.

Abdullah, an outspoken critic of the LAPD, has also been at the forefront of recent protests against police violence in Los Angeles, which were spurred into motion following the Memorial Day police killing of George Floyd in Minnesota.

Rubenstein said a call was made about a house on the block where Abdullah lives, but he would not specify the exact address or whether police think she was the intended target.

Abdullah's live stream was no longer available to view on her Instagram page as of Wednesday afternoon.

She has not responded to a DailyMail.com request for comment.

The incident came on the same morning Abdullah was scheduled to speak to the press about a campaign to appoint her as dean of the new College of Ethnic Studies at Cal State L.A., where she teaches.

Abdullah, an outspoken critic of the LAPD, has also been at the forefront of recent protests against police violence in Los Angeles, which were spurred into motion following the Memorial Day police killing of George Floyd in Minnesota.
The Christopher Columbus statue, which has been encased in wooden boards, is pictured at Marconi Plaza in South Philadelphia on Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2020. The city's Art Commission voted to remove the controversial statue and place it in temporary storage. Read more

The Philadelphia Art Commission voted Wednesday to remove the statue of Christopher Columbus from Marconi Plaza, placing it in temporary storage while the city deliberates on a new permanent home for the controversial monument. But the action was later halted when a judge ordered the statues removal ceased as a legal battle to keep the marble figure at the plaza continues to play out in court.

The removal will be paused until the judge rules on another motion to prevent moving the statue while the case  in which attorneys say the city cut legal corners and rushed the process to dismantle the statue  is appealed. City spokesperson Lauren Cox said that the Law Department is reviewing Wednesdays order but that it is unlikely to change plans for moving the monument, which are still being finalized.

Attorney George Bochetto, who represents a group of South Philadelphia residents fighting to keep the statue where it stands, called the temporary stay not just a victory for the Columbus Statue, [but] a victory for civilized society.

By pausing the process to remove the statue, Bochetto said, Judge Paula Patrick made it crystal clear that she will not tolerate mob rule or kangaroo tactics.

The commission voted 8-0  with Commissioner Joe Laragione abstaining  in favor of relocation, with the caveat that the city report every six months on its progress in finding a new location that is accessible to the public.

Its a serious piece of art, it was a gift of the Italian government in the 1800s. It needs to be stored and protected so that something can be figured out, said Commission Chair Alan Greenberger. The worst thing in my view that can happen, as many of you said, is that it stays in storage and is forgotten.

The commissioners  noting the six hours of impassioned public comment they listened to last month  also recommended that the city engage in a broader discussion about the future of Marconi Plaza, and the physical space that the statue will leave behind. City officials will engage the community if plans move forward for a new project at the plaza, Cox said.

 READ MORE: Keeping Columbus statue at Marconi Plaza would be completely unsafe, Philly says in removal proposal

Some commissioners questioned whether removing the statue would set a precedent for taking down other pieces of public art in Philadelphia.

But Greenberger reminded the commission that the proposal was coming from city government, and not simply an Athenian democracy ... where individuals get to decide every issue.

The commissions deciding vote comes two weeks after the Philadelphia Historical Commission also endorsed a city proposal to remove the statue on the grounds of public safety. Commissioners said that if it were allowed to remain at Broad Street and Oregon Avenue, it would continue to be a flash point for protests, making the statue itself susceptible to damage.

 READ MORE: Philadelphia Historical Commission votes in favor of moving Christopher Columbus statue from Marconi Plaza

The city covered the statue in plywood in June, when, amid a national reckoning over racism and controversial monuments spurred by the death of George Floyd, it repeatedly attracted armed groups accused of assailing protesters and passersby. A police cruiser is stationed there to prevent further violence, officials said.

In July, city officials proposed a plan to remove the statue, arguing it threatened public safety and should be relocated in recognition of the fact that Columbus legacy includes the enslavement, forcible removal, and the devastation of the Indigenous people that he encountered, and that in this current moment in our countrys history, the statue can no longer be displayed on public property.

Those in favor of keeping the statue at Marconi say it celebrates Italian American culture in a city steeped in Italian heritage. Those against it say its a painful reminder of atrocities against Indigenous people directed by Columbus. The statue has been at the plaza since 1976.

 READ MORE: The Christopher Columbus statue: Why its an issue right now

For Jack Thomas Johnson, a South Philadelphia resident and an enrolled member of the Delaware nation of Western Oklahoma, the Art Commissions vote comes as a relief.

Johnson said he plays soccer in the park with his 7-year-old son, and hasnt fully told his son what the statue represents to their family and ancestors.

Columbus, he represents everything bad to me, Johnson, 52, said. The Lenni-Lenape presence is here, and that statue kind of diminishes that.

He said he would like to see the statue replaced by two figures, one Native American, and the other Italian American.

In a statement Wednesday, Cox said city officials were grateful to both the Art Commission and Historical Commission for approval in relocating the statue.

As Philadelphia  and the nation  continue to reckon with the deep legacy of racism and oppression in America, it is critical that our public spaces are seen as safe, welcoming and inclusive for all people, Cox said. Philadelphias public art must reflect the people and spirit of our city, not divide us.

Cox said the city does not yet have a budget for the statues removal.The Parks and Recreation Department will assess the possible removal of fencings surrounding the statue, and any landscaping or other changes to the site.

The vote comes as cities across the nation continue to grapple with monuments to Columbus and other controversial figures, including in Chicago, where in July officials temporarily removed three city Columbus statues following clashes between police and protesters. Columbus monuments have been vandalized in Boston and Baltimore and removed from public locations in Wilmington, Camden, Pennsauken, and other cities.

In June, Philadelphia officials removed a statue of former Mayor and Police Commissioner Frank L. Rizzo from the front of the Municipal Services Building, and later committed to a review of all public landmarks and street names.

The Delaware River Waterfront Corporation is also reconsidering the Columbus monument at Penns Landing. In June, crews boarded up the base of the obelisk as the public was asked for its input on the monuments future.
Why it matters: During a natural disaster, a few seconds can literally be the difference between life and death. Thats why Google has announced intentions to turn Android devices into mini seismometers that can be used to issue a warning to other devices in the region when shaking has been detected.

Modern smartphones include a wide array of sensors, one of which is an accelerometer to detect motion. Its this sensor that Google is relying on as the backbone of the Android Earthquake Alerts System. Heres how itll work.

When the accelerometer in an Android smartphone detects movement consistent with an earthquake, a signal will be sent to Googles earthquake detection server along with coarse location information. If many phones send in a signal simultaneously, the system could interpret this as valid earthquake activity and, once fully implemented, issue a warning to users in affected and surrounding areas.

The idea is to provide those further away from the epicenter time to protect themselves before the waves reach them.

Googles ultimate vision for its Android-based earthquake alert system is still quite a ways out.

Starting today, interested parties from around the world can opt-in to the Android Earthquake Alerts System and use their phones as mini seismometers to send data to Google. To start, well use this technology to share a fast, accurate view of the impacted area on Google Search, said Marc Stogaitis a principal software engineer with Android.

When you look up earthquake or earthquake near me, youll find relevant results for your area, along with helpful resources on what to do after an earthquake, Stogaitis added.

For now, residents in California will receive alerts through a partnership with the United States Geological Survey (USGS) and the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) that is powered by ShakeAlert, an existing early warning system that gets its signals from the more than 700 seismometers already installed across the state.

Also of note is that, according to The Verge, the Android detection mechanism will only work on devices that are plugged in and not in use, greatly limiting its effectiveness. Itll reportedly be rolled out via Google Mobile Services, meaning it wont work in regions like China that dont use Googles services.
Dan Wyllie and wife Shannon Murphy arrive at the 2nd Annual AACTA Awards at The Star in Sydney, Australia on Jan. 30, 2013. (Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images)

Australian Actor Dan Wyllie Pleads Not Guilty to Alleged Assault of Wife

Australian actor Dan Wyllie has pleaded not guilty to the alleged charge of assaulting his wife, actor and director Shannon Murphy when he appeared before Deputy Chief Magistrate Jane Mottley at Downing Centre Local Court on Aug. 12

Nine Network reporter Airlie Walsh broke the news of Wyllies plea on Twitter on Aug. 12.

Police arrested Wyllie on Aug. 8 after an investigation by officers from Eastern Suburbs Police Area Command into the alleged assault at a Woollahra home on March 21.

A spokesperson for the New South Wales Police told The Daily Telegraph on Aug. 10: [Wyllie] was charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm (DV), and common assault (DV) before being granted conditional bail to appear at Downing Centre Local Court on Wednesday.

Court listings show that a police officer also applied for an apprehended violence order to protect Murphy, whose director credits include two episodes of Killing Eve, episodes of Offspring, and SBSs On The Ropes miniseries.

The couple who have been married since 2014 have one child together.

Wyllies is a well-known face on Australian film and television screens appearing in popular Australian films like Muriels Wedding, Romper Stomper and in Australian television series SeaChange, Stans drama series Romper Stomper, and the Underbelly series about Australian organised crime figures.

He also voiced the character of B2 in the ABC Kids program Bananas in Pajamas.
Traders of India and Bangladesh have demanded a trial run of vessels on the Gomati river this month to operationalise the Indo-Bangla protocol route between Sonamura in Tripura's Sipahijala district and Daudkandi in the neighbouring country, officials said.

The 93-km long Sonamura-Daudkandi waterway was included in the list of Indo-Bangla protocol routes in May this year. A high-level team of officials of the Bangladesh Shipping Ministry surveyed the specified waterway on Gomati river on Tuesday, Sonamura sub-divisional magistrate Subrata Majumder said.

But they did not meet Indian officials during the tour, he said. "Of the 90-km stretch, around 89.5 km is in the neighbouring country. Export-import traders of the two countries proposed a trial run of barges through the protocol route," he said.

Indian traders have also discussed the prospects of the waterway with their Bangladeshi counterparts through a video conference.

All Tripura Merchant Association's general secretary Sujit Roy said they have interacted with the Bangladeshi businessmen on the issues of exporting and importing goods through the riverine route.

"Traders of the two countries believe that the transport cost will come down, if the protocol route is operationalised. We have proposed a trial run to expedite the operationalisation process," he said.

The Tripura government had launched a floating jetty on the Gomati river as part of the Indo-Bangla international inland waterways connectivity project on July 4 this year.
One80 Intermediaries, a Boston-headquartered wholesale broker, program manager, and insurance aggregator, announced it has acquired Strategic Underwriting Managers Inc. (SUM), a Canada-based managing general agent.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Offering property, casualty and other specialty insurance products, SUM works collaboratively with insurers and reinsurers to design, underwrite and deliver market leading insurance products to brokers throughout Canada. It has offices in Toronto, Montreal, and Lachine QC.

One80 has rapidly expanded throughout the United States and we look forward to establishing an international footprint with Strategic Underwriting Managers, said Matthew F. Power, president of One80 Intermediaries. SUM and One80 uphold a similar entrepreneurial culture and strategic long-term vision. With that we are confident that together, we will further support our brokers on both sides of the border.

With broad, in-house binding authority, SUM underwrites on behalf of the worlds highest quality insurance carriers. In addition to SUMs in-house authority, the organization maintains brokerage relationships with a broad group of insurance markets, providing products and services to their brokers and clients.

SUM is licensed in every province and territory in Canada and does not require broker contracts or volume commitments.

We have full authority on each of the programs we underwrite and are proud of the long relationships with each company with whom we trade. In joining One80 we look forward to developing additional capacity, and introducing new products and innovations into Canada, said Jeff Somerville, president at Strategic Underwriting Managers. Inc.

About One80 Intermediaries

One80 Intermediaries is a privately held, national firm with offices across the U.S. As an U.S. insurance wholesaler and program manager, the company offers placement services and binding authority for property & casualty, financial lines, personal lines, and medical stop loss risks. One80 serves commercial companies, non-profits, public entities, and individuals, and has access to all major insurance markets in the U.S. and U.K. Coverage spans all industry classes. One80 has offices in more than 20 locations nationwide including Boston, New York City, Chicago, Miami, Atlanta, Houston, Dallas, Nashville, San Diego, and Seattle.

Source: One80 Intermediaries

Topics Mergers Agencies USA Underwriting Insurance Wholesale Canada
YEREVAN -- The Armenian government has proposed the extension of the state of emergency related to the coronavirus pandemic by another month, citing the need to maintain the current positive trend in its fight against the outbreak.

At a special government meeting on August 12, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian said that he hoped that the fifth extension of the state of emergency will be the last, urging citizens to continue to follow anti-pandemic measures set by the authorities.

At the same time, the Armenian authorities have removed certain prohibitions and restrictions introduced in March, including a ban on political assembly.

The monthly extensions of the state of emergency have increasingly been criticized by Armenian opposition groups in recent months. Some of them claimed that Pashinian was exploiting the coronavirus crisis to ward off anti-government street protests.



Pashinian stressed that all bans and restrictions, including on political assembly, were based on the epidemiological situation and that their removal is also conditional on that.

If, God forbid, as a result of removing these restrictions we will see numbers climbing again, we will be forced to reintroduce them, the prime minister warned.

Going through hell today and having had 806 deaths caused by the novel coronavirus and 234 deaths among coronavirus patients due to their other preexisting conditions, we have a chance to get to a totally new situation in the fall, in fact overcoming [the pandemic] regardless of what will be happening in the [rest of the] world, Pashinian said.

Pashinian reiterated that wearing face masks in all public spaces, which has been mandatory in Armenia since June, will continue to be the cornerstone of his governments strategy.

If we show exceptional discipline in wearing face masks, we can consider that we -- I mean all of us, all our citizens -- have practically solved the coronavirus problem. If not, we will get back to the July situation, Pashinian said, referring to the apparent peak of the pandemic in the first part of last month when more than 700 new coronavirus cases and about 15 deaths were reported in Armenia on a daily basis.

Since the start of the pandemic in March, over 40,000 coronavirus cases have been recorded in the South Caucasus country, which has a population of about 3 million. According to Armenias Ministry of Health, more than 33,000 people with the coronavirus have recovered from COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus.

Meanwhile, Justice Minister Rustam Badasian announced that Armenia will allow foreigners to come into the country by air but will require that they either self-isolate for 14 days or produce a negative coronavirus test before being allowed to move freely.

The decision to extend the state of emergency until September 11 is scheduled to be discussed later on August 12 in parliament, where Pashinians My Step alliance has a commanding majority.
A Berks County man already charged with sexually abusing two children at the daycare he worked at is now charged in a third case, according to the Berks County District Attorneys Office.

Police began investigating Andrew McCollin in August 2019, after receiving allegations of child abuse involving an employee at Creative Beginnings Early Learning Center in Bern Township, according to the Berks County District Attorneys Office.

McCollin, 34, became the suspect in two cases involving children who were both enrolled in the daycare, the DAs office said. He was charged in both cases, which are currently pending in the Berks County trial court.

On July 7, 2020, a third child was interviewed, the DAs office said. The child told investigators that they were abused by their teacher McCollin, according to the DAs office.

Investigators learned that the assault took place between May 2018 and August 2019, while the child was enrolled at Creative Beginnings Early Learning Center, according to the DAs office.

On Monday, the Berks County Detectives Office charged McCollin and he surrendered to investigators Tuesday morning. McCollin was arraigned and placed in Berks County Jail on $75,000.

Investigators are still looking into the possibility of other victims. Anyone with information on McCollin is asked to contact Berks County District Attorney detectives at 610-478-7171.

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Linkedin Moch. Fiqih Prawira Adjie (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, August 12, 2020 12:13 525 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066d60f88 1 National KPK,State-Palace,presidential-staff,Jokowi Free

The State Palace has given an assurance that the change in the status of Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) employees to civil servants will not affect the antigraft bodys independence despite concerns from critics.

President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's administration recently issued Government Regulation No. 41/2020 on the status changes, a regulation mandated by the controversial revision to the KPK Law, which stipulates that all previously independent employees of the agency would become civil servants, giving a two-year transition period to implement the change.

Presidential expert staff member Dini Shanti Purwono said the regulation would not reduce the KPKs independence, citing Article 3 of the revised law, which stipulates that the KPK would remain independent and free from any external powers.

The government has no intention to weaken the KPK in this case. On the contrary, this is a part of [our efforts] to strengthen Indonesias corruption eradication institution, Dina said in a statement published Monday.

She also said the status change would not reduce employees salaries. The regulation itself stipulates that all KPK employees will be paid like other civil servants, meaning they will receive benefits in addition to their primary salary.

Critics, however, expressed fear the change would undermine the KPK's ability to fight graft, with former KPK commissioner Laode M. Syarif saying that an independent anticorruption body also required its staff to be independent in order to fulfill their mandates.

Read also: KPK Law revision violates democratic values: Ex-justice

Laode, who served as commissioner from 2015 to 2019, also criticized the new wage system as the commission has long stressed the importance of a single salary system to ensure accountability.

With this regulation, [employees] can appear to have small salaries but receive benefits, meeting fees and other [additions] that are large and difficult to account for, Laode said during Mondays discussion with the Jentera School of Law.

Meanwhile, Antigraft watchdog Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) researcher Kurnia Ramadhana argued the change in employee status would reduce the independence of graft busters as KPK investigators would become civil investigators (PPNS), which fall under the supervision of the National Police.

He added that the change could also disrupt corruption investigations as, due to their civil servant status, the government could easily transfer KPK employees to other state institutions.

In response to the criticisms, KPK commissioner Nurul Ghufron assured that his staff would remain independent despite the changes in wage system and status.

The independence of our employees as law enforcers is born from the spirit and understanding that the KPK is a law enforcement agency and independence is the main thing in enforcing the law, Nurul said as quoted by kompas.com on Tuesday.

In late June, KPK chairman Firli Bahuri made a request to the House of Representatives for Rp 928.8 billion (US$65.1 million) in additional funds for the KPK's 2021 budget to, among other programs, support the employees transition to civil servants.
Donald Trump and his campaign threw a meager first punch in response to the announcement that Sen. Kamala Harris would join Joe Biden on the Democratic ticket. Take this incoherent political ad (below) that seems content to state Kamala Harris is a Democrat, which by definition in Trumpese makes her part of the radical left. She ran for president! She wants to expand health coverage! Taxes! Boo! Heres a guilt-by-association picture of someone else in the party you probably dont like! Yet, despite the laundry list of Trump accusations and generic GOP laments, the intendedexplicit, in facttakeaway of the Slow Joe and Phony Kamala ad is somehow that Harris is a phony, which implies she doesnt really hold all of those Democratic views? That line of argument seems more targeted at peeling away disenchanted liberal voters than teetering Trump ones. It may seem contradictory and incoherent, but so is the president, and, lets not forget, Trump has a bizarre psycho-political history of accusing his political opponents of what he suffers from himself.

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It is, of course, Trump who accused Hillary Clinton of being crooked. It was the Big Macfueled, clinically obese candidate who refused to release his health records and hinted his opponent was harboring some secret illness. It was the candidate who received campaign assistance from Russia who charged it was, in fact, Hillary Clinton who was in bed with the Russians! Instead of the usual political tactic of making the campaign about the other persons weaknesses, Trumps repeated reliance on the I know you are but what am I method of political public relations usually amounts to a Freudian slip of what he really thinks are his own weaknesses.

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It makes sense then that weve arrived at the Slow Joe and Phony Kamala portion of the campaign. The slow jibe is nothing new. Thats why the person, woman, man, camera, TV president predictably wants to make this a race about mental fitness. Its also the president so bereft of personal authenticity that even his skin is a phony shade of orange who wants to make this a question of someone else being inauthentic, a phony. This from the authentic person who positively gushed about Hillary Clinton the politician in a 2008 interview, who donated money to further her political career, and who invited her to his wedding to Melania. Trump, of course, also donated money to Kamala Harris campaigns for state attorney general in California, and his daughter Ivanka gave to her 2014 Senate campaign. See? Totally not a phony. Just a guy doing and saying anything to get ahead in America.
A mother-of-two who dismissed her headaches and fatigue as symptoms of pregnancy has revealed how she was diagnosed with a brain tumour just three weeks after giving birth.

Dominique Nicholson, 31, from Leicestershire, had suffered exhaustion and headaches when expecting her first daughter Freya, now five, and so she wasn't overly concerned about experiencing the effects during her second pregnancy.

However, less than a month after the birth of her second daughter Erin, the mother was left 'in agony' with her head and rushed to her local hospital, where doctors diagnosed her with grade 2 non-cancerous meningioma in July last year.

Dominique underwent seven hours of brain surgery and medics removed 99 per cent of the 4cm tumour except for a tiny piece attached to a blood vessel.

Now, 13 months after surgery, Dominique is recovering well - but still worries that her brain tumour will grow back and 'panics when she gets a headache'.

Dominique Nicholson (pictured left and right after the operation to remove the tumour), 31, from Leicestershire, dismissed her headaches and fatigue as symptoms of pregnancy before being diagnosed with a brain tumour just three weeks after giving birth

Dominique, seen with her two children, had suffered exhaustion and headaches when expecting her first daughter Freya, now five, and so she wasn't overly concerned about experiencing the effects during her second pregnancy

Yet Dominique has vowed to cherish every moment with her family as she 'knows more than ever how precious life is'.

Counting herself as 'one of the lucky ones,' Dominique is now sharing her story to help The Brain Tumour Charity encourage awareness and support its Great Minds T-shirt campaign to raise funds.

'Looking back, it seems so surreal, almost like a dream,' Dominique told FEMAIL. 'One minute we'd welcomed Erin into the world and were enjoying being a family of four. The next, I was told I had a brain tumour. I just couldn't take it.

'How could this thing have been growing in my head? We were meant to be enjoying those precious first weeks with Erin and Freya was so excited about being a big sister. Instead, I'd been diagnosed with a brain tumour.'

WHAT IS A MENINGIOMA? A meningioma is a tumor of the meninges, which is the tissue that surrounds the brain and spinal cord. Around 32,000 people are diagnosed every year. Such tumors do not spread and are benign in 90 percent of cases. However, they can cause disability, be life-threatening and regrow. Symptoms typically include: Blurry vision

Painful headaches

Loss of hearing

Memory loss

Loss of smell A sufferer's senses, movement and ability to swallow may be affected. The cause of meningiomas are unknown, but they has been linked to genetics and breast cancer. Treatment options include surgery and radiotherapy or chemotherapy. Source: Mayo Clinic and The Brain Tumour Charity Advertisement

Dominique was overwhelmed by dark thoughts, and says she was left wondering: 'What if I didn't live to see Erin and Freya grow up? What if I was a different person after I'd had surgery?'

Surgeons removed 99 per cent of the tumour and biopsy tests revealed it was a grade 2 (non-cancerous) meningioma, a slow-growing tumour doctors think Dominique had for years and that pregnancy hormones probably accelerated.

Now, 13 months after surgery, Dominique is recovering well, but recalling her ordeal, she said it started after she had Erin on June 9 last year.

'I was exhausted but I thought it was because I had a newborn, breastfeeding and had Freya, too.' she said. 'When I look back at photos of Erin's first few weeks, I am always lying down on the couch with her  after Freya, I was up and about in days.

'I had a constant headache that I couldn't shift and it got progressively worse. If I bent over to lift Erin up or looked down, the pain intensified and I felt pressure behind my right eye, and had to lie down.'

Dominique had suffered a few headaches while she was expecting but dismissed them as pregnancy symptoms.

'They got worse as my due date came closer but nothing severe,' she said. I'd had a few headaches while I was pregnant with Freya, and know it's common during pregnancy. I was tested for pre-eclampsia.'

But when the headaches felt 'different' Dominique went to see her GP before she was put on a waiting list for a scan.

However she couldn't wait that long and was rushed to her local A&E by her husband after being left in 'agony' from the headaches.

'On July 5 last year, my head was throbbing and I was in agony,' Dominique said. 'I was supposed to pick Freya up from pre-school but I knew I needed to get to hospital.

However, less than a month after the birth of her second daughter Erin, the mother (pictured with her family) was left 'in agony' with her head and rushed to her local hospital, where doctors diagnosed her with grade 2 (non-cancerous) meningioma in July last year

Dominique, pictured with Erin, underwent seven hours of brain surgery and medics removed 99 per cent of the 4cm tumour except for a tiny piece attached to a blood vessel

'I texted my sister-in-law and she met me to get Freya, and Dave drove me to A&E. We had Erin with us and I breastfed her while we waited as the pain in my head got worse and worse.'

She continued: 'At 11pm, we were in a side room when a doctor came in with my scan picture. I just stared at a big white lump in my head in disbelief. I couldn't register the doctor's words when we were told it was a brain tumour. You just don't expect to be told that.'

'At first me and my husband just sat there in silence, too stunned to say anything to each other,' she said. 'Then we broke down, crying and hugging.'

Dominique was admitted to hospital that night.

'I didn't have anything with me as I thought I'd have my scan and go home,' she said. 'Dave took Erin home and it was such a wrench to be apart from my newborn, especially as I was breastfeeding.

Now, 13 months after surgery, Dominique (above with her family) is recovering well - but still worries that her brain tumour will grow back and 'panics when she gets a headache'

'And was only the second time we'd ever spent a night apart from Freya. We told her that Mummy had a poorly head.'

Dominique's parents came from Blackpool to help support the devastated couple and two days later, she was transferred to the Queen's Medical Centre in Nottingham where she underwent nearly seven hours of surgery.

Poignantly, Dominique wrote letters for Dave and the girls in case she didn't make it through the operation.

'I told Dave how much I love him and what I'd like him to do for the girls if I wasn't there,' she said. 'I said he must have a christening for Erin when she was 12 weeks old like we'd done for Freya.

'And I asked him to put my photos up around the house. I wrote to the girls that I was sorry Mummy wasn't here but that I'd always love them and Daddy would look after them.

Yet Dominique, pictured with her husband and children, has vowed to cherish every moment with her family as she 'knows more than ever how precious life is'

'Every ounce of me wanted to be there for the girls  losing their mum just couldn't be an option.'

After surgery, Dominique came round in the recovery room. 'I was rambling away to the doctors and nurses and God knows what I was saying,' she said. 'It's a blur but I remember being overwhelmed with relief I'd made it through my operation.

'I was in tears as I scrolled through a long text Dave had sent me while I was in theatre saying how much he loved me.'

Counting herself as 'one of the lucky ones,' Dominique, seen with her children before her operation, is now sharing her story to help The Brain Tumour Charity

Recalling her thoughts after the surgery, the parent said: 'I was shocked when I saw the scar running from the middle of my forehead to my ear. I didn't want to frighten Freya so I wore a headscarf when she came to visit me.

'When Dave brought the girls in, I just held them close and thanked God they still had their mummy.'

Two days after surgery, Dominique was back at home but she still had a long recovery and often felt 'wiped out' and couldn't drive for a year.

'But I was determined to be up and about as soon as possible,' the mother-of-two said. She was fuelled by it being Freya's last summer before starting school.

'I wanted to make the most of it and I set myself little tasks each day,' she said. 'First I did things in the house like sorting out photos. As I got stronger, we went to the park and bought the girls ice-cream.

'Those everyday moments became even more precious. I've always loved making memories and now it's more important to me than ever  you never know when everything may be snatched away from you

'I wanted us to make as many memories with Erin as we had with Freya when she was a newborn.'

Recalling her thoughts after the surgery, the parent, pictured with her family, left, said: 'I was shocked when I saw the scar (pictured right) running from the middle of my forehead to my ear. I didn't want to frighten Freya so I wore a headscarf when she came to visit me.

Dominique now has scans once a year and is planning to return to work part-time in September as a conveyancer.

'Sometimes I worry my brain tumour may grow back and panic when I get a headache,' she admitted. 'In April I started getting a few headaches but had a stable scan.'

But she feels blessed she is 'one of the lucky ones,' adding: 'Now I want to make the most of every second with Dave and our girls  I'm just so grateful to be here.'

Dominique's experience has 'totally changed' her perspective and she now encourages others to not put off doing things they've always wanted to do, saying: 'Do them now and live life to the full.'

Her experience has also had an impact on her mental health.

Dominique's family pictured on Erin's first birthday. Dominique now has scans once a year and is planning to return to work part-time in September as a conveyancer

'I feel very lucky that my brain tumour was diagnosed and removed within a week,' she said. 'But it's been a lot to process that I was the mother of a new baby when I went through all this in such a short space of time. I've had counselling, which has helped.

She continued: 'I want to give something back and chose to raise money for The Brain Tumour Charity because it not only funds research but also offers support to people living with a brain tumour  as 91 per cent of people diagnosed say it has affected their mental health.'

Every day in March, Dominique decided to walk, run or jog around her local reservoir, inviting friends and family to join her.

'I was overwhelmed by people's support,' she said. 'Some days I had a big group with me and, on other days. one person.

'Then, during lockdown, I continued with Dave and the girls and we raised over 1,500 on our fundraising page.'

Sarah Lindsell, The Brain Tumour Charity's chief executive, said: 'We are very grateful to Dominique for sharing her touching story to help us raise awareness about brain tumours  the biggest cancer killer of children and under-40s in the UK.

'We're so sorry she suffered the ordeal of a brain tumour diagnosis at a time when she should have been enjoying those precious first days of having a new baby in the family.

'But this brutal disease is indiscriminate and can affect anyone at any time. That's why we're hugely grateful to Dominque and all our wonderful fundraisers.

'Covid-19 has put so much on pause. We can't press pause on our mission to defeat brain tumours, which is why we are funding 4.8million for vital research over the next five years.'

Get support: https://www.thebraintumourcharity.org/living-with-a-brain-tumour/get-support/
Students who fail at university will have their government tuition loans cut off from next year under proposed new laws.

The government wants to prevent students racking up huge debts at taxpayer expense for courses they will never pass.

A student must fail half of at least eight units in a Bachelor course before their HECS-HELP or FEE-HELP loans are withdrawn.

The government wants to prevent students racking up huge debts at taxpayer expense for courses they will never pass

If they fail due to personal issues such as illness then their loans will continue and debts can even be forgiven in 'special circumstances'.

Education Minister Dan Tehan said: 'These measures will ensure students can't take on a study load they won't complete, leaving them without a qualification but a large debt.'

Nearly six per cent of students fail every subject in their first year of university.

The plan will be brought before parliament alongside the government's radical fee changes announced in June.

The new fees aim to encourage students to take up subjects more likely to lead to in-demand jobs.

The cost of teaching, nursing, maths and language degrees will almost halve to $3,700 a year.

The price of a humanities degree will more than double from $6,804 to $14,500.

A student must fail half of at least eight units in a Bachelor course before their HECS-HELP or FEE-HELP loans are cancelled. Pictured: University of Sydney

Overall, the package is budget-neutral, meaning there is no new money allocated to the sector.

'Our reforms will make it cheaper for students to study qualifications and get good jobs in areas like teaching, health, IT, science, engineering, and agriculture', Mr Tehan said.

The government will start increasing taxpayer funding again in line with CPI after a three-year freeze.

It will also allocate $400 million for new programs to help students from rural and remote areas and a $900 million fund for universities to improve ties with industry.
Teens and young adults who use tobacco products appear more likely to contract the novel coronavirus, according to a new paper, a finding that adds to conflicting data on the links between smoking, vaping and Covid-19.

More than 6% of young people age 13 to 24 who reported both smoking and vaping in the past month said they had tested positive for Covid-19, compared with less than 1% of those who had never used, according to the study in the Journal of Adolescent Health. The paper was based on the results of an online survey of 4,351 people posted on gaming sites, social media and other websites.

Bottom line, if you use e-cigarettes and cigarettes, you are so much more likely to be diagnosed with Covid, said Bonnie Halpern-Felsher, the senior author of the paper and a professor of pediatric medicine at Stanford University focused on teen e-cigarette use.

The susceptibility of teens and young people to Covid-19 is a question of increasing urgency as schools in the U.S. begin to re-open. Infections among U.S. kids have climbed, jumping 40% in late July, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Childrens Hospital Association. Children have accounted for 8.8% of all U.S. virus cases to date.

Concerns about the health risks of vaping have also increased. Health officials in the U.S. have described teen e-cigarette use as an epidemic and taken steps to rein in flavored products that were popular with younger people. A lung ailment later linked to contaminated THC vaping products sickened thousands of Americans last year. Makers of e-cigarettes must submit their products to the Food and Drug Administration for authorization by Sept 9.

Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, a Democrat from Illinois and chairman of a House oversight subcommittee, urged the FDA to remove e-cigarettes from the market for the duration of the pandemic, citing the studys results.

Inconsistent Findings

Researchers around the world have sought to determine whether tobacco use influences a persons risk of getting Covid-19 and how sick they will become. Observational studies found smokers accounted for only a fraction of hospitalizations, though it appears they are more likely to experience severe disease or death, according to the World Health Organization.

Not all of the Stanford studys findings were consistent, said Ray Niaura, a professor at New York University specializing in tobacco dependence. For example, respondents who said they used tobacco products in the past month were less likely to test positive for the coronavirus than those who said they had tried smoking or vaping at least once in the past.

Young people who used both e-cigarettes and cigarettes were at the greatest risk of testing positive, followed by those who vaped exclusively.

Surveys arent ideal research tools because they rely on people responding accurately and there is no way to verify answers. Results may also be skewed if the sample isnt completely random.

The Stanford study wasnt designed to show how tobacco products increase the risk of getting infected, and there isnt enough evidence to say the products themselves, rather than some other factor associated with smoking or vaping, are responsible.

Halpern-Felsher said tobacco users may have weaker immune systems, or that bringing an object up to ones mouth and sharing it with friends could allow germs to spread more freely. Gathering with friends or being more willing to take health risks could play a role, she said.

Do I think there are strong associated risks? Absolutely, Halpern-Felsher said.

Lack of Data

Other efforts to home in on the risks have struggled. Melodi Pirzada, chief of pediatric pulmonology at NYU Winthrop Hospital, scrapped plans to conduct a study using electronic medical records from her hospital on Long Island because there wasnt enough data.

While clinicians were asked whether a patient used e-cigarettes, the field was left blank in more than 60% of the records she reviewed. Pirzada said fewer of her teen patients may be vaping because schools are closed for now and parties are on hold.

(This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text.)

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When I started visiting the North Fork of Long Island, New York, a decade ago, it was somewhat undiscovered.

Its hard to believe, considering this laid-back peninsula shares the East Endthe name of this slice of Suffolk Countywith the Hamptons, probably one of the worlds most luxurious, see-and-be-seen destinations.

Located about 80 miles from Manhattan and guarded by the Long Island Sound and Peconic Bay, the North Fork is the antithesis of its coastal cousin. Theres little hype here, and pretty villages, acres of vines, quiet beaches, and welcoming locals are the only scenes youll find.

Bedell Cellars in Cutchogue. (Courtesy of Discover Long Island)

A String of Hamlets

A cruise on the Long Island Expressway leads to a string of quaint towns along the North Fork, all minutes from the beaches and waters of the bay or sound. New York State Route 25 and County Route 48 are the two main thoroughfares running through the area, which stretches 30 miles from one end to the other.

North Fork sunset. (Tracy Kaler)

Riverhead is the most commercial town and the gateway to the rest of the peninsula, paving the way for hamlets such as Jamesport, Mattituck, Cutchogue, and Southold, each with a town center set alongside a residential neighborhood. But every village bursts with character, and theres also a medley of farm stands, vineyards, and wineries surrounding each town center. Whats more, miles of farmland add to the North Forks allure since this pocket of Long Island has yet to fall victim to overdevelopment.

Fingers crossed it stays that way.

Briermere Farms. (Courtesy of Discover Long Island)

Getaway to Greenport and Orient Point

About 22 miles from Riverhead is Greenport, a historic village dating as far back as the 1600s, known for its fishing, whaling, oystering, and ship-building past. Colorful clapboard and shingled saltbox housesmany restored to their grandeurpepper pretty blocks as the Peconic River flows nearby. Meanwhile, a variety of boutiques and eateries line Greenports main street, the largest selection of mom-and-pop storefronts in the area.

Eight miles east of Greenport, at the tip of the peninsula lies Orient Point, the easternmost hamlet, and perhaps the most tranquil on the North Fork. Feast your eyes on the Orient Lighthousealso referred to as The Coffee Potrevel in nature in Orient Beach State Park, or catch the Cross Sound Ferry for a relaxing ride to and from New London, Connecticut.

The historic village of Greenport. (Jeremy Garretson)

A Foodie Haven

Since farming remains at the heart of the North Fork, fresh food is abundant, from fruit and vegetables to fish and locally crafted products. In Greenport alone, choose from several dozen eating and drinking establishments. Spots to try include Little Creek Oyster Farm & Market for freshly shucked oysters, as well as crab rolls and chili dogs, and the Olive Branch Restaurant & Bar, a Mediterranean restaurant specializing in Turkish food and wine.

In Mattituck, Love Lane is a tiny stretch, the villages center, and a culinary haven. The Village Cheese Shop & Cafe features an enticing case filled with French raclette, truffle gouda, aged manchego, and an assortment of international cheeses. The store also stocks charcuterie, coffee, sweets, as well as nuts, crackers, olives, and spreads.

Pouring a glass at Jamesport Vineyards. (Bridget Elkin Photography)

For a casual meal, Love Lane Kitchen whips up comforting classics like Baja fish tacos, lobster rolls, and house-made black bean burgers. Pair your entree with a French 75, summer ale from Greenport Harbor Brewing, or glass of North Fork Chardonnay from Bridge Lane Wines. Next door, Lombardis Love Lane Market sells ready-made restaurant-quality antipasti, pizza, and other Italian specialties, and always an excellent selection of steaks and chops prime for grilling.

Old-fashioned diners do still exist, and one not to miss is The Cutchogue Diner. The landmark plates breakfast and lunch daily, serving three-egg omelets, juicy burgers, and honey-dipped fried chicken. For a fine dining experience, look no further than Southolds North Fork Table & Inn. A mainstay on the East End, the restaurant was purchased by notable New York City chef John Fraser in January 2020. Expect beautifully styled plates of Peconic fluke crudo, Montauk tuna, baked Long Island duck, and other locally-sourced ingredients.

Lombardis Love Lane. (Courtesy of Discover Long Island)

Just outside Northville, buttery crusts and an outpouring of fruit draw crowds at Briermere Farms, an orchard and bakery. Made with blueberries, apples, peaches, and raspberries grown in the orchard, these not-too-sweet delicacies are simply some of the best pies youll ever eat. The farm also bakes blueberry muffins, cookies, bread, and cakes. Produce, some grown locally, and fresh flowers are also available for sale.

The Village Cheese Shop & Cafe in Mattituck. (Courtesy of Discover Long Island)

A Growing Wine Region

Pioneers planted vines in the 1970s, and decades later, the North Fork has blossomed into one of the top wine regions in the United States. Known for Bordeaux-style wines due to its maritime climate, the North Fork offers dozens of vineyards, wineries, and tasting rooms.

On route 25 in Aquebogue, Paumanok Vineyards 127-acre estate is best enjoyed from the deck overlooking the vines. All grapes here are estate-grown, ranging from Chardonnay to Chenin Blanc to Merlot. Owned by the Massoud family, the winery produces some of the North Forks most elegant bottles of red, including Assemblagea luscious blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot.

Picking out tomatoes at Bayview Market and Farms. (Courtesy of Discover Long Island)

Minutes away, Paumanoks sister winery is set in a rustic tasting room with a friendly staff pouring tastes of Albarino, Sauvignon Blanc, and a variety of earthy reds. Established by Robert Palmer in 1983, Palmer Vineyards was purchased by the Massoud family in 2018, and now has winemaker Kareem Massoud Martin at the helm. Both Paumanok and Palmer are certified sustainable wineries.

Jamesport Vineyards produces outstanding wines alongside wood-fired pizzas from the on-site NOFO Pizza Co. The sprawling property is especially loved for its backyard, where friends and families gather to eat, drink, and socialize. Also a sustainable winery, Jamesport crafts bottles of red, white, and rose for every palate and budget.

Tomatoes at the organic Sang Lee Farms. (Courtesy of Discover Long Island)

In Peconic, Ospreys Dominion Vineyards is one of the North Forks most significant producersgrowing 13 varietalsand has a spacious tasting room to boot. The winery provides customized tastings and bottle sales, ideal for drinking on the great lawn while listening to live music on weekends. The reds at Ospreys are exceptional. I recommend the Meritage and Cab Franc.

One of the areas most celebrated wineries, Bedell Cellars in Cutchogue began its journey into the world of wine in 1980. Growing grapes on some of the countrys oldest vines, Bedell focuses on the regions bountiful terroir, blending its wines in small batches. The companys distinct winemaking style is evident from the first taste, as it focuses on every step from the vine to the bottle.

Reaching for a sunflower at Seps Farms. (Courtesy of Discover Long Island)

With award-winning wines, farm-to-table food, and undeniable charm, the North Fork is an ideal escape from New York City. However, if theres one reason to take that drive 80 miles east of the city, its the sunsets. With a glass of wine in hand, I soaked up the kaleidoscope of colors descending over the Long Island Sound as lifes stresses magically melted away.

Tracy Kaler is a travel writer based in New York. Shes written for The Telegraph, Barrons Penta, amNewYork, and other publications. When shes not glued to her laptop, shes wandering the city she loves or off discovering another part of the planet.
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South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region has taken legislative measures to protect the Jing ethnic culture, according to local authorities.

The regional legislature has adopted a regulation to protect both tangible and intangible cultural heritages of Jing ethnic people, including the single-stringed musical instrument Duxianqin and traditional Ha (singing) festival.

According to the regulation, the ethnic group's language, literature, folk customs, music, dance and handicraft will be included in the curriculums of primary and secondary schools with a considerable number of students of Jing ethnic group. Colleges are encouraged to set up relevant courses to cultivate more talents to pass on the ethnic culture.

The regulation will take effect on Nov. 1.

As one of China's smallest minority groups, the Jing currently has a population of around 20,000 and mainly inhabits Fangchenggang City, Guangxi.
Two retired Army officers have written an open letter to Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, basically urging him to mount a military coup if President Donald Trump loses the upcoming election but tries to remain in power on Jan. 20.

If Donald Trump refuses to leave office at the expiration of his constitutional term, they write for Defense One, a widely read national security site, the United States military must remove him by force, and you must give that order.

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The authors, John Nagl and Paul Yingling, both served as lieutenant colonels during the Iraq war and gained a certain fame, or infamy, as outspoken critics of the Armys more hidebound traditions, notably its failure to promote the most creative officersa tendency that their essays on the subject helped change. Like many defense reporters, I have known them both for a long time; Nagl was a major character in, and a source for, one of my books, The Insurgents: David Petraeus and the Plot to Change the American Way of War.

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However, their letter to Milley puts forth a terrible ideaand, more than that, an unnecessary one. It reflects a dangerous romanticization of the Great General on Horseback as democracys saviorand a surprising misunderstanding of the proper relationship between civilian and military authority (surprising because both Nagl and Yingling are scholars of the subject).

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The fear that Trump will refuse to leave office, even if he loses the election, has been circulating for over a year now. I addressed the fear in a June 1 Slate column, arguing that Trump may want to lock himself in the Oval Office, but he wouldnt get away with it. At 12 p.m. on Jan. 20, 2021, wherever Trump may choose to plant himself, all but a small retinue of security guards will abandon him, the nuclear launch codes will change, his Cabinet secretaries and ambassadors will lose all authority, and the entire U.S. military establishment will pivot away from ex-President Donald Trump to salute President Joe Biden. The principle of civilian control is hammered into American officers from the time theyre cadets, I wrote, and the 20th Amendment of the Constitution states, The terms of the President and Vice President end at noon on the 20th day of Januaryno ifs, ands, or buts.

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The Secret Service will escort Mr. Trump out of the office. If a mob of Trumps favorite sheriffs and militias block the doors and circle the White Houseif, in short, a few tanks need to roll down Pennsylvania Avenue to restore order, then it will be Biden, the duly elected and sworn-in commander in chief, who gives the order.

That is what Nagl and Yingling get wrong. As the senior military officer of the United States, they write, Milley would face two optionsto give unambiguous orders directing U.S. military forces to support the Constitutional transfer of power or to remain silent and thus be complicit in a coup detat.

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First, even if this were the militarys role, it would not be Milleys. Under the Department of Defense Reorganization Act of 1986, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff serves as the principal military adviser to the president. He (or perhaps, someday, she) has no power to command, or issue orders, to any members of the armed forces. That is the duty solely of the chiefs of staff of the military services (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines) and their combatant commanders. In other words, Nagl and Yingling sent their letter to the wrong address.

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Second, this is not the militarys role. No military officer is empowered or obligated to do what Nagl and Yingling are telling Milley to do. In any military operation, the duty of all servicemen and women in an armed conflict or crisis is to obey lawful orders. If Trump ordered them to defend his extended tenure in office, that would be an unlawful order. If Biden ordered them to clear the White House grounds and escort Trump and his co-conspirators out of the building (in the extremely unlikely event that the Secret Service, U.S. Marshals, and other police forces were unable to do so), then that would be a lawful order.

The point is it is not Milley but rather Biden, the top civilian authority, who would issue such an order. If Nagl and Yingling are right in characterizing Trumps refusal to step down as Americas greatest Constitutional crisis since the Civil War, the crisis would be exacerbatedthe nature and strength of American democracy would be called into questionif it could be settled only by military intervention.

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Make no mistake: Trump will try to steal this election if he can, through suppressing the vote, confiscating mail-in ballots, and praying for Vladimir Putin to interfere again (this time a bit more forcefully, pozhaluysta). But this is not the scenario that Nagl and Yingling (and other worriers) lay out. They envision Trump refusing to leave office after the electors cast their ballots and Biden is sworn into office. This would be unprecedented, of course. But the system is set up to deal with this scenario, without a four-star general taking control. And if the system proves incapable, if Milley has to take Nagl and Yinglings letter to heart, then the country is headed for a crash, one way or the other.

For more of Slates news coverage, subscribe to What Next on Apple Podcasts or listen below.
CHICAGO, Aug. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- According to the new market research report "Mobility as a Service Market by Service (Ride Hailing, Car Sharing, Micro Mobility, Bus Sharing, Train), Solution, Application, Transportation, Vehicle Type, Operating System, Business Model and Region - Global Forecast to 2030", published by MarketsandMarkets, the global Mobility as a Service Market size is projected to reach USD 70.4 billion by 2030, from an estimated USD 4.7 billion in 2020, at a CAGR of 31.1%.

Browse in-depth TOC on "Mobility as a Service Market"

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The growth of the global Mobility as a Service Market is influenced by factors such as increasing urbanization and smart city initiatives, growing overall on demand mobility services, need to reduce CO2 emissions, and improved 4G/5G infrastructure and penetration of smartphones. Therefore, the Mobility as a Service Market is expected to witness significant growth in the future.

Four-wheelers segment to hold the largest market share during the forecast period.

Four-wheelers is projected to be the largest MaaS segment, by vehicle type, due to higher popularity of ride hailing and car-sharing services across the globe. Apart from conventional ride sharing transport modes, MaaS also offers the use of autonomous and electric cars. With rapid developments in electric and autonomous cars, along with increasing acceptance from consumers, the four-wheelers segment is likely to continue to witness strong growth over the forecast period. According to the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA), the market share of battery electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids is expected to be around 5-10% of all passenger cars across the European Union by 2030. Luxury cars are also accessible using MaaS, which would otherwise not be possible.

Insurance services is expected to be the fastest growing segment from 2020 to 2030.

Insurance companies play a vital role in a transit user's life and mobility. The move towards MaaS is gaining momentum; however, it is early to predict with certainty how it will affect the dynamics of auto insurance. The present form of insurance is likely to be replaced by commercial insurance of fleets of MaaS vehicles. Selling insurance products to end users could allow MaaS providers to maintain their position in the market, especially in developing economies. The insurance services market will see a successive increase with the growth of MaaS as more vehicles will be integrated. Hence, by solution type, insurance services segment is expected to be the fastest-growing segment at a CAGR of 36.3% during the forecast period.

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Europe is estimated to lead the global Mobility as a Service Market in 2020.

Currently, Europe contributes a share of 35.5% to the overall market. It is the largest market since it has been an early adopter of MaaS. Countries such as the UK, Germany, France, and the Netherlands have been continuously investing in smart transportation infrastructure. Developed economies such as Finland and Germany are early adopters of MaaS, making Europe the largest market. Also, countries such as the UK, France, and the Netherlands have been investing in smart transportation infrastructure, thereby ensuring a strong position in the European market. Planned investments to improve urban transport and traffic infrastructure are expected to drive the European MaaS market. The region is expected to hold a dominant share in the MaaS market for the next 3-4 years as well as post 2025.

The global Mobility as a Service Market is dominated by major players such as Moovit Inc. (Israel), MaaS Global Oy (Finland), Citymapper (UK), Mobilleo (UK), SkedGo Pty Ltd (Australia), UbiGo (Sweden), Splyt (UK), Qixxit (Germany), Communauto (Canada), and Tranzer (Netherlands).

Browse Related Reports:

Intelligent Transportation System Market with COVID-19 Impact Analysis by Offering, System (Advanced Traffic Management System, ITS-Enabled Transportation Pricing System, and Others), Application, and Geography - Global Forecast to 2025.

COVID-19 Impact on Ride Sharing Market by Service Type (E-Hailing, Car Sharing, Car Rental, Station-Based Mobility), Data Service (Information, Navigation, Payment) and Region - Forecast to 2021.

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By PTI

KOLKATA: Defying government directives, a state-run school in West Bengal's Paschim Medinipur district restarted classes on Wednesday, prompting the government to issue a notice to the headmaster.

Headmaster Brindaban Ghatak of Hatsarberia BC Roy High School in the Daspur area said the decision to restart classes for standard 10 students was taken as their studies were getting affected due to the lockdown.

"We started the classes following all social distancing norms and standard protocols. The students are very enthusiastic about coming to the school after staying at home for all these months," he told reporters.

Several guardians have also been requesting the school authorities to restart classes and the managing committee gave the go-ahead, Ghatak said.

"We will close the school building if asked by the Education Department but in that case, we may opt for taking classes in the open," he said, replying to a question.

Ghatak said the school was also considering starting classes of 11 and 12 following all necessary COVID-19 protocols.

In a late evening development, an official of the Education Department said the headmaster has been issued a show-cause notice and asked to explain the reasons for violating the government order.

"He has to reply within 24 hours. The district inspector has also been asked to visit the school on Thursday and file a report," the official said.

Public health expert Kajal Banik said the move will endanger the health of children.
The Supreme Court may start holding physical hearings in at least two or three of its 15 courts as early as next week, as demanded by the Bar association, even as the top court wants additional safety measures before it starts doing so.

The move comes almost five months after the court stopped physical hearings on account of the lockdown imposed to slow the spread of the Coronavirus disease, and almost two -and-half months after the lockdown was removed, although some restrictions continue.

A seven-judge committee evaluating the courts opening told leaders of the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) and Supreme Court Advocates-on-Record Association (SCAORA) on Tuesday that at least three courts may start holding physical hearings on a trial basis. This will be in addition to the virtual court hearings already in place, they said.

Members of the bar are keen on an opening, even a phased one, from next week, but a final word on the matter is awaited: the judges committee is expected to submit its report to the Chief Justice of India (CJI) in a day or two for passing necessary directions.

The meeting between the seven-judge committee and the bar leaders was held on Tuesday through videoconferencing. The lawyers were represented by SCBA President Dushyant Dave and SCAORA President Shivaji Jadhav. In a statement issued on Wednesday, SCBA President Dave wrote about the meeting. We suggested that for the time being only four or five Courts may restart physically while continuing and expanding/improving the virtual courts hearings.

Speaking to HT, SCAORA President and senior advocate Shivaji Jadhav said: The committee presided by Justice NV Ramana is seriously considering starting at least two-three physical courts from the next week and in the meantime, the registry has been asked to take necessary steps to prepare the courts for physical functioning. The registry is expected to put up glass partition between the judges and lawyers and install other facilities to sanitize entry points, he added.

Since the national lockdown began on March 25, the top court has been shut but limited hearing of urgent cases is taking place through videoconferencing platform VIDYO. Over a period of time, more courts have become functional through videoconferencing. The SC Registry even provides videoconferencing Rooms for lawyers at the new Supreme Court block adjacent to the old court complex. This facility can be availed by lawyers and litigants even at the seven district courts in the Capital.

Both the Delhi high court and district courts in the Capital are currently holding hearings through videoconferencing and it is expected that they will follow the Supreme Courts lead when it comes to restarting physical hearings.

The seven judges on the committee are : Justice Ramana, justices Arun Mishra, RF Nariman, UU Lalit, AM Khanwilkar, DY Chandrachud and LN Rao. The committee shared its concerns with the bar leaders informing them about the medical advice received by them from experts who said physical court hearings could wait for another two weeks.

Speaking to HT, Dave said consistency is needed:  How can the experts who are advising the government to lift the lockdown tell the Supreme Court to remain closed. It is unfortunate that justice is suffering, lawyers and their clerks are suffering.

Both Dave and Jadhav were of the view that all necessary measures must be taken to ensure health and well-being of the judges, registry staff and lawyers but that physical court hearing should begin from August 18.

Two weeks ago, the seven-judge committee held its first meeting with SCBA and SCAORA to study the feasibility of opening courts. This followed representations received from lawyer bodies. Meanwhile, a section of lawyers have shot off a representation to SCBA and SCAORA openly dissenting with the idea of opening courts. This representation, signed by 24 lawyers has insisted on continuation of virtual court hearings.

Even If physical court hearings begin, only those matters will be listed which are old, regular matters from the Final Hearing List published before the lockdown, Jadhav said.

If the courts reopen for physical hearing, it will come against the backdrop of a general improvement of the Covid-19 situation in Delhi, with more tests, a lower positivity rate, and fewer people seeking hospitalisation.
TEL AVIV, Israel, Aug. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- ICL Group Ltd (NYSE: ICL) (TASE: ICL), a leading global specialty minerals and specialty chemicals company, today announced the publication of its 2019 Corporate Responsibility Report (the "CSR Report"). The online interactive report, which can be accessed at http://www.icl-group-sustainability.com/, includes over 145 topic-specific web pages, which provide a comprehensive review of goals, practices, performance metrics and challenges related to ESG (environment, society, governance) concerns.

Raviv Zoller, ICL's President and CEO stated, "As part of our sustainability vision for 2030, ICL has set ambitious goals, addressing major global challenges, including climate change, renewable energy, circular economy and the health and wellbeing of our employees and the communities in which we operate. Our annual CSR Report is designed to update our diverse stakeholders regarding the substantial progress we are making towards achieving those goals, demonstrating the efforts that have helped to position ICL as a leader in sustainability among its global peers in the fertilizer and chemical industries, as well as among Israeli businesses. ICL's leading position is increasingly recognized by independent third-parties, including Bloomberg, FTSE Russell, CDP, Ecovadis, Maala (Israel's leading sustainability ranking organization) and others."

In addition to setting forth ICL's sustainability vision for 2030, the CSR Report covers a broad range of topics, including Environment, Safety, Ethics, Employment, Sustainable Solutions and Innovation, Responsible Procurement, and Community Engagement. Many of the additions to this year's report resulted from ICL's structured 'gap analysis', which is performed annually to identify gaps in its previous CSR reporting, based on information requested by sustainability indices and input from ICL's diverse stakeholders.

The report also details ICL's response to the different challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, ICL's vital contribution to employment and economic development in the countries in which it operates, and ICL's ongoing efforts to be an employer of choice and to promote diversity and gender equality in its workplace.

About ICL

ICL Group LTD is a leading global specialty minerals and chemicals company operating bromine, potash, and phosphate mineral value chains in a unique, integrated business model. ICL extracts raw materials from its unique mineral assets and utilizes technology and industrial know-how to add value for customers in key agricultural and industrial markets worldwide. ICL shares are dually listed on the New York Stock Exchange and the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange (NYSE and TASE: ICL). The company employs over 11,000 people worldwide, and its 2019 revenues totaled approximately $5.3 billion. For more information, visit the Company's website at www.icl-group.com.

To access ICL's interactive Corporate Social Responsibility report, please click here.

ICL makes its financial results easily accessible to investors through an interactive data tool available in the 'Investors' section of the Company's website. The Interactive Analyst Center provides the company's historical financial, operational and ESG data in the context of an easy-to-access online web platform. Data drills/views are customizable based on time periods and various parameters. The information is available for download at any time.

To access the Interactive Data Tool, click here.

You can also learn more about ICL on Facebook, Linkedin and Instagram

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This scanning electron microscope image shows SARS-CoV-2 (yellow)also known as 2019-nCoV, the virus that causes COVID-19isolated from a patient in the U.S., emerging from the surface of cells (blue/pink) cultured in the lab.
Seven teachers at Inverness Elementary have been exposed to COVID-19, according to the Shelby County School system, with six of them out reportedly from the same grade level.

One of the teachers works remotely.

In a statement from the system, spokeswoman Cindy Warner said officials could not confirm reports that six of the teachers worked in the same grade level, citing employee confidentiality.

Inverness Elementary School has six traditional classroom teachers and one remote teacher who will be out of school until Aug. 20 due to exposure to COVID-19, the statement reads. The remote teacher will continue to provide instruction for the students in her class. The traditional classroom teachers will collaborate with a substitute teacher to provide instruction for the first four days of school for the students who have chosen to attend school in-person. Parents of the students who will be impacted are being notified by the school.

Thursday is the first day of school for remote learning, with staggered schedules also beginning for students who attend in-person classes.

Warner said guidelines from the Alabama Department of Public Health require people who test positive for COVID-19 to isolate at home for 10 days.

Those who are considered to have been close contacts of the positive individual are required to quarantine for 14 days, the statement reads.
Off a pocket trip, race-favourite The Fixer held off a late charge from Mass Production to win the $12,500 Preferred 2 Trot on Tuesday (Aug. 11) at Georgian Downs.

Power And Grace set the tempo while The Fixer sat second through fractions of :27.4, :58 and 1:26.2. Morally Flexible edged first over from fifth moving to the half but stalled on the march up to three-quarters. Mass Production tipped off the pegs to catch brief cover moving to the final turn, but soon launched around Morally Flexible to mount a bid for the lead late.

Into the stretch Power And Grace fought to hold the lead as The Fixer dove into the open stretch, taking a narrow lead heading to the finish. Mass Production continued to charge home but missed the winner by a half length in a 1:55.1 mile. Power And Grace settled for third.

A four-year-old gelding by Trixton, The Fixer won his fifth race from 15 starts this season and his 11th from 43 overall, earning $149,023. David Frey trains the $4.10 for owner 1652281 Ontario Limited while Scott Coulter sat in the sulky.

Casimir Swamp Girl sped to a 1:52.1 win in the $11,500 Fillies & Mares Preferred 2 & 3 Handicap as the 7-5 favourite.

Clearing control from post 5, Casimir Swamp Girl led through opening fractions of :27.3 and :55.4 before facing minor pressure to the far turn from Larjon Legacy. By three-quarters in 1:23.4, Casimir Swamp Girl held firm on the lead and strode into the stretch two lengths clear of pocket-sitter Manhattan Night chasing in second while YS Tallia rallied off cover for third.

Owned by William Pendleton, Casimir Swamp Girl won her ninth race from 15 starts this season and her 17th from 28 overall, earning $91,451. Colin Kelly drove the four-year-old Up The Credit mare for trainer Kyle Bossence. She paid $4.70 to win.

CT Conabra capped the card by overcoming far turn traffic to rally to a 1:57.4 win the $9,500 Preferred 3 Trot.

Ramas Last Son led the field to a :28.4 first quarter with Katch Kanna sitting the pocket. CT Conabra meanwhile raced last in an eight-horse field up to a :59.3 half, when Bastiano tipped first over to lead the two-wide flow.

Driver Brett MacDonald caught cover with CT Conabra to race third over through three-quarters in 1:28.1 and soon launched the four-year-old Kadabra stallion wide into the final turn. Ramas Last Son led by a slim margin into the stretch as CT Conabra swept to the lead and away from the competition to win by two-and-a-quarter lengths. Tax Savings, the 3-2 favourite, closed from second over for second while Bastiano settled for third.

Trained by Richard Moreau for owners Brad Grant and Jason Badder, CT Conabra won his first race from eight starts this season and his fifth from 23 overall, earning $136,406. He paid $9.50 to win.

To view Tuesday's harness racing results, click on the following link: Tuesday Results - Georgian Downs.
The mainstream US media on Wednesday ran rare banner headlines -- similar to the ones when Barack Obama was declared presidential nominee in 2008 -- hailing the decision of Democratic Party presidential nominee Joe Biden to select Indian-origin Senator Kamala Harris as his running mate.

The Jamaican media too gave frontpage coverage to the selection of Harris, whose father is an African from Jamaica and mother an Indian, as the Democratic vice presidential nominee.

Biden, the 77-year-old former US vice president, will challenge incumbent Republican President Donald Trump, 74, in the November 3 election.

By naming the 55-year-old Harris, a lawyer and politician from California as his running mate on Tuesday, Biden made history by selecting the first Black woman to compete on a major party's presidential ticket.

Harris is currently the Senator from California and has been described as a trailblazer by former president Barack Obama.

"In historic move, Biden selects Harris for VP," The Washington Post said in a banner headline in its Wednesdays edition.

The decision elevates the first Black woman and first Asian-American woman to run for vice president on a major-party ticket at a moment when the country is grappling with its racial past and future, the leading daily reported.

The decision, it noted, is the most consequential of Bidens presidential campaign and has major implications not only for the November election but for the future of the Democratic Party.

Noting that Biden would be of 78 years by the Inauguration Day, and thus the oldest president ever, the newspaper said the choice places Harris, who was a more vibrant and energetic presence on the campaign trail but was also at times unsteady, at the forefront of the partys future as, potentially, the first female vice president.

Harris herself was a presidential aspirant until last year before she dropped out of the race because of lack of popular support.

The New York Times in its lead headline said, Bidens VP Pick is Kamala Harris, 1st Women of Color on Major Ticket. The daily noted that Harris is the first Black woman and the first person of Indian descent to be nominated for national office by a major party, and only the fourth woman in US history to be chosen for a presidential ticket.

"She brings to the race a far more vigorous campaign style than Mr Bidens, including a gift for capturing moments of raw political electricity on the debate stage and elsewhere, and a personal identity and family story that many find inspiring," it said.

Harris Named as Bidens Running Mate in Historic Vice-Presidential Choice, was the lead headline of The Wall Street Journal.

Daughter of Indian and Jamaican immigrants, Harris has been a rising star in the Democratic Party since being elected to the Senate in 2016, it said.

Given her own presidential campaign, she was better-known than many of the other women under consideration. In addition to an established small-dollar donor list, she has ties to wealthy donors from industries including finance, media and law, The WSJ noted.

According to The Los Angeles Times, Kamala Harris is Joe Bidens history-making pick for vice president. In picking Harris, the daily in an editorial said, Biden has shown that "unlike the man currently holding the job he seeks, hes not afraid of strong women".

As Biden heads into the most consequential president election in modern history, he sees what we do: Harris has a lot to offer the campaign and the ticket beyond being a symbol, it said.

In another report, the newspaper said, Harris brings an unusual blend of social justice progressiveness and law-and-order conservatism.

She has a long career of fighting to protect the downtrodden and looking for ways to reform the criminal justice system while still locking up plenty of the proverbial bad guys. Shes gone after for-profit colleges and the mortgage industry when they preyed upon her constituents.

"Shes outspoken (at least when she wants to be) on issues she cares about, will not be cowed by bullying, and is not afraid of being seen as overly aggressive, which can be a career killer for women. Just ask Hillary Clinton, the daily said.

The Boston Globe in its lead headline noted, Bidens running mate is Kamala Harris, first woman of color on a major partys ticket. Only two other women have been major party vice presidential nominees, Geraldine Ferraro for the Democrats in 1984 and Sarah Palin for the Republicans in 2008, and neither won, the daily said.

Meanwhile, Jamaican Times in its lead headline said, "Biden Selects California Senator Kamala Harris as Running Mate".

In another front-page report it said, "While many will hail the choice of Kamala Harris as Joe Biden's running mate, the US senator from California has come under tough criticism - but also been praised - over her past work as a top prosecutor." The Jamaica Observer in its lead headline stated, "Trump says 'surprised' at Biden's pick of 'horrible' Harris".
A month ago, I had the opportunity to speak with Maximilian Busser, founder and creative director of MB&F, while he was in Geneva. As usual with Max, the discussion was rich with insight, focusing on his fundamental link with the brand (you can find this first part of the interview here). However, the current hot topic of COVID-19 was also part of the conversation.

With COVID-19, everyone's habits changed quickly in a short period of time; social distancing, mask wearing and confinement became the watchwords of an entire period (some of them continue to be an everyday reality). In this hostile and unfamiliar environment, we had to learn to live and move forwards differently. An inquisitive, adaptive approach has therefore become a key element  some might say the most important element  of our daily lives. "My ability to question myself is my greatest strength," says Maximilian. "When you're successful, you tend to reproduce the recipe that led you to success. For me, this is one of the great problems of our profession: we are in the process of reproducing the elements that led to the success of watchmaking, but the time for that formula has passed. Personally, I do not reproduce the method that led us to success. COVID-19 has helped me enormously in this respect because all the objections I was blocked on had to be challenged; the MB&F of 2021, 2022 and 2023 will be very different.

Legacy Machine Flying T  WorldTempus/Jordy Bellido

The blending of the personal and professional environment became one, and working while confined could sometimes call for a miracle, especially for families with children. As a result, production and output were not necessarily there: "I always create when I'm alone, so I didn't create for four months during COVID-19 because I was surrounded by my family. When I finally found myself alone, I created a great product.

Overall, the health situation this spring proved to be more favourable to independent watch brands in a certain way. The term "favourable" is perhaps exaggerated; let's just say that it was probably simpler to manage for them, in the sense that taking risks seemed (and still seems) less complicated for this type of brand, which is not accountable and is therefore freer to make its own choices. "In our business, I think one of the biggest problems is the absolute thirst for control that brands want to have over their image and history," says Maximilian. "However, when you're in the creative business, you lose control. So perhaps the lack of creativity in our business is a result of this absolute thirst for control. Moreover, COVID-19 was clearly a game changer because it completely lifted all our inhibitions. Even though MB&F is a disruptive brand, we still have inhibitions. And then, when all of a sudden, our hands and feet are cut off and we are asked to move forward, how do we do that? Crawling isn't such a bad option after all. Before, I wouldn't have dared to crawl in public, because crawling is not cool. It's an allegory, but that's how it is. Three months ago [early April], I didn't know what Instagram Live was, and since I have no problem being transparent, I immediately bought into it. However, most of the big brands disappeared from the media landscape because it was the moment when you had to be live and being live is very dangerous  you don't control everything.

Legacy Machine Perpetual  MB&F

In these difficult times, the best thing we could do was to help each other (which we should do constantly anyway) and not to think about personal interests. Being in a "small" structure where everyone is in contact with everyone else and not having (at least) high goals at all costs, as is the case with independent brands, has, I think, helped to cultivate a way of thinking that is more conducive to mutual support: "Regarding our e-shop; we had launched it for the M.A.D. Gallery, but never for MB&F," says Maximilian. "Why not? Because we didn't want our retailers to feel like we were trying to steal sales from them. We always went hand in hand with our retailers. However, we ended up with 24 out of 26 retailers closed in March, so no more distribution. The e-shop option was raised, but we wanted to make a different one, so we presented 23 products maximum, which we had at the M.A.D. Gallery and which had therefore not been sold to our retailers.

On this subject, Maximilian remembers: "Two things happened. The first is that we opened the possibility for our retailers to present their pieces on our e-shop, to help them move the pieces they had. The second is that when we started the collaboration with H. Moser & Cie, we had kept seven of the 60 pieces at the M.A.D. Gallery in Geneva, for ourselves and eventually for the e-shop. The seven pieces were sold after 12 noon and, 18 hours later, 52 people were on the waiting list. So we contacted our retailers to see if they had any models left and, within four days, all sixty models were sold, half of them thanks to us, who had redirected customers from the waiting list to the retailers. We could have done that before COVID-19, but we didn't because we had inhibitions. So COVID-19 was a tremendous generator of creativity in my team. We integrated many much younger members of the team into our strategic meetings/brainstormings and the results were truly impressive - we should have done that before."

LM101  MB&F

Even if 2020 is marked by this unprecedented health crisis, 2021 looks bright, at least for MB&F, whose MB&F M.A.D. Gallery in Geneva will celebrate its 10th anniversary (and WorldTempus will celebrate its 20th anniversary, in case you didn't know it). For this anniversary, and in the same way as during the confinement, creativity will be the rendezvous point for Maximilian Busser and his collaborators: "We are going to launch our first product," he shared. "Until now, we were curators of the M.A.D. Gallery, so we were going to find artists to exhibit their work, but to celebrate its 10th anniversary, we're going to create something interesting. However, I can't say more than that for now.
A suspended Harris County civil judge who last year was indicted on federal wire fraud charges has been arrested in connection to an assault involving her estranged husbands girlfriend at a Houston home, her lawyer said.

Police took state District Judge Alexandra Smoots-Thomas into custody at her Rice Military home Wednesday morning, the lawyer continued, with authorities saying she was accused of firing a shotgun during an argument with a woman Monday night in the 14000 block of Jewel Meadow Drive. Smoots-Thomas, who lost her re-election bid in July, has been out on bond for federal charges and was not permitted to possess a weapon, court records show.

Smoots-Thomas called her attorney, Kent Schaffer, as police arrested her. Schaffer said, citing police, that the allegation involved a fight over her husbands extramarital affair.

Nicole Hensley/Houston Chronicle

She was suspended last November following the indictment over allegations that she spent campaign donations on personal expenses.

Over the past year, Schaffer said, Smoots-Thomas has undergone cancer treatment, been indicted in a federal case and then removed from her bench in the 164th Civil Court.

She's been in a real tailspin, Schaffer said, adding that the cancer is in remission.

Smoots-Thomas has since been charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, court records show. Bond was set at $10,000.

Police said the shooting happened as followed: A woman, now identified as Smoots-Thomas, called her estranged husband and his girlfriend to say she knew the two of them were together at the Jewel Meadow Drive home, court records show. Smoots-Thomas revealed she was going to the home and that, Youre going to see whats up.

She was at the home within 15 minutes and announced her arrival with repeated horn honks, records show. The commotion brought several neighbors outside, some of whom overheard Smoots-Thomas argue with the daughter of her husbands paramour.

When the girlfriend came outside, she was wielding a long board, court records show. The judge then pointed a shotgun out her car window.

The girlfriend tried hitting the barrel away with the long board but Smoots-Thomas opened fire and blasted the house, an investigator detailed in court records. At least three shots could be heard in security footage from a neighbors security camera. Police said the shooter then fled. No one was hurt.

The judge, when reached Tuesday at her home, declined to comment and slammed the door shut.

At the same home, Smoots-Thomas at some point threw her husbands belongings into the driveway and forced her brother-in-law to gather his things. The relative collected more items from inside and found a loaded shotgun behind a door. Smoots-Thomas is alleged to have demanded it back, according to court records.

I need to wipe my fingerprints off the gun, the judge said, according to those records.

At the Jewel Meadow Drive home on Tuesday, a pair of closely-grouped bullet holes above the garage were identified as being from the shooting. A woman who answered the door declined to talk about the shooting because a police investigator was there asking questions. The detective would not elaborate on the investigation either as he walked to his car.

Police spokesman Kese Smith said a resident in the home identified Smoots-Thomas as the suspected shooter.

The shooting was witnessed by at least one other person, Smith continued. A neighbor who declined to be identified said she heard the gunfire and stepped outside as the shooter drove off. She said she heard a woman shout, Why are you shooting at my daughter.

The federal trial on the judges wire fraud charges, stemming from misusing $24,892 in campaign funds, is slated for November. In that case, she was accused of using the money on a home mortgage, private school tuition, a Prada handbag and a ring from Zales.

In a statement, the Harris County District Attorneys Office said their Public Corruption Division was handling the prosecution.

The law applies equally to everyone, including those in positions of power, Assistant District Attorney Stuart Tallichet said.

nicole.hensley@chron.com
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 12)  A day after Russia released the Sputnik-V vaccine, the U.S. Health secretary said the scramble to find a coronavirus vaccine is not a race to be the first but a quest to put out safe and effective vaccines for all.

Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar made the remarks in a phone briefing with reporters from all over the world Wednesday morning while on a visit to Taiwan.

This is using every power of the U.S. government, its economy, our biopharmaceutical industry across the globe, and harnessing that to deliver as quickly as we can for the benefit of the United States citizens, but also for the people of the world, safe and effective vaccines, Azar said. He pointed out contributions of the Trump administration-led Operation Warp Speed, a public-private partnership to deliver at least 300 million doses of safe COVID-19 vaccines by January 2021.

Azar also slammed Moscows seeming lack of data about the vaccines clinical trials, making it not transparent.

"Its important that we provide safe, effective vaccines and that the data be transparent, Azar said.

The United States commitment through our historic Operation Warp Speed effort and through the Food and Drug Administration is that any vaccine will be proven to be safe and effective in ethical clinical trials, and the data will be made transparently available and reviewed by outside experts," he added.

The Russian-made vaccine was recently offered to the Philippines, saying it is a form of humanitarian cooperation in the field of fighting COVID-19. Russian Ambassador Igor Khovaev earlier offered three options on how Manila can obtain Sputnik-V: clinical trial participation, vaccine supplies, and local production.

Malacanang welcomed the move, with President Rodrigo Duterte even volunteering to get the first shot. His spokesman Harry Roque later said the vaccine needs to secure approval from the Philippines' Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

READ: Philippines studies 'accelerated' approval of Russia's coronavirus vaccine

Azar also shared developments in Washingtons quest for the vaccine, describing the whole effort as similar to the Apollo space program. He said Washington has secured an advanced manufacturing contract with biotechnology company Moderna for 100 million doses of its vaccine worth over $1.5 billion.

Moderna joins Janssen, Sanofi Pasteur, AstraZeneca, GlaxoSmithKline and NovaVax in the list of companies the U.S. has contracts with for the supply of COVID-19 vaccine.

Four of those six have already reported out positive phase one clinical trial data, meaning that they provided what are called neutralizing antibodies at a level at, or above, what people recovering from COVID-19 produce in their own bodies, Azar said.

He added these vaccines safety profiles have not shown severe adverse event reports, and that while there are effects during the clinical trials, these seem to be dose-related and can be adjusted in later-stage clinical trials.

Azar also believes that by end of 2020, the U.S. will have the high tens of millions of doses of gold-standard, safe and effective vaccines, with the number increasing to many hundreds of millions of doses as we go into the beginning of next year.

The Secretary reiterated Americas position in global healthcare, saying, the United States has been, and will remain, the largest funder and supporter of global health security in the world, and thats a tradition that we will certainly be carrying forward.
Just one in five migrants who have tried to cross the Channel have been intercepted by France - as politicians from the country now claims the newcomers are lured into Britain by its generous welfare state.

Immigration minister Chris Philp travelled to Paris on Tuesday to seek stronger enforcement measures - as Border Force continued to deal with crossings along the south coast of the UK.

Mr Philp said that French authorities had caught 'well over a thousand' migrants making the crossing this year, but figures from January 2020 to August 6 show the total number to have made the trip to Britain in small boats is around 4,100.

More than 600 people have made the journey just in the previous few days, suggesting that the proportion of those intercepted is roughly one fifth.

Defence select committee chairman Tobias Ellwood told the Telegraph the French were 'unable to cope at the best of times' - and accused the country's authorities of 'half-heartedness'.

'In normal circumstances, the French are only preventing around half of the dinghies crossing the Channel  but during the current spike that's dropped to a fifth,' he said.

Migrants react are brought to Dover harbour by Border Patrol in Dover, August 11

'It's clear that only with greater maritime collaboration with the British can we attempt to significantly reduce the success rate of the crossing.'

He also voiced support for involving the Armed Forces 'during this heightened period'.

French officials have now blamed the UK's 'hypocrisy' and 'black economy' for increasing the number of migrants crossing the Channel in small boats.

Britain's immediate entitlement to benefits, healthcare, housing and the possibility of working soon after arriving are what makes Britain worth the hazardous journey, they claim.

Deputy mayor of Calais Philippe Mignonet told French newspaper Voix Du Nord migrants risked the crossing 'because they can work in the black economy when they want, because there is no control, not on the street or in the workplace'.

'I fear a tragedy one day at sea, but the British blame us for their own hypocrisy,' he said.

National Society for Rescue at Sea in Calais president Bernard Barron added that migrants have now 'mastered the sea and, with GPS support, wait until they are in British waters to send out an SOS call'.

He said Britain's government will criticise migrants for making the journey, 'but they do not criticise themselves, questioning the reasons that make their country so attractive'.

It comes as lawyers representing asylum seekers who arrived in the UK by crossing the Channel on small boats launched legal action to halt their deportation, which is due to take place on Wednesday.

Immigration minister Chris Philp travelled to Paris on Tuesday to seek stronger enforcement measures

Speaking to reporters after the Paris meeting, Mr Philp said the 'sheer numbers' crossing the Channel were 'completely unacceptable' to both the French and UK governments, so it is quite clear that more needs to be done.

'And that is exactly what this new, comprehensive action plan that we are working on will aim to do,' he added.

Mr Philp would not comment on details of the plan but claimed there were a 'number of measures, some of them new, which are under discussion'.

He said it would be 'premature' to talk about financial commitments at this stage because the plans were still being finalised.

But he insisted both countries had 'renewed and reaffirmed their absolute commitment to make sure this border is properly policed and this route is completely ended.'

Newly-appointed clandestine channel threat commander Dan O'Mahoney, who travelled to Paris with Mr Philp, will return to the continent early next week to continue discussions, with France due to appoint its own commander.

The Government has also faced fresh criticism over warnings nine months ago that its own policies meant migrants were resorting to more dangerous routes.

A report by the Foreign Affairs Committee published in November said: 'A policy that focuses exclusively on closing borders will drive migrants to take more dangerous routes, and push them into the hands of criminal groups.'

Home Secretary Priti Patel was a member of the committee at the time of its inquiry.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Boris Johnson was accused of using inflammatory language after calling migrant boat crossings a 'very bad and stupid and dangerous and criminal thing to do'.

A migrant boat is pictured in the Channel beside a Border Force Seeker, August 11

He also hinted at changing laws to tackle the problem, while Downing Street said Brexit would help as it would end the 'inflexible and rigid' requirements on how asylum applications are examined and considered.

The Home Office has formally requested help from the Ministry of Defence (MoD), with a military plane sent out on Monday to survey the Channel and alert the Coastguard and Border Force to emerging crossing attempts.

But Calais MP Pierre-Henri Dumont said bringing in the Navy was a 'political measure' intended to show ministers were taking action and warned that it 'won't change anything'.

The latest outcry follows a similar storm last summer when another spike in crossings led Mr Johnson to warn Britain was prepared to start sending back those migrants who did make it across - comments which were branded 'misleading and inflammatory' by campaigners.

Since then there have been a series of meetings between UK and French ministers and officials, each time with the promise of more agreements or resources in efforts to address the problem.

Bella Sankey, director of Detention Action, said: 'Any ''comprehensive plan'' must create a safe and legal route for those who would otherwise risk a Channel crossing, otherwise it is neither comprehensive nor an effective plan.

'These negotiations with French counterparts are doomed to further failure unless the UK Government can stop chasing unicorns and show some principled and noble leadership'.
Black women are many things. We are business executives, political strategists and elected officials, philanthropists, and activists. We are health and wellness practitioners. We are entertainers and faith leaders. We are wives, mothers, daughters, educators, and students. We set and shift culture. We build power and we are powerful.

We are the highest propensity voters in this nation. We are a coalition of Black women leaders, who, in this inflection point of the Black liberation movement, where people around the world are galvanized to action, know that the time for Black women in the United States is now.

Over the past few months in the media, we have witnessed many Black women put forth as potential Vice Presidential candidates including former Gubernatorial Candidate Stacey Abrams, Congresswoman Karen Bass, Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, Senator Kamala Harris, Congresswoman Val Demings, and former US Ambassador Susan Rice, be publicly critiqued. We have also watched many of these highly-credentialed women be disrespected in the media over the last few weeks.

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Regardless of your political affiliation, whether its the media, members of the vice presidential vetting committee, a former Governor, a top political donor, or a small town mayor: We are not your Aunt Jemimas. The use of the racist myth of a happy, Black servant portrayed as a happy domestic worker loyal to her White employer is not lost on us. While some of the relentless attacks on Black women and our leadership abilities have been more suggestive than others, make no mistakewe are qualified and ambitious without remorse.

We are servant leaders  motivated by a desire to uplift and advance our communities and nation. And we will not tolerate racist or sexist tropes consistently utilized in an effort to undermine our power. No matter who you are supporting for Vice President, you should be equally outraged by the blatant disrespect of Black women.

Black women have been and remain vital across sectors. We are indebted to women like Ella Baker, Septima Clarke, Shirley Chisholm, Angela Davis, Fannie Lou Hamer, Barbara Jordan, Ruby Doris Robinson, and Ida B. Wells just to name a few. These women have fought to move us forward and are collectively responsible for much of this countrys progress. Black women have been leading, and we must honor, protect, support, and uplift them.
Sen. Ernie Chambers says an anti-abortion bill that has passed first-round approval by the Legislature is unconstitutional, and he wants Nebraska Attorney General Doug Peterson to issue a legal opinion on it.

The bill, introduced by Lincoln Sen. Suzanne Geist, is the No. 2 bill on the agenda Tuesday for a second round of debate, coming after the compromise property tax reduction bill (LB1107), which is also on second-round debate.

Chambers contends that banning the dilation and evacuation method of abortion on a live fetus is unconstitutional by its terms because the U.S. Supreme Court explicitly upheld the method in a Nebraska case, Stenberg v. Carhart, in 2000.

And, Chambers said, former Nebraska Attorney General Don Stenberg agreed it could not be banned without placing an undue burden on a woman's right to obtain an abortion.

In his request, Chambers said Justice Sandra Day O'Connor wrote in her concurring opinion in the Stenberg case that Nebraska conceded at oral argument "the state could not prohibit the D&E procedure.
Islamic State jihadists on the run after Afghan prison raid A man watches from behind a closed gate after a raid at the prison in Jalalabad

Afghan authorities were searching Tuesday for about 270 inmates -- most of them Islamic State fighters -- who remained on the loose after escaping during a deadly prison raid.

At least 29 people were killed when Islamic State (IS) gunmen attacked the facility in Jalalabad on Sunday, with fierce fighting lasting until Monday afternoon.

More than 1,300 inmates tried to escape, a senior Afghan security official told AFP on condition of anonymity, but most were either swiftly re-arrested or surrendered when surrounded by security forces.

But some 270 prisoners are "still on the loose", the official said.

"Most of those who escaped are from ISKP," he said, referring to IS's Afghan branch, known as the Islamic State in Khorasan Province.

They included militants responsible for several bloody attacks, a second security official told AFP.

Nangarhar provincial governor's spokesman Attaullah Khogyani confirmed many prisoners were still missing, but couldn't say how many were IS members.

Officials also said that security forces had shot dead on Tuesday another group of IS fighters who had launched a mortar attack targeting Jalalabad airport from a neighbourhood in the city around the same time when the prison raid commenced.

Several mortar shells and other ammunition seized from a house in the neighbourhood were shown to journalists.

The brazen prison raid came a day after Afghanistan's intelligence agency announced the killing of a top IS commander near Jalalabad.

Nangarhar province, where IS got its first foothold in Afghanistan, has seen repeated attacks by the group, including a suicide bomb that killed 32 mourners at a funeral in May.

- Calm shattered -

The attacks have continued even though officials last year claimed IS had been defeated in Nangarhar.

"A large number of their leadership was arrested or killed... so it (the prison raid) was some sort of revenge to free some of their comrades," a senior Afghan security official said.

Story continues

Some local officials and analysts, however, have cautioned that elements of group remained.

"They (IS) want to challenge the monopoly of the Taliban over militancy or anti-state violence in the country," said Abdul Sayed, independent researcher on jihadism in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

He said the Taliban, Kabul and Washington miscalculated about IS's defeat in Afghanistan.

"They (IS) now seem to have changed their strategies to (launch) high profile terrorist attacks in Nanagarhar to Kabul to provide proof of their existence," Sayed told AFP.

The prison raid shattered the relative calm of the final day of a three-day ceasefire between the Taliban and Afghan forces.

IS was not part of the truce.

The Afghan government still attempted to link the raid to the Taliban, which it said had violated the ceasefire 38 times.

Acting Interior Minister Massoud Andrabi said on Twitter that IS's new head in Afghanistan, Shahab Al-Mahajir, was a member of the Haqqani network, considered linked to the Taliban.

Washington has branded the Haqqani network, accused of carrying out numerous deadly attacks in Afghanistan, a terrorist organisation.

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Sarah Palin, the former governor of Alaska and 2012 Republican vice presidential nominee, has urged Senator Kamala Harris to trust no one new and have fun on the campaign trail in a new Instagram post.

She shared the advice after Ms Harris was announced as former Vice President Joe Bidens running mate in his campaign for the White House.

Congrats to the Democrat VP pick, she wrote. Climb upon Geraldine Ferraros and my shoulders, and from the most amazing view in your life consider lessons we learned.

The former VP nominee then offered a list of essential tips for Ms Harris as she likely becomes the first African-American women and person of Indian descent to join a major partys national ticket, telling the California Democrat to fight mightily to keep your own team with you and not to get muzzled, adding: Connect with media and voters in your own unique way.

Some viewed Ms Palins post as surprisingly positive counsel from a Republican to a Democrat during a moment of heightened polarisation in US politics.

Ms Palin was the second woman to run a vice presidential nominee for a major party, preceded by Ms Ferraro, a former Democratic congresswoman who passed away in 2011.

Much of the advice Ms Palin provided to Ms Harris in her Instagram post suggested she should remain cautious of deceptive handlers trying to change you and vultures who will attempt to make her look bad along the way.

Some yahoos running campaigns will suffocate you with their own self-centred agenda, she wrote, so remember YOU were chosen for who YOU are.

Ms Harris said she was honoured to join Mr Bidens campaign ahead of the Democratic National Convention, where both are scheduled to speak in headline speeches next week.

If elected, Ms Harris would become the first female vice president in US history.
The government decided July 26 to reduce the coronavirus Cabinet  a small forum of ministers whose portfolios touch on the coronavirus outbreak  from 16 to 10 members. Two weeks later, on Aug. 10, the government decided to add members to this Cabinet again. The special forum now includes two of the ministers who had been excluded in July  Housing Minister Yaakov Litzman and Social Equality Minister Meirav Cohen. Thus, the change in number brought also another change: The coronavirus Cabinet now includes one female member.

Indeed, the July 26 decision raised quite a lot of anger from several opposition and coalition members, as none of the remaining 10 members were women. At the time, Cohen said, There are no women in the [coronavirus] Cabinet; Im not talking about me personally. I understand the desire for efficiency, but it makes no sense for there to be no women among 10 representatives.

Opposition leader Yair Lapid also criticized the decision, stating, The biggest government in the history of the country and they did not put one woman [in the coronavirus Cabinet]. Disconnected chauvinists.

Several human rights and women rights groups joined the outcry. Naamat  one of Israels most veteran and biggest women groups  issued a statement at the time, saying, "[We] recommend to the prime minister and the alternate prime minister, who always compare our situation to the rest of the world, to look at the common denominator of countries that have successfully subdued the epidemic  in all of them, women are in the decision-making elite."

The decision to reinstate Cohen to the coronavirus Cabinet was hailed by Naamat Chair Hagit Peer. Still, Peer noted that the mere necessity of public pressure to get women into the decision-making process in Israel of 2020 was embarrassing.

One explanation for the exclusion of women from the current decision-making process could be the Israeli perception of the anti-coronavirus campaign as a military/male operation. Early in the pandemic, the Israel Defense Forces were called to assist with the management of the ultra-Orthodox town of Bnei Brak, hit hard by the first coronavirus wave. Former Defense Minister Naftali Bennett saw his popularity rise, after proposing military-style measures to counter the spread of the pandemic.

In contrast, the Foreign Ministry hosted on July 27-28 an international online conference for female leaders. The conference has been held in Israel every two years since 1961, according to the vision of then-Foreign Minister Golda Meir to empower women. This year's conference focused on the social and economic ramifications of the coronavirus outbreak on women and girls, with women from across the globe participating and sharing experiences. It was a clear demonstration of female leaders engaged in battling the coronavirus health crisis and its effects on, for instance, women's employment and entrepreneurship.

The Foreign Ministry made a point of including in the conference women of the highest leadership level. Israeli professor Frances Raday, former special rapporteur for the United Nations Human Rights Council, participated in the first panel on analyzing the global economic impact of COVID-19 and women and girls, together with Henrietta Fore, the executive director of UNICEF, and other top-level UN women. Participants made sure to mention the female leaders of Germany, Finland, New Zealand and Denmark, who have achieved excellent results in managing the coronavirus crisis so far.

Apart from decision-making, Israeli women are affected daily and more directly by the coronavirus-induced crisis. Shai Oxenberg, policy and legislation director at the Israel Womens Network lobbying group, told Al-Monitor that the coronavirus pandemic affect Israeli women mainly in two fields: employment and domestic violence. The women who suffer most are those of the ultra-Orthodox and Arab minority groups  women who are more vulnerable even during normal times. She said that pregnant women were also subject to various hardships.

"Apart from suffering from unemployment and domestic violence, Israeli women were confronted with the heavy burden of caring for the children  as the result of the decision to shut down the education system. All this happened while women were conspicuously excluded and absent from the decision-making process," Oxenberg added.

Oxenbergs claims are backed by statistics. A report drafted by Yael Hasson and Hadas Ben Eliyahu and published June 1 by the Adva center together with Van Leer Jerusalem Institute states that "by the first week of April, 21% of working women in Israel found themselves out of work, compared with 16% of men. Among women, this was the situation of 30% of ultra-Orthodox women and 18% of Arab women."

Another report published June 18 by the Taub Center for Social Policy Studies also shows that the coronavirus pandemic resulted in higher rates of unemployment among Israeli women. Author of the report Liora Bowers writes that in the immediate term, a significantly larger share of unemployment claims have been submitted by women since March 1  56% compared to 44% of men. "It appears that Jewish women  in particular, ultra-Orthodox women  have been hardest hit. Furthermore, in 18 out of 19 industries more women have lost jobs disproportionately to their share of positions in that industry, Bowers notes.

Still, Bowers highlights also some positive changes, such as the division between men and women on caring for their children, especially in small families. "In a survey conducted by researchers from the Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya, men reported a 10% increase in the amount of time they spend with their children during the coronavirus crisis versus the period before," Bowers writes.
Sushant Singh Rajput's death has evoked a string of theories on how the actor died. The latest theory claims that Sushant was paralyzed using a stun gun before he was killed, and dismisses reports that he died by suicide.

BJP MP Subramanian Swamy, who has been demanding a probe into the actor's death for a long time now, has lent support to the new theory.

Swamy retweeted a tweet by a user who claimed to have read up about stun guns. The user alleged that a mark left on Sushant's neck matched the kind of marks left by stun guns. Sharing this, Swamy wrote, "Were this gun smuggled from which Arabian Sea bordering country? NIA must now join the probe."

Were this gun smuggled from which Arabian Sea bordering country? NIA must now join the probe.  Subramanian Swamy (@Swamy39) August 11, 2020

The stun gun theory was originally proposed by Raju Wadhwa, a doctor practicing internal medicine in the United States. He had pointed to the burn marks on Sushant's neck and was the first to allege that Sushant was paralyzed in this manner. He had also cited an example of a U.S. Navy seal's murder by using a stun gun, and wrote, "This same method was once used to murder a Navy seal in the USA and make it look like suicide but forensics caught the killer."

Sushant Singh Rajput was found dead in his apartment on June 14. According to his flatmate Siddharth Pithani, the actor was found hanging but this is now being questioned by Sushant's family and lawyer, who are pointing that no one saw the actor hanging except Pithani. Pithani allegedly brought down Sushant's body when the latter's sister Meetu Singh was only a few minutes away from his house.

Worried about your mental well-being or of someone you know? Help is just a call away. Reach out to the nearest mental health specialist at COOJ Mental Health Foundation (COOJ)- 0832-2252525, Parivarthan- +91 7676 602 602, Connecting Trust- +91 992 200 1122/+91-992 200 4305 or Sahai- 080-25497777/ SAHAIHELPLINE@GMAIL.COM

ALSO READ: Sushant Case: Lawyer Questions Siddharth Pithani's Action To Bring Down Actor's Body (Exclusive)

ALSO READ: Sushant Singh Rajput's Father Says 'No One Saw My Son Hanging', In Supreme Court Hearing


A vegan claims she has repeatedly been fed chicken meals in hotel quarantine and said she's been forced to consume 'more chickpeas than she's ever eaten'.

Brittany Morris, who has worked as a stuntwoman on Thor: Ragnarok and Pirates of the Caribbean, forked out $2,800 to quarantine at the Voco hotel in Surfers Paradise on the Gold Coast after travelling to Queensland from Victoria.

The 30-year-old is currently on the eighth day of her quarantine and says she is 'definitely ready to leave' after staff tried to serve her chicken and forgot to provide her with food.

'The first night I got in late and had no dinner, then the following day they forgot my breakfast, lunch and dinner,' she told Daily Mail Australia.

'I had to call for each meal. I've been sent meals that weren't vegan and stuff that was sloppy and really s**tty quality.

Brittany Morris (pictured) is on the eighth day of her hotel quarantine period at the Voco hotel in Surfers Paradise

'It's not on. I've been served packaged meals, had more chickpeas than I've ever eaten, they have served me chicken. It's like "how many times do I have to tell you this?"

'I'm trying hard to be understanding but I don't think I'm asking too much.'

Ms Morris had been caring for her grandmother in Yarra Glen on the outskirts of Melbourne before making the 22-hour drive home with her dog Bruce.

She tested negative for COVID-19 before she started her trip and drove the back way to avoid Sydney on her journey north.

'It was quite hectic,' Ms Morris told Daily Mail Australia. 'I had been calling NSW, Queensland and Victoria government health authorities to make sure I was doing all the right things.'

Ms Morris applied for a quarantine exemption as she was with her sausage dog but was unsuccessful. She was then forced to backtrack from Toowoomba to Lismore and back to the NSW-Queensland border.

On arrival at the border, Ms Morris was given strict instructions to head straight to the Voco to begin her quarantine period.

'I was given an hour from the border to get to the hotel and I had to report to the police when I got there,' Ms Morris said.

Authorities at the Voco told Ms Morris to park her car out on the street and walk to the hotel as there is minimal onsite parking in the hotel.

'They said "we don't have any more hotel car parks left",' Ms Morris said.

'I just bought a new car, it's not parked undercover, my car is full of stuff and its got Victorian plates so that won't sit too well.

'The car park is not monitored, there's only CCTV, it's not good enough.'

Ms Morris travelled to Queensland from Victoria and has not been allowed to leave her room (pictured) since her arrival on August 5

Ms Morris has questioned why those in quarantine can't go outside for fresh air with controls in place after she was able to drive nearly two kilometres away to park her car and walk back to her accommodation with no escort

Ms Morris said she has struggled with the lack of nutritious options and poor quality food (pictured) in the Voco

Ms Morris was surprised at the relaxed attitude with the parking measures at the hotel.

'I walked probably a kilometre and a half back to the hotel,' she said. 'I had no escort, no nothing. I was wearing a mask, but I'm sure there were people who didn't.

'No one was supervising us, they didn't give a time limit. You could just walk into a shop or something on the way through. It was bizarre. People could easily do the wrong thing.'

Food troubles aside, Ms Morris said the hardest part of her quarantine was not being able to go outside for fresh air.

'It's been eight days and I've asked five or six times and I haven't been allowed to. I highly doubt I will be able to. The end of this for me can't come quick enough.'

Under Queensland Health guidelines, people in hotel quarantine cannot leave their room except for an emergency or to receive medical care.

Ms Morris said she can't see why people aren't allowed to leave their rooms to go outside for a brief period with controlled measures in place.

Defence force personnel, staff and medical crews wearing face masks wait outside the Voco hotel for quarantined guests

'If you put masks on people and let them go out for 15 minutes to stay in the grounds with supervision, I don't see the harm in that,' she said.

Ms Morris noted there were ways the quarantine experience could be improved and potentially reduced if testing procedures changed.

'I understand the purpose of quarantine and I'm totally happy to oblige, but I don't understand why they wait until day 10 to test people,' she said. 'They should test people straight away.

'If they test negative and had no symptoms maybe people would only have to stay one week in quarantine instead of two.

'There are no checks on us in here, no thought for people's welfare. If something was wrong or something happened in my room no one would know.

'Why haven't we got phone calls to check if were okay? They should be asking "can we do anything for you?"

'You need to make sure people are okay, especially those with mental health issues. You don't know what someone's going through unless you ask.'

Ms Morris said she plans to write to the Queensland Health Commissioner to ask for her $2,800 back.
August 12 : Realme C11 goes on sale for the third time in India today. The handset was launched in India in July this year, and since then it was available via flash sales. Priced at Rs. 7,499, the smartphone comes in two colour options Rich Green and Rich Grey.

The budget-friendly Realme C11 has a single variant of 2GB with 32GB storage. The phone will be available on sale via Flipkart and the Realme official website. Soon it will also be available in offline retail stores.

Flipkart offers a 5 percent unlimited cashback (capped at Rs 500) on Flipkart Axis Bank credit card, and a 10 percent instant discount (capped at Rs 400) with Axis Bank Buzz credit card. Buyers can also avail EMI options with applicable charges.

Realme C11 specifications

Powered by the octa-core MediaTek Helio G35 SoC, and paired with 2GB of LPDDR4X RAM, Realme C11 packs 32GB of onboard storage that is expandable via microSD card (up to 256GB). The smartphone features dual-SIM (Nano) and runs on Android 10 with Realme UI on top. The handset comes with a 6.5-inch HD+ (720 x 1,600 pixels) Mini-drop display, and it has 88.7 percent screen-to-body ratio with 20:9 aspect ratio.

The smartphone sports a 13-megapixel primary sensor and a 2-megapixel secondary sensor on the back. For the purpose of selfies, there is a 5-megapixel sensor in the waterdrop-style notch. It packs the 5,000mAh battery that supports reverse charging.
Royal biographies are ten-a-penny these days, but the latest release has been particularly hotly anticipated. It is Finding Freedom, published this week and written by journalists Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand, who aim to provide "the definitive story of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex", or Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to the rest of us.

The official line from the couple is that Finding Freedom is not an "authorised book" and that they were not interviewed on or off the record.

The most they will venture to say, via a spokesperson, is that they were "relaxed" about the authors' access to their inner circle. And yet, royal watchers remain unconvinced.

The level of innocuous detail is extraordinary, on everything from Prince Harry's favourite emoji (the ghost, for reasons unknown) to Meghan's preferred shade of lowlights and her pregnancy cravings.

Readers learn the closely guarded secret of their dog's name (Pula, a Setswana word meaning rain). But those eager to hear what the couple think about Prince Andrew's relationship with Jeffrey Epstein or the speculation surrounding Prince William, Kate Middleton and her rumoured "rural rival" will be left wanting.

That being said, there are some intriguing takeaways from the book.

Harry and Meghan fell for each other fast

After their first date, a friend notes they were "almost obsessed with each other", and by the next night, "Harry knew they would be together".

The authors note that Harry was particularly "sensitive to even the slightest hint of prejudice" and when asked whether Meghan was suitable, he wondered: "Is this about race? Is it snobbery?"

Harry fell out with friends

He reportedly cut ties with an old friend who made "disparaging remarks" about Meghan's Hollywood background, and relations cooled with his childhood pal Tom 'Skippy' Inskip, who warned Harry about "rushing into things". So hurt was the prince that, although Mr Inskip was invited to the wedding, he was left off the list for the evening reception.

Mr Inskip is said to have told friends: "Meghan had changed Harry too much. We've lost him." However, by the time of Archie's birth, the two were back on friendly terms.

The unwanted publicity

There are "steamy" unpublished paparazzi photos in the book. Finding Freedom claims that Harry frequently reads stories about himself, including online comment sections, though Meghan tries to avoid her press.

The authors suggest it is Harry leading the war against tabloids and that, before he put out his first statement defending her in 2016, Meghan was reluctant, asking him: "Shouldn't we just ignore it?" Yet Harry, the book states, had made up his mind.

Things worsened during a trip to Jamaica in 2017, when a photographer captured pictures of the couple "in a steamy embrace on their private balcony", which sent Harry "apoplectic" with rage. The palace ensured the photos never saw the light of day.

Meghan was told off for wearing an initial necklace

Early in the relationship, Meghan was papped wearing a necklace bearing the initials H and M on a trip to the florist. A couple of days later, she received a call from a Kensington Palace aide scolding her for "encouraging" the photographers.

Meghan was reportedly "distraught" that someone from her boyfriend's office would tell her what jewellery to wear.

"I can't win," she told a friend. "It was only yesterday people online were saying I look miserable in pictures, because I was trying to just ignore the photographer."

Meghan and Kate Middleton were never close

According to the book, Meghan made efforts to break the ice on her first meeting with the Duchess of Cambridge, by bringing a leather notebook as a gift and cooing over Princess Charlotte.

The pair spent only a handful of times together before the wedding and though not "the best of friends", the book acknowledges there were no blazing catfights. The authors also debunk the story that Meghan "made Kate cry" after a bridesmaid's dress fitting, which sources dismiss as "ridiculous and so false".

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There were awkward moments, such as when they were both going to the same street to do some shopping and Kate didn't offer Meghan a lift. However, a source says they had "a wonderful time" at Wimbledon together.

The brothers barely speak

The larger issue, the book posits, was the rift between the brothers.

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It was partly down to how William responded to Meghan - referring to her dismissively as "this girl" and cautioning his brother not to be "blindsided by lust". But it was also a result of Harry growing tired of being a third wheel to his brother and sister-in-law.

Much of the tension, according to staffers, was due to money, and Harry having to ask his father for funding for work projects and being told William was "always the priority".

Finding Freedom reports Harry felt frustrated over the royal family's "no comment" policy, believing the palace was willing to bend the rules for higher-ranking members, such as when a spokesman denied Kate had Botox. A friend of Harry's also says he thinks his brother is "too concerned with press coverage".

Harry and Meghan shared pregnancy news at Princess Eugenie's wedding

Three days before announcing the news publicly, the authors claim the couple told family members they were expecting their first child at the wedding of Harry's cousin, Princess Eugenie.

According to the book, "it did not go down particularly well with Eugenie, who a source said told friends she felt the couple should have waited to share the news".

They fired a nanny in the middle of the night

The book states they were "forced to let go (a night nurse) in the middle of her second night of work for being unprofessional and irresponsible". There is no further explanation, though the incident reportedly left the couple uncomfortable sleeping through the night without checking on their son regularly, so they ended up letting go the second nurse they hired and taking on a weekday nanny instead.

Thomas Markle is no longer part of Meghan's life

Finding Freedom chronicles the collapse of Meghan's relationship with her father in the run-up to her wedding in heart-rending detail. Now, the authors write, Meghan no longer recognises Thomas Markle as "the man who raised her". She did, however, ask her mother Doria Ragland to text her ex-husband to share the news of Archie's birth.

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Meghan, the book reports, "did not want him to find out after the rest of the world. But she didn't want to know whether her father replied to her mother's text".

Harry fought with Queen Elizabeth's dresser over Meghan's tiara

The book sets the record straight on a number of 'bridezilla' tales from Meghan's wedding, including that she demanded a different tiara from the queen.

The authors claim that the "dust-up" was between Harry and Angela Kelly, the queen's dresser. Meghan "loved" the tiara the queen chose for her, and made repeated requests to Angela Kelly, who handles the jewels, to borrow it for a hair trial ahead of the big day.

Weeks passed with no response, but Harry "didn't believe Angela was truly unavailable". There followed a "heated exchange", during which he accused her of "purposefully ignoring Meghan", the authors report.

Harry wanted to leave before he met Meghan

Though the book points out that the courtiers, and some family members, blame Meghan for their departure, it is clear throughout that Harry was leading the way.

He reportedly hated the public scrutiny, the press attention, and his position as the "spare". A source says: "Harry wanted out. Deep down, he was always struggling within that world. She's opened the door for him on that."

The couple published their exit plans without approval from the queen

The launch of SussexRoyal.com, the website outlining the couple's roadmap for their new life, took the family by surprise. According to Finding Freedom, Harry had been trying to discuss his plans with his father Prince Charles and the queen for weeks, but felt he was being "blocked".

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When their plans leaked to The Sun, the couple decided to launch the site. The palace was stunned: aides had initially been presented with the "simple idea of spending more time abroad", and were now scrambling to sort through issues around funding, security and tax implications.

The "most painful" part of the exit agreement, Meghan told a friend, was Harry being stripped of his honorary military appointments, which she said was "so unnecessary".

However, the book notes, the frosty reception from the family at their final appearance in the UK, the Commonwealth Day service, confirmed that stepping away from the institution was "the right move".

They're taking a pause before their next steps

The couple were preparing to set up their new non-profit, Archewell, this summer. But, with a pandemic putting a halt to their plans, readers may have less sympathy for Harry and Meghan, holed up in a Beverly Hills mansion.

But after a whirlwind few months - and years - the admittedly "impulsive" couple are taking things slowly, the book states, and will launch Archewell only "when the time is right".

Finding Freedom: Harry and Meghan and the Making of a Modern Royal Family, by Omid Scobie and Carolyn Duran (17, HQ), is out now.
Highlights

Consumer charter for compensating consumers in event of power cuts on its way

The charter would also cover prosumers, consumers producing power by installing rooftop solar panels, and require discoms to collect power

Power Minister RK Singh said that discoms would be required to provide 24x7 power and sort out consumer complaints in stipulated time

Even as India added power capacity at a much faster pace and now has surplus power, many states still witness electricity cuts

Electricity consumers facing power cuts and delays in resolving complaints will soon get compensation from distribution companies as the government is in the process of bringing in a charter for consumer rights.

The proposed charter is part of a new tariff policy which is awaiting approval from the union cabinet following nod from a ministerial panel. It is aimed at providing 24x7 electricity to consumers.

The charter would also cover prosumers, consumers producing power by installing rooftop solar panels and require discoms to collect power.

In an exclusive interview with Business Today, Union Minister of Power, New and Renewable Energy RK Singh said the government is working on making policies that are consumer-centric and bring attitudinal change among discoms to provide better services.

"There is a need for attitudinal change in the power sector and we are making policies consumer-centric. We are trying to bring this in two ways. One is the tariff policy and the other is that we are coming out with rules, rights of consumers," the Minister said.

Also Read: Proposed reforms don't address issues of power sector, says L&T Power CEO Shailendra Roy

Elaborating on the consumer charter, he said it would establish a timeline for providing a new connection or resolving a dispute among other services.

"For example, if you apply for a connection, there is a time limit. If they do not provide a connection within that time frame, you will receive compensation. There will be a time limit for resolving complaints. If they don't resolve there will again be compensation. The rules would cover both consumers and prosumers," the minister enunciated.

Singh stated that consumers should not suffer due to the inefficiencies of the power distribution companies but also noted that cross-subsidies need to gradually come down.

The Centre had earlier signed pacts with states to provide power 24x7 but most of them failed to meet the deadline. The new tariff policy, which is in the works, has reiterated the promise.

"We have in the new tariff policy provided, again, that this deadline should be adhered to. If any relaxation has to be given, the regulator will give (it) depending on the circumstances of the states. Otherwise, the states will have to adhere to it. And if they do not supply 24x7 power, penalties will be levied on distribution companies," RK Singh said.

Also Read: Tata Power plans shift to customer-centric businesses with bouquet of services

Even as India added power capacity at a much faster pace and now has surplus power, many states are still witnessing electricity cuts. Loaded with heavy losses, discoms perennially face a cash crunch and hence unable to pay power generation companies for (buying) additional power. Left with no choice, they go for load-shedding.

As per research and rating firm ICRA, discoms' total outstanding dues to power generating companies stood at Rs 1,17,000 crore as of May 2020.
Japanese ship owner says collection of an estimated 1,000 tonnes of fuel almost over after bulk carrier hit coral reef.

Most of the oil left on a Japanese bulk carrier that has leaked an estimated 1,000 tonnes off the Mauritius coast has been pumped off, shipowner Nagashiki Shipping said on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, Mauritian Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth said the MV Wakashio was still holding 2,000 tonnes of oil and was expected to break up, raising concern of a major ecological disaster.

I heard the collection is almost over, but it is hard to tell if there is absolutely no oil left on the ship, Yoshinori Fukushima, a spokesman for Nagashiki, said.

The ship struck a coral reef and went aground off the southeast Mauritius coast on July 25.

Oil from the stricken vessel has reached some of the Indian Ocean islands most pristine beaches, threatening corals, other local wildlife and the countrys tourism industry.

Former colonial ruler France has said it will assist Mauritius with the clean up and Japan said it will send experts to help.





Japan P&I Club, the only organisation in Japan that underwrites protection and indemnity (P&I) insurance for ocean-going vessels and coastal ships, said it had yet to estimate the cost of the clean up.

We are trying to make internal estimates under different scenarios including the worst and the best, but we dont have any figures yet that we can disclose, spokesman Koichi Miyahiro said.

Since the accident, MV Wakashio has been seeping fuel into a protected marine park boasting unspoiled coral reefs, mangrove forests and endangered species.

Mauritian authorities earlier declared an environmental state of emergency and appealed for international help, though some criticised the reaction as being too slow.

Conservationists said they were starting to find dead fish as well as seabirds covered in oil, increasing fears of an ecological catastrophe despite a massive local clean-up operation that includes making floating booms from leaves and human hair.

Tourism is a major contributor to the Mauritius economy, generating 63 billion rupees ($1.6bn) last year.
A man stated that he was recently threatened into smuggling three immigrants who had crossed the border illegally, according to an arrest affidavit.

At about 6:30 p.m. Aug. 3, a tractor trailer arrived at the Border Patrol checkpoint on Interstate 35. Authorities identified the driver as Daniel Alejandro De La Cruz-Resendez. He was referred to secondary inspection after a K-9 unit allegedly alerted to possible contraband.

"De La Cruz-Resendez then drove from the primary inspection lane, stopped at approximately 40 feet and informed the (agents) that he was transporting undocumented subjects in the cab," states the affidavit filed on Aug. 5.

Agents said they found three people in the sleeper cab. All were immigrants from Mexico and Guatemala who had crossed the border illegally.

Homeland Security Investigations responded to follow up on the case. De la Cruz-Resendez allegedly agreed to a post-arrest interview. He stated he was a resident of Mexico and had been a truck driver for approximately seven years.

De la Cruz-Resendez further stated that about two weeks ago, some men approached him at his home in Nuevo Laredo and recruited him to transport immigrants north of the checkpoint, according to court documents.

"De la Cruz-Resendez claimed that he agreed to transport the (immigrants) because the individuals had threatened him," states the affidavit.

He stated he was instructed to park behind a Walmart in Laredo. A man then came to drop off the immigrants, authorities said.

"De La Cruz-Resendez stated he was to be paid $2,000 to transport the (immigrants) to San Antonio, Texas, states the affidavit.

De La Cruz-Resendez claimed he had smuggled immigrants on two prior occasions, according to court documents. De La Cruz-Resendez was charged with transport, attempt to transport and conspire to transport immigrants who had crossed the border illegally. He remained in federal custody as of Wednesday.
Rolls-Royce's reputation has been dealt a further blow after it found cracks inside another set of engines.

It discovered the problems with a small number of its Trent XWB-84s, which power the Airbus A350 planes, during routine inspections carried out last month.

It is expected issues will cost Rolls up to 50million to put right.

Rolls-Royce discovered the problems with a small number of its Trent XWB-84s, which power the Airbus A350 planes (pictured), during routine inspections carried out last month

The company said the 'indications of wear' have not caused any in-flight issues and will not disrupt things for customers.

But the news has worrying echoes of problems with its Trent 1000 engines, which are used in Boeing's 787 Dreamliner that forced the planes using them to be grounded so that repairs could be carried out. The bill for that has ballooned to 2.4billion.

And it comes as Rolls has been hit hard by the coronavirus, which has grounded flights all over the world, starving it of income it usually makes from servicing plane engines.

The company is axing 9,000 staff out of its 52,000-strong workforce, and mulling ways to raise more cash.

About 100 Trent XWBs have been in operation for four or more years and due for their first major service. Rolls is understood to have found cracks in 20 engines.

Around 650 Trent XWBs are in service on A350s, flown by airlines such as Qatar Airways, Cathay Pacific and Lufthansa.

Derby-based Rolls-Royce has been hammered by the pandemic and is undertaking its third major restructuring in six years.

Reports are rife that the company, whose shares have tumbled 60 per cent this year, is hoping to raise 1billion by selling its Spanish arm ITP Aero and 1.5billion by selling new shares.

It would find it hard to take out new loans because all three major credit ratings agencies  Moody's, S&P and Fitch  have downgraded its credit rating to 'junk' status.
New Mexico state Rep. Patricio Ruiloba has resigned from his Albuquerque-area seat and will run for Bernalillo County sheriff, the Democrat said Tuesday.

He told The Associated Press he submitted his resignation letter to the New Mexico secretary of state and will begin organizing his campaign in the most populous county in the state.

The 53-year-old retired Albuquerque police officer said he has been urged to run for sheriff by residents concerned about rising crime, and conflicts between law enforcement and communities of color.

Ive worked for several units when I worked for Albuquerque police, so I have the experience, said Ruiloba, who was removed from the June 2 Democratic primary ballot after he did not follow the procedure in collecting qualifying petition signatures. Ive also been a community leader and Im willing to listen.

Current Democratic Sheriff Manny Gonzales has faced criticism for a rise in deputy shootings and for stalling on requiring deputies to wear body cameras.

The next election for sheriff is in 2022, but Gonzales cant run again because of term limits and said he is considering a run for mayor of Albuquerque.

No other candidates have publicly announced their intent to run for sheriff.

Last month, Gonzales was criticized after telling reporters he was looking to partner with a company so deputies can put smartphones in their vests and record video.

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham recently signed a bill requiring all law enforcement to wear body cameras. But Gonzales calls the current technology archaic and says its too costly.

Two Black women from Wisconsin are suing Gonzales and two deputies, alleging racial and religious profiling during a traffic stop in 2017, the Albuquerque Journal reports.

The Sheriffs Office declined to comment to the AP on the lawsuit.

The lawsuit came about five months after Bernalillo County reached a $100,000 settlement with another Black woman who filed a lawsuit against the Sheriffs Office after she was pulled over three times in 28 days by the same deputies named in the new lawsuit.
Air India on Wednesday announced that it will shut down its five offices in five countries across Europe due to zero flight operations amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The airline will shut its offices in--Vienna (Austria), Milan (Italy), Madrid (Spain), Copenhagen (Denmark) and Stockholm (Sweden).

An airline spokesperson said, In view of the COVID-19 situation, Air India has decided to close down these stations and would immediately initiate action for the closure in consultation with local lawyers and advise the timelines, by which the station will be closed.

There are no Air India flights under Vande Bharat Mission there and regularly scheduled flights are also not operating currently.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-13 00:14:32|Editor: huaxia

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BANGKOK, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- Thailand's Ministry of Commerce said Wednesday that surgical mask factories were allowed to sell products directly to local markets instead of sending them to the state as required before during the peak of the COVID-19 outbreak in Thailand.

The Ministry's Internal Trade Department has confirmed that surgical mask factories can sell masks directly to markets, however the price of each mask is capped at 2.50 baht (0.080 U.S. dollar) a piece.

"The number of local factories producing surgical masks had increased from nine to 30 and their combined production capacity increased from 1.2 million masks to 4.5 million masks a day," said Whichai Phochanakij, chief inspector at the Internal Trade Department.

Whichai said that Thailand is inching towards 80 days free from COVID-19 community transmission and there were enough supplies for the general Thai users.

He said hospital staff and frontline health workers, airport staff use about two to three million surgical masks a day.

However, Whichai said that his department is continuing to restrict surgical mask exports in case there is a local shortage of supplies.

Cumulative infections in Thailand, to date, are 3,356, with 3,169 recoveries and 58 deaths, while 129 others are still being treated in hospital. Enditem
Australian war hero Teddy Sheean is finally getting the recognition he deserves after 78 years of injustice.

The Queen has agreed to award the World War II seaman a posthumous Victoria Cross, which is Australia's highest military honour.

Sheean died in 1942 when the HMAS Armidale was sunk by Japanese bombers in the Timor Sea.

The 18-year-old strapped himself to an anti-aircraft gun and fired at enemy planes as the ship went down.

He is credited with saving the lives of 49 crewmates.

Sheean's family have spent many decades fighting for justice and were finally vindicated on Wednesday afternoon.

Australian War hero Teddy Sheean (pictured) will be awarded a posthumous Victoria Cross 78 years after saving the lives of 49 crewmates when he strapped himself to an anti-aircraft gun and fired at enemy planes as his ship sunk

Australia's Governor-General David Hurley (centre) and the Chief of Navy, Vice Admiral Michael Noonan (right) reveal the Queen has granted Australian war hero Edward 'Teddy' Sheean a posthumous Victoria Cross

'This is a momentous day for the Sheaan family,' Governor-General David Hurley said in Canberra.

'In my conversations with them, their pride and emotion was very evident.'

Mr Hurley said the sailor had chosen certain death over survival in order to save his mates.

'The story is inspiring and it should inspire us all,' he said.

An official ceremony is expected to be held in coming months.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison recommended Sheean be given the posthumous Victoria Cross earlier this week, after an expert panel found the original decision to deny him the award was wrong.

Mr Morrison, who acknowledged a 'substantial injustice' had been done, welcomed the Queen's approval.

'The decision formalises what we already know: that Teddy Sheean is an Australian hero,' he said.

Sheean will be the first member of the Royal Australian Navy to receive the award.

'There is no higher honour than the Victoria Cross,' Chief of Navy Michael Noonan said.

'Teddy Sheean's story of bravery is well known in our navy and we have long recognised his heroic and gallant actions.

'This story, this account, is the stuff of legends.'

An independent panel found Sheean (Dale Marsh's painting of Teddy Sheean pictured) deserved the prestigious award after he was denied earlier this year

Vice Admiral Noonan said Sheean's heroism had set the standard for men and women of the modern navy.

'His spirit of courage, of sacrifice and of service is an enduring part of our navy, living on through our fleet and our people,' he said.

'I cannot understate the esteem in which he is held by our navy people, past and present.'

HMAS Sheean, a Collins Class submarine, is the first and only Royal Australian Navy ship to bear the name of an ordinary seaman.

Hundreds of submariners have worn his name on their uniforms, and hundreds more will do so over the next 20 years.
Hours before polls opened for the state's primary election, police in Connecticut arrested a Republican congressional candidate on charges stemming from an alleged domestic assault in July.

Thomas Gilmer, a primary candidate for the US House of Representatives, was charged with second-degree strangulation and first-degree unlawful restraint, according to the Wethersfield Police Department, which made the arrest with the assistance of the Madison Police Department on Monday night.

He was released on a $5,000 bond. He abruptly ended his campaign and suspended his social media accounts and website following his arrest.

Mr Gilmer, endorsed by the state's Republican Party, was set to challenge incumbent Democrat Joe Courtney, who entered office in 2007 in a district encompassing the eastern part of the state. He is also a member of the House Armed Services Committee and Committee on Education and the Workforce.

"With the severity of the accusations, Mr Gilmer has ended his campaign," the state's Republican Party announced on Tuesday.

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1/51 11 August 2020 French Prime Minister Jean Castex (L) is helped by a member of staff of the hospital to put a protective suit prior to his visit at the CHU hospital in Montpellier, southern France AFP via Getty Images

2/51 10 August 2020 Locals harvest their potatoes as Mount Sinabung spews volcanic ash in Karo, North Sumatra province, Indonesia Antara Foto/Reuters

3/51 9 August 2020 Doves fly over the Peace Statue at Nagasaki Peace Park during the memorial ceremony held for the 75th anniversary of the atomic bombing EPA

4/51 8 August 2020 Anti-government protesters try to remove concrete wall that installed by security forces to prevent protesters reaching the Parliament square, during a protest against the political elites and the government after this week's deadly explosion in Beirut AP

5/51 7 August 2020 A protester throws a stone towards Israeli forces in the village of Turmus Aya, north of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, following a march by Palestinians against the building of Israeli settlements AFP via Getty

6/51 6 August 2020 A woman yells as soldiers block a road for French President Emmanuel Macron's visit the Gemmayzeh neighborhood. The area in Beirut suffered extensive damage from the explosion at the seaport AP

7/51 5 August 2020 Damage at the site of Tuesday's blast in Beirut's port area, Lebanon Reuters

8/51 4 August 2020 A large explosion in the Lebanese capital Beirut. The blast, which rattled entire buildings and broke glass, was felt in several parts of the city AFP via Getty

9/51 3 August 2020 A general view shows the new road bridge in Genoa, Italy ahead of its official inauguration, after it was rebuilt following its collapse on August 14, 2018 which killed 43 people Reuters

10/51 2 August 2020 Empty stall spaces are seen hours before a citywide curfew is introduced in Melbourne, Australia EPA

11/51 1 August 2020 People take part in a demonstration by the initiative "Querdenken-711" with the slogan "the end of the pandemic - the day of freedom" to protest against the current measurements to curb the spread of COVID-19 in Berlin, Germany AFP via Getty

12/51 31 July 2020 Pilgrims circumambulating around the Kaaba, the holiest shrine in the Grand mosque in Mecca. Muslim pilgrims converged today on Saudi Arabia's Mount Arafat for the climax of this year's hajj, the smallest in modern times and a sharp contrast to the massive crowds of previous years Saudi Ministry of Media/AFP

13/51 30 July 2020 The Mars 2020 Perseverance mission lifts off at the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida. The mission is part of the USA's largest moon to Mars exploration. Nasa will attempt to establish a sustained human presence on and around the moon by 2028 through their Artemis programme EPA

14/51 29 July 2020 A woman refreshes herself in a outdoor pool in summer temperatures in Ehingen, Germany dpa via AP

15/51 28 July 2020 Malaysia's former prime minister Najib Razak speaks to the media after he was found guilty in his corruption trial in Kuala Lumpur AFP via Getty

16/51 27 July 2020 North Korean leader Kim Jong Un poses for a photograph after conferring commemorative pistols to leading commanding officers of the armed forces on the 67th anniversary of the "Day of Victory in the Great Fatherland Liberation War". Which marks the signing of the Korean War armistice KCNA via Reuters

17/51 26 July 2020 Federal officers launch tear gas at a group of demonstrators during a Black Lives Matter protest outside the Portland Courthouse AP

18/51 25 July 2020 Rescue forces in action after an ultralight aircraft crashed into a house in Wesel, Germany EPA

19/51 24 July 2020 Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan (C) and invited guests attending Friday prayers at Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque during the official opening ceremony of Hagia Sophia in Istanbul Turkish Presidential Press Service/AFP/Getty

20/51 23 July 2020 Federal officers arrest a protester after she crossed a fence line set up around the Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Courthouse in Portland, Oregon. State and city elected officials have called for the federal officers to leave Portland as clashes between protesters and federal police continue to escalate Getty

21/51 22 July 2020 Fire burns near the village of Galataki as authorities evacuate the place near Corinth, Greece. More than 250 firefighters, backed by water-dropping aircraft, were struggling Wednesday to contain a large wildfire fanned by strong winds that has forced the evacuation of five settlements in southern Greece AP

22/51 21 July 2020 A Black Lives Matter protester carries an American flag as teargas fills the air outside the Mark O. Hatfield United States Courthouse in Portland, Oregon AP

23/51 20 July 2020 A trader decorates a camel with Henna at a cattle market set up for the upcoming Muslim festival Eid al-Adha also called "Festival of the Sacrifice", in Rawalpindi AFP via Getty

24/51 19 July 2020 The Milky Way galaxy is seen in the sky above the International Car Forest of the Last Church in Goldfield, Nevada. The roadside attraction, created in 2002 by Mark Rippie, has over 36 automobiles including cars, trucks, vans and buses that have been balanced on their ends or stacked on top one of another AFP via Getty

25/51 18 July 2020 Revellers take part in the annual Gay Pride parade, also called Christopher Street Day in Frankfurt Reuters

26/51 17 July 2020 Airplanes of the Scandinavian Airshow draw a heart in the sky, above the Turning Torso building in Malmo, Sweden TT News Agency/Reuters

27/51 16 July 2020 Farmers protest outside the Indonesian Parliament against the cancellation of an 'omnibus bill' that aims to revise dozens of existing laws to ease the way for investment in Southeast Asia's largest economy in Jakarta Reuters

28/51 15 July 2020 Flooding in Sunamganj. Almost four million people have been hit by monsoon floods in South Asia, with a third of Bangladesh already underwater from some of the heaviest rains in a decade AFP via Getty

29/51 14 July 2020 Second Republican infantry guard regiment take part in the annual Bastille Day military ceremony on the Place de la Concorde in Paris AFP via Getty

30/51 13 July 2020 A man walks his dog through thick sea foam blowing ashore during a storm in Seapoint, Cape Town, South Africa EPA

31/51 12 July 2020 Security forces on the outskirts of Amritsar take part in Van Mahotsav, an annual tree-planting festival in India AFP via Getty

32/51 11 July 2020 People covered with coloured powder enjoy music during the Holi festival in Minsk, Belarus EPA

33/51 10 July 2020 A demonstrator during clashes following the funeral of 29-year-old Palestinian Ibrahim Abou Yacoub, who was killed by Israeli forces, in the village of Kifl Hares, south of the West Bank city of Nablus AFP via Getty

34/51 9 July 2020 The sun rises in Timmendorfer Strand, northern Germany AP

35/51 8 July 2020 Portraits of healthcare workers are pasted on the Opera Bastille, designed by Anne-Christine Poujoulat, to pay tribute to caregivers during the Covid-19 pandemic in Paris Anne-Christine Poujoulat/AFP/Getty

36/51 7 July 2020 Tengger tribe people make their way to the summit of Mount Bromo volcano to make offerings in Probolinggo, as part of the Yadnya Kasada Festival. The Tenggerese climb the active volcano to seek the blessing from the main deity by presenting offerings of rice, fruit, livestock and other items AFP via Getty

37/51 6 July 2020 A healthcare worker checks the temperature of residents during a check-up campaign in Mumbai, India Reuters

38/51 5 July 2020 People wearing protective face masks to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus sit at a bus stop in the city of Zanjan, Iran AP

39/51 4 July 2020 Protesters blocking an exit to the precinct of the officers who arrested Elijah McClain, cover their ears anticipating the use of flash-bang grenades by police in Aurora, Colorado Reuters

40/51 3 July 2020 A member of the Israeli border police jumps during a Palestinian protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the West Bank, in Kafr Qaddum near Nablus Reuters

41/51 2 July 2020 A surfer jumps clear of his board while enjoying winter waves at New Brighton Beach in Christchurch, New Zealand AP

42/51 1 July 2020 A man is detained by riot police during a demonstration in Hong Kong. China imposed a new national security law which has faced international condemnation Getty

43/51 30 June 2020 A man smokes a pipe while wearing a face mask during a demonstration in Nantes, as part of a nationwide day of protests to demand better working conditions for health workers in France AFP via Getty

44/51 29 June 2020 Lawmakers from Taiwan's ruling Democratic Progressive Party scuffle with people from the main opposition Kuomintang party, who have been occupying the Legislature Yuan, in Taipei Reuters

45/51 28 June 2020 Protester holds crosses during a demonstration in honour of the victims of coronavirus in front of Brazil's National Congress Getty

46/51 27 June 2020 A demonstrator wearing a face mask holds a sign during a protest against police brutality and racial inequality in the aftermath of the death in Minneapolis police custody of George Floyd, at the Victory column in Berlin Reuters

47/51 26 June 2020 Hygienists inside a decontamination area in a coronavirus treatment centre that cares for positive patients that show little or no symptoms in Dakar AFP via Getty

48/51 25 June 2020 A seagull snatches a croissant from a buffet during a press conference at the headquarters of AP Moeller - Maersk in Copenhagen, Denmark Ritzau Scanpix/AFP/Getty

49/51 24 June 2020 A volunteer receives an injection from a medical worker during the country's first human clinical trial for a potential vaccine against coronavirus, at the Baragwanath hospital in Soweto, South Africa Reuters

50/51 23 June 2020 Swiss acrobat Ramon Kathriner performs during the "Glacier 3000" Air show, an event marking the reopening of the Alpine facilities above Les Diablerets AFP via Getty

51/51 22 June 2020 A worker cleans volcanic ash off the stupas at the Borobudur temple in Indonesia, a day after Mount Merapi erupted in nearby Sleman, sending a plume of ash into the sky AFP via Getty

Remaining in the state's Republican primary race is Justin Anderson, a former corrections officer and Army National Guard veteran who served in Afghanistan.

Mr Gilmer's name remains on the ballot. Thousands of votes from absentee ballots have already been cast.

The winner in Tuesday's race will face Congressman Courtney in November.

"Unfortunately, my primary opponent focused on slinging mud, without regard to the truth," Mr Gilmer said in a statement to local media. "Now, I find myself in the position where I must put my family and our shared Republican values before my own interests. I cannot, in good conscience, move forward in this campaign while I am simultaneously forced to clear my name. And, clear my name I will."
By PTI

NEW DELHI: The Centre has set up an expert committee headed by NITI Aayog member VK Paul which will meet on Wednesday to consider the logistics and ethical aspects of procuring and administering the COVID-19 vaccine, the Union Health Ministry said.

The committee on vaccine administration will engage with all stakeholders including state governments and vaccine manufacturers and its terms of reference include selecting suitable vaccines, their procurement and delivery and prioritising groups to administer them.

"It will also look into aspects related to logistics like cold chain and inventory, arrangement of resources for procuring the vaccine and issues of equity.

This expert group will continue its engagement with all state governments and vaccine manufacturers in India," said Health Ministry Secretary Rajesh Bhushan at a press briefing on Tuesday.

He was responding to a question on whether India plans to tie up with Russia for procuring the vaccine which Moscow claims to have developed.

Asked if the government was looking at at-risk funding for vaccine manufacturers and has estimated the number of doses required at least in the first six months, Bhushan said these issues have been engaging the attention of the Health Ministry for "quite some time now".

"We have consulted a large number of stakeholders and have also made certain projections, but it will be premature to share them with you as of now," he added.

"The Expert Committee on Vaccine Administration under the chairmanship of Dr V K Paul, NITI Aayog will meet on 12th August to consider logistics & ethical aspects of procurement & administration of COVID-19 vaccine," the Health Ministry tweeted.

Three vaccine candidates are in different stages of human clinical trials in India.

The phase-1 and 2 human clinical trials of two of them, developed indigenously by Bharat Biotech, in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research, and Zydus Cadila Ltd, are going on, Bhushan said.

The Serum Institute of India has been permitted for conducting Phase 2 and 3 human clinical trials of the third vaccine candidate developed by the Oxford University.

The Pune-based institute has partnered with AstraZeneca for manufacturing it.

The phase 1 trial of the Oxford vaccine candidate in the UK is complete and phase 2 trials are going on in the UK and South Africa, while the phase-3 trial is underway in Brazil.

The Serum Institute has said it has entered into a new partnership with international vaccine alliance Gavi and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to accelerate manufacturing and delivery of up to 100 million doses of vaccines for India and other low and middle-income countries.
A coal supplier has sued national utility Vietnam Electricity (EVN) for payment of VND208 billion ($9 million) under a power plant supply contract.

DIC Investment and Trading Jsc, a supplier of coal and construction materials in Ho Chi Minh City, said in a statement to the State Securities Commission of Vietnam that it was suing EVN for delays in paying for the coal it has supplied to the Vinh Tan 4 Thermal Power Plant in the central province of Binh Thuan.

It said it had executed the coal supplying contract worth over VND1.1 trillion ($47.6 million) in April 2018 for conducting a test run of the thermal power plant.

However, issues concerning taxes and contract terms have resulted in EVN delaying its payment, depriving it of operating capital, DIC said.

The money owed it by EVN and some other companies is the reason why an auditor has not commented on DICs financial statement for last year, which resulted in its stock being delisted from the HCMC Stock Exchange on April 10.

An EVN spokesman who did not want to be named said that the DIC demands had no grounds. "They go against the terms of the contract and the laws."

He said the coal DIC supplied failed to meet the agreed standard. Specifically, 26 shipments made at the Vinh Tan International Port in Binh Thuan had violated quality standards, and under the contract, DIC should be fined VND70.3 billion ($3.04 million), or 8 percent of the contract value, the spokesman said.

He also said EVN was withholding a payment of VND48.3 billion ($2.09 million) as part of the fine, and DIC still needed to pay it the remaining VND22 billion ($952,000) in fines.

As part of its demand, DIC wants EVN to pay VND118.3 billion ($5.1 million) for shipping costs incurred, but EVN claims this demand has no grounds either.

DIC also demanded a demurrage fee (charges paid for ship owners for delays in loading) of VND35.5 billion ($1.5 million) from EVN. The latter said in is in the process of calculating and negotiating this payment.

The coal supplier plans to sue EVN for another VND127 billion ($5.5 million) concerning the damage it has suffered, which means it will demand a total of VND335 billion ($14.5 million) from EVN in its lawsuit.
Kamala Harris, the California Senator of Indian origin has been named by Joe Biden as his running mate on Tuesday.

In a tweet, Biden announced the nomination of her as his running mate.

Harris may be achieving many firsts -- but guess Indians want to know? Her religion. The Internet is flooded now with one question: What's the religion of Kamala Harris?

In choosing Harris, Biden is embracing a former rival from the Democratic primary who is familiar with the unique rigor of a national campaign. Harris, a 55-year-old first-term senator, is also one of the party's most prominent figures and quickly became a top contender for the No. 2 spot after her own White House campaign ended.

Harris, however, has been a trailblazer all her life. Harris was the first black attorney general of California, the first woman to hold the post, and the first woman of South Asian heritage to be elected to the US Senate.

She is now seeking to become the first female vice president of the United States.

Kamala Harris also has strong Indian roots: Her mother, Shyamala Gopalan, was born in Chennai and immigrated to the US to attend a doctoral program at UC Berkeley.

Harris had mentioned in an interview that her grandfather was one of the original Independence fighters in India, and some of her fondest memories from childhood were walking along the beach with him after he retired and lived in Besant Nagar in Chennai.

Harris, in many of her interviews, has credited her Indian-American mother Shyamala Gopalan Harris for instilling in her the sense of responsibility that motivated her political career. But for Harris, her mother has been more than an inspiration-- she has been a 'superhero'.

Read More: The Indian-ness of Kamala Harris, the 'Female Barack Obama' Set to Contest the Next US Elections

After her nomination was announced, many in India started to look her up, but instead of looking at her achievements, the most common search terms were 'Kamala Harris religion' 'Kamala Harris Hindu' 'Kamala Harris religion'

But that wasn't all. Within hours of her nomination, hate and 'why you shouldn't vote for Kamala Harris' messages from desis started pouring in, complete with fake news.

Hope Indian Americans don't vote for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris just because Harris' mother happens to be Indian. Harris identifies herself as Black and is known to hate her Indian side of the family. The best President for India is Donald Trump.https://t.co/LwFPbzDbMd  Rakesh Krishnan Simha (@ByRakeshSimha) August 11, 2020

Kamala Harris the VP candidate supports the Free Kashmir rhetoric. She stands against an United India. I hope Indian Americans who will be voting in America take an informed decision. pic.twitter.com/6NVwaqGp9M  The Thinking Hat  (@ThinkinHashtag) August 12, 2020

Kamala Harris. A servant of the prison-industrial complex whose entire career is defined by preying on the poor and vulnerable, but normie Indian Americans support her because she made masala dosa with Mindy Kaling once. #NotMyAunty pic.twitter.com/53iUHVwE43  the oriental despot  (@JayTharappel) August 12, 2020

Harris's pick is also significant for another reason: She could potentially be the next US President. 77-year-Biden is expected to serve only a single term if elected, Harris would be favored to win the Democratic presidential nomination four years from now.

That could give her a shot at more history-making -- as the first female president of the United States.
20,000 multicoloured origami birds have been installed in a medieval-era cathedral in Brussels, Belgium, as an initiative to raise funds for two Covid-19 units at the Hospital Erasme.

The art installation titled Origami For Life, is an initiative by the artist Charles Kaisin. The aim is to raise funds for Hospital Erasme in Belgium by creating Origami art using over 20,000 origami.

SEE PHOTOS: Paper birds: Art installation titled Origami for Life in Belgium adds colour to the gloom

Suspended from the ceiling of the Cathedral of Saint Michael and Saint Gudula by thin wires, the artwork has come from as far as Hong Kong, New York and Tokyo, after Belgian designer Charles Kaisin asked people to send in home-made birds, or deposit them in boxes in 160 shops around Brussels.

Each bird was matched by a donation from companies including French energy firm Engie, raising 101,625 euros ($119,744) for two units for Covid-19 patients at the Erasmus hospital in Brussels. On the artists official website, he mentions the objective behind this initiative which is to fund a Covid-19 special care unit for Hospital Erasme per 50,000 raised; and also to Build a 10,000 Origamis installation to be exposed at the KANAL - Centre Pompidou in Brussels.

I had a very serious heart surgery and I was well taken care of by this hospital. Its why I wanted to help them, Kaisin told Reuters.

The artist also shared a tutorial video on how to make Origami through which people can support this initiative:

Kaisin also organised an art auction which raised a further 300,000 euros ($353,000) for the hospital, in order to support its medical research, including the side effects of potential Covid-19 treatments.

-- with Reuters inputs

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Rajasthan Chief Minister on Wednesday said resentment among the Congress MLAs is natural after the return of dissident legislators to the party-fold but asked them to forgive, forget and move on.

But with just two days to go before the assembly session, the party is taking no chances, deciding to keep them together at a resort in the state capital.

The MLAs in the Gehlot camp were on Wednesday flown back to Jaipur from Jaisalmer, where they were together at another hotel.

They were taken straight from the airport to the Fairmont hotel on the outskirts of the city, where they had stayed before being moved to Jaisalmer. The MLAs mostly from the Congress and some allies are expected to remain there till the assembly meets on August 14.

The Congress crisis in Rajasthan appears to have ended with the intervention of the top leadership of Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra who met rebel leader Sachin Pilot earlier this week



Pilot had openly rebelled against Gehlot last month along with 18 other Congress MLAs. He was then sacked as deputy chief minister and the party's Rajasthan chief.

Meeting reporters in Jaisalmer, Gehlot said he had urged the MLAs to bear with the develoipement, while acknowledging that it was natural for them to be upset.

Forget and forgive and move on in the interest of the country, the state, the people of the state and democracy. Democracy in under threat. This was a fight to save democracy, in which our MLAS gave their support, he said.

At earlier Congress Legislature Party meetings, the loyalist MLAs had called for disciplinary action against the dissidents who defied party whips while demanding a change in the leadership in the state.

Gehlot had himself called the now sacked PCC president useless, using the derogatory Hindi word nikamma for Sachin Pilot.

"It is natural for them to be upset. The way this episode happened, they had to stay in hotels, he said Wednesday, in an apparent reference to the previous evening's Congress Legislature Party meeting in Jaisalmer.

I have exhorted them that in the interest of the country, state, people of the state and for saving democracy, sometimes we have to bear this, he said.

He said that more than 100 MLAs stayed together for such a long time, which is a big thing in itself and had never happened in the history of the country.

The chief minister said all MLAs, including those who have returned now, will work together to fulfil the commitments made to the people of the state.

In Jaipur, as the loyalist MLAs headed to the Fairmont hotel, Transport Minister Pratap Singh Khachariyawas confirmed that they are not happy with the turn of events.

Yes, several MLAs said they are upset and saying this is their right, he said, while reminding that a decision has already been taken by the party high command.

AICC general secretary Avinash Pande, who too came to Jaipur from Jaisalmer, said the MLAs remained united.

The Gehlot government will complete its five-year term, he said. We will also win the next assembly elections in 2023.

Independent MLA Sanyam Lodha said the dissident MLAs have returned unconditionally. Congress deputy chief whip Mahendra Chaudhary called the events a victory of the Congress and the BJP's defeat.

The party had alleged that the BJP was trying to topple the Gehlot government by trying to lure away Congress MLAs.

The MLAs in the camp had moved into the Fairmont hotel in Jaipur on July 13 and were shifted to Jaisalmer's Suryagarh hotel on August 31.

Till Wednesday evening, Gehlot and Pilot had not met since the dissident leader's return to Jaipur.

On Tuesday, Gehlot was in Jaisalmer with the MLAs there. He travelled to Jodhpur on Wednesday to condole the death of 11 Pakistani Hindu migrants who died there recently, allegedly after a suicide pact.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
"There are a lot of variables in the current economic climate, but the one thing that will always propel businesses to success is a healthy company culture." - Express CEO Bill Stoller

In a time of record unemployment due to the COVID-19 pandemic, 81% of hiring decision-makers say their company has had extended job vacancies resulting in less motivated employees, loss in revenue and lower employee morale.

This is according to a newly released survey conducted by The Harris Poll and commissioned by Express Employment Professionals.

Hiring decision-makers say employees cite better offerings at other companies as the top reason for quitting, such as pay/benefits (35%), perks (35%) or advancement opportunities (34%).

The primary reasons current employees leave jobs include:

1. Had a better offer from another company  30%

2. Work hours are not suitable  20%

3. Not a good fit with company culture  19%

4. Lack of advancement/opportunity  19%

5. Low pay  17%

6. Inadequate benefits  15%

John Dickey, Express franchise owner of two offices in Massachusetts, believes employees move on from jobs when the company culture is poor.

If workers are happy with the culture and they like working with their boss and coworkers, they will overlook the other reasons for leaving their job, he said. Im a believer that workers dont quit their jobs, they quit their boss.

Of the 81% of hiring decision-makers who say their company has had extended job vacancies, the vast majority (82%) say the extended vacancies have taken a toll. This includes less motivated employees (25%), loss in revenue (24%), work not getting done (23%), lower employee morale due to employees being overworked (23%) and delays in delivery times (22%).

The extent to which these negative impacts are felt vary by company size, with the largest companies about twice as likely or higher than the smallest companies to say they experience these frustrations.

Show appreciation and pay people fairly, Lori Gajdzik, branch manager for the Crystal Lake, Illinois, Express office, said of how to retain and hire employees. Allow for growth and development, and give flexibility if necessary for child care, as well. This is especially true as employees struggle with their school system and the uncertainty of the traditional classroom setting this upcoming fall.

Shannon Wenninger, Express franchise owner in Fishers, Indiana, agrees that company culture plays a large role in employee tenure.

Treat them like people, she said. And communicate, especially during this time of the COVID-19 pandemic. Let people know what is happening and dont keep them in the dark.

Hiring is ramping up across the country as Express offices help companies fill those extended job vacancies with more than 23,000 open positions availablea return to pre-pandemic levels. And Wenninger, Dickey and Gajdzik agree more workers will return to the workforce with the end of the $600 weekly federal unemployment supplement.

Companies need people to show up for work to get their product out the door, Gajdzik said. A robust economy is critical to the health and wellbeing of a productive society.

Employees are a companys most valuable asset, and no matter market conditions, its important to take care of them, says Express CEO Bill Stoller.

There are a lot of variables in the current economic climate, but the one thing that will always propel businesses to success is a healthy company culture, he said. Good employees are worth the investment.

Survey Methodology

The survey was conducted online within the United States by The Harris Poll on behalf of Express Employment Professionals between April 21 and May 6, 2020, among 1,005 U.S. hiring decision-makers (defined as adults ages 18+ in the U.S. who are employed full-time or self-employed or have been laid off, furloughed, or given a zero hour schedule in the past 60 days but worked full-time or were self-employed full-time prior, work at companies with more than 1 employee, and have full/significant involvement in hiring decisions at their company). Data were weighted where necessary by company size to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population.

If you would like to arrange for an interview with Bill Stoller to discuss this topic, please contact Sheena Karami, Director of Corporate Communications and PR, at (405) 717-5966.

About Bill Stoller

William H. "Bill" Stoller is chairman and chief executive officer of Express Employment Professionals. Headquartered in Oklahoma City, the international staffing company has more

than 825 franchises in the U.S., Canada and South Africa, and beginning in 2020 will expand to Australia and New Zealand. Since its inception, Express has put more than 8 million people to work worldwide.

About Express Employment Professionals

At Express Employment Professionals, were in the business of people. From job seekers to client companies, Express helps people thrive and businesses grow. Headquartered in Oklahoma City, OK, our international network of franchises offer localized staffing solutions to the communities they serve, employing 552,000 people across North America in 2019. For more information, visit http://www.ExpressPros.com.
NAMING NAMES

Trump calls Hillary Clinton nasty. Trump calls Kamala Harris nasty. Trump calls Elizabeth Warren Pocahontas. Trump calls his daughter, Ivanka Trump Kushner, hot. Cant confirm what he calls his daughter, Tiffany. Since he has names for everyone, can I call him minion for the anti-Christ or are we supposed to stick with fictitious names?

RNB

STAND BY THE UNION

To a worker the loss of a job is like a death sentence . Now we have politicians who say they are for the workers, calling for people to loose their jobs. Our labor leaders, union presidents should take a good look at who they support in November . During a election cycle these politicians, Democrats and Republicans, come to the unions asking for support and more importantly our hard-earned money for their campaigns . All workers should let their leadership know that they should support, regardless of party, the candidates that truly support workers, in action not just lip service and pandering. Its our money. Make sure it goes to someone that supports the workers.

HOPING LABOR HASNT LOST ITS MORAL COMPASS

TIME FOR A CRACKDOWN

The gun violence is way out of control All of these shootings, pregnant mothers, babies, kids playing on their porches, getting shot in broad daylight. I really think that the only solution to this problem is that they need to start the stop and frisk policy on these streets again. This isnt about peoples rights, this is about peoples lives. Criminals out there dont care who they shoot with guns. Cops should be able to do their job and pull suspicious vehicles over that dont look right and check pedestrians out that look like theyre up to no good. Shake them down for guns. Period! If they have no guns, let them go! This should not to be used as a tool for harassment but a tool for protection. Lets free up the cops trying to protect us from losing our neighborhoods, children, mothers, to these criminals that think they deserve rights.

PETE DOWN THE STREET

KEEP THE NICKNAME

No dictionary identifies a raider as an Indian. People in Radnor are supposed to be smart. Hasnt it occurred to anyone there that theres a simple solution to the mascot problem: Drop the logo; keep the nickname. Let them come up with their version of the Ridley Green Raiders.

ROCKIN R.

HILL OF BEANS

This is to PJ: You have to be kidding. You really think Hillary would have handled the pandemic better? No one could handle whats happening, weve never seen nothing like this before! PJ has all the answers! Another clown that just doesnt realize whats happening around him! God bless America.

RICK FROM ASTON

WASHED OUT

Just heard that the president has asked the South Dakota governor to add his image to the Rushmore monument. Let me suggest an alternative. In that the New Jersey shore towns, promote a sand castle-building competition to construct a Trump image. And further to represent the blip that he will have in history the sculptures be built at low tide.

DELCOSEER

MAIL IN FRAUD

Mail-in voting is open to fraud. This is what the Democratic powers want and are looking forward to allowing, ballots to be lost, not being returned in time,ballots to be deemed improperly completed and any other means to invalidate ballots. The only way to insure a valid election is to bring back the voting machines. This can be accomplished by extending the time frame of the election to maintain social distancing.

WOWZO

Who is Mario Cimino? You need to find this guy and hire him!

THATS THE QUESTION

What I dont understand about the Interboro School Board member at the BLM rally is why she was there in the first place, screaming insults at women and children. Shes a disgrace and should resign or be removed.
GUATEMALA CITY - Prosecutors in Guatemala raided 26 properties and detained seven people Wednesday in connection with a 2014-2015 corruption case that helped lead to the resignation of former president Otto Perez Molina.

Perez Molina and his vice-president Roxana Baldetti resigned in 2015 and have been in custody on charges of permitting and benefiting from a customs graft scheme known as La Linea, or The Line.

The scheme involved a conspiracy to defraud the state by letting businesses evade import duties in exchange for bribes. Dozens of people are under investigation in connection with the Linea case, which involved about $1 million in bribes and $2 million in lost income for the government.

Those involved in the scheme also allegedly include customs officials, business people and others.
Bengaluru: Three persons were killed while two more were injured when police opened fire on the mob that went berserk, vandalising in Kadugondanahalli area of Bengaluru North.

Curfew has been clamped in the affected area which turned tense after the incident and the police have arrested over 110 people in KG Halli police station limits and another 34 people in the neighbouring Devara Jeevanahalli police station limits. City Police Commissioner Kamal Panth said that the situation was under control and police are verifying affiliation of people, who were involved in violence.

The mob, besides torching the house of MLA Akhanda Srinivasmurthy, burnt cars and damaged properties. While the three storied house of the MLA was completely gutted, his cars, two wheelers parked near the house were set ablaze too. Besides, many vehicles parked on roadside in the area and houses were attacked by the mob.

The mob also attacked neighbouring Devarajeevanahalli police station.

Police said that the MLA and his family members were not in the house when the attack took place. The mob went inside the house and torched everything.

Meanwhile, the police arrested Naveen, who had posted derogatory comment against a minority community. However, the accused said that he had lost his mobile phone and he did not post the comments which seems to have hurt the religious sentiments of people.
Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has urged African governments to invest in ICT infrastructure and digital data collection tools to help transform their respective national statistical offices and economies.



Speaking during the virtual launch of the Economic Commission for Africa's (ECA) Price Watch Centre for Africa, Dr. Bawumia stressed that relying on credible data from African economies will be key to realising the objectives of the Africa Price Watch Centre, which among other thing, seeks to bring data on all African economies on one platform for comparitive analysis on price movements and other economic indicators.



To be able to provide timely and accurate data to the platform, Dr. Bawumia, in his key note address, told African finance ministers and other stakeholders who had converged online that, it is important for governments to invest in digital data gathering.



"Governments must invest in ICT infrastructure and the digital data collection tools," Dr. Bawumia said.



"I call upon the heads of national statistical office gathered through this virtual medium to work with ECA in transforming their national statistical systems."



The Vice President identified data gaps on many African economies and inconsistency in data definition and methodology as difficulties in making comparative analysis on African economies and price movements of goods and services, which he hoped the initiative will help address.



"The availability of timely data from a single aggregator source should help us overcome data gaps, and the lack of consistency in data definition and methodology that often characterize African statistics."



"We need data on price movements to gauge how changes in consumer and factor prices alone may be affecting the trends in income redistribution, poverty levels and inequalities, especially among the army of those who live on retirement incomes."



"As we open the doors of continental free trade, price level data is important for cross country comparisons in understanding regional markets and the competitiveness of producers across the continent."



To enhance the value of continent wide price movement data, Dr. Bawumia called for data collection and approaches to data computation to be comparable and relevant.



"With Continental Free Trade and the march towards the Africa we want, more and more, there is the need to further streamline data collection on African economies for monitoring, evaluation and planning purposes. This underlines the urgent need for effective collaboration between the ECA, AfDB to building the vital socio-economic statistics for Africa."



"It is our hope that the ECA will work with national statistical institutions to overcome these disparities by agreeing on common methdological guidelines, benchmarks and capacity building," Dr. Bawumia added.



Following the successful launch of the Africa Price Water Watch Center and its platform (website), Vice President Bawumia expressed satisfaction and urged member states to cooperate with the ECA to provide timely data to the platform.



"It is a rich data portal that we have been presented with for analysis. We need to cooperate with ECAs so that we can present our data on a timely basis," he said.

Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
Photo: (Photo : Twitter/Robert Garcia)

Long Beach, California, Mayor revealed that he lost his stepfather two weeks after he lost his mom. Gabriella O'Donnell and Greg O'Donnell both died due to the coronavirus.

In July, Robert Garcia posted on Twitter that both his mom and stepdad have tested positive with COVID-19. He shared that both had to be hospitalized and put on a ventilator.

Garcia's mom, who was a longtime healthcare worker, died on July 26. She had been married to Greg, 58, for 27 years. A day after her memorial service, Greg died of complications.

Stepdad died two weeks after his mom died

On Monday, Garcia shared his grief about losing his stepdad on Twitter. He said that they are incredibly saddened by the death of Greg O'Donnell. He died due to COVID-19 complications. He shared that it was a heartbreaking loss for the whole family, most especially for his brother Jake.

See also: Volunteers Help Teen Who Has Inoperable Brain Tumor Restore Classic Car

He described Greg as a kind and good-hearted man, and an amazing father and grandfather. Garcia also wrote that he is the best husband his mom could ever hope for. He and his brother want to thank all the heroic doctors and nurses who care for their dad in his last days.

The mayor agrees with his brother Jake's post saying that while they are broken to the loss of their parents, they find comfort that both are together again. Adding that both their parents are not suffering from pain anymore.

Garcia paid tribute to his mom earlier last month by tweeting that she was the kindest and most compassionate person they have ever known. He wrote that his 61-year-old mom will always be their guiding light and the center of their lives. Both Garcia and Jake are grateful for the heroes at the Long Beach Memorial for taking care of their mom during her last days.

See also: Man, 90, Dies Happy Even After Contracting Coronavirus from Dying Wife

Mom found the American Dream

The mayor shared that his mom immigrated to the US from Peru to look for the American Dream. He explained that his mom found it after becoming a healthcare worker. His mom loved caring for patients and assisting nurses and doctors.

No one knows if both Garcia's mom and stepdad suffered any pre-existing condition before contracting the virus. Older people have a higher risk of getting infected with the virus. Those who have underlying medical conditions also have greater chances of getting ill with the virus, based on the CDC.

See also: Mom Died Due to Misdiagnosed Cancer, Thought It Was Coronavirus

A large study in New York City, which included thousands of patients, revealed that 88 percent had two or more pre-existing conditions. US Sen. Kamala Harris wrote his tribute for Garcia's parents. She wrote that his heart aches for the mayor and his family. She also wrote that Gabriella has touched many Californians and has led an extraordinary life.

When Garcia's stepfather died, Harris wrote comforting words again to support her colleague. She wrote that her heart breaks again for another devastating loss to Garcia's family. She wished that both his stepdad and mom be their guiding light in the days ahead.
Photo credit: Rochelle Brodin - Getty Images

From House Beautiful

Jason Oppenheim know how to oversee a real estate brokerage that not only brings in the big bucks, but also that makes for good TV. As seen Netflix's original series Selling Sunset, the Oppenheim Group, located at the corner of Sunset Blvd. and Sunset Plaza Dr., in Los Angeles, is your go-to spot when looking to buy or sell properties priced in the millions. The founder and president, Jason Oppenheim, works with his all-female team to make big dealsamidst no shortage of TV-worthy drama.

While the show focuses more so on the professional and personal lives of agents Christine Quinn, Heather Rae Young, Chrishell Sause, Mary Fitzgerald, and more, Oppenheim is always in the back calling all the shots. It's no wonder he's literally worth millions.

How much is Jason Oppenheim worth?

According to Celebrity Net Worth , the 43-year-old real estate mogul has an estimated net worth of $50 million  far more than any other star on Selling Sunset or at the brokerage. Besides his home selling chops, the 5 6 bachelor has a pretty accomplished past.

Oppenheim was a lawyer prior to entering the real estate business

According to his bio on the Oppenheim Group website, Oppenheim received both his undergraduate and law degree from UC Berkeley, where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa and first in his class. While attending Berkeley, he also was an instructor in the Political Science and Legal Studies Department.

His first official job out of school was with international law firm OMelveny & Myers. While at the firm, he represented a broad range of big-name clients (think: the former Enron CEO in the Enron scandal). He even went on to represent a client in a United States Supreme Court... and win.

Why did Oppenheim quit law to pursue real estate?

Although he made an exceptional attorney, Oppenheim left his practice to follow in the footsteps of five generations of his family who had made a name for themselves in real estate. In fact, his great-great-grandfather, Jacob Stern, started one of Los Angeles's first real estate companies in 1889.

Story continues

Oppenheim joined Coldwell Banker, where he soon established himself as one of the Nations leading realtors. After only three years of experience, he founded The Oppenheim Group brokerage. Now, he and his fierce team sell more than 100 properties a year. To date, the Oppenheim Group has made upward of $1 billion in closed sales.

Past clients of Oppenheim's include celebrities like Kris Humphries, Orlando Bloom, Chloe Grace Moretz, Taye Diggs, Dakota Johnson, Jessica Alba, and more. Overall, it seems Oppenheim was destined to be great from the start no matter what he put his mind to.

Follow House Beautiful on Instagram .

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As his party has evolved over time, Mr. Biden has evolved along with it. When Democratic leaders chose a tough-on-crime stance in the early 1990s, for example, he helped to draft major legislation that stiffened sentencing requirements and bolstered funding for prison construction while supporting an aggressive war on drugs. But as advocates of criminal justice reform have increased pressure on Democratic politicians in recent years to reduce mass incarceration and weaken punitive drug laws, Mr. Biden has responded in characteristic fashion.

Acknowledging that we havent always gotten things right, he shifted his positions in a liberal direction  endorsing the abolition of the death penalty, the repeal of mandatory minimum sentencing requirements and the decriminalization of marijuana  even as he continued to resist embracing the most ambitious reform measures favored by some progressive activists.

Policy proposals and priorities are not the only important dimensions of party change. The presidency of Barack Obama inaugurated a period of transformation in the representation of race and gender within Democratic ranks. The proportion of white men within the congressional Democratic Party has decreased to 41 percent from 62 percent over the past decade alone, and the further rise in the number of female congressional candidates this year suggests that the demographic diversity of the partys office-holding class will continue to increase.

Mr. Biden owes his nomination in part to some Democratic primary voters perception that an older white man who is not a socialist might well be an especially formidable challenger to President Trump. But the last four years have also produced mass movements led by women and people of color, both in opposition to Mr. Trump and in favor of their own group interests, that have had a major influence on left-of-center politics in the United States. Under the circumstances, Mr. Bidens pledge to select a female running mate and his ultimate choice of Ms. Harris is a characteristic example of his tendency to row in the direction of the days strongest political currents.

Indeed, vice-presidential selection is often interpreted as an opportunity for candidates to attract greater support from independents or swing voters, but many previous nominees have used the position to ensure enthusiasm for the ticket among key constituencies within their own party. Lyndon Johnson and Jimmy Carter selected Hubert Humphrey and Walter Mondale, respectively, to reassure liberal Democrats of their sympathy to the cause, just as George H.W. Bush picked Dan Quayle and Mitt Romney chose Paul Ryan to assuage skepticism on the Republican right. Mr. Trumps selection of Mike Pence four years ago turned out to be a very successful gesture of outreach to social conservatives, who had previously questioned Mr. Trumps commitment to their policy goals.
New Zealand, which has been praised for its handling of the coronavirus pandemic, placed its largest city back into lockdown Wednesday after the country recorded its first COVID-19 cases in more than three months.

Four members of one family in Auckland tested positive, causing Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to reimpose tight restrictions in the city and social distancing measures across the entire country until at least Friday.

To complicate the situation, health officials said two members of the infected family had visited tourist sites in the town of Rotorua, about 140 miles southwest of Auckland, expanding the number of people who could have been potentially exposed. The family had not traveled overseas.

As we have seen in other countries where a resurgence occurs, its incredibly important to act early, Director General of Health Ashley Bloomfield said.

We have done this before and we can do it again," he added.

Residents of Auckland, a city of around 1.7 million people, were given very little time to prepare for the return to level 3 restrictions, requiring people to stay at home, work from home and, if possible, wear masks when going outside. All schools, public facilities, bars, restaurants and businesses were also shut.

Police set up roadblocks to discourage a mass exodus from Auckland, while supermarkets rationed the sale of some staple products amid a rush to the shelves. Long queues formed at COVID-19 testing centers in the city.

Image: Motorists queue at a COVID-19 coronavirus testing centre in the suburb of Northcote in Auckland, New Zealand (David Rowland / AFP - Getty Images)

Although the source of the virus is unknown, health officials are probing whether the virus may have been imported by freight.

New Zealand, which holds a national election mid-September, has managed to keep the virus in check throughout the pandemic, recording 1,225 confirmed cases and 22 deaths.

Although it has a small population, with less than 5 million people, New Zealand has recorded just 4.56 deaths per million people, compared to compared to almost 500 per million in the United States, according to figures from the University of Oxford.

Story continues

In June, Ardern famously said she did a little dance to celebrate the news that New Zealand had no active cases of COVID-19.

While the re-emergence of the virus after 102 days of no local transmission is a setback for the nation's efforts to stem the pandemic, Ardern remained optimistic.

If we get our immediate response right in this critical phase, we have the opportunity to lessen the time that we will have those heavier restrictions, and thats a lesson that we have all learned together, Arden said, adding that the new restrictions will be hugely frustrating for many people.

Meanwhile, neighboring Australia recorded its deadliest day of the coronavirus pandemic on Wednesday and the biggest daily rise in infections in three days.

A cluster of infections in Melbourne, Australias second-largest city, caused authorities last week to impose a night curfew, tighten restrictions on peoples daily movements and order large parts of the state economy to close.

Officials in the countrys remote Northern Territory said Tuesday they will continue enforcing strict border controls until for at least until 2022.

"If you can, cancel your Christmas holiday plans and stay here in the Northern Territory, the territory's Chief Minister Michael Gunner told Australias ABC News channel.

Image: Medical workers are seen at a COVID-19 pop-up testing centre in Sydney (Loren Elliott / Reuters)

Worldwide, the number of COVID-19 cases has now topped 20 million, with the U.S., Brazil and India accounting for more than half of them, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. The global death toll is hovering at over 740,000.

The virus has wreaked havoc on the global economy, with monetary effects of the pandemic leaving hundreds of thousands of people around the world out of work or relying on government furlough schemes.

The largest contraction reported by any major economy so far was announced in the U.K. on Wednesday.

Officials there said Britains economy shrank by a record 20.4 percent between April and June as it entered a recession for the first time in 11 years.

Todays numbers show that hard times are here, Chancellor Rishi Sunak told U.K. broadcaster Sky News, which like NBC News is owned by Comcast. Hundreds of thousands of people have already lost their jobs and many more will.

Britain suffered the worst coronavirus outbreak in Europe with more than 46,000 deaths so far.

Reuters contributed to this report.
Another scandal is threatening to engulf Lloyds Bank boss Antonio Horta-Osorio before he signs off next year.

The Portuguese chief executive has admitted he knew of an alleged fraud in the HBOS Bristol branch which may have affected hundreds of small business customers.

Lloyds may now face a criminal inquiry over the events in Bristol, which could drag in figures including Horta-Osorio.

Signing off: Lloyds boss Antonio Horta-Osorio, pictured with his wife Ana, is set to step down next year

Kashif Shabir, a Cardiff landlord, saw his business placed into receivership by Lloyds in December 2009. Along with around 200 other customers, he claims to be the victim of a complex corporate fraud.

Together with hundreds of other claimants, Shabir has submitted evidence to Avon and Somerset Police.

He has spent more than six years battling Lloyds, and turned down a settlement which would have forced him to give up his right to pursue any further legal action.

The scandal dates back to before Horta-Osorio was chief executive, but there are questions about his handling of the affair.

The Lloyds boss acknowledged in a letter to Shabir's MP, Jo Stevens, that he had been aware for several years of the alleged fraud, saying it had been 'the subject of close scrutiny at senior level'.

Shabir borrowed money to fund his business in 2007 but things went awry in the financial crisis. After he missed some loan repayments, Lloyds commissioned a property agent, Alder King, to revalue his portfolio.

He claims the firm revised the value of his properties down so heavily that the bank then put his business into receivership.

Alder King later earned significant fees when it was appointed as the independent receiver of Shabir's business and sold off the properties  in some cases for almost twice the value it had said they were worth.

The company denies under-valuing the properties and denies any wrongdoing.

Shabir believes that the bank wanted to clear his low-interest loan off its books so it could deploy the capital released on more profitable business.

Cardiff landlord Kashif Shabir claims to be the victim of a complex corporate fraud after his business placed into receivership by Lloyds in December 2009

Scores of other business owners claim they were driven to the wall by banks, including RBS as well as Lloyds, to bolster their own balance sheets.

In the infamous HBOS Reading affair, customers at a branch  now part of Lloyds  were fleeced by bankers and consultants. And in the GRG unit at RBS, businesses faced high fees and forced sales of assets.

Shabir wants to meet Horta-Osorio but the Lloyds boss has declined. 'Antonio has admitted in writing that he and all the other senior managers have known about this for six years. Just the same as with HBOS Reading. We want to show him the evidence,' said Shabir.

He says the ruin of his business caused severe stress as he tried to provide for his siblings after his father died. 'Lloyds has no idea of the mental issues they caused. It affected my family,' he said.

In cases like Shabir's, the firms which complete valuations, advise the bank and act as receivers to sell the assets should be independent of each other  to avoid conflicts of interest where one could create business to benefit the others.

But Shabir has raised concerns over Alder King's ties to Lloyds. He claims they colluded to wreck his business.

One employee of Alder King introduced himself to Shabir, via a Lloyds email address, as a 'colleague' of his bank manager, and later corresponded with Shabir on Lloyds-headed paper.

The man was in fact Alder King's head of receivership, raising an apparent conflict of interest.

Lloyds says he was working there on secondment, although a senior bank manager at the branch said in an internal email that he had 'not located any paperwork' making this clear.

The bank has investigated Shabir's treatment, and found no evidence of wrongdoing.

Shabir commissioned a senior criminal barrister to review his evidence. The lawyer's report states that chunks of it 'are indicative of criminal activity'.

The Avon and Somerset force has agreed to arrange a meeting with a fraud investigator, to review documents in detail.

Lloyds said: 'While we understand this long-running dispute over the failure of his business has been deeply upsetting for Mr Shabir, his allegations have been reviewed a number of times and found to be without foundation.

'Should he have new material to support his complaint we would be happy to review.'

Alder King said: 'These allegations were the subject of a lengthy and thorough investigation by our professional body, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS).

'The RICS found no evidence whatsoever of professional misconduct on our part and cleared us of any wrongdoing.'
Nico Hulkenberg has revealed he is talking to "two teams" about his future in Formula 1.

The German, having substituted at short notice for Sergio Perez at Silverstone, will travel to Barcelona this weekend just in case the Racing Point regular again tests positive for coronavirus.

But Hulkenberg will not hang around all weekend if he doesn't need to - he wants to race.

"I have to know earlier this time, because otherwise I would like to do a GT race at the Nurburgring this weekend," he told the Swiss newspaper Blick.

The 32-year-old, who lost his full-time place in F1 at the end of last year, admits that he would like to return properly in 2021.

"I have offers from the teams where something is still open," Hulkenberg revealed.

Blick correspondent Roger Benoit named those teams as Alfa Romeo and Haas, and Hulkenberg confirmed the Alfa Romeo talks to F1's official website.

When asked if his performances at Silverstone had increased his hopes of a 2021 comeback, Hulkenberg told Auto Motor und Sport: "Increased hopes would be an exaggeration.

"For some time now, I've been talking to two teams. I don't know if anything has changed now, but it doesn't feel like it.

"The people there know me and are not influenced by one race weekend. There is a chance, but it will take a while," Hulkenberg said.

(GMM)
Clad in an elaborate black military coat, heavy with gold braid denoting his new rank, Chadian President Idriss Deby was awarded the rank of marshal on Tuesday as part of the festivities of Chads 60th anniversary of independence.

Deby, 68, is the first person to be awarded this title, after he successfully thwarted jihadists in April after a humiliating loss of troops. Deby, who seized power in 1990 from Hissene Habre, has ruled continually since then.

The National Assembly, where his Patriotic Salvation Movement (MPS) party is in majority, bestowed this honour on him.

You are an icon and a symbol for Chad, said Haroun Kabadi, assembly speaker.

Speaking to RFI about this symbolic move, MPS spokesman Jean-Bernard Padare said of Deby, We are proud of your commitment to ensure the integrity of our territory and the defense of our fellow citizens.

The President used the ceremony to speak about the April offensive, after Boko Haram killed some 100 troops in March in Bohoma, in the western part of the country, where Lake Chad is located.

The threat of terrorism is still there, and it is ruthless, he said, adding, the fight against terrorism is a vital imperative and will remain at the core of our concerns.

Chad is part of the G5 Sahel group that was formed to fight terrorism with Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania and Niger and is backed by France, Germany, and the European Union.

As part of the 60th anniversary ceremony, Deby released 538 prisoners, including General Abdelkader Baba Ladde, a Chadian rebel who was arrested in the Central African Republic by the United Nations in 2014. He had been sentenced to eight years in prison last December for rape, illegal possession of weapons, arson, and criminal association.
NSW Liquor and Gaming is warning there will be no more second chances for venues when it comes to adhering to social distancing regulations and the next step is temporary closures.

This edict came with the announcement that an inner-west pub in Sydney and a restaurant in Gosford had become the first two venues to be fined twice for COVID-19 safety breaches.

The Garry Owen Hotel has been singled out as the worst venue to adhere to COVID safety protocols. Credit:Rhett Wyman

The Garry Owen Hotel in Rozelle was fined $10,000 for what the department said was a "litany of COVID safety breaches", slamming the venue as "the worst pub seen so far".

"The venue was letting down its workers, the community and all the other businesses trying to do the right thing to keep their doors open," Dimitri Argeres, the director of Liquor and Gaming said.
A homeless convicted killer who had been staying at a South Florida hotel as part of an effort to stop the spread of the coronavirus has been charged with fatally stabbing and stomping on the throat of a married father from Massachusetts.

Recently released court documents showed that Charles Morgan, 59, a married-father-of-one carpenter from Marthas Vineyard, was on his way to visit family in West Palm Beach when he checked into the Rodeway Inn & Suites in Dania Beach on August 1 because of bad weather in the area.

While there, investigators said Morgan crossed paths with Alphonso Washington, 59, who had been staying at the hotel for two months as part of an effort by Fort Lauderdale officials to house homeless people.

Alphonso Washington, 59 (left), has been charged with murdering Massachusetts carpenter Charles Morgan, 59 (right), by stomping on his throat

The brutal killing took place at Roadway Inn & Suites in Dania Beach, Florida, where Washington, who is homeless, had been staying as part of an effort to stop the spread of the coronavirus

Morgan checked in about 9pm and early the next morning asked the front desk clerk about a check cashing store, arrest reports first cited by Sun-Sentinel said. When he returned to the hotel he had breakfast and then left in a cab to go to Walmart.

Later that morning, Morgan returned to room 3104, the report said. Investigators also said that Washington had been seen following Morgan that morning.

Just after 10am, Washington got into an argument with Morgan, who was sitting outside his room on a chair, the report said.

Surveillance video from the hotel skips at that point, but police believe the men entered the room together. At 10.13am, Washington is seen leaving the room, sitting in the chair outside, and then pacing around the area until almost 11am.

Around that time, a housekeeper passed by and overheard an argument between two men. She told investigators she recognized Washingtons voice from previous interactions with him.

Morgan was on his way to visit family in West Palm Beach when he made a stop at the hotel because of bad weather on August 1

The video shows Washington leaving the room at almost 12.30pm. He was carrying a blue bag.

Morgan was found naked in the hotel room bathroom later that day. His larynx was crushed so severely that it would have had to be caused by 'using a shoe and stomping on a persons throat,' the arrest report said.

The medical examiner who performed Morgan's autopsy also concluded that he sustained a severe blunt force trauma to the head.

According to a complaint affidavit obtained by DailyMail.com, police initially believed Morgan's death may have been self-inflicted, but upon closer examination they concluded that he was the victim of a homicide.

The document lists the many wounds the victim had sustained, including lacerations to his neck, chin, leg and groin.

'There was also an unknown black object lodged in the victim's anal cavity,' the document stated.

Washingtons roommate told investigators Washington washed his clothes in the sink before leaving with an iPad that he had never seen before. Police searched the room and found a white face mask with 'Marthas Vineyard' imprinted on it.

When Washington returned to the hotel, he agreed to go to police headquarters to talk. He said Morgan had brought marijuana to the room and hugged him.

Washington denied killing Morgan. The arrest report doesnt list a motive for the killing.

Washington was booked into the Broward County Jail on charges of murder and parole violation. He appeared in court last Thursday and was ordered held without bond.

Morgan, pictured above with wife Jackie and daughter Mary, was found dead in the hotel bathroom, suffering from a crushed larynx and multiple cuts on his body

Court records show Washington has a lengthy criminal history, including a conviction for killing a woman in Homestead in 1985.

Washington was staying at the hotel in Dania Beach after Fort Lauderdale handed out free vouchers in May to get homeless people off the street to help stop the spread of coronavirus, which has been ravaging Florida in recent months.

When the citys program ran out of funds last month, the activist group New Florida Majority raised money to keep more than 30 homeless people, among them Washington, in the hotel, reported CBS Miami.

Charles Morgan was a carpenter and builder who lived in Martha's Vineyard with his wife, Jackie, and their daughter, Mary.

'I dont have any words, except that we are just devastated and I will miss my husband so much,' wife Jackie Flynn-Morgan told Martha's Vineyard Times.

He was remembered by those who knew him as a hard worker and a 'salt-of-the-earth' person, according to his friend Joe Keenan
The states utility regulator is investigating how energy companies handled power restoration for the 1.4 million customers who were in the dark in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Isaias.

The state Board of Public Utilities division of reliability and security will conduct a post-mortem investigation into power companies storm response, said the agencys president Joseph Fiordaliso Wednesday during the BPUs monthly meeting. The investigation comes after complaints from residents and officials about the pace of restorations.

The Aug. 4 storm battered New Jersey with ripping winds and it knocked down trees, power lines and utility poles. Power was returned for all residents and businesses by Monday night, a week after the storm.

(An investigation) will determine for us whether or not we need a general public hearing regarding the storm to see what the findings were, to see and ensure the utilities followed the appropriate protocols, that they did everything possible to get everything up and running, Fiordaliso said. (The storm) was quick, it was strong and in many areas devastating.

Residents and mayors criticized utility company JCP&L for prolonged waits and poor communication. JCP&L provides power to more than 2 million New Jerseyans.

Im anxious, and I know my colleagues are, to see what the results are, he continued. I kept stressing communicate, communicate communicate. You have to let people know whats going on. I think for the most part, that did happen. But theres always lapses.

Contributing to slow restoration times, he said, was major transmission damage and many downed trees.

He said the storm renewed the importance of clearing vegetation around power lines to cut down on outages caused by fallen trees or branches, known as vegetation management.

Vegetation management is extremely important in maintaining a strong energy system within the state. We are going to revisit vegetation management... These trees have to be cleared before crews again can get in and repair.

BPU Commissioner Bob Gordon said utility companies didnt adequately communicate with customers amid the outages and pointed to the need for investments in advanced metering infrastructure.

AMI enables utility companies to detect outages more quickly and dispatch repair crews accordingly. The technology is already is in place in other states in the U.S., and in February, the BPU filed an order that gave New Jerseys four electric companies until Aug. 27 to file plans to implement AMI.

We live in a time where you can plug an address into a GPS system and get to your location... and yet, in the 21st century, you have to call your utility to let them know your power is out. Thats just crazy... Other states have AMI installed so someone sitting behind a screen can see that a particular property has just lost power. This is information that can be used to expedite efficient response.

I join you in calling for a careful investigation of what happened last week, Gordon said.

Commissioner Mary-Anna Holden said power companies also need to prioritize customers whose homes run on septic systems.

Crews typically start restoring power first for priority customers, such as hospitals, emergency services, nursing homes and people who need breathing equipment.

We have priorities... but forget about the people that are on septic and dont have power to pump any water and being without water and waste facilities for five days is kind of rough and unacceptable, she said. I look forward to (the BPU) really digging into this.

Fiordaliso, however, said utility companies have improved infrastructure since Hurricane Sandy in 2012 and predicted that a storm similar to last weeks would have caused two week outages if it occurred 10 years ago.

We want to decrease the number of outages and we want to decrease the duration of those outages, he said. Thats what we all want.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.

Avalon Zoppo may be reached at azoppo2@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @AvalonZoppo.
Bars that offer food service are scraping by with booze to-go operations. Their counterparts without kitchens, bound by state rules, can do little but watch their coffers wither.

Were all looking at our bank accounts like you would at the life bar in a video game, said Michael Neff, owner of the Cottonmouth Club downtown. All of us are just watching that life bar everyday trying to predict how long we have until it disappears.

The industry had barely got its legs back following the limited reopening that went into effect on May 22 when on June 26 Gov. Greg Abbott ordered the states roughly 5,500 bars closed indefinitely. Bar owners, feeling they have been targeted, have decried what they describe as a lack of support from leaders as they square off with the coronavirus. Some have gone as far as filing suit against Abbott seeking to have the closure order overturned.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Houston hospitality firms struggle to lure workers back from unemployment

Financially its just the worst you can imagine, said Scott Repass, owner of Poison Girl in Montrose.

To be clear, Repass said, he agrees that people should not be drinking in bars right now. But he said theres little difference between what would be happening at bars if they were open and what continues to happen at cafes and restaurants.

If you shut down a bar, people are just going to go to a restaurant with a bar, he said. There's just no logic to it, that that is safer than a bar operating at 25 percent capacity. We feel like we were scapegoated.

The mandatory shutdowns devastated the industry, said Michael E. Klein, president of the Texas Bar and Nightclub Alliance. Every day that passes is a business that will never return.

When neighborhood bars go under, Neff said the economic and cultural impacts ripple broadly.

The blood in the water would be without precedent, he said. Entire identities of cities would disappear.

Hard choices

Before Texas bars were first shut down in March, Union Venture Group employed nearly 500 people among its dozen hotspot bars in Austin, Houston and Dallas. Today that workforce is down to nearly nothing as the hospitality group, like other Texas bar and nightlife operators, is shut down.

A lot of people may have to make that hard choice to either shut down for good or pivot to something else to make a decent livelihood, said Darren Van Delden, a principal at Union Venture Group whose portfolio of bars includes the posh 77 Degrees in Midtown. The people being affected the most are the employees themselves. People need to take care of their families, so theres going to be a lot of hard choices ahead.

Abbott first threw Texas bars into stasis when he ordered them to close on March 16. The immediate impact was more than 75,000 lost jobs. At the time, it was estimated that closing the bars would account for $630 million in lost gross revenue and a loss of more than $42 million in liquor tax revenue to the state.

Melissa Phillip, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer

Bar owners - those who receive more than 51 percent of their gross receipts from selling alcohol - got a reprieve on May 22 when they were allowed to reopen at 25 percent capacity, which increased to 50 percent on June 3. But it all came to a halt again three weeks later when Abbott, out of concern for a continued spike of COVID-19 cases, ordered them shut June 26.

We went into this thinking it was going to be a temporary thing, Van Delden said. Now were being shut down indefinitely. Its one thing to stay afloat when you can see light at the end of the tunnel. But when you dont know when youre going to open up, its hard. Theres no light at the end of the tunnel.

On HoustonChronicle.com: New distillery offers lifeline to Houstons out-of-work bartenders

Van Deldens brother and business partner, Jeff Van Delden, was a plaintiff on a federal lawsuit filed by the Texas Bar and Nightclub Alliance against Abbott challenging the constitutionality of the governors executive order to close Texas businesses that take in more than 51 percent of their gross receipts from selling alcohol.

That lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, calls Abbotts order unconstitutional, irrational and unjust.

This is extremely arbitrary, capricious and unfair, said Brent Webster, senior counsel at Edwards Sutarwalla law firm. The governor didnt just close down the service of alcohol, he punitively went out for bars. He literally banned any activity in that business. No other industry has been banned in that sense.

While a federal judge granted Abbotts motion to dismiss this case late last month, two similar lawsuits filed by Texas bar owners are still pending  one in Travis County District Court and another in Dallas County District Court, which called for depositions of Robert Rowling and Tilman Fertitta. Both prominent businessmen served on the governors Strike Force to Open Texas.

Rowlings and Fertittas testimony is necessary because these individuals on the Strike Force have businesses that have not been shut down, despite the fact that their businesses have components to them that are identical to standalone bars that were shut down, a presiding judge wrote, noting both men also contributed heavily to Abbotts campaign.

A hearing in that case was set for Aug. 28. Spokesmen for Abbott did not respond to a request for comment.

Adapting

Through it all, bar owners have had to adapt to the reality of the moment.

Alba Huerta said that when the second shutdown hit, she knew shed have to get creative to survive, which is why shes launching a cocktail delivery truck service out of her Washington Avenue Corridor bar, Julep.

When Abbott allows doors to swing back open, Huerta fears a rerun of what happened in May.

For me at least, the biggest piece of the puzzle hasn't been solved if were going to do this the same way in the second round, she said.

On HoustonChronicle.com:Lucille's restaurant steps up to help Houston bars with launch of patio pop-up series

Those in the process of opening new bars said its been dizzying changing their business models to meet shifting rules and demands. Still, they benefit from building a future that includes coronavirus-era changes in real time.

Justin Ware said his bar, Night Shift, is still under construction, but instead of focusing on hiring a staff he and his business partners are serving canned craft cocktails to-go from a catering space around the corner from their bar-to-be on Harrisburg.

Now that we're kind of forced to do this, its bringing a new perspective on what cocktails can be, he said.

Melissa Phillip, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer

Lindsay Rae Burleson, who opened Two Headed Dog with her business partner before the pandemic hit, has been working since March at a Houston distillery making hand sanitizer to make ends meet.

The bars fate is uncertain, she said. Government-backed loans have run out, and she decided not to renew her insurance, which would require a substantial downpayment on Aug. 1.

Losing the bar for good would strap her with a debt so large, it doesnt even feel like a real number.

I worked nine years to get this bar, the longtime bartender said. I put everything I had in. I havent got a cent of salary, yet.

Artisan bars and neighborhood ice boxes are part of Houstons fabric, she said. But now the city is barreling toward a reality in which only the chains may survive.

Thats not a city I want to live in, she said. Thats not a city I want to be a tourist at.

amanda.drane@chron.com

greg.morago@chron.com
LANSING, MI  A Pontiac man has been charged with the sex trafficking of numerous young women in Auburn Hills, Pontiac and other locations throughout Oakland County.

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel charged Dallas Ephraim Jordan-King, 23, with one count of forced labor/commercial sex, a 15-year felony; two counts of pandering, a 20-year felony; one count of accepting earnings of prostitution, a 20-year felony; one count of transportation for prostitution, a 20-year felony; one count of conducting a criminal enterprise, a 20-year felony; and one count of felony firearm, a two-year felony.

Jordan-King was arraigned today in 52-3 District Court in Auburn Hills before Magistrate Marie Soma.

The court imposed a $30,000 cash bond. Jordan-King is scheduled for his next court appearance on Aug. 20.

Jordan-King was also arraigned in a separate case in 50th District Court in Pontiac before Judge Michael Martinez on one count of child sexually abusive material  production, a 20-year felony. That court imposed a $25,000 cash bond.

From July 2018 through Oct. 5, 2019, in Auburn Hills, Pontiac, Madison Heights and elsewhere, Jordan-King reportedly operated a prostitution and sex trafficking criminal enterprise, comprised of at least nine victims.

The investigation into Jordan-Kings alleged sex trafficking and prostitution enterprise was initiated by the Auburn Hills Police Department. During the investigation, Auburn Hills detectives discovered multiple incidents of Jordan-Kings alleged behavior that indicated he would befriend numerous young college-age females and groom them to engage in sexual activity for profit, from which Jordan-King benefited. The investigation also revealed that Jordan-King allegedly engaged in sexual activity with a minor.

Human trafficking and sex trafficking are heinous crimes made more complicated by the fact that they often cross the jurisdictions of multiple law enforcement agencies, Nessel said. Investigating and prosecuting crimes that occur within the borders of several municipalities, states or nations can create unique challenges as we pursue justice. But this case is a clear example of the collaborative relationship law enforcement agencies at all levels should strive for when taking actions to hold criminals accountable.

RELATED:

Police, survivors debunk human trafficking kidnapping myths

FBI says 9 juveniles recovered in sex trafficking ring in Detroit

Saginaw man accused of sex trafficking minors pleads guilty in federal court
Flood warnings are in place across several provinces before the expected downpours.

Torrential rain lashed northern Chinas Hebei province on Wednesday with the worst-hit city, Handan, seeing more than 100 millimetres (four inches) in just a few hours.

Several towns in Quzhour county saw similar heavy amounts of rain, with the local flood control and drought relief headquarters issuing a flood warning.

The local traffic police and urban management bureau also activated their emergency-response plans, dispatching staff to dredge drainage holes to help the rainwater clear the roads.

Heavy rain also battered other cities in Hebei province, including the capital Shijiazhuang and Xingtai.

Hebei Meteorological Services issued a rainstorm alert on Tuesday afternoon, warning residents about the impending storm for Wednesday and Thursday.

This is the heaviest rain to hit the province since the beginning of the flood season, with the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region bracing for the worst.

Beijing is to receive 40 to 80mm (1.5 to three inches) of precipitation on average during the rainfall, with approximately 50mm (two inches) in urban areas and more than 200mm (eight inches) in parts of the western and northern mountainous areas, Yu Bo, deputy director of the Beijing Meteorological Observatory, told reporters.

The citys meteorological authorities and flood control headquarters advised residents to reduce outdoor activities and recommended that construction sites stop operations in Beijing from Wednesday until conditions improved.

The Department of Water Resources of Hebei, along with the meteorological authorities, also issued flash-flood warnings for the coming days.
T he UK celebrates the 75th anniversary of the end of the Second World War on Saturday, marking Japan's surrender to the Allied forces.

Victory over Japan (or VJ) Day, comes more than three months after Victory in Europe (VE Day) in May, when Germany surrendered.

The 75th anniversary will be widely celebrated in the UK, with one of the key events being a flypast of the Red Arrows.

But when will the flypast be? Here we look at how to watch the famous planes fly overhead.

Celebrations in London when Japan surrendered /  US Public Domain (IWM EA 75898)

What is VJ Day?

Japan continued fighting more than three months after the end of the German surrender. The US was planning an invasion of the country, in which at least 500,000 American soldiers were expected to die.

But Japan was forced to surrender after the US dropped of two atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in early August 1945, which killed as many as 226,000 people.

The British soldiers who fought in the Far East sometimes called themselves "the Forgotten Army" in comparison with the troops fighting in Europe, who had more public attention.

It was a diverse army made up of troops from across the British Empire, including soldiers from India and east and west Africa.

Red Arrows over London in June / AFP via Getty Images

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: "When the Second World War ended 75 years ago with the surrender of Japan, British soldiers, sailors and airmen were serving in the Far East, fighting hard to achieve victory - and were among the last to come home.

"On this anniversary I want to remember what we owe the veterans of the Far East campaign. They brought an end to the Second World War, they changed the course of history for the better, liberated South East Asia, and many paid the ultimate sacrifice.

"That's why on this remarkable anniversary - and every day hereafter - we will remember them."

The Red Arrows perform a flypast over an Armed Forces Day flag in the grounds of Scarborough Castle in North Yorkshire / Danny Lawson/PA Wire

Captain Sir Tom Moore, who fought in the Far East, said: "For me VJ Day will always be the most special of days, remembering all those who served in such challenging conditions in the Far East. It was VJ Day when the pain of war could finally start to fall away as peace was declared on all fronts.

"I respectfully ask Britain to stop whatever it is doing and take some time to remember. We must all take the time to stop, think and be thankful that were it not for the ultimate sacrifices made all those years ago by such a brave band of men and women we would not be enjoying the freedoms we have today, even in these current difficult times."

PA

What are the Red Arrows?

The Red Arrows are the aerobatics display team within the RAF and were founded in 1965.

Known for leaving behind a trail of red, white and blue, they have performed at thousands of events in the UK and abroad.

When is the Red Arrows flypast on VJ Day?

The Red Arrows will fly over Edinburgh, Belfast, Cardiff and London - and will cross over The Royal Hospital in Chelsea, home to three veterans of the war in Burma.

No time has yet been confirmed for the flypast, however on the 75th anniversary of VE Day back in May, the Arrows flew over London at 10:10am.

The showcase saw the famous red jets speed just 100 feet above Westminster and Buckingham Palace.

Meanwhile, RAF Typhoons roared over Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast to lift the nation's spirits.
Joe Biden welcomed Kamala Harris as family to his campaign as they appeared togethr for the first time as running mates Wednesday afternoon in Wilmington, Delaware.

'I have no doubt that I picked the right person to join me as the next vice president of the United States,' Biden said. 'She's smart, she's tough, she's experienced, she's a proven fighter for the backbone of this country, the middle class and all those who are struggling to get into the middle class.'

He said that Harris and her family were now 'honorary Bidens,' and welcomed her husband Douglas Emhoff to the campaign trail, saying he would be making history, too, as 'America's first second gentleman.'

The joint appearance came about 24 hours after Biden's campaign tweeted to supporters that his pick would be Harris, a former 2020 rival and California senator, who was friends with his late son Beau.

When Harris took the podium - with the campaign quickly putting a box below her high-heeled feet to make up for the height difference - she talked at length about her friendship with Beau and how she came to know Joe Biden.

'Ever since I received Joe's call I've been thinking, yes, about the first Biden that I really came to know and that, of course, is Joe's beloved son, one of his beloved son's, Beau,' Harris said. 'He really was the best of us.'

'And Joe and I, yes we are cut from the same cloth,' she said of her new running mate, who was seated in the chair behind her. 'My family means everything to me.'

'And I've had a lot of titles over my career, and certainly vice president will be great, but "Mamala" will always be the one that means the most,' Harris added.

Kamala Harris (left) and Joe Biden (right) appeared together as running mates for the first time on Wednesday in Wilmington, Delaware

Kamala Harris made a touching tribute to Beau Biden when she took her turn to speak

Joe Biden (left) welcomed his wife Jill Biden (center left) and Kamala Harris' (center right) husband Douglas Emhoff to take the stage at the end of the candidates' remarks, but the two couples kept their social distance due to the coronavirus pandemic

Joe Biden and Kamala Harris arrived at the Wilmington high school wearing masks

Both Biden and Harris hammered President Donald Trump.

'You all knew it was coming, you could have set your watches to it, Donald Trump has already started his attacks calling Kamala "nasty," whining about how she's "mean" to his appointees,' Biden said. 'It's no surprise because whining is what Donald Trump does best, better than any other president in American history.'

'Is anyone surprised that Donald Trump has a problem with a strong woman or strong women across the board?' Biden added.

Biden knocked Trump for golfing instead of meeting with Congressional leadership to come up with a deal to bring the country more coronavirus relief.

'He doesn't have time it appears,' Biden said of Trump.

He gave him grief for comments he made about Charlottesville, pointing out that ugly incident happened three years ago to the day.

'Remember what it felt like to see those neo-Nazis?' Biden scoffed, after long saying he decided to run for president in 2020 after seeing Trump's reaction.

Biden also blasted Trump for the 'coddling of terrorists and thugs around the world.'

Harris blasted Trump for 'running the economy into the ground.' And mishandling the coronavirus pandemic. 'It didn't have to be this way,' she noted.

'We don't have to accept the failed government of Donald Trump and Mike Pence,' Harris said, noting that the election was just 83 days away.

The event took place at a high school on the outskirts of Biden's adopted hometown of Wilmington, Delaware and only a small group of reporters were allowed in, with supporters, instead, gathering outside due to COVID-19 concerns.

Biden said he regretted not being able to greet the group as he entered the high school. He and Harris entered the auditorium wearing masks.

As he left, he told reporters that in-person campaigning would 'depend on the science.'

He had invited Jill Biden and Emhoff to join them at the front of the gynasium, but the two couples tried to stay six feet apart, again showing they took the coronavirus seriously.

Joe Biden (left) is captured with wife Jill Biden (right) before he appeared for the first time alongside his running mate California Sen. Kamala Harris, a former 2020 rival

A crowd of 200 or so supporters stood outside the high school where Joe Biden and Kamala Harris would appear together for the first time. Only a small number of reporters were allowed inside the high school and no supporters due to COVID-19 concerns

Sen. Kamala Harris' husband Douglas Emhoff is spied through the window of an SUV the carried them away from their D.C. residence Wednesday morning

An SUV carrying newly minted vice presidential candidate Kamala Harris and her husband Douglas Emhoff is spotted leaving their D.C. home Wednesday morning

Kamala Harris headlined one of Joe Biden's final events on the campaign trail in March before he moved most of his campaigning to his Wilmington basement to ride out the coronavirus crisis

The pick marked the first time a black woman has ever appeared on a presidential ticket.

'This morning all across the nation, little girls woke up - especially little black and brown girls - who so often feel overlooked and undervalues in their communities, but today, today just maybe they're seeing themselves for the first time in a new way: as the stuff of presidents and vice presidents,' Biden said in Wilmington.

Harris will also be the third woman to ever be nominated as vice president.

Biden promised at the March Democratic debate that he would choose a female vice president.

'Over the past several weeks, I've had the incredible privilege of meeting and spending a good deal of time with a group of talented women leaders, all of them qualified to be president,' Biden said.

He thanked all the female Democrats his campaign vetted.

After attacking Biden for his record on racial relations during the Democrats' first primary debate, in June 2019, she announced her support of the ex-veep on March 8, 2020 and appeared alongside him in Michigan the next day.

It marked one of the last in-person campaign events Biden attended before moving his campaign almost completely into his Delaware basement to ride out the coronavirus crisis.

Harris had dropped her own bid for the White House in December 2019 citing fundraising issues.

Fundraising jumped through the roof on the heels of the announcement with ActBlue, the main donation platform for the Democratic Party, reporting that $10.8 million in donations came through between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. Tuesday.

The Biden campaign has yet to release an official tally but in Wilmington the former vice president boasted, 'We had our best grassroots fundraising day of the campaign - more than double our previous record.'

'And in doing so we set a single day record for online political fundraising, and I think I know why,' he said, glancing at the running mate who was seated behind him.

On Wednesday, the Biden campaign rolled out its first full-length ad introducing Harris as the vice presidential nominee.

The opening and closing of the spot included footage of Biden making the ask.

'You ready to go to work?' asks the Califiornia senator.

'Oh my God. I am so ready to go to work,' Harris said, the brief sound of surprise in her voice.

Harris was spotted in an SUV with her husband Douglas Emhoff Wednesday morning in Washington, D.C., leaving their home.

Besides their joint appearance at the Delaware high school, Biden and Harris are scheduled to address supporters on a fundraising Zoom Wednesday night.

Later this week, Harris is slated to speak at an event marking the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, on the same day as the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle.

The Democratic National Convention kicks off Monday but has been converted into a virtual format when the party deemed it was too dangerous to have the party's stars travel to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the planned host city.

Harris will address the convention Wednesday night and formally accept the party's nomination.

Biden will speak Thursday night.

Harris is slated to debate Vice President Mike Pence on October 7 in Salt Lake City, Utah.
The Kurdistan Region of Iraq is experiencing all-time highs in COVID-19 cases, and a prominent politician announced he has contracted the coronavirus.

The number of cases has been rising steadily in the autonomous region since June. On Tuesday, the region registered a daily record of 653 coronavirus cases. On Wednesday, 566 cases were registered  the second-highest daily toll ever, according to Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) statistics.

Sulaimaniyah province has fared the worst, with more than 9,500 cases to date. Erbil, the capital province, has had more than 7,300 cases. The less-populated Dahuk province has had only around 1,400 cases, according to the KRG.

The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan party dominates Sulaimaniyah. On Tuesday, its co-chair announced he has the coronavirus.

I am in good health and recovering well, Lahur Talabany said in a tweet. I extend my appreciation and gratitude to all those working to combat the virus and urge everyone to continue to protect themselves.

Several members of the KRG parliament have also contracted the virus, but Talabany is by far the most prominent politician to test positive in the statelet.

KRG authorities have alternated between instituting and rescinding lockdown measures since March. Last week, the Ministry of Interior ordered parks and cafes closed to mitigate the outbreak. The current spike could be due to people gathering for the Eid al-Adha Muslim holiday in late June, according to the Kurdish news outlet Rudaw.

The business closures have hurt an already reeling Kurdish economy. Many public servants salaries have been delayed for months. The federal governments ban on most commercial flights trapped many foreign workers in the Kurdistan Region until regular flights resumed this month. Protesters gathered in Sulaimaniyah and smaller cities today to call for early elections in the KRG.

The situation in federal government territory in Iraq is similarly alarming. These areas are registering around 2,500 cases a day, according to the Iraqi Ministry of Health. Last month, some Iraqi doctors told Al-Monitor they are subject to abuse from families who blame the medical professionals for COVID-19 deaths.
Author Brit Bennett during a recent visit to Northridge. (Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)

Novelist Brit Bennett remembers the day her mother began reeling off stories from her Southern past. There was one story too good to let slip by.

She brought it up the way parents often do, like its something everybody knew  that there were towns where people would intermarry so that their children would get lighter with each generation, Bennett recalls. And I was like: 'Wait! Go back to that.'

Captivated, Bennett pulled out her phone and jotted down one sentence. That was in 2015. The idea took root. Next, twin sisters and a Louisiana landscape sprouted, then filled in. That single sentence became the foundation for Bennetts new book, The Vanishing Half, a novel that has topped bestseller lists this summer and spurred a Hollywood bidding war.

Her mother was born and raised in rural Louisiana in a small town named Palmetto, while Bennett grew up in Oceanside in San Diego County. So Id never imagined a town like this, she says. It stuck with me, I think, because it was a very different way to think about skin color and an attempt to genetically engineer your population. It was very specific and very disturbing.

Bennett, who joins the Los Angeles Times Book Club Aug. 25 for a virtual meet-up, knew immediately that her mothers story was the doorway to a larger story she wanted to explore. It felt big and expansive.

Touching on themes of race, identity, love and empathy, The Vanishing Half is an elegant multi-generational portrait of the deep fissures within a family cleaved by the choices twin sisters  Desiree and Stella  make when they break away. What they find, Bennett writes early in the narrative, You can escape a town but you can not escape blood.

(Riverhead Books)

Initially, I just had this image of this very light-skinned woman holding the hand of this very dark-skinned girl returning to this town and people being really awful about it, Bennett says. I love books like Their Eyes Were Watching God, these stories where a woman has mysteriously returned and everybody is trying to figure out why.

Story continues

Bennett says it was Desiree who came to her first in form and intent. In the opening pages, Desiree reappears in Mallard, a fictional town based on Bennetts mothers tossed-off memory. She arrives with daughter Jude in tow to the backdrop of suspicious whispers.

But it was Stella, the younger twin, whose story bedeviled Bennett. The character cuts all ties with her past and decides to pass  to live as a white woman. There is an evasiveness to her, Bennett says. I wanted to lean into that mystery and into the things that were entrancing and confounding.

The language of passing is one steeped in metaphors: And too it trails with it a whiff of antiquity crossing over, passe blanc, gone over. Bennett wanted to explore this exercise in euphemism  these spiritual deaths and rebirths as she teased out the notion of passing as a trope.

The foundational text for me as a kid was Imitation of Life, Bennett said, referring to a movie adaption of Fannie Hursts 1933 novel. I think it's an entry point for a lot of us, certainly, a canonical film about passing.

Its a melodrama, and there is also a sense of punishment in the film. One of the ways that I wanted to deviate from that was I didnt want to write a moralizing story. I had no interest in the question: Is Stella right or wrong? That wasnt interesting to me aesthetically. I didnt even find it an interesting moral question.

More compelling, Bennett observes, the transgression redefines the category of whiteness as being precious and that by sort of stealing it you deserve to be punished. She asked herself: Should a character be punished for slipping into this social category that too is a construct?

Bennett knew that she was writing into a storied literary tradition  memoirs, novels, screenplays and scholarly works that explore entire branches of families that vanished into ether and out of memory. But she was coming at it with fresh eyes: I was writing from the perspective of a 21st century, 30-year-old person, she says. We think about identity categories now with much more fluidity. What does it even mean to pass? If we consider these categories to be unstable or inherently unclear or fluid.

The storys starting point is Louisiana, the insular community of Mallard, and then the narrative migrates to the West Coast, specifically Los Angeles, which has long been an end-of-the-line outpost for reinvention.

Part of my thinking was here was a place where Stella could show up that would be so completely different from where she left, Bennett says. Stella performed her whiteness, which was different from being white in the South.

The Southern California setting also gives Bennett a space to engage and challenge her other characters. She introduces Desirees now-grown daughter, Jude; her boyfriend, Reese, and their vibrant found family. They are young people coming into themselves, trying on guises and new personas to see how they settle. Readers also meet Stellas daughter, Kennedy, who resents her mothers many secrets. L.A. was a place where all of the other characters could collide, Bennett says.

The Vanishing Half, being adapted into an HBO limited series, lands at an unprecedented moment. The death of George Floyd, the Black man killed during a May arrest by Minneapolis police, has sparked candid discussions about racism, racial hierarchies and privilege.

I was working on this book for years, says Bennett, author of a previous bestseller, The Mothers. I didnt think it would be talked about as topical. Also, theres this framing of it as an anti-racist text. But Im not an educator. Im just telling a story about these people and their choices, so its strange to be swept up in this discourse.

She has been encouraged that the news cycle has raised the volume on the topics of race and identity. Inquisitive new readers, in a sign of solidarity and support, have snapped up Black books from Black booksellers in Los Angeles and across the nation.

Yet Bennett, who now makes her home in New York, is already watching that energy wane.

It was like people baking banana bread, she says. Oh, now were learning how to bake sourdough, and now were learning about race. ... and then the next thing happens. I hope that I am wrong. I hope that doesnt happen. That it doesnt just drift by.

Lynell George is a Pasadena journalist and author of the upcoming book, A Handful of Earth, A Handful of Sky: The World of Octavia E.Butler .

Book club: If you go





Brit Bennett, The Vanishing Half," Los Angeles Times Book ClubCarla Hall

When: 6 p.m. Pacific time Aug. 25

Where: Free virtual book talk livestreaming on The Times Facebook page. Or tune in on YouTube or Twitter.

More info: latimes.com/bookclub




XLMedia PLC - Digital performance marketing company - Says Amit Yehuda has stepped down from his role of non-executive director, effective immediately. "I would like to express my personal gratitude to Amit for the wise counsel he has provided over the last four years, and also thank him on behalf of the board and the whole company for his valuable contribution during a time of significant change," said Chair Chris Bell.

Current stock price: 24.60 pence

Year-to-date change: down 44%

By Ife Taiwo; ifetaiwo@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2020 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
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Linkedin Norman Harsono and Dzulfiqar Fathur Rahman (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, August 12, 2020 12:53 525 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066d636fd 1 Business PLN,electricity-billing,stimulus-package,COVID-19 Free

More than 33 million Indonesian homes, businesses and public services are poised to see lower monthly power bills until December as the government injects Rp 15.4 trillion ($1.05 billion) into three electricity relief schemes in its bid to accelerate the recovery of the pandemic-hit economy.

The funding, part of the COVID-19 response, will be allocated on top of the Rp 54.79 trillion set aside for annual power subsidies, said the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministrys electrification director general, Rida Mulyana, on Tuesday.

It is expected that subsidizing the electricity fees will free up an estimated Rp 15.4 trillion in liquidity for customers, which the government hopes will boost household spending and help businesses avoid bankruptcy.

We hope these [subsidy] numbers will go down, meaning that business activities will have resumed, Rida told reporters at a briefing. And we can divert the limited state funds for other needs.

The three electricity relief schemes are part of the governments larger Rp 695.2 trillion COVID-19 stimulus package that aims to jump start Indonesias coronavirus-stricken economy and maintain employment levels.

Indonesia booked its first decline in GDP in two decades with the economy shrinking 5.32 percent in the second quarter of this year, as all components of economic activity decreased.

The economy is expected to contract 0.4 percent this year or grow by only 1 percent.

The first electricity relief scheme, announced in April, slashed power bills for Indonesias poorest households amid the large-scale social restrictions (PSBB) that halted economic activities.

The second scheme was introduced in May, with the government announcing it would waive bills for small-scale businesses, which employ the majority of the countrys workforce. Meanwhile, the latest scheme erases minimum monthly electricity fees for all other businesses and public services.

Without the relief, existing regulations require PLNs business, industrial and public service customers in or above the 1,300 volt-ampere (VA) category to pay for at least 40 hours of electricity each month, even if they do not make use of it.

Read also: PLN to waive minimum electricity fees for businesses, public services

Rida said the first scheme, initially scheduled to end in June, would be extended until December. He also said the third scheme would be expanded to include special category customers such as special economic zones (KEK) and Jakartas LRT.

State-owned electricity distribution company PLN will bear the losses of the expanded stimuli until it receives compensation funds, the mechanism for which is still being worked out by the energy and finance ministries.

Compensating PLN is urgent, as the companys financial standing has been creaking under the weight of the stimuli and of a weak rupiah exchange rate. PLNs profit nosedived 96 percent year-on-year to Rp 251.6 billion in the first half of 2020.

We are prepared to execute the governments policy over electricity stimuli, especially in supporting the national economic recovery, PLN spokesman Agung Murdifi told The Jakarta Post via text message.

Association leaders and a researcher told the Post that, while the electricity relief schemes would definitely help businesses and poor households, the schemes had to be supported by other programs, including effective COVID-19 containment measures, to effectively ignite an economic recovery.

With a pandemic, factors such as fear and concern can inhibit economic recovery by holding back consumption, said Hafiz Arfyanto, a researcher at SMERU Research Institute.

Separately, two business association leaders said that electricity bills contributed less than 10 percent of their regular fixed costs and thus, the schemes impact alone were modest.

The biggest contributors are salaries, said Sammy Hamzah, head of energy and mineral resources at the Indonesian Employers Association (Apindo).

In line with his statement, the government recently announced plans to subsidize the wages of 15.7 million workers by Rp 600,000 each month until December.

The impact is not so significant if were talking about electricity bills. Less than 10 percent of production costs are electricity, said Ikhsan Ingratubun, chairman of the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Association (Akumindo).

Ikhsan confirmed that all Akumindo-registered small businesses, defined as those under the 450 volt-ampere (VA) and 900 VA categories, had been able to take advantage of the electricity relief schemes.

Indonesian Consumers Foundation (YLKI) secretary Agus Suyanto said his organization had not received any complaints about eligible households not receiving the additional electricity subsidy, which suggests the scheme was well targeted.

Under such conditions, the YLKI finds that, however much relief is given, it will help these homes, he said.
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Clear Ice Makers Market is estimated to be valued at USD 2,861.1 Billion by 2025, registering a CAGR of 6.27% during the forecast period. The growth of the foodservice industry and increasing use of clear ice makers in households are the major factors driving market growth. Product innovation is expected to create new opportunities for vendors active in the global market. However, the need for high initial investments is restricting the growth of the market.

North America accounted for a dominant share of the global clear ice makers market in 2018. The regional market is projected to exhibit a CAGR of 6.13% during the review period. The increasing consumption of alcoholic beverages is anticipated to fuel the growth of the clear ice makers market in North America. Also, product launches are a major trend gaining traction in the North American clear ice makers market. The US accounted for 78.70% of the regional market in 2018 and the market is estimated to remain dominant during the forecast period. The European garnered a significant market share in 2018 and is expected to exhibit an above-average growth rate during the forecast period. However, the market in Asia-Pacific is projected to register the highest growth rate of 6.71% during the forecast period. Rapid urbanization and a growing number of restaurants and bars are anticipated to drive the growth of the clear ice makers market in the region.

Get a Free Sample Copy @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/8590

Segmental Analysis

The Global Clear Ice Makers Market has been segmented on the basis of Product Type, Category, End Use, Distribution Channel and Region.

By product type, the market has been divided into flake ice makers, ice cube makers, nugget ice makers, and others.

In terms of category, the global clear ice makers market has been bifurcated into mass-market and premium.

Based on end use, the global clear ice makers market has been classified as residential and commercial.

On the basis of distribution channel, the market has been bifurcated into store-based and non-store-based. The store-based distribution channel segment is estimated to retain its dominance during the forecast period. However, the non-store-based segment is projected to register the higher growth rate during the forecast period. The store-based segment has been further divided into supermarkets & hypermarkets and specialty stores.

Regional Analysis

Geographically, the global clear ice makers market has been categorized as North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and the rest of the world (RoW). As per MRFR analysis, North America dominated the market, accounting for the largest share in 2018. The market in Asia-Pacific is expected to register the highest CAGR of 6.71% during the forecast period. Europe accounted for the second-largest market share in 2018.

Browse Full Report Details @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/clear-ice-makers-market-8590

Key Players

Market Research Future recognizes Welbilt Inc. (US), Electrolux AB (Sweden), Sunpentown Inc. (US), Hoshizaki Corporation (Japan), Igloo Products Corp. (US), NewAir (US), Himalyanequipment Manufacturing Co. (India), Koller Refrigeration & Equipment (Hong Kong), Cornelius, Inc. (US), Ice-O-Matic (US), Scotsman Ice Machines (US), and Whynter LLC (US) as the key players in the Global Clear Ice Makers Market.

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Our team of researchers are studying Covid19 and its impact on various industry verticals and wherever required will be considering covid19 footprints for a better analysis of markets and industries. Cordially get in touch for more details.
NORTH COVENTRY  Thursday, July 30, was a night of fire, smoke and terror.

That same night  when the Ashwood Apartments were destroyed by a blaze that required the services of 30 fire departments to extinguish  was also an evening of kindness from next door and across the country, and an evening of heroes.

And Monday night was a time for recognizing those heroes.

The North Coventry Township Board of Supervisors provided the public platform for that recognition by both the public and by family of those rescued.

When first responders arrived at 7:20 p.m. on July 30, they saw flames and smoke pouring from the third-floor windows and roof of the building.

The fire, unfortunately, was out of control, said Matt Deichert, the officer in charge of the North Coventry Police Department.

Among the first to answer the call that night was Fire Chief Joe McMillan, who made his way to the third floor and kicked in a door to rescue a resident who was already laying on the floor in the heavy smoke, according to Chuck Hipple, assistant chief at the Norco Fire Company.

He was assisted by firefighters Jake Sayville and Jimmy Keck, said Hipple.

Also among the first to arrive was North Coventry Police Officer Shane Woodrow, who was off-duty at the time. But that did not stop him from rushing into the building and knocking on doors and directing residents out of the building, said Deichert.

Police Cpl. Andrew Zinger was in charge of that nights shift and when he arrived he helped evacuate residents. As more officers arrived, Woodrow went back to police headquarters and answered other police calls not related to the fire, according to Deichert.

Zinger and several other officers prevented one resident from leaping from a third-floor window, keeping him calm until a ladder could be brought to bear, and the resident brought down safely, said Deichert.

In the meantime, police officers Andrew Templin and Victor Marchese were clearing residents from the second floor. Outside, they were informed that there was still a resident stuck on the third floor.

That resident was Keith Sweats 63-year-old sister Barbara.

My sister has a hard time walking, especially with stairs and once she gets up them, she stays there, Sweat told the supervisors Monday night.

She had made her way to the top of the stairs holding her daughters and granddaughters hand, but she lost touch with them and became disoriented, said Sweat.

She just sat down and figured there was nothing she could do, said Sweat. But Barbaras daughter and granddaughter ran down the stairs and found Marchese and Templin.

The two officers ran into the building and the smoke was so heavy even Marchese got disoriented, said Deichert. But he said officer Templin gave him a nudge in the right direction and then they saw the flashlight from Barbaras phone.

They grabbed her and they ran, Deichert said.

Those guys are super-heroes, Sweat said Monday. They have a big S on their chest and as far as Im concerned they wear capes.

Had it not been for those guys, my family would be in mourning right now. We would be burying my sister, said Sweat.

Later, we asked that they call those two officers, and we stood out in the parking lot to thank them, Sweat said. We wanted them to know how much we appreciated what they did.

He said he asked them what made you guys run into that building? You had no masks, no air tanks. These two officers are heroes. There is no other way to describe them.

Its very humbling, Hipple said of Sweats appreciation. We may wear different uniforms, but were all on the same team.

Ultimately, only four residents and three firefighters were injured and taken by Goodwill Ambulance for treatment. None of the injuries suffered by firefighters were life-threatening, said Hipple.

It really shows you that when you show up, you never know what youll be faced with, said Supervisors Chairman Jim Marks.

All residents were accounted for, and school buses from the Owen J. Roberts School District took the more than 100 evacuated residents to the Norco firehouse where the Red Cross was waiting, said Deichert.

There, the community demonstrated what generosity looks like.

The response from the community has just been unbelievable, said Marks.

In addition to the clothes, pet food, baby supplies and toiletries that were dropped off the night of fire, contributions continued to roll in.

The fire company received $22,000 in cash to help the residents, and thats not counting the checks or the PayPal, or GoFundMe efforts, Marks said. Its a community response we can be proud of.

And those donations didnt just come from North Coventry.

In addition to other localities, Marks said donations came from all over the country  from Washington state, L.A., Michigan, Ohio, Massachusetts and New Jersey. Say what you want about social media, but when it comes to things like this

Township Manager Erica Batdorf said Chester County has lent a hand, particularly trying to line up housing for those left homeless by the fire.

This article first appeared as a post in The Digital Notebook blog.
South Africa: Minister Motshekga dismisses COVID-19 tender procurement allegations

Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga has dismissed allegations that her family is involved in COVID-19 tender procurement.

This as false news have been making the rounds on various social media platforms alleging the involvement of the Ministers husband, Dr Mathole Motshekga, in the production of sanitizers to schools.

The allegations are absolutely not true and totally malicious. Dr Mathole Motshekga, husband to Minister Angie Motshekga does not own, or plan to own a factory that produces or supplies sanitizers or personal protective equipment to schools, said the Ministers office in a statement on Tuesday.

The Ministers office pointed out that Dr Motshekga in his own right, is a politician and a long-standing Member of Parliament and currently serves as Chairperson of the Ad-Hoc Committee of Section 25 on the Expropriation of Land.

Dr Motshekga is a Professor of Laws and Political Science recognized by many prestigious universities in the country. He spends his time reading, writing and giving local and international lectures on African Heritage, Laws and Political Science.

The Ministers office further dismissed allegations around the Kara Heritage Institute.

Further allegations that the Kara Heritage Institute which Dr Motshekga founded sells books to schools is a blatant lie. The Institute is not a commercial business and has no interest whatsoever in making business with government, let alone the Department of Basic Education.

The Ministers office said allegations made against Dr Motshekga, which attempt to link Minister Motshekga to corruption regarding the COVID-19 tender procurement for sanitizers, are desperate and far-fetched.

Meanwhile the Minister has condemned all forms of corruption, adding that education is the only way in which to reverse poverty.

Schools do not only provide an education, but is an important institution that provides for the holistic wellbeing of children. Long absence from school puts younger children at a high risk of social decadence and delinquent behaviours such as crime, drug addiction and unplanned pregnancies, hence it is important to keep children in school for as long as possible, she said.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2020-08-12. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
The Ministry of Health Of Ukraine has proposed to the Cabinet of Ministers to change the criteria for the distribution of regions into four zones on COVID-19, Health Minister Maksym Stepanov said during a press briefing in Kyiv on Wednesday.

"Having analyzed all the indicators, we decided to make it clearer and more convenient by what criteria we determine the attribution to a particular hazard level (green, yellow, orange and red zones). We decided to combine the dynamics and the number of incidence into one indicator and make calculations based on the number of new patients per 100,000 people during 14 days. In addition, we have more clearly defined the rate of bed occupancy. We have a different situation in the west and east of the country, so we took into account small districts and towns, regional centers and introduced appropriate coefficients. We have submitted relevant documents to the Cabinet of Ministers for the introduction of changes in the resolution," he said.
India's third Covid wave likely to peak on Jan 23, daily cases to stay below 4 lakh: IIT Kanpur scientist

India, Nepal to hold senior level dialogue on Aug 17 after a nine-month hiatus

India

oi-Deepika S

New Delhi, Aug 12: Indian Ambassador Vinay Mohan Kwatra and Nepal''s Foreign Secretary Shanker Das Bairagi are scheduled to hold talks on August 17 in Kathmandu under a bilateral framework, in first major engagement since the ties came under strain after the Himalayan nation came up with a new political map in May.

Official sources said the scheduled meeting between Kwatra and the Nepalese foreign secretary under an oversight mechanism is part of a regular interaction between India and Nepal.

"This oversight mechanism was set up in 2016 to review ongoing bilateral economic and development projects, and meets on a periodic basis," said a source.

The ties between the two countries came under strain after Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated an 80-km-long strategically crucial road connecting the Lipulekh pass with Dharchula in Uttarakhand on May 8.

Nepal protested the inauguration of the road claiming that it passed through its territory. Days later, Nepal came out with the new map showing Lipulekh, Kalapani and Limpiyadhura as its territories.

IAF writes to censor board over negative potrayal in Gunjan saxena | Oneindia News

In June, Nepal''s Parliament approved the new political map of the country featuring areas which India maintains belong to it.

Amidst boundary tensions, India-Nepal meet next week

In its reaction, after Nepal''s lower house of parliament approved the bill, India termed as untenable the "artificial enlargement" of territorial claims by the neighbouring country.

India said Nepal''s action violates an understanding reached between the two countries to resolve the boundary issues through talks.

Nepalese Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli has been asserting that Lipulekh, Kalapani and Limpiyadhura belong to Nepal and vowed to "reclaim" them from India.

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Story first published: Wednesday, August 12, 2020, 23:33 [IST]
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-13 00:58:52|Editor: huaxia

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COPENHAGEN, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- Impacted by COVID-19, sales of Danish industrial giant Danfoss dropped by 10 percent year-on-year in the first half (H1) of 2020, but the company has gained its strength in China with record sales in the second quarter (Q2), according to the company accounts published on Wednesday.

Danfoss sales amounted to 2.9 billion euros (3.42 billion U.S. dollars) in H1, realizing net profit of 164 million euros.

"I am proud of how our teams around the world have handled the difficult situation. We have kept focus on our strategic direction," said Kim Fausing, president and CEO of Danfoss, in a press release.

However, the net profit of H1 still decreased 32 percent over the same period of last year.

Danfoss attributes the decline mainly to the impact of COVID-19 pandemic, which it says still continues to create global volatility and uncertainty.

"Danfoss saw the largest negative impact on sales in April and May, followed by a periodic improvement towards the end of the second quarter," it said.

But the company has seen signs of stabilizing sales in Asia and record sales in China in Q2, according to the press release.

Danfoss, the Denmark-based world-leading cooling and heating system solutions specialist, employs over 28,000 people worldwide. Enditem
Ambassador of Armenia to the Islamic Republic of Iran Artashes Tumanyan today visited the Iranian Parliament of the Islamic Republic of Iran where he had a meeting with Chairman of the National Security and Foreign Policy Committee of the Iranian Parliament Mojtaba Zonnour, as reported on the website of the Embassy of Armenia in the Islamic Republic of Iran.

According to the press release, the interlocutors discussed a broad range of issues related to the bilateral ties, touched upon the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and, in this context, Tumanyan provided information about the clashes that took place on the Armenia-Azerbaijan border in July.

The parties also discussed several issues related to the coronavirus pandemic, as well as the current state of trade and economic relations and the opportunities for development amid the US governments ongoing sanctions against Iran.

Tumanyan and Zonnour particularly touched upon the strengthening of cooperation between Iran and the Eurasian Economic Union and, in this regard, the special significance of the relations between Iran and Armenia.

Tumanyan and Zonnour stated the need for deepening of inter-parliamentary cooperation and attached importance to the intensification of cooperation of the heads of parliaments, standing committees and friendship groups.
The overview of news from Slovakia on August 12, 2020.

PM Igor Matovic (r) and chief hygienist Jan Mikas (l) before the August 12 cabinet session. (Source: SITA)

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Matovic reveals reasons for expelling diplomats

PM Igor Matovic confirmed that the expulsion of Russian diplomats was a reaction to the exploitation of diplomatic services to gain a visa.

The case is linked with the scandal at the Slovak general consulate in St Petersburg. Slovakia cannot tolerate such a violation of the rules, which played a role in the murder committed in Germany, Matovic noted.

Meanwhile, the inspection into the procedures of issuing visas at the general consulate in St Petersburg and the Slovak Embassy in Moscow continues, said Foreign Affairs Minister Ivan Korcok (SaS nominee).

New outbreak in Sladkovicovo

The August 11 testing revealed 75 new coronavirus-positive cases, the most since April 22.

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Related article Second coronavirus wave has already arrived in Slovakia Read more

The majority of infections have been uncovered in the Sladkovicovo-based Fekollini company that produces baguettes and sandwiches under the Pierre Baguette brand and employs some 500 people.

Despite the higher number of cases reported in the past days, the respective authorities say the situation is under control. The group of experts is expected to meet soon to discuss the potential measures.

Other coronavirus-related news

The Health Care Surveillance Authority has launched a new inspection related to the death of the very first COVID-19 victim in Bojnice (Trencin Region). While the authority mentions new facts that led to launching the scrutiny, the hospital wrote on Facebook that it made no mistake when providing health care.

has launched a (Trencin Region). While the authority mentions new facts that led to launching the scrutiny, the hospital wrote on Facebook that it made no mistake when providing health care. The hospital in Skalica (Trnava Region) banned visits to all wards until further notice after it hospitalised an infected patient. It also restricted the treatment provided at its neurology department. All examinations are cancelled until August 18, and patients should book a new date. The outpatient department will deal with life-threatening cases only.

(Trnava Region) after it hospitalised an infected patient. It also restricted the treatment provided at its neurology department. All examinations are cancelled until August 18, and patients should book a new date. The outpatient department will deal with life-threatening cases only. Coronavirus cases in Zilina have also been confirmed at the local court and prosecutors office. The courts operation has been secured, with the filing office, business register and the register of public sector partners working in a standard regime. The prosecutors office is working in a limited operation.

In other news

The government officially recalled Lukas Kyselica (OLaNO) from the post of the state secretary (deputy minister) at the Interior Ministry. He decided to step down after several media outlets have reported on his involvement in the Military Intelligence service during the election campaign.

(OLaNO) from the post of the state secretary (deputy minister) at the Interior Ministry. He decided to step down after several media outlets have reported on his involvement in the Military Intelligence service during the election campaign. Zilina-based carmaker Kia Motors Slovakia will l aunch its three-shift operation sooner than planned . Instead of September, it will restore it from August 24 , due to the increased demand. (SITA)

. Instead of September, it will restore it from , due to the increased demand. (SITA) Trade unions in U.S. Steel Kosice are organising a protest march through the city centre on the afternoon of August 13. They are still ready to strike if they fail to settle on a new collective agreement with management.

through the city centre They are still ready to strike if they fail to settle on a new collective agreement with management. The number of travellers handled by the Bratislava airport amounted to only 5 percent of last years numbers in July , even though coronavirus measures were lifted. Only 16,000 passengers used the airport, down from 331,000 last July.

handled by the Bratislava airport amounted to , even though coronavirus measures were lifted. Only 16,000 passengers used the airport, down from 331,000 last July. Bratislava will relive its coronation glory during the upcoming weekend. Several events are planned, including free tours and a parade through the city centre.

Check out on Spectator.sk:

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An enormous explosion in Beiruts seaport area this week ruined nearby buildings and caused damage and shattered windows across the city, killing scores of people and wounding thousands more. As videos of the disaster spread on social media, people around the world immediately began speculating about the cause.

Lebanese government sources eventually said it was 2,750 metric tons of ammonium nitrate, a chemical routinely used as agricultural fertilizer and, when mixed with fuel oil, as a mining explosive. The stockpile had been sitting in a warehouse since 2014, when the ship that carried it into port was abandoned. This incident is not the first time ammonium nitrate has caused devastation. In 2013, for instance, a stockpile a tenth the size of the one in Beirut blew up a West Chemical and Fertilizer Company facility in Texas.

Experts such as engineers Suzanne Smyth and Russell Ogle investigate the causes and origins of such fires and explosions in an attempt to prevent future disasters. Smyth and Ogle are a managing engineer and practice director, respectively, at Exponent, an American multidisciplinary engineering and scientific consulting company. Scientific American spoke with them about how explosion detectives get to the roots of an incident, and what conditions can trigger an ammonium nitrate detonation.

How do you investigate the cause of a particular explosion or fire?

SMYTH: What were essentially following is the scientific method. We go through and gather a bunch of data, which could come from videos, documents, interviews, looking at evidence on the ground. And then, once you have those data, you start hypothesizing. One thing weve been trying to be very careful about is not hypothesizing too early in the process. We dont have a ton of information [for Beirut], but weve seen the videos of the explosion. Seeing the shock waveits very rare to see that. What were talking about is that really thin, spherical white shape moving away from the explosion. What youre actually seeing is water vapor condensing out of the air, because of really low pressure right behind the high-pressure shock wave. And then you can see it disappears right away, because its evaporating once the pressure equalizes. You can see the actual shock wave, so you know that it detonatedand only certain things can get you to a detonation.

What do you mean by detonation?

OGLE: A shock wave travels faster than the speed of sound, and thats the hallmark of a detonation. There are two kinds of decomposition reactions that you can find in ammonium nitrate when its starting to build up enough pressure to cause damage. The first is called a deflagration. Its a waveliterally a chemical reaction wavethat is traveling through the material slower than the speed of sound. As it continues to travel, it accelerates. And if it gets to the point where it hits the speed of sound, thats what we call a detonation. A detonation yields far more damaging mechanisms against things such as structures and buildings.

What else can you learn from the video footage from Beirut?

SMYTH: A lot of the times when were analyzing video, were looking for the sequence and timing of events. When were investigating an explosion, theres usually both explosion damage and fire damage. Its always one of our goals to figure out: Was it fire, then explosion or explosion, then fire? The video we see that shows a fire before the explosion is really useful.

OGLE: Theres a very distinctive reddish-brown cloud thats rising up, following the explosion. Its not the same thing as performing a chemical analysis, but [the cloud] is very distinctive and would be consistent with the decomposition products of ammonium nitratethe primary one being nitrogen oxide. I think, at least visually, theres a potential confirmation there that ammonium nitrate [is] participating in the overall reaction.

What can cause ammonium nitrate to explode?

OGLE: Its stable under normal conditions, but you can do things to it that will cause it to misbehave. The main trigger is an external heat source. Depending on how you want to count it, there have been probably somewhere between 20 and 30 major catastrophic explosions with ammonium nitrate since it came on the scene as a commercial product in the 1920s. And fire is a frequent trigger. Its the heat of the fire that warms up the ammonium nitrate that can become a problem. If it is heated by a large heat source like a fire, the ammonium nitrate will begin to decomposeand that decomposition can be mild and harmless, or it can be catastrophic.

The difference between the two is whether or not the ammonium nitrate is pushed together in a stockpile. Think of it like a bonfire with a bunch of logs. When you build up that bonfire, those logs are trapping the heat, which accelerates the burning and makes the big fire. Whereas if you spread them out, the heat escapes to the atmosphere harmlessly. The same thing is true with the ammonium nitrate if its loaded up in, for example, what they call supersacks (these flexible containers that can [often] hold about one [metric] ton each). If you pile them up with no airflow in between, then any heat that gets generated during a decomposition is trapped and cant get out. That heat raises the temperature and accelerates the decomposition, and theres nothing to stop it.

With the stockpile of ammonium nitrate in Beirut, what precautions should have been taken?

OGLE: In the U.S., we turn to [a nonprofit] organization called the National Fire Protection Association to give us guidance on how to safely handle things like hazardous materials. If you exceed a threshold quantity of materialone half of a [metric] ton [of ammonium nitrate]then you need to take a much more sophisticated approach to how you store and handle the material to keep it safe. If you have 2,750 [metric] tons, first and foremost, the thing you need to do is move that material far away from the population. It represents a significant hazard.

When investigating an explosion, what other clues do you look for?

SMYTH: The presence of a crater is another indication of the size of the explosion and what could potentially be involved. And the radii of damage: How far do you have minor structural damage? Broken windows? Major structural damage? Looking at how far away things are damaged can help you estimate how much power or energy or force was released. Those types of information can be used to back out what specifically happened. If youre looking at a smaller explosion within a building, you can look for directional indications: where this wall was blown out toward the north and this wall was blown out toward the east. You can also look at fragments, missiles or shrapnel that were thrown during the explosion to both estimate how much force youd need to move that fragment, as well as where they are coming from. Oftentimes were looking for fragments of certain pieces of equipment to put them back together like a puzzle: you might be able to look at those pieces and understand why they fragmented the way they did. Time lines are really important to our work. Understanding how long something was exposed to a fire, when someone was last in the room [and] noted that everything was normal, when people first see smokethat type of [establishment of] a time line can be really helpful to help us [set bounds on] whats going on, as well as potentially eliminate different hypotheses.

OGLE: Youre searching for little nuggets of gold through a bunch of other kinds of fluff. But that requires interviews and searching through documents. One of the things, for example, that theres been some talk about in the news media is whether or not there were any fireworks stored either nearby or, potentially, in the same warehouse [as the ammonium nitrate in Beirut]. Given the devastation that youre looking at, it would be probably difficult to find physical evidence of that. Youre going to have to rely on people, and maybe documents, that will help you establish whether or not some materials were being stored in adjacent warehouses or in the same one.
MOSCOW -- Russia has become the first country to issue regulatory approval for a vaccine against COVID-19 and plans to launch a mass immunization program in October. Announcing the news in a teleconference with his cabinet on August 11, President Vladimir Putin said one of his daughters was inoculated with no serious side effects. The main thing now is for us to ensure the safety of this vaccine's use and its effectiveness, he said.

But international health officials point to Russias lack of late-stage clinical trials, which are considered crucial to determining a vaccines safety and effectiveness, and criticize its expedited development amid a global race for a coronavirus shot -- a battle for prestige and soft power that could tempt governments to play geopolitics and cut corners in a bid to come first.

Heres a look at how Russias vaccine was developed, why its controversial -- and whether its premature for Russias medical researchers to seek a Nobel Prize.

Who Developed It?

The vaccine project is a government-backed endeavor, overseen by the Gamaleya Institute, a scientific body which developed Russias Ebola vaccine, and financed by the state-run Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF). The RDIF says it has invested 4 billion rubles ($550,000) in the project.

The vaccine underwent human trials in two phases spanning June and July. The first involved 38 civilians and 38 members of the military, and the second involved 100 people. Trials will also be carried out in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and the Philippines, the RDIF says.

The vaccine is being marketed with the name Sputnik-V, a symbolism-laden nod to the worlds first satellite. RDIF chief Kirill Dmitriyev has called the unveiling of Russias vaccine "a Sputnik moment, in reference to the successful launch of the Sputnik satellite in 1957 -- the opening salvo of the Cold War-era Space Race between the Soviet Union and the United States.

Why The Doubts?

Russian officials have persistently touted an aggressive schedule for a vaccine against the pathogen that has infected at least 849,000 people in Russia and killed more than 14,000 -- the fourth- and 11th-highest numbers in the world, respectively.

Human testing of vaccines typically includes three stages prior to approval for mass production and use. The first two involve trials on a small group of people to determine whether the vaccine causes harmful side effects and whether its capable of stimulating the immune system. The final phase, known as Phase III, extends the trial to thousands of people by administering some with the vaccine candidate and others with a placebo.

What is publicly known of the Russian vaccine suggests that it is scientifically plausible, as it uses two adapted strains of the adenovirus recognized as capable of triggering an immune response. But it is the final phase of the trial, Phase III, that Russia is yet to complete, a fact that has prompted the strongest skepticism.

I certainly would not take a vaccine that hasn't been tested in Phase III. Nobody knows if [its] safe or if it works, Florian Krammer, professor at the Department of Microbiology at Icahn School of Medicine in New York City, wrote on Twitter. They are putting [health-care workers] and their population at risk.

What is important is not to be first with a COVID-19 vaccine but to be the best, which means it must be proven safe and effective, Lawrence Gostin of Georgetown Universitys ONeill Institute for National and Global Health Law in Washington, D.C., wrote in a column for the English-language Moscow Times. The international community will not recognize Russias claims until rigorous scientific and ethical standards have been met.

Dmitriyev, the RDIF chief, defended Russias approach. He said the vaccine developed by the Gamaleya Institute relies on tried and tested technologies that he claimed are superior to experimental methods being used in vaccine trials funded and endorsed by the United States.

Western corporations are worried that theyll look bad compared to Russias [vaccine] developers, that Russians have overtaken them, he asserted in comments to the Russian newspaper Vedomosti.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has urged Russia to stick to international guidelines in its vaccine research. Between finding or having a clue of maybe having a vaccine that works, and having gone through all the stages, [there] is a big difference, WHO spokesman Christian Lindmeier said last week. Any vaccine...[or medicine] for this purpose should be, of course, going through all the various trials and tests before being licensed for rollout," he said.

Why Is This Such A Big Deal?

The worlds major powers have for months been vying to take the lead in the global race for a vaccine, which would give its victor prestige and the opportunity to prioritize its population before making the successful vaccine available to other countries stricken by an illness that has sickened more than 20 million people worldwide, according to official figures, and killed almost 750,000.

According to the WHO, 25 vaccines are currently in clinical trials and more than 100 more in development around the world. In the United States, the Massachusetts-based laboratory Moderna is conducting a Phase III trial involving 30,000 adults at 89 research sites nationwide.

Moscow says at least 20 countries have expressed an interest in its vaccine. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said on television on August 10 that he had accepted Putins offer to ship the vaccine from Russia when its ready, and that he is willing personally to participate in trials.

"I will tell President [Vladimir] Putin that I have huge trust in your studies in combating COVID and I believe that the vaccine that you have produced is really good for humanity," said Duterte, an authoritarian leader and a frequent critic of the United States.

If, as expected, major participants in the quest for a vaccine, like China and the United States, forge ahead with their own programs and shun Russias claimed vaccine, countries outside the West may turn to Moscow.

And if Russia allays the doubts and its vaccine proves safe and effective, it will prove a major achievement. But that may take months, and some researchers suggest the odds are against it.

The timing of Russias announcement means it is very unlikely that they have sufficient data about the efficacy of the product, Natalie Dean, a biostatistician and infectious disease expert at the University of Florida, told The New York Times. She said vaccines that have produced promising data from early trials in humans have failed at later stages.

Many of the most optimistic researchers around the world have suggested the development of a vaccine against the virus will take until the end of 2020 at least -- still a remarkable pace compared to the years and even decades needed for most vaccines in circulation today.

With reporting by Mike Eckel
TORONTO, Aug. 12, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Wealthforces steadily growing team is now licensed in both provinces of Alberta and Ontario. Wealthforce has taken on the use of innovative technologies, implementation of enhanced cybersecurity, and utilizes an electronic signature platform for an enhanced client experience.



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I am excited to be apart of such a forward-thinking group that supports growth and development as an agent, he says.

Prospective mutual fund representatives interested in joining the Wealthforce team are encouraged to visit the Careers page: https://wealthforce.ca/careers. Wealthforce has adapted their hiring process to the new environment with virtual interviews and online advisor onboarding, welcoming motivated and talented applicants throughout Alberta and Ontario.

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SHANGHAI/HONG KONG (Reuters) - Tencent's chief financial officer said on Wednesday that the firm understood that the U.S. executive order was focused on its WeChat app in the United States and not on its other businesses in the country.

The company is in the process of seeking further clarification from relevant parties on the executive order from the Trump administration, John Lo said during an analyst call following the firm's second-quarter results.

He added that the firm's WeChat app that is being targeted in the U.S. was different from Weixin, the Chinese name its app is known by in China.

The United States said last week it would ban WeChat-related transactions in the country in September.

(Reporting by Brenda Goh in Shanghai and Pei Li in Hong Kong; editing by Jason Neely)
People hold up copies of the Apple Daily as they protest for press freedom inside a mall in Hong Kong on August 11, 2020, a day after authorities conducted a search of the newspaper's headquarters after the company's founder Jimmy Lai was arrested under the new national security law. (AFP)

Hong Kong: Last year, hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets of Hong Kong to demand full democracy, many egged on by a tabloid newspaper critical of Chinas ruling Communist Party.

On Tuesday, they lined up at newsstands across the city to buy that same paper, handing over 10 Hong Kong dollars ($1.25) a copy in a bid to help the Apple Daily  and press freedom  survive.

The public show of support came a day after police rounded up 10 people, including the papers founder, and raided its headquarters. The move reinforced fears that a new national security law would be used to suppress dissent in Hong Kong after months of anti-government protests shook the citys leadership and the central government in Beijing last year.

Police have expanded their use of the law since it took effect six weeks ago, first arresting protesters with slogans deemed to be in violation and then activists over online posts. Media tycoon Jimmy Lai, the Apple Daily founder, and his Next Digital media group were the largest targets to date.

That people protested by buying a newspaper rather than by taking to the streets shows how much the climate has changed since the stormy protests last year. Investors also bought Next Digital stock to show support, driving its price up more than 300% on Tuesday.

The Apple Daily, known for its celebrity coverage as well as its condemnation of Chinas authoritarian rule, remained defiant, printing 350,000 copies  five times its usual print run  after police investigators left Next Digital and told employees they could go back to work.

Lines formed at newsstands Tuesday in a public show of support, and Apple Daily said it would print an additional 200,000 copies. Apple Daily will fight on, the newspaper said on its front page.

I do not like the way Apple Daily reports news but I think it symbolizes press freedom in Hong Kong, Tiffany Chan said after buying a copy at a convenience store. I cannot just sit and watch the government destroy press freedom. This is the least I can do.

One newsstand operator said he had sold 200 of his allotment of about 300 papers by late morning. On a typical day, he sells about 100 copies, he said.

In the early hours of Wednesday, Lai was released on bail. As he emerged from the police station, the crowd waiting outside cheered. Some of them held up copies of the Apple Daily newspaper in support and chanted Support Apple Daily, until the very end. Lai was driven away in a black car, waving at supporters and giving them a thumbs-up.

Agnes Chow, a prominent pro-democracy activist who was also one of the 10 people arrested under the national security law on Monday, was also granted bail on Tuesday night and released.

Hong Kong, and to a lesser degree Taiwan, have become battlegrounds for the competing world views of China and the United States. The U.S. imposed sanctions on 11 Hong Kong and Chinese officials last week, including city leader Carrie Lam, over the security law. China responded Monday by sanctioning 11 Americans, including six members of Congress.

The Trump administration, which is feuding with China on multiple fronts, sent Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar to Taiwan this week for the highest-level visit by a U.S. official since the United States broke off diplomatic relations to recognize Beijing as the government of China in 1979.

Taiwan Foreign Minister Joseph Wu, meeting Azar on Tuesday, said the self-governing island is fortunate to have U.S. support at a time when our life has become increasingly difficult as China continues to pressure Taiwan into accepting its political conditions, conditions that will turn Taiwan into the next Hong Kong.

The fate of Hong Kongs 7.5 million residents ultimately lies in the hands of the Communist Party leadership in Beijing.

You cant really worry about it, it is what it is, said Anna Yuen, a retiree who said her family could leave if the situation really deteriorates. But I cant bear to leave Hong Kong. I think Hong Kong people are really admirable, especially the youth.

The fear in Hong Kong, which has its own laws and courts and greater freedoms than mainland China, is that the Communist Party wants to mold the territory over time into a city similar to those on the mainland.

Press freedom is just one characteristic that separates Hong Kong from the rest of China.

If they crack down on Apple Daily today, they will go down the list of media that do not support the Communist Party or the Hong Kong government, and what will be left is just news that sings the praises of the Communist Party, Chan said.
Syracuse, NY -- A Jefferson County woman will spend 22 years in prison after admitting that she sexually abused a 2-year-old girl in an attempt to win back the affections of her estranged husband.

Amber Decker, 25, recorded the abuse over the course of several weeks in July and August 2018, then sent the videos to her husband, Logan, who was working at a jail in South Dakota.

The Deckers were both caught when one of Ambers relatives spotted text messages about raping children and reported them. Amber Decker faced between 15 and 30 years in prison, under federal sentencing guidelines. U.S. District Judge David Hurd sentenced her Wednesday to 22 years.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Lisa Fletcher said in court papers that theres no question that Amber Decker abused the child upon the prompting of her controlling husband. But Amber was 1,300 miles away from Logan at the time, and could have sought the protection of her loving, adopted family, the prosecutor said.

Instead, she selfishly sacrificed the physical, mental, and emotional well-being of a defenseless child...simply for the prize of endearing herself to a sexual sadist, Fletcher wrote.

Assistant Federal Public Defender Randi Bianco described Amber as developmentally disabled from fetal alcohol syndrome at birth, a victim of child rape herself and largely dominated by her older husband. She married him in high school, when Logan was already in the military, and he forced her away from her family. Logan later abused her verbally, physically and sexually, her lawyer said.

Logans domination and control of Amber was so overpowering he was able to exercise it from over a thousand miles away by telephone, Bianco wrote. Amber feared that if she didnt give in Logan would come and punish her. At the same time, she was also fearful that Logan would leave her. Logan had convinced her that no one would ever want to be with her.

Logan Decker is scheduled to be sentenced next month.

Editors note: A previous version of this story incorrectly identified a lawyer defending Amber Decker. Assistant Federal Public Defender Randi Bianco filed court papers on her behalf.
Ancient people in the Near East had begun the practice of intentionally cremating their dead by the beginning of the 7th millennium BC, according to a study published August 12, 2020 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Fanny Bocquentin of the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) and colleagues.

Excavations at the Neolithic site of Beisamoun in Northern Israel have uncovered an ancient cremation pit containing the remains of a corpse that appears to have been intentionally incinerated as part of a funerary practice. These remains were directly dated to between 7013-6700 BC, making them the oldest known example of cremation in the Near East.

The remains comprise most of one skeleton of a young adult. The bones show evidence of having been heated to temperatures of over 500C shortly after death, and they sit inside a pit that appears to have been constructed with an open top and strong insulating walls. Microscopic plant remains found inside the pyre-pit are likely leftover from the fuel for the fire. This evidence leads the authors to identify this as an intentional cremation of a fresh corpse, as opposed to the burning of dry remains or a tragic fire accident.

This early cremation comes at an important period of transition in funerary practices in this region of the world. Old traditions were on the way out, such as the removal of the cranium of the dead and the burial of the dead within the settlement, while practices like cremation were new. This change in funeral procedure might also signify a transition in rituals surrounding death and the significance of the deceased within society. Further examination of other possible cremation sites in the region will help elucidate this important cultural shift.

Bocquentin says: "The funerary treatment involved in situ cremation within a pyre-pit of a young adult individual who previously survived from a flint projectile injury-- the inventory of bones and their relative position strongly supports the deposit of an articulated corpse and not dislocated bones." She adds, "This is a redefinition of the place of the dead in the village and in society."

###

Citation: Bocquentin F, Anton M, Berna F, Rosen A, Khalaily H, Greenberg H, et al. (2020) Emergence of corpse cremation during the Pre-Pottery Neolithic of the Southern Levant: A multidisciplinary study of a pyre-pit burial. PLoS ONE 15(8): e0235386. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0235386

Funding: The Irene Levi Sala Care Archaeological Foundation supported financially this research project untitled Domesticating decay during the Pre-Pottery Neolithic: emergence of corpse cremation in Southern Levant (F. Bocquentin and A. Rosen Dir.). The soil micromorphology analyses were partially funded by the Canada Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (Grant No. 435-2016-1123). We are also indebted to our host institutes and financial supporters which make possible the renewed excavation program at Beisamoun: French National Center of Scientific Research (CNRS, UMR7041, Ethnologie Prehistorique), Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA), French center of Research at Jerusalem (CRFJ), French Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MEAE).

Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

In your coverage please use this URL to provide access to the freely available article in PLOS ONE: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0235386
?? El Minsa distribuye mas de 34 toneladas de suministros medicos en establecimientos de salud de Lima Metropolitana y once regiones del pais para reforzar la lucha contra el #COVID19. #LaSaludNosUne



Mas informacion: https://t.co/ddmd8TYzsR pic.twitter.com/yzbkqZ8ubq
Political party vigilantism and electoral violence described by the Catholic Bishops' Conference as the twin evils threatens to plague the 2020 elections in December despite the enactment of legislation and the signing of inter-party code of conduct and road map to peace ahead of the polls, the Bishops have warned.

To ensure free, fair and transparent elections, the Bishops are pleading with Ghanaians to strive against vigilantism and violence.

It is recalled that in the just ended voter registration exercise, there were recorded incidence of violence at some registration centres.

At Awutu Senya East constituency in the central region for example, the Member of Parliament Hawa Koomson fired a gun at a registration centre after a melee leading to the burning of motor bikes and disrupting the process.

At Banda Ahenkro in the Bono Region, a graduate teacher was killed during a confrontation at a registration centre.

Apart from these, pockets of violence were recorded across the country.

These occurred despite an agreement between the two leading political parties  the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) to disband political vigilante groups.

Both parties are signatories to the Code of Conduct and Roadmap to ending political vigilantism developed by a technical committee following a series of dialogues organised by the National Peace Council.

It is on the back of this that the Catholic Bishops said vigilantism needs to be exorcised to ensure a violent free election.

In a pastoral letter titled: Politics for nation building and social cohesion in Ghana, the Bishops said: These twin evils have again reared their ugly heads at recent elections and shockingly in the course of the voter registration exercise. If not duly exorcised from our body politic, these threaten to plague the 2020 elections, in spite of the enactment of legislations and the endorsement and signing of an inter-party code of conduct and road map to peace.

---classfmonline
A 17-year-old boy has been found guilty of the murder of a teaching assistant who was found buried in a shallow grave at the back of a cemetery.

The body of Lindsay Birbeck, 47, was discovered wrapped in two plastic bags in Accrington Cemetery in Lancashire on August 24 last year  12 days after she went missing.

The mother-of-two left her home in Burnley Road, Accrington, for a late afternoon walk to a nearby wooded area known as the Coppice.

Lindsay Birbeck with her son Steven (Lancashire Police/PA)

She had invited her teenage daughter, Sarah, and Sarahs boyfriend for tea at 6pm but when she did not return her worried family raised the alarm.

Her attacker had been on the prowl in the woods for lone females and is thought to have killed Mrs Birbeck shortly after she entered the Coppice.

On Wednesday, a jury at Preston Crown Court convicted the youngster of murder after deliberating for more than four hours.

The verdict was returned exactly a year after Mrs Birbeck was murdered.

Sentencing is expected to take place on Friday.

Her killer  who was 16 at the time  attended a police station several days after the keep-fit enthusiast was found when police released a CCTV clip of a young male pulling a blue wheelie bin behind him on Burnley Road.

He went on to admit dragging the bin from the Coppice on August 17  with Mrs Birbeck inside  across Burnley Road to the cemetery where he buried her.

But he claimed he was not involved in her death and that a mystery man had approached him in the area with the promise of a large cash reward if he disposed of the body.

He stated: I have not met this man before. I have not met him since, nor have I had any contact with him. He has not paid me any money. He told me that he would leave the money for me near where the body had been at first once everything was clear.

The Crown said the defendants account was implausible fiction.

Shortly before Mrs Birbeck entered the Coppice, another woman said she feared for her safety when a lone male wearing a grey tracksuit and his hood up followed her on her walk.

He was getting closer when she startled him by glancing back and thought he had pulled up after running.

Mrs Birbeck was identified through dental records and a post-mortem examination concluded the cause of death was neck injuries.

Her naked body was heavily decomposed and no evidence of a sexual assault could be found.

Severe compressive force appeared to have been used, according to a Home Office pathologist, which could have been done in several ways including through stamping or kicking  or kneeling on the front of the neck.

An attempt had also been made to cut off a leg, possibly with a saw.

Mrs Birbeck, mother to Sarah, 17, and Steven, 20, had split up from her husband and moved to her home in Burnley Road in March last year after she started a new relationship.
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin renewed a push for a more limited next-round U.S. pandemic relief package of "a little more than $1 trillion," on Wednesday, saying that Democratic demands for spending more could be discussed down the road.

"We can always come back later in the year or January and do a sixth bill," Mnuchin said on Fox Business Network. "We don't have to do everything at once."

With no plans announced for any further negotiations, Mnuchin said "I can't speculate" about prospects for a deal between the Trump administration and Democrats led by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.

"If the Democrats are willing to be reasonable, there's a compromise," Mnuchin said. "If the Democrats want to focus on politics and don't want to do anything that's going to succeed for the president, there won't be a deal."

The four lead negotiators, including Mnuchin and Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, haven't spoken since Friday, and the impasse risks dragging on for weeks. Both parties also have their presidential nominating conventions in the next two weeks, pulling some attention away from the relief-package talks.

The White House says Democrats must reduce demands for state and local aid and for $600 a week in unemployment relief to restart the talks. Democrats say the White House must agree to $1 trillion in spending beyond the $1 trillion Republicans already put on the table.

President Donald Trump for the time being appears content to let his executive actions deferring payroll taxes and providing a temporary $300 a week boost in unemployment aid to play out. With the stock market climbing toward all-time highs this month, there has been no pressure on him from that quarter lately. Major stock indexes rose again Wednesday, with the S&P 500 Index up 1.1% as of 10:02 a.m.

Mnuchin Wednesday reiterated the administration's call for Congress ultimately to forgive the payroll tax liabilities that Trump deferred in an executive memo issued over the weekend. That could cost $100 billion, according to an estimate from the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.

Mnuchin also said that the Treasury is working on guidelines for the payroll tax deferral. A key challenge for the department will be how to assuage some employers' concerns they could get stuck with large bills once the deferral period ends, if they passed the savings along to employees.

The Treasury chief also indicated that Trump's executive order, which delayed levies that fund Social Security for those earning up to $104,000 from Sept. 1 through year-end, would be optional for companies to implement.

"We're going to create a level of certainty for small businesses who want to do this," he said.
ATLANTA, Aug. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- COVID-19 is uniquely impacting Blacks in communications due to organizational shifts brought on by the virus combined with the heightened social justice climate. Today, Media Frenzy Global , in partnership with the National Black Public Relations Society (NBPRS), released its 2020 survey, COVID-19's Impact on Black Communications Professionals, highlighting challenges faced by Black professionals during COVID-19.

The survey administered online from June 9, 2020, to July 6, 2020, analyzed insights from communications professionals with connections to seven (7) regional affiliate NBPRS chapters encompassing agency, corporate and independent practitioners in Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles, New York City, Philadelphia and Washington, DC.

The study intended to uncover potential roadblocks experienced by Black Americans working in communications-related professional settings during COVID-19's arrival in the United States and subsequent spread between January 2020 and the present. In exploring the experiences that black communication professionals have faced since the onset of COVID-19, the research sheds light on several factors:

More than 52% of respondents said they felt more pressure to perform at a higher level than their white counterparts during the pandemic;

Almost 72% of those surveyed said they felt stressors from the surrounding community impacted their job performance;

An increase in stress and a decline in productivity were common findings, with 76% percent of respondents revealing anxiety at their jobs increased during the pandemic, with perceived declines in productivity even across the board.

As of Spring 2020, over 33 million Americans lost their job during the pandemic. A recent report from Pew uncovered Black workers with bachelor's degrees continued to lose jobs in May 2020, even as the relaxing of coronavirus restrictions led to job gains for white professionals.

"COVID-19 has a grave impact on the Black community, especially in the professional realm," says Katie Kern, Partner of Media Frenzy Global. "There is a clear need for data to be compartmentalized and addressed so that we can take the necessary steps to find and create resources to assist our most vulnerable communities," adds Kern.

Black communications professionals are not unlike other American minorities navigating the COVID-19 pandemic. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that Blacks are five times more likely to be hospitalized by the virus than Whites . Job loss and insecurity, underemployment and increased stress are also among the significant impacts felt by this group and reported in the survey.

"As black media professionals, we are constantly under pressure to perform at a higher level than anyone else," said Neil Foote, president of the National Black Public Relations Society. "Now, the COVID-19 pandemic only reveals that we are getting hit hard. This survey provides us important data that reveals the hard truths of this disruptive period, and how black professionals must take the necessary precautions to stay healthy to manage the stress and get the help we need to be successful at our jobs."

Further findings from the survey are available in full, HERE .

To schedule an interview with spokespeople from Media Frenzy Global and Black Public Relations Society of Atlanta, please contact Tawanda Carlton at Media Frenzy Global at [email protected] or 910-358-7224.

About Media Frenzy Global

An award-winning agency, Media Frenzy Global (MFG), grows total company value for technology companies by increasing market awareness and connecting that to revenue. MFG is the only internationally-focused boutique PR and Marketing agency in Atlanta whose sole focus is to build innovative and disruptive brands across continents. Its international cross-border expertise, diverse team, multi-award-winning campaigns, and 5-star customer testimonials make MFG a leading choice for brands seeking to tell progressive stories that connect with a multicultural and multigenerational audience. For more information on Media Frenzy Global, visit mediafrenzyglobal.com .

About Black Public Relations Society of Atlanta

The Black Public Relations Society of Atlanta (BPRS Atlanta) was established in 2001 to increase the active participation and employment of people of color in the practice and study of public relations through professional development, scholarship and networking opportunities. We offer a wide range of programs designed to help our student and professional members enhance their job skills and become among the best and brightest in the industry. For more information, visit https://bprsatlanta.org/ .

SOURCE BPRS Atlanta

Related Links

https://bprsatlanta.org


LAS VEGAS, Aug. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Research conducted by the National Financial Educators Council in August indicated that the majority of Americans (over 84%) replied, "Definitely Yes" or "Yes" to the question, "Do you think high school students should take personal finance courses in high school?"

Survey Details: 1,252 people across the US were asked, "Do you think high school students should take personal finance courses in high school?"

84.5% Responded "Yes" or "Definitely Yes"

7.3% Responded "No" or "Definitely No"

8.5% Responded "Maybe"

Full survey results at: https://www.financialeducatorscouncil.org/Financial-literacy-subject-survey/

The National Financial Educators Council (NFEC) carried out the study to evaluate people's attitudes toward financial education as compared with other curriculum typically taught in high school. The findings showed that the agreement held true across all demographic and age groups.

The NFEC has been conducting financial literacy surveys on this topic since March 2017, and findings from this survey are consistent with previous results. For example, in one earlier survey they asked 7,532 young adults, "What high school-level course would benefit your life the most?" Across 48 states, 50% of respondents selected "money management" as their top choice, above math, science, or social studies. In every state, at least 40% of survey respondents selected personal finance as the topic that would benefit them the most; money management was not the number one option in only one state.

The findings of the current survey indicate strong agreement around the US that it's important to provide students access to financial literacy education . Rick Davis, a Certified Personal Finance Consultant (CPFC) states, "The reality is that financial literacy and strong money management skills are a key to long-term financial independence and overall happiness, yet these skills are very rarely taught at home or in any other formal setting. This leaves people to often learn through trial and error. It makes sense to introduce these lifelong skills to youth at an early age and in an environment conducive to learning to prepare them for the many important financial decisions they will face following their high school years."

As Vince Shorb, the NFEC's CEO, observes, "People want personal finance to be taught and understand how important it is to teach topics that benefit all students. Public schools have been teaching the same curriculum for a century, but that curriculum rarely includes personal finance  a topic that would benefit 100% of students. It's time for the public school system to mandate this important subject in its curriculum at a level where youth would truly benefit."

In fact, it has been demonstrated that teaching financial literacy at the high school level has positive results. FINRA conducted research in Georgia, Idaho, and Texas, three US states that began mandating high school personal finance education in 2000. After three years of studying the programming, credit scores  measured on a scale of 250 to 850  among students in those states had improved by 31.71 points in Texas, 16.19 points in Idaho, and 10.89 points in Georgia in comparison with scores from students in a nearby state without the financial education mandate. This research underscores how important it is to teach financial literacy as part of the high school curriculum.

The National Financial Educators Council is a personal finance company whose mission focuses on providing top-quality financial education programming. As a social Benefit Corporation, the NFEC's social impact-focused enterprise has supported the development of thousands of programs over the last decade to reduce the cost and time needed to develop programming, while providing tools and training that increase program impact. NFEC's YouTube channel .

Contact:

Trevor Stoll

702.620.3059

[email protected]

SOURCE National Financial Educators Council

Related Links

https://www.financialeducatorscouncil.org


(Natural News) The Black Lives Matter chapter in Chicago staged a rally on Monday, August 10, to denounce the citys Democratic mayor, Lori Lightfoot, as well as the Chicago Police Department (CPD) for cracking down on their riots and arresting their members.

More than 100 BLM demonstrators were arrested on Sunday following a night of widespread looting and rioting, which, according to a report, injured at least 13 police officers and has caused over $60 million in property damage.

The rally was held in front of a police station in the citys South Loop neighborhood where organizers said several individuals affiliated with their movement were currently being held in custody.

The demonstrators have also targeted the CPD because they do not believe the departments official story regarding the arrest of one of their own during a police interaction.

According to the CPD, officers responded to reports of a man with a firearm. When they tried to approach the individual, he fled and opened fire on the police, prompting them to defend themselves by returning fire.

The suspect was identified as Latrell Allen, a 20-year-old African American man who was presumably participating in the rioting and looting. He was taken into custody and has been charged with one count of possessing or carrying a concealed weapon and two counts of attempted murder.

They put out a narrative that this person shot at them, said Ariel Atkins, a Black Lives Matter organizer. Im not [expletive] buying it. Wheres the [bodycam footage]?

Atkins took this opportunity to criticize Lightfoot, who he said is using too much of the citys resources protecting some buildings while Chicago residents are dying from the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19). Atkins is conveniently ignoring the fact that Black Lives Matter demonstrations are also spreading the deadly virus.

Atkins also tried to justify the rioting and looting by pointing to the oppression that African Americans experienced hundreds of years ago.

I dont care if someone decides to loot a Gucci or a Macys or a Nike store, said Atkins, because that makes sure that person eats. That makes sure that person has clothes. That is reparations. Anything they wanted to take, they can take it because these businesses have insurance. (Related: How the far-left Black Lives Matter movement promotes a revolution that will destroy America.)

Learn more about the Black Lives Matter movement by listening to this episode of the Health Ranger Report, a podcast by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, who talks about how the domestic terrorist organization is being supplied with illegal firearms shipped into the country through distribution hubs by Communist China.

Infighting about to tear Chicagos BLM chapter in two

Not everybody in the Black Lives Matter movement is of one mind that rioting and looting is good for the cause. Aislinn Pulley, one of the founders of the movements Chicago chapter, came out with a statement saying that the rampant violence is undercutting the message that the organization has been trying to convey.

Pulley argues that the preoccupation around property damage and looting, especially at the heart of the citys commercial district, is distracting people from the actual message that Black Lives Matter wants to put out, which is a message of social justice and racial equality.

Pulley and Atkins do agree on one point: The blame lies with Mayor Lightfoot. The BLM founder says that Lightfoots resistance to fully capitulating to the movement and enacting any meaningful change is what is keeping many rioters in the streets, because, according to Pulley, the main cause of the problem is the state of the citys police department.

Theres been no significant decreases in the budget for the CPD, there hasnt even been a promise to decrease the budget for the CPD. Weve seen other mayors across the country work with city councils to enact change, that has not occurred here.

However, Pulley has not called on the rioting to stop, stating that the movements voices still need to be heard. When asked by Fox News if peaceful protests can meaningfully continue despite the rampant property destruction that simultaneously occurs during a demonstration, Pulley offered a full-throated affirmation.

Remaining in the streets in terms of organizing, in terms of protest, marching and rallying should continue and will continue, we will continue to have unrest, intercommunal violence and these things.

The Black Lives Matter movement is pledging to continue rioting until all of their demands have been met. Learn how elected officials across the country are either capitulating to their demands or leading the charge to resist them at Rioting.news.

Sources include:

TheEpochTimes.com

FoxNews.com 1

FoxNews.com 2
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / August 12, 2020 / NV Gold Corporation (TSXV:NVX)(OTC PINK:NVGLF) ("NV Gold" or the "Company") is pleased to review its recent positive reconnaissance exploration program at the Sandy Gold Project, and to also announce that a property-wide geophysical program is being planned for the property, which is located within the Walker Lane Trend in Lyon County, Nevada, USA.

To determine the next steps at the Sandy Gold Project, NV Gold's technical team from Reno, Nevada, has completed a reconnaissance mapping and rock sampling program throughout the property. Based on the findings during the recent site work, the Company has expedited the decision to complete a property-wide geophysical program and based on results, finalize the geological modelling for the upcoming planned fall drill program.

NV Gold is finalizing tenders from available geophysical companies to complete a property-wide helicopter-supported geophysical survey in the next few weeks, and to fully understand the potential mineralizing system identified at the Sandy Gold Project. The Company anticipates completing electromagnetic (resistivity and conductivity), magnetic, and radiometric surveys across the property, and will be comprised of approximately 198 line-kms (refer to Figure 1 below). The goal of the geophysical survey is to assess the property-wide exploration potential at the Sandy Gold Project, and to assist in generating a prioritized list of drill targets, focusing on what is believed to be a low-sulphidation epithermal gold system.

"The Sandy Gold Project continues to be very interesting, based on our recent positive site reconnaissance exploration program, and also noting Eclipse Gold Mining's recent exploration at its Hercules Gold Project. Of note, NV Gold's Sandy claims have been subsequently surrounded by Eclipse's claim locations," commented Peter A. Ball, President and CEO of NV Gold. "As we push forward on the Sandy Gold Project, we are also now currently executing our CSAMT geophysical survey at our Slumber Gold Project, and we continue to aggressively explore the Exodus Gold Project in BC, Canada. It will be a very busy fall exploration season at NV Gold, and we look forward to ensuring that our shareholders are fully informed as we continue to advance towards our key corporate catalysts and milestones."

The Company anticipates results of the airborne geophysical survey in September, which will further add to our understanding of the Sandy Gold Project, and ensure the Company can vector in and execute a well-defined fall drill program.

Figure 1: Sandy Gold Project Proposed Geophysical Survey Grid

Sandy Gold Project: July 2020 Site Visit Review

During the site work on the Sandy Gold Project during July 2020, favorably-altered, mostly-oxidized rocks were identified and are exposed in a substantial portion of the southwest and northeast parts of the property. This alteration was observed to be partly covered by post-mineral volcanics. It was noted that modern erosion is exhuming portions of what appears to be an older hydrothermal system. During the work, the Company also was successful in locating a majority of the historical drill sites from the 1990s, and collected UTM coordinates for each of them in order to better interpret the gold system and assist siting of the upcoming drill program. Several grid lines of rock samples were also collected across portions of the structural system, and are awaiting assays.

Altered exposures throughout the property are characterized by pervasive argillization and silicification with brecciation and silica veining. The northeast area was noted to be dominated by a craggy hill approximately 400m x 800m in size, with exposed quartz-adularia alteration comprising siliceous ledges in hackly argillized andestic volcanics from the bottom of the adjacent wash at approximately 1550m elevation, and to the crest at 1680m elevation. A zone of steeply dipping strong silicification, including strongly silicified andesite dikes with disseminated pyrite, was noted and strikes toward the center of the hill. Samples collected from the northeast area are also awaiting analysis.

About the Sandy Gold Project

Comprised of a 20 claim block (approximately 400 acres) located in Lyon County, Nevada, USA, and acquired 100% for minimal staking costs in 2019 utilizing internal geological database.

Staked prior to and strategically now surrounded by the Hercules Gold Project claim block controlled by Eclipse Gold Mining (TSXV: EGLD). Drilling announced by Eclipse on June 10th, 2020 was located less than 3km west from the Sandy claim group.

Exhibits alteration, mineralization, and geochemical signatures consistent with other low-to-intermediate-sulfidation deposits in the vicinity, including Como, Hercules, and the Comstock Lode.

Originally explored in 1993-1994, which included geologic mapping, rock-chip and soil sampling, and drilling. Refer to the Company's press release September 5, 2019 for additional information on historical data.

Damir Cukor, P. Geo is a qualified person, as defined by National Instrument 43-101, and has approved the technical information in this news release.

About NV Gold Corporation

NV Gold (TSXV: NVX, US: NVGLF) is a junior exploration company based in Vancouver, British Columbia that is focused on delivering value through mineral discoveries in North America, leveraging its highly experienced in-house technical knowledge, and identifying and drilling 2-3 priority projects per year. NV Gold controls multiple drill-ready projects in Nevada, and has entered into an Option Agreement on the high-grade Exodus Gold Project in British Columbia, Canada.

On behalf of the Board of Directors,

Peter A. Ball

President & CEO

For further information, visit the Company's website at www.nvgoldcorp.com or contact:

Peter A. Ball, President & CEO

Phone: 1-888-363-9883

Email: peter@nvgoldcorp.com

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Service Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward Looking Statements

This news release includes certain forward-looking statements or information. All statements other than statements of historical fact included in this release, including, without limitation, statements regarding the Company's planned exploration activities, including executing a drill program at the Sandy Gold Project in the Fall of 2020, are forward-looking statements that involve various risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Company's plans or expectations include regulatory issues, market prices, availability of capital and financing, general economic, market or business conditions, timeliness of government or regulatory approvals and other risks detailed herein and from time to time in the filings made by the Company with securities regulators. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as otherwise required by applicable securities legislation.

SOURCE: NV Gold Corporation

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/601288/NV-Gold-Plans-Property-Wide-Geophysical-Survey-for-The-Sandy-Gold-Project-in-Nevada
Joe Biden named California Senator Kamala Harris as his running mate yesterday, making history by selecting the first black woman to compete on a major party's presidential ticket and acknowledging the vital role black voters will play in his bid to defeat President Donald Trump.

In choosing Harris, Biden is embracing a former rival from the Democratic primary who is familiar with the unique rigour of a national campaign. Harris, a 55-year-old first-term senator, is also one of the party's most prominent figures and quickly became a top contender for the number-two spot after her own White House campaign ended.

President Trump said he was "a little surprised" that Biden selected Harris as his running mate. Trump told reporters at a White House briefing that Harris "was very disrespectful to Joe Biden" during the Democratic primaries, and said "it's hard to pick somebody that's that disrespectful."

Trump is trying to paint Harris as too far left, saying she wants to raise taxes, slash funds for the militarily and ban fracking. He's also noting her tough questioning of now-Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh during his Senate confirmation hearing.

Harris joins Biden in the 2020 race at a moment of unprecedented national crisis. The coronavirus pandemic has claimed the lives of more than 150,000 people in the US, far more than the toll experienced in other countries. Business closures and disruptions resulting from the pandemic have caused an economic collapse. Unrest, meanwhile, has emerged across the country as Americans protest racism.

Trump's uneven handling of the crises has given Biden an opening, and he enters the fall campaign in strong position against the president. In adding Harris to the ticket, he can point to her relatively centrist record on issues such as health care and her background in law enforcement in the nation's largest state.

Harris's record as California attorney general and district attorney in San Francisco was heavily scrutinised during the Democratic primary and turned off some liberals and younger black voters who saw her as out of step on issues of systemic racism in the legal system and police brutality. She tried to strike a balance on these issues, declaring herself a "progressive prosecutor" who backs law enforcement reforms.

Biden, who spent eight years as President Barack Obama's vice-president, has spent months weighing who would fill that same role in his White House. He pledged in March to select a woman as his vice- president, easing frustration among Democrats that the presidential race would centre on two white men in their 70s.

Biden's search was expansive, including Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, a leading progressive, Florida Representative Val Demings, whose impeachment prosecution of Trump won plaudits, California Representative Karen Bass, who leads the Congressional Black Caucus, former Obama national security adviser Susan Rice and Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, whose passionate response to unrest in her city garnered national attention.

A woman has never served as president or vice-president in the United States.

Two women have been nominated as running mates on major party tickets: Democrat Geraldine Ferraro in 1984 and Republican Sarah Palin in 2008. Their party lost in the general election.

The vice-presidential pick carries increased significance this year. If elected, Biden would be 78 when he's inaugurated in January, the oldest man ever to assume the presidency. He's spoken of himself as a transitional figure and hasn't fully committed to seeking a second term in 2024. If he declines to do so, his running mate would likely become a front-runner for the nomination that year.

Born in Oakland to a Jamaican father and Indian mother, Harris won her first election in 2003 when she became San Francisco's district attorney. In the role, she created a re-entry program for low-level drug offenders and cracked down on student truancy.

She was elected California's attorney general in 2010, the first woman and black person to hold the job, and focused on issues including the foreclosure crisis.
CLEVELAND, Ohio  Cleveland City Council voted unanimously Wednesday to launch investigations into whether any parties accused in the statehouse corruption scandal involving bailouts of Ohios nuclear plants sought to harm city-owned Cleveland Public Power.

City Council President Kevin Kelley, the primary sponsor of the resolution, noted that CPP is a competitor to FirstEnergy in Cleveland and that he intends for the investigation to include a look at lobbying by FirstEnergy.
Witch hunts are far from being a thing of the past  even in the 21st century. In many countries, this is still a sad reality for many women today. That is why August 10 has been declared a World Day against Witch Hunts.Charlotte Muller, Sertan SandersonDeutsche WelleAugust 10, 2020Akua Denteh was beaten to death in Ghana's East Gonja District last month  after being accused of being a witch. The murder of the 90-year-old has once more highlighted the deep-seated prejudices against women accused of practicing witchcraft in Ghana, many of whom are elderly.An arrest was made in early August, but the issue continues to draw attention after authorities were accused of dragging their heels in the case. Human rights and gender activists now demand to see change in culture in a country where supernatural beliefs play a big role.But the case of Akua Denteh is far from an isolated instance in Ghana, or indeed the world at large. In many countries of the world, women are still accused of practicing witchcraft each year. They are persecuted and even killed in organized witch hunts  especially in Africa but also in Southeast Asia and Latin America.Witch hunts: a contemporary issueThose accused of witchcraft have now found a perhaps unlikely charity ally in their fight for justice: the Catholic missionary society missio, which is part of the global Pontifical Mission Societies under the jurisdiction of the Pope, has declared August 10 as World Day against Witch Hunts, saying that in at least 36 nations around the world, people continue to be persecuted as witches.While the Catholic Church encouraged witch hunts in Europe from the 15th to the 18th century, it is now trying to shed light into this dark practice. Part of this might be a sense of historical obligation  but the real driving force is the number of victims that witch hunts still cost today.Historian Wolfgang Behringer, who works as a professor specializing in the early modern age at Saarland University, firmly believes in putting the numbers in perspective. He told DW that during these three centuries, between 50,000 and 60,000 people are assumed to have been killed for so-called crimes of witchcraft  a tally that is close to being twice the population of some major German cities at the time.But he says that in the 20th century alone, more people accused of witchcraft were brutally murdered than during the three centuries when witch hunts were practiced in Europe: "Between 1960 and 2000, about 40,000 people alleged of practicing witchcraft were murdered in Tanzania alone. While there are no laws against witchcraft as such in Tanzanian law, village tribunals often decide that certain individuals should be killed," Behringer told DW.The historian insists that due to the collective decision-making behind these tribunals, such murders are far from being arbitrary and isolated cases: "I've therefore concluded that witch hunts are not a historic problem but a burning issue that still exists in the present.A pan-African problem?In Tanzania, the victims of these witch hunts are often people with albinism; some people believe that the body parts of these individuals can be used to extract potions against all sorts of ailments. Similar practices are known to take place in Zambia and elsewhere on the continent.Meanwhile in Ghana, where nonagenarian Akua Denteh was bludgeoned to death last month, certain communities blame the birth of children with disabilities on witchcraft.In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, it is usually the younger generations who are associated witchcraft. So-called "children of witchcraft" are usually rejected by their families and left to fend for themselves. However, their so-called crimes often have little to do with sorcery at all:"We have learned of numerous cases of children suffering rape and then no longer being accepted by their families. Or they are born as illegitimate children out of wedlock and are forced to live with a parent who does no longer accepts them," says Therese Mema Mapenzi, who works as a mission project partner in the eastern DRC city of Bukayu.'Children of witchcraft' in the DRCMapenzi's facility was initially intended to be a women's shelter to harbor women who suffered rape at the hands of the militia in the eastern parts of the country, where rape is used as a weapon of war as part of the civil conflict there. But over the years, more and more children started seeking her help after they were rejected as "children of witchcraft."With assistance from the Catholic missionary society missio, Mapenzi is now also supporting these underage individuals in coping with their many traumas while trying to find orphanages and schools for them."When these children come here, they have often been beaten to a pulp, have been branded as witches or have suffered other injuries. It is painful to just even look at them. We are always shocked to see these children devoid of any protection. How can this be?" Mapenzi wonders.Seeking dialogue to end witch huntsBut there is a whole social infrastructure fueling this hatred against these young people in the DRC: Many charismatic churches blame diseases such as HIV/AIDS or female infertility on witchcraft, with illegitimate children serving as scapegoats for problems that cannot be easily solved in one of the poorest countries on earth. Other reasons cited include sudden deaths, crop failures, greed, jealousy and more.Therese Mema Mapenzi says that trying to help those on the receiving end of this ire is a difficult task, especially in the absence of legal protection: "In Congolese law, witchcraft is not recognized as a violation of the law because there is no evidence you can produce. Unfortunately, the people have therefore developed their own legal practices to seek retribution and punish those whom call them witches."In addition to helping those escaping persecution, Mapenzi also seeks dialogue with communities to stop prejudice against those accused of witchcraft and sorcery. She wants to bring estranged families torn apart by witch hunts back together. Acting as a mediator, she talks to people and from time to time succeeds in reuniting relatives with women and children who had been ostracized and shamed. Mapenzi says that such efforts  when they succeed  take an average of two to three years from beginning to finish.But even with a residual risk of the victims being suspected of witchcraft again, she says it is worth it. She says that the fact that August 10 has been recognized as the World Day against Witch Hunts sends a signal that her work is important  and needed.Hunting the hunters a dangerous undertakingFor Therese Mema Mapenzi, the World Day against Witch Hunts marks another milestone in her uphill battle in the DRC. Jorg Nowak, spokesman for missio, agrees and hopes that there will now be growing awareness about this issue around the globe.As part of his work, Nowak has visited several missio project partners fighting to help bring an end to witch hunts in recent years. But he wasn't aware about the magnitude of the problem himself until 2017.The first case he dealt with was the killing of women accused of being witches in Papua New Guinea in the 2010s  which eventually resulted in his publishing a paper on the crisis situation in the country and becoming missio's dedicated expert on witch hunts.But much of Nowak's extensive research in Papua New Guinea remains largely under wraps for the time being, at least in the country itself: the evidence he accrued against some of the perpetrators there could risk the lives of missio partners working for him.Not much has changed for centuries, apart from the localities involved when it comes to the occult belief in witchcraft, says Nowak while stressing: "There is no such thing as witchcraft. But there are accusations and stigmatization designed to demonize people; indeed to discredit in order to gain selfish advantages for others."Maxwell Suuk and Isaac Kaledzi contributed to this article.
The expression jazz hands has taken on a whole new meaning for the youth participants of Christian Youth Theatre - Houston chapter.

Now the popular musical theater gesture reminds the CYT actors to present their hands for hand sanitizer. Its just one of the many changes the young actors are facing as they put on a show amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Christian Youth Theatre Houston chapter presents Annie Friday through Sunday at the Crighton Theatre in downtown Conroe. Shows are Friday at 7 p.m., Saturday at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. Note, both matinee shows were soldout as of Wednesday afternoon.

With equal measures of pluck and positivity, little orphan Annie charms everyones hearts despite a next-to-nothing start in 1930s New York City.

The process leading up to the show has been a journey that started in February.

According to CYT Chapter Coordinator and Show Coordinator Jeannie Bailey auditions for the show were in February and then the show was cast.

There were two rehearsals before Spring Break and then pandemic halted the process.

Annies Artistic Team Director - Josh Marchant Vocal Director - Dee Willis Choreographer - Mieka Phillips Interns - Brandon Christian & Carol Neill Show Coordinator - Jeannie Bailey Annie's cast ANNIE - Ellie Yarbrough WARBUCKS - Travis Driver MISS HANNIGAN - Nicole Campos GRACE FARRELL - Maddie Reid ROOSTER - Will Stevenson LILLY - Hope Osborn Sandy the Dog - Milo Moore Orphan- MOLLY - Audrey Spjut Orphan- PEPPER - Audrey Jennings Orphan- DUFFY - Caroline Niles Orphan- KATE - Addie Jae Desel Orphan- TESSIE - Samantha Kerne Orphan- JULY - Molly Scott See More Collapse

During the downtime, Bailey said they tried to keep the CYT families connected via Zoom and were doing some other fun things to keep the journey going for the CYT families.

They received word that the could do summer camps, but right before the camp was set to start, the June COVID-19 spike came and they werent able to do summer camps.

The cast of Annie was scheduled to start rehearsals again in June, but those were pushed back to July. And by that time, much of what was gained in the first few rehearsals had been lost.

What should have been an eight-week process was pulled off in about five weeks, Bailey said.

And when they did return there were many new health protocols for participants.

They brought on Carrie Hoke as a Health Protocols Supervisor during Annie in-person rehearsals.

She was in charge of health screening the cast and screening the volunteers (during rehearsals.), Bailey said. Also about once an hour we went around disinfecting surfaces, door handles, etcs.)

Masks were mandatory for rehearsals and dancers wore face shields during heavy dancing scenes.

When the pandemic began, Bailey said the CYT leadership started thinking outside the box very quickly and tried to figure out how to continue this journey with the cast and the CYT families.

Despite all the extra measures, Bailey said its been such a joy for everyone to be back together again.

After the first weekend, I realized what a blessing all of it was. Yes, things looked a little different. There were an array of different colored masks and lots of smiles in peoples eyes.

She said it was hard not to give hugs and high fives because those were things they were used to doing.

Just being together filled out hearts, she said.

Cast members will not be wearing masks on stage during the four performances.

Its something weve gone back and forth with, Bailey said. In the end when youre doing a show, you can social distance for so much of the rehearsal process but its much harder to do when it comes to the actual show. And you lose so much of the story when you cant see the facial expressions (of the actors.)

When the actors are backstage, though, they will be wearing masks.

Patrons of the shows will see empty seats in between groups and only every other row will be occupied.

Ellie Yarbrough, 12, plays Annie. Bailey said shes been in 10 prior musicals and her whole family is involved in CYT.

Sandy is played by Milo Moore. Hes a rescue dog adopted from Poodle Rescue of Houston by the Moore family.

He loves stuffed animals and naps and hes super happy to be in the production with one of his humans - Mary Kate Moore, Bailey said.

Travis Driver plays Daddy Warbucks, Nicole Campos plays Miss Hannigan, Maddie Reid plays Grace Farrell, Will Stevenson plays Rooster and Hope Osborn plays Lilly.

The cast includes 50 young actors plus crew member Sam Feathers.

For tickets to Annie visit cythouston.org.

shernandez@hcnonline.com
The virus pandemic triggered a socio-economic bomb across major US metro areas resulting in one of the largest panic hoardings of guns and ammo by fearful consumers in quite some time, if not ever.

Gregory Ionadi, 75, the owner of gun shop Smoke N' Guns, located in Oakmont, Pennsylvania, told PJ Media:

"Prior to the COVID outbreak, President Obama was the best gun salesman we ever had," said Ionadi. "Anytime he was going to ban this, ban that, there was a rush on gun sales. When President Trump was elected, the fear of a gun ban subsided, and sales were so flat that several gun manufacturers went out of business."

Ionadi said sales at his gun shop erupted during the pandemic. He said he made more gun and ammo sales from March to April than what was done in the last three years, calling the period absolutely "crazy."

He said once the social unrest spread across the country by late May into early summer, the second round of panic buying occurred.

"You wouldn't believe the first-time gun buyers I've seen," said Ionadi. "I started seeing little old ladies  70, 80 years old  wanting to defend themselves because of what was going on. So, I had to change my thinking. I had to start buying .22 Magnum revolvers. I have some revolvers here, but I had to start buying revolvers that women and older folks could use because they are easy to handle. Semi-auto and a revolver are two different things."

Gun stocks soared this summer as gun background checks rose 79% in July year-over-year.

The FBI ran over 3.6 million background checks through the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) last month - the third-highest on record, behind 3.9 million checks in June, and 3.7 million checks in March.

Surging gun sales also means increasing ammo sales. For the second time this year, first reported in March/April, ammo shortages are developing.

Stories about "ammo shortages" have appeared on local and national media outlets in the last week.

Brownells, Inc. co-chairman Pete Brownell, recently told FOX Business' Varney & Co that a supply shortage in ammunition is now unfolding.

Brownell said the firearm industry recorded a 90% increase in gun sales since mid-March, with much of the sales seen in metro areas. He said ammo sales have risen by at least 30%.

"We could receive truckloads of nine-millimeter [and] we can sell it in hours where it used to take weeks  weeks to a month," he said.

Brownell said the surge in weapon buying might not stop until 2H21.

Google search trend "ammo shortage" is rising for the second time this year.

There appears to be a nationwide shortage of 9MM ammo.

Ammunition Depot: Sold out of 9MM

Ammo.com: Sold out of 9MM
Several Delhi University (DU) colleges have received answer scripts of unknown students during the first two days of the ongoing online open-book examination (OBE), raising concerns that these answer scripts could be misplaced and thus lead to utter chaos during the evaluation process.

The OBE exams, being held as a one-time measure this year in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, began on Monday and will continue till August 31. Around 2,40,000 final-year undergraduate and postgraduate students of DU are taking the exams.

During the OBE exams, students can either upload their answer copies on the universitys online examination portal or email them to their colleges or departments.

After two days of exams, a few colleges said they have received answer copies of students who are not registered with them. For instance, Indraprastha College (IP) for Women has received nearly 50 answer copies of students not o their rolls on Monday.

College principal Babli Moitra Saraf said, We have received around 50 answer copies from students who are not registered with our college. We could not identify the name of the colleges of those students. We have kept these answer scripts in a separate folder and have informed the university administration about them. We have to wait for either the student or the respective college to come forward and clear up the confusion.

Around 40 such answer scripts reached Kirori Mal College (KMC) on Tuesday. College principal Vibha Singh Chauhan said, We have also received answer scripts of students from other colleges. Following this, we have put up a notice on our website requesting students to send their answer copies to their respective colleges only. We have forwarded the 40 answer scripts to the university administration with a note that they are not of our students.

Manoj Sinha, principal of Aryabhatta College, said, On Monday, we had also received a few answer sheets of students who are not registered with our college. We immediately forwarded them to the university administration.

Several faculty members raised concerns about this. Rajesh Jha, a member of DUs executive council (EC), said, The colleges will have a harrowing time collecting and compiling the answer copies for evaluation. Colleges will have to send such papers to the DUs exam branch, where there a possible breach of student privacy may take place. Who will take the responsibility if these answer copies get misplaced?

Despite several attempts, DU dean of examination Vinay Gupta did not respond to calls and texts seeking is comment.

Sanjeev Singh, head of computer centre, DU, said, Colleges have informed the examination branch about them getting answer scripts of students from other colleges. The colleges will send such answer scripts to the exam branch. The branch will segregate these answer copies on the basis of roll numbers. It will not be an issue. When the colleges have designated email IDs, students should refrain from sending answer scripts on other email addresses.

Abha Dev Habib, treasurer of DU Teachers University (DUTA), said, The universitys exam branch is going to have nightmares while compiling answer scripts as several students are submitting them multiple times. How will the university decide which script, from among the multiple submissions, will be treated as the final script for evaluation?

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR Fareeha Iftikhar Fareeha Iftikhar is a principal correspondent with the national political bureau of the Hindustan Times. She tracks the education ministry, and covers the beat at the national level for the newspaper. She also writes on issues related to gender, human rights and different policy matters. ...view detail
Tajik Authorites Say Transport Minister Hospitalized After 'Suicide Attempt'

August 11, 2020

DUSHANBE -- Tajikistan's Transport Minister Khudoyor Khudoyorzoda has been hospitalized after what authorities in the Central Asian former Soviet republic say was an attempted suicide.

Tajikistan's Prosecutor-General's Office says the 62-year-old Khudoyorzoda used a knife to try to kill himself after he'd had an argument with members of his family during the early morning hours of August 11.

A statement from the Prosecutor-General's Office did not specify details about the family argument it said Khudoyorzoda had been involved in.

"Currently, Khudoyorzoda is being treated in the Istiqlol hospital," the August 11 statement said. "A surgical operation was performed on him and his current health condition is satisfactory."

Authorities said an investigation has been launched into the incident.

Sources close to law enforcement told RFE/RL that relatives of Khudoyorzoda has saved him by calling for an ambulance and providing him with first aid until emergency medical workers arrived.

Khudoyorzoda has headed Tajikistan's Transport Ministry since 2017.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/tajik-authorites- say-transport-minister-hospitalized -after-suicide-attempt-/30778015.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.

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International

Irans president, FM lash out at new US push on arms embargo

Hassan Rouhani

TEHRAN, AUG 12 (AP) | Publish Date: 8/12/2020 1:25:40 PM IST

Irans president and foreign minister lashed out on Wednesday at a revised proposal by the US that would extend a UN arms embargo on Iran indefinitely, the latest in the Trump administrations maximum pressure policy against Iran.

The US on Tuesday circulated the revised draft at the UN, seeking to gain more support in the 15-member Security Council where veto-wielding Russia and China have voiced strong opposition.

The revised draft, which eliminated some provisions from the earlier version that diplomats said went beyond the extension of the arms embargo, may be put to a vote as early as Friday.

Still, with Russia and China sharply critical of the US effort to indefinitely extend the arms embargo, the two will likely use their veto powers even if the draft got the minimum nine yes votes in the council, which appears unlikely.

The US push to make the arms embargo permanent follows President Donald Trumps 2018 withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal between major world powers and Tehran, aimed at preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons.

Tehran has repeatedly insisted it does not seek to produce a nuclear bomb. The nuclear deal, endorsed by the Security Council, includes a provision lifting the arms embargo on Iran on October 18.

Rouhani lambasted the revised draft, saying its initiators will be responsible for the consequences if the Security Council adopts the new resolution. He did not elaborate on what steps Iran could take.

Zarif said the US draft was a very illegal resolution, and in fact it uses the Security Council mechanisms to destroy the Security Council.  Im confident that this resolution will be rejected too, Zarif said.

The United Nations banned Iran from buying major foreign weapon systems in 2010 amid tensions over its nuclear program. That blocked Iran from replacing its aging military equipment, much of which had been purchased by the shah before the 1979 Islamic Revolution. An earlier embargo targeted Iranian arms exports.

In a separate development Wednesday, Iranian hard-liners in parliament voted against Rouhanis nominee for trade minister in the first showdown between the rival camps since the house resumed work in May despite the struggles to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

Lawmakers rejected Hossein Modares Khiabanis nomination for minister of trade and industries.

Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said the vote was 140-104 against the nominee. There were 254 lawmakers at the session and 10 abstained. The parliament has 290 seats.

The vote marked the first serious confrontation between the newly elected house, dominated by conservatives and the bloc of supporters of the relatively moderate Rouhani. Under the law, Rouhani must introduce new nominees to his Cabinet in the next three months.

Rouhani in May dismissed the trade and industry minister at the time, Reza Rahmani, as Iran faced an unprecedented economic downturn amid intense pressure from the United States after Trump pulled America out of the nuclear deal and reimposed sanctions on the country. Khiabani, 52, had since been the acting trade minister.

Iran is also grappling with the largest and deadliest outbreak of the coronavirus in the Middle East, with more than 333,000 confirmed cases and at least 18,988 deaths.
A livery cab driver has been arrested for allegedly raping a 12-year-old girl in the backseat of his car in Brooklyn on Monday.

Rafael Martinez, 32, is accused of attacking the young girl after her mother called his cab company to bring her home from her grandmother's house, where she went to collect a new bicycle.

Martinez arrived at the grandmother's house in the Fort Greene area of Brooklyn at around 6pm on Monday.

During the four-mile journey to her home in the Bedford Stuyvesant neighborhood, he pulled over in the car, jumped into the back seat and attacked her.

Rafael Martinez was arrested on Tuesday and charged with the rape of a 12-year-old passenger

Martinez's car's GPS recorded where he stopped to allegedly rape the young girl

The driver then dropped the victim off at her original destination, police told the New York Post.

She was taken to Woodhull Hospital in Brooklyn on Monday night, and police were called there about 8.45pm.

Police were able to track down Martinez through his Brooklyn-based employer, Evelyn Car Services, the paper reported.

The vehicle's GPS recorded where he stopped to allegedly rape her, sources told the New York Daily News.

Martinez was fired from his job at the Prospect Heights-based firm.

Martinez was arrested Tuesday and is facing charges of rape, criminal sex act, sex abuse, endangering the welfare of a child, menacing and assault.

'We have enough evidence to corroborate her story,' one source told the Daily News.

'There's both physical and electronic evidence.

'You know what surprised me the most? He knew we were coming, and he waited. He stayed instead of getting on the next plane out.'

Martinez said nothing to a throng of reporters, in video captured by ABC7, as he was led out of the NYPD's Brooklyn Special Victims Unit office on Nevins Street in Boerum Hill.
While many of the recommendations will take time to review or implement, Muhammad said the mayor will implement some of them right away using his authority through executive actions. They include an equity and inclusion initiative for the city; making the yearly Use of Force Analysis public without having to file a freedom of information request; bias training for police and city staff; better recruitment of Black and Latino officers, including visiting traditionally Black colleges and universities; conducting regular police and community listening sessions; publishing policies and procedures in Spanish; and planning a yearly expungement seminar.
Jordan will close its land trade border crossing with Syria for a week after a rise in COVID-19 cases coming from its northern neighbour, officials said on Wednesday.

The interior minister's decision to close the Jaber crossing, a main gateway of goods from Lebanon and Syria to the Gulf, will come into effect on Thursday morning.

The move, which also puts officials working at the crossing under quarantine, comes after 12 cases were reported on Wednesday in addition to 13 on Tuesday in the first such surge for several weeks.

Jordan's other land crossings, with Saudi Arabia, Israel and the Palestinian territories, are only open for commercial goods since the lockdown in March to stem the pandemic.

Prime Minister Omar al Razzaz said on Wednesday the rise was a "source of concern" and officials have said most cases came from truck drivers arriving from Syria, where NGOs say a significant rise in cases has been recorded by humanitarian workers.

The government said this week it will make wearing a face mask compulsory as of Saturday after widespread floating of rules, and it will impose hefty fines on violators.

With the new surge, closing hours for shops and movement were again restricted to 11 p.m. under a curfew that was curtailed with the country's return to normality in the last two months

Jordan has withstood the COVID-19 pandemic better than most of its neighhours, taking early steps to restrict the mobility of its 10 million people, sealing its borders, and imposing a state of emergency and a night curfew.

The government in June lifted remaining restrictions on most activities, including reopening hotels and cafes. Schools remain closed however, and weddings and conferences not permitted.

Earlier this month the kingdom also postponed a resumption of international flight services with fears an influx of passengers would bring with it many cases.

Fears of a surge are delaying reopening the crossing with Saudi Arabia to allow tens of thousands of Jordanians resident in the Gulf who have lost jobs to return home by car.

Jordan has recorded 1,308 cases with eleven deaths.

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Lauren Ann McGeachin, 28, allegedly broke in to a piggery in Queensland

A vegan swimwear model accused of filming herself snatching piglets from a factory farm during a late-night heist is expected to plead guilty, a court has heard.

Lauren Ann McGeachin, 28, allegedly broke into a piggery near Toowoomba, southern Queensland, in November last year.

The activist told her 70,000 Instagram followers she was trying to rescue pigs from being slaughtered, but revealed she would plead guilty to criminal charges.

She was due to appear in Brisbane Magistrate's Court on Wednesday, but her lawyer requested the case be adjourned for a short plea on August 27, according to The Courier Mail.

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Lauren Ann McGeachin (pictured with a piglet), 28, allegedly broke in to a piggery near Toowoomba, southern Queensland, November last year

McGeachin was charged by police after posting a series of videos featuring her and others inside the farm with the baby pigs on Instagram

The model was charged after allegedly posting a series of videos featuring her and others inside the farm with the baby pigs on Instagram.

She shared distressing footage showing piles of dead piglets in a stall with a live sow.

Other videos showed partially buried pig carcasses and McGeachin cradling the rescued piglets.

McGeachin is also charged with entering premises with intent to commit an indictable offence

McGeachin (pictured with a calf) told her Instagram followers the animals had been confiscated and she was worried they would be euthanised

In a later Instagram highlights reel titled 'court', McGeachin said she was 'interrogated' about the animals after eight police officers raided her home.

'We rescued piglets a few months ago and I am now being charged with rescuing them,' she said.

She later told her Instagram followers the animals had been confiscated and she was worried they would be euthanised.

'I don't know how they are or where they are which sucks,' she said in a video.

McGeachin posted an array of photos and videos of her playing with two piglets at a home

The glamorous online influencer has an army of over 70,000 followers on Instagram, where she posts revealing pictures of herself

'They (also) said I could be facing a $6,000 [fine] and a conviction.

'Just for rescuing piglets that were in a factory farm.'

Police previously said three other women were also charged following an alleged theft at the piggery.

McGeachin is also charged with entering premises with intent to commit an indictable offence.

She will appear in court on August 27.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-12 08:21:12|Editor: huaxia

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A screenshot taken from the website of The New Yorker on Aug. 11, 2020 shows the title and picture of the article it just posted: "How China Controlled the Coronavirus." (Xinhua)

There is not such neighborhood committee structure in the United States, and public health services might have served this purpose if the American system had been properly funded, according to the article.



NEW YORK, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- "Respect science" and "hard work" are two core values conveyed by Chinese education. These values, together with the effective guidance of the government, enabled the Chinese people to win the war against the epidemic, according to an article published Monday on The New Yorker.

The article titled "How China Controlled the Coronavirus" is written by Peter Hessler, who was teaching and learning in Chengdu, the capital of China's Sichuan Province, during the pandemic.

A medical worker embraces her child during a ceremony in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province, April 21, 2020. (Xinhua/Wang Xi)

It was true that the strict Chinese shutdown, in combination with border closings and contact tracing, had eliminated the spread of the virus in most communities in China, according to the article.

Hessler noted that some public health experts affirmed the participation of the neighborhood committees in epidemic prevention and contact tracing. The Chinese lockdown was more intense than almost anywhere else in the world. Neighborhood committees, the most grassroots level of Communist Party organization, enforced the rules.

There is not such neighborhood committee structure in the United States, and public health services might have served this purpose if the American system had been properly funded, according to the article.



A staff member sticks a temperature tested mark to a sleeve of a customer at a restaurant in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province, March 21, 2020. (Xinhua/Tang Wenhao)

Hessler also wrote about various epidemic prevention measures after the school reopening. The university introduced the fever tents, the delivery robots, and the facial-recognition scanners. The school scheduled regular hand-washing breaks, and every afternoon an announcement sounded over the intercom: "Temperature-taking time has arrived!"

According to the article, the current American failure doesn't narrowly reflect national character or values but, rather, a collapse of system: a crisis of leadership and institutional structures. 
Republicans would like to unseat Representative Ron Kind in this Democratic-leaning district. Derrick Van Orden, a former Navy Seal, is well-funded, has former Gov. Scott Walkers endorsement and recently got publicity for saving a woman from choking in a local restaurant.
Twice-weekly charter flights of up to 80 people who Italian authorities describe as illegal economic migrants resumed this week from Italy to Tunisia. The flights, part of an Italian-Tunisian agreement, were put on hold during Italy's COVID-19 lockdown. Italy saw a sharp increase in migration last month that has put a strain on migrant reception centers, particularly in the south of the country.

The growing number of illegal immigrants arriving from North Africa concern the Italian authorities, who have had a number of recent meetings with their Tunisian counterparts to address the issue.

At the end of July, Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio said that unless Tunisia took significant measures to rein in the departures, Italy would suspend 6.6 million euro in cooperation funds for Tunisia's development.

After a spike in Tunisian arrivals, Italy's Interior Minister Luciana Lamorgese flew to Tunis at the end of last month. She said that in July, the number of illegal Tunisian migrants reaching Italy increased significantly due to the country's serious economic crisis. These, she added, are economic migrants who have no right to remain in Italy.


Television actor Chahat Pandey, who played the lead role in Hamari Bahu Silk, was offered Bigg Boss 14 but has turned it down. She said that she would love to be a part of the popular reality show in the future but would like to concentrate on acting in serials at the moment.

In an interview with The Times of India, Chahat said, Yes, I was approached for Bigg Boss 14. But I am not doing it. I have informed the team that right now I want to just focus on TV serials and I would not like to take up a reality show. I am not prepared for a show like Bigg Boss right now. I would love to be a part of it in the future maybe two years later, but not right now.

Recently, a promo of Bigg Boss 14 was released, which was shot at host Salman Khans farmhouse. The actor will host the show for the eleventh consecutive time this season.

Also read: Udaan actor Rajat Barmecha feels Kangana Ranaut is fighting dirty, says her personal attack on Taapsee Pannu was unethical

Chahat was in the news after it was reported that the cast and crew members of Hamari Bahu Silk are waiting for their dues to be cleared, months after the show went off air. It was said that she was on the verge of committing suicide because of this situation.

However, Chahat clarified in an interview that her mothers comments were misconstrued. Actually, one day my mother was very angry and we were having a discussion in a group call about this issue. And she just said, Agar meri beti ne kuch ulta seedha kar liya toh kaun zimedar hoga (Who would be responsible if my daughter took any drastic step?). I think that must have led to the confusion. But ab paani sar ke uppar se jaa chuka hai, sab ki haalat kharab hai. Main nahi chahti koi bhi aaisa galat kadam uthaaye (But water has now gone over the head. I dont want anyone to take a wrong step), she said.

According to reports, television stars Nia Sharma and Vivian Dsena are likely to participate in Bigg Boss 14. Meanwhile, actor Adhyayan Suman, filmmaker Onir and model-turned-actor Rajeev Sen have denied being a part of the show.

Follow @htshowbiz for more
A guard looks through the window of a hallway inside the No.1 Detention Center during a government guided tour in Beijing on Oct. 25, 2012. (Ed Jones/AFP via Getty Images)

Innocent Chinese Man Tortured to Force Confession Is Cleared After 26 Years in Prison

A Chinese man who was wrongfully imprisoned for 26 years for the murder of two children was finally acquitted and released this month. His story of pain and injustice at the hands of the authorities has gone viral on Chinese social media.

The pain and suffering of 26 years cannot be resolved with an apology  I dont want the apology. I just hope Ill have a chance to see those beasts experience being bitten by a pack of wolfdogs, 53-year-old Zhang Yuhuan, a villager from Nanchang, Jiangxi Province, said after his release on Aug. 4.

Zhang was in his 20s when he was taken away by the police. When he returned home, he found his wife had been forced to remarry, and his mother couldnt recognize him.

Two Unsolved Murders

On Oct. 24, 1993, two boys aged six and four went missing from Nanchang, the village where Zhang and his family lived. The childrens bodies were found the next morning.

After investigating 61 families in the village, the police identified Zhang as a suspect. The reason was that, when questioned by the police, Zhang appeared nervous and kept rubbing his hands. There were also wounds on his hands, and he couldnt clearly explain where they came from, according to police records. However, his file also indicates that Zhang said that his hands were scratched while harvesting grain.

On Oct. 27 of the same year, Zhang was taken into custody for further investigation.

During the interrogations, Zhang made a total of six statements, two of which were confessions of guilt. But his statements regarding the location of the murders, the means of committing them, and the motive for them varied. But in the end, his two confessions became the main evidence on which police based their conclusion that Zhang was guilty of the murders.

In January 1995, Zhang was sentenced to death with a two-year suspension of the execution by the Nanchang Municipal Intermediate Peoples Court.

In March of the same year, the Jiangxi Provincial High Peoples Court revoked the lower courts judgment on grounds that the facts were unclear with insufficient evidence and ordered the lower court to hold a retrial of the case.

In 2001, the Nanchang Municipal Court, in a final judgment, upheld the first death sentence verdict.

Zhang appealed again, but his appeal was rejected by the Jiangxi Provincial High Peoples Court, and Zhang was subsequently sent to Nanchang prison to serve his sentence.

For nearly 27 years, Zhang and his family continued to appeal, requesting that the court acquit him. The evidence on which the court had found Zhang guilty was mainly his two confessions. But Zhang claimed that the confessions he made to the police were extracted under torture and threats to his familys safety.

His eldest brother Zhang Minqiang recalled how he would bring 100 envelopes and 100 stamps every time he visited Zhang in prison so his brother would be able to write letters about his case to different departments. Over the years, Zhang sent out thousands of letters.

Finally, in March 2019, the High Court decided on a retrial, and on Aug. 4 of this year, the court ruled that the evidence was insufficient to find the defendant guilty.

Zhang had been locked up for 9,778 days, the longest reported wrongful imprisonment on record in China.

Police Abuse

On Aug. 5, in an interview with state run media CCTV, Zhang spoke about the forced confessions and how he had been tortured by the authorities for six days and nights, including being beaten while being hung up by his wrists, squatting, as well as the use of electric shocks and wolfdog attacksall to force him to admit to the killings. He said he still has the scars on his hands where he was bitten by the police dog.

Zhang said that up until Nov. 3, 1993, while in custody, he insisted that he was innocent. Thats when the police brought in two wolfdogs, and he was attacked by one of them. His pants were all torn and his legs were bleeding from the bites.

The police gave him another pair of pants and ridiculed him, saying they were better than his old pants.

In the TV interview, Zhang named some of the policemen involved in the interrogations. There were others whose names he didnt know.

After the judge delivered the Aug. 4 verdict, a representative of the Jiangxi Provincial High Peoples Court apologized to Zhang on behalf of the court.

But Zhang was still feeling the pain and suffering from being imprisoned for over 26 years, and wasnt ready to forgive and forget. I dont want the apology, he said. I just hope Ill have a chance to see those beasts experience being bitten by a pack of wolfdogs.

In a number of other Chinese media interviews, Zhang said he hoped the officials who interrogated and tortured him would be held accountable for their crimes.
in the face of rising Corona-Pay is also on Mallorca and the other Balearic Islands, the fear of a Corona to be a risk area. If the infection numbers on the with German tourists popular island group continue to rise as in the past, could this soon be the case, wrote the German "Mallorca Zeitung" on Wednesday. For the extreme tourism-dependent Islands that would be another major blow. Before the end of July, arranged Quarantine requirement in the UK for returnees from Spain had sparked a slump in bookings.

on Tuesday evening the Foreign office had extended to numbers in Berlin the travel warning for parts of Spain to Madrid and the Spanish Basque country because of the "re-Infection is high". Already since the end of July a German warning against travel to three other Spanish regions, including Catalonia with the tourist metropolis of Barcelona and the beaches of the Costa Brava is. This usually happens when the number of Corona-new infections exceeds the mark of 50 cases per 100,000 inhabitants within seven days.

Updated Date: 12 August 2020, 05:19
The Hapur police have announced a reward of Rs 50,000 on Dalpat, the accused in the rape of a six-year-old girl.

Three days after three sketches were released based on the statements of the girl's parents and neighbours, the police have now announced the bounty to quicken the pace of the investigation expecting leads to increase.

hapur police

The victim was kidnapped and brutally raped last Thursday and is presently admitted in the Meerut Medical College where her condition remains critical.

"Whoever can provide information about this man will be given a reward of Rs 50,000. The name of the person who gives the information will not be revealed," the police said.

The development comes as the Uttar Pradesh Police is facing increasing criticism over the delay in the arrest of the accused who has been on the run.

Meanwhile, there are reports that the accused, a resident of Mahmoodpur village in Amroha's Gajraula area managed to flee the cops again in his hometown.

hapur police

He was reportedly spotted by local residents with country-made liquor on the outskirts of his native village in Amroha but managed to get away before the cops could reach there.

The girl was kidnapped from outside her home in the Garh Mukhteshwar area by a man on a motorcycle.

When her parents reported her missing, the police launched a search.

She was found the next morning, unconscious and soaked in her own blood, behind bushes not far from her village.

A medical examination confirmed rape. The girl was rushed to a specialised hospital in Meerut and has been through at least one surgery. Her condition remains critical.

The doctors said that the girl was brutally raped and her private parts were mutilated shockingly similar to the Nirbhaya gang rape case of 2012.

Dr SK Garg, the principal of the Meerut Medical College where the girl is admitted, said that she will need treatment for a long duration and more surgeries.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-12 10:25:28|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- Chinese health authority said Wednesday that it received reports of 25 new confirmed COVID-19 cases on the Chinese mainland Tuesday, including 16 imported cases and nine locally-transmitted ones.

Six new imported cases were reported in Guangdong, four in Shanghai, and one each in Inner Mongolia, Zhejiang, Fujian, Shandong, Sichuan, and Shaanxi, the National Health Commission said in its daily report.

All of the nine new locally-transmitted cases were reported in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

One new suspected COVID-19 case, which was imported from outside the mainland, was reported in Shanghai.

No deaths related to the disease were reported Tuesday.

Fifty-eight COVID-19 patients were newly discharged from hospitals after recovery, the commission said.

By the end of Tuesday, a total of 2,216 imported cases had been reported on the mainland. Of them, 2,058 had been discharged from hospitals after recovery, and 158 remained hospitalized, with one in serious conditions. No deaths from the imported cases had been reported.

As of Tuesday, the overall confirmed COVID-19 cases on the mainland had reached 84,737, including 761 patients who were still being treated, with 40 in severe conditions.

Altogether 79,342 people had been discharged after recovery, and 4,634 had died of the disease on the mainland, the commission said.

There were still three suspected COVID-19 cases, it added.

According to the commission, 1,385 close contacts were newly discharged from medical observation and there were 23,039 close contacts still under medical observation.

Also on Tuesday, 20 new asymptomatic cases, including 12 from outside the mainland, were reported, and two asymptomatic cases were re-categorized as confirmed ones.

The commission said 288 asymptomatic cases, including 141 from outside the mainland, were still under medical observation. Enditem
The glass-walled booths cost about 100 million won ($84,000) each

South Korea has opened a high-tech new front in the battle against coronavirus, fortifying bus shelters with temperature-checking doors and ultraviolet disinfection lamps.

Ten advanced facilities have been installed in a northeastern district of Seoul, offering protection from monsoon rains, summer heat, and the novel coronavirus.

To enter, passengers must stand in front of an automated thermal-imaging camera, and the door will only slide open if their temperature is below 37.5 degrees Celsius (99.5 Fahrenheit).

A separate camera is installed lower down to test children.

Inside the glass-walled boothswhich cost about 100 million won ($84,000) eachthe air-conditioning systems have ultraviolet lamps installed to kill viruses at the same time as cooling the air.

A dispenser provides hand sanitiser, and users are advised to wear face masks at all times, while keeping at least one metre apart from others.

"We have installed all the available anti-coronavirus measures we can think of into this booth," Kim Hwang-yun, a district official in charge of the Smart Shelter project, told AFP.

Free Wi-Fi is also included.

Since they were installed last week each booth has been used by about 300 to 400 people a day, Kim said.

A man checks his temperature before entering the bus shelter

Inside the shelters, a panel displays estimated arrival times while a screen live-streams the traffic outside

To ensure passengers do not miss their bus, a panel displays estimated arrival times while a screen live-streams the traffic outside.

South Korea endured one of the worst early coronavirus outbreaks outside China but brought it broadly under control with an extensive "trace, test and treat" programme while never imposing a compulsory lockdown.

Kim Ju-li, a 49-year-old housewife using the new bus stop for the first time, told AFP: "I feel really safe in here because I know others around me had their temperatures checked as well as me."

Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak

 2020 AFP
The following is a summary of one of many cases across the country compiled in a Hearst Connecticut Media investigation of sexual abuse connected in some way to local affiliates of Boys & Girls Club of America, their staff, volunteers, members and/or attendees. Boys & Girls Club of America said that it does not keep a public list of sexual abuse incidents connected to clubs. If you have a story to share, or have information related to this or other incidents, contact us here.

The director of the former Boys & Girls Club of Okaloosa County, Florida, was convicted of sexually abusing multiple children in two different states in the early 2000s.

Jonathan Paul Gates, 30 years old at the time, of Grover Beach, California, was arrested June 22, 2000, in Florida and pleaded no contest to four counts of lewd and lascivious assault.

After his Florida conviction, authorities in San Luis Obispo County, California, charged Gates with multiple counts of lewd act upon a child and continuous sexual abuse. Gates was the former director of the United South County Boys and Girls Club in Oceano, according to an article in The Tribune of San Luis Obispo. Club officials there did not respond to requests for comment.

Database: Child sexual abuse at Boys & Girls Clubs

Gates pleaded guilty and in May 2002 to the California charges and was sentenced to 30 years to life in California prison with the possibility of parole. As part of his plea deal, Gates admitted to abusing seven victims, all of whom were 14 or younger, the charges show.

Florida court documents show Gates met some of his victims through the California club.

Two 14-year-old boys in Florida told police that on separate occasions, Gates touched their penises while they slept in the same bed with him, after Gates invited them to stay the night at his house, according to the arrest report.

Another victim, a 13-year-old boy, told police he met Gates through the Florida Boys & Girls Club, now called the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Emerald Coast. He told police Gates pulled up pornography on his computer and forced the boy to masturbate, as well as touching the boys penis at least three times. The boy said some of the images Gates opened on his computer appeared to show girls as young as 14 years old. Gates also told the boy to pull his penis out so that Gates could see if he was growing properly, according to the probable cause statement.

Two 13-year-old girls said Gates also took them out to dinner and then brought them back to his home, where they went swimming on the beach. At one point, both girls told police, Gates took off his shorts and went streaking, according to the probable cause statement. He also took nude photographs of the children, they told police.

Gates was released from prison in 2013. His sentence included an order that he register as a sex offender and has no contact with the victims or their families.

Keeping our members safe and protected while in our care is our absolute number one priority, and we take this responsibility very seriously, said Shervin Rassa, CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Emerald Coast. Nothing is more important than the well-being of our youth.

Rassa said potential employees, volunteers, board members or volunteers who serve on a committee must pass a background check and take a full day of training on how to spot sexual abuse or neglect when they join the organization.

Our staff are trained on all of our policies prior to having any interaction with youth and these trainings are repeated again several times throughout the year or when updated resources or information become available, Rassa added.

Florida records show Gates served more than 11 years in state prison. He was transferred to California in 2013 under an interstate compact and is serving two concurrent life sentences and another consecutive life sentence there, according to a California Department of Corrections spokesman.
Turkey wants to resolve its dispute with Greece over energy exploration in the eastern Mediterranean through dialogue, Defence Minister Hulusi Akar said on Wednesday, while vowing to defend Turkeys coastal interests, Reuters reports.

Turkey and Greece, NATO allies, vehemently disagree over overlapping claims to hydrocarbon resources in the region based on conflicting views on the extent of their continental shelves in waters dotted with mostly Greek islands.

Tensions rose when Ankara sent an exploration vessel on Monday to a disputed area of the Mediterranean, accompanied by warships. Greece says the Oruc Reis is operating illegally in its continental shelf, accusations which Ankara has dismissed.

Despite all this, we want to believe that common sense will prevail. Both on the field and at the table, we side with international law, good neighbourliness and dialogue, Akar told Reuters. We want to reach political solutions through peaceful means in line with international laws.

However, he added that Turkey would continue to defend its rights, ties and interests in coastal waters. It should be known that our seas are our blue homeland. Every drop is valuable, he said.

Turkey says it has the longest coastline in the eastern Mediterranean but that it is penned in to a narrow strip of waters due to the extension of Greeces continental shelf, based on the presence of many Greek islands near its shore.

Akar singled out the Greek island of Kastellorizo, some 2 km off Turkeys southern coast and 570 km from the Greek mainland, as a particular source of Turkish frustration.

Greeces demand for a 40,000 square kilometre maritime jurisdiction zone because of the 10 km square Meis island (Kastellorizo)...cannot be reconciled with any logic, he said.
Swiss Government will pay a reservation fee for the right to purchase up to 3.2 million doses of anti-COVID-19 DARPin  candidate, MP0420, for both therapeutic and potential prophylactic use

Purchase of these doses may occur following appropriate marketing authorization

Multi-specific antiviral program demonstrates best-in-class potency against live SARS-CoV-2 virus; Recent in vivo data additionally supportive of clinical development

Initial clinical studies planned for Q4 2020

ZURICH-SCHLIEREN, SWITZERLAND / ACCESSWIRE / August 11, 2020 / Molecular Partners AG (SIX:MOLN), a clinical-stage biotech company that is developing a new class of custom-built proteins known as DARPin therapeutics, today announced the reservation by the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health: Bundesamt fur Gesundheit (FOPH-BAG) of a defined number of initial doses of the company's multi-specific DARPin anti-COVID-19 candidate, MP0420. MP0420 builds on a unique three-in-one DARPin architecture to enhance potency and with the potential to prevent viral escape, in addition to manufacturing process advantages.

"The Swiss Government's support in advancing our novel antiviral DARPin program is an encouraging signal as we rapidly build upon our strong preclinical data that shows best-in-class potency in neutralizing live virus and recently secured manufacturing capacity," said Patrick Amstutz, Chief Executive Officer of Molecular Partners. "We have been able to confirm activity in a relevant in vivo model supporting the potential of our unique tri-DARPin for tackling SARS-CoV-2, as we believe novel therapeutics will be an essential tool for addressing the COVID-19 global pandemic."

The initial supply agreement secures the right to purchase 200,000 doses, with the potential to purchase up to an additional 3 million doses. Certain pricing provisions have been pre-negotiated, but remain subject to final therapeutic dose. Under the terms of the agreement, the Company will immediately receive a reservation fee of high in the single digit millions Swiss Francs. This will secure priority access for the Swiss government to purchase reserved doses of MP0420, if clinical trials are successful and MP0420 is approved in Switzerland.

Story continues

Molecular Partners has selected a lead candidate (MP0420) and a variant molecule for preclinical development. Recently the Company announced completion of in vitro potency assessments of its DARPin candidates targeting live, replicating SARS-CoV-2 virus. These candidates showed extremely robust antiviral activity, with several candidates demonstrating complete neutralization with low picomolar potency. This suggests only small amounts of these candidates may be required for therapeutic effect, which complements the company's ability to rapidly manufacture DARPin candidates with high yields using relatively simple E.coli-based biofermentation. The company has secured large-scale GMP manufacturing with AGC Biologics with an initial capacity of 100 liters and up to 1000 liters over the longer-term, a scale which Molecular Partners estimates is suitable for development and initial global supply of patients in need.

The company plans to initiate clinical studies for the anti-COVID-19 program in Q4 2020.

About Molecular Partners' anti-COVID-19 program

Molecular Partners has developed a series of tri-specific antiviral DARPin candidates with strong binding and neutralizing potency targeting multiple epitopes on the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein that are crucial for infection. The source of these constructs is a pool of hundreds of mono-DARPin binders which individually bind and inhibit the virus with high potency. These building blocks target different sites on the virus, including blocking binding to the human ACE2 receptor (Receptor Binder Domain or RBD), the virus's primary docking mechanism to host cells and allosteric inhibition, or "handcuffing", of the spike protein, preventing the conformational change it undergoes prior to injection of viral RNA into the human cell.

The formatting as tri-specific candidates allows for cooperative binding and with that unrivaled potencies and prevention of viral escape via mutations. The candidates are formatted with a half-life enhanced DARPin domain that binds to human serum albumin (HSA) to support long-acting activity. All candidates will profit from high-yield and low-cost microbial manufacturing. It will be investigated if the high thermal stability can be used to overcome cold-chain requirements.

The construction of multi-specific candidates from monospecific proteins is the foundation of Molecular Partners' drug discovery engine and has yielded multiple clinical candidates in other indications.

About DARPin therapeutics

DARPin therapeutics are a new class of custom-built protein therapeutics based on natural binding proteins that open a new dimension of multi-functionality and multi-target specificity in drug design. A single DARPin candidate can engage more than five targets, and its flexible architecture and small size offer benefits over conventional monoclonal antibodies or other currently available protein therapeutics. DARPin therapeutics have been clinically validated through to registration via the development of abicipar, Molecular Partners' most advanced DARPin drug candidate. The DARPin platform is a fast and cost-effective drug discovery engine, producing drug candidates with optimized properties for development and very high production yields. DARPin is a registered trademark owned by Molecular Partners AG.

About Molecular Partners AG

Molecular Partners is a clinical-stage biotech company developing a new class of custom-built protein therapeutics known as DARPin therapeutics, designed to address challenges current modalities cannot. The company has compounds in various stages of clinical and preclinical development with a focus on oncology. Molecular Partners has formed partnerships with leading pharmaceutical companies to advance DARPin therapeutics across multiple therapeutic areas.

For more information regarding Molecular Partners AG, go to: www.molecularpartners.com.

For further details, please contact:

Seth Lewis, SVP IR, Comms, & Strategy

seth.lewis@molecularpartners.com

Tel: +1 781 420 2361

Tom Donovan, U.S. Media

tom@tenbridgecommunications.com

Tel: +1 857 559 3397

Thomas Schneckenburger, IR & European Media

thomas.schneckenburger@molecularpartners.com

Tel: +41 79 407 9952

Disclaimer

This communication does not constitute an offer or invitation to subscribe for or purchase any securities of Molecular Partners AG. This publication may contain certain forward-looking statements and assessments or intentions concerning the company and its business. Such statements involve certain risks, uncertainties and other factors which could cause the actual results, financial condition, performance or achievements of the company to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such statements. Readers should therefore not place reliance on these statements, particularly not in connection with any contract or investment decision. The company disclaims any obligation to update these forward-looking statements, assessments or intentions.

SOURCE: Molecular Partners AG





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Linkedin Mardika Parama (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, August 12, 2020 07:45 525 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066d41da4 1 Business jasa-marga,JORR,toll-road,connectivity,Jokowi Free

State-owned toll road operator Jasa Marga aims to launch operations on two sections of the Jakarta Outer Ring Road (JORR) II network by the end of the year.

The sections are the 10.1 km Serpong-Cinere toll road and the 14.2 km Cengkareng-Batuceper-Kunciran toll road, both of which are managed by Jasa Marga subsidiaries PT Cinere Serpong Jaya (CSJ) and PT Jasamarga Kunciran Cengkareng (JKC).

CSJ president director Ayu Widya Kiswari said on Monday that progress on the land acquisition for the Serpong-Cinere section had reached 92.17 percent, while the construction progress stood at 83.3 percent, as of July 30.

We expect the toll road to start its functional operation by December 2020, she said in a statement released on Monday.

Functional operation in toll roads refers to the limited operation of toll road sections that are not completely finished but are able to accommodate vehicle traffic. During the functional operation, which precedes the commercial operation, the operator will not charge any fees.

Upon its completion, the toll road will be connected to the Serpong-Kunciran toll road and the Cinere-Jagorawi toll road.

Similarly, JKC president director Agus Suharjanto said the Cengkareng-Batuceper-Kunciran toll road section could launch operations by the end of 2020.

The toll roads construction progress had reached 87.1 percent, while the land procurement had nearly reached 90 percent, as of August 2.

The Cengkareng-Kunciran section is planned to enter functional operation by the end of 2020, he said.

JORR II toll road projects span a total of 110 kilometers, encircling Jakarta through its neighboring cities and regencies and passing major logistics and transportation hubs, such as Soekarno-Hatta International Airport and Tanjung Priok port.

The project began with a tender back in 2006 but then faced years of delay until construction began in 2017.

In December 2019, President Joko Jokowi Widodo visited the toll road and urged stakeholders to finish the project.

He said the JORR II would improve connectivity for cargo distribution, particularly to Merak Port in Banten.

This toll road will connect our production hub with distribution centers. It could increase efficiency and improve our competitiveness, he said on Dec. 12 in a press statement.

Read also: Government set to operate sections of toll roads in Aceh, Manado amid pandemic
Peterborough Police would like to see more exterior security cameras installed downtown, the deputy chief says, and there could soon be new provincial funding available to do it.

The Ontario government announced on Monday it will spend $6 million over three years to help police services across the province expand the coverage of closed-circuit TV systems.

Peterborough Police applied for provincial funding to add cameras about nearly 10 years ago, but the funding wasnt granted.

On Tuesday Deputy Chief Tim Farquharson said hes still interested.

Although the Downtown Business Improvement Area has offered grants for its merchants to install exterior cameras, Farquharson said additional cameras would help police solve crime quicker.

For example, he cited a case from 2013 when police investigated a downtown jewelry store robbery for 10 months before making arrests.

The robbery was at Tonys Gold and Jewelry on Charlotte Street, and store owner Tony Lagana was badly beaten. Police started investigating with no leads, said Farquharson.

Just having a description of the vehicle would have helped, he said.

The cost of installing cameras has been a hurdle for years, Farquharson said. Soon after the jewelry store robbery, police estimated it would cost about $120,000 for camera coverage downtown.

The new provincial funding program would cover half the cost for successful applicants, according to a release from the province, and Farquharson said thats significant.

He also said its best for footage to be held by a third party  the DBIA or the city, perhaps.

Then footage could be submitted to police for investigations when needed, he said, to better safeguard peoples privacy.

Peterborough-Kawartha MPP Dave Smith said on Tuesday that cameras, used in a non-invasive way, help police because theres no way officers can be everywhere at once.

You cant keep eyes in every area, Smith said.

Meanwhile the Ontario government also recently asked police services to consider using direct-to-cellphone alerts  similar to Amber alerts  to let citizens know about severe threats unfolding such as a shooter, Farquharson said.

He said its in response to the gunman who killed 22 people in Nova Scotia earlier this year.

Although city police havent responded yet to that request, Farquharson noted that city police already have the MyBeat alert system sending texts and emails to citizens about crimes in progress.

MyBeat may potentially be enhanced so it resembles the alerts the government is proposing, Farquharson said  although he added there havent yet been any such plans made.

People can register to receive alerts from MyBeat on the Peterborough Police website at mybeat.peterboroughpolice.ca/index.php.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-12 20:42:48|Editor: huaxia

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by Martina Fuchs

GENEVA, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- Britain's nominee for the next director-general of the World Trade Organization (WTO) called on members to fix the dispute settlement mechanism and said that without the "right processes" the risk of the global trade body collapsing is "high."

Asked about how high he evaluates the risk of the institution's collapse, Liam Fox told Xinhua in a recent interview: "If we don't get the right processes, that risk is high... We need to, for example, get the dispute resolution mechanism in place."

"One of the reasons that many countries joined the WTO was the value-added element that they're able to have dispute resolution inside the rules-based system. We have to get that going. If we can't get it going, then frankly, the main point of the organization is largely lost," the candidate explained.

The WTO's dispute settlement body is currently paralyzed. The Appellate Body, considered as the supreme court for global trade disputes, has been unable to hear any new cases since Dec. 11, 2019, because it has only one judge.

The Appellate Body is supposed to have seven judges and needs a minimum of three judges to function. The United States has blocked the appointment of new judges, complaining that the body has overreached its mandate.

Fox, one of eight candidates to succeed incumbent Roberto Azevedo, is a Conservative member of the UK Parliament and served as the country's secretary of state for international trade under former Prime Minister Theresa May.

Fox, who in his previous role as trade secretary had paid several visits to Washington and Beijing each, also said that respecting WTO rules was important in the current trade tensions among major members of the organization, such as the U.S., China and the European Union.

"On all occasions, when anyone asked which side we were on, my reply was that we were on the side of the rules-based system. All countries must follow the rules that they signed up to," Fox told Xinhua.

"These are the very conditions of the membership club accepted by all of its members. We have to encourage them to follow those rules at all times."

Fox also urged a return to the core values and principles of the Geneva-based body, which was established in 1995.

"My top priority is to recommit ourselves to the very vision that we had originally when the WTO came into being, a shared endeavor where we would work together, we would make compromises for the greater good. That spirit needs to come back." Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-12 23:57:00|Editor: huaxia

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TEHRAN, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- The United States cannot use a "snapback" mechanism to renew a UN arms embargo against Iran, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said here on Wednesday.

"Since the United States have left the 2015 Iranian nuclear deal, the U.S.' three European allies have also made it clear that Washington cannot trigger the dispute resolution mechanism that could lead to the restoration of UN to ban on Iran," said Zarif, according to official IRNA news agency.

"Snapback" is the reimposition of all UN sanctions against Iran, including an arms embargo which is due to expire in October 2020.

"The U.S. draft resolution pertaining to the UN arms embargo is illegal, and the Americans will not receive enough vote for their proposal on Iran in the UN Security Council's upcoming meeting," Zarif was quoted as saying.

This will result in further isolation of the U.S. administration, he added.

The UN arms embargo against Iran, subject to the 2015 landmark Iranian nuclear deal, is set to expire in October, and Washington, which left the deal two years ago, has urged the UN Security Council for its renewal. Enditem
Washington

A top official at the Federal Reserve criticized the decision by many states to reopen businesses this spring before getting the virus fully under control, and said those choices have hindered an economic recovery in the U.S.

Eric Rosengren, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, said states in the South and West that allowed businesses to reopen after shutting down for a brief period did register an initial burst of economic activity. But spikes in infection rates soon followed and economies in those states are now lagging those in the Northeast as consumers have become more cautious and bars and restaurants have been shut down again in some states.

Rosengren's comments, delivered online Wednesday, are some of the most specific yet by a Fed official tying the health of the economy to the nation's ability to control the virus. Fed Chair Jerome Powell has emphasized generally that recovery from the recession depends on conquering the pandemic, but Rosengren's remarks delved into the sharp difference in infection rates, both within regions of the United States, and the U.S. compared with Europe.

"Limited or inconsistent efforts by states to control the virus based on public health guidance are not only placing citizens at unnecessary risk of severe illness and possible death  but are also likely to prolong the economic downturn," Rosengren said in prepared remarks.

"Despite the sizable interventions by monetary and fiscal policymakers ... the recovery may be losing steam, as activities in many states are once again restricted (officially or voluntarily) to slow the virus's spread," Rosengren said.

In Europe, nations "shut down more forcefully, maintained restrictions longer, and did not reopen until the virus had reached low levels," Rosengren said. "In contrast, in the United States, infection rates remain elevated, as states lifted protective measures too soon," Rosengren said.

As a result, real-time data shows that in Europe, visits to retail stores and recreation outlets, such as movie theaters and amusement parks, have recovered more robustly than in the United States and are closer to pre-pandemic levels, Rosengren said.

Rosengren also pointed to the high current savings rate in the United States as evidence that Americans have been reluctant to spend, despite stimulus checks of $1,200 that were mailed to most Americans in the spring, and supplemental federal unemployment aid of $600 a week.

Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years.

Government shutdowns of many businesses have discouraged consumer spending, but so has the individual choice to avoid restaurants, movie theaters, gyms and other public places deemed to risky as the virus surges in parts of the country.

"As long as the virus poses significant threats to public health, a full economic recovery will be very difficult as individuals, often voluntarily, avoid activities that place their health at risk," Rosengren said.

Other Fed officials have warned that the viral resurgence in July could slow the U.S. recovery. And Dallas Federal Reserve President Robert Kaplan said last month that more widespread use of masks would slow infections and help the U.S. economy.

"The path of the economy will depend significantly on the course of the virus," Fed policymakers said in a statement issued after their most recent meeting last month.
U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Azar waves to the media after paying his respects to the late former President of Taiwan Lee Teng-Hui at a memorial in Taipei

BEIJING (Reuters) - China said on Wednesday that U.S. Health Secretary Alex Azar has performed the "worst in the world" in controlling the novel coronavirus, rejecting criticism of China made by Azar during a three-day trip to Taiwan this week.

Azar attacked China's response to the coronavirus pandemic on Tuesday saying that if such an outbreak had emerged in Taiwan or the United States it could have been "snuffed out easily".

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told a regular briefing the epidemic in the United States was "out of control" and the blame lay with Azar.

"He ignored millions of Americans suffering from the virus and went to Taiwan to put on a political show," Zhao said.

"His behaviour proves once again that in the eyes of U.S. politicians, American lives mean nothing when compared with their selfish political gains," he said.

Azar was the highest-level U.S. official visit to Taiwan in four decades and it came after a sharp deterioration of relations between the United States and China over a range of issues including trade, Hong Kong and the coronavirus.

The Trump administration has repeatedly criticised China for trying to cover up the coronavirus outbreak, first identified in the central Chinese city of Wuhan late last year, and prevaricating on information sharing.

China denies the accusations.

President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that his relationship with Chinese President Xi Jinping had soured over the outbreak, and that they had not spoken in a long time. [L1N2FD0JO]

China condemned his trip. China considers Taiwan a breakaway province and has vowed to bring it under its rule, by force if necessary. Zhao said on Wednesday that Beijing condemns any official ties between the U.S. and self-governed Taiwan.

The United States has the highest number of coronavirus infections and deaths in the world and Trump has come under scathing attack from critics at home for not taking what he calls the "China virus" seriously enough.

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China has reported 84,737 confirmed cases with 4,634 deaths.

Taiwan has been praised by health experts for its early and effective steps to control the outbreak, with only 480 infections and seven deaths.

(Reporting by Cate Cadell; Editing by Toby Chopra, Robert Birsel)
On Tuesday, as Florida set a daily record for covid-19 deaths, Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods prohibited his deputies from wearing masks at work. His order, which also applies to visitors to the sheriff's office, carves out an exception for officers in some locations, including hospitals, and when dealing with people who are high-risk or suspected of having the novel coronavirus.

In an email to the sheriff's department obtained by the Ocala Star-Banner, Woods disputed the idea that masks are a consensus approach to battling the pandemic.

"We can debate and argue all day of why and why not. The fact is, the amount of professionals that give the reason why we should, I can find the exact same amount of professionals that say why we shouldn't," Woods wrote in the email.

A majority of epidemiologists and other health experts say face masks and social distancing are key to slowing the spread of the novel coronavirus, which has ravaged Florida. The state, which has recorded more than 542,000 cases and more than 8,600 deaths, added 217 more deaths on Tuesday; Marion County also set a record for daily deaths on Tuesday, with 13.

Police nationwide have faced scrutiny over inconsistent use of masks by officers, even in large cities like New York and Philadelphia where face coverings are mandatory. Many large departments only suggest that officers wear masks, ABC News recently found, while those that require them, including the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, make exceptions for incidents where masks might impede officers in the line of duty.

Woods is among the first law enforcement officials to outright ban masks for his deputies, though.

He issued the order as Marion County and its largest city, Ocala, are mired in a politically charged debate over a mandatory mask rule. The Ocala City Council passed an emergency mask order last week, but Republican Mayor Kent Guinn vetoed it, citing in part a refusal by Ocala Police Chief Greg Graham to enforce the rule.

"My chief and I have talked about it. We will never write a fine. We're just not going to do it," Guinn told the Sky 97.3 FM on Monday.

The city council plans to meet Wednesday to consider overriding the veto, the Star-Banner reported.

Woods, meanwhile, told his deputies on Tuesday to stop wearing masks in most cases. While officers can still mask up in areas including the courthouse and county jail, they must immediately take off the face coverings afterward. Deputies working special events are also forbidden from wearing masks, Woods said.

All visitors to sheriff's department buildings will be asked to take off their masks in the lobby, Woods said, linking that rule to the ongoing protests against police brutality.

"In light of the current events when it comes to the sentiment and/or hatred toward law enforcement in our country today, this is being done to ensure there is clear communication and for identification purposes of any individual walking into a lobby," he wrote.

The sheriff argued that working mask-free hasn't led to a spike of infections in his 900-person department. "Since the beginning of this pandemic the operation of this office has not changed and no wearing of masks has been put in place," he said.

But as the Star-Banner reported, the local jail has seen a serious spike, with at least 200 inmates testing positive, along with 36 jail employees, including officers. A nurse at the jail has also died of covid-19.

Should anyone challenge a deputy about wearing a mask, Woods wrote, "politely and professionally tell them I am not required to wear a mask nor will I, per the Order of the Sheriff."

Woods, whose office didn't immediately respond to a message from The Washington Post, participated in a phone conference with President Trump and other sheriffs on Tuesday.

The sheriff ended his missive by making it clear that he would brook no dissent.

"This is no longer a debate nor is it up for discussion," he wrote. "Please keep in mind this entire pandemic is fluid and constantly changing the way things are done. However, my orders will be followed or my actions will be swift to address."
Additional sessions judge J N Raje in his order to the Yerawada central jail superintendent has allowed jailed real estate developer DS Kulkarni, wife Hemanti Kulkarni and son Shirish Kulkarni to attend the 13th day rites of their deceased daughter Ashwini Sanjay Deshpande in Karvenagar on August 16.

DSK and his family will step out of the Yerawada central jail after two and a half years.

The order further directed the Yerawada central jail superintendent to make arrangements for the escorting party and the Kulkarnis to deposit escorting charges for the escorting party with the appropriate police department. After performing the last rites, the escorting party shall lodge the accused inside Yerawada central jail immediately.

The accused shall follow the guidelines issued by the government of Maharashtra in respect of Covid-19 to wear a mask, to maintain physical distance. The accused shall not misuse the concession granted by this court on the ground of humanity. The jail authority is directed to report compliance, the order stated.

The founder and chairman of DS Kulkarni developers ltd (DSKDL), Kulkarni, along with wife Hemanti, were arrested by Pune police from a hotel in New Delhi on the morning of February 17, 2018. DSKs son Shirish Kulkarni surrendered in a local court on June 25, 2018. On May 16, 2018, DSKs niece Sai Vanjpe and her husband Kedar Vanjpe were arrested along with Dhananjay Pachpor, the chief operating officer of DSKDL.

The economic offences wing (EOW) of Pune police submitted a 37,000-page chargesheet against DS Kulkarni and his wife Hemanti before the court of special judge JT Utpat in connection with the Rs 2,043 crore investor fraud.

The DSK couple were booked for cheating and criminal breach of trust at Shivajinagar police station following the complaint from investors. The Kulkarnis were booked under Sections 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property), 406 (criminal breach of trust) and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Sections 3 and 4 of Maharashtra Protection of Interest of Depositors (MPID) Act.
The Republican endorsed candidate for Connecticuts 2nd U.S. House district ended his campaign after he was arrested late Monday night, just hours before polls opened for the Connecticut primary on Tuesday.

Thomas Gilmer of Madison was charged with first degree unlawful restraint and second degree strangulation by the Wethersfield Police Department. The arrest stems from a possible domestic assault that took place in Wethersfield.

Gilmer was located by the Madison Police Department. He did not turn himself in, a spokesman for the Wethersfield Police said. Gilmer was released on a $5,000 bond before his court appearance Tuesday in New Britain.

Contributed /

The Connecticut Republican Party announced on Twitter Tuesday morning that Gilmer had ended his campaign due to the severity of the allegations.

Gilmers primary opponent, Republican Justin Anderson, reportedly received video evidence of the alleged assault this spring. He alerted the state Republican party but did not immediately go to authorities apparently because the victim did not desire to come forward.

The Wethersfield Police said they were contacted in regards to a possible assault in the town on July 22.

The handling of the video has sparked a clash between state party leaders and the Anderson campaign.

Connecticut GOP Chairman J.R. Romano said when he heard about the video from Anderson, he told him to turn it over to law enforcement.

I never had the evidence, Romano said Tuesday. I was being told by Mr. Anderson that the victim did not want to go to the police. He was saying the victim did not want to do that. I believe if you have evidence of a crime, you should bring it to the police.

In a press release sent to Republican Town Committee members, Andersons campaign accused Republican leaders of using the video to attack Anderson, not Gilmer.

Instead of investigating the issues over the last three months, party leaders participated in cajoling, victim-shaming, and shunning Mr. Anderson, questioning his integrity, the release states. It was Justins goal to deal with the allegations privately among leaders to protect the victim, however party leaders brought this out publicly to discredit Mr. Anderson.

Anderson did not respond to multiple requests for comment Tuesday. The East Haddam resident is a military veteran who served in Afghanistan and a former corrections officer.

As primary day ended Tuesday, it was not clear who the Republican nominee to challenge Democratic Rep. Joe Courtney in the Second District would be. Mail in ballots could take multiple days to count.

Thousands of primary absentee ballots may have already been cast for Gilmer before he terminated his campaign. Gilmers name was on the ballot when voters went to the polls.

If Gilmer were to win the vote, the state Republican party could select a new nominee to replace him, Romano said.

Gilmer works in industrial and commercial construction through his company Axe Management Industries LLC. He launched his campaign to challenge Rep. Joe Courtney, D-2, in April 2020, according to Federal Election Commission filings.

Gilmer has repeatedly endorsed QAnon ideas on social media. QAnon is a conspiracy theory that alleges President Donald Trump was combatting deep state enemies and pedophiles. It has been linked to violence and potential domestic terrorism.

emilie.munson@hearstdc.com; Twitter: @emiliemunson
University News

Established by Carolyn Brehm 96 MBA, founder and CEO of Brehm Global Ventures, and former ambassador Richard Boucher, the speaker series endeavors to bring leaders in the world of diplomacy, international affairs, political science, and national security to the University community. By Renee Chmiel, Office of Marketing and Communications

Ambassador Barbara Bodine recently spoke to the University community via Zoom.

Sanduni Muhandiramge 22 was looking forward to a recent talk by former Ambassador Barbara Bodine because she is interested in learning firsthand about what a career in foreign service entails. She, particularly, wanted to learn about the skills necessary to succeed in the field.

My favorite part about the lecture was Ambassador Bodine herself, she said. Her integrity and knowledge inspired me to act upon the same values of justice and humanity. As a national security major, with a concentration in intelligence analysis, I hope that I am also able to preserve and expand cultural relationships within our global society.

Muhandiramge was one of the many students, alumni, faculty, staff, and friends who listened to Ambassador Bodines recent talk, which was held via Zoom. It kicked off the Brehm-Boucher Speaker Series: Making Policy in an Uncertain World, which is sponsored by Carolyn Brehm 96 MBA, founder and CEO of Brehm Global Ventures, an organization that provides advice on global government relations and public policy strategies, and her husband, Richard Boucher, who served as the United States ambassador to Cyprus from 1996 to 1999.

The notion is to talk about the volatile world we live in through lens of practitioners in fields such as national security, said Brehm, a member of the Universitys Board of Governors. Its important to learn through storytelling how they navigated opportunities and challenges and what this meant for how they achieved success in their career. Ambassador Bodine has a lot of great stories to tell.

'She really has an enormous amount of experience'

Currently a distinguished professor in the practice of diplomacy and director of the Institute for the Study of Diplomacy at Georgetown University, Ambassador Bodine spent more than 30 years in the U.S. Foreign Service before retiring. Her service focused primarily on issues in the Arabian Peninsula and the greater Persian Gulf, specifically, U.S. bilateral and regional policy, strategic security issues, counterterrorism, and governance and reform. She has served in countries such as Yemen, Afghanistan, and Iraq.

Its not a question of getting out of your comfort zone, she said. I like to think of it as expanding your comfort zone. Its learning how to take on the crisis, find your role, and determine what can you do to take care of yourself and the situation, and make the situation better. To me, thats resilience  owning who you are regardless of whats happening and taking ownership of the situation and trying to find that place where you can do something about it.

"The notion is to talk about the volatile world we live in through the lens of practitioners in fields such as national security." Ambassador Barbara Bodine

A first-generation college student, Ambassador Bodine told students that her own path was not traditional. While studying abroad in Hong Kong as a junior, she discovered she liked living abroad and immersing herself in other cultures. She was interested in a career in foreign service because she wanted to make a difference by being in a position to directly affect policy and problem solving.

She really has an enormous amount of experience, said Boucher. Shes shown an incredible amount of resilience dealing with these events.

This is a great opportunity for students

A collaboration between the Universitys national security, international affairs, and political science departments, the speaker series, which was created by Chris Haynes, Ph.D., will bring the world of diplomacy, international affairs, and national security to prospective, incoming, and current University of New Haven students. At least once per month, senior foreign affairs and public policy practitioners from the government, private sector, and humanitarian/civil society will discuss how their careers evolved, how they dealt with unanticipated events, solved problems, and what they learned along the way.

Ambassador Barbara Bodine.

Speakers connect with the University community in an interactive discussion via Zoom, enabling students to ask questions. The events will be held on campus when the coronavirus pandemic allows.

Douglas Gordon 21, an international development and diplomacy major, enjoyed listening to Ambassador Bodines talk, and he says he appreciated the opportunity to learn about her experiences.

This is a great opportunity for students because being able to listen to professionals who have made a career doing what many University students wish to do in the future is incredibly valuable, said Gordon, who is minoring in political science and national security. Having the opportunity to ask them questions about the field is amazing because the answers can be really revealing.

To learn more about the Brehm-Boucher Speaker Series, please visit the Universitys Model United Nations program website. The next speaker will be Lieutenant Colonel Ryan Bulger, Commander of 1st Squadron, 3d Cavalry Regiment. He will speak to the University community virtually on Thursday, Aug 13 at 4 p.m.
Former State Sen. Kevin de Leon won a March race to represent the district. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

More than a month after Los Angeles City Councilman Jose Huizar was charged in a political corruption probe and suspended from the council, Council President Nury Martinez set out plans Tuesday for a "caretaker" to manage Huizar's district until former state Senate Leader Kevin de Leon is appointed in October.

De Leon won a March race to represent downtown-to-Eagle Rock District 14 but was not slated to be seated until December. Now the "anticipated appointment" of de Leon is slated for October 15, Martinez wrote in a letter to the city's chief legislative analyst, Sharon Tso.

In the meantime, Tso said the caretaker could be any staffer she designates from her office. One possible candidate is Assistant Chief Legislative Analyst Avak Keotahian, who Tso said has served as caretaker at City Hall nearly a dozen times in the past.

The move is "intended to assure the residents of the Fourteenth Council District that they will not be without an individual they can turn to until they are once again directly represented by a councilmember," Martinez wrote.

The caretaker will handle mundane day-to-day responsibilities including reviewing mail and approving time sheets for staff, but will not be able to vote at council meetings. That is likely to frustrate residents who have argued that the district needs a voting representative to weigh in on city decisions about homelessness and other pressing issues.

Martinez did not address in her letter why de Leon would not take over until October. De Leon said in an interview that he was unable to do so sooner because someone in his family had a terminal illness, calling it "a deeply personal issue."

"I've been working very hard with my team to make sure the people of CD14 have a voting representative as soon as possible," de Leon said. Being sworn in December would have been "unacceptable, so we worked out a way forward."

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De Leon said he has already been meeting with constituents and working closely with city officials. Earlier this year, he successfully pushed against reallocating funding from a downtown streetcar project during the budget process, contending that doing so would be taking advantage of the unusual plight of the district.

The newly announced plans come after weeks of confusion among residents of the district about who is in charge after Huizar's suspension.

Huizar has pleaded not guilty to charges that include bribery, money laundering and racketeering in an ongoing federal investigation. He has not resigned from his council seat, despite other council members urging him to step down. Rob Wilcox, a spokesman for City Atty. Mike Feuer, said that being suspended means that the office is "temporarily vacant."

Huizar has not voted on city issues since the middle of May, when Martinez asked Huizar to stop attending council meetings. In recent weeks, Huizar staffers have been working under the direction of chief of staff Eduardo Soriano-Hewitt to respond to residents about local issues.
Banco Ripley, the financial arm of Ripley S.A., goes live with Temenos Transact to bring digital banking services to more than one million retail store customers in Peru

Temenos (SIX: TEMN), the banking software company today announced that Banco Ripley has gone live with Temenos Transact, the next generation core banking product. The implementation was delivered 100% in the cloud and 100% remotely amidst the COVID-19 lockdown. Temenos' digital core banking technology replaces Banco Ripley's legacy IT system with advanced cloud and open API technology to provide digital experiences to more than one million retail store customers in Peru.

Banco Ripley selected Temenos Transact as one of its strategic initiatives to accelerate its digital transformation process. Temenos' Model Bank approach delivers pre-configured, localized functionality and best practices, reducing the need for customization and decreasing timescales for delivery.

Temenos' technology will support the bank in offering differentiated retail banking products, including accounts, time deposits and loans. Temenos' digital banking platform supports Banco Ripley's strategic objectives to increase its market share, and sustainable growth by optimizing its banking operations and reducing operational costs.

Temenos worked closely with Banco Ripley to deliver a remote implementation in the public cloud, providing expert support and consultation to ensure a smooth install and successful go live for the bank despite the national state of emergency. The implementation of Temenos Transact involved the integration of Banco Ripley's 40 legacy systems and was concluded after 9,000 functional tests had been carried out on the new system. Temenos' global partner, ITSS, supported the project.

Banco Ripley is the financial arm of Ripley Corp, a company comprised of retail, financial and real estate enterprises, with a strong presence in Chile and Peru. Ripley is one of South America's leading retail operators, with more than 70 stores and three million financial clients across the region.

Samuel Sanchez, Director/General Manager Banco Ripley Peru, said: "We are excited to announce the successful implementation and go live of our state-of-the-art core banking solution. Our strategic relationship with Temenos supported a seamless digital transformation in Peru and brings us closer to our objective: 'Empower TODAY, to impact the future of families.' Temenos Transact provides a single solution on which we can simplify our operations and reduce cost, and provide exceptional banking experiences to our retail store customers."

Enrique Ramos O'Reilly, Managing Director, Latin America Caribbean, commented: "We are delighted to support Banco Ripley as they adopt powerful cloud-native technology and accelerate their digital transformation. Temenos has a rich history supporting banks in Latin America. Our established presence in the region and breadth of experience meant that, in spite of the global pandemic, we were able to support a quick and effective remote implementation for Banco Ripley. We see a great acceleration in cloud adoption as banks are turning to cloud and SaaS models to become more agile and gain speed to market. Now live on our market-leading core banking product, Temenos Transact, the bank can benefit from rapid return on investment and faster route to market powered by the best pre-configured practices of Temenos Model Bank."

About Temenos

Temenos AG (SIX: TEMN) is the world's leader in banking software. Over 3,000 banks across the globe, including 41 of the top 50 banks, rely on Temenos to process both the daily transactions and client interactions of more than 500 million banking customers. Temenos offers cloud-native, cloud-agnostic and AI-driven front office, core banking, payments and fund administration software enabling banks to deliver frictionless, omnichannel customer experiences and gain operational excellence.

Temenos software is proven to enable its top-performing clients to achieve cost-income ratios of 26.8% half the industry average and returns on equity of 29%, three times the industry average. These clients also invest 51% of their IT budget on growth and innovation versus maintenance, which is double the industry average, proving the banks' IT investment is adding tangible value to their business.

For more information, please visit www.temenos.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200812005048/en/

Contacts:

Jessica Wolfe

Temenos Global Public Relations

Tel: +1-610-232-2793

Email: press@temenos.com



Alistair Kellie Andrew Adie

Newgate Communications on behalf of Temenos

Tel: +44-20-7680-6550

Email: allnewgatetemenos@newgatecomms.com
The news that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle now have a house of their own in Santa Barbara wowed many at first. It hints that things are going well for them - that they now have the funds to buy a house of their own.

It turns out that Prince Charles, Prince Harry's dad, reportedly provided funds to the couple for this purchase. This naturally raised some eyebrows, more so when the UK public remember that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle still owe the British taxpayers around 2.4m for their Frogmore Cottage.

Harry and Meghan are currently paying 18,000 a month for the renovations they had done on Frogmore College when they were still back in the UK. It is also alleged that they owe the Sussex Royal Foundation 200,000.

It is therefore not surprising that their 8 million secret Santa Barabara house purchase is presently under scrutiny. Why buy when they could pay off their debts first? Has Prince Charles truly helped secure this property by giving them some funds? These are just some of the questions the Brits are determined to answer.

As earlier reported, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are already living in their new home since early July, unbeknownst to the public. their neighbors in this gated community include Ellen DeGeneres, Oprah Winfrey, Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher. This is all well and no problem, but the idea that once more, they spent not their own money to get it is pissing some. This is also why many are so interested in finding out exactly the price of this home. For a while, it was undisclosed. But it eventually was, given the public clamor for it.

According to Royal expert Ingrid Seward, it is reasonable for people to ask about the price. She said it's natural, at this moment. "'I think people at this moment of time when Meghan and Harry do anything to do with money, it isn't going to be looked at very favorably." she said. "People will not like what they do when it involves a lot of money," she added.

Royal insiders believe that it is impossible that the two did not get some financial help from Prince Charles. A source said that the father is just keen to do so, as he is devoted to both sides, regardless if Prince Harry is no longer in the UK. If there is a chance for him to help, even if he puts his hand down on his pocket, he would.

At present, Clarence House is just letting the rumors go on, as it refuses to comment.

This is not the first time. Back in January, when the exit was just announced, there were already reports that Prince Charles is willing to support the two in their quest for financial independence by giving them money, ironically. According to Bazaar.com's Royal editor and one of the writers if "Finding Freedom," private financial support will be given still to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, regardless of their plans outside of their senior roles. Maybe this is still part of his private assistance.
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 12/8/2020 (525 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

FILE - In this July 31, 2019, file photo, then-Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., listens as Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden speaks during a Democratic presidential primary debate at the Fox Theatre in Detroit. Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden has chosen Harris as his running mate. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya, File)

WASHINGTON - Gretchen Whitmer wanted out.

The Michigan governor had caught the interest of Joe Biden and his vice-presidential vetting committee, who were drawn to her prominence in a crucial battleground state and her aggressive response to the coronavirus outbreak there. But by late spring, the nation was in the midst of a reckoning over race and inequality following the death of George Floyd, a Black man who died after a white police officer pressed his knee into his neck for several minutes.

Whitmer sent word to Bidens team that while she was flattered, she no longer wanted to be considered for the running mate slot, according to a high-ranking Democrat familiar with the process. She recommended Biden pick a Black woman.

But Biden still wanted Whitmer in the mix, and he personally called her in mid-June to ask if she would continue on to the second, more intensive round of vetting, according to the official. Whitmer agreed.

But forces in the country, and within the Democratic Party, were indeed pushing Biden toward a history-making pick. As protests over the death of Floyd and other Black Americans filled the streets across the country, an array of Democrats urged Biden to put a Black woman on the ticket  a nod to this moment in the nations history, to the critical role Black voters played in Bidens ascent to the Democratic nomination, and to their vital importance in his general election campaign against President Donald Trump.

On Tuesday, Biden tapped California Sen. Kamala Harris to be his running mate, making her the first Black woman to serve on a major party presidential ticket. This account of how he made that decision, the most important of his political career, is based on interviews with 10 people with direct knowledge of the vetting and selection process. Most spoke on condition of anonymity to disclose private conversations and deliberations.

___

Biden, well aware of the potential pitfalls of being a 77-year-old white male standard-bearer of a party increasingly comprised of women, people of colour and young voters, made clear even before he had clinched the Democratic nomination that his running mate would be a woman.

His initial list of possible contenders was sprawling: roughly 20 governors, senators, congresswomen, mayors and other Democratic stalwarts. They were young and old; Black, Hispanic, white, Asian; straight and gay. Some, including Harris, had competed against Biden for the Democratic nomination.

From the start, some Biden advisers saw Harris as a logical choice. She was among the partys most popular figures, a deft debater and a fundraising juggernaut. She had been thoroughly vetted during her own campaign and Bidens team expected there would be few surprises if she was the pick.

Indeed, Harris potential downsides were well-known to Biden advisers. Her record as a prosecutor in California was already viewed skeptically by some younger Democrats during the primary and would face even more scrutiny against the backdrop of a national debate over inequality in the criminal justice system.

There were also nagging questions about Harris most high-profile moment of the primary campaign  a harsh and deeply personal broadside against Biden over his position on school busing in the 1970s. Though Biden would later brush the moment aside as campaign tactics, the attack was said to have stunned the former vice-president, who had considered his relationship with Harris strong. It also raised concern among a small cadre of Biden advisers that Harris would be eyeing the Oval Office herself from the start, a particular worry given that Biden has not firmly committed to serving two terms if elected in November.

And so, as spring turned to summer, a string of other Black women would take a turn in the spotlight as Biden weighed his options. Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and Florida Rep. Val Demings impressed Bidens team with their leadership during the police brutality protests.

Some House Democrats  including South Carolina Rep. James Clyburn, a close Biden confidant  advocated for Rep. Karen Bass, a Californian who chairs the Congressional Black Caucus. Biden also took a strong interest in Susan Rice, with whom he worked closely when she served in the White House as President Barack Obamas national security adviser.

The leading contenders, who also included Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Illinois Sen. Tammy Duckworth, submitted reams of financial records, texts of speeches and other personal information. Bidens selection team canvassed a vast array of Democrats to ask for their views on the candidates temperament and families, then grilled the candidates on much of the same.

Biden, too, regularly discussed his potential pick with his sprawling network of friends and advisers. He used Obama in particular as a sounding board, though confidants to both men say the former president was careful not to tip his hand in those conversations as to whom he preferred.

But in private, Obama suggested to others that he believed Harris was the favourite.

___

In one of Harris conversations with the vetting committee, Chris Dodd  a longtime Biden friend who served alongside him in the Senate  asked if she had remorse for her debate stage attack on his busing record.

Harris, as she had previously done so publicly, brushed it aside as simply politics. Dodd, a member of the running mate selection committee, was put off and let that be known. The incident was first reported by Politico and confirmed to The Associated Press by a person with direct knowledge.

The public disclosure of Dodds comments angered some of the highest-ranking women on Bidens campaign team. Some of Harris allies also mobilized to defend her, including California Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, who organized a call with Bidens vetting team about two weeks ago to assuage any doubts about whether the senator was the right choice for the ticket.

On the 45-minute call, Kounalakis and other statewide officials, labour and business leaders took turns sharing their personal histories with Harris and their impressions of her as a leader.

"Speaking out as strongly as we did, collectively, helped them understand how supported she is and why," Kounalakis said on Tuesday.

The call ended with Bidens vetting team telling the Harris supporters that they had all recommended her as one of the top candidates for the job.

___

The pandemic had largely grounded Biden in his home state of Delaware throughout the summer, and also upended some of the ways he had expected to build a rapport with the running-mate contenders. There were no joint rallies or carefully orchestrated, yet casual-looking, outings to local restaurants in battleground states. Biden was also accepting few in-person visitors at his home.

But he did want to speak one-on-one with the women who had made it through the vetting process and interviews with his selection committee. He would hold conversations with 11 women in the final nine days before he made his pick  a mixture of in-person meetings and video teleconferences.

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Whitmer was among those who flew to Delaware for an in-person audience. She boarded a private plane in Lansing, Michigan, on Aug. 2, spending just a few hours on the ground before returning to Michigan.

Rice, who had perhaps the closest personal relationship with Biden of all the contenders, spoke twice with Biden in recent days. Duckworth also had a formal interview over the weekend, as did Georgia Democrat Stacey Abrams, who was initially viewed as a leading contender for the job.

On Tuesday, in the hours before his campaign announced Harris as the pick, Biden would call each of those women to inform them that they had not been selected. Warren, whose relationship with Biden has deepened in recent months through regular policy discussions, was also among those to receive a personal call from the former vice-president.

In some of the conversations, Biden left open an opportunity. Please consider joining me in another role in the administration, he said.

___

Eggert reported from Lansing, Mich., and Ronayne from Sacramento, Calif. Associated Press writers Bill Barrow in Atlanta, Will Weissert in Wilmington, Del., and Laurie Kellman in Washington contributed to this report.
The Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has asked former President John Dramani Mahama to tell Ghanaian youth what he did for them in the eight years he was in government as Vice President and President respectively.



Addressing NPP youth wing in Accra during a meeting on Wednesday, Dr. Bawumia said he sometimes wonders whether former President Mahama has indeed been in office before, due to the manner in which Mahama carries himself as a new quantity, as well as his failure to speak on his own record in government.



"Former President Mahama is not a new quantity. He is a known quantity who was in office for 8 years as Vice President and President," Dr. Bawumia said. "What the youth of this country should ask is, what did John Mahama do for the youth in eight (8) years of government."



The Vice President recounted the mismanagement of the Ghanaian economy by the administration of Mahama, which he said, led to hardships for the youth in several ways including unemployment, withdrawal of support allowances, collapse of agriculture and massive dumsor, which the Vice President indicated affected several businesses owned by the youth and Ghanaians in general.

Dr. Bawumia said having mismanaged the economy and failed the youth of the country during his time as President, he is surprised the President is going round making promises as if he is a new person.



"Promises are one thing but deeds and actions are another. Actions speak louder than words and John Mahama's record of incompetence has already spoken loudly," Dr. Bawumia stated.



Youth-centred initiatives of Akufo-Addo Government



On the contrary, the Vice President noted that President Akufo-Addo has demonstrated his understanding of the issues Ghanaian youth face, and he has made moves to address them in three and half years.



The Vice President listed several youth-centred initiatives such as job creation through one district one factory, National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Plan, President's Business Support Programme, Planting for Food and Jobs, Greenhouse Village Initiative, Campus Business Pitch, Presidential Empowerment for Women with Disability, revival of Anglogold Ashanti Obuasi Mine, NABCO, as well as other programs which he said the youth have benefitted from, such as restoration of teacher and nursing trainee allowances, refund of deposits of collapsed financial institutions, free water and electricity, etc.



"Over the last three and half years, we have developed and implemented many initiatives designed to place the youth in the forefront of national development," Dr. Bawumia said. "We have created over two million jobs in the public and private formal sectors since 2017 (inclusive of governemnt job-creation programmes and initiatives such as Plating for Food and Jobs, NBCO Graduate Programme and National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Plan."



"Our policies have also led to significant job creation by the private sector , for example, through the revival of the Obuasi Mine of Anglogold Ashanti. Since its restart, from June 2018 to June 2020, the Obuasi Mine has employed 4,163 people on the mine rehabilitation project, and we have also created over two hundred and fidty thousand private formal sector jobs according to data from the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT)."



Dr. Bawumia stated that President Akufo-Addo has proved his understanding of issues affecting the youth and that having taken steps to tackle them in his first term, his next term will be more promising.



"President Akufo-Addo has demonstrated an understanding of the issues faced by the youth and he has done something about it," Dr. Bawumia added.



"His second term will, by the grace of God, be transformational for this country with the youth at the cebter of that transformation."



The meeting was also attended by the Chief of Staff at Office of the President, Hon. Akosua Frema Osei Opare, NPP National Chairman, Freddy Blay, NPP National Youth Organiser Sammy Awuku, NPP National Youth Organiser Henry Nana Boakye, NPP National Nasara Coordinator, Abdul Aziz Haruna Futa and other executives of the party.

Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Coronavirus deaths have spiked by 1,300 in 24 hours as Florida and Georgia both reported a record daily surge in fatalities - but the number of cases across the United States continues to decline even as Hawaii sees the highest rate of COVID-19 spread.

The US reported a single day spike of 1,300 deaths on Tuesday despite the weekly average death toll dropping last week for the first time in more than a month.

The increase in deaths was driven, in part, due to Florida and Georgia reporting record high fatalities.

Florida reported 276 new deaths, bringing the statewide death toll to just over 8,500. The spike came after deaths in the hotspot state declined 10 percent last week compared to the previous seven days.

Meanwhile, the number of cases in Florida continue to trend downwards following a huge summer spike across the Sunbelt states. The state reported 5,800 cases on Tuesday, down from the record 15,000 in mid-July.

In Georgia, a record high of 136 deaths have been added to the state's 4,350 death toll. There has been an uptick in deaths in the state since late July and the average death toll increased by five percent last week compared to the previous seven days.

The increase in deaths comes after infections across the state started trending upwards in late June. Cases appeared to plateau in Georgia in late July but are now increasing slightly after a decline in the first week of August.

The US reported a single day spike of 1,300 deaths on Tuesday despite the weekly average death toll dropping last week for the first time in more than a month. The increase in deaths was driven, in part, due to Florida and Georgia reporting record high fatalities

FLORIDA: Florida reported 276 new deaths, bringing the statewide death toll to just over 8,500. The spike came after deaths in the hotspot state declined 10 percent last week compared to the previous seven days. Meanwhile, the number of cases in Florida continue to trend downwards following a huge summer spike across the Sunbelt states

GEORGIA: In Georgia, a record high of 136 deaths (left) have been added to the state's 4,350 death toll. There has been an uptick in deaths in the state since late July. The increase in deaths comes after infections (right) across the state started trending upwards in late June. Cases appeared to plateau in Georgia in late July but are now increasing slightly

More than 164,000 Americans have now died from COVID-19 and the average number of deaths has remained at just over 1,000 per day for two weeks.

While the average daily death toll is still high, it remains below levels seen in April when an average of 2,000 people a day were dying from the virus.

Cases, which have now surpassed 5.1 million, have been falling nationally for three straight weeks and the average daily infection toll remains steady at about 52,000.

Infections increased in only 11 states last week, including Hawaii where the rate of spread is now the highest in the country.

Hawaii had kept the virus at bay for most of the summer, but new cases have more than doubled and are repeatedly seeing daily triple-digit increases.

The state's Governor David Ige said last week that he would be reinstating inter-island travel restrictions that require people to quarantine for 14 days in a bid to curb the spread.

The increases seen in Hawaii and the 10 other states are minimal compared to the outbreaks that plagued hotspot states in June and July and are not enough to reflect an uptick in the national infection toll.

In the last week, 11 states saw increases in COVID-19 cases including Hawaii (124%), Vermont (27%), North Dakota (19%), Indiana (18%), South Dakota (16%), Illinois (15%), Virginia (15%), Arkansas (7%), Idaho (5%), Kansas (5%) and Minnesota (3%).

Infections increased in only 11 states last week, including Hawaii where the rate of spread is now the highest in the country. Hawaii had kept the virus at bay for most of the summer, but new cases have more than doubled and are repeatedly seeing daily triple-digit increases

Cases in the US, which have now surpassed 5.1 million, have been falling nationally for three straight weeks and the average daily infection toll remains steady at about 52,000

In the last week, 11 states saw increases in COVID-19 cases including Hawaii (124%), Vermont (27%), North Dakota (19%), Indiana (18%), South Dakota (16%), Illinois (15%), Virginia (15%), Arkansas (7%), Idaho (5%), Kansas (5%) and Minnesota (3%)

The continuing decline in national cases comes largely from the recent hotspots of California, Arizona, Florida and Texas where infections have slowed after seeing huge spikes in the last two months.

Despite the encouraging trends in the Sunbelt states, health experts have warned that cities including Boston, Chicago and Baltimore could become hotspots due to increasing infections.

White House taskforce coordinator Dr Deborah Birx, as well as other public health researchers, have flagged their concerns in the last week about high infection rates in those cities.

Dr David Rubin, director of the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia PolicyLab, told the Daily Beast that Baltimore appeared to be in the middle of an outbreak based on the city's transmission rate.

He said it might be down to the city's high density and high poverty rate, as well as its close proximity to hotspot Sunbelt states.

The transmission rate is also a factor in Chicago.

'Cook County is going to get colder quickly,' Rubin said. 'They're clearly growing again. They're not doing enough distancing, and their numbers are creeping up. If they don't get their case counts down, they have plenty of room to grow again.'

While case numbers are down in Boston, the PolicyLab researchers fear the city could see an outbreak in the fall.

'Boston has looked better than much of the country, and they've escaped scrutiny,' Rubin said. 'They're growing as quickly as other parts of the country, just from a lower numerator.'

The continuing decline in national cases comes largely from the recent hotspots including California were cases dropped 19 percent last week but deaths increased three percent. The spike reflected above in cases is due, in part, to a backlog of cases following a glitch in data that was uncovered last week

New cases in Arizona fell by more than 48 percent in the last week. Deaths dropped 16 percent in Arizona last week compared to the previous seven days

Cases dropped three percent in Texas in a week compared to the previous seven days. Deaths in the hotspot state declined by 39 percent in the last week

NYC officials will doorknock or phone EVERY SINGLE one of the 38,000 households in Brooklyn's Sunset Park neighborhood after 'slight uptick' in COVID-19 cases New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio says officials will be door-knocking or phoning every single one of the 38,000 households in a Brooklyn neighborhood after a slight uptick in COVID-19 cases. De Blasio said on Wednesday that officials would be targeting Sunset Park after 228 positive cases were discovered from 3,300 tests in the past two weeks. It is not yet clear if the uptick in positive tests coming out of Sunset Park is a sign the neighborhood is becoming a hotspot of new cases for New York City. The Mayor said officials plan to 'saturate' the neighborhood from Wednesday to encourage as many residents as possible to get tested for COVID-19. There will be robocalls placed to every household over the next few days and officials will be on the ground doorknocking and canvassing the area. Multiple testing vans are also being dispatched to the area. Advertisement

Even though cases are trending downward in the majority of states, the nationwide daily case rate is still high compared to the peak in April and public health officials have warned there is much more work needed to bring the national curve back to baseline.

Health experts have attributed the current decline in cases and deaths to policy and behavior changes in the hotspot states behind the summer surge where governors and local officials rolled back reopenings to curb the infection rate.

They say the widespread adoption of masks, social distancing and closing down bars all helped, while some scientists believe that increasing population immunity may have also played a role.

Experts say, however, that US is not close to reaching herd immunity.

The decline in deaths and cases comes about three weeks after President Donald Trump, who for months refused to publicly wear a mask, urged Americans to cover their faces in public to stop the spread.

While the average daily death toll is still high, it remains below levels seen in April when an average of 2,000 people a day were dying from the virus - mostly in the original epicenter of New York.

Deaths surged in April in the weeks after coronavirus infections spiked mostly in the Northeast. The number of fatalities started spiking in Sunbelt states and across the Midwest after cases surged in June and July.

Deaths are a lagging indicator and can continue to rise weeks after new infections drop. A coronavirus death, when it occurs, typically comes several weeks after a person is first infected.

Health experts have indicated the death toll may not be as bad this time around possibly because a large share of the current cases are younger people, who are less likely to die, and because of advances in treatment and knowledge of the virus.

Experts warn, however, that unless the curve is pushed down much further, hospitals will continue to be stretched and people will continue to die.

Despite the encouraging trends in the Sunbelt states, health experts have warned that cities including Boston, Chicago and Baltimore could become hotspots due to increasing infections. Infections in Baltimore have been trending upwards through August

Boston added 38 new cases on Tuesday, bringing the city's total cases to 14,600

Health experts, including Dr Deborah Birx, have said there has been a slow uptick in test positivity in cases in cities including Chicago
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-12 21:47:33|Editor: huaxia

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TOKYO, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- The Japanese government has appealed a court ruling in favor of providing health care benefits to those exposed to radioactive "black rain" that fell after the atomic bombing of Hiroshima in 1945.

The Hiroshima District Court late last month ruled in favor of 84 plaintiffs in their 70s to 90s, some of whom have passed away.

The court said that victims should be eligible for the same state health benefits as those who survived the atomic bombing and were in the same zone where the government has recognized that radioactive "black rain" fell.

The court also ruled it was possible that "black rain" fell outside of the designated area and hence it was reasonable to conclude the plaintiffs were affected by radiation and developed diseases only associated with radiation and the same as the atomic bomb survivors, including cancer.

At issue, however, is the range of the zone designated by the government as being affected by the nuclear rain, Japan's welfare minister Katsunobu Kato said on Wednesday when announcing the government's decision to appeal the Hiroshima District Court's landmark ruling last month.

The state's designated area lies northwest of the hypocenter of the atomic bombing and measures roughly 19 km in length and 11 km in width.

Kato maintained that the district court's ruling was unscientific in its basis, a claim that drew a harsh backlash from the plaintiffs.

Along with their legal counsel, the plaintiffs lambasted the central government at a press briefing for attempting to use "scientific evidence as an excuse for appealing the ruling because it is obvious that the effect of the nuclear attack damaged their health."

Kato said the central government would take into consideration the possibility of adjusting the area it has designated as warranting state health care support for those who suffered from the "black rain" after the atomic bomb, that was dropped by the United States Army Air Forces on Aug. 6, 1945, eviscerated wide swathes of Hiroshima.

"We will examine the designated zone with a sense of speed, eyeing the possibility of expanding it in consideration of aging atomic bomb survivors," Kato told a press briefing on the matter.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, for his part, said the government decided to appeal the court's ruling to a higher court due to disparities between the district court's ruling and the previous ruling by a Supreme Court.

"Meanwhile, we will firmly take measures to support hibakusha (atomic bomb survivors) who went through agonies that were beyond description," Abe said. Enditem
HUNTSVILLE, Ala., Aug. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Abaco Systems today announced plans to grow the company's presence in Austin, Texas, the home of its DSP Innovation Center. This expansion follows Abaco's February move to new headquarters in Huntsville, Alabama and is further evidence of the company's investment in innovation and continued growth.

This significant expansion sees the facility grow almost 50% to over 16,000 square feet, and comes as a result of rapid growth in demand for Abaco's digital signal processing solutions that are designed for advanced electronic warfare applications.

The additional space, which opened in July, will enable the expansion of the engineering facilities at the DSP Innovation Center. Not only will it receive substantial technical upgrades and additional laboratory facilities, but it will also benefit from re-equipping of the entire new workspace. This will provide a more ergonomic environment that will facilitate the collaboration that is at the heart of Abaco's innovation.

Abaco is actively recruiting engineers, the addition of whom will see the current site headcount increase by more than 50% over the coming 18 months to more than 65 employees.

The expansion follows the announcement in February of Abaco's move to new headquarters in Huntsville, Alabama in response to continuing growth across the company's business.

"Austin has an outstanding reputation as being a great place for leading edge technology companies to do business, and that makes it a perfect fit for our company  not least because of the access it gives us to the country's most talented engineers," said Rich Sorelle, President and CEO of Abaco. "This expansion of our DSP Innovation Center, in terms of both space and people, will allow us to continue to develop the innovative, pioneering computing solutions that enable our customers to provide our warfighters with a vital competitive edge."

Abaco's five Innovation Centers are at the heart of the company's success. The team in Austin is responsible for the development of leading edge solutions based on advanced technologies including DSP, FPGA, and RFSoC. Innovative products designed and manufactured on site include the VP430 and the VP460.

The Austin facility also provides the in-depth technical support customers sometimes require - all the way from design through development through optimization through deployment.

The VP430 Direct RF Processing System, which was the first 3U VPX COTS solution to feature the all new Xilinx ZU27DR RF system-on-chip (RFSoC) technology, is also one of the densest analog FPGA DSP boards available, with eight ADC and DAC synchronized channels. It features the ability to synchronize multiple boards for even larger system applications.

The success of the VP430 led to the announcement of its 6U VPX counterpart, the VP460 Direct RF Processing System, which is aligned with the SOSA standard designed to deliver the cost-effective interoperability required by the US Air Force, Army, and Navy.

Austin has long been home to some of the highest profile technology organizations. In the defense industry that Abaco primarily serves, BAE Systems, Boeing and Northrop Grumman have facilities in the city. The growing tech city also drew interest from the U.S. Army, who chose Austin for the headquarters of Futures Command, which is aimed at modernizing military weapons, combat vehicles, and more.

Texas is one of the top states in the U.S. for aerospace and defense manufacturing.

About Abaco Systems

With more than 30 years' experience, Abaco Systems is a global leader in open architecture computing and electronic systems for aerospace, defense and industrial applications. We create innovative, modular solutions based on open standards that are characterized by outstanding price/performance, ultimate rugged reliability and minimal SWaP. Our goal is to be a significant contributor to our customers' success, partnering with them to reduce cost, time-to-deployment and risk and supporting them over the long term. With an active presence in hundreds of national asset platforms on land, sea and in the air, Abaco Systems is trusted where it matters most. www.abaco.com

SOSA is a trademark of The Open Group. Xilinx is a registered trademark of Xilinx, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

SOURCE Abaco Systems

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South Africa: Critical Health Centres receive broadband internet

By Mish Molakeng

Twenty-six Critical Health Centres have received broadband connectivity in the past two weeks, thanks to public-private partnerships.

The Department of Communications and Digital Technologies has established public and private partnerships to provide broadband internet connectivity to approximately 480 COVID-19 Mission Critical Health Centres across the country at no cost to the department.

The broadband speed connectivity is above 10 megabit per second.

This fast connectivity will enable remote health facilities to transfer patient files and carry out statistical reporting, medical analysis, and consult quickly and effectively. It will support critical health centres in enhancing the patient experience of care, quality, access, and reliability.

This partnership, brokered by Communications and Digital Technologies Minister Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams, was in response to the directions gazetted in March and an effort to assist government in meeting the key objective of slowing the spread of Coronavirus.

In response to a direction by the Minister, the regulatory body ICASA also assigned temporary radio frequency spectrum to mobile network operators. This will ensure citizens are able to access ICT services, government programmes and have the necessary information to protect themselves against this pandemic.

Increased access to information is at the heart of department directions, the realities of inequality are such that not everyone can simply move online.

All successful licensees for temporary IMT spectrum assignments are required to support and create virtual teaching and classrooms as determined by the department, in alignment with the Department of Basic Education, said Minister Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams.

As part of COVID-19 interventions, the department is working with the Departments of Basic and Higher Education, and in partnership with mobile network operators and internet service providers.

The companies have approved hundreds of local websites to be zero-rated for educational purposes while South Africa deals with the pandemic.

The zero-rated websites include, among others, TVET colleges, universities, basic education sites as well as websites that provide information which can help South Africans mitigate the risks that come with this virus.

In addition to the 990 sites, which are already zero-rated, there are additional sites which are pending approval.

Zero rating of telecommunications and data services for specified public services like health, education and public service pronouncements is a very important intervention to empower society and the youth, in particular. We are appreciated the good gestures from the mobile network operators, but I believe together more can be done, said Ndabeni-Abrahams.

The Coronavirus pandemic has not only put a sharp focus on the ICT sector; it has also has accelerated the digitalisation of many businesses and services, introduced teleworking and video conferencing systems in and out of the workplace.

Ndabeni-Abrahams said COVID-19 provides an opportunity for affordable ICT infrastructure and digital technology solutions such as Artificial Intelligence, High Performance Computing, Robotics and the Internet of Things, to be explored.

Meanwhile, the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs to facilitate the temporary rapid deployment of electronic communications and facilities within municipalities across the country.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2020-08-12. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
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The Delhi High Court has recommended that Punjab & Maharashtra Co-operative Bank's (PMC Bank) administrators should consider liquidating at least some assets belonging to the Wadhawans.

The Administrator's counsel said he will discuss the matter with PMC Bank, according to a Mint report.

The Delhi HC said once the assets are sold, the proceeds can be distributed among the depositors. The court will next hear the case on September 15.

An affidavit in relation to the matter will be filed before the next hearing, which will also mention any criminal proceedings initiated against the Wadhawans.

Also read: Bank fraud cases see a major spike in 2019-20: How prepared is the RBI?

The Delhi HC was hearing a plea by petitioner Sandeep Bhalla and others seeking directions to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to release a statement on the safety of the deposits held in PMC Bank, and to ensure depositors get their money back.

HDIL promoters Rakesh Wadhawan and Sarang Wadhawan are the main accused in the alleged Rs 4,335 crore PMC Bank scam. The lender currently has an exposure to HDIL due to loans granted to the company.

PMC Bank was placed under directions by the RBI in September 2019, and withdrawals have been capped at Rs 1 lakh till December 22, 2020.
Trump candidate for Inter-America bank accuses Argentina of 'obstruction'

AFP, Washington :

US President Donald Trump's candidate to head the Inter-American Development Bank said Tuesday he has the backing of the majority of Latin American countries but accused Argentina of trying to "obstruct" his election, with the help of Mexico, Chile and Costa Rica.

Mauricio Claver-Carone told a news conference that 17 countries were supporting him, and denounced the "tactics" of the Argentine government headed by President Alberto Fernandez to try and delay the vote until next year due to concerns over the coronavirus pandemic.

"We are seeing a minority effort, led by Argentina, to hinder the election because they have not been able to present a competitive vision," he said, adding that the United States would resist "any attempt to hijack" the voting.

The remarks by Claver-Carone, the director of Latin American affairs in Trump's National Security Council who is of Cuban descent, were described as "aggressive" by Chile's representative Andres Allamand.

"They confirm that his election would be clearly inadequate," he said on Twitter.

Argentina has pushed for the leadership of the bank - which comprises 48 Latin American, Caribbean, and European nations plus the United States, Canada, Israel, Japan, Korea and China - to remain in the hands in Latin American hands. But it made no comment except to reiterate that the vote should be pushed back until March.

"We are immobilized by the pandemic and such a crucial vote should take place in person," said Argentina's representative Felipe Sola, stressing support for his country's candidate Gustavo Beliz.

Costa Rica, which is pushing its former president Laura Chinchilla for the post, backed the Argentinian position, as did Mexico and Chile.
China is pushing forward with a plan to build a new science and technology university amid escalating tensions with the US and as Beijing pushes domestic excellence in core science and research.

The university, to be built in Liuyang city in the central province of Hunan, will support development of higher education in the region, according to a three-year plan published on the official website of the local provincial government.

The preliminary plan is to name it after Qian Xuesen, also known as Tsien Hsue-shen, who was a prominent missile scientist in the US before returning to China in 1955 to lead the nation's space and missile programmes. Hunan is also the birthplace of Mao Zedong, founding father of the Peoples Republic of China.

Get the latest insights and analysis from our Global Impact newsletter on the big stories originating in China.

Detailed plans for the school have yet to be finalised, according a report by state-owned media outlet Global Times, citing an official from the provincial educational department.

The move comes as China seeks to better compete with the US in core science and research amid increased economic rivalry and a battle for tech supremacy. Amid a raft of sanctions and US restrictions on leading Chinese technology companies, China has accelerated a drive to become more self-sufficient in some strategic sectors, such as semiconductor development.

In addition to telecoms giant Huawei Technologies, the Trump administration has added dozens of Chinese artificial intelligence companies and universities to its Entity List, which restricts exports of US origin technology.

Chinese President Xi Jinping last year stressed the need for self-reliance and innovation, calling on the nation to prepare to fend off long-term challenges from the US.

Technological innovation is the root of life for businesses, Xi said in May 2019 during a visit to Jiangxi province, state-run news agency Xinhua reported, just days after Huawei was put on the Entity List. Only if we own our own intellectual property and core technologies, can we produce products with core competitiveness and [we] won't be beaten in intensifying competition.

Story continues

China is also speeding up the construction of 700 key state laboratories by the end of the year, which will serve as a significant force to lead fundamental research, according to a May report by state-run newspaper Economic Information Daily.

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This article China plans new science and technology university in Hunan amid increased rivalry with US first appeared on South China Morning Post

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WESTFIELD  Most city students will start school remotely on Sept. 14, then phase into a hybrid model that will have some return to the classroom as officials evaluate the coronavirus situation and determine whether the buildings are safe.

Westfield Technical Academy students will spend their shop weeks in the building and study remotely during academic weeks. Superintendent Stefan Czaporowski, formerly the academys principal, said that buildings shops are large enough for students to adhere to social distancing guidelines.

School Committee members voted unanimously Monday on a four-phase reopening plan after a four-hour meeting during which the discussion became heated at times.

All students and staff will be required to wear masks in the buildings, and students will also be required to wear masks while riding the school bus.

Desks in classrooms will be spaced 6 feet apart  which will present a problem for smaller schools such as Abner Gibbs Elementary and reduce class sizes to 10 students.

There are no dates set for the phases. The plan was developed with the help of city Public Health Director Joseph Rouse.

We dont have dates, Czaporowski said. It will be a standing School Committee agenda item, and we will revisit the subject regularly. We will ask Joe Rouse to join us and give us guidance.

Rouse said he is most worried about the start of the school year, when students are returning from vacations and may unknowingly be infected with COVID-19.

I loved the hybrid method until I realized the metrics of the situation when it was projected there would be an uptick in the fall, Rouse said. It makes perfect sense in the educator model, but in the public health sense there are concerns. Were in a safe zone right now in Massachusetts, but there will be kids with families that went somewhere for vacation, and any model other than strict remote learning scares me.

A map released by the state Tuesday classified Westfield as a low risk community, with an infection rate of fewer than four per 100,000 residents over the last two weeks.

Rouse suggested getting through the first two months of school remotely so that students do not bring the disease back from vacation.

Im more worried about the fall more than any other time, but if you said you would have classes remotely for a couple of months I could live with that, he said.

Czaporowski said he is also worried about older students failing to follow the rules and not wearing masks. He added that about 20% of students and staff are at risk of contracting the coronavirus because of health issues and age.

Our top priority is the safety of our students and staff, he said. These are not good times.

The superintendent will submit the plan to the state Department of Secondary and Elementary Education on Friday.

School Committee member Diane Mayhew said she likes the hybrid model and moving forward slowly, and noted that students have suffered emotionally from not being is school.

This is one of the most important decisions we as a committee are making in our tenure, she said. We can always come back at a later date after watching for three or four weeks and see how it goes.

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French President Emmanuel Macron has invited Russia to take part in a fundraising mechanism for Lebanon, the Elysee office said Wednesday, following the devastating blast at Beirut port, Daily Star reports.

During a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Macron also said the five permanent members of the United Nations' Security Council should support the formation of a new government in Lebanon, the Elysee said in a statement.

The five permanent members comprise France, Russia, the United States, China and Britain.
A ballet school is at the centre of a probe into claims of inappropriate sexual behaviour by a staff member towards students.

Fee-paying Ballet West in Taynuilt, Argyll, is drafting in a senior legal figure  likely to be a QC  to examine the allegations, and has informed police.

Concerns were raised on social media and not directly with the school, which said a member of staff had resigned ahead of the internal investigation.

It is understood media inquiries were made to the principal of the school, Gillian Barton, on Sunday. The claims relate to alleged inappropriate touching and none of the alleged victims is under 16.

Last night, ITV News said its investigation had heard from more than 60 women  former students, staff and parents  who had given their accounts of the staff members alleged inappropriate behaviour going back as far as 2004 and as recently as 2018.

Fee-paying Ballet West in Taynuilt, Argyll, has been rocked by a sex abuse probe into a staff member after 60 'victims' came forward to give their accounts of 'inappropriate behavior'. Pictured: Ballet dancers perform at Corran Halls in Oban, Scotland

One, Woman A, said she was groomed and had a sexual relationship with [the staff member] when [she] was a student, adding: I was 16 years old. He abused his position of power.

She said: He [had] easy access to come in and out of my room whenever he wanted. You cant get away from him. Hes very charming and he is powerful. Another former student, Woman B, claimed the staff member started a sexual relationship with her when she was 16.

She said: They were really responsible for what happened in your dance career... he was calculated in what he did. I think he picked his victims very carefully.

One former colleague of the staff member, who wishes to remain anonymous, said that the alleged inappropriate conduct drove them to quit their job, adding: I felt I was pimping for him by bringing in these new students who were so excited [and] I could see previous girls who were left broken.

The schools Board of Trustees said it had been made aware of the accusations earlier this week.

It added: We have no complaint from any student about such behaviour and, to our knowledge, no complaint has been made to the police or other authority.

However, given the nature of the accusations, the board initiated an immediate internal inquiry to establish the facts.

Pictured: Ballet West in Taynuilt, Argyll, where former students, staff and parents have given their accounts of the staff members alleged inappropriate behaviour going back as far as 2004 and as recently as 2018

A senior member of staff [has] emphatically denied any wrongdoing and will co-operate fully with any investigation. He has offered his resignation so that an investigation can be undertaken freely, and students and their families can have confidence in the process.

The board added that the member of staff will vigorously contest any allegations and resigned to ensure the school is not brought into disrepute.

Its statement went on: We have also started the process of undertaking a full, independent inquiry which will be led by a senior legal figure with no connection to the school.

The school regards any issue involving students and staff with the utmost seriousness.

A Police Scotland spokesman said: We can confirm that officers have been made aware of concerns regarding inappropriate behaviour. However, there has been no criminality established to date.
A Covid-19 vaccine made by the pharmaceutical company Pfizer has passed safety and effectiveness tests in early clinical trials, a study revealed today.

The jab, of which the UK Government has ordered 30million doses, is now another promising candidate for the vaccine considered so crucial to stopping the virus.

Early human trials of the injection, carried out by New York-based Pfizer and universities and hospitals in the US, have produced promising results.

People who received the vaccine produced immune responses on par with - or better than - those who had actually had coronavirus in the past.

And no dangerous side effects were reported among the 36 adults who received the jab in the tests, who most commonly complained of headache and tiredness.

Pfizer's attempt to make a vaccine, which it has called BNT162b1, is the latest in a line of hopeful trial results, with Britain's own vaccines made by Oxford University and Imperial College London also showing early signs of success in human testing.

Russia's Government yesterday became the first in the world to officially register a vaccine but scientists were sceptical because the jab had been tested on fewer than 40 people and no data is publicly available to see if it works or is safe.

New York-based Pfizer, in conjunction with hospitals and universities in the US, tested its jab on 36 volunteers and found an immune response on par with people who had actually had coronavirus

The results of a first phase trial of Pfizer's vaccine were published in the prestigious science journal Nature today.

Researchers, who included Pfizer staff, said the vaccine had successfully produced an immune response in the bodies of the people it was given to.

The purpose of the jab is to trick the immune system into thinking it is infected with the coronavirus, effectively training it how to fight it off without someone actually being sick.

Forty-five adults aged 18 to 55 were involved in the trial and given a jab of 10 micrograms, 30 micrograms or 100 micrograms, or a placebo.

Researchers found the immune response was much stronger in the 30 microgram group than in the 10.

However, there were no notable differences in immune response between the 30 and 100 groups after one dose - and the 100 micogram group suffered more side effects.

In the trial the scientists reported that the levels of antibodies - substances used by the immune system to fight illness - in the participants was on par with people who had actually fought off the real coronavirus, or up to four times higher in some.

While the former patients' blood contained an average of 602 units per millilitre after two weeks, vaccine recipients had between 534 and 1,778 U/mL after three weeks.

Although immunity to Covid-19 is still unclear, having more antibodies generally means someone is better equipped to fend off the illness.

The researchers wrote: 'Robust immunogenicity was observed after vaccination with BNT162b1.'

They added: 'The clinical findings for the BNT162b1 RNA-based vaccine candidate are encouraging and strongly support accelerated clinical development, including efficacy testing, and at-risk manufacturing to maximise the opportunity for the rapid production of a Sars-CoV-2 vaccine to prevent Covid-19.'

Pfizer's jab is a type of vaccine called a lipid nanoparticle vaccine, meaning genetic material linked to the coronavirus is transported into the body inside a bubble made of lipids, which are fatty molecules.

These are synthetic which makes them easy to produce en masse, whereas other types of vaccine can use different viruses or parts of the coronavirus itself to transport the genetic material (RNA).

Once the RNA is inside the body it triggers the immune system to react in the same way that it would if someone was genuinely infected with Covid-19.

This can sometimes cause side effects - discovering these is one of the main purposes of clinical trials.

The Pfizer trial found that most of the 36 people who received the jab suffered from pain at the injection site, and it was less common in the nine people who received a placebo.

Some people who received the jab also suffered from 'mild to moderate fatigue' and headaches in the week after the jab. Some also had chills muscle pain and joint pain which people in the placebo group didn't have.

The paper comes after Russia yesterday revealed that its authorities have approved a vaccine being made in the country, and that President Vladimir Putin's own daughter has taken it.

But scientists are sceptical and said the jab has only been tried on around 40 people and that there is no public data to suggest it works.

Russia has made the vaccine race a matter of national prestige and named the product 'Sputnik V' after the former Soviet space satellites, prompting fears that safety will be compromised for the sake of Russia's image.

Scientists yesterday criticised Putin for the 'reckless and foolish' move which they say could make the pandemic worse if the vaccine proves dangerous or ineffective.

While Putin said his daughter had suffered no side effects worse than a high temperature, news agency Fontanka claimed there were a long list of 'adverse events' (AEs) which occurred 'frequently and very often'.

'It is not possible to more accurately determine the incidence of AEs due to the limited sample of study participants,' said the Gamaleya Research Institute which produced the vaccine.

The vaccine was approved after just 42 days of testing on 38 people, it reported.
"We love what we do and it shows in our work culture and client service model."

DLC, an Addison Group company and leading F&A consulting firm, today announced its been recognized as a Best Place to Work in Chicago by Crains Chicago Business. Of the 100 finalists, DLC ranked No. 44 overall and No. 27 on the small companies sublist.

In partnership with Best Companies Group, The Best Places to Work award is designed to identify, recognize and honor the 100 best companies to work for in Chicago. Rankings are determined in a two-step process. The first step evaluates companies' workplace policies, practices and demographics. The second step uses a wide-ranging survey to assess the experiences and attitudes of employees with respect to their workplace. The best scores determine the final ranking.

Were honored to be included on the 2020 Crains Best Places to Work list, said Marcia Ayala, managing director at DLC. Im so proud of our employees for continuing to provide exceptional service and support to our clients while adjusting to a remote work environment. We love what we do and it shows in our work culture and client service model.

Looking ahead, DLC plans to expand its team while continuing to embrace its core value of servant leadership. The company operates in a manner that serves, respects and empowers its team of consultants  which grew more than 30% year-over-year  so they can, in turn, similarly serve its clients. The result is a commitment to great work thats delivered with no exceptions.

DLC is looking for talented individuals to join its team. View career opportunities here.

About DLC, Inc.

DLC, an Addison Group company, is a finance and accounting consulting firm that has served thousands of clients, from venture-backed start-up companies to Fortune 1000, since 2001. Our focused service offerings generally support the office of the CFO. We provide our clients with hands-on project based and interim support. Our DLC consultants have a unique credential set including Big-4 CPAs and/or top 25 MBAs, all of whom have significant industry experience. Additionally, they are full-time DLC employees, thereby providing our clients the utmost in project continuity.

About Crains Chicago Business

Crains Chicago Business is the top source of news, analysis and information on business in metropolitan Chicago for decision-makers in the private and public sectors. Crain's publishes a weekly business magazine, providing deeper analysis, commentary, special reports and features. Crain's also produces databases, live events and sponsored content, all with the aim of deepening readers' understanding of local business. Crains Chicago Business is the leading source of information on Chicagos economy, the companies, industries and institutions that operate here and the entrepreneurs and innovators who drive the citys growth.
Russia is set to register its COVID-19 vaccine on August 12. Developed by Gamaleya Research Institute as well as the country's defence ministry, Sputnik V is well on its way to becoming the world's first COVID-19 vaccine to get registered.

So why did Russia choose to name its vaccine after a cold-war era satellite? Back in 1947, Sputnik was the world's first satellite that was launched by the Soviet Union.

This is to signify the country's success in being the first to have a vaccine, a Russian official told Reuters.

But to several others, this does not seem to be the case. Some have pointed out that the name Sputnik V could be a political propaganda tool. There is a chance that Russia is retracing what it did with the satellite all those years ago, now, with this vaccine, The Print reported.

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

According to a report by Space.com, Sputnik V has received some criticism from scientists across the world for being approved despite being tested for less than two months.

Russian Health Minister Mikhail Murashko said clinical trials of the vaccine were over, and that medical workers and teachers will be the first to get the COVID-19 vaccine
Ibuprofen does not increase risk of death from COVID-19, a new study has found.

Early on in the pandemic, there was controversy over the use of ibuprofen after French health minister, Olivier Veran, advised against it for coronavirus patients, saying it could make them more susceptible to worse infection.

Scientists in Britain launched a review to assess ties to the drug and COVID-19, determining that, at the time, there wasn't enough evidence to suggest harmful effects of the drug for coronavirus patients.

Now, formal research into the matter, conducted by three UK universities, has concluded that coronavirus death rates were no higher among people who regularly take the anti-inflammatory than among those who don't in a study of 1,2000 people.

Scientists say ibuprofen does not increase the risk of death from Covid-19 (Lauren Hurley/PA)

The UK's Commission on Human Medicines' expert working group concluded: 'There is currently insufficient evidence to establish a link between use of ibuprofen and susceptibility to contracting Covid-19 or the worsening of its symptoms.'

And the results of the new study bear that conclusion out.

For the study, the researchers from University of Aberdeen, Cardiff University and King's College London examined data from eight British hospitals at the height of the pandemic.

They compared how the 54 patients who'd been prescribed regular use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) - including ibuprofen, naproxen and diclofenac - fared compared to people who were not taking the drugs at all, or only sporadically.

It was clear from their findings, published in the Journal of Clinical Medicine, that routine use of non-steroidal inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) was associated with higher Covid-19 mortality.

At the time that the French minister warned against ibuprofen, it wasn't a totally baseless concern, the authors of the new study note.

NSAIDs are known to increase the expression - in other words, make bolder and more prevalent - receptors on the surfaces of many human cells that SARS-CoV-2 target.

'It has therefore been postulated that NSAID use could result in a higher viral infective load in the respiratory tract,' explained senior study author Dr Phyo Myint of the University of Aberdeen.

'But much of the existing research in this area primarily references respiratory viruses other than COVID-19, such as severe acute respiratory virus (SARS) and Middle Eastern respiratory syndrome (MERS).

'As a result, the findings of these studies may not be applicable in COVID-19 infection and new research is needed. Our study looked specifically at hospitalized patients with COVID-19 infection in UK hospitals during the peak of the initial wave of the epidemic.'

The had also been concern that corticosteroids could have a similarly negative effect on coronavirus patients.

Doctors abruptly stopped using steroids to try to combat lung inflammation in the sickest patients.

But, now, the cheap corticosteroid dexamethasone has proven one of the most effective treatments for severely ill coronavirus patients, reducing the risk of death for those on ventilators by a third.

However, the drug may make patients with mild symptoms worse.

As is the case with so many elements of this pandemic, first blush patterns often fall apart upon closer examination in large studies.

In fact, ibuprofen may prove to be another sleeper weapon in doctors' arsenal against coronavirus.

Separate research is ongoing to determine whether the ibuprofen may actually prevent severe breathing problems associated with Covid-19.

It is hoped a special formulation of the cheap anti-inflammatory drug, to be delivered at a certain point in illness among hospital patients, will reduce severe respiratory illness.
WASHINGTON, Aug. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Authorities in Egypt must promptly free Mahmoud Hussein, an Al Jazeera producer who has been detained without trial for more than three and a half years, leaders of the National Press Club and the National Press Club Journalism Institute said.

Hussein, an Egyptian who works for the Al Jazeera Arabic channel in Qatar, has been imprisoned since December 2016--more than 1,300 days ago. He was detained during a trip to Egypt to visit his family and has been kept in solitary confinement and denied medical treatment for a broken bone he sustained early in his incarceration nearly three years ago.

At least 25 other journalists are being held in Egyptian jail cells, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. Last month, a reporter named Mohamed Monir who had appeared on Al Jazeera, died of COVID-19, which he had apparently contracted during nearly a month of pre-trial detention.

"Hussein's lengthy incarceration violates not only universal standards of human rights but also Egyptian law, which sets a maximum pretrial detention period of 620 days for individuals being investigated for a felony," said Michael Freedman, the National Press Club president. "It is long past time that Hussein be returned to his family."

"Egypt is regularly ranked among the nations with the worst records on press freedom, and Hussein's case shows why," said Angela Greiling Keane, president of the National Press Club Journalism Institute, the club's nonprofit affiliate. "Journalism is not a crime."

Hussein was charged in 2016 with "incitement against state institutions and broadcasting false news with the aim of spreading chaos."

His arrest was believed to be a response to Al Jazeera's broadcast one month earlier of a documentary on military conscription in Egypt. Authorities in Cairo have barred broadcasts of Al Jazeera in the country and targeted its journalists on the grounds that the Qatar-based network supports the Muslim Brotherhood organization.

Founded in 1908, the National Press Club is the World's Leading Professional Organization for Journalists. The club has 3,000 members representing every major journalism organization.

The club and the National Press Club Journalism Institute form a powerful voice for press freedom worldwide. The Institute, a nonprofit affiliate of the club, promotes an engaged global citizenry through an independent and free press, and equips journalists with skills and standards to inform the public in ways that inspire civic engagement.

Press Contact: Lindsay Underwood for the National Press Club; [email protected], (202) 662-7561

SOURCE National Press Club

Related Links

http://press.org


Meghan Markle pulled out of attending Pippa Middleton and James Matthews' wedding because she didn't want to 'create a media circus' and chose a 'deliberately unflashy gown' for the reception, Finding Freedom claims.

The Duke, 35, and Duchess of Sussex, 39, claim they were not interviewed for the book and did not contribute to the tale by authors Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand, which provides a high level of personal detail and a dramatic account of the events leading up to the Sussexes' departure from royal life.

The authors detail how Carole Middleton, 65, and Pippa, 36, 'reluctantly' invited Meghan to Pippa's Berkshire wedding in May 2017, but 'privately harboured concerns' that her presence alongside Prince Harry would 'overshadow the main event.'

They write that Meghan pulled out of attending 'at the last minute' after an article by a newspaper compared Meghan and Pippa with the headline: 'It's Meghan v Pippa in the...Wedding of the Rears'.

Meghan Markle, 39, pulled out of attending Pippa Middleton and James Matthews' wedding because she didn't want to 'create a media circus', according to the authors of Finding Freedom

In the new explosive biography, the authors write: 'Meghan put careful thought into her outfit, leaning heavily on Jessica Mulroney to pull together an ensemble that was stylish without being splashy when walking into church with Harry.

'Her determination not to make a misstep at Pippa's wedding was just one in many actions she took befitting a woman on track to becoming royalty.'

However following press reports, Prince Harry and Meghan ultimately decided on the day of the event that she 'couldn't possibly turn up' at St Mark's Church, at Englefield Estate, Berkshire.

The decision came after an article was published by The Sun article comparing Meghan and Pippa with the headline: 'It's Meghan v Pippa in the...Wedding of the Rears'.

According to Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand, Meghan was 'reluctantly' included on the guest list for the wedding in May 2017

Pippa had earlier attracted nationwide attention with her stunning appearance at Kate Middleton's wedding in 2011, making headlines with her gorgeous figure and dress.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's explosive new biography Finding Freedom has become a bestseller within 24 hours of release

The authors of Finding Freedom write: 'If [Prince Harry and Meghan] they worried their arrival might create a media circus despite taking every precaution, now they had no doubt it would.

'Meghan's church outfit, and Philip Treacy hat, would have be worn another time.'

Instead, Omid and Carolyn explain that Meghan was dropped off at an Airbnb close to the church during the service.

The Duchess changed into a 'decidedly unflashy long black gown and did her own makeup' before Prince Harry joined her for lunch and drove her to the reception in the grounds of the Middleton's family home.

The authors continue: 'Sitting together in the custom glass marquee that had been erected on the 18 acre property should have been a fun night for the couple but, per Pippa's request, no couples sat together.'

While Prince Harry was seated next to his friend and ITV anchor Tom Bradby, Meghan 'sipped Dom Ruinart champagne and dined on trout and lamb' as she 'chatted to a new posse of friends for that evening, which included Roger Federer's wife, Mirka.

Pippa and Kate's mother Carole 'privately harboured concerns' that her presence alongside Prince Harry would 'overshadow the main event', according to Finding Freedom

'With DJ Sam Totolee at the turntables after dinner was over, Harry and Meghan were reunited near the dance floor.

'The old Harry would have certainly closed out the bash with the rest of his friends. instead, he and Meghan spent most of their time chatting about their evening apart.'

The book offers new insights into Harry's falling out with William and how the couple felt 'thrown under the bus', after the disagreements started started when the Prince's older brother referred to Meghan as 'this girl' and voiced concerns that he might be rushing the romance.

Meghan pulled out of the event last minute after The Sun published an article comparing her with Pippa alongside the headline: 'It's Meghan v Pippa in the...Wedding of the Rears'. (pictured, Pippa Middleton at Kate Middleton's wedding in 2011)

The authors say Harry 'felt people working with his brother had put things out there to make William look good, even if it meant throwing Harry under the bus'.

Excerpts from the book have already revealed many inside details about the couple's departure from the Royal Family, including how the couple considered driving straight to confront the 'devastated' Queen about Megxit after returning from Canada in January.

Sources close to the couple also claim in the book that royal aides feared Meghan and Harry's popularity was eclipsing that of the Royal Family itself - and says the couple were jealous of William and Kate getting the best roles and 'didn't feel supported' by the royals.

The biography offers new detailed insights into Prince Harry and Meghan's life with their son Archie

The author's note appears to acknowledge that the writers worked with the couple on the biography, reading: 'We have spoken with close friends of Harry and Meghan, royal aides and palace staff (past and present), the charities and organisations they have built long-lasting relationships with and, when appropriate, the couple themselves.'

Among the fresh revelations in the book are:
Headlined by Grammy-nominated and ACM Award-winning country artist Lee Brice, the free virtual concert will air live on RFD-TV and other online and social networks at 7 p.m. Central on Aug. 27. Proceeds from the concert will go to the National 4-H Council's FOURWARD Fund , established to ensure young people across all communities  with or without internet access  continue to have access to the necessary resources and meaningful learning opportunities that help them thrive.

"At NK, we draw our inspiration directly from the farmers we serve, and years like this only deepen our appreciation. That's why we jumped at the chance to give back through the #FarmON Benefit Concert," said Jim Shertzer, head of marketing for NK at Syngenta. "We look forward to hosting a huge audience on August 27, because our ag communities deserve every bit of support we can give them."

The concert will close out Farm Journal's New American Farm Show experience, which includes the 28th Annual Pro Farmer Crop Tour and first-ever Farm Journal Field Days. Along with Brice, announced performers include Justin Moore, Rodney Atkins and the Peterson Farm Brothers.

To learn more about the concert and donate to the FOURWARD Fund, visit www.farmjournalfielddays.com. For more on NK and its work to create solutions that matter to farmers, visit www.NKseeds.com or contact a local NK retailer.

Join the conversation online  connect with Syngenta at Syngenta-us.com/social and follow @NKSeeds on Facebook and Twitter.

About Syngenta

Syngenta is one of the world's leading agriculture companies. Our ambition is to help safely feed the world while taking care of the planet. We aim to improve the sustainability, quality and safety of agriculture with world class science and innovative crop solutions. Our technologies enable millions of farmers around the world to make better use of limited agricultural resources. With 28,000 people in more than 90 countries we are working to transform how crops are grown. Through partnerships, collaboration and The Good Growth Plan we are committed to improving farm productivity, rescuing land from degradation, enhancing biodiversity and revitalizing rural communities. To learn more visit www.syngenta.com and www.goodgrowthplan.com. Follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/Syngenta and www.twitter.com/SyngentaUS.

Web Resources:

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Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This document may contain forward-looking statements, which can be identified by terminology such as 'expect', 'would', 'will', 'potential', 'plans', 'prospects', 'estimated', 'aiming', 'on track' and similar expressions. Such statements may be subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual results to differ materially from these statements. For Syngenta, such risks and uncertainties include risks relating to legal proceedings, regulatory approvals, new product development, increasing competition, customer credit risk, general economic and market conditions, compliance and remediation, intellectual property rights, implementation of organizational changes, impairment of intangible assets, consumer perceptions of genetically modified crops and organisms or crop protection chemicals, climatic variations, fluctuations in exchange rates and/or commodity prices, single source supply arrangements, political uncertainty, natural disasters, and breaches of data security or other disruptions of information technology. Syngenta assumes no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect actual results, changed assumptions or other factors.

Syngenta hereby disclaims liability for third-party websites.

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SOURCE Syngenta
A participant tapes a sign to her car before an Aug. 6, 2020, caravan rally on the Las Vegas Strip in support of extending $600 unemployment benefit.

The poll, taken from Friday through Sunday, surveyed 2,701 likely voters in the states of Arizona, Florida, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 1.9 percentage points.

Partisan leanings inform voters' views on who shoulders the responsibility. The poll found 78% of Democrats blame Trump and the GOP, while 19% fault both parties equally. Four-in-five Republicans put the onus on Democrats and 11% hold both sides equally liable. Among independents, 40% blame Democrats, 31% fault the GOP and 25% hold both parties responsible, the survey found.

As coronavirus relief talks in Washington stall and millions of people stare down financial ruin, voters in six key 2020 election states put the onus on both parties, according to the survey released Wednesday. It found 40% of respondents blame Democrats on Capitol Hill most, while 39% hold President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans most responsible. Another 18% said they blame both parties equally.

The $600 per week federal unemployment insurance supplement lapsed at the end of July after lawmakers failed to pass legislation to extend it. Congress passed the benefit in March to sustain people put out of work by widespread closures designed to curb the outbreak.

As Congress flounders in its attempts to buoy Americans left jobless by the coronavirus pandemic, voters in six swing states blame Republicans and Democrats equally, according to a new CNBC/Change Research poll.

Those six states will play a major role in determining whether Trump or Democratic former Vice President Joe Biden will win the White House in November, and whether Republicans will hold their Senate majority. The poll indicates that voters there have not yet assigned clear blame for a debacle in Congress that has left millions of people scrambling to cover their costs of living.

House Democrats first passed a bill in May that extended the $600 per week jobless benefit into January. The GOP then released its counter offer in the last week of July. It called to cut the extra unemployment insurance to $200 a week through September, then set the payment at 70% wage replacement.

Democrats say Republicans have failed to recognize the gravity of the crisis and waited too long to try to extend the unemployment benefits. The GOP says Democrats allowed the payments to lapse because they rejected White House offers to temporarily extend the insurance while the sides hashed out a larger relief package.

In an election year shaped by government failure to contain the virus, relief for jobless Americans is a critical issue. Trump recognizes his peril as polling averages show him trailing Biden in most 2020 swing states.

After coronavirus aid talks between his administration and Democrats collapsed on Friday, the president took a series of constitutionally questionable executive actions to try to continue pandemic relief. The measures extend the extra jobless benefit with payments of at least $300 per week, sustain student loan assistance, offer loose protections from eviction and create a payroll tax holiday.

It is unclear now when negotiators in Washington will strike an aid deal and pass legislation. Unemployment insurance is one of the thorny issues still holding up talks as Democrats insist on maintaining the $600 per week benefit. Some Republicans oppose even a $200 weekly payment.

The White House reportedly offered last week to support extending the supplemental insurance at $400 per week into December. Asked if $400 would be sufficient, 33% of respondents to Wednesday's swing-state poll said the sum would not be enough.

Another 31% responded that it is about the right amount. Meanwhile, 23% said the payment would be too much.

As the parties try to assign blame for Congress' failure to pass more assistance, the CNBC/Change poll shows a competitive presidential race in the swing states. Biden leads Trump by a 48% to 44% margin across the six states.

Biden has an edge in five of the six individual states, though the matchups in some are closer than others.

Arizona: Biden 45%, Trump 44%

Biden 45%, Trump 44% Florida: Biden 50%, Trump 44%

Biden 50%, Trump 44% Michigan: Biden 48%, Trump 43%

Biden 48%, Trump 43% North Carolina: Trump 48%, Biden 47%

Trump 48%, Biden 47% Pennsylvania: Biden 48%, Trump 44%

Biden 48%, Trump 44% Wisconsin: Biden 47%, Trump 43%

As voters prepare to cast a historic number of ballots by mail during the pandemic, Trump has faced criticism for delays in mail delivery after campaign donor Louis DeJoy became postmaster general. Democrats have pushed for additional funding and operational overhauls at the U.S. Postal Service to ensure timely ballot delivery.
Gov Kayode Fayemi

The Principal of Methodist Girls High School, Ifaki Ekiti in Ido/Osi Local Government Area of Ekiti State, has been suspended from the job for being absent from duty when Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi came visiting.

Students in Senior Secondary Schools Three in Ekiti State resumed on Monday for the commencement of West African Senior School Certificate Examinations.

The Commissioner for Education, Foluso Daramola, who announced the suspension of the Principal of Methodist Girls High School, Ifaki Ekiti, directed her to hand over the management of the school to the most senior vice-principal in the school pending the conclusion of appropriate disciplinary action by the Teaching Service Commission.

A public service announcement signed by the Assistant Director (Information), Kunle Adeniyi, on behalf of the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, stated, At Methodist Girls High School, Ifaki Ekiti, the principal was not available to receive the governor and his entourage and making the monitoring exercise impossible in the school despite the notice from the Ministry of Education.

The statement quoted Fayemi as saying that schools must ensure that the sitting arrangement of students was made to conform with COVID-19 protocol for physical distancing and to allow teachers unhindered movement around the classrooms.
ROLLING MEADOWS, IL  A registered child sexual predator, who served prison time for molesting two teenage girls under his care in 2005, has lost a $700,000 federal contract to provide cleaning and janitorial services to help fight COVID-19 at the Edward Hines Jr. VA Hospital in Hines, Illinois. Ezekiel Lopez, 49, of Rolling Meadows, and his business, America's Best at Work Corporation, out of Bartlett, entered into contract with the federal government in April, according to a report from USA Today.

Because Lopez, listed as president of the company, was convicted of the crimes in 2007, he did not need to indicate them on the application for the contract as it only asks for felony convictions within the past two years. The first contract was scheduled to continue through Sept. 30, and was signed with no competition from other vendors. The hospital canceled the contract within days of receiving questions from USA Today about Lopez's background on July 23, according to the report.

Lopez served three years of his five-year prison sentence for criminal sexual assault and criminal sexual abuse. Court records indicate he pled guilty in 2007 to sexual relations in the summer of 2005 with a 16-year-old girl. He also molested a girl between the ages of 13 and 17, and was arrested in March 2006 after the girls told relatives. He was 34 at the time of the offenses, according to the Illinois State Police Sex Offender Registry.

The Edward Hines Jr. VA Hospital is located at 5000 5th Ave., Hines. (Google Maps)

Patch reached out to Lopez at a number listed for America's Best at Work Corporation, but the voice mailbox was full. He has not responded to an email request for comment on this story. A website for the business is also currently down.



After the VA canceled its contract in July, its total obligation amount owed to America's Best at Work Corporation decreased from $700,000 to $443,000, according to the USA Today report.



Illinois Coronavirus Updates Aug. 12  Don't miss updates about Illinois' response to COVID-19  Sign up for Patch news alerts and newsletters



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A Veterans Affairs spokesperson told USA Today that America's Best at Work Corporation met the criteria to become a vendor under federal law, which includes being deemed "responsible" through its registration with the System for Award Management. The vendor also was in good standing with the federal government's database for "performance and integrity," according to the report.

According to public records, America's Best at Work Corporation opened in 2014 and also offers automobile tire distribution services.

This article originally appeared on the Arlington Heights Patch
As stylish buyers opt for designer masks co-ordinated to their outfits and others invest in top of the line medical gear, one deep-pocketed shopper has commissioned an Israeli jewellery company to make a $1.5 million face mask.

Featuring 3,600 black and white diamonds, Yvel Jewellery reports the 18 karat white gold mask was commissioned by a US-based Chinese businessman.

According to Associated Press, the mask is also fitted with an N99 filter and features a hole in one of its gold plates for the filter to sit. Designer Isaac Levy said the buyer had three requests: that it complied with FDA/European standards, for it to be ready by the end of the year and the easiest to fulfil: for it to be the most expensive in the world.

AP

The extraordinary price tag isnt the only thing hefty about the mask, as it reportedly weighs 270 grams.

The diamond face mask comes at a time when luxury designers such as Emilia Wickstead, Prouenza Schouler, Off-White and more are designing fashionable face coverings, which have become mandatory additions to everyday wardrobes around the world.

Some brands have also assisted with the development of PPE for frontline workers, with Next in Fashions Daniel Fletcher creating stylish pieces for care homes as his co-star on the Netflix series Ashton Michael shared a free pattern for anybody to create their mask at home.

Luxury group LVMH, which oversees the likes of Louis Vuitton, Givenchy and Christian Dior, also assisted with the production of hand sanitisers amidst shortages at the start of the coronavirus pandemic, converting three fragrance factories for the purpose.
Rogers celebrates Ted Rogers Scholarship Class of 2020 in Atlantic Canada on International Youth Day

Celebrating the Ted Rogers Scholarships Class of 2020

Celebrating the Ted Rogers Scholarships Class of 2020

Empowering Atlantic youth through education, more than 33 scholarships for fall 2020



More than $500,000 in scholarships awarded to 90 Atlantic Canadian students since 2017

HALIFAX, Nova Scotia, Aug. 12, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, as the United Nations marks International Youth Day 2020 and the power of engaging young people to make a difference, Rogers Communications celebrates the Ted Rogers Scholarship Class of 2020 in Atlantic Canada. More than 33 students in the region will begin their post-secondary studies with the scholarship program this fall. Building on the legacy of Rogers founder Ted Rogers, these scholarships help aspiring young leaders overcome barriers to accessing post-secondary education.

In a year where Canadian high school graduations were marked with yard signs and virtual proms instead of commencement speeches and cap-and-gown celebrations, the rite of passage for this years class is unlike anything weve seen before  and their back-to-school experience may look different, too. And yet, for these future scientists and nurses, teachers and lawyers, engineers and artists, their commitment to a better path ahead is unwavering. These scholarships are a meaningful way to help young Canadians discover their potential, strengthen our communities, and build a brighter future.

We are so proud of our scholarship recipients here in Atlantic Canada, recognizing their leadership and commitment to making a difference in their communities by giving back in so many ways, said Matt MacLellan, President of Atlantic Region, Rogers. Like our founder Ted Rogers, we believe education has the power to alter the path of ones life and, as we mark the UNs International Youth Day at a time of unprecedented change, we are proud to play a small part in helping these incredible young Atlantic Canadians fulfill their educational goals as they begin post-secondary studies this fall.

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Ted Rogers Scholarships provide $2,500 renewable scholarships for up to four years or $10,000 to recognize young leaders across Canada who are giving back to their communities in a meaningful way, all nominated by our 17 national partnership organizations including Big Brothers Big Sisters Canada , Boys & Girls Clubs Canada , YMCA Canada , Right to Play , Indspire , and Pflag Canada . Entrance scholarships of $2,500 are also provided to Rogers employees or their children. Collectively, this years class represents 10 provinces, 82 cities or towns, with 75% of national community recipients as members of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Colour) communities. Some of this years phenomenal recipients are featured in this video.

Now in its fourth year, Ted Rogers Scholarships has awarded $6.5 million in scholarships to recognize the incredible achievements of 1,400 young Canadians who have given back to their communities and as they embark on post-secondary studies. These recipients represent the best of what Canada is today, and more importantly, what our country will look like tomorrow.

This year we celebrate the Ted Rogers Scholarship recipients as part of The 60 Project , a year-long initiative to mark Rogers 60th anniversary by giving back and building a stronger Canada  from volunteering, monetary donations, and fundraising support; to investing in Canada and the networks that keep Canadians connected.

We are bringing this commitment to life by partnering with community organizations like Food Banks Canada , Womens Shelters Canada , Big Brothers Big Sisters Canada, and Pflag Canada; providing Ted Rogers Community Grants to support organizations that help youth succeed inside and outside the classroom; investing in a 100% Canadian-based customer service team and in our networks to help Canadas economy thrive and grow; and connecting the next generation to education and the support they need to build a bright future. The 60 Project is about making hope possible, right here, in the Canadian communities we call home.



About Rogers

Rogers is a proud Canadian company dedicated to making more possible for Canadians each and every day. Our founder, Ted Rogers, purchased his first radio station, CHFI, in 1960. We have grown to become a leading technology and media company that strives to provide the very best in wireless, residential, sports, and media to Canadians and Canadian businesses. Our shares are publicly traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: RCI.A and RCI.B) and on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: RCI). If you want to find out more about us, visit about.rogers.com .

For more information:

Rogers, media@rci.rogers.com , 647-747-5118

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/3b7fbbef-4264-4968-8306-e2ac9388a576




Check out the news you should not miss today:

Society

 Vietnam on Wednesday morning reported the countrys 17th COVID-19-related death, a 55-year-old female patient who died of severe pneumonia due to COVID-19 and a history of type-1 diabetes, end-stage chronic renal failure, septic shock and multiorgan failure, according to the Ministry of Health.

 Vietnams COVID-19 tally on Wednesday morning reached 866 with three new imported cases that were quarantined right after entering the country. Four-hundred and fifty-one patients are under treatment while 399 have recovered.

 The Ministry of Transport has reinstated a suspension of flights from and to the central city of Da Nang, a COVID-19 outbreak epicenter now, from Wednesday to curb the spread of the virus, while requesting the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam to arrange services to help tourists stuck in the city return home.

 As of Tuesday morning, Ho Chi Minh City had conducted COVID-19 tests on around 48,000 people returning from Da Nang, with most of the results returning negative. Around 51,000 people coming back from the beach city since July 1 have done health declaration, according to the Ho Chi Minh City Center for Disease Control.

 Police in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue on Tuesday said they had arrested seven Chinese people for online gambling, with over VND35 billion (US$1.5 million) in transactions involved.

Business

 The International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, announced on Tuesday that it will provide a US$70 million loan to Indo Trans Logistics Corporation (ITL Corp) with the aim of improving logistics, trade and competitiveness in Vietnams economy amid the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the Vietnam News Agency.

Education

 The Department of Education and Training in the north-central province of Nghe An has permitted local preschools to reopen from Wednesday after two weeks of closing in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
Seven killed, three injured in Simpang Pulai crash

Bernama, IPOH :

Seven people were killed and three injured in a crash involving a lorry and a Perodua Alza MPV along Jalan Keramat Pulai, Simpang Pulai, heading to Cameron Highlands, on Tuesday.

A spokesman of the Perak Fire and Rescue Department said it was alerted to the incident at 5.55pm and immediately sent a fire engine from the Simpang Pulai station to the scene.

He said the dead comprised five adults, including three women, and one boy and one girl.

"The three injured are two boys and a man," he said in a statement.

Rescue operations are ongoing and more details are expected to be made available later.

Ipoh district police chief ACP A. Asmadi Abdul Aziz said the incident happened at 5.30pm as the Perodua Alza was travelling from Cameron Highlands to Kedah.

It skidded into the opposite lane before colliding with the trailer, he added.

He said the victims have yet to be identified and police were trying to trace their next of kin.

"The injured were sent to Raja Permaisuri Bainun Hospital (HRPB) while the trailer driver escaped unhurt," he told reporters at the Forensic Department of HRPB here tonight.

He said police had identified the owner of the MPV, who lives at Mukim Terap, Kampung Badlishah in Serdang, Kedah.

Preliminary investigations showed that one of the victims had borrowed the MPV from its owner, he said.

"Anyone who witnessed the incident should come forward to help in investigation," he added.




Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-12 18:53:30|Editor: huaxia

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MOSCOW, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- Russia will start the production of its COVID-19 vaccine within two weeks, the country's Health Minister Mikhail Murashko said Wednesday.

"First of all, the production facilities in Russia will be oriented towards the domestic market to meet the need of our citizens," Murashko said at a press conference.

He said that Russia will offer the vaccine to foreign countries when it has sufficient amounts.

Murashko said that foreign doubts about the effectiveness of the vaccine are unfounded.

The platform where the vaccine was created has been thoroughly studied and its authors have accumulated a sufficient amount of scientific knowledge to guarantee its safety, he added.

Russia has registered the world's first vaccine against the novel coronavirus, President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday during an online meeting with government officials.

The vaccine, named Sputnik V, was developed by the Gamaleya National Center of Epidemiology and Microbiology jointly with the Russian Direct Investment Fund.

On Tuesday, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova said that health workers will be the first to be vaccinated. Enditem
By Associated Press

DUBAI: An explosion targeted a US-led coalition convoy in Iraq on Tuesday and caused no casualties, just hours after a newly formed Shiite militant group falsely claimed bombing a similar convoy at the Iraq-Kuwait border, the American military said.

The little-known Ashab al-Kahf group claimed in an overnight statement it destroyed "equipment and vehicles belonging to the American enemy" in a bombing targeting a border crossing south of the Iraqi city of Basra.

The group later published an 11-second video it claimed showed the blast, according to the SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors militant groups.

The out-of-focus video shows what appeared to be an explosion and lights in the distance but The Associated Press could not verify the video.

The Iraqi and Kuwait militaries both denied any attack occurred.

US Army Col.Myles B.Caggins III similarly dismissed the claim.

"It's absolutely false," Caggins told the AP.

"It was a complete fabrication."

There was, however, an explosion that targeted a coalition convoy on Tuesday in the Taji area, north of Baghdad, the Iraqi military said.

The attack damaged a truck and caused no injuries, Caggins said.

No one claimed responsibility for that attack.

Since the 2003 US-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein and the later war against the Islamic State group, American troops and contractors sometimes travel by road with equipment and supplies between Iraq and Kuwait.

Ashab al-Kahf, or "Companions of the Cave" in Arabic "a reference to a Christian and Islamic story about youths escaping religious persecution by hiding in a cave for hundreds of years" emerged alongside renewed threats by Shiite militias amid rising US-Iran tensions.

In January, an American drone strike killed a top Iranian general in Baghdad.

Tehran responded with a ballistic missile attack that wounded dozens of American troops at a military base in Iraq.

The Ashab al-Kahf initially threatened U.S. forces in April and claimed an attack on a convoy in July in Iraq's Salaheddin province.

On August 9, another explosion targeted a convoy in the southern Dhi Qar province, reportedly causing minor damage.
Based explicitly on methods that it had used during the neocolonial occupation of Afghanistan, Canadas military developed and began to implement an information operations plan as part of its initial response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The plan, according to a leaked Canadian Armed Forces document, was aimed at shaping and exploiting information, with the aim of deterring civil unrest. It included plans for military personnel to broadcast government-approved propaganda over loudspeakers and by establishing temporary radio stations; to carry out village assessments across the country of the potential for unrest; and meet with community leaders and religious officials.

The information operations plan was activated by the militarys Canadian Joint Operations Command, which is a unified command centre for army, air force, and naval operations within Canada, on April 8. This was just two weeks after the Chief of the Defence Staff, General Jonathan Vance, had announced the deployment of some 24,000 Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) personnel and reservists in response to the pandemic.

The information operation was temporarily suspended five days later, amid conflicts among military officials as to the role the armed forces should play in creating and disseminating state propaganda. However, only on May 1 did Vance order the operation scrapped. Despite Vances decision, several military sources were so troubled by the operation and its anti-democratic implications that they reached out to the Ottawa Citizen to express their concerns.

Military officials acknowledged in interviews with the Ottawa Citizen that the plan was about maintaining control over the population and preparing for civil unrest. Asked by the Citizen if the army expected riots or civil disobedience to occur, Rear Admiral Brian Santarpia, who was the Canadian Joint Operations Commands chief of staff, at the time, declared, That was our worst-case scenarioOur worst-case scenario for COVID was that the first wave would be so much worse and that some of the 24,000 people we had would have to be called out in aid to civil power.

Several military officials said the plan drew on tactics used by the CAF in Afghanistan to convince villagers to back the US-led occupation rather than the Taliban. Canadas military has officially denied this.

The planning document seen by the Citizen bluntly identified strengthening trust in the government and suppressing social opposition as key objectives. Desired outcomes included, Canadian public is deterred from participating in Civil Disobedience, and Canadian public compliance with suppression measures is reinforced.

Although Vance put a stop to the operation, Santarpia left no doubt that the military intends to mount similar propaganda and intelligence initiatives to deter and, if needed, suppress social unrest in the future. We will develop and grow this capability over the coming years, Santarpia told the Citizen, as its really important at both home and abroad,

These revelations, which have prompted an internal inquiry, fully confirm the analysis made by the World Socialist Web Site about the real reason for the Trudeau Liberal governments commitment of about a quarter of the CAFs total troop strength to its anti-COVID-19 deployment. Calling attention to Vances appeal to CAF personnel to be on a war footing, we warned in an article published May 8, From the standpoint of the ruling class, the enemies the military will need to fight are at home as well as abroad. Leading bourgeois publications, including Britains Financial Times, have raised the spectre of the pandemic producing social unrest on a vast scale, driven not least by the huge bailouts already given to big business and the devastating economic downturn that is accelerating internationally (see: Why is Canadas ruling elite deploying the military amid the COVID-19 pandemic?).

Motivated by this fear, a small military unit associated with the troops that were deployed to long-term care facilities in Ontario in May was tasked with gathering intelligence on oppositional sentiment among the population. A Precision Intelligence Team (PIT) trolled through posts on social media about relevant news topics. Posts gathered by the team included expressions of concern over the catastrophic conditions in Ontarios long-term care facilities. The team passed the information that it gathered to the right-wing provincial government of Doug Ford along with the warning that it represented a negative reaction from the public.

The CAF has also had to order an investigation into the PIT units spying. But top CAF officials have defended it. We dont constrain that sort of initiative, Santarpia told the Ottawa Citizen, because the young folks who are doing it are going to surprise us every time with something that turns out to be more relevant than any of us thought it would be.

The armed forces push to employ at home methods it developed while waging a counter-insurgency war amid a largely hostile Afghan population has been all but ignored by the mainstream media. The only substantial articles to appear are the three penned by the journalist who broke the storythe Ottawa Citizens well-connected defence correspondent, David Pugliese.

For its part, the Liberal government has sought to downplay the affair. The Defence Ministry claimed that Minister of Defence Harjit Sajjan was never briefed on the militarys information operations, which a spokesperson labeled mistake. Vance also claimed not to have known about the operation until he intervened to shut it down.

If these statements are true, they raise a host of questions, all of which are carefully avoided in the accounts of the militarys activities provided so far. Does the military have a free hand to conduct whatever operations it deems fit within Canada without government authorization? If the government had no idea about the militarys plan, who took the decision to deploy soldiers in accordance with the information operations plan? Did the worst-case scenario that purportedly informed the operation include plans for the military to assume any government functions in the event of the breakdown of law and order, and, if so, which ones and under whose authority?

In Canada, as in all the other major imperialist powers, the past two decades have seen a pronounced turn toward militarism, a vast expansion of the power and reach of the national-security apparatus, increasing criminalization of social opposition, and a turn toward authoritarian forms of rule.

Since it participated in the invasion of Afghanistan in October 2001, Canada has been engaged in almost perpetual war in alliance with Washington. This includes, the Canadian Armed Forces decade-long leading role in the Afghan counter-insurgency war, its participation in the 2004 overthrow of Haitis elected president and the 2011 regime-change war in Libya, and its operations, ongoing since 2014, in Iraq and Syria. Canada is also deeply integrated into the US military-strategic offensives against Russia and China.

Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper celebrated Canada as a warrior nation. Trudeaus Liberals have dressed up Canadas foreign policy in a more humanitarian guise. But the CAFs foreign deployments have continued to expand and the defence budget to swell, with a more than 70 percent increase to be implemented between 2017 and 2026.

All this has boosted the political prominence of the military and nourished the idea within sections of the ruling elite and the national-security establishment in particular that military force provides a way to overcome mounting and increasingly intractable problems. In February, just before the pandemic erupted in Canada, the Conservatives, supported by much of big business, were baying for the military to be deployed to quell the railway blockades in support of the Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs.

The most noxious expression of the ruling elites promotion of militarism and reaction is the growth of far-right and even fascistic forces within the military, as was revealed by the failed attempt of a CAF reservist to assassinate Prime Minster Justin Trudeau last month (see: Further details emerge on far-right views of Canadian army reservist who tried to kill Trudeau).

The rise of militarism and authoritarian forms of rule has occurred under conditions of a dramatic increase in social inequality. Based on data from 2016, the Parliamentary Budget Office recently revealed that the richest 1 percent of Canadians hold over one quarter of the countrys wealthroughly equal to the share owned by the poorest 80 percent. Protecting the staggering levels of wealth held by Canadas super-rich oligarchy under conditions of such glaring inequality is increasingly incompatible with democratic forms of rule.

The coronavirus pandemic has deepened the social chasm that separates the capitalist elite and the mass of working people, and accelerated the turn towards authoritarian forms of rule. Right-wing governments in Ontario and Alberta have passed emergency powers legislation that allows them to override collective agreements, ban protests, and punish workers who resist the reckless back-to-work campaign. These powers are all aimed at ratcheting up the exploitation of the working class to pay for the multi-billion dollar bailout of the large corporations, banks, and financial oligarchy organized by the Trudeau government in collaboration with the trade unions and NDP.
ust two of the five or six murderers involved are currently serving life sentences

Were it not for the pandemic, Neville Lawrence wouldnt have been in London when he received a phone call he had long been dreading, inviting him to a meeting at Scotland Yard.

Having resettled in his Jamaican homeland 18 years ago, he flew to Britain just before lockdown in March to see his three grandchildren.

He had intended to return to the island last month, to perform a duty that has become a summer ritual. I was planning to go back to repaint Stephens grave, he told me, referring to the son who was murdered by racist thugs.

The white stonework tends to get dirty at this time of year because rain soaks the overhanging trees and it gets covered in sodden leaves.

I always paint it myself. Its one job that I wont allow anyone else to do.

Because Virgin Atlantic has grounded its Jamaica flights indefinitely, however, Dr Lawrence cant fly back to the secluded Caribbean home that has become his sanctuary.

Were it not for the pandemic, Neville Lawrence wouldnt have been in London when he received a phone call he had long been dreading, inviting him to a meeting at Scotland Yard

Instead, he is marooned at a cousins house in South-East London, a place where the unspeakable events that unfolded that night in 1993 still haunt him on every outing; and where  having been threatened with reprisals for his courageous justice campaign  he never feels secure.

For poignant reasons which he explained later, Neville was not with his former wife, Baroness Doreen Lawrence, when he was summoned to the Yard a few days ago.

Only his solicitor accompanied him as he met with Metropolitan Police commissioner Dame Cressida Dick and Chris Le Pere, the latest detective tasked with catching every member of the five or six-strong gang who set upon Stephen.

Ignoring the proffered tea and biscuits, he listened with mounting anger as the pair outlined every fresh avenue of inquiry that had been followed, and explained why they had reached a dead-end.

Why, with just two of the five or six murderers  Gary Dobson and David Norris  serving life sentences, they had rendered the investigation inactive, effectively conceding that their accomplices would never be brought to account.

I had already guessed why they had called me in because what other reason would they have? says Neville, now 78, sounding wearier than I have ever heard him during countless conversations over the years.

They went through all the material theyve gathered, the DNA, the clothes, and listed all the people theyd interviewed.

But they said they couldnt find any substantial evidence that would stand up in court. As I was listening, I was thinking, but you had the information on the night after the murder, and you didnt use it as you should have done. What youre telling me now is a result of what happened 27 years ago before you were even working.

Metropolitan Police commissioner Dame Cressida Dick and detective Chris Le Pere told him the case on his son Stephen's murder had been closed

Because, if you remember, a woman came to our house [soon after the murder] with the names of the killers written on a piece of paper.

'When Doreen gave it to the officer in charge he threw it in the bin...so, I was thinking, if only you had done your job properly we wouldnt be sitting here now. Your officers were the ones who made mistakes, so you put them right.

This might be the end of the line for them, but it certainly isnt the end for me. Theres no end of the line until they put all Stephens murderers away.

With an unflinching determination I have come to recognise down the years, he added: As long as I am alive, Im not going to accept this is over. Ill carry on until I draw my very last breath.

Im 78 now, and I was 51 when Stephen was taken from me. Ive waited for this long [to see justice done]. I can wait a while longer.

As Dame Cressida and Le Pere continued their briefing, solemn-faced and apologetic, Neville says he stopped listening to the minutiae. His thoughts drifted back and he found himself reflecting on the course of his life; how it had been irrevocably changed by one brief act of evil bigotry.

The savaging of an 18-year-old boy who was just standing at a bus stop, on his way home after seeing his friend. A boy who had never harmed anyone. A kindly boy who mentored troubled pupils at his school and who planned to become an architect.

The first son he had longed for, and cherished so dearly that, when Doreen brought him home from the maternity hospital, in 1974, he would stay up all night to make sure he was still breathing.

What Stephens killers will never comprehend, he says, is that in taking his life they had also caused 27 years of misery and chaos.

On the morning of April 22, 1993, the Lawrences were an everyday family with hopes, joys and occasional difficulties.

Having built a thriving house renovation business, Neville was struggling for work in a recession; Doreen was training to be a teacher; their younger children Stuart, then 15, and Georgina, 11, were happy, well-adjusted kids.

This family life was all their father had wanted since arriving from Jamaica as a teenager, in 1960.

Then the white youths engulfed Stephen, a long knife flashed, and as his life ebbed away on the pavement an entire family died with him. Alerted to the attack by a neighbour, Neville went out to look for his son. Doreen had been away on a field trip.

What Stephens killers will never comprehend, he says, is that in taking his life they had also caused 27 years of misery and chaos. On the morning of April 22, 1993, the Lawrences were an everyday family with hopes, joys and occasional difficulties

On her return they went to the local hospital, where they found him. Nothing could be done. From that moment, the couple who had been married for 20 years  never touched one another again. Not even a hug. Though they slept in the same bed, he says, they lay side by side like statues.

Whether through a mutual sense of guilt or recrimination, they never discussed what happened to Stephen. It is a remarkable and tragic fact that, almost three decades later, they still havent.

Within six years they were divorced. Neville retreated to Jamaica, where he now lives in the town of Mandeville.

Even so, it comes as a shock when he tells me he and Doreen havent spoken one word to one another for five years; maybe six.

When he asked her, after the divorce, whether they might become friendly for the children and grandchildrens sake, he claims she refused his olive branch.

He remains on good terms with daughter Georgina, now 37, who works for a London pharmacy, and enjoyed being with her and her children, aged nine and 16, before lockdown intervened.

Since then he has met them at a distance just twice. However, he seldom speaks to Stuart, 42, who, he says, sides with his mother. This makes it difficult to see his other grandson, also aged nine.

Though Stephens parents have both fought his cause relentlessly down the years, they have followed divergent paths.

While Lady Lawrence is now a prominent political figure, currently leading a review on the impact of coronavirus on black, Asian and minority ethnic groups, he has striven to keep a lower profile. I wouldnt want that kind of lifestyle, he says flatly. I have got an OBE and a doctorate in law [awarded by Portsmouth University in recognition of his justice campaign and work to promote racial harmony]. But I value my privacy and I just want to be an ordinary person.

Swaggering down the street yesterday, one of the original suspects Showing off his trademark smirk, one of the original suspects for Stephens murder looked pleased with himself yesterday after Scotland Yard ended its bid to bring all the teenagers killers to justice. Luke Knight, 43, was unrecognisable from the foul-mouthed thug who snarled at claims he was one of the five or six racists behind the talented A-level students death. Knight was pictured near his mothers home in New Eltham, South-East London. He had been held over the murder but was released. Advertisement

As his family broke apart, he says, he became solitary and unapproachable, unable or unwilling to entrust anyone with the pain he was suffering. However, an epiphany came when he met Esther Brunstein, who lost every member of her family in the Holocaust.

From personal experience she taught him the power of communication. He then enrolled for a counselling course in London and, though it will never be complete, the healing process began.

It was while he was attending these seminars, in the early 2000s, that another door suddenly opened. Neville has never spoken of this before, but, he tells me, he formed a close relationship with a woman and for a while it seemed he might remarry. Whenever I have broached the possibility of this happening with him in the past, he has always dismissed the suggestion.

The women he met either wanted to smother him with sympathy, or be with him simply because of who he was, he once told me.

However, this time it was different. Born in Barbados and living in London  where she worked in a solicitors office  the woman concerned had the sort of troubled background that allowed her to understand how he felt.

She had given birth to the first of her three children at 14, been abandoned to look after her youngest child, and was suffering the trauma of a turbulent marriage.

When I got divorced I was looking all the time and some women I met seemed OK, he says reticently. But its not so easy to be with someone like me, because there are times when I have mood swings  and who is going to put up with that? When I met this woman, I thought I had found the right one. As their friendship grew, Neville suggested she should move to Jamaica and marry him.

She agreed. First, however, they decided that she should visit the island. At that point fate intervened and Nevilles house was ruined by fire. This forced them to stay with a friend in Jamaica, marring the trip.

His girlfriend was also taken aback by the way she was treated on the island. Neville cites the example of a visit to the bank, where the service was off-hand and she was forced to queue for hours.

All this led her to reconsider his proposal, and, though they remained friendly, the relationship fizzled out.

There will never be another. Im too old for all that now, he chuckles.

Perhaps so, but, his chronic asthma apart, he seems fighting fit, staying in shape with long woodland walks in lockdown. And he certainly isnt too old to keep fighting for Stephen.

He has been a powerful advocate for non-violence and integration in schools and lecture theatres all across Britain.

But with his straight-talking, impatience for incisive action, and an intolerance of glib promises  plus his long absences in Jamaica  he can find it difficult to work within the establishment. In 2018, he was appointed to co-chair the new Violent Crime Prevention Board, an advisory group set up with Home Office support, but last year he abruptly resigned.

I left because they werent doing the things I wanted them to do, he says. They were supposed to be concentrating on measures to help the police reform, and I dont think they were doing that. But I felt that I didnt have a voice.

I ask him whether he accepts Dame Cressidas assurance this week that the Metropolitan Police were no longer institutionally racist, as Sir William Macpherson famously averred following the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry.

Well, I respect Cressida because she was one of those who kept the murder investigation going, and drove it on, but she can say what she likes: the reality is completely different, he says. Why are black MPs [he is referring to Labours Dawn Butlers recent experience] still being stopped just for driving through the streets?

How can you tell me that is not the same police force that existed in 1993? That it treats people equally?

It is still behaving the same way 27 years later. In fact, it is even worse now, because they got this blueprint to change from Macpherson. He made 70-odd recommendations.

But how many officers today could tell you what all those recommendations were and how many were put in place? I dont think you would find very many.

So how can you claim you are different from what you were if you dont even know the rules and regulations you are supposed to follow?

Many will take a very different view, of course, arguing that if anything positive came from the shameful handling of Stephens case it was the catalyst for more sensitive policing methods.

Soon, Neville will sit down with his legal team and begin plotting the next move in his unending struggle.

When the Met announced their decision to shelve the investigation this week, at least three vile racist murderers were doubtless celebrating in the belief that they have finally been let off the hook.

Yesterday, one of the former suspects  Luke Knight, now a 43-year-old father of two who works as a roofer  was already feeling brave enough to emerge from his South-East London bolthole.

Hitherto a reclusive figure, he sauntered down the street with a bagful of shopping, bare-footed, wearing a flat cap and checked shorts and sporting a grey-flecked beard.

This shabby, middle-aged man bore little resemblance to the Knight we last saw, scurrying away from a Macpherson Inquiry public hearing, as protesters pelted him and his cohorts with eggs.

Knights pathetic decline was a reminder of the long years Neville has spent on his quest for justice.

Yet, if anyone thinks he will ever give up his noble struggle, they have reckoned without his iron resolve.

As he says  until my very last breath.
TOKYO, Aug 12, 2020 - (JCN Newswire) - Hitachi Rail Ltd has announced today that it has agreed to acquire Perpetuum, a technology firm that is pioneering digital technology to optimise railway operations, offering improved efficiency, safety and quality of service.The move supports Hitachi Rail's vision to provide superior transport solutions by using digital technology designed to improve the reliability of thousands of passenger services across the globe, including the 276 Hitachi-built trains running across the UK network today.Perpetuum's product utilises wireless condition monitoring to spot faults and have them fixed before they delay passengers' journeys. In fact, none of the 3,000 carriages that are fitted with Perpetuum sensors have ever had critical components fail in service.Once they are installed on trains, Perpetuum's self-powering digital sensors detect on-board vibrations and send back real-time data about the performance of critical train parts - e.g. wheel sets, gearboxes, motors or bogies - faster and more accurately than traditional condition-monitoring approaches.Combining this information with artificial intelligence-led analytical tools means that:- Potential faults are identified and fixed before they impact services - meaning passengers enjoy more reliable and punctual journeys- Critical parts on trains are replaced exactly when they need to be, which increases their lifespan by more than 25%, cuts costs and protects the environment- Maintenance needed by the trains can be reduced, increasing availability to provide reliable and efficient passenger servicesThe Southampton-based business already has blue-chip customers across three continents including a number of UK train operating companies.Its future inclusion as a Hitachi group company will create new opportunities to fit self-powered sensors to the hundreds of trains already serviced around the world by the wider mobility business. Hitachi's global transportation portfolio is unique in offering full-service solutions for passenger and freight operators globally; from driverless metros, to high-speed bullet trains and signalling solutions - all to ensure an integrated and optimised railway operation. Service and maintenance is key to this fully integrated offering and will complement and develop solutions already in place for customers.The acquisition will further support Hitachi, Ltd.'s strategy of investing in digital and data-driven ways solve complex customer challenges - in line with Hitachi's Lumada platform. There is also the potential for Perpetuum's products to go beyond wheelsets and bogies to provide actionable information wherever it is generated on the train.Andrew Barr, Group CEO, Hitachi Rail said: "The inclusion of one of the most exciting, pioneering companies in digital asset management is an exciting development for our global mobility business."Perpetuum's data-driven insights will offer further improvements to the service we provide to our customers - leading to better journeys for passengers. It also supports Hitachi's growth in the digital technologies space, which is becoming increasingly key to our offering - adding value to support our global customer base."Steve Turley, CEO, Perpetuum said: "We are very excited to launch this next stage for Perpetuum after the success it has had since entering the railway market less than ten years ago."Being part of Hitachi will present vital opportunities that only a global transport giant can offer. We look forward to better supporting our existing and new customers in the future."Hitachi's moves marks further direct investment into the UK - at time when the British and Japanese governments are negotiating a free trade agreement. It also follows an EUR8.5m investment into constructing a new welding and painting facility at its Newton Aycliffe train manufacturing facility.The transaction will be subject to relevant anti-trust clearance being obtained. Closing is expected in the autumn of 2020.About Hitachi RailHitachi Rail is a fully integrated, global provider of rail solutions across rolling stock, signalling, service & maintenance, digital technology and turnkey. With a presence in 38 countries, across six continents and over 12,000 employees, our mission is to contribute to society through the continuous development of superior rail transport solutions. We are proud of our global achievements, from our world famous 'bullet trains', to our signalling solutions and turnkey projects, state of the-art traffic management and digital solutions. Drawing on the wider Hitachi Group's market-leading technology and research-and-development capabilities, we strive for industry leading innovations and solutions that can deliver value for customers and sustainable railway systems that benefit wider society. For information about Hitachi Rail, visit www.hitachirail.com.Source: Hitachi, Ltd.Copyright 2020 JCN Newswire . All rights reserved.
(Newser)  The new state flag for Mississippi cannot have a Confederate symbol on it. It must have the words, "In God We Trust." But there are basically no other constraints on the design, which was clear from the almost 3,000 possibilities submitted by the public, the AP reports. After narrowing down the nominations to 147, the state commission acknowledged that one design made the cut that shouldn't have: a circle of stars around a large mosquito. Although the mosquito's place in Mississippi is unquestioned, one of the commissioners blamed a typo in the list of chosen flag numbers and asked that the design be eliminated from the Round Two group. The design quest was launched after the state in June retired the flag it had used since 1894 because it incorporated a Confederate battle emblem.

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The remaining 146 proposed designs feature magnolias, stars, the state seal, and indicators of water that could stand in for the Mississippi River or Gulf of Mexico. There's one with a lighthouse, too. Guitars, beer cans, a largemouth bass, and the Southeastern Conference logo did not make the cut, per CNN. A teddy bear design doesn't seem to be in the panel's gallery of remaining possibilities, either. The commission's nine members are to choose the final five designs Friday, then post them to allow for public comment. The commission's choice will be made by early next month and be on the ballot in November for voters' approval. If voters don't like it, the commission will start over. "We have a challenge before us," the commission chair said, "but I can assure you of one thing: We are going to design and approve a flag that Mississippi can be proud of." (The NCAA had pressured Mississippi to change its flag.)
While another virus wave will be a blow, real estate has had time to come up with contingency plans, Photo: shutterstock

According to many real estate experts, the coronavirus outbreak has cast drastic impacts across the economy, and the real estate market is not an exception. They added that the second wave of the pandemic after a temporary lull, was, to a degree, expected so it is not as much of a worry as the first wave was.

Thus, some predicted that implications on the real estate sector will be short-lived and have no bearing on long-term development prospects in the country.

Given the tremendous actual demand and strained supply sources, once the pandemic is contained, the market will once again be awash with prospective buyers.

Nguyen Huong, CEO of Dai Phuc Land, opined that the outbreak this time is not as critical as people are more psychologically prepared. In addition, people are more conscious of preventive measures after the first wave  and given the active pandemic control of the central and local governments in the previous months, many believe COVID-19 could be contained soon.

At this point in time, our firm put top priority on the application of the best safety measures to ensure the health of our employees while maintaining progress at our projects and carefully preparing for effective deployment of post-pandemic development plans, said Huong, adding that as the actual demand for housing is tremendous while supply remains limited, the current difficulties are fleeting at best and even offer opportunities to investors with long vision and good financial positions.

Sharing this mindset, Nguyen Quoc Bao, deputy general director of Danh Khoi Group, assumed that although 2020 is a tumultuous year for the real estate market, growth prospects are not all that gloomy on account of the huge actual demand. He was confident the market would rebound soon after the pandemic is reined in. He advised businesses to maintain operations and ensure resources are available to seize development opportunities after the pandemic subsides.

Since the outset of 2020, despite numerous hardships in the market, Danh Khoi Group has bought projects with upbeat growth potential for investment at a later time, Bao said.

Along with this, in the past few months, Danh Khoi bought up the entire stake of Sun Frontier Investment Co., Ltd. to become the developer of a Sun Frontier project and acquired Aria Danang Hotel & Resort with the scale of 7.5 hectares from Hanoi Non Nuoc Investment Tourist JSC.

It also bought three land plots in well-placed areas with more than 11,000 square metres of area belonging to Con Tan Lap residential quarter in Nha Trang city in the central coastal province of Khanh Hoa.

Bao added that as the projects the company bought are in good locations popular among customers, he is confident their products featuring solid investment plans would sell well despite unfavourable market conditions.

Business executives were not taken by surprise by the COVID-19 outbreak this time. Many of them have even prepared long-term development plans based on experiences from previous pandemic incidents.

Tran Le Thanh Hien, Danh Viet Group CEO, assumed that the current time is good for businesses to take a pause and reassess their operations, their possible shortcomings in the past, from there restructure operations.

For Danh Viet, immediate measures include conducting an integrated study to find sales models that suit the current circumstances. For instance, instead of traditional sales methods like face-to-face contacts with customers or holding meetings, the company has shifted to online sales to ensure safety for both customers and employees.

Ngo Duc Son, deputy general director of DRH Holdings, however, warned that more difficulties await, therefore, businesses should strive to hedge resources so that they can seize opportunities in the successive new normal.

The recent resurgence of COVID-19 in the central city of Danang that has spread to other areas in Vietnam  with cases detected already in Quang Nam, Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Ha Nam, and other localities across the country  has been a cold shower for the local real estate market, which had just regained some growth after the previous wave.

While the market was not as bustling in the past few months, it posted a stable number of transactions, particularly in segments where the products met actual demand, such as land plots and low-end to medium-end residential units.
More than half of computer malware attacks in China from overseas entities in 2019 originated in the US, according to data from a government-affiliated cybersecurity team.

The total amount of computer malware attacks captured by the National Computer Network Emergency Response Technical Team (CNCERT) was over 62 million in 2019, and around 53.5 per cent of foreign attacks were from the US, lower than a year before when there were in excess of 100 million incidents, the Team said.

Russia and Canada were the second and third largest contributors to computer malware attacks against China, accounting for 2.9 and 2.6 per cent respectively of the total number of foreign attacks.

Get the latest insights and analysis from our Global Impact newsletter on the big stories originating in China.

The number of new malicious attacks directed against mobile networks was nearly 2.8 million in 2019, 1.4 per cent lower than a year earlier, the first decline in such attacks in five years, according to CNCERT.

CNCERT, which issued a cybersecurity report on Tuesday, describes itself officially as a non-governmental non-profit agency but a 2019 job post on their website said it sits directly under the Cyberspace Administration of China, the nation's top internet watchdog.

Hackers target Chinese government agencies

Cybersecurity is currently rising up the international agenda amid escalating tech and trade tensions between the US and China.

Chinese agencies and diplomatic missions were targeted by hackers through their virtual private network (VPN) servers in a coordinated cyber espionage campaign earlier this year, at a time when many governments and global organisations are more vulnerable than ever to security breaches due to remote working arrangements amid the pandemic, according to a report by leading Chinese cybersecurity provider Qihoo 360 in April.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration has taken action against Chinese social apps TikTok and WeChat for allegedly posing a national security threat. The US Justice Department also accused a pair of Chinese hackers in July of targeting vaccine development on behalf of the countrys intelligence service as part of a broader years-long campaign of global cybertheft aimed at industries such as defence contractors, high-end manufacturing and solar energy companies.

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China recently tightened its cybersecurity rules, requiring critical information infrastructure to undergo a cybersecurity review process for any procurements that could have national security implications. The criteria may push companies to steer clear of multinational providers that are more likely to be viewed as a higher risk to China's national security, experts said.

Faced with the new trends and challenges in cybersecurity, CNCERT said in the report. [We should] speed up innovation of cybersecurity technology, develop the industry, cultivate talent and foster collaboration.

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.

This article More than half of foreign cyberattacks against China in 2019 originated in the US, China report says first appeared on South China Morning Post

For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2020.
Story Highlights Largest increases versus 2019 are for medical system and public schools

Record-low confidence in police, 5-point decline since last year

Majority-level confidence in small business, military and medical system

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Americans express higher levels of confidence than they did last year in two U.S. institutions that have been particularly challenged during the coronavirus pandemic -- the medical system and public schools.

Since the virus swept across the U.S. earlier this year, medical workers have been on the front lines treating those sickened, with hospitals filled to capacity in some areas. This has presumably contributed to the 15-point one-year increase in the percentage of U.S. adults who now say they have "a great deal" or "quite a lot" of confidence in the medical system -- the highest on record since Gallup began tracking it in 1993.

Confidence in the public school system also rose this year -- by 12 points -- to 41%, its highest point since 2004. This record one-year boost in confidence for schools comes as American public school teachers, administrators and staff, who worked to educate the nation's children from a distance in the spring, are now facing another complicated school year.

Americans' improved confidence in medicine and public schooling is in line with data from Gallup's COVID-19 tracking panel survey, which has found broad approval of the handling of the crisis by hospitals and schools.

Line graph. Percentages of Americans who have a great deal or quite a lot of confidence in the medical system since 1993 and public schools since 1973. Confidence in these institutions is up by 15 and 12 percentage points, respectively. Currently the medical system has a 51% confidence score and public schools have a 41% confidence score.

These findings, from a June 8-July 24 poll, are the latest in Gallup's tracking of the public's confidence in an array of institutions, which began in 1973 during the Watergate scandal. The measure ranks U.S. institutions, based on the percentage of U.S. adults who say they have a "great deal" or "quite a lot" of confidence in the institution.

Double-digit increases in confidence for any institution are exceedingly rare. This has occurred only nine times in more than four decades of measuring confidence. Many of these involved heightened confidence in the military when the U.S. was at war or reflected significant changes in presidential job approval ratings.

Double-Digit Increases in Confidence % Who have "a great deal" or "quite a lot" of confidence First Year Second Year Change % % pct. pts. The presidency (2008-2009) 26 51 25 The military (1990-1991) 68 85 17 The medical system (2019-2020) 36 51 15 The military (2001-2002) 66 79 13 Public schools (2019-2020) 29 41 12 The military (2008-2009) 71 82 11 Congress (1984-1985) 29 39 10 The presidency (2001-2002) 48 58 10 The presidency (1996-1997) 39 49 10 GALLUP

In addition to the medical and public school systems, several other institutions have seen significant upticks in confidence since last year, including banks (+8 points to 38%), small business (+7 points to 75%) and the church or organized religion (+6 points to 42%). The increase in confidence in the church at least temporarily halts the long-term decline in its ratings. Confidence in banks has been nearly restored to what it was before the Great Recession and financial crisis, down just three points from the 41% rating in 2007, after falling as low as 21% in 2012.

Record Low Express Confidence in Police

At the same time that several institutions have engendered greater public confidence, one -- the police -- stands alone as seeing a significant decline in the past year. Confidence in the police fell five points to 48%, marking the first time in the 27-year trend that this reading is below the majority level. This drop follows the public outcry after George Floyd was killed during an arrest in Minneapolis in late May, which sparked nationwide protests against excessive use of force by the police. This measure has been as high as 64% in the past.

Line graph. Percentage of Americans who have a great deal or quite a lot of confidence in the police since 1993. The latest reading of 48% is the lowest on record and down 5 points since 2019.

Confidence in the police rose seven points among Republicans to 82% and dropped six points among Democrats to 28%. A forthcoming story will examine the racial differences in the ratings of the police and other institutions.

Confidence Rankings of Institutions

The military has been the top-ranked institution, or tied for the top, every year since 1986, and while that is still the case, the jump in confidence in small business has resulted in a statistical tie between the two. Small business (75%), the military (72%) and the U.S. medical system (51%) are the only institutions garnering majority-level confidence in 2020.

Of the 16 institutions included this year, those at the bottom of the list remain largely stable. Fewer than one in five Americans express confidence in Congress, television news and big business. This is the 14th consecutive year that Congress is the lowest-ranked institution.

Between roughly one-quarter and one-third of U.S. adults overall are confident in the criminal justice system, newspapers, organized labor and large technology companies, the last of which was measured for the first time this year. In addition to the aforementioned police, church, and public schools, banks, the presidency and the U.S. Supreme Court all receive middling confidence scores from the public.

Bar graphs. Americans' confidence in 16 institutions. Small business, the military, and the medical system are the only institutions in which majorities of Americans say they have a great deal or quite a lot of confidence.

Despite low ratings for most institutions, majorities have at least "some" confidence in each one.

Average Confidence Inches Up but Remains Low

Of the 16 institutions rated this year, Gallup has tracked 14 annually since 1993. Americans' average confidence in these 14 overall edged up slightly this year compared with the prior two years, from 33% to 36%. Yet, it remains below the 43% highs recorded in 2001-2004.

Line graph. Average confidence ratings for 14 institutions since 1993. The current 36% is a slight improvement from 33% in 2018 and 2019 but well below the 43% highest average on record in the early 2000s.

Bottom Line

Two institutions that have taken on tremendous risks and challenges during the pandemic to fulfill their respective duties for the U.S. public -- the medical system and public schools -- have earned significantly greater trust from Americans in the process. Several other institutions that have been affected by the pandemic -- small business, organized religion and banks -- have also seen a rise in confidence.

At the same time, confidence in the police has edged down to a record-low level amid nationwide protests against police treatment of minorities. U.S. lawmakers and the media continue to inspire little confidence from Americans. With many in the U.S. reliant on the media to get factual information about the pandemic, this is a concerning finding.

View complete question responses and trends (PDF download).

Learn more about how the Gallup Poll Social Series works.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-13 00:32:03|Editor: huaxia

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FARAH, Afghanistan, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- At least four police officers were killed and 16 people wounded after a bomb explosion took place outside a provincial police station in Afghanistan's western Farah province on Wednesday, a local official confirmed.

"Four killed and 16 wounded were admitted to a provincial main hospital following a bomb explosion in Farah city, capital of Farah province this evening," Dr. Abdul Jabar Shahiq from provincial health directorate told Xinhua.

Those among the wounded were child and a police officer, he added.

Security forces have cordoned off the area for precautionary measures.

The blast sent a column of thick smoke into the sky and triggered panic, Muhibullah Muhib from provincial police told Xinhua, adding the explosion damaged several vehicles and buildings.

Unofficial sources said the blast was caused by a suicide bomber who detonated a tricycle, targeting a passing convey of provincial intelligence official roughly at 6:40 p.m. local time.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack yet.

Since the signing of a Taliban and United States peace agreement in late February, Afghan leaders, including President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani, have frequently demanded the Taliban to reduce violence.

The militants, however, have intensified attacks, killing and injuring scores of combatants and civilians. Enditem
You might think that allegedly smashing a plate-glass window on Michigan Avenue, then grabbing trench coats and other stuff that didnt belong to him, then winding up and throwing a chunk at a sergeant, forcing the sergeant to block it with his hand (the sergeant getting that hand smashed in the process) might be enough to keep him behind bars. Especially with police body cameras, according to officials, showing the whole thing.
New Delhi, Aug 12 : "Operation Kamal" in Madhya Pradesh does not seem to have ended on March 10 when 22 Congress MLAs left the party for the BJP, thus bringing down the Kamal Nath government in the state.

Since then, at least three more legislators have left the Congress and more are likely to follow, leaving one to wonder whether 'Op Kamal' has ended or not. In an interview to IANS, BJP's state President Vishnu Dutt Sharma said more and more Congress MLAs are feeling "suffocated" and "insecure" in the party and if they leave the Congress and choose the BJP, they will be "welcome".

He called Kamal Nath's support for the Ram temple as "Dhoke ke sath chhalava", apart from discussing the fight between Digvijaya Singh and Kamal Nath's sons. Here's the full interview: Q: BJP has formed a government in MP after toppling Congress. Yet why does this stream of Congress MLAs continue to jump ship and join the BJP? A: Look, Congress has lost 'Janta ka vishwas'. The Congress MLAs are insecure right now. They couldn't fulfil a single promise and were concerned about their future (of facing the people). This is simply to save themselves (from more embarrassment). They are confident that the promised work can be fulfilled by staying with the BJP. For instance, an MLA from Bara Mehra came and said that the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government helped him push the irrigation project he could not accomplish during the Congress tenure. This is just one example. Please understand, otherwise, no one comes after resigning like this.

Q: So why are you confident that those who are in the process of leaving and may leave the Congress in the near future, will choose the BJP over others? A: The BJP as a party is not making any efforts (to bring them over). But if some lawmakers come themselves, what can we do? For example, you must remember the instance when the CM spoke about an MLA from Nepa Nagar in Burhanpur district coming to join the BJP. When she came, she was asked to reconsider her decision to join the BJP. But she said she wanted to join the BJP and wanted to resign immediately. The BJP is the world's largest party that is run on principles. If someone comes to join it, like her, they are welcome.

Q: The Madhya Pradesh Congress, from its official handle posted a tweet after its government fell, asking all to save the tweet and claiming this August 15, Kamal Nath would unfurl the Tricolour as CM. Now, with just a few days left to Independence Day, is that still a possibility? A: You can gauge it yourself. I will ask Kamal Nath on August 15 about that tweet. I respect him and he is a tall leader. But the mass connect Shivraj Singh Chouhan has is unprecedented. Even when out of power, people of MP considered Chouhan as their leader for his sheer mass connect.

Q: What do you think is ailing the Congress party that is forcing its MLAs to leave, even now? A: The party in the state is witnessing a battle among the young leadership over who should take over the mantle. Both Digvijaya Singh and Kamal Nath's sons are squabbling among themselves for that. The party itself is individualistic, not ideology-centric, and that is the problem. The same can be said about the Congress at the national level where Rahul and Sonia Gandhi are finding it hard to keep the flock together.

Q: Kamal Nath was one of the very first leading Congress leaders who came out on his own to support the Ram temple. Others too are following him. Do you consider it a threat to the BJP's Hindutva plank? A: Perception about the Congress cannot change because their history and structure has always been anti-Hindutva and anti-India. The Congress is built on an English mindset. From Nehru to Indira Gandhi, the Congress's belief system has been similar. Be it Kamal Nath or anyone else, these efforts are "Dhoke ke sath chhalava hai". So, BJP has no threat whatsoever. It is an unadulterated "chhalava". People are convinced that India can only progress with RSS thought.

Q: One final question on Jyotiraditya Scindia, before I let you go. Now, he is part of the BJP family. Will the Madhya Pradesh BJP want a Cabinet berth for him in the next Cabinet reshuffle? A: We don't comment on such things. The central leadership takes a call on such matters.
Azeefa Fathima By

Express News Service

VIRUDHUNAGAR: Once you learn to read, you will be forever free  Frederick Douglass

At her arugamai palli (neighbourhood school), Jeyamary was reading out a childrens story to a group of tots and toddlers sitting cross-legged in front of her. There was pin-drop silence, punctuated by an exclamation from one of them every now and then. The carefully articulated words of their teacher worked wonders in their vivid imagination.

Jeyamary, a teacher at K Madathupatti Panchayat Union Elementary School, came up with the idea of setting up a neighbourhood school at her Thayilpatti village, near Sivakasi, after witnessing the plight of workers at the cracker and matchstick manufacturing units.

With the units resuming operations, the workers were left with the options of either leaving their wards unattended at their homes or taking them to their high-risk work places. Some units, however, barred the workers from the latter recourse, source said.

During a discussion with her friends, Jeyamary presented the idea of helping these workers by taking care of their wards. It started as story-telling sessions every Friday using some books donated to my school by a publishing house, Jeyamary said. Along with some friends, she arranged a classroom near her house.

Her method of teaching struck a chord with both the children and parents and student numbers boomed over the past weeks. The children are also asked to express their thoughts about the stories they read and hear through drawings, speeches, poems and other creative expressions, she said.
Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
The father of notorious criminal and Brothers 4 Life gang founder Bassam Hamzy has died.

Khaled Hamzy, himself jailed in the 1990s for his role in a Sydney drug syndicate, lost his long running battle with illness on Wednesday afternoon.

Mr Hamzy had hardly been able to see his infamous son face-to-face in recent years, since he was placed inside Goulburn Supermax  Australia's highest security prison.

But one of the rare exchanges between the pair in the last two decades came over a TV screen in the Downing Centre District Court in 2018, as they waved and smiled at each other.

Khaled Hamzy, the father of notorious criminal and Brothers 4 Life gang founder Bassam, died on Tuesday after a long battle with illness

Mr Hamzy had hardly been able to see his infamous son face-to-face in recent years, ever since he was placed inside Goulburn Supermax  Australias highest security prison

Outside court that day Mr Hamzy told Daily Mail Australia said it was lovely to see a man most view as a ruthless killer and who has decades to go on his jail sentence.

'I haven't seen him for nearly 12 or 13 years,' Mr Hamzy said.

'The family's the same, they are always knocked (back). They put in a request and it's rejected... it's really unjust, we are meant to be a democratic country.

'His niece told him she wanted to come and visit him, but he said: Look they are going to put me on box visits, it's hard for me to see you or hug you or kiss you.'

'It was lovely to see him. The huge smile on his face - he was always a smiling boy, he had such a great sense of humour.'

Despite him being dubbed one of Australia's worst inmates, Mr Hamzy defended his son's long record of bad behaviour since being jailed.

A rare exchange between Mr Hamzy and Bassam came over a TV screen at the Downing Centre Local Court in 2018 (pictured). Mr Hamzy said it was 'lovely' to see his son who is not allowed to have family visitors

A young Bassam Hamzy (right) sits on the couch with one of his uncles, years before he wound up in Goulburn Supermax

He claimed that his son is regularly targeted in prison and understandably reacts like any 'lion' would when threatened.

'He has nothing now, so of course he is always going to react and he's been in jail for a long time so it changes you I am sure,' Mr Hamzy said.

'But they try to make him out to be like a monster. They are always pushing him into a corner and if you push a lion into a corner they will attack you.'
Vietnam logged on Wednesday morning three imported COVID-19 cases that were quarantined upon arrival, the Ministry of Health said.

The Vietnamese patients, aged 33 to 36, arrived in Vietnam from Japan on flight VN331 operated by national carrier Vietnam Airlines on Monday.

They were immediately quarantined in the northern city of Hai Phong after landing at Van Don International Airport in neighboring Quang Ninh Province.

They were sampled by the Preventive Medicine Center of Hai Phong, with results coming back positive for the novel coronavirus on Tuesday.

The three patients, a woman and two men, are being treated at the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases in Hanoi.

Vietnams COVID-19 tally stood at 866, including 321 imported cases, as of Wednesday morning.

There have been 405 local infections documented in Vietnam since July 25, when the country reported its first community-based case after 99 days.

Seventeen COVID-19 patients have died in Vietnam so far, most with severe concomitant conditions.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
12.08.2020 LISTEN

The attention of the communications bureau of NPP Prestea Huni-Valley Constituency has been drawn to a number of fake social media handles especially Facebook accounts created in the name of the member of Parliament Hon. Lawyer Barbara Oteng-Gyasi who also doubles as Minister for Tourism, Culture, and Creative Art to defraud members of the public.

The Communications Bureau through this medium humbly urge the general public to avoid any of such accounts created by criminals for fraudulent purposes.

In recent times, these fraudsters have been using the names of MPs and Ministers of State for such nefarious activities.

Hon. Lawyer Barbara Oteng-Gyasi Minister for Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts DOES NOT engage persons on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram etc regarding job placements, contracts or scholarships.

Attached is a screenshot of the various accounts to disregard and note below the official social media handles of Hon. Barbara Oteng-Gyasi.

Official Social Media Handles of Hon. Barbara Oteng-Gyasi.

https://www.facebook.com/105006107710586/posts/162683641942832/

https://www.instagram.com/p/CABKCv-FVR_/?igshid=duqlh3r8iy7

Check out Hon. Barbara Oteng Gyasi (@HonOteng): https://twitter.com/HonOteng?s=09

Fake social Media handles to be Disregarded by the General Public.

https://www.facebook.com/honbarbara.otenggyasi.180

https://www.facebook.com/honbarbara.otenggyasi.520

Please take notice and be advised accordingly.

Thank you.
Every Thursday at 11 a.m., Tulsas school facilities director, Sue Ann Bell, appears live on the districts Facebook page to show parents the extraordinary and very expensive efforts her staff is making to fight off the coronavirus when students return.

In one episode thats garnered more than 2,000 views, Bell, along with a Spanish-language translator, walks the glistening hallways of Anderson Elementary School, detailing how her staff has repeatedly scrubbed the walls, floors, lockers, and door handles, installed Plexiglas around the front office secretaries desks, and placed signage in the hallways urging students to stand six feet apart, wear a mask, and wash their hands.

She then enters the schools now spaced-out library where a janitor hoses down chairs with BioSpray, a hospital-grade disinfectant known to kill 99.9 percent of bacteria.

We want to be ready, Bell says, staring into the camera.

Americas schools are on average more than 44 years old, aging buildings that can host thriving colonies of bacteria, lead, and mold . Kids are often taught in classrooms that are either freezing cold or burning hot. Flu outbreaks are frequent.

Now, administrators are being asked to fight off the coronavirus, which causes COVID-19, a much more contagious and lethal airborne disease than the flu.

Over the last couple of months, directors of school facilities have gotten a crash course on the dynamics of building-air ventilation , personal protective equipment, and effective cleaning chemicals. Theyre also wading into public relations work, deployed by their bosses to be the messengers-in-chief on health and safety protocols.

Bell, who manages a sprawling portfolio of real estate, has seen all sorts of things during her 25 years tending to Tulsas 82 schools, including tornados, floods, and dust storms. (You never know what Mother Nature is going to throw at you, she said.)

See Also: What Needs to Change Inside School Buildings Before They Reopen

But nothing, she said, comes close to the coronavirus. The research keeps evolving, the guidance keeps changing, and parents fears keep ramping up.

Im working seven days a week trying to prepare for this, Bell said. My mind is constantly asking, What are the areas that were not thinking about? and thats what keeps me up at night.

Days before schools were set to open for hybrid learning, Tulsas school board voted to keep buildings closed until the local infection rate declines.

Air Ventilation Needs Are Urgent

The coronavirus, several researchers have concluded, spreads more rapidly in crowded, poorly ventilated areas where theres heavy breathing or shouting and can stay in the air and on surfaces for several hours.

With students returning to school, even in smaller groups on a part-time basis, experts have raised concerns that school buildings will only exacerbate infection rates.

The hallways are narrow, classroom space is limited, and students, loud and rambunctious, touch everything, including each other. Not all schools are, or will, require students to wear masks, despite compelling evidence that face coverings are one of the best preventions against spread of the virus.

Districts have been required by states to overhaul their cleaning strategies and theyve pledged to more frequently deep-clean buildings.

Their primary concern, though, is air ventilation.

The U.S. Government Accountability Office said in a report in June that, in order to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, more than 41 percent of school districts need to update or replace their heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems in at least half their schools.

The need is urgent, said Corey Metzger, the chair of the schools team for ASHRAEs epidemic task force. ASHRAE, a professional group for heating, refrigerating, and air-conditioning engineers, has put out guidance for schools to prepare for the coronavirus.

Metzger runs an engineering consulting firm in Ames, Iowa, that designs schools and helps school administrators keep their buildings up to code. This summer, he said, several districts have asked his team to help upgrade ventilation systems, a process that can run anywhere between 50 cents to $50 a square foot. Others see the price tag, gawk, and decide to open up their poorly ventilated schools anyway.

Cash for Facilities Is Scarce

All the readying it takes to reopen school buildings comes at a steep price many districts can ill afford .

Spending on facilities is one of the most inequitable and insufficiently funded corners of school finance.

A study in 2016 showed that the average school needs more than $4.5 million worth of repairs. Because more than 80 percent of capital costs are funded locally, whether a district has money to upgrade a building depends mostly on whether the surrounding taxpayers think its a good idea.

With districts facing sizeable budget cuts in the coming months, many administrators have either frozen or cut their school building maintenance costs, a less noticeable measure than teacher layoffs .

In 2015, voters in Tulsa passed a $415 million bond for the district, which serves a student population that is more than 80 percent low-income and 59 percent Black and Latino. A panel that monitors the spending of that bond this summer expanded its rules to allow for administrators to upgrade several of their schools ventilation systems, which cost the district around $2.7 million.

The district this summer also purchased 148 static sprayers, each costing $1,500 each, and $650,000 worth of new cleaning supplies, chemicals, and hand sanitizer, said Nolberto Delgadillo , the districts chief financial officer. He said he also anticipates having to pay for staff training and possibly overtime hours for maintenance workers.

The district this year has already cut $20 million from its budget and, without an infusion of federal emergency aid from Congress, anticipates more cutting soon.

Communications Is a Big Part of the Job

Bell and the districts communications department decided to start the Facebook live sessions after hearing concerns among parents that school buildings wont be safe.

During the sessions, which last around 20 minutes and take place throughout the city, Bell talks to bus drivers, maintenance workers, and HVAC contractors about ways they plan to prevent the spread of the virus.

She opens doors to show cabinets stocked with containers of disinfectant wipes now accessible to teachers, walks through classrooms to show spaced-out desks, and describes all the new chemicals they use to keep buildings germ-free. Throughout the sessions, which have garnered thousands of views, parents pepper her with questions about reopening plans.

We want families to know that were doing things differently this year, she said.
After years of struggle and lack of self-direction, I reached a point where I knew that I had to let go of my old self, heal myself, become a blank page for life to write on, and to connect with the world on a larger wavelengththe wavelength of compassion and love.

-Laura Formentini writes about the positive transformation of the lives of once-sponsored children with support from Plan International USA (http://www.planusa.org).

-Stories will give a global perspective to the benefits of sponsorship in countries like Bangladesh, India and Nepal.

-Laura Formentini has sponsored more than 40 children worldwide through Plan International USA for over 16 years.

Laura Formentini will write a book about inspirational stories that have transformed the lives of sponsored children with support from Plan International USA (http://www.planusa.org). Ms. Formentini will shed light on untold stories of the positive impact of child sponsorship, giving a global perspective to the benefits of sponsorship and how they have affected the farthest-flung parts of the world, including Bangladesh, India, and Nepal. The focus will be on once-sponsored adults and the positive impact the experience has had on their lives and communities.

Founded in 1937, Plan is an independent development and humanitarian organization that is active in more than 80 countries. Powered by its supporters, Plan partners with adolescent girls, young women and children around the world to overcome oppression and gender inequality, providing the support and resources that are unique to their needs and the needs of their communities, ensuring they achieve their full potential with dignity, opportunity and safety. One aspect of Plans work is the elimination of sex trafficking, and Laura Formentini will also have access to these stories and incorporate them into this important book. For over 16 years, Laura Formentini has sponsored more than 40 children from around the world.

While advocating travel to impact the world for positive global change, Laura Formentini turned into a child welfare activist and an advocate for the prevention of cruelty to animals. An archaeologist, conservationist, and photographer, she is also Vice President of Rifugio Isola del Sole, an animal sanctuary in Southern Italy, where she spearheads the free sterilization of street dogs and cats and advocates humane education. Born in Milan, shes lived in Italy, Missouri, Colorado, and California, and holds a Bachelor of Science in Archaeology and Art History from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. She spreads the message that Love in Action heals not only the world but that it also holds the key to our own healing. Follow her to begin the journey at https://lauraformentini.com/.
It is time for foreign and regional powers that have long been meddling in Lebanons polity and beyond to cease

Lebanon and its capital Beirut, overlooking the Mediterranean, have occupied a special place in Arab minds and hearts. It has been a mirror of Arab political ideologies and thoughts; in particular in the Mashrek and the Levant, from the Nile Valley to the Euphrates and southward to the Gulf and the Arab Peninsula. On the other hand, it has been called the Switzerland of the Arab world, as a kind of a historical bridge between European and Arab civilisations. And amidst the revolutions, the upheavals that the Middle East has seen in the post-World War II period, it had successfully maintained its positive neutrality. The international, regional and Arab powers of the day had had an interest in respecting this neutrality.

On the other hand, it has shone a light on the idea that people of different religious beliefs and sects could live peacefully together. In other words, the near embodiment of what a nation-state could look like within the Arab-Muslim context. Christians of various denominations; Sunni Muslims and Shia Muslims coexisting within an agreed-upon political system  that was considered an Arab democracy of sorts. An Arab democracy based on sectarianism and the appropriation of political posts according to a variation of quota systems. Still, and despite its limitations, Arabs respected and admired the ability of the Lebanese political class in maintaining and protecting their limited democracy.

But the Lebanese political experiment in democratic rule and peaceful coexistence among different faiths and creeds had begun to crumble, slowly and gradually, after the June war of 1967. Palestinians had grown in numbers in Lebanon, who happen to be mostly Sunni Muslims, and Lebanese politicians belonging to other faiths and sects began to fear that the political equilibrium that had sustained Lebanese democracy would shift to the advantage of the Sunnis in Lebanon. By occupying Arab territories in the 1967 War, the Israelis became more emboldened and secret alliances were made with some Lebanese factions against the Palestinian presence in Lebanon. I remember visiting Beirut in 1970 and saw the armed militias of the Palestinians roaming the streets of the southern district of the Lebanese capital, while the armed Phalangists of Pierre Gemayel were armed to the teeth. The scene was scary, as if war would break out someday. And that is what happened five years later, in April 1975, the date of the outbreak of the Lebanese Civil War that was to last for 15 years. It ended with the Taif Agreement, sponsored by Saudi Arabia, an agreement that preserved the fragile equilibrium that had existed prior to the war.

Not only had Lebanon undergone deep changes during those 15 years, but the Middle East itself became transformed by a confluence of events that have left their indelible marks on Lebanon till today. In fact, the Lebanese people have paid high price for these regional transformations. In 1979, Iran became an Islamic republic after the Khomeini Revolution toppled the former Shah. One month and a half later, Egypt signed a peace treaty with Israel in March 1979.

These two monumental events in the Middle East changed the strategic landscape in the region, and had a direct impact on Lebanon. The Iranians, on the one hand, bent on exporting their Islamist revolution to the Arab world and claiming to be the arbiter of the fate of Shia Arabs, formed, trained, armed and chaperoned Hizbullah in Lebanon, a force that has grown in power, not only militarily but politically. On the other hand, the Israelis had gone into Lebanon as an invading force.

They occupied southern Lebanon for 13 years, only withdrawing after sustaining heavy losses at the hands of Hizbullah. This was a major symbolic victory for Iran that emboldened the Iranians to continue intervening in Lebanese and Arab affairs. Lebanon, accordingly, became a battleground, between Israel and Iran. The same scenario has repeated itself in Syria after 2011.

In parallel with these regional developments that have destabilised Lebanon, the Lebanese political class, always composed of traditional dynasties and figures, failed disastrously in saving Lebanon from being and dragged into a fierce regional rivalry, and also mismanaged and squandered the economic and financial resources of the country.

The explosion that hit Beirut 4 August, and whatever its true causes, has laid bare the fragility of the Lebanese polity and the fragmentation as well as irrelevance of the political class, dynastic and sectarian in nature, and its inability to save the country from the abyss. The dire economic situation of Lebanon has been worsened by the American maximum pressure strategy against Iran in the Middle East, as well as the adoption and the implementation of the Caesar Law to punish the Syrian regime for its violations of human rights, as the Americans claim. Add to that the presence of more than one million Syrian refugees in Lebanon.

Last October, the Lebanese took to the streets demanding a complete overhaul of their political system and for a radical change of the political guard. After nine months, nothing had changed to give hope to the Lebanese that their October revolution would bear fruit. The August explosion drove the Lebanese almost to despair, which translated itself last Saturday into acts of violence against various ministries.

Lebanon needs a miracle to redeem itself and becomes once again a beacon of hope for the Lebanese and other Arabs, that their countries could someday reshape their national destinies and modernise their political systems according to the principles of good governance (the rule of law, democracy, respect for human rights, fighting corruption, transparency and accountability). The Beirut explosion could be a turning point not only for Lebanon but also for other Arab countries. Also, it could send a much-needed signal to international and regional powers that have wreaked havoc in the Middle East in the last four decades that, maybe, the time has come for rethinking their strategic priorities to secure stability and peace in the region, including Lebanon.

In tribute to the resilience of the Lebanese people, a certain poet, Daria Daniel, dedicated the following verses in honour of Beirut, as quoted in Al-Monitor:

Beirut, your heavy burdens would bury most,

For in your dusk, the air is thick with history seething, groaning, thrashing.

The bell tolls, and many voices bellow 

Your dreary, battered, and martyred, they are badly aching.

But with Grace, you breathe out young life at the break of each dawn,

Storms, stones and thunderbolts do not bring you to your knees.

*The writer is former assistant foreign minister.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 13 August, 2020 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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A Mormon couple from Utah insists they are happily married  even though she is straight and he is gay.

Skyler Sorensen, 25, and his wife Amanda, also 25, are in a 'mixed-orientation' relationship, but Skyler says that his sexual attraction to men isn't really a big deal, and it's not even the greatest struggle in their marriage.

His homosexuality doesn't even stop the couple from having sex - although he admits that their sexual attraction was only achieved after plenty of 'trial and error and a lot of practice'.

Unique: Skyler Sorensen, 25, and his wife Amanda, also 25, are in a 'mixed-orientation' relationship, but Skyler says that his sexual attraction to men isn't really a big deal

Skyler said: 'We have our struggles of course, like every marriage, but me being gay hasnt been  the biggest issue in our marriage'

'Ive always pictured this realization of family in my life: marrying a woman, having children, raising those children,' Skyler said

'We have our struggles of course, like every marriage, but me being gay hasnt been  the biggest issue in our marriage. Its been communication, normal marriage things,' he told the New York Post.

Skyler, a film student at Brigham Young University, and Amanda, who is on hiatus from Utah Valley University, met less than five years ago when they were assigned to the same congregation in Salt Lake City.

They were friends for six months first before getting romantically involved.

Skyler was up front about his sexuality from the beginning, but also made it clear that even though he was gay, he also wanted to marry a woman.

'He grew up always knowing that he was never going to be with a guy,' Amanda said. 'That was always his conviction and his belief and his desire.'

'Ive always pictured this realization of family in my life: marrying a woman, having children, raising those children,' Skyler added.

Starting a family has not been an easy road for the couple, who tragically lost their baby son Milo last year after he was born at just 24 weeks, and died less than a month later.

Relationship: The couple met less than five years ago when they were assigned to the same congregation in Salt Lake City. They were friends for six months first

Honest: Skyler was up front about his sexuality from the beginning, but also made it clear that even though he was gay, he also wanted to marry a woman

Mormons believe 'celestial marriage'  between a man and woman  is 'essential to exaltation.'

'In order to obtain the highest degree in the celestial kingdom, a man and a woman must enter into the new and everlasting covenant of marriage,' the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints explains.

So to make sure their marriage would work  given their special circumstances the couple enlisted the help of a counselor, Dr. Ty Mansfield, who specializes in mixed-orientation marriages.

Dr. Mansfield sees a lot of patients with same-sex attraction who are also Mormon, and said that while some do best to remain celibate, others can happily marry the opposite sex and achieve 'authentic sexual expression' by nurturing a 'personal, spiritual bond.'

Heaven: Skyler and Amanda had a child together last year, however the baby boy - Milo - was born at just 24 weeks and died less than a month later

'That sexual attraction came from, I mean, trial-and-error and a lot of practice,' Skyler said

One and only: Amanda admitted that 'sometimes' she wishes her husband wasn't gay, but she doesn't want to be with anyone else

'That sexual attraction came from, I mean, trial-and-error and a lot of practice,' Skyler said.

He says it may even be more appropriate to call him a 'demisexual,' someone who feels sexual attraction after forming an emotional bond.

Amanda admitted that 'sometimes' she wishes her husband wasn't gay, but she doesn't want to be with anyone else.

She also recognizes that things are difficult for Mormons who are gay or lesbian, but she and Skyler want them to know that they can still marry someone of the opposite sex.

Skyler certainly seems to be happy with his lot, and made the case for mixed-orientation marriage on Twitter earlier this year.

'Being in a mixed-orientation marriage is like going to Disneyland and having some people tell you youd be better off at Six Flags,' he said. 'Six Flags may have more rollercoasters, but itll never beat the happiest place on earth.'
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Stunning images have captured the women of the Suri tribe who slice their lips aged twelve to insert plates measuring up to 16 inches as a symbol of beauty.

The pictures taken by Raul Barrero, 39, from Alicante, Spain, show matriarchs of the tribe clad with clay plates as they posed for portraits in Kibish, Omo Valley, Ethiopia.

One picture shows a woman taking her clay plate off to display her stretched lips after years of wearing the device.

Another photo showed an old woman smoking a bong-like apparatus whilst wearing a ten-inch lip plate.

Stunning images have captured the women of the Suri tribe who wear lip plates measuring up to 16 inches as a symbol of beauty in Kibish, Omo Valley, Ethiopia

An old woman smoking a bong-like apparatus whilst wearing a ten-inch lip plate (left) while a woman poses for a portrait by photographer Raul Barrero, 39, from Alicante, Spain, with her child (right)

Used as a status symbol, the larger the lip plate, the more cows the girl's father can demand in dowry when his daughter marries - cattle are enormously important to the Suri people as a mark of wealth

A woman takes her clay plate off while she works to display her stretched lips after years of wearing the device. The scars left behind when the plate is not in place are also said to be attractive

Used as a status symbol, the larger the lip plate, the more cows the girl's father can demand in dowry when his daughter marries - cattle are enormously important to the Suri people as a mark of wealth.

Although becoming less popular among the young, most women in the tribe have their bottom teeth removed and their lips pierced, then stretched, to allow the plates to be inserted - a right of passage carried out from as young as 12.

At puberty most young girls have their two lower teeth removed in order to get their lower lip pierced for face plates, this usually happens a year before they are to be married.

Sometimes even four teeth are removed to allow a bigger plate inserted, as it is believed that the size represents social and economic importance to the tribe.

Women and children in the tribe also often decorate themselves with white clay patterns, and flowers on their heads.

Although becoming less popular among the young, most women in the tribe have their bottom teeth removed and their lips pierced, then stretched, to allow the plates to be inserted - a right of passage carried out from as young as 12

Piecing earlobes for large plates is also common, but children are exempt from the practice. Women and children in the tribe also often decorate themselves with white clay patterns, and flowers on their heads

Raul used a Canon EOS 5D Mark III to capture the tribe that are known for their intensely painful traditions and rituals

The Suri Baale people live to the west of the Omo Valley, Ethiopia, and share a similar language with Chai and Timaga ethnic groups. Collectively, they are known as the Surma.

Outside of these two politically and territorially different neighbours, they have no contact with the outside world and are over 60 miles away from the nearest city of Arba Minch, Ethiopia.

Very few even know any Amharic, the official language of Ethiopia. The Suri groups share a similar culture, and display social and historical kinship with the Mursi and Me'en groups.

Omo Valley is home to eight different tribes with a collective population of 200,000 people.

Raul used a Canon EOS 5D Mark III to capture the tribe that are known for their intensely painful traditions and rituals.
SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Gong , the revenue intelligence platform leveraging artificial intelligence to transform revenue teams, today announced it raised $200 million in a Series D funding bringing the company's valuation to $2.2 billion. The new investment follows Gong's $65 million Series C funding announced in December 2019.

The latest funding was led by Coatue and joined by Index Ventures, Salesforce Ventures and Thrive Capital, with participation from existing investors Battery Ventures, NextWorld Capital, Norwest Venture Partners, Sequoia Capital and Wing Venture Capital. Gong's total funding raised is now $334 million.

The investment comes on the heels of 2.5X revenue growth year-to-date in 2020 and reflects strong demand for Gong's Revenue Intelligence Platform due to working from home and the heightened importance of remote selling. Gong's innovation mindset has powered the company's rapid growth, enabling it to quickly surpass competitors and take a commanding lead of the revenue intelligence market.

Gong's software helps companies make better decisions that are based on reality, not opinions. It automatically captures the full range of a company's interactions with customers - via emails, web conference calls, phone calls, and more - reducing the risk of incomplete or data. Gong then uses patented AI technology to understand what exactly is being said in these customer interactions. It helps companies uncover patterns and trends in the data, leading to insights that can help increase sales, reduce churn, and increase market share. With a customer base five times larger than its nearest competitor, Gong's underlying AI has a commanding advantage to learn and adapt to rapidly changing trends and provide more thoughtful recommendations that drive superior business outcomes.

"Revenue intelligence is an exciting category in sales technology," said Alex Kayyal, Partner at Salesforce Ventures. "We were impressed with Gong's strong market traction and the resounding enthusiasm expressed by their customers."

Co-founded by Amit Bendov, CEO, and Eilon Reshef, Chief Product Officer, Gong has been on a hyper-growth trajectory. Company achievements to date include:

A rapidly-expanding customer base, currently over 1,100, including such names as Autodesk, Hubspot, LinkedIn, MuleSoft, Outreach, PayPal, Shopify, Slack, Twilio, Zillow, and Zoominfo

Over 64,000 sales and support professionals using the platform

Earning an industry-leading Net Promoter Score (NPS) of 72

The recently launched Deal Intelligence module, providing sales professionals with unprecedented deal pipeline visibility and alerts on deals requiring intervention

"We made a bold prediction in 2016 that Gong's technology would become the most significant innovation for sales since the invention of CRM," said Gong CEO and Co-founder, Amit Bendov. "The market has proven that prediction was correct. With global sales teams switching to remote work and field sales teams grounded for the foreseeable future, we are seeing substantial demand for Gong's solution even in a challenging business environment. There is a new way to win in sales and the best sales teams are turning to Gong's Revenue Intelligence Platform to guide them down that path."

Gong will use the new funding to fulfill strong market demand for its Revenue Intelligence Platform, reinforce its market leadership, and invest in its product, engineering and go-to-market teams.

For more information on Gong and revenue intelligence, visit www.gong.io .

About Gong

Gong enables revenue teams to realize their fullest potential by unveiling their customer reality. The patented Gong Revenue Intelligence Platform captures and understands every customer interaction, then delivers insights at scale, empowering revenue teams to make decisions based on data instead of opinions. Over 1,200 innovative companies like Zillow, Slack, PayPal, Twilio, Autodesk, Shopify, Hubspot, SproutSocial, Zoominfo, Outreach, MuleSoft, and LinkedIn trust Gong to power their customer reality. With Gong, customers experience improved win rates, increased deal sizes, and accelerated employee ramp-times. Gong is a private company headquartered in San Francisco. For more information, visit www.gong.io or follow us on LinkedIn .

About Salesforce Ventures

Salesforce is the global leader in Customer Relationship Management (CRM), bringing companies closer to their customers in the digital age. Salesforce Ventures, the global investment arm of Salesforce, invests in the next generation of enterprise technology that extends the power of the Salesforce Platform. Salesforce Ventures is building the world's largest ecosystem of enterprise cloud companies and extending that technology to customers. Portfolio companies receive funding, strategic advisory, and operating support, and can easily join Pledge 1% to make giving back part of their business model. Salesforce Ventures has invested in more than 400 companies, including DocuSign, GoCardless, Guild Education, nCino, Twilio, Zoom, and others across 22 countries since 2009. For more information, please visit www.salesforce.com/ventures .

SOURCE Gong

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Mauritian volunteers fished dead eels from oily waters on Tuesday (August 11) as they tried to clean up damage to the Indian Ocean island's most pristine beaches after a Japanese bulk carrier leaked an estimated 1,000 tonnes of oil.

Dead eels were floated in the water and dead starfish washed in the sticky black liquid. Crabs and seabirds are also dying.

The MV Wakashio is still holding some 2,000 tonnes of oil and it is expected to eventually break up, Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth said late on Monday (August 10), warning that the country must brace for the worst.

Tourism is a key part of the Mauritius economy and the government, which has declared a state of emergency due to the spill, is working with former colonial ruler France to try to remove the oil.
Rajesh Kumar Thakur By

Express News Service

PATNA: Corona warriors and plasma donors of Bihar will get a special place in the state's official Independence Day celebration. They will be at the centre of attraction at Patnas Gandhi Maidan and will be felicitated for their roles in the battle against the COVID-19.

A special gallery is being created for their seating at the Independence Day celebrations. Sharing the info, Divisional Commissioner of Patna, Sanjay Kumar Aggarwal said that the corona warriors and plasma donors will be invited to grace the occasion as special guests on August 15 at Gandhi Maidan.

Sanjay has also launched a drive for promoting plasma donation in all the districts of Patna division in which more than 42 persons after being cured for the infection have donated their plasma. He said that doctors, nurses, ANMs, police, corporation personnel, officers and others who have worked as frontline would be invited to the Independence Day celebration

Those who will not be able to attend the ceremony held at Gandhi Maidan will also be able to watch the program from home, he said. He said that the main flag-hosting ceremony will be done by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. In other districts of state also, corona warriors and the plasma donors would be invited to the Independence Day as guests and felicitated by district administration.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-12 23:06:27|Editor: huaxia

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BANGKOK, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) on Wednesday told the media that it has no definite schedule of when to allow international commercial flights to enter Thailand.

"We are monitoring the COVID-19 situation in many countries," said CAAT director-general Chula Sukmanop, "Although Thailand is entering into 80 days free from local COVID-19 transmission, it does not mean we will be opening up tourism to other countries that quickly."

Chula said many countries have experienced the second waves of infection, hence Thailand needs to be cautious about reopening its skies and borders.

The CAAT will need to consult with the Center for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) before deciding whether to open Thai skies to international traffic, Chula said.

CAAT has given the green light for certain groups of foreigners to enter Thailand from Aug. 4.

They include non-Thai nationals with a certificate of permanent residency, including their spouses and children; non-Thai nationals with work permits, including their spouses and children; non-Thai nationals permitted to enter under a special arrangement; and migrant workers whose employers are allowed to bring in workers.

All arrivals will be tested for COVID-19 and must follow CCSA and Department of Disease Control rules, including mandatory two-week quarantine. Enditem
The Bicycle Bottleneck

The pandemic boosted sales-but sucked the supply chain dry.

by Micheline Maynard

From the August, 2020 issue

After enjoying a healthy first year in Ann Arbor in 2019, Motor City Bicycles on Packard was off to a good start in 2020, says owner Scott Kellogg.



Then, Covid-19 hit. Kellogg's shops in Canton, Brighton, and Ann Arbor were shut down in March, while competitors in surrounding states were classified as essential businesses and allowed to operate. In addition to taking sales from Michigan businesses, Kellogg says, "those shops started gobbling up products."



When bike stores were allowed to reopen, "we had more customers than we ever had before," Kellogg says. But by then, there weren't enough bikes for everyone who wanted one: "Everything suppliers would normally have to ship has already been shipped."



Nationwide, sales of basic adult bicycles under $200 tripled in April. Motor City's price point is higher--generally around $350-$1,000 for conventional adult versions, while specialty models can cost even more. But now, he says, even bicycles costing $750 or more are hard to find.



"There's just a huge gap in the supply chain right now," he explains. Even repair work has been affected, because there's also a "huge shortage of parts," of which about 90 percent are produced in China.



"We have people waiting for parts that won't be in the U.S. until October or November or even later," he says. "We will do what we can to make it work, but there are certain tires that nobody in the state of Michigan has."



Kellogg says demand is bound to slacken once Covid restrictions end, but in the long term he believes his shops will benefit. Next, he says, these bike buyers will need helmets and shoes and to get their bicycles tuned up.



"A negative thing in a positive way has brought a lot of people back into the business."



Motor City Bicycle, 3162 Packard. (734) 389-7900. Mon., Wed., Thurs., & Fri. 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Sat & Sun. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Closed Tues. motorcitybicycle.com



[Originally published in August, 2020.]








About 90 others wounded in fighting between the Bani Amer and Nuba ethnic groups in the city of Port Sudan.

At least 25 people have been killed in clashes between ethnic groups in a port city in eastern Sudan, according to a doctors association.

The Central Doctors Committee said in a statement on Wednesday that about 90 others were wounded in the fighting that began on Sunday between members of the Bani Amer and Nuba ethnic groups in Port Sudan, a key international trade harbour on the Red Sea.

Local media reported that several houses and shops were set on fire in the violence.

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This is not the first time that clashes have broken out between the Bani Aarem and Nuba tribes, said Al Jazeeras Hiba Morgan, reporting from Khartoum.

This has been going on for years and has escalated for the past 12 months, she added.

The latest tensions between the two tribes date back to May 2019 in the eastern city of Gadarif, mainly over water and other resources. The clashes flared up in August last year in Port Sudan, when more than 30 people from both sides were killed. There were also clashes in the port city in January this year, when nine people were killed.

For many, this is an issue of who actually deserves to be in Port Sudan and be identified as part of the east and who is overstepping on a territory that is not theirs, said Morgan.

Local authorities in Port Sudan have responded to the latest bout of violence by placing the city of roughly half a million people under complete lockdown, prohibiting residents from leaving their homes.

For his part, Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok called on political parties in eastern Sudan to cooperate with local authorities to protect security and social peace. He is due to address the countrys security and defence committee on Thursday in a bid to figure out a solution, Morgan reported.

Hamdok was named prime minister in August last year, months after nationwide pro-democracy protests forced the military to remove longtime President Omar al-Bashir from office.

While Hamdoks transitional cabinet is tasked with the day-to-day running of the country, a joint civilian-military sovereign council headed by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan is overseeing an overall transition to civilian rule as demanded by the protest movement.

The tribal violence poses a significant challenge to the efforts of Sudans authorities to stabilise the country and lead it to elections in 2022.

Throughout Sudan, the United Nations has said almost 10 million people are now facing food shortages due to conflict, rising prices and the coronavirus pandemic, with many of these people being in the countrys conflict-hit areas.
Former Nederland ISD Superintendent Robin Perez died Tuesday after a battle with cancer, the district announced in a statement.

Assistant Superintendent, and lone finalist for the position, Stuart Kieschnick said Perez has not only made an impact on my life but thousands of educators and students across the state of Texas.

She worked tirelessly for our schools to ensure they could be the best they could be, Kieschnick said. She cared deeply about our students and staff no matter the situation. It was an honor to work beside her and I know many more who would say the same.

Perez served as the Superintendent of the district for four years before stepping down earlier this summer to be closer to friends and family as she continued treatment for cancer.

For those that knew her, it goes without saying, Dr. Perez had a desire in her heart for education and the children she served, a statement shared by the district said. She took every opportunity to think outside of the box, fight for the whole child, and looked far into the future of what education may look like in years to come.

When announcing her retirement Perez said, "School success has been all about working together as a team. I have been blessed to work with wonderful people at Nederland ISD. Our teachers, leadership team, and school board deserve all of the credit for working together as a team for the success of our students. The District is in excellent shape and will continue to accomplish great things in the future."

Perez came to to the district after serving as superintendent in Buna ISD and has held positions in other Texas districts including Humble ISD, Lumberton ISD and Beaumont ISD. Perez has led Nederland ISD for four years.

Under Perezs leadership, the district passed one of the largest school bond packages the school ever proposed and oversaw cultural understanding, new technology and curriculum initiatives, which improved student performance and closed achievement gaps, the district shared in a previous statement.

Board President Micah Mosley said in a statement that the board was extremely saddened to learn of Robins passing.

We were fortunate to have her serve our District and I know those where she served before Nederland would say the same, Mosley said. She was a visionary that was dedicated to adapting to each individual students needs all while keeping true to the traditions of Nederland ISD. We look forward to building upon the foundation she leaves behind to continue striving towards excellence. Our sincerest thoughts and prayers will remain with her husband, children, grandson and extended family."

This post may be updated.

isaac.windes@hearstnp.com

twitter.com/isaacdwindes
The influencer marketing industry, which Google estimates to reach $15 billion in 2021, viewed with shock the recent announcement YouTube made about shutting down its self-service influencer marketing platform, FameBit and will now evolve into Brand Connect (https://youtube.googleblog.com/2020/06/introducing-youtube-brandconnect.html).

Also read: YouTube releases the most watched PSA Ads leaderboard for India

In 2017, YouTube had acquired FameBit.com, an influencer marketing platform, which brought content creators (read influencers) and brands together. Recently, YouTube announced that it was closing down the self-service part of FameBit.

Like any influencer marketing platform, FameBit automated influencer marketing. It was all plug and play. Brands would upload the campaign, influencers signed into it. Brands choose from among the influencers who sign up and campaigns rolled out. There were no further conversations between the parties.

While FameBit did not charge creators or brands a fee for signing up, a 10 per cent fee was charged for bringing them together. Sony, Adidas, Conair Cannon were some of its big clients. For creators, it was an easy way to find paid sponsorships and access to latest tools from Google. Brands got access to a trusted pool of creators vetted by YouTube.

All seemed fine until.

The recent announcement said that they were investing more on full service for creators (Any YouTube creator with 25k subscribers can join) and brands. It also noted that creators earned 30 times more on these full service deals, than on self service. The report revealed that self service represented only 4 per cent of total of FameBits payouts to creators.

YouTubes move was also a result of brand campaigns studies of clients like Edgewell Personal Care, where it found that full service partnerships work out better for creators and brands.

Click here to read Case Study.

With all its Google insights and tools, it made it possible for brands to truly measure the impact and the ROI of influencer marketing.

What does this signal for the self-service Influencer Marketing platforms?

It has just brought to the fore the old debate on how influencer marketing is largely a creativity and content game than just numbers. One cant choose creators off the shelf on a platform and expect true impact and ROI. The creator and brand have to understand each other, there has to be a fit of the campaign and the creators audience, in fact, a perfect marriage of creator and the brand, the brands nuances have to sink in, the context and the current campaign goals must align with the creator.

Its more like a readymade dress versus a unique, personalised dress crafted by a top fashion designer. The dress reflects the wearers personality, in fact, lifts it, fits perfects, leverages the advantages of the person and subtly hides the flaws.

The measurability, impact and true ROI of influencer marketing challenges cant be swept under the carpet. Till we answer that, automated influencer marketing platforms may not be the best answer.

It also means that only micro and mid-size creators will be on automated self-service influencer platforms and the celebrity influencers will work with directly with platforms that are not automated ordirectly with brands, agencies or the social media platforms like YouTube, Instagram and TikTok.

But will creators ever get the freedom they want to build authentic content that their audience will love? Will brands and agencies stop treating influencers as editorial or TV scripts? Will brands allow creators to go with their passion, voice and be authentic?

Wait and watch.

(Speaker, writer, social media and content strategist, Rajasekar KS, GM  Marketing, Matrimony.com, helps organisations leverage content and social media to create conversations and turn fans into collaborators.)
Democratic presidential candidate on Tuesday named Indian-origin Senator of California as his choice for vice president, his campaign told supporters in a text message.

Harris becomes the first Black woman on a major presidential ticket in US history and providing him with a partner well suited to go on the attack against Republican President

Listen to the podcast to know who is and what makes her a good choice for the campaign?




San Mateo County Sheriff's Office /

A man who died after allegedly stabbing three people, one fatally, in unincorporated Redwood City on Tuesday has been identified by authorities as a 23-year-old San Francisco resident.

Waley Cheong entered a house on the 500 block of Sequoia Avenue at about 5:08 a.m. and stabbed a 54-year-old woman, a 65-year-old man and a 20-year-old woman, each multiple times, according to the San Mateo County Sheriffs Office. During the melee, Cheong also was stabbed.
Former President John Dramani Mahama says he together with his running mate, Professor Jane Naana Opoku Agyemang will not engage in politics of insults ahead of the 2020 elections.

According to him, the team is not perturbed by the numerous attacks and insults hurled at him and his running mate from other political parties.

Speaking at a ceremony to introduce the running mate of the party to the leadership of the Christian Council, John Mahama said name-calling will not be part of his campaign.

My running mate, Prof. Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, whom I am presenting to you today, has been encouraged by the Osu Mantse to be strong and courageous in the face of, what he feared would be, a barrage of insults and attacks on her person, just because she has decided to serve her country at the highest level, help shape its destiny and ensure shared prosperity for all. Indeed, these unprovoked attacks and insults have already started. But I can assure you and all Ghanaians that Naana Jane and myself will never engage in insults and name-calling of opponents. Children are watching, listening and copying and it is important we serve as good role models.

John Mahama added that all projects started under the Nana Akufo Addo administration will be continued if the National Democratic Congress (NDC) wins power come December 7.

He accused the Akufo-Addo government of abandoning projects started under his administration and targeting businesses owned by people perceived to be supporters of the opposition.

I'll complete the 200 Community Day SHSs that we began and many other projects that the current government has abandoned Our party will change course from the despicable, destructive, and unprincipled kind of politics we are currently witnessing. There is so much work to do and so much to build. We cannot succeed if we abandon projects funded by tax-payers money just because our opponents began them. We cannot succeed if we target and destroy the businesses of people perceived to be in support of an opposition party, causing families to lose their livelihoods. We cannot succeed if instead of uniting our different people we promote intolerance and division, he said.

 citinewsroom
SHELTON  George Rodrigues is retiring as the police departments deputy chief after only a few weeks on the job.

Rodrigues, who was hired on June 22, told Hearst Connecticut Media Monday night he will be using some vacation time and then leaving. Rodrigues would not comment on specific reasons why he has chosen to retire.

Chief Shawn Sequeira said Rodrigues remains a member of the department and will be retiring in early September. Rodrigues was at police headquarters Wednesday before heading to City Hall to file his retirement paperwork.

He had told us that he was considering retiring, Sequeira said.

Sequeira said there are options to fill the post, but nothing is imminent.

The deputy chief process started this past January, and we have an active list of applicants that passed, said Sequeira, adding that one of those individuals could be chosen to fill the now-vacant role.

Rodrigues future became a hot social media topic Tuesday with a post on the Support the Shelton Police Union Facebook page.

Union representative and page administrator Mike Lewis posted that Rodrigues resigned, further stating that Rodrigues tried to get the City to work out its differences with the union. His reward was they would not give him a promised contract, cut his pay to the senior patrolman rate and took away his City car.

Lewis said he learned the information through reliable sources prior to posting.

I have a great relationship with George, Sequeira said, adding that the soon-to-be-retired deputy chief also has a good relationship with Mayor Mark Lauretti.

This is Rodrigues second retirement as a member of the Shelton police force. He had been a 26-year member of the department before retiring as a lieutenant two years ago.

At the time of his hiring as deputy chief, Rodrigues said he retired too early, and he missed the job, so when the deputy chief position opened, he jumped at the chance.

I still have a lot to bring to the table, Rodrigues said in June. I missed law enforcement. ... I missed serving the people of this city. I feel lucky to be back. I am grateful to the chief and the mayor for giving the opportunity. I am home.

Sequeira said Rodrigues was brought on board as deputy chief because of the familiarity with the present personnel as well as his knowledge of every aspect of the departments operations, from training to traffic, arbitration to disciplinary processes. His hiring was to allow for sharing those responsibilities with the chief.

The deputy chief position, which had been unfilled during Sequeiras five years before Rodrigues hiring, earns $115,000, according to Sequeira. Lt. Robvert Kozlowsky said Rodriguess pension will not be affected by the temporary promotion.

Sequeira said Rodrigues was among seven individuals he interviewed for the deputy chief post.

They were all great candidates  their education, their knowledge  but George just stood out as the most well-rounded candidate. His training, his experience, his knowledge of the Shelton police department  all made him the right choice, Sequeira said at the time of the hiring. And we worked well together. He is the perfect fit.

brian.gioiele@hearstmediact.com
Across the US, kids have been watching their parents work from home  and now they can make believe they're working from home, too.

Fisher-Price has just launched the 'My Home Office' play set for $24.99, which allows kids to be just like mom and dad, getting down to business while offices are closed due to the pandemic.

The very on-the-nose set includes a laptop with four 'apps,' a smartphone, a headset, and a takeout coffee cup.

Talk about timely! Fisher-Price has just launched the 'My Home Office' play set for $24.99

Pretend: Kids can be just like mom and dad, getting down to business while offices are closed due to the pandemic

What's included: The very on-the-nose set includes a laptop with four 'apps,' a smartphone, a headset, and a takeout coffee cup

The set is advertised as appropriate for preschoolers age three and up, who 'can "work" from home or anywhere" with the eight-piece play set.

It comes with a laptop made of wood, as well as four fabric 'apps' that kids can attach to the computer screen while they pretend to work on different projects.

Those apps appear to include a calendar, a graph, the weather, and  for a bit of procrastination  a picture of a cat.

There's also a wooden smartphone and a plastic headset for business calls, and a coffee cup that can be filled with juice or water.

'Better grab a latte to go, that report is due this morning and theres a call with the dog across the street after naptime,' reads the toy's description.

'With the Fisher-Price My Home Office set, your preschooler is the boss of their own work station at home, the local coffee shop, or the moon.'

Pump some iron! The toy brand has also launched a $14.99 Baby Biceps Gift Set for tots watching mom and dad exercise at home

Work up a sweat! It comes with a headband, a dumbbell with clacker beads, a kettle bell with rattle beads and a teether handle, and a pretend protein shake that makes a jingle sound

'As many parents and caregivers across the country are continuing to work from home, this preschool role-play set enables kids to do the same,' Chuck Scothon, Fisher-Price senior vice president and Mattel global head of infant and preschool, said in a statement, according to Business Insider.

With so many children's toys that mimic grown-up activities  like play kitchens, houses, and cars  it's natural that one would pop up that lets kids mimic what they're seeing now in the pandemic.

The toy brand has also launched a new Baby Biceps Gift Set for tots watching mom and dad exercise at home.

That set, which sells for $14.99, comes with a headband, a dumbbell with clacker beads, a kettle bell with rattle beads and a teether handle, and a pretend protein shake that makes a jingle sound.

'Lift, rattle, teethe, repeat,' the description reads. Those fine motor skills arent going to work themselves.'

Such a professional! Denver dad Brian Kieffer shared a photo of his seven-year-old son on Twitter, which he captured when the youngster was in the middle of a class on Zoom

Back in April, Denver dad Brian Kieffer shared a photo of his seven-year-old son on Twitter, which he captured when the youngster was in the middle of a class on Zoom.

The boy was all dressed up in a suit and tie, and mimicked the 'I'm on the phone' hand signal when his father stepped into the room.

'My 7 y.o. put on a suit for his class Zoom this morning,' Brian wrote on Twitter. 'My wife told me I needed to go see it so I popped my head in to grab a pic.

'He was concerned I was going to interrupt him and flashed me the Im on a call hand signal. It took everything I have not to bust out laughing.'

Indeed, Brian's son is holding up the hand signal that indicates he's on the phone  likely something he has seen his dad do in the past.
Airbnb logo is seen on a little mini pyramid under the glass Pyramid of the Louvre museum in Paris

LONDON (Reuters) - Home rental startup Airbnb said on Wednesday it supported the development of a digital services tax regime being discussed by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) to bridge a divide between the United States and Europe.

The OECD talks involve over 100 countries on a major rewrite of global tax rules to bring them up to date for the digital era, but they have so far not produced results as the negotiations have been complicated by the coronavirus pandemic.

"The almost century-old system we still use today was not designed with today's increasingly digital economy in mind and it should be improved," Airbnb said in a statement backing the OECD talks.

"We believe that for a global tax system to work effectively and efficiently, it needs to be truly global, consistently applied across borders, and simple to comply with."

The EU and Britain view digital service taxes as a way to raise revenue from the local operations of big tech companies which they say profit enormously from local markets while making only limited contributions to public coffers.

But the United States has said that a digital services tax announced last year by France discriminates against U.S. tech firms such as Alphabet's Google <GOOG.O>, Facebook <FB.O> and Apple Inc <AAPL.O>.

Both the French tax and retaliatory U.S. duties have been deferred, in hope of a breakthrough in the OECD process.

In June, the United States said it would pull out of negotiations, citing a lack of progress, though the OECD has said Washington is still committed to the talks.

Google boss Sundar Pichai told Reuters last month that the tech giant supports the multilateral solution for taxing digital services being discussed by the OECD, saying its frameworks were the "right approach".

(Reporting by Alistair Smout; editing by Stephen Addison)
Hirai Shinji - Chief representative, JETRO in Ho Chi Minh City Several Japanese companies initially began to invest money in Vietnam as far back as the early 1990s. Previously, most Japanese manufacturing companies only saw Vietnam as a place for production, endowed with a young and skilful labour force. However, recently more and more of them, whether manufacturing or not, have begun to see Vietnam as a market with growing consumption as well. They expect that their business will grow together with the Vietnaese economy. Recently the companies already operating in Vietnam have started to expand production. This is evidence of their faith in the economic development of this country. The geographical distribution of Japanese companies has also been expanding. Provinces adjacent to Ho Chi Minh City such as Dong Nai, Binh Duong, and Long An have been popular, but others such as the Mekong Delta are now also more often selected. Japanese companies are expected to further contribute to the regional development of Vietnam through various factors such as quality of investment, high technology, and also in environmental protection. Marko Walde - Chief representative, Delegation of German Industry and Commerce in Vietnam Vietnam has benefited due to companies moving manufacturing to Vietnam as costs in China started to increase and the US-China trade war has accelerated the process. As the sector matures, the stakes for industry players will increase when Vietnam solidifies its position as a manufacturing destination. Foreign direct investment (FDI) helps transform Vietnam from a low income, commodity-based economy to an increasingly dynamic mixed economy via the transfer to technology, capital, skills, and access to international markets. The economy has become more diversified with a shift away from a dependence on unprocessed commodities to the assembly and production of increasingly more sophisticated manufactured goods. More generally, FDI is helping to enhance both the visibility and reputation of Made in Vietnam products and services in international markets. German investors in particular bring their well-known technology in management and training to this country, allowing more value-added production and less waste of material and resources, and supporting local companies in accelerating the modernisation process. Alex Crane - Managing director, C&W Vietnam The pandemic has not dampened our firms desire to grow in Vietnam. In fact, when compared with other countries, Vietnam is viewed as a higher priority destination to invest. Our firm is looking at deepening our core capabilities and expanding. In real estate, there is obvious growth in logistics and manufacturing and also in more tech-focused companies which will be critical in office markets. We still need some legal frameworks to be streamlined and there remain bottlenecks in approvals. These are long-standing items the government is aware of and will not have changed post-pandemic. One thing the pandemic has brought is a heightened awareness of health. This may in the future lead to foreign enterprises having higher demands for property/facility infrastructure and management and controls on cleanliness. That being said, in its incredibly swift and strong action against the pandemic, the government has already indirectly sped up Vietnams future growth. The world has taken notice of the success and will more commonly look to Vietnam as a source for products, a destination to visit, and a location for jobs and for capital. Sami Kteily - Executive chairman, PEB Steel The main area that achieved good growth in 2020 despite the pandemic and partial lockdown was in agriculture, forestry, and fisheries. Overall, these rely on a large number of low-skilled workers. If these companies and factories operating here were to invest in new technology, they can improve efficiency and achieve larger manufacturing output while lowering the number of workers used in production. By doing so, they can either utilise the excess workers in new expansion plants or they can release some of their workers to the labour market for the benefit of other industries that suffer from labour shortages. In all cases, investing in new technology is always more economic and increases company profits. I also understand that some of the challenges facing new investors coming into Vietnam involve unavailability of workers, so they end up going to other countries like Indonesia, Bangladesh or even Myanmar, where labour is more abundant at a similar if not lower cost. I think the Vietnamese government can set regulations to attract only high added value industries by offering them incentives over a period of 5-10 years. Guru Mallikarjuna - Managing director, Bosch Vietnam Vietnam is enjoying key advantages to attract substantial FDI flows due to its attractive tax regime, stable political environment, open trade policies, and a young yet low-cost labour force. The country provides vast future market opportunities for German investors and in return German products, which are known for their high quality, have a good potential to succeed here. Digitalisation is transforming the world and Vietnam is highly recommended to embrace this, especially amid COVID-19. The government has been putting a tremendous effort into reforming admin procedures via digital transformation; however, the pandemic has significantly sped up transition from the physical to the digital world. To embrace this new virtual-oriented reality, it is expected that country must continue to invest in IT infrastructure, especially in telecommunications, 5G, or cloud technology in order to boost FDI. To further facilitate trade and business operations, digitalisation can be further embedded through automation and operation optimisation using data analysis. This would help to significantly increase the productivity of Vietnamese factories and of the economy in general.
Minister of State for Railways Suresh Angadi said that the violence at K G Halli in Bengaluru on Tuesday night appears to be a conspiracy to disturb peace. If violence does not come under control, police should use force and shoot at sight those involved in it, he said.

Angadi told reporters here on Wednesday that recently, a similar incident of violence was witnessed at the Belagavi Institute of Medical Sciences hospital, wherein an ambulance was set on fire and vehicles were damaged, which indicates a conspiracy.

Track live updates on the Bengaluru violence here

The incident in Bengaluru has to be condemned as it was an act by anti-national forces and strict action should be taken against those involved in it, he said. Violence has been aimed at to bring a bad name to the government, he said.

What should be done with those who attempt to set a police station on fire and attack media personnel, he asked.

Also read: Bengaluru MLA's house attacked by mob over Facebook post; three dead, two injured

If innocents have to be protected, action against those responsible for it is a must. The state government was efficient to take action against the elements involved. It can also avail assistance of the Centre if needed.

Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa and Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai are working towards maintaining law and order, Angadi said.

He said the world has been looking towards India with hope. "During the Covid-19 crisis, we need to maintain peace. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been working towards improving the economy of the country, but some anti-national forces are working against it,'' he said.
Cory Booker worked closely with fellow U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris on anti-lynching legislation and on making changes to policing following the death of George Floyd. He competed against her for the Democratic presidential nomination.

And he cheered Joe Bidens decision to choose her as his running mate, making her the first Black woman on the national ticket of a major political party.

It was welcome news at a time when Americans have taken to the streets in unprecedented numbers to protest the killing of unarmed Blacks at the hands of police, when Blacks are disproportionately dying of the coronavirus, Booker said.

It is for me, on a very personal level, I feel like our ancestors are rejoicing, Booker told NJ Advance Media just hours after Harris selection.

Ive heard from hundreds of people now on my different platforms, folks who are not all that political, but just expressing what it means to be personally to see this getting done. And I just am so personally fulfilled by this and inspired by this and I just feel this profound sense of joy at this choice.

I'm proud to call @KamalaHarris my dear friend and sisterand next year, I'll be even more proud to call her our Vice President.



This is history. Kamala is a trailblazer who will serve this country well as the first Black and Asian American woman on a major party's ticket. pic.twitter.com/zUlL2TXkJ3  Cory Booker (@CoryBooker) August 11, 2020

Just as Barack Obama broke barriers as the first Black president and Booker himself broke them as New Jerseys first Black U.S. senator, the Biden-Harris ticket itself is a historic first.

Its incredibly valuable to have the first ticket in the history of this country that has both gender and race diversity at a time in America where we are discovering ourselves and really trying to truly be a multicultural democracy in the full sense of what that means, Booker said.

Its really a wonderful moment in American history, he said.

In Harris, Biden chose someone who not only has worked to craft important bills but has the ability to build the coalitions needed to pass them into law, Booker said.

When it comes to the details, when it comes to actual crafting legislation and putting it together, she is brilliant in the inner negotiations that have to go on, Booker said. She combines that incredible inside game with being a charismatic leader that can inspire crowds.

She has that rare combination of the ability to not only create great legislation and to negotiate important advancements but then also sell those ideas, to inspire people to embrace change and hep lead us toward the kind of the larger coalitions that are necessary to ensure progress.

Booker argued while running for president that he was the candidate best to attract the minority voters who stayed home in 2016, resulting in President Donald Trump winning Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

He said Harris has an even greater ability to do this, because she also can appeal to Asian Americans, part of her background, and women.

Harris has a broad reach, Booker said. I think she will excite and energize African American voters in an extraordinary way. Remember she already shown she can be elected by the most populous and diverse state. Shes a woman whos going to energize Asian Americans, as she is herself. Shes somebody whose going to energize women voters.

During the race for the Democratic nomination, both Booker and Harris went after Biden on race relations and criminal justice issues as they tried to peel away the Black voters that were key to his early lead in opinion polls and their inability to break through.

Booker, for example, criticized Bidens advocacy of the 1994 crime bill that led to the mass incarceration of Blacks, while Harris hit him over his opposition to busing to integrate schools.

Booker said Bidens decision to select Harris was another indication that the former vice president understood the importance of addressing those issues.

Biden really does get it, Booker said. He has a team around him that knows that at this moment in history, its realty urgent to deal with issues of mass incarceration its really urgent to deal with issues of racial justice and equity.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.

Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com.
By West Kentucky Star Staff Aug. 11, 2020 | 07:15 PM | PADUCAH





Child Watch Counseling and Advocacy Center of Paducah has received a grant to help with one of their programs.The Kentucky Attorney General's office announced grants totaling nearly $220,000 from the Child Victim's Trust Fund to organizations across the commonwealth.Child Watch received $24,653 for its Safety Tools and Golden Rules program. It will provide child sexual abuse prevention education for 400 teachers and staff, 5,000 parents or caregivers, and 13,000 children including campers at the Kentucky Sheriffs Boys and Girls Ranch.Funding from the Child Victims Trust Fund makes it possible for us to empower students in elementary schools throughout the Purchase Area with tools to prevent or stop sexual abuse from happening to them, said Janie Criner, executive director of Child Watch Counseling. We are honored to partner with General Cameron to bring this life-saving information to children and educators in our community.Child Watch serves 13 western Kentucky counties including Ballard, Caldwell, Calloway, Carlisle, Crittenden, Fulton, Graves, Hickman, Livingston, Lyon, Marshall, McCracken, and Trigg.Funding child abuse prevention programs is one step toward our shared goal of ending child abuse in the Commonwealth, and I commend these hard working organizations for their dedication to protecting Kentuckys children, said Attorney General Cameron. We continue working diligently each day to protect Kentuckys children from the neglect and abuse that has plagued our state for far too long.Kentuckys 15 Childrens Advocacy Centers received more than $65,000 to offset costs associated with administering more than 880 child sexual abuse medical exams.CVTF also awarded statewide grants of $24,442 to South Central Kentucky Kids on the Block in Bowling Green, $26,603 to Prevent Child Abuse Kentucky in Lexington, and a regional grant of $56,574 to Family Nurturing Center of Florence.In addition to these grants, organizations can apply for sponsorships of up to $5,000 to host child sexual abuse prevention conferences. Earlier this year, the fund provided $985 in sponsorship funds to support the 2020 Child Abuse Prevention Conference organized by the Pennyrile Allied Community Services/Community Collaboration for Children. The fund awards a total of $25,000 in sponsorships throughout the year, and organizations can apply for sponsorships by visiting icareaboutkids.ky.gov.The Attorney Generals Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation Prevention (CSAEP) Board oversees CVTF, a non-profit that provides funding for child sexual abuse prevention programs and reimbursements for child sexual abuse medical exam expenses that are not covered by Medicaid or private insurance.Kentuckians wishing to join the fight to end child abuse can donate to the CVTF by making a private donation, by purchasing an I Care About Kids license plate, or by donating a portion of your state income tax refund.To report suspected child abuse, contact local law enforcement or the Child Protection Hotline by calling 1-877-KYSAFE1 (1-877-597-2331).
Victoria has recorded 21 deaths in the past day, its worst of the coronavirus pandemic, as well as 410 new cases.

The number is the highest daily death toll since the pandemic began, after the state recorded 19 deaths on both Monday and Tuesday.

Premier Daniel Andrews said the deaths included two women and one man in their 70s, six women and five men in their 80s, five men and one woman in their 90s, and one woman in her 100s.

Mr Andrews said 16 out of the day's 21 deaths could be linked to aged care outbreaks.
The search revealed that a subsidiary of a Chinese company, related concerns took over Rs 100 crore advances from shell entities for opening retail showrooms

New Delhi: Based on credible information regarding Chinese individuals and their associates being involved in money laundering and hawala, the Income Tax Department on Tuesday carried out searches on the premises of Chinese entities, their confederates and some bank employees.

During the search action, it was revealed that at the behest of the Chinese nationals, more than 40 bank accounts were created in dummy entities, through which credits of over Rs 1,000 crore were entered into over the period, a statement by the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) said.

Moreover, it was also revealed that the subsidiary of a Chinese company and its related concerns took over Rs 100 crore bogus advances from shell entities for opening retail showrooms businesses in the country.

Further, incriminating documents revealing hawala transactions money laundering with the involvement of bank employees and chartered accountants were found during the search action. The evidence of hawala transactions being done using Hong Kong and US dollars were also unearthed.

Further investigation is underway.
Moscow (AFP) - Russian police detained over 140 people including a high-profile Moscow deputy after Kremlin critics protested Wednesday against changes to the constitution, the OVD-Info monitor said.

The group, which tracks arrests at political protests, said 142 people were detained Wednesday evening. Many people including journalists were put in police vehicles, AFP correspondents said from the scene.

An AFP journalist was also briefly detained.

Yulia Galyamina, a prominent Moscow city councillor who has spearheaded a campaign against President Vladimir Putin's controversial changes to the constitution, was among those detained together with her daughter, she said on Facebook.

The constitutional changes could see President Vladimir Putin stay in power for another 16 years.

Earlier Wednesday Galyamina and her allies gathered in Moscow's central Pushkin Square despite rainy weather to collect signatures from hundreds of supporters against this month's constitutional reforms, to contest them in court.

"We are lodging a class action lawsuit," activist Andrei Pivovarov told AFP as he gathered the signatures on the steps of a statue of national poet Alexander Pushkin dominating the square.

"We are collecting signatures from across the country," he said.

- 'Russia without Putin' -

Writing later on Twitter, Galyamina said they had gathered 5,000 signatures. "This is an excellent result," she said.

At one point the campaigners had to pause because they quickly ran out of paper, they said.

Some protesters brandished placards, while others chanted "Russia without Putin" and "Russia will be free."

Activist Maria Alyokhina of Pussy Riot fame also turned up, calling the amendments a "constitutional coup."

Earlier this month Putin, 67, oversaw a deeply controversial seven-day vote that amended the constitution and now allows him to serve two more six-year terms after his mandate expires in 2024.

Story continues

The amendments also included populist measures such as an effective ban on gay marriage.

Leading opposition politician Alexei Navalny has said the poll had set "a record in faking votes" and the result had "nothing in common with people's views".

Many in Pushkin Square said they had turned up to protest the changes championed by Putin who can now potentially stay in the Kremlin until 2036.

"I voted against," Inna Golovina, a 46-year-old accountant, told AFP. "People say the results were rigged."

Pavel Tarasov, a young Moscow city councillor representing the Communist Party, said he would like to leave his signature but the crowd was too big.

"The results of the vote do not suit anyone," he said.

A large group of mostly young activists later split off and marched along central Moscow streets before many were roughly detained.

Galyamina was detained in Pushkin Square after the signature-collecting event was over.

- 'Putin like pharaoh' -

Up to a thousand people gathered for a similar event in the second city of Saint Petersburg, an AFP correspondent said.

"The authorities do whatever they want, people's opinion does not interest anybody," lamented Andrei Stepanov, 50.

"We need to show in some way that we are against this."

Anatoly Naidyonov, 38, compared the Russian president to a "pharaoh who is completely detached from reality".

"This can all end badly for the country," he added.

Earlier Wednesday parliament's lower house approved,at a key second reading, controversial legislation that allows elections to be held over three days, in a move the opposition said was aimed at further hollowing out democratic polls.

The amendments allow elections to be held outside polling stations and enable voters to cast ballots in various public spaces.

During the June 25-July 1 plebiscite, makeshift polling stations were set up at unlikely locations including buses, tents and street benches.

The voting process, which was not monitored by proper election observers, was ridiculed on social media.
Whitefish, Montana--(Newsfile Corp. - August 12, 2020) - CFN Enterprises Inc. (OTCQB: CNFN), owner and operator of CFN Media, the leading media network dedicated to the global legal cannabis, CBD and psychedelics industries announces an article discussing Israeli cannabis legalization, and Israel's only publicly-traded cannabis pure-play, Isracann Biosciences, Inc. (CSE: IPOT) (OTC Pink: ISCNF).





Isracann Biosciences, Inc.

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://media.zenfs.com/en-us/newsfile_64/5a4e577cb427b0b306c884c6e6a7d363

Israel could become the next country to legalize adult-use cannabis after lawmakers gave preliminary approval to two bills calling for the decriminalization of cannabis and the regulation of its sale for recreational and medical use.

Let's take a closer look at the move and what it means for public companies operating in the country, including Isracann Biosciences Inc. (CSE: IPOT) (OTC Pink: ISCNF)-the only Israeli pure-play opportunity in the space.

Legalization on the Horizon

The Israeli government's approval of two preliminary cannabis bills would decriminalize the possession and use of small quantities of cannabis, as well as create a regulatory framework governing the sale of adult-use and medical cannabis in the country. While the discussions remain early-stage, it could mirror that of Canada or other legal countries.

Israel has a burgeoning medical cannabis industry already that has more than 50,000 authorized users and that figure is rapidly growing. At the same time, the country has some of the highest per capita cannabis usage rates in the world at nearly one-third of people between the ages of 18 and 65-creating an enormous market opportunity.

In addition to its legalization efforts, Israel has long been a leader in cannabis research and development. The country became the first country in the world to allow medical research and cultivation back in 2007, while THC and CBD cannabinoid structures were originally discovered at Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Story continues

The Israeli Cabinet approved the export of medical cannabis back in 2019 and the government gave the final go-ahead earlier this year. The move could open the door to exports to the European Union, which is located nearby and represents a massive and underserved market for medical cannabis and CBD products.

Capitalizing on the Market

There are several public and private companies targeting the Israeli cannabis industry, but few of them are pure-plays that trade on North American exchanges.

Isracann Biosciences Inc. (CSE: IPOT) (OTC Pink: ISCNF) has an expected annual capacity of more than 23,000 kilograms of dried cannabis at its Cannisra farm and with Israel's favorable climate, management anticipates becoming a low-cost cannabis producer with costs of just $0.40 per gram-translating to attractive margins.

Click the image below to view a brief overview of the cannabis opportunity in Israel









Cannot view this video? Visit:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Txysv2Sd9SM

Additionally, in the Hefer Valley region, the company's joint venture farm, Cannation Ltd., is nearing the completion of phase one construction and already has signed an offtake agreement with Israeli licensed producer Focus Medical Herbs Ltd. The property contains a 55,000 sq. ft. greenhouse that's complete and awaiting final security inspection and a 110,000 sq. ft. facility for use as expansion.

"From our ongoing development efforts at our initial Cannisra Holdings project, to our exciting advancements in the Hefer Valley, we've mapped out an integrated package of properties with a multi-greenhouse strategy which includes a network of important partners and stakeholders across Israel and Europe," said CEO Darryl Jones.

Looking Ahead

Israel is rapidly progressing toward domestic legalization and the export of medical cannabis to the undersupplied European Union. Isracann Biosciences Inc. (CSE: IPOT) (OTC Pink: ISCNF) is well positioned to capitalize on these dynamics with its various ongoing projects and agreements that are close to reaching a commercialization point.

For more information, visit the company's website at www.isracann.com.

Click here to read the full article: https://www.cannabisfn.com/israel-steps-closer-to-cannabis-legalization/

About CFN Enterprises Inc.

CFN Enterprises Inc. (OTCQB: CNFN) is a digital media and ecommerce company focused on advancing businesses and brands in highly regulated emerging industries across the globe. CFN connects investors with new market opportunities while helping consumers find innovative products that enhance their lives. Learn more at www.cfnenterprisesinc.com.

CFN Enterprises Inc. Media Contact:

CFN Enterprises Inc.

+001 (833) 420-CNFN

investors@cfnenterprisesinc.com

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENT

Use of Forward-looking Statements

This press release may contain forward-looking statements from CFN Enterprises Inc. within the meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and federal securities laws. For example, when CFN Enterprises Inc. describes the potential acquisition of BarNone assets and the related benefits, its pursuit of M&A opportunities, growth in CBD sales and spending on affiliate marketing, and uses other statements containing the words "believes," "anticipates," "plans," "expects," "will" and similar expressions, CFN Enterprises Inc. is using forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based on the current expectations of the management of CFN Enterprises Inc. only, and are subject to a number of factors and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements. The following factors, among others, could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements: regulatory and licensing risks; changes in general economic, business and political conditions, including changes in the financial markets; the regulatory landscape and enforcement related to cannabis, including political risks and risks relating to regulatory change; changes in applicable laws; compliance with extensive government regulation; public opinion and perception of the cannabis industry; we may be unable to retain or attract key employees whose knowledge is essential to the development of our products and services; or, loss of market share and pressure on pricing resulting from competition, which could cause the actual results or performance of CFN Enterprises Inc. to differ materially from those contemplated in such forward-looking statements. Except as otherwise required by law, CFN Enterprises Inc. undertakes no obligation to publicly release any revisions to these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. For a more detailed description of the risk and uncertainties affecting CFN Enterprises Inc., reference is made to CFN Enterprises Inc.'s reports filed from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/61530
Shorts and T-shirts will be the wardrobe this weekend as a heat wave is expected to hit much of the region. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

The National Weather Service has issued an excessive heat watch for much of Southern California this weekend, forecasting that temperatures may near record highs throughout the area.

Strong pressure pushing west into the Four Corners region over the coming days "will bring us our heat wave," according to Todd Hall, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard.

Theres a potential we can have some dangerous heat developing, with heat illness and heat stroke issues, Hall said.

The watch will be in effect Friday morning through Monday evening, with high temperatures expected to range from 95 to 108 degrees. Friday is predicted to be the hottest day in much of the coastal and valley areas, while temperatures in the mountains will probably peak on Saturday, Hall said. Temperatures overnight are expected in the 70s and lower 80s.

The heat wave may elevate fire risk, Hall said.

Officials advised that residents drink fluids, stay in air-conditioned rooms and check in with relatives and neighbors. They warned that young children and pets should not be left alone in cars, because the inside of vehicles can reach deadly temperatures within minutes in hot weather.
President Donald Trump said Wednesday the federal government is sending 125 million reusable face masks to school districts across the United States as schools consider whether it's safe to reopen this fall amid the coronavirus pandemic.

"We have to open up our schools and open up our businesses," Trump said during a White House press conference on the coronavirus, adding that all school districts should be making plans for how to resume in-person education for students "as soon as possible."

"To support the reopening of America's schools, we provided $13 billion in elementary and secondary schools towards the CARES Act and CARES Act funding," he told reporters. "We will provide up to 125 million reusable masks to various school districts around the country."

Trump also announced new recommendations for schools reopening, including ensuring all students, teachers, and staff understand the symptoms of the virus and encouraging frequent hand washing.

Whether and how to reopen schools in the U.S. this fall has become a hotbed issue in recent weeks. The U.S. has the worst outbreak in the world with more than 5 million cases so far and at least 165,328 deaths as of Wednesday, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. Researchers say the role kids play in spreading the disease is still unclear.

Trump has pushed for schools to reopen as fall approaches regardless of the state of the outbreak in the U.S., saying last month that keeping schools closed "is causing death also."

"The lower they are in age, the lower the risk," Trump said on July 30 at a news briefing in the White House. "We have to remember that there's another side to this. Keeping them out of school and keeping work closed is causing death also. Economic harm, but it's causing death for different reasons, but death. Probably more death."

Earlier in the day, Trump suggested that if some state or local officials decide not to reopen schools, he thinks the school funding should be reallocated to parents or other school districts.

Last week, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that all school districts across the state have been authorized to reopen for the fall semester, including New York City, the nation's largest school district.

Cuomo said Monday that he is allowing in-person education to resume because school district planning doesn't allow students to be surrounded by "hundreds of people the way you would be in a museum."

In a museum or mall, "you're walking past a continuous group of new people," he said. The schools will "take protections, they are in an isolated place [and] in controlled circumstances."

Cuomo is requiring school districts to provide details to the New York State Department of Health for remote learning, testing and contact tracing before reopening. Schools also need to set up a minimum of three education sessions with parents to go through their plans. However, larger school districts need five sessions for parents, he said.
The Africa Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) on Wednesday revealed the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Africa surged to 1,064,546 as the death toll rose to 23,839.

The Africa CDC Director, John Nkengasong, made the announcement in Addis Ababa on Wednesday.

The Africa CDC, in its latest situation update issued on Wednesday, said the number of COVID-19 cases across the African continent has risen from 1, 055, 964 on Tuesday to 1,064, 546 as of Wednesday.

The Africa CDC also noted that the continent-wide COVID-19 related death toll registered an increase of 257 deaths compared to Tuesdays 23,582 to reach 23, 839.

The continental disease control and prevention agency also said the number of people who recovered from their COVID-19 infections also reached 758,292 so far.

South Africa currently has the most COVID-19 cases at 566,109.

The country also has the highest COVID-19 related deaths, with death toll currently standing at 10,751, according to the centre.

Egypt comes next with 95, 834 COVID-19 cases and 5,059 COVID-19 related deaths, followed by Nigeria which has so far recorded 47, 290 COVID-19 cases and 956 deaths.

The Southern Africa region is the most affected area in terms of confirmed cases, followed by Northern Africa and Western Africa regions, the Africa CDC said.

Amid the rapid spread of the COVID-19 pandemic across the continent, the Africa CDC had on Friday urged the African continent to increase compliance to the public health and social measures as the COVID-19 pandemic continued to gain momentum in Africa.

We must increase mass wearing of masks as we expand testing and treatment services, Mr Nkengasong said in his message, following the launch of the World Mask Week, slated from August 7 to 14, as an effort to increase the use of face coverings in public across the globe.

(Xinhua/NAN)
E ducation minister Nick Gibb has defended the Governments eleventh hour decision to allow A-level and GCSE students in England to use their mock exam results.

Results in mock tests  which were held before schools were forced to close amid the Covid-19 crisis  will carry the same weight as the calculated results to be awarded this month, Gavin Williamson said.

The move, described by one union leader as panicked and chaotic, comes after unions called on the UK Government to follow Scotlands lead in scrapping moderated grades as the downgrading of more than 124,000 results was reversed.

In a U-turn announced on Tuesday, Scotlands Education Secretary John Swinney revealed that downgraded results would revert to the grades estimated by pupils teachers.

Minister for Schools Nick Gibb defended the U-turn / PA Archive/PA Images

It comes after this years summer exams were cancelled amid Covid-19. Teachers were told to submit the grades they thought each student would have received if they had sat the papers.

Mr Gibb said only a small number would be affected by the move, which was designed as a safety net to ensure that no students were disadvantaged by the system for assessing their grades following the cancelling of exams.

It is just making sure at the edges that no student is disadvantaged. This is just to give a safety net for any student who might fall through the system, he told Sky News.

It will only affect a small group of people. Most young people tomorrow will get the grade that the teacher sent in to the exam board that they thought they would get.

Kate Green described the government's decision as 'chaotic' / PA

Shadow education secretary Kate Green described the Governments announcement on English students using mock exam results to progress to college and university as chaotic.

The MP for Stretford and Urmston said one of the problems is many students would not have sat mock exams.

I dont think this is a perfect answer at all to what is now becoming a really chaotic situation, she told BBC Breakfast.

And very, very worrying for (A-level) students the day before theyre due to get their results finding the system changing again.

She added: Not all students will have even taken mock exams and what weve now got is a system which clearly is not fit for purpose. The Government itself is clearly acknowledging that by announcing more and more changes to it.

Pupils arrive at Kelso High School on the Scottish Borders as schools in Scotland start reopening / PA

Ms Green said there needed to be a proper robust appeals process for students so that they are not dependant on systems that may not fairly reflect the work that theyve done.

The shadow education secretary added that GCSE students should not be downgraded below a level 4  the equivalent of the old grade C  in English and maths.

Those subjects are so crucial for a students future path, whether into their chosen career or further study, she told BBC Breakfast.

And given the disruption that they have suffered this year to their education we do think its particularly important that we protect this Covid generation from further damage.
The Delhi Police Tuesday advised invitees for the Independence Day function at the Red Fort here to refrain from attending it if they experienced any Covid-19 symptom within two weeks before the event and havent got tested.

The police also requested the invitees to follow Covid-related guidelines issued by the Home Ministry and the Health Ministry at all times during the Independence Day celebration at the Red Fort. In the event of any invitee experiencing/having a history of any symptoms of Covid-19 within two weeks (running up to) of the Independence Day, which is yet untested or confirmed positive for the disease, the invitee may consider refraining to attend the event, the police said in a statement.

They said there will be markings at the entry gate at adequate distance and controlling officers and ushers will be on duty to assist invitees for seating inside the designated enclosures.

They said that on conclusion of the function, the invitees should avoid crowding at the exit, and wait for the controlling officers to guide them. According to a senior police officer, there will be around 4,000 security personnel at the Red Fort on the occasion and they will stand maintaining social distance. No cameras, binoculars, remote-controlled car keys, umbrella, handbags, briefcases, transistors, cigarette lighters, tiffin boxes, water bottles, lunch boxes etc. will be permitted, they said. The full-dress rehearsal for the Independence Day will take place at the Red Fort on Thursday. Defence personnel from the Army, Navy and the Air Force will march across the Mughal-era structure.

Earlier the police had said a multi-layer security ring, including NSG snipers, elite SWAT commandos and kite catchers, will be placed around the Red Fort, from where Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the nation on the 74th Independence Day. Over 350 Delhi Police personnel, who will be part of the guard of honour at Red Fort on Independence Day, have been quarantined as a precautionary measure, they had said.

These personnel of the force of all ranks -- from a constable to Deputy Commissioner of Police -- have been quarantined at a newly built police colony in Delhi Cantonment. Flying of sub-conventional aerial platforms like para-gliders, para-motors, hang gliders, UAVs, micro light aircraft, remotely piloted aircraft, hot air balloons, small size powered aircraft, quadcopters or para-jumping from aircraft etc. are prohibited over the jurisdiction of National Capital Territory of Delhi up to August 15, police had said.

The guest list likely to be pruned and children wearing clothes resembling the Tricolour will be missing this year. However, there will be no change in the security arrangements and they will be as stringent as they are every year. The police personnel involved in frisking would also don personal protection equipment (PPE) kits, the police had said. The Independence Day event witnesses attendance of ministers, senior political leaders, top officials of different ministries and diplomats. Even the general public is allowed to attend.

This time, however, there was also a proposal to not allow the general public at the event and instead have 1,500 corona warriors, including 500 police personnel who have recovered from the infection, attend it. The event at the Red Fort shall consist of a guard of honour by the armed forces and the Delhi Police to the prime minister, unfurling of the national flag and firing of the 21-gun salute, address by the PM, singing of the national anthem immediately after the speech and release of tricoloured balloons at the end.
Mark Robert Bonhag, 56, of the Highland area was driving north on New Hampshire Avenue in the Cloverly area about 12:20 a.m. when his car left the road near McNeil Lane and struck a utility pole, county police said. He died at the scene, they said.
PRAGUE (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Wednesday his department did everything by the book in regards to arms sales to Saudi Arabia in 2019 after a government watchdog found the risk of civilian casualties in Yemen was not fully evaluated.

His comments came after a State Department Inspector General report earlier this week concluded the state department did not fully evaluate the risk of civilian casualties in Yemen when it pushed through a huge 2019 precision-guided munitions sale to Saudi Arabia.

"We did everything by the book," Pompeo told reporters during a news conference with the Czech prime minister. "I am proud of the work that my team did. We got a really good outcome. We prevented the loss of lives."

Congress had requested an investigation into the Trump administrations May 2019 decision to move ahead with $8 billion in military sales to Saudi Arabia and other countries, sidestepping the congressional review process by declaring an emergency over tensions with Iran.

The secretary of state did not sit down for an interview for the report, instead submitting a written statement.

(Reporting by Jan Lopatka, Writing by Michael Kahn; Editing by Toby Chopra)
An alcohol-impaired big-game hunter assaulted his wife before shooting two NSW police officers and taking his own life, an inquest has found.

The 74-year-old, who owned 13 registered firearms with his wife, shot Leading Senior Constable Helen McMurtrie in the throat and Sergeant Mark Johnston on the side of his face with the same bullet on January 18 last year.

Three officers attended the property in Glen Innes, an hour's drive north of Armidale, about 10pm following reports of domestic violence.

An alcohol-impaired big-game hunter shot Leading Senior Constable Helen McMurtrie (pictured) in the throat

Known by the pseudonym 'A', the man had been drinking scotch that night, with tests revealing a blood alcohol level of 0.164 - more than three times the legal driving limit.

Forensic pathologist Dr Allan Cala told the inquest this would have left his judgment, co-ordination, reflexes and cognition 'significantly impaired'.

Sen Const McMurtrie, Sgt Johnston and Probationary Constable Samantha Petty - just four weeks out of the police academy - first spoke to A's wife, who had taken shelter at her sister's nearby house, before engaging the man.

The woman told police her husband had put his hands around her neck, preventing her from breathing, and that she feared for her life.

She said he had mentioned a rifle and said to her something like 'Oh you'll get what you want'. She also thought the former plastics fabricator was going to kill himself.

In her findings released on Tuesday, Deputy State Coroner Elizabeth Ryan said there was sufficient information available to Sgt Johnston and Sen Const McMurtrie to conclude A probably was armed with a gun.

'There was no real basis for (the officers) to be uncertain about this to the degree they apparently were,' she said.

A large bullet fragment entered Sgt Mark Johnston's (with his wife) left cheek and struck his jawbone

'The very unfortunate consequence was that each underestimated the degree of risk to themselves in approaching A as they did.'

Sen Const McMurtrie approached the house and called out to A, who did not respond. After edging closer, the three officers saw A, sitting on his verandah, loading his rifle.

Pistols drawn, Sgt Johnston told his colleagues to back out of the property, which they did before Sen Const McMurtrie noticed and yelled at A's sister-in-law, parked in a car opposite the property.

The 74-year-old man then fired a round, with the bullet ricocheting off the gravel driveway and hitting both officers, before shooting himself.

Sen Const McMurtrie was seriously injured and was placed in an induced coma at Gold Coast Hospital.

Pieces of shrapnel remain in her neck and cannot be removed 'without unacceptable risk', the inquest heard. She was medically discharged from the NSW Police Force this year.

A large bullet fragment entered Sgt Johnston's left cheek and struck his jawbone. He underwent surgery, was off work for 12 weeks and has a 10 centimetre scar on his cheek.

Ms Ryan said while there were flaws in the risk assessment and plan adopted by police, there was 'no evidence' a different approach would have prevented A's death.

'The situation facing the police officers that night was volatile with high potential to escalate in unpredictable ways,' she said in her findings.

Ms Ryan concluded there was no basis to make any recommendations arising from A's death.

Lifeline 13 11 14
File photo of gavels and law books. A Philadelphia man was sentenced to 45 years in prison for sex trafficking three teenagers. Read more

Artavius Horne had taken advantage of children before.

The 36-year-old Philadelphia man was already a registered sex offender, according to court documents, as he continued exploiting children, selling three minors for years and transporting them from Northeast Philadelphia to New Jersey, New York, Washington, D.C., and Maryland as part of his sex-trafficking business.

The victims testified they were sold for sex 10 or more times a day, every day.

Horne, convicted at a three-day trial in September in federal court in Philadelphia, was sentenced Tuesday to 45 years in prison and 10 years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney William M. McSwain announced. Hornes attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The psychological damage to these children resulting from these offenses will be lifelong and significant, the government wrote in a memo seeking a life sentence. They will have to endure the shame and degradation of this experience for the rest of their young lives.

All three girls testified that they met Horne, also known as Lo, while they were homeless and struggling with substance abuse  and that he took advantage of them. He provided trap apartments for them to live in throughout Philadelphia, and took lewd photos to post as advertisements on Backpage.com with a description of each girl and a phone number to call. They were teenagers  one as young as 13  during the time that he trafficked them between 2013 and 2015, and in 2018, according to court records.

The children are not named in court documents, being referred to as Minors 1, 2 and 3.

Minors 1 and 2 testified that while they were trafficked for three and two years, respectively, Horne sold them for sex 10 or more times a day, seven days a week, for a $60 short stay, $100 for a half-hour, and $150 for an hour. Minor 3 testified that Horne sold her for sex 10 to 15 times a day, every day, for the nine months she was trafficked in 2015. She said she made about $1,000 per week in pieces. Horne took half.

Horne was convicted in Bucks County in March 2017 for promoting prostitution of minors. He continued sex trafficking while on bail and after his conviction, court documents say.

Horne committed these heinous acts while on parole for doing the exact same thing, McSwain said in the news release. He has no regard for the law  or even basic human decency  as evidenced by his willingness to sell the bodies of children for sex to benefit himself. He deserves every minute of the 45 years that he received today.

The FBI, which investigated the case, asks that anyone with knowledge of child or adult sex trafficking call 1-800-CALL-FBI or go online to tips.fbi.gov.
This article will reflect on the compensation paid to Jeremy Michael Lewis who has served as CEO of Universe Group plc (LON:UNG) since 2013. This analysis will also assess whether Universe Group pays its CEO appropriately, considering recent earnings growth and total shareholder returns.

Check out our latest analysis for Universe Group

How Does Total Compensation For Jeremy Michael Lewis Compare With Other Companies In The Industry?

At the time of writing, our data shows that Universe Group plc has a market capitalization of UK16m, and reported total annual CEO compensation of UK289k for the year to December 2019. Notably, that's an increase of 11% over the year before. Notably, the salary which is UK227.0k, represents most of the total compensation being paid.

In comparison with other companies in the industry with market capitalizations under UK153m, the reported median total CEO compensation was UK243k. From this we gather that Jeremy Michael Lewis is paid around the median for CEOs in the industry.

Component 2019 2018 Proportion (2019) Salary UK227k UK226k 79% Other UK62k UK35k 21% Total Compensation UK289k UK261k 100%

On an industry level, around 65% of total compensation represents salary and 35% is other remuneration. Universe Group pays out 79% of remuneration in the form of a salary, significantly higher than the industry average. If salary is the major component in total compensation, it suggests that the CEO receives a higher fixed proportion of the total compensation, regardless of performance.

A Look at Universe Group plc's Growth Numbers

Universe Group plc has reduced its earnings per share by 73% a year over the last three years. In the last year, its revenue is up 13%.

Few shareholders would be pleased to read that earnings have declined. While the revenue growth is good to see, it is outweighed by the fact that earnings are down, over three years. It's hard to argue the company is firing on all cylinders, so shareholders might be averse to high CEO remuneration. While we don't have analyst forecasts for the company, shareholders might want to examine this detailed historical graph of earnings, revenue and cash flow.

Story continues

Has Universe Group plc Been A Good Investment?

With a three year total loss of 41% for the shareholders, Universe Group plc would certainly have some dissatisfied shareholders. So shareholders would probably want the company to be lessto generous with CEO compensation.

In Summary...

As previously discussed, Jeremy Michael is compensated close to the median for companies of its size, and which belong to the same industry. On the other hand, earnings growth and total shareholder return have been negative for the last three years. It's tough to call out the compensation as inappropriate, but shareholders might not favor a raise before company performance improves.

CEO pay is simply one of the many factors that need to be considered while examining business performance. That's why we did our research, and identified 3 warning signs for Universe Group (of which 1 is a bit unpleasant!) that you should know about in order to have a holistic understanding of the stock.

Important note: Universe Group is an exciting stock, but we understand investors may be looking for an unencumbered balance sheet and blockbuster returns. You might find something better in this list of interesting companies with high ROE and low debt.

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.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-12 07:18:08|Editor: huaxia

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File photo taken on June 27, 2019 shows Senator Kamala Harris of California interviewed after the second night of the first Democratic primary debate in Miami, Florida, the United States. Former U.S. Vice President and presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden announced on Aug. 11, 2020 that he has picked Senator Kamala Harris of California as his running mate. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)

WASHINGTON, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- Former U.S. Vice President and presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden announced on Tuesday that he has picked Senator Kamala Harris of California as his running mate.

In a tweet, Biden called Harris "a fearless fighter for the little guy, and one of the country's finest public servants."

Elected in 2016, Harris, now 55, was the second African American woman in history elected to the U.S. Senate. Before that, she served as attorney general of California.

With Biden's selection, she becomes the third woman in U.S. history to serve as a vice presidential candidate, following Geraldine Ferraro as the Democratic vice presidential pick in 1984 and Sarah Palin as the Republican vice presidential pick in 2008.

"Back when Kamala was Attorney General, she worked closely with Beau," Biden continued in his tweet, referring to his late son who was then the attorney general of Delaware and who died in 2015 from brain cancer. "I watched as they took on the big banks, lifted up working people, and protected women and kids from abuse. I was proud then, and I'm proud now to have her as my partner in this campaign."

In a tweet following Biden's announcement, Harris hailed the presumptive Democratic nominee as someone who "can unify the American people because he's spent his life fighting for us. And as president, he'll build an America that lives up to our ideals."

"I'm honored to join him as our party's nominee for Vice President, and do what it takes to make him our Commander-in-Chief," she added.

Biden and Harris will appear together and speak in Biden's hometown of Wilmington, Delaware, on Wednesday, according to the Biden campaign.

The daughter of Indian and Jamaican immigrants, Harris announced her bid for the White House in January 2019. Due to a shortage of funds, she dropped out of the race less than a year later.

In March 2020, Harris, who famously called out Biden over racial issues in a Democratic primary debate, endorsed him. Having spent most of her political career as a prosecutor, the senator rose to national prominence as a leader on both racial equality issues and criminal justice reform.

"She's been a leader on criminal justice and marriage equality. And she has focused like a laser on the racial disparities as a result of the coronavirus," Biden said Tuesday of Harris, who, like himself, is considered a moderate Democrat.

Harris winning the bid for vice presidential candidacy capped a long process of which the result was previously expected in the first week of August.

Biden, who has promised to name a female running mate, postponed the announcement as the contest became increasingly more fluid than observers had thought, with Suzan Rice, former national security adviser in the administration of former president Barack Obama, and Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer seemingly gaining momentum in the final days leading up to the announcement.

Those who vied for the post with Harris quickly reacted to Biden's decision and supported his pick.

Rice said Harris "is a tenacious and trailblazing leader." Whitmer said she was "extraordinarily proud to support" Harris and Biden. Elizabeth Warren, once a Democratic presidential candidate on the progressive camp who endorsed Biden after dropping out, tweeted that Harris "will be a great partner to @JoeBiden in making our government a powerful force for good in the fight for social, racial, and economic justice."

Other prominent Democrats also voiced their support for Harris. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the senator "will continue her legacy of trailblazing leadership to move our nation forward." Obama said Harris "is more than prepared for the job." Former President Bill Clinton said she and Biden "make a strong team." Hillary Clinton, the 2016 Democratic presidential nominee, called on supporters to join her in getting Harris elected.

In his first public comment during a news briefing at the White House on Tuesday afternoon, President Donald Trump said Harris was "my number one draft pick, and we'll see how she works out."

He said Harris "was extraordinarily nasty to Judge (Brett) Kavanaugh" -- the Trump-appointed Supreme Court justice who was alleged of sexual misconduct -- during Senate hearings, adding that "she did very poorly in the primaries and now she's chosen so let's see how that all works out."

Hours earlier, Trump campaign senior adviser Katrina Pierson in a statement accused Harris of attempting to "bury her record as a prosecutor, in order to appease the anti-police extremists," meanwhile claiming that the selection of Harris "is proof that Joe Biden is an empty shell being filled with the extreme agenda of the radicals on the left." Enditem
Viola Davis decided to celebrate her birthday this year by commemorating where she came from, she announced on Twitter.

The multi award-winning actress celebrated her 55th birthday on Tuesday by announcing that she purchased the South Carolina home she was born in, which is located on a former slave plantation. The house is on the Singleton Plantation in St. Matthews, S.C., where her grandfather worked as a sharecropper.

She posted a photo of the house on social media:

The above is the house where I was born August 11, 1965. It is the birthplace of my story. Today on my 55th year of life....I own it....all of it.



"May you live long enough to know why you were born.

-Cherokee Birth Blessing- pic.twitter.com/CatJK405BL  Viola Davis (@violadavis) August 11, 2020

Davis has discussed her upbringing in interviews throughout her career. Most recently, she shared quite a bit of herself in the cover story of Vanity Fair, July/August 2020 issue, titled Viola Davis: My Entire Life Has Been a Protest.

Davis credits the power of her work to the despair of her impoverished childhood in Central Falls, Rhode Island.

In Vanity Fair, she revealed that she was the fifth of six children, with an alcoholic and sometimes violent father. When she was young, she was often in trouble at school, hungry and unwashed. Her family couldnt always afford laundry and soap, let alone breakfast and dinner. She wet the bed until she was 14 and sometimes went to school stinking of urine.

When I was younger, says Davis, I did not exert my voice because I did not feel worthy of having a voice.

She credits the support and affection of people who knew she was worthy that lifted her out of what she calls the hole: her sisters Deloris, Diane and Anita, and her mother, Mae Alice.as well as theater and educators.

Among the multiple award nominations and wins throughout her career, some of the major awards won by Davis were the 2001 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play as Tonya in August Wilsons King Hedley II, and the 2010 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play for playing Rose Maxson in the revival of August Wilsons Fences.

In 2015, Davis became the first black woman to win the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for her role as lawyer Annalise Keating in the ABC drama Hot to Get Away with Murder.

In 2016, when she reprised her role as Rose Maxon in the film version of Fences, she was awarded both the Academy Award and Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress.

She will portray Michelle Obama in Showtimes upcoming series First Ladies, that is being executive produced by JuVee Productions, the company run by Davis and her husband Julius Tennon.

So far, she hasnt mentioned what she plans to do with the property.

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Former Karnataka chief minister H D Kumaraswamy on Wednesday demanded tough action against those indulging in Bengaluru vandalism and taking the law into their hands in the name of religion. At least three people died in police firing after violence erupted in Bengaluru on August 11 over an alleged derogatory social media post by a Congress leader's relative.

The police opened fire after angry mobs attacked the house of Pulakeshinagar MLA Akhanda Srinivas Murthy and went berserk in DJ Halli and KG Halli police station areas of Bengaluru. Sources said that over 50 people have got injured in the violent clashes.

No religion or community is above the law. Anyone who doesn't respect the law of the land should be punished. The government must take tough action against vandals. Must ensure that such incidents don't recur in future.

1/6  H D Kumaraswamy (@hd_kumaraswamy) August 12, 2020

Taking to micro-blogging site Twitter, Kumaraswamy said that a "stupid person made a derogatory comment on Prophet Mohammed", adding that he should be punished, but nobody should destroy the preachings of the Prophet by indulging in riots. He called the attacks on police and media persons, highly deplorable.

The former CM also said that such incidents indicate that this is a pre-planned attack, adding that it is not untrue that family feud provided a platform to this incident.

He tweeted, "No religion or community is above the law. Anyone who doesn't respect the law of the land should be punished. The government must take tough action against vandals. Must ensure that such incidents don't recur in future. A stupid person made a derogatory comment on Prophet Mohammed. He should be punished, but nobody should destroy the sacred preachings of the Prophet by indulging in such riots."

"Attacks on Police who were there to maintain law and order and on media persons who went to cover the news is highly deplorable. These vandals don't even have remorse on what kind of message they are sending to civil society through their heinous act. Such incidents indicate that this is a pre-planned attack. An explosion of people's frustration due to nepotism by local representatives and their hunger for power. It is not untrue that family feud provided a platform to this incident," he further tweeted.

Quoting a verse from the Quran he said, "Allah commands justice, charity and the courtesy of the unbelievers, and forbids indecent acts, misconduct and lawlessness. He admonishes you to be conscious. Quran Al Hijr 15."

"Which religion is without kindness? Kindness is must for all animals. Kindness is the basis of religion. Oh lord of the meeting rivers," he tweeted.

Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on Wednesday said that he has ordered the concerned authorities to take strict action against those involved in the incident. CM Yediyurappa noted that all possible steps have been taken by the government to maintain law and order in the city. The Karnataka CM appealed to people to maintain peace and asserted that violence against journalists, police and people was unacceptable.

"The miscreants in the DJ Halli police station has led to the assault and rioting at MLA Akhand Srinivasa`s house and police station. Already, directives have been issued against the perpetrators and the government has taken all possible steps to curb the situation," he said.

"The attack on journalists, the police and the public in the riot last night was unacceptable. The government will not tolerate such provocations and rumours. Strict action against perpetrators is certain. I appeal to people to maintain peace and act with restraint and without panic," added CM Yediyurappa.

According to sources in the Bengaluru police, DJ Halli cops have arrested a political activist belonging to SDPI. He has been identified as Muzzamil Pasha. The accused had also contested BBMP (Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike) election from Sagayapura ward unsuccessfully.

Besides Muzamil, another SDPI activist Ayaz has also provoked the rioters to vandalise the two police stations at DJ Halli and KG Halli area in East Bengaluru. It is alleged that the violence was fully pre-planned and police will investigate it from all angles. Special teams are combing the area and 150 people have been arrested so far.

Bengaluru Police Commissioner Kamal Pant said that restrictions under CrPC Section 144 have been imposed in the city and curfew has been imposed in DJ Halli and KG Halli police station limits to keep the situation under control. He added that accused Naveen has been arrested for sharing a derogatory post on Facebook.

The angry mobs also pelted stones on cops guarding the MLA's residence. The MLA was reportedly not at his residence when the mobs came out to vent their anger against the derogatory posts shared by his relative
Rishi Sunak today refused to rule out delaying his crucial Budget this Autumn if there is a second wave of coronavirus.

The Chancellor is believed to be ready to shelve the financial package - billed as the defining moment of the government - if the situation escalates again.

In an interview this morning, Mr Sunak did not dismiss the idea of rescheduling, but insisted the Treasury was 'very much working towards the goal' of having the Budget as expected.

The contingency planning underlines the anxiety in government about the recent rise in cases across Europe.

In an interview this morning, Mr Sunak did not dismiss the idea of rescheduling, but insisted the Treasury was 'very much working towards the goal' of having the Budget as expected

The government is on track to borrow around 300billion this year as it desperately tries to keep the economy afloat with schemes such as furlough

A delay would likely be until the spring of next year, and Mr Sunak could instead choose to deliver a 'mini-spending review' before Christmas to update departmental budgets.

One ally of Mr Sunak told the Financial Times: 'While it's very likely to happen, there is an element of uncertainty.

'If we have a series of local lockdowns and a second spike, it's not clear that would be the right time for a Budget.'

Speaking to Sky News today, the Chancellor said: "We've said that we plan to have a fiscal event in the autumn and we're very much working towards that goal."

Concerns have been rising about the prospects of a new wave of coronavirus, with daily cases topping 1,000 again in the UK and many other European countries struggling to maintain control.

The government is on track to borrow around 300billion this year as it desperately tries to keep the economy afloat.

But Boris Johnson has vowed 'colossal investment', dismissing the idea that ministers will resort to austerity.

Mr Sunak has admitted that tough choices will be needed in the medium term to balance the books, with tax rises seemingly in the pipeline.

But the spending taps are expected to remain on for at least another year in order to avoid disastrous scarring to the economy and fueling a massive increase in unemployment.

The scale of the problems were underlined today with figures showing UK plc shrank by a shocking 20.4 per cent in the three months to June, the biggest fall in modern history, with record reductions in construction, services and production.

Official figures showed UK plc shrank by 20.4 per cent in the three months to June

Monthly GDP figures produced by the ONS show that the economy has bounced back to an extent since April. Percentages cannot be added up to give overall change during the period

The Office for National Statistics said the UK had been harder hit in the first half of the year than many other economies

The news means the country is officially in recession - defined as two consecutive negative quarters - for the first time since the credit crunch.

The economy dipped 2.2 per cent in the first three months of the year, and is now smaller than it has been since 2003. The hit - thought to be the worst recession in 100 years - is harder than in every other major economy except Spain.

However, there was a glimmer of hope with the single month GDP figure for June bouncing back by 8.7 per cent as lockdown restrictions eased.

Mr Sunak said the tumble showed that 'hard times are here' and warned many more jobs will be lost - urging people to get back to offices and help revive the economy.

'I've said before that hard times were ahead, and today's figures confirm that hard times are here,' he said.

'Hundreds of thousands of people have already lost their jobs, and sadly in the coming months many more will.

'But while there are difficult choices to be made ahead, we will get through this, and I can assure people that nobody will be left without hope or opportunity.'
IT-IS INTERNATIONAL'S QPCR INSTRUMENTATION IS USED GLOBALLY AS A TOOL FOR RAPID DETECTION OF SARS-COV-2, THE CAUSATIVE AGENT OF COVID-19

IT-IS International welcomed Rishi Sunak to their UK R&D and Production facility where he got hands-on with their MyGoTM qPCR instrumentation that is currently being deployed in six continents to help contain the spread of COVID-19.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200812005519/en/

Rishi Sunak using a MyGo Pro qPCR instrument (Photo: Business Wire)

Rishi Sunak, MP for Richmond said "It is great to see British engineering at the forefront of the fight against COVID-19."

Rishi was very keen to learn more about the technology behind the MyGoTM qPCR instrumentation and their application especially with regards to mobile COVID-19 analysis and the fact that results can be achieved in as little as 30 minutes from a swab using GeneMe UK's FRANKD test, which can then be sent automatically to people's phone via the free Yoti app.

IT-IS international are located within Rishi Sunak's constituency of Richmond, North Yorkshire. Rishi also spent time speaking with the talented IT-IS International team, from their Head of Production who used to work within the local steel industry to a young apprentice starting her career in life science.

Dr Rod Fuerst, CEO of IT-IS International said "We are privileged to be able to produce successful products that enable practical biological analysis, especially given their potential to impact the outcome of the current pandemic. The whole team was delighted to see their achievements recognised by the Chancellor of the Exchequer."

Andrew Wheeler, Co-Founder of Geneme.UK said "MyGo manufacture some of the best PCR machines on the market and they are an excellent fit for our FRANKD test. The team at MyGo have been very supportive of our efforts to bring the FRANKD test to market. The combination of MyGo, GeneMe UK and Yoti is a perfect example of British companies working together to combat COVID-19."

IT-IS International are currently increasing their production capacity to keep up with the surge in demand for their MyGoTM qPCR instrumentation being deployed in mobile COVID-19 testing locations globally to help open up economies and these efforts were positively reinforced by the Chancellor's visit.

===ENDS===

About IT-IS International

Founded and staffed by people with a passion for technology, for over 10 years IT-IS has been delivering high-performance technology for real-time PCR. With comprehensive capabilities ranging from molecular biology to software engineering, IT-IS provides products from bespoke system development to off the shelf MyGo real-time PCR machines.

About GeneMe UK

GeneMe UK is the official UK distributor of the FRANKD test. FRANKD is produced by GeneMe Sp. z o.o. a leading biotech company, specialised in genetic testing.

FRANKD stands for Fast, Reliable, Accurate, Nucleic based, Kit or COVID-19, Detection and is a Nucleic Acid Amplification Test (NAAT) as recommended by the WHO for testing for SARS-CoV-2. However, unlike standard tests for COVID-19, that use RT-PCR technology, FRANKD uses modern RT-LAMP technology.

The GeneMe FRANKD test has been independently validated with 97% Sensitivity and 100% Specificity. GeneMe uses a special patented enzyme for virus detection.

Yoti is a UK based digital ID and credential management platform used widely in the UK and Globally. For more information visit https://www.yoti.com/

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200812005519/en/

Contacts:

Dr Rod Fuerst CEO of IT-IS International.

r.fuerst@mygopcr.com

or visit www.mygopcr.com

Rupert Graves

rupert@geneme.uk

or visit www.geneme.uk
Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has said that the recovery rate of coronavirus has touched 75 per cent mark in the state and patients in large number are going home after the recovery.

At present, the recovery rate of the state has touched 75.1 percent and the number of active patients has become 9,105. New 843 patients have been admitted to the state and at the same time, 922 went back home after the recovery. In comparison to Monday, the number of active patients has declined by 98, said Chouhan while he was reviewing the situation of Covid-19 and arrangements in the state through video conference

The fatality rate in the state is 2.54 and every possible effort is being made to minimise it further, he said.

The chief minister said that arrangement of treatment for patients with minor symptoms should be made at home, subject to availability of facility at home.

He further instructed that corona related health checkups should be conducted compulsorily in all jails of the state. State Home Minister Dr Narrotam Mishra informed that 30 patients of coronavirus have been found in Gwalior jail. Chouhan then instructed to make separate wards and arrangements for treatment in the jails.

He asked officials to pay special heed to Indore, Bhopal, Gwalior, Jabalpur and Vidisha. (ANI)
A teenage boy has been left fighting for his life after he was shot in the street in Greater Manchester.

Police were called to the scene in Bury at 9.35pm last night to reports of shots fired.

A young man was rushed to hospital with 'life-threatening injuries' after the incident, Greater Manchester Police said.

The scene was sealed off by officers, who last night attended the incident alongside a tactical aid unit car.

A teenage boy has been left fighting for his life after he was shot in the street in Greater Manchester. Pictured: Police at the scene

No arrests have been made and police said a 'large high-visibility police presence' will remain in the area.

One witness told the Bury Times a shooting had taken place and a teenager was left 'seriously injured.'

It is understood the boy, whose age is unknown, was treated at the scene before being rushed to hospital.

A Greater Manchester Police spokesman said: 'Police are responding to a serious incident in Bury.

Police were called to the scene in Bury at 9.35pm last night to reports of shots fired

No arrests have been made and police said a 'large high-visibility police presence' will remain in the area

'Officers were called shortly after 9.35pm this evening, Wednesday, to reports of shots fired on Chesham Road.

'A teenage boy has been taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries.

'No arrests have been made and initial enquiries are underway.

'A scene is in place and a large high-visibility police presence will remain in the area.'

Anyone with information is asked to call 101 quoting incident number 3452 of 12/08/20 or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
EVERYTHING was gradually returning to what was a new but accepted normality. An outdoor cafe culture was developing in Tullamore with restaurants making the most of the wider footpaths by placing tables and chairs outside and locals enjoying the relaxed ambience.

Then as Covid figures for Offaly increased, rumours were rife on Friday that another lock-down was imminent for counties Laois, Offaly and Kildare.

On Friday evening Taoiseach Micheal Martin dealt the hammer blow that restrictions were to be imposed. It was the news most expected but when it came it was still a shock.

''Devastating'' is how the general manager of the Bridge House Hotel Barry Kilroy described it.

''We had five good weeks of trade. Business was a lot better then we expected. But this was a kick in the teeth,'' he said.

120 of the 230 full and part-time staff had returned to work and Barry was confident of bringing another 20 back in the coming weeks. ''We were flying it,'' he said.

Now once again everything looks uncertain. ''The staff are finding it hard and are wondering what will happen. Is it going to be two weeks or longer. We have to reassess where we stand.''

The hotel has retained some of the staff to answer phones and to attend the carvery which is open for take-away food only.

The number of people staying at the hotel has also fallen dramatically, ''dead'' is how Barry expressed it. This follows a very positive start to August with between 70 and 80 per cent room occupancy at the hotel, ''that's all gone to zero,'' he said.

A wedding booked into the hotel for last Saturday, August 8, had to be cancelled at 6pm on Friday evening. The bride moved the reception to her home where a marquee was set up. The Bridge House Hotel supplied the food and waiting staff to help make up for the disappointment.

''They were very happy. They had their friends and family there and the weather was good,'' said Barry.

The hotel has three weddings booked in for the coming weeks and 16 weddings between September and October, a lot of brides are fearful now as to what will happen.

Barry is extremely thankful to the local people who he says have been ''very supportive'' during this time. ''It has been an eye-opener for me. I realise the Bridge House is part of the community,'' he adds.

Barry's biggest wish now is to get staff back working again. He describes the staff as a very loyal team. ''We want to try to secure their jobs for as long as possible and to reassure them they can have a stable income.''

Meanwhile, at the Court Hotel, a sign on the door reads.''Dear Valued Guest, In line with Government guidelines the Hotel is now closed.

We will be closed to the public from midnight Friday 7th August with a planned reopening on the 22nd of August.''

But what of the smaller restaurants? At the Indian Palace Restaurant in Tullamore there was sadness at the newly imposed restrictions.

''We re-opened on the 29th of June. We were doing well. Things were improving and people were coming out again. It was a shock,'' said co-owner Tariq Mehmood.

Luckily the restaurant is continuing with its take-away service. ''The take-away is not bad, we won't complain,'' said Tariq. Still he is hopeful that they can open again soon. ''But health is the main thing, '' added Tariq.
WASHINGTON  President Donald Trump on Wednesday nominated Albany attorney Ryan McAllister, a graduate of Harvard Law School, to be U.S. District Court judge for the Northern District of New York.

Colleagues and former associates described McAllister as an attorney with a deep love of law. He grew up in Cobleskill, left the area for college and law school, but later returned and lives in the town with his wife and four kids.

McAllister will fill the district judge position left vacant several years ago when U.S. District Court Senior Judge Gary L. Sharpe took senior status, which allows judges to semi-retire while handling a reduced caseload.

The judgeship is something that is very appealing to him because he does have a deep interest in policy and public service," said Phil Iovieno, administrative partner at the Albany office of Boies Schiller Flexner, LLP, where McAllister practices complex commercial litigation.

McAllister previously served as district director for former U.S. Rep. John Faso, R-Kinderhook, from 2017 to 2019. Before that he was senior counsel for the New York Senate for six years and worked as a counsel to former Gov. George E. Pataki. From 2013 to 2016, he ran a private law practice in Cobleskill tackling everything from real estate transactions to criminal defense and family law.

At that time, he often found himself defending clients against the prosecution of former Schoharie County District Attorney James Sackett.

"He had very little or not much criminal experience initially, but he grasped the concepts very quickly and he was a diligent advocate for his clients," Sackett said. He quickly grew to one of our top defense attorneys in our county. ... He was able to handle pretty much any serious case.

Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years.

Faso also commended the selection of McAllister.

"Hes an extraordinarily intelligent and capable lawyer, he has all the makings of being a very fine judge," Faso said. Hes well versed in state law and federal law. Its a marvelous nomination.

After graduating from Harvard Law School in 2002, McAllister served as a law clerk to Judge Richard C. Wesley of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. He received a bachelor's degree in political science and government from the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., and remains active in the Catholic church in Cobleskill.

McAllister, who will need to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate, declined to comment for this article.
Chicago police arrested and charged a man with attempted murder after they say he shot at officers in an incident that prompted looting downtown.

Latrell Allen, 20, of Englewood was charged with two felony counts of attempted murder in the first degree and one felony count of unlawful use of a weapon, Chicago police said Monday. He was arrested Sunday afternoon after police say he fled and fired multiple rounds at officers who were responding to a call of a person with a gun.

Officers returned fire and hit Allen, who was in stable condition, police said. He was taken to a hospital, and three officers also were taken to a hospital for observation, police said.

The officers, who are part of a newly created Community Safety Team, were not wearing body cameras, Chicago's civilian police oversight agency said. The agency was investigating the incident and searching for any additional video or witnesses.

Activists with Black Lives Matter Chicago cast doubt on the police narrative of the incident in a statement Monday, saying Allen "ran away, rightfully fearing for his safety in this dangerous interaction with racist armed police."

Chicago police "claims the victim shot first and that they found a gun on the scene. These details are uncorroborated, partially because CPD also claims there is no body camera footage available for this interaction," the group said. "This is a clear violation of state law and CPD policy and another example of police showing a lack of transparency."

Chicago crowds clash with police: 100 arrested, 13 officers injured

After the shooting, a crowd gathered in the South Side neighborhood and faced off with police after someone reportedly told people that police had shot and wounded a child, said David Brown, Chicago Police Department superintendent, at a news conference Monday. That crowd eventually dispersed.

"Tempers flared, fueled by misinformation as the afternoon turned into evening," Brown said.

Story continues

Later that night, hundreds smashed windows, stole from stores and clashed with police in Chicagos Magnificent Mile shopping district and other parts of the citys downtown. About 100 people were arrested and 13 officers were injured, police said.

About 400 officers were sent to the downtown area after seeing posts on social media that Brown said were prompted by the shooting and encouraged a "caravan" of cars to engage in looting.

At least one security guard and a civilian were hospitalized in critical condition after being shot, Brown said.

Chicago raised some of its bridges and restricted access to parts of the city's downtown Monday night. About 200 protesters gathered Monday evening outside a police station and continued to raise questions about why the officers had not been wearing body cameras. One sign at the protest read, "Our futures have been looted from us ... loot back."

The downtown area reopened Tuesday morning. Another protest condemning the police shooting of Allen was planned at a police headquarters for Tuesday evening.

Yogi Dalal hugs his daughter Jigisha as his other daughter Kajal, left, bows her head at the family food and liquor store Monday, Aug. 10, 2020, after the family business was vandalized in Chicago.

A pedestrian walks across Michigan Ave., Monday, Aug. 10, 2020, past a Chicago police department vehicle, a few blocks north of the raised Michigan Ave. bridge over the Chicago river after overnight vandalism in Chicago.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Chicago looting: Police arrest man on attempted murder charges
A -level results day is today, Thursday, August 13, with students across the country waiting to see how they fared.

This year A-level results are being awarded differently, as the coronavirus pandemic shut down many schools for much of the year.

Teachers gave marks based on predicted grades, which were then assessed by a moderator based on the past exam results both of the school and the student.

But when can students get their hands on their A-level results this morning? Here's what you need to know...

Students across the UK will be receiving their A-Level results this week. / Getty

What time does UCAS open?

UCAS, the organisation that links students with universities, will give students hoping to go on to higher education an idea of their results.

The Track system that UCAS runs will update automatically at about 8am on Thursday to show students if their university of choice has accepted them based on their grades.

Schools should have told students already if they are getting their grades by email or in the post, or in person at school.

If students are going into school to get their results, their school may have set up a staggered system for students to arrive, to help enforce social distancing rules.

Some schools have even banned parents from coming too, to keep numbers down and reduce the risk of infection.

And the usual scenes of students celebrating their grades are also unlikely this year.

Students doing an exam in a previous year / PA

What if you did worse than expected?

Exams regulator Ofqual has barred individual students from appealing for academic reasons - but schools can appeal on behalf of students if they get a very different pattern of grades to results in previous years.

But Ofqual added that students should contact the university they had a conditional offer for if they lose their place if grades are lower than expected. That university might offer them an alternative course, which is called a changed course offer.

Otherwise students can go through clearing and UCAS will provide one-on-one help to people looking to find a place this way.

On Tuesday ministers granted England pupils the right to use mock exam results if they are unhappy with their grades calculated by moderators.

There have also been warnings that next summer's exams will be delayed so students can catch up on lost revision time.

Students can also retake exams in the autumn if they are unhappy with their results - but this could make it difficult to go to university, as fewer institutions offer courses that start in January.

And exam results could end up changing. More than 124,000 Scottish exam results that were originally downgraded by moderators were restored to teachers' original predictions, the Scottish government said on Tuesday, after accusations of unfairness.
Eudyptes atatu sp. nov. showing key diagnostic features. Holotype specimen NMNZ S.046318 showing (a) right lateral view of skull and block with (c) mandible and (d) postcranial elements. (b) Right lateral view of Snares crested penguin Eudyptes robustus NMNZ OR.023746 for comparison. Referred material of E. atatu including (e) S.046315 dorsal view of skull, (f) CM 2017-62-8-1 left lateral view of skull, (g) NMNZ S.046320 right humerus caudal view, and (h) dorsal and (i) plantar views of NMNZ S.046319 right tarsometatarsus. Ano, apertura nasale ossea (naris). Clh, crista lateralis hypotarsi (lateral hypotarsal crest); Co, coracoid; Cmh, crista medialis hypotarsi (medial hypotarsal crest); F*, frontal with wide shelf bordering the salt gland fossa; Fte*, fossa temporalis (temporal fossa) that is relatively deep; Fvpl, foramen vasculare proximale lateralis (medial proximal vascular foramen); Fvpm, foramen vasculare proximale mediale (medial proximal vascular foramen); Hu, humerus; Ic, incisura capitus (capital incisure); Imp, impressio musculus pectoralis (pectoral muscle impression); Mr, ramus mandibula (mandibular ramus); Oj*, os jugale (jugal bar) showing distinct curvature; Op, os palatinum (palatine); Ma, articular end of mandible; Mr*, mandibular ramus that is relatively narrow at midpoint; Ra, radius; Sc, scapula; Sldl, sulcus longitudinalis dorsalis lateralis (lateral dorsal longitudinal sulcus); Sldm*, sulcus longitudinalis dorsalis medialis (medial dorsal longitudinal sulcus) which is moderately deep; St, sternum; Tmtc, tuberositas musculus tibialis cranialis (tuberosity for cranial tibial muscle); Tv, tuberculum ventral (ventral tubercle); Ve, vertebra. Asterisks denote diagnostic characters. Photographs (a)(e), (g)(i) from Jean-Claude Stahl at Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, photograph (f) from R. Paul Scofield at Canterbury Museum. Credit: Proceedings of the Royal Society B (2020). 10.1098/rspb.2020.1497

A team of researchers from New Zealand and the U.S. is reporting on the discovery of unearthed 3.36-million-year-old crested penguin fossils found on New Zealand's North Island. In their paper published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, the group describes the find and why they believe it could provide a link with modern penguins.

A group of local collectors discovered the fossilized remains of the penguin embedded in rock along a coastal tract near Taranaki on New Zealand's North Island. They alerted workers at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. The researchers with this new effort retrieved the fossils from the rocks and studied them, hoping to find a link between modern Eudyptes and those of ancient times. Eudyptes are a genus of crested penguins. In modern times, there are between four and seven varieties of them.

The fossilized remains included feathers, leg, rib and wing bones, along with a skull and associated jaw and beakenough to identify it as a member of Eudyptes. They named it Eudyptes atatu ("dawn" in the Maori language). Crested penguins have crests, which are hair-like tufts that grow out of the sides of their heads. Modern crested penguins are black and white with red eyes, bills and crests, and live on sub-Antarctic islands in the southern oceans. The researchers believe E. atatu likely had similar features, with a red bill and yellow feathers. They note that the ancient penguin's bill was not as wide as modern crested penguins, which suggested it likely had a different food source than modern penguins.

The researchers note that New Zealand is what many describe as a global hotspot for seabird diversity. The richness of food sources surrounding the island attracts seabirds from around the world. They are hoping E. atatu will provide a link of sorts to trace the rise of New Zealand as such a draw to so many birds. To date, few fossils have been found to provide clues. The researchers also expect that further study of the find will help in developing an ancestral tree for crested penguins, and perhaps other seabirds, as well.

Explore further New Zealand's ancient monster penguins had northern hemisphere doppelgangers

 2020 Science X Network
Walking with a purpose - especially walking to get to work - makes people walk faster and consider themselves to be healthier, a new study has found.

The study, published online earlier this month in the Journal of Transport and Health, found that walking for different reasons yielded different levels of self-rated health.

People who walked primarily to places like work and the grocery store from their homes, for example, reported better health than people who walked mostly for leisure.

We found that walking for utilitarian purposes significantly improves your health, and that those types of walking trips are easier to bring into your daily routine. So, basically, both as city planners and as people, we should try to take the advantage of this as much as possible." Gulsah Akar, Associate Professor, City and Regional Planning, Knowlton School of Architecture, Ohio State University

The study used data from the 2017 National Household Travel Survey, a U.S. dataset collected from April 2016 to May 2017.

The researchers analyzed self-reported health assessments from 125,885 adults between the ages of 18 and 64. Those adults reported the number of minutes they spent walking for different purposes - from home to work, from home to shopping, from home to recreation activities and walking trips that did not start at their homes.

And, the survey respondents ranked how healthy they were on a scale of 1 to 5. The dataset the researchers analyzed included more than 500,000 trips.

The researchers - Akar and Ohio State doctoral student Gilsu Pae - found that walking for any duration, for any purpose, increased how healthy a person felt.

But they also found that an additional 10 minutes of walking per trip from home for work-based trips - say, from a person's house to the bus stop 10 minutes away - increased that person's odds of having a higher health score by 6 percent compared with people who walk for other reasons. People who walked from home for reasons not connected to work, shopping or recreation were 3 percent more likely to have a higher health score.

And, the researchers found, people who walked for work walked faster - on average, about 2.7 miles per hour - than people who walked for other reasons. People who walked for recreational purposes - say, an after-dinner stroll - walked, on average, about 2.55 miles per hour.

The researchers also found that walking trips that begin at home are generally longer than walking trips that begin somewhere else. The team found that 64 percent of home-based walking trips last at least 10 minutes, while 50 percent of trips that begin elsewhere are at least that long.

Akar has studied the ways people travel for years, and said she was surprised to see that walking for different purposes led to a difference in how healthy people believed they were.

"I was thinking the differences would not be that significant, that walking is walking, and all forms of walking are helpful," she said. "And that is true, but walking for some purposes has significantly greater effect on our health than others."

Akar said the findings suggest that building activity into parts of a day that are otherwise sedentary - commuting by foot instead of by car, for example - can make a person feel healthier.

"That means going to a gym or a recreation center aren't the only ways to exercise," Akar said. "It's an opportunity to put active minutes into our daily schedules in an easy way."
Iran said it arrested what it called a number of spies and jailed two men over alleged espionage for Britain, Germany, and Israel.

Judiciary spokesman Gholamhossein Esmaili said on August 11 that Iranian-Austrian citizen Masud Mosaheb had been sentenced to 10 years in prison.

Esmaili charged that Mosaheb, who served as chairman of the Iran-Austrian Friendship Society, was connected to German and Israeli intelligence and provided "foreigners with information on military, nuclear, nanotechnology, and health-care projects.

Austrias Kurier newspaper reported that the 73-year-old Mosaheb had been detained in January 2019 while leading a delegation to Iran for a medicine project.

The Austrian Foreign Ministry said it had no access to Mosaheb because Iran does not recognize dual nationals and considers dual nationals as subject to Iranian laws.



Esmaili claimed that the second jailed man, identified as Shahram Shirkhani, had been working for British intelligence. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison.

The Iranian judiciary spokesman alleged that Shirkhani had sought to "corrupt authorities and recruit" people as well as give away information on "contracts related to the central bank, Melli Bank, and the Defense Ministry.

Esmaili said five more people had been arrested recently for what authorities claim was espionage, but he did not provide names or elaborate on the charges against the accused.

Separately, Iran's Intelligence Ministry said "a number of spies related to foreign intelligence services were identified and arrested."

The ministry claims they "sought to spy on sensitive and vital centers in the economic, nuclear, infrastructure, military, and political areas for U.S., Israeli, and European intelligence agencies.

Tehran has recently announced several arrests, and in some cases executions, of people who've been convicted by the Iranian courts on espionage charges.

With reporting by by AFP, Kurier, and Reuters
ATLANTA, Aug. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Today 1Q ( www.1Q.com ), a leading market research and customer engagement platform, announced Doug Danowski has joined as Chief Revenue Officer to further accelerate the company's explosive growth in 2020 and beyond. The Atlanta-based company's innovative DIY research and insights tools have added dozens of new customers in 2020, and in August, 1Q's annual revenue to date for FY 2020 surged past annual revenue in FY 2019.

Danowski joins 1Q from vidReach, where he served as Chief Operating Officer, helping to build and scale a successful sales and operations team for the sales engagement platform. Prior to vidReach, Danowski was Vice President of Business Development and Strategy at Intelliverse, where he led a team of 80+ for the sales empowerment company. Danowski's earlier career includes increasing responsibility over 10 years at Intercall, rising to the level of Director of Direct Sales for the outsourced communications specialist. He's a graduate of Clemson University.

"Doug is an experienced leader and sales executive, and the exact right person to propel 1Q to its next stage of growth," said Keith Rinzler, CEO and Founder of 1Q. "To date, we've poured our energy into building the most innovative and effective technologies in the market research and customer engagement marketplace. Doug coming aboard is a big part of a new phase of growth and expansion."

"I've spent more than a decade in senior sales leadership positions, and learned to identify when a company is on the verge of turning the corner to explosive growth. 1Q is on that precipice," said Doug Danowski. "I'm thrilled to join the team and help introduce the 1Q platform to a wider universe of customers that adds to our strong base of Fortune 500 companies, top-tier consulting firms, and global ad agencies."

Danowski's hiring follows a busy month for 1Q where 2020 year-to-date revenue exceeded annual revenue in FY 2019. In addition, in July the influential Greenbook "GRIT Top 50" named 1Q the 21st most innovative company in market research, with specialty rankings of 9th in "Qualitative" innovation and 10th in "Data/Analytics" innovation.

About 1Q

1Q is a revolutionary customer engagement platform that is changing the way companies interact with consumers. 1Q allows companies to engage with an audience in real-time based on who they are or where they are by sending questions, surveys, polls, or promotional offers to their mobile phones. 1Q is the only company operating in the analytics and insights marketplace that genuinely values the time of its survey-taking members by offering immediate payment. It's clients include Fortune 500 companies, market research organizations, advertising and marketing agencies, and management consulting firms. 1Q is a permission-based platform that never spams consumers, and protects clients' data quality through aggressive vetting of the survey-taking population. 1Q's innovative model fully protects against the industry epidemic of bots and "professional survey takers," ensuring neither are contaminating data. In July 2020, 1Q was ranked the 21st most innovative company in market research  including 9th in the "Qualitative" innovation category and 10th in the "Data/Analytics" innovation category  by the influential Greenbook "GRIT Report Top 50."

For more information, visit www.1Q.com .

Media Contact:

[email protected]

SOURCE 1Q
Grief: The wife of Rami Kaaki, a firefighter killed in last weeks explosion in Beirut, during her husbands funeral. PHOTO: HUSSEIN MALLA

Lebanese security officials warned the prime minister and president last month that 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate stored in Beirut's port posed a security risk and could destroy the capital if it exploded, according to documents seen by Reuters and senior security sources.

Just over two weeks later, the industrial chemicals went up in a massive blast that obliterated most of the port and swathes of the capital, killed at least 163 people, injured 6,000 and destroyed 6,000 buildings.

A report by the General Directorate of State Security on events leading up to the blast included a reference to a private letter sent to President Michel Aoun and Prime Minister Hassan Diab on July 20.

While the content of the letter was not in the report seen by Reuters, a senior security official said it summed up the findings of a judicial investigation launched in January which concluded the chemicals needed to be secured immediately.

"There was a danger that this material, if stolen, could be used in a terrorist attack," the official told Reuters.

"At the end of the investigation, Prosecutor General (Ghassan) Oweidat prepared a final report which was sent to the authorities," he said, referring to the letter sent to the prime minister and president by the General Directorate of State Security.

"I warned them that this could destroy Beirut if it exploded," said the official.

A representative for Mr Diab said the prime minister received the letter on July 20 and it was sent to the Supreme Defence Council for advice.

"The current cabinet received the file 14 days prior to the explosion and acted on it in a matter of days. Previous administrations had over six years and did nothing."

Mr Diab's government resigned on Monday, but will remain as a caretaker administration until a new cabinet is formed. The rebuilding of Beirut is expected to cost up to 12.8bn, in a country effectively bankrupt with banking system losses exceeding 85bn.

Mr Aoun confirmed last week that he had been informed about the material. He told reporters he had directed the secretary general of the Supreme Defence Council to "do what is necessary".

"(The state security service) said it is dangerous. I am not responsible," Mr Aoun said.

"There is a hierarchy and all those who knew should have known their duties to do the necessary."
Dr. Anthony Fauci told ABC News' Deborah Roberts that he seriously doubts the Russian-made COVID-19 vaccine, dubbed Sputnik V and touted by President Vladimir Putin, has been proven safe and effective.

Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, shared the comments exclusively with National Geographic in a virtual panel discussion moderated by Roberts. The discussion is scheduled to air Thursday at 1 p.m. ET.

"I hope that the Russians have actually, definitively proven that the vaccine is safe and effective," Fauci said. "I seriously doubt that they've done that."

Putin anoints coronavirus vaccine. International scientists aren't so sure.

Russia's health ministry approved the vaccine after only two months of trials.

PHOTO: Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases, testifies on the coronavirus crisis in Washington, D.C., July 31, 2020. (Kevin Dietsch/Pool via Reuters, FILE)

Over 20 million people have been diagnosed with COVID-19 worldwide, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, according to data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University. COVID-19 has killed more than 737,000 people globally.

In the U.S., the worst-affected country, at least 5,094,565 people have been diagnosed and at least 163,465 have died.

MORE: 5 former CDC directors on where US went wrong in its COVID-19 response

Coronavirus updates: Florida reports 2nd day of record-setting deaths

Putin told officials at a televised meeting that the vaccine "forms strong immunity" and that the vaccine had already been administered to his adult daughter. The Russians plan to start administering dosages to front-line workers by the end of August.

"Having a vaccine, Deborah, and proving that a vaccine is safe and effective are two different things," Fauci discussed with Roberts. He added that the U.S. is pursuing at least a dozen vaccines of its own and "if we wanted to take the chance of hurting a lot of people, or giving them something that doesn't work, we could start doing this, you know, next week if we wanted to. But that's not the way it works."

Story continues

PHOTO: The vaccine against the coronavirus disease developed by the Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology, Aug. 6, 2020, provided by the Russian Direct Investment Fund. (Russian Direct Investment Fund/AFP via Getty Images)

Putin said the Russian drug has "passed all necessary tests," but with just two months of trials, experts are wary about it being safe for large-scale use.

Fauci said he hasn't heard any evidence to convince him it's truly ready, and that Americans need to understand that "announcements from the Chinese or from the Russians that [they] have a vaccine" differ from those made in the U.S. "because we have a way of doing things in this country that we care about safety."

Fauci also told Roberts that how his family has been receiving death threats, and that the federal government has had to provide them with security services.

"It seems inconceivable, if you just think about it," Fauci continued, "that when you're trying to promote public health principles to save people's lives and keep them healthy ... that that's interpreted to be so far from your own way of thinking that you actually want to threaten the person. That's just no way that our society can really function well and go along that way -- we've got to get past that."

This report was featured in the Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2020, episode of Start Here, ABC News daily news podcast.

"Start Here" offers a straightforward look at the day's top stories in 20 minutes. Listen for free every weekday on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, the ABC News app or wherever you get your podcasts.

This is part of an exclusive conversation National Geographic is hosting in with Dr. Anthony Fauci, Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser, ABC News correspondents, and experts in this month's National Geographic cover story, "How Devastating Pandemics Change Us." You can watch the free "Stopping Pandemics" event at 1 p.m. ET on Thursday by signing up at StoppingPandemics.com. The conversation is moderated by ABC News' Deborah Roberts.



Fauci says he has serious doubts Russia's COVID-19 vaccine is safe, effective originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
A new treatment for aggressive brain cancer has shown great results in an early trial, with researchers hoping it leads to more targeted therapies for the devastating disease.

QIMR Berghofer medical research institute has partnered with specialists Briz Brain & Spine to use targeted immunotherapy to treat glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), a very aggressive form of brain cancer.

Laurie and Julie Pavone. Laurie died just 10 months after being diagnosed with GBM.

People who are diagnosed with GBM are usually given just months to live and it has only a 5 per cent survival rate.

Briz Brain & Spine neurosurgeon David Walker said the current treatment for GBM was physical surgery as well as targeted radiation treatment, but for this trial they added a round of immunotherapy after those treatments.
Several of Wyomings wealthiest individuals are investing tens of thousands of dollars into a number of tight Republican primary races this cycle, campaign finance reports filed with the Wyoming Secretary of State on Tuesday show.

Oftentimes, they are on opposite sides.

According to campaign finance records, several well-known families in Wyoming politics  the Trues in Casper, the Brophys in Jackson, along with other high-profile donors like Gore-Tex heiress Susan Gore and Jackson billionaire B. Wayne Hughes Jr.  have donated an unprecedented amount of money into numerous Republican House and Senate primary races this cycle.

Hughes Jr.  the largest individual donor in this years elections  has sunk $150,000 into a newly-formed political action committee, helmed by GOP power player Diemer True and former Wyoming Republican Party chairman Matt Micheli, called Wyoming Hope, which has doled out $5,000 checks to 21 candidates facing challenges from right-wing opponents. That list includes Reps. Tyler Lindholm, Sandy Newsome and Jerry Paxton, and Senate candidate Erin Johnson, who faces a tough campaign against incumbent Republican Anthony Bouchard.

Several members of the True family  JoAnn True, David True and Shane True  have donated thousands of dollars to a number of candidates and political action committees backing more moderate candidates, while Diemer has used his own PAC, Diamond Free Enterprise PAC, to infuse $5,000 of his own money to back vulnerable incumbents like Sen. Michael Von Flatern, Newsome and Rep. Bill Pownall.

There has been a significant growth of third party, dark money and anonymous voices attacking solid, capable, conservative legislators who have the ability to tackle complex issues, JoAnn True wrote in a statement to the Star-Tribune. We believe that it is critical that these legislators have the necessary resources to take their message directly to the people.

On the other side, Gore has spent nearly $29,000 to support 23 candidates in various races around the state, all of whom are opposing a number of those more moderate candidates. The list includes Paxtons opponent, Joey Correnti, Newsomes opponent Nina Webber, Wyoming Hope-backed candidate Mickey Shobers opponent John Bear and incumbent Aaron Clausens opponent Camilla Hicks, among others.

Gore did not respond to an email request for comment.

Daniel and Karleen Brophy  two active supporters of far-right candidates in other states as well as Wyoming  are supporting most of the candidates backed by Gore, investing nearly $79,000 in highly conservative activist candidates such as Sheridan incumbent Rep. Mark Jennings, Lindholms opponent Chip Neiman, Eyre opponent Karl Allred and Sen. Fred Baldwins primary opponent Lyle Williams, most of whom also received funding from Gore.

Tim Salazar  a leading figure for gun rights in Wyoming  also received $10,000 in funding from the Brophys this cycle as he seeks to make the jump from the House of Representatives to the Senate.

Others  like Jackson-based mystery writer and conservative activist Karin McQuillan  have placed their money in PACs running attack ads against a number of incumbent Republicans facing challenges from the right. For MacQuillan, that contribution came in the form of a $12,000 donation to the newly-formed Wyoming Conservative Alliance, making herself the upstart organizations primary benefactor.

Several other high-powered donors, including Caspers Cathy Ide and Sheridan rancher William Doenz, have also made significant donations to hard-line conservative candidates this cycle.

Tuesdays campaign finance reports show the depth of the divisions between two warring factions in the states Republican politics, whose internal disagreements have since crossed over into this years elections. The number of incumbent House Republicans facing primary battles has doubled in 2020 compared to two years earlier, while seven Republicans in the Senate are now facing primary challenges of their own.

Meanwhile, a menagerie of organizations have appeared in recent months with an eye to promote right-leaning conservatives while disparaging more mainstream Republican lawmakers, including Wyoming Gun Owners and anonymous websites like WyoRINO.com, which have sought to note candidates who fail to toe the party line as Republicans in Name Only.

The election is Tuesday.

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Allentown, PA (18103)

Today

Turning out mostly cloudy and not as cold. There might be a rain or snow shower late..

Tonight

Mostly cloudy with some rain and snow showers. Any rain will be early in the night.
Astronomers using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), in which the European Southern Observatory (ESO) is a partner, have revealed an extremely distant and therefore very young galaxy that looks surprisingly like our Milky Way. The galaxy is so far away its light has taken more than 12 billion years to reach us: we see it as it was when the Universe was just 1.4 billion years old. It is also surprisingly unchaotic, contradicting theories that all galaxies in the early Universe were turbulent and unstable. This unexpected discovery challenges our understanding of how galaxies form, giving new insights into the past of our Universe.

"This result represents a breakthrough in the field of galaxy formation, showing that the structures that we observe in nearby spiral galaxies and in our Milky Way were already in place 12 billion years ago," says Francesca Rizzo, PhD student from the Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics in Germany, who led the research published today in Nature. While the galaxy the astronomers studied, called SPT0418-47, doesn't appear to have spiral arms, it has at least two features typical of our Milky Way: a rotating disc and a bulge, the large group of stars packed tightly around the galactic centre. This is the first time a bulge has been seen this early in the history of the Universe, making SPT0418-47 the most distant Milky Way look-alike.

"The big surprise was to find that this galaxy is actually quite similar to nearby galaxies, contrary to all expectations from the models and previous, less detailed, observations," says co-author Filippo Fraternali, from the Kapteyn Astronomical Institute, University of Groningen in the Netherlands. In the early Universe, young galaxies were still in the process of forming, so researchers expected them to be chaotic and lacking the distinct structures typical of more mature galaxies like the Milky Way.

Studying distant galaxies like SPT0418-47 is fundamental to our understanding of how galaxies formed and evolved. This galaxy is so far away we see it when the Universe was just 10% of its current age because its light took 12 billion years to reach Earth. By studying it, we are going back to a time when these baby galaxies were just beginning to develop.

Because these galaxies are so far away, detailed observations with even the most powerful telescopes are almost impossible as the galaxies appear small and faint. The team overcame this obstacle by using a nearby galaxy as a powerful magnifying glass -- an effect known as gravitational lensing -- allowing ALMA to see into the distant past in unprecedented detail. In this effect, the gravitational pull from the nearby galaxy distorts and bends the light from the distant galaxy, causing it to appear misshapen and magnified.

The gravitationally lensed, distant galaxy appears as a near-perfect ring of light around the nearby galaxy, thanks to their almost exact alignment. The research team reconstructed the distant galaxy's true shape and the motion of its gas from the ALMA data using a new computer modelling technique. "When I first saw the reconstructed image of SPT0418-47 I could not believe it: a treasure chest was opening," says Rizzo.

"What we found was quite puzzling; despite forming stars at a high rate, and therefore being the site of highly energetic processes, SPT0418-47 is the most well-ordered galaxy disc ever observed in the early Universe," stated co-author Simona Vegetti, also from the Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics. "This result is quite unexpected and has important implications for how we think galaxies evolve." The astronomers note, however, that even though SPT0418-47 has a disc and other features similar to those of spiral galaxies we see today, they expect it to evolve into a galaxy very different from the Milky Way, and join the class of elliptical galaxies, another type of galaxies that, alongside the spirals, inhabit the Universe today.

This unexpected discovery suggests the early Universe may not be as chaotic as once believed and raises many questions on how a well-ordered galaxy could have formed so soon after the Big Bang. This ALMA finding follows the earlier discovery announced in May of a massive rotating disc seen at a similar distance. SPT0418-47 is seen in finer detail, thanks to the lensing effect, and has a bulge in addition to a disc, making it even more similar to our present-day Milky Way than the one studied previously.

Future studies, including with ESO's Extremely Large Telescope, will seek to uncover how typical these 'baby' disc galaxies really are and whether they are commonly less chaotic than predicted, opening up new avenues for astronomers to discover how galaxies evolved.

###

More information

This research was presented in the paper "A dynamically cold disk galaxy in the early Universe" to appear in Nature (doi: 10.1038/s41586-020-2572-6).

The team is composed of F. Rizzo (Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics, Garching, Germany [MPA]), S. Vegetti (MPA), D. Powell (MPA), F. Fraternali (Kapteyn Astronomical Institute, University of Groningen, the Netherlands), J. P. McKean (Kapteyn Astronomical Institute and ASTRON, Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy), H. R. Stacey (MPA, Kapteyn Astronomical Institute and ASTRON, Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy) and S. D. M. White (MPA).

ESO is the foremost intergovernmental astronomy organisation in Europe and the world's most productive ground-based astronomical observatory by far. It has 16 Member States: Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, along with the host state of Chile and with Australia as a Strategic Partner. ESO carries out an ambitious programme focused on the design, construction and operation of powerful ground-based observing facilities enabling astronomers to make important scientific discoveries. ESO also plays a leading role in promoting and organising cooperation in astronomical research. ESO operates three unique world-class observing sites in Chile: La Silla, Paranal and Chajnantor. At Paranal, ESO operates the Very Large Telescope and its world-leading Very Large Telescope Interferometer as well as two survey telescopes, VISTA working in the infrared and the visible-light VLT Survey Telescope. Also at Paranal ESO will host and operate the Cherenkov Telescope Array South, the world's largest and most sensitive gamma-ray observatory. ESO is also a major partner in two facilities on Chajnantor, APEX and ALMA, the largest astronomical project in existence. And on Cerro Armazones, close to Paranal, ESO is building the 39-metre Extremely Large Telescope, the ELT, which will become "the world's biggest eye on the sky".

Links

* Research paper - https://www.eso.org/public/archives/releases/sciencepapers/eso2013/eso2013a.pdf

* Photos of ALMA - https://www.eso.org/public/images/archive/category/alma/

* For scientists: got a story? Pitch your research - http://eso.org/sci/publications/announcements/sciann17277.html

Contacts

Francesca Rizzo

Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics

Garching bei Munchen, Germany

Tel: +49 89 30000 2216

Email: frizzo@MPA-Garching.MPG.DE

Simona Vegetti

Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics

Garching bei Munchen, Germany

Tel: +49 89 30000 2285

Email: svegetti@MPA-Garching.MPG.DE

Filippo Fraternali

Kapteyn Astronomical Institute, University of Groningen

Groningen, the Netherlands

Tel: +31-(0)50-3634055

Email: fraternali@astro.rug.nl

Barbara Ferreira

ESO Public Information Officer

Garching bei Munchen, Germany

Tel: +49 89 3200 6670

Cell: +49 151 241 664 00

Email: pio@eso.org
LONDON GROVE  Avon Grove Charter School Board of Trustees voted unanimously in favor of a reopening plan that includes a hybrid schedule and remote instruction for student learners.

The board approved the new learning method of teaching and instruction during a special virtual meeting held Aug. 6 following a two-day postponement.

The Pennsylvania-accredited educational charter school teaches 1,850 students in grades K-12.

Students hail from across Southern Chester County including the regional districts of Avon Grove, Oxford, Kennett and Coatesville.

The opening of the 2020-21 academic year, the board voted, begins Sept. 8 and shall feature virtual learning instruction only five days a week.

The plan then calls for the reopening of the classrooms to students twice a week as early as September or as late as November.

Beginning in a remote model will allow us to educate the community on the isolation and re-entry measures essential in keeping our staff and students safe, said Head of School Kristen Bishop.

The board scheduled a special meeting to reconvene Sept. 28 with consideration on the table to reopen the classrooms to students for the academic 2020-21 year.

Through excellence and ingenuity, we will be able to think outside of the box and provide our staff, students, and community with the necessary tools for this unprecedented 21st-century education, Bishop said in a letter issued to the Avon Grove Charter School community last week.

We know there is a tremendous amount of anxiety and concern with the announcement of remote learning for our families, Bishop said. We hope our timeline brings optimism knowing that we intend to bring students back into a safe learning environment as soon as possible.

Under the authority of an ongoing emergency disaster decree, something normally reserved for governors during storms and sometimes to quell uncivil disobedience, by state mandate, Gov. Tom Wolf on March 13 ordered the immediate closure of schools in Pennsylvania.

This is the best option for us because the teachers really need some time to understand the expectations of online learning and hybrid together, Bishop told the Daily Local News on Aug. 11.

She said the plan is about doing the right thing and learning the right protocol for the well-being of every student.

Bishop is allocating the first three weeks of August to train teachers. There are 230 employees at Avon Grove Charter School.

When students return to school via virtual instruction after Labor Day, Bishop said teachers shall then prepare students for the upcoming return to the classroom later via the new hybrid-remote learning method.

All charter schools give computers to all students including laptops in those enrolled in grades first to twelfth. Kindergartners receive their own iPads for digital learning.

Parent participation, children understanding and teacher training are key tenets of the plan and the charter schools vision to move forward together.

Avon Grove Charter School is hosting parent orientations this summer on the hybrid-remote learning model, Bishop said.

This whole plan is really based on people, Bishop said.

She said that what she loves about the Avon Grove Charter School community is the sense of family everyone shares.

Bishop said the charter schoolss motto is: Excellence through ingenuity.

Im using that a lot lately, she said.

She said the people at Avon Grove Charter School work for the greater good of the community and the kids.

Bishop joined the Avon Grove Charter School family in 2008 and served as Kemblesville principal at the communitys lower school on Route 896 in Franklin Township.

The Board of Trustees named Bishop the Head of School five years ago. The Avon Grove Charter School headquarters is in London Grove Township at the old West Grove High School on State Road near the Borough of Avondale.

The Avon Grove Charter School opened in 2002 with less than 375 students. Enrollment has increased by 393.33 percent during the last 18 years.
By Marcelo Rochabrun

SAO PAULO, Aug 12 (Reuters) - Low-cost carrier JetSMART is fast-tracking its expansion plans to Peru and potentially Colombia and Brazil, its chief executive told Reuters, even as airlines, in Latin American in particular, are scaling down their fleets and ambitions.

Chile-based JetSMART is in the enviable position of having well-funded private equity backers such as Indigo Partners, which also owns stakes in Denver-based Frontier Airlines and Hungarian carrier Wizz Air, during the pandemic.

In expanding to other South American domestic markets, JetSMART will directly challenge the region's leaders, LATAM Airlines Group and Avianca Holdings, both of which filed for bankruptcy restructuring in May due to the crisis.

JetSMART CEO Estuardo Ortiz said the pandemic has given the upstart airline an incentive to accelerate aspects of its expansion to deploy its narrowbody Airbus planes to markets with more demand.

"We had already thought about flying domestically in Peru, originally maybe in 2022, but we brought that plan forward," Ortiz said. "We are now working to begin operating JetSmart Peru at the beginning of 2021, because clearly we need to bring planes to where there is demand."

JetSMART, which has a fleet of 17 jets, had planned to fly 100 planes by 2026, but it may have to push back that goal by about two years, Ortiz said.

Avianca pulled out of Peru in May, leaving its coveted Lima-Cuzco slots up for grabs. It also fired almost 1,000 employees including pilots.

Like most industry executives, Ortiz believes domestic flights will bounce back faster than international travel. In Latin America, that means flying domestically in more countries.

"If the recovery is very slow for international travel, that means we have to accelerate our plans for new domestic operations," Ortiz said. "We have watched Colombia and Brazil closely for some time."

Reuters first reported in June that JetSMART had presented the Brazilian government with a plan for domestic flights.

Indigo Partners has been making bullish bets despite the coronavirus crisis. It tried unsuccessfully to buy Virgin Australia out of bankruptcy and has maintained firm orders with Airbus to buy more than 400 planes for its carriers.

"At the beginning of next year, we will evaluate trends and decide if we enter another country," Ortiz said. (Reporting by Marcelo Rochabrun; Editing by Christian Plumb and Richard Chang)
An active terrorist of Pakistan-based terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba was arrested by security forces at Hajin in Bandipora district of Jammu and Kashmir. A joint team of SOG Handwara, SOG Bandipora, 32 Rashtriya Rifles and 92 CRPF arrested the terrorist after receiving reliable information about the plans of attack by terrorists.

The arrested terrorist has been identified as Aquib Ahmad Rather of Sahipora, Handwara. Incriminating materials including arms and ammunitions were recovered from his possession. An FIR has been registered at Kralgund police station in connection with this case.

Meanwhile, one Army jawan was martyred and one terrorist was killed in an encounter between terrorists and security forces in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district on Tuesday (August 12).

"One soldier lost his life in action in the ongoing Pulwama encounter. One AK along with grenades, pouches & other war like stores recovered. Search operation underway," said Chinar Corps, Indian Army.

The killed terrorist is identified as Azad Ahmad Lone of Pulwama. He was a Hizbul Mujahideen commander and wanted in several terror acts including killing of Jammu and Kashmir police Head constable Anoop Singh on May 22 2020 when a joint Naka of Police and CRPF was fired upon by this terrorists.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-11 22:20:18|Editor: huaxia

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Photo taken on Aug. 12, 2020 shows damaged buildings in the wake of the explosions at the Port of Beirut in Beirut, Lebanon. Lebanon's caretaker Health Minister Hamad Hassan announced on Tuesday that the death toll from Beirut's explosions has reached 171 while the number of the missing people ranges between 30 and 40, the National News Agency reported. (Xinhua/Bilal Jawich)

BEIRUT, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- Lebanon's caretaker Health Minister Hamad Hassan announced on Tuesday that the death toll from Beirut's explosions has reached 171 while the number of the missing people ranges between 30 and 40, the National News Agency reported.

Hassan also noted that around 1,500 of the injured require accurate treatment while 120 others are still in the emergency rooms.

His remarks came during his meeting with Rick Brennan, regional emergency director for the World Health Organization, to discuss challenges faced by the health sector in Lebanon following the explosions at Port of Beirut.

Two huge explosions rocked Port of Beirut Aug. 4 at around 6:10 p.m. local time (1510 GMT), shaking buildings all over the Lebanese capital.

Multiple countries, including France, Russia, China, Kuwait, Qatar, Jordan, Egypt and Britain, have rushed to the aid of Lebanon after the disaster.
Eicher Motors rose 1.77% to Rs 21,815.65 after the company said its shareholders approved the proposed 10-for-1 stock split.

The shareholders of Eicher Motors on 10 August 2020 approved sub-division of each existing equity share of face value of Rs 10 each into ten equity shares of face value of Re 1 each. The record date for the purpose of sub-division of equity shares will be intimated in due course. The move is aimed at facilitating larger shareholder base and aid liquidity, Eicher Motors said in a regulatory filing. The stock split plan was approved by the company's board in June 2020.

Eicher Motors' consolidated net profit slumped 44.2% to Rs 304.28 crore on 11% drop in net sales to Rs 2,190.32 crore in Q4 March 2020 over Q4 March 2019.

Eicher Motors is the listed parent of Royal Enfield, the global leader in middleweight motorcycles. In addition to motorcycles, Eicher has a joint venture with Sweden's AB Volvo - Volvo Eicher Commercial Vehicles (VECV) which operates in India's commercial vehicle space. VECV has a complete range of trucks and buses from 5-55 tonnes, and its integrated manufacturing plant in Pithampur, Madhya Pradesh is the global hub for medium duty five- and eight-litre engines for Volvo Group.

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(Bloomberg) -- Tencent Holdings Ltd. tried to reassure investors that U.S. President Donald Trumps ban on its WeChat messaging service may apply only to its overseas operations, suggesting the impact on the worlds largest gaming corporation should be modest.

The Chinese companys shares gained as much as 2% in Hong Kong. During a conference call after earnings, executives repeatedly emphasized the distinction between WeChat, which is used outside China, and Weixin, a similar service within the country. Trumps executive order specifically mentioned banning the former because of alleged risks to American national security.

The executive order is focused on WeChat in the United States and not other businesses in the U.S., said Chief Financial Officer John Lo. We are in the process of seeking further clarification from bipartisan parties in the U.S.

Trump ignited a furor after signing the order to ban U.S. entities from dealing with WeChat -- along with TikTok, ByteDance Ltd.s viral video platform -- from September. Confusion reigned as investors grappled with the sweeping language of Trumps order -- which bars transactions with the Chinese company -- that leaves the door open for the administration to extend it well beyond the service in America.

Tencents Retro Roots Juice Its Pandemic Profits: Tim Culpan

Despite stating at the outset it wouldnt get into hypotheticals, Tencent fielded question after question revolving round the ban, which wiped $66 billion off the companys market value after it was announced last week. Executives said several times they were still figuring out how the order would be applied.

Their comments came after Tencent boosted revenue at the fastest pace in two years and reported profit that beat the highest analyst estimate. Sales rose 29% to 114.9 billion yuan ($16.5 billion) in the three months ended June, while net income increased to 33.1 billion yuan.

The expectation has been that Trumps order would result in WeChat getting pulled from Apple and Googles app stores, where the vast majority of smartphone owners get their applications. That would mean suspending updates or even blacking out a service vital to communications on the factory floor, in households and the boardroom. Apple Inc. would be at particular risk if it couldnt offer the software on iPhones in China.

Story continues

Read more: Apples $44 Billion China Market Threatened by Trump WeChat Ban

What Bloomberg Intelligence Says

Heightened usage of Tencents digital services driven by Covid-19 may boost the companys earnings in the coming quarters. The online game business could continue to expand through the year with popular new titles in the pipeline and enhanced monetization features. Media advertising sales might remain subdued due to weak demand and delayed video content, but social-advertising growth could stay robust.

- Vey-Sern Ling and Tiffany Tam, analysts

Click here for the research.

Tencent executives also fielded questions about whether American companies would be able to keep doing business with the Chinese tech giant. U.S. companies like Starbucks Corp. and Walmart Inc. collaborate with Tencent in China and generate advertising and e-commerce revenue for the company. The U.S. represents less than 2% of Tencents global revenue, executives said.

When we saw the executive order a couple days ago, they specify quite clearly they cover the U.S. jurisdiction, and consequently, we dont see any impact on companies advertising on our platform in China, said James Mitchell, chief strategy officer.

Chinas biggest social media company has benefited from an internet resurgence during the coronavirus pandemic. It won approval from Beijing to earn money from Call of Duty Mobile, the smartphone version of a long-running franchise that will underpin its gaming business, and has charted a line-up of new titles for 2020 to shore up resilient franchises Peacekeeper Elite and Honor of Kings.

New titles like Brawl Stars drove a 40% surge in online gaming revenue during the quarter -- its biggest increase since 2017. Its also driving discussions to merge U.S.-listed Huya Inc. and DouYu International Holdings Ltd. to create a Twitch-like $10 billion local leader in games streaming. Tencent has already folded Huyas results into its own, swelling both its top and bottom line.

One risk to its outlook was the surprise delay of Mobile Dungeon&Fighter, though analysts expect eventual approval for a Nexon Co. title thats supposed to be Tencents tent-pole for the second half.

Although the direct revenue impact is small, Mobile DnFs delay and the WeChat ban in the U.S. cast a shadow over the near term outlook, Bernstein analyst David Dai said.

Read more: Trumps WeChat Assault Endangers $280 Billion Tencent Rally

Read more: Trumps Assault on WeChat Endangers a $280 Billion Tencent Rally

The WeChat and Weixin services grew monthly active users 6.5% to more than 1.2 billion as of Junes end. Started in 2011 as a WhatsApp clone, the app has become deeply ingrained in Chinese life, indispensable to the hordes who use it to chat, shop, watch videos, play games, flirt, order food and taxis. It pioneered the all-in-one or super-app concept by embedding lite apps or mini programs -- a model emulated by Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. as well as Facebook Inc. Its success sprang in part from the fact that China banned global services such as WhatsApp, Twitter and Instagram, allowing WeChat and a host of other Chinese equivalents to flourish in an alternate internet realm.

Uncertainties still exist for Tencent and other Chinese internet companies with business in the U.S., and Chinese pure-plays will be perceived as safer by investors, Dai wrote before earnings were released.

Read more: Why Tencent and WeChat Are Such a Big Deal in China: QuickTake

(Updates with share action from the second paragraph)

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The Islamic State is continuing to conduct operations in Syria and without a workable plan, their effect will continue to be felt for a long time to come writes Syria TV.

We have recently started to hear about the return of Islamic State (ISIS) operations in different areas in the Syrian desert, Homs, the countryside of Aleppo, and Idleb. This indicates that ISIS has started using a different strategy to regroup its forces and may start operating differently knowing the freedom it enjoys to strike any target, whether civilian or military, at any given time.

It is undoubtful that ISIS hopes to control extended lands and impose its phantom caliphate has evaporated again. The presence of foreign forces, led by the US, in eastern Syria may constitute a major obstacle to ISIS return to normal operations.

However, the increasing frequency of ISIS operations reveals the absence of a strategy to secure the political, security, social, and economic areas of northeastern Syria.

What happened is the exact opposite, as any integrated political and strategic conception of what the situation will be in Raqqa and other areas after the elimination of the terrorist organization at several levels has been absent.

At the educational level, the number of civilians who were subjected to the control of ISIS in Syria reached more than 300,000 vulnerable civilians who lived under a very strict military and religious administration. They were told what to wear, their working hours were set for them, and their whole life was mapped out for them. Most importantly, ISIS changed the curricula in all schools it controls, adding a lot of extremist and religious concepts, which could affect the thought pattern of the generations that lived under ISIS control, especially when it comes to the concepts of tolerance and co-existence.

The number of young Syrians carrying out suicide operations on behalf of ISIS has increased since 2016, noting that there was severe social resistance to the organizations management of regions in Syria before it took control of Raqqa. This very resistance led to the killing of many Free Syrian Army fighters and activists who exposed the organizations practices through the media. ISIS ended up assassinating them, which could mean that a new generation of Syrian youth who may be brainwashed, might feel disoriented after the military elimination of the organization. However, those same youth might become easy targets for terrorist operations inside or outside Syria.

It is imperative that emergency educational programs are prepared, which rid Syrian youth of the dangers of the extremist ISIS and rehabilitates the schooling system as well as the educational institutions in a way that fights extremist ideology.

What actually happened is the exact opposite, though, as the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) took control of these areas and imposed its own curricula that glorified Abdullah Ocalan and replaced Assad and ISIS leader with Ocalan. The SDF also altered the cultural and religious concepts in a way that clashes with the pre-existing concepts and traditions of the tribes in the region.

At the political level, the SDF were able to control Raqqa unilaterally and with the support of the United States, which creates doubts about a possible division of Syria. The situation is further complicated by the apparent tendency of the SDF, which consist mainly of Kurds, to establish self-governance in those areas even though they have never enjoyed a majority of votes in those areas.

This will make Raqqa vulnerable to political instability in the short and long term, which will increase civil conflict and perhaps turn into ethnic conflict in light of the historic disagreement among Arab tribes and clans in those areas with the Kurds.

Failure to reach political solutions and restricting plans to defeat ISIS militarily will only deepen the security vacuum in the region and expose it to the emergence of other terrorist organizations that may succeed ISIS, as happened in Iraq in 2004 after the elimination of al-Zarqawi.

The liberation of Raqqa will not be the end of ISIS in Syria, as ISIS has shifted its focus towards sleeper cells, all the while following the strategy of hitting targets in secret. This allows them to strike both civilian and military targets, in every region where capacity permits. This strategy is what will increase ISIS popularity and enable it to preserve its ideology instead of being extinguished permanently.

This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
LONDON (Reuters) - The British government has become embroiled in an unlikely row with ice cream maker Ben and Jerry's over its approach to migrants arriving by boat from France, after the brand criticised ministers' increasingly bellicose rhetoric.

More than 500 migrants have arrived on British beaches in recent days, with many fleeing poverty, persecution or war in countries like Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria.

That has prompted a reaction from the government, who have asked the military to help, urged France to stop the boats at source, and even appointed a "Clandestine Channel Threat Commander" to lead efforts to prevent crossings.

A frostily worded Twitter thread from Unilever-owned <ULVR.L> Ben and Jerry's tagged interior minister Priti Patel, and cited several media reports about the plight of those who undertake the dangerous 21-mile crossing in overloaded dinghies.

"Hey @PritiPatel we think the real crisis is our lack of humanity for people fleeing war, climate change and torture," the brand's UK account tweeted.

Ben & Jerry's was acquired by Unilever in 2000 in a unique deal that allows it to operate with more autonomy than other subsidiaries.

It uses that freedom to pursue a cultural and social mission that has recently included strongly supporting the Black Lives Matter movement. It also supports marriage equality and electoral campaign finance reform.

While Patel has not directly replied to the migration thread, fellow minister James Cleverly responded: "Can I have a large scoop of statistically inaccurate virtue-signalling with my grossly overpriced ice cream please?"

He did not say what inaccuracies he was referring to. Unilever and Ben & Jerry's were not immediately available to comment.

Some of the arrivals stand a chance of being granted asylum, while others, considered illegal economic migrants, are unlikely to be allowed to remain in Britain.

(Reporting by William James in London and Siddharth Cavale in Bengaluru; editing by Stephen Addison)
Back to the books in Scotland: Pupils at Kelso High School, south of Edinburgh, return to class for the first time since the start of the coronavirus lockdown nearly five months ago. Photo: Getty Images

Second-level student leaders say the Department of Education must learn from mistakes made in Scotland, to avoid the debacle that has marked the release of the equivalent of Leaving Cert Calculated Grades there.

Irish Second Level Students' Union (ISSU) president Reuban Murray said students had "put their trust in the department" to ensure that the calculated grades process would be a fair and equitable one "and we have confidence and hope that it will be".

He said they "hope and expect that the Department of Education will look at what happened in Scotland and learn from it. The Irish have a chance to learn here, to make sure that our calculated grades process is at the best standard it can be and is a successful process in Ireland."

Mr Murray, himself a 2020 school-leaver, spoke as Education Minister Norma Foley moved to reassure students their results would be "accurate, reliable and fair".

Concerns have been raised after results chaos in Scotland, which introduced a process similar to calculated grades to replace this year's State exams,

Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has accepted they "did not get it right" and some 125,000 grades awarded by teachers - and subsequently marked down in a national moderation process - have been reinstated.

Ms Foley said she and her officials appreciated that events in Scotland "may cause anxiety for Irish students, awaiting their Leaving Certificate calculated grades results.

A statement added: "The stated aim of the calculated grades system is that the results will be accurate, reliable and fair to all students."

Nonetheless, the Scottish experience will, undoubtedly, raise anxiety levels among some Irish students ahead of the release of the results on September 7.

The key issue to emerge in Scotland, where results were released last week, was that students from disadvantaged backgrounds were more likely to have had the grades awarded by teachers marked down in the national moderation process.

That reignited concerns that Ireland's broadly similar system would prove unfair to high-achieving students in disadvantaged communities because of the use of schools' previous exam results as a cross-check against grades awarded by teachers. Schools in disadvantaged areas historically do not perform as well in State exams.

The calculated-grades process began with teachers providing estimated marks for students, which are now going through a series of checks and balances, known as national standardisation, similar to Scotland's national moderation. In its statement, the department noted that the calculated-grades system was developed in close consultation and cooperation with key stakeholders, including representative bodies of students, parents, teacher unions, school management and the higher and further education and training sector.

The department said the standardisation process involved quality assurance checks and "takes account of whether the group of students taking a subject in the school this year is academically stronger (or weaker) than in previous years. This means that the distribution of grades emerging from the school is not pre-ordained to be the same as it was in previous years."

It added that the process, which is being overseen by international experts and an advisory group, is still ongoing, "and work is continuing to ensure that all students are treated fairly."

According to the department, teachers' estimates are being combined with information about how students in the school have fared in a subject or level in recent years in line with national performance standards over time. The performance of this year's group of students against their overall performance in the Junior cycle will also be reviewed.

"This national standardisation process is necessary to provide the class of 2020 with grades which will be of equal standing and currency to previous and future Leaving Certificate grades," it stated.

The department stated that in "making the difficult decision" to postpone this year's Leaving Certificate exam and replace it with calculated grades, it "set out to develop the best possible system to provide students with fair and accurate results in the absence of them being able to sit the Leaving Certificate this summer".

It added that "it must be acknowledged that the system is not the same as a Leaving Certificate and is not a perfect solution. However, it is the best alternative that could be provided. It is the fairest way possible to tackle the effects that lack of schooling and other problems caused by Covid-19 have had on the Leaving Certificate this year."

Meanwhile, Tanaiste Leo Varadkar said it was "almost inevitable" that Covid-19 outbreaks would occur when schools reopened at the end of this month.

"I can guarantee you that in a few weeks' time we're going to see clusters occur in schools," Mr Varadkar told RTE's Open For Business.

"It's almost inevitable if schools open that there will be clusters in some schools. Does that mean that that school did something wrong or the principal is somehow negligent? Probably not.

"So I just think we need to, raise the understanding among people that this is a highly infectious virus and everyone doing the right thing still means that some people may get the virus or there may be clusters in different places."
Maybe the selection of California Sen. Kamala Harris as his running mate will bring some excitement to Joe Bidens campaign, because he certainly could use it.

Only 26% of California Democrats and independents rated their excitement a 10 on a 10-point scale, according to a recent poll by FM3 Research, a Democratic polling firm, and Baughman Merrill, a Democratic direct mail firm

And 19% said they were not excited at all about voting for Biden.

But voter antipathy toward President Trump more than made up for the lack of Biden buzz, with 70% of Democrats and independents rating their excitement at the prospect of voting against Trump a 10.

This is true even among those who cast a ballot for Bernie Sanders in the primary, FM3 pollster David Metz said.

Even with the lack of enthusiasm, Biden is beating Trump 55%-30% in California, when lesser presidential candidates are in the mix.

And with Harris on the ticket, she could add some badly needed enthusiasm among some core Democratic voters who are less enthusiastic about Biden, Metz said.

Overall, however, voters appear to be pretty down about the race.

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

When asked in an open-ended question to describe their emotions about the November election, 63% of voters said they were feeling anxious, nervous, frightened, scared, concerned or worried.

Only 21% of the voters of all stripes said they were hopeful about the outcome.

The poll was conducted from June 27-July 17, 2020 with an online sample of 1,026 likely voters The margin of error is +/-3.1%.

San Francisco Chronicle columnist Phil Matier appears Sundays and Wednesdays. Matier can be seen on the KGO-TV morning and evening news and can also be heard on KCBS radio Monday through Friday at 7:50 a.m. and 5:50 p.m. Got a tip? Call 415-777-8815, or email pmatier@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @philmatier
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has warned that 20 Local Government Areas (LGAs) in Kano State would experience flooding in 2020.

The Coordinator of the Agency in charge of Kano Territorial Office, Sanusi Ado, made the disclosure at a stakeholders meeting on 2020 Flood Awareness Campaign and Implication of seasonal rainfall prediction held on Wednesday in Kano.

Mr Ado said Kano was among the states that might experience flash and urban flooding based on the annual flood warning released by Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA), in its flood outlook for 2020.

He listed the LGAs to be affected by the flood to include Tarauni, Garun Malam, Rimin Gado, Gaya, Gezawa, Gwale, Shanono and Gabasawa

Others are Gwarzo, Ungoggo, Warawa, Dawakin Kudu, Dambatta, Bebeji, Wudil, Kura, Nasarawa, Kumbotso and Kano Municipal Council.

According to the Nigeria Metrological Agency (NiMet) such flood can threaten agriculture, water resources, health, transport and infrastructure sectors in the state.

In 2012, unprecedented flooding led to the displacement of thousands of people, deaths and loss of property.

NEMA flood interventions between 2018 and 2020, covered about 41 flood assessments with high magnitude prompting relief interventions in various areas of Kano and Jigawa States.

The recently reported incidence of destroyed bridges and displacement in Rimin Gado and Tofa LGAs resulting from absence and blockage drains, he said.

Mr Ado added that the trend increased flood risks in urban areas, and urged relevant authorities to accord priority to effective waste management in the country.

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He noted that adoption of a holistic waste management programme would address perennial flooding in the country, adding that sound laws were also imperative to discourage indiscriminate dumping of waste on water ways.

In the light of the above, all hands must be on deck to ensure that we prepare well to mitigate the impact of the predicted 2020 flooding, even in the midst of COVID-19 pandemic, he said.

The stakeholders at the meeting made contributions and suggestion toward finding durable solution and preventive measures against flood disasters in the country.

(NAN)
As co-chair of the Parliamentary Outdoor Caucus, I firmly believe that when it comes to making decisions about marine protection and sustainability, these decisions must be based on scientific data and transparent consultation with all relevant stakeholders.

That is why I spoke out against the Liberal governments disappointing 2020 Fraser River Chinook plan at the Public Fishery Alliance Sustainable Fisheries Rally in Vancouver last month.

Instead of presenting and implementing a comprehensive recovery strategy, the Liberals have chosen to once again, in many cases, place further unnecessary restrictions on fishing opportunities for British Columbians, ignoring viable, balanced proposals and the advice of experts with years of experience. This includes their own department scientists who recommended that they not implement these closures.

This decision punishes those who not only care about conservation, but who are also at the forefront of grassroots conservation projects across the province. It also effectively shuts down the livelihoods of those in the region that rely on fishing to put food on their table.

All British Columbians want to see the Fraser River Chinook salmon survive and flourish. Unfortunately, it is due to the Liberal governments delayed responses at the Big Bar slide as well as other measures that we are in this position in the first place.

They have failed to deal with under-treated sewage in rivers and estuaries. They have failed to manage out of control predator populations. They have failed to deliver the increased resources they promised for preventing aquatic invasive species proliferation in British Columbia. They have failed to deliver a promised Aquaculture Act. And, they have failed to provide the will and resources for enforcement to fight illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing that threatens our salmon stocks, including those most at risk.

When we look at the state of our Pacific salmon, steelhead and other stocks, it is clear that the Liberals approach to conservation isnt working.

In order to achieve better outcomes in conservation and restoration, I believe we must build on proven successes where partnerships between the recreational fishing industry, government biologists, Indigenous leaders, and concerned anglers have greatly benefitted fish populations and their aquatic environments. As we know, it is often the local anglers themselves who volunteer their time and effort to support and protect our public waters.

Instead of shutting the door to this type of cooperation, as this Liberal government continues to do, we should be working with these experts, learning from their experiences and expertise, and using this knowledge to help effectively protect our waterways. This includes supporting promising proposals like marked selective fisheries that would allow fishing to continue while increasing salmon stocks for the future. Experienced anglers have also pointed to an abundance of stocks in areas like the Chilliwack/Vedder River, the Qualicum River, the Cowichan River, the Capilano River, the Stamp River, as well as Puget Sound and the Columbia River.

The Sport Fishing Advisory Boards set up by the federal government worked hard putting together detailed plans that would balance the interests of stakeholders. In 2019 and 2020, after supplying the Department of Fisheries and Oceans with competent advice, these recommendations have been largely ignored. Most of these advisory board members have provided their services voluntarily and with this decision have been left asking, why should they bother? However, they stay engaged because they care about the resource.

It is clear that the Liberal government has no real plan to restore British Columbias salmon stocks and, with the release of the 2020 Fraser River Chinook plan, are continuing on a path of failure that wont truly address the causes of salmon stock declines.

In 2019, similar restrictions in British Columbia largely shut down sport fishery and related tourism industry including hotels, restaurants, resorts, engine suppliers, repair shops, guides and outfitters. This is an industry that is directly connected to 9,000 jobs in the province and over one billion dollars in revenues annually.

It is time for this government to stop scapegoating British Columbian anglers for its disastrous efforts to protect our salmon. This has only raised tensions on all sides unnecessarily.

We as British Columbians must all work together to demand a real plan from the Liberal government so that we can reach our common goal of a successful fishery that is accessible to everyone.

Bob Zimmer

Member of Parliament

Prince George-Peace River-Northern Rockies

Co-Chair, Parliamentary Outdoor Caucus
Pardalote chick. Credit: Fernanda Alves, ANU

Researchers have found a way to help one of Australia's rarest birds "self-fumigate" or safeguard their nests, to protect their young from deadly parasites.

The endangered forty-spotted pardalotes nest in the hollows of old trees. They build small nests using grass, tree bark, and soft feathers found on the forest floor. These snug nests keep their chicks warm and dry.

However, parasitic flies (Passeromyia longicornis) are attracted to these cozy nests. When the eggs of the pardalotes hatch, the fly maggots burrow into the skin of the baby birds to feed on their blood.

The parasite is killing nine out of every 10 chicks in some areas according to Ph.D. researcher Ms Fernanda Alves, from the Research School of Biology at The Australian National University (ANU).

"This species has already suffered major population declines due to habitat loss. This parasite could now lead to the extinction of this unique species if nothing is done," Ms Alves said.

The research team, which is part of the Australian Government's National Environmental Science Program, has found a clever way to help the birds to fumigate their own nests.

"Manually spraying pardalote nests with a bird safe insecticide has proven to be effective, but the birds nest high in trees so finding and accessing their nests is very difficult," Ms Alves said.

"Pardalotes spend a lot of time looking for bird feathers to build their nests with, so we decided to make use of this natural instinct to get insecticide into nests."

Ms Alves created wire dispensers stuffed with sterilized chicken feathers that were treated with bird-safe insecticide and hung them in trees near pardalote nests.

"The results were fantastic. Birds took the treated feathers back to their nests and as a result 95 percent of the chicks survivedwhereas those that used untreated feathers had only an eight percent survival rate," she said.

"Finding stray feathers on the forest floor is hard work. The feather dispensers gave the pardalotes a hand with nest building and fixed their fly problem. These feather dispensers provide us with a very cheap and effective way to improve nest survival of forty-spotted pardalotes. These birds are endangered by loss of habitat, and we are thrilled to have a new tool that ensures that in the areas where these birds still survive, they can still produce enough offspring to hopefully prevent extinction."

The research has been published in the scientific journal Animal Conservation.

Explore further Nest cavity competition may threaten an endangered Tasmanian songbird

More information: F. Alves et al. 'Selffumigation' of nests by an endangered avian host using insecticidetreated feathers increases reproductive success more than tenfold, Animal Conservation (2020). F. Alves et al. 'Selffumigation' of nests by an endangered avian host using insecticidetreated feathers increases reproductive success more than tenfold,(2020). DOI: 10.1111/acv.12627
BAGHDAD - This city roars in the summertime. You hear the generators on every street, shaking and shuddering to keep electric fans whirring as the air seems to shimmer in the heat.

Iraq isn't just hot. It's punishingly hot. Record-breakingly hot. When one of us returned here last week, the air outside felt like an oven. The suitcase crackled as it was unzipped. It turned out that the synthetic fibers of a headscarf had melted crispy and were now stuck to the top of the case. A cold bottle of water was suddenly warm to the lips. At our office, the door handle was so hot it left blisters at the touch.

Baghdad hit 125.2 degrees on July 28, blowing past the previous record of 123.8 degrees - which was set here five years ago - and topping 120 degrees for four days in a row. Sitting in one of the fastest warming parts of the globe, the city offers a troubling snapshot of the future that climate change might one day bring other parts of the world.

Experts say temperature records like the one seen in Baghdad will continue to fall as climate change advances.

"It's getting hotter every year," said Jos Lelieveld, an expert on the climate of the Middle East and Mediterranean at the Max Planck Institute in Germany. "And when you are starting to get above 50 degrees Celsius [122 degrees Fahrenheit] it becomes life threatening."

The air temperature forced almost everyone indoors. Those who were still out on the streets tried to make a living selling cold drinks or fruit that festered in the heat. We saw them crouching in shade from a beating sun that offered few shadows, plunging their hands and faces into ice boxes that had long since melted.

We asked a traffic cop if there was anything he could do to stay cool. He shook his head. "There's nothing."

If the world acts to dramatically limit climate change, such extremes of heat, with temperatures above 120 degrees, would probably be limited to parts of the Middle East, Northern Africa, and India, Lelieveld said.

But if not, temperatures in parts of the Persian Gulf region and South Asia could eventually exceed 130 degrees. Nor would the rest of the world be spared extreme spikes. Indeed, one recent study found that by the year 2050, the climate of Phoenix could closely resemble that of Baghdad.

Some countries are better equipped to cope than others. But Iraq's infrastructure was decimated by sanctions before the 2003 U.S. invasion and then years of conflict and corruption that followed.

The heat is ruining livelihoods, and power cuts have been compounding a sense of misery so deep that protesters are streaming into the streets to demand better services, even risking the threat of live ammunition from ill-disciplined security forces. At least three protesters have been killed since last month. No one believes they will be the last.

The heat is straining a power grid that was already on its knees. Those who can afford it rely on exorbitantly priced private generators to power a few lights and a fan. Those who cannot just swelter, exhausted in the dark.

Last year, Philip Alston, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, warned of a coming "climate apartheid" scenario. This is what it starts to look like.

Many foreigners in Iraq are lucky. The Washington Post's Baghdad bureau has a generator and near constant power supply, putting us in a tiny minority, along with the politicians and executives sequestered in compounds with guards at the door. But for many households, a generator to keep the lights and perhaps a television on will cost about half of the monthly income.

In southern Iraq, the heat and lack of rainfall are contributing to a water crisis that has forced tens of thousands of people to leave their homes over the past decade. In July, a report by the International Organization for Migration warned there is a high chance this will continue.

Warming in the country is far above average. Data from Berkeley Earth show that, compared with the country's temperature at the close of the 19th century (1880-1899), the last five years were 2.3 degrees Celsius, or 4.1 degrees Fahrenheit, hotter. The Earth as a whole has warmed by only about half that amount over the same time period.

Farmers whose families have worked the land for generations say they are losing crops and their incomes are plunging. In the eastern district of Al-Adhamiyah this week, 47-year-old Moatez Ghalib surveyed the grove of plants he was trying to sell for homes and balconies. Leaves curled yellow. Some were so brittle you could snap them.

He looked down at his feet. "It's all burning," he said sadly. "The heat here is changing our lives."

When you talk to Iraqis about the rising heat in Baghdad, the city's disappearing green belt comes up time and again. Palm trees were beheaded by American and Iraqi forces, in an attempt to stop militants hiding there during the civil war. Where there once were miles of farmland, property has been expropriated and sold to the highest bidder. The squat brown-brick sprawl of informal settlements is also spreading.

Such changes in the landscape have probably exacerbated what scientists call the "urban heat island effect," in which cities tend to register higher temperatures than the surrounding landscape because buildings and pavement often gather heat, rather than reflecting it back toward space.

Ghalib's family has worked two of the remaining farms for three generations. His grandfather passed the family farm onto Ghalib's father, and now the 47-year-old is in charge of it too. As a schoolboy, he watered the fields daily. "Being here in the green land, it relaxed me. I'd stay here for hours before going home to finish my homework," he said. "We can't have that life anymore. It's too hot."

One of his day laborers was out for 10 days last week with sunstroke, and the farm couldn't pay him as he convalesced. "The sun burned his bones," Ghalib said. "Our bodies can't take it, we just can't work like we used to." He is coming to terms with the fact his children will not take over the farm, a prospect that he says would have stricken his late father.

A desert country like Iraq is warming more rapidly, explained MIT climate expert Elfatih Eltahir, because it is so dry. While additional heat in many places would partially go toward evaporating moisture in the soil, there just isn't much such moisture in Iraq.

"This is the region where there is no moisture," Eltahir said. "So any added greenhouse effect, it has to go into sensible heat."

If there's some sliver of good news, it is that at least in Baghdad, which is relatively distant from the Persian Gulf, an extremely high heat event like this one is less likely to also feature high levels of atmospheric humidity.

Combinations of high heat and humidity, Eltahir has found, can lead to literally lethal outdoor temperatures because humans are unable to cool down their bodies through sweating. And his research projects that these conditions will start to occur in some parts of the Middle East as warming continues.

While Iraq has seen its temperatures rise usually fast, the rest of the world is projected to see similar increases in the decades ahead. Extreme warming is coming everywhere.

As the tangerine-colored sun slipped below the Baghdad skyline Thursday, a construction worker looked up, shook his head, and then stretched out his arms as if he was hugging the sky.

"Thank God," he shouted at another laborer, nodding up at where the sun once hung. "Our friend has gone to bed."

- - -

Mooney reported from Washington. The Washington Post's Mustafa Salim contributed from Baghdad.
The leaders of insurer True Health New Mexico have a message for the public: Theyre not New Mexico Health Connections, and theyre not going out of business.

After New Mexico Health Connections, a nonprofit healthcare organization, announced Tuesday that it would be closing at the end of 2020, True Health New Mexico started hearing about it  a lot.

When the news broke, competitor True Health New Mexico began receiving calls, texts and emails voicing concerns about the companys future, a Wednesday news release from True Health New Mexico said.  Within the first hour of business on Tuesday morning, True Health fielded more than 25 contacts from concerned business owners, providers and stakeholders.

While the organizations have a long history together, they have been split since 2018. According to earlier reporting, New Mexico Health Connections received regulatory approval in 2017 to sell off its commercial business to one of its vendors, Virginia-based Evolent Health. That move established True Health New Mexico, a for-profit company.

Some top leaders of True Health New Mexico  including the organizations president and CEO, Dr. Mark Epstein  were top-level leaders of New Mexico Health Connection before the split.

New Mexico Health Connections CEO Marlene Baca cited declining membership during tough economic times as a reason for the insurers imminent closure.
Marjorie Taylor Greene won the GOP nomination for a Georgia seat in the House of Representatives. Politico paints this as a GOP disaster because it claims that Greene says racist, Islamophobic, and anti-Semitic things. House Republicans, who have learned nothing from Donald Trump about fighting back against media calumnies, dutifully piled on. In fact, Politico is defaming Greene, who is not racist, is not anti-Semitic, and is not unreasonably concerned about sharia Islam in American politics.

Tuesday's Politico article is entitled "New GOP headache as candidate condemned for racist videos wins Republican primary." It relies on an earlier Politico article that purports to have discovered that Greene made "incendiary" comments against Muslims, Jews, and blacks.

In the earlier article, entitled "House Republican leaders condemn GOP candidate who made racist videos," Politico offers up baseless leftist opinions. The following are a few examples of things that Greene said that are not anti-Semitic, unreasonably Islamophobic, or racist.

"Marjorie Taylor Greene . . . called George Soros, a Jewish Democratic megadonor, a Nazi."  As we've explained elsewhere, Soros is a genetic Jew who hates his ancestry. You may as well say Hitler was a Christian. Moreover, Soros has admitted that he aided the Nazis, an experience he found unproblematic.

"Greene described Islamic nations under Sharia law as places where men have sex with 'little boys, little girls, multiple women' and 'marry their sisters' and 'their cousins.'"  Homosexual pedophilia is rife in Afghanistan. Muslims routinely defend child marriage as a basic Islamic tenet. Islam's polygamy and the horrors of the ISIS sex slaves address the "multiple women" charge. Cousin incest is the norm in Muslim societies. Greene overshot the mark only about sisters.

"She suggested the 2018 midterms  which ushered in the most diverse class of House freshmen  was part of 'an Islamic invasion of our government'."  The Muslim Brotherhood has been open about its goal: it supports jihad to bring the world within Islam. In 1981, the Brotherhood explained:

The process of settlement is a "Civilization-Jihadist Process" with all the word means. The Ikhwan must understand that their work in America is a kind of grand Jihad in eliminating and destroying the Western civilization from within and "sabotaging" its miserable house by their hands and the hands of the believers so that it is eliminated and God's religion is made victorious over all other religions. 'An Explanatory Memorandum on the General Strategic Goal for the Group in North America,' 1981

And if you think that's old hat, just remember the recent video that Voice of America, using taxpayer dollars, broadcast to Muslims in America and abroad:

"anyone that is a Muslim that believes in Sharia law does not belong in our government."  Daniel Sobieski explains that a legal system centered on Muhammad's theocratic dictates is incompatible with the Constitution.

"she directly compared Black Lives Matter activists to the neo-Nazis and Ku Klux Klan members who marched at a white nationalist rally three years ago in Charlottesville, Va., denouncing them all as 'idiots.'"  Both groups are violent segregationists, premised on racial superiority, that do not recognize the Constitution. That's why Malcolm X made common cause with the KKK.

"'Guess what? Slavery is over,' she said. 'Black people have equal rights.'"  Both of these statements are correct. There are no laws in America that mete out different rights based upon race. The fact that leftists are reduced to hate crime hoaxes and the stupidity of claimed microaggressions is evidence that equality is the law.

"Green said . . . that unemployment  which affects people of color at disproportionately higher rates  is simply the product of 'bad choices' and being 'lazy.' Minorities, Greene added, are being held back in society by gangs, drugs, a lack of education, Planned Parenthood and abortions  'not white people.'"  Greene said the same about poor white people and their bad decisions. As long as blacks have the "out" of blaming whites for their problems, they will never address them. Candace Owens would agree with Greene.

Greene also slammed affirmative action as disproportionately benefiting black women. (Verdict: True. See Kamala Harris and Michelle Obama as Exhibit A.) She added that white males are abused today  and you only need to watch or read anything coming from the left to know she was correct.

Listen to Greene. You'll discover she comes not from a place of hate or racism, but from a belief in love for mankind, the equality of all people, and the Constitution.

The same article describes how GOP House members, instead of supporting Greene, fell over themselves to disavow her. Say the word "racist," and every Republican other than Trump turns into a slimy, quivering mass of groveling, apologetic jelly. But voters know that Green, although perhaps tactless, is about 95% factually accurate (which is more than most politicians can say). That's why she won. She has high expectations for every American in a constitutional system.

The leftist media's so-called "objective" standards or absolute "values" always favor Democrats. When honest conservatives present accurate opposing views representing different values, the media slander them, and, to their shame, the GOP spineless hacks grovel.

Images: Screen grab from Politico compilation of Ms. Greene's social media videos.
The Garda crackdown on rogue publicans not adhering to the Covid-related health measures and licensing laws appears to be making an impact.

Latest figures show that the special operation, codenamed 'Navigation', is steering increasing number of publicans towards abiding by the emergency rules.

The statistics show there were 14 potential breaches of the rules in the week from Tuesday, August 9, up to last Sunday.

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This figure represents a significant drop on the previous weekly total of 24, which included the August bank holiday weekend, and a total of 22 breaches in the last week of July.

The newly published figures bring the overall total up to 126 nationally, with the majority of potential breaches continuing to be linked to a lack of evidence showing that food is being served or consumed in the targeted premises.

A file on each of the incidents is currently being prepared by gardai for the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), who will advise on how the gardai should proceed with their investigation.

Gardai also have the power to object to the renewal of a pub licence at the annual licensing courts on the basis that there has been a breach.

Expand Close Deputy Garda Commissioner John Twomey. Photo: Gareth Chaney, Collins / Facebook

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Under liquor licensing laws, a licensed premises requires a declaration of suitability from a garda for its licence to be renewed. Senior officers pointed out that Garda visits to pubs since Operation Navigation began on July 3 have shown that the vast majority of publicans were adhering to the Covid-19 measures.

Deputy Garda Commissioner John Twomey, who is in charge of policing and security, said the force was delighted to see a continued high level of compliance with the public health regulations.

Meanwhile, publicans "may be asked to make a sacrifice for the rest of the country", according to Tanaiste Leo Varadkar, raising the prospect they may not open this year.

He insisted the reopening of schools was the national priority and said the planned August 31 reopening of pubs that don't serve food - already postponed from August 10 - may not happen.

There will be a Cabinet meeting on August 28, he said, striking a pessimistic note on the chances of pubs welcoming customers again. It could be a matter of "saying to the pubs that you have to stay closed or wait longer, that you can't reopen", he said.

In such a case he would like to have a package of financial supports approved by Cabinet for this sector, over and above what it already provided for business by way of grants, subsidies and supports, he added.

However, there is "growing scepticism" among publicans that they will be allowed to reopen at the end of the month, given the localised lockdowns and recent surge in Covid cases. They are asking for stronger support packages for those pubs that have been forced to stay shut.

The two bodies representing Irish publicans said it is "critical" that an immediate and backdated support package be given to the industry. The Licensed Vintners Association and the Vintners Federation of Ireland are calling for measures that offer "meaningful support" in the form of grant aid.

The groups said that loans or cuts in indirect taxation measures will not benefit pubs that have had to stay closed. They suggested the introduction of a 'Pub Support Package' which would provide direct financial aid to pubs that are closed.
Mathura/Vrindavan, Aug 12 : Never before has the Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi worn such a forlorn look on Janmashthami. Without devotees this time due to the Covid pandemic, it was a sight that the twin-towns of Mathura and Vrindavan had never witnessed.

"Without devotees and pilgrims,the fervour and excitement is clearly missing. The ritualistic celebrations are being conducted behind closed doors," said a priest at Vishram Ghat.

The narrow lanes of Vrindavan that used to reverberate with joyous chants of Radhey Radhey and the hustle and bustle at the Sri Dwarkadheesh temple and Sri Krishna Janambhoomi complex is missing. "The stretches leading to the shrines are desolate, so are the ghats of Yamuna and the holy Goverdhan hill-town," says a local Jagan Nath Poddar.

The Sri Krishna Janamashtmi festival is the main draw here. It is an opportunity for locals to make a living selling religious artefacts, dresses for the Lord, hindolas, decorative items, silver-ware and jewellery and brass statues of Laddoo Gopal. Flowers and fruits used to be in great demand but sadly, a whole year is wasted, lamented social activist Pawan Gautam. "Dress-making for Thakurji and hindolas, engaged thousands of craftsmen, a large number of them Muslims. It has been a very testing time for them all," Gautam added.

But on a positive note, Jagan Nath Poddar says,"The Covid-19 pandemic has given us an opportunity to review our developmental policies. We should seriously consider the consequences of mindless development here. The holy land of Braj is not only heavily polluted but is fast transforming due to rampant construction." Nature lovers, activists and heritage conservationists in the Taj Trapezium Zone have been raising an alarm over the frenetic pace of development that is eating up all the green spaces and water bodies.

"The Braj Mandal spread over roughly 150 kms is losing its glory and tranquility due to a spike in construction activity, and illegal sand and stone mining," says environmentalist Devashish Bhattacharya.

"The famed forests of Braj mandal, a dozen from Vrindavan to Agravan, from Kaamvan to Mahavan, Kokilavan to Kotvan, have all but disappeared, making way for structures completely out of sync with the local architecture," Bhattacharya added.

Acharya Sri Vatsji Maharaj, Vrindavan's eminent spiritual leader said at a meeting recently, "Sri Krishna was an environmentalist. He consumed Davanal to cool off heat, ate mud and purified the soil and by killing Kaliya Naag, he purified the water of the Yamuna." "Lord Krishna was a protector of hills, ponds, rivers, forests and animal life. The mor pankh (peocock feather), tulsi, bansuri, love for cows, these are all manifestations of his bonding with nature. But his followers are doing just the opposite," says green activist Akash Vashisht who has petitioned the National Green Tribunal to seek effective measures to save Vrindavan and its neighbourhood.

Apart from this there is also tremendous stress on the cultural wealth of Braj.

Music maestro Acharya TN Jaimini says, "Haveli sangeet parampara of the Sri Krishna temples is disappearing and has been replaced by loud film music. The lanes of Vrindavan no longer echo with divine music. Now it is all cacophony." The water bodies of Braj, the kunds and sarovars, numbered more than a 1000 and were a perennial source of fresh water. It served multiple purposes like irrigation, domestic use,for cattle etc. However rapid urbanisation, lack of maintenance and prolonged negligence has left 80% of the kunds filled with silt.

While past governments developed several religious circuits in the state, the Braj circuit remains the most neglected and under-developed. Also land grabbers have usurped several prime properties in Mathura, Vrindavan and other smaller towns in the circuit. This has hit infrastructure development here. For instance the parikrama route in Goverdhan. Multi-storey buildings are being built there for wealthy pilgrims.

The same trend is destroying green cover and open spaces in Vrindavan which has more high-rises than Mathura. "Where is the space for greenery and a pollution free ambience," ask river activists.
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - August 12, 2020) - Roscan Gold Corporation (TSXV: ROS) (FSE: 2OJ) (OTC PINK: RCGCF) ("Roscan" or the "Company") is pleased to announce positive diamond drill results (Figure 1) from an additional 20 holes totaling 3,788 meters (m) at its Mankouke South Target. DDMan-20-54 (Figure 1 and Figure 3) intersected 6.15 gpt over 46.5m from 118.5m, which has increased the width of the mineralized zone to 125m. Hole DDMan-20-61 intersected 2.76 gpt over 6m including 9.55 gpt over 1m in Fresh Rock and increases vertical depth of mineralization to 173m (Figure 3).

The Government Aeromagnetic Survey (SYSMIN), which covers both the Kandiole Project area (Figure 4) and the area of hole DDMan-20-59, indicates that the Southern Mankouke Mineralized Trend is faulted off to the West, and the continuation of the Northern Mineralization Trend is shown by DDMan-20-59.

Drilling Highlights:

Southern Mankouke - Diamond Drill Holes

6.15 gpt gold over 46.5m from drill hole DDMan-20-54 from 118.5m;

5.20 gpt gold over 41.0m from drill hole DDMan-20-57 from 38.5m; Including 52.6 gpt over 1.0m from 61.5m And 2.01 gpt gold over 25.0m from 7.5m



3.98 gpt gold over 68.0m from drill hole DDMan-20-56 from 7.5m;

4.89 gpt gold over 22.0m from drill hole DDMan-20-59 from 7.5m;

4.18 gpt gold over 17.0m from drill hole DDMan-20-52 from 133.5m ; And 9.57 gpt gold over 7.0m from 157.5m

;

2.92 gpt gold over 18.0m from drill hole DDMan-20-50 from 114.5m;

2.76 gpt gold over 6.0m from drill hole DDMan-20-61 from 146.4m ; Including 9.55 gpt over 1.0m from 151.4m

;

1.98 gpt gold over 47.0m from drill hole DDMan-20-48 from 6.5m.

Air Core Drilling

3.00 gpt gold over 20.0m from drill hole ACMan20-467 from 8.0m;

1.12 gpt gold over 36.0m from drill hole ACMan20-469 from 12.0m;

2.80 gpt gold over 12.0m from drill hole ACMan20-660 from 34.0m;

1.79 gpt gold over 20.0m from drill hole ACMan20-663 from 30.0m (End of Hole);

1.62 gpt gold over 12.0m from drill hole ACMan20-665 from 38.0m; (End of Hole).

Notes: 1: True width yet to be determined, 2: Table 1 - Assay Highlights, 3: 0.5gpt used as cut-off with 4m internal dilution for drill holes at Mankouke South, and 2m internal dilution for regional drill holes, 4: No top-cut.

AC regional fence drilling tests termite mound anomalies. In the event that significant results are returned, first follow-up is generally more AC fence drilling along strike and if mineralization of significant grade is confirmed over a significant strike distance, follow-up is done with RC and / or DD drilling. These 314 AC holes aided us to establish 200m strike length at northern extension to date.

Nana Sangmuah, President and CEO, stated, "These positive results demonstrate the extension of the Southern Mankouke mineralization to the North, based on the offset which the Geophysics identified in Figure 4. We have traced this new zone over 200 meters in strike length and continue to increase the foot print of the deposit. We are very excited to intersect gold in the fresh rock again and increase the depth of mineralization at Mankouke South. We remain focused on testing the full potential of our tenement package in order to yield more discoveries and expand on Mankouke South (Figure 2). Drilling in 2020 should unlock the potential of our highly prospective land package leading to more news flow in the coming weeks."





Figure 1: Plan View delineating the offset to the North and expansion to the West

To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/4821/61554_91fab06724668a21_001full.jpg





Figure 2: Cross Section depicting Depth and High Grade Continuity - DDMan-20-57

To view an enhanced version of Figure 2, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/4821/61554_91fab06724668a21_002full.jpg





Figure 3: Cross Section depicting the Extension to the West and Vertical Depth - DDMan-20-61

To view an enhanced version of Figure 3, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/4821/61554_91fab06724668a21_003full.jpg

Drill hole DDMan-20-54 intersected one of the highest gram meters to date at Southern Mankouke. This drill hole, when coupled with previously high-grade drill holes, shows the persistent high grade nature of the deposit.

Drill hole DDMan-20-61 indicates a westerly dip of the mineralized zone, intersected the fresh rock and increased the vertical depth of the mineralization. This hole identifies the potential of the deposit to the west and we will continue to drill to clearly understand the extents.

DDMan-20-59 confirms the offset to the northwest whereby the mineralization picks up again on the northern portion. Also, the rock texture north of the offset is similar to that of southern portion of Mankouke South.





Figure 4: Geophysics data showing the offset and major structure on Kandiole Project

To view an enhanced version of Figure 4, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/4821/61554_91fab06724668a21_004full.jpg

The gold mineralization at Mankouke South is associated with quartz veining (Figure 5 and Figure 6) and/or disseminated and stringer pyrite hosted in brecciated, silicified and locally sheared greywackes and mudstones underlain by interbedded limestones and mudstones of the Kofi Formation. Mankouke South is located approximately 25km east of the Fekola mine (B2Gold Corp.).





Figure 5: Drill Core Photo DDMan-20-59 (Northern Extension) showing high grade sections mineralization style comparable to Mankouke South Zone DDMan-20-57 (Figure 6)

To view an enhanced version of Figure 5, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/4821/61554_91fab06724668a21_005full.jpg





Figure 6: Drill Core Photo DDMan-20-57 (Mankouke South Target) showing broadly high grade sections similar to Hole DDMan-20-59 (Northern Extension)

To view an enhanced version of Figure 6, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/4821/61554_91fab06724668a21_006full.jpg

Drilling Contract and Analytical Protocol

The drilling contracts were awarded to Target Drilling SARL and Geodrill who both employ multi-purpose (AC/RC/DD) rig and AC rigs at the Kandiole Project. The AC drilling is mainly focused on drilling exploration targets.

All diamond drill samples are sent for preparation to Bureau Veritas Mineral Laboratories in Bamako, Mali and transported by Bureau Veritas to their analytical facility in Abidjan, Ivory Coast for fire assay with atomic absorption finish and by gravimetric finish for grades above 10gpt Au. Most the AC drilling was sent to SGS. Roscan applied industry-standard QA/QC procedures to the program. Certified reference materials, blanks and field duplicates are inserted at appropriate intervals.

Table 1: Drillhole Highlights at Mankouke South (August 11th, 2020)

Hole ID Section From To Interval (m) gpt Au DDMAN20-42 1376200 NSR DDMAN20-43 1376200 NSR DDMAN20-44 1375700 8 10 2 1.14 24 25 1 0.97 31 34 3 1.87 39 57 18 2.11 including 41 43 2 9.43 99 100 1 0.91 127 128 1 0.79 DDMAN20-45 1376200 NSR DDMAN20-46 1376400 NSR DDMAN20-47 1375700 30 31 1 0.61 46 61 15 1.05 103 130 27 1.36 146 152 6 3.47 157 165 8 0.96 DDMAN20-48 1376000 6.5 53.5 47 1.98 including 35.5 38.5 3 5.35 and 49.5 51.5 2 6.68 86.5 87.5 1 1.31 96.5 103.5 7 2.62 DDMAN20-49 1375650 NSR DDMAN20-50 1376000 28.5 35.5 7 1.5 47.5 48.5 1 0.8 65.5 70.5 5 0.85 82.5 88.5 6 1.06 114.5 132.5 18 2.92 including 119.5 121.5 2 19.8 142.5 145.5 3 2.64 155.5 156.5 1 0.51 DDMAN20-51 1375650 64 70 6 1.08 DDMAN20-52 1375950 25.5 30.5 5 1.46 50.5 51.5 1 0.65 63.5 64.5 1 0.76 69.5 79.5 10 4.03 including 76.5 79.5 3 10.4 93.5 99.4 5.9 0.55 104.4 116.5 12.1 1.78 133.5 150.5 17 4.18 including 141.5 145.5 4 9.14 157.5 164.5 7 9.57 including 161.5 164.5 3 15.6 170.5 171.5 1 0.66 DDMAN20-53 1375600 NSR DDMAN20-54 1375750 109.5 112.5 3 0.67 118.5 165 46.5 6.15 including 120 126.5 6.5 10.3 and 132.5 142.5 10 10.1 172.5 174 1.5 0.76 DDMAN20-55 1380550 NSR DDMAN20-56 1375850 7.5 75.5 68 3.98 including 27.5 42.5 15 8.1 and 64.5 66.5 2 14 DDMAN20-57 1375850 7.5 32.5 25 2.01 including 23.5 24.5 1 22.3 38.5 79.5 41 5.2 including 47.5 49.5 2 13.9 and 56.5 64.5 8 15.4 including 61.5 62.5 1 52.6 84.5 100.5 16 1.97 122.5 126.5 4 1.69 including 127.5 128.5 1 5.3 DDMAN20-58 1380900 NSR DDMAN20-59 1376390 7.5 29.5 22 4.89 including 18.5 23.5 5 9.07 and 27.5 29.5 2 9.17 DDMAN20-60 1380800 68.3 69.3 1 1.67 103.3 107.3 4 0.57 DDMAN20-61 1375750 117.5 124.5 7 1.19 146.4 152.4 6 2.76 including 151.4 152.4 1 9.55 175.4 176.4 1 0.54 185.4 187.4 2 1.13 198.4 199.4 1 0.52 218.4 226.4 8 0.96 ACMAN20-466 1376390 18 28 10 0.99 ACMAN20-467 1376390 8 28 20 3 ACMAN20-469 1376390 12 48 36 1.12 ACMAN20-470 1376390 6 14 8 0.74 34 38 4 0.77 48 50 2 0.5 ACMAN20-471 1376390 10 18 8 1.68 24 26 2 0.52 ACMAN20-472 1376390 10 16 6 0.98 24 26 2 0.65 ACMAN20-473 1376390 10 22 12 0.59 44 48 4 2.97 ACMAN20-647 1376300 14 20 6 0.59 30 32 2 0.76 ACMAN20-654 1376300 14 22 8 0.81 30 36 6 1.27 42 48 6 0.48 ACMAN20-655 1376300 18 32 14 0.76 36 44 8 0.65 ACMAN20-656 1376300 36 44 8 0.81 48 50 2 0.63 ACMAN20-657 1376300 18 20 2 0.55 ACMAN20-660 1376350 34 46 12 2.8 ACMAN20-661 1376350 20 28 8 3.06 32 34 2 0.58 ACMAN20-662 1376350 8 10 2 2.07 ACMAN20-663 1376350 14 16 2 0.61 30 50 20 1.79 ACMAN20-664 1376350 8 14 6 0.45 18 26 8 1.41 44 50 6 0.61 ACMAN20-665 1376350 22 24 2 0.59 38 50 12 1.62 ACMAN20-337 1377470 6 7 1 0.7 ACMAN20-355 1375860 18 20 2 0.86 ACMAN20-357 1375860 18 19 1 0.83 34 38 4 1.29 ACMAN20-415 1377080 24 28 4 1.75 ACMAN20-491 1377580 0 2 2 0.68

Table 2: Drillhole ID Mankouke South (August 11th, 2020)

Hole ID XPT YPT ZPT AZM DIP DDMAN20-42 262879 1376199 169 270 -50 DDMAN20-43 262781 1376200 168 270 -50 DDMAN20-44 262666 1375700 179 270 -50 DDMAN20-45 262831 1376200 168 270 -50 DDMAN20-46 262875 1376400 171 270 -50 DDMAN20-47 262720 1375698 179 270 -50 DDMAN20-48 262712 1376000 172 90 -50 DDMAN20-49 262720 1375650 175 270 -50 DDMAN20-50 262687 1376001 171 90 -63 DDMAN20-51 262674 1375649 173 270 -50 DDMAN20-52 262801 1375950 175 270 -50 DDMAN20-53 262722 1375599 173 270 -50 DDMAN20-54 262500 1375751 172 90 -50 DDMAN20-55 263360 1380550 161 90 -50 DDMAN20-56 262685 1375850 177 90 -50 DDMAN20-57 262625 1375850 178 90 -50 DDMAN20-58 263760 1380900 169 270 -50 DDMAN20-59 262456 1376389 178 270 -50 DDMAN20-60 263600 1380800 180 270 -50 DDMAN20-61 262455 1375750 172 90 -50

Qualified Person (QP) and NI43-101 Disclosure

Greg Isenor, P. Geo., Executive Vice-Chairman for the Company, is the designated Qualified Person for this news release within the meaning of National Instrument 43-101 ("NI 43-101") and has reviewed and verified that the technical information contained herein is accurate and approves of the written disclosure of same.

About Roscan

Roscan Gold Corporation is a Canadian gold exploration company focused on the exploration and acquisition of gold properties in West Africa. The Company has assembled a significant land position of 100%-owned permits in an area of producing gold mines (including B2 Gold's Fekola Mine which lies in a contiguous property to the west of Kandiole), and major gold deposits, located both north and south of its Kandiole Project in West Mali.

For further information, please contact:

Andrew J. Ramcharan, P.Eng

Executive Vice President - Corporate Development

Tel: (416) 572-2295

Email: aramcharan@Roscan.ca

Greg Isenor, P.Geo

Executive Vice-Chairman

Tel: (902) 902-221-2329

Email: gpisenor@Roscan.ca

Forward Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking information which is not comprised of historical facts. Forward-looking information is characterized by words such as "plan", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. Forward-looking information involves risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events, results, and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from such forward-looking information include, but are not limited to, changes in the state of equity and debt markets, fluctuations in commodity prices, delays in obtaining required regulatory or governmental approvals, and other risks involved in the mineral exploration and development industry, including those risks set out in the Company's management's discussion and analysis as filed under the Company's profile at www.sedar.com. Forward-looking information in this news release is based on the opinions and assumptions of management considered reasonable as of the date hereof, including that all necessary governmental and regulatory approvals will be received as and when expected. Although the Company believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing the forward-looking information in this news release are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, other than as required by applicable securities laws.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/61554
Palm Springs resident Lamar Hoke Jr. holds a photo of himself (fourth from the bottom left) and his classmates from high school on Thursday, August 6, 2020, in Palm Springs, Calif. Hoke, now 78, was in high school when he heard from his sister, Connie Stanley, after being separated from her following their mother's passing. Then came decades of searching.

PALM SPRINGS, Calif.  At age 4, Lamar Hoke Jr. walked into his mothers bedroom one morning to find her dead behind the newspaper she was reading. He ran to get his sister, Connie, who was 11 at the time, and, after she confirmed what he saw, the two of them sprinted down the street to get their grandmother.

After that, their memories are all a mess.

The two siblings, who were living in St. Louis, had different fathers. Lamar's lived in Chicago, so he went to live with his dad and paternal grandmother more than 300 miles away. Connie's dad, a bachelor who raised her for the first few years of her life, wasn't ready to look after a pre-teen girl on his own, so Connie went to stay with a foster family in her St. Louis neighborhood.

That was in 1946.

Theyve been trying to find each other ever since.

Earlene Overalls Thompson, mother of Connie and Lamar, died when they were just children. Her death prompted their 74-year separation.

Big sister came close once. After she was married, Connie Stanley found an old box of her mother's that contained some letters. One was from Lamars father in Chicago. She wrote to the address telling her baby brother that she had gotten married, had children and that she had named one of them  Eric Lamar  after him.

When Lamar got the letter, he was delirious with joy, carrying it with him everywhere he went. Look, I got a letter from my sister, hed say as he walked around his high school campus. I kept the letter on me and I showed it to everybody I saw.

Then maybe the address faded, or maybe Lamar, in all the excitement, lost the letter. Whats for sure is that he never wrote back and, without the address on the envelope, he never could.

Because I didnt answer the letter, she probably thinks I dont care about her, Lamar, who lives in Palm Springs and is now 78, remembered thinking. That guilt is part of the reason Lamar spent his whole adult life trying to find his sister  even becoming an actor in hopes that she would see him on television and recognize him.

Connie Stanley as a young girl.

He wondered what had happened to the girl who protected him from neighborhood kids who laughed at him while he played outside naked. The girl who had explained to him while he sat on the swings that they werent going to be able to stay together  that he was going to have to go live with his father and grandmother.

Story continues

She was beautiful, he remembers. "She was my protector."

74 years is a long time to look for somebody

Connie was looking too. And when her brother didn't answer her, she thought she must have had the wrong address and didn't write again.

I never thought anything negative, she said while sitting at her table in the home she shares with her daughter and grandsons in Fairview Heights, Ill., just 20 minutes from the Missouri border.

In the years since, Connie lost her husband and one son. She has 19 grandchildren and a few greats.

Everywhere she traveled with her foster family and, later, her husband, she would flip through the yellow pages looking for her brother's name. Again and again, there was no Lamar Hoke.

"I cant say my life was bad, she said. If my brother had been in my life, I could say I had a perfect life.

Her husbands family treated her like one of their own, but when her friends talked about their brothers and sisters, there was always a pang of sadness as she kept quiet about her little brother.

Deep down inside, she said, I wanted something to call mine.

Back in Chicago, Lamar graduated high school, attended film school, and served in the National Guard during the Vietnam War. He too got married, had three sons and nine grandchildren.

Because of his interest in the film and television industry, he moved his family to California in 1981. And all that time, he too longed for his long-lost sister.

Connie is it, he said. Since we were separated, Ive been looking for her.

Palm Springs resident Lamar Hoke Jr. poses for a photo with his wife, Josette, Thursday, August 6, 2020, in Palm Springs, Calif. Lamar and his sister, Connie Stanley, separated as children following their mother's passing. The siblings eventually reconnected through Facebook, followed by Zoom, with the help of Josette, after 74 years apart. Stanley lives in Illinois and COVID-19 has kept the two from meeting in person.

In the last decade, Lamars wife, Josette, started an Ancestry.com account as a way to try to find Connie. It helped her connect with Lamars uncles family. They went to a family reunion with them, meeting cousins and others from his mother's family, in Sacramento in 2013. Nearly 300 family members Lamar had never met were there, welcoming him with open arms, but Connie wasnt among them.

It was surreal, he said. The family knew about her, but not where she was. It had been a sad thing that I looked for her, looked for her, looked for her then Id get tired and Id stop, Lamar said. Hed find another relative and regain hope, just to hit a dead end.

It was the same for Connie. There had been so many stops and starts that when her daughter found a man named Lamar Hoke Jr. on Facebook last year, she wasnt sure they should even reach out.

Seventy-four years is a long time to look for somebody  all your life peeping behind rocks, in corners, looking in phone books and suddenly there he is, sitting there at a piano on Facebook, Connie said. I didnt want him to think I was some kind of troll or somebody trying to hack him out of something.

Thats where my kids took over, Connie said.

Her daughter, Victoria, decided to reach out. Assuming the old man at the piano wasnt on Facebook often, she sent a message on the social media platform to the man's son, Hasan, and asked if he was related to Lamar Hoke Jr. She also reached out to Lamar on Instagram, but he doesn't ever use his account, so he never saw the message.

I thought, whatever, were not going to hear anything back,' Connie said.

And for months, they didn't.

Then, this past June, about a year after those first messages were sent, Hasan finally noticed. The delay was not intentional. He simply hadnt seen the message because of a feature on Facebook that keeps messages from people you arent connected to in a separate inbox that many people dont check.

When Victoria told her mother theyd found him, she said: Girl, dont play.

Connie didnt know how to react  she barely reacted at all.

I just didnt believe it, she said. Her children couldnt understand why she wasnt happier, why she wasnt jumping up and down. It was like a dream, she said. Im going to wake up in a minute and its not going to be true.

Id thought Id lost you forever

When Lamars son relayed the message to him, Lamar was scared that the phone number Victoria had sent, being a year old, wouldnt be good anymore.

It was really touch-and-go for a minute, Lamar said, remembering the last couple of months. He wasnt sure whether he and his sister would ever reconnect despite finally finding one another.

They finally spoke for the first time on June 25.

I picked up the phone and said, Ive been looking for you all my life, and got emotional about it, he said, pacing around the room. I was getting all worked up and she says, Stop that!

Seventy-four years later, Connie didnt want her baby brother crying over her.

Since then, theyve talked on the phone nearly every day and have video chatted via Zoom  something thats normal in the time of COVID-19, but not ideal for rekindling lost relationships.

Lamar Hoke Jr., 78, and his sister, Connie Stanley, 85, talk via a Zoom video call on Thursday afternoon, Aug. 6, 2020.

We picked up right where we left off in love, Lamar said during a video call on Thursday. Lamar, the slightly more excitable of the two, talks over his big sister, but catches himself. They laugh a lot  mostly at Lamar for getting emotional or, in this last call, for the daily naps he takes while Connie, seven years his senior, never naps at all.

But there are serious conversations, too. Lamar wants to know more about their childhood before they were separated. Connie has blocked a lot out. What she does know, she doesnt want Lamar to ask about. She used to tell her husband that she didnt want to talk about those years.

She remembers the picnic they were at when their mother told the family that she had cancer and that there was nothing doctors could do for her. She remembers her mother dying slowly. When they found their mother dead that day, she was only 28 years old.

Lamar and I would do, I guess, what sisters and brothers do, we clinged to each other, she said. I can remember some things when we were together  some of it was good and some of it was really traumatic.

Earlene Overalls Thompson, mother of Connie and Lamar, died when they were both just children. Her death prompted their 74-year separation.

Growing up, Lamar didnt know how his mother died. He had never even seen a picture of her. He also didnt know that the foster family Connie went to live with tried to convince his paternal grandmother to let them take him, too. He didnt know that his sister was looking for him.

I thought Id lost you forever, Connie told him during one of their recent phone conversations.

I thought Id lost you forever too, Lamar said. If it wasnt for COVID, wed have seen each other by now.

Oh my goodness, yes, she said. Even If I had to walk.

Still a world away

With nearly 1,800 miles separating the siblings, getting together isnt an option yet. And that's frustrating.

Lamar and Josette live near Palm Springs International Airport and could hop on a plane tomorrow, if not for coronavirus. Both Lamar and Connie have sons living in the Dallas area, they could meet there. But not yet.

When can we see each other? Its the topic of every conversation.

Palm Springs resident Lamar Hoke Jr. speaks with his sister, Connie Stanley, on the phone on Thursday, August 6, 2020, in Palm Springs, Calif. The siblings reconnected through Facebook, followed by Zoom, after 74 years apart. Stanley lives in Illinois and COVID-19 has kept the two from meeting in person.

I just have to see my brother, so COVIDs gonna have to do something, Connie says. I was willing to go to Dallas, COVID or no COVID.

If I have to get a hazmat suit, I dont care, says Lamar.

But both know their families wont let them take the risk. Both know what the risk would be  that it could mean losing each other again and forever.

Ive imagined it, Lamar said. I run up and grab her, hug her, kiss her, say Hey, hi! then I think about the virus again.

It would be pretty crazy not to hug or show some affection after 74 years, he said. Its a miracle theyve connected, he said, but the virus has made things much more complicated.

Zoom calls just arent the same, but, for now, theyll have to do.

Lamar Hoke Jr., 78, and his sister, Connie Stanley, 85, talk via a Zoom video call on Thursday afternoon, Aug. 6, 2020.

I dont want to leave this world  without seeing him, Connie said.

Its just gods timeline, Lamar said.

Despite the time and miles between them, their affection for one another knows no bounds. They answer and end every call with loving nicknames: sweetie, darling, lovely one.

We found each other and the past is the past, Connie says. Today is all we have.

Follow Maria Sestito on Twitter @RiaSestito.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: California man reconnects with long-lost sister after 74 years
Union Minister for AYUSH Shripad Naik on Wednesday tested positive for coronavirus COVID-19. Taking to micro-blogging site Twitter, Naik informed about his health, adding that his vitals are within normal limits.

He also said that he has opted for home isolation.

I underwent Covid-19 test today & it has turned out assymptomaically positive. My vitals are within normal limits and I have opted for home isolation.

Those who have came in contact with me in last few days are advised to get tested for themselves and take required precautions.  Shripad Y. Naik (@shripadynaik) August 12, 2020

"I underwent Covid-19 test today & it has turned out asymptomatically positive. My vitals are within normal limits and I have opted for home isolation," he tweeted.

He asked those who have come in contact with him to get tested. "Those who have come in contact with me in last few days are advised to get tested for themselves and take required precautions," he further tweeted.

Several other union ministers have tested positive for the COVID-19.

On August 2, Union Home Minister Amit Shah had tested positive for COVID-19 and was admitted to Medanta Hospital in Gurugram. The 55-year-old BJP leader took to social media to report his infection.

"I have tested positive but my health is fine," he had said, adding that he has been hospitalised on the advice of doctors. The Union Home Minister had also appealed to those who came into close contact with him in the last few days to get themselves tested for COVID-19.

After showing initial symptoms, I underwent a test for coronavirus and the report came out positive. My health is fine but I am being admitted to the hospital on the advice of doctors, Shah had posted.

Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on August 4 tested positive for COVID-19 and was admitted to a hospital. In a tweet, Pradhan had said that he has been admitted to hospital after testing positive of COVID-19.

Pradhan, 51, had developed COVID-like symptoms on August 3 and was tested the next day. "After seeing symptoms of COVID-19, I got tested. The report has come positive. On the advice of doctors, I have been admitted to hospital and I am healthy," he had tweeted.

Union Minister of State for Agriculture Kailash Chaudhary also tested positive for coronavirus on August 8 and was admitted to a hospital in Rajasthan's Jodhpur.

Union Minister of State in Ministry of Water Resources Arjun Ram Meghwal on August 8 had said that he has tested positive for COVID-19. He has been admitted to Delhi's All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) for treatment.

Meghwal is the fourth Union minister to have tested positive for coronavirus. "On getting the initial symptoms of coronavirus, I got myself tested. The first test was negative, the second test came positive today. I am fine but have been admitted to AIIMS on medical advice. I request that those who have come in contact with me in the last few days, please take care of your health," he had tweeted.
CALGARY, Alberta, Aug. 12, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Condor Petroleum Inc. (Condor or the Company) (TSX: CPI), a Canadian based oil and gas company focused on exploration and production activities in Turkey and Kazakhstan, is pleased to announce the release of its unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements for the three and six months ended June 30, 2020 together with the related managements discussion and analysis. These documents will be made available under Condors profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and on the Condor website at www.condorpetroleum.com. Readers are invited to review the latest corporate presentation available on the Condor website. All financial amounts in this news release are presented in Canadian dollars, unless otherwise stated.



Q2 2020 Highlights

On April 22, 2020, the Government of Kazakhstan signed the Shoba and Taskuduk production contract addendums and no further approvals are required in order to complete the sale of the two properties. The transaction is scheduled for closing as soon as practical once the current novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic related restrictions on travel and office closures in Kazakhstan have been eased and the re-registration of the properties and equipment to the Buyer can be completed.





Discussions continue with the Government of Uzbekistan for the Company to secure an agreement to operate five producing gas fields and associated gathering pipelines and gas treatment infrastructure. However, progress has been hampered by COVID-19 travel restrictions.





Two well workovers were performed in Turkey during the second quarter of 2020, increasing production to an average of 326 boepd for the past thirty days compared to an average of 107 boepd for the three months ended June 30, 2020.





The Company is in discussions for farm-in partners to drill the Yakamoz prospect in Turkey and multiple prospects in the Zharkamys West 1 territory in Kazakhstan.





The Company has taken a number of measures to protect the safety and health of its personnel, contractors and suppliers during the COVID-19 pandemic and is well positioned for the challenges of the current business environment, has a cash position of $16.1 million as of June 30, 2020, no debt, and positive netbacks from natural gas sales and no capital commitments in Turkey.





Continuing operations in Turkey to date have not been materially affected by the COVID-19 pandemic although production decreased to an average of 107 boepd for the second quarter of 2020 from 293 boepd in 2019 due mainly to a combination of natural declines and forty two days of restricted production related to a refrigeration unit compressor failure at the processing facility. Corresponding sales decreased to $0.5 million for second quarter of 2020 from $1.3 million in 2019 and the net loss increased to $2.7 million for second quarter of 2020 from $1.4 million in 2019.

Shoba and Taskuduk Sale

In September 2019, the Company entered into a binding agreement to sell its 100% interests in the Shoba production contract, Taskuduk production contract and associated field equipment for total proceeds of USD 24.6 million (Sale Agreement). The buyer (Buyer) paid USD 3.8 million in October 2019, USD 18.7 million in January 2020 and USD 0.6 million in May 2020. The remaining USD 1.5 million is due at Closing and will be reduced by an estimated USD 0.7 million for the net revenues minus operating costs from the properties which attribute to the Buyer from the effective date of December 25, 2019 until the Closing date.

On April 22, 2020, the Government of Kazakhstan signed the Shoba and Taskuduk production contract addendums and no further approvals are required in order to complete the sale of the two properties. At the request and expense of the Buyer, production was immediately shut in and there will be no further production or sales until Closing has occurred. The transaction is scheduled for closing as soon as practical once the current COVID-19 related restrictions on travel and office closures in Kazakhstan have been eased and the re-registration of the properties and equipment to the Buyer can be completed and the parties are able to conduct the customary Closing and commercial handover procedures.

Production Contract Negotiations with the Government of Uzbekistan

Discussions continue with the Government of Uzbekistan for the Company to secure an agreement to operate five producing gas fields and associated gathering pipelines and gas treatment infrastructure. The Company has submitted and presented a detailed feasibility study and economic analysis for the five producing gas fields to the Government of Uzbekistan and an independent reserves volume evaluation has been completed. An environmental baseline study is currently being performed by an independent contractor. In parallel, the Company is also pursuing the possibility of acquiring exploration acreage in areas surrounding the respective gas fields. Material progress on these initiatives has been hampered by the recent COVID-19 travel and office closure restrictions.

If executed, the production contract is expected to include five producing gas fields of interest, associated gathering pipelines, and gas treatment infrastructure. The fiscal and operating terms expected to be defined in the production contract include royalty rates, cost recovery, allocation of profits, gas marketing and pricing, government participation, governance and steering committee structures, baseline production levels and reimbursement methodology.

Continuing and discontinued operations classification

Following the execution of the agreement for the Sale Transaction, as of September 30, 2019 the related Shoba and Taskuduk net assets and liabilities have been reclassified to assets and liabilities held for sale and the respective results of operations are presented as discontinued operations for all current and prior periods throughout this news release. For further information relating to discontinued operations, please refer to the Companys Financial Statements.

Continuing operations

The Company produces natural gas and associated condensate in Turkey. To date, operations have not been materially affected by the COVID-19 pandemic although production decreased to an average of 107 boepd and an operating netback1 of $(7.31) per boe for the second quarter of 2020 (Q2 2019: produced an average of 293 boepd and an operating netback1 of $29.62 per boe) and cash used in continuing operations increased to $2.7 million for the second quarter of 2020 versus $0.9 million for the same period in 2019. The production decrease is due to a combination of natural declines and 42 days of restricted production caused by a compressor failure at the processing facility. The processing facility was returned to full service in June 2020.

Two well workovers were completed during the second quarter of 2020 that perforated new producing intervals in each well. This increased average production to 326 boepd for the past 30 days compared to an average of 107 boepd for the three months ended June 30, 2020. Additional workover opportunities and new infill drilling locations are being generated.

The Yakamoz 1 side-track well has been matured to a drill-ready state and is targeting up-dip targets in both the proven Miocene and Upper Eocene reservoirs, in addition to the deeper Middle to lower Eocene reservoirs, which have not yet been tested. The Company previously drilled Yakamoz 1 and encountered numerous gas shows while drilling. A successful Yakamoz 1 side-track well would be tied 2 km into the existing Poyraz Ridge gas plant for processing and onward sales. The Company is discussing a farm-in with an interested party.

Selected Financial Results of Continuing Operations

For the three months ended June 30

($000s except per share amounts) 2020 2019 Natural gas and condensate sales 482 1,296 Cash used in continuing operations (2,735 ) (902 ) Net loss from continuing operations (2,756 ) (2,243 ) Net loss from continuing operations per share (basic and diluted) (0.06 ) (0.05 ) Capital expenditures 154 76

For the six months ended June 30

($000s except per share amounts)



2020



2019 Natural gas and condensate sales 1,216 3,177 Cash used in continuing operations (4,022 ) (721 ) Net loss from continuing operations (4,354 ) (4,194 ) Net loss from continuing operations per share (basic and diluted) (0.10 ) (0.10 ) Capital expenditures 205 110







Sales and operating netback1

For the three months ended June 30

($000s) Gas 2020

Condensate Total

Gas 2019

Condensate Total Sales 474 8 482 1,296 - 1,296 Royalties (60 ) (1 ) (61 ) (161 ) - (161 ) Production costs (345 ) (3 ) (348 ) (260 ) - (260 ) Transportation and selling (138 ) (2 ) (140 ) (131 ) - (131 ) Operating netback1 (69 ) 2 (67 ) 744 - 744

($/boe)

Sales 52.38 64.00 52.53 51.59 - 51.59 Royalties (6.63 ) (8.00 ) (6.65 ) (6.41 ) - (6.41 ) Production costs (38.12 ) (24.00 ) (37.93 ) (10.35 ) - (10.35 ) Transportation and selling (15.25 ) (16.00 ) (15.26 ) (5.21 ) - (5.21 ) Operating netback1 (7.62 ) 16.00 (7.31 ) 29.62 - 29.62 Sales volume (boe) 9,050 125 9,175 25,123 - 25,123

For the six months ended June 30

($000s) Gas 2020

Condensate

Total

Gas 2019

Condensate

Total Sales 1,174 42 1,216 3,078 99 3,177 Royalties (151 ) (5 ) (156 ) (378 ) (13 ) (391 ) Production costs (599 ) (9 ) (608 ) (537 ) (7 ) (544 ) Transportation and selling (282 ) (9 ) (291 ) (252 ) (20 ) (272 ) Operating netback1 142 19 161 1,911 59 1,970

($/boe)

Sales 55.41 84.34 56.07 54.27 98.90 55.04 Royalties (7.13 ) (10.04 ) (7.19 ) (6.66 ) (12.99 ) (6.77 ) Production costs (28.27 ) (18.07 ) (28.04 ) (9.47 ) (6.99 ) (9.42 ) Transportation and selling (13.31 ) (18.07 ) (13.42 ) (4.44 ) (19.98 ) (4.71 ) Operating netback1 6.70 38.16 7.42 33.70 58.94 34.13 Sales volume (boe) 21,188 498 21,686 56,719 1,001 57,720





1 Operating netback is a non-GAAP measure and is a term with no standardized meaning as prescribed by GAAP and may not be comparable with similar measures presented by other issuers. See Non-GAAP Financial Measures in this news release. The calculation of operating netback is aligned with the definition found in the Canadian Oil and Gas Evaluation Handbook.

Results of Discontinued Operations

As noted above, the Companys subsidiary Falcon entered into a binding agreement to sell Falcons 100% interests in the Shoba and Taskuduk production contracts and associated field equipment in Kazakhstan and accordingly the related activities are presented as discontinued operations. Upon Closing, the net revenues less operating costs generated from the production and sale of crude oil from the oilfields will be attributed to the Buyer from the effective date of December 25, 2019 until the Closing date as an adjustment to the purchase consideration.

In April 2020, at the request and expense of the Buyer, production was shut in and there will be no further production or sales until Closing has occurred. Accordingly, both production and sales decreased in 2020 as compared to 2019. Oil production decreased 47% to 55,961 barrels or an average of 307 bopd for the six months ended June 30, 2020 as compared to 105,575 barrels or an average of 583 bopd in 2019. Crude oil sales decreased to $2.0 million or $35.72 per bbl for the six months ended June 30, 2020 from $3.9 million or $37.44 per bbl in 2019.

No depletion and depreciation expense was recognized for the six months ended June 30, 2020 as the Company ceased depletion on assets held for sale on September 23, 2019.

COVID-19 Pandemic

In March 2020, the World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 outbreak to be a pandemic. Responses to the spread of COVID-19 have resulted in various disruptions to business operations and an increase in economic uncertainty, with more volatile commodity prices and currency exchange rates. The Company is well positioned for the challenges of the current business environment, has a cash position of $16 million as of June 30, 2020, no debt, and positive netbacks from natural gas sales and no capital commitments in Turkey. Please see the Companys Management Discussion and Analysis for the three and six months ended June 30, 2020 for further information on the potential risks and impacts to the Company related to COVID-19.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

The Company refers to operating netback in this news release, a term with no standardized meaning as prescribed by GAAP and which may not be comparable with similar measures presented by other issuers. This additional information should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for measures prepared in accordance with GAAP. Operating netback is calculated as sales less royalties, production costs and transportation and selling on a dollar basis and divided by the sales volume for the period on a per barrel of oil equivalent basis. The reconciliation of this non-GAAP measure is presented in the Financial Results section of this news release. This non-GAAP measure is commonly used in the oil and gas industry to assist in measuring operating performance against prior periods on a comparable basis and has been presented in order to provide an additional measure to analyze the Companys sales on a per barrel of oil equivalent basis and ability to generate funds.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements in this news release constitute forward-looking statements under applicable securities legislation. Such statements are generally identifiable by the terminology used, such as anticipate'', appear, believe'', intend, expect, plan, estimate, budget'', outlook'', scheduled, may, will, should, could, would, in the process of or other similar wording. Forward-looking information in this news release includes, but is not limited to, information concerning: the timing and ability to receive the remaining amount due at Closing and the timing and ability to complete the Closing of the Shoba and Taskuduk Sale Agreement; the timing and ability to pursue other growth opportunities; the timing and ability to increase natural gas production and realize commercial gas flow rates for the lower permeability reservoirs; the timing and ability to execute a production contract with the Government of Uzbekistan under favorable terms, or at all, the fields and exploration areas to be included and the terms and conditions of the production contract including but not limited to royalty rates, cost recovery, profit allocation, gas marketing and pricing, government participation, governance, baseline production levels and reimbursement methodology; the timing and ability to drill new wells and the ability of the drilled wells to become producing wells; projections and timing with respect to crude oil, natural gas and condensate production; expected markets, prices costs and operating netbacks for future oil, gas and condensate sales; the timing and ability to obtain various approvals and conduct the Companys planned exploration and development activities; the timing and ability to access oil and gas pipelines; the timing and ability to access domestic and export sales markets; anticipated capital expenditures; forecasted capital and operating budgets and cash flows; anticipated working capital; sources and availability of financing for potential budgeting shortfalls; the timing and ability to obtain future funding on favorable terms, if at all; general business strategies and objectives; the timing and ability to obtain exploration contract, production contract and operating license extensions; the timing and ability to obtain a farm-in partner for the Zharkamys Contract; the timing and ability to obtain a farm-in partner for Yakamoz; the timing and ability to tie the Yakamoz field into the Companys existing gas plant; the potential for additional contractual work commitments; the ability to meet and fund the contractual work commitments; the satisfaction of the work commitments; the results of non-fulfillment of work commitments; projections relating to the adequacy of the Companys provision for taxes; the timing and ability to collect VAT; and treatment under governmental regulatory regimes and tax laws.

This news release also includes forward-looking information regarding COVID-19 including, but not limited to: travel restrictions including shelter in place orders, curfews and lockdowns which may impact the timing and ability to complete the Sale Agreement Closing, the timing and ability of Company personnel, suppliers and contractors to travel internationally, travel domestically and to access or deliver services, goods and equipment to the fields of operation; the risk of shutting in or reducing production due to travel restrictions, Government orders, crew illness, and the availability of goods, works and essential services for the fields of operations; and decreases in the demand for oil and gas; decreases in natural gas prices in Turkey.

By its very nature, such forward-looking information requires Condor to make assumptions that may not materialize or that may not be accurate. Forward-looking information is subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties and other factors, which may cause actual results, levels of activity and achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such information. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: regulatory changes; the timing of regulatory approvals; the risk that actual minimum work programs will exceed the initially estimated amounts; the results of exploration and development drilling and related activities; imprecision of reserves estimates and ultimate recovery of reserves; historical production and testing rates may not be indicative of future production rates, capabilities or ultimate recovery; the historical composition and quality of oil and gas may not be indicative of future composition and quality; general economic, market and business conditions; industry capacity; uncertainty related to marketing and transportation; competitive action by other companies; fluctuations in oil and natural gas prices; the effects of weather and climate conditions; fluctuation in interest rates and foreign currency exchange rates; the ability of suppliers to meet commitments; actions by governmental authorities, including increases in taxes; decisions or approvals of administrative tribunals and the possibility that government policies or laws may change or government approvals may be delayed or withheld; changes in environmental and other regulations; risks associated with oil and gas operations, both domestic and international; international political events; and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of Condor. Capital expenditures may be affected by cost pressures associated with new capital projects, including labor and material supply, project management, drilling rig rates and availability, and seismic costs.

These risk factors are discussed in greater detail in filings made by Condor with Canadian securities regulatory authorities including the Companys Annual Information Form, which may be accessed through the SEDAR website (www.sedar.com).

Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list of important factors affecting forward-looking information is not exhaustive. The forward-looking information contained in this news release are made as of the date of this news release and, except as required by applicable law, Condor does not undertake any obligation to update publicly or to revise any of the included forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. The forward-looking information contained in this news release is expressly qualified by this cautionary statement.

Abbreviations

The following is a summary of abbreviations used in this news release:

USD United States dollars bbl Barrels of oil bopd Barrels of oil per day boe Barrels of oil equivalent * boepd Barrels of oil equivalent per day Mscf Thousand standard cubic feet

* Barrels of oil equivalent (boe) are derived by converting gas to oil in the ratio of six thousand standard cubic feet (Mscf) of gas to one barrel of oil based on an energy conversion method primarily applicable at the burner tip and does not represent a value equivalency at the wellhead. Given the value ratio based on the current price of crude oil as compared to natural gas is significantly different from the energy equivalency of 6 Mscf to 1 barrel, utilizing a conversion ratio at 6 Mscf to 1 barrel may be misleading as an indication of value, particularly if used in isolation.



The TSX does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.

For further information, please contact Don Streu, President and CEO or Sandy Quilty, Vice President of Finance and CFO at 403-201-9694.
In what can be seen as aftershocks to the Congress following its successful efforts to save its government in Rajasthan, senior leaders close to Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot have already begun to voice their dissatisfaction with the way former Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) chief Sachin Pilot, along with his loyalists, is returning to the party fold.

According to sources, a few MLAs close to Gehlot have also sent a communique to the party high command expressing their dissatisfaction with the political rehabilitation of Pilot and the 18 rebel MLAs.

The MLAs close to Gehlot have written to the party high command. They are anxious with the way Pilot and his faction are trying to return to state politics after having pushed the party to the brink in the state, a source within the party said.

The anger is not just against the rehabilitation of Pilot and his loyalists but also with the way the former deputy chief minister has sounded in his post-truce interviews, which some describe as combative.

Pilot has in many interviews over the past two days said he and his fellow loyalists were not allowed to do the work they wanted to do, reminding everyone that it was he who had resurrected the party after it hit the rock bottom of 21 seats under Gehlots leadership.

Pilot has also talked about the party high command agreeing to his demand of bringing in changes to the state unit, the roadmap for which had been set, he claimed.

Among those close to Gehlot to have publicly voiced their dissatisfaction with Pilots return is Transport Minister Pratap Singh Khachariyawas. Once considered quite close to Pilot, Khachariyawas has been at the forefront of the Gehlot camp over the past one month, during which he repeatedly criticised the conduct of Pilot.

On Tuesday, notices were issued to him and his father by the Enforcement Directorate. The minister said there was tremendous anger among the MLAs and party workers because the party high command was rehabilitating Pilot and his loyalists, the same people because of whom 100 party MLAs had to camp in a hotel for nearly a month. Although he clarified that these were sentiments among party workers and did not necessarily reflect his own views.

Pilot was not just a minister or an office-bearer of his party. He was the chief of his party unit. So naturally when he rebelled against his own party and now is returning to it, there is a general sense of scepticism about him. While, on the other hand, among the 100 MLAs who remained loyal to Gehlot and stayed put at a hotel for one month, there is now a general sense of camaraderie, the likes of which has not been seen in Rajasthan Congress for many, many years. So naturally there is a sense of distrust among them regarding Pilot and his faction, said Jaipur-based analyst Narayan Bareth.

Another thing to note, Bareth added, is the feeling of pride and ownership among the loyalists of Gehlot, since according to them, they have won over the might of New Delhi.

See, for Ashok Gehlot this was the fight of his life. Had he lost power, it would have become very difficult for him to rise again. But now that he has been able to tide over the crisis, he is being seen, among his loyalists, as the man who took on BJP party president and won.

So now this band of 100-odd MLAs are naturally not in the mood to concede even an inch to Pilot and his loyalists. But exactly what the new equation between Pilot and Gehlot will be, is going to be determined in some of the immediate political developments about to take place in the state, he said.

One of which is going to be the proposed cabinet reshuffle which is expected to happen any time after the first day of the Assembly session which begins on Friday.

"The appointments made in the new cabinet will tell you something about the sort of compromise that Pilot and the Congress high command have reached. From the sort of portfolios that his loyalists get, one will be able to get a fair idea.

The second important event will be municipal elections. Around 36,000 new representatives are going to be elected through these elections. How well the Congress fares in them, in whose pockets of influence these wins are registered will also be things to note," said senior journalist and political analyst, Shyam Sundar Sharma.
A campaign manager for Missguided has defended a racy advert which was banned from airing in 2019.

Treasure, a senior creative at the retailer's HQ in Manchester, was the brain behind a suggestive advert which aired during an episode of Love Island in 2019, and was banned shortly after on the grounds it 'objectified women'.

Treasure opens up about the campaign in Channel 4's Inside Missguided: Made in Manchester, which airs tonight at 10pm.

Speaking about the controversial TV advert, Treasure said she got praise from Missguided CEO Nitin Passi, and said she would have been criticised for not being 'disruptive enough' if the advert had not been banned.

In the documentary, the millionaire CEO explained he was not concerned about it being banned because he wanted to see his brand covered in the press.

Treasure, a senior creative at the retailer's HQ in Manchester, was the brain behind the suggestive advert. She said she refceived praised after the advert was banned

The advert was banned after airing during an Episode of Love Island in 2019 after people complained it 'objectified women'

In the advert, which was filmed in Ibiza, women strut around a beach, wearing small bikinis, lying in the sand and eating strawberries.

The advert states: 'If you plan on wearing clothes this summer, we've got you covered. Kind of,' followed by a winky face.

'We got one complaint for this advert,' Treasure explained. 'We have to remember the context of the advert.

'We were on in between Love Island, where women line up in a bikini and men go, "oh, that one" or "maybe not" or "that one" and they pick a woman from a line-up in a bikini.'

Treasure said she would have received criticism from CEO Nitin Passi if the video had not been 'disruptive enough'

Asked whether she agreed with the point the complaint was trying to make, Treasure said she didn't.

'I'm not looking at it like that,' she said. 'I'm looking at it like, "She looks amazing, she looks like she's having fun, she's confident, the product looks sick".'

She said the video was 'aspirational' and the best way to catch the attention of Love Island audiences.

'I have to shift 8million worth of bikinis in a set amount of time, that's my goal,' she said.

Missguided CEO Nitin Passi said he was not concerned about advert being banned and wanted the brand to be in the press (pictured in California, in 2019)

'We do like to get in a little bit of trouble as it is,' she smiled, adding that the banned advert 'ticks every box'.

'If somebody hadn't had complained, Nitin would have probably been like, "This is not disruptive enough, didn't cause enough drama, didn't get in the press",' Treasure said.

She added that she had got 'a lot of praise' for the advert, and that there was no 'such thing as bad publicity'.

Nitin, who's been at the head of Missguided since 2009, agreed. 'Any PR is good PR: getting our advert banned is not necessarily a concern for me,' he admitted.

'We're always gonna annoy people with what we do, but getting in the press is a good thing.

'Biting a strawberry and banning us on the basis of that is absolutely ridiculous - people bite strawberries every day.'

Inside Missguided: Made in Manchester airs on Wednesday on Channel 4 at 10pm.
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Linkedin News Desk (Agence France-Presse) Taipei, Taiwan  Wed, August 12, 2020 12:27 525 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066d62377 2 World US-China,Taiwan,diplomatic-spat,diplomatic-tension Free

A US cabinet member visited a shrine to Taiwan's late president Lee Teng-hui Wednesday, praising his role in steering the island's transition to democracy, as he capped a historic trip to the island that has riled China.

Health chief Alex Azar is on a three-day visit to Taiwan that Washington has billed as its highest-level delegation since the US switched diplomatic recognition to China in 1979.

His visit comes as US-China relations plunge to historic lows with the two powers clashing over a wide range of issues from trade to military and security issues, human rights and the coronavirus pandemic.

On the last day of his visit, Azar visited a shrine and wrote a message of condolence for Lee, who died last month aged 97.

"President Lee's democratic legacy will forever propel the U.S.-Taiwan relationship forward," Azar wrote.

Lee was a towering figure in Taiwan's recent history.

He defied China by pushing for the island to be recognized as a sovereign nation and earned the nickname "Mr. Democracy" for the part he played in its transition from authoritarian rule.

Beijing, which claims Taiwan as its own territory, loathed Lee. When news emerged of his death, Chinese state media called him "the godfather of Taiwan secessionism".

Despite being self-ruled since 1949, Taiwan has never formally declared independence from the mainland and Beijing has vowed to react with force if it ever does.

Both Washington and Taipei portrayed Azar's trip as an opportunity to learn from the success of Taiwan's battle against the coronavirus.

The island has fewer than 500 infections and just seven deaths, compared with more than 160,000 fatalities in the United States.

But the visit has also been an opportunity to ruffle Beijing's feathers at a time when US President Donald Trump is taking an increasingly hard line against China as he seeks re-election in November.

"We will continue to support Taiwan as our friend and our partner across security, economic and healthcare issues," Azar told reporters after a visit to a mask factory on Wednesday.

China takes umbrage at any formal recognition of Taiwan.

It called for Azar's trip to be cancelled and Taiwan accused Beijing of sending fighter jets over a de facto border on Monday, the day the US health chief met President Tsai Ing-wen.

During his visit Azar has repeatedly contrasted Taiwan's open, democratic system with China's authoritarian leadership.

In a speech on Tuesday he suggested the coronavirus might have been stopped sooner had it emerged in a more transparent and democratic place, such as Taiwan, rather than China.

He also hit out at Beijing for keeping Taiwan locked out of the World Health Organization.

China has taken an increasingly hostile approach towards Taiwan since Tsai took office in 2016.

Despite the pressure campaign she won a second term earlier this year with a landslide.
Jacinda Ardern - Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images

Jacinda Ardern is considering delaying New Zealands general election as investigators probe whether a cluster of new cases in Auckland was imported via freight.

Health authorities rushed to implement a rapid lockdown in the country's largest city Auckland, where four more probable infections have been uncovered, which would bring the outbreak's total to eight.

With 1.5 million people under three-day stay-at-home orders, and millions more at risk of a wider outbreak, Ms Ardern said she was seeking advice on delaying the September 19 election.

Parliament was due to be dissolved on Wednesday to allow the election to take place, but the centre-Left leader held off the move until Monday to monitor how the crisis evolves.

The prime ministers Labour Party is expected to win the election in September. It currently dominates the polls on 55 per cent, with the opposition National Party on 28 per cent.

"At this stage, it's too early to make any decision but this means there is some flexibility if required," said Ms Ardern, who is well ahead in opinion polls and expected to win a second term.

Judith Collins, the leader of the National Party, called for a delay until late November, or even next year.

"It is simply unsustainable to expect there to be a fair and just election at a time when opposition parties are not free to campaign," she said.

Pundits believe the calls for putting back polling day are more to do with politics than safety, and that extra time would help the National Party become more competitive.

The centre-Right opposition party has changed leader twice in the space of eight weeks, and commentators speculate that Ms Collins - nicknamed "Crusher" - is playing for time.

Authorities on Wednesday were still trying to piece together the movements of those infected and the source of the latest infections is still unknown.

But Ashley Bloomfield, national director-general of health, said tests were being carried out to see if the virus could have been imported via freight, then picked up by a male member of the family, who worked in a cool room for imported goods.

Story continues

"We know the virus can survive within refrigerated environments for quite some time," he said, revealing a team was at the Auckland site where the man worked.

If the theory is proven, it could have profound implications for international trade flows already battered by the months-long pandemic.

Chinese officials have reported cases of Covid-19 being detected on the packaging of imported frozen seafood.

On Tuesday local officials in Yantai, a port city, said it detected the virus on packaging that had arrived from the port city of Dalian, where there had been a recent outbreak.

While the four Auckland cases are from the same household, on Wednesday Ms Ardern said four more probable cases had been found, close contacts of the original group who were displaying symptoms.

Late on Wednesday their tests results were not yet known.

On Tuesday night the lockdown announcement sparked panic buying in Auckland, despite the prime minister stressing to people that there would not be shortages.

Toni Helleur, who leads a local community response team, told local media that her group are better prepared this time than they were during the first lockdown.

Weve been working really hard to get our systems and processes in a better place, so if there was a second wave we would be able to be a lot more responsive and a lot more ready to provide service and support, she said.
A massive fire at a hotel-turned hospital in Vijayawada, a major city in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, last Sunday morning has killed 10 COVID-19 patients and injured 30.

The tragedy follows the August 6 fire that killed eight people in the intensive care unit of a private COVID-19 designated hospital in Ahmedabad, the largest city of the western state of Gujarat. With the pandemic spreading rapidly in the country, the circumstances of the fire point to criminal negligence on the part of governments and hotel and hospital authorities.

Last Sunday around 5 am, a fire broke out on the ground floor of the Swarna Palace hotel COVID-19 facility and quickly spread to the upper floors of the five-storeyed building. When the fire erupted, around 30 patients and 10 medical staff were on the premises.

As reported by Indian Express, the victims of the fire are: Dokku Siva Brahmaiah (58) of Machilipatnam, Potluri Poornachandra Rao (78) of Ghantasala mandal, Krishna district,

Majji Gopi (54) of Machilipatnam, Sunkara Babu Rao (68) of Vijayawada, Kosaraju Suvarnalatha (42) of Ponnur, Guntur district, Maddali Ramesh (57) of Vijayawada, Sabbithi Ratna Abraham (48) of Jaggaiahpet and his wife S Rajakumari (40), Duddu Venkata Narasimha Pavan Kumar (30) and his mother Duddu Venkata Jayalaxmi (48) from Kandukur of Prakasam district.

Post-mortems confirmed that eight out of the ten victims had recovered from COVID-19 and tested negative. They would have been discharged in a couple of days and been with their families again.

Fire department officials told the Week they received a call at 5.09 am informing them about the fire raging inside the hotel. The officials estimated that the fire must have started at around 4.30 am on the ground floor. By the time fire engines arrived at the hotel, the flames had spread to the first and second floors.

Six fire engines were pressed into service to douse the flames. The firemen found that most of the people on the first two floors were still in their beds and had passed away due to suffocation.

The fire was brought under control within 45 minutes. Those occupying rooms on the fourth and fifth floor and those who escaped to the upper floors managed to save their lives. At least seven patients jumped from the terrace as the flames spread to the upper floors. Two others were asphyxiated as thick fumes enveloped the hotel, the Indian Express reported.

Fire officials told the media that the cause of the blaze was an electrical short circuit. The wooden flooring, waste dump and electronic items on the ground and other floors fuelled the spread.

According to Fire Safety Director Jairam Naik, the makeshift hospital had violated safety rules. The fire department confirmed that hospital management did not obtain an NOC (No Objection Certificate) before converting the hotel into a COVID facility.

The police complaint filed by revenue officials claimed that hotel management knew about electrical defects in the premises but failed to rectify them as it would have involved large expenses. The same officials charged that Ramesh Hospitals, which leased the hotel, used the facility despite knowing this safety risk.

Within 24 hours of the fire, the local police arrested three Ramesh Hospitals officials, including the Chief Operating Officer, for allegedly neglecting the need for electrical repairs that could have averted the disaster.

The evidence, however, indicates that the officials who were meant to check the fire safety requirements at such buildings looked the other way while hospital management breached basic safety norms.

In an obvious attempt to contain popular anger over the resulting loss of lives, the state and central government authorities responded as they usually do. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy announced an ex-gratia payment of 5 million rupees to the next of kin of victims. Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted his anguish about the incident and offered all support.

The Indian Express reported that the National Disaster Response Force, the State Disaster Response Force, fire service and police personnel who participated in the rescue operation urged their higher officials to send them to special quarantine as they had been exposed to COVID-19.

When we requested our higher-ups in this regard, they told us to undergo home isolation, one officer said. This wont help in preventing the virus from spreading to our families if we are affected.

The callous attitude of higher officials toward personnel who were exposed to the coronavirus flows from the class response of the Indian ruling elite as a whole to the pandemic.

Having ignored the danger of COVID-19 for more than a month, Modis government was finally forced to implement a nationwide lockdown on March 24. However, that lockdown proved an utter failure. This was due to its ill-prepared nature, particularly the governments refusal to provide for the basic necessities of the people who were forced to stay in, and to take other vital measures such as mass testing, contact tracing and proper quarantine.

Moreover, in line with its policy of placing the profit interests of big business over the lives of workers and the rural poor, Modis government reopened the economy by unlocking its lockdown from late April, leading to a rapid spread of the pandemic throughout the country. Now, according to even substantially under-reported official figures, the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in India is over 2.3 million, with more than 46,000 deaths.

Andhra Pradesh, the only southern state to record 10,000-plus daily cases on more than one occasion, witnessed a new single-day high of 10,820 infections last Sunday, propelling the states overall tally to 227,000. With 97 new deaths, the loss of lives in the state rose to 2,039.
To Hindus, the Ganges is Ganga Ma  Mother Ganges  and a center of spiritual life for more than a billion people. Every year, millions of Hindus make pilgrimages to the temples and shrines along its shores. To drink from it is auspicious. For many Hindus, life is incomplete without bathing in it at least once in their lifetime, to wash away theirs sins.
Sending the Royal Navy into the English Channel to deal with migrant crossings is a declaration of maritime war, the mayor of Calais has said.

Natacha Bouchart told France 3 that the British Government must take responsibility and called on Priti Patels French counterpart to push them on the issue.

Her fierce words came as more migrants arrived in the UK on Wednesday  the ninth day in a row.

At least 19 asylum seekers who arrived in the UK after crossing the Channel in small boats and were due to be deported on Wednesday have had their removals paused, the PA news agency has learned.

Interviewed on a French beach, Ms Bouchart discussed the impact of the migrant crisis on her city.

She was asked about the Home Offices formal request for military assistance to help tackle migrant crossings.

Ms Bouchart described it as a declaration of maritime war.

She said her city should not have to continue to suffer economically and in terms of image and humanitarian reception.

A group of people thought to be migrants have their temperatures checked as they are brought into Dover by Border Force officers (Kirsty OConnor/PA)

Ms Bouchard said that a financial package was not enough.

She said: The British Government should take care of its own responsibilities.

I am waiting for Gerald Darmanin to make the British stop this vacuum and to push the British Government to make decisions on its migration policy in its own territory.

We in Calais no longer want to be permanent hostages enduring the lectures of British leaders.

More migrants wearing face masks and orange life-jackets were seen coming into Dover port aboard Border Force vessels on Wednesday.

After being brought ashore, they had their temperatures checked by officials in fluorescent vests.

Border Force and the RNLI continued to be active in the English Channel as they responded to attempted migrant crossings on Wednesday.

The Royal Air Force was also providing aerial support for the Border Force for the second time this week, with a Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft flying from Kinloss Barracks in Scotland to monitor the situation in the English Channel.

Story continues

A group of people thought to be migrants disembark in Dover (Kirsty OConnor/PA)

A legal challenge was launched this week in a bid to halt the deportation of a group of asylum seekers who arrived in the UK after crossing the Channel in small boats.

Up to 20 people were due to be put on a charter flight to France and Germany on Wednesday, according to campaigners.

On Wednesday, the Duncan Lewis law firm said that the 19 people it was representing had all had their removals deferred by the Home Office, or stayed by a court.

The firm previously said it was representing people from Iran, Yemen, Kuwait, Afghanistan, Iraq and Sudan who had strong claims for asylum and real reasons for wanting to stay in the UK but had been told they were being deported.

A Duncan Lewis spokeswoman said: While it is clearly good news that we ensured that 19 of our clients were not removed on the charter flight this morning, it should never have come to this in the first place.

Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage spoke to reporters in Dover (Kirsty OConnor/PA)

Our legal action acted as the last resort for these asylum seekers, many of whom are victims of torture, trafficking, and sexual assault  who should not have been on this plane in the first place.

But the Home Office said a flight left the UK on Wednesday carrying 14 people being removed to France and Germany under the Dublin Regulation.

A spokesman said: These flights are a key part of the UKs strategy to stop the illegally facilitated crossings from France to the UK.

Speaking to reporters in Dover, Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage said: With all the tough talk and with it happening every day, its becoming a bit of a national humiliation.

Until people know that coming via this route they will not be allowed to stay, they will just keep on coming.

He also defended the use of the word invasion to describe migrants arriving in the UK by sea.
ATLANTA, Aug. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Edge Capital Group is pleased to announce it has been named to the 2020 Financial Times (FT) 300: Top Registered Investment Advisers. The list recognizes top independent RIA firms from across the United States. Edge Capital was also ranked among the Top 100 in Financial Advisor (FA) Magazine's 2020 RIA Ranking.

Edge Capital is an independently managed RIA headquartered in Atlanta, with offices in Charlotte, NC; Dallas, TX; Lexington, KY; Nashville, TN; and Tampa, FL. The firm was founded on the premise that individuals, families and institutions with significant wealth require dedicated, unambiguous, individual attention. The firm, specializing in holistic wealth management, offers comprehensive yet scalable services  including asset management, via its Blue Current division; strategic asset allocation; investment policy development; cash flow solutions; and the coordination of advisors (legal, accounting, insurance, lending, etc.) that clients need in order to meet their goals.

This is the seventh annual FT 300 list  produced independently by Ignites Research, a division of Money-Media, Inc.  on behalf of FA. RIA firms that met a minimum set of criteria were eligible to apply for consideration. Applicants were then graded on six factors: assets under management (AUM), AUM growth rate, years in existence, advanced industry credentials of the firm's advisers, online accessibility and compliance records. No fees or other considerations were required of those RIAs that applied for the FT 300.

FA's RIA ranking is an independent listing produced by FA Magazine. Firms must be registered investment advisers and provide financial planning and/or related services to individual clients. Eligible firms must be either independently owned or a freestanding subsidiary of another business, and have at least $100 million AUM as of Dec. 31, 2019. Neither the RIA firms nor their employees pay a fee to FA Magazine to be included in the listing.

SOURCE Edge Capital Group
President Putin said the drug had been tested on his daughter. Picture: AP

Vladimir Putin said yesterday that Russia had approved the world's first Covid-19 vaccine, underlining his faith in the drug by saying it had been tested on one of his daughters.

Moscow hailed its speedy development as evidence of Russia's medical prowess, but scientists questioned a lack of testing and transparency.

Speaking at a government meeting on state television, the Russian president said the vaccine, developed by Moscow's Gamaleya Institute, was safe. "I know it works effectively, forms strong immunity, and it has passed all the needed checks," he added.

He said his daughter had a temperature of 38C on the day of the first vaccine injection, but it dropped to 37C the following day. "She's feeling well, and has a high number of antibodies," he added, without specifying which of his two daughters took part in trials.

In July, the UK government accused Russian hackers of targeting its own research into immunisation. The Kremlin rejected the accusations.

Russian health officials said the new vaccine would be offered to medics as early as this month, before being rolled out to the general population on a voluntary basis from October. Kirill Dmitriev, the head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, said there had been preliminary orders for more than a billion vaccine doses from 20 countries.

The vaccine has been named "Sputnik V", drawing comparisons to the Cold War space race. Scientists in Russia and abroad highlighted that it had yet to pass 'phase three' clinical trials, which typically take months, involving thousands of people.

Such trials, which require a certain rate of participants catching the virus to observe the vaccine's effect, are normally precursors for a vaccine to get regulatory approval.

"This is a reckless and foolish decision. Mass vaccination with an improperly tested vaccine is unethical," said Professor Francois Balloux, of University College London's Genetics Institute. "Any problem with the Russian vaccination campaign would be disastrous through its negative effects on health, and because it would further set back the acceptance of vaccines in the population."

The World Health Organisation (WHO) said approval would require a rigorous data review.

A Russian association of multinational pharmaceutical companies has called for more tests on the drug.

More than 100 possible vaccines are being developed worldwide. At least four are in final 'phase three' human trials, according to WHO data.

Russia has registered almost 900,000 infections, and more than 15,000 deaths, a lower proportion than other badly hit nations. Officials denied they were under-reporting figures.

Germany also raised doubts over the vaccine, stressing that drug approval is granted in the European Union only after full clinical trials. A health ministry spokesman said: "There is no known data on the quality, efficacy and safety of the Russian vaccine."

The vaccine uses the common cold-causing adenovirus modified to carry genes for the "spike" protein that coats the coronavirus, to prime the body to recognise a real Covid-19 infection. ( Daily Telegraph)
Assam assembly has to ratify the definition of an Assamese and only then can the Centre implement the recommendations of the committee on Clause 6 of the Assam Accord Report, state's minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Wednesday.

The Centre has no role to play at present but has already taken the preliminary step of setting up the Delimitation Commission, Sarma told newsmen here.

"The Clause 6 Committee in its report has clearly stated that the recommendations must be implemented within two

years but All Assam Students' Union (AASU) which made the report public yesterday did not mention this", Sarma said.

Besides, the Committee itself has suggested the setting up of a three-member Committee, preferably headed by a

retired Supreme Court judge as the report involves "complex recommendations involving interpretation of the Constitution", the minister, who is a senior BJP leader of the north east, said.

The Committee is silent or ambivalent on several issue like whether another National Register of Citizens is required and has suggested that documents should be the basis of deciding on who is an Assamese. But this may lead to people submitting false documents, he pointed out.

"We are on the right track and are committed to implementing Clause 6 of the Assam Accord. The next step now

is for the assembly to ratify the definition of an Assamese," he said.

The current assembly is in the fag end of its term, he said adding "We are not sure that we are competent to decide

on the definition as we now have only a six-month mandate".

"It will be better for the new assembly to ratify it. But as the house reflects the aspirations of the public and if they want that it should be ratified, the present assembly members can go ahead with it," Sarma said.

The report was released by AASU, which, he said, "is no longer a non-political platform as it is playing politics

or is about to become a political party".

"We have moved very carefully during the last five months without any controversy. We urge others not to create any and allow the matter to proceed smoothly", he said.

The minister said that he was addressing the press conference as a representative of the government and will not

refer to the politics played by the students' body.

AASU, which was a part of the Centre's High Level Committee on Clause 6 of Assam Accord, had on Tuesday released

the report saying that the public has the right to know the contents after it had officially submitted it five months ago and the "government was sitting idle".

Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal had described the AASU move as "unfortunate" as the BJP-led government will "not

do anything that will harm the interests of the people".

The Committee, headed by retired Justice B K Sharma, had submitted the report to the chief minister on February 25 for handing it over to Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

The Committee had in its report recommended the definition of Assamese be fixed as the tribal, indigenous and all other Indian citizens residing within the territory of Assam as per the First Schedule of the Constitution on or

before January 1, 1951 along with their descendants.

According to Clause 6 of the Assam Accord, signed on August 15, 1985, constitutional, legislative and administrative safeguards as may be appropriate shall be provided to protect, preserve and promote the culture, social, linguistic identity and heritage of the Assamese people.
Making history by selecting the first black woman to compete on a major party's presidential ticket, Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden has named Indian-origin senator Kamala Harris as his Vice-Presidential running mate. In a major development in the lead upto the United States elections in November, Biden said in a text message on Tuesday that he has chosen Kamala Harris as my running mate. This comes just days ahead of his virtual Democratic National Convention that would formally nominate him as the partys candidate for the November 3 presidential elections.

Joe Biden here. I've chosen Kamala Harris as my running mate. Together, with you, we're going to beat Trump. Add your name to welcome her to the team, Biden said in a text message. Biden also added Harris will be the best partner for him to finally get the country back on track.

READ | Indian-American Community Leader Calls Kamala Harris 'best Bet' For Biden's Running Mate

Joe Biden is running to restore the soul of the nation and unite the country to move us forward. Joe knows more about the importance of the Vice Presidency than just about anyone, and he is confident that Kamala Harris will be the best partner for him to finally get the country back on track, the Biden campaign said.

Earlier, the Biden campaign had sent a special chartered plane to bring Harris and her family from California. If elected she would be the first-ever woman to be the vice president of the United States and the first-ever Indian-American and African vice president of the country.

READ | Trump: Some men insulted that Biden vowed to name female VP

Who is Kamala Harris?

Harris, 55, whose father is an African from Jamaica and mother an Indian, is currently the US Senator from California and often has been described as a trailblazer by former president Barack Obama. She was born in Oakland and grew up in Berkeley. After her parents divorced, she spent her high school years living in French-speaking Canada  her mother was teaching at McGill University in Montreal. In 2010, Harris became the first black woman to be elected as California's Attorney General, overseeing the countrys second-largest Justice Department, only behind the US Department of Justice.

READ | Bidens notes: Do not hold grudges against Kamala Harris

Harris is known for many firsts. She has been a county district attorney; the district attorney for San Francisco  the first woman and first African-American and Indian-origin to be elected to the position. She was also the first female African-American and Indian-origin to become Californias attorney general. Harris became the first Indian-origin and second African-American woman to join the Senate, winning the California seat vacated by Senator Barbara Boxer, who retired after 24 years. Harris held the first event of her 2020 presidential campaign in Washington on the landmark campus of Howard University, from which Harris earned an undergraduate degree in 1986.

Harris had launched her presidential campaign in January 2019. After initial few months, her campaign could not take off and by the end of the year, she withdrew from the race. Early this year, she endorsed Biden for presidency and during the primaries and pre-primary season, she did not have a good relationship with Biden, however, things improved gradually. Criminal justice and legal rights were central to her campaign themes.

READ | US intel: Russia acting against Biden; China opposes Trump

(Ap image)
Superintendents from around the northwest Houston area are facing similar challenges as they prepare to launch a fully online learning system for a significant part of the student body while preparing a safe learning environment for in-person students.

Bobby Lieb, president of the Houston Northwest Chamber of Commerce, led a State of Education meeting with superintendents from Klein ISD, Spring ISD and Aldine ISD to discuss how their respective districts will approach reopening for the fall semester with the COVID-19 pandemic continuing to grow in case numbers.

Adopt a Teacher: Cy-Fair Facebook group looks to support teachers during upcoming semester

Virtual Schooling

Superintendent Rodney Watson with Spring ISD discussed how the district will handle beginning school earlier than districts on Aug. 17 with completely online schooling. Students are currently receiving online connections and laptops around the district, and students already equipped with devices from Spring ISD are expected to use them for school.

Our teachers came back on the 10th (of August) for all of their virtual professional development sessions and were excited that we will be starting school on Aug. 17, next Monday, and we will be starting school virtually for all students for the first four weeks, Watson said. When we look at instruction both in-person and at-home learning environments will be teacher-directed, subject-specific instruction driven by school schedules.

On HoustonChronicle.com: 'We can't ignore this': Hidalgo, Harris County health officials issue guidance for school reopenings

As for students with disabilities, Watson said the district plans to provide their respective services for their respective disabilities.

It was extremely important to us that students receiving special services would have all of the supports necessary to help meet their needs whether that be a device, internet access, small group support, language support or any other support that is identified in their individual IEP plan, Watson said.

Spring ISD and Klein ISD will both use the Schoology learning management system to sync in-person learning with virtual learning for their students per TEA guidelines. Klein ISD Superintendent Jenny McGown said the district has been utilizing Schoology for four years. Klein ISD is currently working to provide more devices to students who do not have them.

Weve had a 1:1 program in our district with many, many years which provides all secondary students with a device so we were able to really focus and continue to focus our efforts on making sure all of our elementary students have devices, McGown said.

Rodney Watson said 66 percent of Spring ISD students are choosing the virtual schooling option while 34 percent did not.

McGown said Klein ISD was almost an even split, though most parents chose virtual schooling.

Its basically about 50/50 but were still following up every day from our families we have not heard from, she said. Thats about 6,000 families that were still following up with to make sure that we are clear on what option theyve selected for their children.

In-person classes and safety

Klein ISD has delayed class until Sept. 8, giving the district the opportunity to perform dry runs of virtual and in-person courses.

During this additional time were looking forward to making sure we can run some simulations, do some dry runs to make sure that everything is in the absolute best position it can be in for doing something no school district has ever had to do before, McGown said. We are much more split down the middle as far as what families are choosing for their learners this year.

Both Klein ISD and Spring ISD said they have planned daily scheduled cleaning of all transportation for students and all facilities. Both districts have also devised status markers for COVID-19 infections and have set up systems for contact tracing.

We want to protect their privacy as we are legally obligated to do so but certainly we want to make sure our families are well informed about the conditions in their childrens classrooms and their school, McGown said.

Watson said Spring ISD will focus on making sure all employees will be monitored for health status to make sure COVID is not spread.

With so much information on social media, the internet and the news I think everyone feels they are an expert but I think its important to really understand the definition of people being positive, he said.

For more information, visit www.kleinisd.net or www.springisd.org.

chevall.pryce@chron.com
Growing presence of China in Sri Lanka has strategic dimensions and serious security concerns for India as Sri Lanka is Indias closest maritime neighbour. Sri Lanka has already fallen in Chinese debt trap as it has leased out its Hambantota port to China undermining security concerns of India.





by Vandana Mishra





August 5, 2020 elections in Sri Lanka has been a turning point in several sense: first, it was organised amidst opposition and fear of COVID-19 pandemic in which over 71 percent of electorates voted; second, it set an example before the countries where elections are scheduled in near future; the success of election must have motivated USA where Presidential elections are scheduled in coming November; Elections Commission of India too must have been elated as Bihar Assembly Elections too are heating up; last and most important August 7 results led to landslide victory for Mahinda Rajapaksa and his Sri Lanka Peoples Party (SLPP), with two-third majority in National Parliament. Rajapaksa stands scheduled to take oath as Prime Minster for the fourth term.













SLPP got 59 percent of the total votes polled and won 128 seats out of 225 seats in unicameral National Parliament and with its share of 17 National Seats its total tally of 145 is well near the two third majority. Since, it has support of other smaller parties it will manage the five short seats needed to make it 2/3rd majority. Newly formed Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) secured nearly 24 percent of total votes with 40 seats and 7 National Seats, which is a break-away group of erstwhile UNP which got only 1 seat. Jathika Jana Belawegaya(JJB) with 3 percent of total votes got 2 seats and 1 National Seat, and Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi (ITAK) got 9 seats and 1 National Seat in the election. Thus, SLPP will have free hand to bring any major constitutional change in consonance with its aspirations. Predictions in media are rampant of likely change in the constitution and strengthen the dynastic rule by ending the Presidential term limits. Credit goes to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa who led SLPP to such massive victory after 9 months into his office and facilitating his elder brother Mahinda to be the PM.





19th Amendment that limits the Presidential powers is at stake. Mahinda Rajapaksa is famous for crushing LTTE and infamous for his pro-China leanings, especially in India. Several factors contributed to his win in spite of accusations of being authoritarian and harsh on minorities: the failure of previous government ensured his victory. Mahinda is the most popular leader of majority Sinhala Buddhist community. Subsequent victory of both the brothers with substantial vote share has further established that Sri Lanka is fast turning into a majoritarian country.





Implications for India:

Indias pro-active approach stems from the fact of extending congratulatory note to the newly elected leader. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was one of the first leaders to do so. Both the leaders resolved to strengthen bilateral relations., Modis signal of Indias commitment and concerns to strengthen bilateral relations with the incumbent government should be taken as diplomatic courtesy. Mahindas win means another pro-Chinese government in the neighbourhood and hence a cause of concern for India.





Secondly, Growing presence of China in Sri Lanka has strategic dimensions and serious security concerns for India as Sri Lanka is Indias closest maritime neighbour. Sri Lanka has already fallen in Chinese debt trap as it has leased out its Hambantota port to China undermining security concerns of India.





Thirdly, Modi informed Rajapaksa about the international airport being constructed in Buddhist pilgrimage city of Kushinagar in India and expressed willingness to welcome Sri Lankan pilgrimage tourists. The invitation extended to the Buddhist pilgrims of Sri Lanka is also an important dimension of cultural connectivity that is being used to strengthen the bilateral relations. Even in 2019, S. Jaishankar invited Gotabaya Rajapaksa for his first official visit to India. Jaishankar also said that the reconciliation process between both the countries required a dignified treatment of Tamils. As a diplomatic move, Prime Minister also showed solidarity to Sri Lanka by vising Saint Anthony Shrine. Cultural diplomacy does play a role in bilateral relations, but how far it will smoothen the strategic and economic relations is difficult to predict. Both China and India will try to contain each other to wean away the loyalty of Sri Lankas new dispensation..





Fourthly, even though Modis most important foreign policy choice was Neighbourhood First; yet India under his leadership has been struggling to strengthen bilateral ties with most of its neighbours. Recent spate of tensions between India and China reveals the fact that China will further broaden its monetary and political influence over Sri Lanka, under Mahinda.. Chinese investments in Sri Lanka increased during Rajapaksa, with both entering into several infrastructural deals. This had alarmed India as well as the West. China thus has been looming all over Indias backyard one-by-one.





Fifthly, 11 Percent of Sri Lankas Population consist of Tamils, who have been in conflict with Mahindas government after LTTE was decimated in 2009. The Tamil factor is one of the important reasons of conflict with this Government. Indias Sri Lanka policy has been held hostage by domestic politics on this count as Indian state of Tamil Nadu has soft corner for Sri Lankan Tamils. India cannot afford to abandon Tamil cause in Sri Lanka owing to domestic political compulsions. Hence, how India is going to manage this issue in the interest of bilateral convergence remains tricky.





Sixthly, Indo-Sri Lankan relations entered into rough weather ever since Mahinda lost the 2015 elections. He blamed India for orchestrating his defeat through the espionage agency and extending support to his opposition. Maithripala Sirisena who had defeated Mahinda was splinter from his party only. India thus has been accused of interference in internal affairs of neighbour.





Seventhly, growing Sino-Sri Lankan defence ties is another potential cause of concern for India. The defence cooperation has intensified with transfer of arms, ammunition, landmines and aircraft to Sri Lanka..





Last but most important, Chinas silent rise in the Indian Ocean and the cooperation provided by the Sri Lanka government has also been an important reason of conflict between both the nations. Mahindas win will further facilitate China, hence a major concern for India. India aspires for an Indian Ocean to be its major maritime region of influence. Chinas growing presence in the Indian Ocean region will not only undermine Indias influence but would also pose military threat on the maritime border.





Imperatives for India:





India has no choice but to learn to live with its neighbours and keep creating space for itself alongside China. Annual Defence Dialogue between India and Sri Lanka that was inaugurated in 2012 and envisaged cooperation even with the military of both the countries must be strengthened and geared-up. India should also take-up trilateral maritime security cooperation with Sri Lanka and Maldives.





During the visit of Goabaya Rajapkasa, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced $50 million line of credit for security and counter terrorism and another $400 million for the infrastructural development. This was done to strengthen cooperation against terrorism and the other side promised that India Sri Lanka relations would not be affected by the third country. India need to capitalise on such cooperation and take it to logical end.





India and Sri Lanka have strong cultural linkages as Sri Lanka is largely a Buddhist country with more than 70% of its population following Buddhism. India has strong leverages as it is the country of origin of Buddhism. Hence, there are tremendous scope of building and enhancing close cultural ties. People-to-people links could also be strengthened through institutions of Public Diplomacy and Nation Branding. There was a proposal to establish air link between Sanchi in MP and Sri Lanka for the Buddhist pilgrims. More such linkages could be explored to strengthen the cultural relations between both the countries.





Strategically Sri Lanka can be an important game changer in the rising Chinese influence in the India Ocean region. India aspires to prevail in the Indian Ocean region. Hence, India must mobilise its diplomatic resources to cultivate greater ties with the new political dispensation in Sri Lanka. China by now is looming all over South Asia; it must be contained by India on the maritime turf.





The writer is a Research Scholar and can be reached at vandanamishra080@gmail.com
Latin America is the only major area of the world in which the Protestant church is growing at a much faster rate than the populationthis in spite of the fact that the demographic explosion in Latin America is the most rapid in the world. The population is increasing at the rate of some 2.6 per cent while the Protestant community is moving at 15.8 per cent.

But in spite of this highly encouraging set of statistics, many Christian workers in Latin America are deeply concerned about the future of the Church. In a recent meeting of some 300 evangelical leaders from all over Latin America at Huampani, Peru, 54 per cent of those attending were missionaries. Although Latin Americans chaired most of the sessions, missionaries were still quite obviously pulling the important strings behind the scenes.

Where is our top-flight Latin American Protestant leadership? Or, more specifically, what have we been doing to provide theological training for those nationals who can and will do the same jobs of administration and teaching that missionaries have been handling for six decades?

The historic denominations have been hard at work on this problem for a long time, and their labors have borne fruit. Graduates of seminaries such as Union of Buenos Aires (Methodist, Presbyterian, Disciples, and others); Union of Matanzas, Cuba (Presbyterian, Methodist, Episcopal); Union of Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico (American Baptist Convention, Methodist, Presbyterian, and others); and the Presbyterian Seminary of Campinas, Brazil, have taken doctorates in the United States and Europe and are now in positions of high responsibility in their own churches and seminaries. In fact the teaching and administrative staffs of these seminaries are largely made up of ...

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Swiss-American glaciologist Konrad Steffen is believed to have plunged to his death in a crevasse in Greenland

A prominent Swiss-American glaciologist specialising in climate change has died in an accident in Greenland, his research institute said Wednesday.

Konrad Steffen, director of the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL), was reported missing on Saturday and is believed to have fallen into a crevasse.

"His loss is very profound," Christoph Hegg, Deputy Director of WSL, told AFP.

"He was very much involved in the IPCC chapters on ice and oceans. There he was one of the leading scientists in his field," Hegg added.

After going missing on Saturday, police initiated a search operation and on Sunday found evidence that the 68-year-old researcher had suffered a fatal accident.

"We have found signs that the person fell through a crack in the glacier," police spokesman Brian Thomsen told local newspaper Sermitsiaq.

"An accident has probably occurred and it is highly probable that the person in question has passed away," Thomsen added.

The search near Ilulissat in southwest Greenland was then abandoned, without the body being found.

The accident occurred a mere 100 metres from the campdubbed the "Swiss Camp"where Steffen was staying, according to a Twitter post by fellow scientist Kathy Riklin, who said it seemed a snow bridge had collapsed under him.

In Greenland, Steffen, assisted by NASA and the US National Science Foundation, had been building a network of automatic weather stations since 1990.

At the time of the accident he was doing maintenance on these stations, according to Hegg.

During his annual expeditions, he and his teams would examine the Arctic snowpack in particular.

Explore further Waymo chief says his tech would have averted fatal Uber crash

 2020 AFP
By PTI

KARACHI: A powerful explosion in Pakistan's restive Balochistan province on Wednesday left at least seven persons injured, the police said.

The blast took place in one of Quetta's commercial areas on Barori road, the latest in a string of attacks in the recent weeks in the troubled province.

Officials said that the injured, including a 15-year old boy, have been rushed to a nearby hospital.

The police said that they were investigating the cause of the explosion that also damaged vehicles and shops.

On Monday, at least five persons, including a 10-year-old boy, were killed and 21 others injured in a powerful bomb blast in the Pakistan-Afghan border town of Chaman.

The blast took place after unknown militants planted a remote controlled improvised explosive device on a motorcycle parked in Chaman.

In another blast the same day, at least eight people, including police personnel, were injured near a petrol pump.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 12)  The Food and Drug Administration in the Philippines will conduct more studies on the approval process of the world's first coronavirus vaccine developed by Russia amid allegations it has skipped essential steps in its development.

Most parts of the world were surprised when President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday announced Russia has approved and registered a vaccine for COVID-19, which has now infected more than 20 million people and killed more than 730,000 globally.

FDA General Director Eric Domingo on Wednesday said the vaccine developed by the Moscow-based Gamaleya Institute was scheduled to start Phase 3 of its clinical trial this month. This stage is critical as it is where thousands of patients have to be vaccinated to test its safety and efficacy. There are no reports on how many patients have undergone the third stage of the trial in Russia, but Putin said his own daughter was injected with it.

"As far as we know this vaccine is in the second phase of the clinical trial. We want to know how accelerated the approval was and what the basis was for that," he told CNN Philippines.

He said the Philippines' FDA will only approve the use of vaccines if it has been tested on a large group of patients and it has proven to be safe and effective in building a patient's immunity against the virus.

The Philippines is in talks with the Russian manufacturer to join the Phase 3 of the clinical trial the vaccine named Sputnik-V, health and science officials said.

President Rodrigo Duterte has accepted Russia's offer to provide their vaccines for Filipinos, even volunteering himself a the first one to be "experimented" on. But his spokesman later said the vaccine has to first undergo FDA approval.

RELATED: Duterte indebted to Russia for vaccine offer

Former United States FDA Associate Commissioner Peter Pitts warned the Russians are not transparent in sharing scientific data on how the vaccine was created. He pointed out that Russias vaccine program is not recognized by the World Health Organization and historically, the country has quality issues on the medicines they created.

Using the Russian vaccine really is playing Russian roulette with peoples health, Pitts told CNN Philippines on Tuesday.

Despite safety concerns, Russian officials said twenty countries around the world have requested more than a billion doses of "Sputnik-V"  a reference to the surprise 1957 launch of the world's first satellite by the Soviet Union.

The vaccine on Tuesday received a registration certificate from the Russian Ministry of Health despite skipping Phase 3  the final stage before approval. Under Russia's emergency rules adopted during the COVID-19 pandemic, it can be used to vaccinate its population.

The Phase 1 and 2 were completed on August 1. Phase 3, which will involve at least 2,000 people from Russia, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, and Mexico, will start on August 12, according to the company's website.

Kirill Dmitriev, the CEO of the fund that bankrolled the development of the Russia vaccine, told CNN International that the Sputnik-V will be available to other countries around November. He said the vaccine will initially be provided to their frontliners and high-risk groups before Russia conducts its mass immunization in October.

There are six potential vaccines under the third phase of clinical trials, with four of them coming from China. Domingo said it's possible that another vaccine will be available by the end of the year to early next year.
(Newser)  A Georgia school district has quarantined more than 900 students and staff members because of possible exposure to the coronavirus since classes resumed last week and will temporarily shut down a hard-hit high school in which a widely shared photo showed dozens of maskless students posing together. The quarantine figures from the Cherokee County School District include at least 826 students, according to data the district posted online. Located about 30 miles north of Atlanta, the district serves more than 42,000 students and began its new school year on Aug. 3, the AP reports. The quarantines have affected at least 19 schools in the district.

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The school quarantines were announced a day after Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp said that the reopening of some of the states schools amid the coronavirus outbreak has gone wellexcept for the viral photos of students crowded together without masks. The photos showed students in crowded hallways at North Paulding High School northwest of Atlanta and squeezed together for first-day-of-school senior photos at two high schools in Cherokee County, including Etowah, which has had more than 300 students and staff members told to quarantine. Cherokee County School District Superintendent Brian Hightower said the district was temporarily shutting down Etowah High School starting Wednesday and hoped to reopen the school on Aug. 31. (North Paulding High dropped its punishment for the teen who shared photos of a crowded hallway.)
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Linkedin Rendy Adhisurya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Thu, August 13 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic has clearly disrupted businesses in Indonesia. Several businesses will need continued government support to successfully navigate this period.

Currently, capital expenditure and information technology (IT) spending are being reevaluated. While the road to full recovery is going to be long and arduous, various financial stimulus initiatives announced by the government can help the economy and businesses outlive this pandemic.

In spite of the current macroeconomic challenges, Making Indonesia 4.0, the much-lauded industry road map, still presents the greatest opportunity for Indonesia to land within the top 10 of the biggest global economies by 2030. To reach this, one needs to ensure that business processes are well-integrated to accelerate economic recovery, capability building and scalability across Indonesias key sectors.

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Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer was not tapped to join the Democratic presidential ticket after being considered a top contender but said shes very pleased with Joe Bidens selection of Kamala Harris Tuesday.

Whitmer joined Oakland County Democrats for a virtual meeting hours after news broke of Bidens long-anticipated announcement. The first-term governor, who endorsed Biden before the Michigan primary and serves as a national co-chair of his presidential campaign, expressed support for the Democratic candidates.

I am really excited about Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, Whitmer said. I am really excited about the candidates that we have, up and down the ticket. Im very pleased. I think that its going to be really the kind of fierce leadership that we need in Washington, D.C.

Speculation about Whitmers place in the field of possible vice presidential nominees was rekindled last week after reports surfaced that she met with Biden in Deleware in early August. However, Biden announced Tuesday afternoon that he would run alongside Harris, a California senator and former rival in the Democratic primary.

I am very excited for my friend, @KamalaHarris. Working side by side with her in the Senate, I see her competence, compassion & ability to get things done. Shell hit the ground running and is ready to lead on day one. pic.twitter.com/EwYNZ4bckM  Debbie Stabenow (@stabenow) August 11, 2020

Oakland County Executive Dave Coulter said Michigan Democrats shouldnt be disappointed that Whitmer wasnt chosen to run for vice president.

I think it reflects really well on Michigan and (Whitmers) leadership that she was so seriously considered, Coulter said.

Coulter said Whitmers handling of the COVID-19 pandemic made Michigan as a national leader.

That was reflected in the interest in her, and Im just really proud of her, Coulter said.

The Michigan Republican Pary celebrated Whitmers loss in a statement released Tuesday afternoon. MIGOP Chair Laura Cox said Bidens selection shows Whitmer just isnt ready for the big leagues.

I'm fired up to elect @JoeBiden as President and @KamalaHarris as Vice President!



84 days to defeat Donald Trump. Let's do this!  Dan Kildee (@dankildee) August 11, 2020

Whitmer also warned Democrats not to relax in response to President Donald Trump pulling his funding for television advertisements in Michigan. Trumps reelection campaign is leaving the airwaves in Michigan for six weeks after spending $3.6 million on TV ads from February through July.

We dont buy it for a second because we know that gets backfilled by the DeVos (family), Whitmer said. We know that theyre going to remain focused on Michigan and we know that weve got to continue to work our tails off all the way up and down this ticket.

Several high-ranking Michigan Democrats celebrated Bidens running mate selection in statements released Tuesday afternoon.

Vice President Kamala Harris.



Let's work for the next 84 days to make this a reality.  Haley Stevens (@HaleyLive) August 11, 2020

Senator Harris has been a fearless leader who has always stood on the side of working families in our country, said Michigan Democratic Party Chair Lavora Barnes. Her record of public service shows she has what it takes to stand shoulder to shoulder with Vice President Biden on the campaign trail and in the Oval Office as they work together to build our country back from Donald Trumps failed leadership.

U.S. Sen. Gary Peters, D-Bloomfield Township, highlighted his work with Harris in the Senate.

From our work on the Senate Homeland Security Committee to keep Americans safe to fighting together to protect access to affordable health care, I know Kamala can take on any tough challenge and is ready to help lead our country, Peters said. This is a historic moment and Im proud to support Joe Biden and Kamala Harris as they work to unite our country and build a more prosperous future for all Americans.

READ MORE ON MLIVE:

Joe Biden selects Kamala Harris as vice presidential running mate

Trump campaign temporarily halts TV advertising in Michigan but plans to spend $11M before election

Why Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer wasnt chosen to be Bidens running mate in 2020 presidential election

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer set to speak at Democratic convention

Biden campaign claims lagging auto jobs puts Trump at disadvantage in Michigan

Michigan pro-Trump Republicans say Bidens police policies will push voters toward Trump
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-12 23:48:42|Editor: huaxia

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FARAH, Afghanistan, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- At least four people were killed and 10 others wounded after a bomb explosion took place outside a provincial police station in Afghanistan's western Farah province on Wednesday, a local official confirmed.

"Four people were killed and 10 others wounded were admitted to a provincial main hospital following a bomb explosion in Farah city, capital of Farah province this evening," Dr. Abdul Jabar Shaiq from provincial health directorate told Xinhua.

The number of the casualties may change, he added.

Security forces have cordoned off the area.

The blast sent a column of thick smoke into the sky and triggered panic in Police District 4 of the city, Muhibullah Muhib from the provincial police told Xinhua.

Unofficial sources said the blast was caused by a suicide bomber who detonated a tricycle, targeting a passing convey of provincial intelligence official roughly at 6:40 p.m. local time.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack yet. Enditem
I know theres a lot of people who have their minds made up and their minds are not going to change and thats fine, he said. But its important that this information gets out there anyway, because in the event that this applicant is successful, well have to deal with them.
Kamala Harris, the California senator tapped by Joe Biden on Tuesday to join him on the Democratic presidential ticket, attended schools with majority-White populations from elementary school through high school. But when it came time to go to college, she was determined to have a different experience: She wanted to attend a Historically Black College or University (HBCU).

So in the early 1980s, she chose Howard University in Washington, at the time perceived as the most prestigious HBCU, once called the "Black Harvard."

"When you're at an HBCU," Harris was quoted as saying in a 2019 Washington Post article, "and especially one with the size and with the history of Howard University - and also in the context of also being in D.C., which was known forever as being 'Chocolate City' - it just becomes about you understanding that there is a whole world of people who are like you. It's not just about there are a few of us who may find each other."

Now she is the first graduate of an HCBU tapped for a presidential ticket.

It was not necessarily an obvious choice for her. Her father, from Jamaica, was an economist at Stanford University, while her mother, from India, did graduate work as a cancer researcher at the University of California at Berkeley and later taught at McGill University in Canada.

The schools Harris attended from kindergarten until college had majority-White student populations - including Thousand Oaks Elementary School, which she attended as part of an experiment with school busing

After her parents divorced, she moved with her mother to Quebec for middle and high school, where her mother, who wanted her to learn to speak French, enrolled her in a middle school for French speakers, Notre-Dame-des-Neiges, or Our Lady of the Snows. She wrote in her recent memoir, "The Truths We Hold: An American Journey," that she did not know much French when she got to the school: "I used to joke that I felt like a duck, because all day long at our new school I'd be saying, 'Quoi? Quoi? Quoi?' "

She attended suburban Westmount High School - where until now Leonard Cohen was the most famous graduate - and finished in 1981.

When it was time to go to college, she wanted a different experience. At Howard, she majored in political science and economics - and became a social justice activist as soon as she got there. She spent many weekends protesting against apartheid in South Africa on the National Mall in Washington, and she took part in a 1983 sit-in at an administration building to protest the expulsion of the student newspaper's editor.

Harris wrote in the memoir: "That was the beauty of Howard. Every signal told students that we could be anything - that we were young, gifted, and black, and we shouldn't let anything get in the way of our success."

After graduating from Howard in 1986, she moved back to California and attended the University of California's Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco, and became a lawyer in 1990.

Here's what The Post's Robin Givhan wrote in 2019 about Harris's choice of Howard:

"Kamala Harris wanted to go to a black school. That's what black folks called Howard University in the early 1980s when Harris was a teenager considering her future.

"Harris, she would say later, was seeking an experience wholly different from what she had long known. She'd attended majority-white schools her entire life - from elementary school in Berkeley, Calif., to high school in Montreal. Her parents' professional lives and their personal story were bound up in majority-white institutions. Her father, an economist from Jamaica, was teaching at Stanford University. Her mother, a cancer researcher from India, had done her graduate work at the University of California at Berkeley, where the couple had met and fallen in love. And Harris's younger sister would eventually enroll at Stanford.

"Harris wanted to be surrounded by black students, black culture and black traditions at the crown jewel of historically black colleges and universities."
Greek foreign minister and US secretary of state will meet in Vienna over the tensions in the eastern Mediterranean.

The foreign ministers of Greece and the United States will meet in Vienna on Friday to discuss tensions in the eastern Mediterranean, according to the Greek foreign ministry, amid a dispute between Turkey and Greece over hydrocarbon resources.

The meeting between Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo comes days after Turkey dispatched the seismic survey vessel, Oruc Reis, to an area claimed by both nations, saying it will operate there until August 23.

Turkey has said it plans to issue gas exploration and drilling licences in the region, somewhere between the Greek island of Crete and Cyprus, this month.

NATO allies Greece and Turkey disagree about their overlapping claims on hydrocarbon resources in the eastern Mediterranean, based on conflicting views of how far their continental shelves extend in waters dotted with islands.

Turkeys latest moves, days after Greece signed a maritime deal with Egypt which angered Ankara, have further raised tensions with its neighbour, ending a brief period of calm brokered by Germany.

Dendias urged Turkey on Tuesday to immediately leave the Greek continental shelf, saying the country was determined to defend its sovereign rights.

Emergency EU meeting

Athens has also called for an emergency EU meeting to address the issue.

An extraordinary EU foreign ministers meeting has been set for Friday at 13:00 GMT and will be held via teleconference.

The US has appealed for a resumption of direct talks between Turkey and Greece, which Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said had been under way for two months until they were broken off last week.

Turkey said the deal with Egypt  which Greek diplomats said effectively nullified an accord between Turkey and the internationally-recognised government of Libya  showed it could not trust Athens, and promised to continue surveying waters that are also claimed by Greece and Cyprus.
Hospital workers face a greater chance of having their cars clamped near work after Dublin City Council decided to end a parking fee exemption.

In March the authority told Dublin Street Parking Services to exercise discretion when clamping cars parked in areas surrounding hospitals due to the Covid emergency.

But in a memo sent to the Lord Mayor of Dublin and the elected members of the council, chief executive Owen Keegan claimed due to increasing traffic volumes and demand for on-street parking, relaxed parking restrictions "cannot be sustained".

Mr Keegan's memo revealed residents who had parking permits and lived near hospitals were finding it hard to park outside their homes due to the amnesty.

Danger

The decision to introduce tighter controls from next month comes as the Government tries to reinforce the message that we are still in danger from the virus.

Last night the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) expressed its disappointment with the move.

"Frontline healthcare workers will be really disappointed with this change," said a spokesperson.

"It has been an exceptionally stressful time in the health service, and the provision of parking has made a big difference.

"Nurses and midwives have shown incredible commitment during the pandemic, taking great risks to provide care. It is unreasonable that they should have to pay over 35 a day to simply park at work."

The INMO pointed out that due to late shifts, fatigue, and infection risk, public transport is not an option for many of our members.

"Even if society is slowly normalising, Covid hasn't gone away," said the spokesperson.

"We understand the council is under pressure but now the onus is on the employers to either provide parking directly or make an arrangement with the council."

Mr Keegan said the relaxed parking restrictions "cannot be sustained" and full enforcement will resume in September.

He said: "The non-enforcement of paid parking restrictions in respect of vehicles owned by HSE staff, parked in the vicinity of hospitals, was always intended to be a temporary measure.

"At the time it was introduced it was not a major issue in the various locations where it applied as there was limited demand for on-street parking.

"However with the resumption in economic activity there has been a significant recovery in traffic volumes," he said.

"This has led to a situation where residents with residents parking permits, living in the vicinity of major hospitals, cannot access on-street parking at or close to their homes at certain times.

"A decision has now been made that the concession will end on August 31, after which a full parking enforcement service will operate in the vicinity of hospitals."

Free

Sinn Fein councillor Seamas McGrattan called for the council to reconsider its decision and extend free parking for health workers.

"Dublin City Council management have confirmed that free parking for healthcare staff is to end. But the Covid-19 pandemic won't," he said.

"Nurses and doctors will continue to put their lives on the line, continuing to carry the stress and isolation of being front line staff.

"Healthcare workers deserve the city's support and solidarity. Free parking is the least that they can expect at this time."

He added that he has written to Health Minister Stephen Donnelly, the council, the HSE and others about the issue.
Vietnamese Refugee Charged After Allegedly Saying He Would Shoot People at a Church

A refugee who allegedly threatened to carry out a shooting at a church in a Texas city has been charged with a firearm offense, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Erin Nealy Cox announced on Tuesday.

Hieu Tran Trung, a north Vietnamese refugee living in Lubbock, Texas, was charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm. He made his first appearance in court on Monday afternoon.

The 45-year-old was barred from possessing firearms after a 1998 conviction for assault on a public servant, according to a Department of Justice release. He faces up to 10 years in federal prison if found guilty.

Im grateful to the citizen who reported his friends concerning behavior to federal authorities. His courage in speaking out may well have saved lives, Nealy Cox said in a statement. Its critical that we act quickly when we get information like this and I commend our law enforcement partners who immediately intervened before the defendant could inflict real harm.

According to the criminal complaint, Trung allegedly said that he would spray up random people at his church. He had allegedly asked a friend to get me one of them straps, which is a slang term for firearms. The friend refused. A week after Trungs initial alleged statements, he allegedly texted the friend a photo of himself holding two firearms, and later forwarded another photo showing a large amount of ammunition. Part of the accompanying caption read, locked and leaded.

According to the friend, Trung allegedly said that he could easily kill someone and leave town. By late July, he said that he would show who he can be.

At some point, the friend reached out to the FBI, notifying the agency about Trungs alleged statements.

Investigators found a loaded 9 mm semiautomatic pistol inside a briefcase in a search of Trungs residence.

The defendant knew he was prohibited from possessing firearms, but still went out of his way to illegally obtain them. He also threatened to use these illegal firearms against his perceived enemies. As a result, we moved quickly to prevent a violent crime, FBI Dallas Special Agent in Charge Matthew DeSarno said in a statement.

The FBI and our law enforcement partners are committed to detecting and assessing possible threats as they arise. We work hard to protect our communities from violent individuals and encourage the public to report any suspicious activity that poses a threat to public safety.

The case was brought under Project Guardian, an initiative of the DOJ to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearm laws in the United States.

Read More Attorney General William Barr Unveils 5-Point Plan to Reduce Gun Violence
According to a new report by CheckPoint , Google and Amazon were the most imitated brands for phishing attacks during the second quarter of this year, while Apple fell to 7th place during this quarter. It is interesting to note that Apple was the leading brand for phishing attacks during the first quarter of this year According to estimates, phishing is the starting point of more than 90 percent of cyber-attacks, and according to V erizons 2019 Data Breach Investigations Report , 32% of data breaches involved phishing attacks. In Brand Phishing, hacker imitates being an official site of a well-known brand by using a similar URL (Uniform Resource Locator) or domain. Usually, attackers use webpages that are similar to the webpages of official websites.The Brand Phishing Report for the second quarter also shows that Facebook was the most imitated brand on smartphone. The report suggests that Google and Amazon accounted for 13% of brand phishing scams each, while Facebook, as well as WhatsApp, accounted for 9% of brand phishing scams each.Web-based phishing exploits were the most common type during Q2, while email phishing attacks also surged during the second quarter of this year, and were the second most common type, compared to the first quarter of this year where email phishing exploits were the third most common type. Among various attack platforms, web-based attacks accounted for 61% of brand phishing scams, while email accounted for 24%. The easing of the coronavirus restrictions across the globe may be the reason for this change as businesses are re-opening around the world, and workers are returning to work.According to the report, Microsoft accounted for 7% of brand phishing scams followed by Outlook which accounted for 3% of brand phishing attacks. Netflix, Apple, Huawei, and PayPal accounted for 2% each, while the top brand industry sectors were technology, Banking, and social network.During June of this year, researchers witnessed a fraudulent site trying to imitate iClouds login page, and steal login credentials. Researchers suggest users confirm that they using or ordering from authentic websites, and do not open shady/promotional links they receive in email. People are recommended to beware for special offers as they can be biggest culprit of cyber crimes. For instance, an 80% discount on a new Apple iPhone is not usually a reliable buying opportunity.Illustration: Freepik.comRead next: Research compares the cost of running a business around the world, Budapest, Prague and Warsaw top the list
Vijayawada: Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy dwelling on the measures initiated by the government to contain Covid-19 stated that they had conducted an overwhelming 25 lakh Corona tests till date.

Participating in the Prime Minister Narendra Modis video conference with Chief Ministers on Tuesday, Jagan Mohan Reddy sought the cooperation of the Union Government in its efforts to boost medical facilities in the State. He pointed out that unlike the neighbouring states, Andhra Pradesh neither had any metropolitan areas nor did it boast of hospitals with huge infrastructure. This could be improved substantially if the Centre extends assistance, he said.

The Chief Minister assured to keep the Covid mortality rate low with aggressive testing, contact tracing besides timely treatment, particularly if the Centre helps in ramping up medical infrastructure.

He explained, "The State could maintain a low-mortality rate of 0.89 percent as we have been adopting the strategy of aggressive testing in containment clusters, identifying positive cases and providing instant treatment besides removing the social stigma attached to patients. We are spreading awareness with the involvement of over two lakh people in various capacities."

Jagan Mohan Reddy said, "So far we have conducted 25, 34, 304 tests of which 2.35 lakh were positive. Tests per million in our State have logged 47, 459. When the first case was reported in March, we had no virology lab and had to send the samples to Pune and from that stage we have progressively improved infrastructure and now all the 13 districts have testing labs and hospitals for Covid and they are self-reliant. Together with the Rapid Antigen tests, the number of tests has crossed the 70 000-mark and the average is at 60,000 tests per day. Samples are also being taken through 100 mobile labs in at least 1500 areas and we could penetrate into the remote areas. "

The Chief Minister explaining about treatment said, "After the testing is done, depending on the severity, we have been sending them to home isolation, or to Covid Care Centre or Covid hospitals. We have also increased the strength of ambulance vehicles to 1088 and the vehicle is available at mandal level to ensure that everyone derives advantage of the facility. "

Explaining about the hospitals and beds, he said "The State has 138 Covid Care Hospitals with 37, 189 beds and for people with mild symptoms we have identified 109 Covid Care Centres with a bed capacity of over 56 000. We have increased the bed strength with oxygen facility from 4,286 to over 11,000 in the last three months. About 32,000 medical personnel, including

doctors, nurses, technicians and other staff are working in 138 Covid Care hospitals. We have also started helpdesks to guide the people on how to go about when they notice symptoms."

Jagan Mohan Reddy urged Modi, "As ours is a newly formed State with no Tier I cities, we look forward to your help in ramping up medical infrastructure in Tier II cities."

Deputy Chief Minister Alla Nani, Home Minister M Sucharita, Chief Secretary Nilam Sawhney, Medical and Health Special Chief Secretary KS Jawahar Reddy were among those who were present.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) court in Jagdalpur has declined to hand over the FIR lodged by a Congress leader in Bastar seeking a probe in the alleged conspiracy behind the Jheeram Valley attack to the NIA, for which the agency had moved an application in June.

The court ruled that the case will be investigated by the state police. However, NIAs counsel said that the agency will move the state high court challenging the order of Jagdalpur sessions court.

Twenty-seven people, including senior Congress leaders Nand Kumar Patel, Mahendra Karma, Dinesh Patel and VC Shukla were killed allegedly in an attack by a group of 150 Maoists in 2013. On May 26, 2013, the NIA registered a case on this attack and started investigations.

Recently, on May 25, 2020, Jitendra Mudaliyar, son of Congress leader Uday Mudaliyar, who was also killed in Darbha Valley attack (also referred to as the Jheeram Valley attack), registered an FIR in Bastar district with regard to the attack on the Congress convoy. The NIA moved an application on June 16 in Jagdalpur NIA court seeking handing over of the case registered by Mudaliyar to NIA for further investigation.

Bastar police presented its view point before the NIA court mentioning that this case is different from the 2013 case, because the new case would mainly investigate the conspiracy angle of the incident. On 10th of August 2020, Jagdalpur NIA court rejected agencys application for transferring the Jheeram case (FIR registered in May 2020) to NIA for further investigation, Inspector General of Police, Bastar Range, Sunderaj P told HT.

On the other hand, NIAs counsel said the agency will challenge the order in the state high court.

We have argued that as per the NIA Act and also the CrPC, there cannot be two FIRs for a single offence and it falls within NIAs jurisdiction because the agency is already investigating the matter pertaining to the same offence, said Kishore Bhaduri, NIAs counsel talking to HT.

Bhaduri also alleged that the NIA court had incorrectly relied solely on section 10 of the NIA act.

The order was made relying on section 10 of NIA act to decline handing over of the file of FIR to NIA. The sessions court has omitted to consider the implications of section 6 and partially read the provision under section 10 of the NIA act, which is always subject to section 6. We will move to high court, said Bhaduri.

State unit of the Congress party has welcomed the court order.

We welcome the order of Jagdalpur court and secondly we want to know why the conspiracy angle should not be investigated? Why NIA doesnt want the state police to investigate, which will unfold the conspiracy behind the Darbha Valley killing, said Congress spokesperson Shailesh Nitin Trivedi.

The BJP, too, said it welcomes the decision of the court and added that the Congress leadership should now come forward to submit the evidence to back up their claims of conspiracy behind the attack.

We also welcome the decision of the court. The Congress leaders always claim that they have evidence about the conspiracy and now they can come forward and submit the evidence to Chhattisgarh police. The matter should be resolved, said BJP spokesperson Sachidanand Upasane

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After the Congress declared the political turmoil in Rajasthan a "closed chapter" following former party chief Rahul Gandhi's intervention, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said the fight to save democracy will continue.

"All our MLAs stayed together for such a long time. This is a victory of the people of Rajasthan. It is our duty to serve the people of the state," said Gehlot who had struggled to keep intact the numbers of his government in the state, with his MLAs huddled in hotels in Jaipur and later in Jaisalmer.

The political crisis in Rajasthan Congress ended on Monday after a meeting of Pilot with Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi. The rebel MLAs later met top Congress leaders and were assured that their grievances would be redressed in a time-bound manner. Congress president Sonia Gandhi also announced the formation of a three-member committee to hear the grievances of rebel leaders.

Meanwhile, Gehlot said it was "natural" for the MLAs to be upset. "The manner in which this episode occurred and the way in which they stayed for a month, it was natural," he said.

We will work together. Our friends who had gone away have now come back. I hope that we will do away with all our differences and fulfill our resolve to serve the state: Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot https://t.co/6geXcb72wy ANI (@ANI) August 12, 2020

Gehlot said he had explained to the MLAs that sometimes one needed to be tolerant to "serve the nation, state, people and save the democracy".

"We will work together. Our friends who had gone away have now come back. I hope that we will do away with all our differences and fulfill our resolve to serve the state," he said.

Pilot on Tuesday said he has not demanded any post from the party but wants no vendetta politics against the MLAs who stood by him.

Pilot said this as he returned to Jaipur nearly a month after the rebellion against Gehlot. The former state Congress chief also hoped that the three-member committee constituted by the party high command to look into the issues will start its work soon.

About the meeting, Pilot told reporters, "I did not ask for any position from the party. I told the party not to act against our MLAs in a spirit of malice. There should not be vendetta politics against them and this has been ensured. Yesterday, Priyanka Gandhi said we are members of a family."
Murali Krishna CH By

Express News Service

Chiranjeevi will not be working in the Telugu remake of Malayalam action-drama Lucifer anytime soon, as announced earlier because he is considering starting work on another remake now. The 64-year-old actor has green-lit the Telugu remake of Tamil actioner Vedhalam and has zeroed in Meher Ramesh as the director.

The development of the Telugu remake of Lucifer has been suspended indefinitely and Chiru is keen to step into the shoes of Ajith in the Telugu adaptation of Vedhalam. The makers have made certain changes to the script to suit the regional sensibilities and the image of Chiru. They will begin the casting and the pre-production formalities soon.

The film, however, would go on floors soon after the actor wraps up Acharya, informs a source. Vedhalam tells the story of a taxi driver, who lives with his sister in Kolkata while being on the lookout for three criminals.

To be bankrolled by Anil Sunkara and Ram Charan, an official announcement of the untitled film will be made on the occasion of Chiranjeevis 65th birthday on August 22. Chiru was recently seen in Syeraa Narasimha Reddy (2019). The film grossed more than `180 crore at the box-office. His upcoming films are Acharya and an untitled project with KS Ravindra (Bobby).
Black women with 'natural' hairstyles, such as curly afros or braids, are perceived as less professional than those who straighten their hair, a new study claims.

Experts in the US say black women suffer from a lack of job opportunities due to their hair, particularly in industries that 'dictate a more conservative appearance' such as consulting.

Inherent and 'embedded' racial bias in the upper echelons of companies means women with non-conforming hairstyles are denied job opportunities.

In experiments, the researchers found black women with natural hair are deemed 'less competent and professional' than black women with straightened hair and white women with curly or straight hair.

Black women with natural hairstyles were perceived as less professional and less likely to get interviews

'For black women, it's a serious consideration and may contribute to the lack of representation for blacks in some organisational settings,' said Professor Ashleigh Shelby Rosette at the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University, North Carolina.

'In many Western societies, whites have historically been the dominant social group and, as a result, the standard for professional appearance is often based on the physical appearance of whites.

'For women's hair, that benchmark is having straightened hair.'

To detect bias against black women with natural hair, researchers recruited participants of different races and asked them to assume the role of recruiters screening job candidates.

Participants were given profiles of black and white female job candidates and asked to rate them on professionalism and competence.

Black women with natural hairstyles received lower scores on professionalism and competence and were not recommended as frequently for interviews compared with three other types of candidates  black women with straightened hair and white women with curly or straight hair.

Teenager with cornrows, where the hair is braided very close to the scalp in rows. States in the US are working to end discrimination against people with such hairstyles

In one experiment, two groups of participants evaluated the same job candidate  a black woman.

One group saw a photo of the candidate with natural hair while the other group saw her with straight hair.

The group who saw a candidate with straight hair rated her as more professional  defined as 'more polished, refined and respectable'  and they more strongly recommended her for an interview.

The job candidates with natural hair were subject to discrimination when they were being evaluated for jobs in consulting, according to the researchers, which they deem an industry with conservative dress norms.

Applicants for jobs in more modern, creative industries were less likely to be negatively judged by their natural hair, however.

When participants considered profiles of women who wanted to work at an ad agency, the candidate's hair texture didn't affect perceptions of professionalism or whether they were recommended for interviews. This may be because advertising is viewed as a more creative industry than consulting with less rigid dress norms

When participants considered profiles of women who wanted to work at an ad agency, for example, the candidate's hair texture didn't affect perceptions of professionalism or whether they were recommended for interviews.

Advertising is viewed as a more creative industry than consulting with less rigid dress norms, the authors say.

Hairstyles associated with people of African descent Afro - also known as 'natural'. Long hair that has grown outwards. Braids - interlacing two or more strands of hair. Dreadlocks - ropelike strands of hair formed by braiding. Cornrows - hair is braided very close to the scalp in rows. Twists - twisted strands of hair that are then themselves twisted around one another. Bantu knots - Small, coiled buns secured against the side of the head. Advertisement

'When a black woman chooses to straighten her hair, it should be a personal preference, not a burden to conform to a set of criteria for which there could be adverse consequences,' Professor Rosette said.

'There fundamentally has to be a level of awareness that the natural hair bias exists.'

Generally, to reduce bias when considering job candidates, employers tend to strip away biographical information such as a person's name and other clues about gender or race from their application forms.

'This procedure is known as blinding and has been shown to reduce similar types of bias as what we found in our research,' said Professor Rosette.

But when a candidate reaches the job interview and meets their potential employer face to face, it is up to the interviewer to expunge their inherent racial bias.

'If you don't know that it exists, you can't know its influence on your decision-making processes,' she said.

In recent months, US cities and states have passed laws prohibiting discrimination against natural hairstyles for black people at work and public school.

In California, the CROWN Act (Create a Respectful and Open Workplace for Natural Hair), signed into law by state governor Gavin Newsom in July, officially went into effect on January 1 this year.

The CROWN Act, announced in December 2019, prohibits discrimination based on natural and protective hairstyles associated with people of African descent.

This includes hair that is tightly coiled or tightly curled, locs, cornrows, twists, braids, Bantu knots, and afros.

Federal legislators have drafted similar bills to ban hair-based race discrimination under US law.

Black women are 1.5 times more likely to be sent home from the workplace because of their hair, according to the CROWN Act's official campaign website.

Cities and states in the US have passed laws prohibiting discrimination against natural hairstyles for black people at work and public school

It was only three years ago that the US Army eased restrictions on natural hairstyles for black soldiers.

Professor Rosette said that there is still work to be done to change the embedded biases that exist in society, even in the wake of changes since the murder of George Floyd in police custody in May.

'In the aftermath of the George Floyd murder and the corresponding protests, many organisations have rightly focused on tactics to help eradicate racism at systemic and structural levels.

'But our individually held biases often precede the type of racist practices that become embedded and normalised within organisations.'

The findings have been published in the journal Social Psychological and Personality Science.
FORT MILL, S.C., Aug. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Allconnect today announced the inaugural Ultimate College Bundle Contest. The contest will all students the opportunity to become one of three winners to receive a gift card and a grant for books. The first-place winner will receive a laptop. College students are invited to submit an essay on where their field of study would be without the internet.

A team of judges from Allconnect will select the top three entrants based on the creativity demonstrated in the essay and the quality of the writing (including grammar, spelling, structure, and other features). The prize breakdown is as follows:

The first-place winner with the highest score will receive a laptop valued at approximately $600 and a $250 VISA Rewards Card to use for the purchase of books.

and a VISA Rewards Card to use for the purchase of books. The second-place winner with the next highest score will receive a $500 VISA Rewards Card to use for the purchase of books.

VISA Rewards Card to use for the purchase of books. The third-place winner with the third-highest score will receive a $250 VISA Rewards Card to use for the purchase of books.

All three confirmed winners will receive a swag bag of Allconnect-branded promotional items valued at approximately $25.

Submissions will be accepted until Sept. 14, 2020 at 11:59:59 p.m. ET. Winners will be contacted by Sept. 28.

See the official rules and submit final essays here: https://www.allconnect.com/blog/ultimate-college-bundle-contest

Press Contact: Robin Layton, [email protected]

About Allconnect.com Allconnect is a free resource that simplifies how you shop for home services and is all about connecting millions of people to the best deals on internet, TV, streaming and more. Visit allconnect.com to learn more.

Related Links

Allconnect Ultimate College Bundle Contest

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I first saw his work in the 1980s, when his lively face-filled mural adorned the outdoor space at a bygone restaurant named Vaudeville in Wrigleyville. It was not his first mural. That would have been the 1974 Pancake Man on an outside wall of a restaurant in Wilmette, where he was raised. He later created interior murals for the Limelight nightclub and Remains Theatres home on Goose Island. As he told me at the time, Murals, by their very nature, are not meant to be permanent. They get painted over, destroyed by the elements. But that ephemeral nature makes them that much more powerful. As I ride my bike through the city I am blown away by the murals I come upon, discover, especially ones that were not there a few days before.
Three arrested for drug trafficking in Carlisle County
Three people died in police firing after violence erupted in Bengaluru on Tuesday (August 11) over an alleged derogatory social media post by a Congress leader's relative. The police opened fire after angry mobs attacked the house of Pulakeshinagar MLA Akhanda Srinivas Murthy and went berserk in DJ Halli and KG Halli police station areas of Bengaluru. Sources said that over 50 people have got injured in the violent clashes.

Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on Wednesday (August 12) said that he has ordered the concerned authorities to take strict action against those involved in the incident. CM Yediyurappa noted that all possible steps have been taken by the government to maintain law and order in the city. The Karnataka CM appealed to people to maintain peace and asserted that violence against journalists, police and people was unacceptable.

"The miscreants in the DJ Halli police station has led to the assault and rioting at MLA Akhand Srinivasa`s house and police station. Already, directives have been issued against the perpetrators and the government has taken all possible steps to curb the situation," he said.

"The attack on journalists, the police and the public in the riot last night was unacceptable. The government will not tolerate such provocations and rumours. Strict action against perpetrators is certain. I appeal to people to maintain peace and act with restraint and without panic," added CM Yediyurappa.

According to sources in the Bengaluru police, DJ Halli cops have arrested a political activist belonging to SDPI. He has been identified as Muzzamil Pasha. The accused had also contested BBMP (Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike) election from Sagayapura ward unsuccessfully.

Besides Muzamil, another SDPI activist Ayaz has also provocated the rioters to vandalise the two police stations at DJ Halli and KG Halli area in East Bengaluru. It is alleged that the violence was fully pre-planned and police will investigate it from all angles. Special teams are combing the area and 150 people have been arrested so far.

Bengaluru Police Commissioner Kamal Pant said that restrictions under CrPC Section 144 have been imposed in the city and curfew has been imposed in DJ Halli and KG Halli police station limits to keep the situation under control. He added that accused Naveen has been arrested for sharing derogatory post on Facebook.

The angry mobs also pelted stones on cops guarding the MLA's residence. The MLA was reportedly not at his residence when the mobs came out to vent their anger against the derogatory posts shared by his relative
Smirking as he strolls through the street in his flatcap and shorts, the bearded figure looks a world away from the snarling thug who once stood alongside one of Stephen Lawrence's killers.

But despite appearances, Luke Knight is the same man who was pelted with eggs as he walked with one of Stephen's murderers outside the public Inquiry into police handling of the case.

Now 12 years on from the harrowing 1998 dramatic image of him with murderer David Norris, he is a father-of-two.

But unlike Stephen, of whose death he was never tried, he has a future to look forward to as he saunters through south east London.

Roofer Knight, 43, was seen clutching a phone and what appeared to be a see-through bag of meat today just 24 hours after Scotland Yard said it was filing the case as 'inactive'.

Luke Knight was out in public today as Stephen's brother pleaded for more witnesses

Luke Knight, 43, seen today in south east London 24 hours after police filed the case 'inactive'

Luke Knight pictured left outside a 1998 public enquiry with other suspects in the murder case

He was also wearing bright striped shorts but did not appear to have any shoes on his feet as he walked outside his parents' house.

His appearance came as Stephen's brother said 'now is the time' for 'brave' witnesses to come forward to help his family get closure.

Stuart Lawrence urged them: 'Talk about what happened that fateful night and give us some closure'.

He spoke to Good Morning Britain, speaking about the tragic loss his family have suffered when Stephen was stabbed to death in the racist attack in Eltham in 1993.

Stephen Lawrence, 18, was killed by a group of racists in Eltham, South East London, in 1993

Who was jailed for Stephen Lawrence's murder? GARY DOBSON Gary Dobson was a teenage gang member turned drug supplier already behind bars for dealing cannabis by the time he faced trial over the Stephen Lawrence murder. A teenage racist, he had been caught on film making hate-filled remarks about black people. He was arrested and charged with Stephen's murder while he was in custody in 2010. His previous acquittal for Stephen's murder was quashed by the Court of Appeal, allowing him to be tried for a second time. He was forced to admit his racist views in 1994, when he was secretly recorded making vile comments to his friends on a camera planted in the skirting board of his council flat. Two years earlier in November 1992, Kevin London, then a 16-year-old black youth, was confronted by a gang of white youths and claimed Dobson threatened him with a knife, although no full report was made to the police. DAVID NORRIS David Norris is a convicted racist and son of infamous south London gangster Clifford Norris. He was well known on the streets of Eltham by the time Stephen was killed and had had brushes with the law. Within 24 hours of Stephen's murder he was named as a member of a knife-wielding gang in two anonymous notes left for police and by an informant who spoke to detectives. A year earlier Norris had been charged with wounding after allegedly taking part in an attack on two brothers during which one was stabbed with a knife. The charge was dropped in January 1993, three months before Stephen's murder. Then on March 18 he was accused of stabbing 20 year-old Stacey Benefield with a miniature sword during an scuffle in Kidbrooke, south London. But Norris was cleared of involvement after a trial amid allegations there was contact between a juror and a minder connected to Norris. Advertisement

Yesterday Scotland Yard announced it was filing the case as 'inactive' - eight years after Gary Dobson and Norris were convicted of murder.

Mr Lawrence added: 'If you do know what happened, this is the time now to speak up.

'In my mind that's the only way we're going to have true justice, if someone is brave enough to come forward and talk about what happened that fateful night and give us some closure, that's what we want as a family.

'You watch movies read story books about how injustices happen and in the light of day justice is served, even though that's not the best thing to bring back that person.

'But it gives the family some sort of closure.

'I know after this I'm going to get people on social media channels saying how we should "just get over it", but it's our lives.

'I've lost my brother, my mum's lost her child, my dad's lost his child.'

The 18-year-old was murdered by a group of racists while waiting for a bus in Eltham, South East London, in April 1993.

Five men were named by the Daily Mail as his killers in February 1997, but it was not until January 2012 that two of the group were convicted of murder.

Dobson and Norris were jailed for life at the Old Bailey after a trial that hinged on tiny traces of forensic evidence found years after the crime.

Two of the three remaining former suspects, brothers Neil and Jamie Acourt, have since served jail time for drug dealing, while Knight has remained free.

The original investigation failed to convict those responsible, and the campaign for justice by Stephen's parents Baroness Lawrence and her former husband Neville led to a public inquiry which branded the Metropolitan Police institutionally racist.

Knight has always maintained his innocence while police suspect a 'sixth man' might have been part of the gang

Although police informants suggested he was one of the gang, he has always maintained his innocence.

Along with Neil Acourt, he was arrested for murder in 1993 but the case was dropped within weeks because of doubts over the evidence. He was formally acquitted of murder at the 1996 private prosecution.

He was not in the dock with Norris and Dobson because of lack of credible identification evidence, no confession and no forensics linking him to the murder.

In 2009 Knight whined about being forever linked to the murder of innocent teenager Stephen.

Gary Dobson (left) and David Norris (right) were jailed for life at the Old Bailey in January 2012 after a trial that hinged on tiny traces of forensic evidence found years after the crime

He said: Im an innocent man. Ive done nothing wrong. Im totally innocent  I wasnt even there.

I have two little girls now. I have not told them about all of this. One day I will, Ill tell them that I am totally innocent.

Ive had 15 years of this  how do you think Im coping? I cant even get a job.
MEDIA COURTHOUSE  Common Pleas Court Judge John Capuzzi has set an Oct. 13 trial date for an Aston man facing charges of sexual assault against children.

Charles Orlando, 43, of the 2900 block of Concord Road, has already pleaded guilty to related charges in federal court and is awaiting sentencing there.

Orlando was first arrested in July 2018 on 25 counts each of possession of child pornography and criminal use of a communication facility, felonies of the third degree. Most of those charges were withdrawn and he was formally arraigned on one count each of possession and criminal use of a communication facility in August 2018.

Two additional charges of aggravated indecent assault of a child and five counts of photographing a sex act with a child were later added after a continuing investigation by Detective Sergeant Kenneth Bellis and Detective Edmond Pisani of the District Attorneys Criminal Investigation Division and Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.

The initial arrest came about after Orlando allegedly uploaded more than 350 images of child pornography to his Google Photos account. Multiple reports were made to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and Google identified the user name associated with the account as Charles Orlando, according to prosecutors.

Detectives recovered several items from Orlandos home as part of the investigation, some of which allegedly contained unique images of child pornography. Among them was an SD card that allegedly contained images of Orlando sexually abusing two minor female children, prompting the second round of charges.

Investigators determined that the alleged assaults took place in February 2011 in Norwood Borough, where Orlando was living at the time. The images appear to have been taken in Orlandos home and bathroom, according to the District Attorneys Office.

Orlando was also charged with five counts of manufacturing child pornography, two counts of receiving child pornography and one count of possessing child pornography by federal indictment in November 2018.

Court records indicate he pleaded guilty to the federal charges in December 2019, but the record on that case is sealed, so the exact plea is currently unknown. Orlando remains in the custody of federal law enforcement and sentencing in that case is set for Oct. 7 before U.S. District Judge Wendy Beetlestone.

In some instances where state and federal cases overlap and the federal sentence is harsh enough, the District Attorneys Office chooses not to prosecute or tries to plea the case out with concurrent time in order to spare victims the trauma of a trial.

Such was the case with Brookhaven resident Timothy J. Kalinowsky, who was recently sentenced in Delaware County to four to eight years in state prison after pleading to one count of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a person less than 16 years old. Court of Common Pleas Judge Mary Alice Brennan ordered Kalinowsky to serve that sentence concurrent to a 32-year federal prison sentence for the same crimes.

Delaware County Assistant District Attorney Christopher Boggs, head of the Special Victims and Domestic Violence Division, indicated the commonwealth would see what happens with Orlandos federal case before deciding how to proceed.

Orlando is represented by attorney David Iannucci in the state case, and attorneys Catherine C. Henry and Katrina Young federally.
Clashes that erupted between soldiers and civilians during a disarmament exercise in the central South Sudanese town of Tonj have left 127 dead, the army spokesman said Wednesday.

"On the latest, the number of those killed, I can confirm to you that it rose to 127," said the spokesman Major General Lul Ruai Koang, adding that 45 of those killed were security forces and 82 were armed youths from the area.
Aaron Brady was living a very nice life in New York before he was extradited back to Ireland, according to a US detective involved in his capture.

The New York Police Department worked with the gardai to arrest and extradite Brady from the US.

Aaron Brady was found guilty today of the capital murder of Detective Garda Adrian Donohoe by a majority jury verdict at the Central Criminal Court.

The 29-year-old with an address at New Road, Crossmaglen, Co Armagh will be sentenced on October 14.

James Walsh, a retired detective with the NYPD, was involved in the operation to find Brady in the summer of 2015.

Speaking to LMFM this morning, he said Brady was living a nice life in New York.

He had a nice apartment, he got married when he was over here, he had a child, he was steadily employed; he seemed like he had a very nice life, Mr Walsh said.

Detective Walsh was not involved in Bradys arrest because it was a federal matter, but he was invited to observe on behalf of the NYPD.

When the murder of a police officer is involved, we take it very seriously, he said. We would help any agency.

The gardai came over here, they were very professional, they gave us a lot of information and we worked hand-in-hand with them.

There were many individuals besides myself involved in this and it worked out very well.

He added that the Crossmaglen native appeared to be very security conscious when police put him under surveillance.

He kept close to himself and his friends, he said.

He didnt veer much from his schedule. He had a couple of bars he would visit but he didnt talk much to many people besides his friends.

He worked construction and that was it. He would never throw anything out in front of us. If he had a bottle of water with him, he always waited until he got home to throw it out  so he was very security conscious and very close to the cloth about his activities.

He said police dont believe he was aware he was being watched adding that he believes it was just ingrained into him not to do those things.

I think he knew that he might be watched but really it was just the security culture that he may have grown up with, he said.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-12 21:04:28|Editor: huaxia

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JAKARTA, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- Indonesia will send back dozens of endangered reptiles and birds rescued from wild traffickers to their habitats in the country's eastern province of Maluku.

As many as 55 protected birds and 27 reptiles seized by the Natural Resources Conservation Center in capital Jakarta, East Java province and North Sumatra province will be transported to their habitats, the Environment and Forestry Ministry's Biodiversity Conservation Director Indra Exploitasia said on Wednesday.

The birds include the eclectus parrot (eclectus rorarus), the chattering lorry (lorius garrulous), the white cockatoo (cocatua alba) and the tanibar corella (cacatua goffiana), and among the reptiles are the Amboina sail-finned lizard (hydrosaurus amboinensis) and the blue tongued skink (Tliliqua gigas), according to the director.

During the transit in Jakarta, the condition of the animals will be checked by veterinarians to ensure the safety of their further journey to the eastern part of the country, she said.

In Maluku province, the animals will be released into the Gunung Sahuwai Nature Reserve and the Manusela National Park, but those which are not ready for releases, will be treated in the animal rescue center in the province, the official was quoted by local media as saying.

Indonesia is known as the richest species nation as its large area of rainforest is home to numerous species spreading over 17,500 islands. Enditem
Coronavirus FAQ

What is the coronavirus?

The coronavirus outbreak started in Wuhan, China, in late 2019 and has spread worldwide. The new virus causes a disease known as COVID-19. The virus is part of a larger family of coronaviruses, which can lead to illnesses ranging from a mild common cold to more severe respiratory diseases such as SARS and MERS.

Who is at risk and what are the symptoms?

Public health experts say the new coronavirus is more contagious than the seasonal flu. The majority of people who become sick experience mild symptoms, but some become more seriously ill. People who contract the virus can develop pneumonia, and some have died. People who are elderly or have underlying medical issues are at greater risk of becoming more severely sick. Symptoms of the virus include a cough, fever and shortness of breath.

What should I do if I develop symptoms?

The North Dakota Department of Health advises that people call their health care provider to tell them about recent travel or exposure, and to follow their guidance. Try to avoid contact with other people in the meantime.

What can I do to prevent the virus from spreading?

The health department advises that people wash their hands with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer for at least 20 seconds. People who are sick should stay home from work or school, both to protect themselves and others with whom they would come in contact. Avoid touching your face, cover a cough or sneeze with a tissue or an elbow, clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces, and avoid contact with people who are sick.

Where can I find more information?

People with coronavirus-related questions can call the state health department hotline at 866-207-2880. Those who need medical advice should contact their health care provider.

The health department's online coronavirus page: www.health.nd.gov/coronavirus

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's online coronavirus page: www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov
The death toll continues to grow: 171, with 30 people considered missing. Over 6 thousand injured; hundreds of thousands are left homeless, housed in private homes or convents or mosques. Yesterday in the Martyrs Square, a commemoration of the victims and "hanging" of those responsible. Already four years ago, US security personnel warned of the danger associated with stored ammonium nitrate.

Beirut (AsiaNews) - Exactly one week after the explosions that devastated the port and a large part of the capital, there is still no news on the results of the official investigation launched on 5 August. Authorities promised that the results would be published after five days.

The deflagration caused 171 deaths, added to which are at least 30 other people considered missing. There are over 6 thousand injured and hundreds of thousands have been left homeless, now housed in private homes or convents or mosques.

Many suspect that the explosion of 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate, stored in a depot in the port, near an area with a high population density, is the result of negligence and superficiality. So far the government has placed those responsible for the port and customs under house arrest and has transferred responsibility for the trial to the Court of Justice of the Republic, a court that judges without appeal.

It is known that the huge amount of ammonium nitrate - which is used as fertilizer and as an explosive - entered Beirut in 2014. On July 20, 2020, the state security services warned about the danger of the storage and instructions were given to find a safer accommodation. Less than three weeks later, the tragedy occurred.

The day after the explosions, President Michel Aoun did not rule out that the explosions were triggered with a missile or a bomb. But he made it clear that this is a hypothesis yet to be verified.

The thesis of state neglect is reinforced by a report in the New York Times two days ago that revealed that already four years ago a consultant who worked for the US military had expressed doubts about the deposit. A US security expert then issued a warning to the Lebanese authorities during an inspection of the port of Beirut.

The US embassy in Lebanon published an archival document on 7 August proving these communications to the Lebanese government.

Now the US embassy is receiving criticism from many diplomatic representations in Beirut for keeping silent about this danger: there are also foreign employees and diplomatic personnel among the victims of the explosion.

On the other hand, the hypothesis launched by the US embassy on the possibility that the explosions were caused by an arms depot that Hezbollah kept close to the ammonium nitrate warehouse does not seem to take hold. Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah strongly denied that his group had "arms or ammunition depots in the port".

Nonetheless, for the inhabitants of Beirut, who see Lebanon falling apart, everyone is guilty. Yesterday, in a gathering of hundreds of people in Martyrs Square, a memorial was held for the victims of the explosion and once again, the rite of hanging mannequins representing all the Lebanese political leaders was held.

In support of the people of Beirut and Lebanon, in support of Caritas Lebanon, AsiaNews has decided to launch the "In aid of devastated Beirut" campaign. Those who want to contribute can send donations to:

- PIME Foundation - IBAN: IT78C0306909606100000169898 - Institution identification code (BIC): BCITITMM -

Clause: "AN04 - IN AID OF A DEVASTATED BEIRUT"

- through the AsiaNews website under "DONATE NOW"
Health Minister Stephen Donnelly has been criticised for not attending a special committee on the Governments response to Covid-19.

Mr Donnelly was invited to attend the committee on Thursday but said it was short notice and that he would appear next week alongside acting chief medical officer Dr Ronan Glynn.

Senior officials from the Department of Agriculture, representatives from the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) and Meat Industry Ireland have been asked to appear at the committee.

It comes as counties Kildare, Offaly and Laois had to re-enter lockdown due to a spike in cases linked to meat processing plants.

Minister & senior officials refusing to attend tomorrows Dail committee on Covid-19 - crazy stuff!!!

Considering recent events & the fact that this is the only forum for democratic oversight within a six-week period, this is not good enough @DonnellyStephen pic.twitter.com/u6CbbVZ1Jd  Matt Carthy TD (@mattcarthy) August 12, 2020

Sinn Fein TD Matt Carthy said the Health Minister should attend the meeting due to the urgency of the issues facing the country.

Speaking at Leinster House on Wednesday, Mr Carthy said: Tomorrows meeting of the Covid-19 committee is a really important opportunity for us as members of the Dail on behalf of the people of communities affected by Covid-19 to put questions to industry representatives and officials from the Health and Safety Authority and the Department of Agriculture.

It would have been great to have a discussion with the Minister for Health and I am completely disappointed with the fact that the minister has refused the opportunity to come before the committee.

He has come back today to say, following pressure, that he will consider meeting the committee next week  that really is not good enough. We need answers today and we need answers this week to examine all these matters.

Mr Carthy accused Government ministers of being dismissive of people who had highlighted the ongoing issues regarding the spread of coronavirus in meat factories.

Asked why he thought the minister would not attend the committee, he said: I think the minister has another photo opportunity somewhere.

He has a big job of work to do but the fact of the matter is that on July 10, the Covid-19 committee heard firsthand from the meat industry that the HSA had carried out no unannounced inspections and the HSA were very slow to investigate meat factories at all and none of them were unannounced.
When Kyes Stevens was growing up, a good education was a given. She jokes that she comes from a long line of nerds, but in fact both of her grandmothers earned advanced degrees  an almost unheard-of accomplishment in their time. So her intellectual curiosity comes naturally.

I love ideas, I love digging into complexities, trying to understand the onion, she says, whether shes peeling back the layers of complicated human beings, the issues they face or even the places they come from.

But she knows that not everyone shares in her privilege, her deep love of learning, her belief that she could do anything she wanted in life. For nearly two decades, she has worked to make sure that incarcerated people are given access to the arts and learning through the program she started, the Alabama Prison Arts + Education Project (APAEP).

In incredibly challenging circumstances, theres a human resiliency inside that is jaw-dropping, she says of the imprisoned students who sign up to take classes through APAEP.

Some 300 teachers have taught poetry, drawing, history, philosophy, science, math and more to 5,000-plus students in correctional facilities all over the state since the program started with just one poet  Kyes  teaching in one prison.

Among the honors shes received, Kyes received the 2019 Alabama State Council on the Arts Governors Arts Award for her efforts. In a video detailing why Kyes was chosen, a teary former student credited Kyes with giving her the gift of words.

The impact of the program has been immense. Years ago, Kyes received a letter from a student who had taken her poetry class at a federal prison. He admitted that hed initially signed up for the class because he was bored and hot, and the classroom was housed in the air-conditioned administration building. But soon, the class took on a much deeper meaning.

Not only did I realize I actually kind of like poetry, he wrote, I realized I was kind of good at writing. The class, he told her, was the only thing I ever finished in my life. It had inspired him to seek a plumbing certificate so hed be employable outside of prison.

People need an advocate, an ally, says Kyes. Thats the role of teachers in society. As a teacher, she challenges her students and helps them see things in themselves that can actually change their lives and put them on a more positive path.

Want to read more good news about Alabama? Sign up for the This is Alabama newsletter here.

The more you know, the more you want to know

Growing up in tiny Waverly, Alabama (population 160), just north of Auburn, Kyes says she has always been hypersensitive and empathetic toward the suffering of both humans and animals. I wanted to do something that mattered and make a positive impact on the world.

She started an Amnesty International group in her high school and, while she was a student at Auburn University, she came out as a lesbian  not an easy process in the early 1990s, she recalls. At the time, she wanted to get the hell out, to escape the small-town oppression.

After earning a degree in English, she moved to Atlanta and worked as a writer and photographer for a graphic design firm, but the work didnt fulfill her. She thought about going back to school, but she wasnt sure what to study  and thats when she found, at the library, a few paragraphs about a graduate program in womens history at Sarah Lawrence College, just north of New York City.

Deadset on going there, she arrived with her truck and her dog and left with a masters in womens history as well as an MFA in poetry. Her time at Sarah Lawrence was tough and humbling but also rewarding.

One thing about studying the South from New York is that it made me fall in love with the South in a way Id never known, she says. The bias towards the deep South was so soulfully upsetting. There was no in-depth understanding. I was offended by how academics talked about folks who were my neighbors and friends.

While she once might have thought shed never return to small-town Alabama life, she found herself going right back there with her advanced degrees. If she wanted to change the world, she thought, why not start at home?

Kyes holds her beloved bantam cochin hen, Rhoda. (Photo by Barb Bondy)

Back in Waverly in the summer of 2001, she returned to her role as a volunteer firefighter and was doing odd jobs when a friend called to tell her about a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship teaching poetry. The more she heard about it, the more ridiculously excited she got. There was only one catch, her friend said: Shed be teaching in prison.

But Kyes wasnt remotely deterred by the prospect. If someone in prison wanted to learn poetry, she thought, then he or she should be able to learn it just like someone outside of prison.

In her teaching job at the Talladega Federal Prison, she found a classroom space I liked and was challenged by, she says. Its what all educational structures should aspire to, and what happens with deep inquiry and critical thought.

The following year, she took on another position teaching creative writing at Julia Tutwiler Prison for Women in Wetumpka. At the end of her second semester there, she handed out evaluation forms to the students. When she asked what other classes they might like to take, she realized that her students wanted more from the program.

Offering what they want builds a pathway to keep going, she says. Its inherent curiosity: the more you know, the more you want to know.

She started writing grants, and in 2003, she started to expand the program to other correctional facilities, with additional teachers and volunteers.

Kyes admits she has had a few classic white privilege clueless moments, like when she encouraged her students to read an entire collection of poetry from beginning to end, and they told her they didnt have any poetry books in the prison library.

It was a gut check, she says. How do you become a better poet if you cant read poetry?

Since then, the Books Behind Bars program has donated more than 25,000 books to prison libraries across the state.

In keeping with her philosophy of celebrating and empowering students, the programs Art on the Inside exhibition of their artwork has traveled to multiple states, and 10 anthologies of their poetry, creative writing and artwork have been published.

Eventually, students started asking if they could earn college credit for their classes. The Second Chance Pell Pilot Program through the U.S. Department of Education was an opportunity she compares to the alignment of all the stars. She created an interdisciplinary program through Auburn University, basically establishing a mini-college within the prison system, and the credit program kicked off in 2017.

Kyes doesnt spend a lot of time in the classroom anymore. During a typical year, she travels a lot, spreading the word about and raising money for APEAP. The spring semester of 2020 was canceled early on because of the coronavirus pandemic. I value my students lives more than making the risky decision to be in the classroom space, she says.

Over the past 19 years, she has devoted everything to her students and the program, putting her own poetry-writing on hold. My intense drive to diminish human suffering keeps me going, she says. One of these days, Ill get to writing again.

Meanwhile, shes known in Waverly for her animal-rescue efforts. Im a straight-up, certifiable crazy cat lady, she says. In addition to cats, she and her wife have dogs and chickens. The critters are the balance, she says. This is hard work, to see people suffering all the time.

Despite everything she has done to educate incarcerated students, Kyes insists shes the one who has benefited the most from the program. Theyve educated me, she says. I am grateful to them  even the ones whove given me gray hair. They allowed me to grow my heart.
PHOENIX, Aug. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Trinity Capital Inc. ("Trinity Capital" or the "Company"), a leading specialty lending company that provides debt, including loans and equipment financing, to growth stage companies backed by technology banks, venture capital and private equity firms, today announced its financial results for the quarter ended June 30, 2020.

Second Quarter 2020 Highlights1

Total investment income of $12.8 million

Net investment income of $5.7 million , or $0.31 per share

, or per share Aggregate investment deployments of $54.3 million , including $21.8 million across 3 new portfolio companies and $32.5 million across 7 existing portfolio companies

, including across 3 new portfolio companies and across 7 existing portfolio companies Investment portfolio of $418.8 million at fair value

at fair value Net asset value ("NAV") per share increased to $12.61 from $12.44 on March 31, 2020

from on Distribution of $0.27 per share for the second quarter, an increase of $0.05 per share or 23% compared to the prior quarter

Steven Brown, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Trinity Capital, commented, "During the second quarter we originated $54.3 million in deployments, net investment income was $0.31 per share comfortably covering our distribution, and NAV per share increased to $12.61. Improved market conditions enhanced our unrealized gains, which were accretive to earnings."

"The venture capital industry has demonstrated resilience amidst the current environment and fundraising has largely continued through the first half of the year, presenting what we believe are attractive opportunities to well-capitalized companies with diversified portfolios, disciplined sourcing criteria and niche venture lending expertise. While the current environment remains uncertain in light of the coronavirus ("COVID-19") pandemic, we believe that our strong capital position, specialized approach for evaluating growth stage companies, expansive direct origination networks, rigorous credit and underwriting standards and scalable technology infrastructure positions us to continue growing our presence in the venture lending space."

During the three months ended June 30, 2020, some of the Company's portfolio companies were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Company continues to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on its portfolio companies. Though the magnitude of the impact remains to be seen, certain of the Company's portfolio companies and, by extension, select operating results of the Company may be adversely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. For additional information about the COVID-19 pandemic and its potential impact on the Company's results of operations and financial condition, please refer to the "COVID-19 Developments" section and additional disclosure in its Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2020.

Background

Trinity Capital Inc. is an internally managed, closed-end, non-diversified management investment company that has elected to be regulated as a business development company under the Investment Company Act of 1940 and intends to elect to be treated as a regulated investment company for U.S. federal income tax purposes. On January 16, 2020, following the completion of an equity and a debt capital offering, Trinity Capital completed several acquisitions to consolidate select affiliate funds into its current structure. More information on these topics can be found within the Company's Securities and Exchange Commission filings.

Results of Operations

For the three months ended June 30, 2020, total investment income was $12.8 million, which represents an approximate effective yield of 13.4% on the investments during the period. This compares to total expenses of $7.1 million, resulting in net investment income of approximately $5.7 million, or $0.31 per share.

During the second quarter, the Company realized net losses on investments during the quarter of approximately $968,000 from a loss of $1.3 million from the sale of assets in one portfolio company offset by realized gains of $368,000 primarily from early repayments.

Trinity recorded net unrealized appreciation of $2.2 million during the second quarter, primarily related to the mark-to-market recovery of our private equity investments and debt investments.

The Company generated a net increase in net assets from operations of $6.9 million, a net increase of $0.38 per share.

Net Asset Value

As of June 30, 2020, NAV per share increased to $12.61, compared to $12.44 for the prior period. The increase in NAV per share was primarily driven by the aforementioned results from operations and net change in unrealized depreciation from investments. Total net assets at the end of the second quarter were $228.6 million, compared to $224.6 million at the end of the prior quarter.

Portfolio and Investment Activity

As of June 30, 2020, Trinity Capital's investment portfolio had an aggregate fair value of approximately $418.8 million and was comprised of approximately $283.9 million in secured loans, $95.8 million in equipment financings, $27.4 million in equity investments, and $11.7 million in warrants in 83 portfolio companies.

During the second quarter, the Company made total investments of $54.3 million, comprised of approximately $21.8 million of investments in 3 new portfolio companies and approximately $32.5 million of investments in 7 existing portfolio companies. Proceeds received from repayments of the Company's investments totaled approximately $37.7 million, including $17.6 million from early principal repayments, resulting in a net portfolio growth of $16.6 million from investment and repayment activity.

As of the end of the second quarter, loans to three portfolio companies were on non-accrual status with a total fair value of approximately $2.8 million, or 0.7 percent of our investment portfolio. No new loans were placed on non-accrual during the quarter.

The following table shows the distribution of our loan and equipment financing investments on the 1 to 5 investment risk rating scale at fair value as of June 30, 2020 (dollars in thousands):

June 30, 2020 Designation Risk Rating Score

Range Company

Count Investment at

Fair Value Percentage of

Portfolio Very Strong Performance 4.0 - 5.0 6 $ 63,877 16.8% Strong Performance 3.0 - 3.9 27 176,131 46.5% Performing 2.0 - 2.9 22 135,718 35.7% Watch 1.6 - 1.9 -  0.0% Default/Workout 1.0 - 1.5 3 3,956 1.0% Total



58 $ 379,682 100.0%













At June 30, 2020, our loan and equipment financing investments had a weighted average risk rating score of 3.2 as compared to 2.9 in the prior quarter.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

At June 30, 2020, the Company had $92.0 million in available liquidity, including $21.8 million in cash and cash equivalents. At the end of the period, the Company had $70.2 million in available borrowing capacity under its credit facility, subject to existing terms and advance rates and regulatory and covenant requirements. As of that same date, the Company had approximately $16.2 million of restricted cash, of which $15.8 million relates to the Company's credit agreement covenants, and approximately $0.8 million is held in escrow.

Distributions

Trinity Capital's distribution reinvestment plan provides for the reinvestment of distributions in the form of common stock on behalf of its stockholders unless a stockholder has elected to receive distributions in cash.

On August 10, 2020, the Company's Board of Directors declared a distribution of $0.27 per share with respect to the quarter ended June 30, 2020, payable on September 4, 2020 to shareholders of record as of August 21, 2020, representing an increase of $0.05 per share, or 23%, compared to the prior quarter.

Conference Call

Trinity Capital will hold a conference call to discuss its second quarter 2020 financial results at 2:00 p.m. Pacific Time (5:00 p.m. Eastern Time) on Wednesday, August 12, 2020.

To listen to the call, please dial (888) 285-0969, or (706) 758-9224 internationally, and reference Conference ID: 5056429 if asked, approximately 10 minutes prior to the start of the call.

A taped replay will be made available approximately three hours after the conclusion of the call and will remain available for seven days. To access the replay, please dial 855-859-2056 or (404) 537-3406 and enter the passcode 5056429.

About Trinity Capital Inc.

Trinity, an internally managed specialty lending company that has elected to be regulated as a business development under the Investment Company Act of 1940, is a leading provider of debt, including loans and equipment financing, to growth stage companies, including venture-backed companies and companies with institutional equity investors. Trinity's investment objective is to generate current income and, to a lesser extent, capital appreciation through investments consisting primarily of term loans and equipment financings and, to a lesser extent, working capital loans, equity and equity-related investments. Trinity believes it is one of only a select group of specialty lenders that has the depth of knowledge, experience, and track record in lending to growth stage companies. For more information, please visit https://trincapinvestment.com/.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release may contain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Statements other than statements of historical facts included in this press release may constitute forward-looking statements and are not guarantees of future performance or results and involve a number of risks and uncertainties, including the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the economy, financial markets, our business, our portfolio companies and our industry. Actual results may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements as a result of a number of factors, including those described from time to time in filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"). The Company undertakes no duty to update any forward-looking statement made herein. All forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release. More information on risks and other potential factors that could affect the Company's financial results, including important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from plans, estimates or expectations included herein or on the webcast/conference call, is included in the Company's filings with the SEC, including in the "Risk Factors" and "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" sections of the Company's most recently filed quarterly report on Form 10-Q and subsequent SEC filings.

Trinity Capital, Inc. Consolidated Statements of Assets and Liabilities (dollars in thousands, except share and per share data)





June 30,

2020



December 31,

2019





(unaudited)







ASSETS















Investments, at fair value:















Control investments (cost of $57,671 and $0, respectively)

$ 49,437



$ -

Affiliate investments (cost of $25,958 and $0, respectively)



23,822





-

Non-control / Non-affiliate investments (cost of $357,330 and $0, respectively)



345,585





-

Total investments (cost of $440,959 and $0, respectively)



418,844





-

Cash and cash equivalents



21,849





-

Restricted cash



16,552





-

Interest receivable



3,186





-

Deferred financing costs



-





3,525

Deferred offering costs



-





2,677

Prepaid expenses



253





-

Other assets



657





-

Total assets

$ 461,341



$ 6,202



















LIABILITIES















Credit facility, net of $2,833 and $0, respectively, of unamortized

deferred financing cost

$ 102,167



$ -

Notes payable, net of $5,032, and $0, respectively, of unamortized

deferred financing cost



119,968





-

Accounts payable and accrued expenses



4,010





5,668

Due to related party



-





1,058

Other liabilities



6,550





-

Total liabilities



232,695





6,726



















Commitments and contingencies

































NET ASSETS















Common stock, $0.001 par value per share (200,000,000 authorized,

18,137,600 and 10 shares issued and outstanding as of June 30, 2020 and

December 31, 2019, respectively)



18





-

Paid-in capital in excess of par



261,292





-

Distributable earnings (accumulated loss)



(32,664)





(524)

Total net assets



228,646





(524)

Total liabilities and total net assets

$ 461,341



$ 6,202

NET ASSET VALUE PER SHARE

$ 12.61



$ (52,418.20)



Trinity Capital, Inc. Consolidated Statement of Operations (dollars in thousands except share and per share data)



For the Three

months ended

June 30, 2020 For the Six

months ended

June 30, 2020



INVESTMENT INCOME:

















Interest Income:

















Control Investments

$ 832



$ 1,627



Affiliate Investments



604





733



Non-Control / Non-Affiliate investments



11,377





21,313



Total investment income



12,813





23,673























EXPENSES

















Interest expense and other debt financing costs



4,320





8,589



Compensation and benefits



1,681





3,059



General and administrative



1,124





2,028



Total expenses



7,125





13,676























NET INVESTMENT INCOME



5,688





9,997























NET REALIZED GAIN/(LOSS) FROM INVESTMENTS:

















Control Investments



-





-



Affiliate Investments



-





-



Non-Control / Non-Affiliate Investments



(968)





(465)



Net realized gain



(968)





(465)























NET CHANGE IN UNREALIZED APPRECIATION / (DEPRECIATION) FROM INVESTMENTS:

















Control investments



1,342





(8,234)



Affiliate investments



(969)





(2,136)



Non-Control / Non-Affiliate investments



1,789





(11,745)



Net change in unrealized appreciation/(depreciation) from investments



2,162





(22,115)























Net decrease in net assets resulting from

operations BEFORE FORMATION COSTS



6,882





(12,583)



Costs related to the acquisition of Trinity Capital Holdings, LLC. and Legacy

Funds



-





(15,586)



NET DECREASE IN NET ASSETS RESULTING FROM OPERATIONS

$ 6,882



$ (28,169)























NET INVESTMENT INCOME PER SHARE  BASIC AND DILUTED

$ 0.31



$ 0.56























NET DECREASE IN NET ASSETS RESULTING FROM

OPERATIONS PER SHARE  BASIC AND DILUTED

$ 0.38



$ (1.57)























Weighted average shares outstanding  BASIC AND DILUTED



18,074,929





17,959,728





1 Comparisons of financial performance for the quarter ended June 30, 2020 to the quarter ended March 31, 2020 must take into account that the financial performance for the quarter ended March 31, 2020 primarily reflects operations from January 16, 2020 through March 31, 2020, as the Company commenced operations as a business development company on January 16, 2020. Prior to January 16, 2020, the Company was primarily involved in organizing its corporate structure. Operating results for any period prior to January 16, 2020 are considered immaterial.

SOURCE Trinity Capital Inc.

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Linkedin Rizki Fachriansyah (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, August 12, 2020 13:53 525 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066d6c0c7 1 National Nadiem-Makarim,Education-and-Culture-Ministry,school-reopening,loneliness,anxiety,students,remote-learning,COVID-19,pandemic,Jakpost-Up-Close Free

Education and Culture Minister Nadiem Makarim has conveyed his concerns regarding the long-term impacts of remote learning on the psychological well-being of Indonesian students, saying that prolonged detachment from their peers and teachers could result in increased anxiety and depression.

Students across the country are at risk of feeling lonely and tense as they are no longer able to experience the personal and interactive learning process they grew accustomed to prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, he said.

Theres research being done on what happens when kids cant go to school for an extended period of time, and the impact is significant, Nadiem said during the Educating the Nation webinar, which was part of The Jakarta Posts webinar series Jakpost Up Close, on Wednesday.

The impact is not just on the cognitive aspect of it but also on the emotional and psychological well-being of the students.

Read also: Pak Nadiem, please send the kids back to school

He warned that extended periods of distance learning could potentially deprive children of their psychological development, rendering them susceptible to antisocial tendencies.

Were seeing a lot of tension  psychological tension and pressure  right now on both parents and students, and to be honest, a lot of loneliness, Nadiem said.

No one really talks about this as a huge and potentially permanent psychological impact as kids feel lonely for extended periods of time.

The mitigation of mental health risks inherent to extended isolation should be viewed as an essential aspect of national recovery efforts, he said.

Read also: School reopening risky

The mental well-being of students and socioeconomic discrepancies, he added, were among the main reasons why the government recently decided to allow more schools to reopen as there had yet to be any feasible substitute for in-person learning amid the pandemic.

We need to mitigate [the effects of the pandemic], but without sacrificing too much of the health risks.

The governments decision to allow schools to reopen in moderate-risk areas or yellow zones was met with criticism from health experts and policymakers who are concerned for the physical safety and health of students as the pandemic has not shown any signs of abating anytime soon.

Nadiem defended the policy as a difficult, albeit necessary trade-off to maintaining the spirit of learning in a time of crisis.

This is something that we need to balance in our considerations and policies while still maintaining as strict of a health protocol as possible.
A n 11-year-old boy whose dancing skills stunned people around the world has been awarded a scholarship to study ballet at a prestigious academy in the US.

The video of Anthony Mmesoma Madu dancing in the rain in Lagos, Nigeria, spread across the internet as social media users praised the 11-year-old for breaking negative stereotypes around male dancers.

Anthony's graceful moves were also seen by the American Ballet Theatre in New York.

The theatre has offered Anthony a scholarship from Ballet Beyond Borders and arranged internet access for the 11-year-old to experience virtual training sessions this summer.

Anthony shared his excitement at the news he would be soon training in the US with the Washington Post.

Anthony Madu performs a ballet dance routine in front of his mother's shop in Okelola street in Ajangbadi, Lagos / AFP via Getty Images

When my friends see me dancing, they feel like, what is this boy doing, is he doing a foreign dance?  he said.

Now I have won a grand prize to go to the US... I will be in the plane and this is what I am waiting for, and ballet has done it for me.

Anthony's video was shared by more than a million people, including the Oscar award-winning actress Viola Davis.

It has also led to a flood of donations to the Leap of Dance Academy in Nigeria where Anthony currently trains.

Anthony is one of 12 dancers at the Leap of Dance Academy / AFP via Getty Images

Founder Daniel Ajala Owoseni said he will use the funds to promote ballet in Nigeria.

I saw the need to bring a form of art that shows discipline, dedication and commitment, he told the Washington Post.

Students who are able to learn all of these can  transfer (them) into other spheres of their lives.

Anthony previously told BBC News he feels like he is dreaming when he dances.

"Where I live there are no male ballet dancers like me," said the 11-year-old. "When people see ballet they think it is only for girls, they don't know that it is not only for girls.

"How I want them to see me is that when I am dancing they know that there is a male ballet dancer.

"The feeling that comes over me is as if I am dreaming."
UK consumer spending warmed up along with the weather in July as people bought more takeaway food and visited local shops.

Staycationing Britons boosted sales at newly reopened pubs and restaurants, according to a report by Barclays published Tuesday. That helped overall spending compared with a year earlier decline the least since March, when lockdown measures were first put in place to control coronavirus.

While the figures confirm the economy is rebounding from the worst crash in centuries, the fear of infection as well as mounting uncertainty over job security is keeping a lid on households willingness to spend.

ALSO READ: Belgians holiday in trees as Covid-19 prompts staycations

Staycations, or vacationing close to home, have been a theme of this summer. Although this has increased sales for the hospitality industry, overall travel spending remained 60% lower than last year, Barclays said.

Spending may be further boosted this month by the governments Eat Out to Help Out program which picks up part of the tab on meals. A third of people plan on splashing out more in restaurants and pubs, the report said.

Essential items are still showing the strongest sales, led by supermarket goods. Furniture stores reported 46.4% year-on-year growth.

ALSO READ: Singapore finds staycations cant fill $20 billion tourism gap

Retail sales increased 4.3% in July on a like-for-like basis from last year, according to a separate report by the British Retail Consortium and KPMG.

Although the summer so far has warmed up well for the British retailers, uncertain times lie ahead.

With the furlough scheme unwinding and wider economic uncertainty set for the autumn, consumer anxiety will likely rise along with it, wrote Paul Martin, the U.K. head of retail for KPMG. This will place more scrutiny on disposable income and make life even tougher for retailers.

(This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.)

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By Express News Service

HYDERABAD: With an investment of Rs 1,200 crore, Hyderabad will host Medtronic's largest global research and development center outside the United States of America.

The investment is planned over five years and is aimed at making Hyderabad the hub of medical devices in the country.

The company will expand their current R&D Center for Medical Device Software and Engineering Solutions facility with an investment of Rs 1,200 crore into a 'state of the art engineering and innovation center' in Hyderabad.

While the modalities of the deal have been in the making for the last two years, it all started in 2016, when the Industries minister KT Rama Rao and his team of officials visited the USA and had met with Medtronic officials.

While announcing the partnership on Tuesday, Omar Ishrak, executive chairman and chairman of the board of Medtronic said, "Medtronics investment in India is a testament to our commitment to the region and we are proud to be collaborating with the Government of Telangana on this major investment in the country.

Ishrak further said, "The expansion of MEIC will help us serve the Medtronic Mission to use medical technology to alleviate pain, restore health and extend life for patients around the world, which is also aligned with the governments vision to improve access to healthcare for patients in India.

Rama Rao who was present during the virtual announcement expressed his happiness at Hyderabad being chosen for the facility and also because it is slated to create 1,000 jobs.

He said, "We are delighted that Medtronic has chosen Hyderabad as its largest R&D base outside the U.S. and intends to create about 1000 jobs in the next few years.

It is indeed a great honour for the city to host this center and it is a testimony to Hyderabads growing prowess in the medical devices sector.

"Government of Telangana is committed to the growth of med-tech in the state and we see this partnership with Medtronic as a pivotal one. We will work with them to ensure this center will continue to contribute to their remarkable efforts to improve healthcare globally, he added.

Commenting on the announcement, Madan Krishnan, Vice President Indian Subcontinent and Minimally Invasive Therapies Group APAC concluded saying, At Medtronic, invention and innovation are vital so that we can help enhance therapy outcomes for people with chronic diseases. MEIC conducts advanced engineering R&D and product development in the areas of design, analysis, advanced hardware-software development and testing.

The futuristic vision of Govt. of Telangana and access to great infrastructure has enabled us to make this investment in Hyderabad. Im confident that this major investment would create many job opportunities in healthcare and help energize the medical devices innovation ecosystem in India.

Others present during the announcement include Geoff Martha, Medtronic CEO, Bob White, EVP and President, Minimally Invasive Therapies Group (MITG), Madan Krishnan, Vice President Indian Subcontinent and MITG APAC, Mani Prakash, Vice President R&D, MITG, Subu Mangipudi Vice President RGI Quality & MEIC and Divya Prakash Joshi, senior engineering Director & Site Leader, MEIC Hyderabad.

Among others from the State government's side who attended the meeting included Principal Secretary Jayesh Ranjan, and Director for Life Sciences Shakthi Nagappan.


NEWS - Wednesday, August 12, 2020

Phantasy Star Online 2 Collaborates With The Persona Series

Phantasy Star Online 2 Collaborates With The Persona Series

Items and Concert Inspired by the Critically Acclaimed Video Game Franchise Are Available In-Game Today

SEGA today announced Phantasy Star Online 2s newest collaboration with the popular Atlus franchise, Persona. Starting today, costumes, hair styles, paint, accessories, room items, music and more from Persona 3, 4, 5 will be featured in the latest AC Scratch Ticket collection. Also, two special live events are scheduled.

The worlds of two games collide! PSO2 Players can don costumes and hairstyles, perform emotes, decorate their rooms with new items, play iconic music tracks and get new pets from the Persona collection. Drawing an AC Scratch Ticket offers a chance to obtain these items and more.

Players will recognize in-game items from Persona 3, Persona 4, and Persona 5.

The "Persona" series is a derivative work of the legendary JRPG "Shin Megami Tensei" series, which was released in Japan in 1992. In recent years, "Persona 4 Golden", "Persona 5" and many other titles in the series have also been released.

"As a fan of the Persona series, I am super excited for the release of this collaboration in Phantasy Star Online 2!" shared Nathan Nogueira, PSO2 TEAM North Americas Branding Manager. "ARKS operatives will be able to dress up as members of S.E.E.S., the Investigation Team, and the Phantom Thieves for the first time in North America and we cant wait to see all the screenshots theyll share!"

There are several types of Scratch Tickets depending on the currency used, including ARKS Cash (AC), Star Gems (SG), and FUN Points. By purchasing AC Scratch Tickets, players have a chance to obtain special items, including outfits, accessories, and enhancement items!

Also, to celebrate surpassing one million players across all platforms, the "One Million ARKS Celebration" will be happening Aug. 19th  Aug. 26th. For a limited time, EXP, Rare Drop, and Rare Enemy Spawn Rates will all be increased +100%! Whats more, all players will have the opportunity to receive up to 2 Million EXP through EXP Tickets.

Additionally, players who log in for more than five days during the event period will be entered into a drawing to win 10,000 AC, 1000 SG, or 10 AC Scratch Tickets. There will be 100 randomly selected winners for each prize.

Phantasy Star Online 2 players are invited to join together online to explore numerous worlds with friends and experience PSO2s unparalleled action combat and character customization. Choosing from four unique races and nine classes, players can join forces with up to eleven other operatives at a time to experience unforgettable battles and boss fights.
Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.'s (NYSE:AJG) price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 27.9x might make it look like a sell right now compared to the market in the United States, where around half of the companies have P/E ratios below 19x and even P/E's below 10x are quite common. Although, it's not wise to just take the P/E at face value as there may be an explanation why it's lofty.

With its earnings growth in positive territory compared to the declining earnings of most other companies, Arthur J. Gallagher has been doing quite well of late. It seems that many are expecting the company to continue defying the broader market adversity, which has increased investors willingness to pay up for the stock. If not, then existing shareholders might be a little nervous about the viability of the share price.

View our latest analysis for Arthur J. Gallagher

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Keen to find out how analysts think Arthur J. Gallagher's future stacks up against the industry? In that case, our free report is a great place to start.

How Is Arthur J. Gallagher's Growth Trending?

In order to justify its P/E ratio, Arthur J. Gallagher would need to produce impressive growth in excess of the market.

If we review the last year of earnings growth, the company posted a worthy increase of 3.0%. Pleasingly, EPS has also lifted 33% in aggregate from three years ago, partly thanks to the last 12 months of growth. Accordingly, shareholders would have probably welcomed those medium-term rates of earnings growth.

Shifting to the future, estimates from the eleven analysts covering the company suggest earnings should grow by 7.5% per annum over the next three years. That's shaping up to be materially lower than the 13% per year growth forecast for the broader market.

With this information, we find it concerning that Arthur J. Gallagher is trading at a P/E higher than the market. Apparently many investors in the company are way more bullish than analysts indicate and aren't willing to let go of their stock at any price. Only the boldest would assume these prices are sustainable as this level of earnings growth is likely to weigh heavily on the share price eventually.

Story continues

What We Can Learn From Arthur J. Gallagher's P/E?

Typically, we'd caution against reading too much into price-to-earnings ratios when settling on investment decisions, though it can reveal plenty about what other market participants think about the company.

Our examination of Arthur J. Gallagher's analyst forecasts revealed that its inferior earnings outlook isn't impacting its high P/E anywhere near as much as we would have predicted. Right now we are increasingly uncomfortable with the high P/E as the predicted future earnings aren't likely to support such positive sentiment for long. Unless these conditions improve markedly, it's very challenging to accept these prices as being reasonable.

Don't forget that there may be other risks. For instance, we've identified 4 warning signs for Arthur J. Gallagher that you should be aware of.

If you're unsure about the strength of Arthur J. Gallagher's business, why not explore our interactive list of stocks with solid business fundamentals for some other companies you may have missed.

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.
China: Street preacher arrested for 'illegal evangelism' witnesses to police

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A Chinese Christian man was sentenced to 10 days in jail this week for the act of illegal evangelism as the Communist Party escalates its crackdown on street evangelism.

Chen Wensheng, who is part of the Xiaoqun Church in Hengyang, located in Chinas Hunan province, was sentenced on Aug. 3 after authorities detained him because of his evangelistic activity, persecution watchdog China Aid reports.

A street evangelist, Chen often carries a wooden cross inscribed with the words Glory to our Savior and Repent and Be Saved by Faith as he shares the Gospel with passersby.

Because of his evangelistic efforts, Chen is frequently arrested and detained at the police station, where he's repeatedly urged officers to believe in Jesus. During his latest detention, his cross was confiscated by officers.

Video footage shared by China Aid shows Chens street evangelism booth, while another shows him sharing his faith with officers as he leaves the station following a separate arrest.

When officers asked him whether believing in Jesus can bring money, he responded that believing in Jesus is not for money, but to gain eternal life.

In China, evangelism is banned outside of registered religious sites. International Christian Concern reports that with the crackdown against house churches in China, street evangelism has become increasingly difficult. Those who evangelize face harassment or detention, while others see their churches further restricted by authorities.

In 2018, more than 20 members of a street evangelism team from the heavily-persecuted Early Rain Covenant Church in Chengdu, one of the area's most well-known unregistered churches, were detained for proselytizing on a public street and holding a worship service in a public park.

ICC's new report on religious suppression in China documents how the CCP routinely targets Christians through its legal framework, Sinicization, closure or demolition of churches or places of worship, arresting of Christians, and social pressure.

Such persecution is part of Chinese President Xi Jinpings efforts to stamp out religion and enforce greater control over people's lives.

Gina Goh, ICCs regional manager for Southeast Asia and the author of the report, said Chinas vaguely worded Constitution allows the government to define what falls within the realm of normal religious activities, giving the government the authority to crack down on certain religious practices or even disband them.

There are an estimated 100 million Christians in China. Scholars have said that, given the growth of Christianity in China, there could be more Christians in China than anywhere else in the world by 2030.

The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom ranks China as a Country of Particular Concern in its 2020 report on global religious freedom. And Open Doors USA ranks China at No. 23 on its 2020 World Watch List of the 50 most dangerous countries for Christians.
The company responsible for the care of Adelaide woman Ann-Marie Smith when she died has been banned from operating and had its registration revoked.

The National Disability Insurance Scheme commission has been investigating Integrity Care since the 54-year-old died in hospital in April from septic shock, multiple organ failure, severe pressure sores and malnourishment.

Integrity Care took two weeks to report her death to the NDIS Commission.

The company responsible for the care of Adelaide woman Ann-Marie Smith when she died has been banned from operating and had its registration revoked by the NDIS Commission

A carer for the disabled woman, Rosemary Maione, 69, was last week charged with manslaughter over Ms Smith's death. Maione was sacked from Integrity Care in May

The provider was slapped with a $12,600 fine over its failure to notify the commission within 24 hours.

NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commissioner Graeme Head said Integrity Care was advised early in June of the commission's intention to revoke its registration and to ban it from operating over several contraventions of the National Disability Insurance Scheme Act 2013 (NDIS Act).

'There are very clear requirements under the NDIS Act as to how the NDIS Commission takes compliance actions ... This includes giving ample opportunity for the party subject to these actions to respond,' he said in a statement on Wednesday.

The revocation of Integrity Care's registration will take effect from August 14, while the ban will come into place from August 21.

The room where Ms Smith lived out her final days before she was taken to hospital

Integrity Care will no longer be a registered provider of NDIS-funded supports and services and will be banned from providing them to people covered by NDIS.

The commission's investigation into Integrity Care is ongoing and further regulatory action may be taken.

A carer for the disabled woman, Rosemary Maione, 69, was last week charged with manslaughter over Ms Smith's death. Maione was sacked from Integrity Care in May.

Police allege Ms Smith died of serious criminal neglect and her death was preventable.
Bharat Forge reported a consolidated net loss of Rs 127.32 crore in Q1 June 2020 as against net profit of Rs 171.92 crore posted in Q1 June 2019.

Revenue from operations for Q1 June 2020 stood at Rs 1154.21 crore, tumbling 50% from Rs 2327.85 crore in the same period last year. The company clarified that a drop in revenue was due to the shutdown of manufacturing operations in the month of April and May on account of the lockdown imposed by the government to control the spread of the pandemic.

Bharat Forge reported a pre tax loss of Rs 146.27 crore in quarter ending June 2020 as compared to a profit before tax of Rs 266 crore in quarter ending June 2019. The company said it received a tax rebate of Rs 18.95 crore in Q1 June 2020.

Consolidated EBITDA tumbled 97% to Rs 11.2 crore in Q1 June 2020 over Q1 June 2019. EBITDA margin declined to 1% in Q1 June 2020 from 17.8% in Q1 June 2019.

Commenting on company's performance, B.N. Kalyani, Chairman & Managing Director said, The quarter gone by was impacted by the COVlD-19 pandemic and the stringent measures adopted by countries to control the spread. The government imposed economic lockdown coupled with lower underlying demand had an adverse impact on Sales. This has resulted in the company posting a loss of Rs 563 million for the quarter. Despite being operational for only one month in the quarter and running at 20% capacity utilization, we were able to reduce breakeven levels through continued focus on cost reduction and improve productivity. In these uncertain times and working within guidelines set by local authorities, we continue our steadfast focus on 4C's: meeting customer demand, ensuring the safety & wellbeing of our colleagues, control on costs and working on the cost reduction initiatives already mapped out.

He further added, "Looking ahead in to demand for the coming quarter, we are witnessing marginal improvement in demand across both domestic & export markets. We expect our domestic revenues to be flat as compared to Q2 FY20 while the exports will be lower than levels witnessed in Q2 FY20. The sustainability in the recovery in underlying demand is a key factor to track in the coming months."

Shares of Bharat Forge were up 5.05% at Rs 433.75 on BSE. The result was announced during market hours today, 12 August 2020.

Bharat Forge is a multinational company involved in automotives, power, oil & gas, construction & mining, locomotive, marine, defense and aerospace industries.

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Two former tantra students have opened up about the abuse they faced while seeking spirituality and enlightenment at a Thai yoga retreat that has been accused of being a 'sex cult.'

Saskia Mahler and VijayaSree Feres detailed their experiences at Agama Yoga in Netflix's new docu-series (Un)Well, which explores the dark underbelly of the global wellness industry.

'There's a massive element of danger when it comes to tantra,' explained Mahler, who is a tantra student and teacher. '[There is] so much potential for abuse and pushing yourself over your boundaries. This was my own experience.'

Scroll down for video

Accusation: Saskia Mahler opened up about being sexually abused as a tantric student at Agama Yoga in Thailand while appearing in Netflix's new docu-series (Un)Well

Abuse: Mahler said Agama's founder Narcis Tarcau, aka Swami Vivekananda Saraswati, offered to give her a 'yoni massage.' Yoni is the Sanskrit word for the female sexual organs

The second episode focuses on tantra and tantric sex, including the accusations of abuse that have plagued the sexual healing practice since it gained popularity in the Western world.

David Gordon White, a professor of comparative religions at the University of California, Santa Barabara, explained in the episode that tantra is a religious thought and practice that first started in India around 500 A.D. It spread throughout Asia, and eventually made its way to Europe and the United States in the last 100 years or so.

Tantra has become synonymous with ecstatic sex and full-body orgasms in the Western world, even though the majority of ancient tantric teachings have nothing to with sexuality.

Mahler said she first learned about Agama Yoga when she was comparing spiritual schools in India and Thailand, explaining she was 'seeking the higher truth of everything.'

Agama Yoga, which was located on Koh Phangan Island in southern Thailand, was advertised as a dream 'destination for your soul.'

It was founded by famous spiritual guru Narcis Tarcau, who calls himself Swami Vivekananda Saraswati and is referred to as 'Swami' for short by his followers. He has been accused of running a 'sex cult' and widespread sexual assault against his students, allegations that he and Agama have denied.

Going too far: According to Mahler, Tarcau told her during the session that the best way to massage the yoni was using his lingam, or sexual organ

Candid: 'He completely abused me on every level that you can,' she said. 'I don't know if I can use this word, rape. I definitely can say that I felt sexually, emotionally, absolutely abused'

'Agama is a well-known school for tantra, especially the sexual aspect of tantra. So many do come to Agama and seek healing, especially on a sexual level,' Mahler explained.

'I was really hoping to learn to control this anger that I carried, which was mostly against men, through trauma that I have with my father from very early childhood. I really admired the Swami and opened myself up to him emotionally.'

Mahler said Tarcau offered to give her a yoni massage; yoni is the Sanskrit word for the female sexual organs. He told her it was 'to release my pelvic area, to crack open my energies, to gain more power over my personality, and to solve these issues of my childhood.'

'Many women do receive them, and... they shine,' she said. 'They are so beautiful. They embody themselves as so confident, and so it's like, maybe there is something about that, that might help me.'

Mahler said there was never a discussion about what was going to happen or boundaries, recalling how Tarcau had pushed her even farther than the massage.

'He was like, "Oh, you know what is the best way to massage the yoni is using my lingam," which is his sexual organ,' she said. 'You have to be a good student and trust this person, and I was so scared to lose this road that I created with him.

Scandal: In 2018, more than a dozen tourists accused Tarcau of sexual assault and said Agama Yoga was a 'sex cult.' Tarcau and Agama have denied the claims

Happens every day: Rachel Bernstein, a marriage and family therapist and a cult specialist, said the abuse Mahler experience is all too common with spiritual leaders such as Tarcau

'And without any consent, he completely abused me on every level that you can. I don't know if I can use this word, rape. I definitely can say that I felt sexually, emotionally, absolutely abused.'

Rachel Bernstein, a marriage and family therapist and a cult specialist, explained that Mahler is not alone in her experiences  with the expert noting that the abuse Mahler faced is actually incredibly common with spiritual leaders like Tarcau.

She told producers that gurus and other group leaders who are so 'revered' take advantage of their dedicated followers, and hide behind 'exotic' language to make it seem as though traumatizing experiences are actually all part of the journey towards enlightenment.

'When you have somebody going into a place like Agama, with a leader who is so revered and so known, who can take it to any level that they want, you don't know that you're being exposed to things that are actually traumatizing to you. And they're there just to help you. They're there to undo your blockages,' she explained.

'People like [Tarcau] hide behind the language. If you're calling body parts by foreign and exotic names, you're going to think it's a technique because it comes in another language. So, rape isn't rape, that it's sexual healing, and that a sexual assault is for enlightenment.'

In response to the allegation, Agama said in a statement that '"yoni massage" is not an activity advertised, promoted, or taught by Agama.'

Hard to handle: VijayaSree Feres, another former Agama student, also isn't entirely sure if she can say she was abused after being pressured for six-weeks to participate in group sex

Honest: Feres said from her first day on the retreat, she had made it clear that she didn't want to participate in the group sex ritual at the end

Shamed: Feres said the backlash she faced for not wanting to participate in the ritual was immense, and she was told to 'stop playing the good girl'

Vijayasree Feres, another former Agama student, had a similar experience, only she was pressured to take part in group sex at the end of her retreat.

'Two years later, I'm still not sure. Was it abuse or not? Because it had spiritual connotation,' she explained.

'I was a part of a six-week intense program that was called the "Tantric Initiation" that was basically working on finding the truth of who we are that involved a lot of sexual tantric things along the way.

'The final ritual was a group sex ritual. And from the first date, I was saying that was something I feared and didn't want to do.'

Feres said the backlash she faced for not wanting to participate in the ritual was immense, and she was ultimately peer pressured into going through with it.

'There was a lot of reaction very strong towards me, shaming me, basically, and telling me that I had to stop playing the good girl. I had to stop pretending I was dedicated to the path if I was not ready to really put in the effort,' she recalled.

'After six weeks of being blamed and pushed down, I felt so pressured I just broke down. I was like, well, you know what f**k you. I'm just going to do it,' she said, crying. 'I'm gonna f*****g prove to you that I can do it. And so I did.'

Peer pressure: 'After six weeks of being blamed and pushed down, I felt so pressured I just broke down. I was like, well, you know what f**k you. I'm just going to do it,' she said

Better than most: She said she considers herself lucky because many of her friends have been abused and raped and are still trying to heal from the trauma

Words: In a recording that surfaced online, Tarcau spoke of someone having cervixal pain and said 'it's so difficult to restrain when, you know, I could make this woman happy in one week'

Bernstein explained that in groups like Agama 'there is social pressure' and people are told there is something wrong with them, and they need to look inward if they are uncomfortable with something being done in the community.

People are preyed upon with the notion that 'it's all part of the journey and unless you keep going through it, you're never going to get what you came for.'

'I'm one of the lucky ones,' Feres insisted. 'So many of my dear friends have been abused to [a] sometimes really deep extent, going to rape, and are still trying to heal from that.

'When you go through such an experience, you're not just raped of your whole being, you're also raped of your spirituality because you're with somebody that was supposed to lead you to God. And it's like God betrayed you.'

In a statement responding to the allegation, Agama said: 'There are no group sex rituals included in the curriculum at Agama. Of course, people remain free to do whatever they like in their free time.

'Our teachers guide with great care. Participants are repeatedly advised and trained from the beginning to evaluate for themselves how deeply they participate, or not. All participants are respected in their wish to remain as private and independent as they choose.'

The yoga school also addressed claims that it is a cult, saying: 'While charismatic leaders like Swamiji enjoy a certain respect, he refuses to be put on a pedestal, On the contrary, he rather acts like a good friend.'

Denial: Agama said in a statement that 'the recording doesn't indicate in any way that Swamiji would have committed abuses or that he would be up for abusing anyone'

Watch out: Michaela Boehm, who is Gwyneth Paltrow's trusted intimacy teacher, said people need to be careful when they are choosing tantra practitioners to work with

In 2018, The Guardian reported that 14 tourists had claimed they were sexually assaulted by Tarcau at the Thai retreat. Amid the scandal, disturbing audio of Tarcau that was supposedly recorded by one of his students appeared online.

'I would have said, "What you are saying is your, your cervix is hurting; when you are penetrated deep, you have cervical pain. I can solve that in five meetings,' a man can be heard saying on the recording.

'I can say like, I can open your yoni like a flower, you know, and so on. And it's so difficult to restrain when, you know, I could make this woman happy in one week, you know, this woman could blossom. And like why wouldn't I do it if I can?' he continued. 'This thing is happening less and less because I'm getting older and older.'

Agama said in a statement that 'the recording doesn't indicate in any way that Swamiji would have committed abuses or that he would be up for abusing anyone.'

Michaela Boehm, who is Gwyneth Paltrow's trusted intimacy and sexuality teacher, said people need to be careful when they are choosing tantra practitioners to work with.

'There is certain dangers in the world of tantra, and it's really, really important that you do extra, extra diligence in choosing somebody or going to a workshop,' she explained in the episode.

'Because we are dealing with sex and sexual engagement, and relational engagement, it can get really, really messy in the worst-case scenario. In the best-case scenario, you can learn some great things that you take home into your life and with your chose partner.'
This is the shocking moment thieves use an electric saw to steal a catalytic converter from a car in broad daylight before giving the middle finger to an onlooker.

The masked duo were caught on camera lifting up a parked silver Honda Jazz with a jack before cutting out the converter in a quiet residential road in Stoneygate, Leicester, on Monday.

One of the thugs then sought to intimidate a member of the public filming the theft by staring them down and making obscene gestures before fleeing in a grey Volvo estate at around 11.45am.

The exhaust appears to have been taken for its catalytic converter, which contains several precious metals that can be resold for hundreds of pounds.

The masked duo use a jack to lift a silver Honda Jazz before cutting out the catalytic converter in a quiet residential street in Stoneygate, Leicester, on Monday

One of the thugs gives the middle finger to an eyewitness during the theft. The exhaust appears to have been taken for its catalytic converter, which contains several precious metals that can be resold for hundreds of pounds

The brazen pair managed to remove the catalytic converter using an electric saw in less than 20 seconds

Footage of the raid was shared anonymously on social media yesterday and has been viewed more than 15,000 times.

It shows one of the men using a jack to lift up the side of the silver car while an accomplice slides underneath the vehicle with a reciprocating saw.

He uses it to remove the exhaust from the undercarriage and slides out with the converter in less than 20 seconds.

The masked thug then turns to look at the person filming - who remains silent throughout - and sticks his middle finger up at the camera as he carries the stolen exhaust into a parked getaway car.

The other two crooks calmly put the jack back in the boot and flee with their accomplice in the vehicle.

Viewers on social media criticised the person filming for not doing more to stop them.

Idriz Ali wrote: 'We live in a society where people just watch and record.'

The duo, aided by a third man, then put the stolen item in the boot of a grey Volvo estate before fleeing the scene

Claire Curtis said: 'They were just filmed and allowed to get away. I would have smashed their windows in.'

But Glenn Harris argued: 'That's right, you risk your life for 150, off you go. Look at them, they're scum. They wouldn't think twice about kicking the s*** out of you if you tried to intervene.'

Catalytic converter theft in the UK is soaring as criminals cash in on a boom in precious metal prices.

These metals - platinum, palladium and rhodium - are used in converters to capture noxious gases as they flow through a vehicle's exhaust system.

Hondas and Toyotas are some of the most common vehicles targeted and hospitals and supermarket car parks in particular have become notorious hunting grounds for thieves.

The stolen devices are sold to unscrupulous scrap metal dealers for hundreds of pounds.

The precious metals are then stripped out and sold on for a profit to refineries around the world.

In London alone last year, there were more than 3,000 converter thefts.

A Leicestershire Police spokesman said: 'Officers are investigating after a catalytic converter was stolen from a Honda Jazz on Monday, August 10.

'The car was parked in Holmfield Avenue, Leicester, and the incident took place just before 11.45am.

'Enquiries are ongoing to identify the people in the footage. Anyone with any information is asked to contact 101, quoting crime number 20*414341.'
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-12 17:09:36|Editor: huaxia

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WASHINGTON, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- The currently raging coronavirus "could not have been leaked from a lab," Chinese virologists told U.S. media Monday, calling for more international cooperation during the turbulent period disrupted by the pandemic.

"I have repeatedly emphasized that it was on Dec. 30 that we got contact with the samples of SARS-like pneumonia or pneumonia of unknown cause sent from the hospital," Yuan Zhiming, director of Wuhan National Biosafety Laboratory, told NBC News, the first Western media outlet that was invited to the institute since the COVID-19 outbreak in China.

"We have not encountered the novel coronavirus before that ... there is no way that it is leaked from the lab," Yuan stressed.

His remarks were seconded by Wang Yanyi, director of Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV), who said in her interview with NBC News that the fact that none of the institute's scientists contracted the virus has made it extremely unlikely that the virus could have escaped from the lab.

The WIV, founded in the 1950s, is a renowned research organization that became China's first biosafety level 4 (BSL-4) laboratory. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the WIV has been the subject of multiple conspiracy theories that the virus was leaked from it.

However, it has been a consensus among the international academic community that the leak theory has no evidence and the virus has a natural origin.

Top U.S. infectious disease expert and health official Anthony Fauci has clarified that current scientific evidence shows it is highly unlikely that the virus was manmade.

"If you look at the evolution of the virus in bats and what's out there now, (the scientific evidence) is very, very strongly leaning toward this could not have been artificially or deliberately manipulated," he noted in an interview published in May by National Geographic.

Peter Daszak, director of EcoHealth Alliance, a global non-profit network that develops solutions to preventing pandemics, also pointed out that there is "absolutely zero evidence that it escaped from a lab."

"The fact that they published the sequence (of the pathogen) so quickly suggests to me that they weren't trying to cover up anything," he added.

In fact, despite the U.S. administration's repeated allegations that COVID-19 stemmed from a research lab or a wet market in Wuhan, it has failed to provide any proof to back up its claims.

According to NBC News, current and former U.S. intelligence officials said in April that spy agencies had ruled out that the coronavirus was manmade.

Facing a raging controversy of the leak theory, WIV director Wang said "it is unfortunate that we have been targeted as a scapegoat for the origin of the virus."

"Any person would inevitably feel very angry or misunderstood being subject to unwarranted or malicious accusations while carrying out research and related work in the fight against the virus," Wang said.

Despite being unfairly targeted, the Chinese experts called for more international cooperation amid the ravaging COVID-19 pandemic.

Wang noted that the institute will "fully support" the World Health Organization in its efforts to investigate in the origin of the pathogen, urging that politics not cloud investigations into how the virus spilled over into humans.

Yuan said the deterioration of U.S.-China relations will hurt scientific cooperation, which is vital to mitigating the outbreak.

"We don't want to see the tension between China and the U.S., because it is not good for the scientific development. It is not good for the progress and stability of the world," he said.

"We have learned a lot from the American scientists in terms of their scientific technology, spirit and relevant experience," he said. "During this pandemic, I think we still need to believe in science, respect science and trust the scientists." Enditem
OTTAWA - Canada will not cut corners to get a vaccine candidate for COVID-19 approved, the country's chief public health officer said Tuesday.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 11/8/2020 (525 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam speaks as she is joined by Dr. Howard Njoo, Deputy Chief Public Health Officer, during a press conference on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

OTTAWA - Canada will not cut corners to get a vaccine candidate for COVID-19 approved, the country's chief public health officer said Tuesday.

As news emerged that Russia had approved the world's first such vaccine, Dr. Theresa Tam said she is as anxious as anyone for a safe and effective vaccine to be ready, but that getting one quickly doesn't mean compromising safety.

"Getting this done in record time is no easy feat, as we must ensure any vaccine demonstrates the highest standard of safety and effectiveness," Tam said at a media briefing in Ottawa.

"There are many steps and partners across research, government and industry required to produce and deliver a safe and effective vaccine. All steps and partners are crucial. Nothing gets cut."

Tam said for Canada, fast-tracking a vaccine means trying to do some things at the same time. That could mean while a vaccine candidate is still in its third and final clinical trial phase, governments are developing plans to produce, distribute and administer that vaccine if it gets approved.

Scientists both within Russia and outside it sounded alarm at the early approval of the Russian vaccine, which was developed by the Gamaleya Institute in Moscow and Russia's ministry of defence. Russia's health ministry claimed that the vaccine, which modifies a common cold virus to try and mimic the novel coronavirus, will make someone immune to COVID-19 for up to two years.

But Russian scientists have published no data on the evidence to back that up.

Tam would not comment on Russia's vaccine at all because she said she doesn't have enough information about it.

Her deputy, Dr. Howard Njoo, said there is just not much information available about how effective that vaccine has been, any side effects it had for the people it was tested on, or how many people were involved in those trials. He said one of the only indicators is the amount of time that passed between the discovery of the vaccine and the decision to approve it.

"It seems quite short, based on what we know about how normally vaccine trials go," Njoo said.

Vaccines normally go through at least three phases of testing, with very small numbers of volunteers receiving it in the first two phases. In phase three, the number of people it is tested on grows exponentially. At least two of the vaccine candidates being developed in the United States are testing their product on 30,000 healthy adults in phase three.

The Moscow vaccine appears to have been given approval before any phase three trial, citing enough success in the first two phases.

Tam warned last week that getting a vaccine approved won't be a "silver bullet" to stop the pandemic because approval is just the first step. She said Tuesday the success of any approved vaccine will depend heavily on getting Canadians to take it.

The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Canada surpassed the 120,000 mark Tuesday, with 8,987 deaths attributed to the disease. Tam says almost nine in 10 patients have already recovered.

There are more than two dozen COVID-19 vaccine candidates in various clinical testing phases around the world, and Tam said eight are in the third and final phase. Most companies behind those trials have said not to expect results until the fall.

Last week, Canada signed deals with two vaccine developers, Pfizer and Moderna, to get access to millions of doses of their experimental vaccines if they succeed at phase three trials and are approved by Health Canada. The earliest either is expected to arrive in Canada for use in patients is next winter.

Tam said she is "cautiously optimistic" a vaccine is coming and she has full confidence in Health Canada's approval process to ensure any vaccine Canadians are given is both safe and effective.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 11, 2020.
WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump has called magazines, pharmaceutical advertisements and questions "nasty." He has called rumors, numbers and one unnamed TV columnist who gave "The Apprentice" a bad review "nasty." He has called men "nasty," and he has called women "nasty."

And so, just hours after former vice president Joe Biden announced Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., as his running mate, Trump reached for one his favorite adjectives and dismissed the first woman of color on a major-party ticket as "nasty."

Speaking to reporters Tuesday, the president twice described Harris's questioning of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh during his confirmation hearing as "extraordinarily nasty" - "nasty to a level that was just a horrible thing." He also said she was "the meanest" and "the most horrible" in pressing Kavanaugh. And Trump said her debate stage attacks against Biden during the Democratic primaries were "very, very nasty."

The insult is one Trump has levied roughly equally against men and women alike since becoming president, according to Factba.se, a data analytics company that tracks all of Trump's public utterances. He did use it far more frequently during the 2016 campaign against women than men, said Factba.se founder Bill Frischling, though that was in part because he repeatedly brandished it against just one woman - Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, whom Trump famously called "such a nasty woman" during a debate.

But the resonance of the adjective - the way the attack lands, the nuances in connotation - is often different when the recipient is a woman, and different still when that woman is a person of color. Calling a woman nasty, say many experts and women in politics, is another way to deliberately dismiss and demean female politicians.

"It really has become coded language for a woman, and it tries to put her in a place that is unacceptable to society," said Stephanie Schriock, president of Emily's List, which works to elect pro-choice Democratic women across the country. "Our society allows for poor behavior by men but has little acceptance for anything but perfection by women, and so a term like 'nasty' really is just coded language, at least for a certain piece of the population."

Trump, Schriock added, "knows exactly what he's doing."

Aparna Thomas, a professor of politics and gender, sexuality, and women's studies at Cornell College in Iowa, said the descriptor is "dismissive" and signifies that "women are not to be taken seriously." She said it was significant that "nasty" was the inaugural attack Trump hurled at Harris once she became Biden's running mate.

"That's the first thing that comes to the president's mind, is that she's to be dismissed and that she's a nasty woman," Thomas said. "We're now back to 2016, where we have a vice-presidential candidate who is female and is still being judged by a different set of standards set by men."

Of course, "nasty" is one of the president's preferred descriptors, and he wields it with impunity, lobbing it at targets animate and inanimate, people male and female.

The word is used a little over 13 times out of every million words in the English language, according to the Corpus of Contemporary American English - a collection of more than 500 million words created by a linguistics professor at Brigham Young University. Trump, by comparison, has used the word more than 37 times for every million words, according to Factba.se.

" 'Nasty' is one of his quote-unquote words," Frischling said. "It's one of his go-to descriptions."

The Trump campaign dismissed the idea that the president's attacks on Harris are in any way sexist, saying "nasty" was simply the most apt way to describe some of her past behavior.

"Though the mainstream media would have you believe otherwise, the President said Kamala Harris' treatment of Justice Kavanaugh was nasty, which it was," Trump campaign spokeswoman Courtney Parella said in an emailed statement. "The Democrats already tried using Hillary Clinton's gender to shield her from criticism in 2016 - it didn't work then, and it won't work now. Kamala Harris cannot claim sexism every time her liberal record or public statements are questioned, and protecting her from scrutiny does a disservice to American voters who deserve to know the truth about her radical record."

But many critics say sexism is inextricably bound to Trump's attacks on women.

"The words 'nasty' and 'mean' are much more pejorative when directed at a woman," said Valerie Jarrett, a senior adviser to President Barack Obama and board member of Time's Up, a legal-defense fund for women who are victimized in the workplace. "There's this whole sense that women need to be likable, and when you say they're nasty or mean, that is intended to cut them deeply, whereas men are not subjected to the same likability test."

The women Trump has singled out for the "nasty" treatment, Jarrett added, are "usually in a high-profile situation," something that seems to irk the president.

Thomas said men who are described as nasty are also often described with other phrases such as "aggressive" and "ambitious" that, unlike for women, are not inherently negative for men.

"It's OK because men are seen as powerful, and you can afford to be all of that and that does not define your identity," Thomas said. "With women, it gets at this idea that their identities are rooted in their gender, in their races and in their sexual orientation, and that their identity is reduced to that."

Harris's background as the daughter of Jamaican and Indian immigrants adds another layer of nuance to how the insult lands, said Kelly Dittmar, the director of research at the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University.

"Nastiness is saying that they are apart from or threatening to the status quo, and in this case, this is a status quo that has benefited white men in politics," Dittmar said.

As with many insults, some women are trying to claim the word as a badge of honor, with "Nasty Women" and "Nasty Women Vote" hashtags appearing across social media.

Photos of "Nasty Woman" shirts are also popping up, as some are digging out their merchandise and slogans from 2016 - back when the word was directed at another Democratic woman: Clinton.
LAS VEGAS, Aug. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- MGM Resorts International Founder, Kirk Kerkorian's estate announced a donation of an additional $2 million to The MGM Resorts Foundation to support MGM employees impacted economically by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

"As the founder of MGM Resorts International, Mr. Kerkorian attributed much of his success to the employees at MGM," said a representative from his estate. "We know that he would have wanted them to know how much he cared for them and their families and would do what he could to help those affected by the devastating impact of this pandemic."

The donation will go toward The MGM Resorts Foundation's Employee Emergency Grant Fund, which is designed to help qualified MGM employees and their immediate families with short-term assistance and relief during unexpected hardships and emergencies. The Grant Fund may also provide disaster relief assistance to furloughed or laid-off employees whose compensation is suspended or employment terminated as a result of an extraordinary event (or events) that severely impacts a community in which MGM Resorts conducts business, such as the COVID-19 public health crisis. Examples of relief payments include rent or mortgage assistance, utility bills, medical and funeral expenses.

"We are so grateful to Mr. Kerkorian's estate for their generous contribution, which will greatly help our employees and their families during this unprecedented time," said Bill Hornbuckle, CEO and President of MGM Resorts International. "Since the pandemic started The MGM Resorts Foundation, through the Employee Emergency Grant Fund, has provided over $11 million dollars in emergency grant payments to support employees and their immediate families impacted by the crisis. This additional funding will enable the Foundation to continue to help many more employees in the coming weeks."

To learn more about The MGM Resorts Foundation, visit www.mgmresortsfoundation.org.

About The MGM Resorts Foundation

The purpose of The MGM Resorts Foundation is to collect and distribute monies and assets donated by employees of MGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM) for the aid and support of qualified community nonprofit programs, agencies or organizations designated exclusively by MGM Resorts' employees. The Foundation also collects and distributes donations made by a broad base of donors to support activities organized by MGM Resorts employees and approved by the Foundation's board of directors to benefit qualified nonprofit charitable organizations. The Foundation's Employee Emergency Grant & Children's Medical Support Fund was organized specifically to enable MGM Resorts employees to provide emergency, hardship, and disaster support to fellow employees and their families. In addition, since 2012, the Foundation has been the presenting sponsor of the Women's Leadership Conference, the major women's conference in the Western region.

Media Contact

Samantha Cummis

MGM Resorts International

[email protected]

973-800-4119

SOURCE The MGM Resorts Foundation

Related Links

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Chennai: The nomination of US senator Kamala Harris, who has her connections with Chennai, as the vice- presidential running mate for the American Presidential elections 2020, is a moment of pride for Indians and Tamil Nadu, said state deputy chief minister O Panneerselvam.

Reacting to Tuesday's announcement, Panneerselvam recalled her roots and conveyed his hearty wishes.

"It is a moment of pride for Indians and TamilNadu especially, as Kamala Harris, the first Indian senator, whose mother hails from Tamil Nadu has been nominated as the Vice Presidential candidate by the US Democratic party. My hearty wishes to her," he said in a tweet.

Harris' mother, Shyamala, was the daughter of PV Gopalan, who was active in the Indian independence movement and then became a high-ranking civil servant who fought against corruption.

US Democratic party presidential nominee Joe Biden had on Tuesday named 55-year-old Harris as his vice-presidential running mate, making history by selecting the first black woman to compete on a major party's presidential ticket.

Harris, whose father is an African from Jamaica and mother an Indian, is currently the US Senator from California.
I am confused.

The return to school looms and both parents and teachers are feeling the anxiety, uncertainty and confusion. Yes, we need to get children back to school  distance learning may have been a temporary solution that provided our children with some routine and connection to school but it is not a long-term solution. Teachers want to be back in the classroom. We understand how important it is for our children to be back in school not only for their academic needs but also for their mental health and well-being. We all need to be back in the classroom. But our return must consider the safety of everyone, children and educators and staff. Currently grocery stores, gyms and restaurants will have more safety restrictions in place than elementary schools given the insufficient funding allocated in the plan.

On May 19, Premier Doug Ford said "The safety of our children is my top priority and one thing I will never do is take unnecessary risks when it comes to our children." Fast forward to July 30 when the reopening plan was released. The government determined that elementary students will remain a single cohort, five days per week, including for recess and lunch. Further, school boards will be required to provide the full curriculum. Class sizes will remain at the mandated maximum levels in place before the COVID-19 outbreak.

This is where the confusion starts. The ministry does not discuss the fact that many students are riding on buses  not maintaining a single cohort and masks required for only some students. Students from the same families may be seated together and buses will be cleaned, but the buses are full of mixed cohorts and many bus trips are 30 minutes or longer. Then we have the many students that attend daycare and before and after school care in our elementary schools, not adhering to cohorts. Yes, our daycares will also have strict cleaning protocols but the same children that attend these programs then attend class later in the day, and many of these children will be "mask-optional." So, if we are mixing our children on buses and in before and after school programs how are we maintaining cohorts?

More confusion is added when the ministry believes that elementary classrooms have one point of contact but ignores the fact that we have specialty teachers that teach music, French and other subjects. This means that we will have teachers in bubbles of more than one class cohort and, in some larger schools, in bubbles of over 100 children. The educational and mental health support that students receive has also been ignored. Our education workers, who often work one-on-one with students, are also shared among many students. So, if we are moving more than one adult in and out of our classrooms how are we maintaining cohorts with limited contact?

And then we have the physical limitations of our classrooms. As educators, we know that children need programming that is inquiry-based and centred around their needs. Learning that is engaging and NOT sitting at your desk, lecture-style learning. Yet this is what is proposed by the Ministry of Education and Ford government. They suggest that staying one metre apart in classrooms is the best way to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. They suggest remov(al of) unnecessary furniture and place desks with as much distancing as possible  with desks facing forward. (Guide to Reopening Ontario Schools, Ministry of Education July 2020). We went into a school and tried to do just that and what we were left with was a classroom with desks/tables and chairs only (https://twitter.com/KPRETFO/status/1291559933704572929). It required teachers to remove all the components of needs-based learning  reading corners and tables, flexible seating arrangements, building blocks, learning centre tables, classroom libraries, easels, art supplies etc.

"When it comes to keeping our kids safe, I won't take any unnecessary risks," said Ford. Yet here we are, with insufficient funding to ensure that safety. The Ontario government needs to rethink its severely flawed plan and put the necessary funding in place to ensure the safety and health of students, educators and staff. That includes sufficient funding for smaller classes, rental of additional classroom space if needed and the hiring of more educators to provide instruction to both smaller classes and to those students whose parents have elected to have them participate in distance learning.

Ontarians dont need a government that gambles on the safety of students, staff, parents and their communities. The Ford government needs to listen to parents and educators and stop trying to cut costs on a safe return to school. We need a government that will safeguard the health of children and educators as they return to school this fall.
A day after looters smashed-in retailers windows, carried away loads of high-end merchandise and overwhelmed police officers in downtown Chicago, Mayor Lori Lightfoot says the violence was an organized raid and not a demonstration of angry protest.

When people showed up on Michigan Avenue in the downtown area with U-Haul trucks and cargo vans, and sophisticated equipment used to cut metal, and the methods that were used, and how quickly it got spun up that wasnt any spontaneous reaction, Lightfoot told TIME in her fifth-floor offices at Chicagos City Hall on Tuesday.

The chaos that unfolded Sunday night, and into the predawn hours Monday, was initially blamed on a police shooting in the citys southside Englewood neighborhood. News of the incidentalong with misinformation that a minor had been shotpinballed on social media, resulting in caravans of cars headed north downtown, Lightfoot says.

To be sure, there are people that did join in that were motivated by lots of different reasons, and certainly were motivated by social media posts encouraging people to come downtown, Lightfoot says. But the core of what happened  thats organized criminal activity It was a planned attack.

For three hours that night, Chicago was under virtual siege. Hundreds of people flooded the streets. Looters broke into buildings and came out with armfuls of jewelry, clothes, electronics and other goods. The 911 switchboard was swamped with 1,800 calls between midnight and 3 a.m., a figure thats typically in the teens at those hours. Lightfoot says the looters knew that police staffing would be low that early Monday morning and therefore picked the moments where they feel like they have the best opportunity to make a move.

The aftermath seen at the store Nordstrom on Aug. 10, 2020, following a night of unrest in Chicago. | RMV/Shutterstock

The citys Magnificent Mile and other shopping districts were hit with widespread theft, vandalism and destruction. Many of the businesses were big-name retailers like Gucci, Nordstrom and Apple. Some were looted just six weeks earlier amid the violent unrest that erupted after George Floyd, an unarmed black man, died in Minneapolis police custody in May. And all were struggling to deal with the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Story continues

Chicago, like many other U.S. cities, is in the midst of a surge in violent crime. Last month, 573 people were shot in Americas third largest city  at least 58 of them juveniles. There have been 430 recorded homicides through July, which represents a 51% increase over the same period last year. Compare that to New York City, for example, which had just 237 murders, despite having nearly three times the population.

In recent days, the Chicago Police Department has instituted 12-hour shifts and canceled days off for all officers until further notice. On Monday, the department sent 400 officers downtown. Expressway exits were closed and nearly every bridge was raised to seal off the area. By dawn, it was clear Chicago was an American city in distress. Shattered glass carpeted sidewalks. Trash billowed down major streets. Police stood guard in riot gear on corners.

Lightfoot says authorities have yet to identify ringleaders or individuals who she believes strategized the violence. A task force of police detectives, FBI agents and officials with the U.S. Attorneys office are now busy collecting and analyzing hundreds of hours of security camera footage to identify those involved.

Were still going through lots and lots of video tape, Lightfoot says. But people were able to fairly quickly take out cash registers, ATM machines, cut through metal grate, and to get beyond and behind security systems that are pretty sophisticated. Thats not your average looter.

The mayor says shes instructed police to locate every automobile spotted downtown amid the looting for being part of a criminal operation. Every car that we can trace to a resident of the Chicago, I want that car found and I want it towed, she says. Were not messing around.

#ChicagoPolice Public Transportation officers recovered two dangerous firearms last night near Grand Ave & Clark St after stopping a box truck for improper lane change. Burglary tools in the truck were also recovered. Two offenders were taken into custody and charged accordingly. pic.twitter.com/r85TUYCKsF  Chicago Police (@Chicago_Police) August 11, 2020

On State Street, in Chicagos River North downtown neighborhood, Bill LaMacchia, 54, estimated about $20,000 damage on his bar and restaurant, Bijans Chicago. Shards of glass that used to be part of his revolving door and window panels crunched under his gym shoes as he walked. A group of looters had heaved a marble-top table through a massive picture window overlooking the outside patio. They took nearly every bottle of liquor from his shelves. Some of them even sat and drank the bottles in his patio seats. The whole scene was captured on his security camera. It was like a video game, LaMacchia said. They did whatever they wanted.

Ariel Atkins, a Black Lives Matter Chicago organizer, dismissed authorities narrative during a rally Monday in support of the more than 100 individuals arrested for various offenses during the looting. Her organization believes Sunday nights unrest was an organic reaction to the shooting in Englewood, which she pointed out was yet another example of the distrust between police and many Black Americans.

The Mayor cannot expect people to play by her rules as she refuses to treat them with basic dignity, a Black Lives Matter Chicago statement said. These protests can only end when the safety and well-being of our communities is finally prioritized.

On Sunday afternoon, police in Englewood say they approached Latrell Allen, 20, under suspicion of carrying a gun. Police allege Allen then ran, pulled a gun and shot at officers who returned fire. Allen is now recovering from multiple gunshot wounds. Police say a lot of things, Atkins said, pointing to the fact that the police did not have body camera footage of the incident.

So the police don't have any evidence to show us because their body cams were conveniently off, but they can still lock up the man that THEY SHOT for not having a MILLION DOLLARS. We say bullshithttps://t.co/3yqjCbkhIs  BLMChicago (@BLMChi) August 11, 2020

To Lightfoot, the police shooting was simply subterfuge for a larger criminal scheme. She warned against conflating the necessary conversations Americans need to have about racial injustice and policing with criminal activity that often harms communities of color.

As the citys first Black female and openly gay mayor, Lightfoot insists its important to lift the voices of organizers, activists and citizens seeking to upend legacies of injustice in Chicago. But the looting this week represented something different to her.

To see young people who are Black act in the way that they acted, like they had every right to take somebody elses property  and not just the big guys who have lots of insurance, but the little shop owners in neighborhoods all across the city  they have so little respect for all the sacrifice that people who look like them put into forming a business, all their hurdles, all their challenges that small businesses have, Lightfoot says. Particularly small businesses of color, without any regard for not only hurting those business owners but hurting also employees, who also are generally employees of color. That offends me to the core.

On Jewelers Row along Wabash Avenue, in Chicagos central business district, some small business owners saw their entire livelihood wiped away. Mohammad Ashiq, the 60-year-old owner of Watch Clinic, entered his watch repair shop to discover all of his inventory, some $900,000 worth, had been stolen from his glass showcases. Hundreds of watches for sale and in the process of being fixed for customers were missing. None of it insured. It is my entire life, he says as a nearby L-train rumbled above his store. Forty-two years in this business. I am left with nothing but my health.

With such a risk hanging over business owners heads, many are now reassessing what they should do next. Al Wojtek Macniak, 57 and his daughter, Marta, 35, say they plan to move out their business, M&M Jewelers, out of the ground-floor Jewelers Row storefront after looters broke into their building a second time in two months. We moved here 10 years ago because we wanted the foot-traffic, Marta says. But its no longer worth it to stay.

Lightfoot recognizes Chicago is at an inflection point, as violent crime rises and the gulf of suspicion widens between the Black community and her police force. She hopes she can bridge it. The question is how do we find opportunity out of even these very dark days? Lightfoot asks. And what we do to band together because together  it sounds like a cliche  but it is so true, we wont survive this moment. We will not thrive. We will not move beyond, get stronger, and better if we dont unite.
Investors who assume do-gooding in the distant apparel factories and farms within their portfolios of investments are waking up to their role in driving change, and the same can be said for industry regulations and standards.

Not only do we need to pay attention to fairness in the factories for the people that are working there, but if were talking about fairness and social justice in the fiber and textile world  it also has to include the farm, said La Rhea Pepper, managing director of Textile Exchange as well as a fifth-generation Texas cotton farmer, where her farm has been certified organic since 1991.

The noise now is more of a collective clatter. On Friday, The Investor Alliance for Human Rights  which counts Aberdeen Standard Investments, the firm that pulled funds from Boohoo Group  urged investors to carry out enhanced due diligence to ensure the brands and retailers they support are clean of human rights abuses.

An estimated 1.8 million Uyghur Muslims, and other Turkic groups are said to be forced into labor in cotton fields and textile factories in the Xingjiang region, an estimate which can be traced back to a report from anthropologist Dr. Adrian Zenz, who studied the region closely and based estimates upon leaked documents from last year.

Even if its paid labor, in farming in general its the worst wages, Pepper added. When you talk about extreme poverty when you look at rural Africa or rural America or rural Brazil or whatever  its the farming communities that are absolutely the poorest that are picking your strawberries and your peaches and your apricots. Its the people growing and producing the fiber and food that are some of the poorest and facing extreme poverty, she reiterated.

The International Fund for Agricultural Development calls farm workers the worlds most vulnerable people, in its 2019 report with 79 percent of the poorest people are living in rural areas, mostly surviving on small-scale agricultural projects.

Story continues

Since 2018, the U.S. federal government under the Trump administration has handed off tens of billions of dollars in taxpayer money to farmers to mitigate damage from the U.S.-China tariff wars as well as the coronavirus. But loopholes allow congressmen, billionaires and large and complex farm organizations, in the words of the Environmental Working Group, to reap the majority of the benefits.

The bailout supported the failing infrastructure [of large-scale farms]. Are we putting the burden on the companies that it should be on? commented Robyn OBrien, cofounder of rePlant Capital and author of The Unhealthy Truth, who has dedicated 20 years to the intersection of food and finance.

Politics aside, OBrien finds the more hotly contested issue now is rethinking farming in general since an estimated 70 percent of U.S. farmland will change hands in the next 20 years, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. While the focus is on rebuilding food systems, fiber systems are intrinsically linked.

Soil health is one of the very few things that is non-partisan, OBrien added. Soil wealth is a concept gaining ground despite what he calls a homogeneous profile of investors. Last year there were 70 U.S. investment strategies targeting regenerative agriculture with assets totaling over $47.5 billion, as documented in a report from Delta Institute, among others.

Divestment from fossil fuels to solar and wind power was just the beginning for many investment funds. Taking anywhere from three to five years to convert a conventional farm to organic practices, OBrien emphasized that the three years doesnt sync up with the quarterly earnings model. With Wall Street lacking the metrics and patience, firms like hers focus on deploying such mission-aligned capital, or transition finance, to put toward the daunting task of converting that farm [to organic].

To do it, you have to put the farmer at the center of it to ensure that their financial resiliency is at the center of this model, added OBrien. Her point is echoed in findings in a July report by The Institute for Multi-Stakeholder Initiative Integrity (MSI Integrity), which questioned the effectiveness of MSIs in centering the rights of the worker and providing measurable transparency, among other criteria.

Are todays farmers, and their hired help, protected these days?

Fair Trade USA represents thousands of certified products, including cotton, coffee, clothes and more, distributing some $740 million to farmers and workers since 1998. Pottery Barn, Madewell, J. Crew, Patagonia and Outerknown are a handful of the names that manufacture or source Fair Trade goods.

Fair Trade farmers, workers and fishermen have reported reduced income as the chief challenge during the pandemic. As a helping hand, Fair Trade USA deployed emergency relief funds to its certificate holders  those legally certified as the holding entity of the Fair Trade USA producer certificate.

Those certificate holders, by collective votes, then allocate funds to various needs. Reported needs included food items, which 49 percent allocated spend for; cash distributions, 45 percent, or medical supplies and attention, at 20 percent.

While all committees reported these funds helpful in alleviating some pressures due to the pandemic, a majority of certificate holders still struggle with declining demand and delayed or canceled orders  with some reporting no demand for product since mid-April, as is the case across the categories in general whether Fair Trade or not.

With the former proving something of a safety net for stakeholders, what can be said of the plethora of textile standards in existence?

Earlier this week, experts from the Rodale Institute and brands like Dr. Bronners and Patagonia, as well as Textile Exchange, supported the launch of the Regenerative Organic Certified standard for food, fiber and personal-care products. Before being eligible for ROC, farms must first hold USDA organic certification.

The 2018-founded Regenerative Organic Alliance, which is behind the certification, exists to, as it says, heal a broken system.

By Peppers accounts, standards are more important than ever. Founded in 2002, Textile Exchange specializes in the sustainability of raw materials, driving collective action and industry accountability with its suite of standards, including the Organic Content Standard, Global Recycled Standard (reportedly its fastest-growing standard), and Responsible Wool Standard, among others.

In less than a year, membership doubled, from 210 to 425 members. As with others, Textile Exchange has seen a split between brand survivalists and sustainability enthusiasts due to COVID-19, with the latter ramping up their preferred fiber strategies, for one.

Textile Exchanges publicly available Corporate Fiber and Materials Benchmark last year counted 173 participating companies, from both members and non-members. Now, nearly 40 percent of reporting participants main material use comes from preferred fiber sources, which are defined as renewable cotton, recycled synthetics and so on.

As per the report, a majority, or 86 percent of companies, had instilled a circularity strategy in 2019 and nearly 650,000 hectares of cotton farmland showed improved use.

Bluesign Technologies is another standard-setting body that has played a critical role in driving sustainability in the textile industry, giving its 650 partners digital autonomy and control over dye and chemical management, with now 99 percent of textiles able to be made Bluesign-certified today.

Jill Dumain, chief executive officer of Bluesign Technologies, stressed Bluesigns role in education and equipping its partners. In the end, though, while Textile Exchange and Bluesign all deal with various stages of the production pipeline, everything must start with the farmer.

Its about paying a fair price to the farmers for the value of their crops, Pepper said. Where we focus is on education, education and more education.

Leave It to the Social Experts

Most standard-setting bodies would appear to operate behind the scenes and focus on their strengths, leery of owning social responsibility to the extent that its punishable in headlines.

Were not social experts, attests Pepper, but its why the organization is linking with groups such as the SAC or industry initiative Fashion Makes Change, spearheaded by founder and chairman Cara Smyth. What were doing is encouraging that its got to be a multifaceted strategy. Its got to have planet and people, and quite frankly  economic fairness, Pepper stated.

On Monday, Textile Exchange made a statement on forced and child labor, further outlining the steps Textile Exchange is taking to stop human rights violations.

At a sort of crossroads, certain practices like stating the country/region of origin of the raw material on transaction certificates are not mandatory but await a required review and feedback period. Too, a June allowance warrants certification bodies to take action should they witness unacceptable practices, but it is currently treated as a recommendation and is not required to be audited against.

Many other changes are in the works. This fall, Textile Exchange will roll out a Climate+ strategy alongside the SAC, with metrics on greenhouse gas reduction likely landing somewhere around 30 to 45 percent CO2 reduction targets.

Bluesign doesnt have that core competency around work time hours, overtime pay  we leave that to the social experts, added Dumain.

With assessments every three years and regional resource hubs, Bluesign does play an active role in detecting violations, especially as brands come to understand cluelessness about subcontractors wont cut it.

Dumain added how process-specific applications are granted to system partners but undocumented processes could pose a violation. If we find violations, then we address them directly with the system partner. If theyre willing to change it, we continue on  if they dont then we ask them to leave the system, Dumain shared. On-site processes are documented in Bluesigns IT system called The Cube.

Is trust mutual between partners, and are certified factories more protected in times of crisis?

No, but what weve seen is the ones that are willing to take the journey and can make that effort  theyre usually better set up as a company. Its just part of management systems, its part of their ability to be more resilient because they typically have a bit more sophisticated company that has looked at things more carefully. And thats not to say there are others that are out there who have done the same things and are not Bluesign system partners but we tend to work with those that are forward-thinking and looking to the future and making this investment, said Dumain.

Factory owners would affirm the same.

Naturally, farm management is out of its scope. We draw a line there because theres a lot of great groups that know a lot about pesticides and chemical use on the farms than we do, said Dumain, who is personally knowledgeable about the subject with previous experience developing organic cotton at Patagonia in the Nineties.

Either of their practices is aligned with the national and international labor laws, including the International Labour Organization.

Dumain added: It really goes back to our philosophy that if we were in a policing mode then thats a different conversation than an education mode, and really our goal is to educate and equip our system partners to go out in a way that they can manage their business in a way that their customers are expecting them to whether its as a Bluesign system partner or just, in general, being a responsible manufacturer today.

Radical Transparency Going Forward

Are collective action and radical transparency relegated to myth, or is light starting to be seen at the end of the tunnel toward real systems change in the fashion, footwear and textile industries?

Pepper believes it has to go there, to radical transparency and what she calls connected action, while Dumain prefers the term thoughtfully transparent, having to bridge sensitive information between partners and the general public. OBrien points to labeling legislation at the state level and technology as key to making transparency readable to the consumer.

On the status of certifications today, be it in food or fiber, OBrien said: All of them have helped serve important roles and helped educate, but even those which are incredibly well-intended may lack execution and policy side, which is where she turns to a cost-benefit analysis.

And inevitably when mistakes occur on the brand side, its owning it upfront and take that hit, upfront if its a hit. Otherwise, you wake up every morning and wonder if that next headline is going to be about you, reiterated OBrien.

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endowed with 25,000 euros, the Point Alpha prize for contribution to the unity of Germany and of Europe this year Old Prime Minister Bernhard Vogel (CDU). Bird am, as a few by his life-long Work for the German unit, it said on Wednesday, in a communication of the Board of Trustees of German unity.

In a time in which many West German politicians have abandoned the goal of reunification, was bird for this basic statutory mandate has occurred. In addition, he had brought in his tenure as Prime Minister of Thuringia (1992-2003) a number of future projects on the way, "which became the basis of the Thuringian building success".

Bernhard Vogel is the only Prime Minister who has ruled a country in Western and in Eastern Germany. Prior to his time in Thuringia, he was from 1976 to 1988 the head of the government of Rheinland-Pfalz. Overall, the now 87-Year-old comes to a combined total of 23 years of reign in the East and the West.

Presentation on birthday

The Point Alpha prize is awarded since 2005 in the eponymous memorial to the Hessian-Thuringian border. Point Alpha is the Name of a former U.S. military camp along the former inner German border. Last year, the then President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, was honored with the price. To include the existing carriers, the former German Chancellor Helmut Kohl (CDU), Ex-Kremlin leader Mikhail Gorbachev and former US President George Bush Senior also.

this year, The price is 19 bird on. December will be handed over to its 88. Birthday. The laudatory speech will hold the information, according to the Prime Minister of Hesse Volker Bouffier (CDU).

Updated Date: 12 August 2020, 09:20
Three people were killed after police opened fired at a mob that went on the rampage in Bengaluru on Tuesday night to protest a social media post offensive to Islam, officials said.

The mob, armed with machetes, swords and sticks, vandalised the residence of a Congress legislator  the post was made from the Facebook account of his nephew  attacked two police stations, damaged vehicles, and smashed an ATM machine into pieces in a violent five-hour spree that also left 100 people, including 60 police personnel, wounded.

Police arrested over 160 people for the arson in and around Pulakeshi Nagar assembly constituency in the north-eastern part of Indias information and technology hub, according to police officials who did not want to be named.

Leaders cutting across party lines condemned the violence. Chief minister BS Yediyurappa promised strong action against the rioters and appealed for calm.

Yediyurappa, who was discharged from hospital on Monday after recovering from Covid-19, said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government initiated all measures to contain the violence. He also ordered a magisterial inquiry into the incident.

The manner in which the riots were perpetrated shows that it was a well-planned act, revenue minister Ashoka said in his office at Vidhana Soudha. Whether Popular Front or SDPI [Social Democratic Party of India] is behind it, we will not bother. These people must be arrested. We will hunt them wherever they are holed up, he added.

Ashoka also met Pulakeshi Nagar MLA Akhanda Srinivasa Murthy, whose house was set on fire by the mob. Murthy was not at home at the time of the incident.

The violence brought back memories of a 1986 incident involving a controversial newspaper headline that sparked violent protests and led to the death of 11 people in the city.

The mob, which threw stones and petrol bombs at the police, also attacked the nearby Devera Jeevanhalli (DJ Halli) and Kadugondana Halli (KG Halli) police stations.

Bangalore police commissioner Kamal Pant had to rush to the scene of riots to restore law and order. Prohibitory orders banning the assembly of four or more people were clamped in the riot-affected areas.

MLA Murthy said he did not have any ties with his nephew for the past 10 years. He requested the government and Congress leaders to ensure his familys safety.

I appeal to my Muslim brethren that we should not resort to violence for the fault committed by some miscreants. There is no need to fight. We all are brothers, he said in a video message on Tuesday night.

His nephew Naveen, who is in his 20s and also a resident of Pulakeshi Nagar, said his account that was used to make the controversial post was hacked into. The post was made on August 10 and it went viral a day later, police officials said on condition of anonymity. There was no official word.

Hours before the violence flared up, the mob had started gathering near DJ Halli police station, calling for action against Naveen, who goes by one name. His father came to the police station around 9:15pm, pleading that Naveen was innocent. But the situation went out of control around 10:30pm on Tuesday night and the violence continued till 3:30am.

Police officials, requesting anonymity, said two of the three people killed in the riots were identified. Wajid Khan, 20, was an AC repair technician while 21-year-old Yaseen Pasha was a butcher. Those wounded in the violence were being treated across different hospitals in the city.

Khan, whose body was taken to Bowring Hospital, tested positive for Covid-19, according to hospital officials.

Muzammil Pasha, one of the prime suspects of the violence who contested a corporation election on an SDPI ticket last year, was among the 165 people arrested, according to the police officials cited above.

In Mysuru, Abdul Majeed, Karnataka vice-president of the SDPI  the political arm of Popular Front  said it was police inaction that led to the incident. It is wrong to blame the SDPI for everything, as we are a responsible party, Majeed said, defending Pasha. We want an impartial inquiry, he added.

A group of Muslim community leaders met with the police commissioner later in the day. Unfortunately, those who have been killed in police action are innocent bystanders who had no role in the violence. If the police had acted quickly in taking action against the culprit who posted [the controversial message], things would not have come to such a pass, said Maulana Masood Imran, who was part of the delegation.

Opposition Congress and the Janata Dal (Secular) condemned the rioting.

I humbly request both Hindus & Muslims of the area to stay calm, maintain peace & live in harmony, Congress leader and former chief minister Siddaramaiah tweeted.

JD(S) leader and former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda requested the government to take merciless action against those involved. Gowdas son and former chief minister, HD Kumaraswamy, too demanded action against those taking law into their hands in the name of religion.

BJP general secretary P Muralidhar Rao took a dig at the Congress. Dead silence by @INCIndia @INCKarnataka even after their Dalit MLA Sri Akhanda Srinivasa Murthy was attacked , house ransacked yesterday in Bengaluru. Total support for RIGHT TO RIOT ...? For them appeasement is the only official party policy, he tweeted.
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Linkedin News Desk (Reuters) Mexico City, Mexico  Wed, August 12, 2020 07:52 525 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066d42697 2 World Mexico,human-trial,clinical-trial,coronavirus,COVID-19,COVID-19-vaccines,pandemic,SARS-CoV-2,virus-corona,novel-coronavirus Free

Mexico aims to conduct late-stage clinical trials for COVID-19 vaccines in development by Johnson & Johnson and two Chinese companies within months, the foreign minister said on Tuesday, adding that the goal was to secure access to the drugs.

Mexico has signed memorandums of understanding with J&J and Chinese companies CanSino Biologics Inc and Walvax Biotechnology Co Ltd, Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said at news conference.

Ebrard said the trials would start between September and January, depending on approval from Mexico's food and drug agency.

More than 150 vaccines are being developed and tested around the world to stop the COVID-19 pandemic, with 25 in human clinical trials, according to the World Health Organization.

Russia is the first country to approve a COVID-19 vaccine, which it named "Sputnik V" for foreign markets, an official said on Tuesday.

Ebrard said a goal of taking part in trials was to ensure that Mexico has access to treatments and vaccines, a reminder of the growing anxiety in developing countries that they could be left behind in initial distribution of such drugs.

"This is what worries President [Andres Manuel] Lopez Obrador, that we have it on time," Ebrard said.

Several other emerging markets in Asia and the Middle East have followed a similar strategy of "vaccine diplomacy," consultancy Oxford Business Group highlighted in a report on Tuesday.

Mexico has already lobbied in world forums, including at the G20 group of nations and the United Nations, to secure equitable access for an eventual vaccine.

Large-scale, phase three human testing for the J&J unit Janssen Pharmaceuticals' candidate could start in the second half of September, the company has previously said.

Johnson & Johnson kicked off early US human safety trials in July after releasing details of a study in monkeys that showed its best-performing vaccine candidate offered strong protection in a single dose.

Walvax's experimental vaccine is currently under early testing at a Chinese military research institute.

CanSino Biologics' vaccine candidate is already in clinical trials. The company is also collaborating with Canada's National Research Council to "pave the way" for future trials in Canada, the research council in May.

Latin America's second largest economy has suffered more than 50,000 deaths from COVID-19, according to official data, making it the third country with the most deaths globally.

It ranks 13th adjusted for deaths per capita, according to the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-12 17:04:24|Editor: huaxia

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Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa (L), appointed as the minister of finance, urban development, housing, buddhist affairs, religious and cultural affairs, takes oaths in front of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa (R) in a grand ceremony in Kandy, Sri Lanka, Aug. 12, 2020. Twenty-six new ministers were sworn into Sri Lanka's new cabinet on Wednesday after the country recently held a Parliamentary Election which saw the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) led by Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa winning a landslide victory, securing a two-thirds majority in Parliament. The ministers took oaths in front of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa in a grand ceremony held in the central hills of Kandy. Along with the cabinet ministers, 39 state ministers were also sworn in. (Photo by Ajith Perera/Xinhua)



COLOMBO, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- Twenty-six new ministers were sworn into Sri Lanka's new cabinet on Wednesday after the country recently held a Parliamentary Election which saw the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) led by Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa winning a landslide victory, securing a two-thirds majority in Parliament.

The ministers took oaths in front of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa in a grand ceremony held in the central hills of Kandy.

Along with the cabinet ministers, 39 state ministers were also sworn in.

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa retained the Defence Ministry. Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa was appointed as the minister of finance, urban development, housing, buddhist affairs, religious and cultural affairs. Dinesh Gunawardena was sworn in as minister of foreign affairs. Prasanna Ranatunga was sworn in as minister of tourism and Keheliya Rambukwella was sworn in as minister of mass media.

Some of the notable state ministers sworn in were Chamal Rajapaksa who took oaths as state minister of internal security, home affairs and disaster management, and Shehan Semasinghe who was sworn in as state minister of Samurdhi (prosperity), micro finance, self-employment and business development.

Sri Lanka held its Parliamentary Election on Aug. 5 under strict health guidelines amidst a COVID-19 pandemic which has infected over 2,800 people in the island country to date.

The election was held to elect a new 225-member Parliament.

SLPP won a landslide victory by securing 145 seats, while the United People's Power, led by former presidential candidate Sajith Premadasa polled in as runner-up by securing 54 seats.

Sri Lanka's new Parliament will convene on Aug. 20. Enditem
BEDFORD, NS / ACCESSWIRE / August 12, 2020 / Silver Spruce Resources Inc. (TSXV:SSE)(Frankfort:S6Q1) ("Silver Spruce" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the mobilization of its exploration team and initiation of its Phase 1 program on the El Mezquite Au Project (the "Property"), a drill-ready precious metal project located 170 km southeast of Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico.

In addition, the Company is excited to report the full payment of CDN$109,000, ahead of schedule, to fulfill its Year One commitment to Colibri Resource Corp ("Colibri"). The Company can complete the Year Two Property payment by August 31, 2021 or make a discounted 2nd payment by December 31, 2020 toward its obligations to acquire 50% interest in Colibri's Mexican subsidiary Yaque Minerales S.A de C.V. ("Yaque") per the Silver Spruce press release of June 11th, 2020.

"We are very pleased to have boots on the ground for our Phase 1 mapping and sampling on El Mezquite, a low grade, epithermal target in a very productive, mining-friendly region," stated Greg Davison, PGeo, Director and QP of Silver Spruce. "With our principal property payment completed, we can focus on the work programs and look forward to adding further targets associated with the widespread surface alteration, notable precious metal values, and the regional and property-scale structural patterns. Concurrent with our desktop data analysis of the epithermal Au-Ag system, and advanced spectral and photo-lineament study, we will develop a first-ever drilling program and provide the Company with a significant opportunity for growth."

The El Mezquite Project is located within the west-central portion of the Sierra Madre Occidental Volcanic Complex within the prominent northwest-trending "Sonora Gold Belt" of northern Mexico and parallel to the well-known, precious metals-rich Mojave-Sonora Megashear.

Exploration in the surrounding area is very active with adjacent and nearby properties held by Evrim, Newmont, Garibaldi, Kootenay Silver and Penoles. Other nearby large operating mines and development projects include Minera Alamos' Nicho deposit only 12 kilometres southeast, Alamos Gold's Los Mulatos gold mine and Agnico Eagle's La India gold mine located 50 and 58 km to the northeast, respectively, Agnico's Pinos Altos Mine, 100 km southeast and Argonaut's La Colorada Mine, 100 km west.

Phase 1 Exploration Program

The Company, with a four-person team with two senior geologists and two samplers, with all necessary logistical support, is undertaking a more detailed exploration program which was recommended in part by the independent 43-101 report, including geological mapping of the entire property and additional rock sampling for precious metal analysis, and alteration intensity and style using the Terraspec hyperspectral tool for definition of the principal silicate, carbonate and hydrous oxide species. Geological mapping and alteration sampling will be carried out on a hectare by hectare grid basis for collection of representative and anomalous samples for mineralization, and degree and type of alteration, while noting structural fabrics and vein orientations which may be correlated with the known geophysical trends, and applied to the interpretation of the property-wide mapping and planning for drill hole orientation. Expansion of the geophysical survey coverage to the south and west may be warranted upon completion of the Phase 1 program and comparison to the known geological features from the principal target area.

The Phase 1 work program will include a QA/QC program with standards, blanks and duplicates to accompany the in-house programs at ALS Global ("ALS"). Samples will be delivered to the ALS sample preparation facility in Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico and splits will be sent to ALS in North Vancouver, BC for gold by fire assay and to ALS in Reno, NV for hyperspectral analysis using the Terraspec 4 and aiSIRIS identification of the principal alteration minerals. Multi-element analysis will be carried out at ALS in North Vancouver on select samples as results warrant from the distribution of the gold values and coincident spatial anomalies with alteration mapping.

All aspects of the exploration program will be conducted with strict adherence to COVID-19 protocols for personal safety.

In parallel, the Company has begun data compilation and, analysis of geologic structures and lineaments from the February 2020 ortho-mosaic photography, acquisition of ASTER imaging maps for spatial alteration and rock type distribution, and collar location planning for the first exploration drill campaign, and shortly will initiate 2D and 3D Leapfrog modeling and requisite environmental permitting for drilling access and pads.

Property Exploration

The mineralization in the region commonly consists of disseminated gold hosted in strongly argillized and moderately silicified andesite rocks, typical to the Sierra Madre geological model of the principal deposits. The gold and silver mineralization appears to be related to a silicified feldspar porphyry, which outcrops along the southern bank in the bottom of the largest arroyo. Rhyolite breccias and multi-phase breccia veins are also noted.

There are at least four hydrothermally altered, oxidized zones trending northerly to northwesterly though the major trend of mineralization within the Property has been reported as NE-SW. Assay results from 362 rock chip samples indicate that 22 of the samples report values of gold >0.5 g/t, averaging 1.35 g/t Au and 54.4 g/t Ag along an area that extends for 600 metres in a north-south direction and 300 metres E-W. The highest values of gold and silver reported are 3.41 g/t Au and 198 g/t Ag. The most recent surface sampling campaign in 2019 confirmed the anomalous values, with precious metal values ranging up to 1.63 g/t Au and 155 g/t Ag.

The presence of historical artisanal mining in highly altered and oxidized andesites, rhyolitic breccias and veins, coincident chargeability anomalies, and discrete geochemical and structural trends containing broad areas of elevated precious metal values clearly warrants the Company's exploration efforts on the El Mezquite property.

Website Update

Maps, documents including the recent NI 43-101 report, and site photographs are posted on the Silver Spruce website, and can be found by selecting the "El Mezquite" tab on the Home page (www.silverspruceresources.com), and the geological program updates will be reported and posted in due course.

Qualified Person

Greg Davison, MSc, PGeo and Silver Spruce Director, is the Company's internal Qualified Person for the El Mezquite Project and is responsible for approval of the technical content of this press release within the meaning of National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101"), under TSX guidelines.

About Silver Spruce Resources Inc.

Silver Spruce Resources Inc. is a Canadian junior exploration company which has signed Agreements to acquire 100% of the Melchett Lake Zn-Au-Ag project in northern Ontario and with Colibri Resource Corp. to acquire 50% interest in Yaque Minerales S.A de C.V. holding the El Mezquite Gold project, a drill-ready precious metal project in Sonora, Mexico. The Company also is pursuing exploration of the drill-ready and permitted Pino De Plata Ag project in western Chihuahua, Mexico. Silver Spruce Resources Inc. continues to investigate opportunities that Management has identified or that have been presented to the Company for consideration.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. The company seeks Safe Harbour.

Contact:

Silver Spruce Resources Inc.

Brian Penney, Chairman and CEO

(866) 641-3397

info@silverspruceresources.com

www.silverspruceresources.com

SOURCE: Silver Spruce Resources Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/601211/Silver-Spruce-Mobilizes-Exploration-Team-to-El-Mezquite-Au-Project-Sonora-Mexico


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Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden has named Indian-origin senator Kamala Harris as his Vice-Presidential running mate, making history by selecting the first black woman to compete on a major party's presidential ticket.

Harris, 55, whose father is an African from Jamaica and mother an Indian, is currently the US Senator from California and often has been described as a trailblazer by former president Barack Obama.

Biden, 77, made the announcement in a text message to his supporters on Tuesday afternoon, ending days of suspense about a week ahead of his virtual Democratic National Convention that would formally nominate him as the party's candidate for the November 3 presidential elections.

Joe Biden here. I've chosen Kamala Harris as my running mate. Together, with you, we're going to beat Trump. Add your name to welcome her to the team, Biden said in the text message.

Biden said Harris will be the best partner for him to finally get the country back on track.

Joe Biden is running to restore the soul of the nation and unite the country to move us forward. Joe knows more about the importance of the Vice Presidency than just about anyone, and he is confident that Kamala Harris will be the best partner for him to finally get the country back on track, the Biden campaign said.

Earlier, the Biden campaign had sent a special chartered plane to bring Harris and her family from California.

If elected she would be the first ever women to be the vice president of the United States and the first ever Indian-American and African vice president of the country.

Both Biden and Harris are expected to make a joint appearance later in the night.

Explaining the reasons for selecting Harris as Biden's running mate, the Biden campaign alleged that since Donald Trump became president, he has made everything worse.

He has pursued economic policies that reward wealth over work and benefited corporations and his buddies over working families. He has walked away from American leadership on the national stage. He has used division and stoked hatred for political purposes to pit Americans against one another, it alleged.

A first term Democratic Senator from California, Harris had launched her presidential campaign in January 2019.

After initial few months, her campaign could not take off and by the end of the year, she withdrew from the race.

Early this year, she endorsed Biden for presidency and during the primaries and pre-primary season, she did not have a good relationship with Biden.

The two often clashed including the one CNN debate last year.

The two leaders appear to have mend their ways in the last few months.

Biden started appreciating her skills. Harris raised millions of dollars for Biden campaign.

Daughter of an Indian mother and a Jamaican father, Harris has known many firsts. She has been a county district attorney; the district attorney for San Francisco the first woman and first African-American and Indian-origin to be elected to the position.

She was also the first female African-American and Indian-origin to become California's attorney general. Harris became the first Indian-origin and second African-American woman to join the Senate, winning the California seat vacated by Senator Barbara Boxer, who retired after 24 years.

Harris held the first event of her 2020 presidential campaign in Washington on the landmark campus of Howard University, from which Harris earned an undergraduate degree in 1986.

Criminal justice and legal rights were central to her campaign themes.

Justice is on the ballot when we talk about health care justice, reproductive freedoms justice, economic justice, criminal justice, you know, justice in terms of equal pay for women, Harris said on PBS Newshour in October.

Harris has security-focused committee assignments, including the Judiciary Committee, the Intelligence Committee, the Homeland Security and the Governmental Affairs Committee.

She also has a seat on the Budget Committee. As a member of Intelligence, sheb has taken part in the multi-year investigation of Russian efforts to interfere in the 2016 US presidential election.

Political pundits say that she would perform much better in the vice presidential debate against Vice President Mike Pence.

She has in the past expressed support for the Clean Power Plan, a federal regulation aimed at reducing carbon pollution from power plants and creating more clean energy jobs.

While she supports broader immigration overhaul legislation, she also contends that the deferred action for immigration enforcement against some immigrants could be substantially expanded even without congressional action.

Harris batted for H-4 work visas which mainly impacted Indian spouses.

During her presidential bid, she advocated for a proposal to direct the Department of Homeland Security to provide retroactive work authorisation for immigrants who came to the United States as children often referred to as Dreamers.

Harris was born in Oakland and grew up in Berkeley. After her parents divorced, she spent her high school years living in French-speaking Canada her mother was teaching at McGill University in Montreal.

In 2010, Harris became the first black woman to be elected as California's Attorney General, overseeing the country's second largest Justice Department, only behind the US Department of Justice.

In this capacity, she managed a USD 735 million budget and oversaw more than 4,800 attorneys and other employees.

As California Attorney General, Kamala fought for families and won a USD20 billion settlement for California homeowners against big banks that were unfairly foreclosing on homes.

Kamala worked to protect Obamacare, helped win marriage equality for all, defended California's landmark climate change law and won a USD 1.1 billion settlement against a for-profit education company that scammed students and veterans. Kamala also fought for California communities and prosecuted transnational gangs who drove human trafficking, gun smuggling and drug rings, it said.

Also read: Tax Dept busts Hawala racket by Chinese entities

Also read: Burmans charged up in Eveready while Khaitans grope in dark
Copyright  2020 Albuquerque Journal

The Bureau of Indian Affairs has opened an office in Albuquerque to look into cold cases involving missing and murdered Native Americans.

Department of Interior Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Tara Sweeney told the Journal the office is in the BIAs Office of Justice Services on Indian School Road.

She said the offices opening is the result of the work of Operation Lady Justice, a federal task force created by President Donald Trump last November to look into issues involving missing and murdered indigenous women.

We want to see victims and their families receive closure, and will direct our efforts towards that goal, Sweeney said.

She said BIA-OJS special agent Daniel Hollin will head up the office.

Hollin will work with local, state and federal law enforcement agencies on cold cases they have involving Native Americans, Sweeney said.

She said Hollin will be working with Denise Billy, who was recently appointed the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Person Coordinator for the District of New Mexico, as well as other stakeholders involved with the cases.

The duties of the cold case office will focus around the gathering of intelligence on active missing and murdered cases, reviewing and prioritizing the changes of assignments to investigative teams, Sweeney said.

She said Hollin would develop a plan to guide the investigators and identify any outside resources that would benefit the investigation.

Investigative teams would be made up of officers from the various agencies.

If the case is in Indian Country, OJS will work with the FBI and the U.S. attorney and other federal and tribal law enforcement agencies that could have a stake in that cold case, she said.

Victims services, social services, advocacy groups and tribal leaders could also become part of the investigation.

Sweeney encourages people whose family members are victims in missing and murdered cases to submit information to NamUs, a national information clearinghouse and resource center for missing, unidentified and unclaimed person cases.

She said they could also submit information to Hollin, but said he had to follow certain protocols to look into the case.

The Albuquerque office is the fourth of seven cold case offices across the country being established by Operation Lady Justice.

President Trump has been behind us from Day One on this effort, Sweeney said.
T hree people are feared dead after a train derailed in Aberdeenshire.

Officials declared a major incident after the train came off the tracks near Stonehaven in north east Scotland on Wednesday morning.

Dramatic footage shows smoke billowing into the sky. The train is said to have burst into flames, with the cause of the incident believed to be a landslip.

Serious injuries have been reported, with sources reporting that three people are believed to have died. A driver is feared to be among them.

It is understood 12 people were on board, of which six were passengers and six staff.

Announcing that the derailment was being treated as a "major incident", Nicola Sturgeon told First Ministers Questions that there were early reports of serious injuries.

My immediate thoughts and the thoughts of those across the chamber are with all those involved.

Nicola Sturgeon: Early reports of serious injuries at Stonehaven train derailment

She had written earlier on Twitter that it was an "extremely serious incident".

Unions called the crash a tragedy.

The train involved was the 06.38 Aberdeen to Stonehaven, made up of a locomotive and four carriages. It is understood that the locomotive and three carriages derailed, and slid down an embankment.

Video posted to social media by Network Rail Scotland earlier on Wednesday showed a landslip on the track at Carmont, believed to be close to the scene of the crash. It has not been confirmed whether the landslip was directly related to the derailment.

The portion of railway has rivers running alongside and under it in some areas and footage shared on social media showed waterlogged tracks in the area this week.

Emergency services are using a field just north-west of the tracks to base their response. The tracks are flanked by thick vegetation, with wooded areas to the south-eastern side.

A Scottish Ambulance Service spokesman said six ambulances, special operations response teams, an air ambulance, patient transport vehicles and the Scotstar emergency service are at the scene.

The Scottish Governments resilience room is also now operational, and the First Minister said she will convene a meeting this afternoon.

Train derails near Stonehaven in Aberdeenshire 1 /25 Train derails near Stonehaven in Aberdeenshire Derailed carriages are seen at the scene of the deadly train crash AFP via Getty Images AFP via Getty Images PA Sky News PA PA PA PA A major incident has been declared in Stonehaven after a train derailed BBC PA REUTERS AFP via Getty Images REUTERS AFP via Getty Images PA BBC BBC AFP via Getty Images

Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Labour leader Keir Starmer were among those to share messages of support on Twitter.

I am saddened to learn of the very serious incident in Aberdeenshire and my thoughts are with all of those affected," said Mr Johnson.

"My thanks to the emergency services at the scene.

Loading....

Scottish Conservative leader in Holyrood Ruth Davidson also expressed her partys sympathies with those involved in the derailment in Stonehaven.

She said: May I add the thoughts of my party to those already been expressed regarding the incident in Stonehaven today.

It is clear that this incident is serious and it will have affected a number of families across Scotland.

Flooding in Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire where a nearby train has derailed / PA

We think of them at this time and also those emergency workers who are currently in attendance.

West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine MP Andrew Bowie confirmed that the local hospital had declared a major incident.

Its obviously a terrible situation, a train derailment, the emergency services are on the scene," Mr Bowie said.

"Ive already spoken to Grant Shapps, who has spoken to Network Rail and the British Transport Police who are obviously investigating and assisting.

Stonehaven is served by ScotRail trains heading north to Aberdeen and south to Edinburgh and Glasgow / Sky News

I am aware that Aberdeen Royal Infirmary has declared a major incident.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said he met urgently with Network Rail for a briefing on the Stonehaven derailment.

British Transport Police & Network Rail are on location, along with rail workers who were nearby," said Mr Shapps on Twitter.

"The UK Government will provide every support. My thoughts are with those involved and their families.

A British Transport Police (BTP) spokesman added: Officers are currently responding to an incident on the line in Stonehaven.

We were called at 9.43am and are on scene alongside paramedics and the fire brigade.

The incident comes after heavy flooding was reported in the area.

Rail regulator the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) said it was sending an inspector to the Stonehaven accident site.

A spokesman said: Were aware of an incident involving a train derailment near Stonehaven.

Emergency services are in attendance and an ORR inspector will be attending.

We will work with Rail Accident Investigation Branch, British Transport Police and the emergency services to investigate the full circumstances of what has happened.

Mick Lynch, the assistant general secretary of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union added: RMT is aware of the major incident at Stonehaven and our reps are liaising directly at senior level with both Scotrail and Network Rail.

Our priority at this time is to support our members, their colleagues and their families and to do all that we can to assist the rescue operation which RMT members are currently involved in.

The facts behind this incident will need to be established in due course but at this stage we are focused on support and assistance and our thoughts are with all those impacted by this tragedy.

Stonehaven is served by ScotRail trains heading north to Aberdeen and south to Edinburgh and Glasgow. It is also a calling point for trains running between Montrose and Inverurie.
Trump's former national security advisor Michael Flynn departs a federal courthouse in Washington in 2019. (Patrick Semansky / Associated Press )

Its now pretty clear whats going to happen in the case  the saga  of Michael Flynn, President Trumps first national security advisor, who had to resign after only 23 days in office. Hell escape justice, at the presidents behest.

Charged by Special Counsel Robert S. Mueller III in November 2017 with lying to the FBI about his contacts with a Russian official, Flynn pleaded guilty and twice confirmed his guilt in detailed answers under oath to the court.

But with the case ready for sentencing, Atty. Gen. William Barr decided the prosecution should be dropped, a result the president had been calling for by tweet. On May 7, the Department of Justice filed a motion to dismiss the case, saying that conviction no longer served the interests of justice and suggesting that Flynns lies were essentially benign.

The career prosecutor on the case withdrew in protest; no prosecutors on the case would sign the motion. Their view, no doubt, is that the crimes Flynn confessed to are very serious. Former Deputy Atty. Gen. Sally Yates was on Capitol Hill last week explaining it again: Flynn cozied up to Russian officials behind the back of the Obama administration (which was still then in power), undermined U.S. Russian policy and then lied about it. His conduct was material to a counter-intelligence investigation, and it subjected him to the possibility of blackmail by a foreign power.

In response to the DOJs sudden change of heart about Flynn, District Court Judge Emmet G. Sullivan called for a hearing, and because the government no longer was presenting arguments against Flynn, he appointed another lawyer to take on that task. Rather than wait for the hearing, Flynns lawyer ran to the Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit to seek a mandamus order telling Sullivan to drop the case immediately.

A mandamus (literally we command, in Latin) writ short-circuits the normal course of legal proceedings, and for that reason courts of appeals wont grant it unless a party can show that the lower court is violating a clear and indisputable right and the harm cant be remedied on later appeal.

Story continues

A three-judge panel of the D.C. court first ruled for Flynn, in a 2-1 opinion written by Trump appointee Neomi Rao, and issued the mandamus. But the full circuit court voted to vacate that ruling and hear the case anew. That en banc hearing happened Tuesday.

Over four hours of questioning, the judges made it clear that Rao's opinion would be permanently consigned to the dustbin. Sullivan is entitled to convene a hearing on the dismissal; if the ruling goes against Flynn, he or the government could bring an appeal.

Even the lawyer representing the DOJs position, Acting Solicitor General Jeffrey Wall, appeared to recognize the strong current he was swimming against. Wall began to offer answers along the lines of, We think X, but if the court disagrees, it should still say Y in the opinion. The "Y" he wanted was language that would constrain Sullivan's room to maneuver in a hearing on the dismissal.

Wall argued that it would be improper to let Sullivan second-guess the departments reasons for seeking a dismissal (which Wall coyly suggested turned in part on nonpublic information) or to call witnesses. Instead, the hearing should focus only on the legal sufficiency of the governments motion to dismiss.

The judges sounded receptive. I expect them to decline to issue the mandamus but using words emphasizing that Sullivan has only a very narrow path forward.

Flynn could petition the Supreme Court to rule that the mandamus order was appropriate after all. If he and his lawyer are wise (something they havent consistently been in the course of the case), theyll take what the Court of Appeals offers instead. The Supreme Court would be very unlikely to take the case, and Flynn would remain in legal limbo while the case continued to drag on.

So Sullivans actions will have been vindicated, but he wont be able to stick his neck out too far. Unless the hearing in his courtroom produces something remarkable, he will probably grant the DOJs dismissal rather than risk getting slapped down on appeal.

The likely bottom line: Nearly three years after he pleaded guilty in a righteous prosecution, Flynn  a man who compromised U.S. national security and then lied about it  will walk.

As for the rest of us, well be shown once again that the best remedy for partisan and corrupt conduct at the Department of Justice is at the ballot box.

Or, as in Barrs ultra-cynical formulation: History is written by the winners.

@HarryLitman





Updates:

2:57 PM, Aug. 12, 2020: An earlier version of this article said Flynn was charged in March 2017; he was charged in November and pleaded guilty in December 2017.




(HealthDay)Gilead Sciences has applied to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for approval for its COVID-19 treatment, remdesivir. The antiviral drug will take the brand name Veklury, the company said.

"Today's filing is an important milestone as we continue to partner with the U.S. government and health care authorities around the globe to address the treatment needs of patients with COVID-19," Merdad Parsey, M.D., Ph.D., Gilead's chief medical officer, said in a statement.

At the moment, remdesivir is available on an emergency basis for hospitalized patients with severe COVID-19. If the FDA approves it, however, the drug will gain wider use. Remdesivir is already approved in Europe and Japan. The request for approval comes after the results of a phase 3 trial. The drug works by blocking the virus from copying itself. Trials of the drug showed that it can cut recovery time from COVID-19 by nearly a third.

"Since the beginning of the pandemic, Gilead has worked with urgency to establish the efficacy and safety profile of Veklury, and we now have a robust data set supporting the evaluation of use of the drug across a range of hospitalized COVID-19 patient populations," Parsey said.

Explore further Japan approves remdesivir for coronavirus treatment

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Copyright  2020 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
US Presidential candidate Joe Biden has named Indian American Kamala Harris as his vice presidential pick. The senator from California is in the race to become America's not only the first female but also the first 'Black' Vice President. With this decision, Biden aims to appeal to a broad coalition of voters, particularly women who have been leaning away from Donald Trump.

Announcing his decision, Biden tweeted, "I have the great honor to announce that I've picked Kamala Harris  a fearless fighter for the little guy, and one of the country's finest public servants  as my running mate."

For Harris, there's a lot of firsts. In addition to being the first Black woman on a major party's presidential ticket, she's also the first Indian American.

Her mother, Shyamala Gopalan, born in Chennai, was a widely respected breast cancer researcher who immigrated to the United States from India in the 1960s. Her father, Donald Harris, is an eminent economist who spent much of his career at Stanford University. Also an immigrant, he moved to the United States from Jamaica.

Also read: Joe Biden taps 'Indian-American' Kamala Harris to be first black woman Vice President

Similar to Former United States President Barack Obama, a mixed-race heritage has allowed Harris to connect across identities and reach multiple audiences and voting blocs. Her rise as the daughter of two immigrants also serves a powerful counter to Trump's anti-immigrant rhetoric and policies.

In a 2009 interview, Harris had said that besides her mother, her grandfather, TV Gopalan, was one of the most influential people in her life.

"My grandfather was one of the original Independence fighters in India. Some of my fondest memories from childhood were walking along the beach with him after he retired and lived in Besant Nagar, in what was then called Madras," she said.

Also read: Kamala Harris's Vice President nod: How people are reacting

The California senator further said that India has a great deal of influence on her politics. "India is the oldest democracy in the world. So that is part of my background, and without question, it has had a great deal of influence on what I do today and who I am," Harris told the reporter.

Harris herself was a presidential aspirant until last year before she dropped out of the race because of a lack of support. Interestingly, Harris had clashed with Biden during her run for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination against the latter. Harris dropped out of the race in December 2019 and endorsed Biden in March.

Despite their fiery debate, Biden has stated that he does not hold a grudge. Biden described Harris as a "first-rate intellect, a first-rate candidate, and a real competitor."

Also read: Kamala Harris 'meanest, most horrible', reacts Donald Trump at Joe Biden's vice presidential pick

Taking to Twitter, Harris said she was honored to join Biden on the ticket. "Joe Biden can unify the American people because hes spent his life fighting for us," she wrote.

Raised in Oakland and Berkeley California, Harris attended Howard University in Washington, D.C., and pursued a career in criminal justice before becoming only the second Black woman ever elected to the Senate.

After dropping out of the presidential race in December, Harris turned her attention back to the Senate and found new purpose during the nationwide protests against racism and police brutality that rocked the United States.

After George Floyd died at the hands of police in Minneapolis in May, Harris marched beside protesters and endorsed proposals to overhaul policing and make lynching a federal crime.

In a memoir published in 2019, Harris described herself as a "progressive prosecutor" and said it is a "false choice" to decide between supporting the police and advocating for greater scrutiny of law enforcement.

She gained further recognition after Ben Crump, Floyd's family's attorney, published an opinion article supporting her candidacy. "She's been a change agent at every level of government - local, state, and federal - for 30 years," Crump wrote.

Additionally, one of her biggest achievements in the eyes of civil rights activists was "Open Justice," an online portal that made a wide range of criminal justice data available to the public, including the number of deaths and injuries in police custody.

Also read: The Kamala Harris Pick: Geographic Balance Takes Back Seat to Gender, Race

Some experts believe that Harris is a demographic selection. "This is 1,000% a demographic selection, said Theodore R. Johnson, a senior fellow at the Brennan Center for Justice, who studies voting behavior among Black voters. He predicted that Harris would increase Black turnout.

Lis Smith, a Democratic strategist said that the notion that the selection would affect the electoral map was "the biggest myth of the veepstakes." But she said that Harris was still a politically potent choice.

With all the issues around systemic racism, its really important symbolically to have a Black woman on the ticket, Smith said, adding that "Its about understanding the moment that were in."
Synthetic antibodies that researchers believe neutralize the coronavirus have been created at UCSF and could be available for use in nose sprays or inhalers within a few months if clinical trials go well. They hope the development will be a game changer in the worldwide effort to halt the pandemic.

The tiny, engineered protein molecules, developed in two UCSF laboratories by a team of 60 scientists, including doctoral and graduate students, are modeled after super-strength antibodies found in llamas and camels.

Dubbed AeroNabs, the synthetic antibodies bind to and inactivate the infamous spike proteins that the coronavirus uses to penetrate and commandeer human cells, according to a study published as a preprint Monday on the open access site bioRxiv (pronounced bio-archive) but not yet peer reviewed.

Its like a mousetrap. It binds to the spike protein so tightly that it basically never lets go, said Peter Walter, a professor of biochemistry and biophysics at UCSF and co-inventor of the AeroNab molecules. Its a huge thing for us.

The molecules are smaller but stronger than the antibodies humans produce naturally as a response to SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. In this case, researchers said, they prevent the spike protein from opening up like a flower before it attaches to cells, halting the virus ability to bind to the ACE2 receptors on human cells.

Noah Berger / UCSF

Walter, who is also a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator, said the concoction that his team developed is so adaptable that it could be dried out and transported as a powder wherever it is needed around the world.

They are incredibly robust, Walter said. Its basically like an antibody, but its about one-tenth the size.

It was possible to create, he said, because there were already about 2 billion different synthetic molecules, or nanobodies, in databases. The UCSF team selected the best candidates and spent the past few months developing their specialized version.

The AeroNabs formulation is particularly valuable because it can be self-administered as a nasal spray or breathed in aerosol form through an inhaler. He estimated that protection would last in the lungs for about a day, so the treatment would have to be inhaled daily. It isnt yet clear how long a nasal spray would last, he said, but it would probably require a few applications a day.

The idea is to protect people from COVID-19 until a vaccine becomes available. At least 150 potential vaccines are being worked on by scientists at pharmaceutical companies, academic groups and government laboratories around the world.

The UCSF research team is in discussions with pharmaceutical companies and other potential commercial partners to ramp up manufacturing and clinical testing of AeroNabs. If successful, Walter said, the treatment could be available to the public as an over-the-counter medication in three or four months.

Their work is very exciting. It has a sound theoretical basis. It can be scaled very efficiently, said John Swartzberg, an infectious disease expert at the UC Berkeley School of Public Health who was not involved in the study. Of course, the major caveat is the question of its safety and efficacy. ... If this pans out, it will be a game changer.

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.

Robert Siegel, an infectious-disease specialist at Stanford University who is unaffiliated with the study, said the UCSF research is an example of the kinds of innovative technological advances inspired by the pandemic.

Noah Berger / UCSF

Ultra-high affinity synthetic nanobodies act in ways that are similar to some of the existing drugs for HIV, as well as some of our natural immunity to infection, Siegel said. However, they bring a number of potential advantages in terms of delivery, manufacture, stability, and remarkable specificity.

He cautioned against getting too excited, though, until the new drug is validated by randomized controlled clinical trials, and until potential side effects are ruled out.

Many scientists have also been critical of preprint publications, insisting that the information is so preliminary that they should not be taken seriously or regarded as definitive research.

Walter, the co-inventor of AeroNabs, said, Weve engineered these molecules to a stage that we think it is as good as can be. Our hope, our dream, is to bring the world back to a state of normalcy.

Peter Fimrite is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: pfimrite@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @pfimrite
Pro-life activist David Daleiden sues Kamala Harris, Planned Parenthood for conspiracy

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Investigative journalist David Daleiden has filed a lawsuit against Planned Parenthood and Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., accusing them and others of violating his civil rights.

Daleiden and his organization, the Center for Medical Progress, filed the suit in U.S. District Court for the Central District of California on Tuesday.

The suit concerns the treatment that Daleiden and others at CMP said they experienced after they released undercover videos in 2015 that show Planned Parenthood abortionists and other providers discussing methods they use to procure fetal tissue and intact organs and limbs to sell to research labs.

In addition to Harris and Planned Parenthood, the complaint also names California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, the National Abortion Federation, StemExpress and others as defendants.

In the complaint, Daleiden and CMP accuse the defendants of a brazen, unprecedented, and ongoing conspiracy to selectively use Californias video recording laws as a political weapon to silence disfavored speech.

Daleiden became the first journalist ever to be criminally prosecuted under Californias recording law  because his investigation revealed and he published shock[ing] content that Californias Attorney General and the private party coconspirators wanted to cover up, the suit argues.

Defendants seek their pound of flesh from Mr. Daleiden and to chill other journalists from investigating and reporting on that same content.

Harris, who served as attorney general of California from 2011-2017 and recently ran as a Democratic candidate for president, was specifically accused of refusing to investigate their claims against Planned Parenthood due to her own ties to the organization. Instead, she announced that she planned to prosecute Daleiden.

Soon after, Harris ordered the 2016 raid on Daleiden's apartment where his laptop, hard drives and yet-to-be released undercover videos were seized.

That same year, Harris also used her Senate campaign website to encourage supporters to sign a petition in support of Planned Parenthood after Republican members of Congress warned they'd be investigating the abortion business following the release of CMP's series of undercover videos.

Planned Parenthood and other abortion groups have donated tens of thousands of dollars to the political campaigns of AG Harris and AG Becerra and provided significant other political assistance, Daleiden's complaint adds. It was this special patronage relationship and the political interests and viewpoints it was built around ... that led Defendants Harris and Becerra to seek to punish the content of Plaintiffs speech.

Harmeet K. Dhillon, lead counsel for the pro-life activists, said in a statement released Wednesday that federal civil rights statutes were enacted in the wake of the darkest periods in our nations history.

They are well-suited for the current civil rights crisis we face, a time when powerful politicians allow their special interest patrons to custom-order prosecutions that violate fundamental constitutional rights, Dhillon said.

Since 2015, Daleiden and other people connected to CMP and its undercover videos have found themselves facing several legal battles, including criminal charges for their undercover activism.

In 2017, Becerra announced an arrest warrant for Daleiden that included 15 criminal charges, including unlawful use of forged identities to covertly record their discussions at public conferences and meetings.

The right to privacy is a cornerstone of Californias Constitution, and a right that is foundational in a free democratic society, Becerra said at the time. We will not tolerate the criminal recording of confidential conversations.

Last month, U.S. District Judge William Orrick of the Northern District of California released an order compelling Daleiden and CMP to pay more than $1.2 million in damages to Planned Parenthood.

In addition to issuing an injunction banning those named from attending Planned Parenthood events, Orrick also found them liable for large sums of money, including $1,259,370 in damages related to the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, plus other damages and attorneys fees.

 the illegal and fraudulent prongs of the UCL are satisfied given the jurys verdict that defendants engaged in numerous illegal and fraudulent acts in California and emanating from California, against California-based plaintiffs and others, committed in violation of California law, Federal law, and the laws of other jurisdictions, Orrick wrote.
(Alliance News) - New Zealand has complained about the lack of progress in trade talks with the UK, claiming the government was not "match fit" for the negotiations.

Winston Peters, New Zealand's deputy prime minister, said he was "very frustrated" with the progress made on a post-Brexit deal.

He said the UK's membership of the EU a which dealt with trade policy a meant it was not ready to engage properly in negotiations once it was able to pursue independent agreements.

"We've had to look offshore for a long time and so we are seriously match fit when it comes to that, in a way that I don't believe that the UK is, because the UK has been locked up in the EU all these years," he said.

"And in terms of their trading skills and finesse and their firepower a without being critical a they've never had an outing lately.

"They've never had a test, so to speak. It's like coming into an Ashes contest when you haven't played for 30 years a it's the same thing in the UK when it comes to this."

He added: "Here we are out here in the South Pacific, ourselves and Australia, and we believe we're totally match fit and ready to go.

"We just need the British to realise that you can do more than one deal at a time."

He suggested that Theresa May's government had allowed "inertia" to set in while focused on Brexit.

"Where you have a decision to leave the EU and you don't have leading the exiting party, a prime minister committed to the departure it's somewhat predictable that inertia would set in.

"And that's what we've been witnessing from our part of the world until Boris (Johnson) turned up."

A second round of trade talks with New Zealand is planned for October after initial negotiations in July.

Peters' comments come after it emerged talks on a UK-Japan trade deal had hit a snag over the treatment of Stilton cheese.

Ministers had hoped to secure a series of trade agreements with countries around the world to demonstrate the benefits of Brexit.

By David Hughes, PA Political Editor

source: PA

Copyright 2020 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
One of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell's alleged victims is asking his estate for more than $25million in compensation, court documents reveal.

The unnamed woman, who claims Epstein recruited her aged 13 and abused her for five years, says the amount is to reflect 'significant past and future pain and suffering'.

She claims to have suffered extensive 'emotional distress and loss of enjoyment of life' after enduring 'horrific' rapes and sexual assaults at the hands of Epstein.

The request for compensation 'in excess' of $25million is one of the first numbers to emerge for individual claims against Epstein's estate.

Given that there are more than 100 potential claimants already, a sizable portion of his $650million estate looks set to be handed over in compensation.

An alleged victim of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell is seeking more than $25million in compensation from the late pedophile's estate

The woman's lawsuit says that Epstein and Maxwell recruited her in the summer of 1994 at the Interlochen Arts Camp in Michigan where she studied voice (pictured)

The sum is not what the woman is seeking from the compensation fund, which is being administered independently of the estate.

Instead it is what she is seeking from Epstein's estate in a civil lawsuit she has brought against it.

The lawsuit is one of the few still in progress as most others have been stayed.

While the women do not have to stay their cases to take part in the compensation scheme, they do have to do so in order to get a payout.

The figure emerged in a filing by Mary Grace Metcalfe, an attorney with New York based law firm Troutman Sanders, which is representing Epstein's estate.

She said that the woman stated in documents provided to the estate that her 'damages are in excess of $25,000,000'.

The filing stated: 'That computation is based upon the damages caused by decedent Jeffrey E. Epstein to Plaintiff as a result of repeated and malicious acts of sexual abuse, including rape, committed against Plaintiff.

'As a result of this repeated and horrific sexual abuse committed by Decedent Epstein on Plaintiff, Plaintiff has suffered significant past and future pain and suffering, emotional distress and loss of enjoyment of life.

The woman's lawsuit says that Epstein and Maxwell, his alleged 'madam', recruited her in the summer of 1994 at the Interlochen Arts Camp in Michigan where she was in voice training.

Epstein 'started to slowly display his pedophilic ways when shopping with Doe and Maxwell. Instead of letting Doe pick out clothes she wanted to wear, Epstein insisted that she pick out and wear little children's cotton underwear', the lawsuit says.

The unnamed woman is suing Jeffrey Epstein's estate and claims that he took her to Mar-a-Lago when she was 14 and was showed to Donald Trump. Trump, Melania, Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell are pictured at a party at Mar-a-Lago in 2000

The woman, known as Jane Doe in the suit, claims that she was just 14 when she went to Trump's Mar-a-Lago with Epstein

The first abuse happened in a pool house when Epstein pulled the girl onto his lap and masturbated.

The attacks escalated to more serious sexual assaults and rapes which took place at his mansions in Palm Beach, New York and his New Mexico ranch.

The court papers claim Epstein introduced her to Donald Trump when she was 14 years old and said: 'This is a good one, right?'

The lawsuit claims that the President 'smiled and nodded in agreement'.

During a hearing at Manhattan's Federal Court last week both sides said they have been unable to agree on a way forward and Magistrate Judge Debra Freeman told them to figure it out.

Judge Freeman raised the prospect of staying the case like the others but Robert Glassman, one of the woman's lawyers, said that it wasn't in his client's interests to do so.

In addition to the executors of Epstein's estate the woman names Maxwell as a defendant.

The 58-year-old British socialiate has pleaded not guilty to six counts of sex trafficking and perjury and is due to stand trial next year.

The compensation fund is being run by Jordy Feldman who will be assisted by Kenneth Feinberg and Camille Biros who have between them worked on compensation schemes for the victims of the September 11 attacks and abuse by the Catholic church priests.

The unnamed woman's claims were made in a civil lawsuit obtained by DailyMail.com

Among those who have stayed their civil lawsuits so they can get a payout is Maria Farmer.

She alleges that Epstein and Maxwell molested her at his home in Ohio in 1996.

She complained to the FBI but her allegations were not followed up and Epstein was free to abuse hundreds more victims.

Farmer was recently diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma and her friends set up an online fundraiser to pay for her medical costs which raised $89,000.

Another high profile compensation fund - the proposed one for Harvey Weinstein's dozens of victims - recently collapsed after some of them rejected it.

The proposed $25million - less than this one single victim is seeking in the Epstein case - was branded 'insulting' by lawyers for Weinstein's victims.

A spokesman for the Epstein compensation fund said in a statement: 'The program has sent claim forms to over 100 potential claimants, and over 25 claims have already been filed.

'The review process is underway for those filed claims, including meetings for claimants who wish to discuss their claims with the administrator'.

Glassman and Kevin Boyle, another of the woman's lawyers, did not respond to requests for comment.
SAN DIEGO, Aug. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- B2B marketing agency, Bop Design, was recently named to the 2020 Inc. 5000 List as 3900 on the elite list. According to the co-founding entrepreneurs of the agency, Kara Jensen and Jeremy Durant, they are thrilled to achieve such a prestigious honor, especially during such a challenging time.

The yearly Inc. 5000 guide highlights the 5,000 fastest-growing privately held companies in the U.S. and how they fostered their growth. The Inc. 5000 list has long been considered a benchmark for an entrepreneur's success. Headquartered in San Diego, CA, Bop Design was listed as 3900 on this year's Inc. 5000 list.

"We founded our B2B web design and marketing agency right after the recession in 2008, so we are no strangers to searching for resiliency in lean times. Our hope is that the entrepreneurial spirit will help find a vaccine for COVID-19, restore our economy, and help everyone through this time," said Kara Jensen, creative principal and co-founder of Bop Design. "We are excited to be recognized on the Inc. 5000 list for 2020. We consider it a huge honor and validation for all the time and energy we have poured into our business."

As the Inc. 5000 website states, entrepreneurs are a key influence over the economy and "finding success in adversity is the fuel to keep going, reaching, and lifting us all higher." Touted as the most prestigious award in business, Inc. 5000 highlights privately owned, independent American companies that have experienced fast growth over the previous 3 years.

"Our flourishing economy seemed to change instantly in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In the current economic climate, many entrepreneurial organizations are being put to the test, and we are all looking for ways to survive and focus on the future," said Jeremy Durant, business principal and co-founder of the B2B marketing agency. "Earning this recognition, especially in the current economy, is a truly special honor. Being on this list is a validation of all the hard work and ongoing dedication to our clients."

About Bop Design: Bop Design is a global B2B marketing and web design agency, founded and headquartered in San Diego, CA. Bop Design is a boutique agency working exclusively with B2B firms on web design, marketing, and content marketing projects.

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Katie Price joked that she looked like a James Bond villain as she showed off her terrifying metal teeth in her latest YouTube video.

The former glamour model, 42, flew to Turkey earlier this month to get a new set of veneers put in and compared herself to Jaws who appeared in The Spy Who Loved Me and Moonraker.

Katie, who is known for her mega watt smile, documented the procedure and wasn't afraid to show how her teeth which had been shaved down to pegs to attach to the veneers.

Not so glam: Katie Price joked that she looked like a James Bond villain as she showed off her metal teeth in her latest YouTube video

Brandishing her metal teeth, Katie said: 'I'm feeling good. Just numb. I look like something out of James Bond. The man with metal teeth', before doing a sinister laugh.

The television personality's boyfriend Carl Woods was also filmed lying in the dentist's chair as he got his own set of veneers fitted.

During their dental date Katie and Carl appeared to be in good spirits, with the mother-of-five telling her fans that her mouth was completely numb.

Katie tapped her lips and face to show that she had no feeling during the procedure and even tried to whistle.

Different look: The former glamour model jetted to Turkey with Carl and her children Junior, 15, and Princess, 13, earlier this month to undergo 'his and hers teeth'

'Just like a villain!': While in the dentist's chair, Katie compared her pre-veneers look to Jaws who appeared The Spy Who Loved Me and Moonraker

Earlier this month, Katie joked about the condition of her teeth. She said to the camera: 'I love it when you talk dirty to me' as she sat in the dentist chair.

Joking about the condition of her teeth, Katie said to the camera: 'I love it when you talk dirty to me' as she sat in the dentist chair.

The former glamour model jetted to Turkey with Carl and her children Junior, 15, and Princess, 13, earlier this month to undergo 'his and hers teeth'.

A source told The Sun: 'Katie has had problems with her veneers for years, so she's getting them done again soon - and Carl is coming too.

'He's paying for his own, though - Carl's got his own money.'

Treatment: Katie filmed the process, which she had at the same time as beau Carl

Work in progress: The mother-of-five's YouTube video showed the dentist shaving down her teeth so that the veneers could be fitted

Can't feel a thing: Katie explained how her mouth was completely numb as she shared her peg teeth and compared herself to Jaws from James Bond

Katie shared a picture of herself wearing a tooth mould in a dental chair to her Instagram during her holiday.

She wrote: 'Here it goes @dental_centre_turkey a brand new colour and new teeth' followed by a tooth emoji.

The reality star has been on a quest for a perfect smile for years, and in 2017, her first set of teeth left her with a mouth full of ulcers and unable to speak.

Pearly whites: Katie flew to Turkey to have matching his and hers veneers with her boyfriend Carl Woods (pictured just before her holiday)

Unrecognisable: The television personality looked dramatically different as she talked to the camera after having her pearly whites taken off in Turkey

In 2019, Katie jetted off to Turkey once again with ex Kris Boyson where they both received matching 7,000 veneers.

Katie broke both of her feet and ankles in a freak accident while on holiday in Turkey last month, and is awaiting crucial surgery which will help her on the long road of recovery.

The star was pushed by Carl into the hospital on Wednesday where she had a coronavirus test to see if she could be operated on later in the week.

Smile: In a teaser clip for her upcoming YouTube video, Katie documented the process of getting her new veneers put in

Crude: Joking about the condition of her teeth, Katie said to the camera: 'I love it when you talk dirty to me' as she sat in the dentist chair

It comes as reports say Katie has been warned by doctors she 'must take her recovery seriously or she could risk losing a leg'.

The reality star is now said to have been left 'terrified' by her surgeon's stark warning.

A source told The Sun: 'Katie's doctors have warned her she must take her recovery seriously and it's left her terrified.

'She's prone to getting infections after operations, and her surgeon says she could lose a leg if her feet get infected.

New look: The couple were spotted leaving a dental surgery in Turkey on Tuesday after getting 'his and her' teeth

Dental work: A source said: 'Katie has had problems with her veneers for years, so she's getting them done again soon - and Carl is coming too'

'She'll have to be so, so careful - she'll have medical professionals on call 24/7 - and change the dressings regularly. She's got a long road ahead of her.'

When contacted by MailOnline, a representative for the star said : 'Katie I can confirm will be undergoing major surgery this week to correct her injuries sustained on her recent holiday to Turkey.'

Katie recently explained she broke her ankles and feet during a 'silly accident' while on holiday with her beau and her children Princess, 13, and Junior, 15.

Oh dear: The holiday hasn't been plain sailing after the mother-of-five suffered a nasty fall and broke her feet and ankles

Taking to her YouTube channel, the star explained: 'Silly me, at my age, should calm things down. Basically, silly little accident. I was running and jumped over a wall, as it was a little shortcut, and didn't really judge the height.

'I just sort of fell funny on my ankles and I fractured the hairline on my heels and stuff. The hospital here wanted to operate and wanted to put pins in and stuff. Because I'm away, I'd rather wait until I get home.'

She continued: 'It's the most painful thing ever. Like when I was trying to put the cast on, I was screaming in pain. They said I won't be able to walk for three to six months.'

Shock injury: Katie has to have an operation and pins placed in her feet
(Natural News) NewsBusters was among the first to call Antifas terroristic siege of the federal courthouse in Portland, Oregon what it was: an attempt to commit murder by trapping federal agents inside and burning it to the ground. But last Thursday, Democratic Mayor Ted Wheeler, who had joined the rioters on the front lines, backpedaled hard and echoed the obvious, saying, You are attempting to commit murder. To that condemnation, the broadcast networks were silent; when only weeks earlier they were boosting the rioters as standing up to Trump.

(Article by Nicholas Fondacaro republished from NewsBusters.org)

Back on July 23, this author documented how coverage of the Portland riots largely evaporated on evening newscasts of ABC, CBS, and NBC. They didnt want viewers to know that rioters they had been touting for days had barricaded federal officers inside the courthouse and tried to set it on fire.

While the broadcast networks refused to share Wheelers new condemnation for the violence, Fox News Channels Special Report didnt shy away on Friday. Chief correspondent Jonathan Hunt shared this soundbite of the Mayor:

When you commit arson with an accelerant in an attempt to burn down a building that is occupied by people that you have intentionally trapped inside, you are not demonstrating. You are attempting to commit murder.

There have now been 70 consecutive nights of protests that began as a Black Lives Matter outcry over the killing of George Floyd, but how now, according to the mayor of Portland, completely lost sight of that cause, Hunt said. According to Portland police, the protesters also threw rocks, bottles, and other projectiles at officers.

With the network evening newscasts moaning about a large rally of freedom-loving bikers happening in South Dakota over the weekend, they refused to cover how a new group of leftist extremists was taking to Portlands streets. According to Hunts reporting, they went by the very communist sounding name, Pacific Northwest Youth Liberation Front and their slogan was No cops, no prisons, total abolition.

So, much for the networks June gaslighting and Orwellian doublespeak about what defund the police actually means.

In wrapping up his report, Hunt recalled that Wheeler had blamed the violence on the federal officers guarding the courthouse. Mayor Wheeler had hoped that the violence might dissipate after federal agents, whose presence he had decried as causing some of the most intense clashes, were largely withdrawn from Portland streets last week. At this point, that seems to have been, at best, wishful thinking, he quipped.

By Monday, Washington Examiner homeland security reporter Anna Giaritelli wrote: A senior official at the Department of Homeland Security claimed a federal courthouse would have been burned down if federal police had not been there to defend it from rioters.

Thats who the networks sided with in the literal war on the streets of Portland.

The networks refusal to share Mayor Wheelers condemnation of attempted murder was made possible because of lucrative sponsorships from GEICO on ABC, Amazon on CBS, and ADT Security Services on NBC. Their contact information is linked if you want to tell them about what theyre funding. CBS Evening News has also asked people to text anchor Norah ODonnell at this number: (202) 217-1107.

The transcript is below, click expand to read:
By PTI

NEW DELHI: The Congress said Tuesday that the crisis in Rajasthan is a "closed chapter" and all legislators supporting its government will work towards strengthening Rajasthan and fighting COVID-19 and other economic calamities.

Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala credited former party chief Rahul Gandhi for his vision in helping resolve the crisis in Rajasthan, after he intervened and assured rebel Sachin Pilot and MLAs close to him of redressal of their grievances.

"It is a close chapter and I would not like to comment further on the same.

I would only say, we will all work together including Pilot and all the 18 MLAs who have gone, including Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot.

ALSO READ: Sachin Pilot back in Jaipur, says there shouldn't be any vendetta politics

"All our legislators as also those who were supporting our Government will work in strengthening Rajasthan and in fighting COVID and other economic calamities and as they say - 'All's well that ends well'," he told reporters.

Surjewala said after yesterday's meeting of Pilot with Gandhi, in whose leadership he reposed complete and total faith, he has resolved to work with the Congress government in Rajasthan and for strengthening the party in the state, along with all the MLAs who were temporarily annoyed.

The Congress leader said the entire country witnessed as to how after 30 days the political events of Rajasthan have come to a close.

This, he said, is indeed a victory for the 8 crore Rajasthanis as also all the Congress legislators and well-wishers.

He said this was made possible by the vision and belief of Gandhi in carrying all Congress leaders together bereft of any differences of opinion that they may have.

The resolution of the crisis was also helped by the cooperation and assistance given by Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, the Congress leader said, thanking Gehlot for showing maturity.

"This is also a befitting reply to BJP and its conspirators who despite having been rejected by the people of Rajasthan, were seeking to form a BJP government despite being in minority," he said.

Surjewala said the BJP is "badly divided" into various groups that they could not call a meeting of the legislature party and finally called three chartered planes to take their MLAs away.

On the exchange of language during the crisis, Surjewala admitted that some "hot words" were exchanged and some bitterness was caused.

The political crisis in Rajasthan Congress ended on Monday after a meeting of Pilot with Gandhi and later the MLAs met top Congress leaders and were assured that their grievances would be redressed in a time-bound manner.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi also announced the formation of a three-member Committee that would hear the grievances of rebel leaders.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-12 13:37:31|Editor: huaxia

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People wearing face masks walk on a street in downtown Auckland, New Zealand, Aug. 12, 2020. New Zealand's largest city Auckland resumed COVID-19 Alert Level 3 on Wednesday for three days, with the rest of the country going to Level 2 after four cases of community transmission were confirmed on Tuesday. (Photo by Li Qiaoqiao/Xinhua)

WELLINGTON, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand's largest city Auckland resumed COVID-19 Alert Level 3 on Wednesday for three days, with the rest of the country going to Level 2 after four cases of community transmission were confirmed on Tuesday.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern told a press conference that no new positive tests were related to the four confirmed community cases.

After 102 days without community transmission in the country, New Zealand announced the four local transmissions that were acquired from an unknown source. They were the first cases outside of managed isolation after the country announced initial success in controlling the virus.

The cases were within one family living in South Auckland. The family has no history of international travels.

Six family members who reside in the same household have been tested, with three of them returning positive results and three returning negative, said Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield, adding the two workplaces related to one of the four cases were closed.

The cases were not linked to foreign travelers or frontline people working at the border, Ardern said, calling on New Zealanders to be "precautionary."

"These three days will give us time to assess the situation, gather information, make sure we have widespread contact tracing," Ardern said.
The logo of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) at the headquarters.

OPEC said on Wednesday that world oil demand will fall more steeply in 2020 than previously forecast due to the pandemic and there were uncertainties about next year's recovery.

World oil demand will fall by 9.06 million barrels per day (bpd) this year, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries said in a monthly report, more than the 8.95 million bpd decline expected a month ago.

Oil prices have collapsed as the coronavirus curtailed travel and economic activity. While some countries have eased lockdowns allowing demand to recover, concern over new outbreaks has kept a lid on prices and OPEC expects this to persist.

"Crude and product price developments in the second half of 2020 will continue to be impacted by concerns over a second wave of infections and higher global stocks," OPEC said in the report.

OPEC stuck to its forecast that in 2021 oil demand would rebound by 7 million bpd but said the view was subject to large uncertainties that may result in "a negative impact on petroleum consumption," such as demand for air travel, more fuel-efficient cars and more competition from other fuels.

"Almost all forecasters expect jet fuel in 2021 to struggle making up for lost demand," OPEC said. "Gasoline demand will face pressure to return to 2019 levels."

To tackle the drop in demand, OPEC and its allies, known as OPEC+, agreed to a record supply cut of 9.7 million bpd that started on May 1, while the United States and other nations said they would pump less.

In the report, OPEC said its output rose by 980,000 bpd to 23.17 million bpd in July, largely because Saudi Arabia and other Gulf members ended extra voluntary cuts they had made in June.

That amounted to 97% compliance with the pledges, according to a Reuters calculation - lower than June's figure of well above 100%.
Photo by SERGEI GAPON/AFP via Getty Images

MOSCOWA day after declaring victory in a presidential election in Belarus, leading opposition candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya fled the country for Lithuania and released two video messages to her supporters under apparent duress.

On Monday, the 37-year-old Tikhonovskayawho had refused to concede victory to President Alexander Lukashenko in what critics called a rigged election in his favordisappeared for several hours inside the building of the official central election commission, where she filmed the videos calling for protesters to stop contesting the results. She said she was a weak woman, and hinted at an ultimatum, adding, Many will judge me now and some will hate meGod forbids you ever face the choice I had to make. Not a single life is worth what is happening now; children are the main thing we have in life.

After Sundays election, the Belarusian Central Election commission declared the preliminary results in favor of the longtime leader, Lukashenko, with 80.2 percent for him and 9.9 percent for Tikhanovskaya, despite widespread opposition to his rule. Also on Sunday, the countrys internet went down as Lukashenko declared victory.

Protesters flooded the center of the capital, Minsk, in support of Tikhanovskaya. Police and soldiers, armed with submachine guns, brutally cracked down on the opposition with rubber bullets. One person died in an explosion on Pritytskogo Street. People brought flowers to the place of his death on Tuesday.

I tried to help put a wounded person into an ambulance, when OMON [police special forces] hit me with a club on the head, Roman, a severely injured young protester, remembered Monday night.

More than 3,000 protesters were detained on Sunday and Monday, with dozens suffering severe injuries. I can hear constant blasts of stun grenades all over the city center. The majority of protesters look very young, 18- to 25-year olds; police grab them, drag them out of the crowd, they especially target people wrapped in national flags or those wearing T-shirts with opposition slogans, Tanya Lokshina, associate director for Human Rights Watchs Europe and Central Asia division, told The Daily Beast. Our iPhones are useless, we cannot use social media, cannot open any websites; there are no vehicles in the streets, only police trucks and buses, Lokshina said, describing the scene to The Daily Beast in a phone interview.

Story continues

Police also appeared to deliberately target groups of journalists wearing PRESS vests. A local reporter, Natallya Lubneuskaya, got shot with an unknown munition at the protests and an ambulance took her away. She could not feel her leg, her editor at Nasha Niva, the Belarusian major newspaper, reported.

By Tuesday, at least four major factories also went on strike to protest violence and rigged elections. Protests also took place in towns and villages outside of the capital, with people chanting, Tikhanovskaya is our president, our symbol!

Belarusian independent media portal tut.by reports that Tikhonovskaya agreed to leave the country in exchange for the freedom of Maria Moroz, her campaign manager. Moroz had been previously arrested on Election Day, on Sunday. It was typical for Belarusian KGB to threaten Lukashenkos major opponent with prison, her sons or her husbands deathhe had put all his key competitors in prison for decades, Pavel Marinich, an exiled Belarusian politician based in Lithuania, told The Daily Beast.

He knew too well what he was talking about. Pavels father, former presidential candidate Mikhail Marinich, spent three and a half years in prison, where he suffered a cerebral stroke. Now well have an elected president in exile just like in Venezuela. Right now, our newly elected Mrs. President Tikhanovskaya is asleep, she is tired; as soon as she wakes up, she will pronounce the new presidential administration and government, Marinich added.

The situation in Belarus remains volatile. An IT expert, Kirill Golub, who has supported the opposition, went missing late on Monday night, his wife told Belsat news agency. Every day at around 6 or 7 p.m. people come out to declare their votes have been stolen, for that they get shot, blown upOMON has never in Belarusian history fired at people in the past, Andrei Lyankevich, a Belarusian photographer and teacher, told The Daily Beast in a phone interview from Minsk.

Young Belarusian protesters with bleeding faces, maimed and wounded, gave interviews and filmed each other on smart phones and posted on VPNs, which in spite of all efforts by Belarusian internet censors continued to work. Left without their leaders, the civil society demonstrated a remarkable ability for self-organization.

Images of wounded, unconscious protesters leaked out through VPN and messenger apps, fueling public anger. Tikhanovskaya is our symbol, we thank her for the campaign, but we realize Lukashenko keeps her husband a prisoner, a hostage, Belarusian observer Irina Khalip told The Daily Beast. People will continue coming to the streets and squares without her. The protest movement will continue without her and strikes, as a new form of protest, will be even more effective.

While European politicians discussed the return of economic sanctions on Belarus, which were lifted in 2016, leaders of Russia and China congratulated Lukashenko with victory. Russian officials often praise Belarus for being a comfortable buffer zone against NATO, a Russian-speaking ally, a transit territory for Russian goods. But even Russian politicians seemed shocked to see the chaos and violence in Belarus. Belarus is ready to end Lukashenkos regime, people are tired of you, Alexander Grigoryevich, leave, Vladimir Zhirinovsky, Russian parliaments deputy speaker, said on Monday. It is better for us to have an open enemy than a pretending friend.

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The Ministry of Aviation has revoked the directive on the cessation of carriage of cargo without manifest and airway bills issued by the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA).

In a letter dated July 30, 2020, the then Director General of the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) directed aircraft operators to cease carriage of cargo bags without accompanying cargo manifest and airway bill into Ghana or risk not being permitted for clearance at the Kotoka International Airport.

But Aviation Minister, Joseph Kofi Adda, in a letter dated August 11, 2020 and addressed to the Acting Director General of GCAA, noted the revocation of the directive.

In his letter, the Minister asked the GCAA management to consult with key stakeholders in the industry before possibly reintroducing the directive.

The letter was made available to DGN Online by its source at the Aviation Ministry.

According to the letter, the Ministry is of the view that, notwithstanding the provision in the National Air Cargo and Mail Security Programme (NACMSP) such major decision requires consultation with key stakeholders in the sector, especially when the practice has been going on in years past in the full glare of the GCAA and other service providers.

It added that it is also to be noted that the timing of the Directive is not appropriate as the sector is already struggling due to the Covid-19 pandemic and this would further exacerbate the problems faced by the airline industry, especially as many of the imported products involved are PPEs to support the Governments fight to contain the pandemic.

---Daily Guide
With President Trump now saying he will block $25 billion in emergency funding for the U.S. Postal Service (USPS), or even $3.5 billion in supplemental funding tied to the November election, Democrats are hitting back, claiming his efforts amount to voter suppression and worse.
ALMA sees most distant Milky Way look-alike

Astronomers using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), in which the European Southern Observatory (ESO) is a partner, have revealed an extremely distant and therefore very young galaxy that looks surprisingly like our Milky Way. The galaxy is so far away its light has taken more than 12 billion years to reach us: we see it as it was when the Universe was just 1.4 billion years old. It is also surprisingly unchaotic, contradicting theories that all galaxies in the early Universe were turbulent and unstable. This unexpected discovery challenges our understanding of how galaxies form, giving new insights into the past of our Universe.

"This result represents a breakthrough in the field of galaxy formation, showing that the structures that we observe in nearby spiral galaxies and in our Milky Way were already in place 12 billion years ago," says Francesca Rizzo, PhD student from the Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics in Germany, who led the research published today in Nature. While the galaxy the astronomers studied, called SPT0418-47, doesn't appear to have spiral arms, it has at least two features typical of our Milky Way: a rotating disc and a bulge, the large group of stars packed tightly around the galactic centre. This is the first time a bulge has been seen this early in the history of the Universe, making SPT0418-47 the most distant Milky Way look-alike.

"The big surprise was to find that this galaxy is actually quite similar to nearby galaxies, contrary to all expectations from the models and previous, less detailed, observations," says co-author Filippo Fraternali, from the Kapteyn Astronomical Institute, University of Groningen in the Netherlands. In the early Universe, young galaxies were still in the process of forming, so researchers expected them to be chaotic and lacking the distinct structures typical of more mature galaxies like the Milky Way.

Studying distant galaxies like SPT0418-47 is fundamental to our understanding of how galaxies formed and evolved. This galaxy is so far away we see it when the Universe was just 10% of its current age because its light took 12 billion years to reach Earth. By studying it, we are going back to a time when these baby galaxies were just beginning to develop.

Because these galaxies are so far away, detailed observations with even the most powerful telescopes are almost impossible as the galaxies appear small and faint. The team overcame this obstacle by using a nearby galaxy as a powerful magnifying glass -- an effect known as gravitational lensing -- allowing ALMA to see into the distant past in unprecedented detail. In this effect, the gravitational pull from the nearby galaxy distorts and bends the light from the distant galaxy, causing it to appear misshapen and magnified.

The gravitationally lensed, distant galaxy appears as a near-perfect ring of light around the nearby galaxy, thanks to their almost exact alignment. The research team reconstructed the distant galaxy's true shape and the motion of its gas from the ALMA data using a new computer modelling technique. "When I first saw the reconstructed image of SPT0418-47 I could not believe it: a treasure chest was opening," says Rizzo.

"What we found was quite puzzling; despite forming stars at a high rate, and therefore being the site of highly energetic processes, SPT0418-47 is the most well-ordered galaxy disc ever observed in the early Universe," stated co-author Simona Vegetti, also from the Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics. "This result is quite unexpected and has important implications for how we think galaxies evolve." The astronomers note, however, that even though SPT0418-47 has a disc and other features similar to those of spiral galaxies we see today, they expect it to evolve into a galaxy very different from the Milky Way, and join the class of elliptical galaxies, another type of galaxies that, alongside the spirals, inhabit the Universe today.

This unexpected discovery suggests the early Universe may not be as chaotic as once believed and raises many questions on how a well-ordered galaxy could have formed so soon after the Big Bang. This ALMA finding follows the earlier discovery announced in May of a massive rotating disc seen at a similar distance. SPT0418-47 is seen in finer detail, thanks to the lensing effect, and has a bulge in addition to a disc, making it even more similar to our present-day Milky Way than the one studied previously.

Future studies, including with ESO's Extremely Large Telescope, will seek to uncover how typical these 'baby' disc galaxies really are and whether they are commonly less chaotic than predicted, opening up new avenues for astronomers to discover how galaxies evolved.

###

More information

This research was presented in the paper "A dynamically cold disk galaxy in the early Universe" to appear in Nature (doi: 10.1038/s41586-020-2572-6).

The team is composed of F. Rizzo (Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics, Garching, Germany [MPA]), S. Vegetti (MPA), D. Powell (MPA), F. Fraternali (Kapteyn Astronomical Institute, University of Groningen, the Netherlands), J. P. McKean (Kapteyn Astronomical Institute and ASTRON, Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy), H. R. Stacey (MPA, Kapteyn Astronomical Institute and ASTRON, Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy) and S. D. M. White (MPA).

ESO is the foremost intergovernmental astronomy organisation in Europe and the world's most productive ground-based astronomical observatory by far. It has 16 Member States: Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, along with the host state of Chile and with Australia as a Strategic Partner. ESO carries out an ambitious programme focused on the design, construction and operation of powerful ground-based observing facilities enabling astronomers to make important scientific discoveries. ESO also plays a leading role in promoting and organising cooperation in astronomical research. ESO operates three unique world-class observing sites in Chile: La Silla, Paranal and Chajnantor. At Paranal, ESO operates the Very Large Telescope and its world-leading Very Large Telescope Interferometer as well as two survey telescopes, VISTA working in the infrared and the visible-light VLT Survey Telescope. Also at Paranal ESO will host and operate the Cherenkov Telescope Array South, the world's largest and most sensitive gamma-ray observatory. ESO is also a major partner in two facilities on Chajnantor, APEX and ALMA, the largest astronomical project in existence. And on Cerro Armazones, close to Paranal, ESO is building the 39-metre Extremely Large Telescope, the ELT, which will become "the world's biggest eye on the sky".

Links

* Research paper - https:/ / www. eso. org/ public/ archives/ releases/ sciencepapers/ eso2013/ eso2013a. pdf

* Photos of ALMA - https:/ / www. eso. org/ public/ images/ archive/ category/ alma/

* For scientists: got a story? Pitch your research - http://eso. org/ sci/ publications/ announcements/ sciann17277. html

Contacts

Francesca Rizzo

Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics

Garching bei Munchen, Germany

Tel: +49 89 30000 2216

Email: frizzo@MPA-Garching.MPG.DE

Simona Vegetti

Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics

Garching bei Munchen, Germany

Tel: +49 89 30000 2285

Email: svegetti@MPA-Garching.MPG.DE

Filippo Fraternali

Kapteyn Astronomical Institute, University of Groningen

Groningen, the Netherlands

Tel: +31-(0)50-3634055

Email: fraternali@astro.rug.nl

Barbara Ferreira

ESO Public Information Officer

Garching bei Munchen, Germany

Tel: +49 89 3200 6670

Cell: +49 151 241 664 00

Email: pio@eso.org

This story has been published on: 2020-08-12. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
"My house isn't perfect either," an unidentified garrison commander reportedly told one family member when the military housing safety crisis was the focus of the community. "My windows have condensation on them."

"My wife and I laugh and talk about how, if one of us didn't clean the tub, of course it would have mold," a top military official reportedly told another family member. "Clean the tub."

Those are just two of the quotes from top brass and housing officials published Aug. 11 on Facebook by the Military Housing Advocacy Network (MHAN) as part of an "outrageous" collection of reactions to housing complaints gathered from military families over the summer.

MHAN, founded in 2019 by Army veteran and military spouse Darlena Brown after her sons were exposed to and poisoned by lead in military housing, aims to ensure all military families have safe and adequate housing. The Brown family was the primary source behind the Reuters' "Ambushed At Home" series, which is credited with exposing the toxic conditions in military housing.

Since that investigation was first published in August 2018, the Army has sent a series of surveys to residents seeking their feedback on privatized housing. Senior leaders and government officials have toured military housing and held town halls to address issues on many installations. And in 2019, military spouses Janna Driver, Crystal Corwall and Jana Wanner, who is also a MHAN advocate, testified before a Senate Armed Services subcommittee hearing, bringing to light some of these very issues.

House and Senate versions of the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act both contain measures to address military housing problems, including mold mitigation plans and requirements for a series of reports on housing conditions. Lawmakers are expected to approve the final version later this year.

MHAN compiled its new list of officials' reactions by asking readers to submit "the most outrageous things privatized military housing companies have said to them," it said in the Facebook post. The collected statements were not confirmed by MHAN.

The quotes range from hilariously shocking to shake-your-head-but-not-surprised because you've actually heard people dismiss your concerns in this manner before. They include accusations of enlisted families being dirty people, patronizing words about how military families couldn't possibly understand the difference between mold and dirt, and even blatant disregard for the health of the military kids living in housing.

"Our supervisor told us in our morning meeting not to speak to spouses and only to speak to the military member," was another quote given to a family member; several other commenters on Facebook said they had been told that as well.

Another spouse was told, "Just because your husband is deployed doesn't mean we won't kick you out of housing."

"We know this is a safety issue; it's in our 10-year plan to fix it," was the response one military spouse heard from their privatized housing company.

As of Aug. 12, the Facebook post had been shared more than 4,500 times and had close to 600 comments.

Keep Up with the Ins and Outs of Military Life

For the latest military news and tips on military family benefits and more, subscribe to Military.com and have the information you need delivered directly to your inbox.

--Rebecca Alwine can be reached at rebecca.alwine@monster.com. Follow her on Twitter @rebecca_alwine.
Germanys official coronavirus caseload, on Wednesday, witnessed its sharpest daily jump since early May.

The Robert Koch Institute (RKI), the governments agency for disease control, reported 1,226 new coronavirus infections, bringing the total confirmed cases in the country, so far, to 218,519.

A peak in the outbreak was reached in early April when the RKI reported over 6,000 new cases in a day.

Over 9,200 people have died after catching the virus in Germany.

On Thursday, Germanys Health Minister, Jens Spahn, told the Deutschlandfunk radio broadcaster, while commenting on the rising cases.

This is worrying, without a doubt.

Here we see that, as a result of returning travellers, as well as parties of all kinds, we have smaller and larger outbreaks in almost all regions of the country, Spahn said.

The minister urged citizens to remain very, very vigilant.

Germanys rising coronavirus numbers follow the easing of restrictions and the relaunch of travel across much of Europe.

It remains to be seen what effect the countrys gradual return to schools, after the summer break, will have on the trend, with the 16 states taking varying precautionary measures.

On Wednesday, students in North-Rhine Westphalia, Germanys most populous state, returned to class.

The western state is the first region to make masks mandatory even during lessons, with other state authorities, including Berlin, having taken a softer approach.

(dpa/NAN)
WASHINGTON By bringing U.S. Senator Kamala Harris onto the ticket, Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden has signaled support for the enforcement of U.S. anti-pollution laws and for suing companies that pollute, environmental groups said.

Biden emphasized Harris environmental credentials when he announced the senator from California as his choice for vice president on Tuesday, noting lawsuits she had launched both as San Franciscos district attorney from 2004 to 2011 and then as the states attorney general until January 2017.

As Attorney General, Kamala sued corporations like Chevron and BP for damaging the environment, and won," said a fact sheet detailing Harris experience released by Bidens campaign. The sheet also noted that Harris had sued companies for their alleged roles in exposing Californians to excessive levels of diesel exhaust.

Over the last month, Harris has sought to highlight how low-income and minority communities are disproportionately affected by pollution. Last week, Harris co-sponsored legislation with U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez that would require federal agencies to consider impacts of U.S. environmental legislation on all communities equally, a concept known as environmental justice.

Biden also has pledged that his $2 trillion plan for combatting climate change https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election-climate-change-factbox/factbox-on-climate-its-bidens-green-revolution-versus-trumps-war-on-red-tape-idUSKCN24F0XX would support environmental justice by directing clean energy spending toward communities living in the shadow of refineries and power plants.

But Harris has gone beyond Bidens climate position in some ways. As a presidential candidate herself last year, she was an early endorser of the progressive Green New Deal, a congressional platform that envisions a 10-year, government-led process for decarbonizing the economy.

Her stance on polluter accountability and stopping handouts to the fossil fuel industry are at the top of the list for the climate voter, said Tamara Toles OLaughlin, environmental group 350.orgs director of North America.

Harris also said she would ban fracking natural gas in the United States, making her an early target of President Donald Trump and his re-election campaign team.

She is against fracking," Trump said in the White House briefing room on Tuesday. I mean, how do you do that and go into Pennsylvania or Ohio or Oklahoma or the great state of Texas? She is against fracking; fracking is a big deal."

Natural gas accounts for more than a third of U.S. electricity generation, but has come under increasing scrutiny due to the release of methane, a potent greenhouse gas, involved both in fracking the gas and in burning it in power plants.

U.S. Senator Ted Cruz of Texas and Senator Cory Gardner of Colorado, both Republicans, also blasted Harris on Tuesday for threatening fracking jobs.

Every worker who is working on a pipeline or working on an oil field, theyre going to do everything they can to take those jobs away," Cruz said of Biden and Harris.

But environmentalists and Democrats praised Harris for her record as a foe to the fossil fuel executives.

Senator Harris has a record of taking Big Oil and other polluters to court for the damage they have caused, even proposing giving the Department of Justice enhanced power to prosecute polluters," said Jamal Raad, campaign director of the political action group Evergreen Action.

Green campaigners say Harris biggest environmental victory as state attorney general was in 2016, when a grand jury indicted Plains All American Pipeline LP on criminal charges related to an oil spill off the coast of Santa Barbara, California.

That same year, Harris also reportedly launched an investigation into whether Exxon Mobil Corp lied to the public and to shareholders about the risks of climate change, though her office has never confirmed the probe. Since then both New York and Massachusetts have made similar arguments in lawsuits filed against the oil company. Exxon prevailed in December in its legal battle with New York over claims it had misled investors about climate change.

Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor
A former staff sergeant has petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to consider whether the Army violated his constitutional rights by booting him from the service a decade after he served time for child molestation.

Damon Claiborne submitted an Alford plea -- an admission that enough evidence existed to support a conviction, even as he maintained his innocence -- in 2004 after being arrested for having sex with a young woman he met at a bowling alley in Kitsap County, Wash.

Read Next: US Service Member Dies in Bahrain Noncombat Incident

Claiborne admitted he had relations with the girl, believing she was 19; however, she was a minor. He was sentenced and served 15 months in prison. After his release in 2006, he returned to duty at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, where the Army began involuntary separation proceedings against him.

An acting commander suspended his release for at least a year.

Later, it was dropped altogether, and Claiborne remained in the service, rising in rank and reenlisting in 2008, then again in 2010 for five years under an agreement that he would stay for 20 years under the REDUX retirement plan.

In 2013, Congress passed a defense policy bill with a provision requiring the services to administratively separate any service member convicted of a sexual assault offense whose conviction did not include a punitive discharge.

Later that year, then-Army Secretary John McHugh signed a directive extending the measure to everyone currently "serving in the Army, regardless of when the conviction for a sex offense occurred."

Claiborne and his attorney, John Maher of Maher Legal Services in Illinois, argue that the directive was unconstitutional.

"The law does not favor retroactivity. Instead, the law presumes that it is enacted and enforced tomorrow rather than yesterday," Maher said Tuesday during an interview with Military.com.

Claiborne filed a petition with the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday asking the justices to consider his case. A district judge and an appellate court have sided with the Army, saying the civilian court did not have jurisdiction over the Army secretary's decision and that the Army has a right to determine who remains in service.

"The plaintiff could have been discharged under pre-existing regulations promulgated by the Army because [the regulations] allow the Army to change its mind about separation decisions," a panel of 9th Circuit Court of Appeals judges wrote in their unanimous decision March 12.

Claiborne's case comes at a time when members of Congress and military spouses have been turning up the heat on the Defense Department for its handling of sexual assault cases. In September, several DoD family members testified that military commanders dismissed their allegations of sexual assault against service members to ensure that the offenders were able to retire with their military benefits.

Last month, the House Armed Services personnel subcommittee held a hearing on sexual harassment at Fort Hood, Texas, and across the Defense Department following the death of Spc. Vanessa Guillen, who family members say was sexually harassed before she was brutally murdered in April.

Maher said his client is not a predator or a repeat offender and shouldn't be punished as if he were.

"They processed Damon Claiborne in the 11th hour after having promoted him twice, sending him to schools and entrusting the lives of male and female soldiers in his care in combat environments," Maher said.

In addition to Claiborne, Maher represents Army Staff Sgt. Robert Bales, who received a life sentence without parole after pleading guilty in 2013 to the murder of 16 residents of an Afghan village. Bales continues to pursue his case in civilian court, alleging he was under the influence of an antimalarial drug, mefloquine, administered to him by the Army during his deployment, at the time of the massacre.

Last year, Maher was instrumental in winning a presidential pardon for his client, Army Capt. Clint Lorance, who was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to 19 years in prison for ordering his men to fire on Afghan men riding a motorcycle and approaching his checkpoint in 2012.

President Donald Trump pardoned Lorance on Nov. 15.

The likelihood that the Supreme Court will accept Claiborne's case is small: The court receives more than 10,000 petitions each year and hears roughly 75 to 80 cases.

Maher said the court could decide by November whether to consider the case.

-- Patricia Kime can be reached at Patricia.Kime@Monster.com. Follow her on Twitter @patriciakime.

Editor's note: An earlier version of this story misstated the facts of the original case. It has been corrected.

Related: Court Withdraws Opinion Saying Retirees Shouldn't Be Court-Martialed.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-13 03:39:37|Editor: huaxia

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WASHINGTON, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- A helicopter of the U.S. Air Force was shot while flying over the state of Virginia on Monday, injuring one of the two pilots on board and prompting an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), multiple U.S. media reported Wednesday citing Air Force and FBI officials.

McClatchy, the news outlet that first reported the incident, said the UH-1N Huey helicopter was flying about 1,000 feet off the ground, about 10 miles northwest of Manassas Regional Airport in northern Virginia when the incident occurred, forcing the workhorse aircraft to make an emergency landing at the airport.

"Initial findings are that the helicopter was struck by a bullet resulting in a minor injury to an aircrew member and damage to the aircraft," McClatchy cited the Air Force as saying in a statement.

The wounded crew member "sustained a non-threatening injury, for which he was treated and subsequently released from the hospital," according to a separate statement from the FBI Washington Field Office (WFO).

The investigative body of the Air Force and the FBI were involved in an ongoing investigation into the incident.

"A UH-1N Huey helicopter assigned to the 1st Helicopter Squadron at Joint Base Andrews conducted an emergency landing at 12:43 pm on August 10th in Manassas, Va during a routine training mission," read a statement by the U.S. Air Force 316th wing, the host wing at Joint Base Andrews, which is also home to the presidential aircraft Air Force One.

"The Office of Special Investigations is fully engaged with our FBI colleagues on this incident. OSI take threats to our Airmen and our resources very seriously. As this is an ongoing investigation, no further investigative details can be released at this time," it added.

The WFO said in its statement that it has dispatched its Special Agents and its Evidence Response Team to Manassas Regional Airport to conduct the investigation, while asking those near the scene when the incident happened to share information with the agency. Enditem
SANTA CLARA, Calif., Aug. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Frost & Sullivan has identified RingCentral, a leading provider of global enterprise cloud communications, collaboration, and contact center solutions, as a top industry innovator in the European hosted Internet Protocol (IP) telephony and Unified Communications-as-a-Service (UCaaS) market. RingCentral's unwavering commitment to innovation, constantly evolving portfolio and effective support to businesses across the globe via its flagship RingCentral Global Office solution set RingCentral apart from most competitors.

The European hosted IP telephony and UCaaS market is evolving as the COVID-19 pandemic further re-enforces the need for flexibility in technology consumption as well as delivery of services independent of user location, network, and devices. Provider consolidation via mergers and acquisitions is reshaping the competitive landscape and shifting power to the more innovative and agile market participants. Provider success will also be determined by service security, reliability, scalability, and extensibility, which impact customer satisfaction and retention.

To download the complimentary Frost Radar, please access: http://frost.ly/4ce

"Strong partnerships with key industry participants, highly effective sales strategy, and a well-rounded UCaaS portfolio are propelling RingCentral's accelerated growth in the European region," explained Elka Popova, Vice President of Research at Frost & Sullivan. "What differentiates RingCentral from other UCaaS providers are its competitively packaged and priced solution bundles, a collaborative user experience, and advanced features such as SMS, analytics tools, video and web conferencing, and webinar services."

RingCentral is using state-of-the-art cloud technology that enables rapid innovation, making it agile to changing market conditions and adversities. Moreover, RingCentral's already-strong presence in North America and advancement in Europe make it well-positioned for global expansion to tap into a larger addressable market and compete against global competitors.

"We are honored to be recognized by Frost & Sullivan as an Innovation Leader in the Frost Radar report on the European UCaaS market," said Anand Eswaran, President and Chief Operating Officer at RingCentral. "Our dedication to innovation is showcased in our customer-oriented service bundles and attention to our diverse customer base. This recognition is a testament to our core focus on delivering impactful communication solutions at times of rising remote work and employee mobility across the globe."

RingCentral has fueled its success within the European hosted IP telephony and UCaaS market through the Global Office solution, which enables RingCentral to effectively support multinational businesses with European operations, regardless of their domicile. RingCentral is poised for further growth acceleration by:

Using flexible cloud technology and a proprietary platform that enable cost-effective scalability.

Constantly enhancing customer value by adding new features and capabilities to its flagship RingCentral Office solution.

Focusing on the mid-market and enterprise customer segments, consequently reducing churn.

Developing novel partnerships with leading industry participants.

Frost Radar in the European Hosted IP Telephony and UCaaS Industry provides results from an in-depth analysis built on a 360-degree research methodology where over 120 companies were evaluated. The team of industry analysts identified 20 industry leaders excelling at innovation, most poised for growth and ripe for investment, and recognizes them in the Frost Radar with insight into their innovative offerings, projected growth rates, strengths, and opportunities for the future.

About Frost & Sullivan

For over five decades, Frost & Sullivan has become world-renowned for its role in helping investors, corporate leaders and governments navigate economic changes and identify disruptive technologies, Mega Trends, new business models and companies to action, resulting in a continuous flow of growth opportunities to drive future success. Contact us: Start the discussion.

Contact:

Zuzana Zukarnain

Corporate Communications  Asia-Pacific

Phone: +60192657808

Email: [email protected]

http://www.frost.com

SOURCE Frost & Sullivan

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AUSTIN, Texas, Aug. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Radiant Plumbing and Air Conditioning, Austin's leading plumbing and HVAC provider, has ranked No. 2647 on the notable Inc. 5000 for the second year in a row for their continued growth. The ranking showcases significant growth for the company, which came in at No. 4712 on the 2019 list.



In the past year, Radiant has seen more than 50% year-over-year growth and has hired over 34 new employees since March. The announcement comes on the heels of several other awards this year, including Austin Business Journal's list of best workplaces for the third year in a row and the inaugural Inc. 5000 Series: Texas.



"Our continued growth is directly related to the quality of our workplace culture and our dedication to ensuring the safety and well-being of our team," said Brad Casebier, co-owner of Radiant Plumbing and Air Conditioning. "Our employees know that we care about them and that continues to draw the most qualified technicians to us."



Radiant has become an Austin favorite for its customer service and popular TV and radio advertising spots, but its quest for business excellence has drawn national attention from both the industry and prospective employees.
A taxi driver has slammed police who blamed coronavirus for not investigating a break-in of his cab, even though he had CCTV footage showing the thieves and their number plate.

Asghar Butt says he made a report to police and twice visited his local station after thieves broke into his Toyota Prius outside his home in Longsight, Manchester.

Mr Butt says the thieves stole his Sat Nav, two mobiles phones and 140 in cash - some of which was in a charity box.

But despite having clear CCTV of the incident, which shows two thieves searching the vehicle, police returned his call for help by saying that there would be no investigation due to their 'COVID crime screening policy'.

Mr Butt says in a latter part of the CCTV footage, not included below, the two thieves are seen leaving in a vehicle, which can be identified by its number plate.

Greater Manchester Police, who say they have seen the CCTV, told Mr Butt in a message that the decision was made because the incident did not 'involve threat, risk, harm or vulnerability or likely public interest factors.'

In a later statement, the force said it was due a cut in the number of police officers.

Asghar Butt, says he made a report to police and twice visited his local station after thieves broke into his Toyota Prius (pictured) outside his home in Longsight, Manchester

But the decision not to investigate has angered father-of-two, Mr Butt, who has accused officers of 'doing nothing' about minor crime and said the incident makes his family 'feel vulnerable'.

He said: 'I have CCTV which shows the time, the people and the car registration they arrived in. I told them everything and then I get this message saying they won't investigate.

'It's not right. I feel insecure and helpless in this city.

'Things keep happening - once passengers smashed my windscreen, teenagers are throwing eggs and stones at our cars, people are running away without paying.

'It's happening every day but the police are not doing anything. I'm helpless, nobody is listening.

'If they are not investigating these people they will do these things again and again.'

CCTV from the theft, which took place on July 26, shows a thief, who is not hooded, gaining access to the vehicle.

He then appears to search the inside of the vehicle, before being joined by a hooded individual.

The pair then walk away from the scene. Mr Butt says his CCTV captured their number plate as they made off.

Greater Manchester Police have confirmed that they are no longer investigating, due to 'fewer officers, increased complexity of demand and potential further cuts'.

A second thief joins in and also begins searching the vehicle, which is parked outside Mr Butt's home

After looting the vehicle, the two thieves then leave the area, with their number plates apparently seen on CCTV

However, the force stressed they were committed to reducing the impact of this by transforming the way they work.

A spokesman said: 'With thousands of fewer officers across Greater Manchester, increased complexity of demand and potential further cuts on the horizon, we have had to make changes to the way we work to meet the public's need.

'We are absolutely committed to reducing the impact of this reduction in police resources on the people of Greater Manchester and have transformed the way that we work to ensure we are providing the best possible service.

'When reports are made to police we make an assessment on how best to respond based on the threat, risk and harm posed to the public.

'The report is then assessed and depending on its severity, officers could be deployed immediately, later the same day or the call may be able to be resolved over the phone without having to send someone out.

'Inevitably, we have to make difficult decisions when prioritising calls to provide the right service to those who need it most.

'We have issued smartphones and tablets to frontline staff to enable them to spend more time out in the community, while we are transforming the way we work with a new operational policing system.

'We also focus on prevention, working with partners and communities to problem solve the factors that contribute to recurring crime 'hotspots'.

'We will continue to do everything we can, alongside our partners and communities, to keep the people of Greater Manchester safe and provide the best service we can to those who need us most.'
Polands prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki has said he is asking his countrys top constitutional court to study Europes Istanbul Convention against domestic violence before his government decides whether to exit the pact.

Polands government has described the treaty as ideologically tainted and Mr Morawiecki has said the convention raised serious doubts, indicating he was leaning toward exiting the convention.

The Istanbul Convention  an initiative of the Council of Europe, the continents leading human rights organisation  is billed as a key international treaty to combat violence against women and domestic violence.

It states that men and women have equal rights and obliges state authorities to take steps to prevent violence against women, protect victims and prosecute perpetrators.

Protesters taking part in a rally against Polish government plans to withdraw from the Istanbul Convention (AP/Czarek Sokolowski)

Polands previous liberal government ratified it in 2015.

Critics of the convention say that it is not in line with Polands legal system, wrongly identifies the sources of violence against women and fails to provide effective tools for fighting domestic violence.

The government also believes the convention wrongly links religion to violence, and Mr Morawiecki insisted that Polands own legislation already offers strong protection to domestic violence victims.

Mr Morawiecki said he has asked the Constitutional Tribunal to check the translation into Polish of gender. The word is sensitive to the conservative ruling Law and Justice party, which often sees it as representative of LGBT rights and a threat to Polands Roman Catholic family values.

The convention, which came into force in 2014, has been signed by 45 European countries and the European Union, but 10 countries  including the UK, Hungary, Slovenia, Bulgaria and the Czech Republic  have yet to ratify it.

Many Poles have protested Polands desire to withdraw from the treaty and Council of Europe leaders have said such a move would be highly regrettable and a major step backwards in the protection of women against violence in Europe.

It was not clear when a final decision could be expected.
India insisted on 'complete disengagement' in all its talks with China on eastern Ladakh row: Govt

Indian Amb meets top Chinese leader, briefs him about Indias stand on easter Ladakh

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Aug 12: Amidst the rising tensions with China, Ambassador Vikram Misri met with Liu Jianchaou, the deputy director office of the CPC Central Committee Foreign Affairs Commission.

During the meeting, Misri meet Jianchaou of India's stance on the situation on the borders on easter Ladakh and the overall bilateral relations.

Meanwhile, Chief of Defence Staff, General Bipin Rawat informed a committee of lawmakers that the de-escalation in Ladakh where the Chinese troops transgressed in June may take more time. He also said that this transgression led to the Indian troops being deployed in large numbers.

Future of India-China ties depends on reaching 'some kind of equilibrium: Jaishankar

The General also emphasised that India its prepared to face any onslaught. However efforts are being made to bridge the trust deficit with China, he also said.

Meanwhile, India has told China to stop further construction and pull back troops from the Depsang-Daulat Beg Oldie sector of eastern Ladakh. During the talks between the two sides, India also told China to stop further construction activities in the area.

During the talks, India stressed upon the importance of reducing tensions in the Depsang plains, an official familiar with the developments told OneIndia. This has been a major flash point for several years now, owing to the perceptions of the Line of Actual Control.

The military level talks between the two sides were held on Saturday between 11 am and 7,30 pm. India stressed on the fact that the PLA troops who are camping near the Bottleneck area in the Depsang plains since May should not block Indian soldiers from going to their Patrolling Points-10, 11, 12 and 13.

Pull back from Dapsang-Daulat Beg Oldie sector, India tells China at military level talks

Bengaluru violence over Facebook post | Stone pelting & arson in city | Oneindia News

The primary agenda of the meeting was to reduce tensions at the Depsang Plains, where there is a massive build up of troops of both sides. The meeting would discuss ways to de-escalate as well as disengage. India will also seek restoration of patrolling rights for its soldiers.
United Nations to provide humanitarian support to affected communities in India

International

oi-Ajay Joseph Raj P

Washington, Aug 12: The United Nations stands ready to provide humanitarian support to the most vulnerable and affected communities in India, a spokesperson for the UN Secretary General has said amid heavy monsoon in the region.

"In neighbouring India, the monsoon there has reportedly claimed more than 770 lives. According to authorities, more than 500,000 people have been evacuated. The UN stands ready to provide humanitarian support to the most vulnerable and affected communities in India," Stephane Dujarric, Spokesman for the Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said.

Explained: How Idukki landslide took place after state received heavy rainfall

Giving an update from UN humanitarian colleagues on flooding in Asia, Dujarric said in Bangladesh, people are experiencing the worst and longest monsoon flooding in years, with a quarter of the country being inundated.

Chinese firms raided | I-T dept raids Chinese companies & more news | Oneindia News

At least 5.4 million people have been affected by severe flooding, with 11,000 households displaced and 135 people killed, he added. Humanitarian partners are working with the Government of Bangladesh to provide food, shelter, clean water, hygiene supplies and other supplies.

A USD 40 million response plan has been launched to help the more than one million of the people most in need in the country.

Meanwhile, in Kerala's Idukki, the death toll in the tragic landslide in Pettimudi in the high range Idukki district rose to 52 with three more bodies being recovered from the debris as rescue operations continued to trace those missing.

Kerala plane clash: DGCA bans wide-body aircraft at Kozhikode during monsoon

Personnel of NDRF, Fire, Forest and police departments have expanded their search operations to the downstream of a river in their efforts to trace 19 more people who were still missing in the August 7 tragedy near Rajamala.

Search is also being carried out at the site of the disaster to trace those feared trapped in the debris, the officials said.

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Wednesday, August 12, 2020, 9:22 [IST]
The United States, if approved by specialists, will produce about 600 million doses of coronavirus vaccines, US President Donald Trump told a briefing on Tuesday.

"This evening, Im pleased to announce that we have reached an agreement with Moderna to manufacture and deliver 100 million doses of their coronavirus vaccine candidate. The federal government will own these vaccine doses; were buying them," he noted. "Three vaccine candidates are now in phase three trials already  the final stage of clinical trials. This is the final stage. We are investing in the development and manufacture of the top six vaccine candidates to ensure rapid delivery. The military is ready to go. Theyre ready to deliver a vaccine to Americans as soon as one is fully approved by the FDA, and were moving very close to that approval."

"Were on track to rapidly produce 100 million doses, as soon as the vaccine is approved, and up to 500 million shortly thereafter. So well have 600 million doses. Operation Warp Speed is the largest and most advanced operation of its kind anywhere in the world and anywhere in history," Trump said. Weve treated more than 86,000 Americans with convalescent plasma. A recent Mayo Clinic study found that this treatment may produce results which are incredible. We look to a reduction and reduced mortality rate by 50 percent, and possibly even more than 50 percent,"
Sydney, Australia, Aug 11, 2020 - (ABN Newswire) - In light of Dawney & Co Ltd's (NSX:DWY) performance since the quarterly report to 30 June 2020, the Board provide the following investment update to 10 August 2020.



At market close Monday, 10 August 2020, the unaudited pre-tax NTA per share was $0.18, a 49% increase on 30 June 2020.



The main contributors to this performance were Tesserent Ltd (TNT) +262%, Thorn Group Ltd (TGA) +72%, Consolidated Financial Holdings Ltd (CWL) +43%, AF Legal Group Ltd (AFL) +40% and Matrix Composites & Engineering Ltd (MCE) +9%. Subsequent to the 30 June quarter, we added to TNT and TGA and initiated positions in AFL and MCE.



Tesserent Ltd (ASX:TNT)



We began analysing TNT when it acquired the security assets from PS&C Limited and then Nth. Consulting Pty Ltd at the end of 2019.



The 10 December 2019 Nth acquisition announcement highlighted their "cyber360 and acquisition strategies" (the acquisition/roll up opportunity was intriguing).



At the beginning of 2020 the company appointed Geoff Lord as Chairman. In a shareholder letter on 14 January 2020 Mr Lord said, "Having built UXC, my former IT services business, into an $800 million revenue opportunity, I see potential for Tesserent to copy that trajectory in today's cybersecurity market".



Our initial investment in February was predominantly backing their ability to find, acquire and consolidate cyber services businesses. In June there was a well-reported cyber attack on government and private sector computer networks and the government responded with substantial cyber security initiatives, boosting most listed cyber security companies.



Having monitored each quarterly report since October 2019, we believed that TNT would achieve the $40 million revenue run rate to 30 June 2020 and that they would use the year end result to launch the company into the next 12 months, accordingly we added to our holding before the quarterly report was released.



On 20 July, the company announced it had achieved its FY2020 financial objective and had secured funding for future acquisitions (three that were well progressed). To date, one acquisition has been announced (Seer) and we await announcements on the other two. The stock has exceeded our initial expectations, but as time has gone by and management have demonstrated the ability to find and acquire businesses, we now see the potential for TNT to become a small cap darling; with massive government spending, the increasing requirement for cyber security, the "Covid-proof" nature of the sector and the technology/roll up premium the Australian market usually pays for companies that can deliver on their strategy.



AF Legal Group Ltd (ASX:AFL) (HAM:N1R)



AFL's goal is to become Australia's first and largest National Family Law Firm.



AFL released their FY20 Investor Presentation on 10 August 2020, which summarises the opportunity and digital marketing strategy well. Since listing in June 2019 the company has executed on its growth objective organically and through lateral hires and acquisitions.



As evidenced by AFL's case file numbers, the family law sector is growing and largely unaffected by the Covid/economic fallout. We are keen to see what the Board and management team can do and believe our relatively fast investment gain is only the beginning.



Matrix C & E Ltd (ASX:MCE)



We have followed MCE for a while, as a number of value investors are shareholders. On 24 July 2020 the company announced a strategic review in response to the depressed oil and gas conditions. MCE had net cash of $14.7m versus the $16.4m market cap that we paid for our shares. We thought this was a fairly good entry point into a potential corporate situation.



This recovery has offset most of the Horizon Oil (HZN) loss that materially impacted our NTA in the first two quarters of this calendar year. We have sold down a portion of our HZN holding to reduce it's weighting in the portfolio, realising capital losses.



Moving forward, although we are cautious about market valuations and the state of the real economy, we continue to assess value focused and situational opportunities. We have also commenced to seek out opportunities in what we deem to be "covid/recession-proof" businesses, such as our investments in TNT (cyber security) and AFL (family law).



In the short term, we look forward building our cash reserves with capital returns from both CWL and 8IP Emerging Companies Ltd (8EC). The CWL 11cps capital return EGM is set for 31 August with payment planned for 8 September. 8EC announced a further capital return of 2cps, in addition to the previously received 5cps, to be paid today, 11 August.



Finally, we are in the process of finalising our FY2020 accounts, which will review a difficult period for our company. However, Dawney & Co is in now in far better shape than it was 6 months ago and, feeling like we have turned a corner, are excited about future prospects (not to dismiss the many possible corners ahead of us).





About Dawney Co Ltd:



Listed on the National Stock Exchange of Australia.



Issue Code: DWY

Issue Name: Dawney Co Ltd FPO

Issue Type: 01 - Ordinary

ISIN: AU0000031338





Industry: Financials

Nominated Adviser: HopgoodGanim Lawyers C/- HopgoodGanim Lawyers Level 8, 1 Eagle Street Brisbane - QLD Australia 4001

Listed Date: Friday, 20 December 2013









Contact:



Mitch Dawney

Managing Director

Dawney Co Limited

E: mdd@dawneyco.com.au



Source:



Dawney Co Ltd



Copyright (C) 2020 ABN Newswire. All rights reserved.
Millions of gallons of unused beer which expired during COVID-19 lockdowns are being converted into renewable energy to power a water-treatment plant in South Australia.

The country's lockdown has forced bars and restaurants to remain closed since March, leaving massive stores of beer to expire.

But instead of pouring it down the drain some breweries sent their suds to the Glenelg Wastewater Treatment Plant outside Adelaide.

There it's processed into biogas, which is then turned into electricity to run the facility.

Scroll down for video

Nearly 40,000 gallons of stale beer a week is being donated to Glenelg Wastewater Treatment Plant outside Adelaide. That's boosted the facility's energy production to 654 megawatt hours in a single month, or enough to power 1,200 homes.

With its high caloric content, beer is an ideal fuel for the plant's 'digesters.'

The plant typically gets about 80 percent of its energy from biogas, CNN reported.

But the addition of nearly 40,000 gallons of stale beer a week has boosted energy production to 654 megawatt hours in a single month, or enough to power 1,200 homes.

The lockdown has devastated Australias $14 billion-plus bar industry, which is comprised of over 10,000 pubs and clubs.

At the Glenelg Wastewater Treatment Plant outside Adelaide, sewage and organic industrial waste are converted into biogas, which is then turned into electric power. With its high caloric content, beer is an ideal fuel for the plant's 'digesters'

One of the country's largest breweries is giving away more than 200,000 pints of beer to help keep local venues afloat.

As part of Carlton and United Breweries' 'For the Love of Your Local' campaign, people were invited to go online and buy a 'virtual' pint from their favorite pub.

When restrictions are lifted, participants can redeem a voucher and enjoy their beer - plus a second pint free, courtesy of CUB.

The brewery is expecting to give away about $1.4 million worth of beer. The vouchers are good for three years.

'Australian pubs and clubs have already been shut for two months and the fact is many of these beloved venues won't make it through this crisis without extra help,' Carlton and United CEO Peter Filipovic said. 'So, we're calling on Australians to help save their local and get free beer in the process.'

While Australia has had fewer cases of coronavirus than many other nations, Wednesday marked its deadliest day of the pandemic. In Victoria, 410 new cases and 21 deaths were reported over a 24-hour period.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews speaks to the media at the daily coronavirus briefing in Melbourne, Australia, on August 12, 2020. Wednesday saw the deadliest day on record for the region, with 410 new cases and 21 deaths reported over a 24-hour period.

Last week, a cluster of infections in Melbourne forced authorities to impose a night curfew, tighten restrictions on people's daily movements, and order large parts of the state economy to close, as reported by Reuters.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said that while the number of cases were trending down, the impact of the strict new lockdown measures was yet to show up in the case numbers.

'We all know that a week is not the life cycle of this virus ... and our experts remain firm in the view that this will drive the numbers down,' he told reporters.

Only Victoria and New South Wales, the country's most populous state, reported new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday.

Australia has reported just over 22,000 infections and 352 deaths from the virus.
Last month, online retail newcomer Bookshop divvied up a sales dividend of more than $1 million among 861 bookstores who use the site to sell books. It is the latest in a string of successes for the fledgling company that many booksellers, who receive a percentage of each sale made through Bookshop from their stores, praise for providing a lifeline during the coronavirus outbreak. But some booksellers say their own advocacy organization, the American Booksellers Association, is not being transparent about its financial relationship with Bookshop.

ABAs support has been key to Bookshops success. Andy Hunter, founder of Catapult and Soft Skull Press, launched Bookshop in January, and the timing sheltered many American bookstores from some of the worst financial effects of the coronavirus. Through Bookshop, anyoneincluding but not limited to booksellerscan set up ordering pages backed by a massive book database. ABA has encouraged members to sign up, and ABA CEO Allison Hill praised Bookshop at ABAs town hall in June. Bookshop has reached an entirely new audience that were interested in us, but didnt necessarily know how to buy from us, she said. Bookshop pulled customers from [competitors] and maybe introduced us to some new customers.

Hunter structured Bookshop as a socially responsible B corporation and has emphasized that he believes those new customers are being drawn away from Amazon to the benefit of indies. The result, he said, is that indies have their first effective digital retail platform after years of unsuccessful ABA-led initiatives. But not all booksellers are happy about the ABA-Bookshop connection, with some expressing frustration and disappointment about how the ABA has communicated its specific ties to Bookshop.

ABA confirmed to PW that it holds a 4% stake in Bookshop, the result of the associations $100,000 investment in the company. The investment was approved by the ABA board in February 2019, seven months before members were informed of ABAs affinity partnership with Bookshop, and nearly one year before Bookshop launched. (The investment was also made before Hill took office.) In addition to its stake in Bookshop, ABA receives a 10% media-affiliate commission from click-through sales that originate from its IndieBound book database.

Bookseller concerns

Toadstool Bookshop owner Willard Williams and manager Mike Joachim did not initially see eye-to-eye about Bookshop. Both had concerns about the site and neither wanted to use it for Toadstools three New Hampshire stores, Joachim feeling strongly that it would lead to increased competition from nonbookseller Bookshop affiliates. Williams reserved judgment because Bookshop was helping many indie booksellers survive during the pandemic. My understanding is that the ABA did not think IndieBound was getting enough attention and tried tinkering with it to no avail, so they jumped at the idea of Bookshop, Williams said. It did launch at an ideal time, given the virus disruption, and it enabled many stores to keep customers supplied with books.

But after learning of ABAs financial connections to Bookshop, both booksellers said they are worried they are competing with the organization that is supposed to represent their interests. Every time a consumer in my area orders from Bookshop, I lose the sale and ABA benefits from the sale, Joachim said. He worries that Bookshops pursuit of affiliate links for click-through sales only adds a new competitor alongside Amazon. ABA is supporting and investing in a company that is aggressively seeking to pay individualsbloggers, influencers, authors, readers in my communityto direct business away from us, he said. Joachim is afraid that ABA is profiting from nonbooksellers who can set up Bookshop accounts while asking member stores to sign on despite Bookshops significantly narrower margins.

Williams, who has been an ABA member for 50 years, said he is frustrated by the lengths it took to get the information they wanted about the ABAs stake in Bookshop. He eventually learned about it from a regional association director who reached out to Hunter on Joachims behalf.

A former antitrust attorney for the aluminum giant Alcoa, Barbara Jeremiah said she walked away perplexed from a presentation on Bookshop at the ABAs Winter Institute in January. Jeremiah opened Riverstone Books in Pittsburgh, Pa., in 2017, and used ABAs in-house IndieCommerce platform to sell books when her store was forced to close because of the coronavirus outbreak.

Like Williams and Joachim, the lower margins offered by Bookshop compared to IndieCommerce meant Jeremiah could not sign with Bookshop without damaging her bottom line. When the platform launched a few weeks after the January presentation, she said she was upset to see that books were being discounted, which creates an incentive for customers to go to Bookshop instead of her site.

Given the issues that have arisen, Jeremiah is concerned about the governance decisions that led ABA to embrace the company, issues she has raised with ABA. Its not like we took a vote on this in the ABA, she said. I looked at the numbers, and they dont work for me. Jeremiah said ABA was putting its members in a difficult position if they do not sign on. It felt like Bookshop is, in essence, a competitor for my store. I can understand if a small bookstore needs this, but I have signed up for IndieCommerce and invested in that online storefront.

Tom Roberge, co-owner of Riffraff Bookshop in Providence, R.I., had reservations about Bookshop last fall, but despite those concerns, he set up a Bookshop page when the site debuted. It was a somewhat subversive act because he used the site to drive traffic back to his own website. Six months later, he said, even having the page serve as a signpost back to his own site made him uncomfortable, so he shut down the Bookshop page.

Attending the virtual town hall in June, Roberge said he was stunned when Hill gave the floor to Hunter for 20 minutes to respond to questions. Why on earth did they allow him to talk at our town hall? Roberge asked. We knew what he was going to say. Hes been saying the same thing for a year, which is that he has no intention of harming bookstores. But I would like a forum for discussion about it that didnt place him and his own business interests squarely at the center of it.

Like some other booksellers, Roberge said there is no proof that Bookshop is taking customers from Amazon rather than from him. I dont know how many people went to my page to buy How to Be an Antiracist and saw it was out of stock, and then went to Bookshop instead of preordering a copy from me, he said. To me it seems like ABA has allowed this thing to happen under its auspices in whatever formal or informal way as a solution to bookstores that are not going to have an online presence, but doesnt bother to investigate whether its hurting other stores who dont use Bookshop.

Standing by Bookshop

Hunter remains dedicated to his mission to offer indies a competitive e-commerce platform. Every store should be able to have a website and sell books to their customers, he said. He also maintained that Amazons dominance means that the overwhelming majority of new customers are switching over from Amazon.

From where I sit, Bookshop has been an amazing option, said Mitchell Kaplan, owner of Books & Books, which has multiple locations in Florida. Along with Carmichaels Bookstore co-owner Kelly Estep (in Louisville, Ky.) and Loyalty Bookstores owner Hannah Oliver Depp (in Washington, D.C.), Kaplan sits on the seven-member board of Bookshop. Bookshop.org has been a really remarkable addition, he said. Who knows where some bookstores would be if there werent Bookshop.org during the pandemic? I have only good things to say about it.

In written responses, ABAs Hill maintained that the organization has kept its members informed of its involvement with Bookshop, pointing to handouts that were distributed at fall 2019 regional conferences, which said that ABA was an investor. ABA has communicated with members about Bookshop since the beginning and has always been transparent about ABA being an investor, she said. Hill did not directly address members concerns about competition and declined repeated requests to elaborate on written answers in person.

In her email to PW, Hill wrote that the ABA undergoes an annual independent audit to ensure legal compliance. She added that the eight-person Advisory Council was fully aware of the decision to invest in Bookshop, as was the board. In addition, Hill said, ABA discussed Bookshop and its investment, and answered questions at the 2019 regional fall shows.

A lack of clarity

Discussion of Bookshop was brief and heated at the fall 2019 New England regional show, with members challenging ABA for rushing the decision to support Bookshop without offering adequate time for discussion. Then-ABA CEO Oren Teicher told booksellers there was nothing ABA could do, emphasizing that ABA had no control over Bookshop. Bookshop is not a program of the American Booksellers Association. It is a totally separate B corporation that is happening independently of ABA, Teicher said.

At Toadstool, ABAs responses have done little to allay Joachims concerns. He continues to believe the organization has misled the general membership, failing to fully inform them before committing to a partnership that may split their interests and fuel competition between them. A decision like this, something that involves our trade organization actively going into business with a private for-profit company, should have been discussed publicly, and put to a vote from the members, he said. At the very least there should have been a clear announcement after the deal was done, and every subsequent communication from ABA regarding Bookshop should have come with the disclaimer that ABA is an investor and has a financial interest in Bookshop. None of that happened.
The authors of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's new biography Finding Freedom have confirmed that they spoke with the couple 'when appropriate' in an acknowledgement buried at the back of the explosive book.

The controversial biography written by Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand was released yesterday and raised eyebrows for its gushing praise and intimate knowledge of the Duke, 35, and Duchess of Sussex, 39.

As the book was released, Scobie gave interviews denying ever interviewing the couple for the book and insisted that it was their 'many' friends who provided insights.

However the author's note appears to acknowledge that the writers worked with the couple on the biography, reading: 'We have spoken with close friends of Harry and Meghan, royal aides and palace staff (past and present), the charities and organisations they have built long-lasting relationships with and, when appropriate, the couple themselves.'

The writers of Prince Harry, 35, and Meghan Markle's, 39, explosive biography Finding Freedom have revealed they spoke with the couple 'when appropriate' in the author's note of the book

The note goes on: 'In many instances, we have granted sources anonymity to allow freedom to candidly provide direct quotes without their names being attirebuted (either due to the sensitivity of roles or to protect careers).

'Many individuals have also spoken to us on what is known as "on-background", meaning the information from conversations can be used as guidance but no quotes repeated.

'In a few cases, conversations have been strictly off-the-record.'

The authors continue: 'Some of the scenes in this book have been witnessed personally while for others we have relied on the consistency of accounts provided by sources we have been given access to and come to trust.

Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand acknowledge that they spoke with 'close friends of Harry and Meghan, royal aides and palace staff (past and present), the charities and organisations they have built long-lasting relationships with and, when appropriate, the couple themselves'

'Conversational dialogue in scenes featured in the book has been drawn directly from accounts shared by multiple sources who have corroborated the same information.'

The new revelations come as royal author Penny Junor questioned whether Harry and Meghan 'colluded' with the authors.

The explosive new biography Finding Freedom was released yesterday

She said the couple would have 'kicked up a fuss' about the book had they not been involved.

Penny, author of Prince Harry: Brother, Soldier, Son, Husband, told MailOnline: 'The authors have some extraordinarily personal and private details about Harry and Meghan, but the couple have said they didn't speak to them directly and we have to take their word for it.

'What seems absolutely clear, however, is that they colluded.

'If not, they would have kicked up a huge fuss about this book.

'I suspect they wanted to get their story and their feelings about how they were treated out into the public arena and have done so via friends who sound as though they were very well and carefully briefed.'

Palace insiders have described the book as 'score settling' after Harry and Meghan left the Royal Family for a life in Los Angeles - after suddenly announcing their intentions in January in a move that left the Queen 'hurt'.

The book gives a dramatic account of the events leading up to the Sussexes' departure from royal life and offers new insights to Harry's falling out with William.

The fraternal dispute is said to have erupted after the Duke of Cambridge's referred to Meghan as 'this girl' and voiced concerns that his younger brother might be rushing into romance.

The book gives a detailed and dramatic account of events leading up to the Sussexes departure from royal life (pictured, at Canada House in January shortly before making their announcement)

The authors say Harry 'felt people working with his brother had put things out there to make William look good, even if it meant throwing Harry under the bus'.

Meghan's favourite author quoted in the epigraph Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's explosive new biography is prefaced with a quote accredited to American essayist Ralph Waldo Emerson. The quote reads: 'Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.' The essayist is a favourite of the Duchess of Sussex, who once called another quote of 'my absolute favourite of favourites.' In an interview with Liz Earle magazine, the then-actress said she loved the quote so much that she kept it up in her trailer during filming, and reminded herself of it 'when she felt overwhelmed'. Advertisement

Excerpts from the book have already revealed many inside details about the couple's departure from the Royal Family, including how the couple considered driving straight to confront the 'devastated' Queen about Megxit after returning from Canada in January.

Extraordinary personal details littered throughout include particulars of the moment the Meghan confessed she wrote her estranged father Thomas Markle one final message while on FaceTime in a bathtub.

Sources close to the couple also claim in the book that royal aides feared Meghan and Harry's popularity was eclipsing that of the Royal Family itself - and says the couple were jealous of William and Kate getting the best roles and 'didn't feel supported' by the royals.

Yesterday, Scobie said the couple felt unable to defend themselves over reports in the media which they felt were untrue.

He told Lorraine: 'Harry's very aware of what goes on behind the scenes behind palace walls, and I think the couple really found themselves in a position where they were told they couldn't defend themselves.

'We heard 'no comment' time and time again from the palace, but their reputations were being destroyed by the words of other people using, sort of, third, fourth, fifth hand information that wasn't always necessarily true.'

Scobie also told Lorraine that the process of writing the book began two years ago and the story of what he was writing changed dramatically over this time.

He added that he and Meghan are 'absolutely in no way friends' and said there was 'always that line' between journalists and members of the royal family.

The controversial biography written by Omid Scobie (left) and Carolyn Durand (right) raised eyebrows for its gushing praise and intimate knowledge of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex

He denied asking them for an interview, adding that 'it was important to have a little distance from the couple' to have a balanced and objective view of who they are.

Scobie said: 'The really unique situation that came out of it was a lot of the people working for Harry and Meghan were frustrated at what was being printed.'

He said that the couple's friends had become 'desperate' to defend them so they could 'reframe the narrative a little bit' and 'shed a light on who they really were'.

Among the fresh revelations in the book are:

Meghan Markle formed such a close bond with Prince Charles that she considers him her 'second father';

Meghan was often 'seen carrying binders full of research on Royal protocol' so she didn't put a foot wrong;

The Queen gave Meghan a royal masterclass in protocol and described Meghan as 'very clever and good';

Harry felt he was 'thrown under the bus' by aides working for his brother Prince William;

Royal courtiers feared the brother's falling out 'could spell the end of the monarchy';

Meghan left the UK 'emotionally bruised and exhausted' after her last frosty event with William and Kate;

Russian hackers stole hundreds of their personal photos in 2018 after gaining access to an online account.
Gretchen Whitmer wanted out. The Michigan governor had caught the interest of Joe Biden and his vice presidential vetting committee, who were drawn to her prominence in a crucial battleground state and her aggressive response to the coronavirus outbreak there.

But by late spring, the nation was in the midst of a reckoning over race and inequality following the death of George Floyd, a Black man who died after a white police officer pressed his knee into his neck for several minutes.

Whitmer sent word to Bidens team that while she was flattered, she no longer wanted to be considered for the running mate slot, according to a high-ranking Democrat familiar with the process. She recommended Biden pick a Black woman.

Also Read: Who is Kamala Harris? All about Joe Biden's vice-presidential running mate

But Biden still wanted Whitmer in the mix, and he personally called her in mid-June to ask if she would continue on to the second, more intensive round of vetting, according to the official. Whitmer agreed.

But forces in the country, and within the Democratic Party, were indeed pushing Biden toward a history-making pick.

As protests over the death of Floyd and other Black Americans filled the streets across the country, an array of Democrats urged Biden to put a Black woman on the ticket  a nod to this moment in the nations history, to the critical role Black voters played in Bidens assent to the Democratic nomination, and to their vital importance in his general election campaign against President Donald Trump.

On Tuesday, Biden tapped California Sen. Kamala Harris to be his running mate, making her the first Black woman to serve on a major party presidential ticket.

Also Read: Kamala Harris as vice-presidential candidate: From Priyanka Chopra to Mindy Kaling; Here are some reactions

This account of how he made that decision, the most important of his political career, is based on interviews with 10 people with direct knowledge of the vetting and selection process. Most insisted on anonymity to disclose private conversations and deliberations.

___

Biden, well aware of the potential pitfalls of being a 77-year-old white male standard-bearer of a party increasingly comprised of women, people of color and young voters, made clear even before he had clinched the Democratic nomination that his running mate would be a woman.

His initial list of possible contenders was sprawling: roughly 20 governors, senators, congresswomen, mayors and other Democratic stalwarts. They were young and old; Black, Hispanic, white, Asian; straight and gay. Some, including Harris, had competed against Biden for the Democratic nomination.

From the start, some Biden advisers saw Harris as a logical choice. She was among the partys most popular figures, a deft debater and a fundraising juggernaut. She had been thoroughly vetted during her own campaign and Bidens team expected there would be few surprises if she was the pick.

Indeed, Harris potential downsides were well-known to Biden advisers. Her record as a prosecutor in California was already viewed skeptically by some younger Democrats during the primary and would face even more scrutiny against the backdrop of a national debate over inequality in the criminal justice system.

There were also nagging questions about Harris most high-profile moment of the primary campaign  a harsh and deeply personal broadside against Biden over his position on school busing in the 1970s.

Also Read: In pics | Here are Kamala Harris' thoughts on some of the key issues

Though Biden would later brush the moment aside as campaign tactics, the attack was said to have stunned the former vice president, who had considered his relationship with Harris strong.

It also raised concern among a small cadre of Biden advisers that Harris would be eyeing the Oval Office herself from the start, a particular worry given that Biden has not firmly committed to serving two terms if elected in November.

And so, as spring turned to summer, a string of other Black women would take a turn in the spotlight as Biden weighed his options. Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and Florida Rep. Val Demings impressed Bidens team with their leadership during the police brutality protests.

Some House Democrats  including South Carolina Rep. James Clyburn, a close Biden confidant  advocated for Rep. Karen Bass, a Californian who chairs the Congressional Black Caucus.

Biden also took a strong interest in Susan Rice, with whom he worked closely when she served in the White House as President Barack Obamas national security adviser.

The leading contenders, who also included Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Illinois Sen. Tammy Duckworth, submitted reams of financial records, texts of speeches and other personal information.

Bidens selection team canvassed a vast array of Democrats to ask for their views on the candidates temperament and families, then grilled the candidates on much of the same.

Biden, too, regularly discussed his potential pick with his sprawling network of friends and advisers. He used Obama in particular as a sounding board, though confidants to both men say the former president was careful not to tip his hand in those conversations as to whom he preferred.

But in private, Obama suggested to others that he believed Harris was the favorite.

___

In one of Harris conversations with the vetting committee, Chris Dodd  a longtime Biden friend who served alongside him in the Senate  asked if she had remorse for her debate stage attack on his busing record.

Harris, as she had previously done so publicly, brushed it aside as simply politics. Dodd, a member of the running mate selection committee, was put off and let that be known. The incident was first reported by Politico and confirmed to The Associated Press by a person with direct knowledge.

The public disclosure of Dodds comments angered some of the highest-ranking women on Bidens campaign team. Some of Harris allies also mobilized to defend her, including California Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, who organized a call with Bidens vetting team about two weeks ago to assuage any doubts about whether the senator was the right choice for the ticket.

On the 45-minute call, Kounalakis and other statewide officials, labor and business leaders took turns sharing their personal histories with Harris and their impressions of her as a leader.

Speaking out as strongly as we did, collectively, helped them understand how supported she is and why, Kounalakis said on Tuesday.

The call ended with Bidens vetting team telling the Harris supporters that they had all recommended her as one of the top candidates for the job.

___

The pandemic had largely grounded Biden in his home state of Delaware throughout the summer, and also upended some of the ways he had expected to build a rapport with the running-mate contenders.

There were no joint rallies or carefully orchestrated, yet casual-looking, outings to local restaurants in battleground states. Biden was also accepting few in-person visitors at his home.

But he did want to speak one-on-one with the women who had made it through the vetting process and interviews with his selection committee. He would hold conversations with 11 women in the final nine days before he made his pick  a mixture of in-person meetings and video teleconferences.

Whitmer was among those who flew to Delaware for an in-person audience. She boarded a private plan in Lansing, Michigan, on Aug. 2, spending just a few hours on the ground before returning to Michigan.

Rice, who had perhaps the closest personal relationship with Biden of all the contenders, spoke twice with Biden in recent days. Duckworth also had a formal interview over the weekend, as did Georgia Democrat Stacey Abrams, who was initially viewed as a leading contender for the job.

On Tuesday, in the hours before his campaign announced Harris as the pick, Biden would call each of those women to inform them that they had not been selected. Warren, whose relationship with Biden has deepened in recent months through regular policy discussions, was also among those to receive a personal call from the former vice president.

In some of the conversations, Biden left open an opportunity. Please consider joining me in another role in the administration, he said.
One more person tested positive for coronavirus in Hanoi

Loc Vung Beer Restaurant

Hanoi Department of Health announced on August 11 that another person has been tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 and issued an urgent notice to customers at Loc Vung Beer Restaurant in Thanh Tri District.

The new patient is a 63-year-old man from Hai Duong Province. He felt tired and had coughing symptom on July 31 and he went to the Hospital 108 on August 8. Afterwards, he went to his daughter's home who is the owner of Loc Vung Beer Restaurant in Hanoi's Thanh Tri District.

On August 9, he was admitted to Thanh Nhan Hospital due to acute pneumonia. The initial test came back negative. Thanh Nhan Hospital and Hanoi CDC later both carried out another test on the same day and the results came back positive.

Hanoi Department of Health asked anyone who had come to Loc Vung Beer Restaurant to contact with the local health agency for advice and support. Dtinews/Laodong

Quang Tri reports two more COVID-19 cases



The central province of Quang Tri has recorded an additional two novel coronavirus (COVID-19) cases, with a residential area in Gio Linh district being zoned off and put under lockdown as a result, according to local health authorities.

The latest patient is reported to be a 36-year old female who resides in Ha Thanh village of Gio Chau commune in Gio Linh district. She is currently an employee of Bao Chau Company in Dong Ha city and is also a colleague of both patient 750 and patient 833.

This comes after the woman visited several health centres throughout the region before being put into isolation and transferred to the provincial Hospital of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease to undergo a period strict medical surveillance on August 11.

The next is a 66-year old female residing in Ruong village of Huong Tan commune in Huong Hoa district and is the mother of patient 832. Her positive test comes after she took care of patient 832 between August 2 and August 7 at Quang Tri General Hospital.

She had moved around several departments in the hospital, the canteen, and restaurants surrounding the site before being put into quarantine at the provincial Hospital of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease.

Immediately after the detection of the latest COVID-19 cases, the Quang Tri People's Committee moved to swiftly cordon off a residential area in Ha Thanh village in Gio Linh district, a location that is home to 408 local residents.

Furthermore, a range of strict COVID-19 prevention and control measures has also been deployed across the region in line with regulations. At present, Quang Tri province has reported a total of six cases of COVID-19, along with one death.

Moreover, the nation has so far recorded 405 cases of community infection across 15 cities and provinces since the initial detection of fresh COVID-19 cases on July 25 in Da Nang. VOV

Woman in Da Nang recovers from COVID-19

A woman from Da Nang has been given the all-clear from COVID-19, taking the total number of recoveries nationwide to 400.

The 61-year-old from Hoa Thuan Dong Ward in Hai Chau District tested negative for coronavirus four times and has been released from Da Nang Lung Hospital.

Medics will continue to monitor her and she will be placed in quarantine for 14 days under the regulations of the Ministry of Health.

Dr. Le Thanh Phuc, Director of Da Nang Lung Hospital said that in the complicated situation faced in Da Nang City, the hospital has taken the initiative updating treatment guidelines and plans from the Ministry of Health and done its best to treat the sick.

This is the 5th patient with COVID-19 at the hospital who has made a full recovery. Four others were given the all-clear on August 10.

As of Wednesday morning, Viet Nam has confirmed 866 COVID-19 cases, including 321 imported cases and 17 deaths.  VNS

Quang Tri locks down hamlet in Gio Linh District

Authorities in Quang Tri Province have locked down Bau Hamlet from 9pm on Tuesday night.

The hamlet is in Ha Thanh Village, in Gio Chau Commune of Gio Linh District.

Chairman of the provincial Peoples Committee Vo Van Hung signed decision No 2235/Q-UBND to temporarily lock down the hamlet as it was at high risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

The provincial health department has co-operated with the committee to carry out measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the hamlet.

Local police, soliders, medical staff and relevant agencies have set up quarantine stations in the hamlet.

On Tuesday afternoon, Quang Tri Province recorded two more new cases of COVID-19. They were the 861st and 862nd patients. The 861st patient is a 36-year-old woman, residing in Gio Linh District. She had contact with the 750th and 833rd patient.

The 862nd patient is the mother of the 832nd patient. She took care of the 832nd patient in Quang Tri General Hospital between August 2 and 7.

The 832nd patient then became the 16th person to die of COVID-19-related complications in Vietnam on Tuesday afternoon. He was suffering from type-1 diabetes, exhaustion and heart failure.

The province has recorded a total of six COVID-19 cases as of Wednesday morning, including a death.  VNS

11 Vietnamese nationals quarantined in Cao Bang after illegal entry

11 Vietnamese citizens are placed into quarantine after illegally entering the country from Guangdong in China.





Border guards operating in Cao Bang province have detected a total of 11 Vietnamese citizens as they were in the process of attempting to illegally enter the country from Guangdong in China.

Once under questioning at a local police station, the suspects, made up of a group of eight men and three women, admitted to previously illegally crossing the border from the nation into China for the purpose of work.

The group were initially picked up by border forces at national milestone No.876 in Ha Lang district, with each individual undergoing a medical check-up before being immediately placed into quarantine as part of procedures to prevent the potential spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).

The latest discovery comes after a number of cases of illegal entry were discovered by border forces in Cao Bang over the past few days. In line with these cases of illegal entry, two Vietnamese suspects, Hoang Van Trong and Dam Van Hai, both of Thi Hoa commune in Ha Lang district, were arrested for organising the illegal exit of individuals from the country. VOV

Three COVID-19 patients in Da Nang, Quang Ngai receive discharge



A further three novel coronavirus (COVID-19) patients were released from hospital on August 12, including a pair that had been the first cases to be detected in the central province of Quang Ngai, and one in central Da Nang City.

Included among the group of discharged patients is a 29-year-old Serbian man. The expert from Hoa Phat Group had originally flown from Oman to Da Nang on July 9.

Another case involves a 17-year-old boy who was the first positive COVID-19 patient in the community in Quang Ngai province after being detected in Quang Phu ward in relation to an F1 case at Da Nang Hospital.

Furthermore, the Da Nang Hospital for Lung Diseases announced that a 61-year-old woman had tested negative for the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

At present, each of the individuals is in stable health condition and are displaying no symptoms of the virus, such as a fever, a cough, or shortness of breath.

Moving forward, the three patients will be placed into isolation in order to undergo a mandatory 14-day observation period as a means of ensuring that there is no possibility of the virus recurring or being transmitted among the wider community.

Up to August 12, the country has confirmed 866 COVID-19 cases, including 17 fatalities. Of the total infections, 402 have gone on to make a full recovery from the deadly disease. VOV

Quang Nam strives to speed up COVID-19 testing



The central province of Quang Nam has asked relevant units to accelerate testing for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in order to take at least 6,000 samples each day.

The majority of testing must focus on F1 cases (those having close contact with others who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2) and F2 cases (those interacting with F1 people), in addition to those who are currently in quarantine and isolation areas.

The provincial Center for Disease Control has also been requested to continue tracking and identifying those who came into close contact with F1 cases, as well as boosting the number of quick-response teams from six to 10.

The provincial Department of Health has been asked to direct the provincial Center for Disease Control and Duy Xuyen districts Medical Center to monitor epidemic prevention work at Binh An Hospital. In addition, a range of preventive measures should be taken to avoid cross infection at medical facilities.

As of August 11, Quang Nam province had conducted over 33,0006 test samples, successfully detecting 82 positive cases of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in the process, along with recording more than 25,200 negative cases. At present, approximately 7,700 samples are waiting to receive their results back. VOV

Negative results for 33 COVID-19 patients in Da Nang

A total of 33 patients who had been infected with the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) have tested negative for the SARS-CoV-2 virus, according to a meeting held on August 11 afternoon by the Steering Committee for COVID-19 Epidemic Prevention and Control in the central city of Da Nang.

To date, Da Nang has been able to isolate more than 21,300 cases, along with the municipal health sector sampling 55,467 cases since July 24, including 283 confirmed positive cases. Of the 252 patients who have received treatment at medical facilities in Da Nang, there have been 13 deaths in addition to four patients being discharged from hospital.

These statistics come as the Da Nang Mayor announced the imposition of a social distancing order in the city starting from August 12 until further notice.

The City People's Committee has also assigned the Department of Transport to co-ordinate efforts with the City Police, the Department of Tourism, and other relevant agencies in order to guide and help 1,700 tourists currently staying in Da Nang return to their respective localities as swiftly as possible.

Furthermore, the municipal administration of Da Nang will continue to establish a centralised isolation area for medical staff and workers to provide care for and treat COVID-19 patients in Lien Chieu district.

Moreover, the People's Committees of the central citys districts have moved to organise the shopping frequency of local residents, with each family being permitted to go shopping once every three days.

This new regulation is implemented as of August 12 until further notice from municipal leaders.

Since July 25, Da Nang has recorded 273 cases of COVID-19, of which 4 people were discharged from hospital, and 13 died. More than 10,000 cases having close contact with coronavirus patients were isolated at medical facilities and concentrated isolation areas. VOV

Another COVID-19 patient dies in Vietnam, raising death toll to 17

A COVID-19 patient in the central city of Da Nang died in the early morning of August 12, bringing the total fatalities to 17, according to Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Truong Son.

COVID-19 testing (Photo: VNA)

The 55-year-old patient had also suffered from diabetes type 1, end-stage chronical kidney failure and hypertension, said Son, who is also head of the ministrys special team in charge of COVID-19 prevention and control in Da Nang.

The man was treated in Da Nang Hospital from July 26-30, and tested positive for the coronavirus on July 27.

He was transferred to Hue Central Hospital No. 2 in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue on July 31.

Doctors attributed his death to severe pneumonia caused by COVID-19, in a patient with diabetes type 1, and end-stage chronical kidney failure, septic shock and multiple organ failure.

As of August 12 morning, Vietnam recorded 866 COVID-19 cases, including 405 linked to the outbreak in Da Nang.

Of the total cases, 399 or 46.1 percent have made full recovery. VNA

Over 340 Vietnamese people from the US return home

More than 340 Vietnamese citizens from the US were brought home on a repatriation flight which landed at the Van Don International Airport in the northern province of Quang Ninh on August 11.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the flight was arranged by local authorities of the two countries and the national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines.

Passengers include children aged under 18, the elderly, the ill, workers with expired visas and labour contracts, students without accommodations, stranded tourists, and those in disadvantaged circumstances.

After landing safely at the airport, all passengers and crew members were given health check-ups and sent to quarantine areas in line with regulations.

Since April 10, some 90 repatriation flights have been arranged by Vietnamese authorities to help over 22,000 local people stranded abroad due to Covid-19 return home, the ministry said. Dtinews

Vietnam records three new imported cases on Wednesday morning

Three Vietnamese citizens repatriated from Japan have all tested positive for COVID-19.

The National Hospital for Tropical Diseases' second branch in Dong Anh District, Hanoi.  Photo cuocsongantoan.vn

They are a 36-year-old woman from Nghi Loc District, in the central province of Nghe An and two men, both aged 33, from Cam Giang District in the northern province of Hai Duong and My Loc District in the northern province of Nam Dinh.

They were onboard a repatriation flight that arrived in Vietnam on Monday at Van Don International Airport and were immediately quarantined after landing.

The three are currently being treated at the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases' second branch in Dong Anh District, Hanoi.

So far, 866 people have tested positive, with 399 making a full recovery. Sixteen people, all with underlying medical conditions, have died of COVID-19-related complications. VNS

Multi-layered border control demanded as VN enters 3rd phase of Covid-19 fight

Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam has tasked border provinces to coordinate closely with border guard force in ensuring multi-layered control of entry and exit to prevent Covid-19 importation.

Dam, who is head of the National Steering Committee for Covid-19 Prevention and Control, stressed the point during his visit to the Viet Nam Border Guard Tuesday.

All foreign experts and skilled workers, who are allowed to enter the country, must be quarantined in accordance with the current regulations on Covid-19 prevention, Dam reiterated.

He tasked the Ministry of Public Security to direct local police forces to intensify inspection in order to timely detect and fine those who bring foreigners into Viet Nam illegally.

Dam took the occasion to appreciate the great efforts by all the border guard and police forces as they have always been the front-liners in fighting the pandemic over the past eight months.

Viet Nam entered the third phase of Covid-19 fight since the first community transmitted case was confirmed in Da Nang on July 25. Over the last 18 days, the country confirmed over 400 community infection cases, including 16 deaths.

In pursuing the dual goal of Covid-19 containment and economic recovery, the Government has allowed foreign experts, investors and skilled workers to enter the country but borders still remain closed to foreign tourists.

As of 6:10 pm on Tuesday, Viet Nam had 863 Covid-19 patients, of whom 399 have been cleared of the virus, reported the National Steering Committee. VGP

Preventing the pandemic in border areas

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Coordinating with local authorities to patrol and control open trails, setting up quarantine posts along the border, and temporarily quarantining citizens passing through border gates are the key measures adopted by border forces in central Quang Nam province to prevent the spread of COVID-19, especially after a series of illegal entries.

Located adjacent to Sekong province in Laos, Quang Nam welcomes a large number of Vietnamese returning from business trips to the neighbouring country through the border gates. In order to prevent people from illegally entering Vietnam, 21 field control posts have been set up along the border with the two Lao districts of Dak Chung and Ka Lum.

Acknowledging that anti-pandemic work in border areas is extremely difficult, many organisations and individuals in Quang Nam are visiting and giving gifts to anti-pandemic forces in border areas.

Controlling border areas, tightly managing trails, and closely linking border protection with pandemic prevention have created a steel fence to curb the spread of COVID-19.

Philippine citizen recovers from COVID-19 in Vietnam

Pictured is the Phu Quoc District General Hospital where the Philippine citizen had received COVID-19 treatment upon her entry into Vietnam in late July

A Philippine patient infected with COVID-19 has been discharged from hospital in Kien Giangs island district of Phu Quoc after making a full recovery from the disease.

The 37-year-old woman, an education expert, has tested negative for the SARS-CoV-2 virus four times since her hospitalization, meeting the criteria for being discharged from hospital, said Vo Thanh Dung, director of the medical centre of Phu Quoc island district.

The patient is required to undergo a 14-day quarantine period at home to ensure she is clear from virus infection, Dung added.

The Philippine citizen took flight QH9461 from the Republic of Korea to Phu Quoc Airport in Kien Giang province, southern Vietnam, on July 19.

She tested positive for the virus the following day and was transferred to the Phu Quoc Island District Medical Centre for medical observation and treatment.

She is the only COVID-19 patient in Kien Giang province.

Kien Giang is placing 165 people in concentrated quarantine facilities, including 41 cases returning from Da Nang, the epicenter of the current coronavirus outbreak. In addition, 331 other cases are in self-quarantine at home. VOV

Da Nang continues social distancing measures

The central city of Da Nang, now Vietnams major COVID-19 hotspot, will continue with social distancing measures in line with Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phucs Directive No 16/CT-TTg dated March 31.

Under a document issued by the Da Nang City Peoples Committee on August 11, all agencies, organisations, and residents will have to observe COVID-19 prevention and control measures from midnight on August 12 until further notice. Such measures were imposed upon Hoa Vang district at 1pm on August 11.

People are advised to stay home except for buying necessities like food and medicine, taking care of emergencies, or working at factories and production facilities deemed to provide essential goods and services.

The local Health Department will continue to instruct the citys Centre for Disease Control to coordinate with relevant agencies and localities in tracing COVID-19 cases.

The document also highlighted testing, especially group testing, quarantine, and treatment to minimise fatalities from the pandemic.

COVID-19 prevention and control will be stepped up at markets and supermarkets, the document read, noting that apart from social distancing measures, plans on reserving goods are needed in case the pandemic lasts for a long period.

Any violations of regulations must be strictly punished.

Vietnam had confirmed 847 COVID-19 cases as of the morning of August 11, of which 389 are linked to the outbreak in Da Nang that started around July 25.

Among the total, 318 cases were imported and quarantined upon arrival.

As many as 399 patients, or 47.1 percent of cases, have recovered, but the country has also recorded 15 fatalities.

Of the active patients, nine have tested negative once for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, and 36 at least twice.

There are 165,983 people now under quarantine who had close contact with confirmed cases or who came from pandemic-hit areas. VNA

HCM City sends medical staff to Da Nang

Since the COVID-19 outbreak flared up in the central city of Da Nang late last month, Ho Chi Minh Citys Cho Ray Hospital has dispatched six medical teams to help contain its spread.

Eight doctors, five nurses and three laboratory technicians have been sent to hospitals in Da Nang and neighbouring Quang Nam province in the last two weeks.

Tran Thanh Linh, deputy head of Cho Rays intensive care unit, is assisting doctors at Da Nang Lung Hospital to treat severely ill COVID-19 patients.

His team members take turns at night to ensure round-the-clock assistance to the medical teams and care for patients, he said.

The Da Nang Lung Hospitals intensive care unit currently houses dozens of patients with COVID-19, many of them on ventilators, some on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) machines and being treated with continuous blood purification.

Dr Le Kinh Luan, head of a medical team from Cho Ray dispatched to Hoa Vang Hospital, said his team was helping treat nine COVID-19 patients and the number was expected to rise to 16 this week.

Huynh Quang Dai, deputised to Quang Nam provinces General Hospital, said the pressure on the health care workforce on the front lines in the fight against COVID-19 in Da Nang and Quang Nam has intensified with an unprecedented workload and high risk of infection.

But we do our best to treat infected patients with a sense of optimism and determination.

On August 8, HCM Citys Department of Health dispatched three doctors and five nurses from Gia Dinh Peoples Hospital, Peoples 115 and ThuDuc District Hospital to support Da Nang in the fight against COVID-19. VNA

HCM City steps up surveillance of COVID-19 transmission sources

Ho Chi Minh Citys Department of Health should continue to thoroughly check transmission sources and risks in the community, Chairman of the municipal Peoples Committee Nguyen Thanh Phong said at a meeting with the Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control.

Phong told the meeting on August 10 that hospitals must comply with the Ministry of Healths regulations on safe hospitals. They should pay attention to safety for patients aged more than 60 and to those who have underlying disease such as chronic kidney failure or cancer. Steps should also be taken to prevent COVID-19 from breaking out in their facility.

Home-based health examination and treatment services for patients aged more than 60 should start again, he added.

The department was asked to give more tests to high-risk groups such as drivers, receptionists, and traders at wholesale markets.

Phong said the department would work with the peoples committee in district 8 to conduct surveillance at Binh Dien wholesale market where 10,000-20,000 people enter and leave daily.

He also required the department to conduct surveillance to prevent the spread of dengue fever, hand, foot and mouth disease, and diphtheria.

Other departments and relevant agencies should strictly follow criteria and regulations about disease prevention and control, he added.

The Department of Health said the city has so far reported 71 COVID-19 patients and one patient transferred from Bac Lieu Hospital. Of these, 62 have recovered and are free of COVID-19. The rest are being treated at the citys Hospital for Tropical Diseases and Cu Chi COVID-19 Treatment Hospital.

The city has also recorded two patients who have tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 again. They have been quarantined and are being treated at the Cu Chi COVID-19 Treatment Hospital.

Of the people who have returned from Da Nang, 51,337 have completed health declaration forms as of August 10. Of these, 45,019 have been tested; 43,414 have tested negative for SARS-CoV-2; and six people have tested positive for SARS-CoV-2.

On August 13 and 14, three flights will bring 625 tourists who have been stranded in Da Nang to HCM City-based Tan Son Nhat International Airport. Of these, 438 people are from HCM City. The city will place them under quarantine after they arrive at the aiport.

Five days after the city began imposing a fine on people not wearing masks in public, the city has fined 841 violators. VNA

Over 1,450 stranded tourists to return to Hanoi, HCM City from Da Nang

As many as 1,453 tourists stranded in Da Nang due to an outbreak of COVID-19 in the central city will be flown back to Hanoi and HCM City on August 12-14, announced the citys Department of Tourism.

Social distancing measures are being applied in Da Nang in an effort to contain the spread of COVID-19 after locally-transmitted cases have been emerging in the city since July 25.

The tourists will be transported on flights arranged by national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines and budget airline Vietjet Air.

There will be two flights from Da Nang to Hanoi on August 12 and two more on August 13, carrying a total 828 passengers, including 799 Vietnamese and 29 foreigners.

Meanwhile, 625 passengers will be flown to HCM City on three flights on August 13 and 14. All of them tested negative for the SARS-CoV-2 that causes COVID-19 on August 10. VNA

Border guard force plays key role in COVID-19 prevention: Deputy PM

Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam affirmed the key role of the military, including the border guard force, in battling COVID-19 during a working session with the Border Guard High Command on August 11.

As head of the National Steering Committee on COVID-19 Prevention and Control, he noted that the pandemic may last for a long time, asking the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to devise plan to ensure equipment and fortify checkpoints along the border for soldiers, especially in unfavourable conditions and weather.

He also urged authorities of border localities to closely team up with the border guard and public security forces to keep a close eye on people entering Vietnam, particularly in industrial zones.

The MoD was requested to join hands with the Ministry of Public Security to submit to the Prime Minister a plan on enhancing capacity for border protection and management in the new context, which pays due attention to the application of information technology.

Deputy Commander of the Border Guard Major General Le Duc Thai reported at the meeting that there are complicated developments regarding the illegal movement across the land border after Vietnam imposed restrictions of entry and compulsory quarantine for those who enter the country to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to Thai, from February 2 to August 7, as many as 16,530 illegal immigrants were discovered and handled.

He said the Border Guard High Command has enhanced personnel along the border, devised plans to receive Vietnamese citizens returning from abroad and tackle rings that organise illegal travel across the border, adding that the force has stationed nearly 9,800 soldiers at more than 1,600 checkpoints since July 25.

The forces also launched proceedings and handed over 41 cases of organising and brokering illegal migration to competent agencies.

In the coming time, the force will continue to keep a close watch on border gates, trails and crossings, maintain the number of patrols, checkpoints and staff, and send more personnel to major and complicated locations.

COVID-19 patient in Phu Quoc fully recovers

Patient 409 in Phu Quoc island district off the coast of the Mekong Delta province of Kien Giang was declared to have recovered from COVID-19 on August 11.

The patient is a Filipino citizen who arrived in Phu Quoc from the Republic of Korea on July 19. She was quarantined upon arrival and moved to the district medical centre after testing positive for the virus.

She is now in good health and has tested negative for the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 four times.

She is the only COVID-19 case recorded in Kien Giang to date.

There are now 165 people in the province quarantined at facilities and 331 at home.

How Hanoi penalizes offenders of Covid-19 pandemic prevention rules?

Hanoi has listed 13 acts of violation and corresponding punishments ranging from administrative fine to criminal prosecution.

The Hanoi Department of Justice has made public a list of penalties for violating Covid-19 pandemic prevention regulations, with the highest penalty up of to VND20 million (US$849.23) and criminal prosecution, Kinh te & Do thi newspaper reported.

The list details 13 acts of violation and corresponding punishments ranging from administrative fine to criminal prosecution in accordance with the Criminal Code.

1. Not wearing a face mask in public places is punishable with a fine of VND300,000 (US$12.74).

2. Indiscriminate dumping of used face masks will be subject to a fine of between VND5 million (US$212.31) and VND7 million US$297.23).

3. A person who conceals his or her own Covid-19 infection or others infected with Covid-19 will be fined VND2 million (US$84.92).

4. Those who evade medical examination and supervision before entering and leaving epidemic-hit regions will face a fine of VND20 million (US$849.23).

5. Those who deliberately make wrong or dishonest medical declarations that cause infection of Covid-19 to others will be handled in accordance with Article 240 of the Penal Code.

6. Those who sell food and drinks in public places, contravening the social distancing policy, will be subject to a fine of between VND10 million (US$424.61) and 20 million (US$849.23).

7. Those who contravene the decision to suspend businesses and services leading to public gatherings will face a fine of between VND10 million (US$424.61) and 20 million (US$849.23).

8. Those who flee quarantine places and fail to comply with the isolation regulations will be fined VND10 million (US$424.61) or handled in accordance with Article 240 of the Penal Code if causing Covid-19 infection to others.

9. Those who flee quarantine places and fail to comply with the quarantine regulations that causes losses of VND100 million US$4,246.13) or more in expenses for Covid-19 prevention and control will be handled in accordance with Article 295 of the Penal Code.

10. Those who post fabricated information or misrepresent information on the Covid-19 epidemic situation will face a penalty of VND15 million (US$636.92) or handled in accordance with Article 288 of the Penal Code.

11. Those who obstruct the enforcement of regulations on prevention and control of the Covid-19 epidemic will be handled in accordance with Article 330 of the Penal Code.

12. Owners of business establishments such as bars, dancing halls, karaoke parlors, massage services, beauty salons, among others, who violate the regulation on business restriction to prevent and control Covid-19, causing losses of VND100 million (US$4,246) or more in expenses for epidemic prevention and control, will be handled in accordance with Article 295 of the Penal Code.

13. Those who take advantage of shortages, making products in short supply during the Covid-19 pandemic, or hoarding goods subject to price stabilization schemes for unfair gains will be held liable for speculative offenses in accordance with Article 196 of the Penal Code.

Health ministry checks two high-risk hospitals in Hanoi

The two hospitals specializing in lungs and kidney diseases in Hanoi are treating patients who will be vulnerable if acquiring Covid-19.

As the Covid-19 pandemic drags on, medical facilities need to ensure utmost safety, Zing.vn quoted Dr. Luong Ngoc Khue, head of the Administration of Medical Examination and Treatment under the Ministry of Health, as saying at a recent inspection to two high-risk hospitals in Hanoi.

According to Dr. Khue, two hospitals specializing in lung and kidney diseases in Hanoi are treating patients who will be vulnerable if acquiring contracting coronavirus. In fact, of the eleven Covid-19 deaths in Danang, Vietnams biggest epicenter now, most of them were with chronic kidney failure, pneumonia and other chronic illnesses.

The Hanoi Lung Hospital provides medical checkups to over 100 patients a day. It also treats patients with tuberculosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary, multi-resistant tuberculosis, among other illnesses. Thus, the hospital needs to closely supervise and manage its patients, said Dr. Khue.

The Hanoi Kidney Hospital currently treats 444 hemodialysis patients with underlying diseases (for example, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes) and 517 patients with chronic kidney. Meanwhile, most of the dialysis machines are old. Currently, 77 machines are fully operated from three to four shifts per day.

Checking the safety criteria would reveal gaps that need to be addressed in time, as well as preventing, isolating and transferring patients in a timely and effective manner.

The Ministry of Healths inspection team also checked Dolife International Hospital. Dr. Khue suggested that the hospital should pay attention to the ventilation system for the patient's chamber.

He added that medical facilities have to learn from the disease outbreaks at Hong Ngoc General Hospital, Bach Mai Hospital, Hanoi Kidney Hospital in order to not repeat the same mistakes made by these health centers.

Khue also suggested that Hanois hospitals need to improve their Covid-19 testing capacity in order to be ready to cope with the pandemic.

Hanoi hospitals curb admissions

Hanoi hospitals are strengthening Covid-19 prevention measures, monitoring hospital admissions and recommending patients that they should be cared for by only on family member and should not receive visitors.

Hospitals across the country are now highly vunerable to Covid-19. Four hospitals in Danang city had to be closed, more than 10 medical staffers were infected, and 15 Covid-19 patients died. From Danang experience, hospitals in Hanoi need to tighten up control of visits and apply safety measures.

"With only one patient being infected with coronavirus, a the hospital would be at risk of being closed," Dr. Khue stressed.

At the Hanoi-based Bach Mai Hospital, Dr. Nguyen Viet Hung, head of the Department of Infection Control, said that his hospitals primary goal is to prevent cross-contagion among medical staff, patients, caregivers, and related people in the hospital.

Dr. Le Van Quang, director of the Hanoi K (Cancer) Hospital and head of the hospital's Covid 19 prevention steering committee, asked the patients and their family members to report online before going to the hospital. The hospital has built a website at https://www.khaibaoyte-bvk.com and requested patients to make online medical declarations through it.

"Online medical declaration is not only compulsory for the patient, family members, and visitors to the hospital, but 100% of health workers must also take it seriously. Those failing to declare would not be allowed to enter the hospital," Dr. Quang emphasized.

Hanoi to quarantine nearly 1,000 people evacuated from Danang

The returnees will be quarantined at a military school in the city's suburb.

The Hanoi Capital High Command has prepared facilities for quarantining nearly 1,000 people who will return from Danang, a coronavirus outbreak hot spot.

Major General Nguyen Quoc Duyet, chief commander of the command, has checked the preparations for the quarantine of the stranded people who will be back on August 12 on flights operated by national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines.

They will stay at the commands Military School in Son Tay town.

Those people are stuck in Danang after the government put this beach city on lockdown on July 28. Since then no flights have been allowed to and from Danang.

After Danang detected the first local infection on July 25, some 96,000 people have arrived in Hanoi from that beach city.

The influx of returnees from the outbreak hot spot has put the city government in high alert, prompting the authorities to take preventive measures, especially testing and quarantining.

Hanoi has so far found out seven returnees from Danang infected with SARS-CoV-2.

The situation prompted Chairman of the municipal Peoples Committee Nguyen Duc Chung to demand polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing for all people coming from Danang, with the priority given to around 80,000 who returned from July 15, to ensure no positive cases would be missed by quick tests.

Vietnam detected the first local infection in Danang, one of the most famous tourist attractions, on July 25 after 99 days without community transmission.
Still feeling a little scattered from Caleb Reeds wake earlier Tuesday, Mather High School counselor Paige Stenzel logged in to the Local School Council meeting to support the removal of police officers from campus, a cause that absorbed the final weeks of Reeds life.

Since Reed, 17, was found on a West Rogers Park sidewalk with a gunshot wound to his head on July 31, community leaders including Ald. Andre Vasquez, 40th, vowed to pursue the change Reed had been fighting for.

After paying tribute to Reed, Mathers Local School Council on Tuesday voted 6-4 against retaining officers at the school attended by more than 1,600 students.

Before casting his no vote, Principal Peter Auffant said the dilemma had caused him sleepless nights.

My stomach turns as I continue to think about the weight of this decision, Auffant said. The weight of this decision is falling on LSCs across the city.

Ultimately, Auffant said he had concerns about police presence in the school, and he wanted to make sure that any response to students behavior helped them grow into better versions of themselves.

Auffant started the meeting by asking for a moment of silence over the recent deaths of Reed and another Mather student.

It has been a fairly trying time for the entire community and not being with everybody, it has been hard for students, it has been hard for staff. ... it has been difficult for me, to find some healing, Auffant said.

Reed was highly regarded as an activist and leader with Voices of Youth in Chicago Education a coalition of community organizations advocating for racial justice in the education system.

Some of his friends, current and former Mather students, spoke during the public comment time Tuesday and in a town hall on school police held earlier in the afternoon.

Im still hurt about Calebs life, said one recent graduate who identified as Latinx and gender fluid, and suffering from depression and anxiety. Right now Im traumatized about my friend passing away... Caleb was fighting for more mental health resources, stopping gun violence, stopping whatever thats negative.

Story continues

Mather student Derriana Ford, Reeds girlfriend for the past three years and another VOYCE member, spoke briefly to the council, asking them to vote out police and reinvest in students.

Im going through something. I just lost my boyfriend. I dont want to get emotional but we really need to start thinking about our students, Ford said. We are telling you one thing, but you guys arent listening.

One speaker said the council members needed to consider Mathers goals.

If the goal is to reduce harms of students of color ... what is the most direct impact, the most direct thing that we can do? she asked. Or is our goal to ensure that white teachers are comfortable?

One of the four votes to keep officers, council member Mary Vesic said she believed the school resource officer program, was valuable and could be improved with enough work, including meetings with the officers.

Without that, we wont be successful, Vesic said. ... Im willing to put in the work.

Diane Munoz, a Mather teacher, spoke in support of keeping officers if they were trained and used properly.

We are a culture of building relationships, she said, adding that from her experience in CPS, once you give things up, its hard to get them back.

But others questioned whether the schools current officers really have relationships with students, saying they mostly sit in an office all day.

I dont think the SROs have done themselves a favor by not building relationships intentionally with our students, Auffant said.

Teacher and LSC member Craig MacFarland, who voted in favor of officers, said while they dont seem to interact much with students, they are a nice safety net.

Michael Krantz-Perlman, a special education teacher at nearby Boone Elementary, said when he takes his students on field trips to Mather, they ask him if those are real police and why theyre there.

CPD has a history of working with federal immigration authorities, he said during the town hall meeting. They have a lot of fear when they walk in the doors and see an actual police officer with a weapon. My students have had various experiences with ICE, deportations with their families.

Multiple special education educators spoke about their students having disproportionately high rates of police intervention.

At Mather, students with individualized education plans were the subjects of 45% of police notifications, though they are only 15% of the schools population, according to data presented by administrators. Districtwide, students with IEPs accounted for 35% of police notifications during the 2018-19 school year.

Mather administrators also presented community survey results, which had 561 responses. The majority of students, parents and staff who responded favored retaining officers, while most community members wanted them removed.

An LSC member who voted against keeping officers, Judith Acosta, said she knows families who had difficulty accessing the surveys and did not participate.

I am Hispanic and believe me, I know how fearful it is to see a cop, Acosta said. She recalled instances of driving with Latino children in the car who start shaking when they see police behind them.

Boone parent Cassandra Kaczocha said her family has experienced anti-Black racism in CPS, from teachers who wont make eye contact with her husband to treatment of her son.

Raising a Black boy with learning differences, hes the most impacted by having police in schools, Kaczocha said. All the data in CPS, in Mather, tells me he is the key stakeholder here. Black boys, Black girls with learning differences are the ones most likely to get arrested.

At least seven other CPS high schools have voted so far to remove school resource officers, though more decided to keep them. CPSs new proposed budget would halve the spending for officers, in part because schools will remain closed at least until November because of COVID-19.

At Mather, the transition to security without stationed officers will require community involvement, he said, asking those present to stay for the rest of the meeting and continue to participate in matters such as budgeting and programming as much as they had regarding school police.

The expectation is not that this is a one-and-done, Auffant said. That youre here to support the school.

hleone@chicagotribune.com



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Surgical masks, normally used for surgery, are now also worn during the CCP virus pandemic. (Mika Baumeister/Unsplash)

Emergency Mask Mandate Goes Into Effect in Omaha After Unanimous Vote by Council

The Omaha City Council voted unanimously on Tuesday to pass an emergency mask ordinance, which will be effective immediately and last until at least Sept. 15.

The debate leading up to the vote had lasted for 4 hours on Tuesday, according to the Omaha World-Herald, but ultimately culminated in a 7-0 vote for the ordinance to help slow the spread of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus in Omaha, Nebraska. The ordinance needed six votes to be effective.

Doctors and leaders from the University of Nebraska Medical Center, CHI Health, Methodist Health System, and OneWorld Community Health Center had urged the council to pass a mask mandate, the newspaper reported.

Under the new ordinance (pdf), people who fail to wear a mask in most public areas in Omaha could face a $25 fine, which applies to people who are aged 5 and above.

The ordinance lists a number of exemptions, saying that masks are not required for those:

Seated at a bar or restaurant while consuming food or beverages

Engaged in exercise

Engaged in an occupation that prevents the wearing of a mask

Purchasing goods or services that require a mask be temporarily removed

Speaking to an audience where 6 feet of distance is maintained

Seeking state or county government services

Who cannot otherwise wear a face covering because of a medical condition, mental health condition, or a disability that makes it unreasonable for the individual to wear a mask

Seated at a desk or work station that has a solid plastic barrier which has been approved by the health director of the City of Omaha

Until the vote, Omaha was the largest U.S. city that had no local or state mask mandate.

The Douglas County Health Department announced it is providing free cloth masks for residents, available to be picked up on weekdays.

Council members Pete Festersen, Ben Gray, and Chris Jerram had proposed the ordinance ahead of the council meeting (pdf).

By Sept. 15, when the mask mandate is expected to be lifted, the council is expected to discuss the mask mandate with guidance from Dr. Adi Pour, the health director of Douglas County.

Pour was supportive of the mask mandate.

We have widespread community spread. We have a long way to go, she said, according to KETV, adding that the current community spread is very hard to control.

She noted that Douglas County has 11 inpatient hospitalizations related to the CCP virus, which marks a 42 percent increase in hospitalizations since 4 weeks ago.
Pollen tube in Arabidopsis thaliana. A study showing how pollen tubes grow into flowers to reach the ovule paves the way for the improvement of food crop varieties as well as a deeper understanding of the growth of fungi and neurons. Credit: Daniel Damineli

A group of researchers from four countries has worked out exactly how a pollen tube, the plant cell that emerges from a grain of pollen, grows up to a thousand-fold to reach an ovule deep inside the flower. The key to this growth is an inflow and outflow of protons that creates electrical activity at the cell membrane and makes the cell grow. The results of the study will help scientists understand an array of related phenomena, such as seed production, the growth of fungi, and even how neurons develop.

The findings are described in a paper authored by researchers affiliated with institutions in Brazil, Denmark, Portugal, and the United States and published in Nature Communications.

"A grain of pollen consists of a single cell. When it comes into contact with the female sex organ on the surface of a flower, it grows at a very high speed, forming what we call a pollen tube, until it reaches the base of the flower's ovary and discharges the sperm cells. How this happens was very poorly understood until now," according to Maria Teresa Portes, who conducted the research during a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Maryland in the US.

Scientists have long been intrigued by the exceptionally fast pace of pollen tube growth, which is the fastest type of cell growth observed among all living organisms. Its elongation originates at the tip of the tube and is termed tip growth. The species used in the study was Arabidopsis thaliana (thale cress), a small flowering plant native to Eurasia and Africa. It belongs to the mustard family (Brassicaceae) and is widely chosen as a model organism because of its usefulness for genetic experiments. Its pollen tube grows as much as 3 mm per day.

The researchers produced mutant varieties of the plant in the laboratory in which some genes were modified. They discovered that inactivating three AHA genes inhibited pollen tube growth. AHA refers to the autoinhibited H+-ATPase gene family.

In the mutant plants, only the eggs closest to the surface were fertilized. As a result, the plants produced only 5% of the normal number of seeds.

In a series of experiments, the researchers found that the proteins expressed from these genes acted as proton pumps, injecting protons from the environment to make the pollen tube cell more acidic and promote faster growth.

Proton pumps regulate the electrochemical gradient that energizes the nutrient uptake system and acid growth mechanism of plant cells.

"We wanted to understand how the cell organizes this growth process. Proton distribution in the ion gradient was found to be non-uniform, with protons bunching at the tip of the tube, and there are also gradients of molecules such as calcium and actin," said Daniel Santa Cruz Damineli, another coauthor of the study who is currently a postdoctoral fellow in the University of Sao Paulo's Medical School (FM-USP) in Brazil with a scholarship from FAPESP.

From seeds to neurons

Among several potential developments arising from the study's findings is a deeper understanding of how seeds are produced, so that they can, in theory, be used to create improved varieties of food crops such as legumes and cereals.

"We don't know everything about how the pollen tube is guided and how a plant's male and female organs communicate," Portes said. "This is a major research interest and could culminate in seed production. Plant growth necessarily involves this mechanism, which we're just starting to understand more deeply."

This knowledge should also help scientists understand tip-growth in other cells or organisms, such as that of fungal hyphae, neurons and cancer cells.

"Biologically speaking, how tip growth is orchestrated is poorly understood. Now we can study it further," Damineli said.

More information: Robert D. Hoffmann et al, Plasma membrane H+-ATPases sustain pollen tube growth and fertilization, Nature Communications (2020). Journal information: Nature Communications Robert D. Hoffmann et al, Plasma membrane H+-ATPases sustain pollen tube growth and fertilization,(2020). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-16253-1
Washington, DC, Aug. 12, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) launched Equipped to Vote, a national get-out-the-vote campaign to urge the 2.8 million men and women of the industry to register to vote and support pro-manufacturing candidates during the 2020 election.

The goal of the campaign is to engage, educate, and mobilize manufacturing voters on the policies that matter to the equipment manufacturing industry, encourage greater civic engagement, and help elect pro-manufacturing candidates. The campaigns digital action center on www.equippedtovote.org is a one-stop-shop for anyone looking to get involved, including how to register to vote, learn who is running in their district and state, and take action to help elect candidates who support the equipment manufacturing industry.

The outcome of the 2020 election will have a significant impact on equipment manufacturers, the manufacturing sector, and the U.S. economy for years to come, said Kip Eideberg, AEM senior vice president of government and industry relations. With equipment manufacturers responsible for one out of every eight manufacturing jobs in the United States, our industry has a duty to help our people make their voice heard and give them an opportunity to shape the outcome on Election Day. From infrastructure investment to free and fair trade, it is crucial that the 2.8 million men and women of our industry vote for candidates who will fight for pro-growth policies that allow the equipment manufacturing industry to prosper, grow the economy, and create family-sustaining jobs.

Equipped to Vote is a close partnership with AEMs member companies. The campaign is specifically designed to provide them with the tools and resources they need to engage with their employees and colleagues about the importance of casting their ballots this year. Through a series of interactive games and challenges, all designed to encourage civic participation, participants will earn points toward weekly giveaways and a special grand prize.

Each month the campaign will highlight a specific policy priority and explain why it is crucial to the long-term success of equipment manufacturing in the United States:

August: Free and Fair Trade

September: Infrastructure Investment

October: Rural America

The Equipped to Vote campaign will focus primarily on free and fair trade during the month of August. With about 30 percent of all equipment manufactured in the United States destined for export, free and fair trade policies and agreements are vital to the industrys prosperity. Equipment manufacturers rely on mutually beneficial trade relationships with our neighbors near and far because open, two-way trade and investment means more opportunity for the 2.8 million men and women of the industry.

Exporting equipment around the world is crucial to creating American jobs, helping communities succeed, and keeping the United States ahead of global competitors, said John Garrison, chairman of the board and president and CEO of Terex Corporation and 2020 chair of AEMs Government and Public Affairs Committee. Equipment manufacturers count on our elected officials to negotiate trade agreements that are fair and accountable, that create a level playing field, and that put American families and workers first.

AEM is the North American-based international trade group representing off-road equipment manufacturers and suppliers, with more than 1,000 companies and more than 200 product lines in the agriculture and construction-related industry sectors worldwide. The equipment manufacturing industry in the United States supports 2.8 million jobs and contributes roughly $288 billion to the economy every year.
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Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - August 12, 2020) - SilverCrest Metals Inc. (TSX: SIL) (NYSE American: SILV) ("SilverCrest" or the "Company") is pleased to report the Company's unaudited financial results for the second quarter of 2020 and an update on activities. The unaudited condensed interim consolidated financial statements and management's discussion and analysis for the three and six months ended June 30, 2020 are available under the Company's SEDAR profile on www.sedar.com or on SilverCrest's website www.silvercrestmetals.com.

Highlights - June 30, 2020

The Company re-started exploration and development activities at its Las Chispas Project ("Las Chispas"), located in Sonora, Mexico, after a temporary suspension from March 30, 2020 to May 23, 2020 in response to COVID-19;

During the first half of 2020 ("H1, 2020"), the exploration team completed 97,700 metres of in-fill and expansion drilling. Further results from this work will be announced after compilation;

During H1, 2020, the underground development team completed approximately 2.1 kilometres of underground decline and lateral development, and stockpiled an additional estimated 12,000 tonnes of mineralized material for a total stockpile of an estimated 41,000 tonnes at estimated diluted grade of 1,000 gpt silver equivalent ("AgEq" at 75:1, Ag:Au);

Las Chispas construction activities continued with the building of the administration and warehouse facilities, the temporary quarantined COVID-19 camp, and the production water pumping stations.

The Company continued to work with its consultants to advance the feasibility study for release by the end of 2020, provided that COVID-19 interruptions are minimal;

As at July 31, 2020, SilverCrest is well funded with cash and cash equivalents of $211.2 million (US$157.0 million) having recently completed two non-brokered private placements in April 2020 at $7.50 per share for aggregate proceeds of $128 million; and

Subsequent to the second quarter, the Company made a payment of $2.1 million (or US$1.6 million) to acquire mining concessions located outside of the Las Chispas area but in Sonora, Mexico.

COVID-19 Update

The Company continues to adjust to the unprecedented COVID-19 conditions. At Las Chispas, the Company installed a fully confined temporary camp with a capacity for 160 essential persons to continue its exploration, underground development, and construction of early works with the objective of limiting potential exposure of personnel and nearby communities to the virus. Camp expansion is planned, over the next several months, to house up to 500 essential persons in order to undertake increased construction activities. Before entering the confined camp, all persons are tested for COVID-19 (rRT-PCR test) and following receipt of negative tests, are transported to site using strict health and safety protocols. Once on site, all appropriate COVID-19 related protocols are enforced. As of June 30, 2020, the Company incurred approximately $328,000 of expenditures related to COVID-19, the majority of which were for the construction and operation of the temporary camp at Las Chispas and for providing assistance with medical needs in the local communities.

Exploration Update

During H1, 2020, the Company completed approximately 97,700 metres of infill and expansion drilling (66% in-fill and 34% expansion). Target budgeted drilling of an estimated 48,000 metres is planned for the second half ("H2") of 2020, focusing on high-grade resource expansion. As of June 30, 2020, the Company had drilled an estimated cumulative 400,000 metres (1,480 drill holes) since inception of the project. Results since February 2019 (drilling cut-off date for the Preliminary Economic Assessment filed on SEDAR July 5, 2019) are expected to be presented in a sixth technical report, the feasibility study, anticipated in Q4, 2020, subject to further impacts caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

From January 1, 2020, the Company announced further in-fill and expansion drill results, which included:

Expansion of the Babi Sur Vein (news release dated January 20, 2020);

Discovery of Area 200 zone and additional drill results from the Babicanora Norte Vein (news release dated February 18, 2020); and

Expansion of the Babi Vista Vein (news releases dated March 9, 2020 and May 12, 2020).

The Company has acquired mining concessions in Sonora, Mexico outside of the Las Chispas area. Further details will be announced when appropriate.

Operations Update

During H1, 2020, the Company completed approximately 2.1 km of underground decline and lateral development, including 400 metres of in-vein development, and stockpiled an additional estimated 12,000 tonnes of mineralized material. By the end of July 2020, cumulatively, the Company had completed approximately 5.5 km of underground development, including 1.2 km of in-vein development, and stockpiled approximately 41,000 tonnes of mineralized material with an estimated diluted grade 6.78 Au and 500 gpt Ag, or 1,000 gpt AgEq. The Company has budgeted 500 metres per month of underground development for H2, 2020, which is in line with actual underground development achieved per month during H1, 2020.

Other ongoing site work during H1, 2020 included feasibility site assessment work, infrastructure construction activities as outlined in above Highlights, an extensive metallurgical test program (see news release dated March 5, 2020), completion of a vent raise associated with the Santa Rosa decline and underground workings, and permitting for various additional work. The feasibility study is progressing in parallel with the exploration and development efforts. As of May 2020, the Company completed its basic engineering study and subsequently initiated detailed engineering, which will carry on to the first quarter of 2021. Procurement of long lead equipment items are expected to start in Q4, 2020.

Las Chispas Expenditures

During H1, 2020, the Company incurred $30.1 million of expenditures at Las Chispas, for a cumulative total of $106.8 million since inception. To June 30, 2020, the Company had also capitalized acquisition costs of $5.5 million for the Las Chispas Property for cumulative property expenditures of $112.3 million.

Financial Results

At June 30, 2020, the Company held $219.4 million (December 31, 2019 - $110.4 million) as cash and cash equivalents. The primary factors that contributed to the increase in cash and cash equivalents from December 31, 2019 to June 30, 2020 include $141.2 million generated by financing activities, including the completion of the private placement (see new release dated April 17, 2020), the two private placements with SSR Mining Inc. (See news releases dated January 10, 2020 and April 24, 2020) and the exercise of options. These cash inflows were offset by $30.1 million incurred on the exploration program at Las Chispas.

During the three and six months ended June 30, 2020, comprehensive losses were $17.1 million and $33.7 million, respectively, compared to $14.1 million and $23.5 million for the three and six months ended June 30, 2019.

The Qualified Person under National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects for this news release is N. Eric Fier, CPG, P.Eng, and CEO for SilverCrest, who has reviewed and approved its contents.

ABOUT SILVERCREST METALS INC.

SilverCrest is a Canadian precious metals exploration company headquartered in Vancouver, BC, that is focused on new discoveries, value-added acquisitions and targeting production in Mexico's historic precious metal districts. The Company's current focus is on the high-grade, historic Las Chispas mining district in Sonora, Mexico. The Las Chispas Project consists of 28 mineral concessions, of which the Company has 100% ownership and where all the known mineral resources of the Company are located. SilverCrest is the first company to successfully drill-test the historic Las Chispas Property resulting in numerous high-grade precious metal discoveries. The Company is led by a proven management team in all aspects of the precious metal mining sector, including taking projects through discovery, finance, on time and on budget construction, and production.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This news release contains "forward-looking statements" and "forward-looking information" (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of Canadian and United States securities legislation. These include, without limitation, statements with respect to: the strategic plans, timing and expectations for the Company's exploration and drilling programs of the Las Chispas Property, including preparing a feasibility study; information with respect to high grade areas and size of veins projected from underground sampling results and drilling results; and the possibility of future mining at the Las Chispas Property. Such forward-looking statements or information are based on a number of assumptions, which may prove to be incorrect. Assumptions have been made regarding, among other things: impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on operations and future operating costs; the reliability of mineralization and metallurgical test estimates, the conditions in general economic and financial markets; availability of skilled labour; timing and amount of expenditures related to underground development and drilling programs; and effects of regulation by governmental agencies. The actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of risk factors including: uncertainty as to the impact and duration of the COVID-19 pandemic; the timing and content of work programs; results of exploration activities; the interpretation of drilling results and other geological data; receipt, maintenance and security of permits and mineral property titles; environmental and other regulatory risks; project cost overruns or unanticipated costs and expenses; and general market and industry conditions. Forward-looking statements are based on the expectations and opinions of the Company's management on the date the statements are made. The assumptions used in the preparation of such statements, although considered reasonable at the time of preparation, may prove to be imprecise and, as such, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date the statements were made. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements included in this news release if these beliefs, estimates and opinions or other circumstances should change, except as otherwise required by applicable law.

N. Eric Fier, CPG, P.Eng

Chief Executive Officer

SilverCrest Metals Inc.

For Further Information:

SilverCrest Metals Inc.

Contact: Jacy Zerb, Investor Relations

Telephone: +1 (604) 694-1730

Fax: +1 (604) 357-1313

Toll Free: 1-866-691-1730 (Canada & USA)

Email: info@silvercrestmetals.com

Website: www.silvercrestmetals.com

570 Granville Street, Suite 501

Vancouver, British Columbia V6C 3P1

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/61594
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-12 22:46:47|Editor: huaxia

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CAIRO, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- The Arab Parliament on Wednesday condemned in the strongest terms the heinous aggression by Turkey on the sovereignty lands of Iraq.

In a statement, the Arab Parliament slammed "the Turkish drone strike that killed two officers of Iraqi border guard near the Turkish and Iranian borders."

"Such repeated military violations by the Turkish forces on the Iraqi lands are considered as a dangerous encroachment on the sovereignty of the Iraq and blatant violation of the international laws," it said.

It voiced full solidarity with Iraq in maintaining the safety and security of its citizens.

"The Arab Parliament is ready to work with the Iraqi parliament for mobilizing the international and regional support to stop the repeated Turkish assaults," it added.

The attack took place on Tuesday in the Sidakan region near the Turkish and Iranian borders in northeast Iraq.

According to the Iraqi military, the drone targeted a military vehicle carrying the border guard battalion commanders. The driver of the car was also killed. Enditem
The publicity department for the Grand Circuit has sent out its weekly recap and preview of racing on the Grand Circuit.

This Week: Dan Patch, Hoosier Park, Anderson, Ind.; Carl Milstein Memorial, Northfield Park, Northfield, Ohio; Fox Stake, the Ralph Wilfong, the Horseman Stakes and the Hoosier Stakes, Indiana State Fair, Indianapolis, Ind.; Crawford Farms Trot, Joie De Vie and Artiscape, Tioga Downs, Nichols, N.Y.; and Gold Cup and Saucer trials, Red Shores Racetrack & Casino, Charlottetown, PEI.

Schedule of Events: An extremely busy week of Grand Circuit action kicks off this Wednesday (Aug. 12) as the Indiana State Fair will host one day of Grand Circuit racing with the feature being the $57,235 Fox Stake for two-year-old colt pacers. The co-featured event is the $33,530 Ralph Wilfong for two-year-old colt trotters. The Hoosier Stakes for two-year-olds will see two divisions in the $21,576 two-year-old colt trot and single divisions in the $21,085 two-year-old filly pace, the $20,677 two-year-old colt pace and the $19,835 two-year-old filly trot. The Horseman Stakes for three-year-olds features single divisions in the $31,502 three-year-old colt trot, the $29,632 three-year-old filly trot, the $29,027 three-year-old colt pace, and the $27,307 three-year-old filly pace.

Friday night (Aug. 14) at Hoosier Park will feature the $225,000 Dan Patch for older pacing horses.

On Saturday (Aug. 15), Northfield Park will host the $250,000 Carl Milstein Memorial for three-year-old pacers. Also on Saturday, Red Shores Racetrack & Casino will host one of two $12,500 trials for the Gold Cup and Saucer for older pacers. The second trial will be held on Monday (Aug. 17).

The weeks action will continue on Sunday (Aug. 16) at Tioga Downs with the $175,000 (est.) Crawford Farms Trot for older open trotters, the $175,000 (est.) Joie De Vie for older trotting mares and the $175,000 (est.) Artiscape for older pacing mares.

Last Time: The sensational filly Ramona Hill took a well-deserved gulp from the Hambletonian trophy after beating the boys on Saturday (Aug. 8) in the $1 million trotting classic at the Meadowlands Racetrack. To read a recap of the race and watch the replay, click here. For a complete recap of the Hambletonian Day card, including replays of the afternoon's major stakes events, click here.

Grand Circuit Standings: In 2020, the Grand Circuit leaders in three categories (driver, trainer and owner) will once again be tracked on a points system (20-10-5 for the top three finishers in divisions/finals and 10-5-2 for the top three finishers in eliminations/legs). Winbak Farms is the sponsor for the 2020 Grand Circuit awards.

Here are the leaders following this past weekend:

Drivers: 1. Yannick Gingras  327; 2. Tim Tetrick  244; 3. Andrew McCarthy  237; 4t. Dexter Dunn  219; 4t. Brian Sears  219.

Trainers: 1. Ron Burke  311; 2. Nancy Takter  250; 3. Marcus Melander  203; 4. Tony Alagna  192; 5. Ake Svanstedt  164.

Owners: 1. S R F Stable  82.5; 2. Brad Grant  82.4; 3, Courant Inc.  67; 4. Burke Racing Stable  65; 5. Crawford Farms Racing  59.7.

Looking Ahead: Grand Circuit action will be taking place next week at Vernon Downs, Woodbine Mohawk Park and Red Shores Racetrack & Casino at the Charlottetown Driving Park. Vernon will host the Zweig Memorial races for three-year-old colt and filly trotters; Woodbine Mohawk Park will have eliminations for the North America Cup for three-year-old open pacers, the Fan Hanover for three-year-old filly pacers, the Roses Are Red for open pacing mares and the Armbro Flight for older trotting mares; and Red Shores Racetrack & Casino has the Gold Cup and Saucer final.

(With files from the Grand Circuit)
The police on Wednesday said it has received a complaint from a news magazine that three of its journalists, including a woman, were assaulted by a mob in northeast Delhi, where they had gone to report on the riots that had taken place in February.

The Caravan magazine alleged that the incident took place on Tuesday afternoon.

"We have received complaints from both the sides (magazine and locals) and are looking into them," Joint Commissioner of Police (eastern range) Alok Kumar said.

The magazine, in a series of tweets on Tuesday, said, "Today afternoon, in the Subhash Mohalla locality in north-east Delhi, a group of men and women assaulted three staffers of @thecaravanindia @Prabhtalks @shahidtantray and a third staff member to stop them from reporting."



The magazine alleged that the mob physically assaulted the staffers, threatened to kill them and also used communal slurs.

The three were later rescued by the police and taken to the nearbly Bhajanpura police station, the magazine said.

Communal violence had broken out in northeast on February 24 after clashes between citizenship law supporters and protesters spiralled, leaving at least 53 people dead and around 200 injured.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Hong Kong pro-democracy media mogul Jimmy Lai on Wednesday told his reporters to fight on after his dramatic arrest, as China widens its crackdown against critics in the semi-autonomous city.

The clampdown has gathered pace since Beijing imposed a sweeping security law on the international business hub in June, with opposition politicians disqualified and activists arrested for social media posts.

Lai was among 10 people detained under the new law on Monday as around 200 police officers searched the newsroom of his Apple Daily tabloid, which is unapologetically critical of Beijing.

The 71-year-old was cheered by staff and handed a bouquet on Wednesday as he returned to the newsroom following a late-night release on bail after 40 hours in custody.

Fight on! Lets fight on, Lai said. We have the support of the Hong Kong people. We cant let them down.

In images broadcast live on Facebook by his own reporters, he told staff to continue filing the kind of unvarnished dispatches that have infuriated China and pro-Beijing politicians in Hong Kong.

But Lai told staff it was becoming increasingly difficult to run a media business in the city.

Luckily, I was not sent back to the mainland, he quipped in a characteristic display of dark humour.

The crackdown has provoked outrage in the West and deepened fears for millions who last year took to the streets to protest Chinas tightening grip on the city.

China has declared it will have jurisdiction over especially serious national security crimes, toppling the legal firewall between the mainlands Communist Party-controlled courts and Hong Kongs independent judiciary.

Sweeping new law

Beijing imposed the new national security law in response to huge and often violent pro-democracy protests last year.

It has described the law -- its contents kept secret until it was enacted on 30 June -- as a sword hanging over the heads of opponents in Hong Kong.

It officially criminalises secession, subversion, terrorism and colluding with foreign forces.

Also read: Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai arrested under national security law: Report

But the broadly worded provisions outlawed certain political speech overnight, such as advocating sanctions, and greater autonomy or independence for Hong Kong.

Similar laws are used on the authoritarian mainland to snuff out opposition.

The most serious crimes under the Hong Kong law -- which is not supposed to be retroactive -- carry up to life in jail.

Police have given limited details of their alleged case against Lai and those arrested on Monday.

They say the group were involved in lobbying for foreign sanctions before the security law was passed and that they continued to operate in some form once the legislation came in.

Among those arrested were two of Lais sons, senior Apple Daily executives and three members of now-disbanded pro-democracy party Demosisto -- including prominent activist Agnes Chow.

Regional media hub

Critics believe the security law has ended the key liberties and autonomy that Beijing promised Hong Kong could keep after its 1997 handover by Britain.

The US has declared Hong Kong no longer autonomous from the mainland and has deployed sanctions in response.

A growing roster of western powers has suspended extradition agreements with Hong Kong in protest at the crackdown including Britain, Canada, Australia, France and Germany.

China has responded in kind. On Wednesday, Hong Kongs government announced it was suspending its extradition agreements with France and Germany.

Hong Kong is a major media hub with a vibrant local press and multiple international news outlets operating regional headquarters in the city.

Both China and Hong Kongs government vowed the security law would keep press freedoms intact. But the police operation against Lai sparked denunciations of plunging press freedoms.

Several foreign media groups have reported sudden delays in getting visas renewed for staff or outright rejections.

Local media reported that a new unit has been set up in Hong Kongs immigration department to vet visa applications for foreign journalists.

The Immigration Department has declined to comment on the reports.
Breonna Taylor's younger sister has recalled the heartbreaking moment she learned her sibling had been shot dead in their home, as she calls for the police officers responsible for her killing to be arrested and charged.

Ju'Niyah Palmer, 20, opened up on her sister's death in an emotional interview with The Washington Post on Saturday.

Palmer revealed she had been living with Breonna in the Louisville, Kentucky apartment where she was gunned down in March, after moving with her sister and boyfriend two years ago.

Scroll down for video

Ju'Niyah Palmer (pictured) opened up on the death of her sister Breonna Taylor, who was killed during a police raid in Louisville, Kentucky in March

The 20-year-old said she and her sister, who she described as her 'person' and best friend, had been living together in the Louisville apartment where she was shot dead, for two years

Breonna, a 26-year-old EMT, was shot eight times after cops barged into her home at 1am while operating on a search warrant for a drug investigation.

At the time of the raid, Palmer said she had been visiting someone in California and received a FaceTime call from a friend informing her that there had been a shooting in the neighborhood.

She immediately called Breonna and her boyfriend Kenneth Walker, who was also living in the apartment at the time, but did not get a response.

It was only when, hours later, she received a phone call from her mother that she would learn her sister had been killed in the shooting.

'She just started crying,' Palmer told the paper. 'She was like: 'Breonna's been shot.' And I said, 'What do you mean, she's been shot?' And she said, 'Your sister's dead.''

Palmer, in denial, said she hung up the phone and continued to call her sister's cellphone, but again, did not get an answer.

Palmer revealed the nationwide protests over her sister's killing has made it difficult for her to properly grieve

The three officers in the case - from left, Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly and Detectives Brett Hankison and Myles Cosgrove - have not been charged in the shooting despite protests

Once reality set in, Palmer said it took a couple weeks before she could return to the apartment she shared with her sister, who she described as her 'person', while she was Breonna's 'shadow'.

'I was kind of stuck in a daze for a while,' she said. 'I couldn't go back to being normal. I moved in with my mom, but it still wasn't normal.'

In April, she returned to her and her sister's apartment, where the walls were now riddled with bullet holes, to pack up her final things.

In the months since Breonna's death, Palmer has continued to keep her memory alive by sharing photos of her sister on social media and demanding action on her killers.

In the months since Breonna's death, Palmer has continued to keep her memory alive by sharing photos of her sister on social media and demanding action on her killers

Taylor's killing has trigger protests across the country, with activists demanding the officer responsible for her death be arrested and charged

She continues to participate at the ongoing protests at Jefferson Square Park in Louisville, but Palmer revealed the nationwide attention surrounding her sister's killing has made it difficult for her to properly grieve.

'Mostly at night is when I can really think, and I have moments - like, I'll cry,' she told the paper.

'But I haven't grieved it, if that makes sense. I still don't want to face it.'

'I really just hope those officers really do get charged and fired,' she added.

'They took somebody who didn't deserve this. And hopefully, at some point, I hope the world can regain some peace.'

Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly and detectives Brett Hankison and Myles Cosgrove who were involved in the shooting have not been charged despite protests.
Photographer Jung Sung-tae poses at the entrance of an ongoing contemporary photo exhibition, titled "KREAtive Perspectives," jointly hosted by the Korea Foundation (KF) and the Embassy of Ukraine in Korea at the KF Gallery in Seoul. The exhibition runs through Sept. 23, featuring 160 works from 12 Ukrainian and Korean artists including Jung. / Courtesy of Jung Sung-tae



By Yi Whan-woo



For photographer Jung Sung-tae, his first visit to Ukraine in mid-2015 was to work on a film project documenting a small number of residents in Chernobyl, a place still devastated by the 1986 nuclear disaster.



"Although not intentional, it opened my eyes to ethnic Koreans in the country and other former Soviet states," he said during a phone interview with The Korea Times, Tuesday.



Ranging from local staff members at the Korean Embassy in Ukraine to translators, the ethnic Koreans Jung met were decedents of poor Korean migrants to the Russian Far East in the late 19th century who were then deported to Soviet Central Asia in 1937. More than 171,000 were deported.



The migrants and their descendants are often referred to as "Koryoin" or "Koryo-saram" after the ancient kingdom of Goryeo.



"I was aware of ethnic Koreans living in Central Asia but not in Ukraine," Jung said, noting their past was "exactly in line with my experiment of finding motifs in humanity's dark history, and through pain, reconciliation and emotional healing, ultimately discovering my inner self."



"And I've been thankful to Ukraine for inspiring me on the ethnic Korean project," he added.



Under the theme, "migration and settlement," he has visited Russia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan and other former Soviet states since December 2015 and taken more than 10,000 photos of generations of ethnic Koreans.





Kim Janna, second from right, lives with her family in the vicinity of the Ukrainian capital city of Kiev after moving from Russia. She said she wishes to visit Korea that "exists only in her imagination." / Courtesy of Jung Sung-tae





Kim Yuri is a vegetable farm owner in Ukraine and migrant from Uzbekistan. When asked about his dreams, he wanted to visit Korea. / Courtesy of Jung Sung-tae





Ko Alla, right, in her 70s, poses with her granddaughter at their home near the Ukrainian capital city of Kiev. Ko's late mother was from Pyongyang and moved to Sakhalin after a family member was killed by a Japanese soldier. / Courtesy of Jung Sun-tae


If you are driving in the United States, you may see a common bumper sticker on passing vehicles that reads: Perform random acts of kindness. The saying is meant to urge people to do kind things for others without thinking or planning ahead.

But several studies suggest there are some very good reasons to think about ways to be kind and actually plan out that type of behavior.

Research shows that acts of kindness can make us feel better and improve our health. Researchers also say kindness played an important part in how humans developed. In other words, they say scientific evidence suggests that we are designed to be kind.

The Associated Press spoke with several researchers who have studied the subject.

One of them is Michael McCullough, a psychologist at the University of California San Diego. Kindness, he said, is as much a part of us as our anger or our lust or our grief or as our desire for revenge.

University of Oxford anthropologist Oliver Curry is the research director at Kindlab. Kindlab is a non-profit organization. Its goal is to educate and urge people to choose kindness.

Curry claims that kindness is much older than religion. He adds that it does seem to be universal, meaning it is something all humans share.

The basic reason why people are kind, he explained, is that we are social animals.

Other research has shown that many people prize kindness over other values.

University of London psychologist Anat Bardi studies value systems in people. In one study, researchers gave people a list of values  such as kindness, creativity, ambition, tradition, security, seeking social justice, and seeking power. When asked to pick the most important, kindness won.

Curry said there is another reason people want to be kind. Under the right conditions, we all benefit from kindness.

When it comes to a species surviving, kindness pays, friendliness pays, said Brian Hare, an anthropologist at Duke University in North Carolina. He wrote the book Survival of the Friendliest.

Hare said kindness and working together can be good for many species -- whether its bacteria, flowers or bonobos. He explained that the more friends you have, and the more individuals you help, the more successful you become.

As an example, he compared bonobos with chimpanzees. Chimps can attack those outside their group. Bonobos, on the other hand, do not kill but help outsiders. Male bonobos, Hare added, are far more successful at mating than male chimps.

McCullough says bonobos are the exception, not the rule. Most animals are only helpful to those in their close family groups but are not kind or helpful to strangers. This, he adds, separates us from other species. It shows our human ability to reason.

For example, humans realize that there is not much difference between those close to us and strangers. Strangers can help us if we are kind to them, McCullough said. He adds that this reasoning is the secret ingredient. It is why we help strangers in need. In English we even have the expression: to rely on the kindness of strangers.

But research shows that our bodies can also reward us for being kind.

University of California Riverside psychology professor Sonja Lyubomirsky has tested this idea in many experiments over the past 20 years. She has found repeatedly that people feel better when they are kind to others, even more so than when they are kind to themselves.

Acts of kindness," Lyubomirsky said, "are very powerful.

In one experiment, the AP reports, she asked people to perform three acts of kindness for other individuals each week. She asked a different group to do three acts of self-kindness. These acts could be small, like opening a door for someone. The people who were kind to others reported feeling happier and more connected to the world.

Curry, from Oxford, examined many different studies that were similar to Lyubomirskys research. He found at least 27 studies showing the same result -- that being kind makes people feel better emotionally.

But it is not just emotional. It is also physical. Lyubomirsky studied a group of people with the disease multiple sclerosis. She found that they felt better physically when helping others.

Her research also showed that people who performed more acts of kindness had less inflammation, or harmful swelling, in their bodies. And in other studies, Lyubomirsky said more antiviral genes were found in people who performed acts of kindness.

And thats the Health & Lifestyle report. Im Anna Matteo.

Seth Borenstein reported this for the Associated Press. Anna Matteo adapted it for VOA Learning English. Bryan Lynn was the editor.

________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

bumper sticker  n. a strip of paper or plastic that has a printed message and that is made to be stuck on the bumper of a car, truck, etc.

random  adj. without definite aim, direction, rule, or method

lust  n. a strong feeling of sexual desire

grief  n. a cause of deep sadness

revenge  n. the act of doing something to hurt someone because that person did something that hurt you

ambition  n. a particular goal or aim : something that a person hopes to do or achieve

obey  v. to do what someone tells you to do or what a rule, law, etc., says you must do : obedience  n. the act of obeying : willingness to obey

benefit  n. a good or helpful result or effect

ingredient  n. : one of the things that are used to make a food, product, etc. : a quality or characteristic that makes something possible

rely  v. to trust in or depend on
SourceCode Communications has been named agency of record for cloud-based legal technology provider Clio and healthcare payment company Patientco. SourceCode kicked off its partnership with Clio by working on the announcement of the firms $1 million donation to the legal community in the face of COVID-19 setbacks. The agency is also providing Clio with media relations and thought leadership activities. For Patientco, SourceCode will work to raise the companys tech-first healthcare narrative through strategic media engagement and content creation. Clio and Patientco join SourceCodes enterprise practice, which also includes network performance solution provider Accedian, software company Lightstep and voice security and authentication specialist Pindrop.

Clarity has expanded its scope of work for Owl Labs, a company that makes 360 video conferencing devices. The company will be working with Claritys London office to bring its Meeting Owl Pro remote work accessory to businesses and educational institutions in the UK and Germany. During the U.S, launch of the product, Clarity secured coverage in Forbes, Business Insider, and Entrepreneur for its 3rd annual State of Remote Work Report. We have a great relationship that we've built with the Clarity NY team, said Clarity London Managing Director Rachel Gilley. Because of this relationship and the success we've seen, we're thrilled to be able to extend our working relationship to Europe.

Chapter 2 has been named agency of record for Fashinnovation, a global platform that aims to create positive change in the fashion industry. Chapter 2 will handle public relations, event management and sponsorship development for the platform. Their partnership begins with the promotion of Fashinnovations Worldwide Talks NYFW on Sept. 10, a virtual event that will bring global leaders in fashion, technology and other industries to discuss upcoming industry trends. Fashinnovation is part of Chapter 2s growing sustainability and social impact division.
A Belfast man has described how a smartphone app aided his rescue after he took a tumble while hiking on Cavehill.

Gerard McClinton (39) and his brother Pete had been exploring the famous landmark in the north of the city when he slipped and fell at an inaccessible point.

He described it as a foggy morning, adding that as someone familiar with the route, he had worn trainers with the intention of doing a run.

"We got to the summit and started to head back down to the cave itself," he explained.

"Pete has never seen the cave. I have climbed it and been in the cave numerous times before and got out of it without injury every time also.

"I got up and in again this time with not a bother, but getting out on this occasion proved to be a bit more of an issue.

"I was in running trainers, it was slippy so I couldn't actually get back down the cave the way I had come up, but there was another way down that I had done before.

"I had to scale the front of the cave, hold on with one hand and jump to a grass bank."

Gerard explained that it was around 15ft high and the grass bank was about 10ft away.

He added: "I have made this jump before. I didn't take into account the wet grass.

"I made the jump, landed on the other side, but on landing my right foot slipped backwards, twisted and I heard a grind and crack.

"I had broken my fibula, both lateral and medial malleolus, and my tibia had shattered at the bottom.

"I felt no initial pain, adrenaline I suppose kicked in. I knew instantly I had broken something so told Pete to call for an ambulance.

"Knowing where we were located, it was not going to be easy for someone to get us down. Getting to us on foot would be a bit of a trek but getting me down wouldn't be easy."

Gerard said as his brother called the emergency services, they struggled to pinpoint the location of where he had fallen.

They downloaded an app called what3words, which allow rescuers to find them.

The app works by splitting the world into 57 trillion squares and assigning a unique three-word address to each square, making it simple to pinpoint and communicate tricky locations.

The company said that more than 80% of emergency services across the UK use the app on a regular basis.
This is the terrifying moment a huge huntsman spider leapt onto a woman's steering wheel while she was driving.

Footage showed Liang-Zi Carr struggling to stay calm when the spider crawled towards her as she drove along a busy highway on the Gold Coast.

Ms Carr started to panic as the spider moved to the top of the dashboard while her colleague Aaron Butler tried to reassure her.

'Oh my god it's coming towards me,' Ms Carr yelled.

'Don't worry, it's all good, it's chilling,' Mr Butler said.

But as Ms Carr attempted to pull over the spider jumped straight towards her and onto the steering wheel.

The sudden jump surprised the pair and they screamed before the video suddenly stopped.

A tense video showed the moment a Liang-Zi Carr struggled to keep her cool while she drove along a busy Gold Coast highway as a huge huntsman spider jumped onto her steering wheel

When Ms Carr attempted to pull over by touching the indicator the spider suddenly jumped onto her steering wheel causing both her and colleague Aaron Butler (left) to scream in surprise

The pair appeared on Sunrise on Tuesday morning and explained they were in the far right lane in the pouring rain when they first noticed the spider.

'I was trying really hard to merge to pull over but also to keep my eye on the spider at the same time,' Ms Carr said.

Ms Carr eventually pulled over and let the spider out unharmed.

'We ended up pulling over, opening the door and the spider jumped out and crept into the grass, she said.
Mekkhala, this years sixth typhoon, will affect the Dabie Mountains region and the regions south of the Yangtze River in East Chinas Anhui province on Wednesday, meteorological authorities said.

Mekkhala landed in coastal areas of Zhangpu county in East Chinas Fujian province at 7:30 am Tuesday, bringing gales up to 119 kph. It weakened into a tropical storm at 11 am and downgraded to a tropical depression at 2 pm, the National Meteorological Center (NMC) said.

The tropical depression would move northward at a speed of 30 km per hour and affect Anhuis Dabie Mountain area and regions south of the Yangtze River. From Wednesday night to Thursday, there will be showers or thunderstorms in those areas.

It will be sunny to cloudy around the province from Thurday night to Friday, according to the weather forecast.

The NMC on Monday issued a yellow alert for Mekkhala, which was forecast to bring gales to Chinas eastern and southern coastal regions.

China has a four-tier color-coded weather warning system, with red representing the most severe weather, followed by orange, yellow and blue.




Two of San Antonios largest hospital systems are easing restrictions on visitors.

On Tuesday, Baptist Health System and Methodist Healthcare System began allowing one visitor, usually a family member or friend, per patient.

COVID-19 patients, however, are still not allowed any visitors.

Hospitals throughout the city had adopted strict no-visitor policies for patients as the COVID-19 crisis intensified in June, but city and public health officials say the risk level is now considered steady.

In previous weeks, theyd deemed the situation severe-critical as the hospital beds in Bexar County available for coronavirus patients neared capacity and the number of people killed by the virus crossed 400.

Both Baptist and Methodist require visitors to wear masks at all times while inside the hospitals, and are enforcing social-distancing guidelines of at least six feet between individuals.

Hospital officials will continue to screen visitors at the facilities entrances, blocking access to anyone who has had close contact with someone with COVID-19 or those who have signs of a respiratory illness.

After careful consideration, we have weighed the needs of our patients and families against the current community impact of COVID-19, and feel we can begin to relax visitation restrictions, Baptist CEO Matt Stone said.

On ExpressNews.com: Get the latest update on coronavirus and a tracking map of U.S. cases

Dallas-based Tenet Health Corp. is the parent company of Baptist, which runs five hospitals in San Antonio, one in New Braunfels and operates several smaller area facilities called micro hospitals.

Methodist Healthcare System also lifted its no-visitor restriction to allow for one visitor per patient in the emergency department and inpatient areas.

Methodist operates seven hospitals in the city and one in Jourdanton under a 50/50 ownership agreement between Tennessee-based HCA Healthcare and local nonprofit Methodist Healthcare Ministries.

Bexar County-owned University Health System hasnt changed its visitation policy, but was already permitting visitors in certain situations.

At University Hospital, one visitor is allowed per labor and delivery patient, one caregiver for patients with disabilities and two parents or guardians of pediatric and neonatal intensive care unit patients.

On ExpressNews.com: As San Antonio hospitals near capacity, BAMC sits out COVID crisis

Southwest General Hospital, a private 325-bed facility on the citys South Side owned by Steward Health Care in Dallas, has not lifted its no-visitor policy.

Christus Santa Rosa Health System continues to prohibit visitors at its San Antonio-area hospitals, except for its pediatric patients, who are allowed one parent or caregiver.

The Children's Hospital of San Antonio allows one adult caregiver to accompany a patient, but no siblings or other family members are allowed.

This policy remains for the safety of all patients and associates and in the interest of limiting exposure to respiratory illness associated with the COVID-19 virus, Christus spokeswoman Katy Kiser said.

Laura Garcia covers the health care industry. To read more from Laura, become a subscriber. laura.garcia@express-news.net | Twitter: @Reporter_Laura
The Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) has berated the Federal Government led by President Muhammadu Buhari for failing to fulfil its campaign promises.

Naija News reports that the Catholic Bishops for the umpteenth time, expressed concern over the insecurity ravaging parts of the country, this is even as they declared 40 days of joint prayers against terrorism and banditry.

In a statement signed by CBCN President, Archbishop Augustine Obiora, on behalf of all the bishops in Abuja, Nigerias capital on Tuesday, the Catholic Bishops decried the pervasive corruption in the land and the nations dampening economic outlook.

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Catholic Bishops the face of this concern, therefore, passed a verdict, saying the Federal Government had failed to keep its core campaign promises of security, corruption eradication, and economic growth.

The statement on behalf of all the bishops reads: We, the members of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria have been following the recent events in Nigeria closely.

We continue to hear of increasing insecurity and unabated acts of terrorism in Northern Nigeria. So, we are all tired of this situation.

We do not want any politician to politicise the killing of Nigerians. There should be one response from everyone, and that is; the killings must stop.

Our hearts are bleeding, and we are more troubled when we hear of the massacre presently going on in Southern Kaduna. We want all the people suffering the incessant attacks in Southern Kaduna to know that all Catholics in Nigeria are praying for them.

We call on the Federal and the Government of Kaduna to bring a complete stop to the killing of innocent people. The loss of the life of any Nigerian does not help to further the agenda of any religious ideology or the ambition of any politician.

The perpetrators of the killings must be brought to justice. Where there is no justice or justice is not seen to be done, there cannot be peace. Where there is no peace, there cannot be development.

Any Government, State or Federal that wants peace must work for justice for everyone. There will never be sustained development built upon the bloodshed of innocent people brutally murdered by religious fundamentalists without any recourse to justice for the victims.

We need not remind Nigerians that the present Federal Government came to power, promising Nigerians, the eradication of corruption, a guarantee of security to life and property, and rapid growth in the economy.

The creation of jobs, and an enabling environment that engenders growth of the private sector; a significant increase in the supply of electricity to Nigerians, affordable and quality health care to Nigerians, and the revamping of the educational sector were the promises the Government continues to make.

Many Nigerians, irrespective of political party affiliation, will affirm that these promises have remained a far cry. We strongly appeal to Nigerians to unite together in calling the Federal Government to give priority to these areas of our lives.

To all Catholics, we request that you join in praying for forty days, starting from 22 August 2020 and ending 30 September 2020, the eve of Nigerias Independence Day.

On Independence Day, let us join in praying to start from 12.noon. We appeal to each Bishop to encourage the faithful in his Diocese to participate fully in this prayer for God to save Nigeria.

Finally, as we pray, we know that God wants us to do what is humanly possible to ensure that there are prosperity and freedom for every Nigerian.

Let us not harbour hatred for anyone. We must be instruments of forgiveness and reconciliation. We must be on the part of justice for all and peace in Nigeria.

May God grant eternal rest to all who have lost their lives to the violence in Northern Nigeria and other parts of the country. May God give us the courage to work for justice and peace in Nigeria, the statement added.



Source: https://www.naijanews.com/2020/08/11/you-have-failed-catholic-bishops-bomb-president-buhari/
Now that we know that the negligence of BGE is widespread in our state, BGE should immediately provide the public with the addresses of every dwelling that is at risk for a similar devastating event, Drake said. We implicitly trust that utility companies that supply and maintain our essential gas and electric are doing so with the highest level of safety and quality standards. BGE did not. They failed us.
Food delivery firm Just Eat Takeaway has said the costs of its merger and the proposed purchase of Grubhub caused its losses to jump despite a surge in customer orders.

The company saw its total losses climb from 27million in the first half of 2019 to 158million (140million) in the respective period this year even though it received 60 million more takeout orders.

It put the increasing losses down to the one-off charges related to the creation of the business from the amalgamation of Just Eat and Takeaway.com, and the agreement to buy its US rival Grubhub.

Just Eat's revenues passed 1billion as the closure of restaurants due to lockdown restrictions encouraged more consumers across the world to order more meals online

Putting the costs of the takeovers aside, the FTSE 100 group registered adjusted profits of 177million from January to the end of June. This was an increase of just over 100million from the prior year, thanks to the boom in sales.

Revenues shot up 44 per cent to pass 1billion as the closure of restaurants due to lockdown restrictions encouraged more consumers across the world to order 257 million meals from Just Eat.

In the UK, the firm's largest market, sales climbed above 303million due to a 12 million rise in bookings, while in Canada, it rose by nearly 50 per cent to 228million on 14 million extra deliveries.

Just Eat CEO Jitse Groen said the firm is doing 'particularly strongly' in most of the countries in which it operates and is in a 'fortunate position to benefit from continuing tailwinds'

However, in Germany, sales doubled to 161million as deliveries grew by three-quarters, which Just Eat wrote was down to more families and households making higher average value orders through its German subsidiary Lieferando.de.

Chief executive Jitse Groen said it is performing 'particularly strongly' in a majority of the countries in which it operates, and is in a 'fortunate position to benefit from continuing tailwinds.'

He added that he was 'convinced' the company's growth 'will remain strong' for the rest of 2020 and declared that Just Eat's businesses 'have healthy gross margins, and all our segments are adjusted EBITDA positive.'

Russ Mould, an investment analyst at AJ Bell, remarked that the future success of the company will depend heavily on how the Covid-19 disease impacts people going out for dinner.

'People may take time to get used to frequenting restaurants again, particularly while restrictions are in place,' he said. Last week, the UK government launched the Eat Out to Help Out scheme to try and encourage people to eat-in at hospitality venues.

Under the programme, customers visiting certain pubs, restaurants and bars from Monday to Wednesday this month are entitled to a 50 per cent discount on food and soft drinks. Deductions are capped at 10 per person per meal.

Uber Eats was initially set to buy Grubhub, but the US government expressed concerns that such a deal would create a de facto duopoly in the online American food delivery market

Mould also warned that Amazon's investment in Deliveroo, which was just approved by the UK's competition body, the Competition & Markets Authority, could represent a major challenge for Just Eat going forward.

'The companys acquisition drive reflects the pressure it feels in an extremely competitive marketplace  one that includes Deliveroo and Uber Eats.

'Deliveroo casts a particularly large shadow thanks to Amazons plan to take a stake in the business...Typically Amazon parking its tanks on the lawn in a market is bad news for the competition.'

Russ Mould, AJ Bell warns that Just Eat Takeaway could face stiff competition from Deliveroo, especially as Amazon has been given approval by regulators to purchase a stake in the firm

Just Eat Takeaway expects to formally complete its purchase of Grubhub early next year. The initial 5.75billion deal was agreed in June and is now awaiting the green light from regulators and shareholders.

It beat Uber Eats in the race to buy the Chicago-based firm after the US government expressed concerns that such a deal would create a de facto duopoly in the online American food delivery market.

According to data analytics platform Second Measure, Uber Eats, Grubhub and DoorDash accounted for over 90 per cent of meal delivery sales in the United States in June.

Shares in Just Eat Takeaway rose 3.9 per cent to 89.98 during the day.
Rentec Direct honored on Inc. 5000 ranking no. 2610 Being included on such a prestigious list for the last four years alongside leaders in our industry is a true honor, said Nathan Miller, president and founder of Rentec Direct.

Rentec Direct, the highest-rated property management software solution, announced today that it has been named one of Americas fastest-growing private companies on Inc. Magazines annual Inc. 5000 list. Rentec Direct is honored to be included on this prestigious list of the most successful companies within the American economys most dynamic segment - its independent small businesses. Current and past recipients include well-known names like Patagonia, Microsoft, Under Armour, Zappos, Intuit and more. Rentec Direct was ranked number 2610 with a three-year revenue growth of 156.59 percent on the 2020 Inc. 5000 list.

Being included on such a prestigious list for the last four years alongside leaders in our industry is a true honor, said Nathan Miller, president and founder of Rentec Direct. We are especially proud of the fact that Rentec Direct is a company growing 100 percent organically without any outside funding or investment. It just goes to show that when you follow your vision, focus on client needs and build a great team of employees, its possible to find tremendous success.

Not only have companies on the 2020 Inc. 5000 been very competitive within their markets, but the list as a whole shows staggering growth compared to years prior. The 2020 Inc. 5000 achieved an incredible three-year average growth of over 500 percent and a median rate of 165 percent. The Inc. 5000s aggregate revenue was $209 billion in 2019, accounting for over 1 million jobs over the past three years.

Rentec Direct is an industry-leading, cloud-based property management software company serving more than 16,000 landlords and property managers overseeing more than 600,000 units nationwide. Rentecs platform helps clients save money and streamline efficiency by automating common property management tasks. Rentec Direct also offers the easiest solutions for tenants looking to pay rent online and communicate with landlords. Features like these, along with a commitment to user experience and customer service, have contributed to Rentec Directs substantial growth, earning the company recognition on this years Inc. 5000.

The companies on this years Inc. 5000 come from nearly every realm of business, said Inc. editor-in-chief Scott Omelianuk. From health and software to media and hospitality, the 2020 list proves that no matter the sector, incredible growth is based on the foundations of tenacity and opportunism.

Complete results of the Inc. 5000, including company profiles and an interactive database that can be sorted by industry, region and other criteria, can be found at http://www.inc.com/inc5000. The annual Inc. 5000 event honoring the companies on the list will be held virtually from October 23 to 27, 2020.

###

About Rentec Direct

Rentec Direct offers industry-leading property management software and tenant screening solutions for real estate professionals. Features include online rent payments, tenant and owner portals, the industrys largest vacancy listing syndication network, full property, tenant, and owner accounting, 1099-MISC reporting and more. Rentec Direct received the Real Estate Company of the Year Award in the 2019 American Business Awards, has been named to the Inc. 5000 List of Fastest-Growing Private Companies for four years in a row (as of 2020), and was also included on the 2017, 2018 and 2019 Entreprenuer360 list for Best Entrepreneurial Companies in America. http://www.rentecdirect.com

More about Inc. and the Inc. 5000

Methodology

The 2020 Inc. 5000 is ranked according to percentage revenue growth when comparing 2016 and 2019. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2016. They had to be U.S.-based, privately held, for profit, and independentnot subsidiaries or divisions of other companiesas of December 31, 2019. (Since then, a number of companies on the list have gone public or been acquired.) The minimum revenue required for 2016 is $100,000; the minimum for 2019 is $2 million. As always, Inc. reserves the right to decline applicants for subjective reasons. Companies on the Inc. 500 are featured in Inc.s September issue. They represent the top tier of the Inc. 5000, which can be found at http://www.inc.com/inc5000.

About Inc. Media

The worlds most trusted business-media brand, Inc. offers entrepreneurs the knowledge, tools, connections, and community to build great companies. Its award-winning multiplatform content reaches more than 50 million people each month across a variety of channels including websites, newsletters, social media, podcasts, and print. Its prestigious Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to recognize the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. The global recognition that comes with inclusion in the 5000 gives the founders of the best businesses an opportunity to engage with an exclusive community of their peers, and the credibility that helps them drive sales and recruit talent. The associated Inc. 5000 Conference is part of a highly acclaimed portfolio of bespoke events produced by Inc. For more information, visit http://www.inc.com.

For more information on the Inc. 5000 Conference, visit http://conference.inc.com/.
Shahjahanpur, Aug 12 : A nursing student was critically injured after she allegedly jumped off the first floor of a medical college here in Uttar Pradesh, police said on Wednesday.

Superintendent of Police S Anand told reporters that the incident took place at Varun Arjun Medical College on Tuesday after which the victim was admitted to a hospital.

The victim's family, however, alleged that the student was being mentally harassed for refusing duty in a COVID-19 hospital.

An FIR has been lodged on the basis of the family members complaint, the SP said.

The student had earlier uploaded a video on social media in which she is purportedly heard saying that she had been deployed at a COVID-19 hospital but refused to work there as she does not have health insurance. She also demanded a hike in salary.

In the video, she is heard alleging that she was being mentally harassed.

District Magistrate Indra Vikram Singh said a case has been lodged and action would be taken in the matter.
After the order was given for the crew of the HMAS Armidale to abandon ship, Japanese aircraft strafed the Australian sailors who were overboard, Morrison said in a statement. Sheean then turned back, made for the gun, strapped himself in, and returned fire to the Japanese. He fought to the very end.
The Gulf Cooperation Council, GCC, has condemned Turkish threats to member UAE in the showdown opposing the two countries at the international front, special in Libya.

Nayef Al-Hajraf, Secretary General of the council convoyed the message to Turkeys ambassador, Erdogan Kok, to Saudi Arabia, in a meeting, Arab News reports.

Hajraf according to the Saudi media, stressed the GCCs keenness for regional stability and security and achieving bilateral interests with neighboring countries on the basis of respecting their sovereignty and without meddling in their internal affairs.

Turkey and UAE have been embroiled in proxy war in Libya where Ankara supports UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) while Abu Dhabi backs rival government and rebel Gen. Khalifa Haftar.

Turkey charged the UAE for destabilizing the Middle East while GCC member accuses Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of driving an expansion project in the oil-rich country.
Compton, CA  August 12, 2020  In the continuous effort to keep Compton residents as safe and healthy as possible from the COVID-19 virus, the City issued an Emergency Service Order for Administrative Citations imposing fines to anyone within City limits failing to wear a face mask and business owners failing to comply with Los Angeles County shutdown orders and restrictions in accordance with the Citys local COVID-19 emergency order.

As the COVID-19 cases in Compton continue to grow exponentially, we are issuing this order to ensure residents and visitors comply with coronavirus restrictions that can help save lives and reduce the spread, said Craig Cornwell, Compton City Manager. We urge everyone to wear a mask when stepping outside their home, not just to protect themselves, but to help keep others around them safe from this virus that continues to hurt families and our local economy. We also ask businesses to continue practicing safe measures to protect their staff and customers.

The Emergency Service Order will apply to everyone within city limits not wearing a face covering outside their home, and it will also apply to businesses that are not following protocols and restrictions. In accordance with the Compton municipal code, the first violation citation will be a written warning, the second violation citation will be in the amount of $500, the third violation $750, and the fourth violation $1,000. The City will partner with Compton Station deputies of the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department for enforcement.

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Based on LA County face covering guidelines, please refer to the following:

Face coverings can be bandanas, neck gaiter, homemade face covering, scarf, or tightly women fabric.

Everyone is asked to wear a face covering when they are interacting with others who are not members of their household in public and private spaces.

Wearing a cloth face covering does not eliminate the need to physically distance yourself from others and to wash your hands frequently.

Cloth face coverings should not be placed on young children under age 2, anyone who has trouble breathing, or is unconscious, or otherwise unable to remove the mask or cloth face covering without assistance should not wear one. Those instructed not to wear a cloth face covering by a medical provider are also exempt from wearing one.

You are asked to wear a cloth face covering over your nose and mouth when you must be in public and there are others nearby. If you are in a solitary area you do not need to wear a face covering.

Media Contact: Alma Maldonado, 323.804.2561, [email protected]
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Hundreds of job cuts have been announced at Tate galleries and Natwest today after Rishi Sunak warned of an employment crisis on the first official day of recession.

More than 300 shop and cafe workers at four Tate galleries are set to be made redundant and 500 roles at the banking giant are also set to go as the Covid jobs catastrophe continued.

It comes as figures today showed UK GDP shrank by a shocking 20.4 per cent in the three months to June, the biggest fall in modern history, with record reductions in construction, services and production.

It means the country is officially in recession - defined as two consecutive negative quarters - for the first time since the credit crunch. The economy dipped 2.2 per cent in the first three months of the year, and is now smaller than it has been since 2003.

The hit - thought to be the worst recession in 100 years - is harder than in every other major economy except Spain. And it emerged today that the Chancellor is considering delaying his crucial Autumn Budget if fears over a second wave of the deadly disease materialise.

Yesterday staff at Tate galleries in London, Liverpool and St Ives were emailed about 313 redundancies which could be made - over 100 more than had been recently anticipated.

Staff received an email from director Maria Balshaw and chief operating officer Vicky Cheetham announcing the the 'difficult and painful decision,' The Guardian claims.

Speaking on Sunday to BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs, Ms Balshaw said: 'We don't want to lose any staff, but we know we have to, otherwise the business won't be able to trade.'

High street lender Natwest is set to reduce its headcount by around 550 as it slashes jobs at its branches and those of the Royal Bank of Scotland.

More than 300 jobs are set to go at various Tate galleries in London, Liverpool and St Ives after shutting for more than four months during the Covid-19 lockdown

Natwest said it was asking staff who want to take voluntary redundancy to come forward, and promised not to force anyone out of the company

The Office for National Statistics said the UK had been harder hit in the first half of the year than many other economies

A spokesperson from the bank said that it was asking for staff who want to take voluntary redundancy to come forward, and promised not to force anyone out of the company.

It said it is looking to shed 550 full-time equivalent roles.

The bank is also set to close its Regents House office in London, which has enough space for 2,500 people.

A NatWest spokesperson said: 'We have to respond to changing customer behaviour and the rising customer demand for digital banking services.

'We have taken the decision to invite applications for voluntary redundancy and will support those colleagues who apply with a comprehensive support package.

'There will be no compulsory redundancy as a result of this announcement'

Last month MPs voiced concerns over plans to close Tate Enterprises, which is responsible for galleries' shops and cafes, operations down entirely at the St Ives.

A motion read: 'Tate is one of the few large employers in a town already disproportionately hit by the Covid-19 outbreak and tourist restrictions.'

Demonstrators gathered outside Tate Modern on July 27 to protest 200 job cuts that were forecast at the time, amid concerns it would mainly impact workers from a BAME or working class background.

Demonstrators gathered outside Tate Modern on July 27 to protest 200 job cuts that were forecast at the time, further protests are set to go ahead later this month

Mail analysis shows the sheer scale of job losses at each company across the UK's high streets

The Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union has described the cuts as unnecessary and is organising a series of strikes in protest.

Hamish Anderson and Carmel Allen, directors of Tate Enterprises, said in a statement: 'Tate Enterprises has had to make the difficult decision that many businesses in the hospitality and retail sectors now face, to restructure its business because of the impact of the pandemic.

'We have been supported by Tate Gallery with an allocation of 5 million from their reserves. However, this funding cannot meet the gap in income due to heavily reduced visitor numbers in the galleries.

'We have worked hard and exhaustively to model as optimistically as we can for the future and to keep as many jobs as possible.

'We regret that, following collective consultation, we will have to make 313 redundancies in Tate Enterprises Ltd.

'The selection process across these roles will take place over the coming weeks.

'It is with great sadness that we have been forced by the current circumstances to have to make these decisions.

'We recognise how difficult this must be for our colleagues and aim to be as supportive as we can while still ensuring the future of the business.'

Yesterday Debenhams announced it was cutting 2,500 jobs across its stores and warehouses.

The department store is scrapping the roles of sales manager, visual merchandise manager and selling support manager as part of a management restructuring process.

Last week it was revealed at least 135,000 Brits were facing the axe as companies struggled to cope with the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic.

However, there was a glimmer of hope with the single month GDP figure for June bouncing back by 8.7 per cent as lockdown restrictions eased.

The Chancellor said the tumble showed that 'hard times are here' and warned many more jobs will be lost - urging people to get back to offices and help revive the economy.

'I've said before that hard times were ahead, and today's figures confirm that hard times are here,' he said.

'Hundreds of thousands of people have already lost their jobs, and sadly in the coming months many more will.

'But while there are difficult choices to be made ahead, we will get through this, and I can assure people that nobody will be left without hope or opportunity.'

Boris Johnson has already warned that the country is in for a 'bumpy' ride, but insisted the government is ready to make 'colossal' investments in the future.

Official figures showed UK plc shrank by 20.4 per cent in the three months to June

Chancellor Rishi Sunak said the tumble showed that 'hard times are here' and warned many more jobs will be lost

Monthly GDP figures produced by the ONS show that the economy has bounced back to an extent since April. Percentages cannot be added up to give overall change during the period

The quarterly output of the economy was down by more than 100billion as a result of the coronavirus shock. Figures are in pounds at 2016 value

Rishi Sunak 'considers delaying Budget' if coronavirus outbreak spikes again Rishi Sunak is considering delaying his crucial Budget this Autumn if there is a second wave of coronavirus, it was claimed today. The Chancellor is believed to be ready to shelve the financial package - billed as the defining moment of the government - if the situation escalates again. The contingency planning underlines the anxiety in government about the recent rise in cases across Europe. One ally of Mr Sunak told the Financial Times: 'While it's very likely to happen, there is an element of uncertainty. 'If we have a series of local lockdowns and a second spike, it's not clear that would be the right time for a Budget.' A delay would likely be until the spring of next year, and Mr Sunak could instead choose to deliver a 'mini-spending review' before Christmas to update departmental budgets. Advertisement

Office for National Statistics spokesman Jonathan Athow said: 'The recession brought on by the coronavirus pandemic has led to the biggest fall in quarterly GDP on record.

'The economy began to bounce back in June with shops reopening, factories beginning to ramp up production and housebuilding continuing to recover. Despite this, GDP in June still remains a sixth below its level in February, before the virus struck.

'Overall, productivity saw its largest fall in the second quarter since the three-day week. Hospitality was worst hit, with productivity in that industry falling by three quarters in recent months.'

The plummet is roughly in line with the Bank of England's predictions, but underline that the UK is facing one of the biggest hits among major economies.

Only Spain has fared worse than the UK's overall 22.1 per cent reduction in GDP over the first six months of the year.

Samuel Tombs at Pantheon Macroeconomics said: 'The UK economy has underperformed its peers to an extraordinary degree.'

'The underperformance can be attributed partly to the economy's greater reliance on consumer services spending and the high level of labour market participation by working parents, many of whom have left work to look after children,' he added.

The grim picture emerged after figures yesterday showed that the number of people on company payrolls had fallen by 730,000 since lockdown - with employment seeing the biggest drop in a decade.

In the three months to June, the number in work decreased by 220,000 - the largest quarterly fall since 2009. Total hours worked slumped by a fifth over the quarter to the lowest level since 1994.

Meanwhile, the numbers on payroll tumbled another 114,000 in July, as the claimant count - which includes some people who are in work - increased again to reach 2.7million.

However, analysts warned the grim news is the tip of the iceberg, as the full effects of lockdown have so far been masked by the government's massive support schemes.

Some 9.6million jobs have been furloughed, with the Treasury paying out 33.8billion in subsidies.

Many people appear to have chosen to stay economically 'inactive' rather than hunt for work - meaning they remain outside the headline unemployment figures.

Mr Sunak said the 'outsized' impact on the UK economy was down to the importance of 'social activities'.

'The primary explanation is the composition of our economy. Social activities  for example going out for meal, or going to the cinema, shopping, those kind of things  comprise a much bigger part of our economy than other European countries,' he said.

'So in a situation where you literally shut down all those industries for three months it will unfortunately have an outsize impact on our economy.'

The Chancellor warned it was 'not sustainable' to have 'vast swathes' of the economy closed.

He said: 'It's not a sustainable situation to have vast swathes of our economy essentially shut down.

'And that's why we have been able to successfully reopen bits, and do it in a safe way.

'And as people get back to going shopping, or going out for a meal, or indeed getting back to their office, they will see that it's a new normal, it's a safe normal.'

The Chancellor is believed to be ready to shelve the financial package - billed as the defining moment of the government - if the situation escalates again.

Mr Sunak did not dismiss the idea of rescheduling, but insisted the Treasury was 'very much working towards the goal' of having the Budget as expected.

The contingency planning underlines the anxiety in government about the recent rise in cases across Europe.

A delay would likely be until the spring of next year, and Mr Sunak could instead choose to deliver a 'mini-spending review' before Christmas to update departmental budgets.

One ally of Mr Sunak told the Financial Times: 'While it's very likely to happen, there is an element of uncertainty.

'If we have a series of local lockdowns and a second spike, it's not clear that would be the right time for a Budget.'

Speaking to Sky News today, the Chancellor said: 'We've said that we plan to have a fiscal event in the autumn and we're very much working towards that goal.'

Shadow chancellor Anneliese Dodds said: 'We've already got the worst excess death rate in Europe  now we're on course for the worst recession too. That's a tragedy for the British people and it's happened on Boris Johnson's watch.

'The Prime Minister will say there's only so much he could do during a global pandemic, but that doesn't explain why our economy is tanking so badly compared to other countries.

'It was his government that snatched away wage support for businesses that hadn't even reopened yet. And his government that failed to get test, trace and isolate working despite claiming it's a 'world-beating' system.'

The Bank of England's latest forecast says the economy will shrink by 9.5 per cent this year, making it the worst downturn in a century, and unemployment will rise by a million.

Construction was the hardest hit area of the economy in the second quarter of the year
A ten-year-old elementary school student in Florida was logged into Zoom for her first day of online classes Tuesday when her mother was shot and killed by an ex-boyfriend inside her home, police said.

The Martin County Sheriffs Office said 27-year-old Donald J. Williams shot and killed his ex-girlfriend Maribel Rosado-Morales, 32, in front of her six children at 8am yesterday inside a home in Indiantown.

One of Rosado-Morales daughters, a student at Warfield Elementary, had been on a Zoom call with her classmates for a virtual lesson that morning when yelling and profanity was heard in the background of her video call.

The commotion prompted the girls teacher to mute the audio from the call, realizing there was some sort of domestic altercation unfolding.

The teacher then saw the 10-year-old put her hands up to her ears, Martin County Sheriff William Snyder revealed during a press conference.

Maribel Rosado-Morales (left and right) was shot and killed Tuesday morning in front of six children at a home in Indiantown. One of the children, her 10-year-old daughter (right), was taking part in an online class on Zoom when the fatal shots rang out

The Martin County Sheriffs Office said 27-year-old Donald J. Williams shot and killed Rosado-Morales, who his ex-girlfriend

It was at that moment that Williams opened fire inside the home, police said. The shooting wasn't visible to the teacher or other students on the call, according to Snyder.

The young girls screen suddenly went black after one of the bullets struck her computer screen.

Rosado-Morales was shot to death in front of her six horrified children - ranging in age from 10 to 17 - who were inside the home at the time.

Initial reports suggested that two of the children were cousins of Rosado-Morales' kids, but a family friend told DailyMail.com that all of those present were the victim's children. None of the kids were hurt in the horrific incident.

Detectives say Williams then fled the scene of the shooting on a bicycle, before boarding a Martin County Public Transit bus and asking the driver to take him to Stuart.

However, the driver grew suspicious of his behavior and called 911. A SWAT team responded and Williams was taken into custody 40 minutes after Rosado-Morales was shot.

Authorities said they retrieved a handgun from a bag Williams was carrying that they believe was used in the shooting. The weapon had been reported stolen from a car in 2015.

Rosado-Morales, meanwhile, was airlifted to Lawnwood Regional Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead shortly after arrival.

Snyder says Williams gave investigators a full confession and will face charges of first-degree murder, armed burglary, and armed home invasion, among other counts.

He called the mother-of-six's death sad and terrible.

Rosado-Morales was shot to death in front of six horrified children - ranging in age from 10 to 17 - who were inside the home at the time, including three siblings of the 10-year-old and two of her cousins.

None of the children were hurt in the horrific incident at the home in Indiatown (which is pictured above)

Detectives say Williams then fled the scene of the shooting on a bicycle, before boarding a Martin County Public Transit bus and asking the driver to take him to Stuart. He was arrested 40 minutes later

Snyder said Williams and Rosado-Morales had been estranged for more than a year and a half, and had a history of domestic violence.

Williams had recently been released from prison on a domestic violence charge, the sheriff added.

The fatal shooting was reportedly spurred by an unspecified argument. According to Snyder, Williams went to the home to confront Rosado-Morales about something to do with a video.

Then later we learned there was a conversation about Facebook, Snyder continued. He says she actually started to smile at him and he became enraged and shot her.'

Rosado-Morales' last Facebook post came on August 10, a day before her death, showing her posing with her new partner, accompanied with the caption 'this mean a lot but we still here till god say no more'.

Morales' fiance, who didn't want to be named spoke to WPTV, revealing that he was on the phone with her when the shooting happened, and he could hear the children yelling that their mother had been shot.

The fiance said that after Morales was hit, she barricaded herself inside a closet for her safety and so her children wouldn't see.

'I was on the phone with her. I said, baby, call the police, 'Morales' fiance said. 'Why? She didnt do nothing. Why? She didnt deserve it. I wasnt there to save her. I wasnt there.'

Rosado-Morales' last Facebook post came on August 10, a day before her death, showing her posing with her new partner, accompanied with the caption 'this mean a lot but we still here till god say no more'

Speaking of Williams, the Fiance said: 'I have hatred. Yeah, Im not going to lie, I want to do 1,000 things to him. But you know what? I forgive him, man. I forgive him and hell have his day. Her kids hate him, but they forgive him too.'

Sheriff Snyder said he's learned through his decades in law enforcement 'that when you think you've seen everything, you haven't, he told BuzzFeed.

I know that people hearing about this, reading about this, are going to be horrified by this,' Snyder continued.

Neighbors of Rosado-Morales have voiced their shock and terror over the death of the 32-year-old, who was remembered by one local resident as a friendly, loving and kind person.

I think its sad, especially the neighborhood. I knew the woman. She was a very nice girl, gave my kids clothes and stuff like that, neighbor Jeremy Carroll said of Morales, according to WPTV. Its just sad to see that situation happen.

A GoFundMe page set up to benefit Rosado-Morales' children says they will taken into the custody of their grandmother, where they will likely relocate to Wisconsin.
Election 2020 Ex-Generals Still in as Myanmar's Former Ruling Party Reveals Candidates for Upcoming Poll

Senior USDP leaders campaign ahead of the 2015 general election in Yangon. / The Irrawaddy

YANGONMyanmars former ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) will field more than 1,100 candidates nationwide in the upcoming general election, including some retired military generals and ex-government ministers along with a large number of new faces.

The party rolled out its list of 1,129 candidates on Wednesday. Spokesperson Dr. Nanda Hla Myint said only a few retired military generals and ex-government ministers would be candidates this year, as the party has sought to select mostly new faces to run on its ticket.

In the 2015 general election, in which it was comprehensively defeated by the National League for Democracy (NLD), the USDPformed by ex-generalsfavored the former officers comrades as candidates. The then-ruling party only managed to win a humiliating 10 percent of seats nationwide, while the NLD won 77 percent of the parliamentary seats.

The USDP recently said it was confident of winning enough seats this year to secure the presidency and form a government.

In the candidates list rolled out on Wednesday, retired generals, ex-ministers and candidates who have run previously accounted for less than 30 percent, while the remainder were selected from the partys new generation of members, Dr. Nanda Hla Myint added.

Among those candidates who have run before and are seeking to be elected again are ex-general and party chairman U Than Htay, who will run for a seat in the Lower House in Naypyitaws Zayarthiri Township. He served as minister of energy and minister for rail transport under the USDP-led government.

Retired general and former deputy chairman of the party U Htay Oo will seek a Lower House seat in the Irrawaddy Deltas Hinthada Township, the same seat that he lost to an NLD candidate in 2015. Retired major general and former Presidents Office minister U Hla Tun will run for a Lower House seat representing Mandalay Regions Kyaukpadaung Township.

Retired brigadier general and former deputy speaker Nanda Kyaw Swa will contest a Lower House seat in Yangon Regions Dagon Township. Ex-general Aung Thaw is contesting in Yangon Regions Coco Islands constituency.

Four ex-chief ministers in the previous USDP government former brigadier general U Thein Aung of Ayeyarwady Region, former major general U Nyan Win of Bago Region, U La John Ngan Hsai of Kachin State and U Sao Aung Myat of Shan Statewill also run in the election.

Nationalist Daw Khin Waing Kyi, who was a former lawmaker representing the National Democratic Force (NDF), also appears on the USDP candidate list, contesting a Lower House seat in Yangon Regions Dawbon Township.

Some USDP members said the party is fielding more youth and women candidates than before. They added that the party plans to avoid contesting in some strongholds of ethnic parties and smaller parties as a way of boosting those parties chances of success.

Myanmars general election will be held on Nov. 8. In the nationwide poll, 93 political parties will vie for a total of 1,171 seats in both houses of the Union Parliament and in the state and regional legislatures. The NLD plans to field 1,131 candidates.

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CANBERRA, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- Two former Australian Defence Ministers have called for military leaders to be held to account over alleged war crimes committed in Afghanistan.

Brendan Nelson who served as the defence minister between 2006 and 2007, was quoted by News Corp Australia on Wednesday as saying that "the guilty will be appropriately punished" if war crimes were committed.

"We need to ask, 'Where has the chain of command been?" he said.

His successor Joel Fitzgibbon, the minister for defence between 2007 and 2009 and current frontbencher for the opposition Labor Party, said that if an upcoming report found that special forces troops broke the laws of war in Afghanistan "they'll need to answer for it."

"But so too must those in leadership positions who allowed any bad culture to emerge from the fog of war," he said.

The former ministers spoke ahead of a report, to be released within weeks, on dozens of alleged war crimes committed by Australians in Afghanistan with a particular focus on the Special Air Service (SAS) and Commando regiments who have been accused of killing unarmed civilians on multiple occasions.

The report, which incumbent Defence Minister Linda Reynolds has warned will be "uncomfortable" reading, is expected to lead to criminal charges.

Angus Campbell, the Chief of the Defence Force, has commissioned an independent expert, historian Tom Frame, to examine the cultural and leadership failings that led to the alleged war crimes.

Nelson said that the review was recognition "that perhaps there has been a failure to some extent, at least culturally, in the chain of command."

"If a particular culture has developed within an element of the military, in this case the special forces, you have to ask yourself, in terms of the leadership, how that evolved and was able to take root and be present for such a period of time."

He also said that the "political class" of which he was a member would have to bear responsibility for sending special forces to Afghanistan to fight in Australia's names.

"I am also extremely mindful of the detrimental, and in some cases very significant detrimental impact, psychologically, that repeated deployments of this type had upon them," he said.

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) has repeatedly reported eyewitness accounts of alleged war crimes committed in Afghanistan.

In July it published allegations that SAS troops were responsible for a "mass shooting" of 11 Afghan civilians during a 2012 raid in the country's Kandahar Province.
A man has been charged with assault after a baby boy was left with life-threatening injuries following an incident on Sunday.

Greater Manchester Police were called by medical staff over the weekend due to concerns related to a four-month-old babys injuries when the infant was taken to hospital.

Benjamin Welsh, a 20-year-old from Walkden, Salford, has been charged with section 18 assault and remanded in custody to appear before Manchester Magistrates Court on Wednesday.

The offence is considered to be the most serious form of assault, bar murder or manslaughter, and refers to either wounding with intent or causing grievous bodily harm with intent.

Officers said on Tuesday that a man and woman, both 20 years old, had been arrested in connection with the incident and were in custody for questioning.

No further details have been released about the babys reported injuries but he was described as being in critical condition.

In a statement released on Wednesday, the force said: A man has been charged in connection with life-threatening injuries sustained by a baby boy from Salford.

Benjamin Welsh (21/12/1999) of Whittle Grove, Walkden has been charged with section 18 assault.

He has been remanded in custody to appear before Manchester Magistrates Court today, Wednesday 12 August 2020.

It added: Shortly before 12.30pm on Sunday 9 August 2020, police were called by hospital staff to concerns over the injuries of a baby boy who had been brought in for medical assistance.

The four-month-old baby remains in a critical condition.

Officers also issued an appeal on Tuesday calling for anyone with information on the incident to come forward.

Anyone with information should call Greater Manchester Police on 0161 856 3653 or 101, quoting incident number 1761 of 09 August 2020.

Alternatively, information can be given anonymously via Crimestoppers by calling 0800 555 111.
When the coronavirus pandemic started, Wuhan Lab was part of consipiracy theories saying that they created the virus. To prove that such claim is false, Wuhan Lab opened its door to U.S. reporters.

It is thoroughly stigmatized by accusations from President Trump to other world leaders, calling the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) as the place where the virus was engineered. Since then, China had to jockey itself to avoid permanent condemnation for its part in spreading the virus, reported New York Post.

In a one of kind invitation, the Chinese lab has brought in a U.S. news crew to finally prove that China has been wrongly blamed for so long. More so is to prove 100% beyond doubt that it never happened in the WIV.

The crew of NBC News got the first-ever glimpse of the area. They are the first foreigners to be allowed entry in one of China's most controversial labs. Also, everything that was supposed to be hidden will be exposed, especially after stories that this place has alledgeldy caused a contagion that has ravaged and changed the way everyone lives.

The U.S. first glimpse in the Wuhan Laboratory

NBC's tour that lasted five hours, began when lab techs were handling viruses that are considered deadliest in the world. This included COVID-19 that came from bats. The BSL-4 lab was featured and the lab techs at work.

According to Vice-Director Yuan Zhiming, conspiracy theories are very mistaken, assuring that a pandemic could have never start from there.

Also read: WHO Received First Reports of Coronavirus Not From China, But From Another Whistleblower

He added that all the personnel has not been positive when tested, not even for antibodies that are a sign of exposure to the COVID-19.

He also stated that the lab has it its first run at the end of December at the behest of requests to sort out reports of unknown pneumonia. In particular, the cases were experiencing multiplicity in many hospitals, until a full-blown epidemic began, cited CBS News.

Categorically speaking, he stressed that despite the rumors that the WIV is a major player of the pandemic, it was not. Despite the claim, he said that they did not own or leak such deadly virus.

The WIV will wholly support the World Health Organization's attempt to dig up proof that China is faultless with regards to the conspiracy theories charged against it. All the scientists and any loose end will be investigated thoroughly, lab director Wang Yanyi told NBC News.

The lab directress punctuates that the place is a popular scapegoat to blame for the deadly spread of the COVID-19, which has killed many people across nations. Evidences that may prove that the WIV is responsible is not yet proven to be 100% true.

Again, the Chinese scientist expressed indignation over the blame. It was their handiwork that foisted the pandemic to its current levels.

Yuan mentioned that it made the US-China tension worse, which snowballed into scientific research. Indeed, the COVID-19 creates another world of instability, noted Report Door.

In another note, he mentioned American scientists and their methods which have taught them something about research and more.

Related article: China Side Stepped Accusations at the World Health Assembly

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Sensex, Nifty Highlights on August 12:Sensex and Nifty ended flat with negative bias on Wednesday, on back of heavy selling pressure in pharma and banking stocks, amid negative global equities. Weak domestic factory output data further dampened investors' mood. BSE 30-share Sensex ended 37 points lower at 38,369 and NSE Nifty 50 closed 14 points higher at 11,308. Meanwhile, April-June quarterly earnings announcements by Aurobindo Pharma, Bharat Forge, Ashok Leyland, Tata Power, Cummins, Advanced Enzyme, Aster DM Healthcare, Natco Pharma will also set the tone for the stock market today. Yesterday, Sensex ended 244 points higher at 38,407 and Nifty closed 52 points higher at 11,32.

Here's a look at the updates of the market action on BSE and NSE today

3.51 PM: Closing session

Sensex and Nifty ended flat with negative bias on Wednesday, on back of heavy selling pressure in pharma and banking stocks, amid negative global equities. Weak domestic factory output data further dampened investors' mood. BSE 30-share Sensex ended 37 points lower at 38,369 and NSE Nifty 50 closed 14 points higher at 11,308.

3. 39 PM: Market at close

Commenting on markets' closing today, Manish Hathiramani, proprietary index trader and technical analyst, Deen Dayal Investments said," Markets continued in a range but managed to keep above 11250. We are in a market where dips can be bought into - the target for the Nifty should be 11500. A support or stop loss can be placed below 11100."

3. 23 PM: Sanofi Q1 update

Commenting on Sanofi India (SIL) Q1 earnings, Centrum Broking said,"Company delivered quarterly earnings ahead of our estimates. It reported decline in revenue by 5% YoY but the results are not exactly comparable as Ankleshwar hive-off to Zentiva was completed on 29th May20. The continuing operations have reported nearly 1% YoY growth. Gross margins were at 55.5% Vs. 54.4% YoY Vs. 56.6% QoQ. Staff cost was up 8% YoY while other expenses declined 31%YoY. The EBITDA at Rs1.77bn increased 12% YoY while flat QoQ with EBITDA margins at 24.9% improved by 380 bps YoY. With inline other income, depreciation and ETR the PAT for the quarter stood at Rs 1.36bn, up by 30% YoY/ flat QoQ (adj. impairment). We maintain Sanofi's multiple in-line with its peers at 37x CY21E EPS and maintain Add rating with a target price of Rs 8955."

3.12 PM: Adani Ports Q1 update

Commenting on Adani Ports & SEZ's (APSEZ) Q1 earnings, Centrum Broking said,"Company reported a resilient performance in Q1FY21 demonstrating the strength of its assets as well as its agility in aligning its operating costs to the current environment. PAT declined 26%yoy to Rs7.6bn but was above estimate of Rs4.4bn led by higher realizations and margins. Cargo declined 26.9% yoy to 41.5mt while revenue declined by 18%yoy to Rs22.9bn (estimate: Rs21.8bn). EBITDA declined 24.4%yoy to Rs14bn (estimate: Rs10.9bn) and EBITDA margin stood at 60.8% (estimate: 49.9%). Port EBITDA margins were strong at 69.5% (-90bp yoy) led by better cargo mix, price hike of ~2.5%, benefit of INR depreciation and cost rationalization."

3.09 PM: Minda Industries share price climbs over 7%

Minda Industries share price jumped over 7% on Wednesday after the auto components maker announced that its board has fixed the price at Rs 250 per equity share for its Rs 250-crore rights issue.

Company's board of directors approved fixing of issue price at Rs 250 per equity share, including a premium of Rs 248 per equity share over the face value of Rs 2 per equity share. As per the company's filing, the rights issue will open on August 25 and close on September 8 and the last date for on market renunciation is September 3, 2020.

Following the update, shares of Minda Industries touched an intraday high of Rs 300.65, rising 7.13% against the earlier close of Rs 280.65 on BSE. Minda Industries shares have gained after 2 days of consecutive fall.

Minda Industries share price climbs over 7% after board fixes price for rights issue

2. 43 PM: Mother Sumi Q1 update

Commenting on 1QFY21 results of Motherson Sumi Systems, Rajit Rajoriya, Equity Research Associate, Angel Broking said," Revenue from Operations of Motherson Sumi declined by 49.5 percent YoY to Rs 8,431Cr for Q1FY21. Company posted a consolidated net loss of Rs 1192cr. for the June quarter as against street expectations of Rs540 crore loss and a profit of Rs 360.6 crore in Q1FY20. Business activity was badly hit as operations were severely impacted at major plants due to lockdowns. Overall the company reported numbers which were well below street estimates."

2. 31 PM: Bosch Q1 update

Commenting on 1QFY21 results of Bosch, Rajit Rajoriya, Equity Research Associate, Angel Broking said," Bosch Limited has continued its investment in restructuring, reskilling, and other transformational projects. After allowing for this exceptional item, loss before tax stood at INR 200 crores, and loss after tax at INR 120 crores. Powertrain Solutions division registering a decline of 78.3 percent. However, the Two-Wheeler and Power sports product unit witnessed good double-digit growth during the quarter. Outside the Mobility Solutions business sector, business recorded a decline of 59.9 percent. Company will remain focused on the agriculture sector, particularly on tractor demand for the upcoming quarters. However, Company predicts the auto sector as a whole will take four to five years to return to the levels of 2018-19."

2. 00 PM: Mahanagar Gas Q1 result update

On Mahanagar Gas (MGL)'s Q1 uodate, Centrunm Broking said," Company reported volumes at 101.3mmscm (-62.5% yoy) a 5-year low, well below CenE 134.6mmscm, driven by sharply lower CNG volumes which saw CoVid lockdown impact transport demand much more than estimated. For rest of FY21E also management guidance of volumes remains muted and underpins our cautious stance on near term prospects." The brokergae has assigned Buy rating to the stock

1. 46 PM: Nifty outlook

On Nifty;'s outlook, Manish Hathiramani, proprietary index trader and technical analyst, Deen Dayal Investment said," We are still trading above 11250 which is a good intra day support for the market. If we break this level upon closing, we could test 11150. On the upside we could continue being bullish for a target of 11450-11500."

1. 32 PM: Gold outlook

Expressing views on Gold, Anuj Gupta, DVP- Commodities and Currencies Research, Angel Broking said," It is a right time of profit booking in Gold and Silver, However the trend of bullions are still positive, but traders should have cautious approach while taking any position in Bullions on these higher levels. Prices are now in over bought zone. Dollar index is recovered from lower levels due to hawkish Job data released last week. We expect some profit booking in Gold and Silver as in the physical market people are selling their ornaments and bars for getting advantage on higher levels. We expect gold may test Rs 52000 levels to 51000 levels and Silver may test Rs 69000 levels to 70000 levels in the short term towards the down side. Traders may book profit on higher levels and may go for sell in gold and silver, however global economic instability and geopolitical tension between US and China may work as a supportive factor for bullion in the long run. Approval for First COVID-19 vaccine by Russia's health ministry has also put pressure on the Bullions."

1. 15 PM: HDFC share price rises marginally

Shares of country's largest mortgage lender- Housing Development Finance Corporation (HDFC) were trading marginally higher on Wednesday after the HFC said it has raised Rs 10,000 crore equity capital by issuing shares to qualified investors, including Government of Singapore and Invesco Oppenheimer Developing Markets Fund.

Following the news update, shares of HDFC recovered from early lossesand traded 0.63% higher to touch an intraday high of Rs 1,837 as agains tthe earlier closing of Rs 1,825.35 on BSE. Earlier today, the stock price of HDFc also touched an in trady low of Rs 1,802.15, after opening at Rs 1,825 on BSE.

1.02 PM: HDFC raises capital

HDFC said it has issued 5,68,18,181 equity shares at an issue price of Rs 1,760, aggregating to Rs 10,000 crore.

The lender said it has raised Rs 3,693 crore through an issue of non-convertible debentures. The company issued 36,930 secured redeemable non-convertible debentures of face value of Rs 10 lakh each due on August 11, 2023, at par aggregating Rs 3,693 crore carrying a coupon rate of 5.40% payable annually.

It has also allotted 1,70,57,400 warrants at an issue price of Rs 180 per warrant, aggregating to around Rs 307 crore under the QIP issue, as per the mortgage lender's regulatory filing.

12. 46 PM: Eicher Motors share gains 2%

Eicher Motors share price gained in early trade today after board of the firm approved a stock split in the ratio of 10:1. Eicher Motors stock gained up to 1.8% to Rs 21,835 against previous close of Rs 21,435 on BSE. Share price of Eicher Motors has risen 1.79% in the last 2 days. Total 1487 shares changed hands amounting to turnover of Rs 3.22 crore. Market cap of the firm stood at Rs 59,369 crore.

Eicher Motors share gains 2% after board approves stock split

12. 34 PM: Adani Ports share climbs 4%

Share price of Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Limited (APSEZ) rose over 3% in early trade today despite the firm reporting a 26.33 per cent fall in consolidated profit to Rs 757.83 crore in Q1, impacted by COVID-19-induced lockdown. Adani Ports stock rose 3.96% to Rs 348 against previous close of Rs 334.85 on BSE. Stock of Adani Ports has gained 6.05% in the last 4 days.

Adani Ports & SEZ share is trading higher than 5 day, 20 day, 50 day, 100 day and 200 day moving averages.

Adani Ports share climbs 4% despite fall in Q1 earnings

12. 12 PM: Market recovers from losses

Sensex and Nifty traded flat with negative bias on Wednesday, amid negative global equities. Weak domestic factory output data further dampened investors' mood. BSE 30-share Sensex was trading 75 points lower at 38,315 and NSE Nifty 50 as falling 26 points higher at 11,295

11. 58 AM: Top losers and gainers

Bajaj Finance, followed by L&T, Bajaj Finserv, Sun Pharma, Kotak Bank, HDFC Bank and Reliance Industries were among the top losers on Sensex. On the other hand, SBI, M&M, Maruti, Bajaj Auto and Titan were among the gainers.

11. 44 AM: Coronavirus toll

In India, coronavirus cases surpassed 23 lakh mark today, with total deaths standing at 0.46 lakh. Worldwide, there are 205 lakh confirmed cases and 7.45 lakh deaths from COVID-19 outbrea.

11. 32 AM: Rupee slips 6 paise to 74.84

The domestic currency benchmark depreciated 6 paise to 74.84 per dollar on Wednesday's opening bell, tracking negative domestic equities and strengthening US currency.

At the interbank forex market, the local unit opened at 74.78 and later fell to 74.84 per dollar, down 6 paise over its last close of 74.78 on Tuesday.

The dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, rose 0.28 per cent to 93.89.

Rupee slips 6 paise to 74.84 amid strong dollar, weak equities

11. 27 AM: MCX Gold and silver today

Extending decline for the third straight session, Gold futures on Multi Commodity Exchange were trading Rs 1,349 or 2.82% lower at Rs 50,580 per 10 gm against the previous close of Rs 51,929 per 10 gm. Gold futures touched an intraday high of Rs 51,650 per 10 gm, which was Rs 4,540 lower than its all-time high of Rs 56,191, hit last Friday.

Silver September futures also fell by Rs 4,647 to Rs 62,287 per kg today after they touched an intraday high of Rs 64,257 per kg. Silver Futures have hit a lifetime high of Rs 77,949 in last Friday's session.

Gold prices slip Rs 4,500 from record high to Rs 50,000

11. 13 AM: Gold price technical indicators

Geojit Financial Services said in a note,"Initial pullbacks can be seen but it required to clear $1980 to stabilize the momentum. Else, likely for corrective selling pressure towards $1860 followed by $1780 levels for the day." As per the brokerage, MCX Gold August, resistance is placed at 53,600 and support is at 50,450/49,200. For MCX Silver August futures, the resistance is at 70,120/72,980 and the support is placed at 60,100.

11.05 AM: Gold outlook

Commenting on Gold's outlook, Hareesh V, Head Commodity Research at Geojit Financial Services said," Gold lost some ground after Russia announced the world's first Covid vaccine and profit booking was seen at higher levels. A recovering US dollar and gains in equities too pressured the safe haven asset. However, hopes of fresh economic stimulus measures and rising US-China tensions continue to offer lower level support to the metal.

On London spot technical outlook, he added," As long as the support of $1820 holds the downside we can expect recovery rallies in the counter. Else, it may continue with a weak bias for the day."

10. 46 AM: Nifty outlook

On Nifty outlook, Geojit Financial in its note said," Our warning yesterday was to expect volatility once inside the 11375-11444 region, and Nifty ended up turning lower from 11372.85 and attempted several times to breach low of previous day. The two doji's in as many days, along with a negative divergence in oscillators, will force Nifty towards a lower opening, with 10640 emerging as the possible downside objective. Hopes of an early reversal will rest on the ability of 11130 vicinity to attract buying, or on Nifty managing to float above 11285 after the initial weakness.

10. 32 AM: Global markets today

Asian markets were trading lower as investors continued to watch developments on US-China tensions and on concerns over coronavirus.

US markets closed lower after the recent consecutive gains with Technology stocks giving up more and as investors assessed the progress of coronavirus aid from US. European markets closed higher as investors continued to hope for a US stimulus deal to support economy which outweighed the tension between US and China.

10. 12 AM: Oil prices

Oil price showed more weakness despite expectation over US stimulus package to support economy and pick up oil demand from Asia.

10.05 AM: Global cues

Overseas, Asian stocks were trading lower on Wednesday after Wall Street dipped amid growing uncertainty about an additional round of US fiscal stimulus. In Wall Street, stocks closed lower on Tuesday on growing uncertainty about fiscal stimulus deal in Washington.

9. 42 AM: FII/ DII data

Foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) bought shares worth Rs 1,013.66 crore, while domestic institutional investors (DIIs), were net sellers to the tune of Rs 1,415.54 crore in the Indian equity market on 11 August, provisional data showed.

9. 33 AM: IIP Data

India's industrial output contracted to 16.6% in June as against a 1.3% growth year-on-year (YoY), as per the Index of Industrial Production (IIP) data released by the government on August 11.

9. 23 AM: Nifty outlook

Reliance Smart Money in its note said,"NSE-NIFTY rose to five month high continuing its daily rising trend. As mentioned earlier, our bullish view will remain intact on the index, as its key technical indicator has remained in favour of bulls. However near-term consolidation or a minor decline cannot be ruled out as the index has once again formed an indecisive pattern-Doji on the daily chart. A stable move above its near-term hurdle point (placed around 11,340 level) will be positive and that will strengthen the index for its next leg of up-move. That could lead the index towards 11,435 and 11,600 levels. In case of decline, the index will initially find support around its 20-day EMA and then around its 200-day SMA, which are now placed at 11,030 and 10,850 levels, respectively.

As for the day, support is placed at around 11,290 and then at 11,257 levels, while resistance is observed at 11,364 and then at 11,406 levels."

9. 14 AM: Opening bell

BSE 30-share Sensex was trading 218 points lower at 38,188 and NSE Nifty 50 as falling 72 points higher at 11,250.

9.02 AM: Pre open session

BSE 30-share Sensex was trading 73 points higher at 38,470 and NSE Nifty 50 as rising 56 points higher at 11,378.

8. 55 AM: Market outlook

On Nifty's technical indicators, Manish Hathiramani, proprietary index trader and technical analyst, Deen Dayal Investments said, "After crossing the hurdle of 11250, we have moved swiftly to over 11,350 upon opening itself. We should be able to achieve 11,400 and then 11,500 in this intermediate upward rally. The Nifty support continues to be at 11,100."

8. 50 AM: Market expectations

Sensex and Nifty are likely to open on a bearish note on Wednesday, amid negative global equities. SGX Nifty was rising 100 points lower, indicating negative trend in domestic grounds today.

8. 44 AM: Stocks to watch today on August 12

HDFC, Eicher Motors, Dr Reddy, Adani Ports, JMC Projects among others are the top stocks to watch out for in Wednesday's trading session.

Stocks in news: HDFC, Eicher Motors, Dr Reddy, Adani Ports, JMC Projects

8. 40 AM: Earnings today

Aurobindo Pharma, Bharat Forge, Ashok Leyland, Tata Power, Thermax, Aarti Industries, Advanced Enzyme, Aster DM Healthcare, Balaji Amines, Brigade Enterprises, Century Plyboards, Cummins India, eClerx Services, Graphite India, GSFC, Gulf Oil Lubricants, Indostar Capital Finance, Kalpataru Power Transmission, Natco Pharma, NCC, Sundram Fasteners, Transport Corporation of India among others will report Q1 earnings today.

8. 35 AM: Market outlook

"Going ahead, the upcoming macroeconomic data viz. CPI, IIP data and Supreme Court hearing on AGR case (Friday) would be on investors' radar," said Ajit Mishra, VP - Research, Religare Broking on markets' near-term outlook.

8. 30 AM: Closing

Sensex and Nifty ended on a bullish note on Tuesday amid heavy buying in banking and financial stocks tracking mixed cues from global markets. Extending gains for the third consecutive session, Sensex ended 244 points higher at 38,407 and Nifty closed 52 points higher at 11,322.

Sensex, Nifty close higher for 3rd session amid rising Covid-19 cases
With the ground breaking ceremony of the Ram temple done, the Uttar Pradesh government has decided to expand the airport at Ayodhya. The proposed Shri Ram Airport at Ayodhya will now be expanded by up to 600 acres. The state government has decided to upgrade it to international standards.

Earlier the state government had decided to acquire 285 acres of land for this airport. The civil aviation minister of UP, Nandgopal Gupta Nandi, who arrived in Ayodhya on Wednesday, informed that the airport here will now be expanded and named after Lord Ram. He said that the airport in Ayodhya would ...
Noticing many Vietnamese young people unfamiliar with wearing face masks, Nguyen Xuan Kieu, a native of District 12, Ho Chi Minh City, came up with the idea of embroidering patterns onto fabric masks to capture young people's attention and encourage them to pick up the good habit.

Kieus little cozy house on Duong Thi Muoi Street, District 12 is the birthplace of many meticulously embroidered masks that are made by amateur tailors.

As the COVID-19 pandemic has put a shutdown on the travel agency where she worked, Kieu spent time making embroidered masks, making use of the equipment available in her mother's tailor shop.

The idea came from her observation that many young people in Vietnam are not used to wearing masks, which is now mandatory in public places in the southern metropolis as a preventive measure against the novel coronavirus.

The face masks we make are purely to raise awareness among young people about wearing them, not for any business purpose," Kieu said.

"Young people love to buy these masks since they are made with meticulousness and can take nearly a day to complete."

Seeing many women out of work or suffering the economic impacts of COVID-19, Kieu decided to employ them for the face mask embroidering job, sending fabric to their houses so they can work remotely and earn extra income during the pandemic.

Nguyen Xuan Kieu (right) and her mother make embroidered face masks in their workshop in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Photo: Thu Hien / Tuoi Tre

Nguyen Xuan Kieu mostly makes her embroidered face masks from linen, which she said is airy and environmentally friendly. Photo: Thu Hien / Tuoi Tre

An artist embroiders a face mask with letters in the workshop of Nguyen Xuan Kieu in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Photo: Thu Hien / Tuoi Tre

Embroidered face masks are made in the workshop of Nguyen Xuan Kieu in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Photo: Thu Hien / Tuoi Tre

Embroidered face masks are made in the workshop of Nguyen Xuan Kieu in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Photo: Thu Hien / Tuoi Tre

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Jordan Brand is elevating the voices of local Black creatives through its New York City capsule collection.

The apparel collection includes a flight suit, utility pant and Windbreaker that feature reflective Jordan motifs inspired by the New York City subway system modeled by Brooklyn-based stylist Kia Marie; Black Girl Beach Day founder and Brooklyn-based art director and model Germany Lancaster; Queens-based multihyphenate Alissa Nevita. Bronx-born photographer Raven Varona, better known as Ravie B., shot the campaign, and Shibon Kennedy styled the looks.

The brand also tapped Los Angeles-based creatives Arielle Toole, Jessica Jordan, Napoleon Jinnies and Xavier Curlyfro to model the 23 Engineered, City Utility and Essentials collections while Black-owned business owners Andre Emery and Megan Cahill had masks featured in the campaign.

In addition to our commitment to help end systemic racism, Jordan Brand has placed an emphasis on continuing to partner with Black-owned businesses and amplifying the voices of young Black creatives across our channels, Jordan Brand womens general manager Andrea Perez told WWD. As a brand, we aim to ground our work in both action and commitment, and we will continue to keep that the focus of our work across Jordan Brand as well as with our partners and within our communities.

The collection launches on Aug. 15 in China, Aug. 20 in North America and globally on the Nike web site on Aug. 24.

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Law officers seized 220 pounds of methamphetamine worth $2 million in Wilkes County during a traffic stop, in what is believed to be one of the largest methamphetamine seizures ever in North Carolina, according to a press release from the Alexander County Sheriffs Office.

The Aug. 8 stop led to additional methamphetamine and weapons seized from a search warrant on a residence in Wilkes County

Three people were charged and arrested. Police are searching for one other suspect, according to the release.

Juan Molina Sebastian, 55, of North Wilkesboro, was charged with two counts of trafficking methamphetamine, conspiring to traffic methamphetamine, maintain a residence/vehicle for selling methamphetamine and possession with intent to sell and deliver methamphetamine.

Lucia Carbajal Avila, 31, of North Wilkesboro, and Adriana Gomez, 32, of Mount Airy, were charged with two counts of trafficking methamphetamine and one count each of conspiring to traffic methamphetamine and possession with intent to sell and deliver methamphetamine.

Avila is also charged with maintaining a residence for selling methamphetamine and misdemeanor child abuse.
A cottager is lucky to be alive after being struck by lightning near Havelock.

He was caught under a tree when a storm cell that producing lightning pushed into the area Monday afternoon.

Chris Windsor, who is from the Kitchener area, was the sole occupant of a boat on Belmont Lake when a storm blew in over the body of water, bringing a downpour of rain with thunder and lightning.

Tim Windsor, Chriss father, said he was bringing his boat over to a public boat launch at the end of Mile of Memories Road, just off County Road 48, northeast of Havelock when he was caught in the storm.

It looks like what happened was the storm had apparently blown through and it cleared, they went to take the boat out and that storm mustve doubled back, he said.

So from what he can remember, when he exited the boat he saw the storm was coming in, (he) beached the boat and then he was heading to the only place really to seek any shelter, there was a fence and a tree right at the waters edge.

Windsor said he was in Perth on business when he got the call that his son had been struck by lightning.

I got a call yesterday (Aug. 10) saying hed been hit by lightning, he said. I just cancelled my business trip and came down and I have been with my daughter-in-law ever since.

He said his son is lucky to be alive after being struck by the lightning.

We found his eyeglasses six feet into the water, the fact he didnt physically end up in the water is amazing because he was unconscious and then he came to and my daughter-in-law came around the lake to pick the boat up with him and that is when she found him.

Windsor said the lightning struck his son in the upper right side of his back and the current travelled down and exited his leg, leaving marks that he called Lichtenburg marks.

He has these weird markings on his back which is called Lichtenburg marks, he said.

Apparently, what happens when the current goes through your veins it basically draws the blood out to the end of your capillaries, so you end up with this leaf pattern bruising and mark on his back it is just really bizarre.

He said his son is doing quite well and that they are hoping he can be released from the hospital soon.

He is still in the hospital, hopefully he can make it out today, he said. He has some complications that he is still dealing with. Amazingly, he is doing phenomenally well.

He said his son would be released from the hospital once his creatine kinase (CK) levels come down to a safe level.

He has what they call elevated CK levels which is a particular enzyme which is released when muscle trauma or tissue trauma occurs, so that is why he is still in the hospital.

Windsor is cautioning people to remember not to take things like this lightly when it comes to their safety during storms.

It does remind people that go out a lot, Ill tell you, you dont think about it until it happens to you, he said. But it reminds you that storms are nothing to screw around with.

Environment Canada advises people to go inside when in striking distance of lightning and then avoid using land line telephones and stay away from electrical appliances and equipment, doors, windows and fireplaces, and anything else that conducts electricity such as sinks, tubs and showers.

Other tips from Environment Canada:

If you are in your car during lightning, do not park under tall objects that could fall, and do not get out if there are fallen power lines nearby.

If you are caught outside, do not stand near tall objects or anything made of metal, and avoid open water. Take shelter in a low-lying area.

If caught on the water in a small boat with no cabin during thunder and lightning, quickly get to shore. Boats with cabins offer a safer environment, but it is still not ideal.

Once in a safe location, remain there for 30 minutes after the last rumble of thunder you hear before resuming your outdoor activities.

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PUNE: Inspired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modis clarion call for an Atmanirbhar Bharat, the Ammunition Factory in Punes Khadki on Wednesday (August 12, 2020) said that it has dispatched the first consignment of indigenised 40 mm Under Barrel Grenade Launcher (UBGL) to the Border Security Force.

PRO Defence, Nagpur took to Twitter to share that the Pune Ammunition Factory has sent the first consignment of indigenised 40 mm UBGL to the BSF.

With this, the Ammunition Factory Khadki, Pune also wrote a new chapter on self-reliance and indigenization of 40 mm UBGL Ammunition production on August 11, 2020, by sending the first consignment to the BSF, the Defence PRO tweeted.

     PUNE, Wednesday, 12 August 2020 40 mm UBGL (UNDER BARREL GRENADE LAUNCHER) AMMUNITION BY AFK, PUNE Inspired by the Prime Ministers clarion call for an Atmanirbhar Bharat, Ammunition Factory https://t.co/2Womdrltr4  PRO Defence Nagpur (@PRODefNgp) August 12, 2020

This ammunition is fired from a launcher fitted under the barrel of 5.56 mm Rifle (INSAS). The 40 mm UBGL ammunition has several advantages over the traditional hand grenade - It is lightweight, has a range of 400 Meters as against the hand grenade which has a range of 30 Meters. Further, it can be fired by the same equipment by the soldier and it is also very safe ammunition for carrying by the soldiers.

There are four varieties of this ammunition:- a) 40 mm UBGL (Practice); b) 40 mm UBGL (HEAP); c) 40 mm UBGL (HEDP); d) 40 mm UBGL (RP)

40 mm UBGL AMMUNITION is designed and manufactured by the Ammunition Factory, Khadki with the components sourced from Indian Industries.

This ammunition has been imported by the Indian Army and Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) Units. Thus, there was a perceived need to indigenize the design and manufacture the ammunition in India.

M K Mohapatra, Sr General Manager, Ammunition Factory, Khadki handed over the Inspection Note of the 40 mm UBGL (Practice) manufactured at AFK to BSF DIG Ashok Kumar Jha on August 4, 2020.

Hari Mohan, DGOF & Chairman, Ordnance Factory Board and M K Mohapatra, Sr GM Ammunition Factory, Khadki flagged off the First Consignment of 40 mm UBGL (Practice) to BSF in the presence of Senior Officers of OFB, AFK and Members of JCM, Works Committee and Unions and Associations on 11 Aug 20.

With this event, Ammunition Factory Khadki joined the national endeavour to make India self-reliant in direction of defence production and save valuable foreign exchange, the Defence PRO tweeted.
BOSTON, Aug. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Boston Trust Walden Company has been awarded top scores in the most recent Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) assessment report as of year-end 2019.

PRI, the leading global proponent of responsible investment, rated the firm above the peer median in all categories, and awarded it the highest score for "Strategy and Governance" and "Listed Equity Incorporation" for the 7th year in a row. Since 2016, Boston Trust Walden has received an A+ score for "Listed Equity Active Ownership"  a recognition of the firm's commitment to encourage more sustainable business practices.

"Integrating environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors into investment decision-making is an important element of limiting risk and enhancing shareholder value. We view it as an essential part of our fiduciary duty to our clients," said William Apfel, Chief Investment Officer at Boston Trust Walden.

Amy D. Augustine, Director of ESG Investing at Boston Trust Walden, said: "As society grapples with systemic and interrelated social, health, and environmental challenges, our ESG integration and active ownership efforts take on even greater importance. Companies play a pivotal role in reducing inequality and protecting human and planetary health."

Boston Trust Walden has been at the vanguard of impact investing since 1975. A supporter of PRI since becoming a signatory in 2007, and a leader in advancing transparency in reporting, Boston Trust Walden's team has completed the PRI questionnaire in full every year and has helped PRI test new approaches.

Boston Trust Walden's multi-faceted approach includes:

ESG integration across all investment strategies, which leverages the research and expertise of the firm's in-house analysts;

Engagement with portfolio companies, both independent and in coalition;

Proxy voting, which reinforces the firm's company engagement;

Public policy advocacy at local, state, national, and international levels;

Impact measurement and reporting;

Industry thought leadership, including membership on PRI's Corporate Reporting Reference Group, Global Public Policy Committee, Listed Equities Working Group, and Sustainable Development Goals ("SDGs") Advisory Committee.

Convened by the United Nations Secretary-General and launched in 2006, PRI was developed by an international group of investors committed to integrating ESG factors into investment decision-making and ownership practices. Today, PRI represents more than 3000 global investors with more than US$100 trillion in assets, including many of the world's largest asset owners and managers.

Read about PRI's assessment methodology at https://www.unpri.org/signatories/about-pri-assessment . Boston Trust Walden's 2020 Transparency Report can be found at https://bit.ly/3kifJZv and PRI's 2020 Assessment Report can be found at https://bit.ly/33yVjFH.

About Boston Trust Walden



Boston Trust Walden is an independent, employee-owned firm providing investment management services to institutional investors and private wealth clients. The firm manages approximately $10 billion in assets. Boston Trust Walden Company is a Massachusetts chartered bank and trust company. Boston Trust Walden Inc. is a registered investment adviser and a wholly owned subsidiary of Boston Trust Walden Company.

Media Contact: Amy D. Augustine, 617-726-7289, [email protected]

SOURCE Boston Trust Walden Company

Related Links

http://www.bostontrustwalden.com


Theresa May appeared to stick two fingers up to Boris Johnson's aim to kick-start a building boom by objecting to a development near her home on the day the policy was unveiled.

The former prime minister has voiced her strong objection to plans for a retirement complex in her home village of Sonning.

Mrs May wrote a letter on her official House of Commons notepaper, as the area's MP, setting out her opposition to a plan for three buildings containing 57 flats in the leafy Berkshire village on the outskirts of Reading.

The missive to Wokingham Borough Council was dated August 6, the same day Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick outlined proposals to liberalise planning rules.

It came after the Prime Minister pledged to bring forward 'the most radical reforms of our planning system since the end of the Second World War' at the end of June.

Mrs May attacked the 'inappropriate' development planned by Arlington Retirement Lifestyles near the Old Bath Road, writing: 'I believe the application should be rejected because it represents over-development of this site, will significantly increase traffic movements on already very busy and often congested roads, and will adversely impact local amenity.'

The former prime minister has voiced her strong objection to plans for a retirement complex in her home village of Sonning (pictured with husband Philip at the local church last year)

The Prime Minister pledged to bring forward 'the most radical reforms of our planning system since the end of the Second World War' at the end of June

Mrs May and Transport Secretary Grant Shapps at the State Opening of Parliament last November

She also hit out at 'inaccuracies in the planning application, over the lower age limit for residents and the number of car parking space.

She also cited the impact of an influx of pensioner sont he local GP services, writing: 'Local GPs services are already under pressure and there is regularly concern raised about the impact of new homes on places in GP practices.

'Indeed, consideration should be given to the impact on the local healthcare infrastructure of a development of this sort for elderly residents.'

Local councillor Shirley Boyt told the Times: 'There's so much irony in this it's unbelievable.

'It's total nimbyism and what will probably happen is because Theresa May has objected, the planning committee will refuse permission and then it will go to appeal and then it will get granted. That's what usually happens with these things.'

The Government's dramatic shake-up - billed as the biggest since the Second World War - vows to slash red tape and fast-track developments, while insisting they must be 'beautiful'.

Computers could be used to screen applications so 'binary' issues can be decided automatically.

It would also strip local councillors of power to decide on individual projects to overcome blocking, and impose binding central targets to force local authorities to allocate land for homebuilding.

The blueprint has been heavily criticised by charities, planning officers and architects who warned they could lead to a 'generation of slums' and kill off affordable housing projects.

Mrs May's letter to Wokingham Borough Council opposing the development

The proposals include fast-tracking approvals of housing projects that are 'in keeping with local character and design'.

Developers will be able to skip stages of the planning process if buildings are based on designs in official pattern books drawn up by local authorities.

There will also be a requirement for all new streets to be tree-lined unless there are exceptional circumstances.

Under the plans, every area in England will be designated for either 'growth', 'renewal' or 'protection'. In growth areas individual developments will not require planning permission, so the default position will be that homes can be built.

Renewal areas will have 'permission in principle' to build, but all developments will have to be approved. In protected areas such as green belt land, most new developments will be banned.

Local councils will decide how to designate all the land in their area. All planning applications will be registered online via an interactive map, intended to help local residents participate in decision making.

However, there are concerns that those living in 'growth' areas could be confronted with huge new developments they will get little say over.

As part of the overhaul all councils will be given two-and-a-half years to draw up plans for the building of more homes or will face sanctions that are yet to be decided.

In what is likely to be a particularly controversial move, there will be a 'standard requirement' for local authorities to provide land for new homes.

Central government will decide how to 'distribute' the 300,000 a year national housebuilding target.

The White Paper suggests making all the rules 'machine-readable'.
Belarusians should be given "the freedoms that they are demanding", US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Wednesday, urging authorities in the former Soviet republic not to harm protesters.

"We want the people of Belarus to have the freedoms that they are demanding... We urge that the non-violent protesters be protected, not harmed," Pompeo told reporters during a visit to Prague.

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David J. Phillip, STF / Associated Press

As the coronavirus pandemic continues, more Americans are witnessing someone they know get the virus.

In a survey with the new Axios-Ipsos Coronavirus Index, 50 percent of Americans say they know someone who has tested positive for COVID-19. In early March, only 4 percent of Americans knew someone.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 12)  The number of out-of-school youth may increase by around four million next school year due to the COVID-19 crisis, an education official said Wednesday.

Mayroon tayong extraordinary non-participation on account of COVID as of today that is about 4 million learners, DepEd Undersecretary Nepomuceno Malaluan told the Senate Committee on Basic Education, Arts and Culture during a hearing on blended education.

Asked by Senator Nancy Binay if this meant that around four million will become out-of-school youth, Nepomuceno answered, yes, madam senator.

As of August 11, over 23 million enrolled in public and private schools for calendar year 2020 to 2021, which starts in less than two weeks.

Malaluan said the enrollment rate is around 83.1 percent the of last years figure of 27.7 million.

The official said most or 2.75 million of those who did not enroll used to go to private schools. Meanwhile, over 1 million students who attended school in public basic educational institutions last school year have not registered for this coming academic calendar.

He added that 380,000 learners from kindergarten to senior high school levels transferred to public schools.

Malaluan pointed out that while their main focus right now is on those who have decided to push through with their education, they will also discuss in greater detail how they will address the issue of non-participation of millions of young people.

Malaluan said among them is finding ways to provide non-enrollees access to learning opportunities. He added they are also studying the possibility of promoting students to the next grade level.

There are policy issues we have to discuss within the department, he said.

It is an extraordinary year for DepEd as far as the participation rate is concerned, he added.

Move school opening

Despite calls for postponement, DepEd said that school year 2020 to 2021 will formally begin on August 24, but lessons will be delivered through the digital platforms, radio and television broadcasts and printed self-learning modules. The strategy is called blended learning.

Senator Win Gatchalian, chairman of the Committee on Basic Education, Arts and Culture recommended postponing school opening in areas that will be placed on modified enhanced community quarantine by August 19. Metro Manila, Laguna, Cavite, Rizal and Laguna reverted back to MECQ due to the rising COVID-19 cases in these areas. This is in effect until August 18, unless extended by President Rodrigo Duterte.

Gatchalian stressed that DepEd could reset the opening date because of Republic Act No. 11480, the law allowing the president to adjust the academic calendar during a state of calamity or emergency once suggested by the education chief.

The senator said the reason why legislators passed this law is to give the agency the flexibility to move the school opening in case the COVID-19 situation in the country got worse. He also noted that enforcing a strict quarantine policy in select areas means their condition is not improving.

Malaluan responded by saying he will convey the lawmakers' remarks and recommendations to Education Secretary Leonor Briones, explaining that he was not in the position to speak on behalf of their head on the matter.

Many Metro Manila schools to use online learning, but

The basic education institutions in Metro Manila will use blending learning, DepEd-NCR Regional Director Malcolm Garma told the same hearing.

We will use the printed modules as a default tool for our learning delivery. However, marami po tayong [many of our] divisions or cities in NCR will employ the digital platform with the use of gadgets provided by the local governments, Garma said.

However, the commitment of LGUs is hampered by procurement issues, he said. He added that there may be delays in the delivery of the educational tools to learners as Metro Manila is under MECQ, where movement is limited, and perceived as risky.

As a fallback, learning materials are being prepared in case the gadgets do not reach the beneficiaries in time for school opening, he said.

Status of printed modules

Citing DepEds field units, Malaluan said that some schools in parts of the country are not 50 percent complete insofar as printing modules for the first quarter are concerned.

He said over 61 percent, or 132 out of 214 school division offices in all regions except the Bangsamo, are not halfway through printing of modules.

But he said their priority is to deliver materials that will be used for the first two weeks of classes. "Succeeding weeks shall be made available on a rolling basis," he said.

Formal classes shall begin in the third week as the first two weeks shall be devoted to debriefing activities and psychosocial interventions.

Supplemental materials

According to Malaluan, the department is also eyeing to deploy supplemental learning resources developed by their partner educators that promote independent student learning through their platform DepEd Commons.
NEW DELHI: Luo Sang, a Chinese national who was arrested last night in a raid by the Income Tax department under charges of money laundering and representing fake Chinese companies in hawala transactions, was earlier arrested by Delhi Police on spying charges.

It has come to light that Luo Sang, who took a fake identity 'Charlie Peng' in India, had earlier been arrested by the Special Cell of the Delhi Police in September 2018, under charges of espionage. According to sources, the Delhi Police had alleged that 'Charlie Peng' was spying for China and also running money laundering and hawala transaction businesses.

Further, it has also come to light that this 'Charlie Peng' had married a Manipuri girl earlier to make the process of his acquiring an Indian passport, easier.

The Chinese national also allegedly provided 'money exchange' services as well. The police suspect that this 'Charlie Peng' also has links to other hawala transactions and money laundering criminal rings in India. Currently, the cops are attempting to dig out evidence in this regard.

Yesterday, India's tax department conducted searches in 21 locations in Delhi, Ghaziabad, and Gurugram after getting "credible information" of the Chinese involvement in money laundering.

The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) also took out a statement that said, "Based on the credible information that few Chinese individuals and their Indian associates were involved in money laundering and hawala transactions through series of shell entities, a search action was mounted at various premises of these Chinese entities, their close confederates and couple of bank employees."

According to the CBDT, the Chinese nationals created more than 40 bank accounts and credited more than Rs. 1000 crores.

Further, incriminating documents related to hawala transactions and money laundering with "active involvement of bank employees and Chartered accountants" have also surfaced.

In this raid, the name of Chinese national Luo Sang, who took the fake identity 'Charlie Peng' emerged. According to the CBDT, he was using 8-10 bank accounts and represented fake Chinese companies in hawala operations worth Rs 300 crore.

The development comes even as India tightened scrutiny over Chinese investments in the country, and banned 59 Chinese apps after the Galwan Valley incident of 15th June. India lost 20 Indian soldiers in the incident while China also suffered casualties but declined to come up with a number.
Update 4:30 p.m.: Senator Johnsons committee said his comments with Hugh Hewitt earlier on Wednesday were based on a misunderstanding, and that no Republican committee members are currently blocking subpoenas.

Chairman Johnson is committed to running a thorough investigation into abuses by the Obama administration toward the Trump campaign, a spokesman for Johnson said in a statement. Committee members want Chairman Johnson to attempt to get voluntary compliance, and also to be fully prepared for interviews by obtaining necessary documents, before compelling testimony.

Senator Ron Johnson (R., Wisc.) said on Wednesday that his Republican colleagues on the Senate Homeland Security Committee, which he chairs, were blocking subpoenas of former officials involved in the Russia investigation.

The 15-member committee has seven Democratic senators, meaning Johnson cannot issue subpoenas without the full support of its Republican members. Johnson has expressed a desire to subpoena former FBI director James Comey, former CIA director John Brennan, and others in connection with the Russia investigation. The Homeland Security Committee has already authorized Johnson to subpoena those individuals.

However, the Wisconsin senator indicated that not all committee Republicans were on board with the subpoeneas, in comments on The Hugh Hewitt Show.

Which Republican doesnt want to get to the bottom of this? Hewitt asked.

We had a number of committee members that were highly concerned about how this looks politically, Johnson responded. When pressed further by Hewitt, Johnson said Im just not going to be naming names that way.

Hewitt repeatedly expressed frustration with the pace of the investigation and told Johnson, If theres a senator who is blocking a subpoena, we need to know who that is so we throw them out.

Johnson maintained that he and his staff are working full time on probing the Russia investigation, and cautioned that the committee requires more documentation to be able to question witnesses effectively.

Story continues

The probe into the origins of the Russia investigation, in which FBI agents investigated the Trump campaign for alleged connections to Russian intelligence operatives, is also being carried out by the Senate Judiciary Committee. On Sunday, committee chairman Senator Lindsey Graham (R., S.C.) released an FBI memo which he claimed amounted to evidence that the agency misled Congress regarding the veracity of the intelligence alleging collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia.

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A municipal government in China has donated 40,000 medical-grade face masks to Marylands capital city amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The donations from Changsha, China, were first offered to Annapolis city officials in April, when the need for the masks among public safety workers was high in the beginning of the pandemic, Annapolis City Manager David Jarrell said in a news release Tuesday.

They arrived this month, with one of the boxes featuring strikers of American and Chinese flags with a message that read: Go, City of Annapolis! Best Wishes from Changsha! True unity inspires people to work as one to overcome adversity, The Capital Gazette reported.

Another note from Yani Xia, a representative in the Chinese citys Foreign Affairs Office, accompanied the shipments. We sincerely wish you and everyone in Annapolis continued good health, and the fortitude to persevere during this challenging period, Xias note read.

Annapolis relationship with Changsha began under a former city administrator, according to the release. The two municipalities are now sister cities.

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Caroline Donohoe outside the Criminal Courts of Justice after the jury found Aaron Brady guilty of the murder of her husband Adrian. Picture; Gerry Mooney.

The wife of Adrian Donohoe thanked the jury for 'sticking with the trial' as Aaron Brady was found guilty of the capital murder of her husband in 2013.

Speaking outside the Criminal Courts of Justice, Caroline said; "Ladies and gentlemen I would like to most sincerely thank the jury for sticking with this trial for so long and for my garda colleagues and the prosecution team, on behalf of Amy, Niall and myself.





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The garda have spent seven a half years working on the investigation into the murder.

Chief Supt Christy Mangan also addressed the media and described the verdict as an 'important day for the administration of justice in Ireland'.





Expand Close Chief Supt Christy Mangan outside the Criminal Courts of Justice after the jury found Aaron Brady guilty of the murder of Det Garda Adrian Donohoe. Picture; Gerry Mooney. / Facebook

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Whatsapp Chief Supt Christy Mangan outside the Criminal Courts of Justice after the jury found Aaron Brady guilty of the murder of Det Garda Adrian Donohoe. Picture; Gerry Mooney.









Today is a very important day for the administration of justice in Ireland. The jury has found Aaron Brady guilty of robbery and guilty of the capital murder of our colleague Detective Garda Adrian Donohoe who was murdered in the service of the State at Lordship Credit Union on the 25th of January 2013," he said.

"Over the past seven and a half years a major murder investigation has been conducted by members of An Garda Siochana based in Dundalk Garda Station in order to obtain the truth and justice for Detective Garda Adrian Donohoe and his wife Caroline and their family."

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"It has taken a trans-national multi-agency murder investigation, and this trial to uncover the truth of what happened at Lordship Credit Union on the 25th of January 2013."

"This is part one of the investigation that has been completed. I want to take the opportunity to thank the jury, thank the court staff for their time in such a very difficult time during the pandemic.

Expand Close Caroline Donohoe outside the Criminal Courts of Justice after the jury found Aaron Brady guilty of the murder of her husband Adrian. Picture; Gerry Mooney. / Facebook

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Whatsapp Caroline Donohoe outside the Criminal Courts of Justice after the jury found Aaron Brady guilty of the murder of her husband Adrian. Picture; Gerry Mooney.

Reaction

There was no reaction from Aaron Brady when the guilty verdict came through at noon it court 19.

Wearing a grey suit, white shirt and maroon tie, he sat without expressing any emotion.

He then stood up and walked out the door to the cell area.

Outside the courtroom Adrian Donohoes siblings wept with relief and were comforted by gardai.

His wife Caroline was hugged and comforted inside the courtroom by family and gardai.

Aaron Bradys sister and father remained in the court. His sister cried.

An air of relief flowed between the courtroom and the area outside after the seven month trial came to its conclusion.

Detectives and senior gardai gathered in small groups discussing the outcome.

Expand Close Martin Donohoe outside the Criminal Courts of Justice after the jury found Aaron Brady guilty of the murder of his brother Adrian. Picture; Gerry Mooney. / Facebook

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Whatsapp Martin Donohoe outside the Criminal Courts of Justice after the jury found Aaron Brady guilty of the murder of his brother Adrian. Picture; Gerry Mooney.

After nearly 30 minutes the court sat again to arrange a sentencing date.

Brady sat quietly staring ahead at a computer monitor, his face conveying no emotion.

Caroline Donohoe drank from a bottle of water listening patiently and occasionally glancing over at Brady who was remanded in custody until October 14.
The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) targets people who are at higher risk, such as the elderly, those with underlying health conditions, and those who have weakened immune systems. In severe cases of COVID-19, damage can spread beyond just the lungs and into other organs, including the heart, kidneys, liver, and the brain.

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) uses the enzyme angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) to enter and infect human cells. It causes COVID-19 and can lead to a multitude of complications, including multi-organ impairment, partially due to the abundant expression of ACE2 in all human tissues.

SARS-CoV-2 virus binding to ACE2 receptors on a human cell, the initial stage of COVID-19 infection. Image Credit: Kateryna Kon / Shutterstock

However, a scientist from the University of Zaragoza and Agencia Aragonesa para la Investigacion Foundation in Spain sets to uncover an explanation as to why organ damage happens selectively rather than impacting the whole body.

Selective damage

What was first identified as another respiratory disease akin to the common flu has now taken the lives of more than 738,000 people and infected more than 20.19 million worldwide. The latest strain of the coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, has been dubbed as an invisible enemy, and as the pandemic evolves, new symptoms continue to appear.

Aside from symptoms, as more people are infected with the virus, new information has been added to the potential complications linked to COVID-19. Some organs in the body are impacted by the virus, while others appear to be spared.

Published in the journal Chaos from AIP Publishing, the study explains why particular organs are affected by the viral infection while many other tissues contain ACE2 receptors, the gateway of SARS-CoV-2 into the human cell.

"This receptor is ubiquitous in most human organs, such that if the virus is circulating in the body, it can also enter into other organs and affect them. However, the virus affects some organs selectively and not all, as expected from these potential mechanisms," Ernesto Estrada, from the University of Zaragoza and Agencia Aragonesa para la Investigacionm, explained.

Explaining why some organs are spared

When the virus enters a human cell, the proteins of the pathogen interact with those in the body, paving the way for its effects to be established. The coronavirus damages only some organs, while others are not affected at all.

An interaction map of the main disease activators for SARS-CoV-2 in the lungs and how they impact proteins in other organs. Image Credit: Ernesto Estrada

Estrada believed there must be a different pathway for its transmission. To explain, he considered the displacements of proteins prevalent in the lungs and how they interact with proteins in other organs.

"We consider here diffusive processes through the protein-protein interaction (PPI) network of proteins targeted by SARS-CoV-2 as an alternative route. We found a subdiffusive regime that allows the propagation of virus perturbations through the PPI network at a significant rate," the researcher wrote in the paper. "By following the main subdiffusive routes across the PPI network, we identify proteins mainly expressed in the heart, cerebral cortex, thymus, testis, lymph node, kidney, among others of the organs reported to be affected by COVID-19," he added.

Estrada clears that for two proteins to find each other and establish an interaction complex. They need to move inside the cell in a subdiffusive way, which is likened to a drunkard walking on a crowded street wherein the crowd gives challenges to the stunting displacement and making it harder for him to his destination.

Further, proteins in a cell are faced with many challenges they need to surpass to interact. Some of the proteins also exist within the same cell or organ, but others do not. Because of the complexity of these mechanisms, Estrada developed a mathematical model to allow 59 proteins within the lungs, which work as major activators that affect other human organs. This triggers a chain of interactions, starting with this set, stimulating changes in proteins along the way until eventually affecting their health.

"Targeting some of these proteins in the lungs with existing drugs will prevent the perturbation of the proteins expressed in organs other than the lungs, avoiding multi-organ failure, which, in many cases, conduces the death of the patient," Estrada explained.

Estrada also found that there are potential routes of propagation of the perturbations from proteins in the lungs, to proteins expressed in other tissues, including the heart, thymus, cerebral cortex, lymph node, prostate, testes, liver, duodenum, small intestine, kidney, among others that have been reported as damaged by COVID-19.

He noted that further studies are still needed to determine how the impacted proteins travel between organs.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- About 100 Staten Islanders stood united Tuesday night in Mariners Harbor, peacefully marching against gun violence in an effort to end the spike of shootings and crime on Staten Island.

Tuesday was part of a seven-day march event Councilwoman Debi Rose (D-North Shore) organized in the seven neighborhoods highly affected by gun violence in the past two months.

The march started at the intersection of Grandview Avenue -- where a man and his pregnant girlfriend were shot to death in May -- and Continental Place and continued down Brabant Street and Lockman Avenue.

The seven-day march initiative was named seven days of good trouble in honor of civil rights leader John Lewis.

We wanted to make sure that each community that had gun violence heard our message, which is enough is enough, the councilwoman told the Advance/SILive.com.

- About 100 Staten Islanders marched in Mariners Harbor to end gun violence on Tuesday, August 11, 2020. (Staten Island Advance/Irene Spezzamonte) (Staten Island Advance/Irene Spe

Rep. Max Rose (D-Staten Island/Brooklyn), Assemblymen Michael Cusick (D-Mid-Island) and Charles Fall (D-North Shore), joined Rose in the march.

We are are all united - the community, law enforcement, elected officials - against gun violence, Rose said. It has no place in our communities and if we are going to stop gun violence, part of that is uniting and rising up together in opposition to it.

Rev. Dr. Tony Baker, the pastor of St. Philips Baptist Church in Port Richmond, joined the march and said it is time to start caring for one another.

Members of the New York City Police Department, including the commanding officer of the 121st Precinct, Capt. Bruce P. Ceparano, and Assistant Chief Kenneth Corey, the NYPD borough commander, marched with the community, as well.

We are very proud to be out here marching with the community for the next six days, said Corey. We all stand together to oppose gun violence. We all want the same thing at the end of the day. We want a safe place to live. We want a safe place to raise our children and thats what we are here for and thats why we are marching with you.

Here are the starting points for the other demonstrations:

Wednesday: Port Richmond Avenue and Bennett Street, Port Richmond;

Thursday: Broadway and Henderson Avenue in West Brighton;

Friday: Jersey Street and Brighton Avenue in New Brighton;

Saturday: Broad Street and Tompkins Avenue in Stapleton;

Sunday: Targee Street and Vanderbilt Avenue at the Stapleton/Clifton border.

Staten Island did not remain immune from the sharp spike of gun violence that affected New York City over the summer.

NYPD CompStat data shows that shooting incidents are up 108% on Staten Island, year to date, as of Aug. 2, rising from 12 incidents in 2019 to 25 incidents this year.

Citywide, shooting incidents are up 76.2% during the same span, NYPD data shows.

On Monday, a Mariners Harbor shooting left two men with bullet wounds and a suspect at large.

While opposing views have emerged on whats behind the citywide spike, the spate of gunplay has left some North Shore residents wondering when the next one is going to be.

In late July, a span of five shootings in five days left three men dead and two others wounded, the Advance/SILive.com reported.
WILMINGTON, Del.  Joe Biden named California Sen. Kamala Harris as his running mate on Tuesday, making history by selecting the first Black woman to compete on a major partys presidential ticket and acknowledging the vital role Black voters will play in his bid to defeat President Donald Trump.

In choosing Harris, Biden is embracing a former rival from the Democratic primary who is familiar with the unique rigor of a national campaign. Born to a Jamaican father and Indian mother, the 55-year-old first-term senator is one of the partys most prominent figures. She quickly became a top contender for the No. 2 spot after her own White House campaign ended.

In a tweet, Biden called Harris a fearless fighter for the little guy, and one of the countrys finest public servants.

Together, with you, were going to beat Trump, he said.

Harris and Biden plan to deliver remarks Wednesday near Biden's home in Wilmington, Delaware.

She joins Biden in the 2020 race at a moment of unprecedented national crisis. The coronavirus pandemic has claimed the lives of more than 160,000 people in the U.S., far more than the toll experienced in other countries. Business closures and disruptions resulting from the pandemic have caused severe economic problems. Unrest, meanwhile, has emerged across the country as Americans protest racism and police brutality.

After Tuesdays announcement, Trump quickly tweeted a campaign ad that dismisses Harris as phony and says she and Biden jointly embrace the radical left.

Trumps uneven handling of the crises has given Biden an opening, and he enters the fall campaign in strong position against the president. In adding Harris to the ticket, he can point to her relatively centrist record on issues such as health care and her background in law enforcement in the nations largest state.

Harriss record as California attorney general and district attorney in San Francisco was heavily scrutinized during the Democratic primary and turned away some liberals and younger Black voters who saw her as out of step on issues of racism in the legal system and police brutality. She tried to strike a balance on these issues, declaring herself a progressive prosecutor who backs law enforcement reforms.

Biden, who spent eight years as President Barack Obamas vice president, has spent months weighing who would fill that same role in his White House. He pledged in March to select a woman as his vice president, easing frustration among Democrats that the presidential race would center on two white men in their 70s.

Bidens search was expansive, including Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a leading progressive, Florida Rep. Val Demings, whose impeachment prosecution of Trump won plaudits, California Rep. Karen Bass, who leads the Congressional Black Caucus, former Obama national security adviser Susan Rice and Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, whose passionate response to unrest in her city garnered national attention.

Rice congratulated Harris on her selection, calling her a tenacious and trailblazing leader. Rice said she would support Biden and Harris with all my energy and commitment.

Bass tweeted, @KamalaHarris is a great choice for Vice President. Her tenacious pursuit of justice and relentless advocacy for the people is what is needed right now.

A woman has never served as president or vice president in the United States. Two women have been nominated as running mates on major party tickets: Democrat Geraldine Ferraro in 1984 and Republican Sarah Palin in 2008. Their parties lost in the general election.

The vice presidential pick carries increased significance this year. If elected, Biden would be 78 when hes inaugurated in January, the oldest man to ever assume the presidency. Hes spoken of himself as a transitional figure and hasnt fully committed to seeking a second term in 2024. If he declines to do so, his running mate would likely become a front-runner for the nomination that year.

Harris won her first election in 2003 when she became San Franciscos district attorney. In the role, she created a reentry program for low-level drug offenders and cracked down on student truancy.

She was elected Californias attorney general in 2010, the first woman and Black person to hold the job, and focused on issues including the foreclosure crisis. She declined to defend the states Proposition 8, which banned same-sex marriage and was later overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court.

As her national profile grew, Harris built a reputation around her work as a prosecutor. After being elected to the Senate in 2016, she quickly gained attention for her assertive questioning of Trump administration officials during congressional hearings. In one memorable moment last year, Harris tripped up Attorney General William Barr when she repeatedly pressed him on whether Trump or other White House officials pressured him to investigate certain people.

Harris launched her presidential campaign in early 2019 with the slogan Kamala Harris For the People, a reference to her courtroom work. She was one of the highest-profile contenders in a crowded Democratic primary and attracted 20,000 people to her first campaign rally in Oakland.

But the early promise of her campaign eventually faded. Her law enforcement background prompted skepticism from some progressives, and she struggled to land on a consistent message that resonated with voters. Facing fundraising problems, Harris abruptly withdrew from the race in December 2019, two months before the first votes of the primary were cast.

One of Harris standout moments of her presidential campaign came at the expense of Biden. During a debate, Harris said Biden made very hurtful comments about his past work with segregationist senators and slammed his opposition to busing as schools began to integrate in the 1970s.

There was a little girl in California who was a part of the second class to integrate her public schools, and she was bused to school every day, she said. And that little girl was me.

Shaken by the attack, Biden called her comments a mischaracterization of my position.

The exchange resurfaced recently one of Bidens closest friends and a co-chair of his vice presidential vetting committee, former Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd, still harbors concerns about the debate and that Harris hadnt expressed regret. The comments attributed to Dodd and first reported by Politico drew condemnation, especially from influential Democratic women who said Harris was being held to a standard that wouldnt apply to a man running for president.

Some Biden confidants said Harris campaign attack did irritate the former vice president, who had a friendly relationship with her. Harris was also close with Bidens late son, Beau, who served as Delaware attorney general while she held the same post in California.

But Biden and Harris have since returned to a warm relationship.

Joe has empathy, he has a proven track record of leadership and more than ever before we need a president of the United States who understands who the people are, sees them where they are, and has a genuine desire to help and knows how to fight to get us where we need to be, Harris said at an event for Biden earlier this summer.

At the same event, she bluntly attacked Trump, labeling him a drug pusher for his promotion of the malaria drug hydroxychloroquine as a treatment for the coronavirus, which has not been proved to be an effective treatment and may even be more harmful. After Trump tweeted when the looting starts, the shooting starts in response to protests about the death of George Floyd, a Black man, in police custody, Harris said his remarks yet again show what racism looks like.

Harris has taken a tougher stand on policing since Floyds killing. She co-sponsored legislation in June that would ban police from using chokeholds and no-knock warrants, set a national use-of-force standard and create a national police misconduct registry, among other things. It would also reform the qualified immunity system that shields officers from liability.

The list included practices Harris did not vocally fight to reform while leading Californias Department of Justice. Although she required DOJ officers to wear body cameras, she did not support legislation mandating it statewide. And while she now wants independent investigations of police shootings, she didnt support a 2015 California bill that would have required her office to take on such cases.

We made progress, but clearly we are not at the place yet as a country where we need to be and California is no exception, she told The Associated Press recently. But the national focus on racial injustice now shows theres no reason that we have to continue to wait.

--The Associated Press
A federal judge on Tuesday barred the Trump administration from transferring more undocumented immigrants into a Virginia detention center that is home to the nation's largest novel-coronavirus outbreak inside such a facility.

U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema also said she would decide whether to allow an independent health expert to inspect the Farmville facility after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention delivers a report Friday on testing being conducted there this week.

During a hearing on a lawsuit filed on behalf of four detainees, Brinkema chastised U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Immigration Centers of America, the company that operates the facility, for not doing more to prevent infections, noting that the virus began to spread there in June after 74 detainees were brought in from detention centers in Arizona and Florida without first being quarantined.

The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Alexandria, Va., says 51 of those transfers later tested positive in an outbreak where 259 detainees are being monitored for the virus, nearly all of the facility's population, according to ICE.

"You have this large movement of people from two hot areas on June 2 and, by June 22, you've got a significant increase in the [virus]-positive infection rate at the facility," Brinkema said. "The only factor that was changed is that influx of new people, which is incredibly dramatic and seems to indicate that some terrible mistake was made along the way."

An ICE spokeswoman declined to comment on the hearing but reiterated an earlier statement saying that the health, welfare and safety of immigrant detainees "is one of the agency's highest priorities."

The outbreak in central Virginia has worried state health officials working to reverse a steady rise in cases since shutdown restrictions were loosened in June.

Last month, Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam and both of the state's U.S. senators asked President Donald Trump to allow the CDC to step in after Immigration Centers of America repeatedly turned down offers from the state Health Department for help with testing.

State officials say they've had little authority to intervene because the center is operated under a federal contract.

On Monday, the CDC sent a team of scientists to assess the crisis, with plans for additional testing of detainees and staff members. The agency is scheduled to deliver its findings to ICE on Friday.

Attorneys for the plaintiffs in the lawsuit have argued that an independent public health expert should be brought in to conduct a more thorough review of the facility's conditions, including availability of personal protective equipment.

Brinkema appeared poised Tuesday to grant at least a portion of that request, ordering ICE to allow the attorneys and the public health expert to listen in when CDC officials share their findings by teleconference to determine what other types of monitoring should be added.

That step, and ordering that no one else be brought into the facility until there is proof that proper safety measures are in place, would help the detainees, the facility's staff and the surrounding community, the judge said.

"People who work in this facility go home at night," she said. "They shop in the local stores, they go to the local churches, they have their families."
Alta Med Health Services staff put on PPE prior to COVID-19 testing in April in Boyle Heights (Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times)

At least 15,800 essential workers would not have contracted COVID-19 if California had stockpiled enough masks and other protective equipment, while the state would have saved $93 million weekly on unemployment claims for out of work healthcare workers and avoided overpaying for supplies, according to a UC Berkeley Labor Center study released Wednesday.

The study urges California officials to stockpile masks, gowns, gloves and other equipment in the coming years to avoid shortages seen during the COVID-19 pandemic. Lawmakers currently pushing a bill that would create a state stockpile said the UC Berkeley report demonstrates that California needs a plan to ensure personal protective equipment shortages aren't as sharply felt during a future healthcare crisis.

"What this UC Berkeley study shows is the cost of not being ready is very high," said state Sen. Richard Pan (D-Sacramento), who along with state Sen. Connie Leyva (D-Chino) authored Senate Bill 275 to create a state stockpile of masks and other supplies.

How do you say, looking at these numbers, we dont need to do this?" Leyva said of the bill, which is making its way through the Legislature.

The UC Berkeley report, which received no outside funding, says California likely spent around $93 million in unemployment benefits every week for healthcare workers who were unable to work when the state suspended elective surgeries and limited other nonemergency care to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and preserve masks for the most critical care.

Between March 15 and July 11, approximately 251,100 healthcare workers in California filed an initial unemployment claim. Most worked in outpatient care, according to data provided to the report's authors from the California Employment Development Department, which processes jobless claims.

The study also found that dozens of deaths of essential workers could have been prevented if there was adequate personal protective equipment, with the report's authors saying their "conservative estimate" was that "at least 15,800 essential worker-related COVID-19 cases may have been avoidable."

Story continues

"It was one shocking number after another as I looked at this," said report co-author William Dow, a professor of Health Policy and Management in the School of Public Health at UC Berkeley. "Based on these numbers, we should be building a stockpile for the future."

Under then-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, California spent hundreds of millions of dollars buying and storing equipment and supplies needed for a large-scale emergency, such as a public health crisis or natural disaster. With the threat of avian flu in 2006 as the impetus behind the effort, the state assembled a cache of needed supplies, including 50 million N95 respirators, according to a Center for Investigative Reporting story published in The Times.

However, in 2011 the state cut off money for storing and maintaining the stockpile under then-Gov. Jerry Brown. By the time COVID-19 began spreading in California earlier this year, there were 21 million masks in the state's stockpile  but the equipment had expired and was ultimately only approved for low-risk settings.

Buying new supplies during the pandemic left the state paying huge markups on some supplies, the UC Berkeley study found. A single surgical mask, for example, cost 5 cents during nonpandemic times, the report said, citing multiple published and unpublished pricing sources. The price rose to 55 cents each during the pandemic. Highly sought-after N95 masks also jumped in cost, with the midpoint price for a 3M-brand respirator selling for $1.27 before the pandemic. Early in the pandemic, the cost of N95 masks skyrocketed, even on bulk orders, to around $5.90 each, according to the study.

A Times review of hundreds of contracting records in April showed state agencies  and ultimately the state's taxpayers  were paying steep prices for masks as suppliers and middlemen cashed in on the global shortage.

The Times' analysis found state agencies paying as much as $12.74 for each N95 mask. Gov. Gavin Newsom signed an executive order in April banning price gouging on medical gear, but vendors willing to sell to the state or local governments were exempted from the directive. That exemption was included out of concernthat the consumer protections would scare off vendors at a time when the state needed the supplies.

Last month, Newsom announced the state would begin creating a stockpile of 100 million N95 respirators and 200 million surgical masks for the early fall to help the state prepare for a likely increase in cases of COVID-19.

SB 275 would keep the stockpile going beyond the current crisis, its supporters said. The bill requires the state to stockpile a 90-day supply of medical supplies over the next five years, with hospitals and other healthcare employers required to assemble their own 90-day supply by June 1, 2023. The bill carries a $25,000 fine for failing to maintain sufficient inventory of unexpired medical supplies.

The California Hospital Assn., however, said the bill will require healthcare employers to start building a supply too soon, potentially taking away equipment currently needed by front-line workers. The bill requires healthcare employers to build a 30-day supply by June 1, 2021.

"They would need to begin to ramp up purchasing during the pandemic and this will put incredible strain on the supply chain, impacting pricing and availability of resources for all front line workers," said Kathryn Scott of the California Hospital Assn. during committee testimony late last month.

The association also said it is concerned the bill would discourage healthcare employers from sharing their masks and other supplies during emergencies.

The California Orthopedic Assn. said the bill would generate significant waste as expired protective equipment is discarded.

Gabriel Montoya, an emergency medical technician in Downey, said after months of personally feeling the impact of a mask shortage, he is glad there are efforts to build a stockpile for the future.

"We can't wait for the next pandemic to start building the infrastructure to have these supplies," said Montoya, a member of Service Employees International Union California, which is sponsoring the bill. "We have to start doing that now."
The detainees were released from custody the next day.

Ukraine's Foreign Ministry has said a Ukrainian news photographer was beaten and nine citizens of Ukraine were detained amid protests in Belarus.

"As the Ukrainian Embassy in Belarus informed, it was known of 09:00 on August 12 that a Ukrainian news photographer working for the Associated Press had been beaten. He was hospitalized minor injuries. He hasn't applied to the embassy," the ministry said in response to a request from Suspilne Media.

Read alsoVan with Russian plates "fully loaded with ammo" found in Minsk amid ongoing protests  Belarus State TV

The embassy also reportedly received a message about the detention of nine Ukrainian citizens in Vitebsk over "administrative offenses." But those Ukrainians were released from custody the next day.

The embassy continues checking and monitoring the situation and will update on new developments.

Belarus protests: background
CONCORD TOWNSHIP, Ohio -- I sponsored House Bill 6, which helped Ohio consumers by removing government subsidies that made the cost of energy more expensive. And, more important to me, this legislation protected hundreds of jobs and millions of tax dollars funding Lake County first responders, libraries, and schools.

When former Ohio Speaker Larry Householder was arrested on federal corruption charges, scrutiny shifted to HB 6. To ensure Lake County and nuclear energy is supported for the right reasons, and not muddied by corruption, Im calling for a new measure that simultaneously repeals and replaces this law. Make no mistake -- Ohio and Lake County still need the policy of HB 6 and I still support it.

Many around Ohio viewed the HB 6 debate from an academic perspective. But, to me and my neighbors in Lake County, its also personal. Ive lived and worked in Lake County for nearly all of my life. My family and my business are here. I served as a trustee of the Mentor Public Library Board. And, as a parent and a legislator, Ive strongly advocated for our schools. Organizations like these all count on the Perry nuclear power plant, which for more than 40 years has been an integral part of Lake Countys economy.

The plant employs 700 highly paid employees and supports hundreds more jobs at nearby companies. Every year, the plant contributes $60 million to the Lake County economy.

Campaign contributions dont determine my priorities  but the needs of my district do. Lake County working families needed help. Thats why I sponsored HB 6. In fact, Ive advocated for measures to save the jobs and tax base surrounding the plant for nearly 20 years.

State Rep. Jamie Callender of Lake County represents the Ohio House 61st District.

In 2018, I was a private citizen when Larry Householder called and encouraged me to run for state representative. He knew I had a heart to help Lake County and he understood the power plant was at risk. I was initially reluctant to return to the legislature but, after discussing it with friends and neighbors, I decided to step up and fight for Lake County again. One of my first goals was to propose legislation to protect the power plant and its economic impact on our community.

We ran a good campaign and I spoke to thousands of voters. Then and now, I knew what everyone else knew: A lot of money was being spent by outside groups to support Larry Householder and candidates he viewed as supportive of him. I didnt coordinate with any of those groups, and I had no idea about Householders alleged control of them until the federal charges were made public.

Ive read the criminal complaint against Larry Householder and its clear to me that he crossed the line. I called for him to resign and voted to remove him as speaker of the Ohio House.

Ohio lawmakers were already facing important tasks, such as addressing the pandemic, dealing with concerns about racism, and resolving state budget shortfalls. Now we must rebuild a crumbling trust in government, and address again the important legislation addressing Ohios nuclear power plants.

While federal investigators havent contacted me about what I know about the passage of HB 6 and the subsequent petition effort, Ill cooperate with any investigator who wants more information. Ill tell them what I tell the public now  good legislation that protected Lake County was marred by a poisonous political process and, it appears, multiple legal violations.

Ill never apologize for fighting for the schools, libraries, and first responders of Lake County, but I am sorry that the actions of a handful of political insiders in Columbus have tainted my effort to protect the single largest source of clean, carbon-free energy in Ohio.

My focus will now be on rebuilding faith in the important work of state lawmakers and taking the legislative actions necessary to protect the Perry nuclear power plant. Our Lake County families, schools, and first responders need help and I stand for them.

State Rep. Jamie Callender of Lake County is a Republican representing Ohios 61st District.

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* Send a letter to the editor, which will be considered for print publication.

* Email general questions about our opinion content or comments on this opinion column to Elizabeth Sullivan, director of opinion, at esullivan@cleveland.com.
Apartments with over 3 Covid cases to be containment zones for 7 days: Check BBMP's full guidelines

Mid-Air collision of two IndiGo flights averted at Bengaluru airport; DGCA to probe, take strict action

2 cops deputed for CM Bommai's security held for trying to 'extort' money from drug peddlers

Bengaluru violence: Congress, JD(S) join hands to support govt in maintaining peace

India

oi-Ajay Joseph Raj P

Bengaluru, Aug 12: Opposition Congress and JD(S) in Karnataka has extended complete support to the state government in establishing peace in violence-hit parts of the city and demanded immediate action against the culprits.

Bengaluru violence over Facebook post | Stone pelting & arson in city | Oneindia News

Leaders of both the parties have said that there are reports raising apprehensions that this could have been a "pre planned conspiracy".

Bengaluru violence: SDPI leader Muzamil Pasha arrested

"I condemn both violent incidents that erupted in Kaval Byrsandra and also the social media post that instigated the mob. I humbly request both Hindus and Muslims of the area to stay calm, maintain peace and live in harmony," Leader of opposition Siddaramaiah tweeted.

Noting that he spoke to the Bengaluru Police Commissioner on the matter, the Congress leader assured full support to the Karnataka government in establishing peace.

I think it was a planned riot, says Karnataka Minister CT Ravi on Bengaluru violence

"Our experience tells us that only innocents suffer in the communal riots. I urge leaders from both the religions to discuss and resolve the issue amicably & restore peace in the area," he added.

Condemning the violence, state Congress chief DK Shivakumar said that no one should take law into their hands and the Congress extend complete cooperation to the government in taking action as per law.

"Causing destruction to public property cannot be accepted. I have also heard from the media about the provocative tweet. Whoever has done it, it is wrong, the entire incident is wrong," he said.

Setting an example, Muslims form human chain to save temple amid Bengaluru violence

A meeting of Congress legislators from Bengaluru has been called, later in the day, Shivakumar said adding we will discuss and decide about our stand.

"Our legislators had gone to the spot last night to control the situation, but things did not come under control. I have learnt through the media that it looks like a planned conspiracy," Shivakumar alleged.

At least three people were killed and scores of others wounded in connection with arson and violence in certain parts of the city last night over a social media post allegedly by a relative of Pulakeshinagar Congress MLA Akhanda Srinivasa Murthy.

Nearly 110 people allegedly involved in the violence and the accused who had posted the communal post have been arrested. JD(S) Chief HD Deve Gowda in a tweet condemning the violence, has requested the government to take 'merciless' action against those involved.
The COVID-19 public health crisis arrived without warning, and there is no foreseeable end. I often think about my mother during these unprecedented times. My mother is 46 years old, and although shes not in a high-risk age group, I feel uneasy thinking about her experience as an immigrant woman during a pandemic. I think of the language barrier that my mother experiences and the COVID-19 misinformation that comes with that. I ponder how during these times working from home would be the most suitable for her health and age. Unfortunately, my mother and many other immigrant essential workers do not have that privilege.

Foreign-born residents make up a large percentage of the essential workforce in the state. Immigrant families in New Mexico, and across the country, have seen zero benefits from the stimulus packages or any other form of federal economic relief. A recent report by N.M. Voices for Children states immigrants pay $67 million in state and local taxes and, despite the contributions, immigrant families will not see unemployment benefits or access to affordable high-quality health care.

In order to address the huge disparities immigrant families and other vulnerable populations were facing economically, the New Mexico Dream Team and NACA Inspired School Network assembled the Stronger Together fund. Through this effort weve provided over 500 families across New Mexico with $500 stipends. This emergency assistance fund has proven itself extremely helpful as evidenced by the stories of shared experiences and support.

Like the story of Luis Enrique Bautista Lopez, a 25-year-old DACA recipient living in Albuquerque, originally from Veracruz, Mexico. Both of his parents lost their jobs due to staff cuts in the restaurant where they were employed. Luis father was particularly upset being that he had made a living as a dishwasher at the same restaurant for 15 years. Because of the income deficit, the Lopez family couldnt pay for their home internet, which created difficulties for Luiss younger sister who relied on it to finish her semester in high school. Thanks to the $500 stipend provided by the Stronger Together fund, Luis was able to pay for three months worth of home internet for his younger sister.

Another example is Josefina Lujan, originally from Chihuahua, Mexico, who has been living in Bloomfield with her children for over 15 years. Josefina was grateful for the financial help because she had been unable to pay her water bill, and the stipend was used to bring back running water to her home, alleviating a major issue to continue to weather the pandemic from home.

These stories are only two chosen from a long list of families who, like my mother, are considered essential workers in this COVID-19 health crisis. Essential yet excluded from almost all forms of federal relief. Our state and local governments should continue to do everything possible to support the well-being of families in New Mexico, including immigrant families. Together we must help strengthen our communities and pass economic relief packages and policies that are inclusive of all residents regardless of immigration status.
Wowzers Learning is now more prepared than ever to meet the needs of all students in school and at home.

Reed Howard, the founder of Wowzers Learning LLC, announced strategic upgrades of Wowzers award-winning K-8 math online math program.

With the onset of Covid-19 and the surge in the demand for online programs that meet the growing needs of students, teachers, and parents across the world, Wowzers added new features to support a comprehensive approach to learning both in school and at home.

Based on the science of learning, the Wowzers Learning K-8 math program is different from other online math programs that focus on a skill and drill approach to learning. Wowzers covers all K-8 mathematical standards for all states through a variety of engaging learning modalities that address the whole child to make learning fun and meaningful.

Automated Personalized Learning Paths

Teachers and parents are now able to generate a personalized curriculum automatically for their students based on Wowzers built-in pre-assessment and path generator. As students work seamlessly across grade levels, they receive exactly the right content to accelerate their learning and engagement.

This new feature greatly expands our personalization capabilities, said Howard. Wowzers is integrated with NWEA, which assesses students and automatically generates a personalized learning path for each student based on their MAP Growth assessment results. But with Wowzers automated learning paths, even schools that dont use NWEA assessments can automatically generate personalized curriculum paths for their students.

New Wowzers App and Offline Mode

Available on Chromebooks, iOS, Android, Windows, and macOS, the new Wowzers app can be downloaded on almost any device. With the app, student progress is stored in the cloud. Students can switch devices whenever necessary and pick up where they left off in the curriculum. When a student next logs into their account, their progress is loaded, and they continue working seamlessly. The app provides a much more secure way for students to access the curriculum and delve into new math concepts, as its not susceptible to the same security holes and vulnerabilities as internet browsers.

The Wowzers app comes with much of its content built-in, freeing a schools network bandwidth. Students can access Wowzers content four times faster through the app than through a browser. And when an internet connection isnt available, the Wowzers app can be used offline. Students can continue to work on their personalized curriculum anywhere and the data will be stored until they have an internet connection.

One of the biggest concerns in a classroom is that when the internet goes down, everything comes to a standstill, so we designed our app to address that concern, said Howard. This makes it an especially useful solution for students living in remote areas of the United States or the world, where homes often dont have internet access.

K-2 in Spanish

The kindergarten, first and second grade Wowzers content is now available in Spanish. Both the text and the voiceover can be switched to support younger ELL students.

New student dashboard and more adaptive features are coming soon. These new features make Wowzers easier and more effective to use, said Howard. Wowzers Learning is now more prepared than ever to meet the needs of all students in school and at home.

Media Contact:

Soraya Wilks

VP of Sales & Marketing

312-970-1155

soraya@wowzerslearning.com

http://www.wowzers.com
Meredosias village board is discussing making community improvements this month, including repairs to the north ramp at the boat dock.

Police Chief Joshua Weber gave to the board a report on the cost of installing cameras at the dock and elsewhere in the community, based on the camera system Murrayville has set up.

Two cameras, a DVR recorder, a wireless tower and the cost of labor would run an estimated $2,280. The cameras have a three-year warranty and the DVR recorder holds four weeks of storage footage that board members and police officers can access via their cellphones.

The board discussed the cost of building a 24-foot x 36-foot pavilion at the community park. An attached back room eventually would be turned into restrooms. The cost of the pavilion is an estimated $5,863. A 26- x 38-foot concrete slab, estimated at $5,800, also would have to be poured for the pavilion.

In other business, the police committee is planning to meet to discuss hiring more part-time police officers.

Board members are planning a gathering to make repairs to Christmas decorations ahead of the holidays. Light poles downtown also need to have electrical work done to provide electricity for holiday displays.

The board approved buying a new tractor at an approximate cost of $29,143. The old tractor was deemed excess property and will be sold by sealed bid.

The village donated its meter reader antenna and the entire system that goes with it to the village of Versailles. The system no longer works for Meredosia and, having no use for it, it was deemed excess property.

Board members approved a motion to pay the village clerk and the mayor for attending the village board meetings each month at a wage of $70 a meeting. The new earnings will go into effect in April, after the election.
Converting CO 2 to value-added chemicals driven by renewable energy is a strategy of reducing carbon emission and alleviating pressure from depleting fossil resources. Electrocatalytic CO 2 reduction (CO 2 R) to CO is an important way for CO 2 utilization since CO is widely used for chemical synthesis.

Metal-free nitrogen-doped (N-doped) carbon material possesses high conductivity and tunable electronic structure. It exhibits excellent performance for the electrocatalytic CO 2 R to CO. However, the active site for the reaction remains under debate due to the complexity in the N species as well as the lack of methods for controllable doping of N.

Recently, a research group led by Prof. DENG Dehui from the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics (DICP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) unveiled the nature of the active site in N-doped carbon materials for the electrocatalytic CO 2 R to CO. The study was published in Cell Reports Physical Science on August 12.

Via an innovated approach of silicon dioxide nanosphere template-assisted pyrolysis of phthalocyanine, the scientists prepared a series of N-doped carbon foam catalysts with precisely controlled N-dopant types and contents.

Electrochemical tests showed that at -0.5 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE), the catalyst dominated by graphitic N (GN) dopants exhibited the highest CO Faradaic efficiency of 95%, compared with those dominated by pyridinic N (PN) or pyrrolic N (ProN) dopants.

Theoretical calculations demonstrated that the limiting potentials for CO 2 R to CO over the carbon atoms adjacent to the GN were significantly lower than those for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), which favored the electrocatalytic CO 2 R.

The PN site tended to be blocked by the strongly adsorbed H* and the carbon atoms neighbouring to the PN possessed lower limiting potentials for HER, while the ProN disfavored both CO 2 R and HER.

"Compared with the PN and ProN, the GN significantly improved the activity of the adjacent carbon atoms for the electrocatalytic CO 2 R to CO," said Prof. DENG.

###

This work was supported by the National Key R&D Program of China, the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the Strategic Priority Research Program of Chinese Academy of Sciences, the DNL Cooperation Fund, CAS, and Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Energy Materials (2011.iChEM).
Vietnams timber industry grew by 6.2 per cent in the first seven months of the year.

Vietnam's export value of wooden furniture was estimated at $4.4 billion, up 8.5 per cent in the first seven months of this year.  Photo vietnambiz.vn

The Ministry of Industry and Trades Import and Export Department said the value of the wood industry rose to around US$6.1 billion, the majority coming from the export of wooden furniture which accounted for $4.4 billion, up 8.5 per cent year-on-year.

The department credited the growth in June and July on the lifting of social distancing measures in countries were wood is exported to.

In addition, strong stimulus packages in many European countries boosted consumption.

Export value reached $1.05 billion in July, up 20.7 per cent compared to last year and $946.9 million in June, up 15.6 per cent.

In June products were exported to the US (up by 43.1 per cent to $ 590.9 million), China (15.6 per cent to $88.3 million), Canada (19.5 per cent to $18.8 million) and Australia (28.8 per cent to $15.3 million).

In the first six months of this year, the five major markets of the Vietnamese timber and wooden products included the US, China, Japan, South Korea and the EU.

However, according to the Import and Export Department, there are still tough times ahead as coronavirus remains a threat in key export markets.

With the very complicated and unpredictable situation caused by the pandemic, Vietnam could not achieve the export target of timber and wooden products for this year, Nguyen Chanh Phuong, Vice President and General Secretary of the HCM City Association of Handicraft and Wood Industry (Hawa) told the Nong nghiep (Agriculture) newspaper.

Vietnam has set export value target of timber and wooden products at $12 billion for 2020. VNS

Wood industry needs fundamental change in export product lines, markets, say experts The wood industry needs a fundamental change in export product lines and markets after the COVID-19 pandemic ends, an official has said.
Months after her presidential campaign collapsed amid questions over her political identity, Kamala Harris suddenly and forcefully found her voice.

Ms Harris, a 55-year-old US senator from California, was chosen by Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden as his running mate yesterday, making history as the first black woman and Asian-American on a major presidential ticket.

Read More

Her selection came as little surprise. With the US in the midst of a reckoning over its history of racial injustice, Mr Biden had increasingly been pressed to select a woman of colour. Ms Harris, who became the Senate's second black woman in its history when she was elected in 2016, was always at the top of the list.

However, she did anything but keep a low profile while Mr Biden was making up his mind. Instead, she emerged as a fierce advocate for police reform and social justice - in the Senate, in the streets, and on the airwaves, sparring with Republicans on the Senate floor and offering fiery critiques of Republican President Donald Trump.

"She has been very resolute," said Marc Morial, president of the National Urban League, the longstanding civil rights and social justice advocacy group, which has worked with Ms Harris on reform issues. "She has the ability to go toe-to-toe with anybody."

For Ms Harris, the barrier-breaking former prosecutor and California state attorney general, the moment provided a clarity of purpose that was often absent from her failed presidential bid. After a strong start, her campaign foundered amid strategic somersaults.

First positioning herself as a progressive in the mould of reformers such as Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders, she then tried to tack toward the centre. Her position on healthcare, for example, was a mishmash.

She dropped out in December, before a vote was cast in Democratic nominating contests.

"She was trying to play the middle a little bit and trying to be all things to all people," said Joel Payne, a Democratic strategist who worked for Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign.

Now, Mr Payne said, "There is a little more of a defined voice. There's more clarity to her public persona."

Her background in law enforcement had been seen as a vulnerability early in the race for the party's nomination. But her work of late has impressed some past doubters who say she did not do enough to investigate police shootings and too often sided with prosecutors in wrongful conviction cases in the past.

In the days after George Floyd died at the hands of police in Minneapolis in May, sparking a national conversation on race, Ms Harris joined protesters in the streets of Washington.

On Capitol Hill, she, along with Senator Cory Booker, an African American who made his own bid for the presidency, became the drivers of the Democratic effort to battle police abuses and led the pushback against an alternative Republican police reform measure, which she blasted as "lip service."

Ms Harris has used the time since her campaign exit well, and Mr Biden will expect her to add a new gear to his campaign.
Former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Kamala Harris shake hands before the start of the second night of the second 2020 presidential Democratic candidates debate in Detroit, Michigan, July 31, 2019. Lucas Jackson/Reuters

Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden announced his much-anticipated pick for his running mate: Sen. Kamala Harris of California.

Prominent political figures, including former President Barack Obama, former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, and a number of other women who appeared on Biden's VP shortlist, congratulated Harris on the selection and praised the choice.

Biden's choice of Harris as his vice president makes her the first Black woman and South Asian-American to appear on a major ticket.

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Prominent political figures  from former Democratic presidential candidates to other potential VP contenders  threw their support behind Joe Biden's running mate pick: Sen. Kamala Harris.

On Tuesday, Biden announced his much-anticipated running mate choice after months of speculation. The historic selection makes Harris the first Black and South Asian-American woman to appear on a major ticket.

Other 2020 Democrats who ran for president congratulated their former fellow candidate on the nomination, as well as former President Barack Obama, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts

Former Democratic presidential hopeful Senator Elizabeth Warren spoke at Exeter High School in Exeter, New Hampshire during a campaign stop town hall in November 11, 2019. Joseph Prezioso/Getty Images

The US senator from Massachusetts was one of the last candidates in the Democratic pool to drop out of the 2020 race, and she also made an appearance on Biden's shortlist for a running mate.

"Throughout her career, she has been unafraid, and an inspiration to millions of women who see themselves in her," Warren said in a statement. "As our vice presidential nominee, Kamala is making history."

Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota

Former Democratic Presidential Candidate Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn, spoke at the Blue NC celebration at the Hilton Charlotte University Place in Charlotte, N.C., Saturday, Feb. 29, 2020. (Joshua Komer/The Charlotte Observer via AP) Associated Press

Also a former Democratic presidential candidate and potential Biden running mate, Klobuchar tweeted that she was "filled with joy" that Harris was chosen as Biden's vice president.

Story continues

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer

In this Feb. 4, 2020 file photo, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer speaks with reporters at her office in Lansing, Mich. Whitmer on Friday, Feb. 28 urged residents to follow simple steps to help limit the spread of a new type of virus that has not been confirmed in Michigan but could be eventually. AP Photo/David Eggert

Whitmer became more prominent during the COVID-19 pandemic after she implemented strict health safety guidelines in an effort to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus. She appeared on Biden's list of potential contenders for vice president.

Sen. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois

CHARLOTTE, NC - SEPTEMBER 04: Illinois nominee for Congress Tammy Duckworth speaks during day one of the Democratic National Convention at Time Warner Cable Arena on September 4, 2012 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Joe Raedle/Getty Images

The veteran was also in the running to be Biden's running mate. She tweeted Tuesday that she was "all-in" for a Biden-Harris ticket.

"I look forward to working as hard as I can to elect Joe Biden & Kamala Harris," Duckworth wrote in a Twitter thread. "Our nation needs a President  and our troops deserve a commander in chief  who is competent, effective, and has the empathy needed to lead this great, diverse country through these difficult times.

Rep. Val Demings of Florida

Florida Democratic Rep. Val Demings questions Attorney General William Barr during a House Judiciary Committee hearing on Tuesday, July 28, 2020. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Demings was considered as a potential running mate for Biden. In a tweet, she wrote, "For a little girl who grew up poor, Black and female in the South to be considered during this process has been an incredible honor. I feel so blessed."

"To see a Black woman nominated for the first time reaffirms my faith that in America, there is a place for every person to succeed no matter who they are or where they come from," she continued in the thread.

Rep. Karen Bass of California

Rep. Karen Bass of California addresses the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, NC, on Wednesday, Sept. 5, 2012. AP /J. Scott Applewhite

Bass also appeared on Biden's list of potential running mates prior to the announcement of the Biden-Harris campaign.

Earlier this month, Bass defended a resurfaced video of her praising the controversial Church of Scientology, saying she was trying to find an "area of agreement" with the group.

"California is better because of her work as Attorney General and stronger because of her work as Senator," Bass wrote in a thread on Twitter. "Now all Americans will benefit from her work as Vice President."

Former National Security Advisor Susan Rice

Former National Security Advisor Susan Rice Win McNamee/Getty Images

Rice served as national security advisor during the Obama administration and also was on Biden's shortlist for his running mate.

In a tweet Tuesday, she offered "warmest congratulations" to Harris, describing her as a "tenacious and trailblazing leader who will make a great partner on the campaign trail.

"I am confident that Biden-Harris will prove to be a winning ticket," Rice tweeted. "As I have said from the outset, I will do my utmost to assist Joe Biden to become the next president of the United States and to help him govern successfully."

Former President Barack Obama

President Barack Obama gestures at the Interior Department in Washington, Wednesday, Dec. 22, 2010, prior to signing the "don't ask, don't tell" repeal legislation that would allow gays to serve openly in the military. AP Photo/Evan Vucci

The former president commended Biden, saying he "nailed" his "first important decision" in choosing a vice president "who's got the judgment and the character to make the right call."

"By choosing Senator Kamala Harris as America's next Vice President, he's underscored his own judgment and character," Obama said in a statement. "Reality shows us that these attributes are not optional in a president. They're requirements of the job."

"And now Joe has an ideal partner to help him tackle the very real challenges America faces right now and in the years ahead," he continued.

Former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton

Scott Olson/Getty Images

Former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton also congratulated Harris on the vice-presidential nod, saying she was "thrilled to welcome" Harris to a "historic Democratic ticket."

"She's already proven herself to be an incredible public servant and leader. And I know she'll be a strong partner to Joe Biden," Clinton tweeted. "Please join me in having her back and getting her elected."

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Democrat of California. Tom Brenner/Reuters

Pelosi tweeted Tuesday that Biden's nomination of Harris as his running mate "marks an historic and proud milestone for our country."

"Rooted in strong values and her proud American story, Vice President Harris will be a tireless champion for hard-working families everywhere," Pelosi said in a statement. "Now we must ensure the historic election of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris as President and Vice President of the United States."

Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., on Super Tuesday primary night election rally in Essex Junction, Vt., Tuesday, March 3, 2020. Matt Rourke/AP Photo

Sanders, who was one of the final two Democratic candidates alongside Biden, threw his support behind his fellow former presidential candidates, congratulating Harris on the nomination.

"She understands what it takes to stand up for working people, fight for health care for all, and take down the most corrupt administration in history," Sanders wrote in a tweet.

Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey

Former Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Cory Booker AP Photo/John Locher

Booker campaigned in the 2020 race and was one of the only Black candidates alongside Harris in the Democratic pool.

"I'm proud to call Kamala Harris my dear friend and sister  and next year, I'll be even more proud to call her our Vice President," Booker wrote in a tweet.

Former HUD Sec. Julian Castro, entrepreneur Andrew Yang, and former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, and former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg  who all campaigned in the 2020 election  congratulated Harris on the nomination.

Reuters/Mike Segar

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Itll make you fly like a god, too.

Of all the hypercars out there, this 2014 Pagani Huayra is a standout for multiple reasons. After all, the Italian beauty marches to the beat of a different drummer, and not in a bad way in the least. Named after the Quechua wind god and now offered up on the auction block by RM Sothebys for its current Shift/Monterey online auction.

photo credit: RM Sotheby's

While the Huayra certainly has a dramatic look which will make even those accustomed to being around European exotics regularly stop and notice, this is not just a machine of beauty. That curvaceous body has been designed to slice through the air, allowing the twin-turbocharged 6.0-liter V12 supplied by Mercedes-AMG to push you forward with extreme ferocity, if you so dare. The 720-horsepower and 738 lb.-ft. of torque are enough to make this hypercar sprint from a standstill to 60 mph in 3 seconds flat while the Inconel titanium exhaust with clustered quad tips wails in some unearthly tone.

photo credit: RM Sotheby's

Theres more to the Pagani Huayra than just extreme performance. Its a thing of exclusivity, this being the 56th of only 100 bespoke examples crafted by the boutique Italian automaker. While you can see exposed carbon fiber of the body panels, you dont as easily see the carbo-titanium monocoque which provides the rigidity to rival such power. Computer-controlled flaps each one operating independently and located at the four corners of the vehicle, can provide more downforce, reduced drag, or lessen body roll during cornering as they change positions.

photo credit: RM Sotheby's

Not to be overlooked, the cockpit is also a place of beauty and surprising comfort. Carbon fiber, leather, titanium, and Alcantara combine in modern shapes. Every last stitch has been crafted by hand, achieving a level of enviable artisanship.

photo credit: RM Sotheby's

Thanks to an abundance of bespoke touches like the red pinstripe running down both sides, this Pagani Huayra is unlike the others. With just under 5,500 miles showing, Chassis 56 would be quite the conquest. It is current on the virtual auction block, so this is the time to cast your bid and follow this lot closely.

Story continues

photo credit: RM Sotheby's

If youre in need of freeing up garage space for this or other acquisitions, RM Sothebys is always looking for high-quality consignments.

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Linkedin Inforial (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta, Indonesia  Wed, August 12, 2020 22:06 524 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066d8d758 4 Inforial Free

Conducting schooling activities online has constrained several aspects of students learning process, especially in the socio-emotional development area.

Yet, amid the difficult time of the COVID-19 pandemic, schools have had no choice but to make do with the virtual learning platforms available in order to maintain childrens and teachers health.

One of the schools that continues to conduct its classes online is Sinarmas World Academy (SWA) in Bumi Serpong Damai (BSD), South Tangerang city, Banten.

SWA board chairman Anton Mailoa said that although the BSD area was a safe zone, but the school had students from various areas in Greater Jakarta, including those that were red zones for the coronavirus outbreak.

We need to be careful with this. So, we have to find new ways of delivering our teaching materials remotely and to design distant-learning models that will work for the students, Anton said on Wednesday during an online talk show themed Educating the Nation: 2020-2045.

The talk show, organized by The Jakarta Post from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Wednesday, also featured three other speakers focusing on the issue of education: World Bank senior social development specialist Dewi Susanti, SMERU Research Institute researcher Shintia Revina and Federation of Indonesian Teachers Association deputy secretary-general Satriwan Salim.

The webinar also discussed strategies that schools could use to turn online learning into a success, a subject area where Anton shared his expertise.

We have to modify our teaching materials and timetables to fit in with the current online learning context. [Before the coronavirus outbreak], when students still came physically to the school, they had to attend their classes from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., Anton said.

While the school hours mentioned above might be OK for much older students, the younger ones might have a hard time with it; its much harder to command their attention since they still like to run around and get distracted, he continued.

Therefore, he said, in online learning, the quality of the material delivered mattered more than the quantity of hours spent: our school team has successfully shortened the classroom periods for the smaller kids, while making the teaching process more interactive to engage these younger students so that they wont lose their attention.

According to Anton, thankfully the school has a lot of advantages in transforming all its teaching activities online, at least during the pandemic, because it was among one of the first schools in Jakarta to quickly decide to shift all learning to virtual platforms after the government announced the COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia on March 2.

For instance, we had already set up an online library system where we subscribe to a lot of materials online, covering a lot of current affairs in Indonesia and around the world, Anton said.

He added that the school had also developed an adequate online assessment system for its students.

Beyond technical matters, close communication with parents as one of the schools main stakeholders has also become an essential ingredient in ensuring online classes are a success, since during these virtual classes parents play a bigger role than ever in supervising their childrens studies, according to Anton.

In order not to neglect childrens socio-emotional development at a time when people are stuck in home quarantine, SWA has also actively involved its students in social activities related to the COVID-19 context, such as making face shields and donating them to those most in need of this protective gear.

SWA is also collaborating with several public schools, such as SMA 6 and SMA 28 state high schools in South Tangerang, by sharing online learning videos and promoting friendship among students from all three schools.
He is being accused of organizing the assassination of an acclaimed journalist in 2016. He has denied all charges.

The Kyiv Court of Appeal ruled to extend custody period for one of the suspects in a high-profile case of journalist Pavlo Sheremet's murder, Donbas war veteran and rock musician Andrii "Riffmaster" Antonenko.

He is being accused of organizing the car blast that killed the acclaimed journalist in Kyiv in 2016, an UNIAN correspondent reports.

Antonenko has denied all charges.

Only lawyers and prosecutors were allowed into the courtroom, while journalists and pubic were told to stay out, whereas the court hearing was broadcast on the screen.

The lawyers appealed the decision to extend custody term, noting the lack of any risks to the investigation, as claimed by prosecutors.

Read alsoZelensky: Avakov must bring Sheremet murder case to end

Speaking in court, Antonenko said he did not intend to hide from judiciary and investigation and would report at first notice.

The panel of judges ultimately ruled to keep Antonenko in custody.

Antonenko's supporters were heard chanting "Shame!"

Sheremet case: background
FP Trending

Google has decided to not shut down chrome apps for now by adding some changes to its support timeline.

For the unversed, chrome apps let users install apps on Chrome that work quite like the apps that one would launch from their desktops.

Now, Google is letting users enjoy the services of Chrome apps for a little longer. "Based on feedback from our customers and partners, we are making the following adjustments to the Chrome app support timeline, mentioned the company blog. Now the "general support" for Chrome apps on Windows, Mac, and Linux will end by June 2021. The blog further read that organisations will be able to use a policy setting to extend support on Windows, Mac, and Linux through June 2022.

It will be only in June 2022 that the Chrome Web Store will stop accepting new as well as updated 'private and unlisted" Chrome apps.

Google has also reminded customers that Chrome Extensions will not be affected by the changes in timeline. It said, that Google would "continue to support and invest in Chrome Extensions on all existing platforms".

Google had earlier planned to gradually phase out the Chrome apps from every platform except for the Chrome OS. In fact, the company was well on schedule with the plan till January this year. Google had announced that by December 2020, end support for Chrome apps on Windows, Linux and Mac will begin roll out and by June 2022, "end support for Chrome Apps on Chrome OS for all customers" will be done.
Gunmen kill 20 in latest attack in Burkina Faso; 6 aid workers killed in Niger

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As many as 20 people were killed when unidentified gunmen attacked a cattle market in Eastern Burkina Faso on Friday, as violent extremist attacks continue to increase across the Sahel region of Africa.

Officials in Burkina Faso have not yet blamed any group for the attack.

"Unidentified armed individuals burst into a cattle market in Namoungou village in the region of Fada N'Gourma and attacked the population," Col. Saidou Sanou, the governor of the eastern region, said in a statement, according to Agence France Press. "According to an initial toll, around 20 people have been killed and numerous others wounded."

Although Burkina Faso was once thought of as a relatively peaceful nation in West Africa, Fridays attack comes as United Nations data indicates that some 1,800 were killed in terrorist attacks in Burkina Faso in 2019, up from 80 in 2016.

The increase in extremist violence in the country has led to the mass displacement of hundreds of thousands of people.

Violence elsewhere in the Sahel continued in Niger on Sunday when gunmen opened fire in the Giraffe Zone in the southwestern part of the country, killing six French aid workers, a Nigerian driver and a guide.

Among those killed was Kadri Abdou, president of the Association of Giraffe Guides of Koure.

We are deeply saddened and thinking of the victims and their families to whom we offer our most sincere condolences and especially to the family of Kadri, our friend. May he rest in peace, the association said in a statement, according to The Associated Press.

French Foreign Affairs Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian vowed on Monday to make those responsible answer for their acts.

According to the AP, the French government warned its citizens about traveling outside of Nigers capital city due to the presence of militants aligned with Islamic extremists groups such as Boko Haram, the Islamic State and al-Qaeda.

Across the Sahel region  in countries that include Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger  the U.N. reports that terrorist attack casualties have increased five-fold since 2016, with over 4,000 deaths reported in 2019 alone. By comparison, 770 terrorist-casualty deaths were reported in 2016.

According to the U.N., 2019 saw the highest annual death toll due to armed conflict in the Sahel region since 2012.

France deployed over 5,000 troops to help combat the growing Islamic extremism in the Sahel region as part of its Operation Barkhane. Additionally, local fighters from various Sahel countries have also joined forces.

In March, the U.S. State Department named Peter Pham as a new special envoy in charge of monitoring extremist violence in the Sahel region.

In Burkina Faso, violence this year has increased in the countrys eastern region. According to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data project, attacks in Burkina Fasos eastern region have increased by 75% in 2020. According to an internal security report seen by the AP, there were 11 clashes between Islamic militants and local defense militias in the first week of August.

Sahel researcher Heni Nsaibia told the news agency that violence in Burkina Faso is on track to surpass the violence that occurred there in 2019.

With a major humanitarian crisis, a swell in militant activities in multiple parts of the country, coupled with the incompetency of security forces, the picture looks quite grim, Laith Alkhouri, an intelligence specialist who specializes in extremism in West Africa, told the AP.

Burkina Faso was added to Open Doors USAs 2020 World Watch List of countries where Christians suffer the greatest persecution. The country is ranked as the 28th worst in the world when it comes to Christian persecution while Niger ranks as No. 50.

Some of the extremists in Burkina Faso have targeted Christians and their places of worship.

According to Open Doors, Christians in Burkina Faso were told during some attacks to convert to Islam or die.

"An influx of violent Islamic extremist groups into West Africas Sahel region has led to these attacks that killed at least 40 Christians in 2019, Open Doors reports in a fact sheet. These groups are campaigning for attacks on believers, with some who want to create an Islamic state opposing the very existence of Christianity.

In February, a pastor was among dozens killed and injured when gunmen attacked a church in northeast Burkina Faso.

Last Fridays attack on the cattle market comes after a similar attack on the Kompienbiga cattle market in eastern Burkina Faso left about 30 dead in May.
Malians took to the streets in the capital Bamako on Tuesday, despite rainfall and pleas from mediators to stay home, to demand the resignation of President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita.

Protesters numbering in the low thousands assembled in a central square, an AFP journalist saw, blowing plastic vuvuzela horns and carrying placards bearing anti-government slogans.

"We want real change in Mali, IBK get out," read one placard, using the acronym by which Keita is known.

Other people carried umbrellas against the rain, and toted signs asking the prime minister to resign too.

"Because of the rain, there aren't many people here, but you'll see," one of the rally organisers told AFP, suggesting that more people were set to join.

The gathering marks the first time the June 5 Movement has staged a protest since July 21, when the opposition group declared a temporary truce in a months-long push to topple Keita.

It staged the demonstration despite a call to stay home from Nigeria's ex-president, Goodluck Jonathan, a mediator for the Economic Community of West African states (ECOWAS) in Mali's crisis.

"Demonstrations do not solve problems per se," Jonathan told a news conference on Monday evening, adding that opposition figures needed to enter dialogue.

The June 5 Movement has been channeling deep frustrations in Mali over a dire economy, perceived government corruption and the country's eight-year jihadist conflict.

Mediator: Former Nigerian president Goodluck Jonathan, pictured in Bamako during a contact mission on July 23. By MICHELE CATTANI (AFP)

Tensions snowballed in crisis last month, when 11 people died over three days of unrest following an anti-Keita protest, in the worst political strife the country has seen in years.

The 15-nation ECOWAS bloc stepped in to mediate. On July 27, the bloc's heads of government suggested the formation of a new unity government, among other measures, while sticking by Keita.

But the June 5 Movement has rejected the proposal and continues to insist on the 75-year-old president's departure.

Keita, who first came to power in 2013, has made efforts to follow the ECOWAS plan to exit the crisis.

He swore in nine new judges to the Constitutional Court on Monday, which formed part of an ECOWAS suggestion for resolving a festering election dispute -- a key ingredient in the current crisis.
A new study could pave the way for cheaper supercapacitor storage of renewable energy. The researchers have found a way of turning the house brick into a battery that can store electricity, raising the possibility that buildings could someday become the real powerhouses.

The new technology used the porous properties of bricks and filled it with tiny nanofibers of a conducting plastic that can store electric charge. The researchers observed that the first bricks stored enough energy to power small lights, but they think that if the capacity s increased, the bricks can become a low-cost alternative for lithium-ion batteries.

That means that the bricks can become supercapacitors that store electricity as a static charge in solids rather than batteries which store energy through chemical reactions. Supercapacitors can charge and discharge faster than batteries, but they only store a small fraction of energy.

Read Also: Easy Ways to Extend the Battery Life of Your Phone





A Powerhouse Thanks to Nanotechnology

With the climate change crisis, scientists have been studying to increase the energy capacity of supercapacitors and the charging speed of batteries. That technology would allow the abundant but intermittent renewable energy to be stored until it is needed.

Typically, batteries are used to store energy gathered by the solar cell on the rooftop. Julio D'Arcy, of the Washington University in St Louis, who was part of the research team, said that their new technology provides a new 'food-for=thought' option although they are not there yet.

D'Arcy said that the first observed bricks reported in the journal Nature Communications only has 1% capacity of lithium-ion batteries. He believes that it can be increased by ten-folds by adding metal oxides to store more energy, making the power bricks a commercial proposition.

But the aim is to match them with lithium-ion batteries. If that happens, they would be cheaper than lithium-ion batteries, and there would come a time when the term "lithium-ion battery" will not be heard once again.

"Heat has been the overriding area of interest when considering energy storage within the fabric of buildings. This study shows there is potential to store electrical energy as well. The performance is a long way short of bespoke supercapacitors, but the principle is proven and there is significant scope for improvement," said electrochemical engineering professor Dan Brett of the University College London.

The researchers made small prototypes of the power bricks using chemical vapors that react with iron oxides in the bricks and then form a network of plastic nanofibers called PEDOT, which is an excellent conductor of electricity.

Supercapacitors can be recharged many more times before losing their ability to store energy. The power bricks can be recycled up to 10,000 times before losing their capacity.

Read Next: Breakthrough Concept for Storing Energy without Batteries





A Long Way Yet of Application

Although this technology shows promise, it is still a long way for it to be used in the future. Moreover, the cost of lithium-ion battery has plummeted by 90% since 2010, and hydropower is only effective in areas with mountains.

Storing large amounts of energy is still a challenge that prompts more research. For instance, one company has stored energy by stacking large bricks into a tower and then releasing the bricks to the ground. Similar concepts are also being explored now using heavy shifts and mineshafts, and gravity.

Other research also includes compressing air into a liquid to store energy, with a large plant now in construction near Manchester in the UK.

Read More: Seawater to the Rescue: Providing Possible Unlimited Lithium Supply for Growing Demand




Mushroom-spring and mushroom-pillar surfaces. (A and B) Design and fabrication of mushroom-spring flexible surfaces S1, S2, and S3, as well as a mushroom-pillar rigid reference P. (C and D) Design and fabrication of mushroom-spring flexible surfaces SS1, SS2, and SS3, as well as a mushroom-pillar rigid reference PS with horizontal springs to link adjacent heads. Scale bars, 100 m. Credit: Science Advances, doi: 10.1126/sciadv.aba9721

Artificial surfaces that can repel liquids have attracted significant attention across scientific and industrial platforms to create functional topological features. But the role of the underlying structures that are in contact with liquid droplets is not well understood. Recent developments in micro-nanofabrication can allow researchers to construct a skin-muscle-like system that combines liquid repellence at the interface, alongside a mechanically functional structure. In a new report now published in Science Advances, Songtao Hu and a team of interdisciplinary scientists in China, Switzerland and the U.K., designed bioinspired surfaces with mushroom-like repellent heads using three-dimensional (3-D) direct laser lithography. The flexible, spring-like supports elevated liquid repellence by resisting complex forms of droplet breakdown and reducing droplet-surface contact time. The use of spring-like flexible supports is an unprecedented materials research approach that enhanced liquid repellence for excellent surface control and droplet manipulation. The work extended research on repellent microstructures to yield functional possibilities by linking functional surfaces with mechanical metamaterials.

The interplay between liquid droplets and solid interfaces on artificial liquid-repellent surfaces is important for self-cleaning, anti-icing, and anti-reflection technologies and for principles of water harvesting and droplet manipulation. Researchers are interested in mimicking morphological and chemical characteristics of natural surfaces to fulfill biomimetic performance in the lab. A classic example is the lotus effect, which exhibits waterproofing performance by combining hierarchical morphology and wax-based chemical modifications. To improve the lotus effect in the lab, researchers have mimicked springtail-inspired topology with mushroom-like, flexible heads on top of pillar-like supports to manipulate droplet contact with surfaces. In this work, Hu et al. enhanced liquid repellence using the flexible microstructure design to bridge the gap between two research concepts of functional surfaces and mechanical materials to construct a "skin-muscle-like" system.

Design and fabrication

The top surface of the construct behaved as the skin to receive and respond, while the underlying supports played the muscle role to tune the mechanical properties. The work will trigger a window of opportunity for more functionalities and possibilities by linking functional surfaces with mechanical metamaterials. Using two-photon polymerization, the team tailored 3-D structures on the micro-nanoscale to realize the mushroom-spring design. They modeled the flexible surfaces in SolidWorks first and converted the designs into a stereolithography format for fabrication with a photoresist on an indium tin oxide (ITO)-coated fused silica. The team then coated the surface with chemical vapor deposition to make the flexible springs behave like rigid pillars. Hu et al. also supported a trampoline-inspired surface where vertical springs supported mushroom-like heads and horizontal springs linked the adjacent mushroom-like heads to manipulate the liquid-solid interface.

Obliquely impacting process of droplets. Spreading, retracting, and rebounding behaviors of water droplets impacting mushroom-spring and mushroom-pillar surfaces on a tilted platform with an angle of 45 at We ~ 20.61. Credit: Science Advances, doi: 10.1126/sciadv.aba9721

The mushroom-pillar/mushroom-spring surfaces showed excellent anti-penetrant capacity towards static droplets of water and the materials maintained structural hydrophobicity (water repellency) due to their surface coating. The team conducted tests to understand spreading and rebounding behavior of water droplets under diverse velocities of impact and named their forms as depositing (DEP), rebounding (REB) and pinning (PIN) behavior, with an increased We value (a non-dimensionless ratio between inertial and capillary forces). For instance, when the impacting energy increased, the REB behavior inherited the place of DEP to exhibit an effective kinetic resistance to events of impact. The team then calculated the maximum spreading factor as a function of We. The scientists credited the difference in the maximum spreading factor between different surface structures to viscoelastic breaking in soft materials. To further understand the spreading behavior of impacting droplets on microstructures, Hu et al. established a theoretical spreading model, to estimate work done (W) to spread out to a maximum diameter on a flexible or rigid surface.

Post-retraction behavior of droplets impacting mushroom-spring and mushroom-pillar surfaces. (A) Post-retraction behaviors, including depositing (DEP), rebounding (REB), and pinning (PIN), as a function of We. (B) Snapshots exemplarily provided to visualize different post-retraction behaviors over time. Scale bar, 1 mm. Photo credit: S. Hu, Shanghai Jiao Tong University. Credit: Science Advances, doi: 10.1126/sciadv.aba9721

The scientists then calculated the restitution coefficient, i.e., the ratio of relative velocity between two objects post-collision in the setup, to quantify the remaining kinetic energy of the droplets after lifting off of surfaces. The deposition/rebound (DEP-REB) transitions on such surfaces did not reveal the influence of flexible modification on the restitution coefficient. They discussed the effect of flexible support modifications on the contact time of the droplet, which depended on the position of impact. By immobilizing flexible microstructures on a rigid substrate with efficient fabrication strategies the team overcame shortcomings of droplet contact.

Spreading behavior of droplets impacting mushroom-spring and mushroom-pillar surfaces. (A) Maximum spreading factor Dmax/D0 as a function of We. (B and C) Theoretical spreading model to estimate the work done W in spreading phase and the corresponding results as a function of We. Credit: Science Advances, doi: 10.1126/sciadv.aba9721

In this way, Songtao Hu and colleagues bridged the gap between two research areas of functional surfaces and mechanical materials to implement a skin-muscle-like concept in materials surface engineering. They designed bioinspired mushroom-like waterproof heads on top of spring-like flexible supports to kinetically repel liquid intrusionsuited for a variety of applications. The team proposed an advanced trampoline-like structure to resolve structural instability on droplet contact. They used 3-D direct laser lithography for micro-nano fabrication in order to precisely replicate the flexible surfaces with tunable liquid repellence. While the proposed Nanoscribe technique for high-precision 3-D direct laser lithography offers rapid prototyping technology, the technique must be optimized for large-scale fabrication in practice. The evolving 3-D printing technologies will provide more options for high-throughput centimeter-scale fabrication efficacy.

Restitution coefficient and contact time of droplets impacting mushroom-spring and mushroom-pillar surfaces. (A) Restitution coefficient Hmax/H as a function of We. (B) Dimensionless contact time Tc/ as a function of We and a theoretical inertia-capillarity limit Tc/ = 2.2 Credit: Science Advances, doi: 10.1126/sciadv.aba9721

Explore further Compact nanoscale textures reduce contact time of bouncing droplets

 2020 Science X Network
Joe Biden obviously did not pick Kamala Harris to be his running mate in order to please the American left. (At least I really hope that wasnt the idea.) Progressive activists have long eyed the California senator with a combination of suspicion and disdain. Thats in part because many view her as an uninspiring and moderate political striver whos overly friendly with Wall Street, but mostly thanks to her record on criminal justice in California, which spawned the phrase Kamala is a cop. Already, some of those feelings poured out on Twitter on Tuesday afternoon after her selection was announced:

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We are in the midst of the largest protest movement in American history, the subject of which is excessive policing, and the Democratic Party chose a top cop and the author of the Joe Biden crime bill to save us from Trump.



The contempt for the base is, wow.  Briahna Joy Gray (@briebriejoy) August 11, 2020

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It's been clear for the past month that whoever Biden picked was going to disappoint the progressive wing of the party. But Harris has some unique baggage and seems destined to make the intraparty rift deeper. It's a factionalist pick, intended to send a factionalist message.  Zach Carter (@zachdcarter) August 11, 2020

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hell yes brother. perfect Weimar ticket. lets do this https://t.co/2mOGxVR0Cs  Mr Make Matters Worse (@ByYourLogic) August 11, 2020

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I, too, have had my qualms with Harris, especially when it came to her policy platform during the primary, which seemed a bit like a sloppily nailed together afterthought. But I also think theres a case that progressives should be optimistic about her as VP, and not just because shes a smart, charismatic politician who at her best can truly command a stage, or because as a Black woman of both Jamaican and Indian descent shes a historic pick who will clearly please large parts of the Democratic Partys base. Harris might also be a good policy influence on Biden if he treats her as a real governing partner, as he hopefully will. Here are three reasons why.

1. Harris clearly wants to prove that she isnt really a cop.

Harris likes to say that she was a progressive prosecutor. But much of her resume from her years as San Franciscos district attorney and attorney general of California has not aged well in the era of Black Lives Matter and George Floyd. To offer just a taste: She backed legislation that threatened parents with jail if their kids skipped school, fought to uphold wrongful convictions, and battled tooth and nail to keep nonviolent offenders incarcerated even after the courts had ordered California to reduce its overcrowded prison population. The list of iffy choices goes on.

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To be fair, Harris did have a real record of progressive reforms, and as a woman of color in law enforcement with her eye on higher office, one whose career began before Ferguson, its understandable why she was cautious about appearing too soft on crime. But to her critics in 2020, shes still a cop.

Heres the thing, though: Kamala knows that much of the left thinks that shes a cop (Im fully aware of that whole meme, she said last year) and clearly wants to prove them wrong. Shes consistently been on the side of reformers in recent years, and the ambitious criminal justice plank of her presidential platform, which covered everything from marijuana legalization to abolishing mandatory minimums to curbing police use of force, was clearly designed to quiet her naysayers. Amid the nationwide wave of protests sparked by Floyds killing, she and Sen. Cory Booker took the lead on policing reform in the Senate. Despite her record in California, shes aligned with the spirit of the times. The fact that she clearly sees criminal justice reform as one of her marquee issues now could make her a potent advocate for it within the Biden administration as she tries to carve out her own record of accomplishment and shore up her left flank before she inevitably mounts her own bid for president, whether thats in 2024 and 2028.

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This all gets at a larger meta-point. For ambitious politicians who try to track their partys mainstream, their actual record is sometimes not that useful an indicator of what theyll do in higher office, because by definition they try to move with the countrys and their partys mood. This is the optimistic case you often hear for why a Biden presidency could result in real progressive achievements. But for a historical example, consider President Lyndon Johnson. The man spent the first decades of his career opposing pretty much any and all civil rights legislation, because he was a Democratic politician from the segregationist South. During his master-of-the-Senate phase in 1957 and 1960, he helped pass bills on the issue by largely allowing them to be watered down to near meaninglessness. If youd told activists then that LBJ was destined to be the man who muscled through legislation ending Jim Crow and guaranteeing voting rights, theyd have been very skeptical. But thats how history worked out, partly because he was an ambitious politician who could read the room (or, you know, turn on a television).

2. Shes pro-marijuana.

Harris was not always in favor of marijuana legalization. But she is now, probably because the stance is incredibly popular among most Democrats and the wider public.

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Biden says he is not in favor of legalizing recreational marijuana, because hes still worried about its health effects. On this issue, he seems determined to remain a stodgy throwback. But if you actually look at his platform, it leaves room for legalization in pretty much everything but namedepending on exactly how its implemented. Hed decriminalize cannabis on the federal level, expunge convictions, reschedule it so researchers could look into the effects of its use, and leave decisions regarding legalization for recreational use up to the states. Depending on how all of this was codified, you could imagine a scenario where states are finally allowed to create fully legal, above-board marijuana markets within their borders without any of the ambiguities that exist today, but where you probably wouldnt get a federal tax and regulatory scheme (which would be a waste, but cest la vie).

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Again, all of this is a maybe. It would certainly help if the administrations point person on criminal justice reform was someone who was also solidly pro-pot and wanted to curry favor with skeptical progressives. Someone like Harris. And maybe if were lucky, shell nudge Biden to finally inhale on fully legal weed the way Biden pushed Obama to say I do to gay marriage.

3. She wants to give people money.

Economic policy is pretty clearly not Harris main passion, and her awkwardness with it has sometimes become a bit of a punchline, like when she proposed limited student loan forgiveness for Pell Grant recipients who start a business in a disadvantaged community and manage to keep it running for three years while also competing in at least one winter biathlon (kidding, but only the last part).

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Harris does seem to have one very clear-cut, very strong instinct on economics, however: She thinks we should just give poor and middle-class families more money. She never quite came out in favor of a universal basic income, like Andrew Yang, but her first major policy proposal of the Democratic primary was an idea known as the LIFT Act, which would have essentially given working lower- and middle-income families a cash boost of up to $500 per month through a tax credit. The idea had some serious design issues, but in spirit, it was a major statement that she favored big cash transfers.

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LIFT never really caught on during the campaign. But Harris, much to her credit, has stuck with the idea of handing people cash. During the coronavirus crisis, for instance, she co-sponsored a bill with Sens. Bernie Sanders and Ed Markey that would give most Americans $2,000 a month.

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Even before the coronavirus struck, and the Trump administration started mailing checks, giving Americans more straightforward cash transfers was one of the most popular ideas among congressional Democrats. The American Family Act, which would expand the Child Tax Credit into a European-style monthly child allowance that even the poorest families would be eligible for, has 37 co-sponsors in the Senate, including Harris herself. As far as I can tell, though, Biden has yet to embrace the idea, even though it would cut child poverty by a third from its pre-recession levels. As vice president, its possible Harris could become the countrys most important advocate for dropping families much-needed gift baskets of cash. She might not be the veep candidate of the lefts dreams, but shes not exactly the candidate of its memes, either.

For more of Slates news coverage, subscribe to What Next on Apple Podcasts or listen below.
Titled Better Regulation for Post COVID-19 Recovery, the event aimed to exchange viewpoints on reducing regulatory burden, towards better regulation which bolsters economic growth and protect the society.



Minister - Chairman of the Government Office Mai Tien Dung (L) at the event (Photo: VNA)



At the webinar, Minister - Chairman of the Government Office Mai Tien Dung voiced his belief that the event, along with experience shared by OECD and ASEAN nations, will help promote administrative reform and abolish unnecessary regulation, thereby helping businesses overcome crisis and recover.



He underlined that Vietnam is determined to implement the dual targets of fighting the pandemic and recovering and maintaining economic growth.



To fulfil the targets, various measures have been put forwards, such as stepping up disbursement of public investment, stimulating domestic consumption and exports, and ensuring social welfare and security-order, Minister - Chairman of the Government Office Mai Tien Dung noted.



At the same time, administrative agencies have exerted efforts in switching to online public services. Since the start of the year, nearly 3,900 business conditions and over 6,770 types of commodities subject to specialised inspection and 30 related administrative procedures have been removed.



Notably, after more than eight months of operation, the national public service portal offers nearly 1,000 online services, with 56.4 million users.



As Chair of ASEAN and AIPA in 2020 and a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council for the 2020-21 tenure, Vietnam is committed to closely cooperating with countries and regional and international organisations in addressing common challenges, Minister - Chairman of the Government Office Mai Tien Dung said.



OECD Deputy Secretary-General Jeffrey Schlagenhauf appreciated the ASEAN-OECD Good Regulatory Practices Network as a very effective cooperation programme, adding that COVID-19 has dealt a blow to the socio-economic development of all countries and territories.



For his part, British Ambassador to Vietnam Gareth Ward spoke highly of Vietnams response and effective measures of OECD and ASEAN countries in dealing with the pandemic.



The organisation of major events in the form of video conferencing demonstrates the solid determination of Vietnam and other countries towards the common goal of reducing administrative procedures and improving business climate regulation, he affirmed./.
Joe Biden's choice of Kamala Harris as his running mate was hailed on Tuesday as a historic first for women of color, but some warn her record as a tough prosecutor could dent her appeal with two key constituencies - black voters and liberals.

Shortly after Biden announced Harris would join him on the ticket in the November presidential election, several left wing progressives in the Democrat party criticized his decision.

'Well, there you have it. @JoeBiden gives the middle finger to progressives, #BlackLivesMatter protesters, and black voters under the age of 50,' Status Coup co-founder Jordan Chariton wrote in a tweet.

Journalist, Walker Bragman, shared: 'Crime bill author Joe Biden selects "top cop" Kamala Harris for VP as racial justice and police abolition protests continue across the country.'

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Joe Biden's choice of Kamala Harris as his running mate was hailed on Tuesday as a historic first for women of color, but some warn her record as a tough prosecutor could dent her appeal with two key constituencies - black voters and liberals

Shortly after Biden announced Harris would join him on the ticket in the November presidential election, several left wing progressives in the Democrat party criticized his decision

And while Bernie Sanders, who had been one of Biden's rivals for the Democratic nomination, congratulated Harris on Twitter, saying she 'understands what it takes to stand up for working people', several of his supporters disagreed with the decision.

Briahna Joy Gray, who served as Sanders' national press secretary, wrote: 'We are in the midst of the largest protest movement in American history, the subject of which is excessive policing, and the Democratic Party chose a top cop and the author of the Joe Biden crime bill to save us from Trump.

'The contempt for the base is, wow.'

Progressive commentator, Kyle Kulinski, shared: 'Biden going with the strategically brilliant move of picking somebody for VP who is despised by both the right and the left.'

In a joint statement, RootsAction and Progressive Democrats of America wrote that Harris 'failed for years to hold police accountable for gross misconduct in California, then touted her commitment to police accountability in the wake of George Floyd's murder'.

Journalist Michael Tracey called Biden's selection a 'nightmarishly bad pick in every way'.

'Kamala's presidential campaign was a total humiliating disaster. One of the worst of all time, considering the amount of unearned hype she received. Did everybody miss that, or what?' he asked.

And while Bernie Sanders, who had been one of Biden's rivals for the Democratic nomination, congratulated Harris on Twitter, saying she 'understands what it takes to stand up for working people', several of his supporters disagreed with the decision

One critical moment in Harris's campaign came when Rep Tulsi Gabbard blasted her for putting 'over 1,500 people in jail for marijuana violations and laughed about it when she was asked if she ever smoked marijuana'.

Harris, the first woman and the first black attorney general in the history of the Golden State, portrayed herself as a progressive reformer during her own presidential bid, but some have cast doubts on that claim and aren't sure if it will hold as she runs alongside Biden.

'Time after time, when progressives urged her to embrace criminal justice reforms as a district attorney and then the state's attorney general, Ms Harris opposed them or stayed silent,' law professor Lara Bazelon wrote last year in an op-ed for The New York Times.

'Harris turned legal technicalities into weapons so she could cement injustices,' added Bazelon, a former director of the Loyola Law School Project for the Innocent in Los Angeles.

Before serving as attorney general, the 55-year-old Harris was the district attorney in San Francisco. She was elected to the Senate in 2016.

'Kamala Harris had a reputation in California as a prosecutor and attorney general who waited rather than led, who moved on controversial issues only once she saw what was politically viable,' the daily Sacramento Bee wrote in a June editorial.

As it concerns police brutality - a subject very much in the news following the death of George Floyd, a black man whose killing at the hands of police in May sparked nationwide protests - Harris has also been criticized for failing to intervene in cases involving police violence.

While serving as attorney general in 2016, for example, she opposed a bill to investigate deadly police shootings following the death of a stabbing suspect - shot 21 times by police - that sparked huge protests.

Harris will appear with Biden for the first time as his running mate at an event Wednesday near his home in Wilmington, Delaware

Harris has in addition come under criticism for pushing legislation that would punish parents in California for their children's truancy.

But despite her controversial record on criminal justice, Harris has also been lauded for fighting for progressive change.

Her most successful program, called 'Back on Track,' called for non-violent first-time drug offenders to avoid jail by getting a high school diploma.

She also initiated a project for anti-bias training for law enforcement agencies throughout California.

Arguably her biggest achievement in the eyes of civil rights activists was 'Open Justice,' an online portal that made a wide range of criminal justice data available to the public, including the number of deaths and injuries in police custody.

Many today reject claims that she did not go far enough in pushing for criminal justice reform, arguing she was being judged by unfair standards.

'I am a public defender, I work day and night fighting for justice in San Francisco ... and the fact is that she did implement very progressive programs, period, end of story,' Niki Solis, who faced Harris many times in court when she was district attorney, said.

Jack Pitney, a professor of American politics at Claremont McKenna College in California, stressed that in looking at Harris' tenure as attorney general, one should take into account that she was acting as a prosecutor applying the law, rather than a legislator.

'As attorney general of the state of California, she had to defend laws in court whether or not she agreed with them,' Pitney said. 'So to that extent, I think the criticism is misplaced.'

He said that, if anything, Harris's justice record will be an asset as she takes on Republicans in the run-up to the November vote.

'Their criticism will enable her to say "look at all these progressives, they are criticizing me for being too conservative. I must be just in the right place",' Pitney said.

Thad Kousser, a political science professor at the University of California, San Diego, said Harris's track record as a prosecutor will likely work in her favor but also against her.

'Her smart-on-crime moderate positions on crime and social justice will help her with moderates,' Kousser said. 'But it could also demobilize some more young liberal voters.'

Harris will appear with Biden for the first time as his running mate at an event Wednesday near his home in Wilmington, Delaware.
New Jerseys largest teachers union and groups representing school administrators on Tuesday called for Gov. Phil Murphy to direct all public schools to offer only remote classes in the fall because of health concerns over the coronavirus pandemic.

The call comes after state officials announced late last month plans for New Jerseys 2,500 public schools to open for the 2020-2021 school year using a range of measures to prevent the spread of the disease - including masks and social distancing - while letting students return to classrooms.

Richard Bozza, executive director of the New Jersey Association of School Administrators, Patricia Wright, executive director of the New Jersey Principals and Supervisors Association and New Jersey Education Association (NJEA) President Marie Blistan issued a joint statement directed to Murphy that argues in-person instruction was too much of a risk.

For months, New Jersey educators and administrators have been working tirelessly to find a way to safely bring students back into school buildings in September. Now, with less than a month remaining before schools are scheduled to reopen, it is time to reluctantly acknowledge that goal is simply not achievable, the statement says.

Reopening schools for in-person instruction under the current conditions poses too great a risk to the health of students and schools staff, the statement says. The question of whether and when to reopen for in-person instruction is first and foremost a public health decision that cannot be left in the hands of nearly 600 individual school districts. The stakes are too high, and the consequences of a wrong decision are too grave.

We fully support and share the governors goal of moving to in-person instruction as soon as the science and data say we can do so responsibly and when the resources are available in our school buildings to do it safely, it went on.

We wish it could be different, but the facts are not in our favor. Our nation is in the middle of an uncontrolled pandemic. Our state, while doing better than many others, has not yet stopped the spread of this virus, particularly among the same young people who are scheduled to return to school in under four weeks.

The association heads said districts have struggled to meet minimum standards for reopening provided by officials.

Inadequate levels of funding, staffing, equipment and facilities will result in inequities in the level of safety afforded to all New Jersey students, they added.

We have seen what is happening elsewhere in the country where, within a few days of opening, schools are having to transition to remote learning following outbreaks of COVID-19, the statement said. Every day, through research and the experience of other states, we are learning more about the effects of this disease on children and their ability to contribute to community spread.

We remain committed to getting back to in-person instruction as soon as it is safe, the statement concludes. It is not safe yet.

The announcement from the states leading teachers union and groups representing school leaders also comes amid a growing chorus of groups and elected officials calling for the state to keep schools closed because of the contagious illness. Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, teachers unions in Essex and Atlantic counties, along with the Jersey City school board have made similar calls.

While Murphy voiced strong support for reopening schools earlier this summer, his tone has shifted in recent weeks. He previously declined to comment on whether his administration was rethinking its plan to open schools.

The return to school will pose challenges, but we are confident that New Jerseys school districts can move forward in a way that best serves the needs of their district while also achieving a safe environment for students and staff, Murphy said in June while announcing the plan to open schools.

In mid-July, however, the governor left open the possibility of remote-only learning this fall.

The strong bias, hope, expectation, the plan is to open, Murphy previously told reporters when asked if its theres a chance classes may not restart when the next academic year begins in September.

But if we get close and if we see something, not just on any given day but a trend that is causing enormous concern, were not gonna put peoples health at risk, he said.

The governor was scheduled to hold a news conference Wednesday in Trenton about the states response to the pandemic. Various officials, including the state interim education commissioner, were slated to attend. It was unclear if any announcements about the upcoming school year were planned.

Representatives for Murphys office and the state Department of Education did not immediately return emails seeking comment late Tuesday.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.

Noah Cohen may be reached at ncohen@njadvancemedia.com.
Jerri-Lynn here. Like other people around the world, Americans are eschewing flying in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Wolf has been following the carnage in the airlines sector, and I have featured some of his posts before (see Wolf Richter: The Chilling Things Delta Said about the Airline Business, the 90% Collapse in Q2 Revenues, and Why Some Demand Destruction May Be Permanent). Airline expert Hubert Horan has also weighed in on the situation (see Hubert Horan: Can Collateralizing Frequent Flyer Programs Help Save the US Airlines?; .Hubert Horan: Can Collateralizing Frequent Flyer Programs Help Save the US Airlines?; and Hubert Horan: The Airline Industry Collapse Part 3  Recovery Expectations Were Always Dreadfully Wrong).

I dont think demand will snap back, even if on the most panglossian scenario we see a viable vaccine soon  particularly for the key business-expense-account segment, as Wolf mentions below.

The airline sector is only past of the story. I also linked to an article in links today on the decimation in NYC restaurants, as well as another link on the decision of major chains to pull out of NYC. I think those stories are more a national harbinger than a regional story. Alas, the NYC I know and love  and I speak as a resident here  may be no more.

By Wolf Richter, editor of Wolf Street. Originally published at Wolf Street

The best day  meaning the least catastrophically worst day  in terms of air passengers entering to security zones at airports to board flights during the Pandemic wasnt yesterday, as the financial media wanted to have us think, but July 2, when the count of TSA airport security screenings was down by only -63.4% from the same weekday in the same week last year, and on July 3, when the count was down by only -67.1% from a year earlier. That was over the extended Independence Day travel weekend.

Now its peak summer travel season. Yesterdays TSA screenings  Sunday being a peak travel day  reached 831,789, the highest during the Pandemic. But its peak travel season and Sunday is one of the peak travel days, so last year on that Sunday, the TSA performed 2.65 million screenings, and this Sundays was down by -68.6% from Sunday a year ago. And the year-over-year decline has remained roughly in the same range since the beginning of July:

People are traveling to go on vacation. But theyre driving. All kinds of lodgings near or in national parks are booked. People want to get out and do stuff, and they have the stimulus money and the extra $600 a week in federal unemployment insurance. Early indications are that theyre driving more for vacation purposes than they did last year. Thats the big thing. But flying is still an iffy proposition for most people.

The seven-day moving average of the daily TSA screenings, which irons out the day-to-day ups and downs, has remained about the same since its best days since the beginning of July  best meaning least catastrophically down days. This indicates that the recovery of passenger volume has stalled since the beginning of July and is still terrible, terrible, terrible for the airlines:

Nevertheless, this situation caused the financial media to hyperventilate in an effort to pump up the shares. For example, CNBC reported breathlessly:



No capital-intensive business, such as an airline, can survive for long with roughly three-quarters of its business wiped out overnight, unless it undertakes a large-scale trimming-down, and unless it gets lots of financial help from all corners, including central banks and taxpayers. And thats happening with airlines.

Thats the part in CNBCs headline that nailed it: Another $25-billion bailout has been tucked into the next stimulus package.

It comes on top of the prior $25 billion in bailouts, mostly grants, that were designed to preserve airline jobs until September 30. Airlines have since told over 70,000 employees that they could lose their jobs after the deadline, and have incentivized them to leave voluntarily before the deadline, using a range of incentives, from buyout packages to early retirements.

Today, the WOLF STREET airline index of the seven largest US airlines  Alaska, American, Delta, JetBlue, Southwest, Spirit, and United  jumped 7.0%. Since word of the second $25 billion bailout package started circulating last Monday, the index has surged 15.7%. But its still down 44% from the end of the Good Times in mid-January 2020, and down a whole bunch more since January 2018. That 15.7% gain since last Monday is the little thing sticking up on the right of the chart (market cap data via YCharts):



And since last Monday, Boeing [BA] has jumped 13%. Boeing is going to be kept out of bankruptcy no matter what.

Thats what it really boils down to for the airlines: Hopes for another $25 billion, mostly in gifts from taxpayers.

Americans will gradually fly more, but it will take years before passenger traffic in the US recovers to levels before the Pandemic. It took years after 9/11 and after the Financial Crisis before air passenger traffic was back to the old normal.

But this time, the damage to the industry is a lot more profound. And the lucrative business-expense-account travel segment may have permanently changed, and might not fully recover even in the years to come. Airlines have acknowledged as much and are preparing for it, and theyre trying to trim down to a size that allows them to survive in this environment  but any series of $25-billion gifts sent their way is welcome.

And the stock market loves bailouts and hates the effects of capitalism where you could actually lose some or all of your investment when something goes awry.
5 Kamala Harris controversies: Extramarital affair, pro-life raid and Knights of Columbus criticism

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Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden announced Tuesday that Sen. Kamala Harris of California would be his vice presidential running mate.

Fulfilling an earlier campaign promise to have a minority female running mate, the former vice president took to his official Twitter handle to make the announcement.

I have the great honor to announce that Ive picked @KamalaHarris  a fearless fighter for the little guy, and one of the countrys finest public servants  as my running mate, tweeted Biden.

Harris had previously been a fierce critic of Biden, taking him to task during a Democratic primary debate over his past opposition to federally mandated busing to desegregate schools.

A former district attorney of San Francisco and later the attorney general of California, Harris public career has not been without its controversies, especially as she garnered national attention.

Here are five controversies surrounding Harris. They include some of her decisions as attorney general of California, the questioning of a judicial appointee, and a lawsuit filed by a high-profile pro-life activist.

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La costante crescita dei casi di coronavirus, legati soprattutto agli assembramenti nei locali notturni e ai rientri dall'estero, preoccupa governo e Regioni.

Certificazione di un test molecolare o antigene negativo fatto nelle ultime 72 ore o obbligo di tampone entro 48 ore dal rientro in Italia. E' la soluzione che il ministro della Salute Roberto Speranza ha proposto alle Regioni, nella riunione con il ministro Francesco Boccia, per chi arriva da Spagna, Croazia, Malta e Grecia. L'ordinanza che e al centro del confronto con le Regioni prevederebbe anche la possibilita di svolgere in aeroporto, ove possibile e in via sperimentale, un test antigene. Sull'ipotesi avanzata da Speranza si starebbe registrando la condivisione dei governatori.

Effetture test evitando dunque l'obbligo di quarantena, una misura, quest'ultima, in vigore per chi viene dai Paesi extra Schengen, da Romania e Bulgaria, come previsto dall'ordinanza del 24 luglio del ministro Roberto Speranza.

Il ministro Francesco Boccia ha chiesto inoltre alle Regioni di trovare subito la massima condivisione e di attrezzarsi, per garantire entro 48 ore i risultati dei test.

All'ordine del giorno della riunione straordinaria convocata da Boccia non solo le nuove disposizioni sanitarie per chi rientra dall'estero, ma anche un'informativa sui rischi degli assembramenti nelle discoteche in vista di Ferragosto.

Obiettivo, trovare una soluzione condivisa su tutto. Visto che le regioni procedono in ordine sparso: al momento Campania, Puglia, Emilia Romagna, Sicilia e Toscana hanno emanato ordinanze restrittive (chi l'obbligo della quarantena, chi del tampone o del test sierologico) per chi rientra dall'estero.

GLI ULTIMI CASI - Dopo i casi dei giorni scorsi, nuovi se ne stanno verificando in tutta Italia, e non riguardano solo Spagna e Grecia. In Abruzzo un 21enne di rientro da Malta e stato ricoverato con una polmonite interstiziale, il tampone rapido ha dato esito positivo.

Cinque giovani ragusani, rientrati sempre da Malta, nelle ultime ore sono risultati positivi al Covid-19, e l'Asp ragusana ha posto in isolamento domiciliare altre 150 persone che hanno avuto contatti con loro.

A Bordighera, in Liguria, sette persone sono risultate positive: cinque erano tornate da una vacanza in Croazia, le altre due sono state a stretto contatto con familiari rientrati da un Paese straniero. E sempre in Liguria altri due positivi erano appena tornati da Corfu.

Ancora: in Toscana una ventenne e tornata da Mykonos e si e sottoposta al tampone a pagamento, ma senza attendere il risultato e andata a ballare in discoteca la sera stessa. Poi e arrivato l'esito del test. Positivo. E positivi sono risultati anche dieci lombardi rientrati dalla Croazia.

"Il virus d'importazione pesa sempre di piu. Spesso arriva da vacanzieri veneti che si sono recati in Croazia piuttosto che in Spagna, in Grecia, a Malta o in alte localita e rispetto a questo, nelle prossime ore dovremmo produrre provvedimenti", ha detto il presidente della Regione Veneto, Luca Zaia. "Dico anche - ha aggiunto - che l'eta media si e abbassata, siamo arrivati ai 40 anni rispetto ai 64 che avevamo prima delle aperture. Questo dimostra che l'attenzione dei giovani non deve calare soprattutto per quanto riguarda i grandi assembramenti dove non si usano le dotazioni".

 Riproduzione riservata

(Unioneonline/L)
The coronavirus pandemic will have an even bigger impact on the global economy and its demand for oil than previously expected, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries said Wednesday.

The cartel estimates that worldwide oil demand this year will amount to 90.6 million barrels a day, 9.1 million barrels less than last year. The 9.1 per cent decline is deeper than OPEC forecast in its previous monthly report.

OPEC also said that it expects a four per cent contraction in the global economy, worse than its earlier estimate of 3.7 per cent.

The Vienna-based organization expects economic recovery in all major economies now that lockdowns have eased, but wrote that the latest surge of infections in the U.S. will need to be closely monitored, as a continuation of this trend may lead to an erosion in rebounding consumer confidence and spending behaviour.

Rising coronavirus cases in India, Brazil and some eurozone countries, such as Spain, also could derail economic growth and oil demand, OPEC said.

The recoverys vulnerability has kept oil prices stuck in neutral. Both Brent crude futures, the global benchmark, and West Texas Intermediate, the main U.S. gauge, have traded in narrow bands the past two months.

On Wednesday, Brent rose 1.5 per cent to $45.15 (U.S.) a barrel. West Texas Intermediate gained 1.7 per cent, to $42.33.

Thats a lot higher than in spring, when U.S. futures prices plunged for the first time ever into negative territory on fears that there would be nowhere left to store oil as Americans hunkered down to slow the spread of the deadly disease. But $40 oil hasnt been enough to encourage U.S. producers to ramp up output.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration said Wednesday that domestic crude production last week fell to 10.7 million barrels a day, down from a record of 13.1 million in mid-March when governors began issuing stay-at-home orders.

Though jet-fuel consumption remained very weak, down about 45 per cent from a year earlier, demand for diesel and gasoline continued to climb back and chip away at U.S. stockpiles, the EIA said.

Despite the risk of another round of lockdowns, OPEC left intact its forecast for a record-breaking rebound in 2021.

Member nations elected to soften their historic production curbs starting Aug. 1. OPEC and its market allies, such as Russia, will now hold back 7.7 million barrels a day. Saudi, Emirati and Kuwaiti production already have risen.

Questions remain as to whether countries, including Nigeria, that failed to comply with earlier quotas will follow through on pledges to compensate with deeper cuts this month and beyond.

Nigerias crude output dropped by 38,000 barrels a day in July, according to official OPEC data, although other data cited in the report shows a decline of just 9,000 barrels a day.
Sushant Singh Rajput Death Anniversary: A Timeline of the of events that have transpired so far

Sushant Singh Rajput's MLA cousin slaps Sanjay Raut with legal notice

India

pti-Madhuri Adnal

Patna, Aug 12: A Bihar MLA and close relative of Sushant Singh Rajput sent a legal notice to Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Wednesday, threatening action over a piece written by him in the party mouthpiece about the deceased actor's strained relations with his father, his lawyer said.

In his column for Saamana a few days ago, Raut had alleged that the actor, whose death is being probed by the CBI, was not on good terms with his own family and had strained relations with his father after his second marriage.

Sushant Singh Rajput case: Please ensure when CBI goes to Maharashtra, officers are not quarantined

Sanjay Raut is an honorable member of Parliament and a responsible spokesman of the party. My client Neeraj Kumar Bablu has contended that he should apologise within 48 hours for his baseless comments. If he does so, we will proceed no further. If he does not, we will seek legal remedy, Anish Jha, the BJP MLAs counsel, said here.

Chinese firms raided | I-T dept raids Chinese companies & more news | Oneindia News

Bablu, who is a cousin of Rajput, had rubbished the allegation that the actors septuagenarian father, Krishna Kishore Singh, had tied the knot again after the death of his wife in 2002.

Singh had lodged an FIR at a police station in Patna last month, nearly 40 days after his son was found hanging from the ceiling at his Bandra residence. In the FIR, Singh had accused actress Rhea Chakraborty and her family members of abetting his son's suicide besides cheating him financially.

Actor Sooraj Pancholi says he is being defamed in Sushant Singh Rajput case

Chakraborty has, since, been slapped with a money laundering case by the Enforcement Directorate.

Her petition, questioning the Bihar polices jurisdiction in the matter and seeking transfer of the case from Patna to Mumbai is pending before the Supreme Court.

The matter was taken over by the CBI following a recommendation by the Nitish Kumar government at the request of Rajput's father. While the Bihar police had swung into action after registering an FIR on July 25, the development was received with indignation by the Uddhav Thackeray government in Maharashtra.
The up-gradation project brought in more flexibility, scalability, and enhanced speed of report generation. The Data Visualization capability of OBIEE offers users a vibrant and modern visualization tool that makes comprehending business data more accessible and more effective.

The latest in Business Intelligence Automation and over a decade of expertise were critical factors in meeting an enormous pharmaceutical industry challenge. Beginning with the end in mind, DataTerrain swiftly executed several thousand BI reports conversion to Oracles Business Intelligence Enterprise Edition.

Many businesses and IT departments of various organizations face the same crucial decision-making situation: whether to keep the system internal to the company or outsource to cloud platforms. This question pertains not just to the BI (Business Intelligence) practices of the company but also relates to all the IT departments of the organization. For the customer in concern, the business data was highly sensitive, and hence, the management decided to continue with an On-Premises Business Intelligence environment.

The customer has offices across the globe, and more than 5000 users actively engage the Business Intelligence systems daily. DataTerrain comprehended the innate need for multi-language support in reporting and analysis. Before the project commenced, a thorough discussion with the customers internal Information Technology (IT) team was held to understand, analyze, and document the unique and vital needs of the project. It is essential to have a complete and deep understanding of the various distinctive requirements of the customer at the planning stages of the project to ensure its smooth execution and successful completion.

To begin with, DataTerrain formed a highly experienced and expert team with internal IT leaders and users to formulate a list of critical time zones, and based on that list, prioritized them to identify the reports currently being used. The approach was, to begin with, the consumers of the reports to identify their specific or local requirements. This included the changes they advised from the current system of reporting and the additional features/functionalities they preferred. As global localization was a vital factor of this engagement, DataTerrain used the NLS features in this project extensively.

The customers IT team identified around 2000 reports and dashboards as the significant reports that were being used. The next logical step in the project was the consolidation of reports for efficient management. DataTerrain extensively used an automation tool to upgrade the reports from Crystal reporting to OBIEE 11g/12c. Apart from manual testing cycles, a variety of automation tools were employed for testing to compare results from PDF or Excel formats. The automation at various levels in this upgrade saved huge costs and time. The time saved was used to develop many standardizations and best practices to ensure the robustness of the reporting system for the future.

Careful planning and execution ensured the successful completion of the project in 12 months, achieved as per the original plan, aided by the great collaboration of the customers internal IT team. The project included meetings carried out across different time zones and effective change management processes. The DataTerrain team worked diligently in the various phases of the project: planning, customer requirement gathering, standardization of process, execution, and finally, ensuring on-time completion of deliverables.

DataTerrain detailed documentation of the project for the ease of understanding the process and future reference. Specific care was taken to ensure that users of different countries could follow the independent process and management of the reporting system. The user manual and maintenance document was provided to the customer to enable easy editing of reports. The detailed documentation provided for every report (an important deliverable of the project) alleviated many bottlenecks experienced due to the varied time zones and languages. The extensive documentation of the project served the users of the system, who found it to address many of their requirements and was widely appreciated.

The successful execution of the project, and the smooth transition to the new system, can be attributed to DataTerrains systematic approach to the process, the speed and accuracy of the upgrade, and effective interaction with the internal IT team and business users of the reports. This particular upgrade involved two different vendors (SAP Crystal report to Oracle OBIEE). Their distinct features had to be handled, and the issues that were raised due to their differences had to be resolved. DataTerrains deep understanding of both systems (and extensive research) helped them overcome the different challenges in the process and led to the successful completion of the project to the total satisfaction of the customer.

The up-gradation project brought in more flexibility, scalability, and enhanced speed of report generation. The Data Visualization capability of OBIEE (Oracle Business Intelligence Enterprise Edition) offers users a vibrant and modern visualization tool that makes comprehending business data more accessible and more effective. The system harnesses the enhanced capability of technology to provide users with new business insights. It enables them to make faster, more informed business decisions with visual analytics and precise enterprise analytics. The accuracy and robustness of the system make it ideal for an organization that supports a vast number of users.

DataTerrain is available to meet your organizations Business Intelligence challenges of all sizes at connect@dataterrain.com.
Srinagar, Aug 12 : A soldier was injured when militants fired at a Rashtriya Rifles patrol in J&K's Baramulla district on Wednesday, police said.

The incident was reported from Hygam (Sopore) area of Baramulla.

"The area has been cordoned off for searches. The injured soldier has been shifted for treatment," a police officer said.
Joe Biden's campaign launched a new ad introducing Sen. Kamala Harris as his running mate that showed footage of him asking her to join the ticket.

'Hi, hi, hi, hi, sorry to keep you,' the California senator says on the call. 'No, that's alright, you ready to get to work?' Biden asks. A seemingly surprised Harris then responds, 'Oh my God. I am so ready to go to work.'

Harris will kick off her time as a vice presidential candidate with a joint appearance with Biden in Wilmington, Delaware late Wednesday afternoon - and on Friday she'll speak at a conference marking the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment on the same day as the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle.

A new ad from Joe Biden's campaign shows footage of him asking Sen. Kamala Harris to be his running mate

The ad serves as an introduction of her to supporters, featuring vintage pictures of the California senator

Sen. Kamala Harris will be speaking at the same event as Meghan Markle (pictured) on Friday, which will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, when women won the right to vote

The ad also blasts President Donald Trump for his handling of the coronavirus crisis and the Black Lives Matter demonstrations

It showed footage of protesters being cleared with pepper balls and teargas outside the White House on June 1

Protesters were cleared from the area directly before President Trump walked across Lafayette park for his photo-op with a Bible in front of St. John's church

The spot includes prior footage of Joe Biden (left) and Sen. Kamala Harris (right) together pre-pandemic. They'll appear together as running mates for the first time Wednesday in Wilmington

Sen. Kamala Harris (left) describes Joe Biden (right) in the ad as a 'man of faith, decency and character'

And she recalled her friendship with Beay Biden (left), who was also the attorney general of his state. He died of cancer in 2015

Sen. Kamala Harris (left) and Joe Biden (right) hug during an event held before the coronavirus pandemic gripped the nation. They'll likely lay out how they plan to campaign during Wednesday's Wilmington appearance

The conference is sponsored by The 19th, a non-profit news organization that covers the intersection of gender, politics and policy.

Other speakers include the Democrats' 2016 nominee Hillary Clinton, who was the first woman to ever top a presidential ticket.

The announcement of Harris marked the third time a female candidate was selected for veep and the first time a woman of color was chosen.

Other women speaking at the conference include two other vice presidential hopefuls: former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams and Illinois Sen. Tammy Duckworth, along with former 2002 presidential hopeful, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard.

Thanks to the coronavirus pandemic, Harris and Markle won't actually be rubbing elbows despite their same-day apperances, as the conference will be held virtually.

At the Wednesday event in Delaware, Biden and Harris will likely outline how they plan to hit the campaign trail amid the pandemic.

Footage of Biden and Harris together in the new ad was mainly pre-pandemic.

It included vintage photos of Harris with her Indian-born mother, as she explained how she was encouraged to challenge racial injustice.

'It's why as United States senator I have fought to represent people like my mother, people who politicians often overlook, or don't take seriously,' she said.

In the spot, Harris also takes on Trump.

'Right now America needs action. In the middle of a pandemic, the president is trying to rip away healthcare,' she said. 'While small businesses close, he's given breaks to his wealthy donors.'

'And when the people cried out for support, he teargassed them,' she added, as the ad displayed the infamous footage of Black Lives Matter protesters being cleared in the moments before Trump's St. John's church photo-op on June 1.

'America is in crisis, and I know Joe Biden will lead us out of it,' she also said.

She called Biden a 'man of faith, decency and character.'

'He raised his family that way, I saw it firsthand with my good friend Beau,' Harris said, with the ad flashing a picture of she and Beau Biden, who like her served as his state's attorney general.

He died of cancer in 2015.

'But together it's a battle we can win. We just have to take action,' Harris said.

The end of the spot cuts back to Biden and Harris' back-and-forth when he asked her to be his vice presidential nominee.

'First of all, is the answer yes?' he asks.

'The answer is absolutely yes, Joe. And I am ready to work, I am ready to do this with you, for you. I'm just deeply honored and very excited,' she says.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-12 19:57:34|Editor: huaxia

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DAKAR, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- Senegal on Wednesday reported 207 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number of confirmed infections to 11,587 in the west African country.

This is the first time since the outbreak of the pandemic in Senegal on March 2 that its daily tally surpassed 200 cases.

Of the 207 new cases, 92 were follow-up contact cases and 115 community-transmission ones, Ministry of Health and Social Action spokesperson Mamadou Ndiaye told a daily update on the pandemic.

A total of 1,842 tests were conducted in the previous 24 hours, the spokesperson said.

The number of community-transmission cases surged after the Tabaski festival, when many Senegalese travelled back home around the end of July, Ndiaye said.

According to Ndiaye, 74 more patients were discharged from hospitals and treatment centers, bringing the total number of recoveries to 7,523.

The death toll related to COVID-19 rose to 242, after four additional deaths were registered in the previous 24 hours in Senegal.

According to local media, Senegalese president Macky Sall has not ruled out the possibility of enforcing a partial lockdown to contain the spread of the pandemic.

A local state of emergency could be declared in the Dakar, Thies and Diourbel regions, which have the highest numbers of infections.

Senegal is one of the first African countries to report a confirmed case of COVID-19. The first case was a French national returning from France after vacation. Enditem
General Secretary of the Opposition NDC, Johnson Asiedu Nketia has asked the government to investigate the cause of the death of two persons during the just ended voter registration exercise.



He says it is the surest and best way to ensure violence-free general elections.



Speaking on Okay FM's 'Ade Akye Abia' programme, he explained that if the perpetrators of such heinous crime are arrested and prosecuted, it will bring finality to the matter and also make the various political parties more committed to the peace accord they have signed on to.



According to him a Member of Parliament (MP) was slapped, another was pepper-sprayed but nothing was done to these people.



"How can you ensure peace when you do not instill discipline by ensuring that those who were involved in such acts were brought before the law and justice served?" he asked.



He says he expects the President, Nana Addo Dankwah Akufo-Addo under whose watch these things happened to clear his name by making sure that the two innocent people who were killed during the registration exercise have their matter investigated thoroughly, offenders brought before the law and punished if they are found guilty.



A 28-year-old man was killed after he was stabbed in the back at Banda in the Bono Region by men reported to be New Patriotic Party (NPP) supporters.



Deceased persons



Silas Wulochamey, a new graduate from Akim Oda Teacher Training College was allegedly accosted by the men at Banda Kabrono when he returning from a visit to his pastor at Wenchi Methodist.



The deceased is said to be an apolitical person but was mistaken to be a member of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC).



One person also died, with two others in critical condition after a renewed clash between some supporters of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) at Nkrankwanta in the Dormaa West District of the Bono Region during the mop exercise of the voter registration exercise



This was after some gunshots were fired on Saturday, August 8, 2020.



The Member of Parliament for Dormaa West constituency, Ali Maiga Halidu has accused the NDC of bussing thugs from Sankore and Kasapin in the Ahafo Region to intimidate members of the NPP.















Source: Isaac Kwame Owusu/Peacefmonline.com/[email protected]









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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YEREVAN.  The Commandants office will announce in the coming days the decisions on easing the restrictions on the current state of emergency in Armenia; deputy prime minister Tigran Avinyan noted about this at Wednesdays special session of the National Assembly.

He noted that the planned changes will not take effect immediately. "It will be published very clearly, in a regulated way, by Friday. I believe there will be no room for misinterpretation," added Avinyan, who is also commandant of the current state of emergency in Armenia due to the COVID-19 situation in the country.

The deputy PM stated that the obligatory requirement of wearing face masks outdoors will be lifted for gatherings with family members.

As for the permission to hold rallies and demonstrations envisaged by this decision, Tigran Avinyan said: "There is no limit on the number and time in connection with gatherings. All that is required is to follow the epidemic rules: wearing a mask and maintaining social distance.
New Delhi: Triggered by an online post, a violent mob rampaged through Bengaluru's Pulakeshi Nagar on Tuesday (August 12) night and vandalized two police stations and the residence of Congress MLA Akhand Srinivas Murthy whose nephew allegedly shared a social media post against Prophet Mohammad Saheb.

Today's DNA report analyses as to how shouting slogans of Jai Shree Ram become communal, but people from the Muslim community's violent protest invites no reaction from those who call them champions of secularism.

The police had to open fire to control the irate crowd, in which at least 3 people were killed and scores, including 60 cops, were injured. The violent mob of Muslims vandalized Murthy's residence and damaged the vehicles parked there. The violence is stated to have been incited by SDPI of the Islamic fundamentalist organization PFI. SDPI's local leader has been arrested for his involvement in the violence.

PFI was also accused of funding the Delhi riots and in Bengaluru, violence has been triggered within six months of the riots in the national capital. Notably, over a thousand people gathered outside the police station, shouting religious slogans and vowing to give sacrifice. It is difficult to believe that all this happened in a modern city like Bengaluru.

We often see controversial posts on social media and many get arrested for the same. Liberal people then say that freedom of expression is being throttled, but the same ilk of people are now silent on the Bengaluru violence. No doubt, all religions should be respected, and nobody's religious sentiments should be hurt, but this condition should be applicable to all religions.

On the contrary, we see many people making fun of Hindu traditions and Hindu deities, making controversial remarks, but never a city is burnt for that. Not only this, Hindu Gods and Goddesses are sown in poor light but there are hardly any riots. Recently, two sadhus were killed in Palghar, but there was no violent protest. But when something about a particular class or about their religious faith, then it becomes communal. Bengaluru's violence is the glaring example of the same.

Eyewitnesses said that the mob attacked at least five times and the number of people attacking each time was increasing. A large number people perpetrating the violence were from outside the area. People opined that people outside were called to attack the MLA's house and the police stations to hide their identity.

Since Karnataka is currently governed by BJP's Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa, the state government has decided to follow the example of Uttar Pradesh to recover damages caused to public property from rioters. In Uttar Pradesh, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath enacted a law this year to recover damages from rioters.

Those who understand the mindset of riots know it well such violence never occurs suddenly, rather they are planned. In the Delhi riots, it was done in three phases. In the first phase, protests were organised against the Citizenship Act and the NRC, and in the second phase, areas were identified, roads were blocked, and in the third phase, riots were carried out.

The congregation of thousands of people within an hour of the controversial post on social media simply explains that the plan for riots was already prepared and these people were merely looking for a reason. The police have so far nabbed 150 rioters in Bangalore, besides arresting the Social Democratic Party of India's local leader Muzammil Pasha.

Since Muslims play a key role in vote bank politics, political parties are shying away from speaking openly against the rioters of Bangalore. Congress leader and former Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said Muslim leaders should stop Muslim miscreants, while Hindu leaders should avoid provocative posts.

Although Congress MLA's house was attacked, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Vadra avoided making any comment on the Bengaluru violence fearing political repercussions. The Bengaluru violence has also exposed the mindset of "secular brigade" which seeks responsible behaviour from merely the majority population.

Meanwhile, the state government has announced that a district magistrate would conduct an inquiry into the violence. It also decided to recover losses caused to public property during the violence from the rioters.

The opposition Congress and JD(S) extended complete support to the state government in restoring peace in violence-hit parts of the city and demanded immediate action against the culprits.

The BJP, however, accused the Congress of not being "vocal" against the rioters, saying "appeasement" seemed to be its official policy.
Shiv Sena alleged that BJP wants to dislodge Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in Maharashtra by September after making an unsuccessful attempt to topple Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot in Rajasthan.

Shiv Sena on Wednesday alleged that BJP wants to dislodge Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in Maharashtra by September after making an unsuccessful attempt to topple Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot in Rajasthan. In an editorial in its mouthpiece, Saamna, Shiv Sena said that BJPs policy is they will not allow the functioning of governments which disagree with its thoughts.

The editorial read that congress has achieved a feat in saving the government in Rajasthan. The Shiv Sena on Wednesday alleged that BJP wants to dislodge Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in Maharashtra by September after making an unsuccessful attempt to topple Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot in Rajasthan.State Assembly session is starting from Friday and Chief Minister Gehlot has a clear mandate to run the government. Everybody is laughing at BJPs jod tod (attempts at cobbling up numbers). Their policy is simple they will not allow to run and topple those governments which disagree with its thoughts.

The political crisis in Rajasthan began after differences between Gehlot and his former deputy Sachin Pilot. After a meeting with Congress top leadership, Pilot has agreed to work for the party. Pilot was removed from the posts of Rajasthan Congress chief and Deputy Chief Minister after differences reportedly emerged within the state unit.

Also read: Russia announces first Covid vaccine, Putins daughter inoculated

Also read: PM Modi to CMs: If Covid-19 is defeated in 10 worst-affected states, country will win

The editorial said that the rebellion of Pilot could not succeed as he could not gather the number of MLAs and BJP could not make through Ashok Gehlots Chakravyuh (strategic planning). It said that BJP leaders said that they will dislodge the Maharashtra government by September. It asked that after being unsuccessful in government, what is this policy to dislodge the government in Maharashtra? They should happily make efforts to destabilise and dislodge the Maharashtra government. It further read that BJP even wants to dislodge the government in Jharkhand.

Sena also targeted the ruling party the Centre alleging lack of support and assistance to state governments led by Opposition parties.

The editorial read that Operation Kamal could not be successful in Rajasthan, operation in Maharashtra was unsuccessful. It read that now bogus doctors have set a new date for operation in September, operation in Rajasthan continue for a month but was unsuccessful. It said that BJP should learn something from it.

In Assembly polls, BJP emerged as the single largest party in Maharashtra with 105 seats followed with Shiv Sena with 56 seats, NCP bagged 54 seats while Congress got 44 seats in 288-member Maharashtra Assembly.

The BJP-Shiv Sena alliance won an absolute majority in the election but could not form the government over the issue of chief ministerial post. Later, Shiv Sena along with NCP and Congress formed the government in the state under the leadership of Uddhav Thackeray, who took oath as Maharashtra Chief Minister.

Also read: Pilot responds to Gehlots nikamma comment, says right to raise work-related concerns
Chinese Ambassador to Britain Liu talks to crowd following Chinese Lunar New Year parade in London

LONDON (Reuters) - China blamed the United Kingdom on Thursday for deteriorating ties after Prime Minister Boris Johnson slapped a 5G ban on Huawei, accusing London of poisoning the relationship by meddling in Hong Kong's affairs.

"These actions have seriously poisoned the atmosphere of China-UK relationship," China's ambassador to London Liu Xiaoming told reporters.

"Some British politicians cling to the Cold War mentality... They play up the so-called China threat, see China as a hostile state, threaten a complete decoupling from China and even clamour for a new Cold War against China," he said.

(Reporting by Guy Faulconbridge and Kate Holton; editing by Sarah Young)
A Vietnamese teenage and a Serbian man as they are discharged from a medical center in Quang Ngai Province, August 12, 2020. Photos by VnExpress/Pham Linh.

Two central Vietnam residents and a Serbian man who entered the country last month have recovered from Covid-19.

The Serbian man, 29, came to Vietnam on July 9 to work for a steel company at Dung Quat Industrial Park in central Quang Ngai Province. His samples were taken the same day and returned positive the next.

One of the Vietnamese is a 17-year-old resident in Quang Ngai. Confirmed positive on July 26, he is the first locally transmitted case recorded in the province after the novel coronavirus resurfaced in Vietnam on July 25 after more than three months.

He got infected after taking care of his sick brother at a hospital in Da Nang, now a Covid-19 hotspot.

Both patients have been treated at a medical facility in Binh Son District, Quang Ngai.

"The doctors and nurses have treated me like family. When isolated for treatment, I could still talk to friends and family online. I want to thank all doctors and nurses here," the Serbian said, adding he felt "really good."

The Quang Ngai teenager said he was worried at first, but doctors encouraged him to persevere.

"Today I felt like a burden had been removed. I could not describe it in words," he said.

After discharge, the Serbian has entered isolation at his company while the Vietnamese commenced quarantine at home.

The patient in Da Nang City receives a certificate confirming she is Covid-19 free at Da Nang Hospital for Lung Diseases. Photo by the Health Ministry.

The remaining recoverer is a 61-year-old woman in Da Nang.

She was diagnosed with Covid-19 on July 29 after visiting Da Nang Hospital C and has been treated at the Da Nang Hospital for Lung Diseases. Now, she will be isolated at home for another 14 days.

Vietnam has recorded 866 Covid-19 cases so far. A total 402 have recovered, including the three latest cases. Seventeen patients have died while the rest remain under treatment.
As part of a $1.525 billion deal struck with the Trump administration, a Cambridge-based biotechnology company announced Tuesday it will provide millions of doses of its coronavirus vaccine to the federal government.

Moderna, Inc. will manufacture and deliver 100 million doses of its vaccine, mRNA-1273, while clinical trials are underway, according to a statement from the company.

The biotech company is currently in the third phase of its study of the vaccine, which started on July 27 and is being conducted in collaboration with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority.

Roughly 30,000 volunteers were expected to be injected late last month with mRNA-1273. Moderna is on track to deliver around 500 million doses per year and possibly up to 1 billion doses per year, beginning in 2021, the company said in July.

Nearly a dozen different COVID-19 vaccines are in various stages of development throughout the world, including in Britain, China and the United States.

Earlier this week, Russia said it had approved the worlds first coronavirus vaccine, though experts denounced the announcement as premature, Science Magazine reported.

The countrys vaccine, which was only tested on 76 people, has not undergone trials that prove it is effective among a large group of people, the news outlet pointed out.

The deal announced Tuesday with Moderna is part of the White Houses goal of securing early access to safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines for those in the United States.

Manufacturing the mRNA-1273 vaccine during clinical trial aims to expedite the traditional development timeline in accordance with the federal governments Operation Warp Speed, a program that seeks to produce 300 million doses of a safe coronavirus preventative by January 2021.

BARDA previously gave $955 million to Moderna to develop mRNA-1273, bringing up the federal governments total financial commitments for early access to the companys vaccine to $2.48 billion.

Incentive payments will also be awarded to the biotech company for timely delivery of its product, Moderna noted in its statement.

The Trump administration will also have the option to buy an additional 400 million doses of mRNA-1273, the statement said.

The U.S. government has said Americans will receive mRNA-1273 at no cost of the product itself, but health care professionals could charge individuals for administering it, as is customary with government-purchased vaccines, according to Moderna.

We appreciate the confidence of the U.S. government in our mRNA vaccine platform and the continued support, said Stephane Bancel, Modernas chief executive. We are advancing the clinical development of mRNA-1273 with the ongoing Phase 3 study being conducted in collaboration with NIAID and BARDA.

In parallel, we are scaling up our manufacturing capability with our strategic partners, Lonza, Catalent and Rovi, to address this global health emergency with a safe and effective vaccine.

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar noted that part of Operation Warp Speed is assembling a broad portfolio of vaccines to increase the odds the United States will have at least one effective COVID-19 preventative by years end.

With this latest investment, we will have supported the vaccine candidate developed by Moderna in partnership with the NIH all the way from early development through clinical trials and now manufacturing, with the potential to bring millions of safe and effective doses to the American people, he said in a statement.

When exactly Americans will get a coronavirus vaccine, though, remains uncertain, with those within the White House in disagreement.

While Republican President Donald Trump has said he expects a vaccine to become available by November, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said the timeline could be later than that.

Related Content:
A jurys $160,000 damage award against a state trooper accused of using excessive force after a traffic stop was not excessive and must stand, a Commonwealth Court panel has decided.

The decision, penned by Judge P. Kevin Brobson, marks the second time that court has weighed in on the case against Trooper Joseph Lombardo.

In 2017, a year after a Philadelphia jury handed down the verdict in favor of Lombardos accuser, Shiretta Justice, a Commonwealth Court panel voided the award, finding Lombardo was legally immune from Justices suit.

The state Supreme Court overturned that ruling, however, and sent the case back to Commonwealth Court for reconsideration. This time around, Brobsons panel rejected Lombardos claims that he didnt get a fair trial in the civil case because the presiding judge gave the jury unclear and prejudicial instructions.

The case centers on what happened when Lombardo pulled Justice over on the Schuylkill Expressway on Thanksgiving Eve of 2013.

Justice claimed Lombardo cited her for driving on a suspended license. He had her car towed over her objections, she said, and repeatedly offered her and her stepson a ride in his cruiser, even though she had called a friend for a lift.

When she repeatedly refused Lombardos offer of a ride, the trooper climbed over a concrete barrier, wrestled with her and handcuffed her, only to release her promptly when her ride arrived, Justice said. She claimed she suffered injuries, including damage to her wrist and back.

Lombardo claimed he restrained Justice for her own safety. He said she was combative and refused requests to get into his cruiser and off the side of the busy highway.

Justices stepson, who was with her, used his cell phone to film the incident. That video was shown to the jury.

Lombardo had no luck trying to convince Brobson and his colleagues that the $160,000 award is blatantly excessive.

Brobson found the evidence of the physical and emotional trauma Justice suffered  she claimed she was mortified to be handcuffed in front of her stepson  and the days she lost of work as a hair stylist after the incident support the jurys decision.
LOS ANGELES, Aug. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Kyle Johnson, son of Nichelle Nichols, the iconic Star Trek star, filed a countersuit against Gilbert Bell. The suit accuses Bell of elder abuse, theft, fraud, and additional charges related to Bell's bilking Nichols of significant assets including appearance fees, her pension, Social Security, and her Woodland Hills, CA home.

The countersuit is being handled by the Los Angeles-based law firm of Ivie McNeill Wyatt Purcell & Diggs.

Nichols, 87, the African American actress and performer, is best known for her role as Lt Uhura, Communications Officer of the Starship Enterprise in Star Trek / TOS (The Original Series) and the succeeding films 1 through 6. The role was groundbreaking for female African American characters and actresses in American television & film.

Kyle Johnson, Nichols' only child, is her full time caregiver and Conservator of her Person and Estate. He returned to California in August of 2018 to be her full time caregiver. Johnson seeks to "hold those responsible to account, ensure his mother's financial stability, health and comfort, recover what has been stolen from her, and ensure a safe, secure, and enjoyable future in the coming years."

The countersuit charges Bell with consistent, tortious, malfeasant, and callous conduct as he "took advantage of a highly respected woman when she was vulnerable" and continued as her health and circumstances declined. The countersuit alleges that in 2012, Bell temporarily moved into a second house on Nichols' property and continues to live in the house under a fraudulent lease and a succeeding fraudulent reverse mortgage.

Bell exerted influence and assumed control over Nichols' assets and personal life by telling Ms. Nichols lies, fabricating documents, and establishing legal entities controlled by Bell in order to profit from Ms. Nichols' personal affairs.

According to the National Council on Aging, more than ten percent of those over 60 fall victim to elder abuse. Financial exploitation is one of the many ways in which seniors are taken advantage of by people they trust. A number of well-known celebrities, including Stan Lee, Mickey Rooney, and Casey Kasem reportedly suffered elder abuse in their later years. Refer to case number 19STCV23804 for more information.

Based in Los Angeles, Ivie McNeill Wyatt Purcell & Diggs is a multi-cultural law firm which has been serving clients for more than 75 years in a diverse range of practice areas. The firm's partners include Ricky Ivie, W. Keith Wyatt, Byron Purcell, Rodney Diggs, and Marie Maurice.

SOURCE Kyle Johnson
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This is the story of what happens when you have lost all of your elephants in one country, while another country has too many. In honor of World Elephant Day, I might go ahead and share one of my favorite stories of saving these delightful creatures  Moving Giants.

Yes, you read that righttoo many elephants. Perhaps youre like me and just assumed that all elephants were facing extinction, especially from poaching. Until I began reading more and working more in conservation, I learned that thats not always the case.

Sometimes its common for wildlife that is being brought back from the brink to become too abundant. Thats right. There is a generation of elephants at the southern tip of Africa, which are experiencing a very humanized problem.

There are just too many elephants.

South Africa: what happens when you have too many elephants?

The Venetia Limpopo Nature Reserve (VLNR ) rests on the border of South Africa, and Zimbabwe is vast and enormous. It was established in the early 1990s, home to some incredible and diverse wildlife. From hundreds of species of birds to ancient baobab trees, and lush riverine forests, its incredible. Part of the De Beers Group Diamond Route*, the VLNR is home to these thriving ecosystems, where its fertile lands and safe conditions created a unique challenge  too many elephants crowding the landscape.

Must have been all those romantic African sunsets.

Jokes aside, you can have too much of a good thing. Too many elephants in a small area can wreak havoc on the delicate ecosystems that are also recovering and flourishing too. As a result, other species are suffering. Lets not forget to mention the poor dry earth itself. Resources are running thin, and there are lots of mouths to feed. Sound familiar?

*The Diamond Route is a collection of biodiversity conservation sites and nature reserves, owned and managed by De Beers Group and Debswana, that span 200,000 hectares across southern Africa.

Mozambique: when youre trying to bring back the elephants

Meanwhile, nearly 2,000 kilometers away in Mozambique, the elephant population is struggling big time.

From 1977 to 1992, the country suffered a brutal civil war. More than a million people lost their lives. Almost all the elephants were killed as well. Without this keystone species, the ecosystem of the national parks there hasnt been in balance since.

There are just too few elephants in Mozambique, a place desperate to revive its native elephant population.

Do you see where Im going with this?

De Beers Groups VLNR in South Africa has an overpopulation of elephants. In contrast, Zinave National Park in Mozambique lost much of its wildlife as a result of civil war in the 80s.

So what if excess elephants from SA, could be rehomed in Mozambique?

Could this happen? Is this possible? How on earth do you move some of the biggest (and heftiest) creatures on earth, which Im guessing, really dont want to be moved. A complex problem requires a complex solution, and we all know those dont come cheap.

Luckily De Beers Group was up for the challenge and has invested millions in funding anti-poaching efforts and translocating the elephants from the VLNR to Zinave in collaboration with Peace Parks Foundation and Moving Giants.

The UN has asked for the private sector to help support the planet, and De Beers Group answered. By also providing funding for the ongoing training and employment of experts to protect translocated elephants, they are putting their money where their mouth is when it comes to looking after our environments. Its a shining example of a company making a real difference.

What is so important about elephants? Why do we need to move these giants?

Good question. Elephants play a massive role in trampling flourishing grasslands. This is good because it makes room for other species even to exist. Additionally, they dig dry riverbeds with their tusks when rainfall is low, creating waterholes for everyone. The little dudes of the nature reserves need these massive plodders just like us humans need plants.

Need I mention they also disperse seeds in their poop. They carry it miles before depositing and generating new green growth? The impact of elephants is far-reaching and vast.

Now, thanks to De Beers and Peace Parks Foundation, a particular, daring, exciting project is underway: the longest elephant translocation ever attempted.

This remarkable De Beers Group collaboration, Moving Giants is translocating hundreds of elephants 1,000 miles across Africa  and with great success  so far, 101 elephants have arrived at their new home, and some already have babies!

With plans to move more of these magnificent creatures once restrictions ease next year, its powerful to see a big company show up and make a real difference towards protecting the wildlife we cherish.

The translocations have been successful, with the elephants successfully adapting and prospering in Zinave. Since the elephants have arrived, the park has also seen a marked change. Now there are numerous elephant highways crossing the sanctuary. This enables thicket-loving species such as nyala, kudu, and bushbuck to flourish. Even some species of birds not seen in recent years have returned.

Happy World Elephant Day

World Elephant Day was created on 12th August 2012, by Canadian Patricia Sims in collaboration with the Elephant Reintroduction Foundation of Thailand. It aims to spread awareness about the diverse threats elephants are facing as a species. Also, they share how to create a safer environment in which to nurture them.

As Patricia puts it, World Elephant Day is a rallying call for people to support organizations that are working to stop the illegal poaching and trade of elephant ivory and other wildlife products, protect wild elephant habitat, and provide sanctuaries and alternative habitats for domestic elephants to live freely.

World Elephant Day is all about having the conversation and learning and growing. Look at what Moving Giants has achieved! Anything is possible. Its also a good time to mention this too. The only way we should interact with elephants is from a safe and respectable distance while viewing them in the wild.

What does that mean? No elephant demonstrations, no elephant/human interaction, no riding elephants, no buying elephant trophies, and no elephant cuddles.

Recently, The Elephant Reintroduction Foundation has found that formerly captive elephants released back into the wild have successfully mated with each other. Now they roam free, protected from *cringe* tourism schemes. While riding an elephant in Thailand seems like a classic bucket list thing to do, there are far better ways you can interact and support elephants.

Be a responsible tourist and look for conservation parks that have legitimate interests. If the companys primary interest is in taking your money, you can assume they arent treating the elephants well.

As the world comes to grip with the new normal, my mind cant help but drift towards the animal kingdom. I worry about what will happen to the endangered wildlife initiatives I support.

Between the drop in tourism and government funding and private philanthropic efforts diverted towards healthcare, who is left looking after our most threatened creatures on the planet? Its never been more critical not to lose sight of the conservation milestones we have achieved.

I was stoked to recently hear from De Beers Group that theyre continuing to commit to their conservation work in Africa, including through the Moving Giants initiative, my favorite of their Building Forever efforts.

De Beers Group and I share the core belief of protecting the natural world weve benefited from  to recover natures treasure, we have to treasure nature.

Who could have ever guessed that the natural diamonds buried deep beneath the red earth elephants tread on, would help save them?

What do you think of the Moving Giants project? Have you seen an elephant in the wild before? How do you think companies can work to protect the natural world?
Srinagar, Aug 12 : Top Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) commander Azad Lalhari was killed on Wednesday in an encounter with the security forces in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district, police said.

"In the initial firing, two soldiers were injured. One of the injured succumbed to his injuries at the Army's Base Hospital in Srinagar," police said Police said Lalhari was killed in the joint operation by police, Army and the CRPF in Kamrazipora village.

Later, the body recovered from the encounter site was identified as that of Lalhari, police added.

Lalhari had succeeded Riyaz Naikoo as the chief commander of HM and was the most- wanted local militant commander in Kashmir, police sources said.

DGP Dilbag Singh said that six FIRs were lodged against Lalhari for killings by militants.

"He was involved in the killing of Head Constable Anoop Singh in Pulwama town on May 22 when he fired at a naka party," the DGP said.

The police chief said Lalhari had started as an overground worker of the Hizbul, for which he was detained under the Public Safety Act. After serving his PSA detention, he had joined the Hizbul ranks.
>>> Hanoi plans to conduct extensive PCR testing for returnees from Da Nang

Nhan Dan Online had an interview with Labour Hero, Professor, Nguyen Anh Tri, Chairman of the Vietnam Society of Haematology and Blood Transfusion, to look into the correct understanding of COVID-19 tests as well as the need for all Vietnamese people to join hands in the fight against the epidemic.

Hailing the move from the Ministry of Health in changing from the COVID-19 rapid test to the Realtime-RT-PCR (rRT-PCR) method, as well as pooling the samples to reduce the time and costs required, Dr. Tri said that the SARS-CoV-2 virus is considered an antigen. A person infected with SARS-CoV-2 takes 7-15 days to develop antibodies to fight the virus.

People infected with SARS-CoV-2 usually incubate for about 5-14 days (in some cases the incubation may be longer) before falling into COVID-19. But what is very dangerous is that during the incubation period, the carrier can already spread the virus into the community. Therefore, detecting people carrying the SARS-CoV-2 virus for timely isolation is important in order to limit the spread in the community, Tri affirmed.

The rRT-PCR technique has been used around the world, and in Vietnam, in the test to detect the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Meanwhile, the rapid test  which is currently being used in some places  is used to detect antibodies to the coronavirus. It is not an appropriate technique as it is nonsense to use antibody detection test to find the antigen, said Tri.

If the test result is positive, it still does not confirm if the person has antigens. Thus, the viral transmission may have already happened. In addition, if the test is conducted too early, the result is always negative, because antibodies always appear later, Tri explained.

The most dangerous detail is that if the test result is negative, it is not known if the person has the virus in the body or not, the expert said, warning that those who get a negative result after their rapid test may think that they are not infected with the coronavirus or no longer carry the virus, leading to an increased risk of infection for themselves and also the community in the case that the SARS-CoV-2 virus is still in their body but has not fully developed into COVID-19 yet.

For that reason, Dr. Tri emphasised that the rapid test has no screening value in detecting the SARS-CoV-2 virus in people who have returned from epidemic-hit areas. The test is only used to monitor the results of treatment in people already confirmed as infected with SARS-CoV-2, showing whether they still have antibodies after treatment or not, and to serve epidemiological investigation in the community to see whether any people in a specific area have been infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus or not, from which to build a proper strategy on epidemic prevention.

Tri also hailed medical staff in the central city of Da Nang  the current COVID-19 hotbed in Vietnam  in pooling samples taken from local residents for rRT-PCR testing to detect SARS-CoV-2, thereby speeding up the testing. They have been mixing approximately four samples and then performing the rRT-PCR test. In any positive batch, the samples then will be separated into four separate ones for further testing to identify the positive person. With this approach, the cost of testing will be reduced and the speed of testing will be given a boost, requiring about a quarter the length of the time needed for the no-pool method, Tri said.

He also suggested that those returning from the epidemic-hit areas should strictly follow the directions from the competent authorities in honestly and promptly making medical declarations. They must go to medical establishments to test if showing any abnormal signs, while complying with recommendations about wearing face masks, washing hands regularly and practicing social distancing.

Tri also stressed the need to localise and stamp out the outbreaks drastically, persistently and seriously. The rRT-PCR test should be actively carried out on those coming back from Da Nang, and other related persons in all provinces and cities across the nation as it is a decisive job to localise and stamp out the epidemic, Tri affirmed.

He suggested the Ministry of Health encourage both eligible public and private health facilities to participate in testing in order to reduce the cost for the rRT-PCR test (ranging from VND1.6- 2.2 million per test) and to boost the process by pooling samples as many countries around the world are doing.

Saying that Vietnam is still in control of the new outbreak after having recorded 99 days without any new community infections before, Tri said that the country was not surprised by the second wave that started from Da Nang.

However, this leakage is serious, according to Tri, as the new outbreak was caused by a modified foreign strain of the SARS-Cov-2 virus that spread much faster than other strains that have been detected in Vietnam. The epidemic happened in a big tourist city, amid the domestic tourism boom after a long social distancing period. In particular, it has happened first and foremost in hospitals where there are many critically ill patients.

Whether this "leakage" becomes a "broken dike" or not depends much on our own attitude, determination and unanimity during this period, Tri said.

Regarding the recent deaths in relation to COVID-19 in Vietnam, the former head of the Vietnam National Institute of Haematology and Blood Transfusion affirmed that they did not die directly from COVID-19 but in relation to the SARS-CoV-2 virus infection.

Not everyone infected with this virus will see it develop into COVID-19. They are mostly faced with a mild form of flu. Through studies around the world, only about 5-20% among them have COVID-19. But there is a high proportion of deaths in people with COVID-19, usually above 30%. However, not all COVID-19 patients die. The treatment results from our first outbreak, with no deaths even with severely ill patients, has proved that point, said Tri.

In Vietnam, all related deaths were with patients with very serious underlying diseases, combined with the SARS-CoV-2 infection. In patients with serious co-morbidities such as blood an cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and kidney failure, they have been undergoing treatment for a long time before being infected with SARS-CoV-2, meaning the risk of death from underlying diseases is higher for them, because of the adverse effects of the virus on the immune system and the patients resistance, Tri explained.

Therefore, the announcement on the death of such patients should be recorded as due to underlying diseases and tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 , or in the relation to the coronavirus as recommended by the World Health Organisation, Tri suggested.

It is only announced that the patients die from COVID-19 when they had only COVID-19 with no other associated illness, he said, adding that the correct announcement is very important to avoid causing unnecessary confusion while bettering the COVID-19 prevention and treatment for the targeted group of patients in hospitals.

Tri predicted that the current outbreak will not be easy to stamp out as it is estimated that about 1 million people have stayed or went through Da Nang within a month. The city has recorded the most infections during the new outbreak, while many other provinces and cities have recorded infected people returning from Da Nang.

I think there will be more infected cases in the near future. At least 14-21 days must pass to learn about the scale of this outbreak. We know now not to be off guard but to be calmer and more determined to fight the epidemic.

I want to emphasise that whether its quick or not in extinguishing the outbreak in Da Nang depends greatly on the public awareness and the whole community joining hands. The Government, the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control and the Ministry of Health have done their best with the right and drastic directions and implementation of the disease control measures, Tri concluded.
The Iranian government's spokesman said on Tuesday that the run-off parliamentary elections will be held on September 11, Tasnim news agency reported.

This final round of voting will be preceded by a week-long campaign without public gatherings to comply with health protocols, said Ali Rabiee.

In the capital Tehran and two other cities, representatives in Parliament will be elected next year along with the nationwide presidential and city council elections, the spokesman added.

The first round of the parliamentary elections was held on February 21, and the runoff should have been held on April 17 but was delayed because of the coronavirus pandemic.

--IANS

rt/

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
'Value of the High Ground': US Space Force Publishes First Official 'Spacepower' Doctrine

Sputnik News

19:00 GMT 11.08.2020

Just eight months after its creation, the US Space Force (USSF) has published its first doctrine, a document it says will serve as the "foundation of our professional body of knowledge" as the Pentagon's newest service branch.

Titled "Spacepower," the capstone publication lays out many of the basics of how the USSF understands its mission, methods and domain.

"One of the principles of an independent service is the creation of doctrine," USSF Chief of Space Operations Gen. Jay Raymond said in a USSF news release on Monday. "The Space Capstone Publication explains why spacepower is a vital element of US prosperity and security - now and in the future - and guides its employment in multidomain operations. As the USSF continues to grow and mature, we will continue to evolve our doctrine to stay on the cutting edge of defending our interests in space."

According to the document, the Space Force brings together space capabilities formerly operated as ancillary fields in support of their own domains. The doctrine thus "elevates spacepower as a distinct formulation of military power on par with landpower, seapower, airpower, and cyberpower."

Spacepower, it says, concerns the space domain, which is defined as the "altitude where atmospheric effects on airborne objects becomes negligible." This makes spacepower an inherently global concern, the doctrine notes, and because space assets are operated by surface-based personnel, space operations are also inherently multi-domain.

However, the US military's definition of space is different from more common delineations. Most official determinations, such as by the Federation Aeronautique Internationale, use the Karman Line, which is 62 miles above sea level, but the Pentagon and the American space agency NASA place the border 12 miles lower, at 50 miles up, according to the US National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Perhaps the doctrine's most salient point lies in seeing in "military spacepower a critical manifestation of the high ground" from which the Space Force can, through "deterrent and coercive capacities," provide national military leadership with options in support of other forms of military power.

In other words, the USSF is seen as key to everything else the Pentagon does. Navigation and communications down on planet Earth are almost totally dependent on space assets which must be defended, and now that there is a Space Force dedicated to defending them, they can be vastly expanded and even turned into offensive weapons of their own.

Following the position of the Trump administration, the Space Force pins the necessity of this evolution - and its own existence - on foreign adversaries like Russia and China. Although neither country is named in the document, it notes that "our potential adversaries' actions have significantly increased the likelihood of warfare in the space domain."

As Sputnik has reported, the issue is not that Russia, China or any other country are threatening to militarize space or have recently begun to, but that until recently, the United States was the only country to have done so, which is why it was not a problem for US defense policy before.

One of the key weapons drawing US ire is anti-satellite missiles, which Russia tested earlier this year and China has tested as early as 2007. However, the US was the first nation to demonstrate such a capability way back on September 13, 1985, when it shot down the "Solwind" solar observation satellite using an ASM-135 ASAT missile fired from a specially modified F-15 Eagle. However, the US has been testing anti-satellite weapons almost since Sputnik 1 was launched by the USSR in 1957, including the May 24, 1963, test of a nuclear-armed Nike-Zeus missile that destroyed an AGENA D satellite.

Some of the more recent weapons deployed by the Space Force are ground-based jammers intended to target enemy satellites.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration has fervently dodged attempts by Beijing and Moscow to halt an arms race in space before it begins.

A Sputnik

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Following the Indo-China border clash in Ladakh's Galwan Valley on June 15, there has been a rise in anti-China sentiment in a large part of India's population. A recent poll conducted by News18, in collaboration with Piplsay, revealed that about 84 percent of the people are confident about the current leadership's handling of the twin crisis that India is now faced with: COVID-19 and Chinese aggression.

The News18-Piplsay Public Sentimeter on China was conducted from August 3 to 10 and had a sample size of 10,000 respondents from across India.

The results of the survey point to a strong support for the ban on Chinese apps and reduced investments from India's northern neighbour. About 77 percent respondents think that India should bring down its trade dependence on China. Nearly 70 percent believe the government's decision to ban Chinese apps sends out a strong message.

It is also evident from the survey's findings that most Indians view the neighbouring communist country with suspicion-tinted glasses. Around 80 percent of those who took the poll said that their perception about China changed amid the COVID-19 pandemic and also after the border standoff.
HANOVER (dpa-AFX) - TUI AG (TUIFF.PK) said Wednesday that it would receive an additional 1.2 billion euros aid package from the German government. The aid package strengthens the company's position and would provide sufficient liquidity in the volatile market environment to cover the company's seasonal swing through Winter 2020/21 and thereafter and in the case of any further long-term travel restrictions and disruptions related to COVID-19, the company said in a statement. The majority of the aid will come from state-owned lender KfW, which will extend TUI's existing credit line by 1.05 billion euros. The remaining 150 million euros will come from the issue of convertible bonds to Germany's Economic Stabilization Fund, the company said. The additional KfW tranche is also subject to a waiver of a potential future limitation of TUI's financial indebtedness under the Senior Notes due in October 2021. In April, KfW provided the company with a 1.8 billion euros loan. TUI said it would, as of today, have cash and available facilities of 2.4 billion euros that includes the additional aid package. The company said in May that it expected to permanently reduce its overhead cost base by 30 percent across the entire Group, impacting potentially 8000 jobs globally that would either not be recruited or reduced. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
Orlando Bloom is ready to be a father again, revealing how excited he is for his daughter with fiancee Katy Perry to arrive.

The 43-year-old actor shares an eight-year-old son Flynn with his first wife Miranda Kerr, though the actor told The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon he can't wait for his daughter to arrive.

While Perry and Bloom have not shared when their baby is due, there has been speculation she could give birth later this month.

Excited: Orlando Bloom is ready to be a father again, revealing how excited he is for his daughter with fiancee Katy Perry to arrive

'I'm so excited to have a little daddy's girl. I hope she's gonna love me as much as I love her,' the British actor began.

'But that daddy-girl thing, you know, and that love of your life feeling is I think right around there, you know,' Bloom added.

Fallon, the father of two girls himself - seven-year-old Winnie and five-year-old Francis - offered, 'the feeling is what everyone tells you.'

Daddy: 'I'm so excited to have a little daddy's girl. I hope she's gonna love me as much as I love her,' the British actor began

Fallon added it's the 'best thing in the world' to watch them grow up, while Bloom added that his son Flynn is excited to have a sister.

'He's got a couple of other brothers, but this is his first sister, so he's excited,' Bloom said, referring to Kerr's sons Hart, 2, and Myles, 10 months, with husband Evan Spiegel, the co-founder of Snapchat.

Bloom also opened up about his life in quarantine, adding that the time off gave him some 'real solace.'

Best thing: Fallon added it's the 'best thing in the world' to watch them grow up, while Bloom added that his son Flynn is excited to have a sister

'To be honest it's been... so I was working a lot and I found some real solace, I think it's kind of a reset that we all needed,' Bloom said.

He added that the quarantine was, 'a chance to reflect on what's important and what we've been doing, and I just hope we can keep that thinking and it can continue.'

The Carnival Row star added that he is 'incredibly blessed,' while Fallon started asking about the shelves of toy cars behind him.

Toys: The Carnival Row star added that he is 'incredibly blessed,' while Fallon started asking about the shelves of toy cars behind him

Bloom said all of those cars were made by him and his son Flynn through 'hours of quarantine,' adding he 'kind of found it reassuring.'

He added that they, 'started with the silver Porsche up here, and I got so into it,' more so than his son.

'He would be like, "Dad, I'm going to bed" and I'm like "Just another 15 minutes,' Bloom joked.
Iceland has issued a salmonella warning to customers and ordered a recall of its chicken products.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) said the supermarket's affected items include its Chip Shop Curry Chicken Breast Toppers and Southern Fried Chicken Popsters.

It explained that 'salmonella had been found in these products', warning customers not to eat the items and return them for a full refund.

The Food Standards Agency said Iceland recalled some of its chicken products on Monday after some items were found to contain salmonella (file photo of store in Barnsley)

The best before dates affected for Iceland's own brand Chip Shop Curry Chicken Breast Toppers are 27 February 2021, 17 March 2021 and 8 April 2021.

The affected Southern Fried Chicken Popsters come in a 220g pack with the best before date listed as 4 April 2021.

The government department said: 'Iceland is recalling the above products. Point of sale notices will be displayed in all retail stores that are selling these products.'

It added: 'If you have bought any of the above products do not consume them. Instead, return them to the store from where they were bought for a full refund.'

The two products were recalled on Monday as a precautionary measure and Iceland 'apologised for any inconvenience caused'.

The supermarket added: 'For further details or if you have any questions, please call our Customer Care Line on 0800 328 0800 and select Option 2.'

The affected Southern Fried Chicken Popsters, pictured above, come in a 220g pack with the best before date listed as 4 April 2021

The best before dates affected for Iceland's own brand Chip Shop Curry Chicken Breast Toppers, above, are 27 February 2021, 17 March 2021 and 8 April 2021

Symptoms of salmonella infections, which can cause dangerous complications to children and the elderly, include diarrhoea, stomach cramps and sometimes vomiting and fever.

On average, it takes from 12 to 72 hours for the symptoms to develop after swallowing an infectious dose of salmonella.

They usually last for four to seven days and most people recover without treatment.

But if you become seriously ill, you may need hospital care because the dehydration caused by the illness can be life-threatening.

You usually get salmonella by eating contaminated food. Contamination is possible if raw and cooked foods are stored together.
With many Oregon colleges charging ahead toward full or partial fall opening despite virus risks, the Oregon Health Authority hosted a live Q&A Wednesday to answer questions about what to expect at colleges and universities.

Oregon colleges from Salem to McMinnville to Forest Grove to Portland are tentatively planning to open their campuses in the fall. Oregon State University announced Tuesday that 90% of its Corvallis classes would be online only this fall and all students are welcome to live at home rather than on or near campus.

The health authoritys Deputy State Health Officer, Dr. Tom Jeanne, and the executive director of the Higher Education Coordinating Commission, Ben Cannon fielded questions.

Watch a replay of the Q&A on the Oregon Health Authoritys Facebook page.

 The Oregonian/OregonLive
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Bone Growth Stimulators (BGS)

Non-Invasive Electrical BGS

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Hospitals

Ambulatory Surgical Centres

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Middle East and Africa (MEA)

Assumptions used in this research report

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President Moon Jae-in, right, speaks during a meeting with senior aides at Cheong Wa Dae, Aug. 10, alongside his chief of staff Noh Young-min. Yonhap



By Do Je-hae



Cheong Wa Dae named two new senior presidential secretaries, Wednesday, to replace two of the six senior aides who offered their collective resignation last week.



President Moon Jae-in appointed Chung Man-ho, former vice governor for Gangwon Province, as senior secretary for public communication; and Yoon Chang-yul, an official from the prime minister's office, as senior secretary for social policy, according to presidential spokesman Kang Min-seok.



But there was no mention of presidential chief of staff Noh Young-min, who initiated the offer of resignations on Aug. 7 to take responsibility for the recent situation. Earlier this week, Cheong Wa Dae announced replacements for three other aides. As a result, only the chief of staff and senior secretary for personnel affairs Kim Oe-sook remain among the six aides who offered to resign  Yoon replaces Kim Yeon-myeong who was not among the six.



The presidential office has yet to clarify whether Moon has accepted Noh's offer of resignation or whether the President has decided to retain him. Noh has been serving in the post since January 2019 when he was appointed Moon's second chief of staff after serving as the President's first Korean ambassador to China.



"As I have said before, we are not able to mention anything further about additional personnel appointments as they are entirely up to the President," a senior presidential aide told reporters, Wednesday.



But speculations are rising that Noh's time at Cheong Wa Dae is limited, given that he has already served almost 20 months in the post. His predecessor Im Jong-seok, currently a special advisor to the President for foreign affairs and national security, also served about 20 months before being replaced. Also, Noh has been at the center of controversy about Cheong Wa Dae's attempt to curb multiple house ownership among senior secretaries.



Political analysts say now is a good time for a new presidential chief of staff to invigorate the presidential office and assist Moon in achieving policy success in the final phase of his presidency, which ends in May 2022.



The immediate concern of the new chief of staff will be to assuage the concerns of an early lame duck presidency and help the President and Cheong Wa Dae regain public trust amid the rising criticisms against Moon's policy failures, particularly with housing.



With the worsening public sentiment, fears are rising that the ruling bloc will not be able to remain in power if it keeps up its unilateral way of managing state affairs.



"For the new chief of staff, we want to seek someone with strong leadership who can lay the foundation to successfully regain power," Rep. Yang Hyang-ja of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) said in a recent media interview. "We need someone with strategy and strong political background who can help the President make sound political judgment and communicate effectively with the National Assembly."



It is widely expected that Noh's successor will most likely be Moon's last chief of staff.



Moon knows all too well about the significance of the final chief of staff for a President, given that he himself served as the last chief of staff to the late former President Roh Moo-hyun from March 2007 until February 2008. "The last chief of staff must also take into consideration the post-retirement affairs of the President," Moon wrote in his 2011 autobiography "Destiny."


By Jeremy Hay

Bay City News Foundation

The Sonoma County Deputy Sheriffs' Association says county supervisors broke state labor laws in placing a measure on the November ballot aimed at increasing the powers of the watchdog office that oversees the county Sheriff's Office.

The association will try and overturn the supervisors' action, officials said in a statement Tuesday.

"We're not opposed to oversight, transparency or reform, but there are rules of engagement like any other process and they have to follow the rules," Rocky Lucia of Rains Lucia Stern St. Phalle & Silver, the law firm representing the association, said in an interview.

The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to place the measure on the ballot last Thursday, the last day it was legally able to; advocates whose efforts to qualify the measure for the ballot were halted by the pandemic had campaigned for the board to take the action.

If the measure passes, it would strengthen the ability of the Independent Office of Law Enforcement Review and Outreach, or IOLERO, to investigate use of force by sheriff's deputies and complaints against Sheriff's Office personnel, as well as to do community outreach.

The association's central stated argument against the ballot measure is that supervisors, rushing to get it on the ballot, did not confer about it with the association first. That violated state labor laws about how employers have to deal with public employee unions, Lucia said.

"It's understood by everybody that there are procedures that have to be followed and what Sonoma County has done is they just ignored the law," Lucia said.

The association plans to file a legal claim against the county unless supervisors remove the measure from the ballot and meet with the association, Lucia said.

If supervisors were to do that, it would effectively kill any chance of the measure appearing on the ballot because the Aug. 7 deadline to place it before voters in November has passed.

The claim will be filed with the state Public Employee Relations Board, or PERB. Lucia said he believes the claim will likely not be resolved prior to the November election. In that case, if PERB's decision goes against the county, the measure, had it passed, could be nullified.

County Counsel Bruce Goldstein said in an email that the county followed "required policies and statutes" and that the association raised the issue on the day the board considered placing the measure on the ballot.

He said the county is scheduling a meeting with the association to address any labor relations issues that the ordinance may present.

Sonoma County Sheriff Mark Essick appears ready to also challenge the ordinance, though for different reasons. He has said it violates laws governing how county funds are allocated and personnel records, among other things.

Essick has indicated his office will "explore potential litigation" related to the ordinance, and has previously said he would challenge it on constitutional grounds.

Essick's request for $50,000 to hire legal counsel was on the supervisors' agenda at their meeting Tuesday, but along with some other items was rescheduled to a Wednesday meeting.

Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Misti Wood said that the funds are in the department's budget already but the sheriff is requesting approval to hire outside legal counsel because it would be a conflict for county lawyers to advise him about challenging the ordinance.

Copyright  2020 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited.
Rapper and music producer Kanye West who is in the fray for the US presidential elections could find himself investigated for election fraud after issues with petitions he filed in three states to get on the ballot, a report by Rogue Rocket stated.

On August 3, only a few hours before a hearing to determine the validity of his petition, West's team withdrew their application. At this time, Kanye 2020 has no further option than to regrettably withdraw from New Jersey and cease further efforts to place Wests name on the New Jersey ballot, his campaign wrote in an email to the judge overseeing the matter.

According to the report, an election board in Illinois, one of the states where West tried to get on the ballot, ruled that 60 percent or nearly 2,000 of the 3,218 signatures West collected were found to be invalid. The decision was handed down after it was reported by three different whistle-blowers who asked the state to take a deeper look into the issue at the end of July.

If the findings hold true, West will be short of the 1,300 signatures needed to appear on the ballot of his home state. West will require 2,500 signatures in order to appear.

The boards ruling is just preliminary, and their findings still have to go to a hearing examiner, who will make a recommendation as to whether or not West should stay on that ballot, the report said.

The complaints extend beyond Illinois. The Wisconsin state Democratic Party had earlier filed a complaint asking state officials to keep West off the ballot.

In their complaint, they allege that Wests campaign was late in submitting their paperwork and that there were numerous issues with those filings, including problems with signatures he collected. As per the complaint, the papers he filed included incorrect addresses for the people who circulated it. The complaint also states that the petitions contained bogus signatures like 'Mickey Mouse', 'Bernie Sanders', and even two for 'Kanye West'.

These complaints will be reviewed by an Elections Commission panel made up of three Democrats and three Republicans, who will then make a recommendation regarding the rapper's filings and if he should be on the ballot.
Putting on pants every morning is a painful struggle for Julie Archer.

Archers left leg is fine, but she has to sit down to start the process of putting her right leg in the pants, which requires both hands and all of the 49-year-olds upper body strength.

When that is done, she can put on her shoes. Again the left side is fine, but some of the toes on her right foot have curled under. She has fallen countless times in the 18 years since she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.

I can only lift my leg up about two inches off the ground on the right side; my foot just drops and you can hear me walking from a mile away. Its called MS relapse, Archer said. Before this, I was real active. Then I woke up one day and was blind in my right eye for six months.

Archer, of Deer Park, takes seven different medications and three vitamins to combat the complications of her MS. Three months ago, she was prescribed a combination tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) medication to cope with her pain.

On HoustonChronicle.com: CBD is legal, but is it safe?

She takes a dose in the morning, and another just before bed. It helps her sleep and keeps her from constant excruciating pain, she said.

Archer is one of more than 700 Houston-area patients with a valid prescription for a THC medication, said Morris Denton, CEO of Texas Original Compassionate Cultivation. TOCC, located south of Austin in Manchaca, is one of three licensed medical marijuana dispensaries in the state.

There are no medical marijuana dispensaries in Houston yet, but TOCC has set up temporary dispensary sites in Katy and Houston on specific days and times to aid this areas patient population. Typically arranged at doctors offices or spas, the sites are appointment-based and prescription-only. No walk-ins are welcome, Denton said.

TOCC is a vertically-integrated seed-to-sale facility, which means the marijuana plants are grown, cultivated, harvested, extracted and refined all in-house. Every product is tested by TOCC staff before its labeled for sale to patients with prescriptions, Denton said.

In 2019, Abbott signed signed House Bill 3703, which expanded the list of qualifying conditions to include diseases such as multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease and Lou Gehrig's disease, or ALS.

Texas has legalized medical cannabis in very limited circumstances. In 2015, Gov. Greg Abbott signed the Texas Compassionate Use Act, which allows people with epilepsy to purchase cannabis oil with less than 0.5% THC. Then last year, HB 3703 updated the act to allow board-certified specialists to prescribe low-THC cannabis product to patients with who have been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, autism, ALS, terminal cancer, spasticity and neurodegenerative disease, as well as epilepsy, according to Texas Compassionate Access.

The law mandates that licensed TOCC employees maintain possession of the THC products until they are given to the patient; this means the products cannot be shipped in the mail or stored at any other location. These technicalities have created an interesting issue during the pandemic, Denton said.

Temporary dispensary sites have been set up in Houston, Katy, Plano and San Antonio to make it easier for patients to access their medications without having to drive to the Austin area or pay a $25 at-home delivery fee. Deliveries can only be made by TOCC employees.

At-home delivery is still an option, but its a long process. First, the prescription has to be called into the TOCC facility. In the morning, the delivery driver will load up that days deliveries and drive three hours to Houston. He may only be able to deliver to 10 houses that day before he has to return to Manchaca.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Cuts, burns, goose eggs: Heres how to know when to go the ER

The temporary site has been a godsend for Archer, she said. She pays $150 out-of-pocket for two bottles of her medication every month. Her insurance does not cover THC or CBD products, she said.

The THC-CBD oil dissolves under her tongue; it helps with constant spasms in her weaker, right leg.

This drug doesnt get you high, Archer said. A lot of people dont understand the concept of THC and CBD.

There are higher levels of THC in TOCC products than what is typically found in CBD stores, Denton said. CBD by itself is not considered a controlled substance, therefore consumers do not need a prescription for it. The regulations are stricter for Dentons dispensary than for CBD and other smoke shops because every product has medical-grade THC in it, he added.

There are more than 145 qualifying conditions that can be treated by THC products after last years legislative update. Denton would like more changes made to the law in the 2021 legislative session.

We think there should not be a limitation on conditions; that should be left up to the doctors, those that have medical training and board certification, he said. We should let the doctor come to their own conclusions to see if patients need medical cannabis to treat their conditions. There should also be an increase in the allowable amount of THC in our products.

In Texas, medical marijuana products are capped at 0.5 percent THC. Most of Dentons products are 20 parts-CBD to 1-part THC, he said.

julie.garcia@chron.com

Twitter.com/reporterjulie

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(Alliance News) - Moody's Investors Service affirmed Prudential PLC's long-term credit ratings at A2, on Tuesday, and maintained its negative outlook.

Prudential on Tuesday said it is planning to offload its US unit Jackson and posted sharp drop in profit during a "challenging" first half.

Prudential back in March said it was eyeing a minority initial public offering for its US insurance arm, after the company had been under pressure from activist fund Third Point LLC to demerge the subsidiary.

Prudential Chief Executive Mike Wells said Tuesday, however: "The board of Prudential PLC has decided to pursue the full separation and divestment of Jackson to enable the group to focus exclusively on its high-growth Asia and Africa businesses."

Wells, who led Jackson before taking over as CEO of all of Prudential in 2015, noted the company expects to commence separation by way of a minority IPO, targeting the first half of 2021, followed by future sell-downs over time, subject to market conditions.

Moody's commented: "The negative outlook on Prudential's ratings reflects the diminished diversification of the group's earnings, capital and cashflows following the planned sale of Jackson. Moody's anticipates the ultimate full disposal will only take place in the second half of 2021, or later, as the group expects to commence the minority initial public offering (IPO) in the first half of 2021, followed by future sell-downs over time, potentially subject to a lock-down period and market conditions.

"In parallel, Moody's will continue to monitor developments in the group-wide supervisory framework by the Hong Kong Insurance Authority, which could be beneficial for the credit profile at the holding company level by including the holding company within regulatory oversight."

The Jackson offload follows Pru's spin-off of its UK and European business M&G PLC, which started trading on the London Stock Exchange in October 2019.

The FTSE 100-listed life insurer and financial services firm said, going forward, it will focus on the "low" insurance penetration in Asia and Africa and the "rapidly developing" demand for savings solutions among the "growing populations" in the two continents.

Moody's continued: "The US business is a meaningful component of the group's operations with profitability representing approximately half of Prudential's reported earnings in 2019, and which has been uncorrelated to that of the Asian business and from an operating environment that is more stable."

Prudential's pretax profit slumped 43% year-on-year to USD663 million from USD1.16 billion. Gross premiums earned slipped 5.9% to USD19.84 billion from USD21.08 billion a year earlier.

Adjusted operating profit in Asia rose by 14% to USD1.73 billion, although issues relating to the Hong Kong operation, most notably the travel restrictions of the lockdown, let alone any geopolitical concerns, resulted in a painful decline of 45% in new business profits.

Group adjust operating profit was down 3% year-on-year at USD3.00 billion, following a 19% drop in its US unit.

Annual premium equivalents - a measure of the new policies sold - fell 27% to USD2.64 billion from USD3.64 billion.

While Prudential Asia benefits from good diversification amongst various Asian markets, Moody's believes there is "meaningful intra-regional correlation", with respect to political, economic and financial markets risk, that "limits the extent" to which the diversified Asian portfolio results in reduced risk to the holding company's earnings and capital.

Moody's added: "More positively, the relatively low capital intensity product mix of Prudential's Asian business limits its balance sheet exposure to financial markets risks, although not to the extent of compensating fully for risk and correlations within the region."

At a group level, Prudential reported a capital surplus of USD12.4 billion and a cover ratio of 334% - up from a previous 309%.

"The rating affirmation reflects Prudential Asia's strong financial profile and Moody's view that the sale of Jackson is not expected to have any material impact on the Asian operations, given that the operations are run separately, or to the group's capitalisation and leverage," Moody's said.

Shares in Prudential closed 2.8% higher in London on Tuesday at 1,267.00 pence each.

By Paul McGowan; paulmcgowan@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2020 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
He complained that his rail-park proposal was blockaded on the agenda because the seven had agreed not to accept (it). He referred to a group of legislative leaders led by Scheer that developed the omnibus grand compromise.

It would be huge for western Nebraska to have a rail spur and an industrial yard off the largest classification rail yard in the world and next to an interstate that haulsmore tonnage than the other roads in the United States for freight, Groene told lawmakers.

Chamber President and CEO Gary Person thanked Groene for reaching out to him with his rail-park proposal. The chamber worked with him on revising some of its details, he said.

Though it wont make it into law this year, at least he raised the awareness that rural Nebraska needs a boost as well to achieve something that could be a game-changer in our world of economic development, Person said.

If we dont do creative economic development programs to help rural Nebraska, we will continue to see the population erode away in rural counties.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 12)  The tourism industry has lost approximately P190 billion in revenue since the COVID-19 lockdowns across the country were imposed in March, an industry leader disclosed.

Jose Clemente III, president of the Tourism Congress of the Philippines, said this years revenue so far is a far cry from the earnings last year.

During a forum of the Philippine Tour Operators Association Incorporated on Wednesday, Clemente said that from March to July this year, the industry made only around 6.9 billion pesos.

This is much lower from the earnings made in the same period last year amounting to 196-B.

Tourism stakeholders also called for financial aid as the industry suffers a slump due to travel restrictions amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

We are all aware of our situation," Clemente said. "Most of us are just hanging on by a string. If there is no intervention, more will continue to go down that path.

Clemente and other industry players also lamented the 10 billion budget in the Bayanihan 2 Bill which was supposed to provide aid to the tourism sector.

That budget is now allocated for infrastructure projects under the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (Tieza).

We were taken aback late last week when we were informed about that allocation of P10 billion for tourism but was now allocated to infrastructure development through TIEZA, Clemente said.

According to Clemente, infrastructure development could follow once tourism normalizes.

He added that what the tourism industry needs right now are zero to no interest loans in order to keep tourism businesses afloat and help the estimated 5.7 million affected workers.

Clemente said the tourism industry hopes that the government will reallocate the fund intended to provide assistance to the sector considering that tourism is a key player in the Philippine economy.

In 2019, tourism racked in 12.7 percent of the countrys gross domestic product.
Let's go to Ayodhya again. On August 5, Prime Minister Narendra Modi went to Ayodhya, the birthplace of Ram, in connection with the bhoomi pujan for the Ram temple. There was nothing unlawful about it. Following the Supreme Court verdict on the issue, the head of the government was participating in the ceremony for the construction of the temple organised by the Sri Ram Janmabhoomi Teertha Kshetra Trust. The event was telecast live on Doordharshan and other channels took live footage from Doordarshan.

This happened even as people are still Corona stricken! At a time of crisis, the Prime Minister sought refuge in Sri Ram for the welfare of the people of the entire country. On the one side, when under the leadership of the Prime Minister, the call of 'Jai Shri Ram' from BJP reverberated across the country, leftist liberals, the public intellectuals began to say, "This is the BJP's communal politics. Vote centric, the politics of religious polarization! In the course of the Corona pandemic, initially the Tablighi Jamaat international conference was made the reason for targeting Muslims, and now has begun the politics of Ram temple construction. The temple will be constructed ahead of the next Lok Sabha election. Therefore, the abolition of Section 370 in Kashmir, going ahead with the triple talaq legislation and proceeding towards a uniform civil code and amending the citizenship Act are part of the implementation of BJP's party manifesto." Before August 5, on July 31, was another significant birthday -- although I did not see the so-called communist-leftist-liberals hosting a programme or a memorial service on this day. The name of the person is Damodar Dharmananda Kosambi and his birthday is on July 31. In 2007, his birth centenary was celebrated by a few people. His daughter, the well-known sociologist Meera Kosambi, was alive then. She passed away in 2015. Kosambi was a prominent mathematician, linguist and philosopher. Above all, he would think of himself as a Marxist. A bright student at Harvard, a UNESCO nominated fellow in the US, a Visiting Professor of Path-Geometry in Chicago and an honoured guest at Princeton.

You can stop me here and point out that the discussion had been on Modi's visit to Ayodhya. How then did it turn to Damodar Dharmananda Kosambi? Before answering that question, let me say that Kosambi, despite being a Marxist, thought that it was essential for Indian students to study Hindu religion, Sanskrit, Buddhist scriptures and the Puranas. Being a Marxist, his expression of anger towards India's Marxist Establishment was noteworthy. This ought to be especially remembered today. Even his intolerance of Indian scholars should be analysed.

I have been in Delhi for a long time now. For more than three decades I've seen developments in India's Hindi belt. Quite frequently, I visit cities like Varanasi, Allahabad, Patna and Indore. I go to cities on the banks of the river Ganges and Narmada and I see how people there are moved by chants of 'Jai Sri Ram'. Sitting in Bengal, it is very difficult to understand the 'vibrating soul' of the Hindi belt. You might say the people of these states are not as educated as Bengalis, or that the reformation that took place in Hindu religion did not take place in these states. You can move a step ahead and ask why would I even compare Bengalis with people from Bihar and Gujarat? But why does the narrow priestly system still prevail in those areas of India? Why are people from the lower strata of society not merely fond of them but are also strict followers of the system? There are quite a few TV channels like Sanskar and Astha. Crores of people watch these religious channels -- in just the same way that Bengalis nowadays have started listening to clairvoyants or astrologers on television and YouTube. On one such religious channel I saw a spiritual leader who, while repeatedly praising Modi, said, "This Ram Mandir construction is such a colossal event. Satisfied by the splendid task of the construction of the temple, the Lord will remove Corona from this country." I am not sure whether you are all aware that be it Godowlia in Benaras or the banks of the Narmada, many people while having pooris and potato curry every morning as they sit on benches or while having 'paan' in the evening say, 'Ah! Finally the Ram Mandir will be constructed." There will surely be debates over how critical is the issue of Ram Mandir -- because now the temple is there and a mosque will be constructed later. There was previously an atmosphere of conflict, now it's of coordination.

Let that argument be, because even though it might have reduced in comparison to the past, I feel that in the Hindi belt -- and, surprisingly, even in Bengal -- the number of believers in 'Jai Sri Ram' is growing. I would like to point the finger of blame at the so-called modernists, atheists, trans-nationalists, liberals, socialists and Marxists in this country. Why did we give the opportunity to turn the Shastras, or the study of Sanskrit into subjects connected with Hindutva? A book titled, "Unsettling the past" edited by Kosambi's daughter was published in 2013. Apart from the old essays and letters by D.D. Kosambi, the publication included various essays of Romila Thapar, Ranajit Guha and Kunal Chakrabarti. These theorists, while evaluating Kosambi on many issues, also criticised him. But, they were all agreed that: (a) Sanskrit is a strong and scientific language, the transition from Prakrit to Sanskrit is a historical event. But, he showed in terms of Marxist classification how Sanskrit got transformed into an elitist language of the ruling classes; (b) the upper castes, especially the Vedic Brahmin priestly system, limited Sanskrit and education to a small group; and (c) Kosambi, while reviewing the Indus Valley Civilization of Mohenjodaro to the Aryan culture, then the history of Ashoka and the Mauryan dynasty showed how the study of Puranas and religion had always been linked to Indianness.

Today, what if I raise the question that even after independence why did the rulers withdraw from the priestly system of Indian religion theism -- Sanskrit, Ramayana, Mahabharata and failed to attach and spread it amongst the masses? Sanskrit was declared a 'dead language'. I am not saying that after Nehru became the Prime Minister, he was wrong to call heavy industry like the steel industry a 'temple'. At that time, Bhakra Nangal or the steel plants at Bhilai and Rourkella were more necessary than Gandhi's rainbow. But for that reason, by saying the practice of Hinduism of the past meant superstition, the attempt to establish a socialist philosophy of life influenced by Soviet atheism was gravely unjust. And Modi-Amit Shah's Ayodhya project, which actually is the property of no single party, has become the counter-image to that. This wealth belongs to all the people of India.

Now, it is like if I narrate to you the story of Greek goddess Athena then I am progressive but if I tell you the story of how, under the curse of sage Vishwamitra, king Harishchandra donated everything and became an outcast in Kashi, I will become a superstitious Hindutva fanatic and so on. At Harvard University, scholars like Diana L. Eck are now doing research on Indian religion. Bihani Sarkar researched the greatness of the Indian Shakti cult or Goddess Chandi at the Oriental Institute of Oxford and the University of Hamburg, Germany. Abroad, there is increasing research on Indian religion and philosophy. But, we ended up forgetting Kosambi. Marxists think that he was not an ideal Marxist, he was anti-Stalin. However, the Sangh Parivar considers him to be a Marxist.

I will end this article by relating a true story from my college days. We stayed in Howrah, Shibpur and our senior, Asim Chattopadhay (not uncle), known as our foremost leftist, lived in Sankrail at that time. A man of honesty, he lived among the poor people of the village and quietly served society. Once, he said that, "Even today in villages people call for a shaman when there is a snake bite. They perform exorcism." We were then active workers in science and scientific organizations. We would call a meeting against superstition at Curzon Park, organise a march on Hiroshima Day. For the first time, I learnt the difference between superstition and so-called superstition from Asimda. The people for whom you've failed to provide an alternative medicine, if the poor man takes refuge in the shaman to regain his will power, and in some cases lives are saved as a result, do I have the right to take that faith away from them? Marx described religion as the opium of the masses, but he also said that it is the sigh of the oppressed -- but that we have forgotten. Karl Marx's son-in-law Paul Lafargue had an interest in research in religion and superstitions. He had written a book as well about that -- he showed how religion and superstition were still working among people to overcome the lack of security in tribal and rural society.

To become modernists we, instead of fighting against a rigid priestly system, created our own atheistic fantasy, which the majority of the people of India failed to accept. We ended up stealing from the house of thoughts. Narandra Modi went to Ayodhya, and from Hindi Belt to even Bengal cries of 'Jai Sri Ram' are being heard. And where are we? We've got it all upside down.

(Jayanta Ghosal is a senior journalist. The views expressed are personal)

Latest updates on Gandhi Jayanti 2019

Latest updates on Ayodhya Ram Temple Bhumi Pujan

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
The Assam government on Wednesday reiterated it is committed to the implementation of the 1985 Assam Accords Clause 6, which pledges safeguards for the preservation and promotion of Assamese identity and heritage.

The assurance came a day after All Assam Students Union (AASU) made public a high-level committees confidential report on the implementation of the accord. The report seeks reservation for Assamese in parliament, state assembly, local bodies, and regulation of entry of people from other states into Assam. AASU, whose three members were part of the committee, said they were forced to release the report because of the governments inaction on it.

We have resolved to implement Clause 6 and are on track. By releasing the report, AASU has created complications. The committees report will be tabled in assembly at a future date and it will define and ratify definition of the Assamese people, said Assam minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. It is only after the assembly passes a resolution, the matter will go to the Centre and implementation process of Clause 6 will begin.

AASUs chief advisor, Samujjal Bhattacharya, on Tuesday said the report was submitted over five months back, and with the government remaining quiet on its contents and implementation, the group decided to make it public . There is no clarity as well on whether the Assam government has handed it over to the Centre yet.

Sarma referred to AASUs unhappiness over the inaction and pointed out that the committees report says the recommendations are to be implemented within two years after careful scrutiny by a panel headed by a retired Supreme Court judge as it involves constitutional provisions.

Since our government is at the end of our tenure and the assembly elections are due in a few months, it might be better if the new elected assembly takes up the issue of ratifying definition of Assamese people.

The tripartite accord involving AASU, the state government and the Centre was signed in 1985 after a six-year agitation against illegal immigrants.

The justice (Retd) Biplab Kumar Sarma-led 13-member committee submitted the report to Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal in February. None of the three AASU members in the committee were present when the report was submitted. AASU was upset that the report was not handed over directly to Union home ministry.

The report proposes January 1951 as the cut-off date for any Indian citizen residing in Assam to be defined as an Assamese for the purpose of implementing Clause 6. The report also seeks quotas in government jobs, talks about issues related to land and land rights, linguistic, cultural and social rights, and protection of the states resources and biodiversity.

Clarity on who can be called an Assamese was one of the committees main tasks as the accord did not clearly define this.

The passage of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) in December triggered protests in Assam amid concerns that it could encourage a fresh wave of infiltration from Bangladesh and threaten the livelihoods of indigenous people. CAA seeks to fast-track citizenship to non-Muslims from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan.

The protests against the law in Assam came amidst fears that it could dilute the 1985 accord, under which the government agreed to identify and deport all refugees and migrants who have entered the northeastern state after March 25, 1971. The CAA extends the deadline until December 31, 2014.

Implementation of Clause 6 remained on the backburner for over three decades till the Centre formed a panel in January last year to suggest how to do it. All members of the panel resigned in protest against the CAA.

A new 13-member committee was constituted in July last year. It was given a months extension after its six-month tenure expired in January.

The committees report was submitted towards the end of February and the lockdown prompted by COVID-19 pandemic started the next month. AASU should realise that though Clause 6 is an issue, but COVID is a larger issue and priorities of the government changed because of that, said Noni Gopal Mahanta, professor of political science at Gauhati University.

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- UK records largest GDP decline on record and worst performance within the G7

- Q3 2020 set for strong rebound

- Investment slump amplifies long-term fears

- Level of economic activity picked up in June, rising by 8.7%m/m showing UK economy was on road to recovery.

UK GDP recorded a record GDP slide for the second quarter despite a monthly recovery for June. Sterling was resilient following the data as a bleak outcome had been priced in and the data was marginally stronger than market expectations. Euro/Sterling held close to 0.9000.

Record UK GDP slide for the second quarter

#UK #productivity - #ONS report output per hour worked fell record 2.5% quarter-on-quarter & 3.0% year-on-year in second quarter. Output per worker sank 19.9% q/q & 22.0% y/y reflecting impact of furlough scheme. Workers counted as still employed even though not producing https://t.co/KDkbPNIVsn  Howard Archer (@HowardArcherUK) August 12, 2020

Second-quarter GDP declined 20.4% following a 2.2% contraction for the first quarter and marginally above consensus forecasts of a 20.5% slide.

The year-on-year decline of 21.7% was also slightly stronger than the 22.4% expected.

Image: UK GDP

Technically, this was the first recession since 2009 as defined by two consecutive quarters of negative growth.

Private consumption declined 23.1% for the quarter as consumer spending collapsed during lockdown.

The ONS commented; This is the largest quarterly contraction in the UK economy since Office for National Statistics (ONS) quarterly records began in 1955. In level terms, real GDP was last lower in Quarter 2 2003.

UK bottom of the G7 league table

The ONS added, Compared with the end of 2019, the UK fell by a cumulative 22.1% in the first six months of 2020. This fall was slightly below the 22.7% seen in Spain but was more than double the 10.6% fall in United States GDP over this period.

The larger contraction of the UK economy primarily reflects how lockdown measures have been in place for a larger part of this period in the UK compared with these other economies. The GDP recorded the worst second-quarter performance in the G7.

Germany: -10.1%

France: - 13.8%

Italy: -12.4%

US: -9.5%

Canada: -12%

Japan: -7.6%

Some caution is required given the timing and extent of lockdowns.

Nevertheless, for the first six months of the year, only Spain registered a sharper GDP decline of 22.7% compared with 22.4% for the UK as the tighter lockdown undermined activity.

Samuel Tombs, Chief U.K. Economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics commented;

The long duration of the lockdown in the second quarter, due to the governments slow response to Covid-19 in March, followed by its failure to prevent the virus from spreading from hospitals, was at the root of the economys underperformance.

He added; The U.K. governments failure to lockdown early and then to stamp out Covid-19 quickly ranks as one of the biggest macroeconomic policy blunders in modern times. Weve all paid a hefty price.

Chancellor Sunak commented; Todays figures confirm that hard times are here; Hundreds of thousands of people have already lost their jobs, and sadly in the coming months many more will.

Tom Stevenson, investment director at Fidelity International, emphasised pressure on the government; No-one knows exactly what the recovery from coronavirus will look like - particularly with the potential for a second wave of infections and further local lockdowns - but it is likely that it will be a slow crawl towards pre-Covid levels with further government stimulus needed to restore sustained growth.

There have been reports that the Autumn budget will be delayed, but Sunak has re-iterated opposition to extending the furlough scheme.

Industrial production recovered 9.3% for June with a 12.5% year-on-year decline while manufacturing production increased 11.0% to give a 14.6% decline.

Construction output also beat expectations with a 23.5% rebound for the month as major projects restarted, but there was a second-quarter slump of 35%.

June rebound sets stage for sharp Q3 recovery

The 'news' in today's #GDP data is not that the UK is in #recession (we all knew that already!), or even that the UK's Q2 decline is likely to be the biggest in the G7.



It is that GDP rose 8.7% m/m in June, confirming that a decent recovery has begun. pic.twitter.com/KjFVbZWsmO  Julian Jessop (@julianHjessop) August 12, 2020

June GDP increased 8.7% after a 1.8% gain the previous month as the economy recovered ground after re-opening measures.

Image: UK monthly GDP

There was a sharp recovery in the accommodation and food services sector, although from a very low base. Retail trade and construction also made strong contributions.

The momentum from June will help trigger sharp growth for the third quarter.

ING commented; The UKs third-quarter rebound is likely to appear larger than in many other economies. While we suspect the rebound may not be quite as large as the Bank of Englands 18% third-quarter growth forecast, it might not be far off.

Investment and productivity slide will undermine recovery

Investment data was bleak with a 31.4% contraction for the second quarter.

Image: UK investment

The latest Bank of England Agents survey noted that companies have mostly cancelled or postponed non-essential investment to preserve cash buffers though some businesses have redirected investment to finance social distancing measures and facilitate remote working.

Productivity, as measured by output per hour, fell a record 2.5%

The slide in productivity and investment will reinforce fears over the longer-term outlook.

ING added; The UK economy is likely to experience a decent rate of growth during the third quarter, but importantly it will be at least a couple of years before all of the lost ground is recovered. Consumer caution, the unwinding of the Job Retention scheme and the end of the post-Brexit transition period are pose risks to the recovery.

Dean Turner, economist at UBS Global Wealth Management, noted; GDP numbers for June show a strong bounce in activity as the economy emerged from lockdown. We expect pent-up consumer demand to drive a strong recovery in the third quarter, although this momentum will gradually fade as the outlook for the labour market deteriorates. The UK economy is unlikely to return to its pre-crisis level before the end of next year.

Market reaction was muted with Sterling little changed as Sterling/dollar traded around 1.3040 and Euro/Sterling close to 0.9000 as dollar moves had a larger impact.

Image: EUR/GBP exchange rate chart

The FTSE 100 index posted net gains with a 0.55% advance to near 6,190.
EUCLID, Ohio  The cousin of the 18-month-old Euclid girl police say was beaten to death by her mother's boyfriend described the girl as the light of her family's life.

Sofia Echevarrias cousin, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said that he and his family spent five days outside a childrens hospital in Cleveland, hoping the girl would recover.

We are a very close-knit unit, and this has just broken us all, he wrote in a message to a cleveland.com reporter. I, as well as a few other close family members, sat outside of Rainbows and Babies hospital for (four) days just waiting for updates and any sort of news on Sofias condition. We had to sit outside due to COVID restrictions, but we did so as a family unit just holding one another up as best as we could.

Her mother's boyfriend, Devon Mallory, 31, of Euclid, is being held in the Cuyahoga County Jail on $1 million bond in the child's death. His case is now in the hands of a Cuyahoga County grand jury, which will decide what charges he might face.

Sofia EchevarriaCourtesy of family members

Sofia died July 30, five days after being taken to University Hospitals Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital. Sofia's cousin said she was unrecognizable due to the extend of her injuries.

Medical examiner records say Sofia died from injuries suffered from blunt head trauma, the spokesman said.

"We don't know much about the man that did this, but based on word of mouth, he had very violent tendencies," her cousin said. "It's amazing the things a person could hide behind a mask. I have no idea what his motive was. He is a monster."

Police reports say Mallory has a history of disciplining Sofia harshly when she cried for her mother. He also held Sofias face away from her mother when she cried and forced her to sit on a dining room table and not move after crying for her mother, police reports say.

Mallory babysat Sofia July 25, along with another 4-year-old girl and his 3-year-old son, while Sofia's mother worked.

He called Sofias mother about 5 p.m. that day and said something was wrong with the girls breathing, and he couldnt wake her, police said. He called 911, and the girls mother arrived home around the same time as paramedics.

Mallory told Sofia's mother and police that the girl fell and hit her head on a Nerf gun while playing, police reports say. He said he wasn't in the room when it happened.

The 4-year-old girl told police that Sofia fell off a bed and hit her head, according to a police report. Mallory also told police thats what he believes happened. Medical staff determined that the explanations from both Mallory and the 4-year-old girl didnt correspond with her injuries, reports say.

Sofias cousin said she didnt deserve what happened to her. He added he was there to hold her hand in her final moments. Her cousin couldnt believe how swollen she was and the bruises she got took his breath away.

Her cousin said the one positive thing that has come out of this is that Sofia is an organ donor and was able to save the lives of two children and an adult.

Though her life was cut very short, her cousin described her as "full of life, always laughing, and her big sister was her best friend."

Sofia left behind a legacy, and now these folks get to live another day, and that is beautiful, he said.

Read more crime stories on cleveland.com:

Euclid man charged with murder after girlfriends 18-month-old daughter dies of severe head injury

Shooting in East Cleveland critically wounds 3 people, police say

Burglar broke through wall, safe to steal medical marijuana from Painesville Township dispensary, sheriff says

Woman wounded in face in East Cleveland shooting

7-year-old boy injured in accidental shooting at home in Clevelands Central neighborhood, police say
By Express News Service

NEW DELHI: A bomber who was part of the March 25 attack on a gurdwara in Kabul was not Abu Khalid al-Hindi from Kerala but an Afghan national, Afghanistan authorities have informed the NIA and Indias intelligence agencies.

Authorities carried out a DNA test on the bomber, suspected to be 21-year-old Muhammad Muhsin alias Abu Khalid al-Hindi and the result revealed otherwise. The Kabul attack case, in which an Indian was killed on a foreign land and one of the bombers was suspected to be an Indian, became the first international case to be investigated by NIA. But now that the suspect has been found to be an Afghan national, it may affect the investigation.

On March 25, three gunmen stormed the gurdwara where hundreds had gathered for prayers, killing 25 people, including an Indian national. The Islamic State-Khorasan Province (ISKP), the Afghanistan arm of the terror group Islamic State, claimed responsibility for it.

A photo released by the terror group of one of the gunmen made the investigating agencies suspect that the photo was of Muhsin, who reportedly joined ISIS in 2016. The development also raises questions about the speculation that one of the bombers involved in the August 3 Jalalabad jail attack, which left 29 dead, was also from Kerala. Investigation agencies suspect that the bomber is Kalukettiya Purayil Ijas, who had left for Khorasan province in Afghanistan from Hyderabad in the same batch of recruits as Muhsin.
SRINAGAR: Amnesty International on Wednesday called for investigation and prosecution into the alleged extrajudicial execution of three labourers by the Indian Army troops in Jammu and Kashmir's Shopian district by independent civilian authorities, saying civilian investigations and trials offer a degree of transparency and independence that is missing from the military justice system.

The human rights watchdog was reacting to the Indian Armys statement that it has launched an inquiry into the reports that three labourers Imtiaz Ahmed, Abrar Ahmed Khan and Abrar Yusuf from frontier Rajouri district were killed in a fake encounter by the troops in Shopian on July 18, a day after the trio had arrived in the area to work in an apple orchard to earn their livelihood.

While the Army said on Monday that it is investigating the social media reports linking to the encounter, the local police on Tuesday said that taking the cognizance of the claim by the families and media reports, it "will examine the claimants and carry out DNA sampling for matching purpose besides identification."

The police authorities said that the families of the three youth filed a complaint with Rajouris Peeri police station on August 10, saying that their kin had gone to Shopian for labour work but they lost contact with them after they had made last phone calls to them after reaching Shopian on July 17. Meanwhile social media reported that the terrorists killed in an operation at Shopian on July 18 are reportedly their kin, the police said in a statement here.

It added, The police had provided sufficient time for identification of dead bodies at the Police Control Room Kashmir at Srinagar. However, the dead bodies could not be identified and they were buried in presence of a magistrate after conducting post-mortem and lifting DNA samples. The police said that besides carrying out DNA sampling and identification it will investigate all other aspects as per the law in due course of time.

The India Executive Director Avinash Kumar, however, asserted that civilian investigations and trials that offer a degree of transparency and independence that is missing from the military justice system.

A statement issued by the organisation said that the UN Human Rights Committee, which monitors the implementation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which India is a state party has stated that in cases of human rights violations by security forces, investigations should be carried out by civilian authorities in order to ensure independence. This has also been affirmed by the UN Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers. The Supreme Court of India has also criticised the military justice system and recommended reforms on a number of occasions. Military law experts in India have acknowledged inherent defects within the Indian military justice system, particularly its lack of independence, the statement said.

It further said that the organisation has previously documented the propensity of the Army authorities to almost categorically dismiss allegations of human rights violations against their personnel. In its latest situations update and analysis from Jammu and Kashmir, AI India has documented the closure of the State Human Rights Commission along with six other commissions, including the State Commission for Protection of Women and Child Rights, which has left the people of Jammu & Kashmir with absolutely no redressal for their human rights violations. This is a violation of their right to remedy as guaranteed by the ICCPR, it said.

Meanwhile, Farooq Khan, a former police officer who is presently serving as an advisor to J&Ks Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha, has termed the reports of the killing of three labourers in an alleged fake encounter in Shopian "just a rumour being spread by vested interests to vitiate peace" in the Union territory.

However, various political parties have and local human rights activists in J&K have demanded an impartial probe into the disappearance of three labourers and the allegation that they were killed by the Army in a staged encounter and then passed off as militants.
How long are you going to keep these people hostage? This is what one of the citizens holding a protest against Armenias closed borders said to Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Zohrab Mnatsakanyan during a protest in front of the government building today.

All countries have opened their borders, but Armenia is still extending the state of emergency, the citizen said.

Mnatsakanyan reminded the protesters that the inconveniences in the country are due to the pandemic.

A Lebanese-Armenian protester told Minister Mnatsakanyan that his daughter is a citizen of Lebanon and that he hasnt seen her for a year.

Your daughter can come to Armenia since you are a citizen of Armenia and are living in Armenia. This has been made very clear. Three planes arrived from Lebanon these past three days, and there were only 100 passengers aboard the plane. Armenia created the opportunity and will continue with its policy. Your daughter has to contact the Embassy of Armenia in Lebanon in order to return to Armenia. In other words, these are simple issues that you should clarify before screaming at me, Mnatsakanyan said.
Parliament's lower house on Wednesday passed four bills related to the tough conditions set by the global money laundering and terrorist financing watchdog after the government and the Opposition reached a consensus.

The legislation is part of the efforts by to move from the Paris-based Financial Action Task Force (FATF) grey list to the white list.

The put on the grey list in June 2018 and asked Islamabad to implement a plan of action by the end of 2019 but the deadline was extended later due to COVID-19 pandemic.

Law Minister Farogh Naseem termed it a historic day that the FATF-related legislation was passed with consensus in the larger interest of the country.

The Anti-Terrorism (Amendment) Bill 2020, the Companies (Amendment) Bill 2020, the Limited Liability Partnership (Amendment) Bill 2020 and the Control of Narcotic Substances (Amendment) Bill 2020 were moved by him in the National Assembly.

He said that whitening the economy and checking terror financing are key to take the country forward on the path of development.

It is also our aim to simplify the legislation and ensure protection of fundamental rights of the people, he said.

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi told the house that the terror financing and money laundering posed a threat to Pakistan and should be confronted and eradicated.

Long deliberations were held with the Opposition parties to reach a consensus on the legislation, he said.

Last month, two FATF-related bills -- the Anti-Terrorism (Amendment) Bill 2020 and the United Nations (Security Council) (Amendment) Bill 2020 -- were passed with the support of the two Opposition parties.

The Anti-Terrorism Act (ATC) 2020, seeking amendments to the ATC Act 1997, suggested an increase in the punishment, including the fine amount from existing Rs 10 million to Rs 25 million, besides introduction of a 10-year jail sentence for those found involved in terror financing through illegal money transfers.

It passed another resolution recommending that the historic speech of the country's founder Mohammad Ali Jinnah to the Constituent Assembly on August 11, 1947 on minorities should be made a part of the syllabus.

The UN Security Council Resolution 1373 has made it incumbent upon the member states to implement counter-terrorism measures, especially countering the financing of terrorism through their domestic laws.

In its third and final plenary held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic in June, the decided to keep Pakistan in the "grey list" as Islamabad failed to check the flow of money to terror groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM).

The plenary was held under the Chinese Presidency of Xiangmin Liu.

With Pakistan''s continuation in the ''grey list'', it will be difficult for the country to get financial aid from the IMF, World Bank, ADB, and the European Union, thus further enhancing problems for the nation which is in a precarious financial situation.

If Pakistan fails to comply with the FATF directive by October, there is every possibility that the global body may put the country in the ''Black List'' along with North Korea and Iran.

The FATF is an inter-governmental body established in 1989 to combat money laundering, terrorist financing, and other related threats to the integrity of the financial system.

It currently has 39 members including two regional organisations - the European Commission and Gulf Cooperation Council.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
On Aug. 7, the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) was informed of a confirmed case of strangles in a five-year-old Standardbred gelding in the Greater Hamilton area at the Emerald Isle Training Centre.

Strangles is a highly contagious and serious infection of horses and other equines caused by the bacterium, Streptococcus equi.

The trainer of the affected horse scratched his horse that was in to go at Woodbine Mohawk Park. All trainers with horses stabled at the centre were contacted, and testing of other horses at the center was conducted, the results of which were received on Monday, Aug. 10. Two more positive cases were identified.

As a result, the AGCO has announced the following measures:

After discussions at the training centre, an agreement was made to quarantine the horses.

Contact tracing of horses that were at the centre has been implemented and the AGCO has informed trainers of horses claimed since July 31 about possible exposure.

Prior to shipping to any racetrack paddock, trainers are advised to take temperatures. Associations shall check temperatures prior to any horse entering a paddock until further notice. Horses with fevers of 102.5F/39.1C or more will be scratched.

Horse people are reminded to remain vigilant and institute appropriate biosecurity measures and should consult their veterinarians for advice.

The AGCO will monitor the situation and any further developments will be reported.

Mise a jour sur laffaire de la gourme - Centre de formation de lile dEmeraude

Le 7 aout 2020, la Commission des alcools et des jeux de lOntario (CAJO) a ete informee dun cas confirme de gourme chez un hongre standardbred de 5 ans dans la region du Grand Hamilton, au Centre dentrainement Emerald Isle.

La gourme est une infection tres contagieuse et grave des chevaux et autres equides, causee par la bacterie Streptococcus equi.

Lentraineur du cheval atteint a retire son cheval, qui devait concourir au parc Woodbine Mohawk. Tous les entraineurs dont les chevaux sont heberges au centre ont ete contactes, et des tests ont ete effectues sur dautres chevaux du centre, dont les resultats ont ete recus le lundi 10 aout 2020. Deux autres cas positifs ont ete identifies.

En consequence, la CAJO a annonce les mesures suivantes:

Apres des discussions au centre dentrainement, un accord a ete conclu pour mettre les chevaux en quarantaine.

La recherche des contacts des chevaux qui se trouvaient au centre a ete mise en uvre et la CAJO a informe les entraineurs des chevaux reclames depuis le 31 juillet dune possible exposition.

Avant de se rendre dans le paddock dun hippodrome, il est conseille aux entraineurs de prendre la temperature de leurs chevaux. Les associations doivent verifier les temperatures avant que les chevaux nentrent dans un paddock jusqua nouvel ordre. Les chevaux ayant une fievre de 102,5F / 39,1C ou plus seront retires des courses.

Il est rappele aux professionnels du cheval de rester vigilants et de mettre en place des mesures de biosecurite appropriees, et de consulter leurs veterinaires pour obtenir des conseils.

La CAJO suivra la situation et tout nouveau developpement sera signale.

(AGCO)
The efficacy and safety levels of the vaccine developed by Russia for treating Covid-19 patients is not predictable in the absence of data, a top official of the CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology said on Wednesday.

His remarks come in the backdrop of Russian President Vladimir Putin's announcement that his country has developed the world's first vaccine against coronavirus. Director of CCMB, Rakesh K Mishra said if people are "lucky" then the Russian vaccine will work.

"Both efficacy and safety of the vaccine are still unknown. They haven't conducted proper trials, which isstage-III trials. That is when you get to know the efficacy, when it is tested on a large number of people and should waitfor two months to see whether they get a viral infection or not. Doesn't look like they have carried out (large scale testings) because if you have done it, then show us the data.You cannot keep it confidential," Mishra told PTI.

He noted that the vaccine ought to be carefully evaluated before it goes to people and any country or company not releasing the data with respect to vaccine was bad. "It (Russian vaccine) is not safe.. normally in any country this should not be allowed unless the vaccine goes to stage 1, 2 and 3 trials. I think the Russian government passed a law recently, a couple of months back, that they have to fast track the vaccine preparation," the CCMB official said. CCMB is India's premier research organisation centre.

Asked about the progress of vaccines being developed by Indian pharmaceutical companies, Mishra said the data pertaining to Stage-I and II are yet to be published and it is expected that they may come by the end of August or first half of September.

"I will not be surprised if this first stage and second stage results are encouraging, because many vaccines have passed it. The real test is in stage-III," he pointed out.

The first dose of the vaccine-Sputnik-V, developed by the Gamaleya National Research Center for Epidemiology and Microbiology of the Russian Healthcare Ministry was administered to Putin's daughter and she is stated to be 'feeling well.' Putin has claimed that the vaccine has proven efficient during tests, offering a lasting immunity from the coronavirus.
South Korea's film industry is back to life after the pandemic hit the nation.

The zombie genre movies recently reopened and were flocked by a number of viewers, signaling that business is slowly rising back. Amid the government's implementation of strict health and safety protocols for everyone, a surprisingly significant rise of moviegoers came to the cinemas.

While Korean films, such as "Train To Busan 2: Peninsula," are coming to the U.S. this August and now showing in Canada, one of the most awaited movies of the year is coming to South Korea.

The live-animated film from Disney "Mulan" is coming to the big screen this September. The movie's local distributor Walt Disney Co. Korea confirmed the upcoming local release is ready, although the organizer did not confirm the specific date of release.

In addition, the film is only available in cinemas for South Korea, following Walt Disney's cancelation of the theatrical release of "Mulan" in the U.S. and other selected countries.

The move is made after further consideration of the company, while the pandemic is still a threat to human lives and may have a big impact when crowds are gathered during the reopening. They have decided to put the film on the company's Disney Plus streaming platform.

"Mulan" has been postponed several times this year due to the concern of ongoing COVID-19. The difference this time is that Disney's service platform is not yet available in South Korea.

Subscribers of the said platform will pay an additional amount for the movie, which will air on September 4. Therefore, the time to release in cinema is by far the best option, especially for the fans waiting for the movie.

The live-action version features Chinese actress Liu Yifei as the warrior Hua Mulan of the Northern and Southern dynasties period (386-581 AD). Among other actors in the movie are Donnie Yen, Jet Li, Jason Scott Lee, and many more.

Watch the trailer here:

"Mulan" Behind-the-scenes:


Mexicos former president EPN and treasurer Videgaray accused of bribery

Mexico City, Mexico  Alejandro Gertz Manero, the Attorney General of Mexico, has announced that the former director of Pemex, Emilio Lozoya has denounced former Mexican president Enrique Pena Nieto and former secretary Luis Videgaray of corruption in the form of bribery.

The announcement was made during a televised statement by Gertz Manero who reported that according to Lozoya, the bribes amounted to more than 400 million peso and were allegedly for an energy reform involving Odebrecht and the 2012 presidential campaign.

During his announcement, Gertz Manero said the one who later became president (Enrique Pena Nieto) and his Secretario de Relaciones Exteriores de Mexico (Luis Videgaray) are being pointed out as the ones who ordered the delivery of the money to several foreign electoral advisers who collaborated and worked for the campaign of these two people.

Then comes vote buying for structural reforms in 2013 and 2014. There is also talk of 120 million peso that was ordered by the same people to go to a deputy and five senators, he added while reserving their names.

In the case of the Ethylene XXI plant there were a series of economic benefits in favor of this company, which is also linked to a Mexican company that is a partner of Odebrecht, who were also given a series of privileges in the input of prices in which the federal government had very large losses.

Gertz Manero said that in all these cases, he says the systems were used by these two people (Pena Nieto and Videgaray) who gave him instructions to deliver 84 million pesos to various legislators, to a finance secretary of a political party, and later also an amount greater than 200 million pesos to direct them to the electoral reform through a link, he explained.

Enrique Pena Nieto and Luis Videgaray

Regarding these statements that he makes, he has indicated four witnesses, has delivered receipts and a video. As of this moment, the Attorney Generals Office has opened the corresponding investigation folder and we are going to begin to carry out all the investigative procedures, said Gertz Manero adding that in the event it is appropriate, Pena and Videgaray will be called to make declarations.

The former director of Pemex filed the official complaint with the Attorney Generals Office while he himself is under criminal proceedings, accused of criminal association, operations with resources of illicit origin and bribery.
Scientists are putting efforts on experimental stem cell technology to revive back the Malaysian variant of the Sumatran rhinoceros by using its skin, eggs, and tissue samples of the last rhino. Iman, the last rhino, died last November after years of failed breeding attempts, according to the reports. The scientists are using the cells from Iman and two other dead rhinos.

READ: Pandemic Stalls Fertilisation Of Rare White Rhinos

Smallest rhinos in world

Molecular biologist Muhammad Lokman Md Isa reportedly said that he is very confident about the new procedure. He also added that if everything is functioning, works well and they get support, then it is not impossible. According to the reports, these rhinos are the smallest in the world and was declared extinct in the wild in Malaysia in 2005. In addition, the widespread hunting and large scale deforestation have reduced their numbers to just 80 in neighbouring Indonesia. Iman, 25, died in a nature reserve on Borneo island due massive blood loss caused by uterine tumours, within six months of the death of Malaysia's last male rhino, Tam. After this, several efforts have been made to get the animals to breed but it had not worked.

READ: Good News: From Idols Dressed As Healthcare Workers To Rhino's Rescue, Read 5 Stories

As per the reports, Indonesia's environment ministry accused cross-border rivalry as the prime reason about Malaysia's rhinos death. The Ministry reportedly said that high-level talks are held to work with conservationists in the neighbouring Southeast Asian nation. The researchers in Malaysia are planning to use cells from the dead rhinos to produce sperm and eggs which will result in test-tube babies that can further be implanted into a living animal. Thomas Hildebrandt and Cesare Galli, the scientists leading the research said the process is still far from producing a whole new animal.

READ: Assam: Kaziranga National Park Staff Rescues Baby Rhino, Netizens Say 'amazing Job'

READ: Assam Floods: Over 56 Lakh People Affected, 4-day-old Rhino Calf Rescued In Kaziranga

(Image credit: AP)
* Euro zone periphery govt bond yields http://tmsnrt.rs/2ii2Bqr

LONDON, Aug 12 (Reuters) - German government bond yields rose to 16-day highs on Wednesday, as market sentiment continued to improve before euro zone industrial production data are released.

The move, which saw high-rated euro zone yields up around 2 basis points in early London trading, came the day after the benchmark 10-year Bund had its biggest daily spike in a month as Wall Street rebounded towards pre-pandemic highs.

The 10-year U.S. Treasury yield rose the most in two months on Tuesday, before its largest-ever 10-year auction, which will be held later on Wednesday.

But markets turned more cautious overnight, with stocks slipping in the Asian session as the political gridlock in Washington over coronavirus aid continued.

At 0700 GMT, Germany's 10-year government bond yield was at -0.463%, up around 1 basis point on the day. Its French equivalent was at -0.1858%.

Germany is expected to issue 4 billion euros of 10-year government bonds.

"10y Bunds are trading above the -0.50% resistance again as the mix of global risk-on and fading flow support take their toll, probably compounded by room-making for today's 10y Bund tap and comparable supply pressure on US Treasuries," Commerzbank rates strategists wrote in a note to clients.

Italy's 10-year yield was flat, at 1.014%. Italian bonds have rallied since the European Union's coronavirus recovery fund was first proposed in May, and boosted further when the package was agreed last month. But the rally has steadied in August, as investors wait for more information about the fund.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that Russia had become the first country to grant regulatory approval to a COVID-19 vaccine after less than two months of human testing. But the announcement was met with scepticism and had limited market impact.

German Health Minister Jens Spahn said on Wednesday that the vaccine had not been tested enough.

Eurozone industrial production data is due at 0900 GMT. A 10% month-on-month increase in output is expected, according to a Reuters poll, down from the 12.4% increase the previous month. (Reporting by Elizabeth Howcroft, editing by Larry King)
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-12 05:16:55|Editor: huaxia

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SANTIAGO, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- Chilean market analysts estimate that the South American country's economy will fall by 6 percent in 2020, a slightly lower projection than the estimate made in July (6.10 percent), according to a report released by the Central Bank of Chile on Tuesday.

Experts consulted by the central bank predicted growth of 4.5 percent in 2021, similar to what was previously forecasted, while in 2022, an expansion of 3.2 percent is expected, a lower figure than what was predicted in July (3.3 percent).

A decline in economic activity of around 12 percent is expected for July, in line with the 12.4 percent drop seen in June.

For the third quarter, a contraction of 9 percent in the Chilean economy is expected, a more optimistic figure than the previous estimate of -10 percent.

The central bank's economic expectations survey was released to a group of academics, consultants, and financial institution executives and advisers on Aug. 4 and feedbacks were received on Monday. Enditem
Faith Leaders Push For International Action on China's Abuses of Uyghurs

2020-08-11 -- Senior Catholic clergy from Southeast Asia have joined British religious leaders in a global call for an investigation and accountability for China's mass detention of Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR).

The call to investigate "potential genocide" was endorsed by 76 figures, including Cardinal Charles Bo, Archbishop of Myanmar's Yangon; Cardinal Ignatius Suharyo, Archbishop of Jakarta, Indonesia; the former Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams; and the Coptic-Orthodox Archbishop of London Archbishop Angaelos.

"As religious leaders and leaders of belief-based communities, we come together to affirm human dignity for all by highlighting one of the most egregious human tragedies since the Holocaust: the potential genocide of the Uyghurs and other Muslims in China," read the Aug. 9 statement.

China's three-year-old system of internment camps, believed to have held as many as 1.8 million people, "calls into question most seriously the willingness of the international community to defend universal human rights for everyone," said the public letter.

Beijing describes the three-year-old network of camps as voluntary "vocational centers" aimed at teaching job skills and steering Uyghurs away from Islamic extremism.

Reporting by RFA's Uyghur Service and international media outlets, however, shows that detainees are mostly held against their will in cramped and unsanitary conditions, where they are forced to endure inhumane treatment and political indoctrination.

Possible genocide?

The latest UK-led effortspearheaded by Stop Uyghur Genocide, the World Uyghur Congress, the Coalition for Genocide Response, Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) and the Board of Deputies of British Jewsfocuses both on the camp system and everyday abuses of religious freedom in the XUAR.

"At least one million Uyghur and other Muslims in China are incarcerated in prison camps facing starvation, torture, murder, sexual violence, slave labor and forced organ extraction," said the statement.

"Outside the camps, basic religious freedom is denied. Mosques are destroyed, children are separated from their families, and acts as simple as owning a Holy Quran, praying or fasting can result in arrest," it added.

It said recent revelations of a campaign of forced sterilization and birth prevention targeting Uyghur women of childbearing age in several Uyghur-populated area  an action which "could elevate this to the level of genocide" under international law.

"The clear aim of the Chinese authorities is to eradicate the Uyghur identity," said the open letter, which was signed by senior British Rabbis and Buddhist leaders, Muslim faith leaders, the representative of the Dalai Lama in Europe and the chief executive of Humanists UK.

"We stand with the Uyghurs. We also stand with Tibetan Buddhists, Falun Gong practitioners and Christians throughout China who face the worst crackdown on freedom of religion or belief since the Cultural Revolution," it said.

"We make a simple call for justice, to investigate these crimes, hold those responsible to account and establish a path towards the restoration of human dignity," the message concluded.

Benedict Rogers, an activist at CSW specializing in Asia and one of the organizers of the public letter, said the horror of the Uyghurs' plight drew a broad-based coalition of support for the effort.

"Especially in recent weeks and months more and more evidence and information has been is coming out that has been so shocking and that really points to certainly very, very serious atrocity crimes and very, very probably genocide," he told RFA, noting that genocide charges require a formal legal determination.

"What is happening to the Uyghurs is one of the 21st century's most egregious atrocity crimes," said Rogers.

Sanctions and boycotts

Rahima Mahmut, UK representative for the Munich-based World Uyghur Congress advocacy group, told RFA that the WUC had launched the "Stop Uyghur Genocide" campaign to raise awareness of abuses in the XUAR and promote specific actions from Britain and the international community.

"First, we ask the UN to urgently visit East Turkestan and independently investigate China's atrocity crimes," she said, using the Uyghurs preferred name for their homeland in Central Asia.

"We urge the Western countries to have a unified policy approach to tackle China's atrocity crimes and take necessary punitive measures," Mahmut said.

The campaign wants Britain to "make the determination of genocide" in the XUAR, independently investigate atrocities, and enact policy responses including government sanctions Chinese officials and companies, like those enacted recently by the United States under Global Magnitsky laws, she said.

"Foreign companies and institutions that are aiding and abetting China's crimes against humanity should be sanctioned," said Mahmut, adding that all products made or tainted with Uyghur forced labor should face a boycott.

Last month, the United States leveled sanctions against several top Chinese officials deemed responsible for rights violations in Xinjiang, including regional party secretary Chen Quanguo, in the first time Washington had sanctioned a member of China's powerful Politburo.

Washington also sanctioned the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corp and top XPCC officials "for their connection to serious human rights abuse against ethnic minorities in Xinjiang," the Treasury Department said in a statement.

China's Foreign Ministry responded with retaliatory sanctions targeting several republican lawmakers, Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom Sam Brownback, and the bipartisan Congressional-Executive Commission on China advisory panel.

Reported and translated by Alim Seytoff for RFA's Uyghur Service. Written in English by Paul Eckert.

Copyright  1998-2020, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036. For any commercial use of RFA content please send an email to: mahajanr@rfa.org. RFA content August not be used in a manner which would give the appearance of any endorsement of any product or support of any issue or political position. Please read the full text of our Terms of Use.

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A POP-UP cafe, bar and restaurant on a bank of the River Thames near Henley has enjoyed a successful opening week.

The Lockdown Lodge, which is on the Copas Partnerships land off the Thames Path, near Hambleden lock, attracted hundreds of customers when it was launched on Saturday.

It is made from four converted shipping containers with a bar and street food takeaway at ground level and a fine-dining restaurant on the terrace upstairs.

It is open from 8am to 11pm daily until August 31 but has already sold out all lunch and dinner sittings.

Founder Minna Hughes, 19, said the first few days had gone well despite a few setbacks, including a brief period on Saturday when the tills stopped working.

Miss Hughes, from Hambleden, said: We are surprised by how incredibly busy it has been and weve had amazing feedback. Some things didnt quite go to plan but people were very kind and supportive while we worked to iron them out.

Theyve been very complimentary and a lot of customers said theyd come because theyd read about it in the Henley Standard. We couldnt have asked for better weather in the first few days, so fingers crossed that we arent hit too badly by the thunderstorms that are meant to be coming.

Im also very thankful to my team, who have done an incredible job and I couldnt have got this far without them.

Miss Hughes came up with the idea after having to scrap her gap year travel plans because of the coronavirus outbreak.

She has previously run a mobile catering business and launched this one with help from her father Chris, who runs a firm providing kitchens for large-scale events.

The cabins were refurbished at his yard in Binfield Heath then brought over on large lorries and lifted into place with a crane.

The catering is provided by chef Jimmy Garcia, from London.

Miss Hughes, who is about to study primary education at Oxford Brookes University, said: Im definitely keeping my career options open but this has been good fun, although its incredibly hard work as I expected.

Well have to see how the rest of it goes  and how tired I am at the end of the run.
Mayank Singh By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: Confirming the Chinese design of keeping the tensions alive along the Line of Actual Control in Eastern Ladakh, Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat has told a parliamentary panel that Army is prepared for a long haul.

The military brass led by CDS Rawat briefed the parliamentary panel on the current status, confirming that the de-escalation process might take time. A senior officer said the stand-off is getting stretched as the Chinese are waiting for an opportune moment. The Chinese side is not fulfilling disengagement agreements as they have done massive mobilisation of troops. However, that has not led to any major gain which they can project among their people. Hence, they are causing this impasse, the officer told this newspaper.

ALSO READ | India, China hold Major General-level talks on disengagement process

The CDS told the panel that the troops are deployed in commensurate strength along with armoured, artillery and missile launchers to thwart any imminent design of the PLA. The briefing came when the top military commanders appeared before the PAC on the issue of procurement of high-altitude clothing for the troops.

The Defence Acquisition Council accorded approval for capital acquisitions of amounting of `8,722.38 crore. The procurements approved included 106 Basic Trainer Aircraft from HAL for the IAF, an upgraded version of Super Rapid Gun Mount from BHEL for the Navy and 125 mm Armour Piercing Fin Stabilized Discarding Sabot ammunition for the Army.
In this handout photo taken on Thursday, Aug. 6, 2020, and provided by Russian Direct Investment Fund, a new vaccine is on display at the Nikolai Gamaleya National Center of Epidemiology and Microbiology in Moscow, Russia. Russia on Tuesday, Aug. 11 became the first country to approve a coronavirus vaccine for use in tens of thousands of its citizens despite international skepticism about injections that have not completed clinical trials and were studied in only dozens of people for less than two months. (Alexander Zemlianichenko Jr/ Russian Direct Investment Fund via AP)



Russia claimed Tuesday it has developed the world's first vaccine offering "sustainable immunity" against the coronavirus, despite mounting scepticism about its effectiveness as fears grow over a second wave of infections across the globe.



President Vladimir Putin said the vaccine was safe and that one of his own daughters had received the inoculation, dubbed "Sputnik" after the pioneering 1950s Soviet satellite.



"I know that it is quite effective, that it gives sustainable immunity," Putin said of the vaccine developed by the Gamaleya research institute in coordination with Moscow's defence ministry.



Russia's health ministry said though clinical trials were not yet complete and final stage testing involving more than 2,000 people was to start only on Wednesday.



Western scientists have previously raised concerns about the speed of development of Russian vaccines, suggesting that researchers might be cutting corners.



The World Health Organization's spokesman in Geneva Tarik Jasarevic said it was in "close contact" with Russian health authorities but that it was too soon for any WHO stamp of approval.






A 'disgusted' Argos customer claims she was sent a text from a delivery driver asking if she is 'single' just hours after he delivered a package to her home.

Katie from East Yorkshire shared a screenshot of texts from a contact claiming to be the driver who 'came and delivered to her house' on Monday.

The sender says he has 'a wild question to ask' before asking: 'I was just wondering if you were single?'

A horrified Ms Norfolk shared her experience on social media yesterday, with Argos's customer service team vowing to refer it for further investigation.

Argos customer Katie (left), from East Yorkshire, claims she was sent a text from a delivery driver asking if she is 'single' (right) just hours after he delivered a package to her home

The screenshot shows a message at 5:22pm, which just reads: 'Hey.'

Ms Norfolk asks the sender 'who's this?' before added: 'Please can you tell me who this is as I don't have your number stored.'

The response reads: 'I came and delivered to your house earlier today.'

'I have a wild question to ask you I was just wondering if you were single?'

After Ms Norfolk did not respond, the sender - who claims to be a delivery man - sent a follow up message with a question mark.

Ms Norfolk shared the messages with Argos, saying: 'Reporting this as a GDPR breach.

'May lead to this man getting nasty, he now has my number, name, address and came into my house to deliver the item.

'I don't know his motives; he could get malicious or share my details elsewhere!

'Yesterday I received a delivery, I opened the door and asked for this to be placed in the living room, that was all I said, closed the door, done.

'At 5 pm I receive a text saying 'hey'. I ask who this is numerous times.

'Only to discover your delivery driver in the Argos lorry and uniform, has stolen my private phone number and proceeded to message me inappropriately.

'This member of staff now has my name, address and phone number, I do not feel safe knowing my data was accessed so easily and I am concerned as when I report this breach in GDPR he may react negatively.

'I am completely disgusted in both incidents of service.'

GDPR outlines the rules for data protection and privacy in the EU.

The advent of the Internet and the emergence of the cloud led to organisations being able to use personal user data for their own purposes, which caused problems when individuals wanted to know how their information was being used.

GDPR was planned because of the EU's need to align data protection law with the 21st century, a time where people use free services like Amazon, Google, Twitter and Facebook and offer their information openly.

A horrified Ms Norfolk shared her experience on social media yesterday (pictured), with Argos's customer service team vowing to refer it for further investigation

Alongside this, the EU wanted to align data protection law across all member states so that companies are clear about what they need to comply with.

Under the GDPR, the European Union has expanded the definition of 'personal data' to include other online identifiers such as IP addresses, mental health, cultural and economic information about an individual.

Individuals already have the right to access information that a company has obtained and to know how and why their data is being processed, as well as who will see it.

Data can also be rectified, changed or deleted at any time by the person it belongs to.

Personal phone numbers are seen as personal data and therefore are expected to be protected within the regulations.

An Argos spokesperson said: 'We are in touch with the customer and are investigating.'
President of war-torn Syria exits parliament hall to sit down for a minute before returning to continue speech.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has halted a speech in parliament, telling legislators he needed to sit down for a minute after suffering a drop in blood pressure.

The 54-year-old was half an hour through his speech on Wednesday when he began appearing tired, interrupting it twice to take a sip of water from a glass in front of him.

He was speaking about US sanctions on Syria and the war-torn countrys economic crisis when he told the room: My blood pressure has dropped and I need to drink water.

Shortly afterwards, he said: I need to sit for a minute if you dont mind, before exiting the huge hall.

It was not clear how long he was absent but when he returned, al-Assad, a trained eye doctor who is not known to have any specific health condition, joked that doctors are the worst patients.

I havent eaten since yesterday afternoon. I have no sugar or salt and this happens, he added.

The presidencys Facebook page said in a post that the speech would be aired later on Wednesday. It did not provide further details.

Al-Assad spoke from a podium to the mask-wearing members of parliament.

Al-Assad was greeted by applause from the lawmakers [SANA via AFP]

Syria has seen a rising number of coronavirus infections recently, although the overall reported numbers remain low with 1,327 confirmed cases and 53 deaths. Limited testing facilities and Syrian government control over pandemic statistics have led to concerns that the real number of cases is much higher than that reported.

Al-Assad gave the speech on the occasion of the first parliament session after elections were held last month. The vote was the third to take place in Syria since the countrys devastating war began in 2011.

The conflict started as a mass uprising against al-Assads rule but quickly morphed into a full-fledged civil war that has killed hundreds of thousands of people.

The election also coincided with Syrias worst economic crisis and a currency crash, which has dragged more of the countrys population into poverty.

Al-Assad said sweeping new US sanctions amounted to a new stage of economic warfare against his government and were part of Washingtons long-standing efforts to choke Syrians living standards.

He also blamed the sanctions, known as the Caesar Act, for a fall in the local currency to new record lows, with panic buying of dollars by Syrians worried about their economic situation.
Belfast International and City Airports are in crisis after suffering a huge drop in passenger numbers compared to last year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

In June 2019 the number of passengers who passed through Belfast International was 612,034 - but that plummeted to 14,896 during the same month this year, a drop of 98%.

Meanwhile, at George Best Belfast City Airport a mere 10,856 passengers passed through this June - a drop of 95%.

Last June the number was 230,898.

The figures were released by the Civil Aviation Authority, which collects statistics from airports.

Dublin Airport welcomed fewer travellers in June than Adana in Turkey, a small regional terminal.

The Republic's main hub, one of Europe's busiest, has been particularly badly hit with an estimated loss of 97.2% of its passengers in recent months.

Elsewhere, around 88% fewer people travelled through Heathrow last month compared to last year.

Belfast City has remained open throughout the pandemic, with Aer Lingus flying to Heathrow to facilitate essential travel.

Over the summer Eastern Airways commenced services to Southampton and Teesside from it, KLM ran a daily service to Amsterdam, and British Airways resumed its service to Heathrow.

Loganair also flew to Aberdeen and Inverness, while services to Glasgow will resume on September 4, and Dundee on September 18.

At the end of last month Aer Lingus announced it would take over Belfast City routes left vacant by Flybe.

That includes services to Edinburgh and Exeter starting on August 27 and 28; Birmingham and Manchester beginning on September 14; and East Midlands and Leeds Bradford on October 1.

Belfast International Airport welcomed its first passengers since lockdown came into force in March on June 15 as easyJet returned to the skies.

It said the Covid-19 pandemic has had a devastating impact on global aviation and Aldergrove was no exception.

"During the lockdown Belfast International Airport remained open and operational to facilitate over 3,000 essential cargo, medical and military flights in order to keep Northern Ireland fully equipped to deal with the pandemic," an airport spokesman added.

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"June saw the restart of passenger operations and in the two months since flights began operating we have had almost 120,000 passengers through the facility and growing every day, as more flights come on stream and passenger confidence resumes as lockdown measures ease.

"Air connectivity in Northern Ireland is critical to the health of our local economy and for our tourism business, as well as a lifeline for those needing to work and reconnect with loved ones."

The varying approaches to travel restrictions also resulted in a total overhaul of the 'busiest air facilities' rankings in Europe.

Moscow's Domodedovo Airport became the busiest with 716,800 passengers - seeing it overtake giant hubs including Paris Charles de Gaulle and Frankfurt.

Heathrow plummeted from the busiest airport in Europe down to 11th position by passenger numbers.

Strong domestic travel is credited for assisting airports such as Moscow's, as well as terminals in Norway and Turkey.

Amsterdam Schiphol, normally the third busiest European airport, sank to seventh position (471,800 passengers, or down 92.7%).

Among the heaviest falls recorded by any airport was that of Gatwick.

London's 'second' airport declined by 99.4% - slumping from the 10th busiest in Europe to 92nd.
The waterfall itself doesnt look any different these days, but the experience of visiting Multnomah Falls has certainly changed.

Nearly five months after closing due to the coronavirus pandemic, the scenic attraction in the Columbia River Gorge reopened to the public Tuesday, with crowd limits, a face mask requirement, and several new public health precautions in place.

Crowds were sparse on the first two days of reopening. Wednesday morning, under drizzling gray clouds, only a few dozen people stopped by the waterfall viewpoint and perused the gift shop. It was the same scene Tuesday, with few people showing up following a news conference announcing the reopening, officials said.

Thats expected to change over the weekend and throughout the summer, as warm weather returns and locals return to the Columbia River Gorge to visit other recently reopened areas, including the Historic Columbia River Highway, the Angels Rest trail and the Sandy River Delta park, all of which also opened Tuesday.

Stan Hinatsu, recreation manager for the U.S. Forest Service in the Columbia Gorge, said crowds returning to Multnomah Falls will need to prepare themselves for changes in the visiting experience.

I think the big thing is that visitors need to know is that it will be different, Hinatsu said. Its not going to be the Multnomah Falls pre-pandemic.

Multnomah Falls reopens to visitors amid the coronavirus pandemic with several new public heath precautions in place, including one-way paths, social distancing and a face mask mandate. Jamie Hale/The Oregonian

Multnomah Falls reopens to visitors amid the coronavirus pandemic with several new public heath precautions in place, including one-way paths, social distancing and a face mask mandate. Jamie Hale/The Oregonian

Multnomah Falls reopens to visitors amid the coronavirus pandemic with several new public heath precautions in place, including one-way paths, social distancing and a face mask mandate. Jamie Hale/The Oregonian

The biggest change will be the number of people allowed in. Only 300 people will be permitted to visit the waterfall at any given time, a number monitored by employees at an entrance welcome station. On Aug. 27, the U.S. Forest Service started requiring online reservations that cost $1 a person and need to be made at least a day in advance, limiting crowds to 300 people an hour.

On busy summer days in years past, crowds have numbered between 1,500 and 2,000 people at a time, Hinatsu said.

If that kind of demand remains, the forest service worries that the parking lot off Interstate 84 could become overcrowded quickly, with long lines forming as people wait for space to open up at the falls. Additional parking along the Historic Columbia River Highway will be closed for the time being.

The other changes at Multnomah Falls will be familiar to people who have visited other reopened attractions around Oregon or even shopped at grocery stores during the pandemic.

Face masks are now required for all visitors, as well as six feet of social distancing from people outside your household. One-way paths marked with arrows now separate crowds, cordoned off by ropes strung throughout the park. Hand sanitizer is available in dispensers placed around the area.

Green dots spaced six feet apart are painted onto the ground at the waterfall viewpoint, where people can pose for pictures before taking the one-way path back to the snack bar and reopened gift shop that now sells Multnomah Falls branded face masks among its souvenirs.

The restaurants at Multnomah Falls Lodge remain closed, as does the Benson Bridge viewpoint and the trail that leads to the top of the waterfall.

Multnomah Falls reopens to visitors amid the coronavirus pandemic with several new public heath precautions in place, including one-way paths, social distancing and a face mask mandate. Jamie Hale/The Oregonian

Multnomah Falls reopens to visitors amid the coronavirus pandemic with several new public heath precautions in place, including one-way paths, social distancing and a face mask mandate. Jamie Hale/The Oregonian

Multnomah Falls reopens to visitors amid the coronavirus pandemic with several new public heath precautions in place, including one-way paths, social distancing and a face mask mandate. Jamie Hale/The Oregonian

Visitors on Wednesday morning all appeared to abide by the new rules, though as people gathered at the viewpoint, many took off or pulled down their face masks to pose for pictures in front of the waterfall. Thats a behavior forest officials want to discourage as crowds return.

We would prefer people keeping their mask on, Hinatsu said. Maybe were being overly cautious, but I think maybe thats how we need to approach this right now.

Staff members are now placed throughout the park to remind visitors of the rules, and to help them find their way along snaking paths marked by arrows and signs. It can be a little confusing to navigate at times, and like so much else amid the pandemic, a little adaptation may be necessary.

With the reservation system on the horizon, expected to be implemented within the next two or three weeks, more changes are soon to come at Multnomah Falls. Officials have said their crowd limits remain flexible, and could go up or down depending on how things go on the first few busy weekends.

Hinatsu said the trick is in balancing public health and public access, allowing people to return to a cherished natural attraction while preventing the spread of COVID-19. For now, officials are taking a wait-and-see approach with the new measures already in place.

When we have a busy day that will be a good test, Hinatsu said. It will give us a sense of how much we can actually handle in a safe manner.

--Jamie Hale; jhale@oregonian.com; 503-294-4077; @HaleJamesB

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CallRail plays a crucial role in providing the insights marketers need to succeed in a results-driven world. Im grateful to work with an extremely talented team, and look forward to the continued growth and innovation ahead.

CallRail, a lead-focused analytics platform, announced today it has been named to the 39th annual Inc. 5000 list recognizing the fastest-growing private companies in America for the fifth year in a row.

CallRail landed the number 1,628 spot and was one of just 28 Georgia-based software companies to make the list. CallRail achieved a 263% revenue growth rate from 2016 to 2020, and its team has expanded too, growing 193% from 2016 to 2019.

"Were thrilled to be recognized on the Inc. 5000 for the fifth consecutive year, said Andy Powell, CallRails co-founder and CEO. CallRail plays a crucial role in providing the insights marketers need to succeed in a results-driven world. Im grateful to work with an extremely talented team, and look forward to the continued growth and innovation ahead.

CallRails growth stems from a commitment to helping its customers stay competitive in todays fast-changing digital marketing landscape. The platform seamlessly connects data from calls, forms, chat and other channels to prove which marketing campaigns are driving qualified leads, and which ones arent  arming businesses with the necessary insights to improve their business strategies.

The lead-focused analytics platform is regularly recognized as one of Atlantas fastest-growing businesses, and continually innovates and evolves its product to prioritize customer needs. For example, CallRail recently enhanced its Conversation Intelligence product with AI-powered call analysis, helping businesses efficiently and affordably analyze valuable phone calls and qualify leads.

CallRail has appeared on AJCs Top Workplaces list for the third straight year and earned a spot on Forbes 2020 list of Best Startup Employers, beating out 2,500 companies across the nation for its irreplicable workplace culture. The company has also appeared on the Deloitte Tech Fast 500 list for the past three years for its entrepreneurial founding story, technological innovation and rapid growth.

The companies on this years Inc. 5000 come from nearly every realm of business, says Inc. editor-in-chief Scott Omelianuk. From health and software to media and hospitality, the 2020 list proves that no matter the sector, incredible growth is based on the foundations of tenacity and opportunism.

Complete results of the Inc. 5000, including company profiles and an interactive database, can be found at http://www.inc.com/inc5000 with CallRails profile available at http://www.inc.com/profile/callrail.

About CallRail:

Since 2011, CallRail has helped more than 150,000 small businesses and digital marketing agencies worldwide, who rely on quality phone calls and other inbound leads, to boost success and sustain growth. The intuitive platform works within customers existing workflow to connect data from calls, forms, chat and beyondbringing perfect visibility into their digital marketing efforts so customers can achieve better outcomes. CallRail seamlessly routes leads and integrates with several major marketing and sales platforms including HubSpot, Facebook, Salesforce, and Google Ads and Analytics. The Atlanta-based analytics platform is powered by a team of nearly 200 passionate and hardworking employees. For more information or to view a demo on the product, visit http://www.callrail.com.

Methodology:

The 2020 Inc. 5000 is ranked according to percentage revenue growth when comparing 2016 and 2019. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2016. They had to be U.S.-based, privately held, for profit, and independentnot subsidiaries or divisions of other companiesas of December 31, 2019. (Since then, a number of companies on the list have gone public or been acquired.) The minimum revenue required for 2016 is $100,000; the minimum for 2019 is $2 million. As always, Inc. reserves the right to decline applicants for subjective reasons. Companies on the Inc. 500 are featured in Inc.s September issue. They represent the top tier of the Inc. 5000, which can be found at http://www.inc.com/inc5000.

About Inc. Media:

The worlds most trusted business-media brand, Inc. offers entrepreneurs the knowledge, tools, connections, and community to build great companies. Its award-winning multiplatform content reaches more than 50 million people each month across a variety of channels including websites, newsletters, social media, podcasts, and print. Its prestigious Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to recognize the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. The global recognition that comes with inclusion in the 5000 gives the founders of the best businesses an opportunity to engage with an exclusive community of their peers, and the credibility that helps them drive sales and recruit talent. The associated Inc. 5000 Conference is part of a highly acclaimed portfolio of bespoke events produced by Inc. For more information, visit http://www.inc.com.

For more information on the Inc. 5000 Conference, visit http://conference.inc.com/.




Ha Long Bay. (Photo: Shutterstock)

According to the website, the moment of dawn waking up, signaling a new day, is the ideal time for travelers to experience new things in well-known tourist spots.



Ha Long Bay in the northern province of Quang Ninh serves as a spectacular sight for visitors and is one of Asias great wonders.

With its towering karst formations, clad in dense forest, the bay has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site for more than 20 years. Usually visitors here can sit back and watch the sunrise at around 5 a.m. in the summer from Ban Chan Beach, or from a boat on the water, said Love Exploring.

Earlier, in 2019, the worlds natural wonder was named among the worlds most beautiful sunrise spots by the Microsoft Network (MSN).

The bay was recognized twice by UNESCO as a global heritage site for both its landscape and geological value.

Other places to see beautiful sunrises include Brooklyn Bridge (the US), Monument Valley (the US), Cape Town (South Africa), Tower Bridge (Britain), Shetland Islands (Scotland), Machu Picchu (Peru), and Yosemite National Park (the US)./.
Survey: Majority of American Christians Dont Believe the Gospel

by Joe Carter

The Story: A new survey finds that a majority of people who describe themselves as Christian accept a works-oriented means to Gods acceptance.

The Background: A survey conducted by the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University find that American adults today increasingly adopt a salvation-can-be-earned perspective. A plurality of adults (48 percent) believe that if a person is generally good, or does enough good things during their life, they will earn a place in heaven. Only one-third of adults (35 percent) disagree.

A majority of Americans who describe themselves as Christian (52 percent) also accept a works-oriented means to Gods acceptanceeven those associated with churches whose official doctrine says eternal salvation comes only from embracing Jesus Christ as savior. Almost half of all adults associated with Pentecostal (46 percent), mainline Protestant (44 percent), and evangelical (41 percent) churches, as well as nearly two-thirds of Catholics (70 percent), hold that view.

While about 65 percent of American adults describe themselves as Christians, only about half (54 percent) believe
Babylon App, the online healthcare service, has created a new artificial intelligence algorithm which has 'imagination'.

A study created an AI which was programmed with 'causal reasoning', the robotic equivalent of human imagination.

This instills an element of 'outside the box' thinking into the system, which allows it to consider what symptoms it might see if the patient had different illnesses from the one it was considering.

The system is superior to its predecessor, which is used in the app currently, and real-life doctors when it comes to accurately diagnosing patients.

Babylon has been promoted by Health Secretary Matt Hancock and is currently operational in London, Birmingham, Manchester and Wolverhampton.

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Artificial intelligence programmed to have 'imagination' could help doctors make more accurate diagnoses, new research suggests

Human doctors assess patients and automatically consider a range of different possible diagnoses which could explain a person's symptoms.

This requires a level of imagination of which current AI systems are not capable, so they are generally only used to confirm or refute a doctor's suspected diagnosis.

However, the new algorithm, complete with its causal reasoning, can take into account a person's various symptoms and suggest alternative diagnoses.

Researchers created more than 1,600 cases for the AI to study which included patients with both typical and atypical symptoms.

A study created an AI which was programmed with 'causal reasoning', the robotic equivalent to human imagination. This instills an element of outside the box thinking into the system which allows it to consider what symptoms it might see if the patient had different illnesses from the one it was considering

The old AI system and a group of 44 other GPs then also tried to identify the illness.

According to the study, the new AI performed best, naming the correct illness in its answers on average 77 per cent of the time, ahead of the older AI (72.5 per cent) and the human doctors (71.4 per cent).

Dr Jonathan Richens, lead author of the study and a Babylon scientist, said: 'We took an AI with a powerful algorithm, and gave it the ability to imagine alternate realities and consider "Would this symptom be present if it was a different disease?"

'This allows the AI to tease apart the potential causes of a patient's illness and score more highly than over 70 per cent of the doctors on these written test cases.'

Dr Saurabh Johri, chief scientist at Babylon, said the results suggested human doctors and AI could work together in the future.

'Interestingly, we found that the AI and doctors complemented each other  the AI scored more highly than the doctors on the harder cases, and vice versa,' he said.

'Also, the algorithm performed particularly well for rare diseases which are more commonly misdiagnosed, and more often serious.

'Switching from using correlations improved accuracy for around 30 per cent of both rare and very rare conditions.'

Babylon said it hoped the technology could be used in the future to help speed up diagnosis, improve accuracy and free up time for clinicians.

The health tech firm said the algorithm would face further development and testing before it would be considered for release in the company's public app.
The Lebanese Shia group Hizbullah may make concessions in order to ensure the arrival of Western funding, but it is unlikely to lose its influence over the Lebanese state and society

In the aftermath of the Beirut explosion on 4 August, fingers immediately pointed to the Lebanese Shia group Hizbullah.

The theory was that the explosion was a message to Lebanese Future Movement leader Saad Al-Hariri ahead of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) announcement of its verdict in the case of the assassination of former prime minister Rafik Al-Hariri in which four Hizbullah members are being tried in absentia.

In some versions of the theory, Hizbullah had been smuggling explosive substances through the port of Beirut. In others, Hizbullah had kept the substances in storage for use in the next war with Israel or, alternatively, Israel had bombed the highly explosive ammonium nitrate as a means to get at Hizbullah.

Such conjectures have since given way to the semi-official version, which maintains that sparks from nearby welding works ignited the 2,700 tons of ammonium nitrate that have been housed in the port for several years.

But even so Hizbullah still remains in the public gaze. The group is widely seen as being responsible for the deterioration that has brought Lebanon to its present state. Even before the explosion and as the Lebanese economy plunged deeper into crisis, there was mounting criticism of Hizbullah militias.

But the explosion focused popular anger on the Shia militant group more intensely than ever before, especially after the Lebanese 14 March Alliance started to mobilise its supporters to demand the fall of the current government, which is perceived as being Hizbullah-controlled.

Hizbullah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah has denied allegations that the group controlled the port or stored weapons and ammunition there. We do not operate or control the port. We do not intervene in its management. We do not know what happens or what exists there, he said.

Nasrallah demanded a fair and transparent investigation of what had taken place and appealed for a united front and cool-headedness in response to what he described as an exceptional event in modern Lebanese history that should not be politicised.

While its management falls under the office of the president, currently Michel Aoun who is a Hizbullah ally, the Beirut port, like other national facilities, is subject to the influence of the political forces, and this is determined by numerous factors, an informed Lebanese source told Al-Ahram Weekly.

Basic government services and facilities are apportioned among the political forces. The port cannot be said to be controlled by any particular party by tradition. However, it is currently under the influence of the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM), given that Aoun is president. Aoun founded the FPM in 1994.

According to the available information, the source continued, Hizbullah does not exercise any exceptional influence over the port, in contrast to Beirut airport, which is situated near the predominantly Shia Dahieh district south of Beirut.

Hizbullah has long exercised control over the airport, which the political party/militant organisation has designated as a red line. Defending that red line was one of the reasons it launched its takeover of Beirut on 7 May 2008 following the dismissal of the Hizbullah-affiliated security director at the airport.

According to the source, the very location of the seaport in Beirut limits Hizbullahs ability to assert its control over it and use it towards its own ends. For one thing, it is adjacent to Christian and Sunni neighbourhoods. For another, the Mediterranean teems with US and Israeli warships that inspect any vessel suspected of transporting military equipment or substances to Hizbullah, he said.

Hizbullah also has several ports in the south in predominantly Shia areas. More importantly, it relies on the land route from Syria, out of sight of western fleets, to obtain its needs.

Would Hizbullah agree to relinquish its arms in order to bring Lebanon back from the brink of collapse?

If forced to choose between a Lebanon reduced to famine and giving up its arms, it would choose famine, the source said. But this doesnt mean that Hizbullah would not be open to making concessions. It knows as well as anyone else that Lebanon cannot survive the current crisis without international support. An indication of this awareness was seen in its positive reception of French President Emmanuel Macrons recent visit.

The Lebanese press reported that Macron, during his meeting with political party representatives at the French embassy during his visit to Lebanon, had had a separate conversation with MP Mohamed Raad, the head of the Hizbullah parliamentary group. Hizbullah sources have refused to divulge the substance of the conversation, which reportedly lasted several minutes.

The Lebanese Al-Akhbar newspaper described this as the first meeting between the French president and an official from Hizbullah, which Washington has designated as a terrorist organisation.

The Al-Jumhuriya newspaper reported that Raad had said that we have no problem with regard to speaking to each other. The problem is that we do not carry out what we agree on. The proof is that we signed the Taif Accord, but we have not implemented it. Raad was also reported to have described the French presidents propositions concerning what needed to be done in Lebanon as realistic.

The Hizbullah MP underscored the need to reinforce Lebanon and to preserve its strong points, especially the power of the resistance that compensated for the inability of the state to fight for liberation, just as French freedom fighters did during the Nazi occupation of France, he said, as quoted in Al-Akhbar.

It was also reported that Hizbullah had asked Iran to erase a tweet by the secretary of the Iranian Expediency Discernment Council, an Iranian government organisation, Mohsen Rezaee, criticising Macrons visit to Beirut in the aftermath of the explosion. Hizbullah realises that Macrons visit extended a last hope to salvage the Lebanese economy, and it wants it to succeed while having to make as few concessions as possible.

It appears that the conditions the French president made in order to martial international aid do not include the immediate disarmament of Hizbullah. However, they do include assurances of Lebanons neutrality. This is shorthand for the need for Hizbullah to refrain from intervening in the affairs of Lebanons neighbours and to cease its military adventures, already a tall order for the militant organisation.

According to some reports, Macron suggested deferring the question of Hizbullahs arms until after the US and Iran had reached a new agreement over the Iranian nuclear programme. But while Macrons proposal may be more consistent with Lebanese realities, it is unlikely to be acceptable to the US and Saudi Arabia, which both want to disarm Hizbullah and oppose keeping the question of Hizbullahs control over the Lebanese state up in the air.

Aware of the potential resistance from Washington, Macron told US President Donald Trump that US sanctions against Hizbullah were counterproductive and that they only served to strengthen the very parties they sought to weaken.

On the eve of the international donors conference to support Lebanon, an Elysee Palace official said that Macron had told Trump by telephone that the US needed to reinvest in Lebanon in order to help with reconstruction. The French official added that his government believed there was sufficient evidence to presume that the explosion in the Beirut port was an accident.

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas was equally concerned over the precarious situation in Lebanon and cautioned against attempts to destabilise Lebanon and to exploit the crisis to pave the way for increased foreign influence. In remarks to the press, Maas spoke of non-government agents funded from abroad, such as Hizbullah, that could exploit the political and security vacuum in Lebanon.

The international donors conference was hosted by Paris on Sunday by video to secure pledges of financial support from participants and to discuss how to distribute aid in ways that reach its intended beneficiaries directly, rather than passing through the hands of corrupt officials.

Due to the urgency of the aid, it appears that European donors at least will not broach the question of Hizbullahs arms and instead will focus on the fight against corruption, the need to empower Lebanese civil society and the need to hold new elections.

None of these issues present an immediate threat to Hizbullahs influence. The group has extensive intelligence expertise, and it can continue to pursue its security and military activities despite a degree of foreign monitoring and plans to combat corruption.

Indeed, a not insignificant portion of civil society activists in Lebanon are close to Hizbullah. Ultimately, whatever concessions Hizbullah makes in order to ensure the arrival of Western funding, it is unlikely to lose much of its influence over the Lebanese state and society.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 13 August, 2020 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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Sen. Kamala Harris' VP selection could heighten the ticket's focus on environmental justice while prompting fresh Trump campaign political attacks on Democrats' energy plans.

Why it matters: Her introduction comes in an election year that has seen more emphasis on climate change than prior cycles. One effect of the movement ignited by the police killing of George Floyd is a new focus on environmental burdens that poor people and communities of color face.

And beyond whatever White House influence she may have if Democrats win, the 55-year-old would be positioned to run again for president after serving as veep, so her views are important.

The big picture: Harris' overall energy stance is consistent with Biden's at a 30,000-foot level, but there are some differences, too.

One part of her wider climate change platform called for a "carbon fee" on polluters, which is a more explicit statement on carbon pricing than Biden has offered.

Harris, during a CNN event last year, said she would favor a ban on fracking (though the Washington Post points out a ban wasn't in her online platform).

Biden has not called for a ban, which would be extraordinarily unlikely to clear Congress anyway.

She's an original Senate co-sponsor of the sweeping but vague Green New Deal resolution. Biden's climate plan calls the Green New Deal a "crucial framework" but he has not explicitly endorsed the Senate proposal.

The intrigue: During her campaign, she called for killing the filibuster if Republicans don't cooperate on a sweeping climate change bill.

It's a stance that could lend weight to existing calls for ending the Senate super-majority requirement.

Where it stands: One sign of Harris' priorities arrived just last week when Harris unveiled the "Climate Equity Act" with high-profile Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

The bill is designed to better integrate environmental justice (EJ) into future policies.

It would create a Congressional Budget Office unit that creates an "equity score" for certain bills; and new steps to review the EJ effects of federal regulations and spending.

What to watch: How much and how often the Trump campaign attacks Harris' climate positions. It's already happening.

Last night the Trump campaign's response to her selection cited her Green New Deal support as part of a wider attack claiming she's the most "most radical, far-left" VP pick in history.

Of note: We'll have more on Harris and energy during the campaign, but some analysis of how the former California attorney general's selection could affect climate litigation is eyecatching.

What they're saying: Here's part of a note from the Rapidan Energy Group...
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-12 13:44:57|Editor: huaxia

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WASHINGTON, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- A U.S. federal appeals court on Tuesday reheard the criminal case against Michael Flynn, President Donald Trump's former national security adviser who once pleaded guilty to lying to federal intelligence agents, to decide whether to drop the case as demanded by the Department of Justice (DOJ).

A ruling following the almost four-hour rehearing, which was not made immediately on Tuesday, would either end the Flynn case, or keep it alive in court by returning it to U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan, Flynn's trial-level judge who is expected to continue postponing the case's dismissal by holding a hearing on the DOJ's demand, possibly extending the legal fight for weeks or even into 2021.

The rehearing by the full 10-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit wiped out a 2-1 ruling by a three-judge panel of the same court in late June ordering Sullivan to immediately grant the DOJ motion to clear Flynn.

While Flynn's attorney, Sidney Powell, argued Sullivan played a "pretty ministerial" role in refusing to drop the case when the DOJ and Flynn himself both agreed that the case should end, several judges appeared skeptical of arguments that Sullivan was not entitled to give the DOJ's move and motive behind it a second thought.

Judge Thomas Griffith refuted Powell and said "that means that the judge has to do some thinking about it," referring to Sullivan.

Solicitor General Jeffrey Wall, representing the DOJ, told the hearing that Attorney General William Barr may have additional information related to the decision of dropping the case that he didn't share with the court.

"And so what we put in front of the court were the reasons that we could, but it may not be the whole picture available to the executive branch," Wall said.

Flynn, a 61-year-old retired army general, was forced out by Trump in February after the guilty plea, making his 22-day tenure as national security adviser the shortest in U.S. history. He was convicted in former special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into alleged Russian interference into the 2016 U.S. election.

When moving to undo Flynn's charges, the DOJ reasoned in May that the defendant should not have been interviewed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in January 2017 as it lacked "a legitimate investigative basis," and that Flynn's statements to the FBI -- which he later confessed were lies -- about his contacts with then Russian Ambassador to the United States Sergey Kislyak were not "material even if untrue."

Sullivan put the DOJ's bid on hold, and on May 13 asked retired New York federal judge John Gleeson to argue against the dismissal.

In a lengthy analysis dated June 10, Gleeson argued that Flynn should be sentenced for crimes including perjury, for he twice pleaded guilty but sought to withdraw the guilty plea in January 2020. Flynn was set to serve zero to six months in prison for lying.

The twists and turns surrounding the Flynn case dramatized the fight over power separation between executive and judicial branches, with the DOJ claiming it alone can decide when a defendant is prosecuted, while Judge Robert Wilkins, who dissented the June 2-1 ruling, arguing that Sullivan "must be given a reasonable opportunity to consider and hold a hearing on the Government's request to ensure that it is not clearly contrary to the public interest." Enditem
WASHINGTON  Just six days before Joseph R. Biden Jr. tapped Kamala Harris to be his running mate in the presidential election, the California senator released sweeping environmental justice legislation. The timing, climate activists said, was important if not prescient.

The Climate Equity Act, an expanded version of a bill Ms. Harris and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Democrat of New York, introduced last year, puts the environmental health of low-income communities of color at the center of efforts to reduce planet-warming greenhouse gases.

Environmental leaders said the move sent an important signal: Not only would a Biden-Harris ticket prioritize addressing climate change, but it would focus on ensuring communities already burdened by pollution would benefit from a transition to clean energy.

It says that environmental justice will be a priority, that focusing on our most vulnerable communities and comprehensive strategies will be a priority, Mustafa Santiago Ali, who ran the Environmental Protection Agencys environmental justice office in the Obama administration.
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STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Joseph Cannizzo, 37, owner of Staten Island Judo Jujitsu Dojo in Annadale, says he cant pay the mortgage on the building that houses his business since it was shuttered during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

His dojo, which is considered a gym under state guidelines, has no date for reopening, as Gov. Andrew Cuomo still has not announced when fitness facilities can reopen.
MOUNT PLEASANT  Building a home in South Carolina's fourth-largest city would cost hundreds of dollars more under an impact fee increase that received initial approval from Town Council on Tuesday.

Mount Pleasant already has some of the highest impact fees in South Carolina, adding more than $6,000 to the cost of every new home. Supporters of the fees say they are necessary to ensure the town's growth pays for itself, or at least comes close.

The change that received initial approval on a 5-4 vote would raise the impact fee for recreation. It's one of several impact fees but the recreation charge applies only to residential construction.

The increase, if it receives final approval next month, would add $380.93 to the cost of every new single-family home, and $247.88 to every multi-family unit. That's on top of the existing impact fees which exceed $6,100 per house.

More and more people are moving here and we need to keep up so that we can serve our citizens," said Councilman Gary Santos. This was just a way for the newer ones to help pay for that impact when they come in."

Builders pass such costs along to home buyers, and Mount Pleasant is already one of the more expensive housing markets in the greater Charleston area. The median price of a single-family home sold in Mount Pleasant this year  in the less expensive north end of the town  is $535,000 according to the Charleston Trident Realtors Association.

The move to increase the residential impact fee came the same night that Charleston County Council approved a November ballot referendum asking voters countywide if they'd be willing to pay extra property tax to create an affordable housing fund.

Mayor Will Haynie was among those voting against the fee increase. He said Mount Pleasant Waterworks declined to increase its impact fee this year due to the pandemic-driven recession, and the timing doesn't seem right.

Councilwoman Kathy Landing noted that the council's discussion on impact fees had previously included a reduction in a different impact fee, for transportation, in order to give commercial developments a break.

She said that without a related cut in the impact fees for commercial development, she wouldn't support the increase for residential development.

Impact fees are one way the fast-growing town has responded to growth and development that some residents and town officials perceived as out of control. Mount Pleasant's population has grown from roughly 30,000 in 1990 to more than 90,000 now.

Only Charleston, Columbia and North Charleston have larger municipal populations in South Carolina.

The fees are used to pay for new projects related to growth, not repairs or renovations. Town Chief Financial Officer Marcy Cotov said the proposed increase could generate about $57,000 yearly.

"This will generate more revenue from residential for recreation," said Councilwoman Guang Ming Whitley.

Santos emphasized several times that current town residents would not pay the fee, which is attached to building permits.

In 2017 the Town Council narrowly approved a huge increase in impact fees. Haynie, a council member at the time, voted against the fee changes because he thought they didn't go far enough, and that fees should be even higher.

That plan raised the impact fees for a single home from $1,860 in to $6,161. The fees for some large commercial developments increased by hundreds of thousands of dollars.

The impact fees, of which there are several, vary depending on the type of construction, the traffic it's expected to generate and other factors.
EASTON, Md. - A former Maryland hospital worker has been charged with sexually assaulting an unconscious patient.

Easton police said Travis K. Brooks, 35, of Trappe, Maryland, was arrested Tuesday on charges of second-degree rape, third- and fourth-degree sex offence, abuse of a vulnerable adult and second-degree assault.

Authorities began an investigation in April after Easton police were called to the University of Maryland Shore Medical Center for a theft report, news outlets reported. Officers were told that a patient had money stolen from her wallet while having a procedure done. Investigators identified Brooks as a suspect and subsequently learned he had been taking photos of patients credit cards, according to police.

After executing several search warrants, detectives found a video that police say was recorded by Brooks in December 2019 and shows him sexually assaulting a patient who was unconscious. Detectives were able to identify the victim and confirm that Brooks carried out and recorded the assault, police said.

In addition to the sexual offences, Brooks is also charged with misdemeanour drug possession and several counts of theft.

Brooks, who has a long arrest record and was charged with assault in July 2019 in a separate case, was being held without bond on the sex charges pending a hearing Wednesday afternoon. It was not immediately clear whether he had an attorney who could comment on the charges.
NSW Treasurer Dominic Perrottet's own department raised concerns about his close relationship with icare, warning the scandal-ridden insurer often bypassed the bureaucracy, failed to comply with key policies and lacked transparency.

An internal note from a senior Treasury official to colleagues in June 2018 obtained by The Sydney Morning Herald listed a series of challenges facing the department in dealing with icare. "A direct line to the Treasurer means icare often bypasses Treasury," the note said.

NSW Treasurer Dominic Perrottet. Credit:Peter Braig

Other concerns included icares "non-compliance" with recruitment policies and limited disclosure of capital expenditures. The official's note referred to "non compliance" with a Cabinet-endorsed process known as the ICT Assurance Framework (IAF) - the governments key oversight and governance process for major IT projects costing over $10 million.

The IAF requires government businesses such as icare to comply with certain processes and checks to ensure Cabinet has confidence that major digital projects are scrutinised by expert, independent reviews, meet regular reporting requirements and are delivered on time and on budget.
A bouncer was left with blood dripping down his face after a 5ft 2in solicitor hit him with her stiletto at a Halloween party, a court heard today.

Vahideh Hojatoleslami, 28, allegedly struck Oluwakemi Tayo after he kicked her fiance out of the VIP area of Loft Studio in Willesden, north-west London.

The commercial property solicitor, whose clients include developers, landlords and investors, was said to be 'agitated' and started screaming at him and throwing punches as they made their way towards the exit last October 27.

Mr Tayo told Westminster Magistrates' Court the defendant used her stiletto 'as a weapon' to beat him over the head. Hojatoleslami has denied assault by beating and claims that Mr Tayo swung her round by the neck 'like a rag doll'.

Appearing in court today wearing a black dress and a grey suit jacket, Hojatoleslami spoke to confirm her name and address.

Vahideh Hojatoleslami, 28, allegedly struck Oluwakemi Tayo after he kicked her fiance out of the VIP area of Loft Studio in Willesden, north-west London

The commercial property solicitor, whose clients include developers, landlords and investors, was said to be 'agitated' and started screaming at him and throwing punches as they made their way towards the exit last October 27 (pictured, Loft Studio in Willesden)

Prosecutor Jennifer Gatland said: 'The defendant attended a Halloween party with friends, while upstairs in the VIP area, a drink was spilled and words were exchanged. Mr Tayo was recruited by a colleague to assist him in the VIP area.

'Mr Tayo and another colleague arrived at the same time. The defendant was there with her partner. They engaged with security staff. There was shouting and screaming and they were told to leave.

'Once at the bottom of the stairs, the defendant and her partner met with two other friends. The group refused to leave, stating they wanted their money back.

'There was some shouting and a dispute by the doorway.

'The two friends walked out into the street. However, the defendant and her partner remained. The discussion became agitated.

'Mr Tayo took hold of the defendant's partner by his arm in order to remove him from the venue. The partner resisted.

'The defendant was behind the partner and the member of staff. Then Mr Tayo felt a pain at the top of his head. Mr Tayo turned around and saw the defendant holding a stiletto shoe which she was hitting down and she started swearing.

'The police were called and they arrived shortly afterwards.'

Mr Tayo told the court that Hojatoleslami was 'aggressive' from the moment he saw her standing in the VIP area.

He said: 'When I got there, I saw my colleague and an Asian male and a female, the female was getting in front of my colleague in an aggressive way.

'My colleague pointed at the male. I approached the male and I said 'can I have a word with you'. The female was shouting and finger-pointing, she was telling everyone to shut up and go away.'

The commercial property solicitor was said to be 'agitated' after the bouncer escorted her fiance out of the VIP area of the venue on October 27 last year

The Loft Studios security guard said the solicitor 'kicked off' when he escorted her lover down the stairs.

He said: 'The female was still screaming and shouting, punching and kicking out at everyone. She was following us towards the exit and at the same time, she was punching and shouting. The punching wasn't heavy so I just ignored her.

'When we got to the exit I now realised there was another male and a female waiting at the gate. The male started kicking off again when he saw his friends.

'The male said, 'I'm not going, I want my money back, I'm not going.''

Mr Tayo said the venue manager came out to explain that refunds could only be made online but the couple began threatening him.

He added: 'Two of them mentioned they were lawyers, they said 'we will deal with you', they were making threats.

'We grabbed the male by the arm to take him out of the venue.

'I realised something hit me on the head. So I turned back then I saw the female that was following us, she was waving a shoe.

'At that point I didn't know I was bleeding.

'We took the male out and I felt something dripping on my face, I thought it was water, I thought someone had thrown water at me.

'When I touched my face I realised I was bleeding, it was due to the stiletto shoe.'

Cross-examining Mr Tayo, defence solicitor Jo Sidhu suggested he used 'illegal methods of restraint' when he ejected the couple from the venue.

He said: 'You were leaning in with your body weight and gripping her neck with your finger and your thumb.

'You escalated this violence, your behaviour was unnecessarily aggressive.'

Grainy CCTV of Mr Tayo's body-cam was played in court showing a scuffle as the diminutive solicitor and her partner were thrown out of the venue.

Mr Sidhu continued: 'You are seen with your hand on this lady's neck swinging her around.

'You're treating her like a rag doll aren't you? You're manhandling her and her boyfriend and then you're grabbing him and bringing him to the ground.

'You assaulted her and you assaulted her fiance, you used illegal methods of restraint, using your hands on their neck.'

Mr Tayo replied: 'That is incorrect. She was using the stiletto as a weapon.'

Hojatoleslami, of Silverworks Close, Edgware, denies assault by beating.

She qualified to the legal profession in May 2018 and has worked for Axiom Stone Solicitors since March this year.

According to her biography on her employers' website: 'Vahideh takes pride in her ability to form long lasting relationships with her clients, and appreciates the importance of understanding their business and practical objectives in providing advice that is both tailored and pragmatic.'

The trial ran out of time and resumes on August 20.
Police in Hong Kong released pro-democracy activist Agnes Chow and media tycoon Jimmy Lai late on Tuesday on bail, pending charges of "collusion with foreign powers" under a draconian national security law imposed on the city by the ruling Chinese Communist Party.



Chow left Tai Po police station after 11.00 p.m. on Tuesday, local time, after surrendering her passport and paying a HK$200,000 bond.



"I would say that it's very obvious that the regime and the government are using the National Security Law to suppress political dissidents," Chow told waiting journalists following her release.



"I hope that more people will keep an eye on the situation in Hong Kong, and that Hongkongers won't give up," she said.



Chow said the charge against her relates to comments she made on social media, but is unclear which posts on which platforms were deemed in breach of the national security law.



Lai was released from Mong Kok police station shortly after midnight, but declined to comment. Supporters shouted support for his pro-democracy Apple Daily newspaper, which was raided by national security police on Monday, as he walked to his car.



Several of his colleagues at Next Media and his two sons were also released on police bail, government broadcaster RTHK reported.



Apple Daily journalists told RFA that Lai's arrested was likely just the start of a campaign targeting the paper, which has been a staunch supporter of opposition campaigns for greater democracy, and its journalists.



"We foresaw that our boss Jimmy Lai would be arrested one day, and we also know that the Apple Daily will be shut down sooner or later," a journalist at the newspaper told RFA. "But even though we were mentally prepared for this day, we still felt sad and scared when it did arrive."



Major blow to freedom



The journalist, who gave a nickname A Mei, said the raid had been a major blow to freedom of speech and the press, affecting everyone in Hong Kong.



"Everyone should take responsibility for protecting our freedom of speech," she said. "It shouldn't just be down to the Apple Daily, right?"



While the newspaper's headquarters in the Next Digital building on an industrial estate in Kowloon's Tseung Kwan O district had largely returned to normal by Tuesday, a journalist who gave only the nickname A Cheong said he was shocked when around 200 uniformed national security police trooped into the paper's newsroom on Monday, cordoning off the area and searching journalists' personal belongings and work spaces.



But he said he has no plans to quit.



"I think Hong Kong people really value our alternative voice," he said. "It is similar to their support for the [pro-protest] yellow economic circle of businesses."



He said mass-buying of the paper on the morning after the raid showed the extent of support for the "yellow" camp, despite claims from Hong Kong and Chinese officials that the majority of people in the city welcomed the new national security regime because they were fed up with months of mass protest.



He pointed to the recent postponement of elections to the city's Legislative Council (LegCo) by the authorities, citing coronavirus concerns.



"The people of Hong Kong did this because they are truly desperate," A Cheong said. "Now that there will be no elections for LegCo, all they can use to vote is their money."



"I understand why people would treasure a copy of the Apple Daily so much."



Police take names, addresses



While police denied that they had removed any journalistic materials in the raid, sources inside the building said they searched the editorial department, the administration and accounts departments, executive offices, and the server room.



They also asked everyone in the building to provide their personal details, including their residential addresses, and to answer questions about their role in the company, the sources said.



During the raid, police officers cordoned off the entrances and exits of the building and asked staff to gather in the atrium, but wouldn't allow them to eat lunch in the canteen.



The paper's management has told its employees to look out for any suspicious items in their work spaces, including secret cameras or listening devices, and to make mental preparation for police to pay a call on them at home.



A Sang, a veteran journalist who has been in the industry for more than 20 years, has been with the paper since its founding in 1995.



But he said the paper's sympathetic coverage of last year's anti-extradition movement, anti-government protests, and pro-democracy movement had likely touched a nerve in Beijing.



He thinks the paper could be shut down at any time under the national security law, and is making plans to leave Hong Kong.



"It's sad that a journalist has to run away rather than carrying on reporting the truth at such a significant time," he said. "But the real tragedy is that some people still don't think there's a problem."



'I'm not scared'



Journalist A Man said he will stay in his post until the bitter end, however.



"The fact that they took people's personal details means that they could arrest us or launch an investigation into us," he said. "They will always have ways to access employee information."



"But I'm not scared. I think this incident has increased solidarity among our colleagues, and our will to carry on opposing this regime," he said.



A Kei, a veteran tabloid journalist with a reputation as a dirt-digger, said the raid will likely increase public trust in the paper.



"I'm pretty optimistic about this company's future," he said. "It really represents the core values of Hong Kong, and people won't want it to fold."



"They will find any way to support it that they can ... and we will stay at our posts until the last possible minute," he said. "Apart from that, we won't pay too much heed to [the raid]."



Foreign lawmakers slam crackdown



The Interparliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC), a group of lawmakers from eight democratic nations, hit out via its Twitter account at the crackdown on Lai, Chow, and the Apple Daily.



"#IPAC calls for the dropping of all charges against Hong Kong journalists and activists arrested under the National Security Law," the group tweeted.



Meanwhile, Chow's arrest appeared to have focused minds in Japan, where social media users were credited with starting the #FreeAgnes hashtag on Twitter.



Chow, who speaks fluent Japanese, was being described by some as the "goddess" of the Hong Kong democracy movement, while other social media comments likened her to the legendary Chinese soldier Mulan, using memes with the hashtag #TheRealMulan.



Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga publicly expressed concern over the situation in Hong Kong on Tuesday, breaking Tokyo's usual reticence over events in China.



In comments carried by NHK, Suga said Japan had conveyed its position to China in various ways, including during phone conversations between their foreign ministers.



Chow spoke to journalists in Japanese after she was released, as well as her native Cantonese, thanking her supporters for the hashtag campaign.



Reported by Tam Siu-yin for RFA's Cantonese Service, and by Tseng Yat-yiu for the Mandarin Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.
If a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, then large orders can propel your business a hundred steps forward.

All businesses will eventually have a digital footprint. For now, 40 percent of small firms dont have a website, and 38 percent dont use social media, according to a 2019 survey by Visual Objects, a portfolio website. That wont fly in a struggling economy, therefore entrepreneurs must maximize sales, traffic and referrals.

Ignoring ecommerce or social media makes survival that much harder. In April, the U.S. savings rate shot up to 33 percent, the highest level since the 1960s. But as Americans hoard cash and curb spending, startups must vie for less cash being spent. Consumer spending accounts for 70 percent of the U.S. economy.

The failure rate for small businesses is notoriously high, but it gets a bit easier when a solopreneur gets customers from ecommerce, Google, Amazon, Facebook, Instagram and other online channels, in addition to brick-and-mortar. Digital platforms diversify revenue streams and de-risk a startup, and they can increase enterprise value if a company or investor buys the venture down the road.

Here are tips for establishing an online business presence.

Related: Winning The ECommerce Battle In The Post COVID-19 Era

Search your business

A digital footprint enables you to build a fanbase that likes and shares content, as well as promote your brand to loved ones. Google your brand as if youre a customer seeking a local good or service. What search results appear? Try multiple and hyperlocal keywords. For instance, you can type, Miami-Dade County vegan pizza or, South San Francisco dog walkers. Investigate your niche on YouTube and other large platforms to see the results.

Right from the start, think about how your business fits those search results. You want to be using the same keywords that will drive customers to your business as well. However, also think about how your business differs. To keep customers returning, offer something a little extra. Perhaps your dog-walking business also offers pup sleepovers if necessary, complimentary back massage for pooches included.

Finally, think of your website as a virtual store. This means that your website is a salesperson, and as such, it should be easy to communicate with, offer all the necessary information and not confuse or misguide. If your site id user-friendly, both search engines and your visitors will love it.

Even if you have not registered your business on Yelp or other digital platforms, chances are you will find some traces of it online. Perhaps that will be a lone posting on some of the review sites, an entry on Google Maps or a mention of your pizza parlor in a travel blogger's post. This is your chance to capitalize on any positive feedback, or to mitigate the negative.

In the past few months, Domain.ME has seen a significant increase in the number of registered domain names and, ultimately, new websites, across the internet, noting that ecommerce websites are up by more than 85 percent.

Standardize across channels

Ask these questions: How are nearby competitors positioning themselves? Are they advertising on Google, Facebook or Instagram? Are they selling on Amazon? What keywords are they targeting? And are they paying for testimonials on YouTube?

As you publish information on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and other channels, youll need to standardize content everywhere. Its what marketers call omnichannel optimization, where a users journey is seamless across each platform.

You want to make sure that your username, logo, short bio and a website link are the same on all channels, as this will make your brand more recognizable. Think about it  after scrolling for a while, you stop paying close attention to that small profile photo and username, but you still know who shared that awesome post just by its overall tone and feel.

This also means posting photos, phone numbers, sending email newsletters, landing pages, operating hours, sales funnels, customer service, maps and directions and other helpful information in a way that makes a consumer relate to your brand.

If youre extremely good at a niche, that can potentially bring huge opportunities as you scale, says Jaiden Vu, founder of Black Peached, a Canada-based sales consultancy that takes businesses online. If you bake the best vegan pizza in Miami, a multinational company may offer a licensing deal, or offer to buy the proprietary recipe or even acquire the startup. That wont happen overnight, but dont underestimate the power of reach if youve built a truly special product or service.

Showcase your best-selling items

Whats your claim to fame? Whats your best talent? And what do you sell that customers love most? A digital presence removes borders and geographic barriers, and therefore its key to place your best foot forward. Solopreneurs can leverage a regional or global logistics network to sell almost anywhere. Thus, it becomes crucial to bring awareness to items that faraway prospects will love.

The critical success factors for online ventures are having an outstanding product, memorable brand and fan engagement. Even if a startup only caters to hyperlocal patrons, word of mouth can spread like wildfire and create demand from other parts of a city or state. Even national and international customers can order online (if you set up a web-checkout process) and send unexpected sales your way. It only takes one or two large clients to exponentially scale a startup into a medium-sized enterprise.

A great way to channel word of mouth is to share the reviews on the website, but also those from your social media pages. People trust people. Dont hesitate to show you customers using and loving your products.

These days, ecommerce must be integrated with social media. Younger shoppers are social addicts. For example, 90 percent of millennials use social compared to 48 percent for baby boomers. Once a startup appeals to followers, it can get a ton of free, crowd-sourced marketing, because fans will rave about you through photo captions, discussion boards, forums, interviews, tweets, blogs and news articles. Users love to snap photos of food, destinations, exotic merchandise and clothing. Take advantage.

Data-informed content is king

Getting the distribution channels just right for that perfect omnichannel presence comes first. From there, you need to have compelling content to share. Your customers want to feel safe when they scroll through the content living on your Instagram, for example.

Its important that small businesses create content that removes confusion so customers can stay up to date with COVID-19 regulations and guidelines. When establishing an online presence for the first time, its more effective to use social proof to demonstrate a strong commitment to customer and community safety.

Keep it manageable

In the early stages, entrepreneurs are known to work six or seven days a week since theres much operational and logistical demand and so few waking hours. Much of online presence revolves around marketing, so dont let it get out of hand, as you must continue to manage other aspects of the business and satisfy customers by procuring exceptional goods.

Many owners hire a social media manager to delegate routine tasks such as writing blogs, posting pics and replying to comments. However, an email list is a gold mine for reaching prospects and customers who have already shown interest in your products and services, and it brings recurring revenue from continuous appeal. An ecommerce manager should also ensure that the website loads fast, and that customers can pay easily and leave contact info for promotions and deals.

Another important factor that can be a deal maker or a deal breaker are delivery options. Make sure you have several delivery options and that the terms and pricing are transparent, including what happens if a product gets damaged on the way or if the customer wants to make returns. Knowing you have already taken care of this can help build trust.

Related: 10 Dos and Don'ts for Entrepreneurs to Make Their Ecommerce Business Lucrative

Business owners are facing challenges because of the lockdown and historic economic downturn. However, the pandemic offers an opportunity to discover new channels for selling products, and to explore creative ways of reaching audiences. If youve got awesome goods, youll get buyers.

Related:

Trader Joe's is Renaming International Products After Petition Calls Out Racist Branding

Why Hiring an Expert Is Smart When Undertaking a Rebrand

Free Webinar | July 30: Is It Time To Rebrand Your Company?



Copyright 2020 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved
Cathay Pacific reports first-half loss of $1.27b

AFP, Hong Kong :

Troubled Hong Kong carrier Cathay Pacific said it lost HK$9.9 billion (US$1.27 billion) in the first half of this year, making it the latest major airline to reveal how badly the coronavirus pandemic has eviscerated its business.

"The first six months of 2020 were the most challenging that the Cathay Pacific Group has faced in its more than 70-year history," chairman Patrick Healy said in a statement announcing the results.
With politicians coming to an impasse about the second stimulus check or stimulus relief package, some people are wondering if an agreement could roll out financial support within this month.

Compromising for a stimulus check

Despite both Democrats and Republicans saying they are willing to compromise to give Americans a much-needed relief bill, no actions have progressed to support that need.

According to Forbes, the requirements before a stimulus relief package is released include a number of factors. Firstly, politicians have to come to an agreement about the details of the relief bill and draft the final version.

After going through politicians, both the White House and the Senate must give their approval of the proposal's passing. The United States president must then sign the relief bill, after which the Treasury department can begin distributing the financial support to those who are eligible across the nation.

To alleviate worries of citizens, Trump had signed a collection of executive actions over the weekend in the hopes of providing some support to Americans. However, the orders do not address the ongoing question of a new stimulus check, suggesting Congress could include it in a larger-sized relief package.

In the possibility that talks about a stimulus relief bill between politicians resume, Americans can look forward to the discussion that would include new payment for individuals and families. On Monday, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said they have agreed on distributing similar direct payments as the first stimulus check.

Also Read: Coronavirus Relief Package Talks Collapse, Trump Looks to Provide Other Support to Americans

Previous financial support

Several proposals have been raised in terms of a coronavirus relief package, and each has different details and inclusions. The HEALS Act, if it becomes law, would be most similar to the previous CARES Act and gives allowance to dependents.

The proposal would provide financial support to US residents who earn an annual salary of less than $99,000, a household head earning less than $146,500, a married couple filing joint taxes earning less than $198,000 together, and dependents of any age, as reported by CNET.

Another bill is the HEROES Act that, if approved, would provide financial support to citizens who earned less than $99,000 in 2018 or 2019 adjusted gross income, prioritizing which was filed most recently. It would also give college students, dependents 17 years old and above, disabled family members, and parents of taxpayers payment.

The proposal would also provide direct payments to families which consist of a maximum of five members who would receive at-most $6,000 per family. The list of recipients includes SSDI recipients and non-US citizens who file tax returns and pay taxes and follow federal tax law.

The CARES Act, which was released in March, provided the majority of Americans with financial support amid the coronavirus pandemic. However, some people were left out due to several factors. Some people were not eligible to receive the direct payment because they earned more than the annual threshold salary, and some were denied the support because they were defined as nonresident aliens by the United States government.

Related Article: Millions of Americans Mourn Loss of $600 Unemployment Benefit, More at Risk of Losing Livelihoods

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-12 11:17:23|Editor: huaxia

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WASHINGTON, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- U.S. politicians risk making a "dreadful mistake" by stoking a geopolitical Cold War with China, a renowned U.S. economist has warned.

"The last Cold War was dangerous enough," Jeffrey Sachs, an economics professor at Columbia University and senior United Nations advisor, said in an interview with CNBC on Monday.

"This one would be even more dangerous. It's completely misconceived and misguided, but a lot of Americans want to put it to China and think that we run the show, which is a very dangerous view of thinking," he said.

Sachs noted that attacking China has become a bipartisan strategy for political gain in the United States, but a geopolitical Cold War with China would threaten global security in an already tumultuous period as the COVID-19 pandemic continues its spread across the world.

"While politics is a game, and a pretty tough one in the U.S., it's an incredibly dangerous sport also, and to play with the facts and the lies that we're saying about China right now has consequences," Sachs told CNBC.

Sachs urged global leaders to cooperate on issues like climate change as the economy undergoes a "remarkably choppy period of disruption and transition."

"If we face it as each one is on your own, then we're going to look back with a lot of regret," he said.

China rejects any attempt to create a so-called "new Cold War," because it contravenes the fundamental interests of the Chinese and U.S. people and the global trend toward development and progress, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said earlier this month.

Anyone who tries to start a so-called "new Cold War" in the 21st century will be on the wrong side of history and will only be remembered as the one who has upended international cooperation, Wang told Xinhua in an exclusive interview. Enditem
Herd immunity does not work as a Covid strategy, research suggests.

Sweden, which never imposed a national lockdown, claimed herd immunity would protect its population.

This tactic would have meant so many people contracting and becoming resistant to Covid that it would no longer spread.

But analysis by University College London suggests the nation is way off hitting that goal.

Sweden has a death rate of 564 people per million population, which is still better than the UK's 707 per million. Although both epidemics have followed a similar trajectory

Only 15 per cent of the population in Stockholm, the capital, have been infected so far, according to antibody testing.

Some 60 per cent would be needed to acquire herd immunity.

Sweden, meanwhile has seen infection rates and deaths far higher than its Scandinavian neighbours.

As of June 23, it had recorded 5,161 deaths - 511 per million of the Swedish population.

Soaking up the Swedish summer sun - but the lack of lockdown hasn't achieved herd immunity

That is about ten times higher than those in Norway, which had 45 deaths per million and Finland, which had 59 deaths per million.

And five times higher than Denmark, which had 104 deaths per million.

But, notably, not as many deaths as in the UK, which at the same point had seen 637 deaths per million.

The British Government came under fire in March when its scientific advisors revealed they were also exploring the idea of herd immunity.

Two British experts who compiled the research drew on official antibody testing data from around the world. London and Stockholm had the most amount of positive results, other than New York City

Public Health England surveillance studies estimate that 17.5 per cent of people in London had caught the virus by late June, based on testing 1,000 people a week

Sir Patrick Vallance, the Government's chief scientific advisor, said on March 13: 'Our aim is to try and reduce the peak, broaden the peak, not suppress it completely; also, because the vast majority of people get a mild illness, to build up some kind of herd immunity so more people are immune to this disease and we reduce the transmission, at the same time we protect those who are most vulnerable to it.'

Covid jobs bloodbath in UK as employment sees biggest fall in a DECADE after lockdown The number of people on company payrolls in the UK has fallen by 730,000 since lockdown - as employment saw the biggest drop in a decade. Dire figures have started to show the huge impact of coronavirus on the labour market, with a wave of jobs being axed. In the three months to June, the number in work decreased by 220,000 - the largest quarterly slump since 2009. Total hours worked slumped by a fifth over the quarter to the lowest level since 1994. Meanwhile, the numbers on payroll tumbled another 114,000 in July, as the claimant count - which includes some people who are in work - increased again to reach 2.7million. Underlining the misery, store chain Debenhams has announced that it is cutting 2,500 roles. However, analysts warned the grim news is the tip of the iceberg, as the full effects of lockdown have so far been masked by the government's massive support schemes. The latest figures today showed that 9.6million jobs have been furloughed, with the Treasury paying out 33.8billion in subisidies. Many people appear to have chosen to stay economically 'inactive' rather than hunt for work - meaning they remain outside the headline unemployment figures. Figures released tomorrow are due to confirm that the UK has formally entered a recession - with a second consecutive quarter of GDP contracting. The Bank of England expects the fall to be as much as 21 per cent. Boris Johnson said everyone knew the country was in for a 'bumpy' ride, but insisted the government was ready to make 'colossal' investments in the future. Advertisement

The researchers, writing in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, said Sweden's strategy has been to rely on people's 'individual responsibility' to curtail the spread of the disease.

This follows the Swedish sociocultural concept of 'folkvett' - the common sense of the people as a collective.

Lead author Professor David Goldsmith said: 'It is clear that not only are the rates of viral infection, hospitalisation and mortality (per million population) much higher than those seen in neighbouring Scandinavian countries, but also that the time-course of the epidemic in Sweden is different, with continued persistence of higher infection and mortality well beyond the few critical weeks period seen in Denmark, Finland and Norway.' He added that in these countries, rapid lock-down measures brought in from early March seem to have been initially more successful in curtailing the infection surge and thus the malign consequences of Covid-19 on the country as a whole.

Professor Goldsmith added: 'We in the UK would do well to remember we nearly trod the same path as Sweden, as herd immunity was often discussed here in early March.

'Right now, despite strict - but tardy - lock-down in the UK, and the more measured Swedish response, both countries have seen high seven-day averaged Covid-19 death rates compared to other Scandinavian and European countries.' Interestingly infection rates in London and Stockholm have been similar.

Antibody tests suggest 17 per cent of those in London have been infected - similar to rates in the Swedish capital.

So while a lack of lockdown measures in Sweden seem to be linked to higher infections and deaths than their Scandinavian neighbours, locking down in the UK has not protected this country from a similar fate.

Experts last night said the concept of herd immunity as a protective strategy had been flawed from the start.

Dr Simon Clarke of the University of Reading, said: 'Natural herd immunity, generated by letting Covid-19 sweep through a population, may have been an appealing notion to some because of the lack of a lockdown or curbs on people's freedoms, but it was nothing more than an idea which lacked supporting data.

'The Swedish experience of attempting to achieve this, compared to other Nordic countries responses, resulted in much higher numbers of infections and deaths per capita, in addition to a prolonged outbreak.

'These findings should prove a salutary warning, that appealing concepts and theories require supporting data when people's lives are at stake and should not be used to fit pre-conceived narratives.
NUREMBERG (dpa-AFX) - Leoni AG (LEOGN), a German provider of energy and data management solutions for the automotive industry, reported Monday that its second-quarter consolidated net loss was 123 million euros, compared to prior year's loss of 44 million euros. Loss per share was 3.75 euros, compared to loss of 1.35 euros a year ago. EBIT before exceptional items as well as before VALUE 21 costs was negative 96 million, wider than last year's loss of 14 million euros. Consolidated sales fell 46 percent to 673 million euros from 1.25 billion euros in the prior year. Looking ahead, Aldo Kamper, CEO, said, 'We expect to have reached the low point in the current phase of the pandemic in April, and we have since seen a gradual recovery in our customers' production. Nevertheless, the rest of the year remains extremely challenging.' VALUE 21 remains on track with a large number of initiatives implemented by the end of June. The company expects the initiatives already implemented will yield annual gross cost savings of around 450 million euros or 90 percent of the overall potential from 2022. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
Artist Arshi Ahmadzai brought together women from Najibabad to work on a seven-metre scroll as part of Lihaaf, a quilting project. The women are of varying ages, of Muslim faith, and belong to the Nat community.

In her 20s, Jaza Parveen is introduced to me by the artist Arshi Ahmadzai as a warrior. Jaza is among the first women of her community in Najibabad, Uttar Pradesh, to pursue higher education.

I managed to finish my graduation with great difficulty, after which, I was told to discontinue my education, she says. Instead, Jaza quietly applied for a Masters in Sociology. Every day I am told that I will be married off soon. In community gatherings, functions, I am given strange looks and taunted.

When Arshi Ahmadzai conceptualised Lihaaf, a quilting project, she brought together Jaza and 20 other women from Najibabad to work on a seven-metre scroll. The women are of varying ages, of Muslim faith, and belong to the Nat community. As they worked on the scroll, they sang bhajans, recited verses from the Quran, and traded life stories.

Jaza stitched the pattern of a salwar on the scroll. Arshi recounts how she gave Jaza Mantos Kali Shalwar to read, and why the story resonated with the young woman: Jaza tells me she is not allowed to wear jeans by her family. She can only wear salwar kameez. A piece of cloth is used as a marker of being a righteous and obedient woman Its a battle Jaza has to fight on a daily basis, Arshi says.

I spoke with Arshi, Jaza and several other women from the Lihaaf-The Quilt project over a video call last month. Their work (Lihaaf is realised within the framework of Five Million Incidents, 2019-2020, conceived by Goethe-Institut/Max Mueller Bhavan in collaboration with Raqs Media Collective) was meant to be exhibited in April this year, but had to be postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Its making can presently be viewed on Instagram.

Arshi has a Bachelors in Fine Arts from Aligarh Muslim University and a Masters from Jamia Millia Islamia. Her art practice reflects on womens issues, and is rooted in personal experiences. Born and raised in Najibabad, Arshi, who is of Afghan descent, now shuttles between Delhi and Kabul.

The Lihaaf project shares its name with an Ismat Chughtai short story, and draws on Arshis close observations of the injustices borne by women.

Girls education is still such a big deal in my community, says Arshi. My education was challenged by so many relatives but my parents supported me. My mother writes beautifully but she couldnt go anywhere with it. She keeps a diary and I have seen how she would write [in it] every day only to place it in the junkyard of the house.

For Arshi, art doesnt occur in isolation; it has to be in service of society, and that also explains why it was so important for her to make Lihaaf-The Quilt a collaborative experience.

Initially, Arshi asked the women to embroider any pattern of their choice, but when they expressed reluctance, she drew images they could work with instead. (Najibabad is known for the vanishing craft of darning or rafugari and is the hotspot of the kani shawl trade, so the women are highly skilled in these jobs but were apprehensive to come up with their own patterns for Lihaaf because of the context.) Arshis imagery was all in relation to women doors, chairs, roses, trees, figures of women. In addition to the main scroll, the women also worked on patches of different sizes. Some stitched their names on the fabric while others embroidered words like Aurat Stri Zan, in Hindi and Urdu.

Sixty-five year old Zainab Parveen was lost in the work and narrated an old folk tale to the other women  Saat Bhaiyon ki Ek Behen (Sister of Seven Brothers)  as they sewed. For Samiya, 24, participating in Lihaaf was a chance to earn some money (all the women were paid for their work). I got married very early. I have four sons and want to supplement my husbands income so that we can give our children a good education. I also work on shawls. To finish one shawl takes almost a month and we get only Rs 2,700 for it, Samiya tells me.

Razda Parveen, a lively 50-year-old, was happy to make friends and expand her circle through her work on the project. She tells me how she started a small cosmetics shop with the support of her husband four years ago. I have items which are priced as low as Rs 10 and sometimes women dont even have that much to buy what they want, so you can imagine their plight. I lend them the money. Women derive strength from women, she says.

For Roshan, the two days she spent collaborating on Lihaaf were a respite from her everyday life and its struggles. It was such a positive environment. People were singing, sharing experiences. I felt at peace. There was no tension, she tells me. The project was a similarly positive experience for Shobha Devi, a mother of five whose husband drives a mini metro rickshaw. Given a chance, I would do it again, Shobha says.

Once the COVID-19 crisis is under control, Arshi hopes to take the Lihaaf project to the women in the tribal communities of Bastar (Chhattisgarh), Deoband (Uttar Pradesh) and Bamiyan (Afghanistan). She remembers an exchange she overheard as her collaborators worked on the scroll, which reaffirmed the need for a project like Lihaaf: When things become too much to tolerate, I imagine another world where I am happy, the way I want to be.

 All photos and video courtesy Arshi Ahmadzai
Representative image

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The post-earnings investor call of Hinduja Global Solutions, a business process management firm involved very little discussion on the impact of coronavirus on business or the result itself. The discussion centred around the Rs 340 crore short-term loan given to group companies for the year ended March 31, 2020.

Srinivas Palakodeti, the company's CFO told Moneycontrol the loan was given to three unlisted group companies  Hinduja Group, Hinduja Realty and Hinduja Energy  between November 2019 and March 2020.

These loans, Palakodeti said, have since been repaid.

However, investors in the company seemed unconvinced about the idea of lending within the group. Ajay Sharma, a portfolio manager pointed out that it is a corporate governance issue since the surplus money could have been used to pay more dividend. You are at the end of the day still assisting a group company. What is the guarantee that it (loan) does not go badly?

Sharmas concern was backed by many others. Another investor wanted to know if such transactions would be an integral part of the company strategy and why there was a delay in the disclosure. The transactions done between November and March were disclosed only in July.

The reason for the tough questioning was a similar issue that had earlier been raised at the automotive firm and group company Ashok Leyland. Investors had raised concern over the company lending Rs 500 crore to promoter entities, according to a Mint report.

Corporate governance experts pointed out that such practices do raise concerns. Shriram Subramanian, founder, Ingovern, a proxy advisory firm, said, Related party transactions, not in the ordinary course of business, raises red flags and in this case, they are not being very transparent about it.

Disclosure has come late as well, he added.

According to the company, the disclosures were made within the time limit offered as per Companies Act and Securities and Exchanges Board of India (SEBI). With respect to loaning the surplus, Palakodeti said, the company considered alternatives including bank deposits and liquid mutual funds before loaning it to group companies.

There are two or three options, Palakodeti said.

One is you can keep the money in terms of bank deposits, the rates would not be more than 3-4 percent, he explained. Liquid mutual funds have risks and the company, he said, did not examine government securities and hence was not clear about the risk.

According to him, the reason they went with group companies is that they offered a good return, at the rate of 8.3 percent, and there was no credit risk. We were pretty sure, based on the names of the lenders, that the money would come back, Palakodeti said.

On an investor voicing his concern that transferring shareholders asset to a family group might not be safe, Partha De Sarkar, CEO of Hinduja Global replied, Fair enough. That's your opinion.

Palakodeti continued to remain non-committal on whether this would be a strategy the company would follow. That is if the company would continue to give surplus as a short-term loan to related parties. We are open to any options. If they have short term surplus they should be deployed and earn reasonable returns, he added.

While the management continued to brush off corporate governance issues stating board approvals were in place, some have pointed out that the board should have insisted on shareholder approval.

So this is a corporate governance issue and if the board was strong they would have insisted on a shareholder vote, which they didnt, Subramanian pointed out.

The management did not comment on the credibility of the board, which had approved the transactions. While Palakodeti said that new members were appointed last September, he said that he cannot comment on the same.

This is important as the board has seen a huge churn last year. According to reports, three family board members resigned - Ramkrishan P Hinduja, Shanu SP Hinduja, and Vinoo S Hinduja.

The tenure of two independent directors Rajendra P Chitale and Rangan Mohan ended on July 3, 2019. Pradeep Mukerjee, who was appointed as an independent director effective May 2019, according to the FY19 report, resigned in September 2019.

The board now has six members, YM Kale, Anil Harish, Bhumika Batra, Ganesh Natarajan, Partha DeSarkar, and Sudhanshu Tripathi. Natarajan and Tripathi were appointed as an independent director and non-independent director, respectively, on September 30, 2019. Batra was an independent director appointed on September 4, 2019.
Akre Capital Management, the firm founded by Chuck Akre (Trades, Portfolio), disclosed this week that its top five trades during the second quarter were position expansions of CoStar Group Inc. (CGSP), Ansys Inc. (NASDAQ:ANSS), Mastercard Inc. (NYSE:MA), Brookfield Asset Management (NYSE:BAM) and KKR & Co. Inc. (NYSE:KKR).





The Middleburg, Virginia-based firm seeks long-term capital appreciation through a classic value investing approach. Akre Capital Management looks for companies with strong business models, high return on equity, shareholder-friendly management and low price-to-free-cash-flow ratios.

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As of the quarter-end, Akre Capital Management's $13.2 -billion equity portfolio contains 28 stocks, with no new holdings and a turnover ratio of 4%. The top three sectors in terms of weight are financial services, real estate and consumer cyclical.

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CoStar Group

Akre Capital Management purchased 517,041 shares of CoStar Group, increasing the position 117.96% and the equity portfolio 2.77%. Shares averaged $645.53 during the second quarter.

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The Northwest, Washington-based company provides commercial real estate data through brands like CoStar Suite, LoopNet, Apartments.com, BizBuySell and LandsofAmerica. GuruFocus ranks CoStar Group's financial strength 8 out of 10 on several positive investing signs, which include a double-digit Altman Z-score, robust interest coverage and debt ratios that outperform over 83% of global competitors.

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Signs of high profitability include expanding operating margins and consistent revenue growth over the past five years. Despite this, CoStar's valuation ranks 1 out of 10 on the back of price valuations underperforming over 95% of global real estate companies.

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Ron Baron (Trades, Portfolio)'s Baron Funds also has a holding in CoStar Group.

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Ansys

Akre Capital Management added 141,108 shares of Ansys, increasing the holding 30.11% and the equity portfolio 0.31%. Shares averaged $265.39 during the second quarter.

Story continues

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The Canonsburg, Pennsylvania-based company produces software that allows users to test products through simulation of multiple concepts. GuruFocus ranks the company's profitability 9 out of 10 on several positive investing signs, which include a five-star business predictability rank and operating margins that are outperforming over 95% of global competitors.

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Ansys' financial strength ranks 8 out of 10, driven by a robust Altman Z-score of 14.48.

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Mastercard

The firm added 97,575 shares of Mastercard, increasing the stake 1.69% and the equity portfolio 0.22%.

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GuruFocus ranks the Purchase, New York-based credit card giant's profitability 10 out of 10 on several positive investing signs, which include a five-star business predictability rank, expanding profit margins and returns that are outperforming over 98% of global competitors.

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Brookfield Asset Management

The firm added 711,025 shares of Brookfield Asset Management, increasing the position 6.59% and the equity portfolio 0.18%. Shares averaged $32.78 during the second quarter.

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The Toronto-based asset management company owns and manages real estate, infrastructure, renewable power and private equity assets. GuruFocus ranks Brookfield's profitability 8 out of 10, driven by a three-star business predictability rank and a three-year revenue growth rate that outperforms 76.84% of global competitors.

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KKR

The firm added 534,321 shares of KKR, increasing the position 3.77% and the equity portfolio 0.12%. Shares averaged $26.79 during the second quarter.

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GuruFocus ranks the New York-based asset manager's financial strength 2 out of 10 on the back of interest coverage and debt ratios underperforming over 90% of global competitors.

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Disclosure: No positions.

Read more here:

Diamond Hill Capital's Top 5 Buys in the 2nd Quarter

Ken Fisher's Top 4 Buys in the 2nd Quarter

Andreas Halvorsen's 5 Biggest Trades of the 2nd Quarter







Not a Premium Member of GuruFocus? Sign up for a free 7-day trial here.

This article first appeared on GuruFocus.






Many once-famous brands, which were experiencing bad business performance, have revived shortly after being bought by large corporations, reported Saigon Times.

Masan Group last February spent VND550 billion to acquire 52 percent of NET Detergent JSC. And in the first quarter, NET made a record profit growth rate of 108 percent.





It once again broke the revenue record in Q2 with reported revenue of VND369 billion, an increase of 31 percent over the same period last year. Business efficiency improved markedly with a gross profit margin up from 19 percent to 23 percent.



Total expenses in the period of the company only increased by 16 percent, thanks to after-tax profit increasing sharply by 121 percent to VND42 billion.



As such, in the first six months of the year, the new member of Masan Group gained revenue of VND726 billion and net profit of VND74 billion, increasing by 36 percent and 111 percent, respectively, compared with the 2019 bi-annual accounting period.



If noting that NET targeted revenue of VND1.3 trillion and profit of VND86 billion this year, it has implemented 56 percent of revenue plan and 98 percent of profit plan just after half a time.

Many once-famous brands, which were experiencing bad business performance, have revived shortly after being bought by large corporations.

Established 50 years ago, NET, besides making products under its own brand, also makes products for Unilever and exports to many markets. It holds 1.5 percent of detergent market share in Vietnam.



The business performance in the last two quarters is the most optimistic of the company since it began listing shares on the bourse.



As questions about operation cost and distribution have been solved, the 10-year period of seeing low profits is over.



In another case, six months have elapsed since Sua Moc Chau brand fell into the hands of Vinamilk.



In Q2, GTNFoods, the holding company of Sua Moc Chau, reported revenue of VND735 billion, a decrease of 10 percent compared with the same period last year. However, its gross profit margin increased sharply from 14 percent to 27 percent.



With the huge amount of deposit of VND2 trillion at banks, its interests from deposits increased by 62 percent to VND42 billion. This helped the company gain profit of VND48 billion, twice as much as the same period last year.



Becoming a subsidiary of Vinamilk, Sua Moc Chau not only can take full advantage of Vinamilks management, but also can receive financial resources from the holding company.



With a 61-year history, Sua Moc Chau is a famous local milk brand in the north, but not a national brand.

Translated by Mai Lan

Branding Danh Mountain ginseng from Bac Giang Considered a sacred land, Danh Mountain in Tan Yen district, northern Bac Giang province produces a valuable medicinal herb called Danh Mountain ginseng.
(Natural News) We already know the FBI, under James Comey, was a treasonous, criminal enterprise engaged in masterminding more terror plots across America than any other group, including radical Islamic terrorists.

Under Comey, the FBI engaged in a treasonous coup attempt against President Trump. FBI officials altered 302 interview records, lied to the FISA court and later lied to the United States Senate under sworn testimony. For at least eight years under Obama  and probably much longer  the FBI was acting like a lawless criminal cartel, terrorizing America for political gain. And even under current Director Wray, the FBI continues to stonewall investigations into the deep state in a criminal conspiracy in order to cover up the crimes of the FBI under Obama and Comey.

See story, New York Times openly admits domestic terror plots masterminded by the FBI.

Now, it appears the FBI may be actively participating in Black Lives Matter terrorism by dressing up FBI agents as protesters and instigating criminal violence across America.

The following video appears to show armed FBI agents threatening civilian vehicle drivers during riots, using their FBI training to carry out acts of terrorism in the United States of America, according to the video narrator:

One of the photos mentioned in that video appears to depict trained FBI agents wielding pistols against civilian vehicle drivers. Note the low ready pistol position and the stance of the gun holders, both of which resemble FBI training for its agents. Are these really FBI agents, or is it just coincidence? You decide:

Photos have also emerged of individuals who appear to be government operations dressing up like Antifa or BLM protesters while attempting to hide their comms gear:

You can clearly see the earpiece in this zoomed-in photo. This earpiece would obviously connect to a radio:

The FBI claims Antifa is a peaceful group that does no harm

In addition, the FBI has gone out of its way to absurdly declare Antifa to be completely innocent of any violent acts, claiming Antifa is a peaceful organization. Big League Politics carries the story, FBI Spooks Cover for ANTIFA Terrorists:

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is claiming that there is no intelligence indicating that ANTIFA had a role in fomenting riots that have gripped the country The FBIs Washington D.C. field office reportedly claims that they have no intelligence indicating ANTIFA involvement/presence in the riots. They also claim that CHS [Confidential Human Source] canvassing, open source/social media partner engagement, and liaison absolve ANTIFA from any blame.

Meanwhile, AG William Barr has correctly described BLM and Antifa terrorists as the terrorists they are, saying, 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. Barr also describes the tactics of BLM terrorists are urban guerrilla warfare.

Is it possible a rogue branch of the FBI is involved in running these terrorism attacks in the United States?

Why did the FBI kneel to Black Lives Matter, a terrorist organization thats receiving smuggled full-auto weapons upgrade parts from China?

If the FBI had any loyalty to America, these agents would be saluting the American flag, not kneeling to a known terrorist organization thats waging violent, physical assaults on law enforcement offers and federal agents across the country.

The FBI kneeling before BLM shows they are surrendering their authority to BLM, and they take orders from BLM. That appears to be whos driving the FBI now: A radical Marxist terrorist organization whose goal is the overthrow of the United States government.

Doesnt that mean, then, that the FBI is engaged in acts of sedition and treason against America?

Christopher Wray has some splainin to do

Let me guess: Once caught, the FBI will claim they had to act like terrorists to catch terrorists. But how many violent acts of BLM terrorism never would have happened if not for undercover FBI agents spearheading the violence in the first place?




MDC Alliance vice president Tendai Bitis lawyer Nqobizitha Mahole Mlilo and aides Clever Rambanepasi and Tawanda Blessing are each claiming $1 million from Home Affairs minister Kazembe Kazembe and police commissioner-general Godwin Matanga for wrongful arrest, detention and malicious prosecution.





The three were arrested together with Biti for an alleged border jumping incident in 2018, but were all acquitted by a Karoi magistrate.





The trio believe their arrest, detention and prosecution was wrongful as they never departed the country as alleged by the arresting details, a matter they were prosecuted for and have approached the High Court for redress.





They want redress for expenses they incurred in defending themselves against the charges, including travelling expenses to Karoi several times for court hearings, deprivation of freedom and discomfort.





On August 9, 2018 at Chirundu, plaintiffs were arrested without a warrant by members of the Zimbabwe police service under the supervision of assistant commissioner Nyabasa.





Plaintiffs were immediately ferried to Harare under armed police guard and taken to CID Law and Order section. Plaintiffs were detained in custody overnight at Harare Central police station, they said in the court application.





The trio believe they were arrested on disinformation by the police as they never left Chirundu border post. Plaintiffs did not depart Zimbabwe as alleged or at all. At all the material times, plaintiffs were lawfully within the precincts of Chirundu One Stop Border Post.





When laying this charge and giving this disinformation, defendants had no reasonable or probable cause for doing so, neither did they have reasonable belief in the truth of the information given or charge laid against plaintiffs, they said.





Plaintiffs pray for judgment against the defendants . . . payment to each of them the sum of $500 000.00 being general damages for wrongful arrest and detention.





Payment to each of them of the sum of $500 000.00 being general damages for malicious prosecution.
At 400 metres (1,300 feet), the HMM St Petersburg is 100 metres longer than the Eiffel Tower is tall, and 62 metres wide

On the bridge of one of the world's biggest container ships, a worker in a grey protective suit installs the compass that will guide the leviathan across the world.

The finishing touches are being put to the HMM St Petersburg at the Samsung Heavy Industries shipyard on the island of Geoje, at the southern tip of South Korea.

Deep in the bowels of the enormous vessel, welders are dwarfed by the giant engines that will propel it at a maximum speed of over 22 knots.

At 400 metres (1,300 feet), the HMM St Petersburg is 100 metres longer than the Eiffel Tower is tall, and 62 metres wide.

It has a capacity of 23,820 TEU (twenty-foot equivalent units, the standard measure of a shipping container), which owner Hyundai Merchant Marine (HMM) describes as enough to carry seven billion choco-pies, a popular Korean snackone for every human being on the planet.

It is the 12th and last of a new class of 24,000-TEU vessels HMM is putting into service, the largest of their kind in the world and costing 170-180 billion won ($143-151 million) each.

The first of the class to begin operations, the 23,964-TEU HMM Algeciras, made its maiden voyage in April when it set a new world record for shipment volume.

The South Korea's shipbuilding industry is one of the world's biggest but in recent years has been hammered by global oversupply and cheaper competition from China

The HMM St Petersburg has the capacity of seven billion choco-pies, a popular Korean snackone for every human being on the planet

The HMM St Petersburg has the capacity of seven billion choco-pies, a popular Korean snackone for every human being on the planet

The South's shipbuilding industry is one of the world's biggest and was one of the drivers of its decades of economic growth, but in recent years has been hammered by global oversupply and cheaper competition from China.

Similarly the Korean shipping industry was plunged into turmoil by the collapse of Hanjin Shipping, once one of the world's top 10 container lines, which was declared bankrupt in 2017.

HMM St Petersburg will be delivered in September and make its maiden voyage to Shanghai and other Chinese ports, before heading through the Suez Canal to Rotterdam, Hamburg, Antwerp, and London.

The journey from South Korea to Europe and back is a 12-week round trip, but despite its size and the distance covered, the vessel will have a crew of just 23.

Explore further Korean Air puts 70 percent of staff on leave

 2020 AFP
Six million people used NHS 111's online coronavirus symptom checker at the height of the UK's outbreak between February and August, official data has revealed.

The official website got 30million hits across all its pages during the same period by people either checking symptoms of Covid-19 and other illnesses.

In mid-March, the site was used a whopping 950,000 times a day - 11 times a second - which was 95 times higher than it normally would be, NHS Digital said.

There have been 780,786 cases referred to call handlers since March 18, the data shows.

NHS 111 provides information on illnesses and what to do next, and has been the first port of call for people who are concerned they have Covid-19.

But the service has been accused for a number of failings, including that critical symptoms of Covid-19 were not added to the main list for several months.

Families of relatives who have died of Covid-19 claim the system has cost lives because it did not give correct advice or call handlers were too busy to answer the phone.

Six million people went through an NHS coronavirus assessment online between February and August, data shows

Since March 18, NHS Digital began collecting data on the location of people using the online coronavirus assessment.

Some 2,881,198 online assessments have taken place since then, suggesting three million were before this date and before lockdown was imposed, on March 23.

The data breaks down how many questionnaires were undertaken by each age group, gender, and their location by day.

It shows the most assessments - 1,704 - were undertaken by women aged between 19 and 69 years old who lived in Birmingham on March 23.

Second, third and fourth place are the same group of people on March 19 (1,491), March 24 (1,469) and March 22 (1,441).

When users visit the NHS 111 website they are asked a series of questions about their travel history.

WHEN, WHERE AND BY WHOM WERE THE MOST CORONAVIRUS ASSESSMENTS DONE? 1,704 : March 23, females, 19-69, Birmingham 1,491 : March 19, females, 19-69, Birmingham 1,469 : March 24, females, 19-69, Birmingham 1,441 : March 22, females, 19-69, Birmingham 1,419 : March 23, females, 19-69, Derby 1,327 : March 20: Females, 19-69, Birmingham 1,307 : March 19, females, 19-69, Bristol 1,279 : March 23, females, 19-69, Devon 1,273 : March 19, females, 19-69, Devon 1,260 : March 19, females, 19-69, Derby Advertisement

They are then quizzed about whether they have knowingly come into contact with someone who has travelled to regions with outbreaks.

Finally users have to input their symptoms, including whether they have a new, persistent cough, a fever or a lack of smell and/or taste.

After taking the quiz, people are given health advice based on the symptoms or travel history they reported.

The service has been criticised for a number of failings including that it did not give information that was relevant at the time.

In March, the site was failing to tell the public they needed to self-isolate for a fortnight if they had just returned back from Italy - where swathes of cases of Covid-19 were brought from in the early days of the pandemic.

The site only instructed people to stay at home if they have been in certain regions in the North, even though the Government advice was officially extended to all of Italy two days prior, on March 11.

And the public were being turned away completely if they or people close to them haven't left the country in the last two weeks.

The disease was spreading rapidly between people in the UK at this point.

But the government has repeatedly claimed the science did not support that transmission between people was happening on British soil until later on.

NHS Digital said it made more than 70 update to the information on the site, which could include adding loss of taste and smell as a key symptom in mid-May.

For a long time, the NHS could only tell most people suffering Covid-19 symptoms to self-isolate because testing was not available to the public.

At the height of the pandemic, testing was extremely limited and only available to patients admitted to hospital, which further angered users of the service.

Dozens of 'scared' Britons who were turned away by the online service in March blasted it as 'rigid' and claimed it was leaving some patients 'to die'.

Several months later, families of Covid-19 victims partially blame the lack of accessibility of the NHS service for the deaths of loved ones.

Four members of the Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice group, who each lost their fathers to the virus, gave evidence to the newly-formed All Party Parliamentary Group on coronavirus this month.

They said they believed their loved ones would be alive if the Government had provided better medical advice, including via the helpline, locked down the country earlier, shut borders and quarantined travellers sooner.

Founder of the bereaved families group Jo Goodman lost her father, Stuart, 72, to the virus on April 2. He caught it the week before lockdown.

Ms Goodman said many of their 1,450-strong members believed their loved ones struggled to get through to 111, or were told not to go to hospital despite being 'in the worst condition of their lives'.

'There is a huge amount of people in our group where the 111 service was telling people to stay at home despite symptoms which were extremely severe,' she said.

'People were passing away with no medical intervention other than paracetamol and bedrest.'

Miss Goodman said families had complained that the 111 lines were constantly busy, call handlers had failed to take medical history into account and symptoms were mis-read or communicated incorrectly, especially where patients did not have English as their first language.

Charlie Williams, whose father Rex, 85, died after contracting the virus in a care home, said the helpline was 'responsible for many deaths'.

He said black and ethnic minority members of the bereaved families group had told him call handlers had made judgments on irrelevant questions, such as whether their loved one's lips had turned blue.

'With a black person, you cannot tell if their lips are blue,' he said.

NHS 111 provides services to England while Scotland has NHS Inform and Wales has NHS Direct Wales.

Ben Davison, director of citizen health tech at NHS Digital, said the latest figures 'show how important the use of digital tools is in supplying vital health information to members of the public'.

He said: 'Since the start of the pandemic we have seen the number of NHS 111 online users increase dramatically.

'This is helping to relieve the burden on frontline NHS services as well as helping to get vast numbers of people the correct advice for their condition.'
While Sydneysiders commute, Queenslanders contemplate the merits of a border wall and Western Australians curse everyone for ruining their chances of a travel bubble with Europe, Melburnians are feasting like kings.

Thats one interpretation of the latest statistics, anyway (on ground reports tell a different message).

The truth is, while there are a lot of stereotypes floating around right now (see: above), generally speaking, weve pulled together. And while Victoria is doing it tough, the rest of the nation appears to be acting in a supportive manner.

On that note, a Commonwealth Bank graph has just surfaced on Twitter, which brings to light yet another similarity between us all.

Posted by @ausbiztv anchor David Scutt, the graph shows an 80% spike in Victorians spending on food and alcohol in March (when the virus first hit Australia and the country was plunged into lockdown) compared to the same time last year.

An ANU study shows Victorians were not alone in this, with Australias national consumption of alcohol increasing during the Covid-19 crisis.

The graph also shows, however, as Victoria endures lockdown 2.0, spending on food and alcohol is spiking again. It was up by about 50% in July and appears set to continue rising.

Food is now ticking just behind alcohol too, which marks a surprising change in Victorians priorities, with alcohol spiking after food in the previous rise.

On the other hand, given other gloomy statistics (not to mention supermarket scarcity), its perhaps understandable Victorians are getting their drink on.

RELATED: Mental Health Professionals Urge Australians To Follow This Simple Daily Ritual

Forty-one percent of young people (aged 18  24) reported feeling lonely as a result of the COVID-19 lockdowns, compared to the 29 percent average, a recent study by impact management software Socialsuite found, while The Herald Sun reports an average of 44 small businesses are closing their doors each day in Melbourne.

On the plus side, confirmed cases appear to be stabilising. Well drink to that.

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AIIMS Director Randeep Guleria has said that caution should be exercised to check the efficacy and safety of the potential COVID-19 vaccine 'Sputnik V', which Russia had announced yesterday, August 11. The AIIMS director says that even if the vaccine is successful in building immunity against COVID-19, it is important to ensure whether the vaccine is effective and safe.

Guleria has said that India has the capacity to mass-produce the COVID-19. Guleria addressed this issue while he was speaking at an event to mark Embassy of Israel's contribution of state-of-the-art artificial intelligence-based technologies and high-end equipment to the AIIMS, Delhi.

Yesterday, Russian President Vladimir Putin had said Russia has successfully invented the world's first COVID-19 vaccine. Putin said that the vaccine works "quite effectively" and that the vaccine forms a "stable immunity" against the virus.

Putin has also claimed that one of his daughters has already been administered the vaccine. The name of the vaccine has been decided as 'Sputnik V', which is a homage to the first satellite launched by USSR in 1957. The vaccine is yet to complete its final phase of clinical trials.

However, researchers around the world are not satisfied with the way Russia has gone about the vaccine creation process. Some have even said that researchers in Russia might have cut corners to get the vaccine out as soon as possible.

Dr Fauci, the top US infectious disease expert, has said that he not heard any evidence that the Russian vaccine is ready for mass production and administration.

"I hope that the Russians have actually definitively proven that the vaccine is safe and effective. I seriously doubt that they've done that," Fauci said, resonating Guleria's concerns about the Russian vaccine.

Also Read: 8 marquee funds among top 10 investors in HDFC's Rs 10,000 cr equity offering

Also Read: Coronavirus update: India records 60,963 new cases, 834 deaths; tally surges to 23,29,639
Despite a successful stint on the small screen, there was a point when Mrunal Jain felt things were getting monotonous and he then took a few months break to work on his craft and wait for the right offers. But, he wasnt prepared for what happened next.

After Nagarjuna: Ek Yoddha wrapped up in 2017, he did two cameos in Laal Ishq and Dil Hi Toh Hai, and it was only towards the end of 2019 that he got to work in Naagin 4. While good opportunities werent coming his way, Jain admits he could sense how out of sight meant out of mind, at least in his case.

I was worried and disappointed. When you give your best and this happens, it hurts. Success isnt in our hand, hard work is. If shows or films that Ive been a part of didnt work, I couldnt possibly do anything about it. Ive been a part of good shows like Bandini, Hitler Didi, Uttaran and Bandhan, and then suddenly you get a feeling as if you arent good enough. How can that good work be completely forgotten? asks the 35-year-old.

However, the actor didnt lose hope and concentrated working on his skills. He also developed an enviable physique that became the talk of the town.

I tried to change my look so that makers can also see me in different light and offers fresh roles. Also, the audience would get to see me in a new avatar. I got appreciation for that but nothing transformed into work. So, those two-three years were difficult. Thanks to my family and friends who kept my moral high, says Jain, adding how that period made him realise everyone has their sets of ups and downs.

The actor shares that when Naagin 4, Sooryavanshi and web show, 26 January, happened, it reinstated his belief in the fact that hard work never goes waste.

I now have offers from TV, films and web. But Im taking it slow given the pandemic. This time I want to concentrate on substantial parts. Till that works out, Im doing ads and music videos, shares adds Jain, who has just shot for a soon-to-be announced music video.

Follow @htshowbiz for more

Author tweets @Shreya_MJ

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Graphic shows how sex/gender differences can predict adverse drug reactions. Credit: courtesy of Irving Zucker

Women are more likely than men to suffer adverse side effects of medications because drug dosages have historically been based on clinical trials conducted on men, suggests new research from the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of Chicago.

Researchers analyzed data from several thousand medical journal articles and found clear evidence of a drug dose gender gap for 86 different medications approved by the Federal Drug Administration (FDA), including antidepressants, cardiovascular and anti-seizure drugs and analgesics, among others.

"When it comes to prescribing drugs, a one-size-fits-all approach, based on male-dominated clinical trials, is not working, and women are getting the short end of the stick," said study lead author Irving Zucker, a professor emeritus of psychology and of integrative biology at UC Berkeley.

The findings, published in the journal Biology of Sex Differences, confirm the persistence of a drug dose gender gap stemming from a historic disregard of the fundamental biological differences between male and female bodies, Zucker said.

Women in the studies analyzed by Zucker and University of Chicago psychologist Brian Prendergast were given the same drug dose as the men, yet had higher concentrations of the drug in their blood, and it took longer for the drug to be eliminated from their bodies.

And, in more than 90% of cases, women experienced worse side effects, such as nausea, headache, depression, cognitive deficits, seizures, hallucinations, agitation and cardiac anomalies. Overall, they were found to experience adverse drug reactions nearly twice as often as men.

For decades, women were excluded from clinical drug trials based, in part, on unfounded concerns that female hormone fluctuations render women difficult to study, Zucker said.

Moreover, until the early 1990s, women of childbearing age were kept out of drug trial studies due to medical and liability concerns about exposing pregnant women to drugs and risking damage to their fetusesas was the case in the 1950s and '60s with thalidomide, which caused limb birth defects in thousands of children worldwide.

"Neglect of females is widespread, even in cell and animal studies where the subjects have been predominantly male," Zucker said.

Zolpidem, the popular sleep medication marketed as Ambien, lingers longer in the blood of women than of men, causing next-morning drowsiness, substantial cognitive impairment and increased traffic accidents, Zucker said. For these reasons, the FDA in 2013 halved the recommended dosage prescribed to women.

In acknowledging the widespread male bias in both human and animal studies, the National Institutes of Health mandated in 2016 that grant applicants would be required to recruit male and female participants in their protocols.

While the inclusion of females in drug trials has increased in recent years, many of these newer studies still fail to analyze the data for sex differences, Zucker said.

Going forward, Zucker and Prendergast make the case for a broader awarenessin medical research, the medical profession and the pharmaceutical industryof the biological sex and gender differences that put women at a disadvantage when taking prescription drugs. They recommend dosage reductions for women for a wide range of drugs.

Explore further Women are overmedicated because drug dosage trials are done on men, study finds

More information: Irving Zucker et al, Sex differences in pharmacokinetics predict adverse drug reactions in women, Biology of Sex Differences (2020). Irving Zucker et al, Sex differences in pharmacokinetics predict adverse drug reactions in women,(2020). DOI: 10.1186/s13293-020-00308-5
What scoffers viewed as a weird babble of tongues became a world phenomenon after his Los Angeles revival.

Of all the outstanding black American religious leaders in the twentieth century, one of the least recognized is William Seymour, the unsung pastor of the Azusa Street Mission in Los Angeles and catalyst of the worldwide Pentecostal movement. Only in the last few decades have scholars become aware of his importance, beginning perhaps with Yale University historian Sidney Ahlstrom, who said Seymour personified a black piety "which exerted its greatest direct influence on American religious history"placing Seymour's impact ahead of figures like W. E. B. Dubois and Martin Luther King, Jr.

William Joseph Seymour was born in Centerville, Louisiana, on May 2, 1870 to former slaves Simon and Phyllis Seymour. Raised as a Baptist, Seymour was given to dreams and visions as a youth. At age 25, he moved to Indianapolis, where he worked as a railroad porter and then waited on tables in a fashionable restaurant. Around this time, he contracted smallpox and went blind in his left eye.

In 1900 he relocated to Cincinnati, where he joined the "reformation" Church of God (headquartered in Anderson, Indiana), also known as "the Evening Light Saints." Here he became steeped in radical Holiness theology, which taught second blessing entire sanctification (i.e., sanctification is a post-conversion experience that results in complete holiness), divine healing, premillennialism, and the promise of a worldwide Holy Spirit revival before the rapture.

In 1903 Seymour moved to Houston, Texas, in search of his family. There he joined a small Holiness church pastored by a black woman, Lucy Farrow, who soon put him touch with Charles Fox Parham. Parham was a Holiness teacher under whose ministry a student had spoken ...
WSU Appoints New Dean of Lindquist College of Arts & Humanities

August 12, 2020

OGDEN, Utah  Weber State University announced the selection of Deborah Uman as new dean of the Telitha E. Lindquist College of Arts & Humanities where she will oversee nearly 2,700 students, faculty and staff in five departments: communication, English, Foreign Languages, performing arts and visual art & design as well as the Browning Center and the Kimball Visual Arts Center.

Uman comes from St. John Fisher College in Rochester, New York, where she serves as chair and professor of the Department of English and interim program director for film and television studies. Previously, she served as director of the women and gender studies program.

Dr. Deborah Uman has an outstanding record of student success, leadership and scholarship, said WSU provost Ravi Krovi. She is passionate about the arts as well as the humanities and brings a collaborative and inclusive mindset that will fit very well with our culture at Weber State. I look forward to working with her and our faculty and staff in continuing the successful trajectory of the Lindquist College of Arts & Humanities.

Uman is the author of two books, Women as Translators in Renaissance England and Staging the Blazon in Early Modern Theater. She is the co-editor of the Seneca Falls Dialogues Journal, a publication by women and gender studies students and faculty in the continued pursuit of equality and activism.

Uman holds a bachelors in English literature from Yale and her master and doctoral degrees in English literature from the University of Colorado at Boulder. Always an avid reader, she was drawn to the study of English literature because it offered so many lenses through which to view and change the world.

Virginia Woolfs contemplation of womens creativity in A Room of Ones Own eventually led me to study women writers and translators in Renaissance England who went to great lengths to tell their stories despite significant limitations and restrictions, she said. Their efforts inspired my belief in the transformative nature of education, particularly in the arts and humanities.

Uman specializes in English Renaissance literature, including writers such as William Shakespeare and John Milton with an additional focus on women writers from the period including Mary Sidney and Aphra Behn. Other teaching and scholarly interests include postcolonial literature, public humanities and sustainability.

Umans innovative approach to teaching, includes incorporating young adult and comic adaptations of classical literature, to help students engage with work that sometimes feels foreign and strange.

An active musician, Uman also plays trumpet in several local orchestras and chamber groups.

I spent summers in Massachusetts near Tanglewood and started playing the trumpet because Roger Voisin, then principal trumpet player of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, was our neighbor and showed me how to buzz his mouthpiece when I was 5. In high school I spent my Saturdays at a preparatory program at the Juilliard school of music.

Uman said the study and practice of arts and humanities helps people and societies survive and thrive, particularly during periods of tumult, such as the world is now experiencing. She plans to help the Lindquist College support students and enrich the community with cultural excellence.

I am excited to join WSU with its deep commitment to access and equity, Uman said. Lindquist College offers extraordinary opportunities to students dedicated to creativity and analysis. I look forward to working with the outstanding faculty, staff and students to find new ways to communicate our shared understanding of the importance of arts and humanities in our rapidly changing world.

Uman was selected following a national search, and the Board of Trustees approved the appointment on Aug. 10. She will assume the position, beginning Jan. 4, 2021. Until then, Amanda Sowerby will lead the college as interim dean, a role she assumed in May 2020.

For more information about the Lindquist College of Arts & Humanities, visit weber.edu/arts-humanities

Visit weber.edu/wsutoday for more news about Weber State University.
Democratic vice presidential pick Sen. Kamala Harris on Wednesday blamed President Donald Trump for the severity of the coronavirus outbreak in the United States, saying Trump is "delusional" and failed to take the virus "seriously from the start."

"This virus has impacted almost every country, but there's a reason it has hit America worse than any other advanced nation. It's because of Trump's failure to take it seriously from the start," Harris said. She spoke in Wilmington, Delaware, during her first joint appearance with former Vice President Joe Biden since she became his running mate Tuesday.

"His refusal to get testing up and running, his flip-flopping on social distancing and wearing masks, his delusional belief that he knows better than the experts  all of that is the reason and the reason an American dies of Covid-19 every 80 seconds," she said.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In response to Harris' remarks, Trump campaign communications director Tim Murtaugh said the president "has been leading the nation through the coronavirus crisis and restricted travel from China, and then Europe, way back in January."

"Joe Biden called it xenophobic and fear-mongering," Murtaugh said. "We now know that the President's decision saved countless thousands of American lives and that Joe Biden would not have done it. If Joe Biden had been president, we would be in a much worse situation today."

The U.S. has the worst coronavirus outbreak in the world with more than 5 million cases and at least 165,328 deaths as of Wednesday, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

Trump has repeatedly blamed China for causing the pandemic and exacerbating it in the U.S., saying China early on hid the extent of its outbreak. However, public health experts blame the surge of cases in the U.S. on failures in the Trump administration, saying it failed to act quickly to contain the virus, still lacks a coordinated response between the federal government and states and made early missteps on testing.
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Linkedin Daniel Suen and Xinqi Su (Agence France-Presse) Hong Kong  Wed, August 12, 2020 13:10 525 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066d64b8b 2 World pro-democracy,Hong-Kong,Jimmy-Lai,Hong-Kong-activist,Hong-Kong-protests,Hong-Kong-security-law Free

Hong Kong pro-democracy media mogul Jimmy Lai walked free on bail Wednesday, over 40 hours after he and other critics of China were rounded up by police as part of a widening crackdown on dissent.

When Lai left a police station he was swarmed by a crowd of journalists and cheering supporters, some of whom waved copies of his Apple Daily in a show of their backing.

A clampdown has gathered pace in Hong Kong since China imposed a sweeping security law in June, with opposition politicians disqualified and activists arrested for social media posts.

The moves have provoked outrage in the West and fear for millions who last year took to the streets to protest communist China's tightening grip on the semi-autonomous city.

In one of the most dramatic days of the crackdown, Lai was among 10 people detained under the new law on Monday as around 200 police officers searched the newsroom of his tabloid, which is unapologetically critical of Beijing.

Lai did not address the crowd upon his release, but he flashed a thumbs up as he was bundled into a car that inched away through the crowd.

In a display of solidarity for Lai, people in the city rushed to buy Tuesday's Apple Daily, with the newspaper saying it had upped its print run to 550,000 from the normal circulation of 70,000.

One restaurant owner bought 50 copies at a newsstand in the commercial district of Mong Kok and said he planned to give them away free of charge.

"Since the government doesn't allow Apple Daily to survive, then we as Hong Kongers have to save it ourselves," the man, who gave his surname as Ng, told AFP, as dozens of people lined up around the city from the early hours.

The newspaper's front page showed a picture of Lai being led away in handcuffs, with the headline "Apple will fight on".

Lai's arrest sparked a buying spree in shares of his media group, and between Monday morning and closing time on Tuesday its stock value had risen by more than 1,100 percent.

'Eviscerated'

Hong Kong's new national security law criminalizes secession, subversion, terrorism and colluding with foreign forces.

The most serious crimes under the law -- which was introduced on June 30 and is not supposed to be retroactive -- carry up to life in jail.

Its broadly worded provisions criminalized certain political speech overnight, such as advocating sanctions, and greater autonomy or independence for Hong Kong.

Similar laws are used on the authoritarian mainland to snuff out opposition.

Lai, 71, was held on charges including colluding with foreign forces and fraud. The operation was hailed by Beijing, quick to declare him an "anti-China rabble-rouser" who conspired with foreigners to "stir up chaos".

Among the others arrested were two of Lai's sons, young pro-democracy activist Agnes Chow and Wilson Li, a former activist who works as a freelancer for Britain's ITV News.

Chow was released on bail late Tuesday.

"It's very obvious that the regime and the government are using the national security law to suppress political dissidents," she told reporters after her release.

'Barbarous' sanctions

Critics believe the security law has ended the key liberties and autonomy that Beijing promised Hong Kong could keep after its 1997 handover by Britain.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo described Lai's arrest as "further proof" that Chinese authorities had "eviscerated Hong Kong's freedoms and eroded the rights of its people".

"We're going to respond in real ways," Pompeo later promised in an interview with Newsmax.

The United States has already imposed sanctions on a group of Chinese and Hong Kong officials -- including city leader Carrie Lam -- in response to the crackdown.

Hong Kong's police said those arrested were part of a group that had previously lobbied for foreign sanctions.

In response to objections made by Hong Kong's Foreign Correspondents' Club to the arrests, the Chinese foreign ministry warned that "eagerly justifying Jimmy Lai is nothing short of siding with the forces sowing trouble in Hong Kong and China at large".

"We call on the FCC, Hong Kong to respect the facts, distinguish right from wrong, and stop smearing under the pretext of press freedom the implementation of the National Security Law," it said.
As Gov. Phil Murphy announced schools that meet certain criteria will be allowed to start the academic year with no in-person classes, New Jersey on Wednesday reported 484 new cases and nine more deaths attributed to the coronavirus, while the states rate of transmission declined again, showing the outbreak is shrinking.

New Jerseys death toll from COVID-19 stands at 15,885 fatalities  14,046 confirmed and 1,839 considered probable  in more than five months since the first case was reported March 4. The probable deaths were revised down on Tuesday by 14 fatalities.

The state has announced 185,938 positive tests since the outbreak began. Thats out of the been nearly 3.7 million tests administered in the state so far.

Of the nine newly reported deaths, four occurred between Aug. 6 and Aug. 9, while the others happened between July 16 and Aug. 3 and have only recently been confirmed, Murphy said during his latest coronavirus briefing in Trenton.

The state reported its latest transmission rate is 0.92, down from 0.94 reported on Tuesday. The number has remained below the critical mark of 1 for two straight days after officials announced Aug. 2 the number had spiked to a four-month high of 1.49.

Any number above 1 means each newly infected person is spreading the virus to at least one other person, on average. Anything below 1 means the outbreak is shrinking. The rate had been below 1 for weeks during the strictest parts of New Jerseys coronavirus lockdowns but had fluctuated above and below 1 in July as the state took more reopening steps.

State health officials reported a rate of transmission of 0.92 on Wednesday, below the key benchmark of 1.

The states daily positivity rate  the percentage of residents who test positive for COVID-19 in one day  was 2.09% this past Saturday, the date with the most recent available data. Murphy said thats up a bit but still very good.

Plus or minus, 98% of the people getting tested these days are coming out negative, the governor said.

Wednesday marks the 33rd straight day New Jersey  an early coronavirus hotspot  has reported fewer than 50 new deaths in one day and the 11th straight day it has reported fewer than 15. It also marks the 11th straight day the state has announced fewer than 500 new cases after seeing sudden upticks late last month.

State Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli noted the state has seen a slight uptick in new cases over the last two days.

We are not reporting any significant outbreaks in this regard but are watching increases in counties with over 25 new cases, Persichilli added.

Those are Bergen, Burlington, Camden, Essex, Gloucester, Hudson, Middlesex, and Passaic, she said.

But the states daily numbers are well below their peaks in April, when it was routine for the state to announce hundreds of new fatalities and thousands of new positive tests a day.

HOSPITALIZATIONS

There were 592 patients being treated for confirmed or suspected COVID-19 cases across New Jerseys 71 hospitals as of Tuesday night. Thats 54 more patients than the night before.

About half of the patients are confirmed cases, with 296 patients having tested positive for the virus and 296 patients under investigation as they await test results.

Of those, 111 were in critical or intensive care (10 more than the night before) and 35 were on ventilators (7 fewer than the night before).

There were 58 coronavirus patients discharged from the states hospitals Tuesday, according to the states tracking website.

New Jerseys hospitalizations have declined steadily over the last few months after peaking at more than 8,000 in mid-April.

SCHOOL ANNOUNCEMENT AND BORROWING DECISION

Wednesdays update comes as Murphy announced hes signing an executive order revising the states school reopening plan. The move clears the way for New Jersey schools to physically reopen despite the pandemic but also allows school districts the option of starting all-remotely in the fall if they face certain hurdles to reopening safely. Previously, all districts were required to offer at least some in-person classes.

We recognize that for some districts, there are legitimate and documentable reasons why some of these core health and safety standards can not be met on Day One, Murphy said. For these districts, today we are reaffirming our commitment to provide the flexibility for districts to do what is best for their school community.

Also Wednesday, the state Supreme Court ruled that the state can borrow billions of dollars to offset state revenue losses caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

The unanimous decision will allow Murphy and his fellow Democrats who control the state Legislature to move forward with a plan to borrow up to $9.9 billion for the state budget and avoid massive cuts and layoffs.

THE LATEST ON BUSINESSES REOPENING

New Jersey remains in Stage 2 of its plan to gradually lift coronavirus restrictions that Murphy ordered in March to fight the spread of COVID-19. Gyms, movie theaters and indoor dining sections of bars and restaurants remain closed until further notice.

A coalition of more than 100 New Jersey businesses and nonprofit groups sent Murphy a letter on Tuesday calling for him to restart the reopening process now that numbers are improving again.

Murphy said Wednesday he read the letter but that the states first priority is managing the virus to help save lives.

I have nothing but sympathy for the economic chaos and crushing reality this pandemic has led to with so many small businesses, individuals who are out of work, he said. But the fact of the matter is public health creates economic health.

Were still in the midst of this, and with all due respect to folks who see only the economic health side of this, theyre not seeing the whole picture, the governor added. I say again, with great respect, if you dont factor in public health, you will never get the economic health that you aspire to. Lets stop kidding ourselves. Weve got to break the back of this virus.

New Jerseys economy continues to suffer during the pandemic. Nearly 1.5 million workers in the state have filed for unemployment benefits since mid-March.

The state is also calling on travelers from 33 states and territories  including residents returning home  to self-quarantine for 14 days after arriving in New Jersey.

COUNTY-BY-COUNTY NUMBERS

Atlantic County: 3,509 cases (12 new), 237 confirmed deaths (15 probable)

Bergen County: 20,899 cases (33 new), 1,788 confirmed deaths (248 probable)

Burlington County: 6,069 cases (26 new), 434 confirmed deaths (39 probable)

Camden County: 8,645 cases (35 new), 524 confirmed deaths (55 probable)

Cape May County: 842 cases (3 new), 82 confirmed deaths (6 probable)

Cumberland County: 3,377 cases (11 new), 146 confirmed deaths (12 probable)

Essex County: 19,813 cases (37 new), 1,876 confirmed deaths (234 probable)

Gloucester County: 3,310 cases (28 new), 207 confirmed deaths (7 probable)

Hudson County: 19,749 cases (36 new), 1,338 confirmed deaths (167 probable)

Hunterdon County: 1,150 cases (1 new), 70 confirmed deaths (54 probable)

Mercer County: 8,143 cases (5 new), 582 confirmed deaths (39 probable)

Middlesex County: 17,988 cases (29 new), 1,204 confirmed deaths (205 probable)

Monmouth County: 10,368 cases (20 new), 759 confirmed deaths (97 probable)

Morris County: 7,286 cases (14 new), 682 confirmed deaths (147 probable)

Ocean County: 10,652 cases (12 new), 953 confirmed deaths (67 probable)

Passaic County: 17,748 cases (41 new), 1,095 confirmed deaths (147 probable)

Salem County: 907 cases (4 new), 81 confirmed deaths (6 probable)

Somerset County: 5,275 cases (10 new), 489 confirmed deaths (75 probable)

Sussex County: 1,341 cases (5 new), 161 confirmed deaths (37 probable)

Union County: 16,780 cases (30 new), 1,180 confirmed deaths (168 probable)

Warren County: 1,347 cases (0 new), 158 confirmed deaths (14 probable)

CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES: Live map tracker | Newsletter | Homepage

New Jersey, a densely populated state of 9 million residents, ranks second among U.S. states in total COVID-19 deaths and eighth in total cases.

About half of the states deaths  at least 7,004  have been of residents or staff members at the states nursing homes and longterm care centers.

The total number of coronavirus cases in the state is cumulative and does not reflect the thousands of residents who have recovered. More than 33,200 New Jersey residents have recovered from the virus, according to Johns Hopkins University.

As of Wednesday afternoon, there have been more than 20.42 million positive tests for COVID-19 across the world, according to a running tally by Johns Hopkins University. Of those, more than 744,900 have died, while more than 12.6 million have recovered.

There have been more than 165,500 deaths in the United States, by far the most in the world.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.

Brent Johnson may be reached at bjohnson@njadvancemedia.com.
PARAMUS, N.J., Aug. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- NS Pharma, Inc. (NS Pharma; President, Tsugio Tanaka), a wholly owned subsidiary of Nippon Shinyaku Co., Ltd. (Nippon Shinyaku; President Shigenobu Maekawa), announced today that the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has approved VILTEPSO (viltolarsen) injection for patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) who are amenable to exon 53 skipping therapy. VILTEPSO received an Accelerated Approval by the FDA based on an increase in dystrophin, a key protein for supporting muscle health. Since a lack of dystrophin is the underlying cause of DMD, increasing dystrophin as much and as early as possible is a key goal in the treatment of DMD. VILTEPSO is the first and only exon 53 skipping therapy to demonstrate an increase in dystrophin in children as young as four years old. The continued approval of VILTEPSO may be contingent on confirmation of a clinical benefit in a Phase 3 confirmatory trial.

DMD is caused by genetic mutations that prevent dystrophin production. Patients with DMD experience progressive and irreversible muscle loss with symptoms appearing as early as two years of age. Cardiac and respiratory muscle problems begin in the teenage years and lead to serious, life-threatening complications.

The VILTEPSO New Drug Application (NDA) submission included results from a Phase 2, two-period study in patients aged four to less than 10 years of age conducted in North America (Study 1, N=16) and a multicenter, open-label study in boys five to less than 18 years of age conducted in Japan (Study 2, N=16).

In Study 1, of those patients who received the recommended dose of 80 mg/kg/wk (N=8), 100% of patients (8/8) showed an increase in dystrophin levels after treatment with VILTEPSO and 88% of patients (7/8) showed dystrophin levels of 3% or greater than normal. Overall, after 20-24 weeks of treatment a mean increase in dystrophin expression to nearly 6% of normal was observed with VILTEPSO (80 mg/kg/wk) versus 0.6% at baseline.

The most common side effects of VILTEPSO included upper respiratory tract infection, injection site reaction, cough and fever.

"For decades, neurologists who treat DMD have hoped for the discovery of therapies capable of significantly improving dystrophin production, and the magnitude of dystrophin increases observed with VILTEPSO are impressive," said study investigator Vamshi Rao, MD, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago. "The approval of VILTEPSO is an exciting development for DMD patients amenable to exon 53 skipping therapy and may rapidly become a foundational treatment for these patients."

Patients receiving treatment with VILTEPSO have the option and flexibility to receive infusions at their home or at a hospital or treatment center. VILTEPSO is administered by a trained healthcare professional as an 80 mg per kg of body weight 60-minute weekly intravenous infusion.

NS Pharma will provide families, physicians and healthcare professionals dedicated and individualized resources every step of the way through the NS Support program. NS Pharma will be hosting a series of webinars on the comprehensive care coordination available through NS Support. Follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter for information and registration for upcoming webinars.

"On behalf of NS Pharma and Nippon Shinyaku, I would like to express our deepest gratitude to the families and physicians who participated in our clinical trials and made today's approval possible," said Tsugio Tanaka, President, NS Pharma, Inc. "We are proud to now offer an important new treatment option to help address the significant unmet needs caused by this devastating disease."

NS Pharma continues to study the safety and efficacy of VILTEPSO in the confirmatory Phase 3 RACER53 trial. This study was initiated in October 2019 and is currently enrolling. The purpose of this Phase 3 trial is to confirm the clinical findings that were submitted under the Accelerated Approval pathway.

About Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD)

DMD is a progressive form of muscular dystrophy that occurs primarily in males. DMD causes progressive weakness and loss of skeletal, cardiac, and pulmonary muscles. Early signs of DMD may include delayed ability to sit, stand or walk. There is a progressive loss of mobility, and by adolescence, patients with DMD may require the use of a wheelchair. Cardiac and respiratory muscle problems begin in the teenage years and lead to serious, life-threatening complications.

About VILTEPSO (viltolarsen) injection

Prior to its approval in the U.S., VILTEPSO was granted Priority Review as well as Rare Pediatric Disease, Orphan Drug and Fast Track Designations. In March 2020, VILTEPSO was approved in Japan for the treatment of patients with DMD who are amenable to exon 53 skipping therapy. Prior to its approval in Japan, VILTEPSO was granted with the SAKIGAKE designation, Orphan Drug designation, and designation of Conditional Early Approval System.

Indication

VILTEPSO is indicated for the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) in patients who have a confirmed mutation of the DMD gene that is amenable to exon 53 skipping. This indication is approved under Accelerated Approval based on an increase in dystrophin production in skeletal muscle observed in patients treated with VILTEPSO. Continued approval for this indication may be contingent upon verification and description of clinical benefit in a confirmatory trial.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION

In clinical studies, no patients experienced kidney toxicity during treatment with VILTEPSO. However, kidney toxicity from drugs like VILTEPSO may be possible. Your doctor may monitor the health of your kidneys before starting and during treatment with VILTEPSO.

The most common side effects of VILTEPSO included upper respiratory tract infection, injection site reaction, cough and fever.

For additional safety information, please see the full Prescribing Information.

About NS Pharma, Inc.

NS Pharma, Inc., is a wholly owned subsidiary of Nippon Shinyaku Co., Ltd. For more information, please visit http://www.nspharma.com . NS Pharma is a registered trademark of the Nippon Shinyaku group of companies.

Contact

U.S. Media Contact:

[email protected]

SOURCE NS Pharma

Related Links

http://www.nspharma.com


THIS PRESS RELEASE, REQUIRED BY APPLICABLE CANADIAN LAWS, IS NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION

TO U.S. NEWS SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Aug. 12, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sonoro Metals Corp. (TSXV: SMO | OTCQB: SMOFF | FRA: 23SP) (Sonoro or the Company) is pleased to announce that it has closed a non-brokered private placement for $8,000,000 with a lead order from Palisades Goldcorp Ltd. The private placement was initially announced on July 23, 2020 for 22,727,273 Units and was increased, as announced on July 31, 2020, by way of an overallotment option of up to 60% (i.e. an additional 13,636,364 Units) at $0.22 per Unit, for total gross proceeds of $8,000,000 (collectively, the Offering). Each Unit consists of one Sonoro Common Share and one Share Purchase Warrant. Each warrant entitles the holder to purchase one additional Sonoro Common share for a period of three years from the closing date at an exercise price of $0.30 per share.



All securities issued and issuable in connection with the Offering will be subject to a 4-month hold period ending December 13, 2020. The Offering has received conditional acceptance from the TSX Venture Exchange but remains subject to the receipt of final approval from the TSX Venture Exchange.

In connection with the Offering, the Company entered into finders fee agreements with Mackie Research Capital Corp., PI Financial Corp., Haywood Securities Inc., Canaccord Genuity Corp., Arbora A.G., Raymond James, Echelon Wealth Partners Inc. and Odlum Brown (collectively, the Finders and each, a Finder) pursuant to which the Company paid to each arms length Finder:

(i) at the election of the Finder, either a cash finders fee or Units equal to 7% of the gross proceeds raised from subscribers introduced to the Company by the Finder and

(ii) such number of non-transferable finders warrants (the Finders Warrants) equal to 7% of the gross proceeds raised from subscribers introduced to the Company by the Finder.

Each Finders Warrant entitles the Finder to purchase one common share in the capital of the Company at a price of $0.30 for a period of three years following the closing of the Offering. Odlum Brown will only receive a cash finders fee with respect to its portion of the Finders Fee.

Story continues

Directors and officers of the Company participated in the Offering by subscribing for 1,593,181 Units, constituting a related party transaction pursuant to TSX Venture Exchange Policy 5.9 and Multilateral Instrument 61-101  Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions (MI 61-101). The Company relied on section 5.5(a) of MI 61-101 for an exemption from the formal valuation requirement and section 5.7(1)(a) of MI 61-101 for an exemption from the minority shareholder approval requirement of MI 61-101 as the fair market value of the transaction did not exceed 25% of the Companys market capitalization.

The Company plans to use the proceeds from the Offering to launch Phase One of the 2020-21 Core Drilling Program to test the Cerro Caliche epithermal systems potential to host high-grade gold mineralization at depth as discussed in the Company's June 26, 2020 News Release titled, Sonoro Drilling Targeting High-grade Epithermal Gold Mineralization at Cerro Caliche which referenced Sonoros Report, 2020 Drilling Program - Phase 1 Targeting High Grade Mineralization at Depth.

The Company also intends to apply a portion of the Offering proceeds to fund additional shallow reverse circulation drilling for the advancement of the Companys proposed Heap Leach Pilot Operation (HLPO) which is intended to assess the economic feasibility of the bulk mining of the shallow oxide gold mineralization at Cerro Caliche. The initial target for such future test production is the Japoneses zone, which is the location of most of the 201,000 ounce AuEq (gold equivalent) inferred resource documented in a July 26, 2019 independent NI 43101 Technical Report on the Cerro Caliche Gold Project (the July 2019 Report) available on the Companys website under the Investors tab at www.sonorometals.com.

As an initial step, the Company plans to expedite the completion of a Preliminary Economic Assessment of the proposed HLPO. Readers are cautioned that, until the Preliminary Economic Assessment's completion, no definitive conclusions can be made as to the technical or economic viability of the proposed HLPO.

The inferred resources documented in the July 2019 Report, together with the deeper high-grade gold targets, are located within a larger 3km by 4km area of near-ubiquitous surface gold mineralization which hosted seven 19th century artisanal mine workings. High grade chip and channel samples returned from 4 to 95 g/t Au (See the Companys May 25, 2020 Cerro Caliche Project Development Report available under the Projects tab at www.sonorometals.com). The Company intends to use the balance of the proceeds of the Offering for additional project assessment, general corporate and administrative costs, and working capital purposes.

With the requisite environmental permits in place and the initial drill pads ready for operations, Sonoro has contracted drilling company, Layne de Mexico, a subsidiary of Granite Construction Incorporated (NYSE: GVA) to immediately commence the core drilling program, with the reverse circulation drilling program scheduled to commence before the end of August 2020. Both the drilling crews and Sonoros technical team are based in Hermosillo, Mexico and are not restricted by cross-border issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sonoro has also received proceeds in the amount of $162,143 through the exercise of 600,528 share purchase warrants at an exercise price of $0.27 per warrant share. These warrants were issued pursuant to a private placement dated July 31, 2019, with an expiry date of August 1, 2020.

Sonoros President and CEO, Kenneth MacLeod, stated, Sonoros management team is delighted by the recognition and faith demonstrated by investors as to the merits of our dual strategy of higher risk but potentially high reward exploration drilling of the Cerro Caliche deeper high-grade gold targets, while we concurrently advance our proposed Heap Leach Pilot Operation as an initial step in assessing the propertys shallow bulk gold mining potential. I would also like to express my thanks on behalf of our directors and shareholders to Palisades Goldcorp for acting as the financings lead and the exceptional role they have played.

Sonoro Metals Chairman, John Darch, commented, A strong, diverse and loyal shareholder base is a key component of any companys long term success and while it was impossible to accommodate everyone, the private placement and the overallotment gave many new investors an initial stake in Sonoros future success. Darch added that, the overallotment should allow us to accelerate and expand our Phase One core drilling program while ensuring that we have the funds to proceed expeditiously to complete a Preliminary Economic Assessment for the HLPO, just as we continue to explore, develop and potentially expand the Cerro Caliche gold resource.



About Palisades Goldcorp.

Palisades Goldcorp is Canadas new resource focused merchant bank. Palisades management team has a demonstrated track record of making money and is backed by many of the industrys most notable financiers. With junior resource equities valued at generational lows, management believes the sector is on the cusp of a major bull market move. Palisades is positioning itself with significant stakes in undervalued companies and assets with the goal of generating superior returns.

About Sonoro Metals Corp.

Sonoro is a publicly listed mineral exploration and development company with two exploration stage precious metal properties in Sonora State, Mexico. The Companys current principal focus, under the leadership of its management team with proven track records for the discovery and development of natural resource deposits, is the pursuit of a three-pronged exploration and development strategy for its Cerro Caliche Project. This strategy consists of:

first: executing an aggressive exploration program to test the projects deeper high-grade gold potential,

second: developing the Company's proposed Heap Leach Pilot Operation and its supporting inferred gold resource, and

third: concurrently continuing exploration and infill drilling to further assess the Projects potential for near-surface bulk mineable oxide inferred gold resource.

On behalf of the Board of SONORO METALS CORP.

Per: Kenneth MacLeod

Kenneth MacLeod

President & CEO

For further information, please contact:

Sonoro Metals Corp. - Tel: (604) 632-1764

Email: info@sonorometals.com

Forward-Looking Statement Cautions:

This press release contains certain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation, relating to, among other things the intended use of the proceeds of the Offering and the Companys intention to proceed with the execution of its exploration and development plans for its Cerro Caliche Project, including the development of a heap leach pilot operation. Although the Company believes that such statements are reasonable based on current circumstances, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts; they are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects," "plans," "anticipates," "believes," "intends," "estimates," "projects," "aims," "potential," "goal," "objective," "prospective," and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will," "would," "may," "can," "could" or "should" occur, or are those statements, which, by their nature, refer to future events. The Company cautions that forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, estimates and opinions of the Company's management on the date the statements are made and they involve a number of risks and uncertainties, including the risks that the Company will not be able to secure sufficient future financing necessary to fund all of its proposed exploration and development of its Cerro Caliche Project, or to fund its other project exploration and development business; future exploration results will be unfavourable and will not support the proposed plan to build a heap leach pilot operation or justify further exploration efforts; equipment failures, accidents, or external problems (e.g. civil unrest, public health emergencies) may materially increase the Companys business expenses or delay (or prevent altogether) the execution of the Companys business plans; and unanticipated changes in the legal, regulatory and permitting requirements for the Companys mineral exploration programs and development plans for its projects, at present, all of which are located in Mexico, may prevent the Company from carrying out some or all of its business plans.

There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law or the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange. Readers are encouraged to review the Companys complete public disclosure record on SEDAR at www.sedar.com for further information regarding the Companys business and the risks associated therewith.

This press release does not constitute or form a part of any offer or solicitation to purchase or subscribe for securities in the United States. The securities referred to herein have not been and will not be registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the Securities Act), or with any securities regulatory authority of any state or other jurisdiction in the United States, and may not be offered or sold, directly or indirectly, within the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, U.S. persons, as such term is defined in Regulation S under the Securities Act (Regulation S), except pursuant to an exemption from or in a transaction not subject to the registration requirements of the Securities Act.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.




The Brazilian male frog is loyal to two female mates during the breeding season, despite being surrounded by a 'harem' of females, a new study reveals.

Thoropa taophora frogs, native to the Brazilian Atlantic rainforest, are the first amphibian to reveal signs of 'single-male polygyny with fidelity' (SMPF).

This phenomenon, also known as harem polygyny, describes a group consisting of multiple females and one male, which mates with more than one of the females.

Brazilian researchers report that Thoropa taophora males mate 'exclusively and recurrently' with just two of these females  a 'dominant' female and a 'secondary' female.

Scientists have previously seen this form of social organisation in bony fish, reptiles, mammals, birds, and even some invertebrates.

The new discovery proved that SMPF occurs in species from all types of four-limbed animals.

Male of Thoropa taophora on Sununga beach, Ubatuba, Brazil. The species of frog native to the Brazilian Atlantic rainforest appears to be the first amphibian shown to exhibit harem polygyny

'Single-male polygyny with reproductive fidelity occurs in invertebrates, bony fishes, and some tetrapods such as lizards, mammals, and birds,' said Professor Fabio de Sa, from the Universidade Estadual Paulista in Sao Paulo in Brazil.

'In amphibians, reproductive fidelity in polygynous groups is not fully demonstrated.

'We reveal high fidelity during a prolonged breeding season in a Neotropical polygynous frog.'

Monogamy  having just one mate  has evolved in many vertebrate clades, including amphibians, enabling parents of some species to invest greater resources into their offspring.

Researchers documented males and females under their natural conditions around Sununga beach, Ubatuba in south-western Brazil

But polygyny, where males have more than one sexual partner, remains the norm among many vertebrates.

To explore whether the Brazilian male frog engages in polygyny, Fabio de Sa and colleagues video documented males and females under their natural conditions around Sununga beach, Ubatuba in south-western Brazil.

Frogs inhabit seeps  little patches where groundwater accumulates from the ground to the surface.

The team investigated seven breeding seeps, and all of them showed the same pattern  one monopolist male mating with two females (one dominant, one secondary).

'So, we detected seven monopolist males, seven dominant females, and seven secondary females,' de Sa said

'They do not change mates throughout the breeding season.'

The experts noted protective male behaviours, such as patrolling their territory, emitting aggressive calls to ward off intruders, and remaining close to their eggs and tadpoles to protect them.

Paternal care on eggs in Thoropa taophora. Brazilian researchers report that Thoropa taophora males mate 'exclusively and recurrently' with two females  a 'dominant' female and a 'secondary' female

The researchers also found females within each harem possessed hierarchical ranks that elicited different male responses.

For example, when a dominant female would begin to cannibalise eggs, the male would mate with her, resulting in new eggs that carried the dominant females genes.

In contrast, when a secondary female would eat eggs, the male would merely embrace her without mating until she stopped.

Dominant females contributed somewhere between 56 per cent and 97 per cent of tadpoles in the seven breeding seeps analysed.

'In Thoropa taophora the monopolist male is always defending the same breeding seep, so they do not move,' de Sa told MailOnline.

'The females are the sex that can move to choose a mate  females are attracted by the male calls.'

Juvenile, tadpole, and eggs of Thoropa taophora at Picinguaba beach, Ubatuba, Brazil.

The research team also reconstructed parental genotypes of tadpoles at breeding locations, which verified that a females hierarchy in the harem greatly impacted her breeding success.

The frogs style of group fidelity may have evolved in response to competition for breeding sites and rivalries between males looking for mates.

While polygyny is very common among amphibians, the team are confident that this is the first full-documented case of SMPF, or harem polygyny, among amphibians.

'Single-male polygyny with fidelity is the particular polygyny in which females show group fidelity with a single monopolist male throughout an extended period,' de Sa told MailOnline.

'The coolest thing is that the typical mating system of frogs is now extended.'

The study has been published in Science Advances.
Groove Grooves high ranking was fueled by strong demand for the emerging category of sales engagement platforms, a category that TOPO research predicts will become a multi-billion-dollar market.

Groove, the only sales engagement platform built for true relationship-based sales, today announced that it has ranked 740 on Inc. Magazines annual Inc. 5000 list of the fastest-growing privately held companies in the United States. Grooves three-year revenue growth of 640% put it in the top 15% of ranked companies, which had an average growth rate above 500% and median growth rate of 165%. This is the second year in a row that Groove has ranked on Inc.s list of the nations most successful private companies.

Grooves high ranking was fueled by strong demand for the emerging category of sales engagement platforms, a category that TOPO research predicts will become a multi-billion-dollar market. Sales engagement platforms provide sellers with the tools they need to build stronger relationships while automating mundane tasks like data entry so that reps can spend more time selling.

Groove also provides managers with real-time visibility into activity levels and performance, regardless of where the sales rep or team is located. Demand for the platform has accelerated post COVID-19 with companies needing to empower, collaborate with, and manage remote salesforces.

Since the beginning, Groove has been focused on helping revenue teams be more productive, collaborative, and successful, said Chris Rothstein. Today we have over 50,000 users across 56 countries worldwide, and I am extremely proud of the team that has brought us this far. A recent survey by Gartner Research found that 74% of CFOs intend to shift some employees to remote work permanently, and we expect to continue to scale as we support the digital transformation of their salesforces.

The companies on this years Inc. 5000 come from nearly every realm of business, says Inc. editor-in-chief Scott Omelianuk. From health and software to media and hospitality, the 2020 list proves that no matter the sector, incredible growth is based on the foundations of tenacity and opportunism.

INDUSTRY RECOGNITION

In addition to being named to the 2020 Inc. 5000 list, Groove has received a number of recent industry awards and accolades.

June 2020 - G2 Summer 2020 Sales Engagement Software Grid Report - Highest-Rated Platform

June 2020 - Crozdesks Happiest Users 2020 - #1 in High User Satisfaction

May 2020 - Inc. Magazine Best Workplaces 2020

March 2020 - G2 Ranks Groove #1 Sales Engagement Platform in Customer Satisfaction for Two Straight Years

March 2020 - Crozdesks Sales Management Software Awards 2020 - #1 of TOP20 Software Products of 2020

To learn why revenue teams at more than 500 industry-leading companies rely on Groove, visit our website or request a demo.

ABOUT THE INC. 5000 LIST

The 2020 Inc. 5000 is ranked according to percentage revenue growth when comparing 2016 and 2019. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2016. The 2020 Inc. 5000 achieved a three-year average growth rate of over 500%, and a median rate of 165%. The Inc. 5000s aggregate revenue was $209 billion in 2019, accounting for over 1 million jobs over the past three years.

ABOUT GROOVE

Groove is the only sales engagement platform built for true relationship-based sales, specializing in ease-of-use, ease-of-administration, and cross-team collaboration. Groove automates non-sales activities so that reps can spend more time building relationships and generating revenue. On average, Groove gives revenue teams 20% of their time back to focus on higher-value activities. Groove also has the industrys only native Salesforce integration, which ensures more accurate reporting and forecasting, lower compliance risk with global privacy laws, and streamlined administration.

Over 50,000 account executive, sales development, and customer success representatives use Groove at some of the worlds largest and fastest-growing companies, including Google, Uber, BBVA, and Capital One. Groove has earned the highest customer satisfaction rating on G2 in the sales engagement category for over two years in a row.

Groove was named one of Inc. Magazines Best Workplaces 2020 and is one of the 2020 Inc. 5000 fastest-growing privately held companies in the U.S. Groove also ranks #14 on the San Francisco Business Times' "fastest-growing private companies in the Bay Area in 2019." Founded in 2014, Groove is headquartered in San Francisco with offices in San Diego and Seattle. To learn more, visit groove.co.
White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany talks to reporters during a news conference in the Brady Press Briefing Room in Washington on June 30, 2020. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Trump Still Wants Second Round of Stimulus Checks: White House

White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said President Donald Trump still wants to distribute $1,200 stimulus payments to Americans.

The White House is still motivated, she reporters on Monday when she was asked about whether the administration is interested in coming to an agreement on the next stimulus bill.

The president would love to see the direct payments to Americans, she said. The president would love to see the school funding.

The stimulus payments were considered among the least contentious issues among Democratic and Republican negotiators, as both sides included them in their respective stimulus measures.

Last week, talks between the two parties stalled after two weeks of negotiations, leaving Trump to issue executive orders to provide a federal unemployment benefits boost, suspend payroll taxes, defer student loan payments, and consider a moratorium on evictions.

There are several items that wed like to see happen. The more relief for the American peopleand those in need, in particularthe better, McEnany told reporters. But this president, you know, has taken action to alleviatealleviate some of that burden. But make no mistake: Theres still much more that wed like to accomplish, but that includes having willing negotiating partners in Congress. And so far, we have none on thein the Democrat Party, it seems.

President Donald Trump speaks during a briefing at the White House in Washington on Aug. 10, 2020. (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)

The Democrats HEROES Act is worth approximately $3.4 trillion while Republicans HEALS Act is worth about $1 trillion. Of late, Democrats and Republicans were very much divided on whether or not to fund state and city governments, with Democrats seeking nearly $1 trillion and Republicans wanting exactly zero.

President Trump and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin have both said the $1 trillion funding measure is too high.

Trump took executive action to provide $400 in unemployment benefits, with $300 coming from the federal government and $100 from states. He also issued orders to look into issuing moratoriums on evictions for renters and homeowners, deferrals on student loan payments, and a suspension of the payroll tax that pays for Social Security and Medicare. The benefits are down from the $600 per week in supplemental federal benefits out-of-work Americans got starting March until July 31.

The executive order on evictions doesnt even guarantee a moratorium on evictions, let alone identify specific funds to help people whove fallen behind on rent, he said.

White House Economic Adviser Larry Kudlow told Fox News on Tuesday Trumps plan on unemployment will go into effect in two weeks or so.
Express Entry or PNP: What makes cents? A look at basic costs to apply for the Provincial Nominee Program and Express Entry.

Express Entry or PNP: What makes cents? A look at basic costs to apply for the Provincial Nominee Program and Express Entry.

B.C. recently raised the price to apply for the Skills Immigration stream, but it is still not the most expensive program in Canada.

It now costs $1,150 to apply for the British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP) Skills Immigration stream, which is up from the $700 that it cost before. B.C. says the fee increase will allow it to better serve the increased number of applicants for its Provincial Nominee Program (PNP). Currently, there are 9,500 provincial nominees from B.C. waiting to become permanent residents.

Most skilled worker candidates who have received a provincial nomination should expect to pay an application fee between $250 and $2,000. However, there is no application fee to apply for PNPs operated by Alberta, Nova Scotia, Northwest Territories or the Yukon.

Find out if you are eligible for any Canadian immigration programs

Entrepreneur applicants in most provinces will generally have to pay higher fees ranging between $1,000 and $3,500.

Immigration is an area of shared federal-provincial jurisdiction under Canadas Constitution. As such, both levels of government are able to operate programs to select skilled immigrants. The PNP has existed since 1998 to enable provinces and territories to recruit immigrants that meet their labour market needs.

Provincial application or processing fees are determined by each province and territory. They are added on top of the federal immigration fees that successful provincial nominees pay to apply for permanent residence.



Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) Application Fee Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program (AINP) $0 British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP) $1,150 Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program (MPNP) $500 New Brunswick Provincial Nominee Program (NBPNP) $250 Newfoundland and Labrador Provincial Nominee Program (NLPNP) $250 Nova Scotia Nominee Program (NSNP) $0 Northwest Territories Nominee Program (NTNP) $0 Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) $1,500-2,000 Prince Edward Island Provincial Nominee Program (PEI PNP) $300 Quebec $812 Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program (SINP) $350 Yukon Nominee Program (YNP) $0

The PNP has grown substantially since the 1990s. Today it is the second most popular pathway to permanent residence for Canadian immigrants. The most popular pathway is through the Express Entry system.

There are some pros and cons to weigh when choosing the best immigration program to match each individuals circumstances. On the plus side, PNPs offer pathways to permanent residence for people who are not eligible for Express Entry but who have traits that support regional labour needs. Candidates who are eligible for Express Entry benefit from the systems fast processing standard.

Express Entry candidates who receive a provincial nomination are awarded an additional 600 points toward their Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score, which guarantees that they will receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for permanent residence. People who are in the Express Entry pool without a provincial nomination have less certainty that they will get an ITA.

However, there are some disadvantages in applying for a provincial nomination. Processing times are longer, especially if candidates are not eligible for Express Entry. The website of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) cites a permanent residence processing standard of 19 months for PNP applications compared with six months or less for PNP candidates who received an ITA through Express Entry. The IRCC processing time is on top of the generally one to three months a successful candidate needs to wait for the province or territory to process their PNP application.

Some immigrants with a higher CRS score instead wait in hopes of obtaining an ITA directly through Express Entry. In addition to a faster processing standard, they can save money on PNP application fees, which they have to pay on top of the federal governments fees. With Express Entry, successful candidates just pay the federal fees.

For a single person, the federal fee is $1,325 to apply for permanent residence. Couples can expect to pay $1,325 each plus $225 per dependent child. In addition, there is a biometric fee of $85 for a single person or $170 for a family.

Ultimately, a candidates best bet is to enter the Express Entry pool. It is free to enter the pool and it gives them a greater chance of obtaining an ITA from the federal government, or an invitation from a province or territory to obtain permanent residence through their PNP. In addition to entering the Express Entry pool, a candidate can still apply to a PNP directly in order to improve their permanent residence odds.

This year, Canada aims to welcome 200,000 economic immigrants through more than 100 economic immigration streams. About 90,000 are expected to arrive through its three federal Express Entry programs and 65,000 through PNPs.

Find out if you are eligible for any Canadian immigration programs

 2020 CIC News All Rights Reserved
With schools weighing risks and benefits of students returning to campuses amid the continuing pandemic, Lutheran South Academy has opted to give parents and students a choice.

The private school in South Belt is scheduled to start in-person classes Aug. 19 with parents having the option of virtual learning for the first nine weeks, or if they eventually choose, for the entire year.

Im confident that weve done everything we can to make school safe for our students, said Sheila Psencik, the schools head.

Like similar institutions such as St. Thomas the Apostle Episcopal School in Nassau Bay, Lutheran South, which serves grades prekindergarten through 12, sees its autonomy as a private school a plus.

Enrollment is normally 750, and according to Psencik, only a small percentage of parents have chosen the virtual learning option.

Modifications have been made to meet Centers for Disease Control guidelines. LSAs back-to-school plan is available on its website.

More Information Lutheran South Academy Where: 12555 Ryewater Drive, Houston Enrollment: 750 Information:www.lutheransouth.org; 281-464-8299 See More Collapse

Weve added some classrooms to accommodate our attendance, but with a percentage of students staying home, we have plenty of space, Psencik said. Weve capped our class size depending on the square footage in classrooms and rearranged things to make sure our kids have appropriate distancing between them to make sure were providing a safe environment.

Students in pre-K through grade 5 will remain in one classroom throughout the day with teachers coming to them for different subjects. Older students will change classes. At lunchtime, grades pre-K through 5 will eat in the classroom so that those in grades 6-12 can be spread apart in the cafeteria.

The school will conduct temperature checks, and face masks will be required for all students over age 10. Staff members will be supplied with face shields for when they interact directly with students.

Im confident (we can open successfully), but with that being said, things change daily, Psencik said. Were prepared for anything. Im sure there are going to be many adjustments along the way, but were going to do our best to provide the best education we can. I think everyone agrees that the best thing for kids to be back at school, but we want to make sure were doing it safely.

Through feedback, parents have expressed enthusiasm for students return and trust in the school to maintain safety, according to Psencik.

I think most people are just excited that were going to go back to school, she said.

The teaching staff, said Psencik, has also committed to a return to in-person classroom learning.

All 80 of our teachers are on board, we havent had any teachers saying they wont come, she said.

Lutheran South was established as a faith-based private institution in 1949 in Houston and moved to 12555 Ryewater Drive in 1998. Psencik said the plan is to remain open for as long as it is safe.

People are anxious to keep moving forward because were living with the pandemic, and we have to figure out a way to live with it and do it safely for our students and staff, Psencik said. The virus is going to be around throughout the school year; so we have to figure this out. What everybody did in the spring (by studying virtually) was a good Band-Aid, but thats not a good long-term plan for kids.

With 85 percent of students choosing to return to the campus, Psencik said the Lutheran South community is sending a message that it is eager to return to some kind of consistency. The school has a detailed plan to use if a COVID outbreak occurs.

I think were all eager to get back to normal even though its going to be different, but its going to be more normal than staying home all the time, she said. Im confident, but realistic. We dont know what tomorrow brings but I know with what weve done here were ready for our students to come back. Were going to make adjustments along the way just like everybody is, but were going to do our best to keep providing a great education.

yorozco@hcnonline.com
It used to be commonly assumed that if the police caught someone who committed a crime, hed be brought to court. If he was found guilty, a judge would give him prison time  and the rest of us felt relieved that there was one less bad guy out there to rob, burgle or shoot us.
Staycationing Britons including author Michael Rosen have had holidays booked through Cottages.com and Hoseasons cancelled at the last minute with accommodation then re-let to new customers.

Furious customers have taken to social media in recent days to vent frustration with Europe's leading holiday rentals group after a string of cancellations and long waits for refunds.

Among them is children's writer Michael Rosen, who was struck down with coronavirus earlier this year and spent three months in hospital.

An example of a property available to book on cottages.com which has apologised for cancelling some reservations

Among the affected customers is children's writer Michael Rosen, pictured, who was struck down with coronavirus earlier this year and spent three months in hospital

His wife Emma-Louise Williams revealed on Twitter this week the trip, paid for in full and confirmed in writing, was cancelled 'with four days to go with no reason offered'

THE BEST AND WORST TRAVEL FIRMS FOR CORONAVIRUS CANCELLATION REFUNDS 1 Travel Counsellors 2 Hays Travel 3 Airbnb 4 Jet2 Holidays 5 Jet2 6 British Airways Holidays 7 Center Parcs 8 Disney Holidays 9 Trailfinders 10 Haven 11 Saga 12 Hotels.com 13 Booking.com 14 Easyjet Holidays 15 British Airways 16 HomeAway 17 American Airlines 18 Ebookers 19 Onthebeach 20 Qatar Airways 21 Travel Republic 22 Easyjet 23 Expedia 24 P&O Cruises 25 Eurotunnel 26 Aer Lingus 27 Norwegian 28 Riviera 29 Eurostar 30 Wizz Air 31 Emirates 32 Lufthansa 33 Brittany Ferries 34 Virgin Atlantic 35 Cottages.com 36 First Choice 37 Tui 38 Vueling 39 Hoseasons 40 Love Holidays 41 Virgin Holidays 42 Air France 43 Secret Escapes 44 STA Travel 45 Sykes Cottages 46 KLM 47 Ryanair 48 Opodo 49 Lastminute.com 50 Holiday Extras 51 Teletext Holidays 52 TravelUp 53 Travel Trolley 207 +91 1,017 +70 924 +56 1,621 +54 1,593 +47 289 +45 202 +42 147 +37 233 +32 212 +30 151 +26 441 +21 1,178 +18 163 +10 1,809 +8 199 +8 123 +1 108 -11 283 -18 112 -21 266 -27 2,425 -28 811 -28 603 -30 106 -35 193 -38 196 -42 142 -45 239 -46 158 -48 450 -48 142 -49 253 -50 627 -51 244 -54 223 -60 3,252 -60 119 -61 451 -68 677 -70 775 -73 149 -76 299 -76 150 -77 610 -79 596 -82 2,563 -82 283 -86 550 -87 291 -92 251 -94 593 -95 338 -95 The table ranks firms by net score (number of 'great' votes minus the number of 'poor' votes  with 'OK' votes disregarded) and lists the number of responses for each. Only firms with more than 100 responses have been included. Source: Moneysavingexpert.com Advertisement

He had booked out a property in Somerset for a week with his family, the Guardian reports, but wife Emma-Louise Williams revealed on Twitter this week the trip, paid for in full and confirmed in writing, was cancelled 'with four days to go with no reason offered'.

As her tweet was shared dozens of times, other customers said they had endured a similar experience.

The Awaze Group, which runs both Cottages.com and Hoseasons, has apologised to staycationers after seeing 'unprecedented levels of demand' in recent weeks, with a 'tenfold increase' in bookings as domestic travel restrictions were lift it.

The company admitted its systems 'didn't scale to the level we needed them to' and so a number of duplicate bookings occurred.

'It is very disappointing,' Williams told the Guardian.

'Michael had been really looking forward to a week away because he has been so seriously ill and just needed a moment to breathe.'

A spokesman for Cottages.com said: 'Due to the large number of last-minute bookings and rebookings we have received there have been a small number of duplicate-booking issues within our system.

'We have apologised to those customers involved and are working with them to ensure they can rebook their holiday or receive a prompt cash refund.

'We are sorry for any inconvenience this has caused and ask if customers could bear with us while we resolve the issue.'

It comes after an investigative survey in May found the way travel companies have treated their customers as a result of the pandemic varies enormously.

It asked 27,000 travel customers to rate firms according to how they've dealt with problems arising from coronavirus and filtered them into a 53-place ranking.

Travel Counsellors came top, followed by Hays Travel and Airbnb, with travel agent Travel Trolley at the very bottom, followed by TravelUp (52nd) and Teletext Holidays (51st) - and Ryanair in 47th place.

Cottages.com ranked 35th and Hoseasons 39th according to the survey.

The two sites were among a number of Britain's biggest holiday lettings firms to have been reported to the competition regulator after an investigation raised concerns they could be using unfair contract terms to deny customers refunds for coronavirus cancellations.

They have been referred to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) by Which? after frustrated customers got in touch with the consumer champion about problems in securing a refund for holidays cancelled as a result of the UK lockdown.

Some complained about terms and conditions that make the refund claims process difficult, if not impossible.

Which? says it checked the terms and conditions of five of the UKs biggest holiday letting companies  including Hoseasons and Cottages.com  to understand consumers entitlement to a refund for cancellations under these circumstances, and found terms that could potentially be challenged as unfair under the Consumer Rights Act.

The consumer champion says that in four of the five contracts, the terms set out how owners of properties rented through the sites are allowed to cancel the holiday if circumstances outside of their control prevent them from being able to provide the property, but do not explain what the consumers right to a refund would be in these circumstances.

Which? says it is concerned that if the right to a refund isnt provided by additional terms between the property owner and the customer, property owners have too much leeway to keep a customers money if a booking is cancelled  making it potentially unfair according to the law.

The companies also told customers that bookings are subject to the additional terms and conditions of the property owner and that these are 'available from the suppliers if you ask'.

A number of other customers who have had bookings cancelled at the last minute have expressed frustration

While the booking terms say other information may be provided to the consumer during the booking process, if this doesnt include these additional terms and they are only available on request, Which? believes this could also potentially be challenged as legally unfair.

A spokesman for the companies said earlier this year: 'We have responded and adapted to the evolving issues caused by the Covid-19 pandemic as we have received new guidelines from the government.

'Following the statement from the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) we have now expanded the options available to support any customers who were due to travel with us during government-imposed travel restrictions and who prefer not to accept one of our vouchers.'
Company to Advance Exploration on Newly Optioned Property from Abitibi Royalties Targeted to Begin in Late September

VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / August 12, 2020 / Victory Resources Corporation (CSE:VR)(FWB:VR61)(OTC PINK:VRCFF) ("Victory" or the "Company) is pleased to announce that the Company is advancing its exploration plan with the development of a work program for September 2020 on the Hammond Reef South Project, which adjoins Agnico Eagle's Hammond Reef Project in Northwestern Ontario.

Having optioned the Hammond Reef South property from Abitibi Royalties, announced on 10 August 2020, the Company is developing a work program for September of this year, which will include an extensive soil survey, mapping and magnetometer surveying, in anticipation of a drill program as early as Fall 2020, pending permitting.

Hammond Reef South Work Program Highlights

Victory developing work program aiming for September 2020 start

Work program will include: Extensive Soil Sampling Mapping and Prospecting Magnetometer and IP Surveys

Work will focus on the North part of the property, emphasizing the area Southwest of the Osisko sampling, which was done just north of the property boundary

Victory is advancing the work program in anticipation of a drill program as early as Fall 2020

"Exploration on the property, carried out from 2009 to 2012, consisted of widely spaced prospecting traverses and limited soil sampling. Significant mineralization was found just north of the property boundary by Osisko," said Victory geologist, Mr. Helgi Sigurgeirson. "Anomalous samples from this local returned from 0.18 to 4.75 grams per tonne Au. The area of the property immediately to the southwest (i.e. along the usual trend of mineralization in the area) has had little exploration. Alteration and minor mineralization were located in other areas of the property as well, but the preliminary nature of the work has left much of the ground incompletely evaluated; leading to the recommendation for Victory's work program of mapping, soil sampling and magnetometer surveying."

The Hammond Reef South Project adjoins Agnico Eagle's Hammond Reef Project, which contains an open pit measured and indicated mineral resource of 208 million tonnes grading 0.67 gpt gold (containing 4.5 million ounces of gold), as well as open pit inferred mineral resource of 0.5 million tonnes grading 0.74 gpt gold (containing 12,000 ounces of gold), using a cut-off grade of 0.32 gpt, as of 31 December 2019 (see Agnico Eagle news release dated 13 February 2020 for further information). An Amended Environmental Assessment was submitted in January 2018 and the project subsequently received environmental approval from both Federal and Provincial agencies (see notice of approval dated 16 May 2019 on Agnico Eagle's website).

Scientific and technical information contained in this press release was reviewed and approved by Mr. Helgi Sigurgeirson, Victory geologist, and a "qualified person" under NI 43-101.

For further information, please contact:

Ivy Lu

Investor Relations

David Lane

President

Telephone: +1 (236) 317 2822

E-mail: IR@victoryresourcescorp.com

About Victory Resources Corporation

VICTORY RESOURCES CORPORATION (CSE: VR) is a publicly traded diversified investment corporation with mineral interests in North America. The company is also currently seeking other exploration opportunities, preferably in Canada.

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward Looking Statements

Certain information set forth in this news release may contain forward-looking statements that involve substantial known and unknown risks and uncertainties. All statements other than statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, statements regarding future financial position, business strategy, use of proceeds, corporate vision, proposed acquisitions, partnerships, joint-ventures and strategic alliances and co-operations, budgets, cost and plans and objectives of or involving the Company. Such forward-looking information reflects management's current beliefs and is based on information currently available to management. Often, but not always, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "predicts", "intends", "targets", "aims", "anticipates" or "believes" or variations (including negative variations) of such words and phrases or may be identified by statements to the effect that certain actions "may", "could", "should", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. A number of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors may cause the actual results or performance to materially differ from any future results or performance expressed or implied by the forward-looking information. These forward-looking statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, certain of which are beyond the control of the Company including, but not limited to, the impact of general economic conditions, industry conditions and dependence upon regulatory approvals. Readers are cautioned that the assumptions used in the preparation of such information, although considered reasonable at the time of preparation, may prove to be imprecise and, as such, undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements. The Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise its forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, except as required by securities laws.

SOURCE: Victory Resources Corporation

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/601259/Victory-Resources-Provides-2020-Work-Program-Overview-for-Hammond-Reef-South-Project
High school students in the Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board will go to class full-time in September and follow a quadmester system, according to the boards new return to school plan.

Quadmesters mean students take just two courses daily, with each class lasting 2.5 hours.

The quadmesters are complete in nine weeks (meaning the first two courses of the academic year are done in November).

High school students will take lunch breaks together in a classroom, with the same classmates daily  they wont be allowed to leave for lunch.

The proposed plan is being reviewed by trustees at a special board meeting on Wednesday.

It states that if there were to be a COVID-19 outbreak in a school, families and staff would be informed, and the school board will take steps identified by the local health unit.

Meanwhile the Peterborough Victoria Northumberland and Clarington Catholic District School Board is aiming to release its return-to-school plan on Thursday.

The public boards plan was developed with the input of more than 4,500 parents who filled out an online survey, states the plan.

Of those respondents, 70 per cent of survey respondents said they were ready for their children to participate in classroom instruction.

Other highlights of the boards plan include:

Elementary Schools (kindergarten to Grade 8)

Students will attend school daily with regular classroom numbers.

Each class of students stays together for the entire day  including lunch and recess.

Masks will be mandatory in school for students in Grade 4 and older, and encouraged for younger children.

Online learning will be an option  but students will have teachers specifically assigned to online learning (and not classroom learning).

High schools (Grades 9 to 12)

Students will be required to wear masks indoors.

Cafeterias and libraries will not be used for commons spaces.

Online learning is available  and students may have the same teachers they would have in class.

On school buses

Buses will be cleaned twice daily.

Assigned seating will apply on buses, and siblings or classmates will be seated together.

In school common spaces

Drinking fountains will be closed  except for refilling water bottles.

Large assemblies will be cancelled.

Outdoor classes will be held wherever possible  especially for physical education.

Illness protocols

Students must not come to school sick  even with what appear to be mild cold symptoms.

Once COVID-19 is ruled out by a health care provider, the student or staff member must still wait 48 hours after symptoms are resolved before returning to school.

joelle.kovach@peterboroughdaily.com
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Linkedin M. Taufiqurrahman (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, August 12, 2020 17:20 525 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066d84213 1 Opinion Gibran-Rakabuming,Bobby-Nasution,Jokowi,millennials,Prabowo-Subianto,politics,Indonesian-politics,Joshua-Wong,Alexandria-Ocasio-Cortez,#commentary Free

It is heartening to see that millennials the world over are finally taking over and beginning to shake things up. After much hand-wringing about their alleged general lack of commitment and entitled narcissism, members of this generation have begun to step up to the plate and make attempts to prove those stereotypes wrong.

We can witness the most spectacular display of courage by the millennials in Hong Kong. In this city state, at the forefront of a protest movement to challenge the mightiest authoritarian regime in the world are young people who are still in their early 20s.

Joshua Wong was 17 years old when he was first catapulted to the forefront of the pro-democracy Umbrella Movement. He is now 23 years old, slightly younger than fellow movement leader Nathan Law, who is now 27. Another leader of the movement, Agnes Chow, is 23.

These young activists may fight for the ideals of a democratic society and protection of human rights, but their decision to take to the street was also motivated by genuine economic concerns.

In a city where people live in "coffin homes" and where the gap between the rich and the poor are so extreme, joining the fight for economic justice is a veritable struggle to save themselves. These young people are basically the poor kids of the neighborhood  Nathan Law was raised by a single mother while Joshua Wong's father now works selling electronics online  who are raging against the system.

Youth activism has always found fertile ground in the United States, and here we can find the darling of the American progressive movement, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a 30-year old congresswoman from New York who was so popular that Netflix produced a documentary to chronicle her way up to Washington DCs political corridors.

Just like her fellow millennial activists in Hong Kong, Ocasio-Cortez comes in with a certain ideological zeal, aiming to dismantle the old way of doing things. A democratic socialist, she campaigns to provide health care for all, raise the minimum wage, abolish American border protection agencies and recently introduced the Green New Deal that would wean America off its dependence on fossil fuel and create green jobs.

Such lofty ideologies could only come from someone who has experienced first-hand the harsh living conditions brought upon by inequality in the American economic system. Growing up in a working-class family in the Bronx, then waitressing and bartending while attending college, Ocasio-Cortez certainly knew what she was talking about when she proposed to enact changes to the system.

So, when millions of millennials and Generation Zers took to the streets all over America to stand up against police brutality and systemic racism, it appears that many of them certainly picked up where Ocasio-Cortez left off.

A little less than a year ago, we thought that millennials in Indonesia had also caught the activism bug.

In September last year, university students courageously staged a massive protest aimed at stopping the House of Representatives and the government of President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo from passing laws and regulations that would turn the clock back to the New Order era, with bills that would criminalize extramarital sex, as well as amendments made to the anticorruption law, mineral mining bill and labor bill.

The rallying cry for these students was that the planned regulations, if endorsed, would make it easy for the country's oligarch to pull on the levers of powers.

Yet before long, the protest fizzled, and not only have some of the problematic regulations been passed, the fear of oligarch taking control has largely materialized, judging from the composition of President Jokowi's Cabinet.

After these millennial activists retreated, we have had to contend with the rise of a different breed of millennials.

As the country staggers toward the nationwide regional elections in December, these millennials started crawling out of the woodwork, flaunting their family names in campaign posters and television ads, introducing themselves to the masses and calling on voters to pick them in the ballot.

Among the most famous millennials currently running for office is Gibran Rakabuming Raka, the eldest son of President Jokowi who cruised to his nomination as Surakarta mayor in Central Java after the Indonesia Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) supported his candidacy in July. In Medan, North Sumatra, we have another member of the President's family, son in-law Bobby Nasution, running for mayor.

The PDI-P also recently decided to tap the niece of Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto, Saraswati Djojohadikusumo, to run for deputy mayor of South Tangerang, Banten, one of the richest suburbs of Greater Jakarta. Saraswati will be up against the daughter of Vice President Mar'uf Amin, Siti Nur Azizah, who was nominated by the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS).

Not to be outdone, Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung has also decided to join the fray by nominating a millennial in his family as regent of the East Java town of Kediri. The 28-year-old Hanindhito Himawan Pramono claimed that initially, he did not want to join the race but decided to do so after reading a quote from the country's leftist leader Tan Malaka.

Further afield in South Sulawesi, another politically wired millennial is now running for reelection. When he was first sworn in as the regent of Gowa at the age of 29, Adnan Ichsan, a member of the influential Limpo clan, was the youngest local leader in the eastern part of the country. And if reelected, Adnan will hold the same record secured by both his father and uncle in serving two terms as regent.

In the face of these privileged millennials' takeover, it's not clear where the country's progressive millennials are. With a large number of them likely toiling in obscurity working for venture-capital funded start-ups and the majority of others busy recording their podcasts on child-rearing, there is certainly little time left for saving the country's political system from the oligarchic class.

If they don't show up anytime soon, consider this a distress call to all the laggard, self-absorbed millennials out there.

Will the real millennials please stand up!
LAKE COUNTY  A Highland man was drunk and driving in the wrong direction late Tuesday when he hit three Indiana State Police cars on Interstate 65, police allege.

Paul D. Alvarado, 39, had a blood alcohol content of three times the legal limit for driving, which is 0.08 in Indiana, police said.

Police originally said the crash occurred on the Borman Expressway but later clarified the driver struck trooper vehicles on I-65.

State police responded about 10:20 p.m. for a report that a driver, later identified as Alvarado, was traveling south in the northbound lanes on I-65, near the left shoulder north of Ridge Road, officials said.

At the scene, troopers saw a black 2011 Dodge Charger back up and scrape against a concrete barrier, which deflated its tires, police said.

Troopers tried to stop Alvarado as he steered in reverse, but he drove the Dodge forward toward other traffic that was traveling northbound, police said.

Troopers blocked the Dodge with their vehicles to prevent him from hitting other vehicles head-on, at which point Alvarado struck a trooper's car, police said.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 12

By Elnur Baghishov  Trend:

As many as 2,510 people have been infected with the coronavirus (COVID-19) in the past 24 hours in Iran, said Sima Sadat Lari, spokesperson for Iran's Ministry of Health and Medical Education, Trend reports citing the ministry.

According to Sadat Lari, 188 more people have died from the coronavirus over the past day.

Sadat Lari added that the condition of 3,940 people is critical.

The official said that Iran's Tehran, Mazandaran, Qom, East Azerbaijan, Ardabil, Isfahan, Alborz, Razavi Khorasan, North Khorasan, Semnan, Markazi, Yazd, Gilan, Golestan, and Kerman provinces are considered 'red' zones.

So far, more than 2.76 million tests have been conducted in Iran for the diagnosis of coronavirus.

Iran continues to monitor the coronavirus situation in the country. According to recent reports from the Iranian officials, over 333,600 people have been infected, and 18,988 people have already died. Meanwhile, over 290,200 have reportedly recovered from the disease.

The country continues to apply strict measures to contain the further spread. Reportedly, the disease was brought to Iran by a businessman from Iran's Qom city, who went on a business trip to China, despite official warnings. The man died later from the disease.

The Islamic Republic only announced its first infections and deaths from the coronavirus on Feb. 19.

The outbreak in the Chinese city of Wuhan - which is an international transport hub - began at a fish market in late December 2019.

The World Health Organization (WHO) on March 11 declared COVID-19 a pandemic. Some sources claim the coronavirus outbreak started as early as November 2019.
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The diversification of the automobile sector has increased the scope for growth of All-Terrain Vehicle Engines Market. Reports that evaluate the automobile industry have been made available by Market Research Future which creates reports on several industry verticals that review the market growth and prospects. The market is set to attain a CAGR of 5.38% while earning income worth USD 1,755.6 Mn in the forecast period.

The rise in outdoor adventure activities is anticipated to motivate the all-terrain vehicle engines market in the coming years. The growth of the tourism sector has significantly induced progress in the market for all-terrain vehicle engines. The advances in engineering have improved the efficiency of the high-performance engines, thus furthering the growth of all-terrain vehicle engines. Furthermore, the increasing popularity of ATV experience areas is expected to create favorable aspects for growth in the coming years.

Segmental Analysis

The analysis of the segments in the all-terrain vehicle (ATV) engines market is carried out on the basis of type, power, application, and region. Based on types, the all-terrain vehicle engines market has been segmented into 0-300cc, 800-1000cc, 500-800cc, 300-500cc, and 1000cc and above. Based on application, the all-terrain vehicle engines market has been segmented into aftermarket and OEM. The segmentation of the all-terrain vehicle engines on the basis of power comprises of Up to 80HP and Above 80HP. The geographical areas covered in the all-terrain vehicle engines market are South Korea, United States, China, Europe, Japan, India and Rest of the World.

Detailed Regional Analysis

The regional analysis of the all-terrain vehicle (ATV) engines market includes geographical areas such as South Korea, the United States, China, Europe, Japan, India and Rest of the World. The market for ATV engines in the US is encouraged by the incidence of key manufacturers in the region. An enormous surge in the sales of ATV engines due to their large-scale use in forestry, agricultural lands, and mountains has also been advantageous for the progress of the market. Amplified use of ATVs in adventure tourism and progressive engine design and transmission system are significant drivers supporting the growth of the market in the U.S. The European region is the subsequent major market for all-terrain vehicle engines market and is projected to develop at a CAGR of 5.20% throughout the forecast period. China is expected to appear as the rapidly growing market for all-terrain vehicle engines market at a CAGR of 5.50% due to factors such as favorable government policies, increasing per capita disposable income, and the prevalence of ATV engine manufacturers in the region.

Competitive Analysis

The market is projected to accomplish an absolute lead in the market place owing to improved strategies in specific areas. Additionally, the deals being coined in the market are likely to additionally inspire the development of the market in the impending years. The absorbed expenses in the market are readily dispensed with, opening more room for the development in the market. The companies functioning in the market are persistently taking on the hindrances to progress and are forming strategies that are projected to guide to a beneficial outcome on the market's advancement. The advancement of the market is upgraded chiefly due to the reduction in promotional and miscellaneous expenses. An intensified growth pace is observed due to the productive effect exerted by the market forces both externally and internally. The progress capability of the market is bolstered by the accretive nature of the assets available in the market.

The significant competitors functioning in the all-terrain vehicle (ATV) market globally are Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd., BRP-Rotax GmbH & Co KG, Suzuki Motor Corporation, Textron Inc., Polaris Industries, Inc., Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd., Massimo Motor Sports, LLC, Honda Motor Co., Ltd., Taiwan Golden Bee Co. and CFMOTO.
EDWARDSVILLE  Funding to begin improvements to the countys 911 system  as well as reimbursements to local police departments handling 911 calls  were among items approved by the Madison County Boards Finance and Government Operations Committee Wednesday.

Both the Emergency Telephone System Board and the countys Public Safety Committee have approved about $2.3 million to replace existing 911 systems at eight of the countys 16 911 call centers.

The project had been on hold because of delays in the approval of a 911 consolidation plan. But the ETSB decided to move ahead last month because the existing system is outdated. The current system dates from 2010, and it is difficult to find replacement parts.

The plan is to upgrade the systems at the eight PSAPs (public safety answering points) that are part of the current consolidation plan now being considered by the court. Madison County must reduce its PSAPs from 16 to eight. The Illinois State Police has rejected the countys plan, but that has been appealed.

Also approved Wednesday was reimbursement to local police departments for 911 services. The ETSB began reimbursements about a year ago, in part because local departments balked at taking on additional responsibilities for 911 services without compensation for increased costs.

The reimbursements are twice per year. The latest is for $710,424.06.

Both expenditures must be approved by the full Madison County Board next week.

One expenditure that raised questions was a purchasing resolution to pay for electronic monitoring for people awaiting court dates. Part of the issue was that the money was coming from the Madison County Board Office budget.

It was explained that the ankle monitors or bracelets are being handled by the courts and the Probation Department in an attempt to keep people out of the Madison County Jail  both because of COVID-19 and renovations. However, the administration agreed to pick up the cost, about $7,000 per month, at this time.

The county will also be applying for reimbursement from state COVID-19 funds to pay for the cost. It was noted in another part of the meeting that Madison County as of June has amassed about $245,000 in COVID-related expenses that could be reimbursed. Those are being processed through Madison County Emergency Management.

Also approved were four emergency appropriations, including a $12,610 grant to the courts for a domestic violence self-help legal center and $7,489 to the Child Advocacy Center for technical improvements.

The Madison County Health Department also received $4.9 million from the state for contract tracing during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Contract tracing involves getting in touch with anybody who might have had close contact with a known or suspected coronavirus patient. It is a common tool in public health for a number of infectious diseases, but has both increased in scope and become a topic of public discussion due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister visited Gorakhpur BRD Medical College on Wednesday and instructed the officials concerned to make ready a new 300-bed COVID-19 hospital by the end of this month.

He also inspected an under-construction 500-bed children's hospital and said that at present, more than 1.51 lakh beds are available in the state for COVID-19 patients.

"Seventy-thousand teams in the state are making door-to-door surveys to trace coronavirus patients and more than one lakh swab samples are being tested daily. Due to the large number of tests, it is becoming easier to identify more COVID-19 patients in the state," the chief minister told reporters.

Adityanath said training is important to defeat the pandemic and he has instructed officials that apart from focusing on new COVID-19 hospitals and facilities, emphasis should be on training.

He also instructed officials to set up COVID-19 hospitals in Maharajganj, Kushinagar and Deoria districts.

"At present, more than 1.51 lakh beds are available for coronavirus patients in the state. Those without any symptoms can be quarantined at home. But we must remember that if a separate room with a washroom is not available at home, patients should go to a COVID hospital.

Patients from many districts of eastern Uttar Pradesh, Terai areas of Nepal, west Bihar come to Gorakhpur for medical treatment. Keeping in view the expected number of patients, I have instructed to set up a new 300-bed COVID-19 hospital at children hospital in BRD Medical College."



Instructions have been given to ensure ventilators along with all other level-2 and level-3 facilities and equipment at the 100-bed TB hospital, the chief minister said.

"There is no dearth of facilities and medicines for treatment of COVID-19 in the state. Under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India has aptly faced the challenge of COVID-19 pandemic and life of every citizen is important for the government. We'll take all possible steps to save people from this pandemic," Adityanath added.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Lindsay Birbeck was found dead in Accrington Cemetery. (PA/Lancashire Constabulary/Google Maps)

A teenager has been found guilty of murdering a teaching assistant after he claimed no involvement in her death, saying he was instead offered money to move the body.

Mother-of-two Lindsay Birbeck, 47, was found dead wrapped in two plastic bags in a shallow ditch by a dog walker in Accrington Cemetery in Lancashire on 24 August last year.

An attempt had also been made to cut off a leg, possibly with a saw.

The 17-year-old male defendant, who cannot be named for legal reasons, denied her murder but was convicted on Wednesday.

David McLachlan QC, prosecuting, told the jury at Preston Crown Court that Birbeck left her home at about 4pm on 12 August and went to a patch of woodland called The Coppice, where she would often walk.

The prosecution believed she was killed in the woods shortly after and said the defendant, who was 16 at the time, was seen on CCTV in that area on the same afternoon. He was also seen taking a blue wheelie bin to the woodland in the evening.

Police launched an investigation after Birbeck was reported missing by her family at midnight.

She was found more than a week later. A post-mortem examination found she had died from neck injuries and severe compressive force appeared to have been used, possibly through stamping, kicking or kneeling on the front of the neck, the court heard.

Jurors at Preston Crown Court found the teenager guilty of Birbeck's murder. (PA Images)

On 17 August, the defendant, who has autism, was seen moving a wheelie bin from the woods to the cemetery, the court heard, which McLachlan said now appeared heavy.

The prosecution case is that the reason for this is simple and straightforward: the wheelie bin now contained the body of Lindsay Birbeck, he told the jury.

The teenage defendant voluntarily attended a a police station with family members after a police appeal about the CCTV footage of the wheelie bin.

In a statement, he admitted moving the bin and burying the body but said he had no involvement in Birbecks death.

He said he was walking alone in the area when a stranger said he would give the teenager a lot of money if he disposed of the body.

Story continues

An entrance to Accrington Cemetery, where Lindsay Birbeck's body was left. (Google Maps)

He stated: He showed me where the body was and he went away straight away, leaving me to get rid of the body.

I have not met this man before. I have not met him since, nor have I had any contact with him. He has not paid me any money. He told me that he would leave the money for me near where the body had been at first once everything was clear.

I cannot describe the man other than to say he was white, male, spoke English. I could not see his face well as he was covering it with his hood. I am not sure of his height, build or age.

The teenager admitted assisting an offender but that plea was not accepted by prosecutors.

McLachlan said: Far from it being a case of (the youth) assisting and helping a mystery man, the prosecution case is he is in fact the mystery man and he is guilty of murder.

A young man who went to exceptional lengths to move Mrs Birbecks body and also did a very good job of hiding her body in a shallow grave in the cemetery.

Such a good job that the police and the public  who searched in vast numbers  were not able to find her body until 12 days after she had gone missing.

Another walker, Zoe Braithwaite, said she entered The Coppice on the same afternoon and saw a lone male walking very slowly who looked out of place because I normally didnt see young people walking alone up there.

She later saw the male and said it looked as if he had pulled up and had been running.

At that point I was seriously concerned, she told the jury.

I walked as fast as I could down a swift descent hoping I could see some people or something heavy on the ground in case I needed to defend myself.

However, she did not see his face and said he was aged between 20 and 25, was 6ft to 6ft 2in tall and wore a grey top with the hood up and grey tracksuit trousers.

Defending, Mark Fenhalls QC told jurors: He has admitted from the outset that he buried her.

I suggest all the DNA and scientific evidence gathered points to his guilt on that and none of it points to him being the killer.

He said the evidence was inconsistent with an attack by a stranger, with no signs of a sexual assault, bruising, cuts, stab wounds, blows to the head or defensive injuries.

Fenhalls said that at least opens the door to the possibility that she was not on her guard, she did not fight back and she was perhaps killed by someone she knew, adding that nobody would invent the defendants explanation unless it was true.

The much better thing would have been to say I just found the body and thought the best thing to do was bury it, he said.

He said it would not make sense if the teenager buried Birbeck with plastic from his home and left gloves at the burial site if he was the killer, and said the eyewitness in the woods described a completely different person.

He said: She may, we dont know, have seen the man who killed Lindsay Birbeck.

The Coppice has infinite access all around, Fenhalls said, and added that the evidence takes you to a place where you cannot be sure that he (the youth) killed her.

McLachlan told the jury: Its a complete nonsense that someone who had killed Mrs Birbeck then entrusted the help of a random passerby to get rid of a body.

It is the only story that (the youth) can come up with to explain away his actions that day.

Outside court, Birbecks daughter Sarah said: As a family we are completely devastated that my mum has been taken from us so suddenly in such an appalling way.

However, we do feel some sense of relief that the defendant has been found guilty of murdering my mum and that justice has now been served.

My mum went for a walk on a sunny afternoon in August and never came home, its unthinkable that something as brutal as this could happen in our close community to someone that was loved so very dearly.

Our lives have been utterly destroyed by the evil, cowardly behaviour of the defendant and the horrific manner in which she was murdered  it has left a huge void in our lives that will never be filled.
Sanjay Dutts wife, Maanayata Dutt, has issued a statement after it was revealed that he was diagnosed with lung cancer on Tuesday. She said that the family has faced testing times in the past as well, and that she is confident that this too shall pass.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, Maanayata said, I thank everyone who has expressed their well wishes for Sanjus speedy recovery. We need all the strength and prayers to overcome this phase. There is a lot that the family has gone through in the past years but I am confident, this too shall pass.

Maanayata urged fans and well-wishers to not buy into speculations and unwarranted rumours and instead sought their prayers and blessings. However, it is my heartfelt request to Sanjus fans to not fall prey to speculations and unwarranted rumours, but to just help us with their ongoing love, warmth and support. Sanju has always been a fighter, and so has our family. God has yet again chosen to test us to overcome the challenges ahead. All we seek is your prayers and blessings, and we know we will emerge as winners on the other side, as we always have. Let us use this opportunity to spread light and positivity, she said.

Also read: Anushka Sharma takes fun quiz with Virat Kohli, reveals who is the first one to say sorry after a fight

The 61-year-old actor was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer on Tuesday, a source from Lilavati Hospital informed on the condition of anonymity. According to the source, his oxygen level was fluctuating between 90-92% when he was admitted to the hospital on Saturday evening. He tested negative for Covid-19 through a rapid antigen kit. A cancer analysis was done and it came positive. When his treating doctor, Dr Jalil Parker, was contacted, he refused to confirm or deny the news, citing patient confidentiality.

Earlier, on Tuesday, Sanjay announced that he was taking a short break from work for some medical treatment and requested his fans and well-wishers not to speculate. Hi friends, I am taking a short break from work for some medical treatment. My family and friends are with me and I urge my well-wishers not to worry or unnecessarily speculate. With your love and good wishes, I will be back soon!

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Researchers also found that robots that look too much like humans can be scary for kids

The study of children's interactions with robots was carried out at the Norwegian research fair held in every major city. It is an annual national event where children gain insight into science and what researchers do.

Roger A. Sraaand his research team at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology's (NTNU) Department of Neuromedicine and Movement Science set up three different robots. Sraa studies people's relationship and interaction with robots. Children ages 6-13 participated in the study.

Several countries - in particular Japan where Sraa has had research stays - are looking at how robots can be helpful in elderly care, including helping patients with dementia with certain tasks and remembering things.

"As the current discourse on social robots relates strongly to elderly care, it's interesting to learn what young people think about robots taking care of the elderly, especially in the context of their own older family members," says Sraa.

The researchers recently published the article "Children's Perceptions of Social Robots: a study of the robots Pepper, AV1 and Tessa at Norwegian research fairs" in the journal AI & Society.

Three completely different robots

The children at the research fair got to meet three different robots. One was the robot Pepper, which is a human-like figure that is 120 cm tall and that can do many different tasks.

The autonomous humanoid robot Pepper is an advanced social robot designed primarily as a personal assistant.

Pepper can talk and carry on simple conversations, but in Norway it has challenges with the country's many different dialects, which make it harder for Pepper to learn the Norwegian language.

But it can move around and dance, and can be trained to perceive when someone falls and notify an alarm system, for example. It can provide safety for elderly persons who live alone and who are a bit frail.

Tessa the flower pot

Another robot is simply designed as a flowerpot with eyes. It's called Tessa. How on earth can a flower pot contribute to the care of the elderly?

Tessa is a physical avatar for a home sensor system and dedicated to people with dementia who live alone.

For example, Tessa can learn to recognize the habits of the person it resides with. Through sensors in the refrigerator it could learn that the person in question usually opens the refrigerator door and eats breakfast at 9 a.m. every day. If the fridge is not opened at the usual time, Tessa can remind the person that it is now time to have breakfast. For people with dementia who forget and get confused about time, getting a reminder can be helpful.

"We're now testing this in a dementia project at NTNU, and we're observing that the robot quickly becomes part of the home, along with the normal flower pots. However, the sensor systems are what the relatives appreciate most," says Sraa.

The third robot, AV1, is aimed at children who cannot attend regular school because they are physically unable to, for example because they are sick. The school robot AV1 is shaped like a head with eyes that follow the classroom instruction, and a student can control the robot from home and follow what's going on in class using a mobile app.

Sceptical of Pepper

"Our analysis is based on quantitative survey data from the children about the robots and on qualitative discussions with them at the research fair. By comparing three different types of social robots, we found that their presence can be understood differently based on their function, design and 'aliveness,'" says Sraa.

Pepper was the robot that the kids were most sceptical towards.

"The children's attitudes towards robots were relatively positive, curious and exploratory, but they thought Pepper was a little scary. It probably partly has to do with Pepper being quite big and the same height as some of the kids," Sraa says.

"When the robots have a clear task, like Tessa the flower pot robot and AV1 the teaching robot, they become less intimidating and easier to relate to since we can more readily understand what their task is. Research has also shown that the more a robot looks like a human, the more frightening it becomes," says Sraa. He says the phenomenon can be explained by the Uncanny Valley hypothesis.

The Uncanny Valley phenomenon suggests that acceptance of robots declines the more humanlike they become. We can feel "fooled" when we realize the robot is not a human being, but some other creature.

But in Japan the public is more accepting of humanlike robots.

Tessa best for grandparents

The children were generally positive towards robots as a help with different tasks for older people. But when asked if their own grandparents could benefit from robots, they were more doubtful. Whereas 76 per cent agreed that Pepper could help the elderly, only 60 per cent thought their own grandparents would benefit from Pepper's help.

"This difference could potentially be explained by how the children perceive their own grandparents as relatively fit," Sraa says.

A quote from one of the children was,"I think they [robots] could help my great-grandfather because he is quite forgetful and he lives alone."

"This child thinks that the great-grandparents, but not the grandparents, could benefit from the robot, and it indicates that the child thinks the grandparents are too active to need robot help," says Sraa.

It turned out that the children were most positive about the flower pot robot Tessa as a helpful tool. More than 97 per cent agreed that Tessa could help the elderly and 86 per cent thought that Tessa would be a useful feature in their own grandparents' house as well.

The children liked the idea of a talking flower pot or robotic plant that had the specific task of reminding the elderly of meals and other activities.

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Reference: Sraa, R.A., Nyvoll, P.S., Grnvik, K.B. et al. Children's perceptions of social robots: a study of the robots Pepper, AV1 and Tessa at Norwegian research fairs. AI & Soc (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00146-020-00998-w
More than two months after announcing his plans to run for the presidency, Kanye West lay down his plans for the United States of America, should he be lucky to secure the highest office in the White House.

In the 10-point presidential platform published on his official campaign website, kanye2020.country, the 43-year-old rapper vows to restore praying norms in classrooms, reform the police, promote racial justice, and encourage creativity and arts.

Kanye West 2020 platform entitled "Creative a Culture of Life" started with his list of restoring faith and constitutional commitment for having the freedom to religion by exercising one's faith. The father-of-four said that he plans to demonstrate this goal by "restoring prayer in the classroom, including spiritual foundations."

His platform seems to focus on religion as he promises to support faith-based groups that provide vital local services and give communities a shared purpose in the government.

Next, he vows to restore the sound national economy by reducing household debt and student loan debts.

The "Yeezy" founder said that he would provide leadership to restructure the country's education system, especially to those most-at-risk and vulnerable populations.

Kim Kardashian's husband also vows to reform the legal system by providing true justice "for all citizens regardless of race or ability to defend oneself in court." It is not the first time West champion criminal justice reform. In 2018, the rapper met with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office to discuss criminal justice reform.

In terms of police reform, the rapper vows to end unfair treatment among authorities and build a police team that "treats all Americans the same, regardless of race, color, or ethnicity."

"Eliminate federal sentencing guidelines that tie the hands of judges, resulting in ridiculous sentences for the most minor offenses," Kanye's 6th platform reads.

Kanye West's campaign platform also includes his plans to look after the environment by making it a national priority to provide clean air and water. He also promises to make "renewables" a top priority as soon as he secured the office.

Meanwhile, Kanye sees to it that he will put Americans' "best interest first" in terms of foreign affairs and national defense and promote strength instead of aggression.

And last but not least, the aspiring POTUS promotes utilizing creativity and arts as a source of innovation and development of other national strengths and resources.

Kanye also uses different biblical phrases to emphasize the importance of every platform on the list.

The rapper's presidential platform comes after his seven-day vacation trip with his family at Punta Cana. The Caribbean trip is said to be his Kim Kardashian's attempt to save their marriage after Kanye's controversial campaign rally at South Carolina in July.

According to sources, during the trip, the "KKW Beauty" mogul tried to convince Kanye to drop his dream to secure the country's highest office but to no avail.

Kanye announced his presidential bid on the 4th of July and made it possible by running under the "Birthday Party" team.

READ MORE: Could a Quick Caribbean Trip Save Kanye West, Kim Kardashian Marriage?
A number of bones found on the Isle of Wight belong to a new species of theropod dinosaur that was a cousin of the Tyrannosaurus rex, according to researchers.

Palaeontologists from the University of Southampton have been studying four bones from the new dinosaur that was up to 13ft long and related to modern birds.

The team say the long-extinct creature would have lived in the Cretaceous period about 115 million years ago and has been named Vectaerovenator inopinatus.

The name refers to the large air spaces in some of the bones, one of the traits that helped the scientists identify its theropod origins - also seen in modern birds.

Artists impression of the dinosaur's final moments. Given that it was found in an area that would have been covered by a shallow sea, it's believed the dinosaur was swept into the water

Silhouette of a theropod indicating where the bones are from. Palaeontologists from the University of Southampton have been studying four bones from the new dinosaur that was up to 13ft long and related to modern birds

Southampton researchers say the air sacs likely helped fuel an efficient breathing system while also making the skeleton lighter and letting it grow larger.

The bones, discovered on the foreshore at Shanklin last year, are from the neck, back and tail of the extinct creature and were found over a period of weeks.

They were spotted in three discoveries - two by individuals and one by a family group, who all handed in their finds to the nearby Dinosaur Isle Museum at Sandown.

Scientific study has confirmed the fossils are very likely to be from the same individual dinosaur, according to researchers.

Robin Ward, a regular fossil hunter from Stratford-upon-Avon, was with his family visiting the Isle of Wight when they made their discovery.

'The joy of finding the bones we discovered was absolutely fantastic. I thought they were special and so took them when we visited Dinosaur Isle Museum,' he said.

'They immediately knew these were something rare and asked if we could donate them to the museum to be fully researched.'

James Lockyer, from Spalding, Lincolnshire was also visiting the island when he found another of the bones likely belonging to the same ancient beast.

'It looked different from marine reptile vertebrae I have come across in the past,' he said, adding that he was told he was unlikely to find very much in Shanklin.

'However, I always make sure I search the areas others do not, and on this occasion it paid off,' Lockyer explained.

After studying the four vertebrae, palaeontologists from the University of Southampton confirmed that the bones are likely to belong to a genus of dinosaur previously unknown to science.

Still images of the vertebrae. The team say the long-extinct creature would have lived in the Cretaceous period about 115 million years ago and has been named Vectaerovenator inopinatus

Still images of the vertebrae. Southampton researchers say the air sacs likely helped fuel an efficient breathing system while also making the skeleton lighter and letting it grow larger

Still images of the vertebrae. After studying the four vertebrae, palaeontologists from the University of Southampton confirmed that the bones are likely to belong to a genus of dinosaur previously unknown to science

Chris Barker, a PhD student at the university who led the study, said they were struck by just how hollow this animal was, adding that it was riddled with air spaces

'Parts of its skeleton must have been rather delicate,' he explained.

'The record of theropod dinosaurs from the 'mid' Cretaceous period in Europe isn't that great, so it's been really exciting to be able to increase our understanding of the diversity of dinosaur species from this time.'

It is unusual to find dinosaurs in the deposits at Shanklin as they were laid down in a marine habitat - so you usually find fossil oysters or driftwood.

Scientists say that it is likely the Vectaerovenator lived in an area just north of where its remains were found, with the carcass having washed out into the shallow sea.
FSI Middle East, the regions leading facilities management solutions software provider, said it has been awarded the contract to supply and deliver FM software solutions to Saudi Marafiq Facility Management located in the kingdom.

As per the deal, FSI Middle East will be providing Saudi Marafiq with a CAFM system that will be fully integrated within all their internal processes and existing systems.

The scope of work includes adoption and integration of the CAFM system within any new projects or clients while delivering detailed SLA/KPIs to guarantee consistency throughout each contracts life-cycle, said the company in a statement.

Based in Riyadh, Saudi Marafiq is a specialist in delivering fully integrated facility management services including specialised hard and soft services, as well as catering and hospitality across the kingdom. Established in 2017, the company boasts over 1200 direct employees and 40 branches.

Saudi Marafiq has made an executive decision to rely on technology by adopting FSIs end-user facing platform, Concept Advantage, that will allow building occupants to interact and submit requests from their handheld devices, explained Schalk Vorster, Business Development Manager of FSI Middle East.

The same request will be converted into a relevant work order and pushed down to FSI GO - the workforce mobility solution that will allow them to track and monitor all assigned activities and receive accurate data on each delivery - thereby giving them the accurate information to make informed business decisions, stated Vorster.

They will also follow SFG20 standards that will be configured and applied throughout the company using FSIs Concept Evolution, he added.

Saudi Marafiq Director of Operations Mohammad Ali Qudah said: "We chose FSI for its reputation as a leading CAFM service provider operating both internationally and locally, and for their ability to provide full FM solutions to international standards."

"Our aim is to reach a new level whereby perfection is our base, globalisation is our path and wise leadership is our guideline, and we believe our partnership with FSI Middle East will definitely help us achieve this goal," he added.-TradeArabia News Service
WASHINGTON, Aug. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- In Boston, over 87% of public schools are within 1,000 feet  about two city blocks  of a tobacco retailer, according to a comprehensive new study mapping tobacco retailers in 30 major U.S. cities. The study was conducted by researchers from the Stanford University School of Medicine, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Washington University in St. Louis.

Other key findings for Boston include:

Tobacco retailers are concentrated in low-income areas. There are nearly 3 times more tobacco retailers per square mile in the lowest-income neighborhoods than in the highest-income neighborhoods, as defined by data from the U.S. Census.

Tobacco retailers are ubiquitous. There are 42 times more tobacco retailers than McDonald's restaurants and 10 times more than Starbucks.

restaurants and 10 times more than Starbucks. Tobacco retailers are easy to access. 91% of city residents live within a half mile, or about a ten-minute walk, of a tobacco retailer.

Across the 30 cities, the study found, on average, that 63% of public schools are located within 1,000 feet of a tobacco retailer, and the lowest-income neighborhoods have nearly five times more tobacco retailers than the highest-income neighborhoods. On average, 70% of residents across the 30 cities live within a half mile of a tobacco retailer.

"In city after city, this research shows just how pervasive tobacco retailers are in our neighborhoods and near our schools. Retailers give the tobacco industry a massive footprint where it spends nearly a million dollars every hour on retail advertising and discounts to appeal to youth and other price-sensitive customers," said Lisa Henriksen, PhD, senior research scientist at the Stanford University School of Medicine and lead researcher on the study.

"This study powerfully illustrates how the tobacco industry continues to target kids and vulnerable communities in Boston and across the nation," said Matthew L. Myers, President of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, which provided support for the release of the study. "The tobacco industry is hooking a new generation of kids by aggressively marketing its products, including flavored e-cigarettes and menthol cigarettes, in locations where kids are continually exposed and have easy access. To protect kids, policymakers across the nation should follow Massachusetts' example and end the sale of all flavored tobacco products."

In November, Massachusetts became the first state to enact a law ending the sale of all flavored tobacco products, including flavored e-cigarettes, flavored cigars and menthol cigarettes. The Massachusetts law was a major milestone in the fight to reverse the worsening e-cigarette epidemic and stop tobacco companies from targeting and addicting kids with flavored products.

Funded by the National Cancer Institute, the research was conducted by the Advancing Science and Practice in the Retail Environment (ASPiRE) Center, a collaborative that investigates how tobacco retailer density and innovative retail tobacco interventions impact people and communities. Using a wide range of data from state and local governments and other sources, the researchers mapped retailers that sell cigarettes, e-cigarettes and other tobacco products in 30 large cities across the United States, providing the most comprehensive study to date showing the ubiquity of tobacco retailers and their proximity to schools. Approximately 29 million adults and 8 million children (1 in 9 U.S. residents) live in these 30 cities.

According to the researchers, "Living in neighborhoods with a higher concentration of tobacco retailers makes youth more likely to start using tobacco and makes quitting more difficult. In addition, higher concentrations of tobacco retailers in disadvantaged neighborhoods contribute to health disparities."

Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable death in the United States, resulting in over 480,000 deaths and $170 billion in health care expenses each year.

While the U.S. has greatly reduced cigarette smoking, youth use of e-cigarettes has skyrocketed in recent years. According to the 2019 National Youth Tobacco Survey, e-cigarette use among high school students nationwide more than doubled between 2017 and 2019 (from 11.7% to 27.5%) and over 5.3 million U.S. kids now use e-cigarettes. Research shows that 97% of current youth e-cigarette users used a flavored product in the past month, and 80% of youth who had ever used tobacco started with a flavored product.

In Massachusetts, 6.4% of high school students smoke traditional cigarettes, while 20.1% use e-cigarettes. Tobacco use claims 9,300 lives in Massachusetts each year.

About the ASPiRE Center

Funded by the National Cancer Institute, Advancing Science and Practice in the Retail Environment (ASPiRE) Center is a collaborative that investigates how tobacco retailer density and innovative retail tobacco interventions impact people and communities. The Center's goal is to build a strong base of scientific evidence for effective retail policies to reduce tobacco use, tobacco-related disparities and the public health burden of tobacco. ASPiRE researchers from the Stanford University School of Medicine, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Washington University in St. Louis work in partnership with a Community Advisory Board (CAB) comprised of tobacco control program staff from 30 large U.S. cities, representatives from several tobacco control organizations and agencies, and legal experts.

About the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids

The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids is the leading advocacy organization working to reduce tobacco use and its deadly consequences in the United States and around the world. Through strategic communications and policy advocacy campaigns, Tobacco-Free Kids promotes the adoption of proven solutions that are most effective at reducing tobacco use and save the most lives. Tobacco-Free Kids works in partnership with the ASPiRE Center as a member of its Community Advisory Board (CAB).

SOURCE Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids

Related Links

http://www.tobaccofreekids.org


Catriona Henderson and Ava Henderson pictured with their signed copy of True Love Waits at the INEC on Wednesday evening

Danny OReilly, Conor Egan and Graham Knox, The Coronas, launching their new album True Love Waits at the Gleneagle Hotel Killarney on Wednesday

While for many of us, the mere mention of the word 'corona' is likely to induce a somewhat negative reaction, it was a different story outside the INEC last Wednesday evening as fans of Irish band, The Coronas, delightedly flocked to meet the band, who had parked up outside the famous venue in none other than an ice cream van!

The band are made up of members Danny O'Reilly, Conor Egan and Graham Knox and thankfully they are able to laugh about the fact that they - as they put it in their own Twitter bio - are a bit "unfortunately named" for current times.

Thankfully though, they have not let this stop them from working hard on a new album over the last few months and they were on hand on Wednesday to sell signed copies of this new album, entitled 'True Love Waits' to eager fans.

The trio, who are of course not strangers to Killarney after countless shows in the Gleneagle over the years, were sporting facemasks sporting the album cover artwork.

They were making the most of the COVID-19 restrictions which meant that the more traditional in-store album launches and signings were not an option this time around, hence the ice cream truck which allowed them to travel the country and promote the album safely.

It's been a case of so far, so fantastic for the Dublin band with 'True Love Waits' staying at number one on the Irish iTunes for the last two weeks, beating out the new album by Fontaines D.C which has also beeb receiving critical acclaim and rave reviews.

'True Love Waits' is available to buy online or in record stores and is currently available on all streaming platforms.
TikTok is in trouble yet again as a new report by Wall Street Journal suggests that the short video sharing app had been tracking Android users via their MAC addresses. Apparently the app bypassed Googles privacy safeguard to collect unique identifiers from mobile devices to track millions of users online.

While this practice ended in November last year, experts believe that the exploit was concealed by adding a hidden layer of encryption, which seems to have violated Googles policies that limit how apps track people. The company is committed to protecting the privacy and safety of the TikTok community. Like our peers, we constantly update our app to keep up with evolving security challenges," said a TikTok spokesperson and assured that the latest version of the app does not collect MAC addresses.

This comes at a time when TikTok is facing scrutiny by the U.S. government that claims its parent company, ByteDance Ltd is collecting data that could be used by the Chinese government to track U.S. government employees or contractors. While collecting MAC addresses is primarily done to target advertisements, the White House believes that users data could be obtained by the Chinese government and used to build detailed dossiers on individuals for blackmail or espionage.

TikTok was recently reported to be preparing to sue the Trump administration in an attempt to save its business in the United States. The company claimed that the privacy and national security concerns cited as the basis for its planned ban on the app are baseless. However, the latest development could backfire these plans. ByteDance is already facing troubles in India with the recent ban of over 100 Chinese apps over the recent cross-border tension in the Galwan valley.
In raids against Chinese individuals, web of bank employees, chartered accounts under scanner

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Aug 12: 20 premises of Chinese entities were searched in Delhi, Gurugram and Ghaziabad by the Income Tax department.

Incriminating documents relating to hawala transactions and money laundering were found. A Chinese individual with a fake passport allegedly representing multiple Chinese firms in India was held.

Chinese firms raided | I-T dept raids Chinese companies & more news | Oneindia News

The probe revealed that a subsidiary of a Chinese company had taken over Rs 1,000 crore bogus advances from shell entities for opening business and retail showrooms in India. A few Chinese individuals and their associates in India were running a money laundering racket worth Rs 1,000 crore.

IAF Pilatus case: ED raids multiple locations

The IT department also found that over 40 bank accounts had been created through dummy entities in which the money was credited. At the behest of Chinese individuals, over 40 bank accounts were created in various dummy entities, entering into credits of over Rs 1,000 crore, the IT department said.

During the searches, the role of several chartered accountants and bank employees too came to light. The CBDT, that frames policy for the tax department, said the searches were launched based on credible inputs that a few Chinese individuals and their Indian associates were involved in money laundering and hawala transactions through a series of shell entities.

Some bank officials were also raided, it said.

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Story first published: Wednesday, August 12, 2020, 10:14 [IST]
A 64-year-old man coronavirus disease patient with at least four chronic illnesses -- cancer, kidney failure, heart disease and tuberculosis -- in addition to suffering a bout of pneumonia, all diagnosed in the past three months, was thought to have beaten Covid-19 and was discharged from Lok Nayak Hospital on Sunday, only to test positive for the virus again on Tuesday at a private hospital.

His family is perplexed by what doctors say could be a false negative or a false positive result, or simply a case of the second test picking up non-infective residual fragments of the viral genetic material from the past infection.

The patient, Raj Dev Dixit, is a retired professor who lives in outer Delhis Najafgarh, where he runs an NGO called Garima that works for the welfare of women and children.

According to his son Amit Kumar, Dixit had no diagnosed illness and appeared healthy until three months ago. He had none of the ailments he was diagnosed with in the past three months. He used to walk 10km every day, Kumar, who is an assistant director at the ministry of Ayush in Kolkata.

Kumar said that on May 18, Dixit was suddenly takenl ill and lost his appetite, which prompted his family to move him to a hospital where he was diagnosed with one failed kidney. Over the next few weeks, he was diagnosed with myeloma (a cancer of the plasma cells) and his heart was found working at 20% of its capacity, Kumar said, adding that they got him admitted to Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Hospital in Rohini where he received chemotherapy and dialysis.

As he grew weaker, we were told that he had developed tuberculosis and later, pneumonia,  Kumar said.

On July 17, Dixit tested positive for Covid-19 at the cancer hospital.Dixit was admitted to Lok Nayak Hospital on July 18 where he got plasma therapy for the coronavirus disease, and dialysis treatment every alternate day.

Dr Suresh Kumar, director of Lok Nayak Hospital, said this was a rare case of a man with four chronic illnesses, plus pneumonia, also contracting Covid-19.

So far, we have admitted 7,600 Covid patients here, but only 60 of them had multiple comorbidities. While the others had a maximum of three comorbid conditions, Dixits is a rare case of a man with five other diseases, Dr Kumar said.

Dixit had a very low chance of survival. In such cases, usually, if one disease is treated, another starts causing trouble, he said.

But on Saturday, when the patient was tested for Covid for the fifth time at Lok Nayak Hospital, the results came negative and he was discharged on Sunday.

We were so encouraged by this particular result that we decided that this case should feature in all leading international medical journals, the doctor said.

On Monday, Dixit was admitted for dialysis in Venkateshwar Hospital in Dwarka, where he was tested again for Covid-19 and the result showed him to be positive for the viral disease.

A doctor of Venkateshwar Hospital, who didnt want to be identified, said the hospital used the approved Genexpert test which turned up positive and the patient was recommended an RT-PCR (reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction) for reconfirmation. He is stable now, the doctor said on Wednesday afternoon. The RT-PCR repeat test is yet to take place.

Dr Kumar said recovered patients can test positive again. Sometimes, the dead virus in the nostrils of patients is picked up in the swab and that gives a false positive result. Well need to see the results of a repeat test, Dr Kumar said, offering to treat him again at Lok Nayak Hospital, if needed.
An Upper Sharia Court in Kano, on Wednesday, sentenced a 60-year-old man, Mati Abdu, to death by stoning after his conviction for raping a 12-year-old girl.

Mr Abdu was convicted on a count charge of rape contrary to Section 126 of Kano State Sharia Penal Code Law 2000.

The judge, Ibrahim Sarki-Yola, said the accused person pleaded guilty to the charge after the case was adjourned for the fourth time without changing his plea.

Mr Sarki-Yola said the court was convinced by the accused persons admission of charge against him and found him guilty.

The judge, thereafter, convicted the accused and sentenced him to death by stoning under Section 127 (b) of the Kano State Sharia Code Law 2000.

Mr Sarki-Yola, however, ordered a 30-days grace within which to appeal the judgment.

Earlier, the Prosecution Counsel, Badariya Muhammad, had told the court that the convict committed the offence sometimes in 2019, at Farsa village in Tsanyawa Local Government Area of the state.

Mrs Muhammad told the court that the convict at about 1:00 p.m. had unlawful canal knowledge of the 12-year-old girl under a tree situated at Farsa village in Tsanyawa.

The prosecution argued that the offence contravened Section 126 of Kano State Sharia Penal Code Law 2000.

In his submission before the Court, Mr Abdu pleaded guilty to the charge in four separate sittings of the Court.

(NAN)
Editor's Notes: We just wish that social media were used this way more often
Despite the buzz around plant-based alternatives and vegan recipes, Americans still love meat.

Americans typically consumed more than 180 pounds of beef, pork and poultry in 2018, 10% more than in 1970. Plant-based meat retail sales were $760 million last year  a fraction of total meat and poultry sales. Whether it's at your favorite fast-food restaurant or in the grocery aisle, one company that carnivores turn to again and again is Tyson Foods.

Tyson Foods is one of the world's largest food companies, producing about 20% of the beef, pork and chicken in the U.S. It services restaurants and schools and sells brands like Jimmy Dean and Sara Lee in supermarkets.

In the spring, the 85-year-old food giant faced the perfect storm  higher production costs, lower levels of productivity and softer demand. Restaurants were closed as governments enforced social distancing rules. And in April, thousands of Tyson workers were infected with the coronavirus at processing plants. Facilities were forced to shut down, and meat shortages sprang up at grocery stores across the country.

"We've implemented a wide variety of measures to look after our workers, from measuring temperatures as they come through the door, face coverings, staggered breaks, expanded room and social distancing," said Stewart Glendinning, CFO of Tyson Foods. "All of these are designed to help keep our workers safe. Keeping our workers safe is what will keep our plants running."

In August 2020 Tyson reported fiscal third-quarter profits declined 22% from a year earlier. Amid falling sales, CEO Noel White stepped down as CEO and the company tapped Dean Banks, its president, as his successor. White remains with Tyson in the newly created role of executive vice chairman. Banks previously worked in Google-parent Alphabet's experimental research division and has a background in health-care technology.

But analysts argue that after decades of industry consolidation, some of Tyson's problems may have been self-inflicted.

"Covid-19 has exposed weaknesses in the meat system that people have been talking about for years but that have never been exposed as they were now," said Christopher Leonard, author of "The Meat Racket." "Essentially what Covid-19 showed was the profound fragility that happens when you move all of your production into as few slaughterhouses as possible."

CNBC reached out to Tyson Foods but the company did not respond to our request for an interview.

Can one of America's biggest meat suppliers recover from the devastating blows of the Covid-19 crisis, opening an opportunity for rivals JBS, Cargill and Smithfield Foods? Watch this video to find out more.
COLUMBUS, Ohio  Secretary of State Frank LaRose said Wednesday he is banning county boards of elections from offering more than one drop box for completed absentee ballots this November, saying its grown too late to make changes to how Ohio will administer this years presidential election.

LaRose, a Republican, more than three weeks ago formally asked Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, also a Republican, for a legal opinion on whether the extra drop boxes were allowed under state law.

But LaRose said Wednesday Yost had not yet responded, and that its now too late make such an election change. Early voting in Ohio begins on Oct. 6, while the election is on Nov. 3. He said offering extra drop boxes, which Democrats and voting-rights activists say is legal, would invite lawsuits that could upend the process of preparing for the election.

The move led to a swift reaction from Democrats, who accused LaRose of voter suppression, saying the request of Yost was just a charade that would allow LaRose to eventually run out the clock.

Voting-rights advocates and elections officials, including in Cleveland, had requested extra drop-boxes at locations such as public libraries as a way to reduce in-person voting lines and relieve pressure on the mail system. Elections officials expect an unprecedented level of interest in mail-in voting due to the coronavirus pandemic.

This has nothing to do with the legislature, who LaRose likes to blame for everything he doesnt want to do, Ohio Democratic Party Chairman David Pepper said on Twitter. This is his decision to artificially limit drop boxes to one per county. Its a terrible decision, totally disregarding voter safety.

LaRose, meanwhile, pointed to the example of Pennsylvania, where President Donald Trumps campaign sued state officials in late June over their plan to offer similar drop boxes. The lawsuit is still pending.

I dont want to subject our county boards of election to a bunch of wasteful litigation, but I do hope our legislature weighs in on it, he said, speaking at a news conference in Columbus.

Bethany McCorkle, a spokeswoman for the Attorney Generals Office, said Yost was preparing to issue an opinion on multiple drop boxes this week, but LaRose withdrew the request on Tuesday, she said.

Under a coronavirus-relief bill passed in March, each of Ohios 88 counties was required to offer a secure drop box for completed ballots outside their board of elections headquarters. That requirement expired when the primary election ended, although the physical boxes are still there. LaRoses guidance to county elections boards issued Wednesday requires them to keep them there, and to accept both completed ballots and completed ballot applications.

But nothing under state law bars elections officials from offering more than one drop box, Democrats, elections officials in large counties and voting-rights advocates have argued.

LaRose has called the issue a legal gray area, and asked Yosts office for additional clarity. But he said Wednesday he would support adding drop boxes if it were explicitly spelled out in a new state law.

But the state legislature has been slow to respond to other changes backed by LaRose, such as allowing Ohioans to request absentee ballot forms online  rather than the current paper form  or setting an earlier deadline for voters to request an absentee ballot, which would give extra time for the multi-step process to work through the mail system.

The legislature also failed to grant LaRose permission to add pre-paid postage on ballot request forms and blank mail-in ballots.

In a gentle rebuke of the legislature, LaRose said the recent arrest of former House Speaker Larry Householder, and the political chaos that ensued, may have distracted the legislature from moving forward on elections legislation.

Its disappointing with the chaos created, that the situation in the House, perhaps theyve had their eyes on other priorities, LaRose said. Because I wish theyd partner with me and county boards of elections that have been asking for a long time to get these things done.

LaRose said he still plans to request legislative permission, via the state controlling board, to pay for postage on ballot mailings, if he gets additional federal funding to pay for it. LaRoses office plans to send absentee ballot request forms to millions of Ohioans in September.

I think that its a good thing for Ohio to have that. But again, Im not going to act outside the law and subject Ohio to a bunch of litigation on this, particularly when I think thats litigation that we would likely lose, he said.
Sanjay Dutts diagnosis of lung cancer has left his fans and friends worried. Several of his industry friends wished the actor a speedy recovery and assured him that their prayers are with him in this difficult time.

Sanjays Sadak 2 co-star dedicated the film to the actor as its trailer released on Wednesday. Sharing the trailer on Twitter, she wrote, Sanju.. This ones for you!.

Anupam Kher shared the Mahamrityunjaya Mantra for Sanjays well-being and wrote, My dear friend @duttsanjay!! I pray to God that you get well soon.

Neha Dhupia also wrote, Get well soon sir @duttsanjay. Esha Deol tweeted, Praying for your speedy recovery Sanju sir @duttsanjay get well soon.

Get well soon sir @duttsanjay   Neha Dhupia (@NehaDhupia) August 11, 2020

Praying for your speedy recovery Sanju sir @duttsanjay get well soon  pic.twitter.com/nK8yXoHKLJ  Esha Deol (@Esha_Deol) August 12, 2020

Hansal Mehta tweeted, Munnabhai Chale America is finally happening. And this time its not a film. Prayers. He wrote in another tweet, Dutt saab, Sanju sir has always been a very kind and warm person to me. He has been through many trials with great courage and with great spirit. Prayers and love for his recovery. (Translation of above tweet).

Dutt saab, Sanju sir has always been a very kind and warm person to me. He has been through many trials with great courage and with great spirit. Prayers and love for his recovery. (Translation of above tweet)  Hansal Mehta (@mehtahansal) August 12, 2020

Also read: Yuvraj Singh calls Sanjay Dutt a fighter after lung cancer diagnosis: I know the pain it causes but I also know you are strong

Day after Sanjays announcement of taking a short break from work for his medical treatment, wife Maanayata Dut released a statement sharing an update about his health, and urged people to not fall prey to speculations and unwarranted rumours.

Maanayata said in the statement, We need all the strength and prayers to overcome this phase. There is a lot that the family has gone through in the past years but I am confident, this too shall pass. She also made a heartfelt request to his legion of fans to not fall prey to speculations and unwarranted rumours, but to just help us with their ongoing love, warmth, and support.

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Days after an elderly Ahmadiyya man was shot dead in front of the judge in a local court in the Peshawar city of Pakistan, thousands of radical Islamists hit the streets to express solidarity with the assassin. The victim, Tahir Ahmed Naseem, was a US citizen and had been facing trial under blasphemy charges for allegedly insulting the Muslim Prophet Muhammad since 2018. Following the incident, the police arrested the killer Khalid Khan.

Defying social distancing guidelines amidst the Coronavirus outbreak, thousands of Pakistani men who believe in the death penalty for blasphemy took out a procession in support of the killer of Ahmed. With banners in hand, the radical Islamists chanted slogans of Allah hu Akbar and Naara-e-Takbeer and hailed the assassin.

Thousands gathered in Peshawar to show solidarity with the killer of blasphemy accused American citizen Tahir Ahmed Naseem. pic.twitter.com/llnQD9vxlm  Naila Inayat   (@nailainayat) August 1, 2020

Earlier, the killer was praised as a hero on social media, people had hailed him as the Lion of Islam for killing the blasphemer. Claiming that he saved Islam, many in Pakistan have been justifying Khalid Khans heinous crime as an act of bravery and hailing him as some sort of a hero for killing an unarmed elderly man inside a courtroom.

Pakistan : Man accused of blasphemy killed inside courtroom, killer says he was ordered by the prophet to kill

July 30, 2020

In a brutal incident, an elderly man belonging to the minority Islamic sect of Ahmadiyyas, who was facing a trial for blasphemy, was shot dead in front of the judge in a local court situated in a high-security zone in Pakistans Peshawar city on Wednesday.

According to the reports, Tahir Ahmad Naseem, who was arrested on the charges of blasphemy two years ago, died on the spot in the court of Additional Session Judge Shaukatullah Khan after being shot at. The man on trial was facing charges for insulting the Muslim Prophet Muhammad.

A lawyer, who witnessed the incident, said that a case had been registered against the deceased under blasphemy laws. The accused was brought to court from Peshawar Central Jail. In Pakistan, the offences under blasphemy laws attract a maximum punishment, including the death sentence.

During the hearing of the case, the complainant said that the accused was an Ahmadi and asked him to recite the Kalima-e-Tayyaba, the lawyer said, adding that the complainant then fired at the elderly man and killed him.

Man under trial for #blasphemy shot dead inside a courtroom in Peshawar. Shooter said he 'defended Islam' by killing accused. Tahir Ahmed was booked for claiming to be a prophet in 2018. He had told the court that he suffered from mental illness & was unaware of the consequences. pic.twitter.com/MoF37nkaSU  Naila Inayat   (@nailainayat) July 29, 2020

Reportedly, the court is situated in a high-security zone in the cantonment area next to the provincial assembly building, the Peshawar High Court, chief ministers secretariat and Governor House. It is not clear how the armed attacker managed to get into the court despite the court is situated in such a highly secured area.

Muhammad ordered me to kill him, says accused

The police arrested the killer, identified as Khalid Khan. The killer reportedly confessed to the police that he had been ordered to carry out the killing by Muhammad because the accused had belonged to the Ahmadiyya faith.

According to Pakistan police, an FIR was registered against the deceased in 2018. The complainant had stated that the deceased belonged to the Ahmadi community and befriended him on Facebook and in subsequent conversations, claimed that he was the fourteenth Mujaddid.

He then invited me to have a discussion with him at a mall in the city where he started talking about his belief, the complainant had said in the FIR.

The deceased elder man was charged under Section 153-A (promoting enmity between different groups), section 295-A (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs), Section 295-B (defiling etc. of the Holy Quran), Section 295-C (use of derogatory remarks against Prophet Muhammad PBUH) and Section 298 (uttering words etc., with deliberate intent to wound religious feelings) of the Pakistan Penal Code.

Pakistans controversial and stringent blasphemy laws are often misused to settle personal scores.

Who are Ahmadiyyas?

Ahmadiyya Community is a sect of Islam that is often persecuted in Islamic countries because other sects of Muslims believe that the community is not Muslim enough. The Islamic sect has around 4 million members, who have faced continuous persecution for decades in Pakistan.

In 1974, Pakistans Parliament had declared the Ahmadi community as non-Muslims. They were banned over the issue of its founder, Ghulam Ahmad, calling himself as a prophet. In orthodox Islam, there can be no prophets after Muhammad. A decade later, they were banned from calling themselves Muslims.

They are banned from preaching and from travelling to Saudi Arabia for pilgrimage. In Pakistan, around 10 million out of the 220 million population are non-Muslims.

Interestingly, Ahmadiyyas, who are now persecuted by Islamists in Pakistan, were at the forefront of the creation of Pakistan. An Ahmadiyya Unit fought against India in Kashmir in 1947-48. One of the foremost advocates for Pakistan was Muhammad Zafrulla Khan who was an Ahmadiyya. The Lahore Resolution of 1940 was authored by Khan himself.
SEOUL, South Korea and SILICON VALLEY, Calif., Aug. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- MakinaRocks, an industrial AI solutions startup aiming to revolutionize the world of manufacturing, announced today that it has successfully raised $10 million in Series A funding from prestigious global investors.

MakinaRocks, a startup based in Seoul and Silicon Valley, specializes in industrial AI with a primary focus on anomaly detection in manufacturing equipment, improves product quality, and provides intelligent control. The Series A participants include strategic investors LG Technology Ventures, Hyundai Motors and Applied Ventures, LLC, and financial investors Korea Development Bank, Daesung Venture Capital, Shinhan Investment Corporation, and HB Investment.

In its 2018 seed-round funding, MakinaRocks was successful in securing some of the leading Korean conglomerates, SK Telecom, Hyundai Motors, and Naver, as investors.

"Our innovative technology tailored to solve complex manufacturing challenges enables our customers to grow and compete globally," remarked Andre Yoon and Jaehyuk Lee, Co-CEOs of MakinaRocks. "The unique potential of MakinaRocks has attracted some of the largest companies to invest in us."

"We believe artificial intelligence and machine learning will transform the way semiconductor, display, and other high-end factories operate, redefining the concept for manufacturing including process optimization and maintenance," noted Anand Kamannavar, Global Head of Applied Ventures. "Through this investment in MakinaRocks, we are excited to help accelerate the adoption of Industry 4.0 technologies for multiple industries. Applied Ventures will continue looking for innovative start-ups globally in the areas of AI and machine learning as part of our strategy to invest across the Materials to Systems ecosystem."

MakinaRocks has collaborated with major corporations in various industries to apply its solution to a wide range of production lines. The results have shown overall improvement and increased efficiency of operation rate and quality by predicting equipment failure and anomalies while streamlining production processes through intelligent control.

MakinaRocks expects to use the funds to expand the company's portfolio and develop a Software as a Service (SaaS) platform built on the existing on-premise solutions to secure domestic and international customers. The company is actively hiring skilled individuals in data analysis, AI development, and business development.



About MakinaRocks

Founded in 2017, MakinaRocks is a startup specializing in industrial machine intelligence. Using proprietary technology in anomaly detection and intelligent control, MakinaRocks' solutions use sensor and numeric data to detect anomalies in equipment, increase product quality, and improve process control. Our solutions enhance the product and production processes of various industries such as semiconductors, automobiles, batteries, and energy. For more information, visit www.makinarocks.ai.

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Five Eyes Alliance distorts facts on postponement of LegCo election: HKSAR

Global Times

By Liu Caiyu Source: Global Times Published: 2020/8/11 12:27:21

The Five Eyes Alliance has made deliberate misrepresentations and told falsehoods, marked by brazen contempt for facts regarding the postponement of the Legislative Council General Election (LegCo election) due to the severe epidemic situation, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government said in a statement on Monday, slamming the alliance for adopting double standards and hypocrisy.

Foreign governments should respect the peace, stability and prosperity that Hong Kong residents yearn for and cherish under the principle of "one country, two systems," and should not act hypocritically by "pretending to support Hong Kong people," the HKSAR government said.

COVID-19 has led to a staggering number of confirmed cases and deaths, and the postponement of the Legislative Council election is a decision based entirely on public health considerations, as the outbreak is still likely to continue in winter. Postponing the election is by no means "disproportionate" as the five foreign ministers have alleged, the SAR government said in the statement.

The Five Eyes Alliance includes the US, the UK Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

Ironically, while the five foreign ministers criticized the SAR government's decision to postpone the election, their own governments have also delayed elections for similar reasons, which shows their double standards and hypocrisy, the SAR said.

The UK postponed local council and metro-mayoral elections for a year from May 7, 2020 to May 6, 2021 through emergency legislation on March 25, which was 42 days away from the elections. New South Wales in Australia also decided in March to postpone local government elections, six months before they were due to be held.

In mid-March this year, New Brunswick in Canada decided to postpone municipal elections that were planned for May this year to no later than May 2021, a decision made two months ahead of the elections.

Many states in the US, including Maryland, Indiana, Georgia and Louisiana also postponed their presidential primary elections. In comparison, the HKSAR government continued to monitor the development of the epidemic and announced that it had no choice but to postpone the LegCo election in 2020 as close as possible to the election on July 31 (36 days before the election).

The Hong Kong SAR government also fully supports the decisions made by Returning Officers (ROs) to validate the nominations of candidates for the LegCo election.

Those who advocate or promote Hong Kong independence, self-determination or changing the HKSAR system by supporting Hong Kong independence as an option for self-determination or by soliciting intervention by foreign governments or political authorities could not genuinely uphold the Basic Law and could not therefore perform the duties of a LegCo member.

The ROs' decisions comply with the legal provisions, and have nothing to do with political censorship or restriction of freedom of speech, nor do they undermine the democratic process or erode the rights and freedoms of the people, as falsely claimed by the five foreign ministers, the announcement said.

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A new mother has told the remarkable story of her dramatic labour, after she was forced to give birth on the side of the road after her daughter was eight days overdue.

Rachel Elton, 28, from Lake Macquarie on the NSW coast, was supposed to give birth on May 19 in a comfortable hospital bed.

But nine days later, two days before she was supposed to be induced, Ms Elton gave birth in her car several kilometres away from hospital in her partner's tracksuit pants.

Eden Iris Elton-Percival was born within four hours of active labour at 9.01pm and weighed 3kg.

Ms Elton and her partner Aaron Percival began the mad rush to the hospital after enduring several hours of early labour at home.

Rachel Elton (pictured with partner Aaron Percival and their daughter Eden), 28, from Lake Macquarie on the NSW coast, gave birth in her car 25 minutes away from hospital

Eden Iris Elton-Percival (pictured) was born within four hours at 9.01pm and weighed 3.125kg

'I started to really feel the pain and thought "I cant do this" for the first time and bellowed  I'm sure people three blocks away could have heard,' she said.

'However, the contraction after that was different. I felt the obvious "urge to push" - it really does feel like you need the toilet.

'I knew this sensation was the second part of active labour and was supposed to happen in the hospital.'

Ms Elton knew she needed to get to the hospital, but instead chose to make sure she had collected the essentials - including a pair of fluffy slippers.

'The fifth [contraction] happened in the car and this was when my water broke, and I am 90 per cent certain that is when the baby's head came out,' she said.

Ms Elton was leaning over the centre console and urged her partner to pull over - but there was nowhere safe to do so for another 500m.

'I flung the door open and ripped the trackies off one leg,' she said.

'I'm kind of glad this was 9pm at night and no-one was really around. Also glad the trackies were Aaron's pair not mine.'

Ms Elton (pictured with her family) began the mad rush to the hospital after several hours of early labour at home when the feelings her midwife described suddenly gripped her

Ms Elton told Daily Mail Australia that the last 11 weeks with her daughter have been incredible

Mr Percival walked away from the car so that he could call for help but as he did so - with one final push - Ms Elton gave birth in the car over the centre console.

'I grabbed the baby with my left hand as she came out and remember seeing this little head just fall to one side and thinking "ah no ! support the head",' she said.

'I pulled her up onto my chest and removed my shirt so she could be skin-on-skin.

'The baby cried immediately so I figured it was fine and the cord was looped behind its neck but was not around its neck. Aaron un-looped the cord and grabbed us a towel as the ambulance rocked up.'

Ms Elton (pictured) was leaning over the centre console and urged her partner to pull over - but there was nowhere safe to do so for another 500 metres. She eventually gave birth in her car

Ms Elton (picturedf) said she glad she was wearing her partner's tracksuit pants at the time she gave birth

Ms Elton told Daily Mail Australia: 'Everything is going well, she is a happy bub who feeding and sleeping pretty well. Everything has gone to plan.

She said she spent just a day in hospital and within eight days was back to riding horses.

Ms Elton joked that her hobby may have helped with how quickly Eden came into the world.
By Trend

There is a serious need in Azerbaijan for carrying out scientific research works in qanats (underground water channel), Director of the Institute of Soil Science and Agrochemistry of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences (ANAS) Alovsat Guliyev told Trend.

One of the important issues in terms of the efficient use of water resources is the protection and operation of qanats as water sources.

Back in 1938, there were 1,500 qanats in Azerbaijan, of which 885 were officially registered, and these channels were used as sources of drinking and irrigation water, Guliyev noted.

He added that more than 500 million cubic meters of water were used annually through the qanats.

Currently, 332 of these qanats are under Armenian occupation," he said.

"Based on the agreement concluded with ANAS and Azersu OJSC, the qanats are being studied in the territory of Azerbaijan, the director added.

At present, the restoration of the qanats is underway in the Hasansu village of the Aghstafa district. Since the restoration of the qanats and the design of new ones are quite a costly work from a financial point of view, finding new sources of financing is the most important issue. But not everything should be left to the state. Patriotic businessmen should also support this activity, Guliyev said.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
The statement made by Iranian official that Iran will not pay compensation to the Ukraine International Airlines for the plane shot down in January is not the official position of the country.

"The statement made is not the official position of Irans government and is not a negotiating position. Therefore, we do not pay attention to this statement and continue to work with the Iranian side," Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba said in an interview with Radio NV.

The minister stressed that Ukraine was committed to finding a solution but would not tolerate any attempts to avoid responsibility.

"Our strategy is the following: we want Iran to admit its guilt and pay all compensation, we want to turn over this page [in relations with Iran], and move on. I don't want this story to lie as a heavy burden on both countries for years. I conveyed that position to Iran," Kuleba said.

As reported, Chief of Iran's Central Insurance Organization Gholamreza Soleimani said that Iran would not pay compensation to the Ukraine International Airlines for its plane downed in January because the jet was insured by European companies.

In turn, Deputy Foreign Minister of Ukraine Yevhenii Yenin stated that Iran would not be able to avoid paying compensation.

On January 8, 2020, Ukraine International Airlines Flight PS752 was shot down near Tehran by an Iranian surface-to-air missile, killing 176 people, including nine crew members (all Ukrainians) and 167 passengers (citizens of Ukraine, Iran, Canada, Sweden, Afghanistan, Germany, and the UK).

On July 18, France's Civil Aviation Safety Investigation Authority (BEA) received Flight PS752s recorders from Iran. Deputy Foreign Minister of Ukraine Yevhenii Yenin informed that the transcript from Flight PS752s recorders had confirmed illegal interference with the plane.

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CHI Memorial has received the American Heart Association/American Stroke Associations Get With The Guidelines - Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award. The award recognizes the hospitals "commitment to ensuring stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines based on the latest scientific evidence."CHI Memorial earned the award by meeting specific quality achievement measures for the diagnosis and treatment of stroke patients at a set level for a designated period. These measures include evaluation of the proper use of medications and other stroke treatments aligned with the most up-to-date, evidence-based guidelines with the goal of speeding recovery and reducing death and disability for stroke patients.Before discharge, patients also receive education on managing their health, get a follow-up visit scheduled, as well as other care transition interventions.CHI Memorial is dedicated to improving the quality of care for our stroke patients by implementing the American Heart Associations Get With The Guidelines-Stroke initiative, said Roza Adamczyk, MD, CHI Memorial stroke program medical director. The tools and resources provided help us track and measure our success in meeting evidenced-based clinical guidelines developed to improve patient outcomes.CHI Memorial received two additional awards from the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association. The Associations Target: Stroke Elite Plus award recognizes hospitals that meet quality measures developed to reduce the time between the patients arrival at the hospital and treatment with the clot-buster tissue plasminogen activator, or tPA, the only drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat ischemic stroke.The Target: Type 2 Honor Roll award recognizes hospitals that meet certain metrics by engaging in advanced care for patients with heart failure and/or stroke, and type 2 diabetes. This award allows Get with the Guidelines participating hospitals to be acknowledged for their compliance with Get with the Guidelines measures tailored to patients with type 2 diabetes, ensuring they receive the most up-to-date, evidence-based care when hospitalized with cardiovascular disease and/or stroke.We are pleased to recognize CHI Memorial for its commitment to stroke care, said Lee H. Schwamm, MD, national chairperson of the Quality Oversight Committee and executive vice chair of Neurology, director of Acute Stroke Services, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Ma. Research has shown that hospitals adhering to clinical measures through the Get With The Guidelines quality improvement initiative can often see fewer readmissions and lower mortality rates.According to the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association, stroke is the number five cause of death and a leading cause of adult disability in the United States. On average, someone in the US suffers a stroke every 40 seconds and nearly 795,000 people suffer a new or recurrent stroke each year.
Actor Priyanka Chopra took to social media to express her happiness as Indian origin US Senator Kamala Harris was chosen as the running mate for Democratic presidential candidate, Joe Biden. She called it a historical and a transformational moment.

She wrote on Instagram: This is a historical, transformational, and proud moment for all women. All women of colour, all Black women, and all South Asian women. Congratulations @kamalaharris on becoming the first Black woman and FIRST PERSON of Indian descent to compete on a major U.S. partys presidential ticket.#representationmatters PS: To my younger self - look how far we have come!

Kamalas selection is historic on many fronts - she is the first Asian-American on a major presidential ticket. Kamala is now the first American of Indian and Asian descent to run for vice-president. She is also the first African American of a major party and only the third woman yet to run for that office, after Democrat Geraldine Ferraro and Republican Sarah Palin.

Also read: Mahima Chaudhry: Subhash Ghai bullied me and told producers not to cast me, only Salman Khan and Sanjay Dutt stood by me

Kamala comes from an impressive academic background - herself a graduate from Howard University, her mother is Chennai-born Shyamala Gopalan, a cancer researcher, while her father Donald Harris, a Jamaican, taught at Stanford University.

Priyanka, on her part, has always spoken out against prejudice. At the time of George Floyds shocking death, she had written on Instagram please, let me breathe, repeat his last words. There is so much work to be done and it needs to starts at an individual level on a global scale. We all have a responsibility to educate ourselves and end this hate. End this race war here in the US, and around the world. Wherever you live, whatever your circumstances, NO ONE deserves to die, especially at the hands of another because of their skin color.

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Buskirk said that the presidential election polls werent wrong in 2016, but they were interpreted incorrectly.

The polls were right about the national share of Hillary Clinton getting the popular vote because national polls are measuring at a national level on who people are more inclined to vote for, he said. National polls, however, arent necessarily indicative of whats going to happen in an election because we vote by the Electoral College. If you dont have a series of state polls that are reliable, youre not able to count state by state what the election contributions are going to be to the Electoral College.

Thinking about the way polls are done and the way our voting system works is an important consideration in figuring out if the poll worked or if it didnt.

Buskirk said the journalists in attendance for the briefing were from The New York Times, Washington Post and other newspapers from other national and international markets. His talk was geared toward giving journalists the knowledge to ask the proper questions of polling experts.

Journalists are trying to vet a polling story, he said. They need to corroborate the numbers in a way that they can make sense. Our whole goal for this panel was to help journalists understand how to check these numbers like they would vet any other facts in a story that they would write. These numbers happen to be about polls, or whos leading in the polls or surveys in general. The idea is the same.

Buskirk stressed to journalists that the way questions are worded in polls matters  a lot.

Its important to ask what questions were asked to produce the numbers you have, he said.

The questions Do you support Trump in 2020? isnt the same as Do you plan to vote for Trump in 2020? These questions could refer to different outcomes. One person might say no to the first question because they interpret this as financial support, whereas they say yes to the second question because that is their voting intention.

Buskirk also recommended that journalists find out who was surveyed or polled. The intended audience of a poll or survey is technically termed the target population, he said, and represents who is being described by the poll numbers and survey estimates.

Sometimes, surveys ask different questions of respondents depending on specific characteristics, he said. A national poll of U.S. adults asks if you are a registered Democrat or Republican. If Democrat, then the poll asks, Do you approve of Bidens approach to select his running mate? Poll numbers or estimates of support of Bidens approach for his vice president selection would then refer to the subpopulation of those U.S. adults who were registered Democrats.

The denominator for proportions derived from surveys and polls refer to the target population. It provides important context to how these numbers are reported and can vary within a survey such as 40 percent of U.S. adults are registered as Republican, or 35 percent of registered Democrats approve Bidens approach to selecting his running mate.

These are some of the considerations to help journalists, or anyone really, weigh the evidence as to whether the numbers are shaky or whether you can have more confidence in their predictability back to the universe.

Data communication is another part of my expertise, so this is along those lines. This is where I sort of marry my data science side and my survey methods side in terms of how this information can be communicated.

To learn more about the advice Buskirk gave journalists, see the video or read the transcript on SciLIne.com.

Before arriving at BGSU in January 2019, Buskirk served as the director for the Center for Survey Research at the University of Massachusetts-Boston and the vice president for Statistics and Methodology at the Marketing Systems Group (MSG). He was tenured in the department of Biostatistics in the School of Public Health at Saint Louis University.

His research has been widely published in leading survey, statistics and health-related journals.

Recently, Buskirk served as the conference chair for the American Association of Public Opinion Research and president of the Midwest Association for Public Opinion Research. In 2017, he was named Fellow of the American Statistical Association.
Trump Announces Deal With Moderna for 100 Million Doses of Potential CCP Virus Vaccine

The Trump administration has struck a deal with Massachusetts-based drugmaker Moderna to secure 100 million doses of its potential CCP virus vaccine.

This evening Im pleased to announce that we have reached an agreement with Moderna to manufacture and deliver 100 million doses of their coronavirus vaccine candidate. The federal government will own these vaccine doses, were buying them, President Donald Trump announced at a White House press briefing on Tuesday.

The deal is valued at up to $1.525 billion for the company to manufacture and deliver 100 million doses of its vaccine candidate. The $1.525 billion includes incentive payments for timely delivery of the product.

The U.S. government has announced that consistent with its commitment to free access to COVID-19 vaccines, Americans will receive mRNA-1273 at no cost for the vaccine itself, Moderna announced in a release. As is customary with government-purchased vaccines, healthcare professionals could charge for the cost of administering the vaccine.

Modernas price per dose comes to around $30.50 per person for a two-dose regimen. Its vaccine candidate, mRNA-1273, is one of the few that have already advanced to phase 3, the final stage of testing, and is on track to be completed in September, the company said this month.

Under the agreement, the U.S. government will also have the option to purchase another 400 million doses of the vaccine candidate from Moderna.

The U.S. government previously awarded the company up to $955 million to fund its research, bringing the total funding for early access to mRNA-1273 to up to $2.48 billion.

President Donald Trump speaks during a news conference at the White House in Washington on Aug. 11, 2020. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Trump said that the administration has also secured partnerships with Johnson and Johnson, Sanofi, and GlaxoSmithKline to support the large scale manufacturing of the vaccine candidates.

Three vaccine candidates are now in phase 3 trials already, the final stage of clinical trials. We are investing in the development and manufacture of the top six vaccine candidates to ensure rapid delivery, Trump said. The military is ready to go. Theyre ready to deliver a vaccine to Americans as soon as one is fully approved by the [Food and Drug Administration] and were moving very close to that approval.

The deals are part of the U.S. governments Operation Warp Speeda national effort to quickly develop and deliver a safe and effective vaccine and therapeutics to combat the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, also known as the novel coronavirus. The operation involves partnerships between the U.S. government, the scientific community, and the private sector.

Under Operation Warp Speed, weve shaved years off of the time that it takes to develop a vaccine and weve done it while maintaining the FDA gold standard for safety, Trump said in a statement.

With the exception of its deal with AstraZeneca, which offered a lower price per drug in exchange for upfront research and development costs, all the deals price COVID-19 vaccines between $20 to $42 for a two-dose course of treatment.

Reuters contributed to this report.
Porterville, CA (93257)

Today

Some clouds this morning will give way to generally sunny skies for the afternoon. High 62F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

Clear skies. Low 39F. Winds light and variable.
JACKSON, MI  Jacksons interim city manager Jonathan Greene will drop the interim from his title after City Council appointment on Tuesday.

Jackson City Council unanimously appointed Greene to the City Manager position at its Aug. 11 meeting. He had been serving as the interim city manager since February, following the resignation of longtime City Manager Patrick Burtch.

Love him or loath him, the feather-ruffling Patrick Burtch changed Jackson

Greene started working for Jackson in 2009, serving as the Downtown Development Authority director, economic development director, assistant city manager and most recently the director of public works. Shane LaPorte, a former city code enforcement officer, was appointed to assistant city manager.

Greene took on the interim position just a few weeks before the coronavirus pandemic took hold in the United States. He said the pandemic created challenges in his new role from the get-go, primarily in shaping and re-shaping the citys budget that was due for approval in the spring and determining how the city could use its budget going forward.

They dont teach you about pandemics when youre coming up in the public administration world so you have to learn all this on the job and everyones learning this together, he said in an interview Wednesday.

He wants to prioritize a stable budget for the city, strong relationships with city partners like the county, large employers and the Chamber of Commerce, and finding creative ways to maintain a human connection when fostering community relations even in the virtual era created from the pandemic, he said.

Jacksons growth downtown has made for exciting changes in the city, he said. He wants to use the success as momentum for positive change in Jacksons neighborhoods. Greene said he hopes to work with neighborhood and community leaders to address challenges they identify, such as infrastructure and aesthetics.

Right now, everyone can see the great renaissance our downtowns experiencing, he said. My job as city manager is to take the energy, take the success weve had in our downtown and begin to push that success into our neighborhoods outside of downtown.

In April, Greene received a $16,000 retroactive pay raise, bringing his salary to $140,000 annually. The raise applied to when he began the interim position in late February. Burtch had an annual salary of $170,000 in his final year, before leaving for a job in Maumee, Ohio, near Toledo.

Jackson interim city manager receives $16,000 retroactive pay raise

Greenes appointment marks the second time in a row that City Council has appointed an internal candidate to the citys top non-elected position instead of conducting a search. Burtch was appointed to the spot in 2012.

Councilwoman Laura Dwyer Schlecte, Ward 4, said in the meeting the citys rules and personnel committee unanimously agreed no external candidate search was necessary. On Wednesday, Mayor Derek Dobies said Greenes experience as interim manager and his personal investment in the job contributed to that decision.

When we talk about someone whos going to be the right fit for the city, I dont think theres a need to search for an external candidate when we have someone that is raising their family here, is committed to making sure that the city continues to grow because they want to continue to raise their family here, Dobies said.

Greene said the protests surrounding George Floyds death and the Black Lives Matter movement also shaped his view of the city managers role as one that can address large issues in a local way.

We gotta value our lives, organizer of Black Lives Matter mural in Jackson says

I will remember walking along MLK Drive from High Street down to the police station with a group of hundreds of people, Greene said. Ill remember those images and that feeling for the rest of my life.

Dobies said Greenes skills were proven through the pandemic and racial equity movement.

I think those moments of crisis and inflection points in the city really test your leadership skills and your ability to operate under pressure, and I think Jonathan has excelled in that and thats probably why (he) got unanimous approval, Dobies said.

Other council members also enthused about Greenes collaboration with city staff and council. At the Tuesday meeting, several council members said they appreciated his communication skills.

I really appreciate how you do go out of your way, Councilwoman Arlene Robinson, Ward 1, said during the meeting. I call you and you get back to me, a department person will get back to me. It happens. I appreciate that all you do for us.

Outside of work, Greene said he enjoys yard work and jogging with his wife and family along Fourth Street into Ella Sharp Parks trail system. Hes lived in Jackson for ten years and said he wants to end his career in the city.

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'What Kamala Harris' rise and rise underscores is that our old ways of identifying the Indian-American Diaspora need to change...'

'None of this detracts from her Indian-American identity, which makes us feel as if we are Americans too,' notes Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.

IMAGE: Kamala Harris, the United States Senator from California, speaks to reporters about police reform legislation at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, June 23, 2020. Photograph: Kevin Lamarque/Reuters

On several templates, the Democratic candidate in the November election in the US Joe Biden's choice of Senator Kamala Harris as his running mate becomes an extraordinary development.

Biden, the consummate politician, has made a thoughtful choice that adds gravitas to his campaign in what is turning out to be a momentous election.

A CNN report behind Biden's choice of Kamala Harris:

She has been vetted on the national stage due to her own 2020 bid;

She has experience in government -- as both the California attorney general and as a US senator since 2017;

At 55 years old, she represents a younger generation of leader -- something that Biden, who will be 78 on Inauguration Day 2021, said was a major factor in his choice;

She is a historic pick as the first Black and South Asian American woman to appear on a major party's national ticket;

She's from California, a massive treasure trove of both Democratic votes and Democratic donors; and,

She emerged as an outspoken voice on race -- and the need for police reform -- following the death of George Floyd in May and the subsequent protests it sparked around the country.

Simply put, Biden calculated it's a winning ticket; it's a historic breakthrough; it opens up huge space for progressive policies; and, of course, it inevitably says a lot about the Biden candidacy -- which is all for the good.

Unsurprisingly, President Trump used the worst epithet in his limited vocabulary to react to Kamala Harris -- that she belongs to the 'far left' (of the American political spectrum.)

However, what strikes me most as an Indian is the devastating snub this constitutes to the Sangh Pariva -- and Prime Minister Narendra Modi personally -- in regard of their transformative agenda for the country's secular democracy.

It's a huge snub as Kamala Harris is not only a progressive and represents values and ideals that the Sangh Parivar regards as repugnant and the Modi government has tried hard to squash during these six years in power since 2014.

IMAGE: Democratic Presidential candidate Joe Biden tweeted this picture with the caption 'Let's go win this, Kamala Harris'. Photograph: Kind courtesy @JoeBiden/Twitter.com

The grotesque spectacle enacted in September last year under the rubric Howdy Modi in Houston, Texas now becomes an albatross.

Modi addressed an Indian-American audience like a Pied Piper in the folk tale assuming blithely that the Indian-American Diaspora had no mind of their own.

It was an unwarranted interference in the US domestic politics.

And it stemmed from a deeply flawed understanding of the winds of change sweeping the American political landscape.

Kamla Harris and almost all other Indian-origin Democrats boycotted the Howdy Modi event in Texas.

One reason behind this boycott was Trump's presence on the podium with Modi.

Another even more significant factor was India's security crackdown and communication blockade in Jammu and Kashmir just the previous month, which is unpopular among progressives and liberal Democrats.

Sharing a platform with Modi, barely seven weeks after New Delhi's controversial action in the troubled Valley, would have been seen as an implicit endorsement of his government's Kashmir policy.

The acolytes of the Indian ruling elite cheered wildly as the Howdy Modi spectacle unfolded.

Some even tried to rationalise that Hindutva ideology was turning global!

A ridiculous narrative was conjured up to establish Hindutva was being seen as 'the bedrock of Indian philosophy' by Americans who took interest in our country.

Their fervent hope was that Howdy Modi could be a turning point to stem the tide of opinion against the Modi government's actions in J&K (and in the north east) among Democrats -- a 'Plan B' and an insurance for continued and better relations with America, which Modi could handsomely encash if Trump is re-elected President.

IMAGE: Joe Biden and Kamala Harris during a campaign stop in Detroit, Michigan. Photograph: Brendan McDermid/Reuters

It is into this fantasyland that Biden and Kamala Harris have just walked in.

There is no need of guesswork as to where Kamala Harris stands vis-a-vis the anti-Muslim politics in India.

Just tune in to her inspiring remarks (external link) in front of the White House during the 2017 Muslim Ban Rally:

'We know what it means to fight for our country and fight for our ideals and fight against those who would challenge who we are.

'But we are here to stand to say who we are always going for this country and our ideals.

'And we will fight against racism.

'We will fight against anti-Muslim rhetoric!

'We will fight against all those who would marginalise who we are as a community.

'We will not stand for this.

'We believe in who we can be as a country, and we are going to fight for ourselves.

'We are going to fight for our Muslim brothers and sisters.

'We are going to fight for our immigrant brothers and sisters because they and we are what makes this country great!"

If the Biden-Harris ticket wins in the November election, the Modi government would have a problem.

The human rights situation in J&K, the anti-Muslim supremacist attitudes and policies, CAA, the north east cauldron -- all this would become 'talking points' in the 'defining partnership of the 21st century' between India and the US.

Indeed, if Biden wins the November election, there is a strong likelihood of Kamala Harris making a bid in the 2024 election.

That is looking ahead of the curve, but the point is, the progressive left is becoming part of American mainstream politics.

Like a chameleon changing colours, the Hindu right may reach out to Kamala Harris invoking her Indian ancestry.

But the ploy may not work.

It is useful to dip into her bio-profile to know that Kamala Harris brings together in her strands of the world and Hindutva's grudge nativism grates against her beliefs and convictions.

Until our ruling elite get rid of this dark period of nativist hysteria in our country, unless they can return India to its shores to receive the best the world has to offer, in a journey of self-renewal and progress, Kamala Harris will remain a stranger to them.

Kamala Harris's public image so far has been more closely associated with the other half of her heritage, that of her Jamaican father.

Kamala Harris earned her undergraduate degree at historically black Howard University in Washington and is a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha, the oldest African American sorority.

She is the most prominent African-American woman to make a serious run at the US presidency in recent decades.

And, in a highly symbolic act, she launched her campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination on Martin Luther King Jr's birthday in January 2019 at an event attended by 20,000 people in Oakland.

In her memoir, The Truths We Hold, Kamala Harris wrote that her mother 'knew that her adopted homeland would see (my sister) Maya and me as black girls, and she was determined to make sure we would grow into confident, proud black women.'

Evidently, the Indian-American identity is in transition as with the passage of time, the community becomes better educated, more prosperous and more integrated in the melting pot, in comparison with the older, first-generation immigrants whose identity as Indian remains very strong and who are still very connected to their country and its old traditions.

Put differently, what Kamala Harris' rise and rise underscores is that our old ways of identifying the Indian-American Diaspora need to change.

The Sangh Parivar types with their moffusil mental make-up -- often lacking in erudition -- may find it odd that Kamala Harris preferred to chalk up her heritage in politics over issues such as immigration, civil rights, education and the environment rather than her identity as a Christian or Indian.

Yet, the terrible beauty is that none of this detracts from her Indian-American identity, which makes us feel as if we are Americans too.

Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar served the Indian Foreign Service for more than 29 years. He has been a Rediff.com columnist for over a decade.

Feature Presentation: Ashish Narsale/Rediff.com
United Nations (UN) Special Coordinator for Lebanon Jan Kubis on Tuesday called for early formation of a Lebanese government following the resignation of Prime Minister Hassan Diab and his cabinet.

Kubis, who briefed the Security Council in a closed session on Tuesday, emphasized the importance of avoiding a prolonged period of governmental vacuum.

He urged a rapid formation of a new government that meets the aspirations of the Lebanese people and enjoys their support, a government that can address the urgent and many challenges facing the country, break with the corrupt practices of the past, his office said in a press release after the briefing.

"There are immediate humanitarian needs that need to be addressed and necessary reforms that need to be undertaken without any delay to restore the trust of the Lebanese people, and of the international community in Lebanon," Kubis was quoted as saying.

The Lebanese government resigned on Monday amid protests after two huge explosions hit the Port of Beirut on Aug. 4, claiming at least 171 lives and injuring thousands.

The deadly blasts also caused massive economic losses worth 10 billion to 15 billion U.S. dollars, according to Beirut Governor Marwan Abboud.

"A rapid assessment of the 55 primary health centers in the blast areas shows that some 35 percent sustained moderate to severe damage," said Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

The UN Children's Fund reported that an education assessment shows some 20 technical schools have been damaged.

A dozen of countries and international organizations have expressed solidarity and sympathy with Lebanon over the deadly explosions, with emergency aid to the Middle East country.

Members of the Security Council reiterated their solidarity and strong support through urgent humanitarian assistance and commitment of the international community to Lebanon and its people, according to the press release.

The World Health Organization said that an 18-ton shipment of personal protective equipment landed in Beirut on Tuesday.

The World Food Programme is allocating 5,000 food parcels to affected families in Lebanon. Each package of basic food items such as rice, pasta, oil, sugar, salt and tomato paste is enough to feed five people for one month.

A fund-raising conference backed by UN and hosted by France on Sunday has so far received more than 290 million dollars in pledges.

Lebanon has in the past days received donations from multiple countries, including China, Russia, France, Qatar, Egypt, Jordan, Bahrain, Britain and many more.

UN Undersecretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix, who also briefed the Security Council, said the UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon, known as UNIFIL, continues to work in close coordination with the Lebanese armed forces.

(CGTN)
Like exorbitant speaking fees, book publishing contracts are one of those ways bribes can be paid to politicians undetected. Just ask Russia's former first deputy prime minister, Anatoli Chubais, whose political career ended with that one.

So when President Obama and his wife Michelle Obama got a $65-million his-'n'-hers book publishing contract, eyebrows were raised. It wasn't a normal number. Oh, sure, it might have been justified by the likely volume of sales, some said. But Michelle turned her book in on time. And eighteen months past his deadline, Obama has not. Squirreled away in retirement with multiple luxury mansions to choose from, he hasn't exactly been busy. Yet even with that kind of money at stake, he still can't make a deadline, or even come close.

This kind of suggests that maybe getting the book from him in exchange for the cash wasn't important?

Maybe. But now the word is rolling out that he's "underperforming." According to this delicious item in the American Spectator:

Michelle's book, Becoming, was released by PRH's Crown division on schedule in November 2018 and has exceeded expectations. Barack's book will be released at least two years behind schedule with no publication date in sight. "The delay is wreaking havoc with print scheduling and of course budget planning," one publishing insider told me. "The enormous advance is starting to 'raise' concerns within the publisher. While Michelle's book performed well, Obama needs to deliver the book and sales to make the overall deal worthwhile."

So they really do need to get the book from him. And they needed it 18 months ago. And they cut him some slack by letting it go a year past deadline some six months ago. And another six months has drifted past. And now they're getting ready to scream.

It's not as if this should be a surprise to them. He's burned publishers before with the same problem.

It's part and parcel of being Obama, who, number one, can't write. That was the conclusion reached by American Thinker contributor Jack Cashill, who had some pretty interesting circumstantial evidence that Obama's mentor, Bill Ayers, wrote his early books well for him. See here.

Two, Obama can't manage time. He's been called lazy time and again from all quarters, based on his White House term of office.

The lazy charge has been dismissed as "racism," but Obama himself has weighed in and claimed that yes, he is indeed lazy, and it's all because he was raised in Hawaii. Here's something gushy published by the Atlantic Monthly back in 2011:

"You're lazy?" Barbara Walters incredulously asked Obama, sitting alongside the first lady, in an interview scheduled to air on Friday night but previewed ahead of time. "It's interesting.... Deep down underneath all the work I do, I think there's a laziness in me," Obama said. "It's probably from growing up in Hawaii, and it's sunny outside. Sitting on the beach."

He cites the Hawaiian weather as the reason, but if anyone was being racist, well, it was probably he, blaming the Hawaiian culture and calling it the weather. San Diego, where I am, also has nice weather and nice beaches, and nobody calls us lazy. And that certainly wouldn't explain why Obama tried to complete his earlier book in Bali, would it? If Hawaii is lazy by Obama's reckoning, Bali would be a hundred times lazier by pretty culture (except that the Balinese are famously industrious).

But here we are, with Obama saying he is lazy, and then blaming Hawaii.

More likely, he's been coddled all his life, allowed to slide, allowed to pass through without putting in the work and then let it become "who he was."

Seriously  he's got a $65-million book deal, from a publisher who will probably take literally anything from him, and in the midst of his retirement, never having to work another day in his life, he can't make a deadline, or even a grace period beyond it? Too many billionaire vacays? He hasn't said.

Sounds like this guy has a character flaw. And suddenly his publishers are expressing discomfort, many moons out from when there was supposed to be a crisis. Bribe? Hard to say. Just call him "Mr. Underperformance." Sounds a lot like his presidency.

Image credit: Obama White House photo via Papahanaumokuakea.gov, public domain.
A Minnesota grandmother who previously admitted to killing a woman in Florida was sentenced to life in prison without parole after pleading guilty on Tuesday to murdering her husband and going on the run, sparking a nationwide manhunt.

Lois Riess, 58, of Blooming Prairie, was sentenced after pleading guilty to first-degree murder in the March 2018 fatal shooting of her husband, David Riess, 54, at their southern Minnesota home, KAAL-TV reported.

Lois Riess, who was nicknamed 'Losing Streak Lois' because of her gambling addiction, killed her husband at their home in Minnesota. was returned to Minnesota last month after pleading guilty to killing Pamela Hutchinson in Florida.

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Lois Riess, 58 (left), on Tuesday was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole after pleading guilty to first-degree murder in the shooting death of her husband, David Riess, 54 (right), in 2018

Authorities alleged Riess targeted Hutchinson because they looked alike and Riess intended to steal her identity.

She received a life sentence in December after pleading guilty to first-degree murder in Hutchinson's death.

During Tuesday's hearing, which was held inside the auditorium at Kasson-Mantorville High School due to social distancing requirements, Riess apologized to her husband's friends and family, saying life without her husband is her true sentence and that she should not have killed him.

'What I did was an unpardonable crime,' she said, according to Grand Forks Herald. 'Solitude is forever. I feel I deserve this. I will have no reprieve.'

Before the sentence was handed down, the victim's family members were given a chance to give impact statements.

'I cycle between anger, regret and sadness,' said the couple's daughter, Breanna Riess. 'Losing my dad at the hands of my mom is something I will never be able to process... I miss my dad more than words can describe, but I have to allow for forgiveness in my heart, because thats what he would have wanted.'

Billy Riess, the couple's eldest son, expressed his anger at his mother, accusing her of abandoning him and his siblings after taking their father's life.

In December 2019, Riess was sentenced to life in prison for the killing of Pamela Hutchinson, 59, in Florida

'I dont care how many times you apologize,' he said, addressing his mother directly. 'You stole something from us.'

David's mother, Darlene Riess, described her son in her victim impact statement a the family's 'ray of sunshine.'

'When you killed David, you took my heart,' she stated.

After her husband's death, Riess drove to Florida, befriended Hutchinson, 59, and fatally shot her at a Fort Myers Beach condo the following month, according to prosecutors.

With her head of white hair, Riess garnered national attention as the 'fugitive grandma' before she was captured in April 2018 in Texas.

Under an extradition agreement, Florida prosecutors agreed that Riess would serve her life sentence without the possibility of parole in Minnesota because she committed the Florida murder as a result of her first murder in Minnesota.

Riess's lawyer said that on March 11, 2018, Lois and David got into a heated argument because her husband wanted to leave their grandson's basketball tournament in Wisconsin.

The couple had fought in the car on the way home and their dispute continued in the bedroom.

The argument escalated to the point where David pulled out a loaded handgun and handed it to his wife, telling her: 'Why don't you kill yourself? Maybe you will get it right this time.'

Lois took the firearm and shot David two or three times in the chest.

Her lawyer said that knowing David was dead, Lois laid down with him, closed his eyes and covered him with a blanket.

She then left, after taking $11,000 out of his business account.

Prosecutors said Lois made her way to Fort Meyers Beach, Florida, after making stops at multiple casinos along the way.

The US Marshals picked up Riess in Texas in mid-April 2018, more than a month after her husband's murder

At the Village Marina resort, Riess befriended Pamela Hutchinson, who looked like her.

The two women were last seen together at a brewery on April 5, 2018.

Four days later, Hutchinson's lifeless body was found in her hotel room bathroom under a pile of pillows and towels.

Riess went on the run in Hutchinson's car after assuming her identity.

The white-haired 'fugitive grandma' was ultimately picked up by the US Marshals on April 19 after being seen at a bar in South Padre Island, Texas.

She was handed a life sentence in Florida in December 2019 after pleading guilty to first-degree murder in Hutchinson's death.
Netflix just dropped the first trailer for its latest reality TV offering, Million Dollar Beach House.

The TV series, centering on real estate agents in the Hamptons, is coming to the streaming service on August 26.

Million Dollar Beach House takes viewers inside the competitive world of Nest Seekers, an upscale Long Island real estate company with brokers all vying for big commissions on local homes.

Game on: Netflix just dropped the first trailer for its latest reality TV offering, Million Dollar Beach House

'The Hamptons is one of the most competitive places to be a real estate agent,' says one agent in the trailer.

'In a perfect world, we will break $1 million a year in commission,' says another.

'Michael and I have been best friends since high school,' the guys explain of their friendship.

Coming soon! The TV series, centering on real estate agents in the Hamptons, is coming to the streaming service on August 26

Heating up: Million Dollar Beach House takes viewers inside the competitive world of Nest Seekers, an upscale Long Island real estate company with brokers all vying for big commissions on local homes

'After seven years of killing the New York City real estate market, why not just kill it out here,' says Peggy.

However we quickly see sparks fly between the company's only female agent and one of the guys, Noel, whom she accuses of being 'so phony.'

'If you want a friend, buy a dog,' Noel fires back, leading Peggy to admit in a confessional that she's 'never met another broker as rude as Noel.'

Pinnacle: 'The Hamptons is one of the most competitive places to be a real estate agent,' says one agent in the trailer

High stakes: 'In a perfect world, we will break $1 million a year in commission,' says another

Next: It's the streaming giant's most recent real estate themed-show, with Selling Sunset currently having three seasons available to watch

But despite the heated competition, the group remain positive about their collective prospects with broker JB stating, 'Were ready to take on the world.'

'From appeasing sellers who are unhappy with home staging to cutthroat open houses where agents are going after each others clients, Million Dollar Beach House has all the views, all the schmooze, and brokers with a lot to lose,' reads Netflix's official description of their show.

It's the streaming giant's most recent real estate themed-show, with Selling Sunset currently having three seasons available to watch.

In it together: But despite the heated competition, the group remain positive about their collective prospects with broker JB stating, 'Were ready to take on the world'

Drama: 'Million Dollar Beach House has all the views, all the schmooze, and brokers with a lot to lose,' reads Netflix's official description of their show
Days after European investors warn Brazil authorities about the escalating deforestation in the Amazon rainforest, European banks dedicated to back action on climate crisis are now facing allegations of double standards from the indigenous groups in Ecuador. This comes after a report named the European banks as the major stakeholders in oil trade from the Amazon rainforest.

According to reports, two climate watchdogs have claimed European banks including ING, Credit Suisse, Natixis, BNP Paribas, UBS, and Rabobank were the largest supporters in the shipment of nearly $10 billion Ecuadorian crude oil to the refineries in the United States over the last ten years. These banks have not only identified the environmental commitments but have claimed to support them including the 2015 Paris climate accord.

Read - Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro Calls Reports Of Increasing Amazon Fires A 'lie'

However, the indigenous communities protesting against the exploitation of their territory by the oil industry have said that any bank supporting the oil trade from the Amazon rainforest was complicit in growing threats to the worlds largest rainforest, international media reported.

Marlon Vargas, president of the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of the Ecuadorian Amazon told an international news agency that the banks are engaging in double standards. He further noted that devastating the Amazon implies devastating of life itself.

While already fighting raging wildfires, the Amazon rainforest that spans across nine nations in South America also faces deforestation for agriculture and mining.

According to scientists, since the 1970s at least 15 to 17 percent of the original forest has already been destroyed. The rainforest plays an important role in regulating the Earths temperature by absorbing a greenhouse gases like Carbon Dioxide. The researchers have reportedly warned that any further deforestation in the Amazon would push Earths lungs past the tipping point.

Read - Bolsonaro Faces The Heat From Foreign Investors, Pressurised To Protect Amazon Rainforest

European banks deny allegations

Despite the report titled European Banks Financing Trade of Amazon Oil to the US raised questions on the credibility of their commitments, Netherlands' Rabobank is reported to have stated that it had halted its financing of Ecuadorian crude cargoes earlier in 2020. It also said that the concerns raised were adhering to their policy obligations and part of due diligence in trade finance operations.

Meanwhile, French bank Natixis and Dutch bank ING have pledged to look into the issues raised in the report. Swiss bank UBS has said that it has already declined some crude oil transactions from the rainforest due to the concerns surrounding the indigenous land rights, international media reported.

While Credit Suisse is reported to have said that the issues raised failed to represent any breach of any of oil and gas lending policies, French bank BNP Paribas called the methodology of the report opaque.

Read - As Amazon Rainforest Burns, Brazil's President's Shocker

Read - European Investors Warn Brazil Ambassadors About Rising Amazon Deforestation

(With agency inputs; Image: AP)
Apple CEO Tim Cook, seen here at a September 2019 product launch, has steered the tech giant for nine years, bringing it to the cusp of becoming the first $2 trillion company

Apple is on the verge of becoming the first $2 trillion American company following a gravity-defying surge that has highlighted the value of its iPhone ecosystem during the global pandemic.

Shares in Apple have roughly doubled from March lows, an astonishing performance which has lifted chief executive Tim Cook's net worth to $1 billion for the first time, according to a Bloomberg Billionaires Index calculation.

A dip in Apple shares left its market value at around $1.87 trillion Tuesday, ahead of Big Tech peers Amazon and Microsoft (both at $1.54 trillion) and Google parent Alphabet ($1.0 trillion).

If it reaches $2 trillion, Apple would be the only company other than Saudi Aramco to hit the milestone.

Even as other large tech firms have shot higher on robust demand during lockdowns, Apple has outpaced its rivals by delivering strong sales of gadgetry including wearables and tablets, along with new apps and services which have gained ground during the global health crisis.

"Apple has been wildly successful in building out its platforms, mitigating the fact that iPhone sales had peaked, by building products that surround it and services that enhance it," said Avi Greengart, analyst with the consultancy Techsponential.

"It all feeds back into the cycle for Apple."

In the past quarter ending in June, Apple reported profits rose eight percent to $11.2 billion and revenues jumped 11 percent to $59.7 billion.

Apple's iPad has seen renewed growth during the coronavirus pandemic amid demand for both remote work and education

Apple at home

The quarter showed a modest rise in smartphone revenue, buoyed by the new entry-level iPhone SE, and robust increases in sales of iPads and Mac computers, in demand for remote education and work-from-home buyers.

Services made up more than one-fifth of Apple revenue as it expanded its offerings in music, digital payments, streaming television and boosted income from its App Store. Apple has also extended its lead in the smartwatch market amid growing interest in health and fitness applications.

"Apple entered the pandemic strong and the company's products are an even more foundational part our lives today as we work, live, and play from home," said Gene Munster of Loup Ventures in a research note.

Goldman Sachs analyst Rod Hall said markets appeared surprised by Apple's strong results and noted that "consumers and institutions are clearly spending even more than we had anticipated to support both work from home and study from home."

Steady tiller

A major factor in Apple's success has been leadership from Cook, who took over just ahead of the death of Steve Jobs in 2011.

"He didn't invent anything, but what he has done is keep a firm hand on the tiller, steering the ship and keeping the culture intact," said analyst Laura Martin at Needham & Company.

Apple CEO Tim Cook was among the executives testifying last month at congressional antitrust hearing on Big Tech dominance

"He deserves a lot of credit for making the most out of Steve Jobs's inventions."

Cook was not one of Apple's founders and his salary, by Silicon Valley standards, was a relatively modest $3 million in 2019, along with a bonus of $7.6 million. But the value of his stock grants has pushed him into the club of billionaires for the first time, according to Bloomberg.

Cook "deserves a tremendous amount of credit because Steve Jobs was a hard act to follow," Greengart said.

"Many companies started by singular individuals falter when those founders leave or pass on. But Apple has taken the foundation that Steve Jobs built and built on it extensively without losing the soul of what makes Apple Apple."

China and the future

Can Apple maintain its juggernaut pace of growth in the current environment? Some analysts think so, pointing to the need for replacement smartphones and 5G upgrades.

Daniel Ives at Wedbush Securities says Apple "has a 'once in a decade' opportunity over the next 12 to 18 months as we estimate roughly 350 million of Cupertino's 950 million iPhones worldwide are in the window of an upgrade opportunity."

But Apple faces risks from heightened tensions with China, since it not only manufactures iPhones and other products there, but also relies on that market for a large chunk of sales, Greengart noted.

While a sluggish smartphone market has impacted Apple, the tech giant has built an ecosystem of gadgets and services that have allowed it to keep growing

"Apple's biggest risk point is that they are so concentrated in China," Greengart said.

With the Trump administration threatening to ban Chinese-owned TikTok and WeChat, Apple may face headwinds, the analyst said.

"If Apple can't offer WeChat, it will be difficult to sell iPhones in China, since that's almost like a second operating system," Greengart said.

Any retaliation against Washington by Beijing could cause troubles for the iPhone maker, he noted.

On the other hand, Greengart noted that Apple may have leverage because of its extensive Chinese operations, which employ hundreds of thousands of people, mainly through subcontractors.

"It would be hard for China to put Apple out of business without causing massive unemployment," he said.

Explore further Apple shines in pandemic with $2 trillion value on horizon

 2020 AFP
Boeing Co customers scrubbed more than 400 orders for the US planemaker's grounded 737 MAX jets this year, while the company's overall aircraft deliveries slumped to only four in July, monthly numbers showed on Tuesday. Boeing said it lost another 43 orders for the 737 MAX jet in July, bringing the total number of canceled orders, including those where buyers converted a MAX to a different model, to 416 for this year.

Based on a tighter accounting standard, Boeing said order cancellations and conversions now stand at 864 for the MAX, recertification for which is still hanging in the balance more than a year after its worldwide grounding due to two fatal crashes.

The four deliveries - one 767 freighter for FedEx, one 777 freighter for DHL, and one 787 Dreamliner each for Air France and Turkish Airlines - were down from 19 a year earlier, taking the total to 74 planes this year.

Boeing delivered a record 806 aircraft in 2018, before the 737 MAX crisis erupted. The COVID-19 pandemic has sapped demand for new Boeing jets. Brokerage Jefferies said on Tuesday it expects Boeing to deliver 138 aircraft in 2020, down from 380 last year.

Boeing did not win any new orders in July, and its cancellations included 35 previously scratched orders for the 737 MAX by aircraft lessors AerCap and Alafco.

Fresh 737 MAX cancellations last month were by Canada Jetlines, which struck off five orders, Avolon scrapped two orders and a business jet customer canceled one order.

Additionally, Boeing removed nine 737 MAX airplanes from its backlog to adjust for jets ordered in previous years but unlikely to be delivered currently. On an adjusted basis, Boeing said 52 planes were canceled last month, bringing lost orders to 836 for the year as of July end.

Also Read: 8 marquee funds among top 10 investors in HDFC's Rs 10,000 cr equity offering

Also Read: Coronavirus update: India records 60,963 new cases, 834 deaths; tally surges to 23,29,639
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-12 11:31:44|Editor: huaxia

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MEXICO CITY, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- Mexico's former President Enrique Pena Nieto accepted bribes from Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht and bribed lawmakers, Emilio Lozoya, former CEO of Mexico's state oil company Pemex, said Tuesday.

Lozoya, who is in custody on corruption charges for his participation in a bribery scheme, made the remarks to Mexican attorney general's office.

In a video message, Attorney General Alejandro Gertz Manero said that according to Lozoya, both Pena Nieto and his former Finance Minister Luis Videgaray participated in the bribery scheme and used part of the money to buy congressional votes to secure passage of a controversial energy reform bill.

Lozoya was recently extradited to Mexico from Spain to face charges of accepting 10.5 million U.S. dollars in bribes from Odebrecht between 2012 and 2014.

Some 4.4 million dollars in bribes was also used to pay for foreign political consultants to help Nieto's election campaign in 2012, Lozoya said.

Lozoya provided receipts, video footage and four witnesses to support his claims, said Manero, adding that authorities planned to review the evidence.

Lozoya served as the head of Pemex during 2012-2016, and was arrested in Spain in February on an outstanding arrest warrant issued by Mexican judicial authorities, before being extradited to Mexico earlier this month. Enditem
Gabrielle Biciunas, coordinator of NIRPCs Economic Development District, said $530,000 in loans will be available to small businesses in the three counties after a management plan is set up and approved. Another $53,000 from the grant is for the programs administration.
Announcement - Servicer: Moody's affirms Bayview's residential and small balance commercial servicer assessments

Global Credit Research - 11 Aug 2020

U.S. Residential Mortgage Servicer Assessment Action

New York, August 11, 2020 -- Moody's Investors Service ("Moody's") has affirmed Bayview Loan Servicing, LLC's (Bayview) servicer quality (SQ) assessments of SQ2 as Special Servicer of residential mortgage loans, and SQ2- as Special Servicer of small-balance commercial loans (SBC).

As of March 2020, Bayview's servicing portfolio consisted of approximately 152,353 residential mortgage loans and 5,133 small balance commercial loans. The company is headquartered in Coral Gables, Florida with additional servicing sites in Bedford, Texas; Horsham, Pennsylvania; Ft. Lauderdale, Florida; and Tucson, Arizona.

ASSESSMENT RATIONALE

We view Bayview's collection abilities as above average. Bayview improved its collection performance metrics for special servicing and SBC loans during the review period. Since the last review, the company implemented a Gamification program, a unique employee engagement tool used to motivate and reward employees with an interactive web-based platform. Also, the company enhanced its post-call analytics for compliance and customer satisfaction monitoring.

We assess the company's loss mitigation abilities for residential loans as strong and above average for SBC. The company has robust proprietary loss mitigation systems providing the ability to make regulatory and investor changes quickly. For borrowers affected by COVID-19, Bayview automated the borrower forbearance request process through its interactive voice response (IVR) system, website and mobile application. As of July 13, 2020, approximately 20,000 residential borrowers were on an active forbearance plan. After the forbearance period ends available options will be based on regulatory and investor guidelines.

We view Bayview's foreclosure and REO timeline management for residential loans as strong and above average for SBC. Bayview's foreclosure timeline performance metrics were strong compared to peers for residential loans. The company uses a daily dashboard report to enhance its foreclosure oversight process. During the review period, the company established a dedicated team to resolve contested foreclosure loans.

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We assess Bayview's servicing stability as average. The stability assessment incorporates Bayview's history of consistent profitability, solid staffing ratios and investment in technology. The company had no material instances of non-compliance for its 2019 RegAB and USAP reports.

Due to COVID-19, the majority of servicing employees are working remotely at this time. Bayview enhanced its Virtual Private Network capacity to manage work from home capabilities. Remote staff has access to critical systems and key servicing information.

The framework used in this analysis was "Servicer Quality Assessments for Servicers of Residential Mortgages" published in December 2019 and available at https://www.moodys.com/researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx?docid=PBS_1122183. Alternatively, please see the Framework list at https://www.moodys.com//researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx?docid=PBC_1178235 for a copy of this framework.

Please see www.moodys.com for any updates on changes to the lead analyst and to the Moody's legal entity that has issued the rating.

This publication does not announce a credit rating action. For any credit ratings referenced in this publication, please see the ratings tab on the issuer/entity page on www.moodys.com for the most updated credit rating action information and rating history.

Francis Wissman Vice President - Senior Analyst Structured Finance Group Moody's Investors Service, Inc. 250 Greenwich Street New York, NY 10007 U.S.A. JOURNALISTS: 1 212 553 0376 Client Service: 1 212 553 1653 William Fricke VP - Senior Credit Officer Structured Finance Group JOURNALISTS: 1 212 553 0376 Client Service: 1 212 553 1653 Releasing Office: Moody's Investors Service, Inc. 250 Greenwich Street New York, NY 10007 U.S.A. JOURNALISTS: 1 212 553 0376 Client Service: 1 212 553 1653

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Based on their recent actions, President Donald Trump and his Republican Party would love to get rid of the U.S. Postal Service as a government function. They would love to scrap the Social Security system as it operates today.

Social Security, since its 1935 inception, has saved millions of Americans from the miseries of poverty. It is funded through the contributions of workers and employers and is the most successful social program in the history of the United States.

Regarding the post office, we slip our letters into the mailbox or hand them to a mail carrier or clerk who may be a stranger to us. At the end of the work day, this stranger sees to it that the letters are shunted from the local post office toward their proper destination, be it across town, across the continent or across the ocean  to be delivered by strangers who are united only in their dedication. We trust them, and we trust the postal service.

Trump and his party want to destroy these institutions. In Burlington County, U.S. Rep. Andy Kim, D-3rd Dist., who is running for reelection, is committed to preserving these institutions. Ill vote for Kim in November.

Charles Perrone, Medford Township

Reimburse restaurants for Murphy flip-flop

It was a disgrace that Gov. Phil Murphy had told restaurants to prepare for limited indoor dining starting July 2, and changed his mind just days earlier, claiming that indoor dining in other states was still spreading coronavirus too rapidly.

These businesses, which have been hit especially hard during this pandemic, spent their time and money to reopen July 2 based on Murphys earlier governor announcement got the rug pulled from underneath them at the last minute.

When Murphy was asked whether these restaurants should at least be reimbursed for what they lost due to him changing his mind, he agreed in principle, but added Where the money is coming from?

This shows me that Murphy has a lack of compassion and understanding for what these businesses and workers are going through right now.

Small businesses were suffering before the pandemic hit, and now they are at risk of losing everything.

State Senate President Steve Sweeney, D-Gloucester, understands this, and hes pushing a bipartisan bill originally proposed by Assemblyman Jon Bramnick, R-Monmouth, to reimburse restaurants that saw their resources wasted due to Murphys flip-flopping.

It's the right thing to do, plan and simple. These businesses desperately need help right now. They lost money they barely have due to the governor's mixed messages, and they should be paid back for whatever it takes to make up for it.

Tim Sheehan, Sewell

Editors note: A4413 and S2704 would allocate $30 million, from federal coronavirus aid New Jersey has received, to reimburse restaurant owners. No legislative action has been taken on either version.

No contract mandates to teach during pandemic

I seriously doubt there is a stipulation in any teachers contract that states they must teach with a pandemic  in this case, COVID-19  circulating around the United States.

If there arent enough teachers willing to return to their classrooms, schools will not be able to educate their students properly.

This could end up being a much larger issue to solve as schools attempt to open up next month.

David M. Levin, Vineland

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The majority leader in the Alabama House of Representatives has joined the Tommy Tuberville campaign for the U.S. Senate.

Tubervilles campaign announced today that Rep. Nathaniel Ledbetter of Rainsville would co-chair the general election campaign, along with Huntsville attorney Stan McDonald, who led the campaign through the primary.

Majority Leader Ledbetter has spent the last three years working closely with Republican representatives and senators from every corner of our state, and the conservative reforms they implemented have made Alabama a better place to work, live, and raise children, Tuberville said in a press release. His team built upon the GOP supermajority in Alabama during the 2018 campaign cycle, and his experience and instincts will prove to be invaluable as we head toward November.

Tuberville faces U.S. Sen. Doug Jones, a Democrat, in the Nov. 3 general election.

Ledbetter is a former mayor of Rainsville who was elected to the Alabama House in 2014. The Republican caucus picked him as majority leader in 2017.
By Ayya Lmahamad

BP will continue its operations in Azerbaijan and look for opportunities to expand relations, the companys Vice-President Bakhtiyar Aslanbayli has said.

We have been present in Azerbaijan for around three decades investing in oil and gas. We will continue our business here while we also will look for opportunities to expand our relationship with Azerbaijan on a range of other areas of our long-term energy partnership, Aslanbayli wrote in his Twitter account.

The statement comes after reports in foreign media alleging that BP would move out of Azerbaijan, along with five other countries.

Aslanbayli also said in an interview with Azertag that the company will not reduce its business operations in Azerbaijan and in the Caspian region.

Speaking about the company's new strategy, Aslanbeyli said that it will transform BP from an international oil company, mainly engaged in resource extraction, into an integrated energy company providing solutions for its clients.

He emphasized that the share of oil and gas will decrease with time, but it will remain an important part of the companys activities.

What will change is that BP will no longer be a predominantly hydrocarbon company. It will be an integrated energy company - with the oil and gas industry as part of a more balanced portfolio, he said.

He added that the company is fully committed to continue to conduct safe, reliable and sustainable oil and gas business in Azerbaijan.

BP first arrived in Azerbaijan and opened its first office in Baku in June 1992. Over the past years, in partnership with the Government of Azerbaijan, BP-operated projects such as, Azeri-Chirag-Gunashli (ACG), Shah Deniz, Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) and South Caucasus Pipeline (SCP), which have contributed to the development of the Caspian Sea as a modern hydrocarbon province.

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Janet Street Porter has branded Finding Freedom a 'PR disaster' for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

Appearing on Loose Women today, the presenter discussed the bombshell biography, released by British journalists Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand yesterday, with fellow panelists Brenda Edwards and Stacey Solomon.

Claiming that Prince Harry, 35, and 38-year-old Meghan Markle's departure from royal life had backfired for the couple, the commentator claimed that the couple 'should have distanced themselves from it'.

As the book was released, Scobie gave interviews denying ever interviewing the couple for the book and insisted that it was their 'many' friends who provided insights.

However an author's note in Finding Freedom appears to acknowledge that the writers worked with the couple, reading: 'We have spoken with close friends of Harry and Meghan, royal aides and palace staff (past and present), the charities and organisations they have built long-lasting relationships with and, when appropriate, the couple themselves'.

Janet Street Porter said on Loose Women that the bombshell biography of the leading to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's departure from royal life was a 'PR disaster'

'I felt the tone of the book was very gushing,' she said.

'Harry and Meghan, if they did cooperate with the book, I think it's a bit of a PR disaster for them,' she added.

'I don't see it as really enhancing their status as a couple to be taken seriously if they want a new life on the world stage making important announcements'.

Janet, who admitted she had only read the serialisation of the book in the press and had no interest in reading the whole work, said she felt some of the book's details were 'amazingly benign.'

Omid Scobie, who wrote Finding Freedom with Carolyn Durand, said he had spoken to Harry and Meghan when 'appropriate'

'Like 'Archie was born with his eyes opened',' she said with a shrug.

Meanwhile, Charlene White argued that Harry and Meghan have not said that they had been involved with the book, and it fact, confirmed recently that they had not been consulted.

A spokesman for the Sussexes, who now live in California, told the BBC they had not been interviewed for the book.

A statement said: 'The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were not interviewed and did not contribute to Finding Freedom.

'This book is based on the authors' own experiences as members of the royal press corps and their own independent reporting.'

The panel was discussing the release of Finding Freedom and whether it would work to Harry and Meghan's advantage or not

And Brenda Edwards joined Charlene in defending the much-discussed couple, arguing they should be 'left alone' and that she had loved the book.

'You're going to get three different types of people with this book: you're gonna get people like me, who support it, you're gonna get the haters, which you always get, and then you're gonna get the curious who don't know ,cant make their mind up either way.'

Speaking from home via a video link, Stacey Solomon agreed and said she did not think the striking revelations found in Finding Freedom were 'from the horse's mouth.

'I always feel with these kinds of books, you either prove it or you don't,' she said.

'Unless they come out and say 'we absolutely stand by this book, this is word for word how we feel', to me it's just another fantasy novel about the royal family,' she added.
20,000 HAL employees to go on indefinite strike from today after talks fail over wage revision

Indo-China stand-off: Two HAL light combat choppers deployed in Ladakh

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Aug 12: The Hindustan Aeronautics Limited produced light combat choppers have been deployed in the Ladakh sector to support the Indian Air Force at short notice amidst the border tensions with China.

HAL Chairman, R Madhavan said that the it is the lightest attack helicopter in the world designed and developed by the HAL to meet the specific and unique requirements of the Indian armed forces reflecting the crucial role of the HAL in Atma Nirbhar Bharat.

The HAL is expecting an order of 15 LCHs by the end of this year. 10 would be for the IAF and five for the Army.

Indian Amb meets top Chinese leader, briefs him about Indias stand on easter Ladakh

Meanwhile, Ambassador Vikram Misri met with Liu Jianchaou, the deputy director office of the CPC Central Committee Foreign Affairs Commission.

During the meeting, Misri meet Jianchaou of India's stance on the situation on the borders on easter Ladakh and the overall bilateral relations.

Meanwhile, Chief of Defence Staff, General Bipin Rawat informed a committee of lawmakers that the de-escalation in Ladakh where the Chinese troops transgressed in June may take more time. He also said that this transgression led to the Indian troops being deployed in large numbers.

The General also emphasised that India its prepared to face any onslaught. However efforts are being made to bridge the trust deficit with China, he also said.

Meanwhile, India has told China to stop further construction and pull back troops from the Depsang-Daulat Beg Oldie sector of eastern Ladakh. During the talks between the two sides, India also told China to stop further construction activities in the area.

During the talks, India stressed upon the importance of reducing tensions in the Depsang plains, an official familiar with the developments told OneIndia. This has been a major flash point for several years now, owing to the perceptions of the Line of Actual Control.

The military level talks between the two sides was held on Saturday between 11 am and 7,30 pm. India stressed on the fact that the PLA troops who are camping near the Bottleneck area in the Depsang plains since May should not block Indian soldiers from going to their Patrolling Points-10, 11, 12 and 13.

Pull back from Dapsang-Daulat Beg Oldie sector, India tells China at military level talks

Chinese firms raided | I-T dept raids Chinese companies & more news | Oneindia News

The primary agenda of the meeting was to reduce tensions at the Depsang Plains, where there is a massive build up of troops of both sides. The meeting would discuss ways to de-escalate as well as disengage. India will also seek restoration of patrolling rights for its soldiers.

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Story first published: Wednesday, August 12, 2020, 17:10 [IST]
Harris performed well in that initial meeting with the co-chairs, according to a person familiar with how it went, who declined to disclose any of the candidates answers to the initial interview questions. The co-chairs described her as having an impressive balance of the presence to take on President Trump and knowledge of the issues. She also spoke in the meeting about her close relationship with Bidens late son Beau and her personal story of having immigrant parents, a mother from India and a father from Jamaica.
The number of eligible voters is 63 million; the vote, which takes place on Tuesday and Wednesday, is being held in 14,000 polling stations

Egyptians started voting on Tuesday morning for the newly created Senate amid tight measures aimed at reining in the spread of the coronavirus.

Around 63 million Egyptians of the country's population of more than 100 million people are eligible to cast ballots.

The two-day vote for the second chamber of parliament is being held at some 14,000 polling stations across the country.

Voters wearing protective masks were seen standing in line outside polling stations in several parts of Cairo as they waited to cast their vote.

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi cast his ballot at a school in Cairo's Heliopolis district soon after voting opened at 9am. Other top government officials and high-profile figures voted early in the day including Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly and Pope Tawadros II, the head of the Coptic Orthodox Church.

Outside a polling centre in central Cairo, a female police officer handed out free face masks to voters entering to cast their ballots. Dozens of people, mostly women, lined up outside, many of whom said they only came to encourage other voters to cast their ballots.

"We should vote for the stability of our country. The country is being rebuilt and we should help in this," said 42-year-old trader Ashraf Nagy after he cast his vote, raising his voice over the patriotic songs that were blasting from loudspeakers outside the polling location.

The prime minister has called on Egyptians to take part in the vote, which he said is aimed at "bolstering democracy" and "enriching political life in Egypt," the cabinet said in a statement.

Health Minister Hala Zayed, Information Minister Osama Heikal, Trade Minister Nevine Gamea, and Irrigation Minister Mohamed Abdel-Aty were among the officials who cast their ballots early on Tuesday.

The Council of Senators will have no legislative powers and will mainly have an advisory role. It is created in place of the Shura Council, an upper house of parliament that was dissolved in 2014.

The polls are being supervised by 18,000 judges assisted by 120,000 clerks. Polling stations will be open from 9am to 9pm local time.

Chairman of the National Elections Authority Lasheen Ibrahim reminded voters earlier this week that voting is mandatory and that those who do not vote face a fine of up to 500 pounds ($32)  a penalty imposed in previous elections but has not been widely enforced.

Egypts Armed Forces and the interior ministry have put in place intensified security measures to secure the elections and ensure a "safe climate" for citizens casting their ballots during the vote, the military said.

Meanwhile, the health ministry is providing around 2,800 ambulances and around 7,000 medical staff across polling locations nationwide.

Some voters said that having little-known candidates running for seats in the chamber should not be a hurdle.

"None of those running wouldn't be good. Currently, there is a firmness in the country thanks to President [El-Sisi], and nothing happening in the country is wrong," said Ayman Nagy, 29.

New Chamber

A total of 787 candidates are competing for seats in the new legislative body, which is to be set up as part of constitutional amendments approved last year. Voting for Egyptians living abroad took place in 124 countries on Sunday and Monday.

The Senate, whose term is set at five years, will have 300 members.

Two-thirds of the members will be elected via the individual candidacy and the closed party list systems, and the rest will be appointed by the president. Women will hold a quota of at least 25 percent of the seats in the chamber.

The results of the first round of voting will be announced on 19 August. The run-off vote will take place in September.

The polls are expected to be swept by the pro-government Mostaqbal Watan (the Future of Homeland) party, which fielded the largest number of candidates. A list led by the party will seek 100 seats allocated to party lists uncontested. Mostaqbal Watan has 59 candidates on this list.

Another 100 individual seats will be up for grabs, of which 95 will be contested by Mostaqbal Watan candidates.

Authorities said polling stations had been sanitised ahead of the vote and that all areas used by voters will be sanitised again at the end of the day.

The elections authority has installed disinfection gates in front of every polling station to ensure the safety of voters against infection.

The authority said earlier this week that masks must be worn inside polling stations. It said that all those participating in the electoral process are required to wear masks and abide by social distancing inside polling stations, including the heads of polling stations, candidates representatives, media personnel and the representatives of non-governmental organisations.

Egypt has reported 95,666 coronavirus infections since the pandemic arrived in February, including a little over 5,000 deaths.

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The group - headed by Kevin Toland - warned of concern over a second wave of restrictions in some European countries

Shares in troubled Swiss-Irish food group Aryzta were up over 10pc yesterday after it saw further improvement in its revenue last month.

The rebound comes as economies around the world begin to reopen following Covid-19 lockdowns.

The company expects its organic revenue growth to be down around 18pc year on year for the month to July 25, according to a trading update.

This is an improvement on the 23pc decline in revenue growth in June, and substantially better than the 49pc fall in organic revenue growth recorded in April.

However, the group - headed by Kevin Toland - warned of concern over a second wave of restrictions in some European countries.

Aryzta, which produces the burger buns for McDonald's as well as products for Subway, said the fast food and retail business is gradually improving in Europe, but the foodservice sector is still "significantly down".

In North America, sales are improving but still experiencing volatility as some states and cities reinstate restrictions.

In Europe, only one Aryzta bakery is still fully paused compared to three at the end of April. In North America one bakery is still not operational versus five as of April 30.

Overall, the company, which is currently seeking a new chief financial officer, has around 14pc of its staff furloughed versus 30pc April 30.

Aryzta said it has maintained liquidity in excess of 415m on July 31 compared to 370m on June 25, as it focuses on cash conservation.

Jason Molins, analyst at Goodbody, said this was "an encouraging update from Aryzta as operations continue to gradually recover and its liquidity profile further improves".

Last month it was reported that Canadian bakery giant George Weston was exploring a potential deal to buy Aryzta while a proxy battle rages between its board and biggest shareholder.

George Weston is part of a business group with a focus on food and clothing - including the Penneys and Brown Thomas brands.

In July, Aryzta said a number of third parties had made unsolicited takeover approaches for the company.

The company hired investment bank Rothschild in April for a strategic review.

Chairman Gary McGann has said he will stand down if a deal has not been lined up by an extraordinary general meeting in September.
More than 20 residents voiced their opposition: reaction to the pandemic was overblown, they preferred personal responsibility and freedom to government interference and they worried about wasting police resources to enforce mask use.

One woman was escorted out of council chambers by Douglas County sheriffs deputies after not giving her name and refusing to leave the podium during the public hearing portion of the meeting.

You are violating our unalienable rights! she yelled at the council as she left.

Omaha police officials did not immediately respond to questions about how and if officers will enforce the ordinance, but violations could result in a $25 fine. Lincoln police have said they will not ticket individuals or respond to calls about someone not wearing a mask at a grocery store, but the Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department has cited businesses, including bars and a bowling alley, for not enforcing the mask rules.

The ordinance approved Tuesday incorporated several amendments that council members Aimee Melton and Brinker Harding said the measure needed to gain their support, including a smaller fine and an end date of Sept. 15, after which the council would reevaluate whether it was still needed.
A grandfather and his adult son, who are both doctors in Florida, have both died after contracting COVID-19.

Dr. Carlos Francisco Vallejo, 57, is believed to have been infected by one of his patients and five family members ended up sick with coronavirus including his wife and father Dr. Jorge A. Vallejo.

Dr. Jorge, 89, was widowed in 2005 and Dr. Carlos  an internist working on the frontlines with up to 76 patients including residents at three nursing homes  often provided his care.

Both Hialeah residents were admitted to hospital on June 27 but Jorge  a retired obstetrician and gynecologist  passed away six days later at Palmetto General Hospital, where Dr. Carlos was a board director.

Carlos  who was a father-of-three  lost his battle with the virus on August 1 after 42 days in intensive care at the Cleveland Clinic Florida in Weston.

A grandfather and his adult son, who are both doctors in Florida, have both died after contracting COVID-19

Dr. Carlos Francisco Vallejo (left), 57, is believed to have been infected by one of his 76 patients at three nursing homes. The father-of-three took care of his dad Dr. Jorge (pictured right, before his retirement), 89, and both were admitted to hospital in Florida on June 27

'We just lost basically both of our anchors of our whole entire family,' CBS4 News reporter Jessica Vallejo told the Miami Herald. 'In my eyes, [my grandfather] was the American Dream.'

Dr. Carlos was her uncle and Dr. Jorge was her grandfather. Dr. Jorge  who fled Cuba for Florida with his wife and children - delivered eight of his nine grandchildren.

He delivered the late Cuban salsa icon Celia Cruz and was also famed locally for delivering what was once the smallest baby in the US 28 years ago, at less than one pound in weight.

'It made me feel near to God,' Dr. Jorge told the Miami Herald in 1992, about delivering Baby Zascha.

Dr. Carlos' children also called him a hero, saying he took all the precautions amid the pandemic and would use his personal time to make sure patients had everything they needed.

'He really was a hero to so many people. I didn't even want him to go to the nursing home and the hospitals because I was terrified,' his 31-year-old daughter, Gisselle Vallejo, told the Herald.

'He wanted to be loyal. It was like he was available for them 24/7. He really was the true definition of a hero. I knew that when COVID started, that he was going to be a hero.'

'He really was a hero to so many people. I didn't even want him to go to the nursing home and the hospitals because I was terrified,' his 31-year-old daughter, Gisselle Vallejo (right) said

Dr. Jorge Vallejo is pictured in the hospital before he died of COVID-19 after 42 days in the ICU

Dr. Jorge delivered the late Cuban salsa icon Celia Cruz (right) and was also famed for delivering the smallest baby in the US 28 years ago

'He was just my role model. I could talk to him every day for hours,' his 23-year-old Kevin Vallejo said. 'He was such a giving doctor that if his patients were going through a hard time he would see them for free and tell them not to worry about it.'

Kevin was set to begin medical school on Monday but delayed his studies at Florida International University due to his father's passing.

Carlos' 26-year-old son Charlie said his dad took the internal medicine career path despite being offered a scholarship in the Caribbean.

'My dad was a great athlete ... he actually turned down a [sports] scholarship to study medicine in the Dominican Republic,' Charlie said.

He added about his father's great work on the frontlines: 'A lot of these patients are scared and alone. A lot of families are not able to say their final goodbyes and it's a tragedy.'

There are 20 doctors, dentists and medical students in their family.

CBS4 reporter Jessica said her family is the 'perfect example of what doctors should be ... doctors who dedicate their lives to their patients.'

Charlie told the station: 'Just like firefighters put their life on the line, we do the same going into hospitals. It's whatever you can do to heal and save your patients.'

Carlos' psychiatrist wife is hoping her sons follow in his footsteps.

'I'm going to ask God for strength so my sons can finish medical school and follow in their father's footsteps. I think that's what he'd want me to do,' coronavirus survivor Lisette Vallejo, 57, told CBS4.
Congos domestic development agency plans to let a consortium led by China and Spain build Africas largest hydropower dam project on the Congo River. The Grand Inga Project would cost over $14 billion. South Africa would be the primary market for the electricity generated. China would control 75 percent of the shares in the consortium. The deal was negotiated by former president Joseph Kabilas administration. There is a major hang up: current president Felix Tshisekedi has not approved the proposal. Tshisekedi and his advisers prefer to build a smaller hydro-electric plant that could be expanded as demand grew. China has a track record for advocating mega-projects that Chinese companies would build, and benefit the most from. (Austin Bay)

August 10, 2020: SADC (Southern African Development Community) has told the UN it has reservations about UN plans to restructure the FIB (Force Intervention Brigade) that serves as the only license to kill unit in Congo peacekeeping force. The UN is paying attention, since three SADC countries (South Africa, Tanzania and Malawi) provide troops for the unit. Allegedly the UN is considering adding forces from countries other than South Africa, Tanzania and Malawi. FIB is a highly sought assignment because soldiers get to operate like soldiers and are able to shoot back and chase down the violent militias and Islamic terrorists that make peacekeepers necessary. Normally peacekeepers operate more like security guards, showing up to protect threatened civilians or aid workers and only firing back when there is no other option. FIB troops can fire first and do whatever is needed to capture or destroy a particularly dangerous threat. The presence of FIB has made many of the warlords and violent militias less aggressive and dangerous.

August 9, 2020: In n orthwestern Congo (Equateur province) the city of Mbandaka has had at least 74 Ebola virus cases since June and 32 people have died of the disease. In early June this outbreak began with the discovery of eight confirmed cases, and four of the infected died. Mbandaka is on the Congo River, over 1,600 kilometers from the eastern Congo locations where Ebola has raged for 22 months. Mbandaka and Equateur province had an Ebola outbreak of its own in 2018. While Ebola is one of the most lethal epidemic diseases ever encounters, covid19, a much less lethal visitor from China has recently shown up in Congo. So far Congo has had 662 verified cases of covid19 per million people and ten deaths per million.

August 8, 2020: President Evariste Ndayishimiye the newly elected Burundi leader rejected an offer from Rwanda to settle a border dispute. Ndayishimiye called the offer hypocritical.

August 7, 2020: The United States imposed sanctions on the leader of a Central African Republic militia faction accused of human rights abuse and war crimes. Sidiki Abass is the leader of the CARs notorious Return, Reclamation and Rehabilitation (3R) militia which has killed thousands of civilians in the country.

August 6, 2020: In southwest Congo (Kasai region) a land dispute involving two tribes got violent and left seven dead and 17 wounded before police and tribal elders calmed things down. These disputes often start out as negotiations that stalemate and lead to anger and violence.

August 4, 2020: In southeastern Congo (Tanganyika province) Zambian soldiers withdrew from two villages after occupying them since March. At the time of the incursion one Zambian soldier and one Congolese security force member were killed. Zambia claims two of its soldiers were killed. A SADC diplomatic effort led to the withdrawal. Zambia and Congo dispute the lake and land borders between Lake Mweru and Lake Tanganyika. The major problem is a 13-kilometer long stretch.

August 2, 2020: President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda announced he will run for another term in 2021. He will have a major opponent, opposition leader (and musician) Bobi Wine who recently (July) announced he will run for president.

July 31, 2020: In eastern Congo (South Kivu province) a soldier started shooting at civilians along a road and killed at least 12 people. Investigators reported the soldier was drunk. Residents immediately began a protest that blocked the highway. Protestors appealed to peacekeepers for assistance.

July 27, 2020: In eastern Congo (South Kivu province) locals complained that the army and peacekeepers have not done enough to provide security for civilians in the province. Since July 1, armed groups (terrorists and rogue militias) have killed between 200 and 250 people in South Kivu. At least 50 people were slain in an attack on July 16.

July 24, 2020: In eastern Congo (North Kivu province) investigators found the bodies of 37 people killed during recent fighting in the city of Pinga. A violent feud between rival factions of the NDC-R (Nduma Defense of Congo) rebels took place between July 11 and July 20. Violence like this is so frequent that it is often unknown beyond where it happened for days or weeks.

July 21, 2020: In eastern Congo (North Kivu province), fighters belonging to M23 (the March 23 Movement) attacked a group of soldiers and killed three of them . Elsewhere in the east (Ituri province) 12 people were killed during an outbreak of tribal violence. The Lendu CODECO (Cooperative for the Development of Congo) militia was the aggressor and responsible for most or all of the deaths. Since 2017 similar fighting in Ituri has displaced over 500,000 people.

July 18, 2020: Rwanda held a press conference to reveal 57 Rwandans recently captured in eastern Congo and turned over to Rwanda because all 57 were known terrorists. Rwanda described five of the 57 as generals who command terror groups such as FDLR (Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda), FLN (National Liberation Front), the RUD and the MRCD (Rwandan Movement for Democratic Change). The FDLR and FLN are both associated with ethnic Hutu extremists involved in the 1994 Rwandan genocide. A counterattack by the Tutsi victims drove the genocidal Hutu factions into eastern Congo, where they have operated ever since, much to the discomfort of Congo and Rwanda and at great cost in lives to the people of eastern Congo.

July 17, 2020: President Felix Tshisekedi of Congo appointed a new army commander. General Gabriel Amisi Kumba will replace General John Numbi. Interestingly enough, both Kumba and Numbi face individual sanctions from the EU and the United States for abuse of civilians and attacking political opposition protestors during former president Joseph Kabilas administration.

July 16, 2020: The ICC (International Criminal Court) announced it will try two CAR (Central African Republic) militia leaders on war crimes and crimes against humanity charges. The trial of Patrice-Edouard Ngaissona and Alfred Yekatom will begin in February 2021.

July 15, 2020: Zambia denied accusations by Rwanda that the Zambian president had financed attacks on Rwanda. Callixte Nsabimana, who is currently on trial for terrorism in Rwanda, made that claim in a recent hearing. Nsabimana belong to the National Liberation Front (FLN).

July 14, 2020: In eastern Congo (Ituri and North Kivu provinces) former members of the local M23 militia are accused of reviving tribal feuds and escalating that to more violence. The M23 remnants have bases somewhere in western Uganda. The factions leader considers the chaos an opportunity to further weaken government control and regain some influence in eastern Congo.

July 13, 2020: In n orthwestern Congo (Equateur province) there was an outbreak of the Ebola virus outbreak with at least 48 cases confirmed so far.

In the CAR (Central African Republic), militiamen belonging to the 3R rebels killed a Rwandan soldier serving with the peacekeepers. Two other peacekeepers were wounded in the incident. Earlier (July 8) an anti-tank mine laid by 3R fighters damaged a peacekeeper vehicle.
The blockades of main roads by Bolivian workers and peasants in protest against the postponement of presidential elections are now in their 10th day as the countrys political crisis and social conflicts steadily escalate.

The widespread opposition to Jeanine Anezs de facto government is expressed in the growth of the blockades, erected at more than 100 points around Bolivia, with new social sectors joining in the cities and in the countryside. The demand for the immediate fall of Anez and the regime brought to power in a US-backed coup in November of last year is gaining increasing popular support.

The growing anger of the population is linked to the governments response to the protests, on the one hand cynically exempting itself from all political responsibility, and, on the other, promoting an escalation of threats, provocations and orders for violent repression.

In an interview with CNN on Monday night, Government Minister Arturo Murillo threatened to drown the protests in blood and to persecute his political opponents.

Mass protest against postponement of Bolivian election (Credit: ANRed)

Responding to journalist Fernando Del Rincon, who asked why he didnt carry out an immediate military intervention against the blockades, the minister said: We are trying to avoid a civil war in the country ... Youre not just going to shoot everybody [although] that would be politically correct.

If we do not reach an agreement with all those who have created this national disaster in the next few hours, then there will be no other way than to strike with the strongest hand, he concluded.

These threats are not rhetorical. Murillo lies only when he says he wants to avoid a civil war. The path being taken by the hated government in its attempt to remain in power is precisely that of violent repression against the population.

On Monday, the main Bolivian cities were militarized, with troops sent to the streets of the capital La Paz, Cochabamba and Santa Cruz. According to the government they are guarding public institutions of strategic infrastructure, like airports and gas plants and waiting for orders for a direct intervention against the blockades.

A military operation was mobilized to escort trucks carrying medical oxygen by land to different points in Bolivia. A convoy of trucks escorted by soldiers and army helicopters left on Monday to provocatively cross various blockades, even as protesters said they wouldnt block medical supplies.

However, the military is not acting alone. Since the weekend, the so-called shock groups organized by fascists, who intervened during the November coup, have been mobilized again in Cochabamba, Santa Cruz and La Paz to brutally attack the protesters.

In Cochabamba, a gang of the Cochala Youth Resistance (RJC) gathered in the neighborhood of Cala Cala and left riding motorcycles and armed with homemade firearms and sticks to clash with blockades at nine different points in the city. Fascists were joined in their actions by the police, who attacked the blockades simultaneously with tear gas grenades.

In Santa Cruz, the Crucenista Youth Union (UJC), linked to the extreme-right politician Luis Fernando Camacho, launched a brutal attack against protesters, leaving at least 23 wounded, three of them with serious gunshot wounds.

The Bolivian Public Defenders Office issued a statement condemning a kind of complicity and permissiveness on the part of the state with the violent actions of paramilitary groups that took place over the weekend.

A report published in July by Harvards International Human Rights Clinic, reporting human rights violations by the Bolivian state during and after the November coup, points to the role of such shock groups.

It states: Resistencia Juvenil Cochala (RJC) and its motoqueros appear to be the most structured and capable of violent mobilization. The RJC self-defines as a policing and control entity ready to respond to threats and vandalism. ... The RJC had roughly 150 members around the time of the October election, but by December 2020 they were believed to have over 20,000 members nationally ... They have reportedly armed themselves with clubs, homemade cannons, bazookas, Molotov cocktails, pellet guns, and firearms. Several interviewees perceived a very clear link and coordination between the motoqueros and the police force.

Over the weekend, Anez farcically called for a national dialogue meeting to confirm the election calendar and suspend the blockades that are impinging on the passage of oxygen to COVID-19 patients [emphasis added].

Absolving herself of responsibility for the successive postponements of the elections, in which she intervened actively and with the declared support of US President Donald Trump, Anez refused to discuss the matter and hypocritically criticized the Electoral Court, saying, Be serious and stop moving the date.

Although the main political actors did not attend, including the presidential candidates of Movimiento al Socialismo (MAS, the party of ousted president Evo Morales) and Corriente Ciudadana (CC), which poll the highest support, Anez succeeded in using the event as a means of promoting her violent preparations against social opposition, with the participation of the Organization of American States (OAS) and the European Union (EU) as international overseers.

The OAS, which played a central role in preparing the November coup, is supporting the de facto governments fraudulent campaign, accusing the blockades of causing a deadly crisis in relation to oxygen supplies in the hospitals.

The OAS General Secretariat charged that the demonstrators block the passage of trucks with health supplies to combat COVID-19, at a time when the pandemic has reached its peak in the South American country.

It also condemned the struggle of the Bolivian population against the hated regime that the OAS itself helped impose as a pursuit of miserable and petty interests that violate human rights and public order.

These hypocritical statements cover up the real criminals who should answer for the public health catastrophe in Bolivia: not the protesters, but the government itself.

So far, more than 90,000 Bolivians have tested positive for the coronavirus, with more than 3,700 having died from COVID-19. The countrys testing rate is, however, one of the lowest in the world.

The lack of testing not only makes these numbers a gross underestimate, it also prevents any real fight against the disease. This is exacerbated by the lack of the most basic supplies in hospitals.

The weak infrastructure is a result not only of the lack of resources in the poorest country in Latin America. The de facto government has been indicted for the fraudulent purchase of overpriced ventilators that were, moreover, useless for the treatment of COVID-19.

The precarious situation in the hospitals has been denounced by health professionals in protests that have erupted in different cities across Bolivia. They have denounced the government for not providing personal protection equipment (PPE), forcing them to buy it with their own money or to improvise with plastic bags.

These conditions have led to extremely high rates of contamination and death among health care workers, possibly the highest in the world. According to Health Minister Eidy Roca, at least 100 doctors and 100 other health care workers have died of COVID-19 in the past five months.

However, this shocking number was considered a serious underestimate by the president of the Medical Health Branches Union (Sirmes), Fernando Romero. We believe that at least 400 doctors and 400 other health care workers died nationwide. In La Paz alone we lost 100 health professionals including doctors, nurses and others, he said.

The widespread contamination of employees has led to temporary closures for decontamination of more than half of the countrys hospitals, accelerating the overcrowding of the health care system and causing incalculable numbers of deaths.

After months of a policy that allowed Bolivians to die in the middle of the streets without assistance, to be treated in precarious health centers with medicines that have no scientific validity for use against COVID-19 and to be forced to starve in the midst of inefficient lockdowns in the absence of necessary testing, the criminal government of Anez, supported by US and European imperialism, blames the deaths on the social opposition that has emerged against these disastrous conditions.

On Monday, 12 people were indicted by the government as allegedly responsible for the blockades. Among the accused are Evo Morales and the presidential and vice-presidential candidates of the MAS and Bolivian Workers Federation (COB) leader Carlos Huarachi. They are accused of crimes of terrorism and genocide.

These absurd accusations aim to criminalize all political opposition to the regime, strengthening its dictatorial power. The attack is particularly directed against the MAS with the aim of outlawing the party.

From Argentina, where he is in exile, Morales is intervening in the Bolivian political crisis in an attempt to sew up a new bourgeois alliance, which involves the actors in the November coup and their international sponsors.

Faced with the growing willingness of the masses of the population to directly confront the regime, Morales is urging the protesters to retreat and accept the terms imposed by the government and its Electoral Court.

Through Twitter, he has insistently rejected the popular demand for the fall of the regime, affirming: The leaders and the mobilized social ranks must make a responsible choice between the resignation of Anez, which will further delay our return to democracy, and early elections guaranteed by the United Nations.

And he affirmed that the only possible way to solve the tension in Bolivia is a dialogue between The Legislative Assembly, the Supreme Electoral Court and the social movements.

The path suggested by Morales is the demoralization and disarmament of the masses in the face of the fascistic threat. It would pave the way for the consolidation of a dictatorship based on the repression of the growing class conflicts under the jackboots of the military.

Unlike Morales, the workers and peasants will not be able to escape by plane; they will be forced to live the consequences of state terror, paying the price with their own blood.

The struggle that the Bolivian workers and peasants are courageously waging can find a way forward only by drawing the necessary political conclusions from the process that led to the reactionary coup in November 2019.

While it is true that the right-wing forces triumphed with the decisive support of imperialism, their path to power was paved by the deep crisis of Morales bourgeois national policies, implementing unpopular measures and attacks against the working class.

Bolivian workers must fight for their political independence from the MAS, the COB and the unions that seek to subject them to factions of the bourgeoisie. They can count only on themselves and on the alliance with the rural masses to defend themselves from the state forces and fascist provocateurs.

Above all, it is necessary to build a revolutionary leadership based on unity with the working class in Latin America and around the world, and with a true socialist and internationalist perspective advanced today only by the International Committee of the Fourth International.
A manhunt is under way for a 25-year-old man who fled COVID-19 hotel quarantine in Toowoomba, west of Brisbane.

Queensland Police Minister Mark Ryan told State Parliament that police were searching for the man, who had breached mandatory hotel quarantine.

Police Minister Mark Ryan confirmed the Toowoomba escapee in State Parliament on Wednesday. Credit:Jorge Branco

"The man returned from a NSW hotspot and was directed to hotel quarantine for 14 days. Police will allege the man has left on his ninth day in quarantine," Mr Ryan said.

"The man has, however, received a negative COVID-19 test and is not considered to be a high risk to the community.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-12 21:42:32|Editor: huaxia

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TEHRAN, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- At least 700 people wounded in the recent Beirut blasts have received medical services at Iran's field hospital set up in the Lebanese capital of Beirut, semi-official Fars news agency reported on Wednesday.

Iran's field hospital, set up in Beirut on August 8, has received some 700 people who have been offered hygiene and treatment services, Mohammad Baqeri Mohammadi, an official in Iran's Red Crescent Society (IRCS), said on Wednesday.

Some surgery operations have also been carried out in the field hospital with the efforts of medical staff who have recently been dispatched from Iran to Beirut, he said.

So far, Iran has dispatched 95 tons of aid to Beirut, including various medical items and foodstuff, Head of the IRCS Karim Hemmati was quoted as saying.

Another 60-ton cargo will also be sent to the Lebanese capital soon, he added. Enditem
Congress leader Rajiv Tyagi died on Wednesday due to cardiac arrest. Tyagi was partys general secretary and spokesperson for its Uttar Pradesh unit. Tyagi died in Ghaziabad.

We are deeply saddened by the sudden demise of Shri Rajiv Tyagi. A staunch Congressman & a true patriot. Our thoughts and prayers are with his families & friends in this time of grief, Congress tweeted.

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi, who is also party in charge for Uttar Pradesh East said Tyagis death was a personal loss to her.

The untimely demise of Rajiv Tyagi, spokesperson for the Indian National Congress, is a personal loss to me. He cannot be replaced. Rajiv ji was a warrior dedicated to ideology, Priyanka said in her tweet.

BJP leader Sambit Patra expressed shock at Tyagis demise saying he had participated in a television debate with him minutes earlier.

Cant believe that my friend and Congress spokesperson @RT For India is no longer with us. We had debated together on Aaj Tak on the 5pm show earlier today. Life is very unpredictable. I cant find words still, Patra said.

Earlier today, Tyagi had tweeted that he will appear on Hindi news channel AAJ Tak at 5pm.

NCP leader Nawab Malik, too, offered his condolences on Rajiv Tyagis demise.

Saddened to hear about the demise of @RTforIndia, National spokesperson of @INCIndia. Prayers, strength and condolences to the family and close ones in the hour of grief, Maliks tweet said.

Senior Maharashtra Congress leader Balasaheb Thorat also described Rajiv Tyagis death as shocking.

The news of the sudden demise of Congress leader Shri. Rajiv Tyagi is extremely shocking and saddening. Heartfelt condolences to his family and loved ones. May his soul rest in peace, he tweeted.

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Sarah Chase with Alan Alda and Graham Chedd (Credit: Sarah Hill) I think all of us who have worked with Sarah will boast one day that we were smart enough to choose her.

Veteran business and media executive, Sarah Chase, has been named COO and Executive Producer at Wild Billa creative content production company and commercial agencyjointly run by co-founders Samantha Hart and James Lipetzky. Chase spent much of her career working under the close mentorship of renowned actor, Alan Alda.

Alda says, Sarah has been COO of my company and executive producer of my podcast, Clear+Vivid, for the past four years, and Ive seen her skill and ingenuity in full bloom. Wild Bill is lucky to have landed her. I think all of us who have worked with Sarah will boast one day that we were smart enough to choose her.

Hart comments, In a time when so few companies are hiring, we are confident that its a valuable investment to enlist Sarah Chases immense talents. We were drawn to her enormous breadth of experience in communication-focused businesses. Her track record with Mr. Aldas company is impressivehaving helped develop and build it into a multi-million dollar entity. Sarah is an incredibly passionate and articulate woman, who immediately connected with the unique culture and spirit of Wild Bill.

Chase joins Wild Bill from Alda Communication Training Company (ACT) where she served as Chief Operating Officer. Along with Alan Alda, Chase helped develop and build ACT into a multi-million dollar company that was structured as a one-of-its-kind private-public partnership with the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science at Stony Brook University. All of ACTs profits were contributed to the Alda Center to further enhance research and innovation in STEM communication.

Chase also served as executive producer and voice-over artist for Aldas award-winning podcast, Clear+Vivid. Chase helped Alda, and co-executive producer, Graham Chedd develop the podcast for Stitcher. Chase produced over 100 episodes for the podcast, which has since had over 11 million downloads. Notable guests she worked with directly include Tom Hanks, Paul McCartney, Julie Andrews, Madeleine Albright, Tina Fey, Michael J. Fox, Judge Judy, Isabella Rossellini, and Sarah Silverman.

Its an honor to join this stellar, independent-minded team at Wild Bill, Chase said. From my first meeting with Samantha, I totally understood her vision for the future of content creation and immediately related to the creative vibe. Coupled with James directing talent, visual perspective, and story-telling passion, we will forge ahead, no matter what is happening in the world, to navigate Wild Bill into this newly emerging world of ultra-connected, authentic storytelling and purpose-driven content production.

About Sarah Chase

Sarah Chase began her career in Washington, DC as a government relations executive, before transitioning to media, marketing, communications, and business. She has worked with executive teams in the United States, Europe, and Asia to transform ideas into profitable business reality, launching several media ventures, digital start-ups, cable networks and podcasts. Chase specializes in using creative media content and storytelling to effectively outreach with the general public, policymakers, and global clients.

About Wild Bill

Wild Bill is a creative content and commercial agency specializing in real, authentic stories for nonprofits, brands, and start-ups. Founded by Samantha Hart and James Lipetzky, Wild Bill has created content for United Way, American Express, The Benjamin Marshall Society, Microsoft, and the LA-based non-profit A Place Called Home, to name a few. "License to Operate," their 2015 feature documentary about reformed gang members in Los Angeles won Best Documentary Feature at the Highland International Film Festival. The agency is now expanding its 2019 short on the life of famous Chicago architect Benjamin Marshall into a pilot for a series with producer Valerie Gobos, and Harts literary memoir, "Blind Pony" will be released this fall.

Website: http://www.wildbill.la
unlike the Federal government, the new infections in the state of Hesse to continue to fall compared to the end of last week. While for the whole of Germany more than 1000 new confirmed Covid-19 cases recorded have been, are, according to the Robert Koch Institute for Hesse, 61 to beech. On the weekend, it had been more than 100.

Thorsten Winter

business editor and Internet coordinator of the Rhein-Main-Zeitung.

F. A. Z. Twitter

also positive is the increase in the Recovering by a further 100 to 11,500 is. As the short-RKI-called Institute also reports is complain another victim of, in connection with the pandemic. The deaths add up to a total of 526 in 12.876 infections since March. This means a death toll of almost 22 Convalescent now. This is a relatively high value. About 850 infections are considered to be not over yet. In June, there were half as many. In addition, no circle and no great city without a new infection in the past seven days. Over night, the circle of Waldeck-Frankenberg, has lost in this respect, his white vest. For him the Zero last.

But only shows this finding: The pandemic is not over in the state of Hesse. A deeper look into the data of the RKI for the five major cities and 21 counties confirmed this. Alone in Frankfurt and Offenbach as well as in four districts of the start of the month-to-clear three-digit new infections are detected. 1. August 12.029 infections were known in Hesse.

For Frankfurt 2074 infections beech are currently after in 1967 on 1. August. 81 new cases recorded since then, the district of Offenbach, a total of 867. Strong also, the increase in Main-Kinzig-Kreis (plus 69) Rheingau-Taunus-Kreis (plus 63) falls. Against this Background, the lawsuit came from the circle of the house on Tuesday about a lack of testing and laboratory capacity, "for analysis, in order to cope with the expected rush". "Headache" is ready, for example, that a laboratory in Wiesbaden, which have been tested for the circle, has tentatively set his work. A further need due to the increased demand several days for the results.

The Kreis Gro-Gerau has registered 54 new infections; he has opened a few days ago, its so-called Drive-in for Corona Tests, which have contribute to the increase in Numbers. In comparison, the additional 46 infections in Offenbach work since the beginning of the month manageable. The trip returnees attributable to the increase but has enough drive for the stock from loosening important Seven-days-incidence, the new cases among 100,000 inhabitants, within a week, in the meantime, to more than 35. The critical value is 50. In view of tightened city control to comply with the Mask requirement in the public space and in the gastronomy. Train driver without a mouth and nose protection received fines. The mayor was even in train stations is a picture of the mask of morality.

A's concerns with a view to the overall situation: How the RKI, the F. A. Z. reported that it will collect data on the number of Recovering not officially. The survey was also not provided for in the law. "However, one can assume that at least in the cases where the most information has been determined, had no severe symptoms, and were not admitted to hospital, the fact that you are at the latest to recover after 14 days", - is spoken in Berlin. The RKI guess the number of Recovering.

The Ministry of social Affairs published a daily Overview of the Corona development, broken down by cities and districts. It refers to the Numbers of the RKI. Until a few days ago, it also took into account data of the Hessian land testing and Untersuchungsamts in the healthcare sector, the government Presidium of Giessen, the health agencies must report new cases. To achieve consistency, the Ministry of the RKI information.

Updated Date: 12 August 2020, 14:20
SIX MONTHS ago, the health, social and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic would have been unimaginable. Today, nearly everyone has been touched in some way by the crisis, and the last thing anyone needs is something else to worry about.

For the more than 1 in 5 working Virginians affected by the pandemic, the need for unemployment benefits has never been greater. Everyone at the Virginia Employment Commission recognizes this and continues to work tirelessly to meet demand.

Since March, VEC has implemented three new federal unemployment benefits programs, ramped up the states unemployment benefits program, processed more than 1 million initial claims and distributed more than $7.5 billion to people out of work. That includes nearly $1.5 billion from the state Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund.

Because of the unprecedented demand for unemployment benefits, the states trust fund is projected to run a deficit of $750 million by years end. Rest assured, this development will have no impact on Virginia workers ability to apply for and obtain unemployment benefits.
Official figures released on Wednesday show that the UK economy has suffered a record contraction and has officially entered into recession, confirming experts predictions about the scale of the economic damage caused during the pandemic.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) announced the UK economys fell by a staggering 20.4 per cent between April and June.

This follows a 2.2 per cent quarter-on-quarter slump in the first three months of the year, towards the end of which the UK went into lockdown.

Britains recession is much greater than that of comparable economies in Europe such as Germany and France.

When did the recession start?

It has long been known that the UK was struggling economically and was in the grips of a significant recession, with a dramatic rise in unemployment claims and in business closures seen since the introduction of lockdown on 23 March.

However, it is only with the release of the ONS official economic figures for April to June on Wednesday that the UK officially fell into recession, as the technical, commonly-accepted definition of a recession is a contraction in gross domestic product (GDP) for two or more consecutive quarters.

In other words, we are now in a recession because the total amount of goods and services produced by the UK has fallen for a total period of six months.

Some experts, including Samuel Tombs at Pantheon Macroeconomics, have blamed the governments slow response to the virus as the reason for the UKs record contraction.

The long duration of the lockdown in the second quarter, due to the governments slow response to Covid-19 in March, followed by its failure to prevent the virus from spreading from hospitals, was at the root of the economys under-performance in the second quarter, Mr Tombs said.

How bad will the recession be?

Earlier this year, the Treasurys official forecaster, the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), predicted that UK GDP could fall by a staggering 35 per cent in the second quarter of 2020.

Although the slump in the second quarter was not as disastrous as the OBRs worst-case scenario, the real figures highlight the scale of the problem Britain faces, with unemployment expected to rise sharply before the end of the year.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak said on Wednesday: Ive said before that hard times were ahead, and todays figures confirm that hard times are here. Hundreds of thousands of people have already lost their jobs, and sadly in the coming months many more will.

Some forecasts think that the number of unemployment people will rise to above the 3 million mark  a level not seen since the 1980s  and many of them are urging the government to extend its furlough scheme beyond October.

Frances OGrady, general secretary at the umbrella Trades Union Congress, said: The best way to get our economy back on its feet is to keep people in work.

Aside from the pandemic, another problem for the economy is the uncertainty over the UKs future post-Brexit trading relationship with the European Union and countries outside the bloc.

Alpesh Paleja, lead economist at the Confederation of British Industry, said: The dual threats of a second wave (of contagions) and slow progress over Brexit negotiations are also particularly concerning, underlining the need for maximum agility from government on both these issues, allowing a greater focus on the economys long-term future.

When will the UK economy recover?

It is unclear how long it will take for the UKs GDP to reach its pre-virus level.

Any recovery depends on the persistence of Covid-19 and the possibility of a second wave of infection.

After lockdown was eased in June, the British economy grew by a monthly 8.7 per cent.

The economy began to bounce back in June with shops reopening, factories beginning to ramp up production and house-building continuing to recover, said statistician Jonathan Athow.

The British government hopes that the reopening of pubs and restaurants, which happened in July, will enable the economy to start bouncing back.

However, it looks like there will be a long road to recovery.

Melissa Davies, chief economist at Redburn, said: There is a long road ahead for the UK economy to claw back its pandemic losses, all the while facing deflationary headwinds from large amounts of spare capacity and job losses.

As the furlough scheme rolls off, more stimulus will be needed to support household incomes, not least if infection numbers rise in the autumn.

Additional reporting from agencies
(Photo : Panjin Red Beach Wetland Resort Administrative Committee) Look! Stunning Aerial Photos of Panjin Red Beach Wetland (Photo : ) Red beach, Panjin, Liaoning, China. (Photo : Xiping Liu/YouTube) screenshot from Youtube video (Photo : Xiping Liu/YouTube) screenshot from Youtube video (Photo : Xiping Liu/YouTube) screenshot from Youtube video

The Red Beach is in full bloom again as can be seen in stunning photos of the Panjin City's treasure were shown in a CNN report on Wednesday, August 12.

China's Red Beach is different from Puerto Rico's Playa Caracas in the Island of Vieques, which only got its name from the navy that used to occupy it. The Red Beach Wetland has no sand and is not suitable for swimming.

Located in Panjin City in northern Liaoning Province, it is the northernmost coastline in China, which derives its dramatic colors from the seepweed that blossoms and grows on the massive mudflat in the wetland.

Panjin's seepweed, which blankets the 6,667 hectares of wetland sprout in spring, and then it blooms in amazing red color as early as July after being penetrated by alkali and soaked with saline. The seepweed is most vibrant in September and October, which carpeted the mudflat crimson red that seemed to stretch infinitely.

More than 2 million tourists every year visit the site to marvel at the unusual beach and take loads of photos, based on Red Beach Wetland Resort Administrative Committee's data. However, this is much less this year due to the pandemic that shut down China's tourism since the start of the year.

The Red Beach National Scenic Corridor has reopened in April and It includes the long stretch that was tagged by the local media as "China's most romantic leisure coastline." Meanwhile, it was given the second-highest rate for tourist attractions in China with an AAAA grade.

Red Beach National Scenic Corridor: Nature's impressive landscape

Aside from the astonishing views of the crimson beach, tourists can be entertained as well by thousands of waterfowls as well as the vast rippling sea of reeds.

Authorities also created a wooden path on the mudflat, which allows visitors to walk through the Red Beach. Among the 100 seepweeds in tidal wetlands around the world, Panjin's seepweed is unique. Called the Suaeda, this type of seepweed is rarely red.

It is also home to more than 260 different migratory bird species, which include the endangered black-billed gulls and the world's second-rarest crane, the wild red-crowned cranes.

Visitors can also experience mitten crabs, bamboo shoots, and rice, which was the official rice served in the 2008 Beijing Olympics Games. Meanwhile, tourists can use the "Funwanhao Travel Network" to purchase tickets into the scenic spot.

In April, the price tickets were sold at a discounted price of 30 yuan per ticket from the original price of 110 yuan per ticket. Tourism authorities also encourage guests to choose natural scenic areas to visit and play, instead of the enclosed tourist spots to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

Also, continuous disinfection and epidemic prevention measures are strictly observed across the Red Beach while all employees have undergone professional safety service training and epidemic prevention to ensure the safety of tourists.

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
As Portlands protests against police violence and systemic racism approach 80 consecutive nights, the location of the main action has shifted from downtown to residential neighborhoods on the east side of the Willamette River, bringing crowds of demonstrators and a heavy police force onto usually quiet nighttime streets.

People who live and work in areas where protests have taken place are not happy.

After a protest was declared a riot Saturday when a small group of demonstrators lit a fire inside the Portland police union building on Lombard Street in North Portland, police pushed protesters into the Kenton neighborhood.

In downtown Kenton, protesters used wooden items, including picnic tables and road barrier signs, to build a barricade across Denver near Schofield Street. The standoff between police and demonstrators continued past midnight.

On Reddit and Facebook, people who live in the area expressed anger about property destruction.

Lots of people worked hard to make our little neighborhood pleasant and to help the local businesses stay open, wrote Redditor WheeblesWobble in a post called Leave Kenton Alone!

Now its trashed, the user wrote. This was not a BLM protest, this was a tantrum by a bunch of entitled kids.

The writer of the post and many commenters noted that some of the damaged property was at PoShines, a Black-owned business.

The damage was to a dumpster, PoShines head chef James Bradley, said Tuesday.

What a dumpster has to do with Black Lives Matter, I dont know, Bradley said.

Bradley is Black himself and supports protest, but he believes in the power of non-violent protest, he said.

If people want to protest, he said, find your hands busy doing something for the people that youre protesting for. Theres a blueprint, and the blueprint is called the civil rights movement.

He called what happened in Kenton Saturday night tomfoolery.

Billy Burch lives near the police union building with his family.

The violence and fires have definitely disturbed my family, he said Tuesday. Having to close all of the windows so that tear gas doesnt get in isnt fun as we dont have air conditioning.

Burch also said he didnt think the current incarnation of protests supported the message of the Black Lives Matter movement. And he associates the ongoing demonstrations with a rise in violence in other parts of town.

I feel sad about the state of Portland right now in general, Burch said. If I could have family visit, I would tell them not to.

Unhappy neighbors can also be found in East Portland, where two women in their 70s ended up splashed with paint after trying to tell people vandalizing a police building on Burnside Street to stop.

But while some neighbors decry the actions of protesters, others are unhappy with the police.

In the Reddit thread, several people said it seemed like people were more interested in protecting property than human life.

Downvote me if you like, wrote user Illegalacquiescence, but as a person of color all I read and see here is white privilege asking politely that the protesters leave their insured property out of the struggle for equality and the defunding/abolition of the police.

Its an ideological battle that hasnt played out just in neighborhoods, but across the city.

Some in Portland, including the leader of the local NAACP, E.D. Mondaine, have said the Black Lives Matter movement is being co-opted. Earlier this month, Mayor Ted Wheeler and Portland Police Chief Chuck Lovell were among those who said that they support Black Lives Matter but condemn the violence of some protesters at the nightly demonstrations.

If you are a nonviolent demonstrator and you dont want to be part of intentional violence, please stay away from these areas, Wheeler said. Our community must say that this violence is not Portland, that these actions do not reflect our values and these crimes are distracting from reform, not advancing.

But during a virtual event held Sunday evening, several people involved in the nightly protests, including Demetria Hester, activist and survivor of a hate crime committed by MAX train murderer Jeremy Christian, and writer Mac Smiff, said the nightly protests were still an important vehicle for dismantling racist systems.

Well be in these streets until we can feel the change in our bodies, he said.

Sunday night, several hours after the virtual town hall, Hester was arrested near the police union building as she participated in the protest. The charges against her were later dismissed.

-- Lizzy Acker

503-221-8052, lacker@oregonian.com, @lizzzyacker

Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories.
South Africa: DIRCO to participate in virtual dialogue on guns

International Relations and Cooperation Deputy Minister Alvin Botes is expected to address a virtual dialogue on silencing the guns.

Wednesdays 2020 dialogue is hosted by the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) in collaboration with UN Women (South Africa Multi-Country Office), the Embassy of Switzerland and the Embassy of Norway.

The 2020 International Youth Day virtual dialogue on Silencing the Guns in our lifetime: Peace and Security Agenda, will take place under the theme "Youth Engagement for Global Action".

Amongst other things, the event is expected to highlight the importance of International Youth Day and mobilise young people behind the theme of the 2020 International Youth Day.

The event is also expected to recognise efforts of youth around the world in enhancing international peace, security and stability as a prerequisite for sustainable development and provide a platform for youth to bring solutions on how to harness Africas youth dividend to silence the guns in Africa, said the department ahead of the dialogue.

The United Nations (UN) Security Council Resolution 2250 (2015) on Youth, Peace and Security provides a framework for recognising and leveraging the transformative role young people play in building a peaceful world.

The resolution builds on UNSCR1325 on Women, Peace and Security adopted 20 years ago. On 23 June 2020 at its 93rd meeting, the Peace and Security Council of the African Union adopted the Continental Framework on Youth, Peace and Security.

"Furthermore, the African Union Office of the Youth Envoy and Peace and Security Department launched the Youth Silencing the Guns campaign on 29 July 2020 to put youth at the center as well as to ensure intergenerational leadership, said DIRCO.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2020-08-12. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
New Zealand is bracing for a second wave of coronavirus infections as the country records another 14 new cases.

Of the new cases, 13 have been linked to the Auckland cluster which plunged the nation back into lockdown. Just one is a returned traveller in hotel quarantine.

There are now 36 active cases in the country - a massive spike for the nation as it had just celebrated 102 days without a single case through community transmission on Sunday.

Three of the cases are employees at Americold, a cold storage facility believed to be at the heart of the outbreak. Another seven are family members of these employees.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern made the drastic move to force New Zealand back into lockdown on Wednesday after the first new COVID-19 cases emerged.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern made the drastic move to force the country back into lockdown (pictured, a barista in Auckland wearing a face mask on Thursday)

People queue outside a supermarket in Henderson, Auckland, on Wednesday after restrictions were reintroduced (pictured)

Health experts are still trying to figure out how the cluster began after the country had gone 102 days without a single case of community transmission and it seemed the country had eliminated the virus.

They are using genome sequencing - looking at the genetic material, or DNA, of an organism - to track the source of the infection.

Americold is set to undergo testing for COVID-19 amid fears the virus survived on refrigerated freight sent from overseas and then spread to staff.

One of China's top epidemiologists Wu Xunyou warned the virus could survive up to three months on frozen food packaging, adding credence to the theory about New Zealand's new cases.

A couple is seen walking along Cuba Street, in Wellington on Thursday

He issued the warning in June, after the virus was transmitted on chopping boards used for imported salmon.

'We do know from studies overseas that, actually, the virus can survive in some refrigerated environments for quite some time,' director general of health Ashley Bloomfield said on Wednesday.

'We start by looking at all the options and ruling then out, and that's the position we're in at the moment.'

Testing has not shown the virus can survive on the frozen food itself.

The race is on to track the source as the number of cases continues to grow, with a student at Mt Albert Grammar School testing positive for the disease on Thursday.

Mr Bloomfield said the student was not symptomatic at school so the chance of exposure to anyone in the school community was low.

The government has been scrambling to control the outbreak, they are rushing to test about 50,000 people by the end of the week to stop the virus from spreading further throughout the community.

On Thursday Ms Ardern said this was a reminder that this virus was tricky and can spread easily.

'We have a plan, we have acted quickly and now we'll continue to roll out that plan,' she said.

'Things will get worse before they get better.'

Auckland, the city with the largest population, was placed under Stage Three lockdown on Wednesday while testing got under way.

Nurses prepare to test people at a Covid-19 testing facility in Eden Terrace, Auckland on Thursday

A waiter wearing a mask delivers takeaway coffee to customers waiting outside Dizengoff cafe in Ponsonby, Auckland on Thursday

The move has forced families to stay-at-home for 72 hours.

The rest of the country was placed under Stage Two restrictions - mandating social distancing and limits on the size of gatherings.

All aged care facilities will close their doors to everyone but staff from Wednesday to keep those residents safe.

'This is tough for people, but it's necessary. We need to protect the most vulnerable,' Ms Ardern said.

Ms Ardern also urged residents in Auckland to wear a mask or face covering when out in public.

'If you are in Auckland, please cover your face if you leave home - masks or a bandanna is fine,' she said.

A nurse prepares to test people at a Covid-19 testing facility in Eden Terrace, Auckland, on Thursday

A young woman talks on her phone wearing a mask in front of a shop along Cuba Street in Wellington on Thursday

The new outbreak has baffled authorities who were certain the country had eliminated the virus.

Residents in Rotorua, 230km south of Auckland, have been told to remain on high alert after a woman in her 20s who tested positive as part of the family cluster visited the city for a holiday earlier this month.

She stayed at the Waiora Hotel from Aug 8-11 and visited the Skyline Gondola Luge on August 8.

Ms Ardern said those required to stay home will be notified through their employers, contact tracing or an announcement via a public platform.

Police question drivers as they head in and out of Auckland on SH1 north of Wellsford on Wednesday (pictured) amid new Stage Three lockdown

A police officer wearing a mask gets his morning coffee from The Store in Kohimarama as Auckland wakes to a return to Stage Three lockdown (pictured on Thursday)

Two women wearing face masks and carrying toilet paper walk on a street in downtown Auckland, New Zealand (pictured on Wednesday night)

HOW NEW ZEALAND's SECOND OUTBREAK UNFOLDED Four people from the same family tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday

NZ PM Jacinda Ardern ordered a stage three lockdown on Auckland and stage two for the rest of the country effective from Wednesday until Friday night

Four more 'probable' coronavirus cases were detected on Wednesday, all linked to the family cluster

Health authorities are investigating the possibility the virus was imported by freight, and picked up by one of the family members who works at a cold storage company

A ninth COVID-19 case was also detected on Wednesday, in a traveller returning from Pakistan Advertisement

Businesses and services have also been ordered to place a QR code for the COVID tracer app prominently at all entrance points within the next week.

The nation had been the envy of the world for its handling of the COVID-19 crisis, with Monday marking 101 days without a single case of community transmission.

New Zealanders had been enjoying the return of their usual freedoms after an autumn lockdown proved effective in eliminating the deadly virus.

On Tuesday night, they were told those freedoms would be put on hold.

Psychologist Jacqui Maguire said Kiwis would be experiencing a range of emotions, including 'anxiety, fear, anger and disappointment'.

'Take that disappointment and use it as motivation to stick to the rules,' she said.

'Turning away from or suppressing your emotional reactions will only intensify them.

'Hold compassion and kindness for yourself and others as you adjust, reach out and offer support to those around you.

'Take one day at a time, practise your wellbeing strategies and hold the hope that we will get through this together.'

More than 100,000 people downloaded the Covid tracer app on Tuesday night.

The Prime Minister announced during a press conference on Wednesday morning that the main weapon in her government's response would be testing.

People line up in front of a supermarket in downtown Auckland, New Zealand as lockdown began (pictured on Thursday)

People wearing face masks walk on a street in downtown Auckland, New Zealand (pictured on Wednesday night)

A man wearing a face mask is seen in downtown Auckland, New Zealand on Wednesday (pictured)

'We are taking a rapid response to break the chain of transmission through contact tracing, testing and the gathering of information,' she told reporters.

Dr Bloomfield said action needed to be swift to avoid a horror second outbreak being witnessed in other countries around the world.

'So, we have seen in other countries, and jurisdictions, like in Victoria, in Hong Kong and in Vietnam, where a resurgence occurs that it is incredibly important to act early.'
The start of a new relationship is both the best and worst time sexually for most couples.

It's when lust is at its strongest because everything is fresh and new. But it's also stressful, especially if you really like them, because you're both trying hard to impress but have no experience of your partner's body, sexual likes or dislikes.

Most of us simply take a (literal) stab in the dark, do whatever our previous partners seemed to like, and cross our fingers.

With varied success.

The truth is, most couples have their best sex between one or two months after they start doing it because it takes time to figure out what works and doesn't for the two of you.

Which is why most of the things that worry us when we start having sex with someone new, really shouldn't.

There are some obvious and definite sexual red flags you MUST pay attention to - but this certainly isn't one of them

Tracey Cox has revealed the sex issues you don't need to worry about with a new man (stock photo)

He hasn't had sex in ages

'My new man confessed recently that he hasn't had sex in two years. He's in his mid 20s and attractive. He says it 'just turned out that way'. Is this something to worry about?'

The amount of men under 30 not having sex has nearly tripled in the past decade.

We think the 'hook up generation' are having casual sex all the time but it's simply not true.

One-night-stands are the norm rather than anything to be ashamed of, young people are encouraged to explore their sexuality rather than cram themselves into the 'straight' box and information about sex is readily available.

But young people generally are less sexually active than they ever have been.

Why?

This is also the generation least likely to get on the property ladder, so privacy is an issue. If you're still living with Mum and Dad, where are you going to have hot sex with the person you just met?

The three things you DO need to worry about He's not that interested in sex. If you're not that into it either, there's nothing to worry about at all. But if your libido is strong, this is a sign his isn't. Even the lowest sex drive gets a temporary boost at the start of a relationship when everything is new. If he's not that fussed about sex now, it's only downhill from here. He's selfish. Again, we're usually at our most sexually generous at the beginning of a relationship when we're out to impress. If he's only interested in one orgasm  his  and doesn't ask what you need or want to have one, alarm bells should ring. If he's selfish in bed, he's likely to be selfish out of it as well. Be particularly suspicious of men who expect you to perform oral sex on them but refuse to reciprocate. He's forcing you into doing something you don't want to. There's an alarming number of men who watch porn and think it reflects what's actually happening in the average couple's bedroom. They see women being choked and slapped and think that's what women want them to do in real life. Some people do enjoy rough sex but lots don't. It also requires a high level of trust which takes time to develop. 'Enthusiastic consent' means unless you agree wholeheartedly with doing something with your new partner, they absolutely shouldn't go there. Advertisement

Unemployment is high, leaving lots of twentysomethings feeling stressed  another libido killer. Social media puts crippling pressure on finding, not just a mate, but a photogenic one.

Then there's porn.

For lots of men, masturbating to porn is zero effort -a far easier way to satisfy themselves than having to negotiate all of these issues.

Him not having had sex for a long period of time is no longer a red flag for all these reasons.

It might well be a clue that his desire for sex isn't extremely high (if it was, his motivation would also be high to find a solution to the obstacles). But it's just as likely sex simply hasn't been a priority for him.

What's more telling is how interested he is in having sex now, with you.

Not being able to get an erection

'I'm used to dealing with premature ejaculation the first time you have sex with someone. But my new man is having problems getting an erection. I find it a little insulting. Surely at the start, he should be massively turned on?'

Here's the thing: he probably IS massively turned on.

Just because he can't get an erection doesn't mean he isn't desperate to have sex with you.

It just means he's also desperate for everything to be perfect  which is the perfect recipe for a good old-fashioned case of performance anxiety.

The British sex and relationship expert (pictured) also reveals the red flags to look out for

The more anxious he is that everything has to be just so, the less likely it's going to be.

The first time is a big deal for lots of men: they want to impress. For most men that means having an 'acceptable' size penis, getting a strong, hard erection easily, not climaxing too quickly and having the sexual skills to bring you to orgasm.

That's a lot to worry about.

Penises don't like stress - stress narrows blood vessels. An erection happens when blood pumps into the chambers of the penis, filling them with blood to make the penis hard.

Sexual performance anxiety stops that happening efficiently.

It's also a lose-lose scenario: he's worried he can't perform, which leads to him not being able to perform, which means he's even more anxious the next time, which means he's even less likely to get an erection. And the cycle continues.

The more relaxed you are about him not getting an erection on demand, the quicker the problem is solved.

Let him know it's normal, that you aren't judging him for it, keep the focus on him pleasuring you (through oral sex, using his fingers) and his confidence will grow.

Take the focus off penetrative sex and let him know he doesn't need an erect penis to satisfy you.

A watched pot never boils and it's the same with erections: the less attention you pay to his penis, the more likely he is to get an erection.

His technique is awful and/or he's inexperienced.

'I've met a guy I really like but our first time in bed was just awful. He doesn't seem to have a clue how to give oral sex and he rushed straight into intercourse way before I was ready. I get the feeling he's both inexperience and clueless. What do I do?'

Panic not! Technique can be taught and inexperience is solved by him having sexual experiences with you.

Practise makes perfect.

So long as he's open to being given direction, there really isn't a problem.

First, try using body language to get the message across.

When he does something you like, exaggerate your response: moan loudly, move closer, kiss him harder so he can't help but get the message you like what he's doing.

If you don't like something, lift your body away from his touch or (better) redirect his hand/mouth or penis.

Technique can be taught and inexperience is solved by him having sexual experiences with you, says Tracey Cox (stock photo)

Better still, say, 'Can you do it like this? That feels great like that'.

Most men are thrilled to be given constructive, tactful feedback in bed, especially at the start when they're getting to know what you like and don't like.

He bristles at being 'told what to do' and gets horribly insulted that you dared to suggest he's anything but perfect in bed?

This IS a problem.

Not being able to talk about sex together is the strongest indicator of all that your sex life won't work.

On any level.

If your partner's not willing to discuss sex, you haven't a hope in hell of solving any sex issues you have now or in the future.

Let him know why it's a big deal to have honest, open communication  and that it's a deal breaker if he can't see that happening.

Tracey's new book Great Sex Starts at 50 is available from wherever you buy your books. You'll find her supersex and Edge product ranges at Lovehoney and traceycox.com
: Two light combat helicopters (LCH), produced by state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), have been deployed in the Ladakh sector to support the Indian Air Force (IAF) at short notice amid the border row with China along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), HAL said in a statement on Wednesday.

It is the lightest attack helicopter in the world designed and developed by HAL to meet the specific and unique requirements of Indian armed forces reflecting the crucial role of HAL in Atma Nirbhar Bharat [self-reliant India campaign], said HAL chairman R Madhavan.

LCHs figure on the governments negative import list that seeks to ban the import of 101 different types of weapons, systems, and ammunition over the next five years.

HAL, the state-run plane maker, is expecting an order for 15 LCHs by the year-end--10 for IAF and five for the army. IAF and the army together need 160 LCHs.

The deployment of the twin-engine LCH in the Ladakh sector is symbolic in nature and an acknowledgment of the potential that the platform holds but it is yet to be fully weaponised to meet the air forces requirements, people familiar with the LCH programme said.

The LCH holds a lot of promise but is not really capable of carrying out missions in its current configuration. It lacks anti-armour and air-to-air weapons. That is work in progress, an official said on condition of anonymity. The LCH is equipped with 70mm rockets and a chin-mounted cannon.

The LCH may not be carrying its full weapons load as of today but when the weapon integration is complete, it will prove its worth, said Air Marshal KK Nohwar (retd), director-general, Centre for Air Power Studies.

During a visit to the Ladakh sector last week, IAF vice chief Air Marshal Harjit Singh Arora flew in one of the two LCHs from the Daulat Beg Oldie airbase near the contested LAC.

Arora took off from a high-altitude location to a forward area for a simulated attack on a high altitude target, the HAL statement said. This was followed by a landing at one of the most treacherous helipads in the region. The LCH successfully demonstrated its quick deployment prowess to forward locations in extreme temperatures, the statement said.

LCH is a potent platform because of its state-of-the-art systems and highly accurate weapons (it will eventually carry) that are capable of hitting any type of target by day or night, it added. The two LCHs deployed in Ladakh are prototypes and the ones that will be supplied to the IAF will come with the desired weapons capability, said an HAL official, speaking on the condition of anonymity.

On the upcoming order for 15 LCHs, the HAL said, Technical evaluation and the price negotiations have been concluded and the order is expected shortly. However, as a proactive measure, HAL has launched limited series production in anticipation of orders at its Bengaluru facility.

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False: NIA official part of Pulwama attack probe had not submitted dubious bills

Top Lashkar commander gunned down with two more terrorists in Pulwama

Soldier martyred, terrorist gunned down in Pulwama encounter

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

Srinagar, Aug 12: An Army soldier has been martyred and one terrorist shot dead in an encounter that broke out at Pulwama, Jammu and Kashmir this morning.

The Kashmir Zone Police said that the encounter took place in Kamrazipora of Pulwama.

There was an exchange of fire when security forces approached an orchard at Kamrazipora early on Wednesday.

Encounter breaks out at Kulgam

The soldier was injured in the initial exchange of fire and later succumbed. On AK-47 assault rifle along with grenade, pouches and other war like stores were recovered from the encounter site.

Chinese firms raided | I-T dept raids Chinese companies & more news | Oneindia News

The encounter took place a day after the security forces arrested five persons including a Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist. A large cache of weapons was recovered from Kupwara never the Line of Control.

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Wednesday, August 12, 2020, 9:21 [IST]
Bengaluru violence: Congress condemns, CM Yediyurappa promises ruthless action against culprits

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

New Delhi, Aug 12: As massive violence broke out in Bengaluru over an alleged inciting social media post, DK Shivakumar, the president of the Karnataka unit of Congress, criticised it, calling it derogatory. He also condemned the violence and said that no one should take law into their own hands. He has called for an emergency meeting of Congress legislators and assured support to the state government.

Bengaluru violence over Facebook post | Stone pelting & arson in city | Oneindia News

Taking to Twitter, Shivakumar wrote,"I condemn the violence that has happened in Bengaluru. No one must take law into their own hands. The Government must take strict and exemplary action against the person who made the derogatory social media post as well as those who indulged in rioting and arson.''

Bengaluru: Section 144 imposed in city after three dead in violent clash over social media post

He also said that a meeting of all Congress's Bengaluru MLAs has been conveyed at 12 noon at the party office to discuss the matter.

''I have called a meeting of our legislators at 12 o'clock today. I have spoken to our CLP leader Siddaramaiah, we will give full support to government to maintain peace and harmony,'' Shivakuma said.

Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh sought a probe into the source of the social media post which triggered the unrest in the city. "I strongly condemn Communally Provocative Offensive Post on Social Media which resulted in violence in Bengaluru. I appeal to all to remain calm and peaceful. Police must find out the source from which the Post originated rather than taking cognisance of only those who shared it," Singh said.

Bengaluru police commissioner Kamal Pant said,''Three people have died. Around 60 policemen injured, they've sustained stone injuries. Police vehicles were damaged & set on fire. A group entered a basement area where 200-250 vehicles were set on fire. Investigation on.''

Watch: Irate mob goes on a rampage in Bengaluru

''Now, situation is completely under control. Curfew imposed in DJ Halli & KG Halli police station limits & Section 144 imposed in remaining city. We are getting some companies from RAF, CRPF & CISF, to join our security arrangements,'' he further said.

Meanwhile, Chief minister BS Yediyurappa condemned the violence on Twitter, saying ruthless action will be taken against those who are found taking law into their hands. He also said that those who attacked police, media and the public will not be spared. He appealed for calm.
Technavio has been monitoring the global flexitanks market size and it is poised to grow by 7.97 million units during 2020-2024, progressing at a CAGR of almost 36% during the forecast period. The report offers an up-to-date analysis regarding the current market scenario, latest trends and drivers, and the overall market environment.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200811005092/en/

Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Flexitanks Market 2020-2024 (Graphic: Business Wire).

Technavio suggests three forecast scenarios (optimistic, probable, and pessimistic) considering the impact of COVID-19. Please Request the Latest Free Sample Report on COVID-19 Impact

Frequently Asked Questions-

At what rate is the market projected to grow during the forecast period 2020-2024?

Growing at a CAGR of almost 36%, the market growth will accelerate during the forecast period.

Growing at a CAGR of almost 36%, the market growth will accelerate during the forecast period. What is the key factor driving the market?

Growing demand for edible oil in Asian countries is one of the key factors driving the market growth.

Growing demand for edible oil in Asian countries is one of the key factors driving the market growth. Who are the top players in the market?

Hinrich Industries, JF HILLEBRAND GROUP AG, MYFlexitank Industries Sdn Bhd, Neoflex Logistics Services Industrial Packing SA, Philton Polythene Converters Ltd., Qingdao LAF Packaging Co. Ltd., Rishi FIBC Solutions Pvt. Ltd., SIA Flexitanks, Sun FlexiTanks, and Techno Group are some of the major market participants.

Hinrich Industries, JF HILLEBRAND GROUP AG, MYFlexitank Industries Sdn Bhd, Neoflex Logistics Services Industrial Packing SA, Philton Polythene Converters Ltd., Qingdao LAF Packaging Co. Ltd., Rishi FIBC Solutions Pvt. Ltd., SIA Flexitanks, Sun FlexiTanks, and Techno Group are some of the major market participants. Which region is expected to hold the highest market share?

APAC region is expected to hold the highest market share.

The market is fragmented, and the degree of fragmentation will accelerate during the forecast period. Hinrich Industries, JF HILLEBRAND GROUP AG, MYFlexitank Industries Sdn Bhd, Neoflex Logistics Services Industrial Packing SA, Philton Polythene Converters Ltd., Qingdao LAF Packaging Co. Ltd., Rishi FIBC Solutions Pvt. Ltd., SIA Flexitanks, Sun FlexiTanks, and Techno Group are some of the major market participants. To make most of the opportunities, market vendors should focus more on the growth prospects in the fast-growing segments, while maintaining their positions in the slow-growing segments.

Flexitanks Market 2020-2024: Segmentation

Flexitanks Market is segmented as below:

Application Industrial Food Chemical Others

Geography APAC North America Europe MEA South America



To learn more about the global trends impacting the future of market research, download a free sample: https://www.technavio.com/talk-to-us?report=IRTNTR43987

Flexitanks Market 2020-2024: Scope

Technavio presents a detailed picture of the market by the way of study, synthesis, and summation of data from multiple sources. Our flexitanks market report covers the following areas:

Flexitanks Market size

Flexitanks Market trends

Flexitanks Market industry analysis

This study identifies the cost advantages of using flexitanks as one of the prime reasons driving the flexitanks market growth during the next few years.

Flexitanks Market 2020-2024: Vendor Analysis

We provide a detailed analysis of around 25 vendors operating in the flexitanks market, including some of the vendors such as Hinrich Industries, JF HILLEBRAND GROUP AG, MYFlexitank Industries Sdn Bhd, Neoflex Logistics Services Industrial Packing SA, Philton Polythene Converters Ltd., Qingdao LAF Packaging Co. Ltd., Rishi FIBC Solutions Pvt. Ltd., SIA Flexitanks, Sun FlexiTanks, and Techno Group. Backed with competitive intelligence and benchmarking, our research reports on the Flexitanks Market are designed to provide entry support, customer profile and M&As as well as go-to-market strategy support.

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Flexitanks Market 2020-2024: Key Highlights

CAGR of the market during the forecast period 2020-2024

Detailed information on factors that will assist flexitanks market growth during the next five years

Estimation of the flexitanks market size and its contribution to the parent market

Predictions on upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior

The growth of the flexitanks market

Analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information on vendors

Comprehensive details of factors that will challenge the growth of flexitanks market vendors

Table of Contents:

Executive Summary

Market Landscape

Market ecosystem

Market characteristics

Value chain analysis

Market Sizing

Market definition

Market segment analysis

Market size 2019

Market outlook: Forecast for 2019 2024

Five Forces Analysis

Five Forces Summary

Bargaining power of buyers

Bargaining power of suppliers

Threat of new entrants

Threat of substitutes

Threat of rivalry

Market condition

Market Segmentation by Application

Market segments

Comparison by Application

Industrial Market size and forecast 2019-2024

Food Market size and forecast 2019-2024

Chemical Market size and forecast 2019-2024

Others Market size and forecast 2019-2024

Market opportunity by Application

Customer Landscape

Geographic Landscape

Geographic segmentation

Geographic comparison

APAC Market size and forecast 2019-2024

North America Market size and forecast 2019-2024

Europe Market size and forecast 2019-2024

MEA Market size and forecast 2019-2024

South America Market size and forecast 2019-2024

Key leading countries

Market opportunity by geography

Volume driver-Demand led growth

Market challenges

Market trends

Vendor Landscape

Vendor landscape

Landscape disruption

Vendor Analysis

Vendors covered

Market positioning of vendors

Hinrich Industries

JF HILLEBRAND GROUP AG

MYFlexitank Industries Sdn Bhd

Neoflex Logistics Services Industrial Packing SA

Philton Polythene Converters Ltd.

Qingdao LAF Packaging Co. Ltd.

Rishi FIBC Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

SIA Flexitanks

Sun FlexiTanks

Techno Group

Appendix

Scope of the report

Currency conversion rates for US$

Research methodology

List of abbreviations

About Us

Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focuses on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200811005092/en/

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US Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar (L) speaks as Taiwan's Deputy Premier Shen Jong-chin (R) listens during a visit of a mask factory in the Wugu District in New Taipei City on Aug. 12, 2020. (Pei Chen/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Health Secretary Azar Contrasts Taiwan and Chinas Pandemic Response During Taiwan Visit

TAIPEI, TaiwanU.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar directed more criticism toward the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) over its mishandling of the coronavirus outbreak, on the final day of his four-day visit to Taiwan.

Compared to Taiwans transparent information-sharing, the Chinese regime showed failure to share viral isolates from the initial [COVID-19] cases; the failure to disclose rapid human-to-human transmission; failure to disclose asymptomatic transmission; failure to allow in external experts to learn about the disease, said Azar on Aug. 12, hours before he and his delegation departed Taiwan.

Azar made the remarks during a telephone briefing with journalists that was hosted by the U.S. State Department of States Asia Pacific Media Hub in Manila.

Speaking with journalists across the Indo-Pacific region this morning about our visit to #Taiwan. The US and Taiwan share the belief that free and open societies are best equipped to combat infectious disease threats. @eAsiaMediaHub pic.twitter.com/nrU6YC7bqM  Secretary Alex Azar (@SecAzar) August 12, 2020

COVID-19 is a disease caused by the CCP virus, commonly known as the novel coronavirus. The virus originated from the central Chinese city of Wuhan in late 2019 but Chinese authorities hid the outbreak from the public, holding back key informationsuch as the viruss capability to spread among humans.

In late December, Beijing silenced eight doctors, among them ophthalmologist Li Wenliang, when they disclosed on Chinese social media about the new form of pneumonia spreading in Wuhan. Li was later reprimanded by police for his actions.

China could haveand should havedisclosed more information, more transparently, and more cooperatively regarding COVID-19, Azar said.

He also pointed to Beijings pressuring of the World Health Organization (WHO) to stop other countries from adopting border controls and travel restrictions during the early stages of the pandemic. The move, according to Azar, resulted in the virus being spread to Europe, and travelers in Europe then spread the virus to the United States.

At a WHO briefing on Feb. 4, WHO head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus had advised countries against imposing travel restrictions, saying they unnecessarily interfere with international travel and trade.

Tedros added: Such restrictions can have the effect of increasing fear and stigma, with little public health benefit.

Azar applauded Taiwan again, one day after he made similar remarks during a speech at a local university, for standing in contradistinction to the conduct of the Chinese Communist Party when fighting the outbreak.

He said he hoped Taiwan could be included in international platforms so that other countries could learn from the island states public health expertise.

Currently, Taiwan is not a member of the WHO due to opposition from Beijing, who sees the island as a part of its territory and thus claims it could represent the island at the world health body.

Taiwan has earned international plaudits for containing the spread of the virus. As of Aug. 12, Taiwan, with a population of about 24 million, has 481 confirmed COVID-19 cases and seven deaths, despite its close proximity to mainland China.

Azar said he and Taiwanese officials also discussed bilateral trade issues, but did not elaborate on details.

Taiwan has long expressed interest in signing a bilateral trade agreement with the United States. U.S. goods and services trade with Taiwan topped $94.5 billion in 2018, according to data from the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR).

In July, Sen. Cory Gardner (R-Colo.) urged USTR Robert Lighthizer to begin trade talks with Taiwan.

Azar added that he told leaders of the islands private sector and government that Taiwanese companies could invest in the United States to manufacture personal protective equipment (PPE), such as masks.

The United States experienced a shortage during the initial stages of its local epidemic, due to lack of domestic manufacturing and Chinas dominance in PPE production.

Before leaving Taiwan on Wednesday, Azar visited a local mask manufacturer. He also paid respects to late Taiwan President Lee Teng-hui at a memorial in Taipei, leaving the following words on the memorial wall: President Lees democratic legacy will forever propel the U.S.-Taiwan relationship forward.

Lee, known as the father of Taiwans democracy, passed away on July 30.
Operation Lotus' failure in Rajasthan was defeat of 'political perversity', says Shiv Sena

India

oi-Ajay Joseph Raj P

Mumbai, Aug 12: The failure of "Operation Lotus" in Rajasthan was the defeat of "political perversity", Shiv Sena said on Wednesday. This comment came days after a meeting between Congress leaders Sachin Pilot and Rahul Gandhi signalled an amicable resolution of the Rajasthan political crisis.

Shiv Sena's mouthpiece 'Saamana' said Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot performed "an operation on 'Operation Lotus' and taught the BJP a lesson".

'Operation Lotus' refers to the alleged attempts by the BJP to engineer defections from other parties in the state governments.

Only natural for MLAs to be upset says Ashok Gehlot

Chinese firms raided | I-T dept raids Chinese companies & more news | Oneindia News

In a sarcastic comment, Shiv Sena said, "Even in Maharashtra, the early morning operation had failed. At least now, the BJP should learn a lesson. The new date of operation in Maharashtra by some fake doctors is September."

The editorial was apparently referring to the hush early morning ceremony held last year at the Raj Bhavan where BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis was sworn in as Chief Minister after his party and the Shiv Sena fell out over the issue of sharing the chief ministerial post.

Rajasthan crisis: CM Ashok Gehlot slams BJP, says it is trying to topple the government

Shiv Sena later tied-up with the NCP and Congress to form government in Maharashtra.

Also, the Shiv Sena alleged that the BJP is busy trying to destabilise governments in states not run by the party, as if all other issues being faced the country do not exist.

It also said that, with Congress leader Sachin Pilot agreeing to work in the party's interest after meeting Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Gehlot has saved his government after a month long impasse.

On Tuesday Sachin Pilot said he has not demanded any post from the party and there should not be any vendetta politics, as he returned to Jaipur nearly a month after his revolt against Gehlot.

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Wednesday, August 12, 2020, 13:46 [IST]
The first batch of the Russian vaccine against COVID-19 is expected to be released within two weeks, Health Minister Mikhail Murashko said on Wednesday.

IMAGE: A scientist dilutes samples during the research and development of a vaccine against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) at a laboratory of BIOCAD biotechnology company in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Photograph: Anton Vaganov/Reuters

On Tuesday, the Russian health ministry registered the first coronavirus vaccine in the world.

The vaccine, named Sputnik V, was developed jointly by the Gamaleya Research Institute and the Russian defence ministry.

"Within two weeks, the first batch of the vaccine will be released," Murashko said at a press conference.

"The vaccination will be voluntary anyway. Some of those doctors who already have immunity against the coronavirus, there are around 20 per cent, ... think they do not need vaccination, it will be up to them to decide," Murashko assured.

While covering Russians' needs is a priority, the vaccine could also be exported abroad, the health minister added.

"The vaccine certainly has some export potential, and we will certainly offer it [to foreign countries], but the domestic market needs are our priority," Murashko said.
The 29-year-old with an address at New Road, Crossmaglen, Co Armagh will be sentenced on October 12th.

Brendan Grehan SC for the prosecution told Mr Justice Michael White that the is obliged to impose a life sentence for murder and as the jury found him guilty of capital murder he must specify that Brady serve not less than 40 years.

With the verdict returned the trial judge lifted an embargo on what he had called "the most outrageous" contempt of court he had seen in his career. It emerged during the trial that a video of one witness giving a statement about Aaron Brady to gardai was circulated on social media with text calling the witness a "rat" and accusing him of "touting" on his friends. The witness in question did not come forward to give evidence. He was one of five witnesses who did not give evidence in a trial during which there were repeated claims that witnesses were suffering interference and intimidation.

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The jury returned to Court 19 in the Criminal Courts of Justice at 12pm on Wednesday having spent 20 hours and two minutes considering their verdicts since last Thursday. Sitting at the back of the court, Garda Adrian Donohoe's sister and two brothers sat patiently as the jury filed into the courtroom. His wife, Caroline Donohoe, sat alone in the body of the court, two rows in front of her relatives.

In the dock

Brady, who was wearing a grey suit and red tie, sat in the dock staring straight ahead. His father and sister were the only members of his family in court as the verdict was read out and sat together directly behind him.

As the guilty verdict was announced, Brady hung his head and stared into the distance. He closed his eyes for a moment but made no reaction as the judge thanked the jury for their dedication to the case. His face was pale as the reality of what he had just heard sunk in.

The brothers and sister of the late detective became emotional and wept silently.

When the jurors left the courtroom, Mr Justice Michael White said the court would rise for 15 minutes. Within seconds, Brady left the dock and walked to the cell area without engaging with his father or sister, who have both been with him throughout the trial. Brady's legal team then followed him into the holding area.

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As the courtroom began to empty out, Caroline Donohoe embraced the two solicitors for the State. She looked relieved as she touched fists with Detective Inspector Martin Beggy. One of the brothers of the late detective wiped away tears as he spoke to gardai within the confines of the court and the prosecution barristers.

Whilst groups of people gathered outside the courtroom, Brady's father and sister sat alone in their seats in the courtroom gathering their thoughts. Moments later, the defence team was seen sitting with Brady's family at the back of the court to discuss the outcome of the case. Brady's sister could be heard crying during the brief conversation.

Family members of the detective and supporters of the family looked relieved.

No reaction

When Mr Grehan told the trial judge that he was obliged to impose a life sentence with a minimum of 40 years, Brady listened intently but gave no reaction.

Last Monday Brady was found guilty of involvement in the robbery that led to Det Gda Donohoe being shot dead. Brady's father was in court at the time and shook his head in disagreement as the jury left court to continue their deliberations on the first count. Before Brady returned to the holding cell that day, he embraced his father in a big hug. However, there was no such reaction from Brady today.

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Brady had denied capital murder and said he had no involvement in the robbery at Lordship Credit Union on January 25th, 2013 that resulted in the detective's death.

The prosecution used circumstantial evidence to prove that Brady was involved in stealing a Volkswagen Passat used by the raiders as a getaway car and to block the entrance to the credit union car park just as employees were preparing to leave with the day's takings followed by a garda escort. They also pointed to lies Brady told to gardai when he was questioned one day after the shooting and ten days later when he visited Dundalk Garda Station to give a voluntary statement.

"Practised liar"

In his closing speech to the jury Lorcan Staines SC described Brady as a "practised liar". He said the prosecution case was a circumstantial one and that each piece of evidence on its own could be considered no more than coincidence. He added: "It's your personal tolerance when coincidence is put on top of coincidence until there comes a point that it is an affront to common sense that all these little things are coincidence."

To prove that Brady was the shooter the prosecution introduced the evidence of Molly Staunton and Daniel Cahill who said they heard Brady confess that he "shot a cop" or "murdered a garda" on multiple occasions after Brady moved to New York following the shooting.

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Brady took the stand in his defence and told the jury that he was loading cubes of laundered diesel waste onto the back of a trailer when the robbery happened. He insisted he had nothing to do with the robbery and said that he lied to gardai to cover up his involvement in diesel laundering.

The jury did not accept his testimony and found that he was one of four raiders who jumped over the wall of the credit union just as the Passat blocked the car park entrance.

Brady pointed an automatic or pump action shotgun at Detective Garda Donohoe and fired a single shot to the head from about six feet away, killing him instantly. The jury's verdict shows that they were satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that when Brady pulled the trigger he not only intended to kill or cause serious injury but he also knew he was shooting a member of An Garda Siochana acting in accordance with his duty.

122 days and 139 witnesses

The jury began hearing evidence last January in a trial that was expected to last four months but suffered major delays due to the Covid outbreak and lengthy legal argument in the jury's absence.

Ireland Long read: Aaron Brady boasted I shot a cop Read More

The court has sat for 122 days and the jury heard from 139 witnesses over the course of 28 weeks, making this the longest murder trial in the history of the State. During the trial it emerged that gardai had trawled through thousands of hours of CCTV footage and generated tens of thousands of documents during the investigation. Gardai claimed privilege over 50 statements taken during the investigation on the grounds that to reveal them to Brady could result in a threat to the lives of individuals. Mr Justice Michael White examined the documents and upheld the claims of privilege on the grounds set out by gardai.

Inspector Mark Phillips and Detective Garda Jim McGovern of the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation flew to New York on several occasions and worked with the US Department of Homeland Security to find witnesses who would testify to having heard Brady admit to the murder after he fled to America from Belfast Airport on a British passport about two months after the murder.

Only Molly Staunton and Daniel Cahill came forward to give evidence of having heard Brady's confession. Four others who gave statements to gardai alleging they heard Brady make similar confessions did not give evidence in court. The evidence of another witness who said he heard someone who said his name was Aaron Brady confess to killing a garda in a bar after a wedding was ruled inadmissible by the trial judge Mr Justice Michael White.

Mr Justice White will preside over a sentence hearing on October 12 when he will hear evidence relating to the robbery conviction and capital murder. The maximum sentence for robbery is life while the minimum for capital murder is 40 years.
Weather Alert

.An arctic cold front will move across the region on Wednesday, causing rain to change to snow Wednesday afternoon and evening. ...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 4 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 6 AM CST THURSDAY... * WHAT...Mixed precipitation expected. Total snow accumulations of one to two inches and ice accumulations of a light glaze. * WHERE...Portions of southwest Indiana, western Kentucky and southern Illinois. * WHEN...From 4 PM Wednesday to 6 AM CST Thursday. * IMPACTS...Plan on slippery road conditions. The hazardous conditions could impact the evening commute, especially along the Ohio River. The transition from rain to a wintry mix and snow may not occur closer to the Tennessee border areas until after 7 PM CST. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS...The combination of gusty winds, falling temperatures and wind chills, and falling snow will cause hazardous travel. Freezing of residual moisture on roads from rain earlier Wednesday could also cause some icing of roadways. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Slow down and use caution while traveling. &&
An advocate for marginalized voices with a passion for empowering youth, J.Elle has worked as a preschool director, middle school teacher, and high school creative writing mentor. Her debut fantasy novel, Wings of Ebony, is due from Denene Millner Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, in February 2021. The book marks the first YA acquisition for editorial director Denene Millners eponymous imprint, which focuses on titles by African American authors and illustrators for readers of all ages. We asked J.Elle and Millner to interview each other about the forthcoming book, whose cover is revealed here for the first time, and the joy of celebrating Black girl magic.

Denene Millner: When I read the first pages and your star, Rue, grabbed me by the throat, I knew Wings of Ebony was going to be a special book. It read like something that Id never experienced before, and I knew it needed to have its place in our world. Im super proud its the first YA novel on my imprint.

J.Elle: Can you believe this is where we are? Not only with the book but in the world? The year 2020 has been a decade in and of itself. And Wings of Ebony is quite relevant to the times. Is it my inner eternal optimist or are more listening now?

Millner: The protesting, the acknowledgement that Black lives do, indeed, matter, and the changes that have come this time around in response to the international uproar have definitely surprised a lot of us, but weve still got a long way to go. Its definitely a moment we wont soon forget, and its got to be documented. I think we as creatives are charged with answering the challenge, and you certainly did that with Wings of Ebony, a story that not only insists Black Lives Matter, but shines a light on how we been knowing this. Your main character, Rue, certainly understands this; its what makes her fight. Its what makes us all fight. On that note, why did you choose YA fantasy as the genre for portraying a powerful Black teen girl? Is it easier in fantasy to explore tougher themes?

J.Elle: I tend to like books that have real-world issues front and center, but I realize fantasy can be a more palatable place for some readers to do that. Ultimately, I want my books to spark tough conversations. To inspire change. There will always be commentary in my books, weightier topics I want to challenge teens to consider because they are the next generation up to the plate. They will rebuild this world brick by brick. I truly believe that. I wrap contemporary elements in a fantastical story, so I can explore topics more head on, but while teens grapple with these weightier topics, they are also inspired and encouraged by the metaphorical, magical what-ifs. Readers will finish Wings of Ebony and have had an unflinching look at the reality of racism. But they will also have reconciled that disgusting truth with how powerful we are in the face of that injustice, how we are change makers that will be reckoned with.

Millner: I can feel the flames from Rues fingers in your words. Rue is unapologetically strong in a way that isnt typical for a Black character, particularly in a YA fantasy. Why did you decide to paint her with the same brushstrokes of, say, a Katniss? I mean, from the beginning, Rue is brave, strong and ready to walk through walls.

J.Elle: When have we been allowed to have a Katniss? A Beatrice? As mainstream and as celebrated? We havent. And that didnt sit right with me. This is a layered answer, though, because there were many things I considered when crafting Rue. I was a teacher in a former life, and I had many students who wore armor. Its natural for all of us to guard ourselves, but one of the amazing talents of a good teacher is the ability to peel back a kids layers, to see the vulnerable person underneath and treat them accordingly. Black children are too often expected to be tough, to grow up fast. When do they just get to be kids? When do their tears move mountains? Does the world even see their tears? Hear their nightmares? Or is it an expectation in America that Black kids will suck it up, chin up, and deal with it? If the world doesnt see our kids tears, how will it empathize with their pain?

But flip that for a second. If we get too strong, too hard-nosed, were out of line. When we start bucking up against things too much, then we need to be contained. So, Rue is what you get after dismissing a peoples pain for so many years. I built her fearless, resilient, and stronga pillar of un-breakability.

Everything the world expects of Black girls but is terrified for us to be.

And then... I peel back her layers. I give readers a look inside Rue, what makes her tick, the richness of her love for her people, her servant heart, her vulnerability. The narrative moves at an action-packed pace and readers will find themselves face to face with the raw humanity of this Black girl who feels pain, knows hurt, cries herself to sleep. Readers then must see her as human. And, by extension, us. And (hopefully) treat us accordingly.

To teens who fall in love with Rue, Id say this: know that your shoulders are no stronger than anyone elses and the world doesnt have the right to sit on them. Know, too, that its okay to fall apartto not be perfect. The world only sees your dust jacket, but I know we have to flip through the pages to even begin to touch the complexity of your richness. Its hard to talk about this. Im so glad you cant see my smeared mascara and tissues. Rue is strong, but she is also incredibly vulnerable and soft.

Millner: Thats the passion I see in your words. Its honest and shines on the page. Dont hold that back, ever. You mention your work as a teacher. Can you talk a little about how your passion for education, empowering young voices, and your regard for Black heritage and legacy influenced your writing?

J.Elle: I often think of how we pass through this world with the opportunity to leave a mark and my biggest takeaway is always how big of a role adults play in the impressions we leave on our youth. Teens are the next up to the platethe future lawmakers, movers and shakers. Teaching really cemented this for me. My middle school students are in college now and they still remember things I taught them. Not the academic stuff, but the nuggets in between, life wisdoms, hacks for navigating friendships, how-tos of using their voice. We are shaping the future of this world and we should do it with intention and great care. Writing is the tool I use for that.

In terms of my heritage: my eyes glazed over in history classes for years in school. I mean my eyes glazed over in most classes. Just being honest. Teens, you feel me on this, right? But where I started to sit up and pay attention is when I looked at what I wanted to do to make money. I took inspiration from people who looked like me and came from where I came from. The further back I dug the more inspired I became. In the words of Queen Bey, Black is King! Our history is so rich. To teens, Id say, Look beyond the history books schools bring in. Utilize that library card. Google is free. Read. Read. Read. I mean... you could have had a magical aunty or something. Never know. You better look. *wink*

Millner: Amen to all that!

J.Elle: I just wanted that contagious excitement of discovering where I came from to really come through in Wings of Ebony. I want kids to be inspired by their roots and want to get to know them. Really knowing who you are combats everything we hear in the media about our communities.

Millner: You talk a lot about community in Wings of Ebony and in real life, you talk all the time about its importance to you. How did growing up in an inner-city neighborhood inspire you to use your words to paint inner-city communities as places full of magic and power?

J.Elle: First off, the term hood has been weaponized against my community and Im taking it back. In Wings of Ebony, Rue is from a fictitious neighborhood called East Row; its modeled after where I grew up, in the Third Ward of Houston, the same neighborhood where George Floyd went to high school. My neighborhood is a tapestry of found family, deeply rooted love, togetherness, loyaltywhere my mom, sisters, the fam still live, and where you can get the best BBQ and turkey legs on the southeast side of Houston periodt (the t is intentional). I wanted to immerse readers in that experience. Interestingly, right this second, our countrys leadership is rolling back community desegregation legislation and saying its doing so to save people from having to mix and mingle with people who are literally corralled into inner-city communities. Its not unintentional that Rue is trying to get back to her home the entire book.

Millner: This speaks directly to what I mean by the importance of literature speaking to reality; the words help us to see whats real. Us. They help us recognize our humanity. Because that doesnt always feel like its the case in these times, when administrations do things like roll back the very laws meant to at least try to give us parity. Try to recognize our humanity. This is precisely why we do what we do. One of the things I loved was your exploration of magic in this book, but not just in Rues physical abilities. As part of a larger story you examine the magic of a neighborhood, her community, and the people who live there. Whyd you do that?

J.Elle: So many hold a magnifying glass to my community and come away with a severely limited vocabulary on what they see. And from growing up as a young reader of fantasy books, painting inner-city communities as magical is near and dear to my heart. So often exploring fantasy as a kid meant being whisked away to faraway Eurocentric worlds. But what about showing kids in the inner-city magic that lives right here? I wanted to see my corner store in a book, the magic of intergenerational families like mine on the page, meals that are nostalgic to me in a story, the many facets of my experience growing up in a predominantly Black inner-city communitynot what people assume from the outside or what the media tends to portray, but what its really likecentered in a narrative.

Can you imagine what that does to the psyche of a kid? Seeing their community, which is berated so often, described as magical? Its formative and my entire passion. Theres a lot of talk about implementing change right now. And one thing Id love to see is a shift in the nomenclature around communities like mine. If you think the kids who live in these places are not paying attention, youre mistaken. They are listening. Watching. Pick different words. I choose magical.

Millner: I also really dig that you intentionally feature non-Black characters who are or learn to become allies to Rue and her community. Why was it important for you to include this aspect in your novel?

J.Elle: We cant talk about impacting racism without talking about allyship and privilege. In Wings of Ebony it was important for me to create a story and plot that readers were engaged in, characters that were fun to root for, ones you love, ones you hate, ones that make you swoon. But amid all the fun, the reality of these fictional relationships is that they can be mirrors to our world. I have never lived in a time where more conversations about allyship have garnered such national attention. But will the significance of the discussion be lost when the headlines fizzle out? I hope not and Im very cautiously optimistic.

When the headlines change, we still have to fight to keep these conversations centered in classrooms, around dinner tables, in work meetings. Communities outside the Black community have to continue to seek out literature as a tool to spark thoughtful dialogue about how deeply rooted racism is in our country and how authentic allyship is a necessary part of the change process. Ive read some colleges are instituting mandatory course readings around privilege. I want this content to find its way into K-12 classrooms, as well. And if not at the district level, I hope teachers can find resources on their shelves, such as Wings of Ebony, to explore these topics with their students. Im just so thankful to even have the opportunity to give this story to kids. Thank you, D. I know I say it all the time, but thank you for seeing me and what this book could be.

Millner: Oh, for sure. And thank you for trusting me with your work. It speaks directly to the mission of Denene Millner Books, which is to celebrate the everyday humanity of Black children and families. And Im so proud to have Wings of Ebony on my list.

J.Elle: Listen: I cant tell you how cool it is that Simon & Schuster brought on an entire imprint to elevate Black voices, specifically for Black children. Youve published so many of my favorite books omg! My kids flip when they see another DMB book in my house. Derrick Barnes Crown: An Ode to a Fresh Cut is *chefs kiss.* Wings of Ebony is your debut YA release for your imprint; have you always wanted to publish YA novels?

Millner: Not at all! I mean, Ive written YA before, so I have mad love for the age category, of course. But I got into this with the intention of focusing on my favpicture books. Still, Wings of Ebony just did it for me.

J.Elle: Well, yay for me! What was it about Wings of Ebony that piqued your interest?

Millner: Lets see: theres a super strong, magical Black girl, Black gods, a secret world of magical Black people, cute boys, dope friends, a tight-knit Black community that fights to be seen and heard and held, and a Black author who created this Black world because she loves Black people and sees the humanity. This one was a no-brainer, Babe.

J.Elle: Yaaasss!

Millner: Now tell everybody what youre doing to get us all ready for Rue and the release of Wings of Ebony.

J.Elle: In conjunction with this cover reveal, Ive officially unveiled my Wings of Ebony website, which is full of goodies: from Street Team sign ups, SWAG, pre-order links, and resources for educators, it has it all! Check it out.

Millner: I cant wait for the world to meet Rue!

J.Elle: Gimme a virtual hug. You da best.
Xiaomi has unveiled the worlds first mass-produced transparent OLED TV  the Mi TV LUX Transparent Edition.

The launch comes as part of the companys 10th anniversary celebrations, which also saw it launch several new smartphones.

The Mi TV LUX Transparent Edition features a 5.7mm-thin 55-inch OLED panel that mimics a plain piece of glass when switched off.

When turned on, the TVs pictures appear to be floating in the air, Xiaomi claimed.

To accomplish this, the TV is equipped with Xiaomis AI Master Smart Engine, along with a MediaTek 9650 custom-made TV chip.

This combination provides 20 optimisation algorithms and dedicated optimisation for five major use scenarios, which enable the TV to intelligently adjust the image.

Specifications

Unlike conventional TVs, the display does not employ a back panel to produce images, but instead, all of the processing units required are embedded in its round base stand.

The panel boasts a 150,000:1 static contrast ratio and infinite dynamic contrast ratio, which Xiaomi said offers rich blacks and unmatched brightness.

With 93% DCI-P3 colour spectrum support, the 10-bit panel can produce 1.07 billion colour combinations.

Additionally, the Mi TV LUX boasts a 120Hz refresh rate and 120Hz MEMC technology for smoother and clearer motion representation.

Xiaomi claimed the display achieves a 1ms fast response rate, which is optimal for gaming with low latency input.

Pricing and availability

The Mi TV LUX Transparent Edition will be available in China from 16 August, with a price tag of 49,999 yen (R126,290).

Given that Xiaomis TV products are primarily aimed at the Chinese market, it is unlikely to come to South Africa or other territories outside of that country.

Below are images of Xiaomis Mi TV LUX Transparent Edition OLED display.
GLENVILLE  A years-long federal criminal investigation of a Glenville gun store, Target Sports Inc., was revealed last week when U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agents raided the business that's located on Route 50 near the Schenectady County Airport.

"ATF was there conducting an investigation. ... We're conducting a criminal investigation," said Senior Special Agent Mark Meeks, the resident agent in charge of the ATF's Albany field office. "Im sure that in a short time we will be able to say something more publicly."

The business is a federally licensed firearms dealer.

Two people briefed on the investigation, which began in 2017, said it's focusing on the store's business dealings, including firearms purchases and sales, and the ownership of the business, including the federal firearms license holder for the business.

Steven A. Borst, 63, who has identified himself as a manager and owner of the store, said he was "not interested in discussing it" and hung up the telephone on Wednesday after being asked about the ATF raid. Borst, who has a residence in Montgomery County, is listed as the gun store's chief executive officer in New York corporation records.

It's unclear who holds the store's federal firearms license and the ATF declined to provide that information.

"Were conducting an ongoing investigation related to that FFL (federal firearms license)," said Eric Murray, a spokesman for the ATF in New York. "Theres no threat to public safety as it relates to that investigation. ... No theft or loss, and no inventory loss at this time."

Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years.

Law enforcement officials said the federal criminal investigation is unrelated to an October 2017 burglary at the store. In that case, two men, Christian Roman and Jose Fontanez, were later convicted of federal charges for stealing more than 40 firearms and a large amount of ammunition during the break-in.

Roman was sentenced to 12 years in prison and Fontanez was sentenced to more than 11 years in prison.

Their accomplices, Omar DeJesus and Onic Martinez of Amsterdam; Dalmary Morales of Schenectady and Juan Saez of Rochester also pleaded guilty for their roles in the case. Morales was sentenced to 57 months in prison. DeJesus and Martinez were both sentenced to 10 years in prison. Saez's sentencing is scheduled Oct. 5.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Aug. 12, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Newcore Gold Ltd. (TSX-V: NCAU) (the "Company" or "Newcore") is pleased to announce the commencement of an 8,000 metre Reverse Circulation ("RC") drill program on the 100% owned Enchi Gold Project ("Enchi or the Project") located in Southwest Ghana.



Highlights on the Enchi Gold Project

Newcore has commenced an 8,000 metre Reverse Circulation drilling program focused on testing extensions of the existing 1.1 million ounce gold Inferred Mineral Resource Estimate (37.4 Mt grading 0.9 g/t) 1 at Enchi (see news release dated November 6, 2019 for full details)





at Enchi (see news release dated November 6, 2019 for full details) The program is comprised of 8,000 meters in approximately 60 RC drill holes at 6 separate areas on the Enchi Project including testing gold targets that are not currently in the Inferred Resource





Enchi's current Inferred Resource remains open for further resource expansion along strike and to depth. Numerous, additional high priority gold targets exist on the 216 km 2 property





property An updated Mineral Resource Estimate to include 3,400 meters of drilling completed in 2017-2018 on the Enchi Gold Project is currently in progress and is scheduled to be completed in Q3 2020





Past work at Enchi has included RC and diamond drilling (52,385 m in 646 drill holes), resource estimation and a Preliminary Economic Assessment ("PEA") study (NPV Pre-Tax 5%: US$206 million and Post-Tax US$130 million using US$1,560/oz gold 2 ), (see news release dated November 6, 2019 for full details)





), (see news release dated November 6, 2019 for full details) Newcore has implemented COVID-19 protocols for the drilling program

Luke Alexander, Newcore Gold's President and CEO commented, "We are extremely excited to be back on the ground drilling at Enchi for the first time since 2018. The 8,000 m drill program is focused on expanding the current inferred resource as well as testing new gold targets within our extensive 216 km2 land package. With its district scale potential, we view exploration at Enchi as an opportunity to create significant value for Newcore Gold shareholders."

2020 Enchi Drill Program

The 2020 RC drill program has commenced. The work will include approximately 60 holes totalling 8,000 metres. Targets are primarily step out extensions and exploration drilling on the Boin, Sewum, and Nyam Deposits. Additionally, drilling will be directed at two new zones outside of the Inferred Resource; Kojina Hill and Kwakyekrom, and one gold anomaly which has never been drilled, Nkwanta.

All zones represent high priority targets based on geological, geochemical and geophysical surface work and previous trenching and drilling.

A total of 5,400 metres (>65% of the program) will be directed at extending the existing deposits at Boin, Sewum, and Nyam including down-dip extensions and holes targeted to expand the zones along strike.

An added 2,000 metres (25% of the program) will be testing previously drilled zones with prior gold intercepts including 37.0 metres grading 1.34 g/t Au at Kojina Hill, and 22.0 metres grading 0.94 g/t Au at Kwakyekrom3.

First pass drilling will also be completed on the Nkwanta Anomaly, a 2.5 kilometre by 1.5 kilometre gold-in-soil anomalous zone which has no previous drilling.

Several additional kilometre-scale surface anomalies have been defined on the Enchi Gold Project. Further exploration in 2020 will include prospecting, geochemical sampling and trenching.

The Chirano Mine, owned by Kinross Gold, is located 50 kilometers to the north of the Enchi Project and in 2019, produced 201,296 ounces of gold equivalent. Enchi is situated on the same regional structure as Chirano with comparable geology, alteration and mineralization.

Enchi Gold Project - Updated Resource Estimate 2020

Newcore has contracted independent engineering firm WSP Canada to complete an Updated 2020 Mineral Resource Estimate on the Enchi Gold Project.

Drill results from the 2017-2018 as well as a number of other previous drill holes not included in the 2014 Inferred Resource estimate will be included in an updated Mineral Resource Estimate which is in process and scheduled to be completed in Q3 2020.

Covid-19

Newcore's first priority is the health and safety of all employees, contractors, and local communities. The Company is following all Ghana guidelines and requirements related to COVID 19. The Company has implemented COVID 19 protocols for the 2020 drill program consisting of the mandatory use of personal protective equipment including facemask for all employees, maintaining social distancing and frequent hand washing, as well as daily temperature checks at the start of each shift.

Mr. Gregory Smith, P.Geo, the Vice-President of Exploration of the Company, is the Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101, and is responsible for the accuracy of the technical data and information contained in this news release.

About Newcore Gold

Newcore Gold is advancing its Enchi Gold project with a current 1.1 million ounce gold Inferred1 Resource (37.4 million tonnes grading 0.90 g/t Au) located in Ghana, Africa's largest gold producer. Newcore Gold offers investors a unique combination of top-tier leadership, who are aligned with shareholders through their 39% ownership, and prime district scale exploration opportunities. Enchi's 216 square kilometre land package covers 40 kilometres of Ghana's prolific Bibiani Shear Zone, a gold belt which hosts several 5 million-ounce gold deposits, including Kinross' Chirano mine 50 kilometers to the north. Newcore's vision is to build a responsive, creative and powerful gold enterprise that maximizes returns for shareholders.

Newcore Gold Website - www.newcoregold.com (http://www.newcoregold.com)

Investor Presentation - www.newcoregold.com/investors/presentation/ (http://www.newcoregold.com/investors/presentation/)

Please get in touch at info@newcoregold.com (mailto:info@newcoregold.com) if you would like to discuss Newcore Gold in more detail.

On Behalf of the Board of Directors

Newcore Gold Ltd.

"Luke Alexander"

Luke Alexander

President, CEO & Director

For further information contact: Luke Alexander

+1 604 484 4400

info@newcoregold.com (mailto:info@newcoregold.com)

www.newcoregold.com (http://www.newcoregold.com)

1 Notes for Inferred Mineral Resource Estimate:

1. CIM definition standards were followed for the resource estimate.

2. The 2014 resource models used ordinary kriging (OK) grade estimation within a three-dimensional block model with mineralized zones defined by wireframed solids.

3. A base cut-off grade of 0.5 g/t Au was used for reporting resources with a capping of gold grades at 18 g/t.

4. A US$1,300/ounce gold price, open pit with heap leach operation was used to determine the cut-off grade.

5. A density of 2.45 g/cm3 was applied.

6. Numbers may not add exactly due to rounding.

7. Mineral Resources that are not mineral reserves do not have economic viability.

8. Technical Report and Update Resource Estimate on the Enchi Gold Project. Issue Date: July 15, 2014 with Effective Date: March 17, 2014. Prepared by Todd McCracken, P.Geo, of WSP Canada Inc. The author is independent of Pinecrest Resources and a Qualified Person ("QP") as defined by National Instrument 43-101.

2 Notes for Preliminary Economic Assessment:

1. The PEA is based upon the Company's current Mineral Resource Estimate for the Enchi Project reported in 2014 and detailed in National Instrument 43-101 Technical Report with an effective date of March 17, 2014. The PEA demonstrates the potential viability of mining the Inferred Mineral Resources in an open pit, heap leach mine with heap leach feed material trucked from three proximal deposits (Boin, Nyam, Sewum) to a central crushing and process facility. The processing of 3.0 million tonnes per year of heap leach material would result in the production of gold dore.

2. Mineral resources that are not mineral reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability

3. The PEA includes an initial capital cost of $72.7 million, a contingency of $11.8 million (20% of direct costs); sustaining capital of $38.6 million including a contingency of $5.3 million and reclamation and closure costs of $18.3 million.

4. The Financial Model was completed on a 100% Project basis and includes a 5% NSR to the Ghanaian Government and a 2% NSR to Red Back Mining Ghana, a subsidiary of Kinross Gold.

5. Gold recoveries of 75% for oxide and transitional and 73% for sulphide were utilized.

6. Cash cost includes all operating costs, royalties, refining charges, environmental monitoring, tenure fees as well as general and administration costs. Cash cost excludes any capital cost, either initial or sustaining and closure and remediation costs.

7. Numbers may not add exactly due to rounding.

8. The PEA is preliminary in nature, and it includes inferred mineral resources that are considered too speculative geologically to have the economic considerations applied to them that would enable them to be categorized as mineral reserves. Mineral resources that are not mineral reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability. There is no certainty that the PEA will be realized.

9. Technical Report and Update of the Preliminary Economic Assessment on the Enchi Gold Project. Issue Date: January 27, 2016 with Effective Date: June 30, 2015. Prepared by Todd McCracken, P.Geo, Joanne Robinson, P.Eng., Mireno Dhe Paganon, Eng., Bruce White, Pr.Eng., Jean-Sebastien Houle, Eng. of WSP Canada Inc. All QP's are independent of Pinecrest Resources and Qualified Persons ("QP") as defined by National Instrument 43-101.

3 Notes for Drill Hole Intercepts:

1. Intervals are core lengths / true width are estimated to be 70-90% of lengths

2. Length weighted averages from uncut assays.

3. All drilling completed by independent contractor

4. All drilling samples sealed on site and delivered directly to independent lab Intertek Mineral Limited located in Tarkwa, Ghana for preparation and 50g Fire Assay with AAS finish.

5. QA/QC procedures include industry standard inclusion of standards, blanks, and duplicates in all sample batches.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Statements



This news release contains certain forward-looking statements, Any statements that express or involve discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance (often, but not always, using words or phrases such as "expects" or does not expect", "is expected", anticipates" or "does not anticipate" "plans", "estimates" or "intends" or stating that certain actions, events or results " may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and may be "forward-looking statements". Forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties which could cause actual events or results to materially differ from those reflected in the forward-looking statements.



Safe Harbor Statement under the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: Except for the statements of historical fact contained herein, the information presented constitutes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements including but not limited to those with respect to the price of gold, potential mineralization, reserve and resource determination, exploration results, and future plans and objectives of the Company involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievement of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.




A girl from the Ewenki nationality in Hulunbeier city, north China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region, is serving not only as a national sunflower handicraft production talent, but is also taking the lead in helping local herders get rid of poverty.

Uran tells her stories to reporters. (Photo/cctv.com)

Uran has been living on the the grasslands since she was young. After graduating from high school, she was assigned to work at a dairy factory in her hometown. In 1995, Uran was elected as a model worker of the autonomous region. However, the dairy industry was experiencing a slump at that time. As livestock farming provided the main source of revenue for Urans family, their income was extremely unstable.

In 2005, when grasslands started to become fashionable as tourist destinations, Uran became a tour guide. She began to use her handmade sunflowers as decorations for Mongolian yurts, and would often wear sunflower ornaments.

Sunflower ornaments.(Photo/cctv.com)

Why cant we sell these sunflowers? Not only can they help spread the ethnic culture of the Ewenki nationality, they can also increase our income, Uran asked herself.

Uran said that although she had never gone to art school, she diligently studied how to make their most popular sunflower ornaments. Furthermore, Uran led several herdsmen women to produce semi-completed products of these sunflowers, which she would sell to tourists after re-processing.

Sunflower ornaments.(Photo/cctv.com)

In 2010, after carrying out thorough market research, Uran decided to develop her handicraft business and recruit more local people. After raising 600,000 yuan (about $86,400) in funds, Uran set up a studio dedicated to the production of Ewenki nationality sunflower ornaments.

Sunflower ornaments.(Photo/cctv.com)

Starting with simple sewing patterns and progressing to innovative designs, Uran has now made a success of her sunflower ornament business. To date, she has participated in 30 to 40 fairs at home and abroad, making the handicrafts of the Ewenki nationality popular among more and more people.

A local girl introduces an sunflower ornament. (Photo/cctv.com)

Uran has become an inheritor of her traditional culture. Whats more, her studio has grown from a small handicraft workshop into a company, helping local herders get rid of poverty and become more prosperous.

Local children lean to make sunflower ornaments in Urans workshop. (Photo/cctv.com)
From rural towns to major metros, protests for black lives have swept the country in the wake of George Floyds horrific death at the hands of Minneapolis police. But none sustained the way they have in Portland, Oregon, which on Tuesday reached its 75th consecutive night of protests.

Even in a city known for its activist spirit and progressive politics, the recent protests over racial justice and policing represent unique circumstances.

Last month, after federal agents surrounded Portlands downtown justice center, nightly protests intensified. As the hours grew later each evening, the front lines of the crowd pressed forward with walls of umbrellas and homemade shields, while the feds fired pepper balls and deployed teargas and rubber bullets to disperse protestors.

Every morning, the headlines chronicled the tit-for-tat violence, with national news featuring glimpses of the scene: speeches by Black Lives Matter activists, the festival-like atmosphere of volunteers handing out Riot Ribs and making art, and the Wall of Moms linked arm in arm to take the first round of teargas.

As the marches continue, local Christian leaders have weighed how or whether to get involved. Many care deeply about standing for black lives, yet the protests are complex and the goals and tactics of the participants vary widely.

The violencestoked by a fewis real, but so is the dancing, music, kindness, and courage. Add in the concerns of some about the ideology of groups like Black Lives Matter and the moral ambiguity of joining a crowd of thousands to protest in the middle of a global pandemic, and many find themselves caught in a conundrum: How ought Christians fight for justice for the marginalized and oppressed in this complicated moment?

Even as the news turned to the controversial revival led by Bethel musician-turned-politician Sean Feucht last weekend, Portland Christians are still grappling with how they will answer the biblical directive to do justice on behalf of the city they call home.

Protest

Eric Knox, an African American pastor, has attended protests across the city since June, joining some of the kids he mentors through his nonprofit, HOLLA.

I decided to go out there about a month ago to support them and see it for myself, and I was quite impressed, said Knox. Im trying to fan that flame in them to take back their narrative and fight for something that they and we really care about: leveling the playing field, dealing with systemic oppression, and dealing with the police brutality that impacts our community.

Though the vast majority of Portland protestors are peaceful, Knox acknowledges that a violent minority is presentthe sort that throw rocks and firecrackers at federal agents or scrawl Die Pigs in graffiti on the side of the courthouse. Yet to him, the need to stand against injustice trumps the actions of a few extremists.

Theres always fringe groups in any kind of movement, said Knox, who began his social justice work in Portland in the 90s with an organization called Urban Progress. Its striking to me that white evangelicals are saying: Dont label all police officers as bad when theres just a few bad apples out there. And yet they will turn around and label the whole protests based on [the actions of] a few looters and rioters.

The way Knox sees it, a gospel-driven response to protests like these requires American Christians to learn to embrace nuance and live in complexityfollowing Jesus in movements that stand with the oppressed and marginalized, even when those movements are messy.

You have to pick and choose what parts of the protest you want to be a part of: what parts you align with and what parts you dont, what parts are redeemable and what parts arent, said Knox.

Ive been in the crowd right by the federal building and saw [other demonstrators] throw firecrackers. Ive even seen them burn Bibles there.  And to be honest with you, I understood. If I looked at the kind of Christianity today thats sutured to white supremacy and power and empire, and that was the best representation that [I as] a minority could experience, Id burn a Bible too, he added.

But to counter that narrative, Id much rather be a Jesus follower out there saying: Christianity is way more subversive than you think.  The kingdom of God always starts on the margins, with the poor, the maligned, the oppressed. Thats where [it] breaks in.

In Portland, where the African American population is less than half the national average (6% compared to 13%), white Christians have joined protests and demonstrations led by black activists. Orange-clad dads carry leaf-blowers to push back tear gas. Kindergarten teachers wear bike helmets to guard against rubber bullets. They hold homemade signs.

Ashley Perlbergs read, Lets not forget the narrative: BLACK LIVES MATTER. Last month, she was going to three or more protests a week, joining the Wall of Moms wearing yellow. The Christian mom of three acknowledged that while as a white woman, she cant understand everything her Black neighbors in Portland are going through, she can show up to support them and do her part to change the narrative.

Im out here to be an example [to my kids]; to show them that if youre going to love and follow Jesus like we say we do in my family, then this is what that means, said Perlberg. Im trying to teach them what it looks like to stand up.

Image: Varina Shaughnessy

Prayer

Fellow Christian may share the same desire to fight against the injustice in their community, but take a different approach. Keith Jenkins, an African American pastor at East Hill Church in Gresham, Oregonjust outside of Portlandhas not participated in or attended the recent protests. But he hasnt been silent either.

The whole idea of a protest is to bring light to an issue, in this case injustice and inequality with the African American experience in America, said Jenkins. I had to make a choice whether to be on the front end, where the protest was happening, or on the back end, where policies and systemic change was happening.

Just as Jenkins was mulling over what to do, the mayor of Gresham invited him to join him and other community leaders for conversations with city hall and the police bureau.



With those invitations, I was actually already inside, able to navigate what we really want to do, which is dismantle systems that continue to oppress people and lock them out, Jenkins said. I was already where I wanted to be.

A few weeks back, Jenkins organized a non-political prayer walk through downtown Portland with several area churches. With tear gas still lingering in the morning air, Christians laid hands on the Justice Center and Courthouse, they prayed for police officers and protestors, they cried out to God for peace and healing for their city.

Standing there, looking at the aftermath of another nights protest, he was not happy with what he saw. He cared so deeply for the cause, but how did any of this move things forward?

The biggest thing that I hear from people [in the church] is that they dont like Black Lives Matter as an organization, he said. Neither do I. My faith and that organization do not line up. Not to mention that Im a 10-year veteran in the United States Marine Corps  so I didnt like Colin Kaepernicks protest with the flag, because Ive had friends come back in coffins draped in that flag. But at the same time, although I did not like the form of his protest, I was in solidarity with the substance of it. Likewise with Black Lives Matter.

Again, the complexityJenkins figures that the vast majority of people now saying Black lives matter are not affirming an organization, but rather the value of black bodies. Yet, he worries that even that narrative has become convoluted in the protests, intermingled with the agenda of Antifa or with that of Portlanders more concerned with federal overreach than racial justice.

All of that is true, and yet it still shouldnt stop the church from pursuing justice, loving their neighbor. That doesnt change, Jenkins said. Listen, the world has always been messy.  When you start thinking of the civil rights movement, youve got to think through all of the different organizations [that participated], the Black Panthers, the Nation of Islam, Martin Luther Kings camp.

Everybody had a different philosophy, ideology, and a different part to play in this bigger narrative. And so, I have to be careful about being overly critical about things that I think arent helpful, he said. I just want to be an advocate for the gospel, for equality for image bearers.

No Easy Answers

Some Christians, deterred by the violence, have avoided the downtown protests and organized peaceful, family-friendly marches and rallies in their neighborhoods instead.

Others, skeptical of the lack of a unified message or the protests ability to create tangible change, have remained silent for now. Some focus on self-examination and education, starting books clubs on biblical justice and studying Americas bloody history of racialized violence. Christian critics question the movement altogether, considering the protestors rabble-rousers, Marxists, or anarchist agitators.

Even as the protests begin to die down, America is still at an inflection point, and Portlands experience may just be a microcosm of a national conversation that has only just begun.

We humans like our stories simple and clean, but the world is rarely like that. Portlands protests certainly arent, nor is the larger movement. And for Christians seeking to love their neighbor well, there are no easy answers.

Christians across traditions can agree that Gods Word is clear: We are called to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God. We are to imitate Jesus by standing with the marginalized and oppressed.

Yet, what that looks like in a city whose streets linger with teargas night after night, whose protestors offer conflicting goals or messages for their demonstrations, is far less clear. It can be inspiring and infuriating and terrifying at the same time, and like Knox said, to faithfully engage, the church must learn to grapple with nuance.
The former politician is immersed in extradition proceedings in the United States, as he has been a fugitive from Peruvian justice since 2017.




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In the midst of crummy news seemingly everywhere, we have one that's thoroughly heartwarming. A Hyundai dealer in Brazil has gained worldwide fame after adopting a stray dog and bringing him into the dealership as a "car consultant" to spend time with the sales staff and customers.

According to Brazilian news outlet A Gazeta, the manager of Prime Hyundai, Emerson Mariano, found the dog a couple of months ago. Another Brazilian news agency, ES360, reports that the manager started giving him food, water and shelter, and as the dog stuck around, he and the staff became fond of him. That led to the manager adopting him permanently, and he named him Tucson after Hyundai's small crossover. Tucson is apparently about a year old, and he has been taken to the vet for all his necessary shots.

Since becoming part of the Prime Hyundai family, he has received a variety of dapper accessories including ties and a piece of a tuxedo, along with his own employee badge. He spends the day at the dealership, where the employees recently put together his very own doghouse. He has an Instagram account that has over 124,000 followers, but more important, it also has photos of him at the dealership. A Gazeta also noted that he will be featured in some advertising. Mariano also told ES360 that he was happy to give Tucson a home, since he has noticed a lot of pets becoming homeless in the wake of the pandemic. We're happy Tucson found a home, too, one that seems to love him quite a bit.

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Around 1.35 million jobs have been destroyed in Spain since the start of the coronavirus crisis six months ago. Millions of lives are being shattered as the ruling class escalates its assault on jobs, wages and conditions.

According to the Spanish National Statistics Institute (INE), 1,074,000 of these jobs were lost in the second quarter of 2020 alone, between April and June. This is the largest quarterly fall in employment in Spain since records began in 1976, far exceeding the 770,899 jobs lost in the first three months of 2009, after the global financial crash. In April to June this year, 11,800 jobs were lost on average every single day in Spain.

This employment massacre comes after around 285,000 workers lost their jobs in the first quarter of 2020, as the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak began to make itself felt in Europe and lock-down measures were initially put in place. Spain went into lock-down on March 16 and ended all its coronavirus restrictions on June 22 with its declaration of the new normal, before re-imposing some local confinement measures in July as COVID-19 cases spiked.

A further 1 million workers are still furloughed under the Podemos-Socialist Party (PSOE) governments ERTE scheme, with these workers officially considered employed. With this scheme set to come to an end in September, and many of these jobs now existing only on paper, the unemployment rate will likely rocket up again in the autumn.

The services sector has been by far the worst hit, losing 816,900 jobs in the second quarter. Industry lost 127,000, with construction (-108,700) and agriculture (-21,400) also severely impacted.

Cataloniathe region worst affected by the coronavirus pandemic in terms of total cases, and second worst in terms of total number of COVID-19 deaths, after Madridlost the greatest number of jobs, at 223,700. At least a further 25,000 jobs are known to be at stake in Catalonia, with car-maker Nissan planning on closing its Barcelona auto-factory. Andalusia, one of Spains poorest regions, saw a decrease of 198,100 jobs, with the Madrid region also losing 184,000.

Spain now has the highest official unemployment rate in the European Union (EU) according to statistics agency Eurostat, at 15.6 percent, followed by Greece (15.5 percent), Latvia (10.1), Cyprus (9.8) and Sweden (9.3). Across all of the EUs 27 member states, Eurostat estimates that over 15 million people are now jobless, with a total unemployment rate of 7.1 percent.

Youth unemployment (for workers under 25) in Spain is also the highest in the European Union, standing at a staggering 40.8 percent in June, far more than double the EUs average (16.8 percent). This is again followed by Greece on 33.6 percent, Sweden (28.7), Italy (27.6) and Luxembourg (26.7).

Globally, 16 percent of young people were out of work between February and May due to the effects of the coronavirus pandemic, according to the International Labour Organization (ILO). Young people who were lucky enough to keep their jobs saw their working hours fall 23 percent. Young people in employment were also more likely work in jobs that leave them vulnerable, such as low-paid occupations, informal sector work or as migrant workers, said the ILO.

The pandemic has dealt a devastating blow to workers in Spain, whose pay and working conditions had already been degraded by decades of relentless attacks. Short-term contracts, low pay and underemployment proliferated in Spain even before the outbreak of coronavirus. According to the ILO, from 2009 to 2017, real wages fell by around 3,200 per person per year.

In 2019, 5.2 million workers in Spain were underemployed and wanted to be working more hours than they were currently contracted to do22.2 percent of the working population. Many other workers had only short term contracts, with only six percent of the contracts signed in 2019 being indefinite. More than one in three short-term contracts was for a duration of less than a week. Nearly one in three people (28.27 percent) were working three or more contracts at a time.

The impact of the coronavirus pandemic has further accelerated these trends towards poverty-pay, precariousness and unemployment. Intermon Oxfam estimates that 700,000 people will fall into poverty this year in Spain. There are now 1.15 million families in Spain in which all of the members are unemployed, an increase of 7 per cent on the first quarter of this year and the largest increase in familial unemployment since 2012.

Official unemployment figures are themselves highly misleading. While millions of jobs have been destroyed and hundreds of thousands are falling into poverty, the Spanish government reported a rise in unemployment of only 55,000 in the last quarter, bringing the official number of unemployed in Spain to 3.4 million.

Not only are workers furloughed under the ERTE scheme counted as employed, but workers who lose their jobs are required to be actively looking for work to be classified as unemployed. But due to confinement measures during the pandemic and widespread closures of businesses, over 1.6 million Spaniards were unable to look for work for months. They were therefore classified as inactive, not unemployed.

In fact, according to the INE, only a third (35 percent) of the working-age population were actually working in the second quarter, or 13.9 million people, pointing to the scale of the social catastrophe hitting the working class. In this period, the Spanish government registered 18.6 million people as being employed. This means around 4.7 million fell under the radar and were unable to work for other reasonsbeing on ERTE, being absent due to sickness or being self-employed workers who had to close their businesses. This brings the true number of jobless workers to over 8 million.

In July, Spains labour minister, Podemos member Yolanda Diaz, stated that the government intended to extend the ERTE furlough scheme beyond its current September cut-off date for the sectors worst hit by the pandemic: tourism, aviation, maritime, leisure and culture. It would not make sense to undertake this gigantic, unprecedented effort in the Spanish economy [to preserve jobs], she said, and then just let things fall away.

Diaz has reportedly also asked Brussels for a 20 billion funding package from the EUs SURE (Support to mitigate Unemployment Risks in an Emergency) programme to help finance the ERTE scheme.

Diazs promises are worse than meaningless. Already the Spanish government has laid out plans to steadily cut back on furlough payments from 70 percent of workers wages to 35 percent by September, or to 25 percent for workers in companies with more than 50 employees. Any proposed extension to this scheme would still leave vast swathes of the working class with almost nothing.

In an indication of the cynicism of the PSOE-Podemos governments supposedly unprecedented effort to save jobs, in March Diaz claimed that Madrid would enact legislation to keep companies from taking advantage of the health crisis to lay off [their employees]. Four months later, over a million jobs have been lostsomething Diaz declared impossible under her plans.

The ruling class in Spain and internationally is sitting atop a social powder keg, as protests and strikes grow against these historic attacks on workers living conditions and jobs. Having advocated a criminal, anti-scientific policy of herd immunity, forcing workers back into factories and offices to die in the service of their profit-making, the financial aristocracy is slashing jobs with just as little concern for workers lives.

The most explosive situation is emerging in America, where support payments for workers are being suspended this month, threatening tens of millions with hunger and eviction. Already this year protests against police violence that began in the United States spread like wildfire across Europe and worldwide, indicating the explosive social conditions internationally.
Britains Heathrow Airport renewed its call for COVID-19 testing at airports on Tuesday as it reported an 88% plunge in July passenger numbers due to ongoing restrictions on travel which it said were strangling the UK economy.

Heathrow, which is owned by a group of investors including Spains Ferrovial, the Qatar Investment Authority and China Investment Corp, said 60% of Heathrows route network remained grounded, requiring passengers to quarantine for 14 days on arrival.

Despite thousands of Britons holidaying overseas after months of lockdown, the government has already reimposed quarantine on arrivals from Spain, Luxembourg, Belgium, the Bahamas and Andorra.

Last week finance minister Rishi Sunak said the government would not hesitate to add more countries to its quarantine list when asked whether France could also join it.

However, Heathrow believes airport testing of passengers could safely keep routes open and restart others to help the UKs economic recovery.

Tens of thousands of jobs are being lost because Britain remains cut off from critical markets such as the U.S., Canada and Singapore," said Heathrow CEO John Holland-Kaye.

The government can save jobs by introducing testing to cut quarantine from higher risk countries, while keeping the public safe from a second wave of COVID."

Over 860,000 passengers travelled through Heathrow in July - down 88% on the previous year, but a slight uplift in traffic since the start of the pandemic, driven by the UK governments creation of the first travel corridors" on July 4.

Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor
Using a metal detector, an amateur treasure hunter made an incredible discovery in a Scottish field.

Mariusz Stepien was searching for objects near the village of Peebles, south of Edinburgh, when he found several items dating back to the Bronze Age, including jewelry and a sword. He told The Associated Press he began "shaking with happiness," and "felt from the very beginning that this might be something spectacular and I've just discovered a big part of Scottish history."

He was right. Archaeologists from the Scottish government's Treasure Trove Unit spent 22 days digging up artifacts from the field, and on Monday, they announced that this was only the second Bronze Age hoard ever excavated in the country. With Stepien and a few of his friends looking on, the archaeologists uncovered rings, buckles, the axle caps from a chariot, and a horse harness.

This was a "nationally significant find," Emily Freeman, the head of the Treasure Trove Unit, told AP. "It was an amazing opportunity for us to not only recover bronze artifacts, but organic material as well. There is still a lot of work to be done to assess the artifacts and understand why they were deposited." The items, as well as some dirt from the field, are now at the National Museums Collection Center in Edinburgh.

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Oil companies facing lawsuits that blame them for coastal wetlands loss in Louisiana have lost an attempt to move the suits to federal court.

The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans on Aug. 10 upheld a decision keeping the suits in state court, where the six coastal parishes want them tried.

The lawsuits, some of them dating to 2013, charge that oil and gas firms failed to follow state law when they drilled wells, built canals, disposed of waste and carried out other activities that contributed to coastal wetlands loss. Industry representatives cast the suits as an unjust attack  led by trial lawyers  on a vital industry and employer.

The 5th Circuit decision dealt with cases filed by two parishes, Cameron and Plaquemines, but attorney John Carmouche, a lead attorney for the parishes, said it effectively applies to four others: Jefferson, Vermilion, St. Bernard and St. John the Baptist.

The ruling by Judge James Ho on behalf of a three-judge 5th Circuit panel said the energy company defendants, which include Chevron, Exxon-Mobil, ConoccoPhillips and others, had previously tried and failed to have the state cases moved to federal courts. The latest attempt came after one of the parishes filed a report with what the oil companies said was new information that warranted moving the cases to federal jurisdiction. The report said some of the wells involved in the lawsuits were drilled during World War II while the companies were acting under the authority of a federal wartime agency.

We conclude that the information disclosed in the expert report did not provide new information previously unavailable to the companies, Hos opinion said.

John Carmouche, a lead lawyer for the parishes, said the oil companies attempts to move the cases to federal court were a delaying tactic. He said he is hopeful now that a trial date can be set.

But a spokesperson for attorneys representing major oil companies remarked that the courts ruling does nothing to strengthen the factually and legally meritless claims at issue in this litigation.

Reaching back in time to sue for decades of federally authorized activities that were lawfully conducted and actively encouraged by these very same government plaintiffs is neither fair nor productive, attorney Melissa Landry said in a statement from the lawyers representing BP America Production Company, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, ExxonMobil Pipeline Company and Shell.

The industry-allied Grow Louisiana Coalition expressed disappointment at the ruling in an emailed statement.

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Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Lawsuits Louisiana Profit Loss Energy Oil Gas
The opening of Sydney's multibillion-dollar NorthConnex motorway is facing potential delays as the coronavirus pandemic restricts access to supplies and overseas expert consultants.

Tolling giant Transurban, responsible for delivering and operating the $3 billion tunnel, on Wednesday softened its guidance on the slated opening from "the third quarter of 2020" to the "coming months".

Prime Minister Scott Morrison, Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian and NSW Transport minister Andrew Constance inspect NorthConnex in June. Credit:Rhett Wyman

In revealing a $111 million full-year net loss for Transurban, chief executive Scott Charlton said the nine-kilometre tunnel was very, very close to opening, but added there were some challenges facing the final commissioning stage.

Third quarter thereabouts, maybe a couple of weeks [later]. The commissioning has been a bit more challenging for the contractor, Mr Charlton said.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-12 23:48:53|Editor: huaxia

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ACCRA, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- The Ghanaian government will evacuate its nationals stranded in Lebanon in the coming days, following the deadly explosions in its capital Beirut, an official has said.

The Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration Charles Owiredu said the government expected to evacuate the remaining 1,500 stranded Ghanaian nationals in Lebanon.

He said the number had reduced from 2,000 to 1,500, as the government had already facilitated the return of 500 people.

"We are expediting the process, as some Ghanaians have sustained injuries in the blast," Owiredu said, adding that 308 of the stranded Ghanaians would arrive on Wednesday, and an additional 308 on Thursday.

The minister, however, added that none of the Ghanaians injured in the blast was deformed.

Ghanaian lawmaker Kennedy Agyapong and other philanthropists have donated a total of 428,650 U.S. dollars to the government to facilitate the evacuation of the stranded Ghanaians.

The returnees would undergo a 14-day mandatory quarantine on arrival to identify, isolate, and treat any of the returnees who might be infected by the novel coronavirus. Enditem
A political row erupted after three people were killed in violence over a controversial post in Bengaluru on Tuesday night even as sparks flew thick and fast.

Karnataka Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) vice-president and chief minister BS Yediyurappas son, Vijayendra, said in a tweet that the Popular Front of India (PFI) and its political arm, the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), had a role in the violence. He said the groups flourished in the Congress rule.

Panchayati raj and rural development minister KS Eshwarappa struck a similar note, saying that the Congress was supporting fundamentalist elements. I am not blaming the entire community but the KPCC (Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee) President seems to be supporting fundamentalist elements in that community who are bent on using violence.

KPCC president DK Shivakumar, who visited the house of party legislator Akhanda Srinivasa Murthy, blamed the BJP. While we condemn the violence, the person who posted the derogatory comment is a BJP supporter, he said. Murthys house was burnt down by the mob.

The account that was used to make the controversial post belonged to Naveen, the nephew of his Murthy. Naveen said his account was hacked into.

Shivakumar displayed what he said were posts by Naveen expressing support to the BJP. Instead of pouring water on the fires lit, the BJP is further instigating the whole thing. The KPCC president also claimed that prompt police action against the accused could have prevented the violence. Leader of opposition Siddaramiah, too, condemned the violence and appealed to both Hindus and Muslim communities to maintain calm. BJP parliamentarian Pratap Simha hit back at the Congress leader. You withdrew 175 criminal cases which were there against 1,600 SDPI and KFD (Karnataka Forum for Dignity) extremists in 2015 when YOU WERE in power. Even now, why are you hesitating to condemn extremist elements in the Muslim community? Another BJP MP Tejasvi Surya demanded that the state follow the Uttar Pradesh model and recover the cost of damage from the perpetrators.

JD (S) leader and former CM H D Kumaraswamy said in a series of tweets that no religion or community was above the law. Anyone who doesnt respect the law of land should be punished, he said. At the same time, Kumaraswamy called for action against whoever made the derogatory post. Even as Vijayendra, the CMs son, accused the Congress of nurturing extremist organizations, the BJP state general secretary, Ashwath Narayan, said the violence was planned and well-organized. He, too, demanded that the perpetrators should be made to pay for the damages. The CCTV cameras in the vicinity of the police station have been damaged. This is ample proof that this was pre-meditated violence, Ashwathnarayan added.
A web developer accused of stabbing his mother to death in front of paramedics has been charged with murder.

Callum James Cameron, 27, is in hospital under police guard after his mother Carol Ann, 63, was killed in their Perth home at about 2am on Monday.

Ms Cameron, a cancer ward nurse, called paramedics to the house in St James to help her son with a 'medical episode'.

About 20 minutes after they arrived, paramedics watched in horror as Cameron allegedly stabbed her multiple times and was tasered by police.

The 27-year-old was charged with murder on Wednesday afternoon.

He briefly fronted Perth Magistrates Court with a cast on his arm. He has been remanded on a week-long hospital order.

Callum James Cameron, 27, (pictured with his girlfriend Eloise Kendall, 22, at a mock wedding) allegedly stabbed his mother to death about 2am on Monday

Carol Ann Cameron (pictured right with a colleague at the WA Nursing and Midwifery Excellence Awards in March) was rushed to hospital but died soon after

Ms Cameron, who grew up in Uphall, West Lothian, in Scotland, was rushed to Royal Perth Hospital but died about 4am.

Cameron was living in a granny flat at the back of his parents' home when his mother died.

Cameron's father was away for work at the time of the alleged murder and is on his way home to deal with the horrifying series of events.

North Metropolitan Health Service, where Ms Cameron worked, mourned her death in a statement on Tuesday night.

Cameron was living in a granny flat at the back of his parents' home when his mother died

Family friends said Ms Cameron was a 'good mother' who'd tried to 'put her troubled son on the right path'

'Carol was a much loved, dedicated and respected nurse, colleague and friend to many within the Cancer Service within WA and will be sadly missed,' it said.

'NMHS is working with and supporting our staff during this time of grief.'

Ms Cameron's family in Scotland, where she attended Broxburn Academy, also paid tribute to her.

'She travelled widely after leaving school and had lived in Australia since the 1970s,' they said.

Ms Cameron, a cancer ward nurse, called paramedics to the house (pictured) in St James, Perth, to help her son

'She was a much loved mother, partner, sister, auntie and friend, who worked as a nurse and had spent much of her career in cancer care.

'We are all devastated by what has happened.'

Cameron was born in Australia and only visited his Scottish family once as a child.

WA Police praised paramedics for the confronting scene they witnessed when arriving at the house to treat a 'medical episode'.

'I would describe them as heroic, facing an incident of such trauma,' Detective Senior Sergeant Sean Wright said.

'Going to help someone and then witnessing something to this extent is heroic.'

Cameron is at Fiona Stanley Hospital and yet to be formally interviewed by police. The investigation is ongoing with no charges laid.

Police tape was seen covering the door to Ms Cameron's home on Wednesday morning with floral tributes on the verge.

Floral tributes at the front of Ms Cameron's house were seen on Wednesday morning

The door is still barred by police tape even as Cameron's father, the alleged victim's wife, returns from an out-of-town work trip
Wrexham student inspired to pursue prosthetics career after seeing positive impact on mums life

This article is old - Published: Wednesday, Aug 12th, 2020

A Wrexham teenager plans to study prosthetics at university after being inspired by advances in medical technology.

Coleg Cambria learner Emily Baines has been offered a place on the Prosthetics and Orthotics degree at the University of Strathclyde  ranked second in the UK for Medical Technology.

Emily, from Marford, has completed A Levels in Maths, Physics, Chemistry and French at Cambrias Yale Sixth Form Centre in Wrexham, currently undergoing a 21m revamp.

The 18 year-old is determined to become an orthotist  a branch of medicine that deals with the provision and use of artificial devices such as splints and braces  after seeing the work of staff at Opcare clinics in Manchester and Stoke-on-Trent.

Witnessing first-hand how these innovative services have helped mum Naomi  who was diagnosed with Scoliosis as a child  also drove her to pursue a career in the sector.

Prosthetics has always been of interest to me and is where I see my future, said Emily, named Maths and Science Student of the Year at this years Coleg Cambria Student Awards, held virtually due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

I just want to help people and make a difference to their lives. It is a niche area but something I really hope to do after university.

The former Darland High School pupil added: I would like to thank Cambria for their support, I really enjoyed my time at Yale and was able to complete my studies online during lockdown.

Its been a very strange time and like others in my position it was a shame to not be able to sit the exams, but we got through it and look forward to the future.

Head of Yale Sixth Simon Woodward said Emily has every reason to be proud after her achievements over the last two years.

Emily has been resilient, resourceful and independent throughout her time with us, especially in light of past months, he said.

We wish her every success for the future and have no doubt she will go on to have a successful medical career.

Visit www.cambria.ac.uk or more on the wide range of courses and qualifications at Coleg Cambria.
Mandela Month was celebrated differently this year by many South Africans, and globally. The constraints of a Covid-19-reality have meant that people could not go out into vulnerable communities to make a positive difference. For the team at the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA), it has been necessary to find other means to make a difference, in spite of all these challenges, and to preserve the legacy of the late elder and statesman, President Nelson Mandela.

For the last three years, the DBSA team in collaboration with Rise Against Hunger packed meals for distribution to non-grant receiving Early Childhood Development Centres (ECDs) in the community around its Midrand, Johannesburg campus. While this year, the team could not physically do that due to the Covid-19 pandemic, they were not deterred and through its CSI Programme, made a R500,000 donation to Rise Against Hunger to facilitate similar provision. The donation amounts to 150,000 meals, which will feed 578 children, five meals a week for the entire year. In addition to this initiative, the DBSA in partnership with Partners for Possibility, identified 130 vulnerable families in beneficiary schools in Tembisa, Olievenhoutbosch and Mooiplaas who will receive food assistance.DBSAs Mandela Month outreach also included health and hygiene support in schools in Gauteng, KwaZulu Natal and North West. The CSI Programme facilitated the sourcing and delivery of hand washing stations for sanitization at Fred Habedi and O. R. Tambo Primary Schools in Gauteng, Madonela Primary School and Mjindi High School in KwaZulu Natal and Lifika-Namo Early Childhood Development Centre in North West. Each school received water stations and soap dispensers which will make a difference in the fight against Covid-19.Health and hygiene support was extended to Madonela Clinic in uMhlabuyalingana municipality in KwaZulu Natal. Eight water stations and eight soap dispensers with shelter and gutters leading to two big water tanks were made available to help the community in its fight against Covid-19.The Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) is a leading development finance institution (DFI) in Africa. Established in 1983, the DBSA participates across the entire infrastructure value chain and provides planning, project preparation, financing, and implementation support for economic and social infrastructure in South Africa, SADC and the rest of the African Continent. The institutions mission is to improve peoples lives, boost economic growth and promote regional integration through infrastructure development. For more information, visit www.dbsa.org
Kamala Harris first act as a political candidate was knocking out a former boxer: the progressive San Francisco district attorney who had been her boss.

Her freshman Senate term has been defined by committee performances so lacerating that Trump administration officials have complained of her lawyerly velocity. Im not able to be rushed this fast, a flustered Jeff Sessions once said to her. It makes me nervous.

And in Harris most memorable turn as a presidential contender, speaking with practiced precision to the man who Tuesday chose her as his running mate, she began with a less than charitable disclaimer  I do not believe you are a racist  before flattening him with the but 

It was a debate, she has said repeatedly since then, offering no apology for campaign combat.

That is San Francisco politics, friends say. That is Kamala Devi Harris.

In announcing Harris, 55, as his vice-presidential nominee, Joe Biden told supporters she was the person best equipped to take this fight to President Donald Trump, making space in a campaign premised on restoring American decency for a willing brawler who learned early in her career that fortune would not favor the meek among Black women in her lines of work.

She had to be savvy to find a way, said Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey, who has known Harris for more than two decades. There was no path laid out for her. She had to find her way through the kind of set of obstacles that most people in the positions that shes held have not had to ever deal with.

It is this dexterity, people close to her say, that has most powered Harris rise  and can be most frustrating to those who wish her electoral fearlessness were accompanied by policy audacity to match.

Caustic when she needs to be but cautious on substantive issues more often than many liberals would like, Harris has spent her public life negotiating disparate orbits, fluent in both activist and establishment circles without ever feeling entirely anchored to either.

Despite her early departure from the race last year, allies have long retained an unshakable belief in her talents as a prospective future standard-bearer for the party.

Im crying, said Amelia Ashley-Ward, a friend and the publisher of The Sun-Reporter, a publication aimed at the African American community in San Francisco. When I first met Kamala Harris, I always felt that God had something a little extra for her.

Those who know her say she can be difficult to pin down in part because she is, by virtue of her identity, not like any political figure who came before  a lawmaker whose strengths and tics can at times feel incongruous.

As a young candidate for district attorney, Harris was by turns an irrepressible fixture in supermarket parking lots, unfurling an ironing board from her car as a canvas for campaign materials, and a canny veteran of the San Francisco society pages, with an overstuffed Filofax full of high-end fundraising contacts. (Friends eventually made her switch to a Palm Pilot.)

She can project an air of disarming nonchalance, holding forth on cooking and 1990s hip-hop music with a just-between-us touch. She has also often defaulted to a political reticence so firmly held that her own aides had trouble identifying her positions on several key issues throughout a 2020 campaign that did not make it to 2020.

Tired of being pressed to explain her personal experiences of racism as a historic first, she privately bristles at some of the treatment she has received from the news media, donors and political strategists. Harris is known to share, with equal parts fatigue and exasperation, an anecdote about an unidentified journalist who asked why she would ever choose Howard University, the crown jewel of historically Black colleges and universities, over the Ivy League.

Im really sick of having to explain my experiences with racism to people, she said in a June interview, for them to understand that it exists.

For Harris, the firstborn daughter of immigrant academics from India and Jamaica, political activism was a kind of birthright. Her maternal grandparents fought for Indian independence from British rule and educated rural women about contraception. Her parents protested for civil and voting rights as doctoral students at the University of California, Berkeley. As a toddler, she was pushed along with the crowds at protests and marches in her stroller, later recalling early memories of a sea of legs moving about, of the energy and the shouts and the chants. Her parents hosted civil rights leaders and started weekly study groups to discuss the books of Black authors and grassroots organizers, from the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa to the preaching of Malcolm X.

Her mother, Harris wrote in her 2019 memoir, was born with a sense of justice imprinted on her soul.

As her mother had no relatives in the country, the Black community in Oakland became her family, even after she had divorced from Harris father, a Jamaican who came to the United States to study economics. Harris and her younger sister sang in the childrens choir at a Black church and studied the arts at Rainbow Sign, a pioneering Black cultural center. After school, they spent time at a child-care center run by a neighbor in the basement of their apartment building, learning about Black leaders such as Frederick Douglass, George Washington Carver and Sojourner Truth.

As a first grader, Harris joined the second elementary school class in Berkeley to be desegregated by busing, making her an early test subject for a contentious liberal policy. It was a part of her history that exploded into controversy during a Democratic primary debate, when she challenged Bidens past stance on busing and his warm remembrances of working with segregationist senators.

Those early experiences had a formative impact on Harris professional path, pushing her away from the outsider politics of her childhood and into the Democratic establishment that she came to believe had greater power to effect change.

The reason I made a very conscious decision to become a prosecutor is because I am the child of people who, like those today, were marching and shouting on the streets for justice, she said in the recent interview. When I made the decision to become a prosecutor, it was a very conscious decision. And the decision I made was, Im going to try and go inside the system, where I dont have to ask permission to change what needs to be changed.

Initially, this was not glamorous work. In the 1990s, she joined prosecutors offices in Alameda County and, later, San Francisco, where she oversaw the career criminal unit. Her boss there was an old-guard liberal, Terence Hallinan, whose hold on the job grew precarious as Harris considered her own political future.

Urged to challenge Hallinan by peers who said the office was poorly managed, Harris found herself effectively running to his right, telling voters in their 2003 contest that there was nothing progressive about being soft on crime.

But Harris bid was trailed by insinuations that she was beholden to a much older ex-boyfriend, Willie Brown, who also happened to be the mayor of San Francisco (and a prominent endorser featured on her campaign literature).

To defuse such attacks, Harris resolved to strike back twice as hard, airing her rivals own sensational baggage and at one point appearing to suggest that she would not hesitate to investigate him for public corruption after replacing him.

San Francisco is the bluest of blue. Its almost like a civil war, Tony West, her brother-in-law and longtime informal adviser, said in an interview last year. And so its like a family fight. And those are often the worst.

In the years since, she has proved a difficult target to hit for opponents, graduating to state attorney general and, in 2017, U.S. senator in the crucible of a California political environment prone to blood sport, in her telling.

It really is bare-knuckle  people joke about it, she said in an interview last year. She did not laugh.

On the trail during the 2020 primary, Harris often recounted being asked to describe what its like to be the first woman fill-in-the-blank, explaining to chuckling crowds that she could not answer the question because she has never been anyone else. But she was sure, she added, that a man could do the job just as well. (If Biden wins in November, Harris will break another barrier, enshrining her husband, Doug Emhoff, as the countrys first second gentleman.)

In her presidential bid, Harris tried to bridge her personal biography with her professional history, with a logo that paid homage to Shirley Chisholms groundbreaking campaign as the first woman to seek the Democratic nomination for president and a slogan referring to her own time as a prosecutor: Kamala Harris For The People.

This merger did not go as smoothly as advisers had hoped. During her campaign  and more recently, as the death of George Floyd spawned global protests over racial injustice and policing  Harris worked to reconcile her activist childhood with her work in elected office, described by critics as too incremental on criminal justice. In interviews in recent months, Harris praised the Black Lives Matter movement for forcing change in prosecutors offices.

One of the differences between when I became a prosecutor and started and now, is the incredible leadership, and effective leadership, of Black Lives Matter, she said in June. That movement put the pressure and the advocacy and the activism from the outside to counteract the obstacles from the inside that were invested in status quo and not only reluctant to change but opposed to change.

Her abrupt shifts in tone and substance during her presidential campaign may have hurt her primary bid, leaving voters without a clear sense of Harris agenda. Now, as the vice-presidential nominee, that lack of ideological rigidity could be an asset to the Biden campaign, as it tries to keep the focus on Trump and his failure to contain the coronavirus.

In the minutes after the pick was announced, Trump and his top campaign surrogates struggled to define Harris  casting her both as a politician who will try to bury her record as a prosecutor and someone who will appease anti-police extremists.

Harris has long leaned on a favorite saying: No good public policy ends with an exclamation point. If that makes her a question mark now on certain issues of the day, some Democrats reason, there are probably worse qualities in a running mate.

Matt Flegenheimer and Lisa Lerer c.2020 The New York Times Company
(Natural News) The economic effects of the coronavirus crisis are being felt deeply in the New York City restaurant industry. July was just the latest in a string of disappointing months for the citys restaurants, bars and clubs, and a new survey has found that most of these establishments will be unable to pay their rent for the month.

The survey, which was carried out by the NYC Hospitality Alliance, sought the opinions of 500 owners and operators of city eateries. Eighty-three percent of respondents said they were unable to pay their full rent in July, with 36.6 percent only able to pay some of it and 37.4 percent saying they could not pay any of it. Just 17.1 percent of owners said they would be able to cover all of their rent for the month, while a further 8.9 percent said they were unsure.

Among the restaurant owners who said they would only be able to pay some of the rent, 53 percent said they expected to cover half. Nearly 30 percent said they would be paying less than half, while just over 17 percent said they would be able to pay more than half.

Unfortunately, many of these establishments landlords are not able to help them, with some of them also dealing with their own problems thanks to the pandemic. Seventy-one percent of respondents said that their landlords would not be waiving any portion of the rent because of the coronavirus crisis. Nine out of ten reported that their landlords would not be willing to formally renegotiate their lease, while 61 percent said they wouldnt defer rent payments.

The Executive Director of the NYC Hospitality Alliance, Andrew Rigie, said: Restaurants and nightlife venues are essential to the economic and social fabric of our city, but they are struggling to survive and absent immediate and sweeping relief so many will be forced to close permanently.

Right now, indoor dining in the city has ground to a stop. A large number of restaurants are reporting that outdoor dining services are not creating enough revenue to cover their rent and other expenses. Many small business owners are concerned that their business will not survive the pandemic.

Many popular establishments in the city have announced recently that they will be closing their doors permanently, such as Bar Sardine, Lucky Strike, Uncle Boons and Maison Premiere. Data from Open Table shows that seated diners in New York City were 94 percent lower in July than they were the year before.

Hundreds of thousands of food service workers unemployed as citys muted recovery continues

According to Grub Street, nearly 200,000 of the citys food service workers are now jobless. Last week, nearly 5000 food service workers in New York filed initial jobless claims, which would indicate they were newly unemployed. These numbers have not changed much since late May, despite the fact that New York has seen a drop in its positive test rate.

Overall, New York City has seen a muted recovery since the peak of the coronavirus outbreak in the city. Public transportation demand sat at 55 percent below pre-coronavirus levels in mid-July as people increasingly opted to stay home. The TomTom Traffic Index showed that the citys streets at peak traffic time are still far less congested. Traffic congestion sat at 37 percent at 5 PM on July 8; the level a year earlier was 72 percent.

It appears the road to recovery is going to be a long one. A report from New York Citys Independent Budget Office warned that it will take the city a minimum of four years to bounce back to its pre-pandemic employment numbers, and another serious spike in cases could well undo what little recovery is being made in the city.

Sources for this article include:

ZeroHedge.com

GrubStreet.com

NY.Eater.com

ZeroHedge.com

ABC7NY.com
Hudson, NY (12534)

Today

Mainly cloudy. A few peeks of sunshine possible. High 42F. Winds S at 15 to 25 mph..

Tonight

Cloudy skies early followed by a mixture of light rain and snow overnight. Low 28F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precip 40%.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-12 17:19:16|Editor: huaxia

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CAPE TOWN, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- Cape Town Executive Mayor Dan Plato has applauded Hisense South Africa for making big contributions to the city as well as the nation's economic development.

During a tour of the factory in the city's Atlantis district on Tuesday, Plato applauded Hisense as "a landmark factory in Atlantis," saying the company "is a tax-paying entity, and I want to see Hisense expand and become big in Cape Town."

He told Xinhua that he was pleased to see "some amazing work the factory is doing, looking at the manufacturing of TVs, fridges for the export market, but also for the usage in South Africa."

Atlantis, which had been for many years known as the forgotten town of Cape Town, has started to come alive after Hisense set up its factory about seven years ago, Plato said.

"Hisense is employing more and more of the people of the Atlantis workforce and that helps a lot in regard to continued employment," said Plato.

"We believe Hisense may expand. If the factory were going to expand, that would mean an awful lot to this area because a couple of hundred more people will get job opportunities," he said.

Plato promised to do everything at his disposal to ensure that the expansion becomes a reality.

"We will assist wherever we can, give advice wherever we can, and make the road for Hisense to expand easier," he said.

Plato, along with some city officials and police officers, took the tour after Hisense experienced a tough time as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and labor riots which had disrupted the economy of Atlantis.

To cope with the pandemic, Hisense South Africa has spent around three million rand (about 170,000 U.S. dollars) on preventive measures to ensure the safety of its staff.

Mark Dammert, Head of Human Resources at Hisense Atlantis, said Hisense has done a lot in the factory itself in terms of sanitization and education to help avoid the spread of COVID-19.

As a provider of quality appliances, technology, and service, the Chinese multinational firm entered the South African market as early as 1994 and has created more than 5,000 jobs directly and indirectly in the country. Enditem
NEW DELHI: The Narendra Modi government, which recently unveiled the New Education Policy, is going to implement big-ticket changes in the countrys education system and has sought suggestions from the University Grant Commission (UGC) and the All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE) in this regard.

According to the Zee Media sources, the Centre is mulling to convert the entire education system into the online education system. This will reduce the burden on educational institutions for running physical classes for the students.

The Centre also aims to make apex educational institutes like IITs and IIMs a part of the online education system. According to sources, the PMO and the Niti Aayog have sought feedback and suggestions from the UGC and the AICTE in this regard.

As part of the plan, the government has constituted a panel led by AICTE chairman Anil Sahasrabudhe and Dr MP Poonia, who is the Vice-Chairman of the UGC, to prepare a blueprint in this regard.

The two stalwarts have been entrusted with the task of building a digital platform for imparting quality online education to the Indian students and build necessary infrastructure in this regard.

In a letter to all Vice-Chancellors and directors of institutions, AICTE chairman Anil Sahasrabudhe had recently urged them to make India ''self-reliant'' and help achieve the national goal of being Aatma Nirbhar Bharat.

He urged heads of institutions to encourage teachers and students for development of alternative apps, products and technologies through innovative ideas and research to make India the primary source for meeting all global needs and requirements.

It may be noted that Union Human Resource Development Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank too urged the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) to develop apps as an alternative to Chinese apps.

The Narendra Modi government had launched the New Education Policy on July 29. The NEP aims to overhaul the countrys education system. Union Ministers for Information and Broadcasting (I&B)Prakash Javadekar and Human Resource Development (HRD) and Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank made the announcement on the NEP- 2020.

Earlier on May 1, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had reviewed the NEP- 2020, draft of which was prepared by a panel of experts led by former Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chief K Kasturirangan. The NEP 2020 aims at making India a global knowledge superpower.

The new academic session will begin in September-October  the delay is due to the unprecedented coronavirus disease (Covid-19) outbreak  and the government aims to introduce the policy before the new session kicks in.
Elizabeth Warren, US Senator and former Democratic candidate in the 2020 United States presidential election, has hailed Joe Biden's decision to pick Senator Kamala Harris as his running mate. Indian-origin Senator Harris, a 55-year-old first-term senator, is also one of the party's most prominent figures and quickly became a top contender for the No. 2 spot after her own White House campaign ended.



.@KamalaHarris will be a great partner to @JoeBiden in making our government a powerful force for good in the fight for social, racial, and economic justice. pic.twitter.com/q5ggXBro5B

 Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) August 11, 2020

"Kamala Harris will be a great partner to Joe Biden in making our government a powerful force for good in the fight for social, racial, and economic justice," Warren tweeted along with a detailed statement on the development.

Also read: Kamala Harris's Vice President nod: How people are reacting

Warren, who dropped out of the presidential race in March 2020, said that throughout her career, Harris has been unafraid and an "inspiration to millions of women who see themselves in her."

"I have known Kamala for a long time  from when she took on Wall Street during the financial crisis as Attorney General to working for people every day as a US Senator," Warren said, adding that as a vice presidential nominee, Harris is making history.

Also read: The Kamala Harris Pick: Geographic Balance Takes Back Seat to Gender, Race

Warren said that she will do everything in her power to ensure that Biden and Harris are elected in November. "I am so looking forward to seeing Kamala take on Mike Pence on the debate stage," Warren concluded.

Former President Barack Obama also welcomed Biden's decision saying he had "nailed this decision" in a lengthy statement. "Now Joe has an ideal partner to help him tackle the very real challenges America faces right now and in the years ahead," Obama said, calling Harris "more than prepared for the job."

Obama highlighted her personal and professional background, saying: "She's spent her career defending our Constitution and fighting for folks who need a fair shake."

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump has said he is surprised that his Democratic party challenger for the presidential elections Joe Biden has named Harris as his running mate despite knowing how nasty and disrespectful she has been to him.

Also read: Kamala Harris 'meanest, most horrible', reacts Donald Trump at Joe Biden's vice presidential pick

"We'll see how she works out. She did very, very poorly in the primaries as you know. She was expected to do well. She ended up at right around two percent," Trump told reporters at a White House news conference.

Harris had launched her presidential campaign in January 2019. After the initial few months, her campaign could not take off and by the end of the year, she withdrew from the race.

She is the first person of color to be selected on a vice-presidential candidate and also only the fourth woman and first-ever African American and Indian American to be running for the second-highest political position in the country.
Midland Memorial Hospital reduced its hours for drive-thru coronavirus testing after demand for testing dropped, CEO Russell Meyers said during a press briefing on Tuesday.

The hospital conducts drive-thru testing at the MMH West Campus and the Coleman Family Clinic on Florida Avenue. Starting Wednesday, staff will be testing at the Coleman Family Clinic from 8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. on weekdays, and at the West Campus from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on weekdays.

Meyers said the change was not because the hospital didnt have enough tests and added there is a

substantial supply. Rather, the demand for testing has steadily declined in the last few weeks; the hospital tested only 56 people on Monday, he said.

We dont want to waste our peoples time, so were limiting the availability at each of our sites, Meyers said. But we thought it was important, and still do think its important, to keep sites available on both sides of town, so theyre accessible to as much of our population as they possibly can be.

In addition to a drop in the demand for testing, Meyers said there has been in a drop in the number of tests coming back positive, with only two of the 56 tests taken Monday resulting in positive cases.

Last week, there was a positivity rate of 15 percent among those tested by Midland Memorial and the week before that, 23 percent of tests were positive for the coronavirus, according to Meyers. Thats a significant decline from just a few weeks earlier when hospital officials reported their positivity rate to be about 30 percent.

Meyers said the positivity rate reported by the hospital should not be misconstrued as a positivity rate representative of Midland County. He said hospital staff continue to test only those with symptoms or those who have had prolonged exposure to the virus, and only broad pool testing of asymptomatic individuals can accurately depict an areas positivity rate.

Meyers said he does not anticipate they will ever do broad, community-wide testing because they dont have the resources to test tens of thousands of people at a time.

The decline in positive tests is hopefully a sign that people are being more careful and fewer people are getting infections, Meyers said.

An appointment is required to be tested at the drive-thru testing sites. Appointments can be made through the hospitals hotline by calling 68NURSE (432-686-8773).
The popular book has been removed from the shelves. (Amazon/Getty Images)

Tesco has stopped selling a childrens T-shirt following customer complaints that the design was racist.

The T-shirt featured a drawing of a black mermaid next to the caption: Thats not my mermaid, her hair is too fluffy.

The image and phrase come from the childrens book Thats Not My Mermaid..., unsold copies of which are also being shredded by publisher Usbourne.

The decision to remove the T-shirt from Tesco stores came after a mum from Dover, Kent, complained about it.

Katie Wells told Kent Live that when she first saw the T-shirt she felt excited because diversity in clothing is particularly rare. But when she read the text she was shocked.

Read more: Tesco sugary honey leads to health complaints

Its not something any child should read on a T-shirt, and it perpetuates a stereotype  its racism, she said.

Pictures of the mermaid have since sparked hundreds of similar comments on social media, leading both Tesco and Usbourne to make statements.

One Twitter post read: Words have impact. As a black child I would have squealed in delight to see a pic that looked like me. Then reading the words would have reinforced my hatred of my unruly hair.

Words have impact. As a black child I would have squealed in delight to see a pic that looked like me. Then reading the words would have reinforced my hatred of my unruly hair. #blackhair #naturalhair



That's not my mermaid... https://t.co/3LvisuERxC pic.twitter.com/fckuYN0b7N  Sethina Watson (@morefluids) August 10, 2020

Tesco originally apologised and committed to not buying the T-shirt again, but has since gone one step further and removed the T-shirts from its stores.

Story continues

In a statement, a spokesperson from the supermarket chain told Yahoo UK: This T-shirt replicates the cover of a popular range of childrens books but following feedback from customers we have decided to remove one of the designs from sale.

Tesco is a place where everyone is welcome  we are sorry if anyone was offended by the T-shirt and we thank the customers who brought this to our attention.

Read more: Tesco becomes first UK supermarket to launch plasters of different skin tones

Thats Not My Mermaid... is one of many childrens books in the popular Thats Not My... range, written by Fiona Watt and illustrated by Rachel Wells.

The books are particularly popular with toddlers because you can feel certain parts of the pages, providing a great sensory experience.

In the case of the mermaid pictured on the cover, children were able to feel her hair.

The books publisher Usbourne has said it had already taken the decision to re-address the contents of the book before the public backlash took place.

We decided, some time ago already, to make changes to our book Thats Not My Mermaid... Whilst we had included a mermaid of colour with the intention of being more inclusive, we recognised that referencing the mermaids hair  calling it fluffy, and the concept of touching the hair itself  was problematic, a statement from the publisher read.

We stopped printings whilst we have been working to change the book, and have also already decided to pulp all stock remaining in our warehouse.

The clothing based on this book is produced by a licensee and was created before we decided to change the book. We are speaking to them about this.

We very much apologise for any upset caused by this earlier edition of this book. We are committed to diverse and inclusive publishing, and take our responsibility to do this appropriately, and sensitively, very seriously.

Read more: SHEIN apologises and removes a swastika style necklace from its website
N ew Zealands health authorities are scrambling to find the source of a new coronavirus outbreak, which has sent the countrys largest city into lockdown.

Prime minister Jacinda Ardern announced on Tuesday that four Covid-19 cases had been found in one Auckland household  the origins of which remain unknown.

The new infections were the first confirmed cases of local transmission in the country for 102 days.

Officials are now investigating the possibility that the virus was brought back into the country via imported goods.

"We are working hard to put together pieces of the puzzle on how this family got infected," Director General of Health Ashley Bloomfield told a televised press briefing.

The outbreak was uncovered after a man in his 50s went to his doctor with symptoms on Monday. He then tested positive twice for Covid-19.

Six other people in his household were then tested  with three more offering up positive results.

First coronavirus outbreak in New Zealand after more than 100 days

Mr Bloomfield said surface testing was underway at an Auckland cold storage unit in which the infected man worked.

"We know the virus can survive within refrigerated environments for quite some time," he explained.

China has reported instances of the coronavirus being detected on the packaging of imported frozen seafood.

On Tuesday, the city government of Yantai, a port city in eastern Shandong province, said it had found the virus on the packaging of frozen seafood that had arrived from the port city of Dalian, which recently battled a surge of cases.

Officials said the seafood was from an imported shipment that landed at Dalian, but did not say where it originated.

Auckland residents rushed to stock up on supplies as local lockdown restrictions were imposed / Getty Images

Auckland was moved to Alert Level Three at midday local time on Wednesday.

This means all non-essential workers are required to stay home, while bars, restaurants and most businesses must remain closed until midnight on Friday, according to current plans.

The rest of the country was moved to Alert Level Two, meaning that mass gatherings are limited to 100 attendees and people are required to maintain a safe social distance.

Dr Ashley Bloomfield addressed reporters on Wednesday / Getty Images

Two of the infected family members had travelled to the tourist city of Rotorua last weekend while suffering symptoms, according to officials.

"We are working with urgency to find out what places the family may have visited while in Rotorua over the weekend," Mr Bloomfield said.

"But the important thing is here, people in Rotorua and indeed around the country should be vigilant about their health and seek advice if they have symptoms."

He added that officials would use genome sequencing as part of efforts to trace the source of the new outbreak.

Meanwhile, Ms Ardern explained how she had worked quickly to impose the Auckland lockdown measures after first learning about the new cases on Tuesday afternoon.

"We are taking a rapid response to break the chain of transmission through contact tracing, testing, and the gathering of information," she said.

Ms Ardern said Aucklanders were also "strongly encouraged"  but not obliged by law  to wear masks, and that authorities were releasing five million masks from a central supply.

New Zealanders have not widely worn masks before, although authorities have been urging people to buy them or fashion them from scarves or bandannas just in case.

Until Tuesday, the only known cases of the virus in New Zealand were 22 people held in quarantine after returning from abroad.

New Zealand has been praised globally for its virus response and had just celebrated reaching 100 days without any known community transmission.

The South Pacific nation of 5 million initially got rid of the virus by imposing a strict lockdown in late March when only about 100 people had tested positive for the disease, stopping its spread.

Life had returned to normal for many people as they attended rugby games at packed stadiums and sat down in bars and restaurants without fear of getting infected.

However, some expressed fears that the country had grown complacent in light of its successes.
G avin Williamson has apologised to pupils for the disruption to their schooling and exams during the coronavirus pandemic.

The Education Secretary said the exams system will deliver credible, strong results for the overwhelming majority of young people.

It comes as universities and schools across England demanded clarity from ministers over how pupils will be able to appeal over the grades they receive.

The Government announced on Tuesday that A Level and GCSE students will be able to use results in valid mock exams to appeal if they are unhappy with their results.

Mr Williamson told the BBC: "I apologise to every single child right across the country for the disruption that theyve had to suffer."

He added: "The system, for the overwhelming majority of young people, is going to deliver, you know, credible, strong results for every single one of them.

Its a robust system, its a fair system, its making sure that young people get the grades that theyve worked so hard towards."

Mr Williamson continued: "What is key is giving young people the opportunity to move on to the next stage of their lives, making sure that they have the opportunity to go on to college, go to university, take an apprenticeship, go into the world of work."

UK Schools begin to reopen during Coronavirus lockdown ease 1 /28 UK Schools begin to reopen during Coronavirus lockdown ease Harris Academy Primary School Jeremy Selwyn Parents drop off children at Queen's Hill Primary School, Costessey, Norfolk, as pupils in Reception, Year 1 and Year 6, begin to return to school as part of a wider easing of lockdown measures PA Harris Academy Primary School Jeremy Selwyn Harris Academy Primary School Jeremy Selwyn Harris Academy Primary School Jeremy Selwyn Harris Academy Primary School Jeremy Selwyn Harris Academy Primary School in Croydon Jeremy Selwyn Harris Academy Primary School in Croydon Jeremy Selwyn Harris Academy Primary School in Croydon Jeremy Selwyn Harris Academy Primary School in Croydon Jeremy Selwyn Harris Academy Primary School in Croydon Jeremy Selwyn Harris Academy Primary School in Croydon Jeremy Selwyn Harris Academy Primary School in Croydon Jeremy Selwyn Harris Academy Primary School in Croydon Jeremy Selwyn Harris Academy Primary School in Croydon Jeremy Selwyn Parents and children arrive at Watlington Primary School as some schools re-open Reuters Lessons with reduced class sizes at Queen's Hill Primary School, Costessey, Norfolk, as pupils in Reception, Year 1 and Year 6, begin to return to school as part of a wider easing of lockdown measures PA Parents and children arrive at Watlington Primary School as some schools re-open Reuters Parents drop off children at Queen's Hill Primary School, Costessey, Norfolk PA Parents drop off children at Queen's Hill Primary School, Costessey, Norfolk, as pupils in Reception, Year 1 and Year 6, begin to return to school as part of a wider easing of lockdown measures. PA Parents drop off children at Queen's Hill Primary School, Costessey, Norfolk, as pupils in Reception, Year 1 and Year 6, begin to return to school as part of a wider easing of lockdown measures. PA

"Weve got a system that is, I believe, the fairest that we can do, but lets not forget that weve been in a global pandemic, weve been in a situation none of us would have expected to be in."

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer earlier said that it was a "blatant injustice" that young people could have their futures decided by their postcode as a result of the exams system.

"Pupils and parents are rightly worried that years of hard work are about to be undone because a computer has decided to mark their child down," he said.

"For too long, the Tories have considered the needs of young people as an afterthought when their needs should have been central.

"Its a blatant injustice that thousands of hard-working young people risk having their futures decided on the basis of their postcode."

With less than 24 hours to go until students receive their calculated A-level results following the cancellation of exams, schools, colleges and universities are still unclear how the new appeals process will work and what the likely timescale and uptake will be among students.

Englands exams regulator Ofqual has said it is "working urgently" to set out how mock exam results will form the basis of an appeal, but further details will not be ready until next week.

Professor Julia Buckingham, president of Universities UK and vice-chancellor of Brunel University London, said: "This last-minute policy change presents a number of challenges for universities.

"We are seeking urgent clarification from the Department for Education (DfE) on a range of issues including the likely scale and timing of appeals."

Keir Starmer criticised the Government's last-minute U-turn on mock grades / Getty Images

Universities are concerned the appeals system may not give students enough time to secure a final grade ahead of the start of the term, and it could also cause issues with timetabling and accommodation.

The Ucas deadline for applicants to meet their academic offer conditions is September 7, which leaves exam boards less than four weeks to issue outcomes of appeals.

Dr Hollie Chandler, head of higher education policy at the Russell Group, which represents some of the most selective universities in the UK, said: "We are working with the DfE and Ofqual to get clarity on how the new appeals process will work and would urge them to ensure appeals are processed as quickly as possible to prevent further uncertainty for students and the sector."

Schools minister Nick Gibb insisted the Government had nothing to apologise for by acting so late in the day in England, adding it would only affect a small number of students.

He told BBC Breakfast: "There is no confusion. We have been very clear from the very beginning. We had to have a system in place to award qualifications to young people given that we had cancelled the exams.

Scottish school pupils to receive original exam marks estimated by teachers

"We apologise to nobody for finding solutions, even at the 11th hour, to stop any student being disadvantaged by this system."

Dr Mary Bousted, joint general secretary of the National Education Union (NEU), warned that Scottish students  who have been told they can use teachers predicted grades if they were downgraded after moderation  could still have an advantage over English students when applying to university.

She said: "English students are still more likely to be given lower grades  either by the exam board or by the mock exam.

"This fundamental difference in the Scottish and English awarding process does not create a level playing field between Scottish and English students for university entrance."

Following the cancellation of this years exams, teachers were told to submit the grades they thought each student would have received if they had sat the papers.

Pupils arrive at Kelso High School on the Scottish Borders as schools in Scotland start reopening / PA

Exam boards have moderated these grades to ensure this years results in England, Northern Ireland and Wales are not significantly higher than previous years.

The National Union of Students (NUS) has called on England to follow Scotland in scrapping moderated grades.

Larissa Kennedy, president of the NUS, said: "The use of mock exams results risks making a mockery of the whole system, given the lack of a standard approach to mock exams and the fact they are not taken by all candidates.

"With its triple lock policy, all the Government has done is lock in inequality."
Less than a year ago, many would have have predicted that the upcoming Democratic National Convention would be a showcase for Katie Hill.

Winning her House seat in 2018s blue wave election, she became an immediate favorite of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Many Democrats touted her as the future of the party, a female LGBTQ Millennial who was changing the face of politics. Some envisioned the Southern Californian as a future speaker.

Then a conservative website published nude photos of her with a campaign staffer, and within days she resigned. Two days after she left office, she lay in a bathtub in her Washington, D.C., apartment, humiliated that millions of people had seen the images and saddened for disappointing her supporters, colleagues and family.

She says she grabbed a paring knife and began tracing the veins in her wrist. It was the second time in a year that she contemplated killing herself, Hill says  the first time was a month before she defeated GOP Rep. Steve Knight to flip a district encompassing parts of Los Angeles and Ventura counties that had been in Republican hands for decades.

She says she felt trapped in an abusive marriage to the man she had been with since she was 16 and saw no other way out. Hill said he had promised to ruin her if she left him. And now, with the release of images without her permission, she had reached her darkest point.

But as droplets of blood began appearing on her wrist, Hill says, she stopped.

What really pulled me out of it was knowing that everything was bad enough, and I had put my family through so much and I had put my supporters through so much and I knew that if I checked out, it would be even worse, Hill told The Chronicles Its All Political podcast.

But if I had the chance to kind of try and make something of this, Hill said, I felt like that was what I needed to do.

So Hill has begun the road back to make something of her struggles in the hope of helping others. Two weeks shy of her 33rd birthday, she is starting over.

Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times 2018

She details her journey in a new book, She Will Rise: Becoming a Warrior in the Battle for True Equality, which was released Tuesday. Part memoir, part political manifesto, it is a map for what Hill wants to do next: help more women get elected to office. To her, electing women is the only way to change both the nations toxic political system and a misogynistic culture. Electing women is also the focus of the new super PAC she started called Her Time.

So yes, Hill writes in her book, I am saying, right here, that we should vote for women ... *gasp* BECAUSE THEY ARE WOMEN.

Some wondered why Hill resigned instead of remaining in office, like many men have done over the years even after becoming mired in scandals. Donald Trump, after all, didnt drop out of the presidential race in 2016 after a recording surfaced of him saying he liked to grab women by their genitals.

Hill said her reasons were complex, a mix of the personal and the political. She wants to make clear that Pelosi, whom she mentions in admiring terms in her book, didnt force her out. Hill told The Chronicle that Pelosi encouraged her to stay.

But Hill felt that she had to go. She still feels that way.

No, I dont regret it. I think it was the right thing, Hill said.

She says she didnt want to seem duplicitous after calling for Minnesota Sen. Al Franken to resign and Brett Kavanaugh not to be confirmed to the Supreme Court after allegations of sexual impropriety were lodged against them.

I didnt want to be used as a weapon against my colleagues and against Democrats in general, Hill said.

She does regret getting involved with her campaign staffer. She attributes that, in part, to being a first-time candidate.

One of my biggest mistakes was not really recognizing the power dynamic that was in play from the very beginning, Hill said. Because when I started this campaign, it felt like a bunch of friends. It didnt feel like I was in charge. It didnt feel like I was the boss.

That said, she allows that there is a gray area where people do fall in love while in a work environment.

Humans are complicated, and these kinds of situations are going to happen, Hill said. And when we decide that someones in the wrong, which I clearly was, what does redemption look like? What does it look like for that person to to say, Im sorry and to accept responsibility and to also have a meaningful and productive life afterwards?

Thats where Hill is at now. Seeking redemption. For her, moving forward involves making sure other women arent dissuaded from running because they fear that someone will threaten to ruin them with incriminating images from their past.

She said her estranged husband released the images of her. He has said his phone was hacked.

Ms. Hill has made no allegations of abuse in her petition seeking a divorce, Erin McKinley, an attorney for Kenny Heslep, Hills husband, said in a statement Tuesday. Mr. Heslep denies any allegations of abuse or wrongdoing outright. The parties are currently in the process of finalizing an amicable settlement in their divorce case. Mr. Heslep respectfully asks for privacy during this time.

The problem, Hill said, isnt that there were nude images of her out there. Its that someone she says she trusted released them without her permission. Studies have shown that 80% of Americans have shared sexual imagery or messages online.

Hill wants more focus put on cyberexploitation, which is also artlessly known as revenge porn. She says she will file suit this fall against the outlets that published the images.

We need to be holding media companies and social media companies accountable if theyre perpetuating it or enabling it, and there needs to be criminal statutes so that that this is known as a sexually exploitative crime, Hill said. Right now thats simply not the outlook we have. Too many people say, well, you shouldnt have taken those nudes in the first place. And thats just simply not the answer.

Joe Garofoli is The San Francisco Chronicles senior political writer. Email: jgarofoli@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @joegarofoli
Bottom line: With the US-China trade war raging on with no end in sight, manufacturers like Foxconn are desperate to escape the immense pressure by shifting production capacity elsewhere. But while Trump administration's goal has been to encourage this capacity to go back to the United States, it looks like both China and the United States stand to lose as manufacturers look to other regions with more interest.

Foxconn's latest earnings report is out, and it looks like Apple's biggest supplier rose above analyst expectations at a time when many other companies have seen their business dwindle because of the pandemic.

After a particularly hard first quarter this year, Foxconn posted a net profit of $778.55 million for the three months ending in June, which is a 34 percent year-over-year increase and more than $170 million above expectations. The Taiwanese manufacturer believes the results are most likely caused by the upswing of people who work from home, which has greatly increased demand for both consumer and enterprise equipment when compared to the period before the pandemic.

It wasn't all rosy for Foxconn, however, as smartphone revenue still dropped around 15 percent during the second quarter. The company did anticipate this decline, as it saw a downward trend in the number of orders that persisted through June. Projections for the third quarter show a 10 percent year-over-year drop in Q3, which is why Foxconn is on a hiring spree to ensure a successful launch for Apple's iPhone 12 lineup.

Hon Hai Precision Industry (Foxconn's parent company) chairman Young Liu told Bloomberg that the manufacturing giant will slowly build out more capacity outside of China as a result of continued pressure from the US-China trade war.

Liu says that while China will remain an important region for manufacturing, the country's "days as the world's factory are done."

Foxconn currently has 30 percent of production outside of China, up from 25 percent one year ago. The company is eyeing several new locations, including India, Vietnam, Mexico, Brazil, and the United States.

Foxconn's clients have been looking to diversify their supply chain, which is why India is pushing ahead with a $6.6 billion investment to lure Big Tech into setting up a local production ecosystem. The plan seems to be working so far, with Wistron now making iPhone 11 units and Pegatron scrambling to open a new manufacturing arm in Chennai.

The tariffs imposed by the Trump administration on consumer goods have given countries like Vietnam -- which still lacks the necessary infrastructure -- a foot in the door to win some manufacturing contracts for electronic accessories.
Labor caucus members have dismissed a call from resources spokesman Joel Fitzgibbon to back new gas pipelines with taxpayer support, venting their frustration over a split on energy policy.

Labor energy spokesman Mark Butler warned against throwing federal support behind "white elephant" ideas when renewables could create three times as many jobs as fossil fuel projects.

Labor MP Joel Fitzgibbon, left, supports government subsidies for gas pipelines, but his colleague Mark Butler, right, says they are unnecessary. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

In a pointed reminder about the need for discipline, Labor insiders said Mr Butler was the relevant shadow minister on energy and suggested Mr Fitzgibbon was out of line.

Mr Fitzgibbon spoke on the understanding he is responsible for gas extraction and transport.
Ancient people in the Near East had begun the practice of intentionally cremating their dead by as far back as 7,000 BC, new research suggests.

The remains of a corpse that appears to have been intentionally incinerated have been uncovered in an ancient cremation pit during excavations at the Neolithic site of Beisamoun in Northern Israel.

These remains were directly dated to between 7013-6700 BC, making them the oldest known example of cremation in the Near East, researchers say.

The excavation revealed most of one skeleton of a young adult, with the bones showing evidence of having been heated to temperatures of more than 500C shortly after death.

This is a redefinition of the place of the dead in the village and in society Fanny Bocquentin

According to the study published in the PLOS ONE journal, they were sitting inside a pit that appears to have been constructed with an open top and strong insulating walls.

Microscopic plant remains found inside the pyre-pit are likely to be left over from the fuel for the fire.

The authors say this evidence suggests this was an intentional cremation of a fresh corpse, as opposed to the burning of dry remains or a tragic fire accident.

Fanny Bocquentin of the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), said: The funerary treatment involved in situ cremation within a pyre-pit of a young adult individual who previously survived from a flint projectile injury  the inventory of bones and their relative position strongly supports the deposit of an articulated corpse and not dislocated bones.

This is a redefinition of the place of the dead in the village and in society.

Researchers indicate the early cremation came at a period of transition in funerary practices in this region of the world.

Practices such as the removal of the cranium of the dead and the burial of the dead within the settlement, were on the way out, while practices like cremation were new.

This change in funeral procedure might also signify a transition in rituals surrounding death and the significance of the deceased within society.
Only one previously healthy child has died of coronavirus in England and children make up a fraction of cases, an official study reveals.

The comparatively low impact on the young will reassure millions of parents and boost the Governments determination to reopen schools next month.

Experts found that under-16s made up 1.1 per cent of the 130,000 confirmed Covid-19 cases during the first wave of the virus.

The research, led by Public Health England (PHE), concluded that children play a limited role in the pandemic and have a substantially lower risk of infection and death.

Eight children have died after testing positive for coronavirus in England, the study said, but in half these cases Covid-19 was not the main cause.

Children made up just 1 per cent of all coronavirus cases during the first wave of the epidemic, a Government-run study suggests. Pictured: A socially-distanced class taking place in London

Of the other four children who died because of Covid-19, all aged between ten and 15, only one had no apparent previously diagnosed underlying health condition.

Experts analysed 129,704 positive tests taken between January and May. Fewer than one in 20 children who were swabbed tested positive, compared with around one in four adults. The death rate among the children was 0.5 per cent.

Lead author Dr Shamez Ladhani said: Our results add to the growing body of evidence that children have a substantially lower risk of contracting Covid-19 than adults, and are also much less likely to become seriously unwell with the infection.

'Schools are vital to the growth and development of children. It is important that we open schools safely and have systems in place to monitor infection and transmission of the virus in schools during the autumn term.

The research, published last night in the Archives of Disease in Childhood, comes as Boris Johnson presses ahead with plans for all schools to open full-time in September  and undermines claims by the militant leader of the National Education Union that the science is not clear enough.

The authors suggest children are less likely to get infected because their immune system reacts differently and because it is harder for the virus to invade their cells.

Dr Ladhani said more research was needed to establish how easily children pass on the virus and if children without symptoms are spreading it in the community.

It is thought older children are more likely to be infectious than those at primary school, although health minister Edward Agar has insisted that research into the possible greater risk facing teenagers is still a work in progress.

The study found there has been no increase in excess deaths among children from all causes compared with the past five years, despite concerns that lockdown restrictions could put parents off taking sick children to hospital.

Professor Russell Viner, president of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, said the PHE study confirms international evidence that children and young people as a group are little affected by this virus.

Dr Mike Tildesley, an associate professor at the University of Warwick, said: These results provide further supporting evidence that the reopening of schools in September should represent an extremely low risk to any individual child. With this in mind, the vast majority of parents should feel reassured.
Rumble

Hawksbill sea turtles are critically endangered. They are gorgeous, with ornately patterned shells and a unique facial structure, resembling the beak of a predatory bird. This striking beauty has caused a dramatic population decline for the hawksbills. They were already facing a threat due to meat and egg harvests, and they were placed at greater risk when their shells became the much sought-after material used to make jewelry boxes and hair clips. In the last century, their numbers plummeted, and they were on the brink of extinction. Conservation efforts and increased protection laws have helped this beautiful animal begin a comeback. These two turtles are actually success stories due to the efforts of researchers and rehab workers in Papua New Guinea. They were given critical care in their early years and then released back into the wild in a remote part of Kimbe Bay. Scuba divers visit the island where they live to document and study the wildlife and the ecosystem in this area. The turtles still trust humans, and they approach them curiously, looking for food and interaction. The turtles are interested in what the divers are looking at, and they will often swim between the divers and their photography subjects, competing for the attention of the divers. It is believed that these turtles remember the trust that they were shown, and they respond with particular interest to the specific diver that played a direct role in their upbringing and release. Hawksbill sea turtles are among the most beautiful and beloved animals in the ocean. To interact with turtles like this on their own terms is a beautiful and memorable experience.
Former General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee Le Kha Phieu (Photo: VNA)



In a message of condolences sent to Party General Secretary and President Nguyen Phu Trong on August 8, Chinese Party General Secretary and President Xi Jinping said comrade Le Kha Phieu was an eminent leader of the Vietnamese Party and State who led the Vietnamese people to great victories in the process of socialism building and renewal. He was also a close comrade and friend of the Chinese Party and people, contributing to the building of the China  Vietnam relationship under the motto friendly neighbourliness, comprehensive cooperation, long-term stability, and looking forward to the future.

China attaches great importance to strengthening and upholding the bilateral traditional friendship, and stays ready to promote political trust and solidarity with Vietnam, as well as ties between the two Parties and nations and the socialism building cause of each country, he said.

The Chinese leader believed that under the firm leadership of the CPV Central Committee led by Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, Vietnam will reap new achievements in the cause of socialism building.

Earlier, on August 7, the Central Committee of the Lao Peoples Revolutionary Party, President, Government, National Assembly of Laos, and the Central Committee of the Lao Front for National Construction also conveyed messages of condolences to the CPV Central Committee, President, Government, National Assembly, and the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front and family of comrade Le Kha Phieu.

They said the late leader made great contributions to the national liberation cause of Laos, stood side by side with the Lao peoples army in important campaigns to gain the final victory in 1975. He also dedicated to fostering the great friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between the two Parties, States and people over the past time.

The same day, Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni; President of the Cambodian People's Party (CPP), Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen; President of the National Assembly Samdech Heng Samrin and President of the Senate Samdech Say Chhum also sent messages of condolences to Party General Secretary and President Nguyen Phu Trong, other senior leaders of Vietnam and the family of former Party General Secretary Le Kha Phieu.

The Cambodian leaders said comrade Le Kha Phieus passing was a great loss of the Vietnamese Party, State and people, adding that Cambodia has also lost a good and long-time friend who contributed to enhancing solidarity, close cooperation and friendship between Cambodia and Vietnam.

First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba Raul Castro and President of Cuba Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez also extended a condolence message to Party General Secretary and President Nguyen Phu Trong.

The Cuban leaders said they will forever remember meaningful contributions of the late Vietnamese leader to strengthening and developing the historic relationship between the two nations./.
MANCHESTER, England and VIENNA, Aug. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- F2G Ltd, a UK- and Austria-based biotech developing novel therapies for life-threatening systemic fungal infections, announced today that it has secured US $60.8 million in new financing from new and existing investors. The financing round is led by Cowen Healthcare Investments and includes strong participation from existing investors Novo Holdings, Morningside Ventures, Brace Pharma Capital and Advent Life Sciences.

Proceeds from the financing will be used to fund F2G's late-stage clinical programs for their novel antifungal agent olorofim and organisational scale-up in preparation for commercialisation.

Olorofim (formerly F901318) is F2G's lead candidate and is in a Phase 2b open-label study focussing on rare and resistant life-threatening invasive fungal infections, such as invasive aspergillosis (including azole-resistant strains), scedosporiosis, lomentosporiosis, fusariosis, scopulariopsosis, and coccidioidomycosis (Valley Fever). Olorofim was granted Breakthrough Therapy designation (BTD) for the indication of 'Treatment of invasive mold infections in patients with limited or no treatment options, including aspergillosis refractory or intolerant to currently available therapy, and infections due to Lomentospora prolificans, Scedosporium, and Scopulariopsis species' in November 2019 by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the only antifungal agent ever to have been awarded this status. Olorofim has the potential to be the first truly novel mechanism antifungal therapy for nearly twenty years and represents a very significant market opportunity in an area of high unmet clinical need.

Commenting on the news, Ian Nicholson, CEO of F2G Ltd, said: "Following a successful year during which F2G has received FDA Breakthrough Therapy designation for olorofim, as well as FDA Orphan Drug Designation for Coccidioidomycosis (Valley Fever), and QIDP designation in multiple fungal infections, today's announcement is a significant milestone. We are delighted to welcome Cowen Healthcare Investments to F2G, and I would like to thank our existing investors for their continued support. This financing marks the continued commitment of our shareholders and paves the way for the advanced development and potential approval of the first new antifungal treatment in 20 years, offering hope for patients with very limited treatment options and a high medical need."

Tim Anderson, Managing Director at Cowen Healthcare Investments said: "The necessity for the discovery and development of treatments to tackle infectious diseases is today more apparent than ever. F2G's antifungal candidate demonstrates significant promise in terms of safety, tolerability, and efficacy. With our focus on supporting transformational science that can deliver real clinical outcomes, we are pleased to work with this proven management team and group of renowned investors to build on F2G's significant scientific and commercial potential."

Joining the F2G Board in conjunction with the financing will be Tim Anderson, Managing Director at CHI, Will West, Investment Advisor at Morningside Ventures and Naveed Siddiqi, Partner at Novo Ventures. Naveed takes over from Martin Edwards who is retiring from the Board.

Ian Nicholson added: "We welcome Tim Anderson, Will West and Naveed Siddiqi who replaces Martin Edwards as the representative of Novo Holdings on the Board of Directors. On behalf of the Board we would like to thank Martin for his contribution to F2G. His industry expertise and counsel have been instrumental in guiding F2G through recent developmental and financing milestones, and we wish him the very best."

About F2G

F2G is a world-leading UK- and Austria-based biotech company (F2G Ltd and F2G Biotech GmbH) focused on the discovery and development of novel therapies to treat life-threatening invasive fungal infections. F2G has discovered and developed a completely new class of antifungal agents called the orotomides. The orotomides target dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (DHODH), a key enzyme in the de novo pyrimidine biosynthesis pathway. This is a completely different mechanism from that of the currently marketed antifungal agents and gives the orotomides fungicidal activity against a broad range of rare and resistant fungal mould infections. Olorofim (formerly, F901318) is F2G's leading candidate from this class. www.f2g.com

About Olorofim

Olorofim is currently being investigated in an open-label single-arm Phase 2b study (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03583164) in patients with proven invasive fungal disease (IFD) or probable invasive aspergillosis (IA) with limited treatment options (refractory disease, resistance, or intolerance to available agents). On 7 November 2019, olorofim was granted Breakthrough Therapy designation (BTD) by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the only antifungal agent ever to have been awarded this status.

About Cowen Healthcare Investments

Cowen Healthcare Investments invests fiduciary capital in private healthcare companies across the biopharma, diagnostics and digital health sectors. Cowen Healthcare Investments is a strategy of Cowen Investment Management, which develops differentiated, actively managed products on behalf of its clients. Cowen Investment Management is a division of Cowen Inc. Learn more at www.cowen.com.

SOURCE F2G
MUSKEGON, MI  Families of men incarcerated at the Muskegon Correctional Facility are expressing fear and confusion as the number of inmates infected with the novel coronavirus continues to climb, following mass testing inside the prison.

As of late afternoon on Tuesday, Aug. 11, 395 prisoners, and six staff members, had tested positive for the virus, and prison officials promise that they are enacting a plan developed months ago to obtain distance for inmates who test positive for COVID-19.

But family members who spoke to MLive/Muskegon Chronicle shared stories from their relatives indicating that inmates are worried and bewildered as they are moved around to accommodate this plan. Their families anxieties over their loved ones safety is compounded by access to social media, where rumors spread quickly.

Rumors include the mixing of sick people among healthy people, and, most dramatically, stories of an alleged rebellion taking place within the prison at the start of the outbreak.

We dont know whats going on in there, said Kathie Carruth, of Waterford, whose brother is incarcerated in the facility. The inmates dont even know whats going on in there.

Fear of a rapidly spreading virus

Since the first case of COVID-19 was identified at the prison, located at 2400 Sheridan Drive, early in the week of July 27, the number of positive cases escalated quickly, as the prison implemented mass testing. Officials first tested the units where the first symptomatic cases presented themselves, and then, last week, tested the entire incarcerated population twice.

All told, about one-third of all inmates are confirmed positive: 395 out of 1,231.

A third round of testing took place Wednesday, said Holly Kramer, a spokesperson for the Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC), and antibody testing, to detect whether a person was previously infected, took place on Tuesday.

RELATED: Muskegon prison isolates some inmates after coronavirus outbreak

As of Monday, 113 prisoners total had been transferred out for treatment, either to the Duane Waters Health Center, part of the state prison in Jackson, or to the Carson City Correctional Facility, which has a designated COVID-positive unit, according to Kramer.

Most of those prisoners are asymptomatic, and were moved because they might have had pre-existing health conditions and we wanted to monitor them at a facility that had the ability to provide a more intensive level of care if needed, Kramer said.

The rest are in isolation, said a spokesperson for the Muskegon Correctional Facility (MCF), David Brazee.

On Tuesday, all of Unit 2 was emptied out and sanitized as COVID-19-positive cases were moved in, he said. Before that, one wing had been used to isolate positive cases.

Residents of that unit  one of two where the outbreak was first identified  were moved into different units, he said. He was unable to answer how it is determined which prisoners are transferred out and which are kept in the facility, or whether there is a distinction between how patients exhibiting symptoms and those exhibiting none are treated.

Healthcare staff regularly visits the isolation unit, Brazee said, to take temperatures and interview those residents. Brazee said they havent yet reached the point of considering how theyll reintroduce that population back into the prison after isolation. He said there would likely be a step-down process, similar to the one for hospitalized inmates, who will wait 30 days after clearing of symptoms before transferring back.

But family members say that, in spite of this policy, their loved ones are nervous about healthy and sick inmates mixing and apprehensive that moving units around to make space is allowing for further spread.

Brianna Hall, of Detroit, said her brother, who has lived in the facility for three years, had been told that his unit, where all but one person tested negative, was going to be split up and moved into units where about four dozen cases had been identified.

Residents of Halls brothers unit spoke to a prison official, who told them that any sick people had been moved out of their units. Halls brother was worried this was not true, saying hed seen some people with signs of being ill still on the new unit.

I fear that my safety is extremely endangered, Halls brother texted her on Tuesday night, in a message shared with MLive. No one is concerned enough to weigh in on the consequences of moving 80 inmates from a safe secure covid free environment to an unsafe unsecured infections covid 19 environment.

Asked if sick and healthy patients are being housed together, Brazee, the MCF spokesperson, said, Absolutely not.

Were not putting sick people in with healthy individuals who arent positive (for COVID-19), MDOC spokesperson Chris Gautz previously told MLive. As soon as someone is identified as positive, theyre shipped out.

Kathie Carruth, of Pontiac, said her brother is terrified because he has an underlying health condition  serious childhood bronchitis  that could make him susceptible to the worst respiratory side effects of the virus.

Carruths brother described a freewheeling approach to handling the outbreak inside the prison. Several dozen inmates were moved to the gym, he said, but despite the policy of keeping units separated from one another, prisoners not assigned to the gym have been able to enter a room in which maintaining social distance is already difficult, Carruths brother said.

He does not really feel safe in the gym, said Carruth. People are just everywhere. Some people may congregate, some people may stay to themselves. He said its just not safe.

According to Gautz, the MDOC spokesperson, all correctional facilities across the state developed a plan for dealing with a COVID-19 outbreak inside their walls at the start of the pandemics spread inside the state. He said the Muskegon facility has been implementing its plan since the first case was identified, and this has included installing bunk beds in different rooms, such as the gym, in order to spread prisoners out.

Weve had to become creative with our space, Gautz previously told MLive, in order to separate people who tested positive, their close contacts and the rest of the population across facilities.

Gautz previously told MLive that inmates confirmed to have the virus are immediately separated from the healthy population, as are people they maintain close contact with, such as cell mates.

But Carruth said that prison policies have not been communicated to prisoners directly, and there are open questions about how units now being used as quarantines will be disinfected. Likewise for belongings that people left behind in the shuffle  like personal televisions inside of cells, for example.

As far as a plan and how theyre handling everything, it has not been stated to (the incarcerated), she said.

Carruth said she wants to see protocols sent to the families, so we would know what would happen. Instead, she said, families receive panicked messages and phone calls from their loved ones, and have no protocol to consult.

Carruth has also been distressed by the communication she has received from the prison itself, concerned that she will not hear if her brother gets sick and is transferred to a hospital.

According to Brazee, the MCF spokesperson, family members are not alerted if their relatives are transferred out of the prison for medical care, out of security concerns.

Flare-up inside the prison

One consequence of those communication barriers may have been an incident that unfolded on July 30  just a few days after quarantine was first imposed within the facility.

Gautz called it a flare-up. A prison employee, who spoke to MLive on condition of anonymity, out of fear of losing his job, called it the most frightening experience in his 20 years of corrections work.

According to the employee, dozens of inmates in Housing Unit 4 refused to return to their cells after they saw bunk beds being installed inside their unit, which they believed would be used to house sick prisoners in their quarters.

The bunks were intended for healthy prisoners, to free up room elsewhere for quarantined prisoners, the employee said, but the units residents didnt know that.

They started yelling and screaming, and it escalated from there, the anonymous employee said.

According to Kramer, the MDOC spokesperson, prison employees responded after 30 to 50 inmates refused to return to their cells by speaking with prisoners and giving verbal commands to return to their cells, which they refused.

After that, Kramer said, an unarmed squad from the facility was assembled and responded to the unit, and they were able to get most prisoners back to their cells. A handful of prisoners continued to refuse orders and a chemical agent was deployed to help gain compliance from those prisoners and get them back to their cells.

All told, the spokesperson said, that disturbance required 30 staff members, lasted an hour and 20 minutes, and resulted in four prisoners being transferred out of the prison.

Byron Osborn, president of the Michigan Corrections Organization, the prison guard union, said he was alerted about the incident shortly after it was cleared. Its a sign of the stress that both prison staff and residents are experiencing, with potentially dangerous consequences, he said.

While Osborn and Gautz both said no staff or incarcerated people were hurt during the incident, Osborn described its severity as an 8 or a 9.

Any time you have to lock a facility down, blow the siren and try to go in and gain back compliance and control, you are one spark away form a prison riot, he said. One spark.

The anonymous employee said he thinks staff now tries to communicate better with the inmates, with the understanding that disquiet can result from distress.

Now, when (guards) are trying to do something, theyre trying to give information to the prisoners, he said. They (the prisoners) really were rioting because they were afraid, I believe that.

Carruth, whose brother is inside, said she hadnt heard about the disruption, but independently expressed concern that fear could lead to violence.

Theyre scared, she said of the inmates. Its a volatile situation  and a volatile situation within a prison, I can only imagine.

To that end, Carruth has written a letter that she hopes will reach Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Michigan lawmakers, MDOC officials, and the Muskegon Correctional Facility warden. In it, she expresses great concern, fear, and anger over the effect of the coronavirus pandemic on imprisoned people, and calls the prison systems attempts at maintaining safety and stopping the spread of COVID-19 inept.

(I)magine being incarcerated, contracting Covid, and NOT knowing if you are receiving the proper treatment or isolation protocol, she wrote in the letter. Although, the men of MDOC are criminals in your eyes/under the law...They are still human beings with families, hopes, and fears.

According to a recent internal memo, sent to the incarcerated population on Aug. 6 and shared with MLive, the facility remains under full quarantine, and all units must remain together when moving to dining and recreational spaces. Healthcare staff will tour units to monitor symptoms and offer multivitamins, the memo says.

But communications protocols have loosened some. While prison visitations were suspended in March, in light of the virus spread, Muskegon inmates may place one free five-minute call per week through the end of the month, and call fees have been reduced.

MDOC is also considering establishing a video visitation option, the memo states, although there is no timeframe for reestablishing in-person visits.

Read more on MLive:

Michigan reports 796 new coronavirus cases and 7 deaths for Tuesday, Aug. 11

Sick with COVID-19, inmate cant get out of prison even with AG, prosecutor backing him

Coronavirus outbreak at Muskegon prison increases to more than 150 inmates
A stray bull went on the rampage in India, trampling on a little boy as his elder brother tried to fend off the beast.

Footage shows the pair holding hands as they walk down a road in Rewari district in Haryana on August 6.

The younger child suddenly becomes scared of a group of four bulls and begins to walk away - at which point one of the animals runs after him.

The bull then pushes him to the ground and tramples on him as his sibling tries to kick it away - but he is headbutted and also falls over.

A bull suddenly charges at two young brothers who were holding hands as they walked down a road in Rewari district in Haryana, northern India, on August 6

The younger sibling had become spooked by the animals and started to walk away when one of them attacked him

As the boys retreat, the bull continues its attack. Sources suggest the bull which was standing calmly at the corner of the street was agitated by the yellow shirt the younger boy was wearing

The bull knocks the little boy to the ground and then headbutts his brother who is trying to fend it off

As the little boy cowers, his brother gets up and again tries to shoo the creature away.

Suddenly, the other bulls race over, whereupon one of them also attacks the small child.

A group of locals quickly intervene and begin throwing bricks at the bulls in an effort to make them leave.

Eventually, the animals run away and the young boy can be seen being pulled off the ground by his brother before being picked up and carried away.

Moments later - after another bull joins in the attack - some men intervene and start throwing bricks at the animals to drive them away

Miraculously, the two brothers escaped with only minor injuries.

Sources suggest the bull which was standing calmly at the corner of the street was agitated by the yellow shirt one of the brothers was wearing.

According to local reports, there have been an increased number of attacks by bulls in the state, with more stray bulls strolling the city streets.

Three days before the incident, the local MLA (Member of the Legislative Assembly) Chiranjeev Rao had suggested transporting the animals to a farm.

Despite this, the city council officials have turned a blind eye to the problems faced by the locals.
SEOUL, Republic of Korea, Aug. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- LASEROPTEK Co., Ltd., a developer and manufacturer of world-class laser devices for aesthetic and medical dermatology, is pleased to announce the launch of its PALLAS Solid-State 311nm UVB laser in the United States. The efficacious and safe PALLAS laser is FDA cleared for the treatment of vitiligo, psoriasis, atopic dermatitis and leukoderma.

LASEROPTEK's PALLAS Solid-State UVB Laser FDA Cleared For Treating Vitiligo, Psoriasis, Atopic Dermatitis and Leukodermas. Available In 308nm or 311nm Models. Solid-State Design Negates the Need For Costly Gas and Electrode Replacements Driving a Strong Return On Investment. PALLAS is Safe, Efficacious and With a Low Cost of Ownership.

PALLAS is the fifth LASEROPTEK laser device to receive FDA clearance in the U.S. for dermatological treatments and brings to the U.S. market the world's first solid-state UVB laser delivering efficacious and safer treatment for a variety of skin conditions that collectively affect close to a billion people worldwide.

PALLAS features unique technology improvements over 308 nanometer excimer lasers currently used to treat vitiligo, psoriasis, atopic dermatitis and leukodermas. PALLAS provides physicians flexibility by allowing the choice of either 308 or 311 nanometer versions. Both wavelength choices feature PALLAS' unique, solid-state technology eliminating the need for costly and time-consuming excimer gas and electrode replacements no matter which wavelength is chosen. This reduction in operating costs is a desired and welcomed benefit in today's challenging market environment.

Dr. Peter Jenkin, owner of Dermatology Associates of Seattle since 2010, is a respected expert in the treatment of pigmentation related skin disorders and is among the first health care providers offering treatments using PALLAS. "I chose LASEROPTEK's PALLAS UVB laser with the 311nanometer output option given its efficacy and higher safety profile for my patients. I had been aware of research for a few years that the 311nm wavelength might be the best option," this according to Dr. Jenkin. "I also appreciate the solid-state technology that negates the need for costly and time-consuming service calls to replace electrodes and excimer gas," added Dr. Jenkin.

Commenting on the launch of PALLAS in the U.S., CJ Lee, CEO of LASEROPTEK said, "LASEROPTEK, in collaboration with our U.S. partners Gale Force Aesthetics and Laser Service Solutions, is deeply committed to developing, selling and servicing advanced laser devices to the U.S. medical and cosmetic dermatology market that improve safety, efficacy and economics for our physician customers and their patients. PALLAS is a great example of this commitment. We very much appreciate Dr. Jenkin's trust in PALLAS to provide his patients with safe, efficacious and comfortable treatments. We look forward to a long-term relationship with Dr. Jenkin and the entire staff at Dermatology Associates of Seattle."

Jayson Jonsson, CEO of Gale Force Aesthetics, the exclusive distributor of LASEROPTEK lasers in the U.S. adds, "We are excited and proud to partner with LASEROPTEK to launch PALLAS in the U.S. Physicians need safe and effective treatment options for difficult-to-treat skin conditions like vitiligo, psoriasis, atopic dermatitis and leukodermas. We are confident that this device will provide a much-needed option to physicians and deliver great results for patients."

To learn more about LASEROPTEK's world-class lineup of lasers for aesthetic and medical dermatology, please visit www.laseroptek.com. To purchase or lease a LASEROPTEK laser in the United States, please visit www.galeforceaesthetics.com or contact Jayson Jonsson at +1(925) 705-6206. To learn more about Dermatology Associates of Seattle's extensive offering of medical and aesthetic treatments, please visit www.daseattle.com or call +1(206) 267-2100.

About LASEROPTEK Co., Ltd.

LASEROPTEK is a global technology-driven medical device company in the aesthetic and medical laser market. Founded in 2000 and with its in-house R&D capabilities, LASEROPTEK introduces safe, stable and highly efficacious laser systems merging advanced laser technology with clinical efficacy.

About Dermatology Associates of Seattle

Our mission is to promote optimal health of the skin by providing the highest quality, comprehensive, personalized dermatologic care. Our team members are committed to carrying out this mission in a respectful and enriching work environment that fosters professional development.

About Gale Force Aesthetics, LLC

Gale Force Aesthetics partners with best-in-class manufacturers  deploying a nationwide team of independent sales consultants that drive sales while building a strong reputation of excellence for their partners.

Media Contacts:

Helena Lee

[email protected]

+82.2.6954.1895

Christopher Dalton

[email protected]

+1.619.609.4757

SOURCE LASEROPTEK Co. Ltd.

Related Links

http://www.laseroptek.com


By Luc Cohen and Roslan Khasawneh NEW YORK/SINGAPORE (Reuters) - A shipping joint venture between Venezuela and China has fallen apart in the wake of U.S. sanctions, resulting in the South American nation losing three supertankers at a time when foreign shippers are reluctant to carry its oil, court documents show

By Luc Cohen and Roslan Khasawneh

NEW YORK/SINGAPORE (Reuters) - A shipping joint venture between Venezuela and China has fallen apart in the wake of U.S. sanctions, resulting in the South American nation losing three supertankers at a time when foreign shippers are reluctant to carry its oil, court documents show.

PetroChina Co Ltd, which had been state-run Petroleos de Venezuela's partner in the Singapore-based joint venture CV Shipping Pte Ltd, took control of the three tankers between January and February, according the documents from a Singapore court reviewed by Reuters.

The transfer of the Junin, Boyaca and Carabobo very large crude carriers (VLCC) has not been previously reported.

It came after U.S. sanctions on PDVSA left the vessels without insurance, leading to millions of dollars in losses for CV Shipping and prompting PetroChina to place it in bankruptcy. The original purpose of the venture was to ship Venezuelan oil to China and some other export destinations.

PDVSA's loss of the three tankers, which carry each up to 2 million barrels of oil, comes as it is more dependent than ever on its in-house fleet. Washington is intensifying its 18-month campaign to oust Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro by sanctioning third-party vessels that transport the OPEC nation's oil.

That has prompted major Greek shipping firms, some of whose vessels have been sanctioned for transporting Venezuelan crude, to stop working with PDVSA, prompting Venezuelan oil exports to collapse.

PDVSA has until now managed to retain a fourth VLCC from the venture, the Ayacucho.

But a U.S. glass manufacturer seeking to collect a $500 million arbitral award for Venezuela's 2010 expropriation of two factories is suing in Singapore court to seize that tanker, Reuters reported last week.

The dispute marks an unceremonious end to the once-ambitious venture launched in 2008 as oil-hungry China sought to deepen ties with Venezuela under former President Hugo Chavez, Maduro's predecessor and mentor. China has since drastically scaled back support, contributing to Venezuela's collapse under Maduro.

"The fundamental purpose of this JV has already irretrievably broken down," Xia Hongwei, a PetroChina executive, wrote in a Sept. 17, 2019 letter to PDVSA executives included in the court filings.

Neither PetroChina nor PDVSA responded to requests for comment for this story.

Petrochina moved to place CV Shipping into court-administered liquidation in Singapore in January 2020, around a year after Washington first sanctioned PDVSA to try to cut off oil revenue to Maduro, who remains in power.

China remains one of the main importers of Venezuelan crude, mostly by way of ship-to-ship transfers that make it appear as if the origin of the crude is Malaysia.

NO INSURANCE, ACCOUNTS FROZEN

The sanctions set off a series of cascading crises at the venture. Bermuda-based insurer Standard Club revoked protection and indemnity (P&I) insurance for all four vessels in May last year, letters included in the court records show.

CV Shipping's insurance broker, Willis Towers Watson, explained in an email included in the case file that Standard Club made that decision because "it did not want to be exposed to the risk of being or becoming subject to sanctions."

Standard Club declined to comment.

Singapore law requires vessels to have P&I insurance to set sail, so that move rendered the tankers effectively unable to navigate, according to an affidavit written by a PetroChina lawyer.

In addition, CV Shipping's banks froze the company's accounts, and the vessels' shipmanagers warned they would soon cancel their contracts, the affidavit read.

CV Shipping, which posted annual profits ranging from $600,000-$14 million from operating the vessels between 2013 and 2018, quickly found itself losing $500,000 per month since it had to pay for management fees and fuel, even though the ships could not earn revenue by transporting oil, the affidavit showed.

To stem losses, PetroChina in June 2019 proposed ending the CV Shipping venture and splitting the four vessels between the two firms. PDVSA had taken over management of the Ayacucho in June 2019 while it was in Venezuelan waters, according to a notice to its previous manager included in the docket.

Xia described this move as "unilateral" in a June 28 email to PDVSA executives, but nonetheless proposed the company keep the vessel and the Carabobo, leaving the Junin and the Boyaca to PetroChina.

Shares in the Ayacucho and Junin were transferred to PDVSA and PetroChina, respectively, on Jan. 17, 2020.

PDVSA paid $17.8 million for shares in the Ayacucho while PetroChina paid $13.8 million for the Junin shares, according to a sale and purchase agreement included in the court docket. The payment was deducted from loans the shareholders had made to the venture.

But the two parties were unable to reach a deal for the remaining two vessels, prompting PetroChina to request CVS be placed in liquidation, a move swiftly authorized by Singapore courts. The appointed liquidator proposed an auction of the remaining two tankers between the two companies, and asked both parties to provide proof of funds, which PDVSA said it could not do because of the sanctions.

"Due to force majeure, expressed in the unilateral coercive measures imposed by the Government of the United States of America on our behalf, which is public and recognized, we are not able to indicate a bank account," Oswaldo Vargas - who ran PDVSA's maritime subsidiary, PDV Marina - wrote the liquidator on Feb. 22.

The U.S. Treasury Department, which enforces sanctions, did not respond to a request for comment. Vargas was removed from the company and arrested by Venezuelan authorities on allegations of complicity with fuel smuggling in March.

The liquidator, acting on CV Shipping's behalf, subsequently reached a deal in a private negotiation with PetroChina to sell the shares in the Carabobo and Boyaca, for 1 Singapore dollar ($0.7287) each, after PetroChina agreed to pay off the inter-company debt the two vessels' parent companies owed to CV Shipping for around $53 million total.

Petrochina made the payments on Feb. 26.

(Reporting by Luc Cohen in New York, Marianna Parraga in Mexico City and Roslan Khasawneh in Singapore; Editing by Daniel Flynn and Marguerita Choy)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) chief Kamal Nath is all set to exhibit his devotion for Lord Krishna by hosting a celebration of Krishna Janmashtami at his residence in Bhopal on Wednesday.

Taking a dig at the Congress leaders decision, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has called it a pre-poll gimmick while the Congress party has termed this adherence to Sanatan Dharma.

Kamal Nath who is a devotee of Lord Hanuman, was one of the first Congress leaders to celebrate the foundation laying of Ram temple on August 5. Nath even organised a grand celebration at the MPCC office. For the first time under his leadership, MPCC had thrown gates open to devotion and faith in a full-fledged manner with chants of Jai Sri Ram slogans.

On the occasion of Krishna Janmashtami, Nath will host another celebration at his official residence on Wednesday.

However, the incumbent BJP which had earlier taken objection to pretentious Ram temple devotion of Congress party, slammed the members once again.

Its nothing but pretension and pre-poll gimmicks, why the Congress party did not remember lord Ram and Krishna earlier, BJP leader Pankaj Chaturvedi said. The party which earlier talked about sacrifices of goat, iftar parties and appeasement politics has now painted itself saffron, he added.

Kamal Nath ji has remembered the god at this age which is good. He enjoyed five-star facilities in this life and his devotion will ensure that he continues to do so in the next one, said BJP national general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya. By chanting the name of God, one can get his sins of several births cleansed, he added.

Responding to allegations, Congress spokesperson JP Dhanopia stated that its no pretension and Kamal Nath has always been an ardent follower of Sanatan Dharma. No one has a patent on religion and god, Dhanopia added.

Congress own leaders have been questioning the new approach of soft Hindutva. TN Prathapan, MP from Thrissur, Kerala had recently written a letter to AICC chief Sonia Gandhi warning against the party's actions.
The oil spill off the coast of Mauritius has imperilled protected wetlands that boast rare mangrove forests and scores of fish and coral species.

The bulk carrier MV Wakashio, which struck a reef on July 25, has spewed more than 1,000 tonnes of fuel near two of Mauritius' three "Ramsar sites", named after the international convention to preserve wetlands.

Thankfully, salvage crews on Wednesday finished removing all the fuel that was in the vessel's tanks, though another 100 tonnes remained on board elsewhere.

Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth has warned, however, of a high probability that the 300-metre (984-feet) vessel will break up.

Here's a look at the two sites:

- Blue Bay -

Trace amounts of oil have been found at Blue Bay, a 353-hectare (872-acre) Ramsar site featuring 38 species of coral including spherical "brain coral" that is more than a century old.

That oil was "immediately contained" as part of clean-up operations, said Sunil Dowarkasing, a former Greenpeace strategist and environmental expert assisting in the clean-up.

But a larger intrusion could deliver a hefty blow to the site abutting tourist-friendly Blue Bay Beach, he said.

"If Blue Bay Marine Park is polluted then we are going to lose a jewel for Mauritius," Dowarkasing said.

Blue Bay's mangroves, seagrass meadows and macro algae provide a habitat "for about 72 fish species and the endangered green turtle, as well as a nursing ground for juvenile marine species", the Ramsar Convention notes on its website.

- Pointe d'Esny -

The shallow, brackish waters of the 22-hectare Pointe d'Esny site feature a mangrove forest, mud flats, threatened plants and native butterflies.

The area is more protected than Blue Bay, with a coastal road separating the mangroves from the nearby lagoon.

But mangrove roots are prone to trap oil, Dowarkasing warned, rendering Pointe d'Esny especially vulnerable if there is extensive intrusion.

Mauritius' third Ramsar site, the Rivulet Terre Rouge Estuary Bird Sanctuary, is located on the opposite side of the country's main island and is not threatened by the spill.

rcb/fb/gd/ri
Agitation for the presidency in 2023 by the Southeastern part of the country is being threatened by a clash of interest between the highest Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, and the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

National Daily gathered that the bone of contention has to do with the ultimate objectives of both organizations. For IPOB, the Igbo will not trade the demand for independence for a President in 2023, while Ohanaeze Ndigbo said its focus remains on ensuring that the next President comes from the zone.

According to IPOB Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful, the group would not relent in its pursuit of freedom for Biafrans despite Ohanaezes contrary position.

He was reacting to the statement by Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, on the Hausa Service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) on Sunday where he backed the demand for someone from the South to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari.

Powerful said Biafrans would not succumb to what he called a bait as being dangled by El-Rufai.

He said: We want freedom, which is forever. The presidency is just for eight years. We are not prepared to trade freedom for just the eight-year term of a president.

Meanwhile, Ohanaeze President in Anambra State, Chief Damian Okeke-Ogene, while briefing reporters after a meeting, said the organisation was not for Biafra actualisation but rather in a President of Igbo extraction.

He noted that some youths within the territory that make up the defunct Biafra Republic were calling for its restoration because of the marginalisation of the zone.

Okeke-Ogene said: We are pursuing Igbo President because the executive of Ohanaeze, led by Nnia Nwodo, has the mandate of Ndigbo to negotiate the Igbo position in Nigeria.

He was not given a mandate for the sovereign state of Biafra. Thats why we are saying, give us what is due to us. Nigerias President of Igbo extraction is what we are looking for, he added.

A legal luminary, Chief Mike Ahamba (SAN), backed El-Rufais suggestion that the South should produce the next President.

He said the governor spoke the mind of Ndigbo, adding that it will lead to equity if realized, noting that the next President should specifically come from the Southeast.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-12 23:20:44|Editor: huaxia

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THIMPHU, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- Two days into a nationwide lockdown, Bhutan reported another new COVID-19 case on Wednesday.

The case is a 25-year old man.

Speaking at a press conference in Thimphu on Wednesday evening, Prime Minister Lotay Tshering said the man is a loader working at the mini-dry port in Phuentsholing, and he has already been following virus prevention protocols like that for those in quarantine facility.

The worker was tested in a mass testing of more than 16,000 people. "It is not sure whether he has contacted the virus from foreign drivers he might have met at the port or from other sources," said the prime minister.

"As per the protocol, the contact between drivers and loaders is not allowed. However, we can't rule the instances where the loader might have contacted the virus from the foreign driver too," said the prime minister.

"There might be a chance that the loader might have contracted from other people or from the imported goods he handled. The loaders are frontline workers and we must be thankful to them. It's unfortunate that the person who was serving the nation contracted the virus."

Following the new local positive case, the Health Ministry has traced 183 contacts and the process is still ongoing.

On Wednesday two more COVID-19 positive cases were reported along with the local case, taking the total positive cases in the country to 116.

"To prevent community spread we must adhere strictly to the lockdown," the prime minister said, urging people to wear face masks to be safe from the COVID-19 infection. Enditem
University of Georgia alumnus Matt Osajima has a younger sister who is planning to start her sophomore year in Athens this fall. The thought of his sister getting sick with COVID-19 was the biggest inspiration for the creation of protectuga.org, he said.

After thinking of his sister and hearing concerns about UGAs reopening conditions from friends, Osajima worked to create a website which connects members of the UGA community with the schools administrators. By filling out the form on the website, anxious students, parents and other users can send an automated or personalized email about their COVID-19 concerns to members of the university administration.

University of Georgia administrators Here are the UGA administrators you can contact by using protectuga.org. Jere Morehead, president

Victor Wilson, vice president for student affairs

Kelly Kerner, vice president for development and alumni relations

Jack Hu, provost

So far, Osajima said 275 people have sent emails using the website since its creation on Aug. 4, adding to the multitude of voices who are concerned about campus reopening and Athens increasing COVID-19 cases. Last week, Athens recorded a record of over 300 COVID-19 cases in one week. UGAs semester begins on Aug. 20.

The automated message asks that the university allows professors to completely move their classes online. It also asks that UGA waive its housing contract cancellation fees, which would allow students to cancel their housing contracts without cost if students no longer feel safe living on campus.

The more barriers to an action there are, the less likely somebody will do it.

 Matt Osajima, UGA alum and creator of protectuga.org

The thermometers and self-monitoring guidelines you provided are signals that you expect students, faculty and staff to inevitably get sick, the automated email reads. Beyond this, decisions are being made behind closed doors, and we feel like there are no options. We do not feel heard.

Osajima wanted to streamline the lines of communication between those who are concerned about COVID-19 and the UGA administration. This way, he said, people would be more likely to express their thoughts.

The more barriers to an action there are, the less likely somebody will do it, Osajima said. It can be kind of intimidating to send an email to the president of UGA of the vice president of student affairs.

Bryce Acree, the website's developer and a rising sophomore at Georgia Tech, created the website as a favor to Osajima  the two are high school friends and have kept in contact over the years. After talking about Osajimas vision for the project, the development took three days.

He just really wanted to give students a voice and let them contact the right people for getting their voice heard, Acree said.

Osajima is promoting the website through his Instagram account and by emailing alumni and friends.

Although he wont be returning to Athens this month, Osajima is concerned for his friends who will be. He said he recognizes that while the UGA administration has been transparent about the protocol for in-person classes, many students dont feel like the school is taking enough steps to protect them.

Other leading public colleges and universities have moved online, Osajima said. We should be able to not let politics let money get in the way of focusing on what matters, which are students, a decent education and the lives of everyone involved.
On 2 August, the International Day of Remembrance, the European political establishment commemorates the murder of between 500,000 and 600,000 Sinti and Roma by the Nazis. However, discrimination against Sinti and Roma in Germany continues to this day.

On July 15, in the run-up to this years International Day of Remembrance, the Berlin state government, a coalition of the Social Democrats, the Left Party and the Greens, deported over 200 members of the Roma minority to Moldova, where COVID-19 is running rampant.

The Berlin Refugee Council complained that those targeted were seized by police officers in the dead of night, at 3 a.m., before being placed on a chartered flight to Moldova. A further night-time deportation occurred on 30 July.

The deportees include several families with young children as well as people with chronic illnesses (including a woman with cancer) and disabled people. As the Refugee Council noted in its press statement, The deportations were planned and carried out under the sole authority of the SPD/Left Party/Green state government.

The state government, led by Mayor Michael Muller (SPD), Interior Senator Andreas Geisel (SPD) and Social Affairs Senator Elke Breitenbach (Left Party), provided a powerful demonstration of its ruthlessness towards people without a German passport or residency permit, even under conditions of the coronavirus pandemic.

Muller hypocritically claimed to be outraged by federal Interior Minister Horst Seehofers ban on Berlin accepting 300 refugees from Greek refugee camps, claiming that the decision outraged everyone in the Senate. Yet officers under the control of his party ally Geisel were at the same time forcing entry into the living quarters of hundreds of especially vulnerable members of the Roma minority and deporting them.

The outrage over the opposition (by the federal government) to the state refugee acceptance programme appears to have been so much hypocrisy at the expense of refugees, commented Georg Classen, spokesman for the Refugee Council.

Refugees who had signed a voluntary departure order at the State Office for Refugee Affairs and who planned to return soon to their home countries were also forcibly deported. Nora Brezger from the Refugee Council Berlin attacked the government, declaring her doubts about whether the voluntary return programme can be taken seriously if forcible deportations are carried out in violation of promises made.

As the World Socialist Web Site has warned since the coming to power in Berlin of the SPD/Left Party/Green coalition, the Left Party and Greens implement the federal governments ruthless refugee policy wherever they are in government. Forcible deportations carried out at night are part of their standard operating procedure.

Moldova is one of the poorest countries bordering the European Union. One in five of its 3.5 million inhabitants is estimated to live below the poverty line.

The Roma minority there is exposed to state-organised exclusion and discrimination. Bitter poverty due to a disproportionately high unemployment rate, housing problems and homelessness, and extreme difficulty in accessing education, are all part of daily life for the Roma minority. Over half of them have no access to state medical insurance, meaning they can be refused health care treatment.

However, in the view of the Federal Office for Immigration and Refugees (BAMF), the discrimination and marginalization in their homeland does not amount generally speaking to anything that is relevant for refugee law, remarked Martina Mauer from the Refugee Council Berlin to the Berliner Morgenpost in December of 2019.

Only 80 of the 10,500 Moldovans who applied for asylum to the BAMF between 2015 and 2019 obtained a (temporary) residency permit. Applicants were overwhelmingly members of the Roma community.

The further impoverishment and deaths of Roma are seen by the SPD, the Left Party and the Greens as a price worth paying. Their deportation to Moldova, which, according to the Robert Koch Institute and Germanys Foreign Ministry, is a coronavirus risk area, amounts to a death sentence.

Even prior to the pandemic, it would have been totally unclear how the woman with cancer, who has an artificial anus and was in the middle of a course of chemotherapy, could have continued her treatment or even had her stoma bag changed. The police ought to have abandoned the repatriation at the point of the deportation at the latest, wrote the Refugee Council. With the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, the woman is now part of a high-risk group.

The health care system in Moldova has been on the verge of collapse since May. The government extended a state of emergency for the health care system until the end of August. According to the Refugee Council, around 2,000 new infections are registered each week. The World Health Organisation reported last week a rate of new infections of 400 per day, but added that a much higher number of unreported cases was likely. According to official figures, around 27,000 Moldovans have been infected by the virus.

While solidarity is always pledged in Berlin during the coronavirus pandemic, the SPD/Left Party/Green government could not wait to get going with deportations again, complained Nora Brezger of the Refugee Council. Two mass deportations had already been carried out in June, one to Georgia and the other to Serbia.

According to the 6 August edition of the Berliner Zeitung, 300 people were deported during the first six months of the year in spite of the pandemic. The Berlin Interior Affairs Department reported that the Federal Office for Immigration and Refugees began issuing asylum rejections again in mid-May, and repatriations have been carried out on an unrestricted basis and regardless of the pandemic since mid-June. A total of 188 people have been deported from Schonefeld airport, including to Georgia, Moldova and Serbia.

Irrespective of the hypocritical lip service they pay to the need to protect refugees and oppose discrimination, neither the Left Party nor the Greens have condemned the deportations, let alone done anything to prevent them.

Roma and Sinti are among the minorities facing the worst forms of discrimination in Europe. This is also the case in Germany, according to the latest report from the Central Council of Roma and Sinti On the equal treatment of Sinti and Roma and the fight against anti-gypsy sentiment.

While job centres, the Office for Work, Department for Foreigners, social services and youth support providers practice systematic discrimination, according to the report, there has also been a persistent manifestation of anti-gypsy sentiments in the speeches of far-right, conservative and social democratic politicians, in articles and reports... and in hate speech online.

Four years ago, when the SPD governed in Berlin in coalition with the Christian Democrats (CDU), Interior Senator Frank Henkel (CDU) ordered a brutal crackdown by a unit of police officers against Roma families protesting at the Memorial to the Murdered Sinti and Roma of Europe against their threatened deportation.

The Left Party and the Greens, who were in opposition at the time, appealed to the protesters to end their demonstration at the memorial. Less than a year later, the newly installed SPD/Left Party/Green coalition has enforced the inhumane asylum and deportation policy of the federal government, including against the severely persecuted Roma minority.

Seventy-five years after the downfall of Hitlerite fascism, the ruling elites nationalism is once again rearing its ugly head. State-sponsored racism and xenophobia are the inevitable products of this development. Under conditions of deepening crisis, all of the established parties, the Left Party and Greens included, defend the repressive state apparatus and the property interests of the ruling class.

The deportation of defenceless sick, disabled and aged Roma, and the systemic discrimination against minorities, is just as much a part of this class policy as the brutal reopening of worksites and schools amid a raging pandemic.
A Brisbane convenience store worker who argued he should be released from jail because the teenager he raped in the shop's bathroom had taken drugs has lost his appeal.

The man, whose name was suppressed in the Court of Appeal judgment, was handed a 5-year jail sentence in March this year after he was convicted of one count of sexual assault and four counts of rape committed against an 18-year-old woman.

The woman was on a night out in the Valley when she was attacked. Credit:Cameron Atfield

The woman had stopped into the convenience store to use the bathroom, after a night out clubbing in Brisbane's Fortitude Valley in September 2018.

The worker initially told the woman she could not use the bathroom, but he eventually agreed after she asked again.
REUTERS

Calgary-based telecom carrier Shaw Communications (SJR) (SJR-B.TO) has announced it will launch Shaw Mobile, a wireless service for B.C. and Alberta customers who will be able to add up to six mobile lines to their internet service. Unlimited talk and text will cost no money per month, while customers wishing for data can add $45 per month for 25GB.

Paul McAleese, president of wireless at Shaw, explained during a press briefing that customers who add a phone line will use Wi-Fi when at home and will automatically connect to one of the 450,000 Shaw Wi-Fi hotspots in Western Canada when not at home. There is a $20 activation fee per line, he said.

Regular rates for Shaw Fibre+ internet plans start at $60 per month to $125 per month, according to information on the carriers website.

McAleese added that customers wishing for data can either pay $10 per gigabyte or add $45 for 25GB. Speeds are throttled if customers go over their data and they will not be charged an overage fee. Customers will also be notified if they are about to reach their data limit, he said.

Customers are required to go to one of the 19 retail stores that will have this offering, he said, adding that 12 new stores are opening in the coming weeks.

We are in a stressful economic environment in Western Canada, McAleese said. What a better time to launch a high-value plan when people are most financially stressed. We think we can really help Canadian consumers and its a wonderful bundle.

By offering this service, McAleese said Shaws strategy is to reward and secure our existing [internet] base and to compete with Telus, its primary competitor in the West for internet services.

We want to ensure that we reward our customers in a way that perhaps its difficult for others to do and stabilize that base in a way that can reduce our churn in a unit face and reward those customers further for loyalty, he said.

Currently, Shaw has only been able to capture a 6 per cent market share of wireless mobile customers in Western Canada, but in terms of internet customers, the carrier has a 50 per cent market share.

Story continues

The carrier has also invested nearly $30 billion since 2013 into its existing networks and announced in May 2020 that Western Canadians now have access to gigabit speeds with the launch of Fibre+ Gig.

McAleese said there are no plans to expand the service to other provinces. He did note that customers travelling to other provinces using the wireless service will latch onto Freedom Mobile hotspots.

McAleese said the move to have these plans is important as the government pushes national telecom carriers to reduce prices of cellphone plans.

We believe that the launch of Shaw Mobile will not only meet that [ask] but will substantially surpass that, he said.

This isnt the first time Shaw has tried to disrupt the telecom industry. In November 2018, the carrier offered existing Freedom Mobile customers 100GB of bonus data if they signed up for a two-year monthly $60 plan with a new handset.

It pushed larger carriers to later offer unlimited data plans which were launched by Rogers, Bell, and Telus in the summer of 2019.

McAleese also noted that this new service will not change what Freedom Mobile will offer.

We think theyre very much complementary. Some of our peers are able to manage a trio of brands typically. So were not worried about managing a dual of brands, he said. In Western Canada, we still are a challenger brand so we have a relatively low market share. If a Freedom customer chooses to move their pricing into Shaw, thats fine, were quite comfortable having that conversation and transfer over. But the vast majority, we believe of customers that will come to Shaw Mobile will be new and accretive to our wireless objective.

Download the Yahoo Finance app, available for Apple and Android and sign up for the Yahoo Finance Canada Weekly Brief.
Rights groups have called for an immediate investigation into sexual misconduct accusations leveled against Kampong Thom Police Chief Ouk Kosal by four female officers.



The four officers wrote a letter addressed to Interior Minister Sar Kheng on July 30 accusing Ouk Kosal of physical assaulting them. The assault accusations include inappropriate touching and non-penetrative sex acts.

The women allege they were threatened by the police chief to keep the alleged assault secret or risk repercussions, such as losing out on promotions. All four women signed the document.



We were afraid of his power as a commissioner, reads the letter. On the other hand, he threatened us to not to reveal what he did. If you we dared, he said there would be a problem.



Interior Ministry spokesperson Khieu Sopheak said officials for the ministrys staff department, led by department director Chan Ian, were investigating the matter. He did not provide any additional details of the investigation.



The ministry is assigning technical officials to investigate the matter, he said.

VOA Khmer could not contact Chan Ian or Ouk Kosal for comment on Tuesday. Reporters were unable to contact the four police officers.



In the letter, the four women claimed to have gone to the ministry to raise their accusations against Ouk Kosal and that they were aware other women who had faced similar situations.

Yov Sengkun, administrative director for Kampong Thom provincial government, denied the accusations and supported Ouk Kosal by rejecting calls to investigate the police chief.

I have never heard of that information before, and [Ouk Kosals] attitude and performance has never been that way, he said.

Bunn Rachana, director of Klahaan NGO, which works to promote womens rights, praised the courage of the female police officers for exposing the harassment they faced at the hands of the police commissioner.

She said the provincial court should take note of the complaint forward and investigate the accusations made by the women officers.

The government, the judiciary, as well as the Ministry of Interior, must take serious and urgent measures to conduct a thorough investigation to provide justice to all parties involved, she added.

Chak Sopheap, director of the Cambodian Center for Human Rights, said the handling of this case would reveal the administrations attitude towards addressing serious accusations linked to womens rights issues.

I also hope that individuals who claim to support the preservation of dignity of women will join in demanding and providing justice to all women who have suffered as a result of this case, she wrote in a social media post.



The government has courted controversy with its handling of womens rights issues this year. An online seller was convicted in April for allegedly wearing revealing clothes, after Prime Minister Hun Sen claimed that revealing clothing worn by women sellers diminished Khmer culture and traditions, and resulted in assault and trafficking.



The government is also working on a draft public order law which looks to penalize women for wearing see-through or revealing clothing. The draft law has been panned by Cambodian women and activists as another attempt to police womens bodies.
Tehran balks at new US resolution to ban weapons sales indefinitely saying the UN will reject it too.

The United States circulated a revised resolution that would extend a UN arms embargo on Iran indefinitely, seeking to gain more support in the 15-member Security Council where veto-wielding Russia and China have voiced strong opposition.

US Ambassador Kelly Craft said the new draft takes council views into account and simply does what everyone knows should be done  extend the arms embargo to prevent Iran from freely buying and selling conventional weapons.

It is only common sense that the worlds #1 state sponsor of terror not be given the means of unleashing even greater harm on the world, she said in a statement.

Iran said on Wednesday the move showed the US was forced to retreat from its original resolution and predicted its new arms embargo push would fail at the Security Council.

Irans President Hassan Rouhani also warned of consequences if the UN Security Council backs the new American resolution.

We have great hopes that America will fail, Rouhani told a televised meeting of his cabinet. We have great hopes that America will realise its failure and see its isolation.

Council diplomats said the revised draft could be put in a final form on Thursday and put to a vote Friday.

Reasonable grounds

The revised draft, obtained by The Associated Press, is just four paragraphs and replaces the original seven-page, 35-paragraph draft circulated in June.





The original draft included several provisions that some diplomats objected to as going beyond the extension of the arms embargo and were eliminated.

One provision in the original resolution would have authorised all UN member states to inspect cargo entering or transiting through their territory at airports, seaports, and free trade zones from Iran or heading there, if the member state had reasonable grounds to believe the cargocontained banned items.

Another provision would have condemned a September 2019 attack on Saudi Arabia and December 2019 attacks on an Iraqi military base in Kirkuk and the US embassy in Baghdad, saying Iran was responsible.

The new draft states the arms embargo, notwithstanding its October 18 expiration, shall continue to apply until the Security Council decides otherwise. It says full implementation of the arms embargo is essential to the maintenance of international peace and security.

Reject this move

Irans UN Ambassador Majid Takht Ravanchi tweeted: Rebuffed by UNSC [Security Council] members, US was forced to retreat from its draft resolution  and proposed another version.

The new draft is similar-in its NATURE and GOAL-to the previous, he tweeted. Confident that the Council will-again-reject this move.

The United Nations banned Iran from buying major foreign weapon systems in 2010 amid tensions over its nuclear programme. That blocked Iran from replacing its aging military equipment, much of which had been purchased by the shah before the 1979 Islamic Revolution. An earlier embargo targeted Iranian arms exports.

The US push to make the arms embargo permanent follows President Donald Trumps 2018 withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal between six major powers and Iran, aimed at preventing Iranian development of nuclear weapons.

Tehran has repeatedly insisted it has no interest or intention to produce a nuclear bomb.

The 2015 UN Security Council resolution endorsing the nuclear deal includes a provision lifting the arms embargo on Iran on October 18.





The foreign ministers of Russia and China, in separate letters to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the Security Council last month, were sharply critical of the US effort to indefinitely extend the arms embargo.

They gave every indication they would veto any such resolution if it got the minimum nine yes votes in the 15-member council, which appears unlikely.

Snapback nuclear deal

If the resolution is defeated, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo suggested the US would invoke the snapback mechanism in the 2015 nuclear deal that would restore all UN sanctions on Iran. Snapback was envisioned in the event Iran was proven to be in violation of the accord, under which it received billions of dollars in sanctions relief in exchange for curbs on its nuclear programme.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov accused the Trump administration of waging a politically motivated campaign against Iran and called for universal condemnation of the US attempt to impose a permanent arms embargo on the Islamic Republic.

He said Trump withdrew from the 2015 nuclear agreement and now has no legal right to try to use the UN resolution endorsing the deal to indefinitely continue the embargo.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said the arms embargo should be lifted October 18. He also argued since the US is no longer a party to the nuclear deal it has no right to demand the Security Council to activate the rapid reinstatement of sanctions through the snap back provision.





The five remaining signatories to the 2015 deal  Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany  remain committed to the agreement. Diplomats from several of these countries have expressed serious concern that extending the arms embargo would lead to Irans exit from the deal and its speeded-up pursuit of nuclear weapons.

The US argues Iran has not been cooperating with the International Atomic Energy Agency for a year and has been moving a lot of weapons to proxies in the Middle East despite the embargo.

If the embargo is lifted, the US Defense Intelligence Agency predicted in 2019 that Iran likely would try to purchase Russian Su-30 fighter jets, Yak-130 trainer aircraft, and T-90 tanks.

Tehran also may try to buy Russias S-400 anti-aircraft missile system and its Bastian coastal defence missile system, the agency said.
Canada must slash the greenhouse gas emissions from its oil production in order to lure companies back to investing in increasing oil and gas production and expanding projects, Natural Resources Minister Seamus ORegan told Reuters in an interview this week.

If you do what is required to lower emissions, you will be rewarded with increased investment. If you dont, youll be punished, ORegan told Reuters in a phone interview.

According to the minister, Canadas oil industry has shown resilience in the face of many challenges in recent years and is changing with the pandemic and the increased environmental awareness from investors, shareholders, and the general public.

If Canada wants to continue growing its production, it needs to slash the greenhouse footprint of its oil, ORegan said.

According to a May 2020 report from Rystad Energy, Canada had the highest CO2 emission intensity per barrel of oil equivalent (boe) produced among the top 10 oil and gas producing countries in 2018.

Canada has an average intensity of 39 kg per boe, because it has a high share of its production from oil sands, typically emitting three to five times more CO2 per barrel than the global average, Rystad Energy has estimated.

Most recently, Frances supermajor Total booked US$8.1 billion in asset impairments, including US$7 billion impairment on Canadian oil sands assets alone. Total has reviewed the assets that could be qualified as stranded assetsand the only assets in this category are the Canadian oil sands projects. Total also said it would not approve any new project of capacity increase on these Canadian oil sands assets.

Albertas Energy Minister Sonya Savage commented on Totals decision:

At the same time Total is dismissing the leadership of Canadian producers who are doing their part with active strategies that have reduced emissions, they continue to invest in countries such as Myanmar, Nigeria and Russia. This highly-hypocritical decision comes at a time where international energy companies should, in fact, be increasing their investment in Alberta, rather than arbitrarily abandoning a source of a stable, reliable, supply of energy.

The coronavirus crisis and the collapse in oil prices will not be the death knell for Canadas oil sands, as production will still grow through 2030 to reach 3.8 million bpd, just 100,000 bpd lower than pre-crisis output projections, IHS Markit said in its latest analysis at the end of July.

By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
(Alliance News) - Horizonte Minerals PLC on Wednesday said it has executed a USD325 million debt facility mandate for its Araguaia ferro-nickel project in Brazil.

Shares in Horizonte were up 24% at 4.20 pence in London in morning trading.

BNP Paribas , ING Capital LLC, Mizuho Bank Ltd, Natixis, New York Branch, and Societe Generale are to act as the mandated lead arrangers for the senior secured project finance facility and have signed a non-binding indicative terms sheet for a debt facility of up to USD325 million.

The execution of the mandate "is a key milestone in the project financing process for the development of Araguaia," Brazil-focused nickel development company Horizonte explained.

The facility is targeted to close at the end of 2020, subject to due diligence completion, final credit approvals, and execution of documentation for the definitive facility. This documentation will include customary project finance terms and conditions plus an intercreditor agreement. Facility drawdowns "would be subject to customary conditions precedent".

Chief Executive Jeremy Martin said: "The mandating of five international financial institutions, with strong mining and metals track records, for the arrangement of a large senior debt facility is a significant achievement for Horizonte. This debt facility will cover a significant portion of the pre-production capex required to complete the stage 1 construction for Araguaia. We are targeting completion of the project financing package for the project by the end of 2020, provided that restrictions related to the Covid-19 pandemic do not cause further delays. We aim to start construction in early 2021."

By Anna Farley; annafarley@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2020 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
Colombian officials say they have arrested two Florida men wanted in the United States on charges they illegally sold a bleach-like chemical as a miracle cure for the new coronavirus and other diseases.

The Colombian prosecutor's office said Tuesday that Mark and Joseph Grennon were arrested in the beach town of Santa Marta, and were shipping their 'Miracle Mineral Solution' - chlorine dioxide - from there to clients in the United States, Colombia and Africa.

It said seven Americans had died from using the substance.

Mark Grenon is the archbishop of the Genesis II Church of Health and Healing, based in Bradenton, Florida, which is centered on use of the toxic chemical as a supposed sacrament it claims can cure a vast variety of illnesses ranging from cancer to autism to malaria and now COVID-19.

Mark Grenon, 62, (pictured) and his sons, Jonathan, 34, Joseph, 32, and Jordan, 26, all face charges of conspiracy to defraud the US, conspiracy to violate the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, and criminal contempt

Mark and his son Joseph were arrested in the Colombia beach town of Santa Marta, and were shipping their 'Miracle Mineral Solution' - chlorine dioxide - from there to clients in the United States, Colombia and Africa

The family team are accused of marketing and selling Miracle Mineral Solution (MMS) (pictured) as a 'miracle cure-all' for coronavirus as well as a range of illnesses including cancer, Alzheimer's, autism, multiple sclerosis, and HIV/AIDS

A Miami federal judge in April ordered the self-styled church to stop selling the substance, but it was ignored.

The organization also has operated in Mexico, Australia and other countries. Despite opposition from doctors and health experts, Bolivia's congress recently legalized use of the substance.

A federal criminal complaint filed in July charged Mark Grenon, 62, and his sons, Jonathan, 34, Jordan, 26, and Joseph, 32, with conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to violate the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act and criminal contempt.

Records in Miami federal court last month did not list attorneys for any of the Grenons. They face a maximum of between 14 and more than 17 years in prison if convicted of all charges.

According to the Food and Drug Administration, the solution sold by the Grenons becomes a bleach when ingested that is typically used for such things as treating textiles, industrial water, pulp and paper.

Authorities said drinking that bleach can be fatal.

Joseph is seen before being taken into custody by police in Colombia on Tuesday

He seen being taken away by authorities. They face a maximum of between 14 and more than 17 years in prison if convicted of all charges

A Miami federal judge in April ordered the self-styled church to stop selling the substance, but it was ignored. Mark Grenon is pictured

Mark's sons Jordan Grenon (left) and Jonathan Grenon (right) are pictured in mug shots

#ATENCION | #CTI de #Fiscalia, con apoyo de @FuerzaAereaCol y @GaulaMilitares, logro la captura de padre e hijo requeridos en extradicion por #EEUU por ingresar y comercializar en ese pais una supuesta 'pocima milagrosa' para tratar el Covid-19 y enfermedades de alto costo. pic.twitter.com/k3rWTkikwF  Fiscalia Colombia (@FiscaliaCol) August 11, 2020

The FDA said in a news release last August that 'ingesting these products is the same as drinking bleach.

Consumers should not use these products, and parents should not give these products to their children for any reason.' The FDA has not approved the solution for any health-related uses.

The federal complaint says the Grenons initially agreed to abide by U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams order that they stop selling the solution, then changed their tone in podcasts and emails to the judge herself.

'We will NOT be participating in any of your UNCONSTITUTIONAL Orders, Summons, etc,' one email from Mark Grenon read. 'Again and again I have written you all that . . . you have NO authority over our Church.'

Since the pandemic, monthly sales are thought to have increased from $30,000 to $120,000.

Joseph, Mark and Jonathan Grenon are pictured (left to right). Since the pandemic, monthly sales are thought to have increased from $30,000 to $120,000

Grenon proudly took credit back in June for Donald Trump's bleach gaffe, where the president recommended injecting disinfectant as a possible treatment for COVID-19. Grenon had written a letter to Trump just days before his comments where he said MMS was 'a wonderful detox that can kill 99 percent of the pathogens in the body' and 'can rid the body of Covid-19'
Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Tuesday warned he would "flush out" what he called "bad apples" as rights groups reported dozens of activists had been arrested in a broad crackdown on dissent.

Mnangagwa, who took over from longtime ruler Robert Mugabe after a coup in November 2017, said his administration was facing "many hurdles and attacks" including "divisive politics of some opposition elements".

"The bad apples who have attempted to divide our people and to weaken our systems will be flushed out," he warned in an impromptu nationwide address from the State House in the capital Harare.

"We will overcome attempts at destabilisation of our society by a few rogue Zimbabweans acting in league with foreign detractors."

His speech came days after the authorities thwarted protests called by Jacob Ngarivhume, the leader of a small opposition party, against alleged state corruption and the country's slumping economy.

The government described the protests as an "insurrection", and the police banned them citing coronavirus regulations.

"The protection of the right to life is paramount, especially in light of the COVID-19 pandemic and machinations by destructive terrorist opposition groupings," the president said.

"We make no apologies for fixing our systems across the socio-economic and political spectrum."

- 'Tipping point' -

The Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights said Tuesday it had represented more than 20 people arrested since last week, when authorities thwarted anti-government protests that had been scheduled for last Friday.

Among those arrested were top Zimbabwean writer Tsitsi Dangarembga and Fadzayi Mahere, a lawyer and spokeswoman for the main opposition party Movement for Democratic Change Alliance (MDC-Alliance).

Both were charged with inciting public violence and released on bail.

MDC-Alliance vice-president Tendai Biti said the situation had become "untenable".

Story continues

He condemned the regime for "closing political space", engaging "massively in corruption" and "abusing the constitution".

"We are at a tipping point, something is going to give," Biti told AFP, warning that another military coup could be "around the corner".

The latest government clampdown sparked outrage on social media with the hashtag #ZimbabweanLivesMatter trending worldwide on Twitter on Monday.

Celebrities and politicians across the globe have posted outrage over the arrests and condemned the long-standing repression of protest movements in Zimbabwe.

Soldiers opened fire on demonstrations over delayed election results shortly before Mnangagwa officially took office in 2018, killing at least six and injuring dozens.

Another 17 protesters were shot dead in January last year during a march against rising fuel prices that was dispersed by the army.

Activists and opposition figures are regularly kidnapped by suspected government agents and some are physically abused, rights groups say.

- 'It really is scary' -

"This pattern is becoming established," said Dewa Mavhinga, Human Rights Watch director for Southern Africa.

"Security forces (are) being complicit in abductions, in torture, in harassment and in silencing government critics."

Mavhinga was worried Mnangagwa's harsh rhetoric could be the sign of an even greater crackdown.

"It really is scary," he told AFP. "We are likely to see an escalation in attacks in government critics because this is what has happened in the past."

Zimbabwean human rights activist Jestina Mukoko deplored the lack of accountability in both government and police forces.

"We are suffering repression and criminalisation of our rights work," she said, adding that democracy had been "compromised".

South African radical opposition leader Julius Malema on Tuesday demanded the immediate closure of the Zimbabwean Embassy "until they restore the human rights in that country".

Zimbabwean political scientist Richard Mahomva suggested Mnangagwa was acting to defend himself from a "regime-change project".

"There are indications of a huge role of state intelligence (against) anti-establishment elements," Mahomva acknowledged.

"This could be emanating from the traditional, but now upscaled existential threat posed to the ruling (party)."

Also on Tuesday, the country's vice president and ex-military commander Constantino Chiwenga was appointed health minister, one month after his predecessor was sacked over corruption allegations related to coronavirus testing kits.

sn-str-sch/dl
Archaeologists from the Israel Antiquities Authority and Kinneret Academic College have uncovered the ruins of a 1,300-year-old church at the Circassian village of Kfar Kama in Israel.

The church measures 12 by 36 m (39.4 by 118 feet) and includes a large courtyard, a narthex foyer, and a central hall, said Dr. Nurit Feig, an archaeologist at the Israel Antiquities Authority.

While most churches are characterized by a single apse (prayer niche), this church had three apses.

The nave and the aisles were paved with mosaics which partially survived. Their colorful decoration stands out, incorporating geometric patterns, and blue, black, and red floral patterns.

A special discovery was the small reliquary, a stone box used to preserve sacred relics.

The archaeologists also uncovered an additional series of rooms adjacent to the church.

It is quite possible that this large complex was a monastery, they noted.

In the early 1960s, a smaller church with two chapels was excavated inside the village of Kfar Kama and was dated to the first half of the 6th century CE.

This was probably the village church, whilst the church now discovered was probably part of a contemporary monastery on the outskirts of the village, said Professor Moti Aviam, an archaeologist at Kinneret Academic College.

The new discovery hints at the apparent importance of the Christian village settled in the Byzantine period close to Mount Tabor, a site of primary religious significance for Christianity, identified as the site of the Transfiguration.

In 1876, when the Circassian Shapsug tribe first settled in Kfar Kama, they used the stones of the ancient village to build their houses.

_____

This article is based on text provided by the Israel Antiquities Authority.
The world is currently witnessing the tremendous magnitude and speed of collapse in economic activity and social degeneration like never before in our lifetime due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

This is indeed impacting negatively on efforts towards achieving the global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which Ghana has adopted as its minimum set of national socio-economic policy goals to achieve by 2030. Indeed the country must achieve these goals in order to give meaning to the governments commitment to eradicate poverty and leave no one behind by 2030.

The COVID-19 crisis has led the global economy to a new conundrum. Global financial markets have witnessed heavy losses and intense volatility. Trade and investments have similarly experienced sharp decelerations. Apart from the tragic human consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, the accompanying economic uncertainty, according to the UNCTAD, is estimated to cost the global economy $1 trillion in 2020. This could rise to $2 trillion should growth in the world economy slump to only 0.5%. The IMF fears the global growth could fall to -3 per cent this year, making it the worst recession since the great depression.

It also estimates that the pandemic could push about 49 million people into extreme poverty in 2020 alone. According to the World Bank, COVID 19 poses as an unprecedented threat to development growth in Sub Saharan Africa (SSA). It estimates growth in SSA to decline from its 2019 value of 2.4% to between -2.1% and -5.1 % in 2020, making 2020 the worst year since records began in 1970 for the continents economic growth.

Ghana has not been spared of the negative effects of the pandemic. Even though the impact is still unfolding and the extent cannot be estimated with certainty the pandemic is expected to negatively impact the economy and erode some recent achieved economic and social gains. Real GDP growth, for instance, is projected to decline from a projected 6.8% to about 0.9% and deteriorate further in a worst case scenario for the 2020 scal year. The fiscal situation is expected to worsen from a projected budget deficit of 4.5% of GDP to about 11.4% of GDP. This arises from shortfalls in petroleum receipts of GH5,105 million; Non-Oil Tax revenue of GH4,269 million; and Non-Tax Revenues (Non-Oil) of GH3,941 million, and Other Revenues of GH17 million, compounded by increasing covid 19 expenditures. These expenditures are projected to include the cost of a COVID19 preparedness and response plan of about USD $100 million, in addition to other expenditures to cater for the provision of Health Infrastructure (Agenda 88+), Coronavirus Alleviation Programme, Capitalisation of National Development Bank, Security, Elections, and payment of outstanding claims.

On the face of covid 19 pandemic Ghana is likely to experience reductions in:

in international trade volumes as a result of COVID 19 related lockdowns and other trade restrictions measures taken by Ghanas trading partners. in Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and portfolio investment, in foreign remittances, a squeeze in the domestic financial system and fewer funding avenues from foreign sources. in oil prices resulting from falling oil demand and worsening price wars among oil producers. in bilateral aid. in consumer demand for goods and services.

These effects are likely to translate into welfare losses and increases in poverty levels, which Ghana has in the past decade done so well to reduce. With the country having achieved many of the MDGs even ahead of schedule date of 2015, it was expected to do well with the successor global development framework, the SDGs, through intensified socio-economic investments. However, large fiscal, monetary, and financial policy stimulus to solve the crisis is already draining domestic resources from financing the SDGs. The situation in COVID 19 pandemic is certainly not good for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which the country has only ten years to attain. Already the slow pace of efforts to achieving the SDGs has heightened anxieties of a reversal of recent SDG gains. Against this background Ghana needs to do a serious policy re-engineering if it were to achieve the SDGs, whilst fighting the Covid-19 pandemic.

The approach the Ghana government, therefore, takes will have long-lasting effects and must avoid deepening the root causes of poverty, inequality, deprivation, climate change, and conflict. The countrys policy responses to the outbreak must, consequently, be designed with a gender lens, and pay special attention to those living in extreme poverty and rural communities, with disabilities and the many poor engaged in subsistence farming. Furthermore, responses must be equitable and reachable to the digitally isolated.

Hence for the country to achieve the SDGs it is crucially necessary that its policies, actions, and investments to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic are guided by the 2030 Agenda.

Published by Appiah-Kubi, Kojo (PHD)
This is an opinion column.

I thought about my mother, a Black woman born exactly a century ago. A Black woman who saw some things in 70 years in Oklahoma, who lived some things, too. Like having to put tissue paper in a hat at stores in downtown Tulsaacross the tracks from the all-black Northsideif she wanted to try it on.

I thought about Shirley Chisholm, a Black woman whom my mother saw run for President of the United States in 1972. Run with audacity. Run when some Black folks wanted her to sit. Run when even the Congressional Black Caucus didnt back her.

I thought about my aunt. Well, she wasnt really my aunt, not by blood. She was my mothers best friend and, well, among Black folks, that makes her auntie. I smiled recalling some of the bazillion stories she told. Heres one from the early 1950s as she studied for a Masters at the University of Tulsa: One of the first Blacks at the institution, she was on a field trip with fellow students to the Ouachita Mountains in Southern Oklahoma when their bus stopped for lunch. Unsure whether she would be allowed inside the restaurant, she remained on the bus. The instructor asked: Why dont you come find out. Because Im not non-violent, my aunt said (always pausing here to laugh), If I have to leave, I might kick something over on my way out.

I thought about Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman, Fannie Lou Hamer and so many other Black women whose names were not in the history book used at my high school. Black women who risked their lives to clear a path for whoever followed. Risked their lives to make a way.

I thought about my 20-year-old niece whos wanted to be a pilot since she was a little girlabout how no ones ever told her she couldnt fly.

I thought about Merlie Evers-Williams, Betty Shabazz, Coretta Scott King. Black women who stood beside, who supported, who lifted Black men on the frontlines of the fight for legal equality. Women who held it down.

I thought about the young Black woman who went to work for my father at his store on Greenwood Avethe heart of Black Wall Streetalmost before the ink on her college diploma was dry. She was smart, friendly, invaluable to my father. In the 1960s, when change was seismic yet still incremental, leaders of Tulsas chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, begged her to go work for the white pharmacist a few blocks away. Said he was seeing more Black customers and was ready to hire a Black woman and she was the right one, they told her. She said no, at first, then later relented. Soon after starting, she moved the black hair care products to the front of the store.

I thought about Rosa Parks. And Claudette Colvin.

I thought about so many bold, bad-a Black women in Alabama who are leading, organizing, and galvanizing our political landscape. About how on a December night in 2017, Black women showed up and showed out at polls across the state and put Doug Jones in the U.S. Senate. Ninety-eight percent of them chose him on their ballots.

I thought about those giddy sisters of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated. Couldnt help but think about them after they doused my social media timeline with pink and green just at the news that their soror, Sen. Kamala Harris, was former Vice-President Joe Bidens running mate on the Democratic tickethistorys first Black vice-presidential candidate.

First Black female VP candidate.

I thought, too, about my daughter. About what shes seen in her 23 years. About what shes lived.

About the way shell make, too.

About how high she, and so many other young Black woman, can fly.

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
A man has died following an early morning shooting in Scarborough on Wednesday.

Toronto police were called to the scene at 1350 Danforth Road, near Danforth Road and Eglinton Avenue East after receiving reports of sounds of gunshots at around 3:35 a.m.

Toronto police Insp. Darren Alldritt said the officers and paramedics arrived on scene fairly quickly.

Const. Caroline de Kloet told the Star that a man was found with a gunshot wound. The victim was taken to hospital where he was pronounced dead.

The man has been identified as 45-year-old John Wheeler. Police say he lived in one of the buildings around the scene of the shooting.

Police are looking for two suspects described as one white man and one Black man, both in their 20s and dressed in dark clothing with hoodies and face coverings.

Alldritt said the suspects ran away in a waiting vehicle, where a woman drove them away.
Malik Faisal Akram, from Blackburn (top-right, being arrested in 2018), was shot dead by US law enforcement on Saturday night after taking four people and a Rabbi hostage in a 10-hour siege (bottom-right). Tonight, it was revealed that the 44-year-old was the subject of a 'short lead investigation' - effectively chasing a tip-off - by MI5 for a least four weeks at the end of 2020. While there were concerns about Akram's activities, spooks deemed there was no sign he presented an imminent threat and he case was closed before tactics such as eavesdropping were deployed, according to the Times. It comes as a new image (left) emerged of Akram tonight, taken at an outreach centre in Dallas - around three miles from the site of the attack in Colleyville - just days before he took hostages. Wayne Walker, chief executive at the shelter, Our Calling, said Akram was hugged by a man who dropped him off there on January 2. Meanwhile, police in the UK have released two teenagers who they arrested as part of their inquiry into the attack without charge. The youngsters, who are believed to be under the age of 18, and cannot be identified for legal reasons, were detained in South Manchester on Sunday.
Atilis Gym owners Frank Trumbetti (left) and Ian Smith kick down wooden boards covering the entrance to the facility in Bellmawr, N.J., on Aug. 1. Law enforcement boarded up the entrance and arrested the owners July 27 after they defied a court order to stop operating the gym in violation of state coronavirus restrictions. Now the borough has revoked their business license. Read more

The Bellmawr Borough Council on Tuesday voted, 5-1, to revoke the mercantile license of Atilis Gym, whose owners have defiantly tried to reopen in the face of N.J. Gov. Phil Murphys coronavirus-related restrictions on such businesses.

Co-owner Ian Smith posted a video Monday on Instagram saying he and his partner, Frank Trumbetti, have been living inside the gym since Aug. 1, when they kicked open a plywood barricade to reopen their business. Smith claimed that authorities will attempt to erect a steel barricade on his doors.

We will not be leaving. We have not left, and we will not allow them to construct a steel barricade in front of our place of private business, Smith said.

The gym was closed in March along with thousands of other businesses statewide as Murphy attempted to control the virus spread.

In May, riding a wave of publicity from a tour of several Fox News appearances and support from Atilis members, the owners opened the gym. They were later held in contempt of court after a Superior Court judge in Camden ruled that Atilis must comply with an executive order by Murphy that limits indoor gym use to individual training sessions.

Smith said on Instagram that there will be another court hearing on Friday and that the gym faces a possible daily $15,000 fine for violating Murphys order.

Prior to kicking their way back into business, Smith and Trumbetti had been arrested and charged with contempt, obstruction, and violation of a disaster-control act. The Camden County Sheriffs Office then boarded up the entrance to the gym.
LG Electronics is developing a new R&D centre in Vietnam

World-famous Samsung Electronics is reported to plan to move its PC production from China to Vietnam to lower costs and stay competitive in the PC business. The company could close its factory in China as soon as this month and convert part of the facility into a research and development (R&D) centre. A spokesman said the move to shut the Chinese plant was based on the need to find a cost advantage.

Meanwhile, LG Electronics is developing a new R&D centre in Vietnam as part of efforts to expand its presence in the market. During a recent meeting between Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and South Korean companies, LG reportedly confirmed the plan. The company already has an R&D centre focused on its vehicle component solutions business in Hanoi. LG said it is currently looking for potential sites in Vietnam but it has yet to confirm detailed plans.

According to the Korea Chamber of Business in Vietnam (KorCham), Vietnams great potential in IT and workforce of related engineers has attracted not only Samsung and LG but also many others.

IT recruitment firm TovDev in Ho Chi Minh City said that South Korean IT companies are planning to come to Vietnam, and they wish to give the IT talents in Vietnam the opportunity to experience an international and professional working environment to maximise their careers.

Commenting on this trend, Linda Liu, an economist at Maybank Kim Eng, told VIR that the recent wave of multinational corporations carrying out investments in Vietnam underscores the view that Vietnam continues to position as a major beneficiary of the manufacturing supply chain shift.

South Korea remains by far the largest foreign investor in Vietnam. Data from Vietnams Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) showed that as of July 20, the total registered investment capital from South Korea in Vietnam amounted to more than $70 billion, accounting for 18.4 per cent of total overseas registrations in Vietnam.

This is followed by Japan and Singapore, with the total registered investment capital into Vietnam at $60.22 billion and $55 billion, respectively.

Recent news of South Korean investors building R&D facilities in Vietnam like Samsung and LG are positive signs that Vietnam could be gradually moving up the value chain and attracting more high-quality foreign investments, Liu said. This is in line with Vietnams new foreign direct investment (FDI) attraction strategy towards 2030 announced late last year, whereby more focus is expected to be placed on attracting FDI in high-tech and environmentally-friendly sectors in the coming decade.

That said, the supply chain shifts towards Vietnam are still likely to occur in a more step-by-step approach, meaning starting with mid-end and simpler product lines such as electronic components and parts, before upgrading to more complex and sophisticated high-tech products.

Dean Rolfe, partner and head of Market Entry at KPMG in Vietnam, told VIR that one of the causes driving this new high-tech investment into Vietnam is nothing more than a diversification away from China. He added semiconductor sales to China may slow and this might have an impact on high-tech manufacturing from this nation, especially products which are destined for international markets and not internal consumption.

As a consequence, many enterprises might be looking at a diversification strategy away from China or as a supplemental China+1 strategy. Other enterprises might be seeking cost reductions, while others might be looking at building entirely new high-tech supply chains for products in new geographic locations to reduce cost and widen geographic diversification, he said.

Kim Heung Soo, chairman of the Korean Chamber of Commerce and Industry, told VIR that South Korean investment in Vietnam has traditionally been concentrated on the manufacturing industry such as garments, bags, and footwears. However, recently Korean companies investment in Vietnam has also been diversifying into high value-added high-tech industries. Besides Samsung and LG, some of the leading companies that actively invest in the industry are Hyosung, SK, and Hyundai Motors.

However, for Vietnam to develop into an R&D hub, the foundation of the related technology industry must be solid first, and the Vietnamese government needs to actively train a professional workforce. Additionally, there should be preferential benefits such as visa and tax incentives to secure foreign professionals, Soo said.

Echoing this view, Michael Han, head of SK Groups representative office in Vietnam, said that it would be a win-win situation for South Korean firms and Vietnams economy if more incoming investments are made into high value added industries.

Despite COVID-induced challenges, the economy has endured well compared to some of its peers. But pandemic aside, Han says Vietnams economy needs to upgrade its growth drivers and inducement of such investments can definitely help.

I personally have been taking note of series of announcements on South Korean R&D investments into Vietnam, which was quite encouraging to see, Han said.

Yet, the true benefit for Vietnam can only be meaningful if such R&D investments become a continuous trend, rather than being one-offs. And especially for R&D of higher value added industries, I think the governments coordinated support is quite vital.
Porto Portugal "This report addresses that. Because, frankly, thats often the quickest and easiest way for the average American to gain permission to live and work legally in Europe."

If youve paid attention to headlines in recent weeks, youll have likely seen all the many stories about Americans wanting to escape the US Covid crisis, says Jeff D. Opdyke, editor of The Savvy Retiree, a publication of International Living. Stories on how to seek second passports. Stories on countries where Americans are increasingly seeking information on emigration. Stories on certain countries and Caribbean islands aiming to attract Americans for a year abroad.

Whats often missing amid all these many words is the story of how to live abroad for longer than a year without having to spending $100,000 or more buying a passport. For the fact is, a number of countries, particularly in Europe, offer freelance visas specifically aimed at those who want to live and work in a particular country for the long haul.

This report addresses that. Because, frankly, thats often the quickest and easiest way for the average American to gain permission to live and work legally in Europe.

Only a limited handful of European countries offer freelance visas. In most countries, youll need a job offer from a local firm, or youll need to work for a multinational will local operations that transfers you into a particular country. For most of us, thats not an option. Instead, we have to look to countries that specifically welcome the independent, freelance worker.

The report explores the five best countries to consider in Europe:

Czech Republic

I chose to pursue a freelance life two years ago in Prague, one of Europes most comfortable and picturesque cities, after careful consideration of other European destinations, says Opdyke.

Primary among those reasons is the fact that the Czech Republic offers whats known locally as a Zivno, widely regarded as one of the best freelance-worker options in Europe.

"This isnt a visa, and it not specifically targeted at foreigners. Instead, the Zivno is effectively a national registry of independent workers, whether theyre native-born Czechs or foreigners with long-term residence status. As such, applicants will need a long-residence visa to pair with the Zivno.

But assuming you have marketable skills in something that allows you to earn income online or even locally  as, say, a language teacher, says Opdyke, you will likely obtain your Zivno and with that it is easier to qualify for a one-year, long-term residence visa, a stamp in your passport. Then, assuming you play by Czech rules (pay your taxes and the mandatory health and social security insurance  combined, about $200 a month, minimum), youll apply for and receive a biometric, long-term residence card good for two years and renewable for another two. After five years, you can apply for permanent residence/citizenship, if that appeals to you. (Note: Because the Czech Republic is part of the European Union, its passport is one of the five best in the world.)

Prague, the capital, is a wonderful city to call homefolks are close to so much in terms of weekend getaways or longer trips. The lifestyle is relaxing. The city is eye-candy pretty much everywhere you go. And the food is great. A couple can live the good life there on a budget of $1,900 a month.

Germany

Here, you want the Freiberufler, Germanys self-employment visa, reports Opdyke. Its not terribly difficult to obtain, so long as you jump through various paperwork hoops that exist  and Germany has lots of paperwork hoops, including revenue plans, letters of intent or contracts from potential or existing clients, and various other documents.

Folks will also need to prove income sufficiency, which generally means at least 5,000 (just over $5,900) in a (preferably) German bank account.

A Freiberufler is good for six months to three years, depending on the application, and its renewable. The primary challenge is that an applicant will (probably) need to prove he or she has German freelance clients. Once armed with the Freiberufler, should a freelancer ultimately want permanent residence in Germany, its possible to apply after eight years.

Germany offers an excellent standard of living, with good infrastructure and quality healthcare. However, Germanys cost of living tends to be higher than the European Union average. A monthly budget for a couple living in a suburban area, close to Munich, runs $3,610 to $4,160.

Spain

The autonomo is what freelancers pursue in the land of sangria.

The process, while not especially difficult, can be lengthy  taking upwards of six months to complete, which means a 90-day tourist visa for the Schengen Zone (of which Spain is a member) will often expire before you receive your autonomo, advises Opdyke. So, you need to plan for that by completing as much of the process as you can outside of Spain. Conversely, as your 90-day limit approaches you can hop across to a non-Schengen country such as Ireland or the UK for a few weeks or months to stop your Schengen clock from winding down.

The autonomo is identical to the Czech Zivno in that its good for one year. An applicant can apply for two, two-year extensions, and after five years of surviving on tapas, then, apply for permanent residency/citizenship if he or she wishes to remain in Spain as a naturalized citizen eligible for an EU passport.

Granada, overlooked by the snow-capped peaks of the majestic Sierra Nevada, is a timeless city of many layers, many people, and many stories. The city is quickly gaining ground as a top choice in Spainthe climate and weather of Granada justify why so many peoples have sought to be here. And the nearly 500-year-old University of Granada plays a major role in the citys youthful vibe. Here a couple can live well on a monthly budget of $2,476.

Portugal

This is, perhaps, the easiest freelance/self-employed visa to pursue in the EU, which makes it quite popular for those seeking a visa that allows for both long-term residence and permission to earn a living in Europe.

There are two options:

1) residence visa for independent work (working locally for Portuguese clients as a contract employee);

2) residence visa for entrepreneur work (essentially the digital nomad stuff collecting clients from around the world).

Under Portugals non-habitual residency program, says Opdyke, income generated outside of Portugal for certain types of high-value activities is eligible for a tax exemption, meaning you pay no local taxes (you will still owe self-employment taxes to the States, and, potentially, personal income taxes, depending on how much money you earn living abroad).

Permanent residency/citizenship rules in Portugal follow the Spanish and Czech model in that you can apply after five years.

Porto, the second-largest metropolitan area in Portugal after Lisbon, is an increasingly popular city amongst digital nomads. Porto is a living, breathing picture-postcard of European charm, with plenty to see and do. Theres a proverbial banquet of exciting activities, from historic city walks to wine tastings across the river in Vila Nova de Gaias wine caves. But best of all, its good value. A couple can live well here on a monthly budget of $1,550.

France

Frances entrepreneur/profession liberale visa is similar to Portugal in terms of ease of attainment, says Opdyke. Its an ideal way for Francophiles to gain legal permission to live and work in France.

You need to demonstrate that you can fend for yourself financially by proving you earn at least the French legal minimum wage (about 1,540 per month, or $1,800). Beyond that, there are typical documents and whatnot that are necessary for the application, but nothing particularly difficult.

And despite widespread misconceptions about cost of living in France, outside of Paris the country is a pretty affordable place to call home.

Given its ideal placement along the French Riviera, the coastal city of Toulon in southeastern France provides an idyllic lifestyle for residents and short-term visitors. Away from the hustle-and-bustle of big resort towns like Nice, Cannes, and St. Tropez, unassuming Toulon lies a bit off the radar. A couple can live well here on a monthly budget of $1,986 to $2,228.

The full report, including information on a bonus country, The Netherlands, can be found, here: 5 Best Freelance Visas in Europe.

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Since 1979, InternationalLiving.com has been the leading authority for anyone looking for global retirement or relocation opportunities. Through its monthly magazine and related e-letters, extensive website, podcasts, online bookstore, and events held around the world, InternationalLiving.com provides information and services to help its readers live better, travel farther, have more fun, save more money, and find better business opportunities when they expand their world beyond their own shores. InternationalLiving.com has contributors traveling the globe, investigating the best opportunities for travel, retirement, real estate, and investment.
She landed at the center of controversy after her past racist actions came to light, resulting in her firing from Vanderpump Rules.

But now Kristen Doute is attempting to repair her tattered image.

The reality star, 37, introduced the new Peaceful Protest collection to her James Mae fashion line, with a 25% of proceeds benefiting the Black Fashion World and Watts Empowerment Center.

Redeeming herself: Kristen Doute introduced her new 'Peaceful Protest' T-shirt collection following her firing from Vanderpump Rules over past racist actions

Inspired by the recent protests battling racial injustice, the new range features artwork by Terren Rae Zinbi, a '25-year-old biracial canvas and graphic artist from Tulsa, Oklahoma,' according to a news release.

The T-shirts, which are available in shades of black, green, and grey, feature inspiring messages including 'No Justice, No Peace' and 'Revolution' in groovy font reminiscent of the 1960s.

Kristen announced the collection launch on her Instagram account on Wednesday, where she shared a slideshow of the T-shirts, including a snap of herself wearing the 'No Justice, No Peace' top.

The former Vanderpump Rules star flashed a peace sign as she posed with her business partner, Magen Mattox, who was wearing the 'Revolution' shirt.

Taking a stand: The new range features artwork by Terren Rae Zinbi, a '25-year-old biracial canvas and graphic artist from Tulsa, Oklahoma,' according to a news release

Ready to march: The T-shirts, which are available in shades of black, green, and grey, feature inspiring messages including 'No Justice, No Peace' and 'Revolution' in groovy font reminiscent of the 1960s

'Terrren's designs are a perfect complement to the James Mae look and style,' Kristen, who founded James Mae in 2014, said in the release. 'From the very beginning we have tried to align our brand with activism, racial equality, community support and environmental responsibility and this collection embraces that spirit.'

Terren hopes her T-shirt designs will serve a greater purpose during this time of reckoning.

'Racial equality is heavy on my heart every day and especially now with everything going on in the world,' Terren said. 'I try to use my art to bring people together and hope that when people wear these shirts it will be a reminder that we all need to work together to bring greater peace and harmony to this world as well as raise money for two very worthwhile organizations.'

Protest fashion: The range was inspired by the recent protests fighting racial injustice

'We've always wanted to incorporate donation and charity, but I think what we both really loved the most about this collection is that not only are we actually donating, but giving Terren, who is biracial, the work,' Doute told Page Six.

'Giving back to Black Fashion World, which helps out with fashion entrepreneurs in the black community, we just thought that was something really great. And then donating to Watts, it's [about] donating locally and thinking globally. We wanted to split between the two of them so we were also doing something locally in Los Angeles,' she added.

The T-shirts range from $36-$45 and are now available online.

The collection seems to be Kristen's attempt at redeeming herself, after her past racist actions sparked her firing from Vanderpump Rules earlier this summer.

Controversy: Kristen and Stassi Schroeder were fired from the series after their former costar Faith Stowers, who is Black, revealed they had falsely accused her of a crime in 2018 (pictured 2018)

Kristen and Stassi Schroeder were fired from the series after their former costar Faith Stowers, who is Black, revealed they had falsely accused her of a crime in 2018.

Kristen even appeared to tweet about the incident at the time, writing, 'hey tweeties, doesn't this ex #pumprules thief look familiar?

'someone put her on mtv & gave her a platform for press. I didn't wanna go there but I'm going there.'

In addition to Kristen and Stassi, who were among the biggest stars of the cast, the series also fired Max Boyens and Brett Caprioni for past racist tweets.

Took to Twitter: Kristen even appeared to tweet about the incident at the time, writing, 'hey tweeties, doesn't this ex #pumprules thief look familiar?' (pictured 2020)

The revelation triggered a series of consequences for Stassi and Kristen, whose publisher cut ties with her in light of the controversy.

In her apology, Kristen insisted her actions were not 'racially driven', but acknowledged the harm she could have caused Faith.

'I have been taking some time to really process what I've been seeing, feeling and learning. And I need to address something specifically that happened a few years ago with my former castmate, Faith Stowers.

'Although, my actions were not racially driven, I am now completely aware of how my privilege blinded me from the reality of law enforcement's treatment of the black community, and how dangerous my actions could have been to her. It was never my intention to add to the injustice and inbalance. I'm ashamed, embarrassed, and incredibly sorry. I will do better. I have to do better.'
KABUL (Reuters) - At least 18 people, including Afghan security forces personnel, were killed in a suspected car-bombing in eastern Afghanistan on Thursday, hours before a three-day ceasefire was to begin in the country for the Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha, officials said.

The ceasefire, announced by the Taliban, comes at a time violence has risen across the war-torn country as U.S.-brokered peace talks between the militant group and an Afghan government-mandated committee await the completion of a prisoner exchange between the two sides.

The Taliban denied responsibility for the bombing in a statement from spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid.

The explosion targeted Afghan security forces in Pul-e-Alan, the capital of the eastern province of Logar and civilian casualties are also feared, according to Shahpoor Ahmadzai, the spokesman for the provincial police.

He added it was unclear whether it was a car or suicide bombing, but that security forces had gathered for duty in the city to prepare for security measures for Eid al-Fitr, which will be celebrated in Afghanistan on Friday.

The head of the province's council, Hasib Stanekkzai, told Reuters it was a car-bombing and put the toll at 18 dead and 22 injured.

Since the U.S.-Taliban agreement in February, 3,560 Afghan security forces personnel have been killed in attacks by militants, according to Afghan President Ashraf Ghani.

The U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan said in a report this week that more than 1,280 Afghan civilians had been killed in the first six months of the year, mainly as a result of fighting between Afghan government forces and the Taliban.

U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad was in Kabul on Wednesday to discuss the need to keep violence down by all sides after the ceasefire and the completion of the prisoner exchange, according to a statement by the U.S. Embassy in Kabul.

(Reporting by Abdul Qadir Sediqi in Kabul and Ahmad Sultan in Nangarhar; Writing by Gibran Peshimam; Editing by Mark Potter)
Soon after the Air India Express IX1344 crash in Kozhikode on August 7, Ministry of Civil Aviation announced an investigation under the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau or the AAIB.

The investigation is important, not just to understand what led to the aircraft overrunning the aircraft, breaking into two, causing the death of 18 people, including the two pilots; but also to recommend changes that will help prevent similar tragedies in the future.

But the announcement of the AAIB investigation has not been welcomed by all. Instead, many have called for the government to set up a court of inquiry. Is the demand justified?

AAIB and its origin

The Bureau was set up in 2012, in accordance with Section 7 of the Aircraft Act 1934 (India) that empowers the government to make rules for investigation of accidents. It operates under the supervision of the Ministry of Civil Aviation.

The recommendation to set up an investigating agency came from the Court of Inquiry that was formed to look into the 2010 Mangalore crash, which has been compared to the tragedy in Kozhikode on many counts of similarly.

The Court of Inquiry had suggested that the new agency should be in the lines of the National Transport Safety Board, the American body that looks into accidents in the US.

"This independent body will help in focusing on all the flight safety-related issues so as to make timely recommendations to DGCA and Ministry of Civil Aviation for speedy implementation. The recommended pro-active measures will help in minimising accidents and incidents. Such an independent organisation is much needed in view of the rapid growth of aviation in the country including general aviation," the court of inquiry noted.

An audit by the International Civil Aviation Organisation, the UN agency that sets a global standard for aviation, also recommended setting up an independent agency to investigate accidents.

Sounds noble. Is the Kozhikode crash AAIB's first investigation?

It's not the first. The Bureau has investigated other incidents, including the 2018 crash of Beechcraft King Air aircraft in Mumbai's Ghatkopar.

At the same time, the Kozhikode crash will be the Bureau's biggest assignment till now, and all eyes are on it.

How did it fare in the Ghatkopar investigation?

The Bureau has received plenty of flak for its report on the 2018 incident that left five dead.

"The ignorance of even the basic concepts of aviation, exhibited by the AAIB in its Dec 2019 report on the Ghatkopar crash... proves the ghastly non-professionalism of the AAIB," says S Mangala, DGM (Aviation Safety), WR, Airports Authority of India.

She cites that the Bureau failed to record in its report a 'glaring mistake' made by Mumbai Air Traffic Controller, which gave a faulty instruction to the aircraft, contributing to the fatal accident.

Aviation expert Amit Singh had also faulted the AAIB report, which had blamed the crash on pilot error. Singh had instead demanded that the government should set up a Court of Inquiry.

Read this: Air India Express crash| Do investigators take the easy way out by blaming pilots?

That doesn't instil confidence. Is the Ghatkopar investigation the main grouse against AAIB?

Aviation experts like Mangala and Singh point out the 'inherent conflict of interest' in AAIB, and question if it is really independent.

Adds Mohan Ranganathan, an industry veteran who was part of the safety committee formed post the 2010 Mangalore crash, "The recommendation was to have an independent AAIB. But that is just on paper."

Can you please explain?

Mangala does, in an email written to the Ministry of Civil Aviation on August 10:

"There is a terrible conflict of interest and non-transparency in the idea of an investigation by the AAIB, an organisation that is fully controlled by an interested party, the Ministry of Civil Aviation, the umbrella organisation that controls AAI and DGCA also."

Moneycontrol has seen a copy of the mail.

The organisational structure that AAIB has, adds Mangala, may rob it of any independence, it may also hesitate to haul up AAI and DGCA. As it is, the DGCA has already proclaimed that a pilot error may have led to the Kozhikode crash, even as the AAIB had just begun with its investigations.

Both the government bodies - AAI and DGCA - have been criticised by Ranganathan for not implementing all the recommendations suggested by the safety committee post the 2010 crash. One of the recommendations was to instal EMAS, which helps in bringing to halt an aircraft that has overrun the runway.

How is a Court of Inquiry different?

While it may be more 'independent' than the AAIB, say, safety experts, the biggest difference will be in the way the Court of Inquiry conducts its investigations.

Government regulations state that the AAIB 'investigation shall be held in private,' and that there will be 'non-disclosure of records.'

On the other hand, a Court of Inquiry conducts an open court proceeding, that allows anyone to present submissions. "An open Court of Inquiry is constituted with free access to it for everyone, with every hearing live-streamed/recorded, and the video and audio recordings of those hearings be made available to the general public for free," says Mangala.

In the end, an investigation by a Court of Inquiry may get to the bottom of the crash, going beyond the pilot error theory and look at other factors that could have contributed and led to the accident.

Factors like?

For instance, though the Kozhikode airport had a Runway End Safety Area, which extends beyond a runway, there was a problem. Mangala points out that the RESA at Kozhikode was 'hard and not soft,' as recommended by ICAO. If soft, then the RESA has a better chance to slow down a speeding aircraft.

Ok. Has the government taken cognisance of the demand for a Court of Inquiry?

Not yet.

But it should be noted that there are other investigations running parallel to the one done by the AAIB.

While Air India and Boeing (the aircraft was a Boeing one) will conduct theirs, the Kerala Police has also constituted a Special Investigation Team to probe the crash.
The visit took place in response to the directives of Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi

Egypts head of General Intelligence Service (GIS) Abbas Kamel visited South Sudan on Wednesday for talks with President Salva Kiir and several senior officials, including Vice President Riek Machar.

The visit by the Egyptian general intelligence chief comes under a dispatch by President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, who delivered a message to Kiir to stress the solidity of relations between Egypt and South Sudan.

Kamel also held an expanded meeting with the leaders of the Sudanese Revolutionary Front (SRF) to discuss final preparations for the peace process between armed factions and Sudan.

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The National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, Bola Tinubu, has accused the Edo state governor, Godwin Obaseki, of being behind the political crisis rocking the state House of Assembly, adding that the governors woeful leadership in the state will hopefully come to an end soon.

In a statement released on Friday August 7, the former governor of Lagos accused Governor Obaseki of making a mockery of Nigerias constitution by blocking the timely inauguration of two-thirds of the elected members of the Edo State House of Assembly, and now resorting to the strong-arm tactics of dictators.

Read Tinubus statement below;

IN DEFENCE OF CONSTITUTIONAL DEMOCRACY The recent actions of the Governor of Edo State represent the gravest possible assault on constitutional democracy and the rule of law and escalation of violence and tension in the state he purports to govern.

Not satisfied with making a mockery of our constitution by blocking the timely inauguration of two-thirds of the elected members of the Edo State House of Assembly, Governor Obaseki has now resorted to the strong-arm tactics of dictators.

First, he sponsors hoodlums to deface, indeed destroy, parts of the House of Assembly Building in Benin, feigning the building is undergoing renovation. Then, he imports sand and gravels to prevent access to the assembly complex.

In effect, the man has spent state funds to thwart the very apparatus of the state government he was sworn to uphold. He has squandered public money to defeat the very will of the public. This is tragic beyond words.

As a pretext for his refusal to allow the Edo House of Assembly to function, Governor Obasekis actions are perverse. This is a cowardly act and a move to thwart representative democracy in Edo.

No renovation has been planned for the state house building. No appropriation was made in the states budget. The only reason any renovation could be deemed necessary is the destruction wrought by his own goons.

Governor Obasekis governance of Edo State recalls the worst excesses of our military past and represents a direct threat to the democratic order by his refusal to permit duly elected members of the Edo State House of Assembly to perform their constitutional duties.

Governor Obaseki betrayed contempt for the people of his state and, unfortunately, his ignorance of Nigerias constitutional order. As a Governor he ought to know better than to obstruct the functioning of his own legislature, but perhaps he is in need of a quick lesson.

Indeed, it is no coincidence that of the three arms of government, the powers of the legislature are enumerated first, in our Constitution.The legislature is the authority imbued with the power to make laws for the peace, order and good governance of the federation and states

Indeed, the Constitution makes clear that a Governors role primarily extends to the maintenance and implementation of the laws set down for him by his states legislature.

Although Governor Obasekis conduct in the past year is undoubtedly impeachable, these legislators have made no threat to impeach the Governor. Their only desire is to peacefully perform the duties asked of them by the constituents who elected them.

The rule of law and preservation of democracy is too important to sacrifice at the altar of any one mans ambition. Governor Obasekis woeful leadership of Edo State will hopefully be brought to an end soon by the very people whose rights he has so carelessly trampled upon.

One can only hope that the damage he is doing to the most important of the states democratic institutions can just as easily be repaired.
SPARTA - The 5.1 magnitude earthquake that cracked bricks and concrete in his chimney didnt surprise Andrew Jack Wagoner. The 85-year-old grew up in Alleghany County, and being native, tremors and small quakes, while relatively rare, are not terribly unusual in the mountains.

We were up and we knew what was going on, Wagoner said Tuesday while browsing the aisles at the Scotts Landscaping and Nursery. Weve had little shakes, but nothing like that. The house started trembling and it seemed like it took forever.

While the quake didnt take Wagoner by surprise, the appearance of Gov. Roy Cooper - and a trailing troupe of state troopers, staff, emergency management officials and out-of-town reporters certainly did.

Im glad hes here, Wagoner said. He can see what happened for himself. Its just a blessing nobody got hurt.

No laughing matter

The epicenter of the earthquake was in Sparta, according to the U.S. Geologic Survey. It struck, as most of us know by now about shortly after 8 a.m. and was felt as far away as upstate South Carolina and eastern Kentucky.
SPRINGFIELD - The Food and Drug Administration recently released flu vaccine lots for distribution by manufacturers, and Dr. Mark Kenton, chief of the emergency department at Mercy Medical Center, hopes the public will take notice when immunization shots are available for this years influenza season.

Now, more than ever, flu shots will be important as they are offered by health care providers and pharmacies, Kenton says.

Vaccination is particularly needed to avoid a flu infection during the coronavirus pandemic since there is currently no COVID-19 vaccine, Kenton stresses. As soon as the flu vaccine is on the market ... people (should) make an appointment with their primary care physician to get it or when the clinics start to promote it.

Complications caused by influenza as well as coronavirus disease 2019 can prove fatal and some populations are at increased risk.

The flu vaccine cannot prevent a COVID-19 infection, but it can protect against influenza viruses and weaken the symptoms from an influenza infection as well.

If you have the flu and you are immune compromised and you end up getting exposed to COVID-19, my biggest concern is that co-infection component, Kenton said. If you have other (chronic diseases or conditions), like diabetes and hypertension, or are over 65, will that increase you overall mortality risk? We just dont know yet what could happen with that.

Staying home when sick, taking antiviral medications to help shorten flu illness and vaccination are key in treating, preventing and reducing the spread of flu virus, according to Kenton.

Wearing masks, social distancing and good hygiene are key to preventing the spread of COVID-19, and Kenton said these efforts may have helped reduce flu exposure this spring when such recommendations were being ushered in with the pandemic.

Kenton said his hope is that we wont see as much flu if people are masking the way we are recommending.

We had a really bad flu season last year with a lot of influenza B, Kenton said. When we went into quarantine, we really saw the flu dropped significantly.

A moderate to severe flu season, coupled with more peaks in COVID-19 cases, could overwhelm the health care system, he cautioned.

Last years flu season, Kenton noted, started in early winter, with an unusual mid-season peak in December associated with influenza B viruses.

We were seeing very high volume of patients in the emergency department, said Kenton. On average we would see 220 patients a day pre-COVID and during our peak flu season at the end of December and January, we would see 280, 290 patients a day, some 60 more patients a day during flu season.

" That is a significant volume of patients through the emergency department whether you see and discharge them or admit them if there are beds available, he added. My concern is that if we see COVID numbers increase as well and you have those co-infections it could overwhelm our health care system.

Despite the recent uptick in cases of COVID-19 in Massachusetts, Kenton said he is hopeful such numbers will drop if people stay vigilant.

People are getting tired of being cooped up and there is a lot of fatigue about what we have had to do for so many months, said Kenton, referencing the public health emergency orders that require facial masks be worn in public spaces where social distancing is not possible. People want to enjoy time with family and time out, but we have to remember that we still need to mask and social distance. We have to stay vigilant with that or we are going to end up seeing our numbers go back up and if that happens other things will shut down again.

He added that the possibility of students returning to in-person learning at some point reinforces the importance of flu vaccination for anyone 6 months or older.

Any type of closed environment where people are in close quarters together, we know flu infection can easily spread so schools are vectors for the transmission of influenza and taking it home and that is my concern about COVID as well, Kenton said. More than ever it is important to get the flu vaccine this year.

Kenton reminds that COVID-19 can result in a wide variety of symptoms.

I can look at a patient and say I think you have the flu based on clinical symptoms and what is highlighted in the community, but COVID has such a wide variety of symptoms that it is more clinically challenging for us, Kenton said. We tend with flu to see fever and body aches and fatigue. With COVID, we are seeing people and all they have are loss of taste and smell and other people have fevers and a cough and other people are short of breath and some people have it all and then the asymptomatic people who have nothing.

While vaccines are being developed and different treatments, successful in some COVID-19 patients, applied, Kenton said it is important to control what you can control. That makes having a flu shot important as it can minimize the risk for COVID-19 as well as keep influenza at bay, he notes.

I honestly hope we will see much less flu than we would in other years, Kenton said. I do not know this for certain, but just from the standpoint of how the flu virus spreads, wear a mask and the virus is less likely to spread to someone else.

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By Parisa Hafezi

DUBAI (Reuters) - Iranian authorities have arrested five Iranians on charges of spying for Israel, Britain and Germany, convicting and handing down prison sentences on at least two of them, the judiciary said on Tuesday.

Addressing an online news conference, judiciary spokesman Gholamhossein Esmaili named one of the five as Shahram Shirkhani, saying he had spied for Britain and tried to recruit some Iranian officials for the British MI6 espionage service.

He added that Shirkhani had passed on sensitive information about banking and Defence Ministry contracts, and had been convicted and received a prison sentence.

Masoud Mosaheb, the co-chairman of the Iranian-Austrian Friendship Society, was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment for sharing information on Iran's "missile and nuclear projects" with Israel's Mossad and the German intelligence service, Esmaili said.

The Austrian Foreign Ministry said efforts to achieve the release of Mosaheb, an Iranian-Austrian dual national, continued unabated and at the highest level.

"Since the person detained in Iran is an Austrian-Iranian dual citizen ... Iran does not allow the monitoring of legal proceedings, visits to prison or access to trial and medical records," the ministry said in a statement to Reuters.

Iran does not recognise dual nationally. Austrian media reported that Mosaheb, 72, had been imprisoned in Iran since January 2019.

Esmaili gave no details on the other three detainees, but indicated that they were working in state bodies. "We had the arrests in the foreign, defence and energy ministries as well as in the Atomic Energy Organisation," Esmaili said.

Separately, the Intelligence Ministry said in a statement "a number of spies related to foreign intelligence services were identified and arrested".

"They sought to spy on sensitive and vital centres in the economic, nuclear, infrastructure, military and political areas for the CIA, the Mossad and some European countries," said the statement read on TV.

Story continues

There was no immediate indication whether these individuals were the same ones referred to by Esmaili.

Several explosions and fires have occurred around Iranian military, nuclear and industrial facilities in the past months, from a blast at the underground Natanz nuclear facility to a blaze at a military and weapons development facility.

Some lawmakers suggested that the explosion in Natanz was caused by a "security breach", Iranian media reported in July.

In an article in early July, state news agency IRNA addressed what it called the possibility of sabotage by enemies such as Israel and the United States.

(Additional reporting by Alexandra Schwarz-Goerlich in Vienna; Writing by Parisa Hafezi; Editing Angus MacSwan, William Maclean)
BAKU, Azerbaijan, Aug. 12

By Rufiz Hafizoglu  Trend:

The value of steel export from Turkey to Kazakhstan slumped by 46.76 percent from January through July 2020, compared to the same period of 2019, having stood at $18.4 million, the Turkish Trade Ministry told Trend.

Reportedly, in July 2020, Turkeys export of steel to Kazakhstan massively dropped by 65.73 percent compared to July 2019, making up $4 million.

Steel export from Turkey to international markets dropped by 16.4 percent from January through July 2020, compared to the same period of 2019, and amounted to $7 billion.

Meanwhile, Turkeys steel export made up 7.8 percent of the country's total export over this period.

In July 2020, Turkey exported the steel worth $1 billion to foreign markets, which is 15.4 percent less compared to the same month of 2019, the ministry said.

Turkeys steel export in July 2020 accounted for 7 percent of the country's total export.

Over the past 12 months (from July 2019 through July 2020, Turkey exported the steel worth $12.4 billion abroad.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu
OTTAWA - The federal government has announced an additional $305 million to help Indigenous Peoples combat COVID-19.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 12/8/2020 (524 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Indigenous Services Minister Marc Miller listens to a question during a news conference in Ottawa, Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

OTTAWA - The federal government has announced an additional $305 million to help Indigenous Peoples combat COVID-19.

Indigenous Services Minister Marc Miller says the money is meant to help Indigenous communities prepare for emergencies and prevent the spread of the new coronavirus.

He says communities can also use the money for a variety of other measures, including helping elders and vulnerable people, food insecurity, educational and other supports for children and mental health assistance.

The new money will flow through the Indigenous community support fund, bringing the total amount to $685 million this year.

Some funding will also go to First Nations living off-reserve as well as Inuit and Metis people living in urban centres, distributed based on need through an application process.

Jen Zoratti | Next A weekly look towards a post-pandemic future delivered to your inbox every Wednesday. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement.

Miller says Ottawa is committed to ensuring Indigenous leaders have the tools and support they need to implement the various aspects of their pandemic plans.

"This funding will provide crucial support to key community initiatives that strive to prevent, prepare for and respond to COVID-19 in First Nations, Inuit and Metis communities," he said.

"This approach aligns with our commitment to support Indigenous leadership's approaches to community wellness while providing the flexibility to respond to emerging needs, for example in response to an outbreak of COVID-19."

To date there have been 425 confirmed cases of COVID-19 on First Nations reserves, with 34 people hospitalized. Of these, 393 have recovered from the virus. There have also been 17 cases in the Nunavik region in northern Quebec. All have recovered.

The federal government has acknowledged that COVID-19 case counts among Indigenous Peoples do not reflect the true impact on Indigenous communities and individuals, as they only capture statistics from those living on reserves or in Inuit territories. The majority of Indigenous people in Canada live off reserve.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 12, 2020.
A recent study from researchers at the University of Texas at Austin highlights the COVID-19 risks as schools reopen.

The researchers estimated the likelihood of a person carrying the virus showing up to school on the first day of class. The projections, published in the New York Times, are based on current infection rates in counties across the country.

At a school in Bexar County with 1,000 people, at least 15 students or staff would be expected to show up infected with the virus.

READ ALSO: Who is getting COVID-19 in San Antonio? Here's a breakdown.

The expected number of infections drops to eight students at a 500-person school and two students at a school of 100 people.

In San Antonio, Lutheran High School plans to reopen for in-person learning Aug. 17 with students separated into two pods and class sizes reduced to no more than eight students. Other schools will likely follow similar models.

The UT-Austin researchers currently estimate that no students would show up infected in a 10-person pod at a Bexar County school. But, as the Times notes, keeping students isolated to such groups will be a tall order.

The calculations assumed that children are as likely to carry the virus as adults, and that five people are infected for each known case in a county.

RELATED: One S.A. school district starts today. Here's what the others have planned.

San Antonio's projected infections were higher than each of the other major Texas cities. However, Nueces County - a hot spot since early July - could have two infected people at a 100-person school, 12 at a 500-person school and 25 at a 1,000-person school.

Continue scrolling to see the estimated number of students in each San Antonio-area county who could be arriving at schools with the virus.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday stressed on the need to increase coronavirus testing in Gujarat in view of the high positivity rate prevailing in the state.

The PM made the suggestion during his virtual interaction with chief ministers of 10 states, including Gujarats Vijay Rupani, on the latest Covid-19 situation.

Testing needs to be ramped up especiallyin those states where testing rate is low and positivity rate is high.

These states are Bihar, Gujarat, UP, West Bengal and Telangana.

This suggestion to increase testing in these states emerged during this review meeting, said Modi in his address.

After taking part in the virtual meet from Gandhinagar, chief minister Rupani, in a statement, said he had informed the PM that Gujarats daily testing average is 456 tests per million.

Gujarat has 34 government-run and 59 private laboratories to conduct such a high number of tests. In addition, rapid antigen tests are being conducted in each district and in major cities, said the statement.

Rupani added that around 47,000 Covid-19 beds and 2,300 ventilators are currently available in the state.

Maintaining that Gujarats patient recovery rate is more than 76 per cent, Rupani informed the PM that there are about 14,000 active cases in the state at present, while around 55,000 patients have been discharged till now.

Rupani also said Gujarats mortality rate due to coronavirus has gone down from 7.8 per cent to 2.1 per cent.

The chief minister expressed confidence that the country will defeat the pandemic with Modis continuous guidance, the release said.

Till August 11, Gujarat has recorded 73,238 Covid-19 cases.
My Irish ancestors had words. Oh, do the Irish have words. "An bothar fada" loosely means "the long road." We all have traveled our own long roads since the COVID-19 pandemic gripped our nation. My wife and I have logged more than 5,000 miles crisscrossing five states during five months away from our Niskayuna home, determined to carefully avoid the virus and always sheltering along the way.

We left our home in Niskayuna in mid-February for a planned monthlong visit with our daughter's family on Chicago's north fringe. We planned a long stretch to enjoy our grandsons' school activities and all the outings to special events in and around The City of the Big Shoulders. Of course, that was the blueprint before the virus struck hard.

But in March, life in America was changing rapidly. Suddenly, Illinois and New York closed. Our other daughter and her family moved into the family home in Niskayuna to safely shelter in place away from their apartment and the ever-threatening pandemic in The City that Never Sleeps. But the new living equations presented a dilemma. It meant we couldn't return to, and sequester alone in, our Niskayuna home. So, at 5 a.m. on a Saturday in mid-March, we "got outta Dodge," leaving Chicago for our cabin high in the Adirondacks, indeed a very long road.

Three months sheltering in a cabin in the Adirondacks was an isolating challenge in itself, especially for obtaining provisions and going without television, internet and phone service. But at least our entire family sequestering in Chicago, Niskayuna and up in mountains were all safe and healthy. In late June, our New York City daughter and her family were able to move from our Niskayuna home to a place downstate near New York City for the summer and fall. My wife and I looked forward to returning for good to our home for the first time since mid-February. It was not to be, as suddenly we learned our daughter in Chicago needed emergency surgery.

We started our long road journey back there at five in the morning, to arrive early that evening after her surgery. Now three weeks later, she is progressing and, with our son-in-law's and grandsons' help, can look forward to recovery.

In late July we headed back from Chicago and are now finally in our own home. Our journeys throughout those five months took us more than 5,000 miles back and forth over highways and mountain roads in five states. We sheltered ourselves each step of the way and carefully followed the CDC guidelines and Dr. Anthony Fauci's advice over those long roads: masks and distancing always and everywhere, sanitizers, hand washing, no dining out, and sequestering before and after getting provisions.

Sign up for The Knick  Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter.

We have survived, and we hope we've contributed to the survival of others by following these guidelines. But we all have the long road  "an bothar fada"  ahead of us. We all must travel that long road consciously, changing our daily lives to take the precautions designed to protect ourselves and those around us. The safety measures developed by our country's leading medical professionals, infectious disease experts, scientists and researchers save lives. My wife and I are proof of the fact that taking such safeguards can deliver us home at the end of our long road. For sure it's been a slog ("slog fada" in the Irish), but it is a far, far better outcome than the alternative.
David Walliams, Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden and Alesha Dixon attend the Britain's Got Talent 2020 photocall at London Palladium on January 19, 2020 in London, England. (Photo by Jeff Spicer/WireImage)

Alesha Dixon has shared how Simon Cowell might be able to appear on Britain's Got Talent's live shows after he broke his back.

The 41-year-old appeared on This Morning on Wednesday where she spoke on how the music mogul could potentially judge via live video link when filming kicks off at the end of the month.

The mother-of-two said the BGT team were "devastated" by his accident but she had been receiving updates from his partner Lauren Silverman and was feeling positive.

Read more: Simon Cowell replaced by Kelly Clarkson on Americas Got Talent

"I've not been able to stop thinking about them all. It's absolutely horrific, we're all devastated and worried about Simon but the positive thing is that he's in good spirits and Lauren says that slowly he's on the mend.

'I've got all my fingers and toes crossed that come the live shows for Britain's Got Talent, we can hopefully have Simon on a live link!'



Alesha Dixon has been checking in with Simon Cowell's family since his accident and hopes he'll be well enough for BGT.#ThisMorning pic.twitter.com/IHGWcN9qz4  This Morning (@thismorning) August 12, 2020

"I've got all my fingers and toes crossed that come the live shows for Britain's Got Talent we can hopefully have Simon on a live link because we love him," she divulged.

Cowell, 60, underwent six hours of surgery at the weekend after breaking his back while testing out an E-bike at his Malibu home.

Despite the worrying injuries, the father-of-one confirmed he was okay and went on to joke about his accident. He tweeted: "If you buy an electric trail bike, read the manual before you ride it for the first time."

The live shows of the talent competition had to be postponed due to the coronavirus, although the pre-filmed auditions aired in spring as usual.

Story continues

Simon Cowell attends the Britain's Got Talent 2020 photocall at London Palladium on January 19, 2020 in London, England. (Photo by Jeff Spicer/WireImage)

Dixon told Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford on This Morning: "We start filming the live shows at the end of the month, I can't wait to get back with the gang and just do something lighthearted and fun."

Read more: Jedward call out Simon Cowell for deleting their legacy

She added that she had been told a "virtual audience" would be taking the place of a live one as social distancing rules remain.

Dixon and Cowell are joined on the judging panel by Amanda Holden and David Walliams, with the programme presented by Ant and Dec.
The cost of fruit and vegetables could surge by 60 per cent as the impact of coronavirus border closures threatens to throttle Australia's food supply chain.

The country is facing a shortage of 71,000 workers to pick fruit as travel restrictions force backpackers to return home and prevent any new travellers from arriving.

Industry experts say the huge shortfalls will see Australians paying massively inflated prices for fresh food as supermarkets are forced to rely on imported goods.

The cost of fruit and vegetables could surge by 60 per cent. Pictured: a woman in a face mask buying broccoli in Sydney

'There's implications here for every Australian. It will clearly have an impact on prices down the supply chain,' Australian Fresh Produce Alliance CEO Michael Rogers told The Courier Mail.

Mr Rogers said modelling showed the worker shortfall would see the cost of fresh produce rise by up to 60 per cent a kilogram, but it was difficult to say when the price hike would hit supermarkets.

Meanwhile, Australian farmers have pleaded with bureaucrats to introduce a 'farming permit' to allow agricultural workers to bypass some COVID-19 lockdown measures to ensure they can care for their livestock and crops.

Cattle are being left unattended to die and crops are being destroyed because farmers in quarantine can not irrigate and treat them, industry leaders say.

Farming groups held a series of emergency meetings on Wednesday to discuss ways around a the looming food crisis.

A shortage of 71,000 crop-picking backpackers due to lockdown measures will see huge increases in the price of fruit and vegetables, industry experts say (pictured in Queensland)

Victorian Farmers Federation president David Jochinke told the Herald Sun: 'We don't farm for New South Wales, we don't farm for Victoria or South Australia - we farm for the whole country.

'I have had farmers on the phone crying because they are worried about their livestock. It's putting pressure on production and the food supply chain.'

Permits have been granted to some workers to cross state lines, but Mr Jochinke said most farmers do not meet the criteria - leaving them to fight red tape to ensure the nation is fed.

'When we see an area running short of shearers or where fruit is not being picked, you can't get that back and all this relates to cost, relates to choice in the supermarket,' he said.

Workers sort and pack strawberries at the Chambers Flat Strawberry Farm in Chambers Flat, Queensland

Workers from the Pacific region have arrived in Darwin as part of a government trial to keep supply chains from collapsing amid the backpacker shortage.

Agriculture Minister David Littleproud said: 'No-one wants to see fruit and vegetables wasted and that is why we are looking at how we can continue to support the agriculture sector access the workers they needed.'

AusVeg national public affairs manager Tyson Cattle said the lack of seasonal workers could not realistically be filled with domestic workers.

'Pickers and packers are right at the start of the food chain, without that the rest of the supply chain falls over,' he said.

Federal Agriculture Minister David Littleproud (pictured) said he does not want to see fresh food go to waste
I called the show Below the Surface because I want to delve deeper into hot topics that the media has been covering, but with an unvarnished, honest lens - said Dr. Hirsch.

Straw Hut Media is working with renowned Board Certified Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon, Dr. Elliot Hirsch, to deliver a dose of reliable information in Below The Surface, a new podcast. Each week, Dr. Hirsch sits down with celebrities, patients, and expert guests to go below the surface on topics ranging from beauty, skincare, plastic surgery trends, lifestyle, and current events.

"I called the show Below the Surface because I want to delve deeper into hot topics that the media has been covering, but with an unvarnished, honest lens," said Dr. Hirsch. "I'm very excited to share my guests' stories, their expertise and research in their fields, and so much more. This podcast offers a glimpse into the stories I so often hear from my patients at my practice in Los Angeles."

With the help of a rotating cast of guests, including esteemed guests in the healthcare and beauty industry and reality stars such as Brandi Glanville (Bravo's RHOBH), Amy Schechter (Bravo's Million Dollar Listing NY), and professionals like Ryan Tucker (Former MLB Pitcher for Texas Rangers & Florida Marlins), Dr. Hirsch takes an unvarnished, unbiased look at everything happening in the world around us.

For example, this week, Dr. Hirsch and board certified pediatrician, Dr. Jessica Hochman, take a close look at the science and safety of children returning to school. There is so much discussion of the safety of kids returning to classrooms, so I wanted to give my listeners a reliable source to dispel some myths and help give a credible, science based perspective, said Dr. Hirsch.

Dr. Hirsch is the Chief of Plastic Surgery of Cedars-Sinai Tarzana Medical Center and has a primary office in Sherman Oaks, and treats patients from not only Los Angeles but from all over California and beyond. Dr. Hirsch has been an active researcher in the field of plastic surgery and has co-authored over 40 manuscripts and book chapters, and has received several grants for original research projects and holds patents for wound care devices. Dr. Hirsch is board certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery.

Below the Surface with Dr. Elliot Hirsch episodes are released weekly. Listeners can find Below the Surface on Apple Podcasts and other podcast platforms. Learn more at http://www.HirschPlasticSurgery.com and follow on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

About Dr. Elliot Hirsch:

Dr. Elliot Hirsch is a board-certified plastic surgeon who practices the full spectrum of plastic and reconstructive surgery, specializing in both cosmetic and reconstructive breast surgery including breast reconstruction, breast reduction, and breast implant removal and revision. Dr. Hirsch is the Chief of Plastic Surgery of Cedars-Sinai Tarzana Medical Center and has a primary office in Sherman Oaks, and treats patients from not only Los Angeles but from all over California and beyond.

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Straw Hut Media is a podcast network based in Southern California. They have been making great content and keeping their houseplants alive since 2018. They believe in freedom of expression and the power of communication, which is why they aim to make podcasting accessible to as many interesting, funny, and relatable people as possible.
WASHINGTON  Michael Flynn's efforts to force an end to the criminal case against him faced a skeptical appeals court Tuesday, as judges questioned whether the presiding judge overstepped his authority when he refused to immediately dismiss the case.

At issue is whether U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan abused his discretion when he appointed a third party, known as an amicus, to challenge the Justice Department's bid to drop its prosecution of President Donald Trump's former national security adviser.

Many of the appeals court judges, several of whom were appointed by Democratic presidents, seemed sympathetic to Sullivan's claims that he's entitled to hear a challenge to the Justice Department's motion to dismiss before ruling on it.

D.C. Circuit Court Judge Thomas Griffith, one of the only three judges on the panel who were appointed by Republican presidents, rejected the notion that a judge's role is merely ministerial.

Lawyers escort Michael Flynn into a Washington court in July 2018.

"It's not ministerial. You know it's not. The judge is not simply a rubber stamp," Griffith told Flynn's attorney, Sidney Powell. "Aren't you just arguing about what the judge must do to educate himself or herself (to be able to make a ruling)?"

Powell argued that because the Justice Department had decided it no longer wanted to prosecute Flynn, Sullivan's only role is to promptly grant dismissal, but he has, instead, appointed an amicus to "usurp" the role of prosecutors. Sullivan's actions have created an "unconstitutional" process that lacks any semblance of impartiality, and he has "so invested himself" for the purpose of prosecuting Flynn, Powell argued.

But D.C. Circuit Court Judge Cornelia Pillard seemed skeptical that Sullivan can only grant dismissal. "Your position is, 'No he can't hear both sides of the law. He has to drop the case like a hot potato?'"

The Flynn saga: Justice Department showed 'gross abuse of prosecutorial power' in Michael Flynn case, court-appointed arbiter says

Story continues

The hearing, which lasted nearly four hours, is the latest in Flynn's tangled criminal and political saga. The nearly 4-year-old case has now led to an unusual legal battle in the federal appeals court in Washington, D.C., where both Flynn and the Justice Department sought to dismiss the case, while Sullivan  himself represented by an attorney  argued he's entitled to scrutinize the government's motives.

Flynn pleaded guilty in 2017 to lying to the FBI about his communications with a former Russian ambassador, but later reversed course, claiming investigators entrapped him into making false statements. The Justice Department, too, reversed course, and sought to dismiss the case, arguing the interview during which Flynn made false statements was "unjustified."

Instead of dismissing the case, Sullivan appointed a retired federal judge to challenge the Justice Department's motion to dismiss and to determine whether Flynn had committed perjury for claiming he is innocent of a crime to which he had previously pleaded guilty.

In a 2-1 decision in June, an appeals court panel ruled in favor of Flynn and the Justice Department and ordered Sullivan to dismiss the case. The panel ruled that Sullivan's actions intruded on the Justice Department's prosecutorial powers.

Panel sides with Flynn: Federal appeals court orders dismissal of Michael Flynn case, likely ending prosecution of ex-Trump adviser

The full appeals court, in a rare move, granted Sullivan's request to rehear the case.

During the hearing, acting Solicitor General Jeff Wall argued that Sullivan's decision to request a rehearing has created an appearance that he can't be impartial. "It raises a question in whether the district court is invested in what should be its official authority," Wall said.

Wall also said Sullivan cannot hold a hearing in which he probes the Justice Department's motives in dropping the prosecution, adding that doing so entrenches on executive power. The judges repeatedly pressed Wall on why a judge can't probe into the government's actions, even if, for example, they suspect wrongdoing.

"What if the court is concerned that favoritism is being played to a politically powerful defendant? Is that a proper concern?" Griffith asked.

"The district court may believe that the government had a bad motive ... but everybody agrees that the United States can't be made to bring a prosecution even if it should," Wall responded, adding that the same is true with dismissing cases.

Echoing Griffith, D.C. Circuit Court Judge Patricia Millet asked what judges can do if, hypothetically, they believe the government lied to them. "The court has to grant dismissal?"

Wall said that judges can't inquire further but that they can sanction the prosecutors.

Pillard acknowledged that the Justice Department has the authority to drop or pursue a prosecution, but she bristled at the notion that Sullivan can't question the agency's decision to dismiss the case of a defendant it once aggressively prosecuted.

"What self-respecting Article III district judge" would simply dismiss a case "without doing what he could do to understand both sides?" Pillard asked, referring to the establishment of the judicial branch. "What is the government worried about?"

Many of the judges also seemed unconvinced that holding a hearing on the government's motion to dismiss intrudes on prosecutorial powers. D.C. Circuit Court Judge Merrick Garland raised the possibility that Sullivan may ultimately dismiss the case after the hearing.

Beth Wilkinson, Sullivan's attorney, agreed, saying the case could have already been over had Sullivan been allowed to hold a hearing on the motion to dismiss.

Sullivan is simply doing what judges do, Wilkinson argued, and that is seeking to hear both sides before ruling on a motion. She added that both Flynn's attorneys and the Justice Department have merely speculated on what Sullivan might do.

D.C. Circuit Court Judge Neomi Rao, who authored the previous opinion that ordered Sullivan to grant dismissal, questioned why the judge is prolonging the proceedings.

"What we have here is an unopposed motion to dismiss. What interest does the district judge have in continuing to scrutinize. ... What precisely is the judge's interest in this?" asked Rao, who was appointed by Trump.

The case, Rao said in the June opinion, is about whether a judge may prolong a prosecution by appointing an amicus and probing the government's motives: "On that, both the Constitution and cases are clear: He may not."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Michael Flynn: Appeals court hears case of Trump ally
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-12 18:22:28|Editor: huaxia

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by Xinhua writers Lyu Tianran, James Gashumba, and Frank Kanyesigye

KIGALI, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- Rwanda was recently recognized by the chief of the World Health Organization (WHO) as a country that was able to suppress the COVID-19 early.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus attributed Rwanda's progress to a combination of strong leadership, universal health coverage, well-supported health workers and clear public health communications.

As of Tuesday evening, the densely populated nation with an estimated population of 1.2 million reported 2,171 cases in total, including 1,478 recoveries and seven deaths.

Since the reopening of airports on Aug. 1, Rwanda hasn't seen a surge in new cases and reported more recoveries than new cases in all but three days.

STRONG LEADERSHIP

The Rwandan government showed a strong will in ensuring that the preventive measures -- keeping social distancing, regularly washing hands, wearing face masks in public, avoiding contact when greeting -- are well implemented, Ismael Buchanan, a senior lecturer of political science at the University of Rwanda, told Xinhua.

The leadership, including Rwandan President Paul Kagame, took the lead in creating awareness on the preventive measures against coronavirus among the public, he said.

Kagame, who won 98.79 percent of the votes in 2017's presidential election, called upon the public to continue following the directives of the government and stressed the guidelines as early as March in a message on the pandemic.

The government also takes measures like lockdown, mass testing, curfew, mandatory testing on arrivals travelling by air.

Under the leadership, the central African nation formed the National Task Force led by the Prime Minister Edouard Ngirente and the COVID-19 Command Post that consists of professionals from different sectors.

The government's response to the COVID-19 has been robust and rapid since the country recorded the first case on March 14, Rwandan epidemiologist Vedaste Ndahindwa told Xinhua.

Considering the present number of positive cases and death cases, Rwanda's measures towards containing the spread of the virus has been "very effective," said Ndahindwa.

UNIVERSAL HEALTH COVERAGE

Testing and treatment for COVID-19 is free in Rwanda, except for travelers entering Rwanda by air since the reopening of airports on Aug. 1.

So far, nearly 310,000 people have been tested.

According to health officials, Rwanda can test 4,000 to 5,000 samples per day, increasing from the initial 300 to 400. The government is still building the capacity of testing, treating and tracing at provincial levels.

Rwanda has seven sites that can test and the capacity is going to increase, Rwandan State Minister in charge of Primary Healthcare Tharcisse Mpunga told Xinhua on July 20.

"I think for us the outbreak is under control...our teams are able to detect new infections, trace and test contacted people, and also isolate those who are infected," he said.

"Getting the basics right provides a clear picture of where the virus is and the necessary targeted actions to suppress transmission and save lives. This means that where there are cases, the government can quickly implement targeted measures and focus control efforts where they are needed most," said Tedros, referring to Rwanda's testing and treatment policy.

Putting in place COVID-19 laboratories, testing and treatment of patients, tracing and isolating contacts including providing them accommodation and meals costed Rwanda 60 million U.S. dollars within four months, July's official figures showed.

WELL-SUPPORTED HEALTH WORKERS

There are two types of health workers helping in the response to the pandemic, including those hired by the government and volunteers from international organizations working in the sector of human resources, and they are assisted by the government in terms of communication allowance, meals and other necessities, Mpunga told Xinhua in a separate interview.

During the lockdown, which has turned into a curfew, all government vehicles were dedicated to helping to fight COVID-19, including providing health workers with transport, he revealed.

The ministry of health selected and trained experienced health workers and deployed them to COVID-19 treatment and quarantine centers, he said, adding that all the health workers at those centers have been given necessary materials to keep them safe.

CLEAR PUBLIC HEALTH COMMUNICATIONS

Media campaigns to educate the population about the COVID-19 preventive measures and enforcement of these measures by the police and local leaders are playing a "key role" towards helping Rwanda contain the spread of the virus early, Ndahindwa, an epidemiologist said.

According to the state minister Mpunga, Rwanda has designed "clear communication guidelines" from national to community levels to communicate COVID-19 preventive measures through various media channels.

Personnel from different institutions such as Ministry of Local Government, the police, as well as the private sector are involved in communicating and cooperation has been made to transfer messages from the national level to the community level, he said.

The government is also working with religious leaders to talk about COVID-19 during worship, since places of worship meeting the conditions on preventing the spread of COVID-19 were reopened, according to Mpunga. Enditem
There is a bond between the male and the female, but there is more than one couple, said Fabio de Sa, a biologist at the University of Campinas in Brazil and an author on a paper published Wednesday in Science Advances that describes the new behavior.

Much of Thoropa mating boils down to location. These frogs prize wet, rocky habitats called seeps, where their eggs can mature. Males will wage all-out war over seeps, emitting aggressive calls and jabbing at their rivals with the spine-studded thumbs at the ends of their bulging, battleworthy forelimbs. Once their real estate is won, the victors spend their nights on patrol, in the hopes that a female will drop by and leave behind a cache of fresh eggs.

Where seeps are abundant, both sexes of Thoropa taophora frogs take multiple partners, Dr. de Sa said. But when seeps become scarce enough to render some males homeless, the frogs are sometimes forced into a seismic sexual shift.

For females, males become the limiting resource, Dr. de Sa said. Under these circumstances, females queue up to mate with the seep-straddling males. In a series of video recordings, the researchers found that two, perhaps three, females might share the same beau, with one usually emerging as a dominant consort who monopolized most of the mating.
A mother has shared her grandmother's recipe for quick and easy beef rissoles - and they take less than half an hour to make.

The Australian woman called Kylie posted on Facebook, where she said the dish can be made in an air fryer, with just a few household ingredients.

'These homemade rissoles can be made on 170C for 25 minutes,' Kylie wrote online.

A mother has shared her grandmother's recipe for quick and easy beef rissoles - and they take less than half an hour to make (the finished results pictured)

The Australian woman called Kylie posted on Facebook, where she said the dish can be made in an air fryer, with just a few household ingredients (the rissoles pictured)

'This was the first time I had made them in the air fryer, but they have turned out beautiful.'

To make the rissoles, Kylie explained you'll need some beef mince, carrot, brown onion, tomato and barbecue sauce, Dijon mustard, eggs, breadcrumbs and salt and pepper.

The mum said you should combine all of the ingredients together in a bowl and then use your hands to turn them into rissole patties.

Kylie said she didn't brown the ingredients before placing them in the air fryer, but rather coated them in olive oil and left them for 25 minutes, rotating once (pictured cooking)

'I didn't brown them first, as I have the oven-style air fryer,' she said.

'So I just sprayed olive oil on to the rissoles and put them straight into the air fryer on 170C for 25 minutes, rotating the rack once.'

Kylie then served the dish with Brussels sprouts, peas, chips and gravy.

How to make the delicious beef rissoles INGREDIENTS Kylie shared her grandmother's trusted recipe on Facebook (finished results pictured) 1kg of premium beef mince One large carrot, grated One brown onion, diced One tablespoon of tomato and barbecue sauce One tablespoon of Dijon mustard Two eggs 1/2 cup of breadcrumbs Salt Pepper METHOD 1. Prepare all of your ingredients by grating the carrot and dicing the onion. 2. Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl together. 3. Using your hands, use the mixture to roll out the mince and vegetables into rissole patties. 4. Spray olive oil on the rissoles and pop them into your air fryer. 5. Set the air fryer for 170C for 25 minutes. 6. Serve with Brussel sprouts, peas, chips and gravy or potatoes and a side salad. Source: Facebook Advertisement

Hundreds who saw the recipe were impressed with the easy-to-make dish, writing comments like 'awesome' and 'can't wait to try'.

'This looks fantastic, and so yummy,' one woman wrote.

'Get in my belly, that looks great,' another added.

Earlier this week, a home cook shared the recipe for a simple dish she was taught by a successful tapas bar owner (the ingredients pictured)

The recipe itself involves browning the chorizo, cooking the chopped onion and tomatoes, and mixing in the tinned beans while boiling the rice (the process pictured)

This isn't the first 'quick and easy' recipe that has wowed in recent days either.

Earlier this week, a home cook shared the recipe for a simple dish she was taught by a successful tapas bar owner.

Posting to the Budget Friendly Meals Australia Facebook group, Jelvie said her aunt, who owns a tapas bar in Madrid, originally taught her how to make the simple yet mouthwatering meal.

The dish consists of chorizo sausage, tinned bean mix and vegetables over steamed rice.

'[The] chorizo can be substituted with leftover roast, mince [or] tofu,' Jelvie said.

She also said more water, stock and other vegetables can be added to create a delicious soup.

'[The] chorizo can be substituted with leftover roast, mince [or] tofu,' Jelvie said. You can also add more water, stock and other vegetables can be added to create a delicious soup (the process pictured)
The Bachelorette Season 13 lead Rachel Lindsay wasnt always on good terms with Vanessa Grimaldi  The Bachelor Season 21 winner. There was a significant controversy between them on Nick Vialls season; however, Lindsay recently congratulated Grimaldi on her engagement.

The Bachelor cast with lead Nick Viall, winner Vanessa Grimaldi and future Bachelorette Rachel Lindsay | Walt Disney Television via Getty Images/Craig Sjodin

Are The Bachelor alums Rachel Lindsay and Vanessa Grimaldi friends?

Rachel Lindsay and Vanessa Grimaldi both fought for Nick Vialls heart on The Bachelor Season 21. However, Grimaldi was the winner, although the two split only five months after the finale. During the womens time in the mansion, there was an unaired fight that Lindsay later spoke out about.

She called me a bully, and for her to use that phrase was offensive to me, Lindsay explained in an interview. She had no examples to match it.

Fans brought up the altercation again after seeing Lindsay congratulating Grimaldi on her engagement.

RELATED: The Bachelorette: Rachel Lindsay Attacked on Social Media Following Her Comments About Garrett Yrigoyen

They definitely had an altercation where Vanessa was kind of the mean girl on the show but was the F1 [Final one], so a lot was edited out, one fan wrote on Reddit. She called Rachel aggressive. It was also known early on that Vanessa was going to win, so Rachel didnt bother with her. They were able to reconcile years later, and apologies were made, and they support each other publicly now.

The two spoke on the phone in November 2019 and worked out their differences.

The Bachelor fans are here for this friendship between Lindsay and Grimaldi

Rachel Lindsay congratulated Vanessa Grimaldi in the sweetest way. The 32-year-old Canadian was engaged on Aug. 9, 2020, atop the Saint-Louis Gate in Quebec City. She announced that boyfriend Josh Wolfe popped the question via an Instagram post on the following day. Lindsay immediately responded.

OMG, I told you I could feel your happiness, and then this happens!!! Lindsay commented. Im so excited for you!!! Congrats!!!!

RELATED: The Bachelorette: Clare Crawleys Fiance Left the Resort  Leaving Fans and Spoiler King Reality Steve Confused

The comment received over 500 likes in 24 hours and several sweet replies.

Im here for this friendship, one fan wrote.

Many fans were happy to see Lindsay supporting Grimaldi after their years-long feud.

Did anyone else see the sweet message Rachel left? another fan added on Reddit. I love women supporting women here.

Who is Vanessa Grimaldis fiance, Josh Wolfe?

Grimaldi met Canadian businessman Josh Wolfe through social media. They were dating for a year and a half when they were engaged. Wolfe, 35, is also from Montreal, Canada.

I feel at home whenever I am with Josh, Grimaldi told People. His love and affection for his family is something Ive always admired about him and what Ive always looked for in a partner. I love how much he values family and that he loves spending quality time all together.

The Bachelor Star Vanessa Grimaldi Is Engaged to Josh Wolfe https://t.co/cN1VmJZ5v3  People (@people) August 10, 2020

RELATED: The Bachelor Subreddit Is in a Frenzy Over What to Do With Recent News  Its Unfair to Tayshia to Be Hidden on This Sub

Wolfe is a dog lover. He had two chihuahuas when the couple met  Bugsy and Tyson. They have several family photos of Grimaldi and Wolfe with the two dogs. However, the businessman shared a heartfelt post on April 30, 2020, that Bugsy died of health complications at age 11.

From Wolfes social media accounts, it is evident that he is a family man, as Grimaldi describes. He posts photos often with his many nieces and nephews.
AUSTIN,Texas, Aug. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Basemakers, LLC, one of the top field sales and merchandising companies in the food and beverage industry, has landed on the INC 5000 list, ranked as the #368 fastest growing privately-held company in America. This ranking puts Basemakers in the even more exclusive Inc. 500 list for a second time, which has also included Zappos, Under Armour, Microsoft, Clif Bar, and Patagonia and many other well-known names.

Basemakers started to solve a big problem question in the food and beverage industry: how do you effectively scale your field sales & merchandising efforts? Since 2015, Basemakers has rapidly scaled into becoming a regular name associated with success in retail grocery stores. As Basemakers grows, it looks to add new exciting divisions that will help food and beverage brands scale their sales even faster.

"All the recognition and acknowledgement goes to our amazing team who have challenged themselves to rise to a different level of performance." said Max Baumann, Founder & CEO of Basemakers. "Growth is difficult. It pushes boundaries from where you feel safe into unknown territories where you're more likely to be hurt. But that is where the magic is at! We are so proud of all our team members that made this happen and look forward to continually pursing excellence for years to come as we establish a brand accelerator program."

For more contact: [email protected]

ABOUT BASEMAKERS:

Basemakers is a premier outsourced field sales and retail merchandising company. Using innovative technology and a powerful network of relationships, Basemakers achieves dominant in-store visibility for each brand in its portfolio. Basemakers is passionate about consistently delivering top quality service to its brand partners including: Health Ade, RxBar, Health Warrior, Iconic protein and more.

www.Basemakers.com

About Inc. Media

The world's most trusted business-media brand, Inc. offers entrepreneurs the knowledge, tools, connections, and community to build great companies. Its award-winning multiplatform content reaches more than 50 million people each month across a variety of channels including websites, newsletters, social media, podcasts, and print. Its prestigious Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to recognize the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States.

www.inc.com.

SOURCE Basemakers, LLC

Related Links

http://www.basemakers.com


SIU Carbondale students receive more than $2 million to offset pandemic hardships

by Pete Rosenbery

CARBONDALE, Ill.  A partnership between Southern Illinois University Carbondale and the state of Illinois will provide about 1,500 students more than $2 million in emergency relief due to financial hardships caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Each of the students will receive about $1,400 through the Governors Emergency Education Relief (GEER) Fund. SIU Carbondale received more than $2.068 million to provide students a one-time financial award. The funds can be used in helping students pay past-due bursar account balances, technology needs, such as equipment or internet access, or other unexpected costs resulting from the pandemic. Priority for the funds was given to continuing on-campus undergraduate students

Many of our students lost off-campus jobs, need access to technology, and had unforeseen expenses due to the pandemic, Chancellor Austin A. Lane said. We are grateful to Gov. Pritzker and his team for providing funds that will help students stay on track to complete their education.

Judith Marshall, vice chancellor for administration and finance, said more than 2,400 pre-qualified students were invited to submit applications for funds with about 1,500 responding, and that SIU Carbondales fund allotment is exhausted. The university submitted to the Illinois Higher Board of Education that priority was given to continuing on-campus undergraduate students; funds would be used to assist students in paying past-due bursar account balances or for technology needs, and used for the fall semester, where possible. Guidance from the IBHE included that the funds were designed to support retaining students of color, first-generation students and high-need students who are disproportionately impacted by the pandemic and to address digital equity gaps.
Prince Joachim has been pictured for the first time since undergoing emergency brain surgery last month.

Joachim, 51, is seen recuperating at his holiday home, the Chateau de Cayx in Cahors, France, as he recovers from a procedure after he developed a blood clot on his brain.

His brother Crown Prince Frederik, 52, heir to the Danish throne and husband of Princess Mary, rushed to his brother's side after he was discharged from hospital in Paris.

The pair were photographed enjoying breakfast outside and the image was shared online by the Danish Royal Family.

The Danish royal Palace has shared a picture of Prince Joachim as he recuperates from his recent health troubles in France. The Prince, 51, looking thin but relaxed, could be seen enjoying breakfast with his brother Crown Prince Frederik, 52, in the Chateau de Cayx in Cahors, France

In the picture, shared on the Danish royal court's official Instagram account, Joachim, sitting beside Frederik, is smiling and appears in good health in a white t-shirt.

Frederik, who sported a salt and pepper beard, smirked at the camera holding a butter knife.

The two brothers seemed relaxed, having had toasts and jam for breakfast at the chateau.

It was unknown whether Princess Mary, Frederik's glamourous wife, 48, had also made the trip to see her brother-in-law.

The Prince had been celebrating his son Felix's 18th birthday at the Chateau with his family. From the left: Princess Marie, Prince Joachim, Prince Felix, 19, Prince Nikolai, 20, Alexandra, Countess of Frederiksborg. At the front, Princess Athena, eight and Prince Henrik, 11

Prince Joachim gave the Danish royal family a scare in late July when he was rushed to the Toulouse University Hospital in France, where he was immediately operated on.

A statement by the Danish royal court said at the time: 'His Royal Highness Prince Joachim was admitted to the University Hospital of Toulouse, France, late last night.

'The prince was operated on immediately afterwards for a blood clot in the brain and the operation was successful. The condition of His Royal Highness is stable.'

The court communicated that his doctors were confident he would suffer no effects as a result of the blood clot.

He was eventually allowed to return home to his family last week after two weeks in care.

'Prince Joachim and Princess Marie would like to take this opportunity to thank the hospital staff involved,' a statement from the royal family read at the time.

It is unclear whether Frederik's wife Princess Mary, 48, travelled with her husband to France to see her brother-in-law

Lene Balleby, a spokeswoman for the royal household, said: 'The blood clot in the brain was due to a sudden dissection of an artery, and the hospital's medical team assesses that the risk of recurrence is very small when the artery has healed.'

'The Royal House has no further information at this point in time, but it is the wish of Her Majesty The Queen that the public respects the privacy of the family during the hospitalisation.'

The sudden medical emergency struck as the Prince was vacationing with his wife and their four children. They had just celebrated the 18th birthday of his second eldest son Prince Felix, who hit the milestone on July 22.

Joachim had marked the event alongside the teenager's mother and his ex-wife, Alexandra, Countess of Frederiksborg.

The parents were joined by their eldest son Prince Nikolai, 20, and Joachim's current wife Princess Marie and their two children Prince Henrik, 11, and Princess Athena, eight.

Sharing intimate family photographs to Instagram, the group are seen hugging one another in a group snap.

Prince Joachim of Denmark and his ex-wife, Alexandra, Countess of Frederiksborg divorced in 2004 after 10 years together - they were Denmark's first royal split in nearly 160 years.

The prince, who is the second son of Margrethe and Prince Consort Henrik, is sixth in line to the throne after his elder brother Crown Prince Frederik and his four children with Australian-born Crown Princess Mary.

He has since remarried Paris-born Marie Cavallier, now Princess Marie and the couple have two children together Prince Henrik, 11, and Princess Athena, eight.
Congressman urges Justice Dept. to investigate violent attacks on Catholic churches

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A Republican Congressman has urged the Department of Justice to investigate the recent spate of attacks on Catholic churches, a trend he believes amount to hate crimes.

In a letter sent to Attorney General William Barr on Aug. 5, Rep. Chuck Fleischmann, R-Tenn., urged the federal agency to fight religious discrimination and protect religious freedom in the United States.

"Since June, there have been nearly a dozen reported attacks on Catholic churches around the nation. These disturbing attacks range from arson to the beheading of a statue of the Virgin Mary," the letter read in part.

"I find these attacks to be a disturbing trend, happening in multiple areas across the nation, including within my own congressional district. In times of uncertainty we naturally turn to religion for comfort and peace, something many Americans are seeking as we combat COVID-19, but these attacks add another level of distress for many across our nation."

Fleischmann elaborated in an interview with the Washington Examiner that those who damage any house of worship of any kind must know that it will not be tolerated and that he considers such actions a hate crime.

I would like to have a recognition that this problem exists, it persists, and sadly, it is not isolated to one city or one state, Fleischmann said. I think it needs to be looked at very carefully and addressed for the danger that it is.

At St. Stephen Parish in Chattanooga, which is in Fleischmann's district, a statue of the Virgin Mary was beheaded in mid-July, an attack the congressman called "disturbing."

"I hope that the perpetrators will be brought to justice, but I also pray that they will find their way to God as well, he said at the time.

A group of Catholics in the U.S. who are also alarmed by the rise in attacks on the faith have called on presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden to publicly denounce attacks on Catholic churches as well as the fueling of a climate of hate against Catholics by prominent members of his party.

CatholicVote said in a statement that Biden, a baptized Catholic, has a responsibility and duty to Catholics to publicly condemn these attacks.

Attacks on Catholic churches have occurred in many cities across the country amid protests and riots sparked by the police-involved death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on May 25.

In New Haven, Connecticut, St. Joseph Church closed its doors temporarily in July after Satanic symbols were painted in its front door.

Similarly, in Colorado Springs, a statue of Mary was vandalized with red paint  tagged with the word "redrum," which is murder spelled backward and is a reference to horror novelist Stephen King's The Shining.

In other incidents, a statue of Jesus Christ at Good Shepherd Catholic Church in Miami, Florida, was torn down and beheaded around that same time. And a fire that damaged Mission San Gabriel Arcangel church in Los Angeles was investigated as a possible arson attack.

Also in Florida, worshipers gathered inside Queen of Peace Catholic Church in Ocala faced imminent risk to their lives last month when 24-year-old Steven Anthony Shields slammed his minivan into the church's front doors and poured gasoline in the foyer before setting it on fire.
By Akbar Mammadov

A large military delegation from Turkey headed by Defence Minister Hulusi Akar will visit Azerbaijan today to observe the large-scale joint military drills, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said on 12 August.

The military delegation will observe the final episode of the first stage of Live-Fire Joint Large-Scale Tactical and Flight-Tactical Exercises of the Land Forces and the Air Force of Azerbaijan and Turkey.

The Turkish delegation will be represented by Chief of the General Staff, Army General Yashar Guler, commanders of the branches of the Armed Forces, and other high-ranking officers.

The observation of the final episode will take place within the framework of the Distinguished Visitors Day of the exercises.

It should be noted that The Land and Air forces of the two countries are participating in the military exercises held in line with the agreement on military cooperation between Azerbaijan and Turkey, in accordance with the annual plan.

According to the plan, exercises involving the Land Forces were held from August 1 to 5 in Baku and Nakhchivan, while exercises involving the Air Forces were conducted from July 29 to August 10  in Baku, Nakhchivan, Ganja, Kurdamir and Yevlakh.

The personnel, armoured vehicles, artillery and mortars, combat and transport helicopters of the Air Forces, as well as air defence and anti-aircraft missile divisions of the two armies, will be involved in the military exercises.

Yesterday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan received Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov and Defense Minister Zakir Hasanov.

The meeting took place after Bayramov met with his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavushoglu.

During the meeting, Cavushoglu commented on the joint military drills between the two countries, saying that Turkey-Azerbaijan "TurAz Kartali" joint military exercises, have been continuing since 2014, are the best indicator of cooperation in this field.

---

Akbar Mammadov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AkbarMammadov97

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
Mahesh Bhatt returns to direct the sequel of his 1991 film Sadak, starring Sanjay Dutt and Pooja Bhatt.

This week, Netflix released the trailer of Hilary Swank's space film, Away. Swank plays an American astronaut Emma Green who is preparing to lead an international crew on the first mission to Mars. Other trailers include Adam Devine's Magic Camp, Warner Bros' Judas and the Black Messiah and Samir Tewari's Level 13.

Heres a closer look at all the trailers released this week:

Sadak 2

Almost three decades after Sadak hit the screens, director Mahesh Bhatt is gearing up for the release of its anticipated sequel. The trailer was launched today.

Starring Sanjay Dutt, Alia Bhatt and Aditya Roy Kapur in the lead, the film is about the unlikely bond the trio form when they take on a road journey to the Kailash mountain. As they undertake a trip to self-realisation, a self-proclaimed guru (essayed by Makrand Deshpande), bays for blood.

Produced by Vishesh Films and Fox Star Studios, the movie was originally scheduled to be released in cinemas on 10 July.

The uncertainty around the reopening of theatres, which were shut down in the wake of coronavirus pandemic has pushed the makers to consider a digital release. Sadak 2 is scheduled to release on 28 August on Disney+Hotstar.

Flesh

Directed by Danish Aslam, Flesh sheds light on the complex world human trafficking victims, perpetrators and law enforcers all caught in the web of this diabolical trade. Swara Bhaskar plays a cop who is tasked to nab a racket and save young girls from a bleak future. Produced by War director Siddharth Anand, the crime drama also stars Akshay Oberoi, Yudhister, Vidya Malvade and Mahima Makwana.

Flesh debuts on 21 August on Eros Now

Away

Hilary Swank and Josh Charles star in Away, an epic story of love and sacrifice from the visionary who brought you Friday Night Lights and Parenthood. pic.twitter.com/HJN1kzhXM9  Netflix (@netflix) August 10, 2020

Hilary Swank leads a batch of astronauts who have been chosen for the first manned mission to Mars in this sci-fi series. Swank's character Emma Green embarks on a 'treacherous mission to Mars in command of an international crew', leaving behind her husband and teenage daughter back home.

Away will premiere on Netflix on 4 September.

Magic Camp

The real trick is to believe. Magic Camp is streaming Friday, exclusively on #DisneyPlus. pic.twitter.com/N22RRJpzce  Disney+ (@disneyplus) August 10, 2020

With Magic Camp, Disney brings a comedy of youngsters finding their inner potential under the leadership of an unusual leader (very School of Rock). The comedy will see top two teams fighting for the title of some Top Hat Competition in a summer camp, called the Magic Camp.

The film, directed by Mark Waters of Mean Girls fame, sees Adam DeVine as a down-and-out magician who rediscovers his love for the craft and reignites his career as he is helped by a group of misfit young campers.

The film also stars Gillian Jacobs, Aldis Hodge, Josie Totah, Rochelle Aytes, Rosalind Chao, Michael Hitchcock, Rebecca Metz and Jeffrey Tambor.

Magic Camp premieres on Disney+ on 14 August.

Level 13

Directed by Samir Tewari, Level 13 features Anup Soni and Sandhya Mridul as a married couple. The trailer reveals that Soni has to attend an office party and convinces an unwilling spouse to accompany him. Soni is in for a surprise as his boss's wife is his ex-girlfriend from college, whom he had dumped. How things go from here will be the subject matter of The Short Cuts production.

Level 13 is available on YouTube and Disney+ Hotstar from 11 August.

Judas and the Black Messiah

Watch the trailer for Judas and the Black Messiah, a movie about the betrayal & assassination of Fred Hampton, chairman of the Black Panther Party. Starring Daniel Kaluuya & LaKeith Stanfield. Only in theaters. You can murder a revolutionary, but you cant murder a revolution. pic.twitter.com/64CrTflFOy  Warner Bros. Pictures (@wbpictures) August 6, 2020

The movie talks about the betrayal and assassination of Fred Hampton, who was a champion for the black community and the chairman of the Black Panther Party. The drama stars Daniel Kaluuya (Get Out, Black Mirror) in the lead and will release in the theatres in 2021.
Hes gonna make the same mistake against Kamala Harris, and he is going to be pushed back on his heels, Lightfoot said. This is not a woman to be trifled with. She is tough. She is fearless, and more importantly, she is going to bring into the conversation of this campaign lots of people who are going to be looking to her as a leader, are going to be seeing themselves in her and going to be proud that she is on the stage on a national level.
Google Maps image

Another pedestrian was killed Tuesday on San Francisco streets, this one at a busy intersection on Cathedral Hill by a driver who has been booked on charges of manslaughter and reckless driving.

The fatality is the seventh death this year of a pedestrian hit by a car on city streets.
The Karnataka government on Wednesday decided to conduct an inquiry through a District Magistrate into the violence in parts of the city last night in which at least three people were killed and scores of others injured. Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai said the government will recover the losses, arising from damage to public property during the violence, from the rioters.

At least three people were killed after the police opened fire to quell a mob that went on a rampage, irked over asocial media post allegedly put out by a Congress legislator's relative, as a city locality witnessed arson and violence. Scores of persons, including around 50 policemen, were also injured in the violence that erupted on Tuesday night and continued till the wee hours of Wednesday, apparently prompted by the 'communally sensitive' online post.

Six companies of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) were also dispatched to the violence-hit areas.

The city's Commissioner of Police on Wednesday night said the imposition of Section 144 of Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), which prohibits the assembly of four or more people in public, in areas under DJ Halli and KG Halli police station limits has been extended till 6am on August 15. These two police stations bore the brunt of the violence.

"There are National Human Rights Commission guidelines for such a situation, as per which the inquiry will be conducted by the district executive magistrate. This decision was taken at the meeting headed by the Chief Minister," Bommai said. He added that Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa reviewed the complete situation and the action taken by police.

Yediyurappa, who was discharged from a hospital on Monday after undergoing treatment for Covid-19 infection, is currently under self-quarantine at home. Ahead of the meeting with him, Bommai said the government has decided to recover the loss arising out of damage to public property and vehicles during the violence by making those involved in such acts pay for it.

"We have come to a decision as per the Supreme Court order that when such riots take place and properties are damaged, the loss has to be recovered from those who have caused the damage. I have given orders to initiate all the measures to recover losses from those who have caused the damage," Bommai said.

He said that buses, vehicles and properties were burnt in DJ Halli and KG Halli police station limits. All those losses will be recovered from those who have done it. "There is media and CCTV footage," he said.

Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya earlier in the day wrote to Yediyurappa requesting him to confiscate the properties of rioters and recover losses caused to public property.

"I request Sri @BSYBJP to confiscate and attach properties of the rioters and compensate losses to public property in the same way as Sri @myogiadityanath govt did in UP. Bengaluru is known for its peace and harmonious society. We must protect this strength of our city at all costs," he tweeted.

Terming the violence in the city as a "well planned act", Karnataka Revenue Minister R Ashoka said the "traitors" who perpetrated the riots would be dealt with an iron hand and steps would be taken to ensure that such incidents do not recur.

Speaking to reporters after meeting Congress MLA Akhanda Srinivasa Murthy, whose house was set ablaze, Ashoka said, "The manner in which the riots were perpetrated shows that it was a well planned act and was intended to spread to other parts of the city. These are traitors and we will subdue them."

Ashoka said the lawmaker's house was completely damaged and belongings including, sarees and jewels were looted while the rest was set on fire.

"It is clear from the intensity of vandalism that the intention was to attack and finish off Srinivasa Murthy. It has to be investigated whether any anti-social elements from within the state and outside were involved," Ashoka said.

Claiming that the violence was planned to terrorise the people of Bengaluru, Ashoka said the government will send across a strong message so that no one would ever dare to take law into their hands again.

At least 110 people allegedly involved in the violence and the accused who posted the communal post have been arrested.

(With inputs from agencies)
Though inflated electricity bills for June came as a shock for most city consumers, those who use rooftop solar power have had net-zero electricity bills over the past three months. A net-zero electricity bill means the consumer has to pay only basic charges or metre cost to the electricity distributor.

KG Mittal College of Arts and Commerce in Malad, Maharashtra College of Arts, Science and Commerce (MCASC) in Nagpada, two residential bungalows in Versova, and the Noorani Masjid in Pathanwadi all shared with HT copies of their net zero bills for April, May and June. All these buildings have managed their power consumption through rooftop solar projects, which have provided the consumers with a free source of renewable energy that does not cause pollution and instead reduces carbon emissions.

After our installation last year, we have reduced 21.1 tons of carbon emissions in environmental benefits while saving 9,500 units of electricity using solar power. That amounts to Rs 45,000 surplus, which is adjusted against our monthly bills. This was a major reason for a net zero bill, said Dr SB Arya, director, KG Mittal College, which has a 45 kilowatt-power (kWp) project with 71 panels.

Dr. Siraj Chougle, principal, MCASC said, Initial cost to set up solar may be high but once installed, their lifespan is 25 years. Basic installation cost can be recovered within five years and the remaining benefits, including being cost-effective and environmentally beneficial, serves for at least 20 years. With an 84.5 kWp project with 250 solar panels across 2,000 sq. foot rooftop area, MCASC estimates savings of 56 tons of CO2 annually.

Projects at residential duplex bungalows at Yari Road were much smaller (8.5 kWp and 4.2 kWp). Prior to installing solar panels, the electricity bills were very high, said residents. It is unimaginable that we are paying almost nothing against summer bills of Rs. 15,000 per month prior to installation, said Alok Khandelwal, a resident.

The centrally-airconditioned Noorani Masjid with its 60 ton AC units has a 25 kWp solar power plant made up of 72 panels, which caters to the common areas that see 5,000 devotees per day. Units saved during summer will ensure bills remain net zero even during monsoon, said Rashim Gulam Rasul Maredia, chairman of the trust that runs the mosque.

In June, citizens reported sharp increases in their electricity bills, with some being charged almost three times the monthly average. The lockdown imposed at the end of March led to Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission directing electricity distributors to suspend meter readings and charge consumers based on average readings for the winter months (December, January and February) in April and May. However, actual electricity consumption was higher and the adjusted amounts for April and May combined with actual meter readings, resulted in higher bills.

Solar power distributors said awareness was key to enhancing Mumbais rooftop solar capacity. Citizens are opting for the zero-energy model. However, there is a need for more awareness to understand environmental benefits for shifting from burning coal, gas and oil for electricity generation, said Rizwan Chunawala, head of department (business development), MSS Renewtech, a solar energy company.

Experts said rooftop solar projects were gaining popularity but Mumbai has tapped less than 5% of its potential. The city can scale such projects to achieve a 1,000 megawatt (MW) rooftop solar target against its present capacity of 45-50 MW. The state needs to come up with its own policy to promote enhanced solar use, and convince citizens through incentives, said SP Gon Chaudhuri, energy expert and chairman, International Solar Innovation Council. Cost of such projects is expected to rise since trade relations with China have taken a hit. This, however, means more opportunity for India to develop its own equipment but at a slightly increased cost for end consumers, said Chaudhuri.

Prashant Badgeri, deputy secretary (renewable energy) in the Maharashtra government said, following the Centres announcement of a revised rooftop solar scheme, both private and government electricity distributors can scale such projects in their jurisdiction. This will bridge the gap for citizens to approach multiple agencies for installations, and also acts an incentive for distributors to garner Centres subsidies, said Badgeri admitting that Maharashtra was lagging behind Gujarat in terms of solar capacity and projects. Awareness can come from understanding the viability of each project. For Mumbai, the feasibility of having enough rooftop space is a concern, and it is essential citizens study requirements before adopting such projects, he said.

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By Dave Sherwood

SANTIAGO, July 27 (Reuters) - A top environmental judge in Chile renewed a call for a government-vetted water study to help stamp out lingering questions about sustainability that have cast a pall over Chile's lithium-rich Salar de Atacama.

Water - both fresh and saline, where the lithium lies - has long been a sticking point for miners at Atacama, one of the world's richest reserves of the ultralight battery metal. The flat sits amid the world's driest desert.

Mauricio Oviedo, president of the Environmental Tribunal of Antofagasta, a region home to all of the country's lithium production and much of its copper output, called the salt flat "highly fragile."

"If Chile wants to continue managing the Salar, it should have a model that would give us (all) greater certainty," Oviedo said in an interview with Reuters.

"To the court, it seems like commonsense if we want to do sustainable mining in the Salar that we effectively need to have all the elements on the table."

Oviedo first called for a study in December when the Antofagasta court he oversees tossed out a $25 million remediation plan honed over three years by Chilean lithium producer SQM, saying it had relied on questionable science.

The court cannot require a water study. But Chile development agency Corfo, which oversees lithium holdings at Atacama, has hired a third-party to conduct a hydrological survey of the Salar. That study has been repeatedly delayed since 2018.

Oviedo's decision reignited concerns over SQM's ability to ramp up output to meet fast-growing demand from the electric vehicle industry. Atacama, home to SQM and top competitor Albemarle Corp, already supplies around one-quarter of the world's lithium.

Regulators required SQM to develop the disputed compliance plan after charging the miner with over-pumping lithium-rich brine from beneath the flat. The company has appealed the decision to scrap the program to the Supreme Court. A decision is pending.

But while the courts ponder SQM's fate, uncertainty continues to linger in the Salar.

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"The state of the salt flat today is as described in our decision: Very fragile, and with much scientific uncertainty," Oviedo said.

Newcomers should not be deterred from proposing projects on the flat, Oviedo added, but said the decision should be considered a "precedent" by regulators.

The void led Albemarle, the world's No.1 producer of lithium, to propose in December its own network to study water on the salt flat.

German automakers Volkswagen and Daimler this year joined the push for more sustainable lithium mining in Chile, a sign of growing supply chain concerns ahead of an expected electric vehicle boom.

(Reporting by Dave Sherwood, editing by Adam Jourdan)
Three more Covid-19 patients in Vietnam recover

Three more Covid-19 patients in Vietnam were discharged from hospital following their full recovery on Wednesday morning.



Among those, two are from Quang Ngai Province, patients 370 and 419, and one, Patient 445 is from the central city of Danang.





The three patients discharged from hospital this morning, August 12

Patient 370 is a 29-year-old Serbian man who is the expert working at Dung Quat Economic Zone. He tested positive for the virus on July 11. After the treatment process, he tested negative for three consecutive times on August 1, 8 and 8.

Patient 419 is a 17-year-old boy from Quang Phu Ward, Quang Ngai Province, who had contracted the virus after having close contact with a Covid-19 case at Danang Hospital.



Meanwhile, Patient 445 in Danang is a 61-year-old man in Hai Chau Ward who also suffers from high blood pressure.



The three patients are now in stable health and are displaying no symptoms of the virus, such as a fever, a cough, or shortness of breath. After being released from hospital, they will take another 14-day quarantine to ensure safety.



On August 10, four Covid-19 patients were discharged from Da Nang Lung and Respiratory Diseases Hospital following their recovery.
Cholesterol Lowering Drug Market Research Report by Class of Drug (Cholesterol Absorption Inhibitors, Fibrates, Fixed-Dose Combinations, Ion Exchange Resins, and Novel Cholesterol-Lowering Drugs) - Global Forecast to 2025 - Cumulative Impact of COVID-19

New York, Aug. 11, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Cholesterol Lowering Drug Market Research Report by Class of Drug - Global Forecast to 2025 - Cumulative Impact of COVID-19" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p05913822/?utm_source=GNW



The Global Cholesterol Lowering Drug Market is expected to grow from USD 16,298.41 Million in 2019 to USD 24,822.40 Million by the end of 2025 at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 7.26%.



Market Segmentation & Coverage:

This research report categorizes the Cholesterol Lowering Drug to forecast the revenues and analyze the trends in each of the following sub-markets:



Based on Class of Drug, the Cholesterol Lowering Drug Market studied across Cholesterol Absorption Inhibitors, Fibrates, Fixed-Dose Combinations, Ion Exchange Resins, Novel Cholesterol-Lowering Drugs, PCSK9 Inhibitors, and Statins.



Based on Geography, the Cholesterol Lowering Drug Market studied across Americas, Asia-Pacific, and Europe, Middle East & Africa. The Americas region surveyed across Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, and United States. The Asia-Pacific region surveyed across Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, South Korea, and Thailand. The Europe, Middle East & Africa region surveyed 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 Cholesterol Lowering Drug Market including AbbVie, Amgen, AstraZeneca, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Daiichi Sankyo, Kowa Company, Ltd., Merck and Co., Novartis, Pfizer, and Sanofi.



FPNV Positioning Matrix:

The FPNV Positioning Matrix evaluates and categorizes the vendors in the Cholesterol Lowering Drug 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 the market 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 Cholesterol Lowering Drug Market?

2. What are the inhibiting factors and impact of COVID-19 shaping the Global Cholesterol Lowering Drug Market during the forecast period?

3. Which are the products/segments/applications/areas to invest in over the forecast period in the Global Cholesterol Lowering Drug Market?

4. What is the competitive strategic window for opportunities in the Global Cholesterol Lowering Drug Market?

5. What are the technology trends and regulatory frameworks in the Global Cholesterol Lowering Drug Market?

6. What are the modes and strategic moves considered suitable for entering the Global Cholesterol Lowering Drug Market?

Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05913822/?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.



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CONTACT: Clare: clare@reportlinker.com US: (339)-368-6001 Intl: +1 339-368-6001




Former President Park Geun-hye leaves the Seoul Central District Court after a hearing for her corruption allegations in this October 2017 photo. She has been in prison since March 31, 2017. / Yonhap



By Kang Seung-woo



Opposition lawmakers close to jailed former President Park Geun-hye are calling for a special pardon for the jailed head of state on the occasion of Liberation Day that falls on Saturday.



However, the ruling party is rejecting the idea, saying it would be unconstitutional given that charges against her are still pending. Plus, President Moon Jae-in is reluctant to pardon imprisoned politicians.



Park was removed from the presidency in March 2017 due to her involvement in a massive power abuse and corruption scandal. The official charges against her include conspiring with her longtime confidante Choi Soon-sil to force conglomerates to donate 77.4 billion won ($65.2 million) to two foundations under Choi's control. She was also indicted on charges of accepting off-the-book funds worth 3.5 billion won from three former heads of the National Intelligence Service from May 2013 to September 2016 in collusion with her secretaries.



In last month's appellate court ruling, Park, 68, had her sentence of 20 years in jail and a fine of 20 billion won upheld. The prosecution then lodged an appeal with the Supreme Court.



"I hope President Moon will make efforts to restore Gwanghwamun Square, which has turned into a symbol of division, into one of national unity and to this end, Park needs to be pardoned," Rep. Yoon Sang-hyun, an independent lawmaker, wrote on Facebook, Tuesday.



"Park has been in jail for 40 months, the longest prison term served by any former president."



The four-term lawmaker, one of Park's former key aides, served as a special advisor for political affairs in the Park administration.



Rep. Park Dae-chul of the main opposition United Future Party also said on Facebook, "The former president will have been in jail for 1,234 days on Liberation Day, which is being cruel to her."



He added: "I am begging President Moon to pardon her. We have to give her freedom."



However, the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) said Park was not subject to a special pardon, citing her ongoing trial. In principle, a special pardon is only possible when a person's sentence is finalized.



"Any special pardon is up to President Moon, but he cannot exercise this right because her sentence has not been finalized yet," DPK deputy spokesman Cho Sang-ho said.



Justice Party spokesman Kim Jong-cheol added, "Park still faces serious charges that should not be taken lightly, so she should not be granted a special pardon simply because she is a former president."



Since his inauguration in May 2017, President Moon has pardoned only two politicians  former lawmaker Chung Bong-ju and former Gangwon Province Governor Lee Kwang-jae.


Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot is likely to opt for a floor test in the upcoming assembly session despite a truce announced by 19 dissident Congress legislators, whose rebellion threatened the governments stability over the past month, at least three party leaders aware of the development said on Wednesday.

Even though the 19 MLAs, including now-dismissed deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot, have returned to the Congress fold, the party thinks that a floor test is the only way to send across a message of unity after a tumultuous month marked by an intense tussle that triggered political uncertainty in the western state.

It will also give some time to Gehlot to put his house in order since a floor test cannot be repeated during a session, one of the leaders cited above said. He said the practice is that if a government survives a trust vote, nothing is likely to change in the next six months.

The rule is that once you move a motion in a particular session, you cannot bring in that subject again in the same session. You can do so in the next session, constitutional expert PDT Achary explained.

In an interview with HT, published on Wednesday, chief minister Gehlot did not rule out a floor test, saying a decision will be taken once the assembly session begins on August 14.

No doubt, a floor test is the only solution and we can go for it any opportune time. We will prove our majority on the floor of the House, the first Congress leader said, requesting anonymity.

We will get a breather...to address all the issues raised by party leaders and legislators from both sides, he added, referring to the Gehlot and Pilot camps.

A three-member All India Congress Committee (AICC) panel formed to look into grievances of Pilot and the rebel legislators is likely to submit its report by then.

The Rajasthan crisis appeared to have come to an end after a meeting between Pilot and former Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Monday. Later that night, the party announced the setting up of the panel to look into issues raised by the 42-year-old Pilot and the 18 rebel legislators, who questioned Gehlots style of functioning. Three independents MLAs, too, backed Pilot.

With Pilots return, the Congress alone has 107 legislators in the 200-member assembly, where the simple majority is 101. It also appears to have the support of all 13 independents, with the three from the Pilot camp pledging their support to Gehlot, and of five MLAs from different parties. The BJP and its ally Rashtriya Loktrantrik Party have 75 seats.

A second Congress functionary, who is monitoring the developments in Rajasthan, said the government can move the trust vote any time in the assembly. The leader, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the strategy for the session will be finalised on Thursday.

A third Congress leader said a floor test was important to prove a point. The entire political crisis was witnessed by the public. A message is needed to be sent that the government is safe and promises made will be fulfilled, he said. He reiterated the Congresss allegations that the BJP was trying to destabilise the state government.

The BJP said taking a call on a floor test was an internal issue of the Congress. The BJP neither asked and nor will ask for floor test. Let them do whatever they want to do, BJP legislator and spokesperson Ram Lal Sharma said.

Political analyst Narayan Bareth said the Congress did not want to take any risk. The ruling party is still keeping an eye on the rebels...They would also want to convey to the rebels that they arent dependent on them, Bareth said.

Despite the truce, there are indications of resentment among a section in the Congress.

Legislators backing Gehlot displayed their anger at a Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting in Jaisalmer over the return of Pilot and his supporters.

A large section of legislators were vocal against Pilot, and questioned how the Congress could take the dissidents back after their rebellion threatened the government, a party leader present in the meeting said.

On Wednesday, Gehlot said it was natural for legislators backing him to be upset. The way this episode happened, they had to stay in hotels. But I told them that in the interest of the country, state, its people and for saving democracy, sometimes we have to bear, he said.

The MLAs supporting Gehlot, meanwhile, returned to a hotel on the outskirts of Jaipur on Wednesday. On July 13, they were taken there. And on July 31, they were shifted to a resort in Jaisalmer.

They are expected to stay at Fairmont Hotel near Jaipur till the session begins. The rebel lawmakers  all of them have returned to the state  did not visit the hotel on Wednesday.
Recently, the US has ramped up its efforts to suppress China. In particular, some senior officials have torn off their disguise and focused on bottomless attacks at China. In less than a month since June 24, US National Security Advisor Robert O'Brien, Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Christopher Wray, Attorney General William Barr and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo successively delivered harsh remarks on China, Global Times writes in the article US Gang of Four desires to lead anti-China insanity.



Pompeo's remarks titled "Communist China and the Free World's Future" summarized the US policy toward China from a cold war lens, which was interpreted by many as a new "Iron Curtain Speech." The other three accused China from the perspectives of ideology, espionage and economic activities.



As early as October 2018, US Vice President Mike Pence's speech on China policy was considered to be the prelude to a new cold war between the two nations. Over the past three years, Trump has shown to China and the world through his concrete actions that he has no interest in improving and stabilizing Sino-US relations.



This was not the first time Pompeo and others attacked the Chinese government and the Communist Party of China. But this time it was among the most devilishly calculated, fierce and ill-influenced ones ever done by these four Trump mouthpieces. Why did this anti-China "Gang of Four" spare no efforts in attacking China?



The primary reason is to meet Trump's need for re-election. The COVID-19 outbreak in the US has become the biggest Black Swan event in this election year. The lack of US preparation for it has led to economic recession, soaring unemployment, and huge sufferings for people. Trump's inaction to the pandemic has made him a target of public criticism.



Given that the virus is still spreading and short-term prospects for economic recovery are slim, the Trump camp has turned its spearhead to China. They believe that by playing the China card, they can divert domestic conflict and attention. They think this will help gather support from core voters to save the flagging election. In this regard, the anti-China "Gang of Four" is faithfully implementing Trump's election plan. As the Election Day approaches, their attacks on China will become more frequent.



The political manipulation of anti-China "Gang of Four" also represents powerful conservative voices in the US. Such forces regard China as the most terrible opponent threatening the US global leadership. They attribute all problems to the challenges brought about by China's rise, and argue that past emphasis on cooperative engagement has failed. Therefore, a new policy of containment and suppression is necessary to engage in an ideological confrontation with China as soon as possible.



Over the past four decades, Sino-US relations have weathered many storms but gone through them smoothly. The fundamental reason for this is due to the fact that both countries have realized differences in ideology and cultural values should not be obstacles to bilateral exchanges and cooperation.



The US' "failure of engagement with China" assertion is untenable in either history or reality. It is a naked narrative fabricated by some politicians to instigate a Sino-US confrontation to serve their narrow ends. Former president George W. Bush called China's rise a "good opportunity" rather than a threat. Barack Obama welcomed the rise of a prosperous, peaceful and stable China. Are all these statements about China a complete lie? If so, it is not the American politicians who should lodge their dissatisfaction and protest, but China.



Obviously, the purpose to unleash this dangerous spin by the anti-China "Gang of Four" is to completely mess up Sino-US relations. It desires to lead bilateral relations to a new cold war. People of insight in the US should actively and promptly speak up to contain this anti-China countercurrent and jointly safeguard the long-term development of bilateral relations from greater damage. After all, a wrecked Sino-US relationship is not in line with US national interests. It is time to put things right.
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Imagine a future where you wake up, go to the bathroom, pick up a small strip of paper, and put it in a tube with your saliva and saline. By the time you are done with part of your morning routine, within 15 minutes or so, the paper will tell you if that morning, you are positive for the novel coronavirus or not.

And you can do that randomly on any occasion. Your employer can do that. Schools and colleges can do that regularly in a predetermined fashion.

And what if it costs a dollar to do that each time? I seriously doubt we would be spreading the virus as ubiquitously as we are doing now.

That future can exist today, but with FDA, CDC, and the governments backing.

Why do we need a fast and cheap at-home test?

My opening paragraph partially answers this question. Besides that, the CDC currently estimates we are missing 90 percent of infections. Our current testing methodology and its bottlenecked throughput are surely not helping. And a large chunk of what we are diagnosing is relatively ineffectual in terms of attempting to contain the pandemic as we dont know the result for many days. For many, the point of the test is to be able to quarantine or not, and that is missed vehemently.

How do they work?

Fast tests are antigen tests. They are qualitative tests and utilize lateral flow assay technology, the same way as home pregnancy tests.

Not to be confused with the highly sensitive rapid PCR tests approved earlier this year from Abbott and Cepheid, which can also give results in less than 30 minutes. PCR testing principle is based on viral RNA amplification and requires laboratory personnel and equipment. It can also remain positive for a longer duration even after the patient recovers and may not correlate with infectivity per se.

Antigen tests are based on finding the infective antigen, the spike protein responsible for creating a doorway into human cells. These tests use antigen and antibody binding to give the results. They are inexpensive to produce, and in most cases, conveniently, saliva can be used as a testing substrate, and usually, no special education is required to conduct such testing.

Accuracy?

So they are not very accurate. Stay with me, though. Experts believe they will still be significantly better than what we are doing right now.

Antigen tests are less sensitive, often resulting in a negative result when the virus is actually present. This can happen in the initial phases of infection when the viral titers and, therefore, the antigen protein levels are below the tests limit of detection. As the virus counts increase and the infectivity grows due to higher antigen count, these tests become positive. Consequently, their specificity is much higher, meaning fewer (but not zero) false positives.

It may be what works in our favor. Viral transmission in COVID-19 is at its peak when the viral load is highest. Often, that is at the pre-symptomatic phase of infection. Ergo, these fast antigens tests should detect the infection when it really matters; when the risk of spread is highest.

Currently available PCR tests can work too, but if the results are not back for days, they miss the most infectious period, rendering them mostly futile. While the accuracy of PCR tests is critical in a hospital setting, analysis and modeling studies have suggested that even a test that is less sensitive (greater than 70 percent) can be enough, if it can be repeated regularly, to mitigate the spread of SARS-CoV2. Schools and jobs with close proximity working environments such as meat factories can be benefitted the most.

Then why the delay?

The rate-limiting step is the regulatory process. FDA requires the tests to be close to the analytical sensitivity of the PCR tests, or at least 80 percent, which is in good faith to diagnose COVID-19. But to diagnose the presence of the virus, and from a public health perspective, a cheap, quick, and repeatable test with a lower sensitivity can make do.

Some fast antigen tests are available and approved. Quidel and Becton Dickinson recently received FDA approval for rapid testing for recurrent testing in a nursing home or physician office setting as it still requires some laboratory equipment. Governors of seven states (Maryland, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Ohio, Virginia, and North Carolina) have announced a bipartisan agreement to buy such 500,000 fast antigen tests per state for widespread testing expansion for places such as schools, workplaces, and nursing homes.

Another low-cost rapid PCR test, a 2-hour SalivaDirect test, is hoping to get FDA approval soon. It uses commonly available ingredients in any lab and hence hopefully can be readily scalable for SARS-CoV2 surveillance.

An NIH supported $1.5 billion dollars federal initiative called RADx is helping to develop rapid tests, but the process still requires higher accuracy. A non-profit organization is also hosting a 6-month competition to develop faster and cheaper tests. The finalists will be declared in October of 2020. The pilot phase of test deployment and grand prize winners (totaling $5 million) announcement is slated for January 2021.

Epilogue

Michael Mina, at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, reports that small companies such as E25Bio and Sherlock Biosciences can deliver such fast home-tests. He suggests that if the federal government backs the effort, the manufacturing and application can be achieved at a rapid pace. Grassroots level support by the population at large can help deliver the knowledge.

America has the highest number of COVID-19 cases than any other country in the world. We need fast tests (those that can be done frequently by anyone with minimal cost and can give results in a few minutes rather than a few days) for a fast virus (which can spread unchecked at an exponential speed without quarantine due to delays in diagnosis).

And we need them now.

Raghav Gupta is an interventional cardiologist.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com
The Progressive Peoples Party (PPP) has accused the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) of indulging the current final year students of Senior High Schools in political campaign activities, hence lowering the standards of education.

These assertions come on the back of recent happenings in some second cycle institutions where candidates of the ongoing West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) attacked invigilators who ensured strict supervision at the exam centres.

Videos on social media also showed some other students destroying school properties as part of efforts to voice out their anger after past questions given them ahead of time failed to appear in the WASSCE.

Prior to this, reports indicated that the government had supplied the schools with mock papers to enable them pass the exam to keep the government in good books since it implemented the Free SHS policy.

These actions by the final years have been widely condemned with some persons demanding that the perpetrators be punished.

The opposition PPP, however, has blamed the current government for the actions of the students.

In a statement, it said, Notwithstanding these, the recent behaviours of our youth in schools could be laid at the doorsteps of the current administration for supervising falling standards of education in the country. We should understand that Free SHS is not a replacement for quality education where students are expected to learn social virtues that border on morality and courtesies.

Various government actors are using the schools for political activities and influencing students to be involved in political campaign activities. More worrying is the use of Free SHS as a tool for complacency in the development of the child where government has assumed the responsibility of providing students with past questions instead of allowing instructors in our schools to prepare them properly, the statement added.

The party has further pledged to provide quality education for every Ghanaian child if voted into power come elections in December.

---citinewsroom
Last week, the Spectator rightly compared Emmanuel Macron to David Leans Lawrence of Arabia. After the massive chemical explosion that razed a whole section of Lebanons Beirut, killed over 100 civilians, and wounded more than 5,000, the French president walked amid the citys devastation to denounce the pernicious factionalism of the Lebanese elite. Audacious, Macrons triumphant tour was surprisingly well-received by the local populace. With sleeves rolled up, he embraced crying women as the disenchanted Lebanese pressed around him, calling for the overthrow of their own rulers. The sight was curious in and of itself: Should Lebanons current leaders attempt the same itinerary, they would most likely end up lynched, if not dismembered by the crowd. But Macrons impeccable stunt proved so successful that more than 60,000 Lebanese have signed a petition to place their country under French mandate for the next ten years.

Macron assured the shell-shocked protesters that he would propose a new constitutional settlement for the country brought to the brink of collapse by corruption. I expect clear answers from the Lebanese authorities about their commitments, Macron declared. After promising financial and institutional support, he warned that he would return at the beginning of September to check that aid had been distributed properly.

Western commentators did not fail to see the neo-colonial character of Macrons intervention. Ironically, this flashback to Frances imperial past comes a hundred years after Lebanon became a French protectorate in 1920. Further, France initially gained control over Lebanon by signing the 1916 Sykes-Picot agreements, whose unfairness was denounced by the very figure that the French president sought to emulate: Lawrence of Arabia. Macrons political adversaries hammered the Elysees historical amnesia: From the nationalist leader Marine Le Pen to the socialist tribune Jean-Luc Melenchon, all reminded the French public that Lebanon achieved independence from France in 1943, and that any intervention of this kind would therefore be inappropriate.

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Still, while encroachments upon national sovereignty in the name of human rights remain controversial at best, whether or not Lebanon needs a foreign power to subsist is a complex question. Granted, the country achieved national independence in 1943. Ever since, however, Lebanons combustible mix of hostile religious communities has made every single attempt at self-governance unsuccessful. The short period of calm that emerged after the Lebanese civil war has long been replaced by a disorderly status quo wherein theocrats, kleptocrats, and sectarian warlords rule with near-total impunity.

Besides, if it is true that failed interventions in Libya and elsewhere have haunted French policymakers for years, non-interventions in strategic places do not have a better track record. When European powers left Syria to the hands of Russia, Iran, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia, they plunged the country into a chaotic state of conflict that has caused much more regional instability than the Libyan quagmire ever will. In fact, France has paid a heavy price for its non-intervention in Syria. First, hundreds of disenchanted Frenchmen have answered the call of jihadists who feed on Syrias demise, some of whom returned to slaughter their fellow citizens in a series of barbaric terrorist attacks. Second, the Syrian collapse has unleashed an ever-expanding succession of refugee waves that threaten civil order in France, drain much-needed resources, and galvanize populist and nationalist movements. Overall, Macron has plenty of incentives to avoid another internal conflict tearing a Middle Eastern country apart.

Lebanon was already in economic meltdown before the explosion. Left untouched, the current situation could lead to another civil war, which would invite the immediate intervention of regional powers such as Turkey, Iran, and Saudi Arabia  and behind them, Russia and China. Just as Boris Johnson plans to use Lebanon as a demonstration of Global Britain, so Macron wants to prove that Western powers can still act as a stabilizing force in the Middle East. He does not want to turn France into a hawkish champion of human rights. All he desires is to keep Iran and Turkey contained in region over which they already wield tremendous influence. The question, of course, is whether or not the intervention will succeed.

Over the past few years, France has positioned itself as an efficient strategic partner on the world stage. The countrys Operation Barkhane in Mali has been a huge  albeit costly  success, with over 700 jihadists captured or killed, including two of the five founders of Jamaat Nusrat al-Islam wa al-Muslimeen (JNIM), the leading al-Qaeda sub-branch in the region. Macron also signed a military cooperation treaty with Cyprus to counter Turkeys growing influence in the Eastern Mediterranean, so far left unchaperoned by other European powers. Two weeks ago, the French led the negotiations in favor of an EU recovery deal, which the most reluctant member-states somehow accepted. Regardless of what one thinks of EU-wide collective debt, the deal in and of itself constituted a tremendous diplomatic achievement for Macron and his government. Last, and perhaps most important, when Saudi Arabia lobbied for the resignation of the Lebanese prime minister Saad Hariri in 2017, France was the only Western power to counter and ultimately defeat the Saudi efforts to corrupt Lebanese politics from the outside.

In reality, Macrons biggest problem has very little to do with Frances colonial past, and very much to with domestic-policy failures. Macron would never be able to walk as freely  and/or as triumphantly  in his own capital. In fact, the crowds that he galvanized with force in Beirut have much to share with the gilets jaunes movement. Like the yellow vests, they are semi-insurgent protesters calling for the resignation of what they see as an insensitive and uncaring elite  this time, ironically, Macron is on the other side of the barricade. Another paradox is that the Lebanese explosion from unsupervised stockpiles of ammonium nitrate has all the characteristics of the devastating 2001 AZF factory explosion in Toulouse, wherein 31 people died. Of course, Macron was not president at the time, but France can hardly launch a campaign against a foreign government for committing a mistake that the French themselves made less than 20 years ago.

The juxtaposition of Macrons unpopularity at home and extreme popularity abroad carries wider political implications. For most of human history, foreign conquests acted as national unifiers, convenient ways to distract a disenchanted populace and to rally the public behind a common cause. Louis XIV, who indebted the French kingdom more significantly than any of his predecessors, was nonetheless more popular than responsible monarchs such as Louis XV because his uninterrupted wars abroad galvanized the people. This paradigm has now been inverted. As both President Reagan and Nikita Khrushchev understood, in a world where material well-being has replaced more traditional conceptions of the summum bonum, the battlefield is first and foremost at home. Disenfranchised voters do not care about the suffering of people on the other side of seas and oceans as much as they care about their very own daily struggles. And Frances example serves to illustrate this phenomenon. Since the Lybian intervention, virtually all of Frances foreign-policy moves have proven successful: Operation Barkhane, reinstating Hariri, the EU recovery deal, and so on. But none of these achievements matter to the French. What does matter are Frances record-high unemployment, record-high national debt, record-high taxes, and record-high insecurity.

In the face of this dire state of affairs, most foreign policy successes have harmed the successive presidents who initiated them. Operation Barkhane, for instance, is detested because it costs 600 million euros a year, a price that seems too high for a country sanctioned year after year by the European Commission for its disrespect of austerity, its ever-growing deficit, and its unchaperoned public spending. In this sense, even if Macrons intervention may well prove beneficial from a geopolitical standpoint, its political ramifications will almost undoubtedly hurt the incumbent president.

This dilemma will most likely apply to Western defenders of the liberal world order for decades. If they do choose to intervene abroad when it is justified, they will nevertheless galvanize populists and nationalists at home. If they choose not to intervene so as to preserve their popularity, they effectively let China, Turkey, and other illiberal powers take over entire regions of primordial importance. In both cases, liberalism loses  at home and abroad.

More from National Review
When word got around the office a boobook owl had been spotted in a nearby inner-city street, everyone in the BirdLife office grabbed their binoculars and headed for the door.

Unsurprisingly, when staff at Australias largest bird conservation organisation hear an unusual bird has visited Melbournes CBD, they rush to see it (and have binoculars at work).

A powerful owl holding a rat. Credit:Michael Bianchino

But there was something wrong with this owl. It sat perched only three metres off the ground, on a tree with no foliage.

It was completely exposed and close to the ground  you wouldnt usually see a nocturnal bird displaying that kind of behaviour, says Birdlife campaigns advisor Andrew Hunter.
The Democratic National Convention will feature a star-studded array of the countrys most prominent party leaders, key allies of presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden, and rising stars in Democratic circles -- with former First Lady Michelle Obama, former Second Lady Jill Biden, former President Barack Obama, and the former vice president headlining each of the four nights.

Monday, the first night of the convention, showcases a slate of speakers that reflect the ideological spectrum lined up behind Bidens candidacy, according to a schedule released by the Democratic Party.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, the progressive stalwart who was Bidens chief rival for the Democratic nomination, will speak on Monday evening, the same night that former Ohio Gov. John Kasich, a former GOP presidential contender who competing against President Trump in 2016, is slated to speak.

Govs. Andrew Cuomo of New York and Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, who is still rumored to be in contention as Bidens running mate and met with the former vice president on Aug. 2, will all also speak on Monday, along with Nevada Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, South Carolina Rep. Jim Clyburn, Alabama Sen. Doug Jones and Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar. Former First Lady Michelle Obama, who has opted to remain mostly on the sidelines throughout the 2020 political season, is emerging front and center at a crucial time for the party to project unity, and will deliver the keynote speech on Monday night.

Tuesday features both a look at some of the party's more established leaders and its youngest stars, including New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and former President Bill Clinton.

Former Acting U.S. Attorney General Sally Yates, who briefly oversaw the investigation into Russia's interference in the 2016 election, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, former Secretary of State John Kerry, the 2004 Democratic presidential nominee, and Delaware Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester, a close friend of Biden's who was one of the co-chairs of his vice presidential search team, are also slated to speak Tuesday, while former Second Lady Jill Biden will deliver the nights keynote speech.

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MORE: Biden will no longer travel to DNC to accept Democratic nomination amid pandemic

Hillary Clinton, the 2016 presidential nominee, is set to speak on Wednesday, the same night as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and some of the women speculated to comprise Bidens shortlist for a vice president, including Sen. Elizabeth Warren and New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham. Gabrielle Giffords, the former congresswoman from Arizona who was severely injured when a gunman opened fire at a campaign event in Tucson, will also speak. The night leads up to a speech by the soon-to-be-named vice presidential nominee, just before Obama is set to close out the night.

The event culminates on Thursday, when a number of the women considered to be in contention to be Bidens running mate -- including California Sen. Kamala Harris, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and Illinois Sen. Tammy Duckworth -- speak in the lead up to Biden's speech, during which he will formally accept the partys presidential nomination.

Other speakers set for the mostly virtual event on Thursday include a number of Bidens former 2020 rivals -- Sen. Cory Booker and former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg -- as well as California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Wisconsin Sen. Tammy Baldwin, Delaware Sen. Chris Coons, and members of Bidens family. While some of the speeches will be live, others will be pre-recorded -- a result of the changing circumstances due to the pandemic and the need to minimize any technical issues.

PHOTO: President Barack Obama campaigns in Portsmouth, N.H., with first lady Michelle Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and Dr. Jill Biden, Sept. 7, 2012, the day after the Democratic National Convention. (Rick Friedman/Corbis via Getty Images, FILE)

Andrew Yang, a former presidential contender who is not among the listed speakers, expressed some dismay about not being included in the schedule. But Yang is expected to be part of a segment featuring former 2020 presidential candidates.

Ive got to be honest I kind of expected to speak.  Andrew Yang (@AndrewYang) August 11, 2020

All of the speeches are set to take place during two hours of primetime, 9-11 p.m. ET, with each day of the gathering centering around the theme of "Uniting America" -- one that the party views as a sharp contrast between Bidens vision and leadership and Trumps and one that also draws on the chief conflict throughout the primary that frequently pitted the moderate faction against the progressive wing.

In the months since wrapping up the Democratic primary and before he formally takes the helm of the party, Biden has attempted to navigate those dueling political currents that he needs to tame to successfully execute his primary goal: to unite the entire Democratic coalition.

The slate of speakers aims to highlight Bidens efforts to not only court uncertain progressives, but also demonstrate his commitment to broadening the coalition, which includes some disillusioned Republicans such as Kasich, that he hopes will deliver him the White House in November. Additional speakers, including national leaders, advocates and celebrities will be announced in the coming days, according to convention planners.

MORE: Democrats announce convention schedule, party officers for 2020 gathering transformed by coronavirus

The convention, which was planned to be in Milwaukee in July, has been hobbled by the virus. Organizers first pushed the date back to August, then pared-back the event by anchoring it in the city with a mix of virtual events and, ultimately, announced earlier this month that the gathering was moving to an almost entirely virtual affair, with Biden scheduled to accept the nomination from his home state of Delaware.

Details around Bidens speech have yet to be released, but his decision reflects just how much the coronavirus pandemic has transformed planning for the quadrennial event. Delegates and members of Congress, too, were told to stay home rather than travel to Milwaukee.

Less than one week out, an event that historically takes years to plan, is the capstone of the party's nominating process and typically attracts thousands of supporters and party loyalists is still being finalized.

Democrats unveil wide-ranging speaker schedule for mostly virtual convention originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
Gov. Kay Ivey has awarded $26 million in federal coronavirus relief funds to help the agriculture industry in Alabama.

The money is from the $1.9 billion Alabama received through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act passed by Congress. The Legislature approved Iveys proposal to apply $300 million of that to support citizens, businesses, and organizations directly hurt by the pandemic, and the $26 million for agriculture is from that allocation.

The funds will go to the Alabama Agriculture Stabilization Program, established through an agreement between the state Finance Department and the Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries.

Due to COVID-19, numerous farms and processing facilities have struggled to remain open and sell their products, Ivey said in a press release. Establishing the Alabama Agriculture Stabilization Program is not only the right thing to do to protect our farmers, but it also key to stabilizing Alabamas economy.

The money will be allocated as follows:

Direct payment business stabilization grants to cattle producers- $10.5 million

Meat processing plant reimbursement program- $1.5 million

Poultry farmer stabilization grant program- $4 million

Catfish processor reimbursement program- $500,000

Fruit & vegetable processor reimbursement program- $500,000

State supplemental CFAP grant program- $8 million

Nursery grower reimbursement program- $1 million

Agriculture and Industries Commissioner Rick Pate said the stabilization program is a collaborative effort between the ADAI and the Alabama Cattlemens Association, Alabama Farmers Federation, Alabama Poultry & Egg Association, Alabama Agribusiness Council, and other participants in the agriculture industry.

I want to thank Governor Ivey for her continued support of Alabama agriculture and for providing much needed assistance to farmers and processors adversely effected by COVID-19, Pate said. Because of these men and women, our food supply chain is safe, abundant and sustainable.

On Tuesday, the governors office announced that Ivey had awarded $7 million in CARES Act funding to the Alabama Department of Mental Health. That includes $6 million for the Community Provider Reimbursement program and $1 million for the ADMHs Crisis and Recovery Services program.

More information about Alabamas Coronavirus Relief Fund.

Related: Ivey awards $100 million in CARES Act funds to hospitals, nursing homes
Its not a secret that Canadians love to identify other Canadians who made it big in America, as in Did you know that Ryan Reynolds is Canadian? Keanu Reeves? Kim Cattrall? Pamela Anderson? Michael J. Fox? Drake? Etc.

However, what is perhaps less known about this national pastime of Canadian-spotting is that its focus extends far beyond spotting actual Canadians. In recent days, its become clear that not only are we determined to identify anyone famous who hails from our nation, but anyone famous who has a distant, tenuous connection to it.

Enter Kamala Harris, U.S. presidential candidate Joe Bidens official pick for VP running mate.

If youre reading this outside of Canada, you may know Harris as a United States senator from California with a tough-on-crime, tough-on-Brett Kavanaugh reputation, a former District Attorney of San Francisco and later the Attorney General of California. Also, not a small deal: the first black woman and Asian American to appear on a major party presidential ticket.

If youre reading this inside Canada, however, you probably know Kamala Harris as a woman who went to high school in Montreal. A lot of ink has been spilled to relay this message to you. It seems every major and minor publication in Canada  this one included  has at some point highlighted the fact that Harris moved to Quebec as a middle schooler after her mom got a job at McGill University. The candidate attended Westmount High School in Montreal, before returning to the States indefinitely  a sequence of events Canadian media reiterated several times this week and I suspect will continue to reiterate until election day in the United States, at the expense of more relevant information such as: who is Harris beyond a former Montreal high school student and what exactly does she stand for?

Going off some recent Canadian news coverage you might not know  stories whose headlines can be summed up as follows: Montreal high school graduate Kamala Harris is running for Vice President of the United States. Did we mention she went to high school in Montreal?

Brace yourself for more of these headlines in the coming months, likely (Im guessing) along the lines of: Kamala Harris favourite Montreal haunts according to her Grade 11 P.E. teacher, Harris classmates tell-all and Youll never believe what Kamala Harris said about Bonhomme.

The odd thing is that the adolescent pasts of our own political candidates  Canadian candidates that is  are rarely examined as closely as Harris was this week. I have yet to read, for example, a feature article about 16-year-old Peter MacKays preferred extracurricular activities. Was Erin OToole a social butterfly at Bowmanville High School? I guess well never know.

The other odd thing about the Harris-Canada news moment is that though we may fixate on and relish stories of her time in Montreal, Harris isnt quite as nostalgic. Here she is in her own words, from her 2019 memoir, The Truths We Hold: An American Journey:

I was 12 years old, and the thought of moving away from sunny California in February, in the middle of the school year, to a French-speaking foreign city covered in 12 feet of snow was distressing, to say the least. My mother tried to make it sound like an adventure, taking us to buy our first down jackets and mittens, as though we were going to be explorers of the great northern winter. But it was hard for me to see it that way.

By the time I got to high school, I had adjusted to our new surroundings  What I hadnt gotten used to was the feeling of being homesick for my country. I felt this constant sense of yearning to be back home.

And home is where she went as soon as she was able.

In other words, despite the excitement of many Canadian fans of the candidate on social media this week, it doesnt sound like Harris is going to pull a Harry anytime soon and renounce the presidential ticket for a quiet life in Canada.

But none of this matters. The further Harris is from our grasp, the closer we will embrace her. The Canadian press and the Canadian public in general will never cease to be fascinated with Canadian celebs who move to America and with Americans like Harris who make a pit stop in Canada on their way to glory. Perhaps its just who we are and who we will always be: true, north, strong and desperate for the affections of people who leave us.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, Aug. 12

By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend:

Armenian lobby is laundering dirty money in Yerevan, a source in the Turkish government told Trend.

The Armenian lobby in the US and European countries sends millions of dollars to Yerevan every month under the guise of "humanitarian aid", allegedly for the restoration of historical monuments and the rehabilitation of the Armenian economy.

Buildings are being constructed with the dirty money of the Armenian lobby in the center of Yerevan, and most of the money is spent on armaments, as well as on the support of the Armenian armed forces in the occupied Azerbaijani territories, the Turkish government said.

The destabilization in the South Caucasus is primarily in the interests of the Armenian lobby, since it is precisely this situation in the region that allows them to launder dirty money, the source noted.

The Armenian authorities are hostages of the Armenian lobby. This is the lobby, "thanks to" which Armenia has completely isolated itself from regional projects, the Turkish government said.

Acting in the interests of the Armenian lobby, the Armenian authorities actually ruined the country people's lives, added the government.
Addressing a meeting of the UNSC on August 10 on international support for maintaining stability in Guinea-Bissau, the diplomat called on parties to cooperate and narrow differences, strive to carry out national reconciliation, and accelerate important reforms in the 2016 Conakry Agreement as well as the six-point roadmap of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

He emphasised the task of protecting civilians and enhancing the participation of women and youths in policy making and national development.

The ambassador urged the international community to support efforts of Guinea-Bissau in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, and reiterated Vietnam's support for the implementation of Resolution 2512 (2020) for peace, security and sustainable development in Guinea-Bissau.

According to reports delivered at the meeting, the UNIOGBIS has made progress in the implementation of Resolution 2512, including helping the government of Guinea-Bissau and parties to organise an inclusive dialogue, conducting political and institutional reform, and combating drug trafficking and organised crime.

Representatives from UNSC member states expressed their concern about the deteriorating security and humanitarian situation in recent times.

They called on parties to continue implementing the Conarky Agreement and the ECOWAS, proposed to investigate human right violations by the military and security forces in the country, and asked the military to maintain a neutral attitude.
QUITO, Ecuador - A former Ecuadorian president known for his wild antics has been detained in an organized crime probe as authorities investigate the murder of an Israeli man jailed in a possible COVID-19 medical supplies scandal, the nations interior minister said Wednesday.

Heavily armed police burst into Abdala Bucarams home, waking up the 68-year-old in his bed and detaining him under a judges order in the port city of Guayaquil, Interior Minister Maria Paula Romo told an Ecuadorian radio station.

Bucaram has not been charged, but Romo said a judge ordered his detention while investigators examine the degree of participation  if there was or not in crimes related to an inmates death Saturday at the Litoral Penitentiary in Guayaquil.

The investigation right now is confidential, Romo added, declining to go into more detail.

The chief prosecutors office confirmed Bucaram had been detained, but revealed little about the investigation, other than to say it is part of an organized crime probe that also involves one of the ex-presidents sons and three transit employees.

Bucaram  who was kicked out of office by Congress six months after his 1996 election  has been caught up in a COVID-19 crime probe since June, when authorities raided his home and found an unlicensed gun, several pre-Columbian art sculptures, as well as 5,000 face masks and 2,000 coronavirus antibody rapid test kits.

Investigators said at the time that the raid was part of an ongoing probe into suspected embezzlement at a large public hospital.

In late July, his three adult sons were ordered detained as a preliminary measure as the investigation advances, though they have not been located. Bucaram, meanwhile, has been charged with illegal possession of a firearm and for harbouring the antiquities, which are considered state-owned cultural patrimony.

Bucaram rose to power with the votes of Ecuadors poor and indigenous groups and became known as El Loco Que Ama or The Crazy Man Who Loves for his many bizarre acts. He once shaved his Charlie Chaplin-like moustache on a telethon to earn money for poor children and liked to compare himself to great world leaders who had been assassinated.

He was ousted by Congress shortly into his presidency for mental incapacity and accused of corruption and nepotism.

The bizarre recent events took a dark turn over the last week, when a digital news outlet published audio of a reported conversation between Bucaram and Shy Dahan, one of two Israeli men detained after being found with $100,000 cash and fake documents trying to pass themselves off as U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agents.

In the audio, a man identified as Dahan asks by phone, I have your word that no one is going to try and kill me, none of that?

The response, purportedly from Bucaram: Weve talked about ones word. I maintain my word that in court, Ill get you out.

Dahan was later found dead and the second Israeli man, Oren Sheinman, injured.

Hector Gabriel Vanegas, a lawyer for Sheinman, said his client has information about organized crime networks in Ecuador and has been subject to constant threats since his detention. The Israelis are believed to have sold medical supplies to Jacobo Bucaram, one of the ex-presidents sons, allegedly with the aim of selling them at exorbitantly high prices to hospitals in Guayaquil.

The former chief of state held a press conference Tuesday and acknowledged the phone call with Dahan but denied having committed any crime

The Bucaram family hasnt been responsible for a single death in this country, he said.
TikTok parent company ByteDance has stopped all the hiring processes amid uncertainty in the backdrop of anti-China sentiment. As per a report by ET, the company has around 2000 employees in India. After the border clash between the Indian and Chinese armies and the subsequent ban of Chinese apps including, ByteDance-owned TikTok, employees are looking to move out of the company to find other jobs, the report stated.

ByteDance has also reassigned some senior management roles in India. It has also initiated a performance review cycle to portray a sense of stability to employees. There are no formal layoffs taking place and the company has told its employees, through internal communications, that the situation is stable.

Last month, TikTok CEO Kevin Mayer, in a letter addressed to Indian TikTok employees wrote, "Our employees are our biggest strength, and their well-being is our topmost priority. We have also assured more than 2,000 strong workforces that we will do everything in our power to restore the positive experiences and opportunities that they can be proud of. We look forward to continue playing an active role in the mainframe of Digital India."

As per a report by the Wall Street Journal, ByteDance was looking at tweaking the corporate structure of TikTok. As per reports, the company was looking at moving its headquarters out of China. TikTok does not have headquarters aside from ByteDance which was founded in China. It has its largest offices in Los Angeles, New York, London, Dublin, and Singapore. ByteDance has signed an office space deal at WeWork Nesco in Mumbai, as per a report by ET.

The Indian government banned 59 Chinese apps including TikTok, UC browser, Shareit, CamScanner among others. TikTok has been removed from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store in India.

TikTok might soon stop appearing from the App Stores in the US as well. The development comes shortly after US President Donald Trump signed an executive order banning the TikTok from the US.

A White House document seen by the Reuters said, "Prohibited transactions may include, for example, agreements to make the TikTok app available on app stores... purchasing advertising on TikTok, and accepting terms of service to download the TikTok app onto a user device."

TikTok which is exploring legal options against the Trump administration has 100 million active users in the United States.




BENGALURU: Hours after a violent mob went on a rampage on the streets of Bengaluru and attacked the residence of a Congress MLA and police stations in KG Halli area in the city, the Bengaluru Police have arrested a local SDPI leader Muzammil Pasha for allegedly inciting the riots in the city, sources said on Wednesday (August 12, 2020).

According to the sources, the Bengaluru Police have arrested Muzzamil Pasha, who is a political activist belonging to the SDPI. The arrested accused had also contested the BBMP (Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike) election in the past from Sagayapura ward unsuccessfully.

Besides Muzamil, another SDPI activist Ayaz is also under the scanner for provocating the rioters to vandalise the two police stations at DJ Halli and KG Halli area in East Bengaluru. It is alleged that the violence was fully pre-planned and police are investigating it from all angles. Special police teams are combing the area and 150 people have been arrested so far.

Karnataka Minister CT Ravi said, I think it was a planned riot. Within an hour of a post on social media thousands of people gathered and damaged 200-300 vehicles and MLA's residence. We'll take serious action. It was an organised incident. SDPI is behind it.

Meanwhile, GN Shivamurthy, Deputy Commissioner, Bengaluru Urban, visited the DJ Halli Police Station that was vandalised last night, as violence broke out over an alleged inciting social media post.

The incident that took place last night is very unfortunate. A lot of damage has been caused to public property. I appeal to all the people of the city not to be provoked or disturbed by this incident, GN Shivamurthy, Deputy Commissioner, Bengaluru Urban, said.

The police have also recovered CCTV footage which allegedly showed that a person distributing money to rioters ahead of the violence. The CCTV footage indicates that the attacks against the police station were a pre-planned act as the rioters were already mobilised through social media posts.

Three people died in police firing after violence erupted in Bengaluru on Tuesday (August 11) over an alleged derogatory social media post by a Congress leader's relative. The police opened fire after angry mobs attacked the house of Pulakeshinagar MLA Akhanda Srinivas Murthy and went berserk in DJ Halli and KG Halli police station areas of Bengaluru.

Sources said that over 50 people have got injured in the violent clashes. Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on Wednesday (August 12) ordered the concerned authorities to take strict action against those involved in the incident.

CM Yediyurappa noted that all possible steps have been taken by the government to maintain law and order in the city. The Karnataka CM appealed to people to maintain peace and asserted that violence against journalists, police and people was unacceptable. The Congress party has also appealed for peace in the city.

"The miscreants in the DJ Halli police station has led to the assault and rioting at MLA Akhand Srinivasa`s house and police station. Already, directives have been issued against the perpetrators and the government has taken all possible steps to curb the situation," he said.

"The attack on journalists, the police and the public in the riot last night was unacceptable. The government will not tolerate such provocations and rumours. Strict action against perpetrators is certain. I appeal to people to maintain peace and act with restraint and without panic," added CM Yediyurappa.

Bengaluru Police Commissioner Kamal Pant said that restrictions under CrPC Section 144 have been imposed in the city and curfew has been imposed in DJ Halli and KG Halli police station limits to keep the situation under control. He added that accused Naveen has been arrested for sharing the derogatory post on Facebook.
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Aaron Brady has been found guilty of the capital murder of Detective Garda Adrian Donohoe by a majority jury verdict at the Central Criminal Court.

The 29-year-old with an address at New Road, Crossmaglen, Co Armagh will be sentenced on October 14.

Brendan Grehan SC for the prosecution told Mr Justice Michael White that the is obliged to impose a life sentence for murder and as the jury found him guilty of capital murder he must specify that Brady serve not less than 40 years.

Brady had denied capital murder and said he had no involvement in the robbery at Lordship Credit Union on January 25, 2013 that resulted in the detective's death.

The jury of five men and seven women found him guilty on the robbery charge on Monday and returned today having been told by trial judge Mr Justice Michael White that they could bring a majority verdict if 10 of them agreed. The jury found him guilty on the capital murder charge by a majority 11 to one verdict after 20 hours and two minutes spent considering their verdicts.

The prosecution used circumstantial evidence to prove that Brady was involved in stealing a Volkswagen Passat used by the raiders as a getaway car and to block the entrance to the credit union car park just as employees were preparing to leave with the day's takings followed by a garda escort.

They also pointed to lies Brady told to gardai when he was questioned one day after the shooting and 10 days later when he visited Dundalk Garda Station to give a voluntary statement.

In his closing speech to the jury Lorcan Staines SC described Brady as a "practised liar". He said the prosecution case was a circumstantial one and that each piece of evidence on its own could be considered no more than coincidence.

He added: "It's your personal tolerance when coincidence is put on top of coincidence until there comes a point that it is an affront to common sense that all these little things are coincidence."

Detective Garda Adrian Donohoe was killed in the line of duty in January 2013. Picture: Ciara Wilkinson.

To prove that Brady was the shooter the prosecution introduced the evidence of Molly Staunton and Daniel Cahill who said they heard Brady confess that he "shot a cop" or "murdered a garda" on multiple occasions after Brady moved to New York following the shooting.

Brady took the stand in his defence and told the jury that he was loading cubes of laundered diesel waste onto the back of a trailer when the robbery happened. He insisted he had nothing to do with the robbery and said that he lied to gardai to cover up his involvement in diesel-laundering.

The jury did not accept his testimony and found that he was one of four raiders who jumped over the wall of the credit union just as the Passat blocked the car park entrance.

Knew he was shooting a garda

Brady pointed an automatic or pump action shotgun at Detective Garda Donohoe and fired a single shot to the head from about six feet away, killing him instantly.

The jury's verdict shows that they were satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that when Brady pulled the trigger he not only intended to kill or cause serious injury but he also knew he was shooting a member of An Garda Siochana acting in accordance with his duty.

The jury began hearing evidence last January in a trial that was expected to last four months but suffered major delays due to the Covid outbreak and lengthy legal argument in the jury's absence.

Longest murder trial in State's history

The court has sat for 122 days and the jury heard from 139 witnesses over the course of 28 weeks, making this the longest murder trial in the history of the State. During the trial it emerged that gardai had trawled through thousands of hours of CCTV footage and generated tens of thousands of documents during the investigation.

Gardai claimed privilege over 50 statements taken during the investigation on the grounds that to reveal them to Brady could result in a threat to the lives of individuals. Mr Justice Michael White examined the documents and upheld the claims of privilege on the grounds set out by gardai.

Inspector Mark Phillips and Detective Garda Jim McGovern of the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation flew to New York on several occasions and worked with the US Department of Homeland Security to find witnesses who would testify to having heard Brady admit to the murder after he fled to America from Belfast Airport on a British passport about two months after the murder.

Only Molly Staunton and Daniel Cahill came forward to give evidence of having heard Brady's confession. Four others who gave statements to gardai alleging they heard Brady make similar confessions did not give evidence in court. The evidence of another witness who said he heard someone who said his name was Aaron Brady confess to killing a garda in a bar after a wedding was ruled inadmissible by the trial judge Mr Justice Michael White.
Every employee who acquires a disability during the course of his employment is entitled to be shifted to another suitable post, irrespective the percentage of his disability, the Bombay high court said, on Wednesday

A single judge bench of justice Milind Jadhav on Wednesday rejected argument advanced on behalf Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking that it was not bound to accommodate a bus conductor Sadashiv Gaikwad on another suitable post, after he acquired disability of a lower limb, since the percentage of his disability was less than 40.

The judge also rejected BESTs contention that Gailwad was not entitled to the benefit of shifting to another suitable post after his accident, as contemplated under section 47 of the Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act, 1995, and that the civic undertaking was justified in terminating his services.

Justice Jadhav held that for claiming the benefit of section 47 a person does not have to be certified as a person with a disability - a person with 40 or more disability.

The judge clarified that section 47 envisages that if an employee acquires a disability during the course of his employment and becomes unsuitable for the post held by him, the employee should accommodate him on another suitable post, with same service benefits, and if no other suitable post is available, he should be posted on a supernumerary post till the time such a post becomes available.

That is the mandate of section 47, said the judge. There is nothing to suggest that for applying this mandate, the employee must be shown to be a person with disability within the meaning of section 2(t), that is to say, a person suffering from not less than 40% of any disability as certified by a medical authority.

HC said the interpretation sought to put by BEST on section 47 could not be accepted, as it would lead to an absurdity, in as much as, such reading of the benevolent provision would allow employers to terminate services of employees, if the percentage of disability acquired by them is less than 40. That would be a travesty of justice and no sensible legislature could have ever intended such result, said the court.

Gaikwad was appointed as a bus conductor in September 1993 and was attached to Malvani depot. On May 3, 2011, he met with an accident in Pune district and suffered a serious injury to his left knee. After lengthy treatment, when he went to resume duty in January 2012, for some period he was accommodated on other posts with light duties, but eventually his services were terminated on September 1, 2015, on the ground that it was not possible to accommodate him anymore further on any post having light duty.

In between, the bus conductor was referred by his employer to various public hospitals in the city, one of which evaluated the percentage of his disability at 17 and was also refused disability certificate as the disability was less than 40.

Gaikwad then moved an appeal before the commissioner and competent authority for welfare of persons with disabilities, who on October 8, 2018 ordered his employer to reinstate him in service, pay him back wages and accommodate him on a suitable post. BEST had then approached HC challenging the October 2018 order.
New Delhi: At a time when Nepal's Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli is perceived to be completely leaning towards China at the expense of India, a crucial meeting will be held between the Indian Ambassador in Kathmandu and the Nepalese Foreign Secretary in the Nepalese Capital next week on August 17 to review ongoing bilateral economic and development projects.

Indian Government sources confirmed the meeting would take place on August 17 just hours after reports by the Nepalese media in this regard but at the same time pointed out that but that such meetings are part of a regular and periodic interaction between the two countries.

Ties between India and its Himalayan neighbour had soured in the past few months after Nepal went ahead and unveiled a new map that showed portions of territory in Indias Uttarakhand State---Limpiyadhura, Kalapani and Lipu Lekh--as part of Nepal. New Delhi had objected to that move. Nepalese PM Oli had also recently made certain controversial observations regarding Ayodhya and the birthplace of Lord Rama.

Speculation has been rife among observers both in India and Nepal that the beleaguered Oli Government in Kathmandu which is facing domestic political opposition from within its ranks is doing all it can to damage ties between the two countries so that the Nepalese PM can endear himself all the more to Beijing.

But the meeting on August 17 is not expected to discuss the discord between the two countries on the new Nepalese map.

On Tuesday evening, Government sources said, The scheduled oversight mechanism meeting between the Indian Ambassador in Kathmandu and Nepal's Foreign Secretary on 17 August, 2020, is part of a regular interaction between India and Nepal. This oversight mechanism was set up in 2016 to review ongoing bilateral economic and development projects, and meets on a periodic basis.

Indian Government sources had stated in June this year that the controversial new Nepalese map that shows bits of Indian territory as part of Nepal was a hastily drawn-up one and a unilateral, myopic and self-serving action by Nepalese PM Oli that is driven by his domestic political agenda for political gains, adding that the onus was now on Nepal to create a positive atmosphere for talks on the boundary issue to take place.
US Senator Kamala Harris made history on Tuesday by becoming the first woman of colour to be nominated for national office by a major political party. Harris, of Indian and Jamaican origin, was chosen by former vice president Joe Biden to be his running mate for the November election at a time when America is grappling with its racial past.

Biden ended weeks of speculation about his choice on Tuesday, thus making Harris the first Black woman and Asian-American ever to run on a US presidential ticket.

Her selection came as little surprise. With the United States in the midst of a national reckoning on race sparked by the police killing of George Floyd, Biden has been under pressure to choose a woman of colour.

Though Biden and Harris clashed during the Democratic presidential debates before she dropped out of the race last year, Harris had become a strong supporter of his candidacy and a voice of authority on issues of racial justice.

Among Democrats, it was hailed as a triumph, with former President Barack Obama tweeting that Biden had "nailed this decision" and that Harris "is more than prepared for the job."

Inspiring story

Harris, 55, is among the most prominent Black women in American politics, with appeal across the Democratic party's ideological spectrum.

The daughter of Indian and Jamaican immigrants, she served six years as the attorney general of California before becoming only the second Black woman ever elected to the Senate in 2016.

Throughout her rise, Harris has excited Democrats and Black voters with a personal story that many find inspiring.

Indian-American actress Mindy Kaling said in a tweet that Harris' appointment was an "exciting day" for Black and Indian women, many of whom had grown up thinking they could never hold positions of high office.

Role of Black women

Black women were critical of Biden's success in the Democratic primary, lifting him to victory in South Carolina after series of stinging losses.

Similarly, Harris --described by Biden as a "fearless fighter for the little guy"-- is expected to help bolster his chances of beating Donald Trump in the November election.

Still, Harris was far from a shoo-in for the role of running mate.

During the primary, she struggled to reconcile her prosecutorial record with her support for criminal justice reform, facing criticism from progressives who doubted her evolution on the issue.

Biden's advisers and even his wife Jill also harbored reservations about her because of the ambush she mounted on Biden during a Democratic debate over his long-ago stance on mandatory busing for public school students, which she said undermined integration.

Trump said Tuesday, Harris had been "very, very nasty" to Biden during the primaries and that he was "surprised" that Biden had picked somebody so "disrespectful".

Burying the hatchet

The Democratic presidential candidate told reporters in August he had put the debate fracas behind him. I don't hold grudges, he said.

He considered at least five Black women for the job of running mate, including Susan Rice, who served as the national security adviser under President Barack Obama.

For American professor and author Celia Belin, Biden chose Harris because she shares his world view.

"She is not an activist nor overly progressive like Elizabeth Warren was, she is more flexible and corresponds to what Biden is hoping to achieve during his presidency," Belin told RFI.

The two are expected to hold their first event together on Wednesday, in Biden's hometown of Wilmington, Delaware.

Only two women have previously been nominated for the vice presidency of a major political party and neither was successful: Sarah Palin, the governor of Alaska, in 2008, and the congresswoman Geraldine Ferraro in 1984.
Prague: The Czech Republic intensified its confrontation with China with a plan to send a 90-strong delegation to Taiwan to meet President Tsai Ing-wen.

Prague Mayor Zdenek Hrib, who ignited outrage in China last year when he cancelled a sister-city agreement between Shanghai and the Czech capital, will accompany Senate leader Milos Vystrcil in a 90-strong delegation to Taiwan starting August 29.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, his wife Susan Pompeo (left), Prime Minister of the Czech Republic Andrej Babis (right) and and his wife Monika Babis pose in Prague, Czech Republic. Credit:Getty

The proposed visit deepens a rift between Beijing and politicians in a NATO and European Union member state that was once seen as the most China-friendly in Europe. That's despite an official stance of the national Czech government that Hrib, Vystrcil and others have veered from.

During a visit to Prague, US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo praised the planned trip and lambasted leaders in China and Russia for trying to undermine democracy.
The Supreme Court ruling that daughters have equal coparcenary rights in a Hindu Undivided Family (HUF) property even if the father died before the Hindu Succession (Amendment) Act, 2005, came into force is a progressive step, and settles the ambiguity surrounding the nature and extent of a daughters rights to inherit the property, legal experts told Moneycontrol.

The apex court's verdict came on the issue whether the amendment to the Hindu Succession Act, 1956, granting equal rights to daughters to inherit ancestral property would have retrospective effect.

What this means is that whether with the passing of the Hindu Succession (Amendment) Act, 2005, a daughter of a coparcener shall by birth become a coparcener in her own right in the same manner as the son, or if she could be denied her share on the ground that she were born prior to the enactment of the Act on September 9, 2005, and, therefore, cannot be treated as coparcener.

A coparcener refers to a person who assumes a legal right in parental property by birth only.

The Hon'ble Supreme Court has taken a progressive step towards equal rights as provided for under the Constitution, said advocate Yudhist N. Singh, senior partner, YNS & Associates.

Date of daughters birth, death of father not relevant

The apex court has clearly settled the issue on the effective date of the 2005 amendment, by laying no relevance on the date of birth of the daughter or alternatively the date of death of the father, whether prior to the 2005 amendment or post. So long as the daughter is alive post 2005, she has an equal right as a son in the coparcenary property.

The matter of Vineeta Sharma v. Rakesh Sharma, decided by a three-judge bench of Justices Arun Mishra, S. Nazeer and M.R. Shah is a truly progressive judgment on womens rights, said Payal Chawla, founder, JusContractus.

The reference to the three-judge bench was made in view of two conflicting judgments of the Supreme Court in the matter of Prakash v. Phulavati (2016) and Danamma @Suman Surpur v. Amar (2018). The Court in Vineeta Sharma has overruled Prakash v. Phulavati and partially upheld the Danamma judgment, she explained.

The judgment says if a daughter is born before September 9, 2005, she would become a coparcener, in her own right, in the same manner as sons i.e. with same with same rights and liabilities, provided there has been no parting/partition/or devolution before December 20, 2004.

The reason is that a daughter is a coparcener, with effect from the date of amendment and she can claim partition in her own right by birth and not by dint of inheritance, added Chawla.

Therefore, it is irrelevant that her father was alive or not on the cut-off date of September 9, 2005.

Clarifies that coparcenary is a birth right

The top court in its ruling conferred an equal status of coparcener on the daughter born before or after amendment to the Section 6 of the Hindu Succession Act, 1956, in the same manner as son.

The daughter shall now have equal rights in the parental property even if father was not alive on 9.9.2005. It is a landmark judgment and I feel it is another big step towards gender equality and women empowerment, said Sunil Tyagi of Zeus Law, a law firm.

It clarifies the ambiguity over the extent of a daughters rights in an HUF property.

This judgment has settled the ambiguity surrounding the nature and extent of a daughters rights in a HUF property and thus settled a disputed question of law. This clarification was vital in setting aside the grip on previous decisions accorded coparcenary rights to daughters only if both father and daughter were alive as on September 9, 2005, when the amendment was notified, said Sonam Chandwani, managing partner at KS Legal & Associates.

The judgement is a "welcome move" and clears all webs around a daughter's rights and interests over an HUF property.

While clarifying that coparcenary is a birth right, the verdict confirms that a daughter cannot be deprived of the right to equality granted to her under Section 6 of the Hindu Succession Act, 1956, even in case the father expires before the 2005 amendment. The ruling aids the society at large in moving towards a more sensible conclusion and breaks free from the deadlock of the dated patriarchal system, said Rahul Arora, partner, Trilegal.

Finally its crystallised the law with respect to rights of women as coparceners and removing the inequality under succession laws that had been prevalent historically. A huge number or cases all over the country were grappling with this issue and hopefully now things can proceed expeditiously, said Vaibhav Gaggar, managing partner, Gaggar & Associates.

Can partitions before 2005 amendment be reopened by a daughter?

The ruling is important for various reasons. One it clearly sets to rest whether partitions which were undertaken prior to the 2005 amendment can be re-opened by the daughter.

On this point the apex court has clearly stated that if a partition has taken place prior to 2005, such a partition cannot be re-opened, so long as the legal process has been followed of a documented partition deed and registration of the same, said Bijal Ajinkya of Khaitan & Co.

Obviously, this throws out of the window situations where sham partitions are shown as undertaken prior to 2005, so as to avoid having the daughters consent taken or allowing them any rights, he said.

The judgement also states that in this context an oral partition is not a statutory recognised mode of partition and the same can be accepted only in exceptional cases if the same is backed by public documents or affected by a decree of a court.

What this means is that if any party is relying on oral partition to beat the interest of daughters, the standard of proof required would be extremely high and would require the same to be proved through documents or a court decree, said Chawla.

Often coparceners enter into a family arrangement or oral partition, and it may not be necessary to register such a partition. Any coparcener relying upon any family arrangement or oral partition must prove the same by leading proper documentary evidence, the order said.

The Court has to keep in mind the possibility that a plea of oral partition may be set up, fraudulently or in collusion, or based on unregistered memorandum of partition which may also be created at any point of time. Such a partition is not recognized under Section 6(5), the order noted.

Next challenge

An amendment to Section 15 of the Hindu Succession Act, 1956, is the need of the hour, say experts.

I strongly believe that the time has come to make an amendment to Section 15 of the Hindu Succession Act, 1956, for changing the present scheme of succession to the effect in case a female dies intestate leaving her self-acquired property with no heirs then an equal right is given to her parental heirs along with her husband heirs to inherit her property, said Tyagi.

One issue which is still open and is a matter of legal debate is whether the lineal descendants of a daughter partake the same rights as the lineal descendants of a son, added Ajinkya.

The Supreme Court order eliminates all challenges to the equal rights of women as coparceners in HUF assets except where the assets have been divided on or before the cut off date of December 20, 2004.

"Many ancestors who did not believe in this equality and never imagined that law will change to this effect may turn in their grave. This is a good development for gender equality, but will certainly open a Pandora box and unimaginable contentious issues, more so as this is now retrospective as well as retroactive," said Rajesh Narain Gupta, managing partner, SNG & Partners.
The wreckage at the site of the plane crash. Credit:National Library of Australia - Dwyer Collection Eye-Witnesses Stories After inspecting the wreckage of the plane, which was concentrated on one spot, flying men were of the opinion that but for striking a log the pilot of the plane would have had a good chance of making a pancake landing, in which case the occupants of the bomber might have survived. The fact that wreckage was not strewn over a wide area, and the plan had not buried its fuselage in the ground, discounted the suggestion that it had nosedived. The ill-fated plane left Melbourne shortly after 8.30 am, according to advice received here, and in perfect flying weather made the trip to Canberra in two hours. The machine was seen to circled above the Canberra aerodrome as if preparatory to making a landing. It then began to descend, and the machine swung over low hills about two miles from the aerodrome. Aircraftmen waiting to service the bomber watched it losing height, and then suddenly one engine was heard to falter, and as the big plane dipped on one wing it disappeared behind a clump of trees.

Loading Almost immediately afterward a crash was heard, and in a few moments a column of black smoke shot into the air, the plane evidently having caught fire. Mr. F. Tetley, garage proprietor of Queanbeyan, and his assistant, Mr Lawrence OBrien, were pushing a motor car from the garage to the road when they heard a plane pass nearby. It was fairly low and they watched it as it flew towards the low hills across the Sutton valley about two miles away. They saw the left wing dipping dangerously, and Mr OBrien remarked to his employer that he thought the pilot was taking a risk stunting so close to the ground. As they watched the machine making a low circuit to the left it dropped rapidly nose first apparently in a stall. The pilot was unable to regain control. The two men, horrified, saw the machine strike the ground among the trees. Flames and smoke shot up immediately. Mr Tetley said the column of smoke which rose from the crashed machine was 100 feet high. Mr Tetley telephoned the Queanbeyan police and directed them to the scene.

Loading The plane crashed on the top of a small hill in a small clearing between two trees. It appeared as though the pilot had made a last desperate effort to bring the plane down on the only cleared space of any size for several miles around. The machine struck a large log in the middle of the clearing. The pilot had pancaked the big plane, but the log apparently ripped the undercarriage, the bottom of the fuselage and the lower part of the wings, containing the petrol tanks. The machine was enveloped in flames when the police, ambulance officers and aircraftmen reached the scene. When the flames had died down all that remained of the plane was half of the tail unit. The remained was a charred heap of ash and fused metal. The starboard engine had been partly melted by the heat and the wings had been almost entirely consumed. Ministers at the Scene

Loading Before the remains of the victims had been removed from the scene of the crash the Federal Treasurer (Mr Spender), the Postmaster-General (Mr Thorby) and the Minister of Supply (Sir Frederick Stewart) arrived. They waited while the doctors and air force men completed their grim task. In the meantime many people living in Queanbeyan and Canberra had motored out to the spot, but a strong guard of air force men was placed around the wrecked plane, and no one was permitted to approach within a hundred yards or so. Two members of the air accidents investigation committee today held a preliminary investigation into the accident, and will continue their investigations tomorrow. The chief of the air staff (Sir Charles Burnett) arrived in Canberra during the day. He is staying at Government House. Narrow Escape of Two Ministers

Loading Two other Ministers can count themselves fortunate that they were not aboard the plane. The Assistant Treasurer, Mr Fadden, and the Minister of Customs, Senator McLeay, were offered seats, but declined the invitation. Senator McLeay had intended to go by air, but on learning that the Controller-General of Customs was travelling by train, decided to accompany him, so that departmental matters could be discussed. Mr Fadden had booked a berth on the train, and as he considered it inconvenient to cancel his reservation at a late stage he also rejected the invitation to travel by air. It was the intention of Sir Henry Gullett to fly to Canberra with Mr Fairbairn and Mr Elford in Mr Fairbairns own plane, but at the last minute they all decided to use the air force plane
RED DEER, Alta. - An Alberta family doctor slain in his medical clinic is being remember as a kind practitioner, a devoted dad and a jokester.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 11/8/2020 (525 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

An impromptu memorial for Dr. Walter Reynolds, who died after he was attacked in an examination room rests outside the Village Mall walk-in clinic in Red Deer, Alta., Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2020.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

RED DEER, Alta. - An Alberta family doctor slain in his medical clinic is being remember as a kind practitioner, a devoted dad and a jokester.

Dr. Walter Reynolds, 45, was "the best colleague I ever had," Dr. Edward Ohanjanians said Tuesday.

He said Reynolds was a founder of the Village Mall Walk-in Clinic in Red Deer where they both worked. Reynolds took care of all the clinic's shopping and scheduling.

Ohanjanians said he doesn't know how he and the other staff will return to work.

The clinic, sandwiched in between a hair salon and a dollar store, was cordoned off with yellow police tape.

Ohanjanians said he was at the clinic when Reynolds was attacked Monday morning. He was unable to talk about what happened.

"I witnessed the tragic death of my colleague and friend," he said. "It's a difficult time."

RCMP have charged Deng Mabiour, 54, with first-degree murder. Officers wouldn't say if Mabiour was a patient but that he and Reynolds knew each other through the clinic.

A witness has told media she was sitting in the waiting room when she heard cries for help and people were told to get out. She said a man had a hammer and a machete.

Reynolds was taken to hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

There was a growing display of flowers and cards outside the clinic Tuesday. A medical face mask was tied to a lamp post among the bouquets.

Kristen York placed a smiling photo of Reynolds at the site. She said she snapped the picture before leaving her job at the clinic about a month ago.

"I took pictures of all the doctors and it was just to put on our TV screen so everybody could see which doctor was which," York said while brushing away tears.

"He was the most kind, loving person ever. He was a jokester. We always joked around. He was just very, very kind."

Maria Rodriguez, who dropped off flowers, had been a patient of the doctor for 13 years.

"He's not only a doctor. He's a friend. He's an amazing, amazing, amazing person."

A GoFundMe page was set up to raise funds for the education of Reynolds' children. By Tuesday afternoon, it had raised $94,000.

"He was a devout father to two amazing young daughters and a loving husband," wrote fundraiser organizer Dr. Johan Myburgh.

"He loved to run, be healthy and, most of all, spend time with his family."

Dr. Peter Bouch, who works at another Red Deer clinic, said he and Reynolds were both part of a tight-knit community of doctors in the city who are originally from South Africa.

"We all have regular meetings and go do lectures and stuff like that together, so we all know each other," said Bouch.

"He was always talking about his daughters ... he's always been very proud of his family and also proud of his medical practice and his patients."

Bouch said he has been in Canada for 26 years, Reynolds for less than that.

On its website, the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta lists Reynolds as being registered to work in the province starting in 2006.

"Hearing about the loss of an Alberta physician under such shocking circumstances is devastating," the college's registrar, Dr. Scott McLeod, said in a statement.

"Its difficult to understand how or why such a tragedy could occur, especially in a care space and to someone who dedicated their life to helping others."

 With files from Colette Derworiz in Edmonton and Lauren Krugel in Calgary

This report by The Canadian Press was first published on August 11, 2020
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Market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has issued a showcause notice to six promoters of Kirloskar Brothers (KBL) and two others in connection with a 2010 stake sale, Mint reported. It has been conducting a probe into alleged charges of insider trading and unfair trade practices against KBL promoters.

The probe relates to the sale of 10.7 million shares (13.5 percent stake) of KBL to Kirloskar Industries (KIL) on October 6, 2010. SEBI said the promoters are guilty of fraud against minority shareholders as they were aware of the promoter group's financial condition at the time of the stake sale. It has also assessed that the gains from the decade-old deal could be well over Rs 350 crore.

SEBI has charged some of KBL's promoters with having indulged in unfair trade practices, thereby harming the interests of KIL's minority investors.

Gautam Kulkarni, Rahul Kirloskar, Atul Kirloskar, Alpana Kirloskar, Jyotsna Kulkarni and Arti Kirloskar allegedly benefitted from the share sale, and have accordingly been charged by the regulator under the SEBI (Prohibition of Fraudulent and Unfair Trade Practices relating to Securities Market) regulations, 2003.
Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanouskaya said on Tuesday (August 11) she had fled abroad for the sake of her children after strongman leader Alexander Lukashenko's claim of victory in Sunday's presidential election prompted bloody street protests.

Pompeo's central European trip aims to discuss China and Russia as well as nuclear energy cooperation among other things.

Pompeo's visit to the Czech Republic, part of the Soviet bloc until the 1989 democratic Velvet Revolution, marked the first stop on a swing through the region to discuss cyber and energy security.

He used the occasion to swipe at both Russian and Chinese influence and lauded officials in the central European nation of 10.7 million who took on Beijing over the past year.

"We see what's happened in Hong Kong to entrepreneurs. That's the model that the Chinese Communist Party brings when they show up," Pompeo said.

"That's why I came here today, just to remind the Czech people that we work, that we stand prepared to support you if those countries try to bully you, we'll be right there alongside of you."
Despite strong online boycotts for Chinese products in India, Xiaomi still remains to be the top smartphone vendor in India according to a report by IDC. The company shipped around 5.4 million units in the second quarter of 2020 and remains to be the leader. However, analysts have said the company will face uncertainties in the months ahead due to the tensions between China and India.

 Reuters

IDC also mentioned in their report that the overall smartphone market in India has declined by 50.6% due to lockdown guidelines in the first half of the quarter. Despite the market shrinking by over 50%; four out of five top smartphones vendors are Chinese brands including Vivo, Oppo and Realme. Having said that, Samsung now holds the second-largest market share in the Indian smartphone market beating Oppo, Vivo and Realme.



 Reuters

However, due to the recent border clash with China and anti-China sentiments due to the COVID-19 pandemic, analysts warn these brands could face potential shrinkage in the market share. The reason why Chinese smartphone brands have an edge over its competitors is due to the quality offerings at affordable prices which companies like Samsung, Apple, ASUS and others have not been able to provide.



 IDC

Last month, Canalys analyst said: Despite the sentiment, the effect on Xiaomi, Oppo, Vivo and Realme is likely to be minimal, as alternatives by Samsung, Nokia, or even Apple are hardly price-competitive.



 MensXP_Akshay Bhalla

Both countries still have a strong military presence along the China and India border which still poses a potential risk for re-escalated tensions. Currently, 66 percent of the smartphone market is dominated by Chinese brands which make stakes even higher for them if border tensions escalate further in the near future.



India has already banned several Chinese apps on the grounds of national security that includes applications like Weibo, TikTok, WeChat and multiple apps by Xiaomi as well including the companys browser that come bundled with phones.

Source: IDC
While Nick 'The Honey Badger' Cummins failed to find love on last year's season of The Bachelor, it's been revealed Locklan 'Locky' Gilbert will fall in love with two women on the new season.

Speaking to Media Week this week, the show's executive producer Hilary Inness told the publication: 'Locky, by his own admission, falls in love with more than one girl.'

'Famously the Honey Badger couldn't choose someone,' Hillary began, 'and now we have a Bachelor who has fallen in love with more than one girl, which is a first for us.'

Revealed! Locky Gilbert (pictured) is caught in a love triangle as he falls in love with TWO women on the latest season of The Bachelor

It comes as TAB's latest betting odds strongly suggest that the winner of The Bachelor has been leaked ahead of the premiere.

The bookmaker has Bella Varelis and Irena Srbinovska as joint favourites to win Locky's heart, with equal odds of $2.50.

Their closest rival is aspiring actress Marlaina McPhillips, who at $6 is the only other contestant in single figures.

Irena and Bella's extremely short odds suggest some degree of insider knowledge that one of these two women wins.

Love triangle? 'Locky, by his own admission, falls in love with more than one girl,' according to the show's executive producer Hilary Inness

The Bachelor is filmed in advance and there are plenty of people - including the cast, crew and publicists - who know the outcome.

It's possible one of these insiders leaked the result, causing a surge in online bets that resulted in Irena and Bella's odds being slashed significantly.

Alternatively, somebody close to production may have let slip the ending to a friend, partner or family member, who in turn spread the news.

'Famously the Honey Badger couldn't choose someone,' Hillary began, 'and now we have a Bachelor who has fallen in love with more than one girl, which is a first for us'

All 23 of Locky's women were revealed on Monday, two days before the premiere.

From models and teachers to actresses and mechanical engineers, Locky certainly has plenty to choose from.

The Bachelor Australia premieres Wednesday at 7.30pm on Channel Ten
For its latest big get, Netflix has snagged Sarah Cooper, the comedian who has perfected mocking President Donald Trump using his own words (via Variety). The company will start streaming Sarah Cooper: Everything's Fine this fall. Netflix says the special will feature an array of guests taking part in short interviews and sketches led by Cooper. It will touch on topics like race, gender, class "and other light subjects."

How to medical pic.twitter.com/0EDqJcy38p  Sarah Cooper (@sarahcpr) April 24, 2020

Helping Cooper bring the special to life is a talented crew that includes Natasha Lyonne (Orange is the New Black, Russian Doll) and Maya Rudolph (Big Hero 6, Vader Immortal). Lyonne will direct, with Rudolph serving as one of the executive producers on the special.

By this point, you've probably seen Cooper's "How to medical," a TikTok video where she pokes fun at the White House briefing where President Trump suggested doctors could use disinfectants to treat COVID-19. The video has 22.4 million views and 174 thousand retweets on Twitter.

Cooper also has a connection to the world of tech. Before becoming a comedian, she worked as a design manager at Google, assisting the Docs, Sheets and Slides teams. Her time at the search giant inspired 100 Tricks to Appear Smart in Meetings, a satire about how to be successful at team meetings.
A photo of a male kangaroo grieving over the body of his mate is going viral and touching the hearts of netizens all over the internet.

After the doe was struck by a car in Melbourne, Australia, the bucks grief-stricken expression is prompting many people to ponder human interactions with wildlife and ways we can further protect and respect this iconic species.

The female kangaroo was struck down in Victorias Yarra Glen, and the driver fled the scene, leaving the mother and joey inside her pouch for dead.

Two volunteers from Australian Society for Kangaroos observed the aftermath and posted the haunting image on Facebook on July 10, labeling it: Grieving Roos Sad Farewell. The post shared what had happened:

Wildlife rescuers called to a deceased female kangaroo and her joey in Melbourne were overwhelmed with emotion when they found a male kangaroo standing over his dead partner trying to help her. Rescuers observed the male stroking the female, looking clearly distraught over her loss and the fate of his baby, now orphaned and laying helpless in her pouch.

Rescuers Vicki Lloyd-Smith and Pam Rixon attended the scene and took the heartbreaking photo, and it has since gone viral, provoking an emotional response from thousands of netizens. The two volunteers hoped the photo would demonstrate to the world that kangaroos feel pain just as humans do.

The Facebook post concluded that kangaroos form intricate relationships and feel the consequences death brings:

Kangaroos are family animals with close family bonds and complex social structures. They are regularly witnessed in the wild and in care actively protecting their family, showing deep loyalty and affection and distress and grief when they die. The impact of the unrelenting slaughter of these sensitive, family-orientated creatures across the Australian outback every night is horrific, yet most Australians remain unaware.

(Illustration  Nathan White Images/Shutterstock)

The 6-month-old joey that survived inside its mothers pouch was rescued by Lloyd-Smith and Rixon and taken to a nearby wildlife shelter, where staffers named him Floyd. They battled hard to save his life, but sadly, the orphaned baby died from his injuries.

Baby kangaroos are born at a very early stage of development, and initially, the joey is permanently attached to its mothers teat, Outback Australia Travel Secrets explains.

It takes several months for the joey to develop a full coverage of fur and mature enough to leave its pouch for the very first time. In western grey kangaroos, this maturation occurs over the course of nine months; a joey younger than this would struggle to live independently from its mother.

The Australian Society for Kangaroos says the first step in better protecting these wild creatures is to teach Australians about their beauty and fragility. Sharing the horrifying scene at Yarra Glen was one way to do this.

The responses from netizens were heartfelt, commending the rescuers efforts, lamenting the shattered roo family, and berating humans for their carelessness.

You can actually see the grief etched on his face, wrote one person. What heartbreak.

Humans have disregarded animals feelings for centuries and deliberately dumbed them down through stories and folklore to validate the way people have used and abused them for their own gain and profit, another shared, adding, Animals have feelings and deserve more respect.

The photo teaches that the suffering of animals is real and is already provoking conversation among those who come to this realization.

We would love to hear your stories! You can share them with us at emg.inspired@epochtimes.nyc
A dog which was cruelly abandoned outside an animal centre appears to have been lost in translation - as the pooch only understands German.

The American bulldog named Hector was found tied to the gates of an RSPCA centre in Leeds with cigarette burns on his body on August 1.

CCTV footage showed a black Mercedes with foreign number plates pulling up outside the centre.

The driver is seen getting out and going to the rear of the car to get the dog before tying him up.

Unfortunately, as the mutt wasn't microchipped there is no way for the RSPCA officers to track down the owner, but staff are hoping they may have uncovered a big clue.

An American bulldog named Hector was found tied to the gates of an RSPCA centre with cigarette burns on his body on August 1 (pictured). He was left by a mystery man driving a Mercedes with foreign number plates

Animal Care Manager Lucynda Hodgson said: 'He really shut down after what must have been a terrifying ordeal for him but after a few days of getting used to the staff he is doing a lot better and seems much happier.

'Initially he wasn't responding to any English words so - given the foreign plates on the car - we tried some other options and it emerged he was actually very well trained, in German.

'He's a quick learner and even after just a few days is already picking up English.'

Once Hector calmed down, staff at the RSPCA Leeds, Wakefield & District Branch Animal Centre were able to remove his muzzle and get a look at him.

Hector is described as a tan and white un-neutered male. He was in good body condition, with what looked to be freshly cut nails.

But he had some burns on his body which are thought to be from cigarettes, one of which looks fairly recent.

Lucynda Hodgson said: 'We had to call for an inspector to come and help as the dog was being rather aggressive and although he was wearing a pretty hefty muzzle the staff were struggling to get near him.

Carers at the RSPCA in Leeds said that initially, Hector didn't understand English, but they had more luck when they tried speaking German to him. He is already 'picking up English' they said

'He was tied up with a heavy chain lead so short that he could barely lay down and was so upset that he had twisted the chain lead tighter and tighter around his neck to the point that he couldn't move in any direction.

'It took two of our animal care assistants and the officer to free him and get him up to our kennels.'

Anyone with any information about who Hector belongs is being urged to call the RSPCA inspector appeal line on 0300 123 8018 and ask to leave a message for inspector Emily Stodart, who is investigating what happened.

Emily said: 'Poor Hector was very distressed when he was found.

'We would like to find out how Hector came to have these injuries and who abandoned him in this way. If you can help us to locate his owner please call me.'
If you are planning to watch Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl then let that be for actor Pankaj Tripathi's exceptional performance as Anup Saxena, Gunjan's father.

Tripathi who is an outstanding actor has achieved a great feat playing the role of a supportive father in the biopic. He has even confessed that it was a delight to play this role.

Netflix / India

Its a very important role in my career because of the way I am or want to be as a father, the film represents that. Mujhe gunda, mawali bana dete hai (I often get evil roles). But playing Anup Saxena was close to what I am in real life with my daughter or aspire to be. I want the world to have more such fathers, Pankaj Tripathi told PTI in a Zoom interview.

Netflix / India

I remember when people who know me watched the film, they called me and told me, Yaar, after seeing your film, I went home and hugged my daughter. This solves my purpose, Tripathi added.

Netflix / India

While the 43-year-old actor might be more famous for his negative or dark portrayals of characters as evident in films like Gangs of Wasseypur or web series like Mirzapur, the tenderness that Tripathi brings to Gunjan biopic is incredible.

Even IAF pilot Gunjan Saxena praised actor Pankaj Tripathi for his role in her biopic. Gunjan shared a video of Pankaj talking about his experience while working on the film. Posting the video, she wrote, "Father-daughter duo. Respect @pankajtripathi .. You nailed it... Kudos... The most simplistically portrayed father-daughter bonding."

The film premieres on August 12 for a worldwide release on the streaming platform, Netflix.
BRUNSWICK, Maine, Aug. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Inc. magazine revealed today that STARC Systems , a manufacturer of temporary modular wall containment systems used for occupied renovations and infection isolation solutions for healthcare facilities, ranked No. 1058 on its annual Inc. 5000 list, the most prestigious ranking of the nation's fastest-growing private companies. STARC Systems had a 3-year growth of 438% which places it #24 among all manufacturing companies in the U.S. The Inc. 5000 list represents a unique look at successful companies within the American economy's most dynamic segmentits independent small businesses.

"We're honored to be included on the Inc. 5000 list for a second year in a row," said, Chris Vickers, President and CEO of STARC Systems. "This recognition is a result of how hard our entire team has worked to deliver temporary containment systems and instant isolation solutions as quickly as possible to contractors and healthcare facilities across the country."

Not only have the companies on the 2020 Inc. 5000 been very competitive within their markets, but the list as a whole shows staggering growth compared with prior lists as well. The 2020 Inc. 5000 achieved an incredible three-year average growth of over 500 percent, and a median rate of 165 percent. The Inc. 5000's aggregate revenue was $209 billion in 2019, accounting for over 1 million jobs over the past three years.

Complete results of the Inc. 5000, including company profiles and an interactive database that can be sorted by industry, region, and other criteria, can be found at www.inc.com/inc5000.

"The companies on this year's Inc. 5000 come from nearly every realm of business," says Inc. editor-in-chief Scott Omelianuk. "From health and software to media and hospitality, the 2020 list proves that no matter the sector, incredible growth is based on the foundations of tenacity and opportunism."

About STARC Systems

STARC Systems is a temporary wall containment company and leader in healthcare renovation and isolation preparedness solutions. Our reusable temporary wall systems exceed ICRA Class IV and ASTM E-84 requirements and help reduce infection spread, while allowing healthcare facilities to easily install, move and reconfigure panels to create anterooms and airborne infection isolation rooms (AIIR) for their patients and employees. With a customer satisfaction score of 9.9 and a 91% customer reorder rate, leading healthcare facilities, including Brigham & Women's Hospital, Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center, Ohio State University, Mayo Clinic, Wexner Medical Center, and the Cleveland Clinic continue to rely on STARC Systems to solve their temporary containment challenges. STARC Systems' RealWall received the 2019 Healthcare Design Award. To learn more, go to www.starcsystems.com .

More about Inc. and the Inc. 5000

Methodology

The 2020 Inc. 5000 is ranked according to percentage revenue growth when comparing 2016 and 2019. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2016. They had to be U.S.-based, privately held, for profit, and independentnot subsidiaries or divisions of other companiesas of December 31, 2019. (Since then, a number of companies on the list have gone public or been acquired.) The minimum revenue required for 2016 is $100,000; the minimum for 2019 is $2 million. As always, Inc. reserves the right to decline applicants for subjective reasons. Companies on the Inc. 500 are featured in Inc.'s September issue. They represent the top tier of the Inc. 5000, which can be found at http://www.inc.com/inc5000.

About Inc. Media

The world's most trusted business-media brand, Inc. offers entrepreneurs the knowledge, tools, connections, and community to build great companies. Its award-winning multiplatform content reaches more than 50 million people each month across a variety of channels including websites, newsletters, social media, podcasts, and print. Its prestigious Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to recognize the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. The global recognition that comes with inclusion in the 5000 gives the founders of the best businesses an opportunity to engage with an exclusive community of their peers, and the credibility that helps them drive sales and recruit talent. The associated Inc. 5000 Conference is part of a highly acclaimed portfolio of bespoke events produced by Inc. For more information, visit www.inc.com.

SOURCE STARC Systems

Related Links

http://www.starcsystems.com


Seattle's first Black police chief, who enjoyed deep support in its minority communities, is stepping down in protest of cuts made by the CIty Council that will see a reduction of almost 100 officers, most of them minorities.

Carmen Best announced her retirement Monday night, just hours after the City Council voted to cut her annual $285,000 salary by $10,000, as well as the salaries of her command staff, and to trim as many as 100 officers from a force of 1,400 through layoffs and attrition.

She said Tuesday that she was OK with her pay cut, but not with having to lay off young officers, many of them minorities hired in part to improve the department's diversity. 'That, for me - Im done. Cant do it,' she said at a news conference.

'It really is about the overarching lack of respect for the officers.'

Carmen Best announced her retirement Monday night but clarified her motives during a Tuesday press conference

Best, a military veteran who joined the department in 1992, was named chief two years ago. Mayor Jenny Durkan initially left her off a list of finalists for the job, but selected her after an outcry from community groups who had long known Best and wanted her to be chosen.

Durkan praised Best's service and commitment to improving policing in the city Tuesday. She noted that Best had established a 'collaborative policing bureau' to focus on youth violence prevention and other issues, added mental health workers in precincts, brought back community service officers and sought ways to reduce the burden of 911 calls - all before the protests that erupted after George Floyd's killing by Minneapolis police.

'Of all the major cities in America, Seattle had the chief that not only understands the lived experience of Black America - because it is her experience - but has the deep experience in policing needed to change it,' Durkan said.

Mayor Jenny Durkan praised Best's service and commitment to improving policing in the city Tuesday

Demonstrators called for the police to be defunded but local activists did support Best

Deputy Chief Adrian Diaz, who heads the collaborative policing bureau, was named interim chief when Best's resignation takes effect Sept. 2. Durkan said she would not begin looking to hire a permanent replacement, given the city's dire economic outlook amid the pandemic as well as uncertainty about the future role of policing.

City Council members and residents alike had criticized Durkan and Best for the department's response to protests against police brutality prompted by Floyd's killing. Officers repeatedly used tear gas, blast balls, pepper spray and other less-lethal weapons indiscriminately and at times without provocation, prompting a federal judge to restrain their use.

Best insisted that officers had a right to defend themselves.

Many of her supporters - even those who considered the department's protest response heavy-handed - saw her retirement as unfortunate.

Seattle police officers deploy pepper spray as they clash with protesters following the "Youth Day of Action and Solidarity with Portland" demonstration in Seattle, Washington on July 25

'All these organizations that have been pushing for police reform, we all believe Chief Best is a good chief,' said Linh Thai, managing director of the Vietnamese Community Leadership Institute. 'We want her at the helm.'

Black Lives Matter Seattle-King County issued a statement demanding that the council 'stop prioritizing performative action that solely suggests the appearance of change.'

'It does nothing to further our fight for authentic police accountability and the safety of Black lives, that the first Black woman to hold the position of Chief of Police of the Seattle Police Department has been forced out of her job by the Seattle City Council,' the organization said.

U.S. Attorney General William Barr also lamented Best's departure: 'This experience should be a lesson to state and local leaders about the real costs of irresponsible proposals to defund the police.'

Best insisted that officers had a right to defend themselves

The council voted Monday to cut the department's current $400 million budget by less than 1%, which advocates described as a down payment on more ambitious cuts - including removing 911 dispatch from the department and other changes.

Council members Lorena Gonzalez, Teresa Mosqueda and Tammy Morales issued a joint statement Tuesday saying they were saddened by Best's sudden departure. Separately, member Lisa Herbold called Best's decision 'a staggering loss to leaders of the Black and Brown community.'

Herbold said she was sorry if Best felt targeted or disrespected by the council's actions.

'Every major city in the nation has a police chief who is learning that leadership means understanding that they may need to figure out how to accept - and get their departments to accept - that the public wants less policing and more community safety,' Herbold said.
Ethiopia's confirmed COVID-19 cases reached 25,118 after 943 new positive cases were confirmed on Wednesday, the Ethiopian Ministry of Health said.

This is so far the highest daily increase in the Horn of Africa country.

The Ethiopian Ministry of Health, in a statement issued on Wednesday, revealed that from a total of 14, 540 medical tests that were conducted within the last 24 hours, some 943 of them tested positive, eventually bringing the total number of positive cases to 25,118. 23 more patients succumbed to illnesses related to the COVID-19 pandemic, bringing the total number of COVID-19 related deaths in the East African country to 463, according to the ministry.

The ministry further said 11,034 patients who tested positive for COVID-19 had so far recovered, including 338 in the last 24 hours period.

According to the Ethiopian Ministry of Health, a total of 13,619 COVID-19 patients are still undergoing medical treatment, out of which 178 are in severe condition.

Ethiopia, Africa's second most populous nation with about 107 million people, confirmed its first case of COVID-19 on March 13.

The East African country had so far conducted some 535,431 COVID-19 medical tests, according to the ministry.

Amid the rapid spread of the virus across the East African country, the Ethiopian government as well as healthcare experts and analysts mainly attribute the recent spike of COVID-19 pandemic to the unrest that affected the East African country earlier this month.

Amid Ethiopia's rapid COVID-19 infection rate in recent weeks, Ethiopia is intensifying its mass COVID-19 testing campaign.

Earlier this month, the East African country officially launched a nationwide month-long testing campaign, which the Ethiopian government said "will determine the next steps to undertake in the new year," which will start on September 11.

The Ethiopian government is currently mobilizing resources to ensure there's no shortage of laboratory materials and quarantine centers.

Ethiopia is also boosting its COVID-19 testing capacity at border points with neighboring countries.

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Kansas City Biz Desperately Seeking More COVID Advice

KC businesses struggle to find guidance when dealing with employees who get COVID-19 For two years, Tribe Street Kitchen in the River Market has served up globally inspired food and drinks. But it all stopped last Tuesday.An employee developed symptoms of COVID-19 and tested positive over the weekend.

'Lil Help With Supplies

Free diaper distribution held for families in Waldo, KCK KANSAS CITY, MO (KCTV) -- HappyBottoms is offering a diaper distribution for new families in the metro. A drive-thru, no-contact diaper distribution will be held on Wednesday from 2-4 p.m. while supplies last at 1403 Metropolitan Ave, Kansas City, Kansas 66103. HappyBottoms will also offer a diaper distribution out of their warehouse in Waldo on Thursday from 2-5 p.m.

Still Local Shot Time

Jackson County Health Department hosts immunization clinics INDEPENDENCE, Mo. - The Jackson County Health Department is hosting a series of traveling immunization clinics for students ahead of the new school year, regardless of in-person or virtual learning during the pandemic.

KC Builds Better Housing

Local nonprofit needs help tackling housing crisis in Kansas City Hide Transcript Show Transcript THE LOCAL NON-PROFIT RENEW KC NEIGHBORHOODS IS TACKLING THE PROBLEM, AND NEEDS YOUR HELP. YOU WILL NOTICE CRACKS IN THE FOUNDATION. KELL WILL BLOCK WITH RENEW KC IS SHOWING SOME OF THE REPAIRS NEEDED TO MAKE THIS HOUSE LIVABLE AGAIN.

Here's why Joe Biden chose Kamala Harris as his VP Joe Biden thinks he is going to win the White House in 84 days' time. That's the unmistakeable message he sent when, via text, his campaign announced that he had picked Sen. Kamala Harris of California as his vice presidential nominee.

Cash Showdown Contd

Why Democrats are holding out for more comprehensive stimulus President Donald Trump waded into stimulus discussions this weekend, signing a bevy of executive orders meant to mitigate the economic fallout from Covid-19 and put pressure on Democrats. Democratic lawmakers, however, haven't been deterred by his actions, which they've deemed "paltry" and "narrow."

Social Media Crackdown

Facebook removes seven million posts for sharing false information on coronavirus Facebook said on Tuesday it removed 7 million posts in the second quarter for sharing false information about the novel coronavirus, including content that promoted fake preventative measures and exaggerated cures.

Calling Out TDS

Kellyanne Conway blames White House shooting on people 'losing it' over second Trump term Trump administration adviser Kellyanne Conway has cast yesterday's security incident at the White House as an indictment of Democratic leaders who are "losing it" over the prospect of a second Trump term.

CORONAVIRUS LIMITS OUR FAVORITE DOCTOR!!!

Dr Pepper is the latest pandemic shortage Like toilet paper before it, the popular soda is widely unavailable in some parts of the US. The shortages apply to every flavor, Dr Pepper said in a note on Twitter.

This Old House Redux

NEAT breaks ground on affordable, sustainable home Mattie Rhodes Center's Northeast Alliance Together (NEAT) broke ground on a new net zero, affordable single-family home at 133 N. Topping Ave. on Monday. The project, which is being developed in collaboration with Kansas State University (K-State) and CoBuild, is in the Indian Mound neighborhood, which NEAT describes as diverse, tight-knit and eclectic, but threatened by a shortage of quality, safe and affordable housing.

KC Mixes It Up

Local Mixologist Is About To Throw Down In A Nationwide Cocktail Competition - In Kansas City No pressure, but local bartender Marlena "Miko" Richardson just advanced to the Sweet 16 of Power of the Palate-a nationwide cocktail competition sponsored by Black Restaurant Week and Maker's Mark bourbon. "They are seeking the best Black bartender in the country using 16 cities and placing them into regions by which to compete," says Richardson....

Latest Prediction

Afternoon storm chances return Wednesday Hide Transcript Show Transcript NINE-DAY FORECAST SO YOU WILL KNOW FIRST. THIS IS FIRST ALERT WEATHER. BRYAN: GREAT STORY WITH A PLOT TWIST. THAT IS KIND OF COOL. A NEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED. A NEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING HAS BEEN ISSUED. IT ALSO CONTINUES FARTHER DOWN EAST.

In her latest promo,at media images as we example pop culture, community news and top headlines . . .And this is thefor right now . . .
Kuros Biosciences Reports Results for First Half 2020

Financial and Operational Highlights

CHF 16.0 million cash & cash equivalents, trade and other receivables as at June 30, 2020

Revenues increased to CHF 1.3 million driven by strong MagnetOs sales, up 42% versus H1 2019

Net operating costs of CHF 7.5 million led by higher marketing expenses

Several trial sites activated for the Fibrin-PTH phase II clinical study, ready to enroll patients

Strengthened Fibrin-PTH IP estate with U.S. patent covering PTH containing matrices for spinal fusion

MagnetOs preclinical data demonstrate superiority to market-leading synthetic bone grafts in spinal fusion

Positive clinical outcomes from investigator-led clinical study of MagnetOs

Schlieren (Zurich), Switzerland, August 12, 2020 - Kuros Biosciences, a leader in next generation bone graft technologies, today reported its results for the first half year 2020. Despite the adverse impact of COVID-19 on elective surgery, Kuros accelerated sales of its lead product MagnetOs, which increased by 42% compared to the same period last year. In addition, the clinical development of Fibrin-PTH (KUR-113) continued apace, with several sites initiated in the STRUCTURE Phase II clinical study and ready to begin enrolling patients.

Joost de Bruijn, Chief Executive Officer, said: "In the first half of 2020, we achieved impressive growth in product sales, despite COVID-19 related disruptions to elective surgery in this period. This is an important step towards establishing our MagnetOs bone grafts as standard of care. Based on feedback from leading spine surgeons, we are confident that MagnetOs is best-in-class and has the potential to capture substantial revenue in the $2.2 billion bone grafting market."

De Bruijn added: "We continue to advance the Fibrin-PTH program in spinal fusion. Three sites are already activated for the Phase II trial for single level transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF) procedures in patients with degenerative disc disease and the first patient is expected imminently. This program is particularly exciting as it represents a substantial commercial opportunity. Growing global awareness and interest in Fibrin-PTH is evident as the lead investigator of our STRUCTURE clinical trial, Dr. J Chi, recently opened the Korean American Spine Society meeting with a presentation on Fibrin-PTH."

Developments in H1

In the first half of 2020, Kuros has added to the body of data supporting the use of MagnetOs as an alternative to gold standard treatment autograft. These included data from a clinically relevant model comparing MagnetOs with autologous bone, Vitoss BA2X (Stryker Corp.) and Novabone Putty (Novabone Products, LLC) in instrumented posterolateral spinal fusion in sheep. The study concluded that MagnetOs is an appropriate alternative to autograft when used as a standalone graft and was significantly better at achieving uniform, solid and stable fusions than the comparator products.

Kuros has also received powerful results of a U.S. investigator-led retrospective chart review of 25 cervical and 52 lumbar reconstruction patients, who underwent circumferential- or anterior column only interbody reconstruction surgery with MagnetOs to achieve solid spinal arthrodesis. Lumbar fusion rates were 94/97 levels (96.9%) while cervical fusion was confirmed in 75/80 (93.8%) levels. Modified Prolo scores showed Meaningful Clinically Important Differences (MCID) in 74/77 patients.

Kornelis Poelstra, MD, PhD, of The Robotic Spine Institute of Silicon Valley and principal investigator of the study, said: "Our work clearly demonstrates that for patients in need of complex cervical or lumbar reconstruction surgery, MagnetOs is a viable substitute to autograft for reliable augmentation of interbody arthrodesis formation with excellent clinical outcomes."

In 2020 H1, Kuros also strengthened its patent portfolio with a U.S. patent covering the use of PTH containing matrices for spinal fusion, further extending the remaining patent life.

Financial position

Cash and cash equivalents (including trade and other receivables) amounted to CHF 16.0 million as per June 30, 2020, compared with CHF 21.9 million as per December 31, 2019.

Net operating costs amounted to CHF 7.5 million (first half 2019: CHF 6.1 million).

Costs for research and development which includes costs for the preparation of the Phase II study (spine indication) of Fibrin PTH decreased to CHF 3.1 million (first half 2019: CHF 3.4 million).

General and administrative costs increased to CHF 2.4 million (first half 2019: CHF 2.0 million) as 2019 was impacted by a non-cash settlement gain from the pension fund due to personnel reduction.

Sales and marketing expenses increased to CHF 2.1 million (first half 2019: CHF 0.9 million). These were previously included in General and Administrative costs and are now reported separately. The increase is mainly due to an increase in headcount of sales personnel in the US and expanded marketing efforts for MagnetOs.

Revenues amounted to CHF 1.3 million (first half 2019: CHF 0.9 million) and originated from product sales. Other income amounted to CHF 0.1 million (first half 2019 CHF 0.2 million).

The net loss for the six months ended June 30, 2020 amounted to CHF 5.8 million (first half 2019: CHF 5.2 million).

Key figures H1 2020 H1 2019 In TCHF, IFRS Product sales 1,295 910 Research and development costs (3,128) (3,423) General and administrative costs (2,438) (2,007) Sales and marketing costs (2,069) (882) Other income 120 182 Net operating costs (7,515) (6,130) Operating loss (6,372) (5,358) Net financial loss (130) (243) Net loss (5,840) (5,227) Net loss per share (in CHF) (0.26) (0.35) Cash and cash equivalents, trade and other receivables 16,043 13,436

Outlook

The evolving COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on the commercialization and clinical trial enrolment of the Group's products and programs is being continuously monitored. Kuros has reviewed its exposure to COVID-19 and other emerging business risks that could impact the financial performance or position of the Group as at June 30, 2020, and believes it remains well placed to grow its revenues.

The half year report is available via the following link:

https://kurosbio.com/resources/kuros-interim-results-2020/

For further information, please contact:

Kuros Biosciences AG LifeSci Advisors Michael Grau Hans Herklots Chief Financial Officer Media & Investors Tel +41 44 733 47 47 +41 79 598 71 49 michael.grau@kurosbio.com hherklots@lifesciadvisors.com

About MagnetOs

MagnetOs bone graft has an advanced submicron surface topography which leads to the formation of bone, rather than scar tissue, following implantation. In preclinical models, MagnetOs preferentially directs early wound healing toward the bone-forming pathway, meaning that bone can be formed even in soft tissues without the need for added cells or growth factors, resulting in an osteoinductive claim in Europe. MagnetOs promotes local bone formation equivalent to current gold standard, autograft. A substantial number of clinically relevant and predictive studies have demonstrated its equivalence to the current gold standard (patient's own bone, which may not be available in sufficient quantities and/or involves morbidity, costs and pain associated with its harvesting from another healthy site of the patient's body). MagnetOs is now supported by more than three years of clinical experience since its launch in the United Kingdom in May 2017. For more information, see:www.magnetosbonegraft.com

US indications statement

MagnetOs is an implant intended to fill bony voids or gaps of the skeletal system, i.e., posterolateral spine. MagnetOs must be used with autograft as a bone graft extender in the posterolateral spine. These osseous defects may be surgically created or the result of traumatic injury to the bone and are not intrinsic to the stability of the bony structure.

EU indications statement

MagnetOs is intended for use as bone void filler for voids and gaps that are not intrinsic to the stability of the bony structure. MagnetOs is indicated for use in the treatment of surgically created osseous defects or osseous defects resulting from traumatic injury to the bone. MagnetOs is intended to be packed into bony voids or gaps of the skeletal system (i.e. extremities, spine, cranial, mandible, maxilla and pelvis) and may be combined with autogenous bone. MagnetOs should not be used to treat large defects that in the surgeon's opinion would fail to heal spontaneously. In load bearing situations, MagnetOs is to be used in conjunction with internal or external fixation devices.

About Kuros Biosciences AG

Kuros Biosciences is a leader in next generation synthetic bone graft technologies for targeted and controlled bone healing. Kuros's bone graft substitute, MagnetOs, is commercialized in the US and UK for use in posterolateral spinal fusions. Kuros's lead product in development, Fibrin PTH, a drug-biologic combination for spinal interbody fusion, is entering a phase 2 clinical trial in the U.S. Kuros is located in Schlieren (Zurich), Switzerland, Bilthoven, The Netherlands and Burlington (MA), U.S.A. Kuros is listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange under the symbol KURN. Visitwww.kurosbio.comfor additional information on Kuros, its science and product pipeline.

Forward Looking Statements

This media release contains certain forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to be materially different from historical results or from any future results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. You are urged to consider statements that include the words "will" or "expect" or the negative of those words or other similar words to be uncertain and forward-looking. Factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from any future results expressed or implied by any forward-looking statements include scientific, business, economic and financial factors, Against the background of these uncertainties, readers should not rely on forward-looking statements. Kuros assumes no responsibility for updating forward-looking statements or adapting them to future events or developments.
Airbnb says it is suing a booking guest for the first time after the person held a huge party at a California home at the weekend that ended with three people being shot.

The short-term home rental company is pursuing legal claims and damages against the guest who booked and hosted an unauthorized party at a home in Sacramento County.

The Sacramento County Sheriff's Office said three people were shot at the party on Sunday at about 1.15am.

The three victims were all rushed to a nearby hospital where they remain in a stable condition.

Airbnb says it is suing a booking guest for the first time after the person held a huge party at this home in Sacramento, California on Sunday that ended with three people being shot

Officers are still searching for the gunman and there is no known motive at this time.

The party was crowded and was mostly people in their early 20s, officers said.

The majority of guests scattered after the gunshots rang out.

After learning about the party, Airbnb removed the booking guest from the platform.

The unidentified guest was also notified on Monday of the pending legal action.

'This marks the first time Airbnb has taken affirmative steps to initiate legal proceedings against a booking guest for throwing an unauthorized party,' an Airbnb spokesman said.

Airbnb said the legal action was a result of negligence and violation of local health orders related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The guest also violated Airbnb's Community Standards and made the reservation under false pretenses, Airbnb says.

After learning about the party, Airbnb removed the booking guest from the platform. The unidentified guest was also notified on Monday of the pending legal action

The company said that in addition to supporting the host, they would donate any money recovered through legal proceedings to a local Sacramento non-profit fighting against gun violence.

The pending legal actions come in the same week it was revealed Airbnb plans to confidentially file for an initial public offering this month.

Sources said the short-term home rental company was close to confidentially filing paperwork for an IPO with the US Securities and Exchange Commission later in August.

Airbnb is preparing to potentially go public before the end of the year, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday, citing sources familiar with the matter.

The company's founder estimated this week that they have lost $1 billion during the COVID-19 pandemic.

CEO and co-founder Brian Chesky said the short-term home rental company lost the staggering amount due to the refunds that had to be issued because of the global travel shutdowns that have occurred as a result of the pandemic.
The UN Security Council (UNSC) held an online meeting on August 11 to discuss the situation in Lebanon and recent developments in the Darfur region of Sudan.

Participants in the August 11 meeting on the situation in Lebanon and Sudan (Photo: VNA)

UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon Jan Kubis provided participants an update on Lebanon after the August 4 explosion in Beirut, along with activities the UN Interim Force in this country (UNIFIL) have carried out to perform its tasks under relevant UNSC resolutions.

UNSC member states expressed their sympathies for the Lebanese people on human and property losses, as well as difficulties, caused by the explosion.

Ambassador Dang Dinh Quy, head of Vietnams permanent mission to the UN, offered his condolences to Lebanon, the countries whose citizens are victims in the incident, and victims families.

He voiced concern about Lebanon facing multiple crises at the same time and the situation there becoming worse and showing signs of going out of control.

The diplomat held that the top priority now is to provide relief for civilians, calling on the international community to increase humanitarian aid for this country.

In the current context, the UNIFIL holds an even more essential role in ensuring security and stability in the region and helping Lebanon to weather these difficult times, Quy said.

Regarding the recent situation in Darfur of Sudan, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Africa Bintou Keita said violence among communities has tended to increase in northern and western Darfur recently, especially in July, jeopardising the recent strides in this region.

UNSC members also shared concern about the security situation in Darfur, particularly the escalating violence among local communities. They also recognised the Sudanese Governments efforts to deal with this issue and voiced their hope that the Government and armed forces in Darfur will soon reach a comprehensive peace agreement.

Addressing the meeting, Ambassador Quy underscored the Sudanese Governments leading role in ensuring security in Darfur and valued its efforts in response to recent violent incidents, calling for root causes to be resolved.

He also spoke highly of and voiced support for the UN, the UN Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS), the UN  African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID), regional organisations, and other relevant partners in promoting peace and development in Sudan.

Violence among communities in Darfur has been growing over the last three months, claiming at least 178 lives and making over 3,000 people homeless./.VNA
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-12 13:51:09|Editor: huaxia

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LANZHOU, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- Every morning at 7 o'clock, Wang Guoli puts on his straw hat and starts his daily patrol in the mountains, carrying shovels and water tanks.

Wang lives in northwestern Gansu Province's capital city of Lanzhou and the Yellow River flows through the city. Dubbed as China's "mother river," following years of severe soil erosion, the river has turned yellowish, just like its name.

The 59-year-old is a forest ranger in the mountains on both sides of the Yellow River. Born and raised in the narrow valley beneath the mountains, Wang never liked the scenery while growing up.

"The mountaintops were almost bare and it was hard to find a single piece of tree shade. Every spring, dust and dirt blown from the top could soil a freshly-washed shirt in just a day," Wang recalled.

To improve the urban ecosystem of the city, the local government launched a voluntary afforestation campaign in the 1950s. Initially, state enterprises and government staff joined the campaign and later passed down the voluntary drive from one generation to another.

The campaign saw batches of saplings planted on the barren land, but due to the harsh natural conditions, the survival rate of seedlings was very low at the beginning.

In 2000, the local government established the Lanzhou Mountainous Environment Engineering Headquarters and started to recruit full-time forest rangers for daily management and protection of the newly-planted saplings.

Wang's father-in-law, He Yongcai, who was in his 60s, became one of the very first government-paid forest rangers in the mountains. He was responsible for forest maintenance, watering, pest control and fire prevention.

Without modern equipment, He and other foresters walked on foot and patrolled in pairs. One of them would be equipped with shovels and water tanks, while the other carried seedlings. Day in and day out, the area of woods on the mountains began to expand.

"The mountains and river banks would look great in green, and we want to do our part," he said.

However, by the age of 70, his knees could no longer stand long walks. So, He "chose" Wang as his successor. "It's hard for a tree to survive. Please take good care of them," he told Wang.

It was not an ideal job for Wang at first. Wang followed suit with a meager monthly payment of 600 yuan (about 85.9 U.S. dollars) in 2009. However, the feeling induced by the growing woods transcended the importance of money.

"There was a sense of fulfillment seeing saplings sprout and grow taller day by day. No more second thoughts of leaving, I wanted to stay and paint all the mountains green," Wang said.

He devoted himself to this job and his footprints have spread across a patrolling area of 133 hectares over the past 11 years.

In 2013, a ranger station was established and Wang was selected as the leader of a 13-member forester team. With more investments by the local government, the team was equipped with professional tools like portable extinguishers and wireless intercoms, and they received regular training on fire prevention.

Besides, with the help of irrigation projects and scientific plantation, the survival rate of saplings has gradually improved. But Wang never lowered down his guard, especially during fire seasons in winter and spring. "A fire could burn down an entire forest within a few minutes and ruin years of hard work," he said.

In 2015, Wang and his team used herbicides to create fire barriers between woodland and farmland, effectively reducing the risk of man-made fire.

During the past 11 years, Wang has roughly walked around whopping 13,000 kilometers along the mountains, nearly one-third of the length of the equator.

At present, Wang's salary has increased to 3,800 yuan per month, earning a decent life for his family.

Currently, there are around 3,000 forest rangers in Lanzhou. Thanks to their efforts, forest cover in the mountains has expanded to over 41,333 hectares in 2020, with more than 160 million surviving trees, according to statistics from the Lanzhou Mountainous Environment Engineering Headquarters.

Prior to the establishment of the headquarters, the green area was only 9,333 hectares.

The campaign helped reduce over 600,000 tons of soil erosion in the upper stream of the Yellow River every year, according to Ren Zhibin, deputy commander of the headquarters.

Wang is pleased to see that the mountains have now become a popular summer resort for locals.

With his retirement approaching, Wang has already made a plan in advance.

"It is hard to say goodbye to my woods. Before my retirement, I must hand it over to someone I trust, someone who works hard and is conscientious," he said.

Three years ago, Wang "chose" his 34-year-old son-in-law Zhang Xiaojiang to carry forward the legacy.

"Cherish every inch of the greenery, keep working and make the river banks a wonderland for the next generation," said Wang. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-12 21:10:51|Editor: huaxia

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CHANGCHUN, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- An air route linking the city of Yanji in northeast China's Jilin Province and Daegu in the Republic of Korea (ROK) will resume operations on Aug. 20, according to the government of Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture.

The air route will be flown by a Boeing 737-800 airplane every Thursday, from Aug. 20 to Oct. 24, with up to 140 seats on each flight.

Passengers who fly to the ROK will transit in Daegu and enter the country at the Incheon International Airport, according to ROK's epidemic prevention policy.

All international flights at the Yanji Chaoyangchuan International Airport were suspended in late March due to the COVID-19 epidemic.

The airport has received flight resumption plans from both Chinese and ROK airlines.

In 2019, the Yanji airport handled 1.66 million passengers, 715,455 of whom were international. In the past five years, the airport has opened 26 international and domestic air routes. Enditem
What is going to make people more likely to wear a mask is if the governor says you know what, this really is an emergency. This is something that is appropriate for a special session,  Schimpf said. And then if you have a mask mandate that is put in place, subject to the legislative process that has the full support of the rule of law, then I believe people will take this much more seriously.
Sgt. William Davidson had been struggling with mental health problems since his deployment to Afghanistan.

When he didnt attend at least one of his Connecticut National Guard drill weekends, the Guard declared him AWOL, or absent without leave, and discharged him with a bad paper separation. Four months after his discharge, Davidson, 24, fatally shot himself.

Davidson, who had two younger sisters, is one among thousands of veterans who die by suicide each year. Despite national goals to prevent veteran suicides, they occur at disproportionately higher rates than in the general population.

More than 78,000 veterans died by suicide between 2005 and 2017, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.Veteran suicide deaths rose from 5,787 in 2005 to 6,139 in 2017. In the active military, the National Guard, with a suicide rate of 30.6 per 100,000, has the highest rate of any branch, according to the most recent Department of Defense Annual Suicide Report. The overall rate among all active military components was 24.8. This is occurring against a backdrop of rising suicides among all Americans.

The numbers dont do anything but grow, said Davidsons mother, Donna Chapman of Suffield.

Were continuing to fail. Im sick of it. Everyones sick of it, she said.

Serving in the Guard is unlike other military service. Guard members dont live on bases. Most are part-time, typically attending monthly weekend drills and two weeks of training in the summer, leaving them isolated from military leaders and empathetic peers.

In the last year, the National Guard has stepped up suicide prevention and wellness efforts. The goal is to get ahead of the suicide problem by providing support long before people get suicide ideations, officials said. It awarded the Connecticut Guard $225,500 for a program designed to mitigate behaviors that increase suicide risk and for conferences on suicide prevention and military culture for community clinicians and counselors who work with the Guard through the state Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services.

Last year, the VAs Vet Centers agreed to provide counseling and referral services at Guard drill weekends, including for Guard families and veterans. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has prevented many in-person meetings. Under the arrangement, if veterans dont meet eligibility requirements for continuous VA health care, counselors will make every effort to connect them to other resources. Guard veterans who have not been federally activated for service in places like Iraq arent eligible for VA health care.

In Connecticut, active Guard members have had access to counselors from Vet Centers and from the state mental health department for years, officials said.

Jolene Montalvo, of Middletown, was a full-time Connecticut National Guard member. She attempted suicide twice in 2013, a year after she retired. The first time, she called a friend to say goodbye. The friend contacted 911, saving Montalvos life. The next time, Montalvo was discreet and walked to a cemetery to overdose on vodka and pills. After about 18 hours, state police found her in pretty bad condition, she said.

Montalvo, who was born on the Groton Submarine Base, said that after serving in Iraq, she suffered from anxiety, depression, insomnia and bipolar disorder, and began drinking heavily. The transition home to motherhood and her Guard job as a recruiter was a culture shock after the constant noise from mortars in Iraq and continuous worry about the safety of people in her command. I was having a really hard time with reintegration, she said.

She retired in 2012, but a miscalculation put her retirement date two days short of a 20-year career and retirement pay. I was in no state of mind to be representing myself during that time, she said. She is now appealing the date with help from the Connecticut Veterans Legal Center.

Montalvo, 45, receives counseling and medical care through a VA program that helps patients live independently. She said her counselor has saved my life many times. I love this woman.

In Connecticut, from 2015 to 2019, VA suicide prevention coordinators helped more than 2,500 veterans or families of veterans who sought assistance from the national Veterans Crisis Line, according to Jessica Loss, a coordinator. She said emergency responders rescued 345 veterans from taking their own lives, adding that 716 callers reported a history of suicide attempts, and 746 reported suicidal thoughts. Her team helped train some local police about veterans with mental health problems.

What were doing is equipping veterans, families and communities with tools to identify signs of suicide, she said.

In a survey taken last December and January of members of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, 44 percent reported suicide ideation since joining the military, and 62 percent said they know a veteran who has died by suicide, a 22 percent increase since 2014. Thomas Porter, an IAVA executive vice president, called that increase really shocking and huge.

In June, the Trump administration issued a veterans suicide prevention plan designed to raise public awareness, encourage safe firearms storage, identify effective research and increase federal coordination with community mental health providers. About 70 percent of veterans who die by suicide use firearms, according to the VA.

Proposals in Congress to address veteran suicide include grants to community organizations that treat veterans; automatic one-year eligibility for VA health care; and training in suicide prevention and military culture for community providers that contract with the VA.

Chapman, Davidsons mother, said Guard leadership missed red flags that pointed to her sons problems. In 2016, Davidson appealed his less than honorable discharge status and requested a medical discharge with full benefits. The VA had diagnosed him with combat-related post-traumatic stress. The appeal was denied, but he never knew. The Army Board for Corrections of Military Records issued an advisory decision in May, 2017, four months after his death the previous January. His mother received the final decision last December.

Chapman has made the prevention of veterans suicide her mission. She is raising money to build a veterans retreat center in her sons honor and does public speaking about veteran suicide. Weve lost so many this way. Its unacceptable, she said.

HELP IS AVAILABLE

Call: Veterans Crisis Line: 1-800-273-8255 and Press 1

Or Text: 838255

Or chat online at this link: https://www.veteranscrisisline.net/get-help/chat

IAVA Quick Reaction Force: 855-91RAPID (72743)

Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors: CALL 24/7 800-959-TAPS (8277)

This story was reported under a partnership with the Connecticut Health I-Team ( c-hit.org ), a nonprofit news organization dedicated to health reporting.
the island of Mauritius seems to have been a further environmental disaster: forces managed on Wednesday, the remaining fuel from the Tanks of the coast grounded freighter door. "It was a race against time," said the head of the government of the island state, Pravind Jugnauth. He praised the "excellent work" of the relief workers, the "have prevented another oil Leak".

The Japanese cargo ship "Wakashio", sailing under the flag of Panama, was on 25. July run with around 4000 tons of fuel on Board on a reef off the Southeast coast of the holiday Paradise up. More than 1000 tons of fuel from occurred due to a leak and threatened two conservation areas in the immediate vicinity. Thousands of volunteers from all the island inhabitants were, therefore, in use, to clean the white beaches of the dark Oil slick.

100 tonnes of Oil on Board

According to Jugnauth, the calm weather helped with the pumping and prevented, first, that the 300-metre-long freighter broke apart. The break-up was, however, "inevitable", warned the Prime Minister. According to him, 100 tons of Oil, which is not stored in the Tanks are still on Board the ship.

The rescue crews had used helicopters to transport the Oil to Land. Strong winds and rough seas, had the salvage operations hampered, and the spilled Oil over large sections of the coast of Mauritius are distributed.

The island nation in the Indian ocean is known for its picturesque beaches famous. He is highly dependent on its coastal areas, not only because of the fishing, but also because the coral reefs are among the most beautiful in the world and many tourists.

Updated Date: 12 August 2020, 19:19
BRANDON  Giovanni Colangelo is trying to stay positive after a massive tornado cut through his farm property last week.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 12/8/2020 (525 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

BRANDON  Giovanni Colangelo is trying to stay positive after a massive tornado cut through his farm property last week.

The 60-year-old said while he is over the initial shock of seeing grain bins torn to shreds by winds that reached up to 190 kilometres per hour, he has a lot of work to do for the upcoming harvest.

"I lost about 110,000 bushels worth of storage space," he said Tuesday. "One bushel, on average, costs between three to five dollars. So you do the math."

The tornado touched down near his property approximately 16 kilometres south of Virden around 8 p.m. Friday.

While the farmer was a safe distance away, the storm uprooted trees, battered storage bins and filled his yard and surrounding wheat fields with debris.

"I didnt get any sleep that night," Colangelo said. "At two oclock, I couldnt stay in bed anymore."

As the day went on, Colangelo discovered he didnt have to tackle the cleanup alone. Not only did neighbours drop by to lend some moral support, but approximately 50 members of a Mennonite church group from nearby Cromer showed up with some heavy machinery to help clear away wreckage.

"By seven oclock at night, we had most of the yard cleaned, and we were walking through the field and picked up all the pieces," he said. "We walked for about two miles and got five to six piles of debris. It was a gigantic job."

However, Colangelo doesnt hold any illusions about the struggle ahead. He said he doesnt know if hell be able to financially recover from the severe weather incident, especially given his age.

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"Im going to need to have a miracle," he said. "But then again, I do have a chance to do it."

Colangelo has been farming the stretch of land near the community of Scarth for 40 years, having immigrated to Manitoba from his native Italy with several other members of his family.

Even though Colangelo said the tornado blew away 25 years worth of progress, hes still trying to keep things in perspective.

A young couple from Melita, Shayna Barnesky and Carter Tilbury, both 18, were killed in the tornado.

"Im still here, still able to work," Colangelo said. "Bins can be rebuilt. Life cannot."

 Brandon Sun
Emirates NBD has announced that its teams have resolved issues arising from its core banking platform upgrade and have restored digital banking services across all channels as of Tuesday (Aug 11).

As previously communicated, Emirates NBD has undertaken an important system upgrade of its core banking platform. I would like to update that our teams have resolved issues and have restored digital banking services across all channels," said Abdulla Qassem, Group Chief Operating Officer.

"We are closely monitoring the situation and continue to improve service performance as more customers access our digital banking platforms.

"We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused to our valued customers due to the service interruption and remain committed to addressing their concerns, he said.

The clarification came after the bank began rolling out a set of upgrades to its systems. However, some customers could not access accounts and vented frustration over social media. - TradeArabia News Service
We are humbled to join the ranks of visionary organizations that are transforming human connection in the modern, digital age, said Adam Saven, co-founder and CEO of PeopleGrove.

PeopleGrove, a SaaS platform provider of highly engaging virtual communities for university students and alumni, today announces it is being recognized by Inc. magazine as one of the fastest growing private companies in America. Ranking 112 on the 2020 Inc. 5000 list, this elite acknowledgment arrives in the same year that PeopleGroves co-founders were recognized as top young entrepreneurs on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list.

We are humbled to join the ranks of visionary organizations that are transforming human connection in the modern, digital age, said Adam Saven, co-founder and CEO of PeopleGrove. We sincerely thank Inc. for recognizing PeopleGrove as a company to watch. We also extend our gratitude to our partner institutions who join us in advocating for mentorship and the alumni networks' ability to create career opportunities.

As students and graduates face an uncertain future for their education in a weakened economy, theres urgent need for PeopleGroves virtual and innovative solutions to strengthen workforce pathways.

It has been impressive to watch PeopleGrove become a leading technology partner in higher education, said Jeff Minhas, Executive Director of Alumni Relations, University of California, Irvine. Theyve shown strategic vision while executing quickly to support institutions like ours. The recent launch of BridgesAlliance demonstrates PeopleGroves commitment to innovation.

The 2020 Inc. 5000 achieved an incredible three-year average growth of over 500 percent and a median rate of 165 percent, during a stretch when the economy grew just 15 percent. The Inc. 5000s aggregate revenue was $209 billion in 2019, accounting for over 1 million jobs over the past three years.

Complete results of the Inc. 5000, including company profiles and an interactive database that can be sorted by industry, region, and other criteria, can be found at http://www.inc.com/inc5000. PeopleGrove and the top-ranking 500 companies will be featured in the September issue of Inc., available on newsstands August 12.

The companies on this years Inc. 5000 come from nearly every realm of business, says Inc. editor-in-chief Scott Omelianuk. From health and software to media and hospitality, the 2020 list proves that no matter the sector, incredible growth is based on the foundations of tenacity and opportunism.

To learn more about PeopleGrove and its vision for higher education, visit peoplegrove.com.

About PeopleGrove

PeopleGrove connects every student and all alumni with the network and resources they need to realize their full potential before, during, and after their time in college. Founded in 2015, PeopleGrove works with over 250 institutions worldwide, including Stanford University, the University of Michigan, Wellesley College and University of Maryland Global Campus. PeopleGrove is the recipient of prestigious industry accolades, including the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing companies and the Forbes 30 Under 30 list of young entrepreneurs. Headquartered in San Francisco, PeopleGrove is backed by Reach Capital, and other leading capital partners. To learn more about how PeopleGrove is working to ensure all students and professionals have access to the community and connections needed to succeed, visit peoplegrove.com.

More about Inc. and the Inc. 5000

Methodology

The 2020 Inc. 5000 is ranked according to percentage revenue growth when comparing 2016 and 2019. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2016. They had to be U.S.-based, privately held, for profit, and independentnot subsidiaries or divisions of other companiesas of December 31, 2019. (Since then, a number of companies on the list have gone public or been acquired.) The minimum revenue required for 2016 is $100,000; the minimum for 2019 is $2 million. As always, Inc. reserves the right to decline applicants for subjective reasons. Companies on the Inc. 500 are featured in Inc.s September issue. They represent the top tier of the Inc. 5000, which can be found at http://www.inc.com/inc5000.

About Inc. Media

The worlds most trusted business-media brand, Inc. offers entrepreneurs the knowledge, tools, connections, and community to build great companies. Its award-winning multiplatform content reaches more than 50 million people each month across a variety of channels including websites, newsletters, social media, podcasts, and print. Its prestigious Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to recognize the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. The global recognition that comes with inclusion in the 5000 gives the founders of the best businesses an opportunity to engage with an exclusive community of their peers, and the credibility that helps them drive sales and recruit talent. For more information, visit http://www.inc.com.
By Mark Hosenball

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - China's consulate in Houston had long been on the Federal Bureau of Investigation's radar as a base for Chinese efforts to steal U.S. intellectual property, the U.S. Justice Department's top national security official said on Wednesday.

In a discussion presented by a Washington think tank, John Demers, the Assistant U.S. Attorney General for National Security, said that Houston was "not chosen at random" when the administration of President Donald Trump last month moved to shut down the consulate.

Demers told the Center for Strategic and International Studies that the U.S. government's move to close the consulate was intended to disrupt "what we had been tracking for some time." He was aware of 50 instances in 30 different U.S. cities where similar industrial and intellectual property espionage for China's benefit had recently been reported. Houston was just the "tip of the iceberg," he said.

Demers said a major U.S. government concern leading to recent moves to curb use of China's TikTok app was that Americans are giving the app access to sensitive personal data, sometimes including personal contact lists and location data.

The use of technology manufactured by the Chinese giant Huawei in the development and building of U.S. 5G data and telephone networks would leave Americans open to even more exposure of their data, which is why the Trump administration has also launched a "tremendous effort" to convince U.S. allies in Europe and Asia to be wary and back away from allowing Chinese-made equipment into their new networks, Demers said.

He added that more U.S. criminal indictments alleging Chinese involvement in computer hacking are to be expected during the course of 2020. The Justice Department was re-assigning prosecutors to work on Chinese-related prosecutions, he said.

(Reporting By Mark Hosenball; editing by Richard Pullin)
Rumor mill: As we approach the end of the summer, gamers are getting more and more anxious about the upcoming next-generation consoles. Other than getting to see some actual hands-on time, players are very interested in knowing when the the new consoles hits store shelves. For Xbox fans, at least, the wait for a release date might be over.

We know without a doubt that Microsoft will release the Xbox Series X in November. In addition to it being the traditional launch month for the console, CFO Amy Hood accidentally let it slip in an investor call a few weeks ago. Earlier this week, Microsoft officially announced the XBSX would launch in November, but what day in November will we be able to grab one?

If an anonymous source is to be believed, The Xbox Series X Could be launching on November 6. The date comes from a picture shared with The Verge from the same leaker that earlier this week revealed the packaging of a white Xbox Series X/S controller.

Xbox Series X may launch on November 6th. A tipster tells me boxes of the new controllers have a do not open date of November 6th on them. These controllers leaked earlier this week https://t.co/oyhlbg2SKo pic.twitter.com/dq096shN7L  Tom Warren (@tomwarren) August 11, 2020

This new image shows what the source claims to be a shipping container that held the controllers. On the box is a sticker that says, "Do not sell or display before November 6, 2020."

There are no discernable markings on the carton, indicating that it held Xbox controllers, so we only have the leaker's word that is what it contained. However, since this person already shared an XBSX controller in its retail packaging, the claim does have some credibility. The Verge also claims that Microsoft has used similar orange "street date" stickers in the past.

Some retailers in Chicago have apparently ignored the stickers and have begun selling the controllers to the public. Some buyers registered their devices online with Microsoft and report that their warranty expiration is dated November 5, 2021, seemingly confirming the November 6 release date.

Even still, Microsoft has not officially confirmed anything more precise than the month yet, so take the news with a grain of salt. The good news is, Microsoft has historically announced pricing, launch, and pre-orders before the end of summer. So we may have something concrete very soon.

Image credit: MatJC
The speculations surrounding Sanjay Dutt's health sparked off after the actor was admitted to Mumbai's Lilavati Hospital on 8 August after he complained of breathlessness.

Amid raging speculations surrounding actor Sanjay Dutt's health, his wife Maanayata Dutt has issued a statement, requesting all to "not fall prey to speculations and unwarranted rumours."

In a statement shared on Twitter, Maanayata thanked the actor's fans for their wishes towards his speedy recovery. She revealed their family has gone through "a lot" in the past year, adding they are now faced with yet another challenge.

Read the entire statement below

Official statement of Manyata Dutt on #Sanjay_Dutts health:- pic.twitter.com/EzXvGkAh8a  Shivangi Thakur (@thakur_shivangi) August 12, 2020

Maanayata's statement comes after several people, including actor Adhyayan Suman tweeted, that Sanjay Dutt had been diagnosed with lung cancer. The 61-year-old actor, who was admitted to Lilavati Hospital on 8 August after complaining of breathlessness, was discharged from the medical facility on Monday, 10 August. He stated he had tested negative for coronavirus.

Shortly after, on Tuesday, Dutt took to Twitter to reveal he would be taking a "short break" from professional commitments to focus on medical treatment and requested well-wishers to not speculate about his health.

Read his tweet below

He is the eldest child of late Bollywood stars Nargis and Sunil Dutt. He has two sisters  Priya Dutt and Namrata Dutt. He is married to Maanayata Dutt with whom he has two children, a son and a daughter. The actor also has a daughter Trishala Dutt from his first marriage to Richa Sharma. She died of brain tumour in 1996.

On the work front, Sanjay is currently awaiting the release of Sadak 2 and Bhuj: The Pride of India on Disney+ Hotstar. The trailer for the former was released today. He will be seen next in the second instalment of KGF as Adheera and Shamshera, alongside Ranbir Kapoor. In 2019, the actor had featured in three movies  Ashutosh Gowariker's period drama Panipat, Dharma Productions' Kalank and political drama Prassthanam. (With inputs from Press Trust of India)
The Italian Senate has voted to lift Matteo Salvinis immunity, clearing the way for possible charges against the countrys former interior minister for refusing to allow 164 migrants to get off a ship in Sicily.

The case from last August is the third involving a rescue ship stand-off in which Italian prosecutors have sought kidnapping charges against Mr Salvini.

During his 14 months as interior minister, he repeatedly denied ships carrying rescued migrants access to Italys ports.

The policy resulted in numerous stand-offs, leaving migrants stuck at sea for long weeks before European countries could identify a willing port or courts intervened.

In the current case, Mr Salvini refused access to the aid ship Open Arms, which remained at sea for three weeks until it was finally allowed to enter a port on the Italian island of Lampedusa.

Matteo Salvinis immunity has been lifted (Roberto Monaldo/LaPresse via AP)

The Senate in February also cleared Mr Salvini to face possible charges for refusing a landing berth to an Italian coast guard vessel that which had picked up 141 migrants rescued by two other boats a year ago. The Gregoretti was stuck at sea for days until a judge approved its landing in Augusta, Sicily.

In both the Gregoretti and the Open Arms cases, Mr Salvini said he wants to face charges to clear his name.

Thank you to all of those who will send me to trial because you are giving me a big gift, he said before the vote. In that courtroom, I will  differently from others  I will go with my head held high and my back straight. Thank you.

But in another case that went to the Senate while he still served as Italys minister, Mr Salvinis party voted not to lift his immunity, protecting him from prosecution for not allowing 190 migrants to disembark from another coast guard ship in August 2018.

The Diciotti was stuck at sea for five days, then sat in port for another five before all of the migrants were allowed landfall.
ISTANBUL  Turkish officials delayed plans to reopen schools this month following a Science Committee meeting Wednesday in which medical experts voiced concerns over rising coronavirus rates as daily recorded cases remain above 1,100 in the country.

Schools were scheduled to open Aug. 31, but Education Minister Ziya Selcuk said in a speech Wednesday that students would instead take online courses starting on the same date. Selcuk added private schools could begin online courses as early as Aug. 17.

Medical professionals tracking the pandemic said case numbers have increased since restrictions were lifted in early June and warned infection rates could rise further if strict precautions are not soon implemented.

I think opening the schools with these numbers will invite disaster, Emrah Altindis, an assistant professor of biology at Boston College, told Al-Monitor.

Citing a recent study from South Korea that found children over the age of 10 who carried the virus were just as infectious as adults, Altindis said Turkish officials should only reopen schools with strict testing and social distancing measures in place. He also referenced data by the American Academy of Pediatrics, which found 97,000 children in the United States tested positive for COVID-19 in the last two weeks.

If you take these studies together, you can see this is extremely dangerous for public health, Altindis told Al-Monitor.

In a recent survey by the Ankara-based Metropoll, 64% of respondents said they felt it was unsafe to reopen schools, citing concerns over the ongoing pandemic.

To date, the nation has recorded about 243,00 COVID-19 cases and nearly 5,900 virus-linked deaths, according to Turkish Health Ministry data. Though initial lockdown measures and curfews helped stem the spread of the virus in the spring, official infection rates have slowly climbed over the summer, with Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca tweeting Tuesday that the number patients in critical condition had increased.

Turkish medical associations warned last week that intensive care units and areas set apart in hospitals for coronavirus patients had reached capacity in the cities of Ankara and Gaziantep. Koca responded to the statements on Twitter Thursday, saying, There are no cities, not even a single hospital, working at capacity due to COVID-19. Claims are unfounded.

Still, medical workers have been reporting increased infection rates in Turkeys Anatolian regions, which are seeing a surge after being relatively spared earlier in the year, when COVID-19 patients were more concentrated in Istanbul.

We have reached the peak in Diyarbakir, Dr. Elif Turan, chair of the Diyarbakir Medical Chamber, told Al-Monitor. We don't know the exact number of cases in Diyarbakir but people on the ground tell us hospitals are working at full capacity and intensive care units are full.

The spread of the virus has strained not only hospital facilities but also medical workers, many of whom have been overburdened since the pandemic began, said Ibrahim Kara, co-president for Turkeys Health and Social Service Laborers' Union.

The number of personnel is quite low and problematic, Kara told Al-Monitor. Those who are working in tiring shifts are unable to use their annual leave. They are exhausted.

To address the rising infection rates, the Turkish Interior Ministry began conducting more inspections of restaurants and cafes last week and increased street monitoring, issuing fines to people without masks in crowded places. Some government officials are also considering the reintroduction of strict social distancing measures similar to those imposed in the spring by mid-September.

Some medical workers attributed the recent rise in COVID-19 cases to holiday travel and family gatherings organized for the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha or Kurban Bayrami in late July. Altindis said it was too early to gauge the impact of the holiday on COVID-19 cases and linked the current uptick to the abnormal normalization process pursued by Turkeys Health Ministry.

The health minister gave the impression the situation was under control in June when restrictions were lifted, Altindis told Al-Monitor. Unfortunately, this affected behavior and we saw the increased transmission of the virus. Right now, its out of control.

As in other countries, the pandemic has also led to a slowdown in economic activity in Turkey, where the latest data put labor force participation at 47.6% in the April-June period, falling from 52.9% year-on-year.

While parliament extended a ban on layoffs through July 2021 last month, the nations unemployment rate was at 12.91%, or about 3.82 million people, according to the most recent figures from May 2020. The Turkish Employment Agency announced Wednesday it had paid unemployment benefits to roughly 400,000 people in July, down from more than 600,000 people in January.

Lawmakers have sought to relieve the economic downturn by welcoming more international tourists in the hope that cash inflows from visitors will help coastal areas make up for lost revenue earlier in the year. Flights between Russia and Turkey resumed this week after a five-month pause, a move that saw over 23,000 Russian tourists land in the Mediterranean resort city of Antalya on Monday alone.

Yet while vacation season is underway and many hotels report a gradual rise in occupancy rates, which remain below holiday averages, many Turkish citizens will now have to accommodate work and child care needs following the decision to delay school openings.

Turan voiced concerns over future decisions relating to public schools, warning that many educational facilities in the southeast are crowded and pose a risk of infection among families.

Each city should be evaluated separately, and decisions should be made accordingly in terms of re-opening schools, Turan told Al-Montior. Education unions, scientists and families should be a part of decision-making process.

She added, Influenza season is also upon us. Combined with Covid, the situation could get worse.
12.08.2020 LISTEN

Poimen Ghana today, on the occasion of the International Youth day celebrations themed Youth Engagement for Global Action is calling on the state to step up its efforts for effective youth engagement and participation in governance and nation-building.

The state has not done enough for youth participation. The youth is one of the biggest demographic groups in Africa and the number of youths is projected to rise within the next decade. State policies intended to incentivize youth participation seem to be few and there are clear stumbling blocks to the progress of the youth in governance. A good example of this is illustrated in the rather artificial glass ceiling imposed on the youth with regard to ascending the highest offices in the country.

With the age of eligibility for contesting the presidency set at 40 years, it appears all youth or majority of the youth  depending on which age designation of youthfulness you decide on  are immediately limited in the highest political aspirations they can aspire to.

This is saddening since aside the considerations of sound mental status and full moral agency that makes the age of adulthood and voting to be set at 18, with a reasonable few years added on for experience, it does not seem that the 40 year rule has much backing except in the outdated concept that old age correlates with wisdom. Needless to say, correlation does not connote causality and even the notion of correlation, given the decades-long poor state of affairs under the governance of the old, is in doubt.

This has left a lot of the youth frustrated because most of the youths problems of unemployment, poverty, and underdevelopment are scarcely felt and cannot be adequately dealt with by the main demography holding power in the county- the older and retired populace.

The NATIONAL YOUTH AUTHORITY ACT, 2016, has not been backed by a Legislative Instrument (LI) since its passing into law some 4 years ago. For a country with a lot of problems endemic to the youth, it would seem that we would do more than pay lip service to the idea of youth empowerment and participation. However, since the National Youth Authority ACT was assented to in the ending of 2016, it is surprising that the requisite LI that will guide and supplement the ACT has not been passed.

Nascent Youth Parliaments across the country represent a respectable, yet resource-starved endeavour of youth participation in Ghana and it has been poorly executed in many instances in the country. Last year, the idea of creating fully functional youth parliaments to incentivize youth engagement at the local level was met with the warmest of support from existing youth groups and the youth in general.

Drawing its mandate from the National Youth Authority, the National Youth Parliament was a bold and ambitious project to collate the very best of youthful minds into a single functional body that focused on deliberation and providing a platform for youth-focused advocacy on affairs. This idea has some significant challenges that need to be boldly addressed.

The regional secretariats across the country are working around the clock to get the idea implemented but it would take a lot more to ensure that this idea becomes the quintessential youth-based representative and advocacy platform. The national youth parliament idea is especially promising in addressing youth participation because of how the structure makes room for extensive representation of requisite groups including people living with disability and women.

Lastly, the state must invest in dispelling the stereotypical concepts around the youth. It would be one of the good ways to encourage youth participation. In a recent write up, the President of Poimen Ghana, Mr. Awotunde Awosika bemoaned the stereotyping of brilliant youths in leadership citing the well-known exchange between then Senior Minister nominee, Hon Yaw Osarfo Marfo and the MP for North Tongu and Member of the Appointments Committee of Parliament, Hon. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa during the vetting of the Senior Minister-designate. The reference to the well-accomplished politician in terms of his age and the denigrating way it was used is testament to a mentality that needs transformation if the youth are to break out of their shells.

The youth are one of the greatest assets of a state and the best way to ensure we reap the full benefit from their demography is to ensure their skills, ability, and competences are ably represented and utilized in governance and decision makings.

Signed Issued by:

 Jessica Afful Tuleassi

Caleb Otabil Deputy Communication Director

(Director of Research)
American infectious diseases specialists and vaccinologists raised alarms about Russias announcement that it would begin vaccinating its population against the coronavirus, rushing a relatively untested vaccine into mass production.

On Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the government had approved a COVID-19 vaccine for use, the first nation to do so. But the Russian vaccine, although based on widely accepted technology, has not completed clinical trials.

What have [the Russians] done? Paul Offit, chief of the division of infectious diseases at Childrens Hospital Philadelphia and a co-inventor of the rotavirus vaccine, said in an interview with Yahoo News. Theyve done a small phase I trial in 38 people.

The Russian vaccine used an adenovirus to induce neutralizing antibodies in the 38 people who were given it, Offit said. While nobody died, he said that relying on such a small sample of patients doesnt enable you to say anything about efficacy, doesnt enable you to say anything about safety.

Offit, who is a member of the National Institutes of Health COVID vaccine working group, said he worries about the precedent being set by the Russians in proclaiming victory on an untested vaccine. He said he was struck by the political undertones in Putins vaccine claims.

Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a teleconference call at the Novo-Ogaryovo state residence outside Moscow on Tuesday. (Alexey Nikolsky/Sputnik/AFP via Getty Images)

Its amazing that this was a political announcement, Offit said. What worries me is that our administration would interpret this as anything other than what it is, which is that Russia, if anything, is behind where we are in the United States on this vaccine. ... This is just Vladimir Putin being political. I dont think hes honest when he says that theyve shown that the vaccines effective. They cant possibly know that yet.

Putins announcement was framed as a victory lap in the race for a vaccine, despite the fact that just last week the World Health Organization warned Russia it must adhere to standard protocols for testing a vaccine. Russian officials have been signaling for weeks that they intended to claim a victory in the race for a vaccine, and they did so Tuesday despite the absence of data documenting late-phase testing. Typically, vaccines are subjected to rigorous phase III trials which compare a candidate vaccine to placebo in thousands of volunteers.

Story continues

It works effectively enough, forms a stable immunity and, I repeat, it has gone through all necessary tests, Putin said Tuesday. He also said his daughter had taken the vaccine.

While he is dubious about the Russian vaccine, Offit said he is heartened overall by the progress being made globally.

Dr. Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center at at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, left, and Sen. Bob Casey during a news conference in February 2015 in Philadelphia. (Matt Rourke/AP)

Well have a vaccine, by the middle of next year, Offit said. We know this  we know that these vaccines can develop neutralizing antibodies to the virus and thats promising. If you can develop neutralizing antibodies  which is to say antibodies that neutralize the ability of the virus to infect  then that should be protective.

Other leading doctors said the Russian distraction is unfortunate because vaccine research is already moving with unprecedented speed. David Walt, a pathologist at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Womens Hospital, said his biggest concern is the rush to approval and the shortcuts that will be taken.

If you have a new product, whether its a car or a vaccine, there are things that will crop up over longer periods of time just because of reliability issues or certain kinds of rare events that you dont see when you use something for a short period of time, Walt said. Everyones trying to get there first, and theres potential corner cutting thats taking place as a consequence of trying to do that.

Walt compared the Russian approval of a vaccine without phase III trials to playing with a partially loaded gun.

Its kind of like Russian roulette, Walt said. In some cases, its probably going to work perfectly, it will work well. But there may be situations in certain kinds of individuals who will exhibit adverse effects or very serious consequences as a result of receiving the vaccine.

William Schaffner, an infectious disease specialist and professor at Vanderbilt University, said he shares the concern about corner-cutting. Schaffner said the Russian vaccine relies on the same adenovirus template that the Oxford vaccine uses, exposing the subject to a critical protein in the coronavirus.

A medical worker draws liquid from a vial with a syringe at the Chaika Clinic in Moscow on Monday. (Andrey Rudakov/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

That protein is actually the vaccine, Schaffner said. Our immune system sees that protein and recognizes it as foreign and responds to it, making antibodies.

A possible side effect, he said, was a minor cold.

Schaffner said the Russian presidents apparent willingness to give his citizens an untested vaccine was potentially dangerous, even if the model the Russian vaccine relies on is familiar.

We dont want that to happen anywhere, and it certainly should not happen in the United States, he said. It does feed my concern because our national leader has a seeming fondness for what happens in Russia and may be inclined to do something similar here.

But Schaffner said he has been reassured by a recent article in the Journal of the American Medical Association co-authored by Stephen Hahn, the head of the Food and Drug Administration, which asserted that candidate COVID-19 vaccines will be reviewed according to the established legal and regulatory standards for medical products. The article went on to say that while Operation Warp Speed is important, there is a line separating the governments efforts to focus resources and funding to scale vaccine development from FDAs review processes, which are rooted in federal statute and established FDA regulations.

George Rutherford, an epidemiologist at the University of California, San Francisco, said the Russian vaccine is a fairly standard technology which the Russians have used before to vaccinate their population against Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS). Rutherford said the vaccine may work well enough, but it could have problems that arent detected before it is given on a mass scale.

Cutting corners is not the way to go in vaccine development because youre going to give it to a lot of people who have nothing wrong with them at all, Rutherford said. Youre giving this to people who are well and who do not have pathology in order to protect them so you dont want to give them pathology while you're doing this.

He said that the U.S. has learned to be cautious as a result of a swine influenza campaign in 1976 that Rutherford said many people still believe could be responsible for Guillain-Barre Syndrome, a condition in which the immune system attacks the nerves, sometimes causing paralysis.

What happens when you immunize an entire population is that everything that ever happens to that entire population after the immunization is blamed on the immunization, Rutherford said.

_____

Read more from Yahoo News:
ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkish schools will start to reopen on Sept. 21 in a gradual transition back to in-person education, Education Minister Ziya Selcuk said on Wednesday, delaying the reopening by three weeks after a rise in coronavirus cases.

In a news conference after a meeting of Turkey's science board to discuss measures to combat the outbreak, Selcuk said that distance learning would begin on Aug. 31, when schools had previously been set to open.

Ankara announced the initial closure of schools in mid-March after the emergence of the first coronavirus cases in Turkey.

Last week Turkey rolled out new inspection and enforcement rules after daily new coronavirus cases jumped above 1,000 for the first time in three weeks, in what the government called a grave rise during peak holiday season.

Top doctors have warned about insufficient testing and urged a tougher message from Ankara, which lifted a partial lockdown in June and has since lobbied hard for countries to allow tourists to visit to help get the economy back on its feet.

The coronavirus has killed nearly 5,900 people in Turkey with more than 240,000 cases recorded.

(Additional reporting by Ali Kucukgocmen; Writing by Daren Butler; Editing by Mark Heinrich)
Lehigh County and others affected by Tropical Storm Isaias are using a home cleanup hotline to connect affected homeowners with free help.

Residents can call 1-844-965-1386 to provide details about their storm-related damage, specifically needing help with:

Cutting fallen trees

Removing drywall, flooring, and appliances hit by flooding

Tarping roofs

Mitigating mold

The information will be shared with volunteers from local disaster relief organizations, community groups, and faith communities who may be able to help. Representatives from those groups may reach out to the resident to determine if the group can help.

These services are performed by volunteers and will be free for the resident, the county said in a news release, but resources are limited and service is not guaranteed.

The hotline will be open until Aug. 28. Calls are answered by volunteers, usually during business hours, but callers can leave a message at any time.

The hotline is run by Crisis Cleanup. Montgomery County and counties in Delaware and North Carolina are also using the service to connect volunteers with residents hit with Isaias storm damage.

The hotline does not connect with social services for things such as food, clothing, and shelter, and does not offer information about insurance or FEMA assistance.

Please subscribe now and support the local journalism YOU rely on and trust.

Sarah Cassi may be reached at scassi@lehighvalleylive.com.
Actors shooting scenes for CBCs Murdoch Mysteries run through rehearsal in Gage Park, Wed., Aug. 11.





Background actors dressed in period costumes run through rehearsal for scenes being shot in Gage Park Wednesday morning for an upcoming episode of CBCs Murdoch Mysteries.

Filming began Tuesday on the acclaimed, one-hour series for 11 new episodes. Murdoch Mysteries is set to premiere on CBC and the CBC Gem streaming service in early winter 2021. This is the 14th season for the much loved period drama featuring Yannick Bisson as William Murdoch, which is filmed mostly in the Toronto and the Greater Toronto areas. Filming on the series has been on hiatus since March due to the COVID-19 virus.
A team of researchers led by neuroscientists at Harvard Medical School has successfully used acupuncture to tame cytokine storm in mice with systemic inflammation.

In the study, published Aug. 12 in Neuron, acupuncture activated different signaling pathways that triggered either a pro-inflammatory or an anti-inflammatory response in animals with bacterially induced systemic inflammation.

Further, the team found that three factors determined how acupuncture affected response: site, intensity and timing of treatment. Where in the body the stimulation occurred, how strong it was and when the stimulation was administered yielded dramatically different effects on inflammatory markers and survival.

The team's experiments represent a critical step toward defining the neuroanatomical mechanisms underlying acupuncture and offer a roadmap for harnessing the approach for the treatment of inflammatory diseases.

The scientists caution, however, that before any therapeutic use, the observations must be confirmed in further research--in animals as well as in humans--and the optimal parameters for acupuncture stimulation must be carefully defined.

"Our findings represent an important step in ongoing efforts not only to understand the neuroanatomy of acupuncture but to identify ways to incorporate it into the treatment arsenal of inflammatory diseases, including sepsis," said study principal investigator Qiufu Ma, professor of neurobiology in the Blavatnik Institute at Harvard Medical School and a researcher at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

In the study, acupuncture stimulation influenced how animals coped with cytokine storm--the rapid release of large amounts of cytokines, inflammation-fueling molecules. The phenomenon has gained mainstream attention as a complication of severe COVID-19, but this aberrant immune reaction can occur in the setting of any infection and has been long known to physicians as a hallmark of sepsis, an organ-damaging, often-fatal inflammatory response to infection. Sepsis is estimated to affect 1.7 million people in the United States and 30 million people worldwide each year.

Acupuncture, rooted in traditional Chinese medicine, has recently grown more integrated into Western medicine, particularly for the treatment of chronic pain and gastrointestinal disorders. The approach involves mechanical stimulation of certain points on the body's surface--known as acupoints. The stimulation purportedly triggers nerve signaling and remotely affects the function of internal organs corresponding to specific acupoints.

Yet, the basic mechanisms underlying acupuncture's action and effect have not been fully elucidated.

The new study is an important step in mapping the neuroanatomy of acupuncture, the research team said.

As a neurobiologist who studies the fundamental mechanisms of pain, Ma has been curious about the biology of acupuncture for years. He was intrigued by a 2014 paper which showed that using acupuncture in mice could alleviate systemic inflammation by stimulating the vagal-adrenal axis--a signaling pathway in which the vagus nerve carries signals to the adrenal glands--to trigger the glands to release dopamine. Ma's curiosity was further intensified by work published in 2016 showing that vagus-nerve stimulation tamed the activity of inflammatory molecules and lessened symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis.

In the current study, researchers used electroacupuncture--a modern version of the traditional manual approach that involves the insertion of ultra-thin needles just under the skin in various areas of the body. Instead of needles, electroacupuncture uses very thin electrodes inserted into the skin and into the connective tissue, offering better control of stimulation intensities.

Building on previous research pointing to neurotransmitters' role in inflammation regulation, the researchers focused on two specific cell types known to secrete them--chromaffin cells that reside in the adrenal glands and noradrenergic neurons that are located in the peripheral nerve system and directly connected to the spleen through an abundance of nerve fibers. Chromaffin cells are the body's main producers of the stress hormones adrenaline and noradrenaline and of dopamine, while noradrenergic neurons release noradrenaline. In addition to their well-established functions, adrenaline, noradrenaline and dopamine, the researchers said, appear to play a role in inflammation response--an observation that's been borne out in previous research and is now reaffirmed in the experiments of the current study.

The team wanted to determine the precise role these nerve cells play in the inflammatory response. To do so, they used a novel genetic tool to ablate chromaffin cells or noradrenergic neurons. This allowed them to compare the response to inflammation in mice with and without these cells to determine just whether and how they were involved in modulating inflammation. The markedly different response in mice with and without such cells conclusively pinpointed these nerve cells as key regulators of inflammation.

In one set of experiments, researchers applied low-intensity electroacupuncture (0.5 milliamperes) to a specific point on the hind legs of mice with cytokine storm caused by a bacterial toxin. This stimulation activated the vagus-adrenal axis, inducing secretion of dopamine from the chromaffin cells of the adrenal glands. Animals treated this way had lower levels of three key types of inflammation-inducing cytokines and had greater survival than control mice--60 percent of acupuncture-treated animals survived, compared with 20 percent of untreated animals. Intriguingly, the researchers observed, the vagus-adrenal axis could be activated through hindlimb electroacupuncture but not from abdominal acupoints--a finding that shows the importance of acupoint selectivity in driving specific anti-inflammatory pathways.

In another experiment, the team delivered high-intensity electroacupuncture (3 milliamperes) to the same hindleg acupoint as well as to an acupoint on the abdomen of mice with sepsis. That stimulation activated noradrenergic nerve fibers in the spleen. The timing of treatment was critical, the researchers observed. High-intensity stimulation of the abdomen produced markedly different outcomes depending on when treatment occurred.

Animals treated with acupuncture immediately before they developed cytokine storm, experienced lower levels of inflammation during subsequent disease and fared better. This preventive measure of high-intensity stimulation increased survival from 20 to 80 percent. By contrast, animals that received acupuncture after disease onset and during the peak of cytokine storm experienced worse inflammation and more severe disease.

The findings demonstrate how the same stimulus could produce dramatically different results depending on location, timing and intensity.

"This observation underscores the idea that if practiced inappropriately, acupuncture could have detrimental results, which I don't think is something people necessarily appreciate," Ma said.

If borne out in further work, Ma added, the findings suggest the possibility that electroacupuncture could one day be used as a versatile treatment modality--from adjunct therapy for sepsis in the intensive care unit to more targeted treatment of site-specific inflammation, such as in inflammatory diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.

Another possible use, Ma said, would be to help modulate inflammation resulting from cancer immune therapy, which while lifesaving can sometimes trigger cytokine storm due to overstimulation of the immune system. Acupuncture is already used as part of integrative cancer treatment to help patients cope with side effects of chemotherapy and other cancer treatments.

###

Other investigators included Shenbin Liu, Zhifu Wang, Yangshuai Su, Russell Ray, Xianghong Jing and Yanqing Wang.

The work was supported by National Institutes of Health (grant R01AT010629), Harvard/MIT Joint Research Grants Program in Basic Neuroscience and Wellcome Trust (grant 200183/Z/15/Z).

Additional funding was provided in the form of partial salary support for Liu from the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (KLF101846) and by Development Project of Shanghai Peak Disciplines-Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine (20150407). Su received salary support from China Scholarship Council (CSC NO. 201609110039). Wang received partial salary support from Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine.
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - August 12, 2020) - Provenance Gold Corp. (CSE: PAU) (FSE: 3PG) (the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has completed the expansion of its original 30 claim land position on its White Rock gold project with the staking of a further 134 new claims. The property now covers 13.4 square kilometers (5.1 square miles).

White Rock is located in Elko County, Nevada and was optioned from Ely Gold Royalties Inc. (TSXV: ELY). Gold is found in the siliceous siltstone and associated with bleaching, silicification, quartz veining, iron oxide staining, and brecciation.

White Rock was originally located and explored by AMAX Gold in 1984. Drill programs were conducted by AMAX Gold and later by Kennecott (now Rio Tinto Kennecott) that reportedly generated a historic resource which will be the focus of the Company's exploration program. The Company believes the White Rock property hosts a large shallow gold system (1700m by 2400m) based on extensive rock and soil assays and sixty-five (65) widely scattered drill holes that intersected thick zones of shallow gold mineralization.

With the staking completed the Company has initiated a mapping and sampling program, selected drill targets and is planning to confirm the historical results and gold controls. Drilling is expected to include close spaced and new step out drilling which will quickly develop the Company's understanding of the property. The Company hopes to begin drilling as early as October.

Rauno Perttu, CEO of the Company stated "Provenance now controls a large undeveloped gold system at White Rock. We plan to commit a strong effort to develop a significant gold deposit on the property."

Rauno Perttu, P. Geo., a Qualified Person (as defined by National Instrument 43-101), and the Chief Executive Officer of the Company, has reviewed and approved the technical contents of this News Release.

On behalf of the Board,

Provenance Gold Corp.

Rauno Perttu, Chief Executive Officer

For further information, please contact rclark@provenancegold.com

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange, nor its regulation services provider, accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release.

This news release may contain certain "Forward-Looking Statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and applicable Canadian securities laws. When or if used in this news release, the words "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "expect", "target, "plan", "forecast", "may", "schedule" and similar words or expressions identify forward-looking statements or information. These forward-looking statements or information may relate to proposed activities at the White Rock gold project, and other factors or information. Such statements represent the Company's current views with respect to future events and are necessarily based upon a number of assumptions and estimates that, while considered reasonable by the Company, are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive, political and social risks, contingencies and uncertainties. Many factors, both known and unknown, could cause results, performance or achievements to be materially different from the results, performance or achievements that are or may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. The Company does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update these forward-looking statements or information to reflect changes in assumptions or changes in circumstances or any other events affecting such statements and information other than as required by applicable laws, rules and regulations.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/61537
August 11 was bookmarked in the pages of American history when California Senator Kamala Harris was picked by Joe Biden to be his vice-presidential running mate.

Harris, 55, has both African and Indian roots, with her mixed parentage. Her father, Dr Donald Harris emigrated from Jamaica, and her mother Dr Shyamala Gopalan, was born in Chennai and immigrated to the US to attend a doctoral program at UC Berkeley. She is the first Asian-American woman to be nominated on a major presidential ticket.

The significant event was acknowledged by millions around the globe as many welcomed Harris' candidacy.

Priyanka Chopra was amongst the many important people who hailed Harris selection with a show of hands. She summed up her reverence and delight in a social media post. Reflecting on it as a historical, transformational, and proud moment for all women, she continued, All women of colour, all Black women, and all South Asian women. Congratulations @kamalaharris on becoming the first Black woman and FIRST PERSON of Indian descent to compete on a major U.S. partys presidential ticket. #representationmatters (sic)."

She added a footnote for her younger self saying, PS: To my younger self - look how far we have come!

Joe Biden took to Twitter to announce Harris as nominee for vice president. He wrote,"I have the great honor to announce that I've picked @KamalaHarris -- a fearless fighter for the little guy, and one of the country's finest public servants -- as my running mate.

I have the great honor to announce that Ive picked @KamalaHarris  a fearless fighter for the little guy, and one of the countrys finest public servants  as my running mate.  Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) August 11, 2020

Shortly after the announcement, Harris responded that she was "honored" and would "do what it takes to make him (Joe Bidden) Commander-in-Chief."
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is supporting the real economy in Egypt with a $200 million financing package to Banque Misr for trade and for on-lending to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and private businesses impacted by the COVID-19 crisis, the EBRD announced on Wednesday.

Under this facility, the bank will provide a $100 million loan to enable Banque Misr to provide short-term financing to private SMEs facing liquidity strains due to a decrease in their activities and turnover caused by Covid-19 crunch, according to the EBRD.

Meanwhile, the Bank has increased the existing trade finance limit to Banque Misr by $100 million under the EBRDs Trade Facilitation Programme (TFP), in order to meet the increased demand for import and export transactions.

The bank said that this financing package is under the EBRDs coronavirus Solidarity Package, established to meet immediate short-term financing needs to private businesses through existing EBRD partner banks.

The EBRD expects to dedicate the entirety of its activities to combating the economic impact of the crisis and stands ready to provide support worth 21 billion over the 2020-2021 period, in order to help the 38 emerging economies where it invests.

In July, President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi ratified Law 152/2020 for the micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), which aims to boost the sector amid the COVID-19 crisis through new incentives.

Under the stand-by program agreement that Egypt signed with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in June, Egypt is required to support the private sector and engage it in the country's development process, in addition to working hand-in-hand with the public sector in ongoing and future investments in the country.

Egypt's Minister of International Cooperation Rania Al-Mashat said that the EBRD's facility is in line with the ministry's strategy focusing on the international developmental partnerships.

Banque Misr was established in 1920 and is the second-largest bank in Egypt with total assets of 54.1 billion, as of December 2019. It has been a partner of the EBRD since 2017, when a first small business loan was signed followed by a trade finance facility in 2018.

Egypt is a founding member of the EBRD. Since the start of its operations there in 2012, the EBRD has invested close to 7 billion in 120 projects in the country, according to the bank.

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A few days earlier, a 2019 Acura MDX and a BMW 530I were stolen from the same driveway on the first block of Princeton Road between midnight and 4 a.m. Aug. 4 in the Woodlands neighborhood. The owners did not know if the keys had been left in the vehicles, but they could not find their car keys. The BMW was recovered on the 6000 block of South Michigan Avenue in Chicago.
The World Health Organization (WHO) is in close contact with Russia regarding a possible pre-qualification of the world's first coronavirus vaccine, a WHO spokesman said.

"We are in close contact with the Russian health authorities and discussions are underway regarding a possible pre-qualification of the vaccine by WHO," WHO spokesman Tarik Jasarevic said at a virtual press briefing on Tuesday, Xinhua news agency reported.

"The pre-qualification of any vaccine involves rigorous review and evaluation of all the data required for safety and efficacy" in clinical trials, said Jasarevic, adding that at the WHO level, this process would be the same for any vaccine candidate.

"Each country has national regulatory bodies that approve the use of vaccines or drugs in its territory," he said. "Manufacturers are asking for WHO pre-qualification because it is a kind of seal of quality."

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday that his country has registered the world's first vaccine against the novel coronavirus.

Putin said he hoped that the mass production of the vaccine registered in Russia should begin in the near future, and vaccination will be available to everyone in the country voluntarily.

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova said that she expected the production of the vaccine to start at the end of August or the beginning of September and health workers will be the first to be vaccinated.
Last Friday, Pastor Robert Jeffress on Lou Dobbs Tonight was asked by host David Asman about the growing hostility toward Christianity by rioters and the silence by Democrats.

(Natural News) (Article republished from HarbingersDaily.com)

The democrat party has become a godless party and so thats why you find such animosity against conservative Christians and against the Bible, Dr. Jeffress explained. They hate God and I think the President knows that.

Read the Full Interview below:

Host: Joining us now is pastor Robert Jeffress member of the white house faith initiative pastor of the first baptist church of Dallas and a fox news contributor and author of the new book praying for America available everywhere right now pastor great to see you uh Im wondering if you share the vice presidents disappointment with justice Roberts?

Jeffress: I do. The vice president was being a lot nicer than I would have been in that interview. Look, Roberts has done many disappointing things in an abortion ruling, but especially in this Nevada church situation, a shutdown of this church in which the supreme court and John Roberts actually said, its permissible to gather together at caesars palace in order to gamble but you cant gather together in a church in order to worship God. That is an abomination. And look, we know theres no such thing, David, as a sure thing when it comes to picking supreme court justices but the odds are tremendously better of getting a conservative justice with a president Trump than with a president Biden.

Host: All right, let me move over to whats happening on our city streets because it does intersect with religion in a strange way. First of all, I havent heard any democrat particularly ones that are in the news like Pelosi and Nadler and such, condemning anything that the protesters, so-called, have done. In fact, President Obama used the opportunity of a funeral of congressman John Lewis in a church to get political about the protesters. Let me play the tape and get your reaction.

George Wallace may be gone but we can witness our federal government sending agents to use tear gas and batons against peaceful demonstrators

Host: Now Pastor, these so-called peaceful demonstrators, according to President Obama, are burning Bibles. Of course President Obama once ridiculed Americans for clinging to religion. What do you think this is all about? What does this tell you that theyre burning bibles?

Jeffress: Look, David, there is a great contrast between the peaceful civil rights protest of John Lewis and Martin Luther King Jr. who actually based their protest on the teachings of the Bible compared to these anarchists who are basing what theyre doing on rebellion against the Bible, burning Bibles, burning American flags, burning down police stations. Look, Im not saying that all Democrats support this kind of action but you know theres a bible verse that says, bad company corrupts good morals [1 Corinthians 15:33] and when the democrats hang around Antifa and Black Lives Matters and do not condemn these kinds of anarchist activities, they are complicit in them by remaining silent about them.

Host: But you know it does intrigue me that there is this attempt. There was a Black Lives Matter leader who about a month ago suggested that statues of Jesus if they look too white should be torn down. I mean its just extraordinary and in fact, Im hearing from pastors and some priests that it is happening that the desecration of these statues of Jesus and mary are being desecrated, torn down and uh theyre not talking about it much because they dont want copycats around doing more of it.

Jeffress: Thats exactly right.

Host: Well, what is it about uh Jesus Christ and religion that has become the focus of these protesters, if you will?

Jeffress: Well listen, quite frankly I think president trump hit out of the ballpark when he talked about Joe Biden and by extension, the Democrats by saying theyre against God and theyre against the Bible. I think thats not an overstatement. It is no coincidence, David, that 70 percent of atheists identify as democrats and only 15 percent as Republicans. The democrat party has become a godless party and so thats why you find such animosity against conservative Christians and against the Bible. They hate God and I think the President knows that.

Host: The bottom line is, these anarchists certainly are taking actions that are hostile to religion in America. Pastor Jeffress thank you very much, appreciate it.

Read more at: HarbingersDaily.com
The big shareholder groups in SunOpta Inc. (TSE:SOY) have power over the company. Insiders often own a large chunk of younger, smaller, companies while huge companies tend to have institutions as shareholders. Companies that have been privatized tend to have low insider ownership.

SunOpta is not a large company by global standards. It has a market capitalization of CA$748m, which means it wouldn't have the attention of many institutional investors. Taking a look at our data on the ownership groups (below), it's seems that institutional investors have bought into the company. Let's take a closer look to see what the different types of shareholder can tell us about SunOpta.

Check out our latest analysis for SunOpta

What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About SunOpta?

Many institutions measure their performance against an index that approximates the local market. So they usually pay more attention to companies that are included in major indices.

As you can see, institutional investors have a fair amount of stake in SunOpta. This can indicate that the company has a certain degree of credibility in the investment community. However, it is best to be wary of relying on the supposed validation that comes with institutional investors. They too, get it wrong sometimes. If multiple institutions change their view on a stock at the same time, you could see the share price drop fast. It's therefore worth looking at SunOpta's earnings history, below. Of course, the future is what really matters.

Our data indicates that hedge funds own 33% of SunOpta. That catches my attention because hedge funds sometimes try to influence management, or bring about changes that will create near term value for shareholders. Looking at our data, we can see that the largest shareholder is Ardsley Advisory Partners with 13% of shares outstanding. For context, the second largest shareholder holds about 11% of the shares outstanding, followed by an ownership of 9.1% by the third-largest shareholder. Additionally, the company's CEO Joseph Ennen directly holds 0.0053585 of the total shares outstanding.

Story continues

We also observed that the top 7 shareholders account for more than half of the share register, with a few smaller shareholders to balance the interests of the larger ones to a certain extent.

While studying institutional ownership for a company can add value to your research, it is also a good practice to research analyst recommendations to get a deeper understand of a stock's expected performance. There are plenty of analysts covering the stock, so it might be worth seeing what they are forecasting, too.

Insider Ownership Of SunOpta

The definition of company insiders can be subjective, and does vary between jurisdictions. Our data reflects individual insiders, capturing board members at the very least. Management ultimately answers to the board. However, it is not uncommon for managers to be executive board members, especially if they are a founder or the CEO.

Insider ownership is positive when it signals leadership are thinking like the true owners of the company. However, high insider ownership can also give immense power to a small group within the company. This can be negative in some circumstances.

I can report that insiders do own shares in SunOpta Inc.. As individuals, the insiders collectively own CA$30m worth of the CA$748m company. This shows at least some alignment. You can click here to see if those insiders have been buying or selling.

General Public Ownership

The general public holds a 23% stake in SOY. This size of ownership, while considerable, may not be enough to change company policy if the decision is not in sync with other large shareholders.

Next Steps:

It's always worth thinking about the different groups who own shares in a company. But to understand SunOpta better, we need to consider many other factors. To that end, you should be aware of the 1 warning sign we've spotted with SunOpta .

But ultimately it is the future, not the past, that will determine how well the owners of this business will do. Therefore we think it advisable to take a look at this free report showing whether analysts are predicting a brighter future.

NB: Figures in this article are calculated using data from the last twelve months, which refer to the 12-month period ending on the last date of the month the financial statement is dated. This may not be consistent with full year annual report figures.

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.
Toto Wolff says he is not worried about Mercedes' name being dragged through the mud over the Racing Point car copying affair.

An appeal against the leniency of the stewards' recent ruling on the legality of the 'pink Mercedes' will go ahead, the original protester Renault has announced.

In a statement, the French team said it wants a "clear and enforceable regulatory framework that will ensure all teams participating in the 2021 season will develop their original aerodynamic concept by themselves".

Ferrari is joining the protest, but McLaren is not.

The withdrawal of McLaren's support for the appeal is notable, after Zak Brown described Racing Point's claim about how the team copied the 2019 Mercedes from photos as "BS".

Racing Point boss Otmar Szafnauer had responded: "He's got no idea what he's talking about. Zero.

"It seems to me he knows more about historic racing than he does about F1."

McLaren is switching to Mercedes power for 2021, so retreating from the fray over the 'pink Mercedes' affair could be because of that.

Indeed, Ferrari's Mattia Binotto says Mercedes is more than implicated in the saga.

"The violation is like copying homework," he told Sky Italia. "There are those who copy and those who pass it on."

Binotto added: "This is just the beginning. (Lawrence) Stroll and Wolff may be angry, but there was an injury of the regulations here."

Red Bull's Christian Horner agrees: "If the team in question are guilty of receiving, surely the team that has provided has been also in breach of the regulations."

Wolff says Mercedes will not shy away from the fight.

"We are happy to go to court," he insists.

"We have not been protested, we have done nothing wrong. I strongly believe Racing Point have done nothing wrong.

"I believe if it goes to the international court of appeal, the lawyers have a strong opinion that this is a case that has very solid pillars," Wolff added.

"Our reputation is important but it is intact."

(GMM)
When Education Minister Norma Foley announced her long-awaited plan to reopen schools, principals and boards of management were given less than four weeks to put that plan into action.

Individual classes, they were told, would form bubbles which should be kept separate from other classes in the school. Within those bubbles, children would join pods, which should be spaced at least one metre apart and kept as small as possible. Physical distancing would be achieved with a combination of increased separation and decreased interaction.

The good news was there was a 375m support package to help reconfigure classrooms and an additional 1,080 teaching posts coming on stream at post-primary level.

"We have worked extremely hard to develop plans that not only provide certainty to schools as to what they need to do, but that are meaningful, practical and realistic," said Ms Foley.

But, just how practical and realistic are the Government's plans? The average class size in Ireland is 25 compared to an EU average of 20, but that figure does not tell the full story.

Last year, 20pc of students in primary schools were in classes of 30 pupils or more while 45pc of primary schools had at least one classroom with 30 or more. The record for the largest class in the country is jointly held by three schools - two in Galway and one in Donegal - which boast 42 pupils.

Meanwhile, the shortage of teachers in Ireland, particularly at second level, is so bad that 7,000 unregistered or unqualified individuals were drafted in to fill short-term absences last year.

How are schools, where children are packed in like sardines, supposed to achieve the distancing recommended by the National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet) in the four-week time frame supplied by the Government?

When the Minister announced her plan on July 27, she said she "did not envision any delays" to schools reopening. Was she aware that schools are obliged to engage in a tendering process for building work or that prefabs require planning permission, a process which takes at least six months - if schools can even find a prefab given there is a shortage at the moment? Does Ms Foley know how schools can be assigned, interview and hire new teachers before the term starts?

According to the European Centre for Disease Control (ECDC), children have comprised less than 5pc of cases of Covid-19 in Europe and children are more likely to have a mild or asymptomatic infection. However, the ECDC has also recently noted that "when symptomatic, children shed virus in similar quantities to adults and can infect others in a similar way to adults", while it is "unknown how infectious asymptomatic children are".

Cases of Covid among children, in Europe and elsewhere, have been low, but that could partly be due to schools being closed for most of the year. We have already seen outbreaks in other countries once children returned to school. Most infamously, within days of schools reopening in Israel, hundreds of students, teachers and relatives were infected.

Yesterday, in this country, a creche in Meath closed after five cases of Covid were confirmed among two staff and three children. Damningly, it took nearly one week for some children, close contacts of confirmed cases, to be tested.

This is not the only delay with testing that has been reported recently. Two of the meat plants at the centre of the outbreak in the midlands paid private companies to "expedite" tests for their employees rather than rely solely on the HSE.

Five months into this crisis, why is our testing capacity not up to scratch? If the HSE cannot test a few children in a creche in less than a week, what hope does it have of managing the additional pressure that will arise from any surge in cases once one-million pupils return to school?

If there is an outbreak in any of those schools, a one-week delay in testing, as occurred in Meath, will see vast swathes of the country back in lockdown.

There are some who view concerns raised by teachers and parents, about a badly managed return to school, as scaremongering. They point to countries like Denmark where children have been back to school for months. What they rarely mention is that entire classes in Denmark have a maximum of 14 children.

Speaking in July, Tanaiste Leo Varadkar said it would "reflect badly" on the Government if schools did not reopen at the end of this month and said he had "no doubt" teachers would "rise to the challenge". However, the successful reopening of schools is not the responsibility of teachers. They cannot build prefabs or do the construction work that is required to make buildings safe. They cannot conjure up additional rooms or replicate themselves to create additional teachers. That is all the responsibility of Government.

When schools closed, on March 12, there were just 70 confirmed cases of Covid in the country. On Saturday alone, 174 new cases were confirmed. While the majority of these cases are in just three counties, cases are increasing across the country.

In the US, a decision to reopen schools in areas where coronavirus continues to rage has been linked to a 40pc increase in cases among children - 100,000 children tested positive for coronavirus in the last two weeks of July alone.

More important than schools reopening by an arbitrary deadline, is that they reopen safely. To do so, community transmission should be negligible and schools must have the resources they need in place on day one.

With the government spending 25,000 per day on the Convention Centre to ensure TDs remain socially distanced at work, they can hardly blame teachers and students for wanting the same thing at a fraction of that cost.
- The virus was found on the outer packaging of the frozen seafood bought by three companies in Yantai

- The seafood was from an imported shipment that landed at Dalian in China

- Authorities said some of the seafood the three Yantai companies bought had been processed for export

- The rest had been kept in cold storage and had not entered the market

Traces of the novel coronavirus have been found on the packaging of imported frozen seafood in China.

Local authorities said the virus was found on the outer packaging of the frozen seafood bought by three companies in Yantai, a port city in eastern Shandong province.

READ ALSO: Opinion: Uhuru Kenyattas slum hospital project more than a life-saver for urban poor

The virus was found on the outer packaging of the frozen seafood.

Source: Getty Images

READ ALSO: John McAfee: Tech guru reportedly arrested for wearing thong instead of face mask

A report by Indian Express showed the Yantai city government said in a statement the seafood was from an imported shipment that landed at Dalian but did not say where it originated from.

This is not the first time the authorities are finding the virus on packaging.

In July 2020, customs officers in Dalian, a major port in the northeastern province of Liaoning, found the coronavirus in the packaging of frozen shrimps imported from Ecuador.

READ ALSO: Kisii family seeks help to treat bedridden kin who survived tragic accident 2 years ago

China then suspended imports from three Ecuadorean shrimp producers.

The Yantai government said some of the seafood the three Yantai companies bought had been processed for export while the rest had been kept in cold storage and had not entered the market.

When asked if any of the processed seafood had been exported, a member of staff at a coronavirus outbreak response unit in Yantai is reported to have declined to elaborate.

READ ALSO: Kenyans build house for 75-year-old man living in slums with sick daughter, 5 grandchildren

Authorities had sealed off the goods, the city government said.

It said everyone who handled the goods was under quarantine and had tested negative for the coronavirus.

The latest outbreak of coronavirus in Dalian city started in late July, with the first case working at a seafood processing company.

READ ALSO: Former Garsen MP Danson Mungatana arrested in a Nairobi hotel

Facing global criticism for its initial mishandling of the virus, Chinese authorities for months waged a propaganda campaign to highlight their successes in taming the virus.

The propaganda was also to deflect blame for the pandemic to outsiders.

They cast foreigners as public health risks, sowed doubt about the origins of the virus and pushed an unfounded conspiracy theory that the US military had deliberately brought the virus to China.

Do you have a groundbreaking story you would like us to publish? Please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690. Contact Tuko.co.ke instantly

Source: TUKO.co.ke
Skeptics of the notion that the coronavirus spreads through the air  including many expert advisers to the World Health Organization  have held out for one missing piece of evidence: proof that floating respiratory droplets called aerosols contain live virus and not just fragments of genetic material.

Now a team of virologists and aerosol scientists has produced exactly that: confirmation of infectious virus in the air.

This is what people have been clamoring for, said Linsey Marr, an expert in airborne spread of viruses who was not involved in the work. Its unambiguous evidence that there is infectious virus in aerosols.

A research team at the University of Florida succeeded in isolating live virus from aerosols collected at a distance of seven to 16 feet from patients hospitalized with COVID-19  farther than the 6 feet recommended in social distancing guidelines.

The findings, posted online last week, have not yet been vetted by peer review but have already caused something of a stir among scientists. If this isnt a smoking gun, then I dont know what is, Marr tweeted last week.

But some experts said it still was not clear that the amount of virus recovered was sufficient to cause infection.

The research was exacting. Aerosols are minute by definition, measuring only up to 5 micrometers across; evaporation can make them even smaller. Attempts to capture these delicate droplets usually damage the virus they contain.

Its very hard to sample biological material from the air and have it be viable, said Shelly Miller, an environmental engineer at the University of Colorado Boulder who studies air quality and airborne diseases.

We have to be clever about sampling biological material so that it is more similar to how you might inhale it.

Previous attempts were stymied at one step or another in the process. For example, one team tried using a rotating drum to suspend aerosols and showed that the virus remained infectious for up to three hours. But critics argued that those conditions were experimental and unrealistic.

Other scientists used gelatin filters or plastic or glass tubes to collect aerosols over time. But the force of the air shrank the aerosols and sheared the virus. Another group succeeded in isolating live virus but did not show that the isolated virus could infect cells.

In the new study, researchers devised a sampler that uses pure water vapor to enlarge the aerosols enough that they can be collected easily from the air. Rather than leave these aerosols sitting, the equipment immediately transfers them into a liquid rich with salts, sugar and protein, which preserves the pathogen.

Im impressed, said Robyn Schofield, an atmospheric chemist at Melbourne University in Australia, who measures aerosols over the ocean. Its a very clever measurement technique.

As editor of the journal Atmospheric Measurement Techniques, Schofield is familiar with the options available but said she had not seen any that could match the new one.

The researchers had previously used this method to sample air from hospital rooms. But in those attempts, other floating respiratory viruses grew faster, making it difficult to isolate the coronavirus.

This time, the team collected air samples from a room in a ward dedicated to COVID-19 patients at the University of Florida Health Shands Hospital. Neither patient in the room was subject to medical procedures known to generate aerosols, which the WHO and others have contended are the primary source of airborne virus in a hospital setting.

The team used two samplers, one about 7 feet from the patients and the other about 16 feet from them. The scientists were able to collect virus at both distances and then to show that the virus they had plucked from the air could infect cells in a lab dish.

The genome sequence of the isolated virus was identical to that from a swab of a newly admitted symptomatic patient in the room.

The room had six air changes per hour and was fitted with efficient filters, ultraviolet irradiation and other safety measures to inactivate the virus before the air was reintroduced into the room.

That may explain why the researchers found only 74 virus particles per liter of air, said John Lednicky, the teams lead virologist at the University of Florida. Indoor spaces without good ventilation  such as schools  might accumulate much more airborne virus, he said.

But other experts said it was difficult to extrapolate from the findings to estimate an individuals infection risk.

Im just not sure that these numbers are high enough to cause an infection in somebody, said Angela Rasmussen, a virologist at Columbia University in New York.

The only conclusion I can take from this paper is you can culture viable virus out of the air, she said. But thats not a small thing.

Several experts noted that the distance at which the team found virus is much farther than the 6 feet recommended for physical distancing.

We know that indoors, those distance rules dont matter anymore, Schofield said. It takes about five minutes for small aerosols to traverse the room even in still air, she added.

The 6-foot minimum is misleading, because people think they are protected indoors and theyre really not, she said.

That recommendation was based on the notion that large ballistic cannonball-type droplets were the only vehicles for the virus, Marr said. The more distance people can maintain, the better, she added.

The findings should also push people to heed precautions for airborne transmission like improved ventilation, said Seema Lakdawala, a respiratory virus expert at the University of Pittsburgh.

We all know that this virus can transmit by all these modes, but were only focusing on a small subset, Lakdawala said.

She and other experts noted one strange aspect of the new study. The team reported finding just as much viral RNA as they did infectious virus, but other methods generally found about 100-fold more genetic matter.

When you do nasal swabs or clinical samples, there is a lot more RNA than infectious virus, Lakdawala said.

Lednicky has received emails and phone calls from researchers worldwide asking about that finding. He said he would check his numbers again to be sure.

But ultimately, he added, the exact figures may not matter. We can grow the virus from air  I think that should be the important take-home lesson, he said.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
Belarus on Wednesday confirmed the death of a jailed protester after police violently cracked down on demonstrations over disputed presidential polls.

The riot police have arrested thousands in street clashes across the country after long-serving leader Alexander Lukashenko claimed a landslide victory in Sunday polls.

The strongman's opponents accuse him of rigging the election where his main rival was a massively popular opposition candidate, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya.

The Belarusian Investigative Committee said in a statement that a 25-year-old man died after he was detained on Sunday in the southeastern city of Gomel and sentenced to 10 days in prison for taking part in illegal protests.

Investigators said the cause of death was unclear, while Radio Free Europe/ Radio Liberty earlier quoted the man's mother as saying he had heart problems and was held for hours in a police van.

Previously police said one protester died when an explosive device went off in his hand on Monday.

The latest death came as opposition protesters took to the streets to condemn police violence.

In Minsk, several hundred women joined hands to form a human chain, many wearing white and holding flowers.

"The riot police are beating up people, brutally beating them, and all we can do is come out for such a peaceful protest," said one protester, 29-year-old Darya, who works in advertising.

Western governments condemned the ongoing violence.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet accused Belarus of deploying "unnecessary and excessive force."

French President Emmanuel Macron said he was "very worried" by the violence while US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urged the European Union to "take action," saying: "We want the people of Belarus to have the freedoms that they are demanding."

EU foreign ministers are set to discuss Belarus at an extraordinary meeting on Friday.

- 'Criminal past' -

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Lukashenko on Wednesday dismissed the demonstrators as "people with a criminal past who are now unemployed" and told them to get jobs.

State television aired footage of detained young protesters with bloodied and bruised faces being asked if they wanted a "revolution".

Police on Wednesday evening readied for fresh protests, preventing pedestrians and vehicles entering central streets in Minsk while metro stations were closed, AFP journalists said.

The protests broke out after authorities said Lukashenko, who has been in power since 1994, won 80 percent of the vote in Sunday's polls.

Tuesday night saw smaller numbers on the streets than on previous days, after police cordoned off city centres and limited transport.

The interior ministry said protesters gathered in 25 cities and towns around the country and that more than 1,000 people were detained.

That brought the number of detentions to more than 6,000 after three days of protests.

In Minsk, protesters and witnesses said riot police used indiscriminate force against those gathered in various suburbs, firing stun grenades and rubber bullets.

Police acknowledged opening fire on demonstrators and wounding one in the southwestern city of Brest on the Polish border.

They said the protesters were armed with metal bars and ignored warning shots.

- Tikhanovskaya 'recovering' -

The protest movement arose in support of Tikhanovskaya, a 37-year-old political novice who ran for president after potential opposition candidates including her husband were jailed.

The official results gave her 10 percent of the popular vote but Tikhanovskaya said the election was rigged and claimed victory, demanding that Lukashenko hand over power.

She left Belarus for neighbouring Lithuania on Tuesday as allies said she came under official pressure.

Tikhanovskaya "is recovering from this stress... and feels better," Lithuanian Foreign Minister Linas Linkevicius told Russia's Echo of Moscow radio station.

"She herself will say what her future plans are."

- 'Scariest night' -

Protesters said Tuesday night's crackdown in Minsk was especially violent, with videos released on social media showing police kicking protesters lying prone on the ground, smashing cars with truncheons and assaulting passers-by.

Oleg Gulak, the head of the Belarusian Helsinki Committee rights group, said he was "stunned by the unprecedented level of cruelty and violence" used against protesters.

"Last night was the scariest night in Belarus's modern history," he said.

On Wednesday, hundreds of people gathered outside a pre-trial detention centre in Minsk in an effort to learn about the fate of missing family members.

One woman, 25-year-old Viktoria, wept as she said that police had grabbed her husband on the street.

"He just had time to say 'for what?' before they grabbed his arms, twisted them behind his back and took him to a police van," she said.

video-tk-am/pvh
Unemployment and education are the most pressing problems for young Ghanaians, according to the most recent Afrobarometer survey.



Its findings released on International Youth Day show that these are the problems young Ghanaians want to be addressed by the state.



The survey asked adults of all ages to cite the most important problems they want the government to address, and, infrastructure and roads were the most frequently cited priority mentioned by 59% of respondents followed by unemployment (39%) and education (38%).



But when narrowed down to Ghanaians between the ages of 18 and 35, unemployment and education were their main concerns.



Young adults are 14 and 5 percentage points, respectively, more likely than seniors to cite unemployment and education as their top priorities.



Six in 10 Ghanaians said they somewhat support or strongly support higher taxes to fund programs to help the youth.



In addition, 59 percent of respondents said job creation would be the highest priority if the government could increase its spending to help the youth.



Despite the concern for youth, a majority of Ghanaians think it is more important to listen to the wisdom of the elders than to the fresh ideas of the young.



An adjacent Afrobarometer survey noted that the youth are no less interested in politics than their elders.



It noted that only 36 percent of Ghanaians agree with the idea that in order for our country to do well, we should listen more to fresh ideas from young people.



Instead, 54 percent say that we should listen more to the wisdom of our elders, including 40 percent who agree very strongly with this view.



The need to pay more attention to the youth is a minority view across key sociodemographic groups  even among youth themselves (38%). Men (40%) and respondents with post-secondary education (40%) are somewhat more likely to emphasize listening to youth than are women (32%) and citizens without formal education (30%), the survey noted.



The youth are, however, less likely than older citizens to have attended a community meeting.



Of the youth surveyed, 43 percent said they had attended a community meeting, 39 percent said they had contacted leaders during the previous 12 months.



Find the full survey here.

Source: citinewsroom.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
Violence in Sudan's Western Darfur forces 2,500 into Chad: UN refugee agency

11 August 2020 - Recent clashes in Sudan's Western Darfur region has driven more than 2,500 people across the border into neighbouring Chad, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) has reported.

According to UNHCR, more than 80 per cent of those arriving in the Chadian border town of Adre are women, children and elderly  many of whom have witnessed extreme violence.

Attacks, said to have been carried out by armed nomads in the town of Masteri in Western Darfur, killed 61 people from the Masalit ethnic community and injured at least 88 on 25 July. Houses were also reported to have been burned to the ground in the town and the surrounding villages.

"A 25-year-old woman told UNHCR staff that her husband was stabbed to death in front of her eyes and she had to run for her life with her three children, making the journey to Chad riding a donkey for one full day", Babar Baloch, a spokesperson for the agency said at Tuesday's regular media briefing, in Geneva.

About 20,000 affected within Sudan

In addition to those who fled into Chad, an estimated 20,000 people within Western Darfur in Sudan have been affected by the unrest  the majority of whom are women and children.

Mr. Baloch said that the situation has stabilized since the attacks but "remains unpredictable" and those displaced are still hesitant to return home and are demanding better security.

Federal authorities in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, have reportedly deployed additional forces to control and calm the situation. A delegation from the Masalit community and Arab tribal leaders arrived in El Geneina, the capital of Western Darfur, from Khartoum on 4 August and is conducting peace talks between both sides, added the UNHCR spokesperson.

Response hit by heavy rains

In Chad, UNHCR, in collaboration with the Government and humanitarian partners, is relocating the refugees from the border areas to the Kouchaguine-Moura refugee camp further inland, where they will be provided with food, shelter, water and emergency relief items.

The camp will also provide access to hygiene and health, including isolation units, as part of the response to COVID-19, said Mr. Baloch.

The relocation, however, has been slow due to heavy rains and poor road conditions, with about 443 refugees arriving at the camp last week. The Kouchaguine-Moura camp is already hosting more than 6,000 Sudanese refugees who had arrived in February 2020.

Rains have also hampered efforts to assess the situation and organize a response to assist those affected in Sudan.

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By Ayya Lmahamad

The Central Bank of Azerbaijan and International Financial Corporation have signed an agreement under the project on Electronic and digital financial services in Azerbaijan, the banks press service reported on August 11.

The project envisages the creation of a regulatory framework for access to banking products and services, the development of a road map for the application of the open banking approach, the operation of the Instant Payment System, as well as access to banking products and services.

The joint cooperation aims to create a special regime of normative testing, which will allow banks and enterprises to test innovative financial services and products.

The project will develop financial services and payment systems in the country, increase access to digital financial services through more efficient and effective channels in remote areas with limited or no access to banking services, and thus contribute to the development of the digital payment ecosystem in the country.

It should be noted that comprehensive measures continue to be implemented in the direction of activities carried out by the Central Bank within the framework of the State Program on expansion of digital payments in the Azerbaijan for 2018-2020, approved by presidential decree on September, 2018.

One of the important innovations in this direction is introduction of new financial instruments for further expansion of the economys access to financial services within the cooperation of the Central Bank with international financial institutions.

Thus, International Finance Corporation is working to improve access to financial products and services, to increase access to financial resources in a more efficient and innovative way, and to improve financial inclusion through electronic and digital financial services.

It should be noted that the currency reserves of the Central Bank of Azerbaijan increased by 0.5 percent in July compared to June. As of July 30, the total currency reserves of the Central Bank amounted to $6 billion and 468.7 million, while at the end of June this figures was $6 billion and 436.3 million.

Additionally, the volume of strategic currency reserves of the State Oil Fund of Azerbaijan and the Central Bank have been increased. As of July 30, the volume of strategic currency reserves of State Oil Fund and Central Bank increased by 1.8 percent, or $5.4 billion, amounting to $51.53 billion. Some 87.4 percent of these reserves account for assets of the State Oil Fund.

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-- China's top legislature resolved the "vacancy" concern of the HKSAR LegCo by adopting a decision for the current LegCo to continue performing duties.

-- After Sept. 30, the sixth LegCo will continue performing duties for no less than a year until the seventh LegCo starts its four-year term.

-- HKSAR Chief Executive Carrie Lam said the decision demonstrates once again the care and support of the central government for the HKSAR.

BEIJING, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- Chinese lawmakers on Tuesday voted to adopt a decision for the sixth Legislative Council (LegCo) of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) to continue performing duties.

The decision was passed at the 21st session of the Standing Committee of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC), China's top legislature.

After Sept. 30, 2020, the sixth LegCo will continue performing duties for no less than a year until the term of the seventh LegCo starts. The term of the seventh LegCo will still be four years when it is formed in accordance with the law, according to the decision.

Li Zhanshu, chairman of the NPC Standing Committee, presides over the closing meeting of the 21st session of the 13th NPC Standing Committee at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 11, 2020. (Xinhua/Zhang Ling)

The decision came as Hong Kong is endeavoring to contain a fresh COVID-19 outbreak since July. Hong Kong's health authorities reported 33 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, including 15 infections with unknown sources, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the city to 4,181.

HKSAR Chief Executive Carrie Lam announced in late July to postpone the election of the seventh-term LegCo, which was originally scheduled for Sept. 6, 2020, for one year due to the epidemic.

On July 28, Carrie Lam submitted a report to the central government on matters concerning the postponement and asked the central government to request the NPC Standing Committee to make arrangements handling the vacancy of the LegCo incurred due to the postponement.

The State Council on Saturday presented a bill to Chinese lawmakers asking the NPC Standing Committee to make a decision for the sixth LegCo to continue operation.

Explaining the bill at the legislative session, Xia Baolong, head of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, said matters concerning the vacancy of the LegCo can only be resolved by the NPC Standing Committee at the constitutional level, as the HKSAR Chief Executive only has the power to postpone the election under the applicable law in the HKSAR.

The NPC Standing Committee has the power and duty to properly address constitutional issues arising from the implementation of the HKSAR Basic Law, according to Xia.

HKSAR Chief Executive Carrie Lam announces the postponement of the 2020 Legislative Council General Election of the HKSAR due to the current COVID-19 outbreak, July 31, 2020. (Xinhua/Li Gang)

NECESSARY, TIMELY MOVE

Addressing the closing meeting of the NPC Standing Committee session, Li Zhanshu, chairman of the NPC Standing Committee, said the decision has provided constitutional basis and legal guarantee for upholding the rule of law in Hong Kong and ensuring the normal governance of the HKSAR government and the orderly functioning of Hong Kong society.

In a statement supporting the NPC Standing Committee decision, the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office applauded the decision as "important" and "timely," and pledged to cooperate with relevant authorities in implementing the decision.

In a separate statement, the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR said the decision is in line with the Constitution and the HKSAR Basic Law and has unchallengeable legal authority.

It will minimize social instability and enable the society to focus on the most pressing task of curbing the COVID-19 epidemic, said the liaison office.

HKSAR Chief Executive Carrie Lam (R) meets with the president of the HKSAR Legislative Council Andrew Leung, on Aug. 11, 2020. (Xinhua)

"CARE AND SUPPORT"

Carrie Lam also expressed her gratitude to the NPC Standing Committee decision, saying it resolved the problem of a lacuna in the local legislature.

The decision also demonstrates once again the care and support of the central government for the HKSAR, Lam said.

The HKSAR government will publish in the gazette the decision and work to enable the sixth LegCo to resume operation, she said.

In a meeting with LegCo President Andrew Leung, Lam exchanged views with Leung on the resumption of operation of the LegCo.

Lam said the current epidemic situation in Hong Kong remains severe and various sectors have been hit hard. "I hope that under the continued leadership of Leung, LegCo members can set aside their differences and disputes, and rebuild mutual trust for the well-being of the Hong Kong residents," she said.

Chan Man-ki, founding president of the Small and Medium Law Firms Association of Hong Kong, said she fully supports the decision of the NPC Standing Committee as it gives top priority to the life and health of Hong Kong residents.

The decision also shows the resolve of the central authorities to fully support Hong Kong's anti-epidemic fight and safeguard Hong Kong's prosperity and stability, Chan said.
YEREVAN, AUGUST 12, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan says Armenia has the chance to appear in a state of overcoming in autumn as the coronavirus safety guidelines are showing results and the numbers are dropping.

Today we have a chance to be in an entirely different state in autumn, in a state of overcoming, regardless of what will be happening in the world. This is in case we learn to live with the coronavirus. This means one thing  an exclusive discipline of mask wearing. If we secure a proper level of mask wearing we can note that practically weve solved the coronavirus problem. If not, we will once again return to what we had in July, the PM said at a Cabinet meeting, referring to the high numbers of new infections during the previous month. However, even if that were to happen, the healthcare system is ready for it, he added.

Pashinyan said the healthcare sector has been supplemented with new capacities lately, which will help it be ready for various health issues regardless of the coronavirus.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan
Senator Kamala Harris is an historic pick to be Joe Bidens running mate, uniquely positioned to influence the Democratic presidential nominees policy initiatives on womens issues, civil rights, policing reform, and more.

Although Ms Harris hasnt even served a full term as the junior senator from her state, she boasts an impressive resume that mixes an extensive legal background with recent senatorial experience in the realms of national security and the federal judiciary.

And if Mr Biden wins in November, Ms Harris would be the first in several demographic categories.

Not only would she be the first woman vice president in US history  as the daughter of Jamaican and Indian immigrants, shed be both the first black vice president and the first Indian-American vice president in US history as well.

Policing reform

As one of just two black Democratic senators, Ms Harris was a chief author of the Senate version of a robust policing reform bill that went nowhere in Mitch McConnells Senate but passed in the Democratic-controlled House.

That bill, named for George Floyd, who died in May while being detained by police in Minneapolis, would fundamentally alter qualified immunity laws to make it easier to sue police and other government agencies for misconduct, a proposal the current administration vehemently opposes.

The Democrats' bill would also change the language of section 242 of title 18 of the US criminal code to make it easier to prosecute law enforcement officers for misconduct, another non-starter for Republicans.

Ms Harris bill would provide monetary incentives to state and local police departments to ban choke holds and no-knock warrants for drug cases.

The vice presidential nominees views on policing have evolved since her time as a prosecutor in San Francisco and later Californias attorney general, which she will once again need to address now that she is running alongside Mr Biden, renewing intense public scrutiny of her record.

As a Democratic presidential primary candidate, Ms Harris struggled to gain a foothold as progressives picked apart her pre-Senate legal career, arguing she was too harsh on non-violent criminals and too supportive of current policing practices.

Progressive sceptics of Ms Harris had plenty of fodder to work with.

If we take a show of hands of those who would like to see more police officers on the street, mine would shoot up, she wrote in her 2009 book Smart on Crime.

She added: Virtually all law-abiding citizens feel safer when they see officers walking a beat.

But that was 2009, and its directly at odds with the tone she has struck this summer after the deaths in police custody of Mr Floyd in Minneapolis, Breonna Taylor in Louisville, Rayshard Brooks in Atlanta, and several others.

It is status-quo thinking to believe that putting more police on the streets creates more safety. Thats wrong. Its just wrong, she told the New York Times in June.

But many of those same people who criticised her for her previous record on policing have suggested they have begun to see Ms Harris in a new, more favourable light after her response to the recent high-profile police killings of unarmed black people.

She has improved drastically on all justice & policing-related issues since she was last District Attorney in 2011, black rights activist Shaun King wrote on Twitter shortly after Mr Biden announced Ms Harris would be his VP, saying her selection was encouraging.

Mr Biden has taken heat for helping author the now-infamous 1994 crime bill that swelled the numbers of police in the US and shovelled billions of dollars into the expansion of the federal prison system.

That bill was bipartisan at the time and signed into law by a Democratic president, Bill Clinton, but has since tanked in popularity as liberal politicians came to the conclusion it disproportionately put minorities behind bars, often on non-violent charges.

Ms Harris recent track record could help counter any lingering doubt among Democratic voters wary of Mr Bidens past stances.

He would be smart to defer to her on hot-button issues for black Americans, such as criminal justice reform, given her demographic alignment with that community and his chequered history.

As a senator in 2018, she voted to pass the bipartisan First Step Act that reformed prison and sentencing systems and retroactively reduced the sentences of non-violent offenders, among other provisions.

But that bill was just a compromise of a compromise, Ms Harris said at the time it passed the Senate in 2018, and Congress must make far greater reforms  to right the wrongs that exist in our criminal justice system.

Foreign affairs and national security

Ms Harris is no novice on foreign affairs, serving for the better part of the last four years on the Senate Intelligence Committee, whose members receive exclusive access to top secret information about the US governments involvement around the world.

As vice president, the senator would play an important role in relationships with foreign nations, Amy Steigerwalt, a professor of political science at Georgia State University, predicted in remarks to The Independent.

While she has never directed US administrative policy on international relations  something Susan Rice, her top rival for the VP slot, boasted  her regular briefings on the intel panel should endow her with a vast and up-to-date breadth of knowledge about the intricacies of US foreign policy and operations.

Ms Harris has also demonstrated a willingness to look political opponents in the eye and challenge them directly.

Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh and Attorney General William Barr, two Trump appointees, sat through particularly memorable grillings by Ms Harris at Judiciary Committee hearings in 2018 and 2019.

The senators tough demeanour at those hearings is indicative of how she could confront hostile foreign leaders as Mr Bidens deputy abroad, Democratic strategists have suggested.

Lessons from Bidens vice presidency

For a blueprint of a Kamala Harris vice presidency, its appropriate to examine Mr Bidens own tenure in the role.

Like Ms Harris, Mr Biden was a senator. Unlike Ms Harris  who only arrived to the Capitol as a freshman in 2017  he had been there for decades before Barack Obama tapped him for the job in 2008.

Whereas Mr Bidens predecessor, Dick Cheney, operated in a semi-autonomous workspace separate from the Oval Office and had unprecedented control over a certain portfolio of issues such as Middle Eastern Affairs, Mr Biden was an essential adviser on virtually every one of Mr Obamas key decisions.

As chair of Mr Obamas presidential transition team, Mr Biden mined his vast network of DC connections to help Mr Obama  a relative newcomer to the capital  staff his administration, a long and daunting task whenever control of the White House flips from one party to the other.

He was an essential voice opposing the administrations surge of US troops to Afghanistan in 2009, a policy battle he ultimately lost to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who convinced Mr Obama of the plans prudence.

He served as the presidents liaison to the Senate on several key bills, including the sweeping 2010 health care overhaul known as Obamacare.

There were, of course, limits to Mr Bidens power as vice president. The six-term senators reputation as a good ol boy from the chambers bygone era of friendly bipartisanship could not bridge the vast divide between his boss and Mitch McConnell, the Republican leader in the Senate who vowed to make Mr Obama a one-term president by blocking his policy initiatives and political appointments at virtually every step.

The Obama presidency suffered from gridlock under divided government for six of Mr Obamas eight years in power.

Ms Harris, who has been one of the most progressive senators since arriving in Washington, isnt exactly known for her bipartisan record.

Electorally, that ideological purity as a lawmaker may not be a bad thing.

Ms Steigerwalt believes the choice of Ms Harris was meant to energise the Democratic base, not to convince independent swing voters to vote for a Biden-Harris ticket.

Those are the voters you really need to turn out, Ms Steigerwalt said.

Studies find that elections are not generally won by persuading a bunch of undecided voters, but rather by getting those who support you to actually go and cast their ballots, she said.
The IDA wants to identify at least five large-scale potential strategic sites near Cork city that could be used for major future foreign direct investment projects across sectors such as life sciences and data centres.

It's about to engage engineers to scour the area for greenfield sites, each of which will need to be between 50 and 100 hectares in size, it says.

The groundwork being laid for the future foreign direct investment (FDI) comes shortly after the Government was warned that the Covid pandemic, coupled with other geopolitical issues, will make it more difficult for Ireland to lure FDI investment at the kind of levels seen here in recent years.

Cork is already home to major pharmaceutical and tech companies such as Pfizer, Apple and GE Healthcare.

In the past 20 years, more than 2.4bn has been invested in Ringaskiddy alone via FDI.

"IDA Ireland's property division regularly undertakes engineering assessments to identify landbanks suitable for future development from an access, services, zoning and infrastructure perspective," said an IDA spokesperson.

They added the agency, whose chief executive is Martin Shanahan, currently has strategic sites in 12 regional locations across Ireland.

"In Cork, we have landbanks in Carrigtwohill East, in Kilbarry in Cork city and in Ringaskiddy of 53, 57.5 and 168 hectares respectively," added the spokesperson. "Two of the three, in Ringaskiddy and Carrigtwohill, are strategic sites."

The IDA is now planning to hire consultant engineers to identify new strategic sites and to develop initial masterplans for them.

"Upon successful completion of the site assessment and due diligence it will be necessary to complete a notional masterplan of the lands taking into consideration the site size, utility and infrastructure requirements of IDA client industries such as life science, biopharmaceutical, medical technology, data centres et cetera," the State agency has told prospective candidates tendering for the role.

They'll also be tasked with interviewing landowners and liaising with neighbouring land and property owners, local authorities, the Environmental Protection Agency and other relevant parties.

"A high-level capital cost of the required infrastructure to service the various sites is required," noted the IDA, which said that the sites must be close to Cork city and that local planners must be engaged to determine the zoning history of land parcels and the ability to rezone that land.

"The completion of engineering assessments is critical to understanding the landbanks available and infrastructural, services or other deficits that may need to be addressed," noted the IDA spokesperson.

They added: "It is a lengthy process, sometimes taking many years between suitable sites being identified, acquired and then purchased or leased by a company as it represents a heavy and long-term investment.

"The time can vary considerably, depending on the required infrastructure and services being in place and other variables. It is for that very reason that strategic planning takes place far ahead of time."
A school district in Camden County with a student dress code is adding a style directive for face coverings.

Masks worn by students in Winslow Township should be a solid color with no writings or designs, according to the K-12 districts reopening plan.

Whether to place restrictions on masks worn by students is among the issues facing school districts in New Jersey and across the nation as they prepare for a return to school buildings amid the coronavirus pandemic. New Jersey is requiring students, with some exceptions, to wear masks at all times.
For months Gov. Phil Murphy has asked, implored and even begged people to wear masks, keep their distance from one another and not gather in large numbers as the state battles the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

People dont appear to be listening as police across the state continue to break up large parties, including two more on Sunday. The good news is that the parties  so far  havent led to a large spike in hospitalizations or deaths. Officials continue to be concerned about spikes and Murphy continues to voice his displeasure with violators  or knuckleheads as he often calls them.
Lebanon has recorded a surge in new coronavirus infections that health officials warn could worsen with hospitals still reeling from last weeks explosion in Beirut.

On Tuesday, the Health Ministry confirmed a record 309 new cases and seven deaths, bringing the countrys total to 7,121 cases and 87 deaths. Health Minister Hamad Hassan has warned the rate of infection is likely to increase in the coming days.

The small Mediterranean country has reported a relatively low number of cases compared to its neighbors, but a spike in cases in late July prompted officials to reimpose restrictions on bars, places of worship, nightclubs and other venues. The aftermath of the blast will only compound the COVID-19 threat, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in an Aug. 10 report.

The emergency in Beirut has caused many COVID-19 precautionary measures to be relaxed, raising the prospects of even higher transmission rates and a large caseload in the coming weeks, said OCHA.

Until basic services can be restored, the agency warned the roughly 300,000 people made homeless by the explosion will have limited access to sanitation and hygiene supplies.

OCHA said at least 15 medical facilities, including three major hospitals, sustained partial or heavy structural damage during the blast. In addition to treating the thousands injured in the explosion, those hospitals still functioning were further squeezed by an influx of patients injured in the anti-government protests that followed the explosion.

Hospitals were already running low on personal protective equipment, and many of the shipping containers carrying hundreds of thousands of masks, gloves and gowns were destroyed in the blast. Rona Halabi, spokeswoman for the International Committee of the Red Cross, told Agence France-Presse that Beiruts hospitals used two months' worth of supplies on the night of the explosion.

Firass Abiad, director general of Beiruts Rafic Hariri University Hospital, the main public hospital battling the disease, tweeted Thursday that coronavirus safety measures were unfortunately but understandably not adhered to during the chaos.

That will not have helped, he said. COVID-19, on the rise, will be more difficult to contain after what has happened. The tolerance of people to lock down is at a minimum.
Liberia's Vice President Jewel Howard-Taylor has been flown to Accra, Ghana for medical treatment after suffering respiratory complications from Covid-19.

RFI has learned that Howard-Taylor tested positive for coronavirus, according a government official who wanted to remain anonymous.

The vice president was initially admitted to the privately run Aspen Medical Facility within the Sinkor neighborhood in Monrovia, on 7 August and was undergoing treatment for respiratory complications, according to a release provided by her office.

She was flown to Ghana for treatment based on her doctors' advice.

Having favorably responded to treatment and the state of her health stabilized, it was advised that the Vice President seeks further medical attention at a more advanced facility with specialty in the diagnosis and treatment of respiratory ailments, said the release.

Howard-Taylor was among several public officials, including President George Weah, who paid tribute to the late Representative Munah E. Pelham Youngblood on the grounds of the legislature that same Friday, 7 August.

The late PelhamYoungblood who represented Montserrado County District#9 prior to her death, died in Accra, Ghana while undergoing medical treatment following a long illness.

Linked to Covid-19

Previously there was some dispute over Howard-Taylor's test results. The government-run Liberia News Agency (LINA) initially speculated that the vice president had allegedly tested positive of Covid-19.

However, following public outcry, LINA apologized to the general public for the inaccuracy of the report.

LINA therefore apologizes to the general public for the inaccuracy of the report which was a result of an inadvertent crack in the editorial review mechanism of the Agency, it wrote.

It has now been revealed that she tested positive for Covid-19.

Continuing decline in Liberias health sector

In the wake of a continuing decline in the countrys health sector, many in the country are disenchanted over the low budgetary allotment for healthcare.

Story continues

Bendu Massaray, 56, is among many Liberians who are upset about the constant stream of public officials flying abroad for medical treatment.

We suffered to pay our taxes, and through the taxes we pay those officials. Instead of them fixing the challenge facing the health sector, they are using resources to go abroad, she says.

Since the end of the countrys civil war in 2003, not much attention has been given to the health sector by the past and present governments, she adds.

This is Liberia, go and see public hospitals, says Massaray, indignant. At times you go and there is no medicine, some of the nurses there are not motivated-- the needed care is no longer provided for us, the poor, she says.

Petit trader Oujuku Acquoi spoke to RFI in central Monrovia, and says the government has failed to meet its international commitment of allotting 15% of its national budget to the health sector.

He is referring to the 2001 African Union conference in Abuja, Nigeria, where member states pledged to increase their health budget to at least 15% of their respective national budget and requested western donor countries to increase their support.

Ojuku is angry that many healthcare centers in the country are gradually turning into prescription clinics due to limited supply of essential medical materials.

He says if nothing is done urgently, a breakdown of vital health services is likely.

Liberia's health authorities are currently reviewing the sector and are expected to report findings in ten days to readjust existing health protocols and give the response budget to President Weah.
Supporters and protesters gather outside Godspeak Calvary Chapel in Newbury Park where Pastor Rob McCoy defied a court order and held indoor services Sunday. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)

A judge on Tuesday declined to order the immediate closure of a Ventura County church that has been holding indoor worship services in defiance of coronavirus-related health orders and despite a court order barring it from doing so.

The county had asked Judge Vincent O'Neill to hold Rob McCoy, pastor of Godspeak Calvary Chapel in Newbury Park, in contempt of court and direct the Sheriffs Office to close the church.

O'Neill denied the county's request to shut the church but scheduled a hearing on the contempt claim for Aug. 21.

Tuesday's hearing was the latest in the legal battle between the county and McCoy, a former Thousand Oaks City Council member who resigned his seat in April after Gov. Gavin Newsom deemed churches nonessential under health orders issued in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

While outdoor or virtual services are permitted, Godspeak has held indoor services without masks or social distancing every Sunday since May 31.

Health officials have repeatedly warned that large gatherings, particularly those held indoors, heighten the risk of spreading the coronavirus  which as of Tuesday had infected a total of 8,740 Ventura County residents and killed 93.

Ventura County health authorities took Godspeak and McCoy to court last week, alleging that the churchs actions will cause and continue to cause great and irreparable injury to the general public ... including hospitalizations and deaths, which in turn is likely to result in continued and further restrictions on businesses and other operations and activities.

McCoy, though, has said hes being unfairly targeted.

We would be the first to be masked and distanced, and willingly so, if this were meriting it, and it doesnt. This isnt a health issue; its an ideological issue, he said.

This past weekend, minor scuffles broke out between protesters and supporters outside the church.

Ventura County Superior Court Judge Matthew Guasco granted a temporary restraining order against Godspeak and McCoy on Friday, forbidding the churchs indoor services and demanding compliance with state and local health orders.

Story continues

That order will remain in effect until Aug. 31.

Tuesday's hearing was held before ONeill, not Guasco, after attorneys for the church filed a challenge to request that a different judge hear the matter.

Under California law, such a challenge can generally be made once without showing any cause.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Ukraine is ready to be the main partner of the North Atlantic Alliance to ensure security in the Black Sea.

Vice Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine Olha Stefanishyna said this at a meeting with British Ambassador to Ukraine Melinda Simmons on August 11, the Vice Prime Minister's Office reported on Facebook.

As part of NATOs Enhanced Opportunities Partner (EOP), which Ukraine recently joined, we hope to intensify our common efforts to ensure security in the Black Sea region and to work closely together to overcome hybrid threats, she said.

The following issues were discussed at the meeting: progress and further steps to agree on the provisions of the Agreement on Political Cooperation, Free Trade and Partnership between Ukraine and the United Kingdom; participation of Ukraine in the European Green Deal; the importance of ecologically friendly and responsible attitude to the environment and economic recovery after the coronavirus crisis; implementation of the Annual National Program led by the NATO-Ukraine Commission, deepening cooperation within the framework of the NATO-Ukraine Platform on Combating Hybrid Warfare; agenda in achieving gender equality, combating domestic violence, in particular the importance of information work.

Stefanishyna also thanked for the constant increase in the volume of technical assistance provided by the UK government s to Ukraine in order to support economic reforms, security, and overcome the consequences of the Russian aggression in Donbas, as well as for humanitarian and educational projects.

ish
Emperor Gabriel Ogbonna

A human rights lawyer based in Abia State, Emperor Gabriel Ogbonna, is being held in the custody of the Department of State Service for three months now despite court rulings ordering his release.

SaharaReporters gathered that Ogbonna was being detained and tortured by the DSS over comments against President Muhammadu Buhari on his Facebook page.

Torture of detainees by law enforcement agents is a clear violation of Section 36 of the Nigerian constitution, which guarantees an individuals right to a fair hearing as spelt out by the Administration of Criminal Justice Act signed into law in 2015.

The 2017 Anti-torture Act also forbids security forces from obtaining information by force.

Ogbonna was arrested on March 24, 2020 by over 20 police officers in company with Chief of Staff to Abia Governor, Tony Agbazuere, and former Commissioner of Police, Ene Okon, in his office for making some critical comments about Buhari and the governor via his Facebook page.

He was subsequently arraigned for cybercrime and publishing false and threatening messages through the Internet against Governor Ikpeazu at a magistrates court in Umuahia.

However, because the Magistrate court lacked jurisdiction to hear the case, he was remanded at a correctional facility until April 28 when he was arraigned before the Federal High Court in Umuahia and was granted bail.

Ogbonna was, however, rearrested by DSS operatives on his way out of the correctional facility in Umuahia on the same day despite perfecting the bail conditions.

SaharaReporters learnt that the DSS moved the lawyer to its office in the state and subsequently its headquarters in Abuja where he has been in custody despite calls for his immediate release from several local and international human rights organisations including Amnesty International in Nigeria.

In some of the charges brought against him at the Federal High Court in Abuja and seen by SaharaReporters, the legal practitioner was accused of describing Nigeria as an Islamic Republic.

In some of the charges filed by Abubakar Musa, Senior State Counsel, Department of Public Prosecutions of the Federation and Ministry Of Justice, Ogbonna was accused of publishing materials for the purpose of insulting and causing hatred, ill-will against President Buhari.

Part of the charges read, That you Emperor Gabriel Ogbonna between February and March 2020 within the jurisdiction of this honourable court through your Facebook page published materials you know to be false for the purpose of insulting and causing hatred, ill-will against the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Commander-in-Chief.

My Lord, the summary of this case is that following a petition by the Centre for Peace and Unity against the defendant alleging him of plots to destabilize the country, investigation was launched. In the course of the investigation, it was revealed that between February and March 2020, the defendant made several posts on his Facebook page that are racial/xenophobic in nature and are inimical to the corporate existence of Nigeria.

The defendant made the posts inciting the Igbos against the Fulani and Northern Nigerians. The defendant in some of the posts called on Igbos to secede from the country.

My Lord, intelligence revealed reasonable suspicion of the defendant subtly pushing for the agenda of proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra. The defendant has made a voluntary confession.

My Lord, during the trial, the prosecution shall lead evidence to prove the guilt of the defendant based on credible and undisputed facts.

***

Source: SaharaReporters
Singapore:

Oil soared on Monday following a landmark deal by Russia and other non-OPEC producers to join the cartel in capping output, in a bid to end a stubborn global glut that has hammered prices.

In a bid to reverse a dramatic fall in income, Russia and 10 other non-OPEC states on Saturday said they will reduce their production by more than half a million barrels per day (bpd), the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries announced.

The move marks the first time non-OPEC members have reached an agreement since 2001, and follows a similar agreement by OPEC last month.

OPEC members had agreed to collectively reduce output by 1.2 million bpd beginning in January.

At about 07300 IST, US benchmark West Texas Intermediate for January was up USD 2.28 at USD 53.78 while Brent crude was up USD 2.29 at USD 56.62.

OPEC and non-OPECs signing of the production cut agreement over the weekend was clearly the catalyst, overlooking Saudi Arabias record high production in November, said OANDA senior analyst Jeffrey Halley.

OPEC kingpin Saudi Arabia also announced at the weekend that it will slash production beyond what was previously agreed in Vienna by OPEC, providing an additional boost for prices.

The country is also preparing a partial flotation of its crown jewel in 2018, the state-owned oil company Saudi Aramco, and that certainly serves as an incentive for the oil giant, said IG market strategist Jingyi Pan.

Pan noted prices have hit their highest since February 2015 and any concerns about compliance have been put on a back burner.

Despite the spike, oil prices remain at about half their mid-2014 levels.

Also Read: Non-OPEC producers agree to cut output by 558,000 barrels/day

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A Nairobi-based Glovo delivery boda boda rider has pleaded guilty to falsely accusing two police officers of stealing his pizza, cash and booze.

Wycliffe Wafula Juma had on July 7, 2020, recorded a statement at Langata Police station claiming that Constables Shadrack Oginda and Nelson Muguna stole Sh8,700, two pizzas, three bottles of Gilbeys Gin, motorcycle insurance cover and driving license on July 6, 2020.

Wafula made the allegations after he was arrested near Karen Interchange alongside a motorist who had delivered illicit liquor from Malaba. He was released on police bail but later made the false allegations against the officers.

Appearing before the Kibera Chief Magistrate Joyce Gandani on August 11, Wafula, who had previously denied any wrongdoing on July 24, 2020, admitted to having given false information to a police officer.

The accused also admitted to being in possession of 30 litres of changaa packed in six plastic sachets of five litres each.

In her ruling, Magistrate Gandani sentenced Wafula to three months in jail; two months for lying to a police officer and one month for possession of alcoholic drink that does not conform to the prescribed standards of distillation and packing regulations.

The court further gave the accused the option of paying a fine; Sh10,000 for giving false information to police and Sh5,000 for possession of illicit liquor.
Jamien Richardson moves a tray of seedlings in a crop house at Spear Spring Farm on May 28, 2020 in Warren, Maine. (Robert F. Bukaty/AP Photo)

USDA Expands Aid to US Farmers, Specialty Crop Producers

Producer federation warns some farmers may not know aid is available

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced Tuesday that the federal government will help support American farmers and specialty producers by expanding the number of commodities covered by the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP). The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is also extending the deadline for applications to the program from Aug. 28 to Sept. 11.

The CFAP system was introduced to aid agricultural producers that had been directly affected by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus crisis. According to the USDA, the program supports farmers who suffered a decline in prices of five percent or more or who experienced losses due to disruptions in supply chains, thus facing significantly higher marketing costs.

.@USDA announced additional Coronavirus Food Assistance Program commodities, extended the deadline to Sept. 11 and producers with approved applications will soon receive their final payment. https://t.co/mbEsyMTLOq #CFAP pic.twitter.com/B0bYQUU59K  Farmers.gov (@FarmersGov) August 11, 2020

President Trump is standing with Americas farmers and ranchers to ensure they get through this pandemic and continue to produce enough food and fiber to feed America and the world, Perdue said in a statement. That is why he authorized this $16 billion of direct support in the CFAP program and today we are pleased to add additional commodities eligible to receive much needed assistance.

Additional Commodities, Specialty Producers

Throughout the month of June, the USDA collected comments and supporting data to aid in the selection of additional commodities for inclusion in the CFAP program.

New additions to the program include specialty crops of well-known foods such as bananas, dates, horseradish, maple syrup, and parsley, while more exotic additions included malanga, a high-fiber root vegetable, and dragon fruit or pitaya from a cactus species, which has a taste and texture somewhat similar to kiwifruit.

CFAP is just one of the many ways @USDA is helping producers weather the impacts of the pandemic. From deferring payments on loans to adding flexibilities to crop insurance and reporting deadlines, USDA has been leveraging many tools to help producers. https://t.co/Tmwbz1WtGR  Sec. Sonny Perdue (@SecretarySonny) August 11, 2020

Non-specialty foods and livestock were also added to the list in the form of liquid and frozen eggs and all sheep. Before now, only lambs and yearling sheep had been eligible.

Producers of aquaculture products such as catfish and largemouth bass sold live as food fish will also qualify for assistance, as well as a number of sportfish, including salmon and trout. Nursery crop farmers and producers of cut flowers may also receive assistance.

According to the USDA, seven commodities already on the listonions (green), pistachios, peppermint, spearmint, walnuts, and watermelonsare now eligible for funding for sales losses under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Stability (CARES) Act.

Pumpkins rest in a field at Councell Farms in Easton, Md., on Oct. 17, 2012. (Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images)

CFAP is just one of the many ways USDA is helping producers weather the impacts of the pandemic, Purdue said. He said the government had been helping farmers defer payments on loans, and making crop insurance and reporting deadlines more flexible.

Only Half of USDA Funding Paid Out

According to the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF), farm groups are applauding the action to extend the CFAP deadlinean issue the AFBF requested in a letter to the Department of Agriculture last week.

However, AFBF Chief Economist John Newton said he was concerned that farmers were not availing fully of the aid availableand that some farmers may not even know that assistance is available.

Through the first eight to nine weeks, weve seen only about $7 billion of the estimated $15.4 billion go out to producers, Newton said in an AFBF podcast. And in the case of specialty crop producers, at this point only about $300 million has been paid to those growers. So, I think they need more time to engage with FSA (Farm Service Agency), do a little bit more outreach, so that farmers across the country know that this critical support is available.
On March 3, I watched developing coverage of the first confirmed case of community-spread covid-19 in New York City. Ten days later I began to show symptoms of covid-19. I was hospitalized.

In the past five months Ive gone from journalist to patient to interview subject and back again. Along the way, I gained important insights about the ways journalists cover and interact with covid-19 patients.

When I tested positive for the virus, on March 17, I began sharing my story on Instagram. A few days after being discharged from the hospital, I shared my full account in a New York Times op-ed. I soon heard from CNN, NBC, and BuzzFeed, among other outlets, and I began connecting with covid-19 patients all over the world. In late March, I launched the Body Politic covid-19 Support Group with a colleague, friend, and fellow patient, which now provides resources and emotional support to thousands of people with covid-19.

In March and April, most stories about covid-19 patients focused on those with respiratory symptoms, particularly those who were on ventilators. While I too had been hospitalized for shortness of breath, I did not require intubation, though for a month after returning home I still struggled with a wide range of symptoms. Thanks to further medical research, and the efforts of journalists committed to understanding the diversity of covid-19 patient experiences, we now understand that the virus can affect nearly every system of the body, and that there are long haul patients, who remain sick for weeks and months after their initial symptom onset. But mainstream news coverage still tends to ignore some important issues, like patients mental health, medical bias, testing issues, and symptom relapse.

As media inquiries came in for my support group, I began to work as a liaison between the press and covid-19 patients, eventually setting up a free media training with glaad. As other patients followed a similar media trajectory to mine, posting viral tweet threads, appearing on CNN, and sometimes writing op-eds of their own, we traded both advice and warnings.

While many covid-19 patients deal with debilitating fatigue, many journalists seem unaware of this symptom and its impact on patients lives. After I was discharged from the hospital, I experienced daily fatigue, accompanied by splitting headaches and eye pain. Researchers have since drawn links between long-haul covid-19 symptoms and myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME), a complex chronic disease. People with ME and those who treat them often advocate for pacing, an energy-management technique that many covid-19 patients also utilize. During a recent BBC interview in which I appeared alongside Paul Garner, a tropical-disease specialist and covid-19 patient in my support group, Garner described needing to schedule rest before the interview in order to participate.

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Lauren Nichols, a thirty-two-year-old long-haul patient in Boston, finds spoon theory, a tactic similar to pacing, helpful in regulating her energy. Nichols says many reporters dont understand that shes conserving energy. She commends those who reach out in advance via email and warns against last-minute attempts to interview patients. You cant do that to someone whos dealing with symptoms, Nichols said. I might be on the toilet for the next four hours!

David Lat, who received early and frequent media attention after being placed on a ventilator in New York City at age forty-four, also recounts working around his symptoms while conducting interviews. My voice was pretty bad because of damage on my vocal cords from the ventilators, Lat said; he conducted one interview via direct messages on Twitter. Nichols also often prefers written interviews, explaining that there weremany times when I didnt have the energy to verbally communicate, but I did have the energy to write an email. Respecting patients time, understanding that some may need to cancel or reschedule appearances, and offering multiple methods of interviewing are helpful ways reporters can gain trust and facilitate successful interviews.

Journalists must also carefully navigate patient privacy. Lat, Nichols, and I shared our stories because we wanted to raise awareness and demystify a confusing and frightening disease. But the media attention that results from going public with your experience can become overwhelming. I still receive daily media requests as well as comments, DMs, and emails from people who have seen me on the news or read my stories. While the majority of these communications are supportive, Ive also been the target of trolling and digging in to my personal medical history. Nichols recently refused what she considered an invasive request from a reporter who asked to be connected with her doctor to fact-check her symptoms and positive test result. While fact-checking is important, hipaa prevents doctors from providing such information without patients consent, and journalists will benefit from a more sensitive approach when working with patients who may have experienced medical gaslighting.

Journalists should also be aware that some patients never test positive for the virus. Tests are still hard to access and results are often massively delayed. Nichols, Lat, and I all tested positive for covid-19, but we were lucky. When I was finally tested in New York City in March, it was after repeated attempts and denials. The person who infected me was never able to receive a test, and Lat recounts similarly struggling to get tested. There are also reliability issues for diagnostic covid-19 tests, which is why some doctors, scientists, and health officials dont rely on themso why do journalists?

I have argued before that covid-19 testing is a social justice issue, because many of the groups most affected by test accessibility are already marginalized. When reporters focus only on patients who have received a positive covid-19 test, they risk excluding those whose stories dont neatly fit the mainstream narrative, and promoting a patient experience that is overwhelmingly economically privileged.

Interviewing patients with diverse test results doesnt mean reporters have to ignore those results or the fact that some patients may have trouble confirming whether their symptoms are covid-related. In fact, including patients who have tested negative, received inconclusive results, or were unable to be tested at all provides an opportunity for journalists to discuss the reliability and accessibility issues of covid-19 tests, as well as the confusion many doctors face when diagnosing this virus. Science writer Ed Yong successfully navigated this issue in a recent piece in The Atlantic on long-haul covid-19 patients. The reliability issues around testing and diagnosing covid-19 are important and under-discussed aspects of the current pandemic that I believe should be at least briefly mentioned in any piece of journalism on covid-19 patients, as false positive results can also occur.

When interviewing covid-19 patients, awareness about the language patients use to describe their experiences can help reporters ask relevant questions. The question of whether a patient has recovered, for example, ignores the complexities of the covid-19 experience. For example, Nichols says shes technically considered recovered by the commonwealth of Massachusetts, because she no longer tests positive for the virus, but she is still experiencing persistent and debilitating symptoms.

Lat recently wrote an op-ed in the LA Times arguing that recovering from a severe case of covid-19 is not like switching a light on or off. Its more like a dimmer switch, where the light gets brighter, then darker, then brighter again. Like me, Lat recounts continually being asked whether hed recovered after his discharge from the hospital, and told me he still doesnt really know. The fact that some patients experience fleeting recoveries only to relapse into old symptoms also makes many hesitant to publicly announce their recovery. Reporters looking to understand a patients progress might ask whether the patient is still experiencing any symptoms of the virus, or about long-term physical, mental, or financial effects.

The question of recovery is connected to another controversial but commonly used word: survivor. While many covid-19 patients seem to like the word survivor, others feel it leaves out long-haul patients who have not yet survived the virus, and is inappropriate given the many issues patients deal with after recovery. Nichols says shes come to hate the word. I dont know if Im a survivor, Nichols told me. I dont know if two weeks from now Im going to get a clot thats going to take me out. Instead of using the term survivor, when writing about patients still experiencing effects of the virus, I use the word patient, or the phrase person living with covid-19. Nichols agrees: While someone is still symptomatic, referring to them as a patient validates thatyoure still having pain.

NICHOLS, LAT, AND I all shared our stories because we wanted to raise awareness and demystify the terrifying experience of contracting covid-19. We came to the arena with varying levels of media experienceLat and I had both worked in journalism, whereas Nichols had never spoken to the pressbut were all having to learn new boundaries and guidelines as we navigate this novel virus and the best ways to share information about it.

Sharing our stories also helped us find community. Nichols joined my support group after reading one of my articles, and Lat says he likewise connected with patients and their families. It was really helpful to be able to pay it forward, and to be able to pray for other people, as I was prayed for, Lat explained.

As Nichols, Lat, and I all discovered, covid-19 patients arent just participants in media coverage, theyre also often big consumers of covid-19 related news. As journalists writing about the disease, we must be aware that our work may be received by two very different audiencespatients who are often educated about their illness and sensitive to certain reporting approaches, and members of the general public who dont understand the intimate experience of contracting the virus.

Bridging this gap isnt easyespecially during a fast-moving pandemic, when knowledge is constantly shiftingand may require a rethinking of deadlines and newsroom policies, but it is both possible and necessary.

NEW AT CJR: When the news becomes religion

Correction: An earlier version of this post misstated David Lats age when he was placed on a ventilator. He was forty-four, not forty-five.

Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today

Fiona Lowenstein is a writer, speaker, editor, and producer based in New York City, the founder of the queer feminist wellness collective, Body Politic, and a co-founder of Body Politic's COVID-19 Support Group.
YEREVAN.  The about 100 citizens who returned to Armenia from Lebanon underwent a mandatory medical examination at the airport, indicated their places of residence in Armenia, according to which all of them had their places of residence, which were given to them to spend two weeks in isolation. We have not been given any petition that they do not have a place to spend the self-isolation, and they want us to provide such a place. Amalya Karapetyan, press officer of the Office of the High Commissioner for Diaspora Affairs of Armenia, said this in a conversation with Armenian News-NEWS.am.

As reported earlier, about 100 citizens have returned to Armenia on board the planes that delivered humanitarian aid to Lebanon from Armenia.

"If they [the aforesaid returnees] will have health, employment, education problemsbecause there were also minors among them, the full information leaflets of the Office of the High Commissioner for Diaspora Affairs were provided to them at the airport. If they will have any questionseither during the quarantine regime or after thatthey can apply us, regardless of whether or not the [Armenian] state has any packages; that is, we are ready to solve their problems as much as possibleuntil the government develops clear ways of assistance," Karapetyan added.

And asked whether more Armenians from Lebanon will return to Armenia after last weeks explosion in Beirut, Amalya Karapetyan noted that the relevant agencies are collecting data on the Armenian citizens in Beirut who have been left homeless as a result of this blast and wish to return to Armenia.
Ministry of Equality Donates Face Masks with Transparent Coverings to GHITA

During the course of the pandemic, the Ministry of Equality collaborated with the Office of Civil Contingencies and procured face masks with transparent coverings in order to support the deaf and hard of hearing community in Gibraltar and enable them to lip read the face mask user.

The first batch of these face masks arrived in July and were distributed to Government Departments where deaf and hard of hearing individuals were more likely to attend. The masks have proved to be incredibly popular and the office of Civil Contingencies ordered extra stock, again to be distributed further amongst Government departments.

In addition, The Ministry of Equality has announced that it has donated 50 of these masks to the Gibraltar Hearing Issues and Tinnitus Association (GHITA).

The need to use face masks to combat the spread of COVID-19 has unfortunately affected the quality of life for people who have a hearing impairment and these masks have been designed with them in mind.

The masks are reusable and can be washed after use numerous times, before the need to be replaced.

The Minister for Equality, the Hon Samantha Sacramento, MP said I am very happy with the very positive feedback that we have received regarding the use of these masks and this is, of course, very encouraging. These masks are an essential tool that will help lip readers in situations where they need to communicate and feel safe at the same time, especially if they are going out as part of a family unit.

The Ministry of Equality is more than happy to assist in providing these masks for GHITA so that these can be distributed where they are needed. We have distributed these widely throughout the public sector and we encourage the private sector to take these up for the benefit of their deaf and hard of hearing customers for their benefit

A Spokesman for GHITA said Thank you to the Ministry of Equality for their kind donation of 50 windowed face masks to GHITA.
Jihadists seize key port in gas-rich northern Mozambique Mozambique soldiers patrol the northern town of Mocimboa da Praia, which has been reportedly taken over by jihadists

Islamist militants occupied a key port in gas-rich northern Mozambique on Wednesday following days of attacks claimed by an Islamic State-affiliated group, a military source and local media said.

"The port of Mocimboa da Praia was captured by the terrorists at dawn," the Moz24Horas website reported, while a military source told AFP that the small town and its port had "fallen".

The assault is the latest in an intensifying insurgency in the country's north since 2017 which has killed more than 1,000 people and complicated plans to develop its offshore gas reserves.

Mozambique's defence forces (FDS) confirmed that "terrorists" had launched "sequenced attacks" on several villages surrounding the port over the past week in an attempt to occupy the town.

"At the moment, there are ongoing actions to neutralise the terrorists that are using populations in the affected areas as shields," the FDS said in a statement.

Mocimboa da Praia lies less than 80 kilometres (50 miles) south of Afungi peninsula where a liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility, one of Africa's biggest single investment projects, is located.

The port is currently a major traffic hub for the gas project.

- Grenade sinks ex-leader's boat -

The military source said that during Wednesday's assault a rocket-propelled grenade sank a boat owned by former president Armando Guebuza.

"The situation is complicated," the source said.

Under Guebuza, Mozambique secretly borrowed about $2 billion from Credit Suisse and Russia's VTB Bank to finance maritime surveillance and buy military and tuna fishing vessels from Privinvest in 2013 and 2014.

But the government only disclosed the debt in 2016 -- a development that plunged the poor, donor-dependent southern African country into its worst-ever financial crisis.

Attacks in the northern region have already killed at least 1,300 people, according to the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED).

Story continues

Displaced people number more than 250,000, according to aid organisations working locally.

In its latest weekly report released on Wednesday, ACLED said "insurgents and government security forces have been in more or less constant running battles in the area" for the past week.

The attacks started in 2017 in Mocimboa da Praia and have since spread to massive swathes of Cabo Delgado province.

The latest attack -- the third on the town this year -- was claimed by the Islamic State Central Africa Province (ISCAP).

The IS-affiliated group has the stated goal of establishing a caliphate in the region.

ISCAP has claimed several attacks since June 2019 via social media, often posting images of slain soldiers and seized weapons.

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Bengaluru, Aug 12 : City police have arrested the person accused of posting a derogatory message which triggered riots in Bengaluru east last night, an official said on Wednesday.

"With regard to the incidents in D.J. Halli, accused Naveen was arrested for posting derogatory posts," said city Police Commissioner Kamal Pant.

Naveen is said to be the relative of Congress MLA Akanda Srinivas Murthy.

Following his social media post, irate mobs resorted to rioting and arson in D.J. Halli, K.G. Halli, Pulikeshinagar and Kaval Byresandra.

Pant said 110 accused persons involved in the rioting have been arrested.

"Total 110 persons accused arrested for arson, stone pelting and assault on the police. Appeal to all to cooperate with the police to maintain peace," said the police commissioner.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister B. S. Yediyurappa said last night's mischief lead to rioting and assault on Murthy's home and the D.J. Halli police station.

He directed the officials to take action against the perpetrators.

"The attack on journalists, police and the public in the riot last night was unpredictable. The government will not tolerate such provocations and rumours," said Yediyurappa in Kannada.

He said strict action against the perpetrators was certain and appealed to the people to act with restraint.
Women in Minsk and elsewhere across Belarus on August 12 wore white and carried flowers as they formed human chains to protest against the massive security crackdown since the countrys presidential election.

Alyaksandr Lukashenka, in power since 1994, won a sixth term in the countrys presidential election on August 9 amid opposition allegations the vote was rigged. Lukashenkas main competitor, Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya, has left Belarus and is now in neighboring Lithuania.

No vote under Lukashenka has been deemed free or fair by the West.

Thousands poured into the streets soon after polls closed on August 9 and a state-sponsored exit poll showed Lukashenka winning in a landslide over Tsikhanouskaya whose campaign gained momentum as the vote neared. She attracted huge crowds at rallies across the country.

The West, including Washington, has condemned the election and the crackdown that has followed. The European Union has said it is considering placing fresh sanctions on Belarus.

Belarus Votes For President Read our ongoing coverage as Belarusian strongman Alyaksandr Lukashenka continues his brutal crackdown on NGOs, activists, and independent media following the August 2020 presidential election, widely seen as fraudulent.



In the Belarusian capital, some 250 joined hands outside a market.

Stop beating us. We just want a fair count of the votes. We came here unarmed just like the other peaceful protesters. Violence is only being carried out by one side, the participants said.

When police arrived to disperse the gathering, the women lay their flowers down and walked off with their hands over their heads.

The independent Belarusian news site Tut.by said similar protests were held elsewhere on August 12 in Belarus.

Fifteen women were briefly detained at the demonstration in Vitebsk, while four women were detained at a similar protest in Mahilyou.
Newark can say hello to a new neighbor: Rosario Dawson.

Dawson is moving to be with her boyfriend, New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, after nearly two years of dating.

The couple confirmed their relationship in 2019, during Bookers presidential campaign.

Booker, 51, alluded to his significant other moving in with him at a Save Transit Zoom forum hosted Tuesday by the Tri-State Transportation Campaign. The subject of the online forum was federal funding for NJ Transit, but Booker made a brief detour to his personal life.

After Newark resident Tanisha Garner asked a question, Booker asked what part of the city she lives in.

Im here because of Newarkers, he continued. I stayed in Newark. My significant other is moving in this week, coming from LA.

Dawson, 41, already said as much in a June interview with New Jerseys own Kevin Smith.

She shared her moving plans while talking to the director at a pop-up event for his fictional fast-food chain Moobys in Los Angeles (Dawson appears the Smith films Clerks II and Jay and Silent Bob Reboot).

New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker and Rosario Dawson at the premiere of her 2019 movie "Zombieland: Double Tap." They've been dating since 2018.Frazer Harrison | Getty Images

What are you most looking forward to doing as the world reopens? Smith asked. What have you missed?

My boyfriend, Dawson said. I havent seen him since February. He is by himself, going between Newark and D.C.

Im actually in the process of moving, by the way, she said. Im going to New Jersey. Im moving to Newark ... Im moving in with my boyfriend because, you know, its time. We were thinking about moving in together anyway, but especially during all of this, its just been really intense.

Im very excited, she said of the move.

When Smith asked why she and and the Democratic senator had been social distancing, Dawson said that she was taking care of her parents in New York (where she grew up). Her father was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer last year and had surgery in November. While she said he was cancer-free, she still has to be mindful of his health and prefers to stay on one coast.

Its the reason why Ive just been super careful and really kind of distant from everyone, Dawson said.

Dawson and Booker, who is slated to speak (remotely) at the Democratic National Convention August 20, have been relatively open about their admiration for one another.

Its the first time I felt like I had to be responsible about my choice of love, which is a challenging thing to do, Dawson told Bustle in February. If you fall in love, you fall in love. But theres another aspect I had to consider: what this meant in (putting) a microscope on my family and particularly on my daughter. But in each other I think we found our person.

The actress has a 17-year-old daughter named Isabella, who Dawson adopted when she was 11.

Before it was canceled, Dawson starred in Briarpatch on the USA Network and has appeared in Disney Plus The Mandalorian. She told Smith she had just wrapped DMZ, a pilot for HBO Max directed by Ava DuVernay, when film sets had to be shut down because of the pandemic. The story, which Dawson called prescient, is based on the DC comic book series of the same name about a new American Civil War.

New Jersey becomes part of the free states, Dawson said.

Booker and Dawson met in 2018 at a party through a mutual friend, Ben Jealous, former president of the NAACP, who had been running for governor in Maryland. No sparks flew then.

She didnt give me the time of day, Booker said on RuPauls talk show last year. She gave me serious shade.

October 2018 was a different story.

But then we re-met at another friends party, Booker said. Months later, both of us were single at the time, and it was the roof party of a dear friend, and I had the courage to walk up to her and ask for her phone number.

NJ Advance Media reporter Larry Higgs contributed to this report.

Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a voluntary subscription.

Amy Kuperinsky may be reached at akuperinsky@njadvancemedia.com. Send a coronavirus tip here.
She has been soaking up the sun while on a luxurious holiday to St Tropez, France.

And Francesca Allen looked sensational as she cooled off by going for a dip the sea on Monday in a bright red bikini.

The former Love Island star, 23, set pulses racing as she showcased her killer curves while frolicking in the water.

Radiant: Francesca Allen, 23, looked sensational as she cooled off by going for a dip the sea in a bright red bikini during her holiday to St Tropez

The tiny top displayed her ample cleavage and taut midriff while a pair of tie-side bottoms teased a glimpse of her pert derriere.

Displaying her sun-kissed hue, Francesca let her brunette locks fall loose down her shoulders as she made the most of her trip to the French Riviera.

Following her swim, the reality star donned a multi-coloured wrap as she made her way back to her hotel nearby.

The beauty is staying in the luxurious five star Kube Hotel for the duration of her holiday and has shared snaps of the resort's panoramic views.

Aside from her frequent getaways, Francesca was spotted cosying up to a new man during a boozy night out in London last month.

Stunning: The former Love Island star set pulses racing as she showcased her killer curves while frolicking in the water

Looking good: Displaying her sun-kissed hue, Francesca made the most of her trip to the French Riviera

She looked to be on cloud nine as she got up close and personal with Edward Crossan, vice chairman of London-based waste management company Powerday.

The TV personality, who is family friends with Edward, put on a very affectionate display with the hunk who was previously been linked to TOWIE's Amber Turner.

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.

Fun in the sun: Francesca styled her brunette locks into a ponytail as she went for a swim

Following her swim, the reality star donned a multi-coloured wrap as she made her way back to her hotel nearby

Vacation: The beauty is staying in the luxurious five star Kube Hotel for the duration of her holiday

Pals: Francesca looked in good spirits as she chatted with a friend while leaving the beach

New beau? Aside from her frequent getaways, Francesca was spotted cosying up to a new man during a boozy night out in London last month

Hunky Edward 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.'

MailOnline has contacted Francesca Allen's representatives for comment.

Flirty: She looked to be on cloud nine as she got up close and personal with Edward Crossan, vice chairman of London-based waste management company Powerday
Educators, local officials and education nonprofits urged lawmakers pass proposed legislation that would effectively suspend the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System, or MCAS, for four years amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

The bill would put a pause on MCAS beginning this coming academic year  2020-2021  through 2023-2024, and create a commission that would study the testing regime and recommend changes. The Joint Committee on Education accepted written testimony on the bill earlier this week.

While Massachusetts has consistently ranked as having one of the top public educational systems in the country, many educators have criticized its standardized testing regime, suggesting its too parochial and fails to serve the needs of low-income students and students of color.

Massachusetts Teachers Association President Merrie Najimy wrote that the MCAS has stifled the multicultural education movement, and that the pandemic has presented opportunities for us as a community to reassess and rethink our priorities.

This process is tumultuous and uneven across school districts in Massachusetts  and the country, Najimy said. Childrens lives have been disrupted, and once again the trauma is most acute in communities of color, among lowincome families and among people directly affected by COVID19.

Roberto Jimenez-Rivera, a School Committee member in Chelsea, said that the standardized testing system perpetuates racial disparities and creates barriers for students of color.

They are used as a sorting mechanism to determine who is a good student or a bad student, a better student or a worse student, Jimenez-Rivera wrote. However, the truth is that standardized tests have racist origins and dont do much more than tell us how much money or how many degrees a students parents have.

Jimenez-Rivera, who says he spent his whole career working in college admissions, said hes seen firsthand how colleges and universities reject potential students on the basis of their test scores.

Those students often came from underresourced schools, communities of color, communities with high poverty levels, he wrote.

The American Teachers Federal of Massachusetts argued that the tests would distract from the profound social and emotional needs (of students) that have arisen from the pandemic.

Our students are worried about the risk of becoming infected themselves or bringing the coronavirus home to their families, Beth Kontos, president of the Massachusetts ATF, wrote. Many are worried about where their next meal will come from, or whether their family will face eviction if they cant pay their rent. Theyre worried about how theyll keep learning when its more difficult to work closely with educators and other students. The last thing they should have to worry about this year is preparing for high-stakes standardized testing.

Other groups see the legislation as a step in the wrong direction. Education Reform Now, a national education nonprofit, wrote that Massachusetts officials acted correctly in canceling the MCAS for the coming school year, but to do so for the next four years would miss an opportunity to understand how learning has been affected by the coronavirus disruptions.

Many supporters of this bill will claim that the unprecedented demands of the COVID-19 pandemic require that we cancel MCAS tests for four years. The opposite is true, they said.

Given the learning loss caused by COVID-19, and the significantly different experiences of students around the state, it is more important than ever that the Commonwealth continue using MCAS to measure student proficiency and address learning loss, ERN wrote.

Lawmakers pushing for bill say that the move to cancel the MCAS has taken on new urgency amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, as the disruptions caused by the virus this past spring have, among other things, exacerbated the achievement gap between districts in communities of color and white districts, created an unequal learning environment and created uncertainty ahead of the start of the school year as schools look to reopen.

This is a COVID bill because, in fact, were responding to the emergency of this moment, said State Sen. Jo Comerford, chief sponsor of the bill. It looks at the impact of the pandemic and the health crisis on education.

Comerford said the legislation has been spurred forward by longstanding concerns that the MCAS have also, in some cases, increased student drop-out rates across Massachusetts.

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Lyft may suspend services in California if the state does not overturn a recent ruling requiring it to classify its drivers as full-time employees, Lyft co-founder and President John Zimmer said on the company's second-quarter earnings call.

Shares of Lyft were as high as 6% after hours, but went negative when Zimmer said Lyft might suspend service in the state.

Uber would also likely pause its service in California if the ruling is not overturned, CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said in an MSNBC interview Wednesday. Khosrowshahi said a suspension would likely last until November when voters would decide on the ballot measure, Proposition 22, which would exempt drivers for app-based transportation and delivery companies from being considered employees.

Zimmer on Wednesday also stressed the importance of Proposition 22 on the company's earnings call.

"If our efforts here are not successful it would force us to suspend operations in California. Fortunately, California voters can make their voices heard by voting yes on Prop 22 in November," Zimmer said.

On Monday, a California judge granted a preliminary injunction requiring Lyft and Uber to stop classifying their drivers as independent workers after a ten day period in which the companies said they would appeal the ruling. If upheld, the order will require Lyft and Uber to treat its drivers as employees and cover additional expenses like benefits and unemployment insurance.

California Attorney General Xavier Becerra sued the companies in May alongside three city attorneys, alleging they violated the state's new law that aims to provide benefits to gig workers. Uber and Lyft have consistently opposed the law and are funding a ballot measure that would exempt them from it if passed.

Uber's Khosrowshahi has recently advocated for what he calls a "third way" to classify workers. He has argued there should be a way for workers to enjoy the flexibility of independent work while having access to some of the protections offered by employee status. In a New York Times op-ed published before the court ruling, Khosrowshahi suggested gig companies could pay into funds that workers have access to based on their hours worked in order to cover health insurance, paid time off or other costs. Lyft's leadership has not been as actively vocal on alternative labor models.

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Paris: The French health ministry reported 2524 new coronavirus infections over the past 24 hours, a new post-lockdown daily record, which took the country's cumulative total of cases to 206,696.

The seven-day moving average of new infections, which smooths out daily data-reporting irregularities, increased to 1810, the highest level since April 24, when the epidemic was still in full swing and France was under a strict lockdown.

A health worker collects a nasal swab at Roissy Charles de Gaulle airport, outside Paris. Credit:AP

The seven-day average, which set a high of 4537 on April 1, has now been above 1000 for two weeks, with the infection rate increasing as millions of French people travel during the holiday season and social-distancing rules are not always respected in busy areas.

A government spokesman said on Wednesday that France will gradually ramp up police checks to ensure people wear face masks where it is mandatory and respect social distancing amidst a new surge of COVID-19 infections.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, Aug. 12

By Nargiz Ismayilova - Trend:

AzEduNet LLC, the operator of the Azerbaijani educational network, in cooperation with the Ministry of Education and Bakcell LLC, provided the institutions selected for participation in its project, with unlimited access to network resources and technical support services, Director of the AzEduNet Natiq Yahyayev told Trend.

The project was successfully launched in September 2019, and 700 educational institutions located in remote villages of our country received access to the internet, as well as other network services, Yahyayev noted.

Within this cooperation, Bakcell provided free of charge cellular data transmission and mobile modems (Data-cards) to educational institutions for a period of three years, he said.

The director said that the main goal of this project is the provision of 700 educational institutions located in remote villages with access to the internet, as well as to the network services of the AzEduNet.

One of the important factors contributing to the successful implementation of the concept of modern education is the provision of educational institutions with a network infrastructure. In this regard, the expansion of the AzEduNet, which is the country's largest internal educational network, providing ample opportunities for the use of innovative mechanisms in the educational process, is of great importance," Yahyayev added.

"AzEduNet is intensively working to provide internet and intranet services, and also supports electronic educational resources and management systems in educational institutions, he said.

A cooperation protocol was signed between the Ministry of Education of Azerbaijan, Bakcell LLC and AzEduNet LLC on March 5, 2019.

---

Follow the author on Twitter:@IsmailovaNargis
RESTON, Va., Aug. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Analyst1, provider of a market leading threat intelligence platform, announced today its appointment of Hugh Clapp, former Navy Officer, and Symantec cyber operations leader, to the position of chief executive officer. Clapp will be responsible for directing the overall strategy and lead the young cyber firm into its next stage of growth.

Clapp's career began when he joined the Navy at 17 years of age. Still a minor, Clapp needed permission from his parents to enlist. Clapp, always a problem solver, was drawn to cryptology and became one of the first Navy Officers to conduct offensive computer network operations. Upon earning his master's degree from the Naval Postgraduate School, Clapp was one of the first information warfare officers to be deployed to ground combat operations. Clapp served two tours in Iraq assigned to SEAL Team 8, where he completed 60 direct action missions.

During his Navy tenure, Clapp served in multiple cyber roles, culminating as Deputy Director, Defensive Cyber Operations. Upon retiring from the Navy after a 20-year career, Clapp joined the Dept. of Energy as the Associate CIO of Cyber Operations. Recently, Clapp served as senior director of defensive cyber operations at both Capital One and Symantec. His teams in these positions were responsible for the collection, analysis, and sharing of enterprise cybersecurity information, global security operations centers, threat hunting, incident response, and cyber threat intelligence collection and reporting.

"I am beyond excited to join Analyst1 and lead this great company in its next stage of growth," stated Clapp. "The founders have engineered a product that is revolutionizing the way organizations understand and mitigate cyber threats, and I am inspired by the ingenuity of the team in securing early adopters of this progressive platform."

About Analyst1

Analyst1, engineered by cyber threat analysts, offers an enterprise-scale platform that operationalizes threat intelligence and enables security teams and analysts to focus on deeper analysis and response. With Analyst1, organizations gain visibility into advanced persistent threats attempting to infiltrate their networks. For more information, please visit us at www.analyst1.com and follow us on Twitter: @useanalyst1.

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Media executives have warned the threat of prosecution is taking its toll on journalists and drawn-out legal processes are keeping the public in the dark on important issues.

In a Senate committee hearing on press freedom on Wednesday, representatives of News Corp Australia, the ABC and Nine Entertainment Co said the COVID-19 crisis had highlighted the importance of the news media and the need for laws to protect their work of informing the public.

Media outlets have warned that the threat of prosecution is having a chilling effect on journalism. Credit:Eddie Jim

ABC news director Gaven Morris pointed to the case of journalist Dan Oakes, who still faces the possibility of prosecution over an investigative series on potential war crimes committed by Australian special forces in Afghanistan.

Morris said it was "frankly unacceptable" that Oakes was still under a cloud more than three years since the reporting was published. The Federal Police raided the ABC last year as part of their investigation into the stories and last month asked the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions to consider laying charges.
If there is a drawback to the issue of mail-in ballots, it is the length of time it takes for voters and candidates involved to know the outcome of an election, especially during a massive vote which is expected this fall. Those ballots and early votes are tallied after in-person ballots, much to the frustration not only of candidates, but reporters and editors working on election nights with early deadlines.
Ever since COVID-19 began spreading uncontrollably across the US, the White House and several US politicians have attempted to deflect away from their own failure in responding to the pandemic by coming up with conspiracy theories, one of which involved blaming the Wuhan Institute of Virology for leaking the virus. In response to these groundless accusations, the institute on Friday granted access to NBC news, allowing its journalists to meet with senior Chinese scientists working to pinpoint the origins of the virus, and gave them a tour of the facility.

During the roughly five-hour visit, which included a tour of the BSL-4 lab, where technicians clad in protective suits handled small vials and other equipment while sealed inside a thick-walled glass enclosure, Wang Yanyi, director of the Wuhan Institute of Virology, said she and others felt they were being unfairly targeted. She said that politics should not hamper investigations into how the coronavirus became transmitted to humans. NBC news later aired a report titled Inside the Chinese lab central to the search for the coronavirus' origin, in which US reporters drew the conclusion that the White Houses accusation against China lacked any solid evidence.

According to the article, the White House has shown no credible proof to back up claims that the coronavirus was either manufactured at or accidentally leaked from the lab, and neither have any other sources. However, Trump continues to add fuel to this idea, often through the use of racist rhetoric, by regularly referring to the pathogen as the "China virus," the "Wuhan virus" or "kung flu." US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has repeated similar claims, also without providing proof.

In April, current and former U.S. intelligence officials told NBC News that the U.S. intelligence community was examining whether the virus emerged accidentally from the Wuhan lab. Spy agencies had ruled out that the coronavirus was man-made, the officials said at the time. Democrats in Congress who have asked administration officials to provide information about any such associations say their requests have been ignored, noted the article.

During the interview with NBC News, Wang said that none of the institute's scientists had contracted the virus, which she said made it extremely unlikely that the pathogen could have escaped from the facility.

Her statement was supported by Peter Daszak, president of EcoHealth Alliance, a New York City-based nonprofit dedicated to studying and preventing pandemics, which worked with the Wuhan institute for 16 years until the U.S. government cut funding this year. He also rejected the idea that the virus could have leaked from the lab.

"The fact that they published the sequence so quickly suggests to me that they weren't trying to cover up anything," he told NBC.

There is "absolutely zero evidence that it escaped from a lab," he added.

In May, the director of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Anthony Fauci, told National Geographic that he discounted the idea that the virus had accidentally escaped from a lab.

Wang said the institute will "fully support" the World Health Organization, which has dispatched a team to China to interview scientists in Wuhan and develop a framework to investigate the origin of the coronavirus. She also called for more international collaboration to this end.
Australia's Cyber Security Plan Includes Domestic Surveillance

Australia plans to expand the work of its national spy agency and provide the Australian Signals Directorate (ASD)s new powers that would allow it to conduct domestic investigations for the first time. By rendering support to the Australian federal police and the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission, the cyber security and intelligence agency would for the first time be able to spy on Australians, although Dutton maintains ASD wont be able to do so directly.

The Home Affairs minister Peter Dutton has confirmed that Australias $1.6 million cyber strategy will include capability for the Australian Signals Directorate (ASD) to help law enforcement agencies identify and disrupt serious criminal activity, including those inside Australia.

Dutton said law enforcement agencies would target terrorists, paedophiles and drug traffickers operating in the Dark Web, promising proposed new powers will apply to those people and those people only. Details of the new powers, which will require legislation, are not contained in the strategy, which says only that the government will ensure law enforcement agencies have appropriate legislative powers and technical capabilities to deter, disrupt and defeat the criminal exploitation of anonymising technology and the dark web.

ASD powers have been a source of controversy for the government, after the Australian Federal Police (AFP) raided News Corp journalist Annika Smethursts home in June over a news report suggesting the home affairs department was seeking power for ASD to spy on Australians. Dutton had claimed the story was nonsense.

Dutton told reporters in the capital, Canberra, that the ASD has a very unique set of powers and is the very best in the business in operations such as stopping terrorist attacks. More recently ASD had disrupted scam attacks seeking passwords and other information targeting Australians financially during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Dutton said target servers and syndicates were mostly offshore but it was appropriate for ASD to help protect Australians. Law enforcement agencies would be able to tap into ASDs capabilities but the power only applies to  the Australian federal police and ACIC, not the ASD, he said.

According to sources the ASD will be prevented from directly collecting information but will be able to provide 'technical capability advice' to assist police execute computer access warrants to identify suspects and disrupt criminal activity.

The package includes $470m to expand Australias cybersecurity workforce with 500 new jobs created within the ASD, and $125m to double the AFPs cyber enforcement capacity by 100 officers and expand the remit of the ACIC. Giving the ASD domestic powers would also allow it to target Australians with military-grade hacking capabilities, including malware exploits that leverage vulnerabilities in applications and operating systems.

Australia's domestic spy agency says it has detected a rise in suspicious online activity during the coronavirus lockdown, which may have allowed extremists more opportunities to target young people.

Australian Siganls Direcorate: ABC: Yahoo: Newsbreak: Information Age: Australian Finacial Review:

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For parents uncomfortable with sending their children to school this fall, there are two options: get comfortable with classroom instruction in the COVID-19 era, or take up home-schooling.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 11/8/2020 (525 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

For parents uncomfortable with sending their children to school this fall, there are two options: get comfortable with classroom instruction in the COVID-19 era, or take up home-schooling.

Allison McCulloch does not want to pick either.

There is only one month left until the first day of school, but McCulloch remains undecided about how her 14-year-old son will start off his high school experience in the Brandon School Division.

"Were making backup plans for home-schooling because we don't see how, from the information provided to us already, they can assure safety within the schools, keeping to a two-metre distance and so on," she said Tuesday, during a phone call from Brandon.

(DREAMSTIME/TNS) Some Manitoba families are making backup plans for home-schooling because they're unsure about safety within the schools.

A recent spike in cases and her partners pre-existing health condition are top of mind as the McCulloch family plans for the upcoming school year, based off guidelines and measures which critics argue do not take enough precautions or offer additional funding to cash-strapped divisions.

The province has asked all schools to aim to have students back for in-person learning full-time, but physical distancing could mean Grade 9-12 students in crowded schools do blended learning, with at least two days of classroom instruction per week.

McCulloch is among a growing number of parents in the province calling for a full-time remote learning option for students in all grades.

While Ontarios plan guarantees an option to enrol students in remote delivery, citing the importance of respecting caregivers' "fundamental role" in deciding whether they feel safe with their child returning, there has been no such announcement in Manitoba. A spokesperson for Manitoba Education said in a statement Tuesday that only students who have been medically advised to stay home, owing to COVID-19-related risk factors, will have access to division-level remote learning. Otherwise, the options are public school, independent school or home-school.

Awaiting answers from her children's Winnipeg schools, Karyn Balser started a petition two weeks ago in favour of the province creating an online learning alternative. As of Tuesday afternoon, it had garnered more than 1,750 signatures.

A spokesperson for Manitoba Education said in a statement Tuesday that only students who have been medically advised to stay home, owing to COVID-19-related risk factors, will have access to division-level remote learning.

"Our children cant be guinea pigs for an all-or-nothing approach. There needs to be an in-between option," the mother of two wrote on the Change.org page.

Balser, who has school-aged children entering kindergarten and Grade 7, told the Free Press that if the province refuses to cap class sizes and invest in concrete precautions, the least it can do is provide parents with options.

An early signatory, Winnipeg mother Rhonda Hinther, echoed those comments Tuesday. Hinther, whose son is a soon-to-be Grade 4 student, said providing parents with another option would benefit all families since class sizes would likely drop and physical distancing in schools would be more feasible.

"As everyone else was enjoying new hobbies and baking bread (during the learning disruptions), I was working 12 hours a day, seven days a week  and also, apparently home-schooling my own children, which did not happen," said Lauren McBoland, a high school math and science teacher. (McBoland is not her legal last name, but she uses it as a pseudonym on social media to protect her privacy, and for fear of workplace reprisal.)

Our children cant be guinea pigs for an all-or-nothing approach. There needs to be an in-between option.  Karyn Balser

McBoland said Tuesday if the province is not willing to fund a safe return, there will be no safe return to classroom learning this fall. She said shes "deeply concerned" about the number of parents considering home-schooling.

"(Choosing) the option to home-school is effectively defunding the public school system. I dont want to defund the system. I believe in public education, but that means public education need to serve its constituents."

Stay informed The latest updates on the novel coronavirus and COVID-19 delivered to your inbox every weeknight. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement.

The Manitoba Association for Schooling at Home has reported increased interest in membership this year; since early March, the group has grown from approximately 510 official members to 550. A longtime member, Jennifer Gehman said Tuesday she has mostly been fielding calls from parents looking for an interim measure until the pandemic is over because of concerns over how schools are reopening in September.

maggie.macintosh@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @macintoshmaggie
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The World Health Organization (WHO) is in close contact with Russia regarding a possible pre-qualification of the world's first COVID-19 vaccine, a WHO spokesman said on Tuesday.

"We are in close contact with the Russian health authorities and discussions are underway regarding a possible pre-qualification of the vaccine by WHO," WHO spokesman Tarik Jasarevic said at a virtual press briefing.

"The pre-qualification of any vaccine involves rigorous review and evaluation of all the data required for safety and efficacy" in clinical trials, said Jasarevic, adding that at the WHO level, this process would be the same for any vaccine candidate.

"Each country has national regulatory bodies that approve the use of vaccines or drugs in its territory," he said. "Manufacturers are asking for WHO pre-qualification because it is a kind of seal of quality."

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday that his country has registered the world's first vaccine against the novel coronavirus.

Putin said he hoped that the mass production of the vaccine registered in Russia should begin in the near future, and vaccination will be available to everyone in the country voluntarily.

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova said that she expected the production of the vaccine to start at the end of August or the beginning of September and health workers will be the first to be vaccinated.
New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate on Tuesday questioned actor Sushant Singh Rajput's friend and roommate Siddharth Pithani in connection with a money laundering case linked to the actor's death. Sidharth, who arrived at the office before noon, was grilled till 2 am. He was asked to submit his financial statements and Income Tax records.

Meanwhile, he was asked to reveal details about his and Sushant's contract and the mode of payment, if the late actor used to give him money.

Including Siddharth Pithani, the ED so far has questioned eight people in its probe in the case. Sushant's sister Mitu Singh was called for the first time to record her statement on Tuesday.

Actress Rhea Chakraborty, her father Indrajit, brother Showik, her chartered accountant Ritesh Shah and her former manager Shruti Modi have already been questioned. Besides them, Sushant's CA Sandeep Sridhar and his house manager Samuel Miranda have also recorded their statements.

Rhea was Sushant's girlfriend. She was called to record her statement twice. Indrajit appeared before the ED on Monday while Showik has been grilled thrice. Shruti Modi, who was also Sushant's former business manager, has recorded her statement twice.

Siddharth Pithani and the two CAs were also called two times at the ED office.

The ED and the CBI are probing the death of Sushant at his Bandra flat in Mumbai on June 14 on the complaint of his father KK Singh filed at the Rajeev Nagar police station in Patna on July 25.
A mother-of-four from Massachusetts has been killed in a suspected murder-suicide, just days after a judge rejected her request for a permanent restraining order against her former boyfriend.

Migdalia Perez, 47, and Jose Muniz Badillo, 49, were found dead from gunshot wounds in the hallway outside her third-floor apartment in the 200 block of Central Street in Gardner at around 4.30pm on Saturday.

Witnesses reported hearing an argument between the couple before gunshots rang out.

Police in Massachusetts say Jose Muniz Badillo (pictured left) shot and killed his ex-girlfriend, Migdalia Perez (left and right), before turning the gun on himself

The bodies of Perez and Badillo were discovered in a hallway inside this apartment building on Central Street in Gardner, Massachusetts

According to prosecutors, Badillo fatally shot Perez before turning the gun on himself. Both were pronounced dead at the scene.

Court documents obtained by Boston 25 News have revealed that just two days before her death, Perez requested a permanent restraining order against Badillo, telling a judge through a Spanish interpreter that she 'feared for her life.'

She told the judge that while her ex-boyfriend of 10 years had not been physically abusive toward her, she was concerned for her safety because she believed he could turn violent.

The judge found her explanation 'insufficient' and denied her request.

Another judge last month granted Perez an emergency restraining order against Badillo after concluding 'there is a substantial likelihood of immediate danger of abuse.'

In an affidavit, the mother-of-four described Badillo as a verbally abusive 'alcoholic.'

On the day Perez moved out of the home she shared with her boyfriend, Badillo exploded in rage and proceeded to break 'all the stuff left in the apartment dining room and living room.'

Perez was a mother-of-four. She is pictured with her children during her 46th birthday celebration last year

Court records indicate that Perez obtained a temporary restraining order against Badillo in July. She said he threatened her and she feared for her life

Perez added in the document that Badillo hinted to her 'that he could do something to me and I'm scared of my life.'

Perez was back in court via audio conference last Thursday, seeking a continuance of that emergency restraining order, and ended up before a different judge who rejected her petition.

The two judges involved in Perez's case have not been named.

Perez is survived by her four children. Her daughter Minnievet Marrero has launched a GoFundMe campaign to help the family with her mother's funeral expenses.

Badillo's own daughter also started an online fundraiser, asking for donations to help send her father's body to his native Puerto Rico for a 'Christian burial.'

Meanwhile, the victim's family are organizing a rally outside Perez's home in Gardner on Wednesday evening to call for justice and raise awareness of domestic violence.

'I know my mom will be very proud that we are doing this,' her daughter wrote on Facebook. 'She had such a noble heart that I know she doesn't want any other woman to die at the hands of another man!!!!'
Charlie Gu, far left, and his husband, Thomas Alfieri, far right, with Gu's family on vacation in Spain. Gu, who lives in San Francisco, uses WeChat for his business and to keep in touch with his family abroad. (Charlie Gu)

Cindy Wangs whole life is on WeChat.

Through the Chinese everything app, the 24-year-old shops for clothing and sends photos and audio messages to her grandma and uncle in Guangzhou. Its how she schedules appointments with her hairstylist and where she found her bao supplier  a local woman who sells the steamed buns out of her car.

For millions of people around the globe, and in swaths of the United States with concentrated Chinese populations  including Southern California communities in the San Gabriel Valley and Irvine, where Wang lives  WeChat is a way of life.

We always use WeChat because everyone else uses it, Wang said. "It's like Facebook messenger but ten times better, ten times more sophisticated."

But with the Trump administration targeting the app, she worries that soon she and her parents will be cut off from their cultural community in the U.S. and lose the last line of communication they have with the rest of their family thousands of miles away.

Trump signed executive orders last week barring business transactions with WeChat and TikTok, the popular video app. The actions came after Washington deemed apps from Chinese software companies national security threats, warning that they could jeopardize Americans privacy.

While the dictate was vague and its impact remains unclear, experts say the order could cause the WeChat app to be pulled from Apple and Google online stores when it goes into effect in fewer than 45 days. Without the ability to download updates, users of the app would become more vulnerable to security breaches and miss out on tweaks that keep it functioning smoothly, decreasing the app's utility over time.

In his rhetoric, Trump has kept the focus on TikTok, threatening the company for months, but WeChat users may feel the effects of his actions more acutely. Thats because TikTok has an out: Microsoft has publicly acknowledged it is in talks with the apps Chinese parent company, ByteDance, to take control of operations in the U.S., Canada, New Zealand and Australia. If the sale goes through, consumers aren't likely to face the disappearance of the app anytime soon.

Story continues

No such fallback plan exists for WeChat, often described as the Swiss army knife of apps  a messaging service, payment platform and social network all in one. With Chinas patchwork of internet firewalls, filters and censors locking out most outside technology, WeChat is one of the few bridges left between China and the rest of the digital world.

News of the federal governments WeChat crackdown sent Southland communities and Chinese enclaves nationwide into a panic, with people scanning news, posting angry and fearful rebukes of the move online and messaging friends and relatives to parse what the decision could mean for them, their families and their businesses.

A White House petition, WeChat Should Not Be Banned, blew up on local WeChat feeds Friday. Started July 14, after White House trade advisor Peter Navarro threatened to take action against WeChat, the petition has accumulated more than 60,000 signatures.

Several WeChat users in Southern California said their friends had begun to sign up for accounts on Line, a Korean-owned messaging app popular in Japan, and Facebook-owned WhatsApp, in the hours after the ban was announced, desperately searching for WeChat alternatives  although both of these apps are blocked in China.

"There's definitely a lot of fear. This is an essential platform for Chinese immigrants in the United States," said Sunny Shao, a researcher at AAPI Data and doctoral candidate at UC Riverside studying political participation on WeChat.

WeChat, known as Weixin in China, began as a project in parent company Tencents research center in Guangzhou in 2010, and gained traction as a mobile messaging service after its launch in early 2011.

But WeChat wanted to be more than a social network. Ahead of the Lunar New Year in 2014, WeChat developed its "red packet" tool  a digital way to send small amounts of money to other users, emulating "hongbao," the red envelopes gifted during holidays and celebrations. The tool was an overnight sensation, according to the South China Morning Post.

Combining the functionality of Facebook, WhatsApp, Venmo and more, WeChat is woven into almost every aspect of life in China. People use it for hailing taxis, paying for food and buying plane tickets. Since February, a nationwide health-clearance system embedded within the app has been used to regulate travel and enforce quarantine.

It's China's most popular mobile app, with more than 1.2 billion monthly users worldwide. In the U.S., the platform has 19 million daily active users, according to data firm Apptopia.

In the San Gabriel Valley, where at least nine cities have majority Asian populations, and Asian Americans and Latinos make up 74% of the population, some local authorities have used WeChat for official outreach to constituents.

The Alhambra Police Department in 2015 became the first in the country to adopt WeChat, using the app to inform residents about law enforcement activities. The city of San Gabriel has a part-time worker who translates its regular communications into Chinese and posts them on the citys WeChat and Weibo (another Chinese social network) accounts, said City Councilman Jason Pu, who has lobbied the city to increase engagement with the Chinese-speaking population since he was first elected in 2013. Arcadia, too, has an official WeChat account.

Its hard to overstate how much of life for Californias Chinese diaspora unfolds on WeChat. Local eateries and grocery stores such as 99 Ranch Market use it as a payment method to cater to tourists and students with Chinese bank accounts. People shop, read news and organize donation drives and political actions there. Restaurants can integrate their menus directly into the interface. Real estate agents list properties on the platform. There are whole publications that exist exclusively on WeChat.

Tony Ding, a San Gabriel City Council member, described how community service-focused groups use the app to gather personal protective equipment donations and organize seminars to spread crucial COVID assistance information, such as how small businesses can support their employees through Paycheck Protection Program loans.

Across California, WeChat has helped spark political participation among Asian immigrant populations. Community organizers used it to drive protests against affirmative action initiatives such as Senate Constitutional Amendment 5 (later shelved) and Proposition 16, which would erase the state's ban on affirmative action from the California Constitution should voters approve it this fall.

Beyond tamping down civic engagement, the WeChat crackdown could have vast implications for both regional and cross-border commerce. WeChat supports Southern Californias underground cottage industry of home-cooked Chinese cuisine  marinated duck wings, stewed pork knuckles and those baos Wang buys from her neighborhood vendor, for example.

Amy Duan, who built a following for her Chinese-language food website Chihuo on WeChat, said the ban is cruel to the Chinese community.

Chihuo  which publishes dining recommendations and other content about the food scene in some 15 metropolitan areas  has more than 1 million subscribers on WeChat. Duan said the company largely neglected other social media platforms until earlier this year, when Chihuo was featured on Padma Lakshmis Hulu show "Taste the Nation," and Chihuo gained a broader following. Still, the company is reliant on the platform.

If WeChat is really banned, we might have to find some new business models and we will have a lot of struggles," Duan said. "We will prepare for the worst and hope for the best."

More than her own business, however, Duan worries about struggling San Gabriel Valley restaurants Chihuo has built partnerships with. Since the start of the pandemic, more restaurant owners have created WeChat groups and communities, posting their hours and delivery schedules. Duan makes it a point to order via WeChat rather than delivery apps such as DoorDash and Postmates, which charge restaurants fees.

For those conducting business between the U.S. and China, WeChat is an essential communication tool with no ready substitutes, said Geoffrey Gertz, a fellow with the Global Economy and Development program at the Brookings Institution. Almost everybody in China is on this one app. Everyone trying to find a new workaround is really going to be a hassle and a pain, Gertz said.

Along with small businesses, Gertz said, some of the biggest American companies could suffer as well. Those include Apple, which manufactures its products in China and last year made $44 billion there. If Apple can't sell phones able to operate WeChat, or if the Chinese government targets it in retaliation, its business could be devastated, he said.

Tony Chen, who owns freight forwarding company TSJ Logistics, based in Cerritos, Calif., has an agency network that stretches through China, as far north as Dalian and south to Shenzhen. Virtually all of the companys communications happen through WeChat.

During the day Chen uses the app to order dumplings and bento boxes and to chat with friends. At dusk, Chinese truck drivers and warehouse managers message Chen with updates on pickup times and routes. Money is collected and drivers are paid through WeChat. Im constantly on the app, he said.

Although the ban will be a huge nuisance for his business, Chen said he believes it should have happened long ago.

There is a common understanding that talking about sensitive topics like Hong Kong or Taiwanese democracy movements over WeChat is a no-no, Chen said. His family is Taiwanese, and for security reasons usually uses the Korean-owned Line to communicate.

While security concerns about TikTok are largely speculative, surveillance of WeChat conversations and propaganda-pushing by the Chinese government have been documented by cyber researchers at the Citizen Lab in Toronto and open-source data security collective GDI Foundation, who say messages are blocked and stored in a database connected to public security agencies in China.

Still, others say the app is too important a bridge to China to do away with completely.

San Francisco marketing agency owner Charlie Gu spent Friday morning fielding calls from panicked clients asking what the Trump administrations targeting of WeChat would mean for them. His firm helps American brands sell themselves to Chinese consumers. A big part of his work is helping businesses, such as the Beverly Center on La Cienega Boulevard, develop a presence on WeChat.

Gu tells his clients he has only as much information as they do. Its new and fresh and were waking up to it  trying to understand what it means," Gu said. "The lack of clarity is creating uncertainty for a lot of business."

It also threatens to disrupt his bond with those closest to him. Gu, his husband, his parents and extended family are all in the same WeChat group, where they share stories and plan trips. Gus husband doesnt speak Chinese. But WeChat has built-in text translation tools that make it easy for him to communicate with his in-laws over the app.

On Friday, Gu bought a yearlong subscription to a virtual private network service of the type internet users in China use to access blocked websites, as a precautionary measure.

"It does feel sad that we live in this world where this decoupling is happening. It's really sad for me," he said. Were kind of caught in the middle of this escalation.
BROOKLYN, Ohio -- Two years after it was first announced, Fairfield Inn & Suites recently opened a brand-new four-story, 108-room hotel on Tiedeman Road in Brooklyn.

Its an important need to residents and the business community, with Key Banks big presence on Tiedeman Road and Medical Mutual moving into the former American Greetings space, said Jeremy Rowan, Brooklyns economic development director and city planner.

Its just another option for those folks to stay here in Brooklyn rather than looking to other clusters of hotels, whether its downtown or closer to the airport, he said.

cleveland.com left a few unreturned messages with Fairfield Inn & Suites.

I had an opportunity to walk through Fairfield Inn & Suites, Mayor Katie Gallagher said. Its very nice.

Brooklyn Building Commissioner Dave Kulcsar added: It did take a couple of years from when they first planned it. The developer had a few other hotels in the area and was working on another one at the same time.

In other Brooklyn economic development news, Starbucks is investing in not one but two different locations.

One is going to be opening up at Ridge Park Square, which relocated to the old Skyline Chili location, Kulcsar said. Theyre putting in a drive-thru. Thats supposed to be opened before the end of the month.

The other Starbucks is going into the old Steak n Shake location on Tiedeman Road. Theyre doing a lot of work. Its a total remodel, with a drive-thru and outdoor cafe. Thats probably a couple of months off before opening.

Gallagher added, Starbucks investment in Ridge Park Square, as well as on Tiedeman Road, is welcome and hopefully provides some traffic relief on Ridge Road.

The Starbucks at Ridge Park Square is 2,050 square feet, while the Tiedeman Road location will be 3,800 square feet when finished.

This is important for Brooklyn, because Starbucks is moving towards a model now where they want to have drive-thrus, Rowan said. The project on Ridge Road will enable them to have the drive-thru and also remain at Ridge Park Square. It shows the strength of that location

Then, to reinvest in repurposing the (Steak n Shake) building on Tiedeman and adding another drive-thru is a very important investment. It also signals the strength of the location off I-480 and Brooklyns position in the county. Theyre just another great amenity to the office and commercial community.

But the news isnt all good in Brooklyn: Swensons Drive-In has decided not to open a Ridge Road location.

Its my understanding Swensons decision was less to do with Brooklyn and more to do with their corporate philosophy going forward and not expanding, Rowan said.

We still believe Brooklyn is a strong retail and restaurant location. We feel well have success attracting other companies and other restaurants down the road, he said.

Gallagher added, Were sad to hear Swensons ultimately decided not to build here, but we still have places investing in our community like Starbucks and Fairfield Inn & Suites.

Read more news from the Parma Sun Post.
BRASILIA The Brazilian state of Parana on Wednesday reached a deal with Russia to produce a COVID-19 vaccine that Moscow has touted as the first to market, the states press office said, although details of the agreement were not immediately available.

Parana state had said on Tuesday it was in talks to produce the vaccine, although it was unclear if the states research institute would get the necessary regulatory approvals from Brazils federal government.

The state press office said the head of the Parana Technology Institute (Tecpar) would host a news conference to discuss the memorandum of understanding at 4:30 p.m. local time (1930 GMT).

The Russian vaccine has grabbed headlines and raised safety concerns for going to market while other pharmaceutical companies are still carrying out mass testing.

Brazil has the worlds worse coronavirus outbreak outside the United States, with over 3 million confirmed cases and 100,000 deaths, making it a global hub for testing coronavirus vaccines, including British and Chinese candidates.

Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor
Wendy Williams and Kevin Hunter have sold their New Jersey home, following the couple's high-profile divorce.

The 5 bedroom, 4 bathroom mansion sold for $1.475million, down from the initial $2million asking price, according to TMZ.

The former couple's real estate agent Jamie Silverman told the gossip site that 'the reason for the price reduction was the COVID-19 pandemic.'

Wendy Williams and Kevin Hunter have sold their New Jersey home, following the couple's high-profile divorce. Seen together in 2018

Silverman said the talk show host, 56, paid the new owners a personal visit following the sale to 'wish them well'.

The 5,700 square feet plus home boasts a master suite with huge walk-in closets, a marble bath, jacuzzi and steam shower.

The exes first listed the property in August 2019.

The 5 bedroom, 4 bathroom mansion sold for $1.475million, down from the initial $2million asking price, according to TMZ

Off the market: The exes first listed the property in August 2019

Williams filed for divorce from husband of 22-years in April 2019.

Her divorce from the 48-year-old was officially finalized in January of this year.

It was revealed via official legal documents earlier this year who got what in the settlement after the pair didn't sign a prenup all those years ago.

The profits from the recently-sold New Jersey home was to be split 50/50 between the pair.

Motivated sellers: Williams filed for divorce from husband of 22-years in April 2019

Stairway to freedom: Her divorce from the 48-year-old was officially finalized in January of this year

As for their place in Florida, the legendary talk-show host will keep the home as it's where her mom currently lives.

Kevin won the rights to their second New Jersey home in Morristown, which he also sold.

The documents also stated that their production company will also be split down the middle with 50/50 ownership.

However, Kevin wants out so Wendy will pay him a lump sum for his share as well as a severance package.

Risky business: It was revealed via official legal documents earlier this year who got what in the settlement after the pair didn't sign a prenup all those years ago

Down the middle: The profits from the recently-sold New Jersey home was to be split 50/50 between the pair

Other properties: As for their place in Florida, the legendary talk-show host will keep the home as it's where her mom currently lives

The specific amounts have been left confidential.

There will be no child support or custody battles as their son, Kevin Jr. Hunter, is 19-years-old.

Wendy dumped her former long-term husband after his affair with massage therapist, Sharina Hudson, 33, was exposed back in April.

They were reportedly together for 10 years and it was revealed shortly later that she was pregnant with his child.

Even Stevens: The documents also stated that their production company will also be split down the middle with 50/50 ownership

Over: However, Kevin wants out so Wendy will pay him a lump sum for his share as well as a severance package

Wendy previously revealed that she was pushing for a divorce ever since she found out he was cheating.

'I wanted a divorce like yesterday, I wanted a divorce two months ago, three months ago. Whenever I found out, four months ago,' she explained to Sway Calloway, in August 2019.

'I want a divorce and I want to be friends with Kevin. I mean, and not because we have a son but because that was real love.'

She continued: 'I still love him just not in that way. You either in or you are out with me. I still have love for him and I wish him the best in his new life with his new family.'

Acrimonious: Wendy dumped her former long-term husband after his affair with massage therapist, Sharina Hudson, 33, was exposed back in April

The other woman: They were reportedly together for 10 years and it was revealed shortly later that she was pregnant with his child

After Wendy filed, Kevin released a statement apologizing for his actions.

'I am not proud of my recent actions and take full accountability and apologize to my wife, my family and her amazing fans.'

'I am going through a time of self-reflection and am trying to right some wrongs.'

Kevin and Wendy married in 1997 and welcomed their son, Kevin, in 2000.

She currently lives in Manhattan with her two rescue cats, My Way and Chit Chat.
Although Johnny Depp got snubbed in the new "Pirates of the Caribbean" film, he landed another remarkable role in "Waiting for the Barbarians."

Even before Depp started his legal battle against Amber Heard, his fans have filed petitions to return the movie roles he lost because of the allegations against him -- particularly his Captain Jack Sparrow character.

Previously, the Associated Press reported that he lost his career after Heard penned a damaging op-ed for Washington Post.

However, months after battling for it, the Hollywood Reporter revealed that Disney chose Margot Robbie to lead the remake of the award-winning film.

The title and full cast of the said "Pirates of the Carribean" reboot are yet to be revealed. However, the news outlet clarified that it would be a whole new pirate experience with a new storyline.

Fortuntaely, Johnny Depp's movie "Waiting for the Barbarians" saved him.

What Is "Waiting for the Barbarians"?

Director Cirro Guerra marked his English-language directorial debut by creating the drama film "Waiting for the Barbarians."

Although it first premiered at the Venice Film Festival on September 6, 2019, Samuel Goldwyn Films only unveiled it to Depp's fans on August 7, 2020 after acquiring the film's distribution rights.

"The Magistrate (Mark Rylance) of an isolated frontier settlement on the border of an unnamed empire looks forward to an easy retirement until the arrival of Colonel Joll (Johnny Depp), whose task it is to report on the activities of the 'barbarians' and on the security situation on the border," the synopsis of the film read. "Joll conducts a series of ruthless interrogations, which leads the Magistrate to question his loyalty to the empire."

"Waiting For The Barbarians" Cast

The cast of Johnny Depp's movie includes the best actors and actresses today.

When Guerra confirmed the movie adaptation in October 2016, multiple news outlets also disclosed that Rylance would be included in its leading cast.

Meanwhile, in May 2018, reports claimed that Depp got in touch with Guerra to land a role in the film, and he successfully scored the character of Colonel Joll.

Aside from the two actors, Robert Pattinson (Officer Mandel), Gana Bayarsaikhan (The Girl), Greta Scacchi (Mai), David Dencik (The Clerk), and Sam Reid (The Lieutenant) also starred in the movie.

Harry Melling and Bill Milner played the roles of Garrison Soldier 4 and 5, respectively.

What Critics Said About Depp's Role So Far

Since this serves as Depp's comeback, many movie critics applauded him for his brutal but astonishing role.

Justin Chang of Los Angeles Times said: "Depp, emitting a death-ray glare from behind dark spectacles, brings a nice chill to the proceedings; so does an unusually vicious Robert Pattinson in the role of Joll's attack dog."

"From the magistrate's European homeland comes Colonel Joll, a fussy authoritarian played by a quirky Johnny Depp, who makes a show out of pretending to be understated and seems under the impression that he's still working with Tim Burton," The New York Times' Glenn Kenny penned.

After seeing such reviews about Johnny Depp's movie, it is no wonder why fans can't wait for his massive comeback.

READ MORE: Willy Wonka Is Trending, But Not Because of Johnny Depp!
President Muhammadu Buhari, on Wednesday, commissioned the newly established Police Mobile Force Training College, Ende Hills, Nasarawa State.

Represented at the event by the Minister of Police Affairs, Muhammad Dingyadi, the president said the construction of the college showed the determination of his administration to meet the operations and deployment needs of the Nigeria Police Force.

He said the college will further address the manpower needs of the newly created PMF Squadrons across the country.

This was contained in a statement issued by the force spokesperson, Frank Mba Wednesday evening.

In his remarks at the event, the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, said that the college was established as part of the strategic approaches of the police to strengthen the capacity of its special and tactical operations arms in dealing with current and emerging security threats in the country on a sustainable basis.

Terrorism, banditry and incessant kidnappings are the security challenges currently faced across the country.

Mr Mohammed added that the new PMF College will complement the existing colleges in Gwoza, Borno State and Ila Oragun in Osun State.

(It) will also serve as a training ground for police personnel that will be deployed for local and international assignments such as the UN/AU Peacekeeping Operations as well as support for Counter-Terrorism Training programmes, the statement read.
MINSK, Belarus  Thousands of protesters rallied in Belarus capital and other cities for a fourth straight night Wednesday, decrying an election they say was rigged to extend the 26-year rule of the countrys authoritarian leader and the crackdown on subsequent demonstrations.

In several parts of Minsk, groups of hundreds of people formed human chains. Motorists blared horns in support and, in some areas, slowed to a crawl to block police vehicles. On one avenue, people stood on balconies, clapping in an expression of support. Riot police fired rubber bullets at them.

Similar protests were held in at least five other cities, according to the Viasna rights group, to contest the official election results, which show President Alexander Lukashenko won a sixth term with 80% of Sundays vote and the main opposition challenger garnered 10%. Crowds have taken to the streets every night since to demand a recount.

Earlier in the day, groups of hundreds of women formed human chains in several districts of Minsk, chanting Shame! and calling for an end to the crackdown on the demonstrations. Hesitant to use force against all-women rallies, police dispersed them without violence.

But in recent nights, authorities have responded with a level of brutality remarkable even during Lukashenkos rule. Police have dispersed protesters with tear gas, stun grenades, water cannons and rubber bullets and severely beat them with truncheons. Black-uniformed officers chased protesters into residential buildings and deliberately targeted journalists, beating many and breaking their cameras.

We stand for a peaceful protest, said Ksenia Ilyashevich, a 23-year-old IT specialist who joined other women at a Minsk protest earlier Wednesday. We worked up the courage and came out to rally. We stand here for all.

In three previous nights of protests, at least 6,000 people have been detained and hundreds injured, according to the official count, but even that high toll appeared to downplay the scope. Anguished relatives were besieging prisons across Belarus trying to find their missing relatives.

Even those who were loyal saw the real face of this government during the past three days, said 63-year-old Galina Vitushko, who stood outside a jail in Minsk, trying to find her son, a 43-year old doctor. She said that she desperately needs to give him insulin since he has diabetes.

How can you treat your own people like that? she asked, breaking into tears. The real winners dont behave like that.

The 65-year-old Lukashenko has led the former Soviet state of 9.5 million people since 1994, relentlessly stifling dissent and winning the nickname Europes last dictator in the West.

This year, the economic damage caused by the coronavirus and the presidents swaggering response to the pandemic, which he airily dismissed as psychosis, has fueled broad anger, helping swell the opposition ranks  but Lukashenko has dismissed them.

The core of these so-called protesters are people with a criminal past and (those who are) currently unemployed, Lukashenko said during a Wednesday meeting with security officials.

His top challenger, a 37-year-old former teacher and political novice Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, managed to unite fractured opposition groups and draw tens of thousands to her campaign rallies after two top potential challengers were barred from the race. She entered the race to replace her husband, an opposition blogger who aspired to run but has been in jail since his arrest in May.

But she left for neighboring Lithuania on Tuesday in an abrupt about-face, hours after submitting a formal request for a recount. In a video recorded before departure that her associates said was filmed under pressure from law enforcement officials, she urged her supporters to end protests.

Protesters have not heeded her call, and Maria Kolesnikova, a top figure in Tsikhanouskayas campaign, urged the government Wednesday to stop waging a war against its own people and begin a dialogue.

On Tuesday in Brest, near the border with Poland, police shot at protesters who attacked them with metal rods, wounding one person, the Interior Ministry said. One demonstrator died Monday in Minsk, when an explosive device he attempted to throw at police exploded in his hands, according to the ministry.

Journalists, in particular, have been targeted. Boris Goretsky, vice president of the Belarusian Association of Journalists, said more than 20 reporters are currently in custody, waiting to see a judge, and several more have already been sentenced to jail terms ranging from 10 to 15 days.

A deliberate hunt for journalists with independent Belarusian and foreign media has begun, said Goretsky.

Reporters from several Belarusian and international outlets were beaten up Tuesday in Minsk. Officers seized memory cards from a group of photographers, including one for the AP.

On Wednesday, Vital Tsyhankou, a journalist for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, was severely beaten by police and detained along with two reporters from an independent Belarusian TV station after covering a protest against police violence.

The Viasna rights group said many injured protesters were afraid to seek medical help, fearing prosecution for participating in the rallies.

Eduard Kukhterin, a 56-year-old publisher, was injured by rubber bullets overnight but decided not to go to a hospital. Medical workers report such injuries to the law enforcement, Kukhterin told the AP.

The crackdown has drawn harsh criticism from abroad.

Speaking during a trip to the Czech Republic on Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the Belarusian vote was neither free nor fair. We want the people of Belarus to have the freedoms that theyre demanding, he said.

The European Union foreign ministers scheduled a meeting on Friday to discuss the crackdown.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell called the meeting a day after saying that the 27-nation bloc could impose sanctions against those responsible for the observed violence, unjustified arrests, and falsification of election results.

In 2016, the European Union lifted most of the sanctions it slapped on Belarus after Lukashenko freed political prisoners and allowed protests.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet on Wednesday condemned the crackdown, urging Belarusian authorities to immediately release all those unlawfully detained and investigate rights abuses.

___

Daria Litvinova and Vladimir Isachenkov in Moscow and Matthew Lee in Prague and Frank Jordans in Berlin contributed to this report.
"Canada had the highest rate of approximately 80 per cent of deaths from residential aged care. So were faring very badly," he said. Of the 770 aged care homes in Victoria, 87 had an outbreak. Professor Ibrahim warned that hundreds more residents would die prematurely before it is over. When he voiced concerns earlier this year that aged care was unprepared, he was told he was "simply overreacting and causing panic". Aged care workers also told the commission that they felt like they were on bottom decks of the "Titanic" as they watched so many residents they cared for die of COVID-19. Health Services Union branch secretary Diana Asmar said nurses and carers were experiencing unspeakable grief and "trauma", with members having no access to PPE and dealing with the stress and pressure of low levels of staff.

Unfortunately, our members right now feel like they're on the bottom of the Titanic ship, she said. Diana Asmar says aged care workers are overworked and underpaid. "There is no staffing ratios in aged care in private sector. Which is a shame, because at the moment, prior to the COVID-19 they were understaffed. And now, today, with the COVID-19 outbreak in Victoria, we're seeing more understaffing as we speak because there is a huge shortage of staff in aged care. When Ms Asmar said carers were limited to two masks a day, and often didn't have access to soap, Royal Commissioner Lynelle Briggs, who said "Oh God!". Because families had been excluded from aged care facilities, staff were carrying a bigger emotional load supporting residents.

The commission heard many carers - who wash, feed, dress and attend to residents' most intimate needs - had been infected by the virus. Federal secretary of the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation Annie Butler said members were traumatised by the outbreak. Credit:Janie Barrett Of the estimated 3600 personal care workers employed in industry, around 1000 had tested positive for COVID-19. A lot of our members unfortunately are suffering with the COVID experience of their residents that they know who have been dying, Ms Asmar said. Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation federal secretary Annie Butler said some public health nurses who went to aged care facilities found extremely low staffing levels that resulted in abject neglect".

I think we must address the unspeakable grief that many people are going to have to be dealing with and that's [with] the residents themselves.  I would call it trauma, said Ms Butler. Professor Joseph Ibrahim has urged the federal government to put resources into aged care homes. Credit:Jason South Professor Ibrahim said the human misery and suffering "must be acknowledged". "This is the worst disaster that is still unfolding before my eyes and it's the worst in my entire career." "I didnt think we would sink any lower following the royal commission findings from last year and yet we have. In my opinion, hundreds of residents are, and will, die prematurely because people have failed to act.

"There's  a lack of urgency. Theres an attitude of futility which leads to an absence of action." "We have the knowledge to do better. We fail because we have treated residents as second class citizens. Theres an absence of accountability. There still is and there [are] no consequences for failing to deliver good care in aged care." Professor Ibrahim told the commission that the government's two plans to address COVID, including in aged care, were inadequate. They hadn't include representatives from the aged care sector, he said. Nor did they appear to recognise the problems of understaffing facing the sector that were identified in the Royal Commission's interim report last year, called Neglect. He was surprised the federal government's officials were relying on public health specialists to manage aged care when they knew the circumstances in aged care were different from a public hospital.
While the Trump presidency may come to an end in November, the last four years will not vanish into the dustbin of history. It is naive to think that Trumps supporters will silently fade away, even if he loses in spectacular fashion.

With demographic shifts in battleground states favouring Democrats, it would be difficult for someone like Trump to ever win the presidency again. However, it is conceivable that a Trumpist could keep control of the GOP. If Republican elders think they can simply move their party back to the mainstream in January 2021, they are delusional. The presidents campaigns and administration gave voice and legitimacy to Islamophobia, racism, protectionism, nationalism and anti-intellectualism. Half a decade cannot be undone overnight.

A vanquished Trump will still command the support of anywhere between 50 and 60 million Americans, many of them young and politically active. He has a hold on Republican voters that none of his predecessors can claim: up to three in 10 think he has been the best president in history. They are a force to be reckoned with at the state and federal level, with the power to influence and obstruct legislation.

Trump is 74 years old. While nothing is impossible in politics, if he loses in November, it is highly improbable that he will seek the presidency in 2024. It is fair to expect that his followers will channel their opinions, energy and money into another candidate. The question is, who will that candidate be?

A successor to Trump would need to bring together a coalition of social conservatives, white blue-collar workers and ethno-nationalist populists. He or she would have to be anti-immigration, tough on other countries, loose on gun control, and hateful of the political establishment. They would also require a visceral brashness to create shock and awe.

There are already high-profile politicians trying to lay claim to Trumps base. Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas has been defending slavery, calling for more soldiers in the streets, and threatening to take visas away from for international students. Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida, who has a history of racist comments, has embraced the president and mimicked his response to COVID-19. The outspoken Trump supporters in the House of Representatives are too numerous to name.

It remains to be seen if any politician could repeat the 2016 populist takeover of the GOP. Perhaps a media star or one of the Trump children will try to play the role of an outsider. Regardless, the rise of a Mike Pence or a Marco Rubio is in doubt  the calmer representatives of the American right dont have the charisma or rage necessary to generate energy among the Trumpists.

As Trump heads towards a defeat in November, a power vacuum is being left behind, making noise that may last for a generation.

Avik Jain is a writer and teacher.

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CAIRO  Ethiopia shot a warning at Egypt in response to Cairo's alleged intention to establish a military base in East Africa, claiming that an Egyptian delegation met with Somaliland President Muse Bihi Abdi in Hargeisa and discussed Egypts plans to build a military facility in the self-declared state.

The reported Somaliland meeting was not acknowledged by Egyptian officials and the news emerged from a single Kenyan news site.

Spokesperson for the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Dina Mufti told The Nation newspaper on July 27, As a sovereign country, Egypt has a legitimate right to create relationships with any county in the region."

Retired Egyptian Maj. Gen. Abdul Menhem Katou told Al-Monitor that Ethiopia is trying to turn the international and African community against Egypt by showing that the Ethiopian people are treated unjustly. He added that one of Ethiopias strategies is accusing the Egyptian state of controlling the Nile.

Katou stressed that the Ethiopian statements are inaccurate and there is no truth to the rumor that Egypt is working to establish a military base in Somaliland.

Katou said Addis Ababa is waging a media war on Egypt to drum up international sympathy in the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam crisis. Meanwhile, he added, military intervention over the GERD crisis is not an option for Egypt, as President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has recently said that the only solution is through peaceful negotiations.

He said Ethiopia is mismanaging the GERD crisis and trying to tarnish Egypts image, but it will not work because international observers widely condemn Ethiopia's actions in the Nile river affair, which threatens to bring instability to the region. Bringing the case to the UN Security Council would not not go well for Addis Ababa.

Hani Raslan, head of Nile Basin studies at Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies, told Al-Monitor that Ethiopias actions violate international regulations. Ethiopia has no right to interfere with Egypt's relations with other states, he said.

Raslan noted that the GERD negotiations have become futile since the dam has already been constructed and is being filled and that no Egypt-Somaliland agreement could affect the GERD crisis.

Jamal Zahran, a professor of political science at Suez Canal University, told Al-Monitor, Ethiopia is capitalizing on Egypts diplomatic and peaceful response to make false allegations. I believe this has made Ethiopia greedier when it comes to Egypt. The 2015 agreement must be cancelled because it is not in the interest of Egypt. The GERD crisis is ongoing and Egypt will suffer from the long-term effects.

Ahmed Ezzeddine, a researcher on Egyptian affairs, told Al-Monitor that Ethiopia does not want Egypt to defend its national security. All the Ethiopian statements against Egypt are intended to block negotiations that could result in a balanced solution between the two countries in a way that maintains Ethiopias right to development and Egypts water share, he explained. No Egyptian or Somali official has made a statement about establishing an Egyptian military base in Somalia, he added.

Although there are several foreign military bases in Djibouti, Ethiopia sees an Egyptian military base in Somalia as a threat to its security, he said.

Ezzedine said that Egypt will not opt for military intervention in the GERD crisis with Ethiopia, despite its armys strength. The two countries already have an agreement that Ethiopia still has not implemented. Egypt is serious about reaching a peaceful solution, but Ethiopia wants to manipulate the international community for sympathy.
The Selectmen are now utilizing the former Cheshire School for their weekly meetings while still adhering to social distancing guidelines. Proposed salary and stipend increases were discussed at Tuesday's Selectmen's meeting. PreviousNext

Cheshire Selectmen Eye Salary Increases in FY21 Budget

CHESHIRE, Mass.  The fiscal 2021 budget preparation dominated at Tuesday night's Selectmen's meeting.

Aside from reviewing the Board of Health and Council on Aging operating budgets, the board discussed at length what some members see as stagnant salaries for many town positions.

Town Administrator Edmund St. John IV recently undertook a salary study with input from the Massachusetts Municipal Association's Human Resources department. Chairwoman Michelle Francesconi feels Cheshire has fallen behind other similar communities in compensating it's employees.

"Based on feedback that we received at the town meeting last year, a concerted effort has been made by the Board of Selectmen and the Finance Committee towards improving the overall salary structure of our town. We have been undercompensating our employees, we do recognize that, and it's something we are looking to address," she said to the virtual attendees.

"We also recognize the fact that we are in this COVID situation but we know we need to address fair compensation for our employees. We're looking to balance any COVID related issues but also honor the promises or goals we had set for improving [salaries]."

St. John echoed Francesconi's thoughts and outlined the process he undertook with the MMA.

"Over last summer and fall I worked with the Mass Municipal Association's Human Resources department on a benchmark salary study. That provided some good data on salaries across the commonwealth. We looked at job functions and things of that nature across towns with a similar population," he said.

St. John set some immediate goals to reach as far as pay increases for certain salaried positions in town. He also set a five-year goal with step increases each year.

A few of the biggest jumps include the treasurer/collector position from $49,279 to $67,238, the town clerk from $24,211 to $40,947, and the town accountant from $24,855 to $40,095.

The five-year increase for all 10 positions, should all goals be met, would be a roughly $140,000.

Not all selectmen were on board with the potential increases. Member Robert Ciskowski was particularly vocal against across-the-board raises given what he sees as more pressing needs in town.

"I have a different perspective on this. We looked at other towns in Massachusetts, but did those towns ... have road studies done? Let's compare their roads to ours. How good is there infrastructure? Do they need a fire station? Do they need a roof on their old school building?" he asked the board.

Several of those potential expenditures have come up in the past year at many meetings. Ciskowski's point being that when comparing similar-sized towns six of one is not always a half dozen of the other.

He also cautioned against rewarding a standout employee with a significant pay increase with no guarantee their successor would be as deserving.

"Right now, some of those positions, I think we have some excellent people. Are we separating the position from the person who has done the job a long time? I think we have to. Are we rewarding the people that are there? Are we assuming they are going to live to be a thousand and stay in that position?" he asked. "I'm really not comfortable looking at other communities that much."

Member Mark Biagini had a much more traditional and timely reason for wanting to slow the progress a bit on across the board raises.

"A lot of people are out of work still and we can't raise our taxes a lot. People are trying to put money away to pay the water bill, the tax bill, and everything else. If we start raising taxes it will take the money away from that," he explained. "I think a slower approach will benefit us. At least if they know that we are looking to go forward with this, not right now because of what's going on, they'll understand more about how the two boards [Selectmen and Finance] are working together."

The board ultimately decided to look at 6 percent raises at next week's meeting and determine what effect it would have on the tax rate. The final decision would be made at the annual town meeting on Sept. 15.

Carole Hildebrand from the Council on Aging gave a short budget presentation to the board and received little push back. The main reason being that the operation on School Street, even amidst the coronavirus pandemic, has been increasingly busy. With food insecurity for seniors on the rise because of the economic uncertainties posed by the virus, and the abundance of 55-plus residents in general, business has been brisk.

"There was a total of 1992 [volunteer] hours and that was a savings of $14,894. Even though the center is closed because of the pandemic we have a lot of things that are going on. Lunches to go we started with three days a week, we're up to five. The month of July we had 446 lunches we gave out. Anyone that comes they just drive their car to the front door and we run out with their lunch," she said.

"We have emergency food once a week. Anyone can come just give me a call. It's averaging five to eight calls a day. I do wellness calls, I try to do at least five a day."

Seniors are most vulnerable to severe complications from COVID-19 and Hildebrand said she just wants residents to know that there are people out there who care and are thinking of them and that resources are available.

Hildebrand also announced the COA van will be operating for medical rides only starting on August 19th.

The largest increase in the COA budget was a $7,875 jump in additional employee compensation for a part time position to help with the increased demand for kitchen help.

The Board of Health budget will see an increase of roughly $20,000 from expanded hours at the town's transfer station. The town recently conducted a survey to gauge where it might improve its customer service and one of the largest replies was for increased hours for rubbish disposal.

Residents wanted longer evening hours so those working until 5pm could still have time to make a transfer station run. Monday hours were also a frequent request. In response the town will be adding Monday hours from noon to 6 and extending the Wednesday and Friday hours until 6. Saturdays will remain 8 to 5.

The next meeting of the Board of Selectmen will be Thursday, Aug. 13 at 6:30 p.m. It will be a budget discussion with the Hoosac Valley Regional School District and the Northern Berkshire Vocational Regional School District. It will be held virtually so visit the town website for login instructions.
A man is on the run after escaping from hotel quarantine in Queensland.

The man fled from a Toowoomba hotel, west of Brisbane, after being ordered to serve 14 days of mandatory quarantine after returning to the state from a New South Wales hot spot.

'I can advise police are currently searching for a man who breached mandatory hotel quarantine in Toowoomba,' Police Minister Mark Ryan told parliament on Wednesday, 7News reports.

'Police will alleged he has left on his ninth day of quarantine.'

Mr Ryan said the 25-year-old had returned a negative COVID-19 test result and was not considered to be a high risk to the community.

A man is on the run after allegedly escaping from hotel quarantine in Toowoomba. An airline passenger off a Qantas flight from Melbourne is pictured showing documents to be checked off by New South Wales police at Sydney International Airport on August 8

He said a police hunt is underway and the man will face serious consequences once located.

'Police will be very proactive in ensuring that they search for this man and apprehend him,' Mr Ryan told reporters.

'It is a very serious matter, to breach quarantine, and there will be serious consequences to this man as well.'

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk last month laid down orders that anyone entering her state from Sydney 'hotspots', Liverpool, Fairfield, and Campbelltown, would have to enter 14-day mandatory quarantine at their own expense.

The rules were tightened again on Saturday, with the border slamming shut to all of New South Wales and the ACT, after Premier Palaszczuk declared them both hotspots.

The measures came amid mounting fears that Victoria's horror second wave could spill into New South Wales.

As the high case count in Victoria starts to steady, COVID-19 infections have slightly climbed over the past few days, largely due to an outbreak at a school in Sydney's northwest.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk shut her state's border off from all of New South Wales on Saturday. Commuters are pictured walking at Sydney's Central Station on Tuesday

The number of cases at the Tangara School for Girls in Cherrybrook has now grown to 19, with many attributing to the 22 daily new cases on Tuesday- the highest NSW has seen in four months.

On Wednesday, New South Wales recorded 18 new cases of coronavirus while Victoria endured its deadliest day, with 21 deaths and 410 new cases.

In recent months, there have been several cases of people fleeing from mandatory hotel quarantine.

In July, flight attendant escaped from a Sydney hotel by allegedly convincing security guards she had to catch a plane in order to return to work.

She was fined $1000 and returned to the hotel.

Instagram influencer Sarah Josephine Liberty was busted breaking out of the Marriott Hotel on Pitt Street in Sydney via the fire escape on July 4 to have a cigarette.

Police later found her 150 metres away in Circular Quay and issued her with a $1000 fine before she was returned to her room.
(CNN)  Would you trust a vaccine if Vladimir Putin told you it was safe?

Follow-up question: Would Donald Trump trust a vaccine if Putin told him it was safe?

This is not the space race, it's a worldwide pandemic. Putin is nevertheless trying to claim victory here. And while the US medical community has poured cold water on Trump's suggestions that a vaccine could be ready by Election Day, Putin has just pulled one out of a hat and named it Sputnik, after the satellite mission that shocked the world in 1957.

Never underestimate the willingness of powerful people to engage in some geopolitical propaganda. That's why Putin sent PPE to New York this spring, even as the virus took hold in his own country.

Russia's the country that reported very few cases of Covid, before the outbreak became impossible to deny. It's the country where doctors critical of the government's response fall out of windows.

Transparency concerns matter here

Can you trust a Russian vaccine more than you can trust a Russian election result? The kind of electoral fraud that Trump frequently alleges, without evidence, happens in the US in fact does happen in Russia, according to democracy watchdogs.

Putin and his interests are routinely supported by an unbelievable three quarters of voters. Three-quarters of Americans don't agree on much of anything.

No American President has gotten much more than 60% of the popular vote ever, in the elections where that's been possible to track. Heck, in our weird system we routinely give the White House to the person who got fewer votes. And everybody goes along with it.

Trump likes to joke about continuing to serve as President long into the future, but to do it, he'd have to change the US Constitution, which seems completely impossible. Not for Putin. Voters helped him change Russia's constitution last month.

During his time in office, Trump has shown great deference to Putin. That could stem from Trump's disdain for the US intelligence community assessment that Russia tried to help his campaign in 2016 (and is trying to help him win again in 2020). The White House also likes to say he's been hard on Russia, though there is ample evidence of Trump's willingness to let Putin play alpha.

One example, of many, is his continued interest in bringing Putin back into the leadership group of industrial democracies. The G7 -- it used to be the G8 -- kicked Russia out after Putin invaded Crimea, which had been part of Ukraine, in 2014.

Know what else the US intelligence community says Russia is doing? Last month the NSA, along with agencies from European countries, alleged Russians have been trying steal coronavirus vaccine research by hacking into computer systems.

In Belarus, next to Russia, Putin has sparred with the longtime President, Alexander Lukashenko, who arrested Russian mercenaries who he said were trying to destabilize the country on the eve of their election. Lukashenko won, got congratulations from Putin, and is in the process of crushing dissident protests.

The vaccine race is a competition

Russia's announcement of a vaccine, whether you can believe it or not, must irk Trump. Just last week Trump said, contra the evidence in Western medicine, that there could be a vaccine by Election Day.

"I believe we'll have the vaccine before the end of the year, certainly, but around that date, yes. I think so," Trump said this past Thursday.

The real timeline, hopefully. But actual medical experts told CNN's Elizabeth Cohen said that timeline is impossible.

"There's no way. There's just no way," said Dr. Peter Hotez, a vaccinologist at Baylor College of Medicine and a CNN medical analyst.

Read this to understand the timeline. Even if everything goes exactly according to plan, the earliest we're looking at is Inauguration Day. So late January.

How did Russia do this so fast? Here's a key line from CNN's report on Putin's announcement of the vaccine.

Critics say the country's push for a vaccine is partly due to political pressure from the Kremlin, which is keen to portray Russia as a global scientific force.

Here's more:

Russia has released no scientific data on its testing and CNN is unable to verify the vaccine's claimed safety or effectiveness. The New York Times reported the Russian vaccine had not completed trials.

RELATED: Medical expert raises serious doubts on safety of Russia-made COVID-19 vaccine

Despite this, Russian officials have told CNN that at least 20 countries and some US companies have expressed interest in the vaccine.

READ MORE: Duterte offers to be first person to try COVID-19 vaccine from Russia

Don't cut corners. If you're interested in why it's so important to do exhaustive trials vaccine development, it's because, in this case, billions of people will need to take the thing. Read this CDC website about historical vaccine problems. And note that China has also started using a vaccine on members of its military.

In development. There are 25 vaccines currently in clinical trials and more than 100 more in development, according to the World Health Organization. Hopefully it's the safest one or ones of those that reaches billions of people worldwide and gets us all back to some kind of normal. Here's a look at the three you might have heard about.

People in open societies need to trust the vaccine won't hurt them. They need to trust their elections are valid. They need to trust that government has their best interests in hand, and if not, they can take part in the process and put someone else in power.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "Russia claims a win in the vaccine race. But would you take a vaccine from Vladimir Putin?"
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / August 12, 2020 / Gaia Metals Corp. (the "Company") (TSXV:GMC)(OTCQB:RGDCF)(FSE:R9G) is pleased to announce that field crews have mobilized to the Freeman Creek Property (the "Property") to carry-out a Phase I surface exploration program that will lay the foundation for the subsequent Phase II drill program. The Property is located approximately 15 km northeast of Salmon, in the State of Idaho, USA, and is accessible via paved highway and a network of gravel roads and trails.

The Phase I surface program will include the following components:

Verification of historical drill collar, adit, and open-cut locations

Property-wide prospecting and rock sampling

Property-wide ground magnetic survey

Soil sample grid extending across the Gold Dyke Prospect

The Property hosts two major advanced targets; the Gold Dyke Prospect, with an historical drill intercept of 1.5 g/t Au and 12.1 g/t Ag over 44.2 m (RDH 8), and the Carmen Creek Mine Prospect, with an historical outcrop sample assay of 14.15 g/t Au, 63 g/t Ag, and 1.2% Cu. Both prospect areas have seen sporadic exploration since the early 1900s, which includes high-grade Au-Ag samples of various outcrop and open-cuts as well as the completion of several adits (see news release dated June 4th, 2020). In the 1980s, several exploratory reverse circulation drill holes were completed at the Gold Dyke Prospect with many encountering near surface zones of anomalous gold mineralization, highlighted by the intersections in drill holes RDH 8 (above) and RDH 10 (1.7 g/t Au and 17.1 g/t Ag over 21.3 m). Strong grades of Cu, Pb, and Zn have also been reported, although were inconsistently assayed for.

The objective of the Phase I program is to verify these historical (i.e. pre-GPS era) drill collar, adit, and open-cut locations and to expand upon the surface mineralization that has been documented as far back as 1904. The soil sampling and magnetic survey will further aide with geological interpretation and trends over the target areas. Collectively the dataset derived from the Phase I surface exploration will orient the Phase II drill program anticipated to occur this fall.

Further in this regard, with the surface program now underway, the Company is actively planning the Phase II drill program. The Property is entirely located on BLM lands, outside of US Forest Service Lands and other protective areas. Therefore, the permitting process is relatively straightforward and efficient in comparison to other land designations where the process may be significantly more onerous. For optionality, the Company is permitting a total of eighteen (18) drill pad locations in support of an initial 1,000 m drill program (5 or 6 holes). These pad locations may be further modified based on results of the surface program currently underway.

The Gold Dyke Prospect, as the most advanced target on the Property, will be the focus of the initial drill program, which is anticipated to include twinning of the best historical drill intersections (core vs cuttings from historical drill holes RDH 8 and RDH 10), as well as drill testing of high-grade open-cut locations at depth. The primary objective of the drill program is to verify the historical drill results and gain additional understanding of the geology and orientation of the mineralized horizon(s), effectively setting the stage for a more expansive drill campaign.

Adrian Lamoureux, President, CEO, and Director of Gaia Metals Corp. comments, "Now that we have executed the Definitive Agreement for 100% ownership of the Freeman Creek Gold Property, we are immediately moving forward with an aggressive 2020 exploration campaign including drilling. Verification and expanding upon the historical results are the first steps toward unlocking the potential of this asset for our shareholders. With gold achieving historic highs, our timing couldn't be better".

NI 43-101 Disclosure

Darren L. Smith, M.Sc., P. Geo., Vice President of Exploration for the Company and Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101, supervised the preparation of the technical information in this news release.

About Gaia Metals Corp.

Gaia Metals Corp. is a mineral exploration company focused on the acquisition and development of mineral projects containing base and precious metals, including platinum group elements, and lithium.

The Company's flagship asset is the Freeman Creek Gold Property, located in Idaho, USA. The property hosts two major advanced targets; the Gold Dyke Prospect, with an historical drill intercept of 1.5 g/t Au and 12.1 g/t Ag over 44.2 m (RDH 8), and the Carmen Creek Mine Prospect, with an historical outcrop sample assay of 14.15 g/t Au, 63 g/t Ag, and 1.2% Cu.

Additional assets include the wholly owned Corvette Property, and the FCI Property (held under Option from O3 Mining Inc.) located in the James Bay Region of Quebec. The properties are contiguous and host significant gold-silver-copper-PGE-lithium potential highlighted by the Golden Gap Prospect with grab samples of 3.1 to 108.9 g/t Au from outcrop and 10.5 g/t Au over 7 m in drill hole, the Elsass and Lorraine prospects with 8.15% Cu, 1.33 g/t Au, and 171 g/t Ag in outcrop, and the CV1 Pegmatite Prospect with 2.28% Li2O over 6 m in channel.

In addition, the Company holds the Pontax Lithium-Gold Property, QC; the Golden Silica Property, BC; and the Hidden Lake Lithium Property, NWT, where the Company maintains a 40% interest, as well as several other assets in Canada.

For further information, please contact Adrian Lamoureux, President & CEO at Tel: 778-945-2950, E-mail: adrian@gaiametalscorp.com or visit www.gaiametalscorp.com.

On Behalf of the Board of Directors,

"ADRIAN LAMOUREUX"

Adrian Lamoureux, President & CEO

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.

Forward Looking Statements:

Statements included in this announcement, including statements concerning our plans, intentions and expectations, which are not historical in nature are intended to be, and are hereby identified as, "forward-looking statements". Forward-looking statements may be identified by words including "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "expects" and similar expressions. The Company cautions readers that forward-looking statements, including without limitation those relating to the Company's future operations and business prospects, are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements.

SOURCE: Gaia Metals Corp.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/601205/Gaia-Metals-Corp-Mobilizes-Field-Crews-to-the-Freeman-Creek-Gold-Property-Idaho-USA
UT Health San Antonio and its clinical partner, University Hospital, are among the first sites in the nation to begin the third phase of clinical trials for remdesivir, an experimental COVID-19 treatment.

Remdesivir, which has emergency authorization in the U.S. to treat COVID-19 patients, is being tested in combination with a drug already approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for multiple sclerosis. This drug, marketed as Rebif, is produced by Merck KGaA of Germany.

Patients participating in the study are divided randomly into two groups. One gets remdesivir plus the new study drug, interferon beta-1a, while the other gets remdesivir and a placebo.

We are excited to be on the front lines, helping to find new treatments for COVID-19, said Dr. Thomas Patterson, principal investigator of the portion of the trial at University Hospital and chief of infectious diseases in the Long School of Medicine at UT Health San Antonio.

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The study, called the Adaptive COVID-19 Treatment Trial 3, is expected to enroll more than 1,000 hospitalized patients with COVID-19 at as many as 100 sites in the United States and abroad.

The clinical trial is sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, which is part of the National Institutes of Health.

The first version of the trial started on Feb. 21 to evaluate remdesivir, which scientists believe targets genetic material called RNA and is meant to stop SARS-CoV-2 from replicating.

Gilead Sciences, Inc, of Foster City, Calif., developed and produces the antiviral drug.

Preliminary analysis of ACTT data, published in May, found patients who received remdesivir had a statistically significant shorter recovery time compared to patients who received placebos.

On ExpressNews.com: FDA fast-tracks coronavirus drug tested in San Antonio

The recovery time went from 15 days to 11 with remdesivir.

The San Antonio study site was among the largest in the world for the second phase of the clinical trial, Patterson said, which means treatment data from these local patients will play a significant role in finding new COVID-19 treatments.

The second phase tested baricitinib, a rheumatoid arthritis drug made by Indianapolis-based pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly and Co, but those results havent been published yet.

Laura Garcia covers the health care industry. To read more from Laura, become a subscriber. laura.garcia@express-news.net | Twitter: @Reporter_Laura
The mayor of the town of Lake View has pleaded guilty to an ethics violation.

Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall announced Wednesday the conviction of Paul Calhoun. The 45-year-old man pleaded guilty to the Class A misdemeanor. A sentencing date has not been set, but he faces up to a year in prison or a fine of up to $6,000.

Calhoun was appointed mayor of the Tuscaloosa County town in 2016 and was elected to a four-year-term shortly after. Following a dispute with the town council regarding official travel and whether he would be required to reimburse the town for unauthorized expenditures incurred out of state, Calhoun, as a voting member of the Lake View Town Council, voted no on a motion to compel the payment, causing a tie that led to the failure of the motion, Marshall said.

Calhoun was arrested July 9 and released from jail the same day. As part of todays guilty plea, Calhoun agreed to resign from office and not seek re-election in the upcoming municipal election.

Former Mayor Calhoun crossed the line when he violated state ethics laws for his personal benefit, said Attorney General Marshall. We expect public officials to conduct themselves with integrity and when they do not, they will be held to account.
International Youth Day was designated by the United Nations (UN) in the year 1999, in an attempt to raise awareness regarding the cultural and legal issue concerning youth. The first IYD was observed on 12 August 2000 and has been observed annually ever since. In 1999, the General Assembly endorsed the recommendation made the World Conference of Ministers Responsible for Youth, and subsequently International Youth Day came to be celebrated annually.

This day is meant to signify and highlight the importance of young people, not just as a future generation, but also as the current driving force of change in the world. Various activities like concerts, workshops, cultural events and meetings are organised to engage the youth and in order to bring their voices, actions, and initiatives to the mainstream. This year, due to the coronavirus pandemic, the UN is commemorating IYD with a podcast-style discussion that will be hosted by the youth for the youth.

Each year, the observance of International Youth Day is marked with a theme, relevant to the times. The theme for 2020 is Youth Engagement for Global Action, and this has never been of more significance, than during the current conditions. The theme seeks to shed light on the ways in which the engagement of young people at the local, national and global levels is enriching national and multilateral institutions and processes. It highlights the importance of the influence that youth can have over where the future is headed and how their political and social involvement can aid in creating better, more sustainable policies for the world as a whole.

It is also important to note that the current challenges that humanity is facing can only be tackled with global action. From the Covid-19 pandemic that has brought the world to a standstill, to the Black Lives Matter Movement  the youth, globally, is unabashedly representing their ideologies and beliefs for better living and societal conditions.

With internet effectively joining every single person on earth in an expansive digital space, the call for global action is easily heard and answered by the youth all over the world. At this point in history they can literally start a revolution from their beds.

In observance of the day, the UN has launched a social media campaign, #31DaysOfYouth, that is celebrating young people all throughout the month of August, leading up to and following International Youth Day. It is meant to spread awareness and initiate conversations surrounding Youth Engagement for Global Action.

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The "Europe and Latin America Gamification Market Growth, Trends, and Forecasts (2020-2025)" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

Europe and Latin America Gamification Market are expected to register a CAGR of 15% during the forecast period 2020 to 2025.

The exponential growth in the number of smartphones and mobile devices in the region has boosted the demand for the gamification market. This growth is also supported by the increasing recognition of gamification systems as a method to architecture human behavior in order to induce innovation, productivity, or engagement.

Key Highlights

Improved learning outcomes are anticipated to increase the demand for gamification among various end-users in the European and Latin American countries. Gamification, as a promising learning method, is a growing trend in manufacturing, education, healthcare training, etc.

For instance, at the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, instructors gamified two courses, a first-year undergraduate course on computer organisation and a master's level course on cloud computing. Also, Smart Game Systems (SGS) were tasked with improving the decision-making capability of healthcare professionals at a UK university by using pesticides to combat spread of malaria.

According to NTL Institute of Applied Behavioral Science Learning Pyramid model the traditional learning methods based on listening, reading, and observing are getting ineffective, and only 20% to 30% of contents might be recalled by the person. The advancement in technology based on simulation learning is effectively driving the growth of the market, with a high percentage of learning outcomes.

MicroPower has created a number of gamified solutions for companies in Brazil, with the main objective of the gamified solutions being to better engage employees who need to learn key information about the products they are selling. This is because the country has 40% of its workforce in Generation Y, and these young folks learn and perform differently. They want to compete, be recognized, and rewarded.

The recent COVID 19 outbreak will boost the adoption of gamification across various end-user industries in the region. The government agencies are using gamification techniques to spread awareness about the pandemic while educational institutes are using it to keep their students engaged and monitor their progress.

Market Trends

Smartphones Adoption to Drive Market Growth

Europe commands a significant penetration rate of smartphones and mobile subscriptions, which is influencing the demand for gaming solutions. According to Ericsson, during Q3 2019, the smartphone subscriptions in Western Europe, and Central and Eastern Europe stood at 390 million and 350 million respectively; these numbers are expected to reach 490 million and 500 million by 2025 with the advent of 5G.

Increasing penetration of smartphones and mobile gaming is further augmenting the demand for gamified solutions in various industries. In healthcare, Sea Hero Quest, a mobile game, is used to collect data for the detection of dementia at an early stage.

A high level of smartphone penetration in the European region is one of the key reasons for the faster adoption of gamification. According to the GSM Association Mobile Economy Europe Report 2018, the number of unique mobile subscribers is set to grow from 465 million in 2017 to 481 million in 2025. At this number, the penetration rate will be 88% of the total population.

Gaming for Engagement in Key End-user Segments to have Significant Growth

The application of games in the end-user industries for purposes, such as education, training, problem recognition, enhanced problem-solving capabilities, social skills, and improving collaborative abilities, along with decision making, may drive the market during the forecast period.

Healthcare applications of gamification in the region are increasing significantly, and healthcare professionals are incorporating the technology as part of their treatment process to keep patients engaged and help them recover faster with better cognitive skills. For instance, Xploro is a health information platform that uses augmented reality and games, along with AI, for reducing stress and anxiety about medical procedures.

British Armed Forces are using VR training platform, featuring gaming technology. The UK Ministry of Defence's (MoD) VR simulator platform is built on Fortnite gaming engine, and it is expected to become a part of the wider training program for the forces over the coming years. Such developments in the region are expected to increase over the coming years.

High expenditure on advertising is witnessed across industries in the region, as advertisers use gamification to optimize brand awareness, target more audiences, and make additional traffic to their websites. For instance, DDB Stockholm, in its marketing campaign for Volkswagen "Fun Theory," used gamification to encourage people to alter lazy behaviors by showing that acting responsibly can be fun. It involved a subway station, where DDB transformed steps into working piano keys. This may drive the demand for the gamification market in the region during the forecast period.

Competitive Landscape

The Gamification Market in Europe and Latin America is fragmented in nature as the demand for the technology and increasing penetration of mobile applications across the regions will help attract new players in this market over the next few years. Key players are Gamifier, Inc., Young Targets GmbH, among others. Recent developments in the market are:

September 2019 Gamifier, Inc. partnered with Hubspot Inc. for its CRM platform, which is one of the best software to help to manage the relationship with customers, save time, and get better results from a sales team. The Gamification system automatically rewards the salesperson for each action taken on Hubspot CRM.

March 2019 Diginext presented its latest virtual training and turnkey operator support solutions at Laval Virtual 2019, which may help businesses reduce production costs and increase operational efficiency.

Key Topics Covered

1 INTRODUCTION

1.1 Study Assumptions and Market Definition

1.2 Scope of the Study

2 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

3 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

4 MARKET DYNAMICS

4.1 Market Overview

4.2 Industry Attractiveness Porter's Five Forces Analysis

4.3 Market Drivers

4.3.1 Mobile-based Gamification Gaining Momentum

4.3.2 Crowdsourcing Seen as a Major Opportunity in Innovation and Development

4.3.3 Growing Awareness on the use of Gamification in the field of Education and Local Citizen Engagement in Latin America

4.4 Market Challenges

4.4.1 Several Gamification Techniques have been known to have a Short-Term Impact on the Audience

4.4.2 Complexities Involved in the Development of Gamification Solutions

4.5 Market Opportunities

4.5.1 Increased Adoption of AI and Machine Learning has Greatly Improved Engagement Rates in key End-user Segments

4.6 Impact of COVID-19 on Gamification and Digital Engagement Strategies

4.7 Evolution of Gamification and the Current Positioning of Europe and Latin America in the Global Scenario

5 MARKET SEGMENTATION

5.1 By Type

5.1.1 Solution

5.1.2 Services

5.2 By End-user Vertical

5.2.1 Retail

5.2.2 Healthcare

5.2.3 Education

5.2.4 Banking and Finance

5.2.5 Telecommunications IT

5.2.6 Other End-user Vertical

5.3 By Geography

5.3.1 Europe

5.3.1.1 Italy

5.3.1.2 Germany

5.3.1.3 United Kingdom

5.3.1.4 Rest of Europe

5.3.2 Latin America

5.3.2.1 Brazil

5.3.2.2 Mexico

5.3.2.3 Rest of Latin America

6 COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE

6.1 Company Profiles

6.1.1 Young Targets GmbH

6.1.2 Growth Engineering Ltd.

6.1.3 Gamifier, Inc.

6.1.4 3radical Limited

6.1.5 CUT-E GMBH (AON, PLC)

6.1.6 Gamehill

6.1.7 MMD Games

6.1.8 BrandNewGame

6.1.9 Mindonsite SA

6.1.10 Bluerabbit Edu, S.A.P.I. de C.V.

6.1.11 Matifac

6.1.12 Senac Brasil

7 INVESTMENT ANALYSIS MARKET OUTLOOK

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/6oz8ly

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200812005608/en/

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RAIPUR: Four Naxals were killed in an encounter with the security forces in Chhattisgarh's insurgency-hit Sukma district on Wednesday morning.

The encounter took place in a forest under Jagargunda police station limits around 9.30 AM when joint teams of various security forces were out on an anti-Naxal operation, Inspector General of Police (Bastar range) Sundarraj P was quoted as saying by PTI.

Four Naxals killed in an exchange of fire during a joint operation by District Reserve Guard (DRG), 201 battalion CoBRA and 223 battalion CRPF in the forest area of Jagargunda, Sukma district today. Weapons were seized from the spot, the IG Bastar said.

Acting on specific inputs about the location of Naxals in the interior areas of Jagargunda, joint squads of different security forces, including the District Reserve Guard (DRG), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and its elite unit Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA), launched the operation, he said.

When one of the patrolling teams was in the forest near Phulampar village, located over 450 km from state capital Raipur, an exchange of fire broke out between the two sides, the official said.

After guns fell silent, bodies of four male ultras were recovered from the spot along with a .303 rifle, huge cache of country-made weapons and explosive material, he said.

Search operation was underway in the area, he added.
FREDERICTON - New Brunswick reported a case of COVID-19 on Tuesday, ending a four-day stretch without new instances of the illness.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 11/8/2020 (525 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

FREDERICTON - New Brunswick reported a case of COVID-19 on Tuesday, ending a four-day stretch without new instances of the illness.

The case involves an individual in their 40s in the Fredericton area, with no details provided on the source of infection.

Premier Blaine Higgs said during a news conference that while there is a lull in infection levels in the province, citizens don't have to look far to see that spread can erupt quickly, noting continuing cases in Western Canada.

Tuesday's new case means there are currently seven active cases in the province.

The other active cases were identified last week, all involving temporary foreign workers who arrived in Moncton and began immediately self-isolating.

Dr. Jennifer Russell, the province's chief medical officer of health, said effective Monday, physical distancing in public seated venues can be reduced to one metre, as long as a face mask is worn at all times.

Restaurants and bars will still be required to enforce two metres of distancing.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 11, 2020.
Jessica Wilson, a 30-year-old teacher with the Toronto Catholic District School Board, thought she was heading to Thunder Bay for March Break. Wilson owns a cottage in the area, and said she spends most school holidays there  taking in her hometowns idyllic views of Lake Superior before returning to the citys hustle-and-bustle.

Five months later, shes still there. And, with no end to the coronavirus in clear sight, Wilson has decided its going to stay that way.

Financially it doesnt make sense. My mortgage in Thunder Bay costs less than my rent in Toronto. It was a nice apartment but its like $2,000 to live in a basement. You know? said Wilson, whos lived in the GTA for seven years. I havent felt as restricted being in a small town because theres paths and nature everywhere. You have a lot more movement thats available.

According to Statistics Canadas recent report, Price trends and outlook in key Canadian housing markets, COVID-19 may cause home buyers to spread further away from pricier cities like Toronto and Vancouver to be able to afford larger houses.

This is in line with studies, such as the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC)s 2018 Housing Market Insight report, which revealed an increase in GTA households migrating to municipalities that offer more affordable, single-detached housing over the past few years.

And as COVID-19 has meant people staying home, its raised an unexpected question among many millennials: Where, exactly, do I want that home to be?

When Wilson bought her camp in 2017, it was to invest some savings into a recreational property. A 1,200-square-foot, lakefront home ticked all of her boxes: two bedrooms, sauna, sunroom, less than an hour from the city centre, and within her $300,000 budget.

Since she was living on the top floor of a colleagues home in Toronto at the time, rent was reasonable. That changed in 2019 when her landlord got pregnant and she got evicted. The best deal she could find in the same neighbourhood, Roncesvalles, cost $600 more per month.

When COVID-19 became an issue this year, Wilson was feeling the squeeze. So, while at her cottage where she reconnected with loved ones and enjoyed a more rural environment, with fewer coronavirus cases and a lower cost of living, Wilson said she had enough motive to end her lease in the city.

Once the school year starts, Ill have to face those everyday realities of living in a small town. Plus winter is going to be a whole other situation that I need to deal with. But so far its been good, she said. Ask me in a few months.

Wilson gave up her job in Toronto for a position with a local school board. But, for many professionals, COVID-19 is making it easier to simply move your job with you. A Statistics Canada survey released in May found that nearly one-quarter of Canadian businesses expect 10 per cent or more of their workforce to continue working from home post-pandemic.

It didnt really seem like it would work before COVID, said Amanda Wyman, 35, who bought a house in Port Hope during the quarantine  despite her husbands office being located in downtown Toronto. With the possibility of working remotely, that changed.

The couple had not planned to move for another five to 10 years but when the virus confined them to their two-bedroom loft with their 10-month-old baby, their quarters suddenly felt awfully close.

The silver lining was getting to spend a lot more time with our son Mortimer, said Drew Tozer, a 30-year-old data analyst at a crown corporation. The downside was having to juggle work with parenting going on in the background.

Space wasnt the only issue.

COVID changed how we saw Toronto  at least in the short term  because you immediately lost a lot of the benefits of being in the city, Tozer said.

For just under $700,000, Wyman and Tozer are the new owners of a 1,900-square-foot, three-bedroom detached home with an additional loft area and large yard. As Tozer noted about the price: In Toronto, thats a small one-bedroom condo.

Theres only one bathroom, but part of the two-car garage was converted into a workshop  perfect for Wyman, a ceramics teacher who owns Mud Makers in the Junction Triangle. Thanks to her partners and technology, she said she can run the studio from afar. Tozers parents also live in Port Hope and as well as that advantage, the town, is just a 1-1/2-hour commute to Toronto.

Real-estate broker Mark Steele said hes noticed an uptick in clients who are expressing interest in municipalities like it.

There has absolutely been an increase in clients looking outside of the GTA ... now that COVID has made it less important to work from an office, he said.

Yet a COVID-inspired migration pattern has the potential to drive up prices, notes CMHCs principal economist for the GTA, Dana Senagama.

Its almost counter-intuitive because although youre looking for affordable housing what its likely going to do is push prices up higher, said Senegama.

Ryan Kardish has first-hand experience with the tribulations of price surges. The 29-year-old digital strategist has been house-hunting since March in his hometown of Ottawa where prices are reaching all-time highs, outpacing growth in other key markets, according to Statistics Canada.

Despite what Kardish described as intense bidding wars that are pushing the prices of homes $60,000-80,000 above asking, he feels the time is right to buy after living in a shared downtown Toronto condo for four years.

Initially, he had his sights set on a spacious $500,000 condo in Ottawas Centretown. But he said the pandemic highlights that its more important to have a dedicated office space or to be more comfortable at home. Hes now looking for a single family home in the suburbs, closer to $700,000.

Kardishs girlfriend, Marnie Gontovnick, has also changed her mind about relocating.

You really start to value space, size of property and backyard accessibility compared to being in a condo with tons of other people, she said.

(This period) has opened our eyes: Why are we paying a premium to be in Toronto? As of now, theres no point.
Instagram user @carteruno captured his ten-minute encounter with an elderly woman who called him the n-word before phoning the police.

@carteruno/Instagram

Instagram user @carteruno, who goes by Mr. Carter on the app, posted a video of his encounter with a white woman who called him the n-word and accused him of "stealing" from her.

The 34-year-old father says he was picking up his children from his aunt's home when he parked in a resident-designated parking spot outside the apartment complex, drawing the ire of the elderly resident.

In the clip, the woman calls the police and defends her "constitutional right" to use racial slurs while Carter remains composed.

An officer responded to the call, ultimately expressing disbelief when Carter relayed the details of the altercation.

Commenters are praising Carter for his behavior during the tense situation.

Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

As social media users continue to capture and post video footage of racist altercations, one father is sharing his experience of being accosted by a white woman who used the n-word and called the police over a parking spot.

Instagram user @carteruno, who goes by Mr. Carter on the platform, posted a video of a racist encounter with an elderly resident in the parking lot of an apartment complex in Highland, California. The video has since garnered attention from outraged viewers, the Daily Dot reported.

In the 10-minute clip, which appeared to follow an earlier, unfilmed altercation, the woman accuses the 34-year-old of "stealing" from her when he briefly parked his car in a resident-designated space while picking up his two sons from his aunt's home.

"You're still stealing from me," the woman says after accusing Carter of entering the apartment complex to "get a piece of ass."

"And you called me a n-----," Carter says.

"So? I've got a constitutional right to free speech," she responds. "I'm an American and proud of it. I don't have to leave America to go to Africa  like you guys have to leave Africa to come to America."

Related video: How white savior films hurt Hollywood

Story continues

Carter goes on to point out the historical inaccuracy in her comment and asks the woman to move her vehicle, which she used to block him in as he arranged car seats for his children.

Ultimately, she refused to move her vehicle and continued to chastise Carter, eventually involving another woman in the apartment complex who observed the altercation from her balcony.

"Is this your people again, illegally parking?" she asks her fellow resident.

"Are you fighting with me? No, don't fight with me," the resident can be heard responding from a distance. "They didn't take your space."

Eventually, a police officer approaches the scene, expressing disbelief when Carter relays the situation.

"No..." the officer responds when Carter mentions that the woman repeated her racial slurs once he began filming. "You're in her parking spot, you're just trying to get your kids."

Carter continues filming his interaction with the woman, explaining that he "accepts" her frustration over his choice of parking space.

"What I don't wanna accept is all this animosity and hate that you have in your heart," he says, adding that he hopes she has a "blessed day" and handles situations "differently" in the future.

"It's crazy how this lady just really went off on me and my boys, though," Carter concludes in the final moments of the video, panning to show his young sons in the backseat of his car. "It is what it is, right? Be careful out here, man. Racism is real, bro."

Editor's note: this video contains the use of racial slurs.

In just one week, the video has racked up thousands of views and comments from viewers outraged by the woman's behavior and impressed by Carter's response.

Several Instagram users praised his composure amid the racist tirade.

"You were amazing! God bless you and your family," one commenter wrote. "You gave your sons a mighty example of self-respect and courtesy."

"Shining example if class, dignity, restraint (cause i wanted to ....) and parenting for your young babies to see!!!" another wrote.

A representative for the San Bernadino Sheriff's Department similarly commended Carter's handling of the incident and confirmed that an officer witnessed it.

"The Sheriff's Department does not condone the use of any type of racial slurs. We commend the gentleman in this video for his demeanor and levelheadedness," the representative said in an email to Insider. "The deputy arrived at the location to assist and we are pleased the situation resolved peacefully."

Update: This story has been updated to include a statement from the San Bernadino County Sherriff's Department.

Read more:

Videos of people labeled 'Karens' have flooded the internet, drawing curiosity, condemnation, and criticism. Here's how they took over our feeds during quarantine.

'Kroger Karen' is going viral for using a stroller to block a Black woman from leaving a grocery-store parking lot

A UCLA lecturer was placed on leave after students condemned his 'woefully racist' response to a request for accommodations amid BLM protests

Read the original article on Insider
Through her lawyers, the 58-year-old asked a judge to help improve her treatment in a Brooklyn federal lock-up, saying uniquely onerous conditions limit her computer access and frustrate her ability to provide for a trial scheduled for next July.

They said she should be housed in the general population at the Metropolitan Detention Centre rather than under restrictions that would limit her time outside her cell to three hours a day.

Maxwell faces charges that she procured teenage girls for Epstein to abuse. She denies the claims.

As a result of what occurred with Mr Epstein, Ms Maxwell is being treated worse than other similarly situated pretrial detainees, which significantly impacts her ability to prepare a defence and be ready for trial, the lawyers wrote.

They said she is watched around-the-clock by security cameras and multiple prison guards, including individuals who do not seem to be usual staff workers.

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These prison guards constantly observe Ms Maxwell and take notes on her every activity, including her phone conversations with defence counsel, they said.

Until recently, Ms Maxwell was subjected to suicide watch protocols, including being woken up every few hours during the night and being forced to wear special clothing.

They said this was occurring even though she has never been suicidal and was never diagnosed as exhibiting risk factors for suicide.

Her cell is searched multiple times each day and she has been forced to undergo numerous body scans, the lawyers said.

A spokesman for prosecutors declined to comment.

Maxwell is held without bail after US District Judge Alison J Nathan concluded days after her July arrest at a New Hampshire estate that she was a risk to flee.

The lawyers also asked Judge Nathan to order prosecutors to reveal the identities of three women whose claims of sexual abuse by Epstein and Maxwell in the 1990s formed the basis of charges against her.

They said they need the identities to properly investigate their allegations of abuse at residences in New York, Florida, New Mexico and the United Kingdom.

The women were not identified in an indictment in Manhattan federal court that charged Maxwell with recruiting and grooming them for abuse when they were under the age of 18.

The indictment, to which Maxwell has pleaded not guilty, alleges that one victim was 14 when she was recruited.

Maxwells lawyers noted that Epstein is alleged to have abused dozens, if not hundreds, of girls and women so it would be hard to guess which women were working with prosecutors.

The judge ordered prosecutors to respond to the letter from defence attorneys Mark Cohen Christian Everdell by Thursday.
* Russia to raise share in global rare earths output to 10%

* Aims to become almost self-sufficient in them by 2025

* Plans to start exports from 2026

By Anastasia Lyrchikova and Gleb Stolyarov

MOSCOW, Aug 12 (Reuters) - Russia plans investment of $1.5 billion in rare earth minerals, critical to the defence, telecommunications and renewable energy sectors, as it strives to become the biggest producer after China by 2030, a top government official told Reuters.

Russia's initiative is in line with other countries, such as the United States, which are also trying to curb their reliance on China, home to 63% of global rare earths production and 37% of global reserves https://pubs.usgs.gov/periodicals/mcs2020/mcs2020.pdf.

China's dominance is so established, it is hard to weaken.

Russia has reserves of 12 million tonnes, or 10% of the global total, and its government is willing to back any foreign investment.

Alexei Besprozvannykh, Russia's deputy industry and trade minister, said Russia is offering reduced mining taxes and cheaper loans to investors in a list of 11 projects designed to increase Russia's share of global rare earths output to 10% by 2030 from 1.3% now.

The Russian projects will require at least $1.5 billion in investment, he said.

China will keep its market dominance, but Russia's "goal is to be at least the second after them by 2030," Besprozvannykh told Reuters in an interview.

So far rare earth processing is almost totally controlled by China, with the exception a plant in Malaysia, operated by Australia's Lynas Corp, and the U.S. is reviving production.

The 11 projects, which include developing the Tomtor deposit in Russia's far east, will allow Russia to become almost self-sufficient in rare earth elements by 2025 and start exports in 2026, the deputy minister said.

By 2024, Russia's production of rare earths concentrate may reach 7,000 tonnes a year, he added. The U.S. Geological Survey estimated Russia's 2019 production at 2,700 tonnes. (Reporting by Anastasia Lyrchikova and Gleb Stolyarov; writing by Polina Devitt; editing by Andrew Osborn and Barbara Lewis)
A U.S. Marine Corps veteran posted a large sign with his phone number on the corner of a busy intersection in his hometown in the hope of finding a woman he connected with online.

Mike Knowles, a 65-year-old former sergeant from Fairhope, Alabama, met his potential match, Susan, on an online dating service and was just about to ask her out when he accidentally deleted their conversation, losing his only form of contact with her.

'I wrote her a message and somehow or another I pulled up something that had "delete" on it, and I pushed that button and it wiped everything out,' he told NBC15. 'And all of a sudden, it was gone.'

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Oh no! Mike Knowles, 65, from Fairhope, Alabama, was about to ask his online match, Susan, out on a date when he deleted their conversation and lost contact with her

Going all out: Desperate to find her, Knowles posted a sign on an intersection listing his home and cellphone numbers that read: 'Susan - call - Mike...My computer is down!!!'

Knowles recalled the moment he first saw Susan's picture and sent her a message, saying: 'I thought she was a very pretty lady.'

They spent more than a month getting to know each other, and he was pleasantly surprised to find out that they had a lot in common.

'We were to the point where I was about to ask her to go out with me, because we were at that point,' he said. 'And I was in the process of sending her a message to have dinner with me.'

That's when disaster struck, and he accidentally deleted their conversation and his connection to her. The two had never exchanged phone numbers, and the only thing he knew for sure was that she lived in the neighborhood.

Knowles was desperate to find her, and he figured if she lived nearby, she must drive through the intersection of County Road 32 and 181 just about every day.

Determined: Knowles also searched for her online and visited local businesses to see if anyone knew her

'I said, well, I'm gonna make a sign and put it on the corner. And if she goes out that way to Walmart, if she's a sign reader, she'll see my sign,' he explained.

'Susan  call  Mike,' the sign read, listing both his home and cellphone numbers. 'My computer is down!!!'

Going viral: An image of the sign was shared on a local magazine's Facebook page along with Knowles' story

A photo of Knowles' sign eventually made it online after Lynn Henderson Oldshue, the editor of the local magazine Our Southern Souls, shared the veteran's story in a post titled: 'Desperately Seeking Susan.'

Knowles explained that he had met Susan on an online dating service several months ago but had been taking things slow.

'At this age when you make a mistake or get mixed up with the wrong person, it is hard to rebound,' he said. 'I hadn't gotten her last name or number yet. But our last conversation we had talked about going to dinner. Her last response was let's make a date. I somehow hit delete and lost everything.

'I had no way to find her or contact her again. That was two weeks ago and I have worn my tablet out trying to find her.

'The only thing I knew to do was to put this sign in the area I think she passes through and hope she sees it.'

Knowles also visited a couple of restaurants and stores in the area to see if anyone knew his mystery woman and could help him find her.

'I guess they think I am crazy, but I really want to meet this woman,' he admitted. 'I thought long and hard before putting up this sign with my number, but it seems like my only hope to find Susan, so I had to take the risk.

Happy ending: When Susan saw it, she reached out to him, and he immediately asked her out

Backup plan? Knowles, who has taken the sign down, said two other women have also reached out to him to give him their numbers

'I worried that the letters and numbers were too small, but if you could read it and call me, maybe she can, too.'

As luck would have it, Susan saw the post and reached out.

'I got a call from her this morning and she said, "I think I'm the lady you're looking for,"' Knowles said.

This time, he made sure to ask her out to dinner, and she accepted his invitation. Whether or not love is in the cards for them, he is just happy to have a new friend  he also has a few more dating options thanks to his romantic gesture.

'I had two ladies call me last night,' he admitted. 'They said, "If you can't find her, keep my number."'
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Yellowstone County went under a red flag warning Wednesday morning due to critical fire weather conditions that could lead to rapid fire growth.

The county is one of many in the state where conditions are primed for fires.

The National Weather Service in Billings was expecting humidity to range from 8% to 16%, with winds southwest to west at 10 to 20 mph and gusts of 35 mph along western foothills. Humidity in the teens and below is typically seen as a risk for fire starts.

Temperatures are expected to near 100 and isolated thunderstorms in the afternoon and evening will produce "locally erratic/gusty winds," according to an informational poster published by the weather service.

In some areas frequent lighting strikes could also lead to fires.

Kurt Hooley, a meteorologist for the weather service, said that heading into the red flag warning fuels in the area were already dried out, which is fairly typical from July 4 onward.
TCN News

National Federation of Indian Women (NFIW) President Aruna Roy has launched a fact-finding report on the February violence inside New Delhis Jamia Millia Islamic (JMI) campus.

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On February 10 this year, students of JMI, joined by civil society groups, locals and supporters initiated a peaceful march from the campus to the Parliament House to continue their ongoing protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act, National Register of Citizens and National Population Register (CAA, NRC and NPR). Around 6 in the evening, Delhi Police suddenly began putting up barricades to stop further movement of the protestors and quickly swung into action without any warning or announcement to disperse, the report stated. Notably, this was the third time since December 15 violence in the university when the police had attacked anti-CAA protestors violently.

In its final copy, NFIW has made useful observations regarding the whole incident, compiling information from talking to victims, protesting students, teachers, activists, medical professionals, administrative staff, and legal counsels. Teachers, students and lawyers have resonated that gruesome violence was perpetrated on the protestors, while use of chemical gas on peaceful protestors was witnessed. There have also been reports of targeted sexual violence on women. From the testimonies of victims, the role of both the police as well as those in plain or fake uniforms have been confirmed in the campus violence. Also, it has been suspected according to narratives and first-person accounts that RSS goons were seen in fake uniforms. Students also recounted that the vehemence and sense of vindictiveness of the attackers was extraordinary whereas the inhuman manner and ferocity of the assault clearly reflected that it was done to drive home the point that the anti CAA protestors are enemies of the State.

About the pattern of attack, the report discusses that the spray was not tear gas as no complaints of tears or irritation to the eyes was registered. Instead, the protestors did complain about immediate immobility, drowsiness, severe headaches, choking and muscle pain. Many even shared that they were unable to stand for hours after being sprayed on. When the ones who got away from the direct source of spray complained of nausea and headache, it was seen that as they tried to get back to the barricades to help others, they were either beaten up or sprayed on again rendering them incapable of any movement. Such evidence affirm NFIWs stand that the spray was a chemical with serious health implications.

The Delhi Police has categorically denied using any toxic or chemical substances on students, claiming it to be mosquito fumigation spray. Surprisingly, the medical administration of Holy Family Hospital which is nearly a kilometre away from the barricaded-site accused the police of a totally false claim. The authorities from the hospital said no such fumigation activity was carried out and even if it had been, mosquito fumigation does not lead to the kind of reaction that the survivors faced. Further, students also complained of vomiting, palpitations, muscle atrophy, spasms and limited mobility for over a week after the attacks.

The NFIW report detailed the nature of attacks as well as the response from medics. While protesting students were taken to hospitals due to Severe injuries in genitals and stomach, no tissue or blood samples were recorded by the hospital administration. Those who suspected chemical gas in the spray police used against protestors were told by doctors and nursing staff that even if they got any test done, the chemical would not be identifiable as it was a chemical that left behind no residue. Most survivors the NFIW talked to, as well as the administrative staff of different hospitals and clinics, reiterated that doctors were apparently intimidated by policemen in plainclothes to not conduct any tests.

From public hospitals to private setups, most medical professionals in the area were obeying the unwritten instructions of not conducting tests as well as not talking to people who were trying to enquire. The report cites this as the main reason why survivor after a survivor was convinced into not seeking a blood test. No doctor was ready to put the issue down on their prescription pads, it said.

In response to the scale of violence, NFIW has pointed out that using chemicals on unarmed civilian populations is a criminal act and has been declared illegal in various UN Conventions. Moreover, there is no constitutional loophole that the police or any armed force can claim for validating their action.

In another section, the report discusses excessive beatings that were more severe as were the traumas that the survivors suffered. The doctors were treating cracked and fractured ribs, ankle and bones. Although the fierceness of attacks has been highlighted frequently, the NFIW report mentions that the attacks varied according to gender. Men were hit on their knees and when they fell on the ground, they were sprayed on with a mild liquid that rendered them immobile. They were also attacked on their genitals. Many were unable to speak, and the choking and headaches also rendered them unconscious. The attack on women was slightly different. The women were sprayed on first, and as they collapsed, they were beaten. Nearly all complained of attempted sexual assault. Simultaneously, all victims pointed to the abusive language and anti-Muslim slurs used by the policemen while attacking, such as Pakistanis and Mullas, in addition to derogatory swear words. The instruments used for beating were batons, leather boots, elbows, knees and knuckles, such that it took patients days to discover the extent of the injuries as there was no visible bleeding or scars. Nearly all injuries were internal, as X-rays couldnt easily detect anything and after even weeks later fractures and other injuries were identified, the report said.

NFIW report compares the violence with that of JNU as the handicapped and disabled were not spared and beaten as ruthlessly as every other protestor. The section on sexual assault on women details that NFIW fact-finding team was able to find out about 15 women and 30 men who were assaulted in their private parts. Women were molested by the male policemen, who attempted to tear their clothes, punched their breasts or stomped on them with their boots, as well as tried to insert their batons into the vaginas. Several women suffered injuries in their vaginas, whose vaginas were torn due to the blunt end of the baton being inserted. The victims recalled that the pain, pus and blood rendered them bedridden for weeks after the assault. The report states that women as young as 16 were sexually assaulted, and many of them are suffering now from serious gynaecological complications.

A few metres away from the JMI campus about 30 boys (students and protestors) were picked up to be taken to the police station wherein in approximately a 40-minute bus drive to the station, the boys were constantly beaten in the bus, their groins kicked at with boots. When NFIW approached them for first-person accounts, doctors and lawyers were found reluctant to reveal details due to patient confidentiality while in some cases the shame and fear of people finding out about the details of their injuries were reasons why the doctors were reluctant to talk about them.

Based on its in-depth analysis of the police violence on unarmed civilians, NFIW report has accused the Delhi Police of not filing an FIR till date regarding the injuries suffered by the unarmed protestors. It has further stated that there has been no semblance of accountability from the police regarding the brutality of its forces.

The report has pointed that Jamia Teachers Association (JTA), had sought answers regarding the unprofessional manner in which the crowds were handled but to no avail. It has also noted that the police have denied use of any gas and hospitals have refused to officially give statements, but the witnesses and collectives like the Jamia Coordination Committee have been able to gather evidence regarding the use of some chemical substance being used. Besides, NFIW were also able to gather testimonies and eye witness accounts about chemical gas being used on unarmed civilians.

Regarding the unprecedented police brutality on unarmed civilians, the NFIW report has demanded the Ministry of Home Affairs to give a white paper on the events of the 10th February, from the setting up of barricades to the detaining of students in the police station. It has condemned the selective detention of scholars and intimidation of survivors and related groups, while simultaneously urging the government to institute a special judicial enquiry to investigate the heinous nature of the crimes perpetrated by men in uniform. Additionally, it has also sought a team of retired judge and doctors to investigate and submit a public report on the use of chemicals on the protestors, and the nature of injuries of the survivors.
Phillys sprawling food-shopping scene contains a world of ingredients, and sometimes they necessitate a special trip. You might look for tamarind pods along Washington Avenue. Palm oil might take you to Woodland Avenue. Fresh tortillas by the kilo? The Italian Market. Knackwurst? Head up to Fox Chase.

If youre on the hunt for a jar of XO sauce  the savory-salty-spicy condiment that originated in Hong Kong in the 1980s  you might visit Chinatown, Washington Avenue, or maybe the H Marts in Elkins Park and Upper Darby.

But you can find a version thats original to Philly if you drive down Passyunk Avenue past the Philadelphia Gas Works plant, over the Schuylkill, and beyond Ball Busters Billiards and the Purple Orchid. Youll arrive at a row of auto-body shops. Stop at Global Auto Tags & Services, 6204 W. Passyunk Ave. Go inside and ask for Jacob.

Delaware County native Jacob Trinh works at Global Auto, his familys business, during the week. But this Johnson & Wales-trained chef and former Vernick Fish line cook has started to channel entrepreneurial ambitions into his own company, Trinh Eats. At the moment, its anchored by Trinhs XO sauce.

 READ MORE: Philly has a new pound cake contender, and it has Filipino flair

Traditionally, XO sauce melds dried shrimp and dried scallops with cured ham, chilies, spices, and aromatics like ginger, garlic, and shallots. The dried ingredients are rehydrated and processed to fine shreds; the aromatics and spices are toasted and ground down; everything is simmered in oil, one ingredient at a time and then altogether, enriching the oil with flavor. Finally, the mixture is spiked with soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, maybe some sugar.

The result is a coarse-yet-jammy blend that can provide an umami boost as an ingredient in sauces and stir-fries, or as a condiment on rice, noodles, or vegetables.

It could be a main ingredient or maybe just a spoonful, Trinh said.

His XO sauce recipe, developed over a couple of years, uses fresh crabmeat and whitefish to tone down the pungency just a bit. He also adds tamari (a gluten-free alternative to soy sauce) and sake to the simmering sauce, which cooks for three to four hours in a 22-quart stockpot.

 READ MORE: Its Crab Gravy Season in Philly. Heres where to get some of the best.

Up until a few months ago, Trinh had been making XO sauce for his own enjoyment when he realized he made an excessively large batch. He went online and asked if neighbors would be interested in buying it, and to his surprise, many were  even if they had never tasted or heard of XO before.

Hes been cooking bigger batches since then, scaling up to about 70 jars worth each week. In the coming months, he hopes to secure a spot at a spring farmers market and add more products to the Trinh Eats banner. Currently, hes tinkering with fermented hot sauces, trying out various flavor combinations (mango-long hots, Asian pear-gochujang, carrot-caraway-ghost pepper) before settling on a signature offering.

Whats really surprising, Trinh said, is I was actually never a hot, spicy kind of guy out of my whole family. Im actually the weakest when it comes to tolerance for spice levels. ... Its funny how that turns itself around.

Trinh Eats XO sauce, $12 for a 4-ounce jar. Preorder by emailing jacob@trinheats.com or messaging @trinheatss on Instagram; pay by Venmo, Cash App, or cash. Pickup at 6204 W. Passyunk Ave. Delivery to downtown Philadelphia for $5 ($30 minimum order).
As Louisiana tries to protect vulnerable nursing home residents from coronavirus outbreaks, the facilities still have a significant source of risk for new infections. Hundreds of employees coming and going each day have refused to take a virus test.

Gov. John Bel Edwards administration ordered nursing homes to regularly test residents and workers for the COVID-19 disease caused by the coronavirus or face financial penalties. But while nursing homes have to provide the testing, residents and staff can refuse to participate.

Testing refusals havent been a problem with residents, according to the latest data provided to The Associated Press by the Louisiana Department of Health, which shows all but a few of the states nearly 24,000 nursing home residents have been tested for COVID-19.

But 700 employees of the facilities had spurned the available testing in the July 22 data.

Testing refusals represent only 2% of Louisianas nearly 31,000 nursing home workers, but they still offer hundreds of ways the coronavirus can enter nursing homes through some of the only people allowed to enter and exit the facilities on a regular basis. Nursing homes are closed to visitors.

The coronavirus pandemic ravaged Louisianas nursing homes in the earliest days of the states outbreak, and the facilities  packed with elderly residents most at-risk for serious effects from the virus  remain one of the most susceptible settings to rapidly spreading infections.

More than 1,600 Louisiana nursing home residents have died from COVID-19, more than 40% of the states deaths from the disease, according to health department data.

The department didnt provide a list of specific nursing homes where employees have rejected testing, but the agencys data shows they work in three of the states nine health regions  the New Orleans, Baton Rouge and Monroe regions. Of the 700 workers who refused tests, 338 work in the four-parish New Orleans region, representing about 9% of the nursing home employees in the area.

Louisiana announced in mid-June that it had toughened its coronavirus testing requirements for nursing homes, after some facilities didnt follow earlier voluntary testing standards recommended by the state. Nursing homes that dont follow the testing policy face the risk of restrictions on admitting new patients, civil penalties or withholding of Medicaid payments.

Our testing approach has been to ensure that every patient inside a nursing home is tested for COVID-19 at least once, and then to support facilities with regularly testing of staff on a weekly basis, department spokesman Kevin Litten said in a statement.

Any staff member who tests positive must isolate and not enter the nursing home while contagious, Litten said. Any nursing home that has an employee test positive must do a new round of patient testing to determine if there are new infections in the facility.

The health department hasnt explicitly called for workers who refuse testing to be fired  but it warns in its testing policy that those employees put residents and the employer at risk if they continue to work at the facility.

Litten said the departments heard several reasons for nursing home employees rebuffing the tests. He said some workers seem to object to the invasive testing procedure, while others arent at work on testing day or are already isolating because of a previous positive test.

Some people work at multiple nursing homes and dont need to get tested at both locations. People who have tested positive, isolated and then returned to work after symptoms disappear also arent usually asked to test again, Litten said.

But he said some nursing home employees may be refusing because they worry theyll test positive and lose their income by having to stay home and quarantine.

Mark Berger, executive director of the Louisiana Nursing Home Association, said the organizations member facilities have adopted policies to address workers who wont get tested for the virus, which can include placing the employee on leave or firing them.

While the policies are specific to the individual facility, the overall goal of all facilities is to protect the health, safety and well-being of the residents, Berger said in a statement.

He noted 98% of workers have undergone testing: This is an incredibly high testing percentage, especially considering the refusal number may include individuals who previously tested positive and have fully recovered.

Still, testing refusals leave cracks in efforts to keep nursing home residents safe in the pandemic.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics COVID-19 Louisiana Homeowners
The New York Times

Sceptics of the notion that the coronavirus spreads through the air  including many expert advisers to the World Health Organization  have held out for one missing piece of evidence: proof that floating respiratory droplets called aerosols contain live virus and not just fragments of genetic material.

Now a team of virologists and aerosol scientists has produced exactly that: confirmation of infectious virus in the air.

This is what people have been clamoring for, said Linsey Marr, an expert in airborne spread of viruses who was not involved in the work. Its unambiguous evidence that there is infectious virus in aerosols.

A research team at the University of Florida succeeded in isolating live virus from aerosols collected at a distance of seven to 16 feet (4.9 metres) from patients hospitalized with COVID-19  farther than the 6 feet (1.83 m) recommended in social distancing guidelines.

The findings, posted online last week, have not yet been vetted by peer review but have already caused something of a stir among scientists. If this isnt a smoking gun, then I dont know what is, Marr tweeted last week.

But some experts said it still was not clear that the amount of virus recovered was sufficient to cause infection.

The research was exacting. Aerosols are minute by definition, measuring only up to 5 micrometers across; evaporation can make them even smaller. Attempts to capture these delicate droplets usually damage the virus they contain.

Its very hard to sample biological material from the air and have it be viable, said Shelly Miller, an environmental engineer at the University of Colorado Boulder who studies air quality and airborne diseases.

We have to be clever about sampling biological material so that it is more similar to how you might inhale it.

Previous attempts were stymied at one step or another in the process. For example, one team tried using a rotating drum to suspend aerosols and showed that the virus remained infectious for up to three hours. But critics argued that those conditions were experimental and unrealistic.

Other scientists used gelatin filters or plastic or glass tubes to collect aerosols over time. But the force of the air shrank the aerosols and sheared the virus. Another group succeeded in isolating live virus but did not show that the isolated virus could infect cells.

In the new study, researchers devised a sampler that uses pure water vapour to enlarge the aerosols enough that they can be collected easily from the air. Rather than leave these aerosols sitting, the equipment immediately transfers them into a liquid rich with salts, sugar and protein, which preserves the pathogen.

Im impressed, said Robyn Schofield, an atmospheric chemist at Melbourne University in Australia, who measures aerosols over the ocean. Its a very clever measurement technique.

The researchers had previously used this method to sample air from hospital rooms. But in those attempts, other floating respiratory viruses grew faster, making it difficult to isolate the coronavirus.

This time, the team collected air samples from a room in a ward dedicated to COVID-19 patients at the University of Florida Health Shands Hospital. Neither patient in the room was subject to medical procedures known to generate aerosols, which the WHO and others have contended are the primary source of airborne virus in a hospital setting.

The team used two samplers, one about 7 feet (2.13 m) from the patients and the other about 16 feet (4.88 metres) from them. The scientists were able to collect virus at both distances and then to show that the virus they had plucked from the air could infect cells in a lab dish.

The genome sequence of the isolated virus was identical to that from a swab of a newly admitted symptomatic patient in the room.

The room had six air changes per hour and was fitted with efficient filters, ultraviolet irradiation and other safety measures to inactivate the virus before the air was reintroduced into the room.

That may explain why the researchers found only 74 virus particles per litre of air, said John Lednicky, the teams lead virologist at the University of Florida. Indoor spaces without good ventilation  such as schools  might accumulate much more airborne virus, he said.

But other experts said it was difficult to extrapolate from the findings to estimate an individuals infection risk.

Im just not sure that these numbers are high enough to cause an infection in somebody, said Angela Rasmussen, a virologist at Columbia University in New York.

The only conclusion I can take from this paper is you can culture viable virus out of the air, she said. But thats not a small thing.

Several experts noted that the distance at which the team found virus is much farther than the 6 feet (1.83 m) recommended for physical distancing.

We know that indoors, those distance rules dont matter anymore, Schofield said. It takes about five minutes for small aerosols to traverse the room even in still air, she added.

The 6-foot minimum is misleading, because people think they are protected indoors, and theyre really not, she said.

That recommendation was based on the notion that large ballistic cannonball-type droplets were the only vehicles for the virus, Marr said. The more distance people can maintain, the better, she added.

The findings should also push people to heed precautions for airborne transmission like improved ventilation, said Seema Lakdawala, a respiratory virus expert at the University of Pittsburgh.

We all know that this virus can transmit by all these modes, but were only focusing on a small subset, Lakdawala said.

She and other experts noted one strange aspect of the new study. The team reported finding just as much viral RNA as they did infectious virus, but other methods generally found about 100-fold more genetic matter.

When you do nasal swabs or clinical samples, there is a lot more RNA than infectious virus, Lakdawala said.

Lednicky has received emails and phone calls from researchers worldwide asking about that finding. He said he would check his numbers again to be sure.

But ultimately, he added, the exact figures may not matter. We can grow the virus from air  I think that should be the important take-home lesson, he said.

Apoorva Mandavilli. c.2020 The New York Times Company
It has often been said that women were not given the right to vote in 1920. They took it.

Rather than being passive bystanders in their struggle, womens rights advocates took to the streets, held rallies, and lobbied state and national leadership for the same rights and opportunities as their male counterparts.

Syracuse, just a little to the east of Seneca Falls where the womens suffrage movement was started, was a hotbed of womens rights activities.

An example of this was a rally held in streets of the city on June 16, 1911, a day when local suffragettes brought their ideas to the regular people in the streets, and then to the front door of a powerful local politician.

***

- Daughter of famed suffragette, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Harriott Blatch Stanton .worked to revolutionize the women's suffrage movement in New York, looking to enlist women of all classes and backgrounds into the struggle Courtesy of the Library of CongressCourtesy of the Library of Congr

June 16, 1911 was a Saturday and Syracuse streets and sidewalks were busy with traffic and commerce.

At about 2 p.m., a touring car whistled up South Salina Street. Standing on the tonneau, was Harriot Stanton Blatch, whose appearance made an immediate impact. When the car stopped, crowds rushed toward it.

Her enthusiasm drew young and old, impoverished loiters and well-dressed passers to the interested circle fringing the touring car, the Post-Standard reported.

She was the second daughter of famed womens rights advocate Elizabeth Cady Stanton and she had set out to modernize the suffrage movement in New York state by appealing to women of all classes and backgrounds, not just upper-class, white women.

She began an impassioned hour-long speech by explaining that women had already proven their worth to American society by taking on industrial roles during the Civil War when men were away fighting.

At its beginning women were engaged in four trades; at the end of the war the number of occupations which found women engaged had mounted to 400. What does that mean? That every man left some industrial niche behind and into it stepped a woman.

To Stanton Blatch, it meant that women could just as competently vote in elections as any man could. In fact, it seemed to her, men did not need any qualifications at all:

Every man, deaf or blind or unfit in other ways, even a degenerate, goes to the polls on election day so long as hes 21 years old. I leave it to every one of you  the only qualification asked of him is that he be able to tell the difference between a rooster and a star. No one asks him whether he is muscularly capable or mentally fit to exercise good judgment.

She argued that there were hundreds of thousands of American women who havent homes unless they earn the money to buy them, and in many cases its not only themselves they have to support but some lazy, shiftless man.

When she asked the assembled crowds, Am I right? they answered in thundering chorus of approval.

She urged New York to join five western states that had given women the vote.

We women ask no privileges but fair play in a mighty hard world to live in.

By the time Mrs. Blatch had finished, the Post-Standard noted, her listeners had been augmented to standing-room-only proportions.

That evening, 150 suffragettes gathered at the Kanetenah Club for their next move.

- State Senator John Henry Walters of Syracuse had 150 uninvited guests when on July 16, 1911 when a small army of suffragettes "invaded" his front yard on East Genesee Street. Courtesy of WikipediaCourtesy of Wikipedia

They knew that the New York State Legislature were just days away from deciding if the womens suffrage issue should be placed before voters in a referendum. They thought that State Senator John Henry Walters of Syracuse could be a pivotal vote.

Walters has long been seen as a champion of womens rights, but the suffragettes decided that night to ascertain for sure where he stood.

At dusk, they began marching to his home at 314 East Genesee St.

Under the old poke bonnets were age-lined faces, made young by the rebellious atmosphere, and side by side they trod the pavement in time with perhaps more spry young women but no more enthusiastic, the Post-Standard said.

The 150 marchers ended up being slowed by a train which divided their procession. It was dark by the time they assembled in the front of Senator Walters home.

Looking surprised and tired, Walters invited the women into his yard and lit some Japanese lanterns.

A Mrs. L.O. MacDaniel presented the senator with a resolution which they had written earlier in the day.

Headlines from the June 16, 1911 Post-Standard describe the scene when 150 suffragettes rallied in front of NYS Senator John Henry Walters home. New York Digital LibraryNew York Digital Library

It read in part:

"We call upon our representative in the Senate because of the advance in the political position of women outside our own state and the immense growth of public opinion in favor of women's suffrage within our commonwealth, to do all in his power in the Legislature to bring the Empire State in line with modern democracy by passing onto the voters for decision the question of the political emancipation of women."

Walters was every bit the politician, according to the Post-Standard.

He was suave and collected, and attentive to what the women said but was noncommittal.

He excused nothing, he answered nothing, he promised nothing. At all times, the Senator was diplomatic.

The women dispersed into the night.

The next day they were back at it.

Stanton Blatch spoke at the farmers market at Clinton Square bringing her arguments to a new audience of farmers wives.

The bill in Albany was delayed, then postponed and then defeated in March 1912.

Senator Walters vote against the bill was one of the decisive votes.

New York women would have to wait until 1917 before being given the opportunity to vote.

More on Crusade for the Vote

Suffrage banner brings state GOP convention to a halt in 1918

Syracuse Herald holds a test vote to gauge citys enthusiasm for womens suffrage

Meet the Upstate suffragette who stood up to Charles Darwin

Matilda Joslyn Gage directed the womens suffrage movement from her Fayetteville home. Then she was written out of history.

Explore the Post-Standards special Womens Suffrage edition from 1915

Syracuse suffragette Harriet May Mills reflects on her time in suffrage movement

New labor of love National Womens Hall of Fame in Seneca Falls opens later this month

Video and podcasts to get smart on the womens suffrage movement

How Central NY launched the womens suffrage movement

Social justice movement channels spirit of CNY suffragist (Commentary)

Visit key places in the suffrage movement across Central NY (map)

Syracuse women rejoice after the Tennessee ratifies the 19th Amendment

Looking for a true-crime podcast to check out?

An invention from Upstate NY soon became the preferred method of execution across the United States -- the electric chair. In The Condemned, we trace the history of the chair through the stories of five men who were sentenced to death for their crimes. Explore our series here.

This feature is a part of CNY Nostalgia, a section on syracuse.com. Send your ideas and curiosities to Johnathan Croyle at jcroyle@syracuse.com or call 315-427-3958.

Thanks for visiting syracuse.com. Quality local journalism has never been more important, and your subscription matters. Not a subscriber yet? Please consider supporting our work.
Opinion Article

12 August 2020

The tourism industry has had the opportunity to see what the world was like without it, and it was far from great. As travelers begin to return to destinations so do opportunities for Destination Marketing Organisations (DMOs) to grow accountability within their community. We need to embrace these new responsibilities. Let's change how we measure success and our relationships with travellers and residents.

For destination marketers, it's critical to understand how to navigate this new world - and yes, the time has come for DMOs to shake-up how they manage the destination and what constitutes success. The metrics for how they define success need to account for more than just hotel beds. DMOs must embrace wider accountability, start measuring it, and start now. If you don't measure it, you can't improve it.

A good exercise for any DMO looking to create meaningful success now is to ditch at least five KPIs and take on five new ones that help to ascertain community value. Of course, every destination is different, with its own challenges, starting points post-COVID, barriers to success and USPs - but the need for a shake-up is consistent. Here, I've outlined how and why this is critical and some examples of the new KPIs DMOs should consider.

Resident relationships

Benchmarking year-on-year growth is, obviously, now null and void - now is the time to put in true long-term goals. It's clear that relying on one metric as the key indicator of success belies reality. You may be filling hotel beds, but what is the relationship with residents in the community like? Are they empowered and bought into the benefits tourism can bring to them? Are visitors spending with local businesses? It's crucial to take a more holistic view of tourism KPIs and to tell a meaningful story about and with the community there.

Relationships with residents are in fact key for any DMO, but often ignored - more so in the US, when compared to European counterparts like Amsterdam, Slovenia or Scotland. Balancing resident sentiment and travel demand is vital, especially for reopenings during the current pandemic. Understanding barriers and drivers for residents can inform reopening and community plans to welcome back guests. DMOs should measure resident sentiment; how it tracks over time and in response to changes in the market or DMO initiatives, they must focus on current barriers for residents and businesses as it pertains to travel.

Discover new data streams

Relying on old reliable data sources or just statistics is a tempting trap but one that hugely limits the understanding of a DMO (and "Black swan" events such as COVID has proven that is not enough when looking at the future). Now is the time to spend time investigating data that you may never even have known existed and work out how it can be used successfully for your destination. In this case, firstly, it is key to identify your goals and vision so that you can decide on what data sources will help you measure.

For example, look into geolocation data such as leveraging heat maps to understand people's movements and where they congregate. Some destinations are even leveraging CO2 and water/electricity consumption to analyse traveller behaviour. This can be incredibly useful in a place, for example, like Venice where we want to limit overcrowding, or in areas where we are trying to nudge behaviours towards new areas of the city. In the current pandemic, it's even more critical to understand how to ensure we aren't pushing people to one area of a small city or town. This can inform resident and visitor promotion and program development to focus on what is attracting people today.

Understanding real-time intent is also crucial; leveraging sources like search data and airline capacity, as well as working with data providers like ADARA who marry deterministic with probabilistic data to understand customer intent can help forecast for recovery and to capture market share through driving interest in critical booking periods.

Beyond the bed tax and sustainability

As we take a more holistic view of benefiting the community through tourism, it's clear that success goes far beyond hotel tax. A more holistic understanding would be gained through visitor spend - visits to restaurants, petrol stations, retail, leisure attractions, museums, shops, and more generate huge revenue and are a key source of value for local businesses and residents. Communities will have felt the pain of a drop in tourism far beyond the hotel industry, and we must reflect that in how we interpret revenue gains through tourism. We already are seeing a shift to regional and day driving trips; these important visitors must not be discounted. Measuring this overall positive impact is also a huge boon towards proving value to the community and encouraging a positive attitude towards travel.

We need to consider 'place management' rather than "destination marketing". This means accountability for responding to resident and business concerns, building community relationships; while leveraging data to ensure maximum market capture with maximum benefit to the location. And not only this, but also on how we embrace sustainability goals and promote circular economies in the sector in order to build a true community understanding and to assess current data sources and uses, replacing with immediacy where a metric falls short. We are at a new beginning in travel; our measurement of success can, therefore, start afresh, too.

Accountability ties a community to the commitment of a result.
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AIIMS is at the forefront in fighting the pandemic and also providing best quality patient care for both COVID and non-COVID patients. AIIMS has treated around 5,500 Covid patients till now.Malka said that these technologies will further bolster India's capabilities to tackle COVID-19. "Through cooperation and the combination of India and Israel's medical prowess, we can find effective solutions that will help both countries, as well as the world."He added, "We are pleased to share the best medical technology from Israel with the most premier medical institute of India. Over the last few days, we have worked closely with AIIMS. We have been impressed by their brilliant ongoing response to the pandemic."The Secretary to Government of India in the Ministry of External Affairs, Sanjay Bhattacharya, was the chief guest at the function. He said, "When time gets tough, best of friends get together and India and Israel have established a sustainable and strategic partnership in various fields including the field of medicine."He also said that India has extended assistance to over 150 countries in the fight against COVID-19 and is committed in engaging and collaborating with the international community in the areas of diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines.The technologies include an AI video-oriented, voice-operated autonomous personal AI assistant robot, an application that can be installed on any mobile phone of the COVID-19 staff which makes the work of the hospital staff inside the COVID-19 departments much more effective and easier.Besides this, innovative products have been given which have been designed to give the clinicians constant contact free access to the patient's vitals like heart rate and respiratory rate which improves patient safety with contact-free, continuous monitoring.A 12-hour disinfection product called CPD that stays active and continuous to protect the surface against new attacks of contamination has also been presented.A non-invasive remote patient monitoring system which aids as a preliminary screening tool of respiratory indicators of suspected Covid-19 and recovering patients and AI based software for Ultrasound use and designed especially for fighting COVID-19 was also handed over.The cooperation between Embassy of Israel in India and AIIMS holds a long-term cooperation of more than a decade. In 2007, a delegation of 21 members, including senior doctors and nurses from AIIMS, participated in a training on "Trauma and Mass Casualty Management".The experience gained helped in the establishment of certain effective systems in the management of trauma care at the Jai Prakash Narayan Apex Trauma Centre, AIIMS.Source: IANS
We know to avoid coffee and chocolate before bedtime since both contain caffeine and can keep you awake at night. But what to replace those delicious options with?

There are some drinks that can actually help set you up for a sleepy night of slumber.

Food and drinks that contain certain minerals, therapeutic herbs and tryptophan  an essential amino acid  can aid your body's production of serotonin and melatonin. Those are "important hormones in regulating your sleep," Dr. Matthew Schmitt, a doctor of sleep medicine at Piedmont Healthcare in Georgia, told CNN.
A preliminary analysis of an ongoing study of more than 300 COVID-19 patients treated with convalescent plasma therapy at Houston Methodist suggests the treatment is safe and effective. The results, which appear now in The American Journal of Pathology, represents one of the first peer-reviewed publications in the country assessing efficacy of convalescent plasma.

From March 28, when Houston Methodist became the first academic medical center in the nation to infuse critically ill COVID-19 patients with plasma donated from recovered patients, research physicians have used the treatment on 350 patients. The study tracked severely ill COVID-19 patients admitted to Houston Methodist's system of eight hospitals from March 28 through July 6.

These latest results from Houston Methodist that now measured medical effectiveness offer valuable scientific evidence that transfusing critically ill COVID-19 patients with high antibody plasma early in their illness - within 72 hours after hospitalization proving most effective - reduced the mortality rate.

The study, titled "Treatment of COVID-19 Patients with Convalescent Plasma Reveals a Signal of Significantly Decreased Mortality," was led by principal investigator Eric Salazar, MD, PhD, assistant professor of Pathology and Genomic Medicine with the Houston Methodist Hospital and Research Institute, and corresponding author James M. Musser, MD, PhD, chair of the Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine at Houston Methodist.

Our studies to date show the treatment is safe and, in a promising number of patients, effective. While convalescent plasma therapy remains experimental and we have more research to do and data to collect, we now have more evidence than ever that this century-old plasma therapy has merit, is safe, and can help reduce the death rate from this virus." Dr. James M. Musser, Chair of the Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine at Houston Methodist

The research team found that those treated early in their illness with donated plasma that has the highest concentration of anti-COVID-19 antibodies are more likely to survive and recover than similar patients who were not treated with convalescent plasma. Patients with a history of severe reactions to blood transfusions, those with underlying uncompensated and untreatable end-stage disease, and patients with fluid overload or other conditions that would increase the risk of plasma transfusion were excluded.

The patients were tracked for 28 days after plasma transfusion and compared to a control group of similar COVID-19 patients who did not receive convalescent plasma. An observational propensity score-matched analysis was used to balance the characteristics of participants and allow for an objective interpretation of the results at this stage.

Several studies have measured safety, showing that the more than 34,000 COVID-19 patients in the United States who have received plasma transfusions for COVID-19 experienced minimal adverse effects.
Some 125 Ghanaian students who were stranded in Russia have arrived in Ghana.

The evacuees arrived at the Terminal 3 of the Kotoka International Airport at 8:45am on Wednesday, August 12, 2020.

The stranded students who are expected to be quarantined for the next fourteen days had their temperature checked and provided with two reusable nose masks before departure to their respective hotels.

Public Relations Officer of the Immigration Regional Command at the Kotoka International Airport, ASI Babara Sam told Citi News that As soon as they disembark from the aircraft, we gave them two nose masks and took them through the arrival protocols.

We have a medical team that briefed them with regards to the protocols. Once they got to their respective hotels, the medical team follows up and take their samples.

The students were brought into the country as part of the government's evacuation programme for stranded Ghanaians in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The students went to Russia, for a one year program.

 citinewsroom




War veterans leader Ambassador Christopher Mutsvangwa says President Mnangagwa has succeeded in placing Zimbabwe on a developmental trajectory, despite presiding over a country burdened by sanctions.





Zimbabwe celebrated Heroes Day on Monday with the commemorations coming at a time when there are growing anti-Zimbabwe crusade agents who are calling for the removal of a constitutionally-elected Government.





Ambassador Mutsvangwa explained the important role played by heroes, saying Zimbabwe was poised for economic growth that had been laid by President Mnangagwa.





Heroism is about putting oneself to the prospect of ultimate harm for a cause. It attains lofty heights when the cause is defence of the motherland; that is patriotism.





As we celebrate Heroes and Defence Forces Day, Zimbabwe is into 40 years of nationhood, tragically two decades have now been burdened by unrelenting and unremitting sanctions meted out by a vengeful and post-imperial West, said Ambassador Mutsvangwa.





He observed that there were good omens too, for instance, the instantaneous price stabilisation, all of which is traceable to President Mnangagwas signing off a financial and monetary masterstroke of well-appointed statutory instruments.





The high point has been the introduction of the foreign currency auction. This has displaced the arbitrary allocation template that has been the bane of the national economy for the last 130 years of history, as a modern nation State. Zimbabwe was once again a normal economy to any business entrepreneurship and flair. Hard work, acumen and risk in business ventures now all stand to be rewarded by a free interplay of market forces in a conducive environment. As sure as the next sunrise, the Zimbabwe creative genius is poised to revive and strive, he said





The looming and imminent prosperity of Zimbabwe will now serve to atone for the selflessness of the heroes and heroines to whom posterity owes so much, said Ambassador Mutsvangwa.





Zanu PF Secretary for Womens League Cde Mabel Chinomona implored Zimbabweans to remain united as the country pushed to attain an upper middle income society by 2030.





Our heroes, both living and departed, whom we celebrate today (Monday), immensely sacrificed their lives to give life to our liberated nation.





As the world is currently engulfed with the bio-security threat of the novel coronavirus, we encourage Zimbabweans to unite and stand guided by the principles of unity, peace and development. Despite the ongoing imperialist onslaught on our Government and party, the ZANU PF Womens League calls on all Zimbabweans to take heed of the call by our President Mnangagwa to remain united and focused. The nation of Zimbabwe shall, at its greatness, remain focused in our pursuit of the Vision 2030, she said.





In a statement, Zanu PF Acting Deputy Secretary for Youth Affairs, Cde Tendai Chirau said youths were forever indebted to the countrys heroes for the sacrifices.





We treasure the values of unity, tenacity, love and hard work, which they bequeathed on us. We are ever-indebted to them for the gift of land, our most valued national endowment with which we have a more special relationship as indigenes and that has placed us firmly on the path of fortune.




The month-long political crisis in Rajasthan is finally over with rebel Sachin Pilot returning to the Congress fold. Chief minister Ashok Gehlot, against whom Pilot had rebelled, is also making conciliatory gestures promising to listen to the grievances that the Pilot camp had.

The breakthrough came after Pilot met with the Congress top brass, including former party president Rahul Gandhi and his sister and general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.

It was Priyanka who finally found a middle ground between Gehlot and Pilot. But the latters return is not without a political gameplan.

According to Hindustan Times sister publication Hindustan, Congress felt Pilots need not just for elections in Rajasthan but Lok Sabha polls too. Also, Priyanka is preparing the ground for 2022 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections. At least 55 seats in the state are dominated by the Gujjar community, where Pilot holds considerable sway. If Pilot had quit the Congress, the party would have suffered in these pockets.

Apart from this, the community can also decide the fortunes of the elections in 14 seats in Madhya Pradesh. And if their numbers are included in Haryana, Delhi and other parts of northern India, Gujjars are in a strong position in many constituencies.

One of the reasons for Congress win in Rajasthan in the 2018 Assembly elections was the support it got from Gujjars who constitute seven per cent of the votebank. When Priyanka realised Pilots hold on the community - not just in Rajasthan but the entire country - she immediately got down to ironing out the differences between him and Gehlot reported Hindustan.

Another important thing which worked in Pilots favour was the pressure being built from the young brigade of the Congress. According to Hindustan, young leaders like Deepender Hooda and Jitendra Singh told the top leaders of the party that Pilots ouster could lead to exodus of young leaders from Congress.

The Abdullah family from Jammu and Kashmir also played a crucial role in dousing the fire, Hindustan reported. Farooq Abdullah and son Omar, who have good relations with the Gandhi family, started lobbying for Pilot through Ghulam Nabi Azad and Ahmed Patel and the efforts soon bore fruit.

Also, a section within the Congress is not happy with Gehlot. When he was a general secretary and based in Delhi, many of his victims from that time conveyed to the Gandhis that too much reliance on Gehlot could cost Congress a lot in Rajasthan, according to Hindustan.
The Pennsylvania Department of Health reported 849 new coronavirus cases Wednesday, raising the statewide total to 121,130.

Reports of new cases have dropped in August after climbing steadily through late June and July. The health department remains concerned about the rise in infections among younger adults, including those 19 to 24 years old.

Across Pennsylvania, 7,385 deaths have been tied to COVID-19, including 33 newly reported fatalities Wednesday. More than 5,000 deaths - about two-thirds of the states coronavirus deaths - have occurred in long-term care facilities, such as nursing homes.

Gov. Tom Wolf and Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine continue to stress the urgency of social distancing and wearing masks to slow the spread of the coronavirus. They said such steps are necessary to ensure schools can open in the next few weeks.

Over the last seven days, there have been 773 new cases, on average. The state hasnt reported 1,000 new cases in a single day since July 28. The state regularly reported well over 1,000 cases a day during the peak in the spring, and hit that mark again several times last month.

Heres a look at state data on coronavirus cases since early July.

July 2-8: 4,906 new cases, an average of 700 per day

July 9-15: 5,517 new cases, an average of 788 per day

July 16-22: 5,731 new cases, an average of 818 per day

July 23-29: 6,822 new cases, an average of 974 per day

July 30-Aug. 5: 5,496 new cases, an average of 785 per day

Aug. 6-12: 5,216 new cases, an average of 773 per day

There are 1,271,976 people who have tested negative to date. Over the past week, the state has administered 157,895 coronavirus tests. There were 25,765 test results reported to the health department through 10 p.m. Tuesday.

Wolf said the state is ramping up its testing capacity, which has improved in recent weeks, but work remains to be done. He also said the state is dealing with delays in processing tests - sometimes as long as two weeks. Wolf said Pennsylvania is seeing such delays because of outbreaks in other parts in the country putting pressure on laboratories to process tests.

Statewide, 5,012 coronavirus deaths have occurred in long-term care facilities, such as nursing homes and personal care homes, according to the health department.

The department said 20,119 residents of long-term care facilities have contracted COVID-19, along with 4,186 employees. A total of 24,305 people in those facilities have contracted the virus.

Cases have been found at 887 facilities in 61 counties.

The health department estimates 77 percent of those who have contracted the virus have recovered. The department considers patients to have recovered when they are 30 days beyond the date they were infected or the onset of symptoms.

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VANCOUVER, BC, Aug. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ - Lida Resources Inc. (CSE: LIDA) ("Lida" or the "Company"), a Canadian exploration company currently targeting exploration in Peru, is pleased to announce it has received a US trading symbol from FINRA. The Company currently trades under the symbol "LDDAF" in the over the counter market (pink), it has submitted an application for the OTCQB, a US trading platform operated by the OTC Markets Group in New York. The Company will provide further information once its common shares commence trading on the OTCQB.

The OTCQB is the premiere marketplace for early stage and developing U.S. and international companies that are committed to providing a high-quality trading and information experience for their U.S. investors. The OTCQB quality standards provide a strong baseline of transparency as well as the technology and regulation to improve the information and trading experience for investors. Investors can find real-time quote and market information for the Company at https://www.otcmarkets.com.

The Company believes that trading on the OTCQB will provide additional liquidity and increase its visibility within the U.S. capital markets.

LIDA also announces that its shares are now eligible for electronic clearing and settlement in the United States through the Depository Trust Company ("DTC"). DTC is a subsidiary of the Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation, a U.S. company that manages the electronic clearing and settlement of publicly traded companies. DTC services provide cost benefits for investors and brokers trading Canadian securities in the United States.

LIDA will continue to trade on the Canadian Securities Exchange under the Symbol "LIDA".

About Lida Resources Inc.

Lida acquires properties by staking initial mineral claims, negotiating for permits from government authorities, acquiring mineral claims or permits from existing holders, entering into option agreements to acquire interests in mineral claims or purchasing companies with mineral claims or permits. On these properties, the Company explores for minerals on its own or in joint ventures with others. Exploration for metals usually includes surface sampling, airborne and/or ground geophysical surveys and drilling. The Company is not limited to any particular metal or region, but the corporate focus is on precious and base metals in South America, specifically Peru, as at the date hereof.

NEITHER THE CANADIAN SECURITIES EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER HAVE REVIEWED OR ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE.

FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION DISCLAIMER

Certain statements contained in this news release may constitute forward looking information, including but not limited to, expansion of operations. Forward looking information is often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as "anticipate", "plan", "estimate", "expect", "may", "will", "intend", "should", and similar expressions. Forward looking information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those anticipated in such forward looking information. The Company's actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in this forward looking information as a result of competitive factors and competition for investment opportunities, challenges relating to operations in international markets, transaction execution risk, changes to the Company's strategic growth plans, and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of the Company. The Company believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking information are reasonable based on current expectations and potential investment pipeline, but no assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct and such forward looking information should not be unduly relied upon. Any forward-looking information contained in this news release represents the Company's expectations as of the date hereof, and is subject to change after such date. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities legislation.

SOURCE Lida Resources Inc
NORTH OLMSTED, Ohio -- More than a month after North Olmsted received roughly $750,000 in CARES Act funding, City Council last week approved an ordinance earmarking $50,000 of the federal money toward the purchase of reusable masks for all residents.

Were hoping it will help people out, said Ward 4 Councilwoman Mary Ellen Hemann, who introduced the ordinance. The idea is disposable masks arent that helpful. These would be reusable. On the average retail market, theyre about $4 each.

A lot for families who have multiple children need multiple masks just to kind of get through their week and to go about their daily business, she said.

Hemann views the resident mask donation as similar to a previous grant the city used to give out lawn and leaf bags.

We know that times are tough for residents right now and many people are struggling with a sudden loss of their job and income, City Council President Nicole Dailey Jones said.

Were under a statewide mask mandate, along with the recent announcement by the governor that children must wear masks in school. This legislation allows us to ensure if there are residents in the city who need a mask, they can get one, she said.

As for the legislations $50,000 amount, Jones said the idea is to purchase masks in increments as needed.

Any money not needed can easily be redirected towards another qualifying project, Jones said. The government put very tight restrictions on this money. Also, if the CARES Act funds are not spent, the city must return any (money) by the end of this year.

It makes sense to ensure our residents are getting their fair share of taxpayer dollars during this pandemic.

What remains to be worked out is how many masks will be purchased and how they will be dispersed to residents.

That could possibly go through our family services department, Hemann said. I know JOANN Fabrics has a program that if you purchase a fabric mask, they will donate one to a school. Thats a possibility well be looking into.

There will be variables, but I hope we do this quickly -- within the next few weeks.

Regarding the remaining CARES Act funding, City Council has already approved an ordinance that will use the majority of the cash for capital improvements at City Hall. The idea is to increase employee and visitor safety.

North Olmsted Director of Planning and Community Development Kimberly Lieber said the $550,000 project includes improvements to public and semi-public spaces such as the lobby, the mayors court, building department public service areas, first-floor restrooms and kitchen.

Promoting social distancing, the lobby will be redesigned for directional entry and exit, with restrictions to public access further into the building.

Restrooms will be redesigned with touch-less toilets, faucets and hand dryers, and will meet current ADA standards. Modifications to the City Hall HVAC system include the installation of technology to filter particulate matter, bacteria and viruses.

Also, additional meeting and flex space will be designed in semi-public areas to discourage unnecessary travel through the building.

Lieber said the project went to bid last week, with a contractor expected to be named later this month.

We hope to start work just after Labor Day and intend to have the project complete by the end of the year, Lieber said.

Read more news from the Sun Post Herald.
By Catherine Sas, Q.C.

Special to The Post

COVID-19 has introduced an extraordinary number of measures that affect virtually every aspect of immigration processing but, interestingly enough, it has created a new line of business - the quarantine plan.

Shortly after emergency measures were introduced at border crossings in mid-March, there were numerous stories of family members being separated and unable to join relatives in Canada. In the midst of these stories, clients began contacting us as immigration lawyers to assist them with a strategy to be reunited with their family members. In addition to setting out the various laws pertaining to COVID which allow for the re-unification of immediate relatives of Canadian citizens or permanent residents, an essential element was to demonstrate the manner in which the arriving individual would be able to quarantine and live separate from their family members (or co-workers) for 14 days.

The COVID environment at the port of entry, is anything but clear and predictable. For example, less than two weeks ago, an essential worker arrived to obtain a work permit. As an essential worker in infrastructure, he is exempt from the need to quarantine. However, we still prepared a Quarantine plan for him to make sure that he would be permitted entry. His employer had arranged for private accommodation, had stocked the residence with food and supplies, and had provided a letter confirming that he would facilitate the workers isolation if and as necessary. The worker was permitted to enter Canada and issued a work permit. The following day after arrival, he was sent a letter confirming that as an essential worker, he was exempt from the provisions of the Quarantine Act requiring him to self-isolate for 14 days. Two days later, the same worker was sent a further letter telling him that he was required to quarantine for 14 days!

What exactly is a Quarantine Plan? There is no checklist nor application forms as there is for virtually every immigration application type. However, at our immigration law office, we assimilate a number of documents to make it easy for the CBSA officer at the port of entry, to determine that the individual is allowed to enter Canada in accordance with the various COVID-19 provisions. This includes identity documents for the both the individual(s) entering Canada as well as their Canadian family members, if they are coming to join Canadian relatives. In the case of workers, it is vital to clearly demonstrate how the persons employment fits squarely into the definition of an essential worker. We provide proof of the accommodation that the individuals will have access to and generally provide photos that clearly show that a persons living space will be self-contained and separate from other family members living in the same residence. We recommend a letter from the person entering Canada that acknowledges the need to self-isolate for 14 days as well as the steps that will be taken to ensure that they are able to comply. The further supporting information may be letters from relatives, friends, neighbours or employers confirming that they will provide the necessary groceries, supplies and/or medication that may be required. It is necessary to demonstrate a clear understanding and recognition of what is required in order to quarantine in isolation for 14 days as well as the means to do so!

COVID-19 has introduced many new challenges for people entering or returning to Canada. Our goal for our clients is to make the process as seamless and stress free as possible and we encourage the preparation of a Quarantine Plan to minimize the risk of being denied entry.

Catherine Sas, Q.C. has over 25 years of legal experience. She provides a full range of immigration services and is a leading immigration practitioner (Lexpert, Whos Who Legal, Best Lawyers in Canada). Go to canadian-visa-lawyer.com or email [email protected].
Sony Pictures will host a premiere for the upcoming Tristar and Stage 6 Films romantic comedy The Broken Hearts Gallery as a drive-in movie on its studio lot in Culver City, California, the studio announced Wednesday.

The studio will also show some of its other recent favorites and classic titles as part of a weekend, drive-in experience thats open to the public. The screenings will take place in the studios Thalberg parking lot, and the showings will follow all public health and safety requirements as mandated by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health and the City of Culver City.

Some of the titles screening include the original Ghostbusters and Karate Kid, both of the latest Spider-Man movies, the original Men in Black, and Sonys most recent releases including Bad Boys For Life, Bloodshot and Jumanji: The Next Level.

Also Read: Drive-In Theater Events: Where to Watch Movies Safely

All showtimes will begin at 8 p.m. PT, and the lot will hold approximately 75 cars. Screenings will be held Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays and the price of admission will be $30 per car.

The Broken Hearts Gallery, from executive producer Selena Gomez, stars Geraldine Viswanathan and Dacre Montgomery. A date for the premiere has not yet been set.

Tickets are available for purchase through Atom Tickets or through the Atom Tickets app. Find the full schedule here and the list of titles below.

Baby Driver Bad Boys for Life Bloodshot Dont Breathe Ghostbusters (1984) Grown Ups Jumanji: The Next Level Karate Kid (1984) Men in Black (1997) Once Upon a Timein Hollywood Spider-Man: Homecoming Spider-Man: Far From Home

Read original story Selena Gomezs The Broken Hearts Gallery to Premiere as Drive-In Movie at Sonys Culver City Studio Lot At TheWrap
Clinical workers at the Temple University Hospital Jeanes Campus are among those who will receive a $1,500 bonus in appreciation for their work during the pandemic. Read more

Temple University Health System is paying thousands of clinical workers an extra $1,500 as a thank you for their work during the pandemic, Temple officials said.

Our employees are the ones who stepped up, and they continue to step up today, health system chief executive Mike Young said. We wanted to thank them by providing additional compensation.

The payments will go to 6,500 to 7,000 Temple employees, about two-thirds of the systems workforce, including those who moved from offices into clinical settings during the pandemic, Young said. The total cost is about $10 million.

The announcement came several weeks after Temple employees rallied to demand hazard pay for working during the pandemic. Temple officials said the payments were in the works before the rally.

Thanks to $90 million in federal CARES Act aid and solid financial results before the pandemic, Temple did better than break even in the fiscal year that ended June 30, making the payments possible, Young said.

Other Philadelphia-area health systems also received federal coronavirus aid, but still had to resort to layoffs, furloughs, or pay cuts. Those included Tower Health, Trinity Health Mid-Atlantic, and Einstein Healthcare Network. Even the wealthy Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia said last month that it may institute furloughs to compensate for lost revenue from surgeries that were canceled during the height of the pandemic.

 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.

At least one other Philadelphia-area health system made appreciation payments to employees. Main Line Health paid a total of $10 million in pandemic bonuses to staff at the end of July, with the individual amounts dependent on the job and the number of hours worked, a spokesperson said.

The University of Pennsylvania Health System has not paid pandemic bonuses, but accelerated up to $1,000 of this years Success Share incentive payments, a spokesperson said. Those payments reward employees for their contributions to common health system goals.

Jefferson Health and Virtua did not respond to questions about their pandemic bonuses.

Temples payments, announced in a letter to employees dated last Friday and expected to happen over the next three weeks, will not go to employed physicians, but medical residents are included.

Jerry Silberman, a senior staff representative for the Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals, which has a large presence at Temple, said it still wasnt clear to the union who would get the bonuses. The union also has questions about how much discretionary aid Temple received from Pennsylvania and how that money is being used.
As a part of his education at the New School for Community Service, Khalil Coleman worked as an intern teaching children after school at Oliver Wendell Holmes School. After graduating, he was offered a position leading him on the path from education to advocacy and activism. Since then, hes led protests, been a part of community organizations and even written a book.

Well known throughout Milwaukees activist communities, Coleman has been a part of movements and protests around the country since Darius Simmons' killing in 2012. And after taking a break from leading direct action, Coleman is back, leading protests with Frank Nitty for the past several months. But this time, Coleman says, things are different.

OnMilwaukee: What do you think about the progress that has been made so far, and what do you want to see happen in the coming months?

We have made some great progress. Laws out in Wauwatosa have banned chokeholds and introduced legislation about body cams. Weve been having conversations about firing Joseph Mensah, who killed three individuals in five years. Theres been legislation out in Cudahy to introduce racism as a public health crisis. We want the attention to educate people, so we can organize around putting laws and things in place to address things that have been happening.

Frank Nitty and you have been protesting across the state, in Brookfield, Wauwatosa and elsewhere. Where all have you been, and what is your goal behind widening where you protest?

It definitely has to be beyond Milwaukee. These issues arent just city issues. Wauwatosa is critical to Milwaukee County, and lots of people go through there. Weve been to Menomonee Falls, Shorewood and all of these surrounding counties that are a part of the Milwaukee family. We understand that people from Milwaukee dont just spend their money or time in Milwaukee; they spend it everywhere throughout the county. Black and Brown people are all over even though the percentage might be low.

When you leave Milwaukee as a Black person, you can still be pulled over by the police unjustly. This is the reason we arent just targeting the city of Milwaukee, but also looking to expand outreach throughout Wisconsin. Weve been able to get some national attention from Jay Z, T.I. and the Jonas Brothers for the work were doing in Tosa around Joseph Mensah. We want to highlight these issues on a national level and not just keep them local.

What areas have been welcoming, and in which have you faced a lot of opposition?

I think the communities weve been in were very welcoming. We are organized, and people know why were there, and once they know that, they come out with their signs. The beauty of it is they dont really even know where we are going. So, when we hit these surrounding areas, they already have their signs made. They walk up with their Black Lives Matter and "White silence is violence" signs, and theyre already ready for us.

Of course, we see a very small handful of individuals who are just, like, questioning. Theyre like "Whats going on?" or "Why this? Why that?" They complain about the noise. We have that, but the majority of people embrace the protest who encounter it.

Thats why weve been able to do this for 45 days. Even though the numbers arent the same from day one, there is a commitment to it. Theres a group of people who show up every day and make sure their voices are heard.

Speaking of potential harassment, back in the first couple weeks, there were many instances of police brutality against protestors. Has this continued?

Its more hidden now. In the first week, the police were in the front lines. Officers tried to stop us from going down certain streets, et cetera, et cetera. We definitely do not experience that anymore, but we see a lot of hidden attacks. People who lead protests are being targeted, and Facebook posts and Lives are being shut down. And even though theres less police presence, there are more drones in the sky and surveillance of us.

Do you think you are being watched?

Im pretty sure Im being watched. It would be naive for me to think not.

What do you remember about that first day of protests?

Aw man, when I first heard about it, my spirit was definitely conflicted, and I think it opened up a lot of wounds for me. After the Dontre Hamilton marches, I fell back from leading protests for a lot of different reasons. After George Floyd was killed, it opened up a lot of unfinished business and frustration for me. I had frustrations with this system and for the community. I sat on the phone for about two days and just really did nothing.

I ended up going out to Minnesota for about three or four days and soaked in the community and that moment in time. When I finally came back to Milwaukee at like two in the morning, Vaun (Mayes) was going to have a rally. It was a speak-out about the incident with George Floyd happening later that morning.

So, I took a little nap, and then Vaun actually invited me to the speak-out. I remember going there and talking about it, and asking the crowd, "I cant breathe! Can you breathe?" and they yelled, "I cant breathe," and then I was like lets walk. Thats really where it originated. Everyone was feeling a certain type of way at the moment, and that feeling inspired hundreds of thousands of people across the world to protest.

How did you meet Frank Nitty?

I had heard of Frank during the uprising at Sherman Park. I didnt know him personally at that time. But, I began to have more encounters with him after the uprising, you know? We would say, "Hey, hows it going?" and eventually, we started to build more of a personal relationship.

But when the rally was taking place, the community started to recognize each other. That was when Frank started to walk with us. Originally it was just walking, and then we ended up going in the courthouse to shut it down. Some of us went inside, and the police came. We had hundreds of people outside, including Frank. Word got out that they werent gonna let the 50 or so people that were inside the courthouse out. That's when Frank started rallying the people, and thats how we got together.

What was it like the courthouse? What did it look like, and what was the atmosphere?

It was intense, man. People were very supportive, and everyone protesting was willing and ready to put themselves on the line. That part of it was so beautiful. In that first week of protests, everything was original and organic. It was from the heart, and people were doing it because they believed in it. They didnt know each other, but they were all in it together.

How can people continue to support the marches?

They can help with their time, but donations have been very sketchy with us. The movement fund only lasted a week, and Im not sure what happened to it. The page froze, and people couldnt donate anymore. So, we went to weeks with no funds, but then we recently created the Milwaukee MKE fund. But now that one is having issues.

So, right now, we are looking to establish something a little bit more long-term where we can push everything under the umbrella of an LLC. But right now, everything is grassroots, and we just want people to show up and participate and bring whatever supplies and resources they may have. Thats what we want. We want more people to participate and directly bring their supplies and resources, more than anything else.
'Joel Osteen Inspiration Cube' electronic device hits the market Each purchase supports the missions ministry at Lakewood Church

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The Joel Osteen Inspiration Cube, an electronic device that plays daily affirmation, inspirations, and brief sermon clips from the senior pastor of the 40,000-member Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas, has hit the market.

According to the Joel Osteen Inspiration Cube website, the cube is $39.99 and includes 365 daily inspirations, 52 sermons, and 31 affirmations that play with the push of a button.

Start each day with just a touch, the website reads.

A spokesperson for Lakewood Church told The Christian Post on Tuesday that each purchase supports the missions ministry at Lakewood Church.

"Lakewood Church has licensed Pastor Osteen's messages to Idea Village of New Jersey for the creation of the Inspiration Cube," the spokesperson said. "The cube is a library of Joel's inspirational messages in a portable rechargeable audio device."

Osteen won't receive any personal compensation from the sales of the Inspiration Cube, which will be available in September in stores across the country, including Walgreens, CVS and Walmart.

"The Inspiration Cube is an ideal complement to the many ways that Lakewood delivers Joel's message of hope and inspiration around the world such as television, SiriusXM radio, internet streaming, social media, books, podcasts, and live events," the spokesperson added.

In the promo video for the product, a narrator encourages prospective buyers to refuse the negative thoughts that keep you from reaching your goals and take back control.

Challenge yourself today to be the best of you tomorrow, the narrator says.

The promo also provides samplings of Osteens daily inspirations and affirmations: The forces that are for you are greater than the forces that are against you, Osteen says in the promo video. You can't think negative thoughts and live a positive life. If you get your mind going in the right direction, your life will go in the right direction.

Other affirmations include, You have struggled long enough. Unexpected blessings are coming your way, and Some dreams are waking up. Hope is waking up, abundance is waking up.

The website for the product also includes testimonials from satisfied customers.

It makes you really energized. God is in control of your life. And boy have I seen blessings. He put the hope in my heart, said Dianne Morris.

It was almost like a friend was speaking to me. Im at peace. My victory is already accounted for, said Irving Chavez.

Osteen, the author of the bestselling book Your Best Life Now, often touts the power of positive thinking in his sermons and writings.

He told CP in a 2013 interview that he has always been very happy, easy-going and encouraging"  and his ministry is a reflection of these characteristics.

It's just my personality, he said, adding: I try to look on all the great things God's done, and not focus on the negative. It's a perspective."

"The older I get, the better I understand that every day is a gift," he said. ... "There's no guarantee of tomorrow. And part of my whole philosophy is: this day is too important to live it angry, upset, discouraged or stressed out if plans don't work out. This is life, and I'm going to move on. I think part of it, too, is believing that God's in control. That if a door closes or if something happens, God can use it for good. And if we're walking in His way, then it's His plan, and let's just relax and go with it.

Some have accused Osteen of promoting prosperity theology, which espouses the idea that believers have a right to the blessings of health and wealth, and criticized him of failing to address the reality of sin. Pastor John MacArthur once condemned Osteen for reducing Jesus Christ to a footnote that satisfies his critics and deceives his followers.

Osteen previously told CP he doesnt think its fair that he's often grouped into the prosperity gospel, explaining that he believes prosperity is being healthy, it's having great children, it's having peace of mind.

He added: Money is part of it; and yes, I believe God wants us to excel ... I believe God wants us to excel and be blessed so we can be a bigger blessing to others. I feel very rewarded. I wrote a book and sold millions of copies; and Victoria and I were able to help more people than we ever dreamed of. But when I hear the term prosperity gospel, I think people are sometimes saying, Well, he's just asking for money.
The world health organization WHO has responded with restraint to the Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the approval of a Corona vaccine. The WHO is aware that Russia have registered a vaccine, and welcome all the progress in research and development to Covid-19 vaccines reported to the WHO regional office for Europe at the request of the German press Agency.

At the same time, the office pointed out that the accelerated vaccine research in each step of development should go in accordance with proven processes to take place. This will ensure that any vaccine is safe and effective, if he was going to ultimately phase in the production. The WHO was in contact with the Russian scientists and authorities, and looking forward to check the details of the Experiments.

Putin had announced on Tuesday the world's first government approval of a vaccine for broad use against the Coronavirus. The admission was made before the Existence of the results of large clinical trials - an approach that speaks the standard international sequence resistance.

Updated Date: 11 August 2020, 22:19
Thai PM: Protesters 'Went Too Far' Seeking 'Monarchical Reform'

By VOA News August 11, 2020

Thailand's prime minister, Prayuth Chanocha, said Tuesday that protesters "went too far" after they called for a 10-point plan for monarchical reform. The Thai monarchy is often viewed as a sacred entity in the country.

About 3,000 to 4,000 protesters, mostly students, stood Monday night in Thammasat University outside Bangkok, chanting, "Long live democracy."

Some gave speeches, many advocating for Prayuth's resignation. He became prime minister through a 2014 military coup, and many see him as a symbol of the military domination of politics in Thailand.

Protesters from the Thammasat University Pro-Democracy group are calling for a 10-point plan to reform the monarchy.

The plan includes the removal of a 2019 order transferring two army units to the king's personal command, as well as a 2017 law giving him full control of the monarchy's property.

Thailand has "lese-majeste" laws, however, that make insulting or defaming the king illegal. Breaking these laws can be punishable by up to 15 years in prison.

In a statement to reporters, Prayuth said he is very concerned about the protests. "There are a lot of people in trouble waiting for their problems to get fixed, just not the young people. So, is doing all of this appropriate?" he asked.

"It really went too far," he added.

Protesters were warned by Prayuth about insulting the monarchy in June. King Maha Vajiralongkorn told Prayuth not to arrest anyone, though, for breaking the "lese-majeste" laws.

Thammasat University published a public statement apologizing for Monday's protests. The statement said legal action would be taken, because "some references to the monarchy" can "impact people's feelings."

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This is the moment a professional stuntman proved he held a torch for his girlfriend by asking her to marry him - whilst on fire.

Footage shows how Riky Ash, 52, made a unique proposal to his sweetheart as he was covered in flames spreading up his back and legs.

Coronavirus nurse Katrina Dobson, 48, was left speechless by the stunt, but eventually regained her composure and said yes.

Katrina, who at 6'3 towers above 5'3 Riky, knew he would be set alight, but thought she was just taking part in a photo shoot and had no idea he would propose.

Professional stuntman Riky Ash proposes to his fiancee Katrina Dobson - while on fire

She was told it was for a piece about an NHS nurse finding love and even turned up in her scrubs.

The A&E nurse said: 'He sold it to me as a story on something that would make people smile.

'When he was set on fire, I saw he had his hand in his pocket. I thought 'what are you doing,' get your hand out of your pocket, and all of a sudden he just took out this ring.'

Katrina, who works at the coronavirus unit at William Harvey Hospital in Kent, added: 'It really was a lovely way to do it. He lives and breathes his job, so it was the perfect proposal.'

Riky, who played the 'Tango man' in the popular fizzy drinks adverts and did stunts in Tim Burton blockbuster Sleepy Hollow said: 'She couldn't even get the word 'yes' out because she was so shocked.

'This is what I do day in day out. I was so excited to do it. For me it was like doing a big Hollywood blockbuster and I was proposing to my girlfriend at the same time.'

The stuntman, from Nottingham, added: 'We all know each other in the stunt industry, and no one's ever proposed on fire before.'

During the shoot the trickster knelt while extending the ring towards his love as she watches on amazed as the flames appear to engulf her partner.

Photographer David Sinclair, who had previously worked with Riky, had doused the stuntman before the stunt.

He said: 'The accelerant causes a big whoosh of flame and then dies out immediately. The idea was for the flames to last just enough to say 'will you marry me Katrina Dobson.''

The couple met online and went on their first date in March, just before the coronavirus lockdown

Riky Ash with the remains of the suit he wore during the unique proposal

The couple met online and went on their first date in March, just before the lockdown.

Katrina, from Sevenoaks, Kent, said: 'It was a whirlwind romance. We went on a date and knew from the very beginning we wanted to spend our time together.

'Then lockdown happened and we spoke on the phone every day for three weeks..'

She added: 'I love my job working in A&E. I love helping people, but I've never found that right person before. I'm pinching myself. I can't believe it's me.'

Riky has been a stunt double for 27 years working on countless commercials, television programmes and films, alongside A-listers including Richard Burton and Johnny Depp.

He hopes his dramatic proposal rewarded his wife-to-be for her tireless work during the pandemic.

The stuntman said: 'Katrina has worked so hard during these times and I know that this will make her year receiving my proposal of marriage rewarding her for her continued commitment to changing people's lives for the better.'

He added: 'She is a very modest hard working lady, I am very fortunate to have met her and she has changed my life in so many positive ways.'

His short stature has boosted his career and helped him become the Guinness World Records 'most versatile stuntman' in 2000 after having doubled actors of all heights, ages and genders.
Mark E. Ojakian, the ultimate Democratic insider, who rose from legislative researcher to chief of staff under Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, then became the controversial head of Connecticuts college and university system, announced Wednesday that he will retire at the end of 2020.

Affable and persuasive, Ojakian served as deputy state comptroller for 16 years, when Connecticut had Republican governors, then moved into the executive branch when Gov. Dannel P. Malloy took office in 2011. His promised two-year stint as president of Connecticut State Colleges & Universities stretched to five.

The 66-year-old West Hartford resident is confident that his direction, combining the 12 disparate community colleges into a single institution, despite a lot of push back from faculty and staff, will continue. He has made the system stronger and resilient while making it easier for students to transfer credits to universities.

Ive always known in my career when its time to move on, Ojakian said in an interview. I knew when it was time to leave the governors office. Now I know that it is time for me to leave this position, which I have been honored to hold for the last five years. I have assembled an incredible team, which I have the utmost confidence in being able to take the ball and continue to run it down the field.

A political pro with deep associations across state government, politics and the legislature, Ojakian used them all in helping negotiate the historic union concessions in Malloys first year in office, then became his second chief of staff later in 2011.

Ojakian became a lightning rod in recent years as he guided the states higher education system, with 9,000 employees and more than 100,000 students.

As deputy secretary of the Office of Policy and Management under Malloy, Ojakian led the original reorganization of Connecticuts higher education system, now guided by a Board of Regents, which became the single entity governing the community colleges and four state universities.

The board is, I think, not only a dedicated, hard-working strategic board, but now I think more than ever understands the need for them to be engaged in the initiatives that we are putting forward, especially around the consolidation effort, Ojakian said. I think that the pieces are in place to continue and if I wasnt confident that that could occur, I would not have made this decision.

He said that an organization can be measured by a team that can continue successfully in the absence of the leader. I believe Ive done that, he said.

Ojakian also focused on training college students for jobs in advanced manufacturing, and addressed the need for equity in education for both low-income and LGBTQ students.

The resignation was announced at noon on Wednesday, followed quickly by a tribute from Gov. Ned Lamont. Mark Ojakian has been a dedicated public servant in Connecticut for more than 40 years, Lamont said in a statement. He is as intelligent and knowledgeable about the workings of government as anyone. I have come to rely on his counsel and appreciate his friendship. Over the past five years, Mark brought stability to a system that was in turmoil. He recognized that public higher education represents not just opportunity for individuals to expand their knowledge and improve their lives, but a critical component of the states long-term workforce development strategy.

Lamont said he remains committed to the Students First consolidation initiative, which has the goal of improving academic success while assuring the long-term finances of the community colleges.

We need to ensure not only that every campus remains open and operational, but that they make strides toward reducing chronic inequities, Lamont said.

Ojakian began his state career in 1980, after answering a newspaper ad that his now-90-year-old mother found for an entry-level General Assembly researcher. From 1994 until 2010, Ojakian was deputy comptroller under State Comptroller Nancy Wyman, who became Malloys lieutenant governor running mate in 2010 and served in that role for two terms.

Ojakian was subject to some criticism for being picked by Malloy to head higher education, and received more flak of his own for hiring Ben Barnes, Malloys former budget secretary, as the CSCUs chief financial officer.

When we were leaving the Malloy administration, people would say we shouldnt be selected for other positions because we served under the governor, and so it was kind of strange to think that the skills you had, not only before you became part of a governors team, but also that you developed being on the governors team, did not translate into your being able to do other functions, Ojakian said.

Senate President Pro Tempore Martin M. Looney, D-New Haven, praised Ojakians goals for higher education and the continued efforts by his board.

Mark's vision has always focused on the urgency of creating an enhanced educational environment for the tens of thousands of students he serves and it was always a pleasure to work with him toward that end, Looney said in a statement. I believe he has pointed a path to sustained success.

House Minority Leader Themis Klarides, R-Derby, said Wednesday that Ojakian used his vast experience in state government to transform the university system.

On a personal level, Mark has been dear friend who has helped me throughout my career as his wisdom and advice has always been a comfort, Klarides said. He embodies qualities that we all should hope to possess in life: optimism, common sense, humor and loyalty.

His warm personality and gentle demeanor allowed him to navigate rough waters in a way others simply could not, said state Senate Minority Leader Len Fasano, R-North Haven. Whether it was talking to leaders on the other side of the aisle, advocating for a budget that people disliked, or union negotiations, he was always direct, honest, sincere, and a gentleman. He is a true friend to everyone he has worked with and he embodies respect and dedication.

If he has any regrets, Ojakian said he missed the close contact that lawmakers develop during the arc of legislative sessions, which this year was nipped in the bud when the coronavirus pandemic closed the Capitol on March 12, less than two months before the scheduled end of the session, leaving hundreds of pieces of legislation to die.

It was my 42nd session and I just wanted to go up there, Ojakian said. Ive always stayed up there on the last day and I would always stand and listen to the governors speech at midnight, and Id always go to all the caucus events afterwards to say thank you and to see my friends and to just kind of continue to be part of a system. That feels sort of unfinished to me, but we have much more important things than worrying about my last hurrah. This is more about making sure we all continue to stay safe and that we reopen in a safe way. And I hope were there.

kdixon@ctpost.com Twitter: @KenDixonCT
NEW YORK, Aug. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Global Medical Imaging Monitor Market, By Device (Mobile, Desktop, All-in-one), By Panel Size (Under-22.9-inch Panels, 23.026.9-inch Panels, 27.041.9-inch Panels, Above-42-inch Panels), By Type (Diagnostic Monitors, Surgical Monitors, Clinical Monitors, Others), By Display Color (Monochrome v/s Colored), By Purpose (Doppler, Encoding, Enhanced 3D Reconstruction Contrast Enhancement, Others), By Technology (LED-Backlit LCD, OLED, CCFL-Backlit LCD), By Application (Digital Pathology, Multi-modality, Surgical, Radiology, Mammography, Others), By Region, Competition, Forecast & Opportunities, 2025





Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05950944/?utm_source=PRN







Global medical imaging monitor market is projected to grow at a steady pace in the coming years and surpass $ 58 billion by 2025.Growth in the market is driven by the rising prevalence of diseases, which has increased the demand for healthcare services.



This has increased the demand for carrying out various diagnostic procedures such as MRI, sonography, X-ray, among others before providing any treatment to the patients, thereby positively impacting the market. Besides, increasing adoption of technologies and continuous advancements in the available technologies is further anticipated to spur the market growth over next few years.



The global medical imaging monitor market is segmented based on device, panel size, type, display color, purpose, technology, application, and region.Based on application, the market can be fragmented into digital pathology, multi-modality, surgical, radiology, mammography and others.



The surgical segment is expected to dominate the market through 2025 owing to the extensive usage of medical imaging monitors for carrying out different surgical procedures with its critical impact on the quality of procedures.



Regionally, the global medical imaging monitor market has been segmented into Asia-Pacific, North America, South America, Europe, and Middle East & Africa. Among these, Asia-Pacific is dominating the market and is anticipated to maintain its dominance in the global medical imaging monitor market during the forecast period as well owing to the increasing healthcare funding by the governments and various public-private players, especially in major economies like China and India, for development of advanced healthcare facilities and improvement of the existing ones.



Major players operating in the global medical imaging monitor market include Siemens AG, Steris Plc, Sony Corporation, Novanta Inc., Barco NV, Eizo Corporation, LG Display Co. Ltd., Advantech Co. Ltd., Jusha Medical, Jvckenwood Corporation, FSN Medical, Quest International, Double Black Imaging Corporation, Shenzhen Beacon Display Co., Ltd., COJE Co, Ltd., Dell Technologies Inc., BenQ Medical Technology, Hewlett-Packard Company, ASUSTeK Computer Inc., Advantech Co., Ltd. (Advantech), Canon Medical Systems Corporation, Koninklijke Philips N.V., and GE Healthcare. The companies are developing advanced technologies and launching new products in order to stay competitive in the market. Other competitive strategies include mergers & acquisitions.



Years considered for this report:



Historical Years: 2015-2018

Base Year: 2019

Estimated Year: 2020

Forecast Period: 20212025



Objective of the Study:



 To analyze and estimate the market size of global medical imaging monitor market from 2015 to 2018.

 To estimate and forecast the market size of global medical imaging monitor market from 2019 to 2025.

 To classify and forecast global medical imaging monitor market based on device, panel size, type, display color, purpose, technology, application, company and regional distribution.

 To identify dominant region or segment in the global medical imaging monitor market.

 To identify drivers and challenges for global medical imaging monitor market.

 To examine competitive developments such as expansions, new product launches, mergers & acquisitions, etc., in global medical imaging monitor market.

 To identify and analyze the profile of leading players operating in global medical imaging monitor market.

 To identify key sustainable strategies adopted by market players in global medical imaging monitor market.

The analyst performed both primary as well as exhaustive secondary research for this study.Initially, the analyst sourced a list of medical imaging monitor manufacturers across the globe.



Subsequently, the analyst conducted primary research surveys with the identified companies.While interviewing, the respondents were also enquired about their competitors.



Through this technique, the analyst could include the manufacturers which could not be identified due to the limitations of secondary research. The analyst examined the manufacturers, distribution channels and presence of all major players across the globe.

The analyst calculated the market size of global medical imaging monitor market using a bottom-up approach, wherein data for various end-user segments was recorded and forecast for the future years. The analyst sourced these values from the industry experts and company representatives and externally validated through analyzing historical data of these product types and applications for getting an appropriate, overall market size.



Various secondary sources such as company websites, news articles, press releases, company annual reports, investor presentations and financial reports were also studied by the analyst.



Key Target Audience:



 Medical imaging monitor manufacturers, suppliers, distributors and other stakeholders

 Government bodies such as regulating authorities and policy makers

 Organizations, forums and alliances related to medical imaging monitor

 Market research and consulting firms

The study is useful in providing answers to several critical questions that are important for the industry stakeholders such as manufacturers, suppliers, partners, end users, etc., besides allowing them in strategizing investments and capitalizing on market opportunities.



Report Scope:



In this report, global medical imaging monitor market has been segmented into following categories, in addition to the industry trends which have also been detailed below:

 Market, By Device:

o Mobile

o Desktop

o All-in-one

 Market, By Panel Size:

o Under-22.9-inch Panels

o 23.026.9-inch Panels

o 27.041.9-inch Panels

o Above-42-inch Panels

 Market, By Type:

o Diagnostic Monitors

o Surgical Monitors

o Clinical Monitors

o Others

 Market, By Display Color:

o Monochrome

o Colored

 Market, By Purpose:

o Doppler

o Encoding

o Enhanced 3D Reconstruction Contrast Enhancement

o Others

 Market, By Technology:

o LED-Backlit LCD

o OLED

o CCFL-Backlit LCD

 Market, By Application:

o Digital Pathology

o Multi-modality

o Surgical

o Radiology

o Mammography

o Others

 Market, By Region:

o North America

- United States

- Canada

- Mexico

o Europe

- Germany

- France

- United Kingdom

- Italy

- Spain

o Asia-Pacific

- China

- Japan

- India

- South Korea

- Australia

o Middle East & Africa

- South Africa

- Saudi Arabia

- UAE

- Kuwait

o South America

- Brazil

- Argentina

- Colombia



Competitive Landscape



Company Profiles: Detailed analysis of the major companies present in global medical imaging monitor market.



Available Customizations:



With the given market data, we offers customizations according to a company's specific needs. The following customization options are available for the report:



Company Information



 Detailed analysis and profiling of additional market players (up to five).



Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05950944/?utm_source=PRN



About Reportlinker

ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place.



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August 11, 2020

Andrew Taylor, Assistant Director of Marketing

ISU grad student Zane Stephenson studies this Idaho iconic species in shadow of Mount Borah

POCATELLO  Atomic City native and Idaho State University graduate student Zane Stephenson never guessed hed be studying Bull Trout for his masters thesis in the shadow of Idahos highest peak, pretty close (as the crow flies, about 80 miles) to his own backyard.

But, in between pursuing his passions for bull riding and wrecking demolition derby cars, Stephenson, 25, always knew he wanted to learn more about Bull Trout and work for their conservation.

Ive really liked Bull Trout ever since I started steelhead fishing as a kid, he said. Wed catch one here-and-there when we went up on the Salmon River steelhead fishing so Ive always had an interest in Bull Trout.

When he was in Borger, Texas, attending Frank Phillips Community College on a bull riding scholarship and earning his associates degree, he did a research report on Bull Trout because it was a species he was always curious about. Bull Trout are actually a species of char in the genus Salvelinus. Historically, Bull Trout have been presumed to be the same species as another char that inhabits Northwestern waters named the Dolly Varden. However, genetic tests have shown that Bull Trout are actually a different species and more closely related to the white-spotted char found in Japan than they are to Dolly Varden char of North America.

Id like to give a little bit of a shout out to Bull Trout, he said. They are very fascinating and are known to be an aggressive, piscivorous species. They are thought to eat other fish and they havent gotten a lot of glam because they prey on Chinook Salmon and Steelhead eggs, fry and smolts. At one point in time there was actually a bounty on Bull Trout.

The Bull Trout is now a fully protected species and is listed as threatened by the Endangered Species Act. In Idaho, fishing for them is strictly catch-and-release, no harvest of them is allowed.

Their abundance has been reduced drastically and there are a lot of people in Idaho that Ive talked to that have never heard of a Bull Trout or that it is a native to the state he said. It is just a super cool, under-appreciated species. I would say to people they should respect the Bull Trout and the conservation efforts to rebuild their populations.

After he returned to Idaho and earned his bachelors degree in biology at ISU, his fate to study bull trout was set when he chose to enter graduate school.

When Dr. (Ernest) Keeley, mentioned this Bull Trout project, I had no doubt this is the one I wanted to do  put me on the Bull Trout project, said Stephenson, who grew up on a farm 10 miles southeast of Atomic City and attended Snake River High School outside of Blackfoot. I am very grateful to be a part of this amazing program and work under a renowned fish ecologist like Dr. Keeley.

For the last two summers, while working at ISUs Department of Biological Sciences in the Fish Ecology Lab, Stephenson has been studying Bull Trout foraging behavior during day and night periods using in-stream videography of Mahogany Creek, and the East and West forks of the Pahsimeroi River located on the east side of the Lost River Range.

These streams make up the headwaters of the Pahsimeroi River, he said. They are right underneath Mount Borah. I pretty much stare at Mount Borah all day.

Stephenson will finish his field work this fall after spending four to five days a month in the field collecting data on the fish and their habitat for the last two years from July to October. This field work consists of placing waterproof cameras in the streams to observe Bull Trout feeding habits and fly fishing for them in order to examine their stomach contents using a non-lethal gastric lavage technique

All my fish samples are done from hook and line, he said. I angle pretty much all day long when I am up there after I put my cameras in.

He built his own fly rod and ties his own flies for angling. Fishing pressure for bull trout is light because of the zero-limit regulations. Bull Trout in these streams stay fairly small, rarely exceeding 16 inches. Once he catches the fish, he flushes their stomachs to examine and record what they have recently eaten. The fish are then released unharmed.

The cameras hes placed in the streams are commonly available GoPro Hero cameras connected to small computers that have been programmed to control them to record for 10 minutes at the top of each hour during a 24-hour period.

My research is on the foraging behavior of Bull Trout and how they adjust their behavior to changes in diel and seasonal shifts in food availability. Basically, I measure on average how many invertebrates are available during the day and night over the summer to fall growing season, he said. Then I examine how these fish adjust their behavior to changes in water temperature, light levels, and food availability.

Bull Trout and other char species have been shown to have the ability to forage more efficiently under low-light intensities than other salmonid fish species. This is thought to be because Bull Trout have higher counts of low-light sensing rod cells in their eyes, so they may be able to see better at night than other species. Also, during the night, there is more invertebrate activity in streams so there is more food available to the fish.

If Bull Trout can effectively forage in low light intensities then it would be more efficient for Bull Trout to forage during the night because there is higher food availability, Stephenson said.

Bull Trout are the only salmonid species that inhabits these upper stretches of the Pahsimeroi River because of its cold-water temperatures. Bull trout require temperatures below around 39 degrees Fahrenheit for spawning and have peak metabolic activity around 52 degrees Fahrenheit. Sculpin are the only other fish in these streams, along with aquatic insects and other invertebrates.

Stephenson thinks the majority of the Bull Trout he is studying are fish that spend their whole lives living in these streams without migrating to larger waters. He thinks that there are a few fluvial Bull Trout, those that live in larger waters and then come up to smaller tributaries to spawn in the fall. The Pahsimeroi River hosts the southeastern most population of Bull Trout in their current range, that stretches from Northern California on up into Alaska.

Any research on the behavior of animals can aid in conservation and management practices, Stephenson said. I hope that managers of different watersheds can use the data Ive collected to help conserve Bull Trout. It is a species that doesnt have a whole lot of research on them, and so any little bits of information help with conservation efforts.

It is tough for Bull Trout, he continued, they are a cold-water species and water seems to only be getting warmer. Their range has significantly shrunk and a lot of that could be contributed to anthropogenic (human) activity.

One quote that has always stuck with Zane is from Dr. Seuss that reads Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better, its not.

Photo information (Images courtesy of Zane Stephenson and Ernest Keeley):

Second Photo: A Bull Trout in a measuring tray.

Third Photo: View of the northeast side of Mount Borah.

Fourth Photo: Stephenson setting up camera.

Fifth Photo: A Bull Trout in its environment.

Sixth Photo: ISU Professor Ernest Keeley snorkeling and taking photographs of Bull Trout and stream habitat.
The High Court has formally approved a survival scheme allowing regional airline CityJet to successfully exit examinership.

The approved scheme will allow the Dublin-based airline continue as a going concern, on what was described on "a slimmed-down" basis, with over 140 jobs at the company being retained.

It had previously employed over 400 at its Dublin base.

Mr Justice Michael Quinn said yesterday morning he was satisfied to approve a scheme of arrangement put together by the airline's examiner Mr Kieran Wallace of KPMG, which would allow the airline formally exit examinership yesterday afternoon.

Late last month the judge, following a formal hearing, said he was minded to approve the scheme after certain steps take place including the finalising of arrangements made with certain creditors and when changes had been made to the airline's constitution.

Yesterday, the court was told those arrangements and changes have been made and that no modifications to the survival scheme were required.

As a result the judge formally approved the scheme.

The scheme, which was supported by a majority of the airline's creditors and shareholders also sees tens of millions of euro of its debt being written off.

Last April the airline sought the protection of the courts claiming it was insolvent due to financial difficulties which were exacerbated after its aircraft were grounded due to the Covid-19 outbreak.

The impact of the pandemic also interrupted a planned merger with another airline and a proposed private restructuring of the company, it claimed.

The airline said it had debts of 500m, and at the time of entering the examinership process had a net deficit of liabilities over assets on a going concern basis of 186m.

Its creditors include the Triangle Group, firms involved in the leasing of aircraft, Investec, the Revenue Commissioners, as well as debts owed to related companies.

Mr Justice Quinn in approving the scheme accepted that creditors would do better under the examiner's proposals compared to if the airline was liquidated, which the court was told was the only alternative to the scheme.

Under the scheme, the majority of the creditors will get dividends ranging between 15pc and 1.25pc of what they are owed.
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Linkedin Duncan Miriri (Reuters) Nairobi, Kenya  Wed, August 12, 2020 09:00 525 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066d4c6a8 2 World Mauritius,Sea-Life,ocean-environment,ocean-pollution,oil-spill,tanker-vessel Free

Mauritian volunteers fished dead eels from oily waters on Tuesday as they tried to clean up damage to the Indian Ocean island's most pristine beaches after a Japanese bulk carrier leaked an estimated 1,000 tons of oil.

The ship, MV Wakashio, owned by Nagashiki Shipping and operated by Mitsui OSK Lines Ltd, struck a coral reef on Mauritius' southeast coast on July 25, and began leaking oil last week, raising fears of a major ecological crisis.

Activists told Reuters that dead eels were floating in the water and dead starfish washed in the sticky black liquid. Crabs and seabirds are also dying.

"We don't know what may happen further with the boat, it may crack more," said clean up volunteer Yvan Luckhun.

The MV Wakashio is still holding some 2,000 tons of oil and it is expected to eventually break up, Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth said late on Monday, warning that the country must brace for the worst.

Tourism is a key part of the Mauritius economy and the government, which has declared a state of emergency due to the spill, is working with former colonial ruler France to try to remove the oil.

The spill has set back two decades worth of restoring the natural wildlife and plants in the lagoon, which started after the government banned sand harvesting in the area back in 2000, said Vikash Tatayah, conservation director at Mauritius Wildlife Foundation, a non-governmental organization.

The fragmentation of the oil in the sea is expected to damage corals when the heavier particles in the oil settle on them, he said, adding that the steps taken by the government to prevent the disaster are also being scrutinized.

"There is some anger and some criticism from the civil society that the government may have taken too much time to respond," he said. The ship was grounded for nearly two weeks before it started leaking oil.

There was no immediate comment from Mauritian government officials.

Mitsui OSK Lines said in statement: "We will do our utmost towards resolving the situation quickly." It did not provide any details.
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Russia will start the production of its COVID-19 vaccine within two weeks, the country's Health Minister Mikhail Murashko said Wednesday.

"First of all, the production facilities in Russia will be oriented towards the domestic market to meet the need of our citizens," Murashko said at a press conference.

He said that Russia will offer the vaccine to foreign countries when it has sufficient amounts.

Murashko said that foreign doubts about the effectiveness of the vaccine are unfounded.

The platform where the vaccine was created has been thoroughly studied and its authors have accumulated a sufficient amount of scientific knowledge to guarantee its safety, he added.

Russia has registered the world's first vaccine against the novel coronavirus, President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday during an online meeting with government officials.

The vaccine, named Sputnik V, was developed by the Gamaleya National Center of Epidemiology and Microbiology jointly with the Russian Direct Investment Fund.

On Tuesday, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova said that health workers will be the first to be vaccinated.
Police have arrested Taniel Cole, wanted after an "active shooter" situation at a Louisiana hospital left one man shot in the leg.

Shreveport Police confirmed on Twitter that Mr Cole, 41, had been taken into custody.

Officers from the Meridan Police Department and Mississippi Highway Patrol arrested Mr Cole after he crashed on the Interstate 20/59 about nine miles from the Alabama state line, according to reporting from WTOK.com.

Original story

Police are searching for a gunman after one man was wounded during an "active shooter" situation at a Louisiana hospital on Wednesday morning.

Shreveport Police confirmed they were searching for Taniel Cole, 41, after he allegedly shot a man in the leg at St Mary Medical Centre about 5.30 am.

Police released an image of Mr Cole, who is considered armed and dangerous, following the shooting in the Highland neighbourhood of Shreveport. It was unknown if Mr Cole remained at the scene of the shooting or was elsewhere in the neighbourhood.

Swat and hostage negotiation teams rushed to the hospital after the shooting left one person injured, which police spokeswoman Angie Willhite said was not believed to be life-threatening, according to the Associated Press.

Residents were advised to remain inside and be on the lookout for Mr Cole, while nearby St John Berchmans Catholic School and Loyola College Prep schools cancelled classes, according to their Facebook pages.
By Express News Service

TIRUPUR: Crematorium workers were in a fix when residents of Aathupalayam threatened them for carrying out the final rites for a Covid-19 victim in Tirupur on Monday evening.

Though Tamil Nadu government in April passed an ordinance to punish those who raise objections and prevent the burial of Covid-19 victims with imprisonment of a maximum of three years, many residents are still kicking up a fuss and preventing the burial.

Tirupur Municipality official confirmed this and explained that a 62-year-old man from Gokulam Colony died of coronavirus infection on Monday morning at the government Tirupur hospital. After the hospital authorities informed the relatives about the death, they arranged for the process at an electrical crematorium. It was reported that the relatives received the body at around 5 pm due to some delay in the paper works from the medical facility.

"Relatives and undertaker left after they cremated the body. However, by 7 pm, over 25 people entered the crematorium premises and threatened the watchman and other workers asking them not to cremate Covid-19 patients. They even warned the watchman of dire consequences if they continue to take in such bodies," said the official.

Shocked by their reaction, the workers immediately informed the officials and the Velampalayam police station. It was reported that when they reached the spot, they found the agitated residents arguing with the watchman about the smoke from the facility could harm them.

Sources said that the police officials who came to the spot informed the residents that all safety procedures were followed and no one is going get harmed by the smoke emanating from the crematorium.

A police official said, "After we warned that action will be taken against those who disrupt the process, they dispersed from the spot."

He added that the residents are not aware of the infection and how it affects people, let alone the ordinance passed by the government. The government needs to bring in more awareness campaign to educate the people so to avoid such incidents, he added.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-13 01:49:48|Editor: huaxia

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CAIRO, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- Egypt sent on Wednesday the fourth batch of aid to Lebanon to help the country face the aftermath of last week's massive explosion that rocked the capital Beirut, said the Egyptian army.

An Egyptian military plane carrying the fourth batch of medical supplies and food stuff arrived at Beirut airport earlier in the day as part of an emergency air bridge through which Egypt has been sending a plane every 48 hours with necessary aid to the disaster-stricken city.

An Egyptian military field hospital has previously been established in Beirut to provide medical care to those injured in the blast.

Egypt has recently repatriated the bodies of the three Egyptians killed in the enormous Beirut blast and sent them back to their hometown for burial. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-12 20:53:47|Editor: huaxia

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ISTANBUL, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- The Turkish coast guard rescued at least 202 illegal immigrants in separate incidents off Turkey's western Aegean coast during the last four days, the force announced on its website.

The incidents happened when Greek coast guard teams pushed the boats carrying migrants to several Greek islands on the Aegean Sea back to Turkey, according to the announcements.

Turkish teams retrieved 40 migrants near the Marmaris district of Mugla on Tuesday and 40 others near the Kusadasi resort town in the province of Aydin on Monday.

In two other incidents that happened off the province of Izmir on Sunday, 90 migrants were rescued. Additionally, 32 others were saved off the northwestern province of Canakkale on the same day.

Since the beginning of August, 921 migrants were captured in the Turkish territorial waters, increasing the total figure to 14,141 this year, down from 21,224 over the same period in 2019, the coast guard revealed.

Hosting over 3.7 million Syrian refugees in its territory, Turkey earlier announced that it could no longer cope with the issue alone, and urged European countries to take more responsibility.

The Aegean Sea was once the main route for migrants trying to reach Europe via Turkey. A deal was signed between Turkey and the European Union in March 2016 to curb the flow of illegal immigration. Enditem
MBZUAI has also recently extended admission offers to 100 students for the first academic year commencing in January 2021, with nearly 90 per cent of the admitted students having already accepted their offers. Students accepted into the first cohort were selected from a high caliber group of 2,223 applicants of 97 different nationalities. Admitted students come from 31 countries, with a majority hailing from outside the MENA region.

His Excellency Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, Chairman of the MBZUAI Board of Trustees and UAE's Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, said: "In line with the country's wise leadership vision, the Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence seeks to develop the necessary skills to achieve growth, progress and advancement. Technology, and artificial intelligence in particular, is the driving force of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and a core component of a sustainable and prosperous future. A degree from MBZUAI will provide graduates with the skills and competencies to deploy the full potential of artificial intelligence for the betterment of communities, society, and economies, in the UAE and beyond."

Since launching in October 2019, MBZUAI has achieved several important milestones, including the completion of its state-of-the-art campus and its first admissions cycle. In addition to appointing senior faculty members and leadership team made up of renowned experts, MBZUAI has received licensing and accreditation from the Commission for Academic Accreditation, and has launched a series of expert-led webinars to build awareness and understanding of AI amongst the global community.

Applications are being accepted for a Fall 2021 start in MBZUAI's MSc and PhD programs in Computer Vision and Machine Learning.

These programs will be taught by a world-class faculty, overseen by the University's Board of Trustees, which comprises internationally renowned experts in the field of AI.

Professor Sir Michael Brady, Interim President of MBZUAI, said: "We are thrilled that MBZUAI has received such an incredible response from graduate students around the world. Students in our first and second cohorts will be trailblazers, embarking upon an exciting educational journey that is entirely unique to our University. They will be provided with the opportunity to obtain a skillset that will set them apart in the world of AI."

Eligible students will have graduated with a Bachelor's degree in a relevant field in order to be considered for MBZUAI's MSc programs, and must hold a relevant Master's degree in order to be considered for the University's PhD programs. Full admissions requirements and application can be found on MBZUAI's website, mbzuai.ac.ae.

Admissions for the Fall 2021 cohort closes on April 15, 2021. Early admission by 15 January 2021 is recommended for international students.

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SOURCE Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence

Related Links

https://mbzuai.ac.ae


Dublin, Aug. 11, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ResearchAndMarkets.com has published a new article "Google Introduces Google Maps Profiles While Apple Expands Look Around to Japan"



Google has introduced a new feature to Google Maps which will allow users to follow each other and share their locations. The update is an extension of a pilot feature introduced last year which allowed users to follow select local guides for regular updates. Following the success of the pilot launch, Google is expanding the functionality to all users worldwide. Any Google user who has publicly shared reviews, photos or local knowledge via Google Maps will have the ability to manage their own Google Maps profile and choose who is allowed to follow them. Google Maps profiles will feature topic filters to easily see the places and businesses users post about most often.



Apple has also announced the first international expansion of its new Look Around feature in Apple Maps. The Look Around feature will be rolled out to four of Japan's largest cities: Tokyo, Kyoto, Nagoya and Osaka. The feature works similarly to Google's Street View and will allow an Apple Maps user to explore and zoom in on the city streets via a series of high resolution 3D photographs. Apple has also introduced updated map data to Japan and intends to release new map data to the UK, Ireland and Canada as part of iOS 14 this year.



To see the full article and a list of related reports on the market, visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/p1eyyf

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Burundis new government, under the leadership of President Evariste Ndayishimiye, was sworn into office sooner than expected, following the sudden death of the outgoing President Pierre Nkurunziza in June.

The last five years were characterized by a rapid deterioration of respect for human rights. Amnesty International recommends that the Government of Burundi addresses the following 10 priority areas to improve the countrys human rights situation.

(1) End impunity for human rights violations

The past five years have been marked by an increase in serious human rights violations including extrajudicial executions, enforced disappearances, arbitrary arrests and detention, torture and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment. These have been carried out primarily by the police, National Intelligence Service (SNR) and the ruling partys youth wing, Imbonerakure. To turn the page, the new government should end impunity by holding perpetrators of such violations to account. In October 2019, four Imbonerakure members were convicted in Muyinga for killing a member of the opposition party, the National Congress for Freedom (CNL). Delivering justice as in this case should become the new normal in Burundi.

In his inauguration speech, President Ndayishimiye said all those who commit crimes, whether government members or other dignitaries, must be brought before the competent jurisdictions. All crimes must be punished to avoid falling into the same mistakes as in the past. He also promised reform of the justice sector. His government should ensure prompt, impartial, independent and effective investigations are conducted into human rights violations and abuses. Members of security forces suspected of responsibility for such violations, and any officials who ordered or condoned such crimes, should be suspended pending investigations and where there is sufficient admissible evidence, those suspected of criminal responsibility should be prosecuted in fair trials.

(2) Demobilize the Imbonerakure

The Imbonerakure, the youth wing of the ruling party the National Council for the Defence of Democracy  Forces for the Defence of Democracy (CNDD-FDD), play a variety of roles, some of which are traditional political activities. Imbonerakure groups have intimidated and attacked members of opposition political parties, threatening and inflicting violence on people who refuse to join the ruling party. Most Burundian refugees interviewed by Amnesty International since 2016 said they fled due to insecurity caused by the Imbonerakure.

Since 2014, Imbonerakure have also been part of mixed security committees at the local level. They frequently work on behalf of and alongside the police and the National Intelligence Service (SNR) in carrying out often arbitrary arrests and other human rights violations and abuses. It is not appropriate for a political group to play an active role in security matters, reinforcing or even replacing the traditional security services. The Imbonerakure should have no further involvement in security-related matters. The ruling party should also promptly end the youth wings widespread use of violence, harassment and intimidation against their real and suspected opponents. Anyone arming the Imbonerakure or ordering activities that amount to human rights violations and abuses should be held to account.

(3) Reveal the fate of victims of enforced disappearances

The increase of enforced disappearances since 2015 has been particularly chilling. Marie-Claudette Kwizera, a human rights defender working with Ligue Iteka, was abducted in Bujumbura in December 2015. The UN Commission of Inquiry on Burundi said they had credible information she was killed a few days after her disappearance, having first been taken to the SNR offices. Journalist Jean Bigirimana was reportedly arrested by SNR officers in Bugarama, Muramvya province, on 22 July 2016. Despite investigations by his employer Iwacu Press Group, the police and the National Independent Human Rights Commission (CNIDH), he has never been found.

The new government must end enforced disappearances immediately, fully investigate and, where possible, prosecute perpetrators of enforced disappearances and tell families the truth about the fate of their loved ones. The government should also ratify and implement the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance. Burundi signed the Convention in 2007.

(4) Release prisoners of conscience

Several human rights defenders and journalists were arrested and convicted as part of a crackdown on civil society and journalists. Germain Rukuki, a former employee of the anti-torture organization Action by Christians for the Abolition of Torture (ACAT-Burundi), was arrested in July 2017. On 26 April 2018, he was convicted on charges including threatening state security and sentenced to 32 years in prison. Similarly, Nestor Nibitanga was convicted in August 2018 for threatening state security and sentenced to five years in prison, after he was found guilty of compiling reports for the Association for the Protection of Human Rights and Detained Persons (APRODH) after the government had closed the organization  an accusation he refutes.

In October 2019, journalists of the Iwacu Press Group Agnes Ndirubusa, Christine Kamikazi, Egide Harerimana and Terence Mpozenzi were arrested with their driver Adolphe Masabarakiza on their way to report on clashes between the security forces and an armed group in Bubanza province. Adolphe Masabarakiza was acquitted but the four journalists were sentenced to two and a half years in prison and each fined one million Burundian francs (approximately 525 USD) for an impossible attempt to threaten internal state security.

Amnesty International considers all six to be prisoners of conscience, convicted and sentenced solely on account of their peaceful exercise of their human rights. They should be immediately and unconditionally released.

(5) Prioritize progress on womens rights

Five of out 16 of the new government ministers are women, upholding the 30% requirement laid out in Burundis constitution. This is a similar proportion to the previous government. Amnesty International encourages the government to go beyond representation to strengthening promotion and respect for womens rights as a priority because discriminatory measures have been imposed on women and girls in recent years.

The UN Commission of Inquiry on Burundi has documented numerous cases of sexual violence, primarily against women, but also against girls and men. They found that most of the attacks were committed by state actors or the Imbonerakure. Rape, particularly gang rape, was used to intimidate or punish victims for their perceived political views, or those of their husbands or other male family members.

(6) Create a safe environment for refugee returns

President Ndayishimiye in his inauguration speech on 18 June called on Burundians who had fled the country and wanted to come back home to return. While refugee returns have been organized from Tanzania since 2017, Burundians continued to leave the country at a steady rate due to a climate of fear in the country. For returns to be truly voluntary, in line with international law, refugees should not feel compelled to return on account of intimidating messages from government officials or because basic services are withdrawn in the camps. Some who returned to Burundi faced difficulties reintegrating due to insufficient support. Others were accused of supporting the opposition and threatened or physically attacked by the Imbonerakure. The new government should ensure that returning refugees do not face reprisals and are able to access services.

The new government must demonstrate that it is tackling the issues that pushed people into exile in the first place such as abuses by the Imbonerakure and continued targeting of civil society. In February 2020, the Supreme Court held a hearing in the trial of 12 human rights defenders and journalists accused of insurrection who, due to their role in opposing President Nkurunzizas third term, were accused of involvement in the failed coup attempt of May 2015. None of the accused were present as they were all in exile.

(7) Promote effective dialogue

President Ndayishimiye has also emphasized the importance of dialogue in Burundian tradition and encouraged all Burundians to exercise their right to freedom of expression. In the same breath, he challenged political parties; if they are not speaking the same language as the elected government, what other government do they claim? He also accused some human rights defenders of working on behalf of the colonists.

If the new government is serious about human rights, then they must send a clear, unambiguous message through their words and actions that the right to freedom of expression will be fully and effectively respected, protected, promoted and fulfilled in Burundi. It should also be clear that all acts of intimidation, repression and violence against those who disagree with the ruling party will not be tolerated.

(8) Work towards truth and justice

Burundis Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) was established in 2014 to investigate and establish the truth about grave violations of human rights and international humanitarian law committed in the period 1962 to 2008, later extended back to 1885. The government should reconsider establishing a judicial mechanism, such as the Special Tribunal discussed during the negotiations on Burundis transitional justice mechanisms, which could contribute to ending impunity for past atrocities.

Since the start of 2020, the TRC has been conducting regular and highly publicized exhumations of mass graves, predominantly related to the 1972 massacres. The exhumations and the commentary on them by public officials had been perceived as an attempt to impose a single narrative and to manipulate public sentiment in the run-up to the elections. The process, as conducted, risks retraumatizing family members of victims and others who lived through the atrocities. The government should guard against all political manipulation of the TRC.

On a practical level, the exhumations have not been conducted in a way that would preserve evidence from the graves. They should be put on hold until proper guidelines are in place to exhume further graves with dignity and to the necessary forensic standards, as well as for respectful storage of the human remains exhumed. Communities and families should be urgently consulted on their wishes for the treatment and eventual reburial of their loved ones remains.

(9) Guarantee the right to health

President Ndayishimiyes announcement of new measures to tackle COVID-19 on 30 June marked a welcome change in direction in the governments response to the pandemic. Declaring the disease as Burundis worst enemy, he announced an increase in mass testing. On 20 July, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) announced the approval of debt service relief to Burundi that was expected to free up public resources to help address the pandemic.

Going forward, the government must take care not to stigmatize people with COVID-19. On 30 June, President Ndayishimiye said people who displayed COVID-19 like symptoms but refused to be tested would be considered a sorcerer and treated as severely as one would be. Considering that people accused of practicing witchcraft in the country have been targeted by mob violence, Amnesty International calls on President Ndayishimiye to urgently make it clear that the government would not condone such acts.

The government should ensure that adequate measures are taken to protect the population from avoidable exposure to COVID-19 and ensure such measures are within the law and respect human rights. The government should enable rather than hinder efforts by people in Burundi to safeguard personal and public health. In March 2020, the government spokesperson warned that institutions taking proactive protective measures against COVID-19 (such as closing schools) would face sanctions because their actions were getting ahead of the government and intended to manipulate or disorientate public opinion. This statement risks deterring people from taking proactive measures to benefit public health.

(10) Restart international engagement

President Ndayishimiye has also spoken of the need to improve Burundis image abroad on the basis of mutual respect, complementarity and strengthened understanding, while also warning certain countries and organizations that try to impose demands that go against Burundians ancestral culture. Relations between Burundi and many countries have been strained since the start of the political crisis in 2015. In 2016, the European Union suspended direct financial assistance to the Burundian government.

The former government cut off almost all international engagement on human rights issues, including closing the UN human rights office in the country, although the African Union maintained a team of human rights monitors in Burundi. In 2018, the three members of the Commission on Inquiry on Burundi mandated by the Human Rights Council (HRC) were declared persona non grata. In addition to documenting and reporting, the Commission is mandated to dialogue with the government to provide support and advice in order to improve the human rights situation in the country and to combat impunity.

Amnesty International urges the new government to re-engage with international and regional human rights mechanisms. More broadly, reviving international engagement and cooperation should reopen important avenues of financial and technical support in working towards the progressive realization of social and economic rights in Burundi.
Atlanta

Marjorie Taylor Greene, a businesswoman who has expressed support for the far-right conspiracy theory QAnon and been criticized for a series of racist comments, has won the Republican nomination for Georgia's 14th Congressional District.

Greene beat neurosurgeon John Cowan in a primary runoff for the open seat on Tuesday in the deep-red district in northwest Georgia, despite several GOP officials denouncing her campaign after videos surfaced in which she expresses racist, anti-Semitic and anti-Muslim views.

She has amassed tens of thousands of followers on social media, where she often posts videos of herself speaking directly to the camera.

Those videos have helped propel her popularity with her base, while also drawing strong condemnation from some future would-be colleagues in Congress.

In a series of videos unearthed just after Greene placed first in the initial June 9 Republican primary, she complains of an "Islamic invasion" into government offices, claims Black and Hispanic men are held back by "gangs and dealing drugs," and pushes an anti-Semitic conspiracy theory that billionaire philanthropist George Soros, who is Jewish, collaborated with the Nazis.

Several high-profile Republicans then spoke out against her. House Minority Whip Steve Scalise of Louisiana quickly threw his support behind Cowan, while Rep. Jody Hice of Georgia rescinded an endorsement of Greene.

Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years.

Greene addressed criticism of her comments on Twitter. "The Fake News Media, the DC Swamp, and their radical leftist allies see me as a very serious threat. I will not let them whip me into submission," she said, without distancing herself from her earlier remarks.

Greene also is part of a growing list of candidates who have expressed support for QAnon, the far-right U.S. conspiracy theory popular among some supporters of President Donald Trump.

She has positioned herself as a staunch Trump supporter and emphasizes a strongly pro-gun, pro-border wall and anti-abortion message. She has also connected with voters through an intensive effort to travel the district and meet people on the ground.
(CNN)  We know to avoid coffee and chocolate before bedtime since both contain caffeine and can keep you awake at night. But what to replace those delicious options with?

There are some drinks that can actually help set you up for a sleepy night of slumber.

Food and drinks that contain certain minerals, therapeutic herbs and tryptophan  an essential amino acid  can aid your body's production of serotonin and melatonin. Those are "important hormones in regulating your sleep," Dr. Matthew Schmitt, a doctor of sleep medicine at Piedmont Healthcare in Georgia, told CNN.

Two general rules apply: Stop eating and drinking at least two hours before bed so you can avoid trips to the bathroom and heartburn throughout the night. Avoid caffeine past 2 p.m. and evening alcohol, since the downsides include bathroom runs and interruptions in the deeper stages of sleep, said Dr. Raj Dasgupta, a pulmonary and sleep doctor and an assistant professor of clinical medicine at Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California.

And don't skip out on what the experts call good "sleep hygiene."

Supporting sleep with different foods and drinks can "really only work if the person obeys the foundation of good sleep," Dasgupta said.

"The foundation is always going to be having a sleep routine, having a nighttime ritual, transitioning into sleep and many things are involved in doing that."

If you're having trouble sleeping, make sure to consult with your physician or sleep medicine doctor. Here are some soothing and fragrant teas and other beverages that may help usher in the rest you need.

Chamomile tea

Is it time for a cup of chamomile? Chamomile tea is a sedative and sleep aid traditionally used in different parts of Iran.

Chamomile extract, a 2017 study found, improved the sleep quality of older adults and their daily performance in comparison to those who received a placebo.

"It's full of antioxidants, promotes calmness and can reduce anxiety," Schmitt said.

Ashwagandha tea

Ashwagandha, a revered herb of Indian ayurvedic alternative medicine, has traditionally been used to calm the nerves. It might work by mimicking the function of gamma-aminobutyric acid, a neurotransmitter that inhibits excited responses.

"When you activate this receptor, it makes you sleepy," Dasgupta said. "Many sleep aids that we take work on GABA."

Ashwagandha may help the body wind down and prepare for sleep, as well as improve overall sleep quality.

Valerian root tea

Originally hailing from Europe and Asia, valerian is a plant used to treat insomnia, anxiety, depression and menopause symptoms.

Most of the benefits have been in alleviating insomnia and improving sleep quality for menopausal women. Nearly a third of postmenopausal women who took a valerian capsule twice daily for four weeks reported better sleep quality, found one study.

Valerian "does work on the (gamma-aminobutyric acid) receptor" that controls excited neural activity, Dasgupta said.

Warm milk and golden milk tea

Thanks to the tryptophan, calcium and magnesium in dairy, drinking warm milk before bed may help you sleep better. The warmth makes the beverage more soothing and easier to digest, Dasgupta said.

"Tryptophan's the amino acid that goes on to produce things like melatonin," he said.

"We know that melatonin is a natural hormone in your body produced by the pineal gland. And it's secreted at night and it really is part of helping you try to get that good night's sleep."

Golden milk is a traditional Indian drink with milk, cinnamon, ginger and turmeric  and turmeric is rich in the component curcumin. Curcumin has anti-inflammatory effects and the potential to treat symptoms of anxiety and depression, which can interfere with sleep.

"Turmeric has also been associated with good sleep," but how inflammation affects sleep hasn't yet been fully defined, Dasgupta said. "But anything that helps with pain, with anxiety or induces some form of muscle relaxation can always be helpful with getting good sleep."

Lemon balm tea

Lemon balm, a lemon-scented herb that derives from the same family as mint, has been traditionally used for improving mood in addition to flavoring meat, seafood and baked goods.

The herb may help to reduce insomnia symptoms. A 2011 study found a 42% reduction in participants' insomnia symptoms after they received lemon balm extract daily for 15 days.

Passionflower tea

Passionflower tea, brewed from the dried leaves, flowers and stems of the Passiflora plant, has been used to enhance sleep quality and alleviate anxiety.

In a trial where participants drank a cup of passionflower tea, kept a sleep diary and completed an anxiety questionnaire for one week, sleep quality was significantly better for those who drank tea in comparison to the placebo.

Passionflower tea in combination with valerian was as effective as Ambien, a common medication for insomnia, in improving sleep quality in a 2013 study.

Other beverages for beauty sleep

If cow's milk sends you on too many trips to the bathroom or results in allergic reactions, almond milk is another good source of tryptophan, Dasgupta said.

One 8-ounce glass of almond milk also has around 20 milligrams of magnesium, a mineral that helps to support the sleep by regulating neurotransmitters to calm our nervous systems and working with melatonin to control our bodies' sleep-wake cycles.

Tart cherry juice may increase your melatonin levels and the time you sleep, stay in bed and feel rested afterward, according to a small study of healthy adults. Tart Montgomery cherries have been reported to contain high levels of melatonin.

Despite the reported benefits of these beverages, most of the studies haven't compared if one method of consumption  such as pills, powder or tincture  is more fast-acting than the other, Dasgupta said. Talking with your physician about sleep aids is important, especially if you would be consuming them in combination with alcohol or medications.

And although herbal supplements may help you fall asleep, Dasgupta said, they could interfere with revealing the true underlying cause of poor sleep.

"Getting good sleep is like a puzzle," he added. "It's so hard to have all the right puzzle pieces for sleep. And when you try to find which one you're missing, that's the hard part."

Make sure to try to put all the puzzle pieces together, including room temperature, light exposure, bedding, sound and routine.

Although he doesn't buy in to all the existing research, Dasgupta doesn't discount "a little non-caffeinated chamomile tea before bed as part of your ritual as you turn off the technology and sit down," he said. "I think those things are really good."

This story was first published on CNN.com Tea, milk and other drinks to help you sleep (and some that will hurt)
EU foreign ministers are set to meet on Friday to discuss targeted sanctions against Belarus following Sundays contested election and subsequent violent crackdown down on protesters, according to Swedens top diplomat.

Alexander Lukashenko, in power since 1994, claimed victory with about 80 percent of the vote, triggering three nights of violent clashes between security forces and opposition supporters in which one protester was killed.

I absolutely think we need to consider broadening targeted sanctions against those responsible for the violence against the protesters (and) for the election fraud  those involved in the electoral process not having turned out free and fair, Linde told Swedish radio on Wednesday.

This morning there has been a summons to an extraordinary EU foreign ministers meeting on Friday where we will discuss precisely this (sanctions), she told the public broadcaster.

Lithuania had also said it would consider such steps.

Any decision on sanctions requires agreement by all 27 EU member states, meaning no imminent move is expected.

As seen in the cases of Russia or Ukraine, such decisions can take weeks or months. Foreign ministers are due to next meet at the end of August in Berlin.

Disproportionate violence

The EUs top diplomat, Josep Borrell, on Tuesday condemned what he called disproportionate violence by Belarus authorities against protesters and said the EU could take unspecified measures.





On Tuesday, Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya said she had fled to Lithuania for the sake of her children.

Her election rallies drew some of the biggest crowds since the fall of the Soviet Union in a country where foreign observers have not judged a single election to be free and fair since 1995.

Polish Foreign Minister Jacek Czaputowicz said in a letter to Borrell that the Friday meeting should show support for the peaceful protesters and exchange ideas on how the EU could help them.

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki has also called for a special summit of EU leaders to come up with a new package for Belarus that would address the protesters demands on fighting corruption and respecting freedom of speech and the rule of law.

In a letter to top EU officials, which was also seen by Reuters, Morawiecki said the protests in Minsk were clear proof that many Belarusians want change  and that they want the European Union to be present in their lives. It is our duty to answer that call.
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Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-12 14:57:47|Editor: huaxia

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A China-Europe freight train with 45 compartments of anti-epidemic supplies leaves the Xinzhu Railway Station in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, on Aug. 12, 2020, to head for Italy's Milan. The shipment includes 368,300 masks and 94.9 tonnes of melt-blown non-woven fabric, an essential material for manufacturing medical masks. (Photo by Yuan Jingzhi/Xinhua)

XI'AN, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- A cargo train with 45 compartments of anti-epidemic supplies left Xi'an, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi province, and headed for Italy's Milan Wednesday.

The shipment includes 368,300 masks and 94.9 tonnes of melt-blown non-woven fabric, an essential material for manufacturing medical masks.

The China-Europe freight train service has played a crucial role in helping stabilize the international logistics supply chain, especially in transporting epidemic prevention supplies since the outbreak of COVID-19.

By the end of July, anti-epidemic supplies amounting to 4.97 million items and weighing 39,000 tonnes were transported through the freight trains.

Since the COVID-19 outbreak, over 12,719 tonnes of supplies have been shipped from Xi'an via the train service, thus bolstering international cooperation on epidemic prevention.

In the next two months, more medical and epidemic prevention supplies are scheduled to be dispatched from Xi'an to Italy via the China-Europe train routes to help with the anti-epidemic fight. Enditem
Lebanon's judiciary will question several ministers, a judicial official said Wednesday, over a massive chemical blast at a Beirut port warehouse that ravaged the capital and sparked unprecedented public outrage.

Survivors and volunteers were still sweeping pulverised glass off rubble-strewn streets a week after a large depot of industrial chemicals blew up at Beirut's port, a blast President Michel Aoun estimated had caused more than $15 billion-worth of damage.

The official death toll rose to 171, while 6,500 were injured and 300,000 left temporarily homeless in the country's worst peacetime disaster.

Top diplomats streamed into Lebanon to show solidarity and urge reforms to curb the corruption blamed for allowing a vast stock of ammonium nitrate, a compound often used in homemade bombs, to rot for years at the port despite repeated warnings.

An AFP investigation found that up until the day before the deadly blast, officials had exchanged warnings over the cargo, but did nothing despite experts' fears it could cause a massive conflagration.

A judicial official said Wednesday that the prosecution would question several ministers and former ministers over the disaster.

Meanwhile, at Beirut's main fire station, a stone's throw from the charred and ruined port, firefighters held an emotional funeral for one of 10 comrades they lost in the catastrophe.

"May God be with you, our hero," firefighters cried as they saw off the coffin of their lost friend Jo Noun during their fourth such ceremony since the August 4 disaster.

Ten firefighters are confirmed to have died, and six more are still among the missing, including three members of the same family.

Rina Hitti, the mother of one and related to the two others, said: "In one piece or several, we want our sons back."

- Direct aid -

Emergency crews on Wednesday were still searching the dusty "ground zero" where the explosion pulverised buildings and left a water-logged 43-metre-deep crater where a quay and warehouses once stood.

Story continues

The human error that sparked devastation worthy of a major earthquake has sparked public rage, matched only by the speed at which officials are seen to be passing the buck.

Around 100 of the wounded were recently still listed in critical condition and it was feared the death toll could yet rise as Beirut's hospitals treat the casualties.

More than half of 55 healthcare facilities evaluated by the World Health Organization were "non-functional," the agency said Wednesday, adding that three major hospitals were out of operation and another three running at well below normal capacity, he said.

Among those killed was a diplomat from Germany, whose Foreign Minister Heiko Maas arrived in Lebanon Wednesday for a short visit of support.

In a social media message, he stressed the need for "profound economic reform".

He also announced a one million-euro donation directly to the Lebanese Red Cross, in line with a pledge that emergency aid should bypass a government that has lost its people's trust.

- Jockeying -

Angry protesters demonstrated for a third night running Tuesday to demand the wholesale ouster of a ruling political elite they see as directly responsible for the port tragedy.

Mock gallows and nooses have become the symbols of the new wave of protests, which have rekindled a revolutionary street movement that had lost steam in recent months amid economic hardship and the coronavirus pandemic.

Under intense domestic and foreign pressure, Prime Minister Hassan Diab announced his government's resignation on Monday.

Many have bitterly dismissed his efforts to cast himself as a champion of the fight against corruption, labelling him instead as a puppet of the long-standing political elite.

Some saw the government's departure as a victory and a sign that continued pressure could finally force change in a country ruled by the same cartel of former warlords and their relatives since the 1975-1990 civil war.

Others feared that the resignation could herald the return of old faces such as former prime minister Saad Hariri.

According to the Al-Akhbar newspaper, Nawaf Salam, a former judge at the International Court of Justice, is favoured by some of Lebanon's top foreign partners, including France.

However, the paper said, Salam is not an acceptable choice for powerful Iranian-backed Shiite movement Hezbollah.

French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday warned Tehran against interfering in Lebanon, urging his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani "to avoid any outside interference and to support the putting in place of a government which can manage the emergency," the Elysee said.

Meanwhile, a return of Hariri, who resigned under pressure from the street late last year, could spark even more outrage among a protest camp re-invigorated by the disaster.

Parliament was due to convene on Thursday to approve a state of emergency, which would give security forces heightened powers to curb the street demonstrations.

bur-jmm/fz/par/sw
Bollywood star, Sanjay Dutt has been diagnosed with Stage 3 Lung Cancer after he was admitted to Lilavati Hospital in Mumbai last week. News of Sanjays health made headlines yesterday. The 61-year-old actor will be flying to the USA for immediate medical treatment.

Meanwhile, the trailer launch for Sadak 2, Sanjays soon-to-release Hindi film was postponed indefinitely. The trailer was scheduled to be released yesterday is out now.

Sanjay Dutta plays a key role in this film which is about Good Vs Evil. Alia Bhatt is shown as the girl who hires Sanjay Dutt who plays a cab driver. The visuals are thrilling and comeback director Mahesh Bhatt has put good engaging scenes.

On the other hand, the film will have its world digital premiere on Disney Plus Hotstar on August 28. Sadak 2 also features Pooja Bhatt and Aditya Roy Kapur in lead roles.

Watch Trailer Now

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New York, Aug 12 : An American who wanted to go to Pakistan to become an executioner for the Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (LeT) terrorist organisation has been sentenced in a US federal court here to 15 years in prison.

Federal Judge Ronnie Abrams sentenced on Tuesday Jesus Wilfredo Encarnacion, who had admitted before the judge in January to "attempting to provide material support" to the LeT, which carried out the 2008 Mumbai attacks that killed more than 170 people.

"Encarnacion plotted to travel abroad, to join and train with Lashkar-e-Tayyiba, infamous worldwide for the jihadist murder of innocent civilians, and to carry out shootings, bombings, and beheadings in behalf of that terrorist the organisation," said Audrey Strauss, the acting federal prosecutor in New York, after the sentencing.

Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C Demers said, "The National Security Division remains committed to identifying and holding accountable those who seek to join and support designated foreign terrorist organisations.

Encarnacion, 30, was arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) at New York's JFK Airport in February last year when he tried to take a flight to Europe on his way to Pakistan to join the LeT.

He and his LeT recruiter Michael Kyle Sewell had been tracked by undercover FBI agents or informants, who recorded their interactions, which were introduced in court filings obtained by IANS.

Sewell was only 18 years at that time and has been sentenced in September to 20 years in prison for his role in the conspiracy.

In the filings in the Encarnacion case, Sewell is not identified by name, but by comparing those with documents in his case in a Texas federal court IANS was able to connect them.

Court documents show that Encarnacion is a new convert to Islam.

A chilling portrait of Encarnacion, who used the identities "Jihadistsoldgier," "Jihadinhear," "Jihadinheart" and "Lionofthegood," emerges from the transcripts of interactions between him, Sewell and undercover federal agents.

Encarnacion said, "I want to fight. I want to execute. I want to behead," and pleaded, "Please. I want to kill on video. Terrify our enemies." Encarnacion wrote to an undercover government employee: "You guys are against India. I read up on ya. You are beefing with India over Muslim land. I (expletive) hate Hindus. They can go to hell and I'm going to help you." "Will I live in Pakistan? I want to fight. I want to execute. I want to behead," he wrote.

In a transcript Encarnacion said: "Kuffar treat me bad," but does not further identify the "Kuffar" or what they did.

He initially wanted to join the Islamic State terrorist organization, but Sewell directed him to the LeT, presciently predicting the doom of IS.

"There is no point in fighting for them. They have no territory," Sewell told him suggesting he join the LeT that has Pakistan's backing.

According to a court document, Encarnacion has described himself as a Dominican. But it was not apparent if he was an immigrant from the Caribbean nation of Dominican Republic or had been born in the US.

(Arul Louis can be reached at arul.l@ians.in and followed on Twitter at @arulouis)
A stark warning has been sounded on the future of the Catholic Church by a North Kerry-based parish priest who fears the pressures of the pandemic will escalate the rate at which its influence is waning - unless the Church urgently initiates a grassroots rejuvenation capitalising on the talents of its laity.

That was the message from Moyvane/Knockanure parish priest Fr Kevin McNamara in an article in the parish newsletter under the heading 'A New Church or No Church!' It was written as a call to the entire Church community amid a virus that has had what he described in the piece as a 'shattering' impact on its ministry, disrupting the usual 'patterns of behaviour' of the faithful everywhere.

"A big question for all of us at this time is 'what do I really value about parish life?'. For me one major observation is that parish life as I have lived and known it for 39 years is totally and utterly changed. Are parish structures as every parish knows them fit for purpose?" Fr Kevin wrote, amid many other pertinent questions, in the article.

Speaking to The Kerryman he said he hoped the piece would contribute to an urgent conversation within the Church about the need to rebuild the structures underpinning its ministry at a time when the pandemic is driving participation lower than ever.

"The anxiety I would have is that we won't get numbers back, that there will be smaller gatherings in church with people so nervous about going into buildings," Fr Kevin said.

"But the pandemic provides us with a golden opportunity to revisit the work of the Church and rebuild under the realisation that there will have to be an even greater involvement of the laity. From our point of view as a Church we have to be seen not to just involve the laity in a token way, but in a meaningful involvement. It has to come back to people looking at the big questions such as 'what is the new Church to be like and how do we contribute to building that church?'"

He said there was a surge in the first weeks of live Masses recommencing, but that many have fallen back on watching Masses streamed online from the safety of their own homes. "While people say they have got a lot out of the streaming service, the participation is zero, nobody has any contact with one another and that's where I would see a great difficulty - in people accepting a new Church as focused around streamed Masses.

"I think we are now being presented with a golden opportunity for a new conversation to begin but it has to happen across the board. There's no point in parish 'A' doing it if parish 'B' is not. The old structures are crumbling all around us and unless we go ahead and create areas where we will come together, where people with similar interests and views can put all their gifts and talents together into building a fresh new Church it will be in trouble," Fr Kevin said, adding:

But he warned any renewal would have to come from the ground up, rather than be steered from on high if it is to succeed.
Inside Hook

In order to enter Canada as an American right now, you have to either A) be an immediate family member of a Canadian citizen, or B) be traveling for an essential purpose (which is approved as non-discretionary/non-optional by the Canadian government). Even if you qualify, theres little guarantee that everyday Canadians will care about the reason for your visit.

Against the backdrop of two wildly different responses to the COVID-19 pandemic  the United States has seen 43,000 more deaths from the virus than Canada has seen total cases  Canadians have taken to actually damaging visiting cars with American license plates, sending a resounding, atypically Canadian message: stay the hell out. In late July, the premier of British Columbia, John Horgan, suggested that Americans consider entering Canada via public transport or by bike, and fell short of condemning local behavior, saying: I cant tell people how to respond when they see an offshore plate.
President Donald Trump speaks to reporters with President of Finland Sauli Niinisto in the White House on October 2, 2019. Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images

The Trump campaign tweeted four headshots of released Minnesotan defendants, blaming the Biden campaign and its staffers for their release.

Many saw comparisons between the Trump campaign's tweets and the infamous "Willie Horton" ads run in support of President George H.W. Bush's campaign for president against then-Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis in 1988.

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

The Trump campaign posted four tweets on Tuesday containing the mugshots of released Minnesotan defendants and their alleged criminal charges in an attempt to hurt presidential candidate Joe Biden's campaign.

The tweets mirrored a 1988 racially stoked advertisement in support of President George H.W. Bush. The tweets were posted just hours before Biden announced Sen. Kamala Harris as his running mate.

Trump War Room - Text TRUMP to 88022 (@TrumpWarRoom) August 11, 2020

The defendants were released from jail by the Minnesota Freedom Fund, a nonprofit which gained considerable attention after large scale protests in Minneapolis in late May. In the weeks following George Floyd's death, the Minnesota Freedom Fund received over $30 million in donations, according to a report from The New York Times.

While Biden himself did not donate to the nonprofit, a recent report from Reuters found that at least 13 Biden staffers donated to the Minnesota Freedom Fund.

Though never mentioned directly, some quickly pointed out that the Trump campaign's tweets take a page out of President Bush's "Willie Horton" ad in 1988. Attempting to stoke racial fears in white communities to damage his opponent's run, the Bush campaign created a political ad detailing the story of William "Willie" Horton.

Horton was a convicted felon and sentenced to life in prison for murder. He was a member of a Massachusetts weekend furlough program, which allowed him to leave the prison on the weekend to work or spend time at home. After leaving the prison one weekend in 1986, Horton did not return, ultimately raping a white woman and assaulting her white boyfriend before being captured in 1987, according to The New York Times.

Story continues

Bush's Democratic opponent, Dukakis, was the governor of Massachusetts during Horton's release. Before Dukakis was elected governor, a Republican governor passed the weekend furlough program. While Dukakis did not create the program, he was a supporter of it, which Bush used to convince voters that Dukakis was soft on crime.

Tuesday's tweets are not the first time the Trump campaign has used the Bush-era tactic. In 2018, Trump released an ad blaming Democrats for a cop-killing immigrant, which was also seen as similar to the 1988 Bush ads. Trump also released similar ads in 2015 against presidential candidate Jeb Bush, which edited together images of undocumented immigrants alleged of murder alongside a quote from Jeb Bush which said that illegal immigrants come to the United States out of an "act of love" for their families. The Trump campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Mariana blinked at me, her messy braids coming undone on the crinkly hospital pillow. She was just waking up from having spent a month with a tube in her throat in the ICU due to COVID-19. Mariana wasnt just dazed from the medically induced coma: she didnt understand English and the doctor didnt speak Spanish. There were no face-to-face interpreters as there usually would have been. They had been sent home.

Without interpreters, Mariana had no idea where she was or why she was there, nor could her care team tailor her treatment appropriately.

It should go without saying that one needs to be able to communicate with doctors in order to get good health care. In 2016, the Affordable Care Act mandated that hospitals use qualified interpreters. They are essential but without enough N95masks, interpreters have been made virtual.

Language and cultural barriers are compounding trauma for populations that are already disproportionately enduring the pandemic. At Massachusetts General Hospital, we went from having about 10 percent Spanish-speaking patients to over 50 percent at the height of the surge in April. These patients were even more isolated, since family members could not visit and they frequently could not communicate with their largely white, monolingual care teams.

The language barrier will continue long after the pandemic resolves: by 2050, the Census Bureau projects that Hispanic people will comprise nearly 30 percent of the U.S. population. Yet, nationwide, the proportion of physicians who identify themselves as Spanish speaking is only 6 percent.

As the pandemic surges through Arizona, Texas, Florida and Southern California, the need for more bilingual physicians is only more pronounced.

As COVID-19 raged in Boston last spring, a group of us formed an emergency volunteer group of Spanish-speaking physicians. I was already volunteering on one COVID-19 ward; now I was the sole bilingual physician for the entire floor. If I hadnt been there, an interpreter would have been called by phone, which is never as good.

My presence meant a great deal to the patients and their families  conversations about organ failure and end-of-life care get really awkward with an interpreter. As a physician, I could visit a patient and take them off their oxygen while I was talking with them; you cant do that as an interpreter.

We have strong data that the best medical care is given by culturally and linguistically congruent providers. One study from San Francisco revealed that patients whose doctors were not fluent in their spoken language were more likely to have out-of-control diabetes. If physicians cant communicate with their patients, we end up with a two-tiered system of health care.

In the near term, one quick solution would be to provide an emergency credential to Spanish-speaking physicians who trained in countries outside the United States. Normally, a foreign-trained physician would have to take three exams and repeat their residency, so licensing and certification takes years and is very expensive. This protocol is onerous and unnecessary; the European Union, for example, makes it much easier for physicians to move between countries.

In the long-term, we need to increase the number of Spanish speakers in the medical school pipeline.

The same reason COVID-19 is disproportionately impacting Black and brown communities is the same reason medical professionals are predominantly white: social and economic inequality. Kids without access to decent primary and secondary school education do not even go on to college much less aspire to medical school. Their parents are our essential workers and are often caring for multi-generational households with little free time for academic support  and they may not have English proficiency.

We could start by making medical school free for bilingual applicants to encourage more financially challenged students. At this point, the average debt incurred from medical education in 2019 was $201,490, putting it out of reach for all but wealthy applicants. Last year there were only 3,350 self-identified Hispanic med school applicants out of more than 53,000 total.

When I attended med school, I was one of four bilingual students. By the time we graduated, we were three.

Some medical schools offer crash courses in Spanish by coordinating rotations in Latin America. While this is a laudable approach, it is not a substitute for bilingual and bicultural physicians and staff. There are subtleties in language that can cause dangerously inappropriate care.

Not only do we need more bilingual nurses, assistants and physicians, current providers should be compensated more. Were saving the system money by obviating the need to hire an interpreter, or in my case, a translator for the letters I send patients with their lab results.

Ultimately, to provide culturally and linguistically appropriate care to our most vulnerable and essential workers, we will need to address our countrys deadly inequalities. And that means following them upstream.

Abuelo, MD, is a primary care physician at the Charlestown HealthCare Center of the Massachusetts General Hospital and a public voices fellow with The OpEd Project.
A new survey from the Alcohol and Drug Foundation has found that 12 percent of Australians have begun consuming alcohol on a daily basis since the coronavirus pandemic began a few months back. The survey showed that many Australians who did not drink regularly before have picked up the habit.

The survey

The Alcohol and Drug Foundation conducted this survey where they provided questionnaires to over a thousand individuals, which they answered anonymously regarding their alcohol use since the start of the pandemic.

One in ten reported they were consuming over ten standard drinks per week. A large number reported they were drinking almost regularly and drinking more than what they did before.

Risk of disease

Alcohol consumption is associated with several diseases, including liver damage, cancers, heart disease, obesity, diabetes, etc. With a rise in drinking habits, more and more people are at risk of these diseases, say experts.

Professor Terry Bowles, from the University of Melbourne, who deals with dependence and addictions, said that quite a large number of persons have picked up the habit of drinking since the inception of the pandemic. He said, "Routine behaviors, which can have a profound impact on our lives, do not take a long time to form. So, as restrictions are gradually lifted across Australia, and we emerge from months of isolation, we have passed the threshold of time required to establish new habits."

Lockdown and drinking

Melbourne has been put under its second lockdown to break the chain of transmission of the coronavirus. A lockdown mandates people to stay indoors and bans public gatherings.

According to mental health experts, the last lockdown saw this spurt in drinking habits, and this second round may again raise the risk of excessive alcohol use among the general public.

1 in 5 Aussies regret lockdown alcohol consumption

"Wish I hadn't drunk so much"

The survey shows that nearly 20 percent of the population knew they were drinking more than they should and wished they drank less during the lockdowns. Quite a few hopes that they can reduce the amount of alcohol they consume over the next few weeks.

The survey showed that 28 percent of the younger participants aged between 18 and 35 years wanted to cut down on their drinking. Similarly, 22 percent of those aged between 35 and 53 and 10 percent of those aged over 54 wanted to cut down on their drinking.

Campaign to reduce alcohol consumption

The Alcohol and Drug Foundation has announced the start of its new campaign called "Break the Habit" this week to help people become aware of the ills of excessive alcohol consumption during lockdown periods.

The theme of the campaign is to tell the general public about the ease with which a new bad habit could be formed and how difficult it may be to break it once it consolidates. IT says that it takes an average of 66 days for a habit to form. This is the period of lockdown in Australia say, experts.

The campaign would also focus on the patterns of excessive drinking and help teach people to break their habit. The experts behind the campaign advise that a small increase in alcohol use regularly could form a habit over time.

Don't let a little habit turn into a big problem Play

Expert speak

Alcohol and Drug Foundation chief executive Erin Lalor explained that many people are seeking ways to cope. She said, "The last few months have been incredibly hard for everyone, particularly for those who have lost work, social connectedness and ... lost loved ones. We've all been trying our best under challenging, never-before-seen circumstances."

She warned, however, that if the habit is allowed to form, it may become difficult to break it later. She urged people to seek support when needed. She said, "Even small steps, such as introducing alcohol-free days into your week, or having one less drink a day, can have a powerful impact."

Dr. Lalor added that 37 percent of those who reported a rise in their alcohol consumption over the last few months wanted to continue drinking at the same levels. This was concerning, she said. There has also been a rise in alcohol-linked domestic violence she said adding, "People who talk to us about increased drinking say they've got into the habit of having a drink at 5 pm when they close the computer or when the kids finish home-schooling, and it's a hard habit to break."

Alcohol use survey from the United States

A similar survey was conducted between March and June this year as part of the COVID Symptom Study. It included nearly 100,000 participants, of which around 20 percent showed an increase in alcohol use during the study period. The week starting the 21st of March, a market survey from Nielsen showed that there was a 55 percent rise in sales of liquor.

Dr. Subhash C. Pandey, a professor and the director of the Alcohol Research Center at the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Illinois at Chicago, echoed the sentiments of Lalor when he said, "It has been very well established that (traumatic events) promote alcohol abuse. And it's established that people drink to relax or to self-medicate."

Pandey suggested people could consciously cut down on alcohol and seek support from friends and family. Stressors and sadness in daily life need to be attended to, he said. He said social events help reduce stress and loneliness. This may be absent during the lockdown periods.

"I think it's very unprecedented times we're going through. But I think the medical field, particularly with virtual health, is really one of the very emerging tools that can specifically help an individual see a specialist, get advice and get proper treatment," he said.
Representative image

Pakistani officials scored one possible goal on their frenetic campaign to highlight the Kashmir issue one year after the state of Jammu & Kashmir was bifurcated into two union territories. After renaming a road, a multiplicity of speeches, and the issuing of a preposterous map that laid claim to various parts of India, Islamabad was finally able to point with pride to some specific actions.

For one, the president-elect to the 75th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Volkan Bozkir chose to comment on Kashmir during his recent visit to Pakistan. Expectedly, there was a fiery speech by former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, and a statement of support from Turkeys Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

A third was a little more puzzling. Pakistans Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi demanded that the 57-member Saudi Arabia-headed Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) either convene a session on Kashmir, or Pakistan would split the organisation to include Islamic states ready to stand by it. That was unprecedented. Pakistani diplomats are usually on over drive on Kashmir, since it could make or break their careers. This time however, they seem to be pushing the envelope.

First off, are the comments of Bozkir, who is the first Turkish citizen to hold the office of President of the UNGA, and elected from the WEOG Group (Western European and Other Countries). His candidature is not surprising. His vision statement spells out the centrality of a rules-based international system  the new language that implies a refusal to accept Chinese hegemonic behaviour in the Indian Ocean Region.

Surprisingly, even while recalling the need for impartiality of his office, Bozkir not only offered to mediate on Kashmir but also stated that he wouldnt forget that he was a Turkish citizen and brother of Pakistan. That statement is absolutely against the Rules of Conduct of the United Nations.

At a press conference, he seems to have reverted to rules, noting that as per UN Charter, the conflict should be settled by peaceful means, also mentioning the Simla Agreement of 1972. Whatever his intentions, Turkey is beginning to resemble Pakistan, as Istanbul uses the Pakistan formula of integrating religion and nationalism, with the Hagia Sophia museum being turned into a mosque being just one instance. For his part, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan  now openly a committed Right-winger  advised his countrymen to watch the Turkish mini-series Ertugrul that advocates violence to gain nationalistic ends. The two also signed an agreement on defence industry pledged to contribute to regional safety. Meanwhile, China is beefing up its presence in Turkey, with some 1,000-odd companies already there, and promised investment of $6 billion in 2021.

The second puzzling aspect is Pakistans criticism of the OIC, and by implication, Saudi Arabia. The Saudis had in 2018 provided a generous assistance package of $6 billion, half for a deferred payment oil facility and half for budget support. This has since expired, and whether or not Riyadh extends it will be a barometer of its ire against Islamabad. Saudis have also sheltered fleeing Pakistani leaders, employed retired Pakistani generals and is the largest source of remittances with some $4.4 billon sent home in the last fiscal year.

To lose all this for Kashmir is hardly smart policy, unless Pakistan has been assured of support from elsewhere, which is what one report suggests. China would like nothing better than to set up a rival OIC, which it can then manipulate in its favour in the case Xinjiang, and use to berate India. Besides the Saudis remain strategically aligned to the United States, while Beijing refuses to criticise Iran, Riyadhs main bete-noire.

The Saudis have, however, been cautious. Earlier the OIC had begun to criticise Chinas handling of Uighurs, but changed course abruptly in March 2019, when it commended China for its care of its Muslims. Things could yet change. The Saudi Arabian Ambassador was closeted with Pakistan Army Chief Qamar Javed Bajwa just after the Foreign Office raised the noise level.

The crowning touch was supposed to be China raising the Kashmir issue at the UN Security Council. As expected by everyone (including Pakistan) the attempt came to nothing. However, India would nevertheless have had to expend from its diplomatic wallet just to make sure. It also helps that no one is terribly interested in Kashmir at a time of COVID-19.

Pakistan is smart enough to get itself some mileage from Chinas anti-India thrust, both on the ground and in diplomacy at a time when its Kashmir policy is in disarray. However, all this comes at a price, and not just diplomatic. Uneasiness is mounting within Pakistan on losing Saudi Arabias backing, while Islamists are likely to oppose this as well. Meanwhile, Islamabad will find that the road to being Chinas satellite can be rough, with some unexpected potholes ahead.
Announcement of Periodic Review: Moody's announces completion of a periodic review of ratings of Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson

Global Credit Research - 12 Aug 2020

Milan, August 12, 2020 -- Moody's Investors Service ("Moody's") has completed a periodic review of the ratings of Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson and other ratings that are associated with the same analytical unit. The review was conducted through a portfolio review in which Moody's reassessed the appropriateness of the ratings in the context of the relevant principal methodology(ies), recent developments, and a comparison of the financial and operating profile to similarly rated peers. The review did not involve a rating committee. Since 1 January 2019, Moody's practice has been to issue a press release following each periodic review to announce its completion.

This publication does not announce a credit rating action and is not an indication of whether or not a credit rating action is likely in the near future. Credit ratings and outlook/review status cannot be changed in a portfolio review and hence are not impacted by this announcement. For any credit ratings referenced in this publication, please see the ratings tab on the issuer/entity page on www.moodys.com for the most updated credit rating action information and rating history.

Key rating considerations are summarized below.

Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson's (Ericsson) Ba1 rating reflects its significant scale and relevance, with a number two global market position in wireless equipment and its strong geographical diversification. Ericsson continues to make good progress with its strategic plan which is leading to a significant improvement in the company's operating performance and margins. The rating also takes into account the cyclicality of the telecom equipment industry; Ericsson's exposure to intense competition and technology risk; as well as high investment needs and R&D costs.

Story continues

This document summarizes Moody's view as of the publication date and will not be updated until the next periodic review announcement, which will incorporate material changes in credit circumstances (if any) during the intervening period.

The principal methodology used for this review was Diversified Technology published in August 2018. Please see the Rating Methodologies page on www.moodys.com for a copy of this methodology.

This announcement applies only to EU rated and EU endorsed ratings. Non EU rated and non EU endorsed ratings may be referenced above to the extent necessary, if they are part of the same analytical unit.

This publication does not announce a credit rating action. For any credit ratings referenced in this publication, please see the ratings tab on the issuer/entity page on www.moodys.com for the most updated credit rating action information and rating history.

Ernesto Bisagno, CFA VP - Senior Credit Officer Corporate Finance Group Moody's Italia S.r.l Corso di Porta Romana 68 Milan 20122 Italy JOURNALISTS: 44 20 7772 5456 Client Service: 44 20 7772 5454 Ivan Palacios Associate Managing Director Corporate Finance Group JOURNALISTS: 44 20 7772 5456 Client Service: 44 20 7772 5454 Releasing Office: Moody's Italia S.r.l Corso di Porta Romana 68 Milan 20122 Italy JOURNALISTS: 44 20 7772 5456 Client Service: 44 20 7772 5454

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New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio says officials will be door-knocking or phoning every single one of the 38,000 households in a Brooklyn neighborhood after a slight uptick in COVID-19 cases.

De Blasio said on Wednesday that officials would be targeting Sunset Park after 228 positive cases were discovered from 3,300 tests in the past two weeks.

It is not yet clear if the uptick in positive tests coming out of Sunset Park is a sign the neighborhood is becoming a hotspot of new cases for New York City.

The Mayor said officials plan to 'saturate' the neighborhood from Wednesday to encourage as many residents as possible to get tested for COVID-19.

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New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Wednesday that officials will be door-knocking or phoning every single one of the 38,000 households in Brooklyn's Sunset Park neighborhood after a slight uptick in COVID-19 cases

There will be robocalls placed to every household over the next few days and officials will be on the ground door-knocking and canvassing the area.

Multiple testing vans are also being dispatched to the area.

'You will see door-knocking, phone calls, lots of activity through local organizations,' de Blasio said.

'Our idea is to saturate Sunset Park over the next few days - literally reach every member of the community we possibly can, get as many people tested as quickly as possible.'

De Blasio said the current response was a result of a 'warning light' and that increased testing will determine if it is an area the city needs to focus on to prevent an outbreak.

'Right now, we're seeing an uptick,' de Blasio said.

'It's over a very limited period of time. It's a very limited number of cases. But we found it by doing exceptionally focused testing, what we call our hyper-local testing.

De Blasio said on Wednesday that officials would be targeting Sunset Park after 228 positive cases were discovered from 3,300 tests in the past two weeks

Sunset Park has recorded 228 positive cases from 3,300 tests in the past two weeks, health officials said

'We have a sign that there's something going on that we want to know more about.'

During de Blasio's press conference, NYC Health Commissioner Dr Dave Chokshi said officials planned to catch 'sparks before they ignite' to stop a resurgence.

'In a way the zipcode rate was like a metal detector that told us where to dig,' he said of Sunset Park.

'Now we're getting deeper, we're finding what we're looking for and able to help the people we've identified.'

In New York City, the latest data from the health department shows the percentage of positive tests is at one percent.

Eighty one patients were admitted to hospital on Monday suspected of having COVID-19 and 296 people are currently in intensive care.

It comes as de Blasio faces ongoing criticism for rising rates of crime and homelessness in NYC amid the coronavirus pandemic.

People line up outside a grocery store along the Fifth Avenue business district of the Sunset Park neighborhood in Brooklyn

People wait in line to enter the public pool at Sunset Park in Brooklyn after public pools reopened on August 1

President Donald Trump hit out at the Mayor on Tuesday, saying de Blasio had done a 'horrible' job governing the city.

Trump demanded that de Blasio 'hire back' NYPD officers who the president suggested had been fired after almost $1 billion was cut from the policing budget in response to BLM protests.

'The mayor, Bill de Blasio, should immediately hire back all of the police who were fired without justification.

'They were fired. I guess that's part of 'Defund the Police' by the Democrats. They should hire New York City's finest back.'

Meanwhile, nearly 20 percent of New York City's hotels are being used to shelter the homeless in a widely criticized initiative that some say will 'bankrupt' the city and drive its wealthy residents out for good.

Since the start of the pandemic, 13,000 homeless people have been moved out of shelters and into hotels around the city. Currently, 139 of the city's 700-odd hotels are being used.

De Blasio is paying the hotels $175 per person per night, according to sources who are familiar with the scheme, which puts the cost at more than $2 million a night.
The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced charges against Brendan Matthew Ross of California, the owner and former CEO of registered investment adviser Direct Lending Investments, LLC (DLI), for directing an intricate, multi-year effort to fraudulently inflate the value and returns for an investment position held by the funds that DLI advised.

The SEC's complaint alleges that from early 2014 through late 2017, Ross manipulated payment data for the funds' investment in loans made by QuarterSpot, Inc., an online small business lender. Ross allegedly directed QuarterSpot to make payments to the funds, which gave the false impression that underlying borrowers were making principal payments on what were actually delinquent loans. As alleged, under DLI's valuation policy, many of these non-performing loans should have been fully marked down but were not because of the payments Ross engineered. According to the complaint, as a result of the scheme, DLI's monthly returns reported to investors were materially inflated. DLI allegedly collected at least $5-6 million in extra management and performance fees from the funds, and Ross personally received millions of dollars from DLI. The SEC previously charged DLI in 2019, which resulted in DLI and its affiliates being placed in receivership.

The SEC's complaint, which was filed in the Central District of California, charges Ross with violating the antifraud provisions of Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 thereunder, Section 17(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, and Sections 206(1), 206(2), and 207 of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940. The complaint seeks permanent injunctions, disgorgement, prejudgment interest, and civil penalties.

In a parallel action, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California filed criminal charges against Ross.

The SEC's investigation was conducted by Christopher Nowlin and supervised by Marc Blau of the Los Angeles Regional Office. The litigation will be led by Amy Longo. The examination that led to the investigation was conducted by William Maldonado, Monique Robinson and Joshua Bauder, and supervised by Christopher Martinez and Tamara Heller from the Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations. The SEC appreciates the assistance of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Saudi Arabia has decided not to defer a loan and associated oil supply to Pakistan due to Islamabads criticism that the Riyadh-dominated Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) is not doing enough on the Kashmir issue. The Pakistani foreign minister further threatened to split the OIC, if the group failed to convene a standalone session on Kashmir.

Pakistan had not received oil on deferred payments from Saudi Arabia since May as a deal signed between the two close allies for provision of $3.2 billion worth of the fuel under the arrangement expired two months ago. The $3.2 billion Saudi oil facility was part of the $6.2-billion package announced in November 2018 to ease Pakistan's external sector woes, the Express Tribune reported on August 7.

The agreement expired in May and efforts were made by the finance division to renew the facility, Pakistan's petroleum division spokesperson Sajid Qazi was quoted as saying by the paper.

The development comes at a time when Pakistan faces a challenging situation as its International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme also remains technically suspended for the last five months.

Returning of Saudi loans and expiry of the oil facility could strain the official reserves of Pakistan's central bank, which are built purely by taking loans, the paper said.

The budget estimates suggested that the government was hoping to receive minimum $1 billion worth of oil in fiscal 2020-21, which started from July.

Pakistan has already returned a $1 billion Saudi loan  four months ahead of its repayment period, the paper said. Citing sources, it said Pakistan could also return the remaining $2 billion cash loan, subject to availability of a similar facility from China.

The agreement over $3 billion cash support and $3.2 billion oil facility per annum had the provision of renewal for two more years. Saudi had rolled over its $3 billion loan from between November 2019 to January.

The IMF had termed the rollovers of Saudi Arabian, United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Chinese assistance critical for Pakistan's debt sustainability.

Pakistan repaid the $1 billion Saudi Arabian loan after borrowing from China.

The expiry of the oil facility underscores challenging relations between two Islamic nations, the report noted. The Saudi oil facility that had been secured after hectic backdoor lobbying with the royal family remained underutilised in the last fiscal.

The $769 million deferred payment facility on supply of oil was availed from the Saudi government, according to the spokesman of the petroleum division. It faced roadblocks since the beginning. Initially, both countries had a plan to make the facility operational from January 2019. But it actually became operational from July last year.

UAE had also announced a $6.2 billion package for Pakistan in December 2018, including a $3.2 billion oil facility. But later on, it reduced its financial assistance to $2 billion and also shelved the plan to offer a $3.2 billion oil facility on deferred payments.

The UAE and Saudi Arabian oil credit facilities were part of the $14.5 billion packages agreed with the three friendly countries, including China.

After coming into power, Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf government faced an immediate challenge of filling a $12 billion hole, which the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government had left behind due to a widening current account deficit, the report said.
Indian Ambassador to China, Vikram Misri on Wednesday held talks with a senior official of the country's ruling Communist Party here and discussed the situation at the border in eastern Ladakh and overall bilateral relations.

Misri's meeting with Liu Jianchao, Deputy Director of the Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee Foreign Affairs Commission came amidst diplomatic and military-level talks between India and China on disengagment of troops from all friction points in eastern Ladakh.

"Ambassador @VikramMisri today met H.E. Liu Jianchao, Deputy Director of the Office of the CPC Central Committee Foreign Affairs Commission and briefed him on India's stance vis-a-vis the situation on the borders in eastern Ladakh UT and overall bilateral relations, the Indian Embassy tweeted.

No further details of the meeting were available. Misri's meeting with Liu comes against the backdrop of reports that the disengagement process between the troops of the two countries has not moved forward as expected along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh.

At the latest round of military talks, the Indian side insisted forcefully on complete disengagement of Chinese troops at the earliest, and immediate restoration of status quo ante in all areas of eastern Ladakh prior to May 5 when the standoff began following a clash between the two armies in Pangong Tso.

The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) has pulled back from Galwan Valley and certain other friction points but the withdrawal of its troops has not moved forward from the Finger areas in Pangong Tso, Gogra and Depsang as demanded by India, according to sources in New Delhi.

India has been insisting that China must withdraw its forces from areas between Finger Four and Eight. The mountain spurs in the area are referred to as Fingers. The formal process of disengagement of troops began on July 6, a day after a nearly two-hour telephonic conversation between National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on ways to bring down tensions in the area.
Sen. Kamala Harris brings an aggressive approach to politics and public policy, deep electoral experience and hands-on expertise in the beleaguered U.S. criminal justice system as Joe Biden's running mate.

Harris, at 55 a full generation younger than Biden, also imparts a youthful persona and diversity, with Jamaican and Indian ancestry that may help Biden, as a 77-year-old White man, energize a Democratic base that is rapidly becoming younger, more female and less White.

But Harris comes with a track record as attorney general of California and district attorney of San Francisco, where she was known as being tough on minority defendants, an issue she will likely need to address in the 83 days remaining in the campaign.

She at times proved a lackluster campaigner in the primaries, which she quit in December after failing to give voters a clear idea of what she stood for.

Here's a look at the assets and liabilities Harris brings to the Biden campaign.

Asset: Electoral experience. Harris has run in statewide elections in California three times and won each time. She was narrowly elected attorney general in 2010 and re-elected by a larger margin in 2014. In November 2016, she won the right to replace outgoing Sen. Barbara Boxer by defeating Rep. Loretta Sanchez.

She was first elected to public office in 2003 when she defeated the incumbent district attorney of San Francisco, Terence Hallinan, partly by branding him "soft on crime."

Liability: Unclear campaign persona. Harris's presidential campaign was hobbled by her struggle to convey clearly what she stood for in an election in which voters demanded authenticity.She switched positions on Medicare for All within six months, saying she supported the elimination of private insurance and then backing away from legislation she cosponsored that did just that.

Similarly, she branded herself as a "progressive prosecutor" early in her campaign, despite a record back to 2003 of presenting herself as tough on crime.

The Trump campaign already dubbed Harris "Phony Kamala" on Tuesday.

Asset: She's 'simpatico' with Biden. Harris delivered one of the toughest blows Biden ever took on a debate stage, accusing him of siding with segregationist senators over school busing in the 1970s, and she poignantly described the indignity she suffered going to school across town. "That little girl was me," she said.

The Biden camp was stunned, especially because Harris had been friendly with Biden's late son, Beau, when they were both state attorneys general.

Biden, however, repeatedly said he was searching for a running mate he was 'simpatico' with, who could replicate the bond he says he had with President Barack Obama. He said more recently he didn't "hold a grudge" for that debate swipe. And he cited her friendship with Beau Biden in Tuesday's announcement.

Biden can use that episode to show that, unlike Trump, he doesn't punish people who challenge him. And the incident shows their distinct backgrounds -- Biden growing up in a White, working-class part of Pennsylvania in the 1940s and 50s, and Harris's upbringing as the daughter of immigrants in California.

Both paths led to the U.S. Senate.

Liability: Mixed feeling among Black voters. Possibly because of her prosecutorial record, some Black voters are ambivalent about Harris. Throughout her own presidential campaign and in the spring, polls consistently showed her lagging both Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Biden himself in support among African Americans."The data clearly show less name recognition for Harris than for Warren and less favorability among non-Whites," said Peter Enns, executive director of the Roper Center for Public Opinion Research at Cornell University.

Yet several experts said, and social-media reaction on Tuesday backed them up, that the potent symbolism of an African American woman on the Biden ticket may help counter that skepticism.

Asset: Criminal justice experience. Harris has expertise in the U.S. criminal-justice system, which has been under fire as protests raged over the May 25 death of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody.

Her visibility on police reform in recent months, including co-authoring a Senate bill to ban police chokeholds and take other steps, helped mute criticism of her record as a prosecutor. She has recently emphasized that she started her career as prosecutor because she wanted to promote reform "from the inside."Harris has also stressed that addressing social ills and investing in impoverished communities is also critical - a line of argument that dovetails with Biden's call for support of what he calls the "Caring Economy."

Liability: Was she too tough? But Harris's record exacerbates questions Biden has faced -- particularly from Black voters -- about the tough-on-crime stands they took in the 1990s. As a senator, Biden co-authored the 1994 crime bill, which advocates now blame for disproportionately penalizing Black defendants.

Harris's offices fought innocence claims from men of color who turned out to have been wrongfully convicted, defended long prison terms for "three-strikes" criminals convicted of minor offenses and threatened to jail parents of truants.

Asset: Willing to do the dirty work. Harris can score political points for Biden by upbraiding Republican opponents and appointees, allowing him to take the high road. She won fans among Democrats with her aggressive questioning of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, during his Senate confirmation hearings, and Attorney General William Barr.

Like Biden, Harris has sometimes also been tough on Wall Street and the financial sector and is known for a settlement with banks in the aftermath of the 2008-2009 financial crisis in which she held out for tougher terms. Harris is expected to act as Biden's surrogate in attacks on Trump and Vice President Mike Pence, as she has for the past two months while campaigning for the No. 2 slot.

Just the act of Biden introducing Harris as his running mate will have powerful symbolic appeal, showing that he, his party and his running mate have the ability to change in a positive way, said Paul Mitchell, vice president of Political Data Inc., a bipartisan voter data company.

"The act of making someone the vice presidential candidate is inherently going to get voters to react to them," Mitchell said. "In Harris' case, it might be great for motivation in the African-American community and it also might be really great for White progressives as being an important new step for the Democratic party to take."
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Linkedin Shilpa Jamkhandikar (Reuters) Mumbai, India  Wed, August 12, 2020 16:30 525 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066d7e874 2 Art & Culture Janmashtami,India,festival Free

There were no human pyramids in Mumbai's Janmashtami festival celebrating Lord Krishna on Wednesday, which normally attracts thousands onto the streets, due to a surge in coronavirus in India, with more than 60,000 cases reported in 24 hours.

"This year, the celebration will be symbolic," said Ram Kadam, a state lawmaker who organizes one such celebration in Mumbai.

"We will just have posters cheering on doctors and nurses, and will pray to the Lord to help us overcome this pandemic.

Usually Hindus in Mumbai form human pyramids and try to break a pot of curd at the top. Folklore says Krishna formed pyramids with friends to break pots of butter or curd hung from ceilings so they could steal the contents.

Kadam said there would be no public festivities in Mumbai this year. State governments have clamped down on celebrations since a strict lockdown was imposed in India on March 25.

On Tuesday, in a video-conference with regional leaders, Prime Minister Narendra Modi requested states like Maharashtra, of which Mumbai is capital, to ramp up coronavirus testing and focus on contact tracing and isolation, saying it was key in controlling the spread of the outbreak.

But muted festivities affect thousands of small scale businesses and vendors, who have already been hit by the economic downturn brought on by the lockdown.

Janmashstami heralds a festive period for India's majority Hindus, with another festival celebrating the elephant-headed God Ganpati this month, and several others until November.

India has reported a total of 2.33 million so far, third only behind Brazil and the United States. It's death toll is now at 46,091, federal health data showed on Wednesday.

Topics : Janmashtami India festival
New Delhi, Aug 12 : Perseverance pays. This was proved once again when the "Union Home Minister's Medal for Excellence in Investigation" for 2020 was awarded to 121 police officers including CBI DSP Mukesh Sharma for solving the difficult case of the rape-cum murder of a Dalit girl by an Uttar Pradesh Police Constable.

In February end, a special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, sentenced the then Uttar Pradesh Police Constable Ateeq Ahmed to life imprisonment for the rape and murder of a teenage girl inside Nighasan police station in Lakhimpur Kheri district in 2011.

Five months after the court's verdict, the Central government on Wednesday awarded Deputy Commissioner of Police (DSP) Mukesh Sharma (SC-II branch of CBI, New Delhi) the prestigious 'Union Home Minister's Medal for Excellence in Investigation' for 2020 -- an award which was instituted in 2018 with the objective to promote high professional standards of investigation and to recognise such excellence.

It took nine years to conclude the case but the credit goes to the investigation done by DSP Mukesh. Based on evidence collected by the CBI, the court awarded life imprisonment to the accused Constable and also sentenced Inayat Ullah Khan (the then Circle Officer) to imprisonment for five years for trying to hush up the case.

The CBI had registered the case on December 20, 2011, on the request of the Uttar Pradesh Government and taken over the investigation of FIR No. 706/2011, earlier registered at Police Station Nighasan in Lakhimpur Kheri (Uttar Pradesh) on the allegations of rape and murder of a victim inside the police station premises.

The CBI filed a chargesheet against four accused but the court acquitted two. In the judgment, the court found constable Ahmed guilty under sections 302 (murder) and 201 (causing disappearance of evidence) of the Indian Penal Code. The then circle officer, Khan, was also found guilty under Section 201. Ateeq was posted as the gunner of circle officer Khan. Those who were acquitted are constables Shiv Kumar and Uma Shanker.

On June 10, 2011, the mother of a 14-year-old girl had lodged an FIR with the Nighasan police station saying that her daughter had taken a buffalo for grazing in the field but it crossed the boundary of the police station and entered its premises. As the girl did not return for long, the complainant went inside the police station to look for her and found her daughter hanging from a tree. The mother had seen injuries on the body of the girl, and it appeared that she was raped and was then hanged to make it look like a suicide.

Besides DSP Mukesh Sharma, 14 other CBI officers have been awarded the "Union Home Minister's Medal for Excellence in Investigation" 2020 for their excellent investigation in various other cases.

They include CBI Superintendent of Police Cephas Kalyan Pakerla, who was awarded for solving the I Monetary Advisory (IMA) Chit Fund case in Bengaluru; and Assistant Superintendent of Police Subhash Ramrup Singh (SCB branch, Mumbai) for solving the Narendra Dabholkar murder case.

On the basis of the Dabholkar murder case, investigators got clues to three other high profile cases -- the September 5, 2017 Gauri Lankesh murder, the August 30, 2015 M.M. Kalburgi murder case, and the February 20, 2015 Govind Pansare murder case.

The other CBI officers selected by the Ministry of Home Affairs for the award are: Deputy Superintendent of Police Rajan Kumar Jha, and Inspectors Perwez Alam, Rakesh Ranjan, Vijaya Vaishnavi, Prashant Kandpal, Vibha Kumari, Parvender Kumar Mathur, Duli Chand Yadav, K.Bindhu, Ashish Anand, Jyotirmoyee Majhi and Shiv Kumar Jha.

The medal has been awarded to 121 police personnel across the country, including the CBI. Those awarded include 15 CBI officials, 10 each from the Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra Police, eight from the Uttar Pradesh Police, seven each from the Kerala and West Bengal Police, and the remaining from other states and Union Territories.

(Rajnish Singh can be contacted at rajnish.s@ians.in)
The police in Ekiti State has banned the celebration of the 2020 Ogun Onire Festival in Ire Ekiti, Oye Local Government Area of the state after two persons were killed during a violent crisis over the traditional event.

Two groups in the community had clashed on Monday over an announcement of the cancellation of the festival, resulting in the killing of the two persons and greatly unsettling the peace of the town.

PREMIUM TIMES gathered that trouble started when the traditional ruler, the Onire, Victor Bobade, said the annual festival would not hold this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

But some groups in the community, especially worshippers of Ogun, did not take the pronouncement kindly, leading to a mob attack on the palace of the traditional ruler.

The Police Commissioner in the state, Tunde Mobayo, on Wednesday, waded into the crisis to forestall further breakdown of law and order.

The attention of the Nigeria Police Force, Ekiti State Command, has been drawn to the proposed plan of the people of Ijero-Ekiti Community to celebrate their Ogun Festival scheduled for Thursday 13th August, 2020 amidst the ravaging COVID-19 pandemic, a statement by the police commissioner read.

The Command wishes to remind the good people of Ekiti State, particularly the people of Ijero-Ekiti community that the Federal Government as well as the State Governments directive that all gatherings are prohibited as a measure to curb the spread of COVID-19 is still in force.

In view of this, the Ekiti State Police Command hereby declare the proposed festival slated for Thursday 13th August, 2020 in Ijero-Ekiti as illegal and should be cancelled till further notice.

The CP therefore, implores all stakeholders, elders, parents and guardians to warn their wards to boycott the proposed festival and allow peace to reign in the state for the benefit of all and our society.

He hereby assures the good people of Ekiti State that the security and safety of lives and properties of the citizens remains his top priority.

In view of this, the Ekiti State Police Command hereby declare the proposed festival slated for Thursday, 13th August, 2020 in Ijero-Ekiti as illegal and should be cancelled till further notice.

Mr Mobayo urged the stakeholders, elders, parents and guardians to warn their wards to allow peace to reign in the state.

He also assured the people of their security and safety, saying it was the priority of the police.

He further said that the police were on the trail of the culprits who were involved in the killing of the two persons on Monday.

He added that there was an ongoing mop-up of light arms in the town to forestall killings.

While condemning the manner a mob took to the streets, destroying properties during the crisis, the police boss said efforts were underway to ensure no such things reoccur, warning the people to be law-abiding.

There are 193 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ekiti State and 112 cases active. A total of 79 persons have been treated and discharged, while two deaths have been recorded so far.
Azar backs Taiwan's participation in global health forums

ROC Central News Agency

08/11/2020 02:25 PM

Taipei, Aug. 11 (CNA) United States Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar reiterated U.S. support for Taiwan's inclusion in international health forums in a meeting with Taiwan Foreign Minister Joseph Wu () on Tuesday.

On the third day of his official visit to Taiwan, Azar met Wu at a hotel where they issued short statements and let the media take photos before meeting privately behind closed doors.

"The United States believes that Taiwan's accomplishments should be recognized on the world stage, and that Taiwan should be able to share these lessons and its world-class expertise in international forums," Azar said.

The U.S. health minister said he had made that point repeatedly at the World Health Organization (WHO).

Taiwan has been excluded from the annual meeting of the WHO's policymaking body, the World Health Assembly (WHA), since 2017, largely due to China's objections, after having attended as an observer from 2009 to 2016 when relations with Beijing were better.

But since May 2016, when President Tsai Ing-wen () and her Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), which sees Taiwan as independent from China, took power, Beijing has intensified its campaign to suppress and marginalize Taiwan in the international community.

The United States has supported Taiwan's "meaningful participation" in international forums, including the WHA, in recent years but with little success.

"I have been a witness to the harmful and counterproductive results of excluding Taiwan from these international settings," Azar said, citing the WHO's rejection of Taiwan's donation of US$1 million for the Democratic Republic of the Congo to fight an Ebola outbreak in 2019.

Azar said international organizations should not be places to play politics at any time, and especially during a pandemic.

"We will continue advocating for the contributions Taiwan can make to the world on important issues like health," he said.

Wu spoke of Taiwan's relatively successful containment of the COVID-19 outbreak to date and attributed it to the early deployment of resources, quick responses by all related agencies, lessons learned from the 2003 SARS outbreak, and transparency.

Taiwan has donated 51 million surgical masks worldwide during the COVID-19 pandemic, including more than 10 million masks and other personal protective equipment to the U.S., he said, but he noted that some help had to be given "quietly" due to Beijing's obstruction.

"The truth is, we even had to deliver these supplies quietly on some occasions to keep the recipients from getting into trouble with Beijing," Wu said.

He thanked "good friends like the U.S." for supporting Taiwan's international participation and described the battle as being not just about Taiwan's status, but about sustaining democracy in the face of authoritarian aggression.

"Taiwan must win these battles so democracy prevails," he said.

(By Chen Yun-yu and Emerson Lim)

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The Airbus tariff jitterbug continues.

The office of U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer shifted around some of the duties charged on British and European imports in the longstanding trade spat, but kept the percentages charged at the border the same.

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For instance, British-made wool and cashmere sweaters and pullovers and mens and boys suits made of wool or fine animal hair remain subject to the additional 25 percent tariff imposed in October, after the World Trade Organization approved retaliatory action given European subsidies to Airbus.

The USTR removed tariffs on some goods from Greece and the United Kingdom, but added tariffs to an equivalent amount of imports from France and Germany. Overall, the orders still cover $7.5 billion worth of imports, with 15 percent duties on aircraft and 25 percent on other goods.

The EU and member states have not taken the actions necessary to come into compliance with WTO decisions, Lighthizer said. The United States, however, is committed to obtaining a long-term resolution to this dispute. Accordingly, the United States will begin a new process with the EU in an effort to reach an agreement that will remedy the conduct that harmed the U.S. aviation industry and workers and will ensure a level playing field for U.S. companies.

The result could have been worse for British brands as the tariffs could have gone up to 100 percent.

Even though Airbus recently promised to stop accepting the subsidies in question, the tariff crossfire could continue. The EU has alleged U.S. aids Airbus competitor Boeing, and could impose its own duties on U.S.-made goods.

Fashion lobbyists in Washington have argued these tariffs are the last thing the industry needs, particularly during the stresses of the coronavirus crisis.

Beth Hughes, vice president of trade and customs policy at the American Apparel & Footwear Association, in official comments on the matter to the U.S. government, said: The apparel and footwear industry has become collateral damage in trade disputes negatively affecting the entire supply chain.This dispute has already caused a negative impact on the industry.
Ilhan Omar Defeats Challenger in Minnesota Primary

Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) defeated a well-funded primary challenger in Minnesota on Aug. 11, sailing to victory with a double-digit lead.

Antone Melton-Meaux, who raised millions in an attempt to unseat Omar, received 39 percent of the vote to Omars 57, with more than 97 percent of the precincts reporting.

Melton-Meaux focused his campaign on Omar being a member of the so-called Squad of far-left Democrats in the House of Representatives. He argued that Omars status as a national political figure made her out of touch with the district she represents.

Democratic Congressional candidate Antone Melton-Meaux is interviewed by a local television journalist while campaigning in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Aug. 11, 2020. (Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)

Omar deflected the attacks by claiming that Melton-Meaux was funded by interests who want to remove her because she is effective.

Omars victory follows a rocky first term in Congress. She was forced to apologize for her antisemitic comments and faced scrutiny for marrying her political consultant not longer after denying she was having an extramarital affair.

In the wake of George Floyds police-custody death, Omar made headlines recently by calling for the abolition of the police department in Minneapolis in favor of something new.

Two other members of The SquadRep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.)have also survived primary election challenges. The fourth member, Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.), did not face a challenger.

Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.), and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) speak at a press conference at the U.S. Capitol on July 15, 2019. (Holly Kellum/NTD)

Omar in 2018 became one of the first two Muslim women elected to Congress, building on a national profile that started when the onetime refugee from Somalia was elected to the Minnesota Legislature just two years earlier. Her aggressive advocacy on liberal issues, and her eagerness to take on Donald Trump, made her even more prominent.

Catherine Thornton, 36, a General Mills researcher who lives in southwest Minneapolis, said Tuesday that she voted for Melton-Meaux.

I have a lot of respect for Ms. Omar, but I personally dont align with just her focus on the progressive agenda. And I felt like Mr. Melton-Meaux would have more focus on our district and the people of our districts needs.

Wendy Helgeson, 57, a consultant, backed Omar two years ago, even installing a lawn sign in her yard, and said she was awfully proud of her being the first Black Muslim woman that we elected. But she said she was concerned about campaign payments to Omars husbands firm as well as her national presence, and found it easy to vote for Melton-Meaux, whom she said has been her friend for 12 years.

I admire her as a woman, Helgeson said of Omar. As a candidate, ehhh  I have some reservations.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
In a conversation with Firstpost on Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl, director Sharan Sharma, Janhvi Kapoor and Pankaj Tripathi open up about trials of telling a true story, the debate surrounding the trailer, and more

Janhvi Kapoor's sophomore feature film Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl, directed by debutant Sharan Sharma, has been faced with the uphill task of staving off online debate on nepotism. Premiering on Netflix on 12 August, the film stars Pankaj Tripathi, Vineet Kumar Singh and Angad Bedi in supporting acts, and is based on the life of Flight Lieutenant Gunjan Saxena.

Among her several firsts, Saxena was the first woman to join the Indian Air Force as a pilot at the young age of 24, and served in the '99 Kargil war. She was also the maiden female recipient of the Shaurya Vir Award, given to her for displaying courage and grit during the Kargil conflict.

In a Zoom conversation with Firstpost, Sharan Sharma, Janhvi Kapoor and Pankaj Tripathi open up about the wonders of inhabiting Gunjan Saxena's world, the debate over the trailer, and why the journey felt so deeply personal.

Sharan, why did you think the story of Gunjan Saxena would be the best fit for your directorial debut?

I actually stumbled upon the story of Gunjan Saxena. I feel very lucky and blessed that even though what we show of her story ended in the year '99, nobody else had picked it up in all these years  this was a blessing for me. When I stumbled upon an article on Gunjan ma'am, I did not find too much on her. All it said was that she was a 24-year-old girl who had served in the Kargil war as a rescue pilot, and her brother was also in the army and a part of the Kargil war, and that her father was in the army as well. At the moment that I saw the article, I took it to my mother and asked her what she thinks of it, and she said it is interesting. There was something about it which appealed to me. I took it to Karan (Johar) with the intention that somebody should tell the story; I was a little skeptical about telling it myself, because as somebody raised in Mumbai, I really wasn't familiar with Gunjan ma'am's world. He asked me to research it and see where it goes. He really backed me up from an early stage.

When I went to meet Gunjan ma'am, I was not sure about what to expect. But when I did meet her, I was so pleasantly surprised and thrilled to understand her personality, her outlook towards life, her family dynamics, even her brother-sister dynamics. A few things also hit me at a very personal level. While I went there as an outsider trying to understand her world, as a human being and in terms of her thoughts, they really felt very personal to me  especially how she was a kid with this dream of wanting to fly. I was a kid who dreamt of becoming Sachin Tendulkar, but that did not happen. So, I know that feeling.

She and her brother have this very interesting dynamic, and I too have a younger sister. So their equation really struck me. I have always heard that a filmmaker should tell a story that is close to them, but I think it's also important for a filmmaker to tell a story that they want to know about, and Gunjan Saxena's world was one that I wanted to really dig deep into. I am very lucky that nobody else picked up this story in these 17-18 years, and I had the good fortune of telling it.

What were the biggest challenges you faced in the process?

As a filmmaker, a film is a collection of challenges, no matter which one you're making. But to answer your question more specifically, I would say that as an assistant director, the kind of films I have worked on did not give me the opportunity to understand the technicalities of action sequences. But again, I was very lucky that I had with me two big pillars of support: one is my director of photography Manush Nandan, who is a terrific human being besides being terrific at his job, and also an outstanding aerial coordinator, Marc Wolff. If you look up his page on IMDb, it might take you two or three days to go through it entirely, because he has done so many films, like Star Wars, Mission Impossible, Black Hawk Down, etc. So he really came in with his expertise, helped me, and navigated the entire journey for us.

Janhvi, this is is your second feature film since Dhadak, which was released two years ago, with Ghost Stories in between. In these two years, how do you think your craft has changed, or perhaps improved?

No, I don't think that's something for me to say. I think you should ask that question to people who've seen the film. I don't know, I don't think I can say anything for myself. Hopefully, I've gotten more confident, and I've gotten more comfortable in front of the camera, and I hope there's been improvement (laughs).

Is there any training that you've undertaken in these two years, or any tricks of the trade that you may have picked up that you can talk about?

I think there is a lot that I have tried to pick up. I know it's been a two years' gap, but during this time I have shot for two full feature films, one short film and one half of Dostana, which is my third feature film. So, I've been working non-stop for these two years. The best way to learn when it comes to acting is on the job, because no matter how much you do or prepare (for a part), the kind of experience you get when you are actually in front of the camera...and then you watch, and you do, you review and then you learn, and you do it again  I think that's the best kind of learning. Of course, when you're in the company of great actors like Pankaj Tripathi, you learn a lot from them.

And I've just been trying to learn from my surroundings. I've had the opportunity to travel to many interesting places within my country that I'd never heard of, let alone even seen. So one thing that I think I have tried to actively do is get to know my people more. Because at the end of the day, as actors we are playing people of our country, so you need to know where they come from, where they are, where they want to go, their likes, their ambitions, their dislikes, their livelihoods. I've led a relatively protected life, so I think that it's been a dream...no, not a dream of mine, but an aspiration of mine to always have the freedom to explore that, and I think through my film shoots I've been able to do that a lot more in these past two years.

Pankaj, the father-daughter relationship on-screen between you and Janhvi has a very simple, old-world charm to it, and your characters are, of course, based on real people. What kind of preparation or homework do you do for a role based on a real person?

I did not do any homework beyond the normal amount for this role. Whatever written material and research was there, along with Anup Saxena's voice notes that Sharan had brought with him to me, were enough for me. I realised that I, coincidentally, belong to the same background as him,  whether it's economically or socially  I come from that part of the country itself. So I think I understand his concerns, his dreams and his needs. But yes, since he was a real person and not a work of fiction, the voice notes and the various elements incorporated into the script made it easy for me to play the role. It did not feel all that tough for me.

When you work on a film that is biographical in nature, what are the toughest elements to navigate?

Janhvi Kapoor: I don't know if there are any challenges, but there's a lot of clarity, because you have a real-life example in front of you. However, there is a sense of duty and responsibility, especially because of the world that Gunjan Saxena comes from, and because of everything she has done. So besides a sense of duty, there is also a moral and ethical responsibility that I think all of us felt very greatly.

Sharan Sharma: I think from my experience of this film, the biggest challenge is to earn the trust of the person on whom the film is being made. And luckily for us, I think we crossed that bridge very early in the process. When Gunjan ma'am came on-board, there was great syncing from a very early stage. And after that, I did not see it as a challenge; I only saw it as something positive, because there is so much in front of you to play with. There were times when certain things came into the film that had they not happened in real life, I don't think me and my writers would even have thought of them.

Also, I think the way I would put it is a true story gives you so much to play with that it can only be positive. I don't see any challenges coming in the way; I believe it only enhances creativity, and enhances the journey of being able to tell a story.

Pankaj Tripathi: In real stories, especially in ones like Gunjan Saxena, I feel a certain amount of delicacy, sincerity and compassion need to be present, and Sharan brings all of that to the table. You see, a lot of times we end up approaching such stories in a very 'filmy' manner, and a film like this demanded not being filmy. It is not one of those stories. Sharan has that kind of sincerity and sensitivity in abundance, which is why he could make this film.

Sharan, when you write a film based on true events, how do you decide how much of it will be factual, and how much of it is going to be fictionalised or dramatised for celluloid?

That is one of the biggest challenges in the writing phase, because sometimes you find so much that's good about the real story. One of the writers, Nikhil (Mehrotra), had actually told me that the biggest difficulty in a film of this nature is deciding what should not go into it, and he is somebody who has worked on a film like Dangal before this. He has gone through that journey. So that is very critical in a film based on a true story, where there are so many amazing incidents, and you need to decide what should not go in. We had a very important chat with Karan Johar in the beginning, where he said that if people like a film, it should not be because of the fact that it is a true story. Even if people don't know it's a true story, the film and the drama themselves should hold, and the narrative itself should work. So, I believe while you can take from real life, the film itself should work as a film, and not just because it is a true story. That is a discipline that we tried to take into our writing phase.

When we met Gunjan ma'am initially, we were very clear that the idea was not to make a documentary, but to make a Hindi feature film. She really understood the vision and the intention of the film and was completely on board. She was guiding us, and was our additional writer and creative supervisor through the film, and we were very lucky to have her support.

Janhvi, there are scenes in the film where your character of Gunjan Saxena is being humiliated and bullied by her male colleagues that make the viewer really uncomfortable. How do you approach such emotionally charged scenes? Do you depend on your instinctive reactions to what is being said and done to you in front of the camera, or do you prefer rehearsing it?

For emotional scenes, I think I have realised through the process of shooting for this particular film that I am better when I don't rehearse for such scenes. I mean, I don't want to say better or worse  I think I am more responsive and reactive when I don't rehearse. I enjoy a more organic approach  to be there and react organically; to feel everything for the first time and to hear everything for the first time. I think that's also because so much time was spent getting to know Gunjan ma'am, and the character, what she stood for and what she is, that it wasn't as if we had to sit and plan how an emotional reaction would be, or how she would feel about a given scenario. All of those discussions had happened much before, and if there was any tweaking, I knew Sharan was there to do that. But I think for emotional scenes, it felt better to be in the moment, as opposed to prepping for them.

A role such as this must have been physically quite demanding as well. Was preparing for that difficult? And did you actually get to fly an aircraft?

Yeah, I did. For shooting the aerial sequences, we had an amazing aerial coordinator, Marc Wolff, and we were using an Italian chopper that we painted with the colours of the Indian Air Force. So my co-pilot was an Italian man named Francesco. I spent a lot of time with him and Marc inside the chopper while flying. And I spent so many hours in the chopper that Francesco, for one of the easier sequences, said, 'You've spent so much time, you know how this works and you know everything else, so take controls for a bit.' And I did do that; it was fun!

Sharan, your debut film is being released on a platform as huge as Netflix, even though it could not have a theatrical release because of the pandemic, unfortunately. There has also been a debate about the trailer ever since it released online. How are you coping with these issues, especially the controversy on the trailer?

No, not really. The pandemic is a problem that is bigger than all of us  it is a massive global issue. And I think it is of paramount importance for everyone to be safe right now. So, for us to be able to release the film in such a difficult time, and have something to really look forward to, is a blessing. And to have people and families be able to see the film in a safe environment is important for all of us. This is not a politically correct statement, I genuinely feel this way.

We are really looking forward to getting this opportunity to partner with Netflix and release the film in 190 countries. To have that kind of reach is very exciting for us. For any filmmaker, the goal is to enjoy the journey  which we have done, and to share the film with the world, which we are going to do now. We are ticking off both boxes and are quite happy about that.

When it comes to the debate around the trailer, I am nobody to have a judgement on somebody else's opinion. That is the whole fun of filmmaking, right? Everyone is an expert and everyone is allowed to have an opinion. So it is what it is. It's my choice whether I want to get bogged down by it or not; I am okay. As a first-time filmmaker, there is too much hope and positivity in me for anything to bog me down. So I am looking forward to see how it pans out on 12 August.

Finally, what are your personal takeaways from the story of Gunjan Saxena?

Pankaj Tripathi: My outlook towards my daughter and other women has changed a little after this film. Not to mention that my outlook had changed and progressed quite a bit in the past; not like it had not. But I want it to change even further, so that I can become a better man. Perhaps I have already become a better man.

Janhvi Kapoor: For me, when I started shooting for this film, I was coming from a place where I was really unsure  for many reasons  about whether I deserve to be here. I was quite bogged down and affected by a lot of the chatter. But I think through the course of making this film, I regained a lot of my self-confidence and self-belief. I also regained my confidence and belief in the notion that ultimately you need to do what is in your hand, and you need to push yourself as much as you can. You need to keep at it and keep working on it.

When it comes to the journey of the film, in terms of filming it and finding the character, that was all smooth-sailing. There were challenges, but I think we all had so much fun doing it that it did not feel hectic. You know, every time a problem would arise, whether it was a production issue or delays, Sharan would say that "the obstacles create the path" (laughs). So we kept telling ourselves that, and kept navigating with that mindset.

Sharan Sharma: Getting the chance to tell this story has really been an honour and a privilege. And the last three years have been the most amazing three years of my life. To get to tell Gunjan Saxena's story in turn really told me that I should chase my dreams with positivity, with hope and a smile on my face; with energy, sincerity, and no shortcuts.

The film also spoke to me about the importance of family support in one's life. It made me realise how lucky I am to have a family that gave me the freedom to make my own choices. When something good has happened to me, they've been there to share my happiness. And when I failed, they were there for me.

All images courtesy Netflix
Jacom Stephens / Getty Image

ALBANY  Hudson Avenue man inflicted the gunshot wound that sent a 24-year-old city man to the hospital Wednesday morning, police said.

Nicholas Cortez, 22, was charged with attempted second-degree murder and menacing in connection with the 4:50 a.m. shooting.
Oil held a loss -- but remained near a five-month high -- as an industry report pointing to another drop in American crude stockpiles was overshadowed by the coronavirus and a lack of progress on US stimulus talks.

Futures in New York were steady near $42 a barrel after losing 0.8% Tuesday. The American Petroleum Institute reported inventories fell by 4.01 million barrels last week, according to people familiar with the data. That would be the third straight weekly drop if confirmed by government figures.

Virus infections breached 20 million globally, Florida reported another day of record deaths and New Zealands largest city went back into lockdown after a fresh outbreak. The S&P 500 stock benchmark fell for the first time in eight sessions on Tuesday, with some traders citing comments from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell saying stimulus talks are at a stalemate as a catalyst.

Oil is struggling to climb above its 200-day moving average as ongoing uncertainty over the trajectory of the demand recovery from the pandemic keeps gains in check and OPEC+ returns some barrels to the market. Drilling activity in the US, the worlds biggest producer, isnt likely to be rebound until next year unless prices move back toward $50 a barrel in the next few weeks, Rystad Energy said in a note.

The API numbers lent some support, but prices are likely to be capped at recent highs, said Warren Patterson, head of commodities strategy for ING Bank NV. The recovery in demand is still a big worry for the market, particularly given that OPEC+ supply is edging higher.

The contango in the three-month timespread for the global crude benchmark was $1.23 a barrel, widening from $1.03 at the end of last week. The change in the market structure -- where prompt prices are cheaper than later-dated ones -- is an indication that concern around over-supply is increasing.

American crude oil production will be 11.26 million barrels a day this year, the Energy Information Administration forecast, down from Julys 11.63 million estimate. Gasoline and distillates stockpiles also fell last week, the API said, while inventories at the Cushing storage hub rose by 1.1 million barrels.
Off of a 14-day rest, Freddie is again poised to take on the top trotters Thursday evening (August 13) at Red Shores Racetrack and Casino at the Charlottetown Driving Park, as Gold Cup and Saucer Week racing begins.

Thursday's 10-dash program will feature a special 7:00 p.m. post time. The special post time will be in effect for all of the CDP's evening cards during 2020 Gold Cup and Saucer Week.

On Thursday, the $2,400 Open Trot will line up for Race 5 and will feature a field of six. Freddie has been installed as the morning line choice for trainer-driver Marc Campbell and owner Three Wisemen Stable of Kingston.

Freddie, a 64-time winner in his career, has had a solid campaign thus far in 2020, as he has notched four wins and a second-place effort from six starts. His only off the board finish came in his latest race (on July 30) when he got away last and had to settle for fourth, three lengths in arrears to the victor, Windmeredontuworry.

Windmeredontuworry will start from Post 6 on Thursday and will have Gilles Barrieau back at the controls for the Glenn MacKay Jr. stable of Summerside. Hop Up was victorious in the Island Ocean Trot Classic series this past Sunday in Summerside and has retained the services of driver Corey MacPherson. Glider Man, who is sure to be near the front of the action from Post 1, will host Kenny Arsenault in the race bike.

Maritime champion Daisy River (to be driven by Jason Hughes) will start from Post 4, while Majian Tango (Jim Ripley) will look to bounce back from a break in stride in his latest from Post 5.

'Post Time Picks,' a new segment designed to give guests a look at top contenders, is going with Freddie for top spot. Freddie had a tough trip last time out and missed the top three and that doesnt happen often. Freddie is back inside tonight we think hell return to his winning ways.

Lean On Who will make her her Island debut in the $1,600 Race 10 finale and MacPherson will be in the bike behind the six-year-old daughter of Western Ideal. The mare last raced at Vernon Downs in upstate New York with John MacDonald driving, and has now moved into the PEI stable of his brother, Joe MacDonald.

For live video and more go to Redshores.ca and wager online at HPIBet.com.

To view the harness racing entries for Thursday at the CDP, click the following link: Thursday Entries - Red Shores Racetrack and Casino at the Charlottetown Driving Park.

(Red Shores)
HOUGHTON COUNTY, MI  Four people, including an 8-year-old girl, were rescued from Lake Superior on Tuesday, but one child was airlifted to a downstate hospital.

WLUC-TV reports the initial rescue occurred at 2:33 p.m. at Big Traverse Beach in Houghton County.

The Houghton County Sheriffs Office says the girl was swept out by the current and when three others attempted to save her, the current also took them out into the Great Lake.

RELATED: Chicago men rescued near Drummond Island were found clinging to overturned boat

Several people on the beach assisted with inflatable tubes and were able to get all four people to shore, according to the TV station.

And while everyone was removed from the water a 12-year-old boy was taken to the Aspirus Keweenaw emergency room. He was later airlifted to the University of Michigan Childrens Hospital. His condition is unknown.
The British economy has fallen into recession after official figures Wednesday showed it contracting by a record 20.4% in the second quarter as a result of lockdown measures put in place to counter the coronavirus pandemic.

The slump recorded by the Office for National Statistics follows a 2.2% quarter-on-quarter contraction in the first three months of the year. It was toward the end of that period  on March 23  that the UK joined other countries in Europe in locking down its economy.

As such, the UK economy is in recession  commonly defined as two quarters of contraction. Britains recession is deeper than those recorded by comparable economies in Europe, notably Germany and France, or the United States.

Unlike others, Britains statistics agency provides monthly growth figures and these offer some hope that the economy is healing as lockdown restrictions are eased. In June, the British economy grew by a monthly 8.7%.

The economy began to bounce back in June with shops reopening, factories beginning to ramp up production and house-building continuing to recover, said statistician Jonathan Athow.

The British government hopes additional measures such as the reopening of pubs and restaurants will allow the economy to rebound further. But given the scale of the contraction, its inevitable unemployment will sky-rocket in coming months.

Ive said before that hard times were ahead, and todays figures confirm that hard times are here, said Treasury chief Rishi Sunak. Hundreds of thousands of people have already lost their jobs, and sadly in the coming months many more will.

So far, the British government has kept a lid on the numbers swelling the ranks of the jobless through a salary support package that has given hard-pressed firms the opportunity to retain workers rather than fire them.

Under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, the government has been paying a large chunk of the salaries of workers retained. Some 1.2 million employers have taken advantage of the program to furlough 9.6 million people at a cost to the government of 33.8 billion pounds ($44 billion).

Sunak is ending the program in October on the grounds it gives false hope to furloughed workers while at the same time limiting their prospects of getting new jobs as their skills fade. He insisted nobody will be left without hope or opportunity.

With unemployment set to soar - some forecasts see it doubling to above the 3 million mark last seen in the 1980s - many are urging the government to extend the furlough program to those sectors that are set to face restrictions for many more months.

The best way to get our economy back on its feet is to keep people in work, said Frances OGrady, general secretary at the umbrella Trades Union Congress.

The British economy faces further headwinds over the coming months aside from the pandemic. Theres uncertainty related to its future trading relationship with the European Union following the U.K.s departure from the bloc in January.

The UK is currently in a transition period whereby it remains part of the blocs tariff-free arrangements until the end of the year. The future economic relationship has yet to be agreed, meaning tariffs could be imposed on traded goods between the two sides come the start of next year.

The dual threats of a second wave (of contagions) and slow progress over Brexit negotiations are also particularly concerning, underlining the need for maximum agility from government on both these issues, allowing a greater focus on the economys long-term future, said Alpesh Paleja, lead economist at the Confederation of British Industry.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-12 20:33:29|Editor: huaxia

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People wearing masks walk on street in Taipei, southeast China's Taiwan, March 30, 2020. (Xinhua/Jin Liwang)

BEIJING, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- Foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian on Wednesday said China firmly opposed any official interactions between the United States and Taiwan under any pretext.

"Those who play with fire will get burnt," Zhao said, urging certain American people not to have illusions about issues concerning China's core interests.

Zhao made the remarks at a press briefing when asked to make comment on U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, who said during his visit to Taiwan that China "chose not to" warn the world about COVID-19 and betrayed the cooperative spirit needed for global health.

Zhao said China had been containing the COVID-19 epidemic in an open, transparent and responsible manner, earnestly implementing its duties and obligations under the International Health Regulations, and actively carrying out international prevention and control cooperation.

Focusing on saving American people's lives, instead of political shows, is what American health officials should do now, Zhao said. 
David Murphey had one of the most outrageous storylines on this past season of 90 Day Fiance: Before the 90 Days. He was in love with a Ukrainian woman named Lana who he had never met despite going to Ukraine several times to do so. In the strangest turn of events, Lana turned out to be real and the two got engaged. But where do they stand now?

David Murphey and Lana | Instagram @davidjmurphey

David only dates Ukrainian women

Murphey had been online dating for over a decade before he met Lana. In fact, by the time he started messaging his blonde beauty, he had already given up American women completely.

I stopped dating in the USA 15 years ago, he wrote in an Instagram Q&A. Every time I did I would start thinking about Ukraine, so I stopped trying so my heart was free just in case I went to Ukraine. I have dated well over 100 women in Ukraine. Turned down many marriage proposals and have been turned down twice myself.

Everyone thought Lana was a catfish

From the moment Murphey began telling his story on the show, everyone thought that Lana was a catfish. She refused to meet him, even when he was in Ukraine, which made fans think that she wasnt who she said she was. After multiple trips to Ukraine, even Murphey got nervous and hired a private investigator.

I know I got a lot of lies from Lana, he said on the show. So Im hoping the investigator will validate that Lana is who I think she is because I dont know if Im ready to find out if my truth is not the truth.

Unfortunately, the investigator also believed that Lana was lying.

RELATED: 90 Day Fiance: How Does David Murphey Have So Much Money to Spend on Ukrainian Dating Sites

He truly believes that this is a scam, Murpheys Ukrainian friend Victoria told him of the investigator. Because when they checked all data and all connections, they find out this girl [has] several dating accounts.

Lana and David get engaged

On his final attempt to meet Lana in Ukraine, she actually showed up. The two spent a few days together and at the end of his trip, he proposed. Lana accepted but by the tell-all special, it seemed that the engagement might have been off.

Right now, I would say we are not together, Murphey said at the reunion. Im not going to say we wont be together in the future. Shes under way too much stress with whats going on with the show. And the people who bother her. I told her thats part your fault, you can get off.

RELATED: 90 Day Fiance: Deavan Cleggs Mom Confirms She and Jihoon Are Not Together Right Now

Where do Lana and David stand now?

Now that Murphey has recently retired, he is ready to travel full time. According to comments on Instagram captured by SoapDirt, Murphey still wants to be with Lana but said that they cannot be together in the United States until they are officially engaged which must mean that the engagement that fans saw on tv was either fake or called off.

He also revealed that Lana is trying to get a visa to come to America, though he is not sure if she really wants to live in the U.S.
Wits African Literature lecturer and poet awarded fellowship to advance racial equity

Dr Danai Mupotsa is one of 20 leading change-makers selected by the Atlantic Fellows for Racial Equity (AFRE).

The fellowship programme seeks to strengthen and accelerate social change in South Africa and the United States. Since 2017, AFRE has worked to capacitate the racial equity field through leadership development, network building, innovation, and narrative change. The fellowship is based at the Nelson Mandela Foundation in Johannesburg and at Columbia University in New York City.

Mupotsa is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of African Literature at Wits and a published poet. She is excited to be part of the fellowship as it will enable her to broaden her work and collaborate with other fellows from different sectors, which she believes is imperative in racial equality projects.

I think that cross-sectoral collaboration is absolutely necessary in tackling anti-Black racism. This is what appeals most to me about participating in this fellowship. The task ahead of us is large and it demands tenacity, endurance, humility  people have been doing this [racism] for hundreds of years. The events of our present are marked with those legacies and the ways that violent structures of power endure.

Mupotsas research interests are race, sex, gender and intimacies. She says her research involves interrogating questions of justice and pedagogy. She recently published a co-edited volume of GLQ: A Journal of Lesbian and Gay Studies titled Time Out of Joint: The Queer and the Customary with Neville Hoad and Kirk Fiereck. The Portuguese translation of her debut collection of poetry, feeling and ugly, has just been published as well.

As a lecturer, Mupotsa always reflects on how she teaches and how justice is integrated into her work.

Teaching for me means producing the conditions through which those participating in them can learn to feel a concrete sense of authority on what they feel and know, even while grasping an excitement about what they are learning. I want to participate in classrooms where love and freedom and justice are densely articulated as objectives, as much as the syllabus.

Addressing the roots of racial inequality

The 2020 fellows are from a variety of fields and are agents of social change in their countries. Their work brings vital talent and vision to advance racial equity. They will receive up to $20 000 in resources from AFRE to support their projects, which address the root causes of racial inequality.

Executive Director of AFRE, said AFRE welcomes the new fellows at a time when the Covid-19 pandemic has laid bare the unconscionable injustices against Black people and other communities of colour.

At a time of such extraordinary challenge, these courageous leaders are showing us new possibilities for how to eliminate anti-Black racism in the service of equity and justice. Were proud to support them to build the strategies and solutions our countries need.

Sello Hatang, CEO at the Nelson Mandela Foundation, said the Foundation supports the new cohort of fellows who will be advocates for justice and racial equality.

As we witness and fight against Covid-19s devastating effects on South Africas people, land and economy, its clear that we need leaders who are able to conceptualise, build and advocate for solutions that address and uproot systemic anti-Black racism, he said.
Married At First Sight's Martha Kalifatidis is the reigning queen of reality TV influencers.

But she may have some competition from The Bachelor's Nadine Kodsi, who is a dead ringer for the former bride.

The Melbourne-based beauty, 30, has a passion for fashion and a designer wardrobe to rival Martha's.

Spot the difference! The Bachelor's Nadine Kodski (left) looks almost identical to Married At First Sight's Martha Kalifatidis (right)

On her Instagram page, Nadine is pictured is pictured wearing the likes of Dior and Balenciaga from head to toe.

She also seems to have a love for Los Angeles, with the brunette posing in West Hollywood and attending celebrity hot spots like Catch LA.

With her defined features, luscious pout and fabulous outfits, the Lebanese stunner is almost identical to Martha.

Style: The Melbourne-based beauty, 30, has a passion for fashion and a designer wardrobe to rival Martha's

Seeing double! The glamorous Nadine owns the same grey knit dress as Martha

Not just a pretty face either, Nadine boasts a master's degree in justice and criminology.

She also runs her own luxury clothing hire business called Wear My Dolce.

In her official Bachelor bio, Nadine says that her perfect partner is 'someone who shares the same morals and values as myself, is respectable and calm, but knows how and when to be a man and can take control.'

Brains and beauty: Not just a pretty face either, Nadine boasts a master's degree in justice and criminology

Business: She also runs her own luxury clothing hire business called Wear My Dolce

She adds that they need to have 'a good work ethic' and a love of family and animals.

Martha shot to fame on the blockbuster sixth season of Married At First Sight last year.

Since then, she's gone on to amass almost 340,000 followers on Instagram and endorsement deals with brands like Nip+Fab and Shopback.
The stench of oil from the grounded ship was overwhelming and Vikash Tatayah's eyes stung as he mopped up the sludge lapping the unspoiled Mauritian shoreline that he has spent his life protecting.

"It was uncomfortable to breathe," Tatayah, director for the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation, told AFP of the devastating scene at Ile aux Aigrettes -- a wildlife haven facing a direct hit from the oil spill that has struck the island's southeast.

"Your eyes burned up, people were getting dry skin and lips. It was difficult of course because we had the stench of petroleum in the air, but we just got on with it."

People on the Indian Ocean archipelago rallied after a huge cargo ship ran aground on July 25 and began leaking fuel into picture-postcard seas, threatening a catastrophe.

More than 1,000 tonnes have spewed from the MV Wakashio, befouling coral reefs, lagoons and mangroves that sustain Mauritius' global reputation as an ecotourism hub.

"The seafarers' relationship with this coast is so deep that it's a tragedy. I've seen people from every town in Mauritius with tears in their eyes," said David Sauvage, an activist with the Rezistans ek Alternativ environment group.

In the days following the spill last week, salvage crews have battled poor weather and dangerous conditions to extract the remaining 4,000 tonnes of fuel from the Japanese-owned ship before it splits in two.

Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth on Thursday announced that all the fuel left in the tanks had been pumped out, although about 100 tonnes more was still elsewhere aboard the vessel.

"It was a race against the clock, and I salute the excellent work to prevent another oil spill," said Jugnauth.

- 'New Mauritian spirit' -

The 13-year-old bulk carrier, which was otherwise empty at the time of the grounding, is 300 metres (984 feet) long -- if placed on its stern, the height of the Eiffel Tower -- with a laden weight of 203,000 tonnes.

Story continues

Thousands of Mauritians have sprung into action, marshalling along the shoreline day after day to fight the tide threatening their land, their health and their livelihoods.

Volunteers have ignored government orders to stay away and dived headfirst into a clean-up drive to save the immaculate coastline.

Kilometres (miles) of floating plastic barriers stuffed with straw and fixed with empty bottles have been stitched together into chains and placed at sea in an effort to hold back the oily tide.

"We stayed up all night to make this," said Sauvage of the improvised "booms" stitched by hand by volunteers squatted in the sand.

Mauritians clad in gumboots and rubber gloves, coated head-to-toe in treacly sludge, have scrubbed the shore, where in the distance the ship tilts perilously on its axis.

Human hair has been woven into nets to absorb the oil, with barbers offering free cuts at the shore to those donating their locks.

Salons have collected their cuttings while a French NGO has promised to contribute 20 tonnes of hair to the cause.

"We are fighting on the beaches, we are fighting with all the resources we have as citizens," local MP Joanna Berenger, who cut her own hair in solidarity, told AFP, adding that one kilogram (2.2 pounds) of hair could absorb eight litres of oil (2.1 US gallons).

"Today we are fighting as one people and one nation... We are witnessing the birth of new Mauritian spirit."

- 'It was everywhere' -

After the spill Tatayah raced to Ile aux Aigrettes, a protected wildlife sanctuary off the coast.

His team had little protective gear early on, but could not risk delay.

"There was so much of it coming down that it was pointless trying to mop small patches. It was everywhere. We were right in the middle of it," he said.

There was a lot at stake.

Ile aux Aigrettes is an ecological treasure, boasting ancient plants and endangered species.

Conservationists managed to evacuate a number of indigenous birds and plants -- "the rarest of the rare" -- but not all: a dead native green heron was found coated in black tar.

"This is 36 years, 40 years of our lives. So were pretty upset about it... We pride ourselves in our work. It becomes part of our DNA," he said.

There is anger too and many want to know why more wasn't done to anticipate this disaster.

"This government should have asked for help since day one," said Berenger.

str-cyb-np/fb/ri
Harry Rogers, a self-proclaimed Ku Klux Klan leader, was sentenced to six years in prison on Monday, after driving into a crowd of protesters in June. Henrico County Sheriff's Office via Associated Press; YouTube/CBS News

A Virginia man who boasted of his Ku Klux Klan rank was sentenced to six years in prison after driving his pickup truck into a crowd of protesters demonstrating against police violence.

Court records show that Harry Rogers, 37, was convicted of six misdemeanors, and still faces three additional felony charges.

Prosecutors said Rogers drove "recklessly" down the median of a road, then "drove up to the protesters, revved the engine, and drove into the protesters."

Rogers later reportedly told police he was a KKK leader, and officers found KKK paraphernalia in his home, along with weapons and ammunition.

Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

A self-identified Ku Klux Klan leader who drove his pickup truck through a crowd of protesters in June has been sentenced to six years in prison, according to Virginia court records.

Harry Rogers, 37, was convicted by a judge of six misdemeanors, including four counts of assault and battery, one count of failure to stop at the scene of an accident, and one count of destruction of property.

Rogers still faces three felony counts of attempted malicious wounding, court records show. He has not yet registered a plea on those charges.

Henrico County prosecutors alleged that Rogers was driving "recklessly" down the median of a local road where protesters were marching, then "drove up to the protesters, revved the engine, and drove into the protesters."

No one was killed or seriously wounded in the attack, but three people were injured, according to prosecutors.

The protesters were demonstrating against racism and police brutality in the wake of George Floyd's May 25 death in police custody in Minneapolis.

The Virginia protest was one of countless others that sprang up across the country in the weeks and months since Floyd's death.

Prosecutors said Rogers was a KKK leader "by his own admission and by a cursory glance at social media."

Story continues

Rogers had boasted of his KKK rank to police at the scene, and officers who searched his home and vehicle found a KKK robe, a "Klan Bible," a white power flag, and a number of weapons and ammunition, according to WTVR-TV.

The office also charged him with four hate crimes, but the judge ruled that those charges didn't apply because the victims were white, according to WTVR-TV.

Expanded Coverage Module: black-lives-matter-module

Read the original article on Insider
The Member of Parliament (MP) for Asawase Constituency, Alhaji Muntaka Mubarak, says the just-ended voter registration exercise by the Electoral Commission (EC) has rather created division amongst Ghanaians.

According to him, the exercise has led to enmity between some community members, especially those whose eligibility, was challenged when they turned up at the various registration centres to go through the process.

The Asawase MP spoke to journalists at an event to show appreciation to party agents who were assigned at the registration centres to monitor the exercise.

Since the beginning of the voter registration exercise, the Asawase Constituency has dominated media headlines after both NPP and NDC accused each other of busing non-residents to register in the constituency.

The eligibility of over a thousand registrants in the area was challenged as party agents at the centres either claimed they were not residents of the constituency or citizens of Ghana.

The Asawase MP, Muntaka Mubarak, highlighted these instances that characterized the just-ended exercise and concluded they had caused division among community members.

There have been deep divisions in our communities and even the whole country. If you look at whats happening in the Volta Region, Banda, Kasoa, nothing can describe this exercise than a divisive one. It has divided us more. And I believe they [the NPP] have only created the sword that they will fall on.

For example, when you come to Aboabo Bolabola, I know a lot of people there who are NPP members. They are challenging blindly to the extent that they are challenging their own. Many of them have come to me to assure me that they will vote for me because of what their own had done to them. What can be more divisive than this? he wondered.

In the last few days, a viral video has surfaced on social media showing the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the NPP, Chairman Wontumi, with some party executives jubilating over what they termed a voters' register victory.

Meanwhile, the Ashanti Regional Secretary of the NDC, Kwame Zu, says the NPP should rather be sad since the EC's data from the registration exercise shows that there are decreases in the number of registrants in constituencies seen as the strongholds of the NPP.

Everybody knows that the NPP garners the huge chunk of votes from the Ashanti Region. But if you look at the dynamics per the figures that are being churned, instead of their own projection of a little over 3.36 million in the Ashanti Region, they have lost. They have not been able to meet their target. There is a shortfall per their own target of over 250,000 per the NPPs own target in the Ashanti Region.

He continued, So I was shocked to see somebody popping champagne. I dont know if the figures were explained to him in a manner that he can understand before he chose to pop the champagne. But the reality still prevails that the figures have dropped considerably as compared to the 2019 figure in the Ashanti Region.

---citinewsroom
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 12)  As the government seeks to improve its response to the COVID-19 pandemic, a proponent for the establishment of the Philippines own Center for Disease Control said Thursday that its mandate should be limited to communicable or infectious diseases.

Albay Rep. Joey Salceda said the Department of Health should be in charge of managing non-communicable diseases even if the CDC were to be established.

The non-communicable should really be separated, because that should stay with the DOH main, because you have the reach and you have the personnel. Whereas itong isa, they are two different animals entirely, he told Health Undersecretary Myrna Cabotaje during the House health committees initial deliberations on bills for the creation of CDC.

Communicable diseases, non-communicable diseases require two different institutional approaches and therefore it should be separate. It should not be included in the CDC, Salceda added.

President Rodrigo Duterte mentioned the creation of CDC as a priority during his fifth State of the Nation Address. Nine bills have been filed in the House so far for the establishment of the center, including Salcedas House Bill 6096.

The Albay lawmakers proposal eyes CDC as a separate agency supervised by the Health Emergency Coordinating Council, which will be chaired by the Secretary of Health. The bill also seeks the separation of the Disease Control and Prevention Bureau of the DOH, with the CDC absorbing communicable disease units in a newly established Communicable Disease Prevention Bureau.

Bataan Rep. Jose Enrique Garcia III, who also filed a bill seeking the CDCs creation, noted that countries which have shown greater success in fighting COVID-19 have a government agency dedicated solely to disease prevention and monitoring.

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted some institutional weakness in our health system such as disease surveillance, contact tracing, and testing capabilities. Unquestionably, one of our urgent priorities now should be addressing the need for an independent and dedicated central chain of command that can quickly mobilize response to the pandemic as well as to emerging infectious diseases in the future, he said.

A technical working group has been formed to consolidate the bills on the creation of CDC.
The Department of Education has booked out the entire Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre as a back-up location for high school students to sit their November exams if WA suffers a second outbreak of coronavirus.

Under the plan, up to 2000 Year 11 and 12 students would be able to be seated in the makeshift exam complex if a school or cluster of schools is forced to close due to COVID-19.

WA's Department of Education has revealed its contingency plan for ATAR exams. Credit:Wolter Peeters

Department of Education school curriculum and standards executive director Allan Blagaich on Wednesday told the Education and Health Standing Committee into remote learning the decision was made following several meetings with WA Chief Health Officer Andy Robertson.

So if we then got a school that had to close down ... you could pick those students up and move them, he said.
By Shoon Naing

NAYPYITAW (Reuters) - Myanmar will postpone elections in parts of war-torn Rakhine state if the military declares them unsafe, a senior election official said on Thursday, prompting a backlash from ethnic parties with strong support in the region.

"It is necessary to have peace and stability to hold elections," said Union Election Commission chair Hla Thein, adding that the army-controlled ministries of defence and home affairs would soon determine whether the region was stable.

"If they cannot give that recommendation, we will not do it," he told Reuters in an interview in the capital, Naypyitaw.

Military spokesmen did not answer phone calls seeking comment.

The nation goes to the polls on Nov. 8 in what analysts see as an important test of the transition away from direct military rule, but preparations have been complicated by the coronavirus pandemic and escalating ethnic conflict.

Longtime opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyis National League for Democracy party took power in 2016 after a landslide election win that ended half a century of army rule, though the military retains significant powers.

While Suu Kyi remains wildly popular among the country's majority Bamar Buddhist population, analysts say support for her party has waned among minority communities.

The Rakhine ethnic party, Arakan National Party (ANP), had a strong showing in the 2015 polls but was denied major roles in the local administration, fuelling resentment against the NLD government.

The region has since been engulfed by war between government troops and ethnic Rakhine rebels seeking greater autonomy.

"If there is no one to represent a constituency, people will suffer more," Maung Hla Kyaw, a Rakhine lawmaker, told Reuters.

"If the election is postponed with the excuse of security, people will lose trust in the whole democratic system," he said.

Polls cancelled in 2015 in several areas affected by ethnic conflict were never held.

Story continues

The minority Rohingya population was stripped of voting rights ahead of the 2015 election after the temporary documents many held were nullified. More than 730,000 fled to neighbouring Bangladesh after a military crackdown in 2017, but several hundred thousand remain.

Asked about the Rohingya, Hla Thein, the Union Election Commission chair, said only people who were above 18 and held citizenship would be able to vote.

"If one is not in line with these facts, we will not include them in the voters' list," he said.

(Writing by Poppy McPherson; Editing by Nick Macfie)
Thousands of people living in flats say they can't remortgage or sell their homes due to new safety advice issued in response to the Grenfell Tower fire.

Concerns over cladding mean that lenders will not offer a new mortgage on some apartment block homes without paperwork to prove the building is safe.

There are fears that up to three million people living in private flats in England could be unable to move as a result.

Workers remove cladding from a London tower block in the wake of the Grenfell tragedy. Some lenders will not offer mortgage on some apartment block homes without paperwork

It comes after a housing minister said lenders had been misusing a process designed to approve blocks as safe.

Fire safety guidance on external walls used to apply only to blocks taller than 60ft, which usually means six storeys.

But in January, Government guidance was extended to buildings of all heights with any cladding, not just the type that caused the Grenfell fire in 2017. And blocks with no cladding are also caught by the rules.

It means the number of flats requiring the issue of an EWS1 form has grown from 307,000 to three million.

The rules have left Rachael, 38, and John Duncan, 35, trapped in a one-bedroom flat in Islington, North London, with their 14-month-old baby. They bought a 50 pc share of the 470,000 flat in 2017.

The couple had found their ideal family home in Faversham, Kent, after putting their flat on the market in February. They had agreed a June completion date with their buyer.

But in mid-May the sale collapsed when they were told by their solicitor that the buyer's lender was requesting an EWS1 form, which they did not have.

Our family is trapped in a tiny flat A London firefighter, his partner and one-year-old daughter have been unable to move to their dream home because they cannot get documents to show that the flat they were selling is not a fire risk. And with no idea of when they might be able to move, it also means that James Gilham and Natalie Russell, both 28, have had to put on hold their plans to give baby Evelyn a brother or sister. James and Natalie bought 50 per cent of their small apartment in Romford, Essex, in 2015, when it was valued at 210,000. No paperwork: James Gilham and Natalie Russell, both 28, have had to put on hold their plans to give baby Evelyn a brother or sister They had agreed to sell it for 300,000, but two weeks ago the deal collapsed when the buyers were told they needed documents to show the building was safe. As a result, James and Natalie lost out on a three-bedroom house in Chelmsford which they were buying for 330,000. James says their buyers have been told they must be supplied with an EWS1 form - a standardised certificate which shows lenders that the flat is not a fire risk. Their apartment block has only four storeys, which meant it would not have required the form before January this year. James says he only found out about the form when he was told their buyer had been unable to get a mortgage. 'This is having a massive impact on our lives,' he says.

Rachael, who works in publishing, says their housing association provided a full fire risk assessment demonstrating the apartment was low risk, but they were told only an EWS1 would do.

She says they are now at the back of the queue for the lengthy assessment to be carried out because their building is under 60ft and brick-built, so not deemed to be at risk.

She adds that this is not likely to be signed off until at least 2026. 'Our situation is bleak,' says Rachael. 'We have a one-bed flat we cannot rent out as it's against shared ownership rules.

'With only two rooms, there's not enough space for the things a toddler needs. My husband and I have been sleeping on a sofa bed in the kitchen/living room. We are in our late 30s and our plan was to have a bigger family, but that now looks impossible.'

Last month, Housing Minister Christopher Pincher admitted that lenders had been using the EWS1 forms more often than originally intended.

The forms were brought in last year to give lenders more confidence in providing mortgages on multi-storey buildings following the Grenfell Tower fire.

Valuers can request the forms from building owners to confirm they do not pose a fire risk. If they do pose some risk, an explanation of required repair work is needed.

Fire engulfs the 24 story Grenfell Tower in West London on June 14, 2017.

Nick Morrey, of mortgage broker John Charcol, says lenders are simply following official guidance, but there are 'inherent problems' in getting the forms due to the lack of specialist surveyors.

He says: 'Is it creating mortgage prisoners? Yes, undoubtedly. However, all the properties need to be inspected.'

Mr Pincher admits there are fewer than 300 chartered fire engineers who can carry out an EWS1 survey  which means just one engineer for every 10,000 flats needing a survey.

Martin Boyd, of the Leasehold Knowledge Partnership, says he is aware of residents being told to wait ten years until their homes can be declared safe.

A government spokesman says: 'The EWS1 process is designed to support valuations for high rises where cladding may be a concern  this is because of the increased risk fire can present at height.

'While not all lenders require an EWS1 form, building owners should be as forthcoming as possible about the construction of their building and the fire safety measures in place.'

m.dilworth@dailymail.co.uk
The deal is the latest between the US and drugmakers to secure hundreds of millions of doses of likely vaccines.

The United States has entered an agreement with drugmaker Moderna Inc to acquire 100 million doses of its potential coronavirus vaccine for approximately $1.5bn, the company and White House said.

The US in recent weeks has made deals to acquire hundreds of millions of doses of potential COVID-19 vaccines from several companies as part of its Operation Warp Speed programme, which aims to deliver a vaccine in the country by the end of the year.

Modernas price per dose comes to about $30.50 per person for a two-dose regimen.

With the exception of its deal with AstraZeneca, which offered a lower price per drug in exchange for upfront research and development costs, all the deals price coronavirus vaccines between $20 to $42 for a two-dose course of treatment.

Modernas vaccine candidate, mRNA-1273, is one of the few that have already advanced to the final stage of testing and is on track to be completed in September, the company said this month.

Modernas deal with the US only pays out in full if the drugmaker hits certain timing benchmarks for vaccine delivery.

The Trump administration has already reached supply agreements with several other vaccine front-runners.

In July, it agreed to buy 100 million doses of a messenger-RNA vaccine from Pfizer Inc. and its German partner BioNTech SE for $1.95bn, should the vaccine work in trials. And earlier this month, the federal government also reached a supply pact with Johnson & Johnson for the company to provide 100 million doses of its vaccine for more than $1bn.

While Pfizers price is slightly more than what Moderna will get on a per-dose basis, Pfizer has not received government money for testing its vaccine.

The agreements would lock in more than 500 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine for the US, assuming that the companies involved receive regulatory approvals. Some deals also give the US an option to buy additional doses.

The US government previously gave Moderna about $1bn to fund its research efforts, bringing total US funding to approximately $2.5bn.

Global race

Other countries, including Japan, the United Kingdom and Canada, have forged similar deals with drugmakers.

Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that his country had become the first to grant regulatory approval to a COVID-19 vaccine after less than two months of human testing, a move Moscow likened to its success in the Cold War-era space race.

The vaccine, which will be called Sputnik V in homage to the worlds first satellite launched by the Soviet Union, has, however, not yet completed its final trials.

Moscows decision to grant approval before then has raised concerns among some experts. Only about 10 percent of clinical trials are successful, and some scientists fear Moscow may be putting national prestige before safety.

Putin and other officials have said it is completely safe. The president said one of his daughters had taken it as a volunteer and felt good afterwards.

I know that it works quite effectively, forms strong immunity, and I repeat, it has passed all the necessary checks, Putin told a government meeting.

The Russian business conglomerate Sistema has said it expects to put the vaccine, developed by Moscows Gamaleya Institute, into mass production by the end of the year.

Government officials have said it will be administered to medical personnel, and then to teachers, on a voluntary basis at the end of this month or in early September. Mass roll-out in Russia is expected to start in October.
Ayodhya, Aug 12 : The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust that is overseeing the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya on Wednesday made a formal appeal to devotees to make contributions for the temple.

In a series of tweets that include a video appeal by trust general secretary Champat Rai urged devotees to donate money for the temple construction. PM Modi had attended the 'Bhumi Pujan' ceremony and laid the foundation stone of the temple on August 5.

He said the Trust had received a number of mails and messages in which people have offered to make financial contributions for the temple construction.

Rai said the devotees could make their contributions directly to the two bank accounts of the temple trust. Details of the bank accounts have been given on the official Twitter handle of the Trust.

It may be recalled that a few days ago, Champat Rai had appealed to devotees not to send donations in the form of gold and silver bricks.

He had urged the devotees to donate in cash as that would not lead to any complications. The temple needs cash for its construction, he said in a video released by the Trust.

Latest updates on Howdy Modi Houston
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-12 05:51:34|Editor: huaxia

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BRUSSELS, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- The European Commission said on Tuesday it has opened an in-depth investigation into whether Poland's plan to grant 95 million euros (111 million U.S. dollars) of public support for chemical company LG Chem Group's expansion of its battery cell production facility breaches EU regulations.

In a statement, the Commission said it is investigating whether the aid given to the company in Biskupice Podgorne in southwestern Polish region of Dolnoslaskie, is in line with EU rules on regional state aid.

The matter dates back to 2017 when LG Chem decided to invest more than 1 billion euros in the expansion of its production capacity of lithium-ion cells and battery modules and packs for electric vehicles in its existing plant. In 2019, Poland notified the Commission of its plans to grant 95 million euros of public support for the expansion.

The Commission said that at this stage, it had doubts whether the decision by LG Chem to expand its battery production capacity was directly triggered by the Polish public support or whether the investment would have been carried out absent of the public support.

Commissioner Margrethe Vestager, in charge of competition policy, said it is necessary to ensure that the aid is really needed to attract private investments to the region concerned, and avoid that the recipient of the aid gains an unfair advantage over its competitors at the expense of taxpayers.

The investigation is also looking into whether the amount exceeded the permissible amount, according to the statement. Enditem
Sugar Land Town Square is the first stop for four planned openings of Dallas-based Mattison Avenue Salon Suites & Spa.

The salon is located at 2181 Texas Drive, taking up about 11,000 square feet of second-floor space just inside the eastern gateway of the shopping area. According to a news release, half of its 50 furnished suites have now been leased to independent beauty professionals with the majority already open to provide service safely, despite the challenges of COVID.

Related: COVID-19 testing sites expand in Fort Bend County

Mattison Avenue Salon Suites & Spa was founded in 2017, catering to the higher end of the salon suites category. It moved into Sugar Land Town Square because of the areas demographics, natural light at the location, and the areas mixed-use nature.

Were thrilled to make our debut in Houston at Sugar Land Town Square, which offers both a prime location and high visibility drawing tens of thousands of visitors each year, said Sabrina McWaters, Mattison Avenue Salon Suites & Spas Regional Director-Houston. Weve had an enthusiastic response to our elevated brand offerings, and our small business owners have been warmly welcomed by the community.

Related: Sugar Land eateries allowed to expand outside amid COVID-19 restrictions

Mattison Avenue Salon Suites & Spa showcases licensed hair stylists, aestheticians, massage therapists, makeup artists and nail technicians. At the Sugar Land location, there are three suite options, including single room, double room and spa suites.

Relocating our business to Mattison Avenue in Sugar Land Town Square has improved our work experience tremendously, said husband and wife salon duo Jason and Kristi Jenkins said. Not only do we have a better space, but our clients also have an improved experience.

Natasha Booker of Sophisticated Lady Salon added: The best career gift I have ever given myself and my clients is my own salon amidst the welcoming luxury of Mattison Avenue. Its such a relaxed atmosphere with impeccable professionalism, and I highly recommend it to any motivated professionals. Im home at Sugar Land Town Square, where I have total control over my own business.

Mattison Avenue Salon Suites & Spa is expected to open new sites at Baybrook, Champions and Atascocita by early 2021.

For more information go to https://tinyurl.com/y6p5bzb4.

rkent@hcnonline.com
Western Regional Coordinator for Zongo Youth Patriot, Prince Ishmael Dimah has praised President Akufo-Addo and his government for the far-reaching policies that address the basic living needs of the ordinary Ghanaian.



He commended the Presidents effort to lessen the burdens of the Zongo people by implementing policies that guarantee them a sustainable livelihood.



President Nana Addo has a genuine love for the Zongo community. He is the only President out of love that has created a Zongo ministry and we will work and ensure that he wins the 2020 election, he said in an interview with NEAT FMs political talk show The Torch Light.







Source: King Edward Ambrose Washman Addo/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Migrants attempting to cross the Channel have threatened to drown themselves if they are stopped by the Royal Navy.

Families preparing to make the crossing to Britain from Calais claim the stretch of water will become 'a sea of bodies' if the British government intervenes and sends them back to France.

Christian convert Kamal Sadeghi getting set to make the perilous journey with his wife and 11-month-old daughter after fleeing his home in Iran.

He told The Times: 'I am too tired to carry on. If they try to stop us I will drown myself.'

Mr Sadeghi, 39, his wife, Niki Karimi, 33, and their daughter, Sava, who turns one on Sunday, have spent ten days living in a tent in woodland in Calais having fled Iran after his wife's family objected to their marriage.

He told The Times: 'We need just a normal life. We need to get on a boat. If they try to stop us I will kill myself. I would jump in the water'.

The family told the paper they attempted to stay in Slovenia after leaving their home country three years ago, but lost their savings to the 'mafia' after they were put in jail 'with 300 single men'.

Today, the Mayor of Calais Natacha Bouchart said sending the Navy in to help the crisis would be 'a declaration of maritime war.'

This comes as French officials have blamed the UK's 'hypocrisy' and 'black economy' for increasing the number of migrants crossing the Channel in small boats.

Father Kamal Sadeghi, who is getting set to make the perilous journey with his wife and 11-month-old daughter (pictured together), told The Times : 'I am too tired to carry on. If they try to stop us I will drown myself'

Migrants can be seen being brought to Dover harbour by Border Force officials this morning

So far this year, at least 4,375 migrants have reached the UK by small boat - including some 825 this month. Around 30 people reached the shore this morning (pictured)

Immigration Minister Chris Philp held talks with French officials in Paris on Tuesday in a bid to devise a 'new, comprehensive action plan' to tackle the crossings - after repeated crackdown plans failed. Pictured, one of the migrants who travelled to England today

UK Border Force officials help migrants disembark from their patrol vessel HMC Eagle after arriving at the marina in Dover

Priti Patel's migrant war... against Ben & Jerry's: Ice cream giant goes on Twitter attack over Home Secretary's call for Navy to police the Channel Priti Patel was dragged Britain into a new cold war after going head to head with ice cream giant Ben & Jerry's. The American company's British branch criticised the Home Secretary's call for the Navy to stop migrants crossing the Channel, but a Home Office source immediately hit back, saying Miss Priti's department did not care about angering 'a brand of over-priced junk food'. The spat began when Ben & Jerry's UK Twitter account posted: 'We think the real crisis is our lack of humanity for people fleeing war, climate change and torture.' It went on to say ministers should make it easier for refugees to reach the country: 'People wouldn't make dangerous journeys if they had any other choice. The UK hasn't resettled any refugees since March, but wars and violence continue. What we need is more safe and legal routes.' Ben & Jerry's claimed 'people cannot be illegal' and pointed to the 1951 Refugee Convention which states that entering a country illegally should not affect claims for asylum. The string of tweets ended with: 'Let's remember we're all human and have the same rights to life regardless of the country we happen to have been born in. And once more for the back: people cannot be illegal.' In a Twitter thread, Ben & Jerry's UK said that ''stronger' borders aren't the answer' and that 'people cannot be illegal' A Home Office source told the BBC: 'Priti is working day and night to bring an end to these small boat crossings, which are facilitated by international criminal gangs and are of serious concern. 'If that means upsetting the social media team for a brand of overpriced junk food then so be it.' The row came as Miss Patel vowed to take much tougher action on migrants crossing the Channel. She has asked officials to look into whether the Royal Navy could be used to turn back ships and has begun conversations with France on cutting the number of crossings, which Miss Patel has described as 'unacceptable'. However, critics say her proposals could be illegal. There is also an expectation in maritime law that a captain of a ship will help any other vessel that is in danger, which covers many of the small boats carrying migrants in the Channel. Advertisement

As efforts to address the escalating migrant crisis intensified today, it also emerged:

Six boats carrying a total of 74 migrants were intercepted crossing the English Channel from France on Tuesday;

At least four boats carrying around 30 people reached Britain today;

Calais Mayor Natacha Bouchart said sending the Navy in to help the crisis would be 'a declaration of maritime war';

Immigration minister Chris Philp and Home Secretary Priti Patel clashed with ice cream maker Ben and Jerrys over plans to tackle the crisis;

The RAF was providing aerial support for the Border Force for the second time this week, with a Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft flying from Kinloss Barracks in Scotland to monitor the situation in the English Channel;

Lawyers representing asylum seekers who arrived in the UK by crossing the Channel on small boats have launched legal action to halt their deportation, which is due to take place later today

Six boats carrying a total of 74 migrants were intercepted crossing the English Channel from France on Tuesday.

Today, a further four boats carrying around 20 migrants made the journey to Britain's shoreline.

The Royal Air Force was providing aerial support for the Border Force for the second time this week, with a Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft flying from Kinloss Barracks in Scotland to monitor the situation in the English Channel.

Britain's immediate entitlement to benefits, healthcare, housing and the possibility of working soon after arriving are what makes Britain worth the hazardous journey, French officials claim.

Responding to plans to send the Royal Navy in to stop migrant boats, the Calais Mayor said in an interview with France 3: 'Technically I don't even know how they would do, and I think the [French] government would oppose it.

'Here we are hostile to it. Rather than accept migrants who would work in the black market, Boris Johnson would do better than to teach us lessons, would be better to create better laws to to accept people in his own country.

'The British themselves have created this hot air by not reviewing their own reception systems and are content to hand out lessons and by subjecting the people of Calais to this situation for too long.'

Yusshka Mir, 36, a designer from Iran, told the Times: 'What Boris Johnson does not understand is that for us it is better to die if we cannot reach England. I would drown myself. We will all die.'

Just one in five migrants who have tried to cross the Channel have been intercepted by France - as politicians from the country now claims the newcomers are lured into Britain by its generous welfare state.

Immigration minister Chris Philp travelled to Paris on Tuesday to seek stronger enforcement measures - as Border Force continued to deal with crossings along the south coast of the UK.

Mr Philp said that French authorities had caught 'well over a thousand' migrants making the crossing this year, but figures from January 2020 to August 6 show the total number to have made the trip to Britain in small boats is around 4,100.

More than 600 people have made the journey just in the previous few days, suggesting that the proportion of those intercepted is roughly one fifth.

Defence select committee chairman Tobias Ellwood told the Telegraph the French were 'unable to cope at the best of times' - and accused the country's authorities of 'half-heartedness'.

'In normal circumstances, the French are only preventing around half of the dinghies crossing the Channel  but during the current spike that's dropped to a fifth,' he said.

'It's clear that only with greater maritime collaboration with the British can we attempt to significantly reduce the success rate of the crossing.'

He also voiced support for involving the Armed Forces 'during this heightened period'.

Deputy mayor of Calais Philippe Mignonet told French newspaper Voix Du Nord migrants risked the crossing 'because they can work in the black economy when they want, because there is no control, not on the street or in the workplace'.

'I fear a tragedy one day at sea, but the British blame us for their own hypocrisy,' he said.

National Society for Rescue at Sea in Calais president Bernard Barron added that migrants have now 'mastered the sea and, with GPS support, wait until they are in British waters to send out an SOS call'.

He said Britain's government will criticise migrants for making the journey, 'but they do not criticise themselves, questioning the reasons that make their country so attractive'.

It comes as lawyers representing asylum seekers who arrived in the UK by crossing the Channel on small boats launched legal action to halt their deportation, which is due to take place on Wednesday.

Speaking to reporters after the Paris meeting, Mr Philp said the 'sheer numbers' crossing the Channel were 'completely unacceptable' to both the French and UK governments, so it is quite clear that more needs to be done.

Migrants were today intercepted while travelling in a RIB from France to Dover. Men and women were seen being brought into Dover by the Border Force vessel Seeker around 7.30am and medically checked before being questioned by immigration officials

It is thought at least four boats carrying around 30 people reached Britain this morning

'And that is exactly what this new, comprehensive action plan that we are working on will aim to do,' he added.

Mr Philp would not comment on details of the plan but claimed there were a 'number of measures, some of them new, which are under discussion'.

He said it would be 'premature' to talk about financial commitments at this stage because the plans were still being finalised.

But he insisted both countries had 'renewed and reaffirmed their absolute commitment to make sure this border is properly policed and this route is completely ended.'

Newly-appointed clandestine channel threat commander Dan O'Mahoney, who travelled to Paris with Mr Philp, will return to the continent early next week to continue discussions, with France due to appoint its own commander.

The Government has also faced fresh criticism over warnings nine months ago that its own policies meant migrants were resorting to more dangerous routes.

Migrants were given masks and blankets on Dungeness Beach in Kent today

Around 30 migrants made the crossing this morning. It comes one day after at least 74 in six vessels made the perilous 21-mile crossing over the Dover Strait - the world's busiest shipping lane.

Migrants disembark after arriving at Dover harbour this morning

A group of 22 migrants crammed onto a dinghy were spotted stranded in the English Channel last night

The men were seen on the edge of the French side of the Channel and were not moving as the outbound motor on their boat had broken down. A group of cross-Channel swimmers returning to Britain saw the vessel bobbing in the water at around 5pm yesterday and raised the alarm

Home Secretary Priti Patel headed to Dover on Monday, and was seen disembarking from a police boat that had been out in the Channel earlier that morning

A report by the Foreign Affairs Committee published in November said: 'A policy that focuses exclusively on closing borders will drive migrants to take more dangerous routes, and push them into the hands of criminal groups.'

Home Secretary Priti Patel was a member of the committee at the time of its inquiry.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Boris Johnson was accused of using inflammatory language after calling migrant boat crossings a 'very bad and stupid and dangerous and criminal thing to do'.

He also hinted at changing laws to tackle the problem, while Downing Street said Brexit would help as it would end the 'inflexible and rigid' requirements on how asylum applications are examined and considered.

The Home Office has formally requested help from the Ministry of Defence (MoD), with a military plane sent out on Monday to survey the Channel and alert the Coastguard and Border Force to emerging crossing attempts.

But Calais MP Pierre-Henri Dumont said bringing in the Navy was a 'political measure' intended to show ministers were taking action and warned that it 'won't change anything'.

The Home Office has formally requested help from the Ministry of Defence (MoD), with a military plane sent out on Monday (pictured) to survey the Channel and alert the Coastguard and Border Force to emerging crossing attempts

The latest outcry follows a similar storm last summer when another spike in crossings led Mr Johnson to warn Britain was prepared to start sending back those migrants who did make it across - comments which were branded 'misleading and inflammatory' by campaigners.

Since then there have been a series of meetings between UK and French ministers and officials, each time with the promise of more agreements or resources in efforts to address the problem.

Bella Sankey, director of Detention Action, said: 'Any ''comprehensive plan'' must create a safe and legal route for those who would otherwise risk a Channel crossing, otherwise it is neither comprehensive nor an effective plan.

'These negotiations with French counterparts are doomed to further failure unless the UK Government can stop chasing unicorns and show some principled and noble leadership'.
Usually, the members of the Conroe Noon Lions Club would be coordinating a day with Reaves Elementary for volunteers to come in and read. Because of COVID-19, the club is finding a different way to give back to the school by building durable, lightweight dividers for the classroom tables.

Conroe ISD will be mandating masks for all staff this year, but currently, only students in third grade or older will be required to wear masks. To help prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the elementary classrooms, Reaves Elementary decided that plexiglass dividers on the table could help keep the kids in their seats, but separated.

The elementary school was adopted by the Lions Club in 2013 and since then the club has found numerous ways to volunteer and help out at the school. Back in May the club reached out and offered to help unload boxes and set up classrooms. They were contacted by a counselor at the school asking if they could instead help the school construct the table-top dividers.

Outside of the box

Were trying to think outside of the box instead of what we traditionally do, said club president Rafael Perez, citing one of two themes that club activities will be centered around this year. The other one is- the phrase were focusing on - is Stronger together, as a club and as a community.

Over the last seven years, the club has formed a special bond with the school and its staff.

They know that when theres things like this, that we will do everything we can for them, said Warner Phelps, the clubs second vice president.

On behalf of the faculty/staff at Reaves Elementary School I want to thank the Conroe Noon Lions Club for all of their hard work and outstanding contributions to our school, said Nicole Walker, Principal of Reaves Elementary. I deeply appreciate all of their efforts to make our partnership as their adopted school a great success. As always, its great to know that Reaves Elementary School can always count on the Conroe Noon Lions Club to go the extra mile to support us with anything we need.

When the school approached the club for help, Phelps said they jumped at the chance, but soon realized they might have bitten off more than they could chew. In about a week the dividers prototype was given a few adjustments, the parts were donated or purchased, and the club figured out the best way to get them built.

On Saturday, volunteers from the club will assemble the dividers at the school. They plan on making 60 dividers, and both Phelps and Perez are confident that there will be more than enough volunteers to get the job done.

Were a big club and our members always come through, Perez said. Were really not concerned because our members always pull through.

The dividers will be simple but durable, to handle whatever an elementary school student can throw at it until the district no longer needs them. The frames will be constructed from PVC pipe with a piece of vinyl stretched across the middle to divide the length of the table in two. On either side of the vinyl, a piece of plexiglass (donated by a club member) will put a barrier between the students on each side of the table.

Giving back

Along with creating the dividers, the club hosted a free lunch for Reaves teachers on Wednesday as another way to give back.

Because of COVID-19, many of the ways the club usually gives back to the community have changed or been flat-out canceled, its why theyve started thinking outside of the box. Despite the pandemic, both Perez and Phelps said the club is always looking for new members and new ways to help the community.

Future projects with Reaves Elementary will depend on what the school needs, and figuring out the safest way to get it done. But the club does hope to be able to give back more this year.

In a typical year, the club does a reading day, sponsors the field day, hosts a Polar Express event with Santa, and conducts attendance incentives at the school. But this is not a typical year.

Our philosophy is, if we can get it done on a shoestring budget and just bring in the manpower, yes were going to do that, Phelps said.

jamie.swinnerton@chron.com
Fifteen officers who successfully solved murder cases of rationalist Narendra Dabholkar and BJP leader Yogesh Gowda besides the sensational Muzaffarpur shelter home abuse case are among over 100 police investigators awarded the prestigious 'Union Home Minister's Medal for Excellence in Investigation' for 2020.

"The 'Union Home Minister's Medal for Excellence in Investigation' for the year 2020 has been awarded to 121 Police personnel," a home ministry statement said.

With 15 medals, the (CBI) has topped the tally this year for exemplary investigations, followed by state police of Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra (10 each), Uttar Pradesh (8), Kerala and West Bengal (7 each), it said.

"The Ministry of Home Affairs has initiated this scheme for award of medals to the members of Central Investigating Agencies and State/UT Police Investigating Agencies for excellence in investigation," Spokesperson R K Gaur said.

The medal was constituted in 2018 with the objective to promote high professional standards of investigation of crime and to recognise such excellence in investigation by investigating officers.

Among the officers awarded the medal is Subhash Ramrup Singh, ASP, Special Crime Branch, Mumbai. He rummaged through the depths of the Thane creek with the help of high-end equipment and a diving team to find the firearm allegedly used to murder Dabholkar in 2013.

The investigation by Singh and his team also provided a clue to three other similar murders of writer and thinker M M Kalburgi, journalist Gauri Lankesh and Leftist politician Govind Pansare.

Another recipient of the medal is Inspector Rakesh Ranjan posted in Bengaluru. He solved the murder of BJP worker Yogesh Gowda in Karnataka's Dharwad. A charge sheet was filed against eight people in the case.

Inspector Perwez Alam posted in Ranchi, who solved the blind murder of engineering student Jaya Bharti whose body was found in her room in Booty Basti in the city, is also among the recipients.

Using dump data of mobile phones operational on the day of the crime, Alam and his team scanned over 300 people, questioned 150, and collected 11 blood samples to zero in on the rapist and murderer who had been arrested by the Lucknow police for mobile theft and was in jail.

The accused, a serial molester, was sentenced to death on the basis of the CBI investigation in the student's rape and murder case.

Another awardee is Inspector Vibha Kumari who investigated the infamous Muzaffarpur shelter home abuse.

Kumari developed a watertight case collecting forensic evidence and recording statements of the girls in the presence of experts from NIMHANS which resulted in the conviction of the main accused, Brajesh Thakur, and 11 others. All 12 were sentenced to life imprisonment.

Superintendent of Police Cephas Kalyan Pakerla posted at CBI ACB, Hyderabad was also awarded the medal for his investigation in the i-Monetary Advisory (IMA) scam.

As part of the scam, a large number of gullible investors were allegedly duped in the name of higher returns using Islamic banking methods. Several senior police officials are under the scanner of the agency for protecting the main accused Mansoor Khan.

Another awardee, DSP Mukesh Sharma posted at the CBI's famous Special Crime Unit in Delhi solved the rape and murder of a minor girl in a police station in Uttar Pradesh's Lakhimpur Kheri.

The girl's body was found hanging from a tree in Nighasan police station in 2011. An Uttar Pradesh Police constable was awarded life sentence in February this year in the case.

Inspector Duli Chand Yadav who solved the BITS Pilani paper leak case, Inspector Jyotirmoyee Majhi who solved chit fund cases of Jharkhand, and Shiv Kumar Jha who solved the Vyapam scam related to admissions in Gandhi Medical College, Indore using proxy candidates in 2009 are also among the awardees from the CBI.

Other awardees are Rajan Kumar Jha, DSP, Mumbai, and inspectors Vijaya Vaishnavi from Bengaluru, Prashant Kandpal from Dehradun, Parvender Kumar Mathur from Delhi, K Bindhu from Chennai and Ashish Anand from Ranchi.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Clean-in-Place Market Research Report - Global Forecast to 2025 - Cumulative Impact of COVID-19 The Global Clean-in-Place Market is expected to grow from USD 8,076. 76 Million in 2019 to USD 17,972.

New York, Aug. 10, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Clean-in-Place Market Research Report - Global Forecast to 2025 - Cumulative Impact of COVID-19" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p05913836/?utm_source=GNW

80 Million by the end of 2025 at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 14.26%.



Market Segmentation & Coverage:

This research report categorizes the Clean-in-Place to forecast the revenues and analyze the trends in each of the following sub-markets:



Based on Geography, the Clean-in-Place Market studied across Americas, Asia-Pacific, and Europe, Middle East & Africa. The Americas region surveyed across Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, and United States. The Asia-Pacific region surveyed across Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, South Korea, and Thailand. The Europe, Middle East & Africa region surveyed 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 Clean-in-Place Market including Alfa Laval, Azbil Telstar, Bionet, Centec GmbH, Filamatic, GEA Group, Handtmann Armaturenfabrik, KHS GmbH, Krones Ag, Melegari Manghi, Millitec Food Systems, Sani-Matic, Solaris Biotech Usa, SPX Flow, and Sysbiotech.



FPNV Positioning Matrix:

The FPNV Positioning Matrix evaluates and categorizes the vendors in the Clean-in-Place 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 the market 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 Clean-in-Place Market?

2. What are the inhibiting factors and impact of COVID-19 shaping the Global Clean-in-Place Market during the forecast period?

3. Which are the products/segments/applications/areas to invest in over the forecast period in the Global Clean-in-Place Market?

4. What is the competitive strategic window for opportunities in the Global Clean-in-Place Market?

5. What are the technology trends and regulatory frameworks in the Global Clean-in-Place Market?

6. What are the modes and strategic moves considered suitable for entering the Global Clean-in-Place Market?

Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05913836/?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.



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CONTACT: Clare: clare@reportlinker.com US: (339)-368-6001 Intl: +1 339-368-6001




PHOENIX  At few Arizona school districts are moving to begin in-person learning next Monday over the objections of some teachers, a decision applauded by some parents and students.

The board of the Queen Creek Unified School District outside Phoenix voted Tuesday to resume in-person learning and the J.O. Combs Unified School District in nearby San Tan Valley voted Monday to begin offering in-person instruction.

Both districts said they would continue to provide online learning.

The Queen Creek district said in a statement that most parents wanted choices that included some form of in-person instruction. Educators had asked the school board to stick with education online until Maricopa County met public health benchmarks included in voluntary guidelines issued by the state last week.

.Jacob Frantz, president of the Queen Creek Education Association, said several teachers have resigned. Its the beginning of a crisis, Frantz told KNXV-TV. They arent being listened to and their concerns arent being taken into account.

The J.O. Combs boards decision was based on both health data and tremendous feedback from community members who expressed a strong need for their children to return to the classroom, spokeswoman Kayla Fulmer told KTAR-FM.

Because local districts were empowered to make these decisions using the voluntary recommendations, the Governing Board felt that it was necessary to return Aug. 17 for the safety and social and emotional needs of our students, Fulmer said.

Combs Superintendent Gregory Wyman said he expects some families will choose to keep their students in virtual learning, reducing the number of students in school.

The districts in-person learning plan includes daily temperature checks, mandatory face masks, social distancing in classrooms and enhanced sanitation practices.

David Nelson, president of the districts teachers association, said he was extremely disappointed and concerned for students and his fellow teachers.

We dont know how this is going to affect them, Nelson told KJZZ.

Tucson Unified School District plans to reopen a limited number of schools on Monday to serve 2,500 vulnerable students, including with special education needs, refugees and those in foster care or homeless, the Arizona Daily Star reported.

Tucson Unified, like many other districts, has already begun the school year with remote learning.

The state has called for schools to offer some form of in-person supervision of children for families that want it starting Monday, tying the requirement to funding.

State health officials on Wednesday reported 706 additional confirmed COVID-19 cases and 148 additional deaths, increasing the totals to 189,443 cases and 4,347 deaths.

The record high number of deaths reported by Arizona in one day was 172 on July 30.

According to Johns Hopkins University data analyzed by The Associated Press, the 7-day rolling average of daily deaths in Arizona dropped over the past two week 82 deaths per day on July 28 to 51 deaths per day on Aug. 11.

Meanwhile, the 7-day rolling average of daily new cases in Arizona dropped over the past two weeks from 2,464 new cases per day on July 28 to 1,176 new cases per day on Aug. 11.

The number of infections is thought to be far higher because many people have not been tested, and studies suggest people can be infected with the virus without feeling sick.

For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death.

___

Associated Press reporter Paul Davenport in Phoenix contributed.
Alison Collier, MD of Endeavor SA

Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

South Africa is a country with enormous opportunity, but it doesnt come without risks and obstacles.

You're the MD of Endeavor SA. Tell us more about your role here?

Endeavor is a global organisation that accelerates growth of these entrepreneurs, and in doing so, deliver on our mission to drive job creation and revenue growth in emerging markets.

What is the core function of Endeavor?

Do you have any role models?

You have a successful career spanning over 20 years. Tell us about your journey.

After graduating from UCT with a Business Science degree, I joined McKinsey as a consultant working on FMCG revenue growth opportunities in Nigeria and Egypt amongst other African countries. I went on to complete an MBA at INSEAD while living in France and Singapore. After spending time overseas, I was keen to bring my learnings back to South Africa and moved to Johannesburg and joined SAB Ltd.

Are South African women getting enough of a chance to shine in the startup ecosystem?

Could you list a few, if any, specific challenges females face in this industry? How do women overcome these challenges?

You're a successful businesswoman. You've been instrumental in taking BOS to Europe. How do you keep a work-life balance?

This is one of the (few) down-sides of being passionate, driven, and hard working. You need to understand your and your teams capacity and limits, know where you get your energy from and ensure you make enough time for this.

How is Endeavor SA empowering women entrepreneurs in building successful businesses?

Endeavors successful female entrepreneurs actively share their stories with other females and are wonderful role models for South African men and women.

How do you think South Africa can help in the fight against GBV?

As a start, we need to continue to put this subject in the spotlight, and extend strong support and protection to the survivors so they are confident to speak out.

What advice do you have to share with the future generation of female entrepreneurs?

As we celebrate Women's Month in South Africa. Do you have any words of encouragement for all the women out there?

Endeavor is an organisation of entrepreneurs for entrepreneurs with the goal to support and inspire entrepreneurs.The organisations managing director, Alison Collier, is an established businesswoman who has enjoyed a long and illustrious career in various industries. One of the highlights of her career was successfully leading the international expansion of a Cape Town-based beverage startup BOS Ice Tea to Europe.With extensive global experience, Alison Collier, a definite role model for future businesswomen, shares her journey with us this Women's Month Im a South African. I love this country and am very happy to be home after spending more than 15 years overseas in Europe and Asia.I have always been driven to learn and to build new things that deliver value and make a real difference.I have a passion to drive business development and growth, specifically in the entrepreneurial space given the enormous positive impact that high-growth emerging businesses have on long term job creation and economic growth. I am very excited to be back in South Africa and working with Endeavor to drive this locally. I am a huge nature lover and enjoy hiking and sailing. I am also an avid reader, withcurrently being at the top of my book list.Endeavor is more than a job to me. Endeavor enables me to apply my expertise to support South Africas revenue growth and job creation through supporting the advancement of some of the countrys fastest growing medium-sized entrepreneurs.To put this in numbers, over the past two years, Endeavors SA portfolio of 26 entrepreneurs had an average turnover of R200 million per annum and have collectively generated 5,000 jobs (with a headcount growth of 29% per annum) and R2 billion in incremental revenue (revenue growth of 27% per annum).In 2019 they employed 12,000 people and generated R5 billion in total revenue. These growth figures are hugely impressive and highlight that entrepreneurs are the real growth drivers of an economy. It is a privilege to work with such remarkable entrepreneurs  especially to see how willingly they pay-it-forward and share their learnings with earlier stage entrepreneurs.To accelerate growth of South African entrepreneurs, and in doing so, bring about systemic changes to a sector that drives economic growth and job creation. The three areas we focus on are: Access to Markets, Access to Capital and Access to Talent.We provide access to markets locally and globally by connecting entrepreneurs to a trusted network of experts who have been there and done it. We also fast track commercial introductions and new market entry.We advise on capital raises and connect companies to the right strategic investors in South Africa and globally. We provide tailored mentoring to a company based on their specific needs. This mentoring leverages Endeavors powerful network of successful entrepreneurs and mentors who advise up-and-coming entrepreneurs on a pro-bono basis.Global mentors include the likes of Linda Rottenberg (Founder of Endeavor), and Reid Hoffman (Founder of LinkedIn), while local mentors include Herman Bosman (CEO of RMI Holdings), David Frankel (Co-founder of Founder Collective), Margaret OConnor (Adventure Capitalist) and Nkateko Khoza (CEO of Dzana Investments).No specific role models, however there are many leaders who have inspired me. Stand-out leaders for me include Nelson Mandela, who was an icon of democracy, social justice and forgiveness, and Roger Federer who is a wonderful example of excelling, doing what you love and remaining humble and kind. Im very grateful to my parents for the values they instilled in me growing up  integrity, respect, empathy.Over the past 20 years, Ive lived, studied and worked in many countries and on many continents. Ive experienced life working for global corporates, startups, NGOs and investors. Seeing all sides of the table and being exposed to many cultures opens your mind and enables you to see first-hand the value of diversity in a team.I served in various roles at SAB Ltd including Strategy, Trade Marketing and M&A projects amongst others, gaining a broad understanding across the business operations.I was very fortunate in my timing as SABMiller started globalising its functions in 2008 and given that Id worked closely with the SAB Ltd MD who had moved on to run SABMillers supply chain globally, I was asked to prepare the business case to establish SABMillers Global Sourcing Office. The Business Case was subsequently approved and I then had the opportunity to be one of the first employees to establish SABMillers Global Procurement Office, and with this I moved the UK and then onto Zug, Switzerland where we set up the new global office.Being part of the SABMiller Global Sourcing founding team and growing this operation from three people to over 150 people three years later was an incredible learning experience. We hired the best talent from around the world and the team delivered exceptional results, we grew faster and delivered more value versus the plan and had loads of fun doing it. From there it was time to move back to South Africa, and I joined a few friends to take Cape Town-based beverage startup BOS Ice Tea to Europe.I spent the next four years leading BOS international launch and expansion in Europe, setting up European manufacturing and distribution partnerships, hiring European teams, listing in the largest European retailers and delivering record sales in the Netherlands and French markets. Through this, I learnt the value of a powerful network of mentors to support and accelerate an entrepreneurs growth and specifically the value that the Endeavor network had on accelerating BOS European expansion. Receiving sage advice from entrepreneurs that have gone before you, avoiding pitfalls, being connected to the right parties in new markets are all invaluable in accelerating your growth.From there, I moved on to lead projects for the US AID Gates Foundation, improving the delivery of chronic medicines across Africa, and more recently, led Unilevers global procurement excellence team from Singapore. This included leading the digital transformation of Unilevers procurement function and pulling tech start-ups into Unilevers global supply chain. Lots of wonderful lessons and learnings in all this work where I was fortunate to work in business development and value creation roles, identifying and delivering increased revenue opportunities.Yes. There are incredible South African women in the startup ecosystem who are delivering phenomenal results. Looking at the businesses Endeavor supports locally, 30% of these are led by female founders, namely Candice Roberts (Call Force), Stacey Brewer (Spark Schools), Aisha Pandor (SweepSouth), Cynthia Mkhombo (Masana), Julie Mathieson & Ingrid Osborne (Saryx) and Kirsty Chadwick (TTRO). These four women through their businesses have jointly generated 4,000 jobs over the past two years.To me, the main challenge as a female in this industry is having your voice heard or someone taking a risk on you versus a male peer. Once your voice is heard, the numbers, performance, value delivery etc, are there. However, as a female, you have to work harder or deliver more, to be seen or heard. That being said, we females are sometimes are our worst enemies  as we need to speak out more and be more confident in how we pitch ourselves and the value and expertise we offer.Work-life balance, this comes with experience and Im sure we have all had stages in our lives when our work-life balance wasnt where it needed to be. I am definitely still learning.Set boundaries and stick to these, be sufficiently confident and comfortable to say no. If you are insecure or looking to please everyone, it is very difficult to achieve work-life balance.Endeavor proactively recruits female mentors and female entrepreneurs to the network. The mentors in our network are 60/40 male/female and we proactively support increasing diversity, as do many others in the ecosystem such as SAVCA, Future Females etc.As shared earlier, the female founder-led businesses in Endeavors South African portfolio have delivered incredible results, creating more than 4,000 jobs over the past two years. The female founders are all incredible business leaders and phenomenal people who go the extra mile to support and uplift South African females in their teams and in the broader community.This is a very complex question and Im not sure I am going to do it justice.The media must continue to focus on this and share the stories of these women who are successfully recovering and through this, encourage others.Find great mentors, proactively build your network and form strong relationships. Your network is your net-worth. Give back to others and through this positive cycle, doors and opportunities will open to you. Lastly, dont be afraid to ask  if you ask you might get a yes, if you dont ask its the same as receiving a no.There is an incredible group of mentors out there ready to support you and cheer you on  reach out for the support and ask for advice and assistance - doors will open!
NEW YORK, Aug. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Last week, New York Attorney General Letitia James filed a lawsuit against the National Rifle Association, looking to dissolve the nonprofit. Hours later, the NRA filed a lawsuit of its own, alleging James "made the political prosecution of the NRA a central campaign theme" during a run for office in 2018. Regardless of the eventual outcome, this spat will end with thousands of taxpayer dollars being spent and both parties in the same place they started: highlighting the absurdity of some aspects of the American legal system.

T.C. Morrison, a renowned trial and appellate lawyer for almost 50 years who has been described as the "dean of false advertising litigation," humorously explores a series of bizarre lawsuits in his forthcoming book, Torts R Us: A Legal Farce.

After graduating from New York University Law School where he was a Root-Tilden Scholar, Morrison helped Patterson Belknap pioneer the field of false advertising litigation. Many of his cases in this field, as well as the field of trademark and trade dress infringement, have become landmarks.

The book satirizes our modern legal system from a variety of absurd angles, featuring wacky lawsuits, venal plaintiffs, double-talking trial lawyers, and much more.

Written with humor and insider parlance that only comes from decades of legal experience, Morrison captures the trials and tribulations of human behavior that will strike a chord with every reader.

The story follows two twin brothers, Pup and Pap, as they hilariously navigate the legal world. Forming their own firm, Peters and Peters, the brothers consistently find themselves in interesting predicaments and engage in some of the wackiest dialogue never before heard in a courtroom. They prove particularly adept at constructing class action settlements that provide deliciously dubious benefits to class members, causing judges to scratch their heads in bewilderment.

Regardless if you are on the side of trial lawyers or a tort reform supporter, there is ample reason to pick up this book: for the mirror it holds up to the cherished American system of justice, and for the humor and enjoyment of it all.

Publishing on August 19th, you can learn more about Torts R Us: A Legal Farce at tortsrusbook.com and purchase the book exclusively on Amazon.

Media Contact:

Stephen Finan

410-841-4992

[email protected]

SOURCE Torts R Us
The race for the 2020 Democratic nomination for president began with the most diverse slate of candidates ever fielded by an American political party.

Yet when all the primary debates and rallies were over, left standing were two septuagenarian white men, Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and former Vice President Joe Biden, and left intact were several glass ceilings toward the nomination to the highest office in the land.

On Tuesday, a couple of barriers for nomination to the second-highest office in the land were broken when Biden announced Californias Sen. Kamala Harris as his running mate, making her the first Black woman and Asian American on a major partys presidential ticket.

Months ago, Biden committed himself to naming a woman as a running mate, and Harris always seemed the most likely choice to join him in electoral battle with President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence.

The charismatic first-term senator, who was once considered one of the strongest contenders for the Democratic presidential nomination, ended her campaign in December because of a lack of funding. In the Senate, Harris, a former California attorney general and San Francisco district attorney, quickly proved to be a relentlessly incisive questioner of Trump officials. It was a talent the daughter of a Jamaican father and Indian woman deployed against Biden in the first presidential primary debate, when she challenged him on his support of busing during the 1970s.

Speaking of a little Black girl in California who had to be bused to integrate a public school, Harris looked at Biden and spoke the five most memorable words of the debates: That little girl was me.

Bidens selection of Harris comes ahead of next weeks virtual Democratic National Convention. It makes Biden the only person to share national tickets with two different African Americans.

Its Bidens tenure as vice president with President Barack Obama that put him in place to make this historic choice of Harris. After dismal failures in Iowa and New Hampshire, Biden limped into South Carolina with a dying campaign. He emerged as the front-runner and eventual nominee, having been resurrected by Black voters, specifically Black women and older Black voters who watched him loyally serve by the side of Obama for eight years.

Loyalty begets loyalty, and no group of voters has been more loyal to the modern Democratic Party than Black women, who also tend to vote at higher levels than other groups. And they are pragmatic voters who werent ready to embrace Obama until he proved he could attract white voters in Iowa in 2008 and werent going to vote for Harris or Sen. Cory Booker just because they were Black.

In a year in which COVID-19 has called upon many Black women and other women of color to risk their lives as essential workers and suffer the consequences of the virus in disproportionate numbers, a year in which the world heard George Floyd call out to a Black woman  his mother  in the last moments of his life, Biden called on a Black woman to help him get elected and lead the country.

Not everyone is happy with the choice of Harris. Some Democratic activists have long been critical of her record as a prosecutor, and that criticism continued after her selection. In the months to come, shell have to answer for her record and policy positions

But we shouldnt be so partisan and cynical as to not pause to appreciate historic moments, whatever the politics of the history makers. The appearances of Geraldine Ferraro, Barack Obama, Sarah Palin, Hillary Clinton and Harris on national tickets, especially since the last four candidates have done so in four consecutive elections, signal that party tickets for the nations two highest offices can no longer be filled, by default, by white males.

In a gracious statement, Palin told Harris to climb on her and Ferraros shoulders for the most amazing view in your life.

Its a view slowly becoming more accessible to people who never dreamed it possible.
Syrian President Bashar Assad interrupted a speech he was giving in parliament because he needed to 'sit down for a minute' after suffering a brief drop in blood pressure.

Assad, 54, was half an hour through his speech when he began appearing tired and halted his speech twice to take a sip of water from a glass in front of him.

He was speaking about Untied States sanctions on Syria and the economic crisis in the war-ravaged country when he told his audience: 'My blood pressure has dropped and I need to drink water.'

Shortly afterwards, he said, 'I need to sit for a minute if you don't mind,' before exiting the room.

Assad spoke from a podium to the members of parliament wearing masks and social distancing, seated at least six feet apart in a huge hall

Assad, 54, was half an hour through his speech when he began appearing tired and halted his speech twice to take a sip of water from a glass in front of him

It was not clear how long he was away but when he returned, Assad, a trained eye doctor, joked that 'doctors are the worst patients.' He was greeted by applause from the lawmakers before him.

'I haven't eaten since yesterday afternoon. I have no sugar or salt and this happens,' he added.

Assad spoke from a podium to the members of parliament wearing masks and social distancing, seated at least six feet apart in a huge hall.

Syria has seen a rising number of coronavirus infections recently, although the overall reported numbers remain low with 1,327 confirmed cases and 53 deaths.

Limited testing facilities and Syrian government control over pandemic statistics have led to concerns that the real number of cases is much higher than what's being reported.

Syria has seen a rising number of coronavirus infections recently, although the overall reported numbers remain low with 1,327 confirmed cases and 53 deaths

Earlier, the presidency's office said the speech was halted for 'several minutes' because of a 'mild' case of low blood pressure the president suffered, after which he continued the speech as normal

Earlier, the presidency's office said the speech was halted for 'several minutes' because of a 'mild' case of low blood pressure the president suffered, after which he continued the speech as normal.

The presidency's Facebook page posted that the speech would be aired later Wednesday. It did not provide further details. Assad, 54, is not known to have any specific health condition.

Assad gave the speech Wednesday on the occasion of the first parliament session after elections were held last month. The vote was the third to take place in Syria since the country's conflict began in 2011.

The elections also coincided with Syria's worst economic crisis and a currency crash, which has dragged more of the country's population into poverty.
The President of the National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS), Mr. Isaac Jay Hyde, has lauded President Akufo-Addo and the Minister of Education, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, popularly known as NAPO for their guidance in ensuring unity in their ranks.



Mr. Hyde made these comments when the Education Minister joined senior MASCLOC officials to present a 33-seater Isuzu bus donated by MASLOC following a request to the Minister. The Minister subsequently facilitated the process through collaboration with MASLOC, via its Chief Executive, Mr. Stephen Amoah, and the board chair, Mr. Seth Baah.



We truly appreciate the guidance of His Excellency the President and the Honourable Ministers guidance in ensuring that there is unity in the ranks of NUGS. They have been true fathers to us in all our deliberations and it has been a pleasure to work and interact with them, he stated.



In attendance at the event were the Deputy Minister of Education (TVET), Hon. Gifty Twum-Ampofo, the Director-General of the Ghana Education Service (GES), Prof. Kwasi Opoku Amankwaa, senior officials of both the Ministry and the GES, the NPPs National Youth Organiser, Henry Nana Boakye and other executive members of NUGS.









Source: King Edward Ambrose Washman Addo/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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One driver remains hospitalized after a head-on crash Sunday afternoon in Maxatawny Township that sent both to Reading Hospital with serious injuries.

Lynne D. Sell, 78, of Kutztown was in fair condition, a hospital spokeswoman said Wednesday afternoon.

The hospital did not have a record of the other driver, Jennifer A. Turk, 30, of Blandon.

The crash happened shortly after noon on Fleetwood Road near Forest View Road in the village of Bowers, state police at Reading said.

According to state police:

Turk was eastbound when she tried to turn left and her car collided with a westbound car driven by Sell.

Turks car spun and crossed a patch of grass and came to rest in the parking lot of a business.

According to Lyons fire Chief Nathan Keller, the driver of one vehicle had to be extricated from the wreckage.

Fleetwood Road was closed from Bowers Road to Kohler Road as crews cleared the scene.

Both vehicles were towed.

The Topton Fire Department assisted at the scene, Keller said.
Teens who smoke or vape may be putting themselves at higher risk of getting the coronavirus, says a new study out of Stanford University. Our findings from a national sample of adolescents and young adults show that e-cigarette use and dual-use of e-cigarettes and cigarettes are significant underlying risk factors for COVID-19 that has previously not been shown, the authors write.

Published in the Journal of Adolescent Health this week, the study was conducted using an online survey of 4,351 teens and young adults in the U.S. ranging in age from 13 to 24. All 50 states, the District of Columbia and three U.S. territories were represented by the group, and the researchers adjusted the sample for confounding factors such as obesity, race/ethnicity, sex and compliance with stay-at-home orders.

A new study from Stanford University suggests that teens and young adults who vape are five times more likely to get diagnosed with COVID-19 than those who don't. (Photo: Getty Images)

Survey participants were asked about both past 30-day use of cigarettes and e-cigarettes, as well as their lifetime use  and were also asked whether they had experienced symptoms of COVID-19, or received a positive test. While a link between the two was expected, the results were striking.

A COVID-19 diagnosis, the authors found, was five times more likely among those who used e-cigarettes  and seven times more likely among those who used both e-cigarettes and cigarettes. Individuals who had used e-cigarettes and cigarettes in the past 30 days were nearly five times more likely to show symptoms of the virus.

Bonnie Halpern-Felsher, a professor of pediatrics at Stanford University and one of the key authors on the study, said the result was higher than anticipated. I wasnt surprised by the findings in general, but I didnt expect to see a five to seven times higher risk of being diagnosed with COVID-19, Halpern-Felsher tells Yahoo Life.

Ilona Jaspers, professor of pediatrics and microbiology & immunology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and one of the nations leading experts on teens and vaping, also found the data compelling. The finding is certainly novel and of significant impact, but potentially not surprising, Jaspers tells Yahoo Life. While it aligns with what many of us have suspected, the data included in this article provide important evidence supporting the potential link between vaping and increased risk for COVID-19.

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As a population study, it did not explore the reason that vaping and smoking may put individuals at higher risk. But Jaspers says part of it may boil down to immune function. Several previous studies have shown that vaping causes an overall suppression of immune responses in the lung, Jaspers explains. Rodent studies have linked exposure to e-cigarettes with increased susceptibility to and severity of other respiratory viruses, such as influenza. Our own studies have shown that several components of respiratory host defense functions can be significantly suppressed by vaping and specific components of e-cigarettes.

Dr. Panagis Galiatsatos, a pulmonary and critical care doctor at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and spokesperson for the American Lung Association, expanded on the concept in an April interview with Yahoo Life. If youre putting anything else that isnt just good air into the lungs, youre running the risk of these toxins changing the basic molecular structure of the lungs, Galiatsatos told Yahoo Life. Ive seen e-cigarette users who want to quit because theyre having dire health consequences, and the most basic [of their complaints] is, I get a cold and it takes me months to get rid of.

Halpern-Felsher says that while decreased immune function may definitely contribute, there may be other factors about vaping that led to an increased risk of COVID-19.  It might also be that youth vaping/smoking increases exposure to the virus as youth often share their e-cig devices, or the hand-to-mouth action, whereby you can touch the virus and then your hands, says Halpern-Felsher. Also, the large plume of aerosol could carry virus in the aerosol and then be breathed in deep in the lungs.

Given that millions of teens in the U.S. currently vape, Halpern-Felsher hopes the study will be taken as a warning. I really hope that teens and young adults recognize that vaping and vaping/smoking is harmful and that e-cigs arent harmless water or flavored water vapor. There are real consequences to vaping, and I really hope youth wont start or will stop vaping.

For the latest coronavirus news and updates, follow along at https://news.yahoo.com/coronavirus. According to experts, people over 60 and those who are immunocompromised continue to be the most at risk. If you have questions, please reference the CDCs and WHOs resource guides.

Read more from Yahoo Life

Want daily lifestyle and wellness news delivered to your inbox? Sign up here for Yahoo Lifes newsletter
SINGAPORE - Media OutReach - 12 August 2020 - Chubb announced today the launch of Recover & Return Insurance, a market-leading group insurance plan for businesses in Singapore. With countries and territories beginning to emerge from lockdowns, businesses need to consider establishing risk mitigation plans to protect workforces when they return to traditional workplaces.

Chubb's Recover & Return Insurance is designed specifically for employers to care for the health, safety and well-being of their employees so that they can return to their workspace with confidence.

Highlights of this product include lump sum payouts upon diagnosis of COVID-19 for the following[1]:

Benefits for the employee -

1. Admission to hospital.

2. Admission to the Intensive Care Unit.

3. Family bereavement in the event of the demise of an insured employee.

Benefits for the employer -

1. Counselling for employees should a colleague working nearby be diagnosed with COVID-19.

2. Workplace disinfection.

Ben Howell, Deputy Head of Accident & Health at Chubb in Asia Pacific said, "We recognise the need to enhance the confidence of companies and their employees as they return to their traditional workplaces. The Recover & Return Insurance complements our Work from Home Insurance launched recently. Both insurance products address the concerns of employers in providing sustained care for their employees in the new normal, whether working from home or their traditional workplace."









[1] These product highlights are an overview of the key features of the product. Please see the actual policy for exact terms, conditions and exclusions.





About Chubb

Chubb is the world's largest publicly traded property and casualty insurer. Chubb Insurance Singapore Limited, via acquisitions by its predecessor companies, has been present in Singapore since 1948. Chubb in Singapore provides underwriting and risk management expertise for all major classes of general insurance. The company's product offerings include Financial Lines, Casualty, Property, Marine, Industry Practices as well as Group insurance solutions for large corporates, multinationals, small and medium-sized businesses. In addition, to meet the evolving needs of consumers, it also offers a suite of tailored Accident & Health and Personal & Specialty insurance options through a multitude of distribution channels including bancassurance, independent distribution partners and affinity partnerships.

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Over the years, Chubb in Singapore has established strong client relationships by delivering responsive service, developing innovative products and providing market leadership built on financial strength.





More information can be found at www.chubb.com/sg.
The Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) has warned that the current tone of political engagements in Edo State poses a great threat to a smooth electoral process in the state.

Edo will elect a new governor on September 19 in the first of two off-season governorship polls scheduled for this year in Nigeria. Nigerias two dominant parties, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are the main rivals in the poll.

The civil society group blamed their activities for the threat to the peaceful conduct of the election.

CDD Director, Idayat Hassan, in a statement on Wednesday, cited the destruction of campaign billboards, exchange of verbal abuses by supporters of rival partisan camps in the state as some of the pre-election activities that could trigger violence over the poll.

The group said its observations arose from on-ground monitoring of events connected to the elections in the state.

CDD observers also reported that foot soldiers of politicians across the state, especially in rural communities, have engaged in the exchange of verbal abuses, hate songs and chants, capable of provoking violent confrontation at a localised level, the group said.

Asides the violence that erupted at the King Square in Benin, the state capital, late July, the CDD report also cited other instances of near-violent incidents where firearms were displayed by rival parties during campaigns in the state.

In one campaign rally in Okpella town in Etsako East Local Government Area, an open display of arms was documented, the report noted.

CDD berated the non-compliance of the parties to INECs policy on COVID-19 prevention protocols during their campaigns. It said the disregard for the preventive guidelines buttressed the notion that the lives and electoral objectives of politicians are more important than the health and well being of the citizen voters.

The group, therefore, called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to intensify its efforts in the area of training of ad-hoc staff to understand the new measures for COVID-19 prevention, and how to implement those measures at the polling unit level.

On the challenge of fake news, CDD urged INEC, political parties, the media, CSOs and community groups to engage the electorate in conversations which will highlight the problem of disinformation.
Tthere seems to be an editing war over Kamala Harriss page, being edited more than 300 times more than the next most frequently potential VP page in the last 3 weeks (Harris has had 408 edits, second, Stacey Abrams, 66)

https://xtools.wmflabs.org/articleinfo/en.wikipedia.org/Kamala%20Harris

Here's some fun facts about Kamala... Hint, she's the perfect match for Biden:
Mike Timani, president of the Moncton Lebanese Association, said hes sure some families in the Moncton Lebanese community will be affected by the rising injury and death toll caused by a massive explosion in Beirut on Aug. 4.

Videos are currently circulating the internet from Beirut showing a giant explosion accompanied by images of destroyed building interiors. The UN Refugee Agency reports more than 200 fatalities and missing cases, with thousands injured.

More than 30 Lebanese Red Cross teams are responding, according to the Lebanese Red Cross Twitter account. Theyve also said there is an urgent need for all blood types.

Timani said families are big in Lebanon, with members counting in the hundreds and thousands, and many still have connections back home, whether it be family or friends.

This is definitely heartbreaking and my heart is with the family whove lost their loved ones.

He said some of his cousins were a 10-minute drive from where the explosion happened. He hasnt heard from them yet, but doesnt want to jump to any conclusions.

According to 2016 census data, there are 390 immigrants from Lebanon living in New Brunswick, and more New Brunswickers with Lebanese heritage.

Georges Nammour, in Dieppe, learned of the explosion on social media, but it has since triggered a flurry of messages between Lebanese-Canadians and between their family and friends back in Lebanon, he said.

Some of his fellow Lebanese-Canadians have been able to connect with friends and family, but others havent, he said.

Everyone is wondering what happened. It might be firecrackers, it might be an explosion, in Lebanon it could be anything, he said.

This situation is further complicated by pre-existing infrastructure issues and the time difference. A lot of the time in Lebanon there is no power, with blackouts 15 to 16 hours a day, said Nammour.

It will probably be tonight that the flurry of communications will heighten, he said.

Most Lebanese people in Moncton have people they are close with back in Lebanon, said Nammour, noting he knows a couple who are temporarily divided between both countries.

Everyone is worried, he said.

Fredericton resident George Youssef said he has an aunt who lives about 20 kilometres from Beirut. He said she and the rest of his family are all OK but friends of his relatives werent so fortunate and are in the hospital because of the blast.

Youssef said his aunt thought it was an earthquake because the ground shook.

Luckily her windows were open and the patio doors were open so her glass didnt break, Youssef said. It (the tremor) went that far of a distance  20 kilometres. There are windows anywhere from a 10-20 (kilometre) radius that were all busted. It was like a nuclear bomb.

Alex Haram, the owner of Lets Hummus in Saint John, said his wife was on the phone with her sister when the loud blast shook the building. Thankfully her sister was OK, said Haram.

He said his wifes mother was in the mountains and could still see the explosion.

It keeps us worried whenever we hear something like that. Its ridiculous. It will never be stable.

He said its hard to know whats happening in Lebanon because theres corruption.

You never know the truth.

Nadia Khoury, a Fredericton resident, said she has family who do business in Beirut but dont live there. She said as far as she knows her relatives are all OK.

I will be in touch with my family there, she said. Were quite concerned. I am planning to call them.

Tony Saad, also of Fredericton, said he has one member of his family who works in the city, but suspects he is fine.

I havent heard anything, Saad said.

Ill find out.

The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.

Read more about:
President Donald Trump may no longer be a New Yorker, but it doesnt mean his old hometown isnt constantly on his mind. His latest fulminations about crime, politics and the coronavirus have frequently put New York front-and-center  often with inaccurate accusations. Here are some of the complaints hes leveraged against the Big Apple in recent weeks and months.

No COVID-19 vaccines for New York

Soon after news broke that the American pharmaceutical giant Pfizer had produced a vaccine that has inoculated 90% of those who have received it against the virus, the president threatened to withhold it from the state. "As soon as April the vaccine will be available to the entire general population, with the exception of places like New York state, where for political reasons the governor decided to say  and I don't think it's good politically, I think it's very bad from a health standpoint  but he wants to take his time on the vaccine," Trump said during a White House press conference on Friday.

The presidents remarks were in response to comments made by Gov. Andrew Cuomo in September, when the governor cast doubt on any vaccine in the works, saying that he would want a panel of experts to vet it first, before distributing it to New Yorkers. Cuomo shot back at Trump on Sunday, saying that the state would sue if Trumps administration does not provide an equitable vaccine process.

No more federal funds for so-called anarchist jurisdictions

Via a memo Trump approved in early September, the president is trying to pull federal funding from Democratic-led cities that his administration declares, in a seemingly contradictory term, an anarchist jurisdiction. Trumps attempt to restrict funds  which some experts have already described as legally dubious  specifically targets New York City as one of three cities to be reviewed due to its recent protests and defunding police. Gov. Andrew didnt take the threat sitting down, declaring the president a persona non grata. He cant have enough bodyguards to walk through New York City, Cuomo said in response. Forget bodyguards, he better have an army if he thinks hes going to walk down the streets in New York.

A pledge to win New York in 2020 presidential election

Trump declared in a Fox News interview on Aug. 31 that he would win the state in Novembers election. He claimed his supporters upstate and on Long Island would lift him to victory despite the fact that the solidly blue state hadnt voted for a Republican presidential candidate since Ronald Reagans election in 1984. All the outside of the little circle in the middle, which is crazy because I built so many things there, he said, referring to New York City. But outside of that circle  and I said it the other day. I said, I can't believe these people are happy. I can't believe they're happy. But you have to understand, a lot of people are leaving because of de Blasio and because of Cuomo. They're fleeing New York. Not only did Trump lose the state, but New York City erupted in celebration when Biden was declared the victor.

Crime in New York City

Trump has pointed fingers at Democratic mayors for overseeing rising violent crime, and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio features heavily in his complaints. The president explicitly blamed de Blasio in late July, saying the rise is happening because you have a radical left mayor who doesnt know what hes doing. Trump had even put the heat on Cuomo to tamp down on violent crime in the city or else see an influx of federal officers. Cuomo apparently talked him down from that stance. Still, New York continues to feature heavily in his commentary on shootings and violence. He attributed crime and chaos to policies such as ending cash bail, closing prisons and defunding police departments, specifically pointing to New York as an example  although New York hasnt ended cash bail, and crime is also up in cities that havent recently reformed bail laws or reduced police funding. New Yorks Finest are as good as it gets, and they should be allowed to do their job, Trump said. If they do their job, if theyre allowed to do their job, the New York City problem will be solved and be solved quickly.

A rerun of Carolyn Maloneys primary

Trump tried to delegitimize the electoral process and mail-in voting, in advance of the presidential election. As proof that mail-in voting is flawed, he repeatedlypointed to Rep. Carolyn Maloneys primary race, and even gone as far as calling for a re-do.

They are six weeks into it now and they have no clue whats going on, and I think I can say right here and now, you have to rerun that race because its a mess, he said, referring to long delays in counting absentee ballots.

None of the candidates in New Yorks 12th Congressional District nor state elected officials have found evidence of fraud. And days after Maloney cemented her victory, Trump continued to fixate on the race. She won, but they have no idea where the ballots are, he declared falsely on Fox News. While many absentee ballots were invalidated for missing postmarks or late deliveries  which Maloneys opponent Suraj Patel successfully sued the state over  they are hardly missing.

Telling New York City to be fairer to police

In addition to crime, Trump has also turned his focus to siding with law enforcement in the wake of historic protests against police brutality and systemic racism. He met with Patrick Lynch, president of the New York City Police Benevolent Association, in late July, sympathizing with the police union leaders objection to criminally charging police officers for alleged brutality. Trump also questioned why Lynch and fellow police officers continued to follow local laws that limit police using force. So the mayor tells you, you cant do that, he said. Your job is to keep people safe. Is that a higher calling than listening to a mayor?

Lynch had to explain to the president that if NYPD officers violate the law they themselves could be prosecuted. But, despite representing unionized civil servants in a city that opposed Trump 4-1 in 2016, Lynch was eager to echo Trumps complaints.The laws theyre passing are making it impossible because what happens then, were criminally charged, said Lynch. Its disgraceful. Its like they reversed the world. Its the upside down world.

Trump seemingly took those complaints to heart when he declared, The mayor, Bill de Blasio, should immediately hire back all of the police who were fired without justification. They were fired. I guess thats part of Defund the Police by the Democrats. They should hire New York Citys Finest back. But no police officers have been systematically fired in the city, even with the citys budget cut  and despite the many recorded instances of policing roughing up protesters during the recent Black Lives Matter demonstrations.

New York skewing COVID-19 numbers

While the coronavirus continues to spread rapidly throughout the United States, Trump has been eager to paint a rosier picture of the number of COVID-19 cases and deaths so far. Trump pinned some of the blame on New York and New Jerseys large outbreaks skewing the death numbers last week.

When you take them out, just as an example, take a look at Florida relative to New York, he said. Thats not to say anything wrong with New York, its just a very tough place. People are close together, its crowded, its not easy. But when you take that out, our numbers are among the lowest.

While New York and New Jersey did see large scales of death, omitting data from both states still leaves America ranking among the worst globally.
President Donald Trump on Wednesday tweeted support for businesswoman Marjorie Taylor Green, calling her a "future Republican Star" after she secured the Republican nomination for Georgia's 14th Congressional District, despite embracing a fringe conspiracy theory and facing backlash for espousing racist, anti-Semitic and Islamophobic views in past videos.

"Congratulations to future Republican Star Marjorie Taylor Greene on a big Congressional primary win in Georgia against a very tough and smart opponent. Marjorie is strong on everything and never gives up - a real WINNER!" the president tweeted.

Congratulations to future Republican Star Marjorie Taylor Greene on a big Congressional primary win in Georgia against a very tough and smart opponent. Marjorie is strong on everything and never gives up - a real WINNER!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 12, 2020

Green defeated neurosurgeon John Cowan in Tuesday's runoff election.

"The GOP establishment, the media, & the radical left, spent months & millions of dollars attacking me. Tonight the people of Georgia stood up & said that we will not be intimidated or believe those lies. Im excited to be the next Congresswoman of GA 14," Greene tweeted Tuesday night. "God bless America."

The GOP establishment, the media, & the radical left, spent months & millions of dollars attacking me. Tonight the people of Georgia stood up & said that we will not be intimidated or believe those lies Im excited to be the next Congresswoman of GA 14 God bless America   Marjorie Taylor Greene For Congress (@mtgreenee) August 12, 2020

Greene will face Democrat Kevin Van Ausda, but she's expected to easily win in the solidly-red district, which covers the northwest corner of the state. It's currently represented by Republican Rep. Tom Graves, who announced he wouldn't seek reelection in early December.

Story continues

MORE: 4 things to watch in latest round of primaries on Tuesday

The race gained the national spotlight after POLITICO uncovered hours of Facebook videos in which Greene expresses racist, anti-Semitic and Islamophobic views.

PHOTO: Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene speaks to a GOP women's group, March 3, 2020, in Rome, Ga. (John Bailey/Rome News-Tribune via AP)

Following POLITICO's reporting, many Republicans condemned her comments, including Georgia Republican Reps. Buddy Carter, Drew Ferguson, Jody Hice and Doug Collins, who called the comments an "embarrassment to the entire state."

"The comments made by Ms. Greene are disgusting and dont reflect the values of equality and decency that make our country great. I will be supporting Dr. Cowan," said House Minority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., in a statement provided to ABC News in June.

A spokesman for House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy told POLITICO the leader found the comments "appalling" and said he had "no tolerance for them."

However, unlike Scalise, McCarthy chose to remain neutral ahead of the runoff election, his campaign spokesman confirmed to ABC News Sunday.

But Greene maintained the backing of the House Freedom Fund, the fundraising arm of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, and of its first chairman, Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan, a staunch ally of the president.

And despite his statement in June condemning Greene's comments, Collins congratulated Greene on her victory Tuesday, saying on Twitter that he is looking forward to working with her.

Congratulations to @mtgreenee and @Clyde4Congress on hard fought victories tonight! I look forward to working with you to unite conservatives across our state to keep Georgia red and elect @realDonaldTrump for 4 more years!  Doug Collins (@CollinsforGA) August 12, 2020

In a tweet, David Shafer, chairman of the Georgia Republican Party, congratulated Greene on winning the runoff.

Rep. Cheri Bustos, chairwoman of the House Democrats' campaign arm, said in a statement, "Marjorie Taylor Greene is a next-generation Steve King who is now the Republican nominee for Congress because Minority Leader McCarthy refused to meaningfully oppose her racist candidacy ... Her views have no place on the ballot or in Congress. Georgia Republicans, and Republican candidates running across the country, will have to answer for her hateful views in their own campaigns."

ABC News has reached out to the campaigns for the top three Republican leaders in the House -- McCarthy, Scalise and Conference Chairwoman Liz Cheney -- seeking comment.

Additionally, ABC News has reached out to the House Republicans' campaign arm, the NRCC, for comment. On primary nights, the NRCC typically blasts out statements about GOP candidates' victories, but no statement has come for Greene yet. So far on Tuesday night, statements have only been sent out for Republican victories in Minnesota and Wisconsin.

In the videos, Greene falsely accused Democratic megadonor George Soros -- who survived the Holocaust as a child in Hungary -- of collaborating with Nazis.

"George Soros is the piece of crap that turned in -- he's a Jew -- he turned in his own people over to the Nazis," she said in one video POLITICO unearthed.

While it doesn't usually weigh in during primaries, the Republican Jewish Coalition endorsed Cowan, Greene's primary challenger, in July, saying, "The importance of the outcome of this run-off is too great for us to stay on the sidelines."

"Dr. Cowan's opponent, Marjorie Taylor Greene, would take our party in the wrong direction. Greene came to national attention for all the wrong reasons: repeatedly using offensive language in long online video diatribes, promoting bizarre political conspiracy theories, and refusing to admit a mistake after posing for photos smiling side by side with a long-time white supremacist leader," RJC Executive Director Matt Brooks said in a statement.

Greene also said she would feel "proud" to see Confederate monuments if she were Black because it would remind her of how far the country has come. She accused Democrats of "trying to keep the Black people in a modern-day form of slavery  to keep their vote." She also claimed Black Americans have equal rights in this country, saying, "Guess what? Slavery is over," and argued that while males "are the most mistreated group" in the United States.

She targeted Muslim Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., referring to her as "that woman out of Minnesota" who "has got to wear a head covering," and said that members of Congress should not be allowed to be sworn in using a Quran. She also asserted that "there is an Islamic invasion into our government offices right now," after the 2018 midterm elections, when Omar and Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., became the first Muslim women elected to Congress.

In addition to those videos, Greene has also embraced the QAnon conspiracy theory.

In a video originally posted on Facebook Live, which has since been re-posted to YouTube, Greene says that while she doesn't know who "Q" is, she believes he is "a patriot."

"He is someone that is very much -- loves his country, and he's on the same page as us and he is very pro-Trump, OK? Now, he appears to have connections at the highest level ... it's not just someone poking in the dark, messing with people," Greene said in the video. "He seems to be very high up. He seems to be very close to President Trump."

MORE: White House dodges 'QAnon' questions as conspiracy theory hits mainstream

ABC's "Nightline" reported on the "anonymous internet user" in August 2018, after attendees at a rally for President Donald Trump donned clothing supporting the anonymous figure. The conspiracy started in the dark corners of the internet, on an anonymous message board website called 4chan.

"Q's" followers believe he is part of the president's inner circle with a top-secret security clearance. One of the most outrageous ideas is that prominent members of the Democratic Party establishment and Hollywood are secretly pedophiles and engage in satanic worship.

Another theory that Greene discussed in the 30-minute video is that former special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation wasn't really looking into potential collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia in the 2016 election, but rather Mueller was "really looking into a lot of other very bad criminals that need to be taken down," and the reported contents of the investigation is to "lower the guard of ... all these different people that are in the swamp," Greene said.

After running through several of the QAnon conspiracies, Greene said, "I'm not presenting them that they're fact, but I am presenting them that I'm hoping they're facts."

Greene had originally been running the state's 6th Congressional District, a November battleground currently represented by freshman Democrat Lucy McBath. Shortly after Graves announced his retirement, Greene switched districts. Former Rep. Karen Handel won the Republican primary in June.

Trump praises QAnon-embracing candidate who won GOP runoff in Georgia after espousing racist views originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
A Sesame Place employee trying to remind a couple to wear masks was assaulted over the weekend at the park, but police say they have a lead on who the attackers were, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported.

Surveillance video and other records helped police get a tentative identity, the outlet reported. If that identity is confirmed, warrants will need to be approved by the Bucks County District Attorneys office.

Police previously said that the 17-year-old employee was attacked at the park around 5 p.m. Sunday when the man and woman punched the employee after he reminded them to wear a mask.

The couple ran away from the park and left in a vehicle with New York plates, police said.

The teen required treatment for injuries to his jaw and tooth, police said.

Sesame Place said it was cooperating with police on the investigation, adding that the health and safety of our guests and team members is our top priority, and violence of any kind is unacceptable and not tolerated at our park.

Read more on PennLive:
Kelly Brook appeared in great spirits when she headed to work at the Heart FM radio studios in London on Wednesday.

The 40-year-old slipped into a denim playsuit which showed off her lithe legs, teaming it with a pair of cream ankle boots.

She wore dark designer shades and carried a Chanel bag on her arm as she stepped out into London's heatwave.

On her way: Kelly Brook wore a denim playsuit to head to work at Heart FM radio studios on Wednesday as she discusses all the details of her dream wedding proposal

During her radio show, Kelly discussed her dream wedding proposal - she has been dating Jeremy Parisi since 2015.

She said: 'Okay, disclaimer first, before I talk about thisso JK said to me, if someone was going to propose, what would you like?

'And I remember going to Iceland and going to a beach called Diamond Beach, and its like black sand.

Loved-up: Kelly has been dating Jeremy since 2015 but says she doesn't want him to propose to her, despite having pinterest boards of her dream big day (pictured in 2016)

Discussing Diamond Beach, (pictured) Kelly said: 'The sand is broken up glaciers so it looks like the whole beach is covered in diamonds, so you can imagine at sunset how it would glisten'

'But on the sand is broken up glaciers so it looks like the whole beach is covered in diamonds, so you can imagine at sunset how it would just glisten and youre just surrounded by beautiful icicles that look like diamonds and I said that would be the perfect place to propose.'

But in a stark warning to Jeremy, she said: 'But I dont want to get married, so please dont propose to me.'

'Ive got the Pinterest board, of all the weddings Id have, virtually, Ive shown them to you, youve actually been invited to my virtual wedding!'

Details: Kelly teamed cream ankle boots with her outfit and carried a Chanel bag on her arm

'Youve seen the cake, youve seen the location, but I actually dont want it. I just like the idea of it, I dont want the day, its too much stress.'

JK said: 'But, youve got a cute dog now, it would be the perfect ring bearer, the ring attached to Teddy!'

Kelly replied: 'I love my dog but no, the ring bearer no! No I dont want it! No.'

Tune in to Heart Breakfast weekdays from 06:30  10:00.
Virginia Man Who Drove Into Black Lives Matter Protesters Jailed for 6 Years

A Virginia man who a prosecutor described as a leader in the Ku Klux Klan (KKK), has been sentenced to 6 years in prison for driving his truck into a crowd of Black Lives Matter protesters in the state in June.

A Henrico County General District Court judge on Aug. 10 sentenced Harry H. Rogers, 36, to a year in jail for each of his six misdemeanor charges, including assault, destruction of property, and hit-and-run.

Rogers still faces three felony charges of attempted malicious wounding in connection with the incident, the Richmond Times-Dispatch reported. The felony countsone for each of the three people struckwill be heard by a grand jury in September.

It comes after Rogers on June 7 drove recklessly down Lakeside Avenue on the median, drove up to the protesters, revved the engine, and drove into the protesters, according to a statement from Henrico Commonwealths Attorney Shannon Taylor previously obtained by The Epoch Times.

The attack, in which no one was seriously injured, was not ruled a hate crime by the judge because the victims were white, reported WTVR-TV. Judge Thomas O. Bondurant Jr. said the victims were not targeted because of their race.

Two of the victims struck by the 36-year-old in the incident testified. A third victim was only identified as John Doe. The prosecution played Facebook Live video captured after the incident in which Rogers boasts of driving through the crowd in Henrico County.

They scattered like cockroaches, Rogers said in the video, which he posted shortly before he was arrested by Henrico police. Its kind of funny if you ask me.

One of the victims, Richard Sebastian, who was on a cargo bicycle at the time of the incident, testified Monday that Rogers looked very determined. He said Monday that he was left with some bruising around his big toe.

Another victim, Mary Repole, said she was struck by Rogerss vehicle twice, the Richmond Times-Dispatch reported. She said she jumped on the hood of his truck to avoid being pulled under during one encounter.

I just wanted to keep his attention towards me rather than finding others to hit, she said.

During a hearing the day after the incident, Henrico County Commonwealths Attorney Taylor said in a statement that based on his social media posts and by his own admission, Rogers was a Klan leader and a propagandist for Confederate ideology.

Authorities, after searching Rogerss vehicle and home discovered several firearms, including an assault-style rifle, and a number of items linking him to the KKK, including patches, literature, and a green grand dragon robe.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Life was good for Aaron Brady in early 2013.

The young man from Crossmaglen was in a steady relationship with Jessica King, an attractive girl from Cullaville, and was renting his own property in Armagh. Every weekend after partying with his friends in Ridleys nightclub in Dundalk they would return to the prefab to continue their drinking sessions into the early hours of the morning. His father also had the prestigious role as chairman of Crossmaglen Rangers, one of the countrys most successful GAA clubs, where Brady played at underage level.

But despite all this, there were financial burdens hanging over him from a court case, and he needed to make quick, easy cash. This greed would have fatal consequences.

Born to Tony and Caroline Brady on February 16, 1991 in Dundalk, Aaron Brady and his family lived in the Monaghan village of Inniskeen before relocating to Nottingham in England.

His parents would later have two daughters, Sonya and Laurene.

Read More

After the family settled in England, Tony Brady worked as a milkman while also studying to be a physiotherapist for four years. He would later take up work as a physio for various GAA teams when the family moved back to Ireland in the early 2000s.

After returning home when he was 11, Brady attended Abbey Grammar School in Newry before moving to St Joseph's High School in Crossmaglen a year later. It was here that he met his best friend  a man who would later become Lordship robbery Suspect A  and the two men would become inseparable.

At the age of 16, Brady finished school having completed his ordinary level GCSEs and took up work as an electrician, serving his apprenticeship in Cavan before moving on to do a FAS course in Sligo for six months.

Due to the economic downturn, work dried up and like many people his age Brady emigrated to Australia in his late teens and later to the US.

When he returned to Ireland in 2011 he worked in his father's advertising business selling ads locally along the Border. He was also regularly socialising with another Armagh man some years older than him- and who would later become Suspect B in the murder.

The men were suspected of regularly carrying out burglaries and car robberies together, as well as freelancing in diesel-waste dumping.

Aaron Brady was also building up minor criminal convictions for public order, driving a stolen car and other motoring offences on both sides of the Border.

His behaviour was becoming more erratic and he would come to further garda attention.

In the early hours of October 2, 2011, he led gardai on a chase around Dundalk town during which he rammed two taxis and a garda patrol van.

The chase caused thousands of euros worth of damage and he was later charged with dangerous driving, unauthorised taking of a vehicle and three counts of criminal damage.

The bail conditions and curfew imposed did little to stop him, and he was also left with a compensation bill to pay for the damage caused.

By January 2013 Aaron Brady, along with his group of fellow bandits, made a decision to rob the credit union at Lordship  the last stop for the cash collection on the Cooley peninsula every Friday night.

The robbery, on the last Friday of the month, netted the gang just 7,000 while a further 27,000 was left behind in a separate bag. The raid had also cost Detective Garda Adrian Donohoe his life.

By the following day, during a chance encounter with gardai, suspicions were growing around Brady and his friends of their involvement in the Lordship robbery.

He walked into Dundalk garda station 10 days later to, by his own admission, clear his name of rumours around his local community linking him to the murder.

However, the compulsive liar did little to quell garda suspicions and their investigations into him would intensify after he spun a tissue of lies about his whereabouts that night.

The media speculation around his involvement increased, and one Sunday newspaper printed a pixelated image of him on their front page within weeks of the murder.

On April 8, the PSNI searched his home on behalf of gardai. The pressure got too much, and five days later he boarded an American Airlines flight from Belfast to Newark airport in New Jersey.

Coincidentally, his new British travel documents, which he had applied for after his Irish passport expired, had arrived days earlier.

First, he settled in Boston, working with his best-friend and fellow robbery suspect in tarmacadam and snow ploughing.

Within a year a major disagreement developed between the two men, which Brady said was because he had disappeared to New York.

In early 2014 he relocated to the Woodlawn area of the Bronx where he got accustomed to life within the Irish expat community.

He got a job in construction, played for a local GAA team, and would frequent the various pubs along Katonah Avenue every weekend.

Brady would tell the trial it was a home away from home and that many people he knew from Armagh had relocated in Woodlawn.

As time passed, Aaron Brady grew more confident. He was living openly among the community, using his given name and regularly updating his social media accounts on his new life in New York.

In time the fugitive would, in the words of prosecutor Lorcan Staines SC, start wearing the murder of Det Gda Adrian Donohoe as a badge of honour.

Detectives had even received information that he showed up to one Halloween party in the US dressed as a cop.

What began as confiding in only his close friends developed into more brazen admissions in one-off encounters with strangers or barmen.

Gardai obtained one statement from a witness who said he encountered Brady in the Tombstone Bar in the Bronx, in the summer of 2014 and, after being asked if he was the person on the run, he admitted to the shooting.

There was, the witness said, no bravado on this occasion and the man was surprised in the matter-of-fact way Aaron Brady had made the comment. At other times he was more boisterous about his involvement. Gardai received information from one man of how Brady was again in the Tombstone Bar on St Patrick's Day 2015 and openly bragged to his friends about what it was like to kill someone.

Aaron Brady's violent side came to the fore on this occasion as he assaulted the eavesdropper and threatened him to keep his mouth shut about what he had heard. The witness only identified Brady at a later stage after seeing a photo of a Crossmaglen Rangers team, but he refused to come to court.

The boasting by Brady extended beyond the Donohoe murder. Intelligence received by gardai in 2017 revealed he claimed to have worked for one of Ireland's most dangerous criminals back home. In one confidential report it was stated that Brady said he had laundered diesel for the Border Fox  the notorious paramilitary Dessie O'Hare.

By that time, it was common knowledge among the Irish community in Woodlawn that the Crossmaglen man was being blamed for the murder of a guard back in Ireland.

Key prosecution witnesses would tell the murder trial how Aaron Brady seemed to feed off this. Molly Staunton revealed how Brady and his friends said they were the most feared men in Ireland.

During the drunken rant he also expressed concern, albeit about his ability to provide for his unborn son rather than the murder.

Daniel Cahill, a barman who worked in one of the pubs Brady drank in, witnessed first-hand the murder suspects erratic behaviour. He told the trial of one fight in which Brady was punched in the face before threatening to kill the man who had assaulted him.

He recalled Brady shouting he was going to shoot the man who had punched him and that this wouldn't be the first person he'd shot and that he's no problem doing it again.

Other times he appeared more concerned about what happened, or at least the consequences he faced. Mr Cahill recalled an occasion in the bar where Aaron Brady was sitting at the counter nearly crying into his pint, saying he had nightmares about what happened. On a final meeting he would recall how Brady stopped him coming home from work one night and showed him a newspaper article of the Donohoe suspect living it up in New York. Brady menacingly told Daniel Cahill that the papers were writing about him, which the barman inferred as a threat to keep quiet.

Despite the numerous admissions during his time in the Bronx, Aaron Brady was confident they wouldn't come back to haunt him.

In late 2015 he had met Danielle Healy, a barmaid who worked in the Heritage Bar in nearby Yonkers where he regularly drank. By the following October the Kerry woman gave birth to the couple's baby boy. In April 2017 they got married and Brady applied for an American green card as Ms Healy was a US citizen. All seemed to be going well for Aaron Brady.

The fugitive believed his reputation in the Bronx was enough for people to maintain their silence, and that he was out of the reach of gardai in his new safe haven.

He was wrong. Shortly after 5am on May 18, 2017, his world came crashing in when Homeland Security agents detained him for being in the country illegally as he drove to work. Brady was deported the following week and sentenced to a years imprisonment over the Dundalk offence he was on bail for when he fled the country.

By March 2018, he had been arrested and charged with the fatal shooting of Adrian Donohoe and, following the longest murder trial in the history of the State, would be convicted.

He had built a new life in New York where he believed he was untouchable. But, for the next 40 years, Aaron Brady will simply be known as prisoner 74326.
(All amounts in CDN$ unless otherwise indicated)

VANCOUVER, BC, Aug. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ - Alexco Resource Corp. (NYSE American: AXU) (TSX: AXU) ("Alexco" or the "Company") today reports financial results for the three and six month periods ended June 30, 2020 ("Q2 2020" and "YTD 2020") and provides interim comments on capital development progress at Keno Hill in anticipation of silver production in Q4 2020. For Q2 2020 Alexco reported a net loss of $12.2 million ("M"), or $0.10 per share related primarily to non-cash items and other adjustments. At June 30, 2020, the Company had $17.8 M in cash and cash equivalents, and net working capital of $24.4 M. Subsequent to quarter end the Company completed an equity financing with aggregate gross proceeds of $30 M.

Q2 2020 Highlights

Consolidated Financial Results

Overall, Alexco reported net loss of $12.2 M or $0.10 per share for Q2 2020 compared to net loss of $1.5 M for Q2 2019. The net loss for Q2 2020 is primarily a result of a non-cash fair value loss of $11.6 M related to the embedded derivative associated with the Wheaton Precious Metals Corp. ("Wheaton") streaming agreement, as well as non-cash costs of $0.5 M related to share-based compensation and $0.4 M of depreciation expense.





or per share for Q2 2020 compared to net loss of for Q2 2019. The net loss for Q2 2020 is primarily a result of a non-cash fair value loss of related to the embedded derivative associated with the Wheaton Precious Metals Corp. ("Wheaton") streaming agreement, as well as non-cash costs of related to share-based compensation and of depreciation expense. The Company's cash and cash equivalents at June 30, 2020 totaled $17.8 M compared to $6.8 M as at December 31, 2019 , while net working capital totaled $24.4 M compared to $10.1 M at December 31, 2019 . The Corporation's restricted cash and deposits at June 30, 2020 totaled $2.9 M compared to $2.8 M at December 31, 2019 .





totaled compared to as at , while net working capital totaled compared to at . The Corporation's restricted cash and deposits at totaled compared to at . On July 7, 2020 , subsequent to quarter end, the Corporation completed an equity financing and issued 10,994,000 common shares at a price of $2.73 per share for aggregate gross proceeds of $30 M . In connection with this equity financing, the Corporation paid the Underwriters a cash commission equal to 4.5% of gross proceeds.

Mine Operations  Production Decision, Related Matters

On June 24, 2020 , in anticipation of receipt of the final water use license ("WUL") and final amended and restated Wheaton streaming agreement, Alexco announced that it is moving forward to finalize development of its mining operations at the Keno Hill Silver District ("Keno Hill" or the "District"). Initial concentrate production and silver sales are expected to occur in Q4 2020.





, in anticipation of receipt of the final water use license ("WUL") and final amended and restated Wheaton streaming agreement, Alexco announced that it is moving forward to finalize development of its mining operations at the Keno Hill Silver District ("Keno Hill" or the "District"). Initial concentrate production and silver sales are expected to occur in Q4 2020. On July 23, 2020 , subsequent to quarter end, the Company received the final amended and renewed water use license ("WUL") for Keno Hill from the Yukon Water Board. The WUL authorizes Alexco to source and use water, as well as deposit designated waste streams into approved facilities in and around planned production centers at the Bellekeno, Flame & Moth and Bermingham mines, and the mill facility.





, subsequent to quarter end, the Company received the final amended and renewed water use license ("WUL") for Keno Hill from the Yukon Water Board. The WUL authorizes Alexco to source and use water, as well as deposit designated waste streams into approved facilities in and around planned production centers at the Bellekeno, Flame & Moth and Bermingham mines, and the mill facility. On August 5, 2020 , subsequent to quarter end, Alexco entered into an agreement with Wheaton to amend and restate its streaming agreement whereby the silver production payment made by Wheaton will continue to be based on 25% of the silver production but will be based on a new payment formula which is described in Note 20 of the Q2 2020 financial statements.





, subsequent to quarter end, Alexco entered into an agreement with Wheaton to amend and restate its streaming agreement whereby the silver production payment made by Wheaton will continue to be based on 25% of the silver production but will be based on a new payment formula which is described in Note 20 of the Q2 2020 financial statements. In Q2 Elsa Reclamation and Development Company ("ERDC"), continued to advance reclamation and engineering activities related to the historic liabilities in the Keno Hill Silver District. During the quarter ERDC completed the environmental assessment for the Reclamation Plan. A final Evaluation Report by YESAB was issued in February 2020 and a final Decision Document was issued on July 20, 2020 .

Interim Operations Update

COVID-19

With an increasing workforce and expanding capital development activity on site, Alexco's primary focus continues to be the health and safety of our employees, contractors and the communities in which we operate. Our COVID-19 management plan continues with strict prevention measures in place, consistent with the guidelines of the Yukon Government and health officials.

Keno Hill Development Update

On June 24, 2020 the Company announced that it is moving forward to finalize development of its mines at Keno Hill, with a goal of mill commissioning and silver concentrate production in Q4 2020. Generally the Company is making steady progress towards its production goal with mine site development activities, recruitment of key personnel, securing and delivery of mine equipment and advancing capital infrastructure projects at the mill and across the surface operations footprint including camp expansion and mine surface support facilities  all proceeding as scheduled.

Underground activities are currently focused on rehabilitation of the primary access ramp and services installation at the Bellekeno mine, which will be the first mine to deliver ore to the mill in Q4 2020. Initial underground work at Flame & Moth also began in August with minor rehabilitation followed by resumption of ramp development, and similar work will begin at Bermingham later in September. Related to the underground work, new equipment comprising two 3.5 yard Load, Haul, Dump loaders (LHD's), two 20 tonne haul trucks and two twin boom jumbos have arrived on site, and additional equipment will be delivered consistent with the underground development schedule.

Major mill modifications and improvements underway include the installation of a second ball mill (7' x 10'), a second tailings filter press, two new concentrate regrind mills for both the lead and zinc concentrate, an improved fine ore feed system, and a crusher ventilation system including a new building enclosure around the existing crusher. All major process equipment has been delivered to site and completion of key mill improvement projects is anticipated with mill commissioning in Q4 2020.

The current focus of surface construction activities is the completion of camp expansion facilities including two new bunkhouse units, an upgraded administration complex, employee dry and wash facilities and maintenance and support facilities. Similar to the mill modification and construction activity, surface construction projects will be complete in Q4 2020.

The Company continues to advance with recruitment and onboarding of the Keno Hill operations workforce. The senior management team at Keno Hill is in place and key supervisors, operators, miners and certified maintenance trades continue to be recruited, with a current count of 68 employees on board at Keno Hill. In addition, 18 contract personnel are providing services with the majority of the vendors having partnership or joint venture arrangements in place with the First Nation of Na-Cho Nyak Dun. Alexco's recruiting efforts continue to prioritize residents of the Yukon first along with British Columbia. To date, over 90% of Keno Hill employees are from the Yukon and British Columbia.

Finally, the Company's 2020 surface exploration program commenced on July 17, 2020 and is expected to include a minimum of 4,200 meters ("m") of surface drilling focused on the Bermingham "deep target", where exploration drilling in 2019 successfully confirmed the presence of wide, high-grade mineralization at depth below the Bermingham high grade silver mineral resource. To date approximately 930 m of drilling is complete utilizing a single drill with a second drill to be added in the near future. Results from this drilling will be released when available.

Clynt Nauman, Alexco's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, commented, "The second quarter of 2020 saw us finally receiving our draft (subsequently finalized) renewed and expanded Water Use License for Keno Hill, clearing the way for our positive production decision. Quickly following, we successfully completed a final equity financing, which now positions us with a short runway to production in a rapidly improving silver pricing environment. We look forward to delivering the first ore to the mill and concentrate sales in Q4 of this year. Frankly, with vastly improved silver prices there could be no better time, coincidence or not, to be putting Canada's only primary silver producing operation on-line. Finally, with production now clearly in sight we are standing at the threshold of a new chapter in Alexco's journey, focused even more acutely on generating enhanced value for our shareholders."

Financial Report

Full details of the financial and operating results for Q2 2020 are described in Alexco's interim condensed consolidated financial statements for the three and six month periods ended June 30, 2020 with accompanying notes and related management's discussion and analysis. These documents and additional information about Alexco, including its annual information form, are available on Alexco's website at www.alexcoresource.com and on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and on EDGAR at www.sec.gov/edgar.shtml.

Conference Call for Q2 2020 Results

Alexco is holding an audio webcast conference call to discuss these results at 3:00 p.m. Eastern (Noon Pacific) on Thursday, August 13, 2020. To participate in the live call, please use one of the following methods:

Dial toll free from Canada or the US: 1-800-319-4610



Dial from outside Canada or the US: 1-604-638-5340



Conference ID#: Ask to join the Alexco conference call



Live audio webcast: https://www.alexcoresource.com/



Participants should connect five to ten minutes before the call. The conference call will be recorded and an archived audio webcast will be available at https://www.alexcoresource.com/

Qualified Persons

The disclosure in this news release of scientific and technical information regarding exploration projects on Alexco's mineral properties has been reviewed and approved by Alan McOnie, FAusIMM, Vice President, Exploration, while that regarding mine development and operations has been reviewed and approved by Neil Chambers, P.Eng., Chief Mine Engineer, both of whom are Qualified Persons as defined by National Instrument 43-101  Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101").

About Alexco

Alexco is a Canadian primary silver company that owns and operates the majority of the historic Keno Hill Silver District, in Canada's Yukon Territory, one of the highest-grade silver deposits in the world. Alexco is currently advancing Keno Hill to production and expects to start concentrate production and shipments in Q4 2020. As per Alexco's 2020 pre-feasibility study, Keno Hill is expected to produce an average of approximately 4 million ounces of silver per year contained in high quality lead/silver and zinc concentrates. Total production over an 8-year mine life is estimated at 1.18 million tonnes of ore at an average rate of 430 tonnes per day at an average grade of 805 grams per tonne. Keno Hill retains significant potential to grow and Alexco has a long history of expanding the operation's Mineral Resources through successful exploration.

Some statements ("forward-looking statements") in this news release contain forward-looking information plans related to Alexco's business and other matters that may occur in the future, made as of the date of this news release. Forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which could cause actual events or results to differ from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Such factors include, among others, risks related to risks and uncertainties relating to the COVID-19 pandemic including but not limited to business closures, quarantines and a general reduction in consumer activity; actual results and timing of exploration and development, mining, environmental services and remediation and reclamation activities; future prices of silver, gold, lead, zinc and other commodities; possible variations in mineral resources, grade or recovery rates; failure of plant, equipment or processes to operate as anticipated; accidents, labour disputes and other risks of the mining industry; First Nation rights and title; continued capitalization and commercial viability; global economic conditions; competition; and delays in obtaining governmental approvals or financing or in the completion of development activities. Forward-looking statements are based on certain assumptions that management believes are reasonable at the time they are made. In making the forward-looking statements included in this news release, Alexco has applied several material assumptions, including, but not limited to the circumstances surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, although evolving, will stabilize or at least not worsen; that the extent to which COVID-19 may impact the Company, including without limitation disruptions to the mobility of Company personnel, costs associated with implementation of health and safety protocols, increased labour and transportation costs, and other related impacts, will not change in a materially adverse manner; Alexco will be able to raise additional capital as necessary, that the proposed exploration and development activities will proceed as planned, and that market fundamentals will result in sustained silver, gold, lead and zinc demand and prices. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Alexco expressly disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as otherwise required by applicable securities legislation.

SOURCE Alexco Resource Corp.

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-12 10:14:14|Editor: huaxia

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TRIPOLI, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- The International Organization for Migration (IOM) on Tuesday said that 23 illegal immigrants have been rescued off the Libyan coast.

"Today, 23 migrants, among them two women and one child were returned to Libya by the coast guard," IOM tweeted.

"IOM staff who were onsite provided emergency assistance. More than 7,000 migrants were returned to Libya so far this year," IOM said.

The state of insecurity and chaos from which Libya has been suffering since the downfall of former leader Gaddafi's regime in 2011 triggered the wave of illegal immigrants from the country who want to cross the Mediterranean towards Europe.

Immigrant shelters in Libya have been overcrowded with migrants despite repeated international calls to close them.

Before the Libyan authorities closed the country's borders as a precautionary measure against COVID-19, IOM had been running a Voluntary Humanitarian Return program that arranges the return of illegal immigrants stranded in Libya to their countries of origin. Enditem
When the COVID-19 pandemic began to pick up speed in the Bay Area in February and early March, it was the tail end of the flu season. The common viral infection that crops up every fall and winter had mostly run its course and the possibility of the coronavirus teaming up with influenza to overwhelm hospitals luckily wasnt a huge threat.

But as kids go back to school and August starts to wane, medical experts are still unsure of how the upcoming flu season could impact the current medical crisis. One thing they do agree on is that one of the best defenses is making sure you get this years flu shot.

Not getting a flu vaccine is like not wearing a mask, said Dr. Randy Bergen, clinical lead for Kaiser Permanente Northern California flu vaccine program. If youre not going to walk into your grocery store without a mask because you know it protects other people, you need to get a flu shot too.

The CDC estimates that influenza has resulted in between 140,000 to 810,000 hospitalizations and between 12,000 to 61,000 deaths annually since 2010. Since the illness can exacerbate the already burdened hospital system across the U.S., Bergen said even if youre sheltering in place, its very important to get out and get a flu vaccine this year.

In terms of the impact on our overall healthcare system its so important we protect as many people as we can from influenza this year, he said.

While both COVID-19 and influenza can be dangerous on their own, Bergen said there have been few studies on what it looks like if the body contracts both influenza and COVID-19 at the same time. Most concerning is that some evidence suggests that when your immune system is weak from recovering from one of the illnesses, you may be more susceptible to the other. This could lead to heart attack or secondary pneumonia or other complications.

What we know is these are viruses that affect multiple organs, Bergen said. The repercussions of influenza and COVID-19 seem to be multifactorial, especially for those that have underlying conditions and recovery can be very long. With that information, it may not be common to get those infections at the same time but I would worry that those getting them in sequence, its not going to be good for them.

Due to lags and other issues with COVID-19 testing right now, Bergen couldnt say whether or not people should get tested for COVID if they are fairly certain they have the flu. Unfortunately its about what kind of testing capacity we would have then to tell people what to do if they think they may have the flu but also could be COVID, he said. In a perfect world if they have mild symptoms that they normally wouldnt seek medical attention for it would be ideal for them to find out if they have COVID or not. But it might not be a practical option.

Bergen said its always a good option to reach out to your physician if youre unsure of what to do or if youre concerned about your symptoms.

The vaccine should be widely available by mid-September, but Bergen said its important to remember that the same ways you avoid the flu are the same ways to avoid COVID-19. Wash your hands frequently and try and avoid touching your mouth, nose and eyes as much as possible. With school starting, he said its especially key.

The single most important difference that Im seeing between COVID and the flu is children, Bergen said. Year over year the flu season will start in the schools. The children spread it among themselves and take it home. This is a pattern every year. Theres still a lot of uncertainty in childrens role in spreading COVID. Theres no controversy in children spreading influenza.

If theres one silver lining from the pandemic, it may be that this years flu season could be much less devastating than years past. Early signs from the Southern Hemisphere have been encouraging as they approach the end of their winter. Due to COVID-19 preventative measures like mask-wearing and social distancing, countries such as Argentina, South Africa and New Zealand have seen an unexpected drop in influenza and other seasonal respiratory viral infections in May and June, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years.

Australia had just 85 confirmed influenza cases in the last two weeks of June, compared to 22,047 in the same two weeks in 2019. The country had a total of 132,424 cases last year, while this year it saw only 20,739 cases from January through June, the newspaper reported.

Australian authorities urged people to get flu vaccinations as quickly as possible in late March and pharmacists reported they administered more vaccines in three weeks than they did all of last year. The country also shut its borders in March and banned non-essential gatherings.

Argentina saw similar declines. Influenza cases dropped to 151,189 from January to early July, compared to an average of 420,737 during that period over the past five years, the WSJ said.

More than ever its in your best interest and your friends and familys best interest to get a flu vaccine, Bergen said. You may have concerns about leaving your house to do anything but make an effort to get a flu vaccine this year.

Tessa McLean is a digital editor with SFGATE. Email her at tessa.mclean@sfgate.com or follow her on Twitter @mcleantessa.
According to a press release published by the Croatian Brodosplit Shipyard website on August 10, 2020, the company held the cutting-steel ceremony marking the beginning of the construction of coastal patrol boats ordered by the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Croatia.

According to a press release published by the Croatian Brodosplit Shipyard website on August 10, 2020, the company held the cutting-steel ceremony marking the beginning of the construction of coastal patrol boats ordered by the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Croatia.

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Scale model of the coastal patrol boat for the Croatian Coast Guard. (Picture source Brodosplit Shipyard)

The first ship will be delivered to the Croatian Coast Guard in 2021.

The Croatian-made patrol boat will have a length of 43,16 meters and a wide of 8 meters. She will be armed with one 30mm automatic cannon mounted at the front deck and two 12.7mm heavy machine gun, as well as four portable anti-aircraft missiles.

The hull of the coastal patrol vessels will be built of high-strength steel AH36, and an aluminum superstructure. The ship will have a crew of 16 sailors with a sailing autonomy of 10 days.

The ship is powered by two 2525 kW engines fitted with an active rocking stabilization system that allows the ship to be fully operational at sea 4 and to meet NATO maritime criteria (STANAG 4154). It can sail at a maximum speed of 15 knots with a maximum cruising range of 1,000 nautical miles.

The new coastal patrol boat is equipped with a CBRN (Chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear) protection system and 7.7-meter RHIB (rigid-hulled inflatable boat) able to carry 6 people.
After months of uncertainty and grim headlines, some scientists are hesitantly recognizing what could be good news. During the first weeks of the Covid-19 pandemic, it was estimated that around 60% of the population would need to be exposed to the coronavirus to achieve herd immunity, which occurs when a high percentage of the community is immune to a disease.

A large-scale antibody study in Spain found that around 5% of the population had contracted the coronavirus, with significant differences between the regions  in the Soria province, the figure was more than 14%, compared to 1.2% in Cadiz. The hope of achieving herd immunity seemed like a long shot. But as time passed, a growing amount of research began to suggest that more people are protected against the coronavirus, or at least its most serious versions, than the antibody studies indicated. Experts, however, do not want this news to be used as an excuse for the relaxation of coronavirus safety measures.

When there is an infection from a virus of the same family there could be a cross-reaction and the immune system could develop antibodies similar to the ones that neutralized the other virus Juan Pablo Horcajada, the head of infectious diseases at Mar hospital

We have been living with coronaviruses for a very long time. Most of them cause minor respiratory problems [like the common cold], while others are more serious, like SARS and MERS, explains Juan Pablo Horcajada, the head of infectious diseases at the Mar Hospital in Barcelona. Four viruses in the coronavirus family cause around 25% of colds, and it is well known that when there is an infection from a virus of the same family there could be a cross-reaction and the immune system could develop antibodies similar to the ones that neutralized the other virus, he explains. What we dont know yet is if these antibodies can offer protection and if so, to what extent.

A study recently published in the journal Science estimated that at least 20% or perhaps up to 50% of people who have never contracted SARS-CoV-2 have some kind of cellular protection against the disease. It is likely this has been generated by previous contact with one of the coronaviruses that cause colds. The research, however, has been done on cell samples and the hypothesis still needs to be tested out in real situations and on real people. For now, the authors of the study, researchers from La Jolla Institute for Immunology in the United States, acknowledge that it is very speculative to link the better prognosis of some Covid-19 patients with their previous exposure to the coronaviruses that cause the common cold.

Similar research from other groups has found the presence of protective T cells, the white blood cells that destroy infected cells in the body, in between 40% and 81% of samples. This would explain the behavior of the pandemic in the last few weeks, says Manel Juan, the head of immunology at Clinic hospital in Barcelona. Although there is concern about the rise in cases, we are not seeing a repeat of the situation in March [when there were hundreds of daily deaths and hospitalizations] and this could be because a greater percentage of people are protected than is reflected in the antibody tests.

According to one study, up to 50% of people who have never contracted SARS-CoV-2 have some kind of cellular protection against the disease

Luisa Villar, the head of immunology at the Ramon y Cajal hospital in Madrid, says that more infections would have been expected, given that only 11% of people in the Madrid region have had the coronavirus, according to the serological study.

According to Villar, the response of T cells, developed by contact with similar viruses or a persons very immune system, could also explain the heterogeneous impact of the disease. In young people, T cells are more active, but this response starts to decline from the age of 70, she says. Thats why young people may have a minor case or even be asymptomatic, while seniors have much more serious symptoms.

One of the reasons why coronaviruses can cause colds is that they share a viral spicule protein that is used to colonize host cells. The laboratories working on a vaccine for Covid-19 see this spicule as the key to developing an immunological response.

While the research may explain why young people have less serious cases of Covid-19, it does not explain the gap in the contagion rates between Spains 17 regions. I would have thought that there would have been more protection in the north of Spain, because you would think there would be more colds there, but thats not what we are seeing, says Juan.

In young people, T cells are more active, but this response starts to decline from the age of 70 Luisa Villar, head of immunology at Ramon y Cajal hospital

Jesus Rodriguez Bano, the head of infectious disease at the Virgen Macarena hospital in Seville, also backs the hypothesis that people have more immunity to Covid-19 because they have been in contact with similar diseases, but says there still needs to be epidemiological confirmation of the data. Its a similar situation with the flu. There is a certain degree of immunity after contracting a virus like the flu, he explains, adding that given the virus has led to a global pandemic its unlikely that the immunity is widespread.

A better understanding of the immunity of a population could shed light on the mysteries that remain about why Covid-19 affects people so differently. But measuring real immunity, beyond the presence of antibodies, requires tests that are expensive and difficult to carry out. In Barcelona, Manel Juan is leading a European project to develop an easier and faster test for determining who has immunity from T cells. This information could be used to help find out who is protected and to what extent, and also help design new vaccines, which help the body to generate a more efficient reaction against the coronavirus. For the moment, however, the good news that people who have never had contact with the virus can be protected needs confirmation via research.

English version by Melissa Kitson.
Gun-rights activist Marjorie Taylor Greene defeated physician John Cowan in a runoff election for the Republican nomination in Georgia's deep-red 14th Congressional District on Tuesday, AP reports.

Why it matters: Greene, a vocal QAnon conspiracy theorist who has been condemned by GOP leaders for making multiple offensive remarks about Black people, Jews and Muslims in Facebook videos, is likely to win a seat in the House come November.

QAnon is a far-right conspiracy theory that purports without proof that posts by an anonymous internet user from within the federal government are alluding to a secret war that the "deep state" is waging against President Trump.

The FBI identified fringe conspiracy theories, like QAnon, as domestic terrorist threats in 2019, according to Yahoo News.

Context: Greene defended QAnon in a 30-minute video and claimed that Black people "are held slaves to the Democratic Party," in a Facebook video published by Politico.

She also said Muslims should not serve in government, called George Soros a Nazi and claimed that the 2017 Las Vegas shooting was a targeted operation to help pass "anti-gun legislation." Soros is a Holocaust survivor.

House Republican leaders, including Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, criticized Greene for the videos after they surfaced.

The No. 2 House Republican, Rep. Steve Scalise of Louisiana, helped Cowan raise money and contributed to his campaign.

What she's saying: "The GOP establishment, the media, & the radical left, spent months & millions of dollars attacking me," Greene tweeted Tuesday night. "Tonight the people of Georgia stood up & said that we will not be intimidated or believe those lies."

In her victory speech, Greene criticized House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, saying, "Shes a hypocrite. Shes anti-American. And were going to kick that b**** out of Congress," according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

What's next: Greene is one of almost a dozen GOP candidates who have openly supported or defended the QAnon movement or some of its tenets.

Lauren Boebert, a Republican running for Colorado's 3rd Congressional District, is also likely to win a seat in the House in November.

Go deeper: QAnon's 2020 resurgence
Morgan Geyser, one of two Wisconsin girls who repeatedly stabbed their classmate because they claimed they were possessed by the fictional horror character Slender Man, lost an appeal on Wednesday. Geyser is pictured in court in 2017

One of two Wisconsin girls who repeatedly stabbed their classmate because they claimed they were possessed by the fictional horror character Slender Man has lost an appeal.

Morgan Geyser was 12 years old when she and her friend Anissa Weier attacked classmate Payton Leutner in a Milwaukee suburb in 2014.

Geyser, now 18, pleaded guilty to first-degree attempted homicide and in 2017 was found not guilty by reason of insanity. She was sentenced to 40 years in a mental health institution.

Her attorney, Matthew Pinix, appealed the ruling by arguing that Geyser should have been charged with second-degree intentional homicide, which would have placed the case in juvenile court rather than adult court.

But Wisconsin's 2nd District Court of Appeals on Wednesday ruled that the Waukesha County Circuit Court was correct in keeping the case in adult court.

Pinix said he planned to appeal the ruling to the Wisconsin Supreme Court but declined to comment further until he finished reading the decision.

Geyser (left) was 12 years old when she and her friend Anissa Weier (right) attacked classmate Payton Leutner in a Milwaukee suburb in 2014. Both girls were found not guilty of attempted murder by reason of insanity in 2017 and were ordered to serve sentences in a mental facility

Leutner (pictured) was stabbed 19 times but managed to crawl out of the wooded area and survived. Weier and Geyser admitted that they intended to kill Leutner

The appeals court did not rule on whether statements Geyser made to police should have been allowed at trial.

The court said it didn't matter because other evidence against her was overwhelming.

Geyser and her co-defendant Weier had admitted to luring Leutner from a sleepover to a wooded park in Waukesha, a Milwaukee suburb, in 2014. All three girls were 12 at the time.

Geyser and Weier claimed they were possessed by the fictional horror character Slender Man (pictured)

Weier stabbed Leutner 19 times while Geyser urged her on, according to investigators.

The girls left Leutner for dead but she survived by crawling out of the woods to a path where a passing bicyclist found her.

Both Geyser and Weier told detectives they felt they had to kill Leutner to become Slender Man's 'proxies', or servants, and that the character would kill their families if they didn't follow through.

Geyser, who is schizophrenic, admitted to manipulating Weier into believing in Slender Man.

Weier sentenced to 25 years in a mental institution after having been found not guilty of second-degree murder by reason of insanity. She is set to be released when she is 37.

Morgan received a longer sentence of 40 years because of her history of mental illness. She will be 55 when she is released.

Geyser is seen wearing bloody clothing after her arrest in the 2014 attack

Leutner spoke out about the horrifying ordeal, which left her traumatized for months and covered in 25 scars, for the first time in a docu-series called Inside The Verdict: Slender Man last fall.

She described how during the attack Geyser told her: 'Don't be afraid. I'm only a little kitty cat.'

The girls then fled the woods, leaving Leutner for dead.

They later told detectives that they believed Leutner would not survive.

'So, we told her we we're gonna get help, but we really weren't. We were going to run and let her - pass away,' Weier told detectives.

Geyser, after describing the crime in a separate interview, became worried about how much she had revealed.

In a clip from her interrogation, she confessed: 'I might as well just say it, we were trying to kill her. Will I regret giving you this information later?'

Both Geyser and Weier apologized for their actions during their sentencing hearings, but the judge determined that neither were mentally fit to be released.
Kamala Harris meeting PM Modi is 'coming of age' moment for Indian diaspora, says her home state newspaper

In meet with PM Modi, Kamala Harris refers to Pak terror role, agrees on need to monitor

Kamala Harris to become first woman with Presidential power: Here's why

Who is Kamala Harris? Tracing her Indian origins

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Aug 12: Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden has named Indian-origin senator Kamala Harris as his Vice-Presidential running mate, making history by selecting the first black woman to compete on a major party''s presidential ticket.

Kamala Harris: Joe Biden's Indian-African-American running mate | Oneindia News

Harris, 55, whose father is an African from Jamaica and mother an Indian, is currently the US Senator from California and often has been described as a trailblazer by former president Barack Obama.

She is the daughter of Shyamala Gopalan Harris, who hails from Chennai. Her mother, a cancer researcher passed away in 2009. Her father Donald Harris teaches at the Stanford University. Her parents separated when she and her sister Maya Harris were very young.

She and her sister were named Kamala and Maya to connect their heritage with their identities

Also Read:

A first term Democratic Senator from California, Harris had launched her presidential campaign in January 2019.

After initial few months, her campaign could not take off and by the end of the year, she withdrew from the race.

Early this year, she endorsed Biden for presidency and during the primaries and pre-primary season, she did not have a good relationship with Biden.

The two often clashed including the one CNN debate last year.

The two leaders appear to have mend their ways in the last few months.

Biden started appreciating her skills. Harris raised millions of dollars for Biden campaign.

Daughter of an Indian mother and a Jamaican father, Harris has known many firsts. She has been a county district attorney; the district attorney for San Francisco - the first woman and first African-American and Indian-origin to be elected to the position.

She was also the first female African-American and Indian-origin to become California's attorney general. Harris became the first Indian-origin and second African-American woman to join the Senate, winning the California seat vacated by Senator Barbara Boxer, who retired after 24 years.

Harris held the first event of her 2020 presidential campaign in Washington on the landmark campus of Howard University, from which Harris earned an undergraduate degree in 1986.

Criminal justice and legal rights were central to her campaign themes.

"Justice is on the ballot when we talk about health care justice, reproductive freedoms justice, economic justice, criminal justice, you know, justice in terms of equal pay for women," Harris said on PBS Newshour in October.

Harris has security-focused committee assignments, including the Judiciary Committee, the Intelligence Committee, the Homeland Security and the Governmental Affairs Committee.

She also has a seat on the Budget Committee. As a member of Intelligence, sheb has taken part in the multi-year investigation of Russian efforts to interfere in the 2016 US presidential election.

Political pundits say that she would perform much better in the vice presidential debate against Vice President Mike Pence.

She has in the past expressed support for the Clean Power Plan, a federal regulation aimed at reducing carbon pollution from power plants and creating more clean energy jobs.

While she supports broader immigration overhaul legislation, she also contends that the deferred action for immigration enforcement against some immigrants could be substantially expanded even without congressional action.

Harris batted for H-4 work visas which mainly impacted Indian spouses.

During her presidential bid, she advocated for a proposal to direct the Department of Homeland Security to provide retroactive work authorisation for immigrants who came to the United States as children often referred to as Dreamers.

Harris was born in Oakland and grew up in Berkeley. After her parents divorced, she spent her high school years living in French-speaking Canada - her mother was teaching at McGill University in Montreal.

In 2010, Harris became the first black woman to be elected as California''s Attorney General, overseeing the country's second largest Justice Department, only behind the US Department of Justice.

In this capacity, she managed a USD 735 million budget and oversaw more than 4,800 attorneys and other employees.

As California Attorney General, Kamala fought for families and won a USD20 billion settlement for California homeowners against big banks that were unfairly foreclosing on homes.

"Kamala worked to protect Obamacare, helped win marriage equality for all, defended California's landmark climate change law and won a USD 1.1 billion settlement against a for-profit education company that scammed students and veterans. Kamala also fought for California communities and prosecuted transnational gangs who drove human trafficking, gun smuggling and drug rings," it said.

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Story first published: Wednesday, August 12, 2020, 10:03 [IST]
Many Muslim majority countries bear the brunt of climate change, but their cultural awareness of it and climate action are often staggeringly limited.

A movement of Islamic environmentalism based on Islamic tradition  rather than imported white saviour environmentalism based on first-world political campaigns  can address both. And the post-COVID-19 lull in emissions is an opportunity to fast-track this.

It is a movement we sorely need. My home country Turkey, for example, is particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change, as temperatures are rising and rainfall is decreasing year on year, causing serious problems with water availability. In Bangladesh, it is estimated that by 2050 one in seven will be displaced by climate change, creating millions of climate refugees. In the Middle East, large areas are likely to become uninhabitable due to heatwaves likely to sweep over the region in the next few decades.

However, despite their vulnerability, many Muslim countries are contributing to the problem. Indonesia, the most populous Muslim-majority country in the world, is the worlds fifth-largest emitter of greenhouse gases, and is doing little to curb emissions. Bangladesh and Pakistan are the two most polluted countries in the world, but have taken no serious measures to address pollution. Inaction in the Muslim world persists despite a declaration by Muslim countries in 2015 to play an active role in combatting climate change.

You would think that those most affected by climate change would be the most eager to stop it. This is not always the case. Many Muslim countries are reluctant to impose Western concepts of environmentalism, or to bow to pressure from countries which have already gone through industrialisation without having to address pollution or curb emissions. Environmental colonialism is not the answer.

What would work, and has been proven to work, is using the principles of Islam to encourage conservation in Muslims.

Islam teaches its followers to take care of the earth. Muslims believe that humans should act as guardians, or khalifah, of the planet, and that they will be held accountable by God for their actions. This concept of stewardship is a powerful one, and was used in the Islamic Declaration on Climate Change to propel change in environmental policy in Muslim countries.

In fact, Muslims need to look no further than the Quran for guidance, where there are approximately 200 verses concerning the environment. Muslims are taught that greater indeed than the creation of man is the creation of the heavens and the earth. The reality is that nothing could be more Islamic than protecting Gods most precious creation: the earth.

It is this approach that can reach the hearts and minds of the 1.8 billion Muslims around the world, and it must be integrated with, rather than neglected by, the climate movement.

The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) also demonstrated kindness, care and general good principles for the treatment of animals, which form a benchmark for Muslims. He outlawed killing animals for sport, told people not to overload their camels and donkeys, commanded that slaughtering an animal for food be done with kindness and consideration for the animals feelings and respect for Allah who gave it life, he even allowed his camel to choose the place where he built his first mosque in the city of Medina.

A 2013 study in Indonesia showed that including environmentalist messages in Islamic sermons led to increased public awareness and concern for the environment. In 2014, Indonesia issued a fatwa (or Islamic legal opinion) to require the countrys Muslims to protect endangered species.

There are also organisations dedicated to using religion to pass on the message of conservation, such as the Alliance for Religions and Conservation (ARC). One of its most successful projects used Islamic scholars to convince Tanzanian fishermen that dynamite, dragnet and spear fishing goes against the Quran  and they listened.

This case also tells us that remote, top-down moralising is unlikely to be effective. The fishermen had previously resisted bans from the government, but were persuaded once they were told that they were acting un-Islamically. One fisherman said: This side of conservation isnt from the mzungu [white man in Swahili], its from the Quran.

Clearly, we need to speak the language of those whose behaviour we are seeking to change, particularly if that language is naturally averse to unsustainable policies.

Some Muslim thought leaders are aware of this and are eager to develop a homegrown environmental movement to emerge as thought leaders in their own right. For example, the Dhaka Forum this month ran a panel on post-COVID-19 environmental issues with the majority of speakers coming from the Muslim world.

Muslim countries have a head start in the climate race. They have a framework and a belief system which mandates protection of the earth and its natural resources. As Seyyed Hossein Nasr, a prominent proponent of the religion and environmentalism movement, argues, the desacralisation of the West has resulted in an ideology that humans have dominion over the earth, rather than stewardship of it, which is the Islamic view.

Muslims must become guardians of the earth once more, for the sake of their environments and for the sake of God.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance.
PRAGUE U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Wednesday called upon the young democracies of central and Eastern Europe to embrace their hard-won freedoms as they face threats from Russia, China and others while seeing backsliding closer to home, including in Belarus.

Americas top diplomat said the rise in authoritarianism was not an abstract trend focused on far-away capitals such as Moscow and Beijing but was apparent also in Europe and its backyard, notably in Belarus, which has been wracked by unrest since its disputed presidential election Sunday.

We see that authoritarianism didnt die in 1989 or in 1991. The storm was still there. It was simply over the horizon. While we wrote the epitaph on those types of regimes, we now know that it was premature, Pompeo said in a speech to Czech lawmakers. He and Czech Prime Minister Andrej Bibas, at a separate event earlier, had denounced the postelection violence and repression in Belarus.

We will continue to speak about the risks to the Belarusian people, Pompeo said. We want them to have freedom in the same way that people do across the world. The Trump administration has been criticized for its own approach to human rights, but Pompeo said the United States would remain firm and constant in its support for the rule of law and fundamental freedoms.

The administration has sought to improve long-strained relations with Belarus, and when Pompeo visited the country in early February, he was the first secretary of state to do so in 26 years. The U.S. recently nominated the first ambassador to Minsk in a decade.

Taking a strong line, Babis said recent events in Belarus were unacceptable. It was shocking to see what has happened, he said. To see something like that happening in Europe is so shocking so close to us. It is scandalous."

Pompeos speech to the Czech Senate came on the second day of a four-nation tour of the region dominated by U.S. concerns about European energy dependence on Russia and about security in advanced Chinese-owned telecommunications networks. In his remarks, Pompeo took particularly hard aim at China, which he said was an even bigger threat to democracy than Russia.

Russia continues to seek to undermine your democracy, your security through disinformation campaigns and through cyberattacks, he said. Its even tried to rewrite your history.

Pompeo, however, said that even more of a threat is the Chinese Communist Party and its campaigns of coercion and control. In your country alone, we see influence campaigns against your politicians and security forces, the theft of industrial data that you have created through your innovation and creativity, and weve seen the use of economic leverage to stifle freedom itself.

The CCP is already enmeshed in our economies, in our politics, in our societies in ways the Soviet Union never was, he said.

Pompeo told lawmakers that they are right to resist Chinese attempts to assert economic and political leverage over them. He noted several recent developments in which China has threatened Czech officials with retaliation for showing support for Taiwan, Tibet and Hong Kong.

The Senate president plans to visit Taipei later this month despite Chinas objections, a move that Pompeo applauded. Good on him," Pompeo said. Chinas world dominance is not inevitable adding."

Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor
(@FahadShabbir)

Norway is overplaying the "Russian card" to justify the intensification of its military activity in the region and attract more NATO contingents, the Russian Foreign Ministry's Second European Department Director Sergey Belyaev told Sputnik on Wednesday

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 12th August, 2020) Norway is overplaying the "Russian card" to justify the intensification of its military activity in the region and attract more NATO contingents, the Russian Foreign Ministry's Second European Department Director Sergey Belyaev told Sputnik on Wednesday.

In mid-July, Norwegian Ambassador to Russia Rune Resaland claimed that the Russian air force had conducted maneuvers imitating attacks on Norwegian targets.

"Norway is attempting to justify the buildup of its military activity in Northern Europe and draw NATO into the Arctic. The Norwegian authorities are actively playing the 'Russian card' to validate this approach before their own population. Hence the growing grimness of statements," Belyaev said.

The diplomat said all of Russia's air force training flights conformed to the international rules and were aimed neither against Norway nor any other country.

Against that backdrop, the size of NATO troops in Norway has been constantly growing, Belyaev continued.

"NATO deliberately 'pumped' contingents into Norway. The size of foreign troops is constantly growing. Tricks with calling it a rotation and linking their deployment to drills are unconvincing. In fact, we are witnessing the constant deployment of NATO troops on the territory of a state with which we have a common border," the diplomat said.

Moreover, the scale of Norway-based NATO drills featuring Russia as an enemy has steadily increased in recent years, according to Belyaev.

The perceived "Russian threat" is mostly common in the Baltic states and Poland. The Russian Foreign Ministry and other authority instances have repeatedly refuted any plans to attack any of the NATO member states.

According to Moscow, NATO takes advantage of the countries that promote this rhetoric to deploy more troops and military hardware near the Russian border.
Congressional Republicans came a step closer Tuesday to welcoming into their ranks a promoter of the QAnon conspiracy theory, whose adherents believe President Donald Trump is battling a cabal of "deep state" saboteurs who worship Satan and traffic children for sex.

Marjorie Taylor Greene, who has endorsed the baseless theory and made a slew of other racist remarks on video, won a Republican primary runoff in Georgia's 14th Congressional District, according to The Associated Press. Her victory, in a northwestern swath of the state that has favored Republicans by wide margins, sets her up to become QAnon's first devotee in Congress.

Trump tweeted congratulations to Greene on Wednesday morning, saying she is "strong on everything and never gives up - a real WINNER!" He did not endorse in the runoff.

Greene, who owns a construction company jointly with her husband, defeated John Cowan, a neurosurgeon. She will face Democrat Kevin Van Ausdal, an IT specialist, in November.

GOP leaders, whose standard-bearer rose to political prominence on the basis of a conspiracy theory about Barack Obama's birthplace, have watched her ascent with some unease. Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La., the House Republican whip, endorsed her primary opponent. Republican members of Georgia's delegation privately urged the party's House leader, Kevin McCarthy of California, to do more to intervene in the race, according to multiple GOP aides who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the conversations.

"There are a lot of members livid at McCarthy for sitting back and doing nothing to stop this woman from being elected while the entire Georgia delegation, Scalise and some moderates tried" to help her opponent, said one House Republican aide closely monitoring the race. A spokesman for McCarthy did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Rep. Tom Emmer, R-Minn., chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, rebuked Greene for racist, Islamophobic and anti-Semitic remarks that came to light in June, but a spokesman for the House Republican fundraising arm declined to say Tuesday whether the group would back its nominee.

The elevation of Greene to federal office would mark a watershed for adherents of QAnon, which the FBI has identified as a potential domestic terrorism threat. The convoluted pro-Trump philosophy took shape on internet message boards in the fall of 2017, with posts from a self-proclaimed government insider identified as "Q." The worldview has been core to numerous violent acts, according to law enforcement, including two killings, a kidnapping, vandalism of a church and a heavily armed standoff near the Hoover Dam.

Above all, the theory's devotees crave recognition from Trump and his allies, making a congressional victory a mark of legitimacy. At the same time, they seek the exposure of what they believe is a vast conspiracy at the heart of the American government, as well as the mass arrest of those complicit in it - mainly Democrats, celebrities and members of the media.

If the placement of a presumed ally within the halls of power does not bring about that result, experts noted, QAnon could lose credibility, even for some of its most fervent followers.

"If there is evidence in support of QAnon, then Greene should be expected to disclose it," said Ethan Porter, a professor of media and public affairs at George Washington University. "If she is unable to do so, she should be called for what she is: a reactionary fabulist."

Greene, in a victory speech Tuesday night, lambasted the "Republican establishment," in addition to Democrats and the news media, according to a reporter for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution who said he was quickly escorted from her campaign's celebration. The nominee singled out House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., calling her "anti-American" and adding, "We're going to kick that b---- out of Congress," according to the reporter.

Greene's campaign manager, Isaiah Wartman, did not respond to a request for comment. An email to the state party's executive director, Stewart Bragg, also went unanswered.

Greene, however, has been unequivocal about her views, including on the sprawling conspiracy theory movement that follows the online prophecies of Q.

"Q is a patriot," Greene said in a video posted on YouTube this summer. "We know that for sure."

Greene said that while the identity of the pseudonymous figure remained unknown to her, signs that the cryptic online hints were making their way to the president gave her hope.

"There's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to take this global cabal of Satan-worshiping pedophiles out, and I think we have the president to do it," she said.

Twitter recently took action against the conspiracy theory, including by eliminating more than 7,000 accounts. Facebook is also weighing new action, a representative said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss ongoing deliberations.

Greene is among numerous pro-Trump congressional candidates who have expressed faith in QAnon. Most, however, stand little chance of being elected because their districts are deep blue. Colorado's Lauren Boebert, who defeated Rep. Scott R. Tipton in a June primary, told an interviewer that the conspiracy theory meant "a lot of things to different people" but that she does not personally support it. Her rural district is heavily Republican, but Democrats are targeting it in November.

In Greene's district, where Trump won by 53 percentage points in 2016, her Democratic opponent faces an uphill climb to keep her from Congress. Van Ausdal's campaign manager, Vinnie Olsziewski, said he would like the race to focus on local issues but knows the candidates are now under a national spotlight.

"What she says, it speaks for itself," Olsziewski said of the Republican candidate. "We are not going to get down in the mud and stoop to that level."

Though the contests are distinct, he said he was studying the 2017 special election for Senate in Alabama, in which Democrat Doug Jones pulled off an unlikely victory against the Republican nominee, Roy Moore, who was dogged by allegations that he had made sexual advances toward teenagers when he was in his 30s.

In that race, Moore, a former state judge twice removed from office, was abandoned by his party's Senate campaign arm.

Republicans on Capitol Hill have yet to take similar action against Greene, though some did speak out against her when Politico unearthed hours of Facebook videos in which she spewed offensive remarks. In the videos, she said Black people are "held slaves to the Democratic Party" and called the election in 2018 of the first two Muslim women to Congress evidence of an "Islamic invasion of our government." She described George Soros, the liberal investor and Holocaust survivor, as a "Nazi himself trying to continue what was not finished."

Those comments were met with condemnation from Republican leaders. Emmer said he was "personally disgusted" by her rhetoric. Scalise called her comments "disgusting." McCarthy's office said in June he was appalled, though he did not choose a side in the primary.

In fact, Greene said in a recent video interview that McCarthy remained supportive of her. "Well, actually, I've spoken with Kevin McCarthy several times since then, and we have a great relationship," she said, according to a recording reviewed by The Washington Post.

In a statement addressing the controversy, Greene brushed off the criticism.

"Every Republican, every Christian Conservative is going to be called a racist and a bigot by the Fake News Media, as have Steve Scalise and Liz Cheney," she asserted. "I'm sorry my future colleagues are unable to stand up to the pressure and fight back."

On her words promoting QAnon, meanwhile, her potential future colleagues have been mostly mum.
By Trevor Hunnicutt

(Reuters) - Next week's Democratic National Convention will feature a lineup of heavyweight politicians, rising stars and everyday Americans making the case for why Joe Biden should be elected U.S. president on Nov. 3.

Here is a look at the speakers who will be featured during the four nights of virtual programming kicking off on Monday.

SHOW OF UNITY

The first night of programming represents an effort to display the country's full ideological spectrum uniting behind Biden's candidacy.

Senator Bernie Sanders, a prominent liberal who fought the centrist Biden for the Democratic nomination, and Republican former Ohio Governor John Kasich, a two-time presidential candidate, will tell voters why they both support Biden as an alternative to Republican President Donald Trump.

Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, a leading progressive voice who vexes conservatives and represents a younger generation of voters often at odds with Biden's policy positions, is scheduled to speak at the convention on Aug. 18.

In addition to Sanders, the convention will feature several more of Biden's former rivals in the Democratic primary, including former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, who has become a prolific fundraiser for Biden's White House bid.

Julian Castro, a former federal housing secretary who also ran for president, will be among the Latino speakers highlighting the party's focus on diversity, according to a person familiar with the programming.

WOMEN FOR BIDEN

Senator Kamala Harris of California, chosen on Tuesday to be Biden's running mate, will accept the party's vice presidential nomination in a speech on Aug. 19.

Several other women Biden considered for his No. 2 also will speak at the convention, including senators Elizabeth Warren and Tammy Duckworth, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham and Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms.

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Senators Amy Klobuchar and Catherine Cortez Masto, who were on the running mate list until they withdrew their names from the process, will speak as well.

U.S. Representative Lisa Blunt Rochester, who helped run the unusually public vetting process for Biden's running mate, and Biden's wife, Jill, who privately weighed in on the selection, also are on the list.

'EVERYDAY' AMERICANS

The televised convention also will highlight Americans who are not on the who's who list of Democrats but who represent the values the party hopes to project.

According to the national party, several of the speakers have been affected by the coronavirus pandemic, the ensuing economic fallout and the racial injustice the country is confronting.

They include a Florida immigrant who is a paramedic working on the front lines during the pandemic and a Pennsylvania farmer who voted for Trump but now supports Biden.

DEMOCRATIC HEAVY HITTERS

Two former Democratic presidents and first ladies will speak in prime-time slots throughout the week.

Former first lady Michelle Obama, who has not yet played an active role in Biden's campaign, will headline Monday in one of the week's most highly anticipated speeches.

She will be followed by former President Bill Clinton on Aug. 18 and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the party's 2016 nominee, on Aug. 19.

Former President Barack Obama, whom Biden served under as vice president for eight years, also will have a high-profile speaking role on Aug. 19.

Among the other top Democrats and Biden allies being featured are New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and California Governor Gavin Newsom, who both have gained prominence amid the pandemic, as well as House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a frequent adversary of Trump.

The final night will showcase Biden himself, as he accepts the party's nomination in a speech traditionally viewed as the starting gun to the final sprint toward the election. Biden will address the country from his home state of Delaware, after the party canceled in-person convention festivities in Milwaukee over concerns about infection risk.

(Reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt in New York; Editing by Colleen Jenkins and Jonathan Oatis)
The state today announced completion of $2.5 million in repairs to a parking lot and other work at Fair Haven Beach State Park that was damaged by high waters and flooding on Lake Ontario in 2017 and 2019.

This was Phase I of the project, said state and local officials who gathered today at the park in northern Cayuga County. Phase II of the project will soon begin, they said.

The project was lauded as part of the Resiliency and Economic Development Initiative announced by Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the wake of flooding along the lake and the St. Lawrence River the past three years.

Officials participate in a ribbon cutting following completion of Phase I of work designed to upgrade the park following Lake Ontario flood damage in 2017 and 2018. NYS Parks photo

Phase I included:

*Repairs to the parks West Beach lot. The work addressed damage from flooding by elevating the parking lot by approximately two feet to make it more resilient to future high water and provided enhancements for adjacent natural dune creation and habitat formation;*

*Installing an improved drainage system and repaved the parking area;

*Replacing an existing water service during construction; and

*Expanding the East Beach parking area, resulting in increased parking at the park, which is an important lake shore destination in Cayuga County.

Phase II will include:*

*Restoration of sand dunes. Native beach grass will be planted in order to create dunes along the northern edge of the West Beach Parking. The beach grass will capture windblown sand to build and stabilize the dunes.

*A 275-foot boardwalk will also be constructed that will lead from the eastern edge of the parking lot, through the restored dunes and terminate near the West Beach bath houses.

*Interpretive signage will be installed along the boardwalk that explains and educates visitors on the ecology of the Lake Ontario shore.

The improvements will be supported by $1.2 million in Resiliency and Economic Development Initiative money along with State Parks capital funding, officials said.

We launched the REDI program not only to rebuild, but build back better and stronger after shoreline communities were devastated by two 100-year floods within three years along Lake Ontario, the governor said in a press release. This is a necessary State investment that will help to protect New Yorkers homes and businesses, as our work is repairing damage from the past while improving our resiliency against the inevitable flooding and extreme weather events of the future.

Five REDI regions, comprised of eight counties (Niagara and Orleans, Monroe, Wayne, Cayuga and Oswego, and Jefferson and St. Lawrence) were established to identify local priorities, at-risk infrastructure and other assets, and public safety concerns.

The REDI Commission allocated $20 million for homeowner assistance, $30 million to improve the resiliency of businesses, and $15 million toward a regional dredging effort that will benefit each of the eight counties in the REDI regions. The remaining $235 million has been allocated towards local and regional projects that advance and exemplify the initiatives mission.
At times, noted Francis, we look at others as objects, to be used and discarded. In reality this type of perspective blinds and fosters an individualistic and aggressive throw-away culture, which transforms the human being into a consumer good. By contrast, the believer, contemplating his or her neighbour as a brother or sister, and not as a stranger, looks at him or her compassionately and empathetically, not contemptuously or with hostility. Contemplating the world in the light of faith, with the help of grace, we strive to develop our creativity and enthusiasm in order to resolve the ordeals of the past.

Vatican City (AsiaNews)  The pandemic has shown humanitys vulnerability and interconnectedness, showing "broader social ills. One of these is the distorted vision of the person, whose dignity is neglected or violated, said Pope Francis.

The pontiff spoke again from the Vatican Library in today's general audience dedicated to faith and human dignity, in pursuit of his new cycle of catechesis on healing the world. At times, Francis noted, we look at others as objects, to be used and discarded. In reality this type of perspective blinds and fosters an individualistic and aggressive throw-away culture, which transforms the human being into a consumer good.

In the light of faith, we know, instead, that God looks at a man and a woman in another manner. He created us not as objects but as people loved and capable of loving; He has created us in His image and likeness (see Gen 1:27). In this way He has given us a unique dignity, calling us to live in communion with Him, in communion with our sisters and our brothers, with respect for all creation. [. . .] And in this communion, in this harmony that is communion, God gives us the ability to procreate and safeguard life (see Gen 1:28-29), to till and keep the land (see Gen 2:15; LS, 67).

It is therefore necessary to overcome the individualistic gaze and see each person as a brother or sister. Seeking to climb in life, to be superior to others, destroys harmony. It is the logic of dominion, of dominating others. Harmony is something else: it is service. For this reason, let us ask the Lord to give us eyes attentive to our brothers and sisters, especially those who are suffering.

As Jesuss disciples we do not want to be indifferent or individualistic. These are the two unpleasant attitudes that run counter to harmony. Indifferent: I look the other way. Individualist: looking out only for ones own interest. The harmony created by God asks that we look at others, the needs of others, the problems of others, in communion. We want to recognise the human dignity in every person, whatever his or her race, language or condition might be.

This renewed awareness of the dignity of every human being has serious social, economic and political implications. Looking at our brother and sister and the whole of creation as a gift received from the love of the Father inspires attentive behaviour, care and wonder.

Thus, the believer, contemplating his or her neighbour as a brother or sister, and not as a stranger, looks at him or her compassionately and empathetically, not contemptuously or with hostility. Contemplating the world in the light of faith, with the help of grace, we strive to develop our creativity and enthusiasm in order to resolve the ordeals of the past.

While we all work for a cure for a virus that strikes everyone without distinction, faith exhorts us to commit ourselves seriously and actively to combat indifference in the face of violations of human dignity. [. . .] Faith always requires that we let ourselves be healed and converted from our individualism, whether personal or collective; party individualism, for example.

May the Lord restore our sight so as to rediscover what it means to be members of the human family. And may this sight be translated into concrete actions of compassion and respect for every person and of care and safeguarding of our common home.

"The Bible, Francis said in his greetings to Arabic-speaking faithful, teaches us that every human being was created out of love, made in the image and likeness of God. This affirmation shows us the immense dignity of every person, who is not just something but is someone, capable of knowing themselves, possessing themselves, giving themselves freely and entering into communion with others. "

In his other greetings, Francis also noted that the Assumption of the Virgin will be celebrated in a few days. He reminded Italian-speaking faithful that yesterday the Church celebrated the memory of St Clare of Assisi, inviting them "to imitate her shining example of generous bond with Christ.
(Bloomberg) -- Less than two hours after Kamala Harris was named Joe Bidens running mate, President Donald Trump had cast the California Democrat as an oil industry and fracking foe.

She is against fracking. Shes against petroleum products, Trump said at a White House news conference Tuesday. I mean, how do you do that and go into Pennsylvania or Ohio or Oklahoma or the great state of Texas? Shes against fracking. Frackings a big deal.

Its a line Trump will surely use again and again against Harris, the former California attorney general who has vowed to fight the fossil fuel industry in court, embraced the Green New Deal and last September said there was no question shed ban hydraulic fracturing. But the criticism may have limited appeal beyond Trumps political base and is likely to boost enthusiasm for the Democratic ticket among progressive voters.

Harriss positions on the issue put her to the left of Biden, who has made clear he would not seek an outright ban on fracking, which could only be imposed through congressional action. Nevertheless, Harris and Biden have both promised to curtail oil and gas development on federal lands and waters managed by the U.S. government. And a senior campaign official reiterated last month that Biden would block new fracking on federal lands.

The fracking technique is used to coax oil and gas out of some 95% of U.S. wells today, and Trump has been touting his support for the industry as he campaigns for a second term in Pennsylvania and other swing states.

Bidens energy agenda was already setting up to be the greenest in U.S. history, but adding Harris to the ticket signals the Biden administration would aggressively pursue its policy goals, ClearView Energy Partners said in a research note to clients.

Some oil industry figures already fearful of Bidens environmental agenda worry Harris would bolster his resolve to combat climate change and stifle fossil fuel development, including through regulations making them more expensive to produce. But industry advocates plan to emphasize the importance of oil and gas as an engine driving the U.S. economy and critical to its post-pandemic recovery.

The oil and gas industry represents about 8% of the American economy, and is a very important component of our recovery, American Petroleum Institute President Mike Sommers said by phone. The world looks a lot different behind the desk in the Oval Office than it does on the campaign trail, and were an industry that represents 10 million American workers and will be a key part of that recovery.

The oil and gas industry faces significant headwinds, not least from the historic drop in demand caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Gas companies seeking to build new pipelines have been stymied in court recently, and some economists have argued a more effective recovery plan would involve green-friendly policies.

As California attorney general, Harris filed lawsuits against Phillips 66, ConocoPhillips and other oil companies for alleged environmental violations. Her office secured criminal indictments against Plains All American Pipeline LP for a 2015 spill in Santa Barbara, California, which resulted in convictions in 2018, after Harris was elected to the Senate.

Harris also has a history of tangling with oil refiners that have operations in California -- a pugilistic approach that could add heft to Bidens threat to target fossil fuel executives and put them in jail. For instance, Harris opposed Chevron Corp.s planned expansion of a refinery in Richmond on grounds it risked accidents and would exacerbate climate change. And Harris criticized a bid by Valero Energy Corp. to receive rail shipments of crude at its Benecia refinery, emphasizing the risk for spills and explosions along an expected Northern California route.

Nevertheless, some environmental activists have complained Harris didnt do enough to pursue oil companies for misleading the public on the risks of climate change. Though Harris office was reported to have investigated Exxon Mobil Corp. on climate accusations, it never filed a suit -- an approach later pursued by other attorneys general in Massachusetts and New York. Harris has since been supportive of the efforts and last year joined other senators in an amicus brief supporting a climate lawsuit against oil companies by San Francisco and Oakland.

Her activity on climate change litigation will continue to drive away the energy industry, said Kathleen Sgamma, head of the Western Energy Alliance that represents oil producers. While most of that work is rhetoric, her accusations against an industry that provides 70% of the energy Americans use every day belies the narrative that Biden/Harris would govern in a moderate way.

Harris was one of three dozen Democratic lawmakers who in May backed an effort by the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe to shut down the Dakota Access crude oil pipeline, which was greenlighted by Trump in his first few days in office but has since had a major permit vacated by a federal court.

The company behind the project, billionaire Trump donor Kelcy Warrens Energy Transfer LP, is seeking to continue operating the line while a more robust review is conducted by the Army Corps of Engineers. But policy analysts have warned that the November election remains a serious overhang for Dakota Access.

Harris would bring a prosecutors zeal for confrontation to Bidens climate agenda, said Dan Eberhart, a Trump donor and chief executive of drilling services company Canary Drilling Services LLC.

She has a distorted view of capitalism that is interventionist in nature, Eberhart said by email. Thats going to result in more government interference, more regulation and more conflicts with energy producers who dont produce the right type of energy, at least according to Harris.

Analysts warned against overstating Harris influence on oil and environmental policy. If elected, Biden would face pressures to emphasize other policy proposals first and could expect resistance from moderate Democrats in the Senate. I understand why the environmentalists will be happy because shell be at the table, but its important not to draw too much from this, BloombergNEFs Ethan Zindler said in an interview. Shell be one powerful voice influencing the administration, but not the ultimate one.

2020 Bloomberg L.P.
The bail hearing for Zimbabwean journalist Hopewell Chinono was moved to Thursday after the prosecutor called for the press and public to be prevented from attending the court session.

The court appearance began on a sour note on Wednesday as Chinonos lawyer Beatrice Mtetwa called for the prison services to take leg irons off of her client while he is in court.

Harare magistrate Ngoni Nduna upheld the state application to try Chinono in private tomorrow, even though his lawyer argued that his case is in the public interest.

Chin'ono will testify about the state of prison conditions, which the judge said would jeopardise prison security.

Chinonos lawyer Mtetwa says that he is surviving on biscuits and water because prison authorities will not allow him to receive homemade food, but he was able to get a visit from his sister.

Chinono was arrested on 20 July, as well as opposition leader Jacob Ngarivhume; both were charged with incitement to participate in public violence.

Ngarivhume, from the small Transform Zimbabwe party, had called for people to peacefully protest against the government on 31 August.

Ngarivhumes lawyer Donso Nkomo spoke to the press outside the courthouse, explaining that the whole process is difficult, especially because the government is not adhering to the law.

We have had to wait for one hour on all occasions we have sought to visit them. When we do visit them, we are given very limited time to meet, said Nkomo to reporters. The constitution provides for private consultation between a lawyer and his client. That has not been given to us in respect to Jacob and Hopewell, he added.

The Zimbabwe journalists case has garnered a lot of media attention both in the country and internationally after he was arrested in his home after reporting that the then-health minister Obadiah Moyo had allegedly awarded a multi-million-dollar contract for Covid-19 supplies.

Moyo was later fired, but this report accentuated the ongoing alleged corruption within Zimbabwe.
Democratic presidential hopeful Joe Biden named California Sen. Kamala Harris as his running mate Tuesday, adding an experienced campaigner with national star power to his ticket. A barrier-breaking former California attorney general and San Francisco district attorney, Harris gives the Democratic presidential nominee-to-be a vice presidential candidate with long experience in executive and legislative roles, as well as a prosecutorial sharpness that she brought with her to the Senate.

Chronicle political reporters Tal Kopan and Joe Garofoli join host Demian Bulwa on the Fifth & Mission podcast to break down why Joe Biden wants Harris as his running mate and how her past will factor into the campaign ahead.

Demian Bulwa: Tal Kopan, tell us the latest. How did this go down with Joe Biden picking Kamala Harris?



Tal Kopan: Well, you know, I think anyone at home probably saw some of it unfolding in plain view over the past several weeks and months. She was sort of the prohibitive favorite from the start. There were all these other names popping up, and then there'd be the pieces about the weak spots in their record. There was the interview process. There is the incessant punditry. But at the end of the day, the Biden circle told me he was looking for someone who was tested on the national stage, that he had a good personal rapport with, that could be a historic candidate in addition to the ticket. And Kamala Harris just checked all those boxes. She not only has known Biden for years, but she knew his son when they were both attorneys general. I'm told that Biden was able to let go of that infamous debate moment. It really has felt like momentum was going her way for weeks. And today we got the news that, in fact, that was the pick.

Demian Bulwa: Before we go further, I want to linger on that historic aspect to this story. Kamala Harris has an Indian American mother, a Jamaican American father. And she would be the first woman vice president. Has she talked about that? I mean, how much are you thinking about that today?

Tal Kopan: Well, you know, it's really interesting. When the news broke, I happened to be on the phone with Oakland Congresswoman Barbara Lee for a different story we're working on. She's leading the California delegation to the convention. We were sort of talking about that as we look ahead to that next week. And I got to be the one to break the news to her that it was Kamala Harris  because I'm a reporter, I always have Twitter open in front of me. And we were all sort of waiting on pins and needles. And she's a longtime Harris supporter, and she was so excited.

Now Playing: Democratic presidential hopeful Joe Biden has named California Sen. Kamala Harris as his running mate. The Oakland native is the first Black woman and first person of South Asian American descent to be nominated for national office by a major party. See highlights from her barrier-breaking career. Video: San Francisco Chronicle

A lot of time when you are a reporter, you work so fast, you don't have that second to pause and kind of process what is happening in real time. But to be on the phone with Barbara Lee, who herself was a barrier breaking congresswoman  she came to Congress when there were far fewer women, far fewer African American women, has been an activist for so long  she told me that Shirley Chisholm is smiling today. Shirley Chisholm being the first Black woman elected to Congress, the first Black woman to seek a presidential nomination for a major party. To see Kamala Harris make it to the ticket today was a really big deal for her. There's so much history involved. Kamala Harris doesn't really like to talk about it. She sort of tries to move the conversation off that topic a lot of the time. But I know it also means a tremendous amount to her. And she knows very deeply what she represents to so many Americans who look at her and see a little bit of themselves that they don't normally see in the national field.



Demian Bulwa: Joe, what's the calculus here for Joe Biden? I know both you and Tal have both written about the sort of positives and negatives in the balance sheet for Kamala Harris.



Joe Garofoli: Yes, Harris brings some positives and negatives to the table. On the positive side, Biden said he wanted to pick a woman. He also was encouraged to pick a woman of color. She is a woman of color that Democrats hope will help turn out younger folks. Harris passes for younger. She's 55, 56 years old, and hopefully bring out people of color in battleground states like Michigan and Wisconsin and Pennsylvania.



But she has some negatives. I think if some people on the far left don't really trust her. This is from a statement from Roots Action and the Progressive Democrats of America, which is a group that's largely supportive of Bernie Sanders, and they said: "As we saw during her own presidential campaign, Kamala Harris is a political weathervane. First, she was for Medicare for All. Then she wasn't. She failed for years to hold police accountable for gross misconduct in California, then touted her commitment to police accountability in the wake of George Floyd's murder." And we can pretty much guarantee the first negative ad from the Trump campaign is going to be pointing to one of Harris's first actions as San Francisco's district attorney.

There's a police officer shot. His name was Isaac Espinosa, in the line of duty by a gang member. She declined to seek the death penalty for that person. She was criticized at the time by everyone  from Senator Feinstein, who had very nice things to say about her a few moments ago of being named the vice presidential nominee  and across the Democratic establishment. It should have been a surprise. She always said she was against the death penalty, but still, she was she was criticized for that. That will become a Trump campaign ad.



Demian Bulwa: Tal, what about that moment in July? I think a lot of people recall, when Biden and Harris were running for president at the debate, she attacked Biden for his past of opposing mandatory busing during the movement to achieve school integration. Had they put that behind them?



Tal Kopan: My understanding was that Biden was pretty ready to just let that be water under the bridge. He's run multiple presidential campaigns before. He's been a vice presidential pick after running against someone. He knows how politics works. There were some others in his orbit who were not as ready to let that go. But, at the end of the day, everyone around Biden knew that this had to be Biden's choice. And it came down to his gut. And if his gut told him it was Harris, they would get on board. And so, I don't know that I could say that there are no hard feelings within the Biden world about that moment. But in terms of the relationship between Biden and Harris, it's not going to be an issue for their personal relationship, from everything I've heard. Yes, it was her attacking him. But I think everyone in the Democratic Party is also just ... They're tweeting about it. They're gleeful about the possibility of her debating Mike Pence. I think that there's also an understanding, If she can land a blow on me, maybe she can land a blow on someone else in a debate.



Joe Garofoli: I think that's the role that you're going to see Harris play during the campaign. She's excellent at being sort of the traditional "attack dog" role of the vice presidential nominee. She's done that very well, both in Senate hearings and in the campaign. She'll just be pounding on Trump day after day.
Burma Myanmar Police Detain Three for Holding 70th Karen Martyrs Day Event in Yangon

A 70th Karen Martyrs' Day commemoration is held in central Yangon on Wednesday. / Myo Min Soe / The Irrawaddy

YANGONThree people were detained by police for holding an event to mark the 70th Karen Martyrs Day on Wednesday without permission from local authorities.

The death of Karen revolutionary leader Saw Ba U Gyi, who was killed on Aug. 12, 1950, is commemorated annually as Karen Martyrs Day.

On Monday, authorities in Yangon Regions Kyauktada Township denied a request by Karen organizers for permission to hold an event to commemorate the 70th Karen Martyrs Day in central Yangon, citing COVID-19 restrictions.

Under government COVID-19 restrictions in effect until Saturday, mass gatherings are banned in order to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

Speaking to The Irrawaddy on Tuesday, the organizers of the event vowed to hold the commemoration in line with COVID-19 guidelines.

On Wednesday morning, organizers went ahead with the commemoration near Yangons Maha Bandula Park, including putting in place COVID-19 preventative measures.

Groups paying their respects to the Karen Martyrs were limited to 15 people, and all were required to wear COVID-19 preventative gear including facemasks, gloves and surgical caps. Several dozen people attended the commemoration.

At around 10 a.m., Kyauktada police arrested three peopleevent organizer Sa Thein Zaw Min and two supporters of the event, Saw Hser Kwar Lar and Daw Sein Htwe.

According to the organizers, Sa Thein Zaw Min and Saw Hser Kwar Lar were detained for holding the event without the approval of local authorities.

Ethnic Burmese Daw Sein Htwe, who attended the Karen Martyrs Day event on Wednesday, was also arrested by the police for allegedly absconding from a lawsuit brought against her under the Unlawful Assembly Law last year.

On Oct. 2, 2019, Kyauktada Police opened unlawful assembly cases against three activistsDaw Sein Htwe, Ma Zarchi Linn of the Democracy, Peace and Women (DPW) group, and Naw Larshee Htoo of the Karen Womens Union (KWU)for leading a rally in solidarity with three Karen activists who had earlier been sentenced to 15 days jail for holding an event to mark the 69th Karen Martyrs Day in Yangon. Karen activists Sa Thein Zaw Min, Saw Albert Cho and Daw Naw Ohn Hla, the chair of Karen Womens Union, were sentenced to 15 days in prison by the Kyauktada Township Court on Oct. 2, 2019 over that gathering.

Asked about Wednesdays arrests, Ko Saw Kyaw Lin, one of organizers of the 70th Karen Martyrs Day event, told The Irrawaddy that, This is unfair to our ethnic group. This is a kind of discrimination.

Prominent Karen activist Naw Ohn Hla, another event organizer, told The Irrawaddy that the Karen Martyrs Day commemoration was held according to COVID-19 prevention guidelines and in line with the relevant laws.

This is direct evidence that the government is not protecting its citizens. Citizens who held a commemoration in accordance with the laws were oppressed, Naw Ohn Hla said.

The two Karen activists, Sa Thein Zaw Min and Saw Hser Kwar Lar, were detained at Kyauktada Township Police Station.

The other activist, Daw Sein Htwe, was due to appear at a court hearing on Wednesday after being arrested.

Police Colonel Myo Thet of Kyauktada Township Police Force declined to comment on Wednesday.

The Irrawaddy was unable to clarify under which laws police plan to sue the two Karen activists.

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Myanmars Ruling Party to Contest All Seats in Conflict-Torn Rakhine State in November Election

Rakhine Man Dies in Myanmar Military Custody, Critics Suspect Execution

Organizers Vow to Hold 70th Karen Martyrs Day Event Despite Myanmar Police Warning
HOLYOKE  A group of Holyoke city councilors critical of Mayor Alex B. Morse want voters to have a chance to amend the city charter to create a recall mechanism for elected officials.

At large Councilor Michael J. Sullivan said he planned to file an order Wednesday morning that would allow the citizens of Holyoke to launch a recall petition for a ballot question which could remove Alex Morse from office.

But the order Sullivan planned to file Wednesday would only establish a mechanism for recalling elected officials, not Morse specifically. A recall involving Morse  reelected to a four-year term in 2017  would be a separate process made possibly only if Sullivans proposed charter change is approved.

Holyokes next municipal election is in 2021.

Sullivan said a recall mechanism should be in place, though, as a political counterbalance to the four-year term. The current allegations against Morse are just a catalyst for the discussion, he said.

Sullivan said the orders co-sponsors are at large Councilor Howard Greaney Jr., Ward 5 Councilor Linda Vacon and Ward 3 Councilor David Bartley  all longtime critics of Morse.

Vacon and Sullivan have already called for the mayor to resign over recently surfaced allegations involving students at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where the mayor has taught a political science course as an adjunct lecturer, and other schools in the Five College Consortium.

Morse  a candidate for Congress running against longtime incumbent U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal in the Sept. 1 Democratic primary  has acknowledged having sexual relationships with college students but has said all relationships were consensual and did not violate school policies.

The College Democrats of Massachusetts and its chapters at Amherst College and UMass Amherst sent Morse a letter last week disinviting him from its events and outlining allegations that Morse used his position of power for romantic or sexual gain.

While Holyokes charter has no process for recalling elected officials, the subject has been debated for years.

During his first campaign for mayor in 2011, Morse said he supported a ballot question establishing a new city charter that included a recall process. The ballot question did not pass. A charter change that included allowing recall votes was again discussed in 2013, but the question did not make the ballot.

More recently, the City Council passed a measure for a ballot question involving recalls in May 2017. Sullivan said Morse didnt sign it, so it didnt go to the voters. Ballot questions also require approval from the state Legislature.

The council again discussed a proposal for a ballot question on recalls in January 2018.

Im going to put it back on his desk, Sullivan said. I want to get this back on the ballot.

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Google has introduced a new Homework Mode in Google Lens, to help parents teaching their children or students to solve math problems. Matter of fact, Google is also adding a new Education Mode in Google Lens to help students at home.

This new education mode lets students get help for subjects like chemistry, maths, and more. Notably, the Read Along mode is also there, which helps the student to earn rewards for completing reading lessons.

In the set of tools for Education Mode, Google Lens now brings the Homework Mode. Whenever a student is stuck with a math problem or an equation, he/she can take the help of Google Lens.

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Simply snap a photo of the math problem or equation using Google Lens

As mentioned in the official blog, students or learners have to follow simple steps to use this new mode on Google Lens to solve the math problem.

Simply take a photo of the math problem or equation with Google Lens. Then the Google-owned service Socratic will provide solutions and relevant results that will help you solve the problem.

For those who do not know, Socratic is Googles service that helps students with Science, Math, Literature, Social Studies, and more subjects.

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With the powerful Google AI, Socratic and Google Lens in some instances will also give you a step-by-step solution to solve the math problem.

Notably, the steps will also include a detailed explanation for understanding concepts along with solving the equation.

This tool can really come in handy for students who are studying at home with nobodys help. Well, most of the students across the globe, are in a similar situation because of COVID-19. This tool on Google Lens is to make learning easier.

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The new features are rolling out via a software update

Apparently, the Education Mode and Places Mode feature on Google Lens is rolling out via a software update. So, the new modes might take some time before they arrive on all the smartphones.

However, you need to make sure you have the latest version of the Google app installed on your phone, along with the updated Socratic and Google Lens app. You can head to Google Play Store to download the updates.

Students can also now conveniently learn chemistry and virtually visualize around 100 STEM concepts across several topics. These topics include subjects like biology, chemistry, and more.

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For instance, searching for the Quantum mechanical model will show up a 3D Augmented Reality model, with which students can interact in their own space.

Coronavirus has really changed the way we live our life. And one aspect of it, i.e. education, will also see changes in the coming days. Keeping that in mind, Google Tools are developed to making the situation a bit easier.
" " For most adults, once they have a criminal record it will stay with them for the rest of their life. James Lauritz/ Getty Images

A criminal record might sound like something sinister; however, at least among U.S. citizens, it's becoming more and more common. What's the reason for the change? Is it merely due to population growth? Has there been a dramatic increase in law enforcement? Are the laws stricter than they were in the past? In reality, there are far too many factors to give a definitive answer. What we can say is that a criminal record tends to stay with an individual for life -- often getting in the way of certain freedoms that persons who have a clean record take for granted.

A criminal record is simply information that's kept about a person's arrests and convictions. State, local and federal authorities store and use them for many purposes. They can be used for identification and to locate possible suspects in unsolved cases. Courts can also use criminal records to determine sentences for crimes that are committed by that same person at a later time. Another use for criminal records, one that's becoming more frequent in recent years, comes in the form of background checks. Similar to the example that you just read, a background check is often used to determine if a person applying for a job has ever committed a crime.

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A criminal record begins when a suspect is arrested for a crime. The person is fingerprinted and photographed. All of his or her personal information is recorded along with the information about the current arrest. If he or she is convicted of the crime, that information is also stored.

Criminal records began as handwritten or typed files that were kept at local police stations. Obviously, that type of system had its downside. Sharing of information contained within these files rarely occurred between police agencies. It was fairly easy for a person to escape his or her criminal past by simply moving to another city, state or even out of the country.

Criminal records are now stored in massive computer databases that are accessible throughout the world. As you can imagine, this ease of access makes it makes it simpler for law enforcement agencies to keep a detailed record a person's criminal activity.

So what's in a criminal record, anyway? And is there any possibility of making a criminal record go away once you do have one? Find out on the next page.

Jailbirds Criminal records are not all that unusual anymore. In fact, 6.5 percent of the U.S. population has a felony record, and one in 15 people have gone to prison at some point.
On Aug. 5, the Bolivian Chamber of Deputies approved legislation authorizing the emergency manufacture, marketing, supply and use of chlorine dioxide solution for the prevention and treatment of coronavirus.

The Senate, the upper house of Congress, had approved the bill a week earlier. The law will last as long as the risk of contagion of the coronavirus exists, and the use of the solution is voluntary not mandatory, the Senate said.

Consuming chlorine dioxide solution will help the population have an alternative to face the coronavirus pandemic, as a means to prevent or treat the infection and the consequences caused by the Coronavirus, the Chamber of Deputies press release says.

The claim is dangerously misleading.

What is chlorine dioxide, and why is it dangerous?

The chemical has been used for decades in strictly regulated doses to decontaminate surfaces and disinfect water supplies. However, its never been recommended as a medicine. To the contrary, as disinformation about its value as a COVID-19 treatment spreads during the pandemic, public health officials worldwide warn of the dangers and life-threatening consequences of drinking chlorine dioxide.

In the U.S., the substance approved by the Bolivian Congress is known as a Miracle Mineral Solution (MMS), and its production and distribution are prohibited under U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulations because it poses a significant risk to peoples health.

The American Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSD) profiles chlorine dioxide as a substance hazardous for human health. The profile, based on peer-reviewed scientific studies, describes chlorine dioxide as a highly reactive yellow to reddish-yellow gas that decomposes rapidly in air.

In water, or any water-based compound (such as MMS and the Bolivian solution), chlorine dioxide quickly breaks down to form two other chemicals  chlorite and chlorate ions.

There have been no studies on humans, according to the ATSD, but animal tests found that chlorine dioxide compounds cause cancer, birth defects and delays in brain development.

When these chemicals enter the human body in concentrations higher than 0.8 milligrams per liter, people will experience signs of toxic poisoning, such as irritation of the skin, throat and stomach. Those indicate damage to internal organs, the ATSD profile states.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the United States, among the proven health effects of chlorine dioxide and chlorite are damage to the cardiovascular system, acute liver congestion and death. Some prolonged animal studies showed that chlorine dioxide and chlorite can alter DNA and the reproductive system.

The action by Bolivian lawmakers came despite warnings from the countrys health ministry, which in June cited serious risks from consuming chlorine dioxide. At least five people have been poisoned after taking the substance in La Paz, the capital, the ministry said.

Miraculous Mineral Solution, does not correspond to a drug and does not have a sanitary registration  that supports its safety, quality and efficacy to heal COVID-19. Therefore, its production, import, distribution, commercialization and use in our territory is illegal, the health ministry statement said.

Whether the legislation authorizing the use of chlorine dioxide becomes law is now up to the countrys interim president, Jeanine Anez. According to CNN, Anez is likely to stand by the health ministrys guidance and veto the legislation.

However, according to Business Insider, an interim president has no constitutional right to veto legislation but can send the bill back to the Congress for further deliberation. The publication also reports that at least two people have died in the U.S. from consuming MMS.

On Aug. 5, Anez canceled the school year for Bolivias 2 million children due to the coronavirus pandemic. Anez herself was infected and recovered from COVID-19 in July.

As of Aug. 11, Johns Hopkins University and Medicine data showed that Bolivia had more than 91,000 confirmed coronavirus infections and nearly 4,000 deaths from the disease.

The infections have overwhelmed the nations health system, with police collecting hundreds of dead bodies abandoned on the streets and entrepreneurs building mobile crematoriums.

Bolivia has been experiencing political and socio-economic turmoil, with the nation divided between the interim administration and opposition-dominated Congress, which is controlled by supporters of socialist Evo Morales, who resigned as Bolivias president in November 2019 after 13 years in office.

Morales stepped down in the face of mass protests and the nullification of his election victory following allegations of manipulation and irregularities.
Backing for Scottish independence has hit a new high as Nicola Sturgeon heads for another majority at Holyrood.

A YouGov poll found that, excluding 'don't knows', 53 per cent north of the border supported splitting from the UK, compared to 47 per cent who wanted to keep the union.

That was a two point rise from January, and the highest level the firm has ever recorded.

Meanwhile, some 57 per cent plan to vote for the SNP in Scottish parliament elections next spring - which will be critical for Ms Sturgeon's claim to have a mandate for a new referendum.

The findings in the poll for The Times will cause fresh alarm in Downing Street about the prospects of losing the battle against the separatists.

A YouGov poll found that, excluding 'don't knows', 53 per cent north of the border supported splitting from the UK, compared to 47 per cent who wanted to keep the union

A series of other surveys have confirmed a groundswell in favour of independence, with Ms Sturgeon seeing her popularity rise sharply over her handling of the coronavirus crisis.

She had a net rating of plus 50 in the latest YouGov study, up from plus 5 a year ago.

By contrast Boris Johnsons rating is minus 50, having slumped by 16 points over the past 12 months.

Among senior Tories, only Ruth Davidson, who has temporarily returned as leader of the Scottish party at Holyrood until Douglas Ross takes over, has a positive rating on plus 15.

The poll found support for the SNP was up three points since April to 57 per cent, which would give them 74 members of the Scottish parliament - 11 more than currently.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak was dispatched to Scotland last week to stress the scale of the financial support allocated by Westminster.

And Boris Johnson is planning to spend his 'staycation' north of the border with fiancee Carrie Symonds and their baby Wilfred.

In the 2014 referendum - billed as a once-in-a-generation decision - Scots voted by a convincing margin of 55-45 per cent to stay in the UK.

Ms Sturgeon says she has put aside the independence issue during coronavirus chaos, with planning for a fresh vote 'paused', but has faced accusations of trying to use the situation for political advantage.

:: YouGov polled 1,142 Scottish adults aged 16 or older between August 6 and 10
SEATTLE, Aug. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- REI Co-op announced today it is pursuing a sale of its newly completed corporate campus in the Spring District neighborhood of Bellevue, Washington with the intention of shifting to a less centralized approach to its headquarters presence in the Seattle area.

Rather than a single location, REI's "headquarters" would span multiple locations across the region, and the company will lean into remote working as an engrained, supported, and normalized model for headquarters employees, offering flexibility for more employees to live and work outside of the Puget Sound region and shrinking the co-op's carbon footprint.

"The dramatic events of 2020 have challenged us to reexamine and rethink every aspect of our business and many of the assumptions of the past. That includes where and how we work," said REI President and CEO Eric Artz, in a video call with employees today. "As a result, our new experience of 'headquarters' will be very different than the one we imagined more than four years ago."

In response to a rapidly changing pandemic, the co-op swiftly transitioned to nearly 100 percent remote work for its headquarters staff in early March. REI originally announced plans for the new headquarters in 2016, to be built on an 8-acre site in a developing, transit-oriented neighborhood called the Spring District. Construction began in 2018 for an intended mid-summer 2020 move-in date.

"[This year] we learned that the more distributed way of working we previously thought untenable will instead unlock incredible potential," said Artz. "This will have immediate, positive impacts on our ability to attract and retain a diverse and highly skilled workforce, as we continue to navigate the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond."

While the decision to move away from a traditional headquarters model was motivated by recent learnings and a desire to create more flexibility for employees, the sale would also have financial benefits for the co-op.

The co-op was among the first retailers to proactively close all its retail stores in early March and one of the last to fully reopen, under stringent health and safety guidelines. The co-op undertook a number of cash preservation measures throughout the spring, including tighter inventory management, elective pay cuts by Artz and the board of directors, reductions in headcount and focusing around a streamlined set of priorities. These measures both stabilized the co-op, and allowed REI to invest in customer and staff-facing programs and innovations, as the co-op community adapted to a "new normal."

The sale of the Spring District campus would enable important investments in customer innovations, REI's network of nonprofit partners, and the co-op's carbon goals.

"I am confident that the sale of the Spring District campus would have a positive impact on REI's futureand yours," Artz told employees. "This year has shown us our home is not a building. Our home is wherever we find ourselves doing our best work, pursuing our outdoor passions, serving our communities. Serving each other. That is what we will build around as we move forwardand as we accelerate into what's next."

About the REI Co-op

REI is a specialty outdoor retailer, headquartered near Seattle. The nation's largest consumer co-op, REI is a growing community of more than 19 million members who expect and love the best quality gear, inspiring expert classes and trips, and outstanding customer service. REI has 161 locations in 39 states and the District of Columbia. If you can't visit a store, you can shop at REI.com, REI Outlet or the free REI shopping app. REI isn't just about gear. Adventurers can take the trip of a lifetime with REI's active adventure travel company, a global leader that runs more than 250 itineraries across all continents. In every community where REI has a presence, professionally trained instructors share their expertise by hosting beginner-to advanced-level classes and workshops about a wide range of activities. To build on the infrastructure that makes life outside possible, REI invests millions annually in hundreds of local and national nonprofits that create access toand stewardthe outdoor places that inspire us all.

SOURCE REI Co-op

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On the last day of his life, Frederick Douglass attended a meeting of the National Womens Council. The prodigious orator and abolitionist came home to Cedar Hill, his hilltop house in the Anacostia neighborhood of Washington, D.C.; spoke with his wife at the time, Helen Pitts Douglass, about the events and future plans; clasped his hands to his chest and died that evening. It seemed impossible that such an indomitable man was gone.

On that final day, his meeting had been an act of reconciliation. Douglass, the only African-American to participate in the Seneca Falls convention in New York in 1848, had been staunch in his support of womens full enfranchisement at a time when this was a divisive issue in antislavery societies in the United States and Britain. His later support of the passage of the 15th Amendment, which conferred the right to vote on Black men, came as a blow to the movement for womens rights at a key moment. The end of the Civil War had created urgency to secure Black suffrage through the 15th Amendment, however ineffectual it became through the vise created by racist Jim Crow era policies.

Even with the rift over the 15th Amendment, Douglass was unwavering in his support of womens right to vote though his sense of timing and strategy shifted. Her right to be and to do is as full, complete and perfect as the right of any man on earth, he said in 1888 at the International Council of Women, in Washington. I say of her, as I say of the colored people, Give her fair play, and hands off.
Niamey, Niger (PANA) - The World Bank (WB) has given Niger a budget support of 150 billion CFAF to enable the African country fund expenditures in its priority under its development policy, according to a communique issued by the institution on Wednesday
San Antonio could run out of money to help residents struggling to stay in their homes during the COVID-19 pandemic by November if federal lawmakers dont extend unemployment benefits or come up with a second round of economic stimulus funding.

The City Council pumped $50.3 million this year into the citys main emergency housing assistance program that helps needy residents cover rent and mortgage payments as well as household costs such as fuel, groceries and internet access.

Since the start of the pandemic, the city has spent $34.5 million of that money on helping more than 12,000 households  a majority of which make $21,000 or less.

But the expiration of the additional $600 in federal unemployment benefits in July has put more strain on the program as more people seek help, Assistant City Manager Lori Houston told the City Council on Wednesday.

Now Playing: Mayor Nirenberg answers the question: "What keeps you up at night?" Video: mySA

If congressional leaders cant reach an agreement on unemployment benefits or more stimulus dollars, the fund will likely run out by early November  even with another $5.3 million set aside for the program in the citys upcoming $2.9 billion budget.

Thats why were really pushing our federal government to provide more resources, Houston said.

But at least one City Council member believes the city should find more money for the program from within the general fund and not wait on the federal government.

Councilman Roberto Trevino says using city money gives staff more flexibility in determining who can get help.

If you rely on the U.S. government, he said, that means that anyone who does not get any federal assistance will be left out.

We will leave out many in our community, Trevino said. This isnt equitable. Im saying they could look at moving dollars so that it is balanced, so that we can make sure we can help everyone and not claim our hands are tied.

Demand for the program surged as the pandemic battered the economy and an estimated 160,000 people lost their jobs.

Before COVID-19 hit San Antonio, the citys Neighborhood and Housing Services department received 57 calls a week inquiring about the program, officials said.

Now, the city gets 150 to 200 applications a day from residents seeking assistance and spends about $2 million to $3 million a week out of the fund, Houston said.

San Antonio provides other resources for struggling residents who need housing assistance, Houston said, among them the citys right to counsel program, which helps provide legal assistance for those facing eviction.

Trevino has said its only right that the city provide assistance to its residents in need.

We as a municipality have the resources and responsibility to be their safety net, the councilman said. We are their last line of defense.

Joshua Fechter is a staff writer covering San Antonio government and politics. To read more from Joshua, become a subscriber. jfechter@express-news.net | Twitter: @JFreports
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Key Players:

Key Players in the Global Silicone Derivative Industry are Dow Corning Corporation (U.S.), Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd. (China), Wacker Chemie AG (Germany), Triveni chemicals (India), Zhenzhou Yellow River Emery Co., Ltd (China), Saint-Gobain Silicon Carbide (France), Xuancheng Crystal Clear New Materials Co., Ltd (China), aromachimie Company Ltd. (U.K.), Multimin-Egypt for Mining S.A.E (Egypt), Hisilco (China).

Segmentation:

Global Silicone Derivative Market has been segmented based on Type, Application and Region.

Based on Type the market is divided into silicon dioxide (silica), silicon carbide, silicate, silicon nitride, and others. Among them silicone dioxide is the main driver of total demand of silicone derivatives.

Based on Application Global Silicone Derivative Markets is segmented into building & construction, automobile, electronics, energy, chemical, personal care, and others. Building & construction is leading the segments. Its accounts for around 35% of total Silicone Derivative demand.

Geographically, the market is segmented into Asia Pacific, Europe, North America, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa. Asia Pacific is estimated to hold major share of Global Silicone Derivative Market during the forecast period.

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Regional Analysis:

Asia Pacific, Europe, and North America are the major regions in the Global Silicone Derivative Market. Other regions include, Latin America and Middle East & Africa. Among them Asia Pacific is the largest as well as fastest growing market in the world. It accounts for around 40% of share in the Global Silicone Derivative Market. Increasing use of the silicone derivatives in this region is attributed to the growing building & construction industry. The emerging economies in this region are heavily investing in the infrastructural developments to accompany the path of development. Countries namely China, India, and Japan are the major shareholders of the regional market growth. Apart from building and construction, growing demand of automobiles in this region is expected to drive the demand of silicone derivatives further. Japan and India accounts for major demand of Silicone Derivatives in automotive industry. Additionally, liberalization of economies undertaken by countries in this region is encouraging the major players to invest in development of this region. Moreover, countries such as China and India are the worlds most energy intensive counties. As a result, these countries are focusing over renewable energy source, which can be the significant driver for Silicone Derivatives in transmission and storage of electricity in this region.

Europe is the second most significant region in the Global Silicone Derivative Market. Germany, France, U.K., and Italy are the major contributors to the regional market owing to the established automotive industry in these countries. The global demand for the high-end automobiles manufactured in this region is increasing steadily with increasing standard of living of the people around the world. This trend in turn is anticipated to pull the maximum demand of Silicone Derivatives from automotive industry in this region throughout the forecast period. In addition to that growing demand of electric and light weight vehicles globally may further increase the demand of Silicone Derivative from this region. Furthermore, the Silicone Derivatives, being harmless to the environment, easily meet the strict regulatory measures of matured economies in this region.

North America is another substantial region in the Global Silicone Derivative Market. Automobile and construction together hold the major share of demand of Silicone Derivatives in this region. U.S. is the major market in this region owing to the presence of car making and aircraft industries which demand light weight and durable material. Other important regions in the Global Silicone Derivative Market are Latin America and Middle East & Africa. Among them, Latin America is growing at higher pace. The rise of end use industries for Silicone Derivatives in the countries namely Brazil and Argentina are projected to be the driver of growth of Silicone Derivative Market in this region. Lastly, Middle East & Africa are being anticipated to join the hands with leading regions in Global Silicone Derivative Market to become an important market during the forecast period.

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COVID-19 Outbreak Impact on Renewable Chemicals Market @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/report/covid-19-impact-renewable-chemicals-market

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Atlanta, Aug. 12, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- T Stamp Inc. trading as Trust Stamp, an AI-powered authentication company dual headquartered in Atlanta (US) and Cheltenham (UK), ranks No. 771 on the Inc. 5000 list, the most prestigious ranking of the fastest-growing private companies in the United States. Trust Stamp technology facilitates secure, interoperable identity proofing that protects organizations and individuals from identity fraud and data loss while expanding access to participate in the global economy and society. With 615.07% growth in the last three years, the company has welcomed over 50 team members in five offices around the world, expanded existing partnerships while entering new verticals, developed a strong portfolio of proprietary AI solutions and established a powerful market fit in the identity industry.

Published by Inc. magazine, the Inc. 5000 list is ranked according to percentage revenue growth when comparing 2016 and 2019. Qualifying companies must earn a minimum of $2 million in revenue in the most recent calendar year, with former honorees including Microsoft, LinkedIn, Intuit, Under Armour and Patagonia.

It is an honor to be recognized by the Inc. 5000 alongside so many incredible companies, said Trust Stamp Co-Founder and President, Andrew Gowasack. Our continued innovation, along with our experienced team and long-standing partners, has provided Trust Stamp with the platform to achieve consistent growth, even as many industries face uncertainty.

While the company emerged as an innovator in the Fintech space and has grown to serve some of the worlds largest financial institutions, including Synchrony Financial and Mastercard International, the need for secure identity solutions that establish trust while protecting privacy and preventing fraud reaches across industries. Today, Trust Stamp solutions are used for humanitarian services, international government initiatives, KYC/AML compliance, and customer onboarding and account access in multiple verticals, including banking, Fintech, real estate, and government. The companys multi-faceted growth is a testament to its ability to rapidly innovate to address evolving needs and deliver impactful solutions built on its proven core technology.

The companies on this years Inc. 5000 come from nearly every realm of business, says Inc. editor-in-chief Scott Omelianuk. From health and software to media and hospitality, the 2020 list proves that no matter the sector, incredible growth is based on the foundations of tenacity and opportunism.

Trust Stamp plans to accelerate this growth throughout 2020 as they prepare to seek a direct listing on the Euronext Growth Market operated by Euronext Dublin, having reserved the AIID ticker symbol (AI for ID). In the first half of 2020, the company conducted a $10mm Series A round of funding, opened a wholly-owned subsidiary in the Republic of Malta with $1.13mm of approved funding to serve as an R&D innovation hub and launched a Public Benefit Corporation subsidiary in The Hague, alongside other achievements and recognitions.

About Trust Stamp

Trust Stamp applies advanced cryptographic techniques, deep neural networks and proprietary AI powered tools to biometric and other identity data to create a non-PII hash (EgHash) that is unique to the subject and cannot be reverse engineered. The EgHash can be matched, deduplicated and verified as a tokenized identity via zero-knowledge-proofs. Trust Stamp is currently participating in the LORCA Cyber Accelerator, OnRamp Insurance Accelerator and FIS Fintech Accelerator and is a graduate of multiple global programs including QCFintech, 630 Cybersecurity, Plug and Play (Silicon Valley and UAE), NAR REach, Mastercard Startpath, the Georgia Advanced Technology Development Center, the UKs GCHQ/NCSC incubator and the Netherlands based Blue Tulip Awards program as a first place winner in the finance category.



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Two Indianapolis police officers have been indicted by a Marion County grand jury for their use of force against two women downtown May 31.

Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears announced the indictments Aug. 12 at a press conference.

Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officer Jonathan Horlock has been indicted on charges of battery (Level 5 felony), battery resulting in moderate injury (Level 6 felony), battery resulting in bodily injury (Class A Misdemeanor), perjury (Level 6 felony), obstruction of justice (Level 6 felony) and official misconduct (Level 6 felony).

IMPD officer Nathanial Schauwecker has been indicted on charges of battery, battery resulting in moderate injury, two counts of battery resulting in bodily injury and two counts of official misconduct.

Two other IMPD officers were not indicted.

Officers Horlock and Schauwecker were seen on video striking one woman, Ivore Westfield, with batons while she was also hit with pepper balls after she twisted out of the arms of an officer.

One of the officers then pushed another woman, Rachel Harding, to the ground.

The incident happened the first night of curfew in Indianapolis at the corner of North Pennsylvania and East Washington streets.

Mears did not distinguish the officers seen in the video from one another. The grand jury process is tightly guarded, so Mears could also not discuss what evidence was presented, who testified or other details.

An indictment is a finding of probable cause. The criminal case will now proceed in Marion County Criminal Court 6.

A grand jury  which includes six people who are summoned in the same way people are for regular jury duty  considers the evidence presented and makes a determination about if the officers actions were reasonable.

When were talking about issues about reasonableness, thats very much a standard thats going to be defined by the community, Mears said.

Mears also said there should be a better system for people who feel like theyve been victims of excessive force. Right now, the only option for those people is to complain to IMPD, whose officers are responsible for the force.

I would like to think theres a better system set up where were in a position to have someone independently evaluate those claims, Mears said, and hopefully thatll make people more willing to come forward and provide information.

In a statement responding to the indictments, IMPD Chief Randal Taylor said he intends to address the administrative review of the officer conduct after the criminal investigation.

Taylor also announced officers Horlock and Schauwecker will remain on administrative duty with no police authority.

Contact staff writer Tyler Fenwick at 317-762-7853. Follow him on Twitter @Ty_Fenwick.

Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears announces indictment charges against two Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officers during a press conference Aug. 12. (Photo/Tyler Fenwick)
Vladimir Putin's coronavirus vaccine was waved through after tests on only 38 people and causes side-effects including pain and swelling, according to official paperwork.

The much-trumpeted Russian drug was registered after just 42 days of research, Fontanka news agency says - and its effectiveness is said to be 'unknown'.

One of the documents submitted for registration says that 'no clinical studies have been conducted to study the epidemiological effectiveness,' despite Putin's claims that the vaccine has passed 'all the necessary tests'.

There are also questions about the vaccine's ability to create sufficient antibodies, after Putin said his own daughter had already developed them after being injected.

Vladimir Putin claims Russia has a coronavirus vaccine and says one of his daughters has already been injected - prompting widespread scepticism

A researcher in Russia works with a coronavirus vaccine at the Nikolai Gamaleya National Center of Epidemiology and Microbiology in Moscow last week

Russia has made the vaccine race a matter of national prestige and has named the product 'Sputnik V' after the former Soviet space satellites, prompting fears that safety will be compromised for the sake of Russia's image.

Scientists yesterday criticised Putin for the 'reckless and foolish' move which they say could make the pandemic worse if the vaccine proves dangerous or ineffective.

While Putin said his daughter had suffered no side effects worse than a high temperature, Fontanka claimed there were a long list of 'adverse events' (AEs) which occurred 'frequently and very often'.

'It is not possible to more accurately determine the incidence of AEs due to the limited sample of study participants,' said the Gamaleya Research Institute which produced the vaccine.

In the 38 healthy adult human volunteers who were tested, 144 separate adverse events were recorded, it was reported.

Most passed 'without consequences', but on the 42nd day of the study, 31 of these side-effects were still ongoing.

The outcome of 27 adverse events were said to be still unknown to the developer.

Among the side effects are swelling, pain, hyperthermia - a high body temperature - and itching at the place of injection.

Common manifestations were reported as physical weakness or lack of energy, malaise, fever, decreased appetite, headaches, diarrhoea, nasal congestion, a sore throat, and runny nose.

Tests appeared to show that on the 42nd day after vaccination, volunteers had antibodies at below the average levels.

Putin said one of his daughters Maria (left) and Katerina (right) had been injected with a coronavirus vaccine. Reports in Russia say it was the younger Katerina who was inoculated

Medical workers in protective gear prepare to draw blood from volunteers participating in a trial of a coronavirus vaccine at the Budenko Main Military Hospital outside Moscow

The vaccine is also not permitted for those under 18 or over 60 due to lack of research so far on its impact.

It is not recommended for pregnant and lactating women because its 'efficacy and safety have not been studied.'

Nor have the vaccine's interaction with other drugs and its effect on the ability to drive vehicles been studied.

It should be used with 'caution' for those with a range of conditions including chronic diseases of the kidneys and liver, diabetes, epilepsy, and people with a history of strokes, diseases of the cardiovascular system, immunodeficiency, autoimmune diseases, allergic reactions, atopy, and eczema.

Another warning read: 'There are no specific antidotes to the drug. The risk of overdose is extremely low as the vaccination will be administered by trained health personnel.

'But in case of an accidental overdose, toxic and allergic reactions are possible.'

The vaccine is also extremely sensitive to external influences and should be stored frozen, at a temperature not higher than -18C, the documents say.

Before use, it must be kept at room temperature, but not longer than 30 minutes.

Before the injection - it should be mixed by gently shaking.

The head of the Gamaleya Institute, Alexander Gintsburg, told Interfax:'When we finish the post-registration phase, which we are just starting now, we are legally entitled to submit documents to test this vaccine on children.'

But Fontanka said the Gamaleya documentation 'does not look as encouraging as the statements of Vladimir Putin and Minister of Health Mikhail Murashko'.

Russia has suffered nearly 900,000 coronavirus cases, but the daily infection rate has been slowly falling for several months

Russia has suffered 15,131 deaths in the pandemic and frequently sees more than 100 new fatalities per day

Today's disclosures follow a wave of criticism from scientists over the haste with which is has been registered, before it has undergone so-called Phase III trials.

'Fast-tracked approval will not make Russia the leader in the race, it will just expose consumers of the vaccine to unnecessary danger,' said Russia's Association of Clinical Trials Organisations.

Putin said one of his daughters had taken the vaccine.

She had a temperature of 38C on the day of the first vaccine injection, and this dropped to 37C a day later, he said.

'She's feeling well and has a high number of antibodies,' he boasted.

Professor Francois Balloux of University College London's Genetics Institute, slammed the Russian move.

'This is a reckless and foolish decision,' he said. 'Mass vaccination with an improperly tested vaccine is unethical.'

He warned: 'Any problem with the Russian vaccination campaign would be disastrous both through its negative effects on health, but also because it would further set back the acceptance of vaccines in the population.'

German health minister Jens Spahn said today that Russia's vaccine had not been sufficiently tested.

'It can be dangerous to start vaccinating millions, if not billions, of people too early because it could pretty much kill the acceptance of vaccination if it goes wrong, so I'm very sceptical about what's going on in Russia,' Spahn told German radio.

'I would be pleased if we had an initial, good vaccine but based on everything we know - and that's the fundamental problem, namely that the Russians aren't telling us much - this has not been sufficiently tested,' he added.

'It's not about being first somehow - it's about having an effective, tested and therefore safe vaccine,' he said.

Putin has two adult daughters and he did not specify which one was vaccinated, but Otkrytie Media reported it was Ekaterina - known as Katerina - Tikhonova.

She had the vaccination at a very early stage of its development, it was claimed.

Katerina, 33, uses the surname of her maternal grandmother, which for many years hid her identity as Putin's daughter.

The former acrobatic dancer holds a doctorate from prestigious Moscow State University after completing a study on helping cosmonauts and pilots to orientate themselves in difficult conditions.

Russia's coronavirus 'vaccine' announced by Vladimir Putin is shrouded in secrecy - but don't dismiss it just yet, writes BEN SPENCER

By Ben Spencer for the Daily Mail

Russia's claims to have created the worlds first coronavirus vaccine should not be dismissed out of hand.

The country has a proud history of scientific achievements  it sent the first human into space and for decades led the world in the fields of engineering, mathematics and physics.

It also has a strong track record in producing reliable vaccines  notably for Ebola and yellow fever  and the Moscow institution behind the new jab, the Gamaleya Research Institute, is a long-established and well known research centre.

But it is hard to judge the safety and efficacy of the vaccine because very little information has been made available.

The teams behind experimental Covid vaccines in Oxford, the United States and China have all published detailed results of their trials at every stage.

The Russian team, however, have given little away.

Russia has a strong track record in producing reliable vaccines  notably for Ebola and yellow fever  and the Moscow institution behind the new jab, the Gamaleya Research Institute (employee working with a coronavirus vaccine at the Institute pictured), is a long-established and well known research centre

Photo provided by Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) shows a researcher working in a laboratory of the Gamaleya Scientific Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology in Moscow, Russia, Aug. 6, 2020, as Russia claims to have developed Covid-19 vaccine

The scant details suggest it is an adenovirus vector vaccine  a similar type to those being developed in Oxford and elsewhere.

These contain a weakened version of the common cold virus that has been genetically changed to trigger the production of immune cells  antibodies and T-cells.

Early results from China and Oxford suggest this is a sound approach  it is likely to produce an immune response with few side-effects  but so far the Russian jab has been tested on only 38 people.

Pictured: Vladimir Putin's daughter, Katerina Tikhonova, who he claims was given the vaccine

A properly conducted, randomised control trial, involving hundreds if not thousands of people, is vital to prove it is safe and works.

Rushing into a mass vaccination programme without this step would be foolhardy and dangerous.

If patients are harmed by the jab before it passes further tests it will undermine already fragile confidence in vaccines.

The good news is that it would be a relatively quick process for Russia to prove the vaccine works.

The Oxford University team is unlikely to get a definitive result any time soon because Covid-19 incidence has dwindled.

Despite a study involving 10,000 Britons, they have been forced to test their jab in Brazil instead.

Russia still has high coronavirus infection rates and scientists estimate it would take just two months for them to prove the vaccine is safe and effective.
Police set up a cordon outside after people were protesting for press freedom inside a mall in Hong Kong on Aug. 11, 2020. (Isaac Lawrence/AFP via Getty Images)

Epoch Times Reporters Describe Being Followed Amid Hong Kong Clampdown

Two reporters with The Epoch Times Hong Kong edition said they were being followed by suspected security agents after spotting an unusual person and a police car around them in recent days.

The local Epoch Times is one of only a handful of independent media outlets in Hong Kong, with most media holding pro-Beijing stances or being partially funded by Beijing.

Sarah Liang, an Epoch Times reporter and host of a popular local YouTube show in which she interviews prominent local pro-democracy activists, discovered that a middle-aged-looking man in a black suit was watching her as she stood at a street crossing near the busy district of Cheung Sha Wan on Aug. 10.

It happened around 2 p.m. as Liang was going to dine with a friend. The man, being one of a few people on the street at the time, was speaking in Cantonese over the phone while glancing toward Liangs direction. Liang said she became alarmed after she noticed the man following her at arms length as she walked, and continued tailing her after she turned to the right.

Liang entered a nearby mall in an attempt to throw him off and pretended to be shopping. Looking from inside, she saw that he walked a few steps forward and thought he had left. When Liang walked out moments later, she found that the man was at the door, apparently waiting for her. After Liang made eye contact with him, the man immediately turned around and hurriedly walked away.

Liang captured a photo of his back as he left.

A man in black was photographed following a Hong Kong reporter in Kowloon area of Hong Kong on Aug. 12, 2020. (Sarah Liang/The Epoch Times)

Another reporter who lives on Hong Kong Island also spotted a police car parked near their residence on the same day.

The incidents came after Hong Kong police made a high-profile arrest of 71-year-old Jimmy Lai, a media tycoon who founded local pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily, on suspicion of colluding with foreign forces in violation of Beijings new security law. Following that, around 200 officers swept through the Apple Daily newsroom, at one point escorting a handcuffed Lai through the office.

Beijing tightened its grip on the territory after it directly imposed the law, which criminalizes secession, subversion, terrorist activities, and foreign collusion with up to life imprisonment.

Many concerned friends who heard about Lais arrest immediately contacted Liang to remind her to be careful, Liang said. Activist Agnes Chow said in a Facebook post that in recent days, multiple groups of three to four men took shifts to patrol outside her home from morning until night, which was particularly notable since she lives in a rural area. She was also arrested on Monday.

Its shocking, but I can only continue to do what I believe in, Chow wrote on Aug. 9. Joshua Wong, another key activist in the protest movement in Hong Kong, also wrote recently about suspicious cars and motor vehicles following him.

While Liang said she was more alert than usual due to the current political climate, she was still shocked that someone would follow her. By calling out what she suspects to be scare tactics, she hopes to discourage individuals from feeding into the disquieting atmosphere in Hong Kong, she said. Creating such white terror will not do any good to themselves either, she said in an interview.

Hong Kongs press freedom ranking has already slipped from 18th place in 2002 to 80th in 2020, according to the World Press Freedom Index by Reporters Without Borders, an international media watchdog. Mainland China ranks 177 out of 180.

The national security law that went into effect on the eve of July 1marking the 23rd anniversary of the former British colonys return to Chinese rulecontains a number of provisions that could trip up journalists, said Steven Butler, the Asia program coordinator for New York-based advocacy group Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), in a statement on Aug. 11.

The law is vague in describing what constitutes each offense. The Hong Kong government detailed implementation rules a week later, saying the law allows police to search any premises or electronic devices for evidence, and to wiretap individuals without a court order.

Police stand guard at a mall after people were protesting for press freedom in Kong on Aug. 11, 2020. (Isaac Lawrence/AFP via Getty Images)

CPJ quoted from a survey they recently conducted with local journalists. Its ridiculous if you try to second-guess where the red line is. If we did that, literally we could do nothing. They can interpret the law in any way they like, in any way that suits their purpose, an editor of a Chinese news website told CPJ under the condition of anonymity.

The Epoch Times Hong Kong edition condemned the harassment of press members in an Aug. 11 statement, saying Liangs incident represented a seriously trampling on media freedom. It also called for more international attention on Hong Kongs press freedom and the personal safety of journalists.
 Flash

Former U.S. Vice President and presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden announced on Tuesday that he has picked Senator Kamala Harris of California as his running mate.

In a tweet, Biden called Harris "a fearless fighter for the little guy, and one of the country's finest public servants."

Elected in 2016, Harris, now 55, was the second African American woman in history elected to the U.S. Senate. Before that, she served as attorney general of California.

With Biden's selection, she becomes the third woman in U.S. history to serve as a vice presidential candidate, following Geraldine Ferraro as the Democratic vice presidential pick in 1984 and Sarah Palin as the Republican vice presidential pick in 2008.

"Back when Kamala was Attorney General, she worked closely with Beau," Biden continued in his tweet, referring to his late son who was then the attorney general of Delaware and who died in 2015 from brain cancer. "I watched as they took on the big banks, lifted up working people, and protected women and kids from abuse. I was proud then, and I'm proud now to have her as my partner in this campaign."

In a tweet following Biden's announcement, Harris hailed the presumptive Democratic nominee as someone who "can unify the American people because he's spent his life fighting for us. And as president, he'll build an America that lives up to our ideals."

"I'm honored to join him as our party's nominee for Vice President, and do what it takes to make him our Commander-in-Chief," she added.

Biden and Harris will appear together and speak in Biden's hometown of Wilmington, Delaware, on Wednesday, according to the Biden campaign.

The daughter of Indian and Jamaican immigrants, Harris announced her bid for the White House in January 2019. Due to a shortage of funds, she dropped out of the race less than a year later.

In March 2020, Harris, who famously called out Biden over racial issues in a Democratic primary debate, endorsed him. Having spent most of her political career as a prosecutor, the senator rose to national prominence as a leader on both racial equality issues and criminal justice reform.

"She's been a leader on criminal justice and marriage equality. And she has focused like a laser on the racial disparities as a result of the coronavirus," Biden said Tuesday of Harris, who, like himself, is considered a moderate Democrat.

Harris winning the bid for vice presidential candidacy capped a long process of which the result was previously expected in the first week of August.

Biden, who has promised to name a female running mate, postponed the announcement as the contest became increasingly more fluid than observers had thought, with Suzan Rice, former national security adviser in the administration of former president Barack Obama, and Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer seemingly gaining momentum in the final days leading up to the announcement.

Those who vied for the post with Harris quickly reacted to Biden's decision and supported his pick.

Rice said Harris "is a tenacious and trailblazing leader." Whitmer said she was "extraordinarily proud to support" Harris and Biden. Elizabeth Warren, once a Democratic presidential candidate on the progressive camp who endorsed Biden after dropping out, tweeted that Harris "will be a great partner to @JoeBiden in making our government a powerful force for good in the fight for social, racial, and economic justice."

Other prominent Democrats also voiced their support for Harris. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the senator "will continue her legacy of trailblazing leadership to move our nation forward." Obama said Harris "is more than prepared for the job." Former President Bill Clinton said she and Biden "make a strong team." Hillary Clinton, the 2016 Democratic presidential nominee, called on supporters to join her in getting Harris elected.

In his first public comment during a news briefing at the White House on Tuesday afternoon, President Donald Trump said Harris was "my number one draft pick, and we'll see how she works out."

He said Harris "was extraordinarily nasty to Judge (Brett) Kavanaugh" -- the Trump-appointed Supreme Court justice who was alleged of sexual misconduct -- during Senate hearings, adding that "she did very poorly in the primaries and now she's chosen so let's see how that all works out."

Hours earlier, Trump campaign senior adviser Katrina Pierson in a statement accused Harris of attempting to "bury her record as a prosecutor, in order to appease the anti-police extremists," meanwhile claiming that the selection of Harris "is proof that Joe Biden is an empty shell being filled with the extreme agenda of the radicals on the left."
Political conventions in modern times have become each partys major celebration to not only have delegates network with each other and make new contacts but to ultimatelywith a lot of fanfare and thousands of balloonsnominate its candidate for president.

This year it will be different. Like everything else, the coronavirus has put an end to the traditional political celebration.

The Democratic National Convention, which originally would have drawn 50,000 people to Milwaukee, will now begin on Aug. 17 in a smaller venue in the same city. The speeches, meetings, and events will be conducted virtually. Plans for a smaller in-person crowd recently was scrapped.

The Republican National Convention, which was originally scheduled to take place in Charlotte, North Carolina, and then switched to Jacksonville, was cancelled because of concerns surrounding the spread of the virus. The party is still considering a severely reduced convention to be held in Charlotte beginning on Aug. 24.

Gregory Koger, professor of political science at the University of Miami, and Samuel Terilli, associate professor in the School of Communication, responded to questions about the history and significance of political conventions.

How did political conventions begin?

The very first conventions were in the early 19th century. Prior to that time, when parties wanted to nominate presidents, the members of Congress would have a meeting and would nominate the candidates. That meant that you would not be able to participate in electing the president unless you were already an elected member of Congress. It was a very elitist system.

The first presidential convention was held in 1831 by the Anti-Masonic Party, a group that did not like Masons and felt that they were an elite group that were corrupt.

Then in 1832, the Jacksonian Democratic Party held a convention as well. It was similar to what we have now. Delegates and party members from each state got together and voted on presidential nominees and then adopted a party platform or statement of principles.

Gregory Koger

What is the main function of a Democratic or a Republican convention?

It has several functions. One is that it can be for party management, deciding what the party rules will be going forward. Second, the parties usually adopt a formal platform to make a public appeal to voters. These platforms may express a general ideology of governance or promote the historical legacy of the party, but in modern times they are statements of policy on a wide range of topics. Even if voters do not read these party platforms, the process of developing a party platform serves the function of the participants finding a common ground within the party.

This year, for the first time since the 1830s, the Republicans do not have a new platform. In theory, the message is that the party is standing for the same policies it advocated before Donald Trump was nominated in 2016. There is nothing in the Republican platform about building a wall on the southern border, imposing retaliatory trade sanctions, or responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. I would expect the party platform to reflect what the party is actually doing. Presumably, the Republican party has eschewed the process of adopting a party platform because there are immense policy differences within the party coalition. So, it is more difficult to agree on a set of policies than to campaign without them. Alternatively, the Republicans may have a policy agenda, but they do not wish to put it in writing and share it with the public.

Gregory Koger

This year there will be no packed auditoriums, no balloons, no celebratory parties. How will this affect the political process?

The last informal function of a convention is networking. People getting together and donating money to the party and its candidates and building connections across state lines. It is a wonderful time for members of the party to get to know each other.

Those who hope to be future political candidates go to raise their national profile. It was at the 2004 Democratic convention that most Americans first saw Barack Obama.

This years virtual conventions and the reduction of participants obviously make this networking very difficult. That is the biggest loss.

Gregory Koger

President Trump is still working out how the virtual presentations will take place, but can speeches done virtually have the same effect as live ones from the floor of a convention?

Both candidates will make a speech and broadcast that speech, and there will be some crowd noise in the background.

Gregory Koger

As of this date the Republicans may ban the press from their convention. Will it have a major effect on the outcome or in public perception?

Political conventions have become a waste of time. Little news happens. The parties and candidates rarely do anything substantive. They have turned the conventions into extended political advertisements aimed at the faithful. For every worthwhile speech, there are hours of boredom, balloons, and pablum. If the press has any role in contemporary conventions, that role is to provide context and fact-checking, not to be cheerleaders.

The fact that the Republicans have bothered to ban the press says more about Republican fear of an independent press than anything else. Any form of rigorous, factual reporting seems to cause a panic attack in that party and in the Trump White House in particular. Their convention will just be one long, irrelevant political advertisement streamed to anyone bored or paid enough to watch.

Samuel Terilli
There are a few things Sarah Palin wants Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) to know about life as a vice presidential candidate.

On Instagram, Palin said she learned a lot of lessons when she was the late Sen. John McCain's running mate in 2008. Her first piece of advice? "Out of the chute, trust no one new," she said, adding, "Fight mightily to keep your own team with you  they know you, know your voice, and most importantly are trustworthy." Palin also suggested Harris "connect with media and voters in your own unique way. Some yahoos running campaigns will suffocate you with their own self-centered agenda, so remember, YOU were chosen for who YOU are."

Palin said when she was on the campaign trail, her favorite thing was the "ropeline," which allowed her to shake hands with and hug supporters. Each interaction, she said, "melted my heart, energized my soul, and gave me the utmost hope in the greatest country on Earth!" These were pre-pandemic times, so it's not likely that Harris will be able to greet people the way Palin did, but if she does she must "be sincere in looking in their eyes, understanding why they're there, never forgetting they represent the innumerable Americans putting their trust in you to serve for the right reasons."

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Oregon lawmakers slogged through the second special session of the year on Monday, finishing their work to close a budget shortfall and pass police use-of-force reforms in a single 15-hour workday, despite frayed tempers that threw the outcome into question.

They largely preserved funding for public schools and colleges and lent bipartisan support to limit police officers use of chokeholds and other forms of deadly force, as well as dial back less-lethal police violence. They also passed bills to provide more help to unemployed Oregonians.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-12 22:49:01|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- Shake Shack, a New York burger brand, opened its first restaurant in Beijing Wednesday.

The restaurant, located in TaiKoo Li Sanlitun, a shopping area popular among young people, is the 12th restaurant that Shake Shack has opened in China.

Despite downpours in the Chinese capital city on Wednesday, food lovers turned out for the popular burgers, snacks and cold beverages.

"I once tried Shake Shack in the Republic of Korea, and it was yummy. I heard about the opening of this new restaurant a while ago, and I've been looking forward to taking my sons for a bite," said Zhang Ziqi, 37, who drove over half an hour to the restaurant.

Shake Shack entered the Chinese market in 2018, opening its first restaurant in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR), and last year, the company opened its first restaurant in Shanghai. There are now six restaurants in the Hong Kong SAR and five in Shanghai.

"We feel honored to open a restaurant in Beijing," said Randy Garutti, CEO of Shake Shack.

He said that China is one of the most important markets for Shake Shack in the world, and Beijing, as China's capital and an international metropolis, represents the new frontier of consumption.

Shake Shack is also planning to open a restaurant in Shenzhen in 2021. The company aims to have 55 Shake Shack restaurants on the Chinese mainland by 2030. Enditem
A man in southern Tay Ninh Province was sentenced to seven years in jail Tuesday for helping some Chinese cross the Cambodian border into Vietnam.

Nguyen Cong Yen, 36, was charged with brokering illegal entry to Vietnam, Tay Ninh People's Court heard.

Yen works as a motorbike taxi driver in Ben Cau District, bordering Cambodia. Via his job, he became acquainted with Cambodian A Tha.

With borders currently closed to contain Covid-19, the two soon struck up a deal to transport citizens between the two nations.

From May 15 to May 20, the duo brought four Chinese men from Cambodia to Vietnam for $350 a head, assisted by Vo Van Kiet, 26, whose borderline house was used as transit point.

While waiting for a car to bring three Chinese to HCMC on May 21, Yen was caught red-handed by police.

A Tha's identity has yet to be confirmed, with Kiet currently unaccounted for, authorities said. The three aforementioned Chinese have each been fined VND3 million ($129) by Tay Ninh Police's Immigration Management Department, it was added.

Vietnam has witnessed a rising number of illegal entry from neighboring countries, mainly China, Ministry of Public Security spokesman To An Xo said last week.

Since June, local security forces have uncovered dozens of cases involving hundreds of illegal Chinese immigrants. Some said they were looking for jobs in Vietnam.
India Approves Proposals Worth $1.1 Billion to Strengthen Armed Forces Amid Border Tensions

Sputnik News

14:23 GMT 11.08.2020

New Delhi (Sputnik): On Sunday, India's Defence Minister Rajnath Singh announced an embargo on the import of 101 types of defence equipment to boost the domestic industry. The Defence Ministry revealed that a budget of $7 billion has been set aside for domestic capital procurement in the current financial year.

Pushing forward the Self-Reliant India initiative and boosting the domestic defence industry, the Indian Armed Forces are set to receive basic training aircraft and "total kill" ammunition, for which it has previously relied on imports. India's Defence Acquisition Council approved proposals worth $1.1 billion (Rs 8,722.38 crore) on Tuesday for domestic capital procurement.

The Indian Air Force has been awaiting the basic training aircraft for a long time, as the shortage has resulted in frequent accidents, as per the standing committee's reports. The procurement of 106 basic trainer aircraft has been approved from Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) to address the basic training requirements of the Indian Air Force (IAF).

As Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has successfully developed Basic Trainer Aircraft (HTT-40) prototypes and the certification process is underway, 70 Basic Trainer Aircraft will initially be procured after certification and 36 following the operationalisation of the HTT-40 fleet in the IAF, the statement says.

The HTT-40 will be used for basic flight training, aerobatics, instrument flying, and close-formation flights, whereas its secondary roles will include navigation and night flying. HAL has claimed that the HTT-40 exceeds the Preliminary Services Qualitative Requirements (PSQR) on most fronts and offers a technologically more advanced product than its competitor.

Sources in the Indian Defence Ministry have told Sputnik that with this move, the delivery will be much earlier than before. The Armed Forces will not have to wait for six months if an order has been placed under the emergency clause, one source added.

To improve the fire power of the Indian Navy, procurement of an upgraded version of the Super Rapid Gun Mount (SRGM), which is fitted as the main gun on board Navy and Indian Coast Guard (ICG) warships, has been approved from Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL). The upgraded version of the SRGM has enhanced capability to perform against fast manoeuvring targets like missiles and fast attack crafts as well as an increased maximum engagement range.

The approval also includes the procurement of 125 mm APFSDS (Armour-Piercing Fin-Stabilised Discarding Sabot) ammunition for the Indian Army as a "Design and Development Case". The Ministry of Defence statement says that the decision was made after taking view of the required capability of the domestic development of the ammunition, both in terms of "manufacturing" and "technology".

The Armour-Piercing Fin-Stabilised Discarding Sabot (APFSDS) kinetic energy penetrator is the primary ammunition of any armoured regiment, as it can effectively engage targets at ranges beyond 2,000 metres.

The approval for the acquisition from domestic companies comes as part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Self-Reliant India initiative, under which the Defence Ministry has banned the import of 101 types of defence equipment, including simple parts and high technology weapons systems like artillery guns, assault rifles, corvettes, sonar systems, transport aircraft, light combat helicopters, and radar arrays.

Meanwhile, India has been in a border stand-off with China since the beginning of May and has been boosting its military capabilities ever since with new procurements and deliveries of previous orders.

A Sputnik

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Beleaguered Belarus opposition finds Baltic refuge Belarus presidential candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya said it was a 'difficult decision' to go to Lithuania

Waves of repression in Belarus have turned its EU neighbours into places of refuge for pro-democracy Belarusians, with presidential challenger Svetlana Tikhanovskaya only the latest to shelter there.

Tikhanovskaya said she had made the "difficult decision" to leave for Lithuania following a disputed election in which she has claimed victory against Alexander Lukashenko who has ruled with an iron fist since 1994.

Lithuanian Foreign Minister Linas Linkevicius announced her arrival on Tuesday and said on Wednesday she was in "good spirits" and would speak "in the near future".

NATO member Lithuania, which like Belarus was also once under Soviet rule, shares a 680 kilometre (420 mile) border with its neighbour to the south and has long sheltered Belarusian and Russian opposition figures.

The Lithuanian capital Vilnius is just 170 kilometres from Minsk, which makes it a "convenient geographic location" for pro-democracy Belarusians, Vilnius university analyst Laurynas Jonavicius told AFP.

The city hosts the Belarusian Human Rights House, a non-governmental organisation, and an EU-funded Belarusian university in exile, the European Humanities University, which was shut down by Lukashenko in 2004.

- 'Waves of political immigrants' -

"We help spread information from here because in Belarus the authorities are controlling the internet," Sabina Aliyeva, an 18-year-old opposition activist who is also head of the university's student union, told AFP.

Vadzim Vileita, a 37-year-old journalist and political analyst, originally from Belarus living in Lithuania, said the country was "a very natural destination for Belarusians seeking a safe place away from Belarus".

"If people want to leave Belarus for political reasons, usually they travel to Lithuania or Poland.

"After many elections when we had crackdowns in Belarus, we had waves of political immigrants coming to Lithuania every time to avoid political prosecution," he said.

Story continues

But, with street protests following Sunday's vote still ongoing, Aliyeva said that at the moment many young Belarusians based in Lithuania are going back.

"They want to help out," she said, adding that she herself had been asked by her parents to stay away.

- Government-in-exile? -

Both Lithuania and Latvia, which also has a border with Belarus, have offered to take in any political refugees.

Lithuania and Poland have called for an emergency EU summit and Poland has offered to mediate any dialogue between Lukashenko and the opposition.

Warsaw mayor Rafal Trzaskowski said any political refugees arriving in the city would receive assistance and called for "solidarity".

Poland has a population of around 28,000 Belarusians and received 37 asylum requests from Belarusians in 2019.

Lithuania officially hosts around 20,000 Belarusians and has granted refugee status to 55 of them since 2011, with authorities now preparing for many more to come.

Lithuanian Interior Minister Rita Tamasuniene said there was "a plan of measures, if the number of Belarusian citizens asking for asylum in Lithuania grows".

Viktoryia Andrukovic, a Belarusian based in Lithuania who is also involved in the pro-democracy movement, said the Baltic state could even host a sort of government in exile for Belarus headed by Tikhanovskaya.

She would be a "symbol of freedom" for Belarusians even from outside the country.

"She is the legitimate president," she said.

vab-dt/bp
At least three-quarters of all American voters will be eligible to receive a ballot in the mail for the 2020 election  the most in US history, according to a Times analysis. If recent election trends hold and turnout increases, as experts predict, roughly 80 million mail ballots will flood election offices this fall, more than double the number that were returned in 2016.

The rapid and seismic shift in how Americans will vote is because of the coronavirus pandemic. Concerns about the potential for virus transmission at polling places have forced many states to make adjustments on the fly that  despite Donald Trumps protests  will make mail voting in America more accessible this fall than ever before.

I have a hard time looking back at history and finding an election where there was this significant of a change to how elections are administered in this short a time period, said Alex Padilla, the California secretary of state who chairs the Democratic Association of Secretaries of State.

Most of the changes are temporary and have been made administratively by state and local officials who have the power to make adjustments during emergencies like the pandemic.

All states allow at least some mail voting, but some will make it more accessible to voters than others.

In eight states and Washington, DC every registered voter will be mailed a ballot before the election. California, DC and Vermont will do this for the first time this fall.

In 34 states, voters can cite the coronavirus as a reason to vote absentee or they can cast absentee ballots without specifying a reason. In eight of them, every registered voter will automatically be mailed an application to request an absentee ballot. In the other 26 states, voters will need to procure an application themselves.

In eight states, voters still need a reason beyond the virus to vote absentee. That means many voters in these states will need to vote in person at a polling place, barring any last-minute rule changes.

Several of the states that made changes for the primaries are keeping them in place for the general election, while others are making separate adjustments for the fall. A handful of states have not made any modifications and appear unlikely to do so.

Overall, 24 states and Washington, D.C., have in some way expanded voter access to mail ballots for the 2020 general election, with the broad goal of making it easier for people to vote amid a global health crisis. And in some states that maintained relatively strict rules, individual counties have undertaken similar effort

Mail means higher turnout

During the presidential primaries, many states that made it easier for people to vote by mail saw higher turnout than states that made fewer changes.

Of the states that have held presidential primaries and caucuses this year, 31 saw an increase in turnout compared with 2016. Of those, 18 had sent either ballots or ballot applications to all voters before the primaries.

Six states continued to require voters to have a reason other than the virus in order to vote absentee in the primaries. In those states, voter turnout stayed roughly the same as 2016.

Michael McDonald, a University of Florida professor who studies American elections, said that recent election trends, including many of this years primaries, have indicated that turnout will be up in the fall compared with 2016 and that the widespread use of mail voting will shatter previous records.

Its sort of trite to say that youre going to have the highest turnout rate of your lifetime or this is the most important election of your lifetime, but it really feels like that, he said. Im still expecting this to have very high turnout in November. The outstanding question that we have is just: Will the election system be able to bear that?

Indeed, the primaries also exposed the myriad problems that elections officials and voters could face this fall.

In Wisconsin, 11th-hour court rulings, long lines at the polls, a backlog of absentee ballot requests and complaints about missing or nullified mail ballots stretched the system to the brink of collapse. In Georgias most populous county, voters encountered an election meltdown rife with their own interminable lines and malfunctioning technology. And in New York, it took several weeks for overwhelmed officials to count thousands of mail ballots and deliver results.

All the while, Mr Trump has fiercely criticised mail voting  while allowing that military members and older Americans should be allowed to vote absentee  saying that sending ballots to voters directly would compromise the elections integrity. More broadly, some Republicans have continued to insist without evidence that voting by mail favours Democrats.

Studies have repeatedly shown that voting fraud of any kind is extremely rare in the United States. And states and counties that have transitioned to all-mail voting have seen little evidence of partisan advantage.

Potential problems in November

Researchers said that thinly stretched election offices might quickly become overwhelmed by the volume of mail ballots. To help lessen their load, elections officials in several key swing states have already asked that lawmakers give them more leeway to prepare absentee ballots for counting as they arrive rather than after the polls close.

Their problems could be compounded by a lack of funding for the Postal Service. If there are slowdowns in either election offices or post offices, experts said, ballots may not get sent out in a timely manner or returned by postmark deadlines.

Richard Hasen, a professor of law and political science at the University of California, Irvine, said he remained very worried that scores of voters will be disenfranchised through no fault of their own. Because many voters will be unfamiliar with the mail voting process, Mr Hasen and other experts said, they could make technical errors when marking, signing, sealing or sending their ballots, leading to their ballots being rejected.

And those voting in person may have to confront poll worker shortages that onlookers say are likely to be exacerbated by the pandemic.

Its going to be bumpy, said Amber McReynolds, the chief executive of the National Vote at Home Institute and Coalition. Will it be a disaster in a particular state? Thats hard to tell at this moment.

Well-prepared states that are accustomed to counting a high number of mail ballots  and where the presidential race is not close  could get called on election night. But experts say that in other states, the counting could delay race calls for at least a day or two. And in states where the presidential contest is tight and laws are inflexible, a clear picture of who has won could take weeks to develop.

Despite the challenges, Phil Keisling, who was Oregons secretary of state when it began mailing ballots to voters more than two decades ago, was among more than a half-dozen experts who expressed faith that election administrators would get their jobs done.

Tens of millions of people are in election terra incognita, and so theres anxiety, and its understandable, Mr Keisling said. But I am guardedly optimistic that we will run an election that will meet very high standards of professionalism and that the vast majority of Americans, even if they dont like the results, are going to believe that the results are fair.

New York Times
Mumbai:

A private helicopter crashed near Aarey Colony in suburban Goregaon on Sunday, killing the pilot and injuring three others, a mishap which will be probed by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB).

Private mini helicopter (VT PHB) with a pilot, technician and a couple was on joyride from Juhu to Goregaon (film city), a senior police officer said.

The chopper was on return journey when it crashed in a field at Aarey colony at around 12 PM, the officer said.

All the four occupants, were rushed to a hospital, where doctors declared the pilot, Prafulla Mishra (53) brought dead, DCP Zone-12, Kirankumar Chavan, said.

The other three have been identified as Ritesh Modi, Vrinda Modi and Sanjiv Shankar, who have sustained severe burn and fracture injuries, the doctor said, adding, they were undergoing treatment at ICU ward of hospital.

Apex aircraft investigation body, the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) will probe the helicopter crash in Goregaon.

Aviation regulator DGCA has already started collecting evidence from the crash site which would help the AAIB in its probe, a senior official said.

The DGCA officials are already on the crash site to collect evidence for probe. Since, ab initio its an accident, Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) will be conducting a probe into it. We are sending a team of investigators to Mumbai tomorrow to start the probe, a senior AAIB official told PTI.

I was working in my field this morning, when I saw the helicopter flying at low height. It later crashed near my house in the field, said Lakma Page, an eye-witness.

I rushed to the site and saw two passengers hanging out of the chopper with belt tied around their bodies. While we were pulling the woman, I saw flames emanating from her seat. Then I left her and tried to douse the flames with water, he said.

With the help of others, who were working on the field, we pulled all the four occupants out and rushed them to a near by hospital, he said.

The pilot was unconscious when we rescued him, while the woman had sustained grievous burn injuries, he added. We then informed police control room following which the police arrived 30 to 45 minutes later, the eyewitness said.

Fire Brigade official said they received the call at 12:19 PM and arrived at the spot by 12.45 PM. Three fire engines were rushed to the spot and fire has been contained, the official added.

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CARE Ratings has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Tresata Inc., a global leader in AI & predictive analytics software, on 8 August, 2020 to join forces to launch predictive intelligence business solutions in India.

Tresata's Analytics Operating System will allow CARE Ratings to deliver superior products and services that manage risk and identify opportunities by leveraging the latest advances in Artificial Intelligence and Data Science.

CARE Ratings will implement Tresata's proprietary state of the art, cloud based, analytics software to help transform CARE Ratings' data management, data validation, analytical modeling and risk intelligence capabilities.

This partnership is unique in that it will not only leapfrog CARE's analytical capabilities but also enable co-innovation to create intelligence solutions Indian corporations can depend on to further their ambitions.

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
John Teza has been added to the team as President and Chief Development Officer starting August 10th. John has C-level experience in the restaurant and franchise space including his time as Chief Development Officer at Jersey Mikes Subs where he directed all aspects of brand expansion for the NJ-based chain of 1,750+ units and $1.2 billion in system-wide sales. Most recently he was a Principal at NRD Capital Management leading operational and strategic functions for a number of restaurant and retail concepts.

John will immediately head all franchise, real estate and business development efforts for Hand & Stone. John will also supervise legal and compliance matters and have full responsibility for Company store operations. Based on his prior Canadian franchise experience, John will also oversee the 31-spa Canadian operation, working in conjunction with the brands current Canadian president.

We are excited to have an executive of Johns caliber and experience join the Hand & Stone team. As we position the Company for continued accelerated growth and transition we need executives like John who bring high energy and tested leadership skills to the business, noted Todd Leff, CEO of Hand & Stone.

I am very excited about this opportunity and to join this team. The current group under the leadership of CEO, Todd Leff, has made Hand & Stone the fastest growing concept in a very dynamic industry and I am confident that my background and expertise can help extend this growth even further, said Teza.

Current Vice President of Franchise Development, Bob McQuillan, has announced his retirement at the end of August. Bob has been at Hand & Stone for over 11 years and in that time has been instrumental in building the current franchise base to 475 spas. The entire executive team and Board acknowledge the efforts Bob has expended in those 11 years and how the brand would not be in the place it is today without his efforts. He will pursue more family and philanthropic endeavors in his retirement.

Separately, Cindy Meiskin has been elevated to Chief Experience Officer where she will continue to be responsible for the brand experience through franchisee training, consumer research and feeback platforms, brand compliance and other consumer experience functions. Cindy joined Hand & Stone in 2012 and was most recently the Vice President of Brand Experience.

Especially during the recent COVID period, Cindy has demonstrated an amazing ability to synthesize various processes across the company into a one very clear direction for our consumer experience. She worked exhaustively in analyzing local, state and federal requirements and combining those with our own and outside industry expert analysis to help develop our reopening guidelines. She was the driving force behind our post-opening COVID strategy that is not only the envy of others in our space but the envy of the entire retail segment, said Todd Leff, CEO of Hand & Stone.

About Hand & Stone Massage and Facial Spa

Hand & Stone is a 475-plus unit massage and facial spa franchise with a mission to bring massage and facial services to the masses. Launched in 2004, Hand & Stone now has locations in 33 states and Canada. The brand has been named number #1 in the spa category by Entrepreneur Magazine for 2020, ranked number #8 on Forbes' Best Franchises to Buy list for 2019 in the high investment category and is the fastest growing spa concept in the country. For more information on Hand & Stone, visit handandstone.com
Another lawsuit has been filed against a long-term-care home operator in Mississauga.

The negligence and wrongful death lawsuit was filed by Viet Do and seeks $20 million from Schlegel Villages, alleging that the company failed to keep residents and staff safe at its Erin Mills Lodge facility during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dos father, Minh Do, 88, lived at Erin Mills Lodge from 2014 until his death on April 24, 2020, according to the lawsuits statement of claim. His family was notified that Minh Do developed COVID-19 symptoms on April 23, the claim said.

The claim, which has not been proven in court, alleges that Schlegel didnt comply with directives issued by the province and health authorities, including not isolating individuals with COVID-19 from non-infected people and failing to provide staff with proper personal protective equipment in a timely manner.

When provided, Erin Mills Lodge directed staff to repeatedly use the same personal protective equipment  despite contamination, the claim alleges.

The Mississauga News sent the claim to Schlegel and asked the company for comment on the allegations.

Matt Drown, Schlegels director of community communications, said in an email that our efforts at all times, whether during the COVID-19 pandemic or in the regular daily lives of our Villages, are deeply rooted in the best service and care possible for the residents we serve.

He also said that the care sector across Canada has faced immense challenges since March and that Schlegel staff have faced them all under the guidance of Ontarios chief medical officer of health and the Ministry of (Health and) Long-term Care.

As for any allegations, we will address them through the proper legal processes.

Erin Mills has over 80 beds and is one of 19 long-term-care or retirement facilities owned by Schlegel.

The Erin Mills Lodge claim is the second $20-million lawsuit against Schlegel related to its care homes in Mississauga.

In June, the family of Giuseppina Carnevale, who was a resident of the Village of Erin Meadows, filed a $20-million wrongful death claim against Schlegel.

Law firm Will Davidson is representing the plaintiffs in both legal actions.

At the time, Drown also said the company would address the allegations related to its Erin Meadows care home through the proper legal processes.

Viet Do said his father was always there for every member of the family.

I consider it my duty to my father to push for an investigation of this tragedy, he said in a statement provided by Will Davidson. Those that are responsible for this state of affairs must take responsibility and be held accountable.

Peel Public Health reports show that both Erin Mills and Village of Erin Meadows have had 21 resident deaths, which is the third-most among long-term-care and retirement homes across Brampton, Caledon and Mississauga.

Camilla Care Community and Cooksville Care Community, both in Mississauga, have had 67 and 24 resident deaths respectively related to COVID-19, according to Peel Public Health.

As of July 16, Peel Public Health reported that Erin Mills Lodge has had 100 COVID-19 cases  67 residents and 33 staff members.

Forty-six of the resident cases and all but one staff member had recovered, according to the Peel Public Health report.

Steve Cornwell is a City Hall reporter for the Mississauga News.

Read more about:
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / August 12, 2020 / Dimension Five Technologies Inc. (CSE:DFT) (the "Company") announces that, effective August 11, 2020, the board of directors has appointed Patrick Butler as a director of the Company and a member of the Audit Committee.

Mr. Butler has over 10 years of experience in the Capital Markets, having worked as an Investment Advisor, Exempt Market Dealer Representative and in the fields of Corporate Development & Investor Relations.

Patrick is President & CEO of Creekside Communications, VP Corporate Development for Zinc8 Energy Solutions and Registered Representative at Ascenta Finance.

ABOUT Dimension Five Technologies Inc.

Dimension Five Technologies Inc., based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, had been developing a new investing platform that helps connect early stage companies with investors. The Company is seeking to change its main business activities as set out in a press release dated July 14, 2020, referenced above. Additional information on Dimension Five is available on the company's website at http://www.dimensionfive.ca.

For further information, please contact :

Chris Parr, CEO

Chris@dimensionfive.ca

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. No stock exchange, securities commission or other regulatory authority has approved or disapproved the information contained herein.

SOURCE: Dimension Five Technologies Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/601379/Dimension-Five-Announces-Appointment-of-Director-and-Audit-Committee-Member
Scofflaws crossing the seven state Bay Area bridges have racked up $16 million in unpaid tolls since the coronavirus pandemic forced toll takers out of their booths and prompted an overnight switch to all-electronic toll collection.

And the problem keeps growing.

Unpaid tolls are increasing at a rate of about $4 million a month, Bay Area Toll Authority spokesman Randy Rentschler said.

But despite the losses, the Toll Authority has pretty much let the culprits slide.

Heres the story.

Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered 250 toll takers on the bridges out of their booths in March as part of a statewide effort to stem the spread of COVID-19. The governors order instantly forced the Antioch, Carquinez, Benicia, Dumbarton, Richmond-San Rafael, San Mateo and Bay bridges to go cashless, a move that was already planned but not supposed to happen for another few years.

For the 70% of commuters who were already using the electronic FasTrak system, there was no change. But the process for cash customers, who normally would hand their dollars to a toll taker, changed  instead overhead cameras photograph their license plates as they pass though the toll gates. They then get a bill in the mail for the $6 toll.

So far, however, only about 65% of those bills have been paid within the allotted 30 days.

The number of unpaid tolls goes up and down as more bills go out and others are paid late, Rentschler said. But when all is said and done, it comes to about $4 million a month in unpaid tolls. And every month the total gets larger.

According to Toll Authority records, between March 21 and May 31, 43% of the errant drivers had yet to pay what they owed on between one and five tolls.

Drivers who owed on between 10 and 20 crossings represented 31% of those in arrears.

Drivers who owed on between 21 and 50 crossings made up 19% of the violators.

And drivers who owed on more than 50 crossings made up 7% of the scofflaws.

Much of the problem is being driven by a few bad actors, Rentschler said.

In pre-pandemic times, drivers who evaded tolls on bridges would first get a warning, then a late fee of $25, which would rise to $70 if left unpaid.

If they still refused to pay, the Toll Authority would put a hold on the offending vehicles re-registration until the tolls were paid. The Toll Authority still has the option of adding late charges or issuing a registration hold, but for now, if an owner tosses the bill in the trash, thats pretty much it.

At some point we are going to have to do those things, but right now we are hoping the softer message and no threats will be sufficient, Rentschler said. Obviously, this is an extremely difficult time for everyone, so we are mindful of that. As well, our plan to go fully cashless got speeded up, so a soft approach is warranted.

So whats it all mean in the big picture?

Total bridge toll revenues are down about $120 million dollars since mid-March. In recent months traffic has rebounded to about 80% of its pre-pandemic levels, with revenues still down about $14 million a month.

Meanwhile across San Francisco Bay, the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District, which switched to all-electronic tolling in 2013, continues to demand prompt payment.

And Golden Gate Bridge officials dont hesitate to put a hold on a vehicle registration renewal when warranted.

We just want people to pay their toll and the majority want to pay, bridge General Manager Denis J. Mulligan said.

Rentschler said the Toll Authority may revisit its kinder, gentler approach later this month when discussions begin on how to make the all-electronic toll system permanent on the bridges.

The options include sending out a reminder or sending a reminder with a notice that we are going to start to re-impose late fees, Rentschler said.

Until then it remains pretty much pretty please pay your toll.

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.

Biden buzz: Maybe the selection of California Sen. Kamala Harris as his running mate will bring some excitement to Joe Bidens campaign, because he certainly could use it.

Only 26% of California Democrats and independents rated their excitement a 10 on a 10-point scale, according to a recent poll by FM3 Research, a Democratic polling firm, and Baughman Merrill, a Democratic direct mail firm

And 19% said they were not excited at all about voting for Biden.

But voter antipathy toward President Trump more than made up for the lack of Biden buzz, with 70% of Democrats and independents rating their excitement at the prospect of voting against Trump a 10.

This is true even among those who cast a ballot for Bernie Sanders in the primary, FM3 pollster David Metz said.

Even with the lack of enthusiasm, Biden is beating Trump 55%-30% in California, when lesser presidential candidates are in the mix.

And with Harris on the ticket, she could add some badly needed enthusiasm among some core Democratic voters who are less enthusiastic about Biden, Metz said.

Overall, however, voters appear to be pretty down about the race.

When asked in an open-ended question to describe their emotions about the November election, 63% of voters said they were feeling anxious, nervous, frightened, scared, concerned or worried.

Only 21% of the voters of all stripes said they were hopeful about the outcome.

The poll was conducted from June 27-July 17, 2020 with an online sample of 1,026 likely voters The margin of error is +/-3.1%.

San Francisco Chronicle columnist Phil Matier appears Sundays and Wednesdays. Matier can be seen on the KGO-TV morning and evening news and can also be heard on KCBS radio Monday through Friday at 7:50 a.m. and 5:50 p.m. Got a tip? Call 415-777-8815, or email pmatier@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @philmatier
ATLANTA - A Georgia congressional candidates campaign conspired with the stepmother of the former Atlanta police officer who killed Rayshard Brooks to publicly smear the womans former employer after she was fired, according to a lawsuit filed by the company.

The defamation lawsuit filed Tuesday by Equity Prime Mortgage says the companys former human resources manager, Melissa Rolfe, joined forces with Marjorie Taylor Greene and her campaign to peddle the false narrative that the company had fired Rolfe for fighting for her stepson and being his stepmom. Rolfes stepson is Garrett Rolfe, who fatally shot Brooks, a 27-year-old Black man, outside a Wendys restaurant in Atlanta.

Greene, a businesswoman who has expressed support for the far-right conspiracy theory QAnon and been criticized for a series of racist comments, on Tuesday won the Republican nomination for Georgias 14th Congressional District.

Lin Wood, a lawyer representing both Greene and Melissa Rolfe, called the allegations damnable lies.

We have documentary evidence from Equity Prime that no such conduct had ever occurred and, in fact, they praised her when they told her to take some time off after they found out that her stepson had been involved in the shooting, Wood said in a phone interview. So Equity Prime Mortgage thinks, I guess, that its getting some tactical advantage by running to the courthouse and suing Melissa. Bad mistake.

The lawsuit says Melissa Rolfe, who had worked at Equity Prime Mortgage since February, repeatedly violated company policy and created an uncomfortable and hostile working environment by making crude and racist comments to other employees.

Rolfe had been repeatedly reprimanded for her comments and was notified on June 11 that she was under investigation because of multiple complaints against her, the lawsuit says.

The next day, a Friday, her stepson shot Brooks, and she asked to work from home the following Monday. The company granted her eight weeks of paid leave in light of her family situation and continued investigating, the lawsuit says. During the investigation, a flood of employees complained about wildly unprofessional and hostile conduct, and the company fired her on June 18.

That same day, Melissa Rolfe conspired with Greene and her campaign to defame the company and promote the falsehood that Rolfe had done nothing wrong and was fired because of her stepson, the lawsuit alleges. Rolfe, Greene and her campaign jointly co-ordinated the planting of a false story with Tucker Carlson Tonight, authorizing, intending, and expecting that their false claims would be broadcast to a worldwide internet audience.

Equity Prime Mortgage put out a public statement saying that Rolfes termination was a direct result of her actions in the workplace and violation of company policy.

The company asked that the false claims be retracted, but the lawsuit says Rolfe, Greene and her campaign doubled down, repeating their false accusations.

The lawsuit, which was filed in Fulton County State Court against Rolfe and Greenes campaign, but not Greene herself, asks for a jury trial. It also seeks unspecified actual, presumed and punitive damages.

Wood, the lawyer for Rolfe and Greene, said it is Equity Prime Mortgage that defamed Rolfe and is going to find itself in legal trouble.

This was a political stunt and an ill-conceived plan to try to get legal advantage, he said. They know Melissa Rolfe was going to sue them, rightfully so.
U.S President Donald Trump said that he was reluctant to trust the US intelligence community regarding their investigation of the Russian probe because of James Comey, the former FBI Director.

Trump called him a "dirty cop" and accused him of launching the investigation just to discredit his win as president back in 2016.

Russia probe

President Trump wrote in his Twitter account on August 11 that his former national security adviser, John Bolton, is one of the "dumbest people" that he has met in government and that sadly he met plenty.

Trump added that there are a lot of "dumb" politicians in states that he respected and trusted and that Russian President Vladimir Putin of Russia is more than those in the US intelligence agencies, as reported by New York Post.

The president continued that if the "first people you met" from "so-called American Intelligence were Dirty Cops" that the public will understand his reluctance to embrace.

Also Read: History Professor Who Accurately Predicted Election Results Since 1984 Reveals Pick for 2020

Trump then went on to called James Comey "a proven sleazebag at the highest level", James Clapper as a "proven liar" and John Brennan as a "wacko and the lowest of them all" who headed the CIA, as reported by The Guardian.

The former Director of National Intelligence, James Clapper, and John Brennan were among the officials under the Obama administration who allegedly tried to reveal the identity of Trump's first national security adviser, Michael Flynn, in pursuit of the "Russian collusion" Crossfire Hurricane investigation.

Meanwhile, Attorney General William Barr has launched an investigation into the case of Flynn and the origins of the initial Russia probe.

James Comey's role

On July 29, 2013, James Comey is confirmed by the Senate as the seventh FBI director. In October 2016, less than two weeks before the 2016 presidential election, Comey announced that the FBI will investigate more emails related to Hillary Clinton's private server.

In May 2017, President Donald Trump fired James Comey as the FBI director, citing Comey's handling of the probe into Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server.

In December 2019 James Comey admitted to being responsible for the sloppiness over the handling of surveillance of a Trump campaign adviser, Comey was already known as Donald Trump's prime nemesis at the time.

Comey also defended himself and the bureau against any suggestion of political bias, prompting a new threat of "years in jail" from President Trump.

Comey also came under intense questioning on Fox News, sparring with Fox anchor Chris Wallace over the findings of the inspector general's report into the FBI's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.

Meanwhile, Former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, is a frequent target of Donald Trump's ridicule, fought back and said that there is a difference between criticism of intelligence agencies and the pattern of disparagement coming from Trump, as reported by Bloomberg.

Clapper said back in May 2020 that the U.S intelligence community provides its best judgment given the fact that it is never going to have perfect knowledge and perfect insight. He added that it is not a bad thing if a policymaker is skeptical about intelligence and challenges it.

Related Article: Joe Biden Picks Kamala Harris as Running Mate for 2020 Election, Becomes First Black Woman VP Nominee

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Authorities on Wednesday identified a motorcyclist killed in a crash earlier this week in Fall River as 51-year-old Eric Liebl of Swansea.

Liebl was riding a Harley Davidson around 9:30 p.m. Monday near the intersection of South Main and Middle streets when the motorcycle was struck by a Honda Civic, according to the office of Bristol District Attorney Thomas Quinn III.

When officers got to the scene, Liebl was in the middle of the road. The 28-year-old man driving the Honda Civic and his two passengers remained at the scene and were interviewed by police, Quinns office wrote in a statement.

Liebl suffered serious head trauma in the crash. He was rushed to St. Annes Hospital in Fall River before being transferred to Rhode Island Hospital in Providence, where he died Tuesday at 12:59 p.m., the statement said.

An investigation of the crash is ongoing. There are currently no criminal charges, the district attorneys office said.
Residents wait for groceries delivered to an entrance of a sealed residential compound, after new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in Dalian city, Liaoning Province, China, on July 23, 2020. (China Daily via REUTERS)

Chinese Citizens Decry Extreme Lockdown Measures in Latest Virus Epicenters

Amid third-wave CCP virus outbreaks in Chinas northwestern region of Xinjiang and northeastern city of Dalian, authorities enacted strict quarantine rules, with some residents being harshly punished for breaking regulations.

Some who spoke to The Epoch Times criticized authorities for their draconian measures.

Since the Xinjiang capital of Urumqi was locked down on July 16, residents told the Chinese-language Epoch Times that their everyday lives have been severely restricted. Authorities told them they cannot post online about the outbreak.

On Aug. 11, Urumqi resident Li Qiang said he and his neighbors tested twice for COVID-19. They tested negative, but authorities did not notify them about when they can leave home freely after being isolated for 27 days.

We are more and more anxious. We cant go out the door and cant earn any money, Li said.

In the lockdown, residents only can buy food from online stores or by ordering from government-approved volunteers.

Due to lack of food supplies, food is very expensive, especially meat and fruit, said Li. Meat was about $4.9 per pound in late July, and now is $6.4 per pound.

Li said that he bought some grapes about 10 days ago, which was $1.3 per pound. In August 2019, the price in Urumqi was $0.65 per pound, according to the citys commerce bureau.

Some Urumqi residents were unable to bear the long-term quarantine and left their homes and were punished by authorities as a result.

City authorities warned residents of the consequences in a video posted on social media on Aug. 12, in which four people were forced to stand under the baking sun because they disobeyed city quarantine rules.

Lockdown measures also angered residents in Dalian, where there is also a third wave outbreak.

On Aug. 7, the city government announced that city police punished 52 people who were involved in four outbreak-related criminal cases and 38 outbreak-related administrative cases.

Authorities said the 52 people did not follow government lockdown rules.

Li Ping (pseudonym), a resident at the Daoxin Jiayuan residential compound in Dalian Bay, said on Aug. 12 that authorities monitor residents to make sure they stay at home, using security guards and drones.

Residents in Dalian Bay are not allowed to leave their homes. Anyone who violates the rule would be detained for seven to 15 days, Li Ping said.

Li Ping said her residential complex was required to test for COVID-19 four times. The restrictions are getting tighter and tighter You cant even throw the trash out nowThe drones are monitoring us. It can capture whether there were people outdoors.

Li Ping also said food was extremely expensive, and that many lost their jobs during the pandemic.

On the online platform authorities set up, eggs are 10 yuan per 500 gram (about $1.31 per pound), and peaches are five yuan (about $0.72) for one. But the ones you get are often rotten, she said.

With the lockdown stretching into weeks, Li Ping said her nearly four-year-old daughter was getting anxious. She keeps telling me that she wants to see the sea and meet her friends downstairs, she said.

A Dalian resident also shared a video with The Epoch Times shot at his residential compound on Aug. 1. A man planned to pick up food he ordered from a private service, but was caught by security guards soon after he left the compound.

Security guards subdued him. When police arrived, he was sent to a detention center for five days. During the process, a guard tore open the mans T-shirt and he was pinned to the ground.
Every client who completes a tattoo removal at Removery contributes to the program  for each paying customer, the company will donate one complete removal to someone who meets the program criteria. The community outreach initiative aims to free people of destructive images or painful reminders of the past and help them usher in a brighter future.

"Removery is a place of inclusion and empowerment, and we are committed to eradicating sources of discrimination, injustice, and hate," said Tom Weber, CEO of Removery. "Through INK-nitiative, we provide an important tool for people who want to make real change in their lives, inspire others, and confidently walk the path of positive self-reinvention. And every customer who undertakes their tattoo removal journey with us is a vital part of INK-nitiative, giving someone else the gift of renewal."

INK-nitiative is a reinvention of the INK program, a similar initiative developed by Removery predecessor, The Finery. INK (I Now Know) helped more than 150 clients remove tattoos that were a result of prison culture indoctrination, as well as "branding tattoos" forced on victims of human trafficking, and has had an influx of interest in hate tattoo removal in recent months.

Terrance Lewis, who spent 21 years behind bars for a crime he did not commit, got his tattoos removed through the INK program. He founded the Terrance Lewis Liberation Foundation to advocate for others who have been wrongfully convicted and challenge police and prosecutorial misconduct.

"My tattoos helped me survive the pain of prison, but when I got out, they did not reflect who I wanted to be or how I wanted to commit my life," said Lewis. "By removing the physical scars of my past, I have a clean slate to embark upon the next chapter of my life and career, now working to reform the criminal justice system. I am forever grateful."

Christian Picciolini, a former violent extremist, is a peace advocate, author, producer, and public speaker who had his own racist tattoos removed and now helps others overcome hate. He leads the Free Radicals Project, a global extremism prevention and disengagement network and one of many like-minded organizations helping to promote the new initiative.

"True disengagement from hate and extremism is a long and difficult process that involves much self-reflection, undergoing numerous changes, and working hard to make amends for the pain and harm caused," said Picciolini. "Shedding the physical hate on one's body is an important step in building a new life rooted in love. Free Radicals is excited to support Removery as they work to help former extremists on their path to create positive change."

Enrollment for the program is now open, and those who meet the above criteria can CLICK HERE to apply . Tattoos must be visible on hands, neck, face, or other identifiable areas. Applicants will be enrolled based on capacity and are asked to commit to completing the treatment and aftercare.

Removery is open as per regional COVID-19 guidelines at 35 locations in Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and Ontario, Canada. With a commitment to ensuring the health and well-being of clients and staff, Removery has implemented industry-leading safety protocols in accordance with OSHA guidelines for healthcare facilities. This includes mandatory face masks, additional PPE for staff, routine cleaning and disinfecting of all surfaces and equipment, and strict occupancy limits.

To see before-and-after pictures, learn more about tattoo removal, or schedule an in-person or virtual consultation, visit Removery.com.

About Removery

Removery, with 35 locations across North America, is the largest specialized provider of tattoo removal services in the world. The company  a partnership between Eraser Clinic, Invisible Ink Tattoo Removers, The Finery, and Precision Laser  combines decades of collective experience and expertise and is uniquely pro-tattoo with a strong appreciation for the art and history of tattoos as a vehicle for self-expression. Removery strongly believes there is no shame or stigma  and in fact, deep power  in changing a tattoo; its laser specialists understand that everyone has a different story and reason for removal or fading. Collectively, Removery laser specialists have completed more than 200,000 safe and effective laser tattoo removal treatments.

Contact:

Stephanie Wolf

[email protected]

SOURCE Removery

Related Links

https://removery.com


PEMBROKE, Bermuda, Aug. 12, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sompo International Holdings Ltd., a Bermuda-based specialty provider of property and casualty insurance and reinsurance, has appointed Mrs. Lauren Folkard, Vice President and Head of Cyber for the London Market. Mrs. Folkard was previously a cyber class underwriter at Barbican and is an industry veteran, having been part of the cyber management team at Chubb. She will be based out of the firms London office.



Mr. Julian James, Chief Executive Officer, International Insurance at Sompo International, commented, We are delighted to welcome Lauren to Sompo International. This is an exciting development as part of our long-term commitment to this class of business and it supplements our global cyber capabilities. While clients already face a wide range of cyber exposures, they have become more acute during the Coronavirus pandemic. In this environment, data breaches are more likely, and companies will be at increased risk. Our ambition is to work with our clients and broker partners to deliver the solutions they need to navigate the changing risk environment.

Mrs. Folkard shared, I look forward to building upon Sompo Internationals expertise within the cyber class and to deepening and extending relationships with brokers and insureds and I am thrilled to join an organization with substantial financial strength and solid underwriting appetite. I believe that Sompo International is well-positioned to address todays cyber market challenges including malware, phishing and social engineering threats which are all rising as criminals seek to exploit weaknesses of staff working remotely without access to their usual network of advice and support.

About Sompo International

Sompo International Holdings Ltd. is a global specialty provider of property and casualty insurance and reinsurance, headquartered in Bermuda. Sompo International companies are wholly owned subsidiaries of Sompo Holdings, Inc., whose core business encompasses one of the largest property and casualty insurance groups in the Japanese domestic market. We maintain excellent financial strength as evidenced by the ratings of A+ (Superior) from A.M. Best (XV size category) and A+ (Strong) from Standard and Poors on our principal operating subsidiaries.

For more information about Sompo International, please visit www.sompo-intl.com .

Contact

Sompo International

Cara Gallagher

SVP, Marketing & Communications

Phone: + 1 917 421 4973

Email: cagallagher@sompo-intl.com
CHATSWORTH, Calif.Zalo USAs latest innovation, the King Vibrating Thruster, is now ready to hit retail store shelves. In stock and ready to ship, the King Vibrating Thruster is part of Zalos Legend Series.

Inspired by Egyptian royalty, the King Vibrating Thruster arrives in a luxurious matte black box with ancient Egyptian pharaohs and queens in gold. The regal look of the packaging highlights the majestic toy thats inside, which also incorporates Egyptian themes into its design.

The golden base of the King is shaped to mimic the look of feathers from an eagle and the scales of a cobra in the shape of a lotus, the national flower of Egypt, which serves as the toys power button and holds an inlaid Swarovski crystal.

Available in Velvet Purple, Turquoise Green, Wine Red and Obsidian Black, the King is made from ultra-soft liquid silicone and not only offers powerful vibration with 7,000 RPM per minute, but also its PowerThrust Technology allows it to deliver 15mm of thrusting for a lifelike experience. The Kings embossed buttons make them easy to push.

King is also compatible with the Smart App Control that allows for hands-free use of the toy, allowing the user to control it directly from their mobile device. The app also allows users to customize the Kings functions to create a personalized experience.

Unlike many other thrusters on the market, the Kings PowerThrust technology is uniquely silent as it thrusts powerfully for deep stimulation, Zalo USA president and CEO Peter Ovsonka said. In addition, King also offers powerful vibration to give customers options for versatile play. King is an exciting new addition to the Legend Series that is already receiving a lot of rave reviews.

Zalo USAs King Vibrating Thruster is now available for wholesale orders from Holiday Products. Call (800) 266-5969, visit Holiday Products' B2B portal, or email [email protected] for more information.

Visit ZaloUSA.com to check out the full Legend Series, along with other premium quality bestsellers.
TOKYO, Aug 12, 2020 - (JCN Newswire) - Showa Denko K.K. (SDK; TSE:4004) today announced its 2020 2Q consolidated financial results.- 2020 Second Quarter Consolidated Financial Statements and summaryhttps://www.sdk.co.jp/assets/files/english/ir/library/fss2020-2q.pdfThe Company also issued the following supporting release:- SDK Revises Forecast of Consolidated Performance for Full-year 2020www.sdk.co.jp/assets/files/english/news/2020/20200812_sdknewsrelease_e.pdfAbout Showa Denko K.K.Showa Denko K.K. (SDK; TSE:4004, ADR:SHWDY) is a major manufacturer of chemical products serving from heavy industry to computers and electronics. The Petrochemicals Sector provides cracker products such as ethylene and propylene, the Chemicals Sector provides industrial, high-performance and high-purity gases and chemicals for semicon and other industries, the Inorganics Sector provides ceramic products, such as alumina, abrasives, refractory/graphite electrodes and fine carbon products. The Aluminum Sector provides aluminum materials and high-value-added fabricated aluminum, the Electronics Sector provides HD media, compound semiconductors such as ultra high bright LEDs, and rare earth magnetic alloys, and the Advanced Battery Materials Department (ABM) provides lithium-ion battery components. For more information, please visit www.sdk.co.jp/english/.Source: Showa Denko K.K.Contact:Copyright 2020 JCN Newswire . All rights reserved.

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
A delivery driver who killed a London school teacher by jumping a red light as she crossed the road today lost his bid to overturn a 10-year driving ban.

Lawyers for Paul Austin, who avoided jail for causing the death of Tracey Wilson in December 2018 in Hornsey, had claimed the length of the disqualification was quite simply excessive.

But the Court of Appeal today upheld the original sentence, saying that Austin, a former Grenadier Guard, remains a real and continuing danger to other road users.

This included the revelation that, since his conviction, Austin had considered committing suicide by by crashing his car.

The court heard that, prior to the crash, Austin had three previous motoring convictions for seven offences, including driving while disqualified, driving while under the influence of alcohol and driving without insurance.

Lead judge Lord Justice Fulford said psychiatric reports into Austin, of Stotfold, Hertforshire, showed he was admitted to hospital last year as a consequence of considering to take his own life.

Lord Justice Fulford said: The relevant factor in this [report] is that he contemplated committing suicide by crashing his car, as well as using other means of ending his life.

Rejecting the appeal, which was conducted online, he concluded: We consider the [sentencing] judge was entitled to conclude that the appellant represents a real and continuing danger to other road users.

The court heard that Austin, who was working for Alliance Healthcare, delivering medical supplies to pharmacies, had been nearing the end of an 11-hour shift.

He drove through a red light in Hornsey High Street that had been visible for four seconds. He was travelling at 14mph in a 20mph zone.

A device on the van dashboard was informing his employers of his location and he was keen to return to the depot.

Ms Wilson, 55, who had an adult son Courtney and a two-year-old grandson, suffered serious head injuries. She was airlifted to the Royal London hospital, in Whitechapel, but died two days later.

Ms Wilson worked as a child protection officer at City of London Academy Islington.

Austin pleaded guilty at Highbury Corner magistrates court last December to causing death by careless driving. The case was referred to the Old Bailey in January for sentencing.

Judge John Hillen imposed a sentence of six months jail, suspended for two years, plus the 10-year driving ban, 200 hours of unpaid community service and 20 days of rehabilitation.

Alex Stein, representing Austin today, said it was a sad case and that Mr Austin is truly sorry for the pain and suffering he has caused.

He said the offence was in the middle category of seriousness for death by careless driving offences and claimed there was a low risk of Austin reoffending.

Mr Stein said: A 10-year disqualification with this level of culpability is disproportionate to other death by careless driving cases.

Ten years is quite simply excessive.

Its right that Mr Austin has previous convictions for driving offences but theyre of a different nature. There was no careless driving or dangerous driving.

We submit that the previous convictions cant take the disqualification up to the level of 10 years.

But Lord Justice Fulford, sitting with Mr Justice Nicol and Mrs Justice Jefford, said the Old Bailey judge had accepted that Austin had not driven with deliberate dangerousness but there had been more than a momentary loss of concentration.

He said Austins three previous motoring convictions had been between 1989 and 2010 and the drink-driving offence had been when he rushed to his dying mother early one morning after drinking the previous evening.

He said Austins wife had said he had become withdrawn and avoided going out since the crash, that his mental and physical health had deteriorated and that he was truly devastated at being responsible for Ms Wilsons death.

Lord Justice Fulford said of Ms Wilson: She was held in high regard by her work colleagues and the pupils at the school where she worked.

There is no doubt that the sudden loss of her life has devastated many people who knew her.

But he said the purpose of the driving ban was both to punish Austin and to protect others. He noted the sentencing judge had said that if Austin continued to drive he would pose a potential danger to the public.

He said Austins mental state, previous driving offences and the circumstances of the collision paint, in our judgement, a worrying picture.

He concluded: It follows that we reject Mr Steins suggestion that this [sentencing] was excessive or disproportionate.

Ms Wilsons sister Lorraine Wilson this afternoon welcomed the judgement.

Prior to the hearing, she had spoken of the familys devastation and urged the court not to reduce the length of the ban.

She said: The pain that we have is with us 24 hours a day of not having Tracey here, we are heartbroken and devastated. Our once close family has been ripped apart mentally and emotionally. We are heartbroken.

Tracey was an uplifting, caring, courageous, amazing woman who devoted all of her time to her family, her friends and her pupils. We as a family need for justice to happen for Tracey. Our sentence cannot be reduced, our sentence is for life.

RoadPeace, the charity for road crash victims, said driving bans were underused despite being an appropriate form of justice. The appeal was seen as a test case for the use of long bans.
Congress leader Digvijaya Singh on Wednesday demanded an investigation into the source of social media post which resulted in violence in Bengaluru rather only taking cognizance of people who shared it.

The Congress leader condemned the violence and appealed for peace.

I strongly condemn Communally Provocative Offensive Post on Social Media which resulted in violence in Bengaluru. I appeal to all to remain calm and peaceful. Police must find out the source from which the Post originated rather than take cognisance of only those who shared it, the Congress leader tweeted.

Congress MLA Srinivas Murthys nephew was arrested for allegedly sharing a derogatory post on social media that triggered violence in the city last night.

110 accused of arson, stone-pelting, and assault on the police have been arrested in connection with the violence.

Two persons died and around 60 police personnel sustained injuries during the clashes, the police said.

Earlier, Murthys house was also vandalised by miscreants following the social media post by his nephew Naveen.
STAMFORD  Michelle Troconis will not have to wait much longer for a judge to hear her attorneys argument for the removal of the electronic monitoring device she has been required to wear since being charged in the Jennifer Dulos case.

Attorney Jon Schoenhorn was notified Monday that his clients appearance in state Superior Court in Stamford has been moved up to Aug. 28 when a judge will address the series of motions he has filed in recent months.

The notification came after the state's Appellate Court ordered the lower court to schedule the motions for a hearing before Sept. 4.

Im finally getting a hearing, Schoenhorn said. I expect to prevail. I have compelling reasons why these conditions should be removed.

Troconis last appeared in court in February before the COVID-19 pandemic stalled most judicial functions in recent months.

In an interview with Hearst Connecticut Media on Monday, Schoenhorn said his clients safety was at risk when her probation officer apparently required her to find a place to charge the GPS monitoring device at the height of last weeks tropical storm.

Schoenhorn said his client lost power during the storm and was told by the probation officer to find a place to charge the device because the battery was running low.

She had to drive for an hour to find somewhere with electricity, Schoenhorn said. I cant imagine anything more punitive.

It wasnt the first time Schoenhorn has complained about the probation officer.

In a letter written last month to Judicial Branch officials, Schoenhorn contended the probation officer has questioned the reason for legal meetings that take place outside my office.

If he incorrectly believes that he is acting in accordance with the law, I ask you to put a stop to this practice, Schoenhorn wrote in the letter, which was obtained by Hearst Connecticut Media.

Schoenhorn also contends that if the probation officer is sharing information on his clients whereabouts with law enforcement, it would constitute a direct interference with my representation.

For months, Schoenhorn has been trying to get a judge to hear motions related his clients release on bond. Schoenhorn has even appealed to the state Appellate Court, which denied his request to address the motions.

Schoenhorn filed a second request when his clients August court date was postponed to Oct. 1, asking the Appellate Court to order Judicial Branch officials to remove the electronic monitoring until a Superior Court judge can hear the motions.

The Appellate Court issued an order Aug. 7, granting Schoenhorn's request to have the hearing on the bond conditions held in a timely manner. The Appellate Court did not rule on the motions. The hearing in Superior Court will now happen later this month.

Troconis and attorney Kent Mawhinney, who was also charged in January with conspiracy to commit murder, are the remaining defendants in the case.

Fotis Dulos, the estranged husband of Jennifer Dulos, died Jan. 30 from an apparent suicide as he faced murder, kidnapping and other charges in the case.

According to arrest warrants, police believe Fotis Dulos used an employees pickup truck to drive from his Farmington home to New Canaan the morning of May 24, 2019. Police said Fotis Dulos parked the truck near Waveny Park and rode a vintage French bicycle to his estranged wifes home on Welles Lane.

According to arrest warrants, Fotis Dulos was lying in wait when his estranged wife returned from dropping off their children at school. Police said Jennifer Dulos was the victim of a serious physical assault and has been presumed dead based on the blood evidence found in her garage, the arrest warrants state.

Around the time Jennifer Dulos was reported missing that night, police said Hartford surveillance cameras captured two people resembling Fotis Dulos and Troconis making a series of stops along Albany Avenue.

The man was seen dumping trash bags and a license plate that was later discovered to be registered to Fotis Dulos, according to arrest warrants. The bags contained Jennifer Dulos blood and clothing, the arrest warrants state.

Video also captured Fotis Dulos and Troconis taking the employees pickup truck to a car wash in Avon a few days after police believe Jennifer Dulos was killed, according to arrest warrants. Police later discovered Jennifer Dulos blood on one of the vehicles seats, arrest warrants state.
D r Martens has paid back furlough money to the Government, the footwear retailer said on Wednesday.

The boots maker, which has more than 100 stores, used the governments job retention scheme for retail staff and manufacturing teams in the UK when the Covid-19 lockdown started.

It stopped accessing the scheme by the end of June as employees returned to work.

The company today said: Given the resilience in trading and financial strength of the business, the board took the decision to return the taxpayer funds utilised from the UK government furlough scheme, and these funds have now been repaid.

Dr Martens, owned by private-equity firm Permira, saw revenues rise 48% to 672.2 million in the year to March.

It cheered exceptional growth in its online business, with a strong digital performance in China, South Korea and Japan.

Chief executive Kenny Wilson said: Looking ahead, while we are currently in a volatile and uncertain trading environment, we have a very clear strategy in place supported by a strong brand and consumer connections, and I am confident in the outlook for the business.
St. Anne's Episcopal Church/YouTube

One Georgia pastor is using a catchy song from Hamilton to assure his congregation that they will, in fact, be back together once the threat of COVID-19 has passed.

Reverend Lonnie Lacy of St Annes Episcopal Church in Tifton is going viral for putting his own spin on Youll Be Back, one of the songs from the hit Broadway musical.

Social distancing got you missing church? You'll be back! the videos YouTube description reads. Our priest's parody of the hit Hamilton song turns King George's threat into a joyful promise.

Lacy told Episcopal News Service (ENS) that he got the idea for the parody while watching a recording of the musical on Disney+ with his family earlier this month. When King George III started singing Youll Be Back in his flowing robes, it dawned on him.

I thought, You know what? I have a cope that looks just like that, he recalled, referring to the elaborate vestment priests wear for special occasions.

So Lacy rewrote the songin which King George sassily warns the American colonies to stop rebellingto remind his parishioners that the church will be waiting for them when the pandemic ends.

It also happened to be the perfect number to use in the annual parish talent show, which had been moved online.

Every year at the talent show, I try to do something really big and really ridiculous as the closing act. And its just become a thing people know that Lonnies going to do something big and stupid, Lacy said.

So, he got to work at recording his version of the song and recording himself performing it his empty church.

You'll be back. Wait and see. Just remember how it used to be, Lacy sings. You'll be back. Time will tell, when we've kicked this virus back to Hell.

WATCH: Georgia Pastor Fills Empty Church with Faces Amid Coronavirus

Georgia Pastor Fills Empty Church with Faces Amid Coronavirus

His goal is to have every pew filled in time for Sunday Mass.

The video, titled Dancing Priest Does Hamilton has reached more than 1.3 million views since it was posted on YouTube on July 25.

What I have discovered is there is such a hunger to be back together, Lacy told ENS. The video is a little humorous word of hope, a promise that God is going to get us through this. There is going to be another side of this, and we will get back together.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 12) It would be difficult for President Rodrigo Duterte to intervene in the ongoing investigation into the killing of National Democratic Front of the Philippines peace consultant Randall "Randy" Echanis, Malacanang said Wednesday.

Speaking to CNN Philippines, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said Duterte will allow the probe process to continue, given that Justice Department will also be tackling the case.

"On matters where there are police investigations or criminal investigations being conducted, it's very difficult for anyone including the President to interfere," Roque said in an interview with The Source.

"But I think the President as a lawyer will allow investigators to proceed unhampered," he added.

Echanis' wife, Erlinda, earlier appealed to the President to intervene in the case, following the cloud of confusion on the identity of the person killed in a Novaliches, Quezon City home on Monday.

The wife positively identified the remains as that of the activist. Anakpawis partylist, which Echanis headed, also confirmed his identity-- even posting a photo of the cadaver to prove it.

However, the Quezon City Police District later on identified the body as a certain "Manuel Santiago," based on the identification card found with the remains.

Roque, for his part, said authorities can tap modern technology to ensure that the true identity of the slain individual comes out.

Aside from the police, the Justice Department's task force on extrajudicial killings was also directed to look into the case. The probe will roll out once the identity issue is resolved, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra earlier said.

Echanis' wife meanwhile continued to plea for the return of her husband's remains, and expressed hope that justice will be served soon.

"Hinihiling din namin na mabigyan siya ng hustisya. Isang panawagan sa mamamayan na ituloy natin ang pakikibaka at adbokasiya ni kasamang Randy. Ipaglaban natin ang tunay na kalayaan at demokrasya," Echanis said in an interview with reporters.

[Translation: We're requesting that justice be served. This is a call for our countrymen to continue on with Randy's advocacies. Let's fight for the real freedom and democracy.]

Echanis, a known peasant leader and activist, was a third nominee of Anakpawis during the 2010 partylist elections.
After her pregnancy ended in a stillbirth last year, a woman in California was charged with murder. Kings County prosecutors said that the fetus had died because the woman, Chelsea Becker, used methamphetamines during her pregnancy.

The case has captured the attention of civil rights groups and reproductive health advocates, who have argued that the charges against Becker could set up a dangerous precedent for criminalizing the choices that women make while pregnant.

Becker, who has been in jail since her arrest in November and is being held with bail set at $2 million, challenged the murder charge in a petition. It was denied by the Superior Court of Kings County in June.

On Friday, Californias attorney general, Xavier Becerra, weighed in.

Becerra wrote an amicus brief in support of Beckers petition, arguing that the Superior Courts interpretation of state law would subject all women who suffer a pregnancy loss to the threat of criminal investigation and possible prosecution for murder. He added that the petition to end criminal proceedings against her should be granted.

Our laws in California do not convict women who suffer the loss of their pregnancy, and in our filing today we are making clear that this law has been misused to the detriment of women, children and families, Becerra added in a statement.

Lawyers for Becker are taking the case to Californias 5th District Court of Appeal. They have also filed a writ of habeas corpus to argue for Beckers release, citing concerns about the coronavirus.

Becker, 26, of Hanford, in central California near Fresno, was 8 1/2 months pregnant when she delivered a stillborn baby in September.

A November statement from the Hanford Police Department said the coroners office in Kings County had ruled the fetuss death a homicide because of toxic levels of methamphetamine in the fetuss system, adding that Becker further admitted to law enforcement she used methamphetamine while she was most recently pregnant as late as three days prior to giving birth.

Lawyers for Becker have argued that claims that the stillbirth was caused by methamphetamine lack scientific basis.

Phil Esbenshade, the executive assistant district attorney for Kings County, said the case hinged on whether the states penal code exempts pregnant women from criminal liability in cases like these.

This is not a case about abortion nor womens reproductive rights, he said. This is a case about a person who did specific acts that resulted in the death of a viable fetus.

California is among 38 states that have fetal homicide laws recognizing the fetus as a victim in cases of violence against a pregnant woman, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. In recent years, charges of feticide, manslaughter or murder have been brought against women in states including Indiana, Oklahoma and Mississippi. Last year in Alabama, a woman was charged with manslaughter after another woman shot her in the stomach and her 5-month-old fetus did not survive. The case stirred national outrage and that charge was dropped a week later.

In recent years, fierce battles over reproductive rights have been playing out in legislatures and courts across the country, often resulting in sweeping abortion restrictions at the state level, although the Supreme Court delivered a setback to opponents of abortion in June.

Jacqueline Goodman, a lawyer for Becker, said the outcome of her case would reverberate beyond the borders of Kings County, and that prosecutions like these could make pregnant women afraid to seek health care or counseling for substance abuse.

Its part of a nationwide effort to criminalize abortion, she said of the murder charge. Thats where this comes from.

Ultimately, Beckers case comes down to the courts interpretation of a small subsection in Californias criminal code. Penal Code Section 187 is the states primary statute for murder, which it defines as the unlawful killing of a human being, or a fetus, with malice aforethought.

The reference to a fetus was added in 1970. That amendment, written by a former Republican state assemblyman, W. Craig Biddle, came in response to a case in which a man assaulted his pregnant wife in order to destroy the fetus she was carrying. The mans murder conviction was overturned because the penal code did not refer to fetuses as potential victims of homicide.

The 1970 amendment not only added a reference to the fetus; it also outlined exceptions as to what could be considered a homicide, including cases in which the act was solicited, aided, abetted or consented to by the mother of the fetus.

Biddle died in 2018. But in a 1992 court declaration, he said that the sole intent of the amendment had been to make punishable as murder a third partys willful assault on a pregnant woman resulting in the death of her fetus.

He added, No legislator ever suggested that this legislation, as it was finally adopted, could be used to make punishable as murder conduct by a pregnant woman that resulted in the death of her fetus.

But Esbenshade of the Kings County District Attorneys Office said Monday that nothing in the statute excuses the reckless or indifferent unlawful conduct of a mother that results in the unlawful death of her fetus.

Daniel N. Arshack, a lawyer for Becker who also serves as counsel to the National Advocates for Pregnant Women, a nonprofit organization based in New York, said the prosecutors interpretation could make it possible for women to be criminally prosecuted for stillbirths that resulted from, say, a car accident if the woman was not wearing a seat belt.

Arshack welcomed Becerras amicus brief and said Beckers case should be dismissed.

Opinions of the attorney general, while not binding, are entitled to great weight, he said. If it doesnt make a difference, we have the California Supreme Court to appeal to.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
Mohanlal, the complete actor reportedly tested negative for COVID-19. The sources close to the actor suggest that he joined the sets of Asianet channel's Onam show after testing negative for COVID-19. Mohanlal reportedly finished the shooting for the show, following all safety guidelines. The much-awaited show will be aired on Asianet channel during this Onam season.

However, Mohanlal is yet to visit his mother Shanta Kumari. The sources suggest that the complete actor is planning to undergo the COVID-19 test once again before meeting his mother, to ensure safety. Mohanlal is planning to spend some time with his mother in Kochi, before joining the sets of his highly anticipated movie, Drishyam 2.

To the unversed, Mohanlal came back to Kochi after spending over 6 months with wife Suchitra and son Pranav Mohanlal in Chennai, by the third week of July 2020. The actor, who traveled back by road, finished 14 days of quarantine along with his driver in the specially arranged room in Hotel Travancore Court.

In the interview given to a popular Malayalam media on his 60th birthday, Mohanlal had expressed his disappointment on not being able to spend time with his mother Shantha Kumari. However, the actor decided to return back to Kochi a month before resuming his professional commitments, to spend some quality time with his mother.

Mohanlal is expected to kickstart the shooting of his next outing, the highly anticipated crime thriller Drishyam 2, on September 7, 2020. The movie, which marks the actor's third collaboration with the popular filmmaker Jeethu Joseph, is the sequel to the duo's 2013-released blockbuster, Drishyam. The movie, which is bankrolled by Antony Perumbavoor for Aashirvad Cinemas, will be shot following all lockdown protocols.

Also Read:

Mammootty's Bilal: This Actor To Reprise His Role From Big B In The Sequel!

Drishyam 2: The Mohanlal-Jeethu Joseph Project To Start Rolling On September 7
Some New Jersey schools wont be opening their doors in September after all.

On Wednesday, Gov. Phil Murphy announced flexibility for schools that have legitimate and documentable reasons for not reopening.

What happens now?

Districts such as Willingboro  which told the state some of its PPE is back-ordered, among other issues  can begin the school year remotely while working toward a safe reopening at a later date.

But plenty of questions remain. Heres what we know so far:

How many districts wont reopen on the first day of school?

The state doesnt know yet.

The vast, vast majority of districts have already submitted hybrid reopening plans that include in-person instruction, said Kevin Dehmer, the states interim education commissioner.

Only a select number of schools have informed the state they cant reopen in September, Dehmer said. Yet state officials said they do not have an exact number of schools or students who could be affected.

Keep up with the latest in N.J. schools coverage. Sign up your email here:



What is an allowable reason for not reopening?

It could be as simple as not having enough masks or as complicated as needing major HVAC upgrades.

Schools are supposed to complete a checklist on the state Department of Education website saying they can meet more than 40 guidelines for in-person classes. If schools cant assure the state that they do, they can ask for more time to prepare.

The Department of Education will review plans to see if schools have a justifiable reason for not reopening, Murphy said. The requests will not be rubber-stamped.

The reasons we asked for these is not to check a box, Murphy said. We take these completely seriously.

Can a district opt out of reopening if it is capable of meeting all safety requirements?

No, Murphy said.

Why arent all schools allowed to open remotely?

Murphy faces increasing pressure to make that call, but he is holding firm that in-person instruction is the best option for kids.

Hes promised not to jeopardize anyones health and said he could still change his mind if New Jersey has another COVID-19 outbreak.

The pandemic dictates the terms, Murphy said. Not us mere mortals.

Why is this happening now?

Murphy said the decision was in response to feedback from school districts.

Besides Willingboro, Jersey City and Bayonne are among the districts that have said they are not ready to reopen.

Elizabeth Public Schools joined that group Monday when it announced it would be impossible to reopen its schools because 375 teachers arent willing to teach in person.

Can schools that already submitted reopening plans to the state change their minds?

Yes, they can resubmit their plans. But the state would be looking for documentable reasons that the districts need to begin the school year remotely, Murphy said.

Will every district ask to open remotely now?

At least one says it will not.

East Brunswick Superintendent Victor Valeski, a guest speaker at Murphys regular coronavirus briefing, said his district is confident in its hybrid schedule for in-person instruction.

When will parents know if a districts plan gets approved?

The state doesnt know. The education department is reviewing plans as quickly as it can, Dehmer said.

If a school opens remotely, will it eventually transition to in-person classes?

Yes, thats the plan. But how long that will take will vary by district and whatever needs improvement.

Willingboro Superintendent Neely Hackett, a guest speaker at Murphys briefing, said her district is hoping to reopen its doors Nov. 18, the first day of the second marking period.

All districts that begin the school year remotely will need to choose a target date for reopening and make a good faith effort toward meeting that goal, Dehmer said.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.

Adam Clark may be reached at adam_clark@njadvancemedia.com.
The grieving widow of slain former bikie Mahmoud 'Mick' Hawi angrily confronted a Sydney property developer and threatened to kill him hours after her husband's underworld execution, a Supreme Court jury has heard.

'But I didn't mean it,' Carolina Gonzalez said on Tuesday of her stern words with Eddie Haragli.

'I was angry. My husband had just died.'

Carolina Gonzalez, the grieving widow of slain former bikie Mahmoud 'Mick' Hawi, angrily confronted a Sydney property developer and threatened to kill him hours after her husband's underworld execution, a Supreme Court jury has heard.

Mr Hawi (right), the former Comancheros national president, was shot in the head several times moments after leaving Fitness First Rockdale in February 2018

Mr Hawi, the former Comancheros national president was shot in the head several times moments after leaving Fitness First Rockdale and getting into his black Mercedes on February 15, 2018.

One of his former friends, Yusuf Guney Nazlioglu, 38, is accused of firing the fatal shots before escaping in a car driven by Jamal Eljaidi, 32.

Both have pleaded not guilty to murder in the NSW Supreme Court.

Ms Gonzalez, giving evidence on the opening day of the trial, said her husband had done very well in his building business after his release from prison in 2015.

But, under cross-examination, she denied he was actually in the business of 'wanting money off people for favours' or that he had been trying to extort half a million dollars out of Mr Haragli.

Instead, Ms Gonzalez said the property developer had offered the money to Mr Hawi.

Speaking of her threat on the night of her husband's murder, she said she felt that with the information Mr Hawi had given her, a cousin of Mr Haragli's was 'the reason Yusuf was involved in the murder'.

Justice Robert Allan Hulme later warned the jury that Ms Gonzalez's reasoning was 'complete conjecture', wasn't part of the Crown's allegations and they should 'put that out of your minds'.

Nazlioglu denies being the balaclava-clad gunman who ambushed Mr Hawi in the gym carpark, with his barrister telling the jury on Tuesday others had a greater motive to kill.

Jamal Eljaidi arrives at the Downing Centre Court on Wednesday. He has pleaded not guilty to the murder of former Comanchero national president Mahmoud 'Mick' Hawi

But the Crown alleges Nazlioglu was motivated to kill Mr Hawi after the formerly close friends fell out.

The pair had spent most days together in 2016 but the relationship soured during a fishing trip to the Central Coast in the summer of 2016/17, when Mr Hawi called his wife.

'Mike said he had had a disagreement with Yusuf and that he'd asked him to go back to Sydney,' Ms Gonzalez said.

'He said he did something that embarrassed me with someone ... I said 'OK I'm sure you'll get over it.'

'My husband was very forgiving.'

But months later, Mr Hawi told his wife the friendship was 'over' and that 'he couldn't handle his behaviour anymore'.

After allegedly fired the fatal shots through Mr Hawi's driver-side window, Nazlioglu is accused of jumping into a silver Mercedes driven by Eljaidi.

Both men are accused of torching that car minutes later and escaping in a second getaway vehicle.

The former Comanchero bikie boss arrives at the NSW Supreme Court in 2014

The second getaway car - stored in the garage of a Bexley safe house in the days after the murder - was found a month later in Rosebery with a balaclava inside splattered with gunshot residue, the Crown alleges.

Both accused men's genetic profile has been linked to DNA evidence found inside the car.

The crown case is circumstantial with no direct evidence showing either man was responsible for the murder.

'There are eyewitnesses ... but no witness will say they saw the accused Mr Nazlioglu shoot the deceased,' crown prosecutor Lou Longo said in his opening address.

Mr Eljaidi's barrister said he'd barely be involved in the trial given the 'paucity of the evidence' the crown case has against his client.

'There is no suggestion of any evidence of motive on his behalf,' David Dalton SC said.

'As far as identification is concerned ... the evidence is, in fact, contrary to him being involved.'

The trial continues.
Citizens of Daraa have protested against the continuing arrests and kidnapping of residents by the regime reports SY 24.

Dozens of civilians in the city of Daraa organized a protest on Monday evening to demand the release of the detainees and to protest against the ongoing detention operations against the people of the city, which have not stopped since the settlement agreement.

According to activists, people in the Daraa camp organized a protest during which they set fire to tires and blocked all roads leading to the camp, in order to pressure the regime into releasing the detainees in its prisons.

Activists confirmed that the Assad forces were mobilized near the Hamama roundabout and near Busra Square and al-Hamid Mall in Daraa al-Mahatta, out of fear of what the protesters might do.

Local activists called on the people of Daraa to go to Busra Square in the center of Daraa, which is located near a military security checkpoint, in support of the detainees.

Last month, the Daraa Martyrs Documentation Office recorded at least 19 detainees and kidnapped people, eight of whom were released later that month. These data do not include those who were arrested and enlisted into mandatory and backup military service with the regime forces.

The Security Branch and the Criminal Security Branch were involved in the arrest operations, according to the following distribution: nine detainees were held by the Criminal Security Branch, nine were held by the Military Intelligence Division, and one was held by the Air Force Intelligence Department.

This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
White House hopeful Joe Biden who is ready to face Donald Trump in the upcoming Presidential elections of the United States in November has announced Kamala Harris as his running mate on Tuesday and also expressed confidence that the landmark pick would make the senator from California America's first woman vice president and also the first person of colour to hold the post. Biden also said, "I'm proud now to have her as my partner in this campaign." Biden has made history by choosing Harris, whose mother was born in India and father in British Jamaica, as his running mate for the November 2020 elections.

"I have the great honor to announce that I've picked @KamalaHarris -- a fearless fighter for the little guy, and one of the country's finest public servants -- as my running mate," Biden, 77, tweeted.

Following the pick, former US President Barack Obama has issued a statement wherein he has endorsed Kamala Harris for the post.

READ | US Election 2020: Donald Trump Says Joe Biden Is 'against God And Guns'

READ | Trump Surprised By Democrats' VP Pick: 'Kamala Harris Nasty, Disrespectful To Joe Biden'

Harris is more than prepared for the job: Barack Obama

Obama tweeted, "I've known Senator @KamalaHarris for a very long time, She is more than prepared for the job". Trump's predecessor also added, "This is a good day for our country. Now let's go win this thing."

Ive known Senator @KamalaHarris for a long time. She is more than prepared for the job. Shes spent her career defending our Constitution and fighting for folks who need a fair shake. This is a good day for our country. Now lets go win this thing. pic.twitter.com/duJhFhWp6g  Barack Obama (@BarackObama) August 11, 2020

Obama in an attached note claims that 'Choosing a Vice President is the first important decision a president makes' and goes on to detail exactly why. He goes on ao add that 'Joe Biden nailed this decision' and calls Harris 'an ideal partner to help him tackle the very real challenges America faces right now and in the years ahead.'

Joe Biden can unify America: Kamala Harris

Kamala Harris, 55 is two decades junior to Biden has been the former Attorney General of California and also epitomizes diversity as the key to building enthusiasm for the Democratic ticket. Shortly after the announcement was made by Joe Biden, 77, Harris tweeted that she is honoured to join Biden as a nominee for the post of Vice President and she would "do what it takes" to help him win the ticket.

She further tweeted, "@JoeBiden can unify the American people because he's spent his life fighting for us. And, as president, he'll build America that lives up to our ideals."

.@JoeBiden can unify the American people because he's spent his life fighting for us. And as president, he'll build an America that lives up to our ideals.



I'm honored to join him as our party's nominee for Vice President, and do what it takes to make him our Commander-in-Chief.  Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) August 11, 2020

READ | Joe Biden Selects Indian-Origin Kamala Harris Vice-presidential Running Mate For US Polls

READ | Trump Says China Wants To See Him Lose Election To 'sleepy Joe Biden'
Saluki Startup and Weeks of Welcome events planned

by Christi Mathis

CARBONDALE, Ill.,  The fall 2020 semester at Southern Illinois University Carbondale may look a little different, but students will be able to enjoy a wide variety of welcome-to-campus activities  both in person and virtually  during Saluki Startup and Weeks of Welcome. Plans include tie-dying T-shirts, bowling and much more!

The schedules are constantly evolving and being updated so students are asked to check often at salukistartup.siu.edu and wow.siu.edu. Or, download the Saluki Superfan app to keep tabs on everything.

New events and details are being added to the schedule all of the time, organizers say, so visit often to make sure you dont miss out.

In compliance with the governors Restore Illinois Plan and to contain the spread of COVID-19, some events will be held in small groups or simultaneously at multiple locations this fall, while others will take place virtually. Safety protocols such as masks and social distancing will be enforced. Find complete details on the websites and app.
The appellant, IGB Eletronica S/A, communicated the Supreme Court's decision to the market last Friday. Its shares on the Sao Paulo Stock Exchange rose 14.09% on Monday and 5,74% on Tuesday. "The Supreme Court's President understood the relevance of the matter to our sovereignty and to the protection of intellectual property in Brazil," celebrated Staub.

The appeal questions the decision of the Federal Regional Court of the 2nd Region (Rio de Janeiro) which, despite attesting the good faith of IGB and rejecting Apple's thesis that the term "iPhone" was merely descriptive of the product (as a synonym for "smartphone") and therefore unregistrable, ruled in favor of the American company because it explored the brand most efficiently.

"Allowing a company to claim a trademark submitted in good faith by another one punishes creativity, distorts free competition and runs over Brazilian intellectual property authorities," says IGB's lawyer Igor Mauler Santiago in the petition. He also alleges the violation of free initiative and of trademarks protection, principles expressly prescribed in the Brazilian Constitution.

In March 2000, seven years before Apple first launched its smartphone, IGB submitted the "iphone" trademark to the Brazilian Institute of Intellectual Property (INPI) and started producing its own device in a plant it then possessed in joint venture with Nokia (and eventually sold to the Finnnish company for US$ 416 million). The registration was granted in 2008, with retroactive effects, as the worldwide standard.

In 2007, however, the Gradiente Group faced financial problems that led to the filing of a request for judicial recovery. It returned to the market only in 2012 and in 2018 resumed its production in the Manaus Free Trade Zone, the country's electronics main manufacture center.

Meanwhile, Apple has filed a lawsuit to claim the "iPhone" brand in Brazil. It stated that the INPI, despite having received the submission from the Gradiente Group in 2000, could not have granted it in 2008, when there was already a product of the same name in the world market. IGB countered. "To state that the circumstances of when the trademark is granted should prevail over those of when it was submitted requires the submitter to be no less than prophetical, and completely subverts the Brazilian intellectual property system", it says in the judicial process.

In Mexico (iFone), Canada (Comware) and even in the United States (Cisco Systems), Apple has made commercial deals to acquire the "iPhone" brand from companies that had submitted it before. Not without first waging legal battles similar to the one in Brazil.

SOURCE Mauler Advogados
The All India Shia Personal Law Board (AISPLB) has issued its Muharram advisory, asking people to follow all norms of social distancing, wear masks and wherever possible, take part in Muharram rituals online or via TV channels broadcasting them.

The 14-point advisory issued by board president Maulana Syed Saim Mehdi and general secretary Maulana Yasoob Abbas said that all mosques and Imambaras with carpets and floor covers should ensure disinfecting the space before and after every majlis (sermon session).

Clerics said that the advisory was in accordance with the guidelines by Ayatullahs from Iraq and Iran, including Grand Ayatullah Ali Al Sistani.

Children, pregnant women and the elderly have been advised to stay at home and use online and other mediums to be part of the sermons.

Water and food distributed among the poor as 'tabarruk', should be packed and sealed, and guidelines issued by the administration should be followed. A number of Shia and Sunni clerics have also met the district officials and discussed the guidelines with them.

The first month of the Islamic calendar, Muharram is a mourning period in remembrance of Imam Husain-Prophet Muhammad's grandson and his family and companions who were martyred by Yazid in Karbala (Iraq) in 680 AD.

Muharram, this year, begins on August 20 and ends on September 18.
Democrat Gil Cisneros was elected to the House of Representatives in 2018, making what he called an unprecedented effort to mobilize and turn out Asian American voters in the 39th District, a majority-minority district with a large Hispanic population. Pictured here canvassing in Rowland Heights, Calif., a hilly majority-Asian enclave, that October. Read more

While I was watching the news with an older relative a few weeks ago, they hastily criticized the restless George Floyd protests that had damaged around 50 Korean American-owned small businesses in Philadelphia  but dropped silent when I brought up the restless people in Gwangju, South Korea.

As an American citizen born to two South Korean immigrants, I grew up familiar with how the small city of Gwangju became the bloody epicenter of antiauthoritarian sentiment after President Chun Doo Hwan declared martial law on the nation in May 1980. In one of the deadliest events in South Koreas modern history, hundreds of peaceful pro-democracy demonstrators were killed at the hands of the black berets, soldiers deployed by President Chuns iron fist and sanctioned by the Carter administration. Although the demonstrators were then seen as dangerously subversive, they eventually became martyrs for galvanizing an era of Korean democracy.

 READ MORE: Pa. sees rise in immigrants who can vote in 2020 election

No protesters should have to die for their cause, period. But the energy of the Gwangju demonstrators is what Asian Americans should be bringing to U.S. politics today. In the U.S., the so-called champion of modern liberal society, Asians have yet to experience these political moments of reckoning  though this weeks announcement of Kamala Harris as Joe Bidens vice presidential pick marks the first time someone of Asian descent is on the presidential ticket. Despite being the fastest-growing population in the country, only about 49% of Asian Americans voted in the 2016 presidential election  lower than the white and Black turnout at 65% and 60%, respectively, and close to the Hispanic turnout at 47%.

We can see that number as reflecting a generational phenomenon. People like my parents, who fled their politically stifled homes after immigration quotas were lifted in the 60s, have been targeted by nativist voter suppression efforts and discouraged by language barriers. Unsurprisingly, American democracy might still feel foreign to many of them. Systemic barriers need to be broken down, starting with legislators who should reverse discriminatory laws that make it harder for citizens with transliterated names to register to vote, and policymakers who should disaggregate Asian American and Pacific Islander polling data by ethnic subgroup to address the unique needs of these diverse communities.

 READ MORE: Anti-Asian discrimination continues, months into the coronavirus | Opinion

But the broad lack of political and civic engagement can make our community itself miss the mark, especially when it comes to standing up against anti-Blackness. Consider the 2016 Peter Liang protests. Liang, a Chinese American police officer, was convicted of manslaughter for fatally shooting Akai Gurley, an unarmed 28-year-old Black man. Thousands of Asian American immigrants took to the streets of New York with signs that read, One Tragedy, Two Victims, accusing our justice system of scapegoating Asians. It was a misguided call to action, given Americas long history of police brutality specifically against the Black community.

Its time for Asian American voters, particularly those of us who already have easy access to voting, to take responsibility for our political power and use it to fight inequities beyond what we feel directly targets us. Now more than ever, the children of Asian immigrants  the so-called second generation of Asian Americans  should feel the imperative to flip the political switch.

 READ MORE: Philadelphia needs to get youth voting | Opinion

We have the unique ability to reimagine the America we were born into while deeply understanding our parents unique societal struggles. The moment we embrace this political privilege is the moment we are able to lead the fight against injustice.

With a few months left until the most divisive election in our modern history, the baton for creating a more equitable future is in our hands. By linking arms in solidarity, putting pressure on our representatives, showing up at protests, and volunteering for advocacy groups, we can make incremental steps in reshaping our institutions.

But by casting our ballot, as one of the most crucial swing voter groups, we use  in the words of the late congressman and civil rights icon John Lewis  the most powerful nonviolent tool we have to create a more perfect union. Now is the time to not only stand on the right side of history but also create the right history ourselves.

Neil Goh is a lifelong resident of Pennsylvania and a volunteer for the Woori Center, an Asian American advocacy organization in the Greater Philadelphia area.
The United States is one of the biggest legal exporters of firearms in the world, but hundreds of thousands of guns also illegally leak out of the country and fuel homicides, especially in Latin America and the Caribbean.

In Britain, criminal groups primarily use knives for acts of violence. Knife crime reached a record high last year, accounting for around two out of every five killings. By comparison, only 33 people were killed with a gun.

But the number of illegal guns in circulation is growing. In the last year alone, gun seizures by Britains national policing body, the National Crime Agency, more than doubled, and firearm offenses have soared by 38 percent since 2015. The authorities worry that violence could surge if criminal groups switch from knives to guns. A BBC investigation linked a single firearm to 11 different gunmen and multiple murders over a six-year period.

The homicide rate is already a problem without easy access to guns, said Robert McLean, a researcher on organized crime in Britain based at the University of the West of Scotland. Once in circulation, a single firearm can move around criminal networks and can be used in a number of shootings and killings.

In many cases, the trade in smuggled guns is driven by gangs who traffic drugs from cities to smaller towns and rural areas  known as county lines gangs  like Mr. Bainss killers.

In the last few years, the National Crime Agency has found that gangs favor cleaner antique or deactivated weapons that are harder to trace. Those weapons are sold legally at gun shows or by collectors, many in the United States, and are easier to buy because they can only fire if they are illegally reactivated.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, Aug. 12

By Asif Mehman - Trend:

Military cooperation between Azerbaijan and Turkey has a long history, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov said, Trend reports.

Bayramov made the remark in his interview to CNN Turk TV channel during his visit to Turkey.

Bayramov noted that the large-scale joint Azerbaijani-Turkish military exercises are being held in Azerbaijan in accordance with an agreement signed in this sphere between the two countries.

The Azerbaijani foreign minister emphasized that the cooperation between Turkey and Azerbaijan serves the development of not only the two countries, but also the region, ensuring the regional peace and security.

I believe that the military cooperation should also be assessed in this context, said Bayramov.
The Asogli State Council in the Volta Region has disassociated itself from, and strongly rubbished two separate media publications that sought to drag the integrity of the Council and its President, Togbe Afede XIV into mud.

It also sought to create tension between the Chiefs in Volta Region and the opposition NDC for no obvious reason.

The said concocted publications falsely accused the chiefs in Volta region of blaming the opposition NDC for the low level of development in the region and vowed not to vote for the NDC again bearing the images of Togbe Afede XIV.

However, a statement issued and signed by the Secretary to Asogli State Council, Stephen Tetteh denied any knowledge of the Council and Togbe Afede XIV who is also the President of the National House of Chiefs.

The statement described the publications as "fake" and urged public to disregard them with utmost contempt.

Read the Full Statement Below

Re: Volta Chiefs Blast Opposition NDC and Announcement to all Voltarians

Within the spate of one week, two stories, in which some mischievous characters tried to exploit the name of Togbe Afede XIV, President of Asogli State Council, have gone viral. We wish to inform the general public that these publications are fake.

In the first publication, titled, Volta Chiefs Blast Opposition NDC, with Togbes picture at the top, the chiefs and people of the Volta Region were reported to have, among other things, accused or blamed the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) for poor or low level of development in the region over the years.

It further reported, and we quote, We the Chiefs and the people of the region are saying that, we are tired of voting for NDC. The propaganda in the NDC is too much. We shall change our way of voting come December 7th 2020.

In the second publication, titled, Announcement to all Voltarians from the Asogli State, his Royal highness Togbe Afede XIV, and purported to have been issued and signed by Togbe, it was reported, among other things, that, We have, since 1992, supported the NDC because its (sic) was founded by one of our own, his excellency Flt Lt J J Rawlings because he is our blood, our brother, father and a renowned personality from our land.

It further stated that, Because of him, we have supported the NDC from 1992 through thick and thin and still continue to support them even though, this loyality (sic) has not been replicated in terms of infrastructural projects, jobs and investments to our region.

But for the anxiety they have created among a few people, we would have treated these worthless and poorly written publications with contempt. So, for the avoidance of doubt, we wish to emphasize that Togbe has nothing to do with the two publications, which are obviously the work of shameless, mischievous and evil-minded people.

Asogli State Council

Stephen Tetteh, Secretary
 Flash

The Africa Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) on Tuesday revealed the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Africa surged to 1,055,964 as the death toll rose to 23,582.

The Africa CDC, a specialized healthcare agency of the African Union (AU) Commission, in its latest situation update issued on Tuesday, said the number of COVID-19 cases across the African continent has risen from 1,047,218 on Monday to 1,055,964 as of Tuesday.

The Africa CDC also noted that the continent-wide COVID-19 related death toll registered an increase of 329 deaths compared to Monday's 23,253 report, to reach 23,582.

The continental disease control and prevention agency also said the number of people who recovered from their COVID-19 infections also reached 744,438 so far.

South Africa currently has the most COVID-19 cases at 563,598. The country also has the highest COVID-19 related deaths, with death toll currently standing at 10,621, according to the Africa CDC.

Egypt comes next with 95,666 COVID-19 cases and 5,035 COVID-19 related deaths followed by Nigeria, which has so far recorded 46,867 COVID-19 cases and 950 deaths, it was noted.

The Southern Africa region is the most affected area in terms of confirmed cases, followed by Northern Africa and Western Africa regions, respectively, the Africa CDC said.

Amid the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic across the African continent, the Africa CDC had also disclosed that about 34 African countries are under "full border closure" in an effort to halt the spread of the infectious virus.

The Africa CDC, which noted that some 41 countries are practicing mandatory public use of face masks, stressed that preventing a crisis such as acute shortage of personal protective equipment for healthcare workers "should be prioritized by health authorities in Africa as part of the COVID-19 response."
BAKU, Azerbaijan, Aug. 12

Trend:

Over the past 24 hours, Armenian armed forces have violated the ceasefire along the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops 35 times, Trend reports referring to Azerbaijani Defense Ministry.

Armenian armed forces were using sniper rifles.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on the withdrawal of its armed forces from Nagorno Karabakh and the surrounding districts.
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New operator ILSA has chosen Frecciarossa 1000 trains for their maximum reliability and high passenger comfort on high-speed routes in Spain from 2022

Recognition of the partnership between Hitachi and Bombardier in the high-speed rail sector

NAPLES, Italy and BERLIN, Aug. 10, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --

To view the photo associated with this press release, please visit the following link:

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/fdb3360e-cdbb-45a7-a928-e93d64ea08d9

Hitachi Rail SpA and Bombardier Transportation announced today that they have signed a contract with Italys primary train operator Trenitalia to supply 23 Frecciarossa 1000 very high-speed (VHS) trains for the new Intermodalidad de Levante (ILSA) rail operation, a joint venture established by Trenitalia and Operador Ferroviario de Levante SL. The contract value is 797 million euro ($943 million US) in a partnership involving company participation of approximately 60 per cent and 40 per cent respectively. For Bombardier Transportation, this order relates to an undisclosed customer in Europe previously announced on August 6, 2020.

The ETR1000 train, widely known commercially as the Frecciarossa 1000, has transformed passenger transport on high-speed lines in Italy, setting the standard and becoming the fastest and most admired train in Europe. It is a platform that we are very proud of and is proof of our continuous and positive collaboration with Trenitalia to the benefit of passengers and society in terms of comfort, sustainability, style, performance and low noise. We look forward to bringing the same advantages to Spain, and to contribute to the development program of high-speed railway services in this country with these new services, said Andrew Barr, Group CEO, Hitachi Rail.

The Frecciarossa 1000 very high-speed train has been chosen for the new ILSA franchise in Spain to enrich the travel experience for passengers, thanks to its high levels of comfort and reliability. With cutting-edge train control and propulsion technologies deriving from the V300ZEFIRO platform, these fast and quiet trains are already very popular with long-distance travellers in Italy. The liberalization of Europes railways enables ILSA to offer new rail services in Spain to encourage even more passengers to shift their journeys from cars and planes to trains, contributing towards global sustainability goals, added Franco Beretta, President and Managing Director of Bombardier Transportation Italy.

Working together with Bombardier as trusted partners of Trenitalia for this new international project, renews and recognizes our valued experience in the high-speed rail sector. For Hitachi, a fully integrated, global provider of rail solutions, this is a further confirmation of our capability to contribute to society through the development of superior, original technology and products that deliver sustainable mobility, commented Christian Andi, Executive Officer, Region EMEA, Hitachi Rail Group.

We are delighted that Trenitalia has put its confidence in Bombardier and Hitachi once again with this order for 23 trains based on Bombardiers V300ZEFIRO platform. This innovative, super-fast train is already extremely popular with passengers in Italy and were looking forward to bringing this outstanding high-speed travel experience to millions of rail passengers in Spain, concluded Marco Biffoni, Head of Sales Italy for Bombardier Transportation.

The Frecciarossa 1000 is the fastest and quietest very high-speed train in Europe. The 23 new trains for ILSA will be designed and built by Hitachi Rail and Bombardier in Italy. Each train will be approximately 200 metres long with capacity for around 460 passengers and capable of commercial speeds of up to 360 kph. State-of-the-art aerodynamics and energy saving technologies give the train unmatched operating efficiency. Once onboard, passengers will be able to enjoy WiFi, a bistro area and high levels of comfort in all classes. The trains are operable on high-speed rail networks equipped with multi-voltage technology fulfilling all TSI requirements. Since their introduction in Italy in 2015, the Frecciarossa 1000 very high-speed trains have set enviable standards of performance, operating efficiency and passenger comfort.

ILSA has been selected by ADIF (the company who runs Spains rail infrastructure) as the first private operator to be granted access to the Spanish rail market. From 2022, ILSA will run high-speed services on the Madrid-Barcelona, Madrid-Valencia/Alicante and Madrid-Seville/Malaga lines.

About Hitachi Rail

Hitachi Rail is a fully integrated, global provider of rail solutions across rolling stock, signalling, service & maintenance, digital technology and turnkey. With a presence in 38 countries, across three continents and over 12,000 employees, our mission is to contribute to society through the continuous development of superior rail transport solutions. Drawing on the wider Hitachi Groups market-leading technology and research-and-development capabilities, we strive for industry leading innovations and solutions that can deliver value for customers and sustainable railway systems that benefit wider society. For information about Hitachi Rail, visit www.hitachirail.com

About Bombardier Transportation

Bombardier Transportation is a global mobility solution provider leading the way with the rail industrys broadest portfolio. It covers the full spectrum of solutions, ranging from trains to sub-systems and signalling to complete turnkey transport systems, e-mobility technology and data-driven maintenance services. Combining technology and performance with empathy, Bombardier Transportation continuously breaks new ground in sustainable mobility by providing integrated solutions that create substantial benefits for operators, passengers and the environment. Headquartered in Berlin, Germany, Bombardier Transportation employs around 36,000 people and its products and services operate in over 60 countries.

About Bombardier

With nearly 60,000 employees across two business segments, Bombardier is a global leader in the transportation industry, creating innovative and game-changing planes and trains. Our products and services provide world-class transportation experiences that set new standards in passenger comfort, energy efficiency, reliability and safety.

Headquartered in Montreal, Canada, Bombardier has production and engineering sites in over 25 countries across the segments of Aviation and Transportation. Bombardier shares are traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange (BBD). In the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019, Bombardier posted revenues of $15.8 billion. News and information are available at bombardier.com or follow us on Twitter @Bombardier.

Bombardier and V300ZEFIRO are trademarks of Bombardier Inc. or its subsidiaries.

For Information

Brand & Communication Director, Hitachi Rail SpA

Francesca Sarnataro

+39 331 6100857

francesca.sarnataro@hitachirail.com

Press Office & Media, Brand Image, Hitachi Rail SpA

Paola Limatola

+ 39 334 6074064

paola.limatola@hitachirail.com

Global media relations

press@rail.bombardier.com

Bombardier Transportation Italy Press Office:

SEC Spa  Tel. +39 02 624999 1

Irene Fusani

+39 340 1280512

fusani@secrp.com
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern speaks to media during a press conference at Parliament on June 17, 2020 in Wellington, New Zealand. (Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images)

New Zealand Considers Freight as Possible Source of New Virus Cluster

WELLINGTON (Reuters)New Zealand officials are investigating the possibility that its first COVID-19 cases in more than three months were imported by freight, as the countrys biggest city plunged back into lockdown on Aug. 12.

The discovery of four infected family members in Auckland led Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to swiftly reimpose tight restrictions in the city and social distancing measures across the entire country.

The source of the outbreak has baffled health officials, who said they were confident there was no local transmission of the virus in New Zealand for 102 days.

We are working hard to put together pieces of the puzzle on how this family got infected, said Director General of Health Ashley Bloomfield.

Investigations were zeroing in on the potential the virus was imported by freight. Bloomfield said surface testing was underway at an Auckland cool store where a man from the infected family worked.

We know the virus can survive within refrigerated environments for quite some time, Bloomfield said during a televised media conference.

Americold NZ Managing Director Richard Winnall told the NZ Herald newspaper the infected man had been on sick leave for several days and all employees had been sent home for tests.

Residents of Auckland, home to around 1.7 million people, were given just hours to prepare for the return to level 3 restrictions on Wednesday, requiring people to stay at home unless for essential trips.

Going hard, going early with lockdown is still the best response, Ardern said. Our response to the virus so far has worked  we know how to beat this.

The rest of the country was placed back into slightly looser level 2 restrictions. The restrictions will initially remain in place until Friday.

Police set up roadblocks to discourage a mass exodus from Auckland, while supermarkets rationed the sale of some staple products amid a rush to the shelves. Long queues formed at COVID-19 testing centres in the city.

Ardern said her cabinet will decide on Friday on the next steps with regards to restrictions.

Two members of the infected family had visited tourist sites in the town of Rotorua, about three hours drive south of Auckland, while symptomatic, and a third had gone to work at a finance company in Auckland, also while symptomatic.

Bloomfield said four people who had contact with the family were considered likely cases. More than 200 people have been identified as contacts of the family and health officials were prepared to test tens of thousands of people in the coming days, he added.

Ardern also delayed a key step toward a Sept. 19 general election, suspending the dissolution of parliament, which usually kicks off campaigning, until Monday.

With around 1,500 confirmed cases and 22 deaths, New Zealands exposure to the virus remains well below many other developed nations.

Praveen Menon
Israels public broadcaster Kan said yesterday that Mossad Chief Yossi Cohen has in recent days been in contact with senior Qatari officials to discuss the situation in the Gaza Strip. Israel estimates that the dire economic situation in Gaza has generated the past weeks tensions. Thus, Jerusalem is trying to convince Qatar to continue transferring financial aid to Gaza after August and the months to follow, as Qatar did the past two years. Israeli authorities believe that if Doha commits to transferring more aid, tensions on the border might die down.

According to other reports, Israel now estimates that the recent wave of explosive-laden balloons launched from Gaza was carried out by direct instruction from Hamas. The group is apparently demanding that Israel eases restrictions on the Strip and advances in talks over a prisoner-exchange deal, which would also include development projects.

Reacting to Kan's report on the Mossad, Qatar Envoy Mohammed al-Emadi said there was nothing new in the publication, noting that Qatars contacts with Israel are carried out in the framework of efforts to provide aid to Gaza.

Qatar has been providing the Strip with millions of dollars in cash since 2018, with the approval and sometimes even encouragement of Israel. Qatari money has been used to pay for fuel for the Strips power plant, to pay salaries of Hamas civil servants and as direct financial assistance to tens of thousands of impoverished families in Gaza. Israel has reportedly agreed to these transfers in exchange for Hamas ensuring calm in the south and as part of efforts to reach a long-term cease-fire.

Last February, Yisrael Beitenu leader Avigdor Liberman revealed that Mossad chief Cohen and senior Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Maj. Gen. Herzi Halevi visited Qatar earlier on the instruction of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, requesting that the countrys leaders continue their periodical payments to Hamas. In March, Qatar agreed to a request made by Hamas to extend the payments for an additional six months. And on June 15, Lebanese Al-Akhbar newspaper reported that Israel has approved the transfer of $50 million to the Gaza Strip in financial aid from Qatar. This has apparently been the last payment authorized by Israel, transferred in two installments. The last installment was made in late July during the Muslim Eid al-Adha holiday.

The additional six months are slated to expire in September. Hamas and Israel fear that the coronavirus-induced economic crisis will dissuade Qatar from digging again into its pockets. Reportedly, Cohen has been seeking to convince Qatar to agree to another six-month extension of the payments.

Parallel to Cohens efforts, the IDF has clarified to Hamas that it will not tolerate the escalation of incendiary balloons terrorism. Israel has reportedly transferred warnings in that vein to the group in recent days and is now considering a series of punitive measures against Hamas. These might include reducing the Gaza fishing zone or preventing the entry of fuel through the Kerem Shalom crossing. On Tuesday, Israel closed Kerem Shalom  Gazas main commercial crossing  for most goods, but the transfer of fuel, food and humanitarian aid is still permitted.

Evidently, the partial closure of Kerem Shalom did not stop the escalation. Israeli aircraft and tanks struck at least three sites in the Gaza Strip this morning in response to a new wave of incendiary balloons, which sparked more than 60 bush fires in the south of Israel. According to a recent publication, Egypt has also demanded that Hamas and other Palestinian groups stop the balloon attacks against Israel.
A new class-action lawsuit has accused Facebook of illegally harvesting biometric data on its subsidiary platform Instagram with a photo-tagging tool that allegedly stores facial recognition data.

The lawsuit, filed on Monday in state court in Redwood City, California, accuses the company of collecting, storing and profiting from the biometric data of more than 100 million Instagram users, without their knowledge or consent.

In a statement to DailyMail.com, a Facebook spokesperson said that the claims are false, and that Instagram does not use the face recognition services that are offered on Facebook.

'This suit is baseless. Instagram doesn't use Face Recognition technology,' spokesperson Stephanie Otway said.

A new class-action lawsuit has accused Facebook of illegally harvesting biometric data on its subsidiary platform Instagram with a photo-tagging tool

Instagram's data policy states: 'If we introduce face-recognition technology to your Instagram experience, we will let you know first, and you will have control over whether we use this technology for you.'

Last month, the social media company offered to pay $650 million to settle a lawsuit in which it was accused of illegally collecting biometric data through a photo-tagging tool provided to Facebook users.

The new lawsuit accuses Facebook of similarly collecting and storing facial information of Instagram users.

'Once Facebook captures its Instagram users' protected biometrics, it uses them to bolster its facial recognition abilities across all of its products, including the Facebook application, and shares this information among various entities. Facebook does all of this without providing any of the required notices or disclosures required by Illinois law,' the plaintiffs wrote in their complaint.

Social media apps are seen in a stock image. Last month, Facebook offered to pay $650 million to settle a lawsuit in which it was accused of illegally collecting biometric data through a photo-tagging tool

Only at the beginning of this year did Facebook start informing Instagram users that it was collecting the biometric data, according to the suit.

According to the suit, the practice violates an Illinois privacy law that bars the unauthorized collection of biometric data.

Under the law a company can be forced to pay $1,000 per violation -- or $5,000 if it's found to have acted recklessly or intentionally, meaning the total fine could potentially reach $500 billion.
A kitten has tested positive for rabies in the city of Rome, according to an announcement by the Oneida County Health Department.

The kitten was sent to the state Department of Health Wadsworth Center Laboratory in Albany for testing on Thursday, and positive results were reported on Friday, according to the Rome Sentinel.

Multiple adults and pets were exposed to the kitten, and are receiving appropriate treatment, said Oneida County Health Department officials. No further information was given about the kitten or how other people and animals were exposed.

The Health Department issued the following advice about rabies and animals -- including pets:

*Signs of rabies include: Animal acting strangely; animal acting mad; animal acting shy  the animal may get unusually close; and drooling or foaming from the mouth.

*If anyone sees an animal, wild or stray, with these signs, they should not approach it and stay away. If any animal is acting strangely, call a local animal control officer for help.

*Residents are strongly urged to not approach animals that they do not know. For the safety of pets and the convenience of county residents, the Oneida County Health Department offers Rabies Vaccination Clinics throughout the year in various community locations.

Vaccination recommendations for pets:

 All cats, dogs, and ferrets age three-months or older must have a current rabies vaccination, even if they stay indoors.

 Dogs and cats must receive a rabies vaccination at 3-months-old, one year, and then once every three years.

 Ferrets must receive a rabies vaccination every year.
The Mayor of Calais said Britain sending in the Navy to police the Channel would be 'a declaration of maritime war' amid a sharp rise in the number of migrants making the perilous crossing.

Mayor Natacha Bouchart responded to Priti Patel's formal request for help from the Ministry of Defence (MoD) as the number of people making the life-threatening journey continues to climb - with four boats carrying around 30 people arriving this morning.

The Calais Mayor said in an interview with France 3: 'I think the [French] government would oppose it.

'Here we are hostile to it. Rather than accept migrants who would work in the black market, Boris Johnson would do better than to teach us lessons, would be better to create better laws to to accept people in his own country.

'The British themselves have created this hot air by not reviewing their own reception systems and are content to hand out lessons and by subjecting the people of Calais to this situation for too long.'

A migrant woman holds her head in her hands while clutching a child after arriving on Dungeness Beach in Kent today

The Mayor of Calais Natacha Bouchart (pictured) said Britain sending in the Navy to police the Channel would be 'a declaration of maritime war' amid a sharp rise in the number of migrants making the perilous crossing.

A child is helped by Border Force officials today as four boats carrying around 30 people arrive this morning

A storage yard shows the vast number of dinghies and rowing boats previously used by migrants to cross the Channel

The yard in Dover was completely packed with dozens of small boats used by groups to try and reach the UK

At least 4,375 migrants have reached the UK by small boat so far this year - including some 825 this month

The boats are stacked up in the yard after another day of migrants making the perilous journey

Around 7.30am today, men and women were seen being brought into Dover by the Border Force (pictured)

A young child was spoken to by medical staff after making the journey across the Channel

The child held an official's hand and is spoken to by medical staff after making the dangerous crossing

A group of migrants were brought into Dover by Border Force officials in Kent today

At least 4,375 migrants have reached the UK by small boat so far this year - including some 825 this month. Pictured: Migrants being brought into Dover today

Lawyers representing asylum seekers who arrived in the UK by crossing the Channel on small boats have launched legal action to halt their deportation, which is due to take place on Wednesday. Pictured: Migrants being brought into Dover today

Migrants sit on the shore as they speak to a police officer after arriving on Dungeness Beach in Kent today

As efforts to address the escalating migrant crisis intensified today, it also emerged:

Six boats carrying a total of 74 migrants were intercepted crossing the English Channel from France on Tuesday;

At least four boats carrying around 30 people reached Britain today;

Immigration minister Chris Philp and Home Secretary Priti Patel clashed with ice cream maker Ben and Jerry's over plans to tackle the crisis;

The RAF was providing aerial support for the Border Force for the second time this week, with a Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft flying from Kinloss Barracks in Scotland to monitor the situation in the English Channel;

Lawyers representing asylum seekers who arrived in the UK by crossing the Channel on small boats have launched legal action to halt their deportation, which is due to take place later today

A military plane was sent out on Monday to survey the Channel and alert the Coastguard and Border Force to emerging crossing attempts.

Around 7.30am today, men and women were seen being brought into Dover by the Border Force vessel Seeker.

They will be medically checked before being questioned by immigration officials.

Last night, a group of 22 migrants crammed onto a dinghy were spotted making the crossing.

At least 4,375 migrants have reached the UK by small boat so far this year - including some 825 this month.

Speaking to reporters in Dover today, Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage (pictured) said: 'With all the tough talk and with it happening every day it's becoming a bit of a national humiliation

Farage (pictured) defended the use of the word 'invasion' to describe migrants arriving in the UK by sea

Speaking to reporters in Dover today, Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage said: 'With all the tough talk and with it happening every day it's becoming a bit of a national humiliation.

'Until people know that coming via this route they will not be allowed to stay, they will just keep on coming.'

He defended the use of the word 'invasion' to describe migrants arriving in the UK by sea.

'I said in April I thought there would be a summer invasion, by which I meant a very large number of people illegally landing on our beaches now.

'As it is, some land on beaches but most get picked up before. I think it's a pretty reasonable use of the word, yes.'

Farage (pictured) said: 'I said in April I thought there would be a summer invasion, by which I meant a very large number of people illegally landing on our beaches now'

Migrants gesture as they arrive in port aboard a Border Force vessel after being intercepted while crossing the English Channel from France on Wednesday

Migrants wearing protective face masks arrive on board a UK Border Force vessel in Dover today

Migrants - including a child - are seen disembarking from a Border Force vessel in Dover today

Lawyers representing asylum seekers who arrived in the UK by crossing the Channel on small boats have launched legal action to halt their deportation, which is due to take place on Wednesday.

Immigration Minister Chris Philp held talks with French officials in Paris on Tuesday in a bid to devise a 'new, comprehensive action plan' to tackle the crossings - after repeated crackdown plans failed.

He said after the meeting: 'Today I met with the French Government to discuss the urgent issue of small boats illegally crossing the channel.

'We agreed that in order to stop these boats we have to make the route completely unviable and discussed a new comprehensive joint operational plan to do just that.

A group of 22 migrants crammed onto a dinghy were spotted stranded in the English Channel last night

The group -who were not wearing life jackets - crammed onto the boat and waved at the camera

The jam-packed boat was photographed on the final leg of its journey across the Channel

French officials have blamed the UK's 'hypocrisy' and 'black economy' for increasing the number of migrants crossing the Channel in small boats (one pictured last night)

'Our discussion covered all elements required to make this route unviable.

'We will be working together in the coming days to further develop and agree this new plan.

'Our new Channel Threat Commander, Dan O'Mahoney, will be returning to France for further discussions next week.

'I was also pleased that following the appointment of our Channel Threat Commander, the French will be reciprocating by creating their own new national commander on this critical issue who will be appointed very soon.

'These were positive talks, and both sides reaffirmed their joint commitment to making the route completely unviable.'

It comes as migrants attempting to cross the Channel threatened to drown themselves if they are stopped by the Royal Navy.

Father Kamal Sadeghi, who is getting set to make the perilous journey with his wife and 11-month-old daughter (pictured together), told The Times : 'I am too tired to carry on. If they try to stop us I will drown myself'

Migrants can be seen being brought to Dover harbour by Border Force officials this morning

Families preparing to make the crossing to Britain from Calais claim the stretch of water will become 'a sea of bodies' if the British government intervenes and sends them back to France.

Christian convert Kamal Sadeghi getting set to make the perilous journey with his wife and 11-month-old daughter after fleeing his home in Iran.

He told The Times: 'I am too tired to carry on. If they try to stop us I will drown myself.'

Mr Sadeghi, 39, his wife, Niki Karimi, 33, and their daughter, Sava, who turns one on Sunday, have spent ten days living in a tent in woodland in Calais having fled Iran after his wife's family objected to their marriage.

He told The Times: 'We need just a normal life. We need to get on a boat. If they try to stop us I will kill myself. I would jump in the water'.

The family told the paper they attempted to stay in Slovenia after leaving their home country three years ago, but lost their savings to the 'mafia' after they were put in jail 'with 300 single men'.

French officials have blamed the UK's 'hypocrisy' and 'black economy' for increasing the number of migrants crossing the Channel in small boats.

Immigration Minister Chris Philp held talks with French officials in Paris on Tuesday in a bid to devise a 'new, comprehensive action plan' to tackle the crossings - after repeated crackdown plans failed. Pictured, one of the migrants who travelled to England today

UK Border Force officials help migrants disembark from their patrol vessel HMC Eagle after arriving at the marina in Dover

Priti Patel's migrant war... against Ben & Jerry's: Ice cream giant goes on Twitter attack over Home Secretary's call for Navy to police the Channel Priti Patel was dragged Britain into a new cold war after going head to head with ice cream giant Ben & Jerry's. The American company's British branch criticised the Home Secretary's call for the Navy to stop migrants crossing the Channel, but a Home Office source immediately hit back, saying Miss Priti's department did not care about angering 'a brand of over-priced junk food'. The spat began when Ben & Jerry's UK Twitter account posted: 'We think the real crisis is our lack of humanity for people fleeing war, climate change and torture.' It went on to say ministers should make it easier for refugees to reach the country: 'People wouldn't make dangerous journeys if they had any other choice. The UK hasn't resettled any refugees since March, but wars and violence continue. What we need is more safe and legal routes.' Ben & Jerry's claimed 'people cannot be illegal' and pointed to the 1951 Refugee Convention which states that entering a country illegally should not affect claims for asylum. The string of tweets ended with: 'Let's remember we're all human and have the same rights to life regardless of the country we happen to have been born in. And once more for the back: people cannot be illegal.' In a Twitter thread, Ben & Jerry's UK said that ''stronger' borders aren't the answer' and that 'people cannot be illegal' A Home Office source told the BBC: 'Priti is working day and night to bring an end to these small boat crossings, which are facilitated by international criminal gangs and are of serious concern. 'If that means upsetting the social media team for a brand of overpriced junk food then so be it.' The row came as Miss Patel vowed to take much tougher action on migrants crossing the Channel. She has asked officials to look into whether the Royal Navy could be used to turn back ships and has begun conversations with France on cutting the number of crossings, which Miss Patel has described as 'unacceptable'. However, critics say her proposals could be illegal. There is also an expectation in maritime law that a captain of a ship will help any other vessel that is in danger, which covers many of the small boats carrying migrants in the Channel. Advertisement

Six boats carrying a total of 74 migrants were intercepted crossing the English Channel from France on Tuesday.

Today, a further four boats carrying around 20 migrants made the journey to Britain's shoreline.

The Royal Air Force was providing aerial support for the Border Force for the second time this week, with a Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft flying from Kinloss Barracks in Scotland to monitor the situation in the English Channel.

Britain's immediate entitlement to benefits, healthcare, housing and the possibility of working soon after arriving are what makes Britain worth the hazardous journey, French officials claim.

Yusshka Mir, 36, a designer from Iran, told the Times: 'What Boris Johnson does not understand is that for us it is better to die if we cannot reach England. I would drown myself. We will all die.'

Just one in five migrants who have tried to cross the Channel have been intercepted by France - as politicians from the country now claims the newcomers are lured into Britain by its generous welfare state.

Immigration minister Chris Philp travelled to Paris on Tuesday to seek stronger enforcement measures - as Border Force continued to deal with crossings along the south coast of the UK.

Mr Philp said that French authorities had caught 'well over a thousand' migrants making the crossing this year, but figures from January 2020 to August 6 show the total number to have made the trip to Britain in small boats is around 4,100.

More than 600 people have made the journey just in the previous few days, suggesting that the proportion of those intercepted is roughly one fifth.

Defence select committee chairman Tobias Ellwood told the Telegraph the French were 'unable to cope at the best of times' - and accused the country's authorities of 'half-heartedness'.

'In normal circumstances, the French are only preventing around half of the dinghies crossing the Channel  but during the current spike that's dropped to a fifth,' he said.

'It's clear that only with greater maritime collaboration with the British can we attempt to significantly reduce the success rate of the crossing.'

He also voiced support for involving the Armed Forces 'during this heightened period'.

Deputy mayor of Calais Philippe Mignonet told French newspaper Voix Du Nord migrants risked the crossing 'because they can work in the black economy when they want, because there is no control, not on the street or in the workplace'.

'I fear a tragedy one day at sea, but the British blame us for their own hypocrisy,' he said.

National Society for Rescue at Sea in Calais president Bernard Barron added that migrants have now 'mastered the sea and, with GPS support, wait until they are in British waters to send out an SOS call'.

He said Britain's government will criticise migrants for making the journey, 'but they do not criticise themselves, questioning the reasons that make their country so attractive'.

It comes as lawyers representing asylum seekers who arrived in the UK by crossing the Channel on small boats launched legal action to halt their deportation, which is due to take place on Wednesday.

Speaking to reporters after the Paris meeting, Mr Philp said the 'sheer numbers' crossing the Channel were 'completely unacceptable' to both the French and UK governments, so it is quite clear that more needs to be done.

Migrants were today intercepted while travelling in a RIB from France to Dover. Men and women were seen being brought into Dover by the Border Force vessel Seeker around 7.30am and medically checked before being questioned by immigration officials

It is thought at least four boats carrying around 30 people reached Britain this morning

'And that is exactly what this new, comprehensive action plan that we are working on will aim to do,' he added.

Mr Philp would not comment on details of the plan but claimed there were a 'number of measures, some of them new, which are under discussion'.

He said it would be 'premature' to talk about financial commitments at this stage because the plans were still being finalised.

But he insisted both countries had 'renewed and reaffirmed their absolute commitment to make sure this border is properly policed and this route is completely ended.'

Newly-appointed clandestine channel threat commander Dan O'Mahoney, who travelled to Paris with Mr Philp, will return to the continent early next week to continue discussions, with France due to appoint its own commander.

The Government has also faced fresh criticism over warnings nine months ago that its own policies meant migrants were resorting to more dangerous routes.

Migrants were given masks and blankets on Dungeness Beach in Kent today

Around 30 migrants made the crossing this morning. It comes one day after at least 74 in six vessels made the perilous 21-mile crossing over the Dover Strait - the world's busiest shipping lane.

Migrants disembark after arriving at Dover harbour this morning

The men were seen on the edge of the French side of the Channel and were not moving as the outbound motor on their boat had broken down. A group of cross-Channel swimmers returning to Britain saw the vessel bobbing in the water at around 5pm yesterday and raised the alarm

Home Secretary Priti Patel headed to Dover on Monday, and was seen disembarking from a police boat that had been out in the Channel earlier that morning

A report by the Foreign Affairs Committee published in November said: 'A policy that focuses exclusively on closing borders will drive migrants to take more dangerous routes, and push them into the hands of criminal groups.'

Home Secretary Priti Patel was a member of the committee at the time of its inquiry.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Boris Johnson was accused of using inflammatory language after calling migrant boat crossings a 'very bad and stupid and dangerous and criminal thing to do'.

He also hinted at changing laws to tackle the problem, while Downing Street said Brexit would help as it would end the 'inflexible and rigid' requirements on how asylum applications are examined and considered.

The Home Office has formally requested help from the Ministry of Defence (MoD), with a military plane sent out on Monday to survey the Channel and alert the Coastguard and Border Force to emerging crossing attempts.

But Calais MP Pierre-Henri Dumont said bringing in the Navy was a 'political measure' intended to show ministers were taking action and warned that it 'won't change anything'.

The Home Office has formally requested help from the Ministry of Defence (MoD), with a military plane sent out on Monday (pictured) to survey the Channel and alert the Coastguard and Border Force to emerging crossing attempts

The latest outcry follows a similar storm last summer when another spike in crossings led Mr Johnson to warn Britain was prepared to start sending back those migrants who did make it across - comments which were branded 'misleading and inflammatory' by campaigners.

Since then there have been a series of meetings between UK and French ministers and officials, each time with the promise of more agreements or resources in efforts to address the problem.

Bella Sankey, director of Detention Action, said: 'Any ''comprehensive plan'' must create a safe and legal route for those who would otherwise risk a Channel crossing, otherwise it is neither comprehensive nor an effective plan.

'These negotiations with French counterparts are doomed to further failure unless the UK Government can stop chasing unicorns and show some principled and noble leadership'.
The trial of Russian actor Mikhail Yefremov, an outspoken Kremlin critic who is charged with killing a person while driving under the influence of alcohol, has been postponed until August 18 due to his hospitalization.

The judge had to stop the high-profile trial at the Presnensky district court on August 11 after an ambulance was called to the courtroom to treat Yefremov who felt unwell. He was taken to the hospital later and Abramova said the trial will resume the next day.

But Judge Yelena Abramova on August 12 postponed the trial because Yefremov was unable to come to the courtroom.

If convicted, Yefremov, who in recent years has been criticizing the Kremlin in his one-man performances, may face up to 12 years in prison.

Russian media reports quoted unnamed medical personnel on August 11 as saying that Yefremov has stroke symptoms.

Police say Yefremov was inebriated when he drove his car at a high speed into an oncoming lane in central Moscow on the evening of June 8, hitting another car.

Yefremov did not suffer any injuries in the accident, but the driver of the other vehicle, identified as 57-year-old Sergei Zakharov, was rushed to hospital with multiple injuries and died hours later.

After Zakharov was pronounced dead, Yefremov was charged with "causing a deadly traffic accident while driving under the influence" and later placed under house arrest.

Yefremovs trial started on August 5. He pleaded not guilty, saying "I do not remember anything."

Authorities later said that medical tests confirmed that Yefremov had traces of drugs, including cocaine, in his blood at the moment of the accident.

Performances by the 56-year-old Yefremov satirizing President Vladimir Putin and his policies have been very popular in recent years.

With reporting by TASS and Interfax
Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden on Tuesday picked Senator Kamala Harris as his choice for vice president, making her the first Black woman on a major-party U.S. presidential ticket and giving him a partner well prepared to go on the attack against Republican President Donald Trump.

With social unrest over racial injustice rocking the country for months, Biden had been under increasing pressure to select a Black woman as his running mate. Harris is also the first Asian-American on a major presidential ticket.

In Harris, a 55-year-old senator from California who made her own run for the White House, Biden gains an experienced politician already battle-tested by the rigors of the 2020 presidential campaign as they head into the final stretch of the Nov. 3 election.

Biden on Twitter called Harris "a fearless fighter for the little guy, and one of the country`s finest public servants." Harris wrote on Twitter that Biden could "unify the American people because he`s spent his life fighting for us."

Biden and Harris will appear together on Wednesday at an event in his hometown of Wilmington, Delaware, the campaign said.

Harris, who became only the second Black female U.S. senator in history when elected in 2016, will be relied on to help mobilize African Americans, the Democratic Party`s most loyal constituency. Four years ago, the first dip in Black voter turnout in 20 years contributed to Democrat Hillary Clinton`s upset loss to Trump.

Biden, whose foundering campaign was rescued by Black voters in South Carolina`s primary in February, needs their strong support against Trump. They will be crucial in battleground states such as Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, where Trump narrowly prevailed in 2016, as well as Republican-leaning southern states like Georgia and Florida that polls show have become competitive this year.

Biden served as vice president for eight years under President Barack Obama, the first Black U.S. president.

Numerous Black leaders, including politicians who had themselves been considered as Biden`s running mate, emphasized the historic import of Harris` selection.

"To see a Black woman nominated for the first time reaffirms my faith that in America, there is a place for every person to succeed no matter who they are or where they come from," said U.S. Representative Val Demings, a Black woman who had been a contender.

Obama, perhaps the party`s most popular figure, praised Harris on Twitter: "She`s spent her career defending our Constitution and fighting for folks who need a fair shake."

The Biden campaign notched its best grassroots fundraising day following the announcement, according to one of its digital directors, Clarke Humphrey.

Republicans immediately tried to portray Harris as a "radical" who embraces far-left priorities such as sweeping police reform and a ban on fracking.

During a White House briefing on Tuesday, Trump called Harris "the meanest, the most horrible, most disrespectful" and "most liberal" senator and said she was his "No. 1 draft pick" given her unsuccessful presidential campaign.

On a conference call the Trump campaign hosted for reporters, Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn asserted that Harris supports eliminating private insurance in favor of Medicare for All and said her selection reflects the "leftist takeover" of the party.

As a presidential candidate, Harris proposed a government-run system that would still allow private insurers to offer plans; she also supported a fracking ban. Biden has not embraced either proposal.

Harris, a former prosecutor and state attorney general in California, is known for her sometimes aggressive questioning style in the Senate, most notably of Brett Kavanaugh during his 2018 Supreme Court confirmation hearing.

As a presidential candidate, she also took Biden to task in a nationally televised debate over his past stances on mandatory busing for students as a means to desegregate schools. Some Biden advisers have told Reuters the attacks made them question whether she would be a trusted working partner because of her political ambitions.

While that exchange failed to boost her White House hopes, the Biden campaign will now look for her to train her fire on Trump and Vice President Mike Pence. Harris is scheduled to debate Pence on Oct. 7 in Salt Lake City, Utah.

The choice of a running mate has added significance for Biden, 77, who would be the oldest person to become president if he is elected.

His age has led to speculation he will serve only one term, making Harris a potential top contender for the nomination in 2024.

Biden publicly committed to choosing a woman as his No. 2 in a March debate after discussing the matter with his wife Jill.

After the protests that erupted over the May 25 killing of George Floyd, a Black man, by a white policeman in Minneapolis, Biden`s search focused predominantly on candidates of color.

Harris will be confirmed as Biden`s running mate at the Democratic convention that begins on Monday, where Biden will also be formally nominated to challenge Trump.

A PROMINENT VOICE

Harris has become a key ally for Biden at a time when race has been thrust to the forefront of the campaign.

After Floyd`s death, she became a leading voice in the push for racial justice and police reform.

Harris came under criticism from some in the Black community and from progressive advocates for her record as California attorney general where, they say, she did not do enough to investigate police shootings and too often sided with prosecutors in wrongful conviction cases.

Her defenders say she has always been reform-minded  and point to her record in the Senate, where she has championed a police-reform bill and an anti-lynching bill, among other measures.

Harris, whose mother and father emigrated from India and Jamaica, respectively, was the first woman to serve as San Francisco`s district attorney and the first woman to serve as California`s attorney general.

Historically, the vice presidential nominee has taken the lead in criticizing the opposing ticket, although Trump has largely shredded that tradition. Brian Brokaw, a California political consultant who managed Harris` campaigns for attorney general and Senate, said she fits that role well.

"She is someone who can really make Republicans quake in their boots," Brokaw said.
Hyundai Motor's Genesis G90 bearing the Motional logo/ Courtesy of Hyundai Motor





By Nam Hyun-woo







Hyundai Motor said Wednesday it decided on the name Motional for its $4 billion autonomous driving technology joint venture with Aptiv of the U.S.







Motional was established in March, following a 50:50 investment from Hyundai Motor and Aptiv, which is regarded as one of the leading firms in automated driving technologies. Hyundai Motor said in September last year that it would spend a total of $2 billion on Motional.







Along with its name, Motional unveiled some highlights of the company's future business plans. Motional will pursue the commercialization of level 4 autonomous driving technology, with a plan to run test programs for the technology later this year and provide technology to firm commercializing robo-taxi and mobility service from 2022, according to Hyundai Motor.







Level 4 autonomous driving technology means that the vehicle can operate without human input in certain driving scenarios.







"Motional represents the next frontier of innovation as the company will pioneer a new era of safe, accessible and green transportation. We have a long history of being on the cutting edge of automotive technology and look forward to continuing that legacy with Motional," Hyundai Motor Group Executive Vice Chairman Chung Euisun said in a statement.







"Motional will stand as one of the leading companies exploring innovations in safe, economic and eco-friendly mobility services. 7Hyundai Motor Group has been making major updates in the history of advanced automotive technologies, and it seeks to continue this legacy with Motional."







"Our DNA  a combination of Aptiv's expertise in advanced technology and Hyundai's leadership in both vehicle manufacturing and R&D  is uniquely powerful, and positions us to fundamentally change how people move through their lives," Motional CEO Karl Iagnemma said in a statement.







"What we're building is more relevant than ever. The pandemic has challenged the global community to rethink transportation, and governments and individuals want more and better options. We're excited to bring driverless technology safely and comfortably into everyday life."







Motional is based in Boston, with teams in Pittsburgh, Las Vegas, Santa Monica, Singapore, and Seoul.


- Barcelona have been hit by the dreaded coronavirus as a player has tested positive

- The Catalan giants have however said that the individual is not part of the squad that will face Bayern Munich

- They say the unnamed player in question is currently asymptomatic and has been ordered into self-isolation

Barcelona have reported a positive result after nine senior team players who returned to the club were tested for the dreaded COVID-19 on Thursday, August 6.

The Catalan giants are due to face Bayern Munich in a mouthwatering Champions League quarter final clash on Friday, August 14.

READ ALSO: Shooting your shot: Club posts image of Cristiano Ronaldo in their football kit amid transfer speculation

Barcelona confirm positive coronavirus test ahead of Champions League quarter-final. Photo: Getty Images.

Source: Getty Images

READ ALSO: Tulipokuwa tukichumbiana, mke wangu alinitumia fare mara nyingi sana - Murkomen

Barcelona however that the affected player is not a member of the squad that will fly out on Thursday ahead of their cracker against the German champions.

According to the club, nine of their players returned on Tuesday and they had their tests and medical checks on Wednesday ahead of Thursday training as they have just returned from their respective loan spells.

"After the PCR tests carried out yesterday Tuesday afternoon to the group of nine players who today have to start pre-season, one of them has tested positive for Covid-19, the club said in a statement.

"The affected person is asymptomatic, is in good health and is isolated at home.

There is concern in Barcelona as one of the players tested positive for COVID-19. Photo: Getty Images.

Source: Getty Images

READ ALSO: Lionel Messi sleeps on 900 mattress to prevent him from contracting COVID-19

And this came barely 24 hours that another Spanish club Valencia reported that recorded cases of coronavirus in their team after random tests were conducted during their training session.

Two unnamed players tested positive to the deadly virus that has become a huge worry to humanity in the past months.

Atletico Madrid also recently discovered two of their players had the virus ahead of their remaining Champions League campaign.

Just like Atletico, Valencia have sent their players back home to self-isolate themselves in their respective homes.

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Greece demanded that Turkey withdraw a research ship at the heart of their growing dispute (file photo) - OZAN KOSE/AFP via Getty Images

Greece on Tuesday asked the European Union to hold an emergency meeting of the group's foreign ministers to press for sanctions against Turkey amid a new and dangerous tussle with its regional foe over energy and sea rights in the eastern Mediterranean.

The office of Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the Greek prime minister, said the urgent request had been placed by the countrys foreign minister.

Athens is scrambling to exhaust all diplomatic options before resorting to the use of force, to stop Turkish vessels from surveying a patch of the eastern Mediterranean which Athens insists it has exclusive rights to, according to a leading aide.

While Nato allies, Greece and Turkey have long been at odds over land, sea and air rights, coming to the brink of war in 1996 over conflicting claims to a barren outcrop inhabited only by goats, rabbits and sheep.

Now, 26 years later, tensions have flared up anew following Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogans decision on Monday to order the research vessel Oruc Reis and two auxiliary ships to survey the continental shelf not far from that near-war region, south of the tiny island of Kastellorizo.

Greek armed forces have since then been placed on red alert with battleships and submarines steaming to the region to shadow the Turkish vessels that plan according to a Navtex, or else, international maritime safety message issued by Ankara, to remain until Aug. 23.

Since they streamed in, a senior defence ministry official told The Telegraph, we have been transmitting messages to them every 15 minutes, telling them to pull back.

Those messages have not stopped and we are just an order away from the political leadership upping the ante to military action.

The region has become a dangerous flash point since massive oil and gas reserves were discovered in 2015, leading Greece, Cyprus, Israel and Egypt to forge lucrative deals and alliances_without Turkey.

Mr Erdogan insists Turkey should be allowed to share the gains. He recently lashed out at Greece and other countries in the region for trying to imprison our country, which has the longest coastline in the Mediterranean, [turning it] into a coastal strip from which you can only catch fish with a rod.

On Tuesday, the Foreign Office called on Greece and Turkey to pull back from escalating tension, saying the UK was committed to preserving stability in the region.

In a similar standoff, last month, German Chancellor Angela Merkel persuaded Mr Erdogan to hold off from dispatching the Oruc Reis, to the eastern Mediterranean. He agreed to negotiations with Athens but then pulled back, angered at Greece's decision to secretly sign a maritime deal with Egypt last week, limiting Ankaras influence in the oil-and-mineral rich region even further.
It all seemed to be going so well. The North South Ministerial Council on July 31 (the first plenary session in almost four years) had been civil and useful, with both sides pleased about progress on the response to Covid-19, New Decade, New Approach commitments and dealing with the implications of the UK's withdrawal from the EU in a few months' time.

There wasn't a peep from Micheal Martin about the Shared Ireland Unit (SIU) in the Irish Government's Programme for Government, leading Arlene Foster to say: "It does not threaten our constitutional position, or what we believe in, so I don't feel threatened at all by the unit."

The day ended - as all these events are meant to end - with smiles, a socially-distanced photo opportunity, a promise to see you all soon and a fairly bland joint communique.

But a week later, in an interview with the Irish Independent, the Taoiseach announced that he planned to "beef up" the SIU because "there are two distinct political jurisdictions born out of the Good Friday Agreement and we have to acknowledge the reality of that".

Had he stopped at that point it would probably have been okay; for at that point it was just a vague indication that he was minded to do something. Politicians say things like that all the time in interviews knowing full well it's flannel. But Micheal Martin went further. Much, much further.

He noted the importance of English nationalism to the Brexit vote and suggested that Scotland could maybe opt for independence.

Then he added: "(But) what happens if England gets turned off Northern Ireland? We've got to be thinking all this through."

Are we to conclude, therefore, that beefing up the SIU indicates his willingness to begin the preparation for Irish unity?

And, if so, does he intend to include unionism in this "beefing-up" process?

He didn't, as far as I know, text, tweet, email, call or Zoom Arlene to let her know what he had said. Even an "it's for the local optics" message would have dampened concerns at her end.

But his failure to do any of that suggests he is serious. If so he is putting himself firmly in the Sinn Fein camp (which maybe he thinks he needs to after recent opinion polls show Fianna Fail falling further behind Mary Lou McDonald).

It may also mean that the SDLP's recently launched New Ireland Commission (within which Colum Eastwood hopes to engage "political unionism"), which Micheal Martin would almost certainly have given an imprimatur to, is an integral part of the "beefing-up" strategy.

More importantly, Micheal Martin would have been well aware that his comments would annoy the hell out of unionist leaders, most of whom welcomed his elevation to Taoiseach.

Their relationship with Leo Varadkar had been, for most of the time, fairly tetchy, with even the Brexit sceptics worried that he was playing the "England's misfortune is Ireland's opportunity" card too eagerly.

Most of them viewed Micheal Martin in a more benign light, believing that he wasn't keen on adding to his in-tray problems by going out of his way to irritate unionism at an already anxious time for them.

Crucially, Micheal Martin knows that there cannot be a united Ireland without majority endorsement in a border poll and he knows that the poll requires the approval of the British Government.

So, when he suggests that England could get "turned off" Northern Ireland, is he further suggesting that the Government would push for a border poll?

It's an important question, because while Arlene Foster was correct to respond to him that "the principle of consent determines Northern Ireland's place in the UK", is Micheal Martin also correct to hint that a combination of English nationalism, Scottish independence and a PM who seems, at best, disinterested in Northern Ireland would be the ultimate determining factor?

At the heart of Foster's response to Micheal Martin is the argument that the rest of the UK cannot "sever" its constitutional links to Northern Ireland.

Yet, the very Prime Minster in whom she placed so much faith didn't so much as blink when he let her down over his "no border in the Irish Sea" pledge.

Hand on heart, how far does she, or any other unionist for that matter, trust Boris Johnson to prioritise Northern Ireland's constitutional position?

Micheal Martin's comments suggest that he doesn't regard the PM as an unambiguous unionist. Indeed, his "what if?" question re England getting "turned off" Northern Ireland is a question I have heard raised within unionist, loyalist and civic unionist circles.

It's the asking of that question which has convinced elements within nationalism that there are enough ambivalents, persuadables and agnostics from a pro-Union background to deliver a majority for unity in a border poll.

John Cole, a former political editor for the BBC, once told me: "When a politician says something unexpected you must immediately ask yourself why he said it and why he chose that moment to say it."

I don't know why Micheal Martin said what he said, although I'm pretty sure he knew the impact it would have on unionism.

I don't know why he chose to say it a few days after what Arlene Foster described as a "positive" North South Ministerial Council plenary.

But I do know that he has given the very clearest impression of interfering in local Northern Ireland politics and playing the "you're really a place apart" card.

Of course, whether it all amounts to a hill of beans is anybody's guess. "Beefing-up" can take many forms and mean many things, and he has so many other problems on his plate that I'm not convinced he would be stupid enough to open a new battle front with unionism inside and outside the Executive.

That said, within a few weeks of taking office he has chosen to have a pop at unionism - a very odd thing to do when the "two distinct political jurisdictions" really do need to be working together.
WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service announced a Cooperative Interstate Shipment or CIS agreement with the State of Vermont. As per the deal, Vermont is allowed to operate a CIS program, with which certain state-inspected meat and poultry processors can ship their products across state lines, and expand their business opportunities. The FSIS noted that the CIS program permits certain state-inspected plants that comply with federal inspection requirements to ship their product in interstate commerce. The program was created by the 2008 Farm Bill and since then, FSIS has agreed with many states including Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Missouri, North Dakota, Ohio, and Wisconsin. For participation in the program, FSIS selects establishments, which employ fewer than 25 employees, based on the state's recommendations. These businesses must comply with all the requirements under the federal statutes, including sanitation performance standards. The program is limited to plants located in the 27 states that have established a Meat and Poultry Inspection Program or MPI. 'To be eligible to participate in the CIS program, state MPI programs must meet a number of criteria to demonstrate that the inspection that it provides to state-inspected plants will be the 'same as' the inspection that FSIS provides to official federal establishments,' the agency said in its statement. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
The author of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's new biography Finding Freedom hit back at claims he had any lengthy discussions with the couple ahead of the publication of their explosive biography.

Omid Scobie, who co-wrote Finding Freedom with Carolyn Durand, took to Twitter to clarify he had only exchanged a 'few words at engagements' rather than conduct a 'full interview'.

An authors' note contained in the back of the book, which was published yesterday, appears to acknowledge some involvement from Harry, 35, and Meghan, 39, in the biography, which has raised eyebrows for its gushing praise and intimate knowledge of their lives.

The acknowledgement reads: 'We have spoken with close friends of Harry and Meghan, royal aides and palace staff (past and present), the charities and organisations they have built long-lasting relationships with and, when appropriate, the couple themselves.'

The writers of Prince Harry, 35, and Meghan Markle's, 39, explosive biography Finding Freedom have revealed they spoke with the couple 'when appropriate' in the author's note of the book

Omid Scobie, who co-wrote Finding Freedom with Carolyn Durand, took to Twitter to clarify he had only exchanged a 'few words at engagements' rather than conduct a 'full interview'

Scobie today downplayed any involvement from the couple, tweeting: 'Lets make one thing clear: Theres a huge difference between exchanging a few words with a member of the Royal Family on an official engagement or tour to actually interviewing them.'

He added: 'The amount of nonsense doing the rounds right now is unreal.'

The comment from Scobie comes amid widespread speculation from royal commentators and experts over whether Harry and Meghan gave their inner circle consent to speak to Scobie and Durand for the biography.

The authors publicly stated ahead of publication that they had not interviewed the couple directly.

Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand acknowledge that they spoke with 'close friends of Harry and Meghan, royal aides and palace staff (past and present), the charities and organisations they have built long-lasting relationships with and, when appropriate, the couple themselves'

However royal author Penny Junor was among those who questioned whether Harry and Meghan 'colluded' with the authors.

The explosive new biography Finding Freedom was released yesterday

She said the couple would have 'kicked up a fuss' about the book had they not been involved.

Penny, author of Prince Harry: Brother, Soldier, Son, Husband, told MailOnline: 'The authors have some extraordinarily personal and private details about Harry and Meghan, but the couple have said they didn't speak to them directly and we have to take their word for it.

'What seems absolutely clear, however, is that they colluded.

'If not, they would have kicked up a huge fuss about this book.

'I suspect they wanted to get their story and their feelings about how they were treated out into the public arena and have done so via friends who sound as though they were very well and carefully briefed.'

Palace insiders have described the book as 'score settling' after Harry and Meghan left the Royal Family for a life in Los Angeles - after suddenly announcing their intentions in January in a move that left the Queen 'hurt'.

The book gives a dramatic account of the events leading up to the Sussexes' departure from royal life and offers new insights to Harry's falling out with William.

The fraternal dispute is said to have erupted after the Duke of Cambridge's referred to Meghan as 'this girl' and voiced concerns that his younger brother might be rushing into romance.

The book gives a detailed and dramatic account of events leading up to the Sussexes departure from royal life (pictured, at Canada House in January shortly before making their announcement)

The authors say Harry 'felt people working with his brother had put things out there to make William look good, even if it meant throwing Harry under the bus'.

Meghan's favourite author quoted in the epigraph Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's explosive new biography is prefaced with a quote accredited to American essayist Ralph Waldo Emerson. The quote reads: 'Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.' The essayist is a favourite of the Duchess of Sussex, who once called another quote of 'my absolute favourite of favourites.' In an interview with Liz Earle magazine, the then-actress said she loved the quote so much that she kept it up in her trailer during filming, and reminded herself of it 'when she felt overwhelmed'. Advertisement

Excerpts from the book have already revealed many inside details about the couple's departure from the Royal Family, including how the couple considered driving straight to confront the 'devastated' Queen about Megxit after returning from Canada in January.

Extraordinary personal details littered throughout include particulars of the moment the Meghan confessed she wrote her estranged father Thomas Markle one final message while on FaceTime in a bathtub.

Sources close to the couple also claim in the book that royal aides feared Meghan and Harry's popularity was eclipsing that of the Royal Family itself - and says the couple were jealous of William and Kate getting the best roles and 'didn't feel supported' by the royals.

Yesterday, Scobie said the couple felt unable to defend themselves over reports in the media which they felt were untrue.

He told Lorraine: 'Harry's very aware of what goes on behind the scenes behind palace walls, and I think the couple really found themselves in a position where they were told they couldn't defend themselves.

'We heard 'no comment' time and time again from the palace, but their reputations were being destroyed by the words of other people using, sort of, third, fourth, fifth hand information that wasn't always necessarily true.'

Scobie also told Lorraine that the process of writing the book began two years ago and the story of what he was writing changed dramatically over this time.

He added that he and Meghan are 'absolutely in no way friends' and said there was 'always that line' between journalists and members of the royal family.

The controversial biography written by Omid Scobie (left) and Carolyn Durand (right) raised eyebrows for its gushing praise and intimate knowledge of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex

He denied asking them for an interview, adding that 'it was important to have a little distance from the couple' to have a balanced and objective view of who they are.

Scobie said: 'The really unique situation that came out of it was a lot of the people working for Harry and Meghan were frustrated at what was being printed.'

He said that the couple's friends had become 'desperate' to defend them so they could 'reframe the narrative a little bit' and 'shed a light on who they really were'.
A fire broke out in the COVID-19 ward of a two-storey hospital in Bodeli town of Gujarat's Chhotaudepur district on Wednesday morning, an official said.

IMAGE: On August 6, eight COVID-19 patients died in a fire in the intensive care unit (ICU) ward of Shrey Hospital in Ahmedabad. Photograph: PTI Photo

There was no casualty in the blaze that erupted on the second floor of Bodeli Dhokalia Public Hospital, the official said, adding that 10 COVID-19 patients undergoing treatment at the facility were shifted to its lower floor and some of them were later admitted to other hospitals.

"A minor fire occurred in the switch board of COVID-19 ward following short-circuit in the morning. The blaze was controlled immediately by the staff with the help of fire extinguisher," Chief District Health Officer Dr Mahesh Chaudhary said.

"As a precaution, the staff also shifted all the 10 patients to lower floor," he said.

Later, after a health checkup, three patients were given discharge as they tested negative for coronavirus while seven were shifted to other hospitals in Chhotaudepur town, said Chaudhary.

The second floor of the hospital, a trust-run facility, was earlier converted into a COVID-19 ward.

"While the fire was minor and did not cause any casualty or damage to property, it will take time to check and replace the electric wiring on the second floor. Thus, we have decided to shift the coronavirus patients elsewhere," Chaudhary said.

Out of the seven patients, two were admitted to the district hospital while five were shifted to a COVID Care Centre set up in the Polytechnic College in Chhotaudepur town, the official added.

On August 6, eight COVID-19 patients died in a fire in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) ward of a hospital in Ahmedabad.

A preliminary inquiry conducted by a government-appointed two-member committee found the primary cause of the fire was short-circuit in a medical equipment, which spread in the hospital's intensive care unit.

After the incident, state government had ordered a fire safety audit of all hospitals in the state to avoid a repeat of such tragedy.
Now more than ever, its time to start investing in child care as an economic issue, Pelham Regional Coun. Diana Huson says.

Huson is bringing a motion to Regional Council asking the Government of Ontario to prioritize children and child care as part of the provinces economic recovery plan.

Its one of the things the government can do to help spur recovery, Huson said. I dont think what weve done in the past is going to work. Historically we have invested in infrastructure, and that means jobs in construction and trades.

Those are not the people who are out of work right now. If you try to schedule a home renovation project, they are booked up for six months.

How the government has traditionally responded to recessionary pressures is not going to work in this instance.

The motion asks Queens Park to adequately fund and publicly release a comprehensive plan to support families through the provision of licensed child care and early learning education.

Huson isnt alone on the issue. Toronto and Ottawa councils have passed similar motions.

A recent RBC economic report that noted womens participation in the workforce is now at 55 per cent, the lowest rate since the 1980s.

We need to look at who this (the pandemic) has impacted the most, Huson said. I think, for the most part, it is women. The solution to that is to support child care to help them get back to work. Child care isnt a personal issue. Its not a womens issue. Its an economic issue and we need to start treating it like that.

Huson said it is not uncommon for women to have to leave the labour market altogether to provide child care or home-schooling.

The headline story from this weeks MacLeans magazine supports the assertion, quoting a Calgary mother on the cover saying, Staying home with them is safest, even if it cost a huge chunk of my career.

Canadian statistics on sick time and workplace absenteeism illustrate the worklife balance challenges experienced by families with small children, said a report prepared for officials from Guelph and the surrounding area. The research shows that mothers of young children miss work an average of 10 days, and fathers miss work an average of 1.5 days due to child illness each year. (Guelph study)

Husons motion says the economic recovery of the Niagara Region and Ontario is dependent on access to safe, reliable, and affordable child care that incorporates early learning principles.

The report from Guelph that crunched the data found that for every dollar invested publicly in child care, there is a regional economic output of $2.27.

If women arent working, households have less money, and we are spending less, Huson said. Our No. 1 tool for economic recovery, consumer spending, is at risk.

If you are just looking at it as a return on investment, the question should be, Why arent we doing this?
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 13) - Senators are in favor of putting on hold the release of funds specifically set for addressing COVID-19 to hospitals, as they continue to investigate the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) for alleged corruption.

Senate President Tito Sotto and Senators Risa Hontiveros and Kiko Pangilinan on Wednesday said the interim reimbursement mechanism or IRM, which is distributed by PhilHealth, should be suspended.

"PhilHealth should suspend the IRM up until we can resolve the issues of favoritism, inequitable distribution and liquidation," said Hontiveros in a statement.

The IRM was a fund set for hospitals to receive in case of a "fortuitous" event such as COVID-19. However, controversy arose when data showed several hospitals who had low cases of the disease were given the fund first before hospitals with more infected patients

In a House panel hearing, PhilHealth officials revealed that it has provided P14.9 billion worth of IRMs but only liquidated P2.4 billion.

However, Renato Limsiaco, senior vice president for PhilHealth's fund management sector, also confirmed that the last time they released the IRM was on July 21.

Lawmakers have earlier pointed out that the distribution of the fund seemed to have prioritized some private hospitals while others continue to wait for their share, several months into the pandemic. Some senators also questioned the release of the funds to facilities who have yet to record a case, which they said defeated the purpose of the IRM.

"The entire system is a complete disaster and is a huge stumbling block for our hospitals to be able to effectively address the killer pandemic," said Pangilinan.

PhilHealth has repeatedly denied any favoritism towards institutions. Embattled PhilHealth president and CEO Ricardo Morales argued the hospitals who received the IRMs were located in high-COVID incidence areas.
Riot police and contractors remove wood from a bonfire in the Distillery Street area of west Belfast

Police have released images of people they wish to speak with in relation to disorder in west Belfast.

Trouble flared over the weekend as police moved to support contractors taking down an anti-internment bonfire at Distillery Street on Saturday, August 8.

Police came under attack with petrol bombs, heavy masonry and vehicle parts with 29 officers injured, with three needing hospital treatment. Injuries ranged from concussion to back, head and neck injuries.

Sinn Fein condemned the attacks as "shocking and wrong".

On Wednesday police released a number of images of individuals they wished to speak with in connection with the investigation.

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Superintendent Melanie Jones said: By releasing these images I am hopeful that either the individuals themselves will contact police directly or the wider community can help us identify them.

We are also aware of videos circulating relating to the disorder and are continuing to examine their contents.

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We are committed to identifying those involved in this significant disorder and we will be relentless in our pursuit in bringing offenders before the courts.

It is in everybodys interest  as well as in the interest of justice - that those responsible are dealt with appropriately and I would urge anyone who may have any information to bring it forward to Police at Musgrave police station by calling the non-emergency number 101. Alternatively, information can also be provided to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111, which is 100% anonymous.

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On Sunday Assistant Chief Constable Mark McEwan confirmed the injured officers had all been discharged from hospital.

He said it was a "disgraceful attack" on officers "who were simply doing their job, trying to support our partners in the community and ensuring that we kept people safe".

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"Communities made it very clear they do not want and do not support internment bonfires in their areas," he said.

He pledged to make arrests "soon".

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Sinn Fein MP Paul Maskey added: "The incidents around Distillery Street at the weekend and the attacks on the PSNI were shocking, wrong and should not have happened.

"Agreements had been in place to resolve issues around the bonfire and those should have been allowed to proceed as planned.

"If people have concerns around any policing operation there are mechanisms and measures to address those; they will not be resolved thought the behaviour we saw at the weekend."
Research

Survey: Most College Students Feel Fine Going Back to Campus

A survey of college students found that most were comfortable heading back to campus. The survey was done by OneClass, a company that sells study guides posted by students and faculty.

The survey asked students entering their freshman, sophomore or junior years how they felt about returning to campus while COVID-19 cases were increasing. While 57 percent reported that they would feel "secure on campus" with safety measures in place, another 25 percent said they'd feel the same "no matter what safety measures were taken." Just 18 percent said they weren't comfortable returning to their campuses.

According to the company, safety measures referenced in the survey could include monitoring of symptoms of the coronavirus, social distancing, limiting access in common spaces and contact tracing.

A total of 241 colleges and universities were represented among the 18,190 respondents. Students attending Kansas State University were the most likely to say they would feel secure on campus no matter what safety measures were put in place. Riley County, where the university is located, has reported 477 confirmed COVID-19 cases, of which 121 were active on Aug. 7, 2020.

Students at San Francisco State University were the most likely to feel uncomfortable going back to campus. Eighty-four percent said they'd rather not. In that county, 7,548 cases have been reported as of Aug. 6. The survey reported that colleges in California represented nine of the 15 top schools where students were most uncomfortable with the prospect of returning to campus.

Additional survey results are available on the OneClass website.
TRENTON, N.J. (AP)  The Supreme Court of New Jersey ruled a defendant must turn over the passcodes for his two phones in response to a search warrant, opening the way for law enforcement to compel other defendants in the state to do the same.

The court's majority decision on Monday was supported by four justices with three dissenting in the case of a former Essex County sheriffs officer who is suspected of helping a man charged with trafficking drugs, NJ Advance Media reported.

Robert Andrews was charged in 2016 for official misconduct, hindering and obstruction for passing on information about an ongoing law enforcement investigation to the suspect, who was in the same motorcycle club as him.

Andrews had appealed an order from a lower court to turn over the passcodes to his phones so authorities could execute a search warrant on phone calls and texts between the two men.

Its time to rethink whether you should keep anything simply private or personal on a personal electronic device because if the government wants it they can now get it, said Charles J. Sciarra, Andrews attorney in a statement.

Sciarra argued, in part, that Andrews did not have to turn over the passcodes because the Fifth Amendment protected him from self-incrimination. But the court found the passcodes were not testimonial and noted Andrews did not challenge the search warrants, which give the state the right to the cellphones purportedly incriminating contents, the majority decision said.

Justice Jaynee LaVecchia, who authored the dissenting opinion, said the law had reached a crossroads.

Will we allow law enforcement -- and our courts as their collaborators -- to compel a defendant to disgorge undisclosed private thoughts -- presumably memorized numbers or letters -- so that the government can obtain access to encrypted smartphones? she wrote.

Andrews' attorney did not respond to the newspaper's questions about whether he would appeal the case to the U.S. Supreme Court or turn over his passcodes.

In October, an Oregon court of appeals ruled in a similar case that a defendant there must enter the passcode into a phone found in her purse in response to a search warrant. She entered in the wrong code twice and was ordered to be held for 30 days in jail in contempt of court.

In another case in Louisiana, the FBI said it managed to unlock a defendant's phone before an appeals court issued a decision over whether the law compels him to disclose the password to his phone in response to a search warrant.
NORWOOD, Mass., Aug. 12, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- MariMed Inc. (MRMD:OTCQX) (the Company or MariMed), a leading multi-state cannabis and hemp operator focused on health and wellness, today announced that at their August 6th session the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission (CCC) gave final approval to issue the Company three adult-use licenses for cultivation, production, and retail, subject to final inspections.



The cultivation and production licenses will be deployed at its 70,000-square-foot cannabis manufacturing facility in New Bedford, Mass., and the retail license at its Panacea Wellness Dispensary in Middleborough, Mass. The Company continues to actively develop two additional dispensary locations for its other provisional adult use and medical licenses.

Bob Fireman, Chief Executive Officer of MariMed, commented, Adding adult-use sales at Panacea Wellness will open a huge revenue opportunity to our already booming Massachusetts wholesale and retail business. This 10,000 square foot dispensary is located on a heavy traffic road between two major highways connecting many southeastern Massachusetts towns. This will be a destination for our loyal consumers to purchase our top selling brands, Natures Heritage flower and Bettys Eddies fruit chews. We expect the final inspection on or before September and to open immediately thereafter.

According to BDS Analytics, Massachusetts retail cannabis sales in 2019 were $587 million, growing to exceed $745 million in 2020, and the firm expects this market will conservatively reach $1.35 billion by 2024. Today, consumers in the Massachusetts spend an average of $140 a month on cannabis products, or almost 200% above the nationwide average.

Tim Shaw, Chief Operating Officer of MariMed, said, My team has worked long and hard to secure these licenses. Our state-of-the-art cultivation, production, and dispensary facilities developed under the state medical cannabis program were designed for and are ready to support added production of our top-rated flowers and products into the robust Massachusetts Adult Use marketplace. Thank you to our team and to the CCC for making this possible.

To be added to the email distribution list, please email MRMD@kcsa.com with MRMD in the subject.



About MariMed:

MariMed Inc., a multi-state cannabis operator, is dedicated to improving the health and wellness of people through the use of cannabinoids and cannabis products. The Company develops, owns, and manages seed to sale state-licensed cannabis facilities, which are models of excellence in horticultural principles, cannabis cultivation, cannabis-infused products, and dispensary operations. MariMed has an experienced management team that has produced consistent growth and success for the Company and its managed business units.

The Company is at the forefront of science and innovation through research developed by its lab technicians and medical advisors resulting in industry-leading products and brands, including "Betty's Eddies, Natures Heritage, Bourne Baking Co.", and Kalm Fusion. These precision dosed products are focused on specific symptoms and conditions and are licensed and distributed across the country.

For additional information, visit marimedinc.com.

Important Caution Regarding Forward-Looking Statements:

This release contains certain forward-looking statements and information relating to MariMed Inc. that is based on the beliefs of MariMed Inc.'s management, as well as assumptions made by and information currently available to the Company. Such statements reflect the current views of the Company with respect to future events, including estimates and projections about its business based on certain assumptions of its management, including those described in this Release. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risk and uncertainties that are difficult to predict, including, among other factors, changes in demand for the Company's services and products, changes in the law and its enforcement and changes in the economic environment. Additional risk factors are included in the Company's public filings with the SEC. Should one or more of these underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described herein as "hoped," "anticipated," "believed," "planned, "estimated," "preparing," "potential," "expected," "looks" or words of a similar nature. The Company does not intend to update these forward-looking statements. None of the content of any of the websites referred to herein (even if a link is provided for your convenience) is incorporated into this release and the Company assumes no responsibility for any of such content.

All trademarks and service marks are the property of their respective owners.

Company Contact

Jon Levine, CFO

MariMed Inc.

Tel (781) 559-8713

Media Contact

Abigail Diehl

MariMed Inc.

adiehl@marimedinc.com

Annie Graf

KCSA Strategic Communications

agraf@kcsa.com
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat from New York, left, listens as U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat from California, speaks to members of the media following a meeting at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Friday, Aug. 7, 2020.

The prospects of another round of coronavirus relief appeared even more grim Wednesday after a call between House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin moved them no closer to cracking a stalemate.

Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer have not met with Mnuchin and White House chief of staff Mark Meadows to hash out a pandemic aid package since Friday. Talks fell apart even as the virus spreads around the country and Americans struggle to find work after two financial lifelines lapsed last month.

Mnuchin reached out to Pelosi by phone on Wednesday, a source familiar with the call said. In a joint statement, Pelosi and Schumer signaled they would not yet restart discussions after the Treasury secretary again rejected their offer to find a middle ground between the Democrats' more than $3 trillion relief package and the GOP's roughly $1 trillion proposal.

"We have again made clear to the Administration that we are willing to resume negotiations once they start to take this process seriously," they added.

Mnuchin later said Pelosi's comments were "not an accurate reflection of our conversation." In his own statement, he said she "made clear that she was unwilling to meet to continue negotiations unless we agreed in advance to her proposal, costing at least $2 trillion."

"The Democrats have no interest in negotiating," Mnuchin said.

During an earlier MSNBC interview in which she said the sides are "miles apart," Pelosi described the gulf between Democrats and Republicans as "a chasm, because they do not share our values."
The government has spent only a fraction of the money allocated to fight the disease; it looks the crisis in the eye and laughs.





by Vijay Prashad





Jhuliana Rodrigues works as a nurse technician at the Hospital Sao Vicente in Jundiai, Brazil. It is very difficult, she says of her job these days. Brazil has just passed 100,000 deaths from COVID-19, with 3 million Brazilians infected with the virus. We meet colleagues and feel a heavy energy, a lot of pressure, a block, Rodrigues says. She is the vice president of Sinsaude Campinas, a trade union of health workers.









We work with fear of each other, Rodrigues says, which is why her union is part of a lawsuit filed at the International Criminal Court (ICC) on July 27. Sixty-five unions and organizations, which represent millions of Brazilians including Afro-Brazilians and the Indigenous communities, decided that their president Jair Bolsonaros callous attitude toward the global pandemic could not be managed within the country. Previous complaints made in the National Congress and the Supreme Court have run aground; Brazils prosecutor general, Augusto Aras, has not moved on any of these serious complaints. This is why the unions have gone to the ICC to charge Bolsonaro with crimes against humanity.





Brazils leading newspaperFolha de S. Paulowrites of the chaos in the country: the main reason for the tragedy is Jair Bolsonaro. The unions want him in the dock.





Health Workers, Afro-Brazilians, Indigenous





Bolsonaro, says the lawsuit, displayed an attitude of contempt, neglect, and denial toward the coronavirus; this attitude has brought disastrous consequences. The disrespect that Bolsonaro showed toward science and toward the World Health Organizations advice led to the removal of two health ministers (Luiz Henrique Mandetta on April 16; Nelson Teich on May 15). Bolsonaro brought in General Eduardo Pazuello, with no medical background, to be the acting health minister; the health ministry is now peppered with officials with a military rather than a medical background.





Brazils Unified Health System (SUS) has been underfunded over the past five years. As a consequence of this, and of Bolsonaros expulsion of Cuban doctors who had come to help Brazil, there is a serious crisis, said Hugo Bethsaida Leme, who works with the Basic Health Unit in Londrina in Parana, Brazil, and is in the National Network of Popular Doctors. Many communities are without access to the More Doctors for Brazil Program (PMMB), which generates an overload in urgent care and emergency units with cases that could have been attended in the Basic Health Units (UBS).





Not only has Bolsonaro not produced a sensible plan to tackle the infection, he has scuttled any attempt by the National Congress to move an agenda. Twice the National Congress sent the president lawsonce to make mask use mandatory (Law no. 14.019, July 2, 2020) and then to make special provisions to break the chain of infection in Indigenous territories and among Afro-Brazilians in quilombos (Law no. 14.021, July 7, 2020); Bolsonaro vetoed both laws. Vetoes take away access to dignified health treatment, at this time of pandemic, take away access to drinking water, access to emergency aid, basic food baskets, the unions write in their lawsuit.





The government has spent only a fraction of the money allocated to fight the disease; it looks the crisis in the eye and laughs.





Jose Marques, one of the lawyers who helped with the lawsuit, pointed out to me that the government policy particularly discriminates against health workers, the Afro-Brazilian population in the quilombos, and the Indigenous communities. The infection and mortality rates for these three groups are higher than the Brazilian average, with the rate of death for the Indigenous twice that of other Brazilians. One of the laws Bolsonaro vetoed, Marques tells me, would have required the Brazilian state to provide potable water to the Indigenous areas; without water, he said, how can the people keep themselves free of the infection? How can they wash their hands?





Disrespect





In early June, Chief Raoni Metuktire of the Kayapo people said, President Bolsonaro wants to take advantage of the virus; he is saying that the Indian has to die. Both the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and the Organization of American States urged the Brazilian government to protect the Yanomami and the Iecuan Indians from the ravages of the virus.





Marcio Monzane, the regional secretary of UNI Americas, recounted for me the terrible treatment of the Indigenous communities. The Supreme Court told the government to put in place a commission to discuss the situation of the virus in the Indigenous territories. At the meeting, Monzane said, the representatives of the Indigenous communities were mistreated by the government. No recording has been released of the meeting, which would have graphically illustrated the disrespect and cavalier behavior of the government officials. Because of such reports, the Supreme Court has called upon the government to hold another meeting.





After Bolsonaro vetoed the bill to ensure potable water in Indigenous areas, Bolsonaros vice president and former general Hamilton Mourao said that they have no need for drinking water since they are supplied with water from the rivers that are in their region. This is the level of callousness of the Bolsonaro administration.





Brussels Not Brasilia





Supreme Court Judge Gilmar Mendes accused the Bolsonaro government of genocide. This is a serious accusation. The 1988 Constitution, Mendes wrote on May 21, does not authorize the president to implement a genocidal policy in the management of health care. Then, on July 11, Mendes criticized the number of military men in the Ministry of Health; the army, he said, is associating itself with genocide.





Several lawyers and lawmakers sent complaints to Prosecutor General Augusto Aras, but he refused to open an investigation. The complaint will stay on his desk until the end of the Bolsonaro period, Monzane told me. What Aras has done is perfectly legal, but it goes against the general spirit of the legal fraternity, Marques informed me.





There is no space in Brazil to present a case against Bolsonaros policies, Monzane told me. Marques agrees: It is clear to us that it is not possible to have these actions prosecuted inside the country. Therefore, the unions have taken their complaint to the International Criminal Court in Brussels. When I asked the ICC if they are going to pursue this case, they said only that they have received the complaint.





At the Abyss





The lawsuit says that Bolsonaros disregard for the danger of the pandemic has put the Brazilian people at the edge of the abyss.





Jhuliana Rodrigues has spent the past four months without seeing her 11-year-old daughter; as a nurse with poor resources from the government for sufficient personal protective equipment, Jhuliana does not want to endanger her child. She knows that Bolsonaro has let down the health care workers, who are on the frontlines of fighting the epidemic. But her duty is her duty.





If I dont continue working now, Jhuliana told me, what would I do? Health professionals are chosen and do their jobs with love, dedication, care of human beings. Just as we already live with multi-resistant bacteria, COVID-19 will be with us for a long time. Health workers, such as Jhuliana, must be at work. They get no support from their government, which is why they have now approached the International Criminal Court. They hope that someone will listen to them.





This article was produced by Globetrotter, a project of the Independent Media Institute.





Vijay Prashad is an Indian historian, editor and journalist. He is a writing fellow and chief correspondent at Globetrotter, a project of the Independent Media Institute. He is the chief editor of LeftWord Books and the director of Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research. He has written more than 20 books, including The Darker Nations and The Poorer Nations. His latest book is Washington Bullets, with an introduction by Evo Morales Ayma.
An unfair dismissal application filed by the former deputy principal to WA's Industrial Relations Commission was heard earlier this year, with Mr Parnell's application dismissed.

While Donald Andrew Parnell never faced criminal charges over the abuse claim, Catholic Education Western Australia conducted a formal investigation and found the allegations substantiated "on the balance of probabilities", and recommended his employment be terminated.

A former deputy principal who lost his job at a Catholic school in Perth after being accused of raping a student more than 20 years ago has failed in his bid to have his employment reinstated.

During the hearings the commission was told how Mr Parnell's alleged victim had kept the alleged rape a secret for many years, and the extent to which it had affected him had not been uncovered until after he took his own life.

It was not until this tragic event family members discovered written statements detailing a brutal attack that allegedly happened during an overseas school trip in 1997 when he had been a student at MacKillop Catholic College in Busselton, where Mr Parnell had been a teacher.

The statements, while distressing, were included in the commission's published decision on Mr Parnell's unfair dismissal application as they "provide some insight into [the alleged victim's claims]".

Mr Parnell has consistently denied the rape claim, which he described as "the most abhorrent allegations that could be made" against him. (The matter never led to charges as the alleged offence happened overseas, and the alleged victim had died.)

Mr Parnell also expressed frustration and anger towards Catholic Education Western Australia over the time it took for them to investigate, and told the commission earlier this year he felt let down by the handling of the matter by CEWA.
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Linkedin Dzulfiqar Fathur Rahman (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, August 12, 2020 09:08 525 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066d4d42b 1 Business Sido-Muncul,jamu,herbal-medicine,Saudi-Arabia,export,Trade-Minister-Agus-Suparmanto,Trade-Expo-Indonesia Free

Herbal products manufacturer PT Industri Jamu dan Farmasi Sido Muncul sent its first shipment to Saudi Arabia on Monday with a range of products including jamu (Indonesian herbal medicine).

The Trade Ministrys national export development director general, Kasan Muhri, said the export was the result of a deal made at the 2019 Trade Expo Indonesia between Sido Muncul and Saudi Arabian distributor Mizanain Trading and Marketing.

We are proud of todays achievement. The Trade Ministry facilitated this export activity from the signing of the agreement in the 2019 Trade Expo Indonesia to the dispatching of the first container today, Kasan said in a statement on Monday.

Kasan said the export raised optimism about boosting overseas sales for the biopharmaceutical and food and beverage industries.

The export presented an opportunity amid the COVID-19 pandemic, as Saudi Arabia had recently raised tariffs for 500 types of products, except for biopharmaceutical and food and beverage products, to increase state revenue, he added.

Biopharmaceutical exports from Indonesia booked an increase of 32.8 percent year-on-year (yoy) to US$4.2 million in the first half of 2020, suggesting a positive trend amid sharp declines in overall trade.

Indonesian exports declined 5.49 percent annually to $76.41 billion, while imports plunged 14.29 percent yoy to $70.91 billion in the first half.

There are always opportunities amid difficulties, one of which is exports of Indonesian spice products, said Trade Minister Agus Suparmanto in the statement. This is the opportunity businesses need to take advantage of, and it can also improve the performance of Indonesian trade amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Trade Ministry is trying to spur trade by, among other things, simplifying or reducing restrictions and bans as well as speeding up the process of issuing the certificate of origin.

Sido Muncul, a publicly listed company, relies mostly on domestic sales but has been increasing exports over the past two years. Out of its overall sales, the share of overseas sales increased to 5 percent in 2019 from just 2 percent in 2018.

Shares of the company, traded on the Indonesian stock exchange with the code SIDO, dropped 1.08 percent on Tuesday as the benchmark, the Jakarta Composite Index (JCI), gained 0.63 percent.
A few weeks ago, there was a joke going around Facebook about women running countries. The punch line was, listen to your wife, because look at all of those countries run by women with little if any COVID-19.

Okay. It was a joke, and many couples had a good time with it.

One of those ladies was Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern of New Zealand, who was hailed for her work.

Well, not so fast, as we see in this report from the island nation:

New Zealand's successful fight against COVID-19 was hailed globally and the Pacific island nation of 5 million was seen as one of the safest places, as the pandemic raged globally. Director General of Health Ashley Bloomfield said the four cases were within one family in South Auckland. One person is in their 50s. They had no history of international travel. Family members have been tested and contact tracing is under way. News of the cases sent panic across the country with media reporting people rushing to supermarkets to stock up, and businesses preparing to shut. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said Auckland would move to level 3 restriction from noon on Wednesday as a "precautionary approach", which would mean people should stay away from work and school, and gatherings or more than 10 people would again be restricted.

To be serious, this post is not about criticizing P.M. Ardern, who is doing the best she can. The larger point is that COVID-19 is turning out to be a much more potent enemy than many of us anticipated.

PS: You can listen to my show (Canto Talk) and follow me on Twitter.

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The following is a summary of one of many cases across the country compiled in a Hearst Connecticut Media investigation of sexual abuse connected in some way to local affiliates of Boys & Girls Club of America, their staff, volunteers, members and/or attendees. Boys & Girls Club of America said that it does not keep a public list of sexual abuse incidents connected to clubs. If you have a story to share, or have information related to this or other incidents, contact us here.

A summer camp counselor at the Boys & Girls Club of Pawtucket's Camp Ramsbottom in Massachusetts is facing solicitation charges after police say he engaged in sexually explicit conversations with someone he believed to be a 14-year-old girl.

Alexander Carlson, 26, who also worked as a temporary teacher's assistant at Mount Hope High School in Rhode Island, was arrested June 30 by Rhode Island State Police and charged with two counts of indecent solicitation of a child and two counts of electronically disseminating indecent material to a minor.

Carlson is accused of disseminating indecent material and soliciting the person he believed to be a 14-year-old to engage in sexual activity, police said in a release.

Database: Child sexual abuse at Boys & Girls Clubs

Detectives seized several pieces of digital media from Carlsons house and a forensic analysis of them is pending, according to police.

At this point there is no evidence of any involvement with students or campers at the two places where he worked, police said in the release, but the investigation is ongoing and anyone who may have further information is asked to contact police at 401-921-1170.

The Boys & Girls Club of Pawtucket has learned of the arrest of a former staff member for alleged inappropriate behavior with a minor. While these allegations do not involve a Club member and did not take place on Club premises, we are both shocked and deeply saddened by these charges as no harm should come to any child under any situation, said James R. Hoyt Jr., CEO of the Pawtucket club, in a statement. The safety and protection of the children we serve is always our number one priority. We take any allegations that impact the well-being of youth entrusted to our care very seriously.

Hoyt said the club will cooperate fully with authorities for the ongoing investigation, if requested to do so.

Carlson was terminated from his temporary position at Mount Hope High School on July 1 and prohibited from being on school district property, school officials said in a statement.

We are committed to the safety of our students and thank the Rhode Island State Police for their notification about this matter, Superintendent of Schools Jonathan T. Brice said in the statement.

Carlson is free in lieu of $10,000 bail, is prohibited from having any unsupervised contact with minors and his internet use has been limited, according to police and court records. He has also been ordered to undergo counseling while his criminal case is under way, court records show.

Carlson did not respond to a mailed request seeking comment.
Hong Kong pro-democracy media mogul Jimmy Lai received a hero's welcome upon his return to his paper, Apple Daily.

Lai's return to the office comes after he walked free on bail Wednesday, over 40 hours after he and other critics of China were rounded up by police as part of a widening crackdown on dissent.

His return was livestreamed by his colleagues, who cheered and clapped as he walked through the newsroom.

Hong Kong pro-democracy media mogul Jimmy Lai received a hero's welcome upon his return to his paper, Apple Daily

He stopped to embrace his chief executive officer, Cheung Kim-hung, who was also arrested during the crackdown

Jimmy Lai, who was arrested on Monday under the new national security law, leaves Mong Kok police station after being released on bail on August 12

He stopped to embrace his chief executive officer, Cheung Kim-hung, who was also arrested during the crackdown.

Earlier in the day, Lai was swarmed by a crowd of journalists and cheering supporters as he left a police station on bail, some of whom waved copies of his Apple Daily in a show of their backing.

A clampdown has gathered pace in Hong Kong since China imposed a sweeping security law in June, with opposition politicians disqualified and activists arrested for social media posts.

Hong Kong media tycoon and newspaper founder Jimmy Lai, centre, walks out from a police station after being bailed out in Hong Kong, Wednesday

Supporters hold copies of Apple Daily newspaper outside a police station to support media mogul Jimmy Lai Chee-ying, founder of Apple Daily, as he is released on bail

Hong Kong media tycoon and founder of Apple Daily, Jimmy Lai (C) leaves a police station after he was released on bail. He was released following his arrest the previous day under the new national security law

The moves have provoked outrage in the West and fear for millions who last year took to the streets to protest communist China's tightening grip on the semi-autonomous city.

In one of the most dramatic days of the crackdown, Lai was among 10 people detained under the new law on Monday as around 200 police officers searched the newsroom of his tabloid, which is unapologetically critical of Beijing.

Lai did not address the crowd upon his release, but he flashed a thumbs up as he was bundled into a car that inched away through the crowd.

In one of the most dramatic days of the crackdown, Lai was among 10 people detained under the new law on Monday. Above, Hong Kong media tycoon and founder of Apple Daily, Jimmy Lai (centre) is surrounded by members of the media as he leaves the police station

Lai did not address the crowd upon his release, but he flashed a thumbs up as he was bundled into a car that inched away through the crowd

A supporter of media tycoon and founder of Apple Daily Jimmy Lai holds a copy of the newspaper during a 'sing along protest' in a shopping mall in Hong Kong, China on August 11

In a display of solidarity for Lai, people in the city rushed to buy Tuesday's Apple Daily, with the newspaper saying it had upped its print run to 550,000 from the normal circulation of 70,000.

One restaurant owner bought 50 copies at a newsstand in the commercial district of Mong Kok and said he planned to give them away free of charge.

'Since the government doesn't allow Apple Daily to survive, then we as Hong Kongers have to save it ourselves,' the man, who gave his surname as Ng, told AFP, as dozens of people lined up around the city from the early hours.

The newspaper's front page showed a picture of Lai being led away in handcuffs, with the headline 'Apple will fight on'.

Lai's arrest sparked a buying spree in shares of his media group, and between Monday morning and closing time on Tuesday its stock value had risen by more than 1,100 percent.

Hong Kong's new national security law criminalises secession, subversion, terrorism and colluding with foreign forces.

Japanese protester holds up a placard as he protests against the Chinese and Hong Kong governments for arresting pro-democracy activists, in Osaka, western Japan, on August 12

The most serious crimes under the law - which was introduced on June 30 and is not supposed to be retroactive - carry up to life in jail.

Its broadly worded provisions criminalised certain political speech overnight, such as advocating sanctions, and greater autonomy or independence for Hong Kong.

Similar laws are used on the authoritarian mainland to snuff out opposition.

Lai, 71, was held on charges including colluding with foreign forces and fraud. The operation was hailed by Beijing, quick to declare him an 'anti-China rabble-rouser' who conspired with foreigners to 'stir up chaos'.

Among the others arrested were two of Lai's sons, young pro-democracy activist Agnes Chow and Wilson Li, a former activist who works as a freelancer for Britain's ITV News.

Chow was released on bail late Tuesday.

'It's very obvious that the regime and the government are using the national security law to suppress political dissidents,' she told reporters after her release.

Critics believe the security law has ended the key liberties and autonomy that Beijing promised Hong Kong could keep after its 1997 handover by Britain.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo described Lai's arrest as 'further proof' that Chinese authorities had 'eviscerated Hong Kong's freedoms and eroded the rights of its people'.

Supporters of media tycoon and founder of Apple Daily Jimmy Lai hold copies of the newspaper outside Mongkok Police Station in Hong Kong

'We're going to respond in real ways,' Pompeo later promised in an interview with Newsmax.

The United States has already imposed sanctions on a group of Chinese and Hong Kong officials - including city leader Carrie Lam - in response to the crackdown.

Hong Kong's police said those arrested were part of a group that had previously lobbied for foreign sanctions.

In response to objections made by Hong Kong's Foreign Correspondents' Club to the arrests, the Chinese foreign ministry warned that 'eagerly justifying Jimmy Lai is nothing short of siding with the forces sowing trouble in Hong Kong and China at large'.

'We call on the FCC, Hong Kong to respect the facts, distinguish right from wrong, and stop smearing under the pretext of press freedom the implementation of the National Security Law,' it said.
Russias granting of regulatory approval to a COVID-19 vaccine after less than two months of human testing has prompted expressions of caution as well as interest from around the world.

Moscow said on Wednesday that the first batch of the vaccine would be ready for some medics within two weeks and rejected safety concerns as groundless".

Here is a summary of the reaction:

INQUIRIES

Israel will examine Russias COVID-19 vaccine and enter negotiations to buy it if it is found to be a serious product", Israels health minister said.

Philippine scientists were set to meet representatives of the Russian research facility that developed the vaccine on Wednesday, to discuss possible participation in clinical trials and access to its research data.

Brazils Parana state governor Ratinho Junior was expected to meet the Russian ambassador to Brazil on Wednesday to discuss the terms of an agreement to produce the vaccine. But it was unclear if the states research institute would get regulatory approval in Brazil.

Kazakhstan plans to send government officials to Moscow later this month to discuss possible deliveries.

CAUTION

The World Health Organization and Russian health authorities are discussing the process for possible WHO prequalification, a WHO spokesman said on Tuesday.

Prequalification of any vaccine includes the rigorous review and assessment of all required safety and efficacy data," WHO spokesman Tarik Jasarevic told a U.N. briefing in Geneva, referring to clinical trials.

Jarbas Barbosa, assistant director of the WHOs regional branch, the Pan American Health Organization, was asked on Tuesday about potential production of the vaccine in Brazil. He said that should not be done until Phase 2 and 3 trials are completed to guarantee its safety and effectiveness.

European health experts said that with no full trial data, the vaccine would be hard to trust.

German Health Minister Jens Spahn said the vaccine had not been sufficiently tested, adding the aim was to have a safe product rather than just being first to start vaccinating people.

Mexicos coronavirus czar, Deputy Health Minister Hugo Lopez-Gatell, said he was surprised by the Russian announcement and the government would wait for more information.

(Compiled by Philippa Fletcher; Editing by Nick Macfie)

Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor
The border port of Erenhot in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region has seen its imported and exported cargo volumes this year exceed 10 million tonnes as of Monday, up by 15.6 percent year on year, according to the China Railway Hohhot Group.

The imported cargo volume was about 9.15 million tonnes, up by 17.3 from the previous year, while the exported cargo volume was 892,300 tonnes, up by 0.4 percent.

The Erenhot Port is the largest land port on the border between China and Mongolia, and there are 41 China-Europe freight train routes via the port.

As of Monday, 1,290 China-Europe freight trains had passed the port since the start of this year, up by 38.1 percent year on year.
The Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly, will not attend tomorrows meeting of the Oireachtas Special Committee on Covid-19.

According to Sinn Fein TD Matt Carthy, the Minister's 'refusal to attend will will be met with disbelief'.

Teachta Carthy last Friday called for the Committee to be recalled during the Dail recess in response to the outbreak of Covid-19 clusters in three meat plants in Kildare and one in Tullamore, and the resulting lockdown of those counties.

Speaking today he stated, "we know that the government have failed to seriously confront the particular issues within the Meat Industry during the Pandemic. In fact, several Ministers have been evasive and dismissive when TDs raised the specific concerns with them on numerous occasions since March.

When Meat Industry Ireland were before the Committee on July 10, we learned that there hadnt been a single unannounced HSA inspection of a meat plant. We learned that the process of mass testing had ceased, and we learned that the industry had refused to engage with workers representatives."

Deputy Carthy says that 'nothing was done' in response to this information adding that assurances received in recent days need to be taken in that context.

Three counties have seen re-introduced restrictions due to this failure to act. This is the reason why the committee has agreed to meet in emergency session," he continued.

Considering recent developments and the fact that this is the only forum for democratic oversight within a six week period, it is unacceptable that the Minister and senior officials have refused to attend. It is five months since the first Covid-19 case was identified in a meat plant yet numerous questions remain as to how the situation is being managed and monitored within the sector."

The Sinn Fein TD said that the Committee will hear from representatives of Meat Industry Ireland, the Trade Union movement, and the HSA adding that this would be 'an important opportunity' to get further answers and information on behalf of citizens who he described as being 'livid' by the revelations of the past week.

The failure of the Minister to appear will be a missed opportunity on his part. He has an obligation to be publicly accountable. This decision will be, I believe, met with disbelief by communities that have been affected by recent events," Deputy Carthy concluded.

READ NEXT: Border patrol: Offaly village on border 'thrown under a bus'
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We suddenly got a warning on the VHF radio that a Belgian warship was within range and that we should keep clear.

We weren't keen on tangling with it, so we swiftly checked the map and altered our course.

The warning came through as we steadily bobbed across the world's busiest shipping lane on our way from Dover on the UK's south coast to Dunkirk in France on a 45.9-foot-long (13.9m) sailboat.

MailOnline Travel's Sadie Whitelocks recently sailed from the UK to France on a 45.9ft sailing yacht. Above, Sadie helps trim the sails with the help of her crewmates

The Strait of Dover is the world's busiest lane, with more than 400 commercial vessels - and 500 to 600 ships in total - passing through it every day

One of Sadie's crew members gets a call on the VHF radio that a Belgian warship is within range

My friend, from Holland, had recently purchased the aluminium-hulled vessel from Allures shipyard in Cherbourg, France. I was with him and two other friends on a mission to sail it back to his home country after picking up some bespoke boat mattresses from the UK.

We weren't sure what crossing the Strait of Dover, which forms the narrowest part of the English Channel, would be like as it is notoriously dangerous for several reasons.

Firstly, more than 400 commercial vessels - and 500 to 600 ships in total - pass through the Channel every day, with some of the towering container ships measuring more than 1,000 feet (304m) in length and 200 feet (60m) in width.

And the Strait is home to wrecks, strong tides and moving sandbanks, which can ground the sturdiest of ships.

A view of the aluminium-hulled sailing ship in Cherbourg, France, where Sadie's friend had the vessel built

A view of the vessel leaving the port in Dover, with fairly calm sea conditions and good visibility

On top of that, the weather conditions can change rapidly and poor visibility can make navigation difficult.

Luckily, the day the four of us set out on our Channel crossing the weather was fair, with good visibility and subdued waters.

Still, I felt a tinge of nervousness. I was excited at the prospect of exploring a new stretch of water, but nervous about the unpredictable sea conditions and constant flurry of ships I'd been warned about.

To lessen the risk of collision we would be sailing straight to Calais, cutting across the shipping lanes, and then taking a left to Dunkirk and sailing slightly quieter waters.

The Port of Dover, which handles about 17 per cent of the UK's goods trade. The modern port structure was completed in 1909

To lessen the risk of collision, Sadie's yacht cut across the shipping lanes before taking a left to Dunkirk and sailing slightly quieter waters

We'd hoped for an early start so we could sail with the tides. These currents would help push us along.

But instead, we couldn't get going until 11am as the gates to the marina in Dover were locked until then - for unknown reasons.

But despite the late start, we had some good wind working in our favour.

The onboard computers indicated a wind speed of around 15 knots (17.2 miles per hour) at one point, with the boat speed clocking in at just under seven knots (eight miles per hour).

While this lessened occasionally, the wind never died completely and we were able to do the entire stretch on sail without the engine.

The boat was tilted slightly as it cut through the water, but it was manageable and we were still able to move around below deck to prepare drinks and snacks without feeling queasy.

With the weather on our side, we were able to concentrate on our biggest threat - the traffic.

Sadie shelters from the wind as a vast container ship churns past in the background

The yacht had computer screens at the helm, with the displays warning of potential collision courses

Electronic instruments on the boat show the boat speed, the wind speed and the depth of the water

The computer screens at the yacht's helm showed the risk of collision with ships moving ahead of us and we could reroute accordingly.

Along with the Belgian warship, we saw a mix of vessels including oil tankers, container ships, passenger ferries and smaller yachts similar to ours.

About halfway through our voyage, we got a call over the VHF for someone who had been spotted in a kayak.

If we spotted the paddler, we were instructed to radio the coastguard and inform them of their whereabouts.

We kept our eyes peeled and at one point we thought we'd spied someone, but it turned out to be a deflated helium balloon floating in the water.

Discarded balloons were one of the most common pieces of waste we spotted on our voyage.

Shortly afterwards we clocked what we thought was a fearless swimmer bobbing along in a determined breaststroke, but we were relieved to see - after close inspection through binoculars - that it was not a human and just a plastic buoy being battered by the current.

After around three hours we reached the coast of Calais. In total, that part of the journey was roughly 20 miles (32km).

Sadie said that as she neared Dunkirk, the scenery became increasingly industrial

A view of the calm waters from the bow of the boat as it heads east from Calais

Hello buoys: The crew moor up the boat after arriving at the marina in Dunkirk

Sadie reached Dunkirk, pictured, after a voyage lasting seven hours

From there, we continued moving east towards the port of Dunkirk, a distance totalling some 23 miles (37km).

There was much less traffic for this part of the voyage and we could even make use of the yacht's autopilot feature - which steers the boat automatically whether powered by wind or engine, which is actually somewhat ghostly - so we could take breaks for food.

The coastal landscape became increasingly industrial as we neared Dunkirk, which is unsurprising given that it's France's biggest port on the North Sea, handling more than 53 million tonnes of freight in 2018.

I spotted large chimneys omitting yellow smoke and an unsavoury odour scented the air.

We then passed cargo ships being loaded with containers, with giant cranes making the heavy crates look as light as marshmallows as they effortlessly manoeuvred them into place.

Eventually, we pootled into a marina located around a 20-minute walk from the centre of Dunkirk at 6pm GMT/7pm CET.

All in all our voyage from the UK to France had been surprisingly smooth, with a Belgian warship, a lost kayaker and discarded balloons our only causes for concern. I hope the kayaker found a safe landing.

From France, we continued our sailing journey along the coast of Europe with a stop in Belgium before reaching the southern climbs of Holland.

A highlight included a couple of nights in a marina in the heart of Amsterdam from where we could explore the city, and sailing through the IJsselmeer - the largest lake in Holland - on a calm and sunny day to reach our end destination of Lelystad.
Andrew Dunn, Country Director of Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) in Nigeria, says elephants are almost becoming extinct in Nigeria.

Mr Dunn made the disclosure in an interview with journalists in Calabar while commemorating the World Elephant Day.

The World Elephant Day is an international annual event marked on August 12, dedicated to the preservation and protection of the worlds elephant population.

He said that the number of elephants in the country had continued to dwindle at a frightening pace following negative human activities.

He further appealed that all hands should be on deck to prevent the total extinction of elephants, adding that it was worrisome that Nigeria was a leading source of elephant tusks sale worldwide up till last year.

The international ivory trade which is a major cause of the extinction of elephants is still booming in Nigeria, particularly in Lagos.

Poachers are daily going after the tusks of the elephants to enrich the sale of ivory in foreign markets.

There are less than 500 elephants remaining in Nigeria, so we should not allow our elephants to go extinct.

We need many more people to supports elephant conservation by regularly visiting the Cross River National Park, Yankari Games Reserve and other parks in the country where some of these animals are, he said. (NAN)
Microsofts first attempt at a dual-screen Android device is nearly upon us. In a blog post (which were guessing was published a tad early, given how little the company is talking about the news elsewhere) the company re-unveiled the Surface Duo and announced that itll be shipping on September 10th. (Pre-orders are now live, if you fancy buying one.) That means the hardware could come to market before Samsungs Galaxy Z Fold 2, which doesnt have a release date just now  the company has merely confirmed that itll be available to pre-order from September 1st.

Like Samsungs high-end foldables, the Duos hinge and extra display will cost you. Today, Microsoft revealed that the Surface Duo will retail at $1,399, which is more expensive than many flagships including the newly-announced Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra ($1,299). For an Android convertible, though, its arguably a steal. The Duo is $600 cheaper than Samsungs original Galaxy Fold and $100 less than the reborn Motorola Razrs starting price. Samsungs folding Z Flip is $100 cheaper than the Duo, but like the Razr, its a smaller device aimed at flip phone lovers.

Microsoft

Microsofts first Android phone has two 5.6-inch screens that combine into one larger 8.1-inch PixelSense Fusion display. Its all held together by a revolutionary 360-degree hinge that were praying keeps out debris a little better than Samsungs first Galaxy Fold. We already know that the device will be 4.8mm thick in its unfolded form. According to Microsoft, thatll make it the thinnest mobile device on the market, though of course it wont be quite as sleek when its folded (thereby making it roughly 9.6mm thick) in your pocket or bag. Still, its arguably the best-looking foldable that the technology industry has produced to date.

The Duo marks Microsofts first foray into Android hardware. The company was bullish on Windows Phone  coupled with Nokias generally-excellent hardware  and later Windows 10 Mobile. Both platforms were a commercial failure, however, forcing Microsoft to retreat from the market and rethink its strategy. Many see the Duo as a spiritual successor to Microsofts secretive Courier concept which was confirmed and killed in 2010. The new Android hardware was first unveiled last October alongside the Surface Neo, a foldable computer that runs Windows 10X, a new version of its PC operating system designed for dual-display machines.

Update 08/12/20 9:00AM ET: Updated with information on pre-orders.
Andrew Momodu, an ex-aide to Adams Oshiomhole, former National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, has defected to the Peoples...

Andrew Momodu, an ex-aide to Adams Oshiomhole, former National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, has defected to the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

Momodu also pledged the sum of N5 million to support the candidate of the PDP and the incumbent Governor of the state Godwin Obaseki, Vanguard reports.

Also, the Eramah Anwian of Anwain Kingdom in Etsako East Local Government Area, LGA, of Edo North, HRM Mufutairu Oare, assured the Governor of the support of people of the area.

The monarch spoke during the Governors visit to his palace during the PDP campaign in the area on Tuesday.

He said, Mr. Governor, we are assuring you that you are at home. This community road has been a disaster for over a thousand years until your intervention.

We were cut off from Edo State until you gave us a good road that integrated us back as members of the state. We cannot forget such a gesture.





According to him, governments come and go and do not remember that humans exist in the area, adding Obaseki came and connected them back to the state through good roads.

He said that he and his people stand anywhere Obaseki/Shaibu stand.
The Iranian Parliament on Wednesday turned down President Hassan Rouhani's candidate to head the Ministry of Industry, Mines and Trade.

In an open session of the Parliament this morning 140 of the 254 lawmakers present refused to give a vote of confidence to Hossein Modarres-Khiabani, the caretaker of the ministry. He received 104 votes in favor and 10 lawmakers abstained from voting.

Vice-President Es'haq Jahangiri attended the session instead of the President who can introduce and defend his proposed minister. The Speaker Mohammad-Baqer Qalibaf said Rouhani had been advised by the Coronavirus Taskforce not to attend the session. The Presidium, however, did not allow Jahangiri to speak in Rouhani's place.

President Rouhani appointed Modarres-Khiabani as the caretaker of the ministry after sacking Reza Rahmani in May and tasked him with managing the market and regulating automobile prices in particular.

The vote for the minister was the first serious confrontation between political factions in the newly elected parliament in which hardliners have the majority. Rouhani has three months to propose another candidate.

Mohsen Zanganeh, one of the lawmakers who opposed the nomination, in his pre-vote speech said Khiabani is not strong enough to fight the various "Mafiosi" on Iran's economic scene.

The title "Mafia" in Iran is used for various powerful and influential groups or individuals who have control over a sector such as car manufacturing or imports of goods such as sugar.

Iran's large semi-governmental car manufacturing industry  the biggest auto industry in the Middle East -- is mired with corruption and mismanagement. Several CEOs and other high officials of the industry are in jail on charges of corruption.

Another opposing lawmaker, Hosseinali Haji-Daligani, alleged that during his seven years in the ministry Modarres-Khiabani has failed to implement the use of commodity tracking codes which could bring smuggling of commodities to a stop and "save the country $25 billion".

Ali Babai-Karnami, Chairman of the Labor Faction of the Parliament in his speech in support of Khiabani said automakers and their supporters in the previous parliament who wanted to keep the prices of cars high are making every effort to disqualify him.
Verna Myers, Vice President, Inclusion Strategy at Netflix and Founder and President of The Verna Myers Company, discusses in her keynote the importance of corporate diversity and inclusion when developing customer education content and programs. Verna is known for her high-energy keynotes, captivating insights, and the ability to help people bridge differences and connect more meaningfully.

Steve Gross, M.S.W., Founder and Chief Playmaker of the Life is Good Kids Foundation, and an expert on the transformative power of optimism will deliver a keynote address that will empower attendees to form positive, productive, and lasting relationships throughout their customer training programs. Steve helps others discover their own sense of optimism so that they can inspire the people around them to focus on the good and overcome life's most difficult challenges.

"We couldn't be happier with the lineup of keynote speakers who have agreed to join us for COGNITION 2020," said Barry Kelly, CEO, Thought Industries. "A lot of thought went into finding inspirational speakers capable of bringing additional value to our already great lineup of experts and providing our attendees with valuable takeaways to execute customer education programs that generate higher learner engagement, product proficiency, retention and customer growth."

In addition, some hot-topic sessions in support of the Strategy & Planning, Content & Experience, and Data & Insights themes of the conference will include:

The Customer Education Playbook

Getting Extended Organizational Buy-In: Finding and Engaging Your Subject Matter Experts

Using Data to Inform Your Learning Strategy

For an up-to-date schedule of sessions and additional details, view the agenda: https://cognition.thoughtindustries.com/pages/agenda . Early bird pricing is currently available through August 31. Register today and save $200 .

About Thought Industries

Thought Industries powers the business of learning by providing the world's leading B2B customer training platform. The company was founded in 2014 around the core belief that online learning experiences should be modern, intuitive, engaging, and scalable. Today, our team builds and maintains the only learning solution with completely native tools and integrations that drive higher engagement, learner proficiency, and retention rates for our customers. Headquartered in Boston, Thought Industries has offices across North America and Europe. For more information, visit www.thoughtindustries.com and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

SOURCE Thought Industries

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Today's announcement of 180 trucks, including the 80 vehicles powered by ANG, transitioning to RNG makes up approximately 30% of the brewer's national dedicated fleet. Anheuser-Busch's transition to RNG covers more than 8.5 million miles traveled each year and by transitioning to RNG, Anheuser-Busch will reduce emissions by more than 70% compared to conventional diesel.

"At ANG we are dedicated to helping fleet operators like Anheuser-Busch meet their business sustainability goals and we are honored to support their transition to an RNG-powered fleet," said Drew West, CEO and founder of American Natural Gas. "Companies like Anheuser-Busch, who are setting the sustainability bar high, are driving the alternative fueling industry forward. At ANG, we strive to provide 100% of our customers with RNG, the cleanest transportation fuel available today."

Since 2011, ANG has worked to transform the transportation industry, including partnering with energy providers, equipment manufacturers, and construction companies to strengthen the country's sustainable fueling infrastructure nationwide. Over the last five years, the use of RNG for transportation has increased nearly 300%, displacing more than 7.5 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) in the U.S. The results are equivalent to removing 18 billion gas-powered cars from the road for one year or planting 123 million new trees.

"We are incredibly fortunate to work hand-in-hand with our suppliers to identify new solutions, like RNG, to improve the sustainability of our fleet and reduce carbon emissions across our entire value chain," said Ingrid De Ryck, Vice President of Procurement and Sustainability at Anheuser-Busch. "Innovation in the transportation sector is a massive opportunity for companies like ours and we continuously strive to lead the industry by transporting every beer in the most sustainable way possible."

ABOUT AMERICAN NATURAL GAS

American Natural Gas (ANG) delivers turnkey fueling solutions to fleets of all shapes and sizes. ANG is a premier distributor of alternative motor fuels in the US. ANG designs, builds, owns, operates and maintains a growing network of alternative energy stations across the county. ANG's mission is to make renewable natural gas and other alternative energy options readily available for commercial and public use nationwide. ANG's team of industry, legal, construction, engineering and entrepreneurial experts is committed to driving the alternative fuel industry forward. With more than 20 years of industry experience, ANG will provide the best solution possible to meet and exceed their customer's sustainability goals. To learn more, visit www.americannaturalgas.com

SOURCE American Natural Gas

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(Newser)  Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont says the state is cracking down on unsafe behavior and has issued its first fines to people who failed to comply with travel rules. The governor says two residents have been fined a total of $3,000 under the regulations, Fox reports. The residents were fined $1,000 each for failing to fill out public health forms weeks ago when they flew back from Florida and Louisiana, two of the 32 coronavirus hotspot states on Connecticut's travel advisory list. One of the residents was fined an additional $1,000 after a colleague told officials the resident declined to self-quarantine for 14 days upon his return. "I hate to do it but were going to show people were serious about this," Lamont told reporters.

story continues below

Josh Geballe, Connecticut's chief operating officer, said the state is investigating other travel violations, reports the Hartford Courant. "This is for real. We need people to follow these rules," he said. If not, there will be consequences." Lamont said the crackdown will also include tougher enforcement of restrictions on large gatherings. The governor said medical exemptions to mask orders will be still be allowed, but anybody claiming an exemption should be ready to prove it. "From here on out, just bring your doctors permission with you when you arent wearing that mask and youre in that store or in that private area, because thats what the rules are" he said. (Read more Connecticut stories.)
Just behind Johnson is his Red Notice co-star Ryan Reynolds with $71.5 million. Reynolds was paid $20 million for the film, in addition to another $20 million from Netflix for Six Underground. A third Netflix film starring Reynolds is also in the works, bringing another hefty paycheck.
Members of The 1 loyalty program gain access to AI-driven lifestyle, health and wealth services

Thailand based Prudential Life Assurance Public Company Limited (Prudential Thailand) and The 1 CENTRAl LIMITED (The 1) recently signed an agreement for the country's first lifestyle and health collaboration, bringing enhanced digital services to members of Thailand's leading loyalty program.

The 1 is Thailand's largest loyalty platform, with over 17 million members, and Prudential Thailand is part of Prudential Corporation Asia (Prudential), a leading insurer and asset manager, who also offers digital health services and content in 11 markets across Asia through its app, Pulse by Prudential.

Through this collaboration, The 1's members will gain access to highly customized digital lifestyle and health solutions based on their lifestyle preferences, health stages, and savings intentions. The partners in the collaboration will use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to curate and offer services that are highly relevant to members, helping them to achieve a higher quality of life and wellbeing.
In the bicentennial summer of 1976, Houston congresswoman Barbara Jordan stepped to the podium at the Democratic National Convention in New York City to extended applause and reminded a national TV audience of the uniqueness of the moment.

There is something different about tonight. There is something special about tonight. What is different, what is special  I, Barbara Jordan, am a keynote speaker, said Jordan, the first African American woman to deliver a keynote address at a party convention.

It was a different era. The delegates gathered in person, which wont be the case during this summers party conventions because of concerns about COVID-19. Some of the attendees were smoking inside, to boot. But the message Jordan delivered was one that still resonates.

My presence here is one additional bit of evidence that the American dream need not forever be deferred, said Jordan, who was also the first Black woman from the South elected to Congress.

If that was a moment to remember, so was Tuesday, when Vice President Joe Biden announced that he had asked California Sen. Kamala Harris to be his running mate  the first Black woman on a major party ticket.

In recent years, many may have had occasion to wonder if the American dream that Jordan spoke of was always just that  a vision, a fiction, a story about what the world might be like, if untethered from what the world actually is. But Bidens announcement revived the hopes of many.

Excitement, excitement, excitement, excitement, said Cynthia Ginyard, the chairwoman of the Fort Bend County Democratic Party, summarizing the reactions she had heard from friends and family.

We are pleased that we have a woman on the ticket, Ginyard continued. We are very, very pleased about that. We are pleased that we have a person who can cut the mustard  who can handle it, whos been out there, whos been in the trenches, so she knows what thats like.

Also, we are pleased that it is a woman of color, added Ginyard, who is Black, noting that Harris is Asian-American as well as Black; her father was an immigrant from Jamaica, her mother from India.

Ginyard wasnt the only Texas Democrat feeling this way. State Rep. Senfronia Thompson, the longest-serving African-American and woman in Texas legislative history, described herself as elated in a statement.

ANALYSIS: In fight to win Texas, Kamala Harris was Joe Biden's perfect VP pick, Democrats say

Senator Kamala Harris is an outstanding, reputable leader who is bound to make history not only as the first Black Woman Vice President, but as an unprecedented fighter for Americans all across our country, said Thompson, who is also a potential contender for Texas House Speaker should Democrats retake control of the chamber this fall.

Harris, 55, certainly has the kind of resume one would look for in a vice president. A prosecutor by background, Harris served as district attorney of San Francisco prior to becoming attorney general of the nations most populous state. She has earned a reputation for intelligence and toughness since being elected to the Senate in 2016, including a memorable grilling of Attorney General William Barr over his characterization of the Mueller report. And when she announced her own bid for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, even her detractors acknowledged she was a credible and formidable candidate.

Although Harris struggled with fundraising and messaging, ultimately dropping out of the crowded field before voting began, she did make a splash. In a June 2019 debate, she directly challenged Biden over his record of having once opposed the federally mandated busing of children to schools, as a way to desegregate them.

There was a little girl in California who was part of the second class to integrate her public schools and she was bused to school every day, said Harris, at the Democratic debate in Miami. That little girl was me.

The exchange left Biden flustered, and led many pundits later to discount Harriss chances of joining the ticket. Indeed, according to reports, some of Bidens advisers argued against Harris on the basis that she was too ambitious  an accusation that any woman who aspires to high office can expect to have leveled against her.

To Bidens credit, he ultimately wasnt fazed or threatened by Harriss confidence.

EDITORIAL: Kamala Harris tapped to make history as vice presidential pick

The selection of Senator Harris is about more than checking off the right boxes, said Sonia Van Meter, a Democratic political consultant based in Austin. It also indicates that Vice President Biden wants to bring a sense of unity back to the United States. In picking the opponent who came for him hardest during the primary, hes reminding us that after the political battles are over, were still one nation.

Its hard to imagine President Donald Trump putting a former rival in a position of power in his administration, or otherwise sending that same message.

With the presidential election less than three months away, Harris can expect fierce attacks from the right and intense scrutiny of her record. Already, Republicans  and Democrats  have raised questions about her record on civil liberties while serving as a prosecutor and as Californias top law enforcement official. Trump tweeted out a campaign video saying Harris was part of the "radical left."

On Tuesday, however, observers took a moment to reflect on other aspects of Harriss selection. U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Houston, told CNN that it had been a day of reflection  and tears.

Today it is evident that there is an affirmation, not only of Black women, but women of Southeast Asia, women of color, that they have finally reached a status where they are affirmed in this nation as equal partners. And this mountain that we have all been trying to climb, Kamala has now taken us to the mountaintop, Jackson Lee said. It is an enormously important moment

Harris is of course not the first woman to serve on a major party ticket as running mate. The late Geraldine Ferraro was the Democratic vice presidential nominee in 1984, and 24 years later, then-Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin fell short in her bid on the GOP side for the office that Biden ultimately won. The difference between those years and now is Biden has been leading in national polls for some time, making the chances of electing a female vice president very real.

Republicans, dyspeptic as they are about their partys prospects in November, may think that Bidens choice of Harris is nothing more than rank identity politics, but they should be aware that representation actually does matter.

It takes those Barbara Jordans to tread the path, so the Kamalas of the world can walk through the path, Ginyard said Thursday evening.

All I can say is, she must be smiling from above, because Kamala and so many of us are standing on her shoulders. I know she is saying, Job well done.

erica.grieder@chron.com
Sky News

Boris Johnson's former chief adviser has said the prime minister knew in advance about a Downing Street drinks party during the first coronavirus lockdown and agreed that it could go ahead, claims that have been confirmed to Sky News by a second source. In an updated post on his Substack page, Dominic Cummings said he raised his concerns about the event in the Number 10 garden in May 2020 directly with the PM and would "swear under oath this is what happened". Mr Johnson's principal private secretary Martin Reynolds emailed officials with an invite to the event on 20 May, suggesting attendees "BYOB" (bring your own bottle, or booze).
Election officials in Belarus say the county's longtime President Alexander Lukashenko has won his sixth consecutive term, taking over 80 percent of the vote. Monday's announcement followed a night of riots in which dozens of people were injured, and possible one person was killed amid mounting anger over his perceived autocratic style.

By Stefan J. Bos

Frustrated crowds clashed with riot police overnight in Belarus's capital Minsk and other cities. They are furious that authorities claim the longtime leader Alexander Lukashenko was re-elected in Sunday's presidential poll.

Police responded with stun grenades as well as rubber bullets, tear gas and water cannon. A police van drove into a crowd of protestors. And a human rights group said one protester died and about 120 others were arrested.

Dozens of people are believed to have been injured. Authorities denied that a person was killed in the police crackdown

The massive protests are an expression of frustration with the country's deteriorating economy and years of political repression. Demonstrators are also angry at what they view as the authoritarian incumbent's irresponsible brushoff of the coronavirus threat. President Lukashenko has called the pandemic "a psychosis" and urged his nation to drink more vodka.

On Sunday, President Lukashenko tried to appear confident as he cast his ballot for a sixth term. Authorities later claimed the 65-year-old head-of-state had won the election with 80 percent of the vote. But there were questions about the outcome. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, or OSCE, wasn't invited to monitor the elections.

OPPOSITION ANGRY

Authorities claimed Lukashenko's primary opposition challenger, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, received only 9.9 percent of the vote. That appeared in contrast with the large crowds who welcomed the 37-year-old former English teacher at her rallies.



Tsikhanouskaya cast her ballot on Sunday in front of many cameras and supporters. And she made clear that she would not accept the results.



It comes despite threats against her that she says forced her to send her two small children to an unidentified European nation.



Svetlana Tikhanovskaya had been campaigning on behalf of her husband, a popular blogger. Syarhei Tsikhanousky was jailed on what he called trumped-up charges of assailing a police officer and organizing mass riots.



The opposition has vowed more protests and demands a recount of ballots.




CANBERA (dpa-AFX) - The Canadian dollar turned higher against its major rivals in the European session on Wednesday, as oil prices rallied after industry data showed that U.S. inventories of crude fell more than analysts expected, raising hopes of a recovery in global oil demand.



Crude for September delivery rose $0.83 to $42.44 per barrel.



The American Petroleum Institute reported late Tuesday that U.S. crude stocks fell by 4 million barrels last week, beating expectations of draw of 2.9 million barrels.



The API data also showed gasoline stockpiles declined by 1.3 million barrels, while distillate inventories fell by 2.9 million barrels.



The Energy Information Administration will release its official inventory data later today.



The loonie spiked up to near a 4-week high of 0.9469 against the aussie and a 6-day high of 1.3259 against the greenback, off its early lows of 0.9515 and 1.3347, respectively. Near term resistance for the loonie is seen around 0.94 against the aussie and 1.29 against the greenback.



The loonie rallied to 80.61 versus the yen, its highest level since June 9. On the upside, 82.5 is possibly seen as the next resistance level for the loonie.



In contrast, the loonie held steady against the euro, after having fallen to 1.5656 earlier in the session. The pair had closed Tuesday's deals at 1.5613.



Data from Eurostat showed that Eurozone industrial production grew for the second straight month in June, following a marked relaxation of the coronavirus containment measures.



Industrial output grew 9.1 percent on month, slower than the 12.3 percent rise in May and the 10 percent rise economists' had forecast.



Looking ahead, U.S. monthly budget statement for July is scheduled for release in the New York session.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

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The worlds five largest oil companies collectively cut the value of their assets by nearly $50 billion in the second quarter, and slashed production rates as the coronavirus pandemic caused a drastic fall in fuel prices and demand.

The dramatic reductions in asset valuations and decline in output show the depth of the pain in the second quarter. Fuel demand at one point was down by more than 30% worldwide, and still remains below pre-pandemic levels.

Several executives said they took massive writedowns because they expect demand to remain impaired for several more quarters as people travel less and use less fuel due to the ongoing global pandemic that has killed more than 700,000 people.

Output falls at oil giants https://fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/ce/qzjvqwgnrvx/Majors%201%20aug%2020.PNG

Of those five companies, only Exxon Mobil did not book sizeable impairments. But an ongoing re-evaluation of its plans could lead to a significant portion" of its assets being impaired, it reported, and signal the elimination of 20% or 4.4 billion barrels of its oil and gas reserves.

Weak demand means oil producers must revisit business plans, said Lee Maginniss, managing director at consultants Alvarez & Marsal. He said the goal should be to pump only what generates cash in excess of overhead costs.

Its low-cost production mode through the end of 2021 for sure, and to 2022 to the extent there are new development plans being contemplated," Maginniss said.

London-based BP has previously said it plans to cut its overall output by roughly 1 million barrels of oil equivalent (boepd) by the end of 2030 from its current 3.6 million boepd.

Oil majors take massive asset hit https://fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/ce/jznvnkgzdpl/Majors%202%20aug%2020.PNG

Of the five, Exxon is the largest producer, with daily output of 3.64 million boepd, but its production dropped 408,000 boepd between the first and second quarters. The five majors, which include Chevron Corp , Royal Dutch Shell and Total SA , also cut capital expenditures by a combined $25 billion between the quarters.

Crude output worldwide dropped sharply after the market crashed in April. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, led by Saudi Arabia, along with allies including Russia, agreed to cut output by nearly 10 million barrels a day to balance out supply and demand in the market.

Companies put away their wallets https://fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/ce/yzdvxnwarvx/Majors%203%20aug%2020.PNG

Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor
Supporters of Godspeak Calvary Chapel gather outside the church as it defies orders and holds indoor services on Aug. 9 in Newbury Park. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)

To the editor: What part of 5.1 million cases and more than 160,000 deaths in the U.S. does Pastor Rob McCoy of Godspeak Calvary Chapel in Newbury Park not understand? ("Newbury Park church holds indoor services in defiance of judge's order," Aug. 9)

His faith is not in question. If he truly believes in God, then he knows he does not need to have his congregants gather indoors with many others to feel Him and pray to Him. The pastor's depraved indifference to this pandemic is not helping to curb the spread of the coronavirus; it may even be killing people.

For the love of God, please adhere to the safety measures.

Sheryl Kinne, Van Nuys

..

To the editor: As a longtime church organist, I can attest to the fact that religion can play a very positive role in people's lives. As an engineer schooled in the sciences, I also know that indoor services pose an extreme risk of infection.

My own Unitarian Universalist congregation is prepared to meet online for the next year. We are meeting via Zoom every Sunday, and this includes religious education and a virtual coffee hour. My wife, who is Roman Catholic, attends Mass online.

My father-in-law recently died in Massachusetts; his funeral Mass was held via Facebook Live. The priest talked about those of us in Santa Barbara. We prayed together. It brought closure for my wife's family.

As my father-in-law had been in the Army, military honors took place at the end of the service, and we were able to witness the flag being presented to my mother-in-law.

As an electrical engineer, I am proud of the work we have done to make this technology possible. We reduced the risk of us becoming ill, and we attended my father-in-law's funeral from 3,000 miles away.

This crisis is not forever, but we will need to do this for a while. I wish everyone the highest blessings.

Kevin Rose, Santa Barbara

..

To the editor: The other day my little boy looked wistfully at a roped-off playground and, with crestfallen eyes, listened to my refrain that the equipment was off-limits. It is with his downcast face in mind that I write.

Story continues

How heartsick I am, as a mother, to witness the collateral damage we are wreaking on California's children.

Consider the litany of forbidden activities. Many of our youth cannot attend school, play sports, tour museums, browse libraries or attend a church. Many children are banned from playing with friends, attending parties and hugging grandparents.

In the meantime, we're expected to cover our kids' faces. Are we to believe that masking a child does not squelch their inclination and ability to speak, interact and express themselves? And how are children to learn the important tools of understanding other human beings when they constantly encounter people whose faces and emotions are hidden?

All this as scientific evidence mounts that children are at low risk of suffering serious complications from COVID-19. It is time to return childhood to our children.

Elizabeth Ebiner, Pomona

..

To the editor: McCoy packs his mostly unmasked congregants inside for his Sunday services. He tells us, "We haven't had one case of COVID in our church."

I wonder how he knows.

Carl Pilsecker, Lakewood
Protests have broken out in Belarus after state officials declared incumbent President Alexander Lukashenko the winner in Sundays election with 80 percent of the vote. In cities around the country, thousands of mostly young demonstrators have gathered to denounce the results as fraudulent and demand Lukashenkos removal. The government has cracked down with tear gas and arrests, with 3,000 jailed and one demonstrator killed.

Lukashenko is a Stalinist turned post-Soviet autocrat who has ruled over Belarus for 26 years and amassed, according to one 2009 estimate, a personal fortune of $9 billion. He has described coronavirus as a psychosis and counseled the population to drink vodka as a preventive measure. Lukashenko was challenged by Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, the 37-year-old wife of an opposition blogger who was arrested and prevented from running in the elections. State officials report that she received 10.9 percent of the vote.

Tikhanovskaya, portrayed as a devoted wife speaking out in defense of her husband and the people, ran a campaign with no political demands other than free and fair elections and democracy. She was backed by two other oppositionistsViktar Babaryka and Valery Tsepkalowealthy champions of private property and the free market. Up until recently, they had long held positions in wings of the Belarusian state.

After lodging a complaint on Monday with the Central Election Commission to contest the outcome, Tikhanovskaya disappeared from public view for several hours, possibly detained by government authorities, although what happened remains unclear.

Police use truncheons on protesters during a mass protest following presidential election in Minsk, Belarus, August 10, 2020. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)

Tikhanovskaya then recorded video appeals expressing personal disillusionment in the campaign and calling on people not to protest and to accept the election results. She then fled to Lithuania, the neighboring country to which she had previously sent her children for their safety. Tikhanovskayas video statements were released shortly after.

The Lukashenko governments police crackdown has been coupled with other authoritarian measures intended to prevent people from using social media to organize further protests. Twitter has been censored and the internet throttled, as the president works to contain widespread disillusionment with his rule, which in recent months has been exacerbated by his criminal refusal to take any measures against the spread of COVID-19.

Tikhanovskaya, promoted by Belarus pro-Western and right-wing opposition, has predictably been supported by the EU and the United States. Both are hostile to Lukashenko, a longtime ally of Moscow, and have been seeking to pull Minsk into their orbit in order to intensify Russias political isolation.

Following the crackdown on the election protests, the Trump administrationwhich has been busy jailing, beating and kidnapping protesters on US streets for the past three monthscondemned the actions of the Lukashenko government.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that the United States was deeply concerned over the severe restrictions on ballot access for candidates, prohibition of local independent observers at polling stations, intimidation tactics employed against opposition candidates, and the detentions of peaceful protesters and journalists. Pompeo speaks on behalf of a president who has made clear that he is unlikely to recognize the results of the upcoming elections in the US should the vote not go in his favor and is prepared to resort to violence to crush popular opposition.

German government spokesperson Steffen Seibert likewise criticized the elections and government violence, stating that Germany condemns the many arrests and violence against peaceful protesters.

The Western imperialist countries have long labeled Lukashenko Europes last dictator, not because of his authoritarian policies, but because of his close ties to Russia and failure to liberalize Belarus economyin other words, open it up for extreme exploitation by foreign capital. By some estimates, 70 percent of the Belarusian economy is state-owned. According to the EU, 49.2 percent of the countrys foreign trade is with Russia.

Russian President Vladimir Putin was the first head of state to congratulate Lukashenko on his win and stated that he hoped for mutually beneficial Russian-Belarusian relations in all areas. Putin also called for Belarus to continue efforts to create a political-economic union with Russia, which, despite a 1997 agreement between the two countries, has failed to come to fruition.

The relationship between Moscow and Minsk has been under extreme strain in the recent period, with conflicts erupting over energy supplies coming from Russia and, most recently, alleged Kremlin interference in Belarusian politics. Just prior to Sundays election, the Lukashenko government arrested 33 Russian military contractors and accused them of plotting terrorist activities within the country.

At the center of the growing tensions with Moscow is Washingtons increasing political presence in Minsk. After making the first official visit to Belarus by an American diplomat in more than 25 years, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo declared in February that the United States would be happy to supply Belarus with all the oil it needs.

While Lukashenko has signaled that he is open to a closer relationship with Washington, he also fears a Western-backed Maidan revolution, similar to what took place in Ukraine in 2014.

At that time, Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych, deemed by Washington and Brussels as insufficiently anti-Russian, was removed through the mobilization of far-right groups that initially sought to cover themselves under the banner of popular opposition. A NATO-friendly, nationalist government was installed in Kiev, which promptly initiated a civil war against pro-Russian breakaway regions in Ukraines east, resulting in a mass refugee crisis and the deaths of thousands. Ukraines economy, under the control of the International Monetary Fund, Western financiers, and local oligarchs, is in tatters. The population is impoverished.

Following the outbreak of protests on Sunday, Lukashenko stated, I warned that there will be no Maidan, no matter how much someone wants it. He warned the population, for the third time, I am telling parents to check where their child is, so it wont hurt later.

Western imperialism hopes to use the protests in Belarus and the candidacy of Tikhanovskaya for reactionary purposesabove all, undermining the economic and geopolitical position of Russia in preparation for an open conflict with Moscow. There will be no democracy, no free and fair elections, and no prosperity for the Belarusian working class coming from the countrys so-called opposition, aided by these forces.

For its part, the Lukashenko government is willing to reach a deal with Washington and Brussels if it would allow it to continue its rule and its enrichment off of the exploitation of the Belarusian working class. Relying on violence to stay in power, it will resort to more if necessary, as it tacks this way and that in an effort to survive within the context of the conflict between Russia and the United States.

Only a revolutionary movement of the working class within Belarus, united with its class brothers and sisters to the east and west, can challenge both imperialism and the post-Soviet oligarchy.
A faculty member said Linfield University President Miles K. Davis came up behind her at a college event, rubbed her shoulders and whispered in her ear, prompting her to file a complaint earlier this year and eliciting an apology Wednesday from Davis in the midst of a heated campus debate about alleged sexual abuse and harassment by some of its leaders.

The same faculty member also said board trustee Norm Nixon, a former player for the Los Angeles Lakers, touched her inappropriately at a separate college event. Nixon denied the claim.
Workers at Rosderra Meats walked off the job amid concerns about Covid-19, after staff were brought in from a sister plant.

Sources revealed that up to 60 workers at the processing giant's factory in Clara in Co Offaly decided to leave on Monday in protest. They returned to work yesterday, a company spokesperson said.

The decision to walk off the job came after workers found out around 10 employees from its Edenderry site had transferred to the facility to work at the weekend.

It is understood that the staff did not cross paths but tensions were high following the announcement of a midlands lockdown.

Sources said work on a production line had not been completed on Friday night so the company decided it needed the additional workforce. The sources said staff from the Edenderry plant worked at the factory on Saturday and Sunday.

The Clara-based workers found out on Monday morning that the Edenderry staff had been working there.

There have been no cases of the virus at the Clara plant since the pandemic began.

"The Edenderry staff were isolated. They were together in one room, but the whole idea upset people," said a source. "They have had no cases since the beginning of the pandemic and worked hard with management to keep it out - and felt this breached the protocol by bringing in people from the outside.

"Normally, there'd be no issue when staff were brought in like this, but tensions were heightened due to the second lockdown.

"So they refused to carry out their duties until the entire place was cleaned and they were happy with the set-up."

The Clara workers have been highly vigilant in the battle against Covid-19. They have taken measures such as the creation of working pods to maintain social distancing and have agreed to stagger their shifts to lower the chance of transmission of the virus.

A spokesperson for the company confirmed that a small number of workers from its Edenderry plant did attend the Clara site over the weekend.

"These workers had all followed the very same high level of protection protocols as we do across the Rosderra Irish Meats Group," he said. "We have zero clusters in our Edenderry site, and across the group we continue to develop our vigorous Covid-19 protection procedures in line with HSE and Health and Safety Authority recommendations."

He said all plants across the group undergo a deep clean and sterilisation process each evening.

"I am pleased to say our Clara site was in full operation today as all staff members returned," he said yesterday.

There are no cases of Covid-19 at the meat processor's plants. There was previously an outbreak at the pig meat processing plant in Edenderry.

Siptu organiser Jason Palmer said the union was working with the company through normal industrial relations procedures to "resolve any outstanding issues".

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Monaghan Mushrooms Group said one member of staff at its Kildare facility tested positive for the virus during self-isolation.

"As a precautionary measure early last week we asked seven employees who may have had social contact with potential positive cases to isolate and seek Covid-19 testing," said a spokesperson. "While in isolation and after testing there has been one positive result."

He said there had been no Covid-19 outbreak at its facility in Kildare.

"The safety and wellbeing of our employees and their families is our number one priority," he said. "We continue to take all measures required by HSE standards and have gone beyond them to ensure a safe workplace for all employees.

"We monitor very closely the extended environments of our plants and the towns and counties in which they operate. We remain vigilant and continue to maintain the rigorous high standards of cleaning, hygiene and social distancing with all employees.

"These measures have been in place since March and are continually reviewed."
The Ogun State High Court in Abeokuta, on Wednesday, sentenced a 36-year-old man, Ugochukwu Obiakor, to 25 years imprisonment for raping an 11-year- old girl in Mowe community of the state

The prosecution counsel, James Mafe, who is Director of Legal Drafting, had during the trial told the court that the convict committed the offence on September 4, 2017, at Omu- Aleku Village in Mowe area of Ogun state.

Mr Mafe said Mr Obiakor raped the girl near her mothers shop. He said the convict had gone to buy bread and soft drink from the mother, but later returned to the shop, when the mother had left the shop, to rape the girl.

The prosecutor further told the court that the convict deceived the girl that her mother was owing him and asked him to come back for the debt. Mr Mafe said immediately she opened the door, Mr Obiakor dragged the minor into an uncompleted building beside the shop and raped her.

The prosecution said the results of a medical examination on the girl revealed that her hymen was broken and she suffered vagina laceration

He said the offence contravenes Section 32 of the Child Right laws of Ogun 2006.

The judge, Justice Mosunmola Dipeolu, in her judgement, held that all evidence presented before the court by the prosecution compelled her to find the convict guilty as charged.
During the primary election, she was forced to defend her record in law enforcement. Progressives bristled at the notion of an aggressive prosecutor running for the nomination. And while she will continue to reap criticism from the far left wing of her party for her role prosecuting defendants, any willingness she shows to move toward the center would hold the potential to draw more centrist Midwesterners. These are voters who were willing to give Trump a chance the first time  but who have grown disillusioned; Trump voters from 2016 who are simply exhausted by the sharp partisan divisions he magnifies with his tweets and his rhetoric. Can she bring them over?
Seen above is Doosan Infracore's excavator which is a key export item of the construction equipment affiliate of Doosan Group. Yonhap



By Lee Min-hyung



Despite its denial, Hyundai Heavy Industries Group is still said to have approached Doosan Infracore "indirectly" as acquiring the latter will enable Hyundai to become a dominant leader in the local construction equipment market.



Hyundai Construction Equipment (HCE) has been tapped as a candidate to take over Doosan's cash-cow construction equipment manufacturing unit. But Hyundai Heavy and the affiliate continue denying this, saying "they have not discussed any plans to acquire Doosan Infracore."



But the industry is still weighing in on the possibility and the scenario is feasible given the fact that HCE comes in second in terms of its market share here. From a business standpoint, officials say the acquisition makes sense and it would be no surprise to see the deal actually happen. The estimated sale price is around 800 billion won to 1 trillion won.



HCE is the nation's second-largest player in the construction machinery market following Doosan Infracore, which controls 40 percent. As the Hyundai affiliate holds a share of around 20 percent to 30 percent here, their potential combination would allow Hyundai Heavy to manage a much more powerful construction arm.



Hyundai Heavy is expected to steadily pursue technological progress after the acquisition of Doosan Infracore. The Hyundai affiliate will also be able to enhance its brand reputation after taking over the domestic market leader.



Doosan Infracore generated an operating profit of 154.2 billion won in the second quarter of this year, down 48.1 percent from the previous year. Its sales also reached 1.97 trillion won during the same period, down 10.2 percent from a year ago.



Despite the earnings decline, sales from the firm's mid-sized to large construction machinery business reached 934.1 billion won during the April to June period, up 7.5 percent from a year ago. This was due to a sales recovery in China's excavator market accounting for 40 percent of its total sales. Therefore, Hyundai Heavy's acquisition of Doosan Infracore will help raise its global profile particularly in the lucrative Chinese market.



As of the end of last year, Doosan Infracore came in sixth in the Chinese construction machinery market with a market share of 7.3 percent. HCE had a 3.5 percent market share, making it the eighth-largest market player there.



For this reason, the acquisition, if it happens, will help the integrated entity enhance its influence in the Chinese market and raise its global profile over the longer term.



Another reason that raises the possibility of Hyundai Heavy's possible acquisition of the Doosan affiliate is because Doosan is unlikely to find buyers overseas due to its involvement in the defense business. This raises concerns over possible technology leaks in foreign markets. Doosan Infracore is a manufacturer of power packs, composed of a diesel engine and transmission, used for K2 battle tanks.



"It is highly unlikely that any firms operating defense-related businesses would sell a majority of their stake to an overseas player on worries over a possible technology leak," an industry official said.



Doosan Heavy is in a position to keep looking for potential bidders to acquire its major stake in Doosan Infrastructure, but nothing has been confirmed for now.


Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-13 02:18:07|Editor: huaxia

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GENEVA, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- Although most young people are not at high risk of severe disease during the COVID-19 pandemic, they play an important role and share in the collective responsibility to help stop transmission, the chief of the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday.

In celebrating International Youth Day, with a theme of "Youth Engagement for Global Action" this year, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, together with UNESCO's Director-General Audrey Azoulay, recognized young people, youth organizations, and youth networks around the world for their collective action during COVID-19.

"This pandemic is having a major impact on the future of young adults -- not just from the virus itself, but because of its impacts on the economy, employment, education, and the overall health system," Tedros said, asking young people to "be informed and make choices about their health to prepare for long and healthy lives."

"It is critical that we engage with young people now to start the journey to understanding their own health," Tedros said.

He further left three requests for them. First, he called on organizations, intuitions and governments "to listen, engage and empower young adults as partners in action. Our future is their future."

"Second, we have to give young people a much larger role in political decision-making. Their voices often go unheard, even though more than half of the world's population is under 35 years old."

"Finally, and most importantly, to young adults around the world, I say: Think big and be bold. We count on you for your creativity and your fresh ideas... Working together, all of us, old and young, from everywhere in the world, can overcome this pandemic," he added. Enditem
Philip Mathew

The state of Kerala did remarkably well in the primary phase of the COVID-19 outbreak. Despite reporting the first case in the country in last week of January, the number of positive cases were kept to a bare minimum. When the outbreak was ravaging parts of India, Kerala pulled off the impossible zero cases on May 1.

However, the state soon started seeing an increasing number of cases, when the inter-state traffic and repatriation flights started. There was a spike in the positive cases, mainly among those returning from outside, but this was not a big threat. The proportion of people contracting COVID-19 locally was low, when compared to those coming from outside the state. These numbers started increasing from the beginning of July, with community transmission setting in.

The fact that there were more than 1,000 newly-reported positive cases for 13 of the last 20 days shows the gravity of the situation. Despite a robust public health system and an effective contact tracing strategy, the number of COVID-19 cases are spiking.

The state has one of the highest population densities in India and is the second-most urbanised state. This makes it inherently vulnerable to rapid spread of highly contagious infections like COVID-19. Add to it the large number of expatriate workers returning to Kerala, many of them asymptomatic carriers of the infection.

Though a quarantining system has been in place, the large numbers make it difficult to follow-up. The very fact that Kerala has been the destination for around 25 percent of the Vande Bharat flights in its fourth and fifth phases shows the scale of efforts needed in ensuring compliance to quarantining. Therefore, the increase in number of cases cannot be attributed to a failure of the containment strategy or inadequacies of governance.

The nature of illness, ease of spread and the large proportion of asymptomatic cases, makes it difficult for any public health system. In fact, it is remarkable that the state has managed to delay the spread of infection; and now it has a better grasp of the nature of illness and various treatment options. This is one of the reasons for the low case fatality rates seen in Kerala, which is less than 0.5 percent and much below national average at about 2 percent.

Despite of a good show in containment, there has been several instances when the response from the State has been questioned by experts. The free hand given to the police to enforce lockdown(s) and arbitrary increases in quarantine duration effected by certain district collectors drew flak in the initial phase of the response to the outbreak. When there were fears of community transmission at a coastal hamlet in Thiruvananthapuram, armed commandoes were send to ensure that people stayed indoors. Any expert in behavioural economics will tell you behaviour change through fear is not a sustainable strategy for achieving public health goals.

The establishment of hundreds of COVID-19 First Line Treatment Centres (CFLTCs), without necessary human resource in place, has also drawn the ire. When the State should be taking this opportunity to augment the capacity of healthcare delivery facilities, valuable resources and community energy was being spend on huge institutional facilities which lack basic healthcare equipment.

The state government also followed a lackadaisical attitude towards roping-in the thriving private sector healthcare institutions in outbreak response and management of patients.

Keralas test positivity rate has been consistently low and the number of tests done per million population has been above national average. Even then, testing should have been done more aggressively and that would have stopped the local transmission. In a disease, in which most patients are without any discernable symptoms, testing is the only way to understand the real spread of infections in a community.

The government machinery has also not been effective in allaying the fears of the public, resulting in antagonism towards those who are quarantined and funerals being stopped by angry mobs.

Despite all the shortcomings, Kerala has shown the way to introduce a humane touch to an epidemic response. The community kitchens established in every local self-government institution with home delivery of hot meals free of cost to older people living alone, gave the semblance of dignity to the most vulnerable section of the society who would have otherwise suffered alone. Credit for this largely goes to the SHG networks that have been developed over the years. The state governments initiative to distribute grocery and other essentials to all households during the lockdown ensured that peoples suffering was taken care of, albeit to a limited extend. Over the years, the state has invested massively in developing the social capital and this is yielding rich dividend now. Also, the strong local self-government institutions in place help to mobilise communities and bring a sense of ownership to people regarding the Covid19 interventions.

The onset of monsoons and the current flooding, has certainly affected the capacity of state and local-self-governments. The fiscal scenario in the state is precarious and there is a certain level of fatigue seen in the entire government machinery. The Kerala model of COVID-19 response will not be defined by what has been done till now, rather by how the state will cope in the next six months. After all, the best containment strategy for COVID-19 is about how well we learn to live with the virus, with a hope that a vaccine will be available soon.
Jodie Turner-Smith has reflected on becoming a mother at a crisis point in history as she was photographed by her husband Joshua Jackson in a striking new feature for British Vogue.

The actress, 33, shared her story of giving birth in a global pandemic and her take on the 'pressures placed on new mothers', while saying how 'lucky and privileged' she is to have a partner as supportive as the Little Fires Everywhere actor, 42.

Speaking in the September issue of the fashion bible, the Queen & Slim star also told how she and Joshua 'decided on a home birth, because of concerns about negative birth outcomes for black women in America'.

Motherhood: Jodie Turner-Smith has reflected on becoming a mother at a crisis point in history as she was photographed by Joshua Jackson in a striking new feature for British Vogue

In the beautiful image, taken by her talented husband, the actress reclined in the bathtub with her eyes closed as a candle burned in the background.

Jodie and Joshua became parents for the first time in April when they announced the arrival of their baby daughter Janie - during the height of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

She said: 'Sometimes I wonder how I will explain to my daughter what it meant to be born in the year 2020. The historic events, the social unrest, and me - a new mother just trying to do her best.

'I think I will tell her that it was as if the world had paused for her to be born. And that, hopefully it never quite returned to the way it was before.'

The British-born actress admitted she was 'naive' in early pregnancy, when she thought she would go back to work just a month after giving birth.

Support: The actress, 33, shared her story of giving birth in a global pandemic, while saying how 'lucky and privileged' she is to have the Little Fires Everywhere actor, 42, as a partner

'I laugh when I think back on my early pregnancy naivety, when 'plans' were still a thing,' Jodie said. 'I thought it would be feasible to move house, have a child and go back to work a month later.

'I felt the pressure that we often place on new mothers: to get back to 'normal', to have what is considered a perfect post-pregnancy body - one that bears no trace of the fact that a tiny human was once held inside it and, only weeks before, passed through it.'

Jodie and Joshua have been dating since late 2018 and confirmed they had got married in December 2019.

The actress praised her husband for his support throughout her pregnancy, and said she feels 'lucky and privileged' to have him as a partner after they both 'watched their own mothers struggle to raise children'.

First-time parents: The Queen & Slim star also told how she and Joshua (pictured at the BAFTAs in February) were 'concerned about negative birth outcomes for black women in America'

She explained: 'It made me realise how lucky and privileged I am to have a partner willing to follow me around the world, supporting me while I did my job.

'Both of us had watched our own mothers struggle to raise children without such support.

'Both of us were determined to create something for ourselves. He kept saying to me, "There's no part of this that I'm going to miss".'

Jodie also told how she and Joshua decided on a home delivery of their daughter 'because of concerns about negative birth outcomes for black women in America'.

She said: 'We had already decided on a home birth, because of concerns about negative birth outcomes for black women in America...

'According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the risk of pregnancy-related deaths is more than three times greater for black women than for white women, pointing, it seems to me, to systemic racism.

'We never imagined that in the coming weeks, hospitals around the country would begin restricting who could be present in the birthing rooms, forcing mothers to deliver without the support person or people of their choice.

'Delivering at home ensured that I had what every single woman deserves to have: full agency in determining my birth support.'

The up and coming star previously admitted her reluctance to open up about her marriage to Joshua came due to the backlash she has received backlash for 'possibly marrying a white man'.

Read the full feature in the September issue of British Vogue available via digital download and on newsstands now

In an interview with The Sunday Times, Jodie explained: 'There was this wave of people who were upset that I was possibly married to a white man. In America interracial dating or marriage is not something that is as accepted.

'Certain people feel strongly against it, in both communities. I felt it from the black community. It is so complicated.

'I don't want to give it too much energy. The horrific things that people were saying... I'm learning there are certain things I have to really keep for myself.'

The British-born star also revealed she and Canadian Joshua were planning on raising their baby outside of the U.S because of 'fraught racial dynamics' and rising 'white supremacy'.

She said: 'The racial dynamics over here are fraught. White supremacy is overt. It's the reason I don't want to raise my kids here. I don't want my kids to grow up doing active shooter drills at school.'

Read the full feature in the September issue of British Vogue available via digital download and on newsstands now.
Hyderabad, July 30 (IANS) Telangana Minister K.T. Rama Rao on Thursday said that the exploitation by private hospitals in times of the Covid-19 pandemic is deplorable. Image Source: IANS News

Hyderabad: Telangana Municipal Administration and Urban Development Minister K. T. Rama Rao addresses during the inauguration of an underpass at Ayyappa Society Junction in Madhapur, Hyderabad on Jan 3, 2018. (Photo: IANS) Image Source: IANS News

Hyderabad, Aug 12 : Telangana Industries Minister K. T. Rama Rao on Wednesday said that social media cannot turn into an instrument for antisocial behaviour.

The minister took to Twitter to share his thoughts after violence over a social media post rocked parts of Bengaluru overnight.

"Goes to show you how dangerous spreading fake news in social media can be," tweeted Rama Rao, who is the son of Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao.

Rama Rao, who is also the president of the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), requested all social media users to be responsible. He urged them not to indulge in propaganda and stop spreading fake news.

A Facebook message posted allegedly by a relative of a Congress MLA triggered violent protests in Bengaluru on Tuesday night.

Three people lost their lives in the riots and police firing, and 60 police personnel were injured in the violent incidents of stone pelting and attacks by rioters.
The onus for resolving the border standoff in the Ladakh sector of the Line of Actual Control is not on China, the Chinese envoy has said, even as he accused Indian troops of crossing the disputed border and triggering a violent clash on June 15.

Chinese ambassador Sun Weidong made the assertions in a signed article in the latest issue of his embassys magazine, China-India Review, which was posted online late on Wednesday night.

Referring to the June 15 clash in Galwan Valley that resulted in the death of 20 Indian soldiers and unspecified Chinese casualties and the issue of resolving the dispute and managing differences, Sun wrote: If one analyses this incident carefully, its quite clear that the onus is not on China. The Indian side crossed the LAC for provocation and attacked the Chinese border troops.

The Indian forces seriously violated agreements on border issues between the two countries and severely violated basic norms governing international relations.

Sun contended the clash was completely instigated by the Indian side and the responsibility does not lie with the Chinese side. He reiterated Chinas position that the June 15 incident happened on the Chinese side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC), and the Indian side crossed the LAC first, and the Galwan Valley is located on the Chinese side of the LAC.

Suns remarks  which came on the eve of the standoff completing 100 days, as the first clash between the border troops occurred on May 5  are unlikely to go down well with the Indian government.

The external affairs ministry had in June rejected the Chinese Peoples Liberation Armys claim of sovereignty over Galwan Valley as exaggerated and untenable. And while the Chinese side has sought to convey a picture of progress in the disengagement and de-escalation process along the LAC and even said disengagement has been completed at most points, the Indian side has asserted the procedure is far from complete.

India has also called on the Chinese side to deliver on its commitments made during meetings of corps commanders and a conversation between the Special Representatives on the border issue on the issue of disengagement.

There was no immediate reaction from Indian officials to the Chinese envoys article.

Despite Indias assertions in recent weeks that its troops didnt cross the LAC and that their patrolling had been hampered by Chinese forces since April, the Chinese envoy sought to blame the entire standoff on the Indian side.

The two sides basically have kept the peace for decades. However, since the beginning of this year, the Indian side has continuously built facilities at or crossing the LAC in the Galwan Valley, constantly changing the status quo of ground control, he wrote.

On May 6, the Indian border troops crossed the LAC in the Galwan Valley by night and trespassed into Chinas territory. They resorted to violent means to create a standoff between the two sides and built infrastructures in an attempt to maintain a permanent presence. Second, the Indian side violated the consensus and started provocation, which led to the escalation of the situation, he added.

Sun wrote that at a meeting of the corps commander on June 6, the Indian side promised that they would not cross the estuary of the Galwan river to patrol and build facilities, and the two sides agreed to build observation posts on either side of the Galwan river mouth.

He alleged that Indian border troops copped out on the consensus reached in the commander-level meeting and again crossed the line for provocations, which triggered the conflict.

At present, the overall situation in the China-India border areas is stable and controllable. We hope the Indian side meet the Chinese side halfway, avoid taking actions that may complicate the border situation and take concrete actions to maintain stability in the border areas, Sun wrote.

The magazine has several articles giving the Chinese side of the standoff and one that criticises the Indian governments ban on nearly 60 Chinese-origin mobile phone applications.

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(Natural News) Big Tech may be flexing its muscles in support of Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, Breitbart News editor-in-chief Alex Marlow said.

Marlow made the allegation during an interview with Tucker Carlson on his show, Tucker Carlson Tonight, over at the Fox News Channel.

According to Marlow, he and the rest of the Breitbart team noticed that, since 2016, their site has experienced a steady drop in their visibility index.

We started looking at our traffic, and gradually since the 2016 election, Google has been diminishing our search results, and then all of a sudden, in May of this year virtually, we virtually lost all Google traffic, all search traffic altogether, Marlow said, adding that their visibility index  the indicator for a websites visibility in Googles search rankings  went down by 99.7 percent.

Overall our Google traffic is down nearly two-thirds, Marlow said.

Google not showing Breitbart articles in search results

According to Marlow stories and articles published on the Breitbart platform do not appear on Googles search results, noting that if one wanted to search for a story from their site, they would have to type Breitbart in the search bar, along with the other keywords.

If you want to search for Joe Biden or Biden, the chances of you getting a Breitbart article are virtually zero, Tucker. Virtually no opportunity for you to get it unless, of course, you add the word Breitbart, which explains the lack of Google traffic, Marlow stated.

Even more troubling, Marlow added, is that Breitbart is not alone.

Naturally, we looked at other outlets to see if theres a pattern. Of course, we have more access to our own data, but we compared the top 50 or so top publishers, and we found that eight out of the bottom 10 when it comes to Google search are right of center outlets, Marlow explained, noting that among those are conservative news organizations and outfits Fox News and the Daily Caller. (Related: Tucker Carlson to liberal, mainstream news: Stop lying!)

Carlson, who helped start the conservative news site Daily Caller back in 2010, noted that this shutdown experienced by Breitbart is an effect of the monopoly Google has on information  a monopoly thats been allowed by Congress to go on for as long as possible.

They are, therefore, the gateway to all human information in English. If you dont exist on Google, you dont exist, Carlson said, adding that Republican Senator Mike Lee and his colleagues  whom Carlson referred to a shills in the interview  should be ashamed.

Marlow agreed, noting that the decline in their traffic is merely a manipulation by Big Tech and is engineered toward the latters desire to control the narrative and bring Biden the presidency.

This is 100 percent about the 2020 election and controlling the narrative and controlling what people read, Marlow said. If outlets like Breitbart cannot reach new voters via Google, then that is going to be all the more people who are getting their news 100 percent from CNN, The New York Times, and the people who would do anything in their power to get Joe Biden to the White House, he added.

Marlow, in his interview, also lamented what he said was the failure of leaders in the Republican Party to sense the existential threat that Big Tech companies such as Google pose to the constitutional freedoms of Americans, specifically, their freedom of speech.

It boggles the mind because I dont feel like the Republican Party feels the existential threat that you and I have been trying to convey to them. This is it. Freedom of speech in the United States right now is controlled by Google, controlled by Facebook, and its controlled by Twitter, Marlow said.

Google denies claims, but other publishers agree with Breitbart

In response to Marlows allegations, Google, in a statement sent to Fox News on Wednesday, noted that there is no validity whatsoever to these allegations of political bias.

According to the California-based tech giant, their systems do not take political ideology into account, and that they go to extraordinary lengths to build products that are apolitical.

Anyone can easily cherry-pick a range of conservative, progressive or non-political sites that have traffic changes over time, the statement said.

The Federalist publisher Ben Domenech, however, blasted Googles statement, noting in his appearance on Fox and Friends that he does not believe the tech giants claim that political bias does not exist in its websites search function.

According to Domenech, while the Federalist has not so far been subjected to the same treatment, it is still clear that Google is gaming Breitbarts statistics and that Marlows allegations about the tech giant are true.

Looking at the situation its clear the data shows that what theyre claiming is true. They had a huge drop-off. I mean were talking about stories that they were breaking at the Daily Caller, for instance, that would get [nationwide] attention and yet they wouldnt be on the first, second or even the third page of a search for it, Domenech said.

Domenech, in his interview, likened this to having someone from the inside, turning a knob or pulling a switch in order to prevent sites such as Breitbart from getting any organic traffic.

Thats something that is totally opposed to what people think that theyre getting from Google search products and I think it absolutely represents an attempt to influence the conversation during an election, Domenech stated.

This inherent bias against conservative political content, Domenech said, is just one attribute of Googles outsized monopoly power  albeit one which needs to be addressed if one wants to stop its negative effects on the country and its citizens.

It needs to be addressed, I think, with updated approaches to how we do this in an era that requires it given the dramatic amount of change that these companies have affected on America, Domenech said.

WATCH:

Sources include:

Breitbart.com

MSN.com

FoxNews.com
The task has been set to design a missile with an operating range of over 1,500 km.

Missile and military aircraft production is among priorities for Ukraine's defense industry, says Oleksiy Danilov, Secretary of the country's National Security and Defense Council.

The Russian Federation attempted to "destroy our entire military and defense sphere, which we have inherited from Soviet times," Danilov told a round table in Kyiv on Wednesday, August 12, according to an UNIAN correspondent.

However, the top security official added, due to the fact that defense enterprises have hired professionals, patriots of Ukraine, Russia's plot failed.

According to Danilov, the decision to set up a Ministry for Strategic Industries and the post of a supervising Deputy Prime Minister was very difficult and adopted with "fierce resistance."

Read alsoUkroboronprom reform: details

"What is being proposed to Mr. Deputy Prime Minister [Oleh Urusky], we have laid down until 2024  what we must do step by step. Of the key issues that directly concern the [defense] industry is our missiles and our aviation, which has always been very powerful in our country. We urgently need to put everything back on track," he stressed.

Also, Danilov noted that the NSDC sets the task of creating an own-made missile with an operating range of over 1,500 km.

The NSDC secretary noted that this year's UAH 246 billion defense budget was unprecedented throughout all years of Ukraine's independence.

Read alsoExpert tells of upgrades in Ukrainian missiles

Ukrainian missiles and rockets
Head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense Kyrylo Budanov considers his short-term goal to intensify intelligence service in Donbas, and the longer-term goal  to increase the level of intelligence readiness, including " extracting and reading" information.

"The short-term goals are obvious. First of all, this is a sharp intensification of our intelligence along the line of separation of forces in Donbas. We must carefully verify and disassemble any manifestations of the activity of that side in order to exclude or suppress provocations," Budanov told Interfax-Ukraine on Tuesday, August 11.

He also said that "the presidential peace plan is the keystone at present."

Budanov was appointed as Head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense by the presidential decree on August 5, 2020.

Among other tasks, Budanov called "increasing the level of technical, technologic and managerial readiness of the Main Intelligence Directorate, including the introduction of specific new technological solutions in our intelligence functions and, above all, solutions for extracting or reading information." He also noted the need to "restructure analytical work in such a way as to obtain more coherent predictive conclusions in a shorter time." "Another direction is the development, in fact, in the online mode, of detailed scenarios of our responses to certain external and internal irritations," the Main Intelligence Directorate's head said.

In terms of threats to the security of Ukraine, Budanov said that "wars of a new type, which involve not only military groups, but also civilian units, and which are ideally masked by various powerful propaganda programs." "We need to learn to isolate the military component in these potential conflicts, to indicate in advance its presence and prevent the possibility of starting military conflicts," he said.

The Main Intelligence Directorate's head said that now any country faces the following risks: "global peace, open borders, quick extraction of any information, multiple focal points of unfriendly intentions, sharp increase in technical capabilities to initiate certain clashes. All of this is money and modernization."

"I would especially like to emphasize that some countries have a strong tendency to intensify various kinds of hybrid influences on our country in order to push us towards one or another vector of development, namely, beneficial for these countries, but not for us. Thus, our task is to assess all the military capabilities of any potential adversary in advance and in fully," he said.

According to Budanov, he is a native-born of Kyiv and he studied at Odesa Institute of the Ground Forces. "After graduation, almost all of my service was held in the special forces of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense. From 2018 to 2020, I was in special work, and from the middle of 2020 I went to work as deputy director of a department in the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine," he said.

When asked to comment on the publication of a number of media outlets about the operation that was carried out in Crimea in August 2016, and with which the attempt on him in 2019 is associated, Budanov said: "No comment."

In April 2020, journalist Yuriy Butusov wrote that in April 2019, a Russian saboteur tried to blow up Budanov's car. According to him, this attempt was a revenge for the raid of a group of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense on the territory of the occupied Crimea, during which a lieutenant colonel of the Russian Vympel unit was killed.
By Akbar Mammadov

Azerbaijans Interior Minister Vilayat Eyvazov and the visiting Serbian counterpart Nebojsa Stefanovic have discussed cooperation in fight against transnational organized crime, the ministry reported on August 11.

During the meeting, Eyvazov said that only join efforts can effectively combat this type of crimes. In his words, the fight against drug trafficking, international terrorism, human trafficking, illegal migration and cyber-crime, which are the main types of transnational organized crime, is in the spotlight.

Eyvazov informed his Serbian counterpart about the reforms implemented in the law enforcement agencies, reminding that Azerbaijan has adopted new laws regulating the activities of the police, based on democratic principles.

The minister added that the implementation of these laws is of special importance. Eyvazov, also highlighted that one of the important changes in this direction is to advance the activities in accordance with the best world practices.

Over the past 10 years, about 8,000 employees and servicemen have been involved in numerous pieces of training and exercises through a number of international organizations.

Eyvazov said that these training and exercises have a positive effect on the improvement of the professionalism and training level of staff. He also noted that the most modern information technologies are widely used in terms of taking urgent measures against illegal actions to which citizens are exposed.

In turn, expressing gratitude for the warm reception, Stefanovic said that relations between the two countries had expanded and deepened in recent years.

The two countries suffering from similar conflicts take the same position on a number of issues at the international level, said the Serbian minister. He also underlined that his country is interested in the further development of cooperation with the Interior Ministry of Azerbaijan that is considered a close friend for Serbia.

A number of other issues of mutual interest were also discussed at the meeting.

It should be noted that Stefanovic is also Serbias deputy prime minister and Secretary of the National Security Council.

Stefanovic visited Azerbaijan on August 11. Before the meeting with the Azerbaijani Interior Minister, the Serbian delegation also met with senior Azerbaijani officials - Secretary of the Security Council under the President of Azerbaijan Ramil Usubov, Presidential Aide and Head of the Foreign Policy Department of the Presidential Administration Hikmet Hajiyev, Deputy Foreign Minister Araz Azimov and Azerbaijani Ambassador to Serbia Eldar Hasanov.

During the meeting, Serbia and Azerbaijan discussed security cooperation and reached an agreement in expanding cooperation in the exchange of sensitive information, counter-terrorism and other significant fields.

The Serbian delegations visit to Baku follows the phone conversation held between President Ilham Aliyev and Serbian President Alexandar Vucic on August 7. During the phone call, Vucic said that a high-level Serbian delegation would be sent to Azerbaijan in the near future to investigate Armenias use of Serbian-made weapons during the recent cross-border clash with Azerbaijan.

President Ilham Aliyev noted that Armenias use of Serbian-made ammunition in shelling Azerbaijani military and civilian positions that killed servicemen and a civilian has caused concern among the Azerbaijani public.

Earlier, on July 20, Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry summoned Serbia's Charge d'Affaires Danica Veinovic over the delivery of a large amount of military ammunition and mortar from Serbia to Armenia.

The cross-border clashes between Azerbaijan and Armenia started on July 12 noon after Armenian troops fired artillery at Azerbaijani military post in Tovuz region.

Azerbaijani armed forces retaliated destroying a stronghold, bombshells, vehicles and servicemen on the territory of Armenias military unit by using artillery, mortars and tanks. Azerbaijan has also downed six Armenian UAVs.

Azerbaijan lost 12 servicemen, including an army general, as well as a civilian during cross-border clashes from July 12 till July 16.

---

Akbar Mammadov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AkbarMammadov97

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
The China share market finished lower for second straight session on Wednesday, 12 August 2020, as risk aversion selloff continued on weaker-than-expected loan growth and lingering Sino-US tensions. Sentiments were also downbeat ahead of a meeting between top U. S. and Chinese trade officials on Saturday to review the first six months of the Phase 1 trade deal.

At closing bell, the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index dropped 0.63%, or 21.02 points, to 3,319.27. The Shenzhen Composite Index, which tracks stocks on China's second exchange, declined 1.26%, or 28.34 points, to 2,215.11. The blue-chip CSI300 index fell 0.73%, or 34.14 points, to 4,647.64.

New bank lending in China fell more than expected in July from the previous month. Chinese banks extended 992.7 billion yuan ($142.82 billion) in new yuan loans in July, down sharply from 1.81 trillion yuan in June, according to data released by the People's Bank of China (PBOC) on Tuesday. The new loans were lower than 1.06 trillion yuan a year earlier. Household loans, mostly mortgages, fell to 757.8 billion yuan in July from 978.8 billion yuan in June, while corporate loans dipped to 264.5 billion yuan from 927.8 billion yuan.

Broad M2 money supply in July grew 10.7% from a year earlier, compared with 11.1% growth in June. Outstanding yuan loans grew 13% from a year earlier compared with 13.2% growth in June.

Investors were awaiting a meeting between top U. S. and Chinese trade officials on Saturday to review the first six months of the Phase 1 trade deal. The talks will take place amid rising tensions between the United States and China. On Tuesday, U. S. President Donald Trump said that his relationship with Chinese President Xi Jinping had soured due to the COVID-19 pandemic, though a top White House economic adviser said that the trade deal remains in "fine" shape.

CURRENCY NEWS: The yuan was tad lower against greenback on Wednesday, despite firmer mid-point fixing by central bank, ahead of key trade talks between top Chinese and U. S. officials this weekend. Prior to the market opening, the People's Bank of China (PBOC) set the midpoint rate CNY=PBOC at 6.9597 per dollar, 0.16% stronger than the previous fix of 6.9711.

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COLLEGE PARK, Md., Aug. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Students applying to the University of Maryland will now have the ability to do so through the Common Application, also known as the Common App. The online college application platform currently serves more than three million applicants, teachers, counselors and advisors across all 50 states and around the world each year.

"We remain committed to expanding access to potential future Terps by offering them another option to apply through the Common App, in addition to the existing MyCoalition platform," said Shannon Gundy, executive director, UMD's Office of Undergraduate Admissions. "We are very proud to receive tens of thousands of applicants each year, and we constantly reassess ways to streamline pathways for a wide population of diverse and academically talented students to apply to be part of the Terrapin community."

The Common App helps reduce common barriers to the college application process, including making the fee waiver process more efficient for students in need. It also connects students and those who support students through Common App to additional tools and services, such as financial aid and scholarship information, virtual mentors, online portfolios, and a vast library of counselor resources available in English and Spanish. Common App also offers 24/7/365 technical support to all applicants and recommenders using the system.

Starting August 12, 2020, the Common App will be available to students applying to the University of Maryland. Future first-year students can choose to apply through the Common App or the institution's existing MyCoalition platform, a free and accessible platform of online tools to streamline the experience of planning for and applying to college. Students seeking to transfer to the University will be able to submit their application through MyCoalition in mid-October.

Common App is a non-profit membership organization dedicated to access, equity, and integrity in the college admission process. By becoming a Common App member, the University of Maryland aims to streamline the application process for students interested in applying to multiple institutions, and gain exposure to students who may not have otherwise considered UMD. Each year, more than one million applicants use the Common App. One-third of those applicants are the first in their family to pursue a college degree.

"The diversity of our membership helps us forge a direct and unambiguous path to a viable future for all students," said Jenny Rickard, President & CEO of Common App. "Through membership with Common App, University of Maryland has demonstrated a shared commitment to pursuing access, equity, and integrity in the college admission process. Thanks to our members, all students have the opportunity to easily apply to the college or university that will help them achieve their best future."

The Common App, as well as the MyCoalition platform, enhances UMD's holistic approach to the admissions process, considering 26 unique factors. The review process for both application platforms consider all aspects of each applicant's academic achievements and potential in the context of the opportunities and challenges they faced. Admission is offered to the most competitive applicants to build an entering class that will best complement the existing student body and meet the university's mission objectives.

About the University of Maryland

The University of Maryland, College Park is the state's flagship university and one of the nation's preeminent public research universities. A global leader in research, entrepreneurship and innovation, the university is home to more than 40,000 students,10,000 faculty and staff, and 280 academic programs. As one of the nation's top producers of Fulbright scholars, its faculty includes two Nobel laureates, three Pulitzer Prize winners and 59 members of the national academies. The institution has a $2.1 billion operating budget and secures more than $1 billion annually in research funding together with the University of Maryland, Baltimore. For more information about the University of Maryland, College Park, visit www.umd.edu.

SOURCE University of Maryland

Related Links

https://www.umd.edu


Aug. 6, 1945  we commemorated the 200,000 Japanese lives lost to the use of nuclear weapons 75 years ago. At the same time we contemplate in fear the likelihood of an intended or accidental nuclear holocaust that would wipe out most of humanity.

Today there are nine nuclear powers with 14,000 nuclear weapons, all being modernized for more lethality at the cost of billions of dollars and the consequent robbery of health and true security of billions of people.

However, there is a way out, as 122 nations have signed the Nuclear Weapons Prohibition Treaty, but Canada has not. John Polanyi, Nobel laurate and professor at the University of Toronto, writes:

The basis for a nuclear ban already exists. The slaughter of non-combatants is illegal if done by chemical weapons, by biological weapons, by mines or by cluster bombs. Only missing are nuclear weapons.

What are we waiting for? The number of countries signing on to Prohibition Treaty just grew this week by three more countries: Nigeria, Ireland and Niue. Please do your bit to ensure that Canada is next. Write to your MP and the prime minister. Canada has had a stellar global reputation in the past for peace making and peace keeping. Now would be a sane opportune time to reclaim that place.
Kane County Circuit Court Judge D.J. Tegeler ruled Joyner was, in fact, given nearly twice as much credit as he should have been given for time served in jail between his 1994 arrest and his 1998 sentencing. Tegeler found that rather than the 3,002 days of credit Joyner was given  or more than eight years  he should have received 1,502 days, and ordered him back to prison to serve the remainder of his sentence.
He has been on the run since July 28.

National Police in Ukraine has located and detained a suspect in a recent attack on a Mariupol-based synagogue in eastern Ukraine where the culprit stormed in carrying an axe and got into a fight with the security guard before fleeing the scene.

That's according to the United Jewish Community of Ukraine.

Law enforcers, including the SBU security agency, whose efforts were praised by the community, nabbed the perpetrator as a result of a complex raid.

Read alsoUkraine's MFA: Cabinet doesn't give permission for pilgrimage of thousands of Hasidim to Uman

"The Jewish community has always been an important part of Mariupol. This terrible incident showed a huge number of people in our city who care, those who are trying to help and support us. Thank you very much for that. We appreciate everyone who supported and prayed for us," the community said in a statement.

Mariupol synagogue incident: background
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VAN BUREN TWP., MI  A sizable reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest of the person who killed a Belleville woman in her home three years ago.

CrimeStoppers is offering $25,000 for information that leads to the arrest of a suspect in the murder of Egypt Covington who was found shot and killed in her Van Buren Township home in 2017.

Covington, 27, was found dead of a gunshot wound to the head about 7:15 p.m. June 23, 2017, in her home in the 45000 block of Hull Road in Van Buren Township.

The investigation is ongoing, and no arrests have been made since Covingtons death.

Police previously stated they had a person of interest in the case but did not have enough evidence to call the individual a suspect and make an arrest.

Police have person of interest in Egypt Covington homicide case

The investigation, being conducted by the Van Buren Township Police Department, is now being assisted by the Michigan State Police, officials confirmed.

Police do not believe the shooting was random and that Covington likely knew her killer, police said previously.

Her family encourages anyone with information about Covingtons death to speak up and collect the reward.

To submit a tip anonymously to Crime Stoppers, call 1-800-SPEAKUP of visit the Crime Stoppers website by clicking here.

If an arrest is made based off the tip, the tipster will continue to remain anonymous and collect the reward.

Additionally, anyone with information about Covington's death can contact Van Buren Township police at 734-699-8930.

She was last seen the previous night, when she went out with a friend, officials said previously.

Covington was known locally in Ann Arbor for her singing as well as her previous employment at Fraser's Pub in Ann Arbor.

Arbor Brewing Company released a seasonal beer A Girl Named Egypt in her honor with a portion of sales will be donated to a foundation in her name to support charities related to music scholarship, animal welfare, and victims of domestic abuse

More from The Ann Arbor News:

Police investigating triple shooting at house party in Adrian

Fire causes extensive damage to apartment complex in Stockbridge

Fire causes $90,000 in damage to Ypsilanti Township home
TikTok for Android phones has been found to track users MAC addresses for over 15 months before ending the practice back on November 18

TikTok for Android phones has been found to track users MAC (Media Access Control) addresses for over 15 months before ending the practice back on November 18, last year. The Wall Street Journals investigative report sheds some light as to how this was possible as it violates several Play Store policies put in place by Google going back to 2015 when Google restricted third-party apps to collect a phones Mac address for pushing advertisements.

However, a familiar loophole allowed many apps to access and record Mac addresses until a formal bug report was submitted to Google last June by Joel Reardon, co-founder of AppCensus. He has indicated that this flaw is widely known and allows long-term tracking of users behaviour and target ads based on the advertising ID.

What all user data did TikTok collect?

In its report, the WSJ highlights that the TikTok Android app collected MAC addresses and other device data along with a 32-digit advertising ID which lets advertisers monitor users behaviour online in order to serve them ad recommendations.

The app reportedly binds the phones Mac address with advertising ID and sends it to ByteDance under an extra layer of encryption. Several security experts have hinted that its a total violation of Googles privacy policy as it gives TikTok the ability to connect an old advertising ID to a new one in case the user resets it.

However, the Mac addresses cant be modified, giving TikTok a way to use a technique called ID bridging and match advertising identifiers with MAC addresses. While ID bridging is mostly used by games, it doesnt require the collection of MAC addresses which is something TikTok was doing. Whats even more surprising that the app sends all this data to Bytedance but under an extra layer of security so that it cannot be discovered by Google.

In a statement to the WSJ, TikTok ensured that the current version of the app does not collect MAC addresses. TikTok is committed to protecting the privacy and safety of the TikTok community. Like our peers, we constantly update our app to keep up with evolving security challenges, it added.

This privacy violation by TikTok comes at a time when the company is facing immense pressure from the US government and an impending ban if the company isnt able to sell its US operations to a company based in the United States by September 20. Microsoft has been rumoured to be the frontrunner in acquiring TikTok in the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand and according to a recent report, Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft is wary of the deal calling TikTok a poison chalice.

In India, TikTok is already facing a blanket ban that was implemented on June 29 along with 58 other apps that were found to be engaged in activities which is prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, the security of the state and public order. Following the order, TikTok was de-listed from the Play Store and Apple App Store. As per the latest report, TikTok in India is looking to hold off around 2,000 of its employees in India as discussions on its sale is underway.
While working as an Entrepreneur-in-residence at Google from 2014 to 2016, I traveled across the country to help enhance the online presence of hundreds of Black-owned businesses. As a Black woman, entrepreneur and Googler, supporting Black-owned businesses and Black founders is my passion.

Over the past few months, weve seen a surge in online searches for Black-owned businesses. Its been inspiring to witness so many people look for ways to invest in the Black community. Now, were announcing three new ways to help support Black business owners.

Starting today, merchants in the U.S. with a verified Business Profile on Google can add a Black-owned business attribute to their profile, making it easier for customers to find and support them. As part of our $300 million commitment to support underrepresented entrepreneurs, were also integrating the attribute into the digital skills training programs we offer Black business owners through Grow with Google Digital Coaches. And through Google for Startups Accelerator for Black Founders, were starting our work with the first cohort of 12 startups.
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

It took two years and $11 million, but eventually ranchers, politicians and scientists came to a consensus about how to prevent flooding in Tillamook, a coastal Oregon town. A recent study by Portland State University researchers examining the social factors involved in this decision-making process showcases how environmental justice can be served when affected parties have a seat at the table. The study was published in the journal Natural Hazards.

For this study, Melissa Haeffner, assistant professor of environmental science & management, and Ph.D. candidate Dana Hellman interviewed people involved in the decision to see how they came up with a plan to stop flooding while balancing the needs of individual people and protection of both society at large and the environment.

Tillamook sits at the confluence of five rivers that merge as they run off into the ocean. Heavy rains in the coastal mountains cause these rivers to flood, especially at high tide when water is also pushing up from the ocean.

"All of that flood water has to go somewhere," says Haeffner.

With flooding becoming more frequent and more hazardous at a particular site in Tillamook, something had to be done.

"You can't stop flooding from happening, but you can try to get the water out so it's not standing and destroying buildings, Highway 101 and other infrastructure," says Haeffner. The goal was to come up with a flood mitigation strategy that was sustainable both for the environment and for the people living near the site.

However, in the past, federal agencies made decisions about flood mitigation without consulting local people, leaving ranchers from Tillamook dairy farms feeling disenfranchised.

"There was a strong opinion among locals that a lot of federal money was going into these large projects and the money was being wasted," says Haeffner.

To prevent a similar scenario, then-Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber brought in Oregon Solutions, a third-party mediation group based at PSU, to facilitate a collaborative decision-making process.

Haeffner found that in addition to instilling trust among the various stakeholder groups, a crucial part of the process was making sure that all parties understood the science underlying the flooding and the potential strategies for stopping the floods.

No matter what strategy was implemented, two landowners would have to lose some of their land for any flood mitigation strategy to work. This was a potential problem because these landowners were members of the Tillamook Dairy Co-op, which has a policy that prevents ranchers from giving up land. Thus, impacted ranchers had to convince others in the co-op that some land loss was necessary to stop the flooding.

"One of the ranchers that I talked to felt like he should have a Ph.D. in hydrology right now because he had to get up, milk the cows, do his ranching and then, at the end of the day, he would study the plans," says Haeffner.

In fact, because the impacted ranchers understood the science so well, they were able to come up with their own flood mitigation proposal that participants eventually agreed upon.

"It ended up being called a land owners alternative, and they completely reversed the power dynamic from the top down," says Haeffner. The ranchers received compensation for their land, which became an ecologically restored salt marsh that helps prevent flooding.

"What I found most interesting was that most people thought it was a success," says Haeffner. "From my studies, all over the world, I've never seen that before."

The entire process took two years of deliberation, weekly or biweekly meetings between local residents, state agencies, and federal agencies as well as the involvement of the Governor.

According to Haeffner, this case study shows just how much time, effort, and even money it takes to undo decades of harm and distrust between groups.

"That the project cost over $11 million and took two years of intensive dialogue to get to a place where landowners regained some decision-making powerprocedural justiceshows exactly what we are up against when we think about truly social sustainability," says Haeffner. "And if this is what it took to make transformative change in this community, just think of what we have to do to realize environmental justice and regain trust in our most vulnerable communities."

But the fact that transformational change was possible in this situation is equally important. "This case study also offers a ray of hopethat it can be done," says Haeffner.

Explore further Study: Rural ranchers face less access to water during drought than urban counterparts

More information: Melissa Haeffner et al, The social geometry of collaborative flood risk management: a hydrosocial case study of Tillamook County, Oregon, Natural Hazards (2020). Melissa Haeffner et al, The social geometry of collaborative flood risk management: a hydrosocial case study of Tillamook County, Oregon,(2020). DOI: 10.1007/s11069-020-04131-4
MISSION, Kan. - As parents nationwide prepare to help their children with more distance learning, a small but quickly growing number are deciding to take matters entirely into their own hands and begin homeschooling.

Some are worried their districts are unable to offer a strong virtual learning program. For others who may have been considering homeschooling, concerns for their familys health amid the coronavirus and the on-again, off-again planning for in-person instruction are leading them to part ways with school systems.

Mindy Kroesche, a freelance writer and editor from Lincoln, Nebraska, had been leaning toward homeschooling her 12-year-old son, who has autism and ADHD diagnoses that made middle school a challenge. But she always felt her 10-year-old daughter was built for school. Now with the pandemic raging, she is pulling them both out for the year.

We just saw that with her wearing a mask for the entire day, that would make learning more difficult for her, she said. It was going to be such a different environment. We didnt think it would be as beneficial for her.

Homeschooling applications are surging in states including Nebraska, where they are up 21%, and Vermont, where they are up 75%. In North Carolina, a rush of parents filing notices that they planned to homeschool overwhelmed a government website last month, leaving it temporarily unable to accept applications.

There were about 2.5 million homeschool students last year in grades K-12 in the U.S., making up about 3% to 4% of school-age children, according to the National Home Educators Research Institute. Brian Ray, the groups president, is anticipating that their numbers will increase by at least 10%.

One day the school district says X and four days later they say Y, Ray said. And then the governor says another thing and then that changes what the school district can do. And parents and teachers are tired of what appear to be arbitrary and capricious decisions. They are tired of it and saying we are out of here.

Interest in homeschooling materials also has been surging, driven in part by parents who are keeping their children enrolled in schools but looking for ways to supplement distance learning.

The National Home School Association received more than 3,400 requests for information on a single day last month, up from between five and 20 inquiries per day before the coronavirus. The group had to increase the size of its email inbox to keep up.

Clearly the interest we have been getting has exploded, said J. Allen Weston, the executive director of the suburban Denver-based group. That is really the only way to describe it.

Some parents in rural parts of Nebraska are turning to homeschooling because staffing and limited access to home internet leave districts unable to offer a virtual learning option, said Kathryn Dillow, president and executive director of Nebraska Home Schools, a support and advocacy group.

Homeschooling applications continue arriving in Nebraska, where the number of homeschoolers already had risen to 3,400 as of July 14, up from 2,800 at the same time a year ago, said David Jespersen, a spokesman for the Nebraska Department of Education.

Jespersen said there is a lot of confusion and that parents are delayed in making their decision because so much is changing.

Regardless of the final number, Jespersen doesnt expect that the increase will bust districts budgets because homeschoolers will still remain a small fraction of about 326,000 students spread over the states 244 school systems.

Most other states dont have homeschooling numbers, either because they arent collected at the state level or its too early. But all indications point to increases across the country.

Now is when the reality sets in, said John Edelson, president of Time4Learning, an online curriculum provider, which has seen business explode. People have postponed the decision, but we are at this great inflection point. And it is hard to see what the angle is going to be, but it is definitely up.

In Missouri, calls and emails pour into the homeschool advocacy group Families For Home Education each time a district releases its reopening plan, said Charyti Jackson, the groups executive director. She said families are in a panic about virtual starts to the year and hybrid plans in which students attend classes parttime and study at home the rest.

They are asking, What am I supposed to be doing with my children when I am working full time? she said.

For the families who only plan to homeschool for a semester or two, some in small groups or pods, her advice is focused on how to make sure students can transition back to public schooling smoothly when the pandemic ends. Thats trickier for students who receive special education services and high schoolers who need to meet their districts graduation requirements.

There also are some indications the exodus to homeschooling could continue well into fall. Christina Rothermel-Branham, a psychology and counselling professor at Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, said she is going to attempt remote learning through her local school district for her 6-year-old son. But she said the virtual learning she oversaw in the spring was very monotonous and that she plans to switch to homeschooling if the first month goes poorly.

If there is a lot of stress between the two of us it is probably going to get him pulled out, she said.

Rothermel-Branham, 39, already has scouted out curriculum as a backup and has signed up for art and music classes through Outschool, an online learning platform that is reporting 30 times year-over-year growth since March.

It is such a big mess, said Outschool CEO Amir Nathoo. A lot of schools spent all summer preparing for a social distanced reopening and now it looks like that isnt going to happen because of the virus.

He said the demand for classes has been particularly strong in states that moved aggressively to reopen, including Texas, Florida, Georgia and Arizona.

Chris Perrin, the CEO of Camp Hill, Pennsylvania-based Classical Academic Press, said curriculum sales to homeschoolers are up by 50% and that enrolment in its online Schole Academy has increased by 100% amid the pandemic. He said some there was understandably a lot of bad online learning in the spring and that some parents were appalled as they oversaw it.

They are saying I cant stand by and do nothing, Perrin said. So they are becoming homeschoolers.

___

AP journalist Lisa Rathke in Montpelier, Vermont, contributed to this report.
Watertown, NY (13601)

Today

Snow this morning will mix with rain at times this afternoon. Some sleet may mix in. High 37F. Winds SW at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of precip 70%. Snow accumulations less than one inch..

Tonight

Cloudy. A few flurries or snow showers possible. Low 4F. Winds WNW at 15 to 25 mph.
If you had any doubt that hard-left ideologues run government school systems in many (most?) places, take a look at Fairfax County, Virginia's most populous county, with over a million residents, one of the richest counties in the United States with an average household income well over one hundred thousand dollars.

The educrats who run the Fairfax public schools have advised parents there not to hire tutors or organize informal homeschool "pods" to replace the shuttered schools because some parents cannot afford to do so, and that would be "unfair."



Fairfax County (map credit: Home By School).

I am not making this up. Here is a link to a memo sent to parents on August 7, with some key excerpts below:

Across the country, many parents are joining together to engage private tutors (who are often school teachers) to provide tutoring or home instruction for small groups of children. While there is no systematic way to track these private efforts, it's clear that a number of "pandemic pods" or tutoring pods are being established in Fairfax County. We are aware of these tutoring pods, as well as some accompanying community concerns. To be clear, these instructional efforts are not supported by or in any way controlled by FCPS. (snip) While FCPS doesn't and can't control these private tutoring groups, we do have concerns that they may widen the gap in educational access and equity for all students. Many parents cannot afford private instruction. Many working families can't provide transportation to and from a tutoring pod, even if they could afford to pay for the service. We have received some requests from parents who would like to cluster groups or pods of students together with a specific teacher. From both a logistical perspective, and in the interest of educational equity, FCPS cannot accommodate such requests. [emphases added]

In other words, parents who strive to educate their children are being unfair to parents who don't because their children will have an advantage. This is insanity. By the same logic, parents who remain married and raise their children in intact families are being unfair to children whose parents cannot maintain their marriage, because many studies show that children with a mother and father at home do better. Taking the logic even farther, parents who don't become drug addicts are being unfair to children whose parents enslave themselves to heroin, crack, methamphetamine, or even alcohol.

Everyone must descend to the lowest common denominator in the interest of "equity." After all, responsible behavior leads to "gaps" with the children of the worst parents.

I wonder of the parents of Fairfax County, who tend to be more highly educated as well as richer than the national average, understand the insanity of the bureaucrats who run their taxpayer-funded schools. According to the 2010 Census, there are almost twice as many Asian-heritage residents as blacks (17.53% versus 9.17%). Do the Asian-heritage families  group that generally highly values education  support this notion of dumbing down their kids so they won't outperform other ethnicities?

Hat tip: LaCorte News.
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Italian regions have begun to order new periods of quarantines for people returning from higher-risk European countries such as Spain and Greece in a bid to stem the latest outbreaks of coronavirus.

Health authorities worry that Italians returning from vacations abroad may be bringing home the virus and passing it on during the summer when people are crowding outdoors, on beaches, at festivals or parties.

As the national government studies whether to reissue more stringent anti-COVID restrictions, such as making the wearing of masks mandatory in public, regions are already clamping down.

The president of Emilia Romagna on Wednesday was expected to sign an order mandating coronavirus tests for anyone returning to the region from Spain, Greece and Malta, all Schengen area countries where travel with Italy is unrestricted.

Those returning from Croatia will also be ordered to quarantine.

A mandatory 14-day quarantine also begins today in the southern regions of Puglia and Campania for people returning from Spain, Greece and Malta.

Sicily is prepared to follow suit, its regional president said.

"In the last two days we've logged numerous cases of Puglia residents who have tested positive after coming back from Greece, Malta, Spain, countries with a high viral circulation," said Puglia's regional president Michele Emiliano.

Over 251,000 people have been infected by coronavirus and over 35,000 have died in Italy, the first European country to be hit by the pandemic. Over 13,000 people are currently infected.

Experts have been concerned at reports of young Italians returning from abroad and creating micro-clusters of infection, such as the group of 30 teenagers in the region of Veneto, some of whom tested positive after a trip to Croatia.

Veneto on Wednesday said it had 29 new cases, with 500 more people ordered to self-isolate.

From Monday to Tuesday, Emilia Romagna, Puglia and Campania reported 19, 20 and 23 new cases, respectively.

Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak

 2020 AFP
Surge in demand for epoxy composite from automotive and wind energy industries across the globe drives the growth of the global epoxy composite market. Asia-Pacific contributed the highest share in 2019, and will maintain its dominance throughout the forecast period. Major epoxy composite manufactrurers across the globe have stopped their production activities due to disruptions in raw material procurement and surge in demand-supply gap amid the lockdown.

Portland, OR, Aug. 12, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- According to the report published by Allied Market Research, the global epoxy composite market generated $16.4 billion in 2019, and is estimated to reach $24.2 billion by 2027, registering a CAGR of 5.1% from 2020 to 2027. The report offers an extensive analysis of changing market dynamics, key winning strategies, business performance, major segments, and competitive scenarios.

Surge in demand for epoxy composite from automotive and wind energy industries across the globe drives the growth of the global epoxy composite market. However, high cost associated with the manufacturing of carbon fiber is anticipated to restrain the growth of the market. Furthermore, growing adoption of low cost production technologies and increase in demand for high strength materials are expected to create new opportunities for the market players during the forecast period.

Download PDF Brochure: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-sample/6993

Covid-19 scenario:

Major epoxy composite manufactrurers across the globe have stopped their manufacturing activities due to disruptions in raw material procurement, surge in demand-supply gap, and price volatility of raw materials amid the lockdown.

Epoxy composite are widely used in aerospace & defense, industrial manufacturing, wind energy, and automotive industries. Due to lockdown amid Covid-19 pandemic these industries have halted their production activites, due to which, the demand for epoxy composite is expected to decline.

Story continues

The report offers a detailed segmentation of the global epoxy composite market based on type, application, and region.

Based on type, the glass segment contributed to the largest share in 2019, accounting for more than three-fifths of the total share, and is estimated to maintain its dominant position during the forecast period. However, the carbon segment is estimated to portray the highest CAGR of 7.2% during the forecast period.

Get Detailed COVID-19 Impact Analysis on the Epoxy Composite Market @ https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-for-customization/6993?reqfor=covid

Based on application, the automotive segment accounted for the largest share in 2019, holding more than one-fourth of the total share, and is expected to maintain the largest share throughout the forecast period. In addition, it is expected to register the highest CAGR of 6.0% from 2020 to 2027.

Based on region, Asia-Pacific contributed the highest share , accounting for nearly two-fifths of the total market share in 2019, and will maintain its dominance throughout the forecast period. In addition, it is estiamted to witness the highest CAGR of 6.3% from 2020 to 2027.

Leading market players analyzed in the research include Bhor Chemicals and Plastics Private Limited, Barrday Inc., Hexcel Corporation, Cytec Solvay Group, Park Aerospace Corp, Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation, SGL Carbon SE, Sabanc Holding, Toray Industries Inc, and Teijin Limited.

Interested in Procuring this Report? Visit Here: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/purchase-enquiry/6993

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TOKYO, Aug 12, 2020 - (JCN Newswire) - NEC Corporation (TSE: 6701) today announced that Banqsoft, a Norway-based company specialized in software for the financial services sector and subsidiary of KMD, a Denmark-based subsidiary of NEC, has entered into an agreement to acquire Norwegian software company Concent. The acquisition will enhance Banqsoft's capabilities, offer an additional product line within credit management and debt collection, and expand the customer base. The strategic acquisition is part of an international growth strategy supported by Banqsoft's owner, Danish IT group KMD, part of NEC, a global leader in the integration of IT and network technologies. Banqsoft will take over customer relations, software and 85 employees located in Norway, Poland and Sweden. The two companies will join forces and continue to grow as one Banqsoft.Banqsoft, a fast-growing Nordic FinTech player, is aiming at further growth and business development.Within the last couple of years, Banqsoft's business has grown by around 20% per year, and earlier this year the company, in line with its strategic ambitions, acquired part of the Danish software company E Foqus, including leasing activities and assets related to the Foqus Finance product.Banqsoft is now making another strategic move in acquiring Concent to complement its current operations and expand its position within the credit management software market segment."The acquisition of Concent fits perfectly with our strategic growth plan," says Terje Kj's, CEO, Banqsoft. "Concent has highly skilled employees with great domain knowledge and a very modern and complementary product line within the credit life cycle that completes our customers' needs. The acquisition also adds interesting new customers to our portfolio. It's a clear-cut strategic fit, and we're delighted that Concent is now becoming part of Banqsoft.""Over the years, Concent has shown significant growth and profitability. The company has proven to be an attractive partner for large actors in the international FinTech industry. The new industrial Banqsoft/KMD ownership of Concent will strengthen the strategic position of the business and represent a strong basis for further growth," says Thor Eika, Concent chair and Group Executive in Treschow-Fritze, which is selling its 51% shareholding in Concent.Concent is specialized in software and services within credit management and debt collection and has a strong market position in the Nordic segments, with 144 municipalities, 100 collection agencies, and several banks and finance companies as customers.Banqsoft will take over customer relations, software and 85 employees located in Norway, Poland and Sweden. Concent will be operated as an integrated business line in Banqsoft. The strong Concent management team will be retained at Banqsoft, and the product brand and investments in the product suite from Concent will continue.New possibilities for all partiesBanqsoft and Concent have many similarities. Both started in Norway, have expanded throughout the Nordics, and have ambitions to further expand in international markets for financial services software."Becoming part of Banqsoft will lift the potential for Concent," says Oddbjrn Bergem, CEO, Concent. "Both companies are successful in a growing market and joining forces will leverage the strategic possibilities and give our customers a supplier with even broader capabilities and muscles. Our employees will also benefit from joining a larger organization with a powerful support base in the KMD Group and its mother company, the global NEC Corporation."Supporting international ambitionsBanqsoft is a key player in the Nordic market segments for financial services software solutions, including digital banking and asset finance. This new constellation with Concent on board will open new growth possibilities across the Nordics and beyond."We've seen very good development for Banqsoft for a while now," says Per Johanson, Chairman, Banqsoft, and Executive Vice President, KMD. "Through the acquisition of the Danish strongly positioned leasing product Foqus Finance earlier this year and now Concent, we're underlining and supporting our strong ambitions and decision to execute on the international growth strategy. The financial services software sector has large potential, and we have faith in our solutions and the proof we need to take additional steps. Banqsoft and Concent already have customers in a variety of countries, but we want to accelerate and continue the development, which the new strengthened positioning will support. We're also convinced that the combination of different solutions that support the whole retail finance life cycle makes a lot of sense for our customers."Banqsoft's acquisition of Concent is expected to be completed in September once all the preconditions for the transaction are satisfied.Aab-Evensen and PwC have been advisers to Banqsoft and KMD in the process.About ConcentConcent was founded in 1994 in Sandefjord, Norway, where it still has its head office. Concent has a strong position in the Nordic market segment within software for the credit management life cycle. The customer base is strong, with 144 Norwegian municipalities, representing 2.7 million citizens, using Concent's solutions for collection in the public sector. About 100 private collection agencies also use the software, as do many large public agencies as well as several banks and finance companies in Norway and Sweden. The company has around 85 employees, with offices in Norway, Sweden and Poland. Read more at www.concent.no.About BanqsoftBanqsoft is an international subsidiary in the KMD Group. Banqsoft's core business is software solutions for efficient portfolio management related to loans, leasing, wholesale business, car fleets, cards and accounts for finance companies and banks. Banqsoft has achieved a strong position within asset finance sector and an increasingly stronger position in the digital banking sector services. Banqsoft's clients are located in the Nordic countries, Poland, the United Kingdom and the Baltic countries, and include companies such as Santander, Handelsbanken, Bank Norwegian, Nordea Finans, Volkswagen Finans and Toyota Financial Services. Banqsoft has around 250 employees distributed across offices in Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark and Poland. Read more at www.banqsoft.com.About KMDKMD, the largest Danish-based IT company, develops and delivers software and service solutions for local government, central government and the private sector in Denmark as well as chosen segments in Scandinavia. The KMD Group has subsidiaries in Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Poland. KMD has more than 1,500 Danish and international customers in the public and private sectors, including more than 800 Danish and international companies. The KMD Group has an annual revenue of around DKK 5.4 billion and around 3,200 employees. KMD is a subsidiary of NEC Corporation, a global leader in the integration of IT and network technologies. Read more at www.kmd.dk.About NEC CorporationNEC Corporation has established itself as a leader in the integration of IT and network technologies while promoting the brand statement of "Orchestrating a brighter world." NEC enables businesses and communities to adapt to rapid changes taking place in both society and the market as it provides for the social values of safety, security, fairness and efficiency to promote a more sustainable world where everyone has the chance to reach their full potential. For more information, visit NEC at https://www.nec.com.Source: NEC CorporationCopyright 2020 JCN Newswire . All rights reserved.
12 August 2020

JZ Capital Partners Limited(the "Company")

(a closed-ended collective investment scheme incorporated as a non-cellular company with limited liability under the laws of Guernsey with registration number 48761)

LEI Number: 549300TZCK08Q16HHU44

RESULT OF ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

At the Annual General Meeting ("AGM") of the Company held on 12 August 2020, all Resolutions set out in the Annual General Meeting Notice sent to Shareholders dated 17 June 2020 (the "Notice") were duly passed.

Details of the final voting position in respect of the valid proxies received by the Company should be read alongside the Notice and are noted below:

Ordinary Resolution For Against Abstain 1 65,617,675 0 0 2 65,617,675 0 0 3 65,617,675 0 0 4 65,614,568 0 3,107 5 (1) 18,305,562 0 0 6 (1) 17,321,950 983,612 0 7 (1) 18,305,562 0 0 8 64,533,459 1,084,216 0 Extraordinary Resolution For Against Abstain 9 65,617,675 0 0

Note -A vote withheld is not a vote in law and has not been counted in the votes for and against a resolution.

(1) The proxy voting results in respect of Ordinary Resolutions 5 through to 7 have been counted in accordance with Article 14(17) of the Articles of Incorporation of the Company

The Special Business by Ordinary Resolution was also passed at the AGM, as detailed below:



10. SPECIAL BUSINESS BY ORDINARY RESOLUTION

To authorise the Directors in accordance with Article 4(8) of the Articles of Incorporation of the Company (the "Articles") to: (a) allot equity securities (as defined in the Articles) of the Company for cash; and (b) sell ordinary shares (as defined in the Articles) held by the Company as treasury shares for cash, as if Article 4(8) of the Articles did not apply to any such allotment or sale, provided that this power shall be limited to the allotment of equity securities for cash and the sale of treasury shares up to an aggregate amount of 7,747,417 ordinary shares, such authority to expire at the conclusion of the 2021 Annual General Meeting of the Company or on 31 August 2021, whichever is the earlier, save that the Company may before such expiry make any offer or agreement that would or might require equity securities to be allotted, or treasury shares to be sold, after such expiry and the Directors may allot equity securities, or sell treasury shares in pursuance of any such offer or agreement as if the power conferred hereby had not expired.

Ordinary Resolution For Against Abstain 10 64,793,203 824,472 0

Note -A vote withheld is not a vote in law and has not been counted in the votes for and against a resolution.

Enquiries:

Company website: www.jzcp.com

Samuel Walden

Northern Trust International Fund Administration Services (Guernsey) Limited

Tel: +44 (0) 1481 745001

Email: SW171@ntrs.com

END
Premier Mark McGowan had a blunt answer when journalists questioned whether his anti-Clive Palmer legislation had gone too far.

"I'll tell you what justice is here, justice is Western Australians not giving Clive Palmer $30 billion. That's justice," the Premier said.

WA Premier Mark McGowan and Attorney General John Quigley take aim at mining billionaire Clive Palmer. Credit:Nathan Hondros

"You've got to pick a side. We are on the side of the people, we're up against someone who is trying to bankrupt our state."

The laws, which look set to pass with support from the opposition, will rub out the Queensland mining billionaire's right to arbitrate a dispute over one of his company's iron ore deposits.
Laura Hamilton has paid tribute to her grandfather after he passed away aged 89 while she was filming A Place In The Sun in Crete.

The TV host, 38, emotionally revealed that just hours after she landed in the country to film the new series her grandfather had 'taken a turn for the worse'.

Laura admitted she felt 'lucky' she had spent the past 38 years with her 'Pops', and also that he got to meet her children Rocco, six, and Tahlia, five.

Sad news: Laura Hamilton has paid tribute to her grandfather after he passed away aged 89 while she was filming A Place In The Sun in Crete

The media personality honoured her grandfather with two black and white pictures, which were posted alongside a lengthy caption about what he meant to her.

Laura penned: 'Pops was 89. He was an incredible man... Hardworking, kind, supportive and loving with a sparky, 'can do' attitude and a great personality...

'As his eldest grand daughter I had a very special bond with him... and although travelling through my job meant I didn't get to see him as regularly as I would have liked.

Heartbreaking: The TV host, 38, emotionally revealed that just hours after she landed in the country to film the new series her grandfather had 'taken a turn for the worse'

'When I did see him I always gave him a pedicure, massaged his legs and feet. He even let me give him a haircut after lockdown! I loved looking after him...'

She added: 'Losing someone you love is never easy, and I appreciate that a lot of people have lost loved ones over the last few months...

'The last time I lost a grandparent was when I was age 13, and whilst I feel incredibly emotional and sad at this time.'

Supportive: Later in the day, Laura took to her Instagram Stories to thank her followers for their kind words after announcing the news on social media

'I feel lucky I got to spend 38 years with my Pops and he got to spend time with Rocco and Tahlia. I am happy that he lived his 89 years to the full, even up until the last few days...' she wrote.

Laura signed off: 'Love you always Pops. Laura xxx'

Later in the day, Laura took to her Instagram Stories to thank her followers for their kind words after announcing the news on social media.

Fighting back tears, she said: 'I've actually tried to record this message now several times and got quite emotional,' she said.

Treasured memories: Laura admitted she felt 'lucky' she had spent the past 38 years with her 'Pops', and also that he got to meet her children Rocco, six, and Tahlia, five

A Place In The Sun: Laura has presented the show since 2012

'I want to thank you all for your kind messages about your Pops. I am trying to keep positive.'

She went on: 'Pops loved A Place In The Sun. I'm here in Crete and it's stunning and we're filming.

'Thank you all for your support, I've read all your messages and they mean so much.'

Laura has presented the show since 2012. She shares her two children with husband Alex Goward, who she tied the knot with in the same year.
Alex Morse maintains he has never abused his authority either as mayor or as lecturer at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst.

The Holyoke mayor claims hes now the victim of a political hit job that began Friday when allegations came to light about relationships hes had with college students, as well as his communications with students via dating apps and Instagram that the College Democrats of Massachusetts say made people uncomfortable.

Morse, in an interview Wednesday, struck a defiant tone and promised to focus his congressional campaign back onto issues like his call for universal health care and his criticism of U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal, his opponent in the Sept 1. Democratic primary for the 1st District seat.

Its a race Morse says hes still in a position to win, despite college Democratic groups disinviting from him from future events.

Again, I think the larger question is why Im being put in a position to talk about my sex life three weeks before the election, Morse said. Light is beginning to show.

Morse said his campaign turned to Boston-based communications firm Northwind Strategies this week to help handle a deluge of press requests.

In a story first reported by the Daily Collegian, the UMass-Amherst student newspaper, the student Democrats stated Morse, 31, matched with students as young as 18 on dating apps like Tinder and Grindr. Neals campaign has denied involvement in the publication of the allegations.

Some of the students, the Democratic club has said, were made to feel uncomfortable and felt as though they couldnt refuse communications with Morse due to his position as a lecturer in political science and his role as a mayor, as a congressional candidate and as a standard bearer for the progressive causes in Western Massachusetts.

I will not apologize for using gay dating apps and for having consensual sex with other adult men, Morse said. But I have never in my entire life had a nonconsensual sexual encounter with anyone.

He also said he did not violate any UMass policy, as none of the men with whom he had relationships were current, former or future students of his classes.

The university is conducting its own review to see if there were violations of the federal Title IX sex discrimination law that also bans harassment behaviors.

Asked whether the recipients of his communications might have felt differently, Morse pointed out that even at 31, hes spent a long time in public eye. I became mayor at 22, and I realize that that position, that power and responsibility follows me whether I am at City Hall, whether Im in the grocery store or in my bedroom.

Morse didnt go into further details of his interactions, instead preferring to focus on how the conduct came to light.

My sex life has gotten more scrutiny over the last few days then the corruption of Richard Neal has gotten in the last 30 years, Morse said. Again, I know Im not going up against Congressman Neal. Its not just him, its the Springfield political machine. Its Charlie Kingston.

Kingston, of West Springfield, now in his late 70s, is a well-known political operative and campaign consultant, having advised, in particular, a number of Springfield mayors over the past four to five decades dating back to before Neal served as the citys chief executive.

Neal, Morse said, walked into the congressional seat when U.S. Rep. Edward P. Boland, D-Springfield, retired  and he believes Neal now wants to select his own successor.

Neal, 71, was first elected to the House in 1988 following the retirement of Boland.

Morse also pointed to public statements from a UMass Democratic club member who supports his candidacy as evidence that Neals influence is behind the public airing.

Clare Sheedy of Pittsfield, going into her sophomore year at UMass Amherst, said allegations the groups are making about Morse are politically motivated  a claim the College Democrats of Massachusetts denies.

In an interview with The Republican Wednesday, Sheedy claimed one of the members of the clubs executive board  the chapters chief strategist, who also spent a year in the role of communications director for the statewide College Democrats of Massachusetts  may have had ulterior motives for supporting the letter outlining the allegations. She said the student has previously expressed unease about Morse, while at the same time expressing admiration about Neal.

The student Sheedy discussed, a political science major at UMass Amherst, could not be reached for comment. She previously offered a similar account to the news site The Intercept.

Sheedy said she got to know the student last year, during the early days of the Democratic presidential primary campaigns, because they were the only two supporters of Pete Buttigieg in a chapter full of Elizabeth Warren supporters.

She said recalled driving to New Hampshire with the student in November for a Buttigieg campaign stop, and that he talked about Morses contact with UMass a student via Tinder. He said he found Morse to be kind of weird, Sheedy said.

She also recalled the student talking about courses he took with Neal. He said he wanted to work for Neal, Sheedy said. He was interested in Neal being his in to politics.

She told The Intercept and The Republican that at the time she didnt think much of it, and thought the student was just backing the areas most prominent politician. But then it became this huge thing three weeks before the election, she said.

She said she did not know the letter was in the works until the Collegians article appeared Friday.

They texted to the group that the article was active, she said. When I read the article, I was like, Whoa!

She also claimed the board offered an early version of the letter to the website Politico in July, but was rejected. Since then they tweaked the language and sent it to the Collegian, she said.

The College Democrats said Wednesday that the letter was not politically motivated.

The letter we sent to Mayor Morse had nothing to do with any of our members professional ambitions or personal politics, the organization said in response to questions from a reporter at The Huffington Post that were shared to Twitter Wednesday.

The letter was written at the direct request of students who were personally made uncomfortable by the Mayors behavior, the organization said.

Sheedy said she can understand some students feeling uncomfortable with Morse reaching out to them on social media, and she said she also thinks Morse showed poor judgment.

But at the end of the day, Im not seeing anything that says it was an abuse of power. It was definitely a lack of judgment, she said. At the same time, it seems as if people are out there trying to destroy his career before the election.

Morse said he has had a very strong week of fundraising despite the revelations, and continues to do campaign standouts. He said hes gotten new volunteers and fresh support from the LGBTQ community.

We still see a pathway to victory, he said.

Related Content:
A sheriff in Florida has banned deputies and visitors from wearing face masks amidst the coronavirus pandemic.

Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods outlined the new regulations in an email to staff that he had considered both sides of the argument but there was no room for negotiation on the decision.

Now, I can already hear the whining and just so you know I did not make this decision easily and I have weighed it out for the past 2 weeks, he said.

We can debate and argue all day of why and why not. The fact is, the amount of professionals that give the reason why we should, I can find the exact same amount of professionals that say why we shouldnt.

The sheriffs decision comes only a day after Florida recorded its highest single-day number of coronavirus-related deaths since the pandemic began.

Sheriff Woods said exceptions will be made for deputies at jails, schools, courthouses, hospitals, nursing homes, and when dealing with someone who is elderly or has Covid-19.

However, even in these cases, he stipulated that masks should still be removed when giving orders or commands to comply.

Masks will not be permitted in sheriffs department buildings so that visitors can be easily identified and to allow clear communication, he said. Visitors will be required to take off their masks in the lobby.

The record number of 276 deaths reported in Florida on Tuesday by local health officials brings the states total death toll to 8,685 since the pandemic began.

A total of 542,792 cases of coronavirus were reported on Tuesday throughout Florida, which has struggled to contain the virus as cases surged over the last few months.

Americans have been urged by public health officials to wear masks in public to help stop the spread of the coronavirus.

The centres for disease control (CDC) has said there is increasing evidence that cloth face coverings help prevent people who have Covid-19 from spreading the virus to others.

However, Sheriff Woods claimed that working mask-free has not impacted his 900-person department, according to The Washington Post.

Since the beginning of this pandemic the operation of this office has not changed and no wearing of masks has been put in place, he reportedly wrote in the email.

CDC Director Dr Robert R Redfield has advised that cloth face coverings are one of the most powerful weapons we have to slow and stop the spread of the virus.

All Americans have a responsibility to protect themselves, their families, and their communities, he added.

Additional reporting by the Associated Press
By Express News Service

JEYPORE: Farmers of Koraput and Kalahandi are losing sleep as deficit rainfall has led to a continuous and sharp drop in water levels of major reservoirs, threatening crop cycle in the regions which are dependent on irrigation.

Despite two spells of low-pressure induced rainfall in last 10 days in Koraput, Upper Kolab and Telengiri - two major dam reservoirs - have witnessed a dip in water level.

The district recorded 27.5 per cent rain deficiency in the month of July as it received 270 mm rain as compared to 370 mm during the same period last year.

As a result, water level has declined by about four meters in both the dams. Water level should have been rising from August 1 but catchment areas of the two dams recorded 315 mm rainfall so far against last years 500 mm.

This has the farmers worried who have cultivated crops over 50,000 hectare (ha) of land. They apprehend inadequate supply of irrigation water in September when the crops are in flowering stage.

The low water levels and deficit rainfall will affect the entire kharif crop pattern in the tribal region, dreads Narendra Pradhan, a farmer from Kundra.

Chief construction engineer of both Upper Kolab and Telengiri projects Aswini Mohanty acknowledges the decline in water level in both the reservoirs during the first 10 days of August.

We are monitoring the rainfall pattern and will plan accordingly. I am hoping decent rainfall during the next couple of days, he said.

Similarly, Indravati Project reservoir in Kalahandi district has also witnessed a drop in water level due to inadequate rainfall in catchment areas.

Power generation, however, remains unaffected. The project - considered a lifeline for the region - is also grappling with reduced water retention capacity due to siltation.

The water level near the intake well is 630.86 meter as against the dead water level of 625 meter and highest level is 642 meter.

The current live stock level is at 27.84 per cent of the capacity which is a further drop from yesterdays 28.18 per cent level.

Project officials admit that the water level is dwindling. During the kharif season, a target to irrigate 92,816 ha through left, right and lift canals was set.

While Indravati generated 450 MW and 384 MW hydel energy on Monday and Tuesday respectively, farmers apprehend generation of power at this level despite adverse situations may affect irrigation in the coming days unless there is adequate rain in the catchment and the reservoir is filled up.

To add to the problem, the project is also facing acute siltation of about three meter near the intake well site. The catchment area of Indravati project is 2630 sq kms and mostly covers Thuamul Rampur block and Bufla Mali hills located in Kalahandi- Rayagada borders.

The siltation is attributed to extensive denudation of forest, podu cultivation and mining activities besides drying of the streams feeding Indravati river and the reservoir.

So far, no concrete step has been taken. As a makeshift arrangement, a siltation dam was constructed in 2002 which got washed away the next year.

No reconstruction has been attempted yet.Meanwhile, in Malkangiri, catchment areas of Balimela Dam reservoir at Chitrakonda and Satiguda Dam near Malkangiri town received torrential rainfall in the last two days.

Mind the Mark
Sputnik V can only be used on people within the age groups of 18-60 as more studies need to ensure the vaccine is safe for older people.

Editor's Note: This story was first published on 6 August 2020 and has been republished on 12 August due to the launch of the vaccine. This is an ongoing story and will be updated as and when new information comes in.

In a race to find a vaccine that will protect people from the novel coronavirus, six candidates from around the world are now in phase three of human trials. Recent reports from Russia claim that one of their candidates has completed safety and efficacy testing in human trials successfully. Russia will reportedly begin producing the vaccine soon and already has plans for a massive, country-wide vaccine drive.

Russia currently has two COVID-19 vaccine candidates in the race  one, a vaccine being developed by the Vektor State Research Center of Virology and Biotechnology. The second is a vaccine being produced by the Gamaleya Scientific Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology along with the Russian Defence Ministry.

As of 1 August, TASS reported that Phase 1 and 2 clinical trials of the Gam-COVID-Vac Lyo  the vaccine candidate from the Gamaleya Scientific Research Institute  were complete.

Sputnik V uses the common cold-causing adenovirus  thats been modified to carry genes for the spike protein that coats the coronavirus, as a way to prime the body to recognize if a real COVID-19 infection comes along.

TASS reported the head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) Kirill Dmitriev as saying that people who were injected with Gam-COVID-Vac Lyo developed immunity 21 days after receiving the first dose. Their immunity has doubled after they received the second injection, he added. The vaccine is supposed to help people develop immunity to the virus for at least two years.

"I can tell you, from the first and second phase we have a hundred percent of people developing immunity after day 21. It doubles after the second shot. Hundred percent of animals were also protected (against the novel coronavirus)," Dmitriev told TASS.

However, Sputnik reported that the vaccine can only be used on people within the age groups of 18-60. More studies need to be conducted to ensure the vaccine is safe for older people. This will be done in the post-registration clinical trials.

"In Russia, it is customary to certify [vaccines for] children from birth to 18 years old; adults from 18 to 60 years old; and older people  over 60 years old," said Vladimir Bondarev, the head of the Russian Health Ministry's Scientific Centre for Expert Evaluation of Medicinal Products. "Clinical studies have now been carried out on a group of volunteers aged from 18 to 60 years old. Thus, this vaccine is now indicated for use in people from 18 to 60 years old."

However, it was only on 13 July that the reports came out with Russia claiming that their two-part phase I trial was a success.

Russia has not publicly shared any findings from the vaccine trials. The World Health Organisation has been tracking over 160 leading COVID-19 vaccine candidates and hasn't reported the Gamaleya vaccine clearing the second or third phases of trials in humans. Health experts are worried that Russia is cutting corners and fast-tracking the process, putting people at risk. The WHO also stepped in and has urged the country to follow the established guidelines to produce a 'safe and effective vaccine'.

[Also read: WHO in close contact with Russian health ministry for 'rigorous review' of safety, efficacy data of 'Sputnik V' COVID-19 vaccine]

WHO spokesman Christian Lindmeier said at a press conference, "Sometimes individual researchers claim they have found something, which is of course, as such, great news. But between finding or having a clue of maybe having a vaccine that works, and having gone through all the stages, is a big difference."

Dr Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in the United States cautioned, I do hope that the Chinese and the Russians are actually testing the vaccine before they are administering the vaccine to anyone."

In a report by Bloomberg, Svetlana Zavidova the Executive Director of the Association of Clinical Trials Organizations said. Why are all corporations following the rules, but Russian ones arent? The rules for conducting clinical trials are written in blood. They cant be violated."

This is a Pandoras Box and we dont know what will happen to people injected with an unproven vaccine, she added.

"Vaccines that are not properly tested can cause harm in many ways  from a negative impact on health to creating a false sense of security or undermining trust in vaccinations," Thomas Bollyky, director of the global health program at the Council on Foreign Relations told The Associated Press.

On 2 August, Chief of Russias sanitary watchdog Anna Popova tried to reassure everyone in an interview on the Rossiya-1 television channel by saying, "I have no doubts that the vaccine (against the novel coronavirus) that is to reach people will be absolutely safe and, of course, efficient."

"I would like to hope that the (immunity) will be sustainable and lasting," she added.

The Russian Defence Ministry also stepped in to clarify that it "tests the vaccine on volunteers in full compliance with the acting legislation and scientific methodological regulations, in order to prevent further risks, without any attempt to reduce the duration of the research."

World's 'first' COVID-19 vaccine

On 12 August, Russia had approved Sputnik V (the official name of the vaccine) and registered it as the first Coronavirus vaccine, while the world looked on with concern since they had not completed the phase III of the clinical trial. Phase III is the only way to know with statistical certainty whether a vaccine can prevent an infection, and how effective it is. And because it tests a much larger group of people, a Phase 3 trial can also detect more subtle adverse effects of a vaccine that earlier trials could not.

The very next day, under 24 hours, the Health Minister Mikhail Murashko had announced that mass production of the vaccines have already begun. Within two weeks time, the vaccine will be delivered to Russian hospitals and will be given to people who volunteer for it including doctors.

The WHO has responded to Russia's claim and said that a rigorous review of the vaccine's safety data needs to be submitted if the country wants the WHO's stamp of approval.

"Pre-qualification of any vaccine includes the rigorous review and assessment of all the required safety and efficacy data," Tarik Jasarevic, spokesperson for WHO, said during an online press briefing.

"We are in close contact with the Russian health authorities and discussions are ongoing with respect to possible WHO pre-qualification of the vaccine."

Production of vaccine to begin

A Reuters report, citing an anonymous source, said that Russia's first potential vaccine will be approved by regulators this month. Production of this vaccine is all set to begin September.

Industry and Trade Minister Denis Manturov said in an interview with TASS said "The Gamaleya Institute is working on serial production with three enterprises with facilities in the Vladimir, Yaroslavl and Moscow regions, those are Generium, R-Pharm and Binnopharm... We very much hope that serial production will start as early as in September."

While no exact numbers were given, Manturov said that 'several thousands of doses' will be produced each month this year. By 2021, Russian companies will produce 'several million' doses of the Gamaleya National Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology vaccine.

Dmitriev, in an interview with the Rossiya-24 TV channel, said that more than 20 countries from around the world have shown interest in producing the Russian vaccine.

"Our foreign partners express great interest in producing this vaccine in their countries. There is great interest from Brazil, from India, from many other countries that are very much looking forward to the Russian vaccine, the first vaccine in the world," Dmitriev told TASS.

"And more than five countries are now actively working with us to start producing the Russian vaccine," he added.

Mass vaccination by October

On 1 August, Murashko said that Russian plans on starting a mass vaccination campaign against the novel coronavirus in October. According to a report by Livemint, the vaccine will be first given to doctors and teachers.

"We plan wider [vaccination] for October because we need to launch a new system of treatment gradually," Murashko said according to a report by TASS.

The vaccine will also be 'free of charge' and the cost will be taken from the country's budget.

Vektor vaccine

The EpiVacCorona vaccine being produced by the Vektor State Research Center and the Biotechnology of the Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing recently announced that they will begin mass production of the vaccine in November.

They had begun their human trials on 24 July and as of 4 August 2020, only three volunteers out of five have been vaccinated with the fifth volunteer getting the first dose yesterday, 5 August. The age from 18-30 years. The EpiVacCorona doses will be administered again after 21 days.

According to the Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing, Russia is developing 26 additional coronavirus vaccine candidates at 17 research institutions. Murashko said that in the next six to eight weeks, developers of two other vaccines will put in their permission request to start clinical trials on volunteers.

Also Read:

Cozy Bear: Everything we know about the hackers reportedly targeting COVID-19 vaccine research

Russia's COVID-19 vaccine successfully completes first phase of human clinical trials

Putin announces first 'registered' COVID-19 vaccine from Russia's Gamaleya Institute; his daughter among those inoculated
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-12 07:46:49|Editor: huaxia

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NEW YORK, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- "Respect science" and "hard work" are two core values conveyed by Chinese education. These values, together with the effective guidance of the government, enabled the Chinese people to win the war against the epidemic, according to an article published Monday on The New Yorker.

The article titled "How China Controlled the Coronavirus" is written by Peter Hessler, who was teaching and learning in Chengdu, the capital of China's Sichuan Province, during the pandemic.

It was true that the strict Chinese shutdown, in combination with border closings and contact tracing, had eliminated the spread of the virus in most communities in China, according to the article.

Hessler noted that some public health experts affirmed the participation of the neighborhood committees in epidemic prevention and contact tracing. The Chinese lockdown was more intense than almost anywhere else in the world. Neighborhood committees, the most grassroots level of Communist Party organization, enforced the rules.

There is not such neighborhood committee structure in the United States, and public health services might have served this purpose if the American system had been properly funded, according to the article.

Hessler also wrote about various epidemic prevention measures after the school reopening. The university introduced the fever tents, the delivery robots, and the facial-recognition scanners. The school scheduled regular hand-washing breaks, and every afternoon an announcement sounded over the intercom: "Temperature-taking time has arrived!"

According to the article, the current American failure doesn't narrowly reflect national character or values but, rather, a collapse of system: a crisis of leadership and institutional structures. Enditem
By Express News Service

PUDUCHERRY: Former Puducherry local administration minister A Elumalai died of COVID-19 at JIPMER on Wednesday. He was 55.

According to JIPMER sources, he was admitted with breathing difficulties last night and was found to be positive for COVID-19. He succumbed to the virus at around 2 p.m on Wednesday.

Rising from a very humble beginning, Elumalai first became an MLA when he won the Ossudu assembly constituency (SC) seat on a Puducherry Makkal Congress (PMC) ticket in 2001.

Elumalai along with party MLA K Lakshminarayanan became ministers in the Congress government led by N Rangasamy in November 2001. The party led by P Kannan gave unconditional support to the Congress government and subsequently merged with the Congress. Elumalai was also given the transport portfolio.

However, due to political trouble between the Congress and PMC leadership, both the PMC ministers resigned on January 28, 2004. He became part of Kannans new party Puducherry Munnetra Congress (PMC).

Elumalai once again won the Ossudu (SC) seat in 2006 as an independent after quitting the PMC. He extended support to the Congress government led by N Rangasamy. However, in the 2011 elections, he lost the seat to the N R Congress candidate P Karthikeyan.

He remained a Congress functionary till he passed away.
Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso (PANA) - Two new cases of coronavirus (COVID-19) were recorded Tuesday in Burkina Faso, taking to 1,213 the total number of people infected by the disease since March 9, the government information service (SIG) said
New Zealand officials are investigating the possibility that its first COVID-19 community transmission cases in more than three months were imported by freight, as the country's biggest city plunged back into lockdown on Wednesday.

The discovery of four infected family members in Auckland led Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to swiftly reimpose tight restrictions in the city and social distancing measures across the entire country.

The source of the outbreak has baffled health officials, who said they were confident there was no local transmission of the virus in New Zealand for 102 days.

"We are working hard to put together pieces of the puzzle on how this family got infected," said Director General of Health Ashley Bloomfield.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Director General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield speak at a press conference back in May. Source: AAP

Investigations were zeroing in on the potential the virus was imported by freight. Bloomfield said surface testing was underway at an Auckland cool store where a man from the infected family worked.

"We know the virus can survive within refrigerated environments for quite some time," Bloomfield said during a televised media conference.

The New Zealand unit of Atlanta, U.S.-based, Americold Realty Trust, a refrigerated storage specialist with operations in the United States, Canada, Argentina and Australia as well as New Zealand, identified itself as the owner of the cool store.

Americold NZ Managing Director Richard Winnall told the NZ Herald newspaper the infected man had been on sick leave for several days and all employees had been sent home for tests.

Four others linked to the family are considered probable cases after developing COVID-19 symptoms. They are in isolation awaiting test results.

A fifth confirmed case is in a managed isolation facility after arriving in the country from Pakistan via Dubai on August 7.

An infected man in his 50s worked at the cool store in Mt Wellington. Source: Google Maps

Virus can survive up to 72 hours on plastic

China has reported several instances of the coronavirus being detected on the packaging of imported frozen seafood in recent weeks.

The World Health Organization website states there is currently no confirmed case of COVID-19 transmitted through food or food packaging. However, it also notes that studies have shown that the virus can survive for up to 72 hours on plastic.

Story continues

Residents of Auckland, home to around 1.7 million people, were given just hours to prepare for the return to level 3 restrictions on Wednesday, requiring people to stay at home unless for essential trips.

"Going hard, going early with lockdown is still the best response," Ardern said. "Our response to the virus so far has worked ... we know how to beat this."

The rest of the country was placed back into slightly looser level 2 restrictions. The restrictions will initially remain in place until Friday.

Police set up roadblocks to discourage a mass exodus from Auckland, while supermarkets rationed the sale of some staple products amid a rush to the shelves. Long queues formed at COVID-19 testing centres in the city.

Ardern said her cabinet will decide on Friday on the next steps with regards to restrictions.

COVID infected had visited popular tourist spot

Two members of the infected family had visited tourist sites in the town of Rotorua, about three hours drive south of Auckland, while symptomatic, and a third had gone to work at a finance company in Auckland, also while symptomatic.

Bloomfield said four people who had contact with the family were considered likely cases. More than 200 people have been identified as contacts of the family and health officials were prepared to test tens of thousands of people in the coming days, he added.

With around 1,500 confirmed cases and 22 deaths, New Zealand's exposure to the virus remains well below many other developed nations.

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.
John MacArthur Sunday service: 'Welcome' to the 'peaceful protest;' preaches on obedience to Scripture

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Pastor John MacArthur, whose California church is holding in-person services in violation of the states COVID-19 health orders, opened his most recent sermon by welcoming his congregation to "the Grace Community Church peaceful protest.

"Good morning, everyone. I'm so happy to welcome you to the Grace Community Church peaceful protest, MacArthur, senior pastor of Grace Community Church, a megachurch in Sun Valley, California, said Sunday morning, drawing cheers and applause from worshipers.

MacArthur went on to explain that, based on the Word of God, his church is pro-life, pro-family, pro-law and order, and pro-church of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The preacher then invited a chaplain from the Los Angeles Police Department to deliver the services opening prayer. The chaplain prayed that MacArthur and his congregation would have the wisdom and faith to weather all of the things going on in church and outside church.

MacArthur preached from 1 Corinthians 1, which reads in part, For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.

We are here in obedience to our Lord, we are here because He has given us commands, not in a personal esoteric way, not through some vision or dream, not because I hear voices from Heaven, I dont, but because I have a Bible, he said. Grace Church is defined by its commitment to Holy Scripture. For true Christians, the Bible is our greatest treasure.

The mark of a true Christian is the love of Scripture, MacArthur said, adding: God's true church has always been a place where people hunger for the truth from the Bible. Thats why we're here.

If this pulpit was not the place for the proclamation of the Word of God, this place would begin to be empty, he added. That's why you're here ... it's clear to me that you love the word of God. That's why you're here.

"We're not smarter than anybody else," MacArthur stressed. "Were not more spiritual. We're not better people. Were as wretched as any and all sinners are. But we've been chosen. And then we've been called. And then we are being saved, sovereignly, supernaturally."

We're the nobodies, we get it," he concluded. "We're the nothings. Were nonexistent. Were the low of the low. But we have the wisdom of God, because God in His grace and mercy, called us."

MacArthur has made headlines in recent weeks after his church opted to meet in defiance of Gov. Gavin Newsom's second round of lockdown orders affecting church gatherings.

We are a church that has a reputation for the last 50 years of obeying the government, the pastor said in a recent interview with Fox News Shannon Bream.

We are a friend to this society, to every level of this society. We have been given awards and accolades and plaques from the city government, the police department, all in authority, because they recognize what an honorable congregation this church has been, he said.

But never before has the government invaded the territory the belongs only to the Lord Jesus Christ and told us we can't meet, we can't worship, we can't sing, the pastor continued.

There's no power given to the government to make those kinds of calls against us. ... We love our neighbors. We're not spreading anything but the Gospel, MacArthur said, noting that out of 7,000 church members, no one has had any effect if theyve had COVID.

Officials from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health reportedly threatened MacArthur with repercussions such as fines and even possible arrest if his church doesnt comply with state orders.

MacArthur and Grace Community Church have since received special counsel from President Donald Trumps personal attorney, Jenna Ellis, and religious freedom expert Charles LiMandri.
Law Offices of Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik De Blouw LLP If you would like to know more about the VXI Global Solutions, LLC lawsuit, please contact Attorney Nicholas J. De Blouw today by calling (800) 568-8020.

The Los Angeles employment law attorneys at Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik De Blouw LLP, filed a class action complaint alleging that VXI Global Solutions, LLC, failed to provide their California employees with proper compensation. The VXI Global Solutions, LLC class action lawsuit, Case No. 20STCV25007, is currently pending in the Los Angeles Superior Court of the State of California. A copy of the Complaint can be read here.

According to the lawsuit filed, VXI Global Solutions, LLC allegedly (a) failed to pay minimum wages, (b) failed to pay overtime wages, (c) failed to properly record and provide legally required meal and rest periods, (d) failed to provide PLAINTIFF accurate itemized wage statements, and (e) failed to reimburse employees for required expenses, all in violation of the applicable Labor Code sections listed in Labor Code Sections  226, 226.7, 510, 512, 1194, 1197, 1197.1, 2802, and the applicable Wage Order(s), and thereby gives rise to civil penalties as a result of such alleged conduct.

Additionally, the complaint further alleges VXI Global Solutions, LLC committed acts of unfair competition in violation of the California Unfair Competition Law, Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code  17200, et seq. (the UCL), by engaging in a company-wide policy and procedure which failed to accurately calculate and record all missed meal and rest periods by PLAINTIFFS and other CALIFORNIA CLASS Members. As a result of DEFENDANTs intentional disregard of the obligation to meet this burden, DEFENDANT allegedly failed to properly calculate and/or pay all required compensation for work performed by the members of the CALIFORNIA CLASS and violated the California Labor Code.

If you would like to know more about the VXI Global Solutions, LLC lawsuit, please contact Attorney Nicholas J. De Blouw today by calling (800) 568-8020.

Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik De Blouw LLP is an employment law firm with offices located in San Diego, San Francisco, Sacramento, Los Angeles, Riverside and Chicago that dedicates its practice to helping employees, investors and consumers fight back against unfair business practices, including violations of the California Labor Code and Fair Labor Standards Act. If you need help in collecting unpaid overtime wages, unpaid commissions, being wrongfully terminated from work, and other employment law claims, contact one of their attorneys today.

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SABA:--- Leisure travel from Curacao and Bonaire to Saba is no longer possible. Persons arriving from these two islands must now go into mandatory quarantine, except ZVK patients.

Island Governor Jonathan Johnson announced this during a COVID-19 update on Tuesday, August 11. The decision was taken considering the increase in COVID-19 cases on other islands, in particular Aruba, and the fact that Curacao and Bonaire had their borders open to Aruba in the past weeks.

Therefore, the risk profile of Curacao and Bonaire has changed from low to medium. This means that

that leisure travel from these islands is no longer allowed. Also, essential travelers entering Saba from Curacao and Bonaire must adhere to the 14-day mandatory quarantine. Quarantine is not required for patients returning Bonaire and Curacao, if they have travelled under the strict protocol of the Caribbean Netherlands Health Insurance Office ZVK.

Any incoming travelers from high-risk countries, such as the United States and Sint Maarten, are required to go to a central quarantine location. The traveler is responsible for organizing the purchase and delivery of groceries to this location, as well as paying for the costs of staying in this central quarantine location.

Travel during this time is very uncertain, which results in frequently changing travel policies and measures. We therefore advise persons wishing to travel off-island for non-essential purposes to take this into consideration. The organization of return travel, as well as any additional costs which may occur, will be a responsibility of the person in question, stated Johnson.

Under Sabas travel policy only essential travel, medical travel, students and returning residents may enter the island. Persons must request permission for entry before traveling and send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . If the request is approved, the person will receive a travel exemption letter which is needed for traveling. The letter outlines the conditions that must be followed. Persons without a letter will not be permitted to enter the island. Persons from medium and high-risk countries must have a negative COVID-19 test result in order to enter the island. Saba does not allow leisure visitors.

Saba is remains at alert level 2. This will remain for an additional two weeks, if no further developments occur. Since last week, Saba has two active cases of COVID-19. These persons are in isolation. Nineteen persons are in quarantine.
FILE - In this July 16, 2019, file photo an American flag flies on the Capitol Dome in Washington. The U.S. budget deficit climbed to $2.81 trillion in the first 10 months of the budget year, exceeding any on record, the Treasury Department said Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2020. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)

SILVER SPRING, Md. (AP)  The U.S. budget deficit climbed to $2.81 trillion in the first 10 months of the budget year, exceeding any on record, the Treasury Department said Wednesday.

The nation's budgetary shortfall is expected to eventually reach levels for the fiscal year that ends Sept. 30 more than double the largest annual deficit on record.

The federal government rang up a $63 billion deficit in July, the department reported. That's a relatively modest amount compared to red ink that spilled in the spring months when the government tried to revive an economy that all but ground to a halt due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Last month's deficit was sharply lower than June's $864 billion, in part because the government collected a record amount tax revenue in July  $563 billion  after extending the filing deadline to July 15. That extension allowed Americans more time to sort through the economic havoc wrought by the pandemic.

Outlays to the Small Business Administration, which doled out $511 billion as part of the Paycheck Protection Program in June, fell to about $26 billion in July.

So far this budget year, government receipts total $2.82 trillion, off just 1% from the same period last year, Treasury officials said, crediting the income replacement provided by various government aid packages. In other words, unemployment benefits and other aid are still taxable.

Outlays so far this budget year total $5.63 trillion, a 50% increase over the $3.73 trillion at this point in 2019, with the vast majority of the extra spending related to fortifying the country's economy in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

Congress has already passed rescue packages totaling nearly $3 trillion this year, but Democrats and Republicans remain far apart on another relief bill, just as an expanded unemployment benefit of $600 per week expired on July 31.

President Donald Trump issued a series of presidential directives last weekend to prolong the extended unemployment benefits at $400 a week, with 25% to be paid for by the states. But its unclear how much of an economic boost the extension would provide, given the economic uncertainty and funding that could run dry after five weeks.

Story continues

Democrats in the House passed another bill with $3 trillion in aid, but the Republican-led Senate is pushing for a package closer to $1 trillion and did not bring the House bill up for a vote before going on August recess.

The Congressional Budget Office has forecast a $3.7 trillion deficit for this fiscal year as the country fell into a deep recession in February, ending a record expansion of nearly 11 years. The Trump administration is predicting that the economy will bounce back in second half of 2020, but many private forecasters are concerned that consumers will dial back spending as infections surge in states like Florida. Consumer spending drives the U.S. economy, making up about 70% of all economic activity.

Last month, the government reported that the gross domestic product declined at a record 32.9% annual rate in the April-June quarter, as a resurgence of the viral outbreak pushed businesses to close for a second time in a number of regions.

For 20 consecutive weeks, more than a million Americans have sought jobless benefits. The unemployment rate fell last month to 10.2%, still higher than any point during the financial crisis of 2008-2009.

That was also when the federal government set the record for an annual deficit, hitting $1.4 trillion in 2009 as it tried to dig the country out of recession. The U.S. blew past that mark in May.
French police are investigating a spate of mysterious 'barbaric' killings of horses involving mutilation of the animals' bodies that have stunned rural France.

The latest in Cortambert, a village in the Saone-et-Loire region, occurred overnight on Friday.

The one-year-old filly's right ear was cut off, one of its eyes was gouged out, its neck slashed and its genitals had been cut away.

But police are struggling to identify the perpetrators or find a motivation behind the cruel killings, and are probing possible satanic links.

A woman discovered the body of a horse over the weekend that had been mutilated, and was the latest in a string of similar cases in France that have shocked the rural community. Pictured: Horses in pasture, Guillestre, France (file photo)

A woman discovered the horse over the weekend in a secluded meadow while walking near the village in the Burgandy region.

A Paris police spokeswoman said there had been about 10 similar cases across France since the start of the year, most in the north and many taking place in secluded meadows.

Jessica Martin, a police captain, said: 'Everything leads us to conclude that the horse was tortured. It's utterly barbaric.'

She said there were also cases between 2014 and 2016 and that similar killings and mutilations of horses had been reported in the past in Belgium and Germany.

But the high number in France was unprecedented over such a short period.

'We do not understand the motivation. Is it a satanic rite, insurance fraud, some macabre trophy hunt or an internet challenge? We don't know. It is very traumatising,' she said.

She said several different breeds of horses had fallen victim, as well as one donkey, and that mutilation of an ear was a common factor. No meat had been taken from the carcases.

The latest series of killings began of February 12 of this year, when a staff member at the agricultural college in Moselle, near France's eastern border with Germany, found the corpse of a horse lying in its paddock.

Thee days later, the son of a racehorse trainer found the body of Demon du Medoc, with an ear removed.

The trainer, Philippe Boutin, said 'I think they made him gallop and he died of heart failure, and then they cut off his ear.'

French police said there have been around 10 similar attacks on horses since the beginning of the year, but are struggling to find any suspects or motivation behind them

Mr Boutin said that he has known some cases of horses being shot and killed illegally for their meat, but noted that this motive had been ruled out in the recent cases.

In one instance, a horse had been electrocuted, believed to be with a portable generator, while others appeared to have been stunned or killed by a blow with a large stone before then being mutilated.

In April, a two-year-old horse was found dead by the daughter of a woman who breaks in horses.

Stephanie Gachelin said: 'At first we thought it was a natural death, then we discovered traces of wounds, and one of her ears was missing.'

Two other horses were found with wounds - on on the head and the other on the haunch, according to The Daily Telegraph.

National police are assisting local investigations of cases, and France has sent alerts to other European countries' forces, police captain Martin said.

In France, those who commit 'acts of cruelty or mistreatment of an animal' face up to two years in prison and a fine of 30,000 (26,973).
United Nations, Aug 12 : Aid arrivals are increasing in Lebanon as the United Nations continues its assessment of Beirut's emergency needs following last week's massive explosion, a UN spokesman said.

"A rapid assessment of the 55 primary health centers in the blast areas shows that some 35 per cent sustained moderate to severe damage," said Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Xinhua news agency reported on Tuesday.

The World Health Organization (WHO) is supporting the Lebanese Health Ministry in a detailed assessment of the damage to and functioning of the health facilities in Beirut, Dujarric said. In coordination with Lebanese authorities and the Lebanese Red Cross, a rapid shelter assessment has identified districts close to the blast site in the port as priority districts.

The WHO reports that an 18-ton shipment of personal protective equipment landed in Beirut Tuesday.

Damage to the port could also worsen problems in providing food to Lebanon.

David Beasley, executive director of the World Food Programme (WFP), is in Lebanon assessing needs following the August 4 blast.

Immediately after the explosion, the WFP allocated food parcels for 5,000 highly vulnerable households and is preparing to scale up as needed, said Dujarric.

The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) reports that the education assessment shows some 20 technical schools have been damaged. Providing precautionary tetanus shots for the injured is among UNICEF's priorities, said the spokesman.

The fund-raising conference on Sunday, chaired by France and the United Nations, has so far received more than US $290 million in pledges, he said.

The UN special coordinator for Lebanon, Jan Kubis, and Undersecretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix briefed the Security Council on Lebanon in a closed session on Tuesday. Lacroix said the UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon, known as UNIFIL, continues to work in close coordination with the Lebanese armed forces. It stands ready to assist the Lebanese forces and the Lebanese people, said Dujarric.
DENVER, Aug. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Voyager Space Holdings, Inc. (Voyager), a global leader in integrated space services, today announced that its subsidiary, Altius Space Machines, Inc. (Altius), was selected as a subcontractor to Dynetics, a wholly owned subsidiary of Leidos, to support the development of a human landing system for NASA's Artemis program. With Altius support, Dynetics aims to enable the Artemis program that will land the first woman and next man on the Moon by 2024.

Leveraging its deep expertise in space robotics, Altius develops on-orbit servicing technology, specializing in on-orbit assembly and manufacturing, orbital rendezvous and capture robotics, as well as in-space refueling. Altius will support development of the docking and refueling interfaces between the Dynetics lander and the modular propellant vehicle drop tanks, leveraging technologies the company has been developing for the satellite servicing and in-space refueling markets.

"We are living during an incredible time for the space industry, and developing a human landing system is a vital step as we embark on a new era of space exploration," said Jonathan Goff, founder and CEO, Altius Space Machines. "Altius is excited to support Dynetics as it helps NASA achieve its Artemis mission."

Altius' partnership with Dynetics continues a momentous inaugural year for Voyager, which includes the holding company's recent acquisition of Pioneer Astronautics . Pioneer Astronautics is currently focused on making sustainable life beyond Earth a reality, and was recently one of four businesses selected by NASA to help mature a range of lunar technologies for the sustainable exploration of the Moon, also under the Artemis program.

Both Altius and Pioneer Astronautics' successes demonstrate the tangible benefits of Voyager's model, with increased vertical integration and mission capability helping to enable humanity's most ambitious projects.

"Voyager and its subsidiaries continue to perform extremely well and we are excited to participate in the development of the next generation human landing system for the Artemis program," said Matthew Kuta, president and COO, Voyager. "We're proud to support Altius as it contributes to this historic mission."

For more information on Voyager please visit: https://voyagerspaceholdings.com/

About Voyager Space Holdings, Inc.

Voyager Space Holdings, Inc. is the world's leading space focused holding company. Voyager's long-term mission is to create a vertically integrated, publicly traded NewSpace company capable of delivering any mission humans can conceive. Via its operating subsidiary, Voyager Space Management Services LCC, Voyager centralizes core shared services and enables engineer founded and led subsidiaries to focus more on development of innovative products and solutions. The firm's first-in-industry model is uniquely tailored to support the growth and scale needs of commercial space companies by offering an alternative solution to traditional private capital models and replaces them with a longer-term approach as a provider of permanent capital. Voyager also operates an industry leading subsidiary focused exclusively on intellectual property acquisition and monetization via Voyager Space IP Holdings LLC. Voyager is led by founders and space industry veterans Dylan Taylor and Matthew Kuta, with an industry leading Board of Directors that includes National Security Expert and four-star Air Force General William Shelton, leading investor Gabe Finke, and the world's leading planetary scientist, Dr. Alan Stern. Voyager's distinguished Board of Advisors includes four astronauts: Mike Lopez-Alegria, Karen Nyberg, Scott Parazynski and Nicole Stott, Founding Director of In-Q-Tel Paul Kaminski, Chairman of the National Defense Industrial Association Dick McConn, CEO of the Mojave Spaceport Karina Drees, and former CEO of DigitalGlobe Jeff Tarr. To learn more about Voyager Space Holdings, Inc., please visit: https://voyagerspaceholdings.com/

About Altius Space Machines, Inc.

Altius is a space robotics and technology startup developing the interfaces, robotics, and vehicles to enable affordable satellite servicing and space logistics. Over its first 10 years of operations, Altius has developed expertise in orbital rendezvous and capture robotics, active debris removal, spacecraft mechanisms, in-space propellant transfer, satellite servicing, and on-orbit assembly and manufacturing, with a customer base including NASA, the DoD, and several commercial space companies. To learn more about Altius Space Machines, Inc., please visit: http://www.altius-space.com/

Cautionary Statement Concerning Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains "forward-looking statements." All statements, other than statements of historical fact, including those with respect to Voyager Space Holdings, Inc.'s (the "Company's") mission statement and growth strategy, are "forward-looking statements." Although the Company's management believes that such forward-looking statements are reasonable, it cannot guarantee that such expectations are, or will be, correct. These forward-looking statements involve many risks and uncertainties, which could cause the Company's future results to differ materially from those anticipated. Potential risks and uncertainties include, among others, general economic conditions and conditions affecting the industries in which the Company operates; the uncertainty of regulatory requirements and approvals; and the ability to obtain necessary financing on acceptable terms or at all. Readers should not place any undue reliance on forward-looking statements since they involve these known and unknown uncertainties and other factors which are, in some cases, beyond the Company's control and which could, and likely will, materially affect actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements. Any forward-looking statement reflects the Company's current views with respect to future events and is subject to these and other risks, uncertainties and assumptions relating to operations, results of operations, growth strategy and liquidity. The Company assumes no obligation to publicly update or revise these forward-looking statements for any reason, or to update the reasons actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements, even if new information becomes available in the future.

SOURCE Voyager Space Holdings, Inc.

Related Links

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The Eparch of the Eparchy of St Maron of Brooklyn expresses great hope that Lebanon will once again flourish and make her way back to being that Switzerland of the Middle East.

By Sr Bernadette Mary Reis, fsp

After praying the Angelus on Sunday, Pope Francis said Lebanon has a particular identity, that it is the fruit of the encounter of different cultures, that has emerged over the course of time as a model of living together.

In an interview with Vatican News, Bishop Mansour, Maronite Eparch of Saint Maron of Brooklyn, which covers the eastern United States, explains how Christians outside of Lebanon were sustaining their country prior to the explosion, and how Lebanons "identity as a model of different cultures" is sustaining it in the aftermath of last Tuesdays explosions.

Lebanon on the brink of failure

Lebanon was really on the brink of becoming a failed state. Such is the description Bishop Mansour gave of the situation Lebanon was in prior to the explosion. Since the government has not been able to meet the needs of the people, the Bishop said, "the Church, NGOs and families have been taking up the responsibilities of government for hospitals, schools, nursing homes, drug rehabilitation centers, and so on. Many Lebanese Christians living outside of Lebanon have been contributing to maintain these structures in operation.

Beauty of the Church

What has been sustaining Lebanon is the beauty of the Catholic Church, all the different rites, six different rites of the Catholic Church working very well together in Lebanon.

This is the beauty that began to unfold in the aftermath of last Tuesdays explosion, he says. It unleased deep suffering and horror and tears and compassion for the people of Lebanon, in Lebanese ex-patriots living in the United States.

Yet, despite the tremendous devastation, The next day, not even 24 hours, you saw young people in the streets with brooms and shovels and Lebanese sandwiches and bandages working alongside with first responders. It was just beautiful.

This showed Lebanese ex-patriots that the idea of Lebanon, the passion, the beauty of Lebanon is still very much alive.

the idea of Lebanon, the passion, the beauty of Lebanon is still very much alive

Model of different cultures living together

This is an echo of how Pope Francis described Lebanon, which, he said on Sunday, is often in his thoughts. He called on everyone, beginning with the Lebanese people to work together for the common good of this beloved country. He then said Lebanon has a particular identity, fruit of the encounter of different cultures, that has emerged over the course of time as a model of living together.

We have heard it from the Popes for a long time, Bishop Mansour says. Pope Paul VI at the end of Vatican II spoke about Lebanon, spoke about the son of Lebanon, Saint Charbel, as the way to renewal in the Catholic Church. That way is through prayer by love.

During the darkest days of the Civil War, Pope John Paul II referred to Lebanon as more than a country. Lebanon, Pope John Paul II said, is a message of fraternity  east and west.

Now Pope Francis has reaffirmed that identity of Lebanon.

That's the Lebanon we see and love and share and work for. It's a profound, beautiful country and we don't want it to lose its identity or its mission.

that's the Lebanon we see and love and share and work for. It's a profound, beautiful country and we don't want it to lose its identity or its mission

Roots of Lebanons identity

Lebanon goes way back to the Old Testament, Bishop Mansour explains. The Phoenicians were great navigators of the world. They built commerce through friendliness, through warmth and friendship, not through military might.

Just after World War I, the Maronite Patriarch went to Versailles leading a group of Christians and Muslims, including the Muslim Mufti, the Bishop continues. With the end of the Ottoman Empire, this delegation envisioned Lebanon that would be a refuge of Christians and Muslims alike.

The modern state of Lebanon was thus born.

It was a Lebanon that included people, that brought them into a refuge, that took them out of the storm and allowed eighteen different confessions of Christians, Muslims and Jews to be a Lebanon that could be a model for plurality in the world.

Listen to our interview with Bishop Gregory Mansour

Hope for Lebanons future

Bishop Mansour hopes that Lebanon will one day prove wrong Samuel Huntingtons theory wrong that Muslims and others could not get along.

I like to see Lebanon as Lebanon  as a contradiction to that dooming philosophy of life. And Lebanon has been that.



He admits that the Lebanon experiment and its democracy are fragile. However, he has great hope that Lebanon will once again flourish, that with the interest now being shown by other nations, especially those who have good intentions for Lebanon, Lebanon could make her way back to being that Switzerland of the Middle East, as it's sometimes called  the Paris  Beirut was called the Paris of the Middle East."

"It's a cross of Western and Eastern cultures, Muslim and Christian faiths, and it's really an example, especially in her youth. And that's what we don't want to ever lose.
From the earliest days of her career, Harris has faced questions about why she decided to go into law enforcement and spend years as a prosecutor, instead of working to defend those mistreated by the criminal justice system. She was, as she has told it, constantly asked why she would go to work for the man, meaning the law enforcement system. Even her own family questioned the decision, requiring Harris to explain why she believed that law enforcement has such a profound and direct impact on the most vulnerable among us, as she put it in an interview with The Washington Post last year.
Like many Ontario parents, Brad Thorpe had never heard of learning pods  until the provincial government announced two weeks ago that students in the province would be heading back to school in September without reducing class sizes at the elementary level.

For many students, that would mean stepping foot inside a classroom with about 30 others  a big jump for those who have been quarantining and staying within small social bubbles since schools switched to online learning after March break.

Thorpe, like many other parents and teachers, believes the provincial governments plan to reopen schools is unsafe in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Thats why he sprang into action.

So far, Thorpe has secured 600-square-feet of space in midtown Toronto for the learning pod. It has a private entrance, a washroom fitted for people with disabilities, and a small kitchen area with a sink. He hired a Ontario Certified Teacher and already has a cleaning team who will sanitize the classroom daily.

Now, he is looking for seven girls to join his 11-year old daughter Ty in a Grade 6 learning pod for $1,200 per student, per month.

Were in an unprecedented time in history where the school board cant guarantee me my kid will be safe, said Thorpe.

He acknowledged he is able to do all this because he already has a business and space in the city  Thorpe along with his wife Colleen McCay own and run a gym in the Davisville area. The two entrepreneurs are turning a room normally used for spin classes into a classroom.

Yet the past week has been an emotional roller-coaster for his family.

Ive been called cheap. Ive been called privileged. Ive been called exploitive. Ive been called opportunistic, said Thorpe. Im stressed as it is. My business has been closed for five months.

Interest in so-called learning pods, where several families bring their children together and hire a private tutor for home-schooling, has exploded since the Ontario government announced a full-time return to school in September for students. But health experts warn pods are not necessarily safe while others worry about what an exodus of affluent parents from the public school system means for those left behind.

British Columbia faced a similar backlash from worried parents and on Tuesday that province announced it was backtracking on its decision to open schools full-time on Sept. 8, saying teachers need more time to prepare for a safe school year. The B.C. government has not specified a new start date.

But some parents in Ontario want to take their childrens schooling into their own hands.

One Facebook group dedicated to helping parents and teachers find each other to form learning pods has more than 5,000 members, mostly in Ontario. According to a survey conducted among members, motivations for forming a learning pod range from safety concerns about public schools to anti-masking sentiments.

Many families are looking to host pods in their own homes, according to posts in the Facebook group. Some parents are running the pods themselves, while others post in the group looking for a certified teacher.

Outside of the Facebook group, tutoring centres have also picked up on the demand for alternative schooling options and are now offering learning-pod style classes.

The Ministry of Education did not respond to the Stars questions about learning pods. An Ontario policy memo on home-schooling states parents who intend to home-school their children must notify their local school board before Sept. 1.

Creating a safe learning space during a pandemic is not as easy as you may think, said Courtney Raponi, a former Toronto teacher who has a decade of experience as a public health inspector with Toronto Public Health and other health authorities.

Families forming learning pods need to take necessary precautions, she said. Whereas schools are regulated by district and provincial guidelines, learning pods are essentially on their own, she said.

These pods are so new that theres a whole lot of stuff that may not be considered.

Families who form learning pods should set up policies and procedures just like a school would, said Raponi.

Will children stay home if they have a cough? Will they quarantine at home? If yes, for how long? Will children bring their own utensils to eat lunch? Will tables be sanitized after every use? Will children be wearing masks?

With flu season approaching, these are especially important questions to consider, said Raponi.

Ideally, the teacher and children should have easy access to a sink in order to encourage handwashing, said Raponi. Teachers should also have sanitizing products or alcohol wipes handy if children will be sharing learning materials, she added.

Raponi said she understands why some families want to take their children out of public schools.

Before COVID-19-related measures shut down many businesses, Raponi worked as a consultant, conducting infection-control training in a multitude of settings. Many of her clients were schools.

Given the current class sizes, going to public school is a big risk unless they have the proper protocols in place, she said.

Inevitably theres going to be an outbreak  thats a known. It just depends whether they are going to contain it and keep school running or if theyre going to shut it down.

Raponi inspected dozens of schools during her time as a public health inspector. Health officials generally visit a school twice a year to check record-keeping practices, health protocols and whether there were enough cleaning supplies, she said.

She recalls going into public school washrooms hundreds of times only to find the soap dispenser was empty.

Thats a big problem, she said. If you have students walking around and they try to wash their hands and they cant because theres no soap, it doesnt matter how many janitors are there cleaning the doorknobs.

Some people are laying the blame at the Ontario governments feet and say that learning pods will have long-term consequences for the public school system.

The flow of affluent families out of public schools means families in poorer neighbourhoods will bear the brunt of the risk, said Kelly Iggers, a teacher librarian with the Toronto District School Board. She started an online petition calling for reduced class sizes that garnered 100,000 signatures within days.

This change in demographics in the public school system is bad for the entire system, she said. Families that are able to will take their children out of the system and families that have no choice will remain.

Thats a really destructive thing to do, she said. When you prompt families with privilege to opt out, you remove a lot of really powerful voices with the ability to advocate.

Voices like Thorpes family.

Thorpe, who also runs a fitness-equipment company, and McCay, who ran a girls summer camp last year, have the business know-how to set up a learning pod in a week.

And its not cheap.

The pod, if they manage to recruit seven more students, will function as a non-profit. The teacher would be earning about $60,000 to teach five days a week, from September to June, according to Thorpe. The learning pod will pay $1,500 per month in rent to the gym. Hiring a lawyer to draw up contracts for parents and teachers to sign will cost a significant amount of money. Thorpe is also purchasing insurance for the learning pod.

We are prepared to do whatever we can do to provide a safer environment than what (the government) is providing, he said.

Thorpe said he wishes he could send his daughter back to public school, but that he does not feel it is safe to do so.

But putting your child in a learning pod is not necessarily safer than sending them to school, said Dr. Ronald Cohn, president and CEO of Sick Kids.

In an interview with the Star last week, Cohn a pediatrician, acknowledged that anxiety levels are high among parents, but urged caution to those considering creating learning pods. He said pods require the same public health measures as schools, such as masking, enhanced cleaning and physical distancing, to be safe.

Maybe you have 10 kids in a small room and theres no distancing  then its as bad as if you have 20 (kids), he said.

Cohn said parents and educators teaching in learning pods should know that Sick Kids guidelines apply to them too. The guidelines recommend two-metres of space  and a minimum of one metre  between children.

You need to make (pods) as safe as you make school safe, he said.

Thorpe said students in his pod will sit in desks at least two metres apart and will be asked to wear masks as much as possible.

Each desk will have a bottle of hand sanitizer on it. Because the classroom is normally used for exercise classes, it has significant ventilation. Thorpe is also considering mandatory temperature checks, where parents in the pod will be asked to check their childs temperature every morning before heading to class.

If this is what the scientific community is putting forth, if we need to implement that, then thats what we need to do, said Thorpe. If you dont like that, then dont join our pod.
By Laman Ismayilova

Azerbaijani fashion designers continues to captivate audiences worldwide.

Fashion designer Shervin Najafpour has dazzled guests of fashion show in Turkey. Her fashion collection "Land of our origin" was highly appreciated by fashionistas.

"Land of our origin" is characterized by the elegant silhouettes and gorgeous color palette.

Through her fashion collection, Shervin Najafpour aims to promote Azerbaijan's rich cultural heritage.

The fashion collection features 15 magnificent gowns inspired by Azerbaijani flag and Gobustan rock art.

Settled since the 8th millennium BC, Gobustan is home to some of the world's most impressive rock engravings

Most of the rock engravings in Gobustan depict primitive men, animals, battle-pieces, ritual dances, bullfights, boats with armed oarsmen, warriors with lances in their hands, camel caravans, pictures of sun and stars.

Stunning fashion collection was created together with the support of famous Turkish designer Haktan Bucke, world-famous Turkish "Argento" beachwear company as well as "Your Bohemian", which sells Shervin Najafpur collections in Antalya.

The fashion collection was previously shown at Antalya Fashion Week-2020.

Shervin Najafpour is a Norwegian fashion designer of Azerbaijani origin. She designs stylish clothes for many celebrities and even royal family.

Last year, Shervin Najafpour presented "I'm a Star" collection at Antalya Fashion Week 2019 in Turkey. Her collection was highly appreciated by fashion experts.

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Elizabeth McKinnon explains to Glenda Guerra how to self-swab for a COVID-19 test at the Ontario Convention Center on July 24. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

California's second surge of the coronavirus has resulted in a near doubling of weekly deaths since the spring  with almost 1,000 fatalities in the last week alone  and radically shifted the geography of the outbreak, a Times data analysis found.

Suburban and agricultural areas that had been relatively spared during California's first surge of the virus are now being ravaged. And urban areas such as Los Angeles County and the San Francisco Bay Area are reporting fatality numbers just as high, if not higher, than in the spring.

The Central Valley has become home to one of the worst coronavirus hot spots in the country.

In eight southern Central Valley counties, weekly COVID-19 deaths have jumped from about 20 a week in April to nearly 200 a week in the last two weeks, a Times analysis found. San Joaquin Valley residents make up 20% of recent deaths statewide, even though they account for about 10% of the state's population.

For the seven-day period that ended Monday, 969 deaths were reported across California, the largest weekly death toll since the pandemic began. During the springtime surge of the virus, the highest weekly death toll was during the week of April 21, when 553 deaths were reported.

In the southern part of the state, suburban regions are also experiencing a surge in deaths. San Bernardino County recorded 128 coronavirus fatalities in the seven-day period that ended Monday, almost quadruple the weekly death toll of 34 the week before. Riverside Countys weekly death toll of 83 last week was about double what it was in April.

Orange County tallied 73 deaths last week; for the week of April 21, Orange County recorded six deaths. Ventura County recorded 16 deaths last week; that county reported fewer than five deaths a week in April.

But, overall, perhaps the greatest cause for concern is the Central Valley.

The worsening death toll comes as the coronavirus has spread rapidly among low-wage essential workers in jobs such as agriculture and food processing. Major outbreaks have been reported at a Foster Farms poultry processing plant in Merced County; Central Valley Meat Co., a meatpacking facility in Kings County; and Ruiz Foods, a frozen-food packager in Tulare County.

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It's clear why the San Joaquin Valley is being adversely affected, said Edward Flores, a sociology professor with UC Merced's Community and Labor Center: The region has an extraordinary number of residents who work as low-income, frontline workers, people with precarious job security in a region notorious for violating workplace safety rules.

"All of these issues ... existed before the COVID pandemic. And just like any other inequality, it's just gotten bigger now," Flores said. "It was there before  people were dying on the job; people were losing limbs. ... Now that there's a pandemic, those agencies are probably going to be even more overwhelmed."

An analysis by the labor center found that 34% of employees in the San Joaquin Valley work in frontline jobs where there is an increased risk of contracting COVID-19 because employees can't work from home. More than 40% of workers in Madera County are essential workers  making it the county with the third-highest share of these workers of any other county nationwide.

By contrast, about 18% to 22% of employees in L.A., Orange and San Diego counties and the Bay Area work in frontline essential jobs, such as in agriculture, mining, food manufacturing, grocery retail, transportation, warehousing and healthcare.

Part of the problem, Flores said, is that many of the existing COVID-19 health policies "do little for low-wage workers that ... can't afford to take time off from work without risking starving or being evicted."

Although efforts have been made statewide to give more days of paid leave to workers in the food industry, Flores says he wonders how much workers  especially those in the country illegally  know about those rights and what happens if they are fired when trying to follow the rules.

"Employers have a role in this, and they're just absconding their responsibilities in the name of trying to make a quick profit," Flores said, citing employers who have threatened workers that they'll lose their jobs if they miss work. "As long as we want food on our table, there's going to be people working in some amount of proximity to each other  not just Skyping or Zooming from home  and our policies need to address that."

Flores said two major things needed to be done: guaranteeing workers get paid if they became infected or needed time off to take care of a loved one, and improving and enforcing health and safety standards at workplaces.

The recent outbreaks also have been fueled by some of the most disastrous prisoner transfers in California history.

State officials unwittingly transferred infected prisoners from the California Institution for Men in Chino and seeded new cases at Corcoran State Prison in Kings County and triggered an especially devastating outbreak at San Quentin State Prison in Marin County. The San Quentin outbreak has resulted in the deaths of 25 prisoners and one guard to date, and has filled hospital beds throughout the Bay Area.

After the initial transfer, infected inmates from San Quentin were then shipped to a prison in Lassen County, fueling outbreaks in California's rural northeast.

An outbreak at Avenal State Prison has been blamed for infecting staff who live throughout the Central Valley, worsening disease transmission in Fresno and Kings counties.

Health experts said that some states moved too quickly to reopen society after the first wave of coronavirus cases. Gov. Gavin Newsom, under pressure to lift months-long stay-at-home restrictions in May that had closed vast swaths of the economy, began allowing counties to reopen businesses before meeting his own previously established criteria to reopen safely.

Without naming specific states, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the U.S. government's top infectious diseases expert, said at a Brown University School of Public Health forum last week that some leaders "skipped over some of the checkpoints" recommended for a safer reopening and loosened stay-at-home orders without waiting for new cases to go down. Outbreaks began spreading at workplaces, and viruses were transmitted at barbecues, parties and bars.

The regions of California hit hardest in the earliest phase of the pandemic  the Bay Area and L.A. County  have seen weekly deaths return to  or exceed  springtime levels.

L.A. County's weekly death tally in the spring peaked at 329 in late April, then dropped as low as 194 in late June before climbing as high as 327 two weeks ago and 296 last week.

The Bay Area has seen a death tally worse even than its springtime levels. The region recorded as many as 67 deaths in a single week in April; two weeks ago, the Bay Area recorded 81 deaths. Last week there were 72 fatalities.

San Diego County recorded its two worst weekly fatality counts in mid-July, tallying an average of 56 weekly deaths over two weeks  more than double its April average. In the last two weeks, weekly fatalities are averaging about 31 a week.

Other counties with a sharp growth in recent COVID-19 deaths include Sacramento, Santa Barbara and Sonoma. California's cumulative COVID-19 death toll is more than 10,600.

Still, officials are expressing a note of optimism: Weekly cases and hospitalizations appear to have hit their second peak, even when factoring in a glitch in the state's reporting system for new cases that was being resolved over the weekend.

Last week, there were an average of 5,816 people in hospitals every day with confirmed coronavirus infections statewide, the second consecutive week there was a decline. The number hit its highest point three weeks ago, when an average of 6,941 people were in the hospital daily in a seven-day period.

Although the statewide average is decreasing, not all regions have seen a decline in hospitalizations. The seven-county Sacramento area has recorded 11 straight weeks of increasing hospitalizations.

Amid the latest surge, elected officials have said they intend to learn from the past in considering future reopening plans.

"We all can see, in retrospect, that some things did open up too quickly, that we didn't stick with the methodology of do-something-and-wait-three-weeks and see the effect," Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said on July 22. "It became kind of a domino effect with the ... irrational exuberance of everybody thinking we could rush back to normal."

Times staff writers Hailey Branson-Potts, Kim Christensen, Taryn Luna, Luke Money, James Rainey, Jake Sheridan and Richard Winton contributed to this report.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-12 15:38:55|Editor: huaxia

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NEW DELHI, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- Four Naxals were killed Wednesday in a fierce gunfight with government forces in the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh, police said.

The gunfight broke out inside the forest area of Jagargund in Sukma district, about 500 km south of Raipur, the capital city of Chhattisgarh.

"Today four Naxals were killed in a gunfight inside Jagargund forest," a police official said. "The gunfight broke out after a joint team of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and District Reserve Guard (DRG) start search operation on the intelligence information."

The government forces have not suffered any casualty in the stand-off.

Police said the search operation was underway in the area.

Currently, Naxals are active across the central and eastern parts of India.

India's former prime minister Manmohan Singh once termed the Naxalite movement as India's "greatest internal security challenge".

New Delhi has deployed several companies of its paramilitary forces to take on Naxals in their strongholds.

The insurgency reportedly has claimed hundreds of lives besides rendering thousands of poor inhabitants homeless. Enditem
Top Reasons Employees Leave Companies

Even in a Pandemic, Companies Still Struggle with Employee Turnover

Even in a Pandemic, Companies Still Struggle with Employee Turnover

A Better Offer Elsewhere is the Top Reason Employees Quit



Latest Data from The Harris Poll



TORONTO, Aug. 12, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In a time of record unemployment due to the COVID-19 pandemic, nearly 3 in 10 Canadian hiring decision-makers (27%) say one of the biggest pain points for employers when it comes to hiring is employee turnover.

This is according to a newly released survey conducted by The Harris Poll and commissioned by Express Employment Professionals.

Hiring decision-makers say employees cite better offerings at other companies as the top reason for quitting, such as pay/benefits (36%), perks (27%) or advancement opportunities (31%).

The primary reasons current employees leave jobs include:

Had a better offer from another company  32% Lack of advancement/opportunity  21% Work hours are not suitable  20% Not a good fit with company culture  17% Low pay  16%

Bruce Hein, Express franchise owner in Sarnia, Ontario, agrees that a better offer from another company is generally the most common reason employees leave their jobs.

Its an all-encompassing reason because that better offer could include better hours, improved culture, opportunities for advancement, more money, generous benefits or all of the above, Hein said.

Express franchise owner Brent Pollington, based in Vancouver, British Columbia, also sees a better offer as the top reason to leave a job.

I think certain companies feel its a hiring market and try to hire people at a much lower rate, Pollington said. This is solving a short-term problem, however the candidate continues to seek employment at the market rate they feel they are entitled to. This results in disengagement and dissatisfaction from both parties.

Of those whose company has had extended job vacancies, the vast majority (81%) say the extended vacancies had a negative impact on their company. This includes work not getting done (28%), less motivated employees (27%), lower employee morale due to employees being overworked (25%), loss in revenue (25%) or delays in delivery times (22%).

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Hanif Hemani, managing director of an Express Employment office in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, notes that some of the impacts of extended vacancies on companies include, inadequate coverage of certain required functions, missing or incomplete tasks due to poor communication or anticipated contingency planning. This ultimately leads to internal employee dissatisfaction and external client dissatisfaction.

The extent to which these negative impacts are felt vary by company size, with the largest companies about two to three times as likely than the smallest companies to say they experience these frustrations.

When it comes to attracting workers, Pollington recommends that hiring decision-makers focus on what the typical applicant is looking for and what they gain from joining the company.

Although the market has shifted slightly as a result of COVID-19, it is still very much a balanced market where companies and applicants have equal control and power in the market, Pollington said.

In terms of employee retention, Hein notes that it isnt an exact science because not everyone is looking for the same thing in a job; however it is still worth paying attention to.

If employers wish to retain workers, the best thing they can do is try to keep them engaged, whether its through ongoing training and development, setting clear expectations, flex time, bonuses, potential for advancement, etc., Hein said.

Hein, Hemani and Pollington all agree that federal support programs such as the Canadian Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) have impacted the ability to attract workers, particularly at the entry-level position.

Hemani notes however that federal interventions have been both positive and negative.

For existing employees, the federal programs such as the Canadian Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS) has helped employers keep their doors open and employees working in many cases. However, the CERB has made recruitment of new employees, especially for seasonal, temporary or lower wage roles much more difficult, he said.

Employees are a companys most valuable asset, and no matter market conditions, its important to take care of them, says Express CEO Bill Stoller.

There are a lot of variables in the current economic climate, but the one thing that will always propel businesses to success is a healthy company culture, he said. Good employees are worth the investment.

Survey Methodology

The survey was conducted online within Canada by The Harris Poll on behalf of Express Employment Professionals between April 21 and May 6, 2020 among 501 Canadian hiring decision-makers (defined as adults ages 18+ in Canada who are employed full-time or self-employed or have been laid off, furloughed, or given a zero hour schedule in the past 60 days but worked full-time or were self-employed full-time prior, work at companies with more than 1 employee, and have full/significant involvement in hiring decisions at their company). Data were weighted where necessary by company size to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population.

If you would like to arrange for an interview to discuss this topic, please contact Adria Minsky at (416) 620-7111 or email adria@mapleleafstrategies.com .

About Bill Stoller

William H. "Bill" Stoller is chairman and chief executive officer of Express Employment Professionals. Headquartered in Oklahoma City, the international staffing company has more than 825 franchises in the U.S., Canada and South Africa, and beginning in 2020 will expand to Australia and New Zealand. Since its inception, Express has put more than 8 million people to work worldwide.

About Express Employment Professionals

At Express Employment Professionals, were in the business of people. From job seekers to client companies, Express helps people thrive and businesses grow. Headquartered in Oklahoma City, OK, our international network of franchises offer localized staffing solutions to the communities they serve, employing 552,000 people across North America in 2019. For more information, visit www.ExpressPros.com.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/0155116a-8dee-4c9a-bd17-c42120798be2




By Kristen A. Graham, The Philadelphia Inquirer

The University of Pennsylvania will hold only remote classes for undergraduates this fall, and almost no students will live in its dormitories, officials said Tuesday. Penn will also cut tuition by 3.9%.

Citing the alarming rate of COVID-19 spread across the country, officials including Penn President Amy Gutmann said that they could not offer the hybrid learning experience they had hoped, with students who wanted to live on campus doing so. Instead, all classes will be held virtually and dorms will be open only to international students and those with significant housing or personal hardships.

Penns decision comes as a growing number of school districts and universities opt for all digital experiences in the face of rising coronavirus cases. Princeton University on Friday made that move. Other schools  including Lehigh, Rutgers, West Chester, the College of New Jersey, and Dickinson  have gone the same route, with no or very limited housing on campuses.

Penn also joins a number of schools cutting student costs, despite the pandemics wreaking havoc with school finances.

Penn had initially planned to bring about 4,000 students back to campus for the fall semester. Roughly 5,500 students lived on campus before the pandemic.

Graduate and professional programs at Penn will evaluate their own operations, officials said.

Gutmann and other top university officials said they made the decision with an enormous sense of sadness. But if they did allow all Penn students to live on campus with the current trends of coronavirus spread, officials said, most would have to go into a two-week quarantine. Supply chain issues have also hampered the availability and turnaround time for COVID-19 tests.

The combination of these factors radically constrains our ability to provide a safe and meaningful on-campus experience for our undergraduates, Gutmann said in a message to the university community.

Penn had already said most courses would be online, with limited exceptions for some classes, like nursing clinics. No on-campus activities will be held, either.

For the safety of our students and the broader community, we are encouraging all other students not to return to Philadelphia, the universitys message said.

Officials said the universitys faculty would provide robust educational opportunities, but they deeply regret that these changes represent a significant disappointment to families and students.

Penns tuition cut effectively freezes last years tuition rate. Penn will also reduce its general fee by 10%. Students who have paid housing and dining fees will receive credits or refunds.

Earlier this month, Penn students set to work in residence halls aired concerns with any plan to bring students back to campus, demanding hazard pay and safer conditions inside dorms.

Penns announcement, which comes less than a month before the planned Sept. 1 start of the fall semester, threw many students plans into question.

RAs and GAs still dont have any information about whether we still have our housing, whether we are able to work remotely and still keep our jobs and housing for at least the spring, said Kaiyla Banks, a rising senior from Philadelphia and a resident adviser who worries about what the decision will mean for vulnerable first-generation college students and those who are low-income. Were still in the dark.

Cole McCann-Phillips, a rising sophomore from Berkeley, Calif., said many of his peers have already bought plane tickets to Philadelphia because Penn said they would have a place to live.

It really is just horrifying to me, the lack of cognizance that Penn has demonstrated by including one line in the email asking students not to return to West Philadelphia, McCann-Phillips said. Its a really hard Catch-22 because, on the one hand, you dont want to bring people from around the country into Philadelphia, but on the other hand, people should be guaranteed housing by the university.

More privileged Penn students who already planned to come to University City will now likely search for off-campus housing, McCann-Phillips said, calling the move tone-deaf.

Displacing people from the West Philadelphia community is definitely going to happen, he said.
Pakistan on August 11 observed the National Minorities Day to honour the services and sacrifices rendered by the countrys religious minorities for the country. However, minorities in the Muslim-majority country continue to face discrimination.

By Robin Gomes

The National Minorities Day is observed on August 11 to honour Pakistan's religious minorities who have contributed to creating Pakistan and in nation-building. It commemorates the speech of Pakistans founding father Muhammad Ali Jinnah to the legislature on Aug. 11, 1947, days before Pakistan separated from India, in which he pledged to protect the rights of non-Muslims in the newly created country.

To assert this commitment, the government of Pakistan declared 11 August as National Minority Day in 2009.

Members of various religious minorities organized several events on Tuesday, including seminars and social gatherings.

In a message for the occasion, Pakistani President Arif Alvi reaffirmed that all communities residing in the country will be treated and respected equally so that the country can further march on the path of progress and development.

HRCP: government has failed

Meanwhile, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has expressed concern over the state of religious minorities in the country and called for amending the Constitution to protect their rights and freedoms.

In a statement, the human rights watchdog noted that 73 years after Jinnahs historic speech, Pakistans religious minorities "continue to be relegated to the status of second-class citizens, vulnerable to inherent discriminatory practices, forced conversions, and faith-based violence."

The HRCP expressed concern over the governments Single National Curriculum, saying it violates the constitutional guarantee that no member of a religious minority will be required to receive religious instruction not relevant to their own religion.

Over 96 per cent of Pakistans estimated population of 220 million is Muslim, in which the largest groups are ethnic Punjabis and Sunni Muslims. Catholics and Protestants number around 2 million each, making up less than 1 per cent of the population respectively. Ahmadis, Christians, Hindus, Sikhs and Shias are said to be the most discriminated against.

In its annual report released in May, HRCP had pointed out that religious minorities continued to suffer in 2019, including discrimination, unabated honour killings, forced conversions of minority Hindu under-age girls and continued use of a blasphemy law that carries the death penalty to intimidate and settle scores, forced conversions and persecution under blasphemy laws and discrimination.

Minorities: lack of enforcement mechanisms

At a conference organized in Faisalabad on the eve of the National Minorities Day, leaders of religious and civil society groups expressed concern over the governments position towards minorities.

Speaking at the conference on Collective efforts for advancing diversities, Catholic Bishop Indrias Rehmat of Faisalabad said disparities of rights in policies and laws can never ensure equality of status and treatment.

The participants pointed out that the government has failed to take seriously the problems minorities face, noting that quotas for minorities are a futile attempt to ensure political, religious, social and economic equality if there is no proper enforcement mechanisms.

According to Rizwan Ullah Kokab, a professor at the Government College University, in a multi-cultural and multi-religious society, the authorities "ethnocentric" approach is not useful to the cause of national unity.

Hamid Yaseen of the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists noted that education policy must incorporate the concept of human rights, social justice, peaceful coexistence and non-discrimination.

Father Kahid Rasheed Asi of Faisalabad said more efforts are needed to reverse discrimination and convert the representation of minorities into participation.
There's a documentary about a sad and pathetic clown named "Wrinkles" whom some parents in Florida apparently hire for parties to frighten their children. Wrinkles looks exactly like Joe Biden. His face seems to be falling off on one side. His hair is glued on in patches. His "smile" is fixed in a lipstick-painted "d'oh!" position that matches Old Joe's to a T. Anyway, I can't look at Biden anymore without thinking of Wrinkles. Joe Biden's handlers have locked him up in his basement for controlled and scripted remote interviews with select members of the press. Wrinkles escaped his basement, and children run from him screaming and crying whenever he heads their way. Again, the similarity is uncanny.

It occurs to me that "Wrinkles" Biden is all that remains of a party that spent over half a century marketing itself as the home of both JFK and MLK Jr. Both Kennedy and King were struck down in their primes, their youth made permanent for the generations to follow. Both were fiercely patriotic and anti-communist. Both saw taxation as a hindrance to national economic growth and personal ownership and industry as the keys to inter-class mobility. Both fought for a colorblind society where hard work, not government welfare, would level the playing field for all.

Everything Kennedy and King articulated for American greatness has been abandoned by the Democratic Party, and in their place "Wrinkles" Biden and race-hustler Al Sharpton now stand. Families may always be rising and falling in America, but falling from Kennedy to Biden and King to Sharpton during the space of Biden's own political career is more than a drop; it's a death rattle.

How can any Old Guard Democrat hang on to the "party of JFK" when it has become the "party of Fidel Castro"? There's no way to honor Kennedy by paying allegiance to a new generation of communists representing everything he abhorred. There's no way to fight for King's vision of a merit-based and race-blind America by reinstituting segregation and racial privileges in the name of "justice."

Any person with wisdom insists on being smarter today than yesterday; any person seeking change must possess a mind capable of change, too. Surely any Reagan Democrats who returned to their roots during the Bush years or Kennedy Democrats who looked past Obama's cultural Marxism in the errant hope that Camelot would return can now see that the Democratic Party platform offers nothing for the future other than Mao Zedong's Cultural Revolution, Hugo Chavez's empty promises, and Fidel Castro's romanticized forced misery for all.

As Reagan used to say, he didn't actively seek to leave the Democratic Party; he looked around where he had always been standing and realized that the Democrats had moved beyond any length of principle that might keep them tethered still. If Biden's embrace of Bernie Sanders's socialist blueprint for remaking America into Venezuela still seems reasonable, then you never were a Kennedy Democrat; you were a Khrushchev-Castro "revolutionary" all along. In that case, the Democratic Party has finally come home to you.

But if you are looking around at the Democrats' organized violence and deliberate destruction of our cities and wondering how they could be fighting for America while burning America to the ground, then perhaps you're willing to go a little farther by asking whether Donald Trump is really the monster CNN insists he is.

In what must have seemed counterintuitive to career politicians, Donald Trump proved that you don't have to hide the truth to remain electable. You don't have to obey the left's freshly minted mandates of political correctness set in print by the AP Stylebook and enforced by stern-looking news anchors who insist, "That's the way it is." You don't have to pretend you're someone you're not. But you do have to be for America and against her enemies. Just like JFK and MLK, Jr., President Trump loves the country he leads. It is a difficult but almost certain truth that our heroes and the heroes of the New Democratic Party are not now the same and never will be.

So many Americans are waking up strangers in a strange land. Everything we say is monitored for its undesirability. Every thought is examined for its extremeness. Careers are made or destroyed depending upon our submission to ideas and beliefs that are not our own. And our enemies in China and Iran are celebrated, while the American president is vilified by the press.

All the while, members of the New Democratic Party keep poking us in the chest and insisting, "You are not what America should be." No battle was fought. No border was redrawn. No great revolution occurred. Nonetheless, the America of JFK and MLK, Jr. is being swapped for one imagined by Howard Zinn, with "Wrinkles" Biden as the figurehead the new communists need him to be.

This goes well beyond Trump-hatred. This is the malignant spirit of anti-Americanism that always bubbles right beneath the surface of the New Democratic Party's contempt for us all. This is freedom under the yoke of falsehood. And if you're awakening to what's going on around you, then you know it's time to walk away from the Democratic Party for good.

Hat tip to Sandalwood and Jayhawkers everywhere.
BRIDGEPORT  Incumbent state Rep. Antonio Felipe appears to have fended off a challenge in Tuesdays primary in the 130th state House District.

Felipe faced downtown businessman Kelvin Ayala in the race in which Felipe was backed by Mayor Joe Ganim and the citys powers that be.

That support paid off in terms of absentee ballot results, which appeared to overcome an eight-vote, 417-409 advantage for Ayala among those who voted in person Tuesday. The results are unofficial.

Felipe said Wednesday morning that the results so far showed him winning the absentee ballots counted by a 469-189 margin, which would mean an overall 878-606 lead.

Though absentee ballots postmarked by Tuesday and received by Thursday still need to be counted, neither candidate expected too much to change going forward.

We won overwhelmingly on the preliminary ABs and we dont feel like the ratio will be much different going forward, he said. A lot of the people who wouldve gone to the polls decided to stay home and cast their ballot from home and Im grateful for all their support.

In a way, the results mirrored those of last years mayoral primary, in which Ganim lost the Election Day vote but overcame challenger state Sen. Marilyn Moore in absentee ballot votes with the backing of the citys political machine.

Ayala, who backed Moore in last years primary, said he had conceded the race Wednesday morning.

He said he thought his campaign had neutralized any advantage Felipe would have in absentee ballots but said it was an unfair advantage for Felipe, the endorsed candidate of party leaders, to appear next to presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden on the ballot.

There is no answer for a voting population who voted for Biden and saw Antonio Felipes name next, he said. Those were the optics for about 50 percent of these AB voters who had no clue about a state representative race and simply voted in an effort to remove (president Donald) Trump from office.

With his seat all but guaranteed in the deeply Democratic district, Felipe said it was time to put differences within the party aside for the greater good.

Its important to get rid of Donald Trump and make sure we have a viable candidate in the White House, he said. Its been an honor serving and itll be an honor to continue to serve. Were going to push as hard as we can for Joe Biden, Kamala Harris and the entire Democratic team.
Top Diplomat Visits Central Europe as US Looks to Confront Russian, Chinese Influence

By Nike Ching August 11, 2020

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo began a weeklong trip to central Europe with a stop Tuesday in the Czech Republic where he is scheduled to give a speech and have a dinner meeting with Foreign Minister Tomas Petricek.

Pompeo is also set to visit a museum commemorating the U.S. role in liberating the region during World War II.

The top U.S. diplomat's trip comes as the Trump administration looks to confront Russian and Chinese economic and geopolitical competition in Europe.

Pompeo is traveling to Prague and Pilsen in the Czech Republic; Ljubljana, Slovenia; Vienna, Austria; and Warsaw, Poland, from Aug. 11 to Aug. 15.

He will become the first secretary of state since 2011 to visit Slovenia, where he will sign a Joint Declaration on 5G technology as Washington is countering risks posed by communist China's "infiltration into high-tech networks" in the region.

The trip comes as the Pentagon prepares to move forward with a plan to pull almost 12,000 troops from Germany and redeploy part of the U.S. forces to Poland and other NATO nations, raising concerns at home and in Europe even as senior officials defend it as a strategic necessity.

Ambassador Philip Reeker, the State Department's acting assistant secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs, said Pompeo will discuss with his counterparts the just-completed U.S.-Poland Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) that "provides a framework" to further strengthen "the broad transatlantic security."

The defense deal enables the United States for "rotational presence" of an additional 1,000 U.S. troops to "enhance deterrence against Russia, strengthen NATO," and to assure allies, officials say. About 4,500 U.S. personnel are already on rotation in Poland.

Energy security

Energy security will also top Pompeo's discussion with leaders in central Europe as Russia's controversial Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline that connects Russia and Germany nears completion.

"We have been very dedicated to helping those countries find alternate sources so that they can diversify from Russia," said Reeker.

Russia has previously defended the project as economically feasible.

The U.S. has been warning about the security risks of Russian energy export pipelines, in particular Nord Stream 2. U.S. officials said if completed, these projects would undermine European security and strengthen Russia's ability to use its energy resources to coerce the U.S.'s European partners and allies.

Czech Republic

In Prague, Pompeo will meet with Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis to discuss nuclear energy cooperation and the Three Seas Initiative, a political platform to promote connectivity among nations in central and eastern Europe by supporting infrastructure, energy and digital interconnectivity projects.

The initiative gets its name from the three seas that border the region: the Baltic, Black and Adriatic Seas.

On Wednesday, Pompeo is set to deliver a speech at the Senate of the Parliament of the Czech Republic on bilateral ties and foreign policy.

Slovenia

In Ljubljana, Pompeo will sign a Joint Declaration on 5G technology with Slovenian Foreign Minister Anze Logar.

Over the past year, European countries, including Poland, Estonia and the Czech Republic, have signed agreements with the U.S., pledging that 5G suppliers would not be subject to control by a foreign government without independent judicial review, which effectively excludes Chinese firms.

Slovenia will join those countries in the so-called "5G Clean Networks" to use only trusted vendors to secure critical telecommunications, cloud, data analytics, and mobile apps.

Reeker told VOA it is "a reflection of the shared dedication to protecting privacy" and cybersecurity.

Austria

In Vienna, the U.S.-Austria Strategic Partnership and growing trade relationship will be high on the agenda in Pompeo's meetings with Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz and Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg.

Austria hosts the International Atomic Energy Agency, the nuclear watchdog of the United Nations in charge of monitoring Iran's adherence to the 2015 nuclear deal from which the U.S. has withdrawn.

Pompeo will also hold talks with IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi, as Washington is calling on other members of the U.N. Security Council to indefinitely extend an arms embargo on Iran that is set to expire on Oct. 18.

Poland

In Warsaw, the chief U.S. diplomat will have talks with Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and Foreign Minister Jacek Czaputowicz on deepening defense ties, recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic, securing 5G networks, and improving regional energy and infrastructure through the Three Seas Initiative. COVID-19 is the disease caused by the coronavirus.

Pompeo will also meet with Polish President Andrzej Duda, who visited the White House in late June.

Poland sees Nord Stream 2, which would double Russia's gas export capacity via the Baltic Sea, as a threat to Europe's energy security.

"In our view, it is paying with European money for Mr. (Vladimir) Putin's weapons, and we don't like it,"Morawieckisaid during a recent webinar hosted by the Atlantic Council.

Morawiecki said Poland, as "the most pro-European and most pro-American country" in Europe, is strengthening the transatlantic alliance.

Last month, the State Department said people making investments or engaging in activities related to Nord Stream 2, including pipe-laying vessels and engineering service in the deployment of the pipelines, could face U.S. sanctions.

"It's a clear warning to companies: aiding and abetting Russia's malign influence projects will not be tolerated," said Pompeo during a July 15 press conference.

"Let me be clear. These aren't commercial projects. They are the Kremlin's key tools to exploit and expand European dependence on Russian energy supplies," Pompeo said.

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STAMFORD  A Stamford man has been charged with assault and a hate crime after allegedly attacking another resident who was trying to photograph protesters in Latham Park last month, police said.

The incident allegedly occurred during the weeklong occupation of the downtown park by a group of demonstrators in July.

Andre Futrell, 34, of Bedford Street, was charged with second-degree assault, intimidation based on bigotry or bias and third-degree strangulation, police said. Futrell was released after posting a $5,000 court appearance bond.

Police in an arrest affidavit said Futrell, who lives near the park, was with protesters in the park before the alleged assault, and had taken part in a demonstration to block traffic on Bedford Street with the group earlier in the day.

Organizers of the encampment  which formed to protest the death of a Stamford man in police custody last year  on Tuesday said the accused was not a member of their group.

No members of the encampment were involved in the alleged attack, organizers said in a statement.

Futrells public defender declined to comment on the case Tuesday.

According to Futrells six-page arrest affidavit, police were contacted by the alleged victim shortly before 11 p.m. July 15. Police said they could see the mans nose was bruised and that he had swelling and a cut just above his nose and on his forehead, according to the affidavit.

The man told police he was walking by Latham Park when he saw the encampment and, not knowing anything about it, was curious and began taking pictures of the tents and the people in the park. He said a group of protesters then told him to leave.

But the man argued back and told them as a resident he had a right to be in the park, too.

Protesters occupied the park between Saturday, July 11, and Friday, July 17.

The alleged victim, who is Asian, said a man in the park, who police have identified as Futrell, began to argue with him and made references to Okinawa and Hiroshima, saying he would bomb him like Pearl Harbor, according to the affidavit.

The victim then told Futrell he was actually Korean, not Japanese.

The man, who told police he had been drinking, said Futrell knocked his cellphone to the ground, and got him in a guillotine choke hold, the affidavit said.

A video taken of the incident, according to the affidavit, shows the two men fall to the ground, after which Futrell gets up and kicks the other man in the rib cage. He then punches the man in the face while the man is still on the ground, according to the affidavit.

While he is filmed walking away to the eastern side of the park, Futrell can be heard saying, Hey, yo, delete that, the affidavit states.

State Rep David Michel, who has worked as a liaison between the protesters and the city, was at Latham Park that night. Michel said he did not think Futrell was one of the protesters.

jnickerson@stamfordadvocate.com
Pierce believes that although tough decisions have to be made for our country to be sustained, he does not want to lead entirely self-inclusive but pass along truth and transparency to the general public so future generations can flourish. Therefore, these weekly conversations will touch on important matters facing our country today, like COVID-19, Black Lives Matter, Health Care, Immigration, The Economy, Environmental Issues, Foreign Policy, Technology and more! Drawing on the emancipatory principles of the American Revolution, Pierce seeks to empower and enfranchise the American people by creating a new way for their political views and positions to be integrated into presidential policy making.

Pierce states, "We are here in service of our nation, our species and our planet. Our collaborative, open-source platform is a unique milestone in American politics. It is providing every American, irrespective of their race, gender, ethnicity, religion, political, educational or economic background, the opportunity to join in the collective effort to transform and heal our nation."

To view and/or participate in the Townhall please go to: www.brock.vote/stream.

To learn more about Brock Pierce For President please visit www.brock.vote.

PR Contact:





Brad Taylor Leslie Taylor Big Machine Agency, LLC Big Machine Agency, LLC [email protected] [email protected]

About Brock Pierce

Born into a middle-class home in Minneapolis, Minnesota, to a mother who was a preacher and a father who worked in construction, Pierce began his career early as a child-actor, starring in The Mighty Ducks and First Kid. At 16, Pierce's love for technology and its limitless possibilities inspired him to become an entrepreneur and eventually a leader in blockchain technology--a modern vehicle for the American dream.

Upon moving to Puerto Rico in 2017, he immediately prioritized philanthropy after seeing the devastation Hurricane Maria left behind. He later led The Integro Foundation, a Puerto Rico based not-for-profit organization, which provides philanthropic resources to Puerto Rico, Caribbean Islands, and the and the indigenous people of the Americas. Integro's programs are designed to revive areas in critical need, empower humans, promote sustainability, and provide the needed resources to thrive. Integro provides urgent relief during times of crisis, working with vetted local charities, organizations, and government agencies to deploy resources efficiently, with fully accountable donations.

Pierce is a frequent public speaker and has spoken at Singularity University, Milken Global Conference, Mobile World Congress, Wired, INK, Stanford University, USC, and UCLA.

He has been featured in numerous publications including The New York Times, Forbes, The London Times, Fortune, Wired, and Rolling Stone.

ABOUT KARLA BALLARD

Karla Ballard is Founder and CEO of YING, a peer to peer skill sharing and global time-sharing platform (IOS /Android App) engaging consumers and brands in a complimentary currency that supports community and individual benefits. YING leverages the growth of the sharing economy's trends and millennials interest in accessing alternative ways to transact services aimed toward building deeper community connections. The platform has a b2b enterprise engagement for NGO's and Corporations as well creating a plug in play sharing ecosystem for any affinity group.

Ms. Ballard was formerly SVP of Participant Media's TAG division, a social-action agency working with brands, foundations and the public sector to ignite compelling campaigns that drove impact in vulnerable communities. Prior to joining Participant Media, she was with Ogilvy & Mather as the SVP and lead for The IMPACT Studio working on projects that ranged from the State of California to Sony Pictures Television. Previously Karla worked at One Economy Corporation where she led a vital division of a $51 million BTOP grant focused broadband adoption and became an appointee to the Federal Communications Committee on Diversity in Media. In addition, she created and led corporate relationships with partners such as Comcast/NBC, Verizon, Participant Media, Sprint, City Year, and others. She is current Advisory Board member to Blue Star Families, Hashtaglunchbag, USC's Next Gen Council for Stephen Spielberg's SHOAH Foundation and Philadelphia250. She currently serves as Global Co-Chair of Shareable. Ballard was a former board member of Alliance for Women in Media and Co-Chair of the Gracie's Awards Gala, the Marcus Graham Project, A Sense of Home. She's been a visiting speaker at Harvard, UCLA, and Georgetown University and is a former board member of the nation's second largest Community College, Northern Virginia Community College. Karla is also the co-founder of the first Urban League in the state of Delaware, The Metropolitan Wilmington Urban League, and served as the first female national president of the National Urban League Young Professionals.

In 2012 Karla was awarded in NYC the Keepers of the Dream award from the National Action Network.

ABOUT BRITTANY KAISER

Brittany Kaiser is a data rights activist and founder of the Own Your Data Foundation for digital literacy and the Digital Asset Trade Association (DATA) for legislative lobbying. She is the author of "Targeted" published globally by Harper Collins and was the main subject of Netflix original documentary The Great Hack, recently nominated for a BAFTA and shortlisted for an Academy Award in 2020. Ms Kaiser has lectured at Harvard University, Oxford University, Columbia and USC.

Early in her career Kaiser volunteered for the presidential campaigns of Howard Dean and John Kerry, and for Barack Obama's run for senate while still in high school. In 2007, she worked full-time for a summer in the new media team of Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign. In 2014 she volunteered for the "Ready for Hillary" SuperPAC before deciding to support Bernie Sanders in the Democratic primary in 2015.

Following her work for these political candidates, Kaiser spent several years engaged with human rights projects around the world, including work for Amnesty International, lobbying at the United Nations and European Parliament to stop crimes against humanity, and contributing to human rights research projects in Asia and Africa.

These activities, together with her background in the Democratic party, caught the attention of Cambridge Analytica CEO Alexander Nix who recruited Kaiser to SCL Group, the then-parent company of Cambridge Analytica, as a business-development consultant in late 2014. Brittany was quickly promoted to Director of Program Development, and then served as Director of Business Development in 2015 until through 2018, working on clients worldwide including Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign and Yes on Brexit.

When Kaiser left Cambridge Analytica in 2018 she made international headlines as a key whistleblower in the Facebook and Cambridge Analytica scandal, exposing the abuses of data in elections around the world by testifying before the U.K. parliamentary investigation and releasing documents that would expose Cambridge Analytica's activities to the public.

Born in Houston, Texas, Kaiser grew up in Chicago and attended high school at Phillips Academy in Andover, MA. She went on to study at Edinburgh University, before earning post-graduate degrees in international relations at The University of Edinburgh (MA with honors), an LLM in international human rights law at the University of London Birkbeck College, and an Masters in Philosophy in international law and diplomacy at Middlesex University.

SOURCE Brock Pierce For President

Related Links

http://www.brock.vote


Facebook officials announced on Wednesday that the global technology company will invest $800 million to build a new state-of-the-art data center in Gallatin.

Once operational, the project is estimated to support approximately 100 jobs and will have more than 1,100 construction workers on site at peak. The data center will support a variety of positions and job types, from technical operations, electricians, logistics staff, security and more. Construction has just begun on the 982,000-square-foot facility.

The Facebook Gallatin Data Center will be among the most advanced, energy- and water- efficient data center facilities in the world. It will be supported by 100 percent renewable energy, will use 80 percent less water than the average, and, once completed, will be LEED Gold certified. Facebook has already partnered with the TVA to bring 220 MW of new solar energy to the Tennessee Valley to support Facebooks operations in the region.

The announcement is the culmination of a three-year recruitment effort by the Gallatin Economic Development Agency, the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development and Tennessee Valley Authority.

Facebook will join several other large brand names located in the Gallatin Industrial Park, including Beretta USA, Gap and SERVPRO.

Since 2015, TNECD has supported 13 economic development projects in Sumner County, resulting in more than 2,000 job commitments and $223 million in capital investment.

Governor Bill Lee said, It is a testament to the quality of our business environment and the competitive spirit of our state that in this economy we are able to attract one of the worlds largest companies to our state. We welcome Facebook to Tennessee, and we are excited about the investment, quality jobs and economic opportunity they will bring to Gallatin.

TNECD Commissioner Bob Rolfe said, Tennessee is known for the companies that call our state home, and we are proud to welcome another globally recognized brand to our roster. Facebook could have chosen anywhere in the world for its newest state-of-the-art data center, and it means a great deal that the company has chosen Gallatin. This substantial investment will make a lasting impact on Sumner County for years to come, and we thank Facebook for its confidence in Tennessee.

Rachel Peterson, VP of Data Center Strategy, Facebook said, We chose Gallatin because of its terrific infrastructure, talented workforce, and the spirit of partnership the community offered. This technology is actually what makes Facebook work, allowing people around the world to connect to each other. We are thrilled to be joining the Gallatin community.

Gallatin Mayor Paige Brown said, Our community made the decision three years ago to pursue technology jobs as part of our economic development strategy. We are pleased to welcome Facebook to Gallatin, and we look forward to the positive impact they will have on our city.

John Bradley, TVA Senior Vice President of Economic Development said, TVA congratulates Facebook on its decision to locate and create quality job opportunities and significant investment in Gallatin. This public-private partnership demonstrates the strength of TVAs public power model to deliver clean, renewable energy at competitive costs to stimulate investment and jobs that help communities grow. We are building the energy system of the future, and we are proud to work partners like Gallatin Department of Electricity, the City of Gallatin and Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development to help bring more top-tier companies like Facebook into our region.

Senate Speaker Pro Tempore Ferrell Haile (R-Gallatin) said, "This is a huge investment by Facebook and is tremendous news for Sumner County. It is a testament not only to the strong talent pool we have in our local workforce, but to the hard work done for many months by Gallatin's Economic Development team, Governor Bill Lee, Commissioner Bob Rolfe, and other essential community partners to bring these high quality jobs home. I was proud to partner with them. It will also be a catalyst for more companies to see all that Sumner County and Gallatin have to offer with our low taxes, high quality of life, prime location and business friendly environment."

House Majority Leader William Lamberth (R-Portland) said, This data center will be part of a network that connects people all over the world, and Im proud to welcome Facebook to our community. Many factors drive business location decisions  availability of land, excellent schools, talent of the workforce, and quality of life  Sumner County offers all of these amenities and more. This is a big win for Tennessee and demonstrates our states commitment to advancing technologies and innovating discoveries.

Rep. Terri Lynn Weaver (R-Lancaster) said, Tennessee is a conservative, proud right-to-work state with a strong pro-business reputation. It comes as no surprise when companies from all over the world locate here to take advantage of our states low taxes, beautiful landscape, abundant resources and skilled workforce. I appreciate Facebooks investment in our community.
J .D Wetherspoon boss Tim Martin has demanded a top scientist publish evidence of the link between indoor drinking in pubs and coronavirus cases.

Mr Martin's comments came after Aberdeen University Bacteriology Professor Hugh Pennington said that the recent Aberdeenshire outbreak was linked to drinking in pubs.

Prof. Pennington told BBC Radio 5 Live that pubs were risky for virus spread as "hot and steamy" environments help Covid-19 "get about".

Mr Martin, whose company more than 870 pubs in the UK, has now challenged the top bacteria expert to publish his findings so they can be "properly peer reviewed".

Tim Martin, right, is the Chairman of JD Wetherspoon / PA

In a statement published in The Morning Advertiser, Mr Martin said that while his pubs had experienced "individual cases" among staff and customers, they had not experienced an outbreak.

"There has been a handful of individual cases of positive tests for the virus in our pubs, but nothing, it appears, which could be described as an outbreak and there appears not to have been, up until now, a case of transmission from person to person among staff or from staff to customers or vice versa", he said.

"Given the importance of the pub industry to its staff, customers and as a taxpayer to the Exchequer, it would be very useful if Pennington could publish the basis of his assumptions so they could be thoroughly analysed and peer reviewed."

Mr Martin's remarks come as First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced that lockdown measures enforced in Aberdeen will remain in place for at least another week.

There have now been 177 confirmed cases linked to the coronavirus outbreak in the city, with 940 people contact-traced.

Mr Martin demanded the research be peer reviewed / AFP/Getty Images

At First Ministers Questions on Wednesday, Ms Sturgeon said that Aberdeen City Council and Police Scotland were involved in the decision to continue the local lockdown measures.

She thanked people in the city after police reported a high level of compliance with the additional lockdown measures.

She said: I know people in Aberdeen, who of course are today dealing with severe weather as well as Covid, will be disappointed with this decision but I want to thank them for complying so well with the measures that we put in place last week.

The First Minister added there is not yet a need to place extra restrictions on Aberdeenshire county as a whole.

I want to stress that nobody wants these restrictions to be in place for longer than is necessary, she said.

They will be reviewed in one weeks time and as soon as we can relax any of them, then we will do.
A former Phillipsburg man, convicted in December of sexually assaulting two children younger than 13, was sentenced Tuesday to eight years in state prison, the Warren County Prosecutors Office reports.

Herman Quintana, 51, whose current address was in Easton but who had been held in Warren County jail, was convicted Dec. 12 by a Warren County jury of three counts of second-degree sexual assault of a child younger than 13 and three counts of second-degree endangering the welfare of a child, the prosecutors office said.

He was sentenced by Superior Court Judge H. Matthew Curry to eight years in prison on each of the sexual assault charges and five years in prison on each of the endangerment charges, for a total of 39 years behind bars for crimes committed between March 2015 and September 2016, the prosecutors office said. Each second-degree charge carries a five- to 10-year sentence, so the maximum was 60 years. But the sentences will run concurrently, the prosecutors office said, meaning Quintana, even through he is sentenced under the No Early Release Act, must serve the longest term of one count.

Quintana faces lifetime parole supervision and Megans Law registration, the prosecutors office said. Quintana must also give up his licensed practical nurse license, the prosecutors office said.

Quintana was represented by attorney Steven Lember.

Quintana on Wednesday morning remained in Warren Countys jail before his eventual transfer to state prison, records show.

Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting lehighvalleylive.com with a voluntary subscription.

Tony Rhodin may be reached at arhodin@lehighvalleylive.com.
A rumor is circulating on social media platforms stating that 5G networks are capable of producing coronavirus infections in human cells. The claim originated from a discredited research paper, which was later retracted by a scientific journal.

5G causes coronavirus infection?

Several posts on social media are saying that 5G technology is spreading the coronavirus pandemic by infecting people exposed to its networks. However, experts say the paper was not based on scientific evidence and was later removed after its publisher found a process that manipulated peer review to its advantage.

According to Boom Live, the posts and blogs state that the National Institute of Health (NIH) acknowledges the fact that 5G technology is actually capable of producing coronavirus infection in healthy human cells.

The claims base their state on research that was conducted on July 16 by Biolife, a scientific publisher. Later, the study was added to the National Library of Medicine's website catalog, Pubmed.gov, which is a part of the NIH.

5G technology is the most recent generation of ultra-fast mobile wireless network technology aiming to power self-driving cars, smart-home devices, and other technological gadgets and services.

A screenshot of the study's visuals was used in shared posts on Facebook and Instagram starting in August. The posts quickly spread through social media platforms, and several other blog posts also began circulating the research.

Also Read: Wuhan Lab Welcomes US Reporters to Nullify Theories About Being Coronavirus Origin

Later, some posts said that the study was censored after the scientific journal withdrew the paper from both websites of PubMed and Biolife.

Other posts stated that the coronavirus pandemic, which has caused the deaths of thousands of people around the world, is simply a cover-up to hide the adverse health effects of 5G technology on the human body, as reported by USA Today.

Spreading like wildfire

The claim has also been shared by prominent Hollywood personalities and continued to spread false news and even an edited video. Several arsonists have moved to burn down several 5G cell towers in multiple countries in the belief it would reduce the coronavirus spread.

However, there is no evidence to support the claim that 5G technology causes coronavirus in human cells, and experts have agreed that wireless technology has no adverse medical consequences.

According to BBC, scientists have previously debunked claims that wireless technologies are spreading illnesses and viruses and that the process is biologically impossible.

However, the consensus has not stopped individuals who believe otherwise and those who have begun to hold protests calling out governments to ban the technology's use, even in countries where the technology has not been used or created yet.

In Bolivia, the spread of the false news had caused people in two towns to attack masts. The chaos comes with the fact that the technology is not yet available in the country.

Bolivia Verifica journalist Adriana Olivera said that after people saw the rumors, without researching their authenticity, and combined with the stress that lockdowns have caused, began pulling down antennas in the towns of K'ara K'ara and Yapacani.

Related Article: Donald Trump Says COVID-19 Vaccine Could Be Available Before November 3

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Carmela Apolonio Hernandez posed for a portrait outside the Germantown Mennonite Church in Philadelphia. On Wednesday morning, the children shared letters theyve written to members of Congress about living with COVID-19 in sanctuary, and about the urgency of their leaving the church during the pandemic to seek easier access to medical care. Read more

An undocumented immigrant family that has lived nearly three years in Philadelphia church sanctuary to avoid deportation has been stricken by the coronavirus.

Carmela Apolonio Hernandez, 39, and her eldest children  teenagers Fidel, Keyri, and Yoselin  suffered severe COVID-19 symptoms in late spring and early summer and continue to fight for their recovery inside the Germantown Mennonite Church.

Hernandez has memory loss and pain in her lungs. Fidel, 18, still has a cough, aches in his bones, and other cold symptoms. Yoselin, 14, has trouble breathing. Keyri, 15, suffers headaches, fever, bone aches, and fatigue.

Thank God we survived, but we still have problems, Keyri wrote in a letter asking government officials to help free the family. I am afraid of becoming infectious again and passing the virus on to the community.

The youngest child, Edwin, 11, did not become ill.

Isolation inside a church might seem a safe way to avoid the virus, which has killed more than 164,000 people in the United States. But not for this family. Supporters said they suspect the children may have been infected at school, which they had been able to attend while in sanctuary, before the Philadelphia School District closed in mid-March.

Hernandezs only known time outside was on a day in 2018 when she went to seek answers from Sen. Bob Casey at his Center City office.

On Wednesday morning, the children held a vigil just outside the church, sharing letters theyve written to members of Congress about living with COVID-19 in sanctuary, and about the urgency of their leaving to more easily get medical care.

 READ MORE: With immigrant parents in Philly church sanctuary, DACA student is accepted by Columbia University, but has no way to pay

The letters will be delivered to Rep. Dwight Evans staff, which has agreed to share them with five other legislators with whom the family has been in contact.

I was very afraid of losing my family because I was the only one who was spared by COVID-19, Edwin wrote in a letter. I was the one who had to give them tea and some tablets, because they could not go to the doctor, since doctors charge so much money. I am 11 years old, and I am very fearful.

Most people with the coronavirus are no longer contagious 10 days after their symptoms resolve, according to Harvard Medical School. The same is true for people who test positive but never develop symptoms. But there are documented exceptions, and some experts still recommend 14 days of isolation.

No one else at the church was infected, according to Co-Pastor John Bergen.

As the pandemic hit, he said, church leaders sought to place the building in quarantine, knowing that outside visitors could potentially infect the Hernandez family. Still, while in-person services and programs have been halted, groceries, packages, and other supplies continue to be delivered to the church.

Their access to medical care is pretty limited, Bergen said. If one of them would have had to have been hospitalized, it would have been a tremendous risk to get them safely to the hospital, given ICEs willingness to bend those rules around hospitals being sensitive places. 

Immigration and Customs Enforcement guidelines dissuade agents from arresting immigrants at designated sensitive locations, such as churches, schools, and hospitals. But immigration advocates say rules around hospitals have been violated.

In Pennsylvania in March, ICE took a Honduran man into custody at a Scranton hospital, then placed him in detention at the Pike County Correctional Facility. Pennsylvania lawyer Juliette Gomez said her clients arrest clearly broke the sensitive-locations policy. ICE said the arrest began at the federal courthouse, and what followed was a continuation of that process.

In 2017, federal border patrol agents in Texas stopped an ambulance at a checkpoint, then followed it to a hospital. Agents waited while an undocumented 10-year-old girl underwent surgery, then took her away to a juvenile detention center. Authorities released Rosa Maria Hernandez, who has cerebral palsy, after the American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit.

On Wednesday, the Hernandez children, supported by church members and advocacy groups including the Free Migration Project and New Sanctuary Movement of Philadelphia, asked Pennsylvanias congressional delegation to help them freely leave sanctuary and get outside health care.

Carmelas experience demonstrates the severe impact [the virus] has had on the immigrant community, the activist groups said in a statement. Fighting extremist anti-immigrant policies, lacking access to health care, and not being eligible for any COVID relief benefits has pushed this family fighting to stay together to the brink. Given the uncertainty around the long-term health effects of COVID-19 and the possibility of re-infection, winning Carmelas freedom has become even more urgent.

 READ MORE: Money restored for Philly program that gives undocumented immigrants a fighting chance against deportation

At the height of their illness, the statement said, Hernandez worried that Fidels and Keyris fevers would require hospitalization. She feared that if she died, no one would be able to care for her children.

The Hernandezes have spent more time in sanctuary than any of the four families to seek refuge in Philadelphia churches in recent times, and their freedom has become the cause of immigration and church activists.

But the years of vigils, marches, rallies, political outreach, and public pleas have not moved the federal government to grant them permission to stay in the United States.

The family fled to this country from Mexico in August 2015, after being threatened by the same drug criminals who had killed Hernandezs brother and two nephews. They were denied asylum, and took sanctuary only days before their Dec. 15, 2017, deportation date.

In late November 2017, Hernandez was knocking on the doors of churches, begging for protection. The family spent about a year inside the Church of the Advocate in North Philadelphia before moving to the Mennonite church.

 READ MORE: After lawsuit and quick naturalizations, 2,200 Philly-area immigrants can vote in November

A second family, Oneita and Clive Thompson, originally from Jamaica, has spent nearly two years in sanctuary inside the First United Methodist Church of Germantown, fighting to avoid removal. Suyapa Reyes and her four children, of Honduras, were able to legally leave that church in March after 18 months inside.
By Eva Hill

hilleva@grinnell.edu

The City of Grinnell felt severe storm damage on Monday as high-speed winds whipped through Poweshiek County, knocking out power and felling trees across the city.

There were no known serious injuries within the Grinnell city limits as a result of the storm, according to Grinnell Fire Chief Dan Sicard, but emergency services did respond to multiple calls in other parts of Poweshiek County (Sicard was unable to provide further details on these incidents).

There is quite a bit of structural damage to both public infrastructure and private buildings, Sicard said. He described buildings having their roofs ripped off and walls knocked in by the storm. Public works and fire department employees worked to clear the roads of fallen trees to allow vehicles to pass through, and Sicard says that the vast majority of streets are now open to thru traffic.

In an email shared with The S&B by SGA Vice President of Academic Affairs Fernando Rodriguez 22, Associate Vice President of Student Affairs Sarah Moschenross wrote that Poweshiek County may open emergency shelters if power is not restored by midnight on Tuesday, with the College field house serving as a potential shelter location. Rodriguez also noted that the College has opened the dining hall to all students, including students living off campus.

Iowa governor Kim Reynolds issued a disaster declaration on Tuesday morning for six counties hit by the storm (Poweshiek County was not included).

Townspeople felt unprepared for the storm, as the county extreme-weather text-warning system exists primarily to warn residents of tornados, not thunderstorms with dangerous winds, so there was minimal advance notice of the severity of the incoming weather. Grinnell student Jude Grunder 22 wrote in a Facebook message that people were outside in cars and on bicycles when the wind picked up to dangerous speeds.

The city of Grinnell is still without power. A Tuesday morning press release from Alliant Energy, the company that provides power to Poweshiek County, included a statement that power restoration across the state could take several days, longer for rural areas. Alliant plans to restore power first to essential services and facilities critical to public health and safety such as hospitals, nursing homes, fire and police departments, and water systems. Then, technicians will focus on restoring power to the largest number of customers in the least amount of time.

This is a developing story and will be updated as new information becomes available. View The S&Bs photo gallery for the aftermath of the storm here. Do you have more information on the derecho or the recovery work that youd like to share with The S&B? Email newspapr@grinnell.edu and one of our writers will be in touch.
By Express News Service

CHENNAI: Indian-origin Senator Kamala Harris, who has been named by Democratic Presidential candidate Joe Biden as the vice-presidential candidate, has close links with Chennai, the city where her mother Shyamala Gopalan, 'the greatest hero of her life', was born.

The role of Shyamala Gopalan, daughter of PV Gopalan and Rajam, in shaping Kamla Harris was highlighted by her sister Maya Harris who tweeted "You can't know who @ KamalaHarris is without knowing who our mother was".

ALSO READ | Kamala Harris says her mom's advice drives her every single day

While Kamala's maternal relatives, including her maternal aunt Sarala Gopalan, are happy and thrilled about the turn of events, their wish to avoid publicity is so strong that they have cut off their telephone, which has been ringing ever since the news of her becoming the vice-presidential candidate broke.

Sarala had earlier said that the entire family was so thrilled and happy after they heard the news.

It is learnt that when Kamala was a child, she used to travel to Chennai once every two to three years to visit her mother's family.

"My earliest memories are of walking along the beach with my grandfather and his friends - retired public servants who had spent their careers trying to make India a better place," she had said in an interview.

Her grandfather PV Gopalan, a former bureaucrat who then worked as Joint Secretary to Government of India in the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Rehabilitation, would take them for a walk on Elliot's Beach in Besant Nagar.

"My grandfather would talk to me about the importance of applying an unflinching ethical lens to every single problem you face," she had stated in the interview when she became the first female District Attorney in San Francisco.

Shyamala graduated with an undergraduate degree from the Lady Irwin College of University of Delhi at the age of 19. She earned a doctor of philosophy in nutrition and endocrinology from the University of California, Berkeley at the age of 25 and went on to marry Jamaican Donald Harris, a professor of economics at Stanford.

The couple later separated and Shyamala brought her daughters back to India often, usually to Chennai.

ALSO READ | Back in India, a proud uncle and aunt admire Kamala Harris

Meanwhile, deputy chief minister O Paneerselvam said the nomination of Kamala Harris as the vice-presidential running mate for the American Presidential elections 2020 is a moment of pride for Indians and Tamil Nadu.

"It is a moment of pride for Indians and Tamil Nadu especially, as Kamala Harris, the first Indian senator, whose mother hails from Tamil Nadu has been nominated as the Vice Presidential candidate by the US Democratic party. My hearty wishes to her," he said in a tweet.
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Claudia Cataldo's gray two-door Honda Accord is filled almost to the windows with books. Hundreds and hundreds of them.

Picture and young adult books are in the backseat. Novels and nonfiction are in the trunk.

"Sometimes when I'm driving, you know if I have to, if I just slow down kind of abruptly, I feel books flying in my head," she said.

Cataldo converted her sedan into an improvised bookmobile as part of an effort to deliver books to her 12th grade students from Los Angeles Unified School District's Santee Education Complex, just south of downtown.

But with school campuses and public libraries closed during the pandemic and more and more students having had a hard time getting new books, Cataldo revived a low-tech, old-school concept: the bookmobile. Her effort has evolved into a community distribution for people of all ages.

Some of the demand comes from families who don't have reliable transportation to get to the few libraries open for curbside pickup -- and many of those families don't have Internet access to place books on hold in the first place.

There's also growing demand from parents who run across Cataldo's outreach efforts at places like the Central Avenue Farmers Market. Last Thursday, with the help of some former students, she spread out dozens of books on folding tables underneath white canopies.

Isabela Tambriz browses the books offered by Claudia Cataldo at the Central Avenue Farmers Market. (Chava Sanchez/LAist)

Isabela Tambriz wandered over with her three kids from the main stretch of fruit and vegetable vendors.

"Miramos que hay libros y el libro es muy importante," Tambriz said. ("We saw that there were books, and the book is very important.")

Before the pandemic, her family visited the public library up the street once a week, but it's been closed since March.

Her 4-year-old son enthusiastically spells out his name N-A-T-H-A-N and tells me one of his favorite books is "The Three Little Pigs."

Tambriz fills a plastic bag with picture books for Nathan and his 2-year-old sister, and picks the young adult novel "Gone Away Lake" for her oldest daughter, who's 10.

She said you learn good things when you read.

'THE FREEDOM TO CHOOSE WHATEVER THEY WANT TO READ'

After schools closed in March, Cataldo heard from students that were both depressed and frustrated by the pandemic. She's taught at Santee since 2006.

"It turned out they were actually getting bored on their devices and screens, which is, you know, extraordinary," Cataldo said.

Like Tambriz's kids, many students relied on the library or their school for new reading material before the pandemic. When Cataldo first started trying to fill the gap, she pulled from her own collection and delivered books to individual students. As the need grew, she started asking for donations on social media and her car became a roving bookmobile.

She'd pull up to her students' homes, throw open the doors and pop the trunk. Her students, their families and anyone who happened to walk by could pick anything from the collection.

"It's the freedom to choose whatever they want to read, that then makes them want to read more," Cataldo said. "So that's a very important thing for me to be able to give them, which is the complete choice and no pressure."

"Harry Potter," "Diary of Wimpy Kid" and "Captain Underpants" have been some of the most popular titles. There have also been a few surprise hits.

"I didn't realize so many kids wanted to have Shakespeare to read in their free time," Cataldo said.

At the beginning of June she put out a call for donations on social media and people from all around Los Angeles answered. Cataldo drove from her home in Marina Del Rey to East Hollywood, Eagle Rock, Beverly Hills and Watts to pick up books.

"Frankly, I'd rather spend hours behind the wheel than behind Zoom," Cataldo said.

Claudia Cataldo and volunteers wheel a mound of books from her car into the Central Avenue Farmers Market. (Chava Sanchez/LAist)

At the invitation of L.A. Councilman Curren Price, she started distributing books at the Central Avenue market. She's also popped up at the Crenshaw Farmers Market and established libraries at shelters and transitional housing programs.

"I want them to feel like books can be a treasured possession and one of the best ways to escape from the negativity that's around us, especially right now," Cataldo said. "The books are theirs to keep. I don't want them back."

Cataldo will return to her virtual classroom when LAUSD's new school year starts on August 18. She'll have less time to captain the bookmobile, which has helped bridge the gap between teacher and students.

"They can come here and we can be together and it's not the classroom and it's not school, but it allows me to see them in person and see their faces and talk to them and catch up on what's going on in a way that you can really only do in person and not virtually," Cataldo said.

Thursday will be her last day at the Central Avenue Farmers Market, but she plans to continue to distribute books on the weekends, like at the Crenshaw Farmers Market on Saturdays. She's still taking donations through Instagram and is also open to attending any event that could use a free book table.

"This has been so rewarding to me, I'm not going to stop," Cataldo said.

Yandel Morales, Yahir Morales, their aunt Bonnie Morales and friend Aylen Arrendondo hold a sign they made for Dr. Cataldo's bookmobile. (Chava Sanchez/LAist)

DONATED BOOKS KEEP ON GIVING

At the Central Avenue market last week, the first person to stop by was Bonnie Morales, who brought along her nephews. Cataldo was Morales' teacher back in 2004 at Thomas Jefferson High School.

"I became really attached to her because you know, she was not like the other teachers," Morales said. "She actually cared about the students."

Morales is still an avid reader. Her soon-to-be-born daughter has been listening to her read aloud from Spanish literature greats like Gabriel Garcia Marquez.

Books are set up by age range to help parents find which books might be best for their children. (Chava Sanchez/LAist)

"We come every Thursday now because.the kids are not going to school. They gotta read," Morales said.

She helps watch her late brother's children while their mom works a factory during the day. The kids are assigned at least two hours of reading. Morales also insists they practice reading in English and Spanish.

"We just want them to be smart," Morales said. "I want them to do better and I don't want my nephews to have a job that they don't like. I want them to do something good for the community. They're very smart and friendly, but we're just trying our best."

The kids are building their own library with milk crates from the bakery next door as shelves.

"I like to read any books I find," said Morales' 10-year-old nephew, Yandel. But if he had to choose, he'd pick comics or something about magic.

"It helps me because it helps me learn better so I could help other people who [don't] know how to read," Yandel said. "Maybe it might be good for me to help them. Maybe they could help other people."
The World Health Organization (WHO) welcomes all the advances in research and development of a vaccine against the COVID-19 infection, RBC obtained a statement of the organization.

The statement has been published as the WHO commented on the registration in Russia of the first COVID-19 vaccine, as announced by President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday.

The organization noted that vaccine research should be conducted in accordance with established procedures at every stage of development to ensure the safety and efficacy of drugs that go into production.

The WHO added that they are in contact with Russian scientists and the country's authorities and are waiting for the opportunity to analyze information on vaccine trials.
F inding Freedom, the authors assure us, is not a dictaphone job at the behest of the protagonists. The deniability is diaphanous. Carolyn Durand and Omid Scobie are royal correspondents on the US circuit who have amassed a ton of detail on the star-crossed lovers, tiara-fuelled feuds and flight in frustration in search of  well what exactly?

Scobie and Durand write as closely informed acolytes. If the Sussexes were not interviewed, then they seem to have been very free with information about their story via intermediaries.

A hitch with this approach is that it negates any distance from their subject matter. The account of Meghans formative years sounds like something from the Lives of the Saints hagiographies. Did she ever do anything unkind, ill-judged or plain wrong? Not here. It feels primarily like a book about how great Meghan is, with interstices on Harrys trials in being the younger brother to the heir to the throne. He lived in a bubble of sorts, explain the authors, though the account of his time in Afghanistan shows real strength and courage from a prickly character.

Jane Austen wrote in Mansfield Park of life passing as a succession of busy nothings and we get a lot of PJ (private jet) action. Their first holiday together is spent in a $1,957-a night glamping retreat in Botswana. Harry forgets his sunscreen, Meghan reminds him to use it and take more care of himself, a dynamic which is going to occur a lot more before this tale is out.

Less is never more in Finding Freedoms prose style. With azure-clear waters of the Tyrrhenian sea and Capri in the distance, Meghan spoke about everything, even the Prince were told, as she holidays with pals. The Soho House offered the privacy necessary for a Prince to unwind. Useful to know.

Things take a serious turn when the high-flying lovers dream hits the buffers of life in scruffy old Britain. Blame is heaped on the tabloid press for attacks on Meghan. On one reading this is absurdly sensitive and the result of having lived in a publicist-controlled world. Yet some headlines  Straight outta Compton referring to her dignified mother Doria and fresh blood arriving in the royal clan  do sound unhealthily tinged with a view of Meghan as an invasive species.

Another bride, another groom and in May 2018, a sunny, happy Windsor afternoon. Soon Harry and Meghan are making whoopee at Frogmore Cottage with her scented candles firmly in place and Archie on the way. Storm clouds loom though. Shortly after the wedding, I met with a member of the Norwegian royal family who engaged in a long (good-humoured) conversation on whether Meghan would be trouble for Team Windsor and where it might lead. Lots more episodes for The Crown, was his conclusion. If so, I hope we get the scene in which the bride-to-be selects a tiara to borrow from the royal collection with the Queen watching and the observation it was a special moment for both of them.

My walk-on role in this story is having interviewed Meghan in March 2019 for International Womens Day. The authors hone in on her answer to me asking if she minded being seen as a trendy feminist and her (sound) answer: It makes no sense to me  its always been there. Meghan was a consummate professional and a warm presence but also showing her fighting colours (they miss what struck me as the bigger story of the encounter  her curdling disdain for social media and why she had stopped reading it).

Things take a serious turn when the high-flying lovers dream hits the buffers of life in scruffy old Britain.

The Duchess of Cambridge emerges as villainess of the piece, pilloried for being indifferent to Meghan. William gets off pretty lightly in the falling out of the Fab Four. As one former aide told me, there are still bridges to be rebuilt.

Meghans sources make clear she does not want to set foot in anything royal again, and in many parts of the Palace that feeling is mutual. Duchess Difficult, as one jibe puts it, wont return to a life of chilly shooting weekends and squabbles about tiara appointments. Nonetheless, she has left a gap in the Firm which has new customers to appeal to in a generation less in thrall to the traditional restraint of the monarchy, and more inclined to sympathy for the duo in LA exile.

You cant help feeling it might have been ended differently, had the attractive royal newcomer been prepared to swallow some of her pride and preconditions. For all the accusations of her woke attitudes, Meghan stands on the right side of the argument about tackling racial injustices and bringing feminist values to bear more overtly on roles like her involvement with the Commonwealth Trust. The people she and Harry want to help might be better served by them not severing their connections to the frustrating but effective Firm. The royal brand, warts and all, will always add the certain something that even LA stardom cannot match. For all the abundant absurdities and self-parody chronicled in lavish purple here, the Megs and Harry saga feels like a lost chance and an unfinished story.

Anne McElvoy is Senior Editor at The Economist.
China, Russia Not Likely To Compromise On Extension Of Iran Arms Embargo

Radio Farda August 11, 2020

The efforts of three European powers to convince China and Russia to agree to an extension of the UN arms embargo against Iran have reportedly not succeeded so far as the U.N. Security Council prepares to vote on a U.S. resolution to extend the embargo.

A Chinese diplomat at the United Nations, speaking on condition of anonymity, was quoted by Reuters as saying that extending the embargo "in whatever form, lacks legal basis" and will undermine efforts to preserve the nuclear deal, adding that there is "no chance" the U.S. text will be adopted.

According to Reuters, diplomats at the U.N. say there is little support for the current U.S. text and doubt that the U.S. will even be able to secure the nine votes out of the fifteen that is required to force Russia and China to use their right of veto.

Kelly Craft, the U.S. envoy to the U.N. has charged that Russia and China are waiting for the embargo to end to sell arms to Iran.

On the basis of the nuclear agreement reached between Iran and world powers in 2015, the embargo will expire in October. The deal was thought to prevent Tehran from developing nuclear weapons in return for sanctions relief but in 2018 President Donald Trump withdrew from the agreement, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and reintroduced U.S. sanctions on Iran.

U.S. sanctions have hugely affected the Iranian economy and made the sales of its oil nearly impossible. Iran has also reversed some of the steps it had taken earlier to reassure the international community that it was not seeking nuclear weapons in protest to the reintroduction of the U.S. sanctions.

The United States has threatened to use a provision in the agreement  the snapback mechanism -- to trigger a return of all U.N. sanctions and a complete suspension of all enrichment activities if the Security Council does not agree to the U.S. call for an extension of the embargo.

Iran, on the other hand, has threatened to leave the deal and abandon all the limitations that it imposed on its nuclear program.

Source: https://en.radiofarda.com/a/china-russia- not-likely-to-compromise-extension-of- iran-arms-embargo/30777588.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.

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The global oil demand is forecast to decline by 9.1 mbpd in 2020. This is 0.1 mbpd lower than last months forecast, mainly due to lower economic activity levels in a few major non-OECD countries, an Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) forecast said on Wednesday.

On a quarterly basis, the more-than-expected decline in the non-OECD countries in the 2Q20 was partially counterbalanced by better-than-expected demand in OECD Europe, it said.

The 2H20 is adjusted lower, compared to last months assessment, in line with the expected softer economic momentum, mainly in a few non-OECD countries. Total oil demand is now projected to reach 90.6 mbpd, Opec said.

For 2021, world oil demand growth is forecast to rise by 7 mbpd, unchanged from last month. Total world consumption is now pegged at 97.6 mbpd in 2021.

The forecast assumes that Covid-19 will largely be contained globally, with no further major disruptions to the global economy. Consequently, economic activities are projected to rebound steady in both OECD and non-OECD.

As a result, the OECD countries are expected to witness oil demand growth of 3.5 mbpd, y-o-y, in 2021. The non-OECD countries are expected to witness similar growth, with China and other Asia leading the gains.

Oil stocks have built up due to the demand collapse. Opec said inventories in developed nations rose in June to stand 291.2 million barrels above the five-year average, a yardstick that Opec before the pandemic saw as a desirable level.

Crude rose above $45 a barrel on Wednesday, but remains below levels that many Opec members need to balance their budgets.
Three years ago i had an assignment that took me entirely around the worldfirst to Japan, then Korea, Taiwan, and Hong Kong, on to Europe, and finally to New York and home. During this trip I did my best to carry out my task effectively. But in the back of my mind there was always a lurking longing for home and for loved ones and friends. I was anxious to get back to the place where I belong, where there is always a loving welcome, where I am comfortable and at peace.

Has the Church lost its sense of home, so to speakof mans ultimate destiny? Have Christians forfeited their rightful anticipation of heaven? Are we so concerned about making this world a better place to live in that we forget the Bibles admonition, Here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city which is to come (Heb. 13:14)? Do we think that the Son of God came into this world primarily to reconcile man to man, rather than to redeem man from his sins and make him fit for heaven?

The activities of many suggest that our world is permanent, and that mans tenancy is permanent. But that is not so. We live in a world dominated by sin and dying of it, and the Christians witness is not primarily about what is seen and temporary but about what is not seen and eternal.

Some people are so heavenly minded that they are no earthly use, weve heard. Perhaps so. But there certainly are many others who are so anxious to be where the action is that they overlook the place where the greatest action of history took placethe Cross of Jesus Christ.

Why shouldnt the Christian think of and look forward to heaven? The earth and our bodies are temporary; heaven is home. Christ makes it plain that his primary objective in coming into this world was to save and to give ...

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Single mums are retiring on pensions a third the size of other women's and an eighth the size of men's typical retirement pots, new research shows.

Before retirement, mothers bringing up children alone are more likely to hold a job than the average adult, but tend to be employed in low-paid part-time roles that fit around childcare and offer less chance to save for a comfortable old age.

They reach 65 with around 18,300 in private savings, compared with the 51,000 and 156,500 which other women and men retire on respectively, according to the study published by NOW: Pensions.

Lower paid: Some 23 per cent of women do not meet the 10,000 earnings threshold for being auto-enrolled into a pension

And they are also worse off than divorced women, who end up with savings of around 26,100, while divorced men have 103,500 by the time they stop work.

But although women are still building vastly smaller private retirement pots than men, separate data for the state pension show a narrowing of the gender gap.

This has boosted women's payments but is penalising men by a few pounds a week.

Before an overhaul in 2016, men received nearly 164 a week on average and women 136 a week, but under the new state pension men are now getting 160 and women 153 a week - see the chart below.

Single mothers face huge barriers to saving, and their situation is likely to have worsened during the economic downturn caused by the Covid-19 crisis, says NOW: Pensions.

'The combination of higher levels of part-time work, lower levels of pay and greater demands on their income as the sole earner in their household, means that they are likely to find it difficult to save adequately for retirement.

'The recent Covid-19 lockdown has made it even harder for single mothers to work as many have had to juggle schoolwork, chores around the home, as well as their own work, without any help from family and friends.

'Now that we are in the school summer holidays, it is expected that many single mothers will have to further reduce their hours in order to take on the sole caring responsibilities for their children.'

NOW's sums for pension pot size at 65 are the median, meaning midpoint, figures drawn from the Understanding Society survey which covers 40,000 households and some 4,000 retired people.

The study, funded by the Economic and Social Research Council and a consortium of government departments, was analysed by the Pensions Policy Institute thinktank on behalf of NOW: Pensions.

The research was focused on 'under-pensioned' groups and the underlying reasons, and did not cover how much single fathers typically save up for retirement.

It also found:

- Single mothers' employment rate is 76 per cent, slightly above the overall average of 75 per cent

- Their average full-time income is 18,290, compared with other full-time women workers who earn 24,150, and the UK average of 27,376

- Some 22 per cent of the working population have part-time jobs, but 43 per cent of single mothers do, and 15 per cent of single fathers

- Single mothers in part-time work earn 6,922 a year on average, compared to 9,976 for women in general

- Some 23 per cent of women do not meet the 10,000 earnings threshold for being auto-enrolled into a pension, and miss out on free employer contributions to their pots

- That compares with 12 per cent of men, and 31 per cent of single mothers, who don't qualify

NOW says that if auto enrolment were to start from 1 of earnings, this would bring an additional 1.9million women - including 300,000 single mothers - into workplace pensions.

Gender gap in state pensions has narrowed

Narrowing the gap: Higher average state pensions for women have been financed in part by lower average pensions for men (Source: DWP and LCP)

The figures above published by the Department for Work and Pensions show a significant narrowing of the state pension gender gap following a shake-up in 2016, according to former Pensions Minister Steve Webb.

He says the new state pension has a number of features designed to improve the relative position of women.

It is a flat rate, while the old system has an earnings-related element that favoured those paid more, and it treats periods caring for children or elderly relatives more generously, he explains.

But Webb, who is now a partner at pensions consultant LCP, points out the system was not meant not to cost more overall, so higher average state pensions for women have been financed in part by lower average pensions for men.

'Whilst any gender difference in pensions is unwelcome, it is very good to see that the 2016 reforms to the state pension are starting to make a real difference to womens pensions,' he says.

'The fall in the state pension gender gap from around 28 per week to around 7 per week is very striking, and reflects the way the new system was designed.

'A year caring for a young child or an elderly relative now generates just as much state pension as a year running a FTSE 100 company, and this change has contributed significantly to reducing the gender pension gap.'
ATLANTA, Aug. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- U-Haul at Fulton Industrial, a self-move store at 4375 Fulton Industrial Blvd. SW, is permanently closing its doors on Saturday.

U-Haul plans to maintain ownership of the property and lease it to a new tenant. The facility has been serving DIY movers in Atlanta since 1984.

Customers of the Fulton Industrial location can find U-Haul products less than a half-mile away at U-Haul Moving & Storage at Fulton Industrial Gateway and I-20. This new facility at 4225 Fulton Industrial is site of the former Mosley Motel that U-Haul acquired in 2018. Customers have access to truck and trailer sharing, self-storage, U-Box portable storage containers, moving supplies and boxes, towing equipment, hitch accessories, bike racks, propane and more.

Acquisition of the old Mosley Motel was driven by U-Haul Corporate Sustainability initiatives: U-Haul supports infill developments to help local communities lower their carbon footprint. The adaptive reuse of existing buildings reduces the amount of energy and resources required for new-building materials and helps cities reduce their unwanted inventory of unused buildings.

Local U-Haul Companies are always exploring opportunities for growth as they pursue means to better serve the needs of customers, but sometimes find it necessary to close or relocate stores. Reasons for closures can include: long-term strategic plans; physical plant limitations, including insufficient square footage; shifts in demographics; trends in migration; expansion of the U-Haul neighborhood dealer network; and proximity to other new or existing U-Haul stores.

As a result of the original U-Haul at Fulton Industrial store closing, nine Team Members will be let go.

As an essential service provider, U-Haul has remained open throughout the COVID-19 outbreak while offering contactless programs and enhanced cleaning protocols, including added steps for sanitizing equipment between customer transactions. U-Haul products are used daily by First Responders; delivery companies bringing needed supplies to people's homes; small businesses trying to remain afloat; college students; and countless other dependent groups, in addition to the household mover.

Please visit uhaul.com/announcement for more information on how U-Haul is keeping its Team Members and customers safe during the summer moving season.

About U-HAUL

Since 1945, U-Haul has been the No. 1 choice of do-it-yourself movers, with a network of 22,000 locations across all 50 states and 10 Canadian provinces. U-Haul Truck Share 24/7 offers secure access to U-Haul trucks every hour of every day through the customer dispatch option on their smartphones and our proprietary Live Verify technology. Our customers' patronage has enabled the U-Haul fleet to grow to approximately 176,000 trucks, 127,000 trailers and 41,000 towing devices. U-Haul offers nearly 774,000 rentable storage units and 66.7 million square feet of self-storage space at owned and managed facilities throughout North America. U-Haul is the largest installer of permanent trailer hitches in the automotive aftermarket industry, and is the largest retailer of propane in the U.S.

Contact:

Andrea Batchelor

Jeff Lockridge

E-mail: [email protected]

Phone: 602-263-6981

Website: uhaul.com

SOURCE U-Haul

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The European Union on Wednesday reinstated duties on key exports from Cambodia that had enjoyed tariff-free access to its market, citing serious and systematic concerns related to human rights, dealing a blow to an economy already reeling from the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

The withdrawal of duty-free, quota-free access to the EUs market under the Everything But Arms (EBA) scheme for some 20 percent of Cambodias exportsa decision that was announced in Februarywent into effect because the countrys government failed to reverse rollbacks on democracy and other freedoms, the European Commission (EC) said in a statement. Affected exports include goods from Cambodias vital garment and footwear industries.

We have provided Cambodia with trade opportunities that let the country develop an export-oriented industry and gave jobs to thousands of Cambodians, Commissioner for Trade Phil Hogan said, adding that the EU intends to stand by their side as the country works to battle the pandemic.

Nonetheless, our continued support does not diminish the urgent need for Cambodia to respect human rights and labour rights. I stand ready to continue our engagement and to restore fully free access to the EU market for products from Cambodia provided we see substantial improvement in that respect.

Ahead of the reinstatement of tariffs, sources at the EC told RFAs Khmer Service on Tuesday that the Commission will also consider reinstating tariffs on additional exports from Cambodia based on future developments as it continues to monitor the countrys rights situation.

The EC said it remains open to engage with Cambodia on the necessary reforms, highlighting current restrictions in the areas of freedom of expression and civil and political rights, as well as land disputes and labor rights.

The Cambodian authorities should take action to restore political freedoms in the country, to re-establish the necessary conditions for a credible, democratic opposition and to initiate a process of national reconciliation through genuine and inclusive dialogue, the statement said.

In particular, the EC called on Cambodias government to reinstate the political rights of opposition members and repeal or revise restrictive laws including the Law on Political Parties and the Law on Association and Nongovernmental Organizations (LANGO).

If the government of Cambodia shows significant progress, particularly on civil and political rights, the Commission may review its decision and reinstate tariff preferences, the EC said.

Prime Minister Hun Sen has said that EU demands to maintain the EBA are unreasonable and an encroachment on Cambodias internal affairs, and has continued to target members of the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), which was banned in November 2017 for its role in an alleged plot to topple the government, as well as other activists who have spoken out against him.

The move to ban the CNRP was part of a wider crackdown by Hun Sen on the political opposition, NGOs, and the independent media that paved the way for his ruling Cambodian Peoples Party (CPP) to win all 125 seats in parliament in the countrys July 2018 general election.

Seventeen CNRP activists have been held in pretrial detention at Cambodias Prey Sar Prison for incitement to commit a felony or cause social unrest since early this year after slamming Hun Sens leadership and his governments response to the coronavirus pandemic.

On July 31, authorities also arrested prominent union leader Rong Chhun, who last month wrote to Hun Sen calling on the government to proactively address the issues that the EU has said prompted it to end Cambodias EBA privileges.

The EC source told RFA Tuesday that the Commission is seriously concerned by restrictions in Cambodia during the pandemic, and particularly by what they called severe limitations to freedom of expression and the suppression of dissenting political views.

The EU is following closely the situation in the country, especially the recent arrests of political and labour activists, such as the president of the Cambodian Confederation of Unions (CCU), Mr. Rong Chhun, the sources said, calling on Cambodia to uphold all rights protected under international conventions.

Clinging to power

The 20 percent withdrawal is expected to have a negative impact on the economy in Cambodia, which exported U.S. $6.4 billion in goods, mostly from its garment sector, to the EU in 2018accounting for 45 percent of Cambodias total exports that year.

The EBA has been vital for Cambodias U.S. $10 billion apparel industry, which employs 900,000 workers, but has seen mass layoffs and factory suspensions amid a slow in demand during the pandemic.

Rather than acquiesce to EU demands, Hun Sen has instead pivoted to ally China, hammering out a hasty Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with Beijing that is expected to be signed soon. But the deal focuses largely on agricultural exports and is unlikely to offset the impact of the EBA withdrawal on Cambodias garment sector.

Analysts and observers on Wednesday accused the government of Hun Senwho has ruled the country since 1985of clinging to power at the expense of the countrys economy and human rights.

Im not surprised that the partial EBA is now officially withdrawn, as the Cambodian government has been given ample opportunity and warning, yet has done little with it, political analyst Seng Sary told RFA during a call-in show.

I think it is time for the government to reach out to the opposition party, welcome it back into the political arena, and fight fair. The government needs to reopen the democratic space and allow for freedom of dissent.

Yang Saing Koma, the founder of the Center for the Cambodian Center for Study and Development in Agriculture (CEDAC) and a senior official from the Grassroots Democracy Party, told RFA that the government is wrong to think Cambodias economy can endure a partial loss of the EBA.

According to the governments attitude towards human rights and democracy, Cambodia no longer needs to depend on trade preferences, he said.

But Cambodia needs to be able to stand on its own and improve its ability to compete economically with the outside world, and these two things require deep reforms within the current leadership and its governance.

Chak Sopheap, executive director of the Cambodian Center for Human Rights (CCHR), noted that Cambodias government is bound by both the countrys constitution and international treaties to uphold human rights and democracy.

We would like the government to improve the areas of concerns as stated in the European Commissions decision, he said.

Cambodia loses nothing by restoring human rights and democracy and doing so would improve the countrys image, as well as trust in the government both domestically and internationally. During the pandemic, its even more important that the government reconsiders its position.

Interests of the people

Meanwhile, members of the public told RFA they are barely able to make ends meet because of the coronavirus outbreak, with many being forced to take on additional debt through loans, and suggested the partial withdrawal of trade preferences would stretch them to the breaking point.

I believe the 20 percent withdrawal will hurt people like me, but especially the factory workers, said food vendor Ban Sok. It is a sorry thing that the government doesnt care enough to maintain the EBA.

A student of international relations named Chan Sanh said the governments irresponsibility had led to the trade sanctions and urged it to follow EU recommendations for reforms.

Veng Vutha, a farmer from Prey Veng province, told RFA Hun Sens government only cares about staying in power, but suggested that the sanctions will affect both ordinary people and civil servants alike.

RFAs call-in show on the EBA decision even received a call from a government official in Prey Veng who spoke on condition of anonymity, citing a fear of reprisal.

I have a small message for the government, the official said. Please reconsider and put the interests of the people first.

Reported by RFAs Khmer Service. Translated by Muong Nareth and Sok Ry Sum. Written in English by Joshua Lipes.
A man was left seriously injured after being shot by armed police who were scrambled to a car park in Cheshire this afternoon.

Police said officers were called to concerns for the safety of a man at an address in Runcorn at 1.20pm.

Video posted on social media appeared to show armed officers outside flats shouting at a man, who was on a grassed area, and urging him not to reach for a gun.

They can be heard shouting: 'Show me your hands.'

Video posted on social media appeared to show armed officers outside flats, pictured left, shouting at a man, who was on a grassed area, pictured right, and urging him not to reach for a gun

A man was left seriously injured after being shot by armed police who were scrambled to a car park in Cheshire this afternoon

Officers were called to the Knoll, in Runcorn, at about 1.20pm to respond to a 'serious incident' and reports of concern for a man's safety

Witnesses heard officers shouting 'put your hands up' while pointing their guns in a car park

Moments later, the man had been shot and was taken to Halton Hospital for treatment.

A local community centre was later cordoned off as CID officers worked at the scene.

There were also reports of passer-bys, including an elderly lady, being told to 'stay indoors'.

A Cheshire Police spokesman said: 'Officers swiftly attended the scene and located the man at the Knoll.

'During the incident, a police firearm was discharged. The man sustained serious injuries and was taken to hospital.'

Chief Inspector Sarah Heath, from Runcorn local policing unit, said: 'I would like to reassure the local community that this is an isolated incident and there is no risk to the public.

'Officers will remain in the area as we continue with our inquiries and I would urge anyone with any concerns to speak to an officer.

'In line with normal procedure, the incident has been referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct.'

Anyone who witnessed the incident, or anyone with any video footage, should contact Cheshire Police on 101 quoting IML 778324 or visit https://www.cheshire.police.uk/ro/report.
Ivory Coast's former first lady Simone Gbagbo on Tuesday asked President Alassane Ouattara, her exiled husband's arch-foe, to grant the ex-strongman amnesty ahead of presidential elections in October.

The former first lady and her husband Laurent Gbagbo were both charged over violence that killed some 3,000 people in 2010-2011 after Gbagbo refused to cede power to Ouattara following his electoral defeat.

While she was jailed by Ivorian judges and later amnestied, her husband was transferred to the International Criminal Court (ICC) where he was eventually acquitted last year.

"I would like to appeal to the head of state to grant amnesty to make Laurent Gbagbo eligible," for the forthcoming election, said Simone Gbagbo in her first press conference since her release from prison two years ago.

"Whether Laurent Gbagbo contests the presidential election or not, he should be eligible," she said, asking Ouattara to give her husband a diplomatic passport, saying it was his right.

She said such a move would "facilitate reconciliation" in the country, a former regional economic powerhouse that was rocked for a decade by a low-level civil war and political violence.

Laurent Gbagbo, the first head of state to stand trial in The Hague, was freed conditionally by the ICC and has already applied for a passport.

Belgium agreed to host Gbagbo after he was released under strict conditions, including his return to court for a prosecution appeal against his acquittal. An ICC spokesman has said Gbagbo can travel provided the destination agrees to receive him.

Gbagbo has not said clearly if he will contest the October 31 election. His Ivorian Popular Front (FPI) has split into factions and his estranged former prime minister Pascal Affi N'Guessan has already announced his candidacy.

The vote has been turned on its head by the sudden death of prime minister Amadou Gon Coulibaly -- seen as Ouattara's anointed successor -- from a heart attack in July.

Story continues

Ouattara then threw his hat into the ring citing "a case of force majeure" after the death of his ruling RHDP party's candidate "left a void".

The constitution limits presidents to two five-year terms.

But a new constitution was adopted in 2016, which Ouattara and his supporters argue reset the clock, allowing him to run again -- an interpretation strongly contested by the opposition.

A youth opposition grouping close to Gbagbo's party said they would demonstrate on Thursday against Ouattara's candidacy.

ck/ach/jxb
Bismah Malik By

Express News Service

Israel-headquartered irrigation equipment maker, Netafim has clinched an $85 million deal which will involve three new community irrigation projects in Karnataka.

These three projects will cover 66 villages and 35,000 farmers on 50,000 hectares area (123,500 acres) in the state of Karnataka (Nandwadgi and Singatalur regions).

Projects will be deployed over a period of two years and will include technical and agronomic support for a further five years.

For the project execution, Netafim will collaborate with Indian Infrastructure company, MEIL (Megha Engineering and Infrastructure Limited), the company said in a statement.

Netafim has been pioneering the drip irrigation mechanism globally which involves significant reduction in water, pesticide usage, improving the quality of agriculture produce for sustainable farming activities.

Besides, the global firm will also train Karnataka farmers to operate advanced irrigation systems for growing wide range of crops including to operate the advanced systems.

A wide range of crops are planned for the area including onion, chili pepper, corn, peanuts, beans, sunflowers and various others.

These projects are an extension of the successful Ramthal community irrigation project in the state of Karnataka which was completed in 2017, and additional four projects in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh which were secured by Netafim in 2018 and which are now under implementation.

In a state like Karnataka, experts have advocated for exploring conventional irrigation means to bring more agricultural land under irrigation especially since many of the state-approved irrigation projects have been stalled or are delayed.

As per the state official data, nearly 30% of the total farm land in Karnataka is currently under irrigation and new projects will cost nearly Rs 1.6 lakh crore to the state exchequer.

In these days of global crisis, this new mega-deal in India represents a vote of confidence in Netafim, its solutions and accomplishments.

The uniqueness of these projects is in their community model, which along with local government involvement enables a huge number of farmers and villages to improve their livelihoods.

The Indian government has always been extremely supportive of the agricultural sector, and now more than ever this support is important for securing the economic stability of local farmers and food security in the country.

These projects deploy NetBeatTM systems for digital farming which enables real-time control of the irrigation systems using cloud technologies and allows access from any mobile device.

Netafim intends to expand the community irrigation project model to other countries characterized by a large number of small farmers, Gaby Miodownik, President and CEO of Netafim said.

The various irrigation projects executed by Netafim across India till date has involved up to 202 villages, over 97,000 farmers across 100,000 hectares (247,105 acres) area.
Houston is known for many things-- our rich culture, diverse population, traffic, and the food. Because of our glorious qualities, Houston managed to rank No. 11 in America's top 100 cities, according to a study conducted by a Resonance Consultancy Limited. The Canadian consulting firm specializes in marketing, strategy, and research for the real estate, tourism, and economic development.

At the top of the list is New York City, followed by Los Angeles, San Francisco and Chicago.

Houston has managed to maintain it's 11th place spot, as last year's study placed Houston in the same position. A few spots behind Houston is Dallas, ranking at No. 14. Austin comes in at No. 17 and San Antonio at No. 28. Fort Worth was not included in the listing. Arguably, this makes Houston the best city in Texas.

The study declares Houston as "smart, skilled and soulful, Houston is the American city of the future."

The research evaluated cities on six core factors, or the six "P's": place, product, people, prosperity, programming and promotion. We rank at No. 47 for prosperity, and No. 74 in our employment ranking.

The study praises Houston for "ethnic diversity, with more than 145 languages spoken in Houston-area homes, highly regarded restaurants, a healthy concentration of Fortune 500 companies--twenty-two companies based in the Houston area are listed on this years Fortune 500 list, and lastly, our airport connectivity, which ranks at No. 7.

The research goes on to praise Houston for our spaceport, hailing Houston as "the future of the regions space industryand brings us all a step closer to space tourism."

You want to know the best part of it all? We beat Dallas, again.
An itinerary Pastor known as Joyce Oyedele, who was spotted preaching without a nose musk at the Central Business District has appeared before an Accra Circuit Court.



Joyce who is being held for refusal to wear nose musk, pleaded not guilty.



But Mr Yaw Dankwah who acted as a friend of the court raised objection over who was legally mandated to prosecute the accused.



Mr Dankwah contended that the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) had not been mandated to prosecute cases of breach of the COVID-19 protocols.



He said that the Executive Instrument (EI) 64 Section 1 and 4 (1) (2), 2020 did not give the AMA mandate to prosecute.



He said prosecution should be done by the Police, adding that the EI gave the Police the power to conduct instant search and that the AMA is not the same as the Police.



Thus his argument led to the adjournment of the matter to Thursday August 13. Joyce was however remanded by the court.



The Prosecution led by Madam Linda Kunbuno, from AMA said on August 10, this year, Joyce was seen not wearing nose musk on two different occasions and was advised to wear one.



She said on August 11, this year, Joyce was again seen preaching at the ECG office in Accra Central and was using her handkerchief as a nose musk.



Prosecution said even though someone offered to buy one for her, she declined to take it, saying she was safe in using her handkerchief.



She said Joyce was later arrested by the COVID-19 Safety Task Force after she declined to wear the mask purchased for her.



Currently the COVID-19 Safety Task Force is made up of personnel the Military, Police, AMA, and Zoomlion.



They are to enforce the Directives on wearing of nose musk to contain the spread of COVID-19

Source: GNA









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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In selecting Harris, Biden had to forgive her attacks during a Democratic primary debate for his past alliances with segregationists and his opposition to busing to integrate public schools. He and his aides considered that a cheap shot. They clearly got over it.

Choosing any of the Black women on Bidens list of prospective running mates would have sent the kind of signal that Harriss selection does. Choosing any of them would have recognized how crucial Black voters were to the success of Bidens primary campaign and how crucial theyll be in the general election. Choosing any of them would have been a fitting response to the countrys current soul-searching about the racism in its past and the racism in its present.

So why Harris and not Susan Rice, Karen Bass, Val Demings, Keisha Lance Bottoms or Stacey Abrams? Because Biden obviously believes the polls that give him a significant lead over Trump and wants above all to protect it. Harris is the safest of the bunch.

Rice would have been a more comforting choice  Biden knows her much better and likes her a whole lot  but she has never run for political office and might come across as too wonky for the Rust Belt. She and the others have less conventionally, unequivocally vice-presidential resumes.

And because of Harriss high-profile participation in the Democratic primary, her life has been more thoroughly hashed over and her warts more exposed than is the case with those other contenders. She has liabilities, including a record from her long career as a prosecutor that many progressives deplore, but those have been out in the open for a while now.

No sooner had her selection leaked than several Democratic operatives emailed me to say, anxiously, I hope shes better in the general election than she was in the primary! She certainly flopped then, leaving the race even before the Iowa caucuses. But Biden flopped as miserably in the 2008 primary, and that didnt scare off Obama.

A primary and a general election are utterly different beasts. Harris ran for the Democratic presidential nomination against a huge field of other Democrats. Shes running for the vice presidency against Trump and Pence, and theres a real chance that the same Black voters who were cool to her in the primary will thrill to her now that shes on a history-making ticket, prosecuting the case against a president who has consistently and deeply offended them.
His hugely successful sitcom The Big Bang Theory came to an end in 2019 after 12 seasons.

And now Jim Parsons is talking about how he came to the decision to pull the plug on the CBS show that made him famous, won him four Emmys and earned him the Forbes title of world's highest-paid TV actor of 2018.

Speaking to former Doctor Who star David Tennant for an episode of the Scottish actor's podcast, Parsons explained that the summer of 2018 had been 'really intense' and 'I had this moment of clarity that ... 'I gotta make a move.''

'I was exhausted': Jim Parsons has revealed that a 'really intense' summer in 2018 during which his dog died led him to his decision to walk away from his hit CBS sitcom The Big bang Theory

Parsons started playing Sheldon Cooper in 2007 alongside a cast that included Kaley Cuoco, Johnny Galecki, Mayim Bialik, Simon Helberg, Kunal Nayyar and Melissa Rauch.

But after filming season 11, he spent his hiatus from the sitcom starring on Broadway in The Boys In The Band.

During that time, his beloved 14-year-old dog died and he started to feel overwhelmed.

'I was exhausted,' he told Tennant, as reported by the UK's Radio Times.

'I felt like I was at the edge of a cliff. I was teetering and I saw something really dark below between the death of the dog.'

Sharing: Parsons, 47, spoke candidly with former Doctor Who star David Tennant on a recent episode of the Scottish actor's podcast

Star: Parsons started playing Sheldon Cooper in 2007. the role not only made him famous; it also won him four Emmys and earned him the Forbes title of highest-paid TV actor of 2018

He also shared that he realized he would be 46 by the end of filming on season 12 of his show, just six years younger than his father had been when he passed away at age 52 in 2001.

It helped convince him that there were other things he needed to try and do in his life.

Parsons reportedly turned down the offer of a $50 million contract to star in two more seasons of The Big Bang Theory in order to make good on his promise to himself to start a new chapter.

His decision led CBS to cancel the sitcom altogether, something he told Tennant he hadn't wanted.

Parsons, who is married to art director Todd Spiewak, most recently was seen in Ryan Murphy's Netflix limited series Hollywood and has also wrapped filming on a big screen version of the musical The Boys In The Band.

When it ended its run in May 2019, The Big Bang Theory became the longest-running multi-camera series in television history.

During its 12 season run, the sitcom received 52 Emmy nominations, that includes 10 wins, and seven Golden Globe nominations.
ParlophoneA limited-edition gold-vinyl version of David Bowie's classic 1975 album Young Americans will be released on September 18 in celebration of the record's 45th anniversary.

Young Americans, which was Bowie's ninth studio album, originally was released in March of 1975. The eight-song collection, which was recorded in New York City and Philadelphia, found David moving away from glam rock and embracing a sound that the rock legend described as "plastic soul," incorporating R&B and soul influences.

The album peaked at #9 on the Billboard 200 and featured Bowie's first #1 hit in the U.S., "Fame," as well as the title track, which peaked at #29 on the Hot 100.

David co-wrote "Fame" with John Lennon and guitarist Carlos Alomar. Lennon also contributed vocals and guitar to that track and to a cover of The Beatles' "Across the Universe."

A young Luther Vandross was featured on backing vocals throughout the album, which has been certified gold for sales of more than 500,000 in the U.S.

Here's the full Young Americans track list:

Side 1

"Young Americans"

"Win"

"Fascination"

"Right"

Side 2

"Somebody Up There Likes Me"

"Across the Universe"

"Can You Hear Me"

"Fame"

By Matt Friedlander

Copyright  2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
Largest U.S. Planning Department Stewards Its First Chief Equity Officer Appointment

LOS ANGELESCity Planning, the largest planning department in the United States, has named its first Chief Equity Officer Faisal Roble to lead in a newly-created position to spearhead racial justice efforts within the Department. This role will also help address implicit bias in City Planning policies and outreach. With more than 30 years of experience and most recently holding the title of Principal City Planner, Roble will help craft City Plannings Racial Equity Action Plan that will better guide diverse outreach and engagement that informs 35 distinct communities during the City Planning process.

Appointed by the Director of Planning Vince Bertoni in response to Mayor Eric Garcettis Executive Order No. 27 on Racial Equity in City Government, Roble has a robust history of serving various community groups around Los Angeles. His experience includes managing visions for South, Southeast and West Adams-Baldwin Hills-Leimert communities. Part of his work helped address racial injustice, equity, as well as economic disinvestment. His leadership in over 20 projects has helped bolster affordable housing and sustainable communities. Most recently, he oversaw projects of significant importance to the South L.A. community, including the redevelopment of Jordan Downs from 700 units of public housing into a 1,073 unit, mixed-use, mix-income neighborhood with a full-service grocery store, commercial and community services and more than five acres of parks and open space.

Faisal has gained prominence at City Planning for mentoring planners by instilling confidence and guiding them professionally. He has been an advocate for many planners of color as well as helping create opportunities for advancement, said Bertoni. As public servants who inform land use, we face a pivotal moment in time where we reflect on the social, political, and economic injustices that have challenged our Black, Indigenous and, communities of color for generations. Now we need to act. We look forward to Faisals influence in this process.

City Planning recently expressed its commitment to chart a more just, fair, and equitable Los Angeles. As a department of over 400 staff, each civil servant plays a role in either perpetuating or calling out systemic racism. Many land use policies and zoning practices over time have reinforced racial segregation, poverty, environmental injustice, disinvestment, and poor health outcomes that we still experience today. City Planning recognizes it is uniquely positioned to intentionally partner with the community and stakeholders to make culture-shifting decisions.

The current national movement has shed light on a systemic racism that permeates in every sphere of our civic lives including, but not limited, to climate events, housing, health disparities, inequitable zoning practices, and lack of economic development in communities of color, said Roble. It would be irresponsible to not recognize and atone for the discriminating land use practices our local government has contributed which produced inequities. I look forward to guiding the Department in more racially equitable practices.

Regarding next steps, City Planning will submit its Racial Equity Action Plan to the mayors office as well as join the City of Los Angeles Racial Equity Task Force, both to promote citywide diversity and equity. Roble and his team will dedicate work effort to implement the priorities identified in the Action Plan.The work to dismantle systemic racism will require committed resources, and involve both internal and external efforts. Robles team will continue its work well into the future and augment the important work in partnership with the mayors office.

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You cant take the Millburn out of the deli. But you can apparently take the deli out of Millburn, and even keep the name.

Millburn Deli, the beloved Essex County sandwich shop known for its New Jersey-style Sloppy Joes, has opened a second location in Morristown.

The new shop, at 139 Morris St. across from the Morristown train station, shares the Millburn Deli name even though its location 15 miles west of the original location makes that a geographical misnomer.

Millburn Deli announced the arrival of the new location in a clever skit posted to its Instagram account.

Were open come get sloppy, the video proclaims.

Billed as a takeout and delivery outpost, the Morristown location is much smaller than the bustling Millburn shop that is so lively and busy that it can be overwhelming to first-timers. Sandwich lovers have been flocking to the iconic first location since 1946, taking sides sandwich rivalry that has raged in Essex County between Millburn Deli and Town Hall Deli in South Orange less than four miles away.

Both shops pride themselves on their Sloppy Joes  not the ground beef and tomato sauce concoction you may have had in a school cafeteria, but the New Jersey double-decker iteration of the sandwich featuring three pieces of Rye bread, two different types of meat, Russian dressing, Swiss cheese and cole slaw.

Both delis are so known for their Joes that they were named among the 33 best sandwich shops in America by Thrillist last summer. The food site also said that Millburn Deli was the best sandwich shop in New Jersey back in 2017.

Town Hall Deli claims to have invented the Sloppy Joe, but NJ.coms investigation last year crowned Millburns Delis version the superior sandwich.

Millburns other beloved sandwiches include The Gobbler, a take on a classic Thanksgiving leftover sandwich and The Godfadda with chicken cutlet, bacon and fresh mozzarella.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.

Jeremy Schneider may be reached at jschneider@njadvancemedia.com.
The alpine rally is one of the most glamorous and time-honoured automotive traditions. Races like the Rallye Monte Carlo or Targa Florio have been instrumental in establishing the rules, conventions and vehicles that dominate modern motorsports (and our roads) today.

Bur rallying in the 21st century is a very different beast to rallying at the start of the 20th century. Todays rally cars are highly-tuned, aggressively modified hatchbacks designed for maximum grip and power, and youd hardly see a modern rally team pause for lunch somewhere high in the Alps  theyre serious races.

The gentlemanly spirit of traditional rallying, however, is still alive and well, with an Australian enterprise announcing the worlds newest  and most stylish  classic rally yet.

The Super Alpine 500, the first edition of which is taking place this 11th, 12th and 13th September, is a classic rally thats set to bring the best of European rally heritage to Australias very own snowfields. Open to European classic cars only, competitors will gracefully glide their way from Sydneys Centennial Park over 500 kilometres (and 1300 meters of elevation) to arrive in Thredbos Alpine Village.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Thredbo Resort (@thredboresort) on Aug 1, 2020 at 3:15pm PDT

Reminiscent of some of the classic rallies of Europe, the Super Alpine 500 is as much about style and elegance as it is horsepower with entrants taking part in an extensive list of hospitality events both along the drive and whilst on the mountain. The Super Alpine 500 is a shaken, not stirred kind of weekend, with entrants to be treated to mountain summit champagne and oysters (via private gondola no less), mid-mountain long lunches en-piste, whisky tastings, in-room care packages and an incredible four-course gala ball on the final Saturday evening.

Registration is open now, so if you have a classic car and youre looking for a COVID-appropriate getaway this winter, we can think of no better way to spend your time.

If youre looking for a classic car for the rally, why not check out this evil BMW E21, this beachy Porsche 912, or this tidy Lotus Europa.

On your marks, get set, go!

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Florida attorney Andrew J. Shamis, whos developed a cottage industry suing companies over use of unsolicited telemarketing, has set his sites on marijuana companies in Michigan.

Shamis with his Miami-based law firm, Shamis & Gentile, has sued at least three Michigan marijuana companies in federal court this year, including MichiCann Medical, which operates as 420 Dank in Detroit; AEY Capital, which does business as Gage Cannabis and Light N Up Provisioning and Microbuddery in Flint.
The ruling BJP in Karnataka on Wednesday accused the Congress of not being "vocal" against rioters who attacked a legislator of the opposition party in Bengaluru, saying "appeasement" seemed to be its official policy.

The BJP also said Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa must make the rioters pay heavily for destruction of properties.

"Shameful n disgusting! Karnataka Congress is silent on yesterday's vandalism in Bengaluru. Pseudos are also not vocal against this riot! Freedom from fear of riots is what B'luru needs now. Sri B S Yediyurappa must make rioters pay heavily for destruction of properties.#SaveBengaluru," BJP general secretary P Muralidhar Rao tweeted.

Rao is the BJP's in-charge for Karnataka affairs. The BJP is in power in the state.

BJP general secretary (organisation) B L Santhosh alleged that the Congress was maintaining "dead silence". He noted that rioters had attacked the house of Congress MLA Akhanda Srinivasa Murthy, a Dalit.

"... Total support for right to riot. For them appeasement is the only official party policy," he said.

"After 14 hours Karnataka Congress wakes up to blame Naveen for facebook post & Police for delay in taking action. One straight question. Does your party support riots like this? Why Cong hesitates to condemn riots by minority groups? Cong Supports Riots," he said in a tweet.

Karnataka Congress leader Dinesh Gundu Rao hit back at Santhosh, accusing him of using the incident to gain political mileage.

"His statement is a crude attempt to communalise the issue and divide on caste lines", Rao said, calling it "pathetic and deplorable".

"That's what BJP & RSS do best, play politics over/with dead bodies," he alleged.

Responding to his swipe, Santhosh tweeted, "At least acknowledge that your own Dalit MLA's house was ransacked. Police station was destroyed. Why Why Why so much of appeasement, fear when your own MLA is targeted? Be simple & straight Sir."

At least three persons were killed after police opened fire to quell a mob that went on a rampage in Bengaluru.

Rioters were angry over a social media post allegedly put out by the Congress legislator's relative. The post's content was deemed religiously offensives by them.

Police said Naveen, who allegedly put out the post, has been arrested.

Opposition Congress and JD(S) in Karnataka have extended complete support to the state government in establishing peace in violence-hit parts of the city and demanded immediate action against culprits.
There are fears New South Wales is teetering on the brink of a Victoria-style coronavirus crisis as infections rapidly spread through popular shopping destinations including IKEA and Westfield.

An alarming new map illustrates how widespread cases in Sydney have become, although the number of confirmed infections pale in comparison to those in Victoria.

New South Wales recorded a further 18 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, and just one was linked to an overseas traveller in mandatory hotel quarantine.

Two more arrived in the state from coronavirus-riddled Victoria prior to testing positive.

But the other 15 cases are either under investigation or linked to previously identified clusters, which are as far reaching as the state's south coast and Newcastle in the north.

The latest infections prompted Premier Gladys Berejiklian to issue her strongest plea yet for people to wear face masks.

She said harsher restrictions were on the cards if she didn't see more people wearing masks on public transport, in shopping centres, at churches and public places where social distancing was not possible.

'Whether it's school extracurricular activity, which shouldn't occur, whether it's the recommendation for people to wear masks when they can't guarantee social distancing on public transport or in supermarkets, or it's the way in which we've asked businesses to approach a COVID-safe environment, compliance is absolutely critical,' she said.

Warnings were issued on Wednesday for Castle Towers Shopping Centre, Westfield Parramatta and IKEA in Rhodes after people with confirmed COVID cases passed through the venues.

Scroll down for video

Coronavirus is rapidly spreading through popular shopping centres, including IKEA and Westfield, a terrifying new hotspot map has illustrated

Anyone who visited Parramatta Westfield (pictured) on August 5 has been asked to monitor for symptoms after a previous confirmed cases visited the locations while infectious

Two commuters wearing face shields are seen as they travel by tram during lockdown in Melbourne

A person who was diagnosed with coronavirus visited IKEA on August 8 and Westfield on August 5 - both while unwittingly infectious.

Ms Berejiklian said the state remained on 'high alert' as she announced the new cases on Wednesday morning.

The virus also spread to the south coast, with infected Sydneysiders still permitted to travel to regional and rural communities under current health directives.

Huskisson restaurant Wildginger closed after two patrons from Sydney who dined there on Saturday evening received positive test results for COVID-19.

Patrons and staff who were at the venue have been advised to self-isolate for 14 days and get tested for COVID-19.

Eleven cases have been linked to the Batemans Bay Soldiers' Club, while customers who visited Baby Bunting in Penrith in Sydney's west between 1.15pm and 1.45pm last Saturday have been urged to stay on high alert for symptoms.

Other COVID-19 sites that are currently causing headaches for authorities and contact tracers include Tangara School in Cherrybrook, with 19 cases so far.

'We have watched closely what has happened in New Zealand and Victoria,' the premier said on Wednesday.

Ms Berejiklian said NSW remained on 'high alert' after recording 18 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday (A woman pictured in Sydney's CBD)

While the infection rate in NSW has remained stable in the past month 'we can't be assured of that moving forward', and if the state is sent into lockdown it would be very different to what Melbourne is currently enduring

A Nail Technician is seen wearing a face mask at Broadway Shopping Centre. Ms Berejiklian has urged all Sydneysiders to wear masks

'I also want to commend the police for leading a number of scenarios where we have desktopped what might happen if we have to go down that path.'

Ms Berejiklian said if a lockdown is imposed, it would be across Sydney and not just in hotspots.

'It seems apparent that any future scenario would involve cities rather than postcodes or local government areas,' she said.

The rise in mystery infections is causing particular concern for the premier, who has repeatedly said the state sits 'on a knife edge'.

'We need to go further. Because our concern is those cumulative accumulation of those unknown sources,' she said.

Health Minister Brad Hazzard joined the premier in urging people to wear face masks.

'The bottom line here is, masks,' Mr Hazzard said.

A woman walks down the street during an anti-lockdown protest in Melbourne on Sunday

Health Minister Brad Hazzard warned NSW that authorities are strongly encouraging people to wear masks in certain settings although it is not mandatory

A health care worker is seen at a COVID-19 pop up testing clinic at Castle Hill Showground on August 12

'If you're on public transport, you really should be wearing a mask. We're not making it mandatory at this stage but we're certainly saying to the community, wear a mask.

'If you're in the shopping centres wear a mask. If you go to church, or a place of worship, wear a mask.

'It's not a matter of actually asking whether it's ok to do it, it's a case of just do it.'

One case from Wednesday was linked to Our Lady of Mercy College in Parramatta, taking the cluster at the school to three.

The source of the newest case is under investigation, as it has not been directly linked to the previous two cases, with the school now closed for 14 days.

Students and staff have been advised to self-isolate for 14 days, monitor their health and get tested for COVID-19.

The school is expected to reopen on Monday, August 24.

The closure comes after several clusters popped up schools across the state with the number of cases linked to the Tangara School for Girls in Cherrybrook in the city's north-west rising to 19 on Wednesday.

An overnight religious retreat reportedly took place shortly before the first Tangara case was diagnosed.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian (pictured) announced the new cases on Wednesday morning and issued a warning that tougher rules around masks could be on the way if uptake in crowded areas did not rise

The new cases have sparked a health warning for anyone who visited Rhodes IKEA (pictured) on August 8 after a confirmed case visited the locations while infectious. Shoppers should look out for symptoms

Health warnings have been issued for the following venues:

IKEA Rhodes - August 8 between 1.20pm to 2.20pm

Parramatta Westfield - 5 August between 4pm - 5:30pm and 8 August between 12pm  1pm

Dooleys Lidcombe Catholic Club - from 5pm on 7 August to 1:30am on 8 August

Castle Towers Shopping Centre - 7 August between 3:30pm  5pm

Baby Bunting, Penrith - 8 August between 1.15pm - 1.45pm

Wildginger, Huskisson - 8 August at 8pm

Sydney's COVID-19 clusters:  116 cases linked to Thai Rock Wetherill Park cluster  68 cases linked to the funeral events in Bankstown and surrounding suburbs cluster  11 cases linked to the Batemans Bay Soldiers Club.  19 cases linked to the Tangara School Cherrybrook cluster Advertisement

'Extracurricular activities, those excursions, overnight things which you would ordinary do are not acceptable during the pandemic,' Ms Berejiklian said on Tuesday.

'I'm absolutely paranoid about what I do myself, the worst thing to be would be unintentionally give it to others.'

The stern warning was echoed by the Independent Education Union of Australia.

'Extra-curricular activities should be curtailed,' branch secretary Mark Northam said in a statement.

An investigation is underway into reports several students attended an overnight religious retreat in Bargo, 90km south-west of Sydney, before they tested positive, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.

The school insists it had nothing to do with the retreat and that it was organised by the nearby Eremeran study centre with the Catholic organisation Opus Dei.

'The school has not held any camps or retreats for its students since March 2020, when the COVID-19 restrictions for schools came into place,' a school statement read.

The Tangara School for Girls secondary campus will remain closed until at least August 24.

All students, staff and support staff at the secondary campus have been ordered to get tested for and self-isolate at home for two weeks, even if a negative test result is returned.

Despite the growing cases, Ms Berejiklian has announced NSW residents returning from Victoria will have their hotel quarantine fee waived for the next month to ease the financial burden on returnees.

One case has been linked to Our Lady of Mercy College in Parramatta, (pictured) taking the cluster at the school to three

Potentially COVID-exposed venues throughout New South Wales Anyone who attended the following venues during the dates and times below are advised to isolate, monitor and test for COVID-19 should any symptoms present, however mild:  Rhodes IKEA on 8 August, between 1:20pm -2:20pm  Parramatta Westfield on 5 August between 4pm-5:30pm and 8 August between 12pm  1pm  Dooleys Lidcombe Catholic Club from 5pm on 7 August to 1:30am on 8 August  Castle Towers Shopping Centre in Castle Hill on 7 August between 3:30pm  5pm  Baby Bunting, Penrith on Saturday 8 August between 1.15pm - 1.45pm BBQ City Buffet, Bankstown : 7pm to 8.30pm on Saturday 1 August McDonald Jones Stadium, Broadmeadow : 7.30pm to the end of the Newcastle Jets match on Sunday 2 August Bunnings Warehouse, Campbelltown : 11am to 7pm on Tuesday 4 August; 8am to 4pm on Wednesday 5 August; 1pm to 3pm on Thursday 6 August Master Hot Pot, Canley Vale : 1pm to 2pm on Saturday 1 August Canterbury Hurlstone Park RSL, Canterbury : 6.30pm to 8pm on Monday 27 July PharmaSave Cherrybrook Pharmacy in Appletree Shopping Centre, Cherrybrook : 4pm to 7pm on Thursday 6 August Woolworths, Crows Nes t: 10.30am to 11am on Monday 27 July Warren View Hotel, Enmore : 4pm to 4.20pm on Saturday 1 August Neeta Shopping Centre (including the Soul Pattinson Chemist, Woolworths and Fresco Juice Bar), Fairfield : Thursday 23 July to Thursday 30 July Greenroof Bar Restaurant, Hamilton : 10.30pm on Friday 31 July to 12.15am on Saturday 1 August Sushi Revolution, Hamilton : Noon to 12:45pm on Saturday 1 August Woolworths  Marrickville Metro Shopping Centre, Marrickville : 7pm to 7.20pm on Sunday 2 August Queens Wharf Hotel, Newcastle : 9.30pm to 11pm on Saturday 1 August St Agathas, Pennant Hills : 6.30 am to 7am on Wednesday 5 August; 6.30 am to 7am on Thursday 6 August Penrith Plaza, Penrith : 10.30am to 12pm Saturday 1 August The Eveleigh Hotel, Redfern : 8.30pm to 10pm on Friday 31 July Cubbys Kitchen, Sydney : 7.35pm to 9.30pm on Saturday 1 August Marys Macquarie Place, Sydney : 6.45pm to 7.15pm on Saturday 1 August Advertisement

The charge will be waived retrospectively and apply to NSW residents already in hotel quarantine after travelling from Victoria.

Ms Berejiklian said the NSW Government recognised the cost of hotel quarantine was a challenge for many NSW residents making their way home from Victoria.

'Hotel quarantine is key to reducing the risk of seeding of COVID-19 from Victoria into NSW,' Ms Berejiklian said.

'We have listened to the concerns of NSW residents who say they cannot afford to come home to NSW and will now give them more time to return.

'We are asking any NSW residents who are in Victoria and want to come home to make their way back to NSW before Friday, 11 September if they want to avoid paying for hotel quarantine.'

Health Minister Brad Hazzard said a number of NSW residents wanting to come home are experiencing hardship.

'We understand the cost associated with hotel quarantine has made it difficult for NSW residents to return home from Victoria  that is why we have waived that cost for the next month,' Mr Hazzard said.

'These changes are also retrospective and will apply to NSW residents who have travelled from Victoria and are already in hotel quarantine.'

The moratorium on the hotel quarantine charge for NSW residents will expire at 12:01am on Friday, September 11.

There are 133 COVID-19 cases in hospital with eight patients in intensive care and seven being ventilated.

There are reports a student retreat was responsible for an outbreak at the school, which has grown to 19 cases (pictured)
The new spike in Covid-19 cases is teaching us valuable lessons about the resilience of the virus and how best to fight it.

As three counties remain in lockdown and a number of meat plants hit by outbreaks close, public health officials are redoubling their efforts. However, there are concerns at further localised outbreaks occurring within four weeks of schools reopening.

Here's what we have learned about Covid-19 in Ireland over the past 10 days:

Local lockdowns will continue: The effective shutdown of an area works in terms of slashing virus case numbers.

Going forward, such shutdowns will be enacted on a localised and regional basis rather than nationally, amid concerns at the economic impact of a second national shutdown.

Read More

Health chiefs also believe that, if necessary, even more localised lockdowns can be used.

Testing will be ramped up: Targeted testing offers a good picture of the spread of the virus within the community. Conducted on a regular, even weekly basis, it can identify a major localised outbreak before it happens - and, with contact tracing, then help prevent it.

Repeated testing also helps eliminate the major issues with single swab tests, which revolve around precisely how effectively they are administered and the fact that one in five swabs can deliver 'false negatives'.

Speed is vital: The south Leinster surge in Covid-19 cases underlined the need for an even speedier national response to localised outbreaks.

Delays in ramping up targeted swab testing and delivering lab test results leads only to a greater localised spread of new cases.

Non-symptomatic cases are at large: Public health officials are convinced asymptomatic cases are playing a major role in spreading the virus in the community. People without a sore throat, cough, aches or loss of smell are inadvertently helping to spread the virus when social distancing and sanitisation failings occur.

Young people are catching coronavirus: The greatest concern over the surge in cases in Kildare, Laois and Offaly is that they overwhelmingly involved people aged 45 and under. Some 70pc of cases involved the young and early middle-aged, raising issues over adherence to social distancing, strict sanitisation and travel controls.

Travel remains a risk: As Ireland edges towards easing travel controls with Green List countries, it was sobering that 5pc - or one in 20 - of all Covid-19 cases detected over the past eight weeks was linked to travel.

Masks are here to stay: The widespread adoption of masks will help support testing and contact tracing measures in controlling the virus spread. Estimates are that more than 95pc of people in shopping centres are complying with the mandatory face mask rule.

We are still in the fight: Ireland remains one of the countries with the lowest rate of Covid-19 spread - largely thanks to the strict national lockdown and public compliance with health measures. There have been 26,768 Covid-19 detections since March, with 1,772 deaths - the vast majority in people aged over 70 years or with underlying health conditions.
Iran rejects 'fabricated news' on partial removal of US sanctions

Iran Press TV

Tuesday, 11 August 2020 3:53 PM

Iran has dismissed as "news fabrication" recent media claims about a European initiative that calls for a temporary removal of the US's "non-targeted" sanctions against Tehran.

Earlier on Tuesday, a news agency, citing "an informed source," claimed that Germany and Britain  two signatories to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal  are opposed to Washington's push to have the UN Security Council (UNSC) extend a UN arms embargo against Iran, which is slated to expire next month.

To resolve the differences over the issue, the source claimed, Germany, backed by Britain, has put forward an initiative under which the US would temporarily lift parts of the "non-targeted" anti-Iran sanctions, which have largely affected ordinary Iranians, in "a first step."

"General negotiations" would then be held on different subjects ranging from Iran-US tensions to regional problems, according to the purported proposal.

If a positive outcome is achieved, sanctions would be removed permanently, while more topics will be put to discussion since Iran is believed to be the key player in the region, the source claimed.

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Abbas Mousavi, however, rejected the claims as "fabricated news" that serves unknown goals.

"As far as it concerns the Islamic Republic of Iran, the unilateral US sanctions are illegal and cruel," he added.

He said based on the multilateral nuclear agreement, named the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and UNSC Resolution 2231, which endorses the accord, "the US is duty-bound to lift and nullify all the sanctions it has re-imposed after its withdrawal from the JCPOA."

Washington has, in recent months, stepped up its push to keep the UN arms ban against Iran in place through a UNSC resolution, threatening that it would use a provision in the agreement, which it left in 2018, to trigger a return of all UN sanctions on Iran if the UN body fails to extend the embargo.

The remaining signatories to the deal, even Washington's own allies, have repeatedly reminded the US that it is no longer a party to the JCPOA and thus cannot use the provision to bring about a renewal of anti-Iran bans.

The Security Council is preparing for a vote on the US-drafted resolution, but experts believe the American proposal has no chance.

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There's a good chance that you don't remember the last time you used a floppy disk for anything because it's been like a million years since we even saw a floppy disk. But what if we told you that one of the most iconic airplanes in the world still relies on a floppy disk?

Yes, we recently learned that the Boeing 747 relies on Floppy disks for getting critical software updates. This was discovered thanks to cybersecurity firm Pen Test Partners as they showed off a video walkthrough of a British Airways 747.

The video we're talking about here is a 10-minute tour of the plane's rarely seen cockpit bay. You'll also see a floppy disk amidst thousands of switches and controls of the aircraft. Here, check out the video -

The floppy disk is used as a navigation database loader and it needs to be updated every 28 days, manually. So, imagine there's an engineer who's job is to visit each Boeing 747-400 and manually deliver updates in 2020. And it's not just the Boeing 747, looks like even the 737s use floppy disks for updates and to load other things like important information like airports, runways, flight paths, and waypoints.

It's horribly inefficient because it's manual labor work in an age when everything's going digital. Additionally, floppy disks can't store too much data and hence some of these systems require as many as eight floppy disks to get the job done.

 Wikipedia

Why are they still using floppy disks? Well, to be fair, the 747 is an old plane that first took flight 32 years ago in 1988. This was the time when floppy disks reigned supreme. It also has to do with the fact that some legacy systems and tech are preserved for security and reliability reasons.



We're looking at things that are built to last for years. FOr instance, even the US military was using a floppy disk to manage its nuclear systems. The Boeing 747-Max was built with advanced software features, but it glitched and crashed killing close to 350 passengers last year.
In a country that eschews confrontation and frowns upon public display of passion, bold entrepreneurs eager to take up the burden of ending a romantic relationship on a clients behalf can make a fortune.

The Wakaresaseya, literally breaker-uppers, are professional agents that specialize in destroying relationships, be they marriages or affairs, for a fee. After taking on a contract these unlicensed operatives stop at nothing to achieve their goal, which includes extreme measures like entrapment, financial burdening and lying. Wakaresaseya are viewed by some in Japanese society as immoral, but they have been around for decades and their services are more popular than ever.

Wakaresaseya services, many of which are tied to private detective agencies, are often advertised online and cater to both married people seeking a reason to leave their spouse, and married individuals who know about their partners infidelity and want to end it without getting involved. Prices reportedly vary from a couple of hundred dollars for simple cases, to upwards of $150,000 for high-profile cases where discretion if of the upmost importance.

Photo: Pixabay

Many wakaresaseya agencies boast a success rate of 95%, and while few, if any, can actually prove their effectiveness, the agents persistence in reaching their goals is legendary. From stalking their targets and studying their daily routines to better increase their chances of success, to the pressure they sometimes put on difficult marks, wakaresaseya do whatever it takes to complete their mission.

While many consider these professional breaker-uppers immoral, wakaresaseya agencies claim they never take a case without first interviewing the client thoroughly and finding out their motivation. Why do they want to end their marriage, how long have they known about their spouses affair for, why did their partner take a mistress? They go as far as to interview the clients neighbors to see how serious they are before destroying peoples lives and relationships.

Once a case is accepted, depending on the target, wakaresaseya agents will approach them somewhere public, like a grocery store and try to spark up a combination. All they need is a moment of weakness that is usually captured by a hidden camera, but if seduction doesnt work, they have other strategies as well. Targets can be lured into fake business deals, burdened with financial debt and even visited by fake mob guys about the said debt. Threatening to start a career-ending scandal works wonders too, apparently. They basically do all it takes to get the job done.

Photo: Pixabay

Men can always be seduced if the woman operative is reasonably good-looking, Kiyoshi Hiwatashi, managing director of a wakaresaseya agency, told the Los Angeles Times.

When a client wants their husbands affair to end, wakaresaseya operatives start by targeting the mistress. They sometimes impersonate rich, successful entrepreneurs and simply steal them away from their clients partner, but they have other tactics as well. Sometimes a female agent will befriend the mistress, find out her ideal type of man and introduce her to a suitable candidate, making her leave the target herself.

For an extra fee, some wakaresaseya agencies even offer after-care services to ensure that their clients dont come knocking again. This includes offering counseling on how to make themselves more attractive to their spouses, how to act around them, or more devious work like spreading rumors around the block that a neighbor finds the wife attractive, thus rekindling her husbands interest in her.

After seeing a drop in demand a decade ago, after a famous case that ended with a murder, wakaresaseya services have once again become very popular, with hundreds of agencies advertising their services online. While such services may seem unusual in most parts of the world, its worth remembering that this is Japan, the same country where you can hire someone to confess to your crush on your behalf, hire a fake boyfriend, and even hire someone to quit your job if youre not brave enough to do it yourself.
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Linkedin News Desk (Agence France-Presse) Geneva, Switzerland  Wed, August 12, 2020 08:36 525 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066d484e7 2 World WHO,Russia,coronavirus,COVID-19,COVID-19-vaccines,pandemic,SARS-CoV-2,virus-corona,novel-coronavirus Free

The World Health Organization said any WHO stamp of approval on a COVID-19 vaccine candidate would require a rigorous safety data review, after Russia announced Tuesday it had approved a vaccine.

President Vladimir Putin said Russia had become the first country to approve a vaccine offering "sustainable immunity" against the new coronavirus.

"We are in close contact with the Russian health authorities and discussions are ongoing with respect to possible WHO pre-qualification of the vaccine," the United Nations health agency's spokesman Tarik Jasarevic told reporters in Geneva at an online press briefing.

"Pre-qualification of any vaccine includes the rigorous review and assessment of all the required safety and efficacy data."

Russia's Sputnik V vaccine has been developed by the Gamaleya research institute in coordination with the country's defense ministry.

A total of 165 candidate vaccines are being worked on around the world, according to the latest WHO overview produced on July 31.

Of those, 139 are still in pre-clinical evaluation, while the other 26 are in the various phases of being tested on humans, of which six are the furthest ahead, having reached Phase 3 of clinical evaluation.

The Gamaleya candidate being produced in Russia, which is among the 26 being tested on humans, is listed as being in Phase 1.

Kirill Dmitriev, the head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund which finances the vaccine project, said Phase 3 trials would start on Wednesday, industrial production was expected from September and that 20 countries had pre-ordered more than a billion doses.

'Stamp of quality'

"Every country has national regulatory agencies that approve the use of vaccines or medicines on its territory," Jasarevic explained.

"WHO has in place a process of pre-qualification for vaccines but also for medicines. Manufacturers ask to have the WHO pre-qualification because it is a sort of stamp of quality.

"To get this, there is a review and assessment of all required safety and efficacy data that are gathered through the clinical trials. WHO will do this for any candidate vaccine."

The pandemic has seen an unprecedented mobilization of funding and research to rush through a vaccine that can protect billions of people worldwide.

"We are encouraged by the speed by which several candidate vaccines have been developing and as we have been always saying, we hope some of these vaccines will prove to be safe and efficient," said Jasarevic.

"Accelerating progress does not mean compromising on safety," he said.
Four months ago, Congress approved the ambitious and unprecedented Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) as part of the $2 trillion pandemic rescue package, and now were starting to see the benefits of that in the shale patch, of all places.

PPP involves federal loans to small- and medium-sized businesses primarily to help them keep their workers on the payroll. The low-interest loans are potentially forgivable provided 60% of the loan goes to pay workers over the course of 24 weeks.

About $660B of the loans have been disbursed to SMBs, with up to $2.5B of that finding its way to the Texas shale patch where a huge number of companies were teetering on the edge of survival long before the pandemic struck.

As expected, the loans have received their fair share of flak, mainly on the grounds of fairness and accountability, with the WSJ lambasting them as being little more than legalized fraud.

The Texas shale patch is probably not complaining much, though: The majority of Texas oil field workers have been able to retain their jobs thanks to PPP, despite the U.S. shale industry being one of the hardest hit by the pandemic.

The Houston Chronicle has reported that 93,117 jobs of the 182,500 people employed in the Texas oil field are still intact even as the worst of the oil price crash appears to be in the rearview mirror.

Lifesaver

Data by the Small Business Administration (SBA) shows that a total of 6,610 PPP loans have been disbursed to oil and natural gas companies as well as oil field services companies and related equipment manufacturers headquartered in Texas.

The SBA listed the amounts borrowed in five different ranges, not exact amounts, making it hard to work out the exact amount the Texas companies received. Related: Big Oil Forced To Change Strategy After The Oil Price Crash

But using the provided ranges shows that a total of 4,877 oil and gas companies in Texas borrowed loans below $150,000 for a total of $188 million. The other 1,733 companies borrowed amounts higher than $150,000 for a total of up to $2.3 billion. Going by this math, Texas oil and gas companies could have received as much as $2.5B in loans under PPP.

Unfortunately, that did not stop the Texas shale patch from losing a staggering 26,300 jobs in April alone, and nearly 90,000 since the pandemic reared its ugly head.

And, we certainly know nothing about the quality of those jobs that were retained.

Oil and gas companies, both big and small, have been known to stiff their workers, especially blue-collar ones, when times are hard. Case in point is Halliburton Inc. (NYSE:HAL) which in 2016 was forced to settle with the Department of Labor for $18 million after DOL found the company guilty of cheating more than 1,000 workers including oil field service representatives, drilling tech advisors, pipe recovery specialists, and reliability tech specialists by refusing to pay them the required overtime. DOLs Houston Wage and Hour Division district director, Robin Mallett, has told DeSmog that oil and gas has a very large number of vulnerable workers:

What we see in oil and gas is a lot of contingent workers, moving from job site to job site. We look at the industry and pay practices and how industry may be set up. The pay structure in oil and gas is fissured, and theres a lot of subcontracting, with one big company paying another who pays another who pays another until you get to the oilfield workers. The lower you go, the more likely there will be violations, because the money flows through a chain.

Maybe thats one reason why HAL was quick to furlough 3,500 workers at its Houston headquarters in March during the early stages of the pandemic when about 2000,000 roughnecks, or half the industrys workforce, lost their jobs.

PPP Loopholes

While it appears that a lot of companies are using PPP for its intended purpose--i.e., pay their workers--a large number are not.

Back in July, the Houston Chronicle reported that more than 550,000 PPP recipients were listed in the official government data as having retained zero jobs.

Thats the case because of a glaring hole in the program that allows companies that have no intention of retaining employees to apply for--and receive--the loans before diverting the funds for other purposes as long as they repay their loans. One such company is Midland, Texas-based compression equipment provider, Natural Gas Services Group (NYSE:NGS) which returned its $4.6M PPP loan and had to cut 20% of its workforce.

By Alex Kimani for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Hasbro has pulled a Trolls doll from shelves after over half a million people signed a petition complaining about an inappropriately-placed button between the doll's legs which makes her giggle and gasp.

The toy company was slammed as 'disgusting' and accused of 'facilitating child abuse' after videos went viral showing the Trolls World Tour Giggle and Sing Poppy in action.

In one, a concerned mother demonstrates how pushing the doll's belly makes her sing  but pushing another button placed 'on her privates' elicits giggles and odd gasping noises.

Uproar: Hasbro is in the process of removing the Trolls World Tour Giggle and Sing Poppy from shelves

Yikes! The toy has a button the belly that makes the doll sing, but another button  not advertised on the box  is between her legs and produces more noises

Odd: Viral video shows how the doll giggles, gasps, and says 'wee' when that button is pressed

In the viral video that appears to have inspired the online backlash, a woman says that her daughter was given the Trolls Poppy doll for her second birthday this month, and she wanted to share what she learned about the doll because she found it 'disturbing.'

'On the back [of the box] it says that if you push her tummy ... she makes ten phrases and sounds. And that's all it talks about,' she says.

But when she was showing the doll to her husband, she heard some new sounds coming from the doll and investigated.

That's when she noticed another button between the doll's legs, 'right here on her privates.'

'If you push [it], she makes these sounds,' she says, before clicking the button.

The doll goes on to make several noises, including a giggle, an excited gasp, and a 'wee' sound.

Yes, it's true: Another mom, Alessandra Greszler, couldn't believe that this was real  so she went to the toy store to investigate herself

First: She demonstrated how the main button on the toy's belly works

Disturbing: But she then showed how some of the 10 original sounds the doll makes can only be heard by touching the button between her legs

'I know some of you might not think this is a big deal, but especially since I've had kids, this is wrong.

This button, it says nothing about this button on the box. It's just there. And it makes a gasping sound when you touch her privates. And to me it's just like, sexual sounds. And it's so disturbing.'

Others have agreed. More parents have responded across social media, slamming Hasbro for the toy.

'Yall should be ashamed of yourselves man. The trolls poppy doll is absolutely disturbing. Its disgusting. Who ever was all involved yall are sick f***s,' wrote one.

'Theyre conditioning our children to think pedophilia is ok. To make them think when someone touches your private it should be fun,' wrote another.

'DO NOT buy that world tour trolls poppy doll for your daughters She has a button a her private part. When you touch it she makes different sounds. Sounds like their grooming our kids,' wrote yet another.

Viral: Last week, Jessica McManis started a Change.org petition demanding that the doll be removed from shelves

'Theyre conditioning our children to think pedophilia is ok. To make them think when someone touches your private it should be fun,' she wrote

Another mom, Alessandra Greszler, couldn't believe that this was real  so she went to the toy store to investigate herself, and shared a video of what she found on Facebook.

'We're teaching the girls that if you're touching in between their legs it's funny and it's OK,' she said.

Last week, Jessica McManis started a Change.org petition demanding that the doll be removed from shelves.

'Our society is conditioning our children to think pedophilia is ok,' she wrote.

'This is not okay for a childs toy! This toy needs to be removed from our stores. What will this toy make our innocent, impressionable children think? That its fun when someone touches your private area? That pedophilia and child molestation are ok?

'Its not ok! Its not fun! Its damaging and has long term affects on a childs mental/physical health!'

Others complained on social media, and over 508,000 people have signed the petition

The petition has earned over 508,000 signatures  and Hasbro has responded, agreeing to pull the doll.

'This feature was designed to react when the doll was seated, but we recognize the placement of the sensor may be perceived as inappropriate,' Hasbro spokeswoman Julie Duffy told The Providence Journal.

'This was not intentional and we are happy to provide consumers with a replacement Poppy doll of similar value through our consumer care team.

'We are in the process of removing the item for purchase.'
WASHINGTON A shakeup of the U.S. Postal Service is leading to mail delays, union officials said on Tuesday, heightening concerns that an ally of President Donald Trump is destabilizing the service as millions of Americans consider whether to cast their ballots by mail in the Nov. 3 presidential election.

New Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, who has donated $2.7 million to Trump and his fellow Republicans since 2017, has ordered operational changes and a clampdown on overtime in a bid to fix the financially troubled service, which reported a net loss of $2.2 billion in the last quarter. [nL1N2F91F9]

The reorganization, introduced in July, has resulted in thousands of delayed letters in southern Maine, as delivery drivers follow a new directive to leave on time, even if the mail has not been loaded, said Scott Adams, who represents about 550 workers as the president of American Postal Worker Union Local 458.

Another new directive requires mail carriers to head out on their routes immediately in the morning, carrying only packages and letters that were sorted the night before, according to an internal memo seen by Reuters. That is requiring some carriers to double back to pick up a second batch later in the day, said Kimberly Karol, president of the Iowa Postal Workers Union.

It is on the ground costing more in manpower and man-hours than it is saving," Karol said.

Deliveries from online shopping during the pandemic had already stretched the post office to its limits. Delays have also been reported in at least 18 other states, according to media reports.

Internal Postal Service documents seen by Reuters acknowledge that the changes may lead to delays.

One aspect of these changes that may be difficult for employees is that  temporarily  we may see mail left behind or mail on the workroom floor or docks," says one memo, dated July 10. The plan hopes to eliminate 64 million working hours nationally to reduce personnel costs, according to another memo.

The Postal Service has faced financial woes with the rise of email and social media, and a measure passed in 2006 requiring it to prefund 75 years of retiree health benefits over the span of 10 years at a cost of more than $100 billion.

MAIL-IN VOTING

In a speech on Friday, DeJoy said managers would try to quickly fix problems when they arise. We will aggressively monitor and quickly address service issues," he told the Postal Service Board of Governors.

The disruptions have stirred concerns that DeJoy may be seeking to undermine confidence in the Postal Service before the Nov. 3 election, when coronavirus concerns may prompt up to half of all U.S. voters to cast their ballots by mail.

Youve got the customer looking and saying, Is the Postal Service reliable, and now am I going to vote by mail?'" Adams of Local 458 said.

Democrats in Congress are calling on the Postal Service to reverse the changes, saying they threatened to interrupt Americans from receiving paychecks and absentee voting.[nL1N2F82SP]

Karol said the USPS and its 600,000 employees are still ready, willing, and able to handle the 2020 election. We have a system in place that has served them for 200 years. That system isnt broken," she said.

Trump, who has voted by mail himself, has repeatedly said without evidence that the method could lead to widespread fraud. Election experts say it is as secure as any other method. [nL1N2EE02V]

DeJoy said the Postal Service would uphold election-mail standards that have been in place for years.

The Postal Service has ample capacity to deliver all election mail securely and on-time in accordance with our delivery standards, and we will do so," he said.

Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor
While the raw total for COVID-19 case numbers in Cerro Gordo continues to tick upward, there's been a few silver linings in the recent data.

As Mason City Mayor Bill Schickel pointed out during a weekly press conference on Wednesday afternoon, the overall number of 635 is an increase of 52 from the week prior, but the 14-day rolling average of positive rates "continues on a positive trend."

The total recoveries from the virus are at 394 with active cases at 241. That said, over time, the positive test rate for the county has ticked up by about .3% in recent days and weeks to 7.7%.

"You have the ability to effectively stop the spread of the virus by taking these actions," Schickel said about preventive measures such as social distancing, wearing a mask and careful hygiene.

Such trends and practices will matter more as the school year finally starts back up in Mason City on Aug. 24. Especially for child care services.

For the weekly conference, Schickel had Kathy Lloyd from Iowa Childcare Resource and Referral as guest to chat about how providers are working through things right now and what they're biggest challenges are. The biggest one? Availability.

"Iowa was already in an early childhood drought and this pandemic has only made it worse, so right now the concern is will the daycares have enough spots. Its probably going to be an issue," Lloyd said.

If there was a sharp increase in COVID cases in the county again that forced students home and needing care, that could present a problem for a slightly strained system. Still, Lloyd told Schickel that the providers she's in touch with are doing the best with what they have.

"Mason City and Cerro Gordo providers have done an amazing job. They were asked to step up and they did. They made modifications DHS asked. Theyre taking temps. Theyre not letting parents through the front door. Theyve all stepped up their cleaning practices," she said. And such vigilance has kept them open at a time of high need.

Despite specific concerns such as child care and broader concerns about case numbers or what will recovery will look like down the line, Schickel said near the end of the meeting that he's relatively optimistic about the future and the role the city will play.

"I think Mason City is positioning itself for the future. I think communities able to do this will come out of this and be successful," he said. "The small business plan we put in place helped a lot of people. And weve had a lot of inquiries from companies in big cities who, because of COVID, are looking at places with high qualities of life.

Jared McNett covers local government for the Globe Gazette. You can reach him at Jared.McNett@globegazette.com or by phone at 641-421-0527. Follow Jared on Twitter at @TwoHeadedBoy98.

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Korea and Japan are in talks over ways to ease coronavirus entry restrictions for business travelers, a diplomatic source said Wednesday.







Last month, Seoul and Tokyo kicked off diplomatic talks on the relaxation of the restrictions based on the shared view that the countries should allow the entry of businesspeople as long as they do not undermine the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.







"The talks are currently at the early phase in which the countries have basically been checking related facts  a process that could take some time," the source said on condition of anonymity.







In March, the two countries imposed entry restrictions against each other, worsening ties already strained over wartime history and trade. Tokyo first announced its restrictions for Korean travelers, which prompted Seoul to roll out its own in a tit-for-tat move.







Seoul and Tokyo have been holding consultations on the entry restrictions largely through online communication channels.







Observers said that the countries might first focus on easing restrictions for business travelers and then could consider whether to relax the strictures against students and tourists.







During phone talks in June, Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha proposed to her Japanese counterpart, Toshimitsu Motegi, the relaxation of entry restrictions for businesspeople. But Motegi reportedly rejected the proposal, stressing Tokyo's "top priority" on containing the virus. (Yonhap)






An Offaly County Councillor wants to bring a major new TikTok facility to Offaly.

Fine Gael Councillor, Noel Cribbin, is seeking a meeting with IDA Ireland to open discussions on the location of the global social media giant's new 500m Data Centre.

Cllr Cribbin says he has been in contact with both Minister for Land Use and Biodiversity, Pippa Hackett, and representatives from Bord na Mona (BnM), in a bid to open the talks.

Referencing the potential in the Midlands to house data centres for a range of multinational companies, Cllr Cribbin said, TikTok is seeking a location for a 500 million data centre in Ireland.

He commented, "now is the time to showcase the many advantages of choosing the Midlands for this enterprise. We have a massive landbank in the possession of BnM, the area is already on its way to becoming Irelands first Green Energy Hub and North Offaly is fast becoming the wind farm capital of Ireland."

"These advantages, combined with proximity to Dublin, its ports and airports, and from there access to the entire European market, make the Midlands an ideal location for multinational companies eager to establish bases in Ireland  now the only English-speaking nation in the EU."

Cllr. Cribbin added, "with the terrible impact of job losses in BnM on the area in the last months, we have a great opportunity to showcase the fabulous opportunities that exist here. It is now time to get some payback for the residents of North Offaly, who have witnessed job losses, the setting up of wind farms and now the devastation of the coronavirus. It is time to see an injection of jobs and prosperity into the area."

"I have contacted Minister Hackett and BnM representatives to seek a meeting with IDA to open discussions on the TikTok data centre investment. It is time that global companies became aware of all that North Offaly has to offer and I intend to do everything in my power to ensure that happens," Cllr. Cribbin concluded.
President Trump said during an interview with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt Tuesday he'd love to hold campaign rallies, but he "can't because of the covid. ... you can't have people sitting next to each other."

Why it matters: Trump is known for electrifying crowds at rallies and connecting with loyal supporters on a huge scale. But Trump stressed to Hewitt and in a separate radio interview earlier Tuesday that it wouldn't work while social distancing is required to prevent the spread of COVID-19. "You cant have empty seats," Trump told with Fox News Radio.

What he's saying: "You know, if I had five empty seats  for instance, they said, 'Would I do a rally, sir?' The reason I wont do them [is] because, you can have one seat and then seven around that seat, sir, have to be empty," Trump told Fox News Radio.

"Oh, that'll look great. You know, you have one person and everything's empty around them. You cant do that."

Of note: Trump's indoor campaign rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in June attracted a smaller-than-expected crowd of 6,200 in the 19,200-capacity BOK Center, according to the city's fire department. The Trump campaign insists 12,000 people were in attendance.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 12

By Jeila Aliyeva - Trend:

Humanitarian aid in the form of medical equipment kits for the fight against the coronavirus pandemic was sent to Afghanistan from Turkmenistan on August 12, 2020, Trend reports with reference to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan.

The humanitarian aid was sent according to order of Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov that obligates Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Health and Medical Industry of Turkmenistan to donate sets of a real-time polymerase chain reaction (Real-time PCR) systems to Afghanistan.

As reported, the presidential decree on sending humanitarian aid to Afghanistan was signed in early August.

In line with another presidents decree, signed earlier, the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment Protection of Turkmenistan and the Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs of Turkmenistan donated food products to Afghanistan.

Turkmenistan and Afghanistan cooperate in trade and economic, fuel and energy, transport and communication spheres. The construction of TurkmenistanAfghanistanPakistanIndia Pipeline (TAPI) pipeline, high-voltage power transmission line and fiber-optic communication along the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan route are some of the projects the countries collaborate on.

The countries also carry out transit and transport projects. One of them is Afghanistan-Turkmenistan-Azerbaijan-Georgia-Turkey transit and transport corridor that expands economic and trade ties between States of Central and South Asia and Europe.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @JeilaAliyeva
Although Dominguez did mention the $200 million fine that ComEd has agreed to pay the U.S. government, there was no mention at all of the nine years of increased rates for delivery of electricity that have been paid by the ComEd customers: the homeowners, small and large businesses, municipalities, and others who provided the more than $150 million in benefits to ComEd. Move along, nothing to see here, says ComEd.
In a talk with Saigon Investment, Dr. NGUYEN DINH CUNG, a member of the Prime Minister's Economic Advisory Group, shared his thoughts on some policies that could help in the recovery of the domestic economy.

JOURNALIST: - Sir, even while the global economy is still continuing to face uncertainties and unprecedented challenges under the Covid-19 pandemic, Vietnam has been struck by a sudden resurgence of the disease that has spread across many localities. How do we best face this threat?

Dr. NGUYEN DINH CUNG: - It is true that the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic will be prolonged, unpredictable, uncertain and highly risky. The world economy has now gone into a recession, and many forecast that this new socio-economic crisis will be more severe than it has ever been before. If the pandemic is brought under control soon, by 2022 the world economy may again reach to the level it was at the end of 2019.

However, current external factors are not favorable, and there may be many unforeseen changes as this health crisis rages on. In Vietnam, this pandemic is now spreading to many provinces and cities, making the economic situation even more grave. If the spread of the disease accelerates, the current economic recovery efforts will slow down or even come to an absolute halt.

We are, at this moment of time, facing our greatest challenge and the economy is sliding sharply since early this year. Specifically, exports have fallen for the first time, Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) has decreased for a large number of new projects, as has registered capital and implemented capital for many important projects. The complications and unpredictability of the pandemic has also created a strain on our economic recovery efforts, which are taking up far more time under the present circumstances.

With our vigilant efforts to keep the disease from spreading, and supported by our robust and effective economic recovery policies and solutions, we hope that by 2022 the country's economy will return to the level it was before the pandemic broke out.

- Sir, Vietnam went through a very difficult period from 2010 to 2011. What do you feel about the situation now as compared to that period?

- During the 2010-2011 period, the economy was still affected by the 2008 global financial crisis, which was the worst economic recession since the Great Depression in the 1930s. In 2010, the Government was still very optimistic and did not expect that more bad things would develop so quickly, and bring a slow down to operations. At that time, economic growth was quite high and unemployment was not such a big problem. However, serious macro-economic instability existed and there was uncertainty in the financial system.

Since the beginning of 2020, the Government has remained optimistic, expecting less impact from the pandemic, but the economy has fallen unprecedentedly low, and there is high unemployment and large-scale job losses. Until now, although the macro-economy is still stable and the financial system is still safe, there are potential risks of instability. An unprecedented large-scale production and business support package has been introduced, but is nothing compared to the economic, production and business losses caused by the disease.

Up until now, these support packages have not had much positive effect because of slow implementation and complicated conditions in receiving them. The Government has set many directives but they are ineffective due to slow enforcement at all levels.

Now the disruption of economic activities is not the only worry, but there are serious concerns about a lack of enthusiasm in attitudes and approach in handling socio-economic issues by leaders in many units. During the period 2010-2011, reforms were slow and far less with no clear direction. Later there was a fundamental change in both action and target to restore macro-economic stability, growth and social security.

In 2012, the economy was at rock bottom and it took three years to recover the growth rate. Currently, reform seems to have lost momentum, as well as a firm direction. The task of the Government may be more complex and difficult, which is to maintain macro-economic stability; growth recovery; economic restructuring; and growth transformation. The current outlook does not look very bright.

- Before the second wave of the pandemic broke out, Vietnam was pushing for more investments in various fields into the country, by offering huge incentives and procedural changes. This second emergence of the Covid-19 pandemic has brought with it new challenges. In your opinion, what kind of reforms can we offer now?

- Looking back on the countrys development process over the last few years, we can see that the period of good economic development was also a period of strong reforms. The more difficult it is to reform, the more we should focus on better reform, because the stronger and more effective the reform the better will be the driving force for growth. The demand for strong reform and innovation under the market economy will surely always to be more urgent and powerful than ever.

The spirit of reform still is market, market and more market. During this difficult time, it is necessary to create more favorable conditions for production and business. Reforms must continue to make businesses safer and more free. Businesses do not only need freedom to do anything, but also must have the freedom to do their own way, and the freedom to do with anyone. Currently, we only pay attention to freedom to do anything.

We must continue to reduce, loosen and remove barriers for doing business and also focus on how laws and regulations create barriers and limit freedom in doing business. It is necessary to change this mindset, remove procrastination and manage according to levels of risks of goods and services and levels of compliances of the business. If reform slows down, economic recovery will become weaker and the recovery period will take much longer, possibly even beyond 2025.

- Thank you very much.

Ha Linh (interviewer)
Dont be surprised if Donald Trump starts crank-calling Hillary Clinton to relive past glories.

She answers the phone and he yells, Crooked! before hanging up and staring at a poster of Kamala Harris as a single tear rests on his cheek. Back in 2016, it was so much easier for Trump to attack because, thanks to years of dark conspiracies, Clinton was already a bogeywoman to the right in ways that transcended Benghazi or an unsecured server or her emails.

There are lunatics out there who still believe she is a child sex trafficker and murderer.

Clinton arrived from the Political Opponent factory pre-assembled with clearly marked vulnerabilities.

But as weve seen in recent weeks  including on Tuesday, after Joe Biden electrified his campaign by picking Harris for vice-president  Trumps bazooka of insults and nicknames is now firing blanks. If anything, that bazooka is a boomerang: it keeps circling back to smack him upside the head.

On Wednesday, MSNBCs Morning Joe aired the attack ad Team Trump rolled out in rapid response to the Biden-Harris ticket. It was a mishmash of alarmist narration and graphics such as radical left and socialist medicine. Yawn. As attack ads go, it had the bite of a guppy.

When the cameras cut back to the hosts, Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski were laughing as if they had just watched a Dave Chappelle clip. An attack ad that makes viewers chortle? Thats like a pain killer that brings on a migraine. It is a total fail.

Scarborough: Thats funny. Yeah, good luck with that.

Brzezinski: Wow. Thats all they got?

Actually, Mika, they may have even less.

Until now, Team Trumps main attack on Biden has focused on the former VPs alleged physical and cognitive decline. Bidens nickname went from Sleepy Joe to, in the new ad, Slow Joe. Inside the MAGA death cult, Biden has lost his marbles down a drainpipe he believes is a plate of spaghetti and what day is it? Biden is hiding in his basement because the Grim Reaper is knocking on the front door.

But this weekend, Biden went for a bike ride. So much for the frail talking point. Can you imagine Trump wobbling on a two-wheeler? Hed peddle one foot before tipping over and face-planting into the curb as his wig ejects. While pulling a Lance Armstrong, Biden also masterfully trolled Foxs Peter Doocy, who attempted to inquire about the impending VP announcement.

Doocy: Mr. Vice-President, have you picked a running mate yet?

Biden: Yeah, I have.

Doocy: You have? Who is it?

Biden, sailing past in his mask: You!

I spit out my martini. If that is dementia, I can only pray to be as senile one day.

Trumps best bet to land blows this election was always going to come down to the Democratic VP. Voters have already read and agreed to the Terms of Agreement on Biden. Youre not getting fireworks. Youre getting a hurricane lamp. Youre not getting psychodrama. Youre getting a scripted return to normal. Under Trump, America became a global laughingstock and nation to be pitied.

Under Biden, America flexes its muscles on a new bike path of exceptionalism.

And if Biden is coated in Teflon to Trumps futile attacks, Harris is shrouded in Kevlar. She is the first woman of colour to be on a major party ticket. Thats not nothing, especially at this time. Harris is a pop-cultural force unto herself. It was fascinating to watch so many celebrities weigh in on Tuesday and sing her praises while, for the first time in ages, seeming to forget Trump even exists.

A big case for Biden was always that he is not Trump. He represents a safe past.

A big case for Harris is that she is the future.

This is what should terrify the U.S. president most of all; at this point in 2020, Kamala Harris is a lot like Donald Trump was in 2016: a symbol of change foisted upon the Zeitgeist.

I suspect this is why Trump looked and sounded so beaten down as he mailed in his attacks on Tuesday. But calling Harris nasty, as he did, only makes voters ask, And youre not? Resorting to a Phoney Kamala nickname, as he did in the new ad, only makes voters remember this is a man who lies more than Pinocchio on an acid trip and flip-flops like a trout on the deck of a fishing boat.

There is no charge Trump can level at Harris that could not apply to him.

And thats what makes Bidens veep decision so brilliant. Biden is playing 3D chess against a desperate Trump Cult that is down to a tattered checkers board thats missing most of the pieces. In Harris, Biden has shrewdly armed his campaign with a political assassin who, much like Trump, will say whatever it takes to win. Shes ruthless. If I were Mike Pence, Id be looking into the Witness Protection Program because Harris is going to chew him up and spit him out during their VP debate in October.

Its going to be like watching Mike Tyson climb into the ring with Andy Dick.

Harris is not playing around. And Trump, hard-wired to play around, just lost his bag of tricks.

How does a poisonous snake hunt a chameleon?

Kamala Harris is Donalds Trump worst nightmare: she is immune to his attacks.

She has a political record that cant be nailed down one way or the other.

She has moxie and smarts and verve and ice water in her veins.

Sorry, Trumpville, but she seems both untouchable and inevitable.

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The youth in the country have been advised to use their strength to demand accountability and inclusion from politicians.



Rather than being used as pawns to achieve their political ambitions, the youth have been urged to take advantage of their large number to ensure that their concerns were addressed by political parties.



Addressing youth groups from the Ashanti Region in Kumasi yesterday, the Programme Coordinator for the Youth Bridge Foundation, a youth advocacy group, Ms Joyce Nyame, said although the youth constituted the chunk of the voting population, their concerns had never been addressed by political parties.



She said the youth needed to actively engage politicians to put their issues across for parties to include in their manifestos.



Forum



The forum was organised in partnership with the Centre for Democratic Development Ghana (CDD-Ghana), with funding from USAID.



It was on the theme: Engendering national and local conversations on youth issues ahead of elections 2020.



Ms Nyame said the Youth Speaks Forum was a platform for the youth to engage political parties on their youth policies and also make recommendations to ensure that their views and aspirations were included in the manifestos for easy implementation when they won power.



Prospects



According to Ms Nyame, figures from the 2016 voters register showed that the youth (18-35) constituted 62 per cent of the voter population, while 21 per cent of that were first time voters.



That, she said, showed that the youth were major power brokers in the nations politics and that they could use their huge numbers to have their concerns addressed.



She noted ,however, that the high rate of illiteracy among the youth was an impediment to their ability to effectively engage political parties to have their issues included in their manifestos.



While acknowledging there was a high prospects for the youth to effectively engage duty bearers and get their issues addressed, adding that there was the need for them to build their capacity and be well informed to make demands for inclusion from the politicians.



Youthful population



The Senior Programme Officer at the CDD-Ghana, Ms Regina Oforiwaa Amanfo, said Ghanas youthful population could be an asset which could be harnessed for national development.



Unfortunately, the youth have very limited opportunity to engage in governance processes beyond the exercise of their franchise, she said.



She said a research conducted by the centre in 2018 showed that most of the party affiliated vigilante groups were made of young people in their active years.



Ms Amanfo said it was against that background that the centre, together with the foundation, saw the need to initiate the forum to bring the youth and political actors together to have dialogue towards enhancing youth participation in the political and governance processes.

Source: Graphic.com.gh









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Over 2,370 Wrexham businesses received emergency Welsh Government support during pandemic

This article is old - Published: Wednesday, Aug 12th, 2020

Businesses across Wrexham have received emergency coronavirus support totalling almost 30m from the Welsh Government.

The most up-to-date information shows 2,374 businesses of all sizes across the county borough have been awarded crucial support since the pandemic struck  with more being awarded every day.

Welsh Government data shows 1,840 Wrexham businesses already in receipt of Small Business Rates Relief got grants of 10,000 and another 258 in the tourism and hospitality industry were awarded 25,000 each.

More than 2,000 start-up grants of 2,500 are currently being processed across Wales, with 91 grants to be allocated to companies in Wrexham. The local authority is in the process of allocating those grants.

The Welsh Governments Economic Resilience Fund (ERF), which Welsh Government say was designed to fill the gaps left by the UK Governments support schemes, has so far awarded 4.69m to another 276 Wrexham firms.

One business in the town that has benefited from the ERF is The Fat Boar in Wrexham town centre.

Owner Rich Watkin said: Despite the incredibly uncertain and challenging times, the funding my business received from the Welsh Government enabled me to plan for the future with confidence.

It acted as a safety net and really took the pressure off. I knew when we were allowed to reopen, we wouldnt be in a worse position and I was able to invest in the necessary PPE and re-employ people sooner than originally anticipated.

Plas Madoc Leisure Centre was awarded 55,000 through the ERF. Stella Matthews, chair of Splash Community Trust, which runs the centre, said: The coronavirus outbreak and lockdown could have really set us back. This funding is so crucial for us and its a tremendous boost.

We have always had fantastic support from the Welsh Government and theyve always realised the importance of Plas Madoc to our area. We are so grateful to them.

Based in Wrexham Bus Station, King Street Coffee qualified for a 10,000 grant.

Phil Gallanders, owner of the coffee shop, said: The funding I received was extremely helpful and timely. I was able to use the grant to pay all my fixed overheads for the three months I was closed and I was also able to ensure that any invoices with my local producers were paid off.

Ive also been able to invest in the necessary changes to the day-to-day operation needed due to Covid-19 and have made a small purchase in equipment that is going to help me build back better.

The Hand at Llanarmon was one of the first businesses to secure funding. Owner Jonathan Greatorex received an offer of 100,000 from the Development Bank of Wales, which was paid within a week of his application being submitted.

Wrexhams Member of the Senedd, Lesley Griffiths said: This extraordinary period has seen an unprecedented amount of support provided to local businesses. The comprehensive measures introduced in Wales are the most generous in the UK and it is pleasing the funding has made a tangible difference to our community and benefited the lives of local people.

The Welsh Government will continue to do all it can to support our region as we start to recover from the pandemic.

Clwyd South MS Ken Skates said: I am proud that the Welsh Government has been able to help so many local businesses, from small and medium-sized enterprises to key local employers and hotels and pubs.

The Welsh Governments support package for businesses is the most generous anywhere in the UK and more money reaching small businesses every day.

Around 11% of all awards through the Economic Resilience Fund have been to businesses in North East Wales, and almost 28m has been awarded through it across North Wales. Sadly, it is impossible to help every single business, but the vast majority of applications have been successful and Im pleased there are many which we have helped stay afloat.

Im proud to be part of a Welsh Government which is standing up for our region.

Welsh Government have published lists of all businesses receiving funding, detailing what the company name is, what county they are in, and how much they were awarded via the ERF first phase

Please click here to see the ERF Phase 1 Micro Scheme Awarded Organisations.

Please click here to see the ERF Phase 1 SME Scheme Awarded Organisations.


Summer Sourcing Weeks | Go ONLINE, an online trade fair organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, concluded on 7 August, attracting more than 13,000 registered quality buyers from 118 countries and regions.



Over 4,500 video meetings were arranged during the online exhibition for buyers and exhibitors to forge collaborations amid the global pandemic.



Multiple webinars and online symposiums were held, including "Tech Trends Symposium 2020 - The Future of Intelligent Connectivity", "Asian Lighting Forum 2020 - Shaping the Future of Lights" and "WGSN Presents: Lifestyle & Interiors Trends Spring/Summer 2021", attracting more than 31,000 views.

Christine Kam, Tel: +852 2584 4514, Email: christine.kam@hktdc.org Agnes Wat, Tel: +852 2584 4554, Email: agnes.ky.wat@hktdc.org

HONG KONG, Aug 12, 2020 - (ACN Newswire) - The COVID-19 pandemic has led to physical exhibitions around the world being cancelled or postponed. However, despite this impediment to economic activity, sourcing demand has continued to grow. The Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) acted swiftly to change its strategy at the onset of the pandemic, actively developing new business channels and services. The HKTDC's most recent online exhibition has concluded successfully, laying the foundation for a future hybrid model that combines physical and online trade fairs.In view of the pandemic, nine of the HKTDC's planned physical exhibitions (see below) were migrated to an online exhibition, Summer Sourcing Weeks | Go ONLINE. The exhibition employed innovative online solutions which combined key elements of business matching from physical fairs to facilitate business discussions between buyers and exhibitors.Benjamin Chau, HKTDC Deputy Executive Director, said: "The uncertainties created by the COVID-19 pandemic have led more small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to focus on online promotions and operations, which has quickly become the 'new normal' for conducting business. Given that the pandemic has prevented buyers and exhibitors from meeting in person, the HKTDC has introduced online business matching to enable networking and deal-making."Mr Chau said the Click2Match business matching platform employed at Summer Sourcing Weeks | Go ONLINE used big data and artificial intelligence (AI) to automatically match exhibitors with prospective buyers, enabling both parties to forge closer business connections. The HKTDC also leveraged the strong business networks of its 50 global offices and the support of its Hong Kong team to offer real-time assistance to buyers and exhibitors, enhancing their confidence and readiness to discuss business online. The expertise of HKTDC colleagues combined with sophisticated technologies led to a successful outcome, with more than 4,500 video meetings arranged.Summer Sourcing Weeks | Go ONLINE creates global sourcing opportunitiesSummer Sourcing Weeks | Go ONLINE concluded on a high note on 7 August. The online exhibition featured more than 1,300 exhibitors and attracted over 13,000 registered quality buyers from 118 countries and regions. During the fair period, multiple webinars were held to enable global suppliers and buyers to stay abreast of the latest market intelligence amid the pandemic, attracting more than 31,000 views. The most popular webinars included "Tech Trends Symposium 2020 - The Future of Intelligent Connectivity", "Asian Lighting Forum 2020 - Shaping the Future of Lights" and "WGSN Presents: Lifestyle & Interiors Trends Spring/Summer 2021". Summer Sourcing Weeks | Go ONLINE also boosted traffic to the online hktdc.com Sourcing platform, with the number of page views reaching 1.5 million, a year-on-year increase of 60%.Gifts and lighting the most-searched productsThe majority of overseas buyers joining the online exhibition came from Mainland China, India, Indonesia, Japan, the Philippines, Singapore and the United States, confirming the global nature of the exhibition. In addition, the HKTDC invited numerous major buyers to participate through the online platform, including representatives from Sichuan Impression Property Group Co Ltd, Guangdong Sanyuan McDonald's Food Company Limited, and Chengdu Ito Yokado Electronic Commerce Co Ltd from the Mainland; Eslite Spectrum from Taiwan; Amazon India; Singapore's Lightcraft Pte Ltd; Supervalu Inc and NeweggBusiness Inc from the US; Elgin from Brazil; and local representatives from Gap International Sourcing Limited.Analysing the consolidated figures for the online exhibition, the product categories most searched for were, in order of popularity, gifts, lighting, medical and healthcare products, mobile phones and accessories, desktop organisers, clocks, audio speakers, watches, backpacks, and auto parts and accessories.Online exhibition boosts business dealsSummer Sourcing Weeks | Go ONLINE featured the Click2Match business matching platform, using multiple new technologies to enhance matching efficiency. It also covered meeting scheduling, video meeting, live chat and online seminars run by industry experts, all of which helped to provide a better online sourcing and networking experience for buyers and exhibitors. Participants on both sides agreed that the online exhibition helped them connect and continue making deals in the face of a difficult trading environment.Jun Wong, Managing Director of fashion manufacturer MsEnvy Corporation Limited, said her company had successfully connected with new customers through the platform. "The unique Click2Match business matching platform in Summer Sourcing Weeks | Go Online is a timely and effective tool that has helped us to find potential buyers amid the pandemic. A Japanese retailer and a buyer from the United Arab Emirates expressed their interests in buying our new collections based on their patterns. We expect that the initial orders from these two new buyers will amount to US$50,000," Ms Wong said.Mainland Chinese manufacturer Ningbao Hongyi Garment Co Ltd showcased its "Alice in the Wonderland" collection through the online exhibition. Pearl Yu, the company's General Manager, said: "We have successfully connected with three new buyers via the Click2Match platform. A buyer from the Netherlands sourcing promotional gifts wants us to produce homewear based on his own designs - an order valued at US$50,000," Ms Yu said.Ognjen Vucic, Managing Director of Linea Media from Montenegro, said: "Building trust with new suppliers during the lockdown period has been difficult for buyers. The HKTDC's innovative Click2Match customised business matching platform has made it much easier to make connections and is likely to facilitate orders worth around US$50,000 for our company."Survey: buyers still want physical fairsThe HKTDC conducted an online survey during the fair period which found that more than 70% of exhibitors were participating in an online exhibition for the first time. Nearly 70% of exhibitors surveyed said they achieved their objectives for joining the fair, including generating new sales leads and meeting new customers, leveraging online platforms to promote and launch new products, as well as promoting their company image and brand. Over 40% of respondents agreed that they will utilise both online and offline channels for future promotions.For buyers, 80% of those surveyed indicated they were participating in an online exhibition for the first time, while 80% of respondents said their objectives for joining the fair were achieved, including finding new products and suppliers, gathering market intelligence and gauging product trends. Over 80% of buyers surveyed found the communication tools of Click2Match useful for connecting with exhibitors, saying that the exhibitors referred by AI largely matched their product and service areas (84%).Moreover, nearly 70% of buyers said they would consider participating in the HKTDC's physical fairs again in the coming 12 months, showing that physical events remain crucial for buyers and exhibitors to establish connections and build trust during trading. Additionally, nearly half (46%) of the buyers surveyed consider the hybrid online and offline model to be the future trend for sourcing.HKTDC upgrades digital sourcing platformMr Chau noted that the global sourcing model is becoming more focused on digital solutions following the pandemic, and it is envisaged that an online and offline hybrid model will be adopted for future HKTDC trade exhibitions. The HKTDC's online sourcing platform, hktdc.com Sourcing, provided the perfect complement to Summer Sourcing Weeks | Go ONLINE. While the former offers a year-round online showcase for suppliers, the online exhibition brought together suppliers and buyers for specific collaborations.As the pandemic persists, the HKTDC will organise its next online exhibition, Autumn Sourcing Week | ONLINE, in November. Meanwhile, it is also working to upgrade the hktdc.com Sourcing platform, using advanced technological solutions to enhance matching efficiency and ensure that SMEs can continue to make deals during the peak sourcing season.* The nine physical exhibitions that were switched to the Summer Sourcing Weeks | Go ONLINE include the HKTDC Hong Kong International Lighting Fair (Spring Edition), HKTDC Hong Kong Electronics Fair (Spring Edition), HKTDC International ICT Expo, Hong Kong International Medical and Healthcare Fair, HKTDC Hong Kong Houseware Fair, HKTDC Hong Kong International Home Textiles and Furnishings Fair, HKTDC Hong Kong Fashion Week, HKTDC Hong Kong Gifts & Premium Fair, and the Hong Kong International Printing & Packaging Fair.To see more comments from exhibitors and buyers, please visit: https://bit.ly/3fMeCOlSummer Sourcing Weeks | Go ONLINE official website: https://ssw.hktdc.com/HKTDC Media Room: http://mediaroom.hktdc.comPlease download more photos from here https://tinyurl.com/y2ck3bezAbout HKTDCThe Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) is a statutory body established in 1966 to promote, assist and develop Hong Kong's trade. With 50 offices globally, including 13 in Mainland China, the HKTDC promotes Hong Kong as a two-way global investment and business hub. The HKTDC organises international exhibitions, conferences and business missions to create business opportunities for companies, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), in the mainland and international markets. The HKTDC also provides up-to-date market insights and product information via trade publications, research reports and digital news channels. For more information, please visit: www.hktdc.com/aboutus. Follow us on Twitter @hktdc and LinkedInSource: HKTDCContact:Copyright 2020 ACN Newswire . All rights reserved.
Days later, the Black Lives Matter protests reached Charleston and turned violent. Nearly 125 buildings in the core of the city were damaged.

The next morning, Helen Hill, the chief executive of the Charleston Area Convention & Visitors Bureau, who has been marketing the city for more than 30 years, sent an email to the bureaus members, praising people who emerged the next morning to clean up.

They are sweeping and not weeping! she wrote, without acknowledging the pain that had spurred the protests. Please remind your staff who handles social media to post only uplifting and positive content. Remember our audience is bigger than local!

To many who make their living from the 7.4 million people who visit the Charleston region every year, Ms. Hills response seemed tone deaf at best and, at worst, laid bare what has for years been simmering just below the surface of the citys genteel antebellum image: the delicate balance between the narrative promoted by the powerful visitors bureau and the citys history as the capital of the North American slave trade. That balance could no longer hold.

The tension between the two story lines is not new. In recent years, the mostly white leadership of the city and the tourism industry have worked to highlight the regions African-American heritage. The visitors bureau added a deeply reported section on Charlestons African-American history to its website. And after more than two decades of planning and fund-raising, the city in 2022 will open the International African-American Museum on Gadsdens Wharf, which had been the first stop for as many as 100,000 Africans  an estimated 40 percent of the people captured and brought to America to be sold into slavery.
FLORHAM PARK, N.J., Aug. 11, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- BASF and The Estee Lauder Companies partnered with the civil society organization Solidaridad Network to provide COVID-19 hygiene kits to more than 1,000 smallholder farmers and their families in the Way Kanan District in Lampung, Indonesia.



Given out to approximately 3,000 people, the COVID-19 hygiene kits included face masks, soap, hand sanitizer and an information leaflet. Additionally, informative banners detailing COVID-19 preventative measures were placed in each of Way Kanans seven sub-districts. Farmers Association KTNA, Business Watch Indonesia and Farmer Group leaders helped safely distribute the kits via drop-off points and by going door-to-door to farmers.

The COVID-19 pandemic has turned the world upside down for a lot of people around the globe, said Daniele Piergentili, Vice President, Home and Personal Care at BASF in North America. Aside from donating hand sanitizing gel globally, we supported the community of Indonesian smallholder farmers to help ensure their health and safety. We are grateful to our partners The Estee Lauder Companies and Solidaridad Network for this collaboration.

As a global company driven by deeply rooted values, we are committed to supporting our long-standing partners and their communities to stay safe and healthy, said Greg Polcer, Executive Vice President, Global Supply Chain, The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. The Estee Lauder Companies is proud to partner with BASF to support Solidaridad Networks vital COVID-19 relief efforts, which help to protect Indonesian smallholder farmers and their families from the impact of the pandemic.

Project Lampung, a collaborative sustainability project launched by Solidaridad Network, BASF, The Estee Lauder Companies and The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) at the end of 2018, is an ongoing initiative that aims to promote sustainable palm oil and palm derivatives production. The project supports 1,000 independent Indonesian smallholder farmers with the goal of improving their livelihoods and their sustainable production of palm oil and palm kernel oil. It offers continuous education and technical support on implementing and maintaining sustainable palm oil practices. The projects target is to have at least one-third of the supported smallholder farmers become certified according to the Smallholder Standard of RSPO after three years. The project partners are collaborating with the Indonesian government to foster a sustainable palm oil production supply chain in Lampung that does not contribute to deforestation and is competitive in the global market, while increasing the social and economic benefits for farmers.

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About the Care Chemicals division at BASF

The BASF division Care Chemicals offers a broad range of ingredients for personal care, home care, industrial & institutional cleaning, and technical applications. We are a globally leading supplier for the cosmetics industry as well as the detergents and cleaning industry, and support our customers with innovative and sustainable products, solutions and concepts. The divisions high-performance product portfolio includes surfactants, emulsifiers, polymers, emollients, chelating agents, cosmetic active ingredients, UV filters and enzymes. We have production and development sites in all regions and are expanding our presence in emerging markets. Further information is available online at www.care-chemicals.basf.com.

About BASF

BASF Corporation, headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, is the North American affiliate of BASF SE, Ludwigshafen, Germany. BASF has more than 18,800 employees in North America and had sales of $18.4 billion in 2019. For more information about BASFs North American operations, visit www.basf.com/us.

At BASF, we create chemistry for a sustainable future. We combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. More than 117,000 employees in the BASF Group work on contributing to the success of our customers in nearly all sectors and almost every country in the world. Our portfolio is organized into six segments: Chemicals, Materials, Industrial Solutions, Surface Technologies, Nutrition & Care and Agricultural Solutions. BASF generated sales of 59 billion in 2019. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchange in Frankfurt (BAS) and as American Depositary Receipts (BASFY) in the U.S. Further information at www.basf.com.

About The Estee Lauder Companies Inc.

The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. is one of the worlds leading manufacturers and marketers of quality skin care, makeup, fragrance and hair care products. The Companys products are sold in over 150 countries and territories under brand names including: Estee Lauder, Aramis, Clinique, Prescriptives, Lab Series, Origins, Tommy Hilfiger, MAC, Kiton, La Mer, Bobbi Brown, Donna Karan New York, DKNY, Aveda, Jo Malone London, Bumble and bumble, Michael Kors, Darphin, Tom Ford, Smashbox, Ermenegildo Zegna, AERIN, RODIN olio lusso, Le Labo, Editions de Parfums Frederic Malle, GLAMGLOW, By Kilian, BECCA, Too Faced and Dr. Jart+.

About Solidaridad

Solidaridad is a civil society organization that makes international supply chains more sustainable. It is our mission to create a better perspective for farmers and workers in developing countries, while reducing impact on the environment. We envision a world in which all we produce and consume can sustain us, while respecting the planet, each other and the next generations. We are an international network organization consisting of eight regional expertise centres located around the world.

CONTACT: Media Relations contact: Ido Kadman +1-201-787-1042 Ido.kadman@basf.com




ACE, a Singapore-based celebrity shoutout platform, raised over S$550K in pre-seed funding.

Backers included Manila Angel Investors Network (MAIN), celebrity host Max Loong and angel investors hailing from Grab, Carousell, Ayden Payments, and Google.

The company intends to use the funds for scaling  both in terms of talent acquisition and consumer base  and for expansion into the Southeast Asian market and international markets.

Founded in November 2019 by Dene Schonknecht, ACE (short for Authentic Celebrity Experiences) is a personalised celebrity video and collaborative platform designed for fans to connect directly with their celebrities for exclusive content. This can be done via short, personalised video messages  be it birthday songs, words of encouragement or answers to burning questions  for a small fee, set by each talent. The website currently features over 160 international celebrities including local Singapore actors Kumar, Gurmit Singh and Patricia Mok, Malaysian talents Joanne Kam and Steve Yap, Filipino bigwigs Pia Wurtzbach and Ruffa Gutierrez, Indian personalities Priyanka Roy and Romeer Sen, and more recently, the main cast of Netflixs reality TV hit Selling Sunset including Christine Quinn and Heather Rae Young.

FinSMEs

12/08/2020
"We've made a change to your upcoming trip.''

Joanie Tran knows airline emails with that subject line are rarely good news, especially during a pandemic when airlines are cutting flights.

But the flight changes Southwest Airlines sent the 28-year-old human resources manager and her family and friends Tuesday for a September vacation in Lake Tahoe are a doozy.

Tran's nonstop flight from San Diego to Reno, Nevada, turned into a connecting flight via Oakland, California. That's not a dealbreaker, but this is: the connecting flight Southwest booked her on leaves 10 minutes before the first flight lands.

Her sister's new itinerary doesn't even make sense. She was on the same nonstop San Diego-Reno flight as the entire group of 15, but the new reservation shows her departing trip beginning in Oakland, stopping in Las Vegas and arriving in Reno. It also lists, for the same day but under "returning flight,'' a San Diego-Oakland flight at a time when she is due to be in the air from Oakland to Las Vegas.

"It's ridiculous,'' she said. "They have it all mixed up.''

Southwest Airlines says the confusing information affected travelers received is preliminary and that new flights will be arranged.

Karen Doltz can relate. She received a similar email from Southwest Tuesday. Her September flight from Philadelphia to San Diego is only departing an hour earlier than she'd booked, but the new connecting flight in Chicago takes off an hour before she is scheduled to land there.

"So I guess Southwest has invented time travel?'' Doltz joked in a post on Southwest's Facebook page.

Southwest downplayed the nonsensical flight changes, saying passengers are receiving preliminary flight change information that has not been finalized. Southwest spokesman Brad Hawkins said the affected travelers' itineraries are still under review because the airline prioritizes near-term travel, defined as in the next two weeks.

Due to weaker than expected travel demand as COVID-19 cases spiked, the airline recently scrubbed a significant number of flights scheduled between Sept. 6 and Oct. 7. Hawkins said the airline "successfully changed" 95% of those reservations, leaving 5% percent awaiting final changes.

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"The (reservations) system sometimes suggests multiple options as it works to build the (new) journey. The examples youve shared require attention from our representatives to select the best options, and thats a decision we prefer to make in consultation with our customers,'' Hawkins said via e-mail.

The airline says travelers seeing new flights in their reservation have a seat on those flights pending further changes by an airline representative after reviewing rebooking options with passengers. The airline reaches out to those who don't contact it first.

"These scenarios arent new and always have happened. This year, the sheer volume of changes created by monthly revisions upon revisions of our flight schedule has our people working around the clock to serve these customers ahead of their departure date. Were grateful for their patience as we work through the queue and always invite customers to reach to us for help.''

He said passengers concerned about the flight changes should call the airline (800-435-9792) for more information.

Doltz, who works in information technology, suspects a computer glitch is to blame.

"This should have been literally impossible for this to happen,'' she said.

She said she's received plenty of flight-change emails from Southwest, but "I've never seen anything like this before.''

She called Southwest but hung up after 28 minutes on hold. (The airline has a call-back option.) Doltz isn't in a hurry as she plans to cancel the flight because the wedding she was planning to attend was canceled.

Tran said she and her family, who are celebrating multiple birthdays in Tahoe, are scrambling to rebook. Southwest canceled the nonstop flight and can't rebook them together on a new flight, an airline representative told her via a direct message on Twitter.

"Now we're trying to work around their schedule instead of them working around ours,'' she said.

They likely will end up taking the refund Southwest offered and booking on another airline, she said.

"I told Southwest, 'This has never happened to me before. That's why I'm shocked.' ''

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Southwest Airlines flights changed, giving flyers 'ridiculous' options
It would appear that the Pallister government has finally listened to calls from the general public, as well as the media and this paper, for more specific information about the location of new COVID-19 cases.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 11/8/2020 (526 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It would appear that the Pallister government has finally listened to calls from the general public, as well as the media and this paper, for more specific information about the location of new COVID-19 cases.

Manitoba Health Minister Cameron Friesen confirmed that more geographic detail will be provided about confirmed cases by weeks end, providing a more granular approach to a vexing situation. On Monday, for instance, the province announced the Prairie Mountain Health region had 11 of Manitobas 16 new cases. Those cases could have been in Killarney or Swan River, Russell or Neepawa.

"When we were into this for the first time in the spring, there was a lot we didnt know," Friesen said. "Our planning and our response to the pandemic is much more sophisticated and nuanced now than it was. We made the commitment last week that we thought it was time to do more in terms of identifying.

"We dont think theres any benefit in someone knowing that someone has COVID-19 that lives four blocks down from you or down the street. But its this balancing act between providing good information in a timely way to Manitobans and then, of course, on the other side, making sure there isnt a negative effect from over-identification. Ill make this commitment. We believe that before the week is out well be able to be identifying new cases in a much more nuanced way, as you say, using zones or districts or another measurement."

You could be forgiven in the past for not knowing the Prairie Mountain Health region contains the city of Brandon because it stretches from the U.S. border to the south, the Saskatchewan border to the west, north of The Pas and on a crooked line to the east halfway to Portage la Prairie.

In fact, just five health regions cover the entire province, inadvertently creating a situation where people might go about their business thinking the virus is nowhere near them. Compounding the issue is that it takes some hunting and pecking to find the map outlining the regions on the provincial website.

The only issues that might crop into this more open process concern human nature. The new information is not about ostracizing or shunning people who inadvertently brought the pandemic to a neighbourhood or small town. Better access to information allows us to more competently assess our own risk. If we know there are 64 ongoing cases in Brandon, we may behave differently than if we think there are six active cases.

That too is human nature.

There has been an odd double standard in play already, with Hutterite colonies publicly addressed as hot spots. That has led to some unfortunate stigmatization of our Hutterite friends, in the same way some of us wince every time we see an out-of-province licence plate on a vehicle.

Prairie Mountain Health has now had 124 total cases, with 37 people recovered. Two are in hospital, with one in intensive care. One person has died.

Sadly, Brandons current outbreak has been linked to a person who returned to the city from Eastern Canada and didnt properly self-isolate.

The number of cases among staff at the Maple Leaf Foods plant in Brandon climbed to 22 on Monday with the addition of four more cases. The province says there is no evidence of transmission within the plant.

More broadly, there are 196 confirmed active cases in Manitoba, with six people in hospital and three in intensive care. Eight people have died.

National data released on Monday suggested that more than 500 cases of the virus have been transmitted in public spaces in 61 cities and seven provinces.

The pandemic isnt going away. On Monday, the number of confirmed global cases eclipsed 20 million, with Canada now over 121,000 cases.

With where we are at now, it takes a long view to picture the path to the successful eradication of this dangerous virus. Of course, we have yet to see exactly how the province will enact its plan to be more upfront with COVID-19 data, but we encourage our provincial leaders to be as transparent as possible.

The simple act of knowing where the virus is active will help us to do our part.
A year after being exonerated for a crime he didn't commit and released from Angola prison, Baton Rouge resident Archie Williams is on 'America's Got Talent,' where for his audition he sang Elton John's 'Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me.'
With Tesla announcing plans to build a manufacturing plant in Central Texas  and with the possibility of the company headquarters arriving as well  many in this state are rejoicing. Not me.

Tesla is the worst. And Elon Musk, Teslas founder and CEO? Hes awful, too. My hatred for both the company and the CEO burns inside me with the heat of 10,000 SpaceX rocket launches.

My reasons for this rage range from the profound to the petty. Ill list them in that order. Tesla, how do I hate thee? Let me count the ways.

Reason 1: public giveaways for private companies. Del Valle ISD offered $46.4 million in tax breaks for the privilege of hosting Teslas new manufacturing facility in its neighborhood. Travis County commissioners approved other goodies, for a total package worth $60 million. Will the states Texas Enterprise Fund be far behind in offering a public subsidy for private enterprise?

In return, Tesla plans to employ 5,000 workers, with starting wages of $35,000 per year. In other words, poverty wages for a family of six.

And Gov. Greg Abbott and other Texas leaders celebrated?

See, its already obvious Tesla moved here precisely because it could pay its workers $35,000 a year! We shouldnt have to pay Tesla an additional $60 million in public subsidies for the thing it already planned to do.

And why does a CEO with an estimated net worth of $70 billion demand to take money from Texas public school kids for his companys bottom line? Because he can. Because there is no shame anymore in late-stage capitalism as practiced by Elon Musk.

Thanks, Mr. Musk! Please, sir, may I have another?

Reason 2: electric vehicle subsidies. A debate rages over whether Tesla is profitable over the past year or is still losing money. What is not debatable is that the only way the firm can report a profit is because, for regulatory reasons, other auto manufacturers are forced to purchase regulatory credits from Tesla. Because other companies do not produce enough electric cars, according to federal regulations.

Tesla booked $782 million in payments from traditional automakers in the first half of the year. Tesla reported a profit of $16 million in the first quarter and $104 million in the second, meaning it would show a loss without the regulatory credits forcibly paid by its competitors.

Teslas entire business model to date has been built on government subsidies. From the $1.2 billion to build a battery plant in Reno to the $7,500 EV car purchaser credits  which mercifully have now been phased out for Tesla. Without them, the company never would have been profitable. Can we stop publicly subsidizing a $270 billion market cap company, please? Again, something about capitalism is broken here.

Reason 3: accounting shenanigans. David Einhorn of Greenlight Capital wrote a scathing analysis of Teslas accounting practices in his Aug. 4 quarterly investment letter.

All but accusing the firm, and Musk, of fraud, Einhorn wrote: We question whether TSLAs accounting, which does not appear to correspond to the creation of regulatory credits through auto sales, transfers of those credits to a counterparty nor payment for those credits, conforms to GAAP accounting.

Einhorns bottom line is that he thinks Tesla is cheating in order to show a technical profit for four quarters in a row, which would allow the firm to be included in the S&P 500 index. Through what appears to be sheer abuse of the accounting rules, Einhorn wrote, TSLA has now contrived reported profits to make it technically eligible (for S&P 500 inclusion).

Einhorn went on to predict Teslas future crash  along the same lines as the catastrophic fraud of WireCard, or WDI, following its recent inclusion in the German stock exchange, or DAX. As with WDI and the DAX, we expect the TSLA parabola to end around the speculated inclusion in the prestigious S&P 500 Index.

Reason 4: stock valuation. Ive made exactly one forward-looking market call on an individual stock in my six years of writing a newspaper column. I wrote about Tesla in 2015 as a company that Im reasonably certain will be dead in five years, despite its $25 billion market cap.

Ha, ha. The jokes on me because I revisited that call in January to point out that its growth to a $100 billion market cap was even more ridiculous.

A mere half-year later, the stock switched into ludicrous mode. The company is now valued at $270 billion. Keep in mind this nearly tripling in value happened amid a global recession and pandemic. The lesson, as always: I am an idiot. I burn with special hatred for Tesla specifically for making a mockery of my considerable investment skills and business acumen.

Reason 5: tweets. Musk uses Twitter all day long for lying, bullying, distracting and salesmanship.

When criticized for his PR stunt regarding kids stuck in a cave in Thailand in 2018, Musk replied to the critic over Twitter with unsubstantiated slander: Sorry pedo guy you really did ask for it.

In the face of critics who pointed out the precarious financial position of Tesla in 2018, Musk lied about a taking-Tesla-private deal, tweeting, Am considering taking Tesla private at $420. Funding Secured.

Lying, bullying and distracting via Twitter doesnt make Musk unique among leaders in the world in 2020. But Musks style reminds me of the unquenchable narcissism of another lying, bullying, distracting salesman who has an important job to do but who nevertheless chooses to spend his day on Twitter.

Reason 6: cars. I hate cars. I get it  people like Teslas. They look cool and they zoom fast. Wearing my personal finance hat, I have tried my best to convince my children (and anyone else who will listen) that paying a premium for a cool car makes as much sense financially as paying a hefty premium for a cool washing machine and dishwasher. They are all just rapidly depreciating metal and plastic consumer goods. (To be clear, I mean cars and household machines, not my children.)

Cars are a bad use of your money. They shouldnt be cool. Harumph. Am I being petty? Yes, youre damn right I am. Im so Tom Petty right now that Im free fallin and I wont back down.

Michael Taylor is a columnist for the San Antonio Express-News and author of The Financial Rules for New College Graduates.

michael@michaelthesmartmoney.com |twitter.com/michael_taylor
By Ayya Lmahamad

Some 147,803 taxpayers affected by COVID-19 in Azerbaijan have applied for state support as of August 6, local media reported with the reference to the Ministry of Economy on August 11.

The taxpayers applied to the Ministry of Economy of Azerbaijan for financial support, including 29,095 taxpayers affected by the coronavirus pandemic for the payment of a certain part of the salary to employees and 118,708 private (micro) entrepreneurs.

As part of the payment of part of salaries to employees, applications from 29,095 entrepreneurs covering 273,732 employees have been reviewed and approved.

To date, the volume of financial support on the approved appeals has amounted to AZN 99.19 million ($58.34M), of which the funds envisaged for payment on the second stage amounted to AZN 49.59 million ($29.17M).

As of August 6, the State Treasury Agency of the Ministry of Finance has ensured payment of AZN 98.03 million ($57.66M) for the salary of 215,689 employees of 24,856 taxpayers.

As part of the program to provide financial support to private (micro) entrepreneurs, 118,708 taxpayers' requests were received, out of which 111,209 were examined and approved.

The volume of financial support on the approved appeals is AZN 63.66 million ($37.44M).

As of August 6, State Treasury Agency of the Ministry of Finance ensured transfer of AZN 63.55 million ($37.38M) to the bank accounts of 106,907 private (micro) entrepreneurs.

It should be noted that the results of applications under the financial support program and notifications on the transfer of funds to bank accounts are sent to electronic offices of taxpayers in the Internet tax inspection (www.e-taxes.gov.az) and mobile phones in the form of SMS. In case of any questions, people can contact the call center "195" of the State Tax Service and the local tax authorities where they are registered.

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Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
The director of AIIMS Delhi said 'If Russias vaccine is successful, then we will have to see critically whether it is safe and effective.'

As eight vaccine candidates entered the final phase of human testing in large populations, including ones produced by Moderna in the US, Oxford University and AstraZeneca in Britain, and multiple Chinese companies, Russia has already given approval to its first coronavirus vaccine.

The country is planning on producing several thousands of doses of vaccine this year with Russian firms aiming for a billion by the start of 2021. Russia has also planned a mass vaccination campaign in October, and some businessmen and politicians including Vladimir Putin's daughter have already received an inaugural dose of the vaccine, called Sputnik V.

Putin and others involved in the vaccine development have made multiple reassuring statements claiming that the vaccine works and it has been tested rigorously for safety and efficacy. However, not all countries are convinced.

"I know it has proven efficient and forms a stable immunity," Putin said in an online press conference. "We must be grateful to those who made that first step very important for our country and the entire world."

Many countries have outright stated that they won't be using Russian vaccine, while others have put forth their doubts more subtly.

Here are some countries that have expressed scepticism of the new Russian vaccine.

Germany

According to AFP, Germany has raised doubts over the quality and safety of Russia's coronavirus vaccine, stressing that drug approval is granted in the European Union only after full clinical trials.

"Patient safety is of the highest priority," said a health ministry spokeswoman. "There is no known data on the quality, efficacy and safety of the Russian vaccine."

India

According to a report by ANI, Dr Randeep Guleria, Director of All India Institutes of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Delhi said, "If Russias vaccine is successful, then we will have to see critically whether it is safe and effective. There should not be any side effects of the vaccine and it should provide good immunity and protection. India has the capacity for mass production of vaccine."

Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said at a media briefing that a National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration will be meeting today, 12 August and the panel will talk about "all matters related to logistics of vaccines, ways to address issues of equity etc."

When asked if the government was planning for a tie-up with Russia for the vaccine developed by it, Bhushan said "This expert group will continue its engagement with all state governments and vaccine manufacturers in India."

America

The top US infectious disease specialist Dr Anthony Fauci had questioned the fast-track approach adopted by Russia, during his testimony to a panel of US lawmakers.

"Claims of having a vaccine ready to distribute before you do testing is problematic at the very least," Fauci said.

In a separate interview with National Geographic, Fauci said "I hope that the Russians have actually definitively proven that the vaccine is safe and effective. I seriously doubt that they've done that."

US Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, said that it is important to have transparent data on the vaccine that will prove it is safe and actually works to help protect the people from the disease.

"The point is not to be first with a vaccine," Azar said in an interview with ABC. "The point is to have a vaccine that is safe and effective for the American people and the people of the world.

The Associated Press reported another American and White House counsellor Kellyanne Conway also expressed her scepticism about the testing process that is backing up Russias claim to the first COVID-19 vaccine.

"The US standards are so much more stringent," Conway said. "Our FDA in our country sets the standards and what I understand from the Russia announcement is this is nowhere near where we are."

Britain

The Sunday Telegraph reported that Britain 'would likely reject' the Russian's vaccine as they have 'strong reservations about the trial process'.

Britain would use Russia's (or China's) vaccines only if they trusted the data, the report said. It also depended on how "open the Russians or Chinese were about the vaccines development" and if they met all the internationally recognized protocols.

Russian experts, too, expressed reservations

As per a letter quoted by a Bloomberg report, Moscow-based Association of Clinical Trials Organizations (ACTO) asked the Russian Health Ministry to delay the vaccines registration until after Phase III trials were completed. With fewer than 100 people being tested, early registration of the vaccine could "expose end consumers to unnecessary danger."

"Why are all corporations following the rules, but Russian ones arent? The rules for conducting clinical trials are written in blood. They cant be violated," Svetlana Zavidova, ACTO Executive Director said in a letter to Russian Health Minister Mikhail Murashko.

"This is a Pandoras Box and we dont know what will happen to people injected with an unproven vaccine," Zavidova added.

However, even with some countries showing very little trust in the vaccine and many health experts, researchers and scientists speaking up against it, Russia claimed that around 20 countries have pre-ordered a billion doses of its vaccine.

Kirill Dmitriev, the head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) and bankrolled the project, told TASS, Our foreign partners express great interest in producing this vaccine in their countries. There is great interest from Brazil, from India, from many other countries that are very much looking forward to the Russian vaccine. More than five countries are now actively working with us to start producing the vaccine."

According to a report by the New York Times, the Gamaleya Institute has stated that Russia plans on manufacturing its vaccine in India, South Korea, Saudi Arabia and Cuba. Recently, the Philippines' President Rodrigo Duterte has accepted Russia's offer to conduct human trials in the country and has also said that he will be the first volunteer for the vaccine.

Indonesia, United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, and Mexico have also reportedly said that they will conduct trials of the vaccine in their countries. According to an update by Al Jazeera, Brazil's Parana state is in talks with Russia to produce its COVID-19 vaccine. The announcement was made by Joao Pedro Schonarth, the spokesperson of Parana Technology Institute.
San Francisco is projected to miss out on $10.7 billion in tourism spending in 2020 and 2021, staggering losses after a decade-long boom in travel, according to the citys tourism bureau.

Business and leisure visitors are expected to spend $3.1 billion this year and $5.5 billion in 2021, down from a record $9.6 billion in spending last year, San Francisco Travel said. (Spending was $10.2 billion last year including convention vendor fees, which havent been estimated for this year.) Tourism is the citys biggest industry and supported 86,111 jobs before the coronavirus pandemic, according to the bureau, but conventions and leisure travel have been frozen following shelter-in-place orders in March.

Total San Francisco visitors are expected to drop to 12.9 million this year, down 52.1% from last years record-high 26.2 million visitors. In 2021, visitor volume is expected to improve to 18.4 million people, with domestic travelers returning faster than international visitors.

Unfortunately, this year theres nothing positive to say. Its the biggest decline weve seen in the history of modern travel and tourism, said Joe DAlessandro, CEO of San Francisco Travel. The outlook especially in the United States is not looking encouraging for the rest of 2020.

It could take until 2025 for tourism to fully recover, which requires widespread access to a vaccine, he said.

The economic damage from the pandemic has been stark, with around 30,000 layoffs and furloughs in the Bay Area travel sector, including at hotels, airlines and food services, according to state filings. Attractions such as Fishermans Wharf and Union Square that were bustling at the beginning of the year are nearly empty, with business owners estimating that foot traffic has dropped to 10% of normal activity.

The citys convention business has been particularly hard hit, with 40 events canceled to date, resulting in $697 million in lost spending, according to the tourism bureau. Hotel bookings will plunge to an estimated 122,000 room nights this year, a 10th of the 1.2 million room nights booked last year. San Francisco Travel does not anticipate normal operations for conventions until late next year, if a vaccine is available.

The city currently has no schedule for when large events including conventions and concerts would return, shutting down an engine of the tourism economy. So much of our tourism is based on large events like the annual Pride Parade, Outside Lands music festival and sporting events, said DAlessandro. All major events have been canceled this year, while sporting teams are playing without crowds.

The tourism bureau is now shifting to promote San Franciscos many parks and outdoor walking in neighborhoods in hopes of attracting California visitors by car.

Regional tourism to San Francisco, San Mateo, the East Bay, Marin and Wine Country is expected to drop by more than half to 27.5 million tourists spending $6.5 billion this year, down from 57.7 million visitors who spent $19.7 billion last year.

Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes

The citys top international markets for visitors this year are expected to be Mexico, China, the United Kingdom, Canada and France. Traffic from China, where the coronavirus originated, is expected to fall by 73% compared to last year.

DAlessandro said the first step toward recovery is reopening the citys hotels for tourists. The effort has become contentious, with hotel groups suing the city over new mandates for daily room cleaning, which hotel operators say will endanger workers by exposing them more frequently to potentially infected guests. DAlessandro said San Francisco Travel has concerns over the mandates.

Were confident were going to come back, but its going to be a struggle, DAlessandro said.

Roland Li is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: roland.li@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @rolandlisf
Puerto Ricans like Carmen Damaris Quinones Torres still don't know who their nominees for governor are two days after the island held a chaotic primary election that was supposed to determine who will be on the ballot in November.

Quinones Torres, who lives in the town of Trujillo Alto, was getting ready to vote in Puerto Rico's primary on Sunday when she found out that her polling place had closed because it had never received any ballots. Other polling centers received ballots hours after voting was scheduled to start or ran out halfway through the primary.

These scenes were replayed across hundreds of polling centers on the island.

Quinones Torres, with the help of Puerto Rico's ACLU chapter, is suing the president of the island's Elections Commission, as well as political party commissioners overseeing the primary, alleging that their decision to close down polls early as the primary was taking place on Sunday was illegal and unconstitutional.

Elections Commission President Juan Ernesto Davila, alongside party commissioners Maria Santiago Rodriguez and Lind Merle Feliciano as well as other officials, are facing backlash over early poll closings. Other critics have also blasted them for letting polling places that eventually received ballots work extended hours, arguing that some voters had already left because of the delays.

Davila told Telemundo Puerto Rico on Tuesday evening that his agency is working to reopen voting centers that did not receive ballots Sunday for a make-up primary on Aug. 16. It's unclear what will happen with the polling places that ran out of ballots.

Mayte Bayolo-Alonso, an ACLU attorney working on the case, told NBC News there's no "legally-biding law, resolution or ruling" allowing members of the Elections Commission, who are "unelected officials who are part of an executive agency," to suspend or postpone a primary.

"Extend it, you can do it because you're not limiting the right to vote, you are providing more. But they can't restrict the date or time of an ongoing primary," she said. "Even in the U.S., the law makes it clear that you can't close voting polls in the middle of the election process."

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Image: (Danica Coto / AP)

"When you do that, you cause irreparable damages," said Bayolo-Alonso. "What we're trying to do now is mitigate that damage and make sure that those who were left out can exercise the right to vote."

The shoddy primary process also spurred a flurry of lawsuits from the candidates on primary ballots  including one from Gov. Wanda Vazquez, who is unelected after taking office last year when then-Gov. Ricardo Rossello resigned amid mass protests triggered by a political scandal. Her primary opponent Pedro Pierluisi, who like Vazquez is from the pro-statehood New Progressive Party, is also suing as well as opposition party candidates Eduardo Bhatia and Carlos Delgado.

Carlos Mendez, president of the islands House of Representatives, and other officials are urging the commission to release the results of the roughly 60 out of 110 precincts where voting took place in an effort to be transparent. Others are asking the commission to hold up on releasing the results, arguing it could influence how people vote in the make-up election.

On Wednesday morning, the Puerto Rican Supreme Court issued an order to paralyze the "count, scrutiny and disclosure of votes cast in the primaries last Sunday" until the case is resolved.

The ballots of those who voted are in "locked cages" at a stadium serving as the Elections Commission's operations center. They're being guarded by police and representatives from candidates running for office, according to Davila.

Suppressing usually high turnout?

Bayolo-Alonso said she saw many red flags before the primaries after the Puerto Rican government approved a new electoral code in June amid the coronavirus pandemic  changing election rules about 130 days before the island's Nov. 3 general election.

This meant that Puerto Rican voters  known for often having a 70 percent voter participation rate or more  had a limited amount of time to learn what counts as a valid vote, and agencies overseeing the electoral process had to work against the clock to abide by the new set of rules.

"Even by the time the new electoral code was approved, the Elections Commission was set up to fail," said Bayolo-Alonso in Spanish. The new code requires ballots to be printed 75 days before an election, but that new rule was imposed on June 20, two weeks before Sunday's primary. "So since its approval, there were already breaches," she said.

Amid coronavirus concerns, Puerto Ricans who live on the island can only participate in a primary if they vote in person, according to the new electoral code. "And that option was restricted by a shoddy process," Bayolo-Alonso said.

On top of this, Puerto Rico's coronavirus lockdown prohibited new voters from registering for 95 days. New voters in Puerto Rico can only register in person. "That's also a kind of voter suppression," said Bayolo-Alonso.

Now it's up to the Puerto Rican Supreme Court to lay out a legal framework that ensures that the electoral process does not unravel during the general election in November.

The Puerto Rican Supreme Court is expected to rule on the case sometime on Wednesday night.

Follow NBC Latino on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
DUBLIN, Aug. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Veterinary Software Market - Growth, Trends, and Forecasts (2020 - 2025)" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The Veterinary Software market is driven by factors such as product innovation and software integration in the veterinary healthcare, increasing opportunities for practice management, adoption of information systems in the veterinary healthcare and growth in the demand for farm animals.



According to the Veterinary Hospital Managers Association (VHMA), as a result of the growing demand for pet care, the requirement for more advanced equipment, processes, and most importantly, systems and software, has also increased. It has been acknowledged by veterinarians that the professional management of veterinary practices has become a prime concern, to remain competitive by fulfilling every possible requirement of the client. Being involved in various levels and aspects of responsibility regarding how a veterinary hospital works, a veterinary hospital manager needs to create scope for the team to deliver efficient and quality healthcare to animals. For example, a hospital administrator has the responsibility of supervising all financial, operational, human resource, and business development activities.



Owing to the fact that technological solutions help improve patient communication, diagnostic potential, and in incorporating the business, it can be inferred that software integration has the potential to reduce labor time and rate of error, and enhance productivity and the quality of patient care.



Moreover, veterinary practice software has experienced advancements in terms of integrating with diagnostic and laboratory equipment, and also for streamlining data, lab results, and images, directly into a patient's medical record, which can be remotely shared with other veterinary practitioners for various purposes, such as consultations, dual treatments, training, etc. Thus, the increasing need for providing optimum care to animals by proper practice management is expected to drive the growth of the market studied.



Key Market Trends



Practice Management Software is Expected to Witness a Healthy CAGR Over the Forecast Period



Veterinary practice management software is used by veterinarians to manage patient information, treatment planning, and scheduling, as well as back-office functions, such as accounting. Some of the features of practice management software are after-care instructions for clients, billing, boarding/grooming, capturing lost charges, client-patient database, client communications, client reminders, electronic medical records, electronic whiteboards, inventory control, and many others.



Certain strategic movements that are seen in the market are helpful for the growth of the same. For instance, recently, in May 2018, Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine partnered with ezyVet to use the company's cloud-hosted veterinary practice management software (PMS). Such partnerships, along with the adoption of new technology, are expected to boost the overall growth of the veterinary software market, over the forecast period.



Competitive Landscape



The Veterinary Software market is moderately competitive and currently, adoption of information systems in veterinary healthcare is allowing more companies to penetrate the market and gain profits. Global players such as IDEXX laboratories and Carestream are providing their services worldwide whereas, certain countries like the United States and Germany have a large number of local players as well.



Key Topics Covered:



1 INTRODUCTION

1.1 Study Deliverables

1.2 Study Assumptions

1.3 Scope of the Study



2 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY



3 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY



4 MARKET DYNAMICS

4.1 Market Overview

4.2 Market Drivers

4.2.1 Product Innovation and Software Integration

4.2.2 Increasing Opportunities for Practice Management

4.2.3 Adoption of Information Systems in Veterinary Healthcare

4.2.4 Growth in Demand for Farm Management

4.3 Market Restraints

4.3.1 Shortage of Technologically Skilled Veterinarians

4.3.2 Lack of Government Incentives for Software Adoption

4.4 Porter's Five Force Analysis

4.4.1 Threat of New Entrants

4.4.2 Bargaining Power of Buyers/Consumers

4.4.3 Bargaining Power of Suppliers

4.4.4 Threat of Substitute Products

4.4.5 Intensity of Competitive Rivalry



5 MARKET SEGMENTATION

5.1 By Product

5.2 By Delivery Model

5.3 By Animal Type

5.4 Geography



6 COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE

Animal Intelligence Software Inc.

Carestream Health

FirmCloud Corp.

Covetrus Inc.

IDEXX Laboratories Inc.

OR Technology - Oehm und Rehbein GmbH

Patterson Companies Inc.

Timeless Veterinary Systems

Vetter Software Inc.

VIA Information Systems

7 MARKET OPPORTUNITIES AND FUTURE TRENDS



For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/n29xq7

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Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents

By Isabel Wilkerson

Random House. 476 pp. $32

Reviewed by Kenneth W. Mack

The air was hazy on a January night in 2018 when Isabel Wilkerson, the journalist and author of a much-lauded narrative account of the Black migration out of the American South, arrived in Delhi. Wilkerson's visit had been prompted by a book she was writing that used the Indian caste system to illuminate America's racial hierarchy. It was her first trip to India, but one aspect of what she saw there seemed instantly familiar.

She quickly discovered that, as an African American woman schooled in the folkways of race in her home country, she could easily distinguish upper-caste Indians from Dalits, or Untouchables. In turn, Dalits ... gravitated toward me like long-lost relatives. Patterns of deference and social performance marked caste onto her hosts bodies, even when Indians did their best to shake them off.

Wilkerson spent much of the 2010s researching and writing her book, just as the United States was moving in a direction that seemed to validate its thesis. A series of killings of African Americans, often by police officers, helped birth a new antiracist social movement. Athletes knelt, monuments to slavery began to come down, reparations for enslavement and its long aftermath became a mainstream idea, and the politics of white grievance took over the White House. When she finished her book, she titled it Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents. Wilkersons thesis is that Americans current obsession with race is somewhat misplaced, for there is a deeper and more intractable system that hides behind the chimera of race, and that system is properly called American caste.

Caste, Wilkerson argues, is something we internalize unconsciously. "Race is fluid and superficial," she asserts, joining the many scholars who have pointed out that race  with all its assumptions of the innate intellectual and moral superiority of one arbitrarily designated group of people over another  is an illusion. "Caste," on the other hand, "is fixed and rigid." "Caste, like grammar, becomes an invisible guide not only to how we speak, but to how we process information." The caste system disguises itself by making us see race traits as real and immutable, and antiracist work as simply the elimination of prejudiced thinking. The real problem, Wilkerson argues, goes deeper.

Caste has its origins in slavery, where there emerged a ladder of humanity, global in nature, with the English Protestants at the very top while all others rank in descending order until one comes to the African captives transported to build the New World. These Africans were analogous to the mudsill, she writes  the wooden beam that anchors a house to its foundation and provides support for the whole structure. Since the Civil War era, many commentators have referred to Black Americans as the essential mudsills of our society. Caste is like a container for the aspirations of these darker-skinned Americans, Wilkerson argues  a set of unstated assumptions about where and how they are supposed to exist. While there have been a variety of racial regimes as the country has moved from slavery to freedom to the post-civil-rights era, the assumptions of caste have remained relatively constant, often invisible, and nearly impossible to dislodge.

Wilkersons book is strongest when she illustrates her points through poignant stories, like that of a Black woman born in Texas after the civil rights era to parents who simply named her Miss, in defiance of the caste assumptions that required Black people to be addressed by their first names. At other points, Wilkerson narrates the stories of Dalits in India, who, despite the protections for them enshrined in the Indian constitution, can find simple things like trying on clothes in a store to be nearly impossible because of disrespect and harassment from high-caste Indians who believe that people at the bottom of the social ranking should do no such things. One interviewee simply resigns himself to wearing shoes that dont fit.

Wilkerson also shares her own experiences as a prominent journalist, seemingly outside the caste assigned to a person of her hue, such as when a boutique manager simply cannot believe that she is the Isabel Wilkerson who has asked to interview him, even after she provides him with her identification. Caste continues to do tangible harm to those at the lowest rung, Wilkerson argues, harm that can be quantified in terms of measurable phenomena such as different health outcomes for people who have to live under the assumptions that attach to the bottom caste.

Wilkersons book is a powerful, illuminating and heartfelt account of how hierarchy reproduces itself, as well as a call to action for the difficult work of undoing it, but the fundamental conceit that drives its analysis is one of recognition. Wilkerson sees something familiar about the Dalits in India, and about the racial hierarchies that the Nazi regime constructed in Germany. Throughout human history, she asserts, three caste systems have stood out  those of the United States, India, and Nazi Germany. Indeed, a central section of the book is devoted to setting out the eight pillars of caste. These are features that these three systems all have in common, such as hierarchies that are supposedly natural or divinely ordered, heritability of status, controls on marriage and sexuality across caste lines, prohibitions on pollution of the upper caste by contact with the lower, caste-based occupational hierarchy, and terror and violence as means of enforcement.

Wilkerson devotes only limited space to comparing the Nazi regime to America or India, although she does mine that regime for other purposes. The Nazi regime, she argues, relying on recent work by the legal historian James Whitman, borrowed some of the legal structure for its notorious Nuremberg Laws from American statutes such as racial-intermarriage prohibitions that were on the books in most U.S. states. Present-day Germany, she also points out, officially repudiates and remembers the horrors of its racial past, while the United States often celebrates the defenders of slavery. Still, it is the recognition of the similarities between the United States and India that provides the foundation for this book.

As Wilkerson acknowledges, many others have also felt a sense of kinship between Indian caste and American race. Since the middle of the 19th century, critics of caste and British colonialism in India, and antiracist activists in the United States, have mined the analogy to productive effect. Martin Luther King Jr. visited India, the Dalit leader Bhimrao Ambedkar studied in the United States, and a host of writers, activists and intellectuals in India and America also made use of the analogy, as the historian Nico Slate and others have shown. Proponents of white supremacy have done so as well, analogizing high-caste Indians, who tend to be lighter-skinned, to the Caucasian race through an imagined reading of the word Aryan. Mid-20th-century social scientists, including Allison Davis, Oliver Cromwell Cox, John Dollard, and Gunnar Myrdal, also argued about the Indian-American analogy.

The proposition that Indian caste  with its four main group distinctions (which exclude Dalits and other groups known as "Tribals") and its innumerable other distinctions based on geography, occupation and other things  is the same system as one that developed in a country with an entirely different history is easily disprovable. At times, Wilkerson criticizes those, particularly Black Americans, who object to her caste framework as manifesting a form of false consciousness, when there is a legitimate debate over the term's applicability to the United States. Yet, for Wilkerson, like many others, caste is more of a metaphor than anything else. Her real point is that there is something of a family resemblance in how many societies treat their mudsills.

Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents reaches the public in the midst of an intense debate over the history of racial oppression and the persistence of what is often called structural racial inequality. Amid proposals to reform or abolish police departments and prisons, to explore reparations for slavery, to undo the racial foundations of capitalism, and to reconstruct many institutions of American life, Wilkerson reminds us that this is not the first time the United States, like other societies, has tried to come to grips with its foundational problem. Unless one reaches for those foundations and tears them out, she warns, caste is likely to remain with us long after our current moment of racial reckoning is done.

Mack, a historian and a professor of law at Harvard, is the author of Representing the Race: The Creation of the Civil Rights Lawyer and a coeditor of The New Black: What Has Changed  and What Has Not  With Race in America.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-12 22:09:57|Editor: huaxia

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DHAKA, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- Approximately 70 percent of surveyed migrants who returned from abroad between February and June 2020 are unemployed, according to a latest study by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM).

The study findings are presented Wednesday in a report titled, "Rapid Assessment of Needs and Vulnerabilities of Internal and International Return Migrants in Bangladesh".

Returnees experienced reintegration challenges which included difficulties in securing employment, financial problems (lack of income and accumulating debt), and health-related issues, data compiled by the U.N.'s migration agency shows.

According to the IoM, migrant workers are particularly vulnerable to the impact of the COVID-19 crisis, and since March 2020, hundreds of thousands of international migrant workers were compelled to return to their home districts in Bangladesh due to limited access to income-generating activities, social services, healthcare systems and social support networks in the countries and regions in which they were working prior to the outbreak of COVID-19.

It says that unplanned, large-scale returns of unemployed migrant workers affect remittance-dependent communities across the country where each migrant worker supports three members of his/her household on average.

The report, released in coordination with the government of Bangladesh, listed findings from interviews with a total of 2,765 return migrants, including 1,486 international return migrants and 1,279 internal return migrants.

The survey was conducted in May and July 2020 in 12 high migration-prone districts, seven of which share a border with India. Enditem
New York, Aug. 10, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- PHI Group, Inc. ( www.phiglobal.com , PHIL ), announced today that Vietnam-based Tecco Group (https://teccogroup.vn/) has signed an agreement with PHI Luxembourg Development SA, a subsidiary of PHI Group, to launch PHILUX Infrastructure Fund, the first-ever Luxembourg-based infrastructure fund for Vietnam.



As one of the fastest growing economies in ASEAN, Vietnam is currently demanding for more foreign financial investment and technical assistance to narrowing its infrastructure gap. According to the Global Infrastructure Outlook, Vietnam requires an investment of US$605 billion to meet 83 per cent of its infrastructure goals by 2040. Among the sectors that have been given utmost priorities are the urban transportation, road & rail and port infrastructure.

Currently, just 20 per cent of the countrys national roads are paved, and a recently approved plan to build Vietnam's North-South high-speed railway, which allows passengers to travel between capital Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City in about eight hours, will cost about 26 billion U.S. dollars.

The rising population in major cities in recent years has strained and exceeded capacity of the existing connectivity networks and utilities systems. With 50% of Vietnams population expected to be living in cities, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh are building rapid transit systems exceeding US$22 billion in the hope of reducing private vehicle ownership and improving air quality.

Various expressway projects are planned and underway to improve connectivity within major cities. Similarly, development and upgrading of urban utilities infrastructure are announced and there are 44 planed PPP projects with total investment value worth up to US$ 120 billion in the road and power sectors.

PHILUX Global Funds SCA, SICAV-RAIF ( www.philux.eu ), is a Luxembourg-based bank fund with multiple sub-fund compartments for investment in real estate, infrastructure, renewable energy and healthcare as well as the proposed Chu Lai Multiple Commodities Center (CMCC) and the Asia Diamond Exchange (ADE) in the Chu Lai Open Economic Zone, in Quang Nam Province. This will be the first rough diamond exchange in Asia, comparable with diamond exchanges in Antwerp and Dubai.

Story continues

Besides supporting transport infrastructure, Tecco Group expects to utilize the Luxembourg infrastructure fund for a number of port, industrial zone cluster, and airport projects together with modern technologies. Mr. Huyen Duc Vu, Vice Chairman of Tecco Group, commented:  This is the first time Vietnam has the opportunity to access international capital for infrastructure development through a Luxembourg-based bank fund, which helps respond to the overall social development demand and at the same time elevate the competitiveness of the economy. Representing Tecco Group, I am extremely pleased to cooperate with PHILUX Infrastructure Fund to capitalize on huge potential of the infrastructure construction market in Vietnam.

Mr. Vu added:  The negative impact from the coronavirus pandemic has exerted a heightened pressure on the Vietnamese government in its efforts to maintain a positive growth economy, especially in the backdrop of decreasing ODA financings, failure or negative consequences of BT, BOT and PPP models, and bottlenecks in public finance funding; therefore, I strongly believe that the launching of an infrastructure fund for Vietnam at this time is very appropriate. I am confident that the cooperation between PHILUX and TECCO will bring about positive beacons for infrastructure investment projects in the near future.

Henry Fahman, Chairman of PHILUX Global Funds SCA, SICAV-RAIF, stated: We are delighted to cooperate with Tecco Group in launching the first-ever Luxembourg-based PHILUX Infrastructure Fund for Vietnam. We look forward to utilizing our combined experience and international networks to serve the needs of infrastructure development in Vietnam as well as create meaningful economic value for both companies, our shareholders and other stakeholders.

About PHI Group, Inc.

PHI Group ( www.phiglobal.com , PHIL ), primarily focuses on mergers and acquisitions and invests in select industries and special situations that may substantially enhance shareholder value. In addition, the Companys wholly-owned subsidiary, PHILUX Capital Advisors, Inc. ( www.philuxcap.com ) provides M&A consulting services and assists companies to go public and access international capital markets while also serving as the investment adviser to Luxembourg-based PHILUX Global Funds ( www.philux.eu ).

About Tecco Group

Established on December 17, 2001 with a charter capital of VND 2,000 billion (Two trillion VND), TECCO is a multidisciplinary business operating mainly in the fields of construction investment - housing real estate, resort real estate, quarrying, water exploitation, hydroelectricity and service chains. services such as: travel and tourism services, design consulting, construction, supermarket services, hotels, etc.



With 20 years of establishment and development, TECCO Group has 5 affiliated corporations, 36 member units, joint ventures, and has been implementing more than 60 projects across 18 provinces and cities nationwide, from Lao Cai in the North to Kien Giang in the South of Vietnam. The Group is operated by a team of managers including Ph.D.s, Masters, engineers, and well-trained, professional and experienced staff with modern specialized equipment. TECCO has been investing in many large-scale, high-quality projects all over Vietnam. Website: (https://teccogroup.vn/)

Safe Harbor Act and Forward-looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements pursuant to the safe-harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements describe future expectations, plans, results, or strategies and are generally preceded by words such as may, future, plan or planned, will or should, expected, anticipates, draft, eventually or projected, which are subject to a multitude of risks and uncertainties that could cause future circumstances, events, or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors.

Contact:

PHI Group, Inc.

+1-702-475-5430

info@phiglobal.com




U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar places flowers at a memorial for former Taiwanese President Lee Teng-hui in Taipei, Taiwan, Wednesday. / AP-Yonhap



China warned Washington not to "play with fire" on Wednesday as a U.S. delegation wrapped up a historic trip to the self-ruled island of Taiwan.



Beijing has been infuriated by the highest-profile visit in decades to Taiwan, which it sees as part of its territory, as US-China relations plunge to a record low over a range of issues from trade to military and the coronavirus pandemic.



Health chief Alex Azar finished a three-day visit to Taiwan, during which he criticized China's handling of the pandemic and visited the shrine of a former Taiwan president hated by the Communist Party leadership.



Beijing slammed the visit Wednesday and said it "firmly opposes official exchanges between the US and Taiwan under any pretext."



"On issues involving China's core interests, some people in the US must not harbor illusions, those who play with fire will get burned," said foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian at a regular press briefing.



"I would also like to remind the Taiwan authorities not to be... subservient to others, to rely on the support of foreigners, and to be bent on pursuing independence, which is a dead end," Zhao said.



Beijing insists that Taiwan  which has been self-ruled since 1949  is part of "one China" and has vowed to react with force if it ever formally declares independence.



On the last day of the trip, Azar visited a shrine to Taiwan's late president Lee Teng-hui Wednesday, praising his role in steering the island's transition to democracy.



The US cabinet member wrote a message of condolence for Lee, who died last month aged 97.



"President Lee's democratic legacy will forever propel the U.S.-Taiwan relationship forward," Azar wrote.



Lee was a towering figure in Taiwan's recent history.



He defied China by pushing for the island to be recognized as a sovereign nation and earned the nickname "Mr. Democracy" for the part he played in its transition from authoritarian rule.



Beijing, which claims Taiwan as its own territory, loathed Lee. When news emerged of his death, Chinese state media called him "the godfather of Taiwan secessionism".



Both Washington and Taipei portrayed Azar's trip as an opportunity to learn from the success of Taiwan's battle against the coronavirus.



The island has fewer than 500 infections and just seven deaths, compared with more than 160,000 fatalities in the United States.



But the visit has also been an opportunity to ruffle Beijing's feathers at a time when US President Donald Trump is taking an increasingly hard line against China as he seeks re-election in November.



'Our friend and partner'



"We will continue to support Taiwan as our friend and our partner across security, economic and healthcare issues," Azar told reporters after a visit to a mask factory on Wednesday, shortly before flying back the the States.



China takes umbrage at any formal recognition of Taiwan.



It called for Azar's trip to be cancelled and Taiwan accused Beijing of sending fighter jets over a de facto border on Monday, the day the US health chief met President Tsai Ing-wen.



During his visit Azar has repeatedly contrasted Taiwan's open, democratic system with China's authoritarian leadership.



In a speech on Tuesday he suggested the coronavirus might have been stopped sooner had it emerged in a more transparent and democratic place, such as Taiwan, rather than China.



He also hit out at Beijing for keeping Taiwan locked out of the World Health Organization.



China has taken an increasingly hostile approach toward Taiwan since Tsai took office in 2016.



Despite the pressure campaign she won a second term earlier this year with a landslide. (AFP)


Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-12 08:03:27|Editor: huaxia

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South Korean soldiers search for people swept away by strong current in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province of South Korea, Aug. 11, 2020. South Korea's death toll from days of heavy rain rose to 30, with 12 missing and eight wounded as of Aug. 9, according to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters. (Photo by Lee Sang-ho/Xinhua)
Footwear retailer Dr Martens plans to pay back furlough funds to the Government after its sales continued to grow despite closing stores amid the pandemic.

Kenny Wilson, chief executive of the retailer, said it was 'morally right' to return the funds it claimed after furloughing staff at its UK stores and manufacturing site.

Mr Wilson said the company made the decision as a strong demand for online sales has kept the company in growth since the start of April.

He said: 'We made sure we would have significant liquidity and could pay everyone, so when we saw positive sales continue we knew we had to repay that.

'So far this financial year, we have maintained growth as e-commerce has offset losses elsewhere.

'Our strategy has been digital first and that obviously put us in a strong position to deal with closures.'

Kenny Wilson, chief executive of Dr Martens, said it was 'morally right' to return the funds it claimed after furloughing staff at its UK stores and manufacturing site. Pictured: stock image

The retailer was forced to shut its stores across Europe, the US and Japan in March, while some stores in South Korea, Hong Kong and China continued to trade.

The footwear retailer confirmed 'almost all' of its stores have now reopened as lockdown restrictions have eased across the world.

Dr Martens said the impact of the store closures has been 'modest' as it was boosted by 'strong growth' in its online revenues.

The update came as the company, which was founded in Northamptonshire in 1960, posted a 48 per cent jump in revenues to 672.2 million for the year to March 31.

Meanwhile, underlying earnings surged by 93 per cent to 164.4 million for the year, amid revenue growth across all major markets.

The retailer, which is owned by private equity giant Permira, was also boosted by a raft of store openings, as it launched 16 new stores to bring its estate to 122 owned shops.

Mr Wilson said the business aims to continue growing its store portfolio at a similar rate, despite current pressure on high-street firms.

He said: 'We are still hoping to be able to open 15 or 16 stores this year.

'We've had a focus on opening in big, important cities across the world, and actually managed to continue some of these since the virus hit, opening a new Paris store just recently.'
Maureen Downey, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (TNS)

The challenges of in-person learning continued in Georgia as one of the earliest districts to begin the school year reported more than 900 students and staff were quarantined and a high school was closed as administrators try to contain the rapidly growing number of COVID-19 cases.

Cherokee County announced Tuesday that Etowah High School would close until Aug. 31.

The school drew national attention last week after scores of students without masks were pictured shoulder to shoulder in a group photo on the first day of the fall semester.

Despite being in the middle of a pandemic, today Etowah High School in Cherokee County started their first day of school.



Here's a seniors photo that was taken this morning. pic.twitter.com/3VwzN3d0pE  Everything Georgia (@GAFollowers) August 4, 2020

Cherokee Superintendent Brian Hightower announced Tuesday afternoon that the number of positive cases at Etowah High rose to 14 with results for another 15 students pending. At that point, 294 students and staff were under quarantine, and if the pending tests prove positive, he said, the total would increase dramatically.

Since reopening last Monday, there have been 59 positive COVID-19 tests reported in the district, Hightower said. The cases have resulted in two-week quarantines for 925 students and staff.

The photograph, along with pictures of crowded hallways in the nearby Paulding County School District, have drawn national attention, with health experts warning that the lack of masks and social distancing could contribute to the virus spreading. Cherokee requires masks for staff, and neither district mandates them for students, leaving that decision optional. That choice has been supported by some parents in both districts, and this week Gov. Brian Kemp said he would not implement a mask mandate for schools.

While Cherokee revises its plans for Etowah High, parents in nearby Cobb and Gwinnett counties are pushing their local leaders to open schools. Both districts announced recently that they were abandoning plans for in-person schooling, opting to start the year online, but both then rebounded with plans for a phased-in reopening, starting with younger students. Mariettas school board on Tuesday also approved plans for reopening some classrooms after Labor Day.

In Cherokee, Hightower has resorted to calls for individual responsibility, saying he wears a mask whenever he cant keep a safe distance from others.

We know all parents do not believe the scientific research that indicates masks are beneficial, but I believe it and see masks as an important measure to help us keep schools open, he wrote Tuesday on the school districts home page. He made a similar plea Friday, saying we need to social distance whenever we can, and always wear masks when we cannot, adding it was a critical component to keeping schools open.

Around the same time that the Etowah High photo surfaced online, photos of packed hallways at North Paulding High went viral. The district suspended two students, including one who publicly acknowledged posting one of the photos on social media, but rescinded the suspensions after a national backlash.

State School Superintendent Richard Woods said in the midst of that controversy that school districts have the authority to require students to wear masks.

There is a range of opinion among Cherokee County parents about their schools response to the pandemic. The district, which serves more than 42,000 students, let families choose between in-person and online schooling. About 3 in 4 chose classrooms.

Some rallied at the district headquarters Tuesday morning, hoisting signs that thanked employees for opening and thanking the district for giving them a choice for in-person classes, according to Channel 2 Action News.

Others wish it had been planned differently.

It was a total cluster; they just crammed kids in a class, said Mandy Birdsong, whose son is a sophomore at Etowah High. He was uninspired by the online learning last spring, and he misses his friends, so the family chose in-person schooling for him because he needed the motivation.

Birdsong wants administrators to reopen more safely three weeks from now, perhaps with fewer students on campus by alternating attendance days.

Birdsong thinks the masks are a challenge though.

Kids learn from their parents, so if their parents arent wearing masks, the kids wont either, she said. Im going out and seeing 70% of people still not wearing masks.
The Police in Rivers says it has arrested a man, Izuchukwu Success, and five other suspects for allegedly conspiring to sell his one-day-old baby boy to waiting buyers for N900,000.

The commands spokesman, Nnamdi Omoni, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Port Harcourt on Wednesday that the other five suspects were all women.

The sale of the one-day-old baby was aborted by operatives of the Special Anti Robbery Squad (SARS) in a covert operation at the early hours of Tuesday.

The operatives cracked the child trafficking syndicate at Igwuruta, Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers.

Personnel arrested one Florance Jonah, 56, who is alleged to have conspired with the father of the child, Mr Izuchukwu Success, to sell him to waiting buyers at N900,000, he said.

READ ALSO:

The police spokesman said the father of the infant was arrested and he took the policemen to a centre where the child was kept.

The father led the police to Better Life Clinic in Eneka, Rivers, where the child was eventually recovered and handed over to his real mother, Mrs Rejoice Izuchukwu.

Both mother and child are in stable health condition, he said.

Mr Omoni said the suspects are helping police investigators with details of the crime, adding that they would be charged to court as soon as investigation was concluded.

(NAN)
The proportion of daily COVID-19 cases in the Americas that are from the United States, amounting to 50,000 cases each day. ( Reuters  August 11, 2020)
Aprio, LLP, a nationally recognized top 50 CPA-led business advisory firm, announced today that Chris Grippa has joined the firm as the Partner-in-Charge of Aprios Litigation Support and Forensic Accounting practice. Chris will serve domestic and international clients; providing a range of services, including regulatory investigations, compliance, dispute resolution and advising on high-stakes financial matters.

Ive been continuously impressed by Aprios meaningful relationships with its clients, said Chris Grippa. Aprios entrepreneurial spirit, adoption of state-of-the-art technology, and agile approach leads to rapid delivery of meaningful solutions that build trust and confidence with clients. These attributes are vital when working through clients most complex and sensitive financial matters.

Chris joins Aprio from EY, with over 20 years of experience advising clients across a variety of industries. Prior to EY, Chris built and led Alvarez & Marsals forensic practice in Atlanta.

Adding Chris to lead our Litigation Support and Forensic Accounting Service team diversifies our skillset and creates an opportunity to grow our Litigation Support and Forensic Accounting Services to be nimbler and faster, ensuring our clients can face business threats head-on and build organizational resilience, said Richard Kopelman, CEO and Managing Partner of Aprio. As businesses continue on the path to recovery, were looking forward and preparing for the post-COVID-19 world, where Chriss leadership experience and vision will be vital in solving sensitive client matters and growing our firm.

For more information on Aprios Litigation Support and Forensic Accounting Services group, visit https://www.aprio.com/service/litigation-support-and-forensics/.

About Aprio

Aprio is a premier full-service, CPA-led business advisory firm based in Atlanta, Georgia, that advises clients and associates on how to achieve whats next. Aprios associates work as integrated teams across advisory, assurance, tax, outsourced accounting solutions and private client services, bringing the best thinking and personal commitment to each client. Across practices, Aprio brings together proven expertise, deep understanding and strategic foresight for industries including Manufacturing and Distribution; Non-Profit and Education; Professional Services; Real Estate and Construction; Retail, Franchise and Hospitality; and Technology and Biosciences. In 65 years, Aprio has grown to over 550 team members. To serve clients wherever life or business may take them, Aprios teams speak more than 30 languages and work with clients in over 40 countries. In addition to its Atlanta headquarters, Aprio also operates in Birmingham, Ala. and Charlotte, Greensboro, Mt. Airy and Asheboro N.C. For more, visit https://www.aprio.com.